AN: I'm back with another chapter! Hopefully people are still reading because I am enjoying writing this story! I know the updates have been sparse lately and I do apologize, but summer is my busy time and I won't be able to update as often as before. I hope that doesn't upset anyone. I enjoy having loyal readers who share their feedback with me! I also realized I erred by making Miroku's wife "Sango", so in this chapter I have changed her name to Yari to avoid confusion with Sango being Kagome's editor!

Disclaimer: Naturally I'm here to remind you once more my lack of ownership with regards to Inuyasha. Naturally I would love it if he were real and all that and if I could.. borrow him that'd be great too! Anyway, thank you Ms. Takahashi for allowing me to put your amazing creations into my meager story!

A Life Less Ordinary

Chapter Ten: Dinner and a Show

There came another knock at the bathroom door and Kagome stifled a groan of frustration. This guy was some kind of obsessed! She knew she was taking her time, but where was she going to go? It wasn't like she could flush herself down the toilet! The crazy man needed to lighten up. If he was this possessive no wonder this Kikyo lady ran away. She could see the benefits of getting away from Mister Nutcase. "Kikyo darling the room service is on its way up. I asked you to hurry yet you're keeping me waiting. Don't make me lose my patience. You know how I am when I lose my patience." Kagome rolled her eyes as she hung the oversized towel back on the rack. "Oh.. yes of course..dear. I.. I will be right out. Was just hanging up the towel. I assumed you didn't wish for a messy bathroom." 'Cause you're a complete psycho, no doubt! Making a mess seems like something you'd go nuts over. Definitely!' Kagome finally cracked the door open and walked into the lavish bedroom. He'd said her clothes were in the closet. She felt strange putting on someone else's clothing, but she was left with little option. This man still expected her to be Kikyo and dressing like her would certainly foster the illusion. Pulling open the door she peered inside at the array of colors greeting her. 'Sweet baby Jesus this woman dresses like a slut! How embarrassing! There was more material on my school uniform skirt than this!' She sighed and sifted through the hanging garments, finally setting on a sleek black dress with a low cut back. 'Thankfully the front is at least covered! Insane guy doesn't need a free peep show!' Dressing with a touch of haste she completed the look with a pair of black satin pumps she found in the bottom of the closet. Seating herself at the mirror she began to fiddle with her hair, arranging it what she hoped passed for Kikyo's style. At last she emerged from the bedroom, her eyes scanning the room for the food and the nut. Sadly all she saw for the moment was the nut.

In his sedan Inuyasha was about ready to pull his hair out, strand by silver strand. Miroku had promised he would find Naraku, but it had been a couple hours and he'd heard nothing! He gripped the steering wheel anxiously, twisting his hands on the wheel long enough for them to begin to burn. "Fuck Miroku! You said a couple hours! It feels like a couple weeks! HURRY the fuck up already! How many damn hotels are there around here anyway?" He was just about to angrily slam his fists against the dashboard when his cell phone began to buzz. Jerking it up from the car's console he pressed the button to answer and before Miroku even had a chance to speak, Inuyasha was screaming at him. "It's about fucking time, man! I thought you were the best! I NEED to find the bastard now! Not two days from now!" A chuckle sounded from the other end of the line and Inuyasha could imagine the face he was receiving. "Well you're welcome, asshole. I told you it would take a couple hours! There are over one hundred and fifty luxury hotels in this area for your information!" Inuyasha winced and pinched the bridge of his nose as he choked out an apology. "Sorry man. I know you were doing your best and working as fast as you could, but it's just I'm worried about this girl. I can't help it." Miroku began to outright laugh at his confession and Inuyasha growled under his breath. "Oh fuck you asshole. Shut the hell up and just tell me you know where that fucker is." "Relax asshole. I told you I'd find him and I did. He's staying at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley, Presidential Suite 2." Inuyasha sighed softly and rested his head on the steering wheel. That wasn't too far. He could make it there before it got dark. He was finally one step closer to getting to Kagome and getting her away from Naraku. Thanking Miroku once more and promising to bring Yari something nice for ruining their honeymoon Inuyasha hung up and threw the cell phone into the passenger seat. He thanked whatever nerd had added GPS to the car and after a moment had the directions to the Four Seasons all set. He slammed the car into drive and pulled away in the direction of the hotel.

"Don't you look lovely? There isn't that much better, darling?" His voice startled her and with a gasp she whirled around and stared at him with wide eyes. "I.. yeah.. the bath. It was nice. And thank you for.. um.. for hanging up my clothes. I appreciate it." Kagome felt her hands tremble and she squeezed them into small fists and held them by her side. Why couldn't the food be here! That would mean less small talk with Mister Insane. "Darling Kikyo you know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Having a new wardrobe sent for you to enjoy is a small matter. Please, have a seat and I'll pour you a glass of champagne." Naraku gestured to the chair out on the balcony and she walked hesitantly over to it and sat down. "Th..thank you. That's really nice of you." Naraku raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he poured a flute of champagne for her and one for himself. His fingers brushed lightly against hers as he handed her the glass. She sucked in a breath as her face went a touch white. "Kikyo darling the food should be here momentarily, but before we eat I wanted to make sure you had the papers and the flash drive with you. I would hate if you'd misplaced them. You know how important they are to me." Papers? A flash drive? What would this guy want those for?

Inuyasha was flying. Well not literally, but if the car had wings the speed with which he was driving, it was certain to have lifted off the road by now. Traffic was not doing him favors as he raced toward the Four Seasons hotel. He knew he needed to make it there soon so he could sneak in and hopefully have Kagome out without causing too much of a scene. After about twenty minutes the traffic parted and he finally made progress. In another ten minutes he was sitting a block away from the hotel. He knew he couldn't just walk in there and ask to speak to Naraku. That would be suicide. No this would require a bit of stealth. He climbed from the car and made his way around the back of the hotel, searching for a rear entrance. As luck would have it he located a door which appeared to be a service entrance. This was perfect! Using his demon strength he was able to break the lock on the door and slip inside unnoticed. Once inside he found himself near the hotel laundry and the kitchen. He found an apron lying on a nearby counter and tugged that on, locating a chef hat in order to tuck his long, silver hair into. He tried hard to blend in with the kitchen staff, hoping to duck out into the hotel lobby when all of a sudden he overheard something very interesting. "Chef Lawrence! Chef Lawrence! This order is for Mister Onigumo in the Presidential Suite! It had better be correct. He's a very important guest and I would hate to anger him!" The maître d buzzed around the kitchen for another moment before disappearing back into the hotel restaurant while the chef was left frowning at the order. "Leave it to a pretentious ass to order THIS." With a clap of his hands his staff began flying around the kitchen, busy preparing Naraku's room service order. Inuyasha grinned. 'Perfect! I can snag this cart, wheel it up to the Presidential Suite, and slip in completely unnoticed! Hopefully she's in there and I can pull her out with minimal problems. Naraku's not dumb. Maybe I can explain to him and he'll just let her go. Yeah, right. Not likely. You know he's a bastard. He'll make problems for you and you know damn well there could be a chance Kagome could be hurt. You'll still have to be very careful!' Inuyasha noticed the order was being placed on the tray and he dashed in, knocking the waiter aside. "Hey I've got this. I can take the cart up to Nara.. I mean.. Mister Onigumo. It would be my..ahem..pleasure." And without any further argument he had the cart and was pushing it toward the elevator.

Kagome sat perched on the very edge of her chair. She glanced over at her dinner partner and found him watching her closely. She felt as though he were devouring her piece by piece with those steely eyes. She swallowed and turned to glance out the balcony window. "Kikyo darling I'm serious. I want business out of the way so we can focus on the pleasure part of our evening." His voice, breaking the silence, caused her to jump and she looked back at him before swallowing nervously. "Sir I.. please. I don't have any papers or flash drive. I.. I was in such a hurry earlier I simply forgot them back at my bungalow. I didn't realize they were so.. so important. I do apologize." Naraku's eyes narrowed and he leaned across the table, his hand reaching for hers. Enclosing her own in his massive hand he began to squeeze forcefully and she cried out softly in pain. "I told you, darling. NO more games. I really didn't want to do this the hard way, but you're leaving me little choice. I do so hate it when you disobey me." He jerked her from her seat to her feet. With his free hand he brought it to rest at her throat. His eyes began to darken as the force of his grip on her throat began to tighten. She reached up with her free hand and clawed desperately to loosen his grip, but she began to choke and cough. "Please! Please stop! I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen!" Her air was being cut off and tears were pooling in the corners of her eyes as the room began to grow dim. Naraku was about to squeeze one last time when a knock came at the door. "Room Service for Onigumo, Naraku." Naraku swore beneath his breath and dropped his hand from Kagome's neck. She dropped to the floor in an inelegant heap. She coughed softly as she reached up to rub her sore neck. "Come in, please. I'll direct you where to leave the tray."

Inuyasha heard his voice and he also heard the coughing and the tearful pleas coming from inside. Kagome was in trouble! His blood began to boil with anger and he gripped the cart handle hard enough to bend it. Naraku opened the suite door and he pushed the cart inside over to the table by the balcony. "Right there is fine. Thank you. I will not require anything further. You are free to leave." Naraku didn't take his eyes off Kagome. It was if he were daring her to say a word to this hotel worker. She kept her eyes down, feeling the tears leak down her cheeks and splash softly onto her dress. "Are you certain, Sir? It appears your companion here is sick. May I send the hotel doctor up to check on her?" Inuyasha watched as Naraku's jaw tensed and his teeth gnashed together. "She is FINE. I do not require any doctor. All I need is for you to leave so my lady and I may enjoy our dinner in peace." Inuyasha knew he couldn't make a move, but he also knew he could pretend to leave and simply duck into the bedroom and wait until there was an opportunity to get her out safely. He nodded and in a clear voice, spoke at her, hoping she would understand the meaning. "As you wish, Sir. Hopefully she'll shut up and just let you protect her." Kagome jerked her head up when she heard those words. Her eyes widened in shock, but she said nothing and made no move toward him. If he didn't want to try to get her out right now there must be a reason. She would play his game and she would wait for him to make his move. Her mind began rushing with happiness as she struggled not to rush over and throw herself at his hard, warm chest. 'He came! Inuyasha came! He found me and now he's going to get me out of here! I knew it! I knew I could count on him. I've never been so glad to see someone in my whole life! I've just got to hold it together… make it long enough to where Inuyasha can put together his plan to get us out of here!'

"Kikyo darling please pick yourself up and be seated. You are embarrassing me." Kagome nodded softly and slowly stood up before walking over to the table to sit. Inuyasha took the opportunity to duck out and slip into the unused bedroom. He shut the door and remained in darkness to wait while Kagome dined with that psychopath. Time passed and the sounds of eating and quiet conversation filled his senses as he stood against the wall waiting patiently. He felt himself begin to doze off when Kagome's soft voice filled him with anticipation. "Naraku sir may I be excused? I would love to slip into something a bit… more comfortable." Naraku grinned softly. This was what he'd waited for. If she didn't have the papers he would certainly love punishing her while enjoying himself. "Of course darling. I'll wait here for a moment then join you myself. I believe it's time for dessert." Kagome shuddered with revulsion. This was one dessert she wasn't interested in savoring. She slid from her chair and hurried her way over to the bedroom. She pulled the door open and ducked into the darkened room. She shut the door and was about to flip on the light when a hand cupped itself over her mouth and she found her back pulled against something warm and solid. "Shhhhhhhh wench you gotta be quiet! We've got to get the fuck out of here before that bastard kills you. I saw that mark on your throat. It took everything I had not to kill him right there for hurting you! Just stay calm and quiet and I'll get you out of this, I promise." She turned in his arms and wrapped herself tightly around him. With her head resting against his chest she nearly broke down with a sob. "I… I knew you would come for me. I believed you wouldn't let him hurt me and here you are! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much! Inuyasha I'm so scared! I… I tried to tell him I wasn't Kikyo, but he wouldn't believe me! He's… He's insane! You know that, right? Completely insane!" Inuyasha nodded softly and kissed the top of her head gently. "I know, wench. I know. I am gonna get you out though. I promised you and I always keep my promises." About that time the bedroom door swung open and Naraku stood there glaring at Kagome in Inuyasha's arms. "Ah. Mister Takahashi I must admit I didn't believe you to be this stupid. Showing up here to steal my girlfriend right under my very nose? My. My. You are brave. You must realize I won't allow it to happen, however. She's mine, what she's hiding is mine, and I'm damn sure you won't see her ever again. Perhaps you should say your goodbyes now?" Naraku pulled a gun from behind his back and aimed it right at Inuyasha's head. Kagome screamed and struggled to pull herself from Inuyasha's grip. "You can't! Please! He's tried to tell you. I've tried to tell you! I'm not Kikyo! You have the wrong girl! He came here to get me away from you before you found out I wasn't Kikyo!" Naraku laughed coldly and pulled the hammer back, cocking the gun. Kagome turned and looked back at Inuyasha, her eyes filling with tears. She shook her head as he reached for her to pull her behind him. This was a matter of a split second decision and as the trigger was pulled she stepped right into the path of the bullet. Inuyasha's scream, Naraku's cry, and the loud pop all filled the silence surrounding her as she fell. She didn't feel a thing once she hit the ground. Everything seemed… so peaceful.