Chapter 13

Inuyasha was drunk.

He wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, when his casual beers with Miroku had escalated into taking shots with the two young women that now accompanied them, but Inuyasha was having the most fun he'd had in what felt like years. Kagome happening to be the best friend of Miroku's date had caught Inuyasha off guard. He was fully expecting to spend the night small talking with a dim witted sorority girl while repeatedly hinting at the fact that he was unavailable and uninterested but Kagome's presence changed the tone of the evening for him.

For starters, she looked good. He had been certain that nothing could top the skimpy school girl uniform he was fortunate enough to see her in each week day until he set his eyes on her that night. The dress she wore hugged her every curve and Inuyasha found himself staring longingly at her backside every chance he got.

She looked good.

Either Miroku naively believed what Kagome had told him about working with Inuyasha or he decided to leave the topic alone because it did not come up for the rest of the night. The foursome drank two more pitchers before deciding to move onto a new drinking location. They paid their tab and grabbed their coats and walked the three blocks down to a pub that Miroku was fond of, ordering themselves another round as soon as they were all seated.

"Mmkay, now you hafta' lick the salt off of here."

A devilish grin stretched across Miroku's face as he sprinkled salt on the inside of his wrist, never tearing his eyes away from Sango's giggling beat red face. The pub was busy and the four were lucky to find a booth in the back corner, far enough away from the crowd to give them at least the illusion of privacy. A tequila shot was set in front of Sango, who was struggling to keep her giggles under control, and Miroku held his wrist out to her expectantly.

"M-Miroku, please!"

"That's right, Sango, just say my name 'n lick."

Sango's face darkened in colour as her eyes briefly turned to Kagome, who was holding in her laughter, before she took the plunge and grasped Miroku's wrist tightly with her sweaty palm. In a swift move, she turned his wrist, dipped her head, and swept her tongue across his skin, quickly downing the shot afterwards. Her cheeks remained scorching red, especially under the heated gaze of Miroku who was recovering from the feel of Sango's tongue.

Inuyasha shook his head, amused at his best friend's antics. He could tell this girl was different from the dopey smile that had been on Miroku's face since Sango sat next to him. The man was a pervert but he was also a romantic and Sango seemed to bring out a healthy balance of his two sides.

"Oh did that entertain you, In'yasha?"

Sango picked up her empty shot glass and dangled it in front of his face.

"I don't see you takin' any shots, buddy!"

If Inuyasha had been sober, he would have scoffed at the drunken girl across from him but the slur of her voice and his belly full of alcohol made the slight smirk on his face stretch farther.

"I've had double what you've drank."

"Then take a shot!"

"Make me, wench."

Before Sango could find the time to get offended, Miroku had taken one of the untouched shots from the middle of the table and pushed it towards Inuyasha.

"Now where would you like the salt…?"

He tauntingly held the salt shaker over his wrist, where Sango had just licked.

"Like hell I'm putting my mouth on your dirty skin."

"Well you aren't touching me."

Sango's voice was stubborn. Miroku smiled.

"Put the salt on Kagome."

The table was silent. Inuyasha could feel the girl sitting next to him tense slightly and it took a moment for him to realize that he had stopped breathing.

"W-what?"

Kagome choked out, clearly taken surprise at the suggestion. Inuyasha kept his eyes on Miroku but he knew that his student's face was reddening by the second.

"Sure, why not? Sango 'n I have been the only daring ones tonight, I think it's about time you two started having some fun as well."

Sango looked uneasy as she watched her best friend react. The shot remained untouched.

"Miroku…"

He waved off his date, his purple eyes boring into gold.

"It's just for fun. Not a big deal."

Inuyasha knew Miroku was challenging him. He could see it in his face, in the way the purple of his irises seemed to be richer. Miroku knew how Kagome was affecting Inuyasha. He wouldn't be pushing the issue if he hadn't noticed and Inuyasha felt foolish for thinking he could keep his attraction in check from his best friend.

And he really had tried to remain unaffected by the school girl. He had tried to ignore the way her cheeks were painted a delicious rose from the alcohol that had made her melodic voice higher, girlier. He tried to ignore the close proximity between his thigh and her own. He could tell that she was restraining herself as well. The Kagome at the pub seemed to be meeker and more nervous than the bold, flirtatious girl in his history class and while that should have made ignoring her easier, Inuyasha found himself wanting to make her even more nervous, even more on edge. His voice was thick, gruff.

"Fine."

He snatched the shaker from Miroku's hands and turned to the girl next to him, who was quietly offering up her wrist.

"Ah, ah! Not the wrist."

Three pairs of eyes were on Miroku.

"Les' make this a little interesting, hmm? Put the salt on her neck."

The wave of heat that suddenly surged from Kagome almost knocked Inuyasha on his back. He wanted to strangle Miroku for putting him in a position like this. The purple of his eyes remained deep, challenging, and Inuyasha was not one to back down from a challenge. He faced Kagome, fully expecting her to babble her way out of it, but he almost lost his composure at what was before him. Kagome's head remained down, her thick lashes pointing to the ground, but she had tucked her thick dark hair to one side, fully exposing her bare neck to Inuyasha's suddenly heavy feeling eyes.

Turning his body slightly more towards her, Inuyasha rested his arm closest to Kagome on the back of her seat, the shaker in his other hand. He remained still, focused on her flesh. No one moved. Without meeting his gaze, Kagome took the shaker from his grasp, quickly rubbed an ice cube on her skin, and then tossed the salt over the wet area. Inuyasha watched her pale skin react to the ice. He took a long, deep breath before muttering "Fuck you, Miroku" and then dipped his head, closing the distance between his eager lips and her tantalizing neck.

Inuyasha regretted the move the moment his lips made contact.

Despite the ice cube, her skin was on fire. It burned his lips, the heat traveling from her neck straight to his loins. He parted his mouth and allowed his anxious tongue to taste the skin for itself. An almost inaudible moan tumbled out of Kagome at the feel of his tongue on her and Inuyasha's mind went blank. He could smell the orange blossom of her shampoo, feel her heavy breath, and taste her salty skin. He slowly dragged his tongue along the salt trail, applying more pressure with each new inch of skin that he came across. Kagome's hand flew to his knee, her fingers desperately digging into the fabric of his pants. A deep rumble shook Inuyasha's chest as he lapped up the last particle of salt. Before removing his lips from her neck, he couldn't help himself from nipping her slightly. Her fingers were clenched so tightly that, if he had been coherent, he would have been concerned about her breaking a bone. He pulled back, slowly, reluctantly. His eyes remained on her skin. Miroku smiled.

"Now that's what I'm talking about."