Hey everyone! Thank you to all my reviewers. Though I'm not sure you're going to like me after this chapter...
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the lyrics used in the chapter.
Chapter 14-Everything's Changed
Miroku grabbed the small brown duffle bag and hurriedly packed the seven new outfits that the Takahashi brothers had provided and in the end given to him as a gift. He knew that Sango, Rin and Kagome would have to pack their new clothes too, and throwing in the last of his items he zipped up the bag and threw it on the ground beside the bed. Miroku sighed in worry. This was not how he wanted to start the girls' careers.
Searching for anything else that would be needed back at home, Miroku gave his large room a full check to make sure nothing was left behind.
Of course, forgetting something was the least of his problems right now.
Stepping into his personal bathroom, Miroku looked into the mirror and groaned at the sight of him. He looked worse every hour that passed by without the others knowing.
But the girls couldn't know. It would only hurt them more.
At this point, Miroku wished he were a woman; at least it would be less inconspicuous. His face was as pale as the dead –in his opinion anyways- and he had woken up so tired and perturbed that he hadn't even kissed his picture of the favourite porn star yet.
When that didn't happen, something was really wrong.
If he was a woman and he was this pale he could just apply makeup to make him look somewhat decent. He hated it when woman put too much makeup on when there was no reason but a little the odd time didn't bug him. He didn't know if he could walk outside his borrowed bedroom door now and explain why he was so pale. Telling them why he was pale would only lead to why he was tired which would lead to the problem at hand. Knowing him self, he would probably make a comment about wanting to be a girl and that would not go well with Sango.
Hell that wouldn't go well with Kagome, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and Rin too but Sango was more important.
Ridding his thoughts of being a girl, he shook his head and turned on the tap, spraying his face with water and soon drying it off. He rolled his shoulders a couple times to try and loosen his tense shoulder muscles that had been wound up last night.
He already knew the day would not be fun.
Not fun at all.
Miroku walked to the door, fumbling with his right hand in his pocket holding the piece of paper that had caused him to lay awake all night. Miroku looked at the long line of buttons that each had a specific purpose. Finding the one he needed he pressed it and held it down for a moment before letting go and waiting.
Static came but eventually, a deep voice came from the other end. "Yes?"
"Sesshomaru it's Miroku, we need to talk."
Obviously, Sesshomaru had heard the urgency in Miroku's voice. "Should Inuyasha be involved?"
"Yes. You two probably will take this more seriously than me."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning already, Black Majik is in trouble and you won't like the reason why."
Kagome danced to the tune her radio provided, singing along with it and all the while thanking the soundproof walls. Sure she could sing, but this kind of singing was not to be heard.
"He went up to the bedroom,
"Found a note by the window,
"With the curtains blowing in the breeze…"
She continued to sing and twirled herself into the bathroom, grabbing the sweet smelling lavender body wash the maids had provided her with since it was her favourite smell. She opened the lid and took a deep breath smelling the wash before closing it and running back to her bed, throwing it in her duffle bag with everything else.
"With a broken wing,
"She carries her dreams,
"Man, got to see her…fly…"
The song ended but was quickly replaced by another. A slow song played in its place and Kagome's heartbeat stopped briefly when she heard it. 'It' was the song she and Inuyasha had danced to last night before…
A knock at her door shook her out of her thoughts. "Come in."
"Kagome?" Sango said, peering her head in the door.
"Yeah?"
"Are you ready yet?"
"Almost why?"
"Ami left and I think Miroku wants to tell us something. Did he say anything to you about that?"
It was like that game were you had to end everything you said with a question. With the way the conversation was headed towards, they might hit a new record.
"Just this morning. So see you in a bit in the lounge?"
"In a couple minutes if that's okay with you?"
Sango nodded and shut the door.
Finally she was alone, but then the moment she heard the music fully, Kagome wondered if she wished Sango had stayed. The whole ordeal last night had confused her like no other.
Nothing was going to stop them now…
And yet, something did.
"I knew it Sesshomaru!" Dawn's voice filled the room in a shrill eerie pitch and both Inuyasha and Kagome were snapped out of their trance and let go of each other, walking and shoving through the crowds to see what was happening.
They finally made it through and there stood Sesshomaru, Dawn and Rin in the middle of it all.
"I can't believe you!" Dawn yelled again. "You lied to me!"
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and sighed. "First of all it wasn't what it looked like and second of all I didn't lie to you." His voice sounded annoyed and flat and to make matters worse, Rin looked to be on fire. Her eyes were burning and her hands were clenched in tight fists.
"She's going to blow," Kagome whispered to Inuyasha who was about to step in and help when Kagome held him back. "This is for them to sort out not us."
Inuyasha nodded but started shooing people away; telling them there was nothing to see or to get out of other people's damned business.
"What do you mean, it wasn't what it looked like? Sesshomaru I saw you undoing Rin's top!"
Now, Kagome got angry and Inuyasha had to grab both her wrists from slapping either Sesshomaru or Dawn. At the moment, Inuyasha wasn't sure.
"He was not!" Rin yelled. "He was helping me! It came undone!"
"He was helping you?" Dawn laughed bitterly. "The only thing he would be helping you do skank is undress."
Kagome struggled fiercely, trying to pull away from Inuyasha's deafening grip but to no avail. He was pretty sure she was going to attack Dawn if he did.
"Dawn, what the hell…" but Sesshomaru's voice was cut off by a quieter one. Rin. She was angry to the point that she could barely speak without screaming and she tried hard to control her anger that was building up inside of her. If Dawn didn't shut up, she would have it.
"Excuse me?"
Dawn looked towards Rin coldly. "Yes, excuse you. I need to talk to my Sesshomaru now so…"
"What!" Rin screamed.
Dawn smirked. "That's right."
"Dawn, don't be a fool. I am not yours," Sesshomaru said but Rin didn't seem to hear it. If she did, that obviously didn't change Rin's feelings towards Dawn.
"Slut!" Rin yelled and slapped her.
The entire room seemed to go quiet. The music ended and people who were no longer paying attention now looked expectantly at Dawn for her reaction.
"You whore! You slapped me!" Dawn shrieked, putting a hand to her cheek.
"That's right," Rin said, mocking Dawn's previous voice and without hesitation slapped Dawn once more, on the other cheek.
"Rin, stop."
Rin turned around to see Sesshomaru walking towards her. "She not worth it."
Rin was about to walk to him and forget about Dawn when she felt a force weigh her down and Rin was forced to the floor. All she heard from then on was constant crude remarks and names and she heard Kagome cry out. Rin thought she saw Kagome push Dawn off, adding a few good slaps of her own and eventually she heard Sango scream, obviously she had been too busy before to notice but now that she did she quickly joined in with Kagome. Rin wasn't too sure about it all though. All she knew was that Dawn loved Sesshomaru, and maybe he liked her too. After that thought ran through her mind Rin blacked out, relieved to escape the nightmare that had befallen that night.
Kagome lay on her bed and sighed. After she and Sango had knocked Dawn out, they had left. Miroku had gone on a rant about bad press and publicity issues for knocking out someone at a party but Inuyasha had shaken his head.
"Everybody there are famous and bothered by paparazzi or press in some way," he had told them when they entered the car. "No one will say a word, though Dawn might but knowing her, if Sesshomaru says anything to her about not telling anyone, she probably won't do it."
Kagome had been relieved and depressed at the same time. She was happy that the little mishap wouldn't give them a negative image but she was distraught because it might mean Sesshomaru had feelings for Dawn. After she had seen Rin act in such a violent way, she knew for a fact that Rin had feelings for Sesshomaru.
Her first crush…
Kagome drew the duvet around her and hugged it tightly. The red colour reminded her of all the times Kagome had cried on Inuyasha or hugged him when she was depressed or troubled by something. He wasn't such a bad guy after all…
But she had almost kissed him…
What was that about?
Knowing the answer wasn't going to come to her any time soon, Kagome got up and grabbed the duffle bag, dragging it to the door and hulling it down the stairs where she left it at the last step.
She made her way through the winding halls until she found the door that lead to the lounge. Sango and Rin sat on one of the sofas, giggling away. They were obviously telling secrets or the latest gossip. Kagome sat down beside Sango who know sat in the middle. She immediately turned to her with a twinkle in her eye and Kagome instantly knew what this was about.
"So Inuyasha eh?" Sango said, smiling smugly.
"Nope," Kagome answered, trying to sound calm and casual.
"Oh come on Kagome!" Rin whined. "You guys didn't leave each other's sides all night. You danced to pretty much every song! There has to be something going on!"
"We're just friends," Kagome said, rolling her eyes at her friends piercing gazes.
"Fine," Sango said. "Keep it a secret. Just like the reason why you knew Inuyasha before because you had 'met him but not his brother' somehow. I know you're lying. Why won't you tell?"
Kagome felt guilty. It was true, they still didn't know about what had happened. But they would never find out. "Well, why didn't you tell me about you and Miroku?"
Sango instantly reddened at this and Kagome turned to look at Rin. "And you about Sesshomaru. Don't tell me that I'm keeping secrets when you guys are hiding even juicier gossip! Spit it out!"
"It wasn't that juicy," Sango huffed.
"You call French kissing a guy I thought you would marry in grade six not that juicy?" Kagome exclaimed. Rin looked wide-eyed at Sango. Evidently she hadn't known about Sango and Miroku's make out session.
"You and Miroku made out!" Rin yelled. Sango made a desperate attempt to cover Rin's mouth in case anybody overheard but Kagome shrugged.
"The walls are soundproof Sango. Rin could yell it as loud as she wanted and nobody would hear."
"Yes well I don't want to test that theory to make sure," Sango said and let go of Rin who grinned.
"So you did make out?" Rin asked.
Sango turned bright red and she buried her face in her hands before nodding. Rin squealed and Kagome patted her on the back. "I knew you two would get together eventually."
"But we're not together," Sango pointed out. "We just kissed."
"Ah yes. That's right. You're kissing buddies now with benefits. I see it clearly now," Kagome said and Sango made a lunge for the lead singer but failed when Kagome jumped off the couch and sat on the other one.
"So what about you and Sesshomaru, Rin?" asked the still very red Sango. She was likely to stay that way for a while.
"Nothing is going on. Honestly."
Kagome snorted and crossed her arms. "Yeah right. Spill it, now."
"Fine, I'll tell you tonight," Rin sighed.
"Why tonight?" Sango complained. "Why not now?"
"Because you still haven't told us if Miroku is a good kisser and you didn't exactly explain in detail what you two did," Rin replied.
"Now that's personal!" Sango exclaimed. "I'm not explaining what Miroku's tongue did in my mouth… Crap."
"You're right Rin," Kagome smiled. "Tonight will be another slumber party night; girls only."
A knock at the door ceased the girls' conversation and Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and Miroku walked in, all of their faces grim.
"What happened to you guys?" Rin asked, raising her eyebrow in question.
Almost like someone flicked the light switch to turn the light on, the three guys brightened considerably. They were smiling –well, Inuyasha was smirking- in a queer way and the girls knew something was up.
"Nothing. Come now and sit on the couches. I want you guys to know what's going to be happening for the next few days. Things will be a bit of a change since we'll no longer be using Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's hospitality. We've been in their hair long enough," Miroku explained and passed by Sango and sat on the couch beside her. He didn't try to grope her or put an arm around her or anything.
Something was definitely up.
Sesshomaru sat down beside Inuyasha and Kagome on the other couch, awaiting news he already knew. He drummed his fingers on his left arm and waited patiently for Miroku to start. He had a lot to deal with at the moment and with Miroku's new news, he was being overwhelmed.
"Alright. So far we have recorded eight songs for your CD. The guys and I need to sort some things out and then we'll be on our way," Miroku said, nodding towards Kagome, Sango and Rin. "Tomorrow we are going to drive down here at around eleven for another recording with Ami. By the end of the session I hope three more songs can be recorded and ready. After that, we'll be looking at the photos that the cameraman took of you and pick which one will go on your CD cover and the text and colouring –the whole shebang. You're also going to have to start working on your thank you part in the CD and I'll need copies of your lyrics for inside the CD. The next day we'll be here at ten in the morning instead and by the end of that session I want the entire recording done. Then we finish the CD and send it to Thunder Brothers Co."
"Which cameraman?" Rin asked. They had been to several and she wasn't sure which one would contain the images for the CD.
"The good one. He really is a very modest man," Miroku said, smiling.
"Then by that you must mean the pout 'like a punished puppy', look angry like 'you found out your boyfriend was cheating on you' and the look sexy 'like the women on the front cover of Playboy magazine' guy," Kagome said, rolling her eyes at Miroku's smile. "Oh yes. He's very modest."
"Amazing Kags," Inuyasha said sarcastically, poking her in the shoulder. "I couldn't even hear the sarcasm in that."
"Well, someone here needs to be straight and modest," Kagome said giggling.
Inuyasha smirked. "With the 'modest' clothing you wore last night, you could make even the gayest guy go straight Kags."
Kagome sighed in exasperation. "That wasn't at all what I meant Yash. You're twisting my words around!"
"Alright you two, enough flirting!" Sesshomaru all but yelled. "It's making me sick."
Rin, Sango and Miroku started laughing and Kagome and Inuyasha instinctively scooted away from each other. "We were not flirting," Inuyasha retorted and crossed his arms. "Why would I flirt with that bitch?"
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes at his language. He should know by now that calling a girl a bitch has a double standard with dog demons. Calling a girl a bitch is not an insult but a fact to those who have or mate with someone with dog-demon blood. Doing that could also refer to something he knew Inuyasha didn't mean.
"Stop calling me such crude names you jerk!" Kagome yelled and slapped him on the cheek. She stood up and stormed out of the room, not forgetting to give a backwards kick towards Inuyasha's unprotected shin on the way out.
"Hey, get back here wench I'm not done with you yet!" Inuyasha called and ran into the hall.
Slap
"Get away from me you idiot. I walked away not because I wanted to get away from the room but because I wanted to get away from you!"
Ouch.
"That's harsh," Sango muttered and looked at Miroku. She noticed that he was horribly pale and he honest to God looked like crap, which is not at all a good thing. "Miroku are you sure you're okay?" Sango asked.
Miroku was staring off into space and didn't answer until she waved her hand in front of his face. "Miroku!"
"Huh, oh. What?"
"Are you okay?" Sango asked, her brow furrowing in worry.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I just had a restless night."
"Why?" Sango asked.
Miroku mentally slapped himself. He should have known Sango would have asked a question like that. He couldn't tell her what he found. Not yet anyways. But what was he suppose to say? "Um, the mattress was lumpy."
"The mattress…was lumpy…?" Sango repeated slowly. "Miroku, you do understand that these are kick ass quality mattresses right?"
"Yes but it doesn't mean it wasn't uncomfortable. It was probably used before. Sesshomaru?" Miroku asked, looking at the demon that only glanced at him. "Are you sure that none of your servants or maids have been in that room?"
Sesshomaru gave him a weird look. "Of course they've been in that room. It's their job to clean it up."
"Well, maybe some got distracted…"
Slap
"Stop being so perverted you lecher!" Sango yelled and stormed out of the lounge with Miroku trailing behind like an obedient puppy, leaving only Sesshomaru and Rin in the lounge…alone…
"Want to play cards?" Rin asked and Sesshomaru nodded, watching Rin as she pulled a deck out of the drawer and started shuffling.
"Okay, so I'll see you three in what? Twenty minutes?" Kagome asked as she listened to Sango on the other end.
"Yeah. Miroku will be at his place but I need to pick up some groceries. Some of the food has got to have gone bad by now. Rin is coming to help me. It won't take long."
"That's fine with me. I'll clean the cupboards and fridge out for you. See you in a bit."
Kagome hung up her cell and looked at the long list of her friends' phone numbers. Most of them she didn't even use. Lots of them were friends from high school and she looked over the unfamiliar numbers of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Before they had left she had programmed their numbers into her cell in case she needed to ask anything.
Once Kagome reached the familiar parking lot, she parked her car and walked inside, climbing up five floors of stairs and unlocked the door to her, Sango and Rin's mini suite apartment room. It was one of the large rooms with three bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. It seemed almost foreign to her as she walked in and dropped her keys on the key rack and throwing her shoes in a corner by the door. She was so used to Inuyasha's mansion that everything seemed so small compared to it.
Shrugging, Kagome walked into her bedroom and took a deep breath. Her room still smelled like lavender and her bed was still unmade and messy. She had blue sheets and a blue duvet that seemed very weird to lie on when she constantly wondered why the sheets weren't red instead. It was only when she started to make her bed that she saw a brown envelope on the pillow. Curious, Kagome picked it up and studied the front. No address, name or anything on the front and intrigued, Kagome turned it around and opened it.
Out came a letter, the paper somewhat rumpled and coloured but the cursive handwriting was clear to make out.
My dear Kagome,
You were lucky the last time we crossed paths but now you have no one to protect you. I know you went to the police and I can tell you that they will never find me. I haven't forgotten that night and I believe you owe me for saving you from those paparazzi. I've already decided what you're going to do for me. Don't tell your friends about this unless you want to visit the cemetery more than you already do. I'm watching you…
Yours truly.
Kagome started to shake and crumpled to the floor. She was in too much shock to cry. Too scared to think clearly. She instantly placed her hand in her pocket to fish out her cell but stopped before she dialled the first number.
Don't tell your friends about this unless you want to visit the cemetery more than you already do…
He would kill them if she told them about it…
Kagome stared at the envelope as rage started to build up inside of her. He was going to control her with threat and taunts and what made the situation even worse was that Kagome would willingly obey him with her friends' lives on the line. She screamed out in frustration and felt the need to rip the note in half. And then rip it again and again…
'No,' Kagome thought, trying to cling to her sanity. 'If…if he's ever caught this could go against him.' Kagome didn't try to understand how she had thought about that particular thought in such a deep circumstance but didn't hesitate when she opened one of her dresser drawers and took out a key that lay buried under a mountain of disorderly clothes. Folding the note and putting it into her jean pocket along with the key, Kagome put her shoes back on and opened the door. She only hesitated, wondering if Sango and Rin would be back by the time she returned, so to be on the safe side she wrote a note and left it on the fridge. Jogging out of the apartment door, she ran down the steps and passed the front desk where the clerk sat.
"Hello Ms. Higurashi," she said politely as Kagome passed and Kagome smiled. Surprisingly enough, Kagome didn't feel like the smile was false or shaky but for a minute the clerk looked confused before she smiled. "Have a nice day."
Nodding, Kagome walked out of the building. 'Too bad I can't remember that woman's name. She's always so friendly to me.'
Kagome ran across the road and walked along the sidewalk until she came to a park. The park was the most popular place in the whole area with a playground for kids, benches, soccer fields and picnic tables. A forest lined the left outside perimeter of the park and following a path, Kagome jogged into the forest. Once inside, she slowed down and took a deep breath. For some reason, the forest made her feel calm and secure with the wind gently rustling the remaining leaves and the gold and red colours that surrounded her. It wasn't until she approached a particular tree that Kagome felt more secure than she had all her life.
When Kagome was a little girl, she had run off from her mother to chase a rabbit into the forest. Her mother had lost sight of her and once Kagome had gone into the forest, the rabbit had disappeared. To this day, Kagome still didn't know what had made her go further into the woods but she had and soon she had gotten lost. It was then that she had found this tree and she had sat at the base of it until late at night when a policeman out searching for her had found her. She had returned to the tree –with permission from her mother of course- and often had just gone there to relax and let all her worries slip away. Because of that she had named it the Sacred Tree, since it seemed to vanquish all the evil thoughts that would lurk in her mind. Right now, she was going to do exactly that after she had completed her mission.
Kagome started to climb the tree and went until she was near the top. The tree was still lush with golden leaves and Kagome felt sheltered from the world. She would have savoured the moment if not for her mission and Kagome began to look around. Finally she spotted the small hole in the tree and she reached in, grasping a small hand-sized box and opening it with the key she had brought from her room.
The lock snapped and Kagome slowly opened the box, seeing a picture of her family. Her mother, brother and grandfather before they had all passed away…charm bracelets…special ribbons or tokens of past and faded memories…Kagome shook her head and tried to stay on task. Taking the letter that was from the cruel man that had hurt her two Sundays ago, she pulled it out of her jean pocket and put it in the box. Without a seconds hesitation she shut it and locked it back up, placing it back in its secure place in the tree.
Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned on the trunk of the tree. "I should be getting back. Sango and Rin will want to know where I've been." Sitting for another couple minutes, Kagome slowly got down from the branches and started to walk back to the open park.
The next morning, Kagome woke up with a sense of bubbly energy inside her. The smell of pancakes wafted through the air and Kagome smiled. Today would be a good day.
Not caring to change into actual clothes, she left her pyjamas on and stumbled into the kitchen where she was surprised to see Miroku at the stove. No wonder the pancakes smelt so good…Sango and Rin couldn't cook a thing for their lives. Kagome almost had to look away when she saw Miroku, trying not to giggle. After the slumber party last night and all the juicy details, Kagome wasn't sure if she could ever look at Miroku the same way again.
Kagome looked up to the lecher who wore her pink apron that said 'Kiss the Cook' with big lips on it, holding a frying pan and a flipper.
Nope. Never again, and his current look wasn't helping matters either.
"…And then we stopped. I can't believe I'm saying this but Miroku is an amazing kisser," a flushed Sango said.
"I'm not sure I should awe at the cuteness or be sick. You are very descriptive Sango, I'll tell you that," Kagome said and put her hands to her head when Sango flung a pillow her way.
"You told me to be descriptive!"
"What about you Rin?" Sango asked, taking the spotlight off of her.
"What do you mean?" Rin countered, playing dumb.
"You know perfectly well. Have you kissed Sesshomaru yet?" Kagome asked, smirking more and more at Rin's reddening face.
When she didn't answer Sango and Kagome gave each other a high-five. "She has!" they squealed in unison.
"When?" Kagome asked.
"At the Kiss and Tell," Rin said, sighing in defeat. She would have to explain it all now. "After you pulled that stunt on us Kagome, Sesshomaru and I started arguing. We kept yelling at each other even after you left and then we ended up with our noses practically touching we were so close. We stopped fighting and then we just…kissed."
"What do you mean you just kissed?" Kagome asked.
"I don't know. We just kissed. It wasn't naughty like Sango and Miroku's was, it was clean. It lasted for what seemed like forever and then…"
"What?" Sango and Kagome begged in unison.
"It ended, that's what."
"Good morning Kagome!" Miroku chirped and Kagome was thrown out of her thoughts.
"Oh, good morning Miroku."
Miroku started to go on a rant about the day and what should be happening. Kagome only thought of Sango and Miroku making out. Next time she would make sure Sango wasn't so descriptive. She zoned out and stared at the digital clock on the microwave in the kitchen when she saw Miroku staring at her expectantly. Not wanting Miroku to know that she hadn't been listening to him for the passed fifteen minutes, Kagome nodded. "Okay."
"Then that's settled. I hope you can get ready fast because it's already quarter to ten. By the time I finish cooking and then we finish eating it will be ten-thirty. You'll barely have enough time to get ready to go to the mansion."
Kagome sighed and turned on her heel back towards her room.
"Tell me what's wrong with society,
"When everywhere I look I see…"
Kagome sang the verse of their third song that day. They had already finished recording the other two songs but it had taken awhile due to some difficulty with the instruments. It was three-thirty and Kagome's day wasn't about to get any easier. After practice, they still had to pick the photo that went on the cover and a couple more for inside the booklet that contained the lyrics and thank you speech. They hadn't even started that yet…
"If you open your eyes, you'll see that something is wrong…"
The song ended and Sango and Rin clapped from the other room with Ami. Kagome smiled and took off the headset and ran into the other room.
"Okay girls, we're done today," Ami said smiling.
"Great, thanks Ami," Rin said appreciatively and smiled, heading towards the door. Sango and Kagome followed behind when Ami called Kagome back.
"What is it Ami?"
"I just need you to send a message to Inuyasha for me," Ami said, grabbing her briefcase and her black purse.
"Sure," Kagome shrugged. "What do you want me to tell him?"
"Tell him he can drop the money over at my house tonight. He knows the place."
"Okay. Bye Ami, see you tomorrow." Kagome dashed out of the room, missing Ami's smug smile. Kagome hadn't even thought of what Ami had said and when she reached the lounge, she jumped on the couch and poked Inuyasha in the stomach to get his attention.
"Yes?" Inuyasha probed slightly piqued that she poked his tummy.
"Ami said you could drop the money off at her place tonight. She said you already knew the place." Then, Kagome stopped and her eyes widened in horror. It sounded so wrong when she said it like that and she tried to recall her conversation with Ami to make sure she hadn't said anything off.
No. Those were pretty much Ami's exact words.
Inuyasha looked at Kagome funny as her face changed from bubbly, to shock then to sadness. Drop the money off at her place tonight…
"Kagome, it's not what it sounds like," Inuyasha immediately spat out. "That wench keeps hitting on me. I don't think of her any more than just a business worker."
Kagome didn't seem to believe him. "But you know where she lives?" Kagome shot back, anger clearly read in her voice.
Sesshomaru, Rin, Miroku and Sango all stopped what they were doing to listen in on the recent argument. This one could be fatal.
"No! I don't know why the hell she said that! That wench! How dare she? She made it sound so…so…wrong! The only way I could possibly know her address is from her business card that she gave Sesshomaru! I can't believe her, I should…" His eyes tinted red and he shoved Kagome out of his way so he could get to the door.
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru's voice cut into Inuyasha's mind and he whipped around, the red tinge fading but not completely gone.
"What?" Inuyasha growled.
"Don't bother," Sesshomaru said quietly and Inuyasha looked towards the ground, trying to control his growing hatred towards the woman. He looked down at the ground at the cherry hardwood floor and found its knots in the wood interesting. Until, of course, he saw a pink sock block his view of the next twist in the wood. He looked up slightly to see Kagome, staring horrified at Inuyasha from the ground.
"What are you doing down there we…" his words faded away when he saw red marks on her upper arm where his hands had gripped her. "Did I…?" Inuyasha's voice once more trailed off and Kagome stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her jeans. The way she didn't meet his gaze told him everything he needed to know, but didn't want to hear.
"Kags I'm so." Once again his words were cut off as Kagome put a finger to his lips. "Relax. You didn't mean to and I believe you about Ami."
Inuyasha cursed at her name but Kagome raised her eyebrow and Inuyasha fell silent. She didn't move and Inuyasha started to close his eyes as her smell started to overwhelm him. He had to break away.
Quickly, Inuyasha gave a peck on the finger that still hadn't been removed from his lips and then turned away, looking gratefully at Sesshomaru. "Should we get the disc with the pictures?"
"Sure," Sesshomaru agreed. "Go get your lab top and bring it down here. Let's do it where we're at least somewhat comfortable since we might be at this for a while."
Sesshomaru was true to his word when he said it would take awhile. It was seven o'clock before they stopped to take a break since they had only narrowed it down to three pictures for the front. They had already decided which ones would go in the booklet and Kagome had given Miroku the lyrics. During that time, Kagome, Sango and Rin had also started making a list of who to thank. Without their families, the list wasn't huge.
"Okay," Inuyasha said, grabbing the three 8.5 by 11 inch sheets that each showed the remaining three photos. "These are the final ones. You guys can take them back to your place and think it over for tomorrow. Right now though, I'm starved."
Miroku patted his stomach and nodded in agreement. "Why don't we all go to the girls' apartment and have Kagome cook dinner for us, shall we?"
Kagome looked over towards Miroku with a bewildered look on her face. "We shall not!" Kagome roared. "Where did you get that idea pervert?"
Miroku looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I asked you this morning remember? You nodded and said okay."
"Then it's settled!" Rin chirped and jumped off the couch and ran out of the room, not wanting to see the fight that was soon to break out.
"Wait!" Kagome begged. "It's not settled! I'm not that good of a cook!"
"Of course you are Kagome," Sango said and smiled, patting her on the back. "You've been feeding me and Rin ever since you moved in with us. You're brilliant!"
Kagome flushed at the compliment and looked to the floor having an argument inside of herself wondering whether to cook or not. She was positive that the chefs here were much better. "I don't think…" but Kagome stopped when she saw that everyone had left the room, silver hair just disappearing from her view.
"Wait just a minute!"
Kagome hummed to an imaginary tune as she stirred the thick sauce around in the pot that sat over the stove. She took a quick glance at the microwave clock that was timing the meal and saw it still had a good twenty minutes left before the steak could be taken off the grill. Quickly, Kagome grabbed a long thin loaf of crusty bread and put it on the counter, grabbing recently grated cheese and sprinkling it heavily on the top adding garlic power on it. She wrapped it in tin foil and then put it in the oven as the bread started to heat.
"Well, you seem busy," a voice behind her said and Kagome turned around to see Inuyasha, standing just behind her. "What's cooking?"
"Fettuccini Alfredo, steak, vegetables and garlic cheese bread," Kagome told him as she went over to the miniature grill that was cooking three large steaks. She stuck her fork in one and then pulled it out, noting the juice coming out of it.
"At least you're not going to starve us," Inuyasha remarked, smirking when she gave him a hard glare.
"I'd never let anyone go hungry you idiot," Kagome retorted and then went back to the stove to stir the pot. Suddenly, the steamer where the vegetables were being cooked in beeped and Kagome grabbed a dish before turning off the annoying sound and carefully draining the water out of the steamer, letting the hot stream rise and evaporate into the cool air. Noticing that she didn't have anything to scoop the vegetables out of the pot with and then since the steamer was boiling she couldn't put it on the counter, she gazed at the lazy Inuyasha watching her. "Can you make yourself useful and grab a wooden spoon out of the drawer over there?"
"Yes ma'am!" Inuyasha said mockingly and opened three drawers before finding the right one and holding out the spoon for Kagome to get.
"Inuyasha."
"What?"
"I'm holding the steamer so I can't get the food out. Can you do it?"
Inuyasha scowled but did as he was told and took the large amount of cooked vegetables and put it in the dish.
Beep-beep! Beep-beep!
"Shoot," Kagome muttered under her breath and put the steamer into the sink before heading over to the grill where the steaks were.
"Inuyasha?"
"What do you want me to do now?" Kagome was surprised to hear that Inuyasha's voice sounded willing to help her instead of annoyed that he actually had to do something.
"Um, there is a loaf of garlic cheese bread in the oven, can you take it out and then turn off the oven?"
"Sure."
Kagome went to work at making sure the steaks were all fully cooked as Inuyasha unwrapped the bread. "Do you have a platter to put this on?" Inuyasha asked as he started to search some cupboards.
"Yeah. The cupboard to the right of the fridge."
She heard a small "there you are" and then saw Inuyasha putting the bread on the platter and taking a bread knife to cut up a couple slices.
Kagome finished putting the large steaks on the plate and then turned to see Inuyasha, just about to put one of the slices of garlic cheese bread in his mouth. With speed only a professional cook could have, Kagome grabbed the closest cooking utensil and slapped Inuyasha's hand with it, making him look at her startled.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"For attempting to have a bite before everyone else. That's not fair to anyone. Now put the piece of bread down and you won't get hurt."
"And what if I don't?" Inuyasha said, taunting Kagome by opening his mouth and bringing the slice closer.
"Then you have to set the table, get the wine, bring out cups for everyone and help me serve out the food."
Inuyasha pouted. "But taste-testing is fun," and with that, Inuyasha popped the bread in his mouth chewing slowly and savouring the good taste. "Wow Kags. This is amazing!"
He looked to Kagome who seemed to have the flames of Hell burning in her eyes. Maybe he would regret doing that…
"Inuyasha you jerk!" Kagome lunged at him and forced him to the ground, straddling his stomach with her wooden spoon high in the air.
"Wait! Kags don't be rash!" Inuyasha begged and went to tickle her when he noticed that she was wearing an apron that covered her stomach. It said 'Kiss the Cook' with lips covering it and Inuyasha smirked. The smirk however, was quickly taken away when he saw Kagome start to bring the wooden spoon down on him. Catching her wrist with ease, Inuyasha moved her hand aside and sat up so she fell back slightly and now straddled his hips.
"Hey!" Kagome complained when Inuyasha shoved her off lightly and then stood up, picking Kagome up too and throwing her over his shoulder. "Inuyasha! Put me down this instant!"
"Nope. I think you need to cool down."
"Inuyasha!"
By now, the entire building would have heard her scream and her friends came running from the living room area.
"Now what did our friend do to deserve this Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"She's trying to kill me," Inuyasha said curtly and winced when he felt Kagome's wooden spoon banging against his back and occasionally his butt. He turned around to show Kagome to the others as she hit him repeatedly. "In-u-Yash-a-put-me-down!" Kagome said in between smacking him and then looked up to see her friends watching her.
"A little help here?" Kagome asked and pleaded with her friends.
"I don't know Kagome," Rin said, rocking back and forth on her heel. "Inuyasha does have a point. You are hitting him pretty fiercely."
"No, wait!" Kagome called when she saw Sesshomaru, Miroku, Sango and Rin leave her view. "Don't leave me with this monster!"
"A monster eh?" Inuyasha said and with a jolt, he brought her back up to stand on her own two feet.
"No, no," Kagome repeated, not wanting that to happen again.
"Well since I did eat that piece of bread, I guess I should help put out the cutlery and dishes and serve the food," Inuyasha said, smirking when she smiled at him appreciatively.
"Thanks. Here's the knives and forks," Kagome said, grabbing the cutlery from the counter and handing them out to Inuyasha.
With speed so fast Kagome didn't know if it had been a dream or not, the cutlery was taken out of her hands and a swift kiss was put lightly on her nose.
"What…?" Kagome whispered.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pointed to the writing on her apron. "It says Kiss the Cook." He smirked as he saw her look down and then left the kitchen to let her ponder whatever girls thought about when they over-interpreted something. He only did it because the apron said so.
Yes…only because of the apron…
Okay, that's it. The storyline is starting to pick up now so chapters will be longer. Don't be mad about Inuyasha and Kagome not kissing, I have something planned for them soon...Hehe.
Review!
Next Chapter: Black Eyes, Blue Tears
Luv, WitchyGirl99