Chapter 3
Kagome went into the ladies' bathroom with the outfit Inuyasha had handed her.
"I can't believe this..." She mumbled as she removed her clothes and pulled the provocative leather dress over her head. Her assumption was right, the dress was extremely short. A simple sneeze would send her butt cheeks shooting out for the world to see.
"You got to be freakin' kidding me!" Kagome snorted. A light knock sounded at the door and she covered herself as if she were completely naked. She opened the door ajar, hiding her cleavage from view.
"I forgot to give you the shoes." Inuyasha dangled a pair of silver stilettos in front of her.
"I'm sorry, did you say the position was for a waitress or a stripper?" Kagome scoffed.
"The strippers just wear the heels." He said and after getting a look from her, he chuckled. "We don't have strippers here."
"How am I supposed to walk in these?" she grabbed the stilettos.
"I don't know." He chuckled. "But the girls seem to do it just fine. Does the dress fit?"
Kagome opened the door ajar, showing him a quick peak before hiding behind the door again.
"I think it's too small." She replied frustratingly as she tugged the skirt down, but every time she tugged the skirt down, her cleavage busted out at the top. Choose one, Kagome, butt or breasts, one of them was going to have to make its appearance.
"Errr…I'd say it fits just fine." He cleared his throat. His eyes narrowed and she couldn't tell if he was blushing or if it was the red strobe lights passing his face.
"I'm going to break an ankle tonight. This is it, this is how I die."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Look, kiddo. I'm just trying to help you out here. You don't have to do this."
Kagome felt a stab of guilt and bowed her head. "I'm sorry…I just…don't think I can do this, Inuyasha. I really appreciate it."
"Are you su-" Inuyasha tried to stop her but she closed the door, quickly changed and handed him the dress.
"Sorry…for wasting your time." She placed a strand of hair behind her ear and averted his gaze.
"You didn't-." He paused as she walked away from him in a hurt. "waste my time.".
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Kagome sprawled out across her bed and stared up at the ceiling for the last hour in complete darkness. She mulled over the idea of wearing that piece of fabric to work at the club. No, I just can't do it. But she needed money and quick. Hojo only sent a few hundred and it was expensive to live in the city. Buying a sandwich and a bottle of orange juice was nearly $12!
Poor Inuyasha, he was just trying to help. The look of disappointment was evident on his face, but she was going to have to do this on her own. She needed to save to figure out her next move. She couldn't stay with Sango, eventually they would find her. Hojo told her not to settle anywhere until he could get her a new identity. She sat upright and brought her knees to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and started to rock back and forth, feeling terrible memories trying to flood back into her mind. She grabbed her daily planner from the nightstand and started to leaf through notes when a pile of photos fell out from the back of the book. Her chest ached as if a knife had just pierced her. The innocent eyes of her eight-year-old brother staring back at her. She had him on her lap, a colorful birthday hat stood crooked at the top of his head.
She sobbed. How could someone do this to him? What kind of person could do that to an eight year old? She flipped through each picture and saw one of her and her mother at a diner. Another one of her grandfather sipping tea on the couch.
She thought back to that night. The blood, the pieces…No, she shook her head.
Kagome closed the book and placed it under her pillow. She flipped her pillow over to rest her head on the dry side. She didn't towel dry her hair enough after showering when she got home. She looked at the clock, it was six in the evening. Although it was early, her eyes grew heavy. She didn't sleep well during the night. It wasn't long before she drifted into a deep slumber.
Her eyes cracked open and she frowned at the ceiling above her. It was pink, not white. This wasn't her room in Manhattan. She was back in Okinawa. The morning sun had shown through her frilly white curtains, the smell of her mother's banana pancakes wafted through the cracks of her door. Her stomach grumbled. This isn't real, she thought. But it felt so real. As she swung her feet off the bed, her toes wiggled through her plush carpet. She grabbed her Hello Kitty bathrobe and shuffled toward the bathroom.
Once she got to the bathroom, she pulled down her pants and went about her business. She caught sight of movement from her peripherals; the shower curtains rustled followed by a snicker. Then *FLASH* Kagome gasped. Sota jumped out of the bathtub holding a polaroid. He snapped a few more shots and giggled.
"Haha, I got you while you're takin' a poopie! Poopie pants, I'm going to sell these photos to FNN! haha" Sota squealed.
Normally she'd have screamed for her mother by now. But she knew she was dreaming and although her brother threatened to embarrass her, tears filled her eyes knowing this wasn't real and she would never see him again. Sota ran out of the bathroom.
"Wait, come back." She croaked. She paused, took a moment to collect herself and cleaned herself up. She hurried down the steps in the kitchen. Sota was waving the polaroid camera at her from the table. Her mother passed by him and quickly snatched it.
"Sweetie, your pancakes are getting cold." She said.
Kagome froze by the doorway, watching her brother dive into his pancakes while her grandfather read the newspaper.
"Kagome, darling. You want pancakes or are you avoiding carbs again?" her mother teased.
"Mama.." Kagome cried. "Yes, I would love your pancakes. I'll always want your pancakes."
"Sit down, sweetie. Sota, stop taunting your sister."
"Mom, we are going to be rich once I sell those photos of her poopie butt!"
"Sota, why would you want to embarrass your sister on national television?"
"Because that's my job, to embarrass her, duh!" he giggled and Kagome couldn't help but laugh along with him.
Kagome started to eat her pancakes. Her mom looked at her and smiled.
"Look at you, Kagome, you're growing up, not my baby girl anymore." She sighed and gently patted her head. "It's not your fault."
Kagome stopped eating and looked up at her mother. The morning sun rays that warmed the house just a minute ago suddenly disappeared and replaced with a bitter cold presence. The sky outside was grey, black clouds rolled by. Kagome looked around the table, everyone's mouths were moving but no sound came out of it. Then she looked up at her mother, and blood poured out of her eyes and nose. Sota's head fell back and revealed a gash across his neck, a vein snapped and shot out of his neck onto her plate of pancakes. Kagome screamed but she still couldn't hear her voice. She looked down and saw her cat walking by her feet, his upper half body dragging guts, his bottom half of his body was still at his plate of food. Kagome got up and ran to the living room. Her grandfather was hanging from the ceiling fan. Or his head was with the spinal cord hanging down. Blood dripped down the walls. She focused closely and saw a message on the wall.
'I'm not done', it said.
Kagome turned back and saw a black silhouette across the room.
"Leave me alone" she cried. The shadowy figured walked towards her and held her mom's head in a leather gloved hand. Her mom's eyes rolled back and started chanting words in a voice unlike hers, rasped and deep toned. Her eyes rolled back forward and beamed straight at Kagome. "It's your fault, my sweet Kagome, Kagome, Kagome"
"Kagome? Kagome?" another voice sounded. She then felt her body being shaken by a gripped hand on her shoulder. "Kagome, wake up?"
Kagome gasped, her eyes shot open as she bolted upright. Sango hovered over her, her eyes bright with concern.
"I'm sorry to come into your room like this, but you were screaming in your sleep."
"I…I guess I was having a nightmare."
"You sure were." Sango said. "You're sweating. Why don't you take a warm shower and change into some comfortable clothes. I bought us some Chinese food. Don't take too long or the boys will eat it."
"Oh, you didn't have to do that." Kagome said. "How much was it, let me pay half at least."
"Oh stop." Sango waved her hand. "I got it, you got it, let's keep it simple. Do…you want to talk about it?"
"Hm?"
"Your nightmare?" Sango said, her dark brown eyes fixed on hers.
"Oh…" Kagome tittered. "No, I…don't even remember what it was about."
Of course, she was lying but she didn't want to talk about it. Sango left her room and Kagome felt a shiver run down her spine thinking about her dream. She grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top and jumped into the shower. When she finished changing, she entered the kitchen to see Miroku and Inuyasha already at the table with servings of fried rice and boneless spareribs.
Sango snorted. "It's a good thing I got extra and already made you a plate before these two garbage disposals have at it."
"Thanks, Sango." Kagome mustered a half grin and joined Inuyasha and Miroku at the table. She snuck a glance at Inuyasha, but he was avoiding her. He shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth as he browsed his social media. She could sense he was still upset with her so she decided not to make conversation.
"I saved you some dumplings." Miroku smirked and handed her a side plate of them.
"That was thoughtful of you, thanks." Kagome uttered softly as she grabbed the plate.
"Feh, like you're one to find anything thoughtful." Inuyasha muttered under his breath.
"Can you please not be upset with me? I'm just not comfortable wearing something like that."
"Whatever, I just thought you'd do it temporarily while you find something else. I should just butt out of your business."
Sango sat beside Kagome and snatched an eggroll from Miroku's plate. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Um, excuse me? I was going to eat that!" Miroku cried.
Sango eyed him from the side and scowled. " Excuse me? I bought the damn thing ok?" she said forcing most of the eggroll into her mouth.
Miroku's mouth dropped. "Not leaving much room for the imagination, babe. I won't like, my thoughts are impure."
"Ugh, you're such a perv." Sango smacked him behind the head. Mirkou chortled as he leaned away from her. "Anyway, yeah, what are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing." Inuyasha grumbled.
"Inuyasha's upset because he tried to get me a job at the clu-"
"Whoa, stop right there." Sango waved a hand. "You tried to get her to work at your brothel?"
"Oh my god, what is it with you girls? Just because the girls wear…inappropriate uniform doesn't make it a strip club or a brothel."
Sango chuckled. "I'm joking, but look at her, she doesn't belong in that club. Inuyasha, why'd you try to get her to work there?"
"Excuse me for trying to help." Inuyasha shook his head.
"It's not easy being a woman working at a club wearing things like that, Inuyasha, especially when you're not used to wearing those type of clothes. It's something you men will never understand. Anyway, I know how you feel, Kagome. Inuyasha tried to get me to work there when I first moved to the city. Some asshole grabbed my ass and I beat the crap out of him."
Miroku smirked. "Hello, I'm asshole, nice to meet you."
Kagome tried not to choke on her rice from laughing. Inuyasha even cracked a smile.
"Hehe, I love remembering how we first met." Miroku mused, as he stared off into the distance recalling the memory.
"Whatever," Inuyasha sighed. "Guess you girls don't care to make a thousand dollars a night."
"A thousand dollars?" Kagome squeaked.
"Yeah, but it is worth your dignity?" Sango scoffed.
"Dignity doesn't pay the bills, sweetheart." Inuyasha shrugged. "It's freakin' hot in here."
He slid his chair back and took off his hoody then removed his cap. It was the first time Kagome had seen him take it off and was amazed to see two small erect ears at the top of his head that resembled a cat's ears.
Inuyasha caught her staring at his ears and squinted. "What?"
"N-nothing."
"Never seen a hanyou's ears?"
"A hanyou?"
"Half demon? Do they not have demons in Japan?"
"No…actually, just in Tokyo." She said.
"Well then you should have seen them there when you went to University…right?" he said, taunting her with an incredulous look as if he caught her in her own lie.
"Right…just well, never paid any mind to it." She cleared her throat and continued eating. "So…you're a demon?"
"Half demon." He said, rubbing his thighs. Kagome noticed how toned his arms were, protruding veins wrapped around like vines all the way down to his fingers.
"Half demons are hanyous, full fledge demons are youkais."
Kagome continued to stare at his ears.
Inuyasha grew frustrated. "If it bothers you, don't look at them."
"Oh, no, I'm sorry, Inuyasha. They don't bother me. I think they are kind of cute." she smiled as she finished her food and got up from the table. She washed her plate and dried her hands. "Well, thanks for dinner, Sango. I'm going to go to my room to read. I'll talk to you guys later."
Inuyasha watched her walk away, his lips curling into a smile. Unnoticed to him, Sango and Miroku were studying him.
"Aww, she said your ears are cute and now you're smiling. Someone has a serious crush." Miroku sneered.
Sango teased. "You know what that means…"
"Someone wants some booty." Miroku added. Sango snarled and slid her chair away from him.
"You are just hopeless, Miroku."
"What?" Miroku asked, defensively. "It was a joke, come on, don't get your panties in a bunch."
Sango started cleaning the kitchen, Miroku helped to redeem himself for his idiocy. Inuyasha sat quietly as he ate slowly, his thoughts stuck on Kagome. He ached to know her. There was something about the way she said his ears were cute that brought a tingling sensation to his stomach. Was this that butterfly feeling people spoke of? Oh god, he hoped not. He couldn't let himself fall for her. He had too much baggage. Let alone what would his brother think?
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Editing this old story while I work on my original novel. Follow my Instagram account to stay updated.
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