The week after Inuyasha had felt like he had been able to talk Kagome into giving her fiancé the benefit of the doubt, he was reminded of why men in general were a disappointment.

It was after work on a Thursday when he decided that instead of eating microwave noodles for supper he'd do the adult thing and get something more substantial. So he phoned in an order for carry out at the closest restaurant to collect on the way home.

What? He wasn't feeling adult enough to cook his own substantial food. Why not pay someone else to do it? It supported a business and filled his stomach. It benefited both of them.

He stepped inside and waited on the benches as directed while they checked on the status of his order. Five minutes later he'd seen the prime example of why men were pigs, arm slung around the shoulders of a woman who was not Kagome. Inuyasha's stomach knotted as he watched Bankotsu laugh at some drivel the blonde was going on about on her phone. He wanted so badly to tell that woman that the man she was with was going to be married in a week, but going by looks she was likely one of those women who didn't care if a man was off limits. It didn't matter as the woman tittered that she needed to use the little girl's room and walked off while Bankotsu went to pay their bill.

That's when their eyes met.

The dark haired man paid his bill and casually walked over to the hanyou as if they were old acquaintances crossing paths after months of not seeing the other. Inuyasha wasn't sure if he would be generous enough to call him an acquaintance though. It was taking everything he had to keep his hands in his pockets so that he wouldn't punch the smirk off his lips.

"Dinner for one?" Bankotsu asked, knowing full well that the hanyou was single. A civil way of rubbing salt into the wound.

"You stopping here for an appetizer before you get to the main course?" Inuyasha countered, getting the smallest bit of satisfaction at the brief glimmer of alarm in the man's eyes. Oh yes, he knew alright. Even if he could've been fooled into believing that this was a distant relative, the hanyou's nose didn't lie. He practically reeked of sex and this woman's perfume. He wasn't sure which was more heavy-handed but if he didn't get away soon it was gonna put him off his dinner.

"What Kagome doesn't know won't hurt her. And I know good and damn well that you wouldn't tell her. I know you, Curr. You'd sooner cut off your arm than break her heart."

Inuyasha wanted to argue against that, but dammit the bastard was right.

"Anyway, the wedding's in a week. I'll have gotten my fill of Denise soon enough. She knows it's not long term."

"And how long do you intend to string Kagome along before you decide you've had your fill of her, huh?" Inuyasha snapped.

Bankotsu stared at him silently for a few minutes. "You're in love with her," he said at last.

The hanyou stayed quiet, hoping that his face didn't give anything away. Of course he loved Kagome. Had since they were kids. It only became more intense and desperate when she came back into his life. Not that he was gonna give this bastard the satisfaction of knowing that his guess was right, however. There was no telling what he'd do if he had the information. Bankotsu could tell Kagome, and most likely ruin their friendship. He could even say that Inuyasha had seen him at the restaurant with another woman and kept it secret, all for the idea that he could snatch her away. That could only end worse, and both of them knew it.

There was a pause when one of the waitstaff brought over I's order, and the hanyou made a point of making it seen by Bankotsu that he tipped the employee a $20 bill. Bag in hand, he was ready to go home. Even if it was going to be alone in his apartment while he ate. He'd done the courteous thing and nodded to the human. "I'll see you next weekend," he said. "Oh, by the way…" I stopped in front of him and looked him dead in the eye. "…no god will save you from me if you make Kagome cry."

"I disagree, Curr." Bankotsu whispered, just loud enough for his sensitive hearing to pick up. "Trust me, you didn't miss out on much with her. She's a mediocre lay, at best."

He'd managed to get back home and eat his meal while it was still warm, all the while fuming over what Bankotsu had said to him. The gall the man had to say that Kagome was mediocre in anything was enough to piss him off, but to claim that it was on her that the sex wasn't good?

He'd shredded the takeaway containers before they even made it in the trash bin to vent some of his rage.

Kagome had said that the reason she wasn't satisfied was because of Bankotsu. He trusted Kagome's word like he would with his own life, and if he had to wager on it, she had no idea her fiancé was twisting the situation to his benefit. Of course that fucker would make himself out to be the victim. He was too stupid to see how good he had it.

Inuyasha paced the kitchen, still feeling like he was going to tear something apart. He had to distract himself before he either destroyed his home or committed homicide. The hanyou dug in his pockets for his phone, swiping the screen and dialing a number from memory.

"Sup?"

"That bastard really is cheating on her."

"What? How do you know?"

"I was picking my dinner up at the same restaurant that him and some woman named Denise was leaving."

There was a pause, followed by, "And you let him live?"

"What was I supposed to do, Koga?!"

"Kill the sonofabitch."

Inuyasha groaned, running his free hand through his hair. "You better believe your furry ass I wanted to. I couldn't."

"Public place couldn't, or Kagome couldn't?"

"Aside from it biting my pop's business in the ass for his youngest son to be incarcerated on homicide charges, Kagome is the bigger reason."

Koga sighed. "Man, why did you call me, then?"

"Because you were easier to vent to about this than Miroku, now you gonna let me bitch about this or not?"

"The hell am I supposed to do, mutt face?! You call me up, mad as hell, saying that that shit stain is actually cheating on our Kagome. Then you tell me that you didn't beat his ass into the floor on the spot. What am I taking from this? That I missed an opportunity to dispose of a body?"

The hanyou sighed. Maybe he should've called Miroku after all. "Pretty much," he said at last.

"That's cold, Yash."

"Not as bad as what's being done to Kagome." He was about to point out the things that Bankotsu had said about Kagome, but thought better of it. Koga was quick as hell and he couldn't have gotten Miroku in time before the ookami did irreparable damage. "The bastard is spinning lies about her in their relationship. Saying stuff that she's told me that he's guilty of. I wanted to break his teeth just for that."

Koga grunted on the other end of the call. "Would've done more than just break teeth if it were me."

"I didn't say I'd stop, did I?"

"Then what did you do after he said that?"

"Told him that no god would save his ass if Kagome shed one tear because of him."

"Good." Koga seemed to have been thinking about his next words carefully. "I know you don't want to hurt Kagome, Yash. I don't either. I love her like a sister. But…man, she needs to know. We can't keep putting this off and hope the walking dildo will confess. She's gonna find out one way or another, and I think the safest approach would be from her best friend, don't you? Or would you rather she find out the truth the way you did?"

Inuyasha's ears pinned back. "That was a low blow, bringing that up."

"Yeah well that's what happens when you say I have a hairy ass."

The indignant tone shouldn't have made him laugh, but it did. This was why he'd called Koga. Miroku was just as good a friend, but in this moment he needed a similar mindset to feed off of. Miroku wouldn't have swapped barbs like Koga was as a distraction; he'd have suggested meditation instead. Which, wasn't always a bad thing, but right that second he didn't trust retreating into his thoughts. "Then should I call you cue ball ass?"

"Oi, I ain't bald!"

"Little off the top?"

"That sounds like circumcision."

"What? You aren't?"

"Are you?"

"…"

"Well, Yash?"

"Why's it any of your business?!" he sputtered. "You're the one acting all surprised!"

"…"

Inuyasha didn't like the silence that followed. He just knew something was up on the other end. "Okay I'm hanging up now, good talk. Thanks for distracting me."

"Hold up –"

"Do not send me a picture of your junk, I swear to god Koga." He tapped the 'end call' button and watched the screen with paranoia. He didn't want to see Koga's dick. He'd just finished supper. He didn't need to go to sleep with the image of another man's junk in his head.