"Don't make me sue you!" Kikyō shouted, polishing off her third glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Her eyes got unfocused when she was tipsy. "50% is way way too fair given how you went behind my back and published!"
Kagome laughed nearly as raucously as Kikyō in that moment, because… now that they had gotten their second checks from Amazon, the checks that came after half of New York had witnessed some sort of demon event or seen it on the news? Well, the royalties were now a bit bigger than before.
"So just buying your drinks tonight doesn't count?" Kagome teased.
"$1200 is a lot different than $2000, Kagome," Kikyō retorted, an edge of irritation to her voice.
"I am taking the piss," Kagome finally said, rubbing Kikyō's shoulder with her hand. "I already contacted Amazon for the split to be 50/50."
Kikyō managed to focus her eyes on Kagome for just a second, and then a bright smile broke from her face.
Kikyō pulled Kagome in for an enormous hug. "Thank you."
"For what?" Kagome choked; Kikyō did not do physical affection.
"For… everything," Kikyō slurred.
Kagome thought she knew what Kikyō meant.
Everything meant a group of friends.
Everything meant rekindling their love and belief in demons.
Everything even meant publishing a book behind her back that had shot up the Amazon bestseller list.
"It was… my pleasure," Kagome answered, squeezing Kikyō just a bit closer.
"Shit. I need to claim this on my taxes now," Kikyō continued, tapping her fingernail on the wine glass, which was responding with pleasant pings.
Four days ago, the 'demon hunters' had taken New York by storm. But no one knew who they were, because the portal had temporarily disabled all electronic devices in the vicinity of the event (save for Kagura's). All that was left were injured people (thank GOD no one had died), blasted demon bits splattered across 2nd Ave, and a ton of eye witnesses saying that a stream of pink light came from the roof of one of the buildings.
Miroku, for whatever reason, had stayed around (probably to try to get Sango's phone number), and managed to clear an escape route. The demon hunters got away unscathed, and undiscovered, with all their equipment (and a little bit extra) intact. It was… a miracle.
When they got back to Sango's, work began on understanding that… extra bit they picked up at the WPIX building. Whoever it was that was making the portals had made an extraordinary machine. Kagura and Kikyō were already reverse engineering it, finding that it was clear that the builder knew what they were doing. It was, as Kagura often muttered, "fucking evil genius." Kagome learned quickly it was better not to ask questions when Kikyō and Kagura got going, which was often. And it usually led to a hasty retreat for Sango and Kagome, up to Sango's living room, where it was 'safe.' That, or toward the fire extinguishers that Sango now bought in bulk.
A month of time really could change the course of one's life.
Who would have predicted that Kagome's writing a rogue book would be that catalyst for her? Giving her friends capable of filling the lonely void in her soul? Kagura breathed life into them all with her goofiness and humor. Sango still acted like the group's mother hen, providing snacks (and stern talking-tos when the experiments got out of control), and Kagome got Kikyō back. The two truly were friends again. Their reiki had destroyed a demon! They'd actually saved New York! Too bad no one could know about that.
Well, even though people didn't know that Kagome Higurashi and Kikyō Sekimuro were the reiki twins, people were buying their book. And doing it enough that… Kagome could finally afford to go out when she wanted to (and maybe even purchase the new laptop she'd been eyeing!), and buy the equipment that Kagura needed to improve the blasters and zappy zappers and now portal creators (though they were pretty sure that they were not going to use that one), and possibly even… demon traps (if Kagura was to be believed).
A ding from Kikyō's phone broke the women from their hug. At the wide smile that came to Kikyō's face, Kagome had a strong suspicion she knew who the text was from.
"I… gotta go," Kikyō said, a pink blush painting the bridge of her nose.
"Tell Kagura not to light anything on fire," Kagome giggled, taking a sip of her still nearly full cider.
"You sure you don't want her to join us?" Kikyō asked, but her eyes were looking beyond Kagome.
"I don't want to be the third wheel," Kagome teased, which served to deepen Kikyō's blush. "Get going; the least I can do is use my ill-gotten book money to pay for your wine."
"I still expect a check for the difference, Kagome," Kikyō accused, but the sternness that used to comprise her most frequent expression had utterly softened.
"I'll get it to you tomorrow, I promise," Kagome replied. "Now, don't keep Kagura waiting. But don't do any experiments tonight." Kikyō stuttered enough that Kagome started laughing (she hadn't meant for it to be a double-entendre, which made it more hilarious). "On demon machines, Kikyō. I… don't want to hear about any of the others."
"Shut up." Kikyō rolled her eyes, though neither missed her smile.
Kikyō grabbed her purse, and headed out of the bar. Kagome looked down at her cider, trying to decide if she should leave it be and head out too, but… even now when she was richer, she still couldn't leave a drink un-drunk, especially one that she was enjoying.
"Wh—what are you drinkin'?" A deep and gravelly voice startled Kagome into looking up.
While she was staring at her cider, someone had taken Kikyō's seat. And not just any old someone. He was tall, and had long black hair that shone like obsidian, which he was wearing down. He looked at her with purplish gray eyes, lined with lush black lashes. His face held a boyish charm and his lips were full, but somehow his eyes seemed too deep and sad to belong to his youthful, handsome face. Kagome then let her eyes slide down the man's body. He wore a red button-down shirt and his neck was adorned with a saturated blue opal whose nebulae of color nearly seemed alive. But… it wasn't his shirt or even his necklace that captured Kagome's notice. It was the muscles that were fighting the restraints of the fabric. Even though the shirt fit him well, Kagome could make out the peaks and valleys of sinew that comprised the man's chest and arms, as if he were an Olympian carved by a Renaissance sculptor.
In sum, he was one of the most attractive men Kagome had ever seen.
"Cider," Kagome answered, a smile lighting her face. She was definitely interested in talking to this man. "Care to join me?"
"Y—yeah, sure," the man replied, a pink hue coming across the bridge of his nose.
Holy shit, was the world's hottest man blushing about talking to her? It had been a while since Kagome had met someone she'd… vibed with. A long while. A long long while. And the man before her, with his lush hair and sexy voice and marble-cut muscles was reminding her just how long.
"I'm Kagome," Kagome said, extending her hand.
"Y—Yash." The man, Yash, replied, taking and shaking her hand.
"Yash… I don't think I've ever heard anyone with that name." Kagome quirked her eyebrow.
"It's… an old family name," Yash said, mostly into his beer.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Yash," Kagome said, trying not to pay attention to the way his triceps flexed as he ran his finger around the rim of his beer glass. She liked the way his name sounded on her tongue.
"You too," Yash replied, chancing a glance back up at Kagome.
If Yash was attempting to flirt, he was doing a poor job of it. But… he was also succeeding, because it was making Kagome want to see what happened if she broke through the shy boy exterior that he was so masterfully displaying.
"So, what is it you do, Yash?" Kagome asked, taking a sip of her cider.
"Contractor, under the table," Yash replied, gifting her with another glance from those addictively soulful eyes of his; there was a spark in them now. "What about you?"
"Writer, mostly," Kagome replied. She wasn't exactly sure how to answer that question. Because honestly? She wrote for a rag paper, and her book was called Demons Among Us! Yes, it was writing, but honestly? She felt more a demon hunter than a writer at the moment.
"Sounds like there's more story to that," Yash chuckled. "C—can I buy you another one of those?"
Kagome looked down to see that she'd chugged a lot more of her cider than she realized. It was leaving her feeling a bit giddy, bubbly, uninhibited. She considered his offer, considered the possibilities for the rest of the night, and considered what one more cider might do to her.
"How about this… you can buy me a half-pint," Kagome said; yes, she could drink just a bit more. "And I'll buy you something too."
"I—I thought that the guy was supposed to do all the buying," Yash retorted, rubbing the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his face.
"This isn't the Victorian age," Kagome winked. "It's been a good day. I'm in a celebrating mood. So, what do you say, Yash?"
"I suppose," Yash said, a faint smile dusting his lips. "But only if you tell me what we're celebrating."
Kagome laughed and summoned the bartender, to put another pint of the IPA Yash was drinking on her tab, and a half-pint of her cider on his tab.
"Friend and I published a book," Kagome said as the two waited for their beverages.
"Oh yeah? What was it about?" Yash's purple-gray eyes lit up as he asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Kagome said, finishing off the last of her first pint of cider just as the new half-pint arrived.
"Try me," Yash smirked, pawing at his new beer without breaking eye contact with Kagome, as if he was trying to read her thoughts.
"It's about demons," Kagome admitted, taking a swig of the cider in front of her. She really really wanted the evening to continue, and… well… finding out the girl you were flirting with had written a book titled Demons Among Us! certainly had the potential to end the night abruptly.
"No shit," Yash chuckled, his bright smile grew brighter. "So you must've heard about all those weird things happening, huh?"
"You could say that," Kagome sighed. "It certainly did make for a sales boost for our book."
"I—Can you tell me the name of your book?" Yash asked, his eyes looking at his beer.
"You promise not to judge a book by its cover?" Kagome teased, pleased that she was not too tipsy for a good play on words.
"If you promise the same thing," Yash answered, a single eyebrow raised. But when Inuyasha's eyes looked into hers, there was some deep and intense longing in them. It was… mesmerizing.
"I never judge a book by its cover," Kagome huffed. "And… it's called Demons Among Us!"
"Catchy title," Yash said. "So… do you think there are demons among us?"
"No, I just made up the entire premise to make a quick buck," Kagome joked, diverting away from the real answer.
Because she knew that demons existed because she'd seen and destroyed one herself. But even as Yash's eyes were wide with interest, she… really didn't want to scare him off. Not with her reiki, not with her other job, and not with her demon-hunting.
"Keh, I don't buy it." Yash leaned in, getting close enough that Kagome could smell him, like fresh rain after a storm. "And, you can tell me. I'm not gonna run away."
Kagome scrutinized Yash's eyes, the way that she did with nearly every interview she did. He was hiding something, but as was often the case of men and women in bars, Kagome figured that was probably—hopefully?—because he was trying to figure out how to take her home.
"Well…" Kagome pondered. Maybe there was something she could tell Yash: something that she sometimes thought about, the thing that got her interested in demon hunting and honing her reiki in the first place. "About ten years ago, I was walking near Central Park and… I—I felt something. Almost like… a jolt. Then there was this flash of light…" Kagome pictured it—the way the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, the flash of red—"I swore that I saw someone just appear out of nowhere. A man. He had silver hair." Kagome didn't look at Yash as she spoke (or she would have seen the look of shock that came over his face). "Anyway. I don't know if I saw a demon that day or not, but… I still think about it. About him. It—it was what led me to write a book about it."
Something about that moment stuck so firmly in Kagome's mind that she could replay it as if it were a movie. She had seen the way the man's hair swayed, reflecting little glints of city light as he ran away. Kagome remembered being frozen there, wondering who he was, trying to understand why she yearned to chase after him. She remembered wondering if he was as afraid as she was in that moment. And she wondered why… after that day, she became obsessed with demons.
Suddenly, she felt calloused fingers stroking between her knuckles.
"I believe you," Yash whispered, letting his hand rest over hers, his voice laden with some unknowable emotion.
Kagome shuddered from the sensation of Yash's hand touching hers, as if their auras were starting to reach for each other through the contact. It caught Kagome off guard. Sure, she had been thinking about how nice it would be to end her dry spell with a guy as hot as Yash, but… this felt good and felt different from all the others. Almost too much from such a simple touch.
"You just want to get in my pants," Kagome teased, then she leaned a little closer to the wide-eyed blushing man. "Not… that I'd mind."
Shit. Well, alcohol did always make her forward. But dammit, this guy was touching her and sending tingles surging across her skin. His shy charm served to make him more appealing, and he seemed totally accepting of her strange obsession with demons. And… she wasn't sure she could turn away from the gravity of attraction and je ne sais quois she had for him, even if she tried.
"I—I—" Yash continued to stutter, but his hand never left Kagome's, and his fingers never stopped stroking the back of her hand. "Well… I do believe you. The other stuff is… uh."
"So you don't want to get in my pants?" Kagome challenged. She was a tad worried she was reading things wrong. Was this guy about to throw some weird Zoroastrian religious bullshit at her about demons? She… she didn't think she had a wrong read on things. She knew from experience that connections that deep and electric did not happen everyday, but… what if?
"N—no, it's not that—wait. I do. No, I mean… yes. But no." Yash seemed to be having trouble forming coherent sentences, but even as he whinged, his hand never left Kagome's.
Kagome wanted him so badly. Wanted to find out what would happen to her body when it was entwined with his, instead of only the single point of contact. And she needed to know now what the connection meant.
So, Kagome forced the issue.
"You… wanna get out of here?" Kagome interrupted Yash's stutter.
At least if he said no, she'd given it a shot.
"Yes."