Author's Note: I'll tell you where I got inspiration. I was outside, looking at the rain one day, thinking 'Inuyasha seems almost like a slave for Kagome with the prayer beads and all…lucky for the girl, it isn't the other way around…' then bada bing bada boom. It hit me like a mack truck. Then I thought 'Miroku would be the evil [but cute] schemer' and when Miroku is evil, it involves Sango and it fell into place.
As You Wish and my all of my other stories including my plots are all © Copyrighted by Keolla. Plagiarize and I'll impale you with the stick.
As You Wish
III. Everything Except Me
If there's a prize for rotten judgment
I guess I've already won that
No man is worth the aggravation
That's ancient history-been there, done that!
"Kagome…when I said 'he needs a good kick in the ass by someone who could care less any day,' I have no idea where you got 'punch him in the face!' from."
Kagome narrowed her eyes, regarding Miroku with a wary twinkle before continuing to eat the orange in her hand. No man would stop her from getting that orange when it was calling out to her after all…especially not that man who had insulted her like no person had ever before.
"Think about it this way, Miroku." Kagome shot him an overly saccharine smile, sarcastic sweetness dripping off it like honey. "You're hideous, you're definitely fatter than Orlando Blooms on T.V., you need to wear shorter shorts, your build is absolutely in need of improvement and Little Miro is kind of small."
She continued smiling at him while Miroku looked utterly appalled, affronted and aggrieved---all at the same time. His grin was wiped off and he instantly retorted, "You better not mean that!"
Kagome lifted a delicate eyebrow. "I don't mean it," she echoed, before muttering "Not much of it anyway…" under her breath. She continued nonetheless. "But when someone seriously told you that in your face, I don't think you would stay calm, but knowing you, you'll put them in a headlock before mercilessly slamming their whole body down to the ground, wrestling-style."
Hmm…wrestling…Miroku contemplated her viewpoint for a moment, before nodding gently. "I see where you're getting to…and I don't really blame you for punching the hanyou in the face, but you forget...he is rich, he can sue you and he may be angry enough to make your next two weeks here a living hell."
Kagome shrugged, leaning back into the crook of the couch in the living room. "He is rich, but the money isn't worth anything to me. He can sue me, but he'll get about ten dollars. He may be angry enough to make my next two weeks here a living hell, but don't think I won't retaliate and even the score." Kagome thought about it amusingly. Two weeks of living in heaven with the spawn of hell…it wasn't too bad.
Miroku didn't seem to take the whole ordeal as simple as Kagome did. "He isn't just a normal person who'll yell at you and stuff. He's a business man too, Kagome. That means he is sneaky, intelligent---or at least I hope so---and definitely ruthless. People like him don't break people physically. People like him know how to break normal people emotionally too, and they are pretty damn good at it. Well, I think Inuyasha is good at it…but I still wonder sometimes…"
Kagome reached out to the coffee table for another orange, but Miroku shot her a hard glare and she sighed, retracting her hand. She happened to find it hard to resist oranges, and Miroku being the overprotective mother hen he sometimes was, wouldn't let her eat too much. Did everyone in this world think she was fat!? Where was Sango when she needed that girl…?
"He can try to play mind games with me, but I didn't take Psychology for nothing either. Whatever he shoots at me, I'll fling it back to hit him in the eye."
Miroku smiled mentally. "Are you saying you won't give up these two weeks, no matter what happens?"
Kagome looked impartial before shrugging. "I guess. I'm not leaving until I teach that man a good lesson on respect for woman…psh, just because I'm not model material…"
Miroku smiled more. "Don't worry. Lots of the people here will support you behind the scenes for kicking his butt then…especially Ayame."
"Ayame?" Kagome asked, her eyes going wide in curiosity.
"Our cook. Very nice wolf demon with the most wonderful buns…"
Kagome narrowed her eyes. She was wondering just which buns he was talking about… "I see."
Miroku looked innocent as he seemed to shine with a divine light, his body screaming 'pure' while Kagome sniggered under her breath, trying not to show she didn't believe in his holy man routine. "She seems to dislike Inuyasha because he usually ruins her food before she's done cooking, but I'm sure she adores him because he says she cooks like a goddess…especially when she makes her emergency ramen. Sometimes though, it just seems she wants to beat him over the head with her spatula whenever he steals her cuisines, but she's afraid of losing her job. So, I'm sure she'll support you if you beat him over the head with a spatula."
Kagome rubbed her temples. "Ayame sounds like someone who'll agree with me this mansion is perfect, but with the most imperfect masters ever. When I meet her, I'll be sure to ask her for…the spatula," Kagome answered sarcastically, shooting the 'holy man' an 'Oh yea, right' look.
Miroku wiggled his eyes suggestively. "Do you know how many things one can do with a spatula?" he asked in a casual tone, still blinking like a baby rabbit at Kagome.
"One thing too many," the girl replied dryly, as she brushed imaginary lint off her shoulders. "Demonstrations are unnecessary."
Miroku opened his mouth to snap something back, but a masculine voice butted into the conversation.
"Miss. Kagome, Inuyasha requests you see him at the pool right away."
Kagome peeked over the coach to catch sight of Hojo, the butler she was introduced to before. She saw Miroku close his mouth instantly, and pretend to yawn as he stretched his muscles over his head. Kagome rolled her eyes. If Sango was here and saw those sinewy muscles stretching…it would be so much fun to take a picture of her and use it as blackmail…
"Now?" she asked nonchalantly, wondering whether she should see the hanyou so quickly. He might just rip her apart on sight, if the articles in those magazines she read were true.
"Now." Hojo smiled widely, the true quality of obliviousness shining brighter and overtaking Miroku's 'holy' aura.
Kagome scratched her chin thoughtfully before jumping off the coach, walking towards the butler and shooting Miroku a farewell gesture. "Miroku, I will not take responsibility for the actions he provokes me to perform…he's only bringing it upon himself if he thinks all women like him in this world." She smiled gently and then started talking to Hojo as he led her to where Inuyasha would be waiting.
Miroku stood there and listened as the chattering subsided. Inuyasha wouldn't hurt her…at least not physically. He rubbed his hands together pensively, pondering what his next move in his Ultimate of all Ultimate Plans would be. If he played his cards right, those two would be together by the end of these two weeks and he himself would be well on his way to becoming an uncle.
And she had said she wouldn't back down…so she wouldn't mind if he helped their 'relationship' along…now did she?
A holy man was he.
*~*~*
She felt cautious as she walked out into daylight, the sun shining almost sickeningly joyfully down on her warm body. She brushed a strand of hair from her face before narrowing her eyes at the white head turned away from her, indicating Inuyasha was sunbathing. She hardly saw famous people sunbathing---heck, she had never met a famous person in her life ---and now, here she was, seeing the most disgusting famous person with the back of his head facing her.
"Hello," he muttered monotonously, moving his hand up to the sunglasses on his face. He twisted his body in the chair, staring distastefully at his slave.
She winced. One side of his jaws looked bruised and swollen and he immediately picked up the bag of ice on his lap, putting it over the injury. She was scared now. Oh, she hadn't been scared with Miroku before. But now she was terrified. If he did sue her for punching him, she'd be living on the streets before she could get on her knees to beg for his forgiveness. But then again, she would never beg for a rich man's mercy…
And that man had sexually harassed her! …Kind of. Although…he'd probably get away with it. One side of her lips twisted down in antipathy as images of millions of bills flew around her, making a mountain of money as it buried her alive. She hated rich people.
"I want lemonade right now. Get me lemonade from the kitchen," he murmured through his lips, leaning his head back on the chair as he felt the sun's ray tan his already rather well tanned body.
She stared at him, flabbergasted. Did he just order her to get him lemonade?! Who did he think he was to order her around like some sla---oh yes, he was her master.
Her face twitched involuntarily as she silently flipped a rude gesture behind his back. He was going to make full use of her company for the next two weeks, wasn't he? He was just going to have so much fun torturing her to death and making her clean his dirty socks. She could imagine it now…
Shuddering, she turned around and went to the kitchen. She wondered if he would smell laxative if she decided to put some in…She decided it was better not to. Demons had an acute sense of smell after all. He would force her to drink it if she denied at tampering with his drink.
Turning into the nice kitchen, she stopped in her footsteps when she saw a woman there, humming some song as she cooked. Her red hair was tied in high pigtails, although it didn't look childish on her, but rather chic. Irises were adorned in her hair and when she turned around, Kagome noticed the woman had amazing green eyes which widened when they saw Kagome.
"Who are you?" she questioned, turning the fire off as the ramen continued to simmer slowly. She narrowed her jade eyes and scrutinized Kagome. "If you're another fan who somehow managed to get in here, you're going to be in lots of trouble."
"No…I'm no fan…I'm Inuyasha's…personal maid…Kagome," she gritted out, her teeth clenched together tight.
The lady blinked as remembrance dawned on her. "Ohh…the slave girl?" she asked, smiling gently.
"No, the maid," Kagome insisted, knowing that probably the whole mansion by now knew of her current 'occupation.' She felt so sold.
The woman turned back to the ramen, pouring it into a bowl---which Kagome noticed looked pricey. Stupid rich people with their rich bowls! "My name is Ayame," the woman said, turning around and grinning as she put the bowl of ramen on a tray. "Inuyasha's cook."
Kagome opened her eyes wide when she noticed she was the girl Miroku had said didn't like Inuyasha that much. Although, she had half expected the woman to be a human instead of a wolf demon."Do you hate Inuyasha?" the girl asked, watching as Ayame walked towards her with the tray.
Ayame raised an eyebrow before looking left and right, making sure no one was listening. "He can be such a prick and pimp and in general, a pain in the ass, but he's my employer and he pays me good…if you know what I mean." Ayame beamed brightly and wiggled her eyebrows, shoving the tray into Kagome's hands. "Now since you're his slave, you wouldn't mind taking that to him."
Kagome frowned, not really wanting to serve the idiot food as well as lemonade. "Inuyasha wants lemonade as well."
Hearing this, Ayame rolled her eyes. "So spoiled…" she muttered, before going to the fridge and taking out a carton of lemonade Kagome had never seen before in her life. She wondered if rich people really did have their own line of clothing, food brands and secret recipes. It sure seemed like it. They must have enough money to go get facials a lot too, considering how some famous women's skin always looked flawless and perfect. Scratch that. Some probably had their own facial mini shop in their villa.
Ayame added a cup of lemonade on the tray, complete with ice, straw and a little umbrella which Kagome raised an eyebrow to.
"He likes those annoying little things. Makes him feel like he's at paradise when he's near the pool," was Ayame's vague explanation before shoving Kagome to the door. "Now go feed him. If he's really that mean to you, just ignore him. If he does things you don't want him to, just ask me for my spatula or punch him or something. He's not that bad of a guy."
"Little do you know..." Kagome muttered under her breath as she started walking back to the pool, balancing the lunch tray in her hands. "And 'not that bad of a guy' is the biggest understatement of the year…"
Walking towards the outdoors room, she had trouble opening the door before she decided to just use her behind. It needed its exercise anyway. Managing to open the entrance, she saw Inuyasha doing laps in the pool now. She twitched her nose disdainfully at seeing his half naked body, upper torso shining in all its tanned glory and trying to seduce her. Was everything about him trying to seduce her? No wonder so many girls couldn't resist him.
"Idiot…" she hissed through her teeth, holding out the crystal tray with his lunch. "Your lemonade and Ayame cooked you ramen." With one hand on her hips, she waited for her 'master' to get out of the pool and take his stupid food. She hated this.
"Put it down on the small table," he ordered snappily, pointing to a table next to the chair he had been in. She did as she was told while he got out of the pool, taking a towel and drying his hair and rubbing his body free of water. She could only roll her eyes when he glanced darkly at her from under his long lashes, thinking she couldn't see his glare. He was still mad at her? Good.
Ambling casually over to the tray, he picked up the glass of lemonade and sniffed it, before throwing Kagome another malicious look. He held it out to her and she stiffened, wondering what he wanted her to do. Drink it and make sure she didn't poison it? Please. That was so overrated.
As she was about to reach out for it and take a sip, (hey, she couldn't pass up the chance to get a taste of 'rich' lemonade) he only turned the cup around. Kagome watched as the drink slowly moved towards the ground, the substance pouring out of the glass. She opened her eyes wide, watching the straw and the umbrella go out with it.
It splashed all over the ground, the ice landing near her feet. She narrowed her eyes, watching the water spread around on the concrete while he smirked smugly at her.
"I wanted lemonade…but I wanted fresh-squeezed lemonade…so slave, you got the wrong thing. Now before I whip you for your impudence, go get me what I wanted." He looked at her haughtily, the conceited smirk still plain on his face.
Kagome could feel her fingers itching again as they pulsed in anger. They were longing to just reach over…grab his perfect little neck…squeeze…squeeze…and squeeze until his eyes popped out and his perfect little face turned blue. He was such a vain and snobbish bastard! He hadn't told her to get him 'fresh-squeezed' lemonade…and what the hell is the difference!? Lemonade was lemonade. Only picky people would actually notice the difference.
"Well?" he drawled lazily, still holding the cup upside down and towards her. His own posture even radiated complacency and Kagome yearned that the Youkai Ministry would make the murdering of hanyou legal. She would be the first to kill Inuyasha. Nice and slow.
"Of course," she murmured through gritted teeth, swiping the glass away from his grasp. Now the cup was contaminated with his dirty germs! She couldn't help the disgusted shudder running through her body as she whipped around, stalking back to the kitchen with her head held up high. She would not surrender to his evil. No matter what he did, she would try to control her anger and not further drag their relationship down to hell.
She rushed through the corridors, the frown still evident on her face as she neared the kitchen.
Sulkily stomping into the room, she noticed Ayame turning a perceptive gaze over before shoving another glass in Kagome's direction. "Wha?" the girl whispered, peeking at the cup full of what surprisingly looked like lemonade.
"He wanted 'fresh-squeezed' lemonade, didn't he?" Ayame asked, putting the cup of juice in Kagome's hands.
"Yea," Kagome whispered breathlessly, before confusion took over. "How'd you know?"
Ayame sighed as she turned back around to her cooking; Kagome noticed it looked surprisingly like a chocolate cake…MmM… "He did the same thing to me when I first came as a new cook. Don't worry. It's like a test. He doesn't hate you or anything."
Kagome stared at the back of the jade-eyed girl, some perplexity still unsolved. "Even when I knocked him in the jaws the first time we met…?"
Ayame turned around to face her with wide eyes, her chocolate cake dough forgotten. "You PUNCHED him!?" she inquired incredulously with what looked akin to admiration in her eyes. "You punched one of the richest man in Tokyo, ruined his perfect face, and you're not thrown out, sued, lost your home and being forced to live under a bridge yet!?"
Kagome nodded grimly. "Should I be scared?"
Ayame nodded too, but it was more of a silent gesture to herself instead of an answer to Kagome's question. "He must really like you then…" she trailed off, going back to her cooking and obviously giving signs that their talk was over.
Kagome stood there for a few moments, the words Ayame had said repeating in her head. When she finally realized what those words meant, she couldn't control another shudder running through her body. Those nasty little words gave her goosebumps, even if they weren't true.
"I think I am scared now…" Kagome mumbled as she walked back to the pool, noticing that there were hardly any employees in the huge mansion, save for a selected few. Weren't rich men supposed to have many, many employees and even hired people to clean their toilets daily? It was something she had always thought the rich and famous had.
Strolling casually into the pool, she noticed Inuyasha crouching by the pool, this time looking at his reflection. She frowned again. Either he was egotistical or that bruise she gave him was expanding. She hoped it was the latter.
She went up next to him, holding the glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade down at her 'master.' He looked up when her hand appeared in front of his face, and her own azure eyes widened when she noticed that he had looked innocent in that one gaze. But then the incorruptibility was gone the next moment, replaced by a hard glare in his golden stare, and she wondered if the innocent look she had seen had really been there at all. Maybe she had just wanted to see a nice side of him and imagined the naiveté. This man was anything but pure.
"Your fresh-squeezed lemonade, idiot," she said, saying his title sarcastically. His gaze turned back to the lemonade as he got up, still refusing to take the cup. She sighed out loud, thrusting it in front of his face again and hoping he'll just take his damn drink already.
"Why do you call me that?" he asked in a low whisper, and she should have been warned, but she ignored it.
"Maybe…because you are?" she suggested, a blameless look on her face as she offered the glass of lemonade to him again.
But instead of taking the glass, he grabbed the arm that was extended and easily pulled her to his bare chest, crushing her against him as he put his arms around her body. The glass of lemonade was hit away from the contact and fell to the ground, smashing into a thousand crystal pieces as the second blotch of lemonade began to spread. But, what worried Kagome was Inuyasha. She immediately blushed red, although she wasn't unfamiliar with contact with a male. She hadn't had many boyfriends before, but that didn't mean she hadn't had some sort of intimate relationship in her past. However, this seemed the most off beam thing happening that she would think could happen between her and a man she hated. Especially Inuyasha.
This immediately jerked her mind awake and she raised two hands to his chest, trying to shove the man away from her. She just knew he was a perverted bastard! He couldn't keep his hands off her and did he really think she would succumb to his testosterone-driven actions? He better think again!
"Let me go!" she screamed, pounding against his upper body as she tried to wiggle out of his hold. But damn him! His hanyou grip was much too powerful, but that didn't mean she didn't keep trying. First day and she was already feeling violated. Oh lord, please say she still had her virginity by the end of the two weeks. "You narcissistic perverted man! I'll sue you! I swear I'll charge you for sexual harassment!"
But he didn't let her go and only trailed a hot breath around her cheeks and ears, causing her to shudder involuntarily. Stupid playboy! Stupid, stupid playboy! But most of all, stupid Sango for losing to a stupid playboy!
"Stop it!" she shrieked as she felt his mouth move closer to her ears, his warm breath almost making her want to punch another one on his face. What did he really think she was? She had agreed to be his slave! Not his sex slave! And contrary to those cliché love stories, a girl didn't melt in just about any man's arms, especially if the man was someone they didn't like.
"Why do you resist me…?" he whispered breathlessly, flicking out his tongue and tracing the outline of her ear. She shuddered reluctantly again at the wet contact and moved her face away, but only caused him to trail his tongue across her cheek before she yanked her whole head away.
He really had to ask her why she resisted him? This man was really dimwitted and egotistical. Not every female yielded to his erotic attacks on them and she was definitely one of those people. He might have looks and he might have the body lots of men would be jealous of, but if he didn't have the personality, then he was about as unattractive to her as a woman was to a gay man.
She used her full strength to push him away and this time, he let go of her, a soft smirk on his face. That bastard! He had only been playing around with her!
"INUYASHA KITAO! You are by far, the most irritating, vain, foolish and unintelligent man I have ever met in my life! Just because you have the money, the fame and the looks does not give you the right to harass any woman you come across!" She shoved a finger in his face and he backed off a bit, his eyes crossing as he concentrated on the tip of her finger. She noticed he rather looked adorable that way, but as she said, without the personality, he was ugly.
"I resist you because you are a bastard. A sick, hormone-driven bastard! Don't you use that tongue on me ever again or I'll be forced to make you a mute! Your ego is the size of Japan and your arrogance, without a doubt, exceeds even men richer than you! Other women may fall at your feet and beg you to take them---" She narrowed her eyes, tippy toeing up to stare at him in his eyes. "---but I won't."
She backed off as she continued to glare at him. "I won't deny you have enough money to get you nearly everything in this world…but your money can't buy one thing."
He raised one curious eyebrow, before saying, "And that would be what…?"
"It can't buy me," she replied defiantly as she crossed her arm across her chest, her glare as fierce as ever. She flipped her hair over her shoulders before looking away, watching the pool that looked calm and reflective. "Your money can buy you everything…except me." She repeated, hoping the loaded man got the idea through his thick skull.
He stared at her, a little confused. He was hot, he was rich, he had fame…how could this simple, mere, poor girl resist him? She intrigued him, yet she aggravated him. She had punched him, insulted him and told her she didn't like him in the least. How could she…? "What makes you think I can't buy you…?"
She looked offended as she snapped her angry stare back to him. "You can't buy me because the only person you can buy is something who is materialistic. Unfortunately for you, I am not a materialistic girl."
He looked slightly amused. Slightly. At his silence though, she thought she had won and turned around to stomp back to her room, but Inuyasha stopped her with a sentence that got her blood boiling and her ears steaming.
"Slave…you still need to get me my lemonade."
Kagome's body shook in rage as she turned around once more, stalking up to the hanyou and pushing him back to the edge of the pool. "Fresh-squeezed lemonade…?" she whispered dangerously, an evil smirk appearing on her face that could rival his own.
He seemed oblivious to the perilous aura surrounding her. He only smirked playfully back at her and replied, "With extra ice and sugar."
She smiled in a sugary way at the request, lifting two hands to cover his chest again. He thought she had finally submitted herself to him, but the next words absolutely contradicted the syrupy beam she had.
"Go to hell."
She pushed his chest in a strong drive, and since he had been standing on the tip of the edge, he flailed his arms around wildly as he felt air rush pass him. He lost his balance and slipped, plunging into the crystal clear water and causing water droplets to fly everywhere. Bubbles appeared on the surface and seconds later, the hanyou surfaced in a gasp, his hair completely ruined and tangled as water ran down his face.
He glared up to see the girl who was still smirking evilly, before she turned away from him and trudged back to her room. He watched the way she walked stiffly, even as she slammed the door shut and left its structure shuddering.
He was silent for a while, before taking in a sniff and noticing, her scent still filled the room. The woman actually had a nice smell to her. He grinned wickedly. "Sango, you've found the perfect girl…" he muttered, as he waded his way to the steps out of the pool. That girl was perfect. If he could break through her, then he could break through anyone. He would prove to Miroku, no woman could ever resist him.
However, he started wondering, could he break someone so strong? Could he get someone who hated him so much to fall in love with him? But yes...he can, can't he? He was rich and he was Inuyasha. Inuyasha gets everything...even the girl who thinks she can resist him. Still, her words echoed eerily in the recesses of his mind.
Your money can buy you everything…except me.
A/N: She might think it's resistance…but it sounds more like a challenge to me. ;)