A/N: Sorry about the late update. My mother was in a car crash. She's fine.


As You Wish

VI. Between Coffee and Conspiracies



"Wouldn't it be interesting if we all took a trip to China and had to take a crap in a hole?"


Miroku mused over the breakfast table as he shoved a fork full of bacon into his own mouth. He ignored the disgusted glares thrown his way and kept pondering, "I went to China once for a business trip. Some of the bathrooms were western-style, but the others…" He shuddered. "Talk about the horrible hygienic conditions…"


"Miroku…" Sango began in a low, dark tone. "We're eating."


Miroku looked confused as he ate a piece of scrambled eggs, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "What's wrong with discussing about hygienic conditions of other countries over breakfast?"


Sango's frown grew deadlier as she resorted to ignoring the man while he drifted into another tirade of why he was grateful they had proper bathrooms with plungers instead of the famous hole-in-the-ground bathrooms in China.


"Can you imagine how horrid it would be if we accidentally stepped into the hole at night? I mean, with everyone preaching about achieving world peace, I would be right to urge people to build proper bathrooms everywhere in China first. Always bring your own tissue paper. Rolls, I say."


Sango and Inuyasha's fragile patience was about to snap as Miroku asked for more bacon after finishing his harangue. A bright, morning smile was on his face --- for he was a morning person --- but Sango and Inuyasha had never quite achieved that state of simplicity yet.


"Mmm, something smells good," a comment came from the doorway and the two who were about to lunge at Miroku were grateful for the distraction.


Kagome stumbled in sleepily, an indolent, goofy grin on her face as she took her seat at an empty spot at the table. She still seemed to be half dreaming…one more point for the anti-morning people. "What's for breakfast?" she questioned as she forced her eyes open, revealing sleepy, shadowed orbs.


"Just normal bacon and eggs…" Sango said, before rubbing her forehead. "But I'm warning you…you might just lose your appetite."


Kagome turned her attention over to her friend and frowned, or at least tried to as Ayame put a plate of breakfast in front of her. The smell was simple luring her gaze back to it as she struggled to keep paying attention to Sango. Food always had a strange ability to win in these situations.


"Why are you here, Sango?" Kagome mumbled lethargically as she dug gratefully into the plate, half listening to the chatter around the table.


"Stayed over. Miroku and I were busy till late at night yesterday."


There was a hushed silence around the room as everyone tried to push out the possible meaning to Sango's words and replace them with the obvious and practical connotation. After all, they might have been out of their teens, but some habits died hard, and the perverted mind they all received during high school and college just died harder than others.


"Oh…"


Sango stared at all of their flustered expressions and narrowed her eyes. "Wait…what were you all thinking I meant with that?"


Miroku's smile would give the Cheshire cat a run for his money. "They're just implying that you and I should---"


The man never got to finish his sentence as two simultaneous crashes met his head; one being the spoon of Inuyasha who was sitting next to him and the other being Sango's own spoon that went flying through the air and landed smack dab in the middle of Miroku's forehead.


"Ow! Stop the abuse!" Miroku cried in indignation as Inuyasha retracted his spoon while Miroku seized from his lap, the offending spoon that had just hit him. From the glare Sango shot him, he held it back out to her but she refused to take it, commenting that it was corrupted with pervert bacteria.


However, Kagome kept on eating, accustomed to the usual arguments and little violent struggles over breakfast. After all, college really had been something else for her…


Heavenly silence pursued for a few minutes afterwards, only disrupted by the occasional sizzles heard from Ayame's pan in the kitchen. It was something most of them reveled in, hoping it would last for a while. Other than that, the four at the table ate rather amicably…


Until Miroku began talking again and disturbed the quiet atmosphere.


"Hey Kagome, have you read the newspaper Daily Rise today yet?" Miroku asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "You guys had a wild night yesterday," he remarked, ignoring the death glare directed to him from Inuyasha.


"Don't read it," Inuyasha ordered as Kagome stared at the innocent newspaper laid artlessly on top of the table, a few words from the front page news catching her attention.


"Another Bone to Chew on…?" Kagome frowned when she read the bold prints, grabbing the grey compilation of articles for that day before Inuyasha even managed to move his hand from his plate. He didn't bother as he watched her flip to the page the article was on and start reading, the drowsiness slowly ebbing like the tide as the words started burning itself into her head.


"Kitao Inuyasha, the soon-to-be successor of the influential Kitao Corporation, was found with an unidentified woman late last night at a local food restaurant, the Hana. Refusing to answer certain questions, their hasty departure from the restaurant seems to signify some sort of romantic relationship between the two, especially considering how they left holding hands…" Kagome trailed off as she stared at the picture accompanied with that excerpt. It was of Inuyasha holding Kagome's hand as he practically dragged her out of the restaurant last night. She frowned and continued. "This has been the first time in months the youngest Kitao son has been spotted out eating dinner. The last one had been exactly three months and two weeks ago with what might perhaps be his most notorious exposure in a long whi---"


Kagome felt the newspaper abruptly ripped from her grasps as she saw Inuyasha leaning across the table rather haughtily, although with difficulty, and clutch the article to himself as if it was the most precious thing in the world.


"It's nothing important. Just more history on me and guesses on how long you'll last before I dump you," Inuyasha said and walked to the kitchen, dumping the entire newspaper into the trash can and closing the lid with finality. "At least they're better than The Buzz…that company survives through outrageous rumors and gossip…"


"You know, Kagome, if you and Inuyasha were going to have a grand getaway from a reporter during dinner time, you might as well have invited me along. I spent the whole time trying to wash various food substances off my face…Draw can get addictive when you're losing…badly." Miroku nodded sadly as Inuyasha resumed his spot at the table, continuing to eat his breakfast.


"Much like gambling," Sango commented dryly, although she was amused at just how bad Miroku had lost yesterday. She ended the night with exactly two smudges on her face: one on her nose and another on her right cheek. Miroku on the other hand had gotten so desperate that he had resorted to extending the drawing areas from just the face to his upper body.


"Sango is definitely the queen of all card games…but how about we try and play strip poker next time, honey?" Miroku gave a suggestive wink over to Sango, who didn't seem a bit perturbed and only answered back with a lift of interested eyebrows.


"Be prepared to be stripped down to your bare necessities then," she warned, smirking slightly as she shoved a piece of bacon into her mouth with smugness.


The man however, didn't seem to even flinch. "I wouldn't decline if you offer me to strip further than that. You may find me absolutely delicious," Miroku declared proudly, puffing out his chest and smiling like a god towards the whole table.


Sadly for him, Inuyasha only snorted, Kagome turned a slight shade of green, and Sango's juice almost squirted out of her nose. Kagome patted her friend's back as Sango started choking, shooting a glare full of contempt straight at Miroku.


"I think Sango finding you 'delicious' is like Inuyasha not loving ramen," Kagome explained the meaning behind the glare to Miroku, giving him a sympathetic look.


"What's that supposed to mean!?" Miroku's smile turned upside down and he looked lost.


"It means, forget your little fantasies," Sango enlightened the corrupted fool and got up from the table, brushing stray juice off the shirt she had been forced to borrow from Miroku last night. She winced when she noticed it was his and asked Kagome to borrow an outfit, which Kagome only shrugged and obliged, pointing the way to her room.


As Sango was leaving the room however, Miroku commented, "Well Sango, dear, I find you completely delicious in my shirt." He gave her a wink and she only blushed a bit before frowning, turning her head away and stalking out of the room with disdain written clearly on her expressions.


When she was gone, more silence ensued as Miroku stared at the doorway with an almost inane smile.


"She finds me enticing."


Inuyasha and Kagome stared at each other for a moment, before Kagome whispered, "More like enticing with a fork in your head…" under her breath.


"Hey! I heard that!"


Miroku's cry of protest went unnoticed as Inuyasha got up from the table, giving Kagome a commanding gaze. "Be ready in ten minutes. We're going to my company for the day."


The girl blinked her eyes owlishly for a few moments before the words slowly oozed into her mind. "What?" she said intelligently, eyes going wide. "But I don't want to go!"


"Well, who's going to refill my…" Inuyasha stopped to overstate the next word. "…Coffee…" he asked as if it was obvious, pointedly ignoring the cup of coffee left on the table.


"Ask your secretary," Kagome said sharply, a pout already on her face. Wasn't refilling coffee an employee's job, or more directly, a secretary's? She really didn't want to go…Inuyasha's company was about as exciting as reading an encyclopedia.


Inuyasha put a hand dramatically up to his face, shaking his head. "I swear that woman tries to poison me with her coffee…" he muttered, shuddering at the thought of Kikyou's coffee. She might as well have used dirt instead of coffee…


"And I thought you would be nice after last night," Kagome mumbled under her breath, scowling conspicuously as she got up from her seat. What had happened to the normal, pleasant man she had almost gotten along with yesterday? He was back to being a jerk now…


"You're my slave…I believe I'll take full advantage of you for the next two weeks."


Kagome almost growled like a dog as he dared to push her towards the doorway, pointing to her room with one fist on his waist like some mother wannabe. "Get going."


The girl took in a deep breath to calm herself, before whirling around and glaring hotly at the hanyou. "If I had ever told you this before, I must have forgotten, but…you're absolutely the most insufferable person I have ever met."


Inuyasha smirked as he watched Kagome stomp her way upstairs to change out of her pajamas. It was just so much fun to tease and order the girl around…she was the perfect prey. "Sticks and stones, darling…"

~*~

"Kikyou, tell Kagome to go get me a cup of coffee."


"Get it yourself…" Kagome stopped to scowl at the intercom, as if through some mystical powers, he could see her expressions. Then as if forgetting to add a title to her 'master' she whispered, "Freak…"


"I heard that." There was a quick silence. "Now get me coffee."


His voice disappeared and Kagome sat in her seat seething, wondering whether she could put hot sauce in his coffee…or cheese…or mothballs.


Her sadistic thoughts were interrupted though as Kikyou got up from her seat and said, "Don't worry. I'll make his coffee. I'm accustomed to it." Kikyou nodded professionally at Kagome and clip-clopped her way to the company's kitchen as Kagome smiled back at the offer. She didn't really want to poison Inuyasha…much.


However, she snickered inwardly as she remembered Inuyasha's comment about Kikyou's coffee being poison. At least that confirmed the fact that he kept her around for more reasons other than a strict appearance and a pretty face. Some companies only kept their secretaries because of their wicked coffee skills and illicit love affairs…


Wait…hmm…


Could Inuyasha and Kikyou be having a forbidden love affair like Romeo and Juliet…? That would explain why he would keep her around for other than business relations…


Kagome tapped her chin thoughtfully. An image of a straight-lipped Kikyou with a playboy Inuyasha…hmm…


"Never mind," she ruminated out loud, as she leaned back in her chair and slumped into a poor posture, hands folded in her lap. "That's like trying to put an assassin dog and a timid cat in a room and expecting them to become friends."


"That could happen," Kikyou said as she thrust a cup of coffee into Kagome's surprised hands.


"If they were drugged…" Kagome added, before remarking, "That was fast."


Kikyou lifted an eyebrow. "Is there supposed to be an art to making coffee? All you have to do is two teaspoons of this, three teaspoons of that, a pinch of whatever, add hot water, and voila."


"I would think Inuyasha would want a…special way of making coffee. I'm surprised he's drinking common coffee." Kagome got up from her seat to walk towards Inuyasha's door, taking a whiff of the musty and jungle-like green smell. She twitched her nose.


It was Kikyou's turn to look surprised. "That isn't common coffee…It's Kopi Luwak* coffee. He bought ten pounds just for himself."


Kagome sighed loudly. "Should have known even his coffee has to be premium quality…" She didn't bother knocking as she opened the door to peek inside to large room. It was surprisingly neat and not at all what she would have expected from a room belonging to Inuyasha. She imagined it more…wild.


Ambling in like the place was her own home, Kagome looked impressed at how Inuyasha managed to keep all the phone calls going. Before he had been talking politely to some lady and now his whole personality seemed to have taken a 180 degree turn and he was yelling at somebody else.


"Whatever! Get it fixed right damn now!" Inuyasha yelled into the phone before slamming it back into its cradle, slapping some financial report into his face. Kagome could almost hear him take in a deep breath from all the way where she was standing by the door. By the looks of his frustration, no wonder his whole head of hair was white by now.


"Your coffee," she announced casually from where she stood, a bit inwardly uncomfortable about being in a room with an irritated Inuyasha. When rich people got aggravated, she knew rich people went into childish tantrums.


He put the financial report down a bit before regarding Kagome with impassive eyes, patting the spot on the table near his right hand. Kagome sighed and walked over slowly, feeling his eyes on her at all times. She didn't want to stare back into his though.


"You know, I always thought you were lucky to have such a life. You have all the money you could want," Kagome chattered carelessly, deciding that talking would make the air around them less tense. She walked next to him and could still see his eyes pinned onto her, and she bit her lower lips a bit before putting down the coffee cup. She turned to walk away as she continued talking, "But sadly, your frustration would be too much for me to ha---"


Kagome felt her innocent babble cease as a strong arm suddenly grabbed her around her waist, pulling her down from the force. She made a little 'oomph!' sound as she felt her rear connect with something soft, before it took her a while to realize it was Inuyasha's lap. She instantly snapped her face to stare at the grinning man and she could feel her own blood boil as she was well aware of the arm still around her. "Let go," she commanded firmly, already lifting her arms up in a stance to slap him if he made further movement.


"What if I don't want to?" he challenged, the annoying grin still on his lips. "What would you do?"


She slapped him.


Forget about further movement. She might as well slap him for even holding her in such a way and for those vulgar words.


"Let go," she repeated, well aware of the flaming red that must be evident on her cheeks. She felt like she was burning up and it must be absolutely delightful to watch her, since Inuyasha seemed to have disregarded the slap and was only grinning like the mad man he was.


"You forgot to add a little bit to that sentence…"


Kagome nearly hissed like a cat. "…Master," she snapped in distaste, but instantly felt the arms around her loosen. That was all the incentive needed for her to shoot up from his lap and whirl around to glare hard at him, before stomping her way to the door.


She turned around one more time to shoot one last comment, "You are the most irritable man on the face of this planet."


However, she didn't walk out of the room fast enough to miss his answer.


"And you are the most irresistible woman…"

~*~

"He is so…argh."


"So… 'argh' ?"


"ARGH!"


Sango smiled knowingly as the two friends sat in their pajamas on Kagome's bed in Inuyasha's house. Sango had stopped by the house after her work at her parent's extermination company to see how Kagome was doing, but the moment Kagome burst through the front door like the devil was on her tail, Sango knew it had been bad.


Especially when the devil with white hair walked through the door smirking.


"Explain how he is so 'argh'?" Sango asked, as she watched her friend munch dangerously hard on a cookie.


Kagome took in a long, deep breath, before bursting out in a rant. "He made me do nothing all day in his company other than get his coffee, and when I went in to give him his disgusting coffee, he made a move on me!" Kagome stopped to squeeze her pillow extra hard, while Sango's mind worked like a wonder.


"He pulled me into his lap and who knows what was on his dirty little mind. So I slapped him and after a while, he eventually let me go. The most infuriating thing about the whole ordeal was that he was smirking the whole entire time…and still made me get him coffee later on!"


Sango couldn't help but laugh, although she stopped at the hurt expression on Kagome's face. "Well…he certainly seems to have taken a liking to you," she said, propping her elbow on her knee and her fist under her chin.


"Not a liking. A lusting," Kagome corrected, before squeezing her pillow harder. "How can I last two weeks! Two whole weeks!"


Sango chuckled lightly again. "I'm sorry."


Kagome felt like her best friend didn't mean that at all.


Sango continued, "But you know, you're surviving pretty well. Other girls would have stopped resisting him within an hour of meeting the guy. You nearly made it through two days!"


"Oh gee, two days down, twelve more to go."


"Don't be such a pessimist."


Kagome could feel her frustration snap. "Oh yes! Let's be optimistic! I get to spend twelve more days with the world's most irritating man!"


"There you go."


Kagome started screaming as she threw the pillow to the ground, holding her head as if it had blown to the size of the whole of Japan. "I can't take Inuyasha! I've never met anyone like the bastard!"


"He's not a bastard. He's actually a pretty good friend if you got to know him," Sango remarked, knowing that in Kagome's own mind, she regarded Inuyasha much like the Black Death.


"Too bad he's not pursuing a friendship, but a one night stand," Kagome said as she grabbed another pillow and stuffed it to her face where she continued some muffled choice words of hers.


"Well then…you're doing good in resisting him. But I have to say, if you really want to get under his skin like he is obviously getting to you, I can relay a secret of his to you."


Kagome instantly dropped the pillow and stared at Sango with wide, curious eyes. "You can tell me one of my enemy's weaknesses?"


"This isn't a battle, Kagome."


"No, it isn't. It's a war for my sanity."


Sango sighed in a resigned manner, before continuing, "Inuyasha can be a businessman with power and persuasion skills. He could be rich and afford nearly anything in this world, but almost everyone suffers from at least one of the Seven Deadly Sins, and Inuyasha has envy, pride, lust, and during business moments, wrath. Envy is almost like jealousy…"


Kagome stared at Sango with her mouth open, as the words slowly sunk into her head. "Inuyasha suffers from jealousy?"


Sango nodded. "When he can't get some choice things, he gets jealous of those who can. And since you are one of those things that he can't get right now…"


Kagome clapped her hands together with sparkly eyes. "Sango, you are the best friend I have ever had."


"Oh aren't I…" she whispered, knowing that Kagome had forgotten that she was the one who got her into this in the first place. "So all you have to do to even the score is make him jealous, although it might backfire on you…"


"It won't," Kagome said confidently. "The plan is almost too perfect to be real…"


The girl talk was interrupted however by a knock on the door before Hojo opened the door to smile at the two. "Dinner is ready, Inuyasha requests both of you to go down and eat because he has an important announcement."


Kagome and Sango looked at each other before both jumped off the bed and toddled out in their pajamas. It didn't matter that they were eating in their PJs after all because who really wanted to dress all nice for the two guys who would stare like a wolf?


They walked towards the dining room, following Hojo as Kagome struggled to think of the plan to accompany the motive. What would make Inuyasha jealous…? She didn't know him enough to really know…


Walking into the room, Sango and Kagome saw Miroku and Inuyasha already eating, not bothering to wait for them. Shooting each other an understanding look, they took their places at the table (next to each other) and saw that their dinner and everything else was already on the table.


Kagome was just about to put a spoon of rice into her mouth before Inuyasha coughed extra loud to catch everyone's attention. Kagome put the spoon back down in the bowl and stared at her evil nemesis who always seemed to stare at her a bit longer than he eyed everyone else. It must be his 'important' announcement.


"I guess most of you know about Sesshoumaru. He's holding a 'beach party' the day after tomorrow and Father has specifically told me that I should go and to bring any friends and acquaintances." Inuyasha scowled at the part where he had said his father had told him he 'should' go, although Sango and Miroku were almost sure his father had had to threaten him to actually go to a party held by Sesshoumaru.


It wasn't that the two were on the bad terms, but they were definitely not on good terms either.


"So yea---Miroku, Sango, slave---don't make any plans on Friday night because we'll have to go."


Kagome instantly opened her mouth to say something back. "Why do I have to go?"


Inuyasha just slanted her a dark look. "Because I said so," he answered, as if it was obvious. "Anyway, that's all I have to say. It isn't too formal."


Kagome was about to get up from her seat before Sango kept her pinned down, shooting her a plain glare, saying sentences in that small glare. Kagome looked confused for a moment before Sango commented as nonchalantly as possible, "It'll be the perfect opportunity…"


Kagome opened her mouth in a little 'o' as she understood.


This didn't go unnoticed by Inuyasha however, and being curious as he was, he asked, "Perfect opportunity for what?"


Kagome turned to smile at him---the syrupy, sugary smile she used when she had an ulterior motive. "To meet your brother. I always thought he was such a great idol…"


At the disgusted look on Inuyasha's face, Kagome decided to finish the sentence.


"…And although he's married, he is so very, very hot…Don't you agree, Inuyasha?"


"Hell no."


Kagome giggled inwardly at the almost upset expression on the hanyou's face. Operation Jealousy was already underway… Kagome put the spoon of rice in her mouth and couldn't help the small grin hidden behind the spoon, staring intently at Inuyasha across the table.


"I really can't wait for the party…master…"


***

A/N: More updates for my other stories will begin soon…but be patient for now.

* Kopi Luwak - Most expensive coffee in the world. Only around 500 lbs of it are made each year. It costs 75 dollars for a quarter pound.