Author's Note: Here's the first half of the party… Sorry to
those early readers who read the extremely messed version. The lower
half is edited to stop myself from contradicting myself. (I had put
Hojo as the ex...when he was also the butler. LOL)
As You Wish
VII. Ex Marks the Spot
The next two days passed as any day had passed. Inuyasha had dragged Kagome to his office to make him coffee and Kagome had actually tried making it once and put in one teaspoon of sugar instead of three, just to spite him. He just seemed a little annoyed before he ordered her to go make him as many more cups of coffee as she needed before she got it right. It frustrated her, but she realized she might as well stop fanning the flame and just make his coffee so that he would leave her alone.
They had the same 'amusing' conversations (courtesy of Miroku) over the dinner table, this time around about the wonders of skinny-dipping. No one was surprised when Miroku said he wanted to try it and invited Sango and Kagome along. Of course, Inuyasha and Sango had promptly injured him at his mere mention of the suggestion.
Inuyasha and Kagome got into little fights though, like over the pettiest things concerning which car to drive to the company. Other than that, the most brightening thing about the whole two days was Sango bringing to the house the largest collection of high heels Kagome had ever seen. Sango had said that with her collection, they wouldn't even need to worry about the shoes not matching with the dresses they were going to wear to Sesshoumaru's party.
Perhaps Kagome could have enjoyed her stay more if the hanyou would stop exploiting her abilities. Hadn't the guy ever heard of 'cruel and unusual punishments?' She guessed not because he seemed to love specializing in it.
But tonight was the night and Kagome and Sango was in Sango's guest room which she lived in whenever she stayed over. Along with her large collection of shoes, Sango had also brought along a few dozen dresses, which she claimed had all been for Kagome to choose from, since Kagome had only brought along nothing special to wear.
Of course, put two friends in a room with dozens of shoes and dresses and the men might as well wait two hours for them to choose an outfit.
"Do you like this one…?" Kagome asked as she admired herself in the vanity mirror in Sango's room. Sango had already dressed up, choosing her outfit the other day. She wore a simple and pretty much concealing black dress laced with magenta ribbons. The dress went half way between her ankles and her knees and her hair was just tied up in a simple ponytail as well.
Kagome however, had problems even containing her excitement at all the different styles of dresses she could try on. Thank god her best friend's parents owned an extremely successful company…
"But considering how rich they are, you would think Sango could pay five thousand dollars from losing in a bet…but I suppose even if I was that rich, I wouldn't want to pay five thousand dollars just for losing…" Kagome thought as she twirled around in the blue dress.
"No, the blue color is too bright. It's almost neon," Sango commented as she covered her eyes a bit, shooing Kagome along to take off the horrendous thing. "I don't even know why I have that."
Kagome shrugged as she went through the pile of dresses, looking for another one. She held up a black dress that was completely too frilly at the hems, and the two girls winced. "I think I got that from one of my aunts for my birthday…" Sango explained weakly as they both went through the dresses once more.
It took a few atrocious dresses and mumbled explanations before Sango finally found the dress she had been looking for. Making an 'uh-huh!' sound, she pulled out a pale pink dress. "This is perfect!" Sango cried excitedly and shoved it into Kagome's hands. "Try it on!"
Kagome blinked as she was pushed towards the bathroom by her best friend, before the door closed shut behind her and a muffled, "Hurry! We still need to do your hair!" was heard.
Sighing, she slipped into the pink dress and gazed at herself in the mirror. Surprisingly, it looked pretty decent on her, although it would have done much more justice on someone like Sango. The pale pink dress was tied halter style around her neck and was tight around her stomach, only to flow like silk that went down to her ankles.
Kagome smiled a bit as she twirled in front of the mirror, watching the material flow around her. Okay, whoever gave Sango this dress, whether it be the grandmother, the second grandmother, the aunt, the second aunt, the third aunt, or whichever grandmother and aunt she had---they definitely had good tastes.
Stepping out of the door, she fell victim to a stifled squeal of delight from her friend. "You look beautiful, Kagome," Sango commented and smiled.
"I don't look beautiful. I look decent," Kagome countered and walked over to her best friend as Sango motioned her over, taking out her gigantic collection of shoes.
"You're too modest," Sango stated as she quickly took out all the pink pairs of heels she owned, totaling a good seven. "Now, choose."
"I can use my own, you kno---"
"Just choose!"
Kagome laughed a bit at Sango's demand and looked at the seven different shoes, before picking out a random one. Holding the low heels that sparkled a bit from the studded jewels on it, she tried it on and saw that it fit perfectly.
Standing up, she twirled around once more and looked at Sango for her opinion.
"Absolutely stunning, gorgeous," Sango said, adopting one of those professional stylist's voice. "Now we go to Inuyasha's hairstylist. She'll make your hair absolutely perfect!"
Kagome giggled a bit as Sango pulled her up to take her to the hairstylist. Really, did all rich people do these things? If it was her, she would just brush her hair a few times, then be off.
It was just so hard looking good for society…
Did she really want to go to this 'party' ?
~*~
The distance between Kagome's face and the window was a mere inch as she stared at the gigantic mansion manifesting right in front of her eyes. Her mouth was wide open as she stared at the humungous structure that looked to be almost twice the size of Inuyasha's own 'house.'
She knew Sesshoumaru was the Youkai Minister of Tokyo and all, but did all rich people spend their money on such extravagant and intricate things? She could almost kill to own even Inuyasha's house…
"It's so pretty…" she whispered as they pulled up to the gate that was overflowing with reporters and various fans of the famous people who had gathered at Sesshoumaru's beachside manor that day.
The flashes blinded her eyes and she moved her face from the tinted windows, settling back in her seat. Inuyasha, who was sitting across from her, looked slightly amused as he gazed intently at her with raised eyebrows.
"Anyone would know you were raised from humble backgrounds by the way you're so excited…" Inuyasha said, as he turned his face away to look out his own window as the driver started driving into the road that stretched towards the manor.
However, Inuyasha's audience seemed to be distracted as she shoved her face back to the window, trying to point to something or someone near the beach. "Oh my god! Is that Kagura Kitao I see from here!?"
"I think all we have here is another crazed fan in the car…" Inuyasha commented lightly as he watched Kagome pull on Sango's sleeve and try to point to somebody far away. It was a miracle she could even see from the car. But from years of experience, Inuyasha knew fangirls' eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. They could see their prey from a mile away. "She seems to be smitten with all members of my family except me…" he added as an afterthought.
"That's because you don't show or give any reasons for me to be 'smitten' with you," Kagome snapped since she had only caught his last line, shooting a deadly glare from where she was situated. Once she had made it known that she could hear any and every little single thing from then on said about her, Inuyasha only rolled his eyes behind her back and reclined back into the seat in the car, staring out the window into the looming darkness.
It was a good few moments of silence (only disrupted by the squeak of delight from Kagome who saw other celebrities pulling up in the driveway, or the occasional slap at Miroku from Sango when he made a pass for her rear) until they arrived in front of the house in all its glamour.
Guests were being ushered into the front door while Kagome caught a glimpse of lanterns strung along umbrellas in the beach next to Sesshoumaru's manor with women in tiny bikinis strutting in the sand. She looked away to eye the entrance of the manor, catching glimpses of the interior. Contrast to Inuyasha's modern chic flare decorating, the elder brother's was all about elegance and sophistication. Kagome found herself bouncing in her seat in anticipation as the escort came to open their doors, with Kagome being the first to rush out of the confines.
If she had thought before that she had never wanted to come here, she must have been mistaken. Going to a party and being surrounded by celebrities was a once in a lifetime chance, and damn her if she would allow Inuyasha to ruin her evening among the stars.
"Let's go, let's go!" Kagome whispered as she tugged at Sango's arms, her eyes sparkling from the lights that shone from inside.
"Calm down, lioness," Inuyasha said as he put a hand on Kagome's shoulder, which she promptly frowned deeply at. Retracting his hand, he said, "You guys have to enter with me as my three guests or they're going to think you're an intruder and arrest you."
"We know the drill, Inuyasha," Sango drawled as she eyed the entrance warily, as if afraid to step inside. "We know everything we have to do." Sango gazed over at Kagome, before moving her glance to Inuyasha, saying, "But Kagome doesn't…"
Inuyasha stared at the girl, who was gawking at guests she recognized who were walking towards the front door. He sighed resignedly as he pulled Kagome to the side, motioning for her to just follow him without putting up resistance. She resisted a bit anyway, pulling her arm away from his grasps. When they were a bit secluded from the other guests, Inuyasha filled her in.
"Okay, when you enter that door, everything you see around you will not be what you think it will be. Do not accept any drinks from any men, no matter how innocent or nice they are. Try to avoid any topics about what family you come from or how much money you have. If anyone asks you who you are, just say you're a friend of Inuyasha's alright?"
Kagome gazed at the hanyou from under her eyelashes, her blue eyes accusing. "Why do you want me to say I'm your friend? Wouldn't you want to embarrass me and force me to say I'm your slave?"
Inuyasha pretended to seriously contemplate that thought, before he shrugged. "I'm not going to feed you to the sharks." He smirked, adding, "…Yet."
Kagome rolled her eyes at the man, before nodding slightly, showing that she understood what she had to do although she didn't completely understand. It was just a simple party after all, right?
Inuyasha nodded as well and started dragging her back to Miroku and Sango who were waiting. Just before earshot however, the hanyou whispered in an almost ominous voice, "Nobody is ever who they seem. It's up to the person to choose whether to believe the lie or not…"
Kagome blinked at those words, but she didn't have time to ask as Inuyasha started moseying towards the door in a cool, calm and collected stance, stopping right at the attendant. "Inuyasha Kitao with his three guests," he announced, waving a hand over at Miroku, Sango and Kagome.
The attendant went down his clipboard of names before finding Inuyasha's and crossing it off. Smiling as he faced the brother of his employee, he welcomed them in and moved aside. Inuyasha nodded roughly and strolled in, followed by a composed Sango and Miroku, and a stunned and dazed Kagome.
"I feel like I'm living the life of a movie star…" Kagome whispered in a breathless voice, her eyes drinking in the different sights of the house as lights sparkled from the chandelier in the middle of the hallway. Then as if struck by a bat, she looked breathless. "Oh, my, god…it's Sesshoumaru!" she managed to squeak out, her mouth wide open again.
Saying she didn't care about a celebrity was much more different than actually being in the presence of one…and Kagome was learning that very lesson.
"Hello, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru greeted as he walked up composedly to his younger brother, who instantly assumed a frown.
"Hello," Inuyasha shot back with as much enthusiasm as Sesshoumaru.
"I see you have as many manners as the last time I met you," Sesshoumaru commented flippantly as he eyed Inuyasha's companions. "…None."
"And you're still the very same bastard I've known my whole life," Inuyasha remarked casually, as if this was the daily conversation exchanged by brothers.
"Indeed." Sesshoumaru gracefully turned his back at Inuyasha as he started walking to his other guests. Before he began another chat with someone else though, he instructed, "Do whatever you want. Leave whenever you want. Beach is open, food is in the ballroom, your ex girlfriends are flouncing around somewhere…"
That was about the time Inuyasha looked like he would panic, while looking to his left and right as if to make sure the ex girlfriends didn't suddenly appear. "I think I'll just leave now then," he told no one, unconsciously accepting Sesshoumaru's invite of departure, and turned around, all ready to just saunter out the front door and back to the limo.
"Inuyasha!" a masculine voice cried through the crowd in the foyer and Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, a sound almost like a whimper escaping from his lips.
Kagome found this all entertaining.
"How is my favorite son in the whole wide world?"
"I heard you say that to Sesshoumaru the other week!" Inuyasha cried in indignation, twirling around to face his smirking father.
"Your imagination," Inuyasha's father quickly filled in as he stopped right in front of his younger son. Then as if wondering where Inuyasha had been going, he looked over the hanyou's shoulder to spy the doorway. "Where were you thinking of going? Definitely not to leave, right?" the older man asked with a hint of suspicion lacing his voice.
"Of course not," Inuyasha lied, with his big, puppy-dog eyes and all. "I was just trying to find the place with food."
"They're serving a lot down at the beach. Why don't you go?" Inuyasha's father suggested, smiling broadly at his son and patting the boy on the back. "You sure seem to have grown this past week! What have you been doing?"
"Getting coffee made for me in the most perfect technique possible…" Inuyasha muttered, flashing Kagome a look from the corner of his eyes. It said a million words.
She scoffed instantly.
Hearing the light sound, Inuyasha's father turned to gaze at the three guests with Inuyasha. "Hello Sango, hello Miroku! I haven't seen you both in months. What have the three stooges been up to?"
Sango laughed as she gave the man a small hug, since she had known the man for most of her life. "We recruited a fourth member in our group. Allow me to introduce you to Higurashi Kagome, my best friend," Sango presented, waving a hand over to Kagome who was staring at Inuyasha's father with a sense of awe and respect. After all, this was the president of the most successful company in Tokyo.
"Hello Miss. Higurashi. Are you Inuyasha's friend?" he questioned pleasantly, holding out a hand to shake with the woman's. "I'm his father, Kitao Inutaisho."
"Who wouldn't know you Mr. Kitao?" Kagome answered as she smiled and shook the hand extended to her. With a quick glance from the corner of her eyes at Inuyasha, she said, "Yes, I'm a friend of Inuyasha's."
There was a twinkle of something in the eyes of the man as he smirked at Kagome, a ghost of Inuyasha's own smirk. "A friend, eh?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind whacking him over the head from time to time…or pushing him into the pool."
Inuyasha grumbled at that, but didn't stop his father was talking to the girl.
"Did he try anything back?" Inuyasha's father asked amusedly, evaluating the girl secretly.
"Well that's where the coffee comes in."
Inutaisho laughed good-naturedly. He liked this girl. "I haven't heard of the name Higurashi before…what company do you own?"
Kagome blinked once. She blinked again. What was she supposed to answer this time?
"Father, really, you're disturbing my guests," Inuyasha cut in quickly, and put a clawed hand lightly on Kagome's upper arm. He turned to smile sweetly at her, the fakeness dripping like syrup off of the expression. "You wanted to go to the beach, right?"
Kagome continued staring at him, suppressing the urge to shudder as she felt a prickle erupt from the place Inuyasha was touching her. It wasn't a good shudder. "Yes," she whispered quietly, passively, as she suddenly---almost completely out of nowhere--- realized that there was a colossal social status difference between Inuyasha and her. It wasn't that she hadn't noticed it before, but by that simple, innocent question, it just seemed more…real. It finally surfaced and slapped her in the face.
No wonder Sango was only enthusiastic about dressing her up for the party, and not keen about the party itself. At these parties, it wasn't crazy music playing, it wasn't girls mindlessly flirting with boys (although it was still present from time to time…in the form of seduction) and it definitely wasn't swapping information about the 'cutest guy in the whole entire world,' or who kissed who last night.
At these parties, it was all about power and status. In a conversation with one of these businessmen, and even the celebrities, everyone compared themselves to the person they were talking to. Arrogance was at an all-time high in this place, and as she looked around, Kagome realized for the first time, that everything was fake. No one was who they seemed at first sight. That was what Inuyasha had been trying to tell her before.
She suddenly felt overwhelmed by it all.
"I…I think I need fresh air," she mumbled softly as she felt the hand on her upper arm let go.
"Kagome…? Are you alright…?" Sango asked in concern, her wide, troubled eyes coming into view as she brushed Inuyasha's grip off of her best friend. "You do look a little pale…"
Kagome blinked as Sango started dragging her towards the door without a second thought, Miroku and Inuyasha trotting after them like faithful puppies. Inuyasha's father was left blinking in the foyer, his bright, golden eyes reflecting off light from the chandelier above, confused.
Kagome groaned a bit as she put a hand up to her face when they hit the salty sea air. This instantly set off the mother hen bells in Sango and the girls gently pried Kagome's hands away, staring straight into her best friend's eyes. "What's wrong?"
Kagome shook her off, wanting some distance between Sango and herself. It wasn't that she didn't need comfort, but she just needed space. "That question set off a string of overwhelming information," Kagome tried to explain in the right words, although they didn't seem right. "It's amazing what a simple question can do sometimes."
"My father can do that to people without even trying sometimes," Inuyasha muttered from behind her, and Kagome twirled around to meet the hanyou. He was glancing at her rather seriously for once, a frown gracing his face as he shrugged nonchalantly. "Just don't answer the question and you're fine…I think he likes you. But he wouldn't if he knew you were just a normal, dirt-rich girl."
"Hey!" Kagome instantly cried in offense. "I'll have you know I have enough money to sustain!"
There was a meaningful cough coming from Miroku and Sango's direction. Kagome frowned.
"Yea, yea, then when you hit rock bottom, you come crawling to me to lend you money," Inuyasha snapped back, his usual cockiness resurfacing as the side of his lips twisted up.
Kagome shot him a deadpan glare. "You'll love to see that day, wouldn't you?" she asked evenly, her gaze never relenting from his.
He obviously took that as a challenge and happily stared right back. "Of course, I would," he informed cheekily.
Kagome smiled. "Maybe if you dreamt a little harder," she quipped.
Inuyasha was just about to open his mouth and shoot something back, but Kagome was distracted when someone yelled her name out of nowhere.
"Kagome? Kagome! Kagome!!!"
She blinked owlishly again as she looked over Inuyasha's shoulders, seeing some man in trunks smiling like he had won a million bucks and waving his hands all over the air to get her attention. Squinting as the man approached her, his feet kicking sand into the air, Kagome gasped in genuine surprise.
"Kouga!?"
The man ran up to her, unconsciously standing right in front of Inuyasha and thus, blocked the hanyou from the girl. His chest was heaving as he tried to calm his brown hair a bit, the wide smile still on his face as he struggled for air. "Hey Kagome! I haven't seen you since forever!"
Kagome's eyes twinkled happily as she stared at the familiar face. "It has been years!" she agreed, already forgetting about the argument with Inuyasha.
Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha all looked confused and bewildered as they stared at the two conversing as if they knew each other really well. They probably did too. After a few minutes of rapid chatter and the ignoring of the three, Inuyasha coughed really loudly and stopped the talking almost at once.
Kagome looked over Kouga's shoulder this time and narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha. Turning to gaze at her friend, she pointed over to Sango. "That's my best friend I met at college, Sango. The guy next to her is my other best friend in college, Miroku." Kagome's smile faltered when she pointed at Inuyasha. "…And that one is Inuyasha, a friend."
Sango and Miroku smiled politely, but Inuyasha only crossed his arms across his chest and glared at this 'Kouga.'
Kagome seemed to overlook Inuyasha's apparent bad mood and made a gesture over to her friend. "Everyone, this is Kouga, one of my best friends in high school."
Kouga smirked as he threw an arm around Kagome's shoulders. "And ex-boyfriend," he said.. "Nice to meet you all."
There was that uncomfortable silence again.
While all of this was happening, women ran around the group, giggling and laughing in their bikinis. Miroku was momentarily distracted by this, but a quick pinch from Sango brought him back to reality. "Ex…?" he echoed, voicing everyone's question over the tense air.
The only one oblivious to the strain was Kouga himself.
"Yep! We dated back in our high school years," Kouga provided easily and continued smiling like he couldn't see the sudden death glare directed at him from Inuyasha, who looked about ready to pounce and tear.
It was Kagome's turn to slowly mutate from pink cheeks into a tomato. "I thought you would have forgotten that," she whispered as she shuffled her feet in the sand, almost shyly. "It was only for two weeks anyway."
Sango made a face at Miroku and Miroku returned the favor with a pinch on the butt. This led to a quick round of slaps before she nudged her chin towards Kouga and Inuyasha.
"How could I forget one of the most beautiful girls I've had the joy of dating, even if it was only for two weeks?" Kouga questioned as he turned his attention to Kagome again, still unaware of the intensified death glare directed right at the back of his head. Ignorance was bliss in his case.
Kagome heard what suspiciously sounded like 'Ugly!' erupt from the sudden cough attack Inuyasha had. She narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha again, before taking Kouga slowly by the wrist, which Inuyasha saw like a predator on prey. "I think we're in the presence of a person who listens into conversations where he isn't concerned," she snapped sharply, pointedly keeping eye contact with the hanyou. "Want to go talk at the pier?"
Kouga widened his eyes before his smirk grew larger. "If you want," he answered submissively. "Have I told you, you look twice as beautiful as I remember you tonight?" he echoed as Kagome pulled him gently towards the pier.
This left three friends standing inertly on the sand (with Miroku's eyes slowly drifting off to the bikinis once in a while) as Kagome and Kouga's chatter slowly quieted as they went further away from the group.
"I don't like that guy," Inuyasha suddenly shot out loud, his frown deepening. There was almost a childish pout on his lips as he kept his sight on the couple entering the pier. "He...did you see the smirk on his face?!."
"Well yea, I see it on yours everyday too" Sango retorted suddenly, her own frown manifesting as Miroku's hands strayed for a passing woman in a scanty bikini. She slapped his hand harder than usual, which he yelped at, and glared hard.
"Exactly!" Inuyasha almost whined as his pout grew deeper. "And that smirk doesn't mean anything good."
Sango rolled her eyes. Was a gentleman really so hard to come by in these times? She slapped Miroku's hand again. Maybe so…
"I think it's call the genuine act of pride." She pondered for a while, a finger at her chin in thought, before adding, "…Or stupidity. Either one."
Suddenly however, she covered her eyes like it burned when she saw Inuyasha pull down his pants. "INDECENCY, Inuyasha!" she shrieked and could see from the corner of his eyes that Miroku was staring at the hanyou. "Stop staring, Miroku!" she said, and slapped him for the fiftieth time that night.
"I have swim trunks on for god's sake, Sango!" Inuyasha responded as he took his Armani suit off, along with the white shirt. He threw it over to Miroku, who caught it clumsily in his hands as his eyes strayed to another pretty woman strolling by. He was going to wander off, but Sango quickly shot a hand out to keep him rooted to his spot.
"Why are you stripping for?" Sango asked bluntly, as she shot him a dry look.
"Other than to show off to the ladies," Miroku included as he watched some women catcall at seeing Inuyasha's appreciative tan and solid body. He contemplated whether to strip as well or not.
"Don't even think about it," Sango hissed, as if reading his mind. The look on his face reminded her of a wounded puppy, but she was immune to such faces. She was an expert at reading every single expression on Miroku's face. This one was only asking for pity to satisfy his lust.
She turned to Inuyasha, and saw him walking towards the pier. Yelling after him, she said, "What the hell are you doing!?" She let go of Miroku's sleeve for that single moment as she tippy-toed to see over a tall man walking across the sand and blocking her view of the hanyou.
"Making sure the wench doesn't get herself molested!" Inuyasha answered back gruffly, and Sango slapped a palm to her forehead. Typical man behavior.
Typical jealous man behavior.
"Good job, Kagome. You're actually getting to him without even knowing it…" Sango whispered, and turned around to confront Miroku about his little 'woman problem' before noticing she was alone…
No Miroku.
She looked from left to right, searching for the lecher. But there was no sign of him anywhere, and the beach wasn't exactly an alone place. It was crowded with bikinis and trunks…so he must have hidden from her in the sea of women. Wouldn't he just love to get away?
She cracked her knuckles. "Hide from me, eh? Ready or not…here I come."
Author's Notes: I hope you liked it. I just find the little cute humorous moments in this story adorable…Call me strange if you have to. ^__^
Sorry about the confusion with Hojo. I grew as flaming red as Kagome when I realized my obvious, stupid mistake. Blah.
As You Wish
VII. Ex Marks the Spot
The next two days passed as any day had passed. Inuyasha had dragged Kagome to his office to make him coffee and Kagome had actually tried making it once and put in one teaspoon of sugar instead of three, just to spite him. He just seemed a little annoyed before he ordered her to go make him as many more cups of coffee as she needed before she got it right. It frustrated her, but she realized she might as well stop fanning the flame and just make his coffee so that he would leave her alone.
They had the same 'amusing' conversations (courtesy of Miroku) over the dinner table, this time around about the wonders of skinny-dipping. No one was surprised when Miroku said he wanted to try it and invited Sango and Kagome along. Of course, Inuyasha and Sango had promptly injured him at his mere mention of the suggestion.
Inuyasha and Kagome got into little fights though, like over the pettiest things concerning which car to drive to the company. Other than that, the most brightening thing about the whole two days was Sango bringing to the house the largest collection of high heels Kagome had ever seen. Sango had said that with her collection, they wouldn't even need to worry about the shoes not matching with the dresses they were going to wear to Sesshoumaru's party.
Perhaps Kagome could have enjoyed her stay more if the hanyou would stop exploiting her abilities. Hadn't the guy ever heard of 'cruel and unusual punishments?' She guessed not because he seemed to love specializing in it.
But tonight was the night and Kagome and Sango was in Sango's guest room which she lived in whenever she stayed over. Along with her large collection of shoes, Sango had also brought along a few dozen dresses, which she claimed had all been for Kagome to choose from, since Kagome had only brought along nothing special to wear.
Of course, put two friends in a room with dozens of shoes and dresses and the men might as well wait two hours for them to choose an outfit.
"Do you like this one…?" Kagome asked as she admired herself in the vanity mirror in Sango's room. Sango had already dressed up, choosing her outfit the other day. She wore a simple and pretty much concealing black dress laced with magenta ribbons. The dress went half way between her ankles and her knees and her hair was just tied up in a simple ponytail as well.
Kagome however, had problems even containing her excitement at all the different styles of dresses she could try on. Thank god her best friend's parents owned an extremely successful company…
"But considering how rich they are, you would think Sango could pay five thousand dollars from losing in a bet…but I suppose even if I was that rich, I wouldn't want to pay five thousand dollars just for losing…" Kagome thought as she twirled around in the blue dress.
"No, the blue color is too bright. It's almost neon," Sango commented as she covered her eyes a bit, shooing Kagome along to take off the horrendous thing. "I don't even know why I have that."
Kagome shrugged as she went through the pile of dresses, looking for another one. She held up a black dress that was completely too frilly at the hems, and the two girls winced. "I think I got that from one of my aunts for my birthday…" Sango explained weakly as they both went through the dresses once more.
It took a few atrocious dresses and mumbled explanations before Sango finally found the dress she had been looking for. Making an 'uh-huh!' sound, she pulled out a pale pink dress. "This is perfect!" Sango cried excitedly and shoved it into Kagome's hands. "Try it on!"
Kagome blinked as she was pushed towards the bathroom by her best friend, before the door closed shut behind her and a muffled, "Hurry! We still need to do your hair!" was heard.
Sighing, she slipped into the pink dress and gazed at herself in the mirror. Surprisingly, it looked pretty decent on her, although it would have done much more justice on someone like Sango. The pale pink dress was tied halter style around her neck and was tight around her stomach, only to flow like silk that went down to her ankles.
Kagome smiled a bit as she twirled in front of the mirror, watching the material flow around her. Okay, whoever gave Sango this dress, whether it be the grandmother, the second grandmother, the aunt, the second aunt, the third aunt, or whichever grandmother and aunt she had---they definitely had good tastes.
Stepping out of the door, she fell victim to a stifled squeal of delight from her friend. "You look beautiful, Kagome," Sango commented and smiled.
"I don't look beautiful. I look decent," Kagome countered and walked over to her best friend as Sango motioned her over, taking out her gigantic collection of shoes.
"You're too modest," Sango stated as she quickly took out all the pink pairs of heels she owned, totaling a good seven. "Now, choose."
"I can use my own, you kno---"
"Just choose!"
Kagome laughed a bit at Sango's demand and looked at the seven different shoes, before picking out a random one. Holding the low heels that sparkled a bit from the studded jewels on it, she tried it on and saw that it fit perfectly.
Standing up, she twirled around once more and looked at Sango for her opinion.
"Absolutely stunning, gorgeous," Sango said, adopting one of those professional stylist's voice. "Now we go to Inuyasha's hairstylist. She'll make your hair absolutely perfect!"
Kagome giggled a bit as Sango pulled her up to take her to the hairstylist. Really, did all rich people do these things? If it was her, she would just brush her hair a few times, then be off.
It was just so hard looking good for society…
Did she really want to go to this 'party' ?
~*~
The distance between Kagome's face and the window was a mere inch as she stared at the gigantic mansion manifesting right in front of her eyes. Her mouth was wide open as she stared at the humungous structure that looked to be almost twice the size of Inuyasha's own 'house.'
She knew Sesshoumaru was the Youkai Minister of Tokyo and all, but did all rich people spend their money on such extravagant and intricate things? She could almost kill to own even Inuyasha's house…
"It's so pretty…" she whispered as they pulled up to the gate that was overflowing with reporters and various fans of the famous people who had gathered at Sesshoumaru's beachside manor that day.
The flashes blinded her eyes and she moved her face from the tinted windows, settling back in her seat. Inuyasha, who was sitting across from her, looked slightly amused as he gazed intently at her with raised eyebrows.
"Anyone would know you were raised from humble backgrounds by the way you're so excited…" Inuyasha said, as he turned his face away to look out his own window as the driver started driving into the road that stretched towards the manor.
However, Inuyasha's audience seemed to be distracted as she shoved her face back to the window, trying to point to something or someone near the beach. "Oh my god! Is that Kagura Kitao I see from here!?"
"I think all we have here is another crazed fan in the car…" Inuyasha commented lightly as he watched Kagome pull on Sango's sleeve and try to point to somebody far away. It was a miracle she could even see from the car. But from years of experience, Inuyasha knew fangirls' eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. They could see their prey from a mile away. "She seems to be smitten with all members of my family except me…" he added as an afterthought.
"That's because you don't show or give any reasons for me to be 'smitten' with you," Kagome snapped since she had only caught his last line, shooting a deadly glare from where she was situated. Once she had made it known that she could hear any and every little single thing from then on said about her, Inuyasha only rolled his eyes behind her back and reclined back into the seat in the car, staring out the window into the looming darkness.
It was a good few moments of silence (only disrupted by the squeak of delight from Kagome who saw other celebrities pulling up in the driveway, or the occasional slap at Miroku from Sango when he made a pass for her rear) until they arrived in front of the house in all its glamour.
Guests were being ushered into the front door while Kagome caught a glimpse of lanterns strung along umbrellas in the beach next to Sesshoumaru's manor with women in tiny bikinis strutting in the sand. She looked away to eye the entrance of the manor, catching glimpses of the interior. Contrast to Inuyasha's modern chic flare decorating, the elder brother's was all about elegance and sophistication. Kagome found herself bouncing in her seat in anticipation as the escort came to open their doors, with Kagome being the first to rush out of the confines.
If she had thought before that she had never wanted to come here, she must have been mistaken. Going to a party and being surrounded by celebrities was a once in a lifetime chance, and damn her if she would allow Inuyasha to ruin her evening among the stars.
"Let's go, let's go!" Kagome whispered as she tugged at Sango's arms, her eyes sparkling from the lights that shone from inside.
"Calm down, lioness," Inuyasha said as he put a hand on Kagome's shoulder, which she promptly frowned deeply at. Retracting his hand, he said, "You guys have to enter with me as my three guests or they're going to think you're an intruder and arrest you."
"We know the drill, Inuyasha," Sango drawled as she eyed the entrance warily, as if afraid to step inside. "We know everything we have to do." Sango gazed over at Kagome, before moving her glance to Inuyasha, saying, "But Kagome doesn't…"
Inuyasha stared at the girl, who was gawking at guests she recognized who were walking towards the front door. He sighed resignedly as he pulled Kagome to the side, motioning for her to just follow him without putting up resistance. She resisted a bit anyway, pulling her arm away from his grasps. When they were a bit secluded from the other guests, Inuyasha filled her in.
"Okay, when you enter that door, everything you see around you will not be what you think it will be. Do not accept any drinks from any men, no matter how innocent or nice they are. Try to avoid any topics about what family you come from or how much money you have. If anyone asks you who you are, just say you're a friend of Inuyasha's alright?"
Kagome gazed at the hanyou from under her eyelashes, her blue eyes accusing. "Why do you want me to say I'm your friend? Wouldn't you want to embarrass me and force me to say I'm your slave?"
Inuyasha pretended to seriously contemplate that thought, before he shrugged. "I'm not going to feed you to the sharks." He smirked, adding, "…Yet."
Kagome rolled her eyes at the man, before nodding slightly, showing that she understood what she had to do although she didn't completely understand. It was just a simple party after all, right?
Inuyasha nodded as well and started dragging her back to Miroku and Sango who were waiting. Just before earshot however, the hanyou whispered in an almost ominous voice, "Nobody is ever who they seem. It's up to the person to choose whether to believe the lie or not…"
Kagome blinked at those words, but she didn't have time to ask as Inuyasha started moseying towards the door in a cool, calm and collected stance, stopping right at the attendant. "Inuyasha Kitao with his three guests," he announced, waving a hand over at Miroku, Sango and Kagome.
The attendant went down his clipboard of names before finding Inuyasha's and crossing it off. Smiling as he faced the brother of his employee, he welcomed them in and moved aside. Inuyasha nodded roughly and strolled in, followed by a composed Sango and Miroku, and a stunned and dazed Kagome.
"I feel like I'm living the life of a movie star…" Kagome whispered in a breathless voice, her eyes drinking in the different sights of the house as lights sparkled from the chandelier in the middle of the hallway. Then as if struck by a bat, she looked breathless. "Oh, my, god…it's Sesshoumaru!" she managed to squeak out, her mouth wide open again.
Saying she didn't care about a celebrity was much more different than actually being in the presence of one…and Kagome was learning that very lesson.
"Hello, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru greeted as he walked up composedly to his younger brother, who instantly assumed a frown.
"Hello," Inuyasha shot back with as much enthusiasm as Sesshoumaru.
"I see you have as many manners as the last time I met you," Sesshoumaru commented flippantly as he eyed Inuyasha's companions. "…None."
"And you're still the very same bastard I've known my whole life," Inuyasha remarked casually, as if this was the daily conversation exchanged by brothers.
"Indeed." Sesshoumaru gracefully turned his back at Inuyasha as he started walking to his other guests. Before he began another chat with someone else though, he instructed, "Do whatever you want. Leave whenever you want. Beach is open, food is in the ballroom, your ex girlfriends are flouncing around somewhere…"
That was about the time Inuyasha looked like he would panic, while looking to his left and right as if to make sure the ex girlfriends didn't suddenly appear. "I think I'll just leave now then," he told no one, unconsciously accepting Sesshoumaru's invite of departure, and turned around, all ready to just saunter out the front door and back to the limo.
"Inuyasha!" a masculine voice cried through the crowd in the foyer and Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, a sound almost like a whimper escaping from his lips.
Kagome found this all entertaining.
"How is my favorite son in the whole wide world?"
"I heard you say that to Sesshoumaru the other week!" Inuyasha cried in indignation, twirling around to face his smirking father.
"Your imagination," Inuyasha's father quickly filled in as he stopped right in front of his younger son. Then as if wondering where Inuyasha had been going, he looked over the hanyou's shoulder to spy the doorway. "Where were you thinking of going? Definitely not to leave, right?" the older man asked with a hint of suspicion lacing his voice.
"Of course not," Inuyasha lied, with his big, puppy-dog eyes and all. "I was just trying to find the place with food."
"They're serving a lot down at the beach. Why don't you go?" Inuyasha's father suggested, smiling broadly at his son and patting the boy on the back. "You sure seem to have grown this past week! What have you been doing?"
"Getting coffee made for me in the most perfect technique possible…" Inuyasha muttered, flashing Kagome a look from the corner of his eyes. It said a million words.
She scoffed instantly.
Hearing the light sound, Inuyasha's father turned to gaze at the three guests with Inuyasha. "Hello Sango, hello Miroku! I haven't seen you both in months. What have the three stooges been up to?"
Sango laughed as she gave the man a small hug, since she had known the man for most of her life. "We recruited a fourth member in our group. Allow me to introduce you to Higurashi Kagome, my best friend," Sango presented, waving a hand over to Kagome who was staring at Inuyasha's father with a sense of awe and respect. After all, this was the president of the most successful company in Tokyo.
"Hello Miss. Higurashi. Are you Inuyasha's friend?" he questioned pleasantly, holding out a hand to shake with the woman's. "I'm his father, Kitao Inutaisho."
"Who wouldn't know you Mr. Kitao?" Kagome answered as she smiled and shook the hand extended to her. With a quick glance from the corner of her eyes at Inuyasha, she said, "Yes, I'm a friend of Inuyasha's."
There was a twinkle of something in the eyes of the man as he smirked at Kagome, a ghost of Inuyasha's own smirk. "A friend, eh?"
"Well, I wouldn't mind whacking him over the head from time to time…or pushing him into the pool."
Inuyasha grumbled at that, but didn't stop his father was talking to the girl.
"Did he try anything back?" Inuyasha's father asked amusedly, evaluating the girl secretly.
"Well that's where the coffee comes in."
Inutaisho laughed good-naturedly. He liked this girl. "I haven't heard of the name Higurashi before…what company do you own?"
Kagome blinked once. She blinked again. What was she supposed to answer this time?
"Father, really, you're disturbing my guests," Inuyasha cut in quickly, and put a clawed hand lightly on Kagome's upper arm. He turned to smile sweetly at her, the fakeness dripping like syrup off of the expression. "You wanted to go to the beach, right?"
Kagome continued staring at him, suppressing the urge to shudder as she felt a prickle erupt from the place Inuyasha was touching her. It wasn't a good shudder. "Yes," she whispered quietly, passively, as she suddenly---almost completely out of nowhere--- realized that there was a colossal social status difference between Inuyasha and her. It wasn't that she hadn't noticed it before, but by that simple, innocent question, it just seemed more…real. It finally surfaced and slapped her in the face.
No wonder Sango was only enthusiastic about dressing her up for the party, and not keen about the party itself. At these parties, it wasn't crazy music playing, it wasn't girls mindlessly flirting with boys (although it was still present from time to time…in the form of seduction) and it definitely wasn't swapping information about the 'cutest guy in the whole entire world,' or who kissed who last night.
At these parties, it was all about power and status. In a conversation with one of these businessmen, and even the celebrities, everyone compared themselves to the person they were talking to. Arrogance was at an all-time high in this place, and as she looked around, Kagome realized for the first time, that everything was fake. No one was who they seemed at first sight. That was what Inuyasha had been trying to tell her before.
She suddenly felt overwhelmed by it all.
"I…I think I need fresh air," she mumbled softly as she felt the hand on her upper arm let go.
"Kagome…? Are you alright…?" Sango asked in concern, her wide, troubled eyes coming into view as she brushed Inuyasha's grip off of her best friend. "You do look a little pale…"
Kagome blinked as Sango started dragging her towards the door without a second thought, Miroku and Inuyasha trotting after them like faithful puppies. Inuyasha's father was left blinking in the foyer, his bright, golden eyes reflecting off light from the chandelier above, confused.
Kagome groaned a bit as she put a hand up to her face when they hit the salty sea air. This instantly set off the mother hen bells in Sango and the girls gently pried Kagome's hands away, staring straight into her best friend's eyes. "What's wrong?"
Kagome shook her off, wanting some distance between Sango and herself. It wasn't that she didn't need comfort, but she just needed space. "That question set off a string of overwhelming information," Kagome tried to explain in the right words, although they didn't seem right. "It's amazing what a simple question can do sometimes."
"My father can do that to people without even trying sometimes," Inuyasha muttered from behind her, and Kagome twirled around to meet the hanyou. He was glancing at her rather seriously for once, a frown gracing his face as he shrugged nonchalantly. "Just don't answer the question and you're fine…I think he likes you. But he wouldn't if he knew you were just a normal, dirt-rich girl."
"Hey!" Kagome instantly cried in offense. "I'll have you know I have enough money to sustain!"
There was a meaningful cough coming from Miroku and Sango's direction. Kagome frowned.
"Yea, yea, then when you hit rock bottom, you come crawling to me to lend you money," Inuyasha snapped back, his usual cockiness resurfacing as the side of his lips twisted up.
Kagome shot him a deadpan glare. "You'll love to see that day, wouldn't you?" she asked evenly, her gaze never relenting from his.
He obviously took that as a challenge and happily stared right back. "Of course, I would," he informed cheekily.
Kagome smiled. "Maybe if you dreamt a little harder," she quipped.
Inuyasha was just about to open his mouth and shoot something back, but Kagome was distracted when someone yelled her name out of nowhere.
"Kagome? Kagome! Kagome!!!"
She blinked owlishly again as she looked over Inuyasha's shoulders, seeing some man in trunks smiling like he had won a million bucks and waving his hands all over the air to get her attention. Squinting as the man approached her, his feet kicking sand into the air, Kagome gasped in genuine surprise.
"Kouga!?"
The man ran up to her, unconsciously standing right in front of Inuyasha and thus, blocked the hanyou from the girl. His chest was heaving as he tried to calm his brown hair a bit, the wide smile still on his face as he struggled for air. "Hey Kagome! I haven't seen you since forever!"
Kagome's eyes twinkled happily as she stared at the familiar face. "It has been years!" she agreed, already forgetting about the argument with Inuyasha.
Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha all looked confused and bewildered as they stared at the two conversing as if they knew each other really well. They probably did too. After a few minutes of rapid chatter and the ignoring of the three, Inuyasha coughed really loudly and stopped the talking almost at once.
Kagome looked over Kouga's shoulder this time and narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha. Turning to gaze at her friend, she pointed over to Sango. "That's my best friend I met at college, Sango. The guy next to her is my other best friend in college, Miroku." Kagome's smile faltered when she pointed at Inuyasha. "…And that one is Inuyasha, a friend."
Sango and Miroku smiled politely, but Inuyasha only crossed his arms across his chest and glared at this 'Kouga.'
Kagome seemed to overlook Inuyasha's apparent bad mood and made a gesture over to her friend. "Everyone, this is Kouga, one of my best friends in high school."
Kouga smirked as he threw an arm around Kagome's shoulders. "And ex-boyfriend," he said.. "Nice to meet you all."
There was that uncomfortable silence again.
While all of this was happening, women ran around the group, giggling and laughing in their bikinis. Miroku was momentarily distracted by this, but a quick pinch from Sango brought him back to reality. "Ex…?" he echoed, voicing everyone's question over the tense air.
The only one oblivious to the strain was Kouga himself.
"Yep! We dated back in our high school years," Kouga provided easily and continued smiling like he couldn't see the sudden death glare directed at him from Inuyasha, who looked about ready to pounce and tear.
It was Kagome's turn to slowly mutate from pink cheeks into a tomato. "I thought you would have forgotten that," she whispered as she shuffled her feet in the sand, almost shyly. "It was only for two weeks anyway."
Sango made a face at Miroku and Miroku returned the favor with a pinch on the butt. This led to a quick round of slaps before she nudged her chin towards Kouga and Inuyasha.
"How could I forget one of the most beautiful girls I've had the joy of dating, even if it was only for two weeks?" Kouga questioned as he turned his attention to Kagome again, still unaware of the intensified death glare directed right at the back of his head. Ignorance was bliss in his case.
Kagome heard what suspiciously sounded like 'Ugly!' erupt from the sudden cough attack Inuyasha had. She narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha again, before taking Kouga slowly by the wrist, which Inuyasha saw like a predator on prey. "I think we're in the presence of a person who listens into conversations where he isn't concerned," she snapped sharply, pointedly keeping eye contact with the hanyou. "Want to go talk at the pier?"
Kouga widened his eyes before his smirk grew larger. "If you want," he answered submissively. "Have I told you, you look twice as beautiful as I remember you tonight?" he echoed as Kagome pulled him gently towards the pier.
This left three friends standing inertly on the sand (with Miroku's eyes slowly drifting off to the bikinis once in a while) as Kagome and Kouga's chatter slowly quieted as they went further away from the group.
"I don't like that guy," Inuyasha suddenly shot out loud, his frown deepening. There was almost a childish pout on his lips as he kept his sight on the couple entering the pier. "He...did you see the smirk on his face?!."
"Well yea, I see it on yours everyday too" Sango retorted suddenly, her own frown manifesting as Miroku's hands strayed for a passing woman in a scanty bikini. She slapped his hand harder than usual, which he yelped at, and glared hard.
"Exactly!" Inuyasha almost whined as his pout grew deeper. "And that smirk doesn't mean anything good."
Sango rolled her eyes. Was a gentleman really so hard to come by in these times? She slapped Miroku's hand again. Maybe so…
"I think it's call the genuine act of pride." She pondered for a while, a finger at her chin in thought, before adding, "…Or stupidity. Either one."
Suddenly however, she covered her eyes like it burned when she saw Inuyasha pull down his pants. "INDECENCY, Inuyasha!" she shrieked and could see from the corner of his eyes that Miroku was staring at the hanyou. "Stop staring, Miroku!" she said, and slapped him for the fiftieth time that night.
"I have swim trunks on for god's sake, Sango!" Inuyasha responded as he took his Armani suit off, along with the white shirt. He threw it over to Miroku, who caught it clumsily in his hands as his eyes strayed to another pretty woman strolling by. He was going to wander off, but Sango quickly shot a hand out to keep him rooted to his spot.
"Why are you stripping for?" Sango asked bluntly, as she shot him a dry look.
"Other than to show off to the ladies," Miroku included as he watched some women catcall at seeing Inuyasha's appreciative tan and solid body. He contemplated whether to strip as well or not.
"Don't even think about it," Sango hissed, as if reading his mind. The look on his face reminded her of a wounded puppy, but she was immune to such faces. She was an expert at reading every single expression on Miroku's face. This one was only asking for pity to satisfy his lust.
She turned to Inuyasha, and saw him walking towards the pier. Yelling after him, she said, "What the hell are you doing!?" She let go of Miroku's sleeve for that single moment as she tippy-toed to see over a tall man walking across the sand and blocking her view of the hanyou.
"Making sure the wench doesn't get herself molested!" Inuyasha answered back gruffly, and Sango slapped a palm to her forehead. Typical man behavior.
Typical jealous man behavior.
"Good job, Kagome. You're actually getting to him without even knowing it…" Sango whispered, and turned around to confront Miroku about his little 'woman problem' before noticing she was alone…
No Miroku.
She looked from left to right, searching for the lecher. But there was no sign of him anywhere, and the beach wasn't exactly an alone place. It was crowded with bikinis and trunks…so he must have hidden from her in the sea of women. Wouldn't he just love to get away?
She cracked her knuckles. "Hide from me, eh? Ready or not…here I come."
Author's Notes: I hope you liked it. I just find the little cute humorous moments in this story adorable…Call me strange if you have to. ^__^
Sorry about the confusion with Hojo. I grew as flaming red as Kagome when I realized my obvious, stupid mistake. Blah.