Chapter 9: Three's a Crowd! Dinnertime commotion

"Damn that wench!" Inuyasha said washing off his face back at their hotel room. It had taken him forever to get the stickiness off his face. He'd decided he hated that ice cream stuff. They were supposed to be getting ready to go to the Red Clam in 30 min.

"I can't blame her. You called her inappropriate names and sent through a child. You're lucky Sango and I dug you out from all that sand because Kagome sure as hell wanted to leave you there," Miroku said calmly flipping through the pages of a porn magazine.

"Well she shouldn't have made me mad."

"Ah ah, Inuyasha, temper tantrums get you absolutely nowhere with women. Especially not to their beds."

"I wouldn't want to go to Kagome's bed anyway," he insisted still rubbing vigorously.

"You say that now…"

"Shut up, monk!"

Meanwhile, over in the hotel room next door Kagome was still fuming.

"Calm down, Kagome, it's over. I'm sure Inuyasha is sorry," Megumi said.

"Yea right! He can make me so angry sometimes."

"No time to worry about that, we have to get ready," Ai told them.

Knock Knock!

"I'll get it," Megumi said, she opened the door. "Sango…"

"Huh?" She walked towards the door.

"Darling…" There stood Miroku.

"What?"

"Sorry to inconvenience you but you two wouldn't happen to be carrying our suits now would you?"

"Those things you wore to the dance?" Miroku nodded. "Hey, Kagome, do you know where their suits are?"

"In that black suitcase on the bed."

Sango opened the suitcase; she was searching through it for the suits when someone pinched her butt. "Who the?" She turned around to see Miroku. SMACK! "Don't you ever" SMACK! "Get tired" SMACK! "Of doing that?" SMACK! "That hurt!"

"It was worth it," a retarded looking Miroku said.

"Here, take it and get out."

"Ready, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he turned away from his reflection in the mirror. Inuyasha answered yes but he was still wearing his red haori. And no matter how much Miroku tried to get him to change into something more appropriate he refused. He wouldn't even put on his hat or shoes. Miroku sighed. Such a child Inuyasha was. "Let us go."

The bus stopped in front of Red Clam. "You all know how to act," Ms. Yamamoto lectured, "We're representing the school. Since the school has paid for the hotel rooms you are expected to pay for any meal that exceeds over the allowance we've given you." There were a few moans and groans about how cheap the school was with their money, but she ignored it, "Now, let's enter."

The students walked into Red Clam, the reservations were made, and the students were sitting at tables. "Ooh, girls, let's all sit together, you and your mans," Megumi said.

"Wait, no!" Sango said, but it was too late.

"Yoo-hoo! Inuyasha! Come over here! Bring your friend too!"

"I believe they're speaking to us," Miroku said.

"I'm not sitting over there."

"Come on, let's not keep them waiting," he said ignoring Inuyasha. He pulled him along to the table. "Yes?"

"Hey, you two should sit together." Ai put them in a booth placing Kagome and Sango next to their "men". "Now me and Megumi will go sit somewhere, let you lovebirds be alone."

"But we—"

"But nothing. Bye!"

"Welcome," the waiter said. "May I take your drink order?"

Everyone ordered with ease, except when it came to Inuyasha. The waiter didn't know any better and called him 'ma'am'. Kagome had to correct the waiter before Inuyasha caught an attitude.

Inuyasha didn't thank her for covering for him nor did he apologize for the incident at the beach no matter how much anyone asked and Kagome just stood up.

 "Hey, Kagome, where are you going?"

"To go sit with Houjo."

"Wait!" Inuyasha grabbed at her hand. "Don't um… go."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you can't go sit with him."

He grabbed her by waist and threw her over his shoulder as he carried her back to the table. "Humph! Whoa! Inuyasha put me down! People are going to see up my skirt," she complained as dozens of eyes turned to them.

"Who'd want to?" He sat her down in the booth and positioned himself on the outside, this way he could block her from leaving.

The drinks were already there as they arrived and Inuyasha back to complaining about how Coke tasted like shit and spit it out. He shut his mouth when Kagome asked him how would he know what shit tastes like. If he was going to say anything else he didn't have a chance because Houjo came strolling over. "Hello, Kagome."

"Hi, Houjo."

"So, how are you doing?"

"This boy must have an interest in Kagome," Sango whispered to Miroku.

He nodded. "He must not know about those two."

"So I was wondering if I could um… join you. Just in case you have any health problems," he added quickly. "My mom's a paramedic."

"There ain't no room," Inuyasha answered with a smirk.

Miroku started to rise. "That's alright. Sango and I wanted to be alone anyways."

"What?" Sango said. "No we don't." But he grabbed her hand and they walked off to a table not too far away.

Inuyasha didn't like this one bit. This 'Hobo' was just too much for him. "Look, Hobo--"

"My name's Houjo," he corrected.

"Frankly, who gives a damn?"

"C'mon, let's all calm down," Kagome said.

"Stupid girl, shut up and let me stick up for you."

"Excuse me," the waiter said. "But may I take your order?"

"Sure. Inuyasha, I know this meal you might like. Let me show you." Kagome pulled the menu up so that it would cover their faces.

"What is it?"

"Would you please stop giving Houjo a hard time?"

"Why should I? He's so nosy, why won't he just leave us alone?"

"He thinks that I'm sick so…"

"Tell him you're not then. We don't need him around. I'll set him straight." Inuyasha prepared to pull down the menu. "Look, Hobo or whatever—"

"Stop!" She pulled the menu back up. "You can't tell him that I'm not sick. If you do then everyone will think I'm a liar and I won't have any excuses for not coming to school and being in the—"

"Alright, I got it, okay?"

"Okay, don't be rude to him now." She pulled the menu down.

"Your order?" the waiter asked impatiently.

"Uhmm… We'll have the same thing that he's having," Kagome said smiling.

"Okay." The waiter casually strolled off.

Houjo laughed. "You two looked strange behind the menu. Like you were having some sort of little conversation."

"Oh no. We were just trying to decide on something to eat, but he didn't like anything I liked. He-he!"

"So, Jojo, what's your relationship with Kagome?" Inuyasha asked switching away from the original subject.

"Oh, we're just close friends."

"Close?" he asked his eyebrow slanted. "How close?"

"Well, maybe close was a bad word. We're just good friends is all."

"Better be all," he muttered underneath his breath.

"What about you and Kagome's relationship?" Houjo asked figuring two could play this game, if Inuyasha wanted to ask questions and be nosy, so could he.

"Don't worry about it. Just know that we have one." Inuyasha smirked.

"Well, it's not like we go out or anything," Kagome said. They're talking like I'm not here or something, Kagome thought.

"So, Kagome, I see you've been feeling better these days," Houjo said, trying to steer away from anymore conversation with Inuyasha.

"Yes, it's a miracle."

"It is. It's really nice to see more of you at school. And to see that you're not in any pain."

Kagome nodded.

Inuyasha was really starting to get mad. He was left out of the conversation. Not like he really cared or anything. Just that boy was trying to move in on his territory.

"So how long have you known each other?" Houjo asked.

"Who? Me and Inuyasha? We haven't—"

"We knew each other for a long time," Inuyasha answered.

"Well, you could kind of say," Kagome said. She was starting to tell that Inuyasha was trying to make Houjo jealous and she wanted to find some kind of way to shift the tension. "So let's talk about something else. Like the weather in Roppongi District."

"Don't try to change the subject, Kagome. We're having a talk. Boy to demon."

"Which one of us is the demon?" Houjo asked with a nervous laugh.

"Me, you dumbass!"

That was the last straw. Kagome got up and dragged Inuyasha away from the table. "Inuyasha," she hissed. "Will you stop calling yourself that? People are going to think some devil has possessed you or something. And don't call Houjo that."

"Call him what?" Inuyasha said half-joking.

"You know what!"

"No I don't."

"A dumb 'a'."

"Feh! He started it!"

"Inuyasha, you started it and you know it!"

"If he wasn't trying to get so close to you. Do you hear him 'I wanted to make sure you were okay'," he mimicked in a dumb voice.

"Be quiet. Let's go!" she pulled him back to the table.

Their food was already on the table when they got back. A sick thought was on Inuyasha's brain and it made him smile. "You know what, Houjo, buddy I am so sorry about our argument earlier. We're even right?"

Houjo nodded his head, wondering to himself why he was so nice. Kagome must have straightened him out. He was kind of scaring me.

"Why don't you go over there for a second?" He pointed to Miroku and Sango.

"Why?" Kagome asked skeptically.

"Just go. Sango was making these motions like she wanted you to see something. I don't know," Inuyasha told her. "You can just leave, Houjo can stay here."

Kagome flashed him a look. "C'mon, Houjo." They walked off.

Just how I had it planned, Inuyasha thought.

"Hey, Sango," Kagome greeted walking over.

"Hi. So how are things going?" she asked. "I hope alright, with that new boy joining you and all." Sango had whispered the last part, seeing as he had come with her.

"Things could be better, but no one's lost any body parts." She glanced over at Miroku. "How are you and Miroku?"

"When we first came to this table then Miroku tried to be slick. See I was coming to my seat and then he patted my butt! The nerve! Talking about 'I was trying to escort you, is it my fault my hand missed your back?' And tried to slide down next to me. As you can see, I banished him to in front of me." Kagome laughed.

Miroku looked over at Houjo and motioned for him to come. "Yes?"

"How are things with Inuyasha?"

"They aren't exactly good, but…"

"Let me warn you now. Be careful. Inuyasha can be a very tough adversary."

"Adversary?"

He nodded.

Houjo was still clueless. "But we aren't adversaries."

"Maybe not to you, but you are his."

Houjo wanted to know more but Kagome interrupted them asking if Houjo was ready to go back to the table yet. Before they left Miroku whispered, "Heed my word."

They sat back down at the table. This time Kagome was sitting on the outside. Inuyasha smirked. This was going to get good.

He watched as Houjo picked through his lobster, smiling and making friendly conversation with Kagome. Little did he know that the smile on his face would disappear. And it did.

Houjo dropped his fork and began to sputter, "K-Kagome…" He started coughing and his face was twisted in a gruesome expression. He looked as if he were going to die.

Houjo was choking and Kagome knew it.

"Houjo! Somebody help! He's choking! Inuyasha help him," Kagome said in panic.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't know anything about this," he answered, a little too relaxed.

Houjo had started to perform the Heimlich maneuver on himself. And he managed to get it out… a crusty crouton popped out his mouth.

It was true; Inuyasha had put that in Houjo's lobster. He remembered seeing it in his 'salad' and found they were hard. Hard enough to choke the boy if you stuck enough together. Inuyasha was starting to feel a little bad that he did that or maybe not…

"Inuyasha, watch out!" Kagome yelled.

"What?" But it was too late; the crouton was headed straight for his eye. Then everything went black for Inuyasha.

He awoke to see bright lights. "Where am I?"

"Still at Red Clam. Are you okay?" Kagome asked.

"Yea, I guess. What the hell hit me?"

"That crouton, I wonder how it got in Houjo's lobster," Kagome said in a tone as if she thought it was him.

"What are you saying it like that for?"

"Inuyasha, did you put that in his food? There's no way one of the staff could have put it in."

"Do you think that I would do that to him? Try to kill some boy by choking him? No, not me."

"You better not be lying."

"I'm sorry," Houjo said, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Don't be, he kind of deserved that," Kagome said.

"Feh! Want me to choke him again?"

"What?"

"What a predicament that was," Miroku told Sango.

"It is. Did you see that boy's face and Inuyasha when that square thing hit him?"

They laughed. "But, Sango, let's get back to us."

"Huh?"

The lights seemed to dim, and everybody in the room seemed to fade away. As if they were the only one in there. "Sango, I want you to be with me always. Although I act like a total lecher it's only because I want you to notice me."

"But I do notice you… It's just… Oh Miroku…" Was he being sincere? She didn't know, but the feeling was right…

Their eyes met and you know what was about to happen.

"Hey, are you two ready to go?" Kagome asked, interrupting their love fest. This is like what…? The second time?!

"OH," Sango moved her head back from Miroku. "We're ready."

"No we're not; we were just getting in the mood… the mood for love, and to make love."

"What?!" Kagome asked.

"He's just joking. HENTAI!" Sango smacked him a few times. Wondering why she ever believed him.

They got up, and prepared to leave. "Wait, Inuyasha, we have to pay. We went way over our budget."

"Then pay."

"Um… I would but I don't have any money."

"Then I have an idea," Miroku spoke up. "Kagome, Sango, you two go to the bathroom. Inuyasha, I, and Houjo will stay at the table. You women will then go to the bus and I'll go uh…"

"Make a phone call," Kagome said.

"What's a phone call?"

"That's okay. I have enough money," Houjo said.

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked.

He nodded. "I even have enough for dessert. We can get that Sundae Supreme thing and share it."

So they ordered it. Sundae Supreme was like a giant sundae with different syrups on each side. One side with strawberry, another chocolate, hot fudge, and the last being that yellow kind. There was a cherry on top and nuts sprinkled around it. Cookies and cream ice cream was along the bottom. In short, very delicious looking.

"Look," Miroku observed. "There aren't even enough spoons for all of us."

"That's okay, I can ask the waiter for some more," Kagome suggested.

But Miroku insisted him and Sango share, but Sango already had a spoon and wasn't going to give it up. Houjo had started to ask Kagome but Inuyasha'd answered for him and given Houjo his spoon instead. They shared instead.

The choking incident was good, until that boy hit him in the eye with it. He as going to get him… He wasn't sure when or how but Inuyasha was going to have his vengeance.

Anybody ever heard Amazing Kiss (English version) by BoA. (Same BoA that sung 'Every Heart') I can't understand some of her English. Hee hee! Don't forget to watch Inuyasha-honey tonite at 12:30 and American Idol! Anyways, I just love Yamaguichi Kappei and Richard Cox. They make Inuyasha-honey sound so kawaii! I love them! Sayonara bye bye. Megu-chan -