Wish I Were You

Sakura's Note: Happy Spring Break everyone! I want to take a moment to apologize about my incredibly long hiatus. Every time I sat down to work on Wish I Were You something happened. Is it just me or is this year off to a bad start? I won't burden you all about just what all happened here on the east coast...

This chapter is basically what happens before the cocktail party and shows a little more interaction between our adorable Inu-kun and Kagome. After this chapter, the story starts to pick up. One, Sango is introduced to the world as the Arashi contest winner, two, Kagome's first day of school!

I get tingly just thinking about it.

This chapter is dedicated to Demon Exterminator Barbie and a big arigatou for all my readers who waited patiently for me to come back.

.-..-.

Chapter 8: Stuck

.-..-.

The two teens with the maturity of two year olds had finally quit their bickering. Probably because he'd threatened to turn his 'make out mobile around and head straight back home.'

Miroku, with the patience of a true saint, took a deep, calming breath. "Now...Are we all calmed down?"

Leaning back in his seat, Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Don't treat me like a child! If you weren't such a pervert I'd be at home doing something worthwhile...like setting my hand on fire or eating duck tape laced with cyanide."

Kagome eyed him with concern. "You are a strange, strange, guy."

Whirling around, Inuyasha glowered. "It'd be less painful than listening to you gripe."

Kagome shot him a dirty look before scooting as far away as possible to the other side of the car. With or without Inuyasha Dawson sitting up front, she was going to have a good time. With one last sigh, Kagome dropped the subject, "So, where next, Miroku?"

Still in father-mode, Miroku considered which place would be the safestor, the most entertaining. His grumbling stomach decided for him. "Your very first drive-through."

Inuyasha perked up, "You're paying right? ...Right Miroku?"

.-..-.

"Hey, that's mine!" Miroku lunged for it, but missed, narrowly avoiding a piece of mustard-coated burger wrapper.

With the burger hanging out of his mouth, Inuyasha raised his eyebrows smugly. "I didn't see your name on it."

The burger appeared in front of Miroku's face, half eaten. "Want it?"

Miroku narrowed his eyes, "Can I just have some ketchup?"

Inuyasha smiled cheekily, "Is your name Heinz?"

A nugget made contact with his head.

Another nugget disappeared into Kagome's mouth. "Inuyasha, just give him ketchup."

"Don't have anymore." Inuyasha bit off a piece of his second Quarter Pounder and started on his Big Mac.

Kagome scoffed. "How can you say that? You ordered, like, a double-order of half the menu, yet you ran out of ketchup?"

"This place is cheap," Inuyasha retorted snippily, popping a fry into his mouth. "I'm gonna get Miroku's money's worth. Besides, it only cost eight something."

Miroku snorted, "More like seventeen twenty five."

"Ah well, guess you're just gonna have to groom a few more poodles."

"What for? I'm not paying for you. You're paying me back for all that food."

"What! I wasn't let in on that!"

Miroku shrugged, "Guess you're the one doing the overtime, 'Yash."

.-..-.

The double doors swung open as a well-made-up woman bustled out with used towels.

What looked like powder was applied in eye-watering clouds, yet barely any of it was reaching her face. Sango frowned, "Is all this-"

"Lips, Hon." Alice, her personal makeup artist puckered her lips as an example. "There ya go." A subtle pink painted her lips, followed by a sweet smelling lip-gloss. "Now don't lick them, the gloss may smell like strawberries but you'll be making a few trips to the bathroom if you try and eat it."

Sango scrunched her nose in disgust, "Is all this necessary...?"

"You'll thank me later. Fluorescent lighting is murder for complexions."

Naraku burst into the busy room with Bridgette fussing over him with a can of hair spray. He swatted her away like an annoying wasp and strode forward. Is she ready? Guests will start arriving in less than three hours and Midoriko said Sango wanted to call someone."

Bridgette coughed, earning a glare from her boss. "Sorry, Mr. Webb."

Naraku narrowed his eyes. "Bridgette, are the caterers here yet?"

"Caterers?" The dark-haired intern shook her head, "You didn't put me in charge of catering"

With one look from her boss, she ran from the room, babbling incoherently into her trainee headset.

Naraku looked away from the door, "So, are you done?"

Alice gave the intimidating man a disapproving glower before resuming her job. "Does it look like I am?"

"From the look of her face, yes."

Alice smacked her gum and blew a bubble. "Naraku why are you here?" The bubble popped and she formed another.

"I'm here to ask our guest if she wants to make her call now; she'll be busy later."

Studying herself in the mirror, Sango agreed she was ready. Everything was very subtle, with a 'natural beauty' technique that brought out her best features. The craziest color was the magenta eye shadow streaking across her upper eyelids.

"I see you like it." Alice smirked with pride. With a wink, she whipped the makeup bib off and brushed her off. "Go off and call your family, sweetie. And ignore Naraku, one day his family will beam him back up to their man-eating planet."

"Come, I'll take you back up to your room." Naraku gave Alice a cynical smile and turned on his heel. "Wouldn't want you getting lost..."

Sango frowned, but Naraku was already on his way to the elevators.

"I guess you better go, dear." Alice gave her a gentle shove towards the door and clapped her hands together. "Good luck with your TV interview! We'll be watching you."

Sango froze in her tracks, "TV? What TV?"

"You're going to be on E, Hon. Didn't that frigid baboon tell you? I overheard one of the less fortunate interns say the cocktail party's been scheduled to be televised."

An impatient Naraku reappeared in the door, already back on his cellular.

"It's a cocktail party - of course you're not invited." Naraku scoffed into the phone and snapped it shut. There was more ringing, and then more cursing, followed by another snap. The guy was a busy man, and as obnoxious as they come. "Let's go."

Sango followed behind, I wouldn't mind seeing him fall down the elevator shaft...

.-..-.

Is his cell phone dead? Why isn't it ringing? ...Maybe it doesn't work in elevators. No, no, it did before.

She glanced over at the mystery that was Naraku Webb curiously. He continued to stare straight ahead contemplatively.

Suddenly, a jolt threw her off balance, the elevator's lights flickered on and off, and the music turned to static. The floor beneath them wobbled...and then stilled.

Before she could ask anything, Naraku was motioning her away from the mirrors. He grabbed the elevator's emergency phone. "There's a problem with Elevator 22. Get down here, now!"

Naraku's orders were interrupted by a sudden jerk as the elevator plummeted downward.

Sango screamed, groping for the elevator's hand rail. With her heart pounding in her ears, she said a silent prayer and held onto the rail for dear life.

Now in total darkness, the elevator screeched to an earth shattering stop. Sango's stomach slammed down to her feet and she lurched forward.

Hesitantly Sango let go of the railing and rose up off the floor.

"...do I know? The electricity's out, I can't tell what floors we're stuck at."

Sango tuned him out, shakily trying to regain control of her nerves. She stayed as still as possible, afraid to trigger another fall. Instead, she called out into the darkness. "Is it...is it over? Are they coming for us?"

"Eventually, once they stop bumbling around like idiots...Just stay still until they get here."

.-..-.

Putter putter putter...

"Come on...Come on! You stupid, lousy-"

Inuyasha eyed Miroku warily, "I thought you fixed this hunk of metal."

Kagome's head popped up between the two friends, "Maybe we're out of gas?"

The two guys shared a look before pointing at the gas meter.

"Yeah, that's why it reads full." Inuyasha bit back.

At dusk, the highway was packed with cars zooming past at eighty miles per hour. Being the unintentional hero that he was, Inuyasha braved the highway and pushed the car to the side of the road as Miroku steered.

He narrowly missed becoming road kill as an eighteen wheeler flew by honking angrily.

From the back seat Kagome heard his colorful words directed at the aggressive driver.

"I'm gonna kill you, Miroku. Do you understand me!" Inuyasha threw open the hood angrily, glaring down at the various parts and pieces that, when put together with the hands of Miroku, had become a piece of crap.

"I didn't plan this, Inuyasha." Miroku shut the door of the car, muffling both teenage guys' yells from the impressionable young heiress sitting in the back seat.

Miroku's cell phone rang and he held up his hand to silence Inuyasha, but Inuyasha knocked it away and continued shouting out what Kagome could only guess were his trademark profanities.

Focusing on the caller, Miroku stuck a finger in his ear to block out the his best friend's rantings.

With a glare, Inuyasha turned back to the main problem; his best friend's 'Make-out Mobile'.

Kagome leaned forward but couldn't stand the silence.

It wasn't like she'd been told to stay there...

The heiress slipped out on the forest side and wandered towards the front of the car. Instantly, the sounds intensified.

"louder, I can't hear you!"

Against his better judgment, Inuyasha motioned for her to come over under the hood. "Can you see anything wrong in here?" He gestured towards the engine. Glancing over at Kagome's dumbfounded face, Inuyasha sighed. "I know you have no idea what I'm talking about...but a fresh pair of eyes might work."

"Sure, alright. Hmm..." Kagome leaned in squinting at all the greasy machinery. "Ooh, what's this-?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened, "NO! Don't touch that!"

Her hand jerked back from the cable.

Miroku sidled over beside the heiress and sighed. "Must be the Catalytic Converter...it's the latest thing I added, so it's probably the problem." With a groan, the high school junior looked over at the two of them. "It won't take long to fix. From the looks of it, the part is only."

"Better not." Inuyasha interrupted curtly. "Sango's supposed to call home tonight."

At the mention of Inuyasha's dear little sister, Miroku sped up.

Right now, their main problem was the famous and widely known Kagome Higurashi standing outside the car on Maryland's busiest highway. "Get in the car," Inuyasha ordered.

"What? Why?"

"You're still famous, or did you forget?" Inuyasha waited with a raised eyebrow for her to get back in the car. "You're gonna get us mobbed, girl."

Miroku's head popped out from under the hood with a cheeky grin, "Can't wait 'til school tomorrow."

Inuyasha shot him an annoyed look and wiped the oil off his thumb. "Yeah, can't wait."

"Glad to know you're not a cynical smart ass today..."

The golden-eyed youth turned his head slowly, meeting her eyes with his own. "Ain't it?"

.-..-.

Wordlessly, Sango felt something land in her lap. "What's this?"

"It's paid for. You needed to make a call, right?"

Automatically Sango became paranoid. He's a split personality...a schizophrenic, mobster, businessman... Yet, the more she was around him, the more her definite opinion of the smooth-talking businessman became dubious. Or...I'm just too untrusting.

Dialing her number from memory, Sango held the phone to her ear.

The phone rang three times before someone picked up. "Hello."

"Sesshoumaru?" Sango never thought she'd have missed her eldest brother's unruffled voice so much in her life. "It's me, Sango!"

"Really?" It was his attempt at cracking a joke, something rarely ever seen or heard by anyone. Sans the sarcastic voice he didn't sound all that believing, though. "You didn't call yesterday."

From the background she heard a chair squeal across the kitchen floor. "Is that Sango?"

"Yes, it is."

"Lemme talk to her!"

"Kohaku, wait your turn."

Sango smirked knowingly into the phone. "I know, and I'm sorry. It was so busy and I was so tired by the time I got here-"

The light flickered back on, and shot to full brightness. Sango winced, blocking the sun-like rays of light out of unaccustomed eyes. "Yes! Light!"

"What?"

"Oh! I was just saying that by the time I got here it was night, and I was really tired..."

"It's fine."

"Sess, come on, it's Sango!"

She smiled, "How have you been doing without me? Turn any whites pink yet?"

"No. Believe it or not we have survived without you, though Inuyasha is being an idiot." He paused, took a bite of his banana split and then resumed his report. "He isn't a good host. I'm surprised Kagome is not already on her way back to New York."

Casting her elevator buddy Naraku a glance, Sango decided not to express her distress until she was alone. "So, what's been going on?"

"The usual."

"The...usual?" Sango held her head in shame. Her family's daily events were far from others' definition of usual. "By the way, where is Inuyasha?"

"He went with Miroku to give Kagome a drive around town."

That sounds fun... "Well, I guess he'll have to find out the big news later. Put me on speaker phone, ok?"

There was a click signaling she was on speaker. "Big news?"

"I'm going to be on E! tonight..." Sango paused as her little brother's excited "Awright!" came through the phone.

Hearing the loud and excited screams coming from the other end of his cell phone, Naraku's attention was drawn to Sango. He watched as the smiling girl held the phone away from her ear.

.-..-.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened for a moment and allowed Kohaku to nudge his way towards the phone.

"Really! What time?" Kohaku grinned, "...Are any models gonna be there?"

"Rin would kill you if she heard that." Sesshoumaru commented offhandedly. Popping a maraschino cherry into his mouth, he leaned against the countertop with his own unique look of interest. "We'll watch you tonight. Hopefully Inuyasha will be back here with Kagome and Miroku by then. And...before you ask. Miroku seems to be on his best behavior."

.-..-.

Sango heaved a sigh of relief at the new information and gave a faint smile at her brother's intuitive nature. "That's good, I was worried...Um, Sesshoumaru?"

"What is it?"

Sango paused for a moment before giving in to her older brother's commanding voice. "Does he...miss me?"

Sesshoumaru thought a moment before asking. "Inuyasha?"

"Who else?" Sango ran a hand through her hair and gave a light laugh. "...So does he?"

"They both do."

She floundered for a moment. How did he...? "What do you mean both?"

"I'm not blind."

"Um, I guess I should go now...I'll bring back tons of souvenirs and I'll call every chance I get!"

"Tell us if anyone gives you any trouble." Sesshoumaru rang off.

Sango knew those words well. He meant "if anyone hurts you tell me so Inuyasha and I can kill them." Amazingly, that was the only time the two brothers had ever really worked together...

Her homesickness diminished knowing that they were there for her no matter what. "I will, Sesshoumaru. Thank you. Tell Inuyasha, and Miroku that I say 'Hi.'"

"I will."

"Sesshoumaru, let me at least say goodbye to her. Don't hog her all for yourself!"

"Sis, bring me back autographs or something, alright? And if any of those guys hassle you; kick them where it hurts."

"Uh...thanks for the tip, Kohaku."

"Anytime, sis. ...I miss you."

Fighting back tears, Sango whispered, "I miss you too. I should go, this isn't my phone."

Naraku doesn't seem to mind, but a few more minutes and I'll be bawling on the elevator floor.

"Bye Sango!"

"Bye!" She pushed the end button and handed off the cell phone to its rightful owner.

Yelling voices sounded from the elevator shaft above them. There was some shuffling and a red haired man's head popped down through the emergency exit with a nervous smile. "Sorry it took so long. The guys that have this shift took one too many coffee breaks."

Naraku harpooned their rescuer with his glare of death. "Incompetent idiots! I'll have their jobs for this."

.-..-.

The elevator repairman backed away from the furious woman until he hit the wall. "It was a mistake-"

"And just how could you make such a mistake? Your job is to maintain the elevators. If these kind of things didn't happen we wouldn't have hired you!" Midoriko stopped her pursuit and held the bridge of her nose.

"We're sorry, ma'am-"

"Our contest winner is down there, and what she experiences here is our biggest priority!"

"Listen, Ma'am, you don't have to get angry..."

"If you think I'm angry, then you will NOT want to see Mr. Higurashi!" Midoriko took a menacing step forward, stopping as Sango was hoisted out of the elevator shaft. "Sango!" Midoriko pushed the man aside and rushed to the girl. She opted to ignore her disgruntled coworker climbing up the rope and dusted off Sango's shirt instead. "Are you alright? Cuts, bruises, bone fractures? God, please say no."

She sounded genuinely concerned, and Sango couldn't help but smile. "I'm alright, it was only scary when it was falling..."

Midoriko was already advancing on the irresponsible elevator maintenance worker, when another peeved Arashi employee cut her off, grabbing the man by the collar. "That. Took. Too. Long."

The sight of the two rival Arashi workers side by side made Sango smile. A truce, no matter how temporary, between the ardent Press Coordinator and Higurashi's baleful right hand man, was like seeing a blue moon - it only happened once in a lifetime.

After the spirited duo finished chewing out the worker, Midoriko returned to Sango's side and escorted her towards an in-service elevator. "I know you just got out of one, but I assure you that this one is safe. This kind of thing is not something we experience here often."

Sango nodded and followed Midoriko into the elevator. The troubled look on Midoriko's face worried Sango more than the other things she'd experienced that day. The Press Coordinator always wore a mask of professionalism; and it was cracking.

"So."

The teen jumped at the sudden sound, "Yes?"

Midoriko avoided eye contact, and tried to lighten the mood. "You are going to be a superstar in an hour. Didn't think you'd ever be on national television, hm?"

"I never thought I'd do something that merited it." Sango shrugged, "Let alone win a contest with one in a million odds."

Midoriko smiled, "It is spectacular." She paused before looking over at the fifteen year old, "Well, I'm glad they drew you as the winner. You aren't giving us any grief at all, you're an angel just like Kagome."

Sango flushed at the compliment, "Thank you..."

.-..-.

A ding echoed through Sango's room as the elevator doors closed.

Midoriko had been called for an emergency board meeting, leaving Sango alone with her dress choices. Aside from some designs created by a woman named Yuka, she had to admit that Kagome had good taste.

Deciding on a black and red chiffon, Sango slipped it on and stared at herself in the full length mirror. With a sigh, she whispered, "Smile Sango, the whole world's going to be watching..."