There were many things that Miroku didn't understand about his friend, despite nineteen years of friendship. Like why he always insisted on having two red bulls a day, or why he only ate vanilla ice cream in root beer floats. Those were all trivial matters, however. Perhaps the most puzzling thing about Inuyasha, was his belligerent attitude toward Kagome. It was a phenomenon not even his best friend of years could figure out; and so Miroku sat in a corner of Kagome and Sango's café, quietly sipping on a coffee, deep in thought. His eyes lifted from the table, and looked over to Sango, who was happily taking orders from customers and telling them to Kagome. That was another puzzle he wanted to figure out.
Sango Nakamura.
It was a name that rolled off of his tongue almost as naturally as his own. Ever since he met her, he fell in deep, deep, pathetic love. The type of love you could only replicate in childhood, with your first crush. To Miroku, Sango was the epitome of perfection; although his attempts to make her his have fallen on deaf ears. Perhaps it was because his advanced were far too forward? Miroku shook his head, no. That couldn't be it. His eyes squinted as he turned his attention toward his phone, absentmindedly staring at its screen. There has to be some way I can get her attention, Miroku thought, biting down on the tip of his thumb. "Duh, stupid." Miroku sighed to himself, lowly. "Just ask her out on a damn date." Miroku said, and nodded his head. He was determined to get Sango's attentions, and get to hold her voluptuous body, if only for a night. But not today, he thought to himself, his gaze softening as he looked at Sango conversate with Kagome at the counter as Kagome cleaned the espresso machine. Her laugh was magic to his ears, and he felt his cheeks heat up as he thought about it. Miroku shook his head. No, this was not why he was at the café. He was at the café to ask Kagome about how dinner with Inuyasha went a few days ago. He saw pictures of them in the front page of the newspaper. They were walking out of the steakhouse he made reservations for them at. Her arm was looped over his elbow, and her hand reached up to his bicep. The headline was a positive headline about Inuyasha, something Miroku saw as the equivalent of a miracle. His plan of boosting Inuyasha's social standing with a girl was working, although slowly. He looked out of the window, and didn't notice anybody idling around suspiciously. "How odd..." he whispered to himself, "no paps yet." Shrugging, he got up from his seat, and threw the plastic coffee cups in the trashcan, and then made his way over to the counter, where Kagome was busying herself by sweeping behind the counter. "Hey Kagome," he greeted, laying his hands on the granite counter top, "how was dinner with Inuyasha?" he asked lowly. Kagome stopped sweeping and turned her attention to Miroku, putting her hand on her hip. The other hand held the broom stick.
"I have a bone to pick with you, Miroku." Kagome said, returning to her sweeping duties. Miroku glanced over to Sango, who merely shrugged her shoulders. It was near closing time, and so the café wasn't as full as it had been in the morning, when Miroku stopped by for Inuyasha's daily matcha latte. Miroku gave Kagome a puzzled look. "You need to stop telling us about stuff like that so close to when it's going to happen. You did it with the fight, you did it with the flight to Las Vegas, and you did it with the dinner." Kagome snapped at him, angrily sweeping the stone floor behind the counter.
"Wait," Miroku said, furrowing his eyebrows. "You mean to tell me Inuyasha didn't tell you the day I made the reservations?" He groaned and rolled his eyes. That sneaky, sneaky dog. He heard Sango laugh as she leaned against the counter, her back on the cash register. "That little-"
"I knew it!" Sango said, pointing to Kagome as she laughed. Miroku smiled at her. God she's so pretty. "What did I tell you that night? What did I say? I knew it!" She made a little happy dance. "He's trying to annoy you!" Kagome fumed as she bent down to pick up the dust pan, and poured the debris into an open black trashcan near the entrance to the kitchen of the café.
"That's beside the point though!" Kagome exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. The broom and dustpan dropped beside her. She pointed a finger at Miroku. "I swear to god Miroku, the next time I find out about an event, or a reservation or something like that hours before it's supposed to happen, I will personally see to it that you lose those wandering hands of yours." Kagome threatened, a spark in her eye. Miroku nodded his head quickly, gulping. Kagome beamed a smile at him, "glad we're on the same page." Kagome looked between Sango and Miroku, who seemed to be expecting something from her. "What? Do I owe you money or something?" She asked, laughing. She picked up the broom and stood it up in a corner, and crossed her arms.
"So, Kagome..." Sango said, trailing off, a small smile creeping onto her ivory skin, "How was dinner with Inuyasha?" She asked. "You know you really should start telling me about this little adventure of yours. I'm getting tired of having to pry you open for information." Sango added, as she walked over to the espresso machine to make herself a latte. Kagome's face turned red as she turned away from her friends, pretending to count the left-over croissants and pastries. "Was he nice for once?"
"Nice? I don't think nice is in his vocabulary." Kagome responded quickly, laughing slightly. "He was...cordial. We didn't talk about anything important. We did talk a lot about Miroku though." Kagome lied. Of course, we talked about something important, she thought, his criminal history for one. How he met Miroku. That's important. At least, to me. Her comment earned her a gasp from Miroku, who leaned over the counter. The café was empty now, seeing as it was half past seven, closing time for Cafeium. He watched as Kagome vaulted herself over the counter, and walked over to the door, locking it. "Oh yeah Miroku," Kagome said playfully, "we talked a bunch about you."
"What about Miroku?" Sango asked, adverting her eyes to the hot, delicious liquid she poured into a small coffee mug.
"Yeah, what about me!" Miroku asked, crossing his arms. "I trust it was nothing but positive words about how much of a caring, thoughtful, helpful friend I am." Miroku said, smiling. Kagome laughed at him.
"Yeah, sure." She said, nodding her head a little. "If you count your lecherous ways, and the creepy habit you have of asking women you barely know to bare your children a positive trait of yours, that is." Kagome added. Miroku's smug smirk left his face as he glared at Kagome. "If theres one thing your friend Inuyasha and I agree on, it's that you're a womanizer. A pretty big one too."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Sango added from her place, as she sipped on the latte. Miroku looked in disbelief between the two women.
"I am most definitely not a lecher!" Miroku exclaimed, as he watched Sango put down her coffee mug to wash the ones that were left unattended in the dish tray. Sango snorted in response as she opened the faucet, and started to clean off the cups with hot water. "I only have eyes for you, Sango." He said, laying his forearms down on counter. He heard the clash of a coffee mug being dropped, and broken. "Sorry." He muttered, his face turning red as he looked down at the counter, suddenly interested in the grain pattern of the polished granite.
"Really?" Sango asked bitterly, as Kagome scurried off to the kitchen to begin preparing the dough for the pastries, and the batter for the cakes and muffins they needed for the next day, perhaps to disassociate herself with the situation at hand. "That's funny because the last I checked you were still flirting with every woman you saw and asking them if they would please bare your children. And you're supposed to come from a family of monks? Hmph." Miroku blinked in surprise.
"Alright, look." Miroku started, rubbing the back of his neck, watching Sango's back as she angrily rinsed away at the cups and tea plates. There was a pause as Miroku gathered his words. He wasn't one for speeches, or confessions, much like Inuyasha. However, he was better at using words. "I do that to try to get your attention, you never showed any interest." Miroku said, tracing circles around the granite counter. Sango huffed from her spot at the sink. "I was trying to make you jealous." He said lowly, turning her attention to the chalkboard menus that were above Sango, on the wall.
"You were doing that long before we even met Miroku," Sango said, shaking her head, "you excuse doesn't check out." Sango said, as she picked up the tray where she flipped over the cups and put the plates in. She walked over to the swinging double doors that lead to the kitchen. Frustrated, Miroku vaults himself over the counter, and follows Sango into the kitchen, "You aren't allowed in here Miroku." Sango said bitterly, as she began to load the dishes into the dishwasher.
"It's after hours." Miroku responded, sticking his hands into his jean pants. He looked over to Kagome, who had her air pods in, listening to music as she measured out flour. "Sango can you give me a chance?" He asked, leaning against a stainless-steel counter. "C'mon, please?" I told myself I wouldn't ask her out tonight, Miroku thought to himself as he signed. Sango glanced up from her chore, and rolled her eyes. "You're so beautiful, Sango. Just please...let me show you how much I like you." Miroku pleaded.
"Who's to say you won't be a lecher even if you date?" Sango asked, arching an eyebrow as she loaded the dishes. Miroku put a hand over the dishes and stared at Sango. "Excuse me, I have a job to do." Sango said bitterly, trying to take Miroku's hand off of the tray.
"Am I not even worth your full attention?" Miroku asked, furrowing his eyebrows at Sango, who sighed and looked down at the half-loaded dish washer. "To answer your question: I'm not that type of man Sango. I know I'm not." He stared at her, waiting for Sango to look back up at him. He just wanted to see her honey brown eyes again. "Will you at least sleep on it?" Miroku asked, trying to get Sango's attention back to himself. "Please." I feel like I've spent a lot of time recently begging people to do things. I'm getting quite tired of it.
"If I say yes, will you leave Kagome and I alone and let us close our café?" Sango snapped, as she raised her eyebrows at Miroku. Miroku nodded his head at Sango. "Okay, fine. Yes, I will sleep on it." Sango admitted, as she smirked at Miroku. "Actually, can you help Kagome with the pastries and stuff?" Sango asked, she figured that Kagome could use some help with the measurements and carrying the heavy bags of flour.
"Of course, Sango." Miroku responded happily. He would do anything to gain the attentions of Sango, whom he's coveted for months. Now that a chance was finally in his grasps, he would do anything to make sure he doesn't blow it. Don't fuck this up for yourself, you dumb monk! Miroku thought to himself, as he approached Kagome, and tapped on her shoulder. Startled, Kagome looked up from the dough she was kneading, and pulled out an Air pod.
"Miroku?" She looked beyond Miroku's shoulder to her best friend, who smile devilish as she stared at them. "Um, what are you doing in the kitchen? You aren't allowed back here." She said, arching an eyebrow at Miroku, who only smiled stupidly at Kagome, and laughed nervously.
"Well, seeing as I'm in the process of acquiring the affections of your lovely friend Sango," he pointed with his thumb to the girl behind him, who has since gone back to doing her chores, "I've volunteered to help you with whatever you may need help with." He said, and Kagome nodded wearily.
"Uh, alright I guess." Kagome said, shrugging, and motioned toward a drawer next to her. "Take out a hairnet and put it on, then go get one of those flour bags and dump it into the mixer." Miroku was slightly surprised that Kagome didn't really hesitate to give him orders, but then he remembered that she was the same person who threatened earlier to cut off his wandering hands, and quickly got to work.
"Wow, nice way to get us some help back here." Kagome muttered to Sango. The work for the day had been done, and with Miroku's (surprising) help, the preparations for the next day had taken less time. "Sneaky, but respectable." She joked, as she began to put chairs up on the tables, as Sango swept the dine-in area.
"Look, I figured I could make him useful to you." Sango joked back, as she swept the area. "I don't know if I should give him a chance though. I'm not quite ready for a relationship yet." She added, shrugging her shoulders. Kagome looked at Sango confused, as she tilted her head.
"What do you mean give him a chance?"
"Oh right, you had your music on." Sango said, sighing, and turned back to her job. "He basically begged me to give him a chance at dating me. I told him I'd sleep on it, but I don't know." Kagome stared at her friend, her mouth agape. Sango giggled, "is that how you stare at Inuyasha?"
"Will you and Miroku shut up about that already?" Kagome growled, crossing her arms. "I don't like him."
"Kagome...you guys like each other." Sango said, rolling her eyes. She went and put the broom in the back closet, and pulled out a mop, starting to mop the floor. "It's obvious. There's sexual tension there." Kagome gagged audibly.
"I could say the same thing about you and Miroku, and it would actually be true, seeing as you're considering dating him and everything." Kagome teased, sticking her tongue out at Sango. Sango gave Kagome the middle finger. "If I go to Inuyasha's next fight. Can you come with? Please? I think closing the café for a few days wouldn't hurt." Kagome said, trying to change the subject. She felt uncomfortable every time the topic of her and Inuyasha being an actual 'item' was brought up. It had only been one month, and Kagome was a strong believer that she hadn't spent nearly enough time to get to know Inuyasha. That wasn't exactly in the contract, but she figured that if she would be spending a large portion of the next year with Inuyasha, the least she could do is try to get to know him. Although, that was proving to be difficult. He was a guarded person, and after hearing about his juvenile criminal record, she could understand why. The comment he made about hitting his dad at one point showed to her that he may have been raised in a less than stellar household, abusive perhaps. She stood by the entrance, with her crossbody bag and the keys to the café in hand, waiting for her friend as she thought. She had learned a lot more about Inuyasha from his criminal record than she believed she had that night. She remembered how he drew away his hand from hers, the rough skin on his knuckles slightly rubbing against the soft skin of her palms. Her mind wandered to his face. The gentle arch of his eyebrow. The large, molten golden eyes that seemed endless, like pools of honey, mischievous danced within them constantly. The ivory of his teeth. The shimmer of the golden Cuban link necklace that snug against the start of his neck, resting just above the space between his collarbones. The ears that sat atop his head, constantly swiveling and flickering at the slightest sound, the muscle that made up his body. He looked positively delicious a few days ago. She shook her head, stop! There was something about Inuyasha that enticed her, dared her to dive deeper than just the surface.
"Uh, I don't see why I can't, Kagome." Sango said back, chuckling. "I mean, we own the café. Technically we could close and open whenever we want." She added, as she walked to the back closet and took her own purse out, hanging up her apron. "What to do you plan to do with the million dollars, Kagome? After taxes and such." Sango said, as she and Kagome turned off the lights and locked the door to the café. They pulled down the metal protection gate and started walking toward the subway station. Kagome snapped herself out of her trance and smiled at Sango, shrugging her shoulders.
"I thought we could invest it into another Cafeium location?" She suggested to Sango who snorted. "I don't know. I never thought I would ever have this much money at one time...I never saw myself being the type of person who would get roped into a situation like this. This is crazy." She ranted, looking up to the sky. There was no hope trying to search for stars, New York City had too much pollution. "I mean I'm fake dating someone for one million dollars, that fake boyfriend handed me a copy of his credit card to buy myself absolutely anything I want. I'm first row at fights. My Instagram followers are in the tens of thousands now, overnight." She sighed, looking down at her feet. "So much is going on right now. I'm not sure I'm completely okay with it all, but I signed the contract so I have to stick it out." Sango nodded.
"Yeah, rubbing elbows with the elite must be really weird." Sango added, as they approached the corner. "I didn't even know Miroku had those types of connections, he's so humble yaknow?" Sango said, slumping her shoulders a little as the words left her mouth. Kagome nodded, and then snorted.
"He and Inuyasha are polar opposites." Kagome said, as the sign changed allowing them to continue walking. "Miroku seems really humble. But Inuyasha..." She shook her head. "I mean, he's the talent. So, I guess he has a... right to flaunt? But his apartment is super flashy. Uber luxurious. Marble everywhere. I'm sure he could pay off my student loans with just one of his watches, and that Cuban link he wore to dinner could have paid our lease for the year. His car is literally the latest Mercedes. I feel like he's trying to compensate for something." Sango laughed.
"What? You think he's tiny?" She asked, bumping Kagome's shoulder. Kagome realized she couldn't directly answer that question. If she said 'no' it would unlock a whole slew of questions she just didn't feel comfortable answering. She simply shook her head.
"No... I don't think he's trying to do it in that way Sango." Kagome groaned, rolling her eyes. Why must she always make everything dirty? Then she had the audacity to complain about Miroku's lecherous tendencies. "People who constantly feel the need to show off have deep rooted problems they have to work out. At least, most of the time. That, or they're a narcissist. Or, he's insecure. And I'm strongly leaning toward him being insecure." Kagome said, shrugging her shoulders. Sango giggled, and draped an arm around her friend's shoulder.
"Wow, nice to see that Harvard Psychology degree is paying off for once." Sango said, smiling to her friend. "I do think you're right though, at least in some way. I wouldn't know. I met the guy once and he barely acknowledged me." She said, pouting. Kagome raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yeah, but Miroku did." She said in a sing-song voice, causing Sango to roll her eyes at Kagome. "I believe Miroku, you know. About how he only has eyes for you. It shows in his body language." Kagome said, as she and Sango walked down the steps to the subway station. "You should give him a chance Sango. You know, how you were telling me to give Inuyasha a chance?" Kagome said, smirking as she swiped her Metro card across the reader. Sango followed suit.
"Yeah but I don't have one million dollars on the line, and free trips wherever and basically a sugar daddy for a year, do I?" Sango retorted lowly, as she they made their way to the train platform. "Plus, your guy isn't a lecher. Or at least, isn't a serial flirt." She looped her arm around Kagome's and sighed. "I don't know. He seems really sweet, once you get past all the flirting but that's exactly the one thing, I can't get past." Sango's attention darted toward a male figure that was just a little way up the platform from them. He looked familiar to her and so she squinted her eyes. "Hey Kagome," Sango whispered, " isn't he the guy that Inuyasha fought?"
Confused, Kagome followed Sango's gaze, and her eyes widened. "Holy shit, it's Koga Wolf." Kagome said, as she looked over to him. He stood silently on the train platform, smiling down at his phone. His long black hair was again in a high ponytail. He wore a black shirt, and jeans. "What's he doing here?" She was puzzled, shouldn't he be driving some fancy car? She looked over to Sango, who shrugged.
"Maybe we should go talk to him?" Sango asked gently, as they continued to stare at the wolf demon. He looked up from his phone, causing Kagome and Sango to advert their gazes to their feet. "Do you think he sensed us staring at him?" Sango squeaked.
"Most definitely." Kagome sighed, and looked up. "Let's go say hi." Kagome shrugged, "it can't hurt to say hi. I don't think there's some rule in the contract that says I can't say anything to other opponents." She uttered, and with that the woman dragged her friend with her toward the fighter. She tapped him on the shoulder, and watched as the expression on his face changed into a smile. "Hi Koga." Kagome said, prompting Koga to give her a hug.
"Hello Kagome." He cooed back, and looked over to Sango. "Who's that? A friend?" He asked, beaming a smile in Sango's direction, Kagome nodded.
"Yes, I'm sorry for not introducing her." Kagome said, hitting herself on the forehead lightly. "This is my best friend Sango. Sango, this is Koga Wolf. He was Inuyasha's opponent a few weeks ago." She motioned between the two, and Sango waved a hand at Koga. "That was a nice fight by the way." Kagome said, punching Koga lightly on the arm. Koga laughed, albeit a little bitterly.
"Yeah. I should've won though. The mutt barely stood a chance." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well, the next time we face off I'll make sure he doesn't win." Koga growled; Kagome laughed awkwardly. Dear god why do I always find myself stuck in sticky situations, she thought as Sango glanced over to Kagome. "Anyways, what are you doing at this dirty old train station, princess? Shouldn't you be with the mutt in his fancy apartment and fancy car?" Koga asked, which fueled the curiosity Kagome had. Koga didn't have that of his own?
"Um," she looked over to Sango and patted her arm, "I would, but I'm spending the night at Sango's place in the Bronx tonight. We haven't spent much time together lately." She lied, although in part she was telling the truth. "And what are you talking about? I'm sure you have all of that too." She said, in part innocently as she wasn't exactly sure why Koga accused Inuyasha of having nice things as if he didn't. Koga snorted and crossed his arms. "What?"
"So, you mean to tell me Inuyasha is letting you two beautiful ladies take the train to the Bronx from Upper East Side? What an asshat he is. If it was me, I'd at least pay an uber if I didn't feel like driving." Koga scoffed. He chuckled at Kagome's last comment. Him? Having what Inuyasha has? "You must be out of your mind." Koga said, matter-of-factly. "For every fighter like him, there are a bunch of men and women like me who live like regular folk, paycheck to paycheck. He got lucky and started making it big after he beat that Naraku guy out with one punch, the bastard. Shit landed him so may endorsements and contracts with companies like Nike and Gatorade." Kagome raised her eyebrows, surprised.
Wow, maybe he's a lot humbler than I give him credit for.
"Oh, wow." Sango breathed, "with one punch? That's insane."
"So where do you live Koga?" Kagome asked, tilting her head. "What brought you to the rich parts." She added, jokingly, earning a laugh from Koga.
"I live in Chinatown, with a friend of mine. We share a small apartment. I was just in the area because I had a meeting at the agency. You know, where I met you? Then I decided to walk around for a few hours and now I'm on my home." He said with a shrug. Kagome nodded, and found herself surprised with how much she could relate to Koga, although she couldn't let him know that she related in anyway. She and Koga were surprising similar, with the only difference being that he fought for a living, but Kagome made coffee and pastries, and now (apparently) was a girlfriend-for-hire. Suddenly, Kagome understood why Koga head resentment toward Inuyasha. He had everything that Koga didn't, and Koga wanted it. They heard the rumbling of the train approaching, and Kagome just caught sight of the letter. "Well, it looks like that's my train." Koga said, and waved goodbye to Kagome and Sango, before turning toward the train and elbowing his way through the crowd.
"Wow," Sango said through a smile as she waved at Koga, "talk about bitter." Kagome laughed slightly as she turned her body toward Sango, nodding.
"I know right? You picked up on that too? Super bitter." Kagome stated, as she glanced back to the train, and sighed. "I kind of see what he's getting at though." Kagome said, shrugging. Sango tilted her head, confused. "Well think about it. You bust your ass every single day, let your body get beat up, do the same exact things someone else does. And that other person is the one that ends up getting lucky and making big money because they punched someone in the right place. Wouldn't you be just a little bit bitter too?" Kagome asked, rhetorically. Sango furrowed her eyebrows in thought and then nodded her head.
"I guess so." She said, shrugging. "But at the same time—that's just life, Kagome. Some people, like Inuyasha get lucky...for whatever reason." Then she shrugged her shoulders. "Some people, like you, move across the country to study at a prestigious university, graduate with a ton of debt and end up being a café shop owner with their best friend from their hometown." She said, jokingly. Kagome laughed in response. "Everyone gets dealt a different card when it comes to life. It just so happens my hand involves a monk who's in love with me, and your hand involves two demons who definitely have feelings for you."
"Would you stop trying to talk about Inuyasha and I being an actual thing? Please." Kagome said lowly, looking around herself. "I'm only in it for the money. Once I get that? We're opening a new Cafeium, and expanding the old one." Sango sighed. "You should date Miroku, missy."
"Would you date Inuyasha?"
"What?"
"Would. You. Date. Inuyasha." Sango said slowly, blinking at her friend. "Like actually, if you guys had met organically and everything."
Without skipping a beat, Kagome responds. "Hell no. His personality sucks."
"Okay well there's your answer." Sango said, giving a confident nod. "I don't date lechers; I date loyal men."
"Well Sango," Kagome said chuckling, "you're gonna have a hard time trying to find one of those in New York City."
"No, I'm not." Sango retorted, crossing her arms, "I'm gonna get myself one of those Brooklyn hipsters."
"Dear god Sango, not the Brooklyn hipsters."
"Those man buns seem mighty attractive right now." Sango joked, as the rumbling of another train approaching sounded. "Way better than a rich womanizer."
"I've seen way too many man buns to find them attractive." Kagome said back, shaking her head. "I still don't understand how Inuyasha and his brother keep such long, healthy hair in buns all the time. You should see the volume Sango, it's like it never ends."
"Yeah, like you. You never shut up about Inuyasha." Sango retorted, jokingly, although her remark held a bite of truth. Kagome grumbled at her friend. Must she always bring him into the conversation?
"You bring him up way more than I do." Kagome spat, as she and Sango made their way into the train. "Maybe we should switch spots."