"And it's thanks to this organization that I have been able to fulfill my dream of becoming a champion," Inuyasha said, looking up from the speech he (read: Miroku) had written and into the blinding camera lights. "In order to show my gratitude, I am proud to announce that along with my donation of ten thousand dollars, I will donate my winnings from my upcoming fight against Naraku Nakamura." He heard gasps and whispers in the crowd, as he clenched his jaw, locking eyes with Kagome who sat at their designated table. She smiled at him, and raised her glass as if to tell him 'good job'. He placed his hands on the edges of the podium he was standing at, and looked out at the crowd again. The room was filled with old men and woman who had money. He could feel the judgement in their eyes, how they narrowed them at him every time he spoke; their greed was evident. They all wanted a piece of him, and his money. Nonetheless, he continued his speech to the executive board of the charity that introduced him to martial arts as a channel for his anger and depression, although exactly how much it helped was a completely different discussion. But he had to appreciate how the charity took him in as a boy, or at least, he had to pretend to, now that he was successful. "The Hanyou Child Global Alliance lifted me in my darkest moments, and encouraged me in my highest. I am proud to become an ambassador for the organization, and begin to help other hanyou children who struggle to find their place in the world." Gag me, Inuyasha thought, as he smiled to the crowd. His ears flickered at the sound of clapping. Ironically, the people in the board of directors of the organization were all full-demons and humans, it caused him to chuckle a bit internally, as he gave his thanks, and walked off of the stage, and back toward his table. Kagome stood from her seat, and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. A gesture he ignored, knowing well that it was simply a publicity thing, perhaps at the direction of Miroku. He thanked her, and then extended his hand to Miroku. "So, remind me again how giving away all of my fortune is gonna help my image?" Inuyasha asked him, after the room had settled down, and the soft mumblings of conversations began to take over. Miroku sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Donations to charity are always viewed as good things, no matter how bad your image is," Miroku said, as he took a bite from the chicken that was on his plate. "You just so happened to have been involved with this charity at a young age, and whether you like it or not their mental health services and allowing you access to boxing, kickboxing and MMA back in Japan, really is what brought you to the level you're at today: championship." Miroku said blandly, causing Kagome to look at Inuyasha.

His jaw was clenched as he struggled to hold his tongue, and then his face switched to one of indifference. "Feh! Whatever, not like those therapy sessions were much help. I'll give them credit for gym sessions though, those came in handy."

"Of course they did," Kagome piped up from beside them, "they've helped you amass a net worth of how much again? Was it two hundred million?" Kagome asked jokingly, scratching lightly at the side of her face, "I don't quite remember."

"You don't gotta remember." Inuyasha said, glaring at the woman, "all you have to do is remember who's buying you all the pretty dresses and shoes you've been wearing. Which reminds me- I know my credit card doesn't have a limit but Jesus fucking Christ do you need five hundred-dollar shoes all the damn time? And they all look the exact same too!" He grumbled at her, although since their 'incident' in his apartment a few days ago neither one of them had been able to muster up the same anger and hostility toward each other. In fact, neither of them had brought it up. Thankfully, their friends were too dense to notice their subtle change in behavior. He glanced at Kagome, taking her in with his eyes. The shimmer in the diamond choker Miroku managed to get Inuyasha's stylist to borrow from Cartier was mesmerizing; a nice addition to her emerald colored silk evening gown.

"Well sorry for taking advantage of the fact that I get to keep everything I buy with your card when all of this is over. You're telling me that if you were in my position you wouldn't go crazy at the mall?" Kagome muttered back, matching the intensity of his glare. "Unlike you, I'm a dull human to kind of needs nice clothing to look good." Inuyasha blinked, taking a back slightly by her comment. Kagome reached toward his neck, taking the short, cuban link chain he wore in her hands. "Next I'll buy myself a pretty thing like this."

"Matching cuban links is actually a good idea for the press. It'll be 'goals' you should really do it." Miroku said, with a mouth full of food. Causing Inuyasha to slowly turn his head in his direction. "Or not, you know. I'm just going to enjoy this lovely herb roasted chicken, man this is delicious."

"I kind of agree with Miroku." Sesshomaru finally piped up from his seat across from Inuyasha at the round table, tilting his head to one side to see past the dramatic flower arrangements. He came alone to this, as Rin was caught up working on-call at the hospital. Alas, the woes of marrying an orthopedic surgeon. No—a resident, the road to becoming a doctor was much longer than that of becoming a Lawyer. Rin got the upmost respect from Sesshomaru for her line of work. Unlike his brother. "Aren't having his and hers accessories and cars a really big thing amongst young, rich couples?" Sesshomaru inquired, blinking his eyes.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting her buy one of these." Inuyasha grumbled to his brother. "And you're one to talk-don't you and Rin have matching cars? What is it with you and Miroku spoiling Kagome with my card?"

"We do not have matching cars, we just so happened to buy the same car in different colors." Sesshomaru glowered, "and I do not spoil Ms. Higurashi. I take offense that you would even suggest that. I spoil no one. Rin can spoil herself, with her own money."

Wow, these brothers sure are different when it comes to women, Kagome thought as she glanced between the two. "So, who's Naraku?" Kagome asked, looking around the table at the men. "Is he here?"

"No," Inuyasha replied, "or at least...I'm not sure. The air here is filled with so many colognes and perfumes it's kind of making me sick." he muttered, "I can't see him either. Naraku is my next opponent. Heard he's ass though, and likes to bribe—whenever possible." Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders, adjusting the suit jacket he wore. "Nasty personality. Probably has never been laid a day in his life, and just begging for an ass beating. Got busted twice for doping, and was suspended for a year. Now he's back and looking to challenge. He's washed up, old, and irrelevant, but he keeps scratching around for ways to be." Kagome blinked, and then looked over to Miroku, who nodded his head.

"He's got a hair trigger temper. Crazy look in his eyes. Long black hair. Dude gives me the creeps. Always seems like something is off with him." Miroku added, shuddering.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you two idiots are rambling on about. He's old, yes, and a bit unstable. But I wouldn't go beyond that." Sesshomaru added, as he looked around the venue where the charity event was held.

"I'm sorry." A new voice purred from behind Sesshomaru. Kagome looked up, and made eye contact with the unknown man. He was tall, but only slightly taller than Inuyasha and was built similarly, although he seemed to have much more lean muscle. His jawline was sharp, and clean shaven. A fringe of black bangs covered the top part of his face, as his eyes were casted down looking at Sesshomaru's head. "Who is unstable?" Kagome looked over to Inuyasha, who clenched his jaw.

"Speak of the devil." Inuyasha muttered, looking up from his seat Naraku. "If you're lookin' to bribe, you've come to the wrong place." He added, taking a sip from his champagne flute, seemingly unbothered by Naraku's presence.

"Naraku." Sesshomaru said plainly, "pleasure seeing you again. All went well in jail, I hope?"

Jail? Kagome questioned internally, shifting her eyes between Inuyasha and Naraku. She could almost slice the tension that surrounded them and she could feel the eyes of the other ambassadors and board members staring at the table. She felt her ears tingle as embarrassment filled her, and she placed a hand on Inuyasha's bicep. "Inuyasha don't do anything rash, everyone is staring." She muttered, and then glanced over to Miroku who seemed unsure of what to do. Her face deadpanned. Wasn't he supposed to know what to in these situations?

"Rash?" Inuyasha questioned sweetly, with a wide smile on his face. It made Kagome's hair stand at the back of her neck. He never smiled like that. Certainly, he had to have something up his sleeve. He put a hand on her arm and shook his head. "Of course, I wouldn't do anything rash! That dumb son of a bitch isn't even worth my breath."

"And yet here you are, wasting your breath on me." Naraku said, glaring down at Inuyasha. "You truly are a hypocrite in everything you do, aren't you?" He added, crossing his arms. Kagome noticed the faint discoloring of a scar on Naraku's wrist, but she said nothing. Naraku looked over to Kagome, "and you...Kagome. What do you find attractive in a beast such as him?"

"Since when did you give a shit who I dated you senile bitch?" Inuyasha growled lowly at him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Miroku tug at Kagome's shoulder, and then he saw Kagome lean toward him and whisper in his ear.

"It's time to leave before this gets uglier!" Kagome whisper yelled in his ears, pulling away to give Inuyasha a strained look. Inuyasha glowered at her. "C'mon, don't be a jackass." She pleaded quietly, glancing between Inuyasha and his enemy. Kagome realized that she often found herself to be the one to calm Inuyasha's tempers, as Miroku and Sesshomaru merely let them run their course.

"I think that's enough out of you, Naraku." Sesshomaru said cooly, or rather a cooly one could sound given being caught between two people with hair trigger tempers. "You can leave the fighting for the octagon." He added as he turned in his seat and placed a clawed hand on his abdomen, pushing Naraku away with gentle force. Although seeing Naraku and his brother bicker like an old married couple, he was growing tired of being caught between their jabs at one another. "Run along now then."

"Run along?" Naraku questioned, turning his attentions toward Sesshomaru. "I am not a child."

"You sure act like one." Inuyasha grumbled rolling his eyes. Golden orbs met red ones as annoyance began to fill Inuyasha. He was, in all honesty, not looking for any trouble tonight. He was just looking to get in and out of the charity ceremony as quickly as possible. "What do you want, Naraku?" Inuyasha sighed, rubbing his temple with his index and middle finger, closing his eyes.

"Nothing in particular." Naraku said, as Inuyasha rose from his seat. He watched as Inuyasha adjusted his blazer, and let his fingertips brush against the table. Inuyasha turned toward Kagome, and extended a hand, helping her out of her seat. He could hear the murmurs of the executive board members around them, their judgmental eyes staring at the half demons, and their rather tense interaction. "I just want you to watch your back Inuyasha!" Naraku calls over Sesshomaru's shoulder, watching as Inuyasha walked away with the mysterious beauty he had yet to get to know. He watched the mesmerizing sway of her hips, and then grumbled as Miroku blocked his view. "Be careful! Else someone take that belt from you."

"Pardon?" Inuyasha called over his shoulder, stopping in his tracks.

"Inuyasha, please. He's antagonizing you. Let 'em be." Miroku said calmly, motioning for Inuyasha to continue walking. Inuyasha lifted a hand, and turned on his heel, brushing past Miroku. "Inuyasha!"

Sesshomaru placed a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, and shook his head gently. "Don't do it, little brother." He said sternly, narrowing his golden eyes. "You don't need this right now." He added, glancing over his shoulder where Naraku stood, his fists at his sides as he glared down the young champion. "He reeks of alcohol."

"Even more of a reason to lay him on his ass. Wouldn't you agree, brother?" Inuyasha said, swatting away Sesshomaru's hand.

"Inuyasha don't do anything stupid!" Kagome called from her spot. One hand wrapped around the silk of her dress while the other gingerly touched the diamonds of her choker. "Come back!" She noticed a flicker of his ear; a sign of his acknowledgement, and symbol of his blatant disregard for her words. "Inuyasha! Stop being stupid!"

"Aw," Naraku said, smirking at Inuyasha. "Are you gonna let your bothersome bitch tell you what to do now?" His voice was becoming increasingly more annoying to Inuyasha. The slow slur of his words, the depth and smokiness of his voice; it reminded him of thick, black, tar. God, how he hated the stench of it.

"You know, I'm getting sick and tired of your old ass antagonizing me." Inuyasha said, as he began to shrug off his blazer, throwing it to the side. By then, there were paparazzi surrounding the group. He could see the headlines already 'Inuyasha Takahashi: Rowdy? Or Justified?'. In his book, a good ass beating was required every once in a while, to remind people to shut the fuck up; and this was one of those times in which someone was in need of a good ass beating.

And bad.

He could hear Kagome and Miroku pleading Inuyasha to turn around let Naraku be a drunk, bitter old man. However, Inuyasha discovered that a ring wasn't necessary to fight Naraku, much less if both parties were eager to beat the other up. And he was more than eager. "Tell you what, bud." Inuyasha said, rolling up the sleeves to his shirt, and undoing his bow tie. He threw it to one side as well. "How about we settle whatever score you have against me right here, right now?" He challenged, smirking as he crossed his arms. He noticed a smirk break across Naraku's thin, discolored lips. Inuyasha glanced around him, at least if I go to jail the world will see it's not my fault all the time. "Come on then," Inuyasha said, motioning with his fingers for Naraku to make a move, if he dared. "Show me who's boss then."

"Gladly." Naraku said simply, as he shrugged off his own blazer and rolled up his sleeves. He handed his blazer over to a woman with red eyes, and moved closer to Inuyasha. "Are you going to play nice? Be a good doggy?" He asked, watching Inuyasha become increasingly more irritated by him. "I'm gonna take that belt of yours back. And after that- I'll take that woman of yours too. What was her name? Kikyo?"

"K-kikyo.." Inuyasha whispered, and growled as he aimed a kick to Naraku's liver, forcing Naraku to his knees. Once Naraku was on his knees he aimed another kick toward his head, and then pushed him to the ground, slamming his fist against Naraku's face. He was so blinded by rage he didn't even bother using proper form. This was a savage form of fight, that was completely against the cool and calculating fighter many across the globe were accustomed to seeing on their TVs late on Saturday nights. He felt Naraku's hands wrap around his throat, forcing Inuyasha's arms to stiffen slightly.

"Now the whole world knows how much a savage you are!" Naraku rasped, spitting blood onto the tile floor under them as he put Inuyasha into a choke hold, he could feel Inuyasha's claws digging into his skin, drawing blood. The people around them screamed and chattered, he could hear horrified gasps from the crowd that gathered. He glanced over to Kagome, who clutched the necklace on her neck, her jaw clenched. Sesshomaru calmly glared at Naraku as Miroku had his head in his hands, shaking his head. "You're not meant for this industry." Naraku said, tightening his grip. He felt Inuyasha grab onto his arm and pull upward, elbowing Naraku on his side. He watched as Inuyasha scrambled out of his grasp and got to his feet.

Inuyasha watched as Naraku doubled over, holding his side, and he kicked him again. And then again. And then again. He kept going until he pulled off of Naraku's body, his arms wrapped between the arms of two police officers, he felt the cold feeling of metal handcuffs against his wrists. A familiar feeling, almost comforting. He glanced over, and noticed the horrified and confused expression on Kagome's face, as she watched him be pulled away. She saw her push Sesshomaru, attempting to spur him into action, but Sesshomaru was unwilling. Typical of his elder brother. He moved his gaze over to Miroku, who merely watched as Inuyasha was pulled away, letting the paparazzi run over to his friend. "Ah, he's finally given up." Inuyasha muttered, and then looked over his shoulder to one of the police officers. "Careful with the hair this time, alright?" He said. The police officer gave him a bewildered look.

"What?"

"I said careful with the hair this time. Last guys didn't make sure my hair was in the car all the way and it was caught between the door." Inuyasha explained plainly, as the shouldered through the crowd of paparazzi.

'Inuyasha! This is the second time in 8 weeks you're being arrested!'

'Inuyasha! Have you considered therapy?'

"Inuyasha! Are you cheating on Kagome with Kikyo?'

"I would never cheat on a woman!" Inuyasha exclaimed, attempting to get in the paparazzo's face. He was pulled back by the police officers, but dug his heels into the ground. "How fucking DARE, you even ask such a stupid question? Fucking piece of shit!" He started wriggling against the grasps of the police officers, shouting expletives at the reporter, who quietly backed away from Inuyasha.

"This is bad." Miroku muttered, as he grabbed Kagome by the hand. "This is bad. This is very very bad. He's shouting and fighting against them. He never does that he's gonna blow. His career is over. I'll never recover from this-"

"You'll never recover from this?" Sesshomaru scoffed, glaring at Miroku. "What about me?" He added, pointing a finger into Miroku's chest. "I manage all of his money. I make my money off of his money!"

Kagome ripped her hand out of Miroku's hand. "Enough!" She screamed, and pointed to the crowd of people that moved toward the entrance of the building, watching as Inuyasha was stuffed into the back of a police car, his face, arms and chest covered in blood. "I'm more worried about the fact that Inuyasha is the one being arrested while Naraku managed to sneak off! I could give a rat's ass about who's losing money right now!" She glanced around herself, embarrassed that they had made such a spectacle of themselves in front of a room of executives, celebrities, and strangers. She felt blood rush to her cheeks, and heat overtake her face as she glared at both of the men. "Is he nothing but a money maker to either of you?"

"Kagome, you're one to talk." Miroku said calmly and lowly, as he grabbed her by the arm. "You're dating him for money. That's the basis of your relationship. If he's a moneymaker to anyone right now...it's you." He spat at her, glaring at her.

"Miroku has a point, Ms. Higurashi." Sesshomaru interjected from his spot, as he stared at the angered Kagome. He himself was slightly worried for the fate of his brother, he was worried that this would be the final straw for the justice system. There was only so much lawyers and money could do for one such as himself. "Miroku, I think it best for you and Kagome to go home. I will bail him out on this one." Sesshomaru said, Miroku nodded in response and took a belligerent Kagome out of the building. Finding himself in the lobby of the building, Sesshomaru took a seat on a nearby sofa, and rubbed his temple, sighing. He watched as the crowd of board members and celebrities slowly dispersed outside, there was a constant stream of cars and the mood in the area quickly became lighthearted, as conversation outside buzzed. He could faintly make out what they were saying, but he didn't care much to go beyond that. His main concern right now, was his brother. In retrospect, much of why his brother behaved the way he did was because of Sesshomaru's lack of guidance. His negligence and mistreatment of his own brother was now coming to bite him in the ass. He was too slow in gaining control over his brother, and now he was a wild, dangerous man. His job was to clean up his messes now, instead of stopping them before they happened. He sighed, and shook his head. No, this is no way your fault, Sesshomaru thought. This whole situation was baffling to him. Inuyasha had been in his fair share of public brawls, sure. But at a charity event? Never. He felt his phone ring in his pocket, and he shoved his hand in his pocket to fish it out. He picked up the phone, "This call will be recorded and monitored," the machine said, "You have a collect call from..." the audio stopped abruptly as Inuyasha said his name, "at Manhattan Detention Complex press 2 to accept the call." Sesshomaru rolled his eyes as he pressed 2. "Hello?" He grumbled, waiting for his brother to answer.

"Hey...I tried calling Miroku but he didn't answer. I was able to finesse another call." Inuyasha said quickly, Sesshomaru could sense the urgency in his voice. "Uh, how is Kagome? Did they crowd her?"

"No, they were too busy trying to follow the star that was taken in handcuffs. Inuyasha." Sesshomaru spat back, and he heard his brother sigh. "What the hell got into you Inuyasha? You could do serious jail time for this one!"

"I know!" Inuyasha yelled back at Sesshomaru. "You think I don't know that? I know that! Can you just come bail me out? I'm at Manhanttan." There was a pause, "I can't do time for this, Sesshomaru, it wasn't even my damned fault!"

"You attacked first!"

"He provoked me!" Inuyasha growled over the phone, and Sesshomaru heard struggling and other voices. "Look can you please just post bail? I'll pay you back." Inuyasha asked quickly. Sesshomaru furrowed his eyebrows as he rubbed his temple. "I don't care what time you come by; you can leave me here till tomorrow night if you want." The line was silent for a while. "You can't leave the only family you have to rot in jail, Sesshomaru. I have that other charge from a few weeks on me already come on man!"

Sesshomaru sighed, "alright." He said, and rolled his eyes, "I will go tomorrow night." He heard Inuyasha breathe a sigh of relieve and then a quick thank you, before the line went dead. He stared at his phone for a second, before he made a call to Miroku. "I'm leaving him in there for the night." Sesshomaru said to Miroku, once he answered his call.

"Over night?" Miroku questioned, as he held his phone between his ear and shoulder. He motioned for Kagome to take a seat on his couch, and pressed a finger to his lips, motioning for her to stay quiet amd pointed at the phone. "Why are you letting him stay overnight?" He inquired, placing his keys on the entrance table. "Are you trying to teach him a lesson or something?" Miroku asked, as he walked toward the couch and put a hand on Kagome's shoulder, as she let one of her hands glide over the diamonds on her neck, the gentle feeling of the jewels giving her comfort.

"Yes." Sesshomaru responded dryly as he got up from his seat and walked out of the building. He was met with a breeze, as he breathed in the damp air, and found shelter under the overhang of the building, watching as water droplets created ripples at a small puddle near the sidewalk. "He needs one, he's out of control."

"If I were you, I'd let him do time for once." Miroku responded plainly, shrugging his shoulders as he felt Kagome swat his hand away from her shoulder. "Lord knows that one night in jail isn't enough for the crimes he's committed in his life." Miroku muttered, making his way to the kitchen. He turned on the kettle to prepare some tea for himself and Kagome.

"Yes, I suppose you're right. However, there's the added dilemma of his fight with Naraku, the actual one, coming up soon. What do you propose we do about that?" This prompted a sigh from Miroku. "We simply cannot allow this to slide without any type of alteration to the fight...perhaps it can be postponed?"

"No." Miroku grumbled, biting the tip of his finger. "I don't want to postpone it. I'm fairly certain that this little squabble they had has raised interest in the fight. However, this very well may be the most dangerous fight of his career." Miroku had a flashback to the fight between him and Koga. "This is a different kind of dangerous though."

"I don't believe I follow." Sesshomaru responded, as he leaned against the wall of the building, his free hand loosening his neck tie. "What do you mean by different type of dangerous."

"Inuyasha may very well attempt to kill Naraku for this." Miroku said quietly, as the kettle beeped, letting him know the water had been brought to a boil. "I wouldn't be surprised if he kept hitting him even after time is called...and if he does, lord help him."

"I sincerely doubt it." Sesshomaru said, as he stepped out from under the overhanging, and into the side of the street, hauling himself a cab. "I do see your concern, however." There was a moment of silence. "Anyways, I've handled Inuyasha. Make sure to keep Kagome calm. Don't let her talk to the media. You're already dealing with a train wreck; we don't need another one. Good luck trying to fix this issue, let me know if you need me."

"Will do." With that, Miroku ended the call between him and Sesshomaru. He reached over to a cabinet and took out two mugs, and filled them up half way with water. He seeped some green tea bags in both, before walking over to his living room, where Kagome was texting on her phone. "I made you some tea, to help you calm down." Miroku said, as he placed her mug on the coffee table in front of her. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"No, it's alright." Kagome said distractedly. "I'm more worried about Inuyasha..hope he's alright." She said softly, taking the mug of tea in her hands. She heard Miroku chuckle, and looked up from the tea. "What?"

"This isn't Inuyasha's first time being sent to jail, Kagome." Miroku said, as he took a sip from the tea. "He will be okay."

"Why did he feel the need to provoke him though?" Kagome questioned aloud, looking out of the floor to ceiling windows in Miroku's apartment. "What was the reason? What would he have gained?"

"Mm," Miroku uttered, pulling away from the cup of tea, "Inuyasha's public image was beginning to look better thanks to you, and the things he's said about you. He provoked him to get a negative response and have Inuyasha do something to ruin his public image. It's usually a tactic used by paparazzi...but sometimes famous people do it to each other."

"Oh," Kagome said, smiling faintly, "I see..." her voice dragged on as she took a small sip of the tea. "I suppose that Kikyo is a good way to get under Inuyasha's skin?"

Miroku stiffened in his spot and cleared his throat. So, she heard? "Why does that make you upset, Kagome?" Miroku questioned, raising an eyebrow. Kagome's face flushed as she frantically waved her hand.

"Oh don't take it like that!" Kagome said, laughing nervously. "Honest! I have no feelings for Inuyasha!" Kagome added, smiling. "I just...never saw him as the type to get so worked up over a girl-"

"Kikyo is not just any girl to him." Miroku interrupted, his tone serious. "Kikyo is special. Very. Special. I don't even use her to get under his skin." Miroku said, looking at Kagome. She nodded.

"Oh..." Kagome said, hanging her head slightly, "I see." Is that who he was thinking of that night?

"Kagome?" Miroku asked. The last time he saw Kagome, was the night of the full moon, when he stormed off from the group. Since then, he had noticed some...odd harmony among Kagome and Inuyasha. The fighting was less frequent, they seemed to be able to have civil conversations. It was odd, but it was an oddity that he embraced and appreciated, he had enough on his plate to deal with as is and the last he wanted was bickering, fake couple to deal with. "You and Inuyasha seem different."

"Different?"

"Yes," Miroku nodded, taking a sip of the tea. "Different. There's a calmness among you two...what happened after I left the last time, we all saw each other?"

"Nothing." Kagome replied quickly. "We just talked for a bit and then I left." Kagome replied shrugging her shoulders. Her stomach did a summersault as she remembered the feel of his lips and the warmth of his mouth on hers. "Calmness? We still argue a lot."

"Yes I know that." Miroku said rolling his eyes. "But in the two weeks since that night, I haven't received any complaints from either of you. Something happened." Miroku suggested, cocking his head to one side as he spoke.

"Nothing happened Miroku." Kagome answered nervously. "Nothing at all."

"Did you guys have sex again?"

"We never had sex, Miroku!" Kagome exclaimed, glaring at Miroku. "We're never going to either, get your head out of the gutter." She gently shoved Miroku by the shoulder.

"Kagome," Miroku said, clearing his throat, "in all seriousness it's important I know what happened. We need this plan to go as smoothly as possible. We absolutely cannot have any feelings lingering around going unaddressed. The second you guys become a real couple, is the second this plan fails. It leads to messy public breakups, more pap following you around...everything becomes more complicated." Kagome averted her gaze, "I know it's awkward."

"I didn't know this was that serious." Kagome said quietly, as she looked down at her tea.

"Of course it is," Miroku said, staring at Kagome. "That's why we're paying you so much money." Miroku could see Kagome become visibly uncomfortable. "Kagome..."

"He kissed me." Kagome said softly, still staring at the cup of tea. "He kissed me and-and-and I thought of kissing him back, but I didn't. I told him that him kissing me was a mistake...that we shouldn't do it." Kagome confessed, and she could feel blood rush to her cheeks. "The thing is...I'm pretty sure he was thinking of Kikyo when he kissed me. I asked him before I left...if he meant it. He didn't answer..."

"Kagome-"

"I think it was Kikyo. Who else would he kiss like that? Not me," she laughed nervously, "he hates me."

"Inuyasha doesn't hate you." Miroku said, "and thank you...for telling me. I'll have a talk with him about it. His feelings tend to get the better of him during the full moon." Miroku said, and Kagome nodded.

There was a feeling that filled her. Was it jealousy? Lust? Scorn? It was like a dark cloud that loomed over her heart, grey and heavy with rain. Every time she considered the idea that Inuyasha wasn't actually kissing her that night...she gets a feeling of mild annoyance. Every time she heard Kikyo's name she felt a low simmer of anger collect in her belly and work its way to her heart. It wrapped around it like thorns, and tightened around her heart every time she heard an utterance of that name.

Ah, Kagome thought as she smiled at Miroku, I feel inadequate.

Yes. That's what it is...she makes me feel inadequate. I feel threatened by her. But why? She's not around. We aren't even actually dating.

Why does she hurt me, so?