The man who approached him was vaguely familiar. Inuyasha had probably partied with him once or twice. He was a musical artist of some sort. "Bro, this party is wild! Happy birthday!"

"Thank you." Inuyasha said, leaning forward slightly so the man could hear him better. "Glad you're enjoying it."

"Inuyasha, bro, there are so many beautiful women here! Everywhere I look, I see an even better looking one." Something about that statement made Inuyasha uncomfortable, but he was stuck in this conversation now, the man had draped an arm around his shoulders.

Bold of him to drape an arm around a trained fighter as if they were buddies.

Inuyasha shifted rather uncomfortably in his spot, taking a sip from his drink. "I got my eye on a certain girl, too." The man said, looking at Inuyasha with a half-grin.

Inuyasha returned the grin. "Oh, really? Who."

"That beautiful girl over there." The musician said, pointing toward a woman in the crowd dancing with a friend. Inuyasha's eyes followed his finger and the smile on his face was quickly wiped off. "I don't know who she is, but she's going home with me tonight." He added, sucking in a breath. Inuyasha took a moment to take her in. The light blue dress, the white heels, the way her body swayed to the music. The huge smile on her face as she danced and laughed, holding her drink in the air. After closer inspection he noted that she was on top of a fucking table, and he set his jaw, holding in a breath. He was relieved, however, to see a woman beckon her to get off of the table, waving her hand downward. He could only assume it was Sango.

"Yeah she's pretty right?" Inuyasha asked, "She's got a nice face, nice body. She checks off all the boxes." He took a moment, taking a sip of his drink. "Does she look familiar to you at all?"

"Man, I don't know. What is she, a model or some shit?"

"Nah, she's too short to be a model, but she definitely would have been if she was taller. Think again." Inuyasha responded, giving him a look. "Go on."

"...I really don't know where I might know her from."

"Alright." Inuyasha sighed. "That woman, the one you're sitting here raving over? My girlfriend."

The guest looked over to Inuyasha, the smile that was on his face was wiped clean off, his face drained of all color. Inuyasha could see his face change from realization to mild fear; he began to sputter, a mixture of profuse apologies and praise. He backed away, his arm no longer over Inuyasha's shoulders. Inuyasha gave him a lop-sided grin. "Let me tell you something," he beckoned with a hand for the man to come forward. "I ain't gonna hurt you, just c'mere really quick."

The man reluctantly leaned forward, and Inuyasha placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him an empty smile. He was calm, but his eyes burned with anger. "I just got paid 25 million dollars to fight someone, I'm good at my job. You know this. We know this, bro. Say some shit again and it'll be you I knock out next, no payment needed. Got that?" Before the man could move away, Inuyasha pulled him back toward him by the shoulder, his nails digging into the fabric of their shirt. "If I see you so much as breathe in her, or her friend's direction...I'll beat you to a pulp so bloody the EMTs won't know who you are."

"Bro...I am...so...so sorry that was so disrespectful of me. My ba—"

"It's Inuyasha." He corrected, gently shoving the man away. "You've been warned." He added with an empty smile, and a fire in his eyes that made the other man's blood run cold. With that, Inuyasha tapped his glass against his, and turned on his heel to leave.

Inuyasha found himself surrounded by people that were barely recognizable, but familiar all the same. He could point out a few of them. A model he'd taken on a date once a two years ago, an actor he'd had dinner with, a musician who had invited him to a studio session to hang out.

But none of them were recognizable to him, at least, not immediately. He was surrounded by all the big names in their respective industries. Big name models, actors, musicians. Board of director members, CEOs of companies whose campaigns that featured him made millions for them.

He'd received praise, well wishes and happy birthdays. All of which were fine and dandy, except he didn't want to be there at that moment.

Inuyasha would've rather been at home, and in bed.

Watching Netflix and ignoring the endless stream of DMs and phone calls from people who didn't give a fuck about him every other day of the year.

Instead, he was here. Surrounded by women who threw themselves at him the moment he saw them, despite his respectfully declining their advances. "I'm flattered, but I have a girlfriend. She's here somewhere. Tiny woman. I've lost her in the crowd...I think?" They would scowl at him, dragging their hands across his chest, giggling into his cheek.

"She doesn't need to know."

Usually, he would give in, take them into the bathroom and go wild but he wasn't going to do that. He was still sober anyways, and that contributed a lot to the tense feeling he had. He felt uncomfortable and part of him wanted to leave the event, but he couldn't do that. Not when he was the guest of honor. His eyes scanned the room, trying to look over the dancing bodies and smoke. His nose wrinkled at the smell of weed, but in all honesty he was maybe one more 'happy birthday' away from going up to someone and asking to take a hit.

I need to find Bankotsu.

He felt someone place their hand on his stomach, feeling against his abs. His hand grabbed onto her wrist, not hard but enough for her to get the message. "I'm taken." He grumbled at her. "Not interested." The woman frowned and he gave her an unapologetic smile.

It was almost impossible for him to pinpoint exactly where Bankotsu would be, due to the copious amounts of weed consumption, the absurd amount of people and the sheer volume of the music. His ears were practically bleeding, he had to be sure of it. He shouldered his way through the crowd, sprinkling in a few 'sorry's or 'my bad's where he felt necessary.

If he was going to get through this night, he was going to need help.

"Bankotsu!" Inuyasha yelled over the music once he found him, bringing a hand down on his shoulder.

"What? Oh, hey! Inuyasha! Happy birthday, man!"

"Yeah, thanks." Inuyasha uttered, before motioning away from the crowd and flashing lights. "Can we talk really quick?!"

Bankotsu gave him a puzzled look that he could barely make out, but nodded. "Alright!"

With his hand still firmly pressed on Bankotsu's shoulder, Inuyasha traversed through the crowd leading him into the bathroom. Bankotsu instantly knew what Inuyasha wanted to 'talk' about and his hand began to dig into his pocket. "Coke, right?" He asked lowly.

"Yeah," Inuyasha breathed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm...I don't know, I'm not comfortable right now." He added. His voice echoed in the (luckily) empty bathroom.

"Got a card?" Bankotsu asked, looking up from the small pile of white powder on the counter. Inuyasha patted down his pockets, before finding his wallet and taking out one of his cards.

"Move." Inuyasha ordered, gently pushing Bankotsu out of the way.

"That tense?" Bankotsu asked, watching as Inuyasha cut up the cocaine into lines. "Still know how to do it, I see." Bankotsu said, Inuyasha stiffened in his spot, glancing over to him.

"We used to sell this shit, of course I know how to cut it."

Bankotsu raised his hands, and watched as Inuyasha pressed one finger against one of his nostrils as he inhaled, dragging his nose against the counter top. Inuyasha sniffed as he pulled away, rubbing his nose with his hand. "Ugh..fuck, that burned." He muttered. His eyes squeezed shut as he shook his head a little bit, before leaning forward. He brushed away the excess on his face, before scraping the rest of the contents into the small bag Bankotsu had it in. "I'm keeping this." Inuyasha said, before Bankotsu shrugged at him.

"Birthday present." He responded, causing Inuyasha to give him a lop-sided grin.

The change in Inuyasha's face and demeanor was almost instantaneous. His pupils became pinpoints, and the tension in his body had gone away. He seemed relaxed, and much more comfortable with being there.

"Thanks."

Bankotsu watched for a few seconds as he left the bathroom before letting out a breath. He ran his hands down his face, pulling at his skin. Part of him regretted doing this to him. He did.

But the other part of him, the jealous part; it wanted to see him crash and burn.

He hadn't seen Kagome for a while. He lost track of her towards the beginning of the party, when he saw her (stupidly) dancing on top of a damn table. At that point in time though, he was focusing more on getting that creep to stop ogling at her and Sango. He assumed it had worked, since he never ran into him again.

But now that he'd taken the edge off, and found himself drunk and higher than ever, he'd run into her.

"Inuyasha!" Her voice called out to him, a huge smile on her face as she waved him down. She broke away from the group of women she was with, and walked over to him.

He wasn't sure if it was because he was drunk, or high, or both. But she looked absolutely stunning.

Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She wore a short, light blue dress, with flowy, lantern sleeves. Her heels were white, and somehow she'd managed to keep them clean despite elbowing her way through the crowd and dancing with Sango.

She wore a few golden necklaces in varying lengths. They used to be neatly layered but at this point the necklaces were all tangled and mangled up.

He'd smiled at her then, the widest smile he'd ever given her since meeting her. "Kagome! Where have you been?" He asked. Inuyasha looked over her shoulder, noticing someone who appeared to be Sango staring at them for a few moments, before his eyes turned back to Kagome.

Kagome was slightly taken aback by his demeanor, and the kindness in his voice.

When they'd first arrived at the party he did not seem pleased, or even happy to be there. So to see such a change in him was only slightly jarring for her. She assumed it had to have been the alcohol as she glanced down at his hand.

As she expected, it wasn't empty. She glanced up at him, too drunk to notice the difference in his pupils. Not that she could, anyway, it was too dark for her to really notice that.

He'd asked her a question. What was it?

Ah, yes!

"Dancing!" She responded. "Where have you been?!"

Inuyasha picked up on the change of tone in her voice, the slight slurring of her words. The way she leaned slightly forward, the hooded eyes.

She's drunk.

Inuyasha, himself, wasn't any better. He was drunk, although his mind was still clear enough for him to have some type of coherent thought. He was also, undoubtedly, high off cocaine.

Cocaine gave him a short burst of energy and confidence that would slowly die down over a period of a half hour. At which point, to avoid the comedown and the side effects that came with it, Inuyasha would hide away and take another bump.

Scrape.

Cut.

Snort.

Repeat.

He'd been doing that for what felt like hours, but his gauge was time was substandard, at best.

Especially in the state he was in.

And especially given his surroundings. Time stood still so long as people continued to party, drink and smoke.

A song came on, and Kagome gasped, bringing Inuyasha back into reality. He'd completely forgotten to answer her question…whatever it was. He felt her grab onto his wrist, giving him a lazy smile.

"Wanna dance?" She asked, but she was already leading him toward the floor.

Usually he would have said no. A sober Inuyasha would have rolled his eyes and walked away. But he was not sober, and she looked good. So he gave her a smile, and let her guide him.

They weren't even on the dance floor and she was already dancing as she walked, holding her arm high over her head. Her fingers interlocked loosely with his own. She looked in the direction of the small group she was a part of, locking eyes with Sango. Sango looked between Inuyasha and Kagome, giving them a small, pleased smile. Inuyasha could practically feel the bass in his body when the best first dropped and Kagome began to yell out the lyrics to the song, her voice blending into the voices of those around them.

"Her love isn't free, had to pay a fee!"

"We don't get along, let's agree to disagree!" Inuyasha yelled with her, moving his body with hers in time to the music. The hand that held his drink was high in the air, holding it above all the dancing bodies around them. His other hand rested on her waist. Kagome let herself lean into him a little bit, her back resting against his chest as she yelled the lyrics. Inuyasha brought his head down to rest on her shoulder. The hand that held his drink being brought back down, crossing over shoulders to hold her close.

"The way you left those scratches on my back, you got me anxious." He continued, Kagome and the crowd singing along with him. Kagome turned her head to look at him, a smile on her face.

She loved the moment they were having. Laughing, screaming the lyrics to the song, ignoring the hoarseness of their voices. For the moment she ignored the fact that they were surrounded by people. She ignored the voice in the back of her head that told her that they'd had too much to drink, just to enjoy the moment.

The song was over but they continued to dance into the next one. Inuyasha looked around them, temporarily regaining a bit of his sense of smell, a sign that his high was beginning to wear off. "Hey," he said into her ear, "I gotta run off for a bit and find Bankotsu, but I'll find you, alright?"

It was a lie.

Of course it was a lie.

Kagome's head turned to look at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What? What for?" She asked, a hand coming up to grab onto his wrist. "No, Inuyasha. C'mon, stay with me!"

"I can't." Inuyasha said back, beginning to let go of her. Kagome pouted at him and he smiled. "Later, I promise."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whined, head tilting back as she complained like a petulant child. "I was having fun!"

"I was too, but I really gotta find him!" You're gonna crash soon...

Inuyasha gave her an apologetic look. "You look absolutely stunning, by the way. Just wanted to let you know before I run off."

His nose had gone numb. He couldn't smell anything. The back of his throat and mouth felt dry. He felt happy, and content, but the effects of the drug weren't extreme. They were subtle, and settled into him much like a strong cup of coffee does. It got him going, helped him loosen up and become more sociable, but he found himself having to drink more. That meant that he constantly had a cup, a glass, a shot glass of something in his hand. Inuyasha talked with Miroku freely, although he could tell that Miroku knew that something was different.

Something was off. He knew it. He felt it in the pit of his stomach. Inuyasha had gotten a hold of something.

I just hope it was weed…

Miroku himself hadn't had much to drink. He was mainly there to watch over everyone. He didn't trust Inuyasha to not drink and while part of him believed that it may have been a bad decision to throw a birthday party for him with alcohol, the other part of him said fuck it.

Inuyasha worked hard, they both worked hard. They could party every once in a while. There was nothing wrong with that.

"You good?" Miroku asked, as they looked over the crowd. It was much quieter on the second floor than it was on the first. It was easier to breathe too, Miroku wasn't surprised to see Inuyasha there at all. He always did prefer quieter spaces. "I know you don't usually like celebrating your birthday—"

Inuyasha raised his hand dismissively, interrupting Miroku as he spoke. "It's okay, I like it." He said, beaming his friend a bright smile. Miroku smiled back at him.

"Yeah?" Miroku asked.

"Of course! This is great!"

Miroku couldn't tell if Inuyasha was being sarcastic or not. But he could feel that something was off. "I have something to tell you." Miroku said, and Inuyasha raised his eyebrows at him, taking a sip from his drink. "A sort of announcement...if you will."

"Announcement?" He inquired. "What about?"

"You."

"Miroku." Inuyasha laughed, "You know I hate sappy announcements."

"No, no...this one isn't going to be sappy at all." Miroku said, but of course he was lying. But he was lying. Miroku and the rest of Inuyasha's team had been working tirelessly for months to convince the UFC organization to inquire about hosting his bout against Naraku in Madison Square Garden. After months and months of pleading, signing paperwork, talking with government officials, and speaking with the UFC legal counsel, it was done.

It was set.

The fight was approved to be hosted at the venue and Miroku was truly excited to tell his friend—he was!

I just wish you weren't high for this, Inuyasha.

"Your fight against Naraku…" Miroku started, looking up from his. "A venue has been finalized."

"That's amazing!" Inuyasha said. "Finally, right? I'm glad."

"Inuyasha."

"Yeah?"

"You're fighting Naraku at Madison Square Garden."

"What…" Inuyasha's smile fell. He might have been high, but he could still comprehend what was being said to him. "M-S-G?"

Miroku nodded his head and Inuyasha had to grab onto the railing for stability. For a moment, he felt as if his soul had left his body. It was quiet in his mind, he couldn't hear a single thought. He couldn't hear a single sound.

And then the emotions came rushing in like a stampede of bulls.

Excitement overtook his entire body and he felt the hair on his arms raise, his skin was covered in goosebumps. His scalp felt tingly, like static.

There was a brief moment, where he felt true happiness.

True, unbridled, euphoria.

He didn't know what to do with himself.

Should he laugh?

Should he cry?

Should he hug Miroku?

Miroku, his friend's name, echoed in his mind. Inuyasha realized that he had frozen while staring at the crowd below them and forced himself to look up, into the indigo eyes of his best friend. He started laughing.

It was deep, loud, and robust. His free hand came up to rest on his chest as he laughed, to the point where nothing came out and he was just wheezing, doubled over. It was infectious.

In his many years of being Inuyasha's friend, he'd never heard Inuyasha laugh like that. So richly, so fully and truly. It made him laugh as well.

For the briefest of moments, Inuyasha felt like he was on top of the world.

He felt untouchable.

Invincible.

It was a natural high, more powerful than the high any drug could have given him.

Then suddenly he started to cry. His breathing became ragged and shallow, his chest heaved, he felt like he couldn't get enough air into his lungs no matter how much he gasped for it. The disbelief washed over him like cold water and he shook his head. "You're joking!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "You're joking Miroku, you're fucking with me!"

Miroku shook his head, and pulled out his phone. He navigated to his email and showed it to Inuyasha. "It's real. Finalized. The venue has been chosen." Miroku said, bringing a hand down on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"You're joking. Miroku. Tell me you're joking!"

"Inuyasha!" Miroku placed his hands on Inuyasha's shoulders, before placing them on his cheeks. "Listen to me."

"This is not a joke. This is not a prank. This is real. This is your reality."

Inuyasha wouldn't have told anyone, but Madison Square Garden was secretly a dream he'd had. For the longest time he believed it was unachievable. For the longest time he thought he would never be able to fight there.

That night, that dream of his became a reality.

And damn did that feel good.

His arms wrapped around Miroku, his forehead coming to rest on Miroku's shoulder. "Holy fuck." He exhaled, breathing heavily. "I can't...I...you...what?"

There were few moments in his life where he was at a loss for words, like truly at a loss for words. This one took the cake, easily. By a longshot.

"You've done it." Miroku muttered into his hair, hugging Inuyasha tightly. "You've changed the game, and the definition of what's attainable in the industry now…"

"I'm so fucking proud of you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha couldn't say anything back. He had nothing to say back. He was shocked, still, by the news.

Madison Square Garden?

It wasn't much bigger than the AT&T arena that he was used to, but it was in fucking New York City. People were already willing to fly out to Las Vegas for a couple of days to see him fight, but now? Now that his fight against Naraku was in Madison Square Garden, people would be fighting to get seats. Inuyasha forced himself to drown out all the music, all of the people shouting lyrics, and dancing and laughing.

He let it all wash away, just to savor this moment.

"Inuyasha." Miroku said, patting Inuyasha on the back. "You've done it."

"Done what?" Inuyasha looked up, wiping tears away from his wet cheeks.

"When we first came here, you told me these exact words...you told me that in a few years time, you would be a legend in your field." Miroku told him. "You're a fucking legend now, Inuyasha."

"Not yet." Inuyasha responded, laughing a little bit. "I have to sell out Madison Square Garden, Miroku."

Miroku smiled at him. This is so typical.

Is that why he's never satisfied with himself?

Inuyasha always did this. Every time he achieved something, he wanted something bigger and better.

When he made his first million, he wanted five more.

When he did his first campaign for Nike, he worked tirelessly with Miroku to secure three more.

Inuyasha was never satisfied, he never really was. He would bask in the glory of his achievements for a record total of five minutes before he was already thinking of the next best thing he could do. Miroku admired that about him. He truly did. When Inuyasha said in interviews that he was a bit of a 'workaholic', he wasn't exaggerating—Miroku knew that.

But he also wished that Inuyasha would allow himself time to breathe.

"Let's go," Miroku said, looking down at his watch.

"Where are we going?" Inuyasha asked, watching as Miroku began to walk away. He sniffled, and took a drink from his cup.

"There is an impossibly huge cake with your name on it somewhere." Miroku responded, reaching forward and placing a hand on his shoulder as he pushed him forward. "We're gonna go cut it before people get way too drunk...or high...or both."

Miroku laughed as he reached over to cover Inuyasha's cheek with frosting, prompting laughter from the crowd of people surrounding them. Kagome giggled as she came forward, swiping frosting off of the cake and wiping it on Inuyasha's nose.

Inuyasha grumbled, swiping his hand across his cheek and reaching over people, dragging his frosting covered fingertips across Miroku's cheek in return. He shook his hand free of the sweet substance, before bringing his fingers up to his lips, licking off the excess that remained on them.

Kagome shrieked, before laughing, looking down at her shoes. "My shoes!" She exclaimed, looking up at Inuyasha with disbelief. She was still drunk, there was a hazy look in her eyes. A small smile tugged at Inuyasha's lips.

He was still drunk, and still slightly high. He wasn't going to crash yet, but he could feel it coming on as the effects of the drug were beginning to wear off. Slowly, golden eyes dragged over her body before landing on her shoes, which were now speckled with white frosting. It would have been impossible to tell if it weren't for the warm glow of people's camera flashes around them. "Oh shit," he giggled, "my bad." His words slurred together slightly, he leaned forward a little bit, giving Kagome a goofy grin.

"'My bad', my ass!" Kagome exclaimed, pointing down at them. "I liked these!" she cried, but she wasn't really mad about it. Not really. The idea of her shoes being ruined was only vaguely registering in her mind. The rest of her, the drunken rest of her, was too busy ogling at the half demon in front of her.

The way he sucked on his index finger, trying to get the frosting off of it. The white shirt that hugged his arms in all the right places. The way his hair was pulled back, half up in a bun while the rest of it hung loosely over his shoulders. She bit her bottom lip, sucking in a shaky breath. His eyes met hers and he winked.

"What?" He asked over the loud music, and shouts from the crowd. Kagome shook her head, unsure if the heat that was rushing to her face was because she was blushing or because of her being drunk.

Kagome felt herself moving closer, as the crowd broke out into a song of 'happy birthday'. Inuyasha hated it, but he wasn't really paying much attention. His arm instinctively wrapped around her waist as she came closer, pressing her body into his side.

God, he looks so fucking hot…

Inuyasha looked down at her, and Kagome wasn't sure if it was genuine attraction or what, but he bit his lip, letting go of it slowly. She felt his eyes rake over her face, taking in every little detail. "What?" It was her turn to ask him that question, a drunken smile on her face as she did so. Inuyasha shook his head, still staring at her like he wanted to eat her. His lips parted slightly, one of his fangs poking out slightly, as he stared down at her.

Kagome looked at him, feeling her face burn. He looked as if he wanted to devour her whole, and with how drunk and dazed she was? She would let him, for sure.

I shouldn't do this…Inuyasha thought, gulping as his face moved closer to hers. Don't do this...

Kagome's hand came to rest against his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly against it. "If you're going to kiss me," she teased, looking up at him. "Then kiss me already."

Fuck.

It didn't take much convincing.

Almost instantaneously, before she could really finish her question, she felt his lips come down onto her own. Her mouth opened against his own, as he smiled into the kiss. His ears fell flat against his head as the people around them cheered.

Her hands traveled up, cupping his own. His, on the other hand, traveled down, grabbing her ass as he deepened the kiss. Kagome leaned back a little bit, her arms wrapping around his neck. She could taste the sweetness of the cake frosting, making her bite at his bottom lip and pull it slightly, playfully.

She pulled away momentarily, breathless. Kagome looked around for a few seconds, locating Sango who stood next to Miroku.

Sango gave her a bit of a surprised expression, but couldn't fight down the smile that crept onto her features. Kagome looked…happy. Maybe it was because she was drunk, but Sango. couldn't bring herself to be as hesitant about this, at least not this time around. Not with the way Inuyasha had a grip around her waist and looked at Kagome like she was some goddess come to earth.

She could still feel Inuyasha pressing kisses into her skin and for a brief moment she questioned if it was her birthday and not Inuyasha's. She turned back to him, feeling his eyes on her as he pulled away.

Without a second though, and with blurry vision, thanks to their kiss, she pulled him back to her, pressing her lips against his once more.

Inuyasha couldn't hear anything. He was too drunkenly enveloped in her lips, and how soft they felt against his own. The feel of her hands against his skin, sending a bolt of electricity throughout his body. His hands traveled up her back, his hand clasping onto his wrist, squeezing gently around her waist. His mouth opened against hers.

"Should I tell them to stop?" Miroku questioned, as he glanced over to Sango who watched with mild amusement. "It's a bit much...even for me."

"No," Sango waved her hand dismissively, motioning around them at all the people recording them with their phones. "Look at this! This is going to be everywhere!" Sango said. Miroku took a moment to look around them, and then he focused once again on his best friend, who was currently kissing Kagome with some crazed intensity, as if he'd been dying for that his whole life.

Kagome, too, was very into it, if the way her hands found their way into his hair was anything to go by.

Miroku smirked a little bit, shrugging his shoulders. Sango had a point. With everyone recording and witnessing this, it was bound to end up everywhere in the morning.

And by everywhere, he meant everywhere.

Tabloids, gossip shows, Youtube channels, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, Magazines, Snapchat. Everyone would know about this moment. It would be bigger than her first appearance in the public with him.

He could practically see the headlines already, and they were not bad. "Alright then." He responded, sighing as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Inuyasha hadn't told Miroku when he came back from Vermont, and he didn't need to. Miroku knew, if this was anything to go by, that something had happened in Vermont. He wasn't exactly sure of what it was, but something had happened.

Something had to have happened. That's all Miroku knew.