Chapter 5
A month nearly passed as they tried to fit in their plotted vendetta between their busy work schedule. Crescent Corp had been flooding with new accounts that both Kagome and Sesshomaru were working six days a week, nearly twelve hours a day, but Kagome still insisted they go on with the vendetta.
Everything had become a routine for them; they'd wake up at 6am, have espresso and breakfast together, discuss the vendetta among other random things, come home and have dinner together. They even started watching a new show on Netflix together. Kagome wondered when Sesshomaru was going to move out, not that she wanted him to. She found herself hoping he stopped searching for a new place to live.
"Why haven't we done anything yet?" Kagome asked, bringing a piece of Mongolian beef into her mouth.
Sesshomaru sighed. "Our schedule has kept us from following through, but we will commence soon enough. Besides, any earlier could easily been traced back to the scorned lovers of their past. Well, one of us at least." He scoffed.
"Oh, you're so cool and aloof. Nothing bothers me, blah blah. Anyway, don't we want them to kind of know it was us?"
"Not if you want a harassment suit." he said as he forked his salad.
"I don't think Inuyasha would do that." Kagome poured herself some water from the pitcher on the table.
Sesshomaru pressed his lips together and glared at her through his lashes. "Do not put it past him. You'd be foolish to assume he wouldn't do something yet again."
"I know." she murmured.
"Why don't we recapitulate the plan."
"Ugh, Sesshomaru, how many times are we going to do this? We've been working on this for..." Kagome agitatedly fell deep in thought on the amount of time they've been planning the vendetta.
"Almost two months."
"A very stressful almost two months. I mean I wanted to do something simple, like, slash some tires or break some windows but nooooo" she stopped and looked at him. "You had to go all V for Vendetta on this." Kagome sipped on her wine and rolled her eyes when she saw the look of annoyance on his face. "Alright, recap-it-alata the plan."
"We both have Inuyasha and Kikyo's copies of their schedules. I feel, due to emotional issues, coming from your part mainly, we should assign ourselves to our siblings instead of our former significant others."
"ex's" Kagome scoffed. " Why do you make things so complicated"
"As I was saying…" he scolded her for her interruption. "You will-"
"I will disguise myself as her, go to her job and cause a big scene that will possibly suspend her or get her fired. But not before we get pictures of 'Inuyasha' with another woman and then plant them in her apartment."
"I'll get one of Inuyasha's credit cards, we'll max it out on pricey hotels, expensive jewelry and dresses. Knowing Kikyo, she will most likely read his statement and will be left to question him on the purchases."
"So, we're turning them against each other and stealing their money while we're at it?" Kagome evilly giggled.
"If you want to put it that way..." he said dabbing his mouth with a napkin. " After that, their affected fate will take its toll. Inuyasha will be in debt, the pictures that we promised the paparazzi will ban them from any invitations in the events of the near future." he slightly smirked. " His fame will plummet along with Kikyo's devotion to him."
"You are so enjoying this." Kagome teased.
Sesshomaru's smirk faded as he fixed his posture. He avoided her eyes as he cleared his throat.
"I can't wait till their lives turn to crap." Kagome gripped her fork tightly.
"Which reminds me...speaking of crap." he said as he slid keys towards her.
"What's this?" Kagome licked her lips and grabbed them.
"They are the keys to that contraption of yours." he said as he stood up and placed their dishes into the dishwasher.
"My car?" Kagome asked in a high pitch tone.
"If you want to call it that..." Sesshomaru retorted sarcastically. "I retrieved it from the towing lot and had a new battery installed."
"That was...nice of you." Kagome uttered under her breath, looking at her keys with both joy and disbelief.
" Yes, well...now you don't have to drag me along your little grocery adventures..." he grinned.
Kagome scoffed. "Whatever, " she laughed. " It wasn't that horrible. I mean, so what if we had to pry a few ankle-biting kids off of your legs."
Sesshomaru frowned at the memory. Silence filled the air for a moment, but Kagome broke it.
"Well, thanks..."
"It was nothing..." he quickly retorted as he leaned against the kitchen counter.
Kagome watched him for a moment then twirled the key ring around her finger and smiled. She lowered her head and fell into a daze as she reached for another sip of wine.
"What are you thinking about?" Sesshomaru asked before he could think not to. His question took him by surprise just as much as it did to Kagome and he found himself uncomfortable. He felt at ease when Kagome just smirked and answered with no hesitation.
"I was thinking how funny things turn out " Kagome bowed her head trying to hide her smile.
Sesshomaru said nothing but gave a look of interest.
"Well, think about it...you and I, living under the same roof. We never said a word to each other in high school or acknowledged each other's existence." she shrugged. "Now, I hang out with you more than I do with Sango and Miroku, who are my best friends." she chuckled. "I don't know...I just see it as funny." she blushed feeling embarrassed.
"I guess it does have its' humor..." he sympathetically grinned returning to his usual stern look. " Why don't you hang out with your friends?" he asked and then mentally scolded himself again. He hated to admit it, but their casual conversations was something he looked forward to on a daily basis.
Kagome shrugged. "I don't know. They're trying so hard to show their loyalty to me, always bad mouthing Kikyo and Inuyasha hoping it will make me feel better and to be honest, I don't want to talk about them all the time. If I'm hanging out, it is to have a good time."
Sesshomaru stood by the counter with his arms crossed and nodded.
"What about you?" Kagome asked, trying to get the spotlight off of her.
"What about me?" he asked.
"Well...You work all the time and when you're not, you're with me. Don't you hang out?"
Sesshomaru sighed and looked away from her gaze. " You said it yourself, I am always working."
"Yeah, but don't you ever hang out, you know, to relax and enjoy yourself, treat yourself to a night out?" Kagome gesticulated throwing her hands towards the window. As if he didn't know what a 'night out' meant.
"I don't have time for meaningless gaieties. I focus my time on my work..." he stared at his nails and dropped his hand to his lap.
"Well...if you are always working...and you don't hang out or treat yourself...what are you working for?" she asked.
Sesshomaru stood quiet and looked at his watch.
"We should go to bed. Tomorrow, we have a long day at the office." he said as he headed out of the kitchen.
Kagome frowned at her unanswered question but decided to drop it. She did feel a little hurt that he probably didn't feel the same trust to say how he felt. She sighed and turned off the kitchen light and went to bed.
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Before Sesshomaru could go to sleep, he made a quick call to his realtor.
"Lord Sesshomaru, I was just about to call you." His realtor replied. He pursed his lips at his lies, his realtor had no intention on calling him. "How are things, hope all is well?"
"Spare me the pleasantries. Did you find anything that met my requirements?"
"Actually, I have two results to what you asked for. There is a penthouse in Tribeca and-"
Sesshomaru cut him off with a scoff. "Tribeca? I don't do downtown."
"Well, I thought you said as long as you were close to Midtown, it was alright. Ok, not a problem. There is the Central Park Towers, it's in the 50's, not too far from your company and I heard Paris Hilton lives there."
"Who?" Sesshomaru cocked a brow, annoyed.
" Uh...Paris...Hilton? She's uh...the"
"Listen, you have less than a month to find me something or I will find a new realtor." Sesshomaru hung up the phone and sighed as he threw the cellphone on the bed. Why had he declined the offers when they met most of his requirements? Wasn't he in a rush to leave this small apartment that was the size of his study back at the mansion? He shook his head and prepared himself for sleep.
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Sesshomaru rubbed his face as he threw the blankets off of him. Feeling agitated once again from terrible sleep, he placed a cigarette between his lips and ambled over to his window. He opened the window over his head, leaned out taking a few pulls before chucking the cigarette out into the street. Kagome would still be asleep so he didn't bother putting pants on his way to the bathroom. Rubbing his face, he trekked out of his room toward the bathroom when he saw Kagome already awake and dressed, sitting at the table sorting paperwork. He glanced at his watch, 5am.
"Good morning." She said, looking up at him then gulping as she looked back down at the paperwork to avoid the massive bulge protruding from his Michael Kors boxer briefs.
"Pardon my…appearance." He rasped, though he made no attempt to cover himself. "I…thought you were asleep."
"Oh, it's alright. I…couldn't sleep and I wanted to organize these files before we got to work." She said, still keeping her gaze down. "I made coffee, um…whenever you're ready."
He strutted toward her and her breath hitched as she couldn't control her gaze from looking up at him, landing on his bulge again.
"Um…planning on putting something on?"
Sesshomaru cast a devilish grin as he made himself a cup of coffee. "Why? You've already seen me. I have nothing to hide."
Kagome grinned at him, though his back was facing her and she quickly observed his muscular body. There was hardly an ounce of body fat on him. She found herself biting her lip as he turned briefly to reach for the milk, catching another glimpse of his bulge. She felt hot in the face as she averted her gaze back to her paperwork. He quickly drank his coffee then turned to leave the kitchen.
"I'll be ready in a half an hour."
Kagome tried to focus her attention back on her paperwork, but she couldn't help wonder what Sesshomaru was like in bed. There was no denying, he had an amazing body and it did pique her curiosity what a bulge like that could do. Inuyasha's bulge wasn't as big. She then pondered what Sesshomaru was like with Kikyo and grimaced at the images. Gross, why am I even thinking this? Why was she wondering about Sesshomaru's sexual performance? Or conjuring up the image of his bulge repeatedly in her mind. I need to get laid, she thought.
Sesshomaru entered the kitchen, fully dressed in his black suit. He looked ravishing as usual but something was bothering him.
"Something on your mind?" she asked, hoping for once he would confide in her to say how he feels, but naturally, he shook his head.
"Nothing. Let's get going. Are you ready?" he grabbed his car keys and looked over at her. Annoyed that he kept her in the dark about his thoughts, she gathered her belongings, flashed him a disappointed look then walked out.
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Sesshomaru stared out the windshield patiently as they sat in traffic. Kagome rested her elbow on the door and propped her head against her hand. They were quiet in their own thoughts for the last thirty minutes. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and reached over to turn the radio on. She tuned in to a mellow station and lowered the volume. Loud enough to kill the awkward silence but low enough to talk over, though, she wasn't betting on him talking.
Sesshomaru noticed the tension emanating from her and glanced at her from the side occasionally.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked.
Kagome turned her head towards him and then looked out of her window. "Nothing...why?" she said bitterly.
"You're usually full of conversation."
"Maybe...I'm tired of talking to myself." Kagome muttered.
Sesshomaru shot her a sideways glare then looked out the windshield.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Never mind." she sighed.
"You mentioned it for a reason." Sesshomaru persisted.
" Well...forget I mentioned it." Kagome snapped.
" I don't understand why you're in such a bitter mood." Sesshomaru added, getting mildly annoyed as well.
Kagome glared out of her window, meeting eyes with a driver in the next lane. He seemed to be startled by her expression and immediately looked away. Why was she in a bad mood?
An hour later, which normally would have taken fifteen minutes, they arrived at the office. Employees at the office refrained from their usual greetings sensing the tension between their boss and his assistant and went on about their work.
A young woman walked over to a desk where another woman was sitting at and sat down. She flashed her red eyes at her friend and tucked a blue strand of hair behind her ear.
"Hey, Koura, what's the deal with Lord Sesshomaru's new assistant? I'm surprised she's still here. He normally fires them after a couple of weeks." she asked, craning her neck over Koura's cubicle.
"Hey, Shurran. I don't know. There's a rumor going around that they know each other." She said. "From High school."
"Is that so?"
"Mmhm." Koura looked away from her computer and adjusted a flower pin in her red hair. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know." Shurran sighed. "You know my curiosity knows no bounds."
"Did you hear about the bet?" Koura gleamed and looked over her cubicle watching Sesshomaru and Kagome reach the end of the hallway by his office.
"What bet?" Shurran asked, her eyebrows arched.
"The bet that they'll hook up." Koura giggled into her hand.
"He wouldn't hook up with her." Shurran scoffed. "Please."
"So then put your money where your mouth is." Koura teased. "The pot is getting big, some of the investors are cashing out their stocks, the bet's close to a million now."
"Are you freaking kidding me?"
"Nope."
"How much is it to buy in now?"
"Five thousand." Koura blew her cheeks. "Cash. Hiten is handling the pool. Almost everyone is betting they'll hook up."
"What's the ratio?"
"90-10"
Shurran thought carefully. "If she bet against, splitting the earnings with a few would still have her come out fairly well. Five thousand could easily turn to One hundred thousand by the end of this bet. There's no way he would hook up with her, especially since she had her own plans for him now that he was single.
"Why does everyone think they'll hook up?"
"One of the girls said they constantly stare at each other when the other is not looking. She is convinced they have the hots for each other. I believe her, you know my spidey senses are on point. I bet my entire savings on them."
"That was foolish, Koura " Shurran chuckled.
"Like I said, put your money where your mouth is." Koura flashed a teasing grin.
"I don't know, Koura. Five thousand is pretty steep and I already owe someone a lot of money."
"Well, like I said, if you believe they won't hook up, what do you have to lose?" Koura uttered, and Shurran gazed down at her as she considered her chances.
"But you should know the whole story…"
Shurran shot a glance at her and frowned. "What story?"
"Kagome is Kikyo's sister!" she whispered.
"No way, really?" Shurran's brows knitted together in disbelief.
"Yes, really. You know Lulu from accounting? Apparently she dated one of Kagome's friends, can't remember his name, and she said she met Kagome a while back, briefly and there's speculation that the reason Kikyo and him broke up is because he's in love with Kagome."
"Stop it." Shurran shook her head.
"For real, and there's also rumor that they live together too!"
"Where?"
"I stole a peek in HR, somewhere downtown, in the East Village somewhere."
Shurran laughed loudly. "Sesshomaru? In the East Village. Now I know that is crap. I should just place a bet against them showing all of you how stupid you are." she said getting up to go back to her desk. Koura followed behind her and yanked her by the arm. "What are you doing?"
Koura led Shurran to a vacant office down the opposite end of Sesshomaru's office. Employees used it at times to eat their lunch or have a private phone call. There was a white board to the side, with a plastic drape over it. Koura rolled it up to show the polls.
"Who made the board?" Shurran grimaced at the drawn hearts and doodles.
" I did..." Koura squealed. " Isn't it cute?"
"Not really..." Shurran said flatly.
Koura frowned and shrugged. "And only I have access to these cute markers and a specific eraser for them, so no one can tamper with the polls. Nice, huh?"
"Fine, I'll wire you the cash when I get home." Shurran inspected the board. "The only people betting against them hooking up was Naraku and Kyo, a security guard in the main lobby. "Naraku even placed a bet? Sesshomaru won't like it when he finds out his right-hand man is placing bets on him."
"It's all in good fun. Oh," Koura squealed. "The rules. No one can intervene. That means, no flirting or asking out neither Sesshomaru or Kagome."
"Seriously?" Shurran scoffed. "When's the deadline?"
"After the black and white event."
Shurran shook with mirth. "Ugh, that's in another month and you know I've been waiting to get Sesshomaru in bed, I want him already and he's single now, it's not fair."
"Play fair, Shurran." Koura warned as she turned to leave. "It's a lot of money. So, if you don't want to play fair, don't bet."
Shurran grinned evilly as she stared at the board. This bet was ridiculous, but she really needed the money though. Naruto and his goons were already starting with the threats after her lack of payments. That was a lot of money to split between her, Kyo and Naraku. She decided to have a little chat with Naraku.
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Kagome sat at her desk playing solitaire on her computer. She finished her work already and had nothing to do. She couldn't leave because Sesshomaru wasn't done and she also carpooled with him, so he was her ride back home. She glanced at the diligent demon who was swamped with work or so he appeared to be. She wouldn't doubt he was purposely trying to stay busy to avoid everyone, including her.
Hiten walked past her, smiled then knocked on Sesshomaru's door. He brought over a stack of folders and set it on Sesshomaru's desk.
"Will you be attending the black and white party this year, Lord Sesshomaru? " Hiten asked.
Sesshomaru kept his eyes glued to the computer screen and shook his head as he retracted and protracted his pen against his lips. Hiten held back a sigh, not surprised that Sesshomaru had no intention of going, however he somehow knew he would if Kagome would go. Hiten turned out the door and looked at Kagome.
"How about you, Kagome? Are you going to the black and white event?" he asked, making sure his voice was loud enough for his boss to hear. Hiten snuck a glance over his shoulder to see Sesshomaru look up from his desk. He immediately whipped his head toward Kagome then smiled.
"Um…" Kagome said, then looked behind Hiten at Sesshomaru. She wondered if she were interested in going, would Sesshomaru accompany her. He studied her briefly then looked back at his computer screen. "I don't know. What is the black and white event about?"
"Eh, mainly charity stuff." Hiten said. "But the food is great, a lot of business prospects for us to get new accounts, open bar and they don't ID if you work for Crescent Corp. It's in a few weeks so it's just enough time to look for a date."
Kagome blushed then glanced back at Sesshomaru to see him glowering. He was probably annoyed that she wasn't working. She cleared her throat and adjusted in her seat.
"I guess I'll see depending on my schedule." She said.
Hiten glanced slyly at his boss then shoved his hands into his pockets as he leaned close to Kagome's desk. "Though I can't imagine it being very difficult for someone like you, maybe I'll see you there?"
Kagome bit the insides of her cheek and stifled a grin. She brushed the top of her teeth over her bottom lip and nodded.
"Yeah, maybe you will."
"Hiten..." Sesshomaru muttered, his jaw tight as he darted his gaze between him and Kagome. "Ms. Higurashi is working and I am sure you have something you should be doing?"
Hiten's smile faded and went serious. "Of course, Sir." he cleared his throat and bowed. He shot them both one last look and turned down the hallway. Trapped in his daze, he was broken out of it with a slap on the shoulder.
"Ow..." he flinched holding his shoulder. "Koura, what the hell?"
"I heard what you were doing in there!" Koura whispered with her hands on her hips. " You know the rules, Hiten. You can't provoke them, that is cheating!"
"Oh, come on, Koura...I wasn't provo-ok, maybe I was a little…but come on, we all know Sesshomaru. If you leave it up to him, he won't ask her. I had to give him a reason." Hiten sneered at the cat demon. "Besides, you know the company that holds the black and white party have a lot of accounts with celebrities. We need him to come this year, it'll help. "
"We don't do accounts with celebrities, Hiten." Koura rolled her eyes and pulled Hiten down the hallway back to her cubicle.
" I know...but wouldn't it be cool to meet some celebrities? How about that chick Boa? Oh my god." Hiten drooled.
"No more!" Koura raised her finger to his face as if she were punishing a five-year-old. "You're trying to benefit out of this bet more than you should."
" Ok ok...fine." Hiten groaned as he walked away from her. " Party pooper. But if he doesn't ask her before the event, I may go with her, as a friend." he muttered. "That's not cheating."
"Fine." Koura rolled her eyes. "Only because she's nice and I think she'd love to go."
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Kagome yawned as she leaned back into her seat. Rubbing her exhausted eyes, she looked over at Sesshomaru. He was still scanning papers and staring at his computer screen. She finished her tasks two hours ago and there was only so much solitaire one could play. She couldn't take it any longer, she had to get out. They had been working nonstop and it was starting to take a toll on her. She yearned for a night out but everyone was working or hanging out with their significant others.
"Hey…is it alright if I leave? I finished up and I'm beat." She said, tiredly. "I am so hungry too, never had lunch."
" I'm almost done." Sesshomaru said as he looked over an invoice.
"You said that three hours ago, Sesshomaru. It's 6pm and everyone's gone for the day." Kagome groaned.
"How are you getting home then?"
Kagome loosened her bun and rubbed her scalp. "I'll catch a train or get a cab."
Sesshomaru frowned, turned off his computer and straightened his blazer as he stood up. "I am finished. Let us be on our way then."
"I'm not rushing you, I am perfectly capable of getting home on my own."
" I understand that but as I said, I am finished. " Sesshomaru walked over to the door and opened the door allowing Kagome to exit first. She looked at him reluctantly then smirked. "So you went from almost finished to finished in five seconds? My, you are so good at your job."
Sesshomaru gave her a sideways glance and shut his door. They walked toward the elevator, got in and pressed their backs against the railing while the doors pinged and closed on them. They were quiet for a few seconds, Sesshomaru staring up at the number screen.
"Are you going to the black and white event?" he asked, not looking away from the number screen. She snuck a surprised glance at him and shrugged.
"Uh…I don't know." said Kagome. "Maybe? I can't really remember the last time I went out to a party or just a night out."
Sesshomaru regarded her quietly then nodded. "I see."
"What about you, are you going?"
"Most likely not." He said. "I never go to those things."
"Why not?"
"I am not a fan of small talk." He said. "If I do go, for the sake of publicity, I never stay longer than ten minutes."
"Oh." Kagome said and he snuck another look at her. Feeling a stab of sympathy, he wondered if he could make an exception this year and take her. He had almost considered asking her when the doors opened on the 12th floor. Shurran walked in buttoning her coat.
"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru." She said, flicking her gaze briefly at Kagome yet not acknowledging her with a greet. She took a step next to Sesshomaru and purposely brushed her arm beside his. "Just now leaving?"
"Yes." He said.
"I too get engrossed in work." She laughed. "Lucky for me there's no one at home to complain about me being a workaholic."
Kagome held back a snarl. She was clearly announcing her status for Sesshomaru's knowledge. Shurran patted her fingers through her hair then looked at him again. "Going to the black and white event?"
"I am…not sure." He said, inheriting a scowl from Kagome.
"What's holding you back? A handsome bachelor such as yourself has a plethora of options."
Kagome, feeling uncomfortable, held her purse tightly and continued to stare at the number screen. Did the elevator purposely slow down its descension for her to experience such nauseating attempts at flattery toward Sesshomaru?
"My sedulous schedule refrains me from entertaining such options."
The elevator reached the lobby. Before the doors opened, Shurran's gaze lingered up and down his body. He took note and met her gaze with severity.
"Maybe I will see you there, should you attend."
A crooked grin grew on his face and it almost looked like he was flattered. He gestured for her to exit the elevator first.
"Perhaps."
Shurran strutted out, purposely rocking her hips side to side and smirked over her shoulder at him as she exited the building. Sesshomaru hesitated beside Kagome then gestured for her to go before him. She cocked a brow at him and scoffed as she walked away from him. Sensing her annoyance, he followed her with urgency.
"What?"
"I thought you weren't going." Kagome didn't bother looking at him as they exited the building then turned toward the parking lot.
"I didn't say I was. I said perhaps." he said, narrowing his gaze at her as he unlocked his car.
"Right." Kagome snorted. "That wasn't a 'perhaps', that was flirting."
Sesshomaru scoffed as they got in. "If you considered that to be flirting what was your coquettish response of 'maybe you will' to Hiten earlier?"
Kagome put her seatbelt on and huffed as she thought of a response and became irritated when she had nothing to say. Was she flirting with Hiten?
Sesshomaru clench his teeth as he started the car and drove away. He didn't like being accused of doing something when he wasn't. He looked over at Kagome, her arms crossed over her as she stared indifferently out her window. He couldn't tell if she was upset or sad. Twenty minutes passed and she noticed they weren't on their usual route toward the apartment. Driving down a strip of glowing billboards and illuminate buildings, she scanned the streets seeing a variety of restaurants, an IMAX theatre, lounges, clubs and other venues of entertainment.
"Where are we?" she broke the silence and looked at him. He seemed to be stuck in his thoughts for a moment before he answered.
"I was thinking we could take a break from our usual routine and have a 'night out' "he mocked then dismissed it with a playful grin. "We can get something to eat and, well, whatever you'd like to do."
Thank goodness he looked away because she started to blush. Valet parking was advertised on the corner and he pulled up towards it. She watched as he removed his blazer and placed it behind the backseat. Rolling up his sleeves, she quickly acknowledged his muscular forearm, his muscles flexing as he turned the steering wheel to enter the lot. A night out with Sesshomaru, dinner and whatever she wanted? He reached over her leg to open the glove compartment and pulled out a couple of credit cards.
"Courtesy of Inuyasha?" he smirked.
"Are we doing that tonight?" she asked, acknowledging how he accidently brushed his arm against her bare thigh as he pulled it back to his lap.
"Sorry." He murmured under his breath. She realized he must have acknowledged it too. They got out of the car and he handed his key fob to the valet.
They ambled down through the parking lot, side by side, close enough to feel their clothes brush against each other as they made their way toward the lively streets. Boisterous patrons stumbling out of bars rushed past them in a drunken stupor as they entered another bar beside the one they just came out. They scanned the food menu of each restaurant and settled for Italian. They sat out in the patio, drinking wine while they waited for their food. Kagome found it amusing how Sesshomaru claimed to hate small talk but he made tiny efforts to make conversation throughout the duration of their dinner. Finishing up, they made their way down the street, a man walking opposite of them ogled Kagome as he passed her, but she didn't seem to notice as she looked across the street at the surrounding stores. Sesshomaru met the man's gaze and locked his eyes with him until the man uncomfortably looked away.
Sesshomaru eyed Kagome covertly, appreciating the merriment expression on her face by the simple pleasures of being out and about. A contortionist performed an act ahead of them and she tugged at his leave and pointed, but he didn't look away from her. He just watched as her smile widened and eyes glistened. As they continued down the block, he grew annoyed at the attention Kagome attracted from men all around. He inched closer to her, making his presence noticeable to the men forcing them to look away. A disheveled man stopped them in their tracks and held a rose in hand.
"A flower for your lady?" The man said, waving the rose between them. Sesshomaru froze, glanced cautiously at Kagome then shook his head slowly. He looked back at Kagome and she gave the man a sympathetic grin.
"Did you want a flower?" Sesshomaru asked as they walked away from the man.
Kagome bit her lip and blushed. "Oh, no…I'm alright, I mean, flowers are for dates, and uh, this isn't a date, right?"
"Right." he quickly confirmed.
Kagome closely examined him as he studied his surroundings. It never occurred to her how attractive he was. She remembered when Inuyasha introduced her to him at a family dinner when they were thirteen and had just started dating, right before they set him up with Kikyo. They were just starting as freshmen in Highschool and Sesshomaru was a Junior. Being Inuyasha's girlfriend, she had tried to be friendly with him, strike conversations but he was rude from the start, scoffing and ignoring her every time she came around.
"Oooh, let's watch a movie!" Kagome noticed the theatre across the street. "They're showing Death of an Assassin, the trailer looks so good."
Sesshomaru jerked his head back and looked at her with disbelief. "Defeats the purpose of a 'night out', does it not?"
"Yeah…" Kagome pouted. "I guess you're right."
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, pressed his hand over her shoulder to usher her across the street to the theatre. Kagome gleamed as she looked at him, jumping up and down. Clearly, she didn't go out much. She tamed herself as she stood beside him once they reached the front counter outside.
"Two please for..." he looked at Kagome to finish the sentence.
"Death of an Assassin." Kagome grinned widely at the girl.
The girl in the box office checked her computer then winced.
"The next showing is sold out; we have tickets for the 9pm one though."
Sesshomaru looked at his watch and shot Kagome a side look. "That's almost two hours. What are we going to do until then?
"We can walk around, it's nice out. If you don't want to, it's ok, I can watch this another time with-"
"Two for 9pm then." Sesshomaru said, taking out his wallet and handing the girl his credit card. A baffled expression washed over Kagome's face as she noticed Sesshomaru using his own credit card for both dinner and now a movie. The girl at the counter handed them the tickets.
"Have fun." She said, batting her lashes at Sesshomaru. She quickly looked at Kagome, waggling her brows as if to commend her for having such a hot boyfriend. Kagome just smiled at her as they walked away.
"Hey…" Kagome whispered. "I thought we were using Inuyasha's card?"
Sesshomaru looked down at his wallet then shrugged as he placed it in his back pocket. "I forgot."
Kagome eyed a sex shop across the street and wrapped her hands around his arm. Shaking it, she pointed at Toys' R' Lust and he looked back at her with a look of confusion.
"I think I know where we can use those cards." She uttered as she pulled him toward the store.
Being in a sex store with Kagome put him out of ease. A few employees made suggestions for sex toys and lingerie, adding a little awkwardness between them as they browsed. Such libidinous suggestions provoked salacious thoughts into his mind, thoughts of Kagome wearing lacey lingerie while she sits on his face as he pleasures her to no end. These thoughts caused him to rush her out of the store but not before purchasing an array of dildos of all colors and sizes, furry handcuffs, lingerie, condoms, chains, anal beads and butt plugs.
Sesshomaru immediately forced a cigarette between his lips, lit it, and took the longest puff as he mentally scolded himself. He then turned to her and forced a smirk.
"and here I thought I was cruel." He exhaled deeply then took another puff. Kagome gloated for a moment as the bag of toys swayed in her hand.
A tall drag queen came out from under an awning tossing a feathery purple boa across her neck, she eyed Sesshomaru up and down.
"Hey there, handsome man." she lisped. "Oh, aren't you just a delicious crumb cake. Why don't you come in and give my girls a little bit of that eye candy?"
"I beg your pardon?" Sesshomaru scowled. He and Kagome looked up at the place, an LED sign flashed the name Fantasy Island across the black awning.
"Come in and enjoy our show, get a little sexy dance from Muffin, we also have happy hour running all night."
Kagome noticed the novelty shop beside it, a rack of caps on display, a few with Inuyasha's band name on it, there was a red one that Inuyasha would wear all the time. She purchased the cap along with a disposable camera.
"Oh my god, I have another idea." She said, pulling him to the rack and grabbing the red cap. She turned to place it over his head, and he dodged back from it and scowled.
"What are you doing?" he spat, quickly noticing what her intentions were. "Out of the question."
"Come on!" Kagome giggled evilly then pulled Sesshomaru close to her. She leaned into his ear and he felt his breath hitch at how close her face was to his. "We'll take some pictures of you wearing this hat and-"
Sesshomaru's eyes widened and walked off. "Absolutely not."
" Oh, come on!" Kagome groaned. " Sesshomaru, it's perfect, no one will knows it's you."
"I will know." He scoffed. "And do not insult me that I resemble the half-breed."
"Sesshomaru, with the cap, you can't tell, your face won't be in it. Just the cap and the hair. We're basically framing him. You can wear this, and we will take pictures of you, well, him, with the drag queens for the paparazzi."
" I'm not going in there." Sesshomaru crossed his arms as Kagome forced the hat onto his head. He didn't contest further by pulling away, however, his jaw tightened as he looked down at her. She looked up at him from her lashes, stifling a laugh for it would only anger him and acknowledged how sexy he was when he got upset. After much convincing, Sesshomaru caved and allowed her to pull him inside. He realized he had a hard time saying no to her.
"Hi guys, my name is Muffin, what will your pleasure be today?" the guy at the door smirked and winked at Sesshomaru. "Hey, you look familiar...aren't you?"
"That's right, Muffin." Kagome stammered as Sesshomaru bowed his head. "This is Inuyasha from City Slackers. He came for a good time if you know what I mean."
"Mmmm, we'll definitely show him a good time, honey..." Muffin licked her lips. Muffin was 6'5, barrel chested and the widest shoulders. She wore a pink ballerina outfit and 7-inch stilettos as she pulled Sesshomaru toward a narrow hallway with black lights. He glared over his shoulder at Kagome. "I'll just take you over to the Sex Room."
"Sex room?" Sesshomaru whipped his head toward Muffin then shot a fiery gaze at Kagome.
Muffin giggled. "We call it that but that's where we do our lap dances, massages or…whatever pleasures you may have. There's actually no sex involved, well, there have been a couple of times, you know, people do get carried away."
"No..." Sesshomaru shook his head. "We are leaving.
"Wait." Kagome sighed and pressed her hands on Sesshomaru's chest to stop him. His pecs were like bricks. She took her hands off of him and cleared her throat. "Can we enforce some sort of restriction policy? You know, like tell the guys, I mean, girls not to touch him? He likes the tease."
"Absolutely, honey. Whatever Inuyasha wants. It's his pleasure." Muffin said. Luckily for Sesshomaru, the place was dark but he still bowed his head and covered his face as they entered a large hall, the room smelled of body odor and whiskey and the air conditioner was clearly not working. Kagome could feel her hair frizz up as they followed Muffin to the sex room.
Sesshomaru cast another disapproving look at Kagome and shook his head.
"Can you quit being uptight?" Kagome scolded him. "We'll be in and out of this place before you know it."
Muffin led them into a room with a couch and a chair in the middle of the room.
"One question, can we take pictures?" Kagome pulled out the disposable camera.
"Oh, I'm sorry, cameras are extremely forbidden in the sex room. The privacy policy is more for our employees than it is for clients."
"Well, what if we pay extra to take pictures? Our little Inuyasha here has a fetish for memorabilia" Kagome dangled the credit card in front of Muffin's face who sauntered over in a daze and grabbed the card. "Charge whatever you'd like and give all the employees a fifty percent tip."
Muffin's eyes sparkled as she inspected the card. She turned around and did a curtsy. "Oh, alright then. Anything for Inuyasha."
After Muffin left to charge them, Sesshomaru inspected the room with disgust.
"I cannot believe I let you talk me into this." He said.
" I'm sorry but you have to admit, the plan is perfect. I swear no one will know it's you. Besides, if it really bothered you that badly, why are you cooperating to do this?" Kagome stared at him with her arms crossed. He averted her gaze as he took a seat in the center of the room. Kagome didn't know how she knew, but somehow through his silence, she realized he was swallowing his pride and do this for her. He was doing this for her. Kagome was about to say they should leave when techno blasted through the speakers. A cluster of drag queens danced inside, their ringleader holding onto a microphone in one hand, and a whip in another.
"Are you ready to have fun?" the one on the microphone said. He lowered his hat to cover his face and sat with his arms crossed. One of the dancers wrapped a blue furry scarf around Sesshomaru and began to dance around him. Another one twerked her butt in his face, making him lean back into his chair, his hands tightening into fists. Kagome pulled out the camera and started to take pictures, being careful to not catch Sesshomaru's face in any of them.
"Was someone a bad boy!" the drag on the mic announced, snapping her whip into the air while the others dance in a circle around Sesshomaru. The leader continued to snap her whip and tried to tickle Sesshomaru in the ear with its fringes. He snatched it from her and hurled it across the room. Kagome could see him gritting in his chair, his fists shaking as his lips curled exposing his fangs.
"Um…" Kagome tried to say, feeling as though maybe they should stop.
"Someone is a little rough...I like that!" she turned her back towards him and bent down revealing a thong. Sesshomaru could not hide his discomfort as he leaned back and grimaced. Kagome noticed one girl getting a little too close, her head lowering to Sesshomaru's ear. She nibbled on it with her lips and Sesshomaru sprung up from his chair and grabbed her by the throat.
She began to scream as the other girls ran out of the room yelling for help.
"No.!" Kagome screamed. " Sess-uhhhh-Inuyasha! Stop!" she pulled his grip off of the drag who fell to the floor gasping for air. Pulling Sesshomaru out of the room, Muffin stormed toward them with bouncers by her side. She threw the credit card at Kagome.
"We don't appreciate that kind of roughness here, Mr. Inuyasha. I will notify the authorities if you don't get out of here now!" Muffin pointed towards the door.
Kagome grabbed Sesshomaru's arm and apologized to Muffin as they walked out of the club.
Sesshomaru snatched his arm away from Kagome and walked off taking off the hat and throwing to the side, hitting a man sitting on a bench. He glowered at the both of them. Kagome ran over to the man, grabbed the hat then apologized profusely before running after Sesshomaru.
"I'm sorry!" Kagome said. " I'm so sorry, I told them not to touch you. Please don't be mad at me, I will destroy the camera!" she was about to hurl the camera onto the floor.
Sesshomaru stopped, turned around, grabbed her wrist and pushed her toward a wall.
"Leave it, I did not just endure such humiliation for nothing."
Kagome blinked, disheartened by seeing how upset he was. Though he was sexy as hell when he got mad, she didn't like it. He stood before her, gazing at her lips then composed himself as he scanned the streets around him. Finally, he relaxed his shoulders.
"The movie should be starting shortly." He said, then turned around.
After the movie ended, Sesshomaru's anger seemed to dissipate. Kagome tried to change the mood by discussing the movie.
"That was sad." Kagome sighed. "I hate it when people don't get a chance to love each other."
Sesshomaru shook his head. "It was foolish. His feelings for her clouded his judgement. He would have survived if he had just walked away from her.
"But you're missing the point. He was in love with her. It didn't matter to him that they were enemies and though he was ordered to kill her, he couldn't because she gave him something he never experienced. Love."
"You are so naïve." He sighed. "Love ended his life."
"What life? Before her, he was just an assassin. He knew nothing else but killing."
Sesshomaru pursed his lips. "I suppose. So, what now, it's almost midnight."
"I don't know." Kagome grinned. "The night is still young but if you are tired...we can go home."
"Don't worry about me." he said, scanning the streets. His gaze stopped at the Hilton Hotel at the end of the block. "You still have the hat?"
"Yeah..." Kagome fished into her purse and pulled it out. "Why?"
"Come..." he said, pulling her by the hand.
"Where are we goi-?" Kagome asked as she quickly acknowledged where they were going. She spotted the hotel up ahead. They were going to use the credit card to rent a room so that it would show on his credit card statement. Scandalous! They were greeted by a doorman as they cut across the lobby towards the concierge.
"Good evening," he said, looking up at them. He squinted toward Sesshomaru then tilted his head. Sesshomaru leaned over the counter, hand covering his mouth and avoiding the concierge's eyes.
"I'd like to rent your most expensive room." he said as he slid the credit card across the counter.
The concierge pulled the credit card toward him and read the name. "Oh my god, Inuyasha, I'm your biggest fan! I know almost everything about you, your last single was the best, I love your music sooo much!"
"I don't really care." Sesshomaru said flatly. "The room?"
The concierge blinked then lowered his head. He turned toward his computer and tapped a few keys on the keyboard.
"Um…we have the penthouse suite, five thousand a night and-"
" I didn't ask for the price, I asked for a room..." Sesshomaru spat uncouthly. He didn't want to be mean to the kid but if he were pretending to be Inuyasha to give him a bad rep, this was the way to go about it.
"Right" the concierge activated a key card after swiping the credit card. After a successful transaction, the concierge handed him the receipt. "Thanks for your stay with us, Mr. Inuyasha."
"Whatever." Sesshomaru scoffed.
"Um...Mr. Inuyasha.?" The concierge stammered and grabbed a blank piece of paper from his desk. "May—I trouble you for an autograph? Like I said, I, well I am your biggest fan."
Sesshomaru looked at Kagome who nodded for him to do it. Sesshomaru sighed, grabbed the paper and quickly jotted a few words down followed by an illegible signature. He flicked the paper back at the concierge and walked toward the elevator. Another employee rushed over, flailing her hands at her coworker.
"Wow, Inuyasha is such a jerk. What did he write on the paper?"
The kid stared off sadly as he watched them enter an elevator and looked at his coworker.
The concierge picked the paper up and they both looked down at the message.
Dear annoying kid,
You're pathetic, I suggest going out with a bottle of Tylenol.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"I think you were a little mean to that kid." Kagome said as they shuffled across the carpeted hallway to their room
"I was not mean. Inuyasha was." Sesshomaru cast a crooked grin and she couldn't help but smile.
Once they entered the room, Kagome marveled at the luxury while Sesshomaru trudged toward the balcony to light a cigarette. The suite was perched high above the glittering streets, expanding into a massive bedroom, connecting living room, marble fireplace, office and a jacuzzi on the balcony. Sesshomaru took a few pulls before putting it out and walking back into the room. Kagome brushed her fingers across a painting when the sound of glass shattering startled her out of her trance. She looked across the room to see Sesshomaru standing over a broken lamp beside his feet.
"Oh my god, what are you doing?"
Sesshomaru took off his cap, flung it across the room and shrugged. Passing a painting above the fireplace, he gripped the frame, yanked it off the hooks and broke it in half.
"What we came here for." Sesshomaru picked up the fire poker beside the fireplace and began swinging across the room, breaking vases, glass tables, the chandelier. He scraped the walls with its sharp edge and tossed it to the floor.
"Oh my god." Kagome laughed. "Are you going mad? We'll get into trouble and have to pay for this stuff!"
"You mean, Inuyasha will have to pay for this stuff." Sesshomaru smirked as he continued to break things. Kagome shrugged and opened the bag of merchandise, flicking thongs at the ceiling fan. She walked over to a vase of flowers, pulled out the flowers and replaced them with dildos. She scattered the anal beads all across the floor and ripped condoms out of its package. Sesshomaru watched as Kagome opened up one condom and spit into it.
"Real nice, Kagome. Leave your DNA around for them to find. Why not write your name all around the walls while you're at it?" Sesshomaru shook his head.
"You do your thing, Sesshomaru... and I'll do mine." Kagome slapped the condom against the flat screen TV.
"That's disgusting." Sesshomaru raised his brows at her.
"Thank you." Kagome chuckled evilly and bowed as she threw the butt plugs into a cup on the nightstand.
"We should go." He said.
"Ok, one more thing." Kagome took out the massaging oil bottles and opened them, squirting them all over the place. On the white blankets of the bed and the walls. Droplets of oil cascaded down the wall, leaving a stain in its trace.
Sesshomaru noticed Kagome was getting to close to the fireplace as she relentlessly squirted the oils around her.
"Kagome...be careful. The fireplace."
But it was too late. A large drop of oil got too close to the ledge of the fireplace and caught fire. It quickly spread to the rug and went up in flames as it fueled itself from the surrounding droplets. Kagome's mouth formed and O shape and dropped the bottle on the ground and began to freak. Sesshomaru lunged toward her, pulled her away and grabbed the pillowcase as he sought to put the fire out.
"Oh my god, Oh my god." Kagome said.
Oil must have gotten on the pillowcase because it immediately spread to the fabric onto Sesshomaru's sleeve. Kagome screamed, pointing out he was on fire because he didn't realize. Kagome noticed a fire extinguisher by the door and rushed over to it. Sesshomaru patted his sleeve, but his hands were also covered in oil. The fire spread to the curtains, and before Kagome could rush back with the fire extinguisher, the fire alarm sounded setting off the sprinklers.
Kagome and Sesshomaru instantly were drenched as she helped him put the fire out on his sleeve. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. They stumbled out, looking both ends of the hallway as they headed for the staircase. A blonde woman walked out of her room, holding a small dog wearing a pink bodysuit.
"What's going on here?" she shouted, her little dog yapping.
Kagome turned her gaze back at her as Sesshomaru pulled her down the hallway.
"Is that Paris Hilton?" Kagome's eyes widened.
"Who cares." He said, pushing the door open to the stairwell and yanking Kagome behind him. They composed themselves once they reached the lobby, passing the frantic employees leading a group of firemen.
"Oh, we overdid it." Kagome whispered tersely as they escaped out of the backside of the hotel. Wet clothes clung tightly to their skin, smelling of fire and cotton candy oil, they walked rapidly toward the parking lot. Kagome replayed everything in her head and double over laughing.
"It's not funny." He snapped. "That was probably the most stupid thing I have ever done…" he scolded himself as Kagome tried to catch up to him.
"Wait..." she tried to say, but another uncontrollable belly laugh exploded, making her knees buckle. "Oh my god, I'm going to pee myself."
Sesshomaru handed the valet his ticket and within minutes, the valet rolled up in his car. Kagome laughed nearly halfway back home. Once she was able to stop, she looked back over to him and started laughing again.
"I'm sorry..." she muttered hoarsely; her throat raw but laughing. Another laugh broke through when she saw Sesshomaru's long sleeve burnt to a 3/4 length and had thread hanging off the sides. " I'm so-o-orry!" she fell into more painful fits of laughter. "I just can't stop laughing, I'm trying—I-I swear."
Her laughing was so loud and somewhat funny when she snorted that Sesshomaru couldn't contain his smirk any longer.
"That was very stupid, Kagome."
"I know...but—that stuff only happens in movies. I mean," she giggled. "You were on fire! and then Paris Hilton comes out twirling her hair, like come on!" Kagome said before another high-pitched laugh escaped her throat.
Sesshomaru chuckled under his breath and shook his head. "Well, you should develop those pictures as soon as possible.
Kagome gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh no, I think I left the camera back at the hotel."
Sesshomaru slammed the breaks and scowled. "Are you serious?"
Kagome smiled and pulled the camera out of her pocket.
"That wasn't funny." Sesshomaru sighed, as he lightly pressed on the gas.
"Your face...oh my god."
"Yes, you're quite the comedian." Sesshomaru exhaled, biting the insides of his cheeks to prevent a smile. He shook his head as they continued their drive home.