Inuyasha plucked the E string on his guitar perpetually as he doze off into his thoughts. Trying to conglomerate the random words in his mind to form just a mere sentence. Another hit song was what he needed to stay on top.
"Inuyasha?" he heard yet he couldn't acknowledge. His attention was on the words in his mind. He began to hum as he strummed the chords to his custom-made Gibson guitar. Red oak neck, Mahogany colored frame with pieces of a rare jewel imported from one of the islands surrounding Japan embedded into the head. The jewel alone was costly. Due to his hit single, he was able to get one shard of it, and had it cut into tiny pieces. One of those pieces went to the engagement ring that was on his Kikyo's finger.
"Inuyasha!" the voice came louder.
Inuyasha growled to himself and snapped to his side toward the direction of the voice. "What, damnit?"
Kikyo gasped to herself and frowned. " I was calling your name for the longest now…you keep strumming your stupid guitar and ignoring me!"
"Damn it, Kikyo. I am trying to work on a song here, ok?" Inuyasha set his guitar on its stand and rubbed his face. He stood up and walked over to the window.
"Well, excuse me, I'm sorry I want your attention. I mean, I'm only your fiancée'!" she cried as she raised her left hand showing the ring.
"So, you keep reminding me…" Inuyasha muttered.
"What did you say?" she came closer to him.
"Nothing. Look, I need to work on my music, ok?" he opened the window to breathe in fresh air.
"Ugh, all you care about is your music! What about what I want, huh? You don't take me out anymore! We always stay home!"
"Keep it down." Inuyasha scowled at her. "My dad will hear you."
" Of course, your father." Kikyo snorted. " I mean, it's going on four months now, Inuyasha and we still live with your father?"
" Look, my single ain't selling like it used to, I gotta make a better song! You don't want to live in a regular apartment and to buy a mansion costs money...so would you sto-"
Kikyo interrupted with another chuckle. " Unbelievable..." she shook her head. "You and your stupid music."
"My stupid music?" Inuyasha pointed to his chest feeling the hurt of her insult. " My stupid music is what paid for your trip to Hawaii, the engagement ring with a rare jewel, your meals at that 4-star restaurant you like to eat at, your hair, your nails, your car! Want me to keep going on!" Inuyasha was inches from her face. He had wanted to strike her but of course, he was raised better than that. The anger though was unbearable. Truth be told, ever since he had been with Kikyo, he couldn't write another song. He'd tried but he had thought it all to be garbage. He should have just stayed broken up with Kikyo and tried to get Kagome back. Kagome. When he was with her, songs just poured out of him naturally. He shook his mind off of her and turned away from Kikyo. The sight of her made him angrier.
"How dare you throw it into my face like I'm some gold digger! Your brother never complained! He's not living at home with his father."
"That's it, you tell me now!" Inuyasha lunged toward her and grabbed her wrist. " You still have feelings for him, don't you?"
" No..." Kikyo cringed. " I don't..."
Inuyasha dropped her wrist and walked toward the bed.
"I'm sorry..." Kikyo smirked. "I was angry…I was just saying whatever to get you mad...you know I love you, right?" she walked over to him and hugged him from behind. She rubbed her hands on his chest and turned him around. She pouted and looked up at him and kissed his hands.
"I'm sorry too..." Inuyasha's face softened from the anger he had a second ago. " I just...it's all this crap, you know… My agent is on my ass about my next song. You know, my dad still doesn't know we go out? I tried telling him but he thinks I'm kidding. He keeps asking me would Sesshomaru mind you sleeping in my room like it is some sleepover…plus he still doesn't know where Sesshomaru is."
"Who cares, he's a grown man..." Kikyo scoffed as she got into bed.
"Yeah...but...it's not like him to just disappear." Inuyasha grunted as he lied next to her" He's been seen at work but no one knows where he goes afterward. We had one of our chauffeurs follow him but he lost him and no one seems to know where he's staying at. Rumor's going around saying he is living somewhere downtown...but come on..." Inuyasha scoffed a chuckle. " Sesshomaru? Downtown?"
"You think I should highlight my hair?" Kikyo twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
Inuyasha stared at her disbelievingly and shook his head. " I'm turning in..." he rolled to his side but heard a commotion coming from downstairs.
"What's that?" Kikyo gripped his shoulder feeling scared.
Inuyasha just frowned and slowly walked towards their door. He crept silently and rested his ear on the door to hear anything, but nothing came. He looked back at Kikyo and shrugged as he turned to walk back. The door broke open with men coming in with guns and tackled Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha!" Kikyo's screamed.
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Sesshomaru and Kagome entered the apartment, still wet from the hotel. Kagome coughed as she peeled off her jacket. She looked over to see Sesshomaru unbuttoning his dress shirt in front of her. They both stared at the bathroom.
Sesshomaru bowed his head. "You may go first."
"No, it's okay…I'll wait, you can go." she retorted.
" No, I insist..." he shook his head.
" Look, you need one more than I do." she darted her eyes from his sleeve to his eyes.
" Fine..." he said then left to shower.
Kagome cleared her throat and rubbed her neck at the soreness from laughing nearly the entire ride back home. She grimaced as she peeled off the wet skirt, unbuttoned her damp blouse, and set it to the side by the door. She looked in the mirror as she stripped her clothes. The smile she had stuck on her face from the events earlier faded as she stared at her reflection. Thoughts about Inuyasha. She wondered what he was up to, reflecting on the times they'd cuddle on the couch and watch TV. She hated to admit it but she missed him. She heard the water turn off in the bathroom and wrapped her towel around her. Dawdling down the hallway, she stopped when Sesshomaru opened the door to the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist. She gulped, scolding herself to look away before he caught her looking.
"I'm done..." he said, quickly noting the glistening shine on her shoulders and cleavage from the oils. Kagome avoided looking at his bare chest and closed the door as she ambled past him to go inside. She held her head under the shower head as the warm water soothed her scalp. Lathering body wash all over her body, she suddenly felt hungry. It was well past midnight, but she was nowhere near tired. She was definitely having a bowl of cereal after she was done. After a half an hour, she finished up and changed in her bedroom when she heard a knock at their door. When she came out, Sesshomaru was standing in the doorway with a man handing him a bag of Chinese takeout.
" I took the liberty of ordering something to eat." He said after he paid the delivery guy. Walking to the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder at her. "You're still hungry, I assume?"
"My stomach was growling in the shower." She chuckled. "I'm starving."
"Me too." He said, glancing at his watch.
Kagome grabbed plates from the cupboard. "What'd you get?"
"I'm not sure." Sesshomaru frowned. "I don't really eat Chinese food. I asked the woman on the phone for the most popular entree on the menu."
Entrée? She shook her head as he paused to check an email on his phone. She made a plate for herself as well as him and brought it to the living room. Sesshomaru noticed, grabbed the drinks and followed her out. He set her drink in front of her and sat down.
"Oooh, Ice Age is on! I've been wanting to watch this." She brought a fork full of fried rice to her mouth and glanced at their drinks on the coffee table. "Hey, you noticed I don't put ice in my soda."
Sesshomaru shot her a sideways glance and cleared his throat. " No. I must have forgotten to put ice into it."
Kagome thought to herself for a moment after seeing cubes of ice floating in his glass. She shrugged and chewed quietly as they watched the movie. She studied his cup and hers for a moment, seeing his having ice and shrugged. Sesshomaru picked at his food while scanning his emails. As he reached for his drink, he rolled up his sleeves and Kagome gasped.
"Oh my god, you said you were fine!" she uttered exasperatedly and set her food down. She grabbed his arm to examine it.
"and I am..." he said, gently pulling his arm back.
"Ugh...you're so stubborn" Kagome got up, sprinted to the bathroom, and came back with a first aid kit which made Sesshomaru scoff.
"You're not serious?" he chuckled dryly. "It's hardly a first-degree burn."
" Yes…but it could get infected! Oh my god, I remember one time when I spilled hot water on my arm…I thought I was going to die!" Kagome groaned.
"You're so dramatic." he looked towards the television as he tried to fight Kagome for his arm.
" Stay still!" Kagome demanded as she held his arm more tightly and opened the first aid kit. She rested his arm on her lap as she opened a tube of aloe vera. She massaged the ointment onto his skin and softly rubbed it across his entire forearm. He watched her discreetly, confused as to why he enjoyed the touch of her fingers on his arm. His eyes trailed up from her legs, to her breasts and settled on her pouty lips. She was deeply concentrated on his arm as one hand intertwined with his and the other continued to massage. The thought of biting her bottom lip crossed his mind and he had to look away from her. His breath caught in his throat as the image continued to torment him. He fixed his attention back on the television.
"The plot of this movie is ridiculous. A sabretooth, mammoth and a sloth...finding their way toward each other and decide to go a fatuous quest to find the parents of a baby, which the tiger would have eaten I might add." Sesshomaru spat with disbelief. " then become friends with each other, which defies all reasoning."
Kagome gasped. "Friends? Oh my god...the abomination."
"My sentiments exactly." Sesshomaru sighed.
"It was a joke? It's a movie, for kids...you know, those little people that we were once upon a time? Of course, the plot won't make sense. Besides, thanks for telling me the movie. Now I don't want to see it. Your critiquing will be in my mind."
"Watch the movie." he took his arm away noticing she was done. "you will thank me later for trying to give you a fair warning."
"Wait a minute…" Kagome shook her head, putting the first aid kit away. "I'm surprised you even watched a kids movie."
"It wasn't my choice." He cast a crooked grin at her. "Rin made me watch it."
"Uh-huh, sure." Kagome teased.
Sesshomaru playfully scowled. "Thank you for dressing my wound, I may now live to see another day."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "You're welcome."
After they finished eating, Kagome grabbed their plates and brought it to the kitchen and put them into the dishwasher. She came back into the living room and sat next to Sesshomaru.
She sat so close to him; he could smell the scent of her hair. The floral fragrance aroused him, and he had to scoot away. Kagome acknowledged his discomfort and scooted away as well. After the movie finished, they watched commercials for a couple of more hours.
"Can I ask you a question?" she turned to face him.
"Aside from the one you just asked?" he sighed as he fished into the pockets of his dark grey sweats for his pack of cigarettes.
"If you want to get all technical...yes"
Sesshomaru nodded as rummaged through his pockets for his cigarettes.
"Do you miss Kikyo?" she asked
"Not this again..." Sesshomaru stood up and walked over to the living room window. He opened it, lifted his leg over the window onto the fire escape and sat down on the ledge.
Kagome frowned as she grabbed her drink from the coffee table and walked over to the window and climbed over to sit by him. He regarded her with mild annoyance.
Sesshomaru placed the cigarette between his lips and began to pat his pockets for his lighter. "What is the reason behind this?"
"Why can't you answer the question?" Kagome scoffed, sipping the last of her soda and set the cup beside her. "It is a simple yes or no."
"No…I don't." he answered flatly. He grew frustrated as he continued to fumble around for his lighter. "Not that I care...but why do you torture yourself with the past?" he breathed a relieved sigh finding his lighter. He lit his cigarette, took a long puff and expelled the smoke away from her, and waved the rest of the smoke away.
"because, I don't understand it. How can you be with someone for so long and not be affected with all of this?"
Sesshomaru lowered his head and took another puff. " You honestly didn't know of his philandering?"
Kagome looked away from him. " I really didn't. I mean, why should I? We were together for five years. I had trusted him. When you are with someone, you have to trust them, right? If you don't, well, then something is clearly wrong."
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes across the street then looked skyward at the moon above them, his amber orbs glistening against its beaming light. "Perhaps that is why I am not so affected by it." He tilted his head and glared at her. "I never trusted her to begin with."
"Then...why were you guys together?" Kagome's brows knitted together as she shook her head.
Sesshomaru shrugged and took another drag of his cigarette. It was clear he had no intention of answering her, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't have an answer. Why did he stay with Kikyo for so long?
Kagome inhaled a deep breath to compose her frustration. She hated when he did that. Just when she thought she was getting him to open up so she could know more about him, he'd shut down. She had hoped he trusted her the way she trusted him. Was she being naive to trust so easily? She decided to change the subject. She shivered beside him and he gazed to the side at her. "I wish we could see the stars."
"The full moon and the lights all around the city makes that impossible." He sighed, sharing her sympathy.
Kagome blew her hot breath into her hands and started rubbing them together to generate some heat. "You thought about dating again?"
"Why are you on the subject of duality today? Honestly, do you feel lost without the company of a 'significant other'?"
"Why do you have to insult me by just asking you a question?" Kagome snapped defensively.
"I'm not insulting you. You're becoming defensive because I'm acknowledging your codependency."
"Just forget I asked." Kagome pressed her lips tightly and looked away from him. Why did he have to make her feel bad?
Sesshomaru, realizing once again his mouth got the best of him, answered her question. "No... I haven't thought about dating." He pulled his sweater off and adjusted his white undershirt. Handing her the sweater, she looked at him confused. "You're cold, put it on."
Kagome looked at him, surprised, a crease in her eyebrows showing confusion. She hesitantly grabbed the shirt and held it for a moment. His eyes flickered as she continued to hold the shirt midair. After another second, she pulled it over her head and relaxed at the immediate warmth it offered her.
"Thanks…" she said, then contemplated whether to press on about him dating. She didn't know why she was so curious to know. "Do you not want to date?"
"It isn't a priority right now for me." he sighed, trying his best not to show he was annoyed.
"Why not? I mean, I am sure you have a line of girls waiting for you. I've seen how they look at you when we walk down a street."
Sesshomaru scoffed to himself and turned his head towards her where his chin rested on his shoulder. " I could say the same about you." he then mentally punched himself. What the hell was that about? "You're so focused on my personal life, why aren't you dating?"
"Oh please...I do not have a line of guys waiting for me." Kagome blushed and then snapped out of it. Ew, were they flirting? "and I don't want to really force it. I rather it happen organically. That woman Shurran at the office has it bad for you."
"Mm, Shurran. Yes...that woman is unbelievably persistent." Sesshomaru scoffed.
"She's really pretty and seems like your type."
"I have a type?" he eyed her sideways. "Please pray tell what that is?"
Kagome giggled into the collar of his sweater. She inhaled his cologne and became intoxicated. Clearing her throat, she snuck a glance at him and shrugged.
"Pretty, confident, has her shit together. The type that gets up early, does yoga, eats salads and avoids carbs, always shopping at the mall." She stopped realizing she was describing Kikyo.
Sesshomaru cackled. "You have me figured out."
Kagome bit her lip. "Is it?"
"I don't believe I have a type." He said. "I just…like who I like. Besides, I don't make it a habit of developing a courtship with an employee."
"What if she wasn't an employee?"
Sesshomaru shook his head. "You're relentlessly curious, Kagome."
Kagome watched him as he fell into deep thought, observing his defined jaw, his perfectly shaped lips. Her gaze landed on his muscles as he flexed them while adjusting himself. The idea of him being attracted to Shurran made her feel a certain way and she didn't like it; assurance would help negate such feelings.
"I'm just making small talk." She snorted. She also hated the silence between them. After a moment of even more dreadful silence, she gave up and started another topic.
"So, Sango and the rest of the gang are coming tomorrow night for dinner, well…" she stopped to look at her watch. "Tonight actually...since it is already the next day. Is that fine?"
"That is fine. I'll give you your space and get home later in the night."
"Can't you join us?" A gust of wind whipped by, sending the aroma from his shirt up her nose. Her eyes rolled back at the euphoric state it brought her.
"Do you want me to?" he asked, looking over to see her sniffing his shirt. He shot an amused grin at her. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, why?" she snapped out of it and shifted her butt on the ledge. "Yeah, of course I want you to, why not?"
"I'm…not the best company in groups."
"Oh stop." She said. "Honestly, the boys are the ones who do all of the talking anyway, well, mainly Koga."
"I don't know." He said reluctantly. "I don't think it's a good idea."
"Why not?"
"because…"
" Do you have something important to do?" she interrogated.
"No.."
"Then why can't you join us? I'd feel better if you did."
" I'll see..." he fidgeted with his fingers wondering if he should smoke another cigarette. The conversation was dwindling, and he dreaded the night ending regardless if it was almost five in the morning. He felt at ease in her company and cursed himself for being socially inept to engage in topics with her. Each time he thought of something to ask, he would second guess himself and feel a sense of intimidation. He mentally laughed. Him intimidated? Yeah, right.
"What are your plans, school should be starting soon, I take it?" That was pretty lame, he thought. Could he be any more generic? It was hard for him to think of something to ask when it wasn't litigable.
"Yeah..." Kagome rubbed her scalp and flipped her hair around. He found himself watching with admiration then looked away." Well, I was thinking of getting into Journalism. Maybe travel around the world, I don't know. I may just stay undecided until I figure it out."
"Where'd you travel to?"
"Everywhere." She smiled. "Just get out of this city for once."
"Journalism," he droned for a moment then gave her a pleased nod. "That may suit you since you have a knack for it. Some people choose ambitions that surpass their level of capability."
"That's cruel..." Kagome laughed.
"That is the harsh truth." Sesshomaru simpered to himself.
Kagome regarded him quietly, desperately wanting to look into his thoughts. He was too damn hard to read and very stubborn. His face showed no disturbance or any sign of stress yet she felt a hint of pain and anguish. Something was there. She frowned replaying his statement in her head. "Hey...what did you mean 'I have a knack for it.' You've never read my work."
"but I have" he admitted, and she noticed he had a modest grin, almost as if he had not intended to let her know he did.
"Which one?"
He thought for a moment. "'Programmed by prejudice', there were a few more in the school newspaper, I don't remember the titles. I favored the piece written about how technology will cripple life for everyone causing them to put less effort in everyday tasks."
"You read that!" Kagome gasped, her face feeling hot. Thankfully, it was dark because she was sure she was blushing.
Sesshomaru nodded but avoided looking at her. "Why are you surprised?"
"I don't know…" she said. "I figured…well, you're just so busy with everything." Throughout high school, she'd beg Inuyasha to read her pieces and give opinions, but he never really offered more than a 'good job, babe!', and though it was mildly encouraging, she had wanted more input.
"You know how to engage the reader, which is important, but you also offered explanations, especially for those who aren't privy to certain technology and ways of life. You've also gotten better and definitely enhanced your skill since your first article, what was it, 'Shallow norms'?"
Oh my god, Kagome thought. Her head was about to burst at the shock coursing throughout her entire body. Sesshomaru read her first article? Most popular rich and callous demon in their high school, who never even so much as looked at her in school, barely said hi even when she had dinner at their house when Inuyasha would invite her over. She realized she was staring at him and he grew uncomfortable. She wanted to ask more questions but feared he'd dismiss it with a sarcastic statement, that he accidently read it when he was about to use the paper to line his bird cage. All she did was smile.
"The sun is coming up..." she pointed out.
"So, it is..." Sesshomaru stared at the purple and pink sky above them. "We should go inside and get some sleep."
"I'm not tired for some reason." she grinned as she stood up and walked over to the railing.
"Me neither."
The sun began to rise above the building, casting an orange glow against their skin. A gust of wind blew Kagome's hair across her face and without thinking, Sesshomaru reached over and removed a strand from her eye. She looked over at him and he quickly retracted his arm back to his side. He clenched his jaw as he realized what he had just done. What the hell was his problem? He closed his fist and dug one of his claws into his palm, as if he were punishing his hand.
"You want some coffee?" she said, breaking their awkwardness though a tingling sensation prickled her body the minute she felt his hand on her face.
"Always…" he said, putting his hands into his pockets, not trusting himself. "You go inside, I'm going to stay a few minutes longer."
He stood up and leaned against the railing. Gripping the bars, he cursed under his breath. What was that about? Kagome went back inside, and he could hear the coffee machine grinding beans, the entire apartment smelled of espresso. After ten minutes, Sesshomaru went inside. Kagome set their coffees on the table as she surfed channels on the television.
The two of the them sat on the couch holding their cups and began to sip as they watched the news and listened for the weather. Kagome began to yawn feeling the sleepiness creep up on her. She set her cup of coffee down and went to her room to grab a pillow and blanket so she could rest comfortably on the couch.
"Giving in?" Sesshomaru smirked.
"No..." Kagome retorted trying to keep an awake face. She felt he was challenging her on who'd stay up longer. She put the pillow beside him and laid down on the couch, wrapping the blanket over her. She rubbed her face into the pillow to ease away the sleep that tried to consume her. As she adjusted herself on the couch beside him, the pillow slid toward him and she rested her head partly on his lap. He debated whether he should move but just stayed there. They began to watch the news and after fifteen minutes, they were both drifting in and out of sleep. Sesshomaru rubbed his eyes gently and rested his hand under his chin holding his head up. It wasn't until they heard Inuyasha's name on television when both of them opened their eyes wide.
TV
"Yes, Mark. Today will be a lovely day with a slight sun shower that will last for an hour. On to other news, you City Slackers fans out there will be disappointed to hear that 19-year-old, Inuyasha was arrested at his house today for series of chaotic events on Broadway."
The news cut to a scene where Inuyasha was being dragged out by the cops.
" I ain't do nothing!" he yelled trying to struggle away from the cops.
His father followed behind with the cops, confused. "Is this a video shoot?"
Inuyasha growled. "Dad! They're arresting me, dad. Tell them I ain't do nothing."
"Inuyasha, 'ain't' is not a word. As I've told you repeatedly. Why are you guys filming so late?" his father asked the cops. "You guys did a great job; you look like real cops."
" The famous Hanyou was reprimanded at 4am this morning at his father's mansion for further questioning. Inuyasha has assaulted a stripper and committed arson at the Trump hotel, causing a fire in one of the penthouse rooms and completely vandalizing it. Rosemary is at the scene live questioning the witnesses now..."
Rosemary: "Yes, Carlene. This event is causing thousands of riling fans to riot outside of the 67th Precinct protesting for the release of their musical icon. We were told the Hanyou was seen acting violently on Broadway and was told he harassed a stripper at the club 'Your pleasure'. We have just received word that a hotel employee at the Trump hotel by the name of Bill Morrison tried to commit suicide in the employee's bathroom by swallowing a jar of Tylenol when the music icon bated him with a crass message, telling him to kill himself. This is what the witnesses had to say"
Tommy Parker (Witness 1-Trump hotel employee) " Yeah, I blame Inuyasha for Billy's attempted suicide. He praises Inuyasha. His room is full of his posters and he has every album. All he asked Inuyasha was for his autograph, that is it and the bastard wrote on his autograph. "To annoying kid, go (beep) yourself and die." Billy probably took it literal. He would do anything for Inuyasha. I hope that bastard rots in jail!"
Kagome turned to Sesshomaru blinked at the television. "You wrote that?"
He could tell she was frowning at him but he didn't meet her gaze.
Muffin (Stripper at 'My pleasure'.)" Yes, Inuyasha was very rude and tried to strangle one of my girls. I didn't put mind to his violent ways, we get customers like that all the time. We have a bondage section specifically for them." Muffin winked. "but he grabbed her by the throat and wanted to kill her. The sick bastard wanted to take pictures of it too..."
Rosemary: " and you're sure this was Inuyasha?"
Muffin: " No doubt about it. That delicious looking candy apple even brought his credit card. Plus, the surveillance caught him in the act but the police took it. " he snapped at one of the officers. " Am I getting that tape back?" he turned to a cop.
Rosemary: "Well, there you have it, Inuyasha is now in police custody. I 'll keep you updated. I'm Rosemary, channel 1, live at Broadway. Back to you, Carlene."
Carlene: Looks like his career is over. We will return right after this commercial.
Sesshomaru grabbed the remote from Kagome's hand and turned off the television. They both remained quiet. Not saying one word to each other, not looking at each other. Just in complete silence. The silence lingered for a while that they both fell asleep.
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Sesshomaru opened his eyes slowly and looked down at his lap. Kagome was sleeping soundly. His gaze moved toward her stomach where his hand lied. He immediately pulled his hand back and felt his eyes grow wide. He looked around confused and checked the time on his watch. They fell asleep for three hours. He stealthily slipped from under her, resting the pillow gently against the couch without waking her. He had to get out of the house. He crept quietly to the bathroom, took a cold shower to wake him out of the stupor he felt himself in, and left the house.
Kagome awoke several hours later. She squinted at the time as she stretched herself across the couch and sat upright, wondering where Sesshomaru had gone.
Oh my god, it's 2:00pm, she thought. 'I'm such a loser.
She got up and instantly searched the apartment, confirming Sesshomaru was not around. She wondered where he was as she made herself a cup of coffee and jumped into the shower. She rubbed her eyes as she walked to the kitchen and frowned. She was startled by the phone ringing and walked toward it calmly to pick it up.
"Mmhello?" she uttered groggily.
"Oh my god, did you just wake up?"
"Sango? " Kagome scratched her head. " What's up?" Kagome went to her bed to lay down, she was still tired but didn't want to go to sleep. The day was almost over and she wanted to do a few things before coming back home to cook for dinner for her friends.
"What are you doing? I'm bored."
"Nothing really. I went to bed really late and woke up thirty minutes ago."
"Wow...you're such a bum..." Sango teased.
" I know..." Kagome muffled into the phone, her cheek pressed against the pillow. She didn't even want to hold the phone anymore and rested it against her ear. "I do need to go shopping though. I need a new wardrobe. Gotta get rid of what I have now."
"Well...throw them over here...I just love hand-me-downs. " said Sango.
"Hey Kagome!" she heard another voice on the line yell.
"Tell Miroku I said hey..." Kagome turned over and grabbed the phone. It kept slipping off her ear. " You guys still coming over?"
" Yep…" Sango hiccupped. " It's going to be Miroku, Koga, Hojo and me"
"The usual..." Kagome chuckled.
"Pretty much...so do you want me to come over to help you cook?"
"If you want..." Kagome got up realizing she was dozing off again on her bed.
"K, I'll be over." She hung up.
Kagome's face went long from the absence of a decent farewell. Seriously, why doesn't anyone say 'bye' anymore, she thought.
Sango showed up an hour later. Kagome tidied up the apartment beforehand so Sesshomaru wouldn't complain about her mess. When Sango knocked at the door, Kagome was in the middle of doing her makeup. She answered the door, one of her eyes without eyeliner.
Sango entered looking radiant as usual, Kagome thought.
" You realize you only have one eye done with eyeliner?"
" No shit, you knocked when I was working on doing the other one. Hello to you too. Where's Miroku?"
"He's meeting us later, he and Koga are playing video games, I'm hungry..." Sango rubbed her stomach. "What do you have to eat here?" She walked to the fridge and opened it.
" What the hell is this?" She took out a jar of mysterious black goop." The label is in another language." Sango grimaced as she sniffed it and dug her finger in it.
" It's Russian Beluga, be careful, that's Sesshomaru's. It's imported and super expensive."
"Tastes weird." Sango heaved in disgust.
"Yeah, you expect fish eggs to taste like chicken?" Kagome shouted from the bathroom.
"Oh god..." Sango dry heaved as she covered the jar with its lid and slid it to the back of the refrigerator. "That's disgusting...why is he so gross?"
"Rich people." Kagome scoffed.
Kagome finished applying her makeup, dabbing a little concealer on the dark circles of her eyes.
"I'm afraid to eat anything in your kitchen." Sango closed the cupboard and met Kagome in the bathroom.
"You and me both." Kagome's eyes widened.
"So, we're just going clothes shopping?" Sango put her hands in the pockets of her hoody and leaned against the bathroom's doorway watching Kagome fix her hair.
"Well…there is this black and white party next week. I need a dress. I also wanted to make a stop at my mom's house. I haven't seen her, and she's been calling lately. So, we'll go there first so I can get that out of the way. "
"Can we get something to eat along the way?" Sango said as she moved to the side to let Kagome out of the bathroom.
" Sango, can't you hold out for a few hours? I'm cooking?"
" I know...that's why I want to get something to eat." Sango teased.
"Funny...let's go." Kagome straightened her blouse and grabbed her keys.
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"We should have taken my car; the AC at least works…and what is this?" Sango picked up a handle that was buried into her seat digging in the back of her butt.
"That's the handle to roll down the window..." Kagome blushed embarrassedly. " Stop ragging on my baby!"
"Kagome, this car is far from being a baby, I think it's older than your grandfather." Sango hung her head out of the window. " Can you at least floor it to get some wind. I'm melting here."
"I can't believe my mother was on my case about Kikyo. She always thought Kikyo to be the innocent princess. I wonder what kind of lies she's been feeding my mother."
"That's favoritism for ya" Sango found a magazine underneath her seat and began to open it. There was a layer of dust on the cover. "This magazine is from the 90's, Kagome, what the hell?"
"Ugh…I don't know. It came with the car." Kagome sulked in her thoughts.
"Kagome…don't you clean your car? " Sango threw it out of the window and wiped her hands on her jeans.
Kagome didn't say a word and just stared out of the windshield.
Sango sighed. "So, you heard about Inuyasha getting arrested?"
Kagome's heart pounded. " U-uh...Yes...I did." she stammered.
Sango bowed her head; Kagome must have been so hurt. She decided not to talk more about it. " Oh, hey, there is this guy at my job, I think you'd like him. He's super sweet and-"
Kagome shook her head. " I'm not really thinking about dating right now, Sango."
"Kagome, it's going on four months now. How long do you plan to torture yourself?"
"Sango, I'm not in complete agonizing pain because I don't have a boyfriend. It's not the end of the world for me." Kagome snapped. She realized her words sounded awfully familiar. Damn, Sesshomaru, get out of my head, she thought angrily.
"I know that, Kagome. I just don't want to see you depressed."
"but I'm not depressed. I've been working my ass off and saving for school. I'm working to fix up this car. I'm doing great."
"You think I don't realize what you're doing, hm? Kagome...don't fall for him."
"What are you talking about?" Kagome scowled at her. "Fall for whom?"
"Sesshomaru, who else? I can tell...that's why you don't want to date anyone. You already have your heart set out on him...and who else than the person you've been around 24 hours a day. I'm just trying to warn you, need I remind you he is Inuyasha's brother. They're just alike."
"We're not always together and he is not like Inuyasha. You can't say that they are a like because they're brothers. Kikyo and I are twins and I'm nothing like her!" Kagome shouted, feeling her blood boil. "and stop accusing me of liking him because I don't."
"Relax, Kagome. Forget I mentioned anything. Oh look, McDonalds." Sango pointed at the restaurant.
Kagome scowled at the back of her friend's head. Sango could really get on her nerves at time.
" Sango, Sesshomaru and I are just friends."
"Oh please...'Friends' isn't a word in Sesshomaru's vocabulary. " Sango rolled her eyes. "and I don't know, I have this feeling that…he likes you. Just be careful, maybe he has some vindictive notion to sleep with you just to get back at Inuyasha."
"Like me? Yeah right. You just don't know him." Kagome muttered under her breath.
"You don't either." Sango added.
" Uh, hello? I've been living with him for nearly four months now. I think I know a few things."
"Like?" Sango challenged her knowledge.
" Like..." Kagome stammered as she thought. " He...likes."
Sango crossed her arms. " Mmhm?"
" He..." Kagome continued then growled. "I just know him, okay. And all of the things we thought about him are wrong. He's actually really nice, considerate and… you know what, he read my articles, Sango."
"What articles?" Sango asked.
"For the school paper, remember the one I got an award for?"
"Oh yeah...the one about robots?"
Kagome closed her eyes and sighed. " Yeah...Sango, Robots..."
She decided to drop the subject and continued to drive around looking for a place to shop. After finding a place, she spent an hour looking for the things that caught her eye and then headed back home. It was 5pm already so she and Sango started cooking. Miroku, Koga and Hojo came an hour later.
"Dude, I'm starving!" Koga cackled as he rubbed his stomach and headed for the refrigerator. Sango was cutting onions by the counter and Kagome was stirring the pan of stir fry. Miroku and Hojo were sitting down arguing about the video game they played earlier.
"Kagome, Hojo is a cheater. Never partner up with him in Halo. Bastard will leave you to rot and save himself." Miroku fumed.
" No, I'm not…I was trying to find you." Hojo spat defensively.
" You guys are just mad because I beat the both of you." Koga chortled as he reached into the fridge and grabbed a jar. "What's this?" he opened it and sniffed it. He shrugged and emptied the small jar into his mouth.
Kagome and Sango both shot towards him. "No!"
"Ergh..what the fuck!" Koga gurgled as he closed his throat to stop the black curdling goo from being swallowed. He ran to the sink and coughed it up. "What the fuck is this shit!" he heaved.
"That's what you get..." Miroku laughed as he crossed his arms.
"Oh, that's just great, Koga...Sesshomaru is going to kill me. That caviar is imported at two-hundred dollars an ounce." Kagome snatched the empty jar.
"What the hell is he spending a lot money for that nasty crap for?" he continued to spit. "Oh god…somebody get something for me to drink, please!" he leaned over the sink.
"If you're going to throw up, don't do it in the sink!" Kagome pushed Koga out of the kitchen and glanced at her watch. Where was Sesshomaru? She tried calling his cellphone, but he didn't answer. Was he even going to show for dinner? As she began to serve dinner, the sound of keys jingled at the door. Everyone became quiet.
Sesshomaru entered the apartment and set his keys on the desk by the door. He walked towards the kitchen and went into the refrigerator not acknowledging anyone's presence and grabbed a bottle of water.
"Hey..." Kagome looked over at him perplexedly. "You said you'd be joining us."
"I made no such promise." He said then noticed the look of disappointment on her face. "Right, well, ok then." He said taking a seat beside her. He could feel ten eyes on him as Kagome served him a plate of stir fry. The room became heavy with tension as everyone looked at one another to start conversation.
Koga, noticing the awkward silence between everyone broke the silence.
"So, I go into this bar last night, right?" Koga began.
Kagome smirked. Koga to the rescue with his fun stories. Sesshomaru acknowledged Koga with a side glance.
"True story, I walk up to this chick, I'm like...hey, how's it going. You know, I just wanted to chit-chat, nothing fancy. Chick looks at me and goes, 'Beat it, asshole'. I'm like...'whoa, easy there girl, just making convo." Koga raised his hands up. He made eye contact with Sesshomaru while he spoke as if he were only telling him the story. "So she tells me to beat it, I'm like...ok fuck this girl, right? As soon as I turn around, some fucker left his briefcase by her chair, I trip over it, I grab the first thing I can..." Koga cackled.
"No fuckin' way dude..." Miroku laughed knowing what was coming next.
"Dude, so as I'm clinging to her boob, the bar goes quiet. I swear, the music stopped playing. I slowly look up and POW, she punched my lights out."
Miroku and Hojo laughed while Sango shook her head. Kagome giggled and glanced at Sesshomaru, who oddly enough gave a half grin.
"I wake up like an hour later, in the guy's bathroom like some fuckin' crackhead and walk out of it, every guy in the bar is laughing at me. I go home smelling like piss and a bruise on my cheek. I had to tell Ayame I got into a fight with some big ass dude..." Koga shook his head.
"That's what you get for talking to some chick when you have a girl." Sango scoffed.
"I was just talking." Koga rolled his eyes.
After they finished eating, they all had coffee and continued to talk.
Koga told a few more bar stories that took away the tension in the room, Miroku and Hojo still argued about the game of Halo they had played earlier. Sango made it awkward as she continued urging Kagome to go on dates, suggesting a few candidates from her job. Sesshomaru became annoyed by this and was about to excuse himself from the table when Koga got his attention.
Koga glanced between Sesshomaru and Kagome and smirked. "So, how's it living with Kagome?"
Sesshomaru was taken aback by the question and shrugged.
"It is fine."
" She doesn't annoy you with her loud corny music and dancing around the house?" Sango added.
" No.." Sesshomaru murmured and looked down. Why were they talking to him? He hated small talk. Yet, somehow, hanging with them was a little different from the people he was usually around.
"Kagome, how about you?" Koga grinned devilishly. Sango frowned at this. She knew what Koga was doing.
"Um...let's see. He's a neat freak...and he snores." Kagome snuck a look at him, purposely trying to antagonize him.
He shot her a scowl. "I do not..."
"It was a joke..." Kagome laughed. " He is a neat freak though."
"You snore." Sesshomaru mentioned with a serious face.
Kagome squinted evilly at him. " No, I don't."
"Yes, you do." Sesshomaru sneered at her.
"Yeah, you do..." Sango and Miroku said in unison.
Koga nodded and shrugged his shoulders.
"Just accept the truth."
Sesshomaru and Kagome began to argue about their habits to each other, and the rest just sat back and watched as the two went at it. Sango crossed her arms, fuming. Not enjoying this one bit while Koga enjoyed every minute of it.
They spent another hour talking and convened in the living room afterward. Kagome and Sango were styling Hojo and Miroku's hair while they watched TV.
Sesshomaru went out to the fire escape to smoke a cigarette, Koga joined him.
"Isn't it a big difference living here from where you lived before?" Koga lit his cigarette.
Sesshomaru took a drag of his and looked at him disbelievingly. " Of course, it is."
"Why do you put up with it?" Koga asked.
" I am not putting up with anything. I am here by my own choice."
"Interesting choice. You and Kagome seem to be getting along well." Koga said as he took in the view from the fire escape.
" I suppose." Sesshomaru's jaw tightened.
"You know, I noticed she's different now and wonder if you had to do anything with it. It's a good thing." Koga said, seeing Sesshomaru shoot him a scowl. "She's confident and looks healthy. She's also smiling a lot more, more vocal."
Sesshomaru shrugged. "I haven't noticed."
"You don't notice, hm?" Koga eyed him suspiciously. "Ah, I can tell. I know Kagome like the back of my hand. Her little blue-eyed peepers don't fool me."
"Her eyes are grey." Sesshomaru corrected.
Koga stared at him for a moment. "So, you do notice things…"
Sesshomaru watched him as he cast him a taunting grin and went back inside to join everyone else.
What did he mean by that? Sesshomaru wondered.