Disclaimer: The characters in my story are borrowed, not owned. If for any reason they must be returned, I will hide and claim I lost them! Just kidding. Seriously I don't own the characters. Just the story. Don't sue me. I'm not worth much.

On with the story...

Sixteen

The sky had settled into a brilliant mix of lavender and magenta. Tiki torches lit up the beach and the aroma from the grill gave Inuyasha the indication the food was just about ready. Thank Goodness. It was beginning to be one of the most awkward dinners of his life. And that was saying a lot, as he had been in some pretty compromising situations in the past.

He sipped his drink while glancing around the table, doing his best to hide his discomfort from Kikyou. He wanted the night to be a hit. It was supposed to be a simple dinner for them to all loosen up and get to know one another, however, the mood was damp and the lack of conversation made it worse. Luckily his parents and Kikyou's father got along fairly well and kept their conversation at a light pace. He hoped no one could sense his increasing discomfort. He had so many questions bothering him.

Why was Kikyou's face so red? He could see she did her best to blend her makeup with the cherry colored bruise but it was possible she didn't realize it had begun to darken more and more as the day continued. Nonetheless, she was still beautiful in his eyes. He could tell she put in a bit more effort in her attire for this dinner with his parents.

Thinking of his parents, they had him just as worried. He knew they did their best to whisper amongst themselves but their conversation was crystal clear for him. They worried about the bruise as well. And to make matters worse, they were actually arguing about whether or not it was from a fight with Kagome.

He rolled his eyes and took another drink as their food finally had arrived. It was about time. His thoughts were beginning to eat away at his sanity. He did his best not to glance at his brother and the raven-haired beauty who hadn't touched her drink once. He thought for sure she'd be on her third martini by now. All she did was lean on Sesshomaru and sigh over and over. She wouldn't even look at him when he asked her what was wrong. If anything, she was the reason he was on his third drink.

"Wow! Everything looks amazing, right Inuyasha?" Kikyou exclaimed.

He hardly processed her words despite her being right next to him. He did his best to play it off by asking her to feed him the first bite. Now Sesshomaru was intrigued.

He held Kagome to his torso as he fixed his eyes on his brother's guest of honor. The golden orbs playfully danced between her manicure and the plate before her. This had to cheer Kagome up for sure.

"Hey," he whispered into her hair. She didn't respond but her shift in weight let him know she was listening. "Manicure bloodbath coming up." He declared. He did his best to hide his grin in her hair. Bloodbath? Kagome wondered. She turned to see Kikyou trying to daintily pick up a baby back rib for Inuyasha.

"She's not brave enough to ruin her nails with the sauce..." Kagome grumbled in disbelief. She knew both demons could hear her and honestly didn't care. As if the universe was against her, Kikyou picked up a hearty sized piece dripping in barbeque sauce.

The puzzle in her mind was neverending and her mumblings grew louder than she intended.

"I hope he chokes on her nail polish," Kagome added as the meat touched his lips. Sesshomaru stifled a laugh and turned her chin towards him.

He patiently waited until her eyes finally met his. There was a mix of glee and concern in his captivating gaze. She quickly realized how bitter her statement sounded.

"Did you change your mind?" Sesshomaru asked. He knew his brother's feelings for her would temporarily stun her in their current situation but he didn't anticipate her being out of commission.

Before she could consider her answer, his lips descended upon hers in an effort to help clear her mind. The kiss was patient. She loved how in tune he was with her emotions. He always knew how to get his way while keeping her best interests at heart. She was grateful for the distraction and the kiss seemed to end two seconds too soon.

"Hungry?" Sesshomaru asked her. He did his best to ignore the questioning glare his parents gave him. Instead, he grabbed a plate and began filling it for Kagome.

"Now I'm starving." Kagome finally said, taking a look at all the food. The kiss definitely had her worked up and she wanted to eat as much food as she could to attempt to hide her growing arousal. She took a bite of bread to calm her breathing. It didn't seem to help. She tossed back her drink and touched Sesshomaru's leg in hopes he'd give her another one.

"Later," Sesshomaru growled low in her ear. The kiss seemed to do more harm than it did good. What made it worse was the fact that he knew she was sober. She was fully aware of her actions and seemed to not care. He forcefully stopped her hand from creeping up his leg. Shit. Now he wanted, no needed, to leave.

"Something wrong bro?" Inuyasha asked with a raised brow. He could smell her arousal as well as sense Sesshomaru's irritation. What he didn't understand was why they were suddenly so close. And what was up with Kagome's mood? She was so hard to read and she still hadn't looked at him once that night.

"Tequila. Now." Sesshomaru managed to bite out. His eyes flickered with every movement Kagome made. He watched her intensely as she slowly rubbed her thighs together in hopes to release.

Inuyasha smirked at Kagome's bold display until he realized she was doing this for his brother, not him. He rolled his eyes back to Sesshomaru. He was on the verge of losing control and Inuyasha knew it. Unfortunately, Inuyasha was too petty and annoyed to answer his request.

"Shots of Patron, please!" InuTaisho called out to the waiting staff. He knew that look in his son's eyes and things would get really awkward if they didn't allow him to calm down. The drinks luckily came instantly and he watched as both Sesshomaru and Kagome took down a double shot.

"Let's have one too, Inuyasha," Kikyou said while raising a shot glass. Inuyasha obliged her and drank the liquid down in one gulp. Kikyou shook her head as the bitter liquid remained in her mouth. She always had a hard time with straight alcohol.

Kagome was feeling much better now and was amused by Kikyou's antics. "Don't tell me you don't swallow..." She said seriously.

Kikyou's father spat his shot out fiercely. The awkward silence returned.

Kagome briefly apologized and looked at Sesshomaru in horror. She had no idea Kikyo's father was at the table. Surely the Takahashi's were used to her outspoken mouth but she needed to behave in front of guests.

Shoot me now, she thought, hiding in Sesshomaru's chest.

The uncomfortable dinner continued with Kagome remaining silent until the very end.

Kagome was grateful to still be invited out to the exclusive lounge Inuyasha had planned for them all. She thought for sure she ruined things but with his beaming smile, he seemed unfazed by the ordeal.

The music switched to techno and Kikyo immediately jumped up to dance. As she grabbed Inuyasha, Kagome gave a look to Sesshomaru for help. He seemed to read her mind effortlessly, grabbing Kikyou's hand.

"You've been hogging her. My turn," the older demon told his brother with a wink and headed to the dance floor below.

Before he could protest, Kagome shouted over him to the bartender for two martinis. She gave him a smile before turning her attention to Inuyasha.

He sat and looked her over for a minute. "This is the first time you've looked at me all night. You okay?" Inuyasha asked, genuinely concerned. The suspense was getting old. He needed answers and she could tell his patience was running thin. Luckily her liquid courage was on its way. Seemed like no amount of alcohol could put her at ease, but she drank it greedily nonetheless.

Inuyasha shook his head and held his drink away from her prying hands. "You need to slow down, princess." He drank the martini down in a gulp to emphasize his refusal to share.

Kagome plopped down on the couch with a pout.

"We're rarely alone. Now's your chance to at least say hello to me. Come here," Inuyasha coaxed. He placed his empty glass on the table beside him and pulled Kagome closer to him. "You don't like her... is that it?" He tried.

"She's great for you. I wish you both the best." Kagome said dryly.

"I've noticed you and my brother have gotten impossibly closer," He diverted. He hoped she would open up when she was ready.

"Yeah..." Kagome smiled. This is good, she told herself. This wasn't the time or place to bombard the hanyou with her opinions on his life choices. Maybe Sesshomaru was mistaken about his brother's hidden affection for her. Maybe he simply had love for her and Sesshomaru confused it with being in love with her.

"We've just started back up... you know... that man is relentless and addicting," Kagome explained lightly. Started up? Inuyasha gave her a look of disbelief.

"After everything I told you, you're still choosing him over me?" Inuyasha accused. "You've got to be kidding me..." He added, before removing his arm from around her waist.

Kagome shouted to the bartender for another martini. She almost thought to ignore him altogether until she realized Sesshomaru's obvious discomfort on the dance floor. She smiled, remembering he was keeping Kikyou occupied per her request. She couldn't let it be in vain.

"Inuyasha..." She began. "Why do you care what I do with Sesshomaru? He's clearly ready for a stage you have no intention of crossing with me. Be happy for me like I am for you..." Kagome grabbed the drink from the server and thanked him with a smile before turning to face Inuyasha for his prolonged response.

Inuyasha pushed her hair out of her face to get a better look at her expression. He didn't understand where all this was coming from. Be happy for her? She couldn't be serious. This had to be a joke. Was she not listening to what he said on the plane?

"Sesshomaru's not right for you, princess. He's hardly housebroken." He finally replied. His intense stare showed no sign of amusement. The disrespectful statement caused a chuckle to escape from Kagome's lips nonetheless.

"That's not nice," Kagome chided, sipping her drink. This one seemed stronger than the last. Her next statement even she didn't see coming. "He loves me and I love -"

Inuyasha immediately stopped her words with a silencing kiss to her lips.

Kagome blinked a few times in an effort to sober up. Did that just happen? Here of all places? She looked in his eyes searching for answers. What exactly was this supposed to mean? Did he actually care for her or was this another sibling rivalry incident? She hated having more questions than answers. Kagome glanced over at the bruised raven haired girl dancing with her pretend boyfriend. She needed something. Either a drink or to leave.

"Sesshomaru is going to kill you for that. Not to mention that girlfriend of yours..." Kagome said fluffing out her hair. She needed some water, some air, some clarity. Anything. Anything that wasn't the ridiculously irresistible pair of eyes that stared intensely at her, as if she hadn't said a word.

She rose from her place beside him. "I got to go." Kagome choked out. As she grabbed her things, the hanyou found her hand and pulled her back down to him. She sat stunned in his lap, doing her best to ignore his undeniable arousal below her.

"Lie to me and say you don't feel anything..." Inuyasha challenged. Kagome gulped and wondered exactly what he was referring to. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Fuck. Why were all her thoughts in the gutter?

"Well, I definitely feel something..." Kagome whispered to herself. That was all Inuyasha needed for an invitation as he captured her in a kiss once more. This time more heated than the last. The more Kagome's mind protested, the more her body moved on instinct. She melted in his embrace and deepened the kiss.

"Why am I not surprised?!" A voice roared, shaking the two away from each other. Kagome's heart nearly stopped. She looked around and then back at Inuyasha who hadn't fully let her go. Shittiest day ever. Shittiest person ever. It was a hell of a time to suddenly feel sober. What now?

..Until next time..

-Ordinary Extra

Rx4 :]

(Missed you guys)