Their circumstances reduced, Kagome and her older sister Kikyo try their best to make ends meet. Since Kikyo is unable to work, the burden rests mostly on Kagome's shoulders. Fed up, she finally decides to do away with her pride and enter an industry that will earn her enough money to free herself from living paycheck to paycheck. But will her sister's boyfriend let her?
All are human in this one.
Two: Stripped Away
"Welcome home, Kagome!" Kikyo called cheerily from the kitchen.
Kagome shucked off her shoes in the entryway and tried to keep her weary sigh quiet. After three classes and six hours of working at a dead-end job she hated, she was beyond exhausted. But it was what she had to do. It wasn't like her sister could work what with her condition and all. No one else was going to pay the bills and there wasn't much left from what their parents had left them in the will. Evidently, they had planned on living a little longer instead of dying suddenly in a car wreck, and the small amount of money was all they had. At least they had been able to hold on to the shrine. Barely.
"Smells good," she said, giving her sister a quick hug. "Wow, steak! What's the occasion?" While she tried to express delight at the treat, all she felt was anxiety. They didn't have the money for these kinds of indulgences, and why? Her stomach sank to the floor in dread when she saw that the table was set for three.
"Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha said with a smirk. He leaned against the doorway that led to the living room, filling the entire space. He gave her a once over and the smirk somehow got even more annoying. She knew she looked a mess right now.
She could feel her color rising with her temper. "What the hell is he doing here?"
"Kagome, please," Kikyo chastised. "Don't put me in this position again. The two of you used to be such good friends. What happened?" she begged for what must have been the hundredth time.
"Yeah, what happened?" he echoed, tone tinged with mocking.
She glared at him before physically turning her back on his completely. All she had to do was ignore him and get through dinner somehow.
"I just don't think we should spend extra money on special treats for your boyfriend when I'm barely making enough to buy ramen for the two of us."
Kikyo's face showed her distress and she instantly felt horrible. "I wish I could help. You don't know how much. If I could just—"
Inuyasha came over and put a consoling arm around her. She curled into him, hiding her face in his shoulder. Kagome wondered if she was crying. Great, now she felt like crying.
"I paid for it," he said to her, not without a little anger. "So don't guilt trip her."
"I wasn't!" She hated how much she sounded like a child. That was what he must think of her. Have always thought. "Nice of you to finally help your girlfriend out."
"I've been trying to help this entire fucking time, Kagome! If you weren't so fucking full of yourself you'd see that!"
"Me? Full of myself!?" She laughed. "Wow, that's hilarious coming from someone like you."
"Will the two of you just stop it!" Kikyo yelled.
They both turned to look at her and then guiltily glanced at one another. For half a second, she knew, they had both forgotten she was there.
"Both of you sit down." It was so rare for her to be forceful and commanding after the accident, to show any spirit other than a frail gentleness, and so they did. Kikyo slammed their plates in front of them, somehow retaining enough grace that not even a grain of rice was jostled in the process. "Eat and let me do the talking since you can't seem to converse without screaming at each other." She shook her head and served herself. "Really, this is nonsense. You two were so close when we were younger."
Scowling down at her plate, she picked at the food. Damn it, but it was delicious. She hated that she was enjoying anything that came from that bastard.
"So what's the occasion?" The anxiety was gnawing at her and she had to know.
Kikyo gave her a look for having such bad manners and being abrupt. "Inuyasha and I are celebrating. First, he's moving in—"
"What!?"
"—and we're engaged!"
"WHAT!?"
"The two of us were talking and we decided that it would be best if he moved in here before the wedding. We're thinking three months. Why wait? We've known each other so long and been together for years, after all."
"What about me?" She flinched when it came out like that. "I mean, I'm going to school right now and moving and everything would be really difficult and expensive. Unless you foot the bill for that, too, Richie Rich."
Inuyasha's smile was smug and he placed a hand over Kikyo's on the table. "Of course you'd be welcome to stay in our home for as long as you like, Kagome."
Her insides were boiling and she felt physically ill. Would it be okay if she excused herself? Gods, but she needed to get out of here. The two of them were making googly eyes at each other, but she knew the second she scooted her chair back that the entirety of Kikyo's attention would be on her. Just watching the two of them together made her angry. This was so stupid. She worked hard and studied hard all day and then he just waltzes in and decides to mess everything up? Not again. Tears burned behind her eyes.
"Don't just stare at it, Kagome. I worked really hard. Go on and eat."
That was it.
She laughed. "You worked hard? Really? Kikyo, you haven't done a thing. Not a thing in the last three years! How the hell are you even going to get married when you can't even leave the shrine?"
The two of them gaped at her. She knew she had gone too far, but there was no stopping now.
"You just stay indoors all day and let me do everything. You don't care about me. And now you're going to bring him," she pointed at the man she hated more than anything in the world, "into our home? No. I'm not staying here for this."
Before they could see the tears on her face, she ran from the room. Grabbing her bag and slipping on her shoes, her vision was so blurred she could barely see. She got to the top of the shrine steps before he caught up with her.
"Let me go!" she screeched, pulling away from him.
"Will you shut up for five fucking seconds!" he hissed. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her. "This isn't about you, Kagome. Can you even fucking comprehend that?" The loathing in his eyes made her want to slap him.
"Let me go." Her jaw was clenched so tight she could barely get the words out.
"Kikyo's wanted this for so long. Don't ruin it for her. I know you hate me, but if you can just leave what happened between us out of this—"
This time, she actually did slap him. It was hard enough that he let go of her in surprise.
"Don't you dare speak to me. You don't get to say a damn thing after what you did."
"I know you think I took advantage of you, but—"
"Shut up!" she yelled. She just wanted it to be over.
"No!" He lowered his voice and she was suddenly aware that Kikyo might be able to hear them if she went to the doorway. That was the last thing she wanted. "Look, her therapy's been going well. Dr. Suikotsu has been helping her a lot and she feels like she might be able to have her wedding in the garden. How she always wanted. Don't set her progress back."
"I won't," she muttered. No matter what, she did love Kikyo. Kagome just couldn't stand to watch her marry this man. "That's why I'm leaving."
"That's the exact thing that would make this a hundred times worse. She's already gone through so much shit because of your parents and now you—"
"What about me?" she repeated. "Just because I'm not an agoraphobic hypochondriac doesn't mean their death didn't mess me up, too."
"I know, Kagome," he said, voice and face softening. For a second, his hand hovered above her head, and she thought he was going to touch her like he used to. Before. But then he yanked it away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Fuck. I'll leave. I didn't think… I know you hate me, but I didn't think it was this much."
"Stay," her voice was dull. "Kikyo needs you more."
"I'm not going to kick you out of your own house. Go back inside."
"I can't stand to see my sister with you. I—I need to go."
His expression shifted and for a second he looked like he was in deep pain. "Fine. Fuck. Stay at my house." He took his key from off the keychain and shoved it at her. She threw it at his feet. "Don't be like that. You don't have anywhere else to go."
"Unlike you, I have friends."
"Fine." With a growl, he shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her. "If you're not going to let me help you, at least stay warm."
Kagome hadn't realized she was shivering until the suit jacket still warm from the body heat of the man she knew always ran hot was draped around her.
His hands lingered on her shoulders. "Let me drive you there."
She considered it, just a second, until he started rubbing her over the jacket, massaging her upper arms. No. Not again. Never again would she trust this beast of a human being.
Kagome broke away, stumbling down a couple steps before righting herself. "I'll take the bus. Kikyo might like your charity, but I would rather die."
"Kagome!" he called out, moving after her. "Don't do this, just let me—"
"I let you once, Inuyasha. Once. And you ruined my life. Never again."
When she left that time, he didn't follow after her.
O\o/O
Inuyasha had been a fixture in their lives since she was fifteen. His parents had dropped him off at the shrine, then tended by her grandfather in what would turn out to be the last year of his life. According to them, he had gotten into some minor trouble with the law and they were trying to straighten him out with some good old-fashioned hard labor.
Jii-chan was only too glad for the help. Since his own son was mostly disinterested in the upkeep of the shrine and concentrated on his corporate work, any assistance was a godsend. He promised Izayoi and Toga Takahashi that he would work their boy to the limit. In turn, they paid him a hefty weekly allowance in "thanks". It was really just a bribe to put up with the boy's antics.
The first time Kagome had seen Inuyasha, he had taken her breath away.
Smoking a cigarette with his back against a tree and his shirt off and flung over his shoulder, he was the very picture of a delinquent. His black hair, longer even than hers, trailed down his back in a thin ponytail, tendrils of it sticking to his skin from the sweat.
"Who the fuck're you?"
His voice, low and just a little bit raspy, made tingles run up and down her spine. Then his words registered and she felt her temper flare.
"This is my house. Who are you?"
Smirking, he opened his mouth to answer her, but then his eyes widened and he quickly stubbed out the cigarette and flicked it on the ground, hiding it with his foot.
"There you are, Inuyasha!" Kikyo called cheerily. "Oh, and you've met Kagome. Come inside for some lemonade."
"Absolutely!" he grinned. Subtly, he flexed his muscles, following the older sister into the house.
Kagome raced after the two of them. She wasn't so young that she didn't know what was going on. Her sister had always had a lot of admirers. It had never bothered her before, mostly because she had her fair share and maybe even a few more. But this time she didn't exactly like it.
Once inside, she learned that Inuyasha was just a year older than her, making him two years younger than Kikyo. She grinned at the knowledge. There was no way in hell her sister would be interested in a younger man.
"So, Inuyasha," her mother said, glancing at Kagome and giving her a small knowing smile, "where do you go to school?"
"Shikon Prep," he answered quickly, on his best behavior.
"Oh my! The one across town? Isn't that the one they say has a waiting list of children that aren't even born yet?"
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
Kagome finally found her voice. "Do you like it there?"
"Keh. It's boring as hell and the kids are all a buncha—" Seeming to remember his audience, he corrected, "Er, I mean, it's okay most of the time, but I find the environment to be a little too rigid."
Kagome giggled at his change in speech and he crossed his arms, giving her a look.
"What a wonderful opportunity you've been given," Kikyo said, not without a trace of envy. She was very studious and had worked her way to a scholarship at a private school that was nationally known yet still nowhere near the status of Shikon.
Immediately, all his attention was back on her. Kagome was beginning to become annoyed. Why couldn't she have met him first? That would have given her time to make an impression. Now it was going to take so much more work to be seen as anything other than Kikyo's little sister.
"We should really be letting him get back to work," she broke in. "Before Jii-chan realizes he's gone."
"Every worker needs a break," Mama replied, no doubt filled with questions that would attempt to tease more of his true character out.
"He already took a smoke break," she said, tone completely innocent. "Does he need another?"
Kikyo gasped. "You smoke? But you're still just a boy!"
"No!" he protested. "I just, she, well, I—"
She grabbed his wrist. "Come on or Jii-chan will be mad."
Dragging him from the table, she ignored Kikyo's confusion and her mother's muffled laughter. When they were far away enough from the house, he rounded on her.
"What the fuck was that about, bitch!?"
"What was what?" she said, still playing innocent. "And my name is Kagome. Ka-Go-Me."
He rolled his eyes. "Why are you trying to cock block me, Ka-Go-Me?"
She laughed. "My sister would never go out with a younger guy. Especially a wannabe delinquent like yourself."
"Wannabe?" he gaped at her. "My old man sent me here for fucking up a rival dealer and his thugs with my bare hands, all by myself. Nothin' wannabe about it."
"Uh huh, sure." She sauntered towards the wellhouse, completely aware that he would follow her.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
She smirked at him. "Oh, I just don't think a rich kid playing games with other rich kids is at all noteworthy."
His face turned positively red. "Y-you're a bitch."
"Better get back to work or your daddy will be mad at you."
It was only for the summer that they made him work there, but after that, he started coming by just by himself. At first, he claimed to just be dropping by and checking out the property he insisted he was going to own one day. But then he kept coming back even when Kikyo wasn't there, even when Kikyo had gone away to college. And they got closer. A few times, they had even almost kissed, but were always interrupted. Since they were both stubborn and self-conscious, they never talked about their feelings. Not really. They never even talked about the heated looks, the almost-intimacy. They fought a lot. She figured it was because they couldn't do other things together, the things they really wanted to do.
When her parents died, he flew home from school overseas, the same school Kikyo attended, immediately after Kagome's sobbing phone call. He had been tipped off that something was wrong when Kikyo fled school without a word. The entire day of the funeral, she expected to see him. He had told her he would be there. Long after everyone else had left, she stayed sitting by the graves. It was cold and she was dressed only in a thin black dress and stockings and heels that were definitely the wrong choice for the moist earth at this time of year.
"Holy fuck, Kagome, what are you still doing here?"
At first, she couldn't believe he was standing there. She had chastised herself for believing that he would come. Her friends were right; he had gone away to school and he wouldn't remember the girl he used to know back home. But then he was holding her and she knew he was really and truly here. They were together again.
"What took you so long?" she whispered, throat tight with unshed tears.
"Flight was delayed. Then the traffic. I figured you had gone home, but no one answered the door. Then I came here." Looking around, he asked, "Where's Kikyo?"
"Home. She hasn't left her room since it happened."
"Fuck," he cursed again. A drop of water raced down her cheek and she touched it, surprised. Was she crying? She was trying so hard not to cry. Then matching drops fell all around them and she realized it was raining. "Come on, let's get you somewhere dry."
Inuyasha led her to his rental car. It looked like it should have been retired. Rust was showing on the rims and the model had to have been at least twenty years old.
Noticing her scrutiny, he winced. "It was all they had."
Once they were inside the wreck, he turned the heat all the way up and draped his jacket over her shoulders. At that one small action, she broke down.
"I-I was all alone," she sobbed. "All those people were just staring at me a-and everyone was talking to me at once and I thought I was going to scream. Kikyo won't talk to me and you weren't here and there was nothing I could do."
His face was pained, as though her suffering was his own. "I wish I had been here on time. I'm so sorry, Kagome."
"You're here now," she said, lacing her fingers with his own.
"Yes." His eyes were hooded and she noticed he was looking at how her clothing stuck to her from the rain. "I haven't seen you in months." His voice was hoarse.
It was the longest they'd gone without being together since they had first met. Already he was texting her less and less, but now that he was here and he was looking at her just the same way he used to, she knew she had to do something. There was no one to interrupt them this time.
With a momentum that hardly seemed to come from her, she closed the distance between them and finally, finally, finally kissed him. For a second, he didn't reciprocate, but when she whimpered, wordlessly telling him that she needed this, he took charge. Their kiss was explorative and gentle at first. Something she had wanted for three entire years. He was much more experienced than she was. Kagome tried to appreciate it without being jealous and thinking of how he'd learned just the right amount of pressure to apply, just when to nibble. She must have been doing an okay job since he groaned low when her tongue swiped his lip.
Her hands were on his tie and she was tugging him closer, closer. Soon he had no choice but to climb over the cupholders and kneel over her lest she choke him.
"Kagome, what are you doing?" he breathed when she began to unbutton his shirt.
"Just let me do it."
"Are you sure? I want you to be sure. I want you…"
She pressed kisses to his bare chest, causing him to interrupt himself with his own moan. He tried to move her hands, tried to stop her, but his efforts were weak. When she unzipped and shrugged out of her dress, it was all over for him. Soon it was all she could do to keep up with his eager kisses and caresses. Before she knew what was happening, he was inside her.
It didn't hurt the way Yuka said it would. But then again, she could barely feel anything. She was hot and her heart was beating hard and her head was spinning. Kagome didn't want to think about anything. All she wanted was to finally have Inuyasha all to herself.
"I love you," she gasped in between thrusts. "I love you so much, Inuyasha."
"Fuck, gods, Kagome fuck," he chanted back, smothering her with a sloppy kiss. One of his hands cupped the side of her face while the other was squeezing her thigh, opening her legs further and bringing her closer to him. Her arms closed around him and she returned his kiss, tears spilling down her face. When he came, he cried out her name, and that was the first true thrill of pleasure she'd had the entire time.
Inuyasha cleaned them up with tissues, kissing away her tears that would not stop falling no matter how hard she tried.
"You're amazing," he murmured, his lips ghosting across hers. "I'm going to take you home, drop by my house and check on them for a bit, and then I'm coming back to you. We're going to talk." His eyes were serious, their blackness burning into hers.
"Okay." It was all she could think of to say.
He started the car and drove just a little too fast for the rain. It scared her. This was how it had happened.
"I took the week off. One of the idiots in my dorm agreed to do my work for me. We can spend all week together." He looked at her and grinned. "I can even help with your admissions paperwork so you can get into my school. Then we can all be together again."
She nodded.
"You're tired. I'll drop you off and you can have a nice nap. By the time you wake up, I'll be with you again." His hand was on her thigh. "And we can maybe do more than talking."
She glanced at him and noticed his cheeks were pink. Before, she would have squealed at how cute it was but now it was just an observation.
Inuyasha held her hand the entire walk up the shrine steps. By the time they were at the top, she was starting to feel again. She ached between her thighs and her heart was hurting and singing all at once. Too many things had happened. She would need that nap to process it all. But she was happy. Somewhere inside the mess of feelings, she was so, so happy.
The minute they were through the door, Kikyo was on them.
"Oh gods, Kagome, where have you been this entire time? I was so worried!" She hugged her quick and then she noticed the company. "Inuyasha." Her voice was shaky, filled with tears. "You came. You came for me."
Kikyo threw herself into his arms and their hands came apart.
"Uh, hey, Kikyo." He glanced at Kagome before closing his arms around her. "How are you?"
She was weeping. "I left after we fought and I said such mean things and you still came!"
Everything inside of Kagome stopped when she saw Kikyo kiss him.
"Woah, Kikyo, I didn't—"
"I've thought about the things you said. I wanted to tell you that I'm ready."
Their attention was entirely on one another and Kagome never felt more like an outsider. Her hands started to shake. She could feel the room beginning to spin, her feelings from earlier, before the car, intensified. She had to leave. Had to get out. Go to where it was safe.
Stumbling, she went as fast as she could to her bedroom. Her safe haven. Now that she was alone, she could cry. And she did. Cried for her parents, for her sister, for herself. And Inuyasha. She had never really had Inuyasha. He was not who she thought he was. He was… He was…
A knock on the door interrupted her.
"Go away!" she choked out. No matter who it was, she didn't want to see them.
Kikyo. Why hadn't Kikyo told her she and Inuyasha were together? If she had only known, she never would have done what she did. And why had he done it? If he was finally with his dream girl, why had he done everything with her in the car? The kissing, the touching, the sex. And holding her hand. He had held her hand. Gods, she had told him she loved him. Of course he hadn't said it back. Because he didn't feel it. He never had and he never would. To him, she had just been a momentary distraction. Or even worse, he had taken pity on her.
Another knock. She almost told them to go away again before she realized it was coming from the window. Tap-ah tap tap.
In a daze, she opened her window and saw the only one who had ever entered her room through that particular route.
Inuyasha.
"Will you let me in already? It's fucking raining out here."
Kagome was proud of herself for staying strong and blocking the entrance. "No."
Inuyasha's face showed he was stunned. "What the fuck do you mean 'no'?"
"Go back to your girlfriend." She started to pull down on the window.
"That's not it!" He put his hand on her wrist, losing his footing a little on the branch he was squatting on. She hated how her heart flew to him in that split-second of panic. "She's not my girlfriend."
"So I didn't just see her kiss you and see you enjoy it!?"
"That's not… Fuck, we went on a few dates, but we aren't together. She dumped me weeks ago. Let me come in and explain. It's nothing for you to overreact this way to."
Kagome was glad for his big stupid mouth saying such hurtful things. This way, she could be angry instead of sad.
"Did you think it would be this easy? Did you think you could just fuck her at school and fuck me at home and get away with it?"
"What? Holy shit, Kagome, I would never—"
"You took advantage of a girl in a vulnerable moment." At this, some tears started flowing again. "What you did in your car was selfish and wrong. For you, it was just another fling, but that was my first time, Inuyasha."
"But I haven't—"
She was all worked up now. "Just shut up! Gods, can't you just leave me alone? I hate you! You ruined my life!" Kagome slammed her window shut again and drew the curtains.
Every time he tried to talk to her after that, she froze him out and ran away. She blocked his number. After a while, he stopped trying. After a while, it wasn't so hard to hate him.
O\o/O
When she knocked on the door to his apartment, he opened it first thing. Even though it was the middle of the night. Even though she had only called him five minutes before. Even though he had not been her first choice. Or her second. Or her fifth.
"Hey, Hojo."
Immediately, he enveloped her in a hug. "Oh, Kagome. I'm so sorry you were kicked out."
She just let him assume. Her night had been too long for her to go into it all. "Are you sure it's okay if I stay with you for a while?"
"Anything. You take my bed. I'll sleep on the floor."
"That's not necessary—"
"I'm going to treat you like a princess, Kagome. You won't have to work, you won't have to go to school. Just let me take care of you."
It was either this or the women's shelter, so she swallowed the disgust she was feeling and smiled. "Thanks."
Kagome wasn't able to sleep that night. It made school and work the next day all the harder. It was so bad that she had to take multiple small breaks and just go into the bathroom and cry. It was like the people she interacted with could sense her fragility and were all the more brutal for it, rude and demanding and inconsiderate.
She'd had the address from Yuka for almost a year now but she had never considered it seriously until this moment. Yuka had done it for just a few months and was able to pay all her school fees and buy herself a whole new wardrobe. If she did it then maybe she could get her own place in a few weeks' time. That was all. She wouldn't stay beyond that.
It was a seedy area, because of course it would be. Club Sengoku's neon lights flashed, their signs outlines of women in several compromising positions. Kagome hugged her coat tighter to herself. It was now or never.
The man over the phone had instructed she enter through the back. The door was wide open and when she stepped through it instantaneously changed from chilly to sweltering. There was no one in the hall, so she went to the room with sounds of activity coming from within. Inside were women of all shapes and sizes in various states of undress.
"Um, excuse me?" she squeaked at the nearest stripper.
She looked her up and down. "Another newbie. I'm Yura. I'll take you to the office." She tugged on the sleeve of her jacket. "This has to come off."
It took every ounce of willpower she had, but she slipped off the trench coat and folded it on the counter like it meant nothing to her.
Yura eyed her up and down. "I wish I could stay to see where this is going."
Her stomach knotted with nerves.
The office was on the other end of the hall, and Kagome was grateful she didn't have to go parading about dressed as she was in front of the customers. She wasn't quite ready for that yet. In a few drinks, though, she might be. She went over her routine in her head. This place tried out a lot of girls, but the ones they retained were few and far between. She'd have to work hard to make an impression. Glancing at her companion, she noticed that she was much better endowed than she was. Sure, they were fake, but still. She bet the woman made tons of money a night. The kind of money Kagome needed to make.
The man in the highbacked leather chair had two women to either side of him, both wearing nothing more than their fishnet stockings and nipple pasties. One giggled and refilled his champagne flute. The other lit his cigar.
"Thanks, ladies. Now get out there and make daddy happy!" He slapped them both on the ass.
Kagome felt faint. Oh gods. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be him.
Inuyasha turned his chair around and finally noticed them. "Did you bring daddy another kitten— Oh fuck."
"What's wrong?" Yura asked. "You're pale, Daddy."
Kagome's hands were shaking. She turned to leave.
"Yura, take the girls and get the fuck out of here. No, leave her. Now."
The man she had known for years, her first everything, her sister's fiancé, spoke in a voice that was nearly unrecognizable. It was dark and demanding and wouldn't tolerate anything but complete disobedience. The difference so shook Kagome that she didn't realize she was locked in a room with this unknown entity, something worse than a complete stranger, until he got to his feet and approached her.
"What the fuck are you doing here!?" he hissed at her.
"I should be asking you that!"
His arms crossed. "Leave. We'll talk about this later."
"Fine. I'll go and tell Kikyo all about what you do here."
He laughed. "She knows."
Kagome gaped at him. Inuyasha was lying. He had to be lying. There was no way her innocent, moral sister would ever allow her future husband to be involved in such a dirty business. But the way he sounded so confident made her question everything she knew.
His eyes scanned her body, finally really taking in her indecent clothing.
"A schoolgirl?" He snorted. "Fucking really, Kagome?"
Her face was on fire. "I already had the uniform and I wasn't going to spend money on something like this."
Inuyasha sat down in the chair, looking weary. "Fuck, what are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"There is no way I'm letting you be a fucking stripper, Kagome!"
"I wasn't planning on applying here anymore! Seeing your stupid face every night would be the one thing I couldn't tolerate, even more than shaming myself in front of strange men. I'll go somewhere else."
"You misunderstand me." The stranger was back. "I said I wasn't letting you do this. No club in the city will take you now, not once I put the word out. No club in the fucking country."
"Y-you can't do this!" she sputtered. "I need to make money, Inuyasha. A lot of it and soon."
"You need money?" He opened one of the desk drawers a little too theatrically and pulled it out completely. Papers fell to the floor and he grabbed what he needed. A checkbook. "How much? Tell me and it's yours."
Gods, but she wanted to punch him in the face. "I'm not going to take your charity, you bastard."
Inuyasha slammed the checkbook down on the desk hard. "The two of you, fucking hell. I hate how stubborn you are."
"What do you mean?"
"Kikyo wouldn't take any money either. I tried leaving some of it around but stopped when she threw it into the fire in front of me. Then I started making anonymous donations to the shrine. When she figured out it was me, we almost broke up over it." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, fingers eclipsed by the black waterfall. "So I proposed. I just wanted to take care of you. But you have so much damned pride that it's impossible."
All this time. Kikyo had refused her boyfriend's gifts and allowed her own sister to work her ass off at menial jobs. Whenever she had come home from a day of getting yelled at by entitled customers, Kikyo had merely shrugged and told her that was how the world worked. The world which she had refused to step into for years. If she had just allowed herself to accept what had been offered to her in love, Kagome could have focused on her studies and not been two entire years behind. But in a way, she understood it. Inuyasha could never comprehend how humiliating it was to have someone you loved come in and try to "fix" everything. It made her feel small. It made her feel useless. It was a worse humiliation than naked dancing was, because at least those men recognized she was providing a useful service and rewarded her based on merit, not pity.
"I need the money. Just let me go and I won't tell your parents."
He glared at her. Good. She had something on him after all.
"Why do you need the money so bad?"
"I need to get away." From him. From Kikyo. From everything.
Something in his expression shifted. "I don't think that's a good idea. Just go home, Kagome. We don't have to talk about this ever again and I'll make sure you get what you need."
Not good enough. She needed this. She needed to go somewhere no one knew her. And to do that, she needed fast money.
"Please, Inuyasha," she murmured, getting to her knees at his feet. She put her hands on his calves, unable to keep from touching him when she was so close. "I need this."
He looked down at her, expression conflicted. "That's your old uniform, huh?" He shook his head. "I hate this."
"Only a month. Just let me do it for a month."
His face hardened and she was sure he was going to tell her no. A tear fell from her eye. She couldn't help it.
"Fuck. Fine. But no stripping. You can serve drinks, but that's it."
For the first time in years, she smiled at him. "Thank you thank you thank you!"
"And take that fucking uniform off. It bugs me. There are other outfits in the dressing room."
Kagome scurried away before he could change his mind. The dressing room was mostly empty, with all the other waitresses and performers having gone back out on the floor. One of the only remaining outfits was a chintzy-looking slutty Cleopatra one with missing sequins on the collar. The white material was entirely translucent and showed the outline of her areola, tight enough so her nipples could be seen poking at the fabric. The skirt was more like a belt, gold chains draped over the hips at an angle that could either be sultry or ridiculous depending on the wearer. Unfortunately, it was the best of the bunch. Pulling it on, she grabbed one of the eyeliner pencils lying about and drama-ed up her eyes. Crap, but she was still in her mary janes. Toeing them off, she searched through the pile of cast-offs and found a tottering pair of white sandals. Six inches? Seven? She wasn't sure.
Stumbling out, she made her way to the bar. Waitressing was her main thing and she was pretty good at it…as long as a customer didn't rile her up. Then she tended to say things they didn't want to hear and they tended to call her manager and her managers tended to fire her.
"You the new girl?"
The woman addressing her was in a tube top and mini skirt that showed more than they hid.
"Um, yeah. I'm Kagome."
"Your dancer name?"
"Oh, uh, well… Jewel?"
She nodded. "I'm Nazuna, but on the floor you'll call me Dream. Daddy told me to take care of you tonight and show you the ropes." She looked her up and down. "I don't know why he wants you babysat. You're nothing much."
Great start. "I've done a lot of waitressing in the past, so—"
"This is nothing like what you've done before, sweetie. These men are going to touch you even though the signs everywhere say they can't. They're going to shove their hands down your shirt and up your skirt. You'll have to dodge them and somehow get the money they're holding out anyway. Add to that you have to flirt and act like each and every one of them is the only man in the world."
Well damn.
"I'll start you in the easy section. These guys over here didn't pregame like the rest of them and they've only had two rounds of shots. Not a bachelor party and not foreign businessmen so they shouldn't be too handsy. Go over and introduce yourself."
The "easy" party were anything but.
"Hi, I'm K—Jewel," she quickly corrected. "You're my first table. Please be gentle." Was that too much?
One of the men immediately pulled her into his lap. "Perfect timing, sweetheart." She could feel his growing erection. "Bring us all another round of Cuervo. Doubles."
Kagome scribbled it down on the pad, fleeing from them as she did so. The entire night was a blue of being touched and groped and yanked around. By the time it was nearly over, even more sequins were missing from her costume, her hair was looking worse for wear with all the sweating, and she was pretty sure she'd sprained both ankles.
But that didn't matter. The tips were fucking fantastic.
Her first table was still there at the end of the night and she was not looking forward to telling them to leave. They'd gotten progressively more shitfaced as the night wore on and were loud and belligerent. Yet they tipped the dancers in twenties instead of singles and so no one was saying anything. As two in the morning drew ever closer, her anxiety rose. Nazuna was watching her with arms crossed, nursing a drink as she chatted up a customer. This was a test.
As confidently as she could, swaying on the heels and feeling raw from the lack of sleep and her earlier shock, she smiled at the last remaining table in the establishment.
"You were the best able I could have had for my first time. Come back soon!" She laid the bill on the table. There. Hopefully that would get it through to them.
One of the men sneered at her. "Did we ask for the fucking check, bitch? Bring us another round."
Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to ignore that comment. She needed this job. "We close in five minutes, sir. You're welcome to pick up where we left off tomorrow."
He grabbed her wrist, squeezing hard. "Are you fucking deaf or just stupid? I said bring me another—"
The man was interrupted by a full basket of hot wings being thrown at his face. He yelled in shock and then stood up and screamed as the hot sauce hit his eyes. Kagome scampered back to the bar and the relative safety behind the counter.
"Get the fuck out, asshole! You and the rest are fucking banned."
Inuyasha stood there, giving the group of men the worst glare she had ever seen. A couple of the bouncers made their way over and stood by while the party left, some shamefaced and some obviously pissed off.
"You," he growled, rounding on her. "You're coming with me."
Inuyasha grabbed her by the hand and she yelped as he began to walk, her ridiculous footwear causing her to fall forward at the abrupt and unexpected motion. His arms automatically encircled her waist and her hands went to his shoulders. Since she had kept her distance from him from that one moment on, Kagome hadn't really noticed just how much he had grown. For the first time since they were younger, they were eye to eye. His dark eyes clashed with her own and she felt herself stop breathing, but that was okay, because when she was with him like this, she didn't need air.
"Woo!" Nazuna called from what felt like miles away. "Are you two gonna need one of the back rooms tonight?"
Her face flaming, Kagome jerked away from him. "I'm going home."
"The fuck you are." Grabbing her again, this time more carefully, he led the way to his office. Plopping her down in the chair opposite his desk, he stood in front of her. "Had enough?"
Chin raised defiantly, she replied, "No way."
Hands in his pockets, he just stared at her for a bit. "I haven't completely moved in at the shrine yet. You could go back and I'll hold off on it until after the wedding."
She couldn't look at him anymore. Her stomach hurt. "No. I'm… There's a guy and I want to see how it goes." Kagome didn't know where the lie came from but suddenly felt it was absolutely necessary.
"Oh. Well. And he knows what you're doing here?"
"I just want to make enough money for the two of us to have a future."
Inuyasha sat down heavily. "Oh." He took a deep breath. "Fine. Okay. Come back tomorrow. If you still want to. I'd offer to drive you home but I don't think I'm getting out of here for a while." He reached under his desk and began to pour himself a drink.
Feeling inexplicably guilty the entire way back to Hojo's apartment, Kagome found it hard to get to sleep, and this time not because she was up all night wondering if her temporary roommate had put up cameras to watch her shower and go to the bathroom and stuff.
O\o/O
After a while, Kagome got used to her new job and even began to enjoy it a little. It wasn't everywhere a woman could be as free as she was there. Being treated like a piece of meat wasn't the usual, which made things easier. Some men treated her like a goddess, and having everyone compliment her and tell her she was sexy as hell was definitely an ego boost. It was hard to let go of it all and readjust every day for her classes, where she was just another face in the halls.
Then Inuyasha started watching her.
She guessed he always had been, but now he was sitting there out in the open like just another customer instead of watching her in the security room. Always, he was surrounded by his favorite girls of the evening. Nothing was more important to her than ignoring him. Except for maybe getting great tips.
"When are we gonna see you up there, Jewel?" one of her regulars, a deeply tanned man whose name she had forgotten, asked.
Smiling at him, she shifted on his lap and stroked his black ponytail. "It depends on my boss." Unlike the other girls, she never called him "daddy". To do so would make her vomit on the spot, she was sure. "He doesn't want me up there."
He was obviously trying very hard to keep his hands to himself, to the point that he was sitting on them. She appreciated it.
"He wants to keep you all to himself, huh? Can't say I blame him."
Kagome got to her feet. "Let me check on the chips and guacamole for you boys."
For a while now, she had been petitioning to take the stage. Sure, the tips she got were good, way better than her regular waitressing jobs had been. But they were nothing compared to what the dancers made in just one set. If she could just get up there, she was sure she'd make more than the rest of them. And then she'd have enough money for her own place in just a couple weeks. But Inuyasha was still dead set on her never having anything to do with that side of the business.
At the end of the night, he came up to her just before she was about to leave.
"You're getting to be pretty popular." The way he said it suggested he wasn't very happy about it.
Kagome shrugged. "It's not like it's hard. All I have to do is pretend they're interesting."
"Were you always like this?" He sighed, cutting her off before she could even begin. "Whatever. Our regulars have been begging me to put you on the stage."
"Does that mean you're going to finally let me?" She tried not to get her hopes up.
"Are you going to quit if I don't?"
Instead of answering, she stared him down.
Inuyasha sighed. "Fine. But you have to try out every new routine on me first."
"On you?" She cringed. "Alone?"
He nodded.
Kagome gulped. The dancers gave lap dances, too. Was he suggesting that she perform those as well? What a sick… But then she noticed that glint in his eye. The bastard thought he was pushing her, that she would stick to the floor rather than do anything even remotely like that in front of him. Well, he was wrong.
"Sure. Tonight?"
Appearing stunned, he started to stutter. "Uh, w-well, m-maybe…"
"Everyone else is gone. And this way I can start tomorrow. I heard Yura say she was going to call out for the next couple days because her kid is coming down with something."
He frowned. "I'll give you some time to practice. Tomorrow night you'll audition." Inuyasha smirked at her. "Maybe leave your shoes off. Wouldn't want your clumsy ass falling offstage."
Ugh, that jerk. She wasn't a kid anymore. Sure, she had been kind of a klutz in high school, but that had changed. The dancing she'd always done had made her more graceful over the years and now that she was finally comfortable in her own skin she was able to properly master it. And Yuka had forced her into that pole dancing exercise class last semester, so she did have some moves. She waited until she was absolutely sure she was the only one left in the building. She'd have to practice if she was going to be good enough to perform the day after tomorrow.
Grabbing her phone, she cued up the song she had always used in her classes. This was it. Taking a deep breath, she changed into a skimpy holographic lavender bikini. The cups were tiny triangles that barely managed to cover her nipples, leaving most of her breast, underside included, exposed. The bottoms were high-waisted and the straps rose above the curvature of her hips, the fabric hardly covering her mons. In the back they had a lace-up decal. Thigh high fishnets and white go-go boots completed her look.
Once she paired her phone with the bluetooth speakers, she walked out onstage. The lights were still on so it was hard to see outside the stage, which she was grateful for. Even though she knew the place was totally deserted, she was dripping sweat from her anxiety. But then the sounds of Holy by Zolita filled the room and she went through the motions she always did.
Swaying, she let her eyes drift shut. Her hands ran up her body, starting at the tops of her thighs and going over her breasts where she felt how hard her nipples were. Turning her back to her imaginary audience, she spread her legs and bent over with straight legs until her elbows could touch the floor, shaking her ass. With a hand on the pole, she strutted around, leaning over and smiling so everyone could see her spilling out of her bra. Hooking her leg around it, she leaned back until her hair was brushing the floor, then climbed up and spun around. She had been worried before that she'd expose herself too soon in this outfit, but it was surprisingly secure.
With an exaggerated movement, she pulled on the string that kept her top on. Gods, but she hoped she looked nonchalant, like she was just another performer. It was taking everything in her to do this, but she knew she had to. As long as she just listened to the music and concentrated on the words, she could crowd out how her mind was desperately shouting the name of the one person she hated more than anything. Kagome's hands were cold and shaking. And then her bra was off. She tossed it beyond the stage, not looking to see where it had landed.
A few more spins around the pole, her breasts bouncing freely, nipples hard in the cool air, and then she was almost done. Undoing the ties at both sides of her bottoms, she tossed them as well. Time for the big finale. It was sort of cliché, she knew, but she finished by getting on her hands and knees, crawling down the walkway until she was at the end.
Looking straight into the blank eyes of Inuyasha.
She was breathing hard, her neck and shoulders and chest all covered in sweat. He stood and came closer to her, and for a second time stopped and she just knew he was going to kiss her.
Instead, he handed her the bikini and a towel.
"Kikyo's cheating on me."
It took a second for that to process. "Uh, what?"
"It's nothing," he grumbled. "Yeah, you can do this tomorrow if you want. You'll have even the old veterans cumming in their pants."
Kagome wanted to rejoice over the news but instead she just felt faint. As he walked back to his office, she wanted to call after him, to follow him. Inside, she was equal parts angry and confused. How dare he say that about Kikyo! She would never do anything to betray him. And how could she cheat on him if she never even left the house? Was this another trick? And what the fuck was he doing here spying on her at nearly four in the morning!?
The next day found her starting up the shrine steps. Inuyasha's car wasn't outside, so she felt like it was more or less safe. It was about time she and Kikyo had a conversation anyway.
When she knocked on the door, it was answered by a man she didn't know.
"How can I help you?" He seemed nice enough, but it was still annoying that a stranger acted like she was a stranger in her childhood home.
"I'm here to see my sister." Kagome couldn't help it if she sounded a little rude.
"Oh, you must be Kagome." He motioned her inside. "I'm Suikotsu. Kikyo's psychiatrist. She's told me so much about you." He grinned. "She's so proud."
All the things that had been echoing around in her mind, accusations to throw at her sister about this man, vanished at the revelation of his identity. So this was Kikyo's shrink. He'd been treating her for about six months now.
"Suikotsu, I have a thank you gift— Oh. Kagome. You're here." Kikyo's face showed not only surprise but disappointment as well. There was definitely something going on here.
"I thought I'd stop by and catch up." She glanced between the two of them. Suikotsu seemed very concentrated on not looking at Kikyo, while Kikyo could only look at him. Something was up.
"Oh. How nice." Walking over to her doctor, eyes on her feet, she shyly handed him a gift-wrapped box. "Just a little gesture of thanks for putting up with me. Some chocolates. I made them myself."
"Thank you, Kikyo. From the bottom of my heart. I'm sure anything you've created is going to be wonderful." He smiled at her and there was something in his eyes that reminded her of how she used to look at someone she was trying very hard not to think about. "Well, I hate to say it, but I must be going. Same time next week, Kikyo. And nice to meet you, Kagome."
When he left, Kagome gave Kikyo a look that only sisters could manage.
"What?" The older woman's face was pink.
She walked around a little, peeking in the kitchen. "So. I see Inuyasha hasn't moved any of his stuff in yet."
Seemingly relieved at the change in subject, she said, "Yeah, I think he's changed his mind about moving in so soon." She sounded unconcerned. "He's been spending a lot more time at work. I think he might even be sleeping there."
"Where does Inuyasha work again?"
"Oh, here and there." Nervously, she fluffed some pillows on the sofa. "He doesn't like to be tied down anywhere."
"My friend Yuka says her brother told her he owns a strip club downtown."
She dropped the pillow. "That's ridiculous! I mean, Inuyasha is many things, but that's just—that's ridiculous!"
Okay. It seemed like Inuyasha hadn't been bluffing about Kikyo's knowledge of his career. And maybe he hadn't been lying about the cheating. However, she doubted things had progressed to anything physical. Kikyo wasn't like that.
That night, she told all her tables that she was going to dance for the first time ever, again telling them to "be gentle". Her regulars were delighted. It was nerve-wracking going through the routine, but she managed it without any too noticeable mistakes. By the end, men were cramming bills of all denominations into her fishnets and tossing them on the stage. Gods, but she'd need a broom to take all this back to the dressing room! Somehow, she managed to grab all of it and make it to the back. Still nude, she counted it once, then twice, then three times. She couldn't fucking believe it.
Kagome had enough money to get an apartment of her own.
"You've got a request, Jewel," one of the girls said from the doorway. "Room three. And he says to leave the bikini off. I hear this one's a big spender."
Oh gods. Room three. That was a private room. The VIP private room. That meant a lap dance. That was one arena in which she truly had no experience. And to leave her bikini behind was making her feel ill. The stick-on body jewelry that decorated her navel and framed her brows was beginning to unstick from the sweat that came about as a result of her nerves and her activity. She looked down at the pile of money in her lap. She had enough. She could quit right now, just walk out and find another normal waitressing job somewhere else.
Or she could gyrate on some old man's Vicodin-induced boner for three minutes and make a lot more.
Mind made up, she took the backway to the VIP room. Inside, the room was sound-proof. Rich red velvet was the only fabric used and the walls were completely mirrors. There was only one source of light in the room, a chandelier that was currently dimmed to its absolute lowest power. There, in the middle of the sofa, sat her client.
Kagome's mouth went entirely dry. "What are you doing, Inuyasha?"
He just stared at her. "I told you that you'd have to try out every dance on me. Come on. I paid for it and everything."
She crossed her arms so that they covered her breasts. "No. This is too far."
"I thought you needed this job."
"I thought you were going to marry my sister!"
Inuyasha reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his lap. "You begged me to keep you, Kagome. Begged me." He hid his face in her hair and she stopped struggling. "You're always so fiery and you hate me so much, but then there you were, kneeling in front of me, submissive and begging. I was able to not think about us before that, but not now. Now I need you." His lips were on her neck and it was everything she could do to push him away.
"We can't do this," she whispered. "What about—"
"What about us. We need to do this."
His lips closed around her nipple and she lost herself in the feeling of him. This was nothing like the first time. There was no awkward fumbling, just raw passion. Remembering that she had a job to do, she dropped down in his lap and grinded herself against him, gasping at the feeling of his clothed bulge making contact with her spread naked pussy. His mouth covered her own and then they were kissing just like they were always supposed to kiss, raw and unrestrained.
"You're so fucking sexy," he breathed, hands on her ass. "I wanted to stab the eyes out of every bastard that looked at you tonight. You are mine."
Kagome was so wet she could feel her juices beginning to drip outside of her. Inuyasha must have realized the same because he ran his fingers over her pussy lips and collected the nectar, putting his index finger in his mouth and moaning at the taste. Extending his thumb to Kagome, she pulled it into her mouth and tasted herself.
"I need you. Always needed you, Inuyasha." She was so tired of fighting, of being angry. It was time to give in and just let her desires be fulfilled.
Laying her down on the sofa, he hooked one of her legs over the back of it and spread the other so her foot was on the floor and she was split before him. Giving her a look filled with lust and promise, he broke eye contact only when his mouth was on her, licking her cunt up and down. Kagome had been with a few guys since that first time, mostly just trying to get him out of her head, but none of them had ever eaten her as expertly as he was currently doing. Gods, but he was so much different from before. At least in this respect it was a good thing.
"Come for me, Kagome," he said hoarsely, fingers twisting around inside her. "Come on my fingers and show me that face the men out there imagine when they jack off."
When his thumb brushed against her asshole while his knuckles dragged across her clit, she lost it, and then she was coming all over his hand, squeezing him inside and taking him further.
Inuyasha unzipped his pants and helped his cock escape, pumping it with the hand covered in her come and just staring at her for a moment. When she whined for him, arching her back, he growled and pinched one of her nipples hard enough to make her cry out. As soon as he let go she rubbed it with her thumb, playing with it, imagining his fingerprint imprinted on her sensitive skin. The image seemed to do something to him and then he was plunging inside her, his cock filling her up just the right amount.
"Fuck me until I scream, Inuyasha. I'm your whore. Yours."
She didn't need to ask him twice. Inuyasha went wild on her, slamming inside and grunting. His eyes were intense and trained on her own, making it so that she couldn't escape, couldn't look away. From now on, she knew, there was no repressing it, no denying it. He was going to be the most important thing in the universe to her. It was so right and so wrong all at once. Curling her legs around him, she drew him closer. The sound of their fucking was loud in the room where the music had long since stopped playing, the vulgar sounds an appropriate accompaniment to their sin.
Reaching between them, he rubbed her swollen clit, the almost languid strokes an extreme contrast to the frantic fucking. It was overwhelming and she felt herself clamp down on him, massaging his own orgasm out and taking it into herself.
"Fuck fuck fuck," he chanted. "Fuck, gods, Kagome, fuck!"
That was the only thing that reminded her of their first time together. As he continued to twitch inside her, she laid there staring at the ceiling. What the hell was wrong with her? What had she just done?
"Don't do it again." His voice broke on the last word.
"What are you talking about?" Already, she was feeling hostile.
"That. That shit you did before."
She shoved him off of her as best she could while he was still inside her. "What is your problem!?"
"I'm not letting it happen this time." Gently but with force, he pushed her down on the sofa, keeping a hold on her shoulder. "You're not getting away again."
Kagome hated that her eyes were filling with tears. "You're using me again. After this you'll just go back to her, just like before."
"We weren't even fucking together!" he yelled.
"But Kikyo—"
"Look, we went on like two dates. She was just a familiar face and you never wanted to talk to me and you were always posting online about some Hojo guy, so I thought whatever we had was over." His brows came together. "It didn't help how before I left you avoided me and pushed me away whenever I wanted to kiss you or just talk."
No. It couldn't be true. "But you always liked Kikyo better! Even from the start, you were all over her. And now that you see she's slipping away, you're settling for second best."
"Fuck it all, Kagome, you were it from the first time I saw you! Half the reason I even paid attention to her was because it made you so jealous."
She wiped her eyes. "This is still messed up."
"I know."
"You never told me you loved me. Before."
"That first time was my first time. Ever. I had no idea what I was doing and I—I hurt you. I've never wanted to hurt you. I hated myself for making you hate me. And I figured if you didn't want me anymore, at least Kikyo did, and if I was with her then I could still be in your life."
She sighed. "I need a drink."
"On the house. I won't water it down, either."
She smiled at him. "You know I'm quitting, right?"
"Good. I'm not the kind of boss that dates employees."
Kagome held his hand. There was a lot to work on and a lot to tell one another, not to mention Kikyo, but if there was work to be done, she could think of no one else she would rather do it with.
Note: Okay, so this was supposed to be like half the length and also have better sex, but like idk why it somehow just decided to come out like this. Also remember that I'm on PST so updates might be a little late for some of you.