The It Couple

Chapter Nineteen

"So, Inuyasha," Kikyou did that magnificent move of tossing her hair over her shoulder, glass of champagne in her hand, "What should we toast to?"

Inuyasha was only barely listening. Watching Kouga Okami have the nerve to approach Kagome again in a public setting had turned his stomach in a way that made it hard for him to sit still. And Kagome had actually blushed when Kouga whispered in her ear!

"Inuyasha?" Kikyou looked at him, seemingly rather annoyed that he wasn't responding.

"Sorry," he said, running a hand through his hair and grabbing the champagne glass a little too roughly, spilling a drop or two on the white tablecloth.

"What should we toast to?" Kikyou said, smiling knowingly and seductively, "To...our future, perhaps?"

"What?" Inuyasha's head snapped to attention and he nearly spilled the rest of his champagne, "What did you say?"

"No, maybe not," Kikyou said testily, now obviously noticing his wavering attention, "What about, to this year's award season?"

"What did you just say? Before that," Inuyasha said, his focus entirely on the woman in front of him now. It was practically tunnel vision now.

She must have worn all white tonight because she knew he loved it. He'd always loved her in white. She was a statue, an oil painting, a goddess.

She smiled knowingly and clinked her glass with his, then delicately sipped her champagne.

Inuyasha knew he must be looking at her like she'd grown a second head, but she seemed not to notice as she perused the menu. "So what should we order?"

"Uh-"

"They have a wonderful sea bass, I remember."

The waiter appeared as if summoned telepathically, obviously a little in awe of the two insanely rich and famous people in front of him.

"I'll have the sea bass with the heirloom tomatoes," Kikyou said with a smile, "but absolutely no gluten must touch the plate, do you understand? I have an allergy."

No she doesn't.

"Oh, of course, Miss Higurashi," the waiter said, scribbling frantically, "And for you, Mr. Takahashi?"

"The same," he muttered, still not taking his eyes off Kikyou. He hadn't even glanced at the damn menu.

"Now then," Kikyou said, pulling her phone from her purse, "Excuse me for just a minute, but I'm sure you're as curious as I am."

"...what?"

She looked up at him like he was a brainless infant. "The Globe nominations, honey. They're due to come out any minute now."

Oh. This sure was a weird awards season, Inuyasha thought. He hadn't even checked once. In past years he'd at least been curious.

Wait, did she just call me 'honey?'

"Hmmm," she said, furrowing her brow slightly, "Nothing yet." She replaced the phone in her purse on the table, then resumed smiling at him, taking another sip of the very expensive and very delicious champagne.

Inuyasha said nothing. This was impossible, he thought. A few months ago he'd at least have been talking and getting a word in edgewise. She was reducing him to a stammering dunce with a look. She'd always been good at that.

"Who are you going with, by the way?"

"Huh?" Chalk up another stutter for the tally.

"To the Globes, silly." Kikyou was looking at him with that concerned look, like maybe he'd suffered a recent head injury.

"Oh," he swallowed a sip of champagne, trying to regain his composure, "I don't know yet." His eyes flashed over to the bar, where Kagome sat with Miroku and Sango. All three of them were facing away, looking toward the restaurant's front door. Kagome had a string of pearls in her hair tonight. She really did look fantastic in blue.

"I see," Kikyou said, and he tried to not make it too obvious where his line of sight had gone as the waiter dipped in to top off their champagne glasses, "Well, if you still need a date the week of, let me know."

Wait, what?

"What about Naraku?"

"What about me?"

And like he'd appeared from thin air, there was Naraku, wearing gym shorts and a tank in Nobu, of all fucking places. He stood behind Kikyou, practically snarling and panting. The surrounding diners all looked scandalized and not a little intrigued as they began whispering amongst themselves.

Naraku put a hand on Kikyou's shoulder. Her eyes widened briefly, then she recovered like a champ. Inuyasha had to marvel at the way she did that.

"Naraku!" Kikyou said, turning in her seat to greet him, taking his hand from her shoulder and clasping it in her own, sending Naraku a dazzling smile, "What are you doing here, honey?"

Oh, now he's honey again, is he? Inuyasha scoffed under his breath but kept his expression neutral.

"I'm protecting the woman I love!" Naraku snapped, his eyes fixed on Inuyasha's, "What are you doing here with him? Without telling me?"

Kikyou looked up at him. "Naraku, honey," she said as sweet as sugar, "I thought we went over this."

"Did we?" Naraku said, spit flying out of his mouth, his face red as a tomato, "I didn't think we talked about you going out with this bastard again in public, without me!"

Kikyou, seemingly oblivious to the now obvious whispering around them, kept her eyes to Naraku's. "I thought you trusted me, honey." Her voice was still kind, but her eyes were narrowed in annoyance.

Inuyasha gripped the edge of the table, fighting the urge to scream.

"I told you, babe," Naraku said, looking down at her lovingly then snapping a furious glare back at Inuyasha, "It's this son of a bitch I don't trust. This guy attacked us in a club, and now you're seeing him alone?"

There were titters of laughter and even more whispers.

"You know what," Inuyasha hissed, throwing down his napkin and moving to stand up, "You two sit down and have a nice dinner. I'm getting the fuck out of here. I don't need any of this shit."

From the bar, Kagome watched Inuyasha sit through the barrage of very public insults. He was seething. This could be bad.

She practically threw her credit card at the bartender and hurriedly signed the receipt (noting in her haste that the bill for three glasses of fucking champagne in this place was two hundred and twenty-five dollars).

"Aren't either of you going to do something?" she whispered urgently to Miroku and Sango over her shoulder as she stood up.

They just looked at her blankly, as if they hadn't understood the question.

Kagome growled under her breath and stalked over to Kikyou and Inuyasha's table, where a small crowd of people had just happened to gather.

"That's right, bro," Naraku taunted as Inuyasha stood, "Get the fuck outta here. And stay away from my girl, you hear me?"

Kikyou seemed to be trying to catch his gaze as he moved around the table, but he just stared straight ahead, fists clenched, feeling his nails prick his palms from the effort.

"Naraku, wait a second." It was Kagome's voice. She had obviously rushed from the bar at the first sign of trouble.

Kagome tried to put a hand on Naraku's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"Listen," she tried again, standing on her tiptoes and leaning towards Naraku to try and keep her voice low, "Come over to the bar. I'll get you a drink and I'll explain everything."

"Quit your goddamn buzzing in my ear!" Naraku moved his arm to wave her off again.

The arm collided with Kagome's collarbone. Not hard, but enough to send her teetering off balance. She collected herself fairly quickly, stepping back. Naraku's eyes were still on Kikyou and Inuyasha.

Inuyasha didn't notice anything after that point. He lunged.

"You fucking BASTARD!"

"Holy shit," Miroku said as the two men crashed over the table and onto the floor.

Sango couldn't help a gasp of surprise, which she quickly washed down with the rest of her wine.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him off Naraku, "That's enough!"

With an inhuman snarl, Inuyasha allowed her to pull him backwards, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and realizing his knuckles were beginning to bleed.

Kagome turned to Kikyou, her voice urgent and almost snappish, "Get him out of here!"

With a scowl, Kikyou stood, gathered her purse, and left, waiting for Naraku briefly at the door.

Naraku gathered himself up, sent one last glare to Inuyasha and Kagome in turn, and without a word turned to follow Kikyou. He wasn't nearly as bad off as he could have been, Inuyasha thought. Just a busted nose. Inuyasha had obviously kind of rung his bell, though, because he staggered a bit on his way to the entrance.

"Are you okay?" Kagome said quietly, eyes darting back and forth from his own to the crowd, who were either cheering for the jilted husband-to-be finally getting his revenge, or were hurriedly texting whoever that Inuyasha Takahashi just punched the ever-loving fuck out of Kikyou Higurashi's boyfriend, yes that one, the one she left him for…

Inuyasha didn't answer. He suddenly realized the weight of what he'd just done. He'd assaulted someone. In public. "Shit," was all he could say.

Kagome put an arm on his shoulder. "I'll take care of it," she said, her voice steady and her eyes on his now, that unwavering blue stare, "Just get out of here, okay?"

He could only risk a short lingering look at her, not even able to mouth a 'thank you' for fear of cameras or whatever-the-fuck-else picking it up, as he gently pushed past her and towards the bar.

A quick flash of the credit card. God damn, his knuckles were hurting now. Hopefully, Naraku's face hurt way worse. "Sorry for the mess," he managed to stutter out, and he pushed past Miroku and Sango on his way out the door, already dialing the phone to call his driver.

Kagome tried to ignore the stares and whispers as she gently knelt to right the upturned table.

"Oh please, miss, let me," the waiter said, clearly still a bit shaken by what had just taken place, and he knelt beside her to gather broken dishes and champagne glasses.

"I don't mind," Kagome said, a little dazed, as if she herself had been the one just in a very public fistfight. I'm used to this, aren't I?

Careful not to cut herself, she placed the hollowed shell of the broken bottle in the waiter's outstretched apron.

"Kagome," Miroku said from above her. She looked up. He and Sango stood there, looking a little shell-shocked.

"Kagome," Miroku said again, "Go after him."

She fought back-what was it, a gasp? A sob? "I can't," she said, face calm but eyes huge. Sango turned to Miroku, looking very clearly flabbergasted.

Everyone's watching, everyone knows who I am. I can't.

"Go," Miroku said, his voice low and his expression kind, "He needs you." This was all said under his breath and with as little lip movement as possible, and Kagome would have laughed if it were under any other circumstances.

He needs you. The words echoed in her brain, pinging back and forth like a pachinko ball.

She nodded slightly, stood, and quickly walked towards the door.

When Kagome was gone and the place had started to resume its normal buzzing tone of conversation (if slightly hushed and conspiratorial-sounding conversation), Sango handed the studio credit card to the poor beleaguered waiter.

"Here," she said, holding it out between two perfectly-manicured fingers, "This should cover the damage and all the dinner bills. And I do mean all the dinner bills. Everyone in the house. For their inconvenience. Give yourself a good tip, say, forty-five percent."

The waiter stammered his thanks (he'd just made six months' salary in a matter of five minutes) and scurried off.

When it was all paid up and in order, Sango let Miroku take her arm and lead her toward the door.

"Why the hell did you tell her that?" she muttered under her breath to him as soon as they were mostly out of earshot.

Miroku, for his part, looked a little bewildered. "I...I have no idea," he said, "It just sort of spilled out. I saw his face, I saw him look at Kagome, I saw Kagome's face…"

"Oh, for the love of-" Sango shoved away from him slightly and began stomping toward the car, "Wrong girl, Houshi! We're supposed to be using Kagome to make Kikyou jealous! It doesn't work when Kikyou has no idea what's happening! She's going to be busy with her gym-rat meathead punching bag boyfriend the rest of the night; how in the hell does sending Kagome straight to Inuyasha's house after a huge public display like that work in our favor when we can't send Kikyou right after them? Did you not stop to think that this might undo the little progress we've made with Inuyasha the past few days? Getting him accustomed to the idea of maybe taking Kikyou back?"

Miroku said nothing, still looking a little stunned at his own actions. He opened the car door and sat inside, scratching his head.

Sango pinched the bridge of her nose. "Alright, take me home now," she snapped, "I've got to think this through. We can't undo this, but we can spin it somehow. There's always an angle. Always."

Inuyasha was already three fingers of whiskey deep and getting ready to demolish some of his nice, obscenely expensive furniture when his front door suddenly flew open.

"Not now, Miroku, I will fucking kill you if I hear one word…" He trailed off, turning to face the intruder. He paused. He swallowed.

"...Kagome?"

I know, I know. Another eeeeevil cliffhanger. Also LOL at Miroku just acting on pure emotional instinct for once. Guess he has a heart in that heart-place after all, even if he doesn't know it yet. -meggz0rz