Inuyasha tugged at his tie, uncomfortable in his formal wear. The jet-black suit looked good, but it certainly wasn't what he would have normally worn. His red knit cap matched his tie. Miroku said that he couldn't play the cool rock star card tonight and wear jeans and a faded t-shirt, as this was more formal than the Grammy's.
Inuyasha lifted the hat off his head, and in the mirror he saw the two furry ears on top of his head swivel, listening to the sound outside the bathroom in Sango's apartment. He breathed, letting himself be comfortable for a moment before he had to replace the hat. His claws weren't big deal, kept trimmed of course, and his eye color could just be contacts or a rare trait, but his ears…they were different.
Miroku knocked and opened the door.
"Hey, the girls are almost done, okay?" he said. His smiled was cut short when he saw Inuyasha without his hat on. "Letting them out for some air?" Miroku and Sango, along with his family were the only people who knew about Inuyasha being a half demon.
"Yeah, just letting myself get comfortable for a sec," Inuyasha said, placing the knit cap back on his head. "It gets really hot under these damn things."
Miroku looked at the floor and then back up at his best friend. "She would understand, you know. Not all women are-"
"Don't you mother-fucking start, Miroku," Inuyasha said, turning around. His gold eyes sparkled as he suddenly became livid. "It's not…I mean, I know she wouldn't care. But it's not that…"
"Then what the fuck is it?" Miroku asked, his own voice gaining an edge. "We've been friends forever, and I still don't get you. This could be something important, something good, and you're letting that bitch control you, even though she's bee gone for a year-"
"Sally's…Kikyo was at Sally's…she said some shit that wasn't true, but…"
"It's all that shit we used to do, isn't it?" Miroku asked. He clenched his fists, angry at his past and himself. In an instant, it all came rushing back to him. From that first joint shared amongst "friends" to a few acid trips every now and again, to needles and secrets. They would go for days not knowing where they were, and eating everything in sight.
Miroku tried not to think about all the brain cells fried, or how many times he came close to dying. He'd never forgot that day when he went to Inuyasha with a sandwich baggie filled with something evil, and it would almost ruin their lives.
"Fuck, Inuyasha," he said, "We haven't done anything since…God, three years we've been clean. Unless…"
"NO!" Inuyasha said. He leaned against the wall and sank down. "Not even Tylenol…it just reminds me of all that shit…God, remember when we thought the cops were coming to our hotel room in Jersey? And when we flushed all that coke down the toilet? God, must have been at least 1,500 dollars worth. I can't believe we paid so much to do such shit."
Miroku smiled. "But that was really long time ago, Inuyasha. We're better now. Kagome doesn't know junkie Inuyasha, she knows…well, she knows what you've let her know."
Miroku left with a soft click of the door going back into it's closed position. Inuyasha replaced his hat and took a deep breath. Was it really so obvious? Was his attraction to Kagome, despite his efforts, easily seen?
She knows…well, she knows what you've let her know.
"I'll tell her," he whispered to himself.
Kagome sipped from her champagne flute lightly. It was strange to be back in that party setting, wearing a gown that was too expensive, shoes that fit her feet in an uncomfortable yet fashionable way, and walking amongst some rich and talented, and ever richer and not-so-talented people.
It was weird to not have a darker force at her side. She sipped her drink a little faster at the memories that decided to invade her thoughts.
"Oh my gosh, that's soooo cute!" Diana Marcuso exclaimed. Kagome recognized her as the bass player from The Hopefuls. She had Sango's hand on both of hers, looking at her engagement ring from Miroku. Diana was just one of the music business' super stars at the benefit Black was attending. Kagome had been keeping to Inuyasha's side all night, hoping not to run into too many people. "That is like, the most perfect ring ever. So sweet."
Kagome turned back to her escort for the night. Inuyasha was speaking with someone from Linkin Park, she couldn't remember the name of the individual. She watched him converse with a friend, and she couldn't help but notice his face, every movement of his skin.
"No way, man, that's defiantly the way to go. Just forget the sound you're used to and write," Inuyasha said. "I could never get shit done thinking that way." And with a nod of their heads, the conversation was over. He turned to her and smiled. "Whoa, done already?" he said, motioning to her glass. She looked down and saw that it was in deed empty. When did that happen? She thought. "Thought you weren't really a drinker," he said.
"I'm not," she said, grabbing his hand. She noticed that the area of the grand ballroom they were in seemed a little deserted. They stood behind a large pillar, blocking them from the views of many celebrities. "I'm just nervous, that's all."
"Don't be, please," he said, kissing her cheek lightly. It was the closest physically since that moment in his room. She blushed and stepped away from him. Kagome couldn't help herself. She glanced around them, looking for the one she feared. "Kagome…what are we doing?"
She whipped her head around to face him. "What?"
"What are we? First we fight, then flirt, get this close to fucking…what are we?" he asked. He sounded frustrated and she cringed. She hadn't wanted to upset him. She never did.
"I don't know," she whispered. She grasped both his hands. Take the plunge! "But I care about you, I really do. I want to be with you, but I have some…regrets that I can't burden you with," she explained. She was caught off guard with a desperate, quick kiss.
"You have no idea about regrets, Kagome. You have no clue," he said, kissing her again. She closed her eyes and let him kiss her. Her mind felt fuzzy from their heat and the alcohol, causing her to forget who might be watching, who could see that she was with someone else.
"Official?" she whimpered against his lips. He smiled and laughed lightly.
"Official," he said, pulling her back in.
"So I told him that if he wanted any before his next movie came out he'd have to get a new gardener for those bushes. Like I'd let him near mine if he didn't care of things?"
A few of the women in the small clique laughed softly at the joke, Kagome pretended along side Sango. The older woman looked at her friend and noticed her discomfort.
"Excuse me ladies," Sango said, "but I need to run off to the little girls' room. Excuse us." She grabbed Kagome's hand and led her away to a restroom. The only other person in the room was a cleaning attendant. Sango opened up her clutch and began fixing her make up. "Okay, so you were glowing back there. What's up?"
Kagome opened her own clutch and pulled out her lip gloss.
"Inuyasha kissed me…and I kissed him back. We're official," she said. Sango sighed. She closed her clutch with a snap and turned to face her friend.
"Thank God," she said. She opened her arms for a hug and Kagome found shelter in her friend's arms. "I'm assuming this happened tonight. Seriously, it took you guys long enough. Just don't hump like monkeys when we're on tour, okay?" Sango released her friend, both in giggles. "You're crying," she said. "What is it?"
"I just…"Kagome thought back to their first not-date, "I'm just so happy, that's all." Sango smiled. In the mirror Kagome could see the bathroom attendant smile at the scene. "You go back out there. I just need to fix my face, I'll be out in a sec." Sango went back to the party, leaving Kagome alone to do her touch ups in the glamorous bathroom. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You know, you have this nasty habit of acting like a whore, Kagome. I never thought you'd turn into such a little slut."
Her eyes opened wide. Kagome screamed against the hand that covered her mouth, thrashing with all she was against the rock hard body that drowned her, bring her fears to life.
He saw us.