Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine.

Chapter 3

That Friday evening, Hiro took Kagome to a popular nightclub that just so happened to be owned by Yuki called Netsu. Hiro had made sure that he intercepted all of Inuyasha's calls, telling the white-haired pest that Kagome was in no shape to go out with him.

He'd also had to keep away from Yuki, who'd constantly kept showing up at the house, demanding to be let in. Hiro answered the door the first five times, but after that, he pretended not to be at home for every time Yuki entered the house, he always managed to make some snide comment to Kagome. After the fifth and final time, Kagome burst into tears at Yuki's cruel words. With a roar, Hiro had leapt up and punched Yuki in the face, ordering him to never come back. But of course, he did come back. The very next day.

But now as Friday rolled around, Hiro was quite pleased to see that Kagome had improved greatly. So much so, that Sesshoumaru had allowed him to take her out... after getting an okay from the doctor.

They went with Sango and Miroku, who were two of Kagome's closest friends. The couple was greatly relieved to see Kagome finally out and about again. Miroku, who'd known Kagome longer than Sango (and had at one time asked her out but had been turned down) was the most relieved of them all and in fact showed Kagomejust how relieved he was by sweeping her into his arms and groping her to within an inch of her life. Hiro spared Sango from having to knock Miroku's teeth down his throat by gripping him hard on the back of the neck until he released the startled girl. Grabbing Kagome's hand, Hiro stormed off into the club while Sango threatened to do very nasty, painful things to Miroku while he slept.

Once inside, Kagome couldn't help but attach herself to Hiro like white on rice. The deafening noise, the crush of humanity... it was all she could do not to break out into a screaming panic and bolt. Hiro, sensing his friend's agitation, wrapped a comforting around her slim shoulders as they made their way through the crowd. Hiro hoped to kami that Yuki wouldn't be here tonight, although he did see the club's manager, Kouga, and his two sidekicks chatting up a group of giggling, half-drunk college girls. He would have to make sure Kouga didn't lay his lecherous sights on Kagome. That guy was nothing but trouble.

They made it up to the VIP rooms where they were immediately ushered in. Ah, the perks of being the owner's little brother, he thought smugly, seeing others trying in vain to get in. The looks on their faces were priceless when they saw the bouncer give a respectful bow to him and throw the doors open.

The VIP rooms were large and spacious, with large, plush furniture in crushed red velvet upholstry. There were booths on the far end, to enable the occupants a clear view of the dance floor. It was a lot quieter in here, allowing Kagome to relax which in turn made Hiro relax. By the time they made it up here, Kagome had been trembling rather badly, causing Hiro to begin seriously worrying about his girl. But in here, they could kick back and talk in normal voices while watching the dancing below in comfort.

Sango was suitably impressed and so was Miroku, who was trying his best to behave after the promise Sango made to him about removing certain important male body parts from his person and throwing them to a pack of wild snow monkeys.

After they grabbed a booth by the large glass window overlooking the lively dance floor, they ordered their drinks and something to eat. Miroku leaned back and slung an arm around Sango's shoulders, while Sango smiled over at Kagome and relaxed back against her boyfriend.

Kagome on the other hand, only looked about her with wide, uncertain eyes. She wanted to run off and leave this place. It was far too loud and had far too many people in it. As it was, she was far too petrified to move an inch. She didn't even think she could leave Hiro's side for a moment.

A large, warm hand began to gently rub her back and she jumped. Before she could turn, she felt his mouth right beside her cheek. "It's okay, little one," he whispered, his breath warm in her ear. As if by magic, she felt the tension leave her and she slumped against him. His arm went around her and she felt completely at ease. For as long as Kagome could remember, Hiro had been able to soothe her when no one else could, even her own mother. But then...Kagome never had the heart to tell her mom that her husband's youngest son was treating her cruelly. Her mom was so happy back then and she didn't dare say anything to ruin her mom's happiness.

Turning her face away from Hiro, she gazed down at the writhing sea of humanity below her. Her friends were chatting and laughing, but she wasn't feeling it. All Kagome wished to do was go home, curl into a ball and sleep beside her beloved Hiro while he watched tv. The most restful sleep she had ever had was when she slept by his side.

The drinks arrived and not long after, their food came. While the others were chowing down, Kagome merely picked at her plate. Her eyes kept straying to the lower level, searching for something but she didn't know what.

"You need to eat, koishii." Hiro's voice was again close to her ear.

She looked at him, then at Miroku and Sango, who were smiling encouragingly at her. "I'll try," she promised and proceeded to do just that. Kagome knew that she had to eat. Hiro had this creepy, yet uncanny ability to know when she had and hadn't eaten...and she knew that even though he was talking animatedly to the couple across the table from them, he was surreptiously watching every bite of food that went into her mouth.

At last she sat back, her tummy full. The moment she moved away from her plate, Hiro's head snapped around. His dark eyes narrowed and studied her half-finished plate before he begrudgingly nodded his approval. She sighed inwardly.

Kagome reached for her margarita and slowly sipped at it. All the while, her eyes once more roamed to the crowded dance floor. A flash of pale hair moving amongst many dark (as well as multi-colored) heads caused her heart to jerk violently in her chest. Was that Inuyasha? Oh no, that couldn't be! Not that she didn't want to see him...of course, she did want to see him and apologize for not talking to him in awhile... but just not now. He'd just end up making a scene because she never went out with him.

So she continued to watch and wait with baited breath. The fair hair continued to move through the crowd until it disappeared from view. Kagome gripped her drink a little tighter and instead of continuing to sip, she tipped her head back and downed the rest.

"Kagome?"

Kagome ignored Hiro and raised a hand to catch the waitress's eye. After giving her order of another margarita, she sat back against the seat and closed her eyes.

"Oi." A finger poked her in the side and her eyes flickered open. Hiro was frowning at her. "Are you okay? You tossed that drink back like it was nothing."

Her eyes flitted in Sango's direction. The other girl was staring at her in shock. Miroku, however, only smirked and raised his own glass in a salute to Kagome. The smirk vanished when the back of Sango's hand whacked him in the abdomen. Kagome lowered her head for a moment then she looked guiltily back at Hiro. "I was thirsty," she answered lamely.

"Thirsty? You could have asked for some water or something," Hiro remarked suspiciously. "So why did you order another one? Still thirsty?" The note of sarcasm was not lost on Kagome, but she was saved from having to answer when their smiling waitress brought her drink at last.

Kagome couldn't get it fast enough. She took it with thanks and was just about to chug it when she caught Hiro's eye. He was less than pleased and did not bother to hide it.

With a sigh, Kagome took a sip and set it down, licking the salt from her lips. This earned her a satisfied look from Hiro and he relaxed, turning back to Miroku and Sango. While the three began talking again, she turned again to the window. Her eyes hadn't strayed far when she saw a golden haired god down below... Yuki. He wasn't hard to miss, seeing as how he was at least a head taller than most of the people there. He was nodding to people here and there, but never a smile crossed his perfect lips. It appeared to be that he was searching for someone. His eyes were narrowed against the flashing lights.

Kagome was perfectly content to sit and watch the exquisite creature, who was probably looking for a girl to take home tonight. Naive she might be, but she wasn't stupid. She knew the kind of lifestyle he led, for Hiro had told her. 'Never let yourself be alone with him,' Hiro had warned her after Yuki had barged into her home on that first day. 'He may have the face of an angel, but he's anything but an angel. Never forget that.'

It wasn't hard to forget, recalling the look of contempt in Yuki's eyes every time he would look her up and down. He wouldn't be going after her anytime soon...or like, ever. She just wasn't his type, and she supposed she should be glad about that, although she wouldn't have completely minded being someone he'd pursue. Well, why not be honest with herself? After all, she wasn't dead. Yuki was the most beautiful specimen of male flesh she'd ever seen, even more so than Sesshoumaru, which in itself was most amazing. For the longest time, Kagome had considered Sesshoumaru the best looking man ever. But it was unfair to compare the two, she thought, still gazing down at the fair Adonis who was now looking down at his open cell phone.

Where Sesshoumaru was pale, cool and delicate as the forgiving moonlight, Yuki radiated a brilliant, blinding golden and unforgiving heat. Even now, Kagome noted that the women below were openly staring at him, despite the fact they were dancing with other men. Flowers turning their heads in the direction of the sun, Kagome thought wryly. A sun that could burn and wither everything beneath it if it chose. Well, once was enough for her. She would do as Hiro wished and stay far away from that dangerously cruel beauty.

Taking another sip of her drink, she turned to look down where Yuki had been standing, wondering if he had already moved on. But no, he was still there. Only now his head was tipped back, those hypnotic eyes staring straight up at her.

Her eyes flew open and hand went to her mouth before she could stop it; her heart was pounding like a jackhammer against her ribcage. She hoped to kami that he couldn't see through the glass, but it was obvious that he could, for a sly, slow grin spread over that perfect face. He snapped his cellphone shut and began moving towards the stairs that led to the rooms above.

Feeling faint and a vague sense of doom, Kagome grabbed her drink and gulped it down. Just as she knew he would, Hiro stared at her in consternation. "What are you doing, Kagome?" he asked, worried. "Are you okay? Because if not, I'll take you home right now."

The double doors opened at the other end of the room and Kagome instantly fell into her usual submissive pose, head bowed, shoulders hunched, hands clasped tightly together in her lap. She could feel Hiro's confusion, but before he could say anything, that dreaded voice filled the air. Not again. She couldn't take his hateful words and cold gaze again.

"Hiro! Good to see you!"

Yuki clapped his brother heartily on the back before turning to face the others. "Hi, my name's Yuki. Hiro's older brother, if he hasn't bragged about me yet." He gave the unfamiliar woman one of his most charming grins. Just as he expected, she reacted as all females did when he chose to grace them with his smile. Her face flushed brightly while she giggled like a schoolgirl and batted her lashes so fast at him that he could almost feel the breeze.

When he turned his mega-watt smile on Kagome, she did nothing. No, that wasn't correct. She raised her eyes cautiously upwards until their gazes met and then...

She flinched. It was almost as if he had raised his hand to strike her. There was no welcoming look that burned in her eyes, and he had a feeling that she was expecting him to say something hurtful. There was no sign at all that she was in any way attracted to him and Yuki realized with some surprise that she was terrified of him. Indeed, her face had turned so pale, he suspected that she had become ill.

He felt his smile fade slowly. This was a very unfamiliar situation. For once in his life, he'd met a woman who did not seem to want him and for some reason he could not comprehend, it bothered him. Was he losing his touch?

Kagome scooted away from Hiro and into the corner, letting her gaze drop down once more. It was a sign of respect and fear, he knew, but it also served to hide her large, luminous eyes from his. Strangely enough, he did not want her to hide those magnificent, chocolate-hued orbs.

But of course, he couldn't let her know that. For the sake of his reputation, he couldn't let anyone know he'd had a moment of weakness. He would be damned if he let some woman break him in. Hell, for all he knew, she was only acting and doing a brilliant job of it. Hadn't he seen her staring down at him earlier? She'd been watching him and then acted so horrified when he caught her doing it.

Whatever little game she was playing, it wouldn't work though. No woman had ever caught him... and never would.

"I hope you enjoyed your visit to Netsu," he said cheerfully. "Come back again. As friends of my little brother, you'll always be welcome in the VIP room." He bestowed another grin on them, but his eyes strayed to Kagome, who hadn't moved an inch.

Hiro noticed his brother's eyes harden when he looked at Kagome and instinctively threw a protective arm around her. When Sango asked what was wrong, Hiro shook his head. "It's fine, Sango, don't worry. She's been a little... unwell lately." He put a hand on Kagome's forehead and frowned. "Damn it! Perhaps it was unwise to bring her out tonight. I think her fever's come back." Without another word, he slid out of the booth and got to his feet before grabbing Kagome and scooping her into his arms. He murmured his apologies and strode quickly from the room, while Kagome's arms clung limply to his neck. Her head lay still against his shoulder.

Sango jumped up and began to crawl over Miroku's lap, but Miroku grabbed her hand and pulled her back down. "Don't worry about Kagome, baby. She's in good hands."

"I know," Sango said in a low voice, still staring at the doors that Hiro and Kagome had just gone through. "I just worry about her so much."

Thinking this would be a good time to glean some information about the girl his brother called his dearest friend, Yuki sat down across from them. "What's the matter with her?" he asked amiably, trying to keep the sarcasm from his voice. There was probably nothing at all the matter with her. But if that was the case, then why was Hiro playing along with her little charade? Just how close were they, anyway?

The young woman shook her head and took a gulp of her drink. Yuki raised a hand to their waitress and pointed to Sango's glass. The waitress nodded and went off to fetch a fresh drink. Sango didn't appear to notice. "Kagome's had a rough time of it the last few years." She stared into her empty glass and frowned. "No, that's incorrect. It's been more than a few years, thanks to Inuyasha..." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "Do you know what he had the nerve to do, Miroku?"

Miroku shook his head, but made encouraging noises for his woman to continue.

"That...jerk had the audacity to ask her out a few weeks ago. Can you believe it?" Her new drink arrived and she only looked at it with faint surprise before taking a healthy drink from it. "He tried to trick her into it, too. Said he'd leave her alone for the rest of the week if she'd go out with him the following Friday. What a bastard."

Across the table, Yuki lit a cigarette. "Who's this Inuyasha and why is he a jerk for asking her out?" he asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke. He knew he shouldn't be bothering with this boring subject, but a part of him wanted to know who this Inuyasha guy was and why he wanted to go out with Kagome. She didn't really come across as girlfriend material, but then, there was no accounting for taste. The girl wasn't even hot, for pity's sake.

Sango took another drink and went on. "Inuyasha is really Kagome's stepbrother. His father married her mother. This was a several years ago, just before Kagome was supposed to have begun college. Well, they'd been dating for quite a few years before that, so Kagome and Inuyasha sort of grew up together. During her teenage years, Kagome was overweight and Inuyasha bullied her terrribly. He was always making fun of her--" She looked away and swiped a finger under each of her watery eyes. "Sorry."

Yuki nearly choked on the smoke. He remembered Hiro telling him something like that and having to comfort her because Inuyasha had always reduced Kagome to tears. Nodding silently, he bade Sango to go on.

"But her mother died after a sudden and unexpected illness, leaving Kagome and her younger brother Souta in the hands of her husband. Then another tragedy struck. Inuyasha's father was killed in a plane crash coming back from a business trip. A year later, Kagome went off to college. Thankfully, her stepfather had made a new will, adding in Kagome and her brother, since they were a part of his family. Kagome didn't find out until much later and as a result she'd already taken on the burden of paying her own tuition by putting herself through college. But with going to school full-time, a full-time job, worrying about her brother and dealing with the deaths of her mom and stepdad, as well as being without Hiro, the one person who had always been there for her, it was little wonder she collapsed three years later."

"Mental stress?" asked Yuki, now genuinely curious.

Nodding, Sango took a drink. "Yes. That, and depression, not to mention zero self-esteem. She became... anorexic. When Inuyasha saw her again for the first time in three years, we thought he was going to have a heart attack, didn't we, Miroku?"

The solemn young man at her side nodded. His arm was once again around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Sango continued. "I mean, the look on his face was absolutely priceless. It was as if he'd never seen her before. Then he had the nerve to tell her that she needed to eat." She shook her head sadly.

Stubbing out his cigarette and lighting another, Yuki asked, "What did she say to that?"

Her dark eyes met his green ones across the table. "She told him to make up his mind, in a joking sort of way, you understand. Kagome doesn't have a rude bone in her body. Well, he couldn't very well say anything to that, but he had plenty to say the next day when her heart almost gave out on her. Inuyasha's older brother Sesshoumaru called him from the hospital to tell him what happened and he rushed over. I'd never seen him so upset. We found out later that he'd bailed during a date with his then girlfriend, Kikyo. Apparently, they were at an expensive restaurant celebrating their one year anniversary. Inuyasha didn't even apologize for running off on her. He just took off without a word to her."

Yuki inhaled deeply and looked absently down at the cigarette burning between his fingers. So...that was why she acted the way she did. The way she bowed her head, the way she hunched her shoulders. It was almost as if she was preparing herself to be verbally attacked... and the way she looked when she looked up at him. He remembered seeing the expectation in her eyes of something rude falling from his mouth.

A strange pang, painful almost, shot across his chest. Had he wronged her? It seemed so, he thought with a scowl. Damn, he hated to be proven wrong!

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As soon as they returned home, Hiro put Kagome to bed immediately, silently begging her forgiveness. He never should have taken her out so soon... or at least, to Yuki's nightclub. What the hell had he been thinking, taking her there, knowing that there was a good chance of running into his bastard brother?

As he pulled the covers up to her chin and smoothed them down, his mind turned back to the silent exchange between Yuki and Kagome. He remembered her cowed look and Yuki's expression as he realized that she was scared of him. Hiro had never seen Yuki look so puzzled before.

He sighed and shook his head. Damn, his brother was dense. Yuki must be so used to people kissing his ass that he'd forgotten what it was like to be around people who didn't like him. How terribly vexed he must be.

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Yuki was terribly vexed. He'd paced the length of his living room for awhile before going to stand out on his balcony. From his high-rise penthouse apartment, he had a terrific view of downtown Tokyo. But tonight, he did not enjoy the scene. Thoughts of Kagome and her pitiful little existance kept intruding in his mind. He had even kicked out the girl he'd brought home for a night of fun because he couldn't concentrate the "fun" part. She had been a hottie, too. What a shame.

Now, as he held a glass of gin and tonic in one hand and a cigarette in the other, he watched the city below. Taking a deep drag off his cig, he sighed. Damn, that girl's face just wouldn't leave his mind! All he could see was that fearful look on her face when he stared at her.

Man, that hurt! Never had any woman looked at him like that. He'd even caught the eye of a few lesbians in his day, but he'd never been able to not charm his way into a female's heart.

So, Kagome wanted to play hard to get, eh? Deep down, she must want him, or why else would she stare down at him like that? He had seen her searching the dance floor earlier and decided to find out just who she was looking for. When he had caught her eyes, he had seen the embarassed look on her face and he knew that she had been searching for him.

He snorted into his drink. Of course, it was so obvious. The silly little girl wanted him, it was plain to see.

A stiff breeze blew around him, ruffling his golden locks. He lowered his glass. Well, well, so she wanted to play, did she? Then he'd play too. But the game would end as soon as he got her into bed, which wouldn't take very long. Two weeks at most. He'd be cordial, attentive, but after he used her, he'd lose her. That would teach her to not fuck with him. That would also teach her to treat him with the respect he deserved.

Stupid female...try to trap him, would she?. She needed to learn her place... and that was far, far beneath him.

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