I guess this'll complete my request by the time you've finished this – but I've got 49 reviews and I was like, "Arghh! SOMEONE, just gimme that last review to tot it up to 50!" I know… I'm really weird about things like that… but PLEASE… it's driving me crazy…
A/N: Just in response to a review – um, this story is AU, so therefore Miroku has no kazaana, or likewise for other characters.
Make Me
Things progressed normally – as normally as they could get. Kagome had taken to walking around with a suspiciously cheerful aura and secretive smile, while Inuyasha watched warily. For a girl who was supposed to hate him, she was awfully friendly.
Inuyasha had two theories.
One, she had mysteriously fallen in love with him and had resolved to be nicer to him.
As ego boosting as it was, Inuyasha doubted it. There just wasn't something… right about it. Although, he didn't really know Kagome and therefore wouldn't know how she acted around a crush… Wouldn't there be more blushing? And more giggling?
Which left Inuyasha with the other – and sadly more possible and damaging – prospect: Kagome was planning something.
He didn't know what, and he didn't know how, but the way Kagome kept smiling at him innocently made him cagey.
Kagome, the girl in question, sat opposite him across the gray granite topped breakfast bar, and watched the silver ears flicker and twitch towards her. At a particularly loud crunch (they were eating cornflakes) the ears swiveled towards her in a watchful manner. She tried to stifle a giggle, but it leaked through her fingers.
"Keh! Find something funny, wench?"
Kagome frowned slightly at the use of 'wench,' but her lips kinked up again at the amber eyes flashing over her and her pyjamas. I'll work on that later. "Your ears…"
A closed look slid over Inuyasha's face. "…Yes?" he asked cautiously.
Kagome didn't seem to notice. "They are so cute!" She reached out and tweaked one, where it twitched responsively. She giggled again, and tweaked again.
Inuyasha covered his slight surprise with a growl, and she relented, sitting back in her original position, beaming at his ears over her cornflakes.
There's definitely something wrong with Kagome…"Uh… bitch? Don't you have to do any… studying?"
The expression and voice remained honey sweet, but the tone was laced with a threat, all without a falter. Inuyasha was mightily impressed.
"Inuyasha… do you think you could get through one day without calling me something derogatory?"
"D…de-rog-at-ory? Keh! Stop using fancy words. Anyway…" he leaned in close to her, making sure he was in her personal space. "What're you going to do about it… bitch?"
Not to back down, Kagome stood up and planted her hands on the counter, and leaned towards him as well. "You will stop calling me bitch or wench or anything else that comes anything near that."
Inuyasha smirked. This was more like Kagome. He stretched out his words, savouring how they tasted on his tongue. "Make me."
>>>>>>>>
"Make me."
"Houshi-sama! Please… I really need you to go instead of me… I've got all this paperwork to do! You know the Pepsi commercial Inuyasha's sponsoring has still got loads more work to do on it!"
"Hmm…" Miroku shuffled though the said paperwork. "Oh yeah… they phoned us today… they want Inuyasha to bring Kagome to the opening tonight. Said they'd be more publicity that way."
Sango narrowed her eyes. "I'll phone them back in a minute… If they want Kagome, the deal's going to rise to 60k. After all, Kagome-chan is somewhat of a celebrity herself now."
"All right."
There was a short silence. Sango cracked first. "Miroku! I swear to God if you don't run out and get me a coffee now I'll…"
Miroku raised a suave eyebrow. "Breaking any parts of my body won't make me want to buy you coffee, you know."
Sango mumbled something inconspicuous.
Miroku crossed his arms and tapped his chin thoughtfully, while regarding Sango thoughtfully. "All right… I'll go out and get the coffee. I've got a craving for doughnuts, myself. I'll go buy…"
Sango nodded eagerly.
An evil grin tainted the man's otherwise handsome face. "…If you flash me your chest."
Sango wilted mentally. There really was no point in harboring any hope that one day, Miroku would change his tune. Sango sighed dramatically, and pretended to think about it. "Sure, then. If that's what it takes." She swiveled around in her chair and buried her face in the paperwork.
Miroku grinned with boyish excitement and jauntily started to walk out, before he faltered. "You're not going to show me even when I get back, are you?"
Sango didn't lift her head from the paperwork. "Nope."
Miroku pouted, and asked in his best 'little boy' voice, "Why not?"
A heavy paperweight crashing on his head was his answer.
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A heavy mug crashing on Inuyasha's head was his answer. He winced as he watched Kagome huffily stalk off – the effect failed by the cutesy yellow patterned pyjamas and scary hair – up the grand stairs. I will never understand that girl…
That baka! Kagome flung her walk in wardrobe open crossly, and rifled though the outfits noisily before picking out a white mini and a blue top. Gathering her clothes together, she stomped off the bathroom, running a bath, and lowering herself into it.
He's… so infuriating. It's like he knows just which buttons to press to make me mad… Jeez, if my friends could see me… Nice, patient cheerful Kagome being all…Attila the Hun-ish. It's like I'm on PMT constantly… I've already come close to tears about two times and I haven't even been here for two days…
Bloody Inuyasha. It's him. The effect of him…
She leant her head back against the bathroom tiles. Why did I agree to come here again?
Meanwhile, Miroku was berating a grumpy Inuyasha. "She's the guest, Inuyasha. You're not meant to offend her… or screw her," he warned, seeing the smirk on his charge's face. "Go apologize. And tell her to find Sango in an hour. She has to find a dress."
"Why does the wench need a dress? She's got plenty of those little skirts that cover about a inch of her legs."
Miroku lost his serene composure for a moment, and a grin came over his face. "Indeed. Thank the God to have such a girl around here for three months-"
Two simultaneous punches were landed on him.
"Enough, Houshi-sama."
"Keep your damn mouth shut about Kagome. Anyways, it was you that said 'She's the guest, Inuyasha. You're not meant to offend her… or screw her.'" Inuyasha mimicked.
"Why, I never said I'd planned to screw her, I just – OK, survival instincts kicking in. I'll shut up."
Sango rolled her eyes, and hit him once more for good measure anyways. "Thank you. Kagome has to find a dress because she is attending the opening with you. Anyway, Inuyasha, Miroku is right. Kagome is guest – you'd better say sorry if you're going to make it in time for tonight."
"Keh!" The glare he sent was met with steady resistance, so he hauled ass up the stairs that Kagome had stormed up just moments earlier, much in the same fashion as her.
Inuyasha opened the door to Kagome's room, and surveyed it with slight surprise. She'd personalized the place already, it having a firm imprint of Kagome on it. The windows were opened as wide as possible, and a small rainbow curtain – like the ones he'd seen you could buy for a couple hundred yen and string together on your own – was hung up by them, so the sunlight streaming though cast pretty coloured circles everywhere. Some books were by her bedside, and little things of hers, like pens and a brush were scattered around neatly. But the most prominent mark of Kagome was the smell of the room. It was here her scent was strongest, more then he'd ever smelt, and he could feel himself becoming rapturous with the sweet, fresh aroma with a note of spice.
Inuyasha, you idiot, just find her and say sorry so everyone'll be happy and get out of here. He looked around and noticed a closed door.
Now Inuyasha having so many rooms, he never took much notice of this particular one. That meant he didn't know the closed door was actually a bathroom. All he knew was that the scent was coming most strongly from there.
Opening the door, the first thing he noticed was the mist in the air. What the-? Why the hell would there be mist in the air?
His eyes sharpened and zoomed in on the focal point – a very much naked and bathing Kagome.
Oh shit. She's going to kill me if she sees-
"INUYASHA!"
Oh, sweet Jesus.
Kagome covered her chest with her hands before shooting him a poisonous look. "What the hell? Do you often go around and spy on girls having a bath? Is that your hobby?"
Damn, I'm only male. If I'm going to get killed later, I might as well enjoy the show. He eyed Kagome's slender figure, clearly visible through the water, feeling more then just a little stirred. "Darling, if they all look like you maybe I should take that hobby up."
Kagome flushed angrily. The way he was casually running his ardent gaze over her made her feel hot and embarrassed, and she hated him for making her flustered and-
Attracted?
Oh my God. No way. No way am I attracted to that-that – insensitive lump of a jerk!
And no way am I arguing with myself either, when he's standing around staring at me – wait. Is he smoldering at me?
Inuyasha loped over to the bathtub and settled down, eye level to her. He smiled seductively at her, and lowered his voice into a smoky tone. "Darling… want me to help you wash?"
Kagome slapped a hand over his golden gaze. "Thanks, but no thanks." Hormonal driven moron. She took a deep breath before leaning close to his ear and letting out a light purr. "Although… there is something you could help me with."
Inuyasha smirked, tolerating her hand over his eyes. "Anything for you, darling."
Again with the low tone. "Oh… Inuyasha. Could you…"
Keeping her hand over his eyes, she sloshed out of the water slowly and awkwardly wrapped a towel around herself whilst standing next to him. The second she was secure she streaked back to her bedroom, calling over her shoulder.
"Throw yourself off a cliff? It'd spare the world a lot of grief."
>>>>>>>>
"You're accompanying Inuyasha to a opening tonight."
"WHAT?"
Kagome had been banking on the hope of staying away from Inuyasha for at least a couple of days after that little stunt she'd pulled on him. This was not featured in her plan.
Sango smiled at her. "You'll need a dress, shoes and a handbag, and I've got some professionals in to do your hair and make up. Don't worry; you don't have to do anything you haven't done before. At the opening they'll be some paparazzi. Don't respond to any questions. Just let them take a few photos and move on."
A deep forest green silk jersey dress was picked out with silver accessories, before Kagome was pulled into a chair and seemingly a dozen people attacked her face and hair with brushes and whatnot.
She endured this for about an hour before letting a mirror be shown to her, revealing a much more sophisticated and beautiful version of her. It's like being seven all over again… playing dress up in Mama's dresses.
There she tottered outside the mansion, where a tuxed-up Inuyasha was impatiently waiting. At first sight of her he cracked into a malicious, albeit admiring grin.
It sent shivers up her spine.
He bowed mockingly to her, opening to door of the limo to her. He slid in straight after her, making sure to press tightly against her. "You know… I still haven't taken back my offer to help."
Kagome quirked an eyebrow. "And you still haven't thrown yourself off a cliff?"
He flashed a composed smile at her. "Well, you haven't yet, darling. I go wherever you go."
Inuyasha had to hold back a grin when she scowled at him.
It was no red carpet, but the path so obviously based on it, it almost felt like it. A clear path marked by cream stone led up the hall where the opening was being held, and the paparazzi on either side made Kagome feel like Moses, making a path in the fabled river.
As soon as they stepped out of the limo the chauffeur was gone to park it, and the flashes of camera lights was blinding. What seemed like millions of people were shouting her name, asking her random and some bizarre questions.
"Miss Higurashi! Do you like Pepsi, or Coco cola?"
"Kagome! How do you feel about he situation in London?"
"Do you believe that there are aliens out there, Kagome?"
And so forth. Inuyasha kept his hand on the small of her back, leading her up the path, speaking to her though a fixated smile. "Don't answer any of them. Stop, pose – here. Like now. And then move on, quickly. Smile! You don't want anything less then perfect. They get that, and it'll be on the news tomorrow, with them dissecting you to pieces."
"I never realized it was so harsh," Kagome whispered.
He glanced down at her, and ruffled her hair awkwardly. "Yeah. Don't worry, wench, you won't have to deal with it in three months."
The pair was about to move on into the grand entrance when a lone, strong voice called out.
"Inuyasha! What comment would you make about Milten's military school?"
Kagome felt him freeze, and instantly she knew that the question had hit a vulnerable spot about him. She glanced up at his face, and saw his lips press tightly together, his face drained and a tired expression making its way onto his face. Without turning his head to face that reporter he gave his answer.
"No comment."
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Ooher. Inuyasha's a bit touchy about that topic, ne? Don't worry… I have it all planned out! Read and Review, please! You know what to do – that little blue boxy thing down there on the left hand corner…