Prompt used: Pride, Memory, Rivalry, Truth, Modern

Summary: Kagome hates Inuyasha and Inuyasha hates Kagome. Both think the other is at fault and everything has escalated ever since. But who would have thought that a particular demon who has always generated conflict between the two would intervene to fix the situation?

It doesn't matter anyway

The headache woke him up that morning, a continuous booming that hadn't left him even when he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to get back to sleep; that and the warmth enveloping him. He was too hot, and that was not normal – he usually slept in boxers, even when it was minus ten degrees outside, and had never bought a duvet in his life. So why the hell was he so hot? He could also feel the drops of perspiration slowly trickling down his forehead, neck and chest. Deciding to ignore, for the moment, the deafening noise in his head, he focused on the source of that heat and was surprised to discover that he was hugging it. He widened his eyes as his hands automatically tightened around the naked body that had slept beside him and then let go of it as if it burned him. He knew from past experience that such awakenings never went well, and he was intent on disappearing before the second guest in the room woke up.

Still half groggy but shocked enough to activate the necessary mental and motor faculties he needed to escape from there, Inuyasha began searching the floor for his clothes, ignoring the attractive smell her clothes gave off and finally, he wore the jeans first and then the shirt he had gone to the company party with the night before. At least the black-out must not have lasted long, he noted, because he remembered enjoying at least the first part of the event, despite everything being Christmas-themed and him being forced by the boss – aka his arrogant half-brother. He had just finished slipping his shoes on, not bothering to tie them, while repeating like a mantra 'ignore the thong, ignore the thong' which had conveniently ended right on one of them, when he heard moans coming from the bed – moans that sent some flashbacks of the past night to his mind and jolts of pleasure directly to his sex. He swallowed and froze, praying that the girl would keep sleeping so that he would have those few seconds he needed to escape.

But luck was not on his side – or at least that's what he thought when he heard her wake up completely.

Disappointed, he took a big breath and tried to fake a friendly smile before the woman he had evidently had sex with started freaking out. However, when he turned around and saw her, he forgot everything.

"YOU!" he shouted as she recognised him and send him back a horrified expression. He saw her hastily grab the sheet to bring it to her chest and he forgot his anger to take the perfect opportunity to embarrass her – which was one of the things he liked to do most, after all. "No use covering yourself; I've already seen it all." He winked, giving her a defiant look and one of those sly smiles that often found a place on his lips. "Not that you're all that great, anyway."

She seethed and pulled the sheet tighter to herself. "You didn't seem to think so last night." She smiled back. "In fact, if I remember correctly, you wasted quite a bit of time admiring my tits and ass, which aren't that great, both before and after fucking me."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, not pleased by his disadvantage – since, clearly, she remembered more than he did – and without finding an adequate response, grabbed his jacket and made to leave. Reaching the doorstep, however, he stopped and turned his head just enough to see her still standing there in the middle of the bed. "For the record, you didn't seem to mind letting me fuck you either." He couldn't know for sure, but he refused to leave without having the last word.

The woman, however, had other plans and did not react the way he wanted her to. She smiled more and then said, "Well, sure, but unlike you, I never pretended otherwise." And laughing, she watched him run away with his tail between his legs and smoke coming out of his dog ears. Only when the sound of his footsteps on the stairs faded did Kagome dare to relax; her shoulders sagged, her fingers loosened their grip on the sheets and then she raised her head, sighing.

How had such a thing happened?

When she had woken up with a splitting headache and a foul taste in her mouth, she had immediately realised she had been drinking far too much the night before, even though she had asked Sango to keep an eye on her. But her friend hadn't kept her word because she was too busy making out with Miroku and she, already feeling the blues, had chased away the loneliness with a few more drinks. What a friend she had, one who had led her indirectly into the arms of the man who was primarily responsible for her sorrow.

How on earth had she ended up in bed with Inuyasha Taisho?

Sure, she had a crush on the half-demon from biblical times, and she tended to lose her inhibitions when drunk, but what was his excuse? Kagome would have preferred the humiliation of a turndown rather than that. Instead, now, she had to face his sarcastic jokes, teasing and bullying, knowing that he had seen her naked – and very well too! He might not remember it now, but he would soon have plenty of material to torment her. Honestly, Kagome still didn't understand how someone so beautiful could be so obnoxious, and she didn't care if, as a half-demon, he must have experienced racism and bigotry; his past was no excuse for behaving that way with her. And to say that when he started working in the same company, Kagome had been friendly right away.

She shook her head, dejected, and finally began to dress. It would be pointless to keep mulling it over, and what's more, she didn't even know what time it was. Soon someone would come up to inform her that she had to leave the room; she preferred not to be found in that state or to be found at all.

She scraped together the few possessions she had and got the hell out of there, hoping that by leaving that hotel room behind her she could also forget the dramas caused by the most obnoxious, grumpy, and sexy colleague she had ever had.

Back at his flat, Inuyasha had thought it wise to try and relieve the tension with a hot shower and maybe, who knows, even forget what had happened for a while. It was just a pity that the moment he began to feel physically well again, the details came back to him sharper. No matter how well he rubbed himself, the natural smell of her arousal combined with his own continued to tingle his nostrils, making him almost crazy. He ended up leaving the shower more nervous than before, partly because those moments of lucidity had reminded him that no matter how much he tried to hate that woman, he could never get her out of his mind. It would be even more difficult now that he remembered what it meant to have her – and he preferred not to dwell on the fact that his unconscious was already asking him to have her again, and again.

He huffed and slumped onto the bed still all wet; he rubbed a hand over his face and pondered what to do. Tomorrow, he would see her again at work since Sesshomaru had given them the same project – another reason to hate him – and although so far he had been pretty good at playing the bastard asshole card, taking inspiration from the said half-brother, it would be harder to feign indifference, especially if his body betrayed him.

"Ugh," he grunted, dissatisfied, before the silence in the room was interrupted by the ringing of the mobile phone forgotten who knows where. At first, he ignored it, thinking it might be his father, or even worse, his mother; he had no intention of succumbing to guilt and being forced to attend yet another family dinner, consequently seeing Sesshomaru again sooner than he would have liked. However, when the ringing continued well beyond the usual three rings, he huffed again. That insistence could only mean one thing: Miroku.

"Oi," he exclaimed after locating the offending device.

"My man." The other greeted him with the enthusiasm of one who had spent a better night than his and had an even more satisfying awakening. "I see that having spent a few hours with a goddess like Kagome has not softened your spirit."

The half-demon straightened his back, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean? You saw me drunkenly walking away with her and didn't stop me?"

Miroku was taken aback by that question. "Well, of course not. Why would I have? You had been needing to get laid for a while. Plus, I was busy with my sweet Sango too."

"You bastard," he hissed. "And you're supposed to be my best friend? Just because you think you know what I need doesn't mean you should interfere!"

"Umph, who knew a little love would make you even grumpier." On the other side of the receiver, Miroku rolled his eyes. "I didn't do anything; you and Kagome were already going at it long before I noticed you. In fact, you should be thanking me: if I hadn't taken time out of my precious Sango to suggest you get a room, the whole company would have seen you taking advantage of your beauty's good graces last night."

Inuyasha blanched. "W-what?"

"That's right," nodded Miroku. "Besides, why are you bothered by it? I thought you liked Kagome. Didn't you act like an idiot the first time you saw her? A few weeks later, you even threatened to gouge my eyes out and get rid of my cursed hand if I dared to try something."

With those words, his friend reminded him of that afternoon months ago, during which he had discovered the truth about Kagome before – fortunately – he could be dazzled by appearances, as had happened before.

Inuyasha had only been working there for a few days, and although he was doing quite well, he couldn't get over the fact that he had been hired in the same building as his half-brother – and was also one of his subordinates. Luckily for him, the rest of his colleagues, with a few exceptions, had seemed rather welcoming towards him, certainly more so than those racists he had had to deal with when he worked in Kyoto. Although he usually kept to himself, especially when it came to women due to past experiences, this time, he had the impression that he could trust Kagome.

That, at least, were his thoughts before he accidentally eavesdropped on her conversation with Koga next to the vending machine. He froze as he recognised her voice and had to clench his fists to avoid growling as soon as he heard the cub, too – one of the exceptions, in fact.

"I can't stand him, Koga; I just can't do it." She seemed torn between being angry and desperate, and Inuyasha wondered who could possibly elicit such a reaction in someone usually always cheerful and kind.

"Come on, Kagome, you've come this far; you'll be able to hold out these few more days."

At that point, he heard her sigh disconsolately, and from what little he had already been able to gather about her, he was sure, without looking at her, that she was shaking her head. "I told you: I can't stand him. He walks around the company with that air of superiority about him, as if everything is owed to him, with that long, beautiful white hair that as much as I might envy, I would also like to cut or, better, burn; those golden eyes that seem to turn to ice as soon as he looks at you and his suits worth more than my salary. Ugh, what's wrong with a hem sticking out of your pants every now and then? You tell me, Koga, before I go over there and tell him off and jeopardise my promotion. Do you think I'd have time to pull out his shirt, or will he kill me with his claws first?"

In response to that rambling monologue, Koga burst out laughing while Inuyasha, dumbfounded, looked at his own reflection in the glass door, dwelling particularly in yet another suit that his mother insisted he put in his wardrobe even though he had been gone from home for years. Izayoi had always thought it important to make a good first impression, and although Inuyasha would have preferred to work in jeans and a T-shirt, he had allowed himself to be convinced in the end. Now, that suit so lovingly chosen by her aroused only anger in him but not as much as the rage he felt at the thought of yet another person who had fooled him. Although at least, he mused as he turned around and almost ran over an intern, he had discovered her deception before he could get hurt.

He didn't know what game Kagome Higurashi was playing, only that he wouldn't let her win.

Ever since that day, Inuyasha had responded to his colleague's seemingly kind ways with veiled insults and taunting, and although it had almost pained him to see her hurt expression the first time, he knew it was all a charade, and he wasn't fooled. And indeed, it hadn't taken Kagome that long to reveal her true nature, and since then, everyone at work had learned that they had to stay away whenever those two were in the same room.

Pushing those thoughts out of his head, he returned to the conversation Miroku, on the other side of the phone, was having with himself and seethed. His friend wouldn't understand anyway. "Forget it; what do you know anyway," he blurted out rather rudely and, without giving him a chance to reply, hung up.

Before throwing it against the wall, unconcerned about the damage it would cause, he looked at the device for a few more seconds, scrolling through the address book until he reached her number. Not that they'd ever been able to communicate quietly, but having it was still a necessity when they worked closely together more often than not, which reminded him that he'd never understood what Koga had been referring to when he'd told her she only had to hold out for a few days. Even though Kagome had been promoted, there had been several times when he had been asked to join her team.

He huffed. As if it mattered.

Finally, he fell back onto the bed and thought that, for that day, it was best to leave that woman, as obnoxious as she was attractive, out of his thoughts.

"Sango, for the umpteenth time, I'm sure it is so. You should have seen the grudge-filled expression he sent my way as soon as he realised who he had slept with," Kagome almost shouted, hoping her friend would stop contradicting her and believe her. Was it so hard to agree with her for once? Not only was she in such a situation because of her not keeping her end of the bargain, but now she had to hear her sticking up for that smartass. "Did you try to think how humiliating it must have been for me to know that the man I had just spent the night with was so disgusted at the idea once he recognised me?" She couldn't even figure out where she'd gotten the courage to respond to him in kind instead of bursting into tears.

"Oh, Kagome, surely it must have been your perception," Sango tried to reassure her, to no avail.

Kagome bit her tongue so as not to shout or answer back, knowing she would regret it. Instead, she ran her hand through her hair in an apparent nervous gesture and took a big breath, counting to at least ten to regain a modicum of control. "Sango," she began again through gritted teeth, "now you also want to tell me what I saw?"

"Well, sure. Every time you speak of Inuyasha you're so full of rage; it's obvious you can't see it very clearly. I've known him a lot longer than you, Kagome, and I'm telling you that I've never seen him behave the way you say unless he was dealing with some bigot. And you are not one. So why should he treat you like that?"

"As if you were at work with me every day!" she finally blurted out. "You've known him longer, ok, but the environment is completely different. And have you ever noticed that when we all get together, he always finds a way to leave as soon as he realizes I'm there too?"

"Actually..." tried Sango again, feeling like she was about to lose the battle.

"No, never mind. I love you, I really do, but you're doing anything but being helpful today. See you later." She ended the call and then crossed the room to lie down on the couch and close her eyes, trying to ignore the headache that had plagued her since she woke up, with no remedy.

She didn't like arguing with her lifelong friend, yet, whenever the half-demon was the topic of conversation, it always ended that way. As if Inuyasha didn't already have a way of making her life hell at work, he had to do it in her private as well. She huffed again and wiped away the nervous tears she had just shed then, as it seemed impossible to try to relax, she got up again and decided to make herself something to eat. Soon after, she found herself eating some pre-packaged ramen noodles, and when she saw that she had, without even realising it, chosen the man's favourite dish, she almost threw it in the rubbish; the only thing that saved her lunch was the fact that Kagome did not tolerate any kind of waste.

That was just another sign of how, ever since Inuyasha had started working at the company, he had invaded every sphere of her life, leaving her no escape, even if she had tried. The first week she hadn't actually minded having that attractive half-demon on her mind, and it was also the first time she'd been interested in someone since her break-up with Hojo. But it was obvious that she had been beguiled by appearances, given how it had turned out in the end.

The only doubt that continued to haunt her, however, was not understanding why he had changed his attitude so drastically for no real reason – or at least she didn't know it. But she had already given up finding it out. In the meantime, she had promised herself that she would never let him win, even if even her best friend didn't want to support her.

The following week, at work, many were shocked by the behaviour of the two who, compared to usual, had kept as much distance as possible, and when they couldn't, they hadn't sought a fight or provoked the other. Surely something must have happened that most were not aware of or, at least, could not imagine, not if they had not observed the even stranger attitude of the two at the company party. Perhaps, the Christmas air wasn't doing them much good.

So, it went on for days and despite the apparent calm, many thought it wise to steer clear anyway, which is why, on that Thursday, the two were alone having lunch in the break room. No one else had dared to stay, no one other than one wolf demon.

Koga had never paid any attention to the two's quarrels and, on more than one occasion, had let his friend know what he really thought of them and how, in his opinion, they could leave all that tension behind. Therefore, when he entered the room that day and noticed the electricity still surrounding them, he was quite surprised; after all, he was among those at the party who had noticed their foreplay.

"Oi," he announced himself, heading to the fridge to look for the lunch he had left there that morning. "What's with the faces? After you got at it, I thought all this sexual tension would go away. If you want, I can spread the word so you can do whatever you want for the rest of the break." He winked after taking a sip of water. "Since you desperately need a do-over." Then, as if they had been friends and not rivals, he approached Inuyasha and patted him on the back. "I don't think I'll ever understand you, anyway," he added, shaking his head as he walked away. "Considering you've been carrying a torch for each other since you first met, I had thought you'd end up in bed after a week. Well, to each his own, apparently. If role play is what turns you on, who am I to tell you to stop? Just make sure you release all that tension this time, though, Ok?" He concluded before he winked one last time and disappeared, leaving them behind like two gaping fools.

What had he just said? Did Kagome carry a torch for him? It couldn't be possible, not after the way she had spoken about him that time. He had heard her well. Snapping his head in her direction, he found her with her face downcast and looking – for the first time in his presence – decidedly embarrassed, not to mention that even in that position, it was impossible not to notice her scarlet cheeks. Had Koga been right? Why even make fun of him, then?

"Kagome?" he tried.

She raised her face in response and seethed, though he could see how her usual fighting spirit was almost absent, still replaced by embarrassment. "Well, what are you waiting for? You want to make fun of me as usual, don't you? Oh, I can already imagine how you're going to amuse yourself now, knowing that poor Kagome actually had feelings for you all along, right?" She laughed but without enthusiasm. "Like it changes anything for me." She stood up abruptly and wrapped up the remains of her lunch, ready to leave. "Like it would make any difference. We both know you would have found new ways to make my life hell anyway." And with that said, she stomped off in the direction of the door, only to be stopped by a clawed hand on her wrist.

Inuyasha had listened open-mouthed, and if he hadn't had exceptional hearing, he would have thought he had heard wrong. When he saw her leave, however, he snapped and joined her, determined to fix the situation that had suddenly become much more complicated than what it had always been – but also easier.

"Release me, now," she hissed, pissed off. "Unless you're a sadist who wants to experience the thrill of being purified." And Inuyasha got confirmation that she wasn't kidding when he began to feel the skin on his hand burn.

He immediately let go but firm in his resolve, he blocked her every way out, even closing the door behind him so that no one could hear what they had to say to each other – though he knew that Koga had indeed spread the word that the two of them were otherwise occupied in there. He just hoped it wouldn't backfire on him later, but for now, his only goal was to shed light on what had happened.

He raised his hands in front of him in a clear sign of surrender. "I just want to talk, Kagome. After all, if you listened properly, it wasn't just you Koga was talking about." At that point, it was pointless to pretend. And just when those words had left his mouth the memories of that night came back to him and like a flashback, he saw every moment until they had woken up, not being able to know that – at the same instant – Kagome was remembering too.

"You know, don't you, how long I've been wanting you to let go a little and take notice of me?" she asked him as Inuyasha held her still against the wall and left a trail of kisses down her neck, eliciting another shiver of pleasure. "Not that you aren't attractive even when you get angry, quite the contrary. But perhaps this foreplay has gone on too long."

The half-demon froze, raising his face and meeting her misty eyes. He smiled slyly, that smile that had threatened to drive her crazy so many times before, and then replied, "You just needed to say it, Ka-go-me. You made me think I'd gone mad for how much I wanted to kiss you every time."

"Really?" she asked, surprised, as if he hadn't already confirmed his obvious desire. His physical reaction, however, was not worth as much as those words he had just spoken to her.

"Really," he smiled again before bringing his face even closer into that confined space and kissing her as he had always wanted to do from the first moment he had seen her.

"Really?" asked Kagome then, once she had recovered a little from the shock of those memories, her question an echo of the one she had asked him that night. "Then why?" She felt her eyes moisten, perhaps because she still didn't understand the reason for his attitude because it was all still so strange.

"Why?" he repeated. "What do you mean why? How should I have behaved according to you after hearing what you thought of me? Do you think I am a fool? I should be the one to ask for explanations, not the other way around."

"W-what? What does that mean? I have had nothing but nice words for you since you set foot in this company! It was you who changed completely overnight, treating me as if I had done you the worst wrong ever. And I have had to suffer your harassment until now!" she fumed, coming closer and pointing her finger at him.

"Because you did!" he yelled back, pinning her wrist with one hand again, causing hers to relax and then flatten against his chest. "I heard you gossiping about me to that cub, saying you couldn't wait to get rid of me. And now I'm supposed to believe that you've always liked me? I may not be the smartest man in this world, I may be half a demon, but I understand enough to know that you don't talk like that about someone you're attracted to!"

Kagome gasped. "I have never spoken ill of you, why would I do that?" At that point, they were so close that their breath mingled, and they didn't even notice; they were so taken by the confrontation that, without knowing it, they had always wanted.

"Why don't you explain it to me?" he asked in reply, lowering his face even further so that their foreheads brushed, his body trembling with anger, tension and yes, even the excitement given by seeing her so agitated and inflamed. He just hoped she didn't notice how much his body was affected. "Why don't you tell me what you think of my white hair you so wanted to burn or my icy eyes?" He was panting now, and he didn't think he would last another second without kissing her and pressing his body against hers. He didn't even care about getting an answer anymore; he just wanted to taste her again and inhale their smells mixed so much that he could no longer recognize where he began and she ended.

"But I don't-" she tried to answer, breathless, affected in the same way; his proximity was messing with her brain so much that she couldn't even see the obvious misunderstanding that had caused it all. But it didn't really matter, not if a second later he forgot everything and was kissing her.

Inuyasha pinned her waist with both hands and finally captured her lips, embedding the desire he had repressed until now into the kiss, moulding her body against his so she could feel what he felt whenever she was around. He groaned when Kagome opened her mouth and let their tongues caress and chase each other as her now free hands tightened around his neck.

Slowly, he began to caress her thighs, pushing himself between them and searching for some kind of friction that would satisfy him and at the same time, increase his desire to the point of driving him crazy. In response, he heard her moans as they parted for air and felt them grow louder and louder as he placed his lips on her neck, inhaling her scent, even more intense now that she was aroused. Finally, he circled his hips with her legs and started walking towards the only small sofa in the room. Between kisses, he spoke the last meaningful words he would manage to utter to her, "It doesn't matter anyway."

"No," she gasped, clutching even tighter to him. "It doesn't matter."

After that day, the misunderstanding was completely forgotten, perhaps because the two were far too busy making up for the lost time. When, months later, Sesshomaru found them busying themselves in the copy room and Kagome, angry, repeated to him the same words she had once said to Koga, Inuyasha burst out laughing as he understood his mistake. How he hadn't realised immediately that they were referring to his half-brother was beyond him, especially since they suited him all too well.

A/N: I really had fun trying to put as many tropes as possible in this one and I hope you enjoyed it too.

I don't think I will be writing anything more for the Bingo so I already thank you all for reading and leaving your love behind.

Until next time! ❤