Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story.

A Little Dessert

The Appetizer

"Oh my god Kagome, you need to see this!"

Kagome blinked at her two friends Rin and Ayame, who were ogling some large booth in the corner...of her section? "What?"

"Have you talked to table twenty-one yet?" Rin asked, blinking her milky brown eyes. "He is like the sexiest thing walking."

"Sitting," Ayame corrected, giggling. "You have to talk to him!"

Kagome sighed, wondering why Rin and Ayame had taken it upon themselves to thoroughly inspect all of the men at Barrel's. She liked to believe that it was pure entertainment but the way they gossiped for hours on end about it – and weeks after the male customer left – didn't seem likely. "I need to bring these Mojitos to table nineteen. Why do you know the tables in my section?"

Waving her hand dismissively, Ayame just giggled again. "He's so hot."

"Don't you have tables to attend to?" Kagome snapped, although her tone was light-hearted. "Go run food. The expo is yelling for hands."

"Ruin the fun why don't you?" Rin muttered, grinning nonetheless. "You better give us all the juicy info."

Rolling her eyes, Kagome wondered how she even became friends with those two girls. She loved them to pieces but they both desperately needed to get laid. Approaching table nineteen, a pair of women chatting about their stupid husbands, Kagome handed them each their Mojitos. "For you," she murmured, smiling politely at the one woman before looking at the other. "And this is for you."

"What do you think?" the first woman asked, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Do you think that if your husband was seeing another woman behind your back – even though he swears they never touched or kissed or whatever – does that count as cheating?"

The second woman nodded, her short brown hair bouncing. "What do you think?"

In the many years that Kagome had been serving, she had learned what to say to best please the customers. These two women were obviously looking to make their husbands look bad so answering them with her honest "no" was not the correct answer. "I don't think it's cheating," Kagome replied, emphasizing the word. "However, I think it's deceitful, which is just as bad. In order for a relationship, in my opinion, to work you need to be truthful and honest with each other. He should have mentioned seeing the woman because if it was as casual as he's implying with the whole 'no touching' business, then there would be no problem with him seeing her, right?"

"Deceitful bastard," the brown-haired woman agreed, raising her Mojito. You, Kagome, are good."

Smiling, Kagome excused herself from the table when they told her they had yet to decide on dinner. Quickly approaching the infamous table twenty-one, Kagome put on her best smile.

It wasn't until his long black hair came into view that she knew who Rin and Ayame were going coo-coo for coco puffs over. She still didn't really know him. Wasn't his name Inu-something-something-something? It had been over a week since the last time they met.

"Well it's nice to see you back," Kagome said, grinning and leaning on the booth casually. Looking at the man and then the woman, she realized it wasn't the same one as last time.

"Back?" the woman asked, her lips curving into a small frown. "You come here often Inuyasha?"

Ah ha! Inuyasha was his name! Kagome filed the information away for later since he seemed to be a regular customer of Barrel's. She didn't mind that in the least bit – the guy tipped her a solid thirty percent last time. That alone made up a good chunk of her tip money, totalling all of it to be worth her month's rent. Thank god.

"I was here last week," Inuyasha said, smirking at the woman. "Is that a problem?"

"Oh no," the woman said, shrugging and giving Kagome a soft expression. "What would you recommend to drink? I've decided on a martini but I'm not sure what's good."

"Do you like apple flavour?" Kagome asked, shifting over so that she was standing close to Inuyasha's date. She opened the bar menu and pointed at a drink down the long list. "This is my favourite. It's not overpowering like a lot of apple-flavoured drinks and you hardly taste the alcohol. Many of the customers who have tried it enjoyed it."

"Then I'll have that," the woman agreed, smiling. "What about you Inuyasha?"

"Kagome knows," Inuyasha said simply, winking his dark brown eyes at her. "Isn't that right?"

"Sure," she laughed, "let's go with that."

Walking away from them, she noticed the curious gaze of Ayame on her back. She sighed mentally. This was not going to be easy to explain when she was running hot plates and taking multiple orders at a time. Plugging in the drink order on the computer, Kagome turned to the service bar with her print out.

"A Corona and a martini?" the cute woman behind the counter asked, looking at her with wide eyes. "What an interesting couple you have there."

"Kirara, you should just be happy that all of my tables include alcoholics or you would be bored out of your mind."

Sighing, the blonde agreed. "How sadly true that is."

Drinks made up, Kagome just barely managed to escape Rin walking in, mouth already open with questions. Obviously Ayame had told her how friendly she had been to Mr. Sexiest-Thing-Sitting. Walking back to the table, Kagome noticed how interesting their body language was. The woman was leaning forwards on the table with her hands folded somewhere near the middle. Inuyasha was leaning all the way back in his seat with his arms crossed. While this date was surely a better one than last week's, Kagome was almost positive that it was an unwilling one on his part.

Handing out the drinks, Kagome let them position the glasses to their liking before starting in on her sizzle. Like the last time, her sizzle was a short spiel that every server had to make up to sell particular kinds of food. While in some restaurants the managers told you what to sell, Barrel's Steakhouse and Bar let you choose. Generally servers attempted to sell the most expensive while others tried to sell the monthly feature. Kagome personally changed hers up according to the customer and the chef working the grill. If she talked about an A-plus steak, it better come out A-plus or her tip would plummet. After working there for years, Kagome was comfortable with the constant change-up in her sizzle, whereas most servers weren't.

The entire time, Inuyasha seemed engrossed. He watched her intently, tilting his head and nodding in all the right spots. He even smirked at her a few times, which was weird in her opinion because couldn't he smile? The woman mostly looked at the menu, especially at the items Kagome pointed out. In the end, the two ordered their meal. Inuyasha chose the feature she highly recommended and the woman – who she had learned was named Nazuna – ordered the cheapest thing on the menu.

Well, you couldn't win them all.

The night went by in a blur of running food, taking orders and chatting up the guests. It was a Saturday and the wait to get in was over an hour for smaller tables of two and four. At one point, she had been triple-sat, making her run around like her head was lost. She made sure that her service was the quality that her managers would appreciate and by the time the wait was over, she had already made a couple hundred dollars in tips.

The funny thing about it was Inuyasha and his date Nazuna were still there.

Nazuna was pretty tipsy, hiccupping and laughing a little too loudly. Kagome didn't mind mostly because the girl was a funny drunk and made coming to the table a lot more enjoyable. Inuyasha was his same self – if Kagome could call it that. He smirked at her, interrogated her when ordering food and then quieted down.

"Inuyasha– Hey, are you listening to me?" Nazuna demanded, pouting. Kagome had just been passing the table when she heard the exclamation. It was strange again because even though he was getting yelled at, he was staring right at her.

Kagome gave a small smile before continuing on her way back to the kitchen. Table nineteen wanted an additional side of garlic cheese bread, table eighteen needed a refill on all of their drinks and table twenty's food had yet to be brought out. She rushed into her tasks without even thinking, having repeated the same actions over and over again through the years. She was just bringing out the refills to table eighteen when the same girl yelled again.

"Dammit Inuyasha! It's like the moment the stupid waitress walks by you zone out!"

Kagome tensed. Not this again.

"That's not true Nazuna," Inuyasha said a bit roughly, like his throat was sore. "You've just been talking all night and asking me a million questions. I'm not even sure how you managed to eat with all the talking you do. Please, let my vocal chords rest for a moment."

Ouch.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Kagome asked the table of three people, watching them all shake their heads before making sure that table nineteen's food was cooked to their liking. When she passed table twenty-one – Inuyasha's table – she wasn't surprised to see him alone and the woman storming away down the aisle.

That was...just great.

"I see you're finished with dessert," Kagome said, trying to sound cheery. If she pretended that she didn't notice the exchange, everything would be fine. She still didn't really understand though. That was the second woman to freak out because of something she did or didn't do. Things with the first chick had obviously been bad before they entered and then this girl, Nazuna, obviously annoyed the hell out of him.

Inuyasha nodded. "If I could just have the bill it would be great."

"Not a problem, I'll be right back with it." Kagome held onto the smile until she walked into the kitchen, letting slip into the cool mask she usually kept. She wasn't allowed to look unhappy here – it gave guests the wrong impression. She brought up the bill on the computer, double checked it and then printed it out. Inuyasha's credit card was already on the table and she took care of it, smiling as she wished him a good night.

"You take care," he said, sounding tired.

At that, her expression softened. She couldn't ever get a read on this mysterious dark-haired man named Inuyasha. He was almost unreadable given for the few seconds he let his facade slip. "Yeah you too, I'll see you around."

She didn't actually expect to see him again. Once was usually the most and twice was a rare occurrence.

It didn't matter though. Kagome took the billfold after he left, calculating the tip he left her in her head. More, he gave her a forty percent tip. Fifteen was the general minimum for decent service. AtBarrel's, she was used to getting twenty because their service was a step up from the rest.

But forty?

Kagome smiled, oddly thankful to the strange guy that constantly helped pay her rent. She kept busy the rest of the night, just to avoid the questions Rin and Ayame were waiting to pounce on her.

Maybe she should expect to see him again after all.

"You are the luckiest woman alive," Rin said quietly in her ear. "I would die to be you right now."

"What?" Kagome asked, frowning. She had literally just walked into the restaurant. Her shift didn't start for another half-hour and in that time she had to dress, take a look at the new features, shine her glasses and punch in. "Why am I lucky?"

"Isn't this perfect?" Kagome turned around yet again to see her manager, Kaede, reaching out for her. Instantly she frowned because if Kaede was talking to a customer it was typically a bad thing.

And then she saw him.

"Ayumi will show you to your table," Kaede said, smiling warmly at Inuyasha and yet another woman. "Please, enjoy your meal."

Smirking wickedly at her, Inuyasha gave a light wave before turning to follow Ayumi into the restaurant.

Kagome didn't even have time to ask questions.

"You have five minutes child," Kaede said, pushing Kagome with strength seemingly impossible for her to have towards the kitchen. "You need to get dressed and ready. He refused to sit in anyone else's section, saying that you were the only competent worker. He called you a true asset to the restaurant and that I should give you a raise."

Laughing nervously, either because of Kaede's hidden strength or the quiet way she talked, Kagome shrugged. "That's nice of him, right?" Only Kaede could make a sentence like that sound like a potentially bad thing.

"I don't know what you did child, but keep it up." Heading back towards the office, Kaede didn't even wish her luck.

Shit and now she had no time to get ready.

Stumbling out of the bathroom moments later with her dress pants and white button-up shirt, Kagome threw on her apron haphazardly and grabbed her card. Punching herself in, she ran around the restaurant, completely forgetting the fact that she didn't even know what tables she was working. Running back to the front, Kagome spotted Ayumi and panted. "What section?"

"Forty-five to forty-eight," Ayumi replied, saying something else that Kagome didn't hear because she had already taken off.

It wasn't hard to find Inuyasha and his new date. It had been almost a week since she last saw him and now she was getting a bit confused. However, he did request her specifically. Even that was strange – she never did anything super outstanding for him. She did better sizzles and gave greater service to other tables who said not a word to Kaede. It didn't make sense.

"Sorry about the wait," Kagome said, giving a bright smile. "And welcome back. I guess it was lucky I was just walking in."

"I guess it was," Inuyasha said, smirking again. Kagome was convinced by now that it wasn't possible for him to smile. "And how are you doing?"

"I'm well," Kagome answered honestly, smiling still. "I've been really busy with work and everything."

"Good." Inuyasha was still watching her, dark eyes amused. "Well you already know what I want to drink. Yura, what do you want?"

It was the first time that Kagome actually took notice to his date. The woman looked tall but it was hard to judge when they were sitting down. She wore a tight, low-cut top and a...bitter smile. Well joy. This was going to be another eventful evening, Kagome could tell.

"I would like a Cosmopolitan, please," she said curtly, eyeing her up and down before looking back at Inuyasha. "Now, darling, what were you saying?"

If there was a dismissal, that was certainly one. Kagome could almost feel the sting in it, which was a weird thing for her to feel. Inuyasha gave her one last glance before turning his attention back to his date, Yura the bitch.

Kagome sighed and walked away, printing off the order and handing it to the service bar again. It was a Friday night, so the bar was generally too busy to do the drinks alone. Kirara was working again, her blonde hair pulled up in a bun and her wicked blue eyes framed with eyeliner. "You are my best friend," she laughed when Kagome gave her the slip. "You are one lucky girl."

Kagome smiled. "I know. I'm not sure but I think the alcoholics are attracted to me or something. I always get sat the tables dying for drinks."

Kirara leaned down, whispering conspiringly in her ears. "The other servers think that the hostesses are doing it on purpose because they like you better."

"Well that shows how much they know," Kagome whispered back, grinning. "The hostesses actually prefer all the guys that work here – especially Shippo."

"He is a sweetheart," Kirara agreed, already finished pouring the beer and now waiting to finish the Cosmo. "I see it's a Corona you've asked for with another exotic drink. Don't tell me: is it that super sexy guy again?"

Kagome groaned. "Why does everyone know about him?" she asked, leaning against the counter. "It's bad enough Rin and Ayame torture me for details I can't give. The guy is weird and nice and strange. I don't know."

Laughing, Kirara placed the drink on the tray before giving a pointed stare. "With drinks like these, you should be happy."

"I should be happy," Kagome repeated, sighing. "I am happy."

"That's the spirit," Kirara said, shooing Kagome away when another order came in. "Now go and be free."

Kagome took the drinks and walked back to table forty-seven, where Inuyasha was sitting. She handed them the drinks and did her sizzle, ignoring Inuyasha's blatant smirk while he prepared for their game.

Yes, Kagome now referred to it as their game.

"I want the prime rib," Inuyasha said, handing her the menu.

"Ten ounces or fourteen?" Kagome asked, knowing exactly what he was going to counter with.

Inuyasha smirked. "What do you think?"

Smiling, Kagome rolled her eyes. "I can never eat more than ten ounces but surely you can get through the fourteen. How would you like it prepared?"

"What do you think is best?"

"Medium rare," Kagome said, waiting for the nod of approval before going on. "That comes with our baked potato with three cheese butter. Is that alright?"

"What other sides would you recommend?"

"I personally enjoy the twice-baked potato a lot better. It's comes with bacon and green onions already inside it." She had repeated this to him multiple times already – hence the game. Inuyasha nodded and she smiled. Most servers would kill themselves slowly over their game but Kagome quite enjoyed it. It helped her to remember all of the questions she needed to do her job right.

Yura looked anything but pleased by the banter. "I would like the chicken please, with the salad."

"What kind of salad: house, Caesar or spinach?"

"House, but I want the dressing on the side," Yura said absentmindedly.

"Absolutely," Kagome said, writing it all down before smiling. "Would both of you like water?"

Smirking Inuyasha nodded and Kagome walked away, happier than she had felt in the long time. It was strange, considering moments ago she was somewhat exasperated over the whole ordeal. She wasn't surprised that when she turned around she had another table and happily she went at it.

When the food was ready, Kagome stacked up the plates on her arm to bring to Inuyasha's table. She smiled politely when Inuyasha came into view, feeling a strange twist in her chest the moment his dark eyes fell on her. The closer she got, the more it seemed like he was focusing on her and not his date, Yura the bitch.

"And here you are," Kagome said, smiling at the couple. "For you," she murmured, directing the plate with chicken and salad to Yura the bitch before handing the prime rib off to Inuyasha. She took a few steps back to a station and grabbed the pepper, asking the standard "fresh ground pepper at all?" A lot of customers laughed at how her voice sounded like a flight attendant, like she wasn't saying "slow roasted and marinated for twenty-four hours" but instead "your fire exits are located at the front, middle and back of the plane..."

"Thanks Kagome," Inuyasha said, smirking pleasantly after she finished with the pepper. "Can I have another beer?"

"Of course," she replied, taking the empty glass. She looked over at Yura the bitch, plastering on the smile. "Would you too like another?"

"To get through this dinner? Please." Yura rolled her eyes, stabbing at the leafy greens in the salad. "You two are pathetic."

Kagome frowned. Not again.

"Excuse me?" Inuyasha asked, looking at the woman sharply.

Yura snorted, dropping her cutlery on the plate with a clatter. "You stare at her all the time. It's terrible. And she smiles at you all the time. It's like watching fucking Romeo and Juliet, only the cheap restaurant version."

"We're actually not cheap," Kagome commented, feeling that the point was somewhat valid. She knew Yura the bitch probably meant the whole Romeo and Juliet concept and not the actual restaurant. Still, Kagome felt like too many of these dates were ruined without her saying a word.

But then she realized how easily she could get fired for that and how easily her rent would suffer from lack of income.

"I'm sorry," Kagome blurted out, before the other woman could even open her mouth. "I'm just going to go get your drinks."

"Uh, no you're not," Inuyasha snapped, glaring at her. "You're seriously sorry?"

"I am if I want to keep my job!" Kagome hissed. "Now enjoy your meal." With that, Kagome stomped off to get the drinks.

Of course, it had to be at that moment Rin chose to round up on her. "What's wrong?"

"Inuyasha and his goddamn bitch of a date. Seriously, the guy has such terrible tastes in women. All he does is fight with them. No wonder he has a new girl every week – he can't keep one long enough. What a stupid dick." Kagome growled, staring at Kirara who noticeably said nothing and kept her head low while making the fresh drinks.

"You like him," Rin said, sounding almost in awe. "You like the guy. You're jealous."

Kagome turned around so fast she almost smacked Shippo in the face with her elbow. "WHAT?" she screeched. "You think I like him? He's annoying as hell!"

"And he clearly likes you back," Rin said, grinning wickedly. "I mean, he only asks for you. He clearly likes you."

"Stop saying clearly," Kagome spat, unable to come up with anything more. "And he doesn't because he'd be taking me out instead of the stupid chicks he takes out now! It doesn't matter anyways – I don't like him or anything. He just tips really well."

Rin smiled. "Clearly."

Grabbing the drinks hastily, Kagome practically sped out of the back, going to Inuyasha's table and placing the drinks down. "And how is your food? Is everything cooked to your liking?"

Inuyasha was staring at her intensely. Yura the bitch just nodded absentmindedly.

Well that's solid, Kagome thought, turning around to her other table. Way to lose a really good tipper, you idiot.

But even while she tried to avoid the table as much as possible, by the end of the night Yura the bitch still walked out screaming and Inuyasha still tipped her a lot of money.

Kagome gave him a small, apologetic smile as he turned to leave and in return, he smirked back. "See you Wednesday," he said casually.

Nodding, Kagome went back to work.

It wasn't until she was back in the kitchen that she realized there was no possible way for him to know her schedule. How the hell did he know?

It didn't really matter anyways; she was seeing him on Wednesday and while that made her do an inner dance, it also left her confused and more than just a little worried.

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