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

A Little Dessert

The Entrée

Wednesday came after much prayer and much begging for the universe to be kind to her. She could only handle so much. She had three jobs to balance out rent, bills and old student loans. She worked from eight in the morning to typically midnight, depending on whether Barrel's was busy or dead.

For some unknown reason, Kagome was positive that she should get to work early. There was no particular thought in mind that screamed it, but Inuyasha's "see you Wednesday" had left her feeling anxious and excited and more than just a little confused.

What sort of guy brought in a new woman every week, only to ask for the same female server over and over again and practically pay her rent for her each night in tips? In Kagome's world, it just didn't make sense.

It did make sense the moment she stepped into Barrel's Steakhouse and Bar forty minutes before her start time.

"Kagome!" Yuka called, smiling and waving the girl closer. "Come here, we must talk."

Watching Yuka warily, Kagome slowly made her way over. "I know that look. It's the complicated table-turning look. Should I be worried?" Peering at the board which held a basic map of the dining room floor, she searched for her section. Seconds later she found it with all of her tables covered in Rs.

"A reservation?" Kagome asked, raising her brows. "I never get those. Kaede knows I hate them."

"It's Inuyasha's reservation."

Oh, well that made sense. It was how he knew she would be working. He made a reservation requesting her section – that was all. It wasn't nearly as worrying as Kagome originally thought it was. "How many?"

"Fifteen people – all adults, one bill." Yuka smiled. "It's going to be a good table. Kaede was practically jumping for joy when Inuyasha asked to make it."

Kagome frowned, wondering when he even made it. She sighed, deciding that the information wasn't that important. "Wait, fifteen people?" she asked, letting her frown deepen. "Don't tables bigger than twelve covers need more than just one server? Isn't that the general rule?"

Yuka nodded sadly. "Yup, that was the rule until Inuyasha broke it. He likes to point out very often how competent you are."

Perfect. This was just bloody perfect.

There was a reason that Barrel's Steakhouse and Bar was able to charge such high prices and give such astounding service: each server didn't have a million tables. The general rule was each server was to have no more than four. With the huge mark-up in prices, servers generally saw greater tips than those who worked at lower-quality restaurants with over six tables at a time. One would think that the numbers couldn't add up like that, but apparently the good-natured service of the waiter and their time and care for the table was what brought in the big bucks.

Fifteen people, Kagome thought tiredly. It's not like she couldn't handle that if the tables were all separated out. It was just fifteen people demanding a million different drinks, appetizers, salads, entrées and desserts all at the same time screamed potential disaster – especially with the level of service Barrel's demanded.

Shit.

Hurriedly she got ready in the back, barely waving to Shippo who called out her name. She had to get ready. She dressed as quickly as possible, tying her tie hastily and checking the mirror while she pulled up her hair. She studied the board next, checking out who was managing and if there were any problems with food quantity. Filling up a mug next with boiling water, she grabbed a filter cloth and ran to her section. Every single glass in her section was to be shined and she did so dutifully as Yuka came to set up the fifteen-person reservation with menus.

"Are they here yet?" Kagome asked, looking at Yuka with wide eyes.

Yuka grinned. "Well your boy toy is here but I think he's the first."

Kagome scowled. "He's not my boy toy, just a really nice customer."

Yuka nodded, giving her a look that clearly stated she didn't believe a word she said.

"I'm serious," Kagome sighed, finishing the last glass and putting down the cloth and mug of steaming water. "He's nice but that's it."

"Uh huh," Yuka replied, not looking at her. "You don't start for another twenty-five minutes but if more start coming in I'll seat them."

Kagome nodded, looking around the restaurant. It had just opened an hour ago so the dinner rush had yet to hit. A couple servers were working – Shippo, Ayame and Hojo among her friends – and so far everything was running smoothly. As long as it stayed that way and there would be people to help her, then she was sure the night would be fine. It was Inuyasha's table, so while his guests were most likely trouble (if his dates had anything to say about that) he would be nice enough to her. Speaking of Inuyasha...

...Should she go and say hi? That would be the polite thing to do, wouldn't it? Yes, she's served him three times now and he's demanded her section so the least she could do to her helpful, pay-for-rent customer is to greet him individually. Yes, that's the polite thing to do.

Smoothing out her apron, Kagome shook her head at herself before heading towards the front. Yuka was standing idly at the host stand, waiting for someone to arrive. Inuyasha was just to the side near the bar top, Hojo frowning at him. When he saw Kagome he pointed at Inuyasha, raising a brow. Clearly Rin or Ayame had been talking to him.

Rolling her eyes, she ignored Hojo's chuckle before heading Inuyasha's way, watching as the man smirked as she got near. "Hey," she murmured, smiling shyly. How was she supposed to address the guy?

Why was he so hot?

...Well, she never blatantly thought that before.

That's not a good sign.

"Hi," Inuyasha greeted, crossing his arms and tilting his head. His long black hair fell over his shoulders, deep brown eyes gazing into hers intently. "I hope you're ready for this."

"I was born ready," Kagome replied, grinning. It was strange, how it was almost natural for her to speak with him. "Are you?"

Inuyasha scowled. "I wish today wasn't going to happen, really," he replied. "It's a company dinner. We managed to get this job we've been working our asses off for, so drinks were more than necessary."

"Ah, drunken coworkers aren't always the most fun," Kagome said, nodding. Actually she tended to disagree. Drinking with her friends here were probably some of the best times of her life. Inuyasha didn't need to know that though.

"Oh no," he corrected, shaking his head roughly. "It's not the coworkers, mostly my family that's decided to join."

Kagome could've died. "It can't be that bad." Please don't let it be that bad. I wanted an easy night. I have to get up at six tomorrow morning...

"Oh it's bad. The devil is easier to deal with than them."

Fuck.

Inuyasha must have noticed the horrid expression on her face because he chuckled, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking down at the floor. "Yeah, I don't like it any more than you do."

"Oh- I don't mean-" Well shit. The idea of coming over and talking to him was to be polite, not to offend him about his family. At least he didn't seem to mind. If anything, he agreed. "Any tips on how to keep them happy?" she asked, smiling meekly.

Inuyasha looked up at her then, raising a brow. "If I knew, I'd tell you."

Ah. So he has one of those families.

Suddenly a rather loud and booming voice came in, a tall man with brown hair and the lightest blue eyes coming over. "Inuyasha, you mutt, what are you doing so early?"

"It's my company dinner, remember?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "You fucking moron."

Kagome frowned. People didn't normally associate like that. One didn't call people "mutts" or curse at them like it was simple, pleasant conversation. Which is wasn't, because Inuyasha was clearly annoyed. "I'm just going to go and make sure everything is set up. Yuka will bring you in whenever you're ready."

Just then the man with the blue eyes looked at her, almost startled by her appearance. "Whoa, just wait a second there sweetheart."

Inuyasha's face instantly turned from annoyed to just plain pissed off.

Kagome looked questioningly at him. "Yes, can I help you?"

The man smiled, his tanned skin crinkling at the corners of his eyes, making him look nearly adorable if he smile wasn't so...leering. "Hi there, I'm Kouga Matsuno. You can help me by giving me your phone number."

It wasn't the worst line Kagome had ever heard. Actually, Kagome didn't think it was a line at all. Wondering if it was a joke, she looked at Inuyasha who seemed about ready to kill the man.

"Um, I'll keep the number," Kagome said quietly, unsure of what to do given Kouga's intense looks and Inuyasha's rather enraged behaviour. "But...thanks?" She cringed at how it sounded like a question, but quickly turned around and ran into the kitchen.

She nearly collapsed into Shippo. "Hey Kagome," he said brightly, flashing his big toothy smile at her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm not sure," she answered, unable to stop the half-smile spreading across her face at seeing her co-worker. "Ask me again in an hour."

"Oh," Shippo said, turning to the computer and inputting an order. "I thought you'd be dead by then considering you have a massive party to deal with alone."

Kagome laughed, reaching out to ruffle Shippo's hair before checking the features one last time. "You know me too well."

Five minutes later and she was back at the table, standing there frozen with Shippo and Ayame behind her.

"Wow, that is going to majorly suck," Ayame said, whispering in her ear so as not to be heard. "They look...rambunctious."

"That one guy is sitting on the other guy's lap," Kagome replied, giving Ayame a sharp glare. "People don't do that at fancy restaurants. If you want to make out, go to McDonald's or a movie theatre. There are standards."

Shippo almost giggled. "At least your boy toy is there."

"Oh not you too," Kagome sighed. "He's not my boy toy."

"Kirara doesn't think so," Shippo replied.

"I don't either," Ayame added, grinning from ear to ear. "And Rin is pretty sure he's in love with you."

"I hate all of you."

Ayame smacked her arm lightly. "Nah, you love us. Give us a shout if you need help running anything, okay?"

Smiling at them both, Kagome waited a couple more seconds before approaching the table, hoping the smile on her face wasn't as false as it felt. She really hated parties. Kaede should've been smarter about this, damn manager. "Good evening everyone," she started, looking at Inuyasha with wide eyes. He didn't look happy either. "Welcome to Barrel's Steakhouse and Bar. My name is Kagome and I'll be taking care of you this evening. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

Normally, drink orders were never a big deal. People generally bought coke or wine, usually with ice water to be refilled at any time. This table however, seemed to defy all odds. Kagome was going to die.

"So you're telling me that it's Absolut Vodka and not Smirnoff?" the guy asked. This also happened to be the guy sitting on another guy's lap. She thought his name was Jakotsu, if she remembered correctly.

"Yes, it's made with Absolut." She wasn't sure how much clearer she could be about this. It was a simple yes or no.

"Huh," Jakotsu said, pondering about this. "I think I'll just stick with the water."

Okay then.

The worst part was, nearly the entire table wanted an alcoholic drink. Maybe it was because everyone seemed a little tense. Kagome wasn't entirely sure, but what she did know was that Hojo was going to kill her. These drinks were some of the hardest to make.

Hojo was definitely going to kill her.

Plugging in the order to the computer, she soon went over to the bar. A Wednesday at five-thirty wasn't busy, especially in the bar area, but Kagome never minded because Hojo was one of the most entertaining men there. He was the shyest of the shy. He actually stuttered at times. And then he'd get behind the bar and dear god he was a natural, smooth and very hot flirt. It was weird.

As expected, the moment Kagome showed her face, Hojo glowered. "You did this on purpose," he muttered, hands already full and moving with different bottles and glasses. "You totally did this because you're a mean person."

"It's not my fault!" Kagome complained, burying her face in her hands. "I get all the alcoholics."

"These aren't even alcoholic-type drinks. These are all for flashiness and show. If they were true alcoholics, they'd get the hard stuff, neat."

Kagome sighed. "Shippo was right. This party is going to kill me."

And it pretty much did.

She had to make three trips to bring out all the drinks. It just so happened that Shippo and Ayame were both running other food and the other co-workers she didn't like enough to bother them to ask for help. No one at the table seemed to mind, and they were all smiles and goodies to her.

Until the very last drink was put on the table.

"So, what are your intentions towards my son?"

"OH! That's a good question," a man with dark hair said, the one that had a lap-full of Jakotsu. Kagome thought his name was Naraku? "Please, do tell."

"Um," Kagome murmured, staring in absolute horror.

"Mom, stop, please," Inuyasha pleaded, looking somewhat helpless. Kagome almost felt bad for him.

"Inuyasha, let your mother talk," another gentleman sneered, this one with straight black hair and honey-coloured eyes. He hadn't cracked a smile the entire time Kagome had taken care of him; he was straight to the point and rather blunt.

"Sesshomaru, fuck off."

"Your son has a foul-mouth," the Kouga guy said, laughing. Standing up out of his chair, he slapped Inuyasha on the back before sliding his arm around the waitress. "But we all know his chances with a girl like her are slim."

Kagome went from confused to pissed off in less than ten seconds. "I'll give you more time with the menu," she said curtly, excusing herself from the arm that was lightly on her waist before disappearing into the kitchen. She nearly crashed into Shippo – again – as he was carrying a pitcher of ice water.

The moment he saw her face, he growled. "Who do I have to kill?"

"No one," Kagome sighed. "I just hate parties – corporate parties especially. They all try to one up the other. His mom just asked me what my intentions are!"

Looking confused for a moment, Shippo finally clued in. "Your intentions towards the hot guy?"

Kagome frowned. "You refer to him like that?"

"Do you hear Ayame and Rin? I can't think of another name for him," Shippo replied, not looking the least bit daunted. "Look, think of it this way. If he does nothing the whole night, you can finally see that he's a dick. It's his party and he should be apologizing for his guests if they're that out of hand. If he does apologize though...he could...you know."

"No, I don't know," Kagome said. When Shippo just stared at her, she groaned. "What is with all of you?"

"What? It's clear you think he's hot," Shippo responded, somewhat defensively. "You could at least give him a chance. I haven't seen you date a guy in forever."

"I don't normally have dates here," Kagome replied logically.

Shippo raised a brow. "And he doesn't come to visit you at work? Pick you up? Drop something off? Text you? Trust me, you haven't dated in a long while."

Kagome grumbled. "You shouldn't know this."

"You're attracted to him, yes?" Shippo asked, green eyes intense.

She blushed a little. "Maybe."

"And how big are the tips?"

Kagome didn't really want to say. "Pretty substantial." It was better than a dollar amount.

"Then he likes you," Shippo said firmly. "Now, that's enough girl stuff for me. I'm going to go take care of my tables. You okay?"

Nodding, Kagome waited until he disappeared before returning to her table. She put the smile back in place, feeling it turn a bit more real when she noted Inuyasha's obvious unhappiness at his guests and the quick snaps he gave when they said anything stupid to her.

The dinner orders weren't the most complex thing ever, but there were a lot of substitutions that kind of made it difficult when plugging it into the system. Appetizers were up first, so she printed off the order and gave it to the kitchen. She had noted a couple drinks needed to be refilled, so she came back to the table with a tray of various pop and water. For those that had alcoholic drinks, she double-checked before placing the order through and handing it to Hojo.

The expo started screaming for hands when the food was piling up in the kitchen, so diligently she ran around the restaurant, handing people their food and smiling at them when asking if they wanted salt or "fresh ground pepper". When she made it back to the kitchen, she printed out the order for the entrées, knowing the timing by heart now as to when they'd get their food. Hojo was finished with the drinks a few moments later and she picked them up, dropping them off at the table and checking to make sure no one needed anything else.

Before she left, she caught Inuyasha's dark brown stare and the small smile he held on his face.

Kagome grinned and went back to the kitchen.

Her appetizers for the party were all lined up and after shouting a rather loud "HANDS" she waited for Shippo and Ayame to come over and help bring out the food. Everyone was still working on their drinks, just starting to dig into their appetizers and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey Kagome?"

Looking over at Inuyasha, she made her way to him, letting the small smile come to her face. "Is everything okay?"

Inuyasha snorted, turning away from his guests while he did so. "Can you please just keep the beer coming? I'm taking a cab home tonight and... If I'm going to survive, I'm going to need it."

Spying the gossiping and banter that surrounded the table, she couldn't help but agree. "I'll be right back."

Inuyasha smirked.

The bar still wasn't busy, but it was definitely picking up by the time she reached Hojo again. He raised a brow at the order but was silent as he filled the glass. "Rough night?" he asked, and Kagome knew he was referring to Inuyasha.

"There are going to be a lot more of these," she said in response and Hojo shook his head in pity.

Kagome dropped it off and cleared away some of the platters that were already free of food. The expo needed more runners for the plates, so she continued on with her duty of handing out tasty entrées and desserts, smiling absurdly with her "fresh ground pepper?" speech. When she knew the entrées would be out soon, she gathered the plate for steak knives and politely gave each guest at her table one, excusing herself if there was a reach. All of them smiled at her – or in Kouga's case leered at her – and soon, Kagome was a bit more relaxed with the craziness that was this night.

She checked on the table a couple more times, seeing Naraku and another man pointing at each other and arguing, Inuyasha's mother smiling fondly at the man she could only assume was Inuyasha's father, and Inuyasha himself half-smirking at the man named Sesshomaru.

Wait, never mind, that's totally a frown now.

She refilled drinks constantly, ran food constantly and got caught up in the rush as more and more customers entered the building. Soon her dinners were up, and the expo yelled for hands. Four servers helped her to get all of the food served right away, and Kagome couldn't help but sigh a little when she asked if they wanted some fresh ground pepper.

Four minutes later, Kagome checked on them. "Is everything to your liking?" she asked the table, waiting for the inevitable shoe to drop. It was very rare that a party didn't have at least oneperson complaining. She was surprised then when most of the table looked at Inuyasha, who was busy chewing on his T-bone steak, before they all smiled and shook their heads.

Kagome was infinitely grateful for the small break.

She brought out two more beers to Inuyasha, who at this point seemed more and more desperate to have them. She had a sneaking suspicion it was due to the arguable man – who was, from an observational note, very attractive as well – sitting beside him.

She was just about to head back and see if the expo needed any more runners when a large, warm hand grabbed her elbow. Turning around, Kagome blinked a few times when she realized it was Inuyasha, and that he was pretty close to her. Surprisingly close to her.

"I want to apologize," Inuyasha said in a rush, his lips thinning out in a tight line. "They are brutal people, I know. It's unfortunate that they're very good at their jobs."

Kagome laughed, shaking her head and letting her arm fall free of his grasp. "It's not that bad. It could be far worse. They could all be drunk and horny."

Inuyasha frowned. "I really don't want that to happen."

She nodded in agreement. "Don't worry about it, I get it."

The black-haired man gave her a lop-sided smile. "I wouldn't have brought them here if I didn't promise ages ago. Sadly, you have really good food."

"It's very delicious," Kagome replied, smiling a bit herself. "Just relax a bit, you seem like you're going to kill them at any moment."

"I want to kill them at any moment," Inuyasha shot back, raising his eyebrows at her. "Dealing with them on a daily basis from nine-to-five is hard enough. Dinner time is like time spent in Hell."

"You're exaggerating."

Inuyasha just scoffed. "Did you hear my brother? He talks like a damn robot."

She thought about it for a moment. "That guy beside you, Sesshomaru?"

"How'd you know his name?" Inuyasha asked, looking suddenly horrified. "Please don't tell me you like that kind of thing."

Kagome thought it could be her imagination, but when she laughed and shook her head in a firm 'no', she swore she saw his body slump a bit in relief. "He's your brother?"

"Unfortunately," Inuyasha replied. "And the woman who asked you..." He coughed a bit, looking at the floor. "Ignore her, she really tries too hard." Kagome desperately wanted to know what she was trying so hard for, but Inuyasha shook his head and smirked. "Anyways, thank you. I'll see you soon then, with more beer."

Smiling, Kagome nodded and watched as he headed towards the table.

Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but Shippo's words kept ringing in her head.

If he does apologize though...he could...you know.

Letting that thought disappear, Kagome went back into the kitchen to ring up another beer.

The night passed quickly after that.

Sure, they took forever to leave. Most of them had quite a few drinks and Kagome made sure that all of them had a safe ride home as she placed the bill – with a ton of chocolate, mint-covered candies – in front of Inuyasha. It wasn't until an hour later when they all finally started to dwindle away, until all that was left was Inuyasha's mother, father and (apparently annoying) brother.

She was just about to get the bill, coming from the other side of the restaurant because she had just run some food to a table, when she caught part of the conversation.

"Kagome seems nice, you know." It sounded like Inuyasha's mother, the one that asks about her intentions. She couldn't help the warmth that crept to her cheeks. It was a pretty blunt question.

Inuyasha sighed, long and loud. "You're unbelievable. Mom, you can stop trying to get me women. Please, I will find someone eventually. Sesshomaru's not even dating and you don't bother him!"

Sesshomaru's monotone voice picked up. "What a shame."

Sarcasm was obviously not lost on him.

"Inuyasha–"

"Izayoi," a deep voice interrupted, probably Inuyasha's father. "Let's just go. I'm sure Inuyasha is going to start shoving us out the door soon if we don't."

There was momentary silence and Kagome backed away, wanting to give them more privacy. She probably shouldn't have even listened to what they said, but they were talking about her! How could she not?

She was a terrible person and she knew it.

When she saw the three of them walk away, Kagome headed towards the table to see Inuyasha leaning against it, billfold in his hand.

"Looking for this?" he asked, smirking at her. At this point he'd had at least seven beers, so it was a bit toothy and far more adorable.

Kagome really ignored that last thought. "Maybe," she answered, smiling herself and taking it. She didn't bother to look at it, taking the receipt that was her copy and sliding it into her half-apron. "Happy that it's done and over with?"

"You can't even imagine," Inuyasha replied, rolling his eyes. "Fucking crazies, the lot of them."

Kagome just smiled. She didn't want to agree, even though she secretly did. "You've probably Barrel'ed yourself out, huh? It'll be a while before I see you?"

It sounded a bit desperate and more than a little bit wanting. Kagome wished she could take it back the moment she said it, but the way Inuyasha looked at her, the way he licked his lips and studied her face made her somewhat pleased.

"I guess we'll see," he said coyly. "It's pretty damn good food though."

"It is," Kagome conceded.

"And the service isn't half-bad either."

Smacking him lightly on the arm, Kagome laughed. "Do you have a cab?"

"It's waiting for me out front," he answered, tilting his head at her. "I'll see you soon Kagome."

"I guess we'll see," she retorted, throwing his own words back at him and grinning.

When he left, Kagome tried to stop the smile on her face. Really, it was just ridiculous. He was just a really nice customer and tipped her well.

Speaking of tips... She pulled out the receipt and almost collapsed into the chair. The bill hadn't been small by any imagination. It was close to eight-hundred dollars for all fifteen of them, before tax. He tipped her a solid forty percent – over three hundred dollars.

Kagome nearly cried out of sheer joy.

Comments to Acknowledge:

EndlessIdeas: I'm not really sure I know where I get these ideas. Sometimes they just pop into my head, like this story. Others come to me in dreams - Imaginary. Others come from listening to a song, whether or not I make a song!fic - Fallen Among Thieves. Anything pretty much gets me going. Thank you for commenting!

Thank you to all the wonderful reviews so far. I love to hear from you :)