To Dance with the Devil
If there was anything Kagome learned it was that when one danced with the devil, they never won; even if the so-called devil was their husband, notorious and elite gangster, Takahashi Inuyasha. Too bad Kagome was stuck with him, till death do them part.
NOTE: ALL CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN EDITED AND CHANGED SLIGHTLY. RECOMMEND SKIMMING THROUGH THE CHAPTERS. THIS CHAPTER HAS ALSO BEEN ALTERED A LITTLE BIT.
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To Tolerate the Devil
The rest of the car ride was amicable, albeit quiet. The more time elapsed, the more and more Kagome felt like a jerk who was nothing but mean to a man that wanted to flip her life upside down (poetic justice?). What Kagome wanted was to call Sango (or Kikyo or Yura… it didn't matter to her at this point), and ask if she should tone down her attitude a little bit.
He is playing my game now. She thought, biting her lower lip. Her action did not go unnoticed by Inuyasha and his chest tightened. He was, after all, a hot-blooded man and Kagome was definitely a looker.
I told him to court me and that's what he's doing. He hasn't demanded anything… yet… and he was considerate enough to ask me to go to dinner with him and bring me home on time so I can get enough rest for work tomorrow. It didn't undo all the damage he'd already done, but he was evidently trying to give her what she wanted, despite how insignificant her wants were… (As he had pointed out, she was marrying him whether she liked it or not). Courting, wooing, and dating here were most probably to humour her, but for a man that got whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it, humouring her was probably a big deal for him, something he was not used to.
Kagome wanted her mother.
She needed some good advice.
Go with your heart, Kagome. She advised herself, thinking that was what her mother would've said should she have been with her today. Granted, her mother would never had allowed her to be in such a situation. Korari Higurashi would've had Akira six feet under before ever accepting a loan of such an amount from Inuyasha. But, seeing as how Kagome was in her situation, her mother either would've told her to a) high tail it out of there, change her identity, and start a new life, or b) go with her gut feeling.
Kagome was leaning towards the gut feeling option.
Go with what you think it's right. You can't control the situation, but you can control how it unfolds. According to him I will marry him one day – although I think otherwise—and he's humouring me by dating me… the least I could do is not make it very difficult for him.She intended to make it difficult, without a doubt, but perhaps if she toned it down just a smidgen? After all, they were entering his world and the last thing she needed was other mob-like personnel wishing death upon her.
Before she realized it, Kagome made up her mind: she would be amicable for the remainder of the night (and maybe thereafter, she hadn't thought that far ahead yet), but she wouldn't bend over backwards for him either. She would maintain an aura of indifference but she wouldn't be a dick to him. Maybe by doing so it would clear her mind and allow her to think of a plan to get rid of him that wasn't surrounded by sheer hatred and anger. Her decision could, in fact, help her soul a little bit and allow her to be rational instead of emotional.
She was so deep in thought that she was oblivious to Inuyasha studying her. He was studying her curves, the set of her chin, the way her fingers drummed the leather upholstery of his car—she's beautiful.
He had seen her previously, yes, but he hadn't really seen her. Inuyasha hadn't been privy to her and her natural beauty. He saw her shift a little and quickly averted his gaze; he didn't need her knowing that he was watching her… she already hated him. He really didn't want her thinking that he was a creep.
"So…" Kagome started slowly. "What type of food does Midoriko serve?"
Were his ears deceiving him? Was she putting forth effort to have a conversation? Inuyasha resisted smirking; it might undo whatever epiphany she just had. He responded to her with a one shouldered shrug and subconsciously went to rub the scar on his face.
"Haven't a clue."
Kagome nodded slowly and twiddled her thumbs. She was nervous.
"I am allergic to citrus…" She said, really slowly and he raised both eyebrows.
"Citrus…?"
She nodded again. "Um… yeah, I know, really weird. Every time I go to the restaurant I make there aren't lemons or oranges, or anything citric, is in what I eat. You know... don't want to go in to anaphylactic shock..."
She is very nervous. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel amused. He could not recall her ever being nervous around him. Intimidated, yes, but nervous? Nope.
"It's not weird," he was relaxing further in his seat—with Kagome attempting to make small talk, it actually soothed him. He wouldn't admit it, but her voice had calming properties to it when she wasn't shrieking at him like a banshee. Life with her would be interesting, to say the least, and he was not looking forward to their marital banters.
"There could be weirder things," he closed his eyes suddenly feeling terribly exhausted. "There's a girl allergic to water."
Kagome frowned. "Really?"
"Hmm…" He replied, suddenly feeling incredibly drowsy.
"Are you sleepy?"
"Hmm…"
He was dozing off and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't shake it off. Her voice was just too damn relaxing. To his chagrin, Kagome stopped conversing with him and he fell in to a dreamless slumber.
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"Inuyasha?"
Nimble hands shook his shoulder.
"Inuyasha…?"
With a jump, Inuyasha shot awake. "Where's the fire?"
His eyes searched his surroundings before landing on the beautiful siren beside him. Reality crashed down on him again and he quickly recovered from his state of discombobulation. "How long was I out for?"
Inuyasha was very aware of when her hand withdrew from his shoulder. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss the warmth and tenderness of her touch… It had been a while since he felt the warmth and comfort of a woman. Personal choice, on his part, but that didn't mean that he didn't miss the feeling of a woman in his bed.
"The whole drive plus some."
He frowned. "Plus some?"
Kagome nodded sheepishly. "Ginta and I didn't have the heart to wake you and since we were early, we let you sleep for half an hour while we chatted."
Inuyasha was amused. Ginta and Kagome had a conversation for a half hour while he snoozed in his back seat? Whatever epiphany she had, he hoped she didn't go back to how she was prior to it. He knew she was being cautious – that was a given – but he enjoyed how she now seemed like she could tolerate his presence. If she was anybody else and gave him a third of the lip she did, their brains would've been blasted out of their head.
Inuyasha had anger issues, he knew he did, and it landed him in situations that were extremely unpleasant. But he'd be damned if he allowed those issues to surface when he was around Kagome, ergo the saint-like patience he practiced when she was on one of her many tirades of him being a jackass that wanted to ruin her life.
On the contrary, sweetheart, I'm saving your life. He thought, ruefully. If only she knew. Alas, he couldn't tell her. Not yet at least.
"You should've just awoken me as soon as we got here."
Kagome shrugged silently. He seemed tired; she didn't have the heart to wake him… It was part of her new ruse of being nice. She didn't care if he was well rested or not, she was simply relieved that she had half an hour of no-Inuyasha time to herself. Besides, Ginta was decent company. At least Ginta wasn't telling her that she would be marrying him every other sentence... no, she quite enjoyed Inuyasha's presence when he wasn't consciously present.
He cracked his neck and the sound made Kagome wince; she finally knew how Yura and Sango felt when she cracked her neck around them. It was a gut churning sound. Inuyasha released a jaw-splitting yawn and shrugged his shoulders back a couple of times, in an attempt to release his muscles, before pushing his door open. "Well, no time like the present." He turned around after getting out of his car and extended his arm out to Kagome. "Shall we?"
She looked at his extended arm for a moment.
Be nice. Be nice.
She slipped her fingers into his large, warm, and much calloused hands. Despite her initial assumption of being unsafe around Inuyasha and the potential harm that could befall her, she couldn't shake the feeling that his fingers wrapped around hers felt nothing but safe.
Complete and utter safeness…
She scooted out of the vehicle and snatched her hand out of his arm. Inuyasha chuckled and didn't miss the opportunity to snake his arm around her waist and guide her to the waiter doubling as a bouncer just outside of Midoriko's restaurant, Honekui no Ido. Inuyasha simply nodded at the gentleman stationed outside and languidly entered the restaurant with Kagome by his side. Since they were entering his world, Kagome decided not to wretch away from his touch, as much as it burned the surface of her skin.
A red carpet was rolled out for the prestigious guests in attendance, and Kagome was quick to notice how high-end the event was. The restaurant was grand and elegant, crystal chandeliers illuminating every corner with a warm glow, complemented by marble tiles that fleshed with deep oak hardwood. Kagome was unashamed of how slack her jaw went and how wide her eyes became. Never in her life did she see a place so beautiful...
"See blondie over there?" Inuyasha leaned down and whispered in to Kagome's ear. Her eyes flickered to the direction Inuyasha was gesturing.
"Hmm..." She was quiet, she picked up on the fact he was trying to maintain a low profile.
"Princess Genevieve of Sweden."
Kagome tried to mask her look of surprise. "Princess?"
"Midoriko knows people. She's a powerful woman and a splendid ally." Inuyasha scanned the foyer. He could tell Kagome was trying to digest her surroundings and the people around her. She was, unaware, however that she was in the arms of the most powerful person in the room. "And that guy," he tilted his head to a hobbling old man. "Totosai. He supplied weapons for us until three years ago when he retired. Still a valuable asset, though."
Kagome nodded, meekly. She felt incredibly intimidated. Inuyasha was about to introduce another character in the foyer to Kagome but his cellphone ringing caused a distraction. He released his hold on Kagome's waist and promptly answered his telephone, walking a few steps away from his 'date'. Kagome decided to take the opportunity to explore whatever she could in the foyer; she was eyeing a chocolate fountain not too far off and she was sure Inuyasha wouldn't miss her terribly if she decided to... indulge.
"Takahashi." He glanced over his shoulder to see Kagome bee lining to Midoriko's chocolate fountain. He smirked, he somehow predicted that.
"Hmmm. Yep. I knew you would. Yeah, okay..." Inuyasha licked his lower lip and scanned his surroundings once more. He had both allies and enemies present in the restaurant and it put him on edge. He really didn't want people noticing Kagome but at the same time he needed people to know that she was affiliated with him. It was a double-edged sword.
Inuyasha nodded, despite knowing the person on the other side of the phone couldn't see him. "Okay, send the message." Inuyasha's gut clenched when he saw Kagura and Kanna. They were siblings to who he considered his mortal enemy: Naraku. He was praying Naraku wasn't present and hoped Midoriko knew better than to invite them both. He especially didn't want Kagome to be anywhere near the mother fu-
"Yeah, still here. Listen, I have to let you go for now, I'm at Midoriko's grand opening."
Hanging up, Inuyasha weaved his way over to Kagome and promptly stopped her from inhaling her fifth chocolate covered strawberry. She turned red out of sheer embarrassment but made no move to voice it. With great difficulty, she swallowed her strawberry and gently dabbed her face with a napkin. "Everything okay?"
Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, it was Kouga with an update with work…"
Kagome raised both eyebrows. "Work? As in at Shikon?"
He wanted to laugh, he really did. Kagome seemed entirely too oblivious with his line of work, and that was ironic seeing as he had talked about a few killings done courtesy of his men in her presence. In her defence, though, she was probably too busy figuring out how to pay back a substantial loan to him and the conversation might've gone through one ear and out the other.
"Not Shikon, sweetheart."
"Then? And can you please stop calling me sweetheart."
"Just work. And let's get one thing straight, I will call you whatever I want. Besides," he winked at her, "sweetheart suits you."
Kagome scoffed but remained silent.
Inuyasha's thoughts trailed back to the conversation he had with Kouga and was glad that he was able to get Kagome to forget about her question about work. He wasn't about to tell her that Kouga found Jaken and decapitated him, quickly sending a message to Naraku as it was discovered that Jaken was playing the role of a double agent. She didn't need to know such details of what he did. Inuyasha was sure she had a clue, but what she knew was probably what everybody else in all of Japan perceived him to be: a mobster that did shady shit to make money and run the city. And, for the time being, he was okay with that perception.
Inuyasha wanted to divert her train of thought, lest she asked him about his work again, and was quick to point out a broad shouldered, silver haired mirror image of himself strolling across the foyer. "That ugly lump is my brother, Sesshomaru."
Kagome coughed to stop herself from laughing. Ugly lump? You two look exactly the same, except the nose. "Quite the lump." She agreed and tried very hard to hide the sarcasm from her voice. Inuyasha saw right through her stunt and scowled.
Bells began ringing around the perimeter of the foyer and a loud melodic voice boomed through a PA system. "Midoriko," Inuyasha quickly said.
Attention honourable guests! I want to personally thank you for coming to the grand opening of Honekui no Ido. You have bestowed upon me unexplainable honour for allowing your presence in my restaurant. Seating will commence shortly in an orderly fashion that corresponds to the Class designation on your invitation. At this moment, I would like to invite guests in Class A and B to enter through the Western Gates.
The voice cackled to a stop and Inuyasha took the opportunity to snake his arm around Kagome's waist once again. Despite how nice she wanted to be, him constantly touching her was beginning to get on her nerves. He already shut down her complaints about calling her sweetheart, and she let him have it but she damn well wasn't going to let him get away with holding her whenever the hell he wanted to.
"You know you stop putting your hands on me."
"I could, but how else am I supposed to let others know that you're my woman."
Her eyes blazed to life. "Excuse me? I am not—"
"Don't cause a scene her, sweetheart." He drawled. "Let's go take our seats, we're Class A."
Kagome shot daggers at him. If looks could kill…
"She should've put you in Class whatever-the-hell-is-after-Z." She didn't try to hide the distaste in her voice, all while trying to peel his arm away from her waist. Unfortunately, her attempts were in vain.
He chuckled, a low throaty sound. "Cute. You'll be pleased to know I'm the Guest of Honour."
"Is Midoriko crazy? Why you if we have a Princess here?"
Inuyasha grinned, a broad expression that accented his deep masculine features which, in turn, accentuated his scar. Kagome kind of wanted to know how he got it… not that she cared or anything.
"You'll see." He teased. The closer they approached the Western Gate, the more crowded it became. Inuyasha relinquished his hold on Kagome and took half a step behind her. He placed his fingers on the small of her back and silently guided her to the waiters that were stationed to take the invitation guards from the guests. Within a matter of seconds, Inuyasha and Kagome were seated at a table big enough for a couple with a single rose centrepiece between them. Once again, Kagome was in awe.
"This place…"
Inuyasha crossed his arms and studied her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
Kagome nodded dumbly. "It is."
She missed the fact he was looking at her. "Do we get menus or is it fixed?" Kagome looked over at him.
"Fixed. Dinner is on the house today, but only so Midoriko can feed us her best dishes in hopes that we'll take to social media. You know she has a hashtag?" Inuyasha wanted to laugh at the incredulous expression on Kagome's face. It clearly said: Get. Out.
"She does. Hashtag MidoIdo."
Kagome giggled. "How clever. I'll be sure to post pictures."
The right corner of his lip curved up slightly and he tore his gaze away from her to examine his surroundings. The weight of his gun was pressing against his hip and the spotted a few of his men lurking in the shadows of the main dining area. He never left without two things: his men, and his weapon. At that moment, more than ever, did he feel like he needed both since he was out in public with Kagome, and Kagura and Kanna were in the vicinity. Naraku, however, was yet to be seen. Maybe Midoriko didn't invite him. Inuyasha knew that notion was ridiculous. Kagura and Kanna never went anywhere without their older brother, so he had to be around.
Somewhere.
Within a matter of moments the dining hall was filled and the waiters were serving water, or other beverages. Inuyasha ordered both a bottle of red wine and bottle of white wine for their table. He put down a credit card that Kagome could not recognize to be affiliated with any major Japanese bank, and Inuyasha made no attempt to explain the origins of his credit card to her. The waiter poured Inuyasha a wineglass of red wine, and Kagome opted for the white.
Luckily I'm not allergic to grapes. She thought as she took the first sip of her wine. Bliss...
"I don't think I'll ever be able to afford to eat here after today." Kagome muttered and he could only smile.
"Don't be so sure. You'd have an unlimited credit card like mine after you become a Takahashi."
Me, a Takahashi? Never. "It's unlimited?"
Inuyasha noted that she avoided the marriage quip. "Yep." He didn't divulge further about his credit card and Kagome chose not to press the matter. They both were keeping secrets from each other and she didn't want to put herself in a position where he could use her curiosity against her.
Curiosity killed the cat, Higurashi.
The lights slightly dimmed in the dining hall and Inuyasha relaxed in to the armchair Midoriko provided for her dining guests.
"And the show begins."
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As I said above, all chapters have been edited and all continuing errors are fixed. This is the first time I'm writing consistently in YEARS and, like any art, without practice, skills become rusty.
Kagome's attitude had to be tweaked because I was finding it hard to initiate fluff LOL! But she won't be TOTALLY subservient, of course, she will maintain some attitude because really, WHO IS HE TO TELL HER TO MARRY HIM, GEEZ!
Next chapter is coming out in a few days, and I like long reviews ;)