Alrighty then! I'm so pleased with the amount of reviews, I'm ecstatic! Yeah! Well, my beloved readers, when I get my laptop, and my printer/scanner, I will post some artwork of mine on MySpace, which I should probably set up but have been too lazy. However, I can also take pics with my phone, so, hopefully, I'll get some good ones and put them up. They'll be better when I can scan them, heehee! Soooo excited!! I wanna know what everyone thinks of them, and if you want me to do a character for you, or an original character, just mail me a description and I'll whip one up for ya! Kudos!Yay for characters in the Modern era!
Deds:
dancingwindforever - Sorry I didn't answer you sooner, the bot was being such a bitch! lol, I'm happy that you're so enthusiastic, and I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter!
Kitsune's Lover - Thank God, I thought you'd run away! Yay! Jen's back! woot! Unfortunately, Rachel's cat seems to love me, and she'd murder me if I put Sass in a bag...and tried to kill him...hehe, oops...anyway, he slept on my chest last night - not fun! God he purrs loud! I swear if his ass had been in my face it would have been the wall for him! P.S. I can hear her neighbours having sex at night, it's so hard to fall asleep to that...ewww...gag me with ruffage!!!!
cookiemonsterks - I think I'm remiss in answering these...anyway, it's gonna get even hotter! Muahahahahaha (tents fingers). (It was a watch, a nice one, lol)
anime-lover-forever2007 - Ok, Karen, I'll see what I can do. You may make an appearance...as an innocent bystander...or a Fed. I dunno! Just look for yer name, I guess ;)
Mystical Hanyou - Hehehee, she's got a plan, she's super uber sneaky!
Sweet Temptation
Inuyasha laid on the gas, and passed another car. From the back, Sango growled, "Arg, we should have taken the Go-Train! This traffic is ridiculous! We'll never get there in time!"
"Shut up shut up shut up!" he yelled, braking hard as someone pulled in front to pass. "I can't do this while you're all yammering away back there!"
Miroku leaned past Kikyou in the front seat and said, "Pull over, Inuyasha."
"Huh? Why?" he asked, thinking Miroku was nuts. "No!"
"I don't think Dad will appreciate the fine you're going to get when the cop behind us finally manages to pull you over, and he'll be even less impressed if he hears you caused a thirty-car pile-up because you tried to outrun him."
Looking in his mirror, Inuyasha smacked his forehead and groaned, muttering, "Fuck it!" as he pulled onto the shoulder of the Expressway to Downtown Tokyo.
Kikyou sat back hard in her seat and murmured, "Tonight is not going to be fun at all. If I were superstitious, I'd think someone was conspiring to keep us away from that strip club."
Everyone fell silent as they pondered her statement, and jumped when the officer rapped on Inuyasha's window.
Rolling it down, Inuyasha was about to explain himself when the officer asked, "Do you know how fast you were going, son?"
"Umm," he shrugged, and the officer shone his flashlight in all their faces, one by one.
"Have any of you been drinking?"
"No sir, we're minors, we don't drink, but we are in a hurry. Could you-"
"Step out of the car please, son."
Gripping the steering wheel as if his anger alone could lend him the strength to rip it from its column, Inuyasha steamed inwardly as he got out of the car and towered over the officer, who looked at him skeptically over his aviators.
"Follow me please."
Doing as he was told, the officer led Inuyasha to his car, where he proceeded to give him a breathalizer. When it came up normal, he made him stand on one foot and touch his nose with his left hand for two minutes.
"Are you satisfied yet?"
"Don't get lippy, boy. You were speeding and I could bust your ass, but I got better things to do. It's a warning this time, but I catch you again, and I'm fining your ass for the full amount, savvy?"
"Yes, sir," Inuyasha gritted from between clenched teeth, and ripping the warning from the officer's hand, he jogged back to the car and took off, at a reasonable speed, until they had turned a curve in the Expressway and were no longer in sight of the cruiser.
"Let's blow this popsickle stand and get to that fucking club!" he growled, ramming his sneaker on the gas and getting off at the next exit.
S.T.
Naraku stared at the screen for a long while after Kagome's show. She had been magnificent, and she had given him a really good idea. He would have her co-operation, and she would have no choice but to comply.
Picking up the phone, he dialled Kagura's cell phone and told her to bring Sesshoumaru back to the club; he had a plan.
Hanging up, he zipped up his pants and went to the minibar, filled his empty glass with ice, and fifteen minutes later, the staff entrance to his room opened, and Kagura brought Sesshoumaru in, the limo driver having tied him up when he'd gotten into the car at the police station.
If looks could kill, Sesshoumaru would have melted Naraku on the spot, but Naraku only smiled at him.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, sipping his glass of champagne and gesturing for Kagura to leave. She frowned, but closed the door behind her on her way out.
"If it isn't Sesshoumaru Taisho, my new employee manager. Bet you didn't think I'd outsmart you tonight, did you?"
Sesshoumaru said nothing, the gag in his mouth prohibiting any speech he may have tried to make.
"Well, no loss. You can still keep your job, I suppose. After all, you're going to need money if you're going to be dating my daughter. She has expensive taste; gets it from her Mother."
Still Sesshoumaru made no response, only continued to glare.
Naraku strode back to his chair, and set his glass on a coaster next to the phone.
To the driver, he ordered, "Tie him to the chair."
Dragging Sesshoumaru by his arms, the limo driver tied Sesshoumaru's hands and feet to a chair just behind the door, it the darkest corner of the room, where he would go unnoticed. When he was done, Naraku nodded, and the driver pulled a Magnum from his breast pocket and rested it gently but firmly against Sesshoumaru's temple.
This elicited a growl from him, and Naraku smirked. Sipping the last of his champagne, he said, "Your girlfriend is on her way up here. I've requested her presence for a private show; you will watch your girlfriend give me a lap dance, and then I will present her with the Jewel, and if she refuses to do as I ask, I will make known to her your presence. So no noise from you, or Hakudoushi there will blow your brains out. Do you understand?"
Sesshoumaru gurgled angrily, and Naraku laughed. The sound of heels coming down the hall was becoming louder, and Naraku put a finger to his mouth and said, "Shh, now. Don't spoil her show."
Running a hand through his freshly shorn hair, he thought, God, I had such great hair, shouldn't have hacked it off.
The doorknob began to turn and Naraku stood, preparing to welcome his guest.
Sesshoumaru strained in his chair, and Hakudoushi rapped him warningly on his temple, causing a starburst of pain to knife through his brain, receding slowly in short bursts as he regained himself. When he did, he saw Kagome standing in the room, ten feet away from Naraku, exuding confidence as if she had absolutely nothing to fear.
Don't let the mask fall, Kags, he begged her in his mind, and he prayed to God that she could keep up her façade for as long as it took to get the Jewel in her possession.
S.T.
Kagome closed the door softly behind her, and flicked her hair away from her face. Standing before her in the semi-darkness of Room Ten, stood who she assumed to be Naraku Onigumo, the insolent ass who'd sent her two vases of roses. She found it difficult, though, to have any distaste for his appearance.
Tall, dark, and handsome, with close-cropped hair which he kept running a hand through, she felt a flicker of carnal desire deep within, but she suppressed it before it could flare into the flames of pure lust. She was here to do a job; she would do it and leave. She was obligated no further than that.
Naraku held a fresh glass of champagne out to her, which she silently declined, and he remarked, "Don't drink?"
She smiled a little, hoping the nervous butterflies in her stomach weren't somehow given away by her facial expressions.
"Not before a dance," she drawled, and handed him the card he's put in her roses.
Raising a brow, he took it, and flipped it over, reading the six words scrawled on the back in her loopy handwriting. Smiling, he walked over to the wall, where a large audio display was mounted, with massive speakers flanking it on either side.
Kagome folded her arms and tried hard to look confident as she watched him punch in her song selection. Picking up the remote, she sauntered over to him, and led him by the hand to a long table at the back of the room, parallel to the door. Sitting him at the head, she walked to the opposite end, and, pointing the remote at the display, turned her back to him and threw it onto the black recliner next to her.
Sesshoumaru watched in stony silence. Next to him, Hakudoushi no longer pointed the gun at his head, but every once in a while he could feel the tip of it brush his hair as the chauffeur/hired goon adjusted his position against the wall.
The music came on, and the lights dimmed even more; the stereo also controlled the brightness of the light according to the genre of the music. Naraku smiled in anticipation. He never had been one to pass up a good time, even if serious business was pending at hand. For her, the Jewel could wait.
The first strains of "How Soon Is Now" by The Smiths filled the room, getting louder and louder. Kagome moved her left leg to the beat, her hand slowly making its way up that same thigh, past her hip to brush past a breast. Naraku leaned back in his chair and watched, his red eyes never leaving her.
Kagome spun, and grabbed the chair at her end, putting one booted foot on it as she ran both hands through her hair, and, picking up a nearby champagne bottle, tossed it to him, and he deftly caught it, setting it in front of him on the table.
Putting both hands on the tabletop, she began to crawl toward him, her lips in a pout, painted deep red so they looked like a bloody wound. Her black leather outfit became smaller and smaller as she approached him, and when she was halfway across the table, she looked up at him seductively, and just by the look on his face, she could tell he was getting hot, so she rolled over on her back and, sucking her finger, drew it down her chin and over her neck between her breasts, which were barely covered by her top.
Rolling back over, she pulled herself slowly the rest of the way, and, sitting with her legs sprawled, leaving nothing to his imagination, she popped the cork in the champagne, and let it spray up, covering her in tiny droplets, and she leaned over him, enticing him to lick them off of her skin, which, after a moment, he did, grabbing the back of her neck and holding her still, and she let him, but not for long.
Having removed both boots by now, she stood and placed her toe at his chin. Tipping the bottle a bit, she let a small stream of it trickle down her leg to pool in his slightly open mouth, before putting the bottle down and grasping the armrests on his chair, she pushed him away from the table, and crawled into his lap.
Sesshoumaru watched it all with a jaundiced eye; her actions looked sensual, and he couldn't stop the rise of jealousy within him, but he knew she was just doing her job, that she was in no way feeling anything at all for the asshole whose lap she was sitting in.
He was largely right; for the most part, Kagome felt a deep repulsion for the man before her, but really deep down, in a place she didn't want to admit existed within her, was a small desire for him.
She thought it was there likely because he was the exact opposite of Sesshoumaru; one light, one dark, one loving, the other manipulating. There was just something about him that stopped her from hating him, but there was nothing that couldn't make her not dislike him. She licked his neck now as he began to touch her. Slowly, and almost timidly, he put his hands on her, until she grew weary of his hesitation and placed his hands where she knew he wanted them to be, and was reminded of his repulsiveness as he squeezed her too hard, but desisted after a moment when she whimpered her displeasure.
He wanted her to think he was uncertain, as if he had never done this before; and, in gaining her pity, he might gain her trust, as well, for he would need it momentarily, and if he lost it, then and only then would he bring to light his leverage against her.
Kagome began to grow frustrated with his shyness. He seemed to her like a man who always knew exactly what he wanted and when he wanted it, and she couldn't help but smell a rat at his actions, but decided to see where he was going to take her. As long as she pretended to remain ignorant, Amaya had said, the better her chances at getting away unharmed, so she went against all her instincts to flee and rubbed herself intimately against him.
At this point, Sesshoumaru had had enough, but every time he shut his eyes, Hakudoushi nudged him none-too-gently with his damn handgun. Growling quietly, he kept them open, but could do nothing but glare at that disgusting bastard putting his hands all over his woman. He no longer cared to hide the knowledge away from himself; he was insanely jealous, and it was killing him to be unable to do nothing to stop it. He wanted her to do that to him, and he was sure she would, if he asked her. After all, she loved him, right?
Of course she does, he told himself scathingly, offended that he would doubt her loyalty for even a second, but the scene before him was really making it difficult for him to hush the seeds of doubt in the back of his mind, because she really looked like she was enjoying herself.
She better just be a good actress, he thought, but knew he would never hurt her. She knew how important their situation was, and he forced himself to have faith in her performance, and that it was all a farce, nowhere as real as it looked.
Naraku was starting to lose himself in her. As she became more demanding of him, he wondered if she was going to let him go all the way. They didn't do that at strip clubs, did they? He doubted it, but he wasn't going to stop until she wanted him to.
Kagome was ready to throw up. The longer she maintained contact with him, the sicker she felt. The little seed of lust had died as soon as she'd gotten a good look at his eyes. Red, with a white, lifeless iris, they were the eyes of a killer, of a master manipulater, of a cold-blooded monster.
Flashes from her vision reappeared before her eyes, and, turning up the charm to further gain his trust, despite her urge to gag, she took his lips in hers and kissed him deeper than either of them had kissed another before, and when she pulled away, she revelled in the sincere look of glazed satisfaction printed on his face, and she rejoiced in the look of mastery on his as the thought of his enchanting her washed over him.
Fool, she thought, turning up the wattage of her smile slightly, you'll never know what I know until it's too late.
For his part, Naraku was thinking, Soon, my dear, you will be mine, and together… we will rule this world.
Sitting back on the table, relaxed, her legs casually folded beneath her, Kagome asked, "Did you like it?"
Leaning back in his chair, not even bothering to hide the slight bulge in his pants, he replied, "Very much so. Your reputation precedes you. I'm impressed, Miss Conduct."
She smiled, self-deprecatingly. "Thanks."
Laying the wad of twenties on the table beside her, he said, "Before you go, I have something I think will interest you."
Here it comes, she thought, the moment of truth. God help me…
Scooping up the money, she put her boots back on as he strolled to a safe in the wall, and, unlocking it, returned to her side bearing a small pink velvet box as she pocketed the money.
"For me?" she asked, making no move to take it from him. "Gifts aren't usually a part of a private performance, Mr. Onigumo."
"I am well aware of that, Miss Conduct, but please, call me Naraku. May I ask what your real name is? Certainly not Miss Conduct?"
It was against the club's Privacy and Discretion Agreement for performers to give away their real names, but in this case, Kagome made an exception. He knew her name anyway, what was the point of keeping it from him now? It would only make him suspicious if she didn't.
She laughed, and shook her head. "It's Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."
He frowned, then, visibly brightened. "Higurashi, you say? Do you live three doors down from me?"
She had to tread carefully here. Did he know where she lived? She wasn't sure, and from his corner, Sesshoumaru immediately picked up on the implications a wrong answer on her part could do to their plan. Closing his eyes briefly, he prayed that she said the right thing.
Floundering, she decided to just go for it, and deal with the consequences as they came, and replied, almost too late to be believable, "Yeah, I do. Your daughter is my sister's best friend."
"Really? I had no idea," he replied, though he'd known all along. She really did appear to be clueless as to his purpose for her. Excellent, he thought, mentally tenting his fingers. "Maybe one day we will meet outside of our…business dealings, perhaps?"
She smiled at his discreet glossing-over of her performance just now, and responded non-commitally, "Perhaps."
Flashing her his most devastating grin, he slid the box across the table toward her.
Picking it up, she slowly unwrapped the ribbon, and pried open the box.
There, nestled inside in a fitted velvet mould, sat the Jewel of Four Souls, the Shikon no Tama.
Kagome felt the power of it even in its dormancy; never had she experienced a similar feeling, but she did her best to hide it from him.
On his part, he eagerly watched her for her reaction, and was pleased to see surprise register in her eyes, and a small smile of pleasure alight her lips. Just as he thought, she was ignorant of the abilities inherent to the small trinket she held in the box in her hand. All he had to do now was nonchalantly find a way to get her to say its name aloud.
Piece of cake.
Taking a big risk, as Kagome was aware, she removed the Jewel from its case and rolled it around in her palm. She felt her hand grow warm as she held it, and thought she noticed a faint glow emitting from it, but quickly set it back in its box, shutting the lid before he could open his mouth in an attempt to speak with her about it.
"Thank you, it's beautiful."
"It is, isn't it? It's called the Shikon no Tama, or Jewel of Four Souls." He paused here, hoping she would repeat the name back to him in question of its heritage, but she remained silent, staring back at him with a little grin on her face as if she couldn't believe he'd just given her a pink ball, useless other than as a piece of jewellery.
Growling inwardly, he tried again.
Sesshoumaru's insane jealousy had died away with Naraku's gift of the Jewel to Kagome; it appeared things were not going as smoothly as he'd planned. He grinned in satisfaction as Naraku droned on and on about the Jewel, while Kagome looked bored and disinterested, refusing, in her ignorance, to repeat the name of the Jewel back to him.
When she got up to leave, he grabbed her hand and yanked her close, growling, "Listen you little slut. Say the name of the Jewel!"
Pretending to be insulted, she tried to pull her arm away and retorted, "Excuse me, Mr. Onigumo, but why does that matter? It's only a trinket, and besides, it's mine. I'll do with it as I please! You gave it to me!"
Naraku was beginning to get desperate. He knew something she did not; once in her possession, he could not forcefully take the Jewel back. She had to give it back to him, and, since she was being so difficult and would not remove the curse on the bauble by calling it's name, he decided that now was the time to pull out the big guns.
Sesshoumaru, on his part, had been slowly trying to undo Hakudoushi's pathetic knots, and had moments ago managed to free himself, much to the unawareness of the man hired to watch him, who was too engrossed in what was going on with the hot chick and his boss to pay much attention to his hostage.
Waiting for the opportune moment, Sesshoumaru had pretended to still be powerless, but his opportunity had just presented itself.
As Naraku grabbed Kagome's hair and roughly pulled her toward him, making her yowl in pain, Sesshoumaru jumped up, knocking his chair away, and as Hakudoushi turned to look at him Sesshoumaru nailed him in the face, hard enough to shatter his sinuses, and Hakudoushi landed unconscious on the floor, his face a bloody mess.
Grabbing up the Magnum, Sesshoumaru ripped the tape off his own mouth without flinching and barked, "Let her go, Naraku!"
Frowning dangerously, Naraku had to admit defeat, for now. They could not hide from him for long.
Releasing Kagome's hair from his grasp, she ran to Sesshoumaru, who still kept the gun pointed at Naraku as she clung to him, whimpering, "Oh, Sesshoumaru, are you hurt? Oh, sweetheart!" He felt mildly embarrassed at her coddling, but he swelled with pride as Naraku's glower grew darker. So, Sesshoumaru still conspired to be with her, did he? Kagura, he thought, you have the worst taste in men. I refuse to let you associate with him any longer. He is dead.
Herding Kagome toward the door, he opened it, and Naraku said, calmly, and quite menacingly at the same time, "You can't go far, Sesshoumaru. I know where your family lives, and I know that your Mother has returned. How long do you think it will take for me to arrange their untimely demise?"
"You fucking bastard," he growled, Kagome at his side, glaring back at him with hatred upon hearing his threat. "You touch a hair on their heads and I'll rip your living heart out and jam it down your fucking throat!"
"Oh? Well, how about the girl, then?" he gestured toward Kagome. "Would the death of her sisters be more suitable for you?"
"Touch them," he gritted, "and I'll let you live. As a quadriplegic at the Psych Ward, where you belong, you asshole! Fuck you and fuck your warped daughter!"
With those parting words, Sesshoumaru led Kagome down the hall at a dead run, passing Jaken and the Security Officer, who looked at each other in surprise.
Stopping him, Kagome pulled him back to a worried-looking Jaken.
"Jak, can you do me a huge favour?"
"You name it babe, and it's done."
She smiled a little, for him, but it soon faded with her worry. "Will you call my sister and tell her to stay away from home? We really have to leave."
"You got it." She pecked him on the cheek in gratitude, and gave him Sango's cell number.
"Thank you so much," she panted, before Sesshoumaru whisked her away.
Looking down at the paper in his hand, Jaken picked up the phone and dialled the number, only to get a busy signal. Chewing his lip, he tried again.
S.T.
Ohhhh, suspenseful! Okay dudes, I may not post for a few days, I'm catching up to myself again, so I promise to get hard at work on this, so I can post again. I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, I hope this all pans out, and I don't screw it up. I've written so much, it's hard to keep track of events so far, but for you guys, I'll give it my best shot! You know what to do!