-1Chapter 3: Dinner, movies and cruise nights.
Kagome rushed back to her apartment, a small, one bedroom and one bath and quickly stripped herself of her coveralls. She showered up in anticipation of her first real date in god knows how long. After drying her hair, she took some time to play with it. She growled in frustration with the fact that she couldn't put it up in a way she liked.
There was suddenly a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Kagome called.
"Kagome, it's me, Sango! Miroku told me you had a date with that cute Inuyasha guy! Let me in!" Sango squeaked from the other side of the door.
"Come on in Sango. You're just in time" Kagome sighed.
Sango waltzed right in and smiled brightly at her. Sango walked back to Kagome's room and found her sitting back at her table top mirror and was still wrapped in a towel. "I figured you hadn't found anything to wear." Sango said with a huge smile. She reached out and in her hand hung a pretty blue gift bag. "I found this for you. I knew it'd fit you." She insisted and pushed the bag at Kagome who looked curiously at the offered gift.
"Well, thank you, but you really didn't have to." Kagome paused when she looked in the bag and gasped in surprise. "It's beautiful! It's the dress I saw when we went window shopping. But Sango, how?" Kagome starred teary-eyed at her friend.
"Meh, let's just say I had some decent tips today." Sango said with a shrug.
Kagome pulled out the long flowing black v-neck dress with slender straps that would show off her shoulders and collarbone. It was decorated in pink cherry blossoms flowing in a endless stream starting from her right shoulder and twist and turned across her abdomen and to the bottom of the left side of the gown. It was just stunning. Sango knew Kagome going on a real date was something special and wanted to do something nice for the friend she considered a sister for so many years.
Kagome slipped into the dress and must have twirled around in front of the bathroom mirror at least twenty times. She couldn't believe how great the dress clung to her body. It showed off her curves, but was loose enough to be not too revealing. Kagome left the bathroom and did a few twirls for Sango who smiled and clapped happily for her dear friend.
"You look wonderful! Now we need to do you're hair, so sit back down here." Sango instructed.
"I love it so much. Thank you Sango, I swear I'll pay you back somehow." Kagome cried with happy tears as she did as Sango
had told her and sat back down, facing her mirror.
"You've done plenty. I will forever be in your debt. I don't know how we could ever repay you." Sango said sadly as she gathered up Kagome's hair and started brushing the wild mane of ebony locks and started pinning them up to the side of her head and twisting the majority into a beautiful, slightly loose bun on the back of her head. She let the longer strands cascade from the bottom of the bun.
"Nonsense. Had Naraku asked the same of you, you'd be right in my shoes and you know it. We all love Kohaku and want to see him back to his old self and out of this four year slump.
Sango smiled warmly yet sadly at Kagome as she dug into her purse "I have a hair comb that will go perfectly with this dress. It was my mothers, so don't lose it, ok?" Sango said softly as finished decorating the top of Kagome's bun with the golden hair comb with pink cherry blossoms cascading across the top. It really did match the dress, like the two were made for each other.
"Sango! I look wonderful. Thank you. I can't wait for Inuyasha to pick me up, he's in for a real surprise." Kagome cried cheerfully.
"Kagome, I think Inuyasha is going to die when he sees you. What time is he picking you up?" Sango asked.
"At five-thirty, in front of the shop. What time is it now?" Kagome asked as she inspected herself yet again in the mirror.
"Kagome! It's five-fifteen! You better get over there. Here's your dress purse and where'd you put those pumps?" Sango said as she went through Kagome's closet.
"We're going out for a movie and Mc. Donalds and then we're going for a cruise. No heals, but let's do open toes." Kagome said as she put the contents she'd need, like her wallet, from her regular bag into her little black dress purse.
"Here we go. These are nice, all the style of a high heal without the heals. Yes?" Sango asked as she held the black strap shoes out to Kagome.
"Perfect! Ok, I'm off!" Kagome called as she grabbed the shoes and threw them on. She hurried outside and decided to jump on her scooter and boogie over to the shop. It only took about three minutes for her little purple ten horse scooter to zip her to the shop where she dropped it off in the back and chained it to the bike rack. It was getting dark, so she wasn't too worried about someone stealing it.
She walked briskly to the front where she was relieved to see that Inuyasha hadn't arrived yet. She regained her composure and checked her hair in the mirror of her compact and satisfied with her appearance, placed the compact back in her purse and stood expectantly.
About five minutes later a set of large round headlights turned into the parking lot of the shop. She smiled as she instantly recognized the headlights belonging to a classic American muscle car. She knew this had to be him.
As the car pulled around into full view, Kagome's jaw dropped and nearly started laughing. It was a large B body custom 1970 Challenger convertible in the rare year one Panther Pink found only on the gen 2 chargers and challengers and other MOPARs from that year alone. She couldn't help but laugh a little when Inuyasha dropped the black vinyl top and hoped out. She couldn't help but notice how beautiful the black leather interior stood out against the bright pink exterior.
"So what do you think? It's the only Hemi I have. I thought you'd like her" Inuyasha said as he leaned over the side of the car and studied Kagome. She blushed when she saw his eyes trailing up and down her form and couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. "You know, one might think you picked that outfit out to match the car."
Kagome looked herself up and down and realized that like the car, she had pink accenting her black dress much like the pink car with the black interior, rag top and hood scoop. She flushed with embarrassment. "Should I go change then?" She asked unsure if it was a good thing or bad thing that her date's car matched her outfit.
"Absolutely not. It just means that you should be seen driving her." Inuyasha said as he flipped her the keys.
Kagome caught them and starred at him. "Are you sure? You know these aren't easy finds either. I would feel bad if anything happened to her" she asked.
"I insist. Besides, you know the old saying. Um, 'car picks the driver'? Anyway, I think fate has brought you two together." Inuyasha said with a wink.
Kagome eagerly climbed into the driver's seat and was giddy with how great it felt to feel the engine purr under her feet. It was a 4 to the floor speed shift and Kagome could only guess how much horse power she was pushing. She pressed into the gas slightly and smiled devilishly at Inuyasha at the sound of the car roaring to life. It had been years since Kagome had felt this much power under her and it felt good.
"Buckle up." Kagome said as she stepped into the gas and roared out of the parking lot and onto the road.
Inuyasha paled slightly at Kagome's unexpected driving habits. She hit downtown Tokyo and looked at Inuyasha with a smile and asked "so where are we going first?".
"Movie theater, anyone you want. You pick" Inuyasha smiled as he leaned back, thankful they were at a red light.
Just then an engine flared up next to them. Kagome looked over and instantly recognized the sky blue Porshe Carrera sitting next to her. There were two girls sitting in the little two seater. They were hooting and hollering at Kagome.
"Kagome! That is a hot car! How did you ever get your hands on one of those?" One raven haired girl asked.
"Yuki, it's not mine. Actually, this is my date, Inuyasha. It's his car, but he's letting me try her out." Kagome yelled excitedly.
"You know, it takes a real man to really pimp pink." The other girl called from the passenger seat.
"And I'd be pimpin' her." Inuyasha said smoothly as he leaned back in the leather plush seats.
"Oh Kagome, he's a real keeper!" Said Yuki as she winked at Kagome. Kagome blushed and giggled. "So what are you guys doing?"
"I'm taking Kagome to a movie and then we're going to dine and go cruising." Inuyasha stated proudly.
"Oh, follow us, we'll show you were the action is at." Yuki said again, waving a hand.
"Well, Kagome, sounds like fun. Whatcha' think?" Inuyasha asked.
"Let's do it." Kagome said and when the light turned green the girls were off. Kagome quickly made her way into the lane behind her friends as the sped down the streets of Tokyo and drove to the other side of town.
At the edge of town was an old drive-in theater. Inuyasha hadn't even realized they still existed, he hadn't 'worked' this side of town in years. He was sure this place would have shut down years ago with the exploding crime rate.
Inuyasha handed the money to Kagome to gain access to the still standing drive-in movie and were told what radio station to tune into. They continued to follow the girls in their Porshe towards the front of the parking lot. Just then Inuyasha saw all sorts of rare and cool cars parked around the sit-in restaurant. Kagome smiled happily as she drove around and parked the big pink B body convertible next to her friends in the Porche.
"Kagome! Where did you get that?" Said a tall, dark haired man. "I've never seen a car like that before."
Kagome smiled and stated "Hojo! Hi! This color is one of the rarest to find on one of these cars. It's a 1970 Challenger custom convertible. American Hemi power all the way".
"That's great. We all know how much you loved muscle imports. Glad to see you've given up on the Daytona though." Hojo said.
Kagome cast her eyes down and with a sad voice said "I wish I could afford such a piece of work. I'm never giving up on the Daytona, she WILL be mine, but this ride actually belongs to my date here, Inuyasha. He just wanted to see how I looked driving it". Kagome looked up at her friends and cast Inuyasha a glance and a smile as she introduced him.
"Howdy, nice to meet you." Inuyasha said as he leaned out of the car and shook Hojo's hand and gave him a slight bow.
"Ah, pleased to meet you. Inuyasha, are you American?" Hojo asked.
"Well, half. My father was American, but I was born and raised here." Inuyasha explained.
"Hey, Kagome, a few of the fellows are meeting up after the movie and going for a mountain drag race. You wanna come? You don't have to race, but it'd be fun following you guys in a caravan up the mountain. We're doing the usual peak, Canyon Run. You can show your date what real racing looks like." Hojo said with a cocky smirk.
It was the way he talked condescendingly about Kagome's 'date' and the way Kagome said Hojo's name that made Inuyasha bristle. He wasn't liking this Hojo guy any more. "Keh, sounds like fun to me." Inuyasha stated as he leaned in and carefully stretched an arm behind Kagome's headrest in a slightly possessive manner. "What do you think? Want to go watch after the movie?"
"Sure, I love the Canyon Runs. Have you ever been to one?" Kagome asked.
"I've only seen them in videos, never seen any in person." Inuyasha replied.
"Ok, We're in." Kagome said.
"Great, enjoy the movie, wait for us outside the main gate and we'll all leave together." Hojo said.
It turned out it was a classic movie night and what better movie to show than 'Grease'. Of course everyone knew the lyrics and sang along with the movie. Kagome was getting bombarded by friends who spotted her in the car and they had to come over and comment how beautifully she matched the car. Every one assumed it was planed because of how perfect Kagome and the Challenger went together. Inuyasha spent more time watching her than the movie.
Half way through it Inuyasha brought Kagome into the restaurant to buy her some dinner seeing how they would be doing their cruising right after the movie was over. They ordered a couple of burgers, fries and cokes. They sat at a table outside and continued to watch the movie, well, Kagome watched. Inuyasha couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful date.
"You know how good you look?" Inuyasha suddenly asked as he started to sip at his soda.
"Really? You like it? Sango picked it up for me." Kagome said with a blush.
"Yeah, you're amazing. So what's the story with that Hojo guy?" Inuyasha asked motioning towards the boy who was currently flirting with a Toyota convertible occupied by three single girls. Hojo caught Inuyasha looking his way and nodded at him with the international guy's way of saying 'what up'. Inuyasha nodded back as if he cared and then looked back at Kagome.
"Oh, he's an old high school fling. We dated for a few months but broke up after prom and before graduation. Well, he dumped me." Kagome said.
"Well his loss, eh?" Inuyasha said as he picked up his plastic soda cup and clanked it salute style against Kagome's own. "Here's to our date. It's going so well" Inuyasha said with a smile.
Kagome picked up her cup as well and saluted Inuyasha's glass and laughed. "Here's to us and hopefully more dates just as fun" she said with a smile and a blush. She hadn't enjoyed a guys company this much in a long time. There wasn't the awkwardness she had with Hojo because they were former lovers and there wasn't the professional familiarity you have when you go drinking with a coworker. She was genuinely enjoying herself and was loving the fact that she was comfortable acting like herself with this new guy.
"I'm glad you're having fun. And the night's not even over." Inuyasha said.
The movie ended with everyone cheering and laughing. Everyone was having a good time and getting ready for even more fun.
As instructed, they left the lot and joined up with Hojo and the other groups of people in their tuners and even a few American muscle imports. They were chatting and in the front of the group, closest to the road was a dark blue Toyota Celica GT that was obviously customized and next to it was a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. They looked like they could match each other in power, torque and weight. Inuyasha was slightly impressed.
"So are those the two that will be doing the Canyon Run?" Kagome asked Hojo, pointing to the two tuners sitting up front.
"Yup and guess what?" Hojo replied.
"What?" Kagome inquired.
"The Spyder's mine." Hojo gleamed with pride.
"You're racing?" Kagome asked with concern.
"Yup. I've put in about ten grand and she's ready to go!" Hojo announced with joy.
"But you've never ran this before. Are you sure you can handle it?" Kagome asked worriedly.
"I'm sure she'll handle it fine." Hojo stated with finality. "Let's get rolling."
"Ok, I'll follow you guys." Kagome said as she hopped in the drivers seat with Inuyasha next to her.
"Let's Move Out!" Hojo said with a whistle signaling the group that they were ready to go.
The Toyota and the Spyder roared to life and took off with a line of people following the two in two rows , side by side. Kagome right behind Hojo in his spyder and her friends in the Porche behind the Toyota.
The group wound cautiously up the windy mountain roads, the sounds of tuner and American muscle engines singing their choir of horse power all the way. When they got to the look out parking lot, they all circled around until the Toyota and the Celica came back to the entrance, facing the exit down the mountain. Everyone parked in designated spots at the scenic parking lot and got out . People lined the rails at the scenic outlook that oversaw the winding road down the mountain. Inuyasha was excited that he was about to see his first mountain run. He was informed that there would be a group of kids at the bottom of the mountain, at the finish line, with their high tech video/camera phones to capture the finish line.
"Good luck Hojo, and drive safe, ok? Make sure you use your gears, they'll come in handy." Kagome said as Hojo prepared to race the Celica.
A young man stood in front of the cars and started barking out orders "ok, no bumping, threatening or swerving. It's all about the capability of the driver more than it's about the stats of the car. Remember, this is dangerous and people have died, so please drive safe and have a good clean race!". He took a few steps back and the cars lined up evenly on either side of the tall, dark male getting ready to signal the start of the race. "Are we ready?" with that the two cars revved up, signaling that they were ready to start. "Ok, get set….GO!" with that the announcer dropped his hands after quickly raising them. The Celica and Spyder sped off down the mountain.
At first it looked to be neck in neck, but around each bend they took turns taking the lead. They started off driving carefully and even more cautiously but with each twist and turn they got a bit bolder and a bit faster. Kagome watched their headlights and taillights as they wound their way down. She could hear them shifting up and down and turning at faster and faster speeds. As they entered the dead turns, she held her breath, listening for the sounds of downshifting. Her heart stopped as she recognized the RPM's the engines were at as they sharply turned around some of the hairpin turns. They were starting to be braver and less cautious.
Inuyasha had the same intensity on his face as he watched the racers. It was heart stopping watching them squeal and break around each dangerous turn.
It was the last dead man's hairpin corner when all that could go wrong, did. The two tuners braked hard as they turned fiercely but the distinct sound of a tire blowing made everyone gasp. The silver Spyder slid sideways as the Celica pulled out of the turn and took off. Kagome's hand flew to her mouth as she watched the headlights of Hojo's car tip sideways and disappear over the side of the mountain. People gasped and screamed. Kagome ran to the Challenger and hopped in with Inuyasha quickly jumping in the seat beside her. She started up the car and with the sound of screaming tires, sped out of the parking lot and down the windy road.
She took it as easy as possible while rushing as fast as she could down the road. Inuyasha remained silent in terror as he white-knuckled the arm rest while he heard his tires squeal around each turn. It seemed like it took them forever to wind through the hairpin turns to the last one where they had last seen Hojo.
As they rounded to that last hairpin turn, they saw black tire marks that slid into the torn dirt that led through the wooden guard rail and over the side of the mountain. Kagome came to a screeching halt on the shoulder and turned off the car and leaped out screaming Hojo's name.
She reached the rail before Inuyasha could leap out of the car. She looked over the side of the cliff and realized it was a large drop to the canyon blow where dust and dirt billowed upwards with a faint light glowing from within the cloud.
"Hojo!" Inuyasha screamed down the canyon. Just then, other spectators started to show up and jumped out of their cars and joined Inuyasha and Kagome, hopelessly on the edge of the cliff. People screamed Hojo's name while girls cried hysterically. The whole scene was chaotic. There was no way of reaching his wreckage down below.
There was a terror that spread through the pit of the crowd's stomachs as the reality of the situation sunk in. There was a very real possibility that Hojo laid dead at the bottom of that canyon in his car.
"I'm calling emergency services! Every one else get out of here. It won't be easy to explain what a bunch of people are doing here with a bunch of high end cars. There's nothing you can do for him anyway!" The race starter had announced.
"Kagome, you should go too. I'm sorry, but you know the reality of this." The man said solemnly.
Kagome gulped hard and cried a bit at the hopelessness she felt. This wasn't shaping up to be a good first date with Inuyasha. She turned to look at her date who returned her gaze with a look of concern on his own features. "Kagome, do you want me to drive?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yeah, why don't you." Kagome choked out.
They got in the car and Inuyasha drove carefully down the mountain with a sobbing Kagome in his passenger seat. He sat in silence as he listened to the woman next to him cry. He hated the sound of her heart wrenching sobs.
As they drove through Tokyo, Kagome reached forward and flipped on the radio. It was already blasting announcements of the fatal crash on the mountain. They said that rescue helicopters had pulled out the wreckage of a silver coupe from the canyon base. They reported that the driver was dead on arrival and that the name of the young man wouldn't be released until his family had been notified.
So their worst fear came true. Hojo was dead on impact and somehow Kagome felt partially responsible for not insisting that Hojo not race such an experienced run. He just looked so confident and cocky, she never thought he could actually die. Kagome covered her face and sobbed even harder as Inuyasha drove her back to the shop.
When they got to the shop, Inuyasha had asked if Kagome she wanted him to drive her the rest of the way home but Kagome insisted on walking home and collecting her thoughts.
She bid Inuyasha farewell and apologized for the night going so sour. She took a piece of paper and a pen out of her purse and jotted down her number and handed it to Inuyasha. "Maybe we could try again?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow. Tomorrow's Friday after all. Perfect date night." He offered.
Kagome shook her head. "I'm sorry, but in order to get off at four-thirty today, I promised to pick up extra hours tomorrow night. Saturday works, if you're free."
"Saturday it is then. I'll call you around two, that sound good?" Inuyasha asked.
"That would be perfect. I'll talk to you Saturday then. And again, I'm sorry this had to be the ending of what was shaping up to be such a nice date." Kagome said sadly.
"It's not your fault in the least, Kagome. That boy knew what he was chancing. I'm just sorry he died and I'm sorry you lost someone close to you." Inuyasha said with a weak smile.
Kagome waved him off and watched as he drove away. She walked to the back of the shop and started unchaining her scooter.
"You know it can be dangerous being all alone, looking so beautiful in the dark like this" a deep and smooth voice came from behind Kagome making her jump out of her skin.
"Naraku! You surprised me, I didn't know you'd be here. What are you doing here?" Kagome asked as she turned to face her boss.
The tall male figure moved swiftly out of the shadows to stand in front of Kagome. He had long black hair that when not working, he let hang around his shoulders. But while at work or at home with his wife and family, his hair was always neatly tied back into a business man's ponytail. He wore a dark purple suit with a black shirt and no tie.
"I had some good news for you. I found some parts for the jewel. I thought you'd be happy to hear. You look so sad Kagome, does it have anything to do with that boy that dropped you off?" The tall, dark haired man asked as he closed the space between himself and his employee, inspecting her troubled features.
"No, someone died tonight on Canyon Run. Someone close to me." She said, trying not to cry. "So you say you picked up parts for the Daytona? What'd you get?" She inquired, trying to change the subject. She knew Naraku wasn't in the least interested in the young man who's life was stolen in the canyon.
"I found an entire brake ensemble with new lines, master cylinder and sensor. I also picked up a new power steering after market pump for her too. What do you think?" He asked, his voice deepening as he stroked her hair.
"Well that was very generous of you, Naraku. How much do I owe you?" Kagome asked, dreading the answer.
"You can just 'show' me how grateful you are rather than pay me. Speaking of which, Kohaku's bills from last month came in, I thought you should take a look." Naraku said with venom dripping from his words. He took the folded papers from within his inner coat pocket and handed them to Kagome.
Kagome looked them over and paled at the numbers. She didn't know how she was going to pay this off. She looked at him and saw how he was looking at her.
"I think I know how you like being repaid the best. My apartment will seem awfully empty and lonely after the night I've had. I don't suppose you wouldn't mind keeping me company?" Kagome asked, fake seduction laced her sad voice.
Naraku didn't catch the forced feelings, nor did he care. He slipped the wedding ring from his left ring finger and stuck it in the inner pocket of his coat and followed Kagome, expectantly to the apartment he so generously let her live in.
Kagome's night was filled with more sorrow and pain as she gave into the one man who controlled not only her life but the lives of the people who were closest to her.
End of Chappy.
(A/N: Sorry this chapter ended on such a dark note. I didn't want to get to graphic at the end, figured I'd leave it up to the readers' imagination. Well, I'm done here. Let me know what you think, thanks!)