4.
Miroku was more certain than ever that the womankind was wicked, cruel and unnecessary violent group. It was proof enough that Kagome stood in his shop's doorway to block him from escaping raging Sango, who stormed like a maniac in the main room while he was hiding behind a door trying to avoid the empty and not so empty bottles that were flying towards him way too fast. He honestly didn't know why they were so mad at him, well, it wasn't like they hadn't told him, they had in fact practically screamed, but he didn't understand why they were so upset about it.
That's why he rather slept with men than women, so much lesser trouble.
"Why can't you behave like a human being just once? Is that too much to ask? Seriously! You just HAD to make a move on someone who can't stand other people near him, after this he will never ever open up and all Kagome's effort will be in vain! Idiot!" Sango screamed and tried to restrain herself from attacking the man hiding behind a door like a coward.
"But Sango, my dear, you really should have seen it! He was kinda cute. Besides, I didn't even do that much to him. He behaved like a virgin teenager!" Miroku said almost laughing and dodged yet another shampoo bottle.
Kagome on the other hand was absolutely furious, at least she was as furious as she could get, which honestly speaking wasn't that much. "How could you Miroku? He was totally messed up! I thought I could trust you. He's already afraid of women, we don't have to teach him hate men as well."
"Oh, come on Kagome! That guy doesn't like anybody! He's an idiot when it comes to things like that. Makes me wonder how he is able to write so realistic books when he doesn't have a life of his own."
"Now you're just being mean, Miroku" Kagome said but the edge had left her voice. It seemed like she too had a hard time to figure how Sesshoumaru could be the way he was.
"Just swear that you'll never do something like that again!" Sango snapped and lifted the last bottle in her hand so that she was ready to throw it at any minute.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, alright! Geez! You two will be the end of me", Miroku grumbled and peeked behind the door.
After that, Sango calmed down immediately. Miroku thought it was strange, but it wasn't like he had something against it. He finally stepped back into the room leaving the safety of the backroom door.
What Miroku didn't expect was that Kagome was not quite so calm yet, which led to Miroku finding himself on the floor holding his head in agony. Apparently Kagome was very good at throwing styling mousse bottles. They are quite hard by the way.
"Damn! Kagome, was that really necessary?" Miroku whined while laughing Sango helped him back up.
"Yes, it was. Perhaps you now remember not to mess with him. Now I am going to step outside to calm myself. Sango can tell her news to you while I sink my head into an ice water bucket."
Miroku and Sango watched Kagome going out of the shop. After a moment of silence Sango spoke up: "I've never seen her like that."
"Neither have I. Who would have thought she'd be so passionate when it comes to that bastard", Miroku mused.
"Seriously Miroku, I can't see what your problem with him is. He can't be that bad! And even if he is, try to control yourself. This is the first time Kagome has asked me to beat you up. You're lucky that I'm in a good mood today", Sango spoke with a hint of concern in her voice. "Besides, you should know Kagome already. Of course she is obsessed with Sesshoumaru. That girl is obsessed with anything that has even a small connection to Inuyasha. You do remember what she was like when they were dating. It's only natural in her case that she has even bigger obsession with her husband's only relative."
Miroku's grin widened considerably. "Yeah, you're right. It really shows, you know. That you are specialized on handling big criminals."
"I'm not sure what you mean by that but thanks, I guess. And now that you brought that up, I have something to tell you. Ready?"
"Sure. Sing to me baby!" Miroku grinned even wider and put his arm around Sango's shoulder.
There was a short silence and then Sango suddenly screamed: "I got that promotion!"
"Wow! That's my girl! I knew you could do that!" Miroku screamed just as loudly. Apparently the screaming also got Kagome's attention since she ran back to the salon and started to jump and scream in unison with Miroku and Sango. She wasn't the type to be mad for long.
"I'm so happy! I finally did it!" Sango squealed surprisingly girlishly and made a pirouette on the floor.
"Sango, my dear, this really is wonderful. We need to celebrate!" Miroku stated happily started to look for his wallet.
"You always want to celebrate", Kagome said and gave him a small push on the shoulder, "but this time you don't have to organize anything. Actually, Amaya happened to be there when Sango broke the news to me and she promised to make a reservation to Salvation. Isn't that great?"
"Amaya? The editor Amaya? Salvation? How the hell did she get a reservation there? And why did she do that?"
"Yes, exactly that Amaya. I have no idea what strings she pulled but we have to be there in an hour so move it. You do have suit, right?" Kagome said with a sight.
"He does!" Sango almost sang and started to push Miroku to the backroom. "I broke into his apartment and got it. Would you mind getting it from the car, Kagome?"
"No problem!" Kagome said happily and left hurriedly.
"You ladies are seriously trying to tame me, aren't you?" Miroku sighed but didn't try to fight against Sango.
"We certainly try. You can do our hairs as a reward for behaving nicely."
"Great. Thanks."Miroku said bluntly and rolled his eyes. He did like them though…
--
--
Sesshoumaru wasn't in the happiest mood. Not that he ever was in a that great mood to begin with but the idea of a night together with Amaya in a place full of people, who most likely knew him, was more than mortifying. It screamed of catastrophe and he was a fool not listening to that voice and stay home.
Unfortunately it was a complete waste of time trying to escape Amaya. The woman was a bloodsucker. She came, screamed, acted violently and used underhanded threats to get him on the move. In the end Sesshoumaru found himself sitting in Amaya's car trying not to vomit, the woman drove like a maniac. Someone like her should never be allowed to drive a sports car.
"I'm sooo happy you could make it sweetie!" Amaya sang and flashed a beautiful smile at Sesshoumaru.
"You really haven't got any shame on you, have you pixiewoman?" Sesshoumaru grumbled behind his teeth and looked away from her.
Amaya giggled. She found the situation very amusing, only gods knew why. "Don't be so stressed, it makes you look old. Besides, I'm sure you're going to love this new project! I'm so excited!"
"Even better reason for me to worry… And why do we have to go to a place like that?"
"Don't worry so much about the people! I will protect you", Amaya laughed and didn't seem to feel considerate at all. Sesshoumaru wasn't surprised.
"You are not making this any better", he stated and didn't look happy at all.
Amaya laughed with bells in her voice. She was way too happy for Sesshoumaru's liking and the fact that she stubbornly wanted to go to that particular restaurant could only mean one thing, she had plans. Not a good thing at all…
"Perk up Sesshy-boy! I promise you're going to love this project!" Amaya said and patted Sesshoumaru on the shoulder.
"Do not let go of the wheel woman!"Sesshoumaru snapped and tightened his grip of the seat. "Care to tell me already what this famous project of yours is all about?"
"No!" Amaya said an octave higher than usual and laughed.
"I truly do not understand you", he sighed.
"And thank god for that", Amaya stated and nodded her head looking serious. No, he really did not get her, and he was more certain than ever that it was a very good thing indeed.
Finally, after an extremely stressful car journey for Sesshoumaru, they arrived to their destination. The restaurant was just like Sesshoumaru remembered: big, flashy and too crowded. He hated it.
Salvation was the hottest and trendiest restaurant in town. It was extremely popular and just as expensive; getting a table form Salvation was practically a mission impossible, the waiting list was just about as long as Dostojevski's books. How Amaya had gotten a table in a so amazingly short time was a complete mystery (and of no importance to Sesshoumaru).
"I just love this place! Don't you think this is great?" Amaya asked after seeing the expression on Sesshoumaru's face. It was so rare to see him showing a face that she couldn't help but tease him a little.
"You are annoyingly happy tonight Amaya. That can only mean that your plans have worked better than you expected or you just did something very bad before dragging me here. Which is it?" Sesshoumaru said with a quiet voice when she grabbed his arm and they started to walk inside.
"My mind and character are so brilliant that you could write a book about me." Amaya smirked but made sure her face stayed cute and innocent. She didn't like to give away her true character too soon.
"That was not an answer, and absolutely not."
"I know it wasn't. Why not?"
"I will not write a book about you simply because writing a book for you is troublesomeenough. Writing a book that includes you would just be a pain." Sesshoumaru sighed and shook his head a little.
Amaya slapped his arm slightly before smiling brightly to the butler who had just appeared in front of them. "Miss Amaya", he said. "How very nice to see you again."
"Thank you Paul. Have our companions arrived already?" she asked and tightened her surprisingly strong grip around Sesshoumaru's arm. He was thinking of a way to escape.
"Yes, miss. They are waiting at the table you asked", Paul said and showed the way.
Amaya and Sesshoumaru walked right behind him, well, Sesshoumaru was more like dragged along. Not that anyone would have noticed this, he was way too proud to behave like a kid in public. Proud or not, he was not going to make the situation easy for his troublesome editor. "Companions? What companions? There are going to be people?" Sesshoumaru hissed behind his teeth.
Amaya was not disturbed. "Of course there's going to be people. Don't be silly sweetie."
"Who exactly is going to be there?"
Oh, just some people I want you to meet regarding the job. By the way, the woman who's not your brother's wife is celebrating her promotion today, so be nice, okay?"
Sesshoumaru was not happy, and by the time he saw the ones sitting around the table he was ready to run for it.
--
--
When Sango, Miroku, Kagome and against his will there dragged Inuyasha arrived to the lounge of the restaurant, they were immediately escorted to the finest table of the restaurant. They were in awe, even Inuyasha, who was the only one who had dined there before. Apparently the first time hadn't been quite as pleasant as it could have been, but Kagome assumed that it had been because of the company that time. Business partners aren't the nicest people to hang out with.
"This is amazing!" Kagome breathed out and took in the surroundings. Everything was so glamorous. They had a table beside the window and they could see a beautifully light garden outside.
"Yeas, it certainly is, but I still don't quite understand why we are here", Miroku said while looking around.
"Yeah. Me neither. What has Sango's promotion got to do with that woman, huh?" Inuyasha huffed and leaned back on his seat.
"It is nice of her though, right Sango?" ever optimistic Kagome said.
"Of course, I really appreciate all this. I hope she gets here soon so I can properly thank her. When we saw her at the time I told you about the promotion she just left after telling us to come here. She said we'd talk here." Sango sounded thoughtful.
"This is bad", Inuyasha stated and made others to reward him with blaming looks. "Hey, all I'm saying is that that woman is someone who has double reason for everything. My brother said to be careful with her."
Sango looked surprised. "How can that be? She's such a sweet person. She reminded me of a small angel."
"Well done Amaya. You even managed to fool an experienced FBI agent. Proud of yourself?" a deep voice suddenly cut them off. All heads turned around to see bored looking Sesshoumaru standing there in his whole glory with a pretty and small woman by his side.
Amaya smiled sweetly and tightened her grip around his arm. There was a barely audible edge in her voice when she said: "Oh my, Sesshoumaru! I don't know what you're talking about!" Sesshoumaru just gave her a small 'hmph'.
"What the hell are you doing here Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked sharply from his cold faced brother.
"That is what I would like to know as well", Sesshoumaru muttered and looked even more bored if only possible. He gave a very suspicious look to Miroku, which obviously meant that he hadn't forgotten his behavior when they last had met. Miroku looked a bit sheepish and Kagome's eyes turned to him flashing dangerously.
When Sesshoumaru and Amaya sat down, Sesshoumaru was trying his best not to sit next to Miroku, but apparently Amaya had other thoughts in mind. She pushed him out of her way and sat beside Kagome, so that Sesshoumaru had no other choice but to sit close to the perverted hairstylist. For some reason Amaya looked extremely smug, which was something that Sesshoumaru did not like at all, it made him uncomfortable.
Sango was quite confused about how things had turned out. She hadn't expected to have the much discussed Sesshoumaru Taishou to come and celebrate her promotion. It didn't even cross her mind that there might be an entirely different reason for Amaya to invite Sesshoumaru. "It is great to finally get to meet you, Sesshoumaru."
"Hmm… Well, I do congratulate you for your promotion", Sesshoumaru said and nodded to Sango who blushed slightly, even though Sesshoumaru had not sounded too excited for her.
Amaya on the other hand seemed over agitated. She smiled widely and ordered wine. "Yes yes, congratulations Sango dear! And so nice to see you all! You must be Miroku. I have wanted to meet you for ages! Inuyasha, so nice that you could make it, but try to look a bit more friendly, it's enough that your brother is a pain in the ass."
"Speak for yourself", Sesshoumaru murmured and sipped his wine. He obviously would have rather been somewhere else, but that did not seem to bother Amaya at all.
"Yeah, speak for yourself", Inuyasha muttered and showed a sour face.
"They really are brothers after all, aren't they?" Sango mused and made Kagome and Miroku chuckle.
Amaya smirked and rested her head against Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "Sure they are, but I still think that this one is more interesting." This statement made others a bit shocked; she acted so freely around Sesshoumaru.
"You mean more useful", Sesshoumaru said with a low voice.
"Aww… How can you say that?" Amaya pouted and snuggled closer.
"Because that is simply the only thing you are interested of, making use of others", Sesshoumaru stated nonchalantly. "Now if you'd please tell us why are we here? No, more importantly, why I am here? This has nothing to do with work."
"You are SO not fun!" Amaya pouted a bit more and released Sesshoumaru from the contact. "Now, let's order!" she continued happily and hid her tiny frame behind the menu. Sesshoumaru sighed for not getting an answer to his question but followed the example with the rest of the group.
The evening was strange but very pleasant nonetheless. Conversation was fluent and they laughed a lot, except Sesshoumaru of course but even he said a few words. Naturally Sango told how she had gotten the promotion, Amaya made weird comments that made Miroku almost choke to his wine because of too much laughing and even Inuyasha enjoyed himself.
It was just after appetizers when Kagome asked the question they had been wondering before Sesshoumaru and Amaya's arrival. "This place is great, Amaya! How on earth did you manage to get a table?" It was only after the question was asked that Kagome noticed Sesshoumaru's reaction. He was staring at Kagome and shaking his head slightly. He sighed when the question got out of the bag.
Amaya's expression did not change. She smiled just as sweetly and innocently as before and said: "I slept with the owner. Such a nice man! I like his wife too; it would be a shame if she'd find out about us…" She shook her head and swirled the wine in her glass.
Everyone but Sesshoumaru (he sighed and rolled his eyes) froze. Kagome looked more than uncomfortable but Miroku thought that he was starting to like Amaya.
Inuyasha leaned toward his brother and whispered: "Did you know about this?"
"Of course not, but it is pretty obvious there was something behind this. It is Amaya we are dealing with. I told you to warn them about her", Sesshoumaru said his voice as calm as always.
"I did, but she's good…" Inuyasha muttered defeated.
"That is to be expected", Sesshoumaru sighed and turned to look out of the huge window. He really wanted to leave. He was getting bored and that wasn't a good thing at all.
Amaya, Miroku and Sango were in a deep conversation. Miroku and Amaya were getting along marvelously and Amaya seemed to be very interested in Miroku and Sango's past and present relationship. She was asking the strangest questions and somehow she managed to make fun of Sesshoumaru almost in any context. Miroku wondered how that was possible, more so because Sesshoumaru wasn't reacting at all. If the one saying such things about Sesshoumaru had been anyone else, Sesshoumaru would surely have snapped.
"May I ask you a question Amaya?" Miroku asked after awhile.
"Of course sweetie."
"Well, I was wondering how you and this Sesshoumaru here are able to get along so well with each other."
To everyone's great surprise Sesshoumaru nearly choked in his wine and Amaya dropped her fork on the plate. It made a loud clanking sound and few heads around them turned to look what was happening just to see the older Mr. Taishou coughing.
"Did I say something wrong?" Miroku asked surprised.
"How on earth did you get the impression that I and that pixiewoman get along well?" Sesshoumaru hissed and stared at Miroku. Amaya nodded frantically. She seemed to be too shocked to talk.
Kagome decided that it was time to interfere before things got dirty, but unfortunately Inuyasha was faster. "Yeah, I've been thinking that too. I remember someone mentioning that you two have known each other for a long time."
"Unfortunately that is true, which is also the reason I am able to tolerate her now", Sesshoumaru snapped and gave Amaya a sour look. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had never even thought that someone might think she would get along with anybody.
"We served in the Special Forces at the same unit while we were in the army", Amaya said brightly after bringing herself together again. She was glad she had learned to do that properly long time ago. No-one was better at hiding one's feelings than she was, except perhaps Sesshoumaru.
All heads around the table turned to stare Amaya. Sesshoumaru looked murderous. No, more accurately, there was a slight evil glint in his eyes, otherwise he looked as calm as ever. Inuyasha was not able to be so calm. "You were in the army?" he almost shouted and glared Sesshoumaru angrily.
"Yes, of course he was", Amaya nearly sang. Now she was starting to enjoy the situation. People with mood swings are like that…
"And when was that?" Inuyasha pressed and never turned his glare away from Sesshoumaru. Finally he turned to look back at Inuyasha. His eyes did not reveal any emotions. They were like two hard, golden stones flaming in the dim light of the restaurant. Miroku who was sitting beside him felt himself go breathless.
"The time you all thought I had gone missing", Sesshoumaru said shortly.
"You mean the time that we all panicked at home where you were and then you showed up a year later and didn't even bother to tell us where you had been the whole time?" Inuyasha growled. Kagome put her hand on his shoulder.
"Yes."
"Why are you so surprised?" Amaya asked and played with her glass again.
"I'm not really surprised that Sesshoumaru served in the Special Forces but how did you manage to get in there?" Sango asked obviously surprised. She, too, had been in the army for awhile before joining the FBI and she knew exactly how hard it was to get chosen as one of the specials. Sango had been very good, but even she had not been even close to fill all the criterions required from the specials. Just the thought that a woman like Amaya had been one of them was unbelievable.
"Is it supposed to be hard?" Amaya asked cocking her head to one side making everyone else wonder if she was just simple or incredibly annoying.
Even Kagome had heard of the Special Forces. Sango had been very determined at one point to get in. She had been disappointed. "Wasn't it very hard to be there? I mean, surely there weren't that many women."
"No. I'm the only woman who has ever gotten in", Amaya said looking extremely smug. "I don't think it was hard at all!"
"It was hard for the rest of us…" Sesshoumaru muttered. Amaya kicked him under the table.
"So you liked being there?" Miroku asked surprised.
"Yes! It was fun!" she said smiling.
"Only for you", Sesshoumaru kept muttering. He earned another bruise to his leg.
"Honestly, was she really that bad?" Inuyasha asked from his brother.
"Why do you think I let her order me around, huh? She's very good with a gun and she completely lacks of morals. Even our superiors were afraid of her", Sesshoumaru huffed. He was unusually indignant.
Amaya gave him a look that promised a nice little chat after they left the restaurant. It almost made Sesshoumaru shiver. Almost.
"Anyway", Kagome started. She thought it was time to change the subject before there would be bodies. "Amaya, how did you get Sesshoumaru to come here? I never thought he would like a place like this."
"That's because I don't", Sesshoumaru said between his teeth and scowled at Amaya.
"Oh, there was this one small project I wanted to introduce him to", Amaya said and this time the evil grind broke free. Sango did not anymore even think of confusing Amaya to an angel. She was bad…
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked slightly confused.
"Well actually I had this small conference with my boss", Amaya continued. Sesshoumaru thought that now he knew why the weekend with her supposedly hot superior. "And after a quite long persuasion I got him to agree with one of the ideas I've had in mind." Sesshoumaru nearly smiled. She really had interesting methods to persuade.
"So do I finally get to know what this project of yours is about?" Sesshoumaru asked looking bored again.
"Actually it's sitting right next to you" Amaya said smirking.
Miroku snapped out of his thoughts that had been lingering somewhere very impropriate. Sesshoumaru turned his head to look at Miroku with a hint of disgust in his amber eyes. Miroku didn't notice though. As much as he thought that Sesshoumaru was a bastard he couldn't help but be mesmerized by his flaming eyes.
"Amaya", Sesshoumaru said his voice dangerously low, "what is this?"
"This is amazing idea! I don't think anyone has ever done anything like this before! I want you to write a book about a gay couple and this person is perfect to help you with it!" Amaya squealed overly excited.
Inuyasha's mouth fell open, Sango and Kagome giggled nervously and Miroku and Sesshoumaru stared Amaya coldly. But as to be expected from a woman capable of messing with Sesshoumaru, she was not that easily distracted, not to mention defeated. "Sesshoumaru, this is absolutely perfect! We've been planning this one plot for ages. Wouldn't it be GREAT if instead of a normal couple it would be a gay one? We could ad in so much more. Or you could, to be accurate, I get a huge check. Just think about it! You can create something totally different than before and I get huge sale numbers. Besides, we have a magnificent information recourse right here!" Amaya reached out to ruffle Miroku's hair and smiled rather professionally to Sesshoumaru.
She did not really have to go even that far thought. For Miroku's great horror it seemed like Sesshoumaru's mind was already working. His eyes were distant and his lips were pressed together tightly. Amaya smiled victoriously.
Inuyasha's mouth was still stylishly open and Kagome shook her head. She was not quite sure if it was all her fault. Perhaps she should not have introduced Miroku and Sesshoumaru. She had a bad feeling that it had been exactly something that Amaya had planned, and it made her slightly uncomfortable. Besides, Miroku did not look happy at all.
"Does this mean that I have no choice but to spend time with this asshole?" Miroku asked bewildered. Sango gave him a look for using impolite words so openly.
"Yeah!" Amaya said smiling, it was a smile that promised big trouble if to be opposed. Sesshoumaru was still out of it.
"Great", Miroku murmured barely audibly and rested his chin to his fist. Amaya, pleased with herself for plan succeeded, swept the girls to a new conversation that did not have anything to do with the former topic.
Inuyasha left the table after awhile. He said he needed some fresh air. Apparently it was hard for him to think that his brother would be writing a book about gays, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it, not when Sesshoumaru was already in his creepy dream world of overheated thoughts.
Miroku, too, was lost in thought. He did not know how he should react to the situation he was in. He was surprised how hard it was even to try to resist the devilish editor. Part of him did not even want to resist. Miroku felt strange, or perhaps not so strange, attraction toward the man next to him. He had not been able to shake him out of his head and it was starting to get annoying. Why did he have to be so damn hot? Miroku was unable to resist a guy with good looks, even if his personality was worse than any corrupted politician's ever could. Miroku hated Sesshoumaru's personality. He was the worst of the worst, always arrogant, smug-looking and all-so-mighty. But then again, Miroku never said no to a hot encounter with a man equally as hot as he was. Perhaps, if was forced to be with the bloody man, he could get something out of it as well. Not so bad idea…
After checking that Inuyasha was not coming back and the girls were still in the middle of conversation, he leaned to whisper in Sesshoumaru's ear: "So… What kind of information would you need?"
"Depends on what you are ready to give", Sesshoumaru murmured. He did not seem to be aware of Miroku, at least not as well as he should have been. Wheels were still turning in full speed in his head.
Miroku felt something flip in his stomach when he heard the low murmur. The wine, dim light, good food and the musky fragrance that filled his nose were making him feel…horny. The fact that Sesshoumaru practically dismissed him did not make Miroku particularly happy. He decided that it was time to use other tactics. So, he leaned a bit closer, very close, and moved his hand to caress Sesshoumaru's knee and lower thigh.
The action seemed to wake Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts. He did not react, only turned his eyes to Miroku's. Miroku felt himself breathless again. The man's eyes were capturing, like pools of deep golden liquid. It was right then that he noticed where the musky scent was coming from; it was Sesshoumaru. Miroku was surprised how aroused he was getting in such a short time. He kept moving his hand a little bit higher.
"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked calmly his voice very deep and low.
"What does it seem like?" Miroku said raising his eye brow teasingly and bit his lower lip.
Sesshoumaru did not turn away. To Miroku's surprise, (no, that was underestimation since he was completely stunned) he felt a hand on his own thigh. A very skilled hand… Miroku's breathe hissed and he was out of words. "Have you any idea who you are dealing with?" Sesshoumaru asked his voice now slightly husky and kept moving his hand under the table. Miroku was bewitched by the lust that had light up in the golden pools.
Amaya hid her grin behind her hand.
--
--
Hi! It's Val again. This is hard... Writing in English... I can't get the prepositions right!! There are no such hideous things in Finnish language. I did my best though. If some over active beta reads this story and wants to do something about it then please contact me. Otherwise it is going to stay as it is. Just because I'm lazy...
Lot of things happened this time, at least that's what it feels like to me. I hope you liked this chapter and the story so far, PLEASE review, even if you only want to point out some grammar error.
Sesshoumaru in a uniform... I'm just gonna go and dream away now...
Val