Shrine Prostitute by FlameTwirler

Chapter 6: Surreption
- The act or process of getting in a surreptitious manner, or by craft or stealth.
- A coming unperceived or suddenly.

A ruse in progress may be entertaining but still doesn't hold back the sorrow of parting.

Kagome, after haranguing Kazuma thoroughly, started wandering aimlessly around the Shrine properties and even into the connecting healing shrine. Her thoughts weighed her down and she needed to walk them out and work them through.

She knew she had to see Inuyasha again, had to have a real goodbye with him – they both deserved it. The problem was she knew it was absolutely impossible for her to get to his room the following night without being seen and having gossip spread all around the Shrine. Not only would she get in trouble, but more importantly Ryu and especially Inuyasha would likely be punished for the infraction.

So how could she change things around so that anyone who saw her would think nothing of it?

She'd been wondering this earlier while she'd been berating Kazuma. Obviously everyone had it out for Inuyasha, even Kazuma who'd originally been so nice to her. Didn't he even think about the fact that it would be hard for her to say goodbye to him and she'd want some kind of notice?

Suffice it to say Kazuma didn't think anyone could get attached to such a worthless animal and need such a luxury. It had never even entered his mind.

So despite the fact that the man seemed to genuinely like Kagome, he didn't just dislike Inuyasha, he full out despised him, and wouldn't want to help him in any way whatsoever, regardless of who else it might hurt.

There was no way she'd be able to convince Kazuma to cover for her. In fact, if he found out what she was up to, he'd at the very least stop it, at most turn it against the hanyou in the worst of ways.

That brought up even further problems, as Kazuma somehow managed to be at the core of every bit of gossip that spread through the Shrine, and everybody listened to what he had to say. If he caught wind of her escapade then both she and Inuyasha would be royally screwed.

Couldn't she somehow turn that against him? How could she use his big mouth for her advantage?

Suddenly it came to her: she'd have to convince Kazuma. He'd have to be at the very heart of the scheme but he wouldn't even know it. This would require the greatest amount of acting skill she could ever imagine – could she possibly muster it up?

Squaring her shoulders she marched back to speak with Ryu. She was going to plan this, and she was going to plan this well if it would be their final time seeing each other. She'd need the older man's help in playing Kazuma around and there were loose ends that needed to be tied up, but it just might work.

Kagome stepped out of the shop, sighing as she cracked her wallet. She'd just spent the majority of her remaining money in a single stop. Eyeing the bag warily she wondered if it would be worth it to be living on little more than ramen for the rest of the month.

After a full night's planning, scheming, and traipsing around the city to find what she needed, she could only hope so.

Now to get ready and watch the seconds tick by…

As he'd promised – the amount of threatening from a certain female notwithstanding – Ryu now had Kazuma trapped in conversation with him at the front desk.

This time of night things were pretty quiet around there; clients had either left already or were busy sequestered in their respective rooms with the tetsudai. People tended to mill around in shifts, coming between 9pm and midnight, leaving between 1am and 2am, coming between 4am and 7am, leaving between 8am and 9am.

Of course, he knew that, but then again he'd been around for years. What he had as of yet to figure out was how in the world Kagome had grasped the system when she'd only been there two weeks, most of which was spent either in Inuyasha's room or her apartment.

He shook his head; he wasn't going to lambaste himself trying to figure out the girl's mind.

Speaking of which, where is she? Ryu wondered.

Coming up with her little plan she'd been insistent that everything run on the dot. Glancing at the clock he saw it was 3:01am. The room was empty save for Kazuma and he, or so he thought until he noticed the figure in the trench coat standing off to one side.

Kami-sama! He had to get this woman out of here but quick if he didn't want the wrath of Kagome coming down on his head.

Catching his gaze the raven-haired woman started toward the desk, sending him a small wave and a smile.

"Damn," he spoke, just loud enough to break Kazuma from his ramblings and catch his attention. Following Ryu's gaze he shot a quizzical gaze at the figure and then smirked.

"My, my, Kagome." His eyes roving over her from head to toe, then back again, and again, his smirk deepened. "That's quite the interesting outfit you have there."

The only thing visible of Kagome's ensemble other than the shin length tan trench coat, belted tightly at the waist, was a pair of shiny black stiletto boots that disappeared under the hem. She knew it was a cliché get up, but that was the point. She wanted it to be obvious to Kazuma what she was doing.

She told herself to ignore his leering stare and concentrate on what all she had to do. Despite her growing distaste for the man she'd once thought of as a friend, Kazuma's big mouth made him one of the most powerful workers in the Shrine, and she needed to keep her cool if she wanted to make use of it.

Bracing herself for what came next, Kagome resolved her confidence. Kazuma had to buy this, he had to believe she was used to this and everything she was about to pull off.

Slowly she smiled at him and turned to Ryu before opening her trench coat and reaching a hand inside, grabbing a small bag, and tossing it before him on the desk.

The clink of coins caught Kazuma's attention immediately.

"I assume our agreement still stands?" she asked bluntly.

Ryu picked up the bag, eyeing it cynically until he opened it and judging its contents to be adequate.

"Alright, alright," he waved her on, "You can have Inuyasha for the rest of the night." Writing down some notes in his book he stopped suddenly to look up at her. "Just remember, don't damage the goods too badly, ne? Since 'technically' you're not seeing him tonight I won't be able to explain if he's out to recover. Got it?"

Kagome nodded, a small wicked looking smile curling her lips and Ryu had to repress a shiver. He knew this was all a ruse for Kazuma's sake, but even still she was playing her role to perfection. If he didn't know her so well…

Shaking off the thought he turned to the younger worker. "Not a word of this to anyone, you hear? I'm not losing my job over that hanyou."

Kazuma didn't bat an eyelid. Normally Ryu didn't speak derogatorily about the half-breed - in fact, he'd actually stick up for him - but luckily for them Kazuma wasn't the kind of person to question it when someone else's views came in line with his own.

Still…he eyed the bag in Ryu's hand greedily.

"Now how on earth are you seeing that pathetic half-breed, Kagome?" he asked, switching his gaze to her.

He couldn't keep the shock off his face at what he saw: Kagome was a dark fantasy of tight vinyl and bared skin. With the stiletto boots, thigh high fishnets and garters, hot pants, and cut halter she looked like a dominatrixed version of Bettie Page come to life. To top everything off she had on a decorative belt and another functional one that held, as Kazuma took particular interest in, a whip and a pair of handcuffs. He nonchalantly tapped two fingers against the side of his mouth just to make sure he wasn't drooling.

Slowly he forced his eyes back up to look Kagome in the face.

"You're going to see Inuyasha like this?"

She nodded.

"Whatever for?" he asked, clearly puzzled.

"It seems a certain someone," she pointedly looked at the ceiling while running a finger across her chin, "forgot to tell me about a certain two week limit."

She shifted and looked straight at him and he had to fight to keep his gaze locked on hers and not the delicate sway of the handcuffs or the way her stomach muscles contracted when she turned..

"I had certain plans of what I wanted to do to that hanyou that I've been unable to realize. Since I came all the way out here there's no way I'd leave without having my fun – it's so hard to find good partners for it, you know." She sighed with exaggerated exasperation.

"I know I won't be able to break the rules a second night so I have to shove everything into one night. Do you know how annoying that is?" She glared at him. "And I'd had such lovely plans." Her eyes glazed over as she stroked her whip.

The movement pulled Kazuma from his daze.

Kami, this was Kagome of all people! Sure, she looked hot as hell, but this was the same naïve little girl who had walked in here the first day not knowing what to do. There was no way this was real.

He looked at Ryu. "Nice one buddy." He moved to pat Ryu on the back but the older man scurried away at the contact, lip curling.

Ryu merely shrugged before turning to Kagome and smiling. "But how on earth did you convince Kagome to dress up like this. I must admit, as far as pranks go, this is certainly the tastiest."

He licked his lips and Kagome had to will herself to not wrinkle her face in disgust; she was quickly moving from dislike to severe distaste. Instead she stood as tall as she could, jutting her chin into the air.

"I don't know what you're talking about Kazuma. Really, you think Ryu could convince me to wear these kinds of clothes if I didn't want to?"

She reached into the second belt, where apparently a pair of gloves had been hiding in with the whip. Pulling them on, the tips of her fingers popping through where they'd been cut off, she flexed her hands in them, making the leather creak.

Kazuma looked closer and he could tell the gloves were definitely broken in and showed multiple signs of heavy use. Kami, but she knew she had been extremely lucky that the vinyl shop that carried used paraphernalia had a pair in her size.

She moved closer to him and ran one finger across his jaw before turning away and walking back toward Ryu.

"Just because I have a dark secret doesn't mean I'm going to show it to you right away. This was the first time I'd used one of the Shrine's prostitutes so I was feeling my way around. Is it any wonder I'd be confused my first day? And you still hadn't explained the rules to me well enough…or at all."

She glared pointedly at him, and Kazuma could almost believe her with a cold stare like that. Maybe he had been a mite lax in his duties? Ah well, but what did that matter now. Regardless of whether he'd explained the rules well enough or not, he wasn't sure if he could believe this ploy of theirs.

Finally, an answer came to him, one that would solve the question of her truthfulness, and also give him a good time in the process. He smiled and Kagome shivered at the intent behind it.

"I want you to show me that you know how to use that whip. Then I'll believe you."

Kagome stared at him aghast. What was she to do? Well, she'd seen whips used before, on television and the like, and the man in the store had demonstrated it for her when showing her the difference between the whips in model, length, and material. Sure, she hadn't done it herself but she was sure she could muddle through. After all, how can you mess something like that up?

She unhooked the whip from her belt and turned toward an empty corner of the room, intent on snapping it into the air, but as she was uncoiling it Kazuma interrupted her.

"Not that way." Turning his back to her he bent over slightly and rubbed a small section of his backside in a circle, grinning manically over his shoulder. "Prove it on me."

Shocked, Kagome turned to Ryu, pretending to be seeking approval for using a whip on a Shrine employee, but truly searching desperately for any kind of guidance he could give her. He looked very calm and sure of himself when he nodded a firm yes, so Kagome turned and did the same to Kazuma.

"Fine, then turn around completely, hands on that wall over there," she instructed.

He did as told and Kagome found herself standing approximately six feet behind him, holding the whip limply in her hand. She looked up at Ryu, who was suddenly standing so close to her it was disconcerting, but he simply held up a finger to his lips and motioned for her to hand him the whip.

"Come on already, I'm waiting," complained Kazuma.

Ryu pointed to Kagome, so she replied, "Stop your fussing already, or I'll really punish you."

With a bend of his arm and a flick of his wrist, Ryu snapped the whip soundly across the seat of Kazuma's pants, then hurriedly turned and thrust the whip back into Kagome's hands, but oddly refused to release her, his entire demeanor changing as he started to tremble.

Shouting in surprise Kazuma twirled around to see Ryu trying to pry the whip from the hands of an obviously confused Kagome.

"I want a go at him now," Ryu said, finally prying the girl's fingers free, eyeing the man in front of him with what Kazuma could only assume was Ryu's attempt at a malicious smirk.

"Look at you," he said laughingly, pointing to the limp way Ryu held the whip, his wrist bent at an awkward angle. "There's no way you can use that thing." His chuckle was getting heavier as he got a mental picture of Ryu in black leather chaps trying to subjugate three women around him, who cowered in delicious fear until he pulled out a whip. Then they all laughed at him and flocked to the nearby Kazuma, who was of course waiting with open arms.

Ryu glared at him petulantly. "Just turn around," he said, near on pouting.

"Fine, fine," he agreed, shoulders still occasionally shaking with mirth. When he felt the whip slap across his back it had all the force of a wet noodle, slithering across him like a snake, the tip winding all over the place, instead of slitting straight and true like a fine blade. He couldn't keep his laughter in any longer and ended up collapsed onto the floor holding his stomach, bracing his back against the wall.

"Alright, alright, I give," he said, giving Kagome yet another appreciative perusal. "You surprise me woman, I wouldn't have thought you had it in you."

He smiled and Kagome inwardly sighed with relief. Was he really buying this then?

She nodded to Ryu and started to walk off toward the door that led to Inuyasha's wing in the massive Shrine.

"Wait," Kazuma called, and she cursed softly to herself. What could be going wrong now?

"If he gets compensation," he jerked his thumb toward Ryu, who was already reseated behind his desk, head buried in his tomes, "then shouldn't I get something too? I assume you want me to keep my mouth shut."

Kagome sighed dramatically. "Fine, very well," she said, reaching into an inside pocket on her trench coat and pulling out another bag of coin, tossing it to him. "Good enough?"

As he nodded his consent she leaned over to get into his face where he was still seated on the floor.

"Now make sure you're keeping my little secret, okay? I don't like to be a rule breaker, and anyhow, it was your fault after all." She winked at him. "Besides, I really don't want to have to pull out this outfit for anyone else. That's a special treat just for special eyes."

With that she stood and walked briskly away, rolling her eyes at how thick she was laying it on - and how Kazuma was eating it up..

Turning her head slightly she caught Ryu's gaze, giving him a heartfelt smile and a wink.

She couldn't believe they'd pulled it off! She had to give him credit, Ryu was one hell of an actor - and she hadn't put in too shabby an appearance either, if she did say so herself.

They'd convinced Kazuma she was only going to see Inuyasha to take tremendous amounts of 'frustration' out on him, and that he should keep his trap shut. Now not only did she not have to fear the biggest mouth in the Shrine getting wind and spreading word of her jaunt – creating trouble for all of them – but she could safely assume that he would quash any rumors that did pop up, since he knew the 'truth' behind them and all.

She had to smile. It had all worked out so perfectly - minus a few looks and comments from the man she'd prefer to burn from her memory immediately.)

Now she was free to be with Inuyasha without fear of any repercussions.

And boy, was he in for some punishment.

Damn it, she's late! Inuyasha griped to himself.

He hated when appointments came late – especially newbies – because that meant he got done late. Not that he was looking forward to tonight anyhow, but he'd just as soon get it over with

He yelled at the door yet again, then turned and thumped down on the bed just for good measure.

Finally, a full 20 minutes after the set appointment time at 3am, there was finally a knock at the door before it was pushed open.

Brazen little hussy doesn't even wait for a response and just barges right in, eh?

He was lying on his side with his back to the door and couldn't seem to muster any strength or enthusiasm for his new 'guest' so he just he rolled part way onto his stomach and propped himself up on his arms just enough so that he could glance under his right side to see the client.

His arm blocked his view from her chest up, but what he saw was enough.

Yup, he thought, pretty typical. He took in the penchant for black vinyl and leather that ran in this crowd, eyed the tall boots that she seemed slightly uncomfortable standing in, and almost smirked at the whip and handcuffs on her belt.

What, didn't she know any better? Didn't she know they'd paired her up with a monster who came with his own custom made manacles?

He eyed the whip again, noted its new condition.

No, he hefted himself up on a sigh, she probably doesn't know better.

Kami but he hated newbies. They were sloppy and unsure and took entirely too long at everything. He sincerely hoped this buffoon hadn't had the foresight to purchase extra time to make up for her own lack of expertise, because if she had… he'd be in for one hell of a long night.

Back to the same ol' same ol' I see, he thought. Not that he'd expected his respite to last as long as it had.

Turning around as he heard the lock slide home he came face to face with the last person he possibly expected to see.

"Kagome?!" he all but yelled in her face.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" She smiled up at him.

What the hell?! All Inuyasha's thoughts had just been thrown into confusion. Kagome was showing her teeth to him, but there was no way he would classify that as a smile – no, on her, it looked almost like a grin, a smirk even. It didn't fit her at all - but then again, neither did the clothes.

Damn it, nothing is making sense!

"Now, now, Inuyasha," she cooed, "there's no need to look so surprised."

She unhooked the handcuffs from her belt and started twirling them on one finger.

"I suppose you could say I'd been working myself up to a point – I wanted to have my own fun too you know – but due a certain lack of information I'd mistakenly thought I had more time."

She sighed dramatically as she shoved him down onto the bed and moved beside him to secure his wrists to the head rail with the flimsy metal chain.

"I had to pay quite the mint to secure you tonight, but I made sure we'll have enough time to really have some fun."

Inuyasha was disgusted with himself; he was a complete idiot. He'd had a completely different view of Kagome, thought of her as the one nice person he would meet here. He should have known better; a decent person wouldn't ever show up in a place like this, wouldn't ever come to a hanyou. Man, he truly was an idiot.

Kagome leaned back. She flicked a glance at the manacles strung to the wall – truly disgusting things – and was very glad she'd had the foresight to bring her own. The point of this was that she wanted him to enjoy himself, to be able to give to him what no one else had ever bothered to do. He'd done so much for her though…she could only hope this would be a small sort of payback. On the other hand, it'd be interesting too, since it'd have to be by his own will that he remained bound. He'd be able to break through the steel handcuffs like they were nothing.

"Now that we're all situated it looks like it's time for fun now, ne?"

Inuyasha made no reply but Kagome saw his eyes dim then go blank, like he was hiding inside himself, causing her to grimace. She hated that look, it made him appear so dead, without all the fire that made him inherently Inuyasha, and she shook to think of what happened to him on a daily basis to make him have this kind of defense system.

Still, she was a coward. She couldn't dispel his misconceptions just yet; she knew she'd lose all nerve for what she was about to do if she told him what she was up to. He'd figure it out on his own quickly enough though.

First things first, though, the dratted boots have to go! Seriously, whoever thought up stiletto boots should be shot, and whoever wears these on a regular basis has to be a masochist. Reluctantly sliding off the bed she got her bearings on the floor and managed to wriggle out of the death-traps-of-doom, as she was now wont to call them.

Suddenly she blinked down at herself, just realizing she was still wearing the second belt with the whip still attached.

She wanted to rip the wretched thing from her body, burn the whip, never look at the bloody things again, but she restrained herself, knowing she was already showing Inuyasha a dual personality that obviously confused him so she didn't need to go adding in a third to clutter up the mix.

Instead she fingered the whip while loosening the belt. "Do you promise to be a good boy, Inuyasha?" He was surprised to note the hint of hesitation that caught her voice, but he refused to respond to it. He'd been fooled enough as it was.

He nodded again, obviously confused again when she threw the whip and belt over her shoulder, but also relieved.

"I'm glad. I won't be needing those again then, will I?"

He raised her eye brow at the word 'again,' had she already used them?, but he realized the question was rhetorical with the way her eyes lit and she moved toward him.

She spent the rest of the night trying to teach him to trust her in an area he'd been damaged so badly. She knew actions spoke louder than words with her hanyou, obviously with the way he'd second guessed many of her stories already, so she had her work cut out for her. Smiling, she bent to her task with alacrity.

The morning found her wrapped in Inuyasha's arms, memories of the previous night flooding her with the feel of cold manacles against her bare stomach and she couldn't fight back the blush.

Inuyasha had started out as if he were dead to the world, expecting her to do her worst as would any other client of his, and she'd mourned the fact he had developed such a defense mechanism. There had been touchy moments where he'd frozen in expectation of punishment for something he'd done and she'd had to keep the sadness and regret from her face, knowing he wouldn't appreciate it. The lack of wrath made him pause and, eventually, thaw, until he was himself again, bickering with her over the most inane things. She'd never been happier for a fight in her life.

She was amazed at his willpower to keep himself in the flimsy ningen handcuffs when he could so easily break them, but grateful for the confidence it gave her to do things she'd never dreamed she would have the courage to do. Eventually though his pleas broke through to her and she gave him a nod to break the chains – even though it was just in play she couldn't further stand the idea of dominating him in such a way when all his life he'd had no control. With a growl he'd promptly flipped her on her back.

Then he'd kissed her.

A soul rending, passionate, deep spirited kiss that more than just took her breath away; it tugged at her soul.

The rest of their night had been a melding of lips meeting between short bouts of sleep and Kagome still wondered at the change. She'd asked him why, why he'd kiss her, why he'd break his own rules, why he'd draw it out for so long instead of once, short, done with. He'd given her an inane answer about it being his way of thanking her for treating him well that night, that he'd thought she would like it and appreciate the gesture.

It still made no sense to her. She knew she would stand out to him forever because of this night, because of their time together and the way she'd treated him so much better than his other clients, so why risk getting even closer? By his own reasoning kissing only encouraged attachment and this was supposed to be a business arrangement and she knew they'd already crossed too many lines for a purely professional relationship. His reasoning didn't hold but she knew she wouldn't get an answer out of him he didn't want to give and then she couldn't bother as his lips found hers again in a touch so gentle it made her mind spin that he, with his background, was capable of such a gesture.

When mid-afternoon came around and their time together was finally over it was with great reluctance but better closure that they finally bid goodbye, sharing one last kiss and silent 'thank you's' before the door shut for the last time with Kagome on the other side.

She rubbed her eyes sleepily, making her way down the hall to Ryu's office where she'd stashed some normal clothes so she didn't have to go traipsing through the Shrine and the city streets wearing a trench coat and stiletto boots – as if that wouldn't give off any signals that something unusual had happened.

Kami-sama, she was just glad they'd been able to convince Kazuma of the ruse so she didn't have to worry about quashing any rumors or getting either Ryu or Inuyasha in trouble.

Still, she didn't look forward to coming back that night and having to face someone new. She knew she was more attached to Inuyasha because he'd been her first lover, let alone her first tetsudai, but she couldn't shake the niggling feeling of unease that followed on the thought. Shrugging it off she figured she'd feel better after she'd had a couple hours more sleep.

She just hoped the sinking feeling in her gut would be gone by then too.

A/N: Again, and as always, thank you to each and every reviewer, along with my splendiferous betas Akihana and Seren1tyStar01.

Original posting, FF version: August 16, 2007