March 10th, 8:42 PM, Blazin' Balls Bowling Lanes
"Steee-rike!" Sango shouted for the fifth time that evening, doing a celebratory miniature tango with Miroku.
Kagome groaned and slid down in her gray plastic chair, chewing on the end of her straw and noisily sucking the dregs of her soda. Allowing the straw to pop out of her mouth, Kagome grumbled loudly, "How are you so fucking good at this stupid game, Sango? I'm lucky if I bowl over 100."
Sango made her way over to her forlorn-looking friend and shrugged. "Don't look so down, Kaggie. Tell you what, next round, we'll see if we can switch to a lane with bumpers."
Kagome pulled a face. "I'm not five years old, Sango. I don't need bumpers!" She declared, getting up from her seat and setting her empty soda down on the table with some force, rattling the ice.
"Whatever floats your boat, Kaggie," Sango said, flinging an arm over Miroku's shoulders as he came down off the lane after his turn. "You're up!"
Kagome nodded absently and went to pick up her ball while the machine reset the bowling pins at the far end of the lane. She had always been less than stellar at bowling, but this evening was particularly terrible, with her thoughts splintered and scattered between Inuyasha, Kouga, and all of her new responsibilities that had come with her recent promotion. The result was a complete lack of focus as she slid her fingers into the three holes drilled into the bright blue bowling ball.
Kagome made her way to the head of the lane, careful not to slip on the slick wooden surface. She held the ball in front of her for a moment, trying to get her thoughts in order. Kouga's face swam into her mind's eye, and she scowled, remembering the conversation that they had had earlier that evening. He'd said that he was "making progress" on finding her a job, whatever that meant, but he wouldn't give her any details yet, which made her suspicious that it wouldn't be something she'd actually want to do. Huffing to her self, an idea suddenly sprang to life.
Kagome smirked and stared down the lane at the center pin, which she imagined was a tiny Kouga. I'm gonna knock you down, she thought gleefully. Remembering what Sango had said about aiming slightly to the left or right side of the center pin, she swung her arm back and then forward, releasing the ball down the well-oiled lane. It rolled straight and true, edging just to the right, and plowed into the center pin, taking down all ten with a spectacular and satisfying clatter.
"Ha! Take that, Kouga!" Kagome shouted, spinning around with a huge grin on her face.
Sango whooped and applauded for Kagome, but mentally raised an eyebrow at her friend's choice of celebratory words. "Get him again with your next one, Kagome!"
Kagome beamed at Sango as she retrieved her ball from the machine once more. As she turned back toward the lane, she felt her cellphone vibrating in her jeans pocket. I wonder if it's— She shook her head, deciding to ignore it and see who was calling her after she'd finished her turn.
Deciding to try the same trick again, she pictured Kouga as the center pin. This time, though, she split the pins, nailing only eight of them, with two left standing at either side. But no matter. She wasn't throwing gutter balls repeatedly anymore.
Kagome returned to her seat and pulled out her phone to see who had called. She couldn't help the tiny smile that edged onto her lips when she saw Inuyasha's name at the top of the 'Recent Calls' list. Pressing the button on the screen to return the missed call, she raised the phone to her ear, holding her other hand over her left ear to block out the racket of the bowling alley.
It rang twice before he answered.
"Hey, Kagome. How's it going?"
Kagome couldn't help the little tingle she felt at the sound of his voice on the other end of the line. She cleared her throat. "Um, pretty good, I guess. Sorry I missed your call before. I'm out bowling with Sango and Miroku."
"On a Wednesday night?" he asked a little incredulously.
"Mid-week specials," she explained. "It's a hell of a lot cheaper now than on Friday or Saturday."
"Gotcha. Well, I guess if you're busy, I shouldn't keep you…"
"No, it's alright, really I—" She paused and scowled as Sango got yet another strike and chose to celebrate by thoroughly making out with Miroku. "I'm actually feeling a little like a third wheel right now."
"Oh." He paused for a moment, as though considering. "Do you want some company?"
"Uh—" She dragged her hand over her face; Sango and Miroku were now groping each other's asses. "Yeah, actually. As long as you don't mind having to ignore the soft porn that Sango and Miroku are putting on for the whole alley."
Inuyasha laughed. "I'm sure I can find something more interesting to pay attention to instead," he said.
"R-right," she replied, wondering if he meant what she thought he meant. "So I'll see you soon?"
"Yeah, gimme about 20 minutes or so."
"Cool. See you then."
"Yup— bye!"
Kagome ended the call, staring at the screen for a moment, a train of emotions streaking through her— excitement, guilt, and settling on apprehension. Crap. What am I doing? She shook her head.
"Hey Sango!" Kagome shouted over the din.
The woman in question surfaced from her make-out session with an almost audible pop!
"Sup, Kaggie?"
"You've had too much beer," Kagome admonished.
"So?" She giggled and pinched Miroku's butt.
He reacted, pinching her in return.
"Sango," Kagome sighed a little exasperatedly. "Inuyasha is going to come bowl with us."
"What?" She looked confused. "When did that get decided?"
"Just now," Kagome smirked a little. "While you and Miroku were…occupied."
"Oh." Sango's face flushed slightly, but Kagome was pretty sure it was more the alcohol than embarrassment. "Well, whatever. You need to hang out with people besides just Miroku and I anyway. If we never dragged you out, you'd be a complete shut-in."
"I would not!" Kagome protested.
"Would," Sango countered. "At least recently."
Kagome crossed her arms, lips thinning into a line. She knew it to be true since the holidays ended. One would almost thing she'd made a New Year's resolution to become a hermit, or at least an introvert. Really, she was neither, but lately she'd done basically nothing besides work and occasionally go to the gym.
"Anyway, it's your turn," Sango said, turning back to Miroku with a sly expression on her face.
Kagome shook her head and went to pick up her bowling ball. As she looked down the lane, she tried again to picture Kouga as the center pin. She couldn't hold the image though, and instead a beautiful, silver-haired hanyou waltzed into her mind, wearing a tight gray and black striped shirt and jeans snug in all the right places, grocery basket with a few cups of instant ramen held securely in one clawed hand…
She threw a gutter ball.
"God damnit, Inuyasha!"