Chapter Three
"Note to Self: Do not fuck the Best Friend"

After dinner drinks turned into them going into town and to a local bar to celebrate the successful rehearsal dinner and tomorrow.

Sango had insisted that she didn't want a bachelorette party, but Kagome felt that maybe having them go out the night before would be sufficient enough, especially with a band of their close friends. Well, and Kouga. But she'd brought a few extra dresses for such a thing, and now was one of the times to whip them out.

Kagome and Sango slipped upstairs to change. Kagome into something less frilly and with more swing to it. If she was going to a bar, then she wanted something that would move with her.

"So, who are you trying to impress?" Sango asked with a low whistle as she buckled her shoes.

"No one!" She retorted, pulling the dress down. It was one of her favorites, a pull over, stretchy, and twirled as she spun in a circle. It fit her perfectly too. Not too low cut but revealing just enough to still be considered modest. Because she didn't want to look like a nun, but she also didn't want to lead anyone on. Just enough to entice.

Slipping on her heels, she grinned, looping arms with Sango as they headed down to the lobby.

"I was wondering when you two would show up," Inuyasha grumbled, motioning them over with a wave of his hand. Miroku just grinned at them before holding his hand out to Sango. Kagome let her slide out of her grip and into Miroku's, smiling all the way. Kagome followed them out, falling in step just behind them.

Miroku glanced over his shoulder, holding out his other hand to her.

"Come on, Kagome," he'd said, wiggling his fingers. "Don't fall behind." She grabbed his hand, and he tugged her in close enough so that he could wrap an arm around her shoulders.

He pressed a kiss to her temple with a loud 'mwah' at the end, making her laugh.

"Inuyasha promised to drive us so that we could all have fun this evening."

"You're not going to drink?" Kagome asked him and he only spared a glanced over his shoulder as he lead them to his car.

"Demon metabolism," he pointed out. "Alcohol burns through my system way faster than yours."

"That's good, because Miroku's a lightweight and super heavy."

"Kagome! I am not!"

"A light-weight or heavy?" Sango asked.

"First of all, both." He pulled his arms away from them, crossing them over his chest. "You know what, for that, no more hugs for the both of you tonight. Don't complain when you're cold and want to snuggle."

"Aw. Well, I guess the good news is that we have Inuyasha to take your place."

"Inuyasha, are you a cuddler?" Kagome asked, and both he and Miroku seemed to choke on air. She knew the question would probably embarrass him, but she also couldn't help herself. He had handed her a couple tumblers of that vodka he'd found earlier, and she felt the small warmth in her stomach.

"What the hell kinda question is that? You don't just blurt out things like that!" His face was red, and he was obviously flustered.

"Well?" She asked, ignoring his tirade.

"Well, what?"

"Are you?"

He growled, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Inuyasha is totally a cuddler!" Sango chimed in with a laugh.

"You know, I could just abandon all of you at the bar and enjoy some peace and quiet."

Despite the redness of his cheeks, he still opened the passenger door for her, holding it open in an attempt to be gentlemanly, though she could tell he was fighting with himself on doing so. She climbed into the front seat, tucking her legs in and he shut the door after her.

She hadn't been paying attention to what car she was climbing into, but this was a really nice car. Like leather seats and the emblem wasn't one that she immediately recognized. She was pretty sure that her yearly salary wouldn't be enough to pay for this car outright.

Okay, now she was nervous. What if she started sweating and her dress bled? It hadn't ever happened before, but that didn't mean that it couldn't happen now and with her luck—

"Hey," Inuyasha said, shutting his own door. "Buckle up."

"Right!" Kagome reached back and snapped the seatbelt into place. Miroku and Sango were seated behind them, and she glanced over her shoulder at them. The engine revved, and he backed out of his spot and then sped off towards town.

If there was one thing that he genuinely enjoyed, it was driving. Really fast. Really, really fast. There was a difference between noise and speed though. He didn't care about all the showmanship and noise of some of the sports cars, instead of opting for something quieter but with more power and traction. Because what was the point of speed if you couldn't control it?

Also, speed was the only thing that was distracting him from the girl sitting next to him in his car, because he was not trying to impress her. Nope. Not at all. He totally didn't rev the engine harder than was actually necessary to accelerate. And he totally didn't shift it to manual for that purpose either.

Why was he trying so fucking hard anyway?

It didn't even look like she cared all that much.

And why did that bother him?

Shifting his grip on the steering wheel, he stole a glance at her. She was twisted in her seat, asking Sango a question, a brilliant smile on her face. She looked breathtaking.

"—right, Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?" He asked, refocusing back on the road ahead of them.

"Were you even listening?" Sango asked, and he shrugged off her question.

"I'm driving. I don't have time to listen to your squawking," he commented, making a tight curve a little faster than was probably necessary, but enjoying hearing Sango squeal at it.

He pulled into the parking lot of the bar, and Sango smacked his shoulder.

"Honestly," she muttered.

Kagome, though, she laughed as she climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind her.

The air was crisp enough to see her breath, and he found himself concerned that she hadn't brought a jacket.

"It's cold out tonight," he said, falling into step beside her.

"Yeah, but it's not that far of a walk, and it'll be warm in the bar anyway. This way, I won't sweat too much, and it'll be perfect!"

She grinned up at him, and his heart stuttered.

If Kouga willingly gave her up, he was a bigger idiot than he thought.

The bar was loud and filled with people.

He'd forgotten that they'd invited everyone from the wedding to meet them there, which amounted to essentially the younger crowd. This, of course, included Kouga.

He could take or leave the wolf, preferably leave, but he'd stomach his presence when needed, but Kagome seemed unnerved by his presence alone.

And there were so many people and smells. Half of them smelled like they were about to have sex or had just had it. It made him grimace at the thought of having to use the bathroom here. There were already couples practically fondling each other out in the open already.

"Hey, Inuyasha, come here for a sec," Sango nearly shouted, tugging at his sleeve in an attempt to pull him closer. He had a drink in that hand and shifted it to the other, swiveling one ear away from Kagome's laughter and towards Sango.

"What?" He snapped.

"Watch the attitude!"

He growled, attempting to pull away, but she tugged at his hair to lower himself back down to her level.

"Just watch out for Kagome, okay?" He turned his head to look at her. "She's having a good time, but—" Sango shrugged, shifting her glass to her other hand. "She just doesn't always see the bad in people. Understand?"

He nodded.

"I'll keep an eye on her," he shouted back, and she beamed at him before patting his cheek and dancing off into the crowd.

Like she even had to ask him to watch over her. He took a sip from his drink, refocusing his senses back on her fully and completely. He couldn't make out exactly what she was saying through the music and the bass reverberating in his ears; he'd have a headache tomorrow morning for sure. Maybe even one tonight.

But that smile on her face—that was a sight to see.

Kagome spun around, laughing, teetering on her own feet before catching herself. She looked up, a dopey grin on her face, waved, and then returned to dancing with Sango.

"What's up, mutt?" Kouga asked, as he grabbed a drink from the counter. "Didn't think you were the bar type." He downed the drink and slammed the glass back onto the counter.

"I'm surprised you didn't bring those two little fuck-buddies of yours."

"They're not—Ginta and Hakkaku are pack, you idiot." Kouga shot him an annoyed look.

Inuyasha hummed as he took another sip of his drink.

"Besides, sometimes wolves like to hunt alone," he remarked.

"Is that why you didn't bring your new flavor of the month?"

"Her name is Ayame, and she's my fiancée. And she's here . . . somewhere."

Inuyasha half-shrugged, finished his drink, and motioned to the bartender behind him for a refill.

Kagome fanned herself and motioned towards the bar with her free hand.

"A bottle of water, please?" Inuyasha asked and the bartender slid one over towards him.

"Cutting yourself off already, mutt?" Kouga motioned to his own drink. "Another."

"Some of us are responsible."

"Oh, hey!" Kagome said, breathless as she broke through the crowd. "Why aren't you out there?"

"Not much for dancing."

She looked past him over the bar, but the bartender was busy making whatever Kouga was drinking, and the others were busy at their other spots. She frowned.

"Whatcha want, sweet cakes?" Kouga asked her, and she jolted at the sound of his voice.

"Nothing. It's fine," she said too quickly. "I'll just come back later."

Inuyasha snagged her wrist, placing the unopened bottle of water in it.

"But—" She started, but he shook his head.

"Take it. I'll get another one when they're done."

"Thanks! You're the best, Inuyasha!" She leaned up and pecked his cheek. He could smell the alcohol on her breath, sweet and fruity, and it took everything in him to not grab the back of her neck and kiss her properly, like she deserved.

But he restrained himself.

And like a nymph, she disappeared (mostly) into the crowd and back onto the dance floor with Sango.

"You know she does that to everyone, right? Ain't like you're special," Kouga grumbled, shooting what was left of his drink and a glare at Inuyasha.

Kouga was always a dash of cold water on everything.

Feeling good about yourself? Talk to Wolf-Shit.

Need a reminder about why inbreeding is bad? Have Wolf-Shit open his mouth.

Having a good day and want to ruin it so you have something to complain about? Call Wolf-shit.

Need help convincing your inner youkai that you don't need to walk out onto the dance floor and shove your tongue down the maid of honor's throat even if it seems like she wants it? Talk to wolf-shit.

Inuyasha shrugged.

"Doesn't seem that way to me."

Kouga flipped him off and merged onto the dance floor.

Inuyasha watched as she and Sango finished off the bottle of water before Miroku appeared next to them, guiding them to the bar.

"Shots!" Sango shouted, and soon there was a tray of shots and a massive group of people clustered around.

"To Sango and Miroku!" Kagome shouted, raising her glass. An echoing roar sounded and then they all tipped the glasses back. Kagome turned next to him, setting the empty shot glass on the bar. "Why don't you come dance with us?" She whined, grabbing his wrist and tugging pathetically at him.

"No," he said, letting her pull at him, but not letting her actually drag him out on to the dance floor.

"Shots!" Sango shouted as another tray was placed in front of them. Kagome reached back and grabbed another, downing it with a cheer.

"Come on," Kagome whined. "It'll be fun!"

"How about," Inuyasha turned her back towards the dance floor and leaned down to speak into her ear, which was the only way for her to hear in him in this hellhole of pulsating and terrible music, "you go out there and dance for the both of us?"

"I can take you dancing, Kagome," Kouga offered. "It'd be like old times."

"Nope, I'm good. Sango, let's dance!" Kagome grabbed Sango's arm and physically manhandled her back out onto the dance floor. It was almost comical the way the girl nearly came off her heels at Kagome's physical insistence.

At least a tipsy Kagome still didn't want to get back together with Kouga.

That gave him a small amount of hope. What for, he wasn't exactly sure; all he knew was that he didn't want to see her with Kouga, and she didn't want to be with him, so it was a win-win all around for him.

He watched her move, fluidity in motion, as she twirled, laughing on the floor. He glanced over, but Kouga was gone. Hopefully with his own little date, but that's not really his concern. As long as he's not pestering Kagome, he didn't care what the wolf did.

Of course, he didn't immediately notice Miroku out there either, which was also strange, but maybe he was keeping Kouga away from Kagome too. He seemed to know about their relationship more than Inuyasha did. He took another sip of his drink, seeing Miroku drag Sango away to dance, and another man drifting closer to Kagome.

It—irritated—him to see that, and he huffed quietly to himself.

It also wasn't his place to scare the jerk off either. But there wasn't much that he could do about it. Right?

He just needed to make sure that nothing happened to her, that's all. It wasn't his job to be her personal guardian. She was a grown woman. She could make her own decisions.

The guy was next to her now, and she kept shifting backwards away from him. The second time he watched the man reach for her hips, he growled, slamming his glass down on the bar and moving through the crowd of dancers. He hated this, but the idea of someone trying to touch her when she obviously didn't want to be really rubbed him the wrong way.

"Please, go away," she said, pushing his hands away.

"Come on, baby," he said, reaching for her again. This time Inuyasha swatted his hands away, moving deftly between them, shoving his back in the man's face.

"Oh, Inuyasha," she said, staring at him for a moment.

"Uh, excuse me buddy!" The man said, and Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder, glaring at him, until he gave up and went somewhere else.

"Are you going to dance with me?" Kagome asked, grabbing onto his hands.

"I uh—" He started to decline her offer. He really did, but there was something in her face, the excited look in her eye at the prospect that he would, that he simply couldn't say no. "Yeah. I am."

"Yes!" Kagome punched her fist in the air before dragging him closer so that there wasn't space for another person to get between them.

It was awkward. Mostly because he was. He didn't dance. He didn't do these things with so many people because what was he supposed to do with his hands. What were hands? And feet! Why did he have so many feet?

He'd been dancing before, tons of times—so why did he suddenly feel so inadequate about it? Kikyo had never once complained about him at all.

He managed hundreds of employees, so why now? Why her?

And she was—honestly? He could just watch her dance all day. And the fact that she wanted to dance with him over anyone else?

It would make the headache later totally worth it.

He let his body follow her little drunk girl lead as she laughed and spun, and all the while he guarded her from strangers and wolves.

There were several more rounds of shots, and Kagome participated in every single one. He made sure that she drank plenty of water in between them.

"Have you seen Sango?" She shouted, louder than was needed.

"I think she's with Miroku?" He scanned the crowd looking for him. "Why? You need something?"

"Uh," she stuttered and then her face flushed. "I kinda need to pee?"

"So?"

She rolled her eyes at him, made that noise that all girls make when they're frustrated with the male population in general. You know the one.

"You just don't get it!" She threw her hands up in frustration, stumbling a step. He caught her side with a hand to steady her, and hers immediately closed over his own.

"What don't I get?"

"Girls go in groups so that the weirdos don't follow them in."

That piqued his interest.

"Someone bothering you?" He asked.

"Yes, well, no, not exactly. Just, you know, lookers."

Yeah, he knew what she was talking about. He'd seen plenty of them.

"How about I go with you?"

"You can't go in the girl's bathroom!" She shouted. "That's against the rules."

"Pretty sure that I wouldn't be the first dude in a chick's bathroom, and for the sake of your modesty, I'll wait outside the door for you. Deal?"

She eyed him, obviously considering her offer.

"You won't listen?"

He tilted his head slightly at her question.

"Listen to what?"

"I know how youkai ears work, mister."

Her hand shot up, and before he could stop her, her fingers were rubbing his ear, not too hard or too soft, but the Goldilock's of touches.

Holy fuck if that didn't shoot straight down into his special place.

He managed to snag her wrist from doing anymore awkward damage to his composure, dragging it away to a much more safe place, like not anywhere on him, and let go.

"I don't think I'll be able to hear much over all this noise."

"Good point!" She chirped with a grin. They both stood there, and he waited for her to lead the way to the bathrooms.

"Well?"

"Oh, I don't know where they are. I thought you knew." He ran a hand down his face, looking back down at her as she surveyed the walls, looking for a literal sign. Grabbing her arm, he turned back towards the bartender to ask where the bathrooms were.

He pointed to the opposite side of the room, and Inuyasha tugged her towards the door of the now quite obvious sign. Kagome giggled behind him, and stopped only when they reached the entrance to the bathroom hallway.

"You'll wait for me?" She asked, glancing down at the doorway.

"Yep," he answered, leaning his shoulder against the wall. "I'll be here. Take your time."

"You're sweet," she told him, squeezing his arm as he crossed them in front of his chest.

"Go piss, would you?"

Kagome let out a small laugh and headed for the bathroom, staggering a step to the left as she walked, clearly and obviously drunk.

He should probably make her switch to water otherwise she wasn't going to be a functional person for the wedding tomorrow. Not to mention she would regret being out tonight and if there was one thing that he didn't want, it was her regretting anything that had to do with him.

He grimaced at his own monologue.

Well, that sounded desperate. He was not that hard up for attention from anyone.

"Hey," came a soft female voice next to him. He turned slightly to look at her.

Kagome felt good, like really, really good, like so good that she was practically floating. Also, peeing felt really great. Like amazing.

She dragged her underwear back up, and kicked at the handle of the toilet, managing to get it to flush after more than one attempt, crashing into the door once before righting herself with a snorting giggle.

The door lock was weird though. She struggled to get herself free, rattling the lock and the door until they both gave way and she crashed into the counter just in front of her, barely missing cracking her forehead open with the mirror.

Clearing her throat, she refocused on the task at hand. She had to be careful. She couldn't hurt herself before Sango's wedding. She patted the faucet looking for a handle or something to turn it in, swiping her hands underneath, but no water. She moved to the next sink, same problem. On the last sink, she waved her hands frantically, and the water finally poured out of it. Quickly sudsing up her hands, she thrust them under the water, splashing it everywhere in the process. Grabbing a handful of paper towels from the stack she wiped up the excess water from the counter, and then tossed them in the hole before grabbing another one and wiping her own hands.

Opening the door to the bathroom, she froze.

There was a girl standing close to Inuyasha, waaay too close for comfort, and judging from his face, he felt the same way. His ear turned towards her, but he didn't face her.

Was he not interested? Earlier, she'd thought that he might be, but maybe she was just misreading things. Wouldn't be the first time after all. Maybe he was just being nice.

Maybe she was just being dumb.

She put her hand against the wall to steady her as she took a few steps back into the fray of the dance floor.

"Oi! Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, and a clawed hand wrapped around her arm and practically jerked her off her feet as he spun her around. Kagome staggered a moment, bracing herself against the wall—of shirt.

Oh.

Oh.

She looked up at him a flush already spreading across her face. She'd nearly face planted right into his chest, and while that thought made her inebriated mind want to take advantage of the circumstances, she was just sober enough to realize that it was a bad, bad plan.

She definitely could not fuck the definitely-fuckable best man. That she'd known for less than—than—well, not long enough for fuckability.

"Where do you think you're going?" He scowled down at her, before glaring at someone over his shoulder. "I told you I was waiting, didn't I?"

"Uh, sorry," she squeaked out, before realizing that she was still fonding the poor man's rippling pectorals and jerked her hands away from him and righting herself.

God, he was warm.

His other hand snagged her flailing arm, dragging her back to a standing position.

"You're going to fall on your ass at this rate."

"Are you done yet? I don't like being ignored," the woman from the wall snapped out behind him.

"I told ya to go away! I ain't interested!"

The woman crossed her arms in front of her, pushing her breasts up in her dress that barely covered her to begin with. But even Kagome was quick enough to catch Inuyasha glancing down at her cleavage.

It was a considerable amount of cleavage too.

"Really?" She asked. "Because I know that you're not interested in her. Not when you could have me."

"Well, I don't want you, so go away." He turned back towards Kagome who could literally only stare at the man in front of her in utter disbelief.

What was he doing? That chick was hot! Even Kagome could admit that.

"Come on," he said, turning her back towards the bar, hands resuming their grip on her arms.

"What're you doing?"

"We need to get you some water before you fall on your drunk ass."

"But—"

"Keep walking, Kagome," he cut her off, almost pushing her towards the bar.

"Hey, we weren't done!" The woman shouted stalking behind them.

Kagome tried to stop to let him talk to her, but Inuyasha wasn't having it. She'd wingman-ed for a few of her friends before. If he wasn't into her, then it wasn't like she was going to force him to like her or stop him from hanging out with someone whom he might be interested in.

"Hey," she argued, trying to twist herself free, but Inuyasha's grip was way too strong.

"Oh no, we are going to get you water, and ignore her. She'll go away eventually."

"No, I won't." The girl quipped behind them, following them as Inuyasha led her away.

"Ignore her, Kagome. I can handle it." He urged her forward again towards the bar.

"I can go to the bar on my own."

"Yeah, you were doing fine two minutes ago."

"But—"

"Nope," he said, shifting to slide an arm around her shoulder as they reached the same spot at the bar as they were before. "Water," he ordered and the bartender set a bottle of water on the counter in front of him, which he immediately slid over in front of her. "Drink that," he commanded.

"Taisho, right?" The bartender asked.

Inuyasha gave a short nod as Kagome broke the seal on the water and took a few sips. It was almost frozen and felt wonderful on her throat. She set it on the counter, licking her lips.

"All of it."

"I'll have to pee every five minutes if you keep this up."

"Yeah, well, Sango is gonna have my ass if you have a hangover tomorrow."

"Hey, Puppy!" The woman snapped behind him, and Kagome saw the hand as it snagged his ear, jerking him back to face her. The sharp look of pain flashing across his face was impossible to ignore, and that was the last straw.

"Hands off the ears, bitch!" He snarled, and Kagome snapped her hand out, smacking the offending fingers from his ear.

"He said go away! Take a hint already, would you?"

"Why? Like you aren't trying to fuck him either? Even if he is a half-demon, he's still a Taisho."

Okay, yeah, it had been a really hot minute since she'd, you know, and she'd definitely consider you'd-knowing this man in particular, but what the woman had said kickstarted a fire that Kagome hadn't felt in ages.

She'd had shots—the plural-est of plurals—and she was eighty kinds of righteous fury at the moment.

"First of all, I don't even know what his last name has to do with any of this, but it doesn't matter. So what if he's a half-demon, he's still a person! And who do you think you are to look down on him? He's so out of your league! I mean, look at him!" She made a broad gesture to the man beside her only barely missing knocking him in the face. His hand stopped hers from smacking him. "Fourth—no—Third of all, I have enough self-respect to not screw someone I just met! Also, he's kind of a jerk."

"Hey!"

"But a nice jerk," Kagome placated with a soft pat to his arm.

Kagome didn't see the punch aimed for her until Inuyasha's hand already had it firmly in his grasp and completely stopped. The fake fingernails were reaching out, straining vainly to scratch her face, and Inuyasha planted himself in between them. Kagome looked at the nails then at the girl before launching herself at her.

"Kagome! No!"

"Kagome, yes!" She retorted, and he shoved the girl's hand away before bodily grabbing Kagome around her waist as she struggled to free herself so she could kick some drunk-bitch-ass. He turned away so that Kagome remained out of reach of the girl.

"You need to back right the fuck off," he told the girl, whose winged eyeliner could, quite frankly, use some work.

"No fights in the club!" The bartender shouted with a hard, narrowed eyed glare at the other girl. "Move along before I call security."

"Fine," the girl snapped and Inuyasha let go of her wrist. "Wasn't like I was looking forward to fucking a half-breed anyway." The woman pushed him away, barely making him move at all, before stomping away. The bartender moved back to wipe out the glasses in front of him, and Kagome could see the exhale as his shoulders slumped slightly in obvious relief before he turned back to what he'd been doing.

"Sorry about that. She didn't get you or anything, did she?"

"I'm fine. How's your ear?"

It flicked twice, but she caught the small wince that went with it.

"I'm good."

"I'm sorry about what she said."

"I've heard worse, surprisingly," he said with a shrug.

"What did she mean by you being a Taisho?"

"I'll explain it to you in the morning when you're sober. Drink the rest of the water, Kagome."

"You seem to attract trouble," she said, taking another small sip of her bottle.

"Funny, both times I've had issues this weekend it's been because of you."

"So this is my fault?"

He shrugged with a smirk on his face, leaning his side against the bar.

He was so hot and so far out of her league it wasn't even funny. But that didn't mean that they couldn't be friends, right?

Right?

She took a small sip of her water and grinned.

Right.

It was well after midnight, and he was corralling his three drunk children out the door. Miroku and Sango were easy. Wherever he put one, the other followed like a magnet. Eventually.

Kagome was not.

Kagome was drunk and had the attention span of a kitten. Or a goldfish. Whichever one was shorter.

"Alright, you two. Kagome, come on," he said, glancing over his shoulder, only to find that she'd wandered off again. Growling, he looked around the emptying dance floor, but he couldn't find her.

First things first, he needed to put the two lovebirds in the car before they wandered off to make out in a corner. Again. For the fourth time. The first time, he managed to catch Sango before she'd completely undone Miroku's shirt. He'd grabbed Sango's hands with one of his own before pointing his finger at her face and very firmly telling her "no".

Did it stop her the next time? Also no.

Grabbing both of their arms, he surveyed the floor again, but there was no sign of the girl.

"Come on," he growled, pulling them to their feet and herding them out the door.

"Ow, no need to be so rough," Miroku chided, stumbling slightly in his grip.

"Yeah, well, I can't trust you two not to sneak off, and I still need to find Kagome. Again."

"Kagome's missing?" Sango said, pulling against him and trying to head back into the bar.

"Oh no, I'll go find her. You two are going to sit in the car and not throw up."

"You make high demands," Miroku said, as he staggered across the parking lot.

"You are not puking in my car, idiot." He grabbed the door handle, opening it before shoving the two of them inside. He leaned down once they were inside. "Now, sit and stay," he ordered. "And don't do anything gross." He shut the door behind him, locking it with the key fob. Not that it would really stop them, but it would at least slow them down for a moment, and he should be able to hear the alarm from inside.

Marching back into the bar, he searched the dance floor, knowing that was where she'd slunk off to each time.

He stalked around the floor for a few minutes trying to find the girl in question. He made two loops of the floor before wondering if she was in the bathroom again.

"Looking for someone, handsome?" A woman asked.

"Yeah, actually. I'm trying to take her and our idiot friends back to the hotel."

"Girlfriend?" She purred, leaning away from the wall. He grimaced. It was a loaded question that he recognized.

"Not interested," he retorted, still looking around the floor. He didn't see her. "Can you check the bathroom for me? Her name's Kagome."

"Hmm, and what'll you do for me?" She tapped her finger against his chest, and he took a step back. He'd go drag out Sango before he answered that question.

"Never mind." He turned around and started for the parking lot, marching out quickly to avoid the woman now tagging along behind him.

He passed a familiar figure leaning against the wall, towering over another familiar figure who was currently cowering under his presence.

"Go away," Kagome whined, pushing against him weakly.

"Come on, sweet cakes," Kouga spoke softly, but not softly enough. "I've always loved that dress." His nose rubbed against her temple, and Inuyasha felt his hackles rise as he marched towards them. "There are some things that I've been dying to try with you. Imagine. My tongue. Your—"

"Stop it," she whined, and he watched her try to push him away.

"Kagome," Inuyasha snapped, letting his youki flare, and he took a small amount of delight in the way the wolf's shoulders tensed as he turned his head to glare at him.

"Get lost, Cujo," Kouga added. "This is a private conversation."

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, looking at him from over Kouga's extended arm. He noted the wolf's thigh between hers and let out a low growl.

"Come on, Kagome, we're leaving," he said, holding his hand out to her. Let the wolf try and stop her. Give him a reason to sucker punch him in the face. Literally, the wolf could do anything, and it would be motivation enough.

She glanced up at Kouga for a moment before starting towards him, only to stop when Kouga's arm blocked her path, and his thigh slid further between hers even more. She recoiled from it, pressing herself farther back against the wall.

"Let her go, Kouga."

"Or what?" He snapped. "It ain't like she's trying real hard to get away."

Inuyasha snapped his gaze back to Kagome's.

"Kagome, do you want to come with me?"

"Yes, please," she whimpered out.

"Kagome, baby," Kouga countered, leaning his face down close to hers, "I promise, I'll take good care of you."

Inuyasha had had enough.

He punched Kouga in the side with a closed fist, much lighter than he really wanted, probably didn't even bruise the fucker, snatching Kagome's arm before she could tumble after the wolf.

"What the fuck, mutt?" Kouga snapped, reaching out to grab Kagome, and Inuyasha smacked his hand away, drawing the drunk girl close against him, her arms cinching around his waist, and he grinned at the wolf.

"Come on, Kagome. Let's get out of here," he said, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Mmm, 'kay," she mumbled into his shirt. Guiding her towards the doors, Inuyasha flicked the wolf off with his free hand. He could hear the growl behind him, but only smirked more the further away they got and the wolf didn't follow.

He opened the door, ushering her out, and she shivered at the sudden chill in the air.

"Cold?" He asked, and she nodded, tucking herself more into his side.

He knew he should've made her to grab a jacket.

Letting go of her shoulder, he shrugged his jacket off, wrapping it around her shoulders as they walked. Well, he walked and she staggered here and there. He gripped her arms gently, guiding her towards his car. He let go her to knock on the windows, which were fogged, and he sincerely hoped it was just body heat and not from something else.

"Come on," he said, pushing her to sit down in the passenger seat. She yelped, falling into the seat. "Legs in." He tapped his feet against hers, and she looked down at them, and then back at him before twisting herself, clumsily dragging her feet back inside. "Put on your seatbelt," he told her, and she fumbled with the belt for a hot minute, before he considered that he might have to actually do it himself. But just as he was leaning down to help, he heard it click into place.

He shut the door and leapt over the car to get in the driver's seat.

"You found her!" Sango said, wrapping her arms around his neck and the headrest, choking him.

"Hey, no choking the driver!" He said, pulling her arms away from him. "Miroku, do something," he whined as Sango pressed her cheek to his.

"Here, Sango," Miroku said, drawing her away. "Hold me instead."

Sango cheered, letting go, but not before knocking her fist against his windpipe, making him cough.

"This is the last time I chauffeur you two drunk idiots," he grumbled, glancing over at Kagome who was clutching his coat closed as she stared out the window.

"Hey," Miroku pouted, and Inuyasha flicked a glance at him in the rearview mirror. "What about Kagome?"

"Kagome's not annoying like the two of you."

"Inuyasha like-likes Kagome!" Miroku shouted, and Inuyasha felt the heat travel up his face. He risked a glance at Kagome, who spun around in the seat completely—when had she taken off her seatbelt?—and pointed her finger at Sango.

"Yeah, well, Sango like-likes Miroku!"

"Don't tell him that!"

"Aw, you like-like me, Sango? I like-like you too."

"Really? That's so sweet!"

"You two are getting married tomorrow, remember?" Inuyasha sighed, completely exasperated as he drove them back to the hotel. "Kagome, sit down and put on your seat belt."

She made a noise that had his stomach—among other things—clenching, and he glanced over at her only to be met with a Cheshire grin on her face. He swallowed.

"Put your seatbelt on," he insisted, glad that his voice was strong enough to sound even and unbothered at the moment.

She reached up, slowly, and he had to force himself to watch the road and not her. But he could see her out of his peripheral, and her fingers slowly, teasingly, pulled the belt across her chest and her lap, fumbling with it for a moment, and almost losing her grip. She caught it before it slid back across herself, and then leaned over slightly, exposing the top of her chest through his jacket—fuck, she was in his clothes—before he heard the familiar click as it slid into place—and he wanted to slide—nooope—nope—nope.

He gripped the steering wheel with more force than was required to drive, but was definitely required for him to keep his head on straight and where it should be.

On the road.

Definitely on the road.

Because Sango and Miroku were in the backseat—he should have put her in the backseat.

That would've been smart.

He glanced over at her, her fingers lightly brushing against the exposed skin of her collarbone.

Yep, definitely smart, but he was so dumb.

Coming to a harsh stop in the closest parking spot he could find, he was out of the car before the engine had fully shut off, because he needed to get out of that car. Like now.

"Alright, let's go, everyone!" He shouted, opening up the back door before marching around to the passenger side and opening Kagome's door.

She hissed at the onslaught of cold air, clutching his coat tightly around herself.

"It's cold," she whined.

"Yeah, well, it's warm inside," he countered, but she made no move to take off her seatbelt, and he huffed before leaning inside to take it off for her.

Soft fingers rubbed at his ears, and he jolted, freezing in place.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

His fingers fumbled around her hip for the release, as he stifled the whine from her nails scratching at the base of his ear.

Jerking away, he slammed the back of his neck into the top of the door-ceiling-holder-whatever, making him grunt before he managed to get out enough that he could stand up. Miroku and Sango, were climbing out on the other side with Sango draping herself across Miroku's neck and shoulders.

He pulled Kagome to her feet, shutting the door as she stepped out of the way. She staggered into the side of the car, giggling as his arm caught her before she could fall.

"You smell nice," she said, giving his jacket a long sniff.

He cleared his throat, forcing himself to remove his arm and remind his other self that she didn't mean it like that.

"You—uh—smell—too—let's get inside," he turned towards Miroku and Sango, who were a little too close for anyone's comfort. "Hey!" He snapped, and both of them turned towards him. "Inside!" He pointed, well, pointedly towards the doorway of the hotel, and both Sango and Miroku groaned before shuffling towards the door, leaning on each other.

Finally.

"Come on, Kagome," he said, dragging her in front of him and ushering her towards the door as well.

She giggled, darting towards Sango and nearly taking all three of them to the ground. The little cluster somehow all managed to get to the doorway without toppling over, though there were a couple close stumbles that might have been tragic if he hadn't caught one or two of them in time, righting them back on their feet.

Sango and Miroku made it through the door with no issue, but he heard Kagome's shoe catch on the small step, and he had an arm around her waist before she hit the stone floor.

For time's sake, he righted her before ducking down slightly to wrap an arm around her waist and hike her up in the air, letting her feet dangle, as she squealed loudly as he carried her inside.

"Inuyasha!" She shouted, kicking her feet slightly and wiggling.

"Stop, would ya? This'll be faster and less dangerous than letting you walk through here."

Sango had already called the elevator, and laughed at Kagome as they approached.

"It's not funny, Sango," Kagome said, pushing futilely against his arm to free herself.

"My arm's not moving, you can stop that," he said, as she tried to wriggle her hips free of where he'd pinned her just above his own hip.

She was soft and fleshy, and—yeah, okay—he could see where that might have been a bad idea. Because now he knew exactly what certain parts of her felt like, and that was—bad?

No—Yes, definitely bad.

He shook himself slightly as the doors binged and opened up, revealing a blissfully empty elevator. He stepped inside, pulling Miroku in by his collar, and Sango followed Miroku in, still holding onto his arm.

"Inuyasha, put me down!"

"Nope, not 'til we get to our floor," he said reach for the button for the top floor.

"I got it!" Sango said, slapping his hand away, but failing in keeping her own balance and slamming her hands against the panel, illuminating more than two floors. "Sorry!" She apologized, giving a sheepish smile.

Letting out a low sigh, he rubbed the bridge of his nose as the elevator began to move.

"Put me down!"

"No, you'll fall," he said, hitching her up just a little higher on his hip.

"You're not my mama—" Kagome froze, her entire body tensing, and he loosened his grip just a bit, afraid that he'd somehow hurt her or squeezed her too tightly.

"Kag—" He started, but Kagome's howling laughter caught him so off guard that he nearly dropped her in his own shock.

"Mama-yasha!" She cackled, doubling herself over his arm. His ears flattened back as Sango started laughing too, repeating the phrase as it turned into a chant among the three of them.

"Mama-yasha!" The doors dinged and opened. "Mama-yasha." The doors closed after a moment. "Mama-yasha!"

It was only the third floor.

He had four more stops to go before the elevator reached his floor.

"Mama-yasha!"

The doors opened again.

"Mama-yasha!"

"Mama-yasha!"

The doors closed.

"Mama-yasha!"

"Mama-yasha!"

Great.

Now there was clapping involved.

Kagome had given up trying to fight him and was now actively leading the cheer.

"Mama-yasha!"

"Mama-yasha!"

"Mama-yasha!"

He suffered through two more stops of this, ears flattened against his head as the chanting was deafening in the small space, before their chant began to dissolve into off-kiltered giggling and snickering.

The elevator dinged for their final stop.

"Oh, thank fucking God," he mumbled, stepping out of the elevator, as Sango and Miroku stumbled into the hallway.

He set Kagome down on the floor, and she was already staggering into the wall before he could stop her.

"Shit! Geez, you okay?" He asked, helping her stand back on her own feet.

"Mama-yasha to the rescue!" She said, and he rolled his eyes.

"Sango, no!" He hissed, dragging Miroku away by his shirt collar and towards their shared room. "You!" He pointed to Miroku, and then to the door behind him. "Inside! Now!"

"But Inuyasha," Miroku whined, reaching out for Sango.

"No!" He hissed. "You are not hanky-panky-ing tonight! Just—I don't know—hold it until tomorrow!" Inuyasha turned back towards the girls, trying to corral them back towards their room.

"But I want Sango to hold it!" He whined.

"I deserve a fucking medal of honor for dealing with you three idiots," he grumbled, catching Sango as she stumbled in her heels. "Go inside, Miroku!"

There was a low whining-groaning sound that came from behind him, but the door eventually opened and shut, and Inuyasha sighed. One down, two to go.

He reached their door, and looked at them expectantly.

"Okay, go inside," he said, making a shooing motion at them. Sango fumbled the card a couple times, before Inuyasha grabbed it, swiped it through the reader, and pushed the door open, holding it for them as they stumbled inside.

Sango flopped on the bed, kicking her shoes off. He grabbed two glasses and filled them with water from the sink, and set them on the nightstand.

A bra hit the wall beside his head as both girls giggled and laughed behind him, and he stared at it for a moment longer than he should.

Did he—did he turn around?

Deciding that the answer 'no' was probably the safest one, he stared at the ground as he walked towards the nightstand closest to him.

"There's some water, just go to bed, okay?"

"Your jacket!" Kagome shouted, and he heard the familiar sound of wool shuffling and he blindly held out his hand for it.

She set it in his outstretched hand, but not before gripping his hair and forcing his head back enough so that she could firmly plant her lips against his cheek, making a loud smacking sound and leaving with a loud "mwah!"

"Good night, Inuyasha!" She giggled, letting go of him, and he ducked out of their room, shutting the door emphatically to make sure it locked before he slumped against it.

Fuck. Him.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath, before bringing his jacket to his nose and giving it a weak sniff.

Holy shit.

It smelled exactly like her and him, all rolled into one, and he might never dry clean that jacket again. He wondered briefly if there was a way to preserve it so that he could take it out and sniff it on occasion, because he'd go broke if they could make that smell into candles.

Okay, that was weird.

He knew it was weird.

It also didn't make him want it any less.

There was a loud thump from the room down the hall, specifically his room, and he growled, marching off to deal with his own resident weirdo.

A/N: So this chapter was initially attached to the previous, but when we broached 18K words, I decided to split it into something more manageable. But this chapter was one of my favorites because there were so many opportunities for Inuyasha and Kagome to interact outside of Miroku and Sango's supervision. I hope you guys enjoyed and as always, let me know what you think!