Author's Note
This chapter makes me giddy! :)
For those of you who have reviewed that you're looking forward to the InuKag parts of this story, this one's for you!
Please enjoy!
Lead Me Down the Garden Path
Eye Contact
It felt even muggier than the day before; but Kagome was ready.
She had woken in the morning with a serious determination. Finishing a pot of coffee before leaving to pick up Sango, she had adorned an old pair of beige cargo pants she hadn't worn in years but kept because she felt they were the perfect "painting pants". Lighter than the pants she wore yesterday, she felt this was a better outfit to allow her body to breath. She wore her hair up in a high ponytail and decided against wearing any makeup. Kagome didn't want to worry about leaving smudges in her foundation or mascara when she rubbed the sweat away from her face. She packed her personal cooler full of ice chips, ice packs, solid frozen bottles of water, and vegetables to snack on throughout the day. Donning a white racer-back tank top and her RTL pale blue work shirt, Kagome rolled the sleeves up to her shoulders and tucked the trundle of cloth underneath the strap of her sports bra to keep the material in place.
Kagome put on her SPF 60 before stepping out the door and rested her sunglasses on top of her head.
Feeling confident, she decided there would never be a repeat of yesterday.
Kagome felt the similar lurch of her stomach when the truck slowed to a stop in front of Sengoku Manor's intimidating gates. Her mind trailed back to the TV show the night before—the first time she had seen Inuyasha. A part of her wanted to know what it would be like to meet him in person. She had heard about him through Shippou, Kouga, and Sango, and then she had seen him put on a guise while on national TV. Kagome wanted to make her own judgement. Once Kagome and the rest of Kouga's team piled out of the truck, the rod iron gates swung open, and Kagome wondered how she could intentionally find and introduce herself to Inuyasha.
Kagome threw her cooler over her arm, grabbed her and Sango's work binder from the trunk and headed down Sengoku Manor's treed driveway with Sango at her side.
Halfway up the driveway, Kagome was glad she decided to pin back her bangs from her forehead. With the back of her hand, she wiped at the mild amount of sweat building up on the bridge of her nose. The action reinforced her decision not to wear makeup. She felt ready to work hard.
Even though she didn't put much effort into trying to look good this morning—she wanted to be practical—she had still noticed Kouga's eyes lingering when she and Sango sat themselves down in the boardroom for the morning briefing. Kagome was more modest than Sango and wouldn't challenge the looks she received as her friend would; however, that didn't mean Kagome didn't like the masculine attention.
She had had a steady boyfriend through university, but the relationship didn't end up going anywhere and they parted mutually. Since then, Kagome had dated here and there, but it was never anything serious. Other than seeing men for two or three dates, Kagome could maybe recall one casual relationship that lasted a month. Other than that, Kagome had been so focused on getting her life together she didn't prioritize dating.
Men found her, though. Sango wasn't the kind of person who preferred staying at home, meaning many of Kagome's Friday or Saturday nights were spent in the company of cocktails and bass-heavy music. Some of the guys who approached Kagome were very nice. Some weren't.
Kagome had been born with an energy about her that drew people to her. Her teachers had found her charismatic, and her classmates had always flocked to her. Kagome wouldn't have considered herself popular, but she wasn't unpopular by any means. While she attended secondary and then post-secondary school, Higurashi was a well-known surname.
It had been a while since Kagome last had an intimate relationship with a man, and she knew it too. Kagome was painfully aware that her eyes lingered more than usual when she found an attractive man in a crowd. She sometimes even found herself growing more bold than usual when her eyes made contact with a pair of blue or brown eyes; she indulged herself in that flirtatious game adults seemed to play of seeing who would look away first.
Unfortunately, Kagome's unspoken need seemed to be secreting itself in her attentions and behaviours. Amusedly, she would slowly and more dramatically roll her hips when she walked, knowing Kouga was looking. That morning during the briefing, she allowed herself to meet his curious eye while he spoke. She offered him a small smile in return, a smile that said I see you looking.
Kagome wasn't one to act on those playful exchanges. She was the kind of girl who enjoyed the chase more than anything else. Kagome wouldn't admit it, but she liked to be pursued. She almost craved it, and nine times out of ten, her casual relationships ended once she allowed herself to be caught and the thrill was over.
The morning air was thick as the two girls put down their things once they arrived at their workstation on the west side of the house. Kagome was grateful that their work would commence in the grand house's shadow; however, she knew it would be short lived.
Once Kagome opened Kouga's binder and she and Sango discussed the best approach to begin their work, they got to it. Kouga had told the girls he would stop by in the late morning to confer with the girls about their work, and Kagome wanted to make sure she put every bit of effort into proving that she could do this job. She wanted Kouga to know that Kagome Higurashi was a damn good worker.
As Kagome started taking the tools she needed from the tool-belt, she felt somewhat flustered in memory of how she had goaded Kouga's looks this morning. Knowing that he would be coming by in a few hours, Kagome rolled her eyes at herself. Flaunting her sexuality in her boss's general direction was a terrible idea.
Seeing Kagome somewhat lost to herself—a flush on her cheeks—Sango knowingly smirked, and opened her mouth to comment on Kouga's glances at Kagome. A fiercer blush rising up across Kagome's cheeks, she tried to deny noticing anything, but Sango knew better.
The morning saw the girls finish part one of their project. Sango continued tilling the soil as Kouga's plans instructed, and Kagome completed the first tier of the garden bed. The next step on the plan was to design the decorative border made of rocks that would encase the floral display. Shippou's words from the previous day reminding Kagome that Inuyasha did not permit the work truck on his property, the girls knew they had a long sweaty day ahead of them. They would have to grab the rocks from the truck's flatbed and manually carry them to their worksite.
As he had promised, Kouga came to inspect the work the girls had done thus far and commended them both, saying they kept to the plans very well. He escorted them back to the truck and Kagome watched her friend intentionally shift herself to allow Kagome to walk beside Kouga, rather than walk between them. Kagome narrowed her eyes at her friend, not wanting this behaviour between her and her boss to be encouraged. Sango responded to the look with a mischievous grin.
Despite the tedious work of walking the fifteen minutes to the truck, trailing an armful of rocks back to their garden, and then returning to the truck, Kagome actually preferred this work to the constant bending over from the day before.
Upon their second visit to the truck, the girls ran into Kouga, and he specifically asked Kagome how she was doing.
"I'm still feeling fine," she laughed. "But thanks for asking, Kouga."
"If you need anything Kagome," he said, unhooking a walkie-talkie from his belt, "please use this. General communication between the team is channel three, but if you need me exclusively, turn this knob here to channel two. 'Kay?"
Kagome took the radio from Kouga's hand—trying to ignore the looks she received from Sango—and blushed slightly at feeling his fingers graze hers. She knew it was wrong, but she rather liked the specialized attention she received from him. To her, it almost felt like being the teacher's favourite. Except, Kagome was mature enough to watch his eyes dip downwards to glimpse her breasts when they spoke, or feel his eyes on her backside as she walked away.
"It's so inappropriate," Kagome grunted as she and Sango headed back to their site with armfuls of rocks. "I mean, he's the boss for God's sake. He should know better. I should know better!"
Sango chuckled and shifted the weight in her arms. "He's a guy, Kagome. And you're kind of a babe, so can you blame him?"
Kagome scoffed at the comment.
"Are you saying you don't like the attention?" Sango challenged raising a knowing eyebrow.
Kagome grunted as she dropped the rocks in her grasp onto the small pile she and Sango had started. "I didn't say that," she responded with a blush.
A sound above her head stole her attention and Kagome looked up. White curtains occasionally peaked outside of an opened window from the suction of the wind, and Kagome turned her sights away. Someone probably just opened a window to help with the airflow in the house.
"He's not awful looking…" Sango offered, her eyes curiously planted on her friend's face.
"Who is?"
Sango smiled. "Kouga."
Kagome laughed and shook her head. "Oh god, Sango, please don't encourage this. It's been too long since I've been with someone that I don't need the enticement. Besides, he's our boss. I'm not gonna go there."
The girls turned around to walk back to the truck. Walking beside her friend, Sango smirked, focusing her sights on Kagome's last comment. "When was the last time you went on a date, Kagome?"
"Not recently," she laughed, putting a thoughtful hand to her chin. "A month maybe? Longer? I'm honestly unsure. I was so distracted when news got out that the school might be closing. And then the stress of being laid off? Putting effort into dealing with guys just seemed like the furthest thing from my mind."
"Well, you have to admit that Kouga's convenient at least."
Kagome laughed and gave her a friend a look that said 'don't even go there.'
Sango sniggered and brushed her hands off on her pants. "Okay, but seriously though," her eyes narrowed, "when was the last time you slept with a guy?"
Kagome's eyes widened and she sighed, turning her eyes modestly away from her friend. "Definitely not recently," she shrugged with a slight laugh.
"Too distracted by the job loss?"
Kagome sighed, "It's not just that. I dunno. Being single means having to play games. I don't like starting from scratch every time. It's just so much hassle. Plus, they're not actually interested in me, just what's between my legs. It just makes the appeal of meeting new people kinda…I dunno, lacklustre. Don't you think, Sango?"
"Starting over every time with someone new is what makes being single so exciting, Kagome," Sango replied with a kind smile. "It's that newness and that excitement that makes people in relationships want out of them. You never know what you're gonna get."
Sango's smile grew. "I'll agree that it sucks when you meet a guy who's a total pervert and you want nothing to do with him. But it can be exhilarating when you meet someone who is attractive and is a kind of lover you've never had before."
Kagome smirked at her friend, but then frowned. "I suppose that's true. But it seems more like a pain in my ass."
Sango smiled, "Well, Kouga clearly likes you. I mean, he basically undresses you with his eyes every time you're around him. Maybe he'll ask you out. That could be simple enough for you. Plus, he is pretty good looking."
Kagome snorted, "I really don't think that's a good idea. Having a fling with the boss? That's so not right."
"So? It doesn't need to get dramatic. You guys set the terms, whether that's just sex or whatever, and there's no need for it to get blown out of proportion. It's when feelings get involved that the whole thing turns to shit.
"Besides," Sango followed up, "You told me you think he's good looking."
Kagome laughed, "That doesn't mean I want to jump into the sack with the guy. Besides, why are we even on this subject anyway?
Sango laughed, "Because this morning you complained that he eye-bangs you, even though I think you kinda like it. And I think you're super horny."
Kagome struggled to hold back a giggle and conjoined her hands behind her head as she walked. "Horny or not, it's not gonna happen. Not with Kouga, at least. Besides, Sango, I think there's something going on between him and Ayame. And she kinda freaks me out to be honest."
Seeing Shippou at the truck, the girls hit pause on their conversation while they gathered up more rocks. Once they gathered another armful and passed through the gates, Sango picked up where they had left off.
"Ayame freaks you out?" she laughed, "Why?"
"Do you not see how she looks at me sometimes?" Kagome questioned with raised eyebrows, "I mean, I've seen resting bitch face before, Sango. But she clearly does not like me very much. Maybe she sees how Kouga looks at me. I don't know. But I don't like it. I want nothing to do with that whole situation."
"You think she's claimed dibs?"
Kagome shrugged best she could with the weight in her arms. She took a tired and somewhat laboured breath as she adjusted her hold on the rocks.
"Either that," Kagome said thoughtfully, "Or the two of them are already…you know."
"You don't want to get in the middle of a love triangle?" Sango goaded.
Kagome nodded her head. "I'll stay far away from that mess, thank you very much."
Sango sighed an 'oh well,' and the girls continued walking.
"When was the last time you went on a date with a guy?" Kagome asked, eager to change the subject from herself.
Sango thought for a moment. "Last weekend I think?"
"What? When? I saw you on Saturday."
"It was a brunch thing."
Kagome smirked. "Food brunch or sex brunch?"
Sango returned Kagome's eye with a playful grin, "A little bit of a column A…a lot of column B."
"Oh my god, you're so bad!" Kagome laughed.
Sango laughed aloud and dropped the rocks from her arms. "Women have needs too, Kagome. I'm genuinely shocked you haven't seen anyone for a while. Your showerhead can only do so much."
Kagome's face became a bright red and she looked away from Sango. "This is so not a safe for work conversation, Sango."
Sango chuckled and opened the cooler to grab a bottle of water for herself and Kagome.
"But, it's not that I'm not interested in seeing anyone," Kagome sighed pensively. "I've just been so distracted and stressed lately. Finding someone who's decent just seems like so much work."
"Sex is good for stress," Sango offered.
"But finding the sex is stressful," Kagome challenged, seating herself down on the ground.
Sango laughed, "I guess that's what makes the sex so stress-relieving."
The sound of laughter bellowing from around the edge of the house caused both girls to turn their heads in its direction.
"Someone's having a good time."
Kagome watched as Sango stood up, brushed off her purple leggings, and headed towards the backyard.
"Sango!" Kagome whispered, "What are you doing?"
"I want to see who it is."
"We should really get back to work," Kagome replied nervously.
"Yeah, we will in a second, Kagome. I just want to see who it is. Aren't you curious to see if it's Inuyasha?"
The image of Inuyasha in his red suit sitting on the white couch beside his brother jumped before Kagome's eyes. She bit her bottom lip, deciding that her curiosity too was now piqued. She was interested in meeting Inuyasha after all…Kagome gripped her hands into fists anxiously before following in Sango's footsteps. Kagome couldn't help but look over her shoulder in anticipation of seeing someone watching her. She expected to hear Kouga's voice, any minute, telling the girls off for not working.
When they reached the corner of the house, they both strained their ears, eager to hear any sign of who was outside. Sango turned, wanting to say something to Kagome.
However, she hadn't anticipate Miroku coming around the side of the house just then. Her body ran right into his.
45 minutes earlier
Inuyasha couldn't focus.
Every two seconds he kept hearing those two girls giggling at god knows what and it was driving him crazy. How the hell was he supposed to focus when this annoying tittering was drifting through the third storey window of his office?
Those stupid girls should be working. What the hell is so funny out there, anyway?
Inuyasha approached the window and moved the curtains away with the back of his hand. His eyes surveyed the scene before him: the girls' drinking water, a small pile of rocks. He was able to get a rough understanding of what was going on.
The girl who had fainted yesterday stood with her back facing him, and his eyes narrowed in on her curiously. She hadn't been awake those few seconds on his patio when he confronted her friend. However, ever since Miroku made the comparison between that Kagome girl and his ex-girlfriend, a seed had been planted.
Relying on an insignificant and fleeting memory of what she looked like, he wanted to take a look at her again. He wanted to see for himself with a calculated eye whether she was really all that similar to Kikyou.
Hearing the girls relinquish to another burst of giggles, Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Then he opened the window.
Kagome had responded right away and looked up in his direction. He swore under his breath and hid himself behind the wall. A warm summer breeze grabbed at the curtains and pulled them outside the window. When the breeze died down he watched them fall loosely to either side of the open frame.
Inuyasha told himself off for hiding. This was his fucking house. Why the hell should he have to hide? If he wanted to open a window, he would open a window. If he wanted to look outside, he would look outside.
"I have every right to open my god damned windows," he verified gruffly, rolling his shoulder. Then he inched closer to the window, eager to hear what was just so damn funny.
"He's not awful looking…" the brown-haired girl said.
"Who is?"
Are they talking about me?
"Kouga."
Who the fuck is Kouga?
Kagome laughed and shook her head. "Oh god, Sango, please don't encourage this. It's been too long since I've been with someone that I don't need the enticement. Besides, he's our boss. I'm not gonna go there."
Inuyasha felt a 'hmm' growl in his throat.
Her voice was pleasant enough, and Inuyasha couldn't prevent the small smile that curved from his lips when he listened to her laugh. It was so pleasing to his ear it was almost contagious.
His memory landed on the name 'Kouga' and the smile immediately erased itself from his face.
That Kagome girl has the hots for her boss?
Having never technically met this Kagome girl he had absolutely no reason to have an interest in the subject. Yet, for some bizarre reason he couldn't even try to explain, the thought of her wanting to hook up with her boss annoyed him.
He watched the girls walk away from their garden site, his eyes lingering on Kagome's ponytail swaying like a pendulum behind her.
"My, my, my, enjoying a little sightseeing are we?"
Inuyasha jumped in response to Miroku's appearance behind him and banged his head against the open windowpane.
Spinning on his heel, rubbing his pained scalp, he growled and clenched his other fist in Miroku's direction. "What the fuck, Miroku!? Sneaking up on me like that. I should kill you."
Miroku laughed and casually waved away Inuyasha's comment. Approaching the window, Miroku saw the two girls walking away and he turned a devious eye to his employer.
"Is this a new hobby of yours?"
"Feh, fuck that. They were being so fucking loud I couldn't concentrate. I was gonna open the window to tell them to keep it down when you snuck up on me."
Miroku raised a sceptical eyebrow but didn't respond. Turning to look over his shoulder, Miroku pieced together that Inuyasha had been on his computer. His three monitors were on, each of them with a different news article identifying the release of three members of The Band of Seven.
"It's bothering you still," Miroku said. It was a statement, not a question.
Inuyasha turned to see what had drawn Miroku's attention and then cursed and turned away from him. "Of course it fucking bothers me," he growled. "Why wasn't I told about it?"
"Well, it was breaking news," Miroku consoled, approaching the monitors with his hands behind his back. "Molly's sources were the first to discover it. Would you believe it's been a trending topic since it was discovered last night? Apparently your PR is through the roof."
Inuyasha cursed again and turned off the monitors. "I couldn't give two shits about that," he snarled.
His eyes lingered on the blank screen, rage curdling in his stomach. "And just who the fuck does she think she is?" Inuyasha growled, reliving the interview with Molly.
It was supposed to have been about Sesshoumaru, but the second one of the executive producers caught wind that Inuyasha was in town, they had called Miroku, begging for Inuyasha to be on the show.
Initially planning for Inuyasha to make a cameo during the opening credits—he and Sesshoumaru needed some positive PR—it had come as a surprise that Molly wanted Inuyasha actually on her show. Miroku had told the producer that Inuyasha would make an appearance so long as Miroku could approve Molly's questions beforehand.
Much to Inuyasha's chagrin, many of the questions he had been asked weren't included on that debriefing sent to Miroku.
"Blindsiding me with those fucking questions about Kikyou," Inuyasha continued to grumble. "And then that shit with the band? That fucking bitch."
"Calm down, Inuyasha," Miroku cautioned. "Molly's known to be a bit erratic. We should have expected this from her. You handled it well enough."
"I should have been fucking told those assholes are getting out early. I shouldn't have found out by Molly fucking Woo."
Miroku opened his mouth to respond when the sound of laughter and female voices captured both his and Inuyasha's attention. Miroku sidestepped toward the window to observe Sango and Kagome dropping rocks from their arms.
"Women have needs too, Kagome. I'm genuinely shocked you haven't seen anyone for a while. Your showerhead can only do so much."
Miroku raised an intrigued and amused eyebrow.
Inuyasha walked up to the window and focused his sights on Kagome. She was facing the window now and he could make out her features perfectly. Her face was engulfed by a blush and she looked away modestly from her friend.
"This is so not a safe for work conversation, Sango."
"How interesting," Miroku crooned.
Without a word more, Inuyasha watched him dash out of the room.
"What the hell are you scheming, you pervert?" Inuyasha demanded, walking briskly into the hall and down the elaborate staircase to the first floor of the house.
Inuyasha found Miroku in the kitchen, gathering a serving tray from the cupboard and a pitcher with four glasses.
"What are you doing, Miroku?" Inuyasha questioned, leaning against the kitchen's doorframe with his arms crossed.
"It's a great opportunity to talk to those girls. Besides, Kagome was fainted yesterday. I want to make a better acquaintance."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, I'm going to go out there, say hello, and offer those girls some refreshment. It's so unbearably warm for this time of day. I will be a hospitable host."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "It's not your fucking house, host."
Miroku gathered the tray in his hands once he filled the pitcher with lemonade. "Then perhaps you should accompany me. After all, it's not like you have the best track record with those landscaping people."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Well, maybe that douchebag owner shouldn't hire such incompetent idiots."
Miroku groaned. "You made a girl cry for being short, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha widened his eyes defensively. "She was hired to trim trees, Miroku. Trees! And she's fucking three feet tall. How the fuck does that make any sense?"
Miroku sighed and shook his head at Inuyasha. "I recommend you come with me. You were a bit tense with Sango yesterday. I think—"
"Feh," Inuyasha interrupted, "Not happening."
Inuyasha watched Miroku shrug his shoulders and then struggle to open the French doors. Intensifying the grip on his arms across his chest, Inuyasha rolled his eyes at seeing the two doors fly open and Miroku step onto the patio's wooden deck.
"They'll know you were spying, you idiot," Inuyasha cursed, watching Miroku walk away.
Miroku stopped and turned toward Inuyasha. "Then perhaps I shall tell them that I wasn't alone. After all," he cooed, "I wasn't the instigator."
"You son-of-a-bitch!"
A laugh escaped Miroku's throat as he scurried away from Inuyasha, who had lunged at Miroku in response. Planting his feet on the edge of the deck, an annoyed Inuyasha watched Miroku dash towards the corner of the house.
At the sound of a feminine shout and glass breaking, Inuyasha rushed to where he had seen Miroku disappear.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" an infuriated female voice cursed.
Inuyasha came to a stop to see both Miroku and the girl named Sango on their backs on the ground. Inuyasha didn't know what had led to this collision, but he understood enough that Miroku and Sango had both been coming around the corner at the same time and crashed into each other. The tray had flown from Miroku's hand upon impact and unfortunately, while in flight, the pitcher spilled and covered Sango in lemonade.
"Are you okay, Sango?"
Inuyasha watched Kagome reach towards her friend with widened, worried eyes.
"I'm terribly sorry, Sango," Miroku sputtered as he got to his knees. He outstretched his hand towards Sango to help her up but she slapped his hand away.
"Oh god, I'm so sticky," Sango cried, standing to her feet and shaking the dribbles of yellow liquid from her fingertips. She then turned enraged eyes towards Miroku.
Despite the confrontation between Sango and Miroku, Inuyasha's eyes lingered on Kagome. He watched her eyes bounce back and forth between the arguing pair and saw the smile inching from her lips in response to the scene.
As he was going to turn away, he felt her eyes turn to him, and he stopped. He looked over his shoulder at her and their eyes met. Seeing her this close for the first time, his eyes skirted over her features, taking in her button nose, wide brown eyes and full lips.
He understood what Miroku had meant: there was something about her similar to Kikyou. But Kagome held herself with a different air than Kikyou, who typically came off as cold and conceited. Kagome's presence was warm and welcoming. Despite this being their first meeting, Inuyasha didn't feel any discomfort having her in his presence.
When his eyes finished scouring her face, he greeted her eye contact once more. Her glance had changed somewhat. Her lips upturned slightly into a playful smile, Inuyasha was intrigued. Who was this stubborn woman making eyes at him like this?
He felt a smirk rise from the corner of his own lips. Kagome hadn't moved her eyes away from his. He happily accepted the challenge. He tapered his glance with a slight furrow of his brow. Their eyes danced as his eyes darted back and forth to examine each of her eyes and vice versa. She smiled at him then.
Inuyasha felt puzzled. He couldn't read her expression.
Voices like ghosts floated through his head, reminding him of the sexual conversation she had been having with her friend when he first saw her. The reminder of her acknowledgement of sexual need and the comment about showerheads and masturbation left him curious. These thoughts in his head caused his sly smirk to transition into a full, tooth-bearing grin. A laugh snuck out between his teeth.
Finally, as if her sense got the better of her, her challenging look retreated. With widened eyes, she looked down at her hands and gripped the hem of her shirt. Inuyasha watched her cheeks become overtaken by a flush of pink.
Pleased with the reaction she gave him, Inuyasha turned to head back into the house. The humidity causing the small of his back to begin to sweat, he decided to retreat for his afternoon swim.
He was fascinated. A woman had never kept his eye like that before, challenged him like that before.
He looked forward to it happening again.
Author's Note
The InuKag developments begin! The next chapter is well underway.
I love reading your thoughts. Thanks so much to all of you who have been reviewing. Want to leave more? I won't complain! XD