Chapter 5

It really shouldn't have surprised Kagome, how many ways inebriated adults could spin Most likely to have sex into a variety of different and arguably creative options. It also shouldn't have surprised her, how many of those times Miroku had the most fingers pointed at him. From how often Sango collaborated with the guy for social committee, and complained about him to Kagome, Kagome knew Miroku had wandering, itchy fingers and a reputation that could probably make a nun blush herself to death.

Every turn Miroku won, Kagome's eyes sought out Sango. She'd never seen her best friend so red.

When a lizard demon gym bro shouted into the microphone with ear-piercing enthusiasm, "Most likely to sixty-nine tonight," and those lewdly pansophical fingers pointed to Miroku—including his own, much to Sango's horror—it didn't take an ace detective to notice Sango inching away from the man. To be fair, sixty-nine was one of the tamer turns Miroku had won, so Kagome couldn't help huffing a laugh along with everybody else. She decided she could be both amused by the tomfoolery and empathetic to her friend's embarrassment.

A boyish smile and coy shrug directed at Sango seemed to have everybody else looking at her too. The sudden attention had Sango's fingers clawing at the sash of her dress. She took a few more shuffling side-steps away and was now closer to the bar than she was Miroku. As the Victorious Pervert finished the rest of his drink to a roar of cheers, Sango was blushing and doing her best to avoid eye contact with everyone, Kagome included.

Inuyasha was a large presence, scoffing commentary, and wealth of heat beside Kagome. The game had been a good distraction from how things escalated between them on the dancefloor. It was one thing to make out with Inuyasha in public, but...whatever the hell that had been? Yep, she needed to cool down or she was going to become very forward very fast.

But she couldn't stop thinking about what happened on the dancefloor. Had Inuyasha changed his mind? Was he into Kagome like that? He had to be. Men don't just suck a woman's finger into their mouths platonically and then put on a little show with their tongues like guess what I can do and where I'd like to do it?

And Kagome didn't even want to get started on Inuyasha's tongue. Between the kiss and...that, she definitely wanted—

Nope! Cool thoughts only, she internally shrieked.

If only the backs of their hands would stop brushing, and she could stop catching the sandalwood notes of his cologne, and the topic could, for once, not be sexual.

Nothing seemed to help her cool down. In fact, Kagome bemoaned how the universe seemed to want her rabid for Inuyasha given the persistent tension between them. Feeling hot and bothered was now Kagome's perpetual existence, apparently. Because all this talk about sixty-nining had her recalling the way his tongue flicked her finger, his hipbones jutting into her, and how thick his—

The crowd erupted with laughter and Kagome joined in. She laid it on thick to force her brain away from its most recent trajectory. Inuyasha looked at her like she was insane, which, yeah, she had to agree. She was laughing maniacally like a kid's bloody cartoon villain.

Kagome, blushing, cleared her throat and turned away when he smirked at her. His eyes had a glint of amused knowing that made her want to smack him right in his stupid, handsome face.

The first round ended and Miroku was in the lead. Sango stormed off to the bar to use her last drink ticket and Kagome ran to catch up with her.

"I hate the north club," Sango cried after she side-stepped between two large demons to stand at the bar. "I swear to God they're just a bunch of perverted, juvenile dude bros with tiny penises who take Viagra competitively to see who can sustain the longest boner out of the group!"

"They...they do that?"

Sango growled. "Probably!" She flung her arms out to the side, accidentally hitting the seven feet of muscle beside her. "God, I hate all of them. North branch is the worst!"

"Sango..." Kagome smiled knowingly at her childhood friend. "You seem...upset."

The brunette snorted. "That's putting it mildly."

When the bartender approached, Sango ordered a rum and coke for herself and a whiskey ginger for Kagome without even asking her friend if she'd like another. If Sango was drinking, apparently Kagome would be too. Female solidarity and all that.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, squeezing herself in beside her friend.

The brunette didn't answer until their drinks had been made, paid for, and she'd taken a gulp that had her surfacing with a gasp of air. "I like that idiotic pervert, Kagome. Don't ask me why, don't ask me what the hell I'm thinking, but I freaking like the guy who was voted most likely to perform four different sex acts tonight. Why is he known for that shit? What does that say about me?"

Kagome thought about that for a second while she sampled her drink. "That you like good sex?"

Sango cast Kagome a disparaging look over her shoulder that had Kagome biting her lip to hold in her laughter. "Sango, it's a game, and guys are idiots. Just add pretty ladies and alcohol and obviously it's going to turn debaucherous."

"It's embarrassing."

"What is?"

"People associating all this sexy stuff with Miroku and seeing me around him basically all night. They're gonna assume he and I are gonna get up to—" She paused to flush— "all that stuff."

"So?"

"So? Kagome! I don't want people thinking I'm going to be sixty-nining tonight! Especially not with Miroku!"

"Because doing that sort of thing with Miroku sounds...bad?"

"What? No! Not at all," she admitted, her face a bright blush. "He has a reputation, Kagome, and I don't want to be the millionth customer, you know? It'd be nice if he just liked me back and we could fly under everybody's radar."

Kagome squeezed her friend's hand and took a sip of her drink. "Who cares what other people think?" she said with an affectionate smile. "If you like him, and he likes you—which he obviously does—that's all that matters, Sango. I'm sure if you talked to him about this, he would—"

Sango scoffed and Kagome decided to drop it.

Feeling a little envious that her friend had an obvious-and-not-remotely-mercurial male admirer, Kagome muttered into her straw, "I'd rather the guy I like make an ass of himself because he likes me back than deal with broody rudeness and a shit-ton of wishy-washiness."

Sango seemed to let that comment soak before she hesitantly asked, "Are things with you and Inuyasha...okay? You were in a bit of a weird place after that kiss..."

Yeah, because it was perfect, and painfully public for how sexy it was, and I'm in agony over how much I want it to happen again.

Kagome leaned her head from side to side. "I think so?"

Sango narrowed her eyes with skepticism and curiosity. She clearly didn't believe Kagome's affirmative question-as-an-answer. "What's going on with you two?" She stirred her drink with the straw, causing the ice cubes to clink and chatter. Kagome found it very distracting.

She washed Sango's question down with another gulp. "I'm not sure."

"You like him?"

Kagome blushed. Her head was slow to nod. "Yeah, I do."

"And he obviously likes you."

Kagome's head snapped up at that. "You really think so?"

"Kagome, he's not the least bit subtle," Sango replied affectionately. "I think you overwhelm him and his brain's short-circuiting."

Kagome leaned against the bar. "If he does like me, he has a funny way of showing it."

"He not only wanted a kiss from you, but he wanted you to leave with him. What else would he want from those two things?"

Kagome shrugged then took a mopey sip of her drink. "He's forward then backs off. He's touching me and being really sweet and then he's keeping his distance again. I just don't understand—"

"Have you told him you like him?"

"What?" Kagome stared at Sango like she didn't understand the question.

Sango repeated herself, her lips upturned with a wry grin. "I wouldn't be surprised if his aloofness and distance is a self-conscious, egotistical male thing. If you told him you like him, he'd probably be less wishy-washy."

Kagome chewed the inside of her cheek. "Have you ever met a demon who was hesitant to become intimate with a human?"

"I mean, I know there are demons who consider fraternizing with humans like that beneath them, but I can't imagine that's the case for Inuyasha, Kagome." Sango cocked her head. "You think he's attracted to you but feels weird about it 'cause you're human and he's not?"

Kagome pouted. "He's half-human, too. You'd think it wouldn't weird him out so much to be with a human woman," she grumbled.

Sango stared at Kagome for a few seconds before she said, "What's really bothering you, Kagome? I know you've been with demons before and you haven't been like this—" She gestured a hand at her friend. "What is it about Inuyasha that's got to you?"

Kagome chewed her bottom lip. "Your family was around when humans and demons signed that peace treaty or whatever, right? Like your ancestry goes way back with demons."

Sango furrowed her brow. Clearly Kagome's impromptu question through her off. "Ye-yeah. My ancestors were one of the founding Treaty families, the humans who drafted and signed the Declaration of Peace with demons—which I've always found comical, given the original Taijiyas were demon slayers for hire. For the sake of a more amenable future, they signed away their occupation to try their hand at farming." She huffed a laugh then sipped her drink. "But why do you ask, Kagome?"

"That means you'd be an expert on demons, yeah?"

"Maybe not an expert, but Kohaku and I were raised with a good understanding of our family's history, which includes quite a bit about demonkind. I suppose I know more than your average human about them. Why?" she asked again, her eyes narrowing.

Kagome flushed, her heart escalating up her throat. "What do you know about hanyous?"

Sango's expression mellowed out, like she knew Kagome's questions were leading them to talk about Inuyasha. "They're...complicated."

"Complicated?"

Sango nodded. "Half-demons tend to be treated as second-class citizens. At one time, demons considered humans beneath them and I think there's still some of that stigma and discrimination in demon culture, even if they may not be blunt about it. It's just like how racism is still rampant amongst humans despite all the civil rights work that's happened throughout history. Hate just seems to linger for some no matter how much the future treads forward." Sango paused to sip her drink. "I understand many full bloods see hanyous as shameful, and humans can be dumb and scared of what's unfamiliar to us. Half-demons are this in between. They occupy a grey space in a world that prefers things black and white. Remember when mainstream androgyny became a thing and people lost their fucking minds? It's like that for hanyous...but I can imagine it's worse. There are a lot of injustices that still happen today. That's why there's a specific branch of civil law that specifically deals with hanyous, which I only know about because that's what Kohaku is studying in school."

Sango smiled gently at Kagome. "I understand a lot of hanyous tend to keep to themselves. They used to be social pariahs back in the day, and it could be better in the present day, but I'm not a hanyou so it's not my place to claim if things are in fact better or not. From what I understand, it can be a hard, lonely life."

Sango paused to finish the last of her drink, eyeing Kagome. "If you're interested in his heritage, Kagome, you couldn't have asked Inuyasha? Seeing the way he looks at you, I can't imagine he wouldn't be open to telling you about himself."

Kagome made a face. "Then you don't know him very well," she muttered under her breath. Then, "He looks our age, doesn't he? Definitely more human than demon, other than his ears. He told me he's one hundred and twenty-nine. I'm guessing hanyous age slower than humans but not as slowly as full blooded demons?"

Sango nodded. "I think I remember something about a ten to one or fifteen to one ratio. For every year a human grows older, a hanyou takes about ten or fifteen. I recall learning that where humans celebrate age annually, hanyous celebrate decades. Full bloods, I think have semicentennial celebrations. So, half-demons are not necessarily as immortal as full bloods but—"

"But that's still a long time," Kagome said. Which meant Inuyasha probably looked similar as he does now when Kagome was born. That was a fact that made her stomach swirl and she took a swig of her beverage to soothe the weird sensation.

Learning that hanyous celebrate their birthday decennially had Kagome focusing on the fact Inuyasha would be celebrating his one hundred and thirtieth year. It made her want to...plan something for him. She wanted to celebrate with him.

That had her feeling weirder than thinking about their age gap. She'd only known him for like...a hot minute.

"What about mates?"

Sango had been casting her eyes about the room, but her gaze snapped to Kagome as soon as she heard the M-word. "Mates?"

Kagome blushed. "Do...do hanyous have them?"

"They do," Sango confirmed, which had Kagome's pulse pounding in her ears. "Mating has to do with demon blood. So, if any creature has demon blood in their veins, they'll have a mate. That includes if a hanyou has children and grandchildren and so on until the demon blood is bred out." Sango smiled at her friend knowingly. "Is there a reason you're asking, Kagome?"

Kagome blushed. "Has anyone in your family ever told you about...how it feels as a human to be mated to a demon? Because demons just...know, right?"

Sango nodded again. "They do. It's basic biology to them that they don't even have to think about. Kinda like how for humans our brains communicate with different parts of our body to know when we're hungry or tired. Demon blood can recognize the blood of its mate." She smiled, sitting down on the stool next to her as soon as the previous occupant vacated it. "It's a bit more complicated for humans because our blood doesn't exactly speak to us in the same way demon blood speaks to demons."

Kagome wasn't ignorant about demons but she'd never heard it phrased before that they communicated with their blood of all things.

"You always were a Demon Mate kinda girl, weren't you?" Sango asked rhetorically with a loving smirk. "'Cause you liked the allure of a fantastical bond rather than settling for some plain ol' human man." Kagome rolled her eyes and Sango laughed at the way her transparent friend's cheeks turned pink. "I'm guessing that means you read the Tale of Midoriko when you were little?"

"Obviously and obsessively," Kagome snorted. "It was only my favourite fairytale as a kid. Commonplace human woman who makes jewelry for a living is whisked off her feet by a demon suitor who turns out to be the mate to her soul and they live happily ever after? Sounds great to me."

Sango laughed. "Do you remember how Midoriko knew she was mated to the Demon Prince who came for her?"

The nursery rhyme came shooting from Kagome's mouth without a hitch in her breath. "A bond so bright it would light up the night. A sight so true, Midoriko knew. A world in his eyes, the heart never lies. A twinge in her skin, to let the demon blood in."

Sango laughed brightly. "You seriously have a kid's fairytale memorized?"

"I told you I loved it," Kagome said, the pink in her cheeks deepening.

Sango grinned brightly, patting the back of her friend's hand. "You already have your answer then, about how to tell if you're Inuyasha's mate. You didn't need me to tell you."

Kagome found it hard to keep Sango's gaze. "But...that's just a kid's—"

"It's the first time the human side of the mating bond was recorded. Yes, it might just be a kid's story, but there's truth to it, apparently. Not that I'd know—I was always into the Prince Charming side of things. I think coming from a line of former demon slayers doesn't really make me a great mate for a demon."

Kagome chuckled at that, finishing the last of her drink with a noisy slurp as air entered her straw.

"I know I've teased you, Kagome," Sango started saying with a softer tone, "but, do you actually think you and Inuyasha could really be...?"

The unspoken word hung between them and Kagome nodded, her stomach swirling with hopefulness. "I feel a connection to him," she answered in a whisper, which had Sango leaning in to her. Kagome knew Inuyasha had better hearing than most. She didn't dare talk in her normal tone for fear he'd hear her now. "A bond that had me instantly drawn to him, like I felt relieved to have found him. We keep staring at each other. It's like he friggin' dissects me with his gaze, like he can see all the way through me." Kagome blushed. "His stare feels warm, protective. I don't know how to explain it," she concluded, turning her eyes low.

"Sounds lovely," Sango whispered back, her breath warm on Kagome's bangs.

"It is," she sighed, her eyes meeting her friend's briefly. "I've also felt it, Sango, that twinge in her skin. Ever since I saw him, if I ever go too long without looking at him, or if I seem to stray too far from him, I get this shiver that takes over my entire body. It's happened twice tonight. Both times, it goes away as soon as I'm near him again or as soon as I see him again."

"Demons don't like to be separated from their mates," Sango said in answer. "It's why they bind their lifeforces together, so they can ensure they'll stay together and die together."

"Which seems a little macabre," Kagome scoffed with a sarcastic exhale.

Sango shrugged. "Demons are their own race, Kagome. Super different from humans. We've learned a lot from them and they've learned a lot from us." She smiled, sliding off the stool. "It's weird to think there used to be a time hundreds and thousands of years ago when humans and demons didn't live together like they do. We domesticated each other," she laughed.

Kagome smiled, looping arms with her best friend as Sango began to lead them away from the bar. "Are you feeling any better, Sango?"

The brunette sighed. "I'm still annoyed that I have feelings for a womanizing pervert, but yes, I've been pleasantly distracted these past few minutes. I feel like I've been swept up vicariously in a fairytale love story."

Kagome snorted with a roll of her eyes. "I'd say you're welcome, but we don't know for a fact it's true."

Sango paused, drawing Kagome to a standstill. She stared down at Kagome with wide eyes and knit brows. "But, you literally just told me you've been able to check all the boxes about it? How could it not be true?"

Kagome shrugged. "He hasn't said anything about it, and he hasn't exactly acted like it either. Is it possible he wouldn't know—?"

"He has demon blood, Kagome," Sango cut in, "he'd know. He probably knew before you did, if what you've felt really does make the two of you—"

"Don't say it," Kagome interrupted, waving her hands. "I don't want him eavesdropping that we are—"

"Ladies! We wondered where you two beautiful flowers scurried off to."

Kagome turned to see Miroku approach them with his arms spread wide, Inuyasha close behind him. She offered the hanyou a small, blushing smile when he extended a hand to her with a glass of water. She made a small sound of gratitude before accepting the glass with both hands.

"Should I be concerned, Miroku," Sango scoffed in greeting, "that you seem to have this reputation in the north branch for all this perverted behaviour?"

Miroku guffawed brightly, his palm on the small of Sango's back as they walked side-by-side. Inuyasha and Kagome brought up the rear, each of them flushing and not looking at the other. There was at least a foot between their shoulders.

"I'll admit to being somewhat of a hooligan in my twenties, Sango, and the boys at the gym do seem to enjoy the tales from my younger years. I assure you, though, I hit thirty and—"

"You're still fulla shit," Inuyasha mumbled with dark humour, which had Kagome elbowing him in the side.

Miroku chortled and offered Sango a toothy grin when she didn't look convinced. "Fear not, my dearest Sango. If I am to engage in any of those activities that I've been nominated to complete, it would only be with you. I would be most content to give you my heart, Sango, which must make you a loan, because you've got my interest."

"Idiot," Sango huffed under her breath before storming away from Miroku. Kagome thought she saw a smile on the woman's face before her back turned.

The black-haired man laughed as he gesticulated wildly, trailing behind the brunette. "You didn't say no!" he cheered. "Is there an airport nearby, or was that just my heart taking off with glee?"

"Fuckin' terrible," Inuyasha spat around a reluctant laugh. He and Kagome approached the crowd that was preparing for the second round of the game. His fingers grazed hers and she startled. When Inuyasha turned to peer down at Kagome, and he noticed she was hesitant to meet his gaze, the hanyou asked if she was okay.

"Peachy," she mumbled, her cheeks pink.

Kagome was grateful for the distraction when Miroku returned to the microphone, summarizing the top three point-holders so far. The game started with a petite blonde who happened to make eye contact with Kagome before saying, "Most likely to make out during a drinking game," and then had the audacity to point at Kagome. The accusing index fingers were divided between Inuyasha and Kagome, which had a shade of pink on both their faces. When Miroku tallied the count, Kagome had two more fingers pointed at her than Inuyasha. To a soundtrack of laughter, Kagome sipped her water.

Apparently, the two of them had made enough of a spectacle of themselves during beer pong because the fingers kept coming their way for the next few turns. Most likely to make beer pong sexy. Most likely to share the hottest kiss of the night. Most likely to become a kissing instructor—Inuyasha won that one.

If Miroku was the focal point and running gag of the first round, then Kagome and Inuyasha took the crown for round two. Inuyasha went to the bar twice to get them refilled drinks. She started the game with a glass of water—thanks to Inuyasha's considerateness—but now she was two more whiskey gingers in and beginning to feel a little woozy on her feet. When Kagome went to cross one ankle over the other, she lost her balance. She found herself pressed up against a hard, warm chest as Inuyasha slid his arm around her shoulders to stabilize her.

"She havin' a hard time holdin' her liquor?"

"Oh shush," she snapped, eliciting a throaty laugh from Inuyasha. Kagome quite liked the sound. She tried to think of something clever to say to evoke the sound from him again, but came up empty-handed.

Kagome felt even more precarious with the weight and heat of Inuyasha's arm around her shoulders. Her heart was pounding. The smell of his cedar was stronger this close to him. It reminded her of their time on the dancefloor, when he sucked her finger into his mouth, teased her fingertip with his tongue. Kagome swallowed loudly. She knew the alcohol wasn't to blame for how hot she started to feel.

When Kagome opened her mouth, finding herself curious to ask him if he had overheard her and Sango earlier at the bar, she was surprised to find Inuyasha already looking at her, a remark of his own readied and out there.

"If I win the next round, you gotta leave here with me after the game."

Kagome snorted, instantly forgetting what she was otherwise going to say. "You already used that one during beer pong, Inuyasha," she teased. She leaned into her right leg, which had her pressing that much more into his side.

Inuyasha scoffed loudly. "It's not the same," he argued. "Last time was sayin' you gotta leave with me. Now, I'm sayin' when you're gonna leave with me. See? Different." He spoke his words into her hair. The heat of his breath dispersing over her scalp had gooseflesh scoring Kagome's body.

"For some kinda food, right?" She had meant for the jab to come across as light and witty, but there was an edge to her words. Her tone carried a bitterness that made her realize she still felt resentful. And she sounded like it too.

"Cite your terms," Inuyasha answered with a shrug. "If I win, we're leavin'. If you wanna go somewhere...specific—" He looked at her pointedly and she looked away with a blush— "then spit it out."

"Fine," she huffed. "If I win the next round, you have to take me for a boozy hot chocolate with an uncomfortable amount of marshmallows in it."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her. "Because you're a child?"

"Hey! I said boozy!"

He snorted a laugh, leaning into the arm that draped around her smaller frame. "An uncomfortable amount of marshmallows?"

Kagome flushed at his teasing tone. "What's wrong with marshmallows? I love marshmallows! Nothing but sugar for sugar's sake. I like to eat them straight outta the bag sometimes—like chips."

"That's disgusting." Kagome found it a little endearing, the way he wrinkled his nose at her.

She nudged him with her shoulder. "Don't take it personally if I don't consider you a reliable source regarding dessert items, Mr. Ice Cream Scrooge."

Inuyasha's groan had Kagome laughing. "I'm not startin' this stupid argument again, Kagome. I like ice cream. Winter is for eating hot food. Just because I refuse to eat ice cream in the winter, doesn't mean—"

His words were swallowed by a raucous cheer by the crowd. Kagome and Inuyasha looked around stunned, puzzled what brought on the roar. Kagome was the first to spot the pointed fingers. She and Inuyasha had been bickering and missed the round for their bet. Whatever Most Likely To... was uttered, those index fingers weren't pointing at Inuyasha or Kagome.

Apparently, Miroku's microphone was cordless, Bluetooth, and push-button-to-activate, because he approached the other side of Inuyasha and rested his elbow on the hanyou's shoulder with a chuckle. "Perhaps if you two were less focused on each other, you'd be able to participate in the game. It's going to be your turn to come up with a Most likely to... soon. Don't want to miss a prime opportunity to stack the deck in your favour, right, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha swiped at Miroku with a growl and the man scurried off with a titter of laughter.

Kagome blushed then cleared her throat. "I'd love to know how you two became friends."

"Same," Inuyasha snorted.

Miroku was close enough to hear Inuyasha because he cast the hanyou a knowing, eye-tapering smirk as he walked away. He was back on the microphone, brightly congratulating the winner of the last round for finally emerging on the leaderboard.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, drawing Kagome's attention back to him. She was suddenly incredibly aware of the way his fingers caressed her bicep in non-shapes, up and down. She fought back a shiver.

"Alright, she wants a boozy hot chocolate with enough marshmallows to give a six-year old diabetes, what else—?"

"Oh my god, Inuyasha! That's horrible," she cried, holding back a laugh, which probably meant she was a horrible person too.

"—do you want, Kagome?"

She met his gaze, her insides fluttering from the way he smiled at her. His eyes narrowed with his smile, making her realize he was fully engrossed in Kagome. In a space that was likely screaming at his senses for his attention, he seemed to have no trouble at all making her the centre of his focus. It had her feeling bashful. It also had her marveling at his self-discipline.

"You want me to provide an itinerary for our solstice night together, Inuyasha?"

He shrugged. "I can't be the only one comin' up with shit to do."

You wouldn't have to if you just took me back to your place...

Kagome rolled her eyes, more at herself than at him. Then, she surprised herself by rotating beneath his arm to wrap her arms around his middle. Her back curved and head tilted back as she looked up at him, her hair fawning around her shoulders. Noticing the widening of his eyes and the blush that tinged his nose, Kagome smiled appreciatively. She liked that she seemed to have caught him off guard.

"I wanna drink my hot chocolate and walk through that park that goes way overboard with the light displays every year."

"That'll take all of thirty minutes," Inuyasha snorted, which had her rolling her eyes again.

"Then, I wanna get roasted chestnuts from one of those street vendors—I've always wanted to do that. Do you like chestnuts, Inuyasha?"

"Never tried 'em."

Kagome couldn't withhold her gasp. "You've been around for almost one hundred and thirty years and you haven't ever tried chestnuts? Have you even lived?"

He rolled his eyes dramatically but he still wore a smile. "I like what I like! I've never found the need to expand my horizons when it comes to food. But if you wanna get chestnuts and you're gonna force me to try some, then fine."

She smirked. "You're not gonna fight me on it?"

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and squeezed, drawing her closer to his chest. There was maybe one hand's worth of space between them. "Even I'm not petty enough to bicker about somethin' I've never even tried."

"Ooh," she teased breathily, leaning into him, leading with her chin, "he can be wise. Can't say I saw that coming."

He scoffed mildly. "Oh, please, I can be plenty wise."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep."

"Then enlighten me, Oh Wise One, with the wisdom of your ways."

Inuyasha towered over her, a lock of his hair falling over his shoulder and onto hers. She reached up and started wrapping it around her fingers. Inuyasha moistened his lips before he smirked. Kagome saw the allure and hint of danger in the way a fang poked through his grin. "She wants a bit of wisdom? Alright, I got one for ya. Ready for it, Kagome?"

"Dying for it, Inuyasha."

He snorted a laugh. He cupped her cheek with a warm palm, her eyes widening and nostrils flaring with surprise. He leaned in towards her until she felt the breath from his words painting her lips. "If you wanna talk about me to your friend, do it when I'm not around. My hearing is better than I think you think it is."

Then he was letting her go and heading for the bar. Kagome was stunned, cold, speechless, breathless.

Next thing Kagome knew, she was headed for Sango, linking arms with the woman. "He heard us," she whispered hotly, directly into Sango's ear. "Inuyasha. He heard us at the bar, Sango." The earth felt like it was tilting more on its axis. Kagome knew she should feel relieved that he knew how she felt. Yet, all she seemed capable of was trying to replay her conversation with Sango. She couldn't remember exactly what was said and how incriminating it may have been for her. Kagome wanted to panic.

"It'll be fine," Sango whispered back, seeing the fear in her eyes. She squeezed Kagome's hand in a gesture of comfort. "Maybe now you'll find out if you two are—"

"Hmm, okay, let's see." The microphone squealed and everyone cried out about the ringing in their ears. "Oopsie, sorry! Oh, I got it! Most likely to fall in love tonight!"

Sango's finger pointed to Kagome faster than Kagome had time to process the remark and the fact they were still participating in a game. Recognition shone in Kagome's eyes and she shrieked, her panic turning playful as she reached for Sango's finger, trying to hide it, steal it, turn her arm so she'd point at herself instead. But Sango was a personal trainer and much, much stronger than Kagome, so her lean, red-tipped finger stayed pointing at Kagome.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was a fun-loving moment with her friend, but Kagome scoffed loudly with a wide, stupid smile. "Oh, yeah? Well—" And she completed her phrase by pointing at herself. Sango squealed at Kagome, seeing what her friend was doing.

Kagome could do nothing but snort a laugh at what she was openly acknowledging, even if it was only a small gesture she made in response to a dumb game. But somehow, it felt bigger than that, like Kagome was pointing to her future by pointing at herself. Her grin faded from her lips but lingered in her eyes when that familiar tingling sensation prickled along the hairline above her nape. Before Kagome could turn over her shoulder, Sango drew her attention to where Miroku was pointing. Then Kagome felt light-headed and she was pivoting on the ball of her foot. Inuyasha was walking back from the bar, juggling two water cups in one hand. With his right hand aligned with his midsection, he pointed up at himself.

Then Inuyasha's eyes met Kagome's and her face lit up, her heart thundering. He blushed, looking uncomfortable as all hell, but he refused to look away. Kagome couldn't think. Now she really couldn't breath.

Oh god, what was happening? He had overheard her at the bar, contemplating if she was his mate. And now she was pointing at herself, and Inuyasha was pointing at himself, and neither of them won this round but that wasn't remotely important right now!

She thought she could find love with him.

And he thought he could find love with her.

And then some pale, beautiful woman with lush black hair stole the microphone and ruined everything.

Kikyou swiped the microphone from Ayame's hand and Inuyasha's pointing finger fell away just like how his heart plummeted to the floor.

Fuck—Kikyou was holding a microphone and she was looking right at him.

"Most likely to fuck Inuyasha Taisho tonight."

Her face split into a broad, sultry grin as she pointed at herself. Then, to Inuyasha's horror, other fingers started pointing at Kikyou. Inuyasha's heart felt smaller and smaller despite the heat and pummeling ache of its beat in every part of his body. A good portion of those playing the game had paid enough attention at previous years' solstice parties. People and demons alike seemed to recall that Inuyasha fucked Kikyou annually after the corporate solstice party.

Inuyasha didn't know what to do, so his eyes sought out Kagome.

Which was a mistake.

Tears lined her eyes, her head bouncing from Inuyasha to Kikyou to the people around them pointing at Kikyou. Kagome's gaze lingered on the way Kikyou pointed at herself. She saw the way Kikyou was fucking looking at Inuyasha. Kagome looked like she was counting all the other fingers that seemed to think he'd be taking Kikyou home tonight instead of Kagome.

Then, the glimpse of those precursory tears were gone. When Kagome spun on her heel, headed for the coat check, she looked pissed.