InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Grudging Loss ❯ Talking at the Santa Monica Pier ( Chapter 5 )

Talking at the Santa Monica Pier

This is a two chapter posting. Go back a chapter if you haven't read the fourth chapter.

 

After about an hour the entire group had gone through two six-packs of Corona and an entire bottle of sake. Soon they had split up into two groups. Miroku and Sango were dancing on the sand under the pier. Inuyasha and Kagome were sitting by the piers' edge with beers in their hands. Inuyasha noted that Kagome was a lightweight, but he was happy to see that the alcohol just made her looser and happier. Some drunks were unbearable to be around, but that wasn't the case with Kagome. At least she was a happy drunk.

 

Inuyasha had always been able to handle his alcohol, perhaps it was because of the lingering demonic blood in his veins. He wasn't even feeling a buzz. It was just as well. He needed to keep his wits about him as he tried to wheedle information from the rest of the USC team.

 

He turned to focus on Kagome who was smiling and laughing next to him with a Corona in her hands. It was half-empty and he was doing everything he could to cajole her into finishing her beer.

 

“Oh no,” she sighed as she spoke slowly. “That sake really packed a whammy. I'm going to pay for this tomorrow…”

 

“Then watch me finish my beer,” said Inuyasha as he chuckled and chugged down his beer. He finished by wiping his chin with his sleeve before looking back at Kagome. She smiled at him again and looked at his chin.

 

“You didn't get it all,” she murmured as she leaned in next to him and was inches away from his chin. “There's still some more there…,” she said while pointing to his chin.

 

“Why don't you lick it off?” he asked with a smirk.

 

He heard her giggle and then she complied with a dainty flick of her tongue on his chin. He then moved his chin just enough so that her tongue was right on his mouth. He quickly moved to pull her tongue into his mouth and kissed her thoroughly. He tossed what was left of his beer bottle aside and wrapped his arms around her neck.

 

She seemed surprised at first, but after a moment her mouth responded in kind and her arms gingerly wrapped around her neck.

 

The kiss was meant to be seductive. But Inuyasha felt himself enjoying it as well. He knew that she had a wonderful scent and he had been wondering for most of the evening if she tasted just as good as she smelled. It was lovely. She smelled of cherry blossoms, but she also tasted of jasmine. Of course there was a little edge to her taste with the sake and beer. He hoped to try this again when she was fully sober. She would taste even better when there was no alcohol in her system.

 

The kiss was lingering and long. When Inuyasha finally broke off the kiss and pulled away he found her eyes glazed over and partially closed. Her arms were still dangling around his neck.

 

“Wow!” she said while looking deep into his eyes. He smiled back at her with a smirk.

 

Inuyasha then took up her body and rearranged her in front of him so that her back was cradled in his chest. As he moved her he noticed a large purple bruise right under the bottom of her silver corset.

 

“Kagome, what's this?” he said in horror as he pointed to the purple skin that lied between her white mini-skirt and silver top. It was large, fresh and completely ugly on the miko's otherwise perfect skin.

 

“Oh that,” she murmured in a tone of voice that seemed to belie not the slightest bit of concern that she had such a large bruise on her abdomen. “It's from the game today. That's what happens when you play college sports--sometimes you get injured.”

 

Inuyasha touched the dark purple bruise gingerly. “I'm so sorry,” he said with genuine distress.

 

Kagome looked at him in confusion. “What are you sorry for? Inuyasha gave it to me. You had nothing to do with it,” she said as she smiled shyly at him.

 

He then wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her hair. Inuyasha breathed deeply, he could smell her scent so clearly now that she was next to him. The calming scent of cherry blossoms, it was lovely. “I'm so sorry,” he said again as he looked at the perplexed miko. With his arms around her they simply sat together in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Inuyasha came back to the original reason why he was supposed to be here.

 

“So,” he said as he tried to come up with a topic of conversation that might give him information about the USC team. “What made you decide to be a miko warrior for USC?”

 

He heard a heavy sigh coming from her and she responded. “A guy…”

 

For some reason he couldn't help but to feel a little unnerved by her declaration. “A guy?” he asked.

 

“Yeah, I wanted to met a guy who was already on a team. I thought that if I was on a team that I could finally meet him.”

 

“So what happened?”

 

Kagome burped. “Oh uh, I finally got to meet him and he…he hated my guts…”

 

“Hated your guts?”

 

“Yeap,” said Kagome as she peered into her beer bottle and then decided to give it another swig in spite of her declaration not to drink anymore. “I had a crush on the jerk and he hates my guts…”

 

“You had a crush on a guy? Who?”

 

“Doesn't matter,” said Kagome. “That's what Sango says anyway. So, what about you? Are you in college, too?”

 

“Uhhh,” Inuyasha had to think fast. Only people with demonic blood went to UCLA. He couldn't tell her that was where he was from. “UCSB,” he answered. Everyone knew the Universal College of Studious Brethren that wasn't nearly as studious as its name implied. The real nickname to the college was `U Can Study Buzzed'. The partying atmosphere of the college had put a real damper on its academic prowess for years.

 

“Oh, you go to UCSB up north. So what's your major?” asked Kagome.

 

“Oh, well I'm majoring in music.” Well, that much was true, though it was certainly secondary to his post-college goal of being a demon player on a national team. That was where the real fame and fortune could be had. “And I'm in a rock band. I think we're pretty good.”

 

“Rock band? That's why you sing so well!” Then she smiled shyly, “You're a natural on the stage.”

 

Inuyasha gave her a genuine smile of surprise. “Oh, you're not that bad yourself. I can tell that you were trained as a singer. And ummm…you really seemed to have everyone's attention when you were singing. Are you studying music?”

 

Kagome smiled again. “I'm also majoring in music. I love to sing. Hic.” Kagome paused to regain her equilibrium. “I'm in the USC college choir. We have a concert in two months if you would like to go.”

 

“Oh I will, if I can. But, I live two hours from here.” Kagome stopped and looked at her feet. So Inuyasha stopped and tipped her chin up to look at him. “But I'll try to make it if I can, when is it?” Kagome then turned her head toward him again and smiled brilliantly.

 

“It's November 30th. Give me your number and I'll get you tickets,” she said as she clasped her hands together in happiness.

 

Soon they both went through the motions of taking each other's pictures and giving each other their cell phone numbers. Inuyasha made sure that his picture of her had a good shot of her lovely silver corset and her breasts and her hair and her big brown eyes. He sighed. She was a nice looking package.

 

“So tell me about your band,” Kagome asked lazily.

 

“Oh we're just a bunch of misfits,” Inuyasha declared. “It's an all guy rock band and we sometimes come here to Los Angeles to play.”

 

“So is that why you're here?” Kagome asked.

 

“Uh, yeah and my father lives here,” added Inuyasha since he didn't want to completely lie to her. His father did own a home in the West Hills.

 

“So when are you playing again? I'd love to see you sing.”

 

“Uh,” oh now he had done it. She couldn't see him as the lead singer of his band in hanyou form. But he did tell her about his band and she was expecting a time and place. And something inside of him was rather happy to know that she wanted to see him sing with his band. “Well, we don't have any new gigs in LA right now. But I'll be back next month. Maybe I could see you then?”

 

Kagome smiled up at him again. “I'd love that. Please tell me if your band ever plays OK? I'd love to see you sing again. You have talent.”

 

Inuyasha was genuinely pleased and surprised by her comments. He rarely got a compliment. Coach Myoga, his older brother and even his band mates never gave him any praise and coming from her made it seem even more special. “Umm, thank you,” he replied unsure of what to say. He then almost slapped himself as he remembered what he was supposed to be doing.

 

“So tell me about your team at USC. Maybe I could show up to one of your practices sometime?”

 

“I'd love for you to show up to one of my practices if you could make it,” said Kagome as she grinned up at him. “We workout every weekday after five at Cromwell Field.”

 

“And your team…,” he said.

 

“My team? Oh well, you already met Miroku, our team captain, and Sango. We also have Coach Kaede. She's a slave driver. But she says I have talent and she's taken me under her wing. She's firm, but nice. She's teaching me all of her skills.”

 

“Skills? Like what?”

 

Kagome turned to look at him with a silly smile on her face. “You seem to know about the game I played today? Don't you know?” she answered.

 

“Uh, well, I don't know everything. All I know is that you seem to have more than the usual amount of abilities for a mere miko.”

 

Kagome fiddled with her beer bottle and frowned. “I didn't mean to have the powers I have. I guess I was born with them. If I had never known Sango or had never thought to even join the team I wouldn't have found out the full extent of my abilities.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Oh, I never really wanted to join the team. I only tried out because of that guy I told you about. Then Kaede had me do some simple exercises. She told me that she knew that I was something special. Pretty amazing isn't it? I went from an average and ordinary student on campus to a celebrity almost overnight. I'm still getting used to the attention.”

 

Inuyasha held her form tightly. She was having some of the same problems that he was facing. They were only sophomores in college. But he was quite certain that she was facing the same pressure and unwanted attention that a college superstar would face--nationwide recruiters who wouldn't leave you alone and fawning classmates. And unlike him, he could tell that she didn't have the thick skin that would have made things easier.

 

Inuyasha paused in thought. In the back of his mind something was still bothering him and eating away at him. Who was this guy that she kept on talking about, this person that made her want to join the USC team just so that she could meet him?

 

“This guy Kagome. The one who you joined your team to meet--was he on one of the USC teams?”

 

“Nooooo….he was on the UCLA team. The jerk.”

 

Inuyasha's brain stumbled and tried to wrap his mind around the new information he was given. “Uh, who on the UCLA team did you have a crush on…?”

 

Kagome hiccupped. “Oh just a guy with these really cute ears,” added Kagome dreamily. “But that doesn't matter. Hic. Ummm…Ash…do you think…?”

 

Inuyasha's brain was reeling by now. “Do I think…?” asked Inuyasha.

 

Kagome looked up at him, her eyes wide and her body was limp in his arms. “Do you think I'm a...a...bitch?” she finally finished.

 

“No, why would you think that?” he asked.

 

“Hic. That's what he called me. He called me a bitch. That jerk. I had a crush on him for over a year. I have his picture on my wall and he calls me a bitch. Well, I'll show him! For my next match I'm going to get him!” Kagome tried to stand up and did her best to try to pantomime her hitting someone with her fist. But the result was just comic and she ended up loosing her balance. Inuyasha had to get up and grab her before she hit the ground.

 

Inuyasha held her in his arms. Her limp body was firmly held by his. She sighed again and rested her head against his chest.

 

“Called her a bitch?” he thought. “Cute ears? UCLA? No it couldn't be?” Inuyasha looked down at Kagome and smiled. He should have been smirking, but for some reason he just smiled wistfully and hugged her even closer to his body. “She likes me,” he thought. “She has a crush on me.” Suddenly all thoughts of trying to get information about her team and her powers went out the window. He was just happy to hold her. It wasn't everyday that a cute human declared a crush on a half-breed.

 

Author's Notes:

#1: I'm not a big sports fan, but since I covered a few games in college I couldn't help but learn about college sports. The college players themselves had an immense amount of pressure for them to perform and I can only imagine what it must have been like to be a celebrity on your own college campus. That's the sort of situation I am imagining for Inuyasha and Kagome.

#2: I'm going on vacation for two weeks. I *might* post while I am gone, or I *might* not. We'll just see how my vacation goes. I'll be back in mid-August. Have a great Summer. I'll post at least two more chapters by the end of August. This story is really flowing well. I can't stop writing sometimes.