InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Cheating Fate ❯ Shipping up Relations ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Carrying her daughter in one arm and two bags of groceries in the other, Kagome somehow managed to open the front door. It was times like this where she wished she had a husband. That way she’d at least be able to open a door without fear of dropping something important. Making her way over to the kitchen table she put down the sacks of groceries, and then, still carrying her daughter, went back out to her car to gather more bags. It took Kagome twice as long to carry in shopping materials as it would a normal person. This was another reason she wished for a companion.

After setting down the last sack, Kagome went over and put Ami in her highchair. She smiled at her daughter, who was slamming her hands down on the highchair tray, and took this as a sign of her being hungry. Kagome tracked down a grocery sack that held a box of cheerios, then, after opening the box, spilt a small pile in front of Ami. The toddler immediately dug into the food, picking up two or three at a time before shoving them into her mouth.

Watching her daughter eat for a minute or so, Kagome then got down to business. She started emptying bags, and organizing the contents on the counter and table. After all the bags were empty, Kagome then went on to putting them in their rightful places. It was when she was halfway through this chore that she remember that she had wanted to know what the weather was going to be like tomorrow, for she planned on bringing Ami to the park. Briefly leaving the kitchen, she turned on the TV, and then turned up the volume as well. That way she would be able to listen to the news while she put away the groceries.

She listened to the weatherman talk about clear skies for the next day, but from then on expect scattered showers. Kagome smiled to herself for the luck that her planning received. As she continued to put away the groceries, Ami was steadily putting cheerios into her mouth. The toddler was very content in her activities, but she also couldn’t help but pick up, with her abnormal hearing, the TV in the next room. The news had gone to commercial, and the advertisement it was now showing was for dog food.

Ami’s ears twitched as she listened to the barking dog. She tossed the cheerios that were in her hands back down onto the tray, and giggled and clapped her hands together. She knew what animal made that sound, and she could remember her mother once coaxing her to say it. “P-p . . . p-pu . . . Puuupp . . .”

Kagome was all but oblivious to what her daughter was doing. She just figured that she was blubbering to herself like she normally did, but when the so called blubbering started to sound more like the word puppy Kagome turned around in shock to watch her child.

“Puuupp . . .”

Kagome rushed over to the highchair. “Come on, Ami. You can do it. Puppy. Puh uh pee.” She over exaggerated the word so as to help her daughter.

Concentration filled Ami’s little face. “Pppp-puu-ppp-eeee. Pppuupee. Pppuppy. Puppy!” Once getting the word correctly out, Ami smacked her hands down on the tray. Kagome lifted Ami up out of the chair, and hugged her to her chest. Then smothered the top of her head with kisses.

“What a good girl you are!” Kagome exclaimed, as she lifted Ami up over her head and gleamed at her. “You said puppy! Your first word!” Ami giggled some more, clearly sensing she did something right.

“Puppy! Puppy!” she continued to shout. Kagome once again hugged her, and then put her back into the high chair. What a happy day this had turned out to be! Her daughter had said her first word, and no matter how ironic it was, it would always be her first word.

Kagome desperately wanted to call her mother and tell her the big news, but, as she looked around the kitchen, she realized she still had groceries to put away. She sighed, but before continuing with her chore, she kissed Ami on the top of her head one last time.

Kagome had been pretty close to talking herself out of the whole blind date scheme countless of times, but the leading argument always won out. InuYasha’s point had been a good one, if Sango didn’t have a good time then she didn’t have to go on another date. The hard part was just getting Sango to agree to go on the date in the first place.

She had just dropped Ami off with the nurses, when she spotted Sango walk out of the cafeteria with a cup of coffee in her hand. “Sango!”

Sango turned and, with a smile, waved. “Hey, Kagome. I was just getting my morning coffee. How was your day off?”

Kagome walked up to her as she decided to take InuYasha’s course of action. “Um, it was great. I went on a date with Kouga Friday night. He took me to Shojin Ryori.”

Astonishment leaped across Sango’s face. “Get out! That place is expensive!” Sango shook her head in amazement. “Bet you had fun. Did you two do anything after dinner?”

“We took a walk through Shinjuku park.”

“How romantic!”

Kagome debated telling her the rest, but decided to go ahead. She was her best friend after all. “He. . . he told me he loved me.”

Sango was about to be excited for her friend, but once she took in Kagome’s uncertain expression she faltered. “Did you say it back to him?” she asked softly.

Kagome shook her head. “I feel awful about it, but I just couldn’t lie to him. Not about something that deserves a truthful answer. So . . . when he told me, I just didn’t say anything.” Sango sucked in her breath. “I know, I know. It wasn’t the best thing to do, but I just didn’t know what to do! I was taken by surprise!”

Sango slipped her free arm around Kagome’s shoulders. “It’ll be alright. I’m sure Kouga understands that you’ll say it when you’re ready.” Kagome smiled a little and nodded in agreement. Sango let out a sigh. “I wish a guy would tell me they loved me, but I guess you have to date for that to happen.”

Kagome let out a little chuckle. InuYasha was true to his word. A true player through and through. “Do you want to date?” Kagome asked timidly.

Sango retracted her arm. “Well, yeah. But, I mean, where would I find the time to look for one?”

Kagome smiled. “Well, I could get you a date.”

“You mean like a blind date?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know, Kagome.” Sango said, uncertainly. Going out with a stranger just wasn’t her thing. “It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment, I just don’t trust guys all that much.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun. You’ll be out on a date like you’ve been dying to do for forever now, and plus you might actually hit it off.” Kagome explained. She watched her friends face dart back and forth between nervousness and anxiety.

“But what if he takes one look at me, and then turns around and walks out? I just don’t think I could handle that. I’d rather just sit at home, and wait for Prince Charming to find me there.” Sango confessed her fears.

Kagome shook her head. “Sango, you and I both know that that’s never going to happen. The only way you’re ever going to meet someone is if you put yourself out there. And sometimes that includes getting rejected and heartbroken, but that’s what you have friends for. So they can beat the snot out of the guys who do it.”

Sango pursed her lips. What was the harm in one date? Besides getting rejected? “You’re sure the guy you’ll get is safe?”

“Would I hook you up with a lunatic?” Kagome asked with an angelic smile.

She sighed in defeat. “Then I guess you can count me in.”

“Yes!” Kagome shouted as she threw her arms around Sango, almost spilling her coffee everywhere. “You won’t regret this, Sango!” At least, Kagome hoped not.

“So, Miroku, what do ya say?” InuYasha asked after explaining the blind date. Miroku, who had been tossing the idea around inside his head since InuYasha had threw the unexpected request at him, shrugged his shoulders.

“Why not? I could use I night out. And you’re sure this girl’s pretty?” Miroku asked as he gave his friend a questionable stare.

“Come on Miroku, would I lie to you?” InuYasha said with an innocent smile. “You’ll think she’s gorgeous. I know your taste, my friend.”

“Alright then, when is this date then?” Miroku asked as he started to gather up his textbooks.

“Uh, this Saturday, and don’t ask me where or when you’re eating yet. I haven’t actually got all the details yet.” InuYasha explained. “But I’m certain this is just what you need.”

Miroku sighed. He assumed his friend was talking about his addiction to Sango. “I’m sure you’re right. I just need to fill my head with more women to get over her.”

“Right.” InuYasha said slowly, but Miroku was oblivious to his friend’s dishonest answer. “So, where are you heading off to?” InuYasha noticed that after Miroku stuffed his textbooks into his book bag that he slung it over his shoulder.

“I’m going to try to hunt down one of my professors. I wanted to ask some questions on the paper he assigned.” Miroku grabbed his keys on the counter. “See ya later, Man.”

“See ya.” InuYasha waved, then when his friend was gone he threw himself on the couch to watch some TV. He felt relieved that he didn’t have a class considering it was Sunday.

Five minutes after Miroku left, there was a knock on the door. InuYasha was confused, as he went over and answered it, for he hadn’t been expecting anyone. He was shocked; however, when the visitor happened to be Kagome.

InuYasha blinked away his shock and confusion the best he could before asking, “Kagome? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?” Although it had more of an interrogation than a welcome, he nonetheless stepped aside for her to come in.

She smiled as she stepped around him. “I’m on my lunch break.” Her smile grew as she continued, “I just wanted to come by and tell you that Sango has agreed to the blind date.”

“Really? That’s great.” InuYasha said, as he shut the door. “Miroku just agreed too. Not that it was really hard to convince him, but still. So, I guess this is ready to take flight.”

Kagome nodded. “I will say, InuYasha, that this is actually fun, but I think that’s more from the fact that I liked seeing my friend actually happy over something that’s not her work.”

“Sango’s happy about it?”

“And nervous. Really nervous. She‘s afraid he‘ll take one look at her, and then just leave.”

InuYasha snorted. “No worries there. Miroku just might have a heart attack at the sight of her.”

“I don’t know if that’s much better, but once she sees him it’s probably the thing she’d want him to do.” Kagome replied with a smile.

InuYasha shook his head. “So, I told Miroku that the date was on for Saturday. I hope that’s alright.” Kagome shrugged her shoulders.

“I guess. We still have almost a week after all.” Kagome went over to the couch and made herself at home. She’d been over at InuYasha’s apartment so many times it was beginning to loose it’s alienated aura. “You know, this whole date thing could very well blow up in our faces.”

InuYasha took a seat next to her. “I can see you’re very optimistic. Besides, what makes you so sure that Sango won’t find Miroku worthy to date?”

“There’s nothing wrong with Miroku, unless you count his perverted tendencies, it’s just that Sango has always provided for herself, and I don’t know how well she’d adapt to someone else doing the providing.”

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know how well Miroku will take to sticking to one woman.” Kagome widened her eyes in shock. InuYasha rushed on to put her fears to rest. “Not that I don’t think he can do it, I just can’t see it. It would have to take a very special woman, . . . and I think Sango just might be the one.”

Kagome smiled in agreement. She then looked at the clock and sighed. “I should really be getting back. As you know, I don’t really have a long lunch break.” She pushed herself off of the couch, and InuYasha followed her example.

He walked her to the door. “We should probably get together a couple of times to get the details worked out.”

Kagome nodded. “Yeah, I’ll come over later tonight. You probably want to see Ami anyway.” InuYasha smiled as she walked to car.

With their agreement between them, the planned couple of times to get together turned into every moment that wasn’t taken by his classes and her job. And in that time, the rest of the week seemed to rush by. They talked of restaurants and they wondered which one would be the best for their friends. By the weeks end, they had most of the arrangements made. The only thing left to do was make reservations.

“So you’re sure you don’t mind making the reservations?” Kagome asked warily. She knew she could trust him to do it, but she didn’t want to seem pushy.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Sure, why not? It won’t be that big of a deal. I’ll just call Ginza Benkay and schedule it under ‘Houshi’ for eight o’clock tomorrow night.”

Kagome was just about to relax when she took his whole sentence into account. “Wait! You can’t schedule it under ‘Houshi‘.”

With a furrowed brow, InuYasha asked, “Why not?” Kagome gave him an are-you-serious look, and a couple of moments later, when he still didn’t understand, she sighed.

“If you make it under ‘Houshi’ Sango’ll know it’s Miroku, and then I won’t be able to get her past the front desk.” she explained as she watched as the realization dawned on him.

“Oh, well then what should we make it under? ‘Higurashi’ maybe?” InuYasha suggested.

“No, Miroku might know that name, and I don’t want to give any hints.” Kagome tapped her chin in thought. “What if we use ‘Henge’?”

InuYasha looked disgusted. “The Wolf’s name? I’m pretty sure ‘Higurashi’ will work just fine. I don’t even think Miroku remembers your last name.”

“I don’t want to take any chances. We’ll use ‘Henge’.” Kagome said, thinking it was the end of the discussion.

“I don’t want to use it.”

Kagome gave him a look of annoyance. “I don’t care what you don’t want. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“I never said there was something wrong with it, I just don’t want to use it.” he huffed, his mood turning sulky.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “InuYasha, stop acting like a baby. We’ll use it. It’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Feh.“ InuYasha crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine, whatever.”

“Okay then,” Kagome said feeling better that she’d won the quarrel. “Well, I told Sango I’d walk her inside, so--”

“Do you want to eat dinner there?” InuYasha interrupted. Kagome was taken aback, and blinked in confusion. “You know, that way we could spy on them. It might be one hell of a show.”

Kagome was still trying to get control of her surprised nerves when she answered. “Uh, y-yeah. That might be fun.”

“Great. So, do you want me to meet you there before you walk Sango in?” InuYasha asked, oblivious to the inner turmoil Kagome was putting herself through.

Was this a good idea? To be in a date-like environment with InuYasha? She could always back out, but that would seem rude since she’d already agreed to go. She wagered it couldn’t be that big of a deal if she was going just to keep an eye on her friend. “Yeah, you want to meet at seven thirty?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Kagome sighed at as she got off the kitchen stool. It was getting late, and she really should be getting Ami home. “You should be getting home.” InuYasha said, echoing her thoughts.

“Yeah,” she replied, as she looked over at her daughter, who was sleeping on the couch. “she tuckered herself out.”

InuYasha walked over and picked Ami up, and then took her out to Kagome’s car. Kagome followed behind silently. After buckling her in and kissing her on the forehead, InuYasha withdrew from the confines of the car, shutting the door softly behind him. “So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night before show time.”

“Guess you will.” InuYasha opened up the driver’s side door for Kagome. “See you then.” And with that she drove out of apartment’s parking lot.

It was seven thirty the next night, and Kagome was sitting in her car in the parking lot of Ginza Benkay waiting for InuYasha to show up. She was wearing her hair up in a loose bun, and she had chosen to wear her best outfit, a light pink kimono.

She had spent hours trying to decide what to put on, and she couldn’t understand why she had wanted to look good in the first place. She could have picked out a simple dress since it wasn’t that fancy of a restaurant, and she was only going to be with InuYasha, but . . . If was going to be completely honest with herself, she knew the only reason she dolled herself up was because she was going to be with InuYasha. She wanted to look good for him, and that was just plain stupid.

She let out a sigh. Something was seriously wrong with her. She leaned forward, and gently banged her head on the steering wheel. How could she be thinking of impressing InuYasha when she was dating Kouga?

A tap at her window had her jerking back. She looked over and saw InuYasha standing outside her car. “Are you ready?” he asked, looking excited for the night to begin. Kagome smiled as she stepped out of her car.

“I hope this works. I’d hate to have to drag her back if she just walks out.” Kagome said as she straighten out her dress.

InuYasha had to do a double take. For the past thirteen weeks, the only thing he’d seen Kagome in was scrubs and sweats. He knew that she wouldn’t be wearing either of those tonight, but he didn’t expect her to be wearing something that made her look . . . beautiful. Whoa! Did he just think Kagome looked beautiful? What was wrong with him? He shouldn’t be thinking those kind of thoughts!

“Earth to InuYasha. Come in, InuYasha.” Kagome announced waving a hand in front of his face.

InuYasha shook his head and blinked a couple of times, and then intelligently said, “What?”

“There ya are. I was wondering where you went. You just kinda spaced out there for a minute.” Kagome smiled, and InuYasha’s cheek bones took on a slightly red huge.

“I was not.” he denied, before changing the subject. “So, I wanted to tell you that once you see Sango sit down with Miroku, our table is under ‘Takahashi‘. I’ll go in now before Miroku or Sango know I’m here. No need for them to get suspicious now.”

Kagome nodded her head once. “Got it.” Then she took a deep breath. “Well, wish me luck. Cause I’m gonna need it.” She smiled at him once before walking off to find her friend.

“Good luck!” InuYasha shouted after her, then went to get their table ready.


It was ten till eight, and Sango’s eyes were already searching the parking lot for Kagome. Why she had allowed herself to get talked into this mess was beyond her, and that’s exactly how she predicted this date to turn out. A mess.

Here she was about to go on a date with a perfect stranger, and her best friend, who had promised to walk her inside, wasn’t even here yet. She was about to start the car and forget the whole thing, when she saw Kagome running in her direction. So much for escaping.

Kagome opened up her door for her, and said with a smile, “Sorry I’m a little late. I was held up by a friend.”

Sango analyzed Kagome’s outfit. If anyone looked at the two of them they would think Kagome was the one going on a date since she was more dressed up then her. “Why are you so dressed up?” Sango asked as she got out of the car.

Kagome blushed. “Umm, no reason. I just felt like dressing up tonight.” Sango knew she was lying by the way she quickly looked away, but she’d let it slide. For now. Kagome looked back over at her, her face a perfect mask of happiness again. “Come on, don’t want to be late for your date, do ya?”

Sango felt uneasy as she was led into the lobby of Ginza Benkay. Her stomach felt like it was doing summersaults. “Kagome, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”

“It’s too late to back out now, Sango.” Kagome replied, suddenly feeling a little nervous herself. If Sango was feeling unsure before she even saw Miroku . . . well, Kagome was really dreading the moment of truth. “Besides, it’s not fair to your date for you to bail now.”

Sango sighed. “I guess you’re right.” They were at the front desk by this point, and Sango let Kagome handle getting her the table.

The hostess greeted them with a smile. “Good evening ladies, do the two of you have reservations? Because I’m afraid you’ll be waiting all night if you don’t. We’re really busy tonight.”

“She does.” Kagome replied with a grin. “It should be under ‘Henge‘.” Kagome began to feel bubbly. She couldn’t explain why she felt so excited for her friend, but she was. Sub-conscientiously, she hoped Sango and Miroku would benefit from this.

As the hostess was checking the list, Sango’s mind was going a mile a minute. She sent Kagome a questionable look. Henge? As in Kouga Henge? Was this date with a relation of Kouga’s? Kagome didn’t look over to receive her questionable look for her eyes were still on the hostess.

The hostess’s brow furrowed as she looked back up at them. “I’m sorry, but there’s not a ‘Henge’ scheduled.”

Kagome’s smile fell. How could it not be scheduled? Did InuYasha forget to make the reservation . . .? She just couldn’t see how he could forget-- The realization suddenly hit her. She felt her eyebrow twitch as she asked, “There wouldn’t happened to be a ‘Higurashi’ on that list would there?”

The hostess went back to her list, and, a short moment later, looked back up with a smile. “That name does happen to be on here.” She looked over at Sango and said, “Right this way, ma’am.”

Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes. InuYasha was the most stubborn man she’d ever met, and she was going to give him a piece of her mind. She quickly shook herself of her thoughts when she saw Sango swallow nervously. “It’s going to be okay.” Kagome whispered to her friend before she walked off.

Kagome watched her friend follow the hostess, and when the hostess stopped at a table, she saw Sango stiffen. Kagome knew that she’d spotted Miroku, though he was conveniently seated out a Kagome’s line of site.

Sango turned around slightly and sent Kagome a glare. Kagome brought her hands together in front of her in the from of a prayer and pleaded with her eyes. She knew Sango could do this. She watched as Sango’s shoulders slumped and a look of dread filled her eyes. Kagome mouthed a ‘thank you’ before Sango took a seat.

The hostess gradually made her way back over to Kagome, and with a smile, asked, “And what can I do for you, Miss?”

Kagome suddenly felt uncertain. Should she really be going on a date with InuYasha? She pondered this question. Technically, it wasn’t a date though. They were just two friends keeping tabs on their other friends. What’s the harm in that?

Kagome slowly made eye contact with the hostess. “Um, I’m under ‘Takahashi‘.”

This name caught the hostess’s attention. “Oh, so you’re his date.” she exclaimed, “I was wondering why a good looking guy like him was dining alone.”

Kagome didn’t know if the hostess was complimenting her or InuYasha. Either way, did a hostess have a right to comment on a person’s date? “Oh, I‘m not his date.” Kagome felt obliged to say, but the way the hostess’s eyes lit up at the comment had her blurting out a lie. “I‘m his wife.”

The hostess’s eyes dimmed, and Kagome smiled to herself. There was no way for her to know if it was true or not, (Although, just as a precaution, Kagome did keep her left hand out of sight.) and what was the harm in denying InuYasha a chance to hook up before he even knew about it. “Right this way ma’am.” The hostess’s response sounded robotic now, and Kagome savored the moment as she was led over to InuYasha’s table, that happened to be in good spying range of the night’s main event.

Sango was board stiff as she took a seat across from Miroku. She quickly opted for picked up a menu instead of looking up at her date. While she scanned the selections, she couldn’t help but send subtle glances his way. His face was, to her surprise, shocked. She’d figured that the whole date with her was his idea, but his expression said other wise.

“Dr.--I mean, Sango? You’re my date?” he asked in disbelief, even though said woman was right in front of him. How did InuYasha manage this?

Miroku watched as her eyes came to life. “Is that a problem?” she said, a little hurt by his greeting. He shook his head wordlessly in reply, and she noticed that his eyes were a little wide. So maybe he didn’t have anything to do with the blind date. He sure looked as shocked as she felt. After a few moments of silence, Sango decided to make small talk. No point in settling into an awkward silence. “So, how’s your leg?”

Miroku had been in the middle of cursing himself for not seeing what InuYasha had been up to when she asked, so he was a little taken aback. “Uh, it’s doing great. I just wish I could get the muscles back in shape. It feels like a dead weight compared to my other leg.”

Sango nodded in understanding. “You probably won’t feel one hundred percent better for a least another couple of months, but in the mean time you should try swimming. It’s a great non-weight bearing activity.”

“Great, I love swimming. Actually I love anything that has to do with water. I’m in the process of getting my degree in hydrology.” Miroku watched as surprise crossed her face. He guessed she hadn’t pegged him as a college guy. So he took this opportunity to dazzle her with some facts. “Did you know that water is the most common substance found on earth?”

Although water held little interest to Sango, she could see the way Miroku’s eyes lit up when he talked about it, and she couldn’t deny that she liked seeing a man get passionate about something. She gave him a little smile. “I guess that would make sense considering we use water for just about everything.”

Miroku let out a small laugh. “Alright, I’ll admit that was common knowledge, but how about this. Of all the water on the earth, and there‘s tons of it, humans can use only about three tenths of it.”

Sango felt herself lean toward him. “So, do you just carry around random facts about water? Is that how you impress all the ladies?”

A big grin crossed Miroku’s face. “Actually no, most women find water boring. So I have to do most of the impressing in the bedroom. Women seem to find my skills more interesting physically than verbally.”

Okay, so he was brutally honest. She could just ignore the perverted comment and respect him for his honesty. She leaned away and straightened up in her chair. “Okay, so tell me something most people wouldn’t know about water.”

Miroku had been a little scared about her reaction when he’d let the sex comment slip, but he had to say that he was impressed by how she kept asking about facts. Most women would have changed the subject by now. “Alright, . . . the earth is a closed system,” He leaned forward and looked her directly in the eyes. “meaning that it rarely loses or gains extra matter. But what’s interesting is that the same water that existed here millions of years ago is still present today.”

Sango had to admit that that was kind of interesting. In a scientific kind of way. “Hmm, well, that’s . . . cool.”

Miroku chuckled. “You don’t have to think so for my benefit. You wanted to know something that not everyone knew, so I told you. That doesn’t mean you had to find it, what was it? Cool.”

Sango smiled in spite of herself. Was she actually having a good time sitting talking about water with, of all people, Miroku? She had to admit that she was.

At that moment, a waiter came over and asked for their orders. Miroku looked over at Sango, and when she hurriedly picked up her menu, he took the liberty of ordering first. “Um, I’ll have the yakitori with extra soy sauce, and to drink I‘ll have a coke.”

The waiter quickly wrote down his order, and then turned to Sango. “And for you, Madam?”

Since she was still searching her menu, she picked the first thing her mind deemed worthy. “I’ll have the seafood gratin,” As she handed her menu to the waiter, she added, “and could I add a small salad with that?”

“Certainly Madam, and what would you like to drink?” the waiter asked as he scribbled down the extra order.

Sango sent a short, coy glance in Miroku’s direction. “Water will be fine.”

This had Miroku grinning from ear to ear. As the waiter walked away, Miroku suddenly realized that she had been asking all the questions. “So, tell me about yourself. What do you do besides work at the hospital?”

Sango faltered for a moment, and had to think about the question. In retrospect, it should have been an easy question to answer, but, as she thought about what she did in her free time, nothing she did was very exciting which made answering the question hard. “Um, well, I sometimes watch Ami when Kagome needs an extra hand.”

Miroku’s smile turned patient. “That’s very charitable of you, but that doesn’t exactly tell me much. Why don’t you tell me one of your hobbies?”

“Well, I’m into yoga. I know, it’s not a turn on for most people, but it relaxes me and I enjoy doing it.” Sango explained, feeling a little self-conscious about revealing something personal.

“Actually I think yoga is a major turn on. You have to be flexible to manage the art, and when is flexibility not a turn on?” Miroku said with a grin.

Sango blushed. She didn’t know how he could make something like yoga sexual but he did. “Well, what about you? What’s one of you hobbies? I mean, you’ve got to enjoy something other than hydrology.”

Miroku was silent for a second. He frowned a bit as he answered, “Well, I have to say that what I do in my free time isn’t as appropriate yours.” Sango’s eyes widened, but Miroku went on before could she could make too many assumptions. “And it’s not just sex that I’m talking about. I like to party. I like to be in an environment where you can toss all of your worries out the window, where you can be anyone you want to be. I like it because, like I said, I’m not exactly a stud with my words.”

Sango found herself disagreeing with him. He was more a stud with his words to her than she could ever imagine him just being a one-night stand. She liked his honesty, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was always this honest or if it was just with her. He lifted an eyebrow and motioned with his hand, telling her that it was her turn to say something about herself. “Uh, I . . . I don’t know what to say. I don’t have that much free time, what with the hospital.”

“Alright, then tell me why you became a doctor.”

“I guess I could tell you I became a doctor for the same reason everyone else did. To save lives, to make a difference in the world, but that’s kind of be a lie.” She looked him in the eyes and saw an intense look. The look had her looking down at the table cloth. “My younger brother was always in and out of hospitals, especially right before he died. He had a rare disease that the doctors didn’t know how to cure. So, I chose to be a doctor because I wanted to stay close to my brother. The hospital reminds me of him, so I picked a career choice that linked me to a hospital.”

Miroku laid his hand on top of hers. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Sango shook her head and looked up at him with a smile. “It happened over fifteen years ago, but I accept your late condolence anyway.” She pulled her hand away from his and set in her lap. Sensing that night had taken on a little too much sadness, Sango decided to turn the spotlight onto him. “So, why did you choose to become a hydrologist? I mean, other then the fact that you find it interesting?”

Miroku pursed his lips. “No, I’ve just always found water interesting. Sorry there’s no story attached to it.”

Sango waved her hand to dismiss his last statement. “Don’t be. Stories are overrated anyway.” They both smiled contentedly.

As if timed perfectly, their dinners were then set in front of them. As they were eating, Miroku couldn’t help but glance up at her. He never thought he’d fall for anyone in his life, but Sango was making him second guess himself. He knew he’d been attracted to her, but he never would have guessed that the person behind the beautiful body was worth getting to know. “Please tell you you’re not faking.” he asked suddenly.

Sango looked over him with confusion in her eyes. “Faking what?”

“Having a good time. Cause it would suck for me to be the only one enjoying the evening.” he replied as he studied her face.

Sango blushed despite herself. “I’m not faking. I actually am having a nice time.” She felt she had to add more, so she continued, “I’m not going to lie, when I first saw that you were my date, I didn’t want to have dinner with you. I even thought about turning around and leaving.” Miroku nodded, not looked directly at her anymore. “But I’m glad I didn’t.”

He looked back up at her and grinned when he saw that she was smiling. “I’m glad you didn’t either.”

Sango turned away, feeling blush color her cheeks again. She opted for surveying the room full of people, and it was then that she noticed a pair of familiar people dinning just barely in view. “Is that Kagome and InuYasha?”

Miroku looked over in the direction she was staring and laughed a little. “Well, so it is. You know, we should really get them back for surprising us the way they did.”

Sango looked over at him and saw him smirking. She couldn’t help the smile that creped onto her face as well. “What did you have in mind?”

“Oh, just watch the master work. I promise the show will be worth the wait.” Miroku signaled for a waiter to come over, and when the waiter was present, he whispered something into his ear.

“I can have that arranged, Sir.” and with that the waiter walked off.

Miroku gestured over to their friends, and with one last smile his way, Sango turned to watch.

When Kagome had first sat down with InuYasha, the first thing she did was start in about the reservation name. That turned into a fight and had them simmering in their own anger silently for a good ten minutes. Finally InuYasha broke down. “Feh, would ya please just let it go? It worked out, didn’t it? She’s still sitting over there with him.”

Honestly, Kagome couldn’t see the point in being mad anymore, so she heaved a sigh and uncrossed her locked arms. “Fine, but that doesn’t mean that I’m over the fact that you did it. It could have easily went the other way.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” InuYasha then proceeded to pick up his menu and scanned it. “So, what are you getting?”

Looking over her own menu, Kagome shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t really know. I was thinking maybe the southern fried rice. What about you?”

InuYasha sighed. “Why doesn’t this place serve ramen?”

Kagome let out a giggle. “InuYasha this is a four star restaurant. They’re not going to sell something you can buy at the grocery store.”

“Well, maybe they’d get more customers if they did.” Kagome looked around the jam packed dinning area, but didn’t say anything since she figured it’d be a lost cause. “I guess I’ll get the buckwheat noodles.”

Placing their menus to the side, Kagome let her eyes wander over to Miroku and Sango. They seemed to be getting along, and as she watched further, she was shocked to see Sango lean toward him.

“And how about you, Madam, what would you like?” Kagome was pulled from her observation by the waiter’s question. She told him her order, and then looked back over at Sango and Miroku. She was saddened to see that Sango was sitting up again and ordering her own meal. With an inward sigh, she looked back over at InuYasha, who had not be staring off at their friends like she would have thought, but was staring at her. “What?”

InuYasha shook his head. “Nothing.”

They sat in silence for a moment longer before Kagome began to feel uneasy. She didn’t want her guilty conscious to start up so she asked the first question she could think of. “So, how’s Sesshomaru these days? And your niece, what’s her name . . . Rin?”

InuYasha was a little taken aback. He had forgotten that Kagome knew about his family, let alone remembered them. “Uh, fine I guess. I haven’t really talked to Sesshomaru in two years. The only contact we’ve had is me sending Rin birthday cards, and him sending me Rin’s annual school picture.”

Kagome furrowed her brown. “That’s terrible. They’re your family, the only family you have.”

InuYasha had also forgotten that Kagome knew that his parents had died when he little do to a car accident. He ran a hand down over his face, but she was wrong. They weren’t the only family he had. “They’re not my only family. I’ve got Ami and you now.”

Kagome felt her heart start to race. “Oh dear.” she whispered to herself.

“What?” InuYasha asked as his ear twitched to see if she had said something more.

“Nothing, just muttering to myself.” She slipped an artificial smile onto her face as she started questioning again. “So why don’t you keep in touch with your brother?”

InuYasha shrugged his shoulder. “Sesshomaru and I have never been close. We basically have a give and take relationship. He pays for my schooling, and I do whatever favor he needs me to do. Most of the time it’s for me to stay the hell away from him, and that’s fine by me.”

“Have you even told him about Ami?” Kagome asked, generally curious about the answer.

InuYasha faltered for a moment. “Uh, no. Please don’t be mad about that, but believe me when I say that the two of you are better off with him not knowing.”

Kagome was confused. “I don’t understand. Wouldn’t it be nice to have Rin and Ami get to know each other. They are cousins after all.”

“Sure, that’d be great. . . If it were that simple.” InuYasha sighed. “Ever since our father died, Sesshomaru has stressed the Takahashi name. He takes pride it. He thinks anyone who has the Takahashi blood running through their veins is blessed. I try to steer clear of him because I think it’s ridiculous for him to be so obsessed with his own linage.” InuYasha paused as he messed with fork in front of him. “And I’d like to protect Ami from as much arrogance as I can.”

Kagome had to say that she was impressed. Any act of fatherhood from InuYasha impressed her because she was still amazed that he was so good at being a dad. She smiled as she said, “Seeing as she gets a mighty large dose of arrogance from you, I’d say protecting her from anymore would be a good thing.”

He smirked in response, and it was then that their food arrived. They dug into their food in a contented silence, just enjoying the evening, for a couple of minutes. Kagome was just about to look over at Miroku and Sango’s table when a couple of violinists, from the band that had been playing in the front of the room, came over to stand beside their table. They started playing a very slow sensual piece, and Kagome found herself looking back and forth between InuYasha and the violinists. InuYasha appeared to be just as confused for he was doing the same thing.

“Alright then.” was all he said as he continued to eat.

Kagome wasn’t as easily settled. She knew what it must have looked like for her to be eating dinner with InuYasha in a nice restaurant, but were paid violinists able to judge who looked like a couple without even confirming that fact? Kagome felt her face heat up, and she looked down at her meal before InuYasha could notice. “They must think we’re a couple.”

InuYasha looked up at her and noticed that her face was practically parallel with her plate. He took that as a sign that she was embarrassed. “Guess we kinda look that way, don’t we? But it’s nothing to get worked up about. So they’re playing music by us. Big deal. We just get a private show when real couples don’t.”

“Guess so.” was all that Kagome mumbled, and InuYasha found himself rolling his eyes. The least he could do was calm her nerves.

“So, how did you persuade Fleabag to let you out tonight? Especially to go dinning out with me?” he asked, with a sly smile.

Kagome gradually looked up from her meal to him. “Um, I didn’t actually tell him I’d be out tonight.”

InuYasha snorted. “So basically you’re deceiving him to go on a date with me.”

Kagome’s face instantly drained of color. This wasn’t a date. Did he think it was a date? Did he think she was willing to go behind Kouga’s back to date him? “Th-this isn’t a date.”

InuYasha took in Kagome’s pale face. She obviously didn’t know he was joking. “Kagome, it was a joke. We’re here for Miroku and Sango, remember? Of course this isn’t a date.”

Kagome chuckled falsely. “Of course. I knew that.”

InuYasha lifted an eyebrow in an attempt to call her bluff, but before he could actually call her on the lie, the waiter walked over with white to-go box. “What’s this?”

“This, Sir, is a congratulatory black and white chocolate mousse. A source has told us that the two of you are newly weds, and we were told to tell you to use the dessert for later.” was the waiter’s reply.

Both Kagome and InuYasha were confused, but it was InuYasha who asked, “Later for what?”

The waiter coughed slightly. “I’d like to quote the source, Sir. ‘Later in the bedroom.’, Sir.”

Kagome’s face turned completely red, and InuYasha’s eyes grew the size of golf balls. He pushed himself up from his seat, and roared, “WHAT?!?”

Miroku and Sango laughed as they watched InuYasha pickup the waiter by the scruff of his collar and start harassing him. They also noticed that Kagome was beat red and probably too humiliated to do anything to stop her male companion.

Miroku grabbed the leather folder that held tonight’s bill that their waiter had left before going off to their friend’s table. “Let’s get out of here before they realize that it was us.” He held out his hand to Sango, and she hesitatingly took it. He led them to the front desk where he insisted to pay for it. After the hostess handed him his receipt, he wished her goodnight and then led Sango out of the restaurant. “What a night!”

“I have to say that what you did was pretty ingenious.” Sango commented, still fully aware that her hand was in his. The funny thing was she didn’t seem to mind it being there.

He smiled at her. “Why thank you. InuYasha and I have a long line of pranks we pull on each other, so when he figures out that it was me I’ll no doubt be having a prank pulled on me.” He squeezed her hand, and she looked away with a slight blush on her face. “So, which way’s your car?”

Sango looked back over at him, all traces of blush gone, and smiled as she took over the leading. She guided Miroku to her car and then turned to look at him. “This is it.”

He observed her shiny car for only a moment before turning his attention back onto her. “I had a really great time tonight, Sango.”

Still smiling, Sango nodded. “Me too. It was much more fun than I would have thought.”

Miroku looked down at their still locked hands. “Maybe we could do this again sometime?”

Sango squeezed his hand which had him looking back up at her. “I’d like that.” She then proceeded to withdraw her hand in favor of digging through her purse, which had been hanging on her shoulder. She dug out a pen and a little notepad that she used at work and quickly scrawled down something. She ripped out the piece of paper and handed it to him. “Here’s my number. Call me sometime.”

Miroku gently folded the paper in half as he looked at her with a smile. “I will.” Then he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “Goodnight, Sango.”

Sango, who was now blushing again, nodded, and whispered, “Goodnight, Miroku.” He smiled again, and then walked in the direction of his own car. She lifted a hand and touched the spot where Miroku had kissed her. She grinned to herself and let out a little laugh before getting into her car.

Not ten minutes after Sango and Miroku both pulled out of the parking lot, InuYasha and Kagome made their way out of the restaurant. They were walking side-by-side and InuYasha was carrying the to-go box that contained their free dessert.

“Oh, when I get my hands on Miroku I’m gonna kill him!” InuYasha proclaimed. When InuYasha had been harassing the waiter, the waiter had confessed who his source had been, leading InuYasha to the mood he was in. “After I scored him a date with the one woman he couldn’t get off his mind, this is how he repays me?”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t that big of a deal. So, he embarrassed us. You’re the one who let the whole restaurant in on our embarrassment by abusing our waiter.”

“Oh, like you wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t been rooted to your chair like a scared little school girl.” he commented, still in his sullen mood.

Kagome turned to him and raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?” How dare he insult her when he was the one who had been harassing their waiter.

“Feh.” was all InuYasha had to say, and they walked to Kagome’s car in silence. As Kagome unlocked her car, InuYasha asked, “So, do you want this dessert or what?”

Kagome turned around and faced him. She looked down at the box, and then shrugged her shoulders. “Why not? I guess I could always take the waiter’s advice.”

She was about to take it out of InuYasha’s hands when he yanked it out of her reach. “Whoa, I don’t want you wasting it on that wolf, and I certainly did not need those images.”

Kagome glared at him. “I wasn’t going to share this with Kouga. I was going to eat it in bed.” She then sharply pulled it out of his grasp. “Gosh, you’re such a pervert!”

InuYasha felt relief wash through him. “Well . . . I guess that’s okay then.”

Kagome sighed. “Goodnight, InuYasha. Thanks for dinner.” She proceeded to open the door, but InuYasha caught her by the wrist. She looked over at him in surprise. “What?”

He had been about to tell her that she looked wonderful tonight and that he had had a great time despite everything. Don’t ask why he felt the need to do it now, but it felt unstoppable. But at the last moment, he lost his nerve. “Tell Ami that I said goodnight, and that I love her.”

Kagome nodded. “I will. Night, InuYasha.” she repeated, and then got into her car.

“Night, Kagome.” he said as he watched her drive out of sight.