InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Club Shikon ❯ Chapter 5

::sweatdrops:: I'm back! And after my mysteriously long absence, in which school began again and nearly strangled me with my urges to write CS…I'm… ::insert witty sound effect:: UPDATING! (duh-duh-duh-dah!)

So here's CS-and be prepared for angst once you choke through all the fluff. O.O

DISCLAIMER: ::prods plush Inu with one finger:: damn you plushie, why can't I be the creator of an uber-successful anime series broadcasting all over the world and creating thousands of various items of merchandise, corrupting thousands of minds and pulling them away from homework to write Fanfiction? …why… ::sobs in the corner::

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Infatuation: a temporary foolish obsession feeling like love but unable to last a great length of time.

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Kagome grumbled under her breath as she scrubbed at a cigarette burn on her beautiful cherry wood bar with a dishrag. She had banned weapons-next went the smoking.

She was so caught up in what she was doing, she didn't hear the front door open. The footsteps were too heavy for one of her woman employees, too deliberate to be Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru. The breathing was too raspy to be either of the silver-haired males, either.

Kagome briefly wondered why her bodyguard was at work early, before she saw the expensive and polished shoes and the black suit. Her eyes traveled up an overly apparent muscular form, pausing to observe the tattoo of a wolf on one worn fist and the letters spelling the name of said species on the knuckles of the other.

This was NOT anyone that she knew.

Kagome eased up on her assault of the bar, trying to keep looking busy and mask her fear. As far as she knew, they were alone in the club. Absolutely anything was possible.

"Miss Hiragushi,"

Even the voice was slightly unpleasant, though it had more of an irritating quality to it than any sort of imposing trait. She caught two hardened eyes in her own and tried not to balk at the coldness she found there.

"Hello," she said softly. "Who are you?"

He stepped closer, until he could lean an elbow on the bar with less than a foot's motion. Kagome found it hard to imagine this male casually lying about her club, however. She actually decided that she would rather not see him lying around her club, if that were possible.

"You can call me Kouga," he said seriously. "I'm here about the club."

"What about it?" Kagome was instantly defensive. If he was one of Inuyasha's `associates', then he would be leaving shortly. She had managed to scrape up a fourth of the money she owed the mafia, simply by cutting her own personal expenses and taking on work from Keade.

"I want to own it. I hear that you're the one to talk to,"

Anger sparked in her eyes. She had worked that hard to create the place, and some mafia boy thought that he could just waltz in and take it from her? Kagome was starting to like Kouga less and less as their conversation continued.

"It's not accepting new managers," Kagome said darkly.

"Consider that I would pay in full cash. My boss is interested in this site and sees more potential for it than a peaceful step up from a family diner. He knew the previous owner,"

Kagome inhaled sharply. "He's been in the…business for a while then," she stated.

Kouga's eyes flashed. "You could say that. All that you need to know is that he's interested, Miss. My gang is offering to pay you in full for management of your little place here,"

"My answer is no," Kagome said strongly, trying not to let her knees shake too badly. He could just as easily shoot her as he could pay her a couple grand, after all.

Kouga gave her a withering look. "You'll be seeing me around, Miss Hiragushi. You'd make a fine girl if you weren't so independent. How would you like to be my woman?"

"She's not up for grabs, wolf,"

Kagome spun on her heel to see Inuyasha and two other men walking across the dining area. He did not look happy, nor did he so much as glance at her. Instead, his molten amber eyes were fixed on Kouga, who seemed to be sneering back at him.

"Like a mutt would put up much of a fight for her," Kouga shot back.

Inuyasha didn't so much as blink. A twitch of his ears had the men on his right and left in obvious attack positions. One pulled out a gun, but the other held out his left hand and gripped his left wrist with his right hand.

Kagome found this strange, but was too relieved and frightened at the same time to comment.

"I suggest that you leave," Inuyasha said in an amiable tone. "Club Shikon isn't up for grabs,"

"For now," Kouga added, turning quickly enough to make his short ponytail snap behind him. He walked out the front door again, never missing a beat in his clipped heavy step.

Kagome watched him go, looked back at Inuyasha and his two `associates', and realized that she was wearing work clothes. Her skirt was rolled up into makeshift shorts and her shirt was dirty and only semi-opaque with age. A blush spread up her cheeks, but Inuyasha shook his head before she could apologize.

"You were working and we interrupted you," he said first.

"How did you know he was here?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I actually came to talk to you-once again, I got lucky," Inuyasha gave her a wry grin. "Watch out for Kouga, Kagome. Stay away from him, his gang is powerful."

"You're the top in the city, aren't you?"

"For now," the man on Inuyasha's right remarked. "If that's all, Inu, I'm going to head over to Sango's."

Inuyasha nodded. "We'll meet back later, Miroku."

Miroku, the man who had been holding his arm, had a short black ponytail and violet eyes. His baby face didn't hide the hardness of his body or his soul, lending signs of a rough past.

Inuyasha turned to the remaining man. "Hojo, that will be all for today."

The remaining lackey, brown-haired, brown-eyed, and all-out plain, followed after Miroku. Kagome all but strangled Inuyasha once Hojo was gone, abandoning her task at the bar to fling her arms around him.

"I thought he was gonna kill me!" she exclaimed. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Inuyasha seemed stuck, not knowing what to do. He awkwardly patted her back for a moment before she released him and stepped back into her own personal space, beaming up at him.

"What were you here for?" she asked sweetly, her smile never faltering.

"You," Inuyasha said with a little smirk of his own. "Sango told us you've been working non-stop since our last meeting. I decided that you needed proper nourishment,"

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "YOU decided that I needed proper nourishment? Thoughtful, really. But no thanks-I don't even have half of what I owe you yet. I can't afford dinner right now."

Inuyasha laughed to himself and shook his head, smiling down at her. "Idiot, I wouldn't make you pay,"

Kagome blinked in confusion. "What?"

"I was asking you to go out for dinner with me. It's not like I'm completely lacking in manners,"

"Oh!" Her eyes widened before an embarrassed blush spread across her face. "Then yes, that'd be lovely."

Inuyasha smirked at her and offered his arm, which she stared at. Making the mental connection, she took it. Seconds later Kagome looked down at her clothes and squeaked.

"I can't go out like this!"

Inuyasha almost rolled his eyes. "We'll get you a new dress, then. They owe me a favor anyway,"

Kagome beamed up at him. What the hell? Why is he being so nice? Is he hoping for something more than money? …not that he's bad looking, but still. What's going on?

"Thanks, Inuyasha."

He glanced over at her again and shrugged. "I eat out every night. Might as well have some intelligent company,"

Kagome thought about Miroku and Hojo for a millisecond before letting the compliment lay. Inuyasha seemed like a nice guy so far. One dinner couldn't hurt her very much.

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::falls over, dead:: that took SOOO LONG! As you're well aware, but still…! People keep calling me on the stupid phone and I have homework and all to do…

Be updating more later. Like I said, I was in school and I had the BEST IDEA! And I just had to write CS, but there were hours and hours left of mindless text books, and I was going crazy! So now I have a concept map and a plot line and stuff…and I'll be back after dinner and homework too! I have no idea why I keep abandoning this story…