InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ He's My Girl ❯ Pajama Party ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: We only use the Inuyasha characters for our own devious purposes. They will be returned (mostly) unharmed when we are done. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and we make no profit from playing with and/or tormenting her characters.

 

 

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Warnings:Swearin g and sexual situations.
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Special thanks to our awesome and talented betas: Hedanicree, Blackdeathmessenger, SplendentGoddess and Theleb K'aarna!
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Music used in this chapter:Centerfold by the J. Geils Band http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqDjMZKf-wg&NR=1
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Artwork for this chapter:http://aikisugi.deviantart.com/art/Kagome-Braids-Shay a-s-Hair-140181092
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Co-author ed by Ai Kisugi and Karaumea

 

 

Chapter 9: Pajama Party

 

 

A golden desk lamp reflected the silver hues of long messy hair and the blurred form of its owner who sat cross-legged on her futon. Red sweat pants adorned her long legs, and a white tank top strained over her full bosom as the hanyou girl crossed her arms on her chest with an irritated sigh. The two adorable dog ears atop her head and her striking golden orbs were the only parts of the girl that moved as she watched her roommate stroll around their small dorm room, getting ready to go to bed.

 

Shaya huffed when Kagome left the room with her toothbrush in hand and without a single glance in her direction. Then, she scoffed when the dark-haired girl returned and laid on her futon, still ignoring Shaya. The hanyou's lips jutted out in a pout before she heard her roommate mutter almost inaudibly, “Goodnight, Shaya-chan.”

 

That had been the last straw, and Inuyasha found himself crying out, “All right, that's it!” Since they had left the karaoke bar earlier that night and the idiot Hojo in it, Kagome had been unusually silent. Sadness radiated off of her, and it was driving him crazy. Did she care so much for that pansy-ass that she was so horribly broken? Mentally cursing the day he had suggested that she date, he stood up only to plop down on Kagome's futon behind her.

 

“Will you tell me what the fuck is wrong?” demanded the hanyou as his ears twitched wildly left and right.

 

The girl in front of him looked at her in surprise before she turned her head to look at the futon cover in front of her. She whispered morosely, “I don't want to talk about it, Shaya-chan.”

 

Inuyasha leaned back and started to grind his teeth. He then looked at the distraught girl who was staring wordlessly at her blanket. It took everything in him to not yell at her, but he was able to control his anger when he saw how defeated she seemed. “Are you angry with me?” he questioned.

 

Kagome's head whirled around to face Shaya. Her eyes were wide with astonishment. “What? Why would I be angry with you? You did nothing wrong.” She swallowed and looked back at her futon. She started to pick at the cover's stray threads.

 

Shaya frowned and managed to uncross his arms as he moved closer to his roommate. “Are you still upset because of that Homo guy?” he asked. His fingers itched to take the miko's nervous hands in his.

 

Kagome sighed and then looked up at the ceiling. Inuyasha noticed that tears were starting to form at the edges of her eyes. But she blinked determinedly in an effort to keep them at bay. “No. I'm angry with myself for being so stupid. How could I think that he was actually interested in me? I'm such an idiot. I should have known I wasn't interesting enough to keep his attention.” Kagome took a deep breath and looked squarely at her roommate. Shaya nearly grimaced when he saw the miko's bloodshot eyes and the subtle pain her mocha orbs held.

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked in a daze. “Why would you think…?” It took him a moment to realize it, but he finally understood that Kagome somehow thought she was unworthy of Hojo's attentions. More like that dumbass isn't worthy of hers. Why the hell can't she see the truth? Inuyasha grimaced as he came to the realization that he would need to tell Kagome the real facts. He'd rather have Kagome get back together with that moron than to have her look at him one more time with so much sadness and utter misery in her orbs.

 

“Look, Kagome… He wasn't flirting with me. The moron thought that I was interested in him, and he was telling me that you were the one he liked.” His eyes looked squarely into hers. He clenched his jaw because he really didn't want her going back to that love-struck jerk, but he would do whatever it took to stop the deep sadness that radiated from her.

 

Kagome nearly sobbed. She wiped the corners of her eyes. “Stop, Shaya-chan. Please.” The miko tried to get a hold of her emotions by closing her eyes and breathing deeply. As she answered her roommate she murmured her words and never opened her eyes. “You're such a good friend. But, you can't expect me to believe that a guy could turn you down for me.” Kagome looked gloomily at her roommate, her shoulders hunched in defeat.

 

“Huh?” She doesn't believe me?

 

Kagome slowly shook her head and then looked at her roommate sadly. “You have no idea, do you?” The girl turned away to cross her arms and then spoke softly. “You're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen and you're so much fun to be around! Hojo should have known he wasn't good enough for you. But obviously, I'm an even bigger idiot.” Her voice dropped into a whisper that only a dog demon could hear. “I should have known that I wasn't good enough for him.”

 

“But, Kagome…” Inuyasha pleaded. Fuck! She doesn't believe me! And how can she possibly think so little of herself?

 

His roommate sighed and moved to turn off the golden light on the stand next to Shaya. Blackness quickly crept over them. “Please, Shaya-chan. I don't want to talk about this anymore? I'll be all right, I promise. I just need some sleep. Goodnight.”

 

Inuyasha glowered in the dark. Somehow, someway I'm going to fix this!

 

~~~oo0oo~~~

 

Swirling neon lights illuminated a busy street and the tiny booth strategically situated across from the nearby `Love Hotel Hill.' Red and purple flashed over the selection of women's underwear displayed on the small wooden stall as the elderly street vendor standing behind it searched the passing crowd with the huge, greedy balls that were his eyes. Hmmm… Tonight might be just my lucky night.

 

Readjusting the clasp under his nose, he patted the two cups of the bra he was wearing over his head. His gaze fell onto two long, supple legs covered by tight jeans that were headed in his direction down the street. Luscious hips, a tiny waist and full breasts accompanied those two pillars on the shapely form of a young woman with lush dark hair and brilliant cerulean eyes.

 

Just as Happosai was about to call out to the voluptuous goddess, he was surprised to see her making a beeline to his booth—the stall where he sold his unique herbal sex remedies.

 

“Oi!” called out the lovely lady in the tight, low slung jeans. She stood in front of his stand and grinned at the array of bras and panties that adorned the area.

 

“Yes,” murmured Happosai as he gazed up and down at her figure. He noted the way her blue tube top caressed every curve of her well-endowed breasts. Then he looked down to see a sliver of tan skin between her top and her sinfully, taut jeans. What did she do? Paint them on? This is my lucky night!

 

The short street vendor was apparently looking too long at the sexy apparition in front of him because he did not notice what the girl was touching. The girl's hands and pink polished nails were fingering a lacey black bra that was dangling from the ceiling of the makeshift street cart.

 

The old man nearly blanched in dismay as he grabbed the bra away from Kori's digits and held it protectively to his chest. “They're not for sale!” he screeched.

 

Kori's normally convivial grin faltered for a moment before demanding, “What the fuck are you selling then?”

 

The letch stood up on a stool so that his diminutive stature would be tall enough to see eye to eye with his potential buyer. Then he smirked evilly at the wolf demoness and pulled a small jar out of his jacket pocket. The short man with balding curly gray hair and a bra stuck on his head tried to look serious as he showed Kori a brown ceramic jar. It had the words, `Happo-Fire Burst' imprinted on it in red, fiery letters.

 

“It's to increase the potency of a man's sex tool,” added the old man conspiratorially. He leaned back and clearly expected the girl to be impressed.

 

The girl just smiled and then clutched her own privates and waggled her eyebrows at the street vendor. “Nahh, I don't need any of that stuff. `Little Kouga' here ain't so little. And the girls have never complained about my…” Kori stopped for a moment to add a forward hip thrust. “…staying power, if you know what I mean…”

 

The vendor only gaped wide mouthed in astonishment. “What?”

 

Kori pointed to herself and her wide bosom once more. “This raging piece of manhood doesn't need any herbs to perform. But I'll recommend it to my buddy, good ol' dog shit. He seems to have some problems scoring even though he gets treated to a private show by a girl every day and night.” The young woman shook her head as if she was in on a joke that only she could understand.

 

Happosai looked at the buxom girl quizzically and let his eyes wander over her generous curves once more. Puzzlement clearly was marked all over his features.

 

Kori smiled with immense self-confidence that simply radiated from her. She looked at the diminutive vendor in the eyes. “Now, could you tell me where the White Box Hotel is?”

 

The vendor tried to regain his bearings and simply pointed to an urban looking hotel across the street from them.

 

Kori smiled deviously. “Oh. Right under my nose and I never saw it. Thanks man! I have to score with my hot date!” The girl flipped her hair at the vendor and turned around to show a swagger in her wide, curvaceous hips.

 

Happosai's eyes followed the girl's every movement. He stood entranced by her body's shifting hips as she walked away. But he was still perplexed by her bizarre choice of words. No matter, the night was young and he knew he would get lucky soon. Something told him that another choice undergarment would soon be added to his bountiful collection of women's wear.

 

Over the next half an hour Happosai tried unsuccessful to sell his potent herbal remedies. Tonight no one seemed interested in his Happo-Fire Burst paste or even his Royal Dragon Extenders. He muttered to himself before his head turned to a woman's shriek that could clearly be heard across the street.

 

There she was, that same girl who had visited his stall earlier. Her ebony hair was disheveled, her tube top almost falling off of her ample breasts. The demoness' skin-tight jeans were unbuttoned and low and behold—a miracle had occurred. The girl had satin black panties clutched in her whitened knuckles.

 

Kori looked fearfully behind her before turning up the speed to run as far away from the area as possible.

 

“Miss!” cried out Happosai. “I'll trade you a jar of super potent Happo-Fire Burst for your pair of panties!”

 

The distraught girl let out a screech as she looked at the black panty in revulsion. She didn't even glance behind her as she threw the undergarment at the street vendor before rushing off to the subway.

 

The old man's eyes were glazed over in eternal happiness. He watched the fateful panty drift in the air before falling into his outstretched hand.

 

I knew this would be my lucky night! A huge grin broke on his face before Happosai cried out triumphantly, “What a haul!”

 

~~~oo0oo~~~

 

When Saturday morning dawned, Kagome was still laying listlessly both in and out of her covers. She shifted restlessly and Inuyasha noticed that a bare leg was dangling out of the covers and her arm was perched haplessly over the ebony strands.

 

He was a hanyou and he certainly didn't need as much sleep as a human did. He swore that he was going to make this situation right and now he was going to attempt to put his plan into place.

 

The only problem was that he had no plan.

 

Fuck! He had stared at the blackened ceiling of his dorm room for hours last night trying to figure out what he could do to keep Kagome from crying and if at all possible, to make her happy again.

 

He thought his best idea by far was to beat the crap out of Hojo and then to tell Kagome about it. But knowing Kagome, she'd just cry some more, and he just hated to see her cry. Sobbing women just did something to him that made him feel horribly uncomfortable. Seeing Kagome upset and nearly at the point of tears, made him feel like his heart had been wrenched from his chest.

 

So, beating up Hojo wouldn't solve anything. But what else could he do? He wanted to protect Kagome and by the Kami he would protect her! He'd hover over her for the rest of her life if he could. But protecting her body was different than protecting her heart. He had been next to her all along, and her fragile heart had still been hurt!

 

Inuyasha blamed Hojo. It was all that fucking moron's fault! If he hadn't sung Kagome that stupid love song or attempted to date her, this never would have happened. He quickly decided that he needed to make sure that the girl never dated again, unless it was Inuyasha. With that thought, he smiled. That is a great idea! It would solve everything! He just needed to sweep her off her feet, tell her she was the most beautiful and sweetest smelling thing he had ever chanced upon. That he was in love with her and that…

 

Oh yeah, shit… I look like a girl…

 

He scratched his head and wondered what else he could possibly do. He thought about asking Kouga for advice, but that idiot would just tell him to fuck Kagome—literally. And he didn't think that she'd appreciate a lesbian come-on right now.

 

Inuyasha stood up and made his way over to his dresser to pull out a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt. As he got dressed he kept on trying to come up with a solution.

 

So who else could he ask? My Mom? No, she probably wanted to kill him as much as his dad did. Sesshoumaru? No fucking way. Bastard! Sango…

 

He was trying to come up with a reason why he shouldn't ask Sango when all of the sudden the idea seemed truly brilliant. Sango was her best friend; Sango was a girl and knew how those sneaky wenches thought and she was also pretty smart. She aced tests without even studying.

 

His decision was made. With a newfound glimmer in his eyes and a certain perkiness to his step that the spell must have created—because there was no fucking way that he'd ever skip like a girl—he made his way over to Sango's dorm room.

 

When Inuyasha rapped at her door he had completely forgot that first of all, it was 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and second, that she had three other roommates who might not like being woken so early on a weekend. After a few profuse apologies, he made amends and managed to get Sango out of her dorm room.

 

It took only a few minutes to get Sango up to speed. Once the girl had realized the severity of the situation, she no longer looked miffed at Shaya for making her get up so early.

 

Sango looked at the hanyou with eyes bugged out in disbelief. “You're telling me that Kagome saw Hojo making a play for you?”

 

Shaya only nodded solemnly.

 

“And you shoved that bastard to the ground?”

 

“Oh, you know it!” he smirked.

 

“And now Kagome is depressed?” she asked with eyes full of sympathy.

 

At that Inuyasha's grin faltered and he gazed his golden eyes at Sango beseechingly. “I just know that she's really sad and I can't fix it. It's driving me crazy! I don't know what to do.”

 

Sango patted her shoulder reassuringly. “I know exactly what that girl needs.”

 

“Oh?” asked Shaya. She arched an eyebrow in question.

 

Sango looked ahead with fierce determination. “Yes, she needs a little women time. She needs to feel the bond of friendship. She needs lots of chocolate. She needs to enjoy herself. She needs to be pampered. She needs to get drunk. She needs to just forget about men for a while. She needs…”

 

Shaya interrupted Sango because he clearly had no idea what she was talking about. “That all sounds nice. Really Sango, it does. But what can we do to fix this?”

 

Sango grinned at Shaya and then patted her on the back. “Why…she needs a pajama party of course!”

 

~~~oo0oo~~~

 

Inuyasha felt like he had stepped out of a whirlwind. Once Sango had decided on a course of action he could only step back and try to avoid the swirling activity that surrounded her. Within a few hours she had consulted all of Kagome's close friends and had concocted a pajama party with all of the accoutrements that went with one. He was happy that a real girl was planning this for Kagome. He was very certain that he would have screwed this one up if he had done this alone.

 

Sango even managed to sit down and talk to Kagome about what had happened last night. Inuyasha watched the event with complete chagrin and noticed how the two girls hugged and cried together—there was no fucking way that he'd ever cry in front of anyone. Amazingly, once they were done with their little crying pow-wow, Kagome seemed to be a little more cheerful. She even gave him a watery smile and thanked him for thinking about her.

 

And it was that one little smile that somehow made his chest feel like it was a hundred times lighter. He almost felt like he was floating, which was a good thing since Sango had just divvied up the chores that everyone was supposed to do prior to the party. He was unfortunately teamed up with Kouga. They were in charge of delivering the booze for the party.

 

Inuyasha wasn't looking forward to this. He knew that Kouga was going to spend his time teasing him about last night. As if I haven't been humiliated enough…

 

Shaya took a deep cleansing breath as she followed along behind Kori, her head held high and a thin smile plastered across her face. I'll just grin and bear it.

 

They had walked out of the dormitory and had headed to the nearest Tokyo Metro station. What surprised Inuyasha was how silent his buddy was being. Kouga was normally the one talking and bragging like there was no tomorrow. Considering that Inuyasha had been completely humiliated by having to go on a date with a guy and even had to sing a karaoke love-duet with him, surely Kouga would be having him eat crow by now. But there was nothing, only silence.

 

The unnatural quiet continued as the pair went past the subway turnstiles. Kouga seemed to be walking like a zombie as he made his way into the underground train.

 

The wolf demon grabbed a silver handlebar with one hand and stared ahead morosely. Inuyasha peered at his buddy's face. The wolf demon girl he looked at in the crowded subway car had a sullen expression on her face. It wasn't anything like what he had expected. His wolf friend often was jovial, conniving, a complete hentai and not anything like the sad, cheerless wench he was now standing next to.

 

What the fuck happened to him? He was supposed to get laid last night.

 

“Oi, wolf-shit!”

 

Kori turned her cerulean blue eyes at him. Inuyasha stared at the defeated girl, who was looking at him with as much stoicism as she could muster.

 

“What the fuck happened to you?” questioned the confused half-demon. “I thought you were going out with your lesbian lover last night.”

 

Kori's eyes widened and then she furiously yelled at her friend, “Keep your god-damned voice down. I don't want this entire car to know what I was doing last night.”

 

Shaya quirked a manicured black brow at her friend. “And what were you doing last night? Normally, you'd be telling me all of the gory details by now.”

 

Inuyasha looked quizzically at his friend who had the most curious expression on her face. She was blanching as if she was remembering a particularly disturbing nightmare. Kori normally had perfectly tanned, bronze skin, so it was bizarre to see her face whitening and losing color.

 

“I…I don't want to talk about it,” murmured Kori as she blatantly ignored Shaya's eyes and looked at the linoleum floor of the train car instead.

 

Now, Inuyasha wasn't the most intelligent guy on the block, but he did have a sense of street smarts—a quality that had proven invaluable after the many antics he had pulled over the years with Kouga. His senses were now buzzing at him, telling him something was immensely wrong. Something was out of place. Since when did Kouga not want to talk about his dates? Or his conquests? Inuyasha snorted to himself.

 

Then something dawned on Inuyasha, something too delicious to ever let go.

 

“You…you didn't get laid last night did you?” questioned the hanyou as the realization slowly dawned on him. He couldn't help it, a small sly smile started to grace his perfectly pink lips. Oh man, I think the kami might actually exist!

 

The sullen, defeated look on Kori's face somehow morphed into horror as her jaw clenched and her face became even whiter. The only words that escaped her lips was a low whisper, “Something like that...”

 

Inuyasha's small smile started to spread across his rosebud lips. “Oh, so what happened to you and your little lipstick lesbian at the love hotel then?” queried the hanyou. He only felt a tiny tinge of guilt when he saw his best buddy shiver in disgust as if he had been asked to eat a bucket of youkai guts.

 

Kori's eyes withdrew from the floor and focused away from everything. She was staring outside the window of the train and the blurred concrete tunnels that they were passing. “We met up at a love hotel. She uh…” Kori paused and looked like he was trying to swallow something that did not agree with him. His white face now appeared a little tepid. He then turned and looked at Shaya dead in the eyes. “Remember when you read her personal ad and she said she packed?”

 

Inuyasha could only nod, having no idea what that had to do with why his friend was so morose.

 

“Well, for a lesbian, that means that she,” Kori tried to choke back the sound that Inuyasha normally heard his friend make when he needed to puke his guts out. The wolf demoness put a hand in front to her face as if to hold back the bile building there. “It means, that she, uh…that she wears a…a…strap-on.”

 

“A fucking what? A strap-on?” asked Shaya a little too loudly for Kori's comfort.

 

“Shut the fuck up!” yelled Kori and after she noticed the inhabitants of the train looking at the two girls. She lowered her voice so that it was almost inaudible. In fact, only a dog demon could hear her voice now. “You know, a strap-on—a fake dick,” continued Kori in a whisper. She stood rigid against the railing and her eyes had the blank look of someone recalling a moment of extreme horror. “She…she tried to make me her bitch,” lamented Kori as she turned to look at her best buddy with pleading, sad eyes.

 

Inuyasha should have been the one to comfort his friend. Kouga had been his best friend and fellow conspirator for the past few years. But the guy also had an ego the size of greater Tokyo and had been mercilessly teasing him since they had met. Inuyasha deemed that the kami were trying to make things up to him for his recent humiliations. For once, justice had been served.

 

“Bwahahahaha!” screamed out Shaya. She doubled over in absolute hysterics. “You…you…she tried to…Muhahahaha…make you her….Bwahahahaha…her…bitch!”

 

Inuyasha didn't care that every member of the train car was either staring at them or trying to move as far away from them as possible. He felt tears form at the corners of his eyes. His guffaws made his sides ache in pain and he was damned if he hadn't been this hysterical in ages.

 

“The fucking kami exist! I knew it!” was all Kori could hear over Shaya's cackles of laughter.

 

~~~oo0oo~~~

 

 

Takeshi was in the middle of the busiest train station in the entire world, the Shinjuku station. He was walking along an oblong, concrete subway with low ceilings and a multitude of people. The busy citizens of Tokyo passed him in streams of colors and shapes. Some walked, some ran, some yelled, and some strolled by in silence while reading their daily newspaper or manga.

 

Today he was wearing a medical mask that most Japanese wore when they had a cold. It kept the germs from spreading in crowded areas like the Tokyo subway. It also had the added effect of obscuring his voice when he spoke.

 

Takeshi walked to the phone booth and slid a phone card into the waiting credit-card sized slot. He quickly dialed the number he had memorized and waited for the recipient to pick up the line. As the phone rang he fiddled with the ammo clip in the pocket of his black trench coat.

 

Soon a stoic and irritated voice was heard from the other end of the speaker. “Moshi, moshi. Takahashi.”

 

“I've found Rin,” Takeshi stated smoothly.

 

Sesshoumaru's cool voice fractured momentarily with a stifled gasp.

 

He had been waiting more than two years to find out what had happened to Rin. He hadn't even known whether she was dead or alive. When she disappeared after her father's death, he had no knowledge as to why it had happened. Was it her intentional desire to flee or had she been kidnapped? Surely the kidnapped girlfriend of a high-level executive of Takahashi, Inc. could nab a lot of money, but there was never a ransom call, never a single word. “Rin? What?” His voice stilled and became laced with suspicion. “Who is calling me?”

 

A cool, even voiced replied, “Meet me at the `Seventh Heaven' on Roppongi Street, tonight at 10 p.m.”

 

“Where…” The dog demon was quickly cut off as Takeshi hung up the phone. The middle-aged man looked at the receiver unapologetically. He tugged off the medical mask and frowned. The white mask was quickly tossed in a nearby garbage bin as he walked away, getting lost within the myriad of faces and voices of the Tokyo subway.

 

~~~oo0oo~~~

 

It took a minor act of the gods to get Shaya and Kori back to the dormitory in one piece. However, they did succeed in their mission. After plugging a multitude of Yen into an alcohol vending machine at a Tokyo Metro station, they had managed to buy six, medium-sized bottles of sake.

 

Kori grinned as he arranged some small, black sake cups onto a lacquered tray. He then poured the chilled sake into two small pitchers.

 

Kouga had regained his lost humor once he spied on Kagome and Ayame in their pajamas. Kagome was wearing a pink and red trimmed Chinese silk set. Ayame was sporting a purple, satin spaghetti-strapped top with matching shorts. Of course, neither of the girls was wearing a bra, and the wolf demon was happily leering at his fellow roommates. Next Kouga ran off to put on a pair of black silk boxer shorts and a white wife beater. He wasn't going to be left out.

 

Kori ran into Shaya in the hallway and eyed her with distaste. “Get a move on and change!” he admonished as he waved his hand at the jeans and t-shirt that she wore.

 

Shaya mumbled in compliance and walked into her room to change. She was astounded to see that the ladies had already taken up residence in his room. Sango had managed to move her TV set onto his dresser and was plugging in a DVD player.

 

Inuyasha felt awkward and embarrassed as he pulled out a pair of shorts and started to make his way to the bathroom. But it was Sango who stopped him.

 

“Shaya,” she reprimanded as she blocked the girl from exiting the room. “There's no need to change away from us. A pajama party is all about girls losing our inhibitions and just having fun. Disrobe here!”

 

Inuyasha balked and shook his head in the universal language that clearly said, `No.'

 

However, Sango would not be dissuaded. “Come on girls, let's get Shaya!” she yelled.

 

Ayame and Kagome squealed as they jumped on Shaya and threw her onto the futon. Sango joined in as well and he soon had three girls piled on top of him. After some wriggling, his roommate and Sango had managed to pull off his jeans and Ayame was trying to pull up his pajama shorts.

 

“I can take it from here, thanks,” Shaya mumbled in utter mortification. Another man might have been completely turned on by having three girls tugging his clothes off. However, Inuyasha was a private person and he was starting to wonder if this pajama party was really such a good idea.

 

He chanced a glance at Kagome and saw her smiling back at him. She had been so morose last night and during the morning. Now, she was finally starting to perk back up. Fine, it is worth it!

 

“What should we do first?” questioned Ayame after Sango had finished setting up their entertainment for the night.

 

“Hairdos!” yelled Kagome.

 

“You have got to be kidding me,” deadpanned Kori who was surveying the dorm room. I was hoping for an all-girl make-out session, not doing each other's hair! He grimaced in obvious distaste.

 

“Oh, manicures and pedicures!” shrieked Ayame.

 

Both Shaya and Kori managed to roll their eyes at the sudden influx of estrogen that had surfaced in the room.

 

Inuyasha felt himself being tugged back onto Kagome's futon and she motioned for him to sit down in front of her. “I have always wanted to play with your hair,” the girl murmured with undue reverence.

 

“You're not serious,” stated Shaya even as he felt the bristles of a brush slowly make their way from the top of his scalp to the ends of his hair. Kagome had brushed his hair once before and just like the last time he found it to be soothing. He tried to keep himself from purring like a pansy as he enjoyed his girlfriend's calming ministrations.

 

He cocked an eye over at Kouga who was shooing Sango and Ayame away. They were trying to get him to acquiesce to a manicure. “I really don't want pink nail polish with little jewels and flowers on them,” he muttered in protest.

 

“But you already have pink nails,” Ayame cooed.

 

“No flowers and no jewels. It's just not…” Kouga protested as he stilled his voice.

 

“Not what?” queried Ayame as she started to buff his nails despite his protests.

 

Kori swallowed, not really wanting to continue what he was about to say. “…not very manly?” he finished.

 

It seemed like the redhead was about to question him about his last comment when she noticed that her nail file was not taking off his nail polish. “What's going on with your nails, Kori?”

 

Oh, fuck. The illusion can't be changed. Kori snatched her hands away. “Uh, I'd rather have a drink you know. I'll get the sake. Maybe you can do Sango's nails?”

 

Ayame only looked at him quizzically, while Sango shrugged as she got up to pull a DVD out of its case.

 

“What are we watching tonight?” asked Kagome as she started to braid Shaya's side locks. The dog demon tried not to huff in annoyance. Deep down inside, he was actually relishing the attention, but did it have to be girly attention?

 

Sango laughed as she put the disk into the DVD player. “It's `Zack and Miri Make a Porno'!”

 

“What?” asked Kagome who stilled her hands that were twisting Shaya's hair into a long plait. “We're watching a porno?”

 

“All right!” exclaimed Kori with barely restrained enthusiasm as he reappeared in the room with his tray of sake. Finally, something to look forward to tonight!

 

Sango waved her hand to dismiss the two. “No, no, the title is a little misleading. It's about two roommates, who decide to make a low-budget porn together, but it's not pornography. It's actually a comedy.”

 

“Two roommates who get together to make a porn?” voiced Shaya incredulously. Inuyasha couldn't help but to look back at Kagome shyly and he found his face heated with a blush. He couldn't help but to think of what it would be like to make that sort of a movie with his `roommate.' Hell, any excuse to have sex with Kagome! He gazed at Kagome and was thankful that she didn't notice his brief stare.

 

He imagined her naked, straddling him before an unbidden image of two females riding each other came to his mind. Shit! It'd be a lesbian porno! He shook his head at the thought and turned his attention to the movie that was about to play in front of him. Kagome continued the rhythmic and soothing braiding of his hair.

 

Sango pressed the play button, and Ayame turned down the lights. While the movie played in their little dorm room, everyone huddled on the futon platforms to watch the plot unfold. Kori made sure that everyone had cups and was quick to pour out the sake. Before Inuyasha knew it, Ayame had downed an entire bottle of sake and Kagome had a number of shots. Luckily, she had already finished braiding both of his side locks, otherwise he was quite sure that his hairdo would have looked rather lopsided.

 

By now, Kagome's head bobbed unsteadily next to his, so he placed his arms around her side in order to steady her. She looked up at him sheepishly and grinned. Kori was still trying to ply her with additional drinks, but Inuyasha kept rebuffing his attempts. She might be hurling in the morning as it was; there was no need to make it any worse.

 

His roommate giggled at the movie as she sat in his arms. She was laughing a little too hard. It was funny, but not that funny! Eventually it came to the part where the roommates were going to film the porn scene. Zack looked like a scruffy faced, overweight geek. Yet, for some reason he got to have sex with Miri, who was a voluptuous, beautiful blonde. Inuyasha looked down at Kagome whose eyes were half-closed and her face was resting on his shoulder. Of course, Kagome is prettier than Miri. His roommate had long tresses of ebony hair that fell down her kissable shoulders to her silky bottom. He looked at her lacey black eyelashes that fluttered open and closed over her umber orbs as she took a few passing glances at the movie.

 

“Oi, Kagome!”

 

“Wha…what?” asked Kagome as she sleepily raised her face within centimeters of his own.

 

“There's no way that Miri would sleep with her roommate in real life, right?” he asked.

 

Kagome looked up at Shaya with a silly smile plastered on her face. “Oh, I don't know. Zack's funny and adorable…”

 

“But…but,” Inuyasha nearly choked. “But she's so beautiful and he's so…so…”

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Sha-yah, I can't believe you!” Kagome tottered back as she pointed her finger at Shaya's chest, not really noticing that instead of pressing up against soft breasts that she had met something hard and muscular. “There's more to a guy than his looks. Does...does he love you? It's…it's what's in here…” Kagome pointed rather stupidly to Shaya's heart. “It's what's in there…that's important!” she said as her voice trailed away.

 

Kagome sighed and dropped her head to rest next to Shaya's lap. She turned and looked up at Shaya. “I would give any…anything to have a guy… love me with all his heart…,” she said while turning her head to look at the TV screen again.

 

“Have a guy love you with all his heart?” Inuyasha whispered. Kagome could only nod her head while she lay on the floor. It was taking too much energy for her to sit up and the floor was feeling so nice and cool against her face right now. It was keeping her from getting dizzy.

 

“Yeah,” she murmured as she turned her head to face the screen—her face still plastered to the ground.

 

“Oh,” said Shaya as `she' tried her best to keep her fingers from stroking Kagome's long obsidian tresses. Inuyasha swallowed nervously and then tried to get lost in the movie again. Anything to keep him from thinking about his roommate and what he wanted to do with her and how she would look nude, laying on the bed in front of him… Bad hanyou…Stop it…

 

Inuyasha stared at the television screen and became fascinated with the next scene. He marveled at how the supposed porn scene between the two roommates became a love scene. The boy and girl were making love—they weren't just having sex. Unfortunately, the two supposed porn stars didn't realize that they were both in love with each other. It took a lot of heartache before the two reconciled by the end of the movie.

 

Kagome sighed when the movie was over. “I...I can't believe those two!”

 

“Why?” returned Sango who was teetering on the edge of the futon's platform.

 

“Should of…should of told each other the truth—that they loved each other. It was so…so sad when they didn't know the truth.” Kagome's lips started to tremble. “I hate sad,” she mumbled as a few tears ran down her cheeks and pooled onto the floor near her face. Kagome still hadn't managed to pull her face off the floor. She seemed glued to the ground.

 

Within a heartbeat, Inuyasha pulled Kagome up and had his arms wrapped around her shoulders to support her. His calloused thumbs swept up against her wet cheeks and wiped away the tears. “Hey roomy, no need to cry, please. I hate to see you crying, Kagome.”

 

Kagome looked up at Shaya, and a slow smile crept across her face. “You know, you look like Inuyasha,” she said dreamily.

 

“I do?” whispered Shaya as her eyes widened.

 

“Mmm, hummm,” murmured Kagome as her silly grin continued and her head lolled to one side and then the other.

 

“So!” declared Kori as she stood up to the center of the room. “How about some truth or dare, girls?”

 

“Sa…sure!” acceded Kagome as she tried to raise her limp arm in a show of agreement.

 

“Can't hurt,” shrugged Sango.

 

“I'm in!” Ayame agreed.

 

“OK, we'll start with Kagome,” said Kori with a smile.

 

Kagome looked up to Kori with a blissful smile of ignorance plastered on her face.

 

“I want everyone to answer the question, `Who would you make a porno with?' And it has to be someone you know!'”

 

“Wha…what?!” responded Sango as her eyes bugged out of their sockets. “You mean I can't say `Brad Pitt' or something?”

 

Kori chuckled and covered his face with one hand to keep from laughing too hard. “The rules are you have to name someone you want to have sex with that you know! OK. Kagome, who would you make a porno with…?” Kori raised her black manicured eyebrow and gazed at the girl with her penetrating blue eyes.

 

Kagome looked around the room with bleary eyes until they rested on the ears perched on Shaya's head. “I…I'd want Inu-Ya-sha,” she said while giggling.

 

“What?!” sputtered Shaya as she nearly spilled the contents of her sake cup.

 

“Yeah,” responded Kagome as she continued to gaze at Shaya's ears. “I'd start by licking his cute puppy ears and then I'd…”

 

“Go on,” encouraged Kori with a devilish smirk on her face.

 

“Then I'd run ma-my fingers down his chest. Hic,” she said dreamily. “I'd slowly take off his clothes. When he's naked I'd start to lick and nibble on his chest and make my way down…”

 

Shaya's face was starting to turn a lovely shade of crimson as Kagome continued to describe exactly how she would handle the hanyou if she were asked to star with him in a porno. Unfortunately, the images that were presented to Inuyasha's mind were overwhelming and he found himself reacting. It was a good thing that `Little Tessaiga' was concealed, otherwise someone would have noticed a tent in his pajama bottoms by now.

 

When Kagome was done, Kori's eyes flicked to Shaya's. “Oh no, no way,” responded the hanyou girl. “I'm not telling.”

 

“Come on,” responded Sango. “I'm sure it's a cute guy. You can tell us!”

 

Inuyasha blanched at the thought. It's no fucking guy. It's a girl. He looked at his roommate that was nearly passed out on his lap. It would be Kagome. “I'll take the dare!” Shaya added as she crossed her arms in front of her ample bosom.

 

Kori's eye's glimmered with mischievousness. “Then, I dare you to kiss your roommate!”

 

Shaya's eyes widened and his heart couldn't help but to accelerate when he thought about doing the deed. My lips touching Kagome's…? Would she allow it?

 

“Hey, Kags!” Sango yelled out.

 

“Hmm,” murmured Kagome listlessly as she slumped onto the floor next to Shaya.

 

“Inu-ya-sha is here,” said Sango in a singsong voice.

 

“Wha…what?” answered Kagome as she sat up in panic.

 

“And he wants to kiss you…” added Sango with syrupy sweetness in her voice.

 

“Really?” asked Kagome incredulously. Swaying dangerously, she looked around in search of the said hanyou. “Where?”

 

“He's right there,” answered Sango as she pointed to Shaya and fell over in a fit of giggles.

 

Kagome stared at Shaya with a look of perplexity. She cocked her head to the side and then moved closer to Shaya as if trying to discern exactly who the person was that was sitting next to her. Her drunken state made her look like a small child who was trying to solve a complex riddle.

 

Inuyasha started to blush again. Sango was making fun of him. There was no way that Kagome would think that Shaya was Inuyasha. She couldn't possibly be that drunk!

 

Kagome's brows furrowed in concentration, and out of nowhere, Inuyasha felt a strange pulse erupt around the girl. There was a tingling sensation against his skin, like the lingering feeling of electricity in the air after a thunderstorm. Whatever the phenomenon was, it was centered on Kagome. It felt like her aura was reaching out to his, touching him and caressing him. It was both soothing and titillating all at once.

 

He was startled when he heard Kagome speaking to him. Her chocolate eyes widened with yearning as she gazed up at him in adoration. “You're really here,” she murmured almost inaudibly, causing the hanyou's ears to perk up in attention. She gasped then and ducked her head down as her cheeks flushed crimson. It wasn't long before slightly dazed chocolate orbs peeked at him shyly from beneath long, dark eyelashes.

 

“You want to kiss me, Inuyasha?” she whispered with timid awe.

 

The hanyou looked at Kagome in confusion. She really thinks that she can see the real me? She did see me once before, didn't she? At the shrine... Is it happening again?

 

“Sure he does!” yelled Kori as she slapped Shaya on the back, which made the hanyou fall forward. Suddenly, Inuyasha found his lips precariously close to Kagome's. He could feel her warm breath fanning over his lips.

 

Kagome's warm brown eyes found his golden orbs; desperation and longing swept over her features. Suddenly, her lips moved forward to press against his. At the contact, a surge of energy swept over him and made his skin goose bump as every centimeter of his body tingled.

 

Inuyasha couldn't stop the onslaught as Kagome's body fell upon his, her lips pressed firmly against his, her tongue pushing between his lips and asking for entrance. He couldn't help but to part his lips and let her in. Her fingers found one of his ears and caressed the sensitive appendage as he moaned. Her other hand snaked around his neck, bringing him more forcefully against her warm, electrical body. Her mouth both begged him to meet her while she forcefully tried to take control.

 

He had wanted Kagome for so long; she had been teasing him—albeit unconsciously—since the moment he stepped into her dorm room. Now he was allowed to kiss her? And even more amazingly, she was the one to initiate it?

 

Abruptly, all of the shock left his body as his youkai responded to a human female trying to be the one in charge. His own aura reacted to hers and he felt a sizzling sensation wherever their bodies touched. Wherever her fingers, lips, tongue, or skin met his body, it was like a stimulating electrical current had swept between them.

 

He couldn't help his reaction to her soft, pliant body that was moving against his. The surges of their conflicting auras and the way her energy sent trails of fire down his skin caused his already engorged flesh to stiffen. Inuyasha gasped as he felt her warm body pressing up against his hardness. Electrical energy erupted as the concave area between her legs fit snuggly against his shaft. Her warmth slid up against him and the friction only increased his desire—her proximity was pushing his sanity further and further away.

 

Shaya growled. It was bizarre to hear such a deep rumble from a woman's bosom as he pushed Kagome back onto her futon—his hard body covering hers. His mouth sought hers with as much passion as she had been seeking his. Their auras entwined and meshed. Sparks caressed their skin as Inuyasha started to trace his hands down her neck. He wanted to touch every part of her body. He needed to get her damned clothes off, because it was interfering with his desire for skin on skin contact.

 

“Two girls getting it on!” cried out Kori in glee. “Man, this is hot!”

 

“Whoah!” yelled Ayame as she giggled. “You two can't make a porno here! I know you're roommates. But hey, you're too drunk.” The wolf demoness giggled.

 

Shaya's eyes widened when he realized that other people in a room surrounded him and that his body was pressed so sweetly against Kagome's soft, mesmerizing form. When he had kissed Kagome, he had felt like there was no one else in the world but his miko. He could get lost in her magical touch. If he had been given a few seconds longer, he knew that he would have been touching her luscious breasts or cupping her silky ass. Shaya's lips regretfully left Kagome's as he pulled his body away from her. Their auras seemed to grasp at each other one last time, sparking and licking the charged air between them before they seemed to drop in defeat. The energy against Kagome's skin sputtered as her eyes drifted close, happiness suffused her features.

 

Inuyasha was stumped. What had just happened? He sat back dumbstruck. I never thought kisses were supposed to feel like that! And Kagome thought I was Inuyasha, not Shaya? Did she really see me? Wait a second? Suddenly Inuyasha put two and two together. Kagome wanted to kiss me? And with such passion? She's got to like the real me! The guy she had a crush on…was it me all along?

 

Inuyasha pulled back to look at the girl he had thoroughly kissed. Her lips seemed fuller than normal. They were puffy and red, kissable… Her obsidian hair was tossed wildly onto the white futon and her eyes fluttered close in bliss.

 

“Inu-ya-sha,” she murmured while her fingers touched her lips. Then, the girl turned over on her futon and brought her legs up to her chest. Within moments he heard the soft sighs of sleep coming from her lips.

 

“Wow!” Kori yelled out. “I didn't know you had it in you, Sha-yah!”

 

“Shut up, wolf-shit,” responded Shaya as she suddenly felt embarrassed for putting on a public display of lesbian affection.

 

Kori only grinned while Shaya huffed and did his best to ignore his buddy's pointed stare. Soon, the game of truth or dare started up again and he was relieved that he had already taken Kouga's dare, a dare that had allowed him to truly kiss Kagome for the very first time. Maybe I owe wolf-shit some thanks? Inuyasha looked over at his buddy who was talking suggestively to the girls and leering down Ayame's low cut pajama top. Then again, maybe not...

 

Shaya tugged at the braid that Kagome had plaited before the pajama party had begun. He remembered her hands in his hair, brushing and stroking. In a bizarre fashion it had calmed him and surprisingly, it made him happy. It didn't matter how she touched him, he almost lived for those brief moments of contact. Like the kiss we just shared…

 

He risked a glance at Kagome while the other girls seemed distracted. He grasped the bottom edge of the futon cover and then gently pulled it up over her sleepy form. The miko sighed and shifted slightly. A subtle smile curved at the corners of her rosy lips. “Inu…ya…sha,” she mumbled to herself as she allowed the warmth that surrounded her to seep into her frame. Even in a room with the lights on and with several girls chattering, she was dead to the world.

 

Shaya didn't know whether to frown or to grin. He brought up the edge of the blanket to tuck it under her chin. While doing so he couldn't help but to place an errant lock of hair behind her ear. Her hair was soft and silky, just like her lips. He rubbed the curls in his clawed fingers before he let go and let the hair drop again next to her peaceful countenance.

 

He gazed down at the girl that he had fallen in love with, the girl who he realized seemed to have a crush on Inuyasha, the girl who was his roommate and the girl who didn't know that he was really a guy. He groaned at the thought. Then, the dull babble of the room started to filter into his senses again. It was amazing how much he could ignore when he was gazing at Kagome. Sometimes the rest of the world just faded away and it was only the two of them.

 

Apparently, the question had gotten around to Kori now and she was telling everyone about the guy that she would make a porno with.

 

“Yeah, Kouga's this hot wolf demon,” she said as she winked at Ayame. “You'd think he was super sexy.”

 

Ayame rolled her eyes and concluded, “From what you've been telling me, he's a real man whore. Pffft!” The girl quickly dismissed the thought, leaving Kori stunned for a brief moment before she continued on from where she left off, trying to regale the women in the room about Kouga of the wolf demon tribe.

 

When the question was passed onto Ayame, Inuyasha was expecting her to stutter and to do anything but admit that she would like to make a porno with someone she knew. However, the only person who was more astounded was Kouga when she calmly told everyone with an attitude of dismissal. “I'd make a porno with my boyfriend of course,” she added as she quirked her eyebrow at the dazed and partially inebriated crowd.

 

“Boy…friend?” murmured Kori in absolute astonishment. It had never even crossed his mind that Ayame might have a boyfriend. She had never mentioned him, but he quickly realized that he had smelled a peculiar, and in his opinion, disgusting scent from her dorm room bed the first week he was there. It was a smell that clashed with her natural cinnamon fragrance and had made her seem positively repulsive the first week.

 

Is that it? Do I smell her boyfriend? For some reason, a very irrational anger took over him. She is my roommate! So what if he had been trying to get laid with his little lipstick lesbian? He just needed to get his dick wet. Ayame shouldn't be hooking up with anyone. It just wasn't right. In fact, it's downright disgusting! Kori soon looked very similar to a disgruntled Shaya with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

 

Ayame just hummed in response and took another shot of sake before she looked pointedly at Sango.

 

The girl simply waved her arms. “Oh, I am not answering that one!”

 

The red-haired wolf demoness simply rolled her eyes. “Then we have to give you a dare,” she said with a lazy smile.

 

Kori perked up for just enough time to suggest that Sango streak around their dorm room in the dead of the night.

 

The girl's eyes widened. “You mean with no clothes on?” questioned Sango as her resolve for not answering the earlier question started to fade.

 

Kouga simply smirked. Damn, if I'm not going to get any, at least I can see it. Ayame won't even let me see her naked.

 

Sango looked at the sake bottle and asked for another drink. After downing two more shots in quick succession, she motioned for the other girls to follow her outside of the dorms.

 

Shaya only stared at the girls in astonishment as the pajama party started to trail out of the room.

 

Kori arched an eyebrow at Shaya. “Don't you want to see the peep show, Shaya?” she asked with the barest hint of mischievousness to her voice.

 

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his buddy. “No, thanks. I need to keep an eye on Kagome.” He couldn't help but to give his obviously sexually repressed friend a little ribbing. “Besides, I'd rather see Kagome's naked body and she shows it off so nicely to me every day.” He couldn't help it; an impish grin broke out across his features.

 

Kori's smile faltered at the reminder. “Damned mutt,” she muttered.

 

“You're just jealous,” added Shaya as she gazed down at her angelic roommate and her bare leg that peeked out from under the covers. He heard the door slam and then got up to lock it and to turn off the lights.

 

He sat down on the futon next to Kagome once more. Her small hands were folded under her chin and she looked so beautiful under the faint moonlight that filtered in past the gossamer curtains. He couldn't help but to stroke another lock of her ebony strands before he left to settle into his futon.

 

It was harder for him to fall asleep as he touched his mouth again and remembered their heated exchange on her futon. He had tasted her for the first time. He could still savor the jasmine on his lips and as much as he wanted to deny it, he wanted nothing more than to try it again.

 

~~~oo0oo~~~

 

The edges of Sesshoumaru's lips curved down into a subtle frown as he walked into the Seventh Heaven establishment. His wary golden eyes steadily took in the smoky atmosphere around him. Passing around the corners of his vision were scantily clad women who were wearing only a G-string or a short kimono that left little to the imagination. However, the majority of the people in the club were men and a few of the women who stood by the sidelines, ogling the flesh that surrounded them like ripe fruit they wanted to eat.

 

Disgusting humans. He was the vice president of one of the largest corporations in Japan. He would never deign to enter something so vile, especially a place owned by Naraku. The air was what irritated him the most. His demonic senses reeled at the stink of the acid smoke, the putrid smell of sweaty, oiled bodies and the overpoweringly sweet scent of hard liquor.

 

As his eyes scanned the perimeter, he didn't see anyone who would meet his stoic gaze. Perhaps he hasn't arrived yet?

 

His face only held an emotionless mask as he turned to a table near the dancer's main walkway. He wiped off the hard wooden seat with a flick of his wrist before he sat down gracefully.

 

Within seconds, a nearly naked woman with long blonde curls walked in front of him, her skin was oiled and she only wore a thin black thong. Her shiny breasts bobbed in front of him and she tried to give him a smile that he was sure was supposed to be interpreted as sexy. He nearly cringed at her scent; she smelled like trash that had been festering in the sun.

 

She ran her finger under his chin and tried to run it down the front of his double-breasted suit. “How about it honey, want a lap dance?” she said coyly as she tried to move even closer to him.

 

Steel fingers grabbed hold of her hand and twisted her arm away from him.

 

“This Sesshoumaru does not like to be touched. Be sure to tell the other girls to stay away from me,” he said in icy tones as amber orbs glared at her. He had better things to do tonight than to let some stinky, human whore touch him. He pushed her aside.

 

There was a time long ago, when he wouldn't have even considered being intimate with anyone unless she was a full-fledged demoness. For some reason, sanity went by the wayside when he had met Rin.

 

It had been his senior year in college and he had been attending a demon-only fraternity event. He had never deigned to mix with humans. They smelled funny, they had limited lifespans and they simply weren't in his league. It was during one of these drunken Greek mixers that another rival fraternity insulted his father for mating with a human female. He still remembered the utter outrage he felt. No one ever insulted his father or the Takahashi name—no one. He cursed the demon who insulted him and made several allusions about the demon's mother's mating habits with numerous other youkai. It wasn't his finest moment, but then he was horribly drunk and they had insulted his father. It wasn't until he left the party, that he realized his insults about the demon's mother were not going to remain unanswered.

 

He was blindly attacked by a group of more than ten demons in an alleyway on Greek Row. He had done a good job defending himself, considering that he was drunk and horribly overwhelmed. When it was done, Sesshoumaru was left as a bloody, almost unrecognizable figure in the dank lane.

 

It was there that a freshman girl named Rin found him. He remembered the scent of waterfalls that washed over his senses. It was soothing, even though he was in abject pain. Somehow she had called out to her friends and shortly thereafter he had been moved and attended.

 

He really didn't remember the following hours, but he did recall finally awakening to a beautiful, petite, doe-eyed girl with shoulder-length brown hair. Her gaze was of concern as she finished bandaging his shoulder. She was lovely, but it was her scent that mesmerized him and he had never been the same since. He even abdicated his position as president of his all-demon fraternity because they wouldn't allow a human like Rin to visit him.

 

He snorted. His fellow Greeks had never bothered to help him after he had been attacked, but Rin had been there for him. For the next four years, she was always at his side, and to his surprise, he found that he relished her presence and attentions. He had even planned on mating with her once she graduated from college.

 

However, she had disappeared shortly after the death of her father. She had vanished like a dream that fades when you wake in the morning. For two years, he had private investigators scour the city and eventually every prefecture in Japan looking for her, but nothing had come up. That is, until he had received a phone call earlier that morning telling him that Rin had been found and that he was to meet his contact here.

 

He didn't know what to make of the phone call. It could easily have been a prank call, but how did the man know his private cell phone number? He only gave that number out to family members and close associates. Everyone else had to go through his secretary at the corporation.

 

It was puzzling, and Sesshoumaru did not like puzzles that he could not solve. As he cogitated a lingering scent took hold of his senses. It was something so minute, so faint, that only a dog demon with his incredible sense of smell could detect.

 

“Rin,” he whispered before he could stop the word from leaving his mouth. The smell of fresh, cool streams cascading over rocks tickled his senses. His eyes widened and a hope that he had been repressing for two years swelled in his chest. She's here somewhere!

 

He moved with graceful speed to the employee entrance, where the girl's scent seemed to linger. He sniffed and noticed that the trail had gotten stale. She was somewhere on the other side of that door. He moved his poisoned talons next to the doorknob that said, `Employees Only' and was prepared to melt off the knob if it was locked.

 

Then, behind him, her fragrance wafted over him. She was nearby and behind him somewhere. He quickly turned and tried to get his bearings. The dog demon was trying to ascertain exactly where she was; he knew she was close by. However, her scent was obscured by smoke, sweat, oil and the stench of warm, fetid smelling bodies.

 

Sesshoumaru heard an announcement over the speakers. “And why don't you give a round of applause for the walking sex queen, the woman who only wears feather boas—let's hear it for—the Lady of the West!”

 

Lady of the West? Sesshoumaru had been in charge of the Takahashi Corporation's Western division. It had been a little in-joke between him and Rin. He had always referred to her as being his `Lady of the West.'

 

The hoots and yells that permeated the atmosphere of the club grew exponentially. Apparently, this was the main act of the evening. A feeling of dire horror swept over him as he both dreaded and desired to see the lady who was supposed to be the next strip tease artist.

 

Her scent then became stronger, enveloping him in fragrant waves. As her scent wafted over him he finally saw her elfin-like form that walked coldly and proudly across the stage. She was wearing white leather stilettos and her bare form was wrapped in fluffy, white feather boas. One long boa was trailing along behind her, flowing and slithering with her determined movements.

 

Music started to boom and vibrate through the club.

 

She was pure like snowflakes

No one could ever stain

The memory of my angel

Could never cause me pain

 

Rin's umber orbs were icy and twinkling against the bright lights as she started to pull one feathery boa from her shoulder exposing one creamy shoulder to everyone in the room. Suddenly the howls and crackles that had surrounded him increased in volume. He pressed his lips together in a thin line.

 

My blood runs cold

My memory has just been sold

My angel is the centerfold

Angel is the centerfold

 

No, she can't do this. Why is she doing this? Didn't I give her everything she wanted? Didn't she know…

 

Sesshoumaru looked up at the stage, and his once calm and cool amber eyes connected with her dew brown ones. All at once Rin's cold facade cracked like a mirror splintering into a million pieces. Her icy eyes grew warm and a deep blush flushed all over her body.

 

Then horror erupted from Sesshoumaru's face—horror and denial. There is no way his lady would resort to stripping like a common whore.

 

A part of me has just been ripped

The pages from my mind are stripped

Oh no, I can't deny it

 

Rin's face flushed with happiness until her face melted into utter dismay, mortification and embarrassment. The white boa that she had let drop was now hastily pulled back over her shoulder. She gazed at Sesshoumaru beseechingly—her eyes begging him to understand.

 

But he didn't understand. Why would she abandon him and the luxuries that he had given her to live her life like a common whore? His eyes closed and when he reopened them his golden gaze was bitterly cold and distant. Rin's eyes widened and she shook her head as if to deny what she had just seen.

 

Sesshoumaru sneered at her in unreserved disapproval. He almost snarled before he stalked out of the club with cold disdain.

 

The stripper on the stage was dumbstruck as the overpowering lights beat down on her, the music pulsed and the crowd yelled at her to show more skin.

 

Bankoutsu walked out onto the stage and moved behind Rin. He whispered in her ear, trying to look like he was seducing his employee. He growled menacingly, “You will continue to strip. I don't care what your issue is. Get it done and do it now!” He smiled coldly at her and kissed her on the cheek before leaving her alone on the stage.

 

It seemed like a wall of ice had swallowed up Rin. Her face became cool and unflappable. Her eyes were once again frosted over and she continued her dance—dropping another feather boa on the floor and exposing a wide swath of her creamy thigh to the screaming crowd.

 

It's okay, I understand

This ain't no never-never land

 

My angel is the centerfold

Angel is the centerfold

 

~~~oo0oo~~~

 

The Next Chapter: Chapter 10: `I Kissed a Girl.' It is about 90% done at the moment. There's one more scene that must be written and another scene that needs to be changed. All we can say is that this will be a pivotal chapter and (for the authors) a very fun chapter to write. Ai has been working on the next chapter for months now! :-)

 

Author's Notes:

#1: Special thanks go to Alpine for suggesting the movie we used in this chapter, `Zack and Miri Make a Porno'. We thought that movie would just be deviously funny to include.

#2: Ai Kisugi and Karaumea both think that Brad Pitt is hot. Sorry…

#3: `Moshi, moshi' is used by the Japanese to say hello' when you talk on the telephone.

#4: Medical masks are worn all the time in Japan. If you have a cold or any other respiratory infection you are supposed to wear a medical mask until you get better. You will see them worn all the time in public places.

#5: You can buy alcohol from vending machines in Japan. So young teenagers can easily obtain alcohol. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, but they are not as uptight about carding people as we are in the US.

#6: As far as Sango's answer to the question, `Who do you know that you'd make a porno with?'—she would have answered, `Miroku.' However, she has too much pride to ever admit to anyone that she lusts or even loves the monk. She'd rather streak around the dormitory at night than to let anyone know how she really felt.

#7: Happosai is the resident elderly, letch in `Ranma 1/2.' He specializes in stealing women's undergarments and has a penchant for wearing a bra over his head. We know it's a little unbelievable, but we were keeping Happosai strictly `in character.'