InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Smirking Revenge ❯ Sweet Revenge ( Chapter 4 )

Love's Smirking Revenge

- Chapter Four -

Sweet Revenge

The precinct at 29th Division was unusually quiet for a Friday afternoon. Several early morning arrests and a couple of rowdy drunks had kept things busy to start the day, but now that everyone was safely tucked away in lock up or the drunk tank, the building had settled into a pleasant lull.

The lone guard who manned the front desk idly tapped his pen against a pad of carbon paper used for filing police reports. Slouched over, he rested his cheek against his palm and allowed his eyes to drift lazily to the mini TV screens displaying feeds from the various security cameras on the premises. Nothing too exciting there - a couple guys on coffee break, a few of them playing cards in the lunch room, a bombshell walking up the front steps, just your typical day.

Sitting up with a start he blinked in surprise at the grainy image of the front stoop and watched the figure until she disappeared out of camera range. His eyes snapped up as the front door whooshed open to let her in. Hastily clearing his throat, he sat up straight and pretended to look busy as he dialed a random number into the desk phone. Holding the receiver cradled between his ear and shoulder he bowed his head and waited until she'd sidled up to the desk before starting his imaginary conversation.

“The drunk from last night you brought to booking is ready for release. Mm-hmm. Thanks.”

He dropped the phone onto the receiver and looked up at her expectantly. She smiled sweetly and slowly pulled the dark sunglasses from her face to reveal a stunning pair of midnight blue eyes.

“Hello there.”

Her voice was rich and underwritten with a sultry purr. The officer's beady gaze swept greedily up her body. It hesitated at the soft curve of her breasts before lifting the final stretch to meet her eyes. A suggestive leer tugged at the corner of his lips, which worked just fine for Kagome. They were much easier to manipulate when they were like this.

Lifting one of her heeled shoes, she dragged it down the back of her calf to scratch at an imaginary itch. It was purely for the benefit of the officers who had gathered behind her to get in their share of the exhibit.

“I was hoping you could help me with something.” Her mouth curved upwards into a tiny innocent smile as he nodded his head readily. “I'm looking for Detective Takahashi. Can you tell me where I can find him?”

“What the hell are YOU doing here?”

Fifteen pairs of eyes turned to gawk at Detective Takahashi as he sauntered down the stairs. His gaze remained focused on one pair of eyes in particular - a set of midnight blue orbs that were flashing mischievously in his direction. She shot a subtle smirk his way before plastering an overly warm smile on her face and stepping towards him. Her black Manolo Blahniks clicked loudly atop the linoleum floor as she skipped over to meet him at the bottom of the stairs.

“Inuyasha!” she breathed excitedly. “I just had to come see you after our date the other night.”

His face darkened and his menacing scowl promised retribution. Noticing that they were being watched he finally tore his gaze from hers and glared at the rest of the gawkers in the entry way.

“Don't you all have something to do?” he growled.

That earned him a few snickers and knowing smiles as the group dissipated with a gentle murmur and went their separate ways. The only one left was the officer at the desk who kept his ears tuned to their conversation while pretending to fill out a police report. A couple of officers from 39th Division hovered around the main desk, but apart from allowing their eyes to sweep appreciatively down Kagome's body they appeared aloof and disinterested in whatever may have been going on between her and the Detective.

Inuyasha grabbed her roughly by the arm and she visibly winced. With a rough jerk he led her toward the front doors and back to wherever the hell she'd come from. He wasn't sure what she was trying to pull, but whatever game she was playing it'd gone far enough. He'd already be hearing about this for weeks. Did she have to wear such a goddamn short dress?

He barely suppressed an irritated growl as he pushed open the heavy wooden door and maneuvered her body outside ahead of him. Her perfume lingered on the air and his throat constricted as he fought the urge to breathe her in. Damn she smelled good… It'd been too long since he'd been this close to a woman. He'd forgotten how good they could smell and the way it could stick with you for days.

Frustrated, he pushed her out of arms reach. She stumbled a few feet away from him and whirled around to fix him with a heated glare.

“Do you abuse all the women you date?” she demanded icily. Her hand massaged the spot on her arm where his fingertips had bruised her skin.

He scoffed and leaned against the sandstone wall of the building. His eyes narrowed a moment as he looked her over and then turned away to glance out into the street. He stared idly at the cars crawling by and pressed an unlit cigarette to his lips. She just had to show up the very second he was dying for a smoke break - because fate didn't hate him enough.

“An apology would be nice. My arm really hurts. I think it's going to bruise,” she pushed. He blew an acrid stream of blue smoke out his nostrils before shifting his eyes to glance in her direction.

“Don't hold your breath.”

“I'm not letting up until you give me a proper interview,” she warned with a determined gleam in her eye.

“I'll come here every day if I have to! Just imagine what the other officers would say.” Her voice was teasing but her face was serious, leaving no question as to the intent behind her threats.

Inuyasha snorted indignantly, “Like I give a fuck what they think.”

“And just think of all the wonderful pieces I could write about you in the mean time. I can almost guarantee the charming law enforcement officers in there have even less tolerance for your attitude than I do. I'm sure any number of them would be willing to sit down and have a little chat with me about your…performance.”

Kagome leaned back against the opposite wall, her eyebrow arched in challenge. For a moment he gaped at her, the still burning cigarette dangling precariously from the corner of his half open lips. Then, his eyes narrowed.

How dare this bitch threaten to ruin him?

The leather of his jacket creaked as his hands fisted and dug into the material. He could feel the heat rise within his body as the ever present anger brewed and bubbled just below the surface. He seethed as he watched a self-confident smirk tug at the corner of her lips. To distract himself he stubbed out what was left of his cigarette against the wall and let it drop to the ground.

“Listen bitch.” He braced a hand against the wall and used the other to point an accusing finger at her. “I'm not fucking around here. Leave me the hell alone.”

“Not until you give me my interview.”

She didn't back down, but then he hadn't expected her to. He opened his mouth to unleash a bevy of curses at her when he was interrupted by a familiar and entirely unwelcome voice.

“Takahashi! Long time no see!”

Inuyasha turned uneasily to see his rival from the 29th Division saunter up the steps two at a time. He paused in front of them wearing a cocky smile. Hands eased casually into his pockets, he subtly shook his head with a “you never change” sort of look.

Never one to miss an opportunity when it presented itself, and seeing the way Inuyasha tensed when this new guy appeared, Kagome coughed lightly to draw attention to herself. As if on cue the dark haired intruder turned and gave her a casual once over. When his eyes came to rest on her face she offered him a warm smile, which he returned in kind while extending his hand towards her.

“Please forgive my rudeness, Miss?”

“Higurashi,” Kagome offered, shaking his hand. “But please, call me Kagome.”

He nodded appreciatively, his dark eyes brightening as he continued to hold onto her hand long after he'd finished shaking it. Fixing her with a sincere gaze he brought it to his lips and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles.

“Kagome… That's a beautiful name. It suits you. I'm Kouga.”

Hmm. Easy on the eyes and with the words, she mused as she smiled up at him. Like hell she was that easy but she'd play nice for now. At least until she knew what she could get out of him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Inuyasha demanded.

He grit his teeth as he watched the bastard send Kagome a knowing smile and ground them even harder when she returned it, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. What the hell was wrong with him? What did he care if she fucked him? Maybe then she'd piss off and chase Kouga's tail for a story instead of his. Still, the thought didn't sit easy with him.

“Not that it's any of your business, but I'm here to discuss the Akita case. You know the body straddled both of our divisions. I'm here to clean up the bureaucratic mess and make sure the evidence gets into the right hands.”

“You mean the hands of 30th Division,” Inuyasha scoffed.

Kouga shrugged a shoulder casually. “We have a habit of solving cases over at 30th. Can't say the same for here.”

That last shot was all the excuse Inuyasha needed to let his anger boil over. He stepped forward and got into Kouga's face with his fists clenched, ready for a fight.

“Say that again you bastard and I promise it'll be the last thing you ever do.”

Kouga was tempted to retaliate but realized that there were better ways to get even with the Detective. He turned to the girl who'd been watching the entire scene play out with mild interest and gave her a placating smile.

She'd been trying to decipher exactly how these two knew each other and the source of their rivalry. There was no way it was purely professional. She glanced warily at the Detective's flexed claws and heaving chest and took a hesitant step backwards. Kouga followed her, stepping uncomfortably close before producing a business card seemingly out of thin air.

“I'd love to take you to dinner some time, if you're not too busy,” he offered.

Kagome took the card from him with a tiny bow and slipped it into her purse. She hesitated for only the briefest of seconds before smiling and nodding her head in agreement.

“Sure. Dinner sounds great.”

Easing both hands back into his pockets he shot her a charming smile and then made his way into the building. Mystified, Kagome watched his retreat through the glass panels of the doors until he disappeared into the crowd of uniforms on the other side.

“Tomorrow.”

The Detective's gravelly voice cut unexpectedly into her thoughts. She roused herself, turning her head to look at him. “Excuse me?”

“We'll do the goddamn interview tomorrow.”

Kagome narrowed her eyes in confusion at his sudden change of heart. Five minutes ago he'd been dead set against an interview. All this because another detective asked me out to dinner? She stored that particular revelation away for later examination. He was desperate to hide something. Just how far back did their story go? She was more eager than ever to find out.

“Why the change of heart?” she prodded.

He didn't look at her as he responded. “Because if I don't tell you, that bastard will and he'll get it all wrong. I might as well tell it right the first time. Saves me a lot of hassle in the end.”

Kagome nodded thoughtfully. So he was seeing logic at last! Apparently he wasn't a complete idiot after all. With a satisfied smile she righted herself and began to make her way down the stairs. She was surprised when the Detective came up alongside her and together they made their way toward the sidewalk.

“We'll do it at the pizzeria down the road from your news building.”

It wasn't a question. Apparently it was there or nowhere. Obviously fine dining wasn't his style. Kagome hid her smile and nodded her head in agreement.

“Sure. Whatever works for you.”

She turned her head to make one last snarky comment about him not pussying out this time around, but instead found herself ungracefully falling face first towards the sidewalk. Apparently walking in five inch heels took a great deal of concentration and grace, something she lacked at the most inopportune of times. With her eyes rammed shut, she winced and put her hands out to brace herself, thinking that this particular fall would hurt in more ways than one. Did he have to be walking right next to her?

The breath was forced out of her lungs as a strong arm wrapped solidly around her waist. She slowly opened her eyes one after the other and blinked at the ground. Her eyes widened in surprise and she turned to face the Detective. He held her with one arm wrapped around her waist and the other against her back for support. With a small grunt he set her back on her feet but his hands lingered before falling away.

“Thanks,” she managed, her voice strained but sincere.

Her eyes locked with the liquid amber orbs hovering inches from hers. Beyond all that male posturing she had a sneaking suspicion there was a half decent man hiding. Her tongue darted out to nervously lick her lips as his eyes held hers prisoner. Finally he took a step back, giving them both some much needed breathing room.

“Whatever.”

In a millisecond he reverted back to his regular asshole self. But she couldn't avoid the fact that that “asshole” had just rescued her from a rather nasty and assuredly embarrassing fall. After several more carefully planted and monitored steps down the precinct stairs, Kagome found herself standing alone on the sidewalk. Once she'd reached the last step without incident, the Detective had turned heel and marched straight for the street meat vendor. She watched the proud, sturdy gait of his retreating figure with a curious look.

She was not falling for him. Definitely not.

Tearing her gaze away, she scanned the street for a cab instead and flagged one down. As it coasted to a stop beside her, she cast one last glance in the Detective's direction. Tomorrow evening they would finally get down to business. Her stomach churned with a flurry of nervous butterflies as she opened the door and instructed the driver to take her to the Asahi Shimbun building.