Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hentai Bets ❯ Dirty, Rotten, Little Suspicions ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

I really can’t tell you how much I enjoy the comments you reviewers make! As a matter of fact, I had to slap my forehead several times this week and say, “Man, why didn’t I think of that?” Your encouragement, suggestions, and comments go a long way with me, and if I couldn’t fit things in for this story, be assured I’ve been writing down tons of ideas for others. So, thanks!! Especially: Miss Mischief, Magiknight, Youkos Kitsune, Touketsu Kaijin, Lunarwolfdemoness, HeartStar, Hopelessly Hopefull, Sardave, mistress_yume, VB, Bruce n Charlie, halfblackwolfdemon, & Pure Miko_Kagome69ner. I also use your reviews to check out your profiles and stories -- they’ve been a great resource for me!!

A/N Hope nobody minds, but I had to tip my hat at “Seinfeld” in this one. See if you catch it.


talking
mental/telepathic conversations - “Youko” “Kurama” “Hiei”
(thoughts to self)

DISCLAIMER: The rightful owners of “Inuyasha” and “Yu Yu Hakusho” make all the money from them, and they would probably hate the way I use their characters and/or settings, but since I get nothing from it, they can’t do nothing about it.


********************************************************* ***************
At the same time, a feminine-sounding scream came from the other end of the hall.

“EEEeeeeee! Musou?!?”

And all 7 of the other detectives yelled, “Shit!!”
************************************************** **********************

They all raced to Kagome’s room, stumbling and bumping into each other in their haste to rescue her. Being right across the hall, Naraku was the first to enter the bedroom, followed closely by Hiei, then Kurama. Miroku rushed in, nearly knocking Hiei over in his haste. Yusuke, Jakotsu, and Kuwabara rounded out the group crowding into the room. They all stared at the woman sitting up in the bed and looked around frantically for any sign of the demon known as Musou. Kagome was simply staring at the open sliding glass door leading out onto the balcony. A light breeze blew the curtains around.

“Where is he?”
“Where the fuck is he?”
“Are you all right, Kagome-sama?”

A barrage of questions were thrown at her, but she was still too stunned for them to truly register. (What kind of an idiot am I? I knew he was here -- why wasn’t I prepared for him to show up?)

Similar questions and recriminations raced through the minds of the others.
(Shit! We should have posted a guard.)
(How the fuck did he find her?)
(I can’t believe we were so careless!)

Blinking a couple of times, Kagome finally turned to them and said, “He’s gone. I’m fine.”

Jakotsu crawled up on the bed and threw his arms around her. “Oh, sugar! You scared me to death! I should have stayed here to protect you,” he wailed.

“Damn right you should have!” Yusuke spit at him. He was still riled up by Jakotsu’s attempt to seduce him. (Fucking freak!) And then Kagome was attacked by that demon because they were all too stupid to think to guard her -- even after knowing he was completely insane and planning to fuck up all 3 realms just to find someone like her. (How fucking stupid are we?) And so here they all were, standing in Kagome’s bedroom, with her sitting up in her bed, clad in some kind of slinky, silky, hot, red teddy that showed more of her than it concealed, while she hugged a frantic, almost-sobbing Jakotsu, who was wearing an almost see-through pink negligee. Kagome’s long, dark hair flowed down her back and some of it was spilled over Jakotsu’s shoulder, mingling with his own loose, shoulder-length brown hair. (And damn if the two of them together there isn’t somehow kind of sexy-looking. That’s just not right. Shit! I’ve been around these guys too long. I’ve got to get home to Keiko -- SOON!)

“What happened, Kagome? Did he say anything?” Kurama asked, stepping over to pry her away from Jakotsu’s desperate grasp and into his own arms. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her to him, causing Hiei to step closer with a low growl.

Kagome looked around at them as she began to tell them what Musou had said. “I was asleep when I suddenly felt somebody leaning over me. When I opened my eyes, I couldn’t tell who it was because it was so dark. Then he said, ‘It is you. You are what I have been missing these long years.’ And then he kissed me. He let go when an explosion went off somewhere, and I guess I screamed, and he was gone.”

“I wonder how he found you? Just yesterday, he didn’t even know you were still alive,” Miroku thought out loud, stroking his chin.

“It sounds as if he may not have known it was her until he saw her here. My guess would be that the demon who escaped us yesterday told him there was a miko here, and he probably described her. Perhaps Musou just came to see her for himself,” suggested Kurama, as he stroked her back soothingly.

“Well, he knows she’s here now. You will not stay be staying in this room anymore. You will stay with me in my room,” Hiei told her.

Kurama quickly agreed, with a slightly different emphasis. “That would be for the best, Kagome. You should stay in our room where I can watch over you.”

Kagome looked at him. Then she looked at Hiei. (Was I right? -- Are these two hentais looking for a little freaky sandwich action? Aren’t threesomes kind of a free-for-all where everyone is with everyone? Does that mean the two of them …? -- Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but, … I don’t think I want to see it.) She shivered. (I mean, yeah they’re incredibly gorgeous and sexy and all that, but HELL! I haven’t even had sex with ONE guy yet, let alone two -- at the same time! And even if they want to share ME, I don’t think I’m into sharing my man with another one. EW! I just don‘t think I‘m cut out for that kind of casual, kinky relationship. Let‘s face it, I was in love with the same guy for 4 years, and we barely even kissed a couple of times -- there’s no way I’m about to give it up to two demons who are just out for a good time. Great time. Okay, so it would probably be unbelievably FANTASTIC, -- still not doing it. Uh uh. Not that kind of girl. Right? Right.) She sighed. (Maybe I should just swear off youkai and stick to ningen men like a normal woman.)

“My Miko will NOT be staying with you two! If she goes anywhere, she’s going with me and the monk.”

“She’s NOT Your … oh wait. I completely agree with you, Naraku. Kagome-sama should definitely stay with us. As a matter of fact, she can sleep in MY bed,” Miroku said with a suggestive wiggling of his brows.

Now Kagome looked at him. (Damn it! I knew it! Now THEY’RE getting ideas. And Miroku IS a ningen man. There goes my theory of it being a youkai thing. Where will it all end? Next thing you know, I‘ll have Lords Enmaru and Koenma inviting me for a sleepover. Maybe I should have gone with Musou -- at least HE wants me all for himself. I think.)

“Will you all please stop it? I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be perfectly safe here.” And she threw up a barrier along the wall connected to the balcony. “If I’d been smarter, I’d have just done that to start with.”

“And are you so sure your barriers are still strong enough to withstand repeated attempts to break through?” Miroku asked with a sly grin on his face and a pointed look first at Kurama and then at Hiei.

Choosing to ignore the obvious double entendre, she retorted, “My barriers are as impregnable as ever, you hentai.”

“Kagome-sama, I fear you are in need of a little education. A completely different kind of barrier is needed to prevent that outcome -- being a highly devout monk, I happen to have several available. In different colors. And textures.”

She lunged at him then, intent on strangling the aggravating man. To get to the end of the bed, her lunging action had her crawling forward on her hands and knees.

“Kagome-sama! Don’t move!!” he yelled suddenly.

Wondering what in the world was going on, (Is Musou back?), she froze for a minute. And was immediately blinded by several flashes of light. Miroku had pulled a small camera from the pocket of his robe and was taking pictures of her in that extremely erotic position.

“Oh, thank you Buddha! My birthday is coming up!”

Kuwabara was stunned. “You heard a lady screaming, and you stopped to pick up a camera to bring with you?!?”

“Of course not. I always keep one in my robe. I‘ve discovered the most noteworthy sights are best found at times when I’m clad in only my robe.”

“Hmmmm. Miroku, darling, does that mean you aren’t wearing any …?” Jakotsu had to ask.

At that moment, having reached him, Kagome drew back her arm and delivered a beautiful right cross to Miroku’s jaw. His head snapped back and he fell against the wall and slumped to the floor. Naraku reached down and pocketed the camera.

“Wow! You pack a mean punch, Kagome. Maybe you should spar with ME sometime,” Yusuke said admiringly.

Not willing to drop the issue of her safety now that the monk had been handled satisfactorily, Hiei turned Kagome around to face him and put his hands on her shoulders. “Barrier or not, it is foolish for you to think you can stay here alone. If you will not stay in my room, I will be staying here with you,” he stated bluntly, in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

“She won’t be here alone -- I’m staying here, too, you know,” Jakotsu huffed indignantly. But he visibly wilted under Hiei’s glare.

“You can’t stay in here with me. I wouldn’t get any sleep all night,” Kagome tried to tell him.

Miroku groaned and massaged his jaw. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have you say that to me.”

“OOOoooohhhh! Will you all PLEASE just get out of here?” She covered her face with both hands.

Hiei pulled her to him, and with a look promising pain and death, stared the others down until they left the room. Kurama paused beside them, and said, “I will be waiting in the sitting room.”

“Kagome, I thought you weren’t uncomfortable being with me,” he searched her eyes.

“It’s not that. I just don’t want everyone hovering over me like I’m helpless. I’ve been helpless before, but I’m not now. I’m a big girl -- I can take care of myself.”

“No one is saying you’re helpless. We all know you’re powerful. But just because you can take care of yourself doesn’t mean you should have to. And I would feel … more comfortable being near.” And to emphasize his point, he leaned in and kissed her forehead, burrowing one hand in the mass of hair at the back of her head. And he just held her, inhaling deeply -- breathing in that enticing scent that was uniquely hers.

She sighed heavily. Didn’t she just decide she couldn’t play games with him and Kurama? But, it felt so nice being held by him. It was so hard to stand her ground when he said stuff like that, too. And it really did feel nice to feel like someone really cared that way. But did he? Did Kurama? Did Hojo? Did she? She just didn’t know if she wanted to take that chance. She definitely didn’t want to get too attached to someone only to have him walk back out of her life when this job was over. But it was so
tempting …

Sighing again, Kagome cupped Hiei’s cheek. “Arigato. Why don’t we talk about this later? Everyone’s still out there, and I don’t think I’ll be going back to sleep tonight, anyway. We might as well join them.” And she moved away to get a matching red robe out of the closet and put it on.

Hiei reached past her and grabbed another of her robes. Lifting a brow questioningly at him, she heard him explain tersely. “For the hentai in pink out there.”

With a giggle, she took his hand and they joined the rest of the detectives in the sitting room.
***************************************************************** *******


There was a battle of wills going on in the other room. Naraku and Kurama stood almost chest-to-chest as they argued over where Kagome should stay. Yusuke was also standing with his arms crossed and a stubborn look on his face. Kuwabara kept glancing nervously at Jakotsu -- he knew he was the only one left on his list. Suddenly, Miroku pushed in between Naraku and Kurama.

“While we appreciate your concern for Kagome-sama, know this: she is our teammate and companion, and she has been my very good friend for many, many years. When it comes to her safety, trust me when I say we take care of our own. I would expect no less from you if it were one of your teammates, so don‘t think to stand in our way when it concerns one of ours.”

“Thank you, Miroku,” Kagome said as she crossed the room and gave him a brief hug. “You guys are the best hentai friends a girl could have. I’ll tell you what, tomorrow Jakotsu and I will switch rooms with someone, okay? And I will set up a barrier each night, too.”

“And one of us will stay in the sitting room,” Hiei added sternly.

“And one of you can stay in the sitting room. Happy now?” A little exasperation colored her voice, but as long as she was agreeing, no one was going to call her on it.

So, there they sat at 2:30 a.m. Everyone doubted they would be able to get back to sleep, so they pulled out a deck of cards and called room service for some snacks and drinks.

“I said NO. We are NOT playing strip poker,” Kagome glared at the monk.

“In that case, I believe there were some good movies on that pay-per-view channel we signed up for in our room. Let’s just call down to the desk and sign you up for it, too, Kagome-sama. After all, the Reikai is picking up the tab,” Miroku grinned.

“What channel are you talking about, Miroku?” she asked suspiciously.

“Why, Passion and Pleasure, of course. Tonight’s movie is a comedy: ‘Fun With Dick & Dick & Jane’ -- it’s about these two guys and a girl…”

(Great. We’re back to the threesome thing.) “No,” she said, her tone brooking no argument.

“Then how about another channel? They have one called Erotic Delights,” Miroku asked hopefully.

“No. N-O. No way.”

“Oh, but Kagome,” Jakotsu whined, “this week is their Fairy Tales and Legends theme. And just look what the channel guide says is on right now -- it’s a double feature. I’ve seen the first one -- it’s a real classic -- set in medieval England. The tale of two men’s love for one woman: “Come-A-Lot.” It’s all about this king whose queen, I think her name is Get-It-Here, falls in love with one of his knights, a very dashing rogue named Sir LottaLance. Well, obviously, LottaLance has got it all over the king and is getting all the good stuff, so the king goes looking for help and finds this lady in a lake who helps him by enchanting his sword. He even names it: Impale-In-Her. So, he goes back for a good old-fashioned cock fight with the knight, and of course, who can beat a magical sword? Well, LottaLance is so impressed by the king that they all 3 decide to…..”

“Enough!!!” Kagome, who had been sitting with her hands over her ears trying not to listen, couldn’t take it anymore. “NO!! We are NOT going to watch a dirty movie about a threesome. No-how, No-way.” (Sweet Kami! Even the cable companies are against me.)

“But Kagome! I’ve never seen the second feature, “ Jakotsu said, pouting. “It’s “Blow White and the Seven …”

Taking a quick glance around the room, Kagome counted, (1,2,3,4,5,6,7!!!) “NNNNooooooooo!”
****************************************** ******************************


When Kagome opened her eyes, all she saw was a sea of red. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the loveseat in Hiei’s lap with Kurama beside them while they all watched some creepy old movie about an army of zombies. Now, it appeared she was stretched out lengthwise on top of Kurama -- her face nestled in his hair in the crook of his neck. Her first thought : (How the heck did this happen?) was quickly followed by: (This is pretty comfortable.)

Sensing her waking, Kurama gently ran a hand up and down her back. He smiled to himself over this very satisfying victory over his rival. Kagome had fallen asleep, and Hiei had sat there very contentedly and with much smugness, running a hand through her silky, black locks. Everyone else had fallen asleep, too, and Kurama had decided to follow suit instead of watching the little fire demon smirk all night. So, when one of the hotel’s employees had knocked on the door to retrieve the dishes, Kurama had pretended not to notice. Being the only one awake, Hiei had had to get up and lay Kagome down to answer the door. That was when Kurama picked Kagome up and stretched out lengthwise on the loveseat, even though his legs hung over the end, and settled her comfortably on top of him. She had snuggled into him in a rather delightful way, and he had wrapped his arms tightly around her. He couldn’t resist shooting Hiei a very smug smile when he walked over and glared at them. But Kurama knew he wouldn’t risk disturbing Kagome, and sure enough -- he eventually leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms, still staring daggers at him, but resigned to waiting until Kagome woke up to change the situation.

“Ha! The little firebug sure was steamed up, wasn’t he?” Youko smirked.

“He certainly was,” Kurama chuckled to himself.

“You know, it’s a shame Kagome had put up that barrier -- otherwise we could have just taken her out the balcony doors and gone somewhere private and …”

“And accidentally fallen victim to the demons gathered here for evil purposes -- your body never recovered. It would have been tragic, but at least I would have been able to save Kagome.”

“You don’t really think Koenma would believe that, do you?”

“What he believes is immaterial -- it is only what he can prove that counts.”

“Ohayo, Kurama. Gomen nasai for smushing you like this.” Kagome shifted a bit to get up, but couldn’t figure out how to do so without crushing some part of the body she was lying on.

“The pleasure was all mine, Kagome,” Kurama purred. “Please feel free to ‘smush’ me anytime.” He smiled at her and raised his head just enough to brush his lips across hers and then brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. She blushed and smiled at him a bit shyly.

Hiei snorted and stomped over to them. Then he ‘helped’ Kagome up by grabbing her around the waist and turning and walking away with her.

“Uh … arigato for the help, Hiei,” she said.

“Hmph. Help, my ass! Dirty , rotten, jealous little bastard. We were quite comfortable -- it was delightfully warm with her soft, supple curves pressed against us. And she looks so deliciously tousled in the morning. Just imagine how she would look after a night of wild, passionate, …”

Kagome‘s voice broke into Youko‘s thoughts, “I guess we need to wake everyone up, ne? I have to get ready for breakfast with Hojo.” As she glanced around at the mess in the sitting room, she grinned. “I’m kind of glad I’m switching rooms now -- it’ll take the maids all day to get the crumbs and stuff swept up in here.” And she headed into the bedroom and closed the door.

Both Kurama and Hiei were feeling a bit annoyed at the mention of the ningen man’s name and they grumpily started kicking the others to get them up.
******************************************************************* *****


Kurama’s mood perked up considerably when they all saw what Kagome was wearing to have breakfast with Hojo, but Hiei’s did not. She had dressed simply for the day, planning to do a little walking around the village with some of the other detectives later to keep an eye out for other attempts on the necklace by the demons. So, she had thrown on a very short, well-fitting, black leather skirt with a plain, white, fitted tank top. She had pulled her hair away from her face and into one long braid reaching all the way to her knees in the back. She knew when she was sparring later that she didn’t want her hair to be a liability by having it fall into her eyes. On her right wrist was a slim black leather bracelet with a pink jewel.

“Well, one look at you and the man won’t need a cup of coffee to stay awake this morning,” Yusuke told her with a grin.

“Kagome-sama, your old school fuku skirt has just become my second-favorite skirt of yours,” the monk leered.

“Hn. Your clothing is inappropriate. You should put something else on,” Hiei told her, his expression cold.

“Excuse me?” she asked in disbelief.

“Oh, the runt has lost it! Why in the world would he NOT want to see her walk around in that all day? Why, I can see her legs practically all the way up to …”

“I hate to admit it, Hiei, but for once, I agree with Youko,” Kurama interrupted. “I certainly don’t mind seeing those long, beautiful legs of hers.”

“I didn’t say I don’t want to see them -- er, her, like that, baka -- I just don’t want all these other males seeing her like that. Especially the cretin she’s having breakfast with. I’m not even sure she can safely bend over in that skirt.”

“Hiei, you really ARE jealous,” Kurama said to him in astonishment.

“Hoo boy! Is he EVER! But don‘t worry about her bending over -- the undergarments she purchased yesterday are veeeeerrry sexy, too.” Youko cackled.

That comment earned Kurama a very dark and dangerous look.

“Hiei? What is wrong with the way I’m dressed?” Kagome demanded.

“Onna, have you forgotten the man most likely has the necklace? When he sees you like that, he may very well use it on you. And then what will you do?”

“Am I to assume, then, that you will not be spying on me? Because in all honesty, I was pretty sure someone would come leaping into the room if I suddenly started shedding my clothes and jumped into his bed,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Do you find this amusing?” He glared at her.

“Hell, YES! He is so going to get it! He really has no idea how to handle a woman.” Youko was watching the proceedings with wide, gleeful eyes.

“Actually, yes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I don’t want to be late.” And she turned away from him dismissively. “Miroku, could you toss me my purse?”

“Of course, Kagome-sama.” His eyes gleaming wickedly, he tossed it just a little low and behind her.

When she turned and started to bend over to pick it up, he leaned forward excitedly. Catching his glance, Hiei groaned and jumped forward, grabbing her arm and keeping her upright. “Wha…?” Then he quickly picked it up and handed it to her, muttering about how all monks should be castrated when they take their vows.

Seeing the disappointed look on Miroku’s face, Youko privately commiserated with him. It had been a damn good idea. “You know, I could really get to like that monk.”
**************************************************************** ********


This time when Kagome knocked on the door to Room 301, she looked around to see if any of her teammates were in sight. She breathed a little sigh of relief to see the hallway was clear. In spite of the fact that he had indeed been in the area the demons had said the one with the Gem of Desire was supposedly in, she just couldn’t believe Hojo had it. Or if he did, she was sure he didn’t know what it was. After all, this was HOJO they were talking about. Sweet, persistent, but unassuming Hojo. Always supremely polite and well-mannered. Even if he did have some sort of artifact like that, he would never use it on someone to manipulate them. And they knew now that whoever did have it was not in league with demons -- as a matter of fact, he was in extreme danger. Perhaps she should just come right out and describe the necklace to Hojo and ask him if he had it. (I should probably wait until we check all 4 of the guys out thoroughly, and then run the idea by the team first.)

She smiled at Hojo when he opened the door for her. “Ohayo, Hojo.”

“Ohayo, Kagome. Right on time.” He stepped back to let her in. He was also dressed casually today, though thankfully not in a bathrobe, she noted. He had on snug-fitting blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Not used to seeing Hojo dressed so casually, (except for the bathrobe incident), she had to admit he was quite good-looking. His long, brown hair was tied back at the nape of his neck. He was definitely not wearing a necklace.

As soon as the door closed behind her, though, he swept her into a passionate embrace, taking her completely by surprise. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for her two youkai shadows, Hojo had opened the curtains and window in the sitting room, allowing them to see and hear everything that went on from their perch in a nearby tree.

“Ah, Kagome, “ Hojo breathed into her hair. “I missed you last night. Gomen nasai for canceling our plans.”

“Um, … that’s okay Hojo. I understand. And it’s not like I haven’t canceled on you before, right?” She said with an embarrassed laugh.

He looked down at her and smiled. “True. I often despaired of ever getting to spend an entire date with you. You’d either cancel completely or have to run off in the middle of things.”

“Gomen nasai, Hojo, “ she said regretfully, cupping his cheek. “I never meant to treat you so poorly.”

“I know. But we were just kids back then anyway. Now, I just want you to look at me as a serious suitor. You’re the only woman I could ever really care about,” and he punctuated his words by lowering his head and kissing her.

Kagome almost jumped as the touch of his lips seemed to produce a warm, tingling sensation that started at the back of her neck and quickly spread down her spine. She gasped when he lifted his head again and stared intently into her eyes. (Where did THAT come from? Hojo really has changed since we were teenagers.)

“I told you he was smooth -- damn, rotten, ningen executive playboy! When did these ningen males get so damn good at this stuff?” Youko narrowed his eyes.

“It would save us a lot of time if we just tossed him, and the other 3, into a cell in Reikai until they hand over the blasted necklace,” Hiei growled.

“Heh heh! You’re not fooling anybody -- you just really want to toss him around some more,” Youko said with a laugh.

“And I suppose you are fine with that,” he spat at him, pointing to the couple in the room.

Hojo had steered Kagome to the sofa and was currently kissing his way down her neck.

“Why that …I knew I should have sent that vine down his pants! He wouldn’t be so amorous with a bunch of blisters on his …”

“Ouch.” Kurama winced at the painful thought.

“Hn. And I thought your death plant was wicked.”

Kagome’s thoughts were awhirl. (I need to put a stop to this. I mean, this was all supposed to be part of the job, right? Get close to the businessmen and find the necklace. But, this is Hojo. And he’s getting serious. I can’t let him do that. Because I could never really think about being with him that way. Right? Could I? I mean, there’s the whole miko thing, the secret past thing, the killing demons thing. Nope, it just could never happen. But, … he’s serious. He’s talking about a real, committed relationship. The kind that involves rings, and a house, and kids … all those things I used to dream about.

But, … this is HOJO, and I’m actually kind of involved with a couple of demons right now. Aren’t I? But Hiei and Kurama aren’t really wanting a serious, long-term relationship. Are they? And I’m not completely sure they’re not better ‘friends’ than I think they are --not that there’s anything wrong with that -- but, one of them could be wearing my underwear for their own version of Jakotsu-type fun and games -- just add in a ningen woman and mix. This is all too confusing. And did Hojo just put his hand where I think he did?!?)

To her relief, her musings and Hojo’s wandering hands were interrupted by a knock on the door and a call of “Room Service.” Jumping up quickly, she said, “I’ll get it,” and almost ran to the door. She opened the door to let the man wheel in the cart of food. Hojo stood up just in time to see the man ogling her, and promptly escorted him back out the door. As the man stepped out, Hojo handed him a tip, but grabbed his arm and leaned towards him. Though he spoke low enough that Kagome could not hear, Kurama and Hiei both heard what he hissed at the hapless employee.

“If you value your position here, you will not make the mistake of coveting what is mine.”

“I … I’m sorry. But, I’ve seen with her with several different men here this week. I didn’t know she was actually with someone.”

“Make no mistake. I always get what I want. She belongs to me.” And with those words, he shoved the man out into the hall and quietly closed the door.

“Did you hear that?!!? The nerve of that … I’m going to …” Youko was practically spitting in anger.

“He certainly seems awfully sure of himself, doesn’t he? I sense no doubt from him at all -- it’s as if he has a guarantee that she will return his favor.”

“Indeed. But regardless of whether he has the necklace or not, this is one time he will not get what he wants,” Hiei said, cracking his knuckles.
************************************************************* *****************************


After promising to meet him for lunch and walking him down to the lobby, Kagome headed back to the third floor, and knocked on Room 301. She whispered, “Hiei? Kurama?”

The door opened and she walked in to see if they were having any luck in their second search of his room. “Anything?”

“No,” the fire apparition said simply.

She walked into the bedroom to see Kurama closing the closet doors. “Have you checked the dresser yet?” When he shook his head, she walked over to look through it. When she opened the top drawer, she hesitated upon seeing the boxers in it. Remembering the other rooms she had helped search, she knew this was where she was most likely to come across something embarrassing.

Seeing her hesitation, Kurama smiled.

“She‘s afraid of what she might find, isn‘t she?”

“Yes, but we’ve already searched his room once before and he didn’t have anything that would embarrass or upset her.”

“Yeah. Dirty, rotten, wholesome bastard. If we’d known she was going to help search, we could have made sure she found something interesting.”

Letting out a little sigh of relief at finding nothing but clothing in his dresser, Kagome closed the last drawer. “Have you all checked the bathroom yet?”

“Hn. Just did.”

“And the necklace definitely is not here?” she asked.

“No.”

“Kagome, are you sure he didn’t have it on him?” Kurama asked her.

“I’m sure. He wasn’t wearing one, and there definitely wasn’t one in his pockets.”

“You tried to pick his pockets?” Kurama was shocked.

“No, silly.” At a sharp look from Hiei, she shrugged her shoulders a little sheepishly and explained, “Tight jeans.” Wanting to change the subject, she asked, “By the way, you wouldn‘t happen to know anything about how Hojo‘s drink got so hot that it burned him pretty badly, would you?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“Hn. It happens all the time, doesn’t it?”

“Not when you’re drinking apple juice,” she accused.

Kurama tried to stifle the laughter building up in his throat, but he choked on it.

“That’s what I thought. I really don’t know what you’ve got against poor Hojo. You youkai and your strange code are a bit warped, if you ask me, and I’d appreciate it if you’d refrain from playing pranks that hurt him,” she scolded. “Well, I guess I’ll go meet up with the others and see if they found out anything about the other three guys while you go search their rooms again,” Kagome said as she headed to the door.

Although he was tempted to ask what youkai ‘code’ she was talking about, Kurama knew they needed to impress upon her the very real possibility that Hojo was their guy. “Kagome, we are almost positive Hojo is the one who has it,” he told her gently.

“How can you think that?”

Kurama hesitated, then went on. “Because of something we overheard him say. It seemed to indicate he had a way to get anything he wants.”

“I told you he was always self-confident. And he’s a hard worker,” she protested, defending her friend.

“Onna, he threatened the man that brought in your breakfast, and claimed you.” Hiei was annoyed at the way she kept defending the ningen.

“Hojo wouldn’t threaten anyone -- he’s not like that.” She couldn’t believe what they were saying. “And as for claiming me, as far as he knows, we are kind of dating.”

Kurama put his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. “Kagome, he did threaten that man for looking at you, and he told him plainly that you belonged to him -- not just that you were his girlfriend or anything like that. He was very possessive and very sure that you wouldn’t object.”

“Well, this may come as a surprise to you two, but some males do get a little jealous and possessive about a woman they really care for, and don’t want to share her with anyone. And Hojo has indicated he’s serious about wanting to be with me. And as strange as it may seem to you, some women would prefer to feel like they’re enough for a man all by themselves.” And with that, she stormed out, leaving the two youkai staring at the door.

“Well, … HELL.”

“I’m not sure what just happened here.”

“I believe we just got accused of not being serious about wanting her. Again. Only this time, she included him with us,” Youko said, pointing at Hiei.

“No, there was more to it than that. She cannot possibly doubt our interest.”

“Not necessarily that we are interested, but more along the lines of being interested in just her.”

Hiei snorted. “Ridiculous. Who would want another onna if they had her?”

“Well, look at her teammates. They flitter through partners like bees scattering pollen from flower to flower. Maybe she just assumes all males are like that.”

“No, she assumes all youkai males are like that. She was definitely telling us that Hojo is not.”

“What about the monk?”

“Well, she did say some males. Perhaps it’s not a matter of going from woman to woman, but wanting two women at the same time? We know for a fact Naraku has had more than 1 woman with him a couple of nights. And she did say something about a woman wanting to be enough all by herself.”

“There was a male she was in love with once. She said she wasn’t enough for him.”

“And when did you find out about that?”

“The second night.”

Kurama was astounded. He knew he had told the others that Hiei talked to Kagome, but he hadn’t realized he really TALKED to her. He had been thinking it was more along the lines of being a silent, comforting presence for her. What had gotten into his friend? He knew he had been angry and highly insulted by the things Youko had said to him at the start of this mission, but he hadn’t thought he would take it so seriously. He really was pursuing Kagome in earnest. And until now, had apparently been doing a pretty damn good job of it. This was a side of Hiei he hadn’t seen before.

“No wonder she knew about his interest in her before ours -- he really started chasing her down right from the start -- like a beast after its prey. Didn’t know you had it in you, you little, three-eyed runt.”

“I hate to have to point this out to you, but as of now, it appears we have all lost ground to Hojo.”

“A ningen!” Youko said with disgust. “I’d rather dip my tails in lighter fluid and set them ablaze than admit I lost a woman to a ningen. That will NOT happen. Come on, Red. We have a female to hunt,” Youko declared with a predatory gleam lighting up the gold of his eyes that was echoed in the green of Kurama’s and the red of Hiei’s.
********************************************************* ***************


Later that day, as he was waiting for Kagome to come out of the locker room, Kurama pulled the shade on the door and locked it. The walls were bare, as was most of the room, except for a long bench at each end and a 20 by 20 mat in the center of the floor. (Yes, this room will do fine.)

“For both of our purposes,” Youko agreed.

Kurama couldn’t contain an anticipatory smile when he saw her. She was wearing a pair of low-slung, tan warm-up pants and a snug-fitting white top that looked like the sleeves had been ripped off. Best of all, it only reached down about 2 inches below her breasts, exposing her smooth, flat stomach.

Youko rubbed his hands together. “Oh, this is going to be FUN!”

Kagome was rather impressed with the sight of Kurama, too. She had gotten over her slight irritation with him and Hiei. She just wished they would stop being so suspicious of Hojo. And she was still uncomfortable with the idea that they didn’t care if she was with both of them, but since that seemed to be the case, she would just make sure everything remained casual. She did think they were sincerely attracted to her. They just weren’t in the market for something serious. Like Hojo apparently was. As for the other stuff, well, maybe she was letting her suspicions run wild. But she still wasn’t going to get involved in any freakiness. (I’ll leave that kind of stuff to my teammates.)

She looked at Kurama again. He really was incredibly attractive. He was wearing a pair of white warm-up pants and a bright green muscle shirt that clung tightly to his chest and abdomen, clearly defining the taut muscles underneath, and leaving his shoulders and arms bare. Due to his tall, lean build, she hadn’t realized his shoulders were so broad, or that his arms were so muscular. It was a bit distracting. Like her, he had opted to tie back his long, red hair.

He smiled when he saw that he had captured her attention as much as she had his. “Shall we begin?”

Giving herself a mental shake, she said, “Let me stretch just a bit first, okay?”

Taking the opportunity to do the same, Youko kept up a running monologue in Kurama’s head the whole time. “Do you see how nice and tight her stomach muscles are? Oh yes! I knew she had to be extremely limber -- maybe we can finally try that position -- you know -- where we lean against the wall and she bends completely back and …”

“Youko! Stop showing me that. How are we going to spar if you’ve got us so stiff we can’t move?”

“Sorry! But OOOooooo! Look how nice and full her breasts are! Who would have thought such a petite woman would have breasts like that? And they’re so firm, too. Let’s skip the sparring and just pin her to the mat.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” Kagome said.

“So am I, my dear, so am I!” Youko licked his lips.

Kurama closed his eyes for a minute to make sure he had his body, and Youko, under control. He opened his eyes and stepped to one side of the mat. “Then let’s begin.”

Kagome stood at the other side of the mat and they bowed to each other. They stepped onto the mat and sized each other up as opponents before each struck a fighting stance. Kurama wondered what style of fighting Kagome knew. Would she start out defensively or go on the offense?

As soon as he hit his stance, he found out. She rushed at him much more quickly than he would have thought she’d do, and feigned a ridge hand strike at his neck with her left hand, and delivered a sharp jab to his ribs with her right. He was stunned that she had made contact so fast, but had no time to dwell on it as she immediately followed up with a spinning roundhouse kick, which he blocked.

She continued to press her advantage at his surprise with her unrelenting attack. He kept expecting her to back off and assess his weaknesses before coming in to attack again. But she never stepped back. She just kept attacking, circling him as she did. He was able to block or dodge most of her kicks and punches, but she landed several, too. He, in turn, also was able to land several blows, but he couldn’t force her to break off and retreat.

“I never would have taken her for such an aggressive fighter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a female fight in such close quarters before,” Youko said in awe.

“I know. She’s been attacking nonstop for 20 minutes now.”

Without warning, she suddenly switched tactics and stances. Instead of a smooth, controlled swing, she lowered her shoulder and plowed into him, then swept a knee behind his, causing it to buckle slightly, before wrapping her arms around his waist and taking him down with the force of her body.

“She took us down!” Youko started laughing. “See what she does now.”

Kagome groaned and just lay there on top of him for a minute.

“Well, now that you’ve got me where you want me, what are you going to do?” Kurama asked her with a wicked grin.

She lifted her head and smiled at him. “Now I beg for mercy because that’s all I’ve got.” And she rolled off of him and stretched out on her back. “You’ll have to give me 5 before we can continue.”

Kurama turned on his side and loomed over her slightly. “That’s agreeable -- I certainly like the direction you’re going in.” He winked at her and then leaned over and kissed her. It was actually a rather chaste kiss, but it held a heated promise. Lifting his head and looking into her eyes, he was pleased to note a slightly dazed expression on her face.

Still facing her on his side, he bent his elbow and propped his cheek up on his hand. “So, what kind of fighting strategy is that?”

She giggled. “Well, Sesshoumaru calls it my ‘bad example, untrained hanyou strategy.’ He hates it when I do that. Of course, he just waits until I tire myself out and then kicks my butt.”

“You spar with Lord Sesshoumaru?” he asked, clearly surprised.

“Every now and then. Just when I’m feeling particularly masochistic. Then I have to spend a week soaking in hot baths.” She grinned. “At least he doesn’t use his poison on his claws. That stuff is nasty!” She shuddered. “Well, are you ready to continue?”

“Absolutely,” he smiled. “I believe we were right about here,” he said as he grabbed her and rolled back over on his back with her sprawled on top of him. “May I make a suggestion for your next move?”

She giggled. “I’m afraid to ask.”

“Then I’ll just show you.” And he grabbed the bottom of her shirt and yanked it off over her head.

“What do you think you’re doing?!?”

Then he raised up and kissed her. “I propose a little wager -- an article of clothing per fall.”

“Oh yyyeeeeeeessssss! There’s hope for you yet, boy!”

Kagome stared at him. “Strip sparring? Sweet Kami! You’ve been hanging out with us too long.”

He stood up and pulled her to her feet. “Ah, but you have the advantage, obviously. You’ve already taken me down once, AND you are wearing more clothes.”

Her eyes narrowed at him. “I WAS wearing more clothes. And shouldn’t YOU be the one to remove something instead of me?”

“You’re quite right,” he agreed, pulling off his own shirt.

“You’re brilliant, Red! Even if we lose, we win -- we’ll just be that much closer to our real goal if we go ahead and divest ourselves of our clothing.”

As if she read his mind, she said, “This is just crazy. And the kitsune part of you would probably be just as happy to lose so you can use more of your seductive wiles on me.”

“Heh heh! She’s so clever. Now get her!”

“Why Kagome, it’s nice to know you aren’t immune to my efforts. Shall we begin?”

“No. We’re NOT sparring for clothes.”

“All right. For something else, then.”

“Like what?” she asked suspiciously.

“A kiss per fall.”

“A kiss?”

“Yes, that way we both still win.”

She chuckled at him. “All right.”

They bowed again and stepped into their stances. He noticed that this time she followed a more cautious, traditional strategy, and she let him go on the offensive first. They circled each other for a minute before he lunged in with a reverse punch followed quickly by a left hook. She blocked both and came around with a high roundhouse kick, which he blocked, and a knee jab, which caught him in the kidney. Without a pause, he caught her with a back kick to the stomach, followed by an axe kick to the jaw. She staggered, but didn’t go down. Rubbing her jaw, she said, “Great combination.”

They circled some more before she let loose a left jab/right cross combination which left him vulnerable to a frontsnap kick, pushing him back. But he decided to take advantage of the distance with a tornado kick which caught her shoulder and spun her around and down. “I believe that’s my fall,” he told her as he gave her a hand up and pulled her into his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her gently, but firmly, letting his tongue glide over her lips before dipping inside for a taste. He smiled when he saw how her eyes had darkened, and decided it was almost time for the sparring match to end.

“That’s one apiece. One more?”

She nodded and they stepped back to begin. He decided to go for a quick fall by releasing a flurry of spinning kicks, which she blocked, until he switched to a backfist, which she also blocked, leaving herself open for him to sweep her legs out from under her. It worked, but to his surprise, as she hit the ground, she rolled with it, coming up and flipping backward out of his reach.

“Nice move. And did I tell you I particularly admire your taste in undergarments?” he said with a leer.

Kagome looked down at the silky, royal blue bra with the white ribbons running along the edges -- she had completely forgotten to retrieve her shirt earlier. Kurama took advantage of her distraction and closed in, hooking an arm around her waist and twisting her over his hip. He followed her down and pinned her with a leg across her chest.

“Cheater,” she pouted.

He laughed. “Now, now, love. You know you can’t let your opponent distract you.” And he helped her sit up before claiming her lips with a fierce determination. He suckled on her lower lip a moment before his tongue demanded entry to seek out her own. Again, Kagome wondered how he could seem so focused on her -- how he could obviously really want her, and not mind if his friend did the same. It just didn’t make sense to her. She had never been able to reconcile sharing Inuyasha with Kikyou, and had always felt his feelings for her weren’t that strong if he couldn’t be with just her. (Guess youkai don’t have self-esteem issues.) And again, it was just further proof that this wasn’t something that was going to last. Then Kurama’s lips started wandering down her jaw to the highly sensitive skin of her neck, and her thoughts completely scattered, and for that moment, it just didn’t matter.

As her senses focused on the acute waves of pleasure his lips were evoking, his nimble fingers quickly removed the garment he had previously admired. Slowly lowering her body to the mat, he hovered over her on his hands and knees before stretching out beside her and pulling her body into his. He relished the feel of her breasts pressing into his bare chest -- the skin-on-skin contact inflamed his desire and he groaned into the crook of her neck.

Kagome held onto his shoulder tightly with one hand, the other finding its way into his hair at the back of his head. Wanting to run her fingers through it freely, she tugged at the leather strip until it pulled free and his hair fell around his shoulders. Rolling her onto her back again, he let his lips trail further down her body until he captured a puckered nipple. As he rolled his tongue around it and suckled lightly, she dug her fingernails into his shoulders.

The heavy scent of arousal and sounds of awakening desire and pleasure filled the room. Wanting to look into her eyes and taste the delights of her mouth again, Kurama rose up above her. “Kagome,” he whispered. He held her gaze as his mouth descended on hers.

A loud crash made them both jump, and they looked at the door now standing wide open and hanging slightly off its hinges.

“Hiei?”
********************************** **************************************