Ice Cream Shop Mishaps by MoonBeamMistress
New Experiences and Old Flames
Much thanks to my wonderful Beta Stella for fixing all of my boo boo's. This chapter is dedicated to her! Much love my dear ^_^
Also if you get the chance go over and check out her story A Blue Ribbon, It's wonderful ^_^
"Sango.....I can't wear this dress."
The older girl scanned her form critically, taking in how well the short skirt flaunted the younger girl’s toned legs and how the vibrant yellow color made her skin look darker before shaking her head.
"Why not?"
"Because you refuse to let me put a pair of underwear on and if I trip, I'll be ass up, naked and ready for mounting."
"Well he is an inu..."
"Sango!"
She laughed. "I'm just kidding Kagome, geez. You're right though, it is kind of short for a first date."
Turning back to her closet, she sorted through a few more hangers, her fingers stopping on a one shoulder, peach colored party dress. It was more cute than sexy, with three dimensional flowers cascading over the shoulder, a ruched bodice, flowing knee-length skirt and a big matching bow in the back, but, for some reason, she decided it would probably look amazing on the young woman standing behind her.
"What about this one?"
Slipping it off of the hanger, she held it up to the younger girl's form and grinned. "Hey, I think we've got a winner, go put it on."
Shoving the dress into her arms, she steered the raven haired girl toward the bathroom, giving her a light tap on her behind to get her moving. "Better hurry up! You've got two hours to finish getting ready before Mr. tall, silver and rich shows up on your doorstep, five blocks away."
"I'm going, I'm going."
A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom with an uncertain look on her face, her fingers wringing together nervously behind her back as she looked to her friend for her opinion.
"Kagome......you look amazing!"
A blush spread across her cheeks as she scuffed her toe against the floor in a show of mock bashfulness. "Aww, gee thanks.”
Sango walked over to make an investigative circle around her, nodding and mumbling to herself as she came to a stop in front of the squirming girl. “I’ve got the perfect pair of shoes to go with this, hold on.”
Wandering back over to the closet, she kneeled down in front of it and leaned in. The sound of boxes and random shoes bounced around inside, drifting out to the waiting girl before she made a sound of triumph and re-emerged with a pair of peach satin, t-strap, four inch high heels.
“Here! Put these on, then we’ll do your makeup and hair and afterwards you can book your fine behind back to your place before your man shows up.”
“He’s not my man, Sango. He’s just a friend and I don’t even know if the kind of relationship we have even qualifies as friendship; maybe acquaintance would be more appropriate....”
Sango rolled her eyes. “Someone sounds a little nervous. Look at it this way, if he wasn't at least slightly interested in you, he wouldn't have wanted to take you out for dinner."
"He's only doing it to thank me for taking care of Rin the other day. He's not doing it because he's interested in taking me out."
Sango smirked. "Hey, don't be so sure. He is in the middle of booting his wife out the door. Who knows? Maybe he's looking for another woman to come and take her place?"
Kagome laughed and swatted her friends shoulder playfully. Although, she seriously doubted that Sesshomaru's intentions were anything other than to thank her, Sango's words hovered in the back of her mind. He was in the middle of a divorce and she had seen him quite often lately......'Do not even think that way,' she berated mentally. There was no way in the seven pits of hell that a man like him would be even mildly interested in a plain old college student like her.
"Hey! No moping, this is a happy day! The CEO of Taishou Corporation is taking you out to dinner. I can't honestly see anything to be depressed about in this situation. You have the opportunity to go and eat $500 plates of food and sit in chairs that some of the richest and most beautiful people in Japan have sat in. I'd be dancing in absolute bliss right now if I were you!"
"I'll order a big dessert or something and see if I can’t have some of it put in a doggie bag for me to bring home for you. How does that sound?”
The older girl grinned. “No, there’s no need for that, but when you get back home I want to know every fantastic detail about your evening; including the kiss goodnight.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Oh, will you stop that? I highly doubt he appreciated my help so much that he would make sure to kiss me until my toes curled at the end of the night as a way of showing just how incredibly thankful he is.”
Sango laughed. “Hey, you never know.”
The teasing went on for a short while longer until Sango decided that it was time for one of her world renowned makeovers and forced Kagome into a nearby chair.
“Alright, young lady, let’s make Sesshomaru proud to have you hanging on his arm!”
Although, she couldn’t see what Sango was doing to her face, she knew she could trust the older girl to not overdo it with the makeup. If there was anything Kagome could say with confidence about the older girl it was this; she could make anyone into a beauty queen with a little eyeliner and some blush.
“Hey, Sango?”
“Yes, my dear?”
She hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was even worth asking.
“Can I please put some underwear on?”
Her best friend chuckled evilly. “Absolutely not.”
~_~_~_~
Checking his watch as he strode down the hall toward the young woman’s apartment, Sesshomaru realized that he was fairly early. Twenty minutes early to be exact and for a moment he hesitated, wondering if she was ready to leave yet. Contemplating whether to turn around and go back to the car to wait until seven to knock on her door, he stopped mid-thought and began walking forward again. He was acting like a teenage boy on his first date and that was unacceptable behavior for him to have. If she was not ready to go by now then she would go without finishing her preparations.
Coming to a stop in front of her door, he raised a fist to knock, but halted when he heard the sound of someone approaching. Someone who sounded slightly like the woman he was picking up, muttering soft curses and complaining about missing keys.
“Kagome?”
He watched her startle at the sound of her name, her hand ceasing its actions inside her purse as she looked up at him.
He found himself slightly stunned for a moment by the woman who stood in front of him. Her midnight locks were left to hang loosely around her, the ends curling softly as they danced around her waist. Her dress, a soft peach color, hugged her toned form perfectly, accenting her lightly tanned skin. The next thing he noticed were the delicate heels she wore; they were open-toed to show off the pale pink nail polish on her toes. After a slow perusal of her form, he focused on her face; the makeup she wore was light and brought out her shimmering blue eyes.
It was needless to say that Sesshomaru found her choice of attire for the evening acceptable.
“Ses….Sesshomaru-sama….you’re early.”
“Hn.”
~_~_~_~
“Damn, stupid keys! I hope I didn’t leave them at Sango’s.”
Continuing to dig around in her purse for her elusive house keys, she failed to notice the tall man standing in front of her apartment door.
“Kagome?”
The deep baritone startled her, her eyes swinging up to focus on the handsome demon standing, arm raised, ready to knock on her door. She found herself frozen in place as he turned, his golden gaze beginning a slow examination of her form. Her voice refused to work until he had focused back on her face, a look of approval settling on his features.
“Ses…Sesshomaru-sama….you’re early.”
“Hn.”
‘Damn,’ she thought. ‘So much for getting home in time to put some undies on before he showed up.’
“Are you prepared to leave?”
Feeling a blush creep up onto her cheeks, she grinned at him. “Um…actually I just have to grab something from my apartment and then, yes, I’ll be ready to leave.”
Stepping up beside him, she began digging around in her purse again for her keys and felt herself become frantic as her hands continued to come back out empty.
“It seems that you have misplaced your keys. Is what you needed necessary for this evening?”
‘Yes!’ She shrieked mentally. ‘Very, very necessary!’
“No, I suppose not. Can’t really worry about it if I can’t get in to get it.”
“Then let us take our leave.”
She resisted the urge to stiffen up when his elegant hand settled on her lower back, a gesture meant to guide her forward, as he led them toward the elevator.
‘God, please do not let his hand go any lower. This dress is so thin and I’m sure he would notice the lack of an elastic band around the top of my behind.’
As they stepped into the elevator, Kagome breathed a mental sigh of relief as his hand left her back to push the lobby button.
‘I can’t believe I left my keys at Sango’s, I don’t even remember taking them out of my purse!’
Trying to decide where she had left them, she realized that she had never touched her purse while she had been there, but Sango, on the other hand, had had multiple opportunities to root around in it and snag her keys.
‘Ooo, that bitch! She knew I was going to come home and put underwear on. Just wait until I get back to pick up Shippou. I’m going to kill her!’
When the elevator chimed and the doors opened, she stepped forward to walk out and felt the inu place his hand back where it had been.
‘Of course he chooses now to be all touchy-feely. God I hope I don’t trip in these heels.”
Focusing all of her attention on her feet in hopes that it would keep her from tripping, she let Sesshomaru guide her out the front doors and to his car.
~_~_~_~
Being out of your element is one thing, but acting like you’re not is a totally different ball game. As Kagome followed the demon waiter to a secluded booth in the corner, she realized that the second she’d waltzed through that door with Sesshomaru Taishou’s hand on her back, she had become the center of attention. Curious gazes and delicate sniffs were thrown in her direction as she was paraded through the center of the restaurant like a side-show freak, her purse trapped in a white-knuckled grip while she fought to hold her head high and keep her eyes forward.
“Do not be nervous,” a gentle baritone whispered against her ear. “This is the first time they have seen me without my wife and they are curious to know if you are whom I’ve chosen to replace her with.”
‘Well isn’t that reassuring,’ she thought sarcastically.
After what seemed like hours, they reached the table and Kagome quickly slid into the booth seat facing the restaurant. She refused to try and eat with an entire room full of people staring at her back.
“May I start your evening off with a beverage, Mr. Taishou?”
Sesshomaru’s eyes slid to the fidgeting woman across from him. “Would you like some wine, Kagome?”
Deciding that some alcohol in her system might help calm her frazzled nerves, she nodded.
“Yes, please.”
The inu chose a wine and sent the waiter away as he pushed his menu to the side, obviously already aware of what he was going to order.
“You may choose whatever you desire.”
For some reason the only word she’d been able to focus on in that sentence had been desire. The way it slid off of his tongue, thick and heady, like honey and cream had her scrambling not to inform him that she desired to have him as her evening meal.
“Desire?” She echoed.
“For your meal, you may choose whatever you desire.”
‘I wish he’d quit saying that word,’ she thought as she lifted her menu to hide her sudden blush only to discover she couldn’t read it.
“Um…is this…French?”
“Hn.”
Feeling a little awkward, she attempted to try and figure out what anything on the laminated pages said and failed miserably.
“Um….”
“You cannot read it?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
Taking the menu from her, he laid it out between them.
“Do not apologize, I will read it to you.”
Watching him drag an elegantly clawed finger across the foreign words, she listened carefully as he told her what each thing was. The French were an odd bunch she decided as she took note of all of the odd things listed on the menu. Cow brains and snails, who actually eats that crap?
“Would you mind just ordering for me, Sesshomaru? I’m not really familiar with French cuisine and I’m sure you know what’s good.”
“If that is what you wish.”
Folding the menu closed, he placed it on top of his own and pushed them to the front of the table for the waiter to pick up when he came back.
Silence fell over the table as Kagome put her hands in her lap, her fingers wringing together nervously.
“You are uncomfortable?”
Her actions froze as she looked up at him. “No!.....I mean…Well, yes, I am kind of nervous.”
“May I ask why?”
Dropping her gaze back to the table, she began fidgeting again. “Well….you know, this is my first time in such a high-class restaurant and I’m here with you and…..”
“My presence makes you nervous? You seemed quite at ease during our meeting at the park and in your place of employment as well. What has changed now that has made you uncomfortable?”
She sighed and brought her hands up onto the table, her eyes scanning the restaurant before coming back to rest on him. “Yes, but now I know who you are.”
This seemed to confuse the dog demon. Tilting his head slightly, he watched her look back down at the table before questioning her.
“Who I am? I was under the impression that you were aware of my name.”
“Yes, I was aware of your name, but up until I saw myself in the paper yesterday, I was unaware of who you were.”
‘Ah,’ he understood now. She hadn’t realized that he was Sesshomaru Taishou, the business tycoon of a multi-billion dollar company. This seemed to bother him slightly. How had she managed to not realize who he was?
“And now that you are aware of my social standing, you find my presence…uncomfortable?”
“No, being around you doesn’t make me uncomfortable, I just feel odd letting you spend so much money when you don’t have to. Being out in high society is a new thing for me.”
“Hn.”
Unaware of what to say to alleviate her unease, he fell silent. Didn’t women like to be doted upon? Didn’t they enjoy having large amounts of money spent on them? Studying the woman in front of him, he realized that it probably wasn’t the restaurant itself causing her distress, but the fact that he’d brought her to a place that reeked of money. A place where large amount of cash were spent on little to nothing of value and found himself humbled. This woman. This tiny slip of a girl felt that she didn’t deserve this kind of treatment for doing what she perceived as something small. That he was over-indulging her when she felt ‘a simple thank you’ was more than enough.
“Would you like to leave?”
Shocked eyes rose to his. “Are you sure? I’ll stay if you want me to. Is there something else you want to do?”
“We will do whatever you wish to do.”
She smiled, the brilliance of it tugging at the dog demon’s chest. “Then yes, let’s leave.”
They stood to leave, the inu’s hand slipping into place on the small of her back as he guided her through the sea of tables toward the front. They stopped momentarily at the podium where Sesshomaru spoke to the man who had signed them in and then turned to leave. Kagome’s happy smile slipping from her face as she spotted someone through the glass doors she most definitely did not want to see.
“Uh…bathroom, I have to go to the bathroom! Right now!”
Spinning away from Sesshomaru, she questioned the man behind the podium as to the whereabouts of the restrooms and darted in their direction, leaving a very confused Sesshomaru to stand by the entrance.
“And I was like….oh Sesshomaru dear, what a coincidence seeing you here.”
Slanting a bored look at the smirking demoness, his eyes shifted to the male she was clinging to and sighed.
“Kagura, I see you have found pleasant male company to keep.”
Her grip on the males arm tightened. “He is quite interesting, isn’t he? I always did find your brother far more entertaining than you.”
“Oi, you hear that, ice prick? You’re wife thinks I’m better than you.”
As Kagura laughed, the hanyou detangled himself from her and informed them he had to pee as he headed for the restrooms.
“So what brings you here? Did you find some unsuspecting woman to keep your chilly attitude company this evening?”
“If you must know I am here with a friend and we are in the process leaving.”
The wind demoness placed a hand against her cheek in mock surprise. “A friend, you say? You have those?”
“It would seem so.”
Tuning out his wife’s next retort, he instead directed his sensitive hearing toward the restrooms, listening intently for the young woman’s return.
~_~_~_~
“Get a grip, Kagome,” she whispered to her reflection. “You haven’t seen him in over a year, go out there and pretend you don’t even know him!”
Dropping her head dejectedly, she sighed and turned away from the mirror. What were the odds of her running into him here and why, of all places, was he strolling into some five-star restaurant? She thought about the attractive demoness she’d seen clinging to his arm and thought maybe he’d found himself a sugar momma.
“What kind of idiot woman would want to tote him around like a designer handbag?” Sure he was cute, but he definitely wasn’t something she would parade around like a prize-winning pet. Picking her purse up from the counter she felt her gut twist as she realized she’d left Sesshomaru standing at the entrance and quickly turned to rush back out.
Now, Kagome had had quite a few odd things happen in her life, but never had she been a believer in coincidences and as she bolted out of the bathroom door and directly into the back of someone exiting the men’s restroom, she decided that someone, somewhere, really must have it out for her.
“Oi, watch where the hell yer….Kagome?”
Realizing far too late just whom it was she’d collided with, she muttered a quiet apology and darted for the front entrance, hoping that God would have mercy on her, and he would stand there like an idiot long enough for her to grab Sesshomaru and get out the front doors.
“Oi, wench! Wait a minute!”
Quickening her steps, she burst from the hallway and into the dining hall, narrowly missing a waiter carrying a tray full of what looked like miniature blueberry cheesecakes.
Feeling relief settle over her as she made eye contact with Sesshomaru, she rushed forward, only to be halted by a vice-like grip on her wrist.
“I said wait a minute, wench.”
“What!? ” She said as she whirled around to face him, her hair whipping into his chest. “What can I do for you, Inuyasha?”
The hanyou stood stunned for a moment, his honey eyes taking in her well-dressed form. “I….wow, you look really good.”
Kagome snorted. “Oh, why thank you. Now if you don’t mind….”
“Inuyasha, I believe you have your filthy, half-breed hand on my companion. You would be wise to release her.”
He looked between the woman he’d latched onto and his brother, an irritated scowl formed on his boyish features.
“You’re here with him!?”
Wincing when his grip on her wrist tightened, she looked to Sesshomaru, begging him with her eyes to do something.
“Yes, little brother and I believe I told you to release her or is your hanyou hearing so inferior that you did not hear me?”
Face taking on a mildly red tint, he yanked her behind his back and growled at the older demon.
“Kagome is mine, you stay the hell away from her, you bastard!”
As she watched the standoff between the two inu, she noticed the light glinting off of something purple peeking out of the back of the irate hanyou’s collar and laughed. ‘Silly Inuyasha, he still hasn’t managed to get those subjugation beads Sango slipped on him removed yet.’
“Oh Inuyasha,” she said in a sing-song voice.
He glanced at her over his shoulder and cringed when he recognized the look she was giving him, his hand releasing her as he turned to try and prevent her from saying the command.
“Kagome, I didn’t…..”
“I’ve been waiting a long time to do this, Inuyasha, so I hope someone is ready to call the paramedics….”
“Kagome, please!”
“Sit!”
Feeling a wonderful rush of satisfaction at the resounding sound of his face connecting with the polished marble floor, she repeated the command a few more times before stepping over his prone form and grabbing Sesshomaru by the arm.
“I think it’s about time we left, don’t you?”
As they passed the shocked demoness, she sputtered at them and attempted to come up with a suitable insult.
She failed miserably.