InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Savvy ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

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

A/N: Yeah, I don't own Inuyasha. I'm going to cheat on this story, too. I've written a few stories that have bands in them, and usually I'll make up some original lyrics. But I don't feel like it, so here's the deal. All the songs in this story are going to belong to someone, and I will credit them. If it's supposed to be original to the story, I'll let you know, either in the story somehow, or in the song credits. Yay! I don't have to be creative and worry about how much I suck! (I'm very insecure about my poetry and lyrics.) Anyway, please enjoy! Oh, and when the story is finished, I'll submit a chapter with all the lyrics to these songs, but feel free to look up the lyrics beforehand. I try to make them really go along with the plot.

*******/

"Mannequin" Twisted Method (end of chapter)


*******/

Kagura was in her office the next afternoon when there was a soft knock on the door. "Yes?"

The door opened, and the youkai smiled when she saw Kagome peek her head inside. "Hi. I was wondering about the paper?"

Kagura looked to her desk, where that day's paper was already strewn about, and waded through the sections until she saw the classifieds, plucking them from the pile and handing them to Kagome.

Before Kagome could thank her, however, both women heard a loud noise, and looked to see Inuyasha cross the front room before them, muttering curses under his breath. "Kagura, if you don't get someone else in here by next week," he shouted, "I will personally burn this place to the ground!"

Kagura smirked as she watched the hanyou pass by on his way to the back. It's such a bad idea, she chided herself, but it would serve him right. And then, maybe, my charitable brain will shut up for a day or two, until she quits. "Funny you should say that, Inuyasha," she called. "I was just doing an interview."

Kagome looked at her quizzically, and Kagura smiled. "Me?" Kagome squeaked.

Inuyasha suddenly filled the doorway, eyebrows furrowed as he looked Kagome over. "Her? Are you fucking serious?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Kagome demanded.

Inuyasha had to stop himself from smiling. She looked even cuter when she was mad, and that was by no means a good thing. "It means, I ain't in the mood to train someone with absolutely no experience. Have you ever even had a job, princess?"

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Of course I've had a job!" she cried. "I worked in my family's shrine for four years!"

Inuyasha snorted. "Oh, forgive me. This will be a piece of cake, then."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Kagome, dear, if you want the job, it's yours."

Kagome smiled uneasily. Could she really do this? She desperately needed the money, and if she didn't like it, she supposed she could still look for another job. "Um, sure. Yeah."

Inuyasha groaned before stomping away from the office, and Kagura turned her amused face towards Kagome. "You'll start tomorrow, then. I'll let him have the bar to himself tonight."

(*)(*)(*)

As Kagome sat in her living room that evening, the bass from the music downstairs vibrating through her couch as she tried to read, she couldn't help but smile. She had a job. Her mom would be very disappointed in her for working in a bar, let alone a strip club, but Kagome felt very proud of herself. She just might survive on her own. As Kagome stared at the pages in her book, the words started to blur together, and the steady rhythm of the music below lulled her to sleep...

She came awake with a start, confused. When had she fallen asleep? What time was it?

There was a knock on the door, and she figured that's what had woken her up. It was a good thing; her neck already had a cramp from sleeping with her back against the armrest.

Going to the door, Kagome opened it slightly to see the scowling face of her neighbor. "Aren't you supposed to be working?" she asked him.

"It's almost five a.m.," he informed her. "Can I come in?"

"Uh... sure." Kagome opened the door, allowing him inside, and he put a book into her hands. She stared down at it, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She'd been asleep for over five hours? "What's this?"

"You can read English, right?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, looking over the cover, which read, The Bartender's Bible. "Yeah, I can read it, but why are you giving it to me?"

"I'm not giving it; I'm lending it. All the drinks you need to learn are highlighted. Bring that with you downstairs. Be there at five, and no skirts."

"What?"

"You want your ass gettin' grabbed on your first night?"

Kagome blushed furiously. "N-no."

A shrill chirping suddenly sounded in the room, and Kagome held a finger up as she ran to her kitchen, grabbing her cell phone. "Hi, Mama," she spoke.

Inuyasha could smell the apprehension coming from Kagome, and he couldn't help but step closer to her as he heard the voice speaking from the other end of the line.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm sorry, dear, but I just can't believe that. You left with hardly any notice, and I can't understand how you have enough money to travel, or live on your own."

"I got a job, Mama."

"Do you even have a work visa yet?"

At the question, Kagome faltered. Knowing he was taking a risk, Inuyasha cut the distance between himself and the girl to touch her arm. When she turned to look at him, he nodded firmly. "Uh, yeah... I have it. But I'm really beat, Mama. I need to get into bed, alright?"

A sigh from the phone. "Fine, Kagome. We'll talk later."

"Love you. 'Bye." Kagome hung up before looking to him, and Inuyasha readied himself. She was either going to be pissed he'd been listening, or wonder how he'd heard the conversation in the first place.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a grateful smile.

"...No problem."

Kagome sighed. "Actually, there is a problem. A big one."

"Huh?"

"Well, I do need a work visa."

Inuyasha chuckled. "It won't be a problem."

Kagome arched a brow. "What?"

He crossed his arms. "You think you're the first girl that's run away from home? Kagura will take care of it. It's nothing to worry about."

"I did not run away from home," she replied defensively.

He shrugged. "Whatever you say. Just don't be late tomorrow." With that, Inuyasha left her alone. Kagome looked after him, seething. He didn't even care that he'd made her angry! She sighed. She supposed she couldn't be mad at him; he had saved her some major trouble with her mom. But it worried her that Kagura had no problem with hiring her without a visa. What kind of stuff was going on downstairs? Was it a place she should be working, or living in? Kagura seemed so nice, and so did Sango. Inuyasha didn't seem nice by any means, but he didn't seem... well, shady. Like I'd know if he was shady or not, she told herself, shaking her head. She decided it was best to just go to bed, and not think about things. She'd find out soon enough if her decision was a wise one.

(*)(*)(*)

The next evening, Kagome was in the break room when she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Kagome!"

"Sango, hi!"

Sango smiled. "So, I hear you have a job now."

"Uh-huh."

"That's awesome."

Sango's eyes widened as she was suddenly pushed into the break room by a smaller girl with long brown hair and bright eyes who grinned at Kagome. "Thank God Kagura hired you! Promise you'll never quit!"

Kagome smiled nervously. "Well, um..."

Sango laughed. "She just doesn't want Kikyou to come back."

The girl shot Sango a look. "Oh, like you do? I'm Rin, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kagome."

Sango smiled slyly. "Don't get used to Rin. She won't be around much longer."

Rin took a seat, rolling her eyes. "Oh, please. Sesshy doesn't own me."

"Sesshy?" Kagome echoed.

"Sesshoumaru Inutaisho," Sango told her. "Rin's fiance. And I never said he owned you. But you're gonna get comfy with all that money."

"Maybe," Rin admitted. "I might have made a mistake, though. Inuyasha's ears are cuter."

Sango shot Rin a menacing look, which confused Kagome. Ears? What? Rin smiled. "Sess is Inuyasha's older brother, honey."

"Oh." That really didn't clear anything up for her. What was cute about anyone's ears? She supposed everyone had their quirks, though. Wait, Inuyasha's older brother had money? That was strange. Maybe he just had a really good job. It couldn't have been an inheritance.

"Well, we better go get ready," Sango said, and Rin nodded in agreement before both girls disappeared. Kagome sighed, getting up and finding a cubby to put her purse and the book Inuyasha had lent to her in before leaving the break room to go into the bar.

"There you are," Kagura said. "Time for the fun part."

"Fun part?" Kagome replied warily.

"Paperwork. In my office."

"Oh."

Kagura's office was cramped, but tidy, and Kagome took a seat in the corner while her new boss searched through the cabinets for the right papers, handing Kagome a pen. "Inuyasha said you were a little nervous about the work visa."

"Oh! Well... a little." That jerk.

"It's nothing to worry about. I know you're a good girl, and there's no chance of you getting in trouble. You'll have your visa in no time. I trust you've applied for one, at least?"

"Yeah."

"We have a way of getting them pretty quickly here. Inuyasha's brother is a very well respected lawyer."

"Oh."

"All your wages before that will be handed to you in cash, and there will be no record of it."

"O-Okay."

Kagura smiled. "Kagome, this is an everyday thing in places like this. Trust me."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to seem ungrateful."

"You're not. You just look like you might faint, is all. I've been dealing with cases like you for years."

"Cases like me?"

"I'm not trying to classify you. But girls come through here, for lots of different reasons. They need work, and they need a place to stay. And a lot of them don't want to be found. A lot of girls trust the wrong people, so I make sure they stay here, and trust the right ones. You're safe here, okay?"

Kagome nodded, sighing with relief. "Okay."

"Now, about the club. You won't have to worry about it tonight, we shouldn't be too busy. Well, it's always busy, but you've noticed Savvy's a bit of a theme club, right?"

Kagome thought back to the interior of the club, and nodded. "Kind of a pirate thing, right?"

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Not the original intent, but it turned out that way. Savvy's one of the oldest bars in the city."

"Really?"

Kagura nodded. "The last owner found out about its history, and turned it into this mess. He also brought in the girls. The original owners used to harbor criminals here, so you could say this place has always been a safe house of some sort."

"Wow."

"But the pirate thing wasn't such a bad idea. It really saved this place. But when the regulars come in here, it can get a little crazy. That's on the weekends, but I just wanted to prepare you."

"Alright."

(*)(*)(*)

Inuyasha was wiping down the bar when Kagome emerged from Kagura's office and headed straight back towards the break room. She returned with his book, a nervous smile on her face. "So, what now?" she asked.

"We're getting ready to open. I've done just about everything. Tonight, you're on easy stuff. Cokes, snacks, easy drinks."

"Okay."

"Did you have a chance to look at that book at all?"

Kagome nodded. "I don't think I've memorized anything yet, but yeah."

"Good. Just keep it handy. I'll be sending you out to take orders so I can stay close to the bar. You have a question, ask me."

"I will."

Minutes later, Inuyasha unlocked the front door, and he watched Kagome pale as the customers began to pile in. She won't last through the night, he thought miserably, making his way back to the bar. Kagome followed him. "Um... do I need anything to write down what they want?"

"Yeah." He bent down, looking underneath the bar until he found the box of guest check tablets, and handed Kagome one. She smiled quickly and walked away towards the tables. He wondered how long it would be before she told him she couldn't handle it. Probably the first time she got her ass grabbed. He chuckled under his breath.

(*)(*)(*)

I need this job. I can't quit. I need this job. I can't quit.

In the past hour, this had become something of a mantra for Kagome.

Everything had been fine at first. Her very first order had been for a couple of younger guys, who had wanted nothing more than a pitcher of beer. Easy enough. She'd gotten the full pitcher and the mugs to the table without spilling anything, had taken the money, and had even made a dollar tip in the process.

Her second customer had wanted a double shot of bourbon. Not hard. He'd winked at her, and that had only made her mildly nervous. She'd managed to smile back.

The third customer... He was pure evil. He'd seemed innocent enough, just an old man sitting in the corner alone. He'd wanted a beer.

And he'd grabbed her butt! She was surprised she hadn't dropped the bottle in his lap.

On top of that, the music had stopped moments later, and the patrons had started yelling loudly. Another song started to play, and Kagome looked to the stage to see the thick black curtains part, revealing Sango in an extremely skimpy outfit. Kagome blushed, looking away. "I need this job," she whispered to herself. "I can't quit!" She hurried to another table before she could talk herself into walking out of the bar.

Inuyasha watched Kagome, and was surprised she hadn't burst into tears yet. It was busy for a Wednesday, and he had yet to find the time to teach her anything she'd need to know for the weekend. He supposed he might have to do it off the clock, which didn't surprise him.

Kagome trotted up to the bar, practically flying into it as she looked at the pad she had written on. "I need two shots of Maker's Mark, a glass of water, and an... appletini?"

"Gotcha." He leaned over the bar, closer to her, his golden eyes looking into hers. "And Kagome?"

"Huh?" she asked, a little breathlessly.

He smiled. "Breathe."

"...Okay."

(*)(*)(*)

Kagome let out a long sigh of relief when the last customer was let out the front door that night. She'd survived.

"What do we do now?" she asked Inuyasha, who was counting down the till.

"You got the tables wiped down?"

"Uh-huh."

"Ashtrays cleaned?"

"Yup."

"Then, I'll get the trash, and you start on the floors. The broom and stuff are in the closet next to the break room."

"Alright."

Kagome was preparing some mop water when she heard footsteps behind her. "Oh, you guys started without me?"

"Sango?"

"Yeah. You have a good night?"

Kagome smiled nervously. "Well, I'm alive," she laughed.

Sango smiled back. "That's a good answer. Better than most I've heard. Rin and I usually hang around and help out. Miroku won't be off work for another five minutes, and he always comes to get me."

"What about Rin?"

"We usually take her home, since she lives a few blocks away from us, but once she gets married, she'll be an uptown girl," she replied with a wink.

"Yeah, I heard Sesshoumaru was a lawyer."

Sango nodded. "That's putting it mildly. He owns his own firm."

"I see." Kagome turned off the faucet and picked up the broom and dustpan. "Kagura said he was going to help get my work visa."

"Yeah, he's done that for a few girls here."

"There's that many foreign girls here?"

"Well, a few at the moment. Not a lot stay. Most get better jobs eventually. Speaking of jobs, did you make any money tonight?"

Kagome smiled. "Twenty dollars!"

Sango smiled, but rolled her eyes. "That's nothing! Wait until you get the hang of things. You'll be rolling in dough."

The girls returned to the bar to see Inuyasha had also, but he was talking on a cell phone. Sango put her finger to her lips, gesturing for Kagome to be quiet.

"Yeah, what did you expect? No one was going to show up at your door and beg you, Kikyou." Kagome's eyes widened slightly. She had a feeling she knew what the 'history' was between Inuyasha and this woman that Sango had mentioned before. She'd heard whispers through the night, from several of the strippers, and even a few of the customers. No one seemed to have a very high opinion of Kikyou, but it seemed Inuyasha had worshipped her. Had they been lovers? That seemed to be the most logical answer.

"I can't stop by tonight," he went on, leaning against the bar. "It's going to take us awhile to close up tonight, and I've got work again tomorrow." He sighed at the response neither of the girls could hear. "You can't expect me to drop everything anymore... What does that matter?" he shouted. Sango sighed, and Kagome looked at her worriedly. Sango just shook her head. "I'll come by tomorrow. Before. Okay. 'Bye."

Inuyasha turned, a glower on his face as he stuck his cell back into the pocket of his jeans. He said nothing as Kagome started sweeping the floor.

"Need any help?" Sango asked as she took a seat at the bar.

"No," he practically growled. "Did Rin get a ride?"

"I guess. She's not here."

Inuyasha stepped behind the bar, where he began stocking the shelves, intent on ignoring Sango.

"So, you're going to see Kikyou tomorrow?"

"You can't mind your own business, can you?"

"I have ears."

"Yes, I am. Big deal."

"It's just been awhile since you've actually gone over there."

"That's because she was working here. Now she's not." He turned to face her. "And I know you think it's a bad idea, so you don't have to waste your breath telling me."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Good."

"But shouldn't you be showing Kagome what you're doing? So she can learn?"

"She's my trainee, not yours."

Sango shrugged. "Okay."

Kagome didn't hear this conversation, being that she was already sweeping over by the stage, and when she was done mopping, Inuyasha told her she was done for the night. She knew that couldn't be true, but she didn't want to question him. His earlier conversation had obviously put him in a bad mood.

It was over an hour later that she heard footsteps come up the stairs and the door across the hall closed. She was already in bed, but not yet asleep.

I wonder if he hates me, she thought. Maybe that's why he sent me away. I hope he doesn't keep doing this, or I won't ever learn anything. She rolled over, gathering her pillow in a lump underneath her head. Maybe he's just upset about talking to her, though. I hope tomorrow's better.

Kagome jumped suddenly as her apartment was flooded with loud music from across the hall. What did he think he was doing? She'd never be able to sleep with his music blaring like that!

Feeling a little apprehensive, Kagome crawled out of bed, making sure her pajamas weren't too revealing before leaving her apartment and going across the hall. "Like he's going to hear me knock over that," she muttered to herself. Still, what else could she do? She raised her fist, rapping on his door.

It opened seconds later, and she was greeted with the sight of a nearly naked Inuyasha, clad only in a pair of boxers. "What are you doing up?" he asked her.

"What?" she yelled over the music, her cheeks pinking at the sight of him.

He held up a finger, gesturing for her to wait, and returned once his stereo's volume had been turned down. "Yeah?"

"I was just wondering... There's really no way I'm going to be able to sleep with that up so loud. Do you think you could turn it down, you know, just a little? I'm sorry. I like to listen to music when I'm upset, too. If you really need it that loud, I guess I'll live." At the blank look on Inuyasha's face, Kagome faltered. "Not that you're upset! I mean..."

Inuyasha licked his lips. "It's fine. I'm just not used to you being across the hall. I'll turn it down."

"Okay," she said quietly, feeling humiliated.

"Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"You did alright tonight. Forgot to tell you."

She lifted her head, smiling. "Really?"

He nodded. "Show up a little early tomorrow. About half an hour, and I'll teach you to make a few drinks."

"Alright. See you then."

Inuyasha smiled as Kagome turned, leaving his doorway for her own. She looked like she was in junior high in her Hello Kitty pajamas, which made her even more delicious looking, somehow. He sighed at his own perversion, closing the door.

****/

star555555528- sorry about not updating so quickly, but this is my second most important fanfic. i'm working on another one called "to hell" that's of greater importance right now. but when it's finished, this will be my priority.

-papercut-koi- thanks for the review!

inuyashaschic- wish granted.