InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ That's Show Business ❯ Guaranteed Or Your Money Back ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha or any of the other characters mentioned in this story. Please respect copyrights!

Hello everyone! I hope that I'm not making Inu Yasha too, oh what's the word…um…girly? No, not girly…um, weak? No…well, um, I just thought that I'd change things up a bit and have Inu-sama be a bit more caring than he usually is. Hope this doesn't ruffle any feathers! *smiles sheepishly* Alright! On with the show!

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't understand," The hotel manager's voice said on the other line. Inu Yasha rolled his eyes and repeated himself.

"Miss Higurashi and I will be gone for the weekend, but I'd like you to keep our rooms. Clean, if you mind." He couldn't see it, but Inu Yasha could tell that the manager had nodded.

"Alright. I'll inform the staff."

"Great, thanks." Inu Yasha turned off the cell phone and slipped it back into Kagome's purse. He looked around at the enclosing darkness, then up at the sky. It was growing paler and paler blue by the second. Deciding that the time was right, he rest a hand on Kagome's shoulder and shook her.

"Hey. Hey, you! Wake up!" She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes.

"W-w-wheeeeeaaaarrrre we?" She said through a yawn. The hanyou put a finger to his lips and pointed at the surrounding area. She closed her mouth and looked around. Just as she did, the sun exploded to life on the horizon.

"Oh!" She gasped and put her hand on her mouth. They were sitting on a dewy-covered hill in the middle of a vineyard. Row after row of sparkling wet grapes were laid at their feet. Everything was green and gold in the growing light. The sunrise itself was a breathtaking sight. It burst in radiant shades of red, pink, gold, orange, maroon, and yellow. Little hillocks surrounded them on all sides. A pristine white manor stood in the middle of the grapes like a castle built in the center of a town.

"Oh, Inu Yasha…" She murmured, turning to him. The cool morning breeze flipped his silvery hair behind him. She hated to admit it, but he looked quite regal.

"Welcome to Napa Valley!" He smiled at her and stuck his arm out as if to present the valley to her. She gaped at him, then at the valley. Suddenly, anger burned like fire in her eyes.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" She screamed. Inu Yasha was taken so much aback that he stumbled backwards a few paces.

"What?"

"You can't just kidnap me! And what about work? What about my movie tonight with Sango? W-what about Kouga?!" She looked suddenly horrified as she turned to face the highly acclaimed actor. Then she did the last thing on either one of their minds. She slapped him. After that, it seemed like the world was put on pause. Kagome's hands shot to her mouth in disgust at herself. Inu Yasha slowly lifted a hand to where he had been smacked. They stared at each other for a long, long time.

"You…you hit me," was all he managed to say. Something clicked in her brain and Kagome suddenly sprang to life.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Inu Yasha! Please forgive me!" He narrowed his eyes at her and growled. "I'm sorry…"

"Why did you hit me?!" he snarled at her.

"I'm sorry, but can you blame me? You just whisked me away to…to heaven knows where, without even asking if I wanted to go! I'm sorry, I just didn't expect you to be so…so-"

"Nice?" He interjected.

"Unpredictable." He stopped growling and half-smiled.

"Well, we're here for the weekend. What do you want to do?" She thought for a moment, and then looked quickly back at him. She grabbed him by the hand and yanked him off of his feet.

"C'mon! Let's go!" He followed her, unwillingly, but enthusiastically.

"Go where?!" He laughed. She followed a dirt path to a wider dirt road at the bottom of the hill. Waiting for them was the scarlet Harley and their helmets. She sat Inu Yasha down on the bike rather roughly and set his helmet on his head.

"Wha-?"

"Take me somewhere!" She squeaked.

"What happened to the worried, scheduled Kagome I knew?"

"She died three seconds ago. Didn't you know? Now c'mon! Take me somewhere!"

"Somewhere like what?" He asked. She clasped her hands together and twirled in a circle.

"Take me somewhere magical! Somewhere with adventure!" He laughed and tossed her the spare helmet.

"Let's start with breakfast and work up to magic throughout the day, okay?" She laughed too and hopped on the back of his bike.

"Sounds good to me! Let's hit it!" He slammed down on the accelerator and they zoomed down the pine-enshrouded path and out onto the highway.

~*~*~*~

"So what's the news? Was that them?!" Kouga snapped impatiently. The hotel manager hung up the phone and turned to the wolf demon.

"Yes and the news is…well…" Kouga snatched the front of his uniform in his clawed hand and pulled him up over the counter.

"WHAT?!" The manager began to sweat with fright.

"Th-they're spending the weekend in Central California! I-I th-think the hanyou kidnapped her! But they're coming back!" Kouga turned a pale green, then rounded on the man he had in his fist.

"They'd better, or you'll pay." He let go of the poor man and looked fit to kill. "I want you to inform me of anything. Anything at all." He slipped the manager a hundred-dollar bill and walked out of the double doors and onto the street.

~*~*~*~

"Wow! This is good!" Kagome gasped. Inu Yasha smiled and passed her a glass bowl with powdered sugar in it.

"Here, try this on it." She sprinkled the powder over her breakfast and took another bite. It was heaven on a plate. She knew that every artery in her body was screaming at her, but she didn't care.

The two moviemakers were seated on the terrace of a cute little restaurant. The building itself was old, but freshly painted a pristine white. Deep green ivy clung to its walls, presenting its gossamer leaves to the passing customers. Hanging flowerpots held every colored flower imaginable. The sun was warm and bright as it shined down on the world.

"So this is called a `Montey Cristo'?" He nodded and took a large bite. This was unlike any sandwich Kagome had ever had before. It was two layers of meat, cheese, and bread. After it was stacked, it was covered in egg and thrown into a greased skillet. When the egg was cooked, it was slapped onto a plate and served with powdered sugar. She took a gigantic chunk out of the sandwich and savored the flavor. My word was it good.

"So," she said when her mouth was empty, "how did you come across this delicious…thing?" A somber expression crossed his face.

"My mom used to make it for me." He was whispering so low that Kagome could barely hear him.

"Your mom? What was she like?" Inu Yasha took a small bite and chewed it slowly.

"She was nice…" was all he could say. Kagome took the hint and shut up. After they finished eating breakfast, and no matter how much she protested, Inu Yasha paid for them. They decided to take the morning slow. They explored the town they were in; perusing the streets like thieves, looking for the jewel that would brighten up their day. Suddenly, Kagome spotted it.

"Look, look! Let's go in there!" She pointed to his right and he quickly found a parking space. They slipped off the leather seat and yanked off their helmets.

"Here?" Inu Yasha queried. She nodded vigorously.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She sighed. He looked at it sideways of a moment, as if deciding whether or not he would dub it `beautiful'. They were standing at the entranceway to a park. The grass was a perfect shade of green. The trees looked like fireworks that had been frozen in time. They burst in colors of red, orange, yellow, purple, and gold all along the avenue in front of them. They began to walk down the dirt path that was laid at there feet. Wrought-iron benches held pigeons and old ladies. A few had businessmen reading newspapers sitting on them. It was quiet except for the sound of rushing water.

"Kagome, it is a pretty place, but I don't use words like `beautiful' and `gorgeous' to describe things. I'm a guy, remember?" She laughed and smiled at him.

"Yeah, okay. But how would you describe it?" He thought for a moment.

"I'd say it was nice."

"How philosophical," she snorted.

"Sorry, but I just don't use words like that to describe a tree," he said, pointing to the ones around them. "I mean they're nice, but I wouldn't call them beautiful." `I'd call you beautiful,' he thought. A quick look of disgust passed over his face as he recalled what he had just thought. `Where did that come from? It must be a line in the movie, or something. Kagome's not…okay, maybe she is. Bit I don't like her in that way.'

"Ooooo! Look, Inu Yasha!" Kagome squealed. She pointed at a serene fountain in the middle of the park. It had many spouts that gushed out large streams of water. It was a cool, clear fountain that was in very good condition. Coins littered the bottom and winked at them in the sunlight. Kagome reached into her purse and took out two pennies. She handed one to Inu Yasha and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" He asked. She smiled, opened her eyes, and tossed the coin into the water.

"There! All done!" By now the hanyou was thoroughly confused.

"Done with what?" Kagome started.

"You mean you've never made a wish on a coin before?" She asked. He shook his silvery head no.

"Well, what you do is, you take the coin and make a wish on it. Go on, make a wish." He did, but still thought that this was dumb. "Then you toss it in." The penny fell into the water and he looked at her expectantly.

"Now what?" He asked.

"Now nothing; it's over. You just have to hope that your wish will come true." He frowned and glanced down at the penny.

"If it doesn't, do I get my money back?" She laughed.

"Of course you don't," she giggled and shoved him gently. Obviously she didn't shove him as gently as she thought, because he quickly lost his balance. Flailing his arms to stay standing, Inu Yasha toppled over backwards and fell into the pool of the fountain. He rested on his back in the water and looked at the cloudy sky before he sat up. He was soaked to the bone and his white Ralph Lauren shirt clung to his finely toned muscles. Kagome didn't know if she should laugh or blush, so she did a little of both.

"I'm sorry, Inu Yasha! I didn't mean to push you that hard!" He smiled in a roughish way, flashing a fang at her.

"Oh really?" He sneered and Kagome became a bit nervous. Quick as a flash, he reached out, grabbed her upper arm, and wrenched her into the water next to him. She landed roughly against the blue tiled bottom with a splash and looked at him in disbelief. She, too, was completely soaked. Her black tank top hung heavily on her shoulders and her jeans were glued to her legs. Her black leather boots were water resistant, which she thanked her lucky stars for. Inu Yasha smiled at her and began to laugh.

"Now we're even!" He chuckled. Kagome suddenly realized the comedy of the situation and laughed too, but as soon as she did, Inu Yasha covered her mouth with his hand.

"Sh! Listen!" He whispered. She did, and a strange sound reached her ears. It sounded like clicking. It wasn't a woodpecker, and it wasn't a woman's high heels. It wasn't anything Kagome had heard before. Then it hit her.

"Inu Yasha, I hear cameras," she said. A look of pure rage filled his face.

"DAMN THEM! RUN FOR IT, KAGOME!" He took her hand and they jumped out of the fountain. Just as they did, twenty-odd reporters hopped out from behind trees and the like. They started talking to the flustered friends all at once. Kagome couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but the words movies, Kikyo, parents, and love popped up a bit. Inu Yasha put a hand over his face and tugged the startled girl out of the crowd and down the dirt path. They were sprinting as fast as they could to the bike, and the paparazzi followed in good haste. Strapping on their helmets, they planted themselves on the seat. Kagome flung her arms around his waist as he slammed down on the accelerator. In no time they were on the road and away from the media maniacs.

It wasn't just the paparazzi they fled from, but the whole city. `I guess Santa Rosa didn't appeal to him anymore,' Kagome thought. She, however, thought it was an amazingly pretty place.

After being on the road for an hour or so, Kagome became bored. She began to draw lines on the back of Inu Yasha's wet shirt with her finger.

"Inu Yasha! Where are we?!" She yelled over the motorcycle's roar. She couldn't see his face, but something in his reply told her that he was smiling.

"You'll find out right….NOW!" They crossed onto a busy bridge. Kagome looked around and finally saw where they were going. They were on the Golden Gate Bridge over the bay, and in front of them was the busy city of San Francisco. She laughed with delight and squeezed Inu Yasha in an enormous hug.

"I've always wanted to go to San Francisco…" She sighed and rested against his back. He was a bit nervous about having someone else's girlfriend hugging him; but then again…It's not like Kouga could do any damage. What harm could a whale-loving environmentalist do?

~*~*~*~

Miroku punched the button for the lobby and the overly polished doors of the elevator closed. He was humming a tune he had stuck in his head and stared absent mindedly at the paisley carpet. The elevator slowed and he looked up. When the doors opened he saw that he was not at the lobby. However, he completely forgot about everything when he saw who had rung the lift. It was Sango, but not the stuffy, make-up artist Sango. This was a side of her that he had never seen before. She was wearing a tight, crop-top dress that clung snugly to her shapely body and stopped at about mid thigh. She had obviously dolled up her face and her hair was held high in a wild way. She clutched a small black purse in one hand.

Miroku actually stepped back a pace when he saw her. She instantly recognized him and blushed. She hadn't expected him to be in the same hotel, and didn't want him to see her like this. She calmly stepped into the elevator and punched for the lobby as well. The doors closed and a heavy silence fell over them. It was finally broken when Miroku turned to her.

"Where are you off to?" He asked in a slightly concerned voice. She smiled politely at him.

"I'm going clubbing with some friends. Too bad Kagome can't make it…" she added as an afterthought.

"Why can't she go? Is she sick?" Sango stared at him.

"You mean Inu Yasha didn't tell you? He kidnapped her for the weekend. They're in…well…California, I suppose, but he didn't really tell me much. He just said not to worry and that he'd return my roommate to me soon." Miroku smiled. `Inu Yasha, you dog…' he thought and shook his head. Suddenly, the elevator lurched and the lights flickered. Sango, being in heels, fell over and landed on Miroku. He caught her easily and they looked at each other. The lights in the room had dimmed and they weren't moving.

"What happened?" Sango asked. Miroku slid down the wall so that they were both sitting down. Sango hadn't even noticed that Miroku was holding her, and neither did he.

"I think the elevator broke down." he stated.

~*~*~*~

Chihiro-san: "Hey guys! I know that Kouga is also, well, not his normal Kouga-y self, but I wanted to change the characters a bit. What do you think so far? I actually hadn't planned for this to happen, but my characters take me where they want to go. I have little or no say in what they do, if you follow me. If not, good for you! Now, I'm sleepy, quite bleary-eyed, and I can't feel my bum because I've been sitting and typing for Heaven knows how many hours. Catcha Later!"