InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ That's Show Business ❯ What's a Girl Like You Doing at a Mugging Like This? ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha or anyone else mentioned below (well, that's a part of the Inu books, at least.) Please respect copyrights!

chihiro-san: Howdy-hey everybody! Did y'all have a good Thanksgiving? Okay, let's get down to brass tacks. I hate clothes shopping on many different levels, so this section is going to be painful for me. I have been avoiding this chapter for a while now, and I know now that I can't run from it forever. Ah, well. *half-heartedly* On with the show…

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"Well? What did he say? It was him, wasn't it?" Kouga wrung his hands nervously. The hotel manager stared at the youkai. His eyes were fearful, for he didn't want to tell Kouga anything. He knew that the temperamental man would kill him when he found out.

"Well?" Kouga asked again. His voice was impatient and imploring. The uniformed man hesitated. The moment had come. He shrank back behind the counter and mumbled something. Kouga grabbed him by the shoulders.

"What? What is it?!" Even though the manager was a grown man in his late fifties, he was close to tears. This young lad, who he was almost three times as old as, had frightened him so badly that he had completely lost his nerve. He began to tremble uncontrollably.

"They're t-taking the w-week off." Both rage and disbelief filled the youkai's face. His nails dug into the manager's shoulders. He stifled a scream and tried to draw back, but Kouga was too strong. He could only grit his teeth and pray that his slowly falling blood wouldn't stain his uniform.

"Are you sure?" Kouga hissed, eyes narrowing. The manager nodded quickly, trying not to look at his attacker. Kouga released him, dropping his bloodied hands to his side. He pulled out a gold money clip and handed the pallid man a hundred-dollar bill. He gratefully accepted it and fell to his knees before passing out onto the Berber carpet. Kouga slipped the clip back into his pocket, smirking evilly. `So, he thinks he can mate with my girlfriend, does he? Well, not if I have any say in it. I swear that when they get home, I'll avenge my love's desecration. He will pay.'

Kouga punched the button for the elevator. He glared at the golden doors, absently following the intricate carvings in it. A small ding came from above him and the doors slid open. He was about to step in, but stopped and stared in disgust. A young man in a dinner jacket and a young lady in a silky black cocktail dress were asleep on the floor. They both looked like they were his age. The lady was curled up in the man's arms. Her chocolatey brown hair was fanned out over her face. Kouga cleared his throat rather loudly and they awoke with a start. They looked around blearily, then noticed the disgruntled youkai. Sango squeaked, hopped up, and ran to her shoes. She slipped them on quickly and snatched up her purse. Miroku merely stood and dusted off the front of him.

"I hope that I wasn't interrupting anything," Kouga sneered. Miroku was as calm as anything and completely ignored his rude comment.

"Not at all sir. You see, sir, our elevator shaft broke down last and-"

"I honestly don't care. Unless you plan on wasting my night further, I suggest you move." Sango glared at him before realizing just whom it was.

"Oh! You're Kouga, Kagome's boyfriend!" He was startled that this tart knew him. He looked his up and down with a wary eye and nodded.

"How do you know Kagome?" He asked.

"We work together. I'm Sango, make-up specialist." She held out a hand to shake but Kouga didn't take it. She brought her hand back to her side and bit her lip uncomfortably.

"We'd better be going, then. Nice meeting you." She grabbed Miroku's hand and pulled him into the lobby. They sat down on a cushy couch and faced each other.

"Nothing happened last night, did it? I mean, I don't think it did, but, did it?" Sango gazed into Miroku's eyes in a helpless way. He took one of her hands in a reassuring way.

"What happened was we fell asleep. That was all." Sango's eyes flicked from helplessness to mistrust.

"You sure? Your hands were on uncharted territory when we woke up, buddy, and I know your reputation with women." She raised an eyebrow at him. He suddenly became very frustrated and stood up.

"My hand moved when I was asleep, Sango." She smiled wryly at him.

"Sure it did."

"I swear."

"Mm-hm." He couldn't take it anymore. She was so impossible sometimes. He pushed her against the couch by her upper arms and tried as hard not to shake that stupid smile off of her face.

"LISTEN!" he barked. She shut up in no time and stared at him. He relaxed his grip and straightened up. "Just because my past relationships have been bad doesn't make me a bad person. Next time, why don't you think before you judge someone." He turned and walked out of the hotel's double doors. Sango stared at the doors for a long time, then turned and grabbed one of the couch's throw pillows. She clung to it, trying not to cry. `I really hurt him,' she thought as a rough tear fell onto the silk pillowcase. `I need to go after him. How could I say such things?'

"Miroku!" She yelled, tossing the pillow aside. She ran out of the double doors and looked around for him wildly. There wasn't a sign of him on the busy Los Angeles street. Everything was coated with the blueness of midnight. `Wow…we must've slept for twelve hours at the very least. I don't blame us, though. We'd only gotten five hours of sleep this week. Damn that Naraku. He's a slave driver.' Sango mused as she looked around. Something caught her eye as she turned her head to the left. She saw him rounding the corner. Her heels clicked as she wormed her way through the crowded sidewalk.

"Miroku!" She yelled. People shoved and pushed their way past her, slowing down her progress. It must have taken her ten minutes just to reach the corner where she had seen his turn.

"Miroku!" She called again. A low moan arose next to her. Whipping around, she saw that the sound came from an alleyway next to her. She stared down the dank, shadow engulfed side street with wary eyes.

"Hello?" She called into the deep. Again, something moaned. Whatever had made that noise began to shift in the darkness. Sango dug around in her purse and pulled out a small tube.

"Whoever's there had better be careful! I have pepper spray!" She slid across the nearest wall as she made her way into the darkness. The shape fell to the ground and groaned again.

"Sango…" the voice was familiar. She tossed the canister aside and dashed towards the shape. She fell next to it and rolled it onto its back. It was Miroku.

"Oh my God, Miroku. What happened?" He groaned and hugged her.

"I…I'm sorry I yelled at you…." He whispered into her ear. A fresh supply of tears cascaded down her cheeks. Then she felt something oddly firm poking her in the leg. She backed away and looked him up and down before clapping a hand over her mouth. A knife was protruding from his side and his clothes were torn. She looked away from him, not wanting to see any more. Her hand wandered into her purse and she fished out her cell phone.

"Hello, Police? My friend was mugged and he's hurt really badly…" Sango's voice shook as she spoke into the receiver.

"I see. Where are you?" A soft, understanding, female voice asked.

"At the corner of Market and First. Please hurry, and bring an ambulance. He's really hurt."

"We have someone on there way right now. Thank you for calling." The operator hung up and left Sango with nothing more than the hope that they'd be there soon and a dial tone. She flicked off her phone and set down next to her purse. Falling to her knees, she picked Miroku up and hugged him. At first he didn't react to her touch and she feared the worst. But he soon hugged her back.

"I'm sorry for y-yelling at you," he said again. Her eyes filled in the half-light of the alleyway.

"Don't be. I should be the one apologizing."

"For what?" He groaned. "You're right to think that I'm a worthless womanizer because I am…"

"No, no you're not!" She sputtered. He sighed painfully and looked up into her frightened eyes. He smiled a sad half-smile at her and touched her cheek.

"I'm so glad…that out of all of the people…that could have found me…you did."

"W-why?" she asked. He paused, as if trying to find the right words.

"Because…I can't think of a better…last thing…to see." He coughed in a pained way and went limp. Sango tried to shake him, but he wasn't responding. Her anguished cries were drowned out by the sound of sirens blaring. The alley was filled with flashing blue and red lights as two cop cars and an ambulance pulled up. Four EMT's hopped out of the ambulance and dashed over to Miroku and Sango. They checked his vitals and one ran back to the car. He pulled out a stretcher as the other three picked up the producer's limp body. Sango shook with fright as the ambulance tore down the street, sirens screaming. She stared at the place where they had been until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ma'am? Could I have a word with you?" A man who resembled a mustached string bean in a cop's uniform stood next to her with a flipbook out. She nodded and he led her over to his car. She sat down on the seat and told him the whole story of how she'd found him. When she was done, the man stood and nodded curtly.

"That's all, then?" he asked gruffly. She nodded, playing nervously with a strand of her hair.

"Wait! What hospital will he be at? I have to be there if…when he wakes up." Mr. Mustache raised an eyebrow at her and cleared his throat.

"He'll be at Angel of Mercy. D'you want a ride?" She nodded and hopped into the front seat. Mr. Mustache sidled into the driver's seat, put the keys in the ignition, flipped on the siren, and slammed down on the gas. In no time they were in front of an enormous white building. It was extremely foreboding and sent chills up her spine. The words `Angel of Mercy Hospital' were glowing in blood red neon above a set of double doors. Sango put on a brave face and walked through the doors.

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`Holy shit! This is five hundred bucks?! I can't get this! Inu Yasha would kill me!' Kagome stared open mouthed at the price tag of a golden cocktail dress. It had looked so pretty on the rack that she had to check it out. Pier 39, as it turned out, wasn't the hot spot for shopping, so she had to meander inwards a ways. She had window shopped a bit until she found the best little shop dedicated to formal wear. She had gone in and was checking out the styles before the prices.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" a meek voice said. Kagome turned around to see a young girl her own age looking at her nervously. `Who you callin' ma'am, you little slut?' The only way that Kagome would have known that she worked her was the tag that said `Hi, I'm Sugar!' on the front of her blouse, if you could call it a blouse. She was wearing the most revealing top that Kagome had ever seen, and seeing as she worked in the movie business, she had seen a lot.

"What?" She snipped. The girl smoothed out a crease in her Gucci skirt.

"Can I help you?" Kagome turned back to the rack she was facing and rolled her eyes. `I'm not going to steal anything, Store Clerk Barbie. Just shut up and let me shop.'

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Are you sure?" `Translation: you can't pay for that because I can't pay for that. What's your angle?'

"Yeah, I'm sure, but thank you anyway." She smiled and began to walk away.

"Okay! Just ask me if you need anything!" `Translation: I've got my eyes on you. Jeez, just let me shop, lady!' Kagome flicked viciously through the dinner gowns, glaring at them through angry slits. Suddenly, she stopped. She had found it. The perfect dress. She yanked it off of the rack as if it would evaporate in five seconds. After knocking down a few people in her rush, Kagome had snagged herself a dressing room. She slid into the dress and gasped. It was amazing. She rested her hands on her stomach and ran them down her side, feeling the softness of the fabric. She hopped up and down with excitement before clambering back into her jeans and T-shirt. Her toes wiggled their way down into her sneakers and she opened the stall door to find a disgruntled Store Clerk Barbie staring at her.

"I want this one!" Kagome squeaked. "Do you have anything like shoes or something that will match it?" The girl rolled her eyes in a way that said `of course we do, you moron.'

"Yes, we do. In fact, this particular dress comes with gloves and heels."

"Great! I'll take them!" Kagome handed the shocked girl her dress.

"You'll take them?!" She repeated in disbelief.

"Uh, yeah! Now let's go to the counter and buy this stuff! I gotta get back to the yacht before sundown." The girl turned on her heels and scuttled off to the counter. She found the other accessories and brought them to Kagome, who merely smiled. The girl shook her head in amazement before she rang up the clothes.

"That'll be one thousand, five hundred, ninety-two dollars and eighty-seven cents please." Kagome balked and checked the price on the dress. `$1,592.87?! For a dress that I'm probably only going to wear once?! Holy crap! Thank God that this isn't my money!' She handed the irate girl Inu Yasha's credit card and watched her shove the dress into a bag with the gloves and shoes. She tore off the receipt and tossed it into the bag before handing it to Kagome.

"Here you go. Have a nice day." Kagome snatched the golden credit card from the bitter store clerk and hurried out of the shop. She caught a trolley down to Pier 39 and enjoyed the cool evening air that the bus wouldn't allow. The sun was melting into the horizon in amazing splashes of pink and yellow. The air was heavy with the salty smell of the ocean as a crisp wind played with the falling leaves of trees. The sky was clouded over and Kagome hoped that it wouldn't rain. In no time at all she was back at the Pier. She hummed to herself as she walked down the dark wooden planks towards the seals. It wasn't too hard to find them, thankfully. All you had to do was follow the smell. When she reached the seals and the dock, she saw that a small group was waiting by the gate in hopes that super star Inu Yasha would come out and talk to them. False hope, really. Kagome took out the dock keys and stumbled down the gangplank and onto the dock. She found the yacht in a second and hopped up onto the pearly white deck.

"Who's up there?" a gruff voice called from below. The sun winked its last goodbye to the world as it fell below the horizon. Kagome smiled at the teak door.

"Who do you think?!" She laughed. Something crashed down below and, shortly after, someone cursed rather blatantly.

"Kagome?! Come in, the door's unlocked." She pushed back the hatch cover and lifted one of the slats before going down below. She replaced the slat and climbed down the stairs. The soft cursing emitting from Inu Yasha's berth told Kagome that he was behind the polished teak door.

"Hey, Inu Yasha! I'm gonna change and then we'll go, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He spat from behind the door. She smiled and opened up a few drawers. Finally she found the scissors. She took them into the bathroom and shut the door. After about an hour of snipping off price tags, squeezing into impossible shoes, and spraying up her hair, Kagome slipped out of the bathroom. Inu Yasha was still in his berth, grumbling about something or another.

"Ready?" She called. He slid back his door and came out before slamming it shut.

"About time! It thought I was going to have-" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her and she, too, when she rested her eyes on him. She had on a deep blue dress that made her eyes explode with color. It was a haltered dress that had one piece of cloth for both straps. The dress fell to about mid-calf, revealing startlingly tiny high-heeled shoes that were of the same color. She clutched a small white handbag in her gloved fingers. Her hair was up in an intricate bun. Faux pearls studded the bun, adding a professional touch to her hair. Inu Yasha felt his jaw drop, and did nothing to stop it.

He wasn't the only one who was completely shocked. Kagome slid a silken hand over her cherry red lips in an attempt to stop herself from smiling. The hanyou was wearing the white tux that he had on during the wedding sequence of his movie. The white material sharply defined his golden eyes…and his black hair. `Black hair?! What the heck?!' He had raven colored hair that cascaded down his black, just like his silver hair had, but that wasn't the only difference. His ears were gone.

"You're…" She began, but couldn't finish.

"Human? Yeah, I know. It's that damn new moon. Every time I change into this!" He pointed at his hair and collapsed onto one of the settees. Kagome sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I think you look great, and no one will recognize us now. It'll be fine, trust me." He looked at her hand, then at her eyes.

"I do." She smiled and let go.

"Alright then. Let's go to dinner."

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chihiro-san: For those of you who don't know, this is the night that Miroku and Sango fell asleep in the elevator. I'll catch up the two times soon, ok? It's a little confusing right now, but I've never worked with a story like this before. I'll try to bring things up to speed in the next chapter, but I can't promise anything. Sorry if this is a bad chapter, but I'm really tired and sort of confused. Thank you, angelbabe17 (did I spell it right?) and everyone else for reading/reviewing! I love you all, honestly. By the by, how do you guys get so many readers?! I've been on for a little while now and some folks have thousands of hits, even if they're not that good! I know most of them are, but it's almost disgusting at how many people visit them! Please, give me some tips, guys! Happy Turkey day.