To Dance with the Devil

If there was anything Kagome learned it was that when one danced with the devil, they never won; even if the so-called devil was their husband, notorious and elite gangster, Takahashi Inuyasha. Too bad Kagome was stuck with him, till death do them part.

.xx.

To Know the Henchmen of the Devil

"Our recital time is coming up!" Kagome clapped with enthusiasm as she sat in front of a dozen or so parents. She was scheduled to lead the monthly parent-teacher meetings for the dance studio and, despite having the odd parent that complained about the lack of progress regarding their child, Kagome loved meeting with the parents. It was always a pleasure to see their absolute excitement when she talked about how great their little babies were doing and how far along they've come from when Kagome first met them.

A regular parent, kind-hearted, warm, and loving, grinned broadly. Her smile lit up the room… it always did.

"This is so exciting! Do we have songs yet?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, that's the fun part. For parents who are interested, I would love if you guys compiled a song list and have a parent mix it together for our kids. That way it will give them the notion that mommies and daddies are all in for their love of dancing."

A quiet dad piped up. "I used to DJ during my college days. I could mix something up."

Another mom clapped her hands. "My brother's fiancée's cousin has a knack for picking songs that'll mesh well together. Maybe you and him could collab?"

The quiet dad nodded with a goofy grin on his face. Kagome always loved when parents were just as excited about their kids' dance lessons as the children were themselves. The parents talked amongst themselves when a typically snobby but relatively nice mom spoke up.

"Is this a parents-only event or a large recital?"

Kagome shrugged. "Typically parents only, but if we can advertise for a bigger group and come up with funds for a theatre, we definitely can make it a large recital. Historically we just keep it to our studio and bring in chairs."

The somewhat-snobby-but-nice mom chewed on her bottom lip. "Will you take sponsors?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "Pardon me?" She wasn't expecting that mother of all the mothers present to offer a sponsor for the recital. Snobby-but-nice mom hardly ever made it out to parent-teacher meets.

"Sponsors." She repeated. "I would love for the whole world to see our kids' talent. My little Yukino has improved so greatly and her confidence is remarkable!"

Kagome's heart swelled and a few other parents offered their praise as well. It was great to know that dance lessons were giving her kids confidence and encouragement for their day-to-day life. It meant that Kagome's purpose was being fulfilled; all she wanted were for her kids to excel in life, no matter how young they may be.

The mom who had a connection stood up. "My brother's fiancée's cousin also knows scouts for prestigious dance academies! Maybe we can get them to come and give us their two yens? Who knows… our kids could be the next big thing!"

Excited chatter erupted in the room and Kagome had to blink back tears of happiness. The group in front of her had to be most engaged set of parents that Kagome ever had the pleasure of working with… and that made her job so much easier.

"I also have mentors at my college," Kagome offered. "If we do get a big enough venue, I can get my professors and instructors to attend as well." It did help that Kagome was a student to a very elite and prestigious dance academy. She was also off for a term to work on a dance project as part of her final dissertation—publish an article on a dance style of her choice (Kagome chose jazz), including history and origins, adaptations over the years, iconic dancers and dance moves, and incorporation to two other types of dances (Kagome chose ballet and interpretive). Accompanying the paper she had to choreograph a three to four minute routine and present it in front of a panel of judges. The top three performers will receive a one year contract with the TV Japan as a lead backup dancer with the potential of being a junior choreographer.

"That's excellent!" Snobby-but-nice squealed. "I can find donors and donate a hefty sum myself."

It didn't surprise Kagome that that particular mom used the word hefty to describe her potential donation. She was snobby-but-nice after all.

A light rapping at the door tore Kagome away from the parents. It was Yura.

"Inuyasha on the main line for you." Yura revealed and Kagome nodded. She exchanged places with Yura, Kagome going to the front desk to take the call and direct anybody that should enter their school, and Yura would take over the meeting.

Kagome did want to ignore him… slightly… but she knew that would be going against the new leaf she had turned: be nice but speak her mind and don't be a pushover. So far she was doing well, but she really had no basis to compare her feeling to.

.xx.

"Higurashi but future Takahashi speaking." She greeted her fiancé and was met with untamed laughter.

"I can live with that," he drawled. Inuyasha was sitting at his desk, tie limp around his next, and twirling a pen between his fingers. The drywall guy was patching the holes in his wall (courtesy of Kouga's service call), and the flooring people were redoing the entire layout of his room (courtesy of Miroku's service call).

Otherwise, it was a relatively slow day for him.

"How can I help you?" Kagome tried to remain professional but Inuyasha was having none of it.

"Busy today sweetheart?"

"I'm at work… then I have school work to do." She hadn't worked on her project for quite some time and, frankly, she didn't want to postpone her work until the last minute. She really wanted that contract.

"Right," Inuyasha sung. "You're in school. That tidbit slipped my mind."

"Slipped mine too. Being whisked away to Egypt, getting proposed to, and being told your wedding date needs to be as soon as possible lest you want to die can do that to you." Kagome began putting some of Yura's filing away; paid invoices to the left, outstanding to the right, and pending to the far left.

"Touché. Will you be able to spare me a few hours this afternoon?"

"Honestly? Probably not… but what's it for?"

"Wedding planning… I was hoping we could check some venues out today and figure out a date?" Inuyasha warily eyed the man trying to lay some hardwood down on his floor. The choice of pattern was revolting and he made a mental note to speak to Miroku about it.

Inuyasha heard Kagome sigh through the receiver. "I was hoping to get my work done…"

He didn't want to pressure her. Kagome had been doing well in accommodating him for the past few days. "That's alright. I'll give your number to the three planners I've hired, and my brother's significant other as well, all four ladies will be at your disposal."

Kagome hmm'd. She was kind of feeling bad but squashed that sensation. He couldn't demand her presence and expect her to be readily available for him. "Sounds good."

"Rin, my sister-in-law, will give you a shout today. The other three girls, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, will contact you when Rin gives them the greenlight." Inuyasha instructed.

"Sounds fair."

"Do you have a date planned out yet?"

"Not yet, but when I pick one you'll be the first to know."

His chuckle was delicious. "I would hope so, seeing as I'm the groom—" Inuyasha was interrupted when he heard somebody in the background calling for Kagome.

"Kagome! Mrs. Yamamato made a few calls and we have enough money to rent the amphitheater!" Yamamato was snobby-but-nice mom.

"… already?! I haven't even called the school yet to see if I can get my talent scouts!"

"But Mrs. Yun called her brother's fiancée's cousin and he has five talent scouts lined up. They said something about loving to see the future of dance." Mrs. Yun was the mom that knew somebody who knew somebody.

"But the recital date isn't even picked!"

"Everybody wants it for the fifteenth of next month."

"THAT SOON?!" Kagome groaned and turned back to the phone. "Sorry, Inuyasha, is it okay if I call you back?"

"Trouble?"

"Not really, just excited parents. The semi-annual recital is coming up and it's a bigger shindig than ever before." Kagome rubbed her temples. "Usually I do a little thing at the studio, but apparently now we already have enough money for the amphitheater and five talent scouts ready to attend the show. So I pretty much have to choreograph five different numbers by the fifteenth of next month, plus do my schoolwork and plan a wedding."

"Let me make a few calls."

"Don't you dare!"

"Talk to you tonight, sweetheart." And he hung up. Kagome withheld her scream and gently put the receiver down. If that man made any calls that had anything to do with the word illegal, his funeral would be before his wedding, and that was a promise.

Ok a few breaths. Kagome instructed herself. Maybe I can talk the parents out of the fifteenth. I mean… it's going to be difficult…

Composing herself, Kagome reentered the meeting room, ready to object to any requests that would be difficult to accommodate.

.xx.

Kagome was sitting upside down on her couch, her legs thrown over the backrest and her head dangling a few inches from the floor. Souta was laughing hysterically and Sango shook her head in pity for her best friend.

"So the recital is in a month, the amphitheater is booked, five scouts will be attending and two of your professors?" Sango reiterated. Kagome nodded and tried to slouch in her position. It didn't work out too well.

"You were overrun by the masses, sis." Souta sighed. "It'll be great advertisement though."

"YES, but I'm choreographing it all. Plus planning a wedding."

"The wedding can wait." Sango shrugged. "It won't be for a few mo—"

"He wants it as soon as possible." Kgaome mumbled. She hadn't intended of telling her family that he wanted to up the date, Kagome was just anticipating on surprising them with a super-early wedding date, but she couldn't keep that information to herself any longer. "I was thinking of picking the twenty-first."

Souta scrambled to sit up and Sango dropped the cookie she was munching on slowly. The air in the room stilled and Kagome though it would be a great time to sit up—besides, the blood rushing to her head was beginning to give her a headache.

"As soon as—twenty-first—" Sango's eyes were slowly widening. "Kagome, that's seven days away! YOU CANNOT GET MARRIED IN A WEEK!"

"I can." Kagome shrugged, attempting to be as nonchalant as possible. "Remember the extent of his net worth?"

Souta was trying not to see red. "But why next week?! What the hell, Kagome! You just got engaged!"

"And marriage typically follows shortly thereafter." Kagome cracked her neck. "He wanted it ASAP and I figured it'd happen one day or another, so why not one day versus another?"

"And why the twenty-first?"

"First day of summer." Kagome revealed. "My favourite season."

"And ruin that day for you?" Souga was beyond enraged. Was that stupid mob lord brainwashing his sister?! "And after you two call it quits you'll remember the first day of summer to always be the day you got married to eventually get divorced."

Kagome hadn't considered Souta's point, but she was mentally committed and was going to stick to her guns. "Fair, but my decision has been made. Besides, it'd only ruin the day, not the season."

Sango was choosing to remain silent. It was Kagome's decision after all… she knew that it would be difficult to sway the girl once her mind had been made up. The one thing that Sango wanted to know was if she was being coerced in to upping the date. She voiced her question.

"You chose the twenty-first, right?"

Kagome nodded.

"He didn't force you?"

Kagome shook her head.

Sango closed her eyes momentarily before opening them with fake excitement. "Well… let's start planning?"

Kagome's heart broke. She always wanted her wedding and Sango's wedding to be the most exciting events ever, together for both events from start to finish. The situation that she was going through was not what she or Sango expected and both girls (including Kikyo) had to make do with the situation they had.

Kagome could always live her girlish fantasies with Kikyo's upcoming nuptials.

"Inuyasha said that his sister-in-law will call me later today." Kagome's brain was going to implode if she didn't get some fresh air, stat. "If you two don't mind, I'm going to take a walk. My brain can't handle all of this…"

Souta and Sango could only watch as Kagome grabbed a thin sweater and bolted out of the shrine.

"I want to strangle father." Souta muttered and Sango nodded in agreement.

"Poor girl."

.xx.

The cool and crisp spring air filled Kagome to the deepest corners of her lungs. Her whole life flashed through her brain, particularly from the moment she found out she would be bound to the Devil, till death do them part.

I could run away.

Kagome shook her head. No, no… if I were to buy fake I.D.s, I'd have to go through his channel and that would be counterproductive.

Kagome was languidly strolling down the calm streets of her family shrine. She remembered visiting the shrine many times throughout her childhood, always asking her grandfather about the dog demon that was, according to legends, pinned to the sacred tree. Once, Kagome tumbled down a couple dozen steps of the shrine and her mother wouldn't stop crying both on the way to the hospital, and on the way back.

A reluctant smile graced her lips.

Those were better times…

"You really oughta watch where you're walking."

Kagome raised her eyebrow and glanced over her shoulder to find a smirking Kouga and two other expressionless men.

"I knew you three were following me, but aren't you supposed to keep it a secret?"

Kouga wrapped an arm around Kagome's shoulder and began guiding her towards a park just a few blocks away from where they were. "We were, but my buddies here," Kouga nodded at the tall and lanky one, "Ryuukotsusei, and" he ushered to the short and stubby one, "Gama were complaining about how being stealthy in the shadows was unpleasant."

Kagome raised both eyebrows. "And your boss-man knows?"

"Nope."

The grin that Kagome sported was identical to Kouga's wolfish one. "Well that's how I like it."

At that exact moment, Ryuukotsusei and Gama burst into laughter and confessed that they thought she was going to be boorish as that was the type of women Inuyasha seemed to attract. Kagome revealed that she wasn't attracted to him, but he kept running back to her like a child after candy.

That caused Kouga to laugh until tears were streaming down his face.

"I like you." Ryuukotsusei smirked. "Inuyasha needs a woman who can keep him on his toes."

"She's a dancer," Kouga grinned, rather proudly in fact, "we'll get her to get him a pair of ballet shoes and voila, on his toes all day and all night."

Kagome was relieved that some of the men Inuyasha dealt with were pleasant to talk to and not entitled pricks as he was.

"Ballet shoes cost money and I'm afraid he has none."

Gama frowned. "Aren't you aware that—"

Kouga snickered. "Gama, she means that it costs legal money and boss doesn't have any of that."

It took Gama (who Kagome thought resembled an overgrown toad) a moment before he began laughing, finding Kagome's little quip to be rather humorous. Kagome, Kouga, and Ryuukotsusei exchanged glances and joined Gama in his laughter. Done, I've decided I like these three guys. Kagome made up her mind.

Kouga, Ryuukotsusei and Gama were her new best friends… in Inuyasha's world.

"Has our little Rin called you?" Kouga asked as Kagome settled onto a vacant swing. Gama and Ryuukotsusei began walking the perimeter of the park area and Kouga, wordlessly, started pushing Kagome on the swing.

"No." Kagome revealed. "Can you tell me about this girl? Is she or is she not married to his brother?"

Kouga snickered. "She isn't. They're common-law, have a son together, but he doesn't want to put a ring on her for some unknown reason. So that makes you the first Takahashi bride and gave Inuyasha the right to give you the family heirloom ring."

The inscription sprang into Kagome's mind—Grandfather Muteki.

"I see…"

"Their family is twisted. You'll find myself and Miroku to be the only normal functioning members in his—"

"In his ring of gangsters." Kagome finished for him. "Is it all that scary?"

Kouga began pushing her higher.

"Yes and no."

"Meaning?"

"Yes because our lives are in constant danger and no because we're the best and nobody can get past us."

Kagome wanted to snort but held her tongue. "Invincible?"

"More or less."

"I see your cockiness mirrors your boss."

"When you work with the best you become the best."

Kagome was ready to clonk Kouga on the head but she didn't know how well that would go with him. "Off of the topic of your oozing awesomeness—"

"I like that!" Kouga remarked. "Oozing awesomeness. I'm ordering that on my business cards: COA, Chief of Oozing Awesomeness."

"You have business cards? What, you leave them on the bodies of the executed?"

"I wanted to," Kouga revealed, "but Inuyasha thought that was a terrible idea."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I concur."

"But off the topic of my oozing awesomeness?"

Kagome glanced over her shoulder for a second to see Kouga standing with one hand shoved in his pocket and the other pushing her whenever she swung backwards. "Tell me about you."

"What do you want to know, cara mia?"

Kagome coughed but couldn't hide her laughter. It echoed throughout the park. "Cara mia? Really?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"The fact I'm engaged to your boss?"

Kouga made a sound that was a mix between a snort and a cough. "Whatever. Doesn't mean I can't call you my darling. You'll be my new kid sister, ergo my darling little sister. Besides, my heart is taken by the Princess of Genevieve."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. "For true? I was under the impression she liked girls."

Kouga paused and the swing began to lose velocity. Kagome twisted to look over her shoulder and saw that Kouga had the expression of a deer in headlights. Using her heels to stop swinging, Kagome got up and turned to face him completely.

"Kouga?"

"H-how…?"

Kagome stifled her laughter. "Umm… it was on the news? Her parents publically announced the end of her engagement to the Prince of Norway because the Princess had come out of the closet."

"She was engaged to the Prince of Norway?"

Poor guy. "You didn't know?"

"I… I… wow…" Kouga rubbed the back of his head. "She was using me as a beard?"

Kagome shook her head. "Doesn't sound like it if her engagement was publically called off due to her sexual preference. Ulterior motive?"

A dark look flashed in Kouga's eyes but was quickly gone. "Doubt it." His voice was tight. "But wow… learn something new every day, eh?"

The playful undertone was back.

"You don't watch the news?"

"Work for a mob lord." Kouga pointed at himself. "Need I say more?"

"Ahhh…"

"Momma, momma!" A squeaky voice sounded from afar. "I wanna go on swing! I wanna go on swing!"

Kouga grabbed the chain links of the swing that Kagome was sitting on just a moment ago. "That's our cue to leave. Wanna grab dinner? Ryu and Gama are starving… and I can use a steak myself."

"Taking the boss' fiancée out?"

Again, her bodyguard grinned wolfishly. "Comes with the territory. My job is to take care of you and ensuring your belly is full of nutrients falls under taking care of you."

Kagome crossed her arms in mock annoyance. "I detest being babied."

"You're marrying a kingpin, cara mia."

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Calling me anything other than Kagome."

"Alright, toots."

"Stop!"

"Whatever you say, babykins."

Kagome scowled before rearing her fist and impacting it against a laughing Kouga's arm. "You're a jerk."

"So they say… so are you down to join us for some din-din?"

Kagome rolled her eyes but relented. "Are you sure you're an adult?"

"Honestly?" Kouga wrapped his arm around Kagome's shoulder again. "Nope."

As he guided her to his unmarked vehicle, Kagome ensured to tell him that she could not and would not stay out for more than an hour as she really did have work to complete. "Honestly, if I had this time, I'd probably spend it planning my wedding with your boss-man."

Kouga could only laugh at what she said. In the background, Ryuukotsusei sent a quick text to Inuyasha.

We're with her. Taking her out to eat, I think.

Inuyasha's response came almost instantaneously. Good. Little birdie told me Naraku is on the prowl. Keep her safe

Ryuukotsusei punched in his response before going after Kouga and Kagome. Gently, he felt for his gun and relaxed his shoulders.

I will. With my life.

.xx.

Hot updating streak? How long will this one last :(

Fun Fact: Gama is the title of the ugly frog guy from episode 8 (Tsukumo no Gama)... the frog guy that kidnames Tsuyu, Amari Nobunaga's lady.