Disclaimer: Any rights over Inu boy are denied and will remain that way throughout the story.
Sins of a Woman
By: Shinsei Kokoro - Chapter 1: Bloody Coffee -
Kagome was dreaming of the Easter bunny once again. She knew she was dreaming, because rabbits with rainbow-coloured fur did not do somersaults or slow motion dives into a pool of chocolate goodies. Nope.
Bunnies were supposed to be spirited. And bouncy. Tiptoeing upon ice in pink tutus and making graceful sweeps into the air. Wait a second. Could Easter bunnies even skate? Weren't they supposed to be like hopping so delivering Easter eggs could be—
"Kagome!" a gruff bark careened through the delightful dream, but the ice-skating bunny did not stop. Like as if he had wings, he ran.
He ran and ran, pushing himself high into the air until the little bunny couldn't feel anything under his furry feet. All he felt was a sudden waft of chill hitting his nerves and making him shudder as the giddiness started to engulf him. Giddy. He felt as if he was springing through lush grass and sweet berries in heaven. So giddy.
"Oh for fuck's sake, get the hell up!" In a movement of disgruntlement, the sheets covering her up were abruptly dragged away and the figure shivering underneath moaned as the divine warmth vanished. The pink berries were gone. Sod it.
"Kagome!" There was that yell again.
Pushing hair away from her face, the woman on the bed tossed around vehemently, fingers groping for her precious extra-soft Egyptian cotton blankets, "Inuyasha…" she whined helplessly, "Gimme…"
"Get up! It's already eight!"
That little piece of information was just about enough to do her in. It's already eight. Pushing back a mass of black tendrils again, the woman snapped open her eyes widely, legs suddenly swinging itself across the bed and wincing when the pads of her feet touched the cold wooden floor, "Shit…" her voice came out sounding rough from a grubby five hours of sleep, "Stop yelling alright…" Just when I was having a bloody good dream too.
Not turning back to look at the man's presence behind her, the young woman continued to hastily pull on a dressing gown and tie her hair back sloppily. Then without getting the sleep out of her eyes, Kagome waddled herself out of the door and into the kitchen. Her back ached like hell, and after letting out a little aggressive yawn, she kicked herself mentally for staying up so late last night again. Damn that Kouga. Maybe I should just quit while he still finds me hot.
Looking around the steel sinks, she felt herself visibly shrink. She imagined this was a delightful dream too. But no, there couldn't be so many dishes lying unwashed even in a freaking dream world.
Willingly tearing her gaze away from the dirt, Kagome stumbled her way to put the kettle on. Then grabbing a towel, she went on to wipe out the grime on the dining table. Sango had come over for dinner last night, and they had been so busy with their columns, that they had hardly had time to clean up after. Thus the crude mess on the table mats. Sango was more than in need of a few table manners.
Mumbling curses to herself, she scrubbed on a particular spot until the dried up drop of soup had flaked away. Her wrist gave a twinge from all those hours it had spent bent over her laptop yesterday, but Kagome didn't give it even a mere glance. It would be in hard labor once again today. Kouga had already pre-warned her department about the late night shifts they would have to be doing this entire week, just because there were still lots more articles under the editing pile…or so he thought. Kagome had to wonder if they would ever stop coming. Some of the articles in the past month or so had been annoyingly dull. As in who the hell cared about slimming down after pregnancies if she had never been pregnant even once in her entire life.
"Damn it! Kagome!" And with a husband like she had, the only pleasure that came along with him was listening to his share of curses. How much more wonderful could life get?
Kagome didn't stop to acknowledge his Monday morning grumbles, but instead started packing away the cups and plates into the dishwasher. She wasn't due for a meeting until 9. So maybe after husband dearest had left, she could grab a few more winks and maybe see that ice-skating bunny again. Just for another half an hour or so.
"Kagome!" This time the growl was from the doorway, and when she turned around, Kagome nearly cried at what he was holding, "What the fuck is this?"
"Not again." She groaned while running a hand over her face. While holding her red satin singlet in one hand, the other hand held his stark white office shirt stained heavily by the collar in red. And all he was wearing was his favourite towel with the blue cows. But still, even harder to miss was that scowl he held on his face. Great. It was going to be another trip to the dry-cleaners.
"Why does this always happen?" he was seething, she could tell.
"I don't know, maybe 'cause you chuck your damn shirt in the bloody machine whenever you feel like it?"
"Fuck it honestly. This is my third shirt in a month!"
"Inuyasha." The woman turned back around to continue with the dirt in the sink, "It's not my problem." She proceeded to take the gunk out with a fork.
"Not your problem! Hell yeah, it is! Is this my bra in the washing!"
Whirling back around, she pointed the fork at him, "It's called a singlet you ass!"
"I don't care what it is. Why the hell was it in the washing machine?"
"That's because you always put your stuff in with my clothes!"
"Damn it!" Knowing that he had lost the argument, Inuyasha didn't waste another second in turning around and stomping his way back up the stairs, water droplets from his tediously long hair drenching the carpet.
"And tie that hair up before I cut it off!" she screamed into the distance for him to hear.
"You won't dare touch it bitch!" Inuyasha's growl came unearthing her temper.
"Oh yeah? Try me! I'll make a rug out of it and send it to Grandpa!" Kagome huffed before grabbing the nearest apron and getting herself tangled in it. Oh who was she kidding. Like hell she would ever do that. Trimming it would be okay once in a while, but how could she hack off that hair she spent most of her night time sleeping on?
Normally in the first few days when they had moved into this condo, she would blush at whatever sight of him. She had been new at the whole 'being a true house-wife' part because it had all seemed so surreal. Every morning when he would come down those same stairs, shirtless, hair wet, and with water droplets matting his sculpture of a body, she used to drool at the sight of him. But now? Now just the sight of him anywhere and everywhere came out as a bloody chore. She'd have to mop up the hallway before one of them ever took a dangerous slip. And there wasn't anything pleasant about having breakfast half naked. Last month when she had dropped boiling hot coffee on his shoulders, he had had to be rushed to a clinic for a second degree burn.
No. Not funny.
Nowadays coffee came out of a thermos. This was probably a good thing, because today she might have probably had to 'accidentally' pour coffee over his blazer.
If she had never been Inuyasha Takagi's swanky wife, he would have most likely placed a hundred lawsuits on her by now. Sometimes she figured the only reason she had ever married him was because the thought of him living alone at the age of forty five, divorced thrice and slightly a little unstable in the head was just too unbearable. The old-time playboy was now a blimmin' workaholic. And a likely 50 percent more arrogant. She often wondered if it was some sort of a genetic disorder or not.
It was hard to imagine that there was once a time when her husband had to be pried off her and chastised a millions times before he got his butt to work. Nowadays she would be lucky if only to get an awkward hug from him once a week. That was how pathetic he had become.
Their chemistry had punctured a long time ago. And sure enough, there had been no more re-filling. Kagome sighed as she watched the toast pop up. 14 months was definitely a long time for her. She had felt like a woman the day she had squeezed into her bridal gown, hurried down the aisle and nearly tousled her hair when Inuyasha had been unable to lift up her veil, but fast forward to today- she felt like an old maid. And the damn flowery apron wasn't helping either.
Hearing the scrapings of a chair, she took a peak over her shoulder to envision what she should have been seeing. Her handsome husband smiling up at her, complimenting her on the scrambled eggs, reaching over to pull her down on his lap and kiss her so passionately that her heart would burst open from an overwhelming amount of ecstasy…oh yeah. Mmmm…and then his fingers would glide into her hair, his butterfly kisses—
"Kagome?" News flash. He was having toast. Reading his section of the newspaper, with eyes nowhere on her. How could a damn sports section be anywhere sexier than her! What did it have that she didn't? Good vocab? Good layout? What on earth was it?
"If this coffee could get any sweeter, I'd be puking."
On second thought, screw this. Any dreamy husband would never say that.
"Maybe you should try making it yourself next time." She looked away quickly, not believing what she had just been imagining. Get a grip Kag. You're living, not dreaming.
"If I didn't spend half my morning trying to wake you up? Then yeah, maybe."
Rolling her eyes, she brought her own tea mug to sit opposite him on the table. Off course Inuyasha would never know how late she worked. He usually came, ate and slept. Sometimes he forgot a human being even had to eat. But of course, he was the invincible wonder man. He could probably stay alive with a few flies for breakfast and a roasted cockroach for dinner. It was this whole routine he had adapted once she had started working. The only edible chow she would see him slurping on would be that blasted extra-chilly ramen. The ones that gave her stomach sick.
"Then let's hire a maid."
Kagome looked up to see him scowling, and nearly choking on his toast, "Hell no." he quickly sipped into his coffee, "You're lazy as it is." Then let out an unusually wide smirk.
"Heaven forbid!" Kagome put on a mock surprised expression, nearly tipping her tea over while she brought her hand to her heart to pretend gesture "Did you just try to pull out a joke sweetie? Because I'll have to be honest with you. That was bloody lame."
"Yeah? I've heard the truth hurts."
She glared at him for all she was worth, "Oh really? Is there gonna be a new moon today? You just seem to be spitting out all your lame ass attitude."
Sipping his last gulp, Inuyasha pushed back his chair before standing straight to tower over her and fold up his paper to tuck it under his arm, "You'll have to find that out by yourself because I'll be coming late tonight."
Her jaws clenched almost automatically. Stacking up the cups, Kagome stood herself up while balancing the plates, "Tell me something new Inuyasha."
Unfazed by her blandness the man stopped for a second before walking out of the kitchen, newspaper in tow, "Get some decent cooking lessons. I'll pay the fees if you want."
"Bite me you asshole. It's better than whatev—," But by the time she had turned around with another fork in hand, he was gone. Yeah. Just great. What she really needed was 'How to be a nasty wife' lessons. Seems like whatever there might have been to say, husband dearest always came off sounding nastier. Then maybe she could be one of those pioneer wives with their very own leashes on their husbands.
Oh yeah. The ecstasy. The joy of watching Inuyasha scrub toilets.
The damn neighbours this morning had been as uncouth as always. Not only was it bad enough that their bedroom was just behind hers, but who the hell made love at six in the bloody morning! Was it supposed to be some sort of a constant reminder that while some women were having the time of their lives screwing men twice their age, she was playing the part of the old maid as Kagome would say?
So there it was. Her usual bad start to another sodding bad day.
That afternoon, the sun came gleaming down rather harshly. And in an office where testosterone levels could fly off the charts, Sango Maki Himura continued to blanch at the sight of her boss flirt shamelessly with her colleague. How Kagome could ever resist the urge to slap that scum across the face with a fish, only God knew. Hell, only God knew why the heck Kouga Morishita had ever divorced his catty yet sultry wife last month. At least back then he knew orange was not a colour on the dress code to pick up married women…or any woman as a matter of fact.
"And at that moment she reminded me of you. Sexy and smart." the man behind the messy desk stood up from his chair, icy blue eyes wavering in the distance as he rested himself on the edge of the desk, "But Ayame's not the sort to wear anything decent." he gave a quick glance to the woman sitting opposite him, "Decent as in, anything that doesn't have her cleavage falling down her dress. So I'm not sure how you would have looked in it, not that I don't think you look damn perfect." He paused for a soggy second, "But god, I'm sure that dress would have looked better on you. Maybe you could try it on for me after work or something."
Kagome shifted herself noisily in her seat, eyes desperately avoiding the bright orange tie that just seemed to keep flashing into her eyes, "I'm sorry sir. I sort of have something planned tonight." Yeah. Something that I haven't planned as of yet.
"Maybe during work time? I mean, you've been working hard enough as it is. A little break by coming over to my—"
"I would love to, but Sango needs my help on one of the pages." Kagome coughed hastily, crossing her legs and nudging Sango slightly with the toe of her heels.
"Sango?" Kouga Morishita looked a little distorted before adding, "I'm sure she'll be able to handle anything. She seems capable of handling a lot more than what she usually does. So how about it? Hatori says there's another convention that has been set for next week. If I have to have Ayame come with me another time—"
"Sir?" a tiny meek voice resounded the room.
The interrupting tone in the room immediately made him snap his attention to the woman sitting by his beloved Kagome.
"What?" he all but growled.
Sango gulped at the heated glare he threw at her, but continued while twiddling her fingers under the desk, "Its…its sad to know how Ayame just didn't fit well into the dress and all, but I was wondering what it had to do with the columns we just handed in?"
"Huh…" Kouga watched the woman for a moment as if in a trance, then threw his glance at the papers lying on his desk, "Well…" he glanced back up at Sango, his features suddenly narrowing drastically in a few mere second, "Um…patience! Have some patience Sango. I was just getting to that." he frowned unpleasantly.
Forcing on her best face forward, Sango stretched out a tight smile, "Oh yes, of course. Please go on." You nasty son of a cow. With that she continued to stare at the ridiculously ugly plant on his desk. At this state, anything was better to look at than the man who required skills at wooing a woman who was only interested in her pay check. Poor Kagome.
Kouga, who had gone back to smiling sickeningly at Kagome, seated himself leisurely, "Good. Now where was I again?"
"You were talking about the next convention."
"Oh yes. Now I've asked Hitomi to prepare another dress for—,"
"Actually!" Kagome quickly interrupted before he could speak another word, "Sir, I was wondering if we could cut back on the—,"
"Kagome, Kagome. How many times have I told you that it's not 'Sir' it's 'Kouga'. You know I don't allow such formalities."
"But 'sir' I—"
"Formalities from my favourite worker just wound me."
"Alright." Kagome agreed through gritted teeth, "Kouga it is then."
The man leaning in over articles, smiled widely to expose his set of gleaming fangs, "Good. That's the way I like it. Now what were you proposing. If you're worried about the neck line of the dress then I will gladly ask Hitomi to—,"
"It's not about the dress."
"Then? Oh I will pick you up of course. A woman should always let her date—,"
"Actually, it's about our working hours." Sango quickly butted in.
Before Kouga could move a glare onto the unarmed girl, Kagome continued, "We've been working a little too much as our entire department says. So we were wondering if we could cut it back to finishing at seven thirty or maybe even seven…if it's possible offcourse."
Brows furrowing together to show confusion, Kouga looked down at a particular folder beside him, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I did let you two leave at about seven thirty yesterday."
"Sir, we left at seven thirty, but we actually managed to finish our columns by twelve something." Sango grumbled.
"But this is not about us." Kagome interjected once again, "Our department has been working hard for months. And with building up their hours, they are just exhausting themselves. There's nothing good coming out, quite pathetic actually."
"So what do you want me to do?" Kouga Morishita's voice was back to gritty from warm and flirty. Sango had to wondering if he was secretly pms-ing.
Sparing a quiet look at each other, the two women put on their best pleading expressions before Kagome requested in her most heartfelt tone, "It would be absolutely great if we could finish and close up at about seven thirty with the entire building. We'll work at the same pace and continue handing in the columns. We've finished at least three-fourth of next week's publishing, and the cover page is going through the check up. The editorial is finished, and the only thing we have left are those articles on Megumi Hiiragizawa and the scandal in that Soichiro business. But that can be finished well before this Thursday. So…" Kagome opted herself in taking a deep breath before concluding her prepared speech, "…all we—I mean, our department needs…is a little break."
There was silence for a while. Neither of the two women could make out the features on their boss's face, and for a moment both of them braced themselves for more hard work. Maybe he would cut out a little from their pay for this month.
Sango shuddered at the thought. There went her chance at the spa next weekend. Of all things, there was nothing much worse than working weekends. No. Oh god, please no. I swear I won't ever peep to see that hot brunette work out every night. For a month! I swear it. Not even a single teeny weensy peep. Please you sorry excuse for an asshole, don't make me work on a Saturday or I'm gonna be turning you into chow mien for Kirara!
"I have a condition." Kouga's voice was quiet, his eyes almost gleaming.
"Name it." Both women blurted out, eyes trained steadfastly overlooking the grungy tie for once.
Kouga grinned broadly, arms reaching out on the table, and his face leaning in as he looked at the woman who had captured his heart from the day she had collided against him in the elevator, "I require Kagome to be my date on this Sunday at the event. And I would suggest that she come with me tonight to meet Hitomi for the dress arrangements. It will be quite formal."
"You know, if you had been glaring at that poor lady any longer, she would have toasted up right then and there. I mean, did you see her face when you blew up after the defendant totally tore you apart?" a sweat-ridden man was currently interpreting what he had seen at the witness's stand just minutes ago, "I've never seen you that riled up over something as ridiculous as that."
Being the hot day it had been for the past several weeks, Inuyasha had lazily thrown back his blazer against his chair. Loosing his tie and unbuttoning his cuffs, he strained a ear at the man muttering on behind him.
"Miroku, she isn't a fucking poor lady. That bitch murdered her husband." He replied as nonchalantly as possible, swiveling his chair around from the window, eyes critically inspecting a particular red stain on his sleeve.
Sighing, Miroku helped himself to the can of fizz Inuyasha had been hogging on, "But we don't really know that for sure. Her alibi's—,"
"Her alibi's bogus. I mean she could have bloody paid those men to lie. And besides, who the fuck goes to a goddamn spa at eight in the night?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Grabbing a file from the bench, Miroku continued to flip through it, while Inuyasha stole back the Coke can. "But what motive can she have? She seemed like a decent woman."
"Money, you dumass. What other bigger motive can there be? And she was no where near decent looking. Her rack was twice the size of her head put together. Plastic surgery isn't really done for free y'know."
"Inuyasha." Miroku drawled as he shut the folder to dump it back onto the bench, "She's just as rich as he was. She runs a pretty decent restaurant, while he on the other hand, is just living out from his father's business. Now that's pathetic"
"Was living you mean" The hanyou reminded with minimum enthusiasm, then shrugged "Maybe she had debts to be paid."
"So she kills her husband?" Miroku's incredulous remark never reached his ears, "That's doesn't sound right. There has to be something else other than money."
"An affair? Schizophrenic relapses? Maybe she's in some sort of a cult?"
Grinning at his attempts, Miroku didn't fail to put his own words in, "Or maybe, she just hadn't been getting a good lay."
Groaning, Inuyasha slid back lower on his recliner, "Do you think of nothing but that?"
"Hey!" Miroku held up his hands in defiance, "That just could be it. People have actually done that before you know. They have this really high expectancy level when it comes to their inner-most needs. We have to explore all possibilities here."
Rolling his eyes, the man behind the desk brought his fist around the Coke can to crush it, "You're confusing yourself Miroku. Those are your needs. And you can explore those possibilities in your private time if you don't mind. I'm sort of a married man if you haven't already noticed."
"Oh yeah? What about Kagome's needs? I wouldn't be surprised if she would have killed you by tomorrow night." Miroku snickering lightly at the scowl that raced up his partner's face.
"Where the hell does she come in all of this?" Inuyasha snapped. If he had it correct, Miroku had been bringing his wife's name up a time too many this week.
"We're still on the topic of a good lay Inuyasha."
The idea finally lodging inside the man's head, he growled before he could help it, "Fuck off Miroku. I'm so tired that I wouldn't even notice offing you."
"But I wonder what she could kill you with." Miroku continued unfazed, "A toothbrush? Burned omelets? An over-cooked steak? Or maybe she could bonk you over the head with a thermos. Or hey, better yet, drop coffee all over you again," then he sighed dramatically, "But sadly, that wouldn't exactly kill you." He broke it off with a contagious laugh, which Inuyasha silently roll his eyes to.
"Do you have to keep reminding me of that?"
"Have you told her about tonight? Or will the poor girl be waiting up all night for you again?"
Grunting, Inuyasha thought back to the events of this morning, "Are you kidding me? She won't forget to sleep even if Godzilla was attacking."
"I think every woman is required to have her beauty sleep."
"You wouldn't be saying that if you had a wife that snored your ears out." Inuyasha shot out unimpressed.
"I'll pretend I never heard that the next time I see her."
"You better." The hanyou added quickly. Miroku had a rather large mouth when it came to blabbing out things that technically shouldn't be blabbed.
For a moment, there was a restrained silence over the room, excluding Miroku's chewing over a particular pen. Then with a sudden start, the man shifted himself to turn around and face Inuyasha, "I was thinking." His toned was laced with utmost seriousness, "What if Megumi Hiiragizawa killed her husband because of excessive snoring?"
But for a guess as intelligent and thought up as that, all he got for a response was another pen hurling his way. He couldn't dodge it this time either.
"Formalities, my ass! I have never once met such an asshole in my entire life! I mean, he black-mailed you!" Sango was practically unstoppable at shooting verbal assaults. And even more than that, she was a magnet for unwanted audience.
Kagome leaned in for a sip, before looking at her frenzy friend. "Maybe I should leave you to talk to Inuyasha once more. Then you'll understand the true meaning of the term 'asshole.'"
"No thanks." The woman across her shot her a sour look, "The last time you did that, I vowed never to get married."
Sniggering, Kagome made another grab for the fries, dipping it handsomely in sauce. It was lunch time, and they were going over a particular talk they had had over with Kouga Morishita after the meeting this morning, "I think I might risk you into becoming a hermit soon enough."
"Women don't become hermits you bimbo."
"Fine. A nun then."
"But nuns have to be honest and nice—,"
"Which you're none of sorry."
"Exactly my point." Sango promoted by flicking a fry across the table to her friend, "And nun's have this sinless vocab list by-hearted. That's just not my kind of dictionary."
"Yeah, I guess counting the number of times you've sworn Kouga to hell and back, you would hardly qualify as a nun. Sorry, guess you're stuck with me."
"If I'll be seeing that bastard in heaven or hell, then I'll stay on my beautiful Earth until I'm six hundred thank you very much. I think I'd rather be alive and watch all these hot blondes in my apartment building move in and out."
"But you won't be getting near them, 'cause you'll be all wrinkly with a hunchback."
"Aw!" Sango whined by chucking another fry at the woman, "Stop trying to wreck my love life just 'cause yours is already wrecked!"
Letting herself a wry smile, Kagome jammed her mouth with another handful of fries, "You forget babes, I have to take someone down with me."
Kicking herself in the backside mentally for letting something like that slip out, Sango patted the woman's hand sympathetically with another fry, "There, there munchkin. Anytime. Anywhere. All you have to do is give me a ring."
"Could you wear a mask or something and turn up with Kouga as me?" the voice sounded hopeful.
Sango quickly interjected "I meant anything but that." Then the brunette added with a wrinkled nose, "Sorry, but I think I might accidentally kill him by my secret methods of strangulation while we're still in the car."
Dabbing in for more sauce, Kagome looked up at Sango, midway through chewing, "What do you think I should tell Inuyasha?"
"Hello! Like nothing?" Sango exclaimed, her fists sudden beating upon the table between them, "You're not thinking of actually telling him that you have a date with your boss, are you?"
"Sango, it's not a date." Kagome insisted, then looked up hesitantly, "But it's gonna be this Sunday night. And he gets home at about seven. That's about when Kouga is supposed to pick me up."
"Oh good." Sango sang, "Now Inuyasha can do me the favour of killing him."
Snorting, Kagome gulped away the rest of her coke, slightly getting the fizz into her air-pipe and coughing loudly, "I don't think he'll even notice him, much less me leaving in some skanky dress."
"Maybe that would be the best thing. If he doesn't notice that you're leaving him for the accompany of another man."
Bringing her eyes to slits, Kagome frowned, "You make it sound like I'm having an affair or something."
"Now wouldn't that be fun?"
"Sango!" Kagome laughed, but also half horrified at the mere thought of it.
"Relax. Just tell him that you're coming over to my place for work stuff or something. He'll buy it."
"But Kouga is supposed to pick me up." Kagome reminded her in a tone of frustration, "He probably even has directions written to my house by now."
Chuckling, Sango took a last gulp to finish her cappuccino, "Don't worry, we'll come up with something. We don't want Inuyasha to actually get jealous now do we? After all, our paycheck rests upon this duty you're attending to, my loyal comrade. Oh I salute you for your resounding bravery!" As a dramatic scene, the brunette gave a quick gesture of a mock salute.
"Sweetheart, don't make me gag myself, " Kagome sighed as she dug her fingers into the WacDonalds meal pack just to find her fries all finished, "But you know what? I don't think he'll even give a damn. He'll probably be happy to be rid of me. I think there's a soccer match on or something Thursday night."
But her mumbles were rested upon deaf ears as Sango was too busy searching for more fries in her paper bag as well.
Although maybe that's what it would take. An affair to have her own husband finally notice that she existed elsewhere than in the smoky oven baking burnt muffins. Smiling softly to herself, Kagome pondered on the idea for the remaining of her lunch break. What would Inuyasha ever do if I had an affair?
To be continued...
So thus the fair maiden shall try her peculiar ways of seducing her own husband. The idea's fairly been used through and through, but I just thought I'd try my hand at it. Give me afew feedback if you like. Tell me if it was bearable or not, the sort.