Part One: Vegas
Chapter Three:
I awake in a strange place, to a strange sound. It's my phone and I'm on a foreign couch.
"Mmmm... Hello?"
"Kagome?! My god! Where the fuck are you!?"
I open my eyes, and see a piece of paper on the table in front of me.
Left for work. You were asleep. There's money for a cab on the counter.
He has beautiful calligraphy. As if it would be anything else, Sesshoumaru, the most calculated individual I've ever met would never have sloppy calligraphy.
"I'm at Sessh...Ichiro's. I'll be in the hotel lobby in two hours." I hang up before she can say a word.
"Well good morning Moichi. I hope Sesshoumaru has gum." I get up and start to rummage through drawers.
"No gum. Well, he won't mind me taking a shower." Moichi sticks his tongue out and winds around my legs, smiling the whole time.
Climbing the stairs two at a time, I race to the top, and find the master bathroom, the only one with a shower.
"He'll just need to deal with this if he has a weird quirk about other people using his shower, because I'm gross." I locate what I need and figure out the workings of this foreign shower easy enough, then proceed to take the fastest shower ever not recorded in human history.
My hair is still wet when I get to the hotel. I give the cabby the money Sesshoumaru left for me and stroll through the front doors.
"Oh oh ohhhhhh! Jesus Kagome! Same clothes as yesterday?" Melanie shouts from the other side of the lobby, and all I want to do is take my messenger bag and choke her with it.
Some men passing by whistle and cat call. I feel myself turn bright red.
"Well thanks Mel for letting the whole lobby know." I will my cheeks to stop blushing.
"It's Vegas baby. They need to know." She answers down her nose. It's when she gets like this that I question our friendship.
xxx
Melanie allows me the decency to change before she drags me out of the hotel onto the street. It's hot today, so hot I can feel myself begin to sweat mere steps from the front door.
"We should sit on a patio, maybe I'll darken my tan a little." I look at her from the corner of my eye, like she isn't dark enough already.
"Why don't we start out on the patio? I haven't had breakfast yet." She grabs hold of my hand with her slender fingers.
"Oh Kagome, its drinking time." She gives a laugh and I instantly regret my decision of coming out with her.
"It's still early!" I protest but I can see her shaking her head out of the corner of my eye.
"Oh no it's not, you slept well past noon! Let's grab some lunch and split a pitcher." Shooting her a pleading look she takes no notice and continues to tug me along the sidewalk. Distaste pushed aside I dutifully follow her.
"I think you are the only person in this whole world who is turning down coming to lunch, and getting drunk with me!" I moan even louder.
It's too late, we're already seated and I'm still protesting as she pours me the largest glass of Sangria ever. It wasn't so much a glass as a small fish bowl, or better yet a vase.
"This is literally a vase full of sangria."
"You say that like it's a bad thing!" She gives a giggle and takes quite a generous gulp.
"It kind of is a bad thing." Cautious, I sip the meniscus from the top as she continues to chastise me for my unwillingness to partake in her shenanigans.
"Oh come on! Since when have fish bowls been a bad thing? You used to drink them with me all the time in college!" This is very true.
Back in college, Mel and I used to go out all the time together. At one point in our school days we were going out three to four times a week. The bartender on campus knew us by name, he even knew our orders according to how Mel was dressed.
Anything that showed off her stomach meant she wanted to get laid, and I was her sober companion so nothing bad would happen.
They would have an event once a month where you could bring in any container you wanted and they would fill it with beer.
The bar held the event twice before it got shut down.
The first time we went I brought a measuring cup, Mel laughed and brought a vase. Someone even brought a small aquarium. Needless to say, people got drunk really fast and things subsequently went downhill. Ever since our party days, I was always the tame one. I was always the one to make sure we got home in one piece, always the one to put Mel to bed and tie her hair back so it wouldn't get all pukey.
The responsible one has always been the role I played in life. Even in the past, not just college, I was the glue that held everything together.
For once in my life, I don't want to live up to anyone's expectations but my own. I want to take a vacation from being the responsible one even if it is just for a day.
"Fine, fine I'll drink with you. But we need to order some food too! I'm not dragging your drunk ass back to the hotel because you're too much of a light weight!" She smiles so wide I'm afraid her cheeks will break.
xxx
I'm two vases-full deep and my mouth is numb. We sit like lizards basking in the sun of the patio, watching the people rush by, off to see or do the next thing as we relax.
My hands and feet are nothing but pins and needles, I know as soon as I stand up this head rush will hit me full force.
I have to pee but I don't want to stand.
The waitress comes by again and gives us another pitcher. We've already finished one, we even ate all the fruit.
"So Kagome..." Mel is in a asking questions mood today. "Tell me, about that man you brought with us the other day." She throws her elbow on the table, leaning her chin on her hand for support.
"He's a friend." I don't know how else I could possibly answer this question. That is all Sesshoumaru is, nothing more than a friend. A friend with pretty hair and nice eyes.
But how could I think of him as more than a friend? He is the half-brother of the love of my life. Inuyasha's death still hasn't quite hit me yet, I know it has happened and I know how I feel about it. I just haven't processed those feelings yet.
I am a different person then who I was all those years ago. My mind wanders to the last time I saw him in his own time.
I remember what he looked like, he startled me so badly when he came out of nowhere. That was the first day I noticed his eyes turn soft. He carried a small bag filled with goodies for Rin and it made my heart melt a little bit for him.
The terrifying and great dog demon of the we stern lands dropping off goodies for his little girl.
My heart aches and I couldn't tell you why.
"Oh come on! Don't lie to me! I can tell when you lie!" She giggles girlishly and I can feel myself blushing.
Mel knows a loose version of my past in Japan. She thinks that my fiancé was in a car accident, and I came to school in America so I wouldn't have to relive the pain in Japan.
Not completely true but not completely false.
"He's my ex fiancé's half-brother." I look into my fish bowl and watch the little drunk strawberries swim around like fish. I'm not drunk enough to be talking about this. Mel feels the tension and drops the subject immediately.
She looks into her own fish bowl and stays quiet.
"It's alright Mel. I'm fine, I'm glad he's here. I'm glad he's back in my life." Which is not a lie. I am glad he is here, I am glad he's back in my life. I need him, he is my familiar face in a sea of strangers.
xxx
We've been drinking all afternoon, I can feel the sunburn on my face, its dull throb playing a rhythmic beat across my cheeks.
Mel is burnt too, her nose shines a bright shade of pink as she pays our bill.
"This is something I needed to do." I inform her holding my phone out. She gives me a quizzical look.
"I would like to go and see Sesshoumaru." I tell her matter of factly. My body is working of its own accord now and I think that this is the best idea I have ever had. Dialing my phone we are still sitting on the patio.
"Hello!" I shout before he beats me to it. I can almost hear him raise his perfect eyebrow.
"I would like to see you." I can hear him breathing on the other end. I don't think he knows how to respond.
"Now." My tone is very serious now.
"I need to know where you are first." He states as I look at Mel.
"I don't know where we are." My confidence is suddenly gone and I don't know why I'm on the phone. I want to melt into a puddle under my chair. Mel shrugs and I try to crane my neck to see what the awning says or give him some sort of land mark.
"I have no idea where we are and neither does Mel, I am quite sure that we are both too drunk to successfully make it to the hotel." I hear him exhale but I can't tell what he's feeling.
"We're at a bar." Mel shouts into the mouth piece, leaning across the table to do so.
"You're at H2O bar south of the Bellagio." A man chimes in. He sits next to us with three of his friends. All of them are looking at me, their eyes boring into my soul.
"Yeah that's where we are." I hang up the phone before he has time to answer. Mel has her head on the table, now too intoxicated to hold it aloft on her neck.
"So, what brings you ladies to Vegas?" The man asks and I stare at him. It takes me a few moments to process his question, I'm too busy trying to figure out why they're staring at me.
"She's getting married." I answer quickly, childishly pointing at Mel who does nothing but raise her hand in acknowledgment.
"So, are you the maid of honor?" I feel like if I take my eyes off his he's going to pounce on me. Ice runs down my spine and I don't feel safe.
Nodding I try to catch an exit from my peripheral vision, doing my best to keep up his intense eye contact. The men he's with share glances before looking at Mel.
"Quite the maid of honor letting her get drunk like this." He offers a chuckle and I finally break contact with him. I need to get out of here with Mel right now.
I stand and it's hard to catch my balance. He stands too and my heart pounds. I'm trying to rouse Mel awake and up but she keeps swatting my petulant hand away. I continue to grab and claw at her until she finally acknowledges my presence and takes hold of my hand. Hoisting her to her feet I half drag her to the exit, the man still in tow.
Ugh get away, get away!
I'm pulling her out of the restaurant and onto the side walk where she stumbles next to me, most of her weight on my drunk shoulders.
This is why I never drink anymore, things like this always happen! I'm panicking but only mildly by the time we're a block away, I'm too scared to look over my shoulder to see if they're still following.
"What's wrong? Where are you going?" His familiar voice brings everything back to normal. I've never been so excited to see anyone in my entire life.
"Help, she's so drunk I can't lift her anymore!" I stumble over my own feet and Mel almost hits the concrete. With a swift hand Sesshoumaru grabs Mel in one arm and me in the other.
I hail a cab and he piles us in.
"Ugh it was fine until those guys got creepy!" He stares, eyes forward, blank expression across his face. Maybe he's mad at me for calling him?
I hold onto the back of the cab seat for dear life as it races back to our hotel, the momentary rush of adrenaline now gone replacing it once again with alcohol infused worry.
We pull up to the hotel and Ted is waiting for us.
"Mel has been giving me the play by play this whole time." He motions to his cell phone and shoots Sesshoumaru a nod.
"Thank you for making sure she got here alright." He turns and brings her into the cool air conditioning. I try to stand and leave as well.
"I do not think that is a good idea." His tone is stern with me, as if he were chastising a child for doing something stupid.
"Well why not?" I try to stand once more and end up on my butt once more. He reaches across me and closes the door, instructing the driver to continue on to his house.
I don't protest, I don't even squirm. The car drives along and I do and say nothing. Partially because I think I'm about to be ill, but mostly because I just want to be alone with him again.
We arrive and he brings me into the house carefully, placing me on his couch before continuing to the kitchen.
I peak over the arm rest and watch as he scoops the dog food into the bowl. He's walking back towards the couch and I throw the blanket over myself to hide. He's mad. I can feel it. I'm on my elbows and knees huddled around myself. I peer out and he's looking at me. I see his eyebrow twitch.
"You're mad aren't you?" I whisper quietly. I feel a clawed hand brush over the top of my head as he lifts the blanket off slowly.
"Why would I be mad?" He has his iceless eyes on and I melt. I imagine that this is the way he spoke to Rin.
"Because I'm druuuunk." I tell him, drawing out the word drunk and adding too many vowels.
"Why would that make me mad?" I put my head on his lap because it's now too heavy for my neck and body to bear.
"Because I called... and those men... and Mel, this is all Mel's fault! She's such a bad influence..."
"Maybe, you should sleep." He tries to get up and let me sleep off my intoxication in peace. I hold fast to his legs.
"Can you stay here?" I whisper and yawn, he settles back down.
xxx
End Chapter 3