Kagome descended the stairs shakily, trying not to trip in her tall, spindly heels. As the landing came into sight, she made a last-second decision to pull her hair free of the elastic band that restrained it. Her long wavy locks cascaded down her shoulders in a what was no doubt a terribly messy tumble, but at least a little more of her skin was covered up this way.

She could hear voices conversing in the living room. As she rounded the corner, her mother beamed, giving her a surreptitious thumbs-up as Kouhei turned as well, his pointed wolf’s ears pricking up through his spiky black hair. Kagome blushed as Souta crossed his arms with an eye-roll, clearly annoyed that Kouhei’s attention had been drawn away in the middle of whatever guy-talk they had been having.

Dark green eyes drank her in. “You look amazing, Kagome-san.”

“Thanks,” she returned shyly, shifting a little in place.

“We’d better get going,” he said, clasping arms with Souta briefly before giving her mother a respectful nod. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Higurashi-san.”

“You as well, Kouhei-kun.” Her mother smiled as she waved them off. “Have fun, you two!”

Shifting his motorcycle helmet to the opposite arm, he led Kagome out with a touch to the small of her back. Her heart stuttered at the contact, her eyes darting up at him as they made their way over to his bike. Slanting a smile down at her, Kouhei handed her the helmet as he stepped up, slinging his leg across the seat and offering her a hand. She clambered up behind him, her short dress rising to truly indecent proportions as she wrapped her legs around his hips, the chains on his jeans chilling her bare skin.

“Ready?” he asked.

Kagome nodded, her arms circling his trim waist. As the engine revved, she curled her fingers into the soft leather of his jacket. The motorcycle hummed between her open thighs, the vibrations feeling a little too good as Kouhei pulled away from the curb.

Together they raced through the streets, the city lights flying past them in a brilliant, streaming rush. No matter how narrowly they weaved or how tightly they cut the corners, Kagome felt totally at ease, trusting in Kouhei’s demonic reflexes completely. It reminded her of her old Jewel-hunting days in Sengoku Jidai, when she’d used to soar through the air on Inuyasha’s back. Smiling at the memory, she rested her cheek between Kouhei’s shoulders, breathing in his warm, smoky scent.

Their destination was a spot called 7th Sense–another popular youkai hangout, located more on the outskirts of downtown. The proprietor Daizen, a bat youkai, wasn’t exactly on friendly terms with Kouga, but after a cursory glare at Kouhei, the two winged bouncers waved them through, gooseflesh prickling Kagome’s arms as she felt their chiropteran eyes roving over her exposed skin.

Kagome had never been a big fan of this club. It was a good deal seedier than Kouga’s place. The drinks were cheap, the men were brazen, and the music was blaring. Needless to say, it was a favorite haunt of Sachiko’s.

As they made their way over to the bar, Kouhei draped his arm around her waist, drawing her into his side.

“Let me guess,” he said with a furtive grin. “Jack and coke?”

“You know me,” Kagome smiled.

“Only a little,” he replied, showing her the barest glint of fang as he leaned in, his voice pitching down an octave. “Better soon, I hope.”

Kagome gulped as they sidled up to the counter, Kouhei ordering them a couple of drinks. She nursed hers gingerly as they waited for the main act to come on stage, her stomach fluttering as her date’s claws skimmed feather-light over the bone of her hip.

“So, Jii-san tells me you work for Sesshoumaru now,” Kouhei said wryly. “What’s that like?”

Kagome nearly choked on her cocktail. “U-um,” she spluttered. “It’s okay. I mean, it’s a great job–the work is challenging and the pay is top-notch. But Sesshoumaru-sama can be a bit, er, demanding.”

Kouhei’s brow arched, his smile slipping slightly. “Sesshoumaru-sama?”

She flushed, trying to think of a way out of that one, when a cheer rose up from the back of the club. Kouhei’s ears swiveled as he took Kagome by the hand.

“They’re up,” he said, leading her along through the dense crowd. “Let’s get closer to the stage.”

Like his father Daizen, Kouhei’s friend Ichimaru was a full-blooded bat youkai. His sable wings unfurled as he gave his electric guitar a testing strum, more than a few girls screaming to match the wail of the amp when he followed up with a wicked half-smile. Nodding toward the two of them, his crimson eyes rested just for a moment on Kagome’s before Kouhei’s cool hand blocked her gaze.

“Gotta watch out for that hypnotic look of his,” the wolf hanyou said near her ear. “…It’s seductive.”

Kagome shivered as his hand fell away, coming to rest on her other hip. As Ichimaru and his band began to play in earnest, she felt the music reverberating through her, metallic and pounding and strong. Kouhei was behind her now, the full hard length of his body pressed against her. She could feel his warm breath on her neck as a clawed hand rose from her waist to brush back her hair.

“Ichimaru can’t stop looking over at you, Kagome,” he whispered, the lack of honorific making her heart skip a beat. “No one can. You’re the hottest fucking girl in this club.”

She jumped a little as his lips brushed along her cheek. Sachiko had told her on multiple, unsolicited occasions that demon guys tended to move a lot ‘faster’ than human ones. That hadn’t been her experience with Inuyasha—and especially not with Sesshoumaru—but maybe dog demons were the exception to the rule because Kouhei’s claws were definitely slipping beneath the hem of her dress, and his mouth was definitely moving toward her own…

Wracked with tension, Kagome gave a startled gasp as her cell phone began to buzz against her. Kouhei broke from her with a chuckle, giving her space as she rifled angrily through her purse—already mentally composing the rant she was going to unleash on whichever one of her baka friends had decided to crash her date. As her fingers closed around the buzzing phone at last, the name glaring back at her from the glowing blue display had her sober in an instant:

Sesshoumaru

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi