My Brother's Keeper

Kagome sighed and smiled up at the young woman who was patiently waiting to take her order. Once she requested a small salad and bottled water, the young woman walked away, leaving Kagome to her thoughts.

Biting her lip, she thought about the confrontation at the apartment and could not help but feel justified for her behavior. Sango totally deserved it, but then again, she was above that kind of thing. She won. She became more than what anyone expected and now, she had the job that most women dreamed of.

She heard her name being called, and turned to look at the one calling her. Koenma moved towards her, a grin plastered upon his face and a folder in his hands.

“You are never going to guess who wants to work with you!” He exclaimed, his eyes twinkling with delight.

Kagome grinned. “Hmmm, must be someone pretty big if it has you this excited.” She teased. As her boss lowered himself into a chair beside her, she grew curious as to what the folder held.

Koenma opened the folder and pulled out some photos. When he heard her gasp, he nodded. “You, my dear, are going to be working with Youko Kurama, your male counterpart as far as looks go. He was just voted the most handsome man alive in America, and from the way things look here, he is about to claim Japan's title as well.”

Kagome had always harbored a major crush on the handsome model. He was just a bit older than her, and just the thought of posing with him sent her heart racing. She glanced over at Koenma and smiled.

“So, when will I get to meet him?” She asked, a slight blush staining her beautiful skin. She glanced up when she heard him chuckle.

“Well, it seems that you will be meeting him tonight, and you will both be modeling Tsubaki's designs. You got the contract, Kags! Tsubaki loved you and she thought that you and Youko would make the perfect couple to show off her collection for both men and women. Kags, you are in the big-time, now.” He announced, his smile slowly ebbing away from his face.

Kagome felt her blush deepen. So, the very first time she would meet her crush would be wearing underwear. Well, at least he would be in his, as well. She noticed that Koenma had gone quiet and so she leaned forward.

“What's wrong? You look upset.” She whispered, her eyes trained upon his. At first, he didn't reply, but then he said, “Youko is a well-known ladies man, Kagome. He has had a lot of women in his bed, and I strongly urge you to be very careful when dealing with him. I don't want to see you walk away with a broken heart, nor do I want you to harbor any ideas that he will change for someone as beautiful as you. Youko Kurama is a wild card, and one never knows what he is going to do next, or whom. Just play it safe, ok?”

Nodding, Kagome said, “Don't worry about me. I have enough on my plate and don't need to be in a relationship, at least not right now.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, he nodded and signaled to the waitress that he was ready to give his order. As they ate, he made sure that Kagome knew where to go and what time to arrive for her very first photo-shoot with Youko. They would make one hell of a commotion in Tsubaki's designs.

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When she returned to the apartment, she was surprised to find Sesshomaru there. He was sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper, and sipping a glass of red wine. When she entered, his eyes lifted for a moment, but then returned to what he was reading.

Kagome never knew what to say to this particular man. He was always very quiet and reserved, but the one time she did see him lose his temper, she mentally made a note to never be on the wrong end of his temper.

She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water out of the refrigerator, and then walked into the living room and grabbed the remote control. She turned on the television set and watched as the local entertainment program cut to a scene where Youko Kurama was getting out of his car, and ignored the photographers.

The reporter excitedly announced that Youko was the new model for “Wicked Miko” and would be joined by Kags, the newest star of Koenma Models. Rolling her eyes, she turned the program when the reporter began gushing about how attractive he thought she was.

“It would seem that you have an admirer in that reporter.” Sesshomaru coolly said, his eyes never leaving the paper.

“It would seem that I have admirers all over the place.” Kagome returned, her tone level. Seeing as he never pretended to be her friend to her face and then stab her in the back, she simply did not see the point in sharpening her tongue on him. Instead, she simply sat back and flipped through the channels until she came to an action movie.

Sitting back, she threw herself into the show, and did not notice that Sesshomaru had put his paper down to watch the movie, as well. Just as the movie ended, the front door opened and Inu Yasha, along with the rest of the fraternity, walked in.

Kagome wanted to roll her eyes as she was surrounded by the young men. She quickly moved over so that when Bankotsu plopped down next to her, she would not have to touch him. Everything about the young man made her want to choke him. He was rude, loud, and cruel. Now, he kept giving her smiles that made her want to reach over and rip his lips off.

Inu Yasha narrowed his eyes as he took in the scene of his elder brother sitting so close to Kagome. After she left, Kikyo demanded to know if he was attracted to her cousin, and he managed to convince her that he was not; that she did nothing for his body, but that was a lie. Had Kikyo not been there, he would have drooled all over her.

Sesshomaru was acutely aware that Kagome was right next to him, cringing away from Bankotsu. He closed his eyes when the scent of wildflowers reached his nose, teasing his senses. When she accidentally bumped his arm, his eyes jerked open and he heard her mumble an apology for hitting him.

Bankotsu moved closer to the beauty, his memory quickly forgetting all of the insults, names, and jokes he made at her expense. Instead, he was focused on the things his body was feeling and wanted nothing more than to put his arms around her and his lips on hers.

Finally, he decided that he was close enough and then winked at her. “I think that you and I should get to know each other better, Kagome. How about you and I going out tonight and I will show you the time of your life.” He said, his chest puffed out as he waited for her to accept his proposal.

The look she shot him could have frozen hot coals. Shaking her head, she stood up and snapped, “Gee, as tempting as that is, I would rather slam my head against a wall than go out with you.”

“Ah, you're pissed at me for all those things that I said, right?” He replied, lazily. “Kagome, I only said those things to help you, to force you to lose the weight so that you can show everyone just how attractive you are.”

“And, to whom exactly are you trying to sell that load of bullshit? I am certainly not buying it.” Kagome sneered, offended that the moron before her would actually attempt to take credit for all her hard work.

Laughter rang out, and Bankotsu felt his body stiffen as he took in the sight that Kagome made as she stood before him, attitude and all. Her long, dark hair fell down to her waist and moved as she spoke. Her clothing was form-fitting and clung to her in all the right places. She wore little make-up and what she did wear only enhanced her natural beauty. She was perfect and he wanted her.

“Aw, don't be like that, honey.” He cooed, a smile lighting up his handsome features. “Let me buy you dinner and take you to a movie. That will brighten you mood.”

Lifting her eyebrow, Kagome wondered what in the hell possessed the college to let this hard-headed fool in. Shaking her head, she said, “No, and besides, I have a prior engagement and I won't keep him waiting.” That should shut the loud-mouthed creep up.

Suddenly, the room went deadly silent as her words rang in the young men's ears. Inu Yasha's fists curled up and he snarled, “And, who exactly are you going out with, Kagome?”

Though his anger shocked her, Kagome forced herself to remain calm and looked over at him. “I am not going out with anyone, Inu Yasha, but I have a photo-shoot tonight with Youko Kurama.”

“Youko?” A red-headed young man exclaimed. “You are going to be working with Youko?” He asked, his tone polite.

When Kagome nodded, the red-head shook his head. “Are you aware of his reputation with the ladies? Oh, forgive me, I have failed to introduce myself. My name is Shuuichi Minamino and Youko is my cousin.” He explained, his bright green eyes soft.

Kagome gave a short nod. “Yes, I have heard about his reputation. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a shoot to get ready for.” She quickly left the room, ignoring the lustful gazes she was receiving and headed for her room.

Once she was gone, everyone turned to Shuuichi. “Ok, what is he like and why didn't we know that you were related to him?” Kouga demanded.

Shuuichi shrugged. “My mother asked me to keep it quiet. Youko is the son of her elder sister and has given my aunt a lot of problems. Apparently, he is quite mean when provoked and has a tendency to enjoy other people's pain. He also has no problems with sleeping with a girl and then leaving him in a cloud of dust.” He explained. “Kagome is the type of woman he normally avoids, mostly due to the fact that he can't stand attitudes larger than his, but Kagome is a pretty nice girl, well, to those who have not offended her.”

Everyone's eyes turned towards Bankotsu, but the young man simply shrugged and shook his head, still smarting over being tossed over for some silver-haired pretty boy.

“Well, I am going to that shoot, and he had better keep his fucking hands off of her.” Inu Yasha snapped. “I don't give a fuck if he is your cousin, he will not fuck Kagome and then walk away.”

Sesshomaru snorted and shook his head. He, too, knew Youko. He knew that most of the stories were rumors, but Shuuichi's description of how Youko acted with people he didn't like was quite accurate. Perhaps he needed to pay his old friend a visit, just to see how he was doing.

When Kagome left for the shoot, she was unaware that she was being followed. By the time she got through hair and make-up, as well as wardrobe, she became aware that there was an audience and that she was going to have to do a lot of explaining to Koenma.

When Youko walked out of the dressing room, he was clad in only a pair of black silk boxers and his hair was loose and around his shoulders. He caught sight of his new partner and allowed his eyes to travel over her robe-covered body. Great. She was probably going to be another Yui, and if that was going to be the case, he would simply refuse to work with her, her beauty be damned.

He strolled over towards her, and tapped her on the shoulder, and allowed a smile to cross his features as she whispered, “I didn't know that they were going to be here, honest. I hope that Youko doesn't get offended by so many people being here. I'm really sorry, Koenma.”

Leaning forward, he allowed his lips to gently touch her ear, causing her to jump in surprise, and whispered, “I don't mind, as long as they don't get in the way.”

Whipping around, Kagome found herself face-to-face with the man whom she had been anxiously waiting to meet. Smiling nervously, she reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and then held out her hand.

“Hi, I'm Kagome.” She said, mentally killing the men behind her whom were vocally expressing their displeasure at the male beside her.

A lazy grin spread across his lips and he gently took her hand in his larger one. “Youko Kurama, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Kagome.” Bending forward, he smirked as he heard the grumbling grow louder and kissed the soft skin of her hand. When he straightened, he winked at her and then looked over at the group of men.

“Shuuichi, I didn't expect you to be here.” Youko said, his hand tightening on Kagome's. He gently tugged, silently telling her to walk with him, and led her over to the small group. As the cousins greeted each other, Kagome noticed that Sesshomaru was also staring at Youko. Finally, he cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“It has been a long time, Youko. You are looking well.” Sesshomaru said, his tone cool. Youko gave him a nod before he said, “Thank you. Tell me, are you a friend of Kagome?”

Before he could reply, Kagome shook her head and said, “They are all in a fraternity and Shuuichi mentioned that you were a cousin of his. I think that they are ready for us.”

Youko glanced over his shoulder and nodded. “Yes, I think so, too. I will speak with you later, Shuuichi. Gentlemen, enjoy the show.” He said, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he glanced down at Kagome.

Neither of them noticed the dark expression that crossed Sesshomaru's face, nor did they notice that many of the fraternity members were glaring at Youko with pure jealousy. As they walked onto the set, the photographer smiled at the pair and nodded his head vigorously.

“Oh, yes. I think that the two of you are perfect. My name is Kuronue Himura. We are going to have a lot of fun tonight.” He murmured, his eyes slowly traveling over Kagome.

He told them to get rid of the robes and when they did, Kagome fought hard not to blush when she heard soft whistles coming from the group of uninvited visitors. She sneaked a peek at Youko, and found that his eyes were upon her, eating her form and smiling as he nodded his approval.

Before they could get started, the door to the set opened and a young woman appeared. With her long, white hair, she was striking, but no where near a match for Kagome. She grinned and glanced over at Kuronue.

“Forgive me, but I wanted to see them together before I made any specific demands on what I wanted. Seeing them together, I know what I want. I want them to convey the idea that lust is ok. I want them to enjoy touching, stroking, licking, and grinding against each other; to give off the appearance that they are a young couple who can't keep their hands off of each other. My lingerie is supposed to provoke such a reaction in a woman's man, and Kagome certainly is the kind of woman who men want to see in lingerie.” Tsubaki said as she cast a grin over at Kuronue.

The dark haired young man nodded. He glanced over at Youko and lifted an eyebrow. Clearly, getting the two models hot for each other was not going to be hard. Judging by the way Youko was staring at Kagome, he could just bet that he would be eager to get between her pretty thighs.

Kagome felt Youko's large hands upon her waist and glanced up when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Sesshomaru was glaring at Youko, his hands clenched into fists, and she could not help but wonder what the taller man was thinking.

Sesshomaru glared at the man before him and continued to watch as Youko and Kagome got into their first pose. His eyes narrowed and he pointedly ignored the person tapping impatiently on his shoulder.

Finally, Naraku slid up next to him and smirked. “With the way you keep watching the fair Kagome, could one say that you are interested in her?” He asked, his red eyes watching Sesshomaru carefully for any sign of emotion.

Behind him, Inu Yasha began to chuckle. “Ok, now I remember him. Youko Kurama. The same Youko Kurama who was Sesshomaru's rival when they attended prep school together. If I remember correctly, Youko is the same guy who managed to screw him over for a prestigious honor at the school.”

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth. He had been harboring a deep hate for Youko ever since he discovered that Youko only won that honor because he managed to sweet talk the stupid female who was responsible for counting the votes. Now, as he watched Kagome lay down on her back, and Youko lay down next to her, his hand moving up the satiny skin of her thigh, it was clear that the successful model was interested in her, and all he had to do was figure out a way to use that against him.

He watched as Youko and Kagome laughed, their smiles blinding as they cracked jokes between photos and when the photographer told Youko to kiss her, it was clear that not only had she enchanted him, she aroused him as well.

As soon as Youko's mouth fell upon hers, his hands moved to frame her face and it was at that precise moment that a plan formed in Sesshomaru's mind. He knew exactly how he was going to pay Youko back. Youko fucked with his success, and now, Sesshomaru would fuck with his heart.

Now, all he had to do was wait. Wait for the perfect time and soon, he would have Youko kneeling at his feet, begging him for mercy, and he would finally get that last laugh he had been waiting for.