An Entirely Different Kind of Cheating

Full Summary: Daishyo Inuyasha is one of the most powerful and dangerous men in Tokyo, and he’s good at what he does. Higurashi Kagome is the model of a moral miko, except for her penchant for gambling, lying, and cheating. So what happens when Kagome, her cousin, and her best friend come to cheat their way through a few games in Inuyasha’s casino? Better question: what happens when Inuyasha catches them doing it? Well, for starters, much danger, hilarity, and sexy situations ensue.

Disclaimer: No, don’t own Inuyasha or the others. Surprise, surprise, right?

Quick author’s note: This is just a fun story put here for your enjoyment. The characters are a little OOC, and the relationship moves unreasonably fast, but, then again, that is the glory of fiction, right? I’m a big fan of dizzyingly long chapters, so that explains why this one is over twenty pages.

*Please, please review, as this is my first fanfiction posted on this site, and I would love some input.*


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CHAPTER ONE

My name is Daishyo Inuyasha. I’m twenty-one years old, and in my life, I’ve had more hangovers, broken more laws, maimed more people, and seen more beautiful women than most any man can ever hope, or fear, to. All this has been a part of my life since before I was born. My father practically owns a third of Tokyo, and another third owes him in one way or another. Everyone knows that I’m his bastard son, and a hanyou at that. But bastard or no, I still get a hell of a lot of respect.

After all, you don’t screw around with someone whose grandfather founded the Daishyo Casino.


$~$~$


“I swear to God, Miroku, if you fuck this up, I’ll behead you myself, got it?” Toshio Sango was currently very pissed off, and, as such, very dangerous.

“I’m not going to fuck anything up. Keep your skirt on. I mean, you’re having enough trouble with that as it is, so why worry about me?”

It took all of Higurashi Kagome’s power of self control to keep herself from laughing. She and Miroku, the only other two members of their small group, had been giving Sango a hard time about her wardrobe since Kagome had convinced her to wear it. The tiny pleather miniskirt wasn’t exactly her style. Actually, she didn’t really have a style, which was why this outfit was getting so much attention from her companions.

Sango clamped a firm hand down on the back of her boyfriend Miroku’s jacket. “Goddammit, do you think this is a joke?” she hissed.

Miroku grinned. “I think that tube top is a joke.”

With a growl that almost qualified as feral, Sango shoved him forward and kept walking at a pace close to her usual break-neck speed, impeded only by the three-inch-spikes serving as the heels of her shoes. The boy stumbled, but grinned at her laughingly nonetheless.

It was really happening. Kagome, her best friend Sango, and her cousin Kanshu Miroku were taking a long-awaited trip. Finally, after so many years, they were here, in Tokyo, in front of the Daishyo Casino, about to lie, cheat, and gamble their dishonest little hearts out. This would be a night to remember.


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Daishyo Inuyasha was very, very good at his job. This casino was his home. It was his property and his first love, and nothing went on inside it without his knowledge. Not a hand was played, not a threat was issued, not a die was thrown, and not a sneeze was sneezed of which he wasn’t aware.

That’s why he was taking over the casino after his father died instead of his asshole half-brother Sesshoumaru. About a year ago, Sesshoumaru and his father had gotten into a rather fierce argument, which was concluded by Sesshoumaru cleaning a solid two-hundred grand from his father’s casino in just a couple hours at the craps tables. Needless to say, Sesshoumaru was taken off his father’s will shortly thereafter. In the following months, he’d been put back on eventually, but Inuyasha had officially taken over Sesshoumaru’s former place as heir to the casino.

Besides all of that, Inuyasha was simply good at what he did. He made an imposing figure, he was a keen business man, and no one was better at beating the crap out of a stingy, indebted client than he was. That’s why Inuyasha loved his father’s casino. It was so deliciously crooked. He hoped the old school casino ways would never die.

So of course, when two beautiful women, one of whom happened to be a miko, accompanied by one man, and all dressed rather sharply stepped through the doors of the Daishyo Casino, it did not go unnoticed.


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The three of them checked into the hotel above the casino, and shortly thereafter, they entered the casino itself, and the party of three split up. Kagome headed for the Blackjack table. She had a knack for the game. She also had a knack for cheating seamlessly when her aforementioned knack for winning took a leave of absence. And that was one knack that never failed her.

Little Kagome, at five-foot-four, felt like a predator. This wasn’t the first time she’d experienced this particular feeling of restless lust for dishonesty and, to be blunt, money, but this was the first time she’d been in the Daishyo Casino when she felt it.

But she was confident. She knew who she was supposed to be, and she was dressed for the part: a wisp of a black skirt graced her mid-thigh, and a silk crimson shirt with no back to speak of gave the impression of wealthy seduction. That was the best kind.

She pulled a hand through her silken hair as she slid into a seat at the table. With long, delicate fingers, she placed down a twenty dollar bill and was dealt her cards.

She glanced to the man next to her who was blatantly staring at her figure, then to the dealer, who was as professional as they came. She grinned a hunter’s grin.

“Hit me.”


$~$~$


“Kanshu ‘Houshi’ Miroku. Never thought I’d see you in my casino.” Inuyasha had casually sauntered up to the man he’d seen walking into his casino with the miko. He knew the bastard had looked familiar. He couldn’t believe that someone like Kanshu would have the nerve to walk into his casino. Did he honestly think that he’d get away with any of his standard tricks? Or did he think that the management would be blind enough to fail to recognize him?

The man glanced up. He couldn’t have been much older than Inuyasha himself. “Pardon me?”

Inuyasha had to admit, it was a good innocent face. But he would have expected no less from Kanshu. “You are Kanshu Miroku, aren’t you?” Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the man and a half grin slid across his face. He was leaning against the crap table where Miroku was playing.

The man raised an eyebrow. “Look, I’m sorry, but you must have me confused with someone else. And haven’t you ever heard that it’s incredibly rude to interrupt someone when they’re about to take their turn?”

Inuyasha held up his hands in a placating gesture. “By all means, roll the dice. Don’t let me bother you.”

The man scowled, but returned to the table and let the dice fly with a fluid flick of his wrist.


$~$~$


Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. This was not a good way to start his night, with Daishyo Inuyasha staring over his fucking shoulder as he pretended to be someone who didn’t exist. Akeno Hachi. It wasn’t even a good alias! Miroku felt tiny beads of perspiration appear on his palms.

“Ooh, seven,” Inuyasha hissed over his shoulder. “That’s not a pleasant number, huh? Oh…don’t tell me you bet everything? Oh good, well then you’re free, so we can talk.”

In all honesty, Miroku hadn’t even been paying attention to the numbers he rolled. That is, until Inuyasha said the number “seven.” That snapped him to attention. He ground his teeth in frustration, seeing as he’d built up a bit of money, and would have easily doubled his profit if Inuyasha hadn’t interrupted. He hadn’t, actually, bet it all, but he didn’t think this man needed to know that. However, things could be worse. Miroku was more than a little afraid that he was about to find out first hand just how much worse things could be.

Miroku gulped harshly, and obediently followed the owner away from the table. This was very, very, very bad.

The pair came to a seat at the nearest bar, and Miroku took the opportunity to quickly glance over the man sitting next to him. He was dressed impeccably in a smooth black suit and silver tie, and the trademark lengthy silver hair of his family was tied in a casual braid down his back. He was about the most intimidating sight Miroku had ever seen in his life. Of course, that wasn’t something he felt like sharing, so he kept his mouth shut.

“So what is someone like you doing in my casino?” Inuyasha asked, settling into his stool and looking Miroku up and down.

“Someone like me?”

“Come on, Kanshu. Let it go. We both know that I know who you are.”

“I’m sorry, but like I said before. I’m not this Kanshu guy you keep talking about.”

Inuyasha sighed. “Alright, we’ll play your game. So what is your name?”

“Akeno Hachi.” Miroku extended his hand. It was one of the scariest things he’d ever done, but he was doing his damndest to keep up the charade. Miroku happened to be an excellent actor.

Inuyasha shook his hand. “I assume that you know my name.”

“Of course, Daishyo-san. This is a very nice casino you run.”

“I know.” Inuyasha leaned his side against the marble counter and motioned for Miroku to lean in as well. When the other man complied, Inuyasha whispered, “Well, Hachi…may I call you Hachi?”

Miroku nodded.

“You know what’s great about being part demon, Hachi?”

Every fiber in Miroku’s body told him to stay perfectly still and pretend to be one of the pretty little paisleys on the wallpaper. He followed his instincts.

“I have these great demon senses. I can…see things that no human can see, and I can hear just about everything that goes on in the casino. I also happen to have wonderful olfactory senses. And those senses have been telling me that you’ve been lying since we met, Hachi. Now what do you think of that?”

Miroku swallowed and sighed. Alright, he was a professional. He’d been in worse spots than this, and he’d gotten out…well, not completely free of scars, but Miroku would be deliriously happy if he could just get out of this one with all his protruding body parts in their correct places. He forced himself to calm down, and was amazed to find that it worked, to a certain extent.

“I think that having your life would give me a headache,” Miroku said truthfully enough.

Inuyasha smirked at him, and turned to the bar. “Koharu!”

The bartender, who barely looked old enough to drive, much less serve drinks at a casino, dashed over.

“Hai, Daishyo-san?”

“Get my friend here a drink. Whatever he wants. He’s quite the celebrity.”

Miroku rolled his eyes slightly, and the girl turned her attention to him.

“Uh…I’ll just have a coke, thanks.”

“What, no poison?”

“I don’t drink when I’m gambling.”

Inuyasha smirked once again. “You know, you’re exactly how I pictured you.”

Miroku tugged at his collar a bit. “Well, that’s an odd thing to say to a stranger. I would love that drink right about now?”

The girl was just standing there, making no move to serve him a drink of any kind.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. “Koharu?”

The young girl finally spoke, and there was wonder in her voice. She drew in a shuddering breath. “M-M…Miroku-sama?”

Miroku’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly in something akin to horror. He furrowed his brow. “You must have me mistaken,” he said quickly, but the girl interrupted by flinging herself into Miroku, clinging to him over the bar.

“Miroku-sama! I knew you’d come back!”

“W-what….who…?” Miroku didn’t even know where to begin. There was some strange girl hanging off of him, and not only was she embarrassing him and herself, but she had just completely blown what infinitesimal level of cover he’d had left.

“Don’t you remember me, Miroku-sama? We met three years ago, and you taught me how to play cards, and you said…you said that one day you would come back, and you’d take me to Las Vegas, in America, and we’d…we’d be together, and…and…”

Miroku was flat out terrified and the words “exactly how drunk was I” kept streaming through his mind.

“Koharu, Miroku-sama and I have some business to attend to, and after that, I’m sure he’ll be delighted to come back and talk about your future together. Okay?” Inuyasha grabbed Miroku’s arm and forcibly removed him from the girl’s grasp, then started across the casino.

Miroku grinned. “Hey, thanks, man. That was really cool of you to get me out of that back there. I swear, if I’ve ever met that girl, I don’t remember it. Anyway, you can let go of my arm now.”

He was ignored.

Oh well. It had been worth a shot.

Soon they were weaving through a number of corridors, and then Miroku was being thrown into a plush chair in what he could only assume was Inuyasha’s office. Inuyasha himself took the seat behind the desk and leaned forward to stare at him.

“So I’ll ask one more time. What the hell are you doing in my casino?”

“Well, I was playing some craps, but you-”

“Spare me the bullshit, asshole. What are you doing here?”

“I’m gambling, okay?! That’s what people do when they come to a casino; they gamble.”

“You are not ‘people’. You are a well known rounder, mechanic, and shark all in one, and that doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Look, I’m not doing anything illegal, alright? I just contributed a good bit of money to your casino, and I’m not doing a goddamn thing wrong, so what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that you’re crooked! The problem is that you’re a recognizable figure, and you decided to waltz into my casino thinking that you wouldn’t get caught. The problem is that if I can identify you, then some of my hard core players can identify you, and what makes you think they would want to play in a game with a fucking crook? You’re bad for my business, Kanshu. And that, more than anything else, is why you’re sitting here.”

“Look, I’m just here to play some games. I’m not looking to cheat anyone.”

“Sure you’re not.” With a languid motion, Inuyasha stood and leaned across the desk. “Tell me about the people you came in with.”

“I didn’t come with anyone.”

“You know, I’m getting really sick of your lies, Kanshu!” Suddenly there was a hand grabbing Miroku’s collar and jerking him forward. “You keep this up and I’m going to have to find a way to assure your honesty. You came in with two women. I’m not an idiot. Get rid of your apparent impression that I am, and tell me what I want to know!” He shoved Miroku back into his seat.

Miroku took a deep breath.

“Oh, and before you say anything, you should know that I’ll cut your thumbs off if I find out that anything you tell me is a lie.”

“They-they’re just my friends.”

“What are their names?”

“Look, they’ve never done anything wrong. They’re not husslers or anything.”

“That’s good. Look, I’m not going to maim an honest customer. However, I don’t have a problem maiming you if you don’t tell me what I want to know. Now tell me their names. The miko, tell me her name.”

“I…I can’t do that.”

“You’re playing a very dangerous game, Miroku. What, is she your woman or something?”

He shook his head and kept his eyes cast to his own knees. “She…”

“She what?”

Miroku remained silent.

In a flash, Inuyasha had him pinned against the wall, and his hand was pressing into Miroku’s windpipe.

“Now do you feel like sharing? She what, Kanshu?”

Miroku clawed at the hand, but there was no chance of escape, and he was starting to choke. “She’s my cousin,” he gagged.

Inuyasha let him go, and he stumbled to one knee at Inuyasha’s feet. “Your cousin?”

Miroku looked up at Inuyasha and his eyes narrowed. “I swear, if you touch her, I’ll kill you. I don’t care what your asshole lackeys do to me later; I’ll kill you.”

“My my, someone’s a bit protective. Don’t fool yourself, human. Fighting me will only lead to your death. So what about the other girl. What is she to you?”

“She’s my girlfriend,” he admitted.

“Mm-hmm. And the three of you decided to come to my casino and try to rob me?”

Miroku stood up and faced Inuyasha as solidly as he could. “We’re not robbing anyone! We’re just playing a few games, making a little money, that’s all.”

“You’re still lying. However, if you give me your word that none of the three of you are cheating, I’ll let you go. Then again, if you give me your word, and I find out that any of you so much as think about trying to cheat, we’ll arrange a nice little meeting so your girlfriend and your cousin can sit and watch while I cut off your ears. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Good. Now get the hell out of my office.”

Miroku did as he was told.


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Inuyasha watched in the security monitors stacked together in a large cabinet on the far wall of his office as Miroku made his way back into the casino and collected the women he’d come in with. He watched as the women were escorted onto an upper floor of the hotel above the casino, and then led to a room. The three soon disappeared behind a closed door.


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“What do you mean we can’t cheat?” Kagome was practically yelling. This was such bullshit. “Why the hell wouldn’t we?”

“Look, Kagome, just trust me on this, dammit! If I tell you not to cheat, then you don’t cheat! We can have plenty of fun playing clean, alright? But Goddammit, Kagome, you have to listen to me. Don’t you dare decide to be stupid and immature and cheat on the next hand you’re losing.”

“Why the hell not?!”

“You have to trust me, Kagome!”

Kagome glanced to Sango, who was sitting entirely too quietly on one of the two beds occupying the room.

“If you would just give me a reason, then maybe I could understand why you didn’t want me to cheat!”

“Do you trust me or not?”

“Of course I do, but that-”

“No buts! You have to promise me that you won’t cheat! Promise me Kagome, or we’re going home right this second.”

“This is such shit! I want to make money, Miroku! I’ve been looking forward to this trip since I was a little kid! What, do you think I can’t handle it? You know I can! I can-”

“It’s not about that! You have to promise me that you’ll play clean, that’s all there is to it. I’m taking you home if you don’t promise me.”

“You’re taking me home?” Kagome asked incredulously. “Miroku, I’m an adult now, remember? I’m nineteen. I can do whatever the hell I want.”

“Yeah, well, you can’t cheat. Look, the two of you just keep a low profile, okay?”

“What the hell is the point of keeping a low profile? It’s not like I can win any money that way!”

“Do it, Kagome. Do it because you trust me. Just give me your promise. Please.”

Kagome stared at Miroku for a few seconds.

“For me, Kag. Please.”

The girl finally gave in with a heavy sigh. “Fine, fine, I promise.”

“Good. You too, Sango.”

Sango nodded quickly. “I promise.”

Kagome scowled at Sango. Why was she taking this so easily? Did she know something Kagome didn’t?

Kagome scowled and plopped onto the bed to continue her indignant huffing.

She silently wondered exactly how long she’d hold out before completely nullifying the promise she’d just made. She wasn’t about to try to keep a low profile and ruin what had the potential to be the best week of her life just because Miroku’s overprotective-brother-role circuit had randomly blown and spun into an overactive (and completely ambiguous) cycle. To hell with that.

Kagome put her sulking on hiatus to glance up at her cousin and her best friend.

Sango was sitting with her legs tucked under her on the opposite bed, arms crossed as she looked on disconcertedly at Miroku’s behavior.

Miroku was slowly pacing the length of the room, one hand gripping the back of his neck and the other sliding through his hair, pulling a bit out of the small ponytail at the base of his neck as he brought his hand back down to shove it in his pocket. He was a study in anxiety.

Kagome had no idea what the hell was wrong with him, but she knew that she wasn’t going to get a word out of him as to why he was the way he was (she never did) so she gave up before trying.

Kagome scrounged through her packed bag for a moment before producing a hairclip and hastily securing her hair off her neck. “I’m going out for a drink,” she announced, standing from the bed and making towards the door. “You two are freaking me out.”

She was stopped just before reaching her goal by Miroku’s hand on her shoulder.

“Remember your promise,” he urged quietly.

She shrugged off the offending hand and strode out of the room.


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Sango watched as the door swung shut. A part of her knew that Kagome wouldn’t keep her promise for very long.

“Miroku,” she said softly as she stood and walked towards him. She took his hands in her own. “You have to tell me what’s going on.” It was hard to seem authoritative when she was a good half a foot shorter than Miroku, but she’d had lots of practice.

Her boyfriend gave a heart-wrenching sigh and collapsed onto the nearest bed.
“Sango, I couldn’t tell Kagome. I just…I didn’t want to scare her. I know she’d just freak out and…despite it all, I still don’t want to ruin her good time. She’s been looking forward to this for so long.”

“What is it?” Sango asked again, losing a couple notches of patience, and sitting down next to the fretting man.

“I…I was recognized by Daishyo Inuyasha.”

Sango felt breath hitch, and her heart try desperately to relocate itself into her esophagus. “Are you sure?”

“He sought me out and brought me into his office. He knew me by name before I said a word.”

“Jesus Christ, Miroku! Are you alright? Why the hell wouldn’t you tell Kagome?!”

“I just told you! You know how she’d get. She’d be worried out of her mind for me. As long as she doesn’t cheat, everything will be fine.”

“How can you say that, you moron?!” Sango accentuated her exasperated question with a slap on the side of his head. “What the hell are you thinking?! This isn’t just some crummy, lowlife casino like the others. If Daishyo decides to put you on his list, you’re as good as dead.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Miroku, we have to leave. Tonight.”

“We’re not going anywhere. I trust Kagome to keep her promise.”

Sango’s face was a picture of incredulity. “Are we talking about the same person here? Kagome’s as sweet and innocent as they come, until it comes to lying, cheating, and gambling. You’ve forbidden her from doing all three, and now you’re taking it for granted that she won’t.”

“She’s not that different from you or me, Sango.”

“Yes she is, and you know it! She’s only tainted in all the wrong places. She’s just as good a liar as you or me, maybe better, but she knows nothing about the heinousness of others.”

“You’re not giving her intelligence enough credit.”

“You’re not giving her innocence enough credit.”

Miroku sighed. “Look, I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow. For now, I just want to have some dinner, maybe watch a movie, and hit the sack, alright?”

Sango’s mouth pursed, and she reluctantly agreed with a nod of her head. “Alright.” She gave him a small smile. “Where do you want to eat?”

Miroku grinned and pulled her to him by her waist. He looked her up and down, the corner of his mouth sliding up into a soft grin. “I think I could get used to you in leather,” he teased tenderly. He gave her an affectionate kiss to the forehead, but completely ruined the effect by massaging her backside.

Gasping, Sango shot off the bed. “What the hell is it with you and asses?!” she demanded. She would never figure that one out.


$~$~$


Kagome lay in bed, half listening to the incoherent whispering of Miroku and Sango in the next bed, and rolled her eyes.

They were sweeter than a refrigerator box full of Twinkies. Very yuck. That is, until Miroku succumbed to his horrid urges and groped Sango in public. That was even more yuck. But at least it put a (very) temporary hold on the mind-numbing fluff that was their relationship.

The young miko took up staring at the clock until the whispering stopped altogether.

“Are you guys awake?” she hissed.

There was no answer.

After waiting another ten minutes, she slipped out of bed and pulled on a wispy black tiered skirt that reached her knees, and her favorite halter. It was a grayish olive, and had an Asian-inspired flower print seeping up from the bottom corner, and satin trim on the top hem and the empire waistline. The two lightly flowing layers of the top whispered almost silently as she moved around the room, putting on sandals and brushing out her long, straight black hair. She swept it into a bun to show off the top of her exposed back and the satin bow of the halter at the base of her neck.

She glanced once more at the sleeping pair to make sure that they were genuinely asleep, and, assured, ducked silently out of the room.

She headed without hesitation to the elevator, and then down to the casino, to play some cards.


$~$~$


Inuyasha rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake so he could finish reading over the massively large (but essential) contract, and then go to bed. He loosened, then pulled off his tie and placed it on the desk next to him.

The fact that the door on the wall behind him led to his plush bedroom which housed his massively comfortable bed was not helping. He leaned back in his desk chair, stretching his arms above his head and giving into the temptation of a deliciously lengthy stretch.

When he recovered, he glanced to the security monitors, and one particular sight happened to catch his eye. Inuyasha was out of his seat and leaving the office before his mind could comprehend one single thought as to why he should do so.

The hanyou grinned as he thought about his target. A gambling miko. Who had ever heard of a gambling miko? Weren’t miko supposed to embody all things good and pure? Then again, it’s not like miko actually had an active, set role in society anymore. Maybe it was just something the girl was born with, not something in her personality.

Who the hell cared? As long as she wasn’t cheating in his casino, he didn’t care whether she was saving the masses from the Ebola virus or working nights at McDonalds.

Inuyasha spotted her as he rounded a corner. She was walking perpendicularly to him, gliding along confidently as she made her way to a table.

He had to admit, as she slid into a chair to play Hold ‘Em, that she had a very alluring body. For a moment he paused, greedily examining the way her top clung to the curve of her waist, and the perfectly pale skin of her back and neck.

He stationed himself along a nearby wall, and motioned to a waitress dressed in the issued skimpy silver outfit to bring him a drink.

He watched her movements as the girl carefully, but inconspicuously, kept her eyes on her opponents. She was good. Her posture was relaxed but attentive, and she didn’t flash her cards all over the place like an amateur. Her face was a perfect example of ambiguous innocence.

And beauty, he had to admit.

The waitress brought him his drink, and he watched through a couple hands as she won a few and lost a few more. She was good, but she wasn’t a professional. For a girl her age, though, she was impressive.

Inuyasha was about to resign himself to the fact that nothing illegal was going to happen, and let himself simply admire her body and her face for a while longer before forcing himself to return to the boring aspect of his work, when she did something she hadn’t done all night.

The girl leaned back in her chair just the tiniest bit, tilted her head a little to the side, and slid her hand down her exposed neck, trailing a few fingers along her collarbone as she returned her hand to her lap. It was an alluring, distracting move, and clearly a sensual one, which had her only remaining opponent, a middle-aged man, staring openly at her throat and beautiful, delicate collarbones.

It worked. Inuyasha himself almost missed her sleight of hand, but the minute she called and lay down her winning hand, he knew what had been done.

Inuyasha smirked. She was a decent player, but she was a nearly flawless cheater. If Inuyasha hadn’t been at the angle he had, he might have missed it all together.

Huh. So the girl was a cheater, and a good one at that. Funny. Kanshu “Houshi” Miroku had told him that the miko and the other girl weren’t husslers. It seems that Miroku had been lying.

Inuyasha was on the move again. He had the urge to sneak up behind the girl and wrap his arms around her while he whispered to her what he had to say, but he refrained, and instead knelt beside her chair.

She glanced over and smiled, then returned to stacking up her chips, getting ready to play another hand. She acted nonchalant, but he heard the skitter in her heartbeat.

The girl was absolutely gorgeous up close. Her face was sculpted to perfection, her lips looked surpassingly kissable, and her eyes large and a rich brown. She glanced back to him as she realized he was still staring at her.

He gave her a melting smile and shifted himself to be crouched closer to her. He captured her gaze and placed his hand upon her own, stilling her movements of stacking her chips.

“Do you,” he asked deeply, and slightly sensually, “have any idea what you’re doing?”

She didn’t gulp, or blink, but calmly raised one thin, perfect eyebrow. “I’m playing cards,” she replied innocently.

If Inuyasha had been anyone else, that face and those words might have made him rethink his evaluation. But he knew what he’d seen.

“Actually, you’ve just cut off your cousin’s ears.”

The girl’s face twisted into one of confusion and repulsion. “Excuse me? Is that some weird kind of gambling lingo?”

He pulled in a deep breath, and her scent came rushing at him. Inuyasha’s free hand clenched in effort to keep from doubling over at the powerful embrace of her scent. Never in his life had he smelled something so completely wonderful, so heavenly, and so utterly, totally alluring as this girl.

Putting effort into maintaining control, Inuyasha’s mouth quirked into a smile, and he tightened his hold on her hand. “Not at all. Let’s go have a talk.” His other hand found her waist, and he pulled her forcibly, but gently, out of her chair.

“Hey! What about my chips?” she exclaimed as he brought her away from the table.

“Leave them.” He kept his hold on her and guided her away, to his office, where her cousin had been threatened only hours before.

The girl fidgeted. “Could you let go of me?”

He obliged. “What’s your name, girl?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“Do you know who I am?”

She smiled, and it was a very, very pretty thing. “Of course I do. You’re Daishyo Inuyasha, right? Your father owns this place.”

“Yes, he does, but he leaves it under my care. When he’s gone, like he is now, this place belongs to me. Therefore, this is my casino. And I like to keep liars and cheaters, such as yourself, out of it.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“First, tell me your name.”

The girl bit her lip. “Takahashi Kikyo.” She returned the lower lip to between her teeth. She felt stupid spitting out the name of her childhood imaginary friend.

The hanyou grinned and clasped her hands in his own, and pinned her swiftly to the wall behind her. “Wrong answer,” he whispered seductively into her ear. He pulled back to look her in the eye. “Care to try again?”

She pulled in a shuddering breath. “It’s-”

“Don’t lie to me again,” he muttered, and tightened his hold on her wrists, just barely letting her feel the threatening prick of his claws. “You won’t like the results if you do.”

Fear filtered into the girl’s sent, and something strange happened.

Inuyasha usually reveled in the feeling of control smelling fear on his opponent brought. It reconfirmed the fact that he was dangerous and powerful, and it let him know he was doing his job right, and that within a heartbeat’s time, he could bring punishment to those who deserved it. But smelling fear in this girl’s sent did something very different to him. He gritted his teeth against the urge to pull away and return her space to her, to do whatever it took to protect her and dispel the bittersweet stench of fear from her otherwise divine scent.

Unable to remain still, his hands shifted to grasp her shoulders, and his claws stayed completely absent from her skin. Her fear didn’t quiet, and he had to force himself to remain in his position and threaten her.

“What is your name?” he asked again after a harsh swallow, glaring straight into her deep brown eyes. The skin of her shoulders was the smoothest and the softest he had ever felt.

He could hear her heartbeat pick up speed, and, when she pulled in a breath and her eyebrows creased, he knew she wouldn’t lie to him this time.

“H-Higurashi Kagome,” she said quietly, voice wavering slightly before she stilled it.

“Kagome,” he repeated, sure she had told him the truth. It seemed right. The name struck a chord in the back of his mind, one that rang with familiarity. It was almost as if he’d heard her name before.

He found himself incapable of proceeding as normal as she gazed unblinkingly into his amber eyes. He could feel the slight trembling of her hands radiating through her skin.

Inuyasha stooped down and his head dipped to the nape of her neck without his conscious permission to do so, and, unable to resist, he took a deep breath of her scent. He wasn’t sure, but he thought his legs might have been shaking.

She smelled pure and bright, like flowers on a lightly rainy day, but headier, fuller, much more alive. His breath let out on a shaky exhalation against the skin stretched gracefully over her collarbone, and he realized that his hands were now experiencing the flawless curve of her waist. The soft material of her shirt felt wonderful against his lightly gripping hands.

What the hell was this girl doing to him?


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Kagome could feel her hands shaking, but there was only one thing on her mind. She felt the inexplicable, dire need to trust her instinct. This was something she had to do, as she was fairly sure that it would be the death of her if she didn’t. Then again, she might die in the attempt as well, but this needed to be done.

Her hands reached up slowly, haltingly, and, before she let herself back down, she had one furry, irresistible ear in each hand. This was made easier by the fact that the man was bent down close to her.

She felt the hanyou’s body still immediately, and his hands tensed on her waist. She gazed at the fuzzy appendages, and, slowly, she rubbed his ears a few times. His ears slipped through her fingers, and the soft texture of them was delightful. They felt like velvet being rubbed just the right way. She applied a little more pressure, and was gleeful at the way the ears felt under her curious fingers.


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All at once, Inuyasha let his face sink down into her neck. He wrapped his arms around her small waist, and groaned quietly at the feeling of her fingers applying just the right amount of pressure to his sensitive appendages.

He could feel her soft giggle as she massaged the base of his ears. “Does it feel that good?” she asked, humor in her voice. Only an echo of the smell of her fear remained.

Inuyasha simply nodded slightly, not wanting to pull his ears out of her grasp. His hands splayed along her back, and he pressed his forehead to her shoulder. A shudder pulsed through him before he pulled up and his ears slid away from her small, lean hands. His hands slid onto either side of her neck.

“Kagome,” he whispered, before bringing his lips gradually to hers.

She closed her eyes and her lips parted the tiniest bit. She grasped onto his upper arms just before his lips touched her own.

He kissed her slowly, sweetly, and his hands grazed across her skin tracing from her neck to her shoulder, grasping the back of her neck, following the smooth line of her jaw. He was extremely careful with his claws, and he couldn’t get enough of the feel of her skin. Her lips were full and endlessly pleasant and perfect.

He deepened the kiss as her hands slid to clasp the back of his neck and pull herself closer.

She tasted just as perfect as she smelled, and he kissed her harder, spurred on by the feelings and by her sweet, innocent, and altogether tempting taste. He slipped an arm down to brace her back and grasped her hip in the palm of his hand, holding her close and feeling the curve of her body. She had been responding just fine, but she seemed to gain confidence in this, and took the initiative of slipping her arms under his expensive jacket to cling to his lean, but built, torso.

Kagome made a tiny noise in the back of her throat that simply pushed him over the edge. Inuyasha pulled back and scooped her into his arms easily, and brought her through the door in the back of his office into his bedroom. He locked the door behind himself and turned to take them to the bed, but nearly tripped and did a face plant as Kagome reached up and kissed him lightly at his pulse point.

He somehow managed to safely kick off his shoes and socks and bring them to the bed, and then deposited her tenderly onto the soft comforter. He slipped her sandals off her feet and ran his hands firmly over her silken legs. He lay beside her and leaned over to kiss her once more. She responded by turning to her side and pressing herself to him, begging to be held against him.

Inuyasha’s blood was raging as he did just that, and kissed her passionately. Her hands, shifting over his back, seemed to caress every part of him at once, from inside out. Her body melted into his, back bending to form to his hold on her. His hand slipped under the back of her top, and thoroughly explored the warm skin of her back. She felt small and vibrant under his hands and in his arms.

Pulling back just the tiniest bit, he kissed her check, temple, and then the corner of her mouth.

She was pulling his jacket off his shoulders as he placed kisses along the skin lining the hem of her shirt. He assaulted the side of her neck, kissing and occasionally nipping, then licking the spot just the tiniest bit. She gasped at the feeling and pulled him back up and kissed him intimately. His mind hazed nicely into oblivion.

After a few moments, Kagome managed to maneuver her way through taking off his jacket, and she didn’t even hesitate between completing that task, and moving on to unbuttoning his shirt. His hand slipped under her shirt and felt her flat stomach and the exquisite skin over her ribs. She gasped, and he felt her tremble as a shiver rushed through her.

Inuyasha’s breath hitched at the feeling of her hands running over his body as she succeeded in completely unbuttoning his shirt. Her fingernails followed her hands ever so lightly down his sides, and he moaned, pressing his body more firmly against hers, and he returned his lips to hers.

All things in his life ceased to be, save this one girl, and her body, and her actions and reactions. Time and space were not factors as he continued to kiss her as well as he knew how, and run his hands over her flawless body.

As they pulled away from each other, much later, she tucked herself close to him and pressed her face into his chest. He eagerly wrapped his arms firmly around her and held her closely.

They settled into the bed, and he managed to get covers over them to keep them warm. He sheltered her between silk sheets, strong arms, and a warm chest, and he stroked her hair, loving the feel of it between his fingers.

“Hey, Inuyasha?” she mumbled to him sleepily.

“Mmm.”

She looked up at him, arms winding their way around him and pressing herself even closer. She kissed the inviting underside of his chin and asked, “What did you mean when you said that I’d just cut off my cousin’s ears?”

Inuyasha blinked a few times, then grinned a small grin. That seemed like a long, long time ago. “Don’t worry about it. Just stop cheating in my casino, okay?” He kissed her hairline, and the shell of her ear.

She smiled up at him.

“Okay?” he repeated.

She sighed and burrowed into his arms, snuggling close and yawning against his chest. He smiled down at her and ran a thumb firmly down her spine. Her back arched where he pressed against it, and her moan sounded more like a purr than anything else.

He tucked her close and gave her one last kiss to the crown of her head before accompanying her into sleep.

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*****
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A/N: Yeah, so that was the first chapter. There you have it: violence, lying, gambling, romance, and something vaguely resembling a plot. Stick around and things like Miroku’s strange overprotective behavior and Kagome’s conflicting lifestyles will be explained.
Oh, I know Kagome came off a little slutty, but…ahem…it just kind of came out that way. Hopefully, any conceptions of the sort will be rectified in the next chapter (or maybe I’ll make an attempt, fail miserably, and lose one of the main characters to inescapable sluttiness. Worse things could happen.) Anyway, I recognize that their relationship is beyond bizarre, but I’m not going to worry about it.
I hope you liked it, and PLEASE review. If I get some reviews, I’ll post the second chapter (which contains lime) very soon. Thanks for reading!
~Schrodinger’s Cat