Devour by Sereia

Hunger

"I'm surprised they even let us in here, considering our present company."

Kagome sucked in a soothing breath. It wasn't the first time Hizoku Mei had insulted her tonight, and it wouldn't be the last. But the panther demon had the final say when it came to which charities her father invested in, and Kagome was desperately trying to build a new wing at the hospital to house families of terminal patients.

"The food is amazing," she said, changing the subject as the menus were laid in front of them. "Chef Yasei is world-renowned—"

"Don't speak to me about Yasei Shou," Mei snapped. "He is a personal friend of mine and likely the only reason you secured a table in the first place." The look on the other youkai's faces said otherwise, and Kagome hadn't mentioned any names when she'd made the reservation, so she knew Mei was full of it.

Nazo Tsubasa, a butterfly youkai and head of public relations, tapped her bright orange nails against her glass. "Did you make up with him? I thought you'd been kicked out of his last restaurant."

The green of Mei's eyes turned bright yellow. "Only if you stoop so low as to read the tabloids." Tsubasa cocked her head but didn't say anything, leaving Mei to glare until their server returned to take their drink order, then winked at Kagome.

She smiled in return. Tsubasa, along with the hospital board members, weren't as threatened by Mei and her boisterous attitude, but they didn't have anything to lose if she decided to back out of the deal. They all knew it would mean great publicity for her father—something even Mei couldn't deny—but they had to convince her that the wing was the most important thing, not her petty prejudice.

They were only there for the free meal, Mei's father offering to foot the bill regardless of the outcome, though judging by the way Mei had interacted with everyone they'd come in contact with, Kagome had a feeling it might've been more as an apology for having to deal with his daughter.

"So," Mei drawled as the server moved around the table. "What does a human hospital need an extra wing for? It's not going to affect the death rate."

Kagome's fingers tightened around her glass. "There are a lot of terminal patients at Naosu General, of all heritages. This wing would allow their families to remain close and spend as much time with them as possible."

"What for? They're just denying the inevitable."

Kagome's hunger to put the bitch in her place gnawed at her, but she wouldn't give Mei any reason to throw her humanity back in her face. She allowed the server to distract her, asking for a non-alcoholic amazake instead of the sake Mei had ordered for the table.

Green eyes blinked in surprise, something familiar about them, though they were warmer than Mei's, and he leaned closer, pretending to point out the specials on the menu she was holding. "Are you sure you won't need anything stronger?"

Her laughter was genuine, shoulders finally relaxing, but she shook her head. "I appreciate the recommendation, but that'll be fine for now." She glanced at Mei, already seeing the retort on her lips. "I'll let you know if anything changes." The server nodded, taking everyone's order before striding back to the kitchens, smirking slightly.

..::**::..

A/N: Can you believe this is my 100th fic on here? There's more on Ao3 if you're interested (that's where all my collabs are posted), and I can respond to all your lovely reviews there too. Even though I can't do that here, just know that I read all of them and appreciate any and all kind words! Thank you for continuing to support my creative maddness!