InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Marriage of Convenience for Whom? ❯ WTF, Mate? ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions.

 

Chapter 6

 

Kagome was cursing her sister's stinginess with her guest room sheets as she dangled a good six feet off the ground from the open window above. The bed had looked so big, she had been sure the two sheets and the under blanket would reach the ground. She had tried to tie in the comforter too, but it had been too thick and silky to work.

 

So now she twisted in the wind, debating over her two options: go up or go down. If she went up, no date with Inuyasha. No smiling, fun hanyou: she would continue as boring and lonely Kagome. If she went down, she could get to go see Inuyasha, but then again, she could hurt herself, and then there would be no date anyway. And if she was injured, Kikyou and Sango would kill her; she'd ruin their plans.

 

The slippery sheets and her lousy knot-making skills decided for her.

 

One minute she was hanging on to dear life, the next she felt the ever so slight jostle as the sheet slipped a bit further to the ground. Kagome attempted to claw her was back up, but it did no good, and in the final moment, she found herself plummeting to the ground as it rose up to meet her.

 

She landed hard, the sheet landing on top of her like some sort of funeral shroud.

 

She was dead.

 

Or at least Kagome wished she were dead. The wind had been knocked out of her when she hit the ground and it took her several minutes to regain her breath. Once she could breathe again, she could feel pain in her feet and in her back as well the back of her head. Trying to sit up only sent the shooting pain of a headache though her skull.

 

Kagome rolled over onto her side then slowly sat all the way up. She shook her head a few times, finally managing to get the spots from dancing before her eyes. Next, she examined her feet to find they were also only in shock; all her toes wiggled at her will.

 

Looking at her watch, she found she had just enough time to get across town before her date with Inuyasha—well the nice Inuyasha anyway…

 

Kagome picked herself off the ground and began slipping toward the edge of her sister's yard. She still had to sneak past Kikyou's security. This however proved to be easier to do than sneaking out her room had been. The security guards took her to be Kikyou from a distance, and they merely nodded to her as she walked out onto the street.

 

She had to walk a few blocks before she found the taxi she had called since no bus was going to have a stop out in the wealthy neighborhood. The cab's driver seemed unsure of whether to be flattered that a possible starlet was in his car or angered by the fact he had been forced to drive all the way to the edge town only to be obliged to drive all the way back.

 

Kagome slumped to the side in the backseat, leaning her head against the window pain. She knew it was dirty, but she was too tired to care. The events from the night before were still playing in her mind.

 

She had nearly stumbled again as she made her way to the waiting limo with Inuyasha at her side. He caught before she could fall flat on her face in the newly fitted evening gown. Inuyasha righted her, his hand lingering on a small jewel flower attached to her hip. Kagome looked down to see what exactly he was doing when she felt a small tug on her dress.

 

“Just a bit of red fuzz,” Inuyasha said as he gently pushed her into the waiting limo. Kagome gave him a questioning look, which he returned. Something had changed in his eyes…they looked softer somehow. She couldn't tell if she liked the change or not.

 

She was even more surprised when he not only helped her out of the car, but was extremely attentive while they walked into the party which had been set up on the outside patio of a mansion sized house. Tables were scattered below a large dais and a massive dance floor flanked both, though few seemed to be dancing at the moment. Despite a small orchestra was set up and playing on the far side of the, most of the people were mingling over the entire set up. Kagome felt herself tense at the sound of her sister's name announcing her presence to the event along with Inuyasha. The mass amount of celebrities was not helping her nervousness. What if someone recognized her as Kikyou and asked her something…what if Inuyasha started being as ass again…what if…

 

“So what's the game plan, my dear? Aren't we supposed to be rocking the boat a bit?” Inuyasha broke through her thoughts as she whispered in her ear.

 

“We're supposed to make everyone think we're about to get engaged,” she hissed back as they passed an elegantly dressed woman who nodded and smiled at them both.

 

“So what do you want to do?” Inuyasha nodded a man wearing a purple pimp suit. When the man returned the gesture with a grin, his spread lips revealed two rows of golden teeth.

 

“Lets just walk for now.” Kagome whispered back, trying to save time.

 

Kagome was beginning to panic. She didn't remember what it was like to be happy in a relationship. How was she supposed to act like she would willingly accept a proposal of marriage from the man next to her?

 

Kouga. Think of him before he dumped you and left you out in the cold and ultimately broke your heart.

 

Kagome sucked in a nervous breath, trying to gain inspiration from the small bit of happiness she had had from her ex. He always remembered her birthday, or at least the one she had while they were together…no that wasn't working…The way he would let her chose the movie…no that was an all out lie…Kouga would make her coffee on her long study sessions…and then drank it all for himself and promptly left her to study all alone in the library.

 

Had anything gone right in their relationship?

 

Her eyes flicked up to Inuyasha. Inuyasha…

 

Kagome's mind snapped to a collage of images of the hanyou. Fighting her for the cereal, slipping her his number behind Sango's back, sneaking out of the dress shop with her, Inuyasha dripping wet after she tossed a glass of water in her face.

 

A smile couldn't help to slid across her lips. She felt happy, but she had to do it in the way Kikyou showed happiness. Kikyou was never giddy with love, but Kagome could remember her on her wedding day, she had practically glowed. Combining the two ideas courting happiness in her mind, Kagome began to do her best act as her poised sister when in love.

 

Unbeknownst to her, Inuyasha was watching her as she forced herself into her role. First, she looked scared, then she looked sad which quickly morphed into brilliant happiness, and finally now, she looked like a beaming Kikyou…or as best Kikyou ever beamed.

 

Again, he found himself confused by the woman on his arm. He had found the string he had planted on the dress on her, so Kagome was Kikyou. But what did that even mean? How was it that the carefree woman who snuck away from her watchdog and dosed water in his face and would fight him for cereal in public be the poised and refined Kikyou who was perched on his arm? It didn't make any sense. Even though she was not aware of whom the hanyou really was, it still made him angry that she was lying to him. She was lying to one of his halves and it made him want to shake her and demand she explain herself.

 

As long as he had fawned over Kikyou, his costar and the one he had always known, for some reason, he now found himself hoping this new side, the one who called herself Kagome, would be the real one…

 

“I asked if you wanted to dance.” Kikyou was saying, obviously for the second time. She was looking at him with her cold eyes, but a small smile played on the edges of her lips.

 

Which was the real Kikyou?

 

 

A sharp bump in the rode broke her away from her thoughts. The evening all in all had been a success—if there had been anyone in Hollywood who didn't believe that Kikyou and Inuyasha were a couple before, they had been happily corrected—but she couldn't help feeling guilty using her memories of Inuyasha the hanyou to make herself the blushing arm candy of the black-haired actor.

 

It was silly and childish and something she should be far past, but no, she had a crush on the hanyou. The more she thought about him, the happier she was, despite the fact she had only met him twice. There was just something about him she couldn't place, something familiar…

 

She paid the driver when he stopped the cab on campus, pleased he had dropped her off at the correct building at the university. In the past, she had found most cab drivers would go no further than the school's entrance, so she had foreseen a sprint across campus to be there in time.

 

With her extra time, Kagome mulled about the outside of the building, remembering her happier days as a student. She was staring up into one of the higher windows that had been a favorite classroom when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

 

Spinning quickly in her expectation of Inuyasha, Kagome found her smile quickly failing as she looked into the eyes of Kouga.

 

“K-Kouga?” Her throat was dry in an instant. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I was going to ask you the same thing too, babe,” he flashed her his trademark sly smile, leaning in to kiss her while at the same time his arm slid around her waist. Any other time, Kagome would have willingly accepted his greeting, but the thought of Inuyasha popped into her mind, and she pushed herself out of his arms.

 

“I—I was waiting for a friend,” Kagome stuttered out. To this day Kouga put her on edge. She didn't trust him, not only because he had dumped her, but also now that she was no longer infatuated with him, there was something in his manner that made her more than a little uneasy. Looking around for Inuyasha, Kagome was disappointed to see him nowhere. He was going to be late soon, and she needed him to be there.

 

Looking back to Kouga, Kagome found him closing in on her.

 

“I've been trying to reach you lately, Kags. I've missed you, babes.”

 

“But you dumped me.” Kagome growled out backing away quickly as he stalked her across entrance of the building.

 

“Right, I dumped you, and you still want me. Its not like you were the one who left…come on babe, I know you missed me,” he took a step closer reaching for her when his hand was roughly grabbed but an unseen force and shoved roughly behind his back.

 

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin as Kouga was attacked, but felt a flood of relief when she looked up from her half cower to see that it was Inuyasha who had come to her rescue.

 

He pushed Kouga down to the ground violently, stretching his arm up at a painful angle while at the same time pushing his shoulder into the pavement. Pressing his knee into Kouga's back, Inuyasha looked up at Kagome.

 

“You all right? He looked like he was bothering you, and you smelled scared.” Inuyasha smirked up at her, locking her eyes while at the same time he gave Kouga's arm another painful twist, emitting a sharp cry from the wolf.

 

Kagome blushed. “I'm fine now that you're here,” she returned his smile.

 

Meanwhile, Kouga was growling. “Kagome would never be afraid of me!” He tried to throw off Inuyasha, but only succeeded in getting his face further crushed into the pavement.

 

“You know him?” Inuyasha asked, looking a little confused as to why Kagome—Kikyou, whoever she was—would associate with scumbags like him.

 

She's practically slumming with your hanyou form, you know.

 

Kagome sighed, looking down at Kouga. “He's my ex. He dumped me, and I guess thought since I had returned to school, that I was looking for him.”

 

“You were, weren't you?” Kouga asked in all innocence, trying and failing to look at her from where Inuyasha was forcing him and the ground to become very romantically involved.

 

Inuyasha's mind was whirling as he listened to the exchange. Kikyou had had a boyfriend. She must do this often…don the school girl disguise and pick up some guy for a while…try to have a normal relationship out of the lime light. Somehow, he didn't like this idea. Kagome deserved better than this guy, yet she was willingly seeking them out. Why do you think she wanted to be with you idiot? She just wants a good time away from it all. When Brad Pitt comes knocking on her door you and your hanyou ass are as good as gone.

 

Inuyasha audibly growled. Fiercely grounding the wolf's body and face into the ground one final time to vent his frustration at the woman above him, he released Kouga in standing himself.

 

“Stay away from Kagome, all right?” Inuyasha commanded.

 

Rubbing his chin, Kouga looked from the hanyou to his ex girlfriend, then nodded before trotting away.

 

When she was sure he was gone, Kagome turned to Inuyasha. “Look, thanks for—”

 

“You can save it,” Inuyasha snarled.

 

Bewildered and a little hurt, all Kagome could do was stare at Inuyasha.

 

“Look, something's come up. I'll see you around.” Inuyasha gave her one final looked that for all Kagome could see was confused and angry, and dashed off.

 

Kagome gulped. What have I done now?

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Inuyasha rushed around the corner. He was going to explode. Without looking at his reflection in one of the window, he knew his eyes were flashing red. Why am I being so damn possessive?

 

He knew why. A woman he liked was using him. Kikyou was using him by pretending to be this Kagome. And she had evidently done this before—he was one of in a string of non-famous boyfriends Kikyou was using to get her kicks by pretending to be someone else.

 

He had only met Kagome, but the thought of her just playing a part unnerved him and threw off his demon side to no end.

 

Walking back a ways he peaked around the corner of the building at Kagome. She looked so sad even though there was no one to play to.

 

You'll have her either way. Inuyasha must marry Kikyou, and Kikyou and Kagome are one and the same.

 

Somehow the thought didn't comfort him as much as he thought it would. He wanted Kagome.

 

XXXXXXXXX

 

A/N: Ok I hope this is making more sense. I have to admit that before I was a little unsure of how to get where I needed to be and now I think I see an actual direction for this story. I hope I'm not being too redundant in some parts, but I want to make sure everyone understands what's going on.

 

As far as Kouga, I know he's fairly out of character, but I'm kind of going for a caricature of him and his inability to see that Kagome doesn't care for him “like that”. I know he's not usually seen as “creepy” but hey, I need a plot device as to why Kagome is afraid of him.