InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Marriage of Convenience for Whom? ❯ Matrimony's Dark Sprial Begins Part 2 ( Chapter 8 )

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

 

A/N: Here it is, Part Two. Probably not as long as I would have liked, but it is only half a chapter. If everything goes according to plan, the story should pick up some speed from this.

 

Thanks to my grammar police. I know this story also has a lot of inconsistencies in the plot, so I'll fix the language problems then when I fix those. I was thinking I would just do one massive clean up when I get finished. I would do it now, but I'm sure I'll have more mistakes later, and I always hate when an author fixes something and I have that moment of joy when I think they've put up a new chapter until my soul is crushed and my hope is killed because they decided to delete a semi-colon.

 

Chapter 8

 

Kagome's hands shook a little in her lap. She was trying to hide the tremor from Kikyou, but that wasn't really working out too well. Said sibling reached out and plucked one of Kagome's hands from her lap.

 

“We've both knew this was coming, Kagome. I just thought you would have more time to adjust to Inuyasha before…”

 

Kagome nodded. She was confused as hell. How was she supposed to make a marriage—even a fake one—work? She couldn't even keep a guy on a date…

 

“He will propose tonight at dinner, so you'll have to be ready for the paparazzi. We better get your hair and make-up done.” Kikyou stood, her arm sliding up to Kagome's shoulder grasping it in an encouraging way.

 

Kagome for her part did not move. She was starting at the tablecloth. As if Inuyasha's rejection earlier was not enough now she was being proffered off onto another man.

 

At least you'll never have to explain to Inuyasha why you're married and trying to date him…

 

XXXXXXXX

 

Kagome stared at her reflection in the mirror. She might have felt empty inside, but her outer shell looked pale and fiery and beautiful.

 

She looked like Kikyou.

 

Maybe like Kikyou, someone could love her.

 

It didn't work for Inuyasha the hanyou, could it work for Inuyasha the actor?

 

Kagome carefully wiped away the tear that was starting fall, being watchful of her eye makeup. This wasn't how she pictured the night she got engaged. It wasn't even close.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

The room was dark being lit only by candlelight. Kagome's heels clicked on the smooth tile as she followed Inuyasha and the waiter to their table set off from the rest of the well-dressed dinners. Kagome scrunched her fingers together, try to get felling back into the digits. Breath, she thought. She could do this.

 

Not that she had much of a choice anyway.

 

Is this how I pictured the night I get engaged: longing for another, annoyed with the future groom, lonely? Her mind hissed at her. The sheer gravity of what Kikyou had asked of her had came crashing down. Kagome felt a stab of anger at her sister. How could Kikyou ask her to be so selfless? She was giving up a lot of Kikyou, but it was too late to change anything now. It had been too late to get out for some time. Kagome pushed back the fury she was feeling. She had given her word, and she would have to live with that.

 

Kagome nodded stiffly at the waiter who pulled out her chair. Her Kikyou routine was thrown a bit off when Inuyasha pushed the man out of the way so he could be the one to seat her. The actor had spent most of the limo ride over ignoring her or glaring in her direction. At the time she hadn't been able to think of anything she had said or done to make him angry, and his behavior still mystified her. Not that it mattered anyway. Thanking Inuyasha with a small murmur, she adjusted herself in the chair. Her hands were shaking so violently she had to keep them buried in her lap.

 

Once Inuyasha had taken his seat the servers began to bring out food and wine—everything being chosen beforehand by the restaurant manager so when the two celebrities were photographed by a loose paparazzi the eatery would have free publicity for its pricier food.

 

After the small army of attendants had left the table, Inuyasha leaned back in his cushy chair. He stretched high over his head, slowly bringing his hands down until he could dig in his pockets. For a moment he searched then pulled something out, dropping it on Kagome's side of the table. Glancing down at it, Kagome could make out it was a small, black box.

 

“You want to do this now or later, wench?” He growled.

 

Eyes going wide, Kagome looked at the box, back up to Inuyasha, and down again at the small velvet covered container. She knew she was either going to cry or be sick.

 

Not how I pictured this at all, she thought as her shoulder blades sunk into her back. Looking up at Inuyasha she found him staring at her. Great. And now I'm out of character. Again.

 

“Might a well get this over with,” Kagome adjusted her voice to sound breezy and bored and sat up straight. This would just be another job to Kikyou if she were the one in the chair Kagome reminded herself. Reaching out with a very practiced grace, she plucked up the box flipping the lid open with the ease Kikyou flipped on a lighter and gently tugged out the ring. She swallowed hard before continuing. Staring Inuyasha in the eye, and with a small glowing smile for the drooling paparazzi she knew were lurking in the shadows, she said a little louder than was needed, “Why of course I'll marry you Inuyasha! I thought you would never ask.”

 

No turning back.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

Kagome slid into the limo and was closely followed by Inuyasha. Dark gray clouds had started to swarm the restaurant much like the pack of reporters waiting with their cameras and notepads just outside the entrance. It looked like a storm was coming and that made Kagome shiver against the cold leather of the back seat.

 

Inuyasha was hulking over the window, ignoring her completely. Kagome sighed.

 

So this is what its like to be engaged.

 

She felt cheated in so many ways. This was not how she had imagined the beginnings of her married life at all. It wasn't even how she had pictured things with Inuyasha—the actor. Somehow she had hopped they would at least become friends and maybe something more would come from that. But she had been a fool. He resented her—or resented Kikyou and thus vicariously hated her—for whatever reason.

 

It didn't matter who or why her future husband showed her so much animosity, it was the fact he clearly did not like her that made everything hurt.

 

Without thinking about it, Kagome sighed again.

 

“Could you stop fucking moaning!” Inuyasha snapped at her. He had turned away from the window and was staring fiercely at her. “I'm not any happier about this damn mess, but I can at least pretend to be.”

 

Kagome's first instinct was to cower at his words, but she was too tired of letting him and everyone else walk over her. She was too tired of the mess she was in. “If I remember correctly I'm helping you fix your problem! You're the one half the world thinks has a thing for rent boys!”

 

Inuyasha looked like he was going to hit her. Kagome wished she had just kept her mouth shut. For once, without even trying, she had sounded like Kikyou. The man sitting next to her looked so hurt.

 

Kagome started to say something to try and smooth things over, but Inuyasha spoke first.

 

“If we want this thing to work and not blow up in our faces, you're going to have to watch your mouth wench. I know we don't like each other, but you don't have be such a bitch.”

 

Kagome felt her stomach churn. Without thinking, she reached out for the glass dividing them from the driver and knocked frantically. Inuyasha didn't even look at her.

 

“Yes, Miss?” The diver asked politely as the window rolled down painfully slowly.

 

“Stop the car, please,” Kagome managed out in a tone that could almost pass as steady.

 

“But we're no where near—”

 

“I said to stop the car,” Kagome hissed.

 

“Yes Miss,” he answered, pulling over to the curb.

 

The instant the vehicle stopped, Kagome had the door open and was running out into the night.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

It had started to rain. No, not just rain, a downpour. Kagome's clothes were soaked through within a few seconds; the designer gown was more than likely ruined but Kagome could care less. She didn't know why she had left the limo, but it had been a physical urge to get away from Inuyasha.

 

Stumbling blindly through the wall of water, she made out the lights of a phone booth not far away. Somehow—she wasn't even sure how—she made it to the glass door. With slippery and cold hands, Kagome managed to pull the metal handle open and get inside and out of the rain.

 

With her hands shaking as they had since she had been told she was going to be engaged earlier that day, Kagome lifted the receiver and dialed a number she had long ago committed to memory.

 

The phone rang and rang and rang and no one answered. The rain still poured heavily outside the phone booth.

 

“This is Inuyasha…leave a message or don't…I don't really give a fuck…” The answering machine finally picked up. The voice coming out through the receiver sounded so lifeless compared to the real thing. All the cold from the rain sunk into Kagome's skin and she shivered violently.

 

“Inuyasha?” Her voice squeaked painfully. “I know you're not there, and I don't really have a way for you to reach me, but I…I guess I just needed a friend to talk to. I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. Don't worry. I won't bother you anymore…”

 

XXXXXXXX

 

Later that night, Inuyasha came home and punched the blinking light on his answering machine. He was more than a little angry with himself for the way he had treated Kagome—Kikyou. Whoever the hell she was.

 

He had just snapped when the girl had really started to remind him of the Kikyou he used to know: the callous one who ignored his attempts to get her to notice him. The idea of living married life with the woman who had been in the car and rubbed his scandal in his face seemed now unbearable after seeing what she could be like in the from of Kagome.

 

Still, he had been an ass.

 

His attention was brought back abruptly to his messages. He listened to the dead sound of Kagome's voice pouring out of the machine.

 

So things didn't go well and she came running to the hanyou? Maybe he had been wrong and he could make it up to her. Inuyasha knew he was fooling himself with hope that Kikyou hadn't been manipulating him, but denial was one of his hobbies.

 

They were going to be getting married after all and he might as well make the most of it.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

A/N: Hope you guys liked it. Sorry I took fucking forever to post this, but I have a million little reasons why I wasn't able to get it up when I wanted to. I won't bore you with them, but like I said above, I think I'll be able to get more chapters up faster now that it is summer so the story will start moving. No promises though except that I'll try. I really would like to get this story done by the summer's end, so I'm working toward that goal.