InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Marriage of Convenience for Whom? ❯ Miserymoon ( Chapter 17 )

Thanks to my reviewers. I heart you guys: cutee2054, kagz243, LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216, jullun, firevixen73

 

Autumn_the_Reviewer: I like lemons too, and I agree that the characters are close enough yet to be having sex. So maybe after the story is over, I can do like a sequel-lemon-one-shot. And as much as I need an editor, I think it might be a problem for my creative vibes since I write on a very fuckered up schedule/system. Thanks for the offer, its very encouraging that someone would want to help in putting my shambles of brain vibrations into a coherent order.

 

Sassa: Yes, I am afraid they are about to get it. Enjoy the show.

 

srg1: I know them living together will be a bit of a problem for Kagome, but it really is more fun that way. The more drama, the better.

 

grace317: Its not that I have anything against alternative pairings, its just that pairings other than Kagome/Inuyasha make me sad. I've even come up with plot lines that would be perfect for someone other than the usual Kag/Inu, and I just don't think I'd be able to get through it. Lol, I know, I'm a freak. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

xXAngel of DarknessXx: Somewhere between 3-6 chapters to go, and that includes the epilogue. I can't give you an exact number on that because I may be shortening part of my outline and expanding others.

 

Magawa: Yeah, I know my editing isn't the best, but after all the proofreading I have to do for school, I admit I let errors slid in my fanfics. I usually do at least two read throughs before I post, so its not like I write it and update as soon as I can, but obviously that's not enough. Proofreading, as important as it is, takes a lot out of me and I feel like I can't re-read my story so many time for errors that its perfect and keep the plot going. So after the story is done, I'm going to do a massive edit because there are other problems that need to be corrected.

 

Ru-Doragon: Where would be the fun in if she had read the letters?

 

angelqt1231: I thought about going that way, but you have to realized that what you know as the reader is not always what all the characters know. Hope you enjoy the plot I went with.

 

Chapter 17

 

Miroku sat in his living room, a little unsure of what to do with himself.

 

He had let his best friend's secret slip to a woman who was now connected to Inuyasha's new wife. It was like he had told the truth to a pipeline going straight into the heart of doom.

 

This is not good. This is really really not good.

 

What complicated the matter was the fact that Inuyasha was so damned convinced that Kikyou was supposed to be his mate. The poor hanyou was only going to get himself hurt on this one. And he Miroku—his supposed best friend—was the one to handed him over to the wolves.

 

All because he couldn't keep is cursed hands to himself.

 

I have to do something.

 

Sighing in defeat, Miroku reached for his cell phone. It had been several weeks since he had talked to Sango, and he needed to set her straight. He was tired of not sleeping due to worry, and just because the girl had not gone running to the papers yet did not mean she wouldn't when it was convenient for her boss. From what he had heard from Inuyasha, Kikyou didn't know yet, but maybe Sango was waiting until they got back to tell her.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Once they had been processed by passport control and allowed back into the United States Kagome found they were being driven to Inuyasha's house. It seemed so strange to be married to someone and having never seen where he lived before. It was so…medieval, as though she had been married off to a stranger and now had to go live in the man's castle.

 

However, as they pulled up to Inuyasha's home, Kagome was surprised that Inuyasha didn't live in a mansion, but (in comparison to Kikyou's place) a modest Victorian that looked out of place in the Californian sun.

 

“Up to your standards?” Inuyasha mocked her when he noticed the look she was giving his house.

 

“Its nice,” Kagome said, turning to give him a pleased smile. “I just expected—”

 

“Some place that's size could count as my own country?” The actor gave her a shrug. “Not my style.” He picked up one of Kagome's bags and headed for the front door, but he stopped half way there. “You aren't disappointed?” Inu looked at her with a concerned look. “I mean, it will be your home for some time.”

 

Kagome reassured him with her smile. “I said its fine. I like it.” She walked up and took her bag from him, continuing into the house.

 

Inuyasha couldn't help the happy smile from skimming over his lips as he watched his wife walk through his front door.

 

XXXXXXX

 

“You don't show up for two weeks and this is all you got for me, Carl?”

 

The editor of photography at Ok Star Magazine gave a pointed look of disapproval to the man across the desk from him.

 

“More pictures of Kikyou and this no body. Unless you got a story to back it up, you are going to be looking for a new job for wasting my time and slacking off.”

 

Carl had been looking worried up until that moment. It was true he had missed some important movie openings, but he thought the story he had working was worth it. For a moment he had been afraid Jeff was going to kick him out of the office without a chance to get his say in, but it was now his time to shine.

 

“Alright, to begin with, I don't think Kikyou is really married to Inuyasha—I think its all been staged.”

 

Jeff looked at him as if he had hand shooting out of the center of his forehead, but before his editor could protest, Carl rushed on.

 

“I think all those European pictures are fakes—or old ones. See, what you said the other day about having old film in my camera got me thinking. I did a little research, and in the Kikyou-Inuyasha movie Diamond Eye, there was a cut beach scene that missed the final reel. Here, just look.” Carl shoved some of the pictures across the desk at his boss.

 

Jeff compared the photos from the movie set to those from the tabloids, shaking his head. “They could be the ones from the Euro tabloids, but the clothes and beach umbrella don't match.”

 

It was Carl's turn to give Jeff the pointed look. “And no one these days can doctor film?”

 

Jeff cracked a smile. “Ok, so the pictures are doctored and Inuyasha and Kikyou weren't on their Honeymoon. What does that have to do with that nobody man you've been obsessing about and why?”

 

“Because, Kikyou couldn't have married to Inuyasha. She is already married.” Carl pulled out his trump card.

 

With shaking hands, Jeff picked up the papers before him: a wedding certificate, a copy of a driver's license, and a final photo of Mr. Nobody greatly resembling the man's picture on the I.D., which consequently had the same name as the man on the certificate of marriage for Kikyou Higurashi.

 

Jeff smirked. His kids were going to have a very marry Christmas this year.

 

XXXXXXXXX

 

Inuyasha was giving Kagome a tour of his house. He found himself oddly pleased with the fact that she seemed happy with it.

 

“And this is the den,” he said opening a door to cozy room with a floppy couch in front of a decently proportioned television set.

 

Kagome stepped over to a bookshelf covered with DVDs and began examining Inu's collection. “Wow, you even have Brazil,” she observed with a laugh.

 

“Keh, who doesn't have Brazil?”

 

“But oddly you don't have any of your own movies,” Kagome turned back to him. Her eyebrow arched in inquiry.

 

For a moment, Inuyasha looked confused. “I can't stand to watch myself on film. You know that.”

 

“Right,” Kagome muttered, whirling back to the movies and praying that Inu had missed yet another of her blunders.

 

Not sensing her discomfort, he stalked towards his wife. “You want to go see the bedroom?” Inu asked, stepping up behind her as she continued to stare blankly at the flashy titles and spines of his movie collection.

 

“You mean my bedroom?” Kagome tried to correct him—they weren't ready to be sleeping in the same room.

 

In response, Inu wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. “Or it could be our bedroom,” he breathed in her ear, nuzzling her hair.

 

Kagome blushed, unsure about such close contact when they were discussing that subject. She managed to squirm out of his embrace, trying to keep her hot face away from her husband's eyes. Whenever she blushed, he always looked at her as if he knew something was not quite right.

 

In her anxiety, Kagome made a desperate stab at changing the subject. Her eyes fell on the remote for the TV and she snatched it up. “Why don't we just watch some television?”

 

The exact instant the screen flickered to life, Kagome knew her mistake.

 

“…Though we are unable to reach Mrs. Higurashi at this time, it is clear that her recent wedding with actor Inuyasha Takahashi was some type of publicity stunt. We have reliable sources that show with this current and non-voided marriage certificate Mrs. Higurashi is married to—”

 

Kagome finally regained from her shock after seeing pictures of Kikyou and her husband and their wedding certificate plastered over the television screen enough to click the power button.

 

Without turning around, she knew Inu was standing behind her in a state of astonishment very similar to the one she was struggling with.

 

Carefully, without making any sudden movements, Kagome twisted her head to look at him. Inu was standing where she had left him, his eyes locked on the TV. with a gaze that held a combination of emotions that Kagome could only interpret as fear, hurt, and anger.

 

“Inu?” Her voice cracked, but she bravely stepped toward the man she had come to call her husband. “Inuyasha?” She reached for him, but he saw her motion and jerked away from her touch. Kagome could not help taking a step away from him in turn.

 

“Is it true?” The actor's voice came out as a growl, and he still had not moved his eyes. Inuyasha refused to look at her. If he looked at her, there was the very good possibility that he would explode. Inuyasha was struggling to keep his temper at bay at least until he heard her out, but that seemed to be easier said than done. He wanted to scream, he wanted to force the truth out of her, but still he kept himself in check.

 

“That I have a husband other than you?” The question sounded silly even to her ears.

 

Inu nodded, but still he could not place his gaze on Kagome. Instead, his eyes focused on some far away piece of carpet lent.

 

Kagome didn't know what say: all she could come up with was a string of unanswerable questions. What was the truth and what was the lie? What was the right thing to say? What was she permitted to say? Who's secrets should she protect and who's should she keep. Her voice caught in her throat. “Its—its—” She covered her face with her hands so he could not see her start to cry.

 

“Well what is it!” Inuyasha yelled. Suddenly he was moving to her, ripping her hands down so they could no longer hide her face, his hand was raised over her head as if to strike downward. Silent tears traveled to the cliffs off Kagome's chin.

 

Is he going to hit me?

 

For a moment, the hand descended with a fierce jerk, but Inu stopped. He instead pushed Kagome away, still glaring at her. She tumbled to the ground at his feet from his force and slid a ways away from her husband. Looking up at the man before her, Kagome could see the cold anger that had taken over him. He no longer looked afraid or sad. Inu was just angry.

 

Why didn't he hit me?

 

Inuyasha's words from their Honeymoon came back to her: “I would never strike you or anything, but I can't say I can always keep my mouth under control.”

 

He was speaking to her in a cold voice that was strangely removed from their situation, as if Inu had taken himself out of the present, and Kagome had to make herself focus on his words: “So you are just like every woman in Hollywood—you can't keep your damn legs shut and you'll marry anyone for a dime.” Inu shook his head in disgust, still glowering at her. Moving with his strangely quick speed, he had her hauled up against him, his fingers digging into her upper arms where he held her in a death grip. “If it isn't true—if you aren't married to someone else, please tell me now.” For a moment the angry mask shifted to show his fear and sadness more tangible in that instant than ever.

 

Kagome reached for his face, brushing his skin with her fingertips. There was no truth for her to tell him that would not be painful; even though she wasn't married to another man, then she had still lied to him, she still was not who she said she was. She was not really Kikyou, the woman he truly desired. Kagome was sure the real truth would be more painful for him than any lie that could have been concocted.

 

So she met his accusation with silence, and Inu took it as a sign of its truth.

 

“I hope you're happy after you've fucked with my life—I can't say I see why you needed to do all that lying.” Inu's words were spat in her face, dripping with a distain for her and what he believed she had done. The way he spoke to her left her feeling cold and defenseless. Inwardly she went limp like a rag doll. If Inuyasha was disgusted with her, it did not even begin to cover Kagome's own feelings for herself.

 

Kagome knew there was no point in trying to defend herself: she would not have had anything to say. “I hope at the very least you enjoyed the ride, I'm sure it was all a big joke for you,” Inu finally finished, and pulled her up to kiss her, punishing her and burning Kagome with his ire. Inu stole her breath and bruised her lips, hurting her with his embrace.

 

Kagome's eyes were latched shut, but had they been opened, she would have seen the black-hair actor become a white-hair hanyou, complete with dog-ears. In his rage, Inuyasha could not hold the spells in place that protected his secret.

 

Though she did not see the short-lived transformation of her husband, she did feel when his claws dug into her harms as they elongated. Kagome could not stop the cry of pain that slipped from her lips as the talons slashed into her soft skin.

 

The sound of her pain brought Inuyasha back to reality. He knew he had changed forms, but he was too angry to care. He was still enraged, but now that he had hurt Kagome, he knew he should not be near her. With a quick glance to make sure she was all right, Inuyasha dashed away.

 

He needed to be alone for both their safety.

 

XXXXXXXXX

 

“Hello, who is this?” Sango barked into her phone. She was running late to the office, and had almost not answered her phone.

 

“Um, its Miroku.”

 

Dead air filled his ears as Sango tried to place the name to a face.

 

“Miroku? Who the hell is—Ooooh, Miroku. Hey!” The happiness in her immediate recognition drained when she remembered her last encounter with the man. “What do you want?”

 

Miroku smirked, he found her mood swings endearing. “I need to talk to you.”

 

“What about?” Sango had all the guile of innocence that she could have deterred anyone else, but not Miroku.

 

“You know,” insisted Miroku. “Can you meet me for coffee in an hour?”

 

Sango was about to protest, but then she was just pulling up to her office.

 

And what she saw clustered in a great sea of humanity and cameras around the front door made Sango slam on her breaks. Thankfully she had gotten into the parking lot before the sea of reporters blocking her way to work froze her blood.

 

“How about now?”

 

Miroku jerked his phone away from his ear to look at it and make sure it was still a phone. “O…K, now's good for me too.”

 

“Great,” Sango smiled as she backed up, trying to get away from the press before she was spotted. “You know where Taijiya's Den is?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Good, meet me there as soon as you can, I'll probably be waiting for you.” She paused for a moment, wondering what the meaning of all the press was. She would have to check the radio once she got off the phone. “Your right, we do need to talk.”

 

XXXXXXXX

 

“You just have to alwaysremember I say a lot of shit I don't mean.”

 

Kagome wished that his words from their Honeymoon applied to their current situation, but it did not seem like they could.

 

Feeling cold, she picked herself off from the floor where she had huddled.

 

She needed to get to back to her sister.

 

Kagome peered outside, and realized that getting to Kikyou were not going to be as easy as she had previously hoped. There was a sea of paparazzi waiting for a glimpse of her or Inu.

 

She couldn't call a taxi or her sister from the house—it would just stir things up too much. Somehow, she needed to get to her apartment and from there she could figure out what to do.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

True to her word, Sango was waiting for Miroku at Taijiya's Den as she had promised. In spite of all the matters of shit they were in, Miroku smiled when he saw her, and his grin only broadened when she smiled back.

 

He had listened to the radio on the way over, and by the look of worry on her face, Miroku was pretty sure Sango had done the same.

 

Sliding into a chair across from her, Miroku opened his mouth to greet her, but Sango cut him off.

 

“We're in deep shit.”

 

Laughing, Miroku suddenly felt some of the tension leave him. “I know.” He liked being around a direct woman, not one of the ones who pussy-footed around him, subtly begging for dates with Inuyasha.

 

“I don't see how this is funny,” Sango spat, but could not stop from smirking a little at Miroku's amusement.

 

“I guess you could say I'm relieved,” Miroku confessed. “I thought I was going to wake up one day, and it would be Inuyasha's face plastered all over the news for leading a double life. And instead its Kikyou.”

 

“I'm so happy for you,” Sango glared at him with her eyes, but a small grin remained on her lips. Abruptly, as a thought crossed her mind, Sango's expression went somber. “I wouldn't have told anyone, if that's what you're worried about.”

 

Miroku looked a little surprised, but nodded. “I was. You know that's why I called you—I've been worried sick for the past few weeks.”

 

“I figured as much. I've worked for Kikyou long enough to know what secrets to keep and which ones to tell.”

 

“So you didn't tell Kikyou…?”

 

“Of course I told Kikyou. I mean it is her sister—” Sango slapped a hand over her mouth. How could she be so stupid! One moment she was bragging about her ability to keep a secret and the next she was spilling out one of her boss' biggest.

 

Sango's hope that Miroku hadn't noticed died when she saw him staring at her with the most curious expression. She was doomed to those violet eyes.

 

“Sister, you say?” It was Miroku's turn to act innocent.

 

Covering her face, Sango tried to keep her cool, thinking of ways to keep everything together. She didn't have many options.

 

Suddenly, she had a glimmer of hope. This man personally knew Inuyasha. Miroku could help with Kagome, as she knew they were going to need help with Kagome when Inuyasha found out what was going on. Without thinking of all the apparent dangers, Sango began to tell all.

 

“Alright, the tabloids are saying that Kikyou is two-timing Inuyasha and that she's already married. That's not entirely true,” Sango stopped to look around, making sure no one was watching them. There weren't that many people around, or anyone for that matter who was close enough to hear anything she said over the blaring music. “I have to have your strictest confidence. If what I'm about to tell you gets out, then I go to the nearest newspaper, talk show, and radio personality and tell them everything I know about your friend. Do we have an understanding?”

 

Miroku nodded.

 

“Good.” Sango began to explain in a hushed whisper. She had never been much of a gossip, but there was just something about Miroku that made her want to tell him everything. Opening up to a man was not one of her strong points, but for him she would say anything to get him to keep his violet eyes on her. And hopefully he could help them when Inuyasha exploded like she knew he would. “While it is true Kikyou is married to someone other than Inuyasha, she never even pretended to be married to him….”

 

XXXXXXXXX

 

Getting to her old home was managed much more easily than Kagome had thought was possible. With her Mediterranean tan and the few extra pounds she had packed on from the Gelato she had been inhaling, she did not quiet resemble her sister as she had previously.

 

After a kind old woman servant had bandaged her bleeding arms, the maid at Inu's had directed Kagome to a wooded area behind the house (which she had reached by sneaking down yet another sheet latter from a second story window), and from there she had managed to stumble her way to the street and get a cab to her apartment. Kagome had been tempted to go in the cab all the way to Kikyou's, but it seemed to risky, especially if her house was under siege like Inu's.

 

However, once Kagome reached her home, she was met by a surprise she was not expecting.

 

Inuyasha, the hanyou.

 

He was sitting at her tiny kitchen table when she opened the door, and at the sight of him, Kagome squeaked, dropping her keys.

 

“What are you doing here?” She asked, still in surprise. Kagome hurried in and closed the door behind her. A fear of being seen and discovered was bearing heavily down on her.

 

For his part, Inuyasha was just as surprised to see her. In his fit of rage at discovering that his supposed wife was already married, he had been unable to keep his spells up. Driven by his demon need to be near her—the woman he had hoped would be his mate—but unable to bear her presence in the present circumstances, Inuyasha had fled to the only place he knew where he could soak up her scent and be alone. Her apartment. Inuyasha knew he should have thought out his plan better, but he had never imagined that she would go there of all places. If anything, he was sure she would go running to her real husband.

 

He realized that Kagome was watching him, waiting for an answer to her question, “What are you doing here?”

 

Inuyasha tried to deal with his anger patiently as he had been doing for the past three weeks, but he felt no need to hold anything back at the moment. The bandages on her arms where he had clawed her caused guilt to well in him, and that have gave him a little control. Nonetheless, both his demon and human sides were furious with his mate candidate, and the fact that she really belonged to another man only fueled his anger at being lied to with vicious jealousy.

 

He could not stop from retorting cruelly, “Maybe I was wondering why this girl who was playing me would lie to me. Oh wait, honesty was a pretty dumb thing to expect from you.”

 

“Wh-what?”

 

“Come on Kagome, you had to tell me you were getting married to cover up the fact that you were already married?”

 

It took Kagome's mind a moment to process what exactly he was talking about. She had told this Inuyasha that she was Kikyou's stunt double and that she was getting married to Inu so Kikyou wouldn't have to. It still didn't explain what Inuyasha was referring to.

 

“What do you mean? Who says I was already married? Kikyou—”

 

“Don't play all innocent and dumb with me. How stupid do you think I am? I've known for a really long time that you are Kikyou. What you're doing with me, I could never say, but I know there aren't two girls running around that look like you. Just come clean bitch.”

 

Kagome was at a loss for words, yet one question circulated in her mind. “How do you know that I am Kikyou? I told you—”

 

“I just do, alright!” Inuyasha realized that he a told her too much. “I know you are Kikyou, and that is all you need to worry about.”

 

If he explained about the red string he tied on her dress, he would have to tell her about his own identity. And that was something he would not do.

 

Maybe once, I would have told her.

 

But not now.

 

Inuyasha once again felt the blind rage over taking him and he knew he needed to leave. Bandages be damned, she had hurt him too. It was an accident that he had changed to a hanyou and in the process clawed her, but the pain he was feeling took away any pity he might have had for her injury. Even if it failed to completely wash away the guilt in his gut.

 

“Look, I'm going to go. Don't call me, if you see me on the street, don't say anything. Forget me.”

 

Before she could react, Inuyasha was out of the door and gone.

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

“Hello?” Sango's voice rang in its fake-happy tone. “This is Kikyou Higurashi's office. If you are looking to book Mrs. Higurashi, please remain on the line. If you are a reporter trying to get an interview concerning Mrs. Higurashi's recent marriage,” the assistant's voice suddenly took on a violent tone, “Tell me where the fuck you got this number and then hang up and run before I can trace the call, hunt you down, and—”

 

“Sango? Its me, Kagome.”

 

Sango halted mid rant, suddenly unsure of what to say. Her mouth gapped open and closed like a fish out of water.

 

“Kagome? Are you all right? We haven't heard from you in so long.”

 

“I'm fine, can you come and get me?” The other woman's voice hissed through the phone line in a whisper.

 

“Of course, where are you at?”

 

“My old apartment,” Kagome swallowed down her tears and proceeded to give Sango the address.

 

“I'll be there in a second. We'll talk more when I get there,” Sango promised. She was already dumping her cell phone and car keys into her purse. Setting the phone back into its cradle, Sango was hurrying to get out of the office when its door swung open and Kikyou stepped inside.

 

“Where are you going to fast?” The actress asked questioningly. She pulled off her ball cap and dark sunglasses and tossed them aside before she also tugged of the dirty, frumpy sweatshirt she had been using to hide her more stylish clothes.

 

Continuing to move toward the door, Sango explained, “I got a call from Kagome. She's over at her apartment at the university and wants someone to pick her up.”

 

Kikyou's face relaxed a little from the clear stress she was under. “Thank god. We haven't heard from her in so long. I mean, I knew she was alive, but with this breaking in the press….” Kikyou paused to look Sango in the eye. “She is alright, isn't she?”

 

If that bastard Inuyasha had so much as bent a hair on Kagome's head the wrong way, she was out for his hanyou blood. No one hurt her baby sister.

 

“I didn't press for details, but she didn't sound happy. `Depressed' would probably be a better adjective.”

 

“Great,” Kikyou fumed. “Fucking Inuyasha. You go get her, and bring her to my house. I'll be there, and then maybe we can find out what exactly is going on and what exactly she knows.”

 

Sango nodded, and made a mad dash for the door.

 

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