InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Marriage of Convenience for Whom? ❯ Serving Dilemma ( Chapter 21 )

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

 

Thanks to my lovely reviewers: LiLaZnCrAzYgUrL216, Jessie Angel, Bri-chan, Sassa, Inuyasha Baby_bre, Autumn_the_Reviewer, Silver Dog of the Snow, ra, kagome1312, Sakura onto Hitomi, lunarcat12, xXKimiko SakakiXx, DemonGirl11, shexshe, Magawa, unistar, srg1

 

Ru-Doragon: I'm glad you reviewed because I thought you were dead. Not really, but I assumed you were on vacation or something, lol. As far as a sequel, I don't think I have it in me, but I have been thinking about doing a series of one shots that would kind of act like a sequel. Like four or five chapter-long stories involving this universe of Inuyasha characters. I may not have it in me for a sequel, but I'm not completely ready to end this fic.

 

Thanks for everyone's enthusiasm and patience! While I haven't been able to update, I have been able to check my email on my friend's computer and the reviews really kept the story going. Thanks to all my readers.

 

Chapter 21

 

Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Kagome was already having a terrible day.

 

In the month since Inuyasha had left her she had done nothing but work her ass off. She had reshaped her project, met with her committee, read countless books, worked on a million drafts, met with her committee again, transcribed interview after interview, and reacquainted herself with sugar-packed coffee and snack cakes. She had spent so much time in the library she developed paranoia that someone was watching her. It became so bad that the same feeling often came to her when she went out for groceries.

 

Her days were long, she got little sleep, and as a result of spending all her time in the library or eating she had packed on a few pounds. Such was the life of a scholar.

 

But today was different.

 

When she had gone on her mini-break from research to save her relationship with Kouga, which turned into a charade to save her sister's career, Kagome had been fairly close to completing the project. With over a month of working diligently around the clock, she had made ten drafts of her final paper, though “book” would probably be a better description, each copy closer to perfection than the last.

 

She was doing so well, but this morning when she woke Kagome realized her research was complete, and being finished was bad. Very, very bad. Completing her research and writing meant she had nothing else to distract her from her favorite hanyou.

 

And, to ice the cake, today she had gotten an envelope in the mail that served her divorce papers.

 

The papers themselves left her in a bit of a quandary that only worsened her already fragile mood: on the divorce papers her name was printed nice and neatly for all to see. Therein lay the problem: it was her name. Not Kikyou's, but hers. In the marriage ceremony, she had been “Kikyou.” Now, on the divorce papers, she was “Kagome.”

 

This led her to ask where the papers had even come from. Were they from the studio? Kikyou? Inuyasha? God only knew who had sent them; things were so out of whack.

 

Finding out the “who” would answer her other pounding question: why?

 

Pacing her tiny kitchen, Kagome debated what to do next. She had already tried to call her sister, but Kikyou was on some remote island in the Pacific filming a movie. Sango couldn't be found, which was normal now as she spent every spare moment with Miroku. Having no idea how to contact the Dreamstone execs—or the desire to do so—left Kagome with one person left to ask.

 

And she wasn't sure that was such a good idea.

 

Granted, it was a given she was dying to see Inuyasha, but she didn't know if he would be quite as thrilled to see her. Would she be able to handle it if….

 

She stopped her thoughts before they went down their familiar negative path. She was moving on, and had worked too hard to let herself go again.

 

But this was the perfect excuse to see him in person! Every time one of his movies came on television or she passed a magazine rack with Inuyasha's handsome face plastered on multiple covers, Kagome couldn't help the welling up of sadness she felt in her gut. Speculations concerning her hanyou's love life by the paparazzi only added to her troubles. Thankfully she—Kagome—had never been brought up in the press, but all the questions concerning her marriage to Inuyasha kept her wounds gapping.

 

It would be a legitimate reason to see him…

 

Kagome's mood brightened a bit at she allowed herself to really consider contacting her sort of husband.

 

She no longer had his phone numbers as he had cancelled them after the whole mess. Probably so he would never have to talk me, even if I called him for a practical reason like this. Kagome thought, ignoring the more reasonable answer that he wanted to avoid all the paparazzi calling for interviews.

 

There really was no way for her to get a hold of him—with the exception of dropping by his home.

 

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip.

 

Soo tempting…

 

While she had been busy in the past month, there had been times when she stood still long enough to miss Inuyasha. The lonely moments before she fell asleep, a few minutes while she waited for her Ramen noodles to cook, during her slow bike rides to the library.

 

She ached to see him and sometimes came up with silly scenarios when they were reunited and he whisked her off her feet and held her so close and so many other things that they had not had for during their “marriage.”

 

One of the more prevalent daydreams played in her mind, and Kagome found her resolve not to see Inuyasha again weaken.

 

She would be in the library, studying some dusty volume no one had checked out in ages, and he would appear before her. After sweeping the volumes from her table (though being careful of her laptop), Inuyasha would declare his love to her, pull her up on the table top, and kiss her so she he would know he never thought of her as Kikyou.

 

Then and there Kagome decided to go track down her favorite actor/hanyou.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

It took Inuyasha all of five minutes to realize what exactly the papers he was holding were, and another two heartbeats for his eyes to bleed red.

 

Who in the FUCK sent me divorce papers?

 

His immediate response was Dreamstone Studios, trying to fuck with his life again, but quickly realized that couldn't be. They liked to keep their talent happy and at the very least would have called him first before this. There was also the fact that there wasn't a camera present to capture the moment meaning Dreamstone wasn't getting any publicity off his misery.

 

Then there was always the possibility of Kikyou and Sango. The pair could be cleaning up lose ends, and since he had had all of his phone numbers changed they wouldn't have immediately tracked them down.

 

Or could it be Kagome? Could she have put this together herself? The documents did say “Kagome Higurashi” on them, and knowing Sango's anality to detail (and she would have been the one getting the papers together) the divorce documents would have definitely had her boss's name on them.

 

The inner demon calmed a bit. His eyes receded back to the dull mustard yellow they had become in the weeks since he had last seen Kagome. If it was her, he wouldn't blame her for wanting to cut him the rest of the way out of his life; that was practically her right.

 

He had wanted to see her—spent hours trying to think of an excuse just to be in her presence. He had gone by her apartment, shopped in the grocery stores he thought she might have frequented, even gone in her university's library a couple of times. He had been able to pick up on her scent in a few places, but it was never completely fresh, and so the only comfort he got from his stalking was the knowledge that Kagome was safe.

 

But what her scent really did to him was leave him extremely frustrated: frustrated and lonely like he had never been before. Once in the library he had caught her scent, but in the stacks of musty and moldy books he had been unable to locate her. In the end, he had nearly put his fist through a bookcase in aggravation, but instead fled the library before he did harm to himself or others. That had been the last time he had tried to find her.

 

And now he was looking at divorce papers. Divorce papers to end their fake marriage that no one but themselves knew to be a fraud. There had been a bit of an investigation by the authorities when the scandal first hit the tabloids, but the police of Hollywood had more pressing matters to look into.

 

Looking at the document he had clutched in his hand again, Inuyasha realized he wasn't really sure what he wanted to do about them. He was married in a weird Hollywood way to a woman that wasn't who she had said she was, but probably was who he wanted her to be.

 

In the time they had been apart, Inuyasha had realized that all the times Kagome had stopped pretending to be her sister, she had been the woman he loved. It had never been Kikyou he wanted, but it had more than likely always been Kagome. Kagome, when she had been allowed to be herself, had been who he wanted, who he loved—never Kikyou. He didn't care if she wasn't the most beautiful woman, or didn't know all the nuances of a starlet's life—that was what drew him to her. In the end, he decided if she would have him he would give up his career and move into her tiny apartment.

 

But that was a very powerful and unlikely if. Why would she want him?

 

Digging his claws into the divorce papers, Inuyasha tossed them onto his coffee table.

 

He would sign them later and give them back to Kagome, if that was what she truly desired.

 

It may not have been like him to give up so easily, but he was emotionally exhausted from the entire mess. Besides, what would a marriage between them look like? It had all been arranged; they hardly knew each other. Perhaps in the feudal era that would have been acceptable, but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted more, and Kagome deserved better.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

It was surprisingly easy to get into Inuyasha's house. His security guards nodded at her with a frown, but paid her no other notice.

 

Walking up the steps of the front porch, Kagome had the urge to turn and run. She clutched the divorce papers tighter to her chest. This had to be done. She needed answers, not to mention, if she didn't seen Inuyasha again soon, she wasn't sure what she was going to do. Seeing Inuyasha was even more important than answers.

 

With shaking fingers, she rang the doorbell. A knot was tightening in her stomach, threatening to make her nauseous, but Kagome pushed it down. She had spent too much of her time hiding behind her sister and it was now time for her to do things her way.

 

Waiting, waiting, waiting. Nothing.

 

Kagome pressed in the button again. Again nothing. She resorted to banging on the door, and there was finally the sound of footsteps. Just as they almost reached the door, Kagome heard a loud clang and cursing. He must have knocked something over. Kagome almost laughed, but the severity of the situation stuck with her, and she remained composed.

 

The knob began to turn.

 

This was it.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

“So you sent them out yesterday. They got them today?”

 

“Correct.”

 

“Perfect,” Kikyou smirked, looking at a broken nail. “So how are things with you and Inuyasha's lackey?”

 

Sango giggled, but in her very restrained, Sango way. “Better than I expected. I really like him.”

 

Kikyou nodded to herself. “Good, good. I'll be back in two weeks—as long as nothing else goes wrong. Keep me updated on our favorite couple.”

 

“Great. Will do. See you then.”

 

“See you then.”

 

XXXXXXXXXXX

 

The door only opened a crack, and once again Kagome felt as though she was being watched.

 

“Inuyasha?” She took a tentative step forward. “Is that you? Are you there?”

 

Whoever was on the other side of the door said nothing, but it opened a bit more.

 

“Inuyasha?”

 

The door opened enough for Kagome to see a single golden eye staring back at her. Kagome blushed a little, smiling a tiny bit, though she was worried. He wasn't saying anything, just staring.

 

“I, uh.” Kagome couldn't help it. She began to ramble. “I stopped by because I got these papers in the mail this morning,” she pushed the divorce documents at hanyou watching her. “I didn't know who sent them, and I was wondering if, well,” Kagome stumbled over her words, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. His silence was painfully unnerving and if Inuyasha had sent the divorce papers…. “I just wanted to know if you were the one to serve them to me.” Worrying her bottom lip, she came to a conclusion: “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. I knew this was a bad idea.”

 

Kagome turned quickly, practically leaping down the steps in her exit.

 

However, before she ever reached the bottom of the stoop, she found herself face to face with the very hanyou whose anger she was trying to escape.

 

It was Kagome's turn to stare silently in shock.

 

“Kagome?” Inuyasha asked, as though he didn't even believe she was there.

 

Kagome for her part could only give a weak nod.

 

“I…” He couldn't think of anything intelligent to say. With Kagome staring up at him with her big eyes, so sweet and loving, all of his words left him. “You came here for these?” He mumbled, unable to think of anything better. Reaching out, he took the divorce papers from her. They were the same as his.

 

A little slow as always, it took Inuyasha a few minutes to grasp the meaning of his own question. “Wait! You got papers too?” The hanyou was almost giddy with the idea.

 

Kagome bowed her head at the intensity of his gaze. “Yes, I said before. You sent them to me. You—”

 

“I got papers too. You mean you didn't send them to me?” Inuyasha looked down at Kagome with guarded hope.

 

“Like I said, I came here to ask you that same question. Its not like I wanted them.”

 

“You didn't want a divorce?”

 

Kagome was at a lose for words. It was true that she wasn't thrilled at the way their marriage turned out, but it was true she wasn't ready to give up on her relationship with Inuyasha. However, she wouldn't be lying if she said that she did not want the man who was in love with her sister but married to her to know her feelings on the matter. Kagome was not afraid of Inuyasha; she did not fear what he could say or do to her if he knew she was love with him. She was afraid of her own reaction if he rejected her; ignorance always offered bliss.

 

She had already played out all those painful scenes in her mind. Her inner world was a veritable playground for her own misery showing her time after time the hurt and disappointed look in Inuyasha's eyes. The disgust he would show when he heard her feelings for him; the discontent he would feel in knowing that he had the wrong sister.

 

It would simply not do for him to know what she felt for him.

 

But his eyes were pleading with her. He definitely had an answer he wanted from her, but she wasn't sure what exactly was correct.

 

She took the coward's way out: “Don't you want a divorce?”

 

The cute little puppy ears on the top of his head flattened to his skull at her response.

 

She wasn't sure why, but the action made Kagome want to cry. She wanted to comfort him, reassure Inuyasha in some way. But since he was so hung up on Kikyou, and Kikyou would always love her husband, there was nothing she could say on that front. And no matter how much she loved him, she wasn't going to stick around and be a replacement Kikyou for Inuyasha. Her heart could only take so much.

 

“Kagome,” Inuyasha ran a nervous hand through his long silver hair. “Kagome, I'm sorry. I know things are so screwed up between us, but I wish they could be better. I'm sorry I'm really a hanyou—if I could be only `Inu the actor' for you I would. But I can't. I can't change who I am.”

 

Kagome stared at him stunned. She was on a chronic sugar rush, her head was muddied from research and writing, but he damn well seemed to be saying that he wanted her—not Kikyou, but her.

 

Of course, she could be wrong. Maybe she was only making his words mean what she wanted them to mean. Why would a famous actor want a girl like her?

 

Why should why matter so much? Wouldn't it be enough if he just did?

 

Kagome decided it would be enough. More than enough.

 

Leaning forward, as at this point they had both moved fairly close together, she kissed Inuyasha square on the mouth. She, a scholar and an actress, did not have the words to test the love he might hold for her or the words to reassure any doubts he might possibly have about her feelings for him. A simple action seemed best.

 

Inuyasha pulled back, retreating from her touch. He was still unsure of what exactly to think and all he could do was stare into Kagome's eyes, still pleading with her, hoping she felt for him the same thing he felt about her.

 

It did seem too much to ask, but then she had kissed him.

 

There appeared only one-way to find out the truth: carefully, feeling out the air between them, Inuyasha gripped Kagome's chin, pinching her skin between his fingers. There was no resistance on her part and he pulled them back together, their eyes drawn together the entire time.

 

Delicately, as though she would shatter, Inuyasha kissed Kagome. It was chaste at first, but when Kagome coiled her arms around his neck, weaving her fingers through his silver hair in the process, Inuyasha took it as a sign to deepen their embrace. She leaned into his body and his fingers slipped down to latch onto her waist so he could pull her even closer. He didn't want to let her go and he had a feeling Kagome reciprocated his feelings.

 

Kagome smiled against Inuyasha's lips. She hadn't felt this happy for quite some time. Certainly not since her Honeymoon. She had missed him so much, and now she had them—both of them, she recalled with a taint of guilt.

 

Finally, spurred by remorse, Kagome pulled away. Even if she was a substitute for Kikyou, she had not always been in the right.

 

“Can we really do this?” She whispered, still leaning into Inuyasha. Kagome kept her head down, tracing the collar seam of his shirt.

 

“I'm game if you are,” Inuyasha answered, but Kagome noticed he was hesitant.

 

“Are you sure?” She gulped and leaned her forehead into his collarbone. “I know you don't think I'm the most faithful person, and,” she paused for a moment, “I can't—won't—be Kikyou for you.”

 

Inuyasha was silent, processing her words.

 

Kagome took his lack of response as dismissal. He doesn't want me.

 

Trying to pull herself out of his grip, Kagome found the grasp on her tighten. “Hold still wench! I'm thinking!” Inuyasha growled. He had been bewildered from the moment he opened his front door. Kagome had been there, the same divorce papers in her hands as his. Then, it seemed that she didn't want to be separated from him, next she was asking him if things could be worked out between them. When he took to the step to say he wanted her, she had to turned around and threw her technical infidelity in his face before telling him she couldn't be her sister. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

 

And the fact that she felt so good in his arms did not help his ability to think things through. She was softer now. Kagome had probably put on some weight, but that gave him more of her, and what youkai would want that? He didn't want to lose her, and holding her only served to remind him of what he would be losing if he didn't answer her correctly.

 

Better to go slow. “First of all, as far as how `faithful' you were can't be measured by the circumstances we were in. You have to admit things were pretty fucked up—I don't think either of us were really acting like ourselves.” He felt her stiffen, but continued, “I want us to have time to sort out things. I think you deserve the chance.” Sucking in a deep breath, Inuyasha scrunched his brow in confusion as he remembered her last words. “But first you have to tell me why I would want you to be Kikyou.”

 

Kagome pressed her face into Inuyasha's shirt, and he could hear her whine, faint tears wafting their scent up to his nose. “You have to give me actual words so that I can understand,” Inuyasha pressed.

 

“You were so glad to be married to me, when you thought I was Kikyou,” she took a second to collect her thoughts, “and now you know I'm not her. Aren't you disappointed?”

 

“Of course not!” Inuyasha spat out. He still didn't really get what she was getting out, but he tried to answer her worries as best as he could. This was obviously something that bothered her greatly, and he had to comfort her. “If you must know, I dreaded getting married to Kikyou. I idealized her before I met you, but all those time you slipped up and showed me Kagome made me recognize that you were the one I really wanted.”

 

Kagome smiled. Really smiled.

 

“So no, you don't disappointment me,” Inuyasha finished.

 

Finally, Inuyasha released her, gently pushing her back so he could look at her again. He returned her smile before leaning in to kiss her again.

 

When they parted, he picked up her copy of the divorce papers. “How about we take care of these?”

 

Kagome nodded and they went inside. There, on Inuyasha's coffee table, they signed and dated the forms, then stuffed both sets into the envelope sent with Inuyasha's to return them. Examining the address on the return envelope, Kagome was fairly certain they were going back to Kikyou's office.

 

Walking down the street hand in hand, the couple paused at a corner mailbox to mail in their divorce papers. In their minds at least, both felt their fake marriage had ended.

 

“How about sushi?” Inuyasha asked as their continued their stroll down the sidewalk, their hands still latched together.

 

“I think you just read my mind.” Kagome responded, smiling up at him.

 

They paused in their walk to kiss, before continuing on their way to their first real date.

 

The End

(sans epilogue)

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

A/N: Yes, I'm putting up an epilogue, and possibly a corky alternate ending. As I said above, I may do one-shots in the place of a sequel.

 

Also, I know there are some technical, legal loophole problems, but really I don't want to spend my time researching correct procedures and the like, and I feel like though it would give a few readers closure by making the divorce seem realistic, I believe most of you will skim/skip it. I know I would.

 

And since this is one of the last chapters for this story, I'm plugging my next story.

 

I'm toying with a few different titles: Miko Malice (most likely); Death By Charade; Hanyou Harrow

 

(Working) Summary: Trying to escape tension with his family, Inuyasha finds himself gambling at a seedy tavern. When he wins more than he bargained for, our hanyou is forced to befriend a young neko-hanyou slave named Kagome who is more than she appears to be.

 

Ok, yeah, I know its become a pretty clichéd plot (I've seen the Kagome as hanyou twist in more than one fic) but this story as been bothering me for months and will not go away. I would have written it sooner, but I wanted to get something done before I did. I've had the plot outlined since like February! Basically its several ideas I had that I put in the blender and liquefied into a goopy mass. I hope you'll read.

 

And no, I have not forgotten about my other fics. For any one that cares about them or my new story, here is my tentative writing schedule (which I do not promise to adhere to completely):

 

Finish “Marriage of Convenience”

Chapter of “Better Things Than You”

Edit “Marriage”

First chapter of new story

Chapter of “Better Things”

New story

Finish “Filling the Void”

Continue alternating “Better Things” with new story until one takes off

 

I have not forgotten about “Fortune Tell and a Nerdy Hanyou”, and I'll fit that one in where I can.