InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale Twice Told ❯ A Man With a Past ( Chapter 9 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of  their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. In other words, I don't own and I make no money from this.

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Kikyou…

Just one name and a thousand memories swam to Inuyasha’s head. He had always associated her with the warm sun and blue sea and fresh air. Sitting across from her in the subdued lights of the old parlour seemed unreal to him somehow – as if something did not quite fit. But her voice had the same sultry timbre, her laughter the same satin overtones that wrapped him in a charm of its own. He enjoyed talking to her – that was something he could not deny. After a short time he felt himself opening up and laughing heartily along with her, forgetting his recent worries about Kagome.

“You were the president of the drama club!” she exclaimed.

“And looking for a suitable Portia,” he added. “And dreading lest I had to cast Sango for the part. I was so happy when I ran into you, that crisp autumn morning.”

“I still don’t know why you cast me in that role,” she laughed. “Even though I had zero acting experience!”

“Maybe the way your hair fell about your face, or your eyes, or the smile you gave me, or your perfume,” he shrugged, “something just clicked.”

“And then the long rehearsals!” She rolled her eyes.

“In my defence, you were a rank amateur! Ah, the pains I have taken to improve your elocution, I’d have made Henry Higgins proud!” He dashed away an imaginary tear, causing Kikyou to hit him playfully with her purse.

“You were busy falling in love with me the whole time,” she shouted animatedly.

“That, too. You were so out of my league that I was surprised you agreed at all.”

“I think we’d met all over the place – in the library, in cafés, in the park…”

“…once even on the theatre stage!” he completed for her.

Kikyou sighed. “There was so much chemistry. I’ve missed that in all my subsequent relationships.”

Inuyasha suddenly felt self-conscious. There was a time he could not wait to make Kikyou his wife. But try as they did, they could not meld their lives together. Their goals had clashed and both had been equally stubborn about having to give up their dreams. Inuyasha was heart-broken, but he knew they had made the right decision. Reviving all those memories seemed quite pointless to him now.

Not to mention the fact that he was married. He had informed her about his changed status over the phone but she had pretended as if she had not heard. He knew bringing it up again might be awkward. A frown marred his face as his mind flew towards his wife once more.

Kagome had been anything but normal since her outburst four days ago. At first, she had maintained a civil front before the servants, coming down for breakfast and dinner. Gradually, she had stopped doing even that, clinging to the bed night and day and refusing to eat more than an occasional bowl of soup. He was worried about the effect of this abstinence on her body. It couldn't be just his imagination, she felt much thinner, frailer, when he held her at night. He had tried talking to her, personally set food before her, practically begging, then even ordering her to eat. But she would refuse, simply saying she wasn't hungry if she said anything at all. She would neither listen to his entreaties nor communicate with him, simply turning away when he tried. Finding himself unable to tackle the situation, he had called Mama for help. She had wasted no time in rushing over to the mansion.

Flashback

“She is looking so pallid and frail, I just don’t know what to do,” he had confessed to Mama. “She won’t even talk to me,” he added miserably.

“It’s okay, don’t worry dear,” Mama had said reassuringly as she patted his shoulder, “I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.”

She went inside their bedroom and shut the door. Inuyasha was curious to hear what Mama would say, but Jaken was coming towards him, carrying a card on a tray. He was surprised to read the name upon it.

End Flashback

A jerk on his knee brought him out of his thoughts. Kikyou was poking him, an almost anxious look upon her face.

“It’s alright if you can’t finance the project at the moment,” she said. “You don’t have to look so glum about it!”

Project? What project? He had completely missed what she had been saying, so lost in his thoughts and worries about his wife.

“No, no it’s not about that at all,” he laughed uncomfortably, trying to hide his inattentiveness. “Say what, let’s go out for dinner and discuss your project in detail.”

Kikyou smiled as she raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like a plan to me, but won’t your…er…wife mind?”

“She’ll be fine,” he laughed, perhaps a bit nervously. “In fact she’ll be glad to be rid of me for a few hours. Her mother has come to visit.”

“Ah!” Kikyou teased, “The dreaded mother-in-law!”

“Hey, she’s nice! She’s been-”

He noticed Kikyou’s eyes looking behind him, toward the doorway. Inuyasha turned slightly in his seat and followed her glance to see Kagome standing there. ‘Oops, have we been too loud? Did the noise disturb her?’ he thought anxiously as he rose to escort her into the room. As he came closer, however, he noticed Kagome looking slightly better in spite of having a concerned look in her eyes. There was even some color back in her cheeks. Actually, just seeing her out of bed was a pleasant change. Feeling relieved and grateful, he put an arm around her shoulders and led her to the middle of the room.

“Kagome, meet my very dear friend, Kikyou. Kikyou, this is my wife, Kagome.”

The women greeted each other with smiles, but refrained from speaking. Inuyasha felt the need to melt the ice between them.

“Kikyou and I…um…we went to the same college. She was a year senior to me.” He did not want to advertise their past relationship in front of his wife. No need to bring up a topic like that considering the current situation.

“But friendship doesn’t depend upon age,” Kikyou said.

Inuyasha felt embarrassed at the emphasis she placed on ‘friendship’. 'Is she trying to cause a problem?' He shook his head slightly. 'No, Kikyou wouldn't do anything like that. I'm just imagining things.' He began speaking to fill the silence that was threatening as the two women simply stared at one another.

“Right. Kikyou is a very active environmentalist. Our party has promised to partially fund her research.” He stayed purposefully vague regarding the nature of the research, as he had not heard a word of what she had said earlier.

“I’m sure you are doing very important work,” Kagome said as she smiled again. It appeared a bit forced but Inuyasha was glad to see even that small bit of emotion after the last few days.

“Yes, some of us need to use our brains to go through life. Not all of us are fortunate enough to be born as heiresses.”

‘Damn! What the hell was Kikyou trying to do? Stooping to such levels…’ He saw Kagome become stiffer out of the corner of his eye. 'And she had been making progress too,' he groaned silently.

Kikyou smiled again, though it looked a touch insincere. “It was just a joke. I hope you didn’t mind.”

Inuyasha felt the need to immediately distance Kikyou from Kagome. He did not want her jealous barbs to undo what Mama had been able to achieve after four days.

“Erm, we were just leaving,” he said hurriedly. “I’m taking Kikyou out for dinner. I might be late so don’t stay up, okay?”

Kagome nodded and turned to leave the room. Inuyasha saw something flash across her face as she did so. What, he couldn't say but it caused a flash of concern and worry to shoot through him. He frowned and nearly followed her from the room. He stopped as Kikyou started fumbling with her coat. 'Feh, she'll be alright. I'm sure I'm just imagining things, again.' He turned and helped Kikyou with her coat.

“Thank you,” she flashed a dazzling smile at him.

‘Oh this will be a long night,’ he sighed as he led her out of the house.

A short drive later, the duo found themselves at the restaurant of the hotel where Kikyou was staying for the night. She had insisted on sitting in a quiet corner, and he had seen no harm in it. They did have something serious to discuss.

“So, what’s this project that you were talking about?” Inuyasha asked.

Throughout the first course of the meal Kikyou talked animatedly about her project and the infrastructure it would require, its chances of being successful and where the money would help. Inuyasha listened carefully and promised to make the appropriate contributions, if necessary out of his own pocket. Not only did the project sound like a good one, one that would help a great many people, but he dearly wished her to succeed and be happy in life.

With that thought in mind he asked her how things had been going in her personal life.

Kikyou sighed, glancing away. “I've tried dating a few times but none of the relationships last. They just don't feel right.” She turned back to him with a smile. “But I've been quite busy with my work. You know how happy it makes me to see the good we can do.”

Conversation then turned towards his own marriage and Inuyasha found himself pouring his heart to her, telling her everything from the circumstances of the wedding to their subsequent difficulties, the lack of consummation, their gradually coming closer and then everything breaking down with one outburst from Kagome. He told her how much he had hoped to work things out with his wife, his despair at not being able to reach her, and his realization that they would probably never go back to being friends again, if they ever were to begin with. Kikyou listened sympathetically, making the appropriate noises of commiseration, between many glasses of wine. Inuyasha was feeling lighter than he did in almost three months, realizing that he had sorely been in need of a friend, someone he could confide in. The hours had flown by on rosy wings.

It was quite late when he took his leave of her in front of the elevator. Kikyou had leaned in for a kiss, but Inuyasha turned his head, allowing his cheek to brush against her lips quickly before taking a step away.

“Do you need to be so formal, Inuyasha Taishou?” the woman laughed. “It’s me, come on! You can do better than that.” She slurred her words with a hint of sauciness. “My room is right upstairs; won’t you stop in for a…night cap?”

“I’d rather not, thank you,” he replied with a slight grin and a bit of a twinkle in his eyes.

“Why? Am I not good enough for you?” she pouted.

To tell the truth, at that moment she looked very appealing, standing sassily with one hand upon her waist, her dress slipping a notch to reveal her ivory skin, a hint of wine in her breath. It would be so easy to slip into her room, Inuyasha thought, have a few hours of fun and then return as if nothing had happened. It had been so long since he had been with a woman. Just like that, he could break the vows of marriage – between a hot ex and a few glasses of Chardonnay. Kagome would never know. Inuyasha laughed inwardly at the idea, sobering as the reality of the situation hit him.

“You are beautiful, but I’d rather not cross that line.”

“Aww,” she traced his chin with a finger. “Wife put a chastity belt on you?”

He waved his left hand at her, the light glinting off of his wedding ring. “As good as.”

Kikyou threw her head back and laughed. “You are so hopeless! This is classic you – you could feel the passion between us back in college, yet you wouldn’t spend the night with me till after we were married. And look where that has led us to!”

“I’m sorry that things didn’t work out between us,” Inuyasha apologized, yet again, wondering how many times he would have to do so. He wasn't the only one to blame for their relationship ending. But it would be of no use to point that out to her, at least not now.

“Do you even have it in you to satisfy a woman?” Kikyou’s face was slightly contorted with rage, colour rushing to her cheeks.

Inuyasha blinked, forcing down the rush of anger that statement caused. “Kikyou, what’s gotten into you?” What’s wrong with all of the women in my life?

“Couldn't satisfy me then, can't satisfy your wife now!” Kikyou laughed bitterly. “Rejecting me tonight was a big mistake. I’ll make you pay for it someday!” Kikyou hissed as she re-arranged her stole and pressed the elevator button.

“No, you won’t,” Inuyasha said gravely, forcing himself to ignore the comment about being unable to satisfy Kagome. “You are not that kind of a woman, Kikyou. You know the difference between right and wrong, and I have always trusted you to do the right thing.”

Kikyou stopped fiddling with her stole to look at him, tears rising to her eyes. “Why can’t things be different between us? Like the way they used to be?”

Inuyasha shrugged, not having an easy answer for her, at least not one she would accept at the moment. “That time is gone. Let’s leave the past to where it belongs. No use exhuming corpses out of the grave.”

“Corpses, huh? Then so be it.”

The elevator had come. Kikyou sighed and stepped in, but as the doors were closing, she gave him a big smile. “Give me a call if your marriage cracks.”

Inuyasha smiled back. “I promise.” He wouldn't though, no matter how badly it may get between he and Kagome. He had promised to forsake all others on the day he married her. And he was a man of his word, taking his vows seriously. He turned and left the hotel, heading home to his wife.