InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Better Things than You ❯ Come Clean ( Chapter 15 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha; that is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions. I do not gain financially from this creation.

 

A/N: An update, oh joy! Please, please, please read this all the way through. My pre-reader said it was confusing, so I added a section. Just read to the end before you go “WTF, mate?”

 

Since school is out of the moment, I'm switching from “update which story I want / most popular story” to “update by alternation”. The next story is supposed to be “Filling the Void.” Just so you know. I can change my mind though, I'm like that.

 

Chapter 15

 

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip. She looked on the sight of Inuyasha and Miroku talking together by the fire. It would appear to anyone else they were getting along very well, and in comparison to the last time they had been this close, they were.

 

But it wasn't any thing like the friendship they had shared before Inuyasha's betrayal.

 

Will Inuyasha and I ever be the same again?

 

Even if she ever found it in herself to forgive him, if they were to return to London she doubted there would be a place for them—even as a married couple.

 

I want to forgive him, but he has fooled me before. She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment. I don't know what I would do if he left me like that again.

 

Pushing the thoughts away to be examined again, Kagome followed Sango back to the Amazon's hut.

 

XXXXXXX

 

Months earlier in London…

 

Kikyou stepped off the train and onto the platform. It was one of the last warm days before winter set in and she tried to enjoy it as she made her way out toward the city streets. She looked around from time to time, searching the crowd of people swarming around her in the station. Most would think she was trying to find her family—a young woman unaccompanied—but this was not the case.

 

A tall man, his hair dark and black like her own, suddenly pulled her out of the crowd to the side of the station. For those who did recognize Kikyou through her hat and thin veil, the passersby would have thought it was a young woman meeting with her husband or even brother.

 

“I was starting to think you weren't going to come,” Naraku growled possessively. He leaned down with a predator's grace and kissed the young woman in his embrace, smirking at her childish attempts to replicate the action. She still had so much to learn. The girls of society were all so naïve, to the point of being useless; they could learn so much more if they stopped listening to their mothers and worked in a brothel for a year.

 

He smirked at the thought, pulling back. “Did you get the invitation?”

 

A look of disappointment flashed across Kikyou's face. It always hurt when he switched so quickly from paying attention to her to business.

 

“Of course. Why wouldn't I?” She spoke with a sneer in her voice. Her family name was very old and carried much weight in London society. More harm would be done to the hostess who failed to invite Kikyou, than the heiress herself.

 

Naraku shrugged. “I like to know all my ducks are in a row.” People were beginning to give them wondering glances, and it would not be long before they were openly staring.

 

Taking up Kikyou's hand he began to stroll them down the street. “Now, lets review the plan. I will not have you messing up all the designs I have made because you forgot something crucial.”

 

Kikyou nodded, but grimaced as she looked away.

 

“I've given you two capsules—what are you going to do with them?” Naraku began to interrogate her.

 

“The small green one is to be given to Kagome Higurashi when I take afternoon tea with her at Lady Cadbury's home before the ball. The other I slip into Inuyasha's drink at the ball that night and have one of his friends give it to him.”

 

“Good, you remember. Go on.”

 

“Kagome will be unable to attend the party, or if she does, will not stay long. The drugs I have given her will make her appear ill. Inuyasha will be left alone, and before he has time to leave alone, I'll have him following me home.” Kikyou's voice wavered a little at her own words, but Naraku did paid no notice. He needed her to do this, he was using her, and she was too blind to see. The thought of her greenness made him leer.

 

Naraku turned another corner when he thought he spotted another of his actual respectable acquaintances—they kind he would talk if he and Kikyou were seen out together without a chaperone. If he plan was going work, the last thing he needed was for someone to start gossip about him and Kikyou; she needed to be associated with another hanyou…

 

“And what are you going to do with Inuyasha once you have him?” Naraku purred once they were safely out of sight on a new sidewalk.

 

“I lead him to the servants entrance to my house,” Kikyou paused, swallowing hard. “I don't like this part of the plan,” she complained. “I don't see how it does any good at getting us together.” She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and a young nanny who had been following behind them had to swerve her baby perambulator out of the way to avoid hitting him. She walked past the pair with a glare, but said nothing.

 

Pinching his fingers and thumb over his eyes, Naraku fed Kikyou the lie she needed to hear yet again.

 

“Your father won't let us marry, Kikyou. You know that as well as I do.” Kikyou's bottom lip trembled and she forcefully crossed her arms over her chest, glowering at the pavement to look away from his intense gaze.

 

Or at least you know what I've told you. What she did not know was that he had never even asked her father for her hand.

 

Nor did he have the intention of doing so. Maybe when this was all over and he had the Shikon no Tama Kikyou would make and interesting mistress, but he, Naraku, was not the marrying type.

 

After waiting a beat he could still see she was unresponsive: all those years of being forced into the mold of a perfect Madonna going to battle with what he was asking of her. Naraku charged on.

 

“And this is a way for us to be together and for me to make a fortune. You're just going to be engaged to the younger Takahashi for a while to keep him busy, and when I return you can leave him and we will be married.”

 

“But my reputation—” She was trying to make those pointless social rules dogma again.

 

“Will not matter. I will be too wealthy for any one to care what your reputation may be because money can make all the housewives in London forget you stole Inuyasha away from the Higurashi wench.” Naraku saw Kikyou relax, she flicked her eye over him, a tiny childish smile tugging on her lips.

 

“Once you get Inuyasha into your house, what do you do with him?” Naraku turned, offering her his arm again. She hesitated then took looped her arm through his as they took up their walk again.

 

“I …” a blush flushed her face, “I take him into my father's study, and,” again she gave a nervous gulp, “I make sure we are found.”

 

“And just how are you going to do that,” Naraku pressed. All the other details of his plan he was sure she would be able to pull off, but this last part was where Kikyou would have to bleed. He had to know she would be ready. “How will you be found?”

 

Unaware, Kikyou slowed her pace. “My governess.” She was silent and Naraku had to nudge her as they walked. “She waits for me at the top of the stairs. I'll make sure she sees us when I move from the kitchen to the study. She won't stop us, but the moment my parents are home…they'll be the first one she talks to.”

 

“And don't worry about that—I'll see that your parents will be following you closely.” Naraku reassured. “Good Kikyou, good. I think things are ready.” He smiled down at her, patting her hand. Like an obedient child, she beamed up at him, trusting.

 

If only she knew….

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

“And that's what she told me they had done.” Inuyasha wiped his face with hand from the sweat of the day and the strain of telling the story Kikyou had related to him.

 

“So you knew where Kagome was all the time,” Miroku pointed out scowling at the hanyou.

 

“No, that I did not know” Inuyasha tried to defend himself without losing his patience. “Kikyou said Naraku didn't want me to be with Kagome, and that they had this long drawn out plan to keep us separated. I honestly did not know she was on a godforsaken ship until I went looking for her at your house.” He chanced a glance at Miroku who still did not look happy. “Your mother told me she had run away. All I could do was follow.”

 

Miroku was silent for some time. First he fisted his hands over his knees, then he just stared into the fire. “Why?”

 

“Because I wanted to know she was safe—the thought she would actually board a ship terrified—”

 

“No,” Miroku said slowly. “Why were you doing looking for her anyway? What right did you think you had to see her in the first place?” His questions were level, but Inuyasha knew him well enough to know the anger beneath them.

 

If the bitterness had not been there, the hanyou probably would have laughed at the similarity of the man's speech to his stepmother's concern for Kagome.

 

Inuyasha suddenly found himself very shy, but he needed to get his out in the open. “I wanted see her, at the time I hoped she'd take me back.” He bitterly shook his head at the thought. “I know, I was a fool.”

 

Miroku scowled, “Last time I checked, you were hardly in a position to be seeking Kagome's hand in marriage. Not that she'd have you.”

 

The last sentence stung, but Inuyasha pushed it aside. Miroku was listening to him and maybe when it was all said and done the two of them would be able to at least speak civilly to one another. From there, perhaps they could even regain at least some of the footing he had destroyed.

 

And if he could get back in the graces of the brother, it might only be a hop, skip, and a jump to the sister. Inuyasha recognized the demon's ruthlessness on his thoughts, the selfish need to do anything to get what he wanted, but he ignored it. He had to use human calm to deal with this; it was the only way to be fair to Kagome.

 

Inuyasha tried to think of the best way to answer Miroku's question. “Its complicated, but I think in the end Kikyou's parents were putting too much pressure on her to marry me.” Out of the corner of his eye he could see Miroku bristle, but still he went on. “Like I said, her part in this was because she wanted to be with Naraku, and she was afraid he wouldn't return from wherever he had gone in time. In the end, she released me. As soon as I was free, I went to Kagome.”

 

He thought it sounded reasonable enough, but obviously Miroku did not.

 

“So you didn't leave Kikyou on your own, you just waited till she gave you an out?”

 

Inuyasha was thrown by the question. What did it matter who left who? The fact was he was back to be there for Kagome.

 

“I—I,” he tried to speak, but no words were forming for him.

 

Miroku on the other hand suddenly had enough to say to make up for the both of them.

 

“That's right, honor or duty or what some other woman's parents thought was more important to you than Kagome. Something goes wrong, and you are more than willing to let her go than face the consequences.” He was staring straight into the flames as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Inuyasha didn't protest, knowing Miroku was not looking at him so he wouldn't attack him. “You bloody had to wait until Kikyou released you before you were even man enough to come and try to get Kagome to take you back. If you ask me, I don't give a spot if you came all the way across the poxy ocean and forest to find her and rescue her, you still do not and will not deserve her.”

 

Miroku seemed to be winding down, at least Inuyasha hoped he was as he dared to defend himself.

 

“Don't you think I tried? I fended Kikyou's parents off for months after it happened and I thought everything would be fine, but then they went behind my back to Sesshomaru. Threatened him with going to the papers if I didn't marry their daughter—they would do anything to get her to marry me.” Inuyasha sucked in another breath to continue, but in the small space where he paused, Miroku was already speaking—though now more like yelling—again.

 

“You were with another woman—a social rival of Kagome's—and for months you could not tell her? You just went along with it as though nothing had happened?”

 

“You are hardly one to talk when it comes to women—” Inuyasha tried to point out.

 

“Girls in a dance hall are bloody different Inuyasha!” Miroku exploded, angry eyes turning on Kagome, hands flying in the air in an expression of despair. “You forget about them! We're talking about Kagome and the woman you left her for.”

 

“I didn't leave Kagome! I was forced away!” Inuyasha mocked Miroku's exasperated tone, his anger equaling Miroku's.

 

“Fine, they had your back to a wall, I get that,” he conceded with a sneer, his posture slumping forward toward the flames his words softening. “What I don't understand is how you have them fuel for their fire in the first place. You know as well as I do that you do not go cavorting around with society women—especially ones with titles—and expect to get away from it. If you care about Kagome so damn much, what were doing with Kikyou in the first place?”

 

“I told you, she drugged me! I don't remember much except waking up with their damn butler hitting me over the head with a broom!” Inuyasha growled, turning himself away from Miroku, facing the fire as well.

 

Miroku could see they were getting nowhere. He rubbed his face in his hands. He knew he was knit picking, saying things he felt, but wanted to let go of instead of clinging to. Like Inuyasha, he wanted to put this behind them—as much as he could forgive and forget. However, the hanyou's attempts to make himself look like victim were not aiding Inuyasha's case in Miroku's eyes.

 

“So you were drugged? It doesn't change the fact you lied to Kagome for months and then left her in the end.” He spoke more calmly this time.

 

“What do you want me say?” Inuyasha asked a little desperately. His shoulders slumped and his ears drooped. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but obviously I was only making it worse. I'm sorry for hurting you and Kagome.” Inuyasha bowed his head. “If there is any way—any way—that I can make this right, I'll do it.”

 

Miroku was quiet yet again, the gears in his head turning. He could continue this argument, but his grievances were getting old even to him. For months he had wanted to have this conversation with Inuyasha, to find out what really happened, and to have his own say. He took a calming breath, sighing slowly. Too much time had been spent on this topic already, if not in the present then over weeks he had spent planning on what exactly he would tell Inuyasha. He was trapped in the jungle with only a few other men, and he needed allies if he ever wanted to see London again.

 

He began slowly, a warning tone in his voice, “I'm not saying I forgive you. I want you to understand that first and foremost.”

 

Inuyasha nodded, holding his tongue and wanting to hear what his friend had to say.

 

“First, I guess if you hurt anyone it was my sister and not me. If I'm honest with myself, the fact you are here should be proof—at least to me—you aren't quite as heartless as I have thought recently.”

 

Inuyasha couldn't help but look hopeful.

 

“So secondly, if Kagome will forgive you, I can too. But I don't want you perusing her. Please leave her be and please, please don't tell her what you've told me.” Miroku leaned towards the flames, waving away Inuyasha's look of surprise. Meeting his friend's eyes, Miroku tried to explain. “Kagome doesn't need to know what a dolt you are—she might not even care you waited for an out until you came to her. Just protect her and when we're back to London let her be. I honestly don't know how much more she can take.”

 

Inuyasha nodded. He knew it wasn't the best time tell Miroku he had no intention just letting Kagome go—it was going to be her decision. Miroku was not the one he wanted to marry, so it was not going to be Miroku who dictated which women he would and wouldn't pursue.

 

“Shaky truce?” Miroku asked, offering Inuyasha his hand.

 

“Shaky truce.” Inuyasha nodded, taking his friends hand.

 

Inuyasha let out of the breath he had been holding since the conversation began. This was a good start…. Next, Kagome.

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

Naraku sat in the dark of the hut where those women had stashed him.

 

He allowed himself a momentary reverie, envisioning for a moment their scantily clad forms, dancing before his eyes.

 

No, no, not now. Later.

 

He tried to focus on the present; in the present he had problems.

 

Fucking Kikyou. All you fucking had to do was keep the hanyou happy with you for a little longer. If only you had given me more time, I would have been able to get control of the Higurashi wench and she would have used the jewel for me.

 

Now he was not sure where his plans stood.

 

The last thing he needed was for Inuyasha and Kagome to be in the same damn jungle in the same damn village holding hands and skipping like bloody school girls.

 

Kagome needed to be his so the jewel could be his.

 

Kagome could not be his if she was drooling after the mutt.

 

He needed Inuyasha to be out of the picture, he needed the wench to be alone and vulnerable. Only then would he truly be able to manipulate her. Kagome was an extremely powerful miko, even if she didn't know it herself, and using her to use the jewel would increase its power. The power would be incredible.

 

Naraku felt himself salivating at the thought.

 

But you have to get away from the hanyou first.

 

He cursed in to himself in the dark of the hut.

 

Everything had been so perfect when he had left London. He had been following Kagome who by all accounts had been prime for his purposes. Kouga was leading her and her brother right where he needed the wench. But now he was here, trapped by ninja women, Kagome, from what he could smell, was making eyes at the hanyou, and the mutt, from what he could hear and smell, was planning on making go after the girl.

 

Sucking in a deep breath, Naraku tried to clear his mind.

 

Ok, so the girl was around the hanyou. He would do what he could to keep them apart, but considering how tight the bounds were, that wasn't much.

 

He would only have one break, and it would have to be soon. He'd have to work quickly, but Naraku decided the best plan of action was to free himself, grab the jewel, grab the miko, and make a run for Kouga and his many many speedy pretty ships.

 

As long as he got to her before Inuyasha gave her hope, she could be corrupted, and the jewel would be darkly his. His to do whatever he wanted.

 

Again, Naraku leered in the dark.