InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Of Strings and Kevlar ❯ From the Outside Looking In ( Chapter 10 )

A/N: There is some mild drug use about mid-way through this chapter (marijuana). This fic is rated appropriately with the required warnings in place, so if you have strong feelings concerning the use of drugs and are likely to be offended when it is displayed in a somewhat humorous manner, you should not be reading it. There was a minor uproar last time when I posted this chapter (despite my warnings beforehand), and quite frankly, it was a little ridiculous. So, for the record, any hissy-fit reviews accusing me of glamorizing drug use or corrupting our children will be ignored. That's all I will say on the matter.

DISCLAIMER: I don't Inuyasha.

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“Are you okay, Kagome?”

Sango watched her cousin's reaction carefully as they climbed the steps to their apartment, knowing that she was, in fact, definitely not okay. The first week of classes had flown by, and since today was Friday, there had been drumline rehearsal that evening. All week, rehearsals had been tense and uncomfortable thanks to the stifling air of awkwardness surrounding the center snare and cymbal section leader, which most considered to be much worse than the hostility of the previous two weeks. Far be it from anyone to bring this up to either of these two players, however, for fear of getting a new asshole ripped into them by the male or being rendered deaf by the female.

However, Sango was done playing this game. She was reminded of Kagome's behavior from the week before, which had taken a noticeable turn for the better at Chimes last Friday night, but then had descended into a relapse the following day after her fallout with Inuyasha. She hated seeing Kagome like this, and as much as she didn't want to feel bad for her considering it was her decision to push him away in the first place, she couldn't help but sympathize with her... just a little.

As expected, Kagome scowled upon hearing the seemingly innocent question and looked down to dig for her keys in her purse. “I'm fine, Sango. I don't want to talk about it, all right?”

“Too bad,” Sango shot back as Kagome continued to search for her keys, a little more agitatedly now. “You need to talk about it. You can't just bury it inside. That's how aneurisms happen.”

To Sango's surprise, Kagome actually cracked a smile at her lame joke. Finally finding her keys, she unlocked their door and opened it. “I guess.”

`Thank the Kami!' Sango followed her inside and shut the door, pulling her toward the couch. “So? Let's talk. Why have you been so angry all week?”

Rolling her eyes, Kagome pulled out of her grasp and threw her purse on the table. “Jeez, Sango, can't I get a glass of water first?”

“Fine, but hurry up.” Sango sat down on the sofa and kicked her sandals off, well aware of the fact that her cousin was just delaying. “Get me one, too!”

Returning from the kitchen, Kagome handed her a glass of ice water. “Here you are, Your Highness.”

“Why, thank you, my loyal subject,” Sango replied without missing a beat. As Kagome sat, Sango gave her all of two seconds to sip her water before she went on the offensive. “Okay, enough stalling. Tell me what's going on.”

She sighed heavily. “You know what's going on. I told Inuyasha to leave me alone so I can work things out with Koga, and I guess it's been a little weird when we have to be around each other now.”

Sango almost spilled her water in disbelief. “You guess? A little weird? Kagome, I don't think Watergate was this awkward.”

Kagome blushed. “Well, that's to be expected.”

“Yeah, but you two have been acting like the world is ending!” Sango took Kagome's hand before she could stand and run away, taking the moment to carefully choose her next words. “Kags, I'm worried about you. I think…I think you might be trying to force something that doesn't fit.”

Despite her grip, Kagome wrenched her hand free and scooted away. “Sango, don't you start! I can take care of myself! I don't need you telling me how I feel, too.”

Sango sighed and nodded. “So is that what this is about? You're mad because Inuyasha saw that you have feelings for him?”

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she stammered a bit before looking away, her blush darkening. “I… I don't have feelings for him.”

Sango froze in her spot, her nose wrinkling in disbelief. “Are you serious?” When Kagome just looked at her, she raised her eyebrows. “No, really. Are you serious? I need to know if you're serious, because if you are, I need to make a reservation for you at the mental hospital.”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Give me a break, Sango,” she muttered.

“No, you give me a break! You're so damn blind, Kagome! When are you going to wake up? Do you really have no idea how not into Koga you are? Because everyone else can see it!” she yelled.

She reeled and stared at Sango in shocked anger. “Take that back, Sango,” she warned.

“No!” Sango scooted closer again. “Tell me this. How are things with Koga recently? And I mean `within-the-past-week' recently. Hmm? Going well?”

Kagome's face darkened. “That's none of your business.”

“That's what I thought,” Sango pushed, smelling blood in the water. “Kagome, listen to yourself! You haven't felt anything for Koga in a long time; I know this. In fact, I have to wonder if you ever felt anything for him at all?”

The apartment was suddenly too quiet, with one woman waiting for a response and the other unable to come up with one as she fought with her emotions. After a minute or two, Sango sighed, knowing it was time to point out the giant pink elephant in the room. “I know why you're scared to break up with him,” she began softly.

And the stubborn girl finally broke down, burying her face in her hands and exploding into a fit of sobs. “God, Sango, I just… I just don't want what happened!” she cried.

“I know.” Sango wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders. “But Koga isn't Hojo. He won't… he won't act out. I think he's a pretty rational guy, Kagome. Just give him the chance to walk away, before he really gets hurt.” She shook her shoulders a little. “You know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” she said, sniffling. “But what if he does…?”

Sango looked to the floor, thinking. She really didn't think Koga would flip out on Kagome the way Hojo did, but despite his even temperament, the wolf had always seemed just a little off to her, as if he were holding something back. She couldn't be sure, but nonetheless, she didn't think he was mentally unstable. And if he cared for Kagome as much as he claimed to, he would probably just want her to be happy and let her go. Right?

“Sango?”

She looked back at her cousin and tried for a reassuring smile. “I don't think you have anything to worry about,” she said, ignoring her instincts. “Just tell him the truth… minus the Inuyasha part, obviously.”

“Obviously.” Kagome sniffled again and looked at her hands.

They sat there for a long while, Sango rubbing her back soothingly as Kagome curbed her tears. But just as Sango thought she had gotten her point across and convinced her to end things with Koga, Kagome sat up with a bolt, scaring her half to death.

“Kagome, what -”

“No! I can't do it.” Standing up, she turned and faced a stunned Sango. “I have to give Koga a chance. I know I can love him the way he loves me; I just have to be patient. I owe him that much, don't I? I mean, he's been so patient with me.”

“Are you still singing that song?” Sango stood as well, her patience running thin. “This whole `give him a chance' idea of yours is really getting old. When are you going to realize that you can't force how you feel?”

“It's not forcing! I really do care about him! I just need to care about him a little more,” she argued half-heartedly.

“Do you hear yourself?!” Sango yelled. “You're only fucking with him now, and yourself! No good can come of this, Kagome! You cannot force yourself to be with someone you don't love!”

Fire danced in the girl's eyes. “You sound just like Inuyasha!”

“Well, maybe he knows what he's talking about!”

Kagome gasped. “Sango, stay out of it! This is none of your business anyway! Just stay out of my life!”

Sango's lip trembled at the hurtful words, but she kept her tears at bay. Pushing her chin out, she kept her voice low and even out of fear of showing how badly she had been cut. “Fine, Kagome. I'll stay out of your life. Go ahead and fuck it up all you want. I won't stop you.”

“Augh!” Kagome shrieked and threw her hands up in disgust as she strode away angrily toward her bedroom.

Letting a few tears slip past her lids, Sango quickly wiped them away and grabbed her purse. Like hell was she going to let Kagome do this to herself. But what could she do to help her when she obviously didn't want any help?

She wasn't sure, but she had an idea where to start looking for answers. She slipped her sandals back on and headed out the door in search of the hentai's insight.

***

Miroku closed his eyes and sat back on his bed in his dorm room, leaning against the wall. “I just don't get it, Yash.”

The hanyou sat in the office chair next to the bed and shrugged. “What's not to get? She didn't want me. Fuck her.”

Miroku snorted at Inuyasha's supposed sudden lack of interest in the cellist, earning a sharp glare for his outburst. “No, there's more to it than that. She's into you—everyone can see that. But she doesn't want to leave Koga.”

Inuyasha gave his friend an incredulous look. “Gee, you think? I didn't pick up on that at all.”

Shaking his head again, he gave Inuyasha a look of his own, wondering how he could be so smart and so dense at the same time. He'd been pissed off at the world all week, jumping down the throat of anyone who so much as looked in his direction. Kagome had been in a mood since then, too, coaxing Miroku to steer clear of their apartment for the week, but she wasn't nearly as bad as Inuyasha had been, though he hadn't said a word to Miroku about the argument. In the hopes of getting him to open up—or at least relax a little—he had invited the hanyou over after drumline rehearsal that afternoon for a little recreation. Thirty minutes and half a joint later, the glum but noticeably less tense half-demon finally spilled his guts about exactly what took place in the apartment that Saturday morning.

Miroku shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe you came on too strong? Despite her attitude, she's actually pretty shy when it comes to guys. At least, that's what Sango says. I've only ever seen her with Koga.”

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. “Will you stop saying his fucking name?” Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, he mumbled, “It makes me wanna puke.”

“You sure that's not the weed?”

A hint of a smile graced the hanyou's lips, bringing one to Miroku's as well. “Nah. I'm feelin' pretty good right now.”

He chuckled. “Good to hear. Why don't you take those good feelings over to the practice room? You've sounded like ass all week.”

His head languidly rose again. “Shut the fuck up. I outplay all of you clowns. I just need to tweak a few things.”

“Tweak? You need to fuckin' practice, dude. You'd better be careful, or you'll lose your spot on Dr. Higgins' roster. It's been known to happen.”

Inuyasha's ear flicked, but he shrugged nonchalantly. “I'll be fine. He won't drop me.”

But Miroku saw the concern in his face and knew his point had gotten across. He closed his eyes again and rested his head on the cool concrete of the dorm wall. “I'm fuckin' hungry. You want to order a pizza?”

“No, I think I am gonna head over to the Annex to practice,” he replied without getting up.

Miroku nodded. “You ever practiced while high?”

Inuyasha shook his head.

Miroku laughed. “It's like….” He shrugged. “Well, you'll see. I'll tell you one thing; you'll definitely feel inspired.”

He nodded silently, and Miroku could tell he wasn't listening anymore. In truth, Miroku felt bad for him. The guy was obviously falling hard for Kagome, and she had crushed his nuts with her rejection. Since noticing that Kagome very obviously returned Inuyasha's feelings, Miroku had hoped that the hanyou would be able to pull her out of the deathtrap relationship she was in, but the girl was so damn stubborn.

“You got anything to eat?”

Miroku smiled, setting the troubling thoughts aside for now. “I told you. Pizza?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

He stretched out on his bed to reach for the phone on his desk, which was just out of his reach. After a few more seconds of grunting and stretching some more, he finally gave up and collapsed on the bed. “Yash, hand me the phone, will you?”

“Dude, you're closer than me! Get it yourself.”

“Ungh….” Miroku scooted along the bed far enough to finally reach it. Picking it up, he started to punch numbers but soon realized the phone number that he normally dialed without thinking had momentarily escaped him. Turning the phone off, he looked at his friend. “What's the number?”

“Fuck, you're asking me? You're baked.”

“Damn,” he mumbled, wracking his brain. He stared into space for a bit, almost not noticing the knock on the door.

Inuyasha's eyes widened, and he kicked the bed. “Dude, someone's at your door!” he hissed.

Miroku slowly stood, ignoring the panicking hanyou who had now jumped onto his bed so as not to be seen by whomever was on the other side of the door. “Will you calm down? It's probably just….” He thought a moment. “Well, I don't know who it is, but chill out!” He rolled his eyes as Inuyasha flipped him off and pressed himself against the wall, crouching on the bed. Miroku shook his head and pulled open the door.

“Miroku!” Sango hissed, her beautiful chestnut eyes widened in that sexy way they always did when she was angry. “What the hell are you doing? I can smell the smoke from out here in the hallway!”

“Beautiful Sango,” Miroku murmured, stepping forward to grasp her around her trim waist. Suddenly the troubles surrounding Inuyasha and Kagome were long gone. “Don't fret, my love. You're always so tense. I think you need to join us.”

“Us?” her eyes narrowed. “Who's in there with you?”

“Now, now, my luscious queen,” he cooed seductively as he leaned forward and nibbled on her earlobe in the way he knew always got her wet. “You know you're the only woman for me. It's just Yash, and -”

“Oi, you fucking baka!”

Sango's eyes went wide again, her full, rosy, kissable lips lifting in amusement. “Yash?” she whispered.

Miroku nodded, lavishing her neck with wet kisses. “Mmm. You taste exquisite today, my love.”

“Miroku, stop!” She shoved him playfully with a sexy glint in her eyes, and he licked his lips with the realization of untold promises to come. If only he could get Inuyasha out of his room.

“Yo, Yash….” He stepped back into his room to see the hanyou sitting on the edge of his bed, glaring at him. `Uh-oh.'

“No way, dude!” Inuyasha protested, rising to his feet. “You're not kicking me out while I'm like this just so you can get some ass!”

“What?!” Sango finally made her entry into the dorm room, hands on hips. Her eyes swiveled from Inuyasha to Miroku. “Miroku, I know you're not trying to get him busted! Besides, you can't get it up when you're high anyway!”

“Hey!” the boy exclaimed, heat flushing his face as he got called out by his woman, in front of an assumingly stamina-rich hanyou, no less. “I-I don't have any trouble -”

But before he could finish stammering out his defense, Inuyasha doubled over in laughter. His hearty guffaws made even more blood rush to Miroku's face, but soon enough Inuyasha fell to the floor in quite the hilarious fashion, taking the office chair and a stack of music books on the desk down with him. At this point, Miroku forgot about his own embarrassment and started chuckling at the scene before him. When Inuyasha's cell phone started ringing, the two stopped laughing, glanced at each other, and fell into another fit as Inuyasha reached for the device sitting on Miroku's desk.

Irritated, Sango shook her head. “You're both nuts! Miroku, I wanted to talk to you about something, but since you're obviously out of commission at the moment, I'll come back later.” She turned to leave.

The urgency in Sango's voice gave Miroku pause, and he struggled to compose himself as he chased her into the hallway. “Wait, Sango!”

Sighing, she turned and put one hand on her hip in annoyance. “What is it?”

He smiled brightly, thankful she had stopped. This was important! “Sango, my dear, my love… can you go get us some pizza?”

***

Sighing to himself as he read over the contract in his hands, Sesshomaru wondered for not the first time that week why the publishing company for which he worked was considering merging with a much smaller one, whose contract he was currently picking apart. They had nothing to offer; no name recognition or profit margin. Their customer base was minimal, and their signed authors were laughable at best. He shook his head. Leave it to the higher-ups to make such a doom-worthy decision, especially considering how iron-clad their contract draft was.

He shook his head and dropped the papers on his desk. Ever since his divorce from the wind bitch, his life had not gone according to plan. Yes, he finally completed his law degree, but instead of moving on to study for his bar exam, he had taken the first opportunity to leave Philadelphia that arose and moved to New Orleans: the armpit of the western hemisphere. He'd been working for this damned publishing company for nearly five years, and every day was a struggle to return, but he did it because of what he had learned from his father.

“Always do your best and never give up. There will be shit jobs, but you have to push through and earn your keep before making it in the real business world. You can do it, Sesshomaru. You have to. Kami-sama knows your brother isn't going to….”

Sesshomaru's lip twitched, undetectable by anyone except for those who knew to look for it.

Sensing the approach of the wolf, he dispelled the thoughts of his shit-stain of a brother and stacked the papers of the contract he was supposed to be reviewing in a neat pile. By the time Koga rapped on his door, Sesshomaru was already looking at him.

“Hey, Sessh,” he called, clearly unmoved by the inu's cold stare. “You wanna grab some grub?”

“I cannot,” he intoned, placing the contract back in its folder and setting it in his in-box on his immaculate cherry wood desk. “I need to place some calls to finalize the details for an event I'm throwing next Saturday.”

“Event?” Koga stepped inside the office, taking it upon himself to sit in the leather chair across from Sesshomaru's desk. “What kind of event?”

Eyeing his uninvited guest with disdain, Sesshomaru answered his friend unemotionally. “It is a charity ball in honor of my father. I am raising money for a youkai scholarship in his name. May I ask who offered you a seat in my office?”

“Charity ball, huh?” Koga asked, unperturbedly examining his claws. He seemed to be accustomed to Sesshomaru's mannerisms and typically took them in stride, which unnerved the inu to no end, but he let it slide because Koga had been a good friend when Sesshomaru had first started working at the company.

“Yes,” he finally answered. “The scholarship will be eligible to youkai undergraduate students who have exemplary high school records and show an aptitude in youkai ancestry and culture.”

“Interesting. In your father's name, you said?”

Another eyebrow twitch. “Yes. My father was killed this summer.”

Koga's eyebrows shot up in genuine concern. “Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't know.”

“How would you,” he coolly replied. “He was mugged and gunned down in Tokyo while going for a walk after an argument he had with my bastard half brother, whom I'm almost regretting telling that he needs to be at the event.”

Shaking his head, Koga seemed to sympathize, which only irritated Sesshomaru more. “Damn.”

“I don't need your pity, wolf.”

“I don't pity you, dog,” he shot back. “I just think it's fucked up that he died because… you said because he had an argument with your brother? And he's going to be at the ball, too, huh?”

“Half-brother,” he quickly corrected. “Half-breed half-brother, to be precise. They had an argument, and my father left to cool down. Undoubtedly, the hanyou pushed him beyond his threshold with his asinine….” Sesshomaru trailed off—something entirely uncharacteristic of him—as he witnessed a hint of recognition crossing Koga's face.

“Half-breed? Inu hanyou, I'm assuming?”

Sesshomaru watched him closely, wondering about his sudden interest. “Yes. Inuyasha is inu hanyou.”

For the shortest of milliseconds, Koga's face twisted into one of realization, and then malice, and then he was normal again. It was very brief, but Sesshomaru saw it, taking note of the emotions with a small amount of curiosity.

Sympathetic façade back in place, Koga leaned forward in his seat, unbuttoning his suit jacket so it wouldn't bunch up. “Hey, I'm really sorry to hear about your dad. It really sucks losing a parent.” He paused for effect. “In fact, I think I'd like to attend this charity ball… pay some respects to your old man. How much is the plate?”

“Two hundred fifty,” Sesshomaru replied, scrutinizing his behavior warily.

Koga whistled. “That's pretty steep, but hey, it's for a good cause, right? Go ahead and put me on the list.” Standing up, he buttoned his jacket again. “Well, I'll leave you to your planning. Let me know if you need any help.”

“This Sesshomaru doesn't need help.”

He rolled his eyes and smiled. “All right, whatever. I'm guessing, since it's you, that dress is formal?”

Sesshomaru narrowed his amber eyes. “And just what is that supposed to mean, ookami?”

“I'll take that as a yes. You sure you don't want me to bring you something back for lunch?”

“No,” he said, growing more irritated by the second.

“Fine. See ya.” He made his way out the door, leaving Sesshomaru to his thoughts. He briefly wondered if Koga knew Inuyasha somehow, but he quickly put that thought out of his mind. Inuyasha was attending the university in Baton Rouge, but he hadn't been to New Orleans since he got his apartment. And Koga had no reason to go to Baton Rouge that he knew of. Then again, Sesshomaru knew very little of his personal life, and he preferred to keep it that way.

But before Sesshomaru could fully dissect the meaning of his odd behavior, Koga had turned around and popped his head back into the office, an almost evil smirk playing on his lips. “Oh, by the way… mind if I bring a date?”

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A/N: Sorry for the short chapter - this is another one that ended up getting hacked to pieces. Also, no update next week - I'll be out of town with no internet access (and loving it). I'll be back in two weeks with a chapter that should make up for my absence. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!