InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What Friends Are For ❯ Revelations ( Chapter 4 )

 

PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!! GOD, I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK THAT LONG. *sobbing hysterically* I WAS A TAD WRAPPED UP IN REAL LIFE AND FORGOT ALL ABOUT MY DARLING HUSBAND, INUYASHA. PLEASE FORGIVE ME, DARLING. BUT THANK YOU TO MY LOYAL FANS WHO WAITED FOR IT.

 

Thanks to TotallyKawaii, xcuteanimegurlx, DragonGirlCV, Wolf_goddess, ArtemisMoon, Inukag4eva2gether, Daiksuki, MissMarilyn69, KagomeStanton, jazzyca, cyberdemon, cwillia, Acheronlover, Kagomesama9, and anyone else I may have forgotten! I love you and thanks for sticking by me!!!!

 

And for all my darling fans that are wondering who Kagome will end up with, I'M NOT TELLING!!!! Read and you'll find out. The end might surprise you. Btw, this is a series of three stories, the next one being Sess/Rin, and finally Miroku/Sango. If you like this one, you'll love the next two!

 

This is for you, Jamal.

 

Well, you've all been waiting for it, so here goes. . . .

*trembling with excitement*

 

 

Chapter 4: Revelations

 

Inuyasha and Kagome spent the next hour hiking along the bluffs, skipping rocks across the water and wading in the shallows- all activities they had shared during their years together.

 

Kagome realized that, like Ayame, she really was interested in hearing how Inuyasha had adjusted to suddenly being thrust into the limelight of the entertainment world. She plied him with millions of questions- some serious, others teasing, and he patiently answered them one by one.

 

When he grew tired of sitting quietly, Inuyasha started a childish game of tag, and Kagome seemed to forget her dignified years and chased him, convinced that he would be too out of shape to giver her much trouble. She was wrong. Dead wrong. Must have been a temporary lapse in judgment that made her forget his demon parentage.

 

Eventually they threw themselves on the grassy bank of the slow moving river where they had left their food. Inuyasha reached into the water and pulled out two soda cans dripping with cool water and handed her one.

 

“See? I told you I'd buy you a drink,” he pointed out with a grin. He couldn't help but appreciate the fact that she no longer looked like the prim and proper Ms. Higurashi who was marrying the regal Mr. Kenshin in a week. She'd lost the combs that tumbled riotously around her cheeks and across her forehead.

 

Her face was flushed from running, and she was still breathing hard. The thin tank top did nothing to disguise her heaving breasts and her puckered nipples. Perspiration dotted her upper lip, and Inuyasha had an almost uncontrollable urge to reach over and wipe it away with his thumb.

 

How could he have possibly given up this woman? He had thought he would go out of his mind for the first several months he'd spent in New York. Only the remembered conversations with first her parents, then his, enabled him to recognize that before he asked her to marry him, Inuyasha owed Kagome a chance to have a life apart from him.

 

Their parents had known how to get him to giver her time. They had pointed out that she would probably marry him out of habit, because she was used to following his lead. Did he really want a bride who accepted him for that reason? They had already known the only answer he could live with.

 

“What's the matter? Do I have dirt on my face?” Kagome asked with a grin, looking totally relaxed and unconcerned with her appearance. She was stretched out on the grass on her side, propped up enough so that she could drink from the can without spilling it. In her shorts and skimpy top, she reminded him of the young girl he'd known, free and uninhibited, and Inuyasha had to fight an overwhelming urge to tip the can and spill it all on her perfect face.

 

“Don't you always?” he teased. “I can smell dirt on you so much I think you must bury your head in it every so often.”

 

She broke off some blades of grass and tossed them at him, then laughed as they decorated his shirt. “You aren't much better, you know. Just look at your shoe.”

 

They both gazed at his foot. His show and sock still dripped muddy water where he'd slipped off one of the rocks when they'd crossed the shallows. “What would your fans think of you now, Mr. Sano?”

 

“I hope they would realize that I haven't enjoyed myself this much in years,” he said with a smile. He gave up tying to resist temptation and reached over, running his thumb lightly across her lip.

 

Kagome jerked her head, startled by his touch. His eyes were filled with golden sunshine, their amber color warm and inviting.

 

“I'm not going to hurt you,” he said softly.

 

“I didn't think you were,” she admitted. “You just startled me, that's all.” Kagome refused to admit to him or to herself the delicious shiver she felt when Inuyasha touched her.

 

Inuyasha chose not to pursue her reactions to him. At the moment, it was enough for him to see her looking so relaxed and at ease. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the trees above them. Sunlight dappled the ground around them, the leaves forming a canopy above. “We had some good times together, didn't we, Runt?” he asked.

 

She nodded.

 

“Do you remember the time you lost your glasses and accused me of hiding them from you?”

 

She laughed. “Yeas, I do.”

 

“I almost got a beating for that. My folks believed you.”

 

“I wonder why? You were always hiding something from me- my baseball glove, my volleyball.”

 

“Maybe so,” he admitted chivalrously, “but never your glasses. You couldn't see a thing without them.”

 

“How well I remember.”

 

“Contacts made a big difference for you, didn't they?”

 

“Kami, yes, particularly when I got the extended wear. Do you have any idea how wonderful it I to wake up at night and be able to see the clock without putting on my glasses?”

 

“Weren't you ashamed of accusing me of taking them and getting me into trouble?”

 

“Well, maybe. But I'm sure you did a lot of things and never got caught, so it probably all evened out.”

 

He reached out and touched her hand. “I've really missed you, Runt.”

 

Kagome looked at him a long time without speaking. “I missed you too,” she said, finally. She first said it out of courtesy, and then realized that she really meant it. “For the longest time I didn't think I'd ever be happy without you in my life.” She began to smile. “Isn't that corny? Now I have a whole life separate from yours, and everything in my life is just perfect.”

 

She looked over at him and idly noted that he had closed his eyes. His thick lashed rested on his high cheekbones. “Do you remember how we always used to argue? It drove our mothers nuts.”

 

“Yeah, but all they had to do was find something to get out minds off whatever we were arguing about.”

 

“Are you saying we argued out of pure boredom? Surely not.”

 

Without opening his eyes, he said “You were always such a tomboy, no bigger than a minute, convinced you could do anything anyone else could do, and you usually managed to prove it no matter how hard I argued against you.”

 

“I can also remember a few times when you managed to help me in such a way that nobody else knew I hadn't done it all myself.”

 

He smiled to himself. “That's what friends are for.”

 

“Yes,” she said with a hint of surprise. “I guess it is.”

 

The quietness of the park settled over them, and Kagome laid her head on her folded arms. She was probably going to be sore tomorrow with all of her unaccustomed exercise today. Her eyes drifted closed. The park was so peaceful. She'd just rest her eyes for a few moments and . . .

 

“Kagome? You'd better wake up. I think we both fell asleep.”

 

Kagome sat up with a start. The sun had almost set and she glanced at her watch in dismay. “Oh, no! Sesshomaru was supposed to pick me up almost half an hour ago.” She came to her feet and stared up at Inuyasha and his rueful expression.

 

“I'm sorry, Runt. I didn't mean this to happen,” he said softly.

 

The sincerity in his voice couldn't be mistaken. Quickly slipping her sandals on, Kagome said, “It was just as much my fault as yours.” She hoped Sesshomaru would understand. She'd never been late for a date before. He was such a stickler for promptness. Her life seemed to be falling into shambles since Inuyasha had appeared, although she couldn't really hold him responsible. He just seemed to have that effect on her. Life never seemed to be as serious when he was around. And it was a lot more fun.

 

They were quiet in the car going back. Kagome tried to prepare herself for the coming meeting with Sesshomaru. Surely, he would understand. The time had seemed to slip away. Besides, she had needed that day. It was a day apart from her life, apart from time, separate and complete. She and Inuyasha had returned to their childhood, the innocence of youth where time was meaningless because there was so much of it. Surely Sesshomaru would understand. If only she could think of a more logical explanation.

 

But she wasn't sorry for going to the park with Inuyasha. At least, she could be honest about that. She had enjoyed every minute, even the argument in the car with Inuyasha earlier.

 

There was no reason to expect Inuyasha to approve of the man she married. She was certain that Inuyasha would never find a woman that was good enough for him in her estimation. The thought gave her a pang in the region of her heart.

 

Kagome had been careful not to ask Inuyasha about the women he had dated, many of whom he'd been photographed with. She hadn't wanted to know about them. She knew she was being silly, but she couldn't help it. Inuyasha was very special to her and it was time she acknowledged that.

 

He always would be.

 

As soon as they pulled up in the driveway, Sesshomaru stepped out on the front porch of the Higurashi home. Kagome took a quick inventory of what she and Inuyasha looked like and almost groaned aloud. They both had grass stains on their clothes, and his shoe looked much the worse for a dip in the river. Her hair, from the glimpse she had gotten in the side mirror, looked as if she had styled it with an egg beater.

 

She felt as though they had been caught skipping school as they walked up the sidewalk toward the well dressed man who waited for them.

 

“I'm glad to see you two are all right. We'd begun to worry about you,” he said calmly.

 

Kagome smiled in relief. He didn't seem at all angry but showed a natural concern. Before she could say anything, Inuyasha said, “I really am sorry about today, Sesshomaru. But you see, after all that physical exertion we fell asleep and weren't aware of the hours passing.” His tone and smile were friendly and nonchalant.

 

Kagome saw Sesshomaru's body stiffen and his expression freeze. Quickly reviewing what Inuyasha had just said, her eyes widened with horror. Of course he'd told the truth, it was just that. . .

 

“How interesting,” Sesshomaru said. “Perhaps you'd like to go into a little more detail. Hitomi said you'd gone for a drink. I never considered that to be physically taxing myself. Maybe I've been drinking the wrong things.”

 

“Sesshomaru, he didn't mean it that way,” Kagome began, only to have Inuyasha interrupt her.

 

“Why don't you run upstairs and get cleaned up, Runt? I'll be glad to make our explanations to your fiancé. After all, he has every right to want to know how you spend your time with me.”

 

Kagome glanced uncertainly at Inuyasha, then at Sesshomaru. Inuyasha still sounded casually friendly, but there was tautness in his stance as he stood facing Sesshomaru that contradicted his tone.

“Good idea, Kagome,” Sesshomaru agreed quietly. “We're running quite late as it is.”

 

She glanced over her shoulder at the two men as she opened the screen door. Neither one of them had moved. They seemed to be waiting for her to leave before continuing the conversation.

 

Kagome could have cheerfully wrung Inuyasha's neck. There was absolutely no reason for the innuendos. What was he trying to do, give Sesshomaru the wrong idea about their relationship?

 

The warm spray from the shower soothed her and Kagome tried to relax. Inuyasha had always had the ability to turn her world upside down. Why did she think anything had changed” however, she had complete faith in Sesshomaru's ability to see through Inuyasha's teasing and desire to cause mischief.

 

It would do no good for her to ask Inuyasha to lay off. He would see that only as a challenge. So the next best thing would be to make sure she kept the two men apart. After all, it would be for only a few days, then Inuyasha would be out of their lives once again.

 

When she returned downstairs, Sesshomaru was waiting alone in the living room.

 

She looked at him in surprise. “Where is everybody?”

 

“I convinced your parents to go to their dinner engagement earlier. If something had happened, I told them I'd get in touch.”

 

Once again, Kagome felt guilty at her unusual and irresponsible behavior. How would she explain what she didn't understand herself?

 

“I really am sorry for making you wait,” she said.

 

Sesshomaru took her arm and escorted her outside. “Let's forget it, shall we?” he said, helping her into the car. “I managed to get out reservation changed, so there's no harm done.”

 

Sesshomaru was quiet on the way to the restaurant and Kagome searched for something to say. Finally, she asked, “Did Inuyasha tell you we went to the park?”

 

He glanced at her with an enigmatic expression. “He did mention that, yes.”

 

“It was so beautiful there; I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed being outdoors.” She wondered when she had lost touch with nature. Her schedule didn't seem to include outdoor activities. Impulsively, she turned to Sesshomaru and said, “I wish you'd been with us.”

 

Kagome tried to picture Sesshomaru hiking and wading but it was difficult. She couldn't see him laughing about his shoes getting wet or muddy. Sesshomaru would have been out of place. She and Inuyasha had been reliving their childhood, falling back into a familiar patters, one in which Sesshomaru did not fit.

 

“From the description that Sano gave me, I don't think I would have enjoyed the afternoon very much,” Sesshomaru said.

 

Even though Kagome had just reached the same conclusion, she was surprised to hear Sesshomaru echo her thoughts. “Why not?”

 

“I generally get my exercise playing tennis.”

 

“Oh.” Funny, they'd never discussed hobbies that much. Sesshomaru had been so busy with is law practice since she had met him that she assumed he didn't have time for many activities. Every time she felt that she knew him, Sesshomaru revealed another facet of his personality. She wondered if he felt the same way about her.

 

Was it ever possible to find out everything about a person before you married? It wasn't that anyone deliberately omitted telling the other some things. There was just so much to learn about another person. Sesshomaru had spent thirty nine years dong things she knew nothing about. She'd spent twenty five. How could you possibly catch up on everything? And how did you decide what was important to know before the wedding, rather than learning about it in the years after?

 

They had a quiet dinner at one of the nicer restaurants located near the interstate highway. Kagome asked intelligent questions about some of Sesshomaru's cases, drawing him out so that she could feel closer to him somehow.

 

One of the things that she admired most about him was his dignity in all situations. He always handled himself well. Tonight he could have justifiably shown anger and spoiled their time together. Instead, he seemed to have forgotten the less than auspicious beginning of their evening, relegating it to its rightful place of importance in their life.

 

Their life together would be one of consideration and understanding, of communication. There would be no arguments, such as she had with Inuyasha. She and Sesshomaru would calmly discuss then decide what needed to be faced in their shared existence. There would be no sudden bursts of emotion. Instead, they would share a sense of calmness and serenity.

 

After dinner, Sesshomaru suggested that they move into the lounge for after dinner drinks. A small combo played quiet music and he asked her to dance. Kagome willingly agreed. Sesshomaru was an excellent dancer. Kagome felt relaxed and totally at ease when they returned to their table after dancing a medley of slow numbers.

 

Sesshomaru took her hand in his. He seemed to study it for some time before he looked up at her, his amber eyes serious.

 

“Why have you never mentioned Inuyasha to me, Kagome?'

 

She had been lulled into a relaxed state and his question dumped her out of that soft, fluffy cloud she'd been enjoying for the past hour or so. Kagome stared at him with dismay. She had never seen quite that look on his face before. She wondered if that was the look he gave a witness before cross examination.

 

Not that it mattered, really. She had nothing to hide. “I don't really know, Sesshomaru,” she answered with a slight shrug. “I suppose it's because I never thought him important enough to mention.”

 

His expression gave no indication of what he was thinking. “Not important enough or too important to discuss?” he asked quietly.

 

How should she answer that? Kagome had only begun to realize earlier that day that her feelings toward Inuyasha weren't as clear cut as she thought. “We're just friends,” she offered tentatively, wondering what had prompted Kagome's line of questioning.

 

“I realize that. Since I've known you, I've met many of your friends, and you've talked of several others- some you know here who later moved away, others you met at college with whom you continue to keep in touch. But you never mentioned Inuyasha's name.”

 

How could she not have been aware of the omission? She shook her head. “I really can't explain it, Sesshomaru. Is it important?”

 

“Not particularly. I find it a puzzle, that's all. And I've got the sort of mind that can't leave a puzzle alone until it's solved.”

 

“I don't see much of a puzzle about it,” she offered. “Inuyasha's been gone a long time. He's no longer a part of my life.”

 

“But he was.”

 

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

 

“Not necessarily. How does he feel about our getting married?”

 

Kagome remembered Inuyasha's earlier comment and knew she couldn't share what had been said with Sesshomaru. “He wants me to be happy,” she finally responded, realizing the truth of that statement.

 

“I'm surprised he doesn't think you'd be happier with him.”

 

She grinned. “Inuyasha? You mean you think Inuyasha wants to marry me?” She laughed. “No way. He enjoys his freedom too much.”

 

Sesshomaru didn't respond. Instead, he took a sip of his drink and said, “I received a call today that means I have to go back to St. Louis. I'll be there all next week.”

 

Kagome gave him a stricken look. “But I thought you had arranged to be here the week before the wedding.”

 

“I had. I've had to rearrange my entire schedule. Unfortunately, it can't be helped. I doubt that I'll make it back before the wedding rehearsal Friday night.”

 

Kagome felt the weight of her disappointment settle on her. Of course, his law practice comes first. She had always known that. At least he wasn't suggesting they postpone the wedding. After all the planning and hundreds of details, Kagome shuddered to think of what it would take to change their plans now.

 

“I understand,” she said quietly, accepting what she knew she couldn't change.

 

Sesshomaru smiled. “Thank you for being so understanding. I appreciate your willingness to accommodate yourself to this Sesshomaru's schedule.” He picked up his drink. “I'm glad we decided not to have the rehearsal dinner. I would have been pressed for time to have to arrange one.”

 

“It's okay. My friends understand,”

 

“I feel so fortunate to have found you. Nothing seems to upset you. You handle everything with such calmness.”

 

Kagome smiled. “It's taken a while for me to reach this point, let me tell you. I used to have a fiery temper.”

 

“Well, I'm pleased that you are no longer bothered by it. The last thing I want to face at the end of my work day is a display of emotional fireworks.” He reached over and patted her hand. “Your serenity is one of the first things that drew me to you. That and your calm ability to handle people. Nothing ever seems to catch you off balance.”

 

Kagome thought of Inuyasha's unexpected returns and her reaction. Sesshomaru had accurately described the person she thought she was, except when Inuyasha was around. He seemed to trigger emotional depths in her that almost frightened her. She didn't like the emotional out of control person Inuyasha seemed to bring forth in her with no apparent effort.

 

What a lucky escape she'd had, discovering what an adverse effect Inuyasha had on her.

 

Later Sesshomaru drove her home, walked her to the door and refused to come inside with her.

 

“It's late, love, and I have a full day's work on my desk tomorrow before I can even leave for St. Louis.”

 

“Will I see you before you go?”

 

“I really don't think so, although there's nothing I'd like more than to spend tomorrow with you. However, I don't see how I can possibly get away, not when I'm going to be gone for a week on our honeymoon.”

 

He leaned don and kissed her. Stepping back, he smiled and said, “If I don't stop that, I'll never get away from you tonight. Sleep well, my love.” Sesshomaru waited until she went inside and locked the door, then walked to his car. He glanced at the house next door.

 

Kagome had brushed his questions aside regarding Inuyasha Sano. But there was something there and Sesshomaru knew it. He'd sensed Inuyasha's carefully concealed emotions the night before and earlier this evening. His light, casual air had been very well done.

 

Sesshomaru hadn't been misled. He'd made a career studying human behavior. This man was in love with Kagome. The question was, how did Kagome feel about the hanyou? And how would her feelings for Inuyasha affect her marriage to Sesshomaru?

 

Sesshomaru drove back to town in deep thoughts.

 

 

AN: TA-DAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

I hoped you guys liked it and I hoped it was worth the wait. I stayed up till three in the morning so you guys would stop sending the death rays toward me, I'm still bleeding. Lol.

Silly Fluffy, leaving Kagome along with the big, bad hanyou for a whole week. Who knows what will happen? Oh, wait, I DO!!! Keep reading and you'll find out too. As always, please review with any questions you may have, I'll answer all of them. I'll try to post the next chapter by the end of this week. I don't wanna die.

I love you guys!!!

 

Tashie <3