InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What Happens in Vegas ❯ Rin's Return ( Chapter 13 )

What Happens In Vegas:
By Nicluv1787




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Inuyasha and Friends belong to Rumiko Takahashi and I don’t make any money off of this so please don’t sue me.


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Chapter Thirteen- Rin’s Return


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“Kagome… I’m in love with you.”

“You look beautiful to me.”


What was truth, what was deception? How did she even begin to untangle the webs of confusion? Half whispered phrases had spilled from his lips the moment she turned her back. Had he really meant for her to hear those words? Or was this all part of a cruel game she’d been entrapped in. She wanted her old life; she wanted so badly to close in on herself. Succumb to a darkness in which it was her and only her. Deep within where she couldn’t be hurt, where she couldn’t be reached. Just like the after math of the first time she’d opened her heart to a charming smile and indelible passion. That was something of the past. She’d locked up those memories deep, hesitant to relive them. Yet here with this golden eyed trickster. She relived every moment of heart break, every injustice of her past, what that man had taken from her, what she could never take back. Stupid, self indulgent, ignorant; she wasn’t that girl anymore. Closing herself off had stopped that, it kept her from feeling, but it kept her from being hurt again.
But why couldn’t she stop the tears from falling as she clutched her pillow in a strange hotel room? Returning to the reception had been out of the question. Not after what she’d heard Inuyasha whisper that she wasn’t supposed to hear, or was she?
She hadn’t seen Inuyasha in hours, not that it mattered. She couldn’t stand the sight of him at the moment. Looking at him it just reminded her of past hurts, she’d heard what he said. She knew it was a lie, like he had lied to her. She wasn’t willing to let the old wounds be dragged out to bleed afresh. Not for him. This may be all a game to Inuyasha but this was her heart and emotions he was toying with. He was a selfish bastard, and she rued the day she’d ever laid eyes on him.

A new day had a cleansing affect on the two of them. Both Kagome and Inuyasha managed to push back the unspoken, and carry on with their shallow comings and goings. They left the resort without waiting to say goodbye to Sango and Miroku, both of them were too eager to be away from prying eyes, and prying questions. The car ride back to town was deadly silent, and neither complained about that.
Kagome had managed to push back her thoughts from the night before. Keeping herself from tearing into Inuyasha, demanding answers she was sure would be lies. It was much easier to ignore the situation than to face it head on at this point.

When they arrived home they both stumbled into their respective bedrooms, and saw little of one another for the rest of that Sunday.

Monday morning brought a new week and back to the humdrum of everyday life. Inuyasha was getting ready to leave for work, as usual, while Kagome was staying home. She had to pick up her sister Rin from the airport.
Inuyasha moved about his usual routine, he was dressed and nearly out the door. Kagome sat at the kitchen counter staring into a cup of coffee. Half way to the door Inuyasha stopped. Kagome could feel his eyes on her and looked up. Their eyes met. They stayed like that for a few tense seconds, the unspoken hung heavy between them.
She could see something there in his gaze, something like a plea to understand, to except him. He looked a little like a lonely, little child. She brushed it off casually, picking up the paper, and diverting her attention from him. It was a trick she was sure, better for her to ignore the way his gaze seemed so genuine. Inuyasha was a good actor; she had to give it to him.
The moment was over and Inuyasha left out the front door. Kagome dropped the paper to the counter. She didn’t have the focus to read. She spent the rest of the morning trying to convince herself that Inuyasha’s words at the wedding were indeed a lie. Some clever deception to toy with her, but it was becoming harder and harder to convince herself.

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Standing outside Rin’s terminal Kagome fiddled with the edge of her shirt, twisting it around her thumb and forefinger. She was presented with two options, on one hand, Inuyasha could really be in love with her, and too afraid to admit his true feelings. The idea was laughable at best. The second one, which she tended to lean towards, was Inuyasha was upset the bet was over and he needed another game to divert his attention. To Kagome this idea seemed far more logical, and safe. Exploring the other possibility was not something she was willing to do. That road led somewhere she wasn’t willing to go again. Kagome shook her head to dislodge unpleasant thoughts. Of course it was a game. Inuyasha had been all about games since she first met him.
A flash of his pained expression the night of the wedding played through her mind. That coupled with their awkward stand off earlier that morning. Kagome’s mind started travelling down a train of thought she wanted to avoid.
“’Gome!” A shrill voice, mercifully, cut her thoughts short.
“Rin!” Kagome said calling her sister name. She could just make out her sister’s bobbing head through the sea of passengers filing out of the terminal. Rin weaved through the crowd pushing her way towards Kagome.
Coming together, her sister wrapped her in a tight embrace. “Welcome back,” Kagome said holding her sister, perhaps a little tighter than necessary. For some reason it felt good just to have someone to hang onto in that moment. If only she could explain her feelings to Rin.
“’Gome, I can’t breathe,” Rin choked.
“Sorry,” Kagome said releasing her death grip on her petite sister. “I guess I just really missed you,” Kagome said misty eyed.
Rin could see right through her.
“What’s wrong?” She said grabbing a hold of Kagome’s arm.
“It’s nothing,” Kagome said wiping away her tears that had gathered in her eyes. Even though she couldn’t tell Rin the entire truth, Kagome realized it might be good to share some half truths, maybe discuss some things about the past that had been on her mind.
“Don’t lie to me,” Rin said obstinately her grip tightening on Kagome’s shoulder, “Was it Inuyasha? I swear to god I’ll hurt him if he did something stupid.”
Kagome smiled, her sister was terribly perceptive. “Sort of, I’ll explain in the car.”
Rin hooked arms with Kagome. “Don’t worry ‘Gome, I’m here now.”
Once again Kagome couldn’t help the smile that her sister brought to her face. Maybe having Rin around this summer wouldn’t be so bad after all.

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Inuyasha drummed his fingers on the oak desk, half heartedly attempting to read the words on his computer screen. His mind was clouded with thoughts of Kagome; Kagome crying because he had told her he loved her, Kagome brushing off his proclamation as a joke, a game. He probably deserved it; he hadn’t exactly been prince charming. Could he really be this socially challenged? He’d lived five hundred years, and he couldn’t express his true feelings for someone without making a complete ass out of himself? Why did he have to lie? Why did he have to hide behind these games? He wanted it to end. Starting off a new truthful relationship with another lie wasn’t exactly the way to go about it though.
Inuyasha sighed closing his laptop, giving up on the pretense of pretending he was working. Was it too late to go back and really tell her how he felt? Would he seem dissengenuine? Probably. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
‘I’ve really gotten myself in deep this time.’ He thought raking a clawed hand through his hair. Inuyasha stood to stretch tired limbs. He paced around the room before he stopped to look out his window. He wondered what Kagome was doing, where she was. He realized now if he’d done this right from the beginning he wouldn’t be in this situation. If he hadn’t married her in Vegas he wouldn’t be feeling this way. Then again, he could never regret meeting Kagome, no matter how much of an ass he was making of himself in his attempts to get her to return his feelings.
A gentle knocking distracted him; he titled his head towards the door. It must have been the temp who was standing in for Sango while she was on her honeymoon.
“Come in,” he said not turning from the window.
The door flew open with a crash, Inuyasha turned just in time to see Sango storming across the room towards him.
“Sango what the-“
“You have some questions to answer mister,” Sango said her eyes dancing with rage. She backed him into the window. “Who the hell said you could leave without saying goodbye to us? On top of that, you didn’t explain what your little melodrama was at the reception? I need answers from you and now Inuyasha.” Sango stood hands on hips. Her rage was rolling off her in waves.
Inuyasha sighed; he had hoped he’d have longer than this to answer her questions. He knew that he’d have to eventually, when it came to Sango he always had to answer. But she was supposed to be on her honeymoon for another week.
“Why aren’t you at the resort enjoying your vacation?” Inuyasha said with a raised brow, hopefully buying himself some time.
“Don’t try and change the subject,” Sango said in a no-nonsense tone.
“You left Miroku to come and interrogate me?”
“Miroku drove me here when he saw how upset I was about you and Kagome!” Sango thundered. Just then Miroku stumbled into Inuyasha’s office, winded, apparently Sango had ran on ahead of him.
Inuyasha sighed again; she’d cornered him for real this time.
“Kagome and I had a fight…” Inuyasha began lamely.
“I could see that much, you two fought the entire week,” Sango’s tone was irate but Inuyasha could see the concern in her eyes.
“It was a stupid fight over her friend Jak, they were dancing and I got jealous, Kagome was upset at me for being jealous and stormed off…” It was half true anyway.
Sango backed off slightly; she wrapped her arms around herself. She watched Inuyasha with a calculating expression. Did she really buy it? Did she believe him after all?
“Inu, you can’t be so possessive all the time, you’re going to chase her away,” Sango said somewhere between a motherly scold and a friend giving advice.
He couldn’t believe it; she’d taken his word for it. Then again Sango didn’t have any reason not to believe him. Kagome was the only one who’d taken the brunt of his dishonesty. Inuyasha made a sour face, which Sango caught onto.
“Have you not made up yet?” She prodded.
Inuyasha tried to wipe the expression off his face, but it was too late the damage was done.
“No,” He muttered.
“What’s wrong with you?” Sango shouted “You need to go home right now and make up. You need to tell her you love her, and that’s why you can be jealous at times. You can’t screw this up with Kagome, she’s good for you,” Sango finished in a soothing tone.
If only Sango knew how much more complicated it was.
“I have work,” Inuyasha said as a means of an excuse.
“No excuses, you should go now,” Sango insisted.
Inuyasha looked over at his desk full of paper, it was true he’d worked half the day and gotten nothing done. Maybe it was best if he went home after all.
Grudgingly Inuyasha accepted her advice, “Fine, I’ll go home.”
“Good,” Sango said arms crossed over her chest, and watched as Inuyasha stalked out of the room.
Once they were alone Miroku came over to his wife.
“Do you really think their fight was over something as petty as jealousy?” Miroku covered Sango’s arms with his own. Her posture was too defensive, they should be spending time just the two of them, celebrating their marriage, not chasing after their friends trying to break up fights.
“No, but I think Inuyasha is ready to go make up for whatever it really was,” Sango said, relaxing into Miroku’s embrace.
Sensing her ease Miroku’s hands caressed up and down her arms, and he kissed the curve of her neck.
“Then maybe it’s time we get back to our honeymoon,” He said, suckling down her neck.
Sango turned in her husband’s arms meeting his kiss, he was right, no matter what was wrong with Inuyasha and Kagome it was out of her hands. She shouldn’t have taken time away from her and Miroku, but she had a few ideas on how to make it up to him.

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Kagome pulled into a parking spot in the sub-garage below her building. She engaged the parking brake and looked over to Rin, who’d been silent since Kagome had finished her abridged version of what had happened over the past week. Kagome hadn’t told her about sleeping with Inuyasha, or that he’d proclaimed his love to her. But she did tell her about the fight, about fitting Inuyasha with the subjugation collar to get back at him, she told her about his jealousy of Jakotsu. All culminating in bringing back memories of someone from her past she’d been trying to forget, and who Inuyasha was ever increasingly starting to remind her of.
“What are you thinking?” Kagome said. Right now she needed an outsider’s perspective; Rin was neutral and innocent, and more than perfect to give her unbiased opinion.
“I can see why you were upset,” Kagome had given Rin a fabricated excuse about privacy and trust as the basis for their fight. “But Inuyasha was right; fitting him with the collar was out of line.”
“And I apologized; besides it was an accident…” Kagome began defensively.
“I know, but what you’re really upset about is how much Inuyasha reminds you of him? Am I right?”
Kagome nodded looking away, she felt guilty, this was old history, and she thought she’d moved on years ago. Well she hadn’t moved on, necessarily, more like covered it up and tried to ignore it. The tumult of emotions from the past week had uncovered those old pains.
“Yeah,” Kagome muttered.
“I don’t think so,” Rin said thoughtfully, “I remember what you were like then, and it’s nothing like you are now. I don’t remember a lot of him but I do know Inuyasha isn’t a bad person. You may have squabbled a bit lately but I can see he’s a genuinely good person,” Rin finished, watching her sister.
Kagome processed this for a moment, Rin could be right; she could be making connections that weren’t there, as another defense mechanism; another way to close off her heart. But what it Rin was wrong? Besides, despites Rin’s sound advice, there were still too many unanswered questions. Mainly, what could Inuyasha true intentions be? Rin placed a hand on Kagome’s arm.
“You should give him another chance,” Rin looked at her sister imploringly. Would Rin really be saying that if she knew the full truth? The urge to spill everything was almost overwhelming but quickly quelled.
“You’re right,” Kagome said flashing her sister a smile. The best thing for now was to put it all behind her until she could sort it out.

The pair of them rode the elevator up to Kagome’s apartment, and with each passing floor Kagome could feel her anxieties melting away. Things would work out she was sure, they had to. It was too difficult to live with all these turbulent feelings. She would push them back and deal with them each in turn. That was the only way she could regain the life she wanted. Inuyasha be damned.

Kagome showed Rin to her room for the summer and helped her unpack. Rin made every effort to set Kagome at ease, and in truth the longer they labored organizing Rin things. Making the bed, hanging some wall hangings, Rin had bought for the room. The more Kagome could feel herself becoming the old Kagome. Inuyasha was still at the back of her mind, but enjoying her time with Rin was making it much easier to deal with.

Kagome stepped back to admire the teal bed set and matching lamp and wall hangings. She had to admit, this room had been missing a homey touch, Rin seemed to have warmed the once empty space.
“I have to give it to you,” Kagome said admiring the room, “This room looks amazing.”
“You helped,” Rin said smiling at her sister.
“True but it was your stuff.”
“Fine, complement taken,” Rin said playfully, she looked around the room admiringly, “you know what we need?”
“What?”
“We need to celebrate!”
“Celebrate?” Kagome said puzzled.
“Yeah, like a welcome home, slash a job well done cleaning and decorating,” Rin enthused.
“There isn’t much in the way of groceries right now, since we’ve been gone for so long,” Kagome said thoughtfully.
“I don’t mind shopping.”
“No, I refuse to let you shop, and I’m sure you plan on doing the cooking?” Kagome said hopefully, her cooking was average at best compared to Rin’s.
“If you’ll let me,” Rin said sheepishly.
“Well how about this, I’ll run to the store, you stay here and relax, maybe take a shower, -those boxes were pretty dusty-“
Rin looked down at her shirt, which was caked in dust. “That does sound nice,” She conceded.
“Just use the guest bathroom,” Kagome said motioning to a bathroom that adjoined the two guestrooms. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Thanks ‘Gome,” Rin said brightly and headed off towards the bathroom, while Kagome headed out the door to grocery store.

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Inuyasha stumbled through the front door, dropping his keys on the table and headed towards his room. His mind buzzed with conflicting thoughts. Tell her how you feel. Continue to lie. Which one should he choose? He walked through the house half expectant to see Kagome sitting on the couch. Why had she stayed home from work anyway? Was it his fault? Something gnawed at the back of his brain begging him to remember, but he couldn’t grasp onto it and instead brushed it aside.
He threw open his bedroom door, with a crash, missing the sound of running water being shut off. He pulled off his t-shirt, and stalked towards the bathroom, he hoped standing under some running water would calm his mind and help sort what his next move should be. Turning the knob to the bathroom he found some resistance, it was locked. Why would it be locked? He shrugged it off and headed into the second guest bedroom, it passed through his consciousness something was different in the room but he didn’t dwell on it. He was focused on getting underneath some steaming hot water. His hand reached for the door just at it opened on its own.
Standing in the misty air of the bathroom was Rin, not wearing a thing, her damp hair pulled up in the single towel he kept in the bathroom. Inuyasha stumbled back, and Rin screamed.
“I…I… When the hell did you get here!?”
“GET OUT!” Rin shrieked.
Inuyasha backed up into a lamp that crashed to the floor. He fumbled for the bedroom door that for some reason seemed out of his grasp.
Rin picked up a shoe and pelted it at him.
“OUT!”
“I’m trying wench!” he said covering his eyes for posterity.
Mercifully he found the door just in time to tumble through it at Kagome’s feet she had come to inspect the commotion.
“Inuyasha what are you doing?” Kagome thundered looking between Rin who’d managed to cover herself, and Inuyasha who was trying to escape.
“Why didn’t you tell me Rin was here?” he accused, his first impulse being defense.
“You knew she was coming back!” She shot back.
“Not today!”
“I told you twenty times at least.”
“GUYS!” Rin shrieked. The pair of them turned to Rin. “Could you take this argument elsewhere?” She motioned to her barely covered form. Inuyasha blushed and blundered past Kagome heading into his own room slamming the door behind himself.
“What happened?” Kagome said to Rin, as she pulled on a robe.
“I’m not sure I was coming out of the shower and Inuyasha was in my room…”
Kagome feigned interest. A feeling of contentment had overcome her. That brief argument was like putting everything back in place for the two of them. It was strange that she would be happy to argue with him, but for some strange reason it made her feel better.

Inuyasha fell onto his bed, with a heavy sigh. Though for some reason he felt strangely calm after having yet another argument with Kagome. Could this mean things were on their way to back to normal? The thought was nearly soothing.

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Rin set platters onto the kitchen table to silence. Kagome and Inuyasha had been avoiding each other for the past hour, Inuyasha held up in his office, Kagome puttered around the living room. When the smell of cooking food filled the apartment Inuyasha had come out to sit at the kitchen counter. He’d mumbled an apology to Rin, which she accepted. It had been an accident after all. What seemed strange about the silence between the two of them was it wasn’t a tense silence it was almost well… comfortable. It was as if they were happy to have squabbled. Not that it made much sense. Kagome had just finished confiding in her that Inuyasha and she had been fighting constantly for the past week. If so shouldn’t they be angry with one another? Why did it almost seem like a weight had been lifted off each of their shoulders? To say the least Rin was confused.
They ate in silence for a while, Inuyasha and Kagome each feigning at anger with one another.
It wasn’t long before Rin broke the silence, “Thanks for having me this summer ‘Gome.”
“Not a problem,” Kagome said absently.
“And thanks again for helping me get the internship with your company Inuyasha,” Rin continued.
“Don’t worry about it,” Inuyasha said shrugging it off.
Silence stretched out, there wasn’t much to say, Rin wished she knew how to crack these two, get them talking. Then again maybe they didn’t need to talk, maybe they had it all figured out.
“Sorry we couldn’t have a more exciting home coming for you Rin,” Kagome said attempting to fill the void in conversation.
“Don’t worry about me,” Rin said brightly, she stared down at her plate, ‘I’m more worried about you.’
Kagome noticed her expression and misinterpreted it, “You know,” Kagome said idly, “Next week is the fourth of July.”
“Yeah?” Rin hedged.
Inuyasha also looked at Kagome, he couldn’t tell where she was heading with this topic either.
“Maybe we could have a little get together to celebrate, you coming here for the summer and Independence Day.”“Really?” Rin said hopefully, “You don’t have to just do that for me!” She didn’t want to put her sister out after everything she was already doing for her, but a party definitely made some opportunities for her. Rin recalled her last encounter with Inuyasha’s older brother Sesshomaru. She wondered if he would remember her.
“Not a problem, I’ve been thinking about having some people over for a while and this is just an excuse.”Rin noticed Inuyasha raising a brow in Kagome’s direction. But she couldn’t interpret what it meant.
Dinner conversation revolved around party plans after that. Once they finished their meal Kagome and Rin did dishes together and Inuyasha stalked off somewhere once more. They talked for a while after dinner but Rin excused herself early for bed, the unpacking, the flight and the days excitement had worn her down. When she fell into her new bed for the summer, her dreams were filled with visions of silver hair and a crescent blue moon.

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Around the time Rin headed to bed it hit Kagome that tonight Inuyasha would be sleeping in her room, in her bed. Her heart beat a little quicker at the prospect. In attempt to delay the inevitable she stayed up late hoping he would climb into bed before her. Around midnight her eyes were heavy and she could no longer follow the plot line to the thriller playing on the TV. She stumbled to the bedroom, standing just outside her bedroom door. Her heart beating so loud in her chest she wondered if Inuyasha was awake in there would he hear it? She tried to calm herself it wasn’t that big of a deal, it would just be like sharing a bed with a cousin, a cousin who she’d slept with a few days previous, who she was admittedly attracted to, and he had confessed his love to her, possibly.
Kagome rested her head onto the door. What was she doing? Nothing made sense anymore her emotions were so confused she wasn’t even sure they were hers.
Rin had convinced her she’d made connections where connections weren’t present, but it didn’t change the fact that Inuyasha had told her he loved her and taken it back. Whether or not it was true he’d lied, and she didn’t like lying. Kagome pressed her palm to the door, maybe she was just making excuses, because she was afraid of getting hurt. Not maybe, she was making excuses, but it didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t trust Inuyasha, if she knew one thing that was the truth.
Kagome stood outside her door for a few more indecisive moments, when the door swung open. She wobbled losing the door’s support nearly tumbling into the bedroom, only to be caught by strong arms.
Kagome blushed as she looked up at Inuyasha, before jumping from his embrace and looking away.
“Be careful where you’re going,” She snapped.
“You were the one who was standing outside the door for the past ten minutes.”
“If you knew I was there then why didn’t let me know you were coming out?”
“I didn’t think you were leaning on the damn door!”
Kagome scowled at him, but for some strange reason it felt natural to be arguing with him. ‘Oh gods what’s wrong with me when I want to argue with him.’
“Whatever,” She snapped brushing past him. She headed into the master bathroom to brush her teeth and change into her pajamas. By the time she was done Inuyasha was still out of the room. She wondered briefly if he was planning on sleeping in the other room. Her questions were soon answered when he came back into the bedroom with a glass of water.
Each of them stood on opposite sides of the bed, neither sure of who should get in first.
“You don’t have to watch me climb into bed,” Kagome said.
“I wasn’t I was just letting you get in first.”
“Well you don’t have to, you can get in first.”
He gave her an accessing gaze, but shrugged his shoulders climbing into the bed. Kagome waited till he rolled over facing the opposite wall then she climbed in as well. She remembered the last time they’d shared her bed, waking up in his arms. She shook it off and grabbed the blanket tighter around herself.
Waiting a few seconds Inuyasha tugged on the blanket partially uncovering her. She tried calming her breathing, this wasn’t going to work arguing every second, though the arguing did show progress. She gently tugged the blanket back over herself. Only to have it ripped off her entirely. Kagome sat straight up in bed.
“Quit hogging the blanket!”
“You’re the one that keeps pulling it off me, I know you don’t want me in your bed, but you can at least have some courtesy.” He snapped.
“Like you have any idea what courtesy is!” Kagome retorted.
“More than you, I don’t slap people for no good reason.”
Kagome’s anger was quickly replaced by, embarrassment and confusion; she hoped they wouldn’t have to bring this up so soon.
“I…” Kagome began,
“Keh, forget I said anything,” Inuyasha interrupted her. He released the blanket and rolled over once more.
Kagome watched Inuyasha’s back for a moment, the words at the tip of her tongue; did you mean what you said that night? But in the end she was too chicken to get the words out. She lied back down, and fell into a fit full sleep.

Inuyasha listened as Kagome’s breathing became shallower, and he knew she was asleep. He’d done a lot of thinking today, after running into Rin and his first argument with Kagome he realized he wanted things to go back to the way they were before he’d said those three words impulsively. To do that he’d have to be combative; he wanted to start them off fresh. If he tried to act sweet and loving she’d see through it right away. What he could do was to keep her talking to him, even if it was arguing. Hopefully over time they could reach an understanding of some sort. At least that’s what he hoped. For a moment he thought Kagome was about to rehash the past week with him. He wasn’t ready for that, simply because he didn’t have all the answers. What he wanted was to forget everything, and start fresh. Back to square one, and hopefully he could win Kagome’s heart.

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A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews, thanks to you I’ve reached over One-hundred reviews. You’re amazing and I love you all. For a sneak peak at the next two chapters and my extensive Author’s notes check out my livejournal http:/ /nicluv1787. livejournal. com/[Without the spaces of course]