The Other Woman

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha.

A/N: To anyone who watches So You Think You Can Dance, you'll understand where the inspiration for this fic came from. If you don't watch the show, I recommend you start, it's an amazing show that has no equal in any other reality shows.

Plot: Kagome and Inuyasha are lovers… the only problem: he's married.

Kagome waited in the house, worrying on her nail. It was a habit she really should've broken by now, but she just couldn't seem to. Every time she wanted to something else happened, like meeting him. And then falling in love with him. But now… she'd wanted to tell him so many times that she was done, but he would do things that would turn her body and heart against her head, like look at her in that way, and she just couldn't.

So tonight she would. She had already gathered up her courage, steeled herself against anything that he could possibly throw at her, and now she was just waiting. And praying that he wouldn't make it difficult on her. She couldn't take that just now.

She looked at the clock, saw the hands mark 5:13 pm. He would be back anytime now. Just thinking about the coming confrontation made her palms slippery and her gut twist. Sake. She needed a nice drink of sake. It would steady her voice.

5:20 pm. He was late. Kagome closed the bottle and drank the rest of the liquid in her cup. It was her second cup, and all that she would make herself ingest. Lest the alcohol run to her tongue and her mind, fogging it up. She would need all her wits to fend him off.

5:34 pm. The door opened, and he walked in, ears twitching. His delicate nose smelled the alcohol. Something was wrong. "Kagome?" Inuyasha called, worried.

"I need to talk to you," she answered, her finger straying up towards her mouth again, waiting to be bitten. It was a habit he had always found endearing, and had never thought to help her break it.

"About what?" he could already tell where this was going, and found the guilt well up inside him. How could he tell her that if he could he would never have married his wife? But what she had held over him that day… it had been in his family's best interest to marry Kikyo, even though he had never loved her. Lusted after, undoubtedly. But loved, never. But when she had told him that she carried his child… it would've been dishonorable to leave her on her own. And his brother, and father, would've killed him had he done nothing. And when the hanyou found out that she had lied to him… well, by that time it had been too late.

But then he had met Kagome. And there had been an instant connection. One that he had never had with Kikyo. So he had asked Miroku and Sango, mutual friends of both he and Kagome, to invite her along to some of their outings. And as the two had grown closer, first as friends, and then as more than friends, he had found his attention had shifted from his wife to his eventually-mistress.

Kagome sighed and gave into the desire to bite at her nails. "You know what about. The thing I've been trying to talk to you about for almost a month now."

Inuyasha nodded. "So that's why you drank the sake, I'm guessing?"

She blushed a little, but knew that he wasn't reprimanding her. The smile on his face took the bite out of the words. "Well, I had to use all of the tools at my discretion. And then had to back them up with a little liquid courage."

He took her arm and led her to the couch. They sat down, and she scooted as far away from him as the sofa would allow. "You should never need to be afraid to approach me, Kagome."

She sighed again. "It's not that I'm afraid to talk to you. It's that I'm afraid to broach this particular subject with you. I've tried, God knows I've tried, but you always do something that makes it hard to say what I want to say, what I need to say. Like that thing you're doing with your ears."

He reached up, startled. He hadn't realized that he had instinctually brought them down to rest on top of his head, the universal sign for unhappy and apologetic. "Sorry."

"Don't be. I wouldn't ask you to change to make me feel better about something that I'm beating myself up over anyway.

"But that's not the point, or even the subject." She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "I can't do this anymore."

His ears went lower on his head, almost disappearing. "What do you mean?" He didn't want to believe that she was leaving, or that she was through with him, or even that she was unhappy in their relationship. He had thought that they had been good together, no matter what the circumstances.

"You know what I mean. I can't take anymore of the situation. I love you, only God knows why, but I can't stand being the other woman. It's just so… wrong."

Now he began to understand a little bit. "Is that what's bothering you?"

She wanted to glare at him. "You say it like it's a small thing."

"Well, isn't it?"

She did hit him. "Are you serious?"

"Would it make you feel better knowing that I don't love her?"

"No. Because I know that I'm the cause of you losing feelings for her. And don't tell me any differently, cause I know it's true."

He wanted to laugh, and controlled it to where it was just a slight smile. "Kagome, my love, I've never loved her. I thought that you would know that. It was only a momentary physical attraction, and then… well, I guess I'll tell you the story." He told her of Kikyo's lie, and the familial obligations that went with it.

She wanted to feel better, but found her conscience wouldn't allow it. "But I've made you break your vows to her."

Inuyasha wrapped Kagome in his arms, and rested his head in the crook of her neck. She held out for a moment, and then gave in to the support he offered. She collapsed into him, promising to beat herself up later. "And what would you do if I told you that I was thinking about divorcing her?"

She felt hope rise up in her, and tried valiantly to squash it. "Wouldn't your family be angry?"

"Not really. No one likes her, not after the stunt she pulled to get into my family. They would frown upon the divorce a little bit, especially Father, but then it would go away. Because Mother's been trying to talk me into doing it anyway."

"Truly?" She felt the hope rise up again.

"That depends on you. Would you stick with me through all the crap that's going to come our way if I do go through with it?" He pulled back to look her in the eyes, needed to see the truth in her eyes.

"I've stuck with you this far, with all the crap my conscience's given me. I think I can handle one woman, no matter who she thinks she is." She leaned back into him, copying his pose from earlier, letting his strength and scent seep into her. "Am I going to have to meet your mother?"

He laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that came from deep within his gut. "Well, since I'm planning on marrying you after Kikyo's gone, I think so, yes."

"Oh shit."

Well, so it wasn't exactly like I had planned, but come on, when have you ever known me to write anything without a happy ending?

If you are curious as to the story that it was supposed to be, I'll tell you.

The dance was about a married man and his mistress, who wasn't strong enough to leave him. She made a few moves towards it, but he kept pulling her back. And when she had finally given into the temptation that he was, he left her to go back to his wife, knowing that his mistress would always be there for him, whenever he called upon her.

But, I mean, that just doesn't work for writers like me, who are like "There HAS to be a happy ending! I can't write anything else!"

Anyway, drop me a line if you liked it, or hated it, or just cause. All reviews and PMs are appreciated!

Luvs you all!

Meako

7.29.2009