Yeah, song fic, but I tried hard to incorporate it into the story naturally and in small increments. Okay, so it makes Miroku a bit...odd, sometimes, but ah, well... It's..a sad story... 'nuf said.
"Whiskey Lullaby"
"Inuyasha!"
Inuyasha was used to being yelled at. In fact, it seemed like Kagome had not stopped yelling at him since the second night of their honeymoon seven years ago. It had been all bliss until that day. How was he supposed to know she hated karaoke and singing in front of people? Ah, well, whatever. He was watching the game, and it had just gotten interesting.
Once, the silver-haired man, now 28, had truly listened and tried to understand Kagome's high-pitched screams. His amber eyes flicked back towards the big screen Kagome had bought him two years ago for his birthday, fixated on the bright-coloured figures streaming on the field as he took a puff of a cigarette that Kagome always complained about.
Kagome let out a long snarl. Inuyasha refused to listen to anything she said. They had married when she was 20 and he was 21. Back then, she had been fifteen pounds lighter without a single silver hair. She'd found her first one of those six months ago. Well, tonight, Inuyasha would listen.
She unplugged his television.
Inuyasha roared. "What'd you do that for!"
"You are going to listen to me this time!" Kagome burst out and looked at Inuyasha… and let herself really look at him for the first time in years. " You haven'thad even a part-time job in over five years, and you're forty pounds overweight! You used to complain if you couldn't work out daily."
But now, Kagome wasn't screaming. Inuyasha looked down. Well, it was true that he had a bit of a gut, but not much of one. It was definitely not forty pounds worth of one. Besides, he hadhad a job just the other day. In fact, in a couple of days, he would go looking for a new job.
"All you ever do is drink beer, smoke nasty-smelling cigarettes and watch TV…" Kagome began crying. Inuyasha glanced up, surprised. She was still in her little business suit; she had yet to takethe gray jacket off. Her chin-length hair was beginning to come out of its barrette. She worked in some office somewhere with long hours. They had no children to worry about, though Kagome, perhaps, would not have minded the worry. "I do too do stuff!" Inuyasha muttered. "Stupid woman."
Another few tears slipped down Kagome's cheeks. "I'm sick of this…"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I told you, I'll look for a job in a few days. Geez. I'm watching the game!" He gestured towards the blank television with annoyance.
"It's always a few days, Inuyasha, and it will always be in just a few days." Kagome stopped crying and sighed. She took her jacket off and looked around their comfortable apartment that she had paid for.
Inuyasha just grunted and gulped down some beer while Kagome talked; he plugged in the television and watched the game as she continued to rant and rave. Kagome always whined and complained about everything. Blah, blah, blah.
But something broke through Inuyasha's haze suddenly. "…we're over, Inuyasha." She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette.
Inuyasha kind of shrugged. He figured Kagome was PMSing or something, but he'd get out. Whatever. Then he wouldn't have to deal with the PMS, anyway. Kagome would beg him back in a couple of days. Miroku would let him crash at his place for a bit…
Inuyasha remembered he did notwant to do that. Miroku was annoying. A hotel then. He shrugged and went back to the game. Kagome went to bed, door locked just in case Inuyasha did notfall asleep in his chair for once. She was not living another day with him.
A week into the hotel stay, Inuyasha realized two things. He needed money and Kagome was still pissed. Inuyasha begged a job from his brother, who nearlyrefused hisconsent. Well, Sesshoumaru was always a jerk anyway. Then Inuyasha leased a cheap apartment for a month. He was always late to work and he never wore suits like the rest of the staff.
Then the month passed and he had just leased the apartment for another month when he found out that Kagome was dating some CEO named Kouga. This was notKagome being pissy. It was truly over.
The truth sent Inuyasha to a bar. He asked the bartender, "What's the best thing to make all the pain go away?"
The bartender looked sad for a long moment, remembering some old memory. He poured Inuyasha a glass of amber fire. "Whiskey."
That's how it began. She broke his heart… He spent his whole life tryin' to forget. But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind.
Little by little, Inuyasha tried to drink the pain away with amber fire. He tried to kill his memories as he drank, trying not to see a sleazy, fat drunk in the mirror when he put on another ten pounds. He stopped looking and he came to work at noon, and sometimes not at all.
He dreamt amber dreams of a young girl laughing and tossing black hair into the air and sweet kisses he gave to the same blushing girl. Then he would wake up, remembering how she had looked that night in her business suit with her mouth drooping.
Inuyasha drank more and more, but he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind.
Until the night…. Amber fire—sweet whiskey—just wasn't enough. In his dirty apartment, whiskey bottles empty around him, He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger.. And finally drank away her memory. Life is short but this time it was bigger… Than the strength he had to get up off his knees.
After a call from Sesshoumaru about Inuyasha's absence of several days, Miroku and Sesshoumaru met and went to Inuyasha's apartment to wake up the man who was probably out cold again.
They said "We found him with his face down in the pillow… With a note that said 'I'll love her till I die'.."
Kagome simply stared at the gravestone. She couldn't believe it.
Sango came up to Kagome, teary-eyed. "Are you all right?"
Kagome didn't answer. She looked at Sango, taking in the pretty diamond ring and the tight swell of her stomach. Miroku and Sango had been married for five years and this was baby number three with three more planned after it. Even at this occasoin, Kagome could see tha little glow of motherhood and love on Sango's face. Miroku managed to be home a lot; with the kids a lot, and with Sango a lot, all the while bringing back a good paycheck.
Sango pulled her into an awkward hug as Miroku joined them.
Miroku's arm circled Sango's back, his hand slowly rubbing the edge of her belly. "I'm sorry, Kagome."
Kagome just nodded and cried.
Miroku sighed to himself "And when we buried him beneath the willow… The angels sang a whiskey lullaby…"
La la la la la la la… la la la la la la la
But that night, once everything was over and done with, Kagome's apartment was just too empty. She went to a bar and asked the bartender to give her something for the pain.
He got a far off, old look of remembrance and sorrow. He poured her a glass of amber fire. "Whiskey."
As the days passed, she turned to whiskey again and again. She knew the truth. She had driven Inuyasha over the edge of it all. Why could notshe have pulled him closer or… or something? Why had not she tried harder? It was all her fault.
Shestared at her little diamond ring because Inuyasha could never afford more than that and drink amber fire. The rumors flew but nobody knew how much she blamed herself… For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath. She had stores of peppermints and gum and mouthwash just for that single purpose. She finally drank her pain away a little at a time… But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind…
After a year, her boyfriend, Kouga, had left her, but Kagome just tried to hide the whiskey on her breath.
Until the night… There was just too much pain for far too long. She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger… And finally drank away his memory… Life is short but this time it was bigger… Than the strength she had to get up off her knees…
We found her with her face down in the pillow... Clinging to his picture for dear life…
We laid her next to him beneath the willow…
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby…
La la la la la la la.. la la la la la la la…..
Uhmm.. I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! hides Please R&R?