Summary: "Love does not make your world spin around; Love is what makes the ride worth a while." Her life and heart were split in two due to a wedding-disaster. His whole world seemed to submerge deeper within, that is... until he met her. How long will it take to heal two broken hearts? Let the process begin…and so welcome to the world of business. Grab a tissue folks, because you are about to enjoy a romantic, emotional and heart gripping story. Warning: Lemons and mild language...INU/KAG, other parings, and a whole lot more surprises throughout.

Important: This story has been under major editing...

And now I give you:

IF YOU ARE NOT THE ONE

So, just sit back and enjoy the ride…

Chapter One: Look Right Through the Cracks

What if everything around you
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection
Is it all you want it to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks?
Would you find yourself
Find yourself afraid to see?

~Right Where It Belongs by Nine Inch Nails~

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Her eyeballs squirmed underneath bolted lids as she snuggled into the arms of her lover. In her opinion, waking up before the sun should be a capital offence. Kagome had never been a morning person, but considering what day it was, she might as well start today.

However, it took several minutes before realization hit her at full throttle, and her eyes finally snapped open as a switch flicked a light bulb in her head. She had to get up immediately; there was no time to waste on REM sleep when her gown was still hanging at the cleaners.

Kagome suddenly found herself struggling to escape the muscular arms that entrapped her puny frame. As she did so, strong limbs automatically wrapped themselves tighter around her petite waist, providing undesired comfort and security.

"Go back to sleep…It's still five am. The cleaners won't open until eight o'clock." The overpowering mass holding her back spoke in a groggy voice, magically reading her mind.

"No, they open at six!" She debated with the naked man on her bed.

He sighed, women.

"Kagome, it's Sunday, remember?" He mumbled in her ear and blew softly, causing her to shutter and her spine to contract. She hated when he attacked her sensitive spots.

Blushing, she laughed nervously. "Oh yeah...it's Sunday..."

He did not respond, only buried his face in the base of her neck. Kagome yawned sleepily and her bright eyes focused on the darkened ambiguity that was their tiny bedroom.

Suddenly, the faint sound of snoring erupting from the man in back of her caught her attention. Kagome scrutinized the way he soundlessly slept, breathing blissfully against her flesh with his steady heartbeat against her back, seemingly unaware of the rest of the world.

For a moment, she pondered over the largest to smallest details why he intrigued her to the degree of doing something so drastic.

After all, today was the day they would finally be husband and wife.

Her fiancé had planned a two month vacation from his occupation at the most prestigious law firm in the district of Kyoto, Partners, to be exact. His sole intention was to spend time with his soon-to-be beloved wife on their honeymoon trip right after the wedding. He had promised to take her around the globe and have the world at her feet.

With time and much devotion to his work, he had managed to gradually increase his popularity in all Japan. Although he came of a wealthy family, people were now beginning to recognize him for his brains rather than his name. He had luckily not lost one case yet, and he was so far at the top of his career. He was able to help clients and defend them until the end with great triumph, winning them a victory in any trial against anyone and in front of any judge or jury.

But they weren't only interested on his high quality standards as a hardworking lawyer, but also to the fact that he was only twenty-seven years old and already employed at Partners. He had recently been recognized and promoted to work there; the man was truly blessed considering the circumstances. Most of his coworkers were middle-aged men no younger than early forties. Partners was the kind of place you would have to be chosen to join, internships were truly unheard of; known for having the best of the best that Japan had to offer.

However, thanks to her fiancé's two cents and her own accredited efforts, Kagome had been chosen the lucky secretary recruited to work for the CEO of the firm. She was extremely good at her job, and it was because of it that she was now officially an employee at Partners; unfortunately she could not always conceal from her fiancé her discontentment and dissatisfaction. She felt blessed to be where she was and yet did not believe the job quite suited her...

Kagome wasn't sure how long she stared at the ceiling wide-eyed, pondering, questioning her next step. Quietly, she grabbed his larger hand that rested on her warm tummy and intertwined her fingers with his, making sure her sly actions would not awaken his calm slumber. Despite of, she felt as his lips gently grazed the pulse on her neck.

"Good morning to you too." He finally greeted as he let go of her waist and turned Kagome over so that their faces were merely an inch apart. She smiled and he smiled back, glad to see her lively face so early in the morning instead of her usual grumpy and lazy twin. After all, he always woke up to workout long before she ever did, so this was definitely a treat for him.

He sat up to stretch and the white sheets covering the both of them fell while exposing his naked torso, leaving only her completely wrapped in the comfort they provided.

She watched thoughtfully, as he got up from their small bed and walked to one of his drawers on the left-hand side of the crowded little bedroom. Although, their paychecks were more than enough, they rented a small one-bedroom apartment to cut back on expenses for the wedding and their future love nest.

His sculptured chest was bare to her contemplative gaze, the only thing he wore was a pair of cotton boxers as he silently dug through his drawers for a clean pair. He then proceeded across the room towards the bathroom, without bothering to close the door as he walked in. Meanwhile, her eyes observed his every movement with hints of uncertainty.

She heard the shower turn on and the water as it started running, all the while her mind raced, desperately trying and catch up with today's reality. After a few minutes, the tall man that would soon be her husband, emerged in a more casual and bored manner, while lethargically running a towel through his damp locks; his body was completely dripping wet with a small towel that dangerously hung on his hips.

She dared not deny it; she loved him, body and soul.

Kagome admired his strength, vibrant personality, clumsiness, faults, mistakes, defeats, victories, successes and any other possible aspect to be humanly attracted to a person. He had funny ways of making her laugh and feel loved above all else. In fact, their friendship blossomed during high school, they were what everyone called the 'it' couple, they were the classic high school sweethearts that everyone loved and others envied.

"I have to go, there are plenty of thing that need organizing before the bride comes marching into the church." He said in a casual tone as he changed into some comfortable jeans and an old college t-shirt.

He continued nonchalantly. "The wedding planner asked for my presence as early as possible, I think she and my mother might need some last-minute assistance." He explained all too casually.

Thump

But something was not right...

Thump..Her heart beat harder against her ribcage. Something was amiss.

Why did Kagome not trust his words?

Tha-thump

Where was he really going? She had already taken care of everything with the wedding planner; she had assured her numerous times that everything was done and ready.

In fact, she had also gotten off the phone with his mother last night, who had insisted that they should rest well and take their time. There should not be a thing amiss or to do besides to get physically and emotionally prepared.

Perhaps, her real fear was that he would not return if he set foot outside that door.

Thump, thump, thump

Kagome merely sat there, speechless.

For a moment, he observed her doubtful expression and approached the bed, leaning his head forward so that it was directly facing hers.

He lifted her chin with a finger and tenderly said; "Babe, I have a wedding to go to today." He informed her with that croaky voice of his (that always seemed to make her knees wobbly), and gently placed one of her hands over his normally palpitating chest. "I promise, my heart will beat ten times faster the moment you walk down the aisle to meet me." She noticed how he sugar-coated his words with a fake smile that diminished the usually glint in his eyes.

Tha-thump, tha-thump

He was lying; she had no doubts about it.

But what was she supposed to say? What could she possibly say without sounding paranoid? But just miserably smile away her uncertainty...

She cast her eyes downward and broke from his hold, afraid to ask. "Promise me, you will be there at the altar waiting for me?" She timidly questioned through gritted-teeth.

He brought her eyes to his by cupping her chin once more. Hesitantly, he pierced into her large eyes, but no usual words of guarantee were exchanged. Instead he remained silent, indecipherable and suddenly lost. It was almost as if there was something he needed to confess, to get off his chest before it would be too late.

Tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump

Kagome panicked as soon as she noticed that he did not provide an answer right away.

What if he's having second thoughts? Suddenly, he felt her whole body tense up and he concluded that she was starting to doubt him. He had known her for years and never had she doubted him before, she had always followed his footsteps blindly. And quite frankly, he absolutely loved that about her, but at the same time felt guilty for ever using that to his own advantages in the past.

Despite everything, she meant the world to him.

For a brief moment, he reminisced on all the sacrifices she had made for him in order to make this thing work.

At first, she worked exceedingly hard to become a doctor; her plans were to get into medical school to become a pediatrician. Kagome adored kids, but after senior year in college she changed her major and turned down one of the most prestigious medical universities in Japan, Tokyo U, that majored specifically in her field of study.

But he had decided to go to a law school in France and continue his education there while she stayed behind in Japan. Kagome could not stand the fact of being continents apart; meanwhile he accomplished his education in Kyoto. Her instincts had told her to let him go but her foolish heart had convinced her to stay by his side.

However, he was exceptionally jealous, distrustful, and not to mention selfish, for not granting her a longer leash and always controlling her future for her. He had always known that if he asked her to come with him, she certainly would, and without a fight. And so he did, and without even having to beg, she went off to France and stayed by his side.

In the end, she unexpectedly became his assistant later on (mainly because he had suggested it and Kagome only agreed to it in his favor; his happiness always seemed to come first). Her dreams of getting into medical school were, momentarily put on hold since she had decided to devote her time to help him reach his dreams instead, like working at Partners together. Deep within, he always knew that being employed there was not exactly what she really desired; it was his own ambition alone and like usual she had only done so to please him. However, her hopes remained alive; somewhere along the lines, she still wanted to be a physician.

Then he decided there was only one thing left to do in order to tie her down for good. It was shortly after their college graduation that he finally proposed and asked her to marry him, and that was also when Kagome finally decided that she could no longer achieve her goals. She would get married to the man of her dreams and eventually become a mother; the lingering ambition was no longer an option.

Regardless of how imprudent and foolish her family thought of her intentions, her only occupation became his happiness. He always listened whenever Kagome had a dispute with her mother regarding her own happiness, and every time, her pathetic excuse was that she was blinded by love.

And then, something clicked in his mind that told him, that reminded him in such an egotistical manner, that he would never let go. He was already too far in to ever consider her escape, not unless he could impede it first. No matter how sick, possessive, and obsessed he was; she was his, and only his alone.

Unfalteringly, he tilted her chin upward, forcing her to look at him.

He paused to simply gaze into her mesmerizing orbs as if there was a need of reassurance, more from his part than her own.

"Kagome, no matter what happens, please remember that you mean the world to me, you always have." Then he sealed his promise of eternal devotion with a tender smile that this time reached those brilliant eyes and melted her very core, easily carving each word in stone.

And unexpectedly, he managed to embezzle one final earth-shattering kiss before departing.

Thump, tha-thump

But something immediately felt wrong as soon as their lips met, there were no sparks this time, it was different to every other time. Kagome felt suddenly sick to her stomach, like a bad omen, telling her to keep him there with her, to lock that bedroom door and never allow his getaway. However, she also felt the strong desire to prove to herself that everything was fine and that she was just overreacting.

Therefore, Kagome deepened the gentle kiss by seizing his head and embracing him tightly, all the while running her subtle hands through his thick mane before pulling him in a steady position. Their caress was raw and overwhelming, that desperate need to hold on became more breathtaking and demanding, almost as if it were their last.

Their lips parted after a minute or so, and he broke apart, untangling from her secured grasp while noticing her fretful eyes that only implored him to stay. In spite of, he contemplated the idea that perhaps she must have fallen victim to those dreadful last minute jitters, and so he planted a last minute kiss on her forehead, ignoring all the signs and forsaking that nagging feeling in his own pleading gut that advised something was amiss. Notwithstanding, he simply left their cozy little bedroom behind and a doubtful Kagome along with it.

It was the afternoon of the day and she was now in her family's sacred shrine; studying herself on the mirror of her old bedroom, making sure she was perfect for her soon-to-be husband. All of her bridesmaids were getting dressed in a different room of her mother's house, and so she took advantage of the few minutes she had entirely to herself; preparing for the biggest event of her twenty-five year old life.

Kagome studied the unrecognizable woman that radiated inside the large rectangular mirror of her old bedroom. In a matter of minutes she would officially be Mrs. Oookami. Her future mother-in-law at the moment was running delightedly around the house, making sure everything was perfect or spotless. And as a result, just the thought of the pressure inflicted upon her shoulders caused her body to shiver with nervousness and yet utter excitement.

She continued to scrutinize and contemplate over her image. Her makeup had been professionally applied by a make-up artist who was presently elsewhere, probably working on perfecting someone else's face. Kagome's long hair that reached her just a couple more inches below her mid back was put into an elegant bun and only two curled strings of hair layered her delicate façade.

Her mother-in-law's elegant wedding gown was an expensive silky strap dress that probably cost her a crazy fortune. However, it beautifully embraced her fit figure well, not to mention the skirt was also kind of puffy from below the waist. The dress had a huge tail which she knew she would end up dragging on her way out of the church. Her breast budged a little at the top, which made it just a little uncomfortable. It was simple yet refined. However, apart from some minor incommodious details, it was absolutely gorgeous.

Traditionally, this particular ceremony was more private and conservative, at a shrine or temple such as her home, with old fashioned kimonos, Buddha prayer beads, ancient sacred scrolls and countless bottles of ancient saké. However, Kagome and her fiancé agreed into having an all Christian wedding.

At first, Kagome was not exactly as enthusiastic as he was about the idea. After all, she had been raised in a different environment and religion, but she respected his beliefs and way of life, accepting whatever outcome pleased him. And of course, Kagome's mother and grandfather had agreed with the couple without hesitating, even though they clearly knew she preferred a quiet ceremony at the shrine and perhaps wear her own mother's wedding kimono. Regardless, they respected her imprudent decisions because they also knew she was convinced in making him happy and pleasing his family.

"Knock, knock, can I come in, sweetheart?" Her mother asked when she opened a crack through the door and smiled delightedly as she gazed upon her fully grown-up daughter.

"You know perfectly well you don't even have to ask, momma." Kagome reminded the woman as she continued to examine herself in the mirror. No matter how hard she looked and what she thought of herself, she just could not arrive to the conclusion that she looked good enough for her fiancé.

"Oh Kagome, you look simply stunning!" Her mom said happily with awe and walked over to where Kagome stood in front of the mirror, holding a camera. "Now do me a favor and smile!" Her mom had been running around the house taking pictures from everything and everyone.

She did just as she was told and successfully feigned a smile to her father's old camera; it was truly hard to tell she was having her last minute doubts.

"How did you manage to escape my other mother?" Kagome asked sarcastically, in regards to her ecstatic in-law.

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "I begged Souta to stall her for me so that we could talk privately."

The bride simply smiled. "Nice mom, I bet she's tormenting Souta about his shaggy medusa-looking hair."

She snorted. "You bet she is! And she keeps raving about how he refuses to off those old Converse shoes your dad left behind." Her mom laughed amusedly, and for a solid moment, so did Kagome before her gloomy mask took place.

"But nevermind those two lunatics...Kagome...you look simply breathtaking!" Mrs. Higurashi admired her only daughter; the woman seemed overwhelmed as she recalled her own wedding day.

She said with teary eyes and a gentle tone full of pride, only she knew how to utter. "...I want you to know that this is not only one of the most memorable days of your life, but it's also one of mine. Please, do us all a favor and cheer up, honey." If anyone could read her like an open book, certainly, it was her mother.

Suddenly, Kagome realized that perhaps her mother was right, this was a drastic turn in life and she had come too far to back out. However, thinking about the engaging significance only made her doubts increase greatly. Immediately, goose bumps traveled throughout her body, making her shiver in response.

But, was she really in love?

Kagome frowned. "I guess, you're right… but how do you know if the man waiting for me inside that church is really the one?" Kagome asked as she stared holes through the floor, almost shamed of her question. How can she possibly have doubts at this very moment?

"Higurashi Ai Kagome, it has never crossed my mind that you would ask a question such as this one. You told me the other night that you were positive of your feelings for this young man. You should have never even accepted that engagement ring right away, especially if you weren't exactly sure of your feelings, honey." Mrs. Higurashi said in a friend-like yet motherly tone.

"Mom, I'm not regretting anything!" Kagome's voice altered visibly. "It's just that…how can I be sure that he is the right man that I am destined to be with? Think about it, mom! What if this is one huge mistake!" The young bride panicked with terror as she looked pleadingly towards her mother.

"I-I mean, he doesn't eat breakfast or supper unless I'm there by his side, he tends to be very possessive yet he gazes at other women when he thinks I'm not looking, he burps so loud you have no idea how annoying it can get, he calls me his woman in front of other men as if I am some sort of possession, and he doesn't even let me touch his laundry unless he sniffs it first to check if it's either dirty or clean!" Kagome worriedly rambled on aimlessly at random things she could think of at the top of her head, listing her incertitude.

"Well I'm sorry Kagome, but men will be men; you can't really blame the man for saving you the trouble of checking his dirty laundry." She explained and sighed at Kagome's anxious expression that seized to fade away. "Oh honey, that's nonsense, it's just a load of questions that tend to wonder through every anxious bride's conscience before their wedding." Mrs Higurashi tucked a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear as they gazed at their reflections in the mirror. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you have given that young man plenty of opportunities to prove himself worthy of your affection. Otherwise, you would not be standing here today." Kagome's mom told her making a valid point. Mrs. Higurashi gently placed her hands on Kagome's shoulders for reassurance, smiling sweetly and squeezing her shoulders gently.

Kagome always admired her mother's ability to overlook a storm; she only hoped to be just as confident and strong one day.

"You decide your future Kagome and no matter what your result turns out to be, I will always be proud of you, sweetheart." Kagome's eyes were now filled with unshed tears as her heart stirred with emotion and leaped with excitement.

Regardless of the bountiful size of the gown, she somehow managed to collapse in her mother's arms who gently patted her back, and eventually broke free, hesitant to let go of her only daughter just yet.

"Now, now, dear, try to cheer up and think positive things of the future that awaits you both ahead." Mrs. Higurashi sniffed back tears as she cooed softly, regaining strength for Kagome's sake and her own.

Kagome nodded as she took a deep breath and now stood firmly in front of her. "Oh and before I forget, the limo is waiting by the shrine steps. Hurry up now and don't forget to put on the garter."

"If there is anyone present, that opposes to why this couple shall not be joined in holy matrimony, shall speak now or forever remain in silence." The priest said as he looked up at the audience of people that filled the huge church, entirely.

The bride and groom were still locked into each other's eyes and as they stood in the altar together holding hands. A plethora of faces were focused on them and only them. However, someone strode down the aisle hardly being noticed by a single soul. "I do!" The mysterious someone called out from a distance and everyone's attention was drawn to that particular person, including the young couple who stood shocked and completely distraught on the altar of the church.

"What is your purpose for interrupting this sacred ceremony?" The Christian priest questioned the woman who stood before them all.

Her long hair was scarlet red and her big diamond eyes were a brilliant emerald green. The attractive young woman stared at the bride who stood at the altar dressed in a gorgeous and elegant white wedding dress. "My name is Ayame and I am sure that man who is standing next to her-" She pointed a finger at the groom, "-knows very well who I am."

"What the hell do you think you are doing here!" The groom swallowed thickly as he observed Kagome's horrified face.

For a taunting second, the redhead looked at the floor and chuckled with a dryness in her laugh, "Father, I must confess that I have sinned." The sarcasm was nothing short of a beginning to her confession. However, the amusement was soon gone when she once again gazed towards a dumbstruck Kagome.

Seriously, wasn't this woman done making a fool out of her? The devastated bride wondered with sarcasam.

However, the determined woman inhaled a large intake of air, regaining her composure with a fierce fire in her eyes. "I cannot continue to allow myself to be threatened by the man who has kept me well hidden in the shadows for quite some time now…"

Her eyes were beginning to tear up as she continued on. "You see, we met five months ago in an airport and since then, we have been keeping regular contact with each other. At first he told me that he was single and in no compromising relationship. He also insisted that he wanted to be with me, but I told him that I was temporally in Kyoto on a trip to see my family members. But he did the impossible in order for me to stay. He got me an expensive apartment and a well-paying job. And of course, like any other woman would have done, I fell for him and all his foolish lies!" She was now crying hysterically and her voice was cranking and at some points fading away.

The man at the altar tried desperately to think of a valid excuse. "Baby, it's not what it seems, she's not anyone especial, she's lying and all she wants is to break us apart. I swear she's nothing but a crush from the past!" Kagome didn't know whether she should be furious that even now he dared to continue to lie like a dog, or die laughing from the humiliation and hatred that consumed her wretched heart.

"I'm pregnant and you know it!" Ayame shouted and this time all heads turned, the atmosphere was so tense you could probably cut through the silence with a butter knife.

The bride's eyes widen abruptly like as if stabbed through the heart.

For a long time, Kagome found her whole body paralyzed and unable to move from the spot where she stood, all the while tears were also now dripping down her face one by one; she just couldn't believe it. She tried to protest but she found no voice spoken out of her lips and her legs and hands were now shaking with horror. And all this time she had thought that he was loyal and was devoted to her and only her. But her ears deceived her from what she once thought he truly was. But now everything was clear as day, all the early meetings, late night excuses, and client trips made perfect sense. All the pieces fell into place, all her doubts became relevant.

Ayame did not stop there; she spoke with boldness as she struggled from the security's grasp. "Just a while ago, I found out that he was engaged. I told him that I was carrying his child and he refused to accept that the child was his. He even threatened me with the cost of my life, and the child's that I hold within, if I did as little as to step foot in this church today. I don't care what he will do anymore, all I ask for, is recognition of my child. I even have proof in my purse that the baby is his."

There was a pause in the entire church. No one was sure if to believe what they had just heard or ignore it and think that this was all a sick joke. Kagome stood there utterly flabbergasted, for a while she shook her head while taking it all in little by little like an atomic bomb waiting to happen. After blinking out of her daze, she let go off his hands and did the first thing that came to her mind…she ran.

"KAGOME!" The man who stood in the altar shouted as he watched her pick up his mother's dress and run away from his grasp. The groom attempted to follow but was seized at once.

He wanted nothing more than to run after her, to chase her and convince her that he had made a terrible mistake. To make her understand that he had only done this to protect her from the truth, a truth that only veiled his regreted actions like a cloche of shame. He would trade anything for her forgiveness, anything to go back in time and awaken again beside her, and never abandon her side.

However, these illusions vanished in a blink of an eye as one of his best friends tackled him to the ground. Including his best man, now pinned him down, like the cheating and lying dog that he was; unworthy of going after her. Inspite of their strength, he tried his best to get out of their grasp as he powerlessly watched her go. But then again, part of him knew that he had never deserved her, and he suddenly understood that was the reason why he had always kept her love strings wrapped around his fingers like a puppet.

Kagome bit back a sob as he heard him cry her name over and over, but he had shattered something inside her that she would never get back, something that was torn into bits and blown into smithereens.

Despite of, she gather the remaning bits of courage she possessed and ran as fast as her heels could carry her. She stormed down the aisle and out the church doors without bothering to turn back, look over her shoulders or even glance at him one last time; while taking all of his dreams and hopes with her as she quickly strolled away.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA AND CO. I REPEAT...THEY DO NOT BELONG TO ME WHATSOEVER, HOWEVER ONLY TO THE VERY TALENTED MISS RUMIKO TAKAHASHI.

Disclaimer: I claim no right to the songs used throughout my fic, they are clearly not mine, and so these lyrics are used for the sole purpose of inspiration.

A/N: You'll continue to find out a little about Kagome's family and past. Like I've mentioned a couple times, this is an Inu/Kag romance fic, so no worries, Inuyasha will show up sooner than you might think…

Your friendly author,

IYlover4ever.