Welsh
(v) to cheat by failing to pay a gambling debt; to back on one's word
"Honestly, Sango. We are too old to be doing this!" Miroku objected, his eyes suspiciously shifty and his face attempting to keep up a bright grin. Sango narrowed her eyes at her husband and smirked.
"You said we could play any game I wanted. Remember?"
His eyes rose to meet hers and he swallowed thickly. He never did like this game, but whenever his wife got an idea into her head, it was near impossible to get it out.
Seeing his defeat, Sango turned to the also slightly apprehensive couple next to her. Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other with trepidation, before meeting the eyes of their long time friend. Behind her, Miroku gave them a hopeless shrug and Inuyasha snorted.
"Seriously, Sango. How old are you? Fucking fifteen?" Inuyasha grouched, crossing his arms across his chest. Kagome looked over to her boyfriend and nodded in agreement.
Sango's smirk never wavered. "You all agreed that it was my turn to pick the game, and I pick Truth or Dare."
Kagome sighed and bowed her head. She should have known better than to let her decide on a game. The two couples had been meeting for their bi-weekly game night for years but it had never back fired on them this badly.
Sneaking a glance at her silent boyfriend, Kagome felt her heart squeeze. She and Inuyasha had hit yet another rough patch in their relationship. They had been dating on and off again for years, but she felt as though it was different this time. She felt she couldn't reach him this time. And it tore her apart.
Turning to look at her best friend, Kagome braced herself for the worst. "Fine, Sango. Who goes first?"
Sango's face softened at her friend's defeated face. She had noticed the tension between her college friends and knew they'd had another fight. One of the things that Inuyasha and Kagome shared was their stubborn nature and inability to share their feelings, their fears. Kagome was afraid to show Inuyasha how much he hurt her because she didn't want him to feel guilty about part of his personality that he couldn't help, his uncensored mouth being one of them. Inuyasha still hadn't, even after all these years, come to terms with his need for Kagome in his life and still had moments of panic that led to insensitive remarks to distance himself from frightening feelings.
This often led to many fights that were blown out of proportion due to their inability to communicate. It was one of the main reasons Sango had suggested the juvenile game on the Game Night. Inuyasha and Kagome needed to talk and Sango would see to it they would get everything off their chest.
"It'll be fun, you'll see. But first some ground rules. No dares that involve kissing or sexual situations of someone other than a spouse," with this she glared at her husband, who smiled sheepishly. "Also, if you accept a dare, but cannot go through with it, the person that gave the dare has the right to either a) have a penalty slap or b) come up with a much worse dare." Sango said with confidence, sitting back on her heels.
Settling herself so that her swollen stomach was comfortable, she turned to look at Inuyasha across from her in their loose circle. "Inuyasha, you're first. Truth or dare?"
Inuyasha looked over to his pregnant friend and felt a scowl twist his mouth. He had always hated these fucking games. They left him completely at mercy to the person asking the questions. The fact that Sango picked this game of all games made him suspicious. He knew she was worried over Kagome and him and it left him on edge. Like hell he would pour his heart for everyone in the fucking world to hear.
Without even a moment of hesitation, "Dare."
Sango's face twitched and she looked up at the ceiling in thought. It would probably be best to start of slow, let everyone's guard drop before she made her move. "Fine. I dare you to…not curse for the remainder of the night."
Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously and nodded.
Too easy…
"Stupid dare, but whatever." Scanning the faces in front of him, he zeroed in on his girlfriend. "Kagome, truth or dare?"
Startled, Kagome turned to look at him with wide eyes. These games always left her feeling cornered. But she would much rather face the humiliation of truth than be at the mercy of her boyfriend's devilish mind.
"Truth."
He rolled his eyes and couldn't stop a small smile from forming on his face. "Figures. Okay, answer this. And remember, no lying. Did you ever do anything with that fu—fricking guy Kouga?"
Kagome's face froze. Her eyes searched his and she could see his anticipation. She and Kouga had dated long before Inuyasha and her but it had always been a sore topic between the young couple. Scowling, she glared at him. "For the last time, Inuyasha. No; nothing happened between me and Kouga. I've told you that several times!"
Shrugging, he fought the feeling of satisfaction from spreading. He had known nothing happened, but there was always a doubt, a small thought that she might have lied to him about it. But seeing her insulted and frustrated eyes, he knew she was telling the truth. That and she was a shitty liar.
Ignoring him, Kagome turned to Sango.
"Sango, truth or dare?"
"Hm…dare." Sango replied with a smile.
Kagome thought for a fitting dare, something that would make her feel better about having to play the stupid game to begin with. An idea made her face split into a mischievous grin. "I dare you to flash the pizza guy when he gets here."
Sango's mouth dropped open and she eyed her friend with new respect. She would never have thought Kagome could come up with a dare like that one. Grinning back, she gave a brisk nod. "Deal." Turning to her husband, who had been for the most part left alone, she asked: "Miroku, truth or dare?"
Looking nervous, Miroku bit his lip. "Truth." What was the worst thing she could ask?
"Why did you grope so many girls?"
Swallowing, Miroku cursed his luck. No matter what he answered, Sango would probably get mad at him, either because he lied or because he told the truth.
Sighing, he bowed his head. "Pass."
Her eyes widened, then narrowed. She knew why her husband had groped girls, because he was a pervert. But she had assumed that he would willingly admit it. Sighing, she shrugged. "Okay then. Look up, Miroku."
He looked up at her a second before she laid a stinging slap against his cheek. Wincing, he blinked back tears of pain. That was one thing he hadn't missed from his playboy days. And his wife had always packed a mean punch. Attempting to push the pain into the back of his mind, he turned to Kagome.
"Kagome, truth or dare?"
Biting her lip, she looked torn. She wanted to say truth, but she couldn't keep doing that all night; otherwise the game wouldn't really be that much fun. But with Miroku making the dare…
Bracing herself. "Dare."
Miroku's face morphed into one of delight. He racked his brain to come up with the perfect dare while still abiding by the rules his wife had set. "I dare you to tell Inuyasha a fantasy of yours that you've never told anyone."
Kagome's eyes widened and she blushed. Looking over at Inuyasha she saw his confident smirk.
"Nice try, perv," he said, grinning. "But she's already told me all of them." Miroku smirked
"Have you, little Kagome?"
Inuyasha turned to look at his girlfriend and was surprised to see her blush and look the other way, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Kagome?" he whispered. She looked up at him and bit her lip.
"There is this one…" she whispered and her blush intensified. Looking over at Miroku, she asked. "Do I have to only tell him, or do I have to say it out loud?"
"Just him."
Nodding, she turned her body to face her boyfriend. Leaning close so that her mouth was by his ear, she whispered the one fantasy that she hadn't had the confidence to tell him about, let alone try.
Sango and Miroku watched with interest Inuyasha's expression. It started out twisted with confusion before his features opened with surprise, then a blush began to steal up his neck. By the time Kagome had pulled back, his eyes had narrowed with desire and he was shifting in his seat. Looking down at his mortified girl friend, Inuyasha couldn't control the surge of lust that stole through him. Pulling her back, he traced his mouth along the shell of her ear, smirking when she shivered and whispered, "Oh, we're so going to try that out at home."
Kagome's blush intensified to a cherry red and she couldn't stop the rush of anticipation that seized her stomach.
Man, this night can't go any slower with that kind of promise.
"Kagome, it's your turn to pick someone."
Shaken from her thoughts, she turned back to the juvenile game and the night wore on much in the same fashion. That is, until it was once again Sango's turn.
"Inuyasha, truth or dare?"
As she watched his face, she could feel the anticipation making her restless. She had waited until the couple had relatively dropped their guard, had been relaxed by a few drinks. Now it was time to make her move.
"Dare," he muttered with a confident, if not slightly silly smirk. Next to him, Kagome smothered a giggle and attempted to become sober.
Sango had to stop the wicked smile that wanted to take over her face. Looking into her friend's relaxed and slightly blurry golden eyes, she struck.
"I dare you to tell Kagome about Kikyo."
All movement in the room seemed to freeze. Inuyasha's face became sober and thunderous in a minute. Glaring at Sango, his eyebrows drew together and he crossed his arms in front of him defensively.
"What the fuck are you playing at Sango?"
A silent and sobered Kagome stared from one to the other, her heart aching and racing in her hollowed chest. She clenched her fist over her necklace absently and worried her bottom lip with her teeth.
Of course she knew about Kikyo. She had been friend with Inuyasha for most of his life. How could she not know about his first lost love?
They had met in high school and, according to Inuyasha, it was love at first sight; a thing he no longer believed in.
They were star crossed lovers; never meant to last past the loud and crowded halls of high school. They had dated through their junior and senior year but when college hit, things became bumpy. It was around that time that Kagome finally confronted her feelings for her best friend to herself and realized that she loved him. She also realized that she didn't stand a chance against Kikyo.
So she had kept her feelings, her hurt to herself and watched her best friend slowly run down the path of destruction.
It had started as a mild argument about never seeing each other since they both went to separate colleges. Inuyasha went to a local university with Kagome and Kikyo had gotten accepted out of state, twelve hours away. They had believed they could survive the distance, and for six months, they did.
But then, Kikyo began to call less, began to become short with Inuyasha during their nightly phone calls. They had begun to fight, something they had never done before.
Inuyasha came to Kagome one night, after a particularly nasty fight, close to tears and tearing himself up with the knowledge that his love no longer loved him back.
Kagome had feared that Kikyo would find another man while she was away; she was a very beautiful, endearing woman, bound to attract a healthy amount of male attention.
But that hadn't happened. Instead, Kikyo became seduced by her books. She believed she no longer had time for a high school romance that, she thought, wasn't going anywhere. She needed to focus on her classes, needed to focus on becoming a doctor.
A very rigorous academic load was what drove Kikyo from her high school sweetheart.
However, Inuyasha never saw it that way. He blamed himself for months after the break up. If he had been a better boyfriend, if he had been smart enough to be in her league, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have lost her. It was in those months of his agony that Kagome had finally had enough. In a fit of frustration, she ended up confessing her feelings for him.
At first, Inuyasha had been shocked, caught unawares. But as time went on and the tension built, he was finally able to admit his own feelings.
But Kagome never truly believed he had stopped blaming himself for his break up with Kikyo and had never truly gotten over her.
Looking in between her friends now, she could feel the tension building in her shoulders, could feel the threatening tears.
"What about Kikyo?" she asked quietly, drawing the two from their intent staring contest. Sango's face softened when she saw the panic on Kagome's face and she turned back to Inuyasha.
"Tell her Inuyasha."
Surging to his feet, Inuyasha snarled at her. "You don't just say shit like that Sango. It's my life, my relationship you're messing with. You can't just fuck with people for your own sick amusement. I won't play this game with you."
He turned on his heel, ready to storm from the house, but Sango's voice stopped him.
"You know the penalty of refusing a dare, Inuyasha. You either tell Kagome about Kikyo or I dare you to stay and watch as I tell her."
"Tell me what?" Kagome asked again, her panic rising. Only silence answered her. Getting to her feet she stepped in front of Inuyasha and tried to get a look at his face. His shoulders were hunched and his face hidden in shadow. His hands clenched at his side and he refused to meet her eyes.
Desperate, she turned to Sango, but only saw steel resolve. Tears gathered at the corners of her lashes, threatened to fall.
"Tell me what!" she shouted, her fear making her shake. "Someone tell me what she's talking about!" She turned to her silent boyfriend. "Inuyasha, tell me what she's talking about."
He lifted his head and met her eyes. His eyes were blank, completely cold. It was a look she had hoped to never see on his face. It sent the tears falling from her eyes and caused her to grow slightly dizzy.
"You still love her, don't you?" she whispered, her eyes trained on his emotionless face. "You still love Kikyo."
It was no longer a question.
At the mention of her name, a flash of emotion raced across his face, almost indecipherable before it was gone again. But it was a look Kagome had seen before.
It was shame.
Her legs buckled and she crumbled to her knees.
He watched her and could feel his heart constrict. But he couldn't make his mouth open, couldn't make the words come out. Instead he turned away from the sight of her pain like the coward he was.
"I won't play this game with you, Sango," he murmured to the silent room. No one moved, no one breathed. "I refuse to." He forced his legs to carry him away from Kagome's pain, from the accusing stares of Sango and Miroku. Away from the warmth of love he could no longer accept.
The door clicked softly behind him and echoed in the stricken room like a gunshot.
Only one thought raced through Kagome's mind. Only one thought broke through her sorrow.
You broke your promise, Inuyasha. You promised you'd never hurt me.
Tears obscured her vision as she caved in from the pain, from the truth. Distantly she felt arms go around her, heard Sango's comforting voice, but could respond to none of it. Her body had shut down from the shock, from the heart break. And Kagome knew there would be no getting over this break up, there would be no making up and apology. There would be no more Kagome and Inuyasha ever again.
But you just killed me.
(AN: It's been a little bit of a struggle getting this one out and I still wasn't fully satisfied with the ending. If you think that it ended too soon too, then please tell me. I'll try to make it better. I can't change anything if I don't know what's wrong with it. As always, I'd like to thank the (2) of you that reviewed: tipsu and Mika. You guys rock! Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it!)
Jane
