Disclaimer: The anime Inuyasha doesn't belong to me, neither do the manga nor anything dealing with Inuyasha.

A/N: This chapter is based loosely on the song Porcelain Heart by BarlowGirl. It's an amazing song!

Betrothed

Chapter 25- Porcelain Heart

It was a bleak, summer afternoon when Inuyasha decided to take Kagome once again to his family's private property. The sky was covered in a blanket of grey, dark clouds. It was a rather dark afternoon except for the tiny rays of sunlight peeking out from the spaces between the clouds.

Kagome was sitting at the water's edge, her feet wading in the clear water below her. Her head was downcast as she watched her feet move in the waters, while her hands were resting on the cool grass beneath her.

Inuyasha was observing her for some time while leaning against a tree adjacent to her and had noticed that she had yet to move from that position which caused him to assume that she was in deep thought about something. Her face was hidden by her dark hair that tumbled over her shoulders due to her head being lowered. Despite the fact that her face was being hidden from her view, Inuyasha knew what or more of whom her thoughts were focused on.

He didn't want her to worry about Nara, or anything as a matter a fact. That was why he had taken her out to this place. Inuyasha noticed how relaxed she seemed that last time she visited the place so he had hoped it would relieve the stress that she was dealing with. It seemed that it was working for she looked happy but then she had gotten quiet, causing Inuyasha to wonder.

It was only a week and a half since they had last encountered Nara. Kagome had attempted to contact Nara various times despite the fact that Inuyasha had warned her against it. They argued about it frequently, usually ending with Kagome leaving him and returning home. He had yet to tell her about the phone call that he had received from Nara's father, officially calling off the engagement, knowing that it would make Kagome worry even more about her cousin. The only thing that mattered now was that he was free to be with Kagome.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha blinked several times and moved his golden eyes to look at Kagome. He hadn't even noticed that she had turned to look at him. He raised one eyebrow, indicating that he was listening to her.

"What are you thinking about?" Kagome inquired and tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Nothing important," He mumbled and turned his head to the side to look at the lake. He caught a glimpse of her frown but decided to ignore it. The last thing he wanted was to worry her.

From the corner of his eye he saw her slowly pull her legs out of the water and pull her knees up to her chest. Kagome rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes. A gentle wind blew causing Kagome's hair to whip gently against her face. She shivered slightly when the breeze passed, which made Inuyasha want to go over to her and wrap his arms around her body. He didn't. Instead he called her name, his voice barely above a whisper and gently told her to come over to him.

Kagome's eyebrows hitched high on her forehead and her lips pulled down in a frown. She was baffled by his command but she crawled over to him despite this. Inuyasha pulled her body close to his while letting her rest comfortably on his lap. Her ear was pressed against his chest, while her two arms were wrapped around his waist. Inuyasha had rested her chin on top of her head while pulling her body closer to his.

"Why did you…"

"Keh, you were cold," Inuyasha responded, cutting Kagome's question off.

She didn't say anything after that, causing the pair to remain silent for sometime. The rustling of the leaves from the tree above them and the soft chirping of the birds were the only sounds that remained after the pair stopped speaking. Kagome was the one to break the silence between them.

"You seem worried. Is anything wrong?"

Inuyasha moved his head to look down at the woman cradled in his arms. Kagome was looking up at him; her eyes were filled with worry. That was exactly what he didn't want to happen. He cursed himself for letting his emotions show so clearly on his face and moved one hand to caress her cheek.

"I told you, it's nothing important," he said but Kagome didn't seem satisfied with his answer. She drew her eyebrows down to her eyes, her lips formed into a thin line and her light eyes blazed with anger.

"You're lying to me," she stated and glowered at him. Inuyasha tried his best not to cringe at his love's facial expression as she spoke to him. This was going to turn into an argument without a doubt if he refused to admit to her claims. Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. He definitely didn't want to fight with Kagome.

"If I tell you, would you stop nagging me?"

"Gladly," Kagome responded with a smile, happy that she had won. She shifted her body to face his so she could gain a better view of his face. Inuyasha sighed once more and looked at her.

"I've been meaning to tell you," Inuyasha began softly and evaded her eyes, "That the engagement between me and Nara is off."

Kagome felt both relief and guilt at the same time. She was worried first of Nara's well being. She wanted to know how her cousin was doing now that she had to break up with the person she loved most. However Kagome felt great joy in her heart. She was glad that she no longer had to worry about Nara and seeing Inuyasha with her. She was happy that their relationship no longer had to be kept a secret.

The two conflicting emotions caused her head to spin. She grasped Inuyasha's shirt as another wave of nausea hit her. She felt Inuyasha's large hand come to rest on her back. She waited for the feeling to pass before looking up at Inuyasha. The fact that he was concerned about her well being was obvious.

"You okay?" Inuyasha asked and ran circles on her back.

"I'm fine," Kagome responded with a smile. She leaned up and planted a brief kiss on his lips. Inuyasha gave her a big, stupid grin before leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. Kagome clung on to him as a familiar warmth flowed though her body. Inuyasha's hands were running down her hips and eventually rested on her outer thigh.

Kagome didn't know when her back had come to rest against the moist grass. She only became aware of it when the kiss ended. Inuyasha was towering over her, using his elbows to keep his body weight off of her. His long hair and fallen to the side of his face, causing their faces to be surrounded by a curtain of sliver strands.

He leaned down once again and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. They then fell into the next kiss, and the next, and this continued until they were both breathless. Inuyasha eyes were focused on Kagome's face. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips red and slightly swollen from the many kisses that they had shared.

Inuyasha leaned down and kissed her neck before nuzzling his nose deep in that area. She smelt so good and Kagome felt to warm. Words could not describe how he felt about her at that moment. He kissed the flesh of her neck once more and relaxed when her thin arms came around his back, drawing his body close to his.

Inuyasha would have gladly stayed like that with Kagome for a long time but the ringing of his cell phone ruined the moment. She cursed under his breath and moved off Kagome in order to retrieve the phone that was in his jeans pocket.

Kagome propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him. He had flipped the phone open but had yet to answer it. His face was blank and his lips were slightly parted. Kagome raised her eyebrows and stared at him curiously. Why would he react like that to a phone call?

"Who is it?" she asked and pulled her body into a sitting position. Inuyasha didn't move to look at her; the words came out softly from his lips, so softly in fact that it was barely audible. Kagome gasped, not sure that she was hearing right. She moved over to him and her beliefs were confirmed. On the screen was the name of the girl that they had hurt the most, the girl who suffered from unrequited love. Kagome could barely believe it. It was Nara.

Nara shifted uncomfortably on the couch. She had been waiting for Inuyasha for about an hour now. Blue eyes darted to the pink clock hanging on the wall. It was only a quarter hour to five. She had a whole fifteen minutes to think of what she had to say. Nara had decided it would be best to wait early in hopes that it would help calm her mind and slow down her rapidly beating heart. It did not such thing. She was even more nervous than before.

She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans shifted once more. A part of her was dreading their meeting. She hadn't spoken to him for nearly three weeks. The other part of her however anticipated their meeting up again. Despite the betrayal that she felt from him, she had missed him greatly. She had scolded herself for still having such emotions towards him but it did no good. She still loved him and it would remain that way for some time.

The musical sound of the doorbell caused the young woman to jump. Nara sucked in some air through her teeth before standing up and moving over to the door. She peeked through the peep hole and confirmed that it was Inuyasha. Trembling hands moved over and unlocked the door before moving it open.

Inuyasha stood before her, erect and still so unbelievably beautiful. He looked at her somberly causing Nara's heart rate to speed up drastically. Nara averted her eyes and cursed him for still making her feel so nervous around him. Why did he have to be so damn attractive?

"Hi," Inuyasha said his voice deep and calm.

"Good afternoon," Nara greeted formally and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She moved aside, giving him an invitation to step inside. Inuyasha walked inside and followed her to the sofa. He sat on the opposite end on the chair, putting a good distance between them.

Nara frowned and pulled her feet up to rest on the couch. She looked over at Inuyasha to find him staring at the blank television. She sifted on the couch once more, uncomfortable with the long silence between them. For some reason he seemed upset with her.

"What did you call me here for?" Inuyasha asked gruffly. Nara looked at him and found that his hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides.

"We… we didn't get to really talk about this yet and I want to clear things up between us," Nara whispered and stared down at her lap. He didn't say anything, causing Nara to squirm uncomfortably in her seat.

"I didn't get to tell you that I'm sorry."

"Eh?" Nara said and raised her eyes in order to look at him. Inuyasha was staring at the pink carpet now; his hands were now digging into the flesh of his legs. His eyes were squeezed shut and his teeth were bared. It almost looked like if he was in pain.

"I said I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you about Kagome, so many times but damn it, Nara I didn't want to hurt you. I was going to sit you down that same day you found out and tell you about it and it explain it fully to you but when you found out that way... I…"

"I would have gotten hurt either way," Nara said bitterly and turned her attention away from Inuyasha. Just looking at him made her heart race and no longer did she welcome these feelings. She closed her eyes as she felt the anger once again seep into her system. "I'm still hurt. If you didn't love me then why did you continue on with this arrangement?"

Inuyasha sighed and turned to look at Nara. She was faced away from him but he sensed her anger. It was apparent in her voice. The last thing he wanted was for Nara to be upset with him. He was already mad at himself and having Nara still feel so angry towards him made him feel even lower.

"I knew that we were bound by a contract and I couldn't break it," Inuyasha said regretfully. The shaking of her shoulders indicated that she was now crying. Her face still remained turned away from his view so that he would not see her tears.

Inuyasha was tempted to move across and comfort her but he knew that it was the last thing that Nara would want from him. Instead he moved his eyes away from her and attempted to block out that soft sobs coming from the girl sitting beside him.

Nara brought her fingers up to her cheeks and wiped the trail of tears that were flowing down her face. She covered her mouth, hoping that it would stifle the crying sounds that she was making but it did no such thing. She managed to stop her crying long enough to speak again.

"So how long, were to trying to get out of this arrangement?" Nara inquired and closed her eyes so that no more tears would get out.

Inuyasha sighed again as he felt a stab of guilt. "Ever since the beginning of the summer."

"Oh, I see," Nara said in a shaky voice and finally turned around to look at Inuyasha. Their eyes met and Nara saw all the guilt and shame within them. He was truly sorry but that did nothing for the ache in her heart.

She rose up and turned her back to him. "That's all I wanted to know really. Thanks for coming."

Inuyasha was about to call out to her but stopped himself and closed his mouth. There was no way he was going to try and comfort her now. He cast her one long, suffering look before leaving the apartment.

As soon as Nara heard the click of the door, she broke down crying. She brought both hands up and covered her face while the sobs wracked her tiny frame. She dropped to her knees soon after, keeping her entire body from falling to the floor by using her hands. She stared as her tears left damp spots on the carpet. There was no way… absolutely no way she could ever speak to him again. It hurt too much. It hurt her even more to know that he was with someone else.

The young girl gasped and widened her eyes. 'Is this how Kagome felt?'

She shook her head to clear all those thoughts of her cousin. Kagome was happy now, she had Inuyasha. Kagome held his heart, something that Nara never had. She tried to convince herself that everything was good with Kagome and that Nara herself should be the one pitied. After all she was the one left behind and she was the one with the broken heart.

A/N: That's it for chapter 25. I'm sorry I took so long but I had some serious block with this chapter. The worst part was when I forced myself to write and came up with a load of rubbish. I deleted it and started over. I hoped you enjoyed the Yashie and Kaggie part with all the lovey dovey stuff! Anyway thank you to my lovely reviews who keep on supporting me no matter what. I love you guys! I'll try and update soon but the work from school just keeps piling on!

Neogirl