Can I Keep You: Happily Ever After?
Chapter 25
Happily Ever After?
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Well, here's the last chapter. I've updated these last two chapters today and now it's over. But I'm sooooo happy that everybody read my story and enjoyed it. Thank you so much! And the reviews were great so thanks for that, too! I really like this story and I forget I even wrote it when I sit down and read it. So I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. So here's the last chapter. Will Kagome and InuYasha have their "Happily Ever After"?
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Kagome groaned as somebody pulled back her curtains and opened a window, letting the light flood into the room.
"No!" she groaned as she pulled the covers up over her face and tried to go back to sleep.
If she continued to see the light, then she'd completely wake up. And waking up was something she didn't want to do. She dreaded waking up because then, she'd remember everything that had happened.
She'd remember the party. She'd remember Kikyo telling InuYasha the truth, that she had been spying on him the whole time. She'd remember the shocked look on his face and the hurt, she'd remember the look on the faces of her parents, on the faces of everybody at the party.
But most of all….she'd remember his harsh words. They stabbed her heart like a sword that was sharpened to perfection.
It was right after Kikyo told InuYasha the truth that Kagome's parents entered the room and stood in the doorway.
"I'm sorry InuYasha," Kagome said as she looked at the ground, trying to avoid the angry intensity of his amber gaze. "I…I meant not for you to find out in such a manner. But you must understand…I.."
"I think I understand. Damn, I think I understand perfectly. You did this because you didn't want to marry me, right?'
Kagome was on the verge of tears.
"Yes, but that was then. That was before I…"
"No, I don't want to hear it!" InuYasha said as he glared at her. "You've been lying this entire time. Hell, for all I know, whatever you were going to say was a lie too! And I…I trusted you."
"You…you have to listen to me!" Kagome said. "It was a mistake InuYasha. I…"
"You're right," he interrupted. "This whole damn thing was a mistake. Me and you…the engagement! I'm sure my father will agree that it's over between us."
"That's right," Kikyo said ecstatically.
"Shut up!" Kagome and InuYasha said to Kikyo at the same time.
"But…but I!" Kagome said as she grabbed his arm, trying to make him listen to her. He shook her hand off.
And then he said it, the words that had stabbed her, tore her heart apart.
"You know," he said quietly. "It's exactly like I told you before. I never have wanted to marry somebody I don't love."
And that was when he turned his eyes away from her and looked angrily ahead. That was when he walked right by her and brushed past her parents. That was when he left the room with Kikyo clinging tightly to his arm.
And before they were out of sight, Kikyo looked back at Kagome with the most smug and proud look on her face. Kikyo knew that she had won. And Kagome…she knew that she had lost.
It was horrible. And if InuYasha's outrage wasn't enough, the sight of her parents standing there with shock and disappointment and even anger on their faces was beyond horrible. Plus, the fact that InuYasha's father was standing right behind them was absolutely horrendous.
She shook her head and stayed under the covers. Waking up meant that she'd have to remember all of that. Waking up meant that she'd have to remember the shame, the pain, and most of all…InuYasha.
"Time to wake up," Sango said as she yanked the covers off of Kagome and threw them onto the floor.
Kagome grabbed a pillow instead and put it over her face. Hey, if she was lucky then the pillow just might suffocate her. At least if she was suffocated, she wouldn't have to remember what happened.
It had been a whole month since it happened. It had been a whole month since she'd left the western lands, since she'd left InuYasha.
Sango had just returned to the kingdom. She'd returned to the eastern lands when Kagome had, but only two weeks later she went back to the west, back to Miroku. Her parents had gone with her and they were thrilled that she'd gotten engaged.
At least this engagement would run smoothly. At least Sango could be happy.
Kagome, however, hadn't been happy. Not only had InuYasha been upset, but so had his father. The king had been furious. Furious? Furious wasn't only the king, but her parents also! They'd spent about five hours straight talking to the king while Kagome had to sit outside of the door and wait.
She had to sit there in her shame and her guilt. She had to sit there all alone.
When it was all said and done with, the engagement was called off. Kagome and InuYasha were no longer betrothed to wed.
She was free. She was finally free! Isn't that what she'd wanted all along? Yes, it was. She'd achieved her goal, accomplished her mission. Yet, she felt so miserable.
Her parents were disappointed, the king was angry, and InuYasha………
She didn't plan on falling in love with him. It just happened. And he had felt the same way, too, she knew he had.
Maybe that was why she felt so miserable. Maybe she felt so miserable because deep down, she knew that InuYasha was just as heartbroken as she was.
"Come on," Sango said as she grabbed Kagome's foot and started to pull her. Kagome grabbed hold of the headboard and she wasn't going to let go no matter how hard Sango pulled.
"Leave me be," Kagome said as she freed one hand and grabbed the pillow before throwing it at Sango.
"She's resisting," Sango called. "It's time to move on to plan number two!"
"Plan number two?" Kagome asked, afraid of what the answer would be.
And just then, her younger brother Sota ran into the room and was fully prepared to tickle her.
"Fine!" Kagome said as she let go of the bed.
Sango hadn't been prepared for that, however, and she'd yanked Kagome clear out of bed and they both ended up on the floor.
"It seems that I do not know my own strength," Sango said as Kagome glared at her and stood up.
"It seems that you definitely do not."
"Don't you get that snippy attitude with me!" she said as she stood up, too. "We both are aware that I am not the root of your troubles."
Kagome sighed before she sat down on the edge of her bed and buried her face in her hands. "I know…I'm sorry…"
Sango sighed, too.
Kagome was pretty reluctant to wake up every morning, but this morning was worse than usual. After the decision to break off the engagement was announced, Kagome's parents decided that she needed a new fiancé.
There were two men who vied for her attention. They'd always wanted her, yet they had held off because she'd been engaged to InuYasha for so long.
But now that the engagement was over, they both saw her as fair game. Fresh meat…
Kagome sighed again.
Koga was a prince of the southern lands. And Hojo was the heir to the thrown of the middle kingdom. The middle kingdom was obviously the lands that were right at the center of all of the lands. It was the intersecting point of the northern, southern, eastern, and western lands.
It didn't mean that those lands had any more power than the others, though.
Today Kagome was supposed to be meeting with both Koga and Hojo. Her parents expected her to make a decision today. They expected for her to choose one of the two to be her future husband. And if she didn't make a choice, then they would choose for her.
It was a no-win situation. She lost either way. It was what psychologists called the avoidance-avoidance conflict. She had two unattractive alternatives to choose from.
"Hey sis," Sota said as he hurried to the door. "Mother says you are to be ready soon or else she shall let your suitors see you in your current state."
"Those exact words, huh?" Kagome said as he left the room. "I care not if they see me like this. Hey, maybe it'll stop them from liking me and make them stop their pursuing of me."
She sighed again.
It was horrible. Everything was horrible. Ever since that night, ever since her engagement was ended, nothing was good to her anymore. Bright colors seemed much less vibrant and food had even lost much of its taste.
She'd spent eighteen years of her life without InuYasha, of definitely not wanting him. But now…but now she wanted to be with him, she really did. It was quite ironic that now that she wanted him, she couldn't have him.
Kagome took a nice long bath. Her mother couldn't get mad at her for wanting to be nice and clean when she met with her possible future husbands, right?
She didn't feel any better when she left the bathroom and went to get dressed. She was eighteen years old. She was grown, right? So why was it that her mother still insisted on choosing what she wore like she was a child?"
The dress was nice, sure, but Kagome didn't want to wear it. She was grown and could make her own decisions. Maybe she could run away. Maybe she could run far away from the kingdom and make a new life for herself somewhere else. She could start fresh, anew.
Scratch that idea. She'd never make it out of her father's reach now. He was still very much angry about the fact of what she did.
Both of her parents were watching her like hawks, in her opinion.
She didn't even get to put on her own makeup or do her own hair. Her mother insisted that other people did that for her. Kagome sighed. She seemed to be sighing a lot lately…
"Now remember," the queen said as they began walking down a flight of stairs before going around the corner. "Smile at them. It is imperative that you look as if you are enjoying yourself. If you do not, then the young men may lose interest."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "If only I could be so lucky," she murmured.
"What was that?"
"Never mind," Kagome said with a bit of an attitude. Normally she didn't act like this. But this wasn't a normal situation.
Koga, even if he was handsome, was quite the pig. They had one cup of tea together and then he declared that she was his woman. He said a few other things that she definitely didn't like, but she didn't want to repeat those words even if it was only in her mind.
Hojo, however, was really sweet, kind, and considerate. He was handsome, too, yet he didn't speak in the same degrading way as Koga did. He was going to make a lucky woman very happy some day, but she knew in her heart that she was not that woman.
After all, she still had feelings for InuYasha, even if he didn't feel the same way about her.
She was slowly trying to accept the fact that she couldn't change what happened. And she was really trying to accept the fact that InuYasha probably hated her.
She couldn't change anything, right? The past was the past. No use looking back, right? All she could really do was move forward. And if she moved forward until she got far enough ahead, then maybe she wouldn't see any of this by the time she decided to look back.
"Here!" Hojo said two days later as he came to visit her at the castle. "It's a basket full of fruit! You have to watch your health, right? I heard that you like strawberries. I hope you'll eat these."
Hojo was sweet, really he was. Kagome liked him…she just didn't like him the same way he liked her. But who knew…maybe she'd grow to love him in time…
"Thank you," she said as she took the basket. "You're right, I should watch my health. I am not one who likes to get ill."
She smiled at him and he smiled back. She was being as pleasant as possible. With her parents watching her every move and the kingdom as a whole scrutinizing her, she had to play her cards right.
With all of the rumors that went around about InuYasha despite what a great prince he was, she had to wonder what the people of her kingdom said about her.
Were there young women standing on the street gossiping about her? Were there young men who lied about her as well?
She had to act like the perfect princess. She didn't want to mess up her reputation anymore than she already had. Somehow everybody in the kingdom seemed to know about what happened between her and InuYasha.
Everybody was talking about it. What exactly they were saying about it, she didn't know. And she had a feeling that she really didn't want to know.
She was the beloved princess who'd been betrothed since she was a baby. And now she'd screwed that up. Everybody was probably wondering what she'd do next.
And she was wondering that herself. What would she do next? Marry Hojo and go to the middle lands, to his kingdom? Act like she was happy when she really wasn't?
If InuYasha didn't want her anymore, that wasn't fine, but she at least wanted to tell him how the whole situation looked through her eyes. She could at least tell him the story how she'd meant to tell him before Kikyo interrupted.
And then, if he still hated her, then she would just have to let it go.
The news had been shocking to her, the fact that InuYasha was engaged to Kikyo. Kikyo hadn't wasted any time getting her grubby paws on InuYasha, sinking her claws into him and putting her collar around his neck.
It was what she'd wanted for a long time, right? That's what made Kikyo hate Kagome the most over the years. She'd always wanted InuYasha but she couldn't have him…until now.
Soon Kikyo would be married to InuYasha, Kagome's InuYasha, and she would probably rub it in right in front of Kagome if she ever got that chance.
In fact, Kagome had no idea, but Kikyo was bragging right at that very moment.
"It's such a large diamond!" Kikyo said as she showed off her ring. "I can barely lift my hand."
The group of women around her gave her their full attention…and she was loving it.
InuYasha rolled his eyes and sighed.
Ever since that night, ever since Kagome left, the castle had felt strangely empty.
But she had lied to him. She'd plotted against him. She planned on finding out the worst things about him and then showing it to other people.
She'd deceived him.
But not everything could be a lie. That smile of hers, so kind and warm. She couldn't have faked that could she? No, she couldn't.
After the engagement to Kagome was cancelled, with his family pressuring him and the whole kingdom watching him closely, InuYasha had decided to propose to Kikyo. Everybody expected him to do that even though they refused to say such a thing to him.
It was expected.
Most things in his life had been expected. Ever since he was a baby, he had been expected to marry Kagome. And then he was expected to be schooled by the finest teachers and master weaponry and then he was expected to rule the kingdom one day.
But that day Kagome came to town, the first day he saw her again, that was not expected. Finally, something in his life that hadn't been planned.
From that day on, he found himself keeping an eye on her, interested in everything she did. Even though she pretended to be a peasant and talked out of place, he had liked that. Other people in the kingdom didn't tell it to him straight or challenge him or really truly talk to him, but she had.
He'd always kept an interest in her, but that day they kissed…things began to change. Whenever he saw her he got a little nervous. He'd sometimes glance at her lips and remember their softness.
It was crazy. He'd never thought this way before. And he didn't know that she was his fiancée, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that being with her was…right. Kikyo had been trying to get him to betray Kagome's trust for years, yet he always brushed Kikyo off. And then this girl comes to town and changes so much even if nobody had a clue that she had.
The few weeks before her secret was revealed, they finally got to truly talk and he found that they had so much in common. And he liked that, he liked her.
In fact, he felt that he had started to actually lo…love her?
InuYasha shook his head. No. He couldn't love her, right? She lied to him. Kikyo told him all about it. She told him about how she came to the kingdom to find out the worst things she could about him and tell about it.
She told him that Kagome took the job at the castle so she could spy on him and snoop around. She told him that Kagome cheated in that contest to beat her and that she did it in the hopes that winning would help her to get closer to InuYasha so she could hurt him.
Kikyo told him that Kagome planned to humiliate him in front of the people of his kingdom and hers, to blow his whole reputation. And she also told him that Kagome planned the whole Naraku situation. That Kagome led Naraku on and make him think that she wanted to be with him before beating him up and running to InuYasha and fool him into thinking that she was the victim so that she could get even closer to him!
And Kikyo had also said that Kagome had spread many of those rumors about him around town in the hopes that she would have more things to say against him. From the way Kikyo talked, Kagome was a horrible person.
He'd made the right decision, right? He was marrying Kikyo. Kikyo was honest and good, right? And she wouldn't hurt him or lie?
Yet the thought of Kagome's smile, her kind words, her gentle laugh. The memory of her in such pain as she tried to deal with her injured ankle, the grief on her face.
And the things she'd told him about herself, about her beliefs and hopes…Had all of that been a ruse? From what Kikyo had told him, Kagome hadn't only wanted out of the marriage pretty badly, but she'd also wanted to put him into deep disgrace.
How could a woman who had seemed so trustworthy turn out to be plotting so much against him?
InuYasha was going to marry Kikyo, but the truth was that he didn't love her. He never had wanted to marry a woman that he didn't love, which was why he had always wanted to get out of marrying Kagome.
But now…now he did love her, even if her feelings for him had all been fake. But he was resigned to the idea of going through with it and marrying Kikyo.
He could trust her, right? She'd told him all about Kagome's plans so she could rely on her, right?
He was sitting alone in his room. Miroku had left for the eastern lands, but not before leaving InuYasha words that were still repeating in his head.
"InuYasha," Miroku said from the doorway. "The eastern kingdom is having a celebration soon and that's why I am taking my leave."
"So?" InuYasha said sharply.
"So, as you so shrilly said, a wedding is going to take place. Princess Kagome has had two men after her since she has returned home. InuYasha, sort out your beliefs and see what's true. And if you find that Kagome is unworthy of you, then do not come. At least then you won't feel any remorse when you lose her."
InuYasha sighed. So Kagome was going to get married? He'd heard that Hojo, that wimpy human and Koga the scrawny wolf were after her.
Koga was bad enough. He went after anything that moved as long as if was a female. Kagome definitely wouldn't go for him. But Hojo…he was like the ideal fiancé! Polite, caring, kind…Kagome probably fell for him on the spot.
But what did he care? He was marrying Kikyo. Kagome was completely against him, no good. So if she trapped some other man in her web of lies, what did he care?
The dungeon. Naraku was still in the dungeon. None of the royals had gone to speak to him at all, nobody. But now InuYasha wanted to know the truth. He wanted to know all about how Kagome went about playing the victim. Naraku was the only one who could give him the answers to his questions. His father had finally decided that it was time to hear the story as well.
It was a long walk down the stairs, but when they finally reached the bottom, InuYasha shivered. The dungeon was very cold and very dark. There were candles on the walls, the only source of light in the room, but they had burned down so long that the light was very faint.
As they walked down a dark corridor, he heard voices. Was somebody down there talking to Naraku? As they got closer, they realized that woman was talking. And as InuYasha peeked around the corner, he saw that it was Kikyo.
She didn't know that they were there. What was Kikyo doing talking to Naraku? Both InuYasha and his father wanted to find out, so they stayed hidden.
"You should've heard it," Kikyo said as she spun around once. "The girl looked so pathetic, sitting in her room talking she said 'The mission is over. I came here after hearing the rumors of InuYasha cheating on me, I came here to find evidence and free myself from the engagement…But now I can't, I won't. I've realized and come to accept the fact that I love him.' Sure, when it came down to it what she did was not too horrible. He might even have forgiven her, but I made sure that he wouldn't."
"Oh?" Naraku said from his cell.
"Yes. Of course Lord InuYasha was upset after hearing the shocking news that his princess had deceived him, so he left the room with me. And that was when I filled his head with lies, made him believe that his precious Kagome was the horrible person that I always thought she was. And it was all for you," he saw Kikyo say before she kissed Naraku.
"Well done," Naraku said from his cell. "I am sure that the king does not wish to kill me. He will leave me here, leave me in this cell in the darkness."
"But," Kikyo said. "I will marry InuYasha like I always planned. And then I'll see to it that the young prince experiences a swift death. And then his power will go to me, all of his authority. And that is when I will free you. And then we'll finally be together. Someday we will rule these lands and everybody will obey us and only us!"
What they hadn't planned on was the fact that InuYasha and the king had heard the whole thing. And what they hadn't planned on was the fact that even if they hadn't wanted to be together, they would be together in that cell for a very long time.
After it was seen to that Kikyo and Naraku were locked up together tightly, InuYasha remembered what Miroku said.
The wedding! Kagome was getting married…and very soon! He had to hurry, to make it to the eastern lands and to the church on time!
He couldn't let her marry another man. He loved her. And he wanted to marry the woman that he loved.
"Are you sure that the dress is alright?" Kagome asked Sango as she took one last look in the mirror."
"Yes," Sango told her. "What about mine?"
"You look beautiful," Kagome told her.
The wedding was going to be big, really big. So many people had showed up. The church was packed and the unlucky ones who couldn't get inside were lined up outside.
"Look at the profuse amount of people out there," Kagome said nervously.
She tried taking in deep breaths, but that didn't help.
"Calm down," Sango told her. "You're making me nervous, too."
"I'm sorry," Kagome told her. "It's going to be okay."
The people waiting for the wedding to start were getting a bit restless. What was keeping the bride? Miroku stood with Hojo. He felt everybody watching them closely and he began to sweat slightly.
The music started and they watched as the bridesmaids began to walk down the aisle. Kagome came from around the corner and took a deep, shaky breath before she began to follow. She looked nervous, but of course she was. This was a wedding. How would it look if she tripped and fell flat on her face?
She couldn't mess this up or else she would live with shame and embarrassment the rest of her life!
InuYasha made it! He finally made it to the eastern lands. It had taken a while, but he finally reached the town. The houses were abandoned. Where was everybody? The church? Were they all there watching Kagome get married?
He had to hurry, he had to make it there in time to stop the wedding! It wasn't too hard to find the church from the top of a building since there was a huge crowd in front of it. He jumped down off of the house and ran at full speed.
"Damn," he said as he stopped at the end of the crowd. "Did everybody have to be at this wedding?"
He could hear the music. The music had started which meant that Kagome had to be walking down the aisle or at least getting ready to. He didn't have much time left.
"Everybody move it!" he called.
Nobody listened to him.
"Let me through!" he yelled.
"Huh?" a man said as he turned around. "Sorry buddy, but you should've come earlier."
"What do you think you're doing?!" a woman said to the man, her husband. "Do you know not who that is?!"
People began to turn around, one by one. They gasped. They couldn't believe that standing there right in front of them was Lord InuYasha of the western lands! Sure, many of them had never seen him before, but the rumors of his silver hair, dog ears, golden eyes, and the angry expression on his face could not be mistaken.
"Make a path for him!" somebody called. "Let him through!"
People hurried back, hurried out of his way. They made a path for him, a clear path from where he stood to the huge doors of the church.
He ran through it, thanking them on the way and cursing them for taking so long at the same time. The music stopped a couple of minutes before he reached the doors. Had the vows began? He couldn't be too late, could he?"
He pushed the doors open with all of his strength and ran halfway down the aisle.
"Kagome, don't do it!" he called. "Don't marry him, I love you!"
People in their seats turned around to look at him, shocked. The couple at the end of the aisle turned around, too. Miroku wasn't surprised. He'd planned this. Kagome, though, looked very, very shocked.
InuYasha stood there in silence and blinked a couple of times. Standing there in a beautiful white dress was Sango, right next to Miroku. And standing on the other side of Sango in a blue bridesmaid dress was the maid of honor, Kagome.
InuYasha had felt like a fool, standing there and looking at Miroku, Sango, and Kagome. He felt like a fool in front of all of those people. But at the same time, he felt relieved. So Kagome wasn't marrying Hojo?
"I..InuYasha?" Kagome said from beside Sango. "Wh…what are you doing here?"
InuYasha just ran into the church, ran in so suddenly. She hadn't looked back when the doors opened or when she heard the footsteps. No, what made her look back was the fact that he said "I love you".
"Kagome…I…I…I'm sorry," InuYasha said as he reached her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I love you, I really do. Kikyo lied to me, told me horrible things about you…And I'm sorry that I believed what she said. But you…you're not like that, I know. A part of me wanted to think what she said was wrong all along. I…I never loved Kikyo and we're not getting married. After all I told you that I didn't want to marry a woman that I didn't love. And that…that's why I want to marry you."
"Y…you do?! Kagome asked softly as she blinked back tears.
"Yes," InuYasha said. "I want to, if you'll marry a dog eared mutt like me."
Kagome laughed as she remembered that huge argument they had when they were twelve.
"Only if you'd like to marry an ugly duckling like me."
"Pathetic human."
"You freaking mongrel idiot!" she said. "I love you, too!"
People cheered as InuYasha wrapped his arms around Kagome, pulled her closer before kissing her. Miroku gave InuYasha a thumbs up and Sango cried and clapped.
When all was said and done, InuYasha took his place as Miroku's best man and Kagome stood next to Sango as her maid of honor. Miroku and Sango finished their wedding.
Though Kagome and InuYasha were paying attention, they were looking at each other. Kagome was so happy. InuYasha loved her, too, and now they were engaged again! He forgave her for what she'd done and saw through Kikyo's lies.
She promised herself that she would never deceive him again. He was too important to her to hurt again.
It wasn't long after Sango and Miroku's wedding that Kagome and InuYasha got married, too. She moved to the western lands as planned. Her little brother would be the heir to the eastern kingdom, not her.
When it was all said and done with, InuYasha's family was really quick to forgive and forget her transgressions. Who would not be forgiven, however, were Kikyo and Naraku who were both sitting in the darkness of the dungeon.
Kagome no longer cared what rumors were going around about InuYasha or her. She knew that anything bad was a lie.
She wouldn't believe gossip anymore. Gossip had made her judge him wrongly. Gossip had made her deceive him in the first place. But…gossip was what had gotten her here, to this point where she was actually happy.
It was funny how things ended up. She came to the kingdom hating him and now she was married to him and in love with him.
The words haunted her in a good way, the words he'd said softly in her ear, whispered against her heart. He'd wrapped his arms tightly around her and they had watched the rain falling outside.
With her there, he didn't get sad anymore on rainy days like this. She smiled. And then he brought his head down, his lips next to her ear.
"Kagome…?" InuYasha asked quietly, the brush of his words so warm. "Can I keep you?"
She was shocked by his strange question at first, but then she smiled.
"Always," she told him sweetly as she took his hand in hers. "If I can keep you, too."
They knew they weren't living in a fairytale, but they could still have their fairytale ending, their happy ending.. As the last raindrop fell and the sun peeked out from behind a cloud, they realized everything would be okay as long as they were together. And so the prince and the princess, finally, lived happily ever after.
The End.