Well, looks like it couldn't possibly get much worse, could it? Well, aren't you at least happy that Kouga and Kagura are together finally? Are you wondering why Inuyasha just is not putting out the effort that he should be to get back with Kagome? Where the hell is Inuyasha? Can you believe how stupid Kagome is being? Isn't it just a tad bit irritating? Didn't you feel bad for Kikyo in the last chapter? Kinda makes you see her in a new light, doesn't it? Are her and Kagura gonna really be friends again now that all that happened? Will Naraku ever cease his hoing? And will Kagura and Rin ever be able to finish the costumes what with all the boyfriend loving they're getting? What about Sango and Miroku? They're so happy, but how long can it last in a story so doomy? Find out what you can in this scrumptious new piece of…
*****
Center Stage
Part 13
*****
"We have to tell someone." Kouga glanced at the girl who was trying on her finished costume with Rin's help. He had pulled Kagura aside for what seemed like the thirtieth time in two weeks about the incident at Naraku's house. He'd scarcely left Kagura's side for longer than a few minutes since that happened, except when she went home at night. Even then, it had taken a week before he would let her drive her bike home without him escorting her the entire way, as though he thought Naraku would leap out of the bushes and attack his girlfriend the second he left her unguarded. "I mean it."
"Kikyo won't agree." Kagura told him, her voice soft so that the Kikyo wouldn't hear them from where she was only a few feet away. "You know she's…both of us…we can't just cross him like that. There's too much to risk."
"What? You think he'll beat you up? You think I'll let him? You saw what I did to him at his house. He didn't stand a chance against me. He's all talk." Kouga hissed urgently, but he didn't raise his voice either.
"No. He won't attack us. He'll attack you. Wait." Kagura told him. "He's probably going to any day now. I know it."
"Well, we have to do something! He's got Kagome under some sort of weird ass mind control or something. Have you seen how they are? So buddy-buddy all the time…it's sick. This kind of thing…it just doesn't happen." Kouga insisted, eyes darting back to the seemingly calm girl who was standing under Rin's critical eye as the other girl made adjustments and stood at all different vantage points, trying to perfect the costume.
"Kouga, it's happening, whether you believe it or not. And he'll get away with it, just like he always has. Nothing can stop him…you don't know. You know who his father is…he's got the whole town in his pocket. You could tell anyone…it wouldn't matter. We can't do anything." Kagura felt a shiver ripple up her spine, but she was stilled by the comforting presence of Kouga's hand on her back. He kissed her forehead and looked down at her reassuringly as he could manage.
"It won't happen again. We'll beat him." Kouga told her firmly.
"I think we're finished. How does she look?" Rin asked, standing back and letting the others view the finished creation. Kouga grinned at Kikyo and Kagura wondered if he guessed at exactly what had happened at Naraku's house. She hadn't told him, but he hadn't asked. It still hurt to talk about.
"Looks great. I better get back to work before I catch hell from Sango." Kouga gave them all a mock terrified face before kissing Kagura quickly and darting out of the costume room.
"You look great, really, Kikyo." Kagura assured the other girl, hoping to get a smile out of her. It was so hard to approach her about what had happened, to thank her fully. Kikyo didn't seem to want to talk about it, as though she wanted to pretend it had never happened, and Kagura couldn't exactly blame her. "Great job, Rin. She'll make a lovely Rei."
"That's right…I forget that I'm going to be Rei in the performance." Kikyo offered them both a soft sigh, looking down at her robes regretfully. "I have so enjoyed being in the spotlight, but I know that no one will miss me when I leave it."
"Kikyo…" Kagura didn't know what to say to the other girl. Ever since what had happened two weeks ago, she'd been even more somber and depressed than usual. It was as if that small bit of fighting spirit she'd maintained for so long had been squashed. She wasn't even showing much interest in Inuyasha, who seemed to be utterly oblivious to the depths of their fucked up situation. The only thing he'd noticed was that Kagome was hanging out with Naraku a lot.
"We all have our part to play." Rin assured the girl, seeming very motherly at the moment. "All of us are important. Even secondary characters and art directors."
"And assistant art directors." Kagura added with a sheepish grin. Again, Rin had managed to say the perfect thing just when it was needed. Kikyo didn't smile, but she nodded, and there was a warmth in her eyes that Kagura could barely remember having seen at times when they were much younger. Maybe somewhere inside, Kikyo was still that same little girl that she had climbed trees with and played in creeks with, tromping mud into the kitchen and getting in trouble with. Maybe there was still hope for all of them.
"Thanks." Kikyo let them help her out of her costume and then she left. Rin turned to Kagura, and as Kagura waited for her to say something else incredibly insightful, the other girl burst into giggles and clapped her hands.
"Oh! You and Kouga are sooo cute! I'm so glad you aren't mad at each other any more!" Rin squealed, and Kagura had to take a moment to remind herself that it was still the same girl who had dispensed wisdom only moments before. "Now, let's get started on Sakage's robes, okay? Wanna call that stubborn oaf in here for me?" Kagura couldn't help but laugh then. Somehow, Rin could make everyone at ease, even after such a tense, somber situation.
"Okay, I'll see if I can pry him from his fans." Kagura laughed again as Rin giggled in response to this before leaving to find the lead actor. And as she headed into the auditorium, Kouga caught her attention and waved at her. She blew him a kiss, blushing at her own girly ways, but figuring that she had better enjoy her happiness while she had it. Maybe everything really would work out. It had to.
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"Did you see that the girls finished Kikyo's wardrobe? Now only Inuyasha and Kagome need to be outfitted." Miroku told his girlfriend cheerfully after practice had finished that day. "Well…and Shippo…and Souta…but it's still very close."
"Yeah, maybe they'll even finish by April." Sango grumped as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Kohaku, get out of those damn curtains! We need to go home now!" she called irritably to her younger brother.
"Shall I come over as well?" Miroku suggested, not easily put off by Sango's sour mood. She had a lot of those lately. "I've rented a movie that I thought you might enjoy."
"What, is it called '101 Ways To Get Your Girlfriend In The Sack?'" Sango rolled her eyes at him, heading for the doors. Kohaku ran down to join them, his own bag slung over his shoulder.
"Actually, it's an old Humphrey Bogart movie." Miroku ignored the smart ass comment, putting one arm around Sango as they left the building. She usually started to mellow out about ten minutes after practice ended.
"You know, we're never going to be ready in time." Sango broke into her daily rant. Kohaku let out a bored sigh. He'd heard this just as many times as Miroku had, likely. "No one's even trying anymore! It's like they're all so obsessed with their stupid love lives that they can't spare any effort for my damn play…It's ridiculous! I can't believe it! I'm the only one that's put all my effort into this thing, and does anyone appreciate it?"
"We all appreciate you, sweetness." Miroku kissed her cheek lightly. "Don't we, Kohaku?"
"Yeah, you're doing a great job, Sango." Kohaku volunteered, though he seemed a bit distracted as he usually did as of late.
"Well, you guys are the only ones that think so…Miroku, back off." Sango pushed the other boy away, ignoring his injured pout and digging through her bag for her keys as he moved over to his own nearby car, pulling out his keys and unlocking the door to his precious black Mitsubishi.
"So then, did you want me to come over? I could have dinner at your place again." Miroku offered as he opened his door and stood waiting for an answer from Sango, who was currently dumping her bag out on the ground.
"Um…sis…is everything okay?" Kohaku asked his sister in reasonable concern.
"They aren't here! My keys aren't here!" Sango had gone from pouty indignance to outraged anger and panic in the space of ten seconds. "Where are they?"
"Dearest…did you perhaps leave them in the auditorium?" Miroku left his car, door still open, to join his girlfriend where she was frantically tossing the last bits of paper back into her bag and looking as though she was about five seconds from bursting into tears.
"No! Of course I wouldn't leave them there! This is impossible! This whole day! Gah!" and with that, Sango was weeping pathetically over her backpack. Miroku turned to Kohaku and gestured to the girl.
"Take care of her. I have to go look for her keys. I should be back soon enough." Miroku left then, and Kohaku looked around, a bit uncomfortable with his newly assigned responsibility. And that's when he spotted them.
"Sango! They're in the car!" Kohaku didn't put much thought into the reaction this would cause, but in seconds, he learned to step back from the hysterical girl before he told her anything, as she was yanking at his collar and pointing at the keys viciously.
"Of course they'd be in there! I hate my life!" Sango fell back down to cry some more. Kohaku, quite convinced that his sister was having some sort of mental breakdown decided that apparently, everything was up to him. Therefore, he walked to the front of the car, crawled underneath and turned up toward the inside of the fender where he groped blindly for a few moments before producing a small black metal box.
"Okay, got the key." He told her, handing her the emergency key box. Scowling at him, Sango snatched it away and opened it, getting into the car and throwing her bag in before almost racing out of the parking lot. As soon as she jetted off, Kohaku turned to his sister with a curious expression. "What about Miroku? He's still looking for your keys."
"He's stupid. I told him they weren't there." Sango sniffled as they headed home.
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Miroku was more than a little upset. First, he'd spent nearly ten minutes sweeping the auditorium and backstage for keys and not getting anything. Then he'd left to tell Sango that it was hopeless and to offer her a ride home, but when he went outside, she was gone. As were her car and brother. It was more than a little confusing. And then, when he drove to her house to make sure everything was alright, she claimed he was an idiot for disbelieving her claim that the keys weren't in the auditorium and also insisted that she hadn't invited him over, so he could "damn well go home."
So he had, against his better judgment, stormed away and gone back home feeling very angry and more than a little put out. After all, he'd rented a movie, looked for her keys, called her cute names…did she appreciate any of it? Of course not! In fact, had she really shown appreciation for any of the things he did for her lately? No!
And that's when he realized the thing that was bothering him more deeply than whether Sango said "thank you" every time he pulled out her chair or brought her silverware to her at lunch. She still hadn't said that she loved him. And while he could pretend that he didn't care, it bothered him deeply. After all, if she couldn't say it still weeks after he had said it, didn't that mean that she didn't love him at all? And to Miroku, that was a truly horrible prospect.
But somehow, whereas before he might have resolved to win her over with flowery poetry and eloquent comments that bordered on inappropriate propositions, he just felt so…tired. She took so much energy to maintain these days, and even though he knew that it was really worth it and that it would all be better after the play had finished, it was hard to make himself put out that much more effort for her when nothing he'd done so far seemed to have much affect on her. Did she just pity him for his unending love for her? Perhaps she doubted that he loved her at all. And somehow, the thought that she could doubt him only angered Miroku.
Miroku, who was so calm and so peaceful most of the time, found himself feeling as though he had reached his breaking point. He was angry with Sango.
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"You guys…what can I even say anymore?" Sango had been in a foul mood ever since she discovered that Miroku was apparently very upset with her, and she refused to admit any wrongdoing on her part. They now sat with two seats in between them, easily displaying the fact that they were fighting to everyone who was in the play. "This is hopeless. You know what? I could do better if I just had a bunch of kindergarten kids act, because at least they wouldn't get as distracted with each other as you guys are! It's ridiculous! No one ever enters when they're supposed to…the noise backstage is louder than anything going on onstage because apparently you refuse to talk to each other unless it's where I can't see you…and Kagome, Kikyo, you two can go ahead and switch back. It won't make any difference at this point. I could have Shippo playing Midoriko and it would probably be more convincing! Kagome, you want to be an actress? Then you'd better learn how to act! And Kouga! What the hell was with the lights today?"
"A fuse blew. I'm gonna fix it as soon as I can." Kouga explained from where he was standing at the edge of the stage with Kagura.
"Well it was ridiculous! Nothing in this stupid play works! I put in all this work, and does anyone care? No! You all just throw it back in my face." She threw her hands up. "Kouga, I don't want you to leave until the fuse is fixed, got it? I don't care if you're here until midnight, I honestly don't." Sango told him.
"You know, Kouga can't control the fuses and whether they blow or not!" Kagura jumped to defend her boyfriend.
"Kagura, until I've seen more progress from you with the costumes and less of you and Kouga 'disappearing' for half a rehearsal at a time, you don't have any room to tell me who's responsible for what." Sango snapped back at her.
"Oh yeah?" Kagura was up in arms now, pushing aside Kouga's restraining hand to jump off the stage and point at Sango, anger flaring in her scarlet eyes. "Maybe you'd lay off everyone if you were getting laid!"
"Maybe I don't need an assistant art director!" Sango stood up, and without Miroku even trying to restrain her, her eyes were blazing just as strongly as Kagura's. "Rin can certainly get the work done without someone who's more concerned with necking in the closet than offering any help whatsoever!"
"Sango! Kagura's been very helpful!" Rin wasn't yelling, but she was obviously upset at what was going on. She even stood from where she'd been cuddled in Sesshoumaru's lap.
"Rin, don't get me started on you. I'm this close to cutting Sesshoumaru from the play so you'll do some work!" Sango held her thumb and forefinger out, almost together to indicate how much leeway the couple had with her. "I can replace him easily enough."
"Fine then. Perhaps I will simply leave." Sesshoumaru stood with the utmost dignity, a slight flash visible in his bright, amber eyes. "Rin, let's go."
"No! Sesshoumaru, please!" Rin turned to him, pleading in her large blue-grey eyes. "Please, don't listen to Sango! She's just…upset now."
"Very well." Sesshoumaru answered after a few moments. "However, I do not wish to stay here and listen to her throw a fit. Let us leave for now."
"See you guys tomorrow." Rin waved, taking his hand and letting herself be escorted out of the auditorium. Kouga had taken advantage of the slight distraction from Kagura to hop down beside his girlfriend and wrap a restraining and comforting arm around her waist.
"Sango, just lay off of Kagura. She's done a lot more work than most of the people here and no one gives her credit, so don't pretend like you're the one who's work gets totally fucking ignored." Kouga growled at his moody friend. Then he turned to Miroku. "I don't know what you guys are fighting about, but it's making Sango ten times bitchier than usual, so fucking get over it. You're the ones telling Inuyasha and Kagome not to let their personal shit interfere with this play. Try listening to your own fucking advice."
"Kouga! Don't even try to—" Sango was shocked to see that Miroku had risen and had a hand on Sango's shoulder, pushing her back into her seat.
"That's enough, Sango." He told her. "If you aren't careful, half your cast and crew will end up quitting."
"Everyone…just go home. Except you, Kouga. I want that fuse fixed." Sango brushed off Miroku's hand and stormed out of the auditorium. After a stunned silence, everyone else started to leave until only Kouga, Kagura, and Shippo were left.
"You don't have to wait for me." Kouga told her as he climbed back onto the stage to go back to the fuse box. "Just go on home. This might take a while. That fuse box is a fucking mess."
"How about I run to the hardware store and pick up a replacement fuse?" Kagura offered.
"That'd be nice. Yeah. Come on back so you can see the size you're gonna want to get." Kouga sounded exhausted after his fight with Sango, even though he'd barely said anything to her except in defense of Kagura. He turned to his younger brother who stood staring up at them both with wide eyes. Shippo had never witnessed Kouga fighting with any of his close friends except for Inuyasha. "Okay, Shippo, I've gotta fix this stupid fuse. Go ahead and wait for me out in the car."
"Okay Kouga." He turned to leave, but then paused and looked up at his brother once more. "Are Sango and you still friends now?"
"Yeah, yeah we're still friends. We're just a little…yeah." Kouga smiled at his younger brother.
"Is she mad at me too?" Shippo wanted to know.
"No, she ain't mad at you, shorty." Kouga assured him, a warm glow in his eyes as he addressed his little brother. Shippo nodded in satisfaction, leaving to wait in the car for Kouga to finish. "Okay, come here Kagura."
"You really love him a lot, don't you?" Kagura spoke up as Kouga was pulling open the fuse box. He looked up at her in confusion for a few moments before realizing what she was talking about.
"He's my little bro. Course I love him." He spoke a bit roughly before pausing in his work of pulling a fuse out to show her. "You know why I keep my hair long like this?" he indicated his ponytail.
"Um…cause it's cool?" Kagura guessed. Kouga snorted and rolled his eyes, but she spoke again insistently. "No, I think it looks really good."
"Well, when I was younger, kids would say it looked stupid and girly, you know, that kind of stuff." Kouga told her. "So I was gonna cut it off one day, and Shippo found me in my room, brushing it out and getting the scissors ready and all that. Course, he wanted to know what I was doing, so I told him. He got all worried and said that if I cut it off, I wouldn't be the same Kouga anymore. He thought that maybe he couldn't be my little brother if I changed my hair or something. Stupid kid." Kouga laughed slightly. "Anyway, I knew that it wouldn't change that we were brothers, but Shippo was pretty young, so to get him to stop crying, I told him I wouldn't cut it. He was so happy…I think that was one of the first times I really felt like a brother. You know, he'd always seemed kinda annoying to me before that. Mom always was spoiling him, he got all kinds of attention…but I guess I didn't realize that all he cared about was that I was his big brother. Yeah…so I love him. How can you not love someone that cares about you that much?"
"I wish I had siblings." Kagura sighed slightly. "It's so lonely at home…just dad and me."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Shippo asked me the other day if we were gonna get married." Kouga blushed, looking back down at the fuses. "He said he wanted you to be his big sister."
"R…really?" Kagura sounded slightly choked up, as though she had never expected that kind of a request from Kouga's cute little brother. "Remind me to give that little kid a big hug. And a kiss. What a sweetie."
"Great…now he's stealing my girlfriend." Kouga smiled to show he was only teasing before pulling the fuse out and showing it to Kagura. "Here you go. This is the burnt one, so just take it and ask them for one just like it. I think I'm gonna relabel these fuses until you get back. They need it."
"Seeya, Kouga." She leaned forward and kissed him quickly on the lips before rushing off to run the quick errand, her heart full to bursting. It felt so good to be wanted, to be loved. She thought that she'd been happier than possible with Kouga, but knowing that his little brother wanted her to be part of their family…it was more than she'd ever hoped for.
"Better get to work then." Kouga bent over to figure out the fuses. He'd been working for a few minutes before he heard the unmistakable shrill scream of his little brother. "What the fuck?" Kouga growled, jumping up as his heart practically leapt into his throat. Shippo might just be playing around, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Feeling more worried when he heard a second scream, he leapt off the edge of the stage and raced outside. It didn't take long for him to figure out what was going on. Five teenaged boys were gathered around his car. One was smashing at the glass with a baseball bat, another was swinging a sizable hammer at the metal paneling. Two were standing back and laughing as if it was all very funny, and the last had his little brother, who was crying and struggling to crawl away as the older boy kicked at him, laughing cruelly.
"What the hell are you fucks doing?!" Kouga roared, running straight for the one that had his brother on the ground and tackling him in a mad rush of punches and kicks. He wanted to kill the boy; that was how angry he was. And he might have had a chance, had the other four boys not closed in on him immediately. Kouga heard a yelp of alarm that told him his brother hadn't escaped, and he turned to see that one of the boys that had been watching was holding up the slumping form of the little boy and the other was punching him in the gut. Shippo let out one good cry before passing out and being tossed aside. Kouga rushed at the two boys, his anger building to even greater heights as he ran at them. However, the other boys came at him then with their bat and hammer, attacking him as their companion struggled to edge away from the attack. Kouga had left him with several bruises, a split lip and a broken nose, so he felt as though he'd had more than enough. He watched as the other four overpowered Kouga who couldn't win no matter how enraged he was.
"That's what you get for fucking with Naraku!" Called out the injured boy who watched from the sidelines. "Bet you'll think twice next time, ya fucking pansy!"
"Look at his hair! What a fucking fruit!" One boy stepped back from Kouga's currently unconscious body as the others continued to kick it halfheartedly. "Wonder what he did to Naraku?"
"Probably tried to kiss him or something." Another boy stepped back, satisfied with their work.
"Let's fuck up his car some more!" the other two boys picked up their discarded bat and hammer to go back to work when they heard the whine of an approaching vehicle's motor.
"Someone's coming! Let's get out of here!" One of the boys called and they rushed to jump into their car, pulling away just as Kagura arrived on her bike with the fuse Kouga had sent her to buy. It didn't take a genius to figure out who the two forms on the pavement were, and she let out a scream of disbelief as she jumped off her bike, throwing her helmet aside and rushing over to Shippo, who was just coming to his senses.
"Shippo! What happened?" she had a feeling she knew, but she wanted to be sure.
"Bunch of guys…Kouga tried to stop them…busted up his car. They got me." He looked very apologetic through the black eye and swollen lip, and Kagura wasn't even aware that she was crying until he reached up shakily. "Don't cry…we're fine."
"Kagura…you're here." Kouga groaned from nearby where he'd rolled on his side, clutching at his bruised ribs. He looked as though he'd received much more of a beating than his brother, but he still tried to crawl over to her. Kagura swept Shippo up in her arms and moved over to her incapacitated boyfriend, tears still streaming down her face. "Shippo…you okay?"
"Fine." Shippo assured his brother, even as Kouga reached up to touch the split lip.
"Sorry, little bro." Kouga grunted slightly, letting Kagura help him sit up. "This is my fault. Shoulda listened to you, Kagura. Never thought they'd go after my kid brother."
"It's my fault!" Kagura countered. "If I'd stayed away from you…"
"Don't." Kouga cut her off. "Let's just…go to the police."
"It won't do any good." She warned him.
"Still. Let's go." Kouga got up with some difficulty and climbed into his busted up car. Kagura sighed, trying to staunch the flow of tears before following, still clutching Shippo to her as she climbed in next to him.
Would Naraku ever allow her to live normally?
*****
The End (Of Part 13, That Is)