Why oh why can't Teresa just let the characters be happy? Is it really too much to ask? And how come nothing bad really seems to happen to Naraku? I'm sure no one would mind if he took a little bit of the bad luck that everyone else seems to be riddled with as of late. Does anyone remember when this story seemed simple and cute and lovey? Neither do I. How many of you are utterly confused as to what the characters could possibly do at this point to have a slightly happy ending? I mean, really, look at the scores here. Who's still happy? Rin and Sesshoumaru? What doom and disaster could possibly be awaiting them? Or will Teresa leave them alone as a juxtaposition to everyone else's grief? Let's delve into the mysterious sadistic mind of Teresa with this newest layer of…
*****
Center Stage
Part 14
*****
Inuyasha was a proud young man. He knew for a fact that he was not the brightest of all his friends, but he would never claim to be the least intelligent, despite his grades consistently being lower than most all of theirs. The only one who competed with him for lowest grades was Kouga, who just barely beat him because of his high marks in math. It wasn't something that was vastly important to him in the long run, as he felt that he was by no means an idiot, and he could manage perfectly well on what brains he had. However, at that moment, he was starting to feel as though he was either extremely stupid and confused, or everyone that he thought he knew had spent the past few weeks going crazy, and no one had let him in on the joke. He'd never prided himself on his powers of observation, but this was simply beyond ridiculous.
Inuyasha had been eating with basically the same people ever since the seventh grade, and he'd come to expect certain lunch time behaviors to remain constant. The recent additions of a few people seemed to have finally upset the delicate balance of Inuyasha's lunch time world, however, and he was suddenly wishing he could just start his senior year over again with the hope of getting it right on the second try.
He remembered how it had been when Kagura, Miroku, and Kikyo had first joined their table. Other than Kikyo, who seemed to be quiet no matter what, everyone had been very friendly, talking constantly. It had been a happy table. Inuyasha did not think that the table was happy anymore, and he couldn't see what had happened.
Well, he had some idea. Everyone knew that Sango and Miroku were having some weird fight, so it almost made sense the way they were sitting on either side of Rin, refusing to look at each other and pretending not to notice each other's presence at the table. Rin, who was usually the most lively and boisterous of all of them, seemed to be quite upset at the fact that she was serving as a buffer between her two director partners who were going through a lovers' feud of some sort. Therefore, Rin's spirits were a bit depressed, and it didn't help that no one else at the table seemed to be happy to be sitting together.
Kagome was angry at Kouga for something, but Inuyasha had no clue what it could be. Apparently, the anger extended to Kagura, since all three would sit there, the pair glaring at her, and Kagome glaring right back. They refused to talk either. Inuyasha wondered if she was done being mad at him, but he didn't want to push his luck, and anyway, she seemed to be all friendly with that creepy Naraku kid lately, and he figured that if she thought she'd rather hang out with that kid than with Inuyasha, he could care less. Really.
And then Kikyo just sat there being even quieter than usual, not even nagging Inuyasha to pay attention to her, and the whole effect was rather creepy. It was like none of them would admit that there was something wrong, so they all kept sitting together like everything was fine, but it was driving him nuts.
"You guys are all fucking nuts." He grumbled finally after watching his friends eat in silence for about ten minutes.
"What's that?" Sango snapped. She was right next to him much to his discomfort, considering her recent "talks" with him after rehearsal. It seemed like nothing would make her happy lately.
"Nothing." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
"He said you're nuts." Kouga spoke up from where he'd been holding a whispered council with Kagura on the other side of the table. Inuyasha hadn't noticed before, but Kouga had a black eye and a few other bruises, and it looked as though he'd been in a pretty tough fight.
"Man…what the hell happened to you?" Inuyasha asked, ignorant of the director fuming in indignation beside him.
"Why am I nuts now? It's not my fault that some people just pretend like I don't exist!" she threw up her arms.
"Don't start with that sob story again. We're all sick of it." Miroku rolled his eyes, still not looking at his girlfriend, but obviously very upset with her. Inuyasha could not recall one time before when Miroku had intentionally said something hurtful to Sango. Whatever was going on between them, Inuyasha didn't want anything to do with it.
"Why don't you ask her what happened to him?" Kagura glared at Kagome even more intensely than before, and for a split second, Inuyasha entertained the amusing idea that Kagome had beat Kouga up. But unless she'd been holding back on them all for years, he knew she wasn't strong enough to win in a fist fight with Kouga, much less do the damage that the boy was displaying.
"Like it's my fault? I'm sure that he deserved it!" Kagome shot back.
"You would say that, you selfish little girl." Kikyo stood up, shooting a cold glare at Kagome before storming off. Inuyasha had absolutely no idea what had just happened between the three girls, but before he could ask anymore questions, Kagura stood up as well, and of course, Kouga joined her.
"She's right, you little witch." Kagura stormed off, with a very upset and confused looking Kouga in tow. Kagome's eyes were full of tears, and then she turned to Inuyasha, who was still utterly dumbfounded.
"This is all your fault!" she got up and stormed off as well. Inuyasha decided then and there that there was no hope whatsoever for him to ever understand women. Especially that woman. He decided to just eat his lunch and ignore the fact that Rin looked like she was about to burst into tears and the only other two people at the table were still fighting. It was interesting to hear the calm Miroku yell, but he didn't want to get involved. It was a little scary.
"You are so insensitive, you know that? You only ever paid attention to me because you thought there'd be something in it for you!" Sango shouted at him. Neither seemed to care that most of the cafeteria was watching them.
"Sure, you figured it out Sango! I never had any feelings for you whatsoever! I'm just a hormone driven player, does that make you feel better!" Miroku's face was actually red, Inuyasha noted with a detached sort of horror.
"It's the truth, isn't it? Why else would you pretend to be so sweet for so long and then just ditch me when you get sick of it? It's because you were only in it for one thing!" Sango accused.
"I think that if I wanted that, I would have gone to any girl in this school other than you because you, Sango Taijiya, are the single most high maintenance, selfish, prudish, moody bitch in the history of women!" Miroku stood up then, and in the pattern that everyone seemed to be following that day, stormed out of the cafeteria while everyone's jaw were still wide in shock.
Inuyasha had never heard Miroku cuss before. The most rudely he'd ever heard him speak was when he was addressing Kikyo, who he obviously disliked, but even then he was more polite than Inuyasha was with most anyone. He had honestly never thought he'd see the day when Miroku flipped out and started cussing and yelling at Sango of all people. He treated her like a queen raised up on a pedestal that he could never hope to reach, and suddenly, it was as if his pedestal had come crashing back to earth so fast that no one knew what to say. Inuyasha realized then that Sango was sobbing into her arms, and Rin was shooting him confused looks as she patted her back comfortingly.
Did Rin think he knew what to do about Sango's love life? He couldn't even figure out his own, let alone someone else's. Inuyasha suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. This was definitely not a happy table.
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"You know…maybe Kagome doesn't really need all these outfits. I mean, she's a miko. Can't we just give her some robes and call it good?" Kagura sighed as she sat back and looked at the half-constructed pieces of one of Midoriko's three outfits. Apparently, in addition to a kimono and priestess robes, she needed a battle outfit that was causing Kagura more trouble than even Inuyasha's battle outfit, which at least had been easier to construct without having to worry about making the chest plate fit over a pair of breasts. Kagura suddenly wondered if Kagome really needed to be showing off her stuff on stage, as she already seemed to be garnering more male attention than was healthy for any young woman.
"Come on, Kagura. Just sew the stupid robes up. At this point, we should be more worried about whether or not Kagome survives to opening night than whether or not she's going to need a bunch of elaborate costumes." Rin was spending a ridiculous amount of time picking bits of imaginary lint off of Sesshoumaru's finished robes, the first outfit that had been constructed during Rin and Sesshoumaru's frequent rehearsals spent in the locked costume room. Kagura had been surprised to see that somewhere in all that "measuring" and "fitting" they actually had gotten some work done.
"Yeah, well I think that Kagome can kiss my ass…" Kagura grumbled as she returned her attention to the kimono, accidentally pricking her finger as she removed one of the pins. "Dammit! Gah, I hate costumes right now."
"It's okay, after Kagome's are done, we just have to finish sewing Inuyasha's traveling clothes and then do Souta and Shippo's peasant clothes…" Rin seemed distracted and even a bit melancholy.
"Uh…Rin, are you okay?" Kagura asked after a little bit. "You know I'm not mad at you, right?"
"Yeah…it's just…I'm sorry, I hate it when Sesshoumaru has to go away." Rin sighed deeply. "He's going to a conference for a week for his senior thesis presentation…it's just…" Rin leaned her face against the robe, which Kagura assumed must smell like her lover. "He left this morning."
"Is that why you were so quiet at lunch? I thought you were just trying to stay out of…things." Kagura blushed at the mention of that day's lunch time antics.
"I don't know. I just…miss him." Rin looked like she might start crying, and Kagura had a sudden amusing theory that Rin was going through Fluffy withdrawal symptoms.
"Cheer up, Rin. I can't handle you looking all sad. It's…weird." Kagura told her, offering what she hoped was her most encouraging smile. Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed almost immediately by the nervous face of Kohaku, probably the last person that either of them had been expecting to see.
"Kohaku? Do you need something?" Rin smiled kindly at the freshman, but Kagura could tell that she was still depressed about Sesshoumaru's prolonged absence.
"I heard…um, I heard that Sesshoumaru's on a trip." He began, licking his lips and entering, his eyes bright and wide. Kagura almost laughed at how obvious the boy was. She had never seen anyone with more blatant symptoms of lovesickness, and it was pretty sad the way he always stuttered and blushed around Rin, who was probably the least likely of all his sister's friends to ever accept his advances. And yet, Rin was always so nice to him despite that. "And…um…I know that he usually drives you home and stuff…and my sister's kinda crazy lately, but I asked her…and um, if you need a ride we can…um, we can drive you home." He finished with a bright blush and a brilliant smile that was actually quite adorable despite being so dopishly pathetic.
"I wouldn't want to trouble you two." Rin walked over, cocking her head to the side. Kagura suddenly wondered if Rin was purposefully toying with Kohaku, but the thought of Rin torturing anyone seemed pretty out of the question. Maybe she just felt bad for the boy.
"Oh! Oh, it's no trouble! None at all! We could go out for dinner before we drop you off too, if you like. I don't know what you usually do." Kohaku's face actually became more red, as impossible as that seemed.
"That wouldn't be necessary, but thanks so much for the offer." Rin patted his head warmly. Kagura decided then that obviously, Rin had no clue as to how Kohaku felt, because otherwise, she wouldn't treat him like a younger brother. "I think it would be great to have a ride home. Thanks a lot."
"Oh! No problem! I'll tell…um, I'll tell Sango, but I gotta go backstage, ya know. Things always get out of control when I'm gone." Kohaku ruffled his hair back into place after Rin's hand moved from his head. Kagura giggled slightly but then called out as he turned to go.
"Hey, Kohaku, could you get me a soda?" Kagura asked, batting her eyelashes at him and pulling a dollar out of her pocket. "Rin and I have been working hard and I think we need a break."
"Oh! Yeah…do you want anything, Rin? Your favorite is orange, right?" he was blushing again, his eyes wide with the eager need to please.
"I don't have any quarters…" Rin patted at her pockets, looking a bit disappointed to have to pass up her favorite soda.
"No problem! I have some extra!" Kohaku turned to run off before bouncing back, looking at Kagura with a flushed, excited face at the prospect of being able to give his precious Rin the gift of orange soda. "What kind did you want?"
"Root beer." Kagura managed to hold in her laughter until after the boy had left, but she was laughing so hard she had to turn off the sewing machine before she hurt herself. "Oh man…Rin, I love that kid."
"He's a sweet boy, isn't he?" Rin replied, grinning slightly as though a bit distracted from her Sesshoumaru-less misery. "What's so funny, Kagura?"
"Nothing." Kagura decided to hide her face behind her sewing. It felt really good to know something that Rin didn't, for once.
"Kagura, I need to talk to you." Kouga was used to not having to knock on the costume room door, and it was Kagura's turn to blush as Rin raised an eyebrow at the assistant art director, who hopped up and hurried over to her boyfriend.
"Enjoy your soda. I'll be back in a bit." Kagura took up Kouga's arm as she left Rin to wait for Kohaku's return. "What's wrong?"
"It's just…what happened yesterday." Kouga's voice cracked slightly, and Kagura thought in horror that he might actually start to cry.
"Honey, it's not your fault. You didn't know they would be out there, and I didn't see anything strange when I rode off. We've been through this!" Kagura reminded him.
"It's not that, Kagura." Kouga turned her down the hallway and they walked to an empty classroom in silence. Kouga let her in and then locked the door behind them, looking around as though suspicious that they would be followed. "My parents didn't want me to go to school today. They say that if the police just ignored this, then they don't want me and Shippo risking ourselves, since obviously no one's going to put a stop to this. My dad was on the phone with the sheriff for half an hour, and my mom was up crying all night. I don't know what to do! I mean, I really…wanted to call you, but my parents were on the phone all night calling everyone they could. No one cares, Kagura!"
"You think I didn't know that?" Kagura sighed, not sure whether she should give Kouga a hug or not. He looked so sad, his arms wrapped around his waist tightly as he looked around the room with tired blue eyes. "Kouga, after…what happened with Kikyo and I the first time…I mean, I knew that Naraku's parents were well off and all, but I never expected everyone to just turn a blind eye to what he did. And when Nobunaga got beat up, his family went nearly insane trying to get something done. The cops said they couldn't find the assailants, and it was a joke! We gave them names, and we were seeing those guys every day in school, and the cops said that they couldn't find anyone matching our descriptions. Don't even get me started on the rape hassle. Kikyo's parents thought that she made it up at first since no one would believe us, and then they decided that I was just filling her head with lies, and forbid her to hang out with me any more because I was making her think bad things about Naraku. Yeah, that was wonderful. At least my dad believed me, but we've always kinda been outcasts in this town, so it didn't make any difference. It's all…" she faded off as Kouga lunged forward, hugging her tightly and burying his face in her hair. She realized that this was more for his comfort than hers, and she hugged him back, stroking his hair soothingly.
"I'm sorry…Kagura…I thought that we could stop him." Kouga's voice was shaking, and it sounded as though he might be crying, and the thought that Kouga was cracking under the pressure made Kagura's own eyes fill with tears. "I mean…I don't care what he does to me…but my family…Kagura, they're my family."
"I know, Kouga." She whispered as she lowered his head to her shoulder so she could pat it better. "I know it. I told you from the beginning that I didn't expect you to be able to swoop down like some superhero and save me from him. You've done more than I thought possible anyway."
"I love you, Kagura." His voice was pained and urgent, like he desperately needed her to believe what he said. A tear escaped from one scarlet eye and she continued to stroke his hair.
"I know you do." She assured him. "I love you too."
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"Kagome and Inuyasha, you still aren't half as believable as I know you can be, but at least you seem to be okay with each other now. I think that with a little practice, you could be back at the level you were at before we started having problems." Miroku spoke to the two leads that day after practice after everyone had gathered to hear what the director and writer had to say before they could leave.
"I thought they were horrible." Sango spoke up, not looking at Miroku at all.
"No one cares what you think." Miroku snapped at her without raising his voice at all. "You're angry at the whole world, and until you've dealt with your issues, you should try to keep your opinions to yourself."
"Um…" Kagome looked like she was trying to interrupt them, but Sango jumped up, pointing at Miroku in wild accusation.
"They would care what I thought if you weren't demeaning me all the time!" she yelled at him. "You're the worst boyfriend I've ever had!"
"I'm the only boyfriend you've ever had!" Miroku was on his feet now as well.
"Uh…" Inuyasha tried to interject this time, but the pair weren't interested in anything outside of their argument.
"Besides that, how can you possibly say I demean you! I've supported you at every possible turn, and all I receive for my troubles is a moody girlfriend who is nothing but a dominatrix and a tease!" Miroku shot back. Everyone was too shocked to intervene anymore.
"Tease? I'm not a tease!" Sango crossed her arms. "Just because I'm not some slut who rubs herself all over you at the first chance!"
"You're the one who still refuses to take her top off even though I've seen you naked!" Miroku was absolutely livid. "What, did you think you could erase one night by refusing to put out for the rest of your life? Cause that seems to be your plan!"
"I was drunk! You drugged me!" Sango pointed at Miroku, her face red with fury and embarrassment.
"I never drugged you! You didn't have to drink any of that liquor if you didn't want to!" Miroku told her. "Like I said, you're a tease, and I doubt that any man in the history of the world will ever get you to third base because you'd probably use your legs to cut his hand off!"
"You're a lech who just wants to steal all my panties!" Sango shot back. Clearly, they were forgetting that they had an audience.
"I was looking for my watch!" Miroku defended as though this was some long standing issue between them.
"In my underwear drawer! I'm sure!" Sango stomped again. "And I see you look at other girls! You say you love me, but you're just trying to get in my pants!"
"Don't flatter yourself! At least I really do love you! You were just leading me on!" Miroku was furious that she had used that against him. "I sincerely hope that you fall in love with someone just as bitchy as you are so that you can know what I feel like right now! If you're even capable of love!"
"Don't tell me who's capable of what, Miroku! I love you, you stupid bastard, but you treat me like shit! I'm leaving!" Sango stormed out then, and it seemed as though her words were slowly soaking into Miroku's brain. His anger faded into a huge smile before he turned to the cast and crew.
"She loves me!" he exclaimed in pure bliss.
"Good for you." Inuyasha snorted, breaking the spell that had been holding the cast and crew stationary. "Fucking weirdoes." Everyone began to disperse as Miroku ran out of the auditorium to chase down Sango, hoping she hadn't gotten too far.
She loves me…she finally said that she loves me. He kept thinking that, and somehow, he couldn't remember what they had been fighting about in the first place. She loves me.
*****
The End (Of Part 14, That Is)
This chapter is dedicated to Jade. ^_~