Okay, selfless promotion here! For everyone who likes this story (so like, pretty much everyone who's made it this far) and especially if you're a fan of Jade's writing, we're doing a collaboration called I Believe in Yesterday, and we're very proud of it. Please check it out!
We're almost to the end of the line now! This chapter and probably the next one are going to be a bit longer due to the fact that the play is being acted out for your benefit, and it's a lengthy bit of drama. Are you worried? How the hell can anything be resolved in the short amount of time remaining in this fic? Did anyone notice that someone was unaccounted for at the end of the last chapter? Who was it? And why the conveniently placed disappearance? Is this really all going to end soon, or is Teresa just toying with you? Is Teresa going to get reviewers who are confused about the characters in the play and the differences in who is playing them? Will she burn them? Will Jade's suicide punch ending become a reality, or can Teresa actually untangle the mess she has made of the characters lives without severing the ends? All answers will be known in time, but not all is quite as it seems in…
*****
Center Stage
Part 22
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"Yes, you have to wear makeup, so sit down and let Kagura put it on." Sango was surprisingly calm as she addressed Inuyasha that Friday afternoon. The play would be giving its opening performance to the public in just under an hour, but Sango had reached the point of no return, and had given up on panic. "No…Kouga, come here, that's not how the headset goes on."
"Gah! I'm not wearing eyeliner! She'll fucking stab my eye out!" Inuyasha was not quite as calm as Sango.
"Inuyasha! Man, looking good!" Kouga was ecstatic to see his girlfriend applying makeup to a struggling Inuyasha. "Is that lipstick?"
"No, Kouga just stand still, let me fix that." Sango reached up to the taller boy, adjusting his headset, which had somehow been on almost completely backwards and upside down.
"Kouga, I'm gonna kick your ass as soon as she fucking finishes…dammit, is that mascara?" Inuyasha almost yelped as Kagura renewed her attack. "No! I'm not wearing that shit!"
"Inuyasha, yes you are." Sango smiled warmly at the pair struggling at the makeup table before turning to Kouga. "That's better, now isn't it? Would you hold Inuyasha's arms back so that he doesn't hit Kagura while she's trying to get him ready? Thanks."
"No problem, Sango." Kouga grinned maliciously at his friend, who was still struggling in the chair under Kagura's ministrations. Pulling back the seated boy's arms, he leaned over to drop a quick kiss on his girlfriend's lips. "Hey babe, how's everything coming?"
"Oh, it's fine." Kagura smiled, brushing some blush on Inuyasha's cheeks lightly as he wailed at the injustice of it all.
"Blush! I'm not a fucking chick! Stop! Ech!" he attempted to shake his head away, but Kouga called in reinforcements.
"Shippo! Come over here for a second!" Kouga called to his younger brother, already in costume and makeup courtesy of Kagura, who had made sure he was ready as soon as they arrived to prepare for performance. "Hold Inuyasha's head still, okay?"
"Okay!" Shippo didn't question his brother, climbing on a chair next to Inuyasha and reaching over to hold his head still. "What's wrong with him?"
"Uncomfortable with his masculinity." Kagura explained, touching up her job on his face. She surveyed the subtle enhancement of Inuyasha's features. "You know, you actually look pretty good with a little makeup on, Inuyasha. Your eyes look very pretty."
"Hey!" Kouga protested immediately, releasing Inuyasha as the made over boy muttered curses and surveyed his reflection mournfully.
"Your eyes are pretty without makeup, honey." Kagura assured him, leaning over for another kiss. "And don't get upset, Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru has to wear makeup too."
"What about Naraku? Why doesn't he have to?" Inuyasha obviously thought that if he had to wear makeup, every guy involved in the play should have to suffer as well.
"He's never on stage, Inuyasha. He's just a narrator…hey, is he even here yet?" Kagura turned to her boyfriend in concern.
"Um…I saw Kagome, and they usually come together…" Kouga shrugged, not really knowing or caring whether Naraku showed up.
"If he wasn't here, I'm sure Sango would be throwing a fit." Kagura murmured thoughtfully.
"Kagome's his girlfriend now." Shippo offered helpfully as he played with discarded makeup brushes.
"What?" Inuyasha's voice was dangerous and curious at the same time, and Kouga and Kagura immediately gave all their attention to the little boy who wasn't aware that he'd just imparted some drastically important bit of information.
"I saw them kissing at the theater." Shippo explained. "When I went to buy snacks, I came back and they were kissing. I didn't know that Kagome liked Naraku like that, but I guess so."
"They were…kissing?" Inuyasha's voice was full of anger now. It was a barely restrained, almost tangible fury that thickened the air with violent tension.
"Yep." Shippo affirmed as Kouga and Kagura tried to have an entire conversation with shocked gazes and worried glances.
"Inuyasha…you should calm down." Kagura offered the other boy. "Maybe…it's not what it seems?"
"Yeah fucking right." Inuyasha growled. "I should have known…spending all that time with him. Well that's just fine. See if I care." And with that, Inuyasha stormed off to let Sango confirm that he was ready for show time. Kagura and Kouga eyed Shippo one more time before moving down the hall a bit to a doorway where they could have at least a bit of privacy.
"They kissed? Does that mean…do you think she has a thing for him?" Kouga asked Kagura, who shook her head and shrugged, adjusting her own headset nervously.
"I really didn't think she was interested in him, but who knows? I'm going to see what Kikyo has to say about this, because she knows more about the situation than anyone, except possibly Naraku." Kagura gave Kouga a quick peck on the lips. "Listen, if we need to talk about anything…like that, turn your set to channel three so that no one hears us, okay?"
"Okay…we need a signal in case I want you to switch channels. How about…um, say something about Kikyo's family or something? Then we'll both know, right? And it won't sound too suspicious." Kouga offered her.
"I feel like I'm on some weird ass secret mission." She flashed him a small grin. "You better get up to the light board pretty soon, honey. We open in twenty minutes." Kouga responded by leaning down to place a playful bite on her neck. She giggled, moving back against the locked door that stymied her escape. "No, I'm serious. I have to go find Kikyo, remember?"
"Sometimes I wonder why I spend so much time helping my friends out when I could be spending quality time with you." He teased, moving to attack her neck again. "Five minutes is enough time to talk to her. Gimme fifteen."
"It's because…you're such a good person." Kagura could feel her face heating terribly. The doorway offered a niche of about four square feet, but it wasn't that private, and she knew that the various cast and crew members wandering past could plainly see what was going on. "Mmm…okay, five minutes. I'll give you five."
"Thirteen."
"Ten."
"Done."
----------
"Places, places everyone!" Sango swept through the hallway, making sure to send the cast scrambling backstage where they were needed. "The curtains open in one minute! It's a full house, so let's not screw this up."
"Easy for her to say." Kagome mumbled to herself, feeling as though she was about to lose her lunch even as she made her way, trembling nervously, toward the edge of the backstage area to prepare for her entrance. "I can do this…I know I can."
"Nervous?" the voice, familiar as it was, made Kagome leap in surprise much to the irritation of Sango's cat, which had been trained to play a small part in the play and didn't seem at all worried by the audience that would watch her this time.
"Naraku…you scared me." She wrung her hands nervously and looked at the closed curtains as though she could see the audience on the other side.
"Calm yourself, Kagome, and all will go perfectly?" Naraku rested his hand on her shoulder before kissing her cheek quickly. Before she could react, he offered her a slightly sheepish look. "For luck." And with that he darted over to his microphone for the opening monologue
"Thanks, Naraku." Kagome barely breathed the words, so she was sure he couldn't have heard them. What was wrong with her lately? When would life return to normal? Maybe never again…after we finish this play it's almost time for prom and then we leave for college…it's too much. Kagome sighed wearily, but at least she wasn't nervous anymore.
"In ancient Japan, there was a legend which spoke of a jewel. The Jewel of the Four Souls. This was a very powerful and mysterious treasure which was rumored to have the ability to grant all the deepest wishes of its possessor. It was no surprise, therefore, that the Shikon no Tama was sought out by all those who heard of its powers and coveted them. There were many rumors about the power behind this jewel, and how it was created. Those who remembered her spoke of a young and extremely powerful priestess who had brought about the jewel's creation. This is her story." It took Kagome a moment to realize that the now booming voice of Naraku had finished the introduction, and two young girls dressed as peasants were strolling across the stage while talking.
"Did you hear about the young woman who arrived in the village this morning?" the first girl spoke, carefully facing the audience so they could hear what she was saying even as she appeared to be talking to her companion. "It is said she was seen wearing the garb of a priestess, but none seem to know where she came from."
"I heard that she has come to rid us of that dreadful wild boar youkai that has killed so many of our men." The second one replied as they continued to walk across the stage.
"I lost my own brother to that monster. I hope she's able to destroy it." The first girl finished her lines as they both reached the opposite side of the stage and disappeared behind the curtains, immediately replaced by three boys dressed in similarly common feudal clothing.
"Hey, did you see that priestess? She was very beautiful. Shame that priestesses don't marry." The first boy spoke suggestively as Shippo and Souta ran out on the stage, wandering in circles as they played with a ball.
"It's a waste for a pretty girl to devote herself to demons rather than a good man." The second boy agreed with his companion as they all headed toward Kagome's side of the stage.
"I hear you! My daughter shall never take up such a questionable position in life, traveling alone with no man to protect her." The third boy finished as they all entered the backstage area, leaving Shippo and Souta alone on the stage, still playing. Kagome gathered her courage and headed out onto the stage with Sango's cat Kirara right behind her. Shippo and Souta immediately ran over to greet her as she stopped in the center of the stage to talk to them.
"Miss Priestess! Are you really going to kill the big pig monster?" Shippo asked enthusiastically, just as if there really was a monster that she was eliminating for a village.
"I hope to destroy it, but one must never underestimate the power of a youkai until one has seen the monster for themselves." Kagome told him in a voice with a practiced, controlled coldness to it.
"But you'll be strong enough, right Miss Priestess?" Souta asked her, not quite as convincing as Shippo did it, but still with a fair amount of ability. Kagome was proud of her little brother for sticking it out through the entire play when she had been so close to quitting so many times herself. Although she doubted that Souta had the troubles she did.
"I hope so, young one." She told her little brother.
"Is that your cat? It's very strange looking, isn't it?" Shippo bent over Kirara curiously, as though hesitant to pet the small animal without permission.
"Yes, she is a youkai." Kagome informed the boys, who immediately leapt away from the well trained housecat.
"A youkai! Kill it!" Souta pointed at Kirara as he spoke his line.
"You do not understand, little one." Kagome corrected him. "Kirara is a youkai, but what most people do not understand is that not all youkai are mean-natured or a threat to humans. I only kill youkai that pose a threat, but Kirara is my friend. Would you like to meet her?" At this assurance, Shippo stepped toward Kirara again.
"She is kinda cute…" he looked hesitant, but Souta pulled him back.
"Are you stupid! That youkai'll bite your hand off! Come on!" Kagome's younger brother pulled the other boy off the stage, leaving Kagome to consider her feline companion.
"I am sorry, Kirara. I know what it is like to be misunderstood as well. Let us go now." And with that, she signaled to the cat and they both walked offstage again while the lights went down around them. Kagome picked the cat up and turned around almost immediately to head back onto the stage again before the lights came up on her and a sophomore boy dressed up as an old man.
"Thank you, Midoriko. As payment for destroying the boar youkai, please accept this humble reward." He handed her a small bag that was meant to contain gold. Kagome knew that in reality, it was full of gravel.
"Thank you very much. I would not accept payment, but alas, I too must eat somehow. I humbly accept. Come now, Kirara. We must be gone before we have overstayed our welcome." She told the cat who was happily nestled in her arms before she headed offstage in the opposite direction as the sophomore. Before she could get off the stage, however, Inuyasha entered and called out to her.
"Hey! Priestess!" Kagome turned around, doing her best to pretend as though she had never seen the boy in the peasant outfit before.
"May…I help you?" she asked him politely. She had faltered slightly when she got a look at him. Inuyasha looked positively homicidal, but she couldn't imagine what had him so upset. Whatever it was, she didn't have time to deal with it onstage.
"My name's Sakage. I been watching you, lady. You ain't half bad, killing youkai like that. Pretty tricky how you got that cat youkai there all trained to do whatever you say." He told her, maintaining a rough sort of language as he complimented Midoriko's fighting abilities.
"I suppose I should take that as a compliment?" Kagome raised one eyebrow.
"Take it however you want, lady." Inuyasha waved off her proper way of speaking easily. "I just…I wanted to ask you something."
"Yes?" Kagome replied. It was amazing, he sounded exactly as he always did when reciting his lines, but Kagome could tell something was definitely wrong with him. Was he mad at her? And how could someone so angry continue to act so convincingly?
"I been stuck here in this crummy village my whole life, and no one wants me." Inuyasha explained. "See, I ain't got no parents…not that that matters, but when I saw how people been looking at you and specially at that cat of yours, I kinda wanted to talk to you."
"Why is that?" Kagome made it seem as though she had no interest in what Inuyasha was telling her, as if only propriety was keeping her from leaving in the middle of his explanation.
"See, I never met anyone who's like me before. An outcast, ya know? I kinda…I wondered if I could…I'm a really strong fighter. See, this old sword was my dad's, I guess, and I been learning to use it." Inuyasha patted the fake sword he was carrying on his hip. "So I saw you and I thought, hey, a woman shouldn't be traveling all alone, ya know? So I thought maybe I could go with you. Like as your bodyguard."
"My bodyguard?" Kagome's voice was incredulous. "What makes you think I would need such a thing?"
"Well…you are a woman. I mean, I saw you kill that youkai, so I know you can fight and all that, but still, don't you think people'd accept you more if you weren't so…well, strange?" Inuyasha attempted. "Not that you're weird at all, but people ain't used to a woman protecting herself like that. It kinda makes them think there's something wrong with you."
"Is that so? In that case, I will think on your proposal. Sakage, was it?" Kagome asked as though she couldn't care less.
"Yeah, that's my name. But hey, how will you tell me if it's okay or not?" Inuyasha wanted to know.
"I suppose you'll have to follow me until I can decide. Is that suitable to you?" Kagome asked him in a slightly mocking tone.
"Uh…yeah!" Inuyasha agreed immediately. "Okay then, where we off to…um…Priestess?"
"I was headed north, hoping to visit the temple where I am training. And my name is Midoriko." Kagome told him, turning to leave the stage.
"Oh…nice to meetcha, Midoriko!" Inuyasha hurried after her as the lights went down.
"Where's Kikyo? She's on now!" Kohaku was rushing about backstage in a flurry of panicked concern. "Has anyone seen Kikyo?" Kagome took the momentary pause in acting to try and get a good look at Inuyasha, who was standing right next to her. The look of fury he shot her was enough to curb any urge to question him, however.
"I'm here, keep your pants on." Kikyo told the boy as she came up the side stairs, pinning her hair into place firmly as she joined Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Kagome on the stage before the lights came up once more.
"You have returned, Midoriko." Sesshoumaru's tone was regal as always when he spoke the first line of the scene. "I see that you have brought a visitor as well. Have you decided to keep him with you yet?"
"Not yet, Master. I am still thinking on it." Kagome replied as she lowered her eyes in deference.
"Hey, how'd he…" Inuyasha appeared confused at how Sesshoumaru's character had guessed the situation, but the elegant man explained it immediately.
"I know many things, young man, do not concern yourself with such things. Midoriko, may I speak with you a moment?" Sesshoumaru turned his attention to Kagome, who nodded slightly and moved to follow Sesshoumaru offstage.
"Of course, Master. Would you like for it to be without young Sakage?" Kagome referred to Inuyasha, who immediately bristled.
"Hey, I ain't that young!" Inuyasha protested her comment.
"Perhaps it would be better. Rei can keep an eye on him as she cleans." Sesshoumaru continued offstage with Kagome following him closely. After a moment of watching Kikyo sweep the stage diligently as any young shrine maiden, Inuyasha spoke to the other girl.
"So, you training like Midoriko?" he attempted to be friendly with her.
"Not like her. The great Midoriko needs no training, it seems." Kikyo answered bitterly.
"Whaddya mean? Is she really that much older than you? Ya seem the same age almost." Inuyasha considered.
"I am her older sister. Can you not tell? She is a child still, while I am a woman." Kikyo told him, her anger obviously building with each unintentional blunder he made.
"Don't get along too well, do you?" Inuyasha guessed.
"What do you mean by that?" Kikyo's tone was sharp and biting.
"Well, I ain't got any sisters or anything, but I thought family was supposed to be all close and love each other and stuff." Inuyasha replied testily.
"Where did she find you, anyway, Street Boy? You speak as though you were raised by a pack of dogs. It reflects poorly upon my prodigal sister." Kikyo replied, managing to sneer at Inuyasha as she continued to sweep.
"What the fuck ya mean by that?" Inuyasha snapped at her defensively.
"What do you think? Did I speak too quickly? Or were my words too large for you to understand? I could try again until you get it." Kikyo asked in an over indulgent tone.
"You got some sorta problem with me?" Inuyasha asked, obviously angry with the not-so-subtle jibes.
"What do you think of Midoriko?" Kikyo swiftly changed the subject.
"That's not what we're talking bout here!" Inuyasha growled in frustration.
"What do you think of her?" Kikyo repeated.
"She's…she handles herself real well." Inuyasha spoke after a moment of consideration. "Talks good, like she's real smart. She really believes in what she does, an' she's got a soft spot for hard luck cases."
"That would explain why she dragged you back here without permission." Kikyo eyed him distastefully as she paused in her sweeping. "I hope this gets her expelled from the temple, or at least forces the master to give her something of a real punishment. We came here as little girls and dear Midoriko was always the shining star beside me, always outshining me and never has she heard one harsh word from our master, yet I am day and night set to menial tasks which will never help me to catch up with her or even excel past her abilities. How will I ever learn to destroy youkai if I am locked in this temple day and night, forced to cook and clean and do everything besides what I came here for? It is as though I am training for a life as a slave, and though I chafe under this treatment, I cannot rebel, for when I do, the master tightens his yoke around me! I refuse punishment, and it increases! What am I to do but listen to that man, just like all other men, instantly enamored with the younger one, the prettier one, the skillful and clever one, while I in all my efforts and all my virtues am thrown aside and placed in the background. I am nothing here, and though I know that I will never be a renowned priestess, I cannot help but feel that one day I will have the chance to be greater than my sister. And when that day comes, I will be here; waiting, my back sore from sweeping and scrubbing, and my hands calloused from dishes and laundry. And though my spirit could have atrophied in this place, under this hateful master, I will thrive. I must be the better, and so I continue."
Inuyasha snorted slightly. "Fuck…if you think like that, why the hell are ya here still?"
"Do you even listen to the words coming from my mouth?" Kikyo shot him a cold glare. "I suppose that is silly, as she has gotten to you already, and so I shall repeat it just for the sake of consideration that you even bother to ask. I cannot leave until I win."
"Do ya really think you'll be better than your sister being all bitter and angry like that? If you're mad, just yell at her or something! Plus, I can't see what the hell she did to you. I mean, I'm not an expert on it or nothing, but I been with her awhile, and she seems too nice for all that tricking and such." Inuyasha shrugged slightly. From backstage, Kagome sighed deeply as she straightened the sleeping yukata she'd just changed into. What had she done to make him so angry? It seemed that they had finally started to get along again, and now this?
"Nevermind, Street Boy. It's a waste, speaking to the ignorant likes of you anyway, now isn't it?" Kikyo continued on, unaware of the problems between the lead actor and actress.
"Bitch." Inuyasha ground out the word, and Kagome's eyes widened as she realized that he was looking right at her. Why did it hurt so bad? But she had no time to think about that. The lights were going down, and she had to get out on the stage for her next scene with Inuyasha. Carefully avoiding his angry eyes, she spoke while sitting with her hands folded primly in her lap.
"I will be spending two evenings here before I must investigate a western village which has been experiencing some trouble with a suspicious looking bird stalking their women. I suspect that it might be a mother vulture youkai." Kagome used all her effort to speak calmly.
"How do you know that?" Inuyasha didn't seem to be having any trouble sounding natural.
"When vulture youkai have young, the mothers find tender meat for the young until they are able to fly, and it seems that they prefer the unworn flesh of young women. Therefore, they are known to spend many days stalking the women of an area, scouting out the best targets." Kagome explained calmly, still avoiding Inuyasha's eyes.
"When'd ya learn that? Is that from all the priestess training or d'ya just pick things up?" Inuyasha asked her.
"Being a priestess is never a living in which one can feel comfortable with their knowledge. I am always reading and researching as well as learning what I can from my master and from my experiences. It is an ongoing pursuit of knowledge, and I fear that I shall never know enough to say securely that I have finished my training." Kagome was starting to feel more comfortable now that she was getting into the scene.
"That don't sound like a very good life." Inuyasha sounded sympathetic. Sometimes it hurt to hear him being so nice to Midoriko, but never to her.
Kagome swallowed her sadness and spoke up. "It can be trying, but I have learned to enjoy what is offered to me."
"So…I talked with your sister before." Inuyasha told her, and at the mention of Rei, Kagome couldn't help but wonder if Kikyo was the one behind this newest problem. She seemed to cause so much strife wherever she went.
"You know of our kinship? She must have talked with you at length, then. Was it pleasant?" Kagome had no trouble sounding cold as she contemplated the idea of Kikyo interfering with Inuyasha and her once again. Hadn't she done enough damage already?
Inuyasha snorted slightly, scratching the back of his head casually. "Yeah, bout as pleasant as getting all tangled up in a big fat bunch a brambles with a damn snake and an angry badger."
"Oh…I apologize if she was at all short tempered or spoke of you harshly." Kagome told him. "She is not very accepting of strangers. The master says that she has an overdeveloped sense of suspicion toward those people she's never known."
"Well, she damn well trusted me enough to go on and on about her fucking sob story life and how much she hates ya." Inuyasha complained.
Kagome let a small pause fill the air before she replied. "I know that Rei has never loved me very well, but I think that is perhaps related to her dedication to become a strong priestess. She looks on it, I think, as something more important than anything else, even when compared with family. I suppose I cannot blame her for her feelings, as she has never been allowed a sense of family in her life. We came here when we were very young, you know."
"Yeah, she mentioned something bout that. How'd that end up happening? You two run away from home?" Inuyasha asked, managing to sound interested and even friendly.
"I do not recall exactly, but I seem to remember that in my youth, I lived with far too many people in far too little space. That must have been my family, most of them women as I recall, or some young girls, but all older than Rei and I. Rei seems to think that father had no use for us, as he had too many daughters already. Therefore, he came to see if the master would want two young apprentices, and as demand seemed high, father sold us to the master, and so here we are."
"Sold ya? For how much?" Inuyasha sounded halfway between angry and curious.
"I do not know for sure if that story holds any truth to it, so I cannot say." Kagome lifted her chin slightly. "Only the master and my father would know what really happened, I suppose, but I do not care how I came to be here. I am happy living as a priestess. If I had been a normal woman, I would have been undereducated and forced to marry someone I hardly knew at a young age. I would then be put in to labor as his personal house slave, giving him children and feeding him and cleaning his messes. That is hardly the life I would take for myself, and I am shocked that more young women do not protest and become free from these bounds as I have become. Perhaps my father knew what life awaited me and thought this was my only chance to be happy and free, and so he gave us up to the master. I do not pretend to know his reasons, but as I have said, I am happy with where this decision has led me."
"Well…I dunno if its all that bad to be normal. I mean, I ain't never gonna be normal, so I don't know, but it seems to look good to me." Inuyasha grumbled slightly,
"That is because you are a man and are only concerned with how the typical man lives his life. You do not care that his comfort and leisure are all due to a thankless slave he has the nerve to call 'wife.'" Kagome answered swiftly.
"Whatever, whatever. Ya don't gotta get so pissed about it. I ain't saying women are any less good than men or anything. Just gimme a break, okay?" Inuyasha waved her insinuations away with one hand.
"I was not angry to begin with." Kagome replied easily.
"Sure. Well, hey…um, Rei said you'd get in some shit for bringing me here. If you did…" Inuyasha seemed hesitant to finish.
"Do not trouble yourself over that." Kagome waved one hand as though dismissing the idea. "The master trusts my judgment. It was no inconvenience to him or myself that you followed me here. After all, you still await my decision."
"That's right, I guess. So what'd he wanna talk to you bout before?" Inuyasha asked.
"Many things. It is none of your concern, boy." Kagome replied simply.
"Would you stop that shit?" Inuyasha leapt to his feet, obviously angry.
"Have I in some way offended you?" Kagome wanted to know.
"Damn right you did! Don't fucking talk down to me like that! I know I ain't all fucking smart sounding or anything, but I ain't a little boy, and I ain't gonna sit here and let you shit all over me like I ain't worth shit! That ain't why I came here with ya!" Inuyasha yelled at her, his temper snapping like so many taut cords.
Kagome gasped as she met Inuyasha's glare and discovered that there was anger there, real and true fury reserved for her. He might have been acting the scene out, but the anger wasn't something that he had to pretend. "Sakage…I did not mean…" Kagome had almost slipped and called him Inuyasha.
"Stuff it, lady! Ya know, I thought Rei was wrong bout you. I thought she was makin up that shit bout everyone always giving ya everything so you didn't damn well know what ya had! I thought you were…I felt bad for ya, okay? I saw how they didn't want ya, just like how they always been to me. But you don't care bout that, cause you'll never be low as me, will ya? Fucking spoiled little pride a the temple, ain't ya? Well fuck this! I don't need you, so don't think I'll keep following ya like some fucking lapdog! Tomorrow, I'm on my own lady. Ya missed your chance to join the rest of us normal people cause you're such an uptight bitch!" Inuyasha was probably more convincing than he had ever been, the rant was so full of spite and conviction, and Kagome couldn't stop the tears that spilled down her face as she stood on stage, almost unable to finish the scene.
"I suppose I've done it again, Kirara. I try not to let my pride get in the way, but I cannot help it. I had hoped…when I was a girl, I assumed that Rei and I would always stay close friends, as we are sisters. Now I have you, Kirara, and though you are my friend, I cannot help but wish that someone…perhaps…" she spoke to the cat lying comfortably at one corner of the stage. She felt Midoriko's sadness all too clearly, and she felt the flow of tears renew itself when Inuyasha returned to the stage.
"Sakage, I…" Trembling, she reached for him. Please, Inuyasha, don't do this to me!
"Don't." he waved her away. "I just…I don't know where I'm supposed ta be sleepin."
"I see. Then you may take my bed for tonight." Kagome couldn't stop the slight break in her voice, but she tried desperately to cling to Midoriko's calm character. She needed that strength now more than ever.
"But…where ya gonna sleep?" Inuyasha actually sounded concerned, and Kagome sighed slightly before speaking the last line of the scene.
"That is none of your concern." And with that, she stormed off the stage while the lights came down. It didn't help that Kikyo was the person backstage holding the breakfast tray she needed for the next scene. Kagome couldn't decide if she was angry with the girl or just frustrated with herself and perhaps with Inuyasha's unaccountable behavior.
"Calm down," Kikyo handed her the tray, but even though her words implied she could see the shimmer of fresh tears on Kagome's face, she sounded as cold as ever to the frustrated actress. "Midoriko is not one to cry easily."
"I'm not Midoriko." Kagome answered, snatching the tray from the other girl and using one hand to wipe her face hurriedly as Kikyo blinked at her.
"And he's not Sakage." She reminded Kagome. "But for now, you must use her strength." Any further advice was cut off by the arrival of Kagura, who had her headset on and looked rather harried.
"Kikyo, I need to borrow you for a moment, if you don't mind?" Kagura asked the quiet girl, who nodded and turned away just as the lights came up, cueing Kagome to enter the scene, heading toward Inuyasha who was reclining on the floor in a futon, sitting up at her entrance. Kagome ignored him, calmly setting up the tray on a small table beside the futon.
"Hey…whatcha doin?" Inuyasha finally addressed her.
Be strong.
But it's so hard…when he looks at me like that.
"I do not think it is your place to ask what I am doing in my own room." Kagome replied primly, unable to meet his gaze, but at least managing to act normally if she didn't let herself concentrate on the feel of his eyes on her.
"Gods…don't gotta be so fucking touchy. I just ain't used ta waking up with someone in the same room as me is all." Inuyasha grumbled bitterly.
Kagome licked her lips before speaking. "I brought breakfast."
"Ya didn't have to…" Inuyasha seemed halfhearted in his protest, but it was much as Sakage was supposed to sound, so it worked.
"Despite your feelings toward me, I believe that it is still my role as hostess to serve as such. I must be hospitable under all circumstances." Kagome carefully poured the tea, using it as an excuse not to look at him.
"Well don't strain yourself or anything." Inuyasha snorted slightly before commenting on the number of plates she was setting out. "Hey…I don't need that many…are you eatin here too?"
"It is my room." Kagome reminded him.
"I was just askin…" Inuyasha went back to moping as they silently pretended to share breakfast, sipping tea and looking generally uncomfortable. At least Kagome had no trouble acting like the situation was awkward, but eventually she had to speak.
"So, when are you planning on leaving?" She finally asked the other actor.
"What? Can't wait ta see me gone?" Inuyasha asked, his tone slightly more angry than Kagome remembered from rehearsal.
Breathing deeply, she spoke as calmly as possible. "That is not the case. I only thought that the atmosphere was very uncomfortable with neither of us speaking. As I am the hostess, it is my job to be sure that you, my guest, are comfortable at all times. That is why I asked you, as I could think of no other question with which to initiate conversation."
Inuyasha snorted incredulously. "Could you spew just a little more bullshit?"
"Excuse me?" Kagome raised her eyebrows, finally starting to get into the character. It was easier when he wasn't yelling and glaring at her.
"Never mind, lady. When you want me to leave?" Inuyasha asked in a rough tone.
"You may leave whenever it pleases you." Kagome replied easily.
"What about right now?" Inuyasha asked, obviously a bit annoyed.
"If that is what you want." Kagome maintained a calm demeanor as she sipped her tea.
"What about tomorrow?" Inuyasha asked her.
"If it pleases you to wait until then, you may do that." Kagome could feel the fluttering of her heart starting to calm. It seemed that she was using Midoriko's strength, and it was a relief to be able to act normally.
"What if I say I don't wanna leave?" Inuyasha continued the questioning.
"I would accept that as it is." Kagome spoke calmly.
Inuyasha slammed down his teacup, almost breaking it with the force, and Kagome was unable to stifle a slight jump. "Dammit, do you give a shit about me at all?"
Kagome met his eyes then. Was he acting, or was he seriously asking the question? It was hard to tell, and now was no time for a discussion of their relationship. "I do not see why this should concern me as much as you seem to think is appropriate. Do you wish me to feign concern or anger or worry? Would that please you?"
Inuyasha stood up, ready to leave, but first he pointed accusingly at Kagome and let loose a string of angry words. "You're such a bitch, ya know that? If you hate people, then ya shoulda just told me that when I asked ya if we could travel together. Don't fucking make me think that you're someone who is alone as me and then fucking push me away. I see how it is with you now. I'm gone, lady. If that pleases you."
"No." there was a waver in Kagome's voice, and it made her worry that she'd lost control of the situation again.
"No, what?" Inuyasha wanted to know.
"It doesn't please me." Kagome told him, her voice barely at an audible level. She wondered momentarily if the audience could hear her, but she didn't care, really. This was about Inuyasha and her. Or was it about Midoriko and Sakage? Everything was blurring in her mind. Maybe she was just too stressed out.
"What?" Inuyasha seemed different, somehow. Was this him, or Sakage? He was such a good actor, it was hard for Kagome to tell, but she put her heart into her words.
"I…I'm sorry. I don't want you to leave, so please don't." Kagome told him. She didn't want him to leave. She didn't want things to change. She didn't want any of it, and she didn't want to be part of this play anymore. She just wanted things to go back to how they were before.
"Midoriko…" Inuyasha spoke, and the flash of reality between the actors faded at the sound of the name. This was just a play, after all.
Just a play. It doesn't mean anything.
Kagome bit her lip before speaking, back to acting once more. "I can't go on pretending that being the best makes me happy enough to need nothing else. I…I am alone, Sakage. I wish…I'd like for you…could you be my companion?"
"That's the most normal sounding I heard ya since we met." Inuyasha told her.
"I'm being honest with you right now, Sakage." Kagome told him, her voice more natural than before. After all, Midoriko was trying to show herself to Sakage at this point. It wasn't as though Inuyasha was affecting her. She was fine.
"I know. Well then, what bout finishing this breakfast?" Inuyasha suggested, and Kagome nodded slightly as he sat back down and the lights faded. Intermission, finally. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She felt so confused, so frustrated, and so horrible knowing that she had somehow lost her fragile friendship with Inuyasha yet again. The curtains had just started to close when Kagome got up and stormed to the nearest dressing room, locking the door behind her. It was time for a good, long cry. Then maybe she could think about this stupid play.
*****
The End (Of Part 22, That Is)