Everything's just about been wrapped up! Aren't you happy? So, how will Kagome react to knowing she's been (supposedly) drugged by Naraku? Will Naraku be able to defend himself since, for once, he's accused of something that he actually didn't do? Will there be a tragic mishap in surgery which results in his body spontaneously combusting and then exploding like a bloody bowl of chili left in the microwave for too long, coating the inside of the room with his guts and gore? Will everyone cheer if that happens? If he does, by some severely tragic twist of fate, survive, will Kikyo kill him good and dead this time? With a knife? A big one? Who else thinks that considering the shit she's been put through, Kikyo is most qualified for killing of Naraku? But enough of Naraku's impending doom, what about Kagome and Inuyasha? Will they be able to sort things out? Will Inuyasha take any of drugged up Kagome's confessions to heart? Or will his mother, who we all know has been planning their wedding for years, be disappointed along with everyone else reading this fic? Is there anyone who wants them to just…not get together? (Not counting me after I've read four reviews in a row that all say something along the lines of "dis fic iz da shizznit wuts up wid kag n inu? dey ned 2 get it on yo. Dis iz kewl.") Finally, the closure we seek is soon to be reached in this final installment of…
*****
Center Stage
Part 25
*****
Kagome woke up in stages. The first thing she was aware of was a dull ache, but it took a few moments for the source of that ache to center in her head. The second thing she was aware of was that although she was warm and relatively comfortable, despite the headache, something was different. She realized that she was still fully dressed, although someone had taken her shoes off, but that wasn't all of it. She also seemed to be in a bed that smelled…like Inuyasha.
Her eyes flew open then, and she saw that she was, as she suspected, in her best friend's bed. Right next to her, Inuyasha was slumped back where he must have been sitting at the foot of the bed, his back against the wall as he slept while snoring slightly. He was also fully dressed. Kagome noted that something smelled delicious, but as it was not immediately apparent what that could be, she decided it was time to get out of Inuyasha's bed and find out how the hell she had gotten there in the first place. She remembered opening night performance. Greeting the audience afterwards, her mother taking Souta and telling her not to stay out to late…then going to the cast party…what movie had they watched? For some reason, she had a hard time recalling exactly what had occurred at Miroku's house the previous night.
Getting up, she discovered that her head hurt even more when she moved it, but since she was unlikely to find some aspirin by staying in bed and looking pathetic, she decided to go on downstairs where she was sure that Inuyasha's mother would be able to help her with her headache, and perhaps fill in some of the gaps from the night before. She knew that nothing…inappropriate had occurred, unless Inuyasha was in the habit of dressing himself and his lover up after sex and then sleeping against the wall while she took the bulk of the bed. But still, it was rather bothersome to wake up with virtually no memory of how she got to where she was. Had she been drunk? She didn't remember drinking anything, and her mouth didn't taste like stale alcohol, so she didn't think she had been, but how else could she have blacked out half the night? It didn't make any sense.
"Oh! She's up!" Rin's voice greeted her as she got off the staircase and shuffled down the hallway to the kitchen. She looked up groggily to be greeted by a sight that, under normal circumstances, she would have found endlessly amusing. Inuyasha's mother was pouring pancake batter into a sizzling griddle, smiling happily as she cooked. Behind her, in the dining area, Sesshoumaru and Rin were both wearing white terry cloth bathrobes and sharing a large stack of the finished pancakes, which Rin was spooning whipped cream onto eagerly. "Morning, Kagome! Mom's making us chocolate chip pancakes!"
"Morning, dear." Inuyasha's mother was just as awake as Rin, but had more care for Kagome's headache. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Head hurts." Kagome managed, embarrassed that her voice came out as something of a croak. "You have coffee?"
"Sit down and I'll bring you some aspirin and a hot cup. You take cream and sugar, don't you?" Inuyasha's mother came over, placing a hand on her forehead and then kissing her cheek, which would have struck Kagome as odd, except for the fact that she had always treated Kagome as a daughter.
"Yeah, thanks." Kagome sighed and shuffled the rest of the way to the table, suddenly feeling extremely grungy next to the freshly scrubbed couple sharing their pancakes next to her. Rin's wet hair was around her shoulders, but Sesshoumaru's was wrapped in a white towel still, which looked extremely funny on someone who had a permanently serious expression on his face.
"Is Inuyasha up yet?" The woman in the kitchen asked as she brought Kagome her coffee and aspirin.
"Uh, no, he was still sleeping." Kagome answered.
"I'm not surprised. He was still up at four in the morning when I checked in on you two." His mother told her. "Do you…uh, remember last night at all?" she darted a glance at Sesshoumaru and Rin to see if this topic of conversation struck them as odd, but Kagome didn't really mind. They were all so close that whatever had happened would be common knowledge in their group soon enough.
"No." she answered. "Well, I remember getting to Miroku's house with the others. We were eating pizza and watching…some movie…but yeah, I can't remember after that."
"Oh." Inuyasha's mother licked her lips nervously, flipping pancakes industriously. "Well then, you might want to speak with Inuyasha when he wakes up. He would know better than me. I called your mother to tell her you were spending the night. But that's…all she knows." She offered Kagome a pained smile. "How many pancakes did you want, dear?"
"Um…two would be good." Kagome sipped her coffee, wishing the aspirin would work faster. At least the warmth of the coffee was making her think that her head didn't hurt that bad for the moment, but the dull ache was still there. There seemed to be some predetermined deal that Rin and Sesshoumaru were not to question Kagome's presence or the reason for her lack of memory of the previous night, because even though Rin was shooting her many hopeful looks, she never actually said anything. Soon enough, the couple finished their breakfast just as Kagome was half done with her own pancakes, her headache fading away and her coffee replaced with a glass of orange juice. That was when Inuyasha stumbled down the stairs, muttering various colorful phrases aimed at the morning on his way into the kitchen.
"Good morning puppers!" Inuyasha's mother, in fine form this morning, managed to kiss his cheek while handing him a cup of coffee and embarrassing him all at once.
"Mum…don't call me that…dammit." Inuyasha was too confused by his need for coffee to say anything more insulting than that, and soon enough he had shuffled to sit next to Kagome, where his mother brought him a plate with four steaming pancakes before smiling at them both and excusing herself.
"You two must want to talk about…things." She looked surprisingly happy for a mother whose son had brought home a drugged girl the night before, but then again, she was thoroughly obsessed with the idea of Inuyasha and Kagome getting together, and she must have been in ecstasy at the thought of him protecting her as he had.
"Morning." Kagome spoke up after a mouthful of pancakes. She waited several moments for Inuyasha to gobble his way to a breaking point, at which time he blinked at her, took a gulp of coffee and replied.
"Morning. Feel okay?" he arched a dark eyebrow in concern, and Kagome wondered how much more embarrassing this situation could be. The fact that Inuyasha was being so…damn gallant about the whole thing just made it seem worse.
"Um…yeah, now that my headache's gone." She answered, cutting at her remaining bits of pancake primly. "Inuyasha?"
"Urngh?" his mouth was full, so that was a rather intelligible response, all things considered.
"What…happened last night?" she asked, darting a glance at him to ascertain exactly how bad the situation was from his reaction.
"Naraku." He finally answered after another break for coffee. "Slipped something in your drink."
"Naraku?" Kagome was flabbergasted. "Why would he do that?"
"Um…popular theory's that he wanted to…um…yeah, you know." Inuyasha returned to his pancakes heartily, but Kagome had suddenly lost her appetite.
"He…okay, lemme get this straight." Kagome coughed slightly to clear her throat. "Naraku came to the cast party last night. Then…he drugged me? Slipped me a mickey or something like that? And then?"
"Oi hoft wu oeng." Inuyasha answered with his mouth full. After a blink of complete confusion from Kagome, he swallowed, took a drink, and then repeated. "I brought you home."
"Here?" she clarified.
"No, I took you to Sango's house, but we woke up here." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He hated it when girls asked stupid questions.
"I was just asking." She pouted slightly. "So Naraku slipped me some drug, you brought me here…and you just tucked me in fully clothed?"
"Ummf." Inuyasha nodded, which she took as an affirmative. He had just crammed the last bit of pancake into his mouth, and after washing it down with the last of his coffee, he got up. "I didn't know what was wrong with you at first, but Kikyo figured it out and she went to head off Naraku. Then Kagura told me to just bring you back here so your mom wouldn't like…think I was drugging you or something. Oh…shit."
"What?" Kagome, still trying to process the night's events, couldn't see what else could be troubling Inuyasha.
"Kikyo…I wonder if she made it home alright." Inuyasha bit his lip.
"Oh…her." Kagome sighed deeply, unable to keep a bitter note out of her voice. "Is that all you ever think about? Why don't you two just get married?"
"What?" Inuyasha snorted as he poured himself a glass of water. "You know, she could've just let Naraku take you home, and then I wouldn't be listening to this lecture on which girls I'm allowed to think about at all."
"Would that make you happier?" Kagome was angry now. "Would you be happy if you took Kikyo home instead of having to deal with stupid, drugged up Kagome?"
"No!" Inuyasha slammed down his half-empty glass, frustrated at her insinuations.
"Then what?" Kagome wanted to know, getting up and moving around the table to stand in the main kitchen with him. "Would it make you happy if Naraku took me and just did whatever he wanted to me?"
"It would make me happy if you would stop jumping to fucking conclusions when you don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Inuyasha shouted back, violet eyes flashing angrily. Kagome took a step back, her eyes wide, and Inuyasha spoke again after taking a deep breath. "That's better. You know, just cause I'm showing some fucking concern for another human being doesn't mean I'm gonna run off and marry them! What if I had been worried about Miroku? Would you have gotten all pissy then?"
"Well that's not the same thing." Kagome sounded angry, but she wasn't yelling.
"Of course not. It's not the same thing. Why?" Inuyasha paused, but he wasn't really expecting an answer. Things had gone on for too long, and he was just sick of it. It was time to lay down all the cards. "Cause I kissed Kikyo. Cause I dated her for a couple months. Well lemme tell you something, Kagome. When Kikyo kissed me, I didn't expect it, and to tell you the truth, I didn't really like it all that much. Kikyo's my friend, and no matter what she thinks of me, that's all she'll ever be. And then I dated her. I think we both know that wasn't exactly a loving fucking relationship. You and I both know that if you hadn't started dating Kouga just…just to piss me off—"
"Wait a second!" Kagome cried out.
"Oh, are you saying that you really had another reason? Cause I'd love to hear it. I think everyone would, including Kouga, cause we all kinda thought the same thing about that display." Inuyasha let a silence drag out, but Kagome didn't answer, so he moved on. "Anyway, if you hadn't done that, I would never have done the same thing back. Don't pretend that you thought I was fucking crazy in love with Kikyo, cause you damn well know better. How long were we together? About two months. Tell me how many times you saw us kiss while we were a couple. Not onstage, either."
"Well…just because you weren't Miroku and Sango about it…that doesn't mean anything." Kagome muttered.
"Bullshit. Kagome, you know the fucking truth. It's staring you right in the face." Inuyasha was completely irritated with her stubbornness now. "Think about New Years. I came there with Kikyo, cause she was supposed to be my girlfriend. Did you see me spend any time with her the whole night? Really?"
"You were standing with her just before midnight." Kagome pointed out.
"So were you. So was fucking Souta and Shippo. You gonna get jealous of them?" Inuyasha asked her. "And who did I kiss at midnight?" Kagome greeted this question with silence, her face going red. She had thought that they wouldn't speak of this incident. Kagome had been sure there was a silent agreement between them to never bring it up again, and yet… "Who did I kiss? Was it Kikyo?"
"N…no." Kagome was trembling. Since when was she trembling? How had this conversation gone from Naraku trying to date rape her to her relationship status with Inuyasha? She wondered which topic made her more uncomfortable.
"Who did I kiss?" Inuyasha was shouting now, and Kagome felt like she was going to cry. Did she have to deal with this now, right after she'd found out that everything she thought she knew about Naraku, everything he'd told her…And then she realized, all those times she had thought how evil Kikyo and Kagura were…It had seemed wrong from the first. Sure, she was quick to suspect Kikyo of anything, but Kagura? Kagura had seemed like such a nice girl. And yet…it had all fit…and those pictures. But then…could it mean that after all that…and everything she thought. That afternoon when she was to have dinner with him…Kikyo, naked in the corner. Kagura crying and Kouga beating Naraku senseless.
"Oh…oh my god…oh…my god." Kagome collapsed in the middle of the kitchen floor in a dead faint. It was all too much for her. Inuyasha was asking too much, trying to make her understand their relationship right after she'd learned that all along, Naraku had been as bad as she'd first suspected. Worse.
"Kagome? Kagome? Oh fuck!" Inuyasha just caught her before her head could slam down on the linoleum, but that didn't make him any happier about the fact that she'd just passed out while they were supposed to be having a good, healthy argument. Who the hell did something like that? It was enough to give a man a heart attack.
"Inuyasha? What's going on in…Oh dear!" his mother came in right then, at the worst possible time as far as he was concerned. "What's happened to her?"
"She…um, she fainted I guess." Inuyasha had scooped her up into his arms more fully, and he found that she was much easier to carry when she wasn't trying to grope him. "What do I do?"
"Oh, here, I think I have something…" Inuyasha's mother bustled over to the cupboards, opening one and rustling through the various spices inside before she pulled out a bottle and unscrewed the lid. "It's not exactly smelling salts, but it should be strong enough." Putting it under Kagome's nose, she wafted the air a bit until the girl began to stir. "See there? She'll be up in a moment. Why don't you take her to the living room and let her lie on the couch?"
"Um…sure." Inuyasha did as his mother said, moving quickly as Kagome regained her awareness.
"Wha…what happened?" Kagome wanted to know.
"You fainted." Inuyasha offered her a nervously worried smile. "Scared me shitless."
"Really?" Kagome blinked as he let her down on the couch gently. "Um…so, that stuff you told me about Naraku…trying to um…to drug me and all that…that wasn't a dream?"
"None of it was." Inuyasha told her. "Not that, or any of the stuff about how Kikyo's just my friend and you've got nothing to be jealous about."
"I don't?" Kagome was still a bit confused, or she might have contested that one more strongly.
"Kagome, at New Years, when we kissed…I realized something that I think I've kinda known for a long time." Inuyasha pushed forward. He'd gone too far to stop now.
"New Years…oh…me too." Kagome's face flushed darkly.
"Oh…well you can go first." Inuyasha suddenly felt nervous. What if she didn't want him anymore? Was that why she hadn't been talking to him? And what about kissing Naraku? She had said that it had been a misunderstanding, even said that she loved him instead, but she had been drugged. She'd said a lot of things last night.
"No…no, I don't mean to interrupt." Kagome tried to sit up, not getting very far before Inuyasha's hand steadied her, guiding her to sit back against the couch so she didn't strain herself. Really, just because she'd fainted once…
"No, it's okay." Inuyasha insisted.
"Oh…well…maybe if we both say it at the same time?" Kagome tried for a compromise. Why was she so afraid? Everyone told her that Inuyasha was in love with her…and yet…and yet…
"Um, that sounds good." Inuyasha felt his stomach twisting nervously. "So…we kissed."
"And I wasn't expecting it," Kagome went on.
"But it was just so…" Inuyasha continued.
"Natural." They were almost speaking at the same time now, finishing each other's sentences.
"Like it was…"
"Something I'd needed for a long time."
"And I finally found it."
"It was kind of like that before when we kissed…you know, for the play and all that."
"But this time…"
"This time there were no excuses."
"No scripts, no practices."
"It was just us, and it was…"
"The best thing I'd ever felt."
"I thought I could fly."
"And I knew…"
"I knew…" Kagome's face went red. She couldn't say it! She just couldn't.
"Ah, fuck this." Inuyasha licked his lips after a long pause and leaned forward eagerly, catching her lips with his, tangling his hand in her hair and holding her to him as she suddenly began kissing him back. They stayed together, letting the kiss last until they couldn't breathe anymore and then pulling away fractionally, just letting their eyes open as they panted slightly against each other's faces. "I love you." Inuyasha breathed finally, and it was so quiet that if Kagome hadn't been as close to him as she was, she likely wouldn't have heard.
"Yeah…yeah." Kagome gasped, feeling incredibly stupid as tears welled in her blue eyes, but not caring enough to stop them. How long had she waited for this? She couldn't even remember anymore when she had first wanted to hear those words. "I love you too."
"Man…we're so stupid." Inuyasha told her, chuckling lightly as he was still a bit out of breath. "Look at everyone else. Look at Miroku and Sango. They know each other for…what, three or four months, and bam, they're together." He brushed a lock of hair back behind Kagome's ear. "Or Kouga and Kagura. What did it take them? Three weeks? And even Rin and Sesshoumaru only took three years. We've known each other longer than any of them, and it took this long to get together?"
"Yeah…yeah, we're pretty stupid." Kagome agreed with a wry laugh. "You know, our moms will throw a party when they find out. They'll be so excited."
"My mom…fucking loves being right." Inuyasha shook his head mournfully. "Did I tell you that Sesshoumaru tried to talk to me about you? To try and…you know, make us see things clearer?"
"Rin put him up to it?" Kagome raised an eyebrow, and Inuyasha nodded. "Not surprising, though I bet it was funny."
"Damn funny." Inuyasha agreed. "You know…I bet almost every one of our friends have tried to…kinda push us together. Sango has for sure. Casting us like that…I knew it was some fucking plot."
"Miroku was the genius behind the kissing practice." Kagome pointed out, and Inuyasha's smile widened.
"Man…Miroku was a genius." He told her, leaning in for another kiss. It was shorter this time, sweet and satisfied, not as dramatically urgent as before. "Best fucking homework I ever had."
"And then Rin, tireless matchmaker. How many chats did she have with you?" Kagome asked.
"Who knows? I think she's been dropping not-so-subtle hints since we fucking met. Her and Sango thought it was like…a pastime or something." Inuyasha told her.
"Even Kouga. He was the one who really pointed it out to me at first. He was the first one who took me aside and said 'hey, Kagome, see Inuyasha? You guys are in love. Do something about it.' That's pretty much exactly how that conversation went." Kagome smiled at the surprised look on Inuyasha's face. "Yeah, that's right, Kouga wants us to get together."
"Man…no wonder he hasn't been as fucking annoying lately. I think…after he got with Kagura, I was just like…not as…you know." Inuyasha blushed slightly.
"Worried? Yeah, I know." Kagome kissed his nose. "You know, Inuyasha. Your language this morning…it's a lot…um, dirtier than usual."
"Oh…sorry." Inuyasha flushed. "I know…I just…well, you've been so…pissed all the time lately, I've kinda had to watch my mouth for months now, and it's nice to finally get to say whatever I want."
"It's okay." Kagome smiled at him to show she wasn't offended at all. "It's not like I'm not used to your cussing by now. We're best friends, after all, Inuyasha."
"No way." He told her, leaning in for another kiss. "We're more than that."
----------
"Okay, seriously, does this look alright?" Sango posed for Kagome and Kagura, who were standing in the bathroom of Kagome's house getting ready for that evening. It was Valentine's Day, and not only was their high school putting together a formal dance for the occasion, the group of friends had all decided that after the long drawn out completion of the play, they all deserved to make a night of it, so they were going out to dinner as a group in advance. This, of course, led to a day long preparation of all the girls at Kagome's house beforehand, much to Souta's dismay. He'd locked himself in his room and refused to come out except for his mother's special Valentine's Day cookies. "I told Rin I thought it was a bit flashy, but…I don't know."
"Miroku will like it." Kagome automatically answered, taking in the swooping neck of the short red dress. "It really brings out your eyes, too."
"It's a nice design." Kagura added. "Not too complicated, but not so simple that it looks trashy or anything. Put the scarf on too." Kagura added, looking around for the gauzy dark red material that Rin had procured to set off the dress.
"It's over here." Another voice called, and Kikyo entered the room, a bruise high on her forehead still marking her car accident of just over a week ago. "Your purse is out there, too."
"Oh, yeah, that's right." Sango nodded, taking the scarf and letting Kagura adjust it around her neck. "I left it on your bed while Rin was helping me put the dress on. Thanks, Kikyo."
"Yes, no problem." Kikyo nodded before looking at the dress momentarily and then rejoining Rin in Kagome's bedroom across the hall.
"She used to be so quiet." Kagome commented after Kagura was satisfied and gave Sango the okay. "I mean…she still is, but it's just…now…"
"Well, you know. Considering everything…it makes sense that she'd start to come out of her shell once Naraku was out of the picture." Sango opined in a soft voice. "I don't know about this…isn't it a little cheesy, wearing red on Valentine's Day?"
"I guarantee you that Miroku will not think so." Kagome told her.
"I can't believe it still…" Kagura commented after Sango stopped fussing over her dress and joined them to work on her hair. "I mean, when I started this year, I never thought that I'd end up telling anyone about…what happened with Kikyo and I…but now." She leaned forward, concentrating on putting a thin layer of eyeliner around her eyes. "Everything's so different, now that he's…well…"
"A vegetable?" Kagome supplied. "Listen, Kagura…I'm still…I'm really sorry that I ever…you know."
"You've told Kikyo and me a thousand times, Kagome." Kagura informed her. "It's alright. We understand how Naraku twists people around him. If our places were reversed, I'm sure I would have believed him too."
"I just felt so bad when you guys told me everything." Sango admitted. "All of us did. And Inuyasha…I thought he was going to march to the hospital and unplug the stupid asshole. I mean, all this time, I knew there were…things going on within the cast and crew, but I guess I thought…"
"It's okay, Sango." Kagura told her. "No one told you, how could you have guessed? It's all over now." Kagura assured the other girl before turning to help her with her hair. "Here…just hold the bottom while I pin it in. Yeah, there you go."
"I don't know what I'll do next year." Sango smiled at Kagura. "Without all you girls to dress me and fix me up for things like this…"
"Oh, you'll do fine, Sango." Kagome assured her. "Besides that, I don't want to hear about next year…this whole college thing is driving me insane."
"Inuyasha's still being…stubborn?" Sango asked. "You know, just because he can act doesn't mean he wants to go to acting school. Besides that, Miroku and I aren't going to the same school, and you don't see me getting worried about it."
"Oh, whatever." Kagome turned to Rin, who had just appeared in the hallway. "Rin, I am totally screwing up my hair right now. If you could help me out, I'd love you forever."
"She's just nervous since this is her first formal function with Inuyasha now that they're a couple." Kagura teased in a sing-song voice.
"Like they'll be able to keep their hands off each other long enough for the hair to make it to the dance intact." Sango rolled her eyes before pausing to apply a coat of lipstick.
"Anyway, about the college issue," Kagura returned to the discussion that they'd been having before the hair interruption. "I don't think you have to go to the same school to ensure happiness."
"This from the girl who picked out colleges with her boyfriend so they wouldn't be separated." Kikyo was watching Rin work on Kagome's hair with some interest, a slight smile on her face. Kagura had noticed a dramatic return of personality to her friend ever since the accident. She still told herself it was nothing more than an accident, but the look on Kikyo's face whenever it was mentioned was just a bit too innocent for her liking.
"She's right, though." Rin agreed with Kagura. "Anyway, up until a week ago, Inuyasha and you were hardly speaking, and now you're all set to go to school together. I don't mean to sound discouraging, but don't you think you two should calm things down a bit? I understand that this whole relationship has been a long—"
"Long," Sango interjected.
"Looooong," Kagura drawled the word for effect.
"Long time in the making, but still." Rin sighed. "It's your one week anniversary tonight, and that's great. We're all really happy that you're finally together, but the fact of the matter is that this isn't a contest. You don't have to rush to catch up with the rest of us or anything."
"I know…I know, I just…" Kagome fiddled with a bottle of mascara, setting it down after a moment. "Well, you've all seen how hard it's been for us to get together in the first place."
"Like torture." Kikyo commented. "I couldn't believe two people were ever so thick-headed."
"Anyway…I just can't help but worry." Kagome admitted. "You guys are all doing so well. You seem so…I don't know, secure. And I know that Inuyasha and I are happy now, but how long do you think it will be until we have a huge fight? And if we're across the country from each other or something like that…it's so much harder to stay together when everything's still so…so fragile, you know?"
"Don't worry." Sango told her reassuringly. "If you guys break up, I'll hunt you down and shoot you."
"Seriously." Kagura agreed, snorting. "Kikyo, here, let me do your hair."
"Oh…I think…it's okay." Kikyo was still a bit hesitant about all the 'girly stuff' that they were apt to include her in now that she was a solid member of their group, but Kagura was definitely wearing her down.
"Don't try to run when Kagura's coming after your hair." Sango advised the other girl. "It's hopeless." Kikyo shrugged finally, entering the more than slightly crowded bathroom to let Kagura have her way. "Okay, I'm done, so I think I'll move to the hallway. No offense, girls, but it's getting a bit tight in here."
"There, you're beautiful." Rin finished Kagome's hair, beaming at the other girl as she admired Rin's handiwork in the mirror. "And Kagome, don't worry about Inuyasha."
"Yeah, you guys have been in love since like…kindergarten." Sango estimated.
"No…no, not that far back. Maybe…maybe around third grade or so." Kagome argued good-naturedly as Rin and Kagome moved out of the bathroom to give Kagura more room to work on Kikyo's hair.
"No way. Remember when we would have coloring time?" Sango cited an example. "Remember how he'd never let anyone borrow the red crayon but you?"
"Well…that doesn't prove anything." Kagome rolled her eyes, trying not to blush.
"Red's the best." Kagura told her solemnly. "I've got to agree with Sango on this one."
"Well…" Kagome shuffled her feet.
"And remember when we had nap time and that one kid with the freckles picked on you and tried to steal your blanket? Remember how Inuyasha tried to save the day?" Sango recalled.
"He didn't do a very good job." Kagome giggled. "That kid beat him up so bad…remember he had a bloody nose and I had to go to the office with him for causing a disruption? I was so scared I'd be in trouble, I was crying worse than he was."
"Inuyasha was crying?" Kagura raised an eyebrow.
"He denies it now, but he was." Kagome nodded sharply. "The way Inuyasha tells that story, five kids twice his size all came at him with baseball bats and I started crying just because I was scared for him, but he still won the fight in the end."
"Interesting." Kikyo made a soft noise that might have been laughter. "Though not very surprising."
"You guys have such great stories." Rin giggled. "I wish I'd have known you back then."
"Did I ever tell you guys about the time that Kikyo and I got detention for a month in seventh grade for stealing all the frogs from the science department and setting them free on the baseball field the day before a big game?" Kagura asked them as Kikyo blanched in mortification.
"That was you?" Rin was awestruck. "Wow…"
"Yeah, see, I was totally against the whole dissection thing, so Kikyo came up with this plan to break in two days before they were scheduled and set the frogs free. I think she was trying to cheer me up about it, but yeah…it worked." Kagura stood back to admire Kikyo's hair before nodding sharply.
"Well…you wouldn't stop going on about it." Kikyo allowed herself a small smile. "I never meant to let them loose on the baseball field. And we wouldn't have been caught if you had been sneakier."
"I know, I've never been very good at that kind of thing." Kagura agreed. "Remember when your mom was having tea with her prissy friends and we tried to sneak into the kitchen and steal the cake she'd made for dessert?"
"Your finest display of stealth." Kikyo snorted before addressing the other girls. "She dropped the plate and broke it. Got cake all over both of us. So of course, I try to make a run for it, and what's Kagura doing?"
"I thought that if I cleaned up quick enough, your mom would never know." Kagura blushed slightly. "And I was only seven."
"Imagine Kagura, covered in bits of cake and frosting, shoving handfuls of ruined cake in her mouth when my mother storms in on the scene." Kikyo was definitely smiling now, and the rest of the girls were laughing at the image she was creating for them. "I'd already escaped, of course, but my mother knew, where there was one of us, there were both of us."
"She grabs me and pulls me up, trying to be all scary while not wanting to get sticky bits of frosting on her hands." Kagura laughed at the memory. "And she takes me straight to the bathroom, tells me to clean up, and calls for Kikyo cause she knows, obviously, she's got to be nearby."
"I'd already discarded the frosting covered clothes." Kikyo continued. "So my mother calls for me, and I come down wearing a perfectly clean outfit, but of course…I was young. There was still frosting all over my hair."
"Your mom was so angry…I thought she'd kill us for sure." Kagura smiled again. "But, obviously, we lived to tell the tale and all that."
"I had no idea you two were so…wait…is that my cell phone?" Sango stopped mid sentence, rushing into Kagome's room and digging through her purse to find the phone.
"Three guesses who it could be." Kagome stage-whispered to the other girls and Sango shot her a mock glare before answering the phone breathlessly.
"Listen how she answers." Kagura teased loud enough for the girl on the phone to hear. "Oh…hellllllooo?" she drew the word out and batted her lashes ridiculously. "I wonder who it could be."
"You guys knock it off!" Sango was flushing horribly as she attempted to hold a conversation with the person who'd called her. "Alright then…um, are you paying for her? Well…or if she can pay. I'm not made of money, you know."
"Okay…no, that's not Miroku." Rin shook her head.
"No, with Miroku it's like this." Kagome coughed and changed stance, doing an over-dramatization of a girl clutching a phone in both hands. "Oh…Miroku…my sweet sweet love…yes, I love you. And you love me? Yes, I know…aren't we so in love? We're the loviest lovers ever. Aren't we, schnooky ooky pie?"
"I don't think you should talk." Kagura warned Kagome as Sango shot her a deadly glare. "You and Inuyasha…get pretty…um…it can be bad."
"And I do not call Miroku…schnooky ooky pie…or whatever you said." Sango had finished her conversation and was putting her phone away to rejoin them. "Anyway…that was Kohaku."
"Oh, really?" Rin bit her lip nervously. Ever since the confession on opening night, she'd felt a bit awkward around him, but she couldn't bring herself to tell the others about it. It was something private between the two of them, and she didn't want to embarrass Kohaku or herself further.
"Yeah, remember I said he might join us for dinner? Well, he's got himself a date apparently, so he'll be bringing her along too. He was just making sure it wouldn't cause reservation issues." Sango told them all. "And apparently he'll just meet us there. Seems her dad is going to drop them off at the restaurant."
"A date?" Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Big sister sounds like she doesn't like the sounds of that."
"Well, who could he be bringing? I don't know that he spends a lot of time with any girls other than us, and obviously she isn't coming from our group." Sango pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at the ceiling as though the girl's name would be written there.
"Wouldn't that be weird if one of us was dating your brother?" Kagome tilted her head to the side, but then she looked at Rin in wild apology. "Oh! I mean, not that Sesshoumaru and you…that's not weird…and it's like…well, I guess the age difference is actually greater…but you know, girls are supposed to mature faster than boys and all…um…yeah."
"Kagome's going to hurt herself." Kagura patted the apologetic girl on the back. "It's okay, I think Rin's okay with your comment."
"Well, it was kind of weird when Sesshoumaru and I first got together, wasn't it?" Rin pointed out. "I mean, after all, Inuyasha still gets uncomfortable about the idea."
"Still…I wonder who it could be…" Sango tapped her chin, obviously not at all worried about what Inuyasha thought about Rin and his brother dating. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Rin squealed in excitement.
"It's boys!" she nearly flew down the stairs to answer the door, but as soon as she reached it, she hesitated. "Wait…aren't we supposed to make them wait and come down the stairs all dramatically?" she questioned the line of girls joining her in the entry way.
"Screw that. I've been waiting all night to see Kouga in a tux." Kagura waved a dismissive hand. "I am not waiting longer just so that we can pull some girly 'make them wait' act."
"Yeah, you're right." Rin's eyes lit up and she opened the door to welcome their male escort. "Sesshoumaru! I missed you!" Rin flew at the tallest of the group, standing near the back, but always ready to catch an excited Rin.
"You guys saw each other six hours ago." Kikyo pointed out, but the other girls were too busy greeting their boyfriends to agree with her.
"Ah, Kikyo." Miroku had just been oozing compliments over Sango's dress as he attempted to make her face match the red fabric, but as soon as he caught sight of the other girl, who was feeling slightly out of place around the couples, he pulled himself away and approached her. Reaching forward to raise her hand to his lips, he produced a rose from inside of his jacket and handed it to the severely surprised girl. "It does my heart good to see you up and about so soon after your accident. Your presence will surely make this evening unforgettable."
"You know…if I thought he was actually hitting on her, I might smack him." Sango whispered to Kagome, who was just to her left. "But it was just so sweet of him to think of Kikyo like that. I sometimes forget how she must feel, being the odd one out with all of us so happy."
"She's happy just being free." Kagura had overheard and didn't hesitate to put in her opinion on the matter as Kikyo blushed slightly while holding the rose that Miroku had given her. "She's happier than I've seen her for years."
----------
"No…I can't watch a movie, I'll pass out." Sango informed the group as they sat around in Miroku's living room after coming back from the dance, which had ended at midnight. "I'm so exhausted."
"Poor baby." Kagome rolled her eyes. "At least your date could dance."
"Hey!" Inuyasha made a face at his girlfriend.
"You can't dance, Inuyasha. Don't try telling anyone that you can." Sango shut the argument down before it could begin.
"We could play strip poker!" Miroku suggested fiendishly. "I'm getting rather uncomfortable in all these layers and such."
"Miroku…no." Kagome told the young man as Sango shook her head and sighed deeply.
"Is Kohaku coming back here after his date is dropped off?" Kagura wanted to know.
"No…way past his bedtime." Sango smirked slightly. "I still can't believe it though. Ayame?"
"Yeah, really, I thought he hated her." Kouga shrugged.
"I thought she was president of the Kouga fan club." Kagura reminded her boyfriend.
"You know, she was rather attractive with her hair out of those dreadful pigtails." Miroku commented, ignoring the teasing punch on the arm that Sango immediately rewarded his comment with. "Though far too young for me, and nowhere near as attractive as my dear Sango."
"He's wasting his sweet talk." Kikyo nodded toward the writer. "Her eyes are closed. I think she's asleep."
"Conveniently, I'm always prepared for such things." Miroku told the others. "I will simply put her in my bed, and later, when you have all left and she isn't as tired…"
"Oh, shut up." Inuyasha snorted. "Everyone knows Sango's holding out on you until her eighteenth birthday."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome's eyes widened in shock. "I told you not to say anything."
"What?" Inuyasha looked utterly confused while Miroku's face exploded with an ecstatic grin.
"Really? Is that it then? I was beginning to think that she was waiting for marriage or something, and though I pride myself on my self-control, my discipline with Sango is rather lacking, and I was wondering if I shouldn't just propose to her as soon as we graduate." Miroku was still smiling widely, and the friends were unsure whether he was kidding or not.
"Then…Rin and Sesshoumaru decided to skip the after party, did they?" Kagome asked the group as Miroku scooped up Sango, who muttered something in her sleep as he took her down the hall to lay her down for a rest.
"You know those two." Kagura commented. "Even if they had shown up, no one would see them."
"Really." Kouga nodded emphatically.
"Speaking of marriage though, I wonder if Sesshoumaru is planning on asking her anytime soon." Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "Do you know?"
"I don't know shit about Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha informed her, his nose scrunching up. "And if you guys start that damn wedding conversation again, I'm leaving the room."
"I'm rather sick of it too." Kikyo opined.
"Oh, come on Kikyo!" Kagura leaned toward the other girl, ignoring the look of discomfort on Kouga's face. "Haven't you ever thought of what you'd like your wedding to be like?"
"Short." She spoke after a moment. "Weddings are always too long and boring. Then people say that they'll never make theirs that long, but they get obsessed with the idea of getting married and then it gets long anyway."
"I want a nice ceremony." Kagura sighed. "And it has to be long, or what's the point of getting such a nice dress? I want everyone to admire me for at least…oh, an hour."
"An hour? That's it." Kouga rolled his eyes. "Hey, Kikyo, wanna get married?"
"No thanks." Kikyo answered. "I want to see you standing up there trying not to fall asleep so that Kagura won't kill you."
"Doesn't this bother you?" Inuyasha asked the other young man. "They're trying to plan our weddings."
"Like our moms haven't been doing it for years." Kagome shot back. "What's the difference?"
"Before, it was a joke." Inuyasha pointed out. "Now you're in on it too. I feel like it's a conspiracy."
"Do you not want to marry Kagome?" Kikyo asked, arching an eyebrow challengingly.
"Well...I mean, it's not like I've really…you know, thought about things like that. And I'm not ready now anyway." Inuyasha pointed out. "We're too young."
"Agreed." Kagome nodded sharply. "But I want a ring by our five year anniversary." She arched an eyebrow at him. "If I keep you for that long."
"Now she's got him on a deadline." Kouga laughed nervously, hoping Kagura didn't get any ideas.
"Um…you guys…where's Miroku?" Inuyasha pointed out the prolonged disappearance of the other young man. "How long does it take to tuck Sango in?"
"Well…" Kouga raised his eyebrows suggestively and Kagura elbowed him in the stomach. "What? I didn't say anything?"
"At least you weren't the one that spilled the whole eighteenth birthday thing to Miroku." Kagura sighed. "She'll kill you if she finds out you told, Kagome."
"Oh…like he wouldn't know in a month anyway." Kagome told them, but she still looked nervous. "And come on, getting her lingerie for her birthday? He'd be suspicious as soon as she opened anything from us."
"You guys are getting her lingerie?" Kouga looked rather impressed. "Hey…Kagura, isn't your birthday coming up?"
"In August." She replied, flicking his nose before she leaned back to whisper in his ear. "Don't worry, you won't have to wait that long." Kouga's eyes nearly bugged out, and he stood up so hurriedly that he almost knocked her to the floor.
"Um…I just remembered, Kagura's got…a…um…a curfew." Kouga invented. "Cause of it being Valentine's Day and all. Doesn't want her dear old dad to be alone all night, you know. I better get her home."
"Uh…yeah…well, see you guys later." Kagura left in a hurry with her boyfriend, wondering if he could have been any more obvious about the real reason they were leaving.
"That would have been so much more convincing if Kouga hadn't been beet red the whole time." Kagome stood and stretched after a moment. "Well then, I think it's our cue to exit, right guys?"
"I'm ready to go home." Kikyo agreed. "My shoes are killing me."
"Tell me about it." Kagome sighed and reached out a hand to her still seated boyfriend. "Well then, chauffeur, we'll be needing a ride home, please."
"Both of you?" Inuyasha grumbled in mock misery. "But I'm so tired…can't I just bring one of you home with me?"
"Perhaps, if you're very good." Kagome smiled at him teasingly.
"Oh why must I be party to your disgusting sex games?" Kikyo sighed, looking utterly tragic as she followed the two to the door.
"Sex games? We hardly could call them..." Kagome blushed furiously, after all, Inuyasha and her had only been together for a week. That didn't mean they weren't above a little cuddling, but it was hardly fair to accuse them of going so far in a week.
"I don't want to know. I didn't hear anything." Kikyo shook her arm as they reached Inuyasha's car and piled inside. "Just take me home."
"Done."
*****
THE END!!!