Sweet Seduction
Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, inu, blah, yasha, blah, blah, blah, not, blah, blah, mine, blah.
Chapter Three – Discovery
The sunlight struck her directly in the face.
Growling, Kagome twisted out of bed and landed in an ungainly heap on the floor where she lay blinking upwards at her boyfriend.
Oh, wait. Kagome jerked herself out of her dreams. That wasn't her boyfriend. Her boyfriend was Kouga, not Inuyasha.
"Hi, Inuyasha," she said patiently. "What are you doing in my room – well, Sango's room – pulling all the blinds open and making me unable to see for a few minutes? And need I mention that you woke me up? And that I'm not very happy about being woken up in the morning?"
He threw something into her lap.
She merely glanced down, turned back to him, and glanced down again. "Oh, a letter from Miroku. Thanks."
"That pup of yours is currently annoying the hell out of me," Inuyasha remarked casually. "I don't suppose it'd be proper to kick the wolf out?"
"It's not your house," Kagome reminded him, a bit too calmly.
He got the hint and stormed out the door, heading for the kitchen.
Ripping open the envelope, she yanked out the bundle of papers within. She grinned as she saw her counselor's practically illegible handwriting.
To Miss Higurashi:
The esteemed Miss Taijiya recently broke my leg. I need your advice on something. Should I press charges, or should I let it go in the hope that it'll redeem me in her eyes? She really does have exquisite eyes...however, I know you don't want to actually read twenty pages on Sango's etherealness, so I shall stop now.
Anyways, your German Shepard is getting incredibly annoyed. It's stopped eating all the reporters I send in. Also, I called your 'wolf's' house – or should I say mansion? – but no one was home. Damn Kouga's never there when I need him. Grrr.
Sango just mentioned that if I am writing to you, I should inform you that I am a perverted idiot. I think you already knew that.
Actually, things are going fairly well around here. With the exception of my shattered bone, we're all in perfect condition. Well, the reporters aren't, but they don't count. After all, it's rather hard to sympathize with dog food.
Sango's concerts are going very well. According to Tokyo Times, she's better than you at the violin. HAHAHA! (Sorry, got bored of using all that eloquent language. I had to stick something immature in this letter.)
So, how's life over at Wakai Lane? Miss Taijiya mentioned that she wants to go visit sometime this week. Is Friday ok? Or Saturday? How long are we allowed to stay?
Sango asks me to point out that there is no 'we' because I am not allowed in the same car as her when it's just the two of us. I'm wounded, Kagome! She's stabbed me in the heart!
Write back soon. Or Sango will break my skull before I receive your letter.
Your dying companion, Miroku Kaze.
Kagome grinned as she folded up the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope. She padded downstairs, glancing around the room. The front door swung open and Inuyasha reentered, apparently deciding Sango's house didn't have enough ingredients for the monstrosity of a sandwich he was holding.
"Um...Inuyasha?"
"What?" the annoyed youth answered.
"What did you do with Kouga?"
His golden eyes were laughing at her. "Can't even keep your own boyfriend?"
"It's not my fault if you kicked him out." She frowned at him. "Besides, at least I haven't been dumped for someone else."
She regretted her last comment, however, as Inuyasha slumped against the couch. "I knew I shouldn't have told you about that."
"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly.
"Yeah, whatever. I think that pup of yours is in the pool, probably stinking it up." He gestured lazily at the porch windows.
Kagome nodded her thanks and rushed back up into her room. 'Bathing suit...bathing suit...agh!' She zoomed around the house, knocking Inuyasha over in her mad search for her suit.
When she finally found it, she zipped back to the porch, knocking Inuyasha over again.
Kagome pulled open the screen door and blinked at Kouga's feet, which were the only part of his body out of the pool. "Kouga!" she yelped.
The submerged track star let out a muffled yell, which resulted in a few bubbles rising to the surface.
She leapt into the pool, sending water splashing everywhere, and dove underneath the water.
His hands seized her throat, trying to squeeze the life out of her. Thrashing wildly, she lashed out with her foot, and connected with her assailant's knee. His grip loosened momentarily – just long enough for her to surface and let out a weak yell before he grabbed her again, forcing her underwater.
Struggling frantically, Kagome felt her thrashing begin to weaken, then to stop. She flailed weakly, but could not find the strength to reach the surface. Panicking, she tried everything possible, but darkness was beginning to obscure her mind.
Right before losing consciousness, she saw a flash of long black hair and a pair of crimson eyes, laughing at her...
Sango peered at the flowers. "Miroku, they're really pretty. What are they for?"
Her companion yawned. "They're a get-well gift from my cousin, but I thought you'd like them." He tossed her a charming, though rather roguish, grin.
She smiled at him. "That's really nice of you...GET OFF ME, YOU PERVERT!" The girl frowned. "I should've broken your hands instead of your leg."
"What would be the point in staying in this hospital with all the lovely nurses, then?" Miroku wondered out loud. "Sango, you should be more considerate. Besides," he added hurriedly, catching her disproving expression, "I wouldn't be able to write to Kagome if my hands were broken."
Sango just laughed at him.
He sighed, realizing that his self-pitying tactics wouldn't work. "Well, anyways, how are you enjoying your life so far?"
She shrugged. "Very tiring. Concerts are good, you are somewhere in the middle, and reporters suck."
"I agree, except that I'm better than concerts any day. After all, what can you do with concerts after the sun goes down?" he subtly hinted.
"I don't know," she answered sarcastically, "play at them?"
"But it'll be all dark. You can't see your music." He grinned. "You don't need to see to..."
"That's why there's electricity," Sango explained, cutting him off before he could describe exactly what activities he was thinking of.
He frowned at her. "You take all the fun out of things, dear Sango."
"Good," she answered snidely.
The door swung open as one of the 'lovely nurses', as Miroku had so eloquently put it, entered timidly. "Excuse me, Mr. Kaze, your visitor needs to leave now."
"Bye, Miroku," Sango chirped, picking up her bag and hopping cheerily out the door. "See you tomorrow. I simply can't believe that you broke your leg falling down a flight of stairs." She grinned impudently; her bribery had ensured that he didn't let anyone know of her violent streak.
Miroku glared at her back. "Sango, someday you'll regret that!" he retorted, peering miserably at the cast wrapped around his ankle. "Evil, evil girl."
Inuyasha bounded to his feet when the faint cry for help reached his ears. Leaping towards the porch door, he stared outside at the tiny ripples spreading across the surface of the pool.
And yet, no one was in sight.
He moved cautiously closer until he saw the strange shape distorted at the bottom of the pool. He leapt in immediately, ducking underwater, heading for the still shape.
Kagome wasn't moving, her long hair swirling around her pale face.
His arms wrapped around her cold body, Inuyasha struggled to the side of the pool and set her down. He tilted her head slightly and checked for breathing, but not even a rasping gasp rewarded his efforts.
This was the hard part.
If only he hadn't learned CPR. Inuyasha bent over her and prepared to administer the mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths. Honestly, he didn't even have a face mask. What if she had...Ebola, or something? He didn't want to be infected.
Now he was just making up excuses.
Sensing that her skin was gradually blanching, he threw away his inhibitions and forced himself to bend down, open her mouth slightly, and begin the breaths.
It really wasn't that bad. He realized that after the first breath. Her lips were still somehow warm, though the rest of her was freezing. Another breath, and he withdrew, scanning her for any signs of movement or circulation.
There was nothing. Starting to panic, he carefully arranged his hands in the center of her chest and began the compressions, trying to force water out of her lungs. Fifteen compressions, two rescue breaths, repeat.
Again he listened for any breathing or circulation, and this time he was rewarded with a faint gasp of pain. His cycles were more rapid now, and her eyes flickered open in the middle of the last of his rescue breaths.
Kagome pushed her eyelids open, aware of a very strange sensation. She could barely breathe, and there was something covering her mouth. It was rather annoyed.
She glanced upwards into a pair of rather concerned-looking eyes.
Inuyasha propped her up and helped her vomit out the water. "You're ok," he assured her, though it probably wasn't the most intelligent thing to say to the girl who'd almost died from being strangled and drowned.
Coughing, Kagome managed to scramble to her feet. "That man," she gasped. "Where is he?"
"What man?" Inuyasha asked, standing up and gently placing his arm around her shoulders.
Kagome's hands massaged her throat. "Red eyes," she sputtered, stumbling towards the door. "Red eyes..."
"Calm down," he chided. "Stop trying to talk. Where's that loser boyfriend of yours, anyways? Why wasn't he there to help you?"
"I don't know," she mumbled incoherently. "I thought it was him, but..." Her hands flew back up to her neck. "I don't remember..."
"It's ok. Do you want to go back home...to your home?"
"I need Kouga," Kagome whimpered, and Inuyasha glanced away.
"Fine," he answered curtly. "Go lie down on the couch. I'll find him."
He helped the girl to the living room where she curled up on an armchair and started up the stairs. "Oy, Kouga, you ass, where are you?" he yelped, banging into the guest room.
It was empty. Exasperated, he barged into Kagome/Sango's room and froze.
Something on her dresser caught his eye. He lifted up the first picture and frowned, confused. "Mimi...?"
And then he lifted the next picture, and realized why Kagome looked so familiar.
His finger traced over the intertwined hands of his six-year-old form and Mimi. Again, he felt the tearing at his heart when he pictured that memory, the vision he'd tried to block out for twelve years.
The cherry trees were in bloom, their pristine blossoms carpeting the ground. Mimi smiled up at him, her eager azure eyes sparkling happily.
"Inuyasha?" the young girl asked innocently.
"Yes?" the boy replied, smiling at her.
"We're going to be together forever, right?" the young girl asked hopefully.
His grip on her hand tightened. "Of course, Mimi."
Her smile was pure gold. "Inuyasha...someday, do you want to get married?"
His answer came in the form of a tight hug, burying his nose in her long, silky hair.
Inuyasha jerked out of his reverie when a sharp pain pierced his palm. He stared at his hand, which had crushed the frame until the glass cut into his skin, crushed it until the original picture could no longer be seen. And then his gaze darted down, to where the next picture lay innocently.
He could still remember the events leading up to that picture, remember why he, as a six-year-old, had hidden behind the trees and watched Kagome's meetings with Kouga. It still hurt, a scar that refused to heal, that continued to reopen.
Three years had passed. A nine-year-old Inuyasha laughed with Kouga as the two friends walked towards the school. He paused, however, seeing his girlfriend sweep by.
"Mimi! Where were you yesterday? I was so worried that..." His voice trailed off when she continued to walk away from him. "Mimi?" He did not notice Kouga's triumphant smirk behind him.
She turned slowly, her raven hair swirling around her, shielding her face.
"Mimi...what's wrong...?" Inuyasha asked, fearing the worst.
Finally, she looked at him, her eyes dark and emotionless. "Inuyasha...I suppose this will have to come out sooner or later."
He felt the icy claws gripping at his heart.
Mimi clutched her books tightly to her, glancing at Kouga, who was watching the scene with no small amusement. "You're not good enough for me, Inuyasha. I'm choosing Kouga."
"No..." he whispered, slowly backing away from her. "You...you can't..."
"I'm sorry," she said coolly, turning away again.
And he stood there, his clenched hand slowly crushing the rose he'd meant to give her, watching his world walk away, hand in hand with his supposed best friend.
Sango pushed open the door of her room and deposited Miroku's sheath of flowers onto her dresser. Well, one of her dressers, anyways. The flowers were really incredibly lovely.
She peered closer at the blossoms, seeing a card accompanying the vase. Pulling it out, she slit open the envelope and scanned the contents.
Miroku, darling, I heard that you'd been attacked by some vicious slut who managed to sneak into your home. I know we didn't part on the best of terms last time we met, but do believe me when I say that you are my only, my life, my love. From your ever-adoring Leiko.
"What the hell," she muttered. "Unless his cousin is strange and twisted, the jerk just lied to me!"
She paused, calmly mutilating the flowers by sticking them through a paper shredder Kagome probably used for fan mail. "I think...I'll go visit Kagome," she decided firmly, beginning to toss clothes into a valise. "And just for fun, let's not tell Miroku that I'm going."
Perhaps, of course, she would have reconsidered this decision if she'd seen the blood-red eyes examining her from her huge windows.
Lifting her suitcase, Sango pulled on an outfit of her own so that she looked like a mere passerby. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, she pushed open the door and stormed out.
She put on a pair of dark sunglasses to further conceal herself and sauntered casually down the corridor towards the front door.
"Excuse me, miss. What are you doing here?"
"Hmm?" Sango blinked up at one of the guards. Instinctively lowering her voice, she explained, "I...well, I'm Higurashi's biggest fan, and I just had to get her signature..."
"How did you get in without authorized access to the alarm systems?"
"Um...I have my ways," she squeaked, darting out the doors before he got any more suspicious.
Panting, she hailed one of the taxis. "Fifteen Wasai Lane, please," she instructed him.
"Certainly," her driver replied courteously, pulling away from the curb.
Inuyasha stormed down the staircase. "Kagome?" he demanded.
The girl twisted on the couch and peered at him blearily. "Inuyasha...where's Kouga? I need Kouga," she moaned.
"Damn Kouga. Who gives a shit about him?"
Forcing herself into a sitting position, Kagome stared reproachfully at the seething hanyou. "You could show more sympathy to someone who's almost been drowned."
"You don't really seem to be that upset."
She shrugged. "I've had murder attempts on me before." She stood, shaking back her damp hair, and tried to act confident, although she was still shivering everywhere. "Where's Kouga?"
"This does NOT concern Kouga right now!" Inuyasha roared.
She stared at him. "Will you please explain what's going on?"
He tossed a crumpled piece of glossed paper to her feet.
Even before she picked it up, she realized what it was.
"How could you not tell me?" he asked, his voice so soft that she had to strain to hear it. "I'm living next door to you, making sure everything's ok in here..."
"I'm sorry, I really am," she apologized quietly.
He ignored her. "For kami-sama's sake, I'm fucking dreaming about you every night, and all this time you were right here!"
"Inuyasha, stop!" she interrupted.
He paused, stared at her.
"Do you really think I wanted to leave you?" the girl demanded viciously. "If you need a scapegoat, blame my mother. She was the one who decided my entire future."
She refused to look at him, staring at the ground.
"Look, to her I'm just a puppet, something to be controlled unconditionally. Remember, at that time, I'd already participated in my first television show. She decided that I needed more publicity, and decided to focus on getting me a decent 'partner', as she put it."
Inuyasha opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"I really cared about Mother back then. She checked all the stars of the other TV shows, looking for someone eligible, approximately my age."
"But..."
"No, Inuyasha, stop. I need to get this out." Kagome took a deep breath. "I realize now that we shared a mutual hatred. I suppose I can laugh at my naiveté for really believing that she cared about her family. She was just a conniving bitch, and my father found that out early enough for him to escape."
She paused, nervously smoothing out the picture in her hands.
"And then she began hearing a rumor of a nine-year-old track star who was easily defeating some of the most renowned runners in Japan. So, naturally, she did a bit more research. And, as luck would have it, Kouga went to our school."
Another deep breath, another step closer to tears. Her words poured out now, a steady stream of everything she'd been bottling up.
"Kouga never guessed, of course. He assumed that I really did like him. And in a way, I do; I really am fond of him, but...I love you, Inuyasha."
He sat down heavily on the couch. "And...what happened after that?"
Kagome shrugged. "I moved away, as you well know. I persuaded my mother that I didn't want to stay where you were, and she reluctantly agreed. Luckily for her, Kouga was infatuated with me, and followed me to the new school."
"So he really does care about you."
"I suppose." She considered that. "Afterwards, when I finally decided to take matters into my own hands, I changed my last name, cast my mother away, and began doing things by myself. Kouga encouraged me, of course, and because I'd been with him for so long and you were basically a faint memory in my mind, I decided that there was no point in searching for someone who probably had forgotten about me; I'd just stay with Kouga."
"I didn't forget," he breathed, moving closer to her.
She smiled sadly. "And then I saw you. You don't know how I felt when I looked into your golden eyes again. But you hated me so much...so I built up the walls around my heart and pretended you were a stranger..."
She closed her eyes, her face pale and ethereal.
Somewhere in the distance, a lark trilled once, softly.
Inuyasha looked down at her upturned face. She was so close...the epitome of all his misery and joy, all his dreams and nightmares...
Unfortunately for him, at that moment a violent tremor came from the closet, and Kagome leapt up from the couch, racing over and yanking open the door.
Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk at the sight of Kouga, bound and gagged at the bottom of the closet. "Well, look what we have here, little boy." He patted Kouga condescendingly on the head.
"Oh, do stop," Kagome muttered, carefully untying the knots. She didn't miss the way the track star was glaring at her, and decided it would be prudent to remove the gag last.
As soon as Kouga was free, he sprang to his feet, anger and pain in his eyes, though his voice was quite calm. "How dare you take advantage of me like that?"
"Kouga, think rationally. I really am fond of you."
"Fond?" the enraged youth yelled. He pulled something from his pocket and threw it at her, hitting her raised arm.
She picked it up, her hands trembling as she opened it and saw her reflection in the million sparkling facets of the diamond ring enclosed within the box.
Staring at it, she suddenly cast it from her and ran out of the room.
"I hope you're pleased," Inuyasha snarled at Kouga.
Kouga smirked at him, trying to conceal his mental anguish. If he couldn't have Kagome, neither could Inuyasha. "You know this is all just a stunt for publicity, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
The track star rolled his eyes. "Well, just imagine the newspaper headlines. 'Kagome Higurashi breaks up with secret boyfriend Kouga Atari! Atari plans on marrying the young teen sensation, no matter what it takes!' Do you know how fast her reviews would shoot up? And then, of course, after she gets back with me, she'll gain even more popularity."
"You're lying. She said she loved me."
"Believe me," Kouga sneered, "she's told me that many times. I hope you didn't fall for her trick."
He turned to leave, but Inuyasha smashed a fist into his side. "Kagome wouldn't do that! She...she really cares about me..."
"It's been over nine years, you fool," Kouga managed to force out, clutching his side. "You seriously think she cares? Deluded idiot. All she cares about is her money. I should know, I've been her boyfriend for almost ten years now."
"Kagome wouldn't..."
"People change, Inuyasha. Obviously, you've grown stupider."
Inuyasha's next swing connected with Kouga's face.
Or, at any rate, it was supposed to.
With stunning agility, Kouga bounded easily away. "Farewell, Inuyasha!" he called mockingly. "I'll remember you when Kagome comes crawling back to me!"
Inuyasha stared after him, his fist still clenched tightly, the seeds of doubt planted in his mind.
Kouga scooped up the ring from the floor and darted out the door, just managing to avoid a collision with a startled Sango.
Sango peered in at the reemerging Kagome, who was crying silently, and at the seething Inuyasha. "Um...hi, guys. Was this a bad time for me to come?"