Chapter Three
Written by: Nymphette
Disclaimer: ::Clings to Inuyasha doll:: NOOOOO!! It can't be true! ::Grumbles:: Fine… All the characters are not, and never will be mine… ::Sulks in a corner:: Geez… Take away a girl's dream, why don't you?
Author's Note: ::Dodges tomatoes and other unpleasant things:: Sooooo sooooo sorry for not updating in so long, guys. I'm not really the best at writing the bulk of a story. I can write beginnings and endings really good, but the middle is the hard part. I'll try not to take, like, a month and a half to get my chapters out, but it'll take at least two weeks 'cuz the inspiration is a little hard to come by. Please, please be patient with me.
On another note, for whomever reads my story, I am requesting for you all to please review it. Reviewing my story and telling me what you think of it will only help me in the long-run to make this story the best it could possibly be. I'm all about getting more than one opinion, to the great displeasure of my mom (--') and it would help me a lot.
"Higurashi… OH MY GOD!"
Inuyasha's face turned beet red as all the party guests in the room turned to stare at him and his outburst. But as soon as they realized that there wasn't a show to be had, they each turned back to what they were doing, leaving the two brothers to their conversation in private. When they were to themselves again, Inuyasha's face went back to showing surprise.
"I can't believe… That's HER?! Are you serious?" he asked, extremely bewildered. He couldn't believe it. The tiny, scrawny little girl with the biggest brown eyes he'd ever seen had definitely grown up. With her curvaceous figure and eyes made much more mature through time, she'd grown up so much that he hardly recognized her. He just could not believe this.
Sesshoumaru interrupted Inuyasha's swirling thoughts. "Quite," he said. "Though, I must say, I was surprised myself when I first met her. The Kagome of the present certainly does not resemble the Kagome of the past."
"Wait a minute, Sesshoumaru. How do you know Kagome?" he asked, bewildered. Inuyasha was extremely curious as to how his older brother had so easily found Kagome again, when it took him forever to do the same. He gave up years ago, not expecting to ever find her. This discovery was extremely unexpected.
Sesshoumaru just stared at his younger half-brother, showing no emotion, as usual. "Kagome teaches at the same school as I," he said. "For the past two years, as a matter of fact."
Inuyasha just looked back at his brother, disbelievingly. "And you didn't think to tell me this… why?" he asked. Sesshoumaru just shrugged, and at this gesture, Inuyasha shook his head. "Damnit, Sesshoumaru, she was my best friend! Don't you think that it would've probably been important to tell me that you found her?!"
Again, Sesshoumaru simply shrugged. "No."
Inuyasha boiled with anger inside. "Now wait just a--!" But just before the young man could finish his statement, an interruption found its way into his and Sesshoumaru's conversation.
"Sesshoumaru!"
Unfortunately for Inuyasha, however, Sesshoumaru rose to the bait and answered the summons. Bowing slightly, the older brother said, "If you'll excuse me, Inuyasha. We'll talk again later," and left.
Glowering at having been 'dismissed', Inuyasha grumbled and went his own way to find Kagome. "We had better, Sesshoumaru."
"So Rin, how's Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked her friend. She and Rin were walking around the various partygoers and talking amiably.
Rin giggled. "Stoic as ever, but I love him all the same," she happily replied. Though some people could never understand the concept of love, it was obvious that she and her fiancé had mastered it. Through all the trials and tribulations about the difference of age that the two found with being with each other, they made it through it all, and were all the better for it. "And how are you and Kouga? Still going strong?"
"Umm…" Kagome blanched visibly. Unfortunately, unlike Rin and Sesshoumaru's relationship, Kagome and Sesshoumaru's cousin Kouga's relationship wasn't going so well. With years of abuse and the older lawyer's dominating attitude towards women -- and her -- in general, Kagome was extremely reluctant to go into anything permanent with him, and wanted to break anything off between them many, many times before.
However, instead of providing a full answer, she opted for, "Just great, thanks," with a smile. She inwardly hoped that Rin would fall for the little ruse.
"Wonderful! I'm happy for you, Kagome," Rin exclaimed. But just as Kagome was about to thank her lucky stars that Rin was as unsuspecting as she was, the object of their conversation decided to make himself known.
"Kagome!"
The young teacher cringed as Kouga Okami's husky voice filled her ears. She figured it was inevitable that she would see Kouga at this party. However, she was also hoping that she wouldn't have to see him, or even better, have him see her. But since she couldn't make an attempt to run away without Kouga seeing her, she instead turned around and gave the suave lawyer her best smile.
Rin smiled and left the two alone together, claiming to want to find her fiancé, to Kagome's utter dismay.
"K-Kouga! What are you doing here?" she asked sweetly as Kouga wrapped her in his arms for a tight hug.
Kouga let go of Kagome slowly and looked at her. He couldn't believe his luck that such a lovely and caring woman such as Kagome would be his for the taking, and if she responded to the question he asked earlier in the week, she really would be his. But that would only be when she said 'yes.' However, he had to get it out of her first, and this party seemed to be the perfect place. He shrugged indifferently when she waited for an answer. "It shouldn't be such a surprise. This party is really mostly family, and being Sesshoumaru's cousin, I was, of course, invited," he said.
Kagome sighed in relief. She was afraid he was going to ask her the question, and when he pulled her in for an embrace, she was even more so afraid. When he said something completely different, she was immediately relieved, and her body visibly relaxed. However, she was not prepared for the next question to arise.
"But, Kagome, can we talk? I wasn't expecting to see you here, but I need to ask you something rather urgent," the young lawyer explained. Kagome almost face-faulted at the request, her earlier anxieties rising again. But she couldn't just refuse Kouga; she did, after all, lead him to believe that she wanted more in their relationship. However, she didn't want to lead him even more into nothingness, and so raised her hand to decline.
Kagome took in a breath, preparing herself to speak. "Kouga, no. I'm sorry, but I can't let you ask the question that I know you're going to ask. No, I do not want to marry you. I've been leading you on, and I'm sorry for that. I meant to break it off with you long ago, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I just… I'm sorry Kouga, but I just can't." She didn't look up at him -- she was too ashamed to even try -- but she did let out the deep breath she was holding, and stood steadily in her place.
Kouga looked at her in silent disbelief. He couldn't believe this! His love, his Kagome, was rejecting him? Why was bad luck doomed to follow him around for the rest of his life? He desperately tried to salvage some sort of hope of being with Kagome and smiled. "Kagome… you're joking, right? Come on, let's go tell everyone the good news…" He latched his hand onto Kagome's arm in an attempt to pull her into the center of the crowd, but Kagome just stood adamantly in place, not wanting to go further into hurt with this man.
Kagome refused the command and instead pulled her arm away from his and said in a whisper, "I'm sorry, Kouga… I can't." Her bangs shielded her eyes and she began to back away, but just as she was going to run, another voice interrupted her senses, and she found herself looking up to find it.
"Kagome…!"
Inuyasha arrived just in time to see his 'beloved' cousin, Kouga, and his best friend from long ago in what looked to him to be a lover's quarrel. Although, knowing his cousin's womanizing ways, he instantly knew Kagome to be innocent of the whole thing, and rushed to help her.
"Kouga," Inuyasha spat. "What are you doing here?" With a quick look down at Kagome's arm, he knew his older cousin was up to his old tricks again. "I wasn't expecting you to be here."
Kouga stared straight at Inuyasha and shrugged. "I was invited," he said. "Also, I am family, so why wouldn't I be here?" The older man was getting extremely aggravated at the fact that Inuyasha was, again, getting in the way of his relationships. Creating a vice-like grip on Kagome's arm like some sort of reassurance that she was still with him, he made to leave with the younger woman. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Kagome and I have an announcement to make," he bragged, tugging Kagome along as he pushed Inuyasha out of the way.
However, Kagome would have none of it, and even more so kept her place. "No way, Kouga. We're not going anywhere," she said. But when Kouga's grip turned painful, and she found herself moving, the younger woman began to panic, and begged the older man to stop. "Kouga, stop… Please…" However, Kagome's pleas had fallen on deaf ears, as Kouga had not ceased to stop. The teacher then turned to her old friend for help. "Inuyasha…" she cried softly.
By his young friend's scared tone of voice, Inuyasha knew that Kouga had definitely gone too far. Putting himself in the path of his cousin, Inuyasha pried Kouga's hand off of Kagome's arm, as if he himself were the Jaws of Life. "That's enough, Kouga. I think you should let go now," he said.
Kouga, in turn, glared at Inuyasha. "Why should I, dog-turd?
Inuyasha's eyes narrowed, and his grip on Kouga's arm tightened. "Because you're hurting her, stupid." He heard her whimper again from the immense pain caused by his older cousin's firm grip, and protectiveness of his best friend overcame him. He wanted nothing more than to punch the lights out of the overconfident man. His voice dropped an octave lower and he said, "Let go of her, Kouga."
Kagome huffed in exasperated anger, pain, and slight fear at the sight of the two relatives arguing with each other. At first, she was afraid because of Kouga -- she'd had enough trouble fending him off during the couple of years that they dated, and they way he was gripping her was causing some of her fear of abuse come back -- but then Inuyasha came, and while that was a sort of relief for her, that opinion totally changed when she saw him and his cousin start butting heads. She then decided that she had to take matters into her own hands.
Kagome was pissed. She was definitely pissed.
Sesshoumaru, along with his fiancée, Rin, looked on in amusement at the threesome having the heated argument. After Rin's hurried announcement about Kagome, Kouga, and Inuyasha, the teacher just had to see for himself what the quarrel was all about.
What he saw didn't surprise him.
From what Sesshoumaru had learned about Kagome from the years that she and he taught together, he gathered that she was a very strong woman; not one to back away from a fight, one who would stand up for herself and not let anyone do it for her. And this, like always, only assured him further that she could take care of herself. And if she couldn't do it, then his half-brother, Inuyasha could do it for her. Of that he was certain.
Rin, on the other hand, looked on at the argument with fear and slight surprise. She, as well, knew Kagome not to be one to be pushed around so easily, but she also knew Kouga, and the suave lawyer could be very… persuasive when he wanted to be as could be seen when he was trying to draw her into the crowd. When Inuyasha appeared to them, relief bubbled up inside her and she wondered what would happen with her soon-to-be brother-in-law thrown into the picture.
However, she wanted to help, and started to move, when her fiancée's hand lightly took hold of her arm. "Not yet, Rin," he muttered, almost silently, "Soon." Not wanting to go against Sesshoumaru's wishes, Rin just stood by and watched, waiting for his approval.
It came when Sesshoumaru started moving.
Kagome had just about enough of the two older men and was getting really aggravated at their male hormones. "Goddamnit," she said. "Would you two just shut up?" Emboldened by their stunned silence, she moved to further her argument, but when she started to, another hand had yet again captured her arm, but it wasn't who she thought it would be. "Sesshoumaru…" she breathed in surprise.
"That will be enough, Kagome."