We Can't Be Friends
Chapter Twenty-Four: Unknown Confessions
(A/N: Queue music. Okay, the theme song of this chapter is, of course, Usher's Confession Part I. I saw him on Oprea, checked him out, and he's pretty darn good. So, while reading, let that run through your mind. This should make all of you happy!)
Kagome stared in shock at the women before her. Plump and tall in stature, there was no doubt to where Kagome got her looks from. Her dusty brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun, having grown out after years of being worn short. She had a youthful sparkle to her, probably due to the fact she had a new man in her life, one that Kagome had made a valiant effort to avoid.
Souta, had taken to him however. The boy thought it as nice to have a father again, took to the Ray fellow well. She had missed the runt, preferring he call her. They talked, but as a raging teenager, he usually wanted to 'borrow' her apartment for a party, or most recently, a few dollars for lunch money. Lunch, yeah right, Kagome had been a teenager once upon a time.
The difference between those years and the ones that followed, was the very woman before her. She changed after the incident, becoming insistent, manipulative to get a grain of information about her daughter's life. Kagome chose to think of her dead, damn hard when she popped up everywhere. And after more than two weeks on the cruise, she decided to show up now. NOW, when she didn't need her advice. Typical.
"What in the seven hells are you doing here!" she screeched blocking the doorway. Her mother wore a cute sky blue sundress that accentuated her flowing frame and graceful hips. A faint smile was stretched across her face and on her arm a large tote bag hung, seeming to weigh her down.
"I came to check up on you-"
"Why? What are you doing on this cruise?!" Kagome took one look at the curious onlookers and grabbed her mother, yanking her into the well lit room. She led her to a chair in the furthest corner, taking a seat on the edge of her and Sessie's bed. She started at the women with incredibility, mouth opening and closing but vacant of words. She had the strangest urge to hug her when she saw her out there, exclaim how much she'd missed her so.
But those words were inappropriate, considering it was the eve of the incident.
"Kagome, I believe we are overdue for a talk, a woman to woman conversation. I understand now, that as a mother to her daughter, I can never get through to you. But I want to try. I want you to try and see."
For once, she didn't feel like fighting. With a sigh, she stared giving her silent permission to begin, hoping to Kami that they didn't end up fighting and more hurtful words were slung around.
"I will never forget........
"Kagome has informed me she plans on moving into your room," Sesshomaru stated, sipping quietly at his coffee. Inuyasha slumped further into his chair, feeling suspiciously like he was on trial.
"Yeah, she left a note on my bed earlier. I don't see a problem with it, you can accommodate Kikyo can't ya?" he asked sarcastically. He paid his brother no mind when his twin violet eyes narrowed dangerously, signaling he was on skating on thin ice. With a snort, Inuyasha helped himself to an apple, biting into it heartily, slurping loudly and smacking his lips with over exaggerated, wet sounds.
As expected, Sesshomaru was past disgusted. His entire face showed his disdain, most importantly the clenched fist. Nothing like a good fight to settle the hurts.
"Look whelp, your relationship with Kagome is unacceptable," he snarled snatching the apple from his fingers and tossing it overboard. Inuyasha didn't miss a beat, grabbing another and continuing his ravenous onslaught.
"And I guess sleeping with Kikyo was perfectly fine, right?" his laugh was muffled behind the flying pieces of apple and spit. Sesshomaru closed his eyes, containing the desire to fling the disrespectful bastard over the edge along with the apple. There had to be some sea creature desperate enough to take a bite out of him.
"Kikyo was a mistake."
"Kagome wasn't."
They spent a moment in silence, glaring with all their hate and frustration. Sesshomaru took that opportunity to take a good look at his younger sibling. Out of the three Tashio's, Inuyasha was the worst in manners, management, decision making, and out and out living. He would squander all of his life savings in two hours, and more than likely on a wench that gave it up when told. Unfortunately, despite his obviously flaws, he had moments when he could be charming. Woman fell all over themselves when he passed. No shock, he was a product of their father's loins after all. That irresistible sex appeal came with the family name.
But there was something else there, something that thoroughly freaked out the usually stoic artisan. He had that uncanny way of being a damn magnet for unbidden feelings. Affectionate feelings. There was no doubt he irritated his elder brother. Pissed him off and disgraced the family name at least twice a day. But he....he....he liked him. After all the years they spent bickering, fighting, and trying there damndest to kill the other, Sessie had gotten fed up. It became useless. Worthless. Even annoying.
Why it didn't bug him as much as it usually should, he really didn't know. But he didn't care about losing Kagome. She was a sweet child, beautiful and witty. But when he saw her with Inuyasha, it was like he knew. They were meant to be, and he'd just been lucky. Their connection, luck or fate, was unknown. He didn't regret the times they'd spent together, and would remember it forever.
There was nothing left to fight about. He'd give Kagome over.
"I never thought I'd say these words, runt, but I understand," he rose to leave. He had spoken his peace, and would spend the remainder of the trip satisfying all his male needs, with any available woman he could find.
"Whoa! What're ya talking bout? That's it? No yellin? What the fucks wrong with you?" Inuyasha yelled. Some of the mommies and daddies gave him evil glances, covering their children's ears and turning them from the rude man.
"There's nothing that needs to be argued over, dearest brother," with a decisive, cute little snort, Sesshomaru turned away, his long flowing hair trailing behind him. Inuyasha was incredulous. There had been no traded blows. No angry words that they would regret later on. It had been a disturbingly peaceful little breakfast. Peaceful being the word that was most foreign when associated with the two.
Kagome hated the words that words pouring into her ears. They made too much damn sense now that she really stopped to listen. Her mother had been right, it was different woman to woman. From the outside looking in, a mother had been desperate. She'd done what she was able, and at the time, what she'd done had been logical.
"Kagome, I love you dearly, I do. I hope you can forgive me-"
"I forgave you long ago mom. It's the forgetting part that I have to work on," she sighed good naturedly, happy that some of the past had been buried.
"So how is he?" Ms. Higurashi whispered. Kagome's head snapped up, eyes narrowing defensively.
"Who are you talking about?" she questioned on edge.
"Inuyasha, of course," her mother responded, a little shocked at her turn in behavior.
"How did you find out about him?"
"I haven't been in my room the entire time, you know. When I found out you were here too, I decided to visit"
"You didn't answer me, how do you know about Inuyasha?"
"Did you expect me to not figure it out?" her face was reddening in barely constrained rage.
"No! You weren't supposed to."
Inuyasha stopped in front of the door, a bouquet of yellow roses in hand. He had gone through a lot of trouble fighting with the cruises' hostess, Penelope Weston, to part with one of her collected rings for a generous sum. The 4.5 caret, platinum emerald engagement ring fit Kagome's personality and flare perfectly. Nicknamed the Dragon, if tilted in the right light, it seemed a dragon's head blew flames into the sky. It would've been priceless if he hadn't been informed of the 2.4 million law suit against Penelope.
Now, as he stood before his best friend and lover's door, excitement flooded his being. He remembered the first time he'd proposed she'd started sobbing. She tried speaking through her tears, but the only thing he managed to make out was, "Did you have to ask?"
Now he anticipated a greater reaction, and more tears. He didn't take any pleasure in the usual waterworks, but if out of joy, he made an exception.
He reached to knock when loud arguing reached his ears. Someone was not happy.
"Please, don't bring that up-"
"No, my baby is dead, our baby is dead mother! Can you even dream up the life I could've had, had you not interfered?"
"What are you talking about? Back then he was a regular hooligan, did you honestly think he'd take care of the baby?"
"Yes I did! Call it love!"
"Love? You would've been a child raising a child! I didn't want to see you on the same path I traveled!"
"That's my decision, one that is gone now! I tried, I honestly tried, for once in all my years I knew everything was all right!"
"Kagome, I gave you nothing if not a stable environment-"
"But you refused me a father! I read the letters, mom, I know he wanted to come back into our lives but you wouldn't let him. You were so caught up in your own tragedy, that you failed to realize the impact it might've had on me and Souta. Is that what you saw? Did you see that I was happy and got jealous? Was that it?"
"Jealous of a stupid mistake? Of a kid you couldn't take care of?"
"I could've. Inuyasha was too happy when asked."
"Asked what, how he would've dealt with a child?"
"No, when I asked him to love me regardless of my faults!"
A moment of silence.
The roses had fallen from the young man's hand. The engagement ring felt ridiculously heavy in his pocket.
Kagome had been pregnant?
With his child none the less?
"I know that, I know I can't get my baby back. It was a dumb decision, I understand that. Don't spend my entire adult life pointing that out to me!"
"You had a choice and you chose wrong!"
"Look who's talking!"
What had happened to his child? Did she get an abortion? Did she give it up for adoption? No, that was impossible. He would've seen her stomach grow round.
The only other choice was abortion. The legalized murder of thousands of helpless babies. He hated abortion. He hated abortors.
"I don't want to finish this conversation! Like you said, what's done is done. But I have Inuyasha back. I can start over, my past erased. Leave me alone, mother. I'll deal with my demons alone."
Muffled comments, more angry words passed. But Inuyasha had heard enough. Apparently, the girl he loved so much wasn't exactly all he thought her to be.
He threw down the roses, disgusted, he walked away. Delilyah turned the corner, her latest catch slobbering all over her. He made no friendly gestures, no sign of recognition. How could you with his heart breaking all over again.
Pain, more endless pain.
"Inuyasha!" his sister called to him. He didn't stop, ramming people out of his way, running over those that didn't move far or faster enough. She caught up, struggling to match his long strides.
"What's wrong?" her eyes sparkled with her worry.
"Kagome" his voice was raspy; low "She killed our child!" he broke off at a jog, eyes tearing. He hated to cry, he hated it.
"Inuyasha!" she stopped as he barreled down the walkway, leaving the faint scent of salt tears. Anger welled up in her belly. She'd warned the girl to stay away! She'd told her! Again, he was hurt. That strange, empty look echoing in his usually expressful eyes. She hadn't seen it in years, and now it was back, a returning tourist.
She wanted to cry with him, wanted to hold him as he fought against her chest. She wanted to kiss away his pain, like only a sister can do. She wanted to be there in his time of need. But like before, only one could fill that void, and she was the very thing that caused it.
When Kagome finally chased her mother from her room, she was appalled to find the roses, crushed, by her door. She knew Inuyasha had been there, she just knew it in her heart. Like a soul mate calling to the other, she felt his pain, knew he'd heard something. He was livid. He was wounded.
She dashed back into her room, pulling the rollers from her hair and pulling on the first thing that reached her greedy fingers. Depending on what Inuyasha overheard, he would feel anger or shock. She hoped to Kami it was shock. Anger, she couldn't deal with. He said some pretty cruel things during those moments of intense loathing. Very cruel things. And her damaged soul couldn't take much more abuse.
She didn't want those words turned on her. She didn't want his hatred neither. Only his love. All she ever wanted was his love, and to be able to give him his heart's desire. He wanted children, she wanted to explain. She planned to do it that very day. She laid on her bed contemplating the pros and cons of doing so, until sleep had claimed her restless mind.
Quickly grabbing her jacket, she raced into the crowds of red faced couples and nappy headed kids. She looked disheveled, and underdressed in the skimpy nightgown, the ruby slippers adorning each foot. But today wasn't a fashion show, it was all about retrieving something that could be lost forever.
"Not again...no...not again" she whispered.
(Flashback)
The sky would've been envious of the tears she cried. Today should've been the happiest day of her life. She was supposed to walk down the aisle and formally declare her love and life to one man until death. You wouldn't have known, not with the moving men swiftly boxing up her belongings and carrying them into a large, red truck.
She left behind everything Inuyasha had ever given her. She left behind anything that would remind her of him.
That meant the teddy bears and the collection of classic love stories. It meant all of the perfume in the bathroom, and the evening dresses hanging in their closet.
Everything was to be deserted. A new life, a new beginning.
But the walls and walls of pictures weren't helping. Their first date, caught on camera by Sango herself. Then you had a picture for ever monthly anniversary. There were countless, including the one on the very end. The day he proposed, down on one knee before her entire high school.
Such fond memories soon to be overlooked.
She wished, she hoped, but secretly she knew there was no forgetting. Inuyasha had left foot prints on her heart. A song in her step. A fire in her eyes.
Something like that refused to be discarded. And somehow, she agreed.
(End Flashback)
(End Chapter)
It's a bit longer thank goodness! See, I tried!
I know that's not how you guys wanted him to find out, but all ends well. Two more chapters. Counting down. Down......down......down......down......down.
I sure am gonna miss yall, unless you'll accompany me on a trip into another humor story, Stupid Cupid. Yes, you heard me right. Let's mix a bit of Greek Mythology into this mix.
It's the first of the ten.
Anybody looking for Dog Days, I'll re-post it as the 3/10 story. I got a bit more inspiration, but I can't promise it'll stay......:::sigh:::
So that's my agenda.
Thank you guys! You're soooo wonderful and I appreciate all the support I've been given!
More Krispy Creame!