Mixed Emotions [Thirteen]

Author's notes: Here we go. Chapter 13...heh. I never knew it'd reach this point. Thanks for all the reviews ;; I love reading them! Sorry that chapter 12 was confusing at first [the line things that I put didn't show] but I changed it already. Oh, and sorry that I ended that chapter so quickly...and don't worry, you guys'll know who Inuyasha's gonna end up with in the end. [hint: who else?] But let's not spoil the fun. Anyways, In this chapter, trouble brews as the Engagement day arrives, as well as the Christmas day. Miroku, Kouga, Sango, and Ayame try to prevent Kagome from finding out about the day...

[Heh. I decided to make bad things happen 'cause of the chapter number. I think 13 is a bad luck number =)]

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...okay?

Mixed Emotions [Thirteen] - The promise he kept

Inuyasha and Kikyo - ..................

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"Have you forgotten?"

"Oh, of course not..." Naraku replied, keeping his face as blank as possible, but inside, he was tense. "But are you sure you want to do this? I mean, have you forgotten what your parents said?"

"No, I didn't."

"Well, then what?"

"Let's continue this conversation in the limousine, shall we?" she said. 'Well, Inuyasha...I'm coming for you, just like you and I promised 2 years ago before you left...I hope you don't change your mind in the last minute.' Kikyo closed her eyes and sighed. 'But I have this uneasy feeling that something's going to go wrong.'

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It was 11:30AM, Christmas Morning.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Kagome hollered as she shot up out of her bed. Buuyo rolled to the side; he had been sleeping on Kagome's bed. The 15 year-old girl looked outside. Snow. Everywhere there was snow. Who wouldn't want a special white christmas? Then ran to the bathroom to take a bath and change her clothes: Christmas themed, of course. Taking a hot shower, she thought of what her friends are doing right now. Miroku and Sango are on a date somewhere. Kouga and Ayame could be partying in their dorm, or out on a date as well. Hojo...he might stop by and give her another present like last year. Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka are most likely slept over at one of them's house, and are now having breakfast. Inuyasha...he could be ripping the wrappers of his presents, seeing that sometimes he is very impatient. Kagome laughed at that thought, then turned the shower off. She grabbed at towel and dried herself up, then she put on a red shirt, beige capris, and a santa hat. Picking up Buuyo from her room, she headed downstairs, just in time to see Souta open his presents beside their mom. Grandpa was eating breakfast at the dining table.

"Merry Christmas, Mom, Souta," she greeted, then turned to the dining room. "And to you too, Gramps!"

"Well, good morning, dear," Mrs. Higurashi said with a warm smile. "You can open your presents now."

"Yay!" Kagome dove for the neatly wrapped gifts, and began to carefully open them [unlike Inuyasha would]. This year, she got a weird fang from Gandpa, a pretty blue sweater from her mom...and...candies from Souta. Just as she was putting on the sweater, the doorbell rang a few times. Kagome ran to open the door, but hesitated, because it might be Hojo. But as a familiar male voice yelled out, "Hey Kagome! It's us!" she proceeded in opening it.

"Hey there," Miroku, wearing a black jacket and jeans plus boots, winked. "What's up?"

"Merry Christmas, Kag," Sango, with Ivory yellow jacket, blue jeans and boots, greeted.

"Happy Christmas," said Ayame, who covered herself with a deep red winter jacket, blue jeans and boots.

"Enjoying yer holiday?" Kouga asked, wearing .

"Merry Christmas, you guys," Kagome replied with a group hug. "So...where are you guys headed?"

"Train station to meet someone," the monk responded. "We thought you'd like to come along." Kagome sprinted to her mother and asked for permission. Her mother nodded, meaning yes. And so, the 15 year-old girl took her capris off and pulled on a pair of blue jeans, winter jacket and boots then headed off. Her santa hat was still on her head.

"You have a lot of Christmas spirit, I see," Sango commented, smiling at her bestfriend while Ayame tapped the hat. "Well, shall we get going?"

"We're meeting a friend of mine. He's from from an orphanage, and he usually visits us once a year. Someone drops him off at the train station and we're suppose to pick him up. I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you, Kagome," Miroku explained. "His name's Shippo. He's very observant, but a coward sometimes." Kagome nodded as they walked through white, fresh snow. It took them a little while to get to the train station by walking, but at least they get to talk about random things. Since it was a holiday, Miroku, Sango, Kouga, and Ayame thought that it was best if they just put the "Kikyo-and-Inuyasha-getting-engaged-today" business to rest. There was nothing they could do anyway. As long as Kagome doesn't know, Inuyasha is safe from trouble. As for Kagome, they thought, she shouldn't find out about any of this. But it would be making Inuyasha's life a little more complicated once he's engaged. It would be too hard for her to take in.

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"This is it. Today's the day," Inuyasha muttered to himself with a firm voice. He's lounging around his room, looking for the ideal clothes to wear. Today was the day that Kikyo's going to come and they would be engaged. A diamond ring shone inside a velvet box on Inuyasha's desk, waiting to be worn by the woman whom it was made for: Kikyo. She was the one who saved Inuyasha from all those tormenting sixth graders four years ago. In return, he promised to marry her; that way, they wouldn't be separtated, and he would always be safe. It was because of her that he was still living to this day. And that's when they first fell in love. "And that's why I have to keep my promise..." the hanyou thought, recalling the memory. "...but now...I'm not doing it because I love her..." Inuyasha plopped on his bed, half-dressed as he tiredly gazed at the ceiling. "This is so wrong..."

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"Shippo!! Over here!!"

"Huh?" A boy with auburn-coloured hair pulled up into a small ponytail turned around and recognized Miroku from a group of five people. This kid stands about the height of Kagome's brother [Souta] and has turquoise eyes. His ears were pointy at the end, making him look unusual. He wore a thick blue-green winter jacket and regular kid boots. Running past the crowd at the train station, Shippo jumped at a startled Sango and Miroku and hugged them tightly.

"You made it, little guy," Sango said, returning the hug. "You've grown so much."

"Thanks!" Shippo said. "What's going on?"

"Come with Kouga, Ayame, and I," Miroku stated. "We need to discuss something of great importance." The young Shippo nodded at the monk and followed him immediately. But before they could go far, "By the way, Kagome. This is Shippo. Shippo, this is Kagome." The 15 year old girl gave Shippo a special smile, which made him blush. "Well, we're off. We'll see you two in a few minutes." And the four walked off. Kagome's eyes remembered their every move, and which street they turned to. They were headed for the nearby park. She noticed how suspicious her friends had been acting since a few weeks ago when Inuyasha was sick. Something was up, definitely, she thought.

"Let's go Kagome," Sango muttered to her friend. But Kagome was looking at the direction where Miroku and the others were walking to. "They just have some things to discuss. Don't mind them."

"Alright..." her friend replied. "Why don't we go get them something to eat? I haven't had breakfast yet, and it's around lunch time already..."

"Sure!" said Sango, clapping her hands in excitement. "There's a Wacdonalds somewhere here. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Let's go!"

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Twenty minutes later, there was still no sign of Kouga or the others. Kagome was really getting suspicious. Sango could see this, and thought, "Oh damn...Miroku, where are you?!? If Kagome really gets suspicious, there's no stopping her from running after you guys to see what's going on! Will you hurry up the Kikyo-talk and come back here already?!?" One minute passed, and Sango noticed that Kagome was gone. After doing a quick search through the crowd, she found her not too far away. Dashing to Kagome, she caught her arm and stopped her from going any further, "Kagome! What's wrong?!"

"You guys've been acting weird lately..." Kagome replied. "I want to know what's going on!"

"There's nothing going on, Kag--" But before she could finish, Kagome shook off her hand from her arm and ran towards the nearby park Miroku and the others where in. "KAGOME!!!"

"Sorry, Sango! But I have to find out what you guys are up to!" Kagome yelled to her best friend. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, so that Sango wouldn't stop her. There was definitely something wrong here. Her friends are keeping something from her...and now's the time to find out. The junior girl ducked in the bushes behind a tree at the moment she caught a glimpse of the monk, Kouga, Ayame and Shippo. They were looking serious.

"I can't stand it anymore!" Kagome heard Ayame say. "I feel really bad for not telling Kagome this. She's our friend!"

"We said that a few times before, Ayame. But if you don't want her to be upset about it for a long time, it's our only option," Kouga muttered. "We still have to keep it from her even if this day's over."

"Inuyasha's getting engaged today, right?" Miroku announced. Kagome felt a shock run through her body. Inuyasha...engaged? To whom? "Do you think there's anyway we can stop it?" Then, footsteps could be heard coming their way, and it happened to be Sango, panting. "What happened, Sango?"

"It's Kagome. She ran away," the 16 year old girl stated between gasps of air. "I think she's onto us. She got suspicious, and I saw her run this way...though I don't see her anywhere."

"Damn...if she figures out about how Inuyasha's getting engaged to Kikyo today..."

"There'll be no stopping her! Who knows what she's going to do?"

"You should know, Sango. You're her bestfriend, after all."

"I just...don't want her to know Inuyasha has someone else in his heart. Damn that two-timing jerk!"

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Ding Dong. Ding Dong.

The mahogany doors instantly opened, and behind them was Rin. The girl looked up to see a woman dressed very beautifully, and a man around 20 years old was standing behind her. "Hello."

"Hi there, honey," Kikyo greeted with a fake smile to hide her nervousness. "Is Inuyasha home?" Rin nodded excitedly, and Sesshomaru came up beside her. "Ah...Sesshomaru. Inuyasha's home, isn't he?"

"Yes. He was expecting you for a very long time. Please come in," he greeted, but as soon as he saw Naraku, he glared at the man. But he let him in anyway. "Have a seat at the living room. It's down the hall, then turn to your right. I will inform Inuyasha that you have arrived." Then the elder brother of Inuyasha turned to Rin and continued, "Rin, offer them some tea while I call my annoying little brother down. Be careful; it's hot." Turning to his heels, he walked down the hall past the living room, then stomped up the elegant staircase. Quickly, he approached Inuyasha door and opened a small crack. "She's here." was his only message. The hanyou nodded, stuffed the velvet box in his jean pocket, and sighed. Looking at himself in the mirror for the last time, he headed out.

"Thank you very much," Naraku said plainly, after the little girl gave him a small cup of tea. Rin grinned.

"Please make yourselves at home. Inuyasha should be coming down any minute now," Rin replied. "Ah, here he is." Inuyasha appeared by the door, looking rather anxious. He eyed Kikyo, then the man sitting beside her. Naraku. "What's that bastard doing here?!?" the hanyou thought to himself, frowning. Kikyo stood up, jogged up to Inuyasha and gave him a loving embrace. "Kikyo..."

"Inuyasha...I've waited so long for this day..." Kikyo murmured, as Inuyasha hugged her back. "I missed you so much..."

"I missed you too," he lied. "Let's get going."

"To where?"

"To the theme park."

"Alright," Kikyo replied, taking Inuyasha's arm and connecting it with hers. "Naraku, can you please wait for me until we get back?"

"Yes, madam," answered Naraku with a bow. "Have a nice day." The woman smiled; she and Inuyasha walked through the opened front door. As soon as the door closed, Naraku tightened his grip of the tea cup, making a small crack at the side. Rin watched the man as he gritted his teeth in anger for Inuyasha. "Damn that ass!" Sesshomaru, who was sitting opposite of Naraku, gave him a low glare.

"You have something against my half-brother?" the silver haired brother asked quietly.

"That brother of yours stole Kikyo from me!" Naraku grumbled. "And Kikyo was always thinking about him! 'Inuyasha this', ' Inuyasha that.'"

"Well, you're one lucky bastard. My brother doesn't love that wench anymore."

"What?"

"You heard me," Sesshomaru smirked. "He's just keeping their promise."

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Well there you have it. On the next chapter:[hm...should I tell? Ok, fine. Only a li'l bit.] The others find Kagome somewhere and she asks them about Inuyasha's engagement. Incidentally, Kouga had an idea of ruining Inuyasha's night. But after seeking information about where Inuyasha and Kikyo were, Kagome runs off to find the couple. As she arrived at the edge of the city, where the couple was suppose to be, the engagement was already over...

I wanted to make this chapter longer, but I decided that I'll put the rest on Chapter 14. Coming soon! [the usual week or two.]

P.S. Reviews, please?