Disclaimer- The cast of Inuyasha is not mine...sorry, I got my dates mixed up like whoa! I meant I'd have the chapters by this Monday or Tuesday, so sorry everyone!
Chapter 36-The Last Night and Inuyasha's Only Chance
"I can't believe they're letting us still have the dance for the end of the camp!" Kikyo sighed as the two girls behind her giggled. Inuyasha only snorted as the group walked down the camp trail.
"I don't see why you girls care so much about that stupid dance, it just gives everyone a chance to get dressed up and try to spike the punch."
"Well why shouldn't we be excited? Ever since the club incident, nobody knew what was going to happen." Sango said, glancing back at the group.
As soon as word got around about the attempted murder, the main overseers of the camp had to discuss whether to keep the camp running for the last week. Once the removal of the three involved in the plan was completed, they decided that there was no harm left to the kids. Instead of sending them home early, they agreed to keep the camp running for the last week.
Naraku's trial was scheduled for next year, but until then, he was being held in a juvenile facility. Both of his accomplishers plead guilty to their convictions, but Naraku refused to acknowledge his enrolment in the plans. This later came back to haunt him when Gatenmaru agreed to testify against Naraku for a reduction of years for his conviction. His sister also asked for less punishment if she went against Naraku.
Because the camp was going to finish off the last couple days, they also agreed to complete the camp session by having a goodbye dance. The dance was semi-formal, but the girls easily forgot the first part and moved straight to dresses they wanted from Kikyo's endless clothes she had brought to the camp. Though Sango and Kagome had teased Kikyo about her collection earlier, they were grateful when the girl allowed them to borrow a dress.
"Aren't you a little excited about this whole thing?" Kouga asked, glancing at Inuyasha before rolling his eyes when he saw Inuyasha nod.
"Why would I want to go to it? It's the last night before we leave; I want to spend it in the cabin doing what I want to." He continued to walk, never noticing the slowing of one's pace. "I have no desire to go to that stupid thing."
"Aw come on, don't be like that." Miroku tried not to wince when Inuyasha barked out a short laugh.
"Give me one real good reason why I should even try to go." He stopped and crossing his arms as he turned to the group, eyeing each one of them. As he looked around, he noticed that only four of his friend's were staring down at their feet. The last one wasn't with them, and it took another moment to behind the group. Catching the deep sad stare of her, a wave of reality hit him like a ton of bricks. "Kagome..."
"You're right, there is no reason you should go." Inuyasha winced when Kagome's soft answer attacked his heart, but he remained still. "I mean why would you want to go? Not like you have a reason."
"Wait Kagome." The girl only laughed before she moved back to the group, stopping in front of Inuyasha. Gently she tried to keep her smile up.
"It's alright; you don't have to explain anything. Why should you, it's your choice." He stared at her in confusion, but it was not enough for him to open his mouth again. "Come on girls, we better go get ready for the dance. That dress Kikyo brought to wear is going to take her hours just to slip into!" Without another glance to Inuyasha, Kagome moved past the group before walking towards the girl's cabin. The group was eerily silent as they watched her go before a loud slap was heard.
"What the hell!" Inuyasha stepped back at Sango swung her hand again at his face. Before she could get another smack, Miroku grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a protective cage. "Why are you attacking me, I didn't do anything to you!"
"No, you just told my best friend that she's not important enough for you to put on a nice shirt and take her to the dance. But that's nothing, or so you say." Sango snapped out, finally giving up on breaking out of Miroku's embrace.
"I can't believe that you would sit there and let make all of those accusations without even correcting her. Do you even care about her at all?" Kikyo asked, watching Inuyasha's eyes widened before he stuttered to an answer.
"Si-since when do I have to answer to you? It's not like you're the boss of me or anything."
"When you hurt our friend, then we get angry." Sango took a deep breath before she finally pushed out of Miroku's grasp and grabbing Kikyo's wrist. "Come on Kikyo; let's go help Kagome get ready for the dance. We'll see you two boys later." She sent one last look at Inuyasha. "Hopefully you too if you change your mind and come for Kagome." And with that, the two girls followed the cold path of their friend.
"Well what do you know; Inuyasha pissed the girls off again because he can't seem to show the one brain cell I gave him credit for." Kouga smirked when Inuyasha glared back at him.
"It's not my fault, all I said was that I didn't want to go to the dance. Sorry, I don't feel like getting shot at again." Inuyasha replied quickly, watching both boys shake their heads.
"It's not even about the dance you dummy. It's the fact that you unconsciously said you'd rather be alone in your room than with Kagome. Of course now that it's spelled out to you, it's too late to really change anything."
"I don't get why she gets so upset, it's not what I meant anyways." He said, crossing his arms.
"It's because she likes you...and I don't mean the way she likes me or Kouga either. The same way that you like her, if not more than that."
"What the hell are you getting at?" Inuyasha asked, watching he friend hesitate before answering.
"I think Kagome's in love with you." Miroku answered, staring at his friend for a moment before continuing. "I think that Kagome has been in love with you for a while, but she's scared to tell you."
"That's stupid, she doesn't love me." He said, his cheeks brightening.
"You have to be kidding me right? There's no way you can deny she's in love with you." Kouga said, joining in the conversation once again. Inuyasha tried to argue with the two, but the sudden flashback of the hospital quieted him.
Flashback
"I cry because I care for you. I only cry for the people I care for..." She whispered, sleeping claiming her mind as she managed out her last sentence. "For the people I love..."
End Flashback
"For the people I love..." Inuyasha whispered, staring at the floor in slight irritation. The plain confusion that swelled in his mind only caused a frustrated noise to slip past his lips. How could she be in love with him?
"Hey we didn't mean to send you into a coma you know." Kouga said, rolling his eyes. Inuyasha looked up at his friends, attempting to glare and ignore his own feelings. "So what's it going to be Romeo? You going to hide out in the cabin tonight, or are you going to actually set things right?"
"Set things right?"
"Well yea, tonight is the last night before we all go home. I mean, where else will you be able to talk to Kagome?" Miroku sighed when Inuyasha only crossed his arms, showing no interest in discussion. "It's the last time you'll see Kagome before we all go home."
"...So what, you make it seem like I'm going out with her or something. Sorry, I'm not you and Sango." He winced at the look that Kouga sent him before walking past him.
"You know what, do what you want. But I swear, if you hurt Kagome, I will have no problem beating the shit out of you. I may not like her, but she is too good of a person to have her heart broken because you're too much of a wuss to show her you actually care." Inuyasha stared at his back for a moment before letting a puff of air slip into the air.
"Like I'm scared of you." He muttered, looking back at Miroku. Seeing the unreadable look in his eyes, Inuyasha snapped. "What the hell are you staring at?"
"I hate you break it to you Inuyasha, but Kouga's right. Kagome doesn't deserve a broken heart, and neither do you. Don't make the mistake of letting her go because you're scared."
"Why would I be scared? That's got nothing to do with this." Inuyasha replied.
"You're scared because you don't think that she'll accept all of you. The truth is, she already has. You're the one who won't accept her." The pause between the two filled with slight tension before Miroku shook his head, walking away from his inflexible friend.
"What do they know...?" Inuyasha stared out at the camp, where he had stayed the entire summer. Unconsciously he fingered his chain as he continued to stare, a sharp thought grabbing his attention. They know more than you in keeping Kagome happy.
Scene Change
The night winked mischievously to the stars as the remaining hour before the dance slipped through the girl's fingers. Small shrieks, fits of laughter, and moments of pure joy danced around the girls' cabin as they rushed to finish their last preparations for the dance. Four girls now moved around the room, each needing to complete their little tasks.
"Kikyo please tell me that you have shoes that match this dress!" Kagome shouted, running around in bare feet. Her dress was white, part of her back showing from the cut-out heart that lay just under the straps. The straps started from the same place, and slowly separated when coming to the shoulders. The dress was simple, and dropped down to the floor. She glanced back at Kikyo, who was now staring at her hair in the mirror.
"I'll help you find them as soon as I figure out what to do with my hair! It doesn't look right no matter what I do with it." She replied, looking at Kagome through the mirror. Dark eyes stared at her own reflection as her glossy red lips form into a pout. The dress was black, and crossed in the back with two straps. The front was covered with sparkles, which slowly became smaller as the dress descended. As Kagome had predicted, the dress had taken Kikyo longer than the rest of the girls to get ready because her dress hugged her gently. The top dipped slightly, but not enough to reveal more than appropriate.
"I can help you with your hair; give me a moment to figure out what make-up I should wear with my dress." Rin said, her concentration focused on the make-up sprawled on the bed. The color was aqua blue, which had a glittery slit on the left side starting at the waist. The top had darker blue lines, which crossed diagonally from the top right to the bottom left. The gown hung down, covering her feet but not touching the ground.
"I have the perfect color for that dress! If I could just find where I put that necklace of mine..." Sango trailed off, sighing in frustration as she looked around the room. With a black exterior, a hot pink spread covered her chest, meeting with the black fabric just under the covered area to pool out to the floor. In the front, two strips of pink fell down the bottom part of the gown, beginning under the three buttons that clipped over her stomach. As the strips went farther down, they got thicker until the end.
"Wait a minute, found your necklace San!" Kagome shouted from the other room, walking in with the necklace. She looked at it once before handing it over to Sango. "I've never seen that before, when did you get it?"
"Um, Miroku gave it to me..." Sango said quietly, blood rushing to her cheeks as she clipped the locket around her neck.
"You serious, how much did it cost him? Looks kind of old to me." Rin said, watching as Sango picked out a few containers of make-up before she handed them to the counselor.
"He didn't buy it, he already had it. His mother gave it to him." She said softly. The girls stared at her for a moment before she smiled again, grasping the locket tightly in her hand. "It makes me feel like I'm real important to him."
"You can tell by the way he looks at you that you're important." Rin said, playing with Kikyo's hair. "Same goes for you two girls."
"I know I'm important to Kouga, he tells me it all the time. The benefits of having a confident boyfriend." Kikyo sighed happily as she watched the finishing of her hair. She admired Rin's work before she stood up, walking towards her bag and digging through her clothes. Pulling out a pair of shoes that went with Kagome's dress, she dropped them in Kagome's hands before walking back over to the mirror.
"Too bad all of us can't be as confident as you." Kagome muttered, placing on of the shoes on her feet and strapping it tightly to her foot.
"Oh Kagome, you know Inuyasha cares about you. He just has a harder time admitting things than the other two, but we all know how he really feels." Sango said gently. Kagome only pushed out a laugh as she made her way to her bed, dropping down on it.
"Sometimes I get the feeling that he doesn't care at all about me, and that this whole thing was a joke. Kouga and Kikyo got together, you and Miroku hooked up after a while, and even Sesshoumaru asked Rin to go to the dance with him tonight. And look where I am. I'm getting all dressed up to go the party alone, like I'm a third wheel on all of your dates."
"Well forget Inuyasha then. If he doesn't want to come with one of the prettiest girls I know, then obviously he has taken one too many hits to the head. Probably half of them from Sesshoumaru but...Anyone would want to be with you, so don't let him get you down." Rin placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder, smiling warmly. "But don't give up on him just yet, I'm sure he's got more heart than any of us give him credit for."
"Yes you're probably right." Kagome said, smiling timidly. Even as she agreed with Rin, her heart twisted. If he's got all this heart in him, how come I feel so far away?
"I can't believe that camp's almost over. Once tonight is done, all we have left to do is pack and then we're gone." Sango said, staring out the window and sighing.
"That's why we have to make tonight so special. Something that we'll never forget, even when Miroku and Inuyasha aren't with us. If you think about it, the boys have it harder than us. At least we have four people; those two only have each other. God knows what Miroku will do without you Sango." Just as Sango was about to respond to Kikyo's comment, a loud knock on the door stopped her.
"Boys are here!" Rin shouted, placing the final touches to her eye shadow before moving to the door. Opening it slowly, she gasped when a rose was placed in front of her. Glancing up at Sesshoumaru, she blushed as he reached out, gently grabbing her hand and leading her down the cabin steps into the night.
"You ready to go to this formal occasion for the conclusion of our jobs?" Sesshoumaru asked, letting Rin shyly wrap her arm around his. She nodded lightly as she glanced at the boys in front of her, watching with a small smile as Kouga jumped up the stairs and into the cabin.
"Is there a Kikyo in this room?" Kouga asked, peeking his head into the cabin. Kikyo giggled as she moved towards the door, letting Kouga gently kiss her hand before pulling her out of the door. Sango sighed slightly before she looked over at Kagome, who was stubbornly facing the window.
"What's the matter Kags?" The ebony haired girl sighed and shook her head, looking back and smiling at Sango.
"It's nothing, I'm just waiting for Miroku to come in here and sweep you off your feet." As if hearing his name, Miroku walked into the room, slipping his arms around Sango's waist from behind before pulling her back into him. Sango blushed slightly when she glanced back at him, smiling at his sneak attack.
"You ready to go honey?" Sango nodded, glancing back at Kagome once more before heading towards the door. Once the last couple was out of the room, Kagome let out a deep sigh, refusing to stand. Thinking back as to why she was going to the dance while everyone was in couples, Kagome reconsidered staying in the cabin. Though the thought of being alone made her cringe, knowing she was the only one of her friends without a date was worse. Even her counselor got hooked up, where as she was alone.
Mentally cursing her luck as she stood up, she nearly screamed when she felt a hand slip over her shoulder. Swinging around to clock the stranger, her hand was caught by a slightly bigger one, causing her to gasp. She glanced up at green eyes, pure shock soaking through her.
"What, you were expecting a knight in shining armor? Fat chance I'm getting in some heavy armor for a stupid dance." Kagome tried to catch her breath as she stared at Inuyasha, whose arms were now crossed over his chest.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" She whispered, trying not to sound surprised. It was a failed attempt.
"I decided to come over and vandalize your cabin, what do you think I'm doing here? There was nothing to do at the cabin since the boys all decided they like dances, and...And I knew you were going alone so..."
"So you came here because you were bored?" She drawled out, crossing her arms and sighing. "Look Inuyasha I don't need you to take me to the dance because you were bored or because you feel bad for me. I'd rather go alone than go on a pity date."
"It's not a pity date damnit!"
"Oh really, then what would you like me to call it?" She asked, trying to hide her disappointment with anger and irritation. "Would it make you feel better if I told the others that you came here from the bottom of your heart?"
"Will you just shut up and let me take you to the dance?" He asked, watching her eyes widen slightly before he rolled his eyes, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the cabin. She hardly had time to close the door before they were off to the dance.
Scene Change
The dance was going well, showing no signs of gun threats or attacks on the group. Much to Kagome's surprise, she was having a blast. The music was intense, and kept her on her feet the entire time. Much to the girl's surprise, the boys needed no motivation to dance, and even Sesshoumaru started to enjoy himself.
Even though the group didn't have anything to fear, then tenseness that surrounded Inuyasha was enough to take a chunk out of Kagome's happiness. When she brushed against his arm while dancing, he instantly froze before moving away from her, making the excuse that he needed to get a drink. It was the same when she stood near him too long or started to talk to him. He had brought her to the dance, and yet they hadn't danced to one slow song! It was enough to make her pull at her hair.
"Hey, what's wrong with Inuyasha? You two get into a fight when I wasn't looking?" Even Rin seemed to notice that something was different with the boy. Kagome glanced over at him, sighing when the same unfocused stare glanced out the window at nothing she could see. The fast paced music slowly came down from its high, sweeping into a slow song. Kagome let a hot puff of air push from her lips when she heard the music, giving Rin a soft smile.
"I don't know what's wrong with him; he won't talk to me either." Kagome watched as Inuyasha made his way out of the dance hall, slipping into the night. She paused for a moment before a determined look passed over her face. "But I have no intention of letting him walk out on me without having a damn good reason why."
And viola, that part of the story is finished! I believe that there is two chapters left of this story, if I planned it out right. Alright, so what is Inuyasha's problem? Will Kagome figure out what is going on? And is it just me, or is anyone else having a hard time seeing Sesshoumaru dancing to a fast paced song..? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
Chapter 37- Confessions under a Broken Sky
