The It Couple
Chapter Sixteen
Kagome awoke with a pounding headache, wearing men's boxer shorts and a white cotton tank, in a bed that wasn't hers, with her De La Renta gown crumpled on the floor next to…
Holy shit Inuyasha had to cut my panties off me last night.
She grabbed a goosefeather pillow and slammed it over her face to stifle her mortified scream.
When she had summed up the courage to tiptoe down the hallway and toward the kitchen, she realized immediately that she was not, in fact, the first one up.
Inuyasha was sitting, scrolling through his phone, an irritated look on his face, a cup of coffee sitting unattended in front of him. A girl in jeans and a simple t-shirt was standing at the stove, flipping eggs. She looked up at Kagome and smiled warmly in greeting. His housekeeper? Kagome wondered.
"Morning," she said quietly, and he looked up at her, face still set in an irritated grimace.
She chose to pointedly ignore this look, whatever it meant, and went to get a cup of coffee for herself. The girl at the stove stopped her.
"Oh no, Miss! Kagome, isn't it? I'll get it for you. You just have a seat. You must be exhausted, Mr. Takahashi always is after an awards night. Cream? Sugar?"
Kagome, who had never had her coffee prepared for her outside of a restaurant, began to decline politely when Inuyasha interrupted.
"You might as well let her do it, Kagome. Nazuna is nothing if not stubborn as all hell."
"And that's why you keep me around," Nazuna said tartly, turning back to Kagome with a bright smile. "How do you take your coffee?"
"Just a little cream, please," Kagome said hesitantly, returning the warm smile and taking a seat next to the obviously grumpy most famous man in the world.
They said nothing for the next minute, not until Nazuna swooped in with a lovely cup of steaming coffee for Kagome and two plates for both of them containing an all-too-familiar sandwich.
"Are these-" Kagome could barely conceal her delight, "Are these my old Hangover Specials?"
Nazuna grinned. "It's practically all Mr. Takahashi ever wants for breakfast."
Kagome flashed Inuyasha a genuine smile. "Just like old times, huh?"
He took a sip of his coffee and grunted in reply. Oh well, let him be a jerk. Kagome dug in, relishing the familiar taste.
"I never get to eat these anymore!" she said with delight through a mouthful of bagel, egg, and ham, "Kikyou doesn't eat bread so I can't have it in the house. Too much temptation, she says."
Nazuna started washing up the frying pan in the sink. "Did I make it right, Miss Kagome? Mr. Takahashi couldn't remember your recipe so I had to sort of improvise."
"Only thing I do differently," Kagome said, smiling conspiratorially, "is mix in a little Cajun spice along with the black pepper."
She looked up to find Inuyasha staring at her, expression unreadable.
"So," Kagome said, lowering her voice slightly so Nazuna couldn't hear, "Have you had enough coffee yet to be cordial, or are you still angry with me?"
Inuyasha wordlessly turned his phone screen to face her.
"Celeb-tattle-dot-com," she murmured, then cast her eyes to the photo centered on the webpage.
It was her and Kouga on the red carpet last night, dressed to the nines. She looked pretty good, if she did say so herself. "Yeah?" she said, looking at Inuyasha with a puzzled look.
"You're famous now," he said, a bitter edge to his voice as he read the photo's caption, "'Kouga Okami at last night's Hollywood Film Awards with date identified as Kikyou Higurashi's younger sister Kagome Higurashi.'"
Kagome swallowed. "Well, it's a one-time thing. They'll forget soon enough; you know the press."
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, barely controlled fury in his voice, though not necessarily entirely directed at her, "They're a snakepit. And you've just been dropped in headfirst."
He scrolled the page down. A blurry snapshot of the private room at the afterparty, with Kagome and Inuyasha locked in a dramatic embrace. Kagome remembered crying into his chest and reddened for a moment before the whole thing dawned on her.
"Do you want me to read this caption?" Inuyasha said sternly but honestly seeming to want to wait for her okay.
"Go ahead." Kagome already had a pretty good idea of what it would say.
"'Celeb-tattle-dot-com exclusive: Photo of Kagome Higurashi cuddling up to her own sister's ex-flame Inuyasha Takahashi at last night's Hollywood Film Awards afterparty. Sources report a dramatic scene as the younger Higurashi threw herself into Inuyasha's arms.'"
Kagome wanted to shrink to the size and weight of a feather and float away. "Oh no," she muttered into her hands.
"There's a whole 'exclusive' profile on you. They know everything about you and what they don't know they just made up." Inuyasha slammed his phone on the table, eyes burning with fury.
"You were right," Kagome said, tears springing to her eyes as she slumped forward on the table, "I should never have been so stupid. Leave it to me to have my first night by myself on the red carpet end up as a giant trash fire."
She felt Inuyasha's hand on her shoulder, one gentle squeeze, the way he'd always done when she'd been stressed out, when Kikyou had been particularly difficult, when she'd been told in no uncertain terms at 18 by her mother that college was out of the question.
"Listen," he said, putting a finger under her chin and making her look at him. Her eyes met his and for a second she was back in the guest bedroom last night, fighting every instinct inside herself not to throw her arms around him. "You might have acted...a bit hasty last night-"
"Acted a damn fool, more like," Kagome said, smiling weakly, "You can say it."
"Well, yeah," he said, shrugging, "but no one's going to let you get thrown to the wolves. I'll call Miroku and tell him to get his ass over here and we'll figure it out, okay?"
"Oh, God," Kagome's hands went to her temples, "Where's my phone? What am I gonna tell Kikyou?"
Inuyasha's eyes widened slightly and his mind seemed to go elsewhere. He looked...almost guilty. Was he feeling like he'd been unfaithful to Kikyou, even in spirit? Probably. Kagome wanted to slide under the table and hide.
"Let's get Miroku over here talking damage control first, yeah? We'll deal with your sister when the time comes. Hell, I'll talk to her for you."
She felt simultaneously a little better and a little worse.
Miroku lay in bed, arm draped over Sango's sleeping form curled up at his side. Her hair was down for once, fanned out over the white sheets. One of her hands was curled up by her cheek, and she had a serene smile on her face as she dreamed. She looked so young like this, younger than she actually was. And peaceful. So very peaceful and calm.
Miroku's phone went off.
Sango sat straight up, all but karate-chopping the air, her face wild with excitement. "Who is it?" she demanded, a manic grin stretching over her lips.
Miroku sighed and grabbed the phone from its charger. So much for peaceful and calm.
"Inuyasha," he said as both an answer and a form of greeting to the other end of the line, "Odd to hear from you this early in the-"
Sango curled up into his shoulder, trying to hear every word Inuyasha was now yelling into the phone. Miroku nonchalantly draped an arm around her and continued.
"Kagome what? She did what last night?" he said in what he knew sounded like genuine outrage and panic. Sango smiled into his chest and he shot her a wink.
"Hold on, I'm coming over, right now," he finished urgently and hung up.
Sango tweaked his nose gently, her smile never letting up. "You shoulda been an actor, Houshi. You're that good when you need to be."
"You should know, babe," Miroku said, leaning in for a kiss, "We're the real talent in this business."
Right before their lips touched, Sango's phone went off and she darted out of his path to grab for it.
"Oh, right on time," she said, sliding out of bed and throwing a silk bathrobe over her shoulders before answering brightly, "Sango Ryoshi. Oh, good morning, Kikyou. How can I help you?"
"He should be here soon," Inuyasha said, and Kagome just nodded mutely in reply, staring glumly at her now-empty plate, then gathered her dishes and his to take to the sink.
Nazuna sprang into action, taking the plates and cups out of Kagome's hands, insisting all the while that Kagome let someone else help her for once.
And somehow, that tiny exchange, watching Kagome's small but genuine smile at the kindness, strengthened his inner resolve. Kagome had always been the one helping, the one holding everyone up even as her arms and legs trembled from the effort.
He closed his eyes briefly and it was five years ago, in the first house he and Kikyou had been able to afford after cashing in some of their first paychecks. He saw himself, Kagome, and Kikyou walking through the front door, with Kagome in a bright sunshine yellow graduation gown, her cap and diploma in hand, teeth still in braces. Inuyasha, wearing a suit jacket a size too large (borrowed from a friend, he remembered) took a photo of the sisters hugging, and then gave Kagome a bear hug of his own, lifting her off the ground as she laughed in delight.
"You did it, kid," he said, ruffling her hair, "I'm proud of you. Aren't you proud of her, Kikyou?"
Kikyou smiled serenely. "I wish Mom had been here to see it."
Kagome smiled back, eyes shining with emotion. "Me too."
"Alright, get that yellow Snuggie off yourself and get changed. We're going out to eat to celebrate. On me!" Inuyasha had just been cast in a pretty sizeable supporting role in a big ensemble movie, so he had been eager to give the girls a night on the town. Kagome grinned and pulled the gown over her head, then started toward her tiny bedroom to change out of the fancy dress he knew her mother would have wanted her to graduate in.
At that moment, Kikyou's phone rang and she sprang to answer it. Her voice became excited and animated, and she hung up with a genuine expression of thanks before turning back to them. "I have a callback tomorrow! For the James Cameron movie!"
Kagome squealed with delight and hugged her sister. Kikyou, however, was already starting to look panicked.
"Oh god, what do I do?" Kikyou exclaimed, "I need to get my lines down better, I need to get my hair done, I need a face mask-"
"Kikyou," said Inuyasha pointedly, motioning toward the front door, "We'll all take care of it. It's not every day your sister graduates from high school."
Kikyou was obviously not listening, and Kagome stood at her side, placing a hand on her much taller sister's shoulder. "This might be it," Kikyou was saying, "This might be all we ever wanted, Kagome! You, me, and Mom!"
Inuyasha moved to interject again, but Kagome just squeezed Kikyou's shoulder and smiled warmly. "You're right," she said, "Let's get you in a tub to relax for a bit, and then I'll run lines with you as long as you need."
Kikyou nodded, the terror vanishing from her face and excitement replacing it once again. "A James Cameron movie!" She rushed past Kagome and flung herself into Inuyasha's arms, "Can you believe this?"
Inuyasha kissed her and twirled her in a circle, prompting a delighted laugh. Kagome smiled as well and went to draw a bath for Kikyou. "Do you want lavender or vanilla, Miss Famous Actress?" she said teasingly as she went.
"Lavender!" Kikyou called, then resumed those kisses that had driven Inuyasha wild back in the day.
When Kagome returned and announced that Kikyou's bath was ready, prompting her sisters wild, bounding exit from the room, she was in her old familiar jeans and ratty band t-shirt, her hair already let down from the simple chignon she'd had it up in under her graduation cap. She flopped on the couch next to Inuyasha, grabbed the remote, and turned it to VH1 Classic's never-ending parade of old rock and metal videos.
"Sorry about all that," Inuyasha mumbled at her, his eyes fixed on the TV, "I didn't make a reservation or anything, but I can still go pick up something-"
"Oh, stop," Kagome said brightly, her eyes lighting up at a Judas Priest video coming onscreen, "I'll heat up the leftovers in the fridge. Tonight's about getting Kikyou ready for her big moment." She turned up the volume and started headbanging with a huge grin on her face, shouting along with the lyrics, "HEEERE COMES THE METAL MELTDOWN, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! CAAAN'T STOP THE METAL MELTDOWN, NO ONE SURVIVES!"
From the bathroom there was a shriek. "Do you mind keeping it to a dull roar, please?"
Both Kagome and Inuyasha dissolved into laughter and Kagome lowered the TV volume again.
"Seriously though," Inuyasha said, "It's your high school graduation. We should do something special."
Kagome, still giggling, gave a small shrug. "I'm not bothered. We'll just go out another night to celebrate."
Inuyasha blinked out of the all-too-clear memory and stared at his hands, shoved into the pockets of his expensive silk bathrobe.
They never had gone out another night to celebrate.
"Okay, I'm here," Miroku rushed in the front door, creating all illusion of urgency like he wasn't a piece of shit that had a game plan ready and waiting.
Inuyasha was standing at the bar, seemingly chain-smoking, facing away from Kagome, who was wearing silk boxers and a white cotton tank and...not much else.
"...Oh my," Miroku said dramatically, looking her up and down, "Did you two…?"
Kagome's eyes widened to the size of teacup saucers, and her face flushed bright red. "No!" she shouted emphatically, scrambling for a pillow to cover her braless state, as if she'd only just realized it herself.
"Miroku," Inuyasha's growl of warning sounded, though he didn't turn around from the drink he was pouring.
"I just don't have anything to change into!" Kagome continued protesting, seemingly not hearing Inuyasha, "The only thing I have is that huge gown from last night and-"
She stopped, flushed even redder (if that was possible), and fell silent.
"Sorry, Kagome, that's my fault," Inuyasha said, and Miroku noted how gentle his tone became, "I didn't even think...Nazuna, will you grab her my dad's old college sweatshirt to wear?"
Nazuna poked her head around the corner. "Sir, you told me to have that framed and put on the wall in the billiard room."
"So take it off the wall," Inuyasha ground out, cigarette pinched between his teeth, "and out of the frame."
Looking quite bewildered, Nazuna nodded and headed down the eastern hallway.
"Wait," Kagome said quickly, springing up from the couch and rushing after her, "I'll help you."
When they were out of earshot, Miroku sidled up next to Inuyasha and took the liberty of pouring himself a drink.
"So…" was all he said, and he had to restrain himself from smiling smugly as Inuyasha downed the rest of his glass, then turned to face him.
"Listen to me and listen good," Inuyasha spat, obviously fighting to keep from raising his voice, "The kid had too much last night. Who hasn't? But you're going to help me fix this. We owe her that. She's not part of this tabloid bullshit, and she should never be."
"'The kid,' huh?" Miroku said, unable to help himself, "Last I checked you should probably stop calling her that, given how grown-up she's been looking and acting lately."
He knew the punch was coming and deftly swung his head out of the way. Inuyasha's fist collided with the column behind Miroku's head. "Always," Inuyasha panted out, his face red and his breathing heavy, "Always with your shitty comments."
Miroku stared at him bemusedly. He's furious, almost the maddest I've ever seen him. Did I touch a nerve?
"But you put up with me because you know I'm the best," he said aloud, taking another sip of his drink and setting it on the bar counter, "Don't worry that pretty head of yours, Inuyasha. Whatever the situation is, Sango and I can fix it."
"Did you see celeb-tattle-dot-com this morning?" Inuyasha examined his bruised knuckles, his breathing seeming to calm slightly.
"Well, I'm glad I did. Managed to get those photos taken down in the car ride over." That's it, cast the bait.
Inuyasha blinked. "You did?"
"Yep," Miroku took a smoke from Inuyasha's pack without bothering to ask and lit it, "Check for yourself if you don't believe me. Killed all the news stories, too, with threat of defamation. They're not going to risk a lawsuit over illegally-taken photos of someone who's only famous by proxy."
"...oh." Inuyasha seemed to release a long-held breath. "That's good. That's really good."
"It's why you pay me the big bucks," Miroku said, "or rather, it's why I pay me the big bucks, out of your account."
"Okay," Inuyasha said with a handwave, "What about Kikyou? Does she know anything about this? I wouldn't want her thinking...well…"
"Thinking what, Inuyasha?" Miroku took a drag of his cigarette, making sure to look puzzled. He wished Sango could see him right now. Watch the master at work, babe.
"Thinking that, oh you know, there's something going on. Between me and Kagome."
Before Miroku could respond, Kagome re-entered the room, now sporting a very crisply starched (but clean nonetheless) sweatshirt that said "NYU" on it in big block letters.
"Thanks, Inuyasha," she said with a warm smile, "You're a lifesaver. Okay, what were you saying? How bad am I in for it?"
Inuyasha grinned back. "Looks like we're clear. Miroku already took care of it. Everything taken down as of a few minutes ago."
Kagome gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She looked at Miroku. "Really?" she stammered, eyes brimming with tears.
I am the worst human being on the planet. Why am I stuck dealing with the one who looks like a happy puppy when I tell her her worries are over? Sango has it easy right now, and I'm going to remind her of that later.
"Yep," Miroku said smoothly, "Got it taken care of in three phone calls. Aren't we lucky all the news and gossip websites own one another nowadays?"
He almost choked on his cigarette as Kagome threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and muttering what sounded like "Thankyouthankyouthankyou" into his shirt pocket. He patted her gently on the back until she released him.
"It's really more than I deserve," she said, eyes shining, "Thank you so much for doing this."
I swear, she's part puppy. This is ridiculous. No wonder Inuyasha can't keep his head on straight.
"Don't mention it," he said suavely. Really, please don't. My chest hurts in this hole where I presume a human heart could be.
Inuyasha grinned and reached over to ruffle Kagome's hair. "Pretty lucky, huh? Aren't you glad I know people?"
She smiled back at Inuyasha, placing her hand atop his on her head for a moment before pulling away.
"Not so fast, folks," Miroku said, "We still probably have Kikyou to deal with."
"Oh god," Kagome's smile was erased instantly and her shoulders slumped, "She's going to be so angry with me."
"Are you sure of that, though?" Miroku said, "I know she's the Queen Bee and all, but she's still got a heart deep down." I'll take 'Sentences I Never Thought I'd Say About Kikyou Higurashi' for a thousand, Alex.
Kagome looked up at him, unsure but hopeful. "I guess I should call her, then?" she asked.
"No need," Miroku said, taking another sip of his drink, "Sango's bringing her over now."
He braced himself for the exclamation in unison, "What?"
This shall be interesting. Hope you guys enjoy the flashback sequence because it kinda hurt me in my heart place to write it. Poor sweet Kagome. There will be more flashbacks in future as Inuyasha starts to get a little more sentimental over the coming weeks... - meggz0rz