The It Couple
Chapter Twenty-Nine
"Come on," Miroku said, "Let's get out of here."
"I can't leave," Sango said, "My face-" She checked the mirror. It was swelling even more now, one cheek far larger than the other. And now her face was stained with tears. Warner would see. Everyone would see. And they'd connect the dots, realize who the culprit was, and start asking more questions as to what Sango had done to make sweet little Kagome Higurashi fire off and hit her like that. And what Sango had done was just awful.
"I have an idea," Miroku said with a sigh, pulling Sango to her feet, "but you're not gonna like it."
Of all the awkward situations in the fucking world.
Kikyou on one side of Inuyasha, wobbling on her high heels and snuggling her face into his jacket sleeve while cooing softly in comfort. Kagome on the other side holding Kikyou's purse in one hand and with the other on her hip, looking straight ahead at the mirrored elevator doors as they ascended back to the Higurashi suite.
Inuyasha turned his head slightly to face Kagome, opening his mouth to speak, and she immediately shook her head. "Not yet," she whispered, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Oh, fuck. She's mad as hell.
So he shut the hell up and proceeded to help Kikyou limp along through the opening elevator doors.
"Mmm," Kikyou said, "Send Kagome downstairs, Inuyasha. So you and I can have some private time." She clutched at his shoulder tighter.
"This is my room, too," Kagome said tartly as she unlocked the suite door with the card key, "I'm not going anywhere."
Inuyasha tried to meet her eyes as she held the door open.
"Kagome," Kikyou said, unceremoniously kicking off her shoes, "Order me some room service. I want some fresh fruit and a bottle of water. With electrolytes."
"You have two hands," Kagome said, all too calmly, as she undid her hair in the vanity mirror, "Get it yourself."
Holy shit. Kagome was not playing around anymore. Inuyasha shrugged out of his suit jacket and tossed it in a heap on a nearby end table.
Kikyou scowled. "Just who do you think you are all of a sudden, the Queen of Sheba? I told you to do something. I pay you to do what I tell you. Now do it."
Kagome looked like she was ready to scream. Still facing the mirror, she glared at Kikyou's reflection across the room, digging her hands into the vanity table's surface as if to anchor herself in place. "No."
"Kagome, what would Mom say if she saw you right now?" Kikyou shook her head in exaggerated pity, "I just need some help and you won't help me."
It was like a ping pong match, Inuyasha's head snapping back and forth between the two women in front of him. He was going to get whiplash.
"That's not going to work anymore, Kikyou. You made your decision," Kagome said, digging her nails into the table even more, her face a mask of pure unadulterated fury, "You agreed to put me in that interview, right? You agreed to have me train my own replacement, right?"
"Wait a second-" Inuyasha was cut off.
"Yes, I did!" Kikyou said, wobbling and grabbing the back of a chair to steady herself, "I thought it was high time you got a little humble around here. Everything you have, everything you are, is because of me, and you've been acting like an ungrateful little snot. Well, now you can have all the fun you like being me. Having everyone look at you and judge everything you do. And you can go try your hand at existing on your own, knowing you failed Mom and everyone else's wishes because of your own selfishness." She stumbled into the chair and sat down, trying to look haughty as she brushed an errant lock of straight black hair away from her face.
"You fucking liar," Kagome sneered, "You did it for the contract. For the Oscar. This has nothing to do with me at all. It never did. In fact, my feelings have never once been under consideration for the last twenty-three years."
"Wait," Inuyasha said, looking at Kikyou, "What contract?" Kikyou ignored him; they both seemed to be pretty good at that right now.
"Excuse me?" Kikyou screeched, "When Mom died, I took you in out of the goodness of my own heart. I fed you, I bought you clothes, I got you a job-"
"All with strings attached," Kagome's eyes were filled with tears now. She looked on the verge of crumpling over the vanity table in exhaustion, but it seemed like pure blind rage was keeping her upright.
Kikyou looked outraged. "I can't believe you, you little ingrate. You're going to skip on the interview? After everything we've been through to get here?"
"What interview?" Inuyasha asked, though he knew it was an exercise in futility.
"Oh no," Kagome said, "I'm not skipping out on anything. You're getting your interview. You're getting me at my ass-kissiest. Don't you fucking worry; your precious career's not in jeopardy here."
The clear look of relief on Kikyou's face reflected in the mirror only seemed to piss Kagome off further. She turned to face Kikyou, hands clenched into fists.
"Well," Kikyou said, still clearly slurring from all the champagne she'd had, "I wish you all the best in future. But after you train your replacement, consider yourself fired."
Inuyasha saw it, knew it was coming when Kagome's hand closed around a hairbrush on the counter behind her. He jumped in front of Kikyou as the brush sailed across the room, catching it deftly with one hand and batting it to the floor.
Kagome looked at him furiously, and with not a little bewilderment. Her eyes went to the brush on the floor, and back to him.
"Not fucking worth it," he said almost sternly.
Kikyou spluttered in indignation. "D-Did you see that?" she demanded of Inuyasha, "She tried to hurt me! My own sister!" She pawed at his back, grabbing at his arm.
Inuyasha didn't take his eyes away from Kagome's. She stood there in that fucking gorgeous dress, shaking with fury, tears now freely spilling from her eyes.
"Get her out of here!" Kikyou cried, "She's a loose cannon! She's crazy!"
Kagome just looked at Inuyasha, lips pressed together, brow furrowed, eyes wide and shining with tears.
"You'd better go," Inuyasha said, shrugging out of Kikyou's grip. Before this gets any worse, he tried to relay without speaking.
"I'm not fucking finished," Kagome said, gritting her teeth.
"Get out!" Kikyou screeched, "Or I'll call security and have you thrown out!"
"Shut up, both of you!" Inuyasha snapped.
"Or what?" Kagome said, her voice a clear challenge.
Kagome seemed fully willing to fight whoever was willing, the way she was squaring up.
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, fighting to keep his own voice even. All he wanted to do was go to her and throw his arms around her and tell her how sorry he was for everything, but that would risk Kikyou completely going off the deep end and who knew what would happen then. He had no idea what was going on in this conversation, but it was getting dangerous. When Kagome was mad, really fucking mad, she was apt to destroy a whole room if it meant getting to vent her rage.
Kagome held his gaze for a few more moments, then her face crumpled into true tears and she walked briskly to her room down the hall.
"Inuyasha," Kikyou cried, standing up and throwing her arms around him as Kagome passed. He didn't react, just watched Kagome look the two of them up and down, her face twisted in pain and anger, until she disappeared behind the door and slammed it shut.
"Kikyou," he said softly, "Come on. Let's get you to bed."
"I'm not going back there with that violent little brat right next door," Kikyou said, swaying on her feet, "Get rid of her. I want her gone."
"She's leaving, Kikyou. Now please," he said, trying to keep his tone civil even with the barrage of questions and creative insults running through his brain trying to fight their way out through his mouth, "I need to talk to Kagome for a minute. Make sure she's calmed down and won't do anything stupid." He meant as far as Kagome's own health and safety was concerned, but Kikyou could think he was trying to make sure Kagome was still down to do whatever this interview was and remain on their side in public. He frankly didn't give a shit what Kikyou thought, except he needed a moment alone with the girl who was surely crying in her room right now.
The stunningly beautiful creature in front of him, after this knock-down drag-out fight with her only remaining blood in the world, after practically telling Kagome she was worthless to her face, was able to smile at him so serenely, so calmly, as she ran a finger from his temple to his chin and pushed a lock of his silver-white hair out of his face.
"Anything for you, honey," she said, her voice like sweet syrup, "I'll see you in there in a few minutes. Let me slip into something more comfortable."
He would have scoffed aloud at the tired line, but he merely nodded as she swept past him, down the long hallway into the master bedroom.
Kagome sniffled as she haphazardly shrugged out of her dress, letting the black leather crumple on the floor at her feet. Reaching in her simple duffel bag, she pulled out a long-sleeved top and her old familiar ripped jeans. She had pulled on the jeans and fastened them and was just about to pull on her shirt when the door opened.
"As much as I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself, you sure picked the weirdest time to do it, kiddo."
"Get out!" she hissed at Inuyasha, who was standing in the doorway looking stricken and concerned and she just couldn't deal with it right now.
He ignored her and shut the door behind him, locking it.
"Leave me alone," she snapped, turning away from him and slipping her shirt over her head, then folding her arms around her shoulders.
"Shhh," he said behind her, "Kikyou's down the hall and shitfaced drunk but I don't want her to hear you."
Kagome scoffed and folded her dress into fourths and tossed it into her open duffel, then went about putting on socks and her combat boots with an overzealous fervor. Inuyasha sat on the bed beside her. She felt his arms close around her waist and closed her eyes, the tears falling again as she breathed in his scent.
"Tell me what's going on," he said softly, "What happened at the party to make you like this?"
"Kikyou's arranged for me to be interviewed by Yura Kaminoke next week," Kagome said with a humorless smile.
"She fucking WHAT?"
"Shhh," Kagome said, leaning her head back onto his collarbone, "Kikyou's down the hall and shitfaced drunk but I don't want her to hear you."
Miroku leaned deeper into the kiss, covering Sango's body with his against the wall of the hotel ballroom. Sango, for her part, was raking her hands through his hair and seemed to be weakening at the knees.
"Almost there," he whispered into her mouth, and she whimpered in response. Okay, devil woman, you didn't have to make that noise.
They stumbled together, using the wall for support, his hands clutching her face, ravishing each other until they reached the ballroom doors. Then Sango pulled away and nuzzled her face into his neck as they half-walked, half-limped through the lobby and toward the valet stand.
"Um," the young parking attendant was apparently quite embarrassed at the public displays of affection happening so boldly in full view of everyone, "Do you have your ticket, sir?"
"Right here," Miroku said, his voice sounding much scratchier than usual, handing the slip of paper to the young man.
"We'll have your car for you right away," the valet said.
"Great," Miroku said, grabbing Sango's face and kissing her again. She pulled him closer to her, linking her arms around his neck.
Not three minutes later, the car drove up, and the valet awkwardly cleared his throat, holding up the keys. Without breaking the kiss, Miroku grabbed them out of the kid's outstretched hand and quickly led Sango to the passenger door.
Once they were safely in the car, Sango opened the sun visor mirror to take a look at her cheek, which was still very obviously swelling.
"Thanks for that," she said, and the awkward tension grew to near suffocating levels. Her face was flushed and her breathing a little labored, and all Miroku wanted to do was get her more flustered.
But he wouldn't. Not tonight.
"Don't mention it," Miroku said nonchalantly, lighting a cigarette and putting the car into drive.
"So where are you going?" Inuyasha whispered finally, his forehead on Kagome's shoulder.
"Another hotel, I guess."
"What about…" He paused, feeling his throat becoming uncharacteristically dry, "What about staying with me for the time being?"
Kagome turned to him with a genuine smile. "You know we can't do that," she said softly, "Not yet, anyway. I made a deal."
Inuyasha growled low in his chest. "Does that mean we have to stay away from each other for the next two months?"
"Pretty much." She laid her head in the crook of his neck, clearly fighting back a fresh round of tears.
"Cut that out," he admonished with a chuckle, "You with the crying in my arms all the time. Makes me feel like a bad man."
"You're not a bad man," Kagome said, trembling a little with her quiet sobs, "You're the best man. Number one. My favorite."
Okay, she could surely feel how much his heart was pounding; her ear was right on his chest for god's sake. And then she had to go and say shit like that.
"I have just one more thing to say," she said quietly, eyes closed like she was bracing herself for something, "And I don't want to hear any reply or answer, because I have so much to do and so many things to get lined up and I can't focus if I hear anything from you."
"What the hell are you on about now."
"I'm so sorry," she was saying, "This is so complicated and I'm about to make it worse."
"Kagome-"
"I just feel like if I don't say it now, I might not ever get to say it, you know?"
"For fuck's sake, woman," Inuyasha said, turning her in his arms so she was fully facing him, "Spit it out!"
"I'm trying to say that I love you, you moron."
Inuyasha blinked. For once, he was speechless.
"I've loved you from the first time we played heavy metal music together in the drive-thru in Hollywood. There, I said it." Kagome looked up at him almost defiantly, though her cheeks were flushed beet red.
Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but she shoved away. "No! I told you, no replying! You can tell me one way or the other after the Oscars. I can't hear it right now."
She grabbed her duffel bag and the Star Wars backpack she often used as a purse. "I gotta go," she said quickly, "When I figure out where I'm going, I'll call you, okay?"
In the span of five seconds Kagome was gone, and Inuyasha felt like he'd been sucker punched in the gut.
When he went in to Kikyou's bedroom about five minutes later to check on her, she was passed the hell out. Good. Inuyasha went back and laid on Kagome's deserted bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling until his eyes closed.
All I have to say is FLKDJFSLDFJLDSkfjSDFKSJDFLKSDJflkSDJfLSDKfjDslkfjsdlfkjdslfkjadslfkjLKFDJDSLKFj. That's my freaking brain right now. Hope you guys enjoy! Love ya. - meggz0rz