The It Couple
Chapter Forty
Hojo was happily preparing Kikyou's coffee in the kitchen (black with exactly one-half sweetener packet; her instructions were specific as always) when a male cry almost sent him flying out of his skin.
"WHAT THE FUCK?"
Hojo blinked and tried to send his heartbeat back to a manageable rate. Then he decided that he should probably bring Mr. Takahashi a coffee as well. Probably should text Kagome to ask how he preferred it.
Inuyasha tore himself out of the bed, almost falling backwards when he tangled himself in the white Egyptian linen. Kikyou just sat up, propped up on her hands, clad in a very alluring bathrobe and clearly little else. She looked both surprised and a little hurt at his outburst.
"What's wrong with you?" she demanded, her bottom lip quivering slightly, "Is this childish display really that necessary?" She sat further upright, crossed her legs and folded her arms.
Inuyasha could only splutter nonsense syllables as he raised a shaking finger to her. "You - me," he choked out, "We - oh god, no, no, no, Kagome-"
"Just stop," Kikyou held a hand up, looking extremely wounded. Her voice was trembling a little as well. "You obviously have the lowest possible opinion of me. I get it."
"What?" Inuyasha looked up from where he'd been clawing at his hair, nearly doubled over at the waist.
Kikyou refused to meet his eyes as she pulled her knees to her chest. "Did you think I'd...take advantage of you like that? When you were too drunk to even walk last night? You really do hate me, don't you?" She started to sniffle.
"Wait a second," Inuyasha said, looking down at himself. He was shirtless, that was true, but he was still wearing his pants from last night, "What the fuck happened, Kikyou? Tell me."
She buried her face in her arms, ignoring him.
With a sigh, he sank back onto the edge of the bed, propping his elbows onto his knees and taking a few deep breaths to try and calm his panicked state.
"If you're so worried about it, we didn't have sex," Kikyou said, her words muffled behind her arms, "Glad to see you find me that repulsive."
Inuyasha turned around and slid on his knees toward her. "Kikyou," he said, trying with a little difficulty to peel her arms away from her face, "What. Happened."
She had tears streaking out of those perfect brown eyes. "You weren't in any state to get home by yourself," she said softly, "Even with a driver. I wanted to make sure you were okay. You could barely stand up straight."
Damn Kouga and his fucking shots.
"Besides," she said, "you wouldn't let go of my hand after Kagome left."
Oh god.
"So we came back here," she said, and her eyes fell on where his hands still held her wrists, then turned back to his own. He dropped her all too quickly.
"Kikyou," Inuyasha said, trying to keep his voice gentle and patient, "Where are the rest of my clothes?"
"I had Hojo hang them up! It was a McQueen suit!" She was utterly scandalized, clearly. Same old Kikyou.
"So we didn't do anything?" Inuyasha said, unable to keep the smile of utter relief from rising to his lips, "Nothing at all?"
Kikyou bit her lip and looked away.
Oh GOD.
"What?" Inuyasha demanded, grabbing Kikyou by the shoulders.
"It's my fault," she said, her cheeks reddening and her eyes refusing to look up, "After Hojo helped me get you tucked into bed and I was getting you some water, you asked me where Kagome was, and I guess I started crying because you grabbed me and held me."
She looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "I couldn't help it," she stammered, "I just thought, if I let him hold me just a little while longer, I'll be okay. I'll be able to get over it…"
She dissolved into quiet, delicate sobs, resting her forehead against his collarbone. Inuyasha's brain was like oatmeal.
The bedroom door opened and Hojo tiptoed in, bearing a tray with two coffees on it. He said nothing, just gave a friendly smile with some terror behind the eyes as he set the tray up next to the bed, then took the McQueen suit in question from the closet door and laid it on the back of the nearest chair. Inuyasha just glared at him until he left the way he came, walking backwards and giving a small frightened wave.
"So...we…?" Inuyasha gently prodded, patting Kikyou on the back and trying not to sound too unfeeling. He needed answers, dammit.
"Just held each other," Kikyou said, "All night. And I thought maybe this morning I'd get a miracle and you wouldn't regret it, that maybe you'd choose me after all. I'm so sorry, Inuyasha. I was weak. I still am weak. Over you, I mean." Her long lashes dusted tears across her cheeks.
"Hey," he said, lifting her chin up to make her look at him, trying not to look too relieved because it was a bit rude, "Listen. I think you're looking at me with rose-colored glasses on. We weren't always as happy as you remember, right? There were bad times just as much as there were good." He didn't add that it had taken him realizing how he felt about Kagome to put those bad times in perspective.
"I just keep thinking about how I'd do it over again if I could," Kikyou said, "And I would have been more considerate of Kagome's feelings too. She still won't talk to me, Inuyasha. I just want to make things right and for you to be happy."
Inuyasha couldn't exactly say that Kagome had asked in no uncertain terms for him to keep her name out of conversations with Kikyou. "Give her time," he said simply, "She's still a bit bruised and lashing out. Let her be for now."
"I suppose you're right," Kikyou pulled away from him, wiping her eyes and pulling her robe around her a little more tightly.
A phone buzzed on the end table. "It's mine," Kikyou said, ducking to grab it, then scanning the text message, her face growing both dismayed and frightened.
"Naraku again?" Inuyasha said, that old familiar disgust rearing up in his stomach.
"Yes," she said, immediately casting her phone aside and burying her face in her hands, "He won't stop."
"Block his number," Inuyasha suggested, standing to take a sip of coffee and then moving to throw his suit back on, "That's what I did."
They both paused and looked at each other. Inuyasha wondered how often he could stick his foot in his mouth around this woman. Probably thousands of times before the end.
"Anyway, I gotta go." Inuyasha could think of nothing better to say as he pulled on his jacket, "Kagome's probably wondering if I'm alive. Or she's pissed off. Either way, I gotta go."
Kikyou just gave him a sad smile. "Of course you do," she said, "I'll see you in New York in a few days, okay?"
He smiled back, finally allowing himself to feel that wash of pure fucking relief. "What color this time?"
"You pick," she said, "I'll wear anything you like this time."
"Uh, okay," he said, "Well, I'll let you know. Later, Kikyou."
And he ducked out of there as quickly as his legs could carry him, passing the little polo-shirt-wearing twerp on the way out.
"I called a car for you, sir," Hojo said as Inuyasha tore past him, "It's in the driveway."
Inuyasha stopped and sighed. "Thanks, kid," he said, still unable to remember his name but realizing he had been rude to this point, "See you around."
"Miss Higurashi?" Hojo poked his head back in through the bedroom door, "Are you alright? Can I get you anything?"
Kikyou sat on the bed, texting furiously. She looked up. Her face was dry, not a tear in sight.
"I'm just fine, Hojo," she said with a sweet smile, "Can you do me a favor and get rid of that extra coffee?" She motioned to Inuyasha's barely-touched mug on the tray.
Hojo immediately scooped it up in his hands, feeling such a stirring of loyalty. Kikyou was so good at pretending nothing bothered her. Poor thing. He wasn't sure what was going on between her and Inuyasha, but they seemed to be patching things up, slowly but surely. Hojo knew he wished them all the best.
"One more thing," Kikyou said as Hojo turned to leave, "Can you call Sango Ryoshi and tell her I need to speak to her as soon as possible? Thanks!"
"What. The fucking. Fuck."
Miroku looked up from his phone. He sat in the breakfast nook of his home, drinking a strong-as-hell Bloody Mary and scanning the gossip headlines as he did every morning.
"Morning," he said to Kagome, who had just appeared in the room, in her customary tee shirt and boxers, her hair a wild halo of curls. She was staring at her own phone, eyes narrowed in that dangerous way that Miroku knew well enough to stay away from.
"Should I ask?" Miroku said hesitantly. Kagome stood stock still, just chewing on her lip and seemingly trying to remain calm.
"Hojo," she said slowly, deliberately, "Just texted me asking how Inuyasha likes his morning coffee."
Oh shit. Miroku gulped.
"So he was there the whole night," Kagome said, like she was merely stating a fact without a care in the world, "This is just - fucking - wow."
"Come here," Miroku said, getting up, taking her by the shoulders gently, and placing her on one of the kitchen barstools, "Sit down before you fall down."
"I'm calling him right now," she said, her hands clearly shaking, "I deserve an explanation."
Miroku knew it wouldn't work, knew that her number was still blocked. But the part of him that still valued self-preservation refused to let him mention this to Kagome. She would kill him. Like, really properly kill him. He would tell her later. Or better yet, find a way to get ahold of Inuyasha's phone, unblock the number without being noticed, and get it back to normal. No one would ever be the wiser.
He was going to die. By one hand or the other.
"Ugh, I can't get through," Kagome said, slamming the phone down on the table, "You know what? Fuck this. I'm buying a new phone. One that fucking works. And one Kouga doesn't have the goddamn number to." She got up and stomped into the guest room to get dressed.
Miroku almost laughed out loud, the breath leaving his lungs in a great whoosh. Holy shit, I must have given money to the right homeless guy, because luck is on my fucking side right now.
Returning to his own phone, he decided now would not be a prudent time to tell Kagome that her face was all over the front pages of every gossip site worth their salt.
"MEET KAGOME HIGURASHI: THE BABY SISTER QUIETLY TAKING OVER THE FASHION WORLD, ONLINE FANDOMS, AND THE HEARTS OF THE PUBLIC, ALL IN A DAY'S WORK!" That was Yura. So dramatic.
"KAGOME HIGURASHI STUNS IN SILVER AND BLACK AT LA FILM CRITICS AWARDS, DENIES DATING KOUGA OKAMI."
"'MY SISTER IS SORT OF THE PERFECT HUMAN': HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE KAGOME HIGURASHI INTERVIEW EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT."
Miroku scoffed. This had Sango's fingerprints all over it.
Sango.
He shook his head, cleared his throat, and gave a small wave goodbye to Kagome as she flitted out the door. "Don't forget your key this time!" he called, unsure if she heard him or not.
He lit a cigarette and put his phone down.
"I guess now's as good a time as any to pack for New York," he muttered.
"Come on, Kagome, pick up," Inuyasha cursed under his breath as he weaved in and out of traffic. No answer. The damn thing wasn't even ringing longer than a few seconds before cutting out.
Just my fucking luck.
A car beside him laid on the horn. "Asshole!" The driver leaned out of his window to flip the bird. Inuyasha turned to him and just growled under his breath, and the guy's eyes immediately widened and he backed the fuck down.
Great. Next headline tomorrow: "Inuyasha insane with rage attacks helpless motorists with rental car on Pacific Coast Highway. Mental evaluation and arrest imminent."
None of that fucking mattered. What mattered was getting out in front of this whole mess of a situation. What mattered was telling Kagome exactly what had happened before someone else told her and she drew the wrong conclusions.
Miroku. Call Miroku, you idiot. Right, right. He pressed the button and told the car to dial the number.
"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Kikyou," Sango took a last drag of her cigarette (she'd broken down and bought a pack this morning) and stubbed it out in her neglected coffee mug on the desk, "The studio's got a full publicity plan already in place for the New York Critic Awards, the Globes, all of it. Oscar noms are announced after the Globes. You do the math. We need every card we can play right now."
Listening to the buzzing on the other end, Sango winced slightly as she halfheartedly scribbled a few notes to herself for her meeting with Warner in thirty minutes.
"Yes, I understand that Kouga is making this more complicated than necessary," she said slowly, "but I'm taking orders from my boss, who wants to push that angle all he can. If you're so concerned about it, maybe you should take it up with him personally?"
The intercom on her desk buzzed. "Miss Kagome Higurashi to see you, Miss Ryoshi."
Sango paused mid-scribble. "Kikyou, I'll call you back." She hung up the phone and pressed the receiver button on the intercom. "Send her in."
Oh my god the reactions to last chapter. You guys were SALTY, let me tell you! Hahaha I both loved it and wanted to hide under my bed in fear of the wrath. Never fear, dear readers. The situation is never as bad as I make it seem. Until it is. Which may well be soon if I can't get those two crazy kids to find each other long enough to have a decent conversation. I swear, no one does what I tell them anymore. I'm losing my edge.
Also HOLY GUACAMOLE we are FORTY CHAPTERS IN! This is the longest story I've ever written, and I love writing it. It will be sad when all my loose ends are wrapped up in a neat little bow and I have no more of this tale to tell. But I CAN'T THINK ABOUT THAT NOW, I HAVE FEELS TO WRITE AND LULZ TO INVENT!
Kagome - "Pissed Off and Mad About It" by Texas Hippie Coalition (the best thing is Kagome would fucking LOVE this song fuhrealztho)
Inuyasha - "Weak" by AJR
Miroku - "That Bastard Son" by The Dead South (I adore this song, it sounds like whiskey learned to play banjo)
Sango - "Mr. Know-It-All" by Kelly Clarkson (interpret this one as lying to oneself and it's perfect)
Kikyou - "Better Than Her" by Matisse (not a huge fan of this song but the lyrics work so shruuuuuug)
Love you guys! Hope this chapter gives you all a nice boost to your day! Or it makes you angrier possibly... *hides under rock* - meggz0rz