Ha! I finally finished it! Last time I stayed up until 6 something, this time I didn't sleep at all, lol. I'm tired as hell! Lol, it's ok though. Usually, if I start to write and I get something good going, I don't like to stop. I'm so stubborn I won't even go to sleep, lol. I'm happy though that I finally finished this damn thing. Sorry for the long wait guys. Enjoy Chapter 12!
xXx
Previously on "The Project":
His car... Someone had dared to touch his beautiful silver Spyder Eclipse. Tissue paper... everywhere! His entire car was covered in it to the point that he couldn't even see the silver anymore. Even the tires were covered! When Inu-yasha reached his precious car, he could see that the entire inside was covered in tiny confetti pieces. When Inu-yasha found the door handle under the tissue paper and yanked it open, some of the tiny pieces of paper tumbled out. Some unidentified stench emitted from the car the second Inu-yasha opened the door.
Inu-yasha felt like crying. When he'd thought nothing could make him mad, he'd forgotten about Miroku's revenge.
Chapter 12
Biggest Regret
"Dammit!" Inu-yasha shouted to no one in particular. The parking lot was completely deserted. The tissue paper and confetti pieces were the same ones Inu-yasha had bought to get Sesshomaru back with. But only now did he remember telling Miroku that the tissue paper and confetti was too much for one night. They had already killed Sesshomaru's hair. Miroku must have claimed the extra supplies to get him back with. Strange how Inu-yasha didn't remember that...
Only because he was in a hurry to get ready for the small party that night did Inu-yasha even dare to step into his now destroyed car. When he sat down, he felt his behind instantly become wet in some unidentified liquid that had soaked into his car seat. After shouting a string of curses, he started the car and went on his way. He hadn't even made it out of the parking lot when the car began to slow down until it came to a complete stop. Inu-yasha looked at his gas gauge to see that it was well past the 'E'.
"FUCK!" he shouted as he flew the car door open and slammed it shut. The little bastard had even emptied his gas tank! He remembered it had registered at a half tank that morning. Now he had to walk home, after he had came all the way back to the school parking lot. Inu-yasha shouted a whole new dictionary of curse words as he made his way home.
xXx
The furious silver-haired boy slammed the front door open when he reached his house. He didn't even bother to close it, he just went straight to his room. He didn't feel like dealing with anyone now.
Inu-yasha had just gotten that car at the beginning of the summer. He knew he'd just have to get the car cleaned up. He couldn't demand a new car from his father since it was his friend who had pulled the vile prank. If it had been Sesshomaru, he could ask but since it was Miroku, his dad would just say, 'your friend, your issue.'
He had gone too far. Miroku knew better than anyone that the one thing that was off-limits was his car, especially his Spyder Eclipse. When he'd gotten it, he bragged about it for the first month straight. Now it was ruined, with that stench in it. It'd take at least two weeks to get that smell out of his car, whatever it was. And he knew it would be next to impossible to get all the tiny confetti pieces out. Now he regretted more than ever when he said he wouldn't get him back for whatever prank Miroku would do. If Inu-yasha had his way, Miroku would already be tied up in the middle of some railroad tracks.
Inu-yasha slammed his bedroom door the moment he reached it. He'd have to call the tow service to retrieve the car. Only the phone book was out in the hallway so he looked for the number on the Internet. He didn't want to even leave his room and see civilization.
After he told them where they could find the car and what was wrong with it, he hung up. He needed to do something to keep him distracted. After looking at the clock and seeing that it was already four o'clock, he decided he should take a shower and get dressed into some more decent clothes. Needless to say, the whole time he was in the steaming shower, he was thinking of ways to get Miroku back without him knowing it was him. Yeah, so he did promise not to but he would have to make an exception.
He could put Miroku's car in the junk yard to get compacted... No, that wouldn't work. He'd have to buy him a new car since Miroku most likely couldn't afford another.
He could permanently die Miroku's hair lime green... No, that wouldn't work either. Knowing the girls at school, it would only increase their love for him. Next thing Inu-yasha would know, people would come to school with their hair green, just like they had when Inu-yasha and Sesshomaru had come to MHS with their silver hair which had become the new fashion around the school.
He could put a laxative in Miroku's drink... Nah, too basic; not enough to get back for what he had done to his car. Not nearly enough.
A few moments later, Inu-yasha got out of the shower. He still hadn't come up with a solution. He wrapped his towel around his lower body and was just stepping out of the bathroom when the phone rang. He raked his nails through his tangle-free silver hair and caught a few water droplets as he went to his room and picked up the phone.
It turned out to be the towing company. They only wanted to inform him that his car had been successfully retrieved and would be taken to the shop to be worked on. Inu-yasha thanked them and insured them they would be well paid for their services.
Whoever had trashed his car either had it all very well planned out, was an expert, or both. Inu-yasha thought more than ever now it was Miroku who had destoryed his car. Miroku was the only one Inu-yasha knew who could pull this kind of thing off.
Inu-yasha picked up the phone again to call the little bastard but decided against it. It would only give Miroku the satisfaction that he wanted. He'd act like nothing was wrong and wait for Miroku to ask about it. Then he'd let him have it. It took all his self-control but he put the phone back down. Only then did he realize that he still wasn't dressed. The whole issue had made him forget that he was still virtually naked (he still had the towel on though). With one last frustrated sigh, he when to work trying to find the right clothes.
The boy was just about to walk to his closet when his phone rang again. He growled at it but picked it up anyway.
"What?" He was in no mood to be polite.
"Inu-yasha? Is that you? You sound like you've had a bad hair day!" a familiar voice told him.
"Kagome?" Inu-yasha exclaimed. "Oh, sorry 'bout that. I've just had a rough day." Suddenly something registered in Inu-yasha's mind. Why was she calling him? "Oh no, you're not calling to cancel on the party are you?" His voice got panicky. "You're still coming over tonight right?"
"Hmm...?" Kagome questioned. "Oh, that! Of course I am! Why wouldn't I?" Kagome said cheerfully.
Inu-yasha blushed a little when he thought of the kiss he'd planted on her cheek before he left. "N-No reason," he sputtered out. Then he furrowed his brow suspiciously. "How did you get my phone number?" he asked warily.
"Your number is in every phone book across the country! So is your address!" Kagome laughed.
"Oh." Inu-yasha blushed again when he remembered that his father had made sure of that so his two sons would always be reachable, particularly by the ladies. "So why are you calling then?" Inu-yasha asked when he couldn't think of any valid reason.
"Oh, I was wondering if I could invite some friends over too... Is that okay?" Kagome asked hopefully.
"Oh yeah, sure, that's fine," Inu-yasha said relieved. He was afraid she was going to cancel after all.
"Okay, so what time is it again?"
Inu-yasha told her and somewhat rushed her off the phone so she wouldn't change her mind about coming. He took a deep breathe of relief. That was close. The boy continued to survey his closet, looking for the right clothes. He still hadn't taken his towel off, as he still wasn't dressed yet. Since it was more of a party atmosphere, Inu-yasha choose loose-fitting faded blue jeans and a simple white button up shirt. He had just slipped on the jeans when he heard a 'whish' by his bedroom door. Curious, he went to his door as he tightened his belt. Just as he was about to poke his head around the corner, he father stood in the doorway.
"Dad!" Inu-yasha said in surprise. "What are you doing home?"
"I came home early to get ready for our guest tonight," Inutaisho replied. He looked like he was distracted, as if he was looking for something. "By the way, have you seen--"
"Oh," Inu-yasha interrupted him warily, "about that guest..." His dad gave him a suspicious look. "She said she would feel too uncomfortable if only she came. I told her she could invite her family and a few friends. So... is it okay if this is more like a little get-together than a dinner party for one?"
Inutaisho looked at Inu-yasha with a thoughtful expression. "Alright," he smiled, "that's even better! I get to met the family already!" He walked away to make the new arrangements. Before he was out of earshot, he heard him shout, "Hey Tami! Call all the family friends and tell them to come over to met my future daughter-in-law!"
Inu-yasha sighed wearily. His dad was going to be the death of him and any progress he'd made with Kagome. Tonight was going to be interesting.
xXx
Kagome hung the phone up after she'd called Inu-yasha. She sat on her bed for a little while longer before she picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?" a female's voice filled her ear.
"Hey Yura," 'Kagome' said in a smug voice.
"Kikyo! Well, did you do it? How did it go?" Yura asked anxiously.
"Better than we'd hoped!" Kikyo exclaimed as she flopped on her bed. "Not only did I find out that he is having a party tonight, but I also found out that 'Kagome' is invited. Oh, and 'Kagome' is inviting some of her friends so... think you want to come?" Kikyo tempted. "He has a brother..."
"Count me in!" Yura squealed. Then she paused and thought about it. "But wait, the real Kagome's still going to come. What happens when he sees the both of you? You'll have to tell him you were lying the other day."
"Yes, I thought of that," Kikyo said somewhat annoyed. "I might have to tell him... or I might not. As long as he doesn't see us together, what's the problem?"
Yura scoffed. "Hello! This Kagome doesn't have any style remember? You're guaranteed to show up in something way better than her."
"Hmm... true," Kikyo said with a smug chuckle. "I guess that won't work. Oh well, I was bound to tell him eventually so why not now?"
"Alright Kikyo, but I have a feeling he'll be mad you impersonated her," Yura said with a hint of doubt.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kikyo said with obvious impatience. "Well just see when we get there." She was just about to hang up when she added flirtatiously, "Oh, and Yura... invite a few boys." The two girls giggled with delight before they hung up.
xXx
After Inu-yasha had called Miroku on his cell phone to invite him to the party (he said absolutely nothing that would hit at his knowing of Mirkou's prank and Miroku did just the same), he jogged down the stairs in search for Tami. He wanted to busy himself before he went crazy. If he stayed still, he'd only think about all he had to be mad about.
"Tami!" he hollered.
"Don't yell at me boy!" Tami said as she walked around the corner. She didn't even look at him, just hurriedly went to the door.
Inu-yasha jumped slightly at her sudden appearance. "Do you need any help?" he asked although he could guarantee she would.
"Yes, I do! Your father wants me to decorate the house, buy party supplies, bake a cake, prepare dinner, call all the family friends and find your brother all at the same time." Tami stopped her fast pace to count off the list on her fingers.
"Sesshomaru isn't here to help?"
"No," Tami growled. "I haven't seen him all day and right when we need him, he isn't here. I can't believe your father actually thinks this last minute party is going to work. We don't have that much help."
Inu-yasha looked a little guilty for making it into a party and making it harder on her. "I can go buy the food and decorations," he volunteered. He couldn't help but remember the last time he went to the store. He met Kikyo there although he'd thought it was Kagome. He suddenly felt ashamed for having ever mistaken her for the real thing.
"Would you?" Tami said gratefully. When Inu-yasha nodded, she grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. "Here's what we need. I'll leave you to it," she said cheerfully before she hurried to the kitchen.
Inu-yasha glanced at the note and groaned. A whole page full. I better be getting paid for this shit, he thought.
xXx
"Inu-yasha dear, would you hold this up for me?" Izayoi asked. She was on her tip toes, trying to tap a piece of decorative tissue paper to the wall. They were decorating the foyer.
"Sure," he said, jumping away from his task of taping balloons to the banister to help her. Once he'd taped it for her, he went back to blowing up balloons. He didn't understand why they were going through all this trouble to make the place look real nice when there were only a few people coming over. It would only be a few close family friends, Kagome's family and the residents at the house. Why was he taking the time to tape all this crap up? He didn't dare ask his dad though. Inutaisho was busy making sure the food and decorations would be done on time. He was running around helping here and there. He was stressed about this and that, so even if Inu-yasha did manage to catch up with him, he'd be too busy to talk to him.
Just then, Inutaisho glided through the foyer where they were working. "Oh," he said when he saw the two, "have either of you seen Sesshomaru?"
"No," they answered in unison.
Inutaisho growled and mumbled under his breathe, "I swear I'm gonna ring that boy's neck when I see him. The party's going to start in only one hour and he still isn't here. What could he possibly be doing?"
Inu-yasha didn't care. If his brother wasn't there, it meant nothing could go wrong. Sesshomaru was always messing it up for him. And the fact that this party would be centered on Inu-yasha and his girlfriend (at least that's what Inutaisho thinks) didn't help the matter. Inu-yasha's half-brother was probably trying to find Kagome now to tell her not to come. That's something he'd expect from his brother, always trying to make his life more miserable than it already is.
The only good thing that would come out of Sesshomaru coming home was that Inu-yasha could threaten him with his blackmail picture again. He had to warn him to stay away from Kagome. He remembered how the bastard had tried to take Kagome from him in the library that day. If he tried something like that again, Inu-yasha would have no choice but to show the picture to the world.
Inutaisho went to the kitchen to check up on the food, leaving his son and wife to finish up in the foyer. Izayoi glanced at her son warily. He had just blew up a balloon too much so it popped in his face. He growled frustrated and snatched another from the bag on the stairs. She felt sorry for him. Her husband could really over do something to the point where it annoyed not only his sons but his wife also. She just hoped that the girl Kagome wouldn't be frightened away by her husbands antics.
xXx
Tami skillfully added three eggs into the bowl with a practiced hand. She had a million things running through her mind. This idea was crazy, to have a party on such short notice. It would've been fine if it were only Kagome but now she had to fix food for more people. Although crazy, the whole situation filled Tami with energy. She was excited to see how the night turned out. Being a maid though, she'd most likely spend most of her time in the kitchen cooking while the party guest got to be social. She didn't mind though. She was more comfortable with the familiarity of the Taisho family than the family friends anyway.
Just then, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She emitted a frustrated sigh. She was too busy to get cell phone calls. Tami put her bowl on the counter and reached for a paper towel. She had batter and flour all over her.
"Hello?" she answered her phone when her hands were clean. She put the phone in between her shoulder and head so she could still use her hands to mix the batter.
"Tami? This is Mirkou."
"Mirkou?" she questioned. She put the batter down and put the cell in her hand again. "What are you calling my cell phone for? Is the house phone down?" Great, one more issue to add the the million she already had. Miroku calling her baffled her however. He had only called her once or twice before when Inu-yasha and he were fighting. But then again, Inu-yasha did seem to be very angry lately...
"Oh no, the house phone is fine. I just have a favor to ask..." Miroku said.
Tami sighed. She never liked to turn down people in need but she had so many things on her to-do list she'd be busy for days. "What is it," she asked anyway.
"Can you come pick me up for the party?"
Tami furrowed her brow even though Miroku couldn't see her. "What's wrong with your car? And why come to me? Why not Inu-yasha?"
"Well, you see... Somebody trashed my car and I can't use it. No gas in it or anything, won't budge. And I recognize some of the materials used to mess up my car as Inu-yasha's so I have reason to believe he did it. So can you come pick me up? I'd rather Inu-yasha not know that I'm having car issues..." Miroku didn't want to give Inu-yasha the satisfaction if it really was him. Tami guessed it was a matter of pride.
Tami thought about Miroku's words. It was very likely that Inu-yasha didn't have a thing to do with Miroku's car... although he had been out for some time to go to the store. Tami sighed. "I really don't have time to be dealing with this..." she started. She could pratically see the disappointment Miroku was feeling. "... But I suppose I can come over when I put this cake in the oven."
Miroku smiled and said, "Thank you so much! Oh, and the party doesn't start for an hour so don't worry about coming over right now."
"Sure baby," she smiled. She liked to see people happy. After a friendly good bye, Tami hung up and set back to work.
So, Inu-yasha pranked Miroku's car... It wasn't any of her business but she didn't believe he would do that. She knew from her latest talk with him that he had pranked Miroku already so why would he do it again? She hadn't talked to him all day though with the exception of when she had given him the grocery list. She had been too busy with preparations. Perhaps something had happened today though...
xXx
Inu-yasha sighed. He had just finished with his decorations. He was happy his father had only wanted the foyer decorated. It would've taken a year to do the whole house. The problem now was that there was still twenty minutes before the party guests were due to arrive and he had nothing to do.
Inu-yasha wandered the house in search of something to busy himself with. His eye caught Tami rushing from the kitchen to his general direction.
"Hey Tami, where are you off to?" he asked when he saw her pick up her keys from the dining room end table.
"Uhh," she stuttered. "I-I forgot to write a few things on your list. I'm off to get them from the store." She couldn't betray Miroku and tell him her real purpose. He had said he didn't want Inu-yasha to know about his car troubles.
Inu-yasha shruged. No doubt she was lying but if she didn't want to tell him something, it was most likely for a good reason. He waved as she made her way to the door. Just then he smelled a delightful aroma coming from the kitchen. He wandered in that direction and pushed the metal door open. Two butlers tried to manage the sizzling hamburgers and chicken along with the buscuits and desserts in the oven. Inu-yasha picked some cookie dough out of a near empty bowl as he dodged a butler holding a large pan.
Deciding the smell of food could destract him, he helped the two men in the kitchen until Tami returned some time later.
"Inu-yasha!" she exclaimed when she rushed into the kitchen. "What are you doing in here? The guests are already here and coming!" Inu-yasha realized with a jolt that a full half hour had passed since he'd been in the kitchen. He thanked Tami for the information and left the delicious aroma of the kitchen.
Oh no, Inu-yasha thought the moment he saw the living room. There were people he'd never seen drinking the party punch and eating the appetizers laid out on the table. Some couples danced the the slow music that was now playing. He could only spot a few people that were actually invited here and there, hidden by the teenagers though.
This was not supposed to happen, Inu-yasha thought. This was supposed to be a quiet little party not the party down the block. He had told Kagome that she didn't have to worry about the party being big but now that would be a lie. It was hardly past seven and there were already well past thirty people in the house. How the hell did so many find out about their get-together?
The answer was soon in plain sight as soon as Inu-yasha got the the foyer. His dad was talking excitedly to Kagome. People were still ringing the doorbell and coming in after a maid opened the door.
Once glance at Kagome told him all he need to know. She was wearing a tight leather black mini skirt with a pink shirt that just barely passed as appropriate. It was sleeveless but had a string that tied around the neck to hold it up. She wore two inch thick black high heels.
"So you're Kagome, the one Inu-yasha's been telling me about," Inu-yasha overheard his father say to the girl.
"Oh yes, I just adore your son. He's just so funny and nice to me." She giggled like an elementary girl.
Inu-yasha knew for sure by then. He had been suspicious from the moment he saw her. Inu-yasha cleared his thoat, smoothed his shirt, and strode over to the two. He put a big smile on his face and said to his father, "Hi Dad. I see you have met Kikyo, Kagome's cousin. I actually only just met her a couple days ago. She looks so much like Kagome. When she gets here, you've just got to see the resemblance." He watched Kikyo look at him, completely mortified. His father's face transformed from cheerful to suspicious in an instant.
"Her cousin, you said?" Inutaisho asked with a twitching raised eye brow.
"Yeah, her cousin. I had thought it was Kagome when I first saw her. I swear, they could be twins," Inu-yasha chuckled inoccently. He was still smiling like no tomorrow. Kikyo seemed to melt under Inutaisho's stare.
After a moment of akwardness, Kikyo stammered, "I-Inu-yasha, c-could I talk to you for a m-moment?"
"Sure," Inu-yasha said a tad too cheerfully as she dragged him to the stairs where there was less activity.
"Why the hell did you do that?" she exploded in a whisper once the reached the end of the stairs.
"What do you mean? I was only introducing you." Inu-yasha used a completely inocent tone.
"How do you know I'm her cousin? I didn't even know that," Kikyo said, ignoring his excuse.
"The real Kagome told me," Inu-yasha said, accenting 'real' only to make her mad. "She said you probaby wouldn't remember because it was a long time ago."
"You're damn right I don't remember! You should have warned me ahead of time you'd do something like that?"
"Why, so you can try to impress my dad?" he accused. "I bet he doesn't think too highly of you now that he knows you were lying to him about being Kagome. You should have just told the truth from the beginning. Now he most likely doesn't even want you at the party." Suddenly, Inu-yasha looked at her angrily. "Which reminds me," he growled, "where did all these people come from?" He already knew the answer but asked anyway.
"Aahh..." Kikyo stalled. "I... It wasn't me."
"Yeah right. Now it all makes sense. That wasn't the real Kagome I talked to on the phone. It was you. You asked if you could invite a few friends. Now thanks to you this small get-together is now a raging pary!"
Kikyo was taken aback by his tone but got in his face like he did to her. "What's wrong with that? I only made it better than it already was."
"You made it worse the moment you walked through the door," Inu-yasha snarled. Kikyo was stunned at his harshness and didn't reply. After a moment, Inu-yasha sighed. No matter who it was, worst enemy or best friend, he hated to see a women's feelings hurt. "Look, to be honest, you had no business pretending to be Kagome, at the store or just now. I don't know why you did it but you're better off being yourself."
Kikyo refused to make eye contact and Inu-yasha took it as permission to leave. He was just about to help greet the guests when she caught his arm. She looked into his golden orbs and said with a puppy dog eyes, "I'm sorry. Will you let me make it up to you?"
He held her gaze a moment until something caught his eye. Across the room was Kagome, looking straight at him and Kikyo with wide eyes...
xXx
Kagome nerviously got out of the car along with her mom, brother, and grandfather. Her mom guided Grandpa to the front door as Souta followed. Kagome fiddled with her outfit, making sure there weren't any stains or anything. Why was she so nervous? It was only Inu-yasha's family and she wasn't even going out with him anyway. Of course she knew that his family might think they were and for Inu-yasha's sake, she'd go along with it.
She wore a casual yet flirty skirt that reached her lower thighs. It flared a little on the ends and was blue with green designs. She picked a normal blue v-shaped shirt to go with it. She wondered if it would be alright for the event.
The small family reached the door and knocked politly. A maid with short brown hair welcomed them as they walked into the brightly lit foyer. A couple people dotted the empty room and music was heard in another room. The maid who had greeted them offered to take their jackets and they accepted. Kagome wandered into the living room where there were many more people. The number of them made her somewhat uneasy. As she tried to push the feeling away, she picked up a cracker from the nearby table and nibbled on it. After wondering for some time, she began to get wary. She didn't know a single person here. All she wanted was to see a familiar face.
And there it was. Mirkou had just come in with another woman. She looked old enough to be his mother although she doubted she was. She had on an apron and was most likely a chef. They split up at the door, Miroku headed up the stairs and the woman began to walk in her direction. Kagome took the opportunity to ask where the bathroom was. The lady seemed very nice as she pointed the direction. Kagome thanked her and left.
When Kagome left the restroom, she noticed there were many more people than before. She was highly uncomfortable and decided to find a queiter place. Remembering the stairs she had seen in the foyer, she went that way. Kagome froze as soon as she went around the corner and her eyes widened in surprise.
There was Inu-yasha with someone who looked somewhat familiar. They seemed to be seconds from kissing. For some reason, Kagome felt betrayed to see him with her. After all he had done to get close to her and now he dropped her for the next big thing. Whoever she was, looked a lot sexier than her in her skimpy mini skirt. She angrily thought, Well, I hope he's happy with his new toy... They'll probably be up in a room in a few minutes making out.
Kagome lightly bit her lower lip and turned back into the room behind her just as she heard Inu-yasha call her name. Around that time, the tears began to fall. How dare he chase her after he had been so close to another girl! He couldn't expect her to sit and wait around the house for to meet the other girl so she could laugh at her tear-stained face. No, she was leaving that place as soon as she could.
She had no clue where she was going but she just wanted to get out to that house. The tears stung her face when she found a sliding glass door. It was pitch black outside but Kagome stepped into the bitter fall cold anyway. She could just barely make out the ends of the deck she was on and the stairs leading to ground level. She immediately went in that general direction. Her tears didn't help her vision at all and she fumbled for the railing to insure a safe decend. By then, she heard the sliding door open again.
"Kagome?" Inu-yasha's voice called into the darkness.
Kagome hoped he didn't see her as she slipped around the side of the house. She cautiously made her way to the car. She only found it because it's white paint job stood out in the dark night. Since she had driven, she pulled out the keys and opened the driver's side door.She sat there for a moment attempting to hold back her tears before taking out her cell phone to call her mom and tell her they were going to be leaving sooner than planned.
xXx
Inu-yasha stared blankly at the stars. He was sitting on a bench on his deck. He didn't know how long he was there but then again, he didn't really care. Kikyo had looked for him after he took off, he knew. He could hear her voice asking various people where he was but he didn't bother to reveal himself. Kikyo would only worsen his mood.
He hadn't moved from that spot for some time after the shadow had crept around the house. No doubt it was Kagome but he didn't want to risk seeing that face again. The image of Kagome's shocked betrayed face flashed in his mind multiple times as he sat there. That face told him that she really did have feelings for him, otherwise she wouldn't have cared or runned out. Now that he knew he actually had a chance, he felt guilty beyond belief. He could only imagine what he and Kikyo must have looked like in Kagome's eyes. It was his fault. He shouldn't have lingered on Kikyo's gaze. He should've pushed her away but he didn't. It was a huge regret that he was sure to remember for life.
In truth, he was comparing the two girls. He saw then that the two looked nothing alike. Kagome had those soft brown eyes that held so much myschief. Kikyo had cold ruthless black stones for eyes. Kagome's face was soft featured and always looked inoccent. Kikyo seemed to wear a smirk that said 'I'm better than you' all the time. And Kagome's lips... ah, her lips. Hers seemed soft as rose petals while Kikyo's were ready to yell at someone for some reason or another.
But still, it shouldn't have taken him that long to see the differance in the two. He should have never mistaken Kikyo for Kagome in the first place. They were nothing alike and any person could see that.
So now what was he going to do? Kagome was probably so mad at him, she wouldn't want to even look at him. And his father didn't even get to meet her. The guest of honor wasn't at the party and that was sure to make Inutaisho upset.
But of course, only Kagome mattered to Inu-yasha. If he could make it up to her, he wouldn't mind being grounded for years.
The party continued inside but he would never know if the people were satisfied. He didn't want to see anybody right now and so he stayed on the bench, looking lost and alone.
Some time later, the sliding door opened. Inu-yasha hardly took notice. He was still staring at the same star he had been for the last thirty minutes.
"You know, you're bringing down the house with that gloomy attitude of yours," his friend said softly.
Inu-yasha sighed and looked at Miroku with lost eyes. He forgot all about his car and Miroku's revenge.
"I saw it all from the top of the stairs," he said refering to Kagome running away after seeing the two. "Figured I'd give you some time to cool off but you still haven't come back inside." Miroku looked at Inu-yasha and asked worridly, "Are you going to be alright?"
Inu-yasha sighed again and said, "I'm not sure yet."
Miroku leaned against the bench and said after a moment, "You should be. You got me good again today." He said it with playful angriness.
Inu-yasha furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about?"
"Remember? My car? You were smart to get me again. You couldn't have gotten be back after I did my prank because you promised not to... so you did it before. Really smart," Miroku said with a rueful chuckle.
Inu-yasha sat up. "Wait a minute, something happened to your car too? And if you didn't get me back yet, then who pranked my car?"
The sat in silence as they tried to think who could've done it.
"Oh my god," Inu-yasha said suddenly. "Is he really that stupid?"
"Who?" Miroku asked. He was lost.
"Sesshomaru," Inu-yasha answered. "He hasn't been home at all. He must have gotten me when I went to follow Kagome and he got you when you were in your house."
Miroku looked thoughtful and then said, "Now that I think about it, after I got back from school, I only came back to the car to come here for the party... That's when I saw the tissue paper and stuff."
"He must've had friends with him to be able to do it so fast. He must've hoped we would think we did each other's cars." Miroku nodded in agreement. "I don't see why he would do that if he knew we had blackmail pictures though," Inu-yasha added in bafflement.
"Maybe he hoped to find something for blackmail for you."
"Even if he did, it would be a stalemate from there," Inu-yasha said. Suddenly, he stood up. "Come on, we have to go find him. Maybe he's here by now." Miroku followed his friend back inside. He was relieved that Inu-yasha was distracted from his depression but it was sure to come back.
Knowing his brother would most likely want to be away from all the festivities, Inu-yasha first checked Sesshomaru's room. Sure enough, there he was playing some game on his computer.
"Hey," Inu-yasha said the minute he saw him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing pranking my car?"
"Yeah, and mine," Miroku chimed in.
Sesshomaru slowly turned in his chair after he took the time to pause his game. He smirked maliciously and sneered, "So you figured it out? At little sooner than I had thought but it doesn't matter."
"Dammit Sesshomaru," Inu-yasha yelled, "that was my new car!"
"I know. It only makes it that much more funnier." Sesshomaru was chuckling now, mostly just to mock his half-brother.
"Did you forget about that wonderful picture of you in make-up?" Inu-yasha questioned.
"Of course not," Sesshomaru replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"So you don't mind if it's on the internet by the next couple of minutes, right?" Inu-yasha taunted.
Sesshomaru smirked. "Well, you might want to think about that before you act on it. This evening didn't turn out to be a total waste. I talked to someone who happenes to know a certain secret about you."
"And what's that?" Inu-yasha growled when nothing came to mind.
"Oh, just about a little prank you want to go unoticed by a certain girl from school. Something involving a house and a lot of tiolet paper..." Sesshomaru watched Inu-yasha's face go ashen. Miroku's eyes got big and he was suddenly feeling really sorry for his friend.
"Souta," Inu-yasha whispered.
"Ah yes, that was his name. The little boy who is Kagome's brother, right? Such a sweet boy, don't you think?" Sesshomaru was toying with him and was really enjoying the faces Inu-yasha made.
Inu-yasha growled before turning away, grumbling, "That boy is SO dead!" He marched down the stairs only to remember that Kagome and her family had most likely left already.
Thinking of her made him enter his depression again and he told Miroku he'd see him at school the next day. When questioned, Inu-yasha just told him he wasn't feeling well. Miroku nodded in understandment and went to mingle with the guests.
Inu-yasha wearily closed and locked his door. He didn't bother to say goodnight to anyone. Tonight was the worst day of his life. Not only did he have Kagome to worry about but he also had his dad and his brother to think about. He was scared Sesshomaru would tell Kagome his secret although right now he was sure she couldn't hate him any more than she already did. His dad was sure to be disappointed and angry he didn't even get to see the real Kagome or her family.
Then there was Kagome. She'd be mad that the party was larger than he had said it would be. His depression was increased when he realized that it didn't take him long to ruin everything. Four days... had to be a new record for him. They had gotten pretty close for only four days. But now on the relationship scale, he was at negative fifty. How was he ever going to get her back? How was he going to convince her that it really wasn't what it had looked like with Kikyo and himself? How could he gain Kagome's trust again?
xXx
And that's Chapter 12! Didja like it? I hope so. I don't like it, I can always find a million things wrong with my chapters and a million things I want to do differently. I feel like I rushed it at the end... But seeing how this is only my first fanfiction, I'm not going to stress on making it perfect. Not this time around anyway, lol.
Okay, so just so everybody knows, there's probably only one or two chapters left of this fanfiction. I know, it's so sad. I love writing and hearing from my readers. But the story has to end eventually. I actually already started another... Lol.
I have no idea how to end this though. I don't want to make it too dramatic but I think I might have to. I'm really good at dramatic stuff but drama really doesn't fit this story since it's mostly humor. Ah well, I'll figure out something soon.
So what to look for in the upcoming chapters! You'll finally find out what Kagome's deal is. And finding out who Kagome's last boyfriend was doesn't really matter. What matters is what he did to her. Keep that in mind when you read the next chapters. I might add some more of Souta, Kouga, and Hojo. I dunno, tell me what you think.
See ya in the next chapter. And once again (like I say in most of my chapters) I'm too tired to check spelling, grammar, whatever... Just bear with me, lol.
Hiko18
P.S. If any of you have any questions about the story thus far, feel free to ask in your review. I have no problem either replying or posting the answer in the next chapter. Usually, if it's an important question that I want everyone to know I'll post it in the next chapter.