Disclaimer: I do not own Devil Does Exist or Devil Beside You - the manga and drama that this story is based on.
Forewords: I can't really say that I've been busy with anything because I haven't. I haven't updated simply because I just didn't really feel like writing chapters. I don't know why, but my passion for writing isn't as strong as it was before. I guess it's because I'm already losing interest in this story of mine. I've come up with plenty of other stories which I'm really excited for, so I guess that's why I haven't been looking forward to writing The Joke's On You. However, I'm trying my hardest and there's still a slight spark left! This story is almost finished and I'm actually pretty proud of it. However, my future works are going to be even better, so don't miss out! Anyway, here's chapter twelve for The Joke's On You.
The Joke's On You
Chapter Twelve: Ideal Lover
Sw33t-Sorrows
So Uncle is still married.
"Why didn't he tell you?"
"He himself hasn't seen her for over fifteen years. He didn't think it would matter. Besides, it's not like we're getting married anymore, so why get upset over it?" Hitomi gave Kagome that smile again, however, this time it seemed for convincing...
Hitomi was off to work within a few hours, leaving Kagome home with InuTaisho and Inuyasha. Awkwardly, Kagome sat in the living room watching TV. She stopped at a certain channel, broadcasting a famous Taiwanese drama called "The Rose". The voices were dubbed into Japanese and Kagome decided to watch it. It wasn't long until InuTaisho interrupted.
"Kagome?" She looked up at him and slapped a fake smile onto her face.
"Oh, Uncle! Sorry, this program's really interesting. You should watch it some time!" InuTaisho smiled back at her, not aware of her shaky voice - or maybe he was just ignoring it.
"I will." He took a seat next to her on the couch and looked toward the screen, but he wasn't paying attention at all. "Kagome, do you blame me?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I assume your mother has told you about the fact that I'm still married to my second wife."
Second wife? That means he's had a first wife too.
"I'll explain more about that later. I just hope to talk about you and Inuyasha first." This caught her attention. "How long have you two been dating?" InuTaisho's tone remained gentle and calm like it always was. His eyes, however, were serious. Kagome began to wonder how this man would be related to Inuyasha.
"Um, well, we started dating a little after we met."
"I see, so it's been a long time?" The girl nodded. "Kagome, Inuyasha's endured many emotional wounds as a child and a young adult. I just hope you'll be there to support him while I'm not there." Uncle's placing Inuyasha in my hands. "I know you'll do a great job, you already have. You're already changing him, you know." He trusts me. And for some reason, Kagome felt tears gather in her eyes. Seeing this, InuTaisho opened his arms.
For the first time in years, Kagome found herself in the warm, loving embrace of a father's arms.
"Thank you." She whispered.
"Thank you, Kagome."
So this is it. Mom and Uncle aren't getting married - not only for me and Inuyasha, but because Uncle is still married to some woman he hasn't seen in over fifteen years. He never actually did explain to me what happened. I think he's trying to avoid the subject. I wonder...if I asked Inuyasha, would he tell me? Probably not, he's quite touchy when on the topic of his family. Hm, so what happened to his first wife? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru hate each other's guts - on the outside that is. Why can't they just see that they care about each other? Sheesh. What a complicated family.
"Hey, you. Why are you staring off into space like that?" Kagome shuddered as the familiar deep voice rang throughout the room. She hadn't noticed that she had been sitting there for quite some time now, after her little talk with InuTaisho. He had left a while ago because he had some business to take care of at the school. "So what did the old man say to you?" Kagome bounced as Inuyasha plopped himself down on the couch next to her.
"Nothing really,"
"No really, what did he say? If he said anything, I swear I'll-"
"No, Inuyasha! Fine, you really want to know what he said?"
"Yes."
"He said you're mine. And that you belong to me now."
"What? No way. You belong to me."
"You belong to me!"
"No you-"
"I don't care, you're mine now!" Silence for a few moments as they stared into each other's eyes. But just before Kagome could melt over those beautiful golden eyes, he spoke.
"Okay, okay. In the future, we'll face whatever obstacles that may come at us together. You'll be with me, right?" Kagome let out a laugh.
"Of course I will."
So how did this come to be? Two people who originally thought they hated each other, fell in love after hearing their parents announce they were to be married.
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"Maybe I never hated you."
"Don't get mad. Because even though you're a little on the weird side, I think I like you too."
"Hey, pass me a towel will you?"
"You can take your little blackmailing scheme, and shove it up your ass!"
"You like Kouji, don't you?"
"Under your administrations, I feel much better."
"How come we always wake up like this nowadays?"
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Kagome smiled as she recalled those memories from so long ago. Even though this had caused them a hell lot of pain, Kagome was just glad they got through it. Those memories were nothing compared to the ones they were going to make in the future.
Absolutely nothing.
It seemed like it was ages since they were at school. Kagome stood in front of the building and sucked in a breath of fresh air. She had never been more relieved to come to school before. Kagome missed Sango and Miroku so much. However, before she could even think about opening those doors and going in, she was stopped by a familiar voice.
"Kagome?" She froze. Oh please no. She turned around and let out a slight gasp. What is she doing here?
"Yuka?"
"May I talk to you for a bit?" Yuka didn't look the least bit angry, in fact, she looked afraid. The girl was no longer dressed in her usual blouse and skirt uniform, but was wearing casual outdoor clothes. Her t-shirt and jeans made her look like a completely different person and Kagome almost didn't recognize her.
"Yeah, of course." The two girls stopped at a nearby caféto talk. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Kagome asked when they received their coffee from the waitress. With a soft clink, the older girl placed her cup down on the glass table.
"Kagome, did you already know that Inuyasha likes someone?"
"W-what?"
"I'm just a little confused as to why people didn't tell me, that's all."
"Yuka... I'm sure it's because they didn't want you to get hurt. You don't have to worry."
"But I must have caused Inuyasha and the girl he likes so much pain. I know I like Inuyasha a lot, but I never really noticed until now that he never actually paid attention to me. He was always thinking about something else while he was with me. Now that I know it's because he likes someone else, I feel horrible."
"It's not your-"
"Kagome, could you do me a favour?" Yuka reached into her large white purse and took out a small silver box. Was it some sort of gift? It looked so delicate Kagome didn't dare to touch it. The box was wrapped with a beautiful golden ribbon. Yuka placed the box onto the table and pushed it towards Kagome.
"What's this?"
"It's Inuyasha's." Yuka took the lid off and inside was a ring. "He dropped it one day while he was walking me home." Kagome noticed that inside there were two very tiny roses resting beside the ring. "If you ever meet this girl, tell her that these two roses are my blessings for her and Inuyasha. I hope that they have a wonderful future." Kagome felt her heart splitting in two as she saw the sincerity in Yuka's eyes. "This ring, he wants to give it to this girl. Could you deliver it to him for me?"
Yuka said her goodbye, and left the café. Kagome remained in her seat as she stared at the small roses. Her blessings? How come someone so gentle and pure suffered from such horrible fate? Yuka never deserved any of this. In fact, she was the victim of this whole thing.
This isn't fair, Kagome thought to herself. Not only did I take away Mom's happiness. But I took away Yuka's too. What have I done?
Meanwhile, Houjo approached Sango after class. "Sango, would you happen to know where Kagome is?"
"I'm not sure, I called her cell phone but she didn't pick up."
"That's weird," At that moment, Inuyasha and the others stepped into the classroom.
"You girls ready to go yet, we're going to be late for the...where's Kagome?" Miroku said dumbly as he was faced with Sango and Houjo. "She was supposed to meet us here for the movies."
"I don't know, she wasn't in class." Houjo noticed the look on Inuyasha's face. I've always known there was something going on between those two. After Kagome told me she no longer had feelings for me, she said it was because she was in love with someone else. That someone...could it be Inuyasha?
"Kagome's not the type to just miss a class. Something must have happened." Houjo finally spoke out loud, not surprised when he saw Inuyasha immediately bolt out of the classroom and down the stairs.
"Inuyasha!" Miroku called after him. He looked over at Sango, who looked at Ayame, who then looked at Kouga, who then looked at Bankotsu, who then said, "Why the hell are we still standing here?! Let's go!" Everyone except for Houjo ran out of the class and followed Inuyasha. The older man stared after them as they watch them run after each other. Suddenly, his lips curved up into a smile. They're not so bad after all.
Inuyasha was in the front yard yelling out Kagome's name, hoping she would respond. When he got nothing, he continued down the street and stopped when he saw a small figure at the park, sitting on one of the swings. "Kagome." He mumbles before picking up his pace and running towards the park. "Kagome!" He calls out one more time, and she turns. Although it's from a distance, he could still see the stream of tears that were making their way down her face. Stupid, why are you crying? "Kagome, what happened?" He asked, out of breath, as he stopped next to her.
"Inuyasha, why must our love be built on the suffering of others?" He didn't respond, only knelt beside her as he watched her shoulders tremble and her eyes squeezed shut.
"Kagome, if it's not you - I don't want anyone else." She didn't say anything, instead she continued with her soft sobs. Looking over at something shiny that caught his eye, something was clutched tightly in both her hands. It was a silver box wrapped with a golden ribbon. "What's this?" Inuyasha lifts his arm, and takes the box from her. Kagome finally raises her head and watches as he unwraps the gift. His eyes widen slightly as his eyes rest on the familiar piece of jewelry.
"Yuka asked me to return it to you. She said you dropped it while walking her home." Kagome sniffled, and quickly wiped away the tears. Inuyasha reached up and took hold of her small hand.
"You don't need to return it to me. I bought it for your birthday." Kagome watched breathlessly as Inuyasha slipped the ring into her finger. "It suits you, doesn't it?" Holding his hand was no longer enough, Kagome almost jumped off the swing and threw herself into the arms of her beloved. "Kagome, always wear it." He smiled when she felt her nod her head against his chest and he held her body close to his.
They didn't notice their friends peeping around the corner. That is, until...
"OH MY GOD!"
Inuyasha and Kagome immediately let go of each other, hearing Sango's shriek. "Sango, shut up!" Kouga's voice echoed.
"Don't tell me to shut up! Besides, you screamed just now too!"
"Hey!" The others quietly and slowly, one by one, stepped out from around the corner, grinning sheepishly. "How long have you been standing there?!" Inuyasha yelled.
Bankotsu and Kouga stepped forward. "We only heard this part. You don't need to return it to me. I bought it for your birthday." Kouga bit his lip to keep from laughing as he imitated Inuyasha's deep voice. Sango and Miroku stood behind them, snickering and whispering to each other.
"Oh yeah. And this part too; Kagome, always wear it. If it's not you - I don't want anyone else!" Although Bankotsu was exaggerating, nobody seemed to care, except for Inuyasha that is. Kouga and Bankotsu stepped towards each other and wrapped each other in an embrace. "Oh Inuyasha!" One of their voices went extremely high pitched to imitate Kagome - who was turning an adorable shade of pink.
"Kagome!"
"Do you guys want to get killed?!" Inuyasha got up from his spot and bolted after the two guys. Watching as the scene unfolded before her, Kagome smiled.
Although our situation is really different, we have people who care about us regardless. They support us, and most importantly, they understand us. I'm so happy to have friends like them. Seeing Inuyasha so laid-back and worked up fills me with a warm feeling. I have a feeling that everything will turn out just fine.
Just then, Kagome felt all her pain, sorrow, anger, and her fear - it all just melted away, and it was replaced with happiness.
Inuyasha stood by that green door. The green door that he always dreaded seeing ever since he was a child. What was taking that woman so long? He rung the doorbell at least ten minutes ago. Or maybe he was just nervous. Nervous? He had never been nervous when coming here. In fact, his most rebellious acts had occurred in this very home. Suddenly, the door swung open and Inuyasha came face to face with the witch from hell - that was what he liked to call her anyway.
"Grandma." The older woman didn't say anything, only sighed as she wrapped her sweater tighter around her and stepped aside to let her grandson in. "We need to talk." Amaya took her seat in her usual armchair and shut off the television.
"I assume you're here to explain to me why your father isn't marrying Hitomi? So, what happened?" Amaya's voice was dull and she sounded somewhat annoyed.
"I'm not here to talk about that. But I guess I should tell you. I'm-" She held up her hand to silence him.
"Let me take my pills, if I don't, my heart might not be able to take it." Amaya leaned forward and took two pills from her medicine bottle and swallowed it. Inuyasha picked up her cup of tea and handed it to her. He always knew that the reason why his grandmother's health wasn't very good was mainly because of him. He had always made her angry and upset, blood pressure and everything shot up like a rocket. Don't get him wrong, Inuyasha loved his grandmother. However, even as a child - Inuyasha only loved his grandmother because he felt like he had to. He didn't know the grandmother image like the other kids did. The other children said that their grandmother would bake them cookies and tell them stories about how the world used to be. The grandmother Inuyasha knew was all about discipline and the family business. Once Amaya settled down, Inuyasha took a deep breath and continued.
"I'm in love with someone, Grandma. I love-"
"Kagome." Amaya had interrupted him once again.
"You knew?"
"Inuyasha, I may be old and my eyes may be a little bit tired - but I'm not blind yet."
The next morning, Amaya finds herself sitting in her son's living room with her son himself and Hitomi. "So, Amaya, what brings you here?" Hitomi said nervously.
"I hear you are cancelling the wedding." The two younger ones exchanged glances. "Why is this, InuTaisho? I also hear that you haven't divorced Izayoi yet, either. That woman has no right to be a part of this family, I thought you said you took care of it." InuTaisho opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "And you." Amaya turned towards Hitomi. "You and your daughter come waltzing into our lives, telling us that you want to become Takahashi's. Kagome - charming, full of charisma, and sweet on the outside...she knew her mother was about to get married. Yet she still goes ahead and seduces the son of her future stepfather. How shameful can she get?!" Hitomi had tears in her eyes.
"How dare you insult my daughter?! She did not seduce anyone. I certainly did not raise her like that."
"Ma, don't say that about Kagome. Those two kids were in love even before Hitomi and I announced her engagement. And as for Izayoi..."
"I don't want to hear it."
"Please," Hitomi began, slightly surprising InuTaisho and Amaya. "Please accept them. Taisho and I have already decided to cancel the wedding. Inuyasha and Kagome really do love each other. Amaya, please, you love Inuyasha don't you? You care about him, please, they are happy together."
"My blessing...is it really that important?" InuTaisho frowned.
"Mom, if we can't have your blessing, what do you want us to do? We can't go against your wishes!" InuTaisho got up and took a seat next to his mother. "I know Inuyasha hasn't been exactly too obedient during the course of his life, but he's finally doing something right. I'm sure you have noticed. His behaviour has improved ever since he met Kagome. Kagome has changed him for the better, she's a great influence."
"Are you begging me, son?"
"Mom..."
"You, InuTaisho, are less than your son." Amaya looked over to her son and broke out into a wide smile. Shocking Hitomi and InuTaisho, she began to laugh. "Did you really think your son would keep quiet about this, hm? He's already told me everything."
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"Grandma, remember when I was younger...you always wanted me to do certain things, and I always ended up doing the opposite."
"How could I forget? I wanted you to learn English..."
"But I learned Chinese instead and cursed at my teacher."
"How about that time I wanted you to learn to play piano? Instead you went out and learned to play that awful electric guitar." They both shared a laugh, something they haven't done in over twenty years. "Where are you going with this, Inuyasha?"
"Grandma, the reason why I learned those things is because I liked them. I enjoyed playing the electric guitar, and it helped me meet new people. I have to be honest with you, I don't care what our relationship in the future may be. Whether it be lovers or siblings; because Kagome's already in my heart."
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Hitomi and InuTaisho exchanged glances once more, but this time they were happy looks. "Since he said that, I couldn't rip his heart out. Besides, that boy has never listened to be before."
"Oh, Amaya."
"I may not like how you're doing this, but do whatever you want."
Amaya was accepting them. Hitomi and InuTaisho couldn't be happier. Kagome and Inuyasha were getting their chance. Everything was alright, no more worries, no more troubles and no more problems. Okay, so that wasn't necessarily true. "Mom, thank you so much."
"Oh I'm not done with you yet. Although I may have just been messing with you about the kids, but you still need to explain to me what happened with Izayoi fifteen years ago."
"Maybe I should go..." Hitomi slowly got up from the couch.
"No, you stay here. You need to hear this." Amaya signaled Hitomi to sit back down, which she did. "Shame on you InuTaisho Takahashi! You are still married and you go ahead and propose to another woman?! If the children haven't fallen in love with each other, how long would you plan on keeping this a secret? Forever?! Is that how I raised you? Izayoi is a shame to this family. What kind of woman abandons her son at the age of three? Inuyasha could barely talk when she left. And now you tell me she is still formally known as Mrs. Takahashi?! Oh, I am so disappointed in you."
"Mom, I-I don't know what to say."
"How about you start with why you're still married."
"I..." InuTaisho let out a sigh. "I don't know, okay?! I don't know!"
"You're still in love with her, aren't you?" Hitomi barely even whispered.
"Hitomi, listen..."
"No, no! I'm not angry, I'm just...relieved."
"Relieved?"
"Yes! We're in the exact same boat here."
"We are...?"
"Well yes. This whole thing made me realize how much I'm still in love with my husband." Hitomi and InuTaisho kept talking, completely dismissing the fact that Amaya was still sitting there, expecting a better explanation. However, they could feel a certain something. They were coming together, different than how things were before. Although Amaya still wasn't very happy about calling off the wedding and her son still be married to that horrible daughter-in-law - she was happy that they were becoming a family in more ways than one. They got along, and everyone was happy.
Well. Almost everybody.
Author's Notes: GAH! I just had an exam today so you guys should be happy that I even thought about updating today! No, I'm just messing with you. I love updating and I love the positive feedback. I think my passion for writing wasn't lost, I was just under a lot of stress because my grades have been slipping...majorly. I haven't been working this year at all, in fact, slacking is all I have done. So, at that moment, I decided to cast aside my writing and concentrate on school work, even though it was already too late since it was the end of the semester already. However, now that the school year is over and I only have two more exams to write, I'll be updating more often. I have the whole summer to think about and write my chapters for The Joke's On You. Also, I hope you all read my upcoming stories: I Only Have Feelings For Youand Hey There, Pretty Boy!. Both fit under the romantic comedy genre and feature the lovable couple of Inuyasha and Kagome. I hope you will be there to support me as much as you have for this story.
Thanks for your support,
Sw33t-Sorrows.