{.x.o.} | Rapture's Remorse | {.o.x.}
{x| Chapter 17: Renounce |x}
There was simply no way he could allow it to come to pass, he had to stop her from making the mistake of marrying the mangy wolf. If he wasn't such an ass, if he was better off and with less of a player past then he would allow it—it wasn't for himself that he wanted her to call off the wedding, it was for her. She deserved better than Kouga.
"He is not good enough for my grand-baby," Kagome's grandfather proclaimed as he waved his walking cane above his head.
Really, he couldn't have said it any better.
"Don't you think, Inuyasha?"
"Yep," he nodded, "Kagome is too good for him. The guy's a pig."
"He is! My grand-baby deserves better, now Akitoki Houjo, that's a man! She needs to get married to him," he ranted on. It was then that Inuyasha figured that he was having one of his 'moments' where he forgot chunks, like the part when Kagome was engaged to Akitoki Houjo. Inuyasha had never met the guy but Kagome had told him about him and so had her grandpa. He seemed like a pansy, a good natured pansy but a pansy nevertheless.
"Yeah, I hear that, too," Inuyasha replied with a nod before the old man finally sat down, for a moment he stared blankly at him before his smile light up again, "ah! Where is your sword, Inuyasha?"
"My sword?" he mused, "what sword?"
"The testusaiga," he stated, "the sword that you father crafted from a fang for you, the one you used to conquer the evil monstrosity that caused misery everywhere it went."
"Ah, that," he smiled weakly, and now came stage two of the old man's issues—confusion, a blurred line between reality and the endless amount of old time fables that he knew. One in particular he believed was true, a tale of the shikon no tama, it had two names in it that really made his wires get crossed. An inu-hanyou named Inuyasha that teamed up with a pretty priestess named Kagome. "Right, yeah, I left that somewhere safe."
"Good idea," he nodded as he began to sip his tea, "you wouldn't want the dark forces getting their hands on it."
"No, I wouldn't," he assured, "you tired yet, old man? Maybe it's a good idea you go to sleep."
"In my youth—!"
"You ain't young anymore, old man," he rejoined with a smirk as he stood up to help him to his feet and into his bedroom, "just go to sleep."
"Don't let the demons get in," he ordered as he crackly got into bed.
"Don't worry, I won't let them get in," he promised and he closed the door behind him. He jumped some when he turned around to see that Kagome was right there with a dumb smile upon her face.
"Sorry," she giggled, "thanks, I think my grandpa really likes you."
"Yeah, he doe like me," he grinned, he didn't even have to explain it any further. She knew he well enough to read the subtext, he doesn't like your fiancé.
She just sighed at that with a shake of her head before she went to the kitchen, he had been throwing those silent jabs around for days now. She got it already, he didn't like Kouga, but she had the funny feeling he wouldn't like anyone she chose. "Want something to eat?"
"Sure," he replied with a shrug as he walked back out to sit at the table, "how was your day?"
"I had to help out in the burn unit," she frowned as she got out some bread and other fixings—there was simply no way she'd be going near the stove.
"That sounds nasty," he shivered.
"It is," she muttered, "I'll be in the child's ward later, this is just an overall depressing week. But on the bright side," she grinned, "I'm going to go try on wedding dresses tomorrow on my day off. Wanna come?"
No, not at all but, "sure."
[...]
One dress, two dress, three dress, four… five… six… seven, eight, or twenty, fifty, sixty—after the first three it all just faded into more and more. It was a complete bother; they had gone to three stores the first two her bride's maids were there to give an opinion. Each time one agreed on it the others disagreed, there was one aspect one liked, another that they all disliked, then all had to go to work but she decided to go to just one more place.
She said she had a good feeling about it, he sighed and said whatever.
It was rather painful to watch her flaunt around in wedding dresses and giggle with her friends, all joyous about marry a man below her. That was it… he wasn't jealous. Probably…
Finally, she walked out in one that she truly seemed to enjoy and one that simply took his breath away as he sat in the chair outside the dressing room. When she came out she asked, "what do you think?"
Her answer was his dumbfounded stare, not a word left his lip, she smiled brightly as she turned around to look at the three-piece mirror.
"I never knew someone could make a wedding dress look so damn good," he managed to say after she had turned away.
Instantly, her heart went 'bump-bump' and her cheeks became rosy while he walked up behind her to examine the her closer, she could see him in the mirror, feel him right behind her… it made her heart go wild when he touched the fabric. It was stupid, why did it happen? Why did she have to think so hard not to wonder what it would be like to kiss him… or that the last time—only time—they did it was in Nikko, too.
Just like they were then…
"I…" she began in a mutter as she touched the scar on her chest, "I don't know if I want to wear one like this… it shows my scar, you know?"
She feared that it'd upset Inuyasha, to have to think about his sister-ish. And for a moment it did, he raised his hand up to place it upon hers, "Kikyou must have loved you a lot, Kagome, she'd be really happy for you."
"Thanks," she smiled as she slightly leaned back into him.
"I think you look pretty, with or without the scar," he assured her as his fingers glided down to the rim of her dress, she wasn't a lustful woman by any means but that does spark a certain flame within her.
"I'm going to try on another dress," she stuttered before she pried herself away to go back into the dressing room.
Of course, she had to try three more on before giving up for the day. They barely got out on the street before the rain started to pour down on them.
"Crap," she cursed as they started to run down the street, Inuyasha grabbed her arm to yank her under a protruding roof to shield themselves. "I'm soaked, it's really storming."
"Should have watched the weather," he guessed as he ran his hands threw his silver tresses and sighed to look back at her.
"It said it would be a nice spring day," she mocked, "never listen to the weatherman."
"I want to tell you something," Inuyasha sped as he leaned upon the wall to face her.
"Okay," she replied wearily, "what?"
"I don't think by any means that Kouga is good enough for you."
Ah, that, at least he finally said it aloud. "I figured as much, you haven't really tried to hide that fact."
He groaned, "look, I'm serious. I can't let you marry him in good conscious. He won't treat you right."
"Inuyasha—"
"I hate to use this," and he really did, but it was a sure fire way to get her to listen, "but it's not just for your sake… it's Kikyou's too."
That got her hazels to widen before she looked away, "is… that so?"
"Yeah, Kagome," he pushed off the wall to stand in front of her, "it is."
"Just," she paused as her eyes locked with his, "for our sake… not yours?"
There was no implication of that being a bad thing in her voice; on the contrary, she seemed to almost tremble in all the right ways with him so close. Would it stop her if it was for his sake, too? He leaned just a bit closer, she didn't move until their lips were barely apart. Then her senses flowed back to her and she pushed him away to cover her mouth and step aside.
"No, I can't… I can't be that girl, that's not me," she declared. "I mean… I cheated on Houjo, he's a good guy, I can't do it a second time, Inuyasha…"
"Then just leave Kouga, it's not cheating then," he simply stated.
She shook her head again, "I… love Kouga, and he loves me."
He nodded, "I see."
He'd be gone tomorrow; no one could say he didn't try.
[...]
What if she made the biggest mistake of her life by rejecting Inuyasha? What if he was really the one she was meant to be with? Couldn't he just be beside her and make her heart go wild? She couldn't… couldn't live with that 'what if'.
But… could she live with the ones if she left Kouga?
Ugh, what hell. If Inuyasha had never shown up then none of these worries would be fluttering around her head. She would flinch each time Kouga touched her or picked apart each compliment that he gave her, everything he said to find something annoying about it.
She had to face the facts; she was just looking for a reason to disengage with him. But what would that say about her? The first one she left for the man she was fucking behind his back, the second one she left to…? Fuck another?
Ugh, that wasn't her. That wasn't, so why did it become?
She used to be so good, church every Sunday, no sex, the most pious of behavior now…
Now she was terrible.
"Babe, what's the matter?" Kouga finally asked as he folded his arms, "ever since that mutt left you've been actin' funny."
For three days she had been 'actin' funny', why did it bother her that he noticed? It meant he knew her, that he cared about her… he did, there was no reason to leave him. She could dig and dig for a justification but there was none.
"Kouga…" she began wearily as her eyes met his pretty blue eyes.
She had no reason to leave him…
[...]
The city was rather cold once he returned even in spring, rain constantly poured down and it seemed ever so fitting. He was more miserable than he thought with each day that faded away, every one was a sign that they she was closer to being officially someone else. Someone who was not him… but that wasn't the main character—was it?
Wasn't it that Kouga wasn't good enough for her?
Yeah… that was it, but he couldn't stop her if she didn't want to listen. He'd force himself to go to the wedding like he promised, he'd sit through the service patiently and go to the after-party-thing enough to say 'hey' then return to Tokyo. It wouldn't be a problem. He was fine with that… he was.
When a knock, knock, knock caught his attention he got up and walked to the front door to see a certain someone standing there with a silly smile.
His brows flexed together in bafflement as she walked right in without a word, "hey…?"
"I called off the wedding," Kagome declared as she spun around, "it was hard… and I feel bad about it but I did it."
"You did, that's great," he grinned as he shut the door, "how'd Kouga take it?"
"Try not to relish in other's misfortunes, Inuyasha," Kagome ordered as she crossed her arms, "it was hard on him… he doesn't get it but… I think it's for the best."
With a smile she took a step forward and placed her hands upon his shoulders to lean up—he knew right away where that was going and… he leaned away. Her brows bent together from that as she tilted her head, he unlocked her hands from him.
"Inuyasha…? Didn't you want me to do that?" She inquired.
"Yeah, because Kouga's not good enough for you," he stated.
"That's it?" She snapped, "that's the only reason? What about you?"
"I'm not good enough either," he shrugged as he pushed his hands into his pockets.
"Shouldn't I be the one to decide that?" She asked as she took a step forward, he only took one away.
"It wouldn't work out," he muttered, "you hate the city and need to stay with you grandpa. There's no way I could move to Nikko. I don't even have a high school degree and I make a good amount of money working for Kaguya, I couldn't do that anywhere else."
"That's not fair," she declared, blinking quite a bit in the process to keep the tears that threatened to break free in. "I gave up marrying a fine man for you and you won't even try?"
He didn't say a thing, he simply looked dumbfounded so she shook her head and waved him off as she stormed out of his place.
Was he wrong…? Or was she?
A/N: thanks for reading, please review. I hope you enjoy the last few chapters.