Author's Note: Here I am again. Sorry I'm late on this update but I'm glad to get this one out because I can't wait for the next chapter!!! ^_^
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...
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Chapter 9: Kagome's AAA Party
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The morning was greeted with a knock at the door of one of the special guests in the Koku Hotel. Inuyasha groaned, rousing from his sleep at the insistent knock that just wouldn't end. The knock stopped and he inwardly sighed, flipping his head over to lie on his other cheek and went back into his dreams. But then the knock started again. Inuyasha growled, lifted himself off his bed, and shuffled his way angrily over to the door. He didn't even get to look at the time to confirm his suspicions that it was too damn early. He got to the door and opened it, intending on yelling at whoever the hell was outside knocking on it. But once he opened the door, Kagome's scent invaded his senses and he saw her standing in her pajamas.
"Kagome?" he asked, unsure if what he was seeing was real or not. He still felt sleepy.
Kagome looked confused and unsure as she stood outside his doorway. "Inuyasha… can I come in?"
Inuyasha nodded his head and moved aside so Kagome could come in. He closed the door behind her and rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes. He took a deep breath, her scent entering his lungs, giving him a good morning welcome. He sighed heavily. 'I need to stop doing this…' He followed Kagome to his kitchen counter, since most of the suites were the same, and sat down on the stool next to her.
"Kagome? What's wrong? Why are you outside my door and not in your room?"
Kagome sighed and showed him the box that she held in her hands. It was a long, rectangle sized box that was made out of a velvety exterior. "I got a call from the lobby saying that they had a delivery for me and asked if I wanted it brought up. But I went down to get it anyway." Kagome sighed, her legs between Inuyasha's opened ones as they sat facing each other on stools. She opened the box for him. "Isamu gave me this."
Inuyasha's eyes widened as he looked at the sapphire necklace lying on the white material inside that held it securely. It was a beautiful sapphire necklace, the gems making a pattern with the diamonds along the whole chain to wrap around a woman's neck elegantly. Inuyasha felt his hands clench and he bit back his growl.
Kagome sensed his anger and looked up at him. "I told the woman to give it back to him but she told me that he already left and she doesn't have his contact information." She watched as Inuyasha fought for control. She could see that he was angry, angry that Isamu had given her a gift of this size. Even she was surprised that he had given her something so expensive and beautiful like this. Which was why she had come to Inuyasha so that he could give it back to Isamu. She didn't want this. But not only that. She wondered why Isamu would give her a gift like this.
"Inuyasha…" she said, wanting him to talk to her. She watched him, her eyes pleading. Then, he finally looked at her and his eyes didn't hold the anger that she had seen while he was looking at the necklace.
"I think Isamu knows that you won't refuse any of his gifts."
Kagome's shoulders slumped and she placed the box onto the counter. "But this is too much. I don't want it." Inuyasha could hear the sadness in her voice. He knew that Kagome would feel bad if she didn't accept it, but she didn't want such a high quality gift. But not only did Kagome's emotions fuel his anger, but the fact that Isamu would buy such a high quality gift for Kagome was enough to enrage him.
Inuyasha looked to the box forgotten on the kitchen counter to the side of them. "Then don't accept it."
Kagome's eyes looked up at him, shocked. "Inuyasha. I can't do that."
"Yes you can," he said, his eyes looming on hers. Kagome bit her bottom lip and looked away. "You don't have to take it Kagome. You already took one gift from him. You don't have to take all of his gifts." Inuyasha could see Kagome was contemplating what he was saying. She gazed at the ground, not wanting to look at him. He wanted to reach out to her and comfort her but he held himself back, not wanting to cross that line.
Kagome nodded her head. "I know what I'll do." She looked up at Inuyasha and saw his golden eyes waiting for her to speak. "I'll wear it tonight and tell him that it was nice of him to give it to me. But then I'll just give it back tonight."
Inuyasha smiled, liking her idea and making his demon feel a lot better with this gift giving situation. He felt himself calm down at the fact that Kagome didn't want the gift. She was going to give it back, and that alone made Inuyasha feel happy. He nodded his head. "Okay."
Kagome smiled at him. "Thanks, Inu. Sorry I woke you up," she said, looking down at his bare chest. His soft skin didn't leave her view for a moment. Although she looked into his eyes, she could still see the glow of his skin.
Inuyasha shrugged and placed his palms on his thighs. "I don't care. Besides… I'm glad you did to tell me this." He watched Kagome and she smiled at him. The two remained like that for a while until Kagome turned to look at the time.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, turning to look back at him. Inuyasha's ears tweaked at the sound of food and he smiled a huge, toothy grin. Kagome giggled. "Well… I guess that's a yes." She went to move out from between his legs, pushing his thigh away to get off the stool. Kagome walked around into the kitchen area and looked at what she had to work with. Inuyasha smirked and watched her every movement, laying his arms on the counter to gaze out at Kagome. He watched the way her face showed contemplation as she stopped moving and the way her hair swayed with everything she did. He watched her so intently that he didn't hear what she said until she snapped her fingers in his face.
Inuyasha reeled back, startled, but then he recovered. "Hey! What the hell was that for!"
Kagome rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "You were spacing out." Inuyasha growled but she just ignored him. "There's nothing good to eat. I wanted to cook something but there's nothing I can cook that's good for breakfast." Kagome pouted, making Inuyasha gaze hungrily at her pout. 'Oh I know what sounds good for breakfast…' His thoughts flew right to his groin and he bit back the urge to think about Kagome in that kind of way.
"Why don't we order room service?" she asked, watching to see Inuyasha's reaction. She didn't want to keep ordering room service too much because she knew that it cost money. And it wasn't cheap at all.
Inuyasha nodded his head quickly, wanting the attention off him so he could concentrate on his damn tent in his boxers. "Sure," he gritted out.
Kagome arched her eyebrow, hearing the tone in his voice. "Are you sure?"
Inuyasha growled. "Yeah. Just… pick something for me." He got off the stool and went into the bathroom, passing the kitchen area discretely as he hid his front from Kagome while he walked by. Kagome watched him, wondering what was wrong, but then decided not to ask. He was acting strange.
Kagome went over to the dining table near the sliding doors and picked up the room service menu. She sat down and flipped through the pages, trying to find something that she and Inuyasha would like. After picking out something for her and Inuyasha, Kagome went to the phone on the dresser near the bed and dialed room service. She placed their order and hung up, looking back at the bathroom door to see that it was still closed. She furrowed her eyebrows. 'What is he doing?' Her thoughts got distracted when she realized where she was sitting. Kagome rubbed her hands on the sheets of Inuyasha's bed. She glanced up at the bathroom one last time, making sure that he was still inside, and then moved so that she could bring her head down to the pillows. Kagome closed her eyes as she took in Inuyasha's smell that was all over the sheets and pillows of this bed. She rubbed her cheek against the pillow, imagining Inuyasha sleeping in this bed, and released her held in breath of his scent. The door unlocked, making Kagome jump and reel back out of his bed so quickly that she nearly fell over.
Inuyasha came out of the bathroom with his hair in a ponytail and his face clean and awaken from the sleepiness that she found him in. Kagome placed her hands innocently in front of her, smiling at him as he came around the corner. Inuyasha looked at her with suspicion, raising his eyebrow as he took in her figure. He could hear Kagome's heart beat, which was a little too fast, and continued to stare at her. But she just smiled. Inuyasha shook his head and walked to the drawers underneath the television.
"Did you call room service already?"
Kagome nodded her head. "Yep. They said they'll be here in ten minutes." Inuyasha nodded his head and took out a shirt and pants.
"Do you want to go change?" he asked as he turned around to look at her. His shirt and pants were draped over his arm. Kagome smiled and shook her head.
"I like my sleeping clothes." Inuyasha smiled and shrugged. He walked back into the bathroom and shut the door, making Kagome sigh. Her shoulders slumped and she looked back down at his bed. 'I'm not doing that again…' Kagome looked at the time, seeing that it was eight fifteen, and went over to the sliding doors. The door was already opened so she went outside to smell the sea air. It was a lot warmer near the ocean than where she's lived on Honshu. Kagome sighed and leaned against the railing.
The room service came and Inuyasha got the door. After the man left, the two sat at the dining room table and began to eat their omelets with pancakes. Kagome smiled as Inuyasha ate quickly. When he asked her about what was bothering her, she just shook her head politely and continued to eat. Inuyasha growled at her but let it go as he kept eating his food. The two had small talk about how last night had gone with the practice. Kagome was excited to go now to see how the place looked but she didn't want to go to be noticed. She was nervous since there would be five hundred people there and they all came for her. It was like standing out in a crowd of bulls. Inuyasha stilled her fears and told her that he would be by her side the whole time. Kagome thanked him, watching as he ate his food with loving eyes, and looked away when he looked up at her. After they finished eating, Inuyasha wheeled the cart back outside as Kagome called room service to tell them they were finished with the cart. Inuyasha came back inside and went right to his bed, flopping down on his back and spread out his arms to the side of him. He huffed, feeling bloated from eating but feeling alive.
Kagome giggled, seeing his stuffed figure flopped on bed, and went to sit at the edge opposite him, right above his head. "I see somebody's happy," she joked. Inuyasha tilted his head up to look at her. She giggled at him, his face upside down, as he looked at her.
"Yep." Inuyasha sighed and looked back up at the ceiling again. He smiled, closing his eyes as he listened to the sound of Kagome's heart beat. He was starting to memorize the way her heart beat when she was relaxed or when something bothered her. He could hear the breaths she took and he relaxed to her presence near him, nearly succumbing to sleep.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome said, catching the hanyou's attention as she saw him give her his ears. She stifled her giggle at the action, deciding not to point out how cute he looked when he did that. "Can we go shopping today? I need to buy me a dress."
Inuyasha opened his eyes and tilted his head up again to look at Kagome. "Shopping?" he asked, elongating the word with dread.
Kagome giggled and moved so that she was lying on her stomach, her head next to his. "Yes, shopping. I was planning on buying me a dress when I got here because I didn't have one for an occasion like this." Kagome thought about it for a moment. "Actually… I have to buy three dresses… one for each day," she said with a nod, looking back down at Inuyasha next to her. She held herself up on her arms as Inuyasha's head was turned to gaze at her next to him.
"Three dresses?" Inuyasha said, thinking about the long afternoon he would be having in a woman's store. "Why do you need three dresses? Just wear one the whole three days."
Kagome glared at him and nearly growled. "Inuyasha…"
Inuyasha chuckled and brought his arm up to pat her shoulder. "Okay… okay. I was just kidding." Kagome smiled at him as the two smiled at each other, getting lost in their eyes. Kagome felt herself drowning again, those golden orbs too much for her to bear. And she could see that Inuyasha was falling again too. She remembered how it was when they were together. They would stare into each other's eyes, marveling at the beauty and uniqueness within each other's orbs.
Kagome blinked and pushed herself off the bed, making Inuyasha feel cold at the loss of her body next to his. "I need to go get ready." Kagome walked around the bed as Inuyasha sat up, watching Kagome walk out of his room. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and turned to look at the time.
Nine fifty. 'I need to call Kikyo…'
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The three boys and one girl walked down the streets of Naha, looking for dress stores. Koga and Inuyasha were both making fun of the bums that they saw in the alleyways while Kagome scolded them. Miroku just stood back and watched, shaking his head at the fun that the boys were having. After a few dress stores that they had passed, they were still looking for more dress stores. Finally, they found one that was in a more industrial area. The four walked in and Kagome went straight to the blue dresses. The boys followed her, she needing their feedback on how the dress looked on her. But also, the boys just wanted to go to get out of the hotel.
"Oohhh… I like this dress…" Kagome said, grabbing the blue dress off the rack and placing it against herself.
There were whispers going around in the store as women stopped to look at the only men who were in the store. But as they started to recognize who they were, more whispers occurred. Inuyasha sighed. Kagome turned to look at him, wondering what was bothering him.
Koga just waved off her fears, hearing what Inuyasha heard. "Everyone's talking about us." Kagome furrowed her eyebrows as she looked around and saw that everyone was looking at them. She made an 'O' with her mouth and smiled.
"You guys are famous, remember?" she said with a giggle, going back to the dress rack containing blue dresses. Miroku walked up behind her.
"Yeah… thanks for reminding us, Kagome," he said as Kagome just giggled. Miroku walked over to another set of dresses and browsed through them, trying to keep himself busy and help Kagome so they could leave soon. But they were interrupted by one of the workers.
"Mayonaka…" the store rep said with fascination. Her face was heavily loaded with makeup and the red dress that she wore only helped to bring out the glamour. Everyone turned to look at her as she looked at all three of the boys. "Can I help you?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "No. You can help her," he said, nudging his head to Kagome as he wondered why the hell they would need help in a woman's dress store. 'This makeup disaster woman is insane.'
The store rep nodded her head with a smile, obediently following his order. "How can I help you miss?" she asked, going over to Kagome.
Kagome just shook her head with a smile. "Ummm… I was just looking for three dresses. That's all… I don't really know what color I want. But I love blue…" she said, trying to help the woman out with finding her something to wear. The store rep nodded her head with a smile.
"Okay… at least that's a start. Face me," she said, and Kagome did so. The woman grabbed Kagome by the shoulders, feeling along her shirt from her shoulders to her arms. Then the woman twirled Kagome around so that she could study Kagome's back. After a few moments of the woman going 'hmm' and 'mmhmm', the store rep nodded her head. "I'll be right back."
Kagome arched her eyebrow as she looked at Inuyasha guys, seeing the same confused look on their faces. A few minutes later, the woman came back with five dresses. All of them were in different color: red, blue, black, white and green. Kagome's eyes widened at the beautiful dresses in the woman's hand. 'Wow…' she thought, astonished that the woman could pick out dresses that she thought would look beautiful on her so fast. The woman smiled, seeing the pleasing look in Kagome's eyes, and urged her to the dressing room. The boys followed, waiting right at the entrance for Kagome.
The store rep took Kagome to an empty dressing room and hung the dresses on the pole provided. "Take your time," she said as she left Kagome alone. Kagome said her thanks and closed the door. She looked at the mirror, seeing her reflection, and she arched her eyebrow at herself. 'Here we go, Kagome…' She began to try on the blue dress first since she loved the color. After a few twirls, Kagome nodded her head, not making her decision yet until she tried on all five. She went to the black dress next and found that it only went to the middle of her thighs and she thought about if she would be comfortable the night she wore this dress. She then tried on the white dress and liked the way it fit her but wondered how she would do with white while she ate. Then she tried on the red and loved the color and the style but red always called for attention, and she didn't need anymore blinking signs pointing at her during the party. Finally she tried on the green dress and smiled, noting the way it felt against her and nodded her head. While she changed back into her clothes she began to think about which one she would take. Kagome grabbed the five dresses, draped it over her arm, and walked out of the dressing rooms.
The boys and the store rep were waiting at the entrance to the dressing rooms and she smiled at them.
"So… which ones will it be?" the woman asked, already knowing that Kagome would like the dresses she provided for her.
Kagome smiled, looking at the dresses on her arm. "I'll take the blue, white and red." The store rep nodded her head, approvingly, and went to take the unwanted dresses. The boys followed Kagome as she followed the woman to the cash wrap. She placed the dresses on the counter and the woman began to ring up her purchase.
"Four sixty one ninety five," the store rep said as she began to fold the dresses neatly on the counter. Kagome took out her wallet from her purse and was about to open it when she saw a card being slipped towards the woman. She turned to see Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha… what are you doing," she said in a harsh whisper, her eyes glaring at him.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he said, his eyes not looking at her as he leaned his free arm against the counter. The woman smiled at the two but waited, not taking the card offered by Inuyasha.
"I can pay for it myself," Kagome said, facing him now.
Inuyasha shrugged. "Here," he told the woman, wanting her to take his card. Just as the woman was going to grab it, Kagome placed her hand half on Inuyasha's fingers and half the card.
"No," she said to the store rep, making the woman reel back and wait. Kagome turned to Inuyasha, her eyes angry. "I said, I can pay for it myself, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha now turned to glare at her. "And I said, I'll pay for it." He turned to look at the store rep, pushing Kagome's hand aside as he brought the card to the woman's chest level. "Here."
The store rep nodded her head but Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand and brought it to her chest. "No. You're not being fair."
"And you're acting like a baby."
"I am not."
"You are too."
"Inuyasha… will you just put your damn card away?"
"No. Will you give me back my hand?"
"No."
Miroku sighed and slipped the woman his card. His eyes urged her to take it and she did with a smile. The two were still bickering as he looked at Koga on the side of Inuyasha. Koga seemed just as amused as the store rep was, which made Miroku laugh.
"Thank you," the woman said as she gave Miroku his card back and the receipt. The two fighting both turned to look at the store rep, wondering why she told them 'thank you' as if they had already purchased the dresses.
"Thanks," Miroku said and slipped his card and receipt into his wallet and back into his pocket. Inuyasha and Kagome both looked at him at the same time, their eyes filled with anger as they glared at him. He shrugged. "You guys were both fighting about who would pay so I figured it out for you. Now can we go now?"
The women in the store were giggling at the scene with Inuyasha and Kagome, watching the lead singer of Mayonaka fight with a woman about who would pay. Miroku and Koga both went to the door as Inuyasha and Kagome followed, their heads facing away from each other in anger and stubbornness.
The next shop they went to was a shoe shop since Kagome now needed shoes to match her dresses. She decided to just buy a black and white pair of shoes since they could match with anything. This time, Kagome didn't fight when Inuyasha said he would pay for it. However, he didn't leave any room for her to fight him as he forced the poor store rep to take his card. After they left, they went out to grab something to eat at a food court. They took their plate lunches to go and went back to their hotel to eat it in Koga's room. They all got comfortable on his dining room table and began to eat their lunches. They watched a comedy movie as they ate and laughter could be heard coming from Koga's suite. After they were finished, they all relaxed into their chairs and watched until the movie was over.
"Well… I think I'm going to go take a nap," Kagome said as she looked at the time. It was already one o'clock and the party started at five. The boys nodded their agreement, stuffed and tired from eating their lunch.
"I'm with you on that," Koga said as he stretched out his arms. Miroku got up to dump his food into the trash bin and Inuyasha did the same. Kagome got up to dump her plate and went over to Koga's bed to grab the bag with her dresses.
"I'll see you guys later," she said as they all said their good byes. Kagome walked out and then went into her room. She draped the bag with her dresses onto a chair and placed her shoes onto the seat of the chair. She sighed, feeling the effects of eating a good meal make her sleepy. Kagome went to her bed and sank onto the luscious mattress. She sighed heavily and found herself falling into her sleep easily. She went to visit her mother.
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The night was a welcome upon the city of Naha. The stars began to shine its way into the sky above while the sun descended for the day. The night was a bit humid because of the sea that surrounded the island so it was comfortable. No clouds blocked the sky and the moon that began its trek above the horizon. But Naishiro was beginning to get crowded with people who were invited to the grand party of the year. Guests started arriving in limos, dressed up for fashion rather than for comfort since media from around the world would be here to witness the woman who was reborn. The drive-around area in front of the arch entrance into Naishiro was lined with limousines nose to tail. The sidewalk was crowded with paparazzi from the sidewalk near the street to the entrance into Naishiro. People all over the world would be watching for the entrance of each well-known celebrity and the High Priestess.
The next limousine went up to the red carpet that led to the entrance that was blocked by two security guards on each side of the red velvet ropes that held back all the paparazzi. A woman in an elegant white dress that flowed down to her ankles stepped out with the help of a security guard on the red carpet. Security guards lined the red velvet ropes on each side of the carpet to keep paparazzi back. But the blinking lights kept flashing and the reporters screamed out the famous people's names. The woman waved, her beauty and jewelry stunning as she continued forward. One of the security guards unlocked the velvet rope and let the woman walk through beneath the archway decorated with vines and flowers. The next limousine came to the beginning of the red carpet and fingers were still on the cameras as they waited for the occupant to step out.
Mayonaka and Kagome sat in a white limousine as they waited while the car moved inch by slow inch and then stopped for a few minutes.
"This is ridiculous…" Koga said as he leaned his head back against the seat. His arms were spread wide up on the seat behind him while his legs were spread apart. Miroku sat next to him while Kagome and Inuyasha sat on the opposite side of the two in the small limousine that they requested for. Kagome hadn't wanted a grand limousine since it would cause too much attention. But then, when the boys saw what Kagome was wearing when they all met outside of their rooms at the hotel, their mouths dropped in shock and they knew she would get a lot of attention.
Kagome wore her blue dress that the store rep had picked out for her. It was a stunning blue, the tube top dress hugging above her breasts to show them off nicely. The sapphire necklace that Isamu had given her lay on her bare chest, helping to ignite the blue of her outfit. The dress went down to her knees as Kagome crossed them in front of her. Her white high heels had straps that went up a little above her ankle beautifully. She wore her sapphire stud earrings that she borrowed from Sango. On her lips was clear lip gloss but she had no makeup on, not wanting it to run or bother her throughout this big night. Kagome smiled at Koga as he made the comment.
The boys had tuxedos on. Inuyasha had a white tuxedo on, wanting to accommodate his silver hair that he kept down. The only other color he had on was black, which were his tie and his shoes. Koga and Miroku had a black tuxedo on. They were the opposite of Inuyasha. Their tuxedo was black while the tie and their shoes were white. The boys had decided to dress the same, not wanting to dress as Mayonaka for one night in the public's eyes, but they went for being the opposite. But it was still obvious that they were one group.
The limo moved again and then stopped, making the four sigh.
"We should have come earlier…" Miroku said as he looked through the darkened windows.
"Nah… I wouldn't have wanted to wait here until it started," Koga said, bringing his head back up so that he could look at the others.
Kagome sighed and looked out the window, feeling butterflies in her stomach. She was getting really nervous now that they were here and getting closer. Inuyasha was next to her, and it helped her to know that she wouldn't be alone in this and that she had him. But it was still nerve wrecking to know that so many people were here to meet her.
Inuyasha, however, picked up on her fear and nervousness. "Kagome… are you okay?" he asked, making the other two boys look at her. They all knew that this wasn't what she wanted. They knew that Kagome preferred not to be known. It was just how she was brought up to be. She was supposed to be a secret, her identity unknown from the world, especially from them in the beginning. But now the whole world knew, would know, and it was taking its toll on her.
Kagome smiled at Inuyasha. "I'm fine," she said, looking back to Koga and Miroku. "I just… don't leave me you guys." Kagome's eyes pleaded with them as she smiled a sad smile, hoping that they wouldn't leave her alone to the mercy of the paparazzi or other famous people.
She felt Inuyasha grab her hand, making her turn to look at him. He smiled at her, squeezed her hand in reassurance and nodded his head. "We won't, Kagome." The other boys nodded their heads and their limo moved again. She smiled at them, thankful that she had such good friends, but her whole attention was on the hand that gripped her own. Inuyasha's grip was strong and firm, something that her world needed right now. And she clung to his strength that he provided for her. Kagome felt at peace with him touching her and the butterflies in her stomach subsided. The limo stopped again and they started waiting as the next limo dropped off its occupant.
When the white limo finally came to the red carpet, the paparazzi began to crowd around in a frenzy. Obviously, the word had spread about Mayonaka and the High Priestess arriving in a white limousine. The flashes of cameras went wild as the reporters began to shout over the other screaming reporters into their microphones as to who was arriving. The limo stopped, the back door being opened by a security guard and a new set of flashes began to erupt.
First to step out was Koga. His white shoes hit the red carpet and flashes went off while his name was screamed from the paparazzi. Koga stepped out, going to his full height as his dazzling, media smile took his face. He waved at everyone, smiling where cameras blinded his eyes, and moved aside so that the others could get out. The next was Miroku. His white boots hit the red carpet and the cameras went off again. A new set of rounds for a new band member was made as Miroku got out of the limo, getting to his full height as he waved to the paparazzi. His smile radiated from his face as he looked at all the flashing lights and people screaming his name. Miroku went to Koga's side as the two smiled at each other, both arching their eyebrows to show how shocked they were by the number of paparazzi around. They waited a bit to the side as Inuyasha got out.
Inuyasha got out and people screamed his name, dying for his attention, wanting a nice smile for their camera to make a one million dollar photo for the front page of their magazine. Inuyasha's hair dazzled with the lights of the flashes as his smile made the young women dizzy for him. He waved once and turned around to help out Kagome. The flashes suddenly stopped, making Koga and Miroku turn to look at the sudden quietness of the paparazzi. Inuyasha reached down as Kagome's hand was extended and he helped her out, her high heels touching the carpet in the silence. She smiled at him as she got out, the butterflies now coming back as she looked around.
The paparazzi were quiet as they looked at the beauty and 'God' that came out of the limo. They took in her beautiful appearance, seeing the way she could definitely pass for a 'God' by just her looks. But their shock was short. For when the limo's door closed, their flashes began to go off and screams rang out for Kagome's attention.
"Just keep smiling," Inuyasha said as he leaned down to whisper in Kagome's ear. Kagome smiled and nodded, the paparazzi catching the two in that moment on camera. Flashes continued to go off as Inuyasha held Kagome's hand and they walked forward, Miroku and Koga following them. The four walked down the red carpet as screams and flashes flew their way. Kagome did as Inuyasha said, she kept smiling. She began to remember how it once was like when she was with Inuyasha and had to go through this same thing of smile and appearance. She gripped Inuyasha's forearm as her arm remained wrapped with his, and kept walking one foot in front of the other. The four finally got to the end of the red carpet and the security guards lifted the rope off the handle so they could walk through. The paparazzi wouldn't have their retreat as they kept yelling Mayonaka's and Kagome's name. But the four continued on through the archway, leaving a very disappointed paparazzi.
Kagome sighed a breath of relief as they got through the archway entwined with vines and flowers. She looked around and got caught with the glamour and crowd that was her welcome into Naishiro. The stage was grand, calling her attention as it remained in front of her with lights beaming on the white sheets. She continued to smile as they walked past musicians and celebrities who turned to look at the star woman of this show. All eyes turned to Kagome as Inuyasha walked them to their table. He could feel how nervous Kagome still was and he didn't think she was ready to start getting mobbed by the paparazzi. The guests looked awestruck but they respected her space, thankfully, as they didn't crowd around her. He walked them to their table that was the closest to the stage, in the middle.
The table's candles were lit and the plates and utensils were ready to be used. Night had fallen fast even though it wasn't five o'clock yet, but the sun still tried to shine against the sky. Inuyasha pulled out Kagome's seat and she thanked him as she sat down. She and Inuyasha sat together, facing the stage, as Miroku sat next to Inuyasha and Koga sat on the other side of Kagome. David would be sitting with them and so would Isamu. But Inuyasha definitely had a bone to pick with Isamu, which was why he was waiting for Isamu to show up.
Kagome looked around at the people who were here and marveled at the beauty of them. They were all dressed so elegantly and she could tell that they were used to being so glamorous. They held their heads high with confidence while they mingled with others, obviously comfortable in each other's presence. Kagome smiled at the crowd, some staring at her as if she was the elephant in the room. She inwardly sighed. 'This is going to be a long night.'
Inuyasha looked down at Kagome, watching as she looked around at the crowd. "Kagome… do you want something to drink?" Kagome looked up at him with a smile.
"Sure… just no alcohol," she said with a grin. Inuyasha smirked and chuckled.
"Yeah… I can do that." Inuyasha walked off as Koga and Miroku kept Kagome company. They told her of each individual who was there. They obviously knew everyone well since they told her a little bit of each person's career or personality while they gave her a 'tour' of the celebrities. Kagome was stunned to hear some of the things that the celebrities had upon them, but knew that it wouldn't be that much of a secret life for them. In the eyes of the media, the celebrities were constantly on radar watch. It would be hard for them to find space and privacy. The boys then told her of the bands playing tonight as they looked at the program that were laid out in front of each chair. The first band to play was Mayonaka after a small introduction of the night and the weekend ahead. The musicians who were chosen to play would only be playing after every five minutes of the last musician. It gave the next musician time to set up while the crowd had time to listen to soothing instrumental music before more voices sang for Kagome.
"So… everyone has a song dedicated to me?" Kagome asked Koga and saw him nod his head.
"Yep. You'll be surprised to hear some of them."
"I was," Miroku said, making Kagome turn worried eyes toward him. "Don't worry. It's nothing bad. It's just…"
"Stupid," Inuyasha supplied as he came back to the table. On his way back he was listening to what they were talking about. Kagome smiled up at him as she grabbed her drink from his hand. "I swear, these people just think they know what they're talking about." Inuyasha moved out his chair and sat down.
Koga snorted. "Yeah. They talk about your love life and your accomplishments and your beauty…" Inuyasha growled, making Koga laugh.
"Your skills," Miroku continued as Kagome now looked at him, taking a sip of her punch. "Your gifts, your personality, your duties." Miroku shook his head with an exasperated look. "I tell you Kagome… they talk a lot about you and I don't even think they know what they're talking about."
"Of course they don't," Inuyasha said. He leaned back in his chair, placing one hand on his thigh and one on the table. "They never even met her." They all nodded their heads in agreement and looked around to notice all the new faces. Time was ticking while more and more people were showing up into Naishiro.
David finally showed up as he came over to the table. "Hey guys," he said in greeting as he went to Kagome. "Kagome…" he said.
Kagome smiled and gave him her hand. "David… it's nice to see you." He placed a kiss on her hand and nodded his head as he released her hand.
"Yeah well, I'm always around when these boys are out."
"Not always," Miroku said, as David took his seat next to Miroku. David smiled with a nod. He wore a black tuxedo with a black tie, and he looked around the table, approving the way the boys dressed up so they still looked like a unit. He sighed as he sat down and scooted his chair nearer to the table.
"Did you guys see Isamu?"
The three shook their heads. "I think he's backstage," Koga said, looking towards the stage as coordinators began to prepare the stage for Mayonaka.
David nodded his head as he looked to the stage. "Well… aren't you guys going to go get ready?" He arched his eyebrow as he looked at the three. "You know how the director gets when you guys are not following schedule."
Inuyasha snickered. "No… when we're not following his orders." Inuyasha got up, making the other two follow him with a sigh of finality. They had to prepare for the grand start of the AAA party this weekend. They would be opening the event and the director chose them because he knew they would be a big bang. So they had to prove it.
Kagome looked up with a smile at Inuyasha. "Good luck." Inuyasha nodded with a smile.
'Thanks," he said, and the three walked away.
Kagome and David both chatted a bit as more people began to enter Naishiro and the place became bustling with voices and gossip. Eyes kept shifting over to Kagome, making her feel squeamish in her seat, but David helped to keep her mind off of things. She felt vulnerable now that Inuyasha wasn't around and felt like the barrier he protected her with was gone, leaving her exposed to everyone. Which was true because now eyes could see her more clearly. But David chatted with her, thankfully. He probably knew how she felt, especially since this party was for her and everyone was here for her.
The crowds began to form in Naishiro as people got into groups to gossip. Celebrities knew most gossip about other celebrities, and just like high school, they all had their certain groups where they went to for gossip. The limos outside were now forming a smaller line and the paparazzi were still busy with accounting for all the celebrities that would show up tonight. All five hundred of them. The stage area was lit and glowing with brightness. Mayonaka remained backstage in the dimmer area where the director was busy sorting through programs and backstage notes to make sure that everyone went as planned and on time. Mayonaka just stood there, listening to the director yell, and waited for their opening.
A woman went on stage dressed in a long black dress down to her ankles. She looked out at the crowd with a smile and went to the microphone stand in the middle of the stage.
"Good evening, everyone," she said into the microphone, her voice blaring from the four speakers on the edges of the stage, right with the light poles. "If we all could take a seat, the night is about to begin." The gossip began to dwindle as people walked back to their seats. The woman nodded her head as all of the bodies were seated.
"Okay. Well… good evening everyone and thank you for coming to this year's AAA party. We would like to give a warm welcome to the main woman of the evening." Kagome gulped, feeling the butterflies in her stomach come alive again as she already knew who the woman was talking about. She placed her hands on her lap as she began to fidget with her dress. She could already feel eyes on her back from all the tables behind her. "She is known throughout Japan as being the High Priestess of the Ise Shrine, the Prophecy Child and the Shikon no Miko. But to the rest of the world, she is merely a spiritual being who has disturbed the laws of the physical world. Everyone, please join me in giving a warm welcome to our main guest… Kagome Higurashi." The woman began to clap and the sound of applause floated throughout Naishiro like a roll of thunder.
Kagome smiled, flushed, as the thunder of applause surprised and shocked her. She looked to David to see that he was smiling and clapping for her as well. She shook her head with a smile. After a minute of clapping, the crowd had finally settled down for the woman to speak.
"Thank you. At the end of the AAA party, we would hear a short speech given from Kagome Higurashi. But until then, please be mindful and respectful to her." Kagome turned to look at David with a shocked look. 'A speech? No one told me anything about making any speeches.' Of course, she should have known that it would have to be done since this party was dedicated to her.
"Alright. So these three nights we celebrate Kagome Higurashi and what she has done for Japan. But not only for Japan… she has done so much for the world." The woman smiled with a nod and placed her hands together in front of her. "And now… I would like to give a warm welcome to our opening performers. They are a well-known band, loved by all of Japan." At this, the crowd began to cheer as they knew who would be performing. "Everyone give a round of applause for… Mayonaka," she said, opening her arm to the side of the stage as she exited the other.
The lights began to dim on the stage, making it Mayonaka's entrance. Kagome spotted Inuyasha immediately, his white tuxedo standing out against the darkness of the night around them. She smiled as she watched the three walk up on stage. Their instruments were already waiting for them. Koga went to his keyboard as Miroku went to his drum set and Inuyasha picked up his guitar to wrap it around his shoulders. The crowd began to settle down in their applause as they saw that Mayonaka was ready. Kagome placed her hands on the table in front of her, eager to hear what they were going to sing about.
"As you all know," Inuyasha started, as he fixed the microphone to meet his mouth now that the woman was finished with it. "This AAA party is dedicated to Kagome Higurashi," he said, extending one arm out as he pointed at their table at her. "This song, and all the other songs played tonight, is dedicated to Kagome." Inuyasha looked down at his guitar and began to play a soft tune. "So… Kagome…" he said, Kagome's eyes looking directly at him as his hanyou eyes could see her clearly. "This song is for you." Kagome smiled as he began to play the tune for the song and the other two stepped in.
The intro of the instruments was mellow, Miroku only hitting the percussions while Koga played a high tune on his keyboard. Inuyasha strummed a high tune on his guitar as well to match Koga's until he finally moved closer to the microphone to sing.
"She's a rose that has just bloomed
A rare beauty in the eyes of the beholder
But I know how much she means
Not to me but to the world"
Inuyasha's soft whisper of a voice faded away until Miroku beat a fast pace that lasted only a second and it went back to its silent drumming while Inuyasha continued.
"But to me, she's a woman of worth
She's a woman of grace and love"
The music they played was soft and melodic, filled with grace and beauty to enthrall the beholder. It sounded like a soft lullaby, with Miroku's soft tapping of his drums and Koga's keyboard loud to emphasize the harmonic melody he made with Inuyasha's high strumming and picking of his guitar. The three boys started to sing together as Kagome rested her chin on her hands that were folded on top of each other in front of her, a smile on her face.
"One woman
One beauty to the world
For she has saved upon us
The lives that we like
The lives that we take ourselves
And the lives that we take for granted
One woman"
Inuyasha smiled and moved back from his microphone, looking down at his guitar as he picked the notes leading to the next verse. Miroku nodded his head in tune with his tapping and then turned his head closer to his microphone as he took a breath.
"She's the piece of heaven that I search for
She radiates with peace and serenity
How the world took her for granted
And how she came back to me"
The boys nodded their heads as Miroku moved back from the microphone a bit to speed up the pace for a second and then they all fell back in harmony, as Miroku continued to sing.
"But to me, she's a woman of power
She's a woman of strength and will"
"One woman
One beauty to the world
For she has saved upon us
The lives that we live
The lives that we take ourselves
And the lives that we take for granted
One woman"
Inuyasha moved back from the microphone as he did his solo, picking at his strings to cause a high pitch falling through the crowd. It was a soft sound with the keyboard and drums to help mellow the guitar down. Then, Koga did his solo, the high notes of his keyboard so melodic and beautiful with the band's harmony. Then, Miroku did his solo, tapping lightly on different drums that gave different beats. When the three were done, the tunes went back to the song's tune, and Koga moved his head towards his microphone, his turn to sing.
"She's a rare child of this world
For she has given me life and kept me safe
She's a rare child indeed
So remember that when you see her
Her beauty and grace you will heed
Her peace and serenity you will need
In a world of corruption
She's the one who saved us all from damnation"
The three then sang together, their hearts and souls coming out through the sounds of their voices as they sang as one.
"One woman
One beauty to the world
One woman we took for granted
One world we all share
One woman"
At the last line, the boys stopped playing and their voices were all that floated into the crowd as they ended their song. There was a silence as awe fell over the silent atmosphere. But then people recovered well as applause was shot out from every table and everyone rose to their feet to applaud Mayonaka's beautiful song. The people were captured by their performance and found themselves smiling in pure delight as to what was just sung to open the night of Kagome's AAA party.
At their table, Kagome blinked back shock and surprise as everyone around her rose to applaud Mayonaka. 'That was beautiful…' she thought, still shocked that they had sung a song about her like that. Kagome smiled and rose to her feet, David on the opposite side of her with a huge smile on his face as he faced the stage, proud of the boys. Kagome smiled and nodded her head, proud of them as well.
Inuyasha, Koga and Miroku all took a bow as they waved out at the crowd. Inuyasha moved forward to his microphone and took hold of it with his free hand.
"Everyone… Kagome Higurashi…" he said, his eyes meeting with Kagome's. He could see her smile at him and he filled up with love and pride, surprising him as he remained in the spotlight.
The people now turned to Kagome as they gave her a round of applause. Kagome looked around at the tables around her to see that everyone was giving her an applause and she felt flustered but nodded her head at their acknowledgement. Then, the woman walked onto stage, giving Mayonaka their cue to leave the stage. She went to the microphone that Inuyasha was using and smiled as she fixed it to her height, looking out at the crowd that continued to applaud for Mayonaka and Kagome.
"Once again, Mayonaka everyone," she said with one arm open as the boys waved and took their leave from the stage. "And now… we will go for a five minute intermission. So everyone, help yourselves to some refreshments and snacks. Dinner will be served in another ten minutes." The woman walked off stage as the sound of the piano could be heard as it played a soft note for the audience to relax in.
Kagome smiled, feeling the butterflies in her stomach and the eyes that were on her. She sat back down as David did so and saw the huge smile on his face.
"They did well," she said, seeing as how he seemed so proud of them. David nodded his head, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"They really loved them. It seemed like the boys opened with a bang," he said. Kagome giggled and nodded. She looked to the front a few minutes later as she saw the three walking back towards their table. They made their way from behind the stage to walk on the empty dance floor to get to their table.
Kagome smiled up at Inuyasha as he came to his seat next to her. "That was beautiful you guys," she said, looking around at the three.
Koga sniffed as he took his seat on the other side of Kagome. "Yeah, thanks Kagome. I know how much you really meant it for me."
Miroku snorted as he sat down on the other side of Inuyasha. "Yeah right."
Kagome smiled at Koga as she patted his shoulder, he giving her a wink at his tease. Inuyasha took a sip of his water as Kagome turned back to look at him with wonder in her eyes.
"Who wrote the song?" she asked, her voice showing her curiosity.
"We all did," Inuyasha said as he placed is cup back down. "We wanted to do something that wouldn't give away too much of you… but then also show who and what you are." Kagome's eyebrows arched in shock as Inuyasha explained the song to her. She never knew that the boys had seen her like that. Well… she knew Inuyasha had seen her like that, in some kind of light. Kagome smiled and nodded her head, glad that the evening had started off on a good note.
As dinner was finally served, waiters brought trays to each table to give everyone their meal. Since Naishiro was in charge of the dinner preparations, they only had a few selected entrees and appetizers for the guests to choose from. They had to order it before hand so Naishiro knew how much they needed to cook for each night. The waiters brought out the appetizers and then the entrees, making the tables crowded with plates of food that were brought and taken away. But the guests were satisfied with their meal.
More musicians went on stage to perform for Kagome. Some solo artists had dancers to accompany them or they remained by themselves as they sang a slow song. Kagome was shocked to see how hip-hop could be used to sing about her, but she was interested in watching the dancers on stage. Their table was cluttered with dishes. The boys had definitely ordered a lot of food, or at least Koga and Inuyasha did. Kagome just remained in the middle of the two as they gorged themselves in their steaks, chickens and pork chops.
After dinner was finished, everyone flocked to the dance floor for conversation. Some people danced a waltz to some of the songs that they were able to dance to, while others remained on the sides or farther from the stage conversing. Kagome got up as the boys did and they made their way to the tables on the grassy area to the side. The area was lighted enough for them to be noticed but the lights weren't directed on them so they had a bit of privacy. Well, as much as they could gain.
"So… do you like it?" Koga asked as he sat down in a chair.
Inuyasha pulled out Kagome's chair for her and she thanked him as she sat down. She turned to Koga and nodded her head with a smile. "Yeah, actually. I do. I didn't think it would be this fun. To tell you the truth," she said, looking to the side of her as Inuyasha sat down and Miroku sat on the other side of him, "I didn't know that the people wouldn't pounce on me so much."
Inuyasha snickered. "I told Isamu that he would have to make sure nobody did that." He looked over at the audience. Most of them were Japanese but a portion of them came from other countries. He saw many white people dressed in their tuxedos. There were some African Americans that came as well to see the hope that they wished their country could have. "He said that he would take care of it," he said as he looked back to Kagome.
"Yeah, but I think that they also respect Kagome's space," Miroku said as Kagome looked across the table at him. "I mean… they all know how it's like to be pounced on by paparazzi and reporters so they understand what she's going through."
Kagome smiled with a shrug, seeing his point. The four then began to talk about some of the songs that were made for Kagome when a few Japanese celebrities came to their table and asked for Kagome's blessing. Kagome was more than glad to give them her blessing since they gave her their gifts of songs. More Japanese celebrities came over throughout the night to ask for Kagome's blessings and to ask for a moment of her time. Kagome decided that she would leave the table and talk to the people who wanted to speak with her. This, of course, made Inuyasha worried, making him stand up when she did. He wanted to follow her and stay by her side as people flocked her like sheep, but Kagome had told him to stay at the table with the boys. After the two bickered about it for a bit, Kagome won in the end and she left the table to talk with the Japanese celebrities in an open grassy area.
The crowd looked over at the small group that began to converse around Kagome. Their eyes went back and forth to the group, wanting to go over and talk to Kagome but a bit shy and hesitant to do so. She was, above all, like a God to the Japanese people. Some of the foreigners decided to wait another night or so before they approached her and began asking her questions.
The night continued and the boys found themselves on the dance floor as some of the other musicians wanted a dance with the boys. They then chatted on the dance floor. Inuyasha kept his eye on Kagome the whole time she was away. He didn't want the group to get any bigger and then having to pressure Kagome. He knew she wouldn't want such big crowds around her. But he tried to have fun while the party continued. And before they knew it, Friday night's party was done. It was ten o'clock and Naishiro was closing down. The paparazzi were outside again, waiting for the celebrities to come out of the archway leading into Naishiro. The guests began to gather their things and say goodbye as the announcer left the stage telling everyone goodnight.
Kagome was still on the grass with about a handful of people around her, all listening to her story with interested ears. Mayonaka made their way over to the small group as people began to leave through the archway. Inuyasha saw Kagome, her body calm and her hands moving while she told her story. A smile was on her face, which was there the whole time, so he never tried to steal her away. He cleared his throat and everyone turned their attention to him as Kagome stopped talking.
"Excuse me… but Kagome, our limo is here," he said, his eyes only looking at Kagome. She smiled at him and nodded.
"If you will excuse me, I must be going. Have a good night everyone," she said as she walked through the group, hearing them tell her their farewells as well. She grabbed Inuyasha's offered arm and the four walked towards the archway. People were dispersing in pairs or by themselves, the same way they came in, and slowly but surely. They were not ready to go back to their hotels but they knew another night was in the making.
"So did you have fun?" Inuyasha asked as they led Miroku and Koga to the archway.
Kagome nodded her head, bringing a tendril of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. I had lots of fun. Those people were really nice too," she said, looking back at the group that was already dispersing from where she once stood with them. "I can't believe how kind these celebrities are."
Inuyasha smirked as he looked down at Kagome. "You'd be surprised." Kagome looked up at him and smiled, blushing at the statement. She found herself having butterflies with him. Something was definitely turning in her stomach with him smiling down at her like that so Kagome looked ahead at the guests retreating to their limo.
With a warning from Inuyasha, she took a deep breath and they exited the archway right into the flashing lights of the paparazzi. People were screaming her name, questions flying together to make it all seemed muffled. But she kept smiling, starting to get the hang of this spotlight thing again. When she was hidden, she never could smile and hold the title of the High Priestess. Now, she could and she was trying to get used to it. But the man beside her was helping. He encouraged her, gave her protection in knowing that he was around, and he helped to keep her feet on the ground when she felt like her world was spinning. 'Inuyasha…' The limo was parked at the end of the red carpet as the one before set off with the occupant inside. Inuyasha opened the door and Kagome went in with a final wave. He smirked at Koga and Miroku with their eyebrows arched at her action. They could see that Kagome was getting used to being in the spotlight and were surprised at her bold attempt. The three got into the limo and the door shut out the flashing lights as they were driven back to Koku Hotel.
The group got back to Koku and went straight to their rooms. Their body was calling for a shower and a nice, comfy bed. Miroku and Koga both said their goodnights as they went straight into their room for the night. Inuyasha looked over at Kagome as she placed her key in the slot and the door beeped.
"Good night, Kagome," he said, his eyes watching as Kagome turned to look at him. She smiled at him and nodded her head.
"Good night, Inu," she said. She stood there a bit longer than she would have liked, just looking into his eyes, wishing that he would ask to come in, but he never moved. Kagome sighed and walked into her room, finally able to place a frown on her face as she let the door shut behind her.
The door closed and Inuyasha sighed. 'Damn you, Kagome…' he thought, so tired of this. He slipped his card in the slot and opened his door. It slowly closed by itself as he walked to the dining table and dropped the thing on the table. He went to his bed that was neatly made by a maid from the time he was gone. He flopped his butt down, his hair flying above him until it settled heavily on his shoulders and he felt heavy again. Inuyasha sighed. He had wanted to go in with Kagome. Heck, he was picturing more than just going in for a nice chat about the night. He wanted to do a lot more than that, and those few seconds with her watching him, he almost asked her. But he found the strength to turn away from her. Inuyasha sighed and placed his forehead in his palms. 'I can't…'
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
The next morning awoke the four with knocks at the door. Kagome was outside praying when the knocking stopped. David had gone into Inuyasha's room as the angry hanyou was awoken from his dreams. David began to tell Inuyasha of what the critics thought of last night with their song. Inuyasha flopped back into bed, covering his whole body with the white comforter. David knew Inuyasha could still hear him so he kept talking to the invisible Inuyasha. He told Inuyasha of tonight's expectations and how tonight's events were going to go. Inuyasha just grunted when he was asked a question but remained under the covers while David remained in the room. He knocked on the room connecting to Kagome's and waited for her to answer.
"Leave her alone, David…" Inuyasha said, his voice muffled from the pillows. David rolled his eyes and knocked again. The door unlocked and Kagome's smiling face was on the other side.
"Oh… good morning, David," Kagome said, still dressed in her white pants and blue shirt. David smiled.
"Good morning, Kagome. Did I wake you?" he asked, just to make sure.
Kagome shook her head as she smiled while looking at the lump on the bed move. "No… but you certainly did for him."
David nodded his head with a chuckle, making Inuyasha curse at him. He then asked Kagome to come in and he began to explain to her about the night's events and what was expected of her. They talked about how well she mingled with the guests and David wanted her to do that again. He liked how well she chatted with the celebrities and liked how they accepted her. The only thing that they had in common is the public's eye.
After the two talked, David told the two to get ready because they needed to go to Isamu's hotel to meet with him. He then left Inuyasha's room and went across the hall to Koga's room.
Kagome smiled at the lump still in bed. "Wake up, Inuyasha," she said with a giggle. She watched as he stirred in bed, the sheets making a ruffled noise, and then he groaned.
"I don't want to," he grumbled. Kagome shook her head and walked over to the bed. She grabbed the comforter and pulled it down, revealing the hanyou's face in the pillows. His ears twitched at the cold draft and Kagome had to hold in her giggle. Her heart swelled with love and she yearned to touch his ears again, but she held herself back. 'Careful Kagome. I think it's time to go.' "Get up," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
Inuyasha moved his head to look at her, his eyes opening just a pinch, trying to glare at her. Kagome giggled with a shake of her head and headed off to her room to get ready.
About ten minutes later, David escorted the band and Kagome to their limo and they were off to Isamu's hotel. The six chatted in the limo about the night that they had. They had a few laughs about some of the songs the bands sung and what some of the people wore. It was still hilarious to watch celebrities try to remain like sparkles for the camera. The limo finally got into the driveway in front of the hotel and the four were escorted out by four men in black tuxedos and black shades. Kagome looked up at the huge men that walked like a circular barrier around them and thought of how funny they must look. These four men seemed to give away the obvious, they were famous. And for sure, people noticed the tuxedo men and then noticed the group they were encircling. Eyes began to turn their way and talk started to spread as the group hurried to the elevator to go up to Isamu's room.
At the suite, Isamu invited the six in and they all got comfortable in the living room as he discussed tonight's events. It seems like there would be more news coverage tonight since some who weren't able to come on the first night were coming tonight. Plus, people who watched the news last night or this morning would have seen the videos of the celebrities walking on the red carpet last night at Naishiro. Isamu told them there were already tabloids and front pages of magazines where Kagome's picture remained. Since Inuyasha was with her most of the time, he too was in the picture and the tabloids were screaming with questions about the two's relationship. Kagome became worried that the media would assume things, which would cause havoc for the three of them, and her sister didn't need that kind of a problem right now in her condition.
But Isamu told them that the media haven't suspected too much since they know that Mayonaka is the star band and has opening and closing slots at the party. But, Isamu also brought up, he thinks that the media might bring it up that they think Inuyasha and Kagome might be having something going on because of their past. Kagome just hoped that the media wouldn't cause any problems for them.
Isamu then told the boys that they should go back to their rooms and rest for the day. He wanted them well tonight because people would be more comfortable now in each other's presence and they will definitely talk to Kagome more. So he knew that Inuyasha might have a problem with that. From the way he watched Inuyasha last night, the hanyou was very protective of Kagome. He was always by her side and he fretted over her like a mother hen. He was worried about Kagome and it showed through his body language as he remained protectively by Kagome's side. But Isamu knew better than to bring up such a subject like that to Inuyasha. The boy would go off on him. But he figured to keep his mouth shut until he knew what was going on between Kagome and Inuyasha.
The six then left Isamu's room and went back to Koku Hotel. David left them at the front door as he headed back to his own hotel and told them he would see them tonight. The gang got back up to their rooms and decided to take the offer on using their time for leisure instead of activities.
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
The night came quickly and the gang arrived at Naishiro again. It was another night of publicity and spotlight for Kagome. The gang's limo pulled up to the red carpet and the door opened, sending out a wave of flashing lights, brightening even more the white limo they arrived in. Again, Koga stepped out in another black tuxedo with a white tie. Miroku appeared in the same wardrobe and the two waved and smiled for the cameras as they waited for Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha came out with a black tuxedo and white tie, just like the boys now, and he smiled as the lights flashed on his silver hair. He turned around and offered his hand as Kagome stepped out of the limo dressed in her white dress that went to the middle of her calves. It was a spaghetti strap dress with a heart shaped cleavage design.
Kagome linked her arms with Inuyasha and smiled as he led the way into Naishiro. Once again she felt special standing there with him. She felt right with him, with the lights blinking on her and the two boys in front of them waving whole heartedly as they were having fun with this spotlight thing. She could tell this was their world and she was having fun in it. Well, next to Inuyasha's side that is.
When the four got through the gate, they were welcomed by a few guests near the entrance. They thanked the guests and walked to their table as they saw most of the tables were already full. Inuyasha helped Kagome in her chair and they all sat down, starting on their gossip for tonight as they looked around at the different clothing that the guests wore. Appearance was usually the gossip for celebrities.
"So what's on the agenda for tonight?" Koga asked as he picked up the program that lay in front of him. The others looked at their own in curiosity as they read who would be performing. Koga snickered. "Faye? You think she'll do good tonight?" he asked as he looked at the two boys.
Miroku shrugged, remembering how the practice had gone. "She'll do good," he said encouragingly. "Besides… tonight is the prime night so she has to do good."
"Exactly why she might freeze up," Inuyasha said as he took a sip of his water. Kagome looked at the three boys and shrugged, seeing as how well they knew this woman and the other musicians here tonight. They chatted for a bit more and then the woman finally walked on stage to announce the starting of the party. The first musician up was indeed Faye. Kagome watched as the woman walked up onto stage. She was enthralled at the beauty of Faye. She had long white hair that went down to her knees, obviously being a demon, and Kagome reached out to touch her aura. 'A bird demon' she thought, seeing as how well the woman used spells to hide her appearance. Faye had a long white dress that went down to her ankles and hugged her body nicely. She was a lovely silhouette of white with the band behind her.
The music started up and Faye swayed slightly to the beat, gaining confidence with the music as her part came up. Her voice floated into the microphone and through the speakers like water and Kagome found herself captured by the woman's voice.
"She has a beautiful voice," she whispered to Inuyasha.
Inuyasha smiled, though he didn't turn to look at Kagome. "Yeah. But sometimes she's too shy and kind to show it." Kagome glanced at him quickly with wonder but then got caught back to Faye's voice. The woman sang about her beauty, comparing it to the forests and streams. Kagome smiled, pleased at what the woman had to say about her. The music began to slow and then Faye ended it with a final word, drawn out through her musical voice. The audience erupted in a roar of applause and cheers as another night was open with a beautiful start. Kagome smiled, pleased and happy at Faye's performance. The bird demon then bowed and left the stage as the announcer came on and the instrumental band began to play for them.
Kagome looked around as waiters came in to busy themselves to the tables. She smiled, already hungry after a day of staying in her suite with undesirable food to eat. Inuyasha noticed her attention was elsewhere and looked to where she was looking. When he saw the waiters and saw her anticipation in her eyes, Inuyasha chuckled, gaining Kagome's attention.
"Hungry are we?" he teased her, making Kagome blush. She placed a hand on her stomach, hoping that it wouldn't deceive her.
"No," she said softly, making Inuyasha chuckle again.
"You should have eaten something, Kagome," Inuyasha said, his demeanor suddenly changing. Kagome blinked back her surprise as he looked around at the waiters, waiting to catch someone's eye so that he could call them over. But he didn't need to because a waiter came to their table first and took their confirmations for the orders that they had placed in. When the waiter left, everyone began to converse about the night again while Kagome thought about what happened with Inuyasha's attitude. She was still shocked at his quick changing tone of voice. He went from joking with her to seriousness. Kagome glanced at Inuyasha while he was still talking with Miroku to watch his facial expression for a moment. 'Inuyasha…' she thought, seeing his masculinity in his face. She inwardly sighed and looked away before her emotions flooded her.
"Kagome…" Inuyasha said, turning his body towards her as he blocked the others out. "Are you okay?"
Kagome blinked back her shock again as she gazed into his concerned filled eyes. She shook her head, unbelieving, but then smiled reassuringly at him as she got her senses back. "Yes… I'm fine. I'm just waiting for my food." Inuyasha took a moment to watch her, making sure that she was telling the truth, and then he nodded his head. He turned back to Miroku and they carried on with their conversation. Kagome looked at the back of Inuyasha's head for a second and then stared at the empty plate in front of her with confusion. 'How could he have picked up on my emotions so quickly?' she thought, knowing that she had blocked them before they surfaced. 'Or was I too slow?' But no, then that would mean that Inuyasha was adept to her emotions and moods. Kagome shook her head. 'Now is not the time for this, Kagome.'
Finally dinner was served and the next band came on to perform for Kagome. Everyone ate their dinner with laughter and talk as they enjoyed their meal and the night. As their plates began to empty, people were getting off their tables to start conversing with other people. The gang's table began to clear up as the waiters came to their table first to take their empty plates away little by little. Kagome remained content in her chair as she felt full and pleased as to how well the night was going. People were conversing on the dance floor and some decided to dance the food off. Laughter could be heard from the guests as they mingled with each other, comfortable in each other's presence.
Kagome snapped out of her thoughts as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to look up at Isamu who smiled down at her, beaming through his tuxedo he wore. "May I have this dance?" he asked as a pianist and violinist played together.
Kagome smiled and nodded her head, taking his offered hand. Inuyasha nearly growled in his seat as Isamu took Kagome away from the table and they headed off to the dance floor. He kept his eyes on the two the whole time, not wanting Isamu to pull any kind of moves.
Miroku arched his eyebrow at Koga and the two smirked as they watched Inuyasha with amusing eyes. His jealously was obvious. "Jealous, Inuyasha?" Miroku teased. The hanyou finally let out his growl as he looked away from the couple starting their dance and glared at Miroku.
"No," he said roughly, and looked away from the two as he stared off at some group on the grassy area. Miroku and Koga both erupted in laughter as they watched Inuyasha act as if he didn't care. Inuyasha sniffed and ignored their laughter as he watched the group mingle on the side. 'I am not jealous…' he thought, angry at Miroku for bringing it up.
Kagome smiled up at Isamu as he whirled her around the dance floor, mindful of the other dancers. She was comfortable with him and found him kind when he seemed like he was such a… dick. Kagome's hand remained on his shoulder while she left was in his hand and one of his hands was on her hip. She watched him, seeing his black eyes watch her keenly, and she smiled.
"You're so quiet," she said, trying to start a conversation. She could tell he was trying to get something out of her.
Isamu smiled. "You noticed."
"Of course I did. You're sitting at our table," she said with a small chuckle.
Isamu nodded his head with a chuckle of his own, getting into the joke. "Well… I'm trying to figure you out."
Kagome arched her eyebrow. "Still?" She knows how much he wants to understand her and figure her out, but there are things that he will never know and understand. And it's bothering her that he's still trying.
Isamu nodded his head, his eyes serious again as he gazed into her eyes. "I want to know more about you, Kagome. You fascinate me."
Kagome giggled and looked away from his stare. "I fascinate a lot of people."
"Yeah well… me especially."
"Oh? How so?" she asked, seeing as how he thinks he's more important than others.
Isamu shrugged his shoulders as Kagome could feel the movement with her palm. "I am throwing this party for you," his said, his smirk cocky. "I would like it if I could have something in return."
Kagome arched her eyebrow, her eyes watching his as she tried to figure him out. She kept her guard up as he kept gazing at her. But Kagome wasn't afraid of him. She met his challenge and the two kept dancing, totally in sync, as if the tension between them wasn't happening at all. Kagome smirked, playing with his game. "What would you like?"
Isamu smiled then, seeing as how she was willing to play with him. "You know what I want. It's the question of are you willing to give it to me?"
"And you know my answer," she said, keeping her voice sweet though she was starting to get angry at his cockiness.
Isamu shrugged again, uncaring. "Well… if you can't give me what I really want, I would still appreciate it if I could have something from you in return." Isamu's eyes then drifted a bit lower from her eyes, gazing at her lovely skin that revealed itself against the white dress she wore.
The song then ended on a long, drawn out note from the violin. A round of applause could be heard as people applauded the brilliant performance. The dancing stopped, and so did Kagome and Isamu. Kagome took back her hands and smiled up at him politely, giving him a small bow.
"Thank you for this dance," she said politely and then turned away from him, not waiting for a reply. Kagome heard her shoes clacking against the floor as she walked away from him and the applause began to dwindle. 'The nerve of him,' she thought with anger fuming at the surface. Kagome kept her pace hard and swift as she only thought about getting away from Isamu and being by herself so that she could collect herself before she went back into the crowd.
Inuyasha sought out Kagome when the music ended and noticed that Isamu was alone on the dance floor, talking to a group of people. He then became alert of Kagome's absence and looked around the dance floor for her. He tilted his head a bit in the air to sniff her out and he found her scent. He turned in his chair to see that Kagome was walking away from the tables. He quickly got up from his seat, hearing Koga's and Miroku's questions, but ignoring them, and set off to follow Kagome. She seemed upset as he took in more of her scent and he felt his demon rising as to her emotions. 'Isamu…' That bastard better not have hurt Kagome.
Stopping on the grass near a corner, the trees loomed above and the bushes offered her some comfort of nature. Kagome crossed her arms across her chest and huffed, staring at the trunk of a tree. 'Unbelievable!' she thought, still fuming as to what Isamu had done. Not only was he expecting something from her, but he had the nerve to gaze at her body with anticipation since she wasn't willing to give him what he wanted. He believed that she would give him her body. And it definitely wasn't something that she was ever going to give him. 'The nerve of him!' Kagome huffed again, keeping her back to the crowd so that no one suspected she was upset. Kagome could still picture the look in his eyes. It was obvious that Isamu always got what he wanted. But what pissed her off the most was that he expected her to give him something back in return for this gift that he was giving her. She could feel her anger bubbling at the surface and she faced her aura against the tree as pieces of the trunk began to peel away.
"Kagome…" She snapped out of her thoughts as Inuyasha's aura was the first thing she felt. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down as she turned around and smiled at him coming closer. Inuyasha's footsteps were rushed and she could tell that he knew something was wrong. His face was etched hard, showing his anger and determination. His eyes were serious as they locked on hers and she tried to quickly find answers to the coming questions he was bound to ask.
"What happened?" 'And so it starts…' she thought with an inward smile. Inuyasha's concern over her well being was starting to get into her heart. He was finding his place there again when she was trying to kick him out. Inuyasha finally made his way next to her and she could nearly smell his scent by the closeness he came to her.
"I'm fine," she said, trying to put as much happiness into her aura to erase her anger. But Inuyasha wasn't fooled by the fact that she had changed her aura so quickly and easily.
"Don't lie to me, Kagome," Inuyasha said, his lips in a tight line. His eyes bore into hers and Kagome sighed, looking away from him. 'Don't do this, Inuyasha. Don't act like you care… please.'
"Nothing. Isamu just got on my nerves so I left him there," she said, tightening her fists that were under her arms as she kept her arms across her chest, bellow her breasts.
"What did he do? I swear, Kagome… if he hurt you… I'm going to wring his fucking neck," Inuyasha said as he turned his head around to glare at Isamu's body on the dance floor. He could feel his growl emitting from his throat at the threat that Isamu was on Kagome. His demon growled at the thought.
Kagome became nervous that Inuyasha might do something and she reached up to touch his shoulder. "Inuyasha…" she called, fearing that his anger might get the best of him. Thankfully, Inuyasha looked back at her but she could still feel his anger in his aura. "It's fine. Don't get so mad."
Inuyasha snickered and brushed her hand off his shoulder. "Don't get so mad? Kagome… I know that Isamu did something to you and you don't want me to get mad?" Inuyasha couldn't believe that Kagome was asking him not to protect her.
Kagome felt her anger rise again and she glared up at him. "No. I don't want you to get mad. Stop acting like a little baby," she said with a huff.
Inuyasha reeled back a bit at her statement but then his anger only grew, now directed at her. "I am not acting like a little baby."
"Yes, you are!" she said, nearly screaming. Kagome turned to see that the people next to them were looking at them with smiles and wide eyes on their faces. 'Great…'
"I am not!" Inuyasha yelled back, his eyes showing his anger. Kagome shook her head and turned her back on him, wanting him to leave her alone before people started suspecting something.
"Stop getting so mad over things concerning me. I'm not your concern anymore, Inuyasha."
That definitely did it. Inuyasha could only stare at the back of Kagome's head in shock and denial. 'What did she say?' He couldn't process the words she said, or maybe he already did and was just dealing with the aftermath of it. But what Kagome said hurt him and haltered him in his tracks. He blinked a few times, trying to gain his senses back, and then just took a step back. He kept his eyes on the back of her head for a few more seconds, still in disbelief as to what she had said. Then, he glared at her and growled.
"You're right. You're not my concern anymore," Inuyasha said as he turned around and walked back to his table. His fists were clenched at his side as he tried to tamp down his anger at the words she hit him with. But Inuyasha pushed the thoughts aside as he stomped his way back to the table. He paid no attention to Miroku and Koga as they began to ask him what was wrong. But he tried really hard not to yell at them to shut up. He crossed his arms across his chest and stared out at the dance floor. But as he began to ponder, his anger began to diminish and a new feeling surfaced, making him confused as to why he had been angry to begin with. He felt hurt.
Kagome sighed and began to walk around the outer part of Naishiro, near the walls. She didn't want to be in the spotlight too much and whenever she passed a group she did her best to smile and leave silently, without saying anything. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. Kagome knew how much she had just hurt Inuyasha. 'Inuyasha…' But he needed it. The hanyou was just toying with her heart and she wouldn't take Inuyasha playing with her. She couldn't let her heart get broken again. But Inuyasha just didn't realize that and he really had thought her an idiot. Kagome couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to be angry or hurt. But whatever emotion she had came and went as her thoughts brought on both emotions. Kagome walked along the grassy areas until she couldn't think anymore. She wanted to have fun. She told herself she would have fun and she would. Kagome turned and looked out at the tables littered with guests here and there while some were also standing up all over the landscape. 'Come on, Kagome. You need to pull yourself together…'
Kagome nodded her head, giving herself courage, and walked to a group that was closest to her. The group noticed her coming arrival immediately and then grew silent as all eyes went to her. She smiled and pulled on her demeanor as she went to converse with the group. At least they gave her something to take her mind off of Inuyasha.
The night went by quicker than expected and soon the guests were all leaving Naishiro. The limos outside were waiting one by one to pick up their stars and leave to the hotels. The stage area was already being cleaned up as the guests began to leave. The gang got together at the entrance leading back out onto the red carpet and Kagome went to Inuyasha's side awkwardly. Miroku could see that the two were not talking and he told them that it would be best if they would walk out together since they were seen together when they came in, and last night. Miroku did make sense since the people might ask what had happened and rumors might start. So Kagome went to Inuyasha's side, much to both of their dismay, and linked her arms tightly with his, both like statues. Inuyasha didn't look down at Kagome and she didn't look up at him as they began to walk into the flashing lights. But before they did, the two still had the understanding to place smiles on their faces for the cameras.
The lights flashed their brilliant glows on the gang as they walked down the red carpet. Their names were screamed over the red velvet ropes that blocked them from trampling over the celebrities. But they smiled their way to the limo, getting inside with a final wave and brilliant flash of teeth for the camera, and the limo was off to the Koku Hotel.
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
Kagome sighed as she dropped down onto her bed. Her feet were sore and her mouth hurt from all the smiling she had to do today. The guests had definitely had some questions for her and everyone had been friendlier than last night. Friendlier as in they all came to talk to her, some talking over the other, just to get their question answered. But she couldn't blame them for wanting her attention. She was the reason why they paid so much to go to the party and she didn't want to be rude and not introduce herself to every guest. Kagome sighed heavily and turned to look at the clock. 'Ten thirty…' Flipping open her cell phone, Kagome found Kikyo's number and dialed. She placed her phone against her shoulder and ear while she reached down to take off her high heels that were strapped around her aching ankles. There were three rings and then Kikyo's voice floated through the earpiece.
"Kagome…"
Kagome smiled at the sound of her sister's voice. At least Kikyo could always help her in relieving her pain and stress. "Hey, Kikyo."
"How are you?" she asked, hearing the distress in her sister's voice.
Kagome smiled as she took off her other heels. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired from the night." Kikyo knew her so well. "How are you doing? How was your day?" she said, trying to change the subject before Kikyo pressed on the issue.
Kikyo sighed. "Not so good. This baby is really giving me some problems."
"What happened?" she asked, dropping the two shoes to the ground and beginning to wiggle her toes at the freedom.
"Well… it's just that he is playing 'beat-up-mommy-time' today. It was a bit painful."
Kagome sighed with a groan. "I remember that. It felt like tons of pressure on the lower back, like sharp pains."
"Yes…" Kikyo said with exaggeration, thankful that her sister knew how she felt. Kikyo giggled softly. "At least someone understands me."
Kagome smiled and got up from the bed, walking over to the balcony.
"So how did this night go?" Kikyo asked.
Kagome sighed, remembering what happened with Inuyasha as the first thing that came to mind for tonight. "Well… it went okay. It was a bit hectic for me, though. The people were really interested in me and there were many who came to me with questions now."
"I knew you would be famous," Kikyo said with a small chuckle.
Kagome just blew out her breath as she walked to the railing and leaned against the steel. "Yeah well… you're better at it than I am."
Kikyo sighed. The two remained quiet for a few seconds, both just enjoying each other's company and steady breathing over the phone line. Then, Kagome switched her footing.
"Is Kazuki still awake?"
"Yeah. Hang on…" Kagome waited as Kikyo talked to Kazuki, telling him that she was on the phone. She could hear Kazuki's excited voice and then her son was on the line, his childish voice bringing a smile to her weary face.
"Okaa!"
Kagome giggled, feeling a new sense of energy flow through her at her son's voice. "Kazuki… how are you sweetheart?"
"I'm good. I was waiting for you to call."
Kagome nodded her head. "I told you already… you should go to sleep and stop waiting up for me."
"But I want you to tell me goodnight," Kazuki said. She could hear the pout that he must have on his face.
Kagome chuckled and relaxed onto the railing. "I know." She could hear his quick intake of breath and wondered what happened.
"I just remembered," Kazuki said, his voice sounding excited through its innocence. "I made a cake with Keisha today."
"Oh really?" Kagome asked, giggling at his excitement.
"Yeah. It was really fun, Okaa. Keisha wanted me to make something for Aunty Kikyo so we made a cake. It was so fun! There was flour everywhere! And we broke some eggs on the floor," he said with a giggle. Kagome laughed with him and listened as he went through everything that happened in the kitchen. She could picture Kazuki and Keisha both in the kitchen with flour all over themselves and food all over the kitchen counter and on the ground. She could just imagine the mess. But she could hear Kazuki's laughter floating through the phone and could picture him laughing through the whole ordeal.
"Well I'm glad you had fun making your Aunty Kikyo a cake. Did she like it?"
"Yep. We helped her to eat it."
"You three ate it all?" she asked, bewildered at the fact that they ate a whole cake in one day. 'Oh my… talk about sweet tooth and cavities.' She could already picture Kazuki growing old with little or no teeth from the sweets he eats.
"No… mommy," Kazuki said with a giggle. "We put it in the refrigerator. We're going to give some to you and daddy when you guys come home."
Kagome smiled. "Why thank you, honey. That's so sweet." Kazuki giggled at her affection and told her how much he missed her. "I know sweetheart. I miss you too. But I'm coming back on Wednesday."
"But that's so long…" he whined, wanting his mother to tuck him into bed. "Keisha is helping me with marking the days on the calendar."
Kagome smiled. "Well… then Keisha knows how close it is. Don't worry sweetheart. Wednesday will come faster than you think." Kazuki disagreed and complained but Kagome just smiled and sighed. 'It's getting late.' "You have to go to bed now, Kazuki."
"Nooooo," Kazuki whined.
Kagome shook her head with a smile. "Yes. Now are you tucked in bed?"
Kazuki made an 'mmhmm', not wanting to talk. He was angry that Kagome was going to hang up and he won't be able to hear her voice.
"Well, where's your aunty?"
"Right here," he said with a sad voice.
"Okay. Now, you go to sleep now, okay?"
There was a small moment of silence and then Kazuki answered.
"I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you, Okaa."
The phone was passed to Kikyo who told her that she was tucking Kazuki in and leaving the room. Kagome thanked Kikyo for taking care of him and Kikyo only giggled. The two said their goodnights and Kagome hung up, turning around to head back into her room for a nice hot bath before she went to a much needed rest.
Outside on the balcony, Inuyasha remained with his back against the wall that he shared with Kagome's balcony. His eyes remained on the ground in front of him as his arms were crossed across his bare chest. 'Kagome…' He heard the conversation she had with Kikyo and Kazuki. He heard every word she said, every breath she took, and he could feel her emotions through the stone wall that remained between them.
Inuyasha frowned, his eyes saddened and distressed as he thought about what she had said to him at Naishiro. 'She thinks I don't care about her anymore.' His eyes moved over the balcony at the trees that beckoned to him. But this place wasn't like his home. Here, he was a prisoner, living in a cage that was this hotel room. He couldn't roam free and run away, leaving his problems and worries behind like how he could do at his home. No, here he had to deal with them. And Inuyasha was taking a hard blow from his feelings. He did still care for Kagome. Hell, he cared for her more than… more than he cared for himself. But he didn't know why he became so jealous when Isamu had taken Kagome away from him.
Inuyasha growled, more like an instinct from his demon. The thought of Kagome being taken away from him from another man was like a huge blow to his gut and he tried to understand it. Inuyasha closed his eyes as he let his emotions flood him so he could try to understand them. His back was stiff against the stone cold wall and his arms were crossed tightly across his bare chest. He only wore his black sweatpants, allowing the cold of the night to rid him of these feelings. He seemed like a solid statue.
Tonight had been hard to deal with, but Inuyasha inwardly felt glad. For some reason, that little fight they had made him happy. He had seen the fire in her eyes, something that he had loved when they were together back then. The fire that Kagome held was a beautiful flame and he loved to watch it burn in Kagome's eyes. The only part he didn't like was when Kagome told him that he didn't care about her. And that hurt the most because, now he knew, he still did care for Kagome. He cared for Kagome a lot. He loved the way she smiled, loved the way her eyes would light up when she was happy and loved the way her hair would blow in the breeze. He loved the smell of her scent and the way she would giggle so softly when she didn't want others to hear. But he could hear her. He could hear the steady breathing she took and let go, the way her heart sped up when she was flushed or the way it settled when she slept. Inuyasha didn't know if these were feelings and memories of when they were once together, but they were coming back to him. He was starting to remember what it was like when they were together.
Inuyasha opened his eyes, turmoil filled within his swirling, golden orbs. He gazed out at the glittering sea underneath the moonlight. He was starting to remember loving Kagome.
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
The gang remained in the limo as they drove up to the red carpet for one last time. Tonight was the last night of the AAA Party and they were hyped. The boys would be ending tonight with their song and so they decided to wear their band uniform. Inuyasha had his leather jacket with Mayonaka's symbol on the back and faux-fur rimmed hoodie and his black pants with silver lining on the hems. Miroku had the black t-shirt with Mayonaka's symbol on the back and smaller on the front chest while he wore a dark jeans pants. Koga had the black tank top with their symbol on the back and a black jeans pants. The three looked like the trio in the magazines and it was surreal to be around such famous celebrities.
Kagome inwardly sighed, sitting next to the window and Inuyasha. She didn't dare look at him, still not wanting to ruin this last night they had at Naishiro. For some reason, she had a hard time sleeping last night. Inuyasha's face popped up whenever she closed her eyes and she couldn't get him out of her head. She didn't know if it was because of what she had said to him or the fight they had, but she felt bad for what she said to him. 'But I shouldn't…' she told herself. 'He shouldn't care for me anymore. He has Kikyo.' Kagome turned to look at Inuyasha, his attention drawn to Miroku and Koga who sat on the other side of him towards the door. Inuyasha's face was in a smile as they talked, but she wasn't listening to what they were saying. Kagome turned her head away and looked back out the window, a frown on her face. 'He shouldn't care for me anymore.'
The limo made its slow trek for a few more minutes and then it was Mayonaka's turn to appear along the red carpet. The back door opened and camera lights went off, trying to ignite the inside of the limo before the band members could walk out.
Koga turned around and looked at the other three. "Don't forget. Stay a while to talk to the reporters." Miroku nodded his head and Koga met eye contact with Inuyasha but Kagome was looking out the window. He frowned, knowing that Kagome was still bothered over last night's events. He inwardly sighed, but he placed his famous smile on and stepped out of the limo.
Koga's name was yelled from the reporters and flashes went off as they noticed his figure coming out first. Koga waved as he got out of the car, standing to his full height and moving away with slowness. He slowly made his way over to one side of the red carpet as reporters shouted out their questions, eager for his attention. He just kept his smile on and he tried to listen to one voice with one question.
Miroku then stepped out of the limo and flashes went off again, as screams were shouted at him. He smiled, his pearly white teeth gleaming in the lights and walked over to the opposite side Koga was on. The good thing about having a band with three people was that they could easily go to different sides the reporters were on and take their questions. It went by faster for them so they could get out of the spotlight quicker. Miroku made his way closer to the velvet rope and microphones were stuck out at his face as he smiled at the intrusion, keeping on his façade. He listened at the different voices shouting at him and tried to catch onto one question he could answer.
Inuyasha scooted to the opening door and turned around when he didn't hear Kagome moving with him. His eyes fell upon her figure still against the window side. Kagome wore her red dress, the dress falling just to her knees and showing her silky legs. Inuyasha tore his eyes away from her legs and focused on trying to talk to her. The sapphire necklace that Isamu had given her laid against her bare chest, making Inuyasha feel the need to rip that thing off her neck. Waterfall earrings hung from her ears and her hair was let down in a midnight cascade against her bare back. The dress was a tube top, leaving the top of her chest and back bare for others to see, much to his disappointment.
"Kagome…" he called, though she didn't move. Inuyasha sighed and scooted closer to her, making the reporters wait. They couldn't go out there with frowns on their faces. It wouldn't be good if they were found on the front cover of a magazine with frowns. Obviously something had happened. Inuyasha touched Kagome's shoulder, suddenly wishing that he hadn't. His hand met with the silkiness of her skin and he had the urge to run his fingers along her skin just to satisfy himself. 'Fuck. Knock it off idiot!' "Kagome… we have to go," he said as he took back his hand.
Kagome shook her head. "Go on without me."
Inuyasha scrunched his eyebrows and felt his anger coming back again. "Why are you acting like a child?"
"What?" Kagome said, almost screamed it. The driver in front rolled down the window, noticing that the door had not closed yet meaning that there were still people inside.
Inuyasha looked ahead and growled at the drive. "Roll up the window," he ordered. The driver stuttered and apologized, quickly rolling the window back up. He then turned his attention back to Kagome. She was now looking at him with that fire in her eyes again. Her face was in a frown as to what he had said but they really didn't have time to argue. If they stayed in here any longer the paparazzi might draw assumptions.
"Kagome… just walk with me. We can't walk separately after the two nights we walked together. And we can't stay in here any longer because the paparazzi might draw conclusions and rumors might spread." Inuyasha scooted towards the door and beckoned for her to follow.
'No… we wouldn't want that now would we?' she thought sarcastically, thinking of her sister. Kagome sighed and gave in, following Inuyasha to the door. He got out and the paparazzi screamed, signaling the fact that she would have to get out soon. But she didn't want to walk with Inuyasha. She still felt bad that she had said that to him but she couldn't bring herself to apologize to him. Because if she apologized to him then that would mean that she would want him to care for her, and maybe he would. Maybe he does. So she wouldn't apologize to him. She would just have to suck up her emotions and wait until later to figure out what she was going to do about this. 'I just want to get this over and done with.'
Inuyasha's hand was brought down into the car and Kagome knew it was her cue. She grabbed onto his hand with one hand and lifted her dress with the other. Stepping out of the car, another round of shouts and flashes went off as Kagome stood by Inuyasha's side and the two smiled for all it was worth it. The paparazzi screamed their names and Inuyasha closed the door. The limo then sped away as the two walked down the red carpet. They passed Miroku and Koga who were still engaging in a few interviews and walked ahead along the red carpet.
Kagome kept her hand securely wrapped with Inuyasha's, letting him lead the way. They turned off the carpet and walked towards one side, next to the velvet ropes that were screaming with eager reporters. The microphones and flashes of cameras went off wildly as they noticed the leader of Mayonaka was coming their way along with the High Priestess. 'Great… this must really get them off,' Kagome thought. She kept her smile on and stopped when Inuyasha did, the two being swarmed with microphones and shouts. Inuyasha's ears twitched impatiently on his head but he was used to this sort of frenzy from the paparazzi by now. However, it still irritated him when they did this.
Reporters shouted out their questions and fought for Inuyasha and Kagome's attention. The two had to let go of each other's arms so that they could answer the reporters' questions one at a time. They stood side by side as they listened for a question and began to answer it, speaking into the microphones that were shoved to their mouths so the reporters could get the full answer. Kagome kept her smile on and tried not to give away too much as the reporters tried to dig into her past. She just kept answering some of their questions by beating around the bush.
When Miroku and Koga came up to them, the band was one. The reporters then shouted for the band to answer their questions and flashes were made to get the whole trio together in one shot. Flashes were also made while Kagome was aloof and answering her own questions to one side. After five minutes or so Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and the four began to walk to the opposite side to do the same thing. One thing that they knew was that the paparazzi wanted the celebrity's attention. They needed the celebrities like they need air, and Mayonaka knew that if they tried to get to every reporter then they could be favored and talked about more in the media. Which was another reason why Mayonaka was so popular. They ventured to many reporters so that none would feel left out and a lot of companies would get their words. Mayonaka spent time together answering questions while Kagome answered her own next to the group. She smiled and laughed at some of the questions, feeling a bit out of place but still not having it bother her. The spotlight was something that she had to get used to while being the High Priestess.
Inuyasha then made the decision to leave and he took Kagome by the arm while she excused herself from the reporters. The group went through the archway into Naishiro and was welcomed by quietness. The celebrities were all chatting amongst themselves or sitting at their tables with others. The stage was lit and ready for the first performer of the night. People were ready to enjoy their last night at this AAA Party for Kagome.
The band made their way to their table where Isamu and David already sat in, waiting for their arrival. They were greeted and then they began to chat about tonight's events. Isamu asked the boys if they were ready with ending the night and they all agreed, ready to end the night on this long weekend they had in the eyes of the media. Kagome smiled and nodded her head as she was asked if she had a good weekend. The party was for her and they wanted to know if she had fun.
"It was great."
Isamu smiled and leaned against the table as he looked across at Kagome. His eyes caught sight of the necklace he gave her and a smirk of satisfaction flew across his face for a moment. "Are you ready to make your speech?"
Kagome reeled back, shocked as to what he had said. 'Speech? Dammit… I forgot about that!' She started to think of what to say but then she just shrugged, seeing that Isamu was waiting for her answer. "I guess so…"
Isamu nodded his head. "Good. You'll go on right before Mayonaka ends the night. It'll be a great double finale." He then got up from the table and excused himself to walk back stage and make the announcements.
Kagome sighed and began to think about what she was going to say. She would just have to wing it when she got onto stage but her jitters and butterflies were still eating at her at the thought.
The night began and the bands and musicians began to sing their songs for Kagome. Dinner was brought out for the guests and small talk and laughter was made over their food. Once dinner was finished they got up to do the same routine of walking around or talking in small groups along the open spaces. People moved to the darker parts while some moved to the dance floor to dance or talk on the sides.
Kagome got up from the table and asked Isamu if she could have a word with him. This, of course, made Inuyasha turn and look at Kagome with a shocked look. He couldn't help but get mad at her for asking Isamu to be alone with her. But he kept his mouth shut when she didn't look down at him and he turned his head away from the two as they walked to the grassy area. He knew that he would still be able to see them clearly, and hear them. But he wasn't going to snoop. If Kagome wanted to be alone with Isamu then so be it. 'I don't fucking care.' Inuyasha looked ahead at the next band that played and tried to tune himself into the music while forgetting about Kagome's absence.
Isamu and Kagome walked together to the grass area where there were a few groups nearby. Kagome turned to Isamu and he smiled at her, wondering what it is she had to tell him.
"Isamu… I want to thank you for making this party for me," Kagome said, a smile on her face.
Isamu smiled back with a nod. "No problem." He kept his mouth shut, seeing that she had more to say, and wondered if she was finally taking his words into consideration. 'Kagome… you are a smart girl.'
"And I want to give you something in return." Kagome reached up and around her neck to unclasp the sapphire necklace that hung against her neck. Isamu's eyes widened as to what she was doing. Kagome shook her hair back and smiled up at him while shoving the necklace out at him. "Thank you for this party but your gifts to me are not sincere." Isamu's hand came out in reaction and she dropped it in his big hands. "I don't want your gifts if you expect me to give you something back in return. A gift is something that comes with no strings attached and you usually don't ask for a gift back in return." Kagome's eyes bore into Isamu's but her smile was still on her face, sweet yet deadly.
"And I don't take lightly with threats. You may think of me as a sweet woman, but I can easily change the way you see me." Kagome then wiped the smile off her face and moved closer to his body. "I didn't enjoy your behavior last night and I don't appreciate your insistent bashing. Leave me alone, Isamu." Isamu gazed down at Kagome with shock written clearly in his eyes, but his face remained with no emotion, angry that she would talk to him this way.
"My life is of no concern to you. What I want to tell you is what I prefer for you to know, nothing more and nothing less. You cannot make me do something I don't want to do." Kagome smirked and then turned to head back to the table. "You can't always have your way. Remember that, Isamu." Kagome walked back to the table, leaving a shocked and angry Isamu behind in the dark. She could feel his anger in his aura but she didn't care how angry he was. He wouldn't dare hit her or yell at her because it would ruin him, and she knows how much he values his reputation. Kagome smirked. 'Serves you right, Isamu.' Now she felt better about things. She gave him back the necklace and she told him how she felt of what he did to her last night. Kagome happily made her way back to the table and eyes went up to her in surprise and wonder as she came back alone.
Inuyasha turned to view Kagome as she sat down and the first thing he noticed was the happiness that radiated from her. He wondered what Isamu had done to make her so happy, making him furious that the man had done something like that. But Kagome turned to smile at him and he noticed the missing necklace against her bare skin. The only color on Kagome's skin was the red dress now and the smile she wore. Inuyasha couldn't help but smile and feel a bit of pride and relief as he took in Kagome's smile for himself. She then turned and they enjoyed the music that played for the rest of the night. The band had gotten up and began to converse with other bands and musicians on their accomplishments and records over the past year or so. Kagome had gotten up to talk to others who she hasn't introduced herself to and they eagerly accepted her into their group.
As the night was coming to a close, people were beginning to sense the urgency of trying to get their opinions and discussions out before the night was over. The woman finally came on stage and brought the microphone to her mouth.
"Okay, everyone. Now… I would like to call everyone's attention." People began to slowly stop their chatter and look up to the stage, from wherever they were scattered, at the lone woman on stage. "It is my honor to invite this next guest up onto the stage. She is the star of this weekend's party and we will hear a few words she has to say about the past few nights. Everyone, please give a round of applause to our star guest… Kagome Higurashi." A round of applause was given throughout the grounds and Kagome had to suppress the urge to scream at them to stop but she could only smile and giggle. She excused herself from the group she was in and walked to the stage.
The whole time her body moved to the stage, Kagome tried her best not to stumble or do something embarrassing. Every single set of eyes were on her figure as she walked to the stage and the applause kept going until she ascended the stairs and got to the microphone. The woman smiled at her in encouragement and she stepped a few steps behind Kagome to let her say a few words. Kagome gazed out at the tables that remained in front of her, so many that were in her vision. She gulped. 'Great… so much for just winging it…' she thought, trying to get the butterflies out of her stomach.
"Good evening," she said, hearing her own voice float loudly through the speakers on the sides of the stage. Kagome smiled as the people replied back to her and she took a deep breath, telling herself to just tell the crowd how she felt. "Well… first I would like to thank Isamu for planning this wonderful AAA Party in my name," she said, nodding her head at the acknowledgement. "I've been thinking about what I would say but I know that I won't talk about one thing." Kagome tilted her head to the side, her hair cascading over her shoulder as the lights hit her body. She smiled. "My past life is something that most of you have asked me about, and I know that it is of interest. But my past life… is my past," she said, her eyes wandering around the audience. "The past should be looked upon with wisdom because it holds so much knowledge and advice for the future. We all learn from our past. But I believe that my past has no guidance for the future."
Kagome smiled out at the crowd as she thought her words. "My past was secluded in a shrine. I learned the ways of my blood and I was fed beliefs that I still hold dear. But my past… though some of you have found strange… is not something that I regret." She sighed. "I loved my childhood, as much as I was placed in isolation. And the reason for that is because I lived." Kagome smiled with a long sigh. "I was able to live a life that I could sometimes determine for myself. But I could live. And living is something that we all take for granted until it comes that time when we will no longer be able to live. Until we understand what we will lose, we will always take it for granted."
"What I have done in my past life was to give my life for the lives of others. One life over many has no drawbacks and it was the decision that I made when I was young. You see… we all live for one purpose, and if happiness can make the world a more appreciative place, then it is all that I ask for. And life is how we can get there." Kagome turned back to look at the woman and she nodded her head, encouraging Kagome to continue. She saw at the corner of her eye Mayonaka coming onto the stage, ready to perform.
"So… I just want to thank you all for coming and understanding my values and beliefs. I hope that your experience with me has not allowed you to pass judgment on anyone or anything. Life is about making mistakes and witnessing miracles." Kagome smiled with a nod. "Thank you everyone. May Buddha watch over you all." She turned around to view the announcer and a round of applause flew out from the audience. People had moved back to their seats while Kagome talked and now everyone was seated at the tables. Kagome turned back to the audience and bowed slightly and placed her hands behind her back, ready to leave.
Inuyasha came up to the side of Kagome as the woman grabbed the microphone stand and asked for another round of applause for Kagome. "Good job…" Inuyasha said. Kagome smiled up at him and excused herself from the stage. The people's applause finally settled as she got off the stage and she walked back to her table. David smiled at her as she sat next to him, waiting for Mayonaka's start. Isamu sat on the other side of David, though she didn't look at him to see if he had recovered from what she had told him.
The woman left the stage to Mayonaka and the boys got into their places, waiting for each other to start the tune. Inuyasha's guitar was strapped around his shoulders and he fixed the microphone to his level. Miroku started the beat softly while Koga then joined in. They played the chords a few times before Inuyasha finally joined in and the three began to play the introduction of their song. Inuyasha then began to sing into the microphone and his voice floated nicely out to the crowd. Everyone listened to the words and the melodic rhythm the boys made together. Then they all joined together as they sang for Kagome. Everyone listened with interest, talking among themselves quietly as they had to leave right after the song was finished.
Kagome watched as the three played on stage and she wondered how their world must be like. She could see how comfortable they were on stage and the bright smiles showed how much they loved what they were doing. They loved to sing and play music, it was obvious in the way they smiled and sang together. Kagome smiled at them, glad that they were so happy and content. She felt so much pride for them and their accomplishments. The band made themselves a place in history for their mesmerizing songs and beautiful voices. Kagome sighed and relaxed into the chair. 'I'm so proud of you guys,' she thought, thinking as how beautiful they looked on that stage together.
The song finally ended and Mayonaka all took a bow, thanking the audience for coming to this party. The night ended on a great note and the guests were pleased at the performances and the service of Naishiro. Everyone was happy and satisfied that they had come and they were all thanking each other as they all said their goodbyes and best wishes. People began to leave Naishiro, eager to get back to their normal life but sad to be leaving a good time behind. Mayonaka got off the stage and made their way to their table, smiles on their faces at the great ending that they made. Kagome stood up when they got to their table beaming with happiness and excitement, the rush of being on stage and performing.
"That was great you guys," she complimented. Miroku thanked her while Koga slapped Inuyasha on the back, proving their pride overload. Kagome smiled with a shake of her head as Inuyasha linked his arm with her own.
"Ready?" he asked, a happy smile on his face. Kagome nodded her head, seeing the smile that lit his face and she felt so happy. She was starting to get used to this, linking arms with Inuyasha, being under his watch and care, and even having to be next to him for long periods of time. It was starting to wash over her and make her feel like she belonged here when she didn't. But Kagome knew it was only for the moment, so she let it happen. She was going to let herself be drawn in by him and then thrown out in the end. It was all she could do because she was starting to yearn for his touch now more than ever. It was harder to stay away from him now that she was used to being next to him from these past three nights together. Kagome sighed as they walked to the entrance and started their trek back out into the flashing lights. The crowd screamed their names, hoping to get a few more words from them, but the band made no movement to the velvet ropes. They went right to their limo and headed off to their hotel for the night. Their weekend in the spotlight was over.
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
Stepping out of the bathroom, the steam floated its way into the bedroom. The foggy mirror showed the blurry reflection of Kagome's retreating figure as she turned off the lights in the bathroom and headed into the bedroom. She sighed happily. 'That was a great bath.' She had the most brilliant bath ever in the past few days. Her hair was up in a towel and her sleeping clothes hugged her warm body with comfort. Kagome smiled as she walked over to her phone to check her miss call.
'Kikyo…' Kazuki must have wanted to talk to her. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and clicked on Kikyo's number as the dial tone came on. 'I thought he went to bed.' She had called Kazuki when she got back to her room and they had a few words before she told him to go to sleep. Tomorrow he had a long day with Keisha as they were going shopping for food, which was what Kazuki liked to do because he could smell all the weird scents of the foods. But she had sworn that she had told Kazuki to go to sleep. 'Maybe he didn't listen…'
The dial tone stopped and Kikyo's voice came on.
"Kagome?"
"Hey, Kikyo," she said, leaning back against the kitchen counter. "You called?"
"Yeah. Sorry… but I wanted to know how the night went."
Kagome smiled, glad that everything was okay with Kazuki. "Oh… well it went great." She turned around to lean her arms on the countertop and she told her sister about the night's events. The two shared some laughs as Kagome told Kikyo about her speech on stage and her little conversation with Isamu. Kikyo had told her that she, too, didn't like Isamu. He was just too arrogant for the both of them, and she was glad her sister saw it as well.
"Did you talk to Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah. I just talked to him about ten minutes ago."
"Oh…" There was a silence on the line as they both felt the awkward moment of talking about Inuyasha. Between the two of them, there would always be that awkward moment when bringing up Inuyasha and the relationship they had with the man.
"But yeah. That's all I wanted to know. Inuyasha told me about their performance and I could tell that he had fun. I just wanted to know if you did too."
Kagome smiled, thankful that she had a sister like Kikyo. "Yeah. I had fun. But I'm glad it's all over because now I can go sight-seeing and visit the shrine tomorrow."
Kikyo giggled. "You and your shrines. Wouldn't you like to see other things than things you saw when you were young?"
"Well… this one is different. And it's on a different island, so yeah. But yeah. So I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. Good night, Kagome."
"Good night, Kikyo." She hung up and stared at the light that radiated from the screen of her phone before she closed it. 'Kikyo…' Suddenly there was a knock on the conjoining door and she placed her phone on the counter as she walked over to open the door. Inuyasha stood in his black sweat pants and no shirt, making her eyes roam all over his chest. 'Dammit Kagome!' she scolded herself as she willed her eyes on his own.
"Just wanted to see how you were doing," Inuyasha said. He flashed her a smile and she blushed. He caught her staring at his chest. Kagome fished for words to reply before he thought of something else to make her feel embarrassed about.
"Well… I'm fine thank you. I just got off the phone with Kikyo."
Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head for just a second, but Kagome noticed the quick movement and she frowned. His frown remained on his face for the same length of time his ears deflated and then his face was stoic. "Oh… yeah she called me a few minutes ago."
"She told me," Kagome said with a nod. She then turned her head from him, uncomfortable with talking about her sister with him. And it seemed like Inuyasha too was uncomfortable now. They both stood on the opposite sides of the door, confused as to what to say now and uncomfortable with the way the conversation had gone.
"Well… I'll see you tomorrow morning," Inuyasha said as his eyes went down to the carpet and he took a step back.
Kagome nodded her head and began to close the door. "Yeah. Good night."
The door closed and the two were separated from each other.
Well... this chapter was the longest one I've done for this story. I knew it was going to be long because I wanted to get the AAA Party over with. And now it is. So let me know what you thought and I'm going to get to the next one.
-Kaleialohalani
