Chapter 4
“Kagome Higurashi…your wavy, raven-haired mystery girl.” Inuyasha’s agent, Bankotsu said through the television screen he was being projected on in the living room of Inuyasha’s house.
“What about her?” Inuyasha answered with an irritated look on his face. He, his parents, and Miroku were all sitting in the living room during the video call with Inuyasha’s agent.
“You two sure have stirred up quite some publicity in the past two weeks.” Bankotsu said while holding up a picture of Kagome running away from Inuyasha when he broke up with her a few weeks ago.
“Is this conversation even necessary? I haven’t seen, or spoken to the girl since that photo was taken. So, what is the point of this?”
Bankotsu’s face faltered into a more serious one, “The point is that the media isn’t going to stop until they have a story on who this girl is, where she came from, and now because these pictures have surfaced, the bigger question is why Inuyasha Takahashi has become a heart breaker. This affair of yours has gone public, and is the talk of Hollywood…and not in a good way, I might add.”
“He’s right, Inuyasha-” Miroku chided, “Have you seen some of your fan pages since that day? Most of it hasn’t been too good.”
Inuyasha’s mother tried to rub his shoulders to ease some of the tension. “Who’s side are you even on, Miroku!” Inuyasha shot at his so called, best-friend.
“I’m on yours! I’ve always been on your side, this whole time, I’ve been covering your ass this whole time you’ve been off with her!” Miroku shouted back.
“Enough of this inconsequential arguing!” Bankotsu yelled through the television screen, “Bottom line is that you have to make this girl go away, or you can kiss your fame and your name goodbye!”
“I’ve already broken up with her, I don’t talk to her...what more can I possibly do!?” Inuyasha was growing tired of everyone blowing this situation way out of proportion. Why was any of this having the effects that it was?
“I’m glad you asked me that question, because you see, I have arranged for you to make an appearance on the Sandy Williams show tomorrow afternoon where you will have to opportunity to clear up these new rumors, of your past love.” Bankotsu said putting an emphasis on ‘past love’.
Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows while processing what his agent was really asking him to do. “You want me…to lie on Kagome!?” He asked, “There’s no way I could do that! I’ve already crushed her heart…if I deny her like that, it will only crush her spirit as well!”
“Look Inuyasha, she’s just one basic girl…the world is full of others just like her. But at the moment, you don’t need a normal girl on your hip this early in your career. You need to surround yourself with people who can continue to lift your career up. Then if you choose to date ordinary girls, so be it. But, at the moment…you need to make this one disappear.” Bankotsu looked at Inuyasha sternly from through the screen know that he had finally gotten through to his client. “I have nothing further to discuss with you, be at the Sandy Williams studio tomorrow at noon. You go live at 1:30, have your story straight and believable.”
After his last few words, Bankotsu signed off leaving the Takahashi’s and Miroku to discuss the game plan for the next day.
-X-
Things at the Higurashi vacation home weren’t doing much better, since Kagome and Inuyasha’s break up a few weeks ago, Kagome had lost her whole will to enjoy her vacation. Not to mention, she had become a prisoner in her own home. Since the media had finally found out where she lived, it was nearly impossible for her to go any farther than her block, with or without her family.
One good thing that had come out of all of this though, is that her parents let her off the hook for the car. But, Kagome only figured it was because they felt so bad for her being so much in the public eye lately. Her parents never once asked her why it all started happening though since it was clear that Kagome didn’t want to talk about any of it. Not to mention, she had been down in the dumps for the past several weeks.
“This whole thing just freaking sucks!” Kagome screamed to herself as she read yet another article of lies about her and Inuyasha that surfaced the internet. However, it wasn’t the article itself that upset her so bad. It was all the comments from Inuyasha’s adoring female fans that got to her the most. “It’s the same shit every time! This girl is so ugly. She’s such a whore. I hope she dies!? What the hell! None of you even know me!” She yelled while slamming her laptop shut and burring her face into the pillows on her bed. “Meanwhile, I’m the idiot with the broken heart…”
Kagome gripped the sheets trying to force back the tears that were threatening to fall down her face for the millionth time in the past two weeks. “I never asked for any of this, but no one cares about how any of this affects me…?”
“I do,” Sango’s voice came from the doorway of Kagome’s bedroom. “C’mon Kagome, you can’t continue to let this get to you. Don’t give him the satisfaction of making you a prisoner in your own home.”
“What do you care...” Kagome didn’t bother lifting her head from her pillow to face her friend.
Sango walked over to the bed and sat next to Kagome and began stroking her hair. “I care because you’re my best friend, and I partially feel responsible for all this even starting. None of this would have happened if I didn’t drag you to that night club that night you met him.”
Kagome finally sat up, and wiped the tears from her face. “That wasn’t your fault; you were just trying to help me enjoy my time here while I had it. I should be thanking you for that. Besides, it’s not like you knew I was going to lose my phone, then get hit in the head by the biggest player in Hollywood.”
The two girls sat in silence for a short moment as Sango tried to think of something she could do to cheer up her friend. “Hey, wipe the egg off your face and get dressed. Put on something nice, it will make you feel better.” Sango said with enthusiasm
“For what?” Kagome looked at her friend suspiciously.
“We’re going to shopping in town. This is Beverly Hills, one of the shopping capitals in America, and I promised you were going to enjoy this vacation. I intend to keep my promise despite your little break up. Who needs a superstar boyfriend anyway when you have a best-friend?”
Kagome raised an eyebrow, but smiled right after nonetheless. Sango was right, why should she sit in the house and sulk when Inuyasha was out having living a normal life? “Alright, sounds like a plan.”
-X-
“Are you still thinking about him, Kagome?” Sango asked while looking at her friend across the round table of the coffee shop they were sitting at.
After several hours of shopping, Kagome still had a frown on her face, and didn’t seem too into their shopping spree either. Sure, an expensive pair of Jimmy Choo sunglasses can put a smile on a girls face for a few minutes, but it was true that money can’t buy happiness. Kagome was still as depressed as ever.
Kagome sighed, “I can’t help it…everything just makes me think about him. All the billboards and posters, his face is everywhere-” She took a deep breath and sat a tabloid magazine on the table that she had grabbed during their shopping spree. “And so is mine.” The picture on the front page was yet another photo that was taken that night she was on the lake with Inuyasha. This one being of the two of them cuddling together by the fire.
‘Welcome to the Sandy Williams show, I’m your host Sandy with a very special guess joining us this afternoon! Please give a warm welcome to number one recording artist of this generation, Mr. Inuyasha Takahashi!’
“Huh,” Kagome’s conversation with Sango was interrupted by the television that was playing in the coffee shop she and Sango were sitting in. Of course, it would be some talk show featuring the one person whose face she’d rather not see at the moment.
‘Now Inuyasha, I was told that you are here today to clear up all these crazy rumors about you and your new lady love. So, tell us, who is she? We are all dying to get the inside scoop on you two!’
“K-Kagome, we can leave if this is going to bother you…” Sango tried to break her friends concentration that was now 110% on the TV screen.
“Shh…” Kagome waved her hands in Sango’s face indicating that she wanted her to stop talking.
---
“Tell us Inuyasha, you have the floor. When did the two of you start your little fling? And was it before or after your relationship ended with Kikyo Hongo?” Sandy asked with a big unsettling smile on her face.
Inuyasha scoffed on the big red arm chair he was sitting in across from Sandy Williams feeling incredibly uncomfortable looking into her eyes. “Well, there really isn’t a whole lot to say about it because it was never a fling. Not recently anyways…” The words flowed smoothly from his lips.
Sandy raised an eyebrow and leaned closer into Inuyasha, “What do you mean, not recently?” She asked.
Inuyasha chuckled, “The girl from all these pictures that have been surfacing is nothing more than a blast from my past. The pictures are old, and she’s old news. Ironically enough, she happened to be in this area during the time all this stuff started making headlines. Of course, that only made the stories more interesting. But, I haven’t even spoken to her other than when she tried to rekindle the fire a few weeks ago. I tried to let her down lightly, but she took it pretty hard.”
“So, the picture of her running away from you in tears-”
“Where from when I had to set her straight that what we had before can never be anything again. I have a feeling she only started reaching out to me because my music is becoming popular.” Inuyasha said while nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.
“So, you think she was just trying to gold-dig?”
“More or less, I mean, I really don’t know what her intentions really were…but I know that me and her will never be together again. It’s as simple as that.”
“And all the other pictures of you two kissing and cuddling-”
“Old,” Inuyasha interrupted. “The only picture that is recent is the one of her crying. And, that’s all there is to tell about that story.”
---
‘Well, you heard it here first guys, from the man himself. Inuyasha is single, and I’m pretty sure ready to mingle. Stay tuned, and we’ll be right back with a special performance by Inuyasha Takahashi.’
“I-I can’t believe he would say that…” Kagome whispered feeling tears form in the corners of her eyes.
“Kagome, don’t let it get to you…he’s a jerk! You don’t need to waste your tears on someone like him!”
“Hey look, it’s the girl from all the pictures!” A random person from inside the coffee shop said causing all eyes to now turn to Kagome, which was the exact opposite of what she needed at the moment. All the people in the shop got up from their seats and started to bomb rush Kagome and Sango at their table. The whole ordeal terrified them both.
“Get all your bags, and let’s get out of here!” Sango yelled over the people as she grabbed her friend’s wrist and started dragging her out of the shop. The two ran for about eleven blocks before they got away from all the crazy people that were chasing the two of them back. They had to cut a few corners, and even come in through the back door to Kagome’s house.
“I can’t go on living my life like this, Sango! It isn’t fair! How come he gets the liberty to go off and make me look like the bad guy and I just catch wind of all his lies!? It’s not even like I could go on some talk show and say anything differently, so it’s his word against mine!” Kagome screamed as she threw all her shopping bags on the floor of her living room.
Souta, her younger brother, was in the living room watching TV when the two of them came in the house completely out of breath, and Kagome having a conniption. “Well, maybe this will teach you to sneak off with famous people, sis!”
“Shut up!” Kagome screamed at her younger brother. “It’s none of your business!”
“Well, when you have people with cameras constantly standing outside the front door, it becomes my business, and everyone else’s in the house! Besides, it’s probably for good reason he dumped you since you’re always biting people’s heads off!” Souta yelled back at her, and then ran out the living room and up the stairs to his room.
“Well, who asked your opinion anyway!?”
“Uh, Kagome…? Souta wasn’t kidding when he said there were people outside the house.” Sango said while looking at the petrifying site from outside the peephole of the front door.
“What are you talking about, San-” Kagome’s words were cut off when she looked out the window and saw what looked like 40 camera men standing on her front lawn and driveway. “What the hell is all this!?” Kagome yelled while closing all the blinds and curtains to her house.
“I guess the comments Inuyasha made on that talk show has something to do with this. There has always been one or two people trying to sneak a picture of you since the two of your broke up…but this is ridicules! Isn’t this borderline harassment?” Sango asked while moving away from the front door.
“My parents are going to blow-up when they get home and see all this!” Kagome sat down on her steps and buried her face into her knees and arms. “Why is this happening to me?”
“Have you tried talking to Inuyasha since he broke up with you?” Sango asked.
“Of course not! He broke my heart, and said some incredibly mean things to me! I never want to see him face again, and I don’t want to talk to him! He is a jerk that I should have never wasted my time with. Everything I thought about him before was right!”
Not much later did the front door open, and Kagome’s mother and father returned from where ever they were in a sudden panic. “What is all of that out there!?” Her father asked while slamming the front door closed and latching every single lock.
“Apparently my new entourage,” Kagome said sarcastically while standing up and walking up to her bedroom with Sango hot on her heels.
“You can’t keep running from this, Kagome!” Her mother yelled up the stairs after her.
“Yea, well I’m going to keep running until I find something better!” Kagome slammed her door and flopped on the bed.
Sango was eating a bag of chips on the floor that she had stashed away somewhere in the bedroom. “I’m telling you Kagome, you can’t keep letting this boy get the better of you. You’re a human being, and you deserve better than him.”
Kagome grabbed the remote from off her night stand, and hit a button that caused a flat screen to slowly descend from the ceiling. She hit another button, which made the screen come on.
“U-um, how long has this giant TV been in here?” Sango said with her jaw nearly to the floor. She had been with the Higurashi’s for nearly three weeks and had no idea Kagome had a TV in her ceiling.
“It’s more than just a TV, but…it’s always been in here. I just never use it.” Kagome answered while flipping through the channels to get to MTV
Ironically enough, she got to the channel, they were playing back Inuyasha’s interview on the Sandy Williams show from earlier.
“The girl from all these pictures that have been surfacing is nothing more than a blast from my past. The pictures are old, and she’s old news. Ironically enough, she happened to be in this area during the time all this stuff started making headlines. Of course, that only made the stories more interesting. But, I haven’t even spoken to her other than when she tried to rekindle the fire a few weeks ago. I tried to let her down lightly, but she took it pretty hard.”
“None of that is true you big liar!” Kagome yelled at the TV.
“K-Kagome, maybe watching this isn’t the best for your blood pressure at the moment?” Sango tried to ease the frustrations of her friend that were quickly building up.
“I have a feeling she only started reaching out to me because my music is becoming popular”
Tears started falling down Kagome’s face again, as a hard scowl formed on her lips with fire burning in her eyes. “I just can’t believe he had the nerve to so causally say all that stuff! He’s such an ass hole! And I can’t take it anymore!” She screamed and threw her remote across the room. Kagome jumped off her bed and ran out her room, and down the stairs towards the door.
“Kagome, what are you doing!?” Her mother asked while Kagome began twisting the knob to open the door and face the crowed of paparazzi waiting for her outside.
“I’m settling this madness once and for all! I can’t take this!”
Sango came down the steps, “Kagome, don’t make this harder on yourself-”
“I’m not! I’m ending it!” Kagome yelled and opened the door, and was met with millions of flashing cameras, microphones, and video cameras all pointed at her.
“Miss, Miss, tell us about your relationship with Inuyasha Takahashi!”
“Is everything he said on the Sandy Williams show today, true?”
“Tell us your side! We only want the truth!”
Kagome rolled her eyes at that last statement, “You don’t want the truth, all you want is a story! You take a normal person, and turn them into your own little reality show! You build people up as a celebrity, just so you can tear them down in public! Why, so you can sell magazines and TV shows? I hope you all know that is really sick, and selfish…and Inuyasha Takahashi is just one example. He’s talented, and is becoming successful…he has all the things a lot of people only dream of having. But thanks to all of you he’s had to give up some of the best things in his life like freedom, privacy, relationships...honesty. So congratulations, you’ve created a celebrity…but you have wrecked the human being inside!
“Did you get all that?” A woman with a microphone glued to Kagome’s face asked someone with a video camera, “I have one more question for you, who is Inuyasha Takahashi…really?” She asked Kagome with a wink.
Kagome raised an eyebrow at the women completely disgusted with her and everyone else on at her front door. “Who is he? I don’t know! The Inuyasha Takahashi that you are all so obsessed with, and think I have a relationship with…I promise you, I NEVER met him, and I wouldn’t want to!” On that note, Kagome went back in her house and closed her door and locked it.
---
“Who is he? I don’t know! The Inuyasha Takahashi that you are all so obsessed with, and think I have a relationship with…I promise you, I NEVER met him, and I wouldn’t want to!”
Inuyasha starred at his TV screen with an indescribable look on his face. He was genuinely hurt by what Kagome had just said about him, but he knew her words were nothing compared to his on the Sandy Williams show earlier that day.
“Congratulations Inuyasha, you finally got her to lie for you. But, was it worth it?” Miroku asked as he turned the TV off in the huge living room where they were both sitting, and eating popcorn,
“Please don’t start with me, Miroku. I’m not in the mood for your shit right now.” Inuyasha answered with anger in his voice.
“I promise you, I’m not trying to piss you off. That was a legitimate question. But, what has me the most confused about this is…didn’t like that girl, because she was so honest?”
Inuyasha lowered his head, but nodded, “Yea…I did,”
“So, why are you allowing the rest of the world to dictate your relationship? Why are you pushing away the girl that genuinely brings you happiness?
“Boy Miroku, weren’t you the one saying that I was making stupid choices by being around her, and everything else!? You can’t play both sides of the fence, either you’re with me or you’re against me!”
Miroku shook his head, “I never said you were making stupid choices by being around her. The choices you were making to be around her were stupid. I was never against you being with her, she’s cute! And, you really seem to be into her since you were willing to go to the lengths you did to keep her away from this life. But, in the end, it happened anyway…and in the worst way possible.” Miroku sat his hand on his friends shoulder, “You need to make things right with that girl, before you push her away to a point where you can’t get her back.”
“Thing is…I think I may have already done that.”
AN: Alright, believe it or not…this chapter has been completed up to this point for about four days now. I didn’t want to end it right here, I wanted to write more. But, in light of Christmas…which is today ’13, I decided to just post this as it is and give you something to read! Hope you enjoyed it, as well as your Christmas! (or whatever your family celebrates!)
Please review as my gift from you and tell me how you like the story!
-Kriss