Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of this story. They are the property of the creator of inuyasha series.

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CHAPTER 7

"What to wear … God! I never find anything good, when I need it." Kagome was ransacking her closet for something good to wear.

"You can always wear your white satin T-shirt and black skirt. It's just a get together dinner at kiki's for kami's sake." Sango replied while working on the laptop.

"Humor me for wanting to look my best."

"I was just stating the obvious. By the way, does it have to do with a certain male coming over?" Sango turned towards Kagome and cocked her eyebrow.

"Oh just shut up. You know that's not true. You've been working on that laptop of yours for too long. I am completely over Inuyasha. I don't give a damn if he shows up there with kim or not."

Kagome turned towards Sango with her hands on her waist.

"But yeah, maybe it will be good if he shows up. I want him to know exactly where he stands in my life. That is nowhere."

"Would you just look at what you're saying for a minute?" Sango stood up from where she was sitting.

"You have no idea what's going on, do you? He used to be your best friend. What happened to that? Are you what, enemies now? Trying to one up each other at who has a girlfriend or boyfriend?"

"Sango, do you have any idea what I went through? Please don't be his advocate."

"I know exactly what's been going on between you two. In fact, Miroku knows it too. I know you love him Kagome. But I don't know why you're not fighting to be with him. Isn't it obvious he loves you too? He's always been there for you when you needed him. What changed? Who changed?"

Kagome was brimming with tears now.

"He changed, that's what happened. He met Kim, that's what changed. Sango, I love him. I really do, and seeing him with her punches a hole in what's left of my heart."

She finally broke down. Sango was at her side immediately comforting her friend.

"I… tried telling him… but… no time for me… I want … him happy… he… only friendship."

"Shh… you're gonna be ok sweety. I'm here for you. Shh…"

Sango soothed her friend all the while thinking, 'he's just as lost and hurt as you are.'

….

Inuyasha and Miroku arrived quarter past eight. Everyone had already arrived.

Inuyasha scanned the room for Kagome and saw her chatting with Bankotsu and laughing hysterically. He fisted his hands. Anger boiling and threatening to rip someone. He felt a calm hand on his fist and turned to look.

"Calm down. You can still win her back, you know. Have faith." With that Miroku moved towards the dining table to join the others.

Inuyasha turned to Kagome once again. She was going to the guestroom. This was his chance to talk to her. He made his way after her praying Miroku was right.

….

"Oh my God. You're going to be the death of me Banky." Kagome was laughing very hard.

"You wound me kags. Here I was thinking of whisking you away from everyone to make you my queen and you're laughing at me?" Bankotsu was feigning to be taken aback.

"Oh quit it. A queen of what? You're brigade of devil's advocate." She laughed again.

"My dear, I merely see to it that my clients win their case. And for your information, my clients rarely comprise of lunatics and murderers unless I'm in need of serious cash." This time it was Bankotsu's turn to laugh at Kagome's shocked expression.

"Relax. My sheets all clean. You can check if you want." He chocked his brow once again.

"You're pathetic." She hit him playfully.

"Hey, I'll be back in a while. I need to go check on my cat. See, if he's eaten or not." She said looking at the watch.

"Ah, the cat. I wish I had the fortune of being looked after by you." He winked at her at which she laughed again.

"Silly." With that she left.

Bankotsu had only one thought when she left. 'He had fallen madly in love with Kagome.'

….

"Buoyo… come here boy. " Kagome entered the room and switched on the lights.

"I wonder where he went." She turned when she collided with a hard chest.

"Oops. Sorry."

"I should be saying that to you." She looked straight into his molten eyes and started drowning in them like all the times before.

"Inuyasha."

"Kagome." His breathe was ragged. Their proximity was becoming clearer by the minute.

"Inuyasha… I … need…" She was backing away step by step as he was moving forward at the same pace.

"Kagome…" His glare was piercing through her soul.

"I… need …to… " She just couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence. She kept backing until her legs came in contact with the bed. She whirled to see what it was and almost tripped when Inuyasha caught her in his arms.

"Inuyasha… buyou… food…"

"Buyou's not here." He was still looking at her, as if staring at her soul and leaning towards her.

"I guess… I should… Bankotsu's waiting…" He was only inches away now.

"I need you, Kagome." With that he crushed his lips to hers.

Her eyes went wide. What was happening? This isn't right. Then why did it feel like this is where she belonged. Her arms were trapped between their bodies. He was still kissing her furiously, trying to get a reaction from her. She came to her senses of what was happening and started hitting his chest. She started struggling to get free but his hold only tightened. Then she made the mistake of her life. She opened her mouth to yell at him and that's when she got a taste of heaven. Her heaven.

She started drifting in his taste. This was not right. But this was what she wanted. To be wanted, to be loved by him. Be held this close, to plunder his thoughts. This was where she could die happy. If only…

She was going to kick him right in the family jewels when he broke away.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh…"

"I really feel pathetic for making you feel that I'm taking advantage of you."

"You very well should feel that, you damned bastard." She crossed her hands across her chest and huffed facing away from him.

He chuckled at this.

"You're such a child."

"I'm glad I amuse you." She huffed louder this time.

"Let me finish will you. I really meant what I said at the park."

She turned to face him again. He pulled her close and caressed her cheeks.

"I can't ever do without you. You're an important part of me. A part without whom I think I might die. I know I've made you cry like hell… and I may not be the best thing coming your way, but I sure would like a chance to be that for you. I want to hold you with a thought that you're mine and no one else's. I want to kiss you with the feeling that only I am entitled to touch you. I want every part of you. I want to be as close as possible to you."

Kagome was breaking down into pieces at his words. She was just hanging on by a thread.

"I can't promise you everlasting happiness. I can't promise you that we will never fight. But I promise you, I will never let you go. No matter what, I will try my best to be your best. And all this for only this, I ask you to be mine forever."

Eyes brimming with tears threatening to spill she managed to say a word in her now hoarse voice.

"Kim?"

"I broke up with her. That's what I have been trying to tell you all along. I love you. I'm sorry I realized it so late. I care for you so much that I thought maybe if this ended badly I won't even be able to call you my friend. I need to have a claim on you Kagome. Please understand this. I love you from the very start, with my whole being. I don't think I can go back, now that I have admitted it. I was just afraid if I admitted it, and you wouldn't feel the same way. I'm sorry if I hurt you. But I can't stay away from you anymore."

He was staring at her very seriously.

"I need to be close to you. As close as possible." He pulled her to him in a tight hug.

"Please tell me I'm not too late. I don't want to live without you. Hell, I can't live without you." He pulled her away from him at searched her face for answers.

"Inuyasha… I love you."

Her eyes had lost their control and the tears were simply flowing down.

"I really, really love you. You have no idea how long I have waited for you to tell me you love me back. It really hurt to see you with another woman. I never imagined feeling jealous. I was so heart-broken when I realized I loved you and you belonged to someone else. Then you kissed me… confessed of feeling the same in the park. I was overjoyed. I didn't know what to say. Then you crashed my world by saying this wasn't right. I literally felt a hole was punched in my heart. And now, hearing you say all those things I wanted to hear. I really feel overjoyed."

She moved forward and kissed him again.

"But it scares me, to think that I won't be able to handle a second heartbreak. I don't think I'm ready to put any more trust in you."

Inuyasha was shocked. He had just confessed his love… opened his soul to her. And she'd thrown it back at him.

"I'm sorry. I can't do it. I just can't."

He fell to the floor. And she left sobbing.

….

"I don't hear anything. Maybe their busy making babies."

Sango punched Miroku really hard.

"Get those perverted thoughts out of your head dummy."

"But I'm only stating a fact as to what maybe happening in there. They are taking quite long to sort it out. Maybe we should've let Bankotsu intrude."

"Oh quit your yapping, and give those two a break. Their going thru a rough patch right now… I wouldn't blame them for wanting to make up for all the lost time."

Just then a very depressed Kagome ran out of the room crying hard right into Kiki's room.

"Save you remarks for later bonehead and go check on Inuyasha. I'm going after Kagome."

….

"Kagome, sweety are you alright?"

"Sango… "She looked up at Sango with puffy eyes and broke down.

"Aw sweety… I'm here for you." Sango went and hugged her friend with her life.

….

"Inuyasha, man you in here?"

"I told her." Miroku wandered to where he heard his best friend's voice.

"I told her what she meant to me."

Inuyasha was staring into space when Miroku saw him.

"She left."

"Inuyasha"

"Miroku… she left me all alone."

….

"How's Inuyasha holding?"

"Bad. He's completely out of himself. Can't string 5 words together right now. Kagome?"

"Same. She's still hurt because of the past. I don't know how they'll get thru this."

Sango turned and looked at Kagome sitting with Souta and staring off at space. Then she turned to see Inuyasha sitting at the table alone staring at the centre of the table.

"I hope things go the way those two want. I really hope so, for their good."

….

"Alright everybody. Please pay attention." Bankotsu stood up at one end with a glass at one end.

"I would like to raise a toast to my dear friend Naraku, and his would be wife Kikyou. I wish them all the luck in the world and May they always cherish there times together and find a suitable bride for me as well."

Everyone laughed at his last comment.

"No seriously, I really want to share the same feeling these two share with someone special. Only if she'll have me."

Everyone ooed and awed.

"Spill the beans Banky, we hate surprises." Naraku chuckled.

Bankotsu laughed a little and looked gravely in Kagome's direction.

"Kagome."

The room went quite.

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