Chapter 9
Inuyasha had his shirt returned from Becky, who had picked another of Sango's cute outfits to wear. He had attempted to take her a second time, but she had coldly kicked him out of his own room.
"Not until she fully understands, Inuyasha!" Becky had said to him. "I won't let you be in the same room as I until you've made things clear with Kagome."
Inuyasha grumbled as he walked to the kitchen of the house the friends resided in. A simple layout, but a big place, with enough room for 12 people to live comfortably in.
Kagome was drinking a cup of warm chocolate, and eating a bowl of ramen.
"Um, Kagome?" Inuyasha questioned tentatively, sitting across the dining room table from her.
Kagome looked at him with bloodshot eyes.
Inuyasha felt a pang in the bottom of his heart. Kagome had been up all night crying. He could smell the salt of her tears all over her.
"Why are you doing this to me, Inuyasha? Is it because I told you I love you? Do you hate me that much?" Kagome whimpered.
"I – I don't hate you Kagome. There are things about me that I just can't have you deal with on your own. Loving a hanyou is misery. It killed Kikyo, Kagome. I couldn't let it kill you."
"You still haven't said whether you love me or not," Kagome muttered, so quietly, Inuyasha had to strain his still human ears to hear.
"Kagome, I -."
"So you hate me, then?"
"I- Kagome, I didn't say that."
"Then you love me?" Kagome asked, standing up and walking to Inuyasha. She took his hand in hers. "I don't know what this thing with that girl is... but I could be so much better for you, Inuyasha..."
Inuyasha tried to take his hand from her grasp, but in his human shell, she was just as strong as he.
Kagome wrapped her arms around Inuyasha, kissing his neck tenderly. "I could give you everything, Inuyasha. Love me. I know I'm only 16... But I will try to be a good lover..."
"Kagome, I – I'm not in love with you... anymore."
"Liar," Kagome spat, holding him tighter. "You love me. I know you do. Leave her and be mine."
"I can't. Kagome, I'm not as strongly in love with you as I was. I'm falling in love with Becky... and can't be with you. I'm sorry."
Kagome clutched his shoulders, and began to weep. Inuyasha patted her head apologetically. "I'm so sorry." He pulled her off his shoulders to face him. "I do love you, Kagome. I think a part of me always will. But, I was always missing something when it was just you and I. Now I know what fills that void that you could never fill... Becky. My Becky."
Kagome sobbed even harder. "I... I've... al-always... l-loved... you..." Kagome sniffled.
"I know," Inuyasha said, holding her to his body again. "I know."
He kissed her on the cheek, tasting salt from her flowing tears. "I hate hurting you."
"Then don't," Kagome whispered.
"I'm sorry," he said again, letting Kagome go. He stood up.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome wailed, gripping his cloak as he tried to turn away. "I love you more than she ever could! My heart beats only for you, if you won't be mine..."
"I'm so sorry," Inuyasha sobbed, trying to hold back tears. He pushed Kagome away and left her alone in the kitchen.
Becky opened the door for Inuyasha the second he knocked. He collapsed in her arms, tears now flowing freely. She held him tenderly, knowing exactly what had happened.
Becky sunk to her knees, and held Inuyasha to her chest. After a moment, he wound his arms around her waist, and burrowed himself deeper in her chest. His tears wouldn't stop.
He started to fall asleep when...
"INUYASHA!"
"Kagome, what do you think you're doing?" Sango asked, trying to calm Kagome's shrill screeches.
Inuyasha's door flung open, revealing an almost unconscious Inuyasha clutching Becky tightly. Becky looked up in alarm, her eyes meeting Kagome's blazing stare.
"IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF HER!"
"Kagome, calm down... You're unwell..."
"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! SHE STOLE HIM FROM ME!"
Inuyasha woke up somewhere between 'stole' and 'him'. "Whazzamatter?" Becky clutched his hand fearfully.
"Kagome, I implore you, you're not in the state of mind to be doing anything rash..."
"SHE WILL SUFFER! SHE WILL...!" Kagome ran short of breath, and fell into Sango's waiting arms.
"I'm so sorry, you guys," Sango muttered, dragging Kagome out of the room.
Inuyasha and Becky were up from the ground in an instant, trailing after Sango.
"Is she going to be OK?" Becky asked, as Sango laid Kagome on the couch in the living room.
"You're too much of a sweetie, Becky," Sango said, squeezing her softly around the waist. "She'll be fine."
Kagome was back up after a moment of regaining herself. "I WILL NEVER BE FINE, YOU HEAR ME? IF I CAN'T HAVE HIM, THEN NO ONE CAN!" She brandished Yuki's gift, easily setting the bow with an arrow.
Inuyasha was just walking in the room, when he suddenly saw a flash of white, and felt something heavy fall on top of him. He hit his head against the ground, and was disoriented for a moment.
"Kagome... what have you done?"
Inuyasha growled. "What the hell did she do this time?"
"Stupid bitch! She got in the way!" Kagome shrieked.
That was when Inuyasha realized that the reason he was seeing white, was Becky's all-too human hair was covering his face. It was Becky lying on top of him.
"What have you done?" Sango questioned again mournfully.
Inuyasha cleared his face and saw Kagome brandishing the arrow. Everything snapped harshly into place. Instead of hitting him, Kagome had hit...
"BECKY!" Inuyasha cried out, clutching her slender body to his. It felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart, knowing that Becky was dying. "Stay with me, please, it's only a scratch, right?"
The arrow had hit its mark perfectly. Becky was already on the brink of death. Her insides were probably a mess of blood.
"Inuyasha..." She said weakly, reaching his face with her frail-looking fingers. "I love you..."
She cried out suddenly in pain. Her cries stabbed Inuyasha even more ferociously in the heart.
"D-don't leave me... Becky..." Inuyasha whimpered, holding her even tighter.
"I guess it's a bad time for us to be human, eh? What a strange coincidence..." Becky's eyes flashed for a second, as if grasping some sort of understanding, before they went dull, and her body hung limply in Inuyasha's shaking arms.
"How could you, Kagome? How... could... you?"
