A/N: OMG, I'm SO sorry you guys! I went on a school camping trip and just got back! Don't hurt me! Well, I hope you enjoy Inuyasha's stupidity you guys! :0
Inuyasha POV:
Kagome! That was what was tugging at my memory! I pulled away from Kikyo and lightly pushed her away. She gazed sadly up at me.
"That girl….is more important to you?" she murmured. "But I will not give up on you. I will fight her to the last breath for you. Farewell, Inuyasha." She said softly as she walked away. I stretched out a hand after her, but dropped it again to my side. Let her go. I would see her at school. I walked home with my hands in my pockets, head bowed.
What had I been thinking? What if Kagome had seen me with Kikyo? It just wasn't worth the risk. I took the stairs to the third floor as always, but at the top of the second landing, my way was barred. A sound like an angry cat came from the group before me: Sango, Rin, Kirara, and Ayame.
Surprisingly, the feline-like sound came from Ayame, not Kirara. I halted.
"She knows Inuyasha." Sango hissed with narrowed eyes.
"Huh?"
"Kagome knows that you're two-faced, lying, cheating, bastard who crushed her heart!" She yelled at me. My own heart seemed to freeze at those words.
"I…I…"
"Shut up!" shouted Rin. "Sesshomaru was right about you!" Ouch. That was a bit harsh… Ayame stepped up now.
"She won't do anything about it, but as her friends we're obligated to kick your ass for her!" Oh crap. I didn't like where this was going.
"Get him, Kirara." Sango said coldly. It started to rain. Blood and water mixed on the pavement. Who knew that three girls and a cat were capable of causing such pain?
Kikyo POV:
"I managed to throw him into confusion, at the very least, Naraku." I said into the phone. "Don't forget our deal."
The plan was simple. Narakuwanted a priestess to do his dirty work in eliminating demons. He asked me, but I wanted Inuyasha. I couldn't have it both ways.
So he came up with a compromise. I split Inuyasha and Kagome, keep Inuyasha, and make the girl so bitter that she would be willing to team up with Naraku. Simple. Human hearts were easily destroyed. I would know better than anyone.
"Don't worry, dear Kikyo." Naraku purred silkily. "I haven't forgotten." There was a click as he hung up. Yes, human hearts were easily turned. I would know.
Kagome POV:
I was done crying. After all, the angels were crying on my behalf as well. (A/N: My little brother thinks that angels are crying when it rains…lol) The rain came down in buckets as I stared out the window with a pillow in my lap. I rose from my seat and went down stairs.
Sota gave me a wary look as I passed him on my way into the kitchen. I ignored him and poured milk into a mug and mixed it with chocolate syrup. After heating it in the microwave for a few moments I had hot chocolate.
I didn't really want it. Not with that image of Inuyasha and Kikyo in my head. The steam gradually faded as the hot milk cooled. I took as sip but it was tasteless as….. water, I suppose.
There was a sudden thud at the door. I gave a start and looked in the direction of the hall. Both mom and grandpa were out, and they both had keys. They wouldn't have bothered knocking.
Another dull thud echoed down the hall. I got up and timidly approached the door. We don't have a peep-hole in our door, so I opened it. You'll never guess who was on my doorstep!
For those who guess Inuyasha, ding ding ding! You're a winner!
I only opened it a crack and glared out at him. I was startled by his appearance. He was totally soaked. He was shivering slightly and holding one arm at the bicep as if it were injured. He was hunched over a bit, and his bangs were dripping in his eyes. An angry red weal swelled beneath his right eye, and blood blossomed on the rain-puddle at his feet. I suddenly realized why he was holding his arm. Three claw-marks were gouged into his shoulder and sent blood spilling down over his wrist.
He gave me a faint half-smile as I opened the door wider.
"Damn Kagome, your friends sure know how to get things done!" He said half-jokingly. He winced suddenly and ran his tongue over his fangs. "Aw, dammit, they made my mouth bleed!" he muttered before spitting blood into a potted plant.
"What do you want?" I hissed venomously at him. He flattened his ears to his head and looked utterly remorseful in that moment. As well as utterly pathetic.
"To, uh…um… apologize." He sighed, looking at the ground. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but he glanced up, and then back at the floor before pleading with me.
"Please don't yell at me." He said softly. "Trust me, Ayame and Sango already took care of it." He looked so pitiful I felt myself soften a bit.
"Look, get in here so you don't catch a cold." I said brusquely. I opened the door all the way and he stepped inside. I noticed he was walking with a slight limp, and when I glanced at his leg, his ankle was torn, but no longer bleeding.
"What the heck happened?" I burst out despite myself. His ears seemed to droop.
"Well, I went home and found the stairway blocked by your friends. Sango, Rin, Ayame, and that cat…. Kirara, I think?" he paused. "Anyway, the cat got my shoulder, Sango hit me in the face, and Ayame kicked me down the stairs. I'm pretty sure that was accidental though."
I was in total shock. Why the heck were my friends beating on Inuyasha? Oh yeah, cause he's a two-timer. I felt my resolve harden again.
"On second thought, get the hell out of my house!" I growled, hands on my hips.
"Kagome, come on! I didn't-"
"I said, get out!"
"Kagome, I-"
"Beat it! Vamoose! Hot-toite kure! Desaparece! Aller loin! Gehe weg! I've said in five different languages, so I would have thought you would get the massage! I. Don't. Want. You. In. My. House." (A/N: That was Japanese, Spanish, French, German and English people. All of them basically mean 'Go away')
"I'm sorry!" he yelled suddenly. I froze. He was so prideful; he would never, ever apologize unless he really meant it. I surveyed him for a moment.
"No."
"Will you at least listen to my explanation?" he asked timidly. Am I really that scary?
"I'm listening." I said frigidly.
"You can't… expect me to forget Kikyo. Even after what happened between us… she was still the one person I could rely on after I left home. My mom's boyfriend detested me to the point of abuse, so I left…and Kikyo took me in. You can't tell me to completely forget her." I glared at him.
"So I'm just a replacement? After all, we could be twins!" I said with a slight edge of sarcasm. "Is that the only reason you even spoke to me in the first place?"
"No! At first, maybe at the beginning that's why. But now I know that you're… you! Only you!"
I finally softened. "Alright. I believe you." Sota chose that moment to peer around the corner.
"Why is he here?" my brother asked reproachfully. "Isn't he reason you yelled at me? Hid in your room? Cried for hours on end?" He asked scornfully. Inuyasha looked more and more ashamed with each word.
"Is it true?" the silver haired boy asked. "That you cried…?"
I nodded.
"I'm… sorry Kagome." I sighed.
"So you said already. And I said I accepted your apology." Sota walked away muttering. I caught a few words,
"You must be bi-polar or something…"
"You know it!" I called after him. Inuyasha smirked appreciatively. "Come on Inuyasha. I need to clean up those wounds." He followed me, if somewhat reluctantly. We entered the kitchen; he sat down at the table while I rummaged around for our emergency first aid kit. I slammed the kit on the table and it burst open with a snap, neatly folding in two.
"Now take off your shirt." Inuyasha raised one eyebrow.
"You could treat me while I had my shirt on ya know."
"Could, but won't. I need to wrap the gauze around your skin, not you t-shirt idiot."
"Or you just want to see me shirtless." He gave a smirk. I blushed, which probably reinforced his point.
"Do not! Just take off your shirt!"
"I'm getting there!" He removed his shirt in one movement. Two thoughts crossed my mind.
He's freakin' BEAUTIFUL! Pristine! Perfect!
He's freakin' covered in BRUISES!
Huge black and purple marks mingled with the dull yellow of faded marks. I gasped, and he smirked.
"I take it you like what you see Kagome?"
"I most certainly do not!" I cried. His face fell for a fraction of a second. "What happened to you? Don't tell me Sango and Ayame did all that!"
"They didn't."
Inuyasha POV:
I rolled my eyes.
"Kagome, I'm a boxer. What part of 'dudes beating the crap out of each other until one gets knocked unconscious' do you misunderstand? I got these in training." Half-truths. Always half-truths. How could I tell her what really happened without getting her involved?
"I don't like it." She said with narrowed eyes.
"Don't like what?"
"The fact that you're lying to me." Damn. She knew I wasn't telling the full truth. But I couldn't. Not yet.
Earlier…
I rolled to a stop at the base of the stairs after Ayame kicked me.
"Oops! I'm sorry!" she called from two floors up. Sango peered over the railing.
"You didn't kill him did you?"
"No. See? He's getting up!" The girls walked away. I cussed under my breath and clutched my arm. Without looking back, I walked away, headed in the direction of Kagome's house.
I took a short cut, a back-alley, rarely traveled by normal people. A slight scuff came from behind me. A young demon stood there, hands on hips. White hair, gold eyes. Another western dog demon.
His pale hair fell over slanted eyes in disarray. His face held more emotion than Sesshomaru's, but not by much.
"Look, Hinataru! A half-breed." A girl stepped out of the shadows on the other side. Her hair, in contrast was a wild black, cut just as short as the boys. But her eyes were a frigid, inhuman ice blue, like those of a husky or wolf . An eastern dog demon. The boy gave a sharp whistle, and a third form dropped from above.
"Got 'im Naraku. Whata we do with 'im now?" Naraku turned with a cold smirk.
"Put him through hell."With Naraku, this was not an uncommon occurrence. Almost weekly for me actually.
Sensei always said, 'There's no training course like a battle-ground.'
I can say from experience, that statement is so true, it ain't even funny. Unfortunately for me, a battle-ground is everywhere, every day. Story of my life.
Kagome was still glaring at me.
"Sorry Kagome, nothin' doin'. Secrets of the trade." I said with a small smile. Her glare didn't diminish, but she got up and started cleaning my cuts.
"You better tell me sooner or later Inuyasha Taisho!" she cried as she slapped a band-aid on my face. "Or I will find out myself."
"Alright, alright… OW! Could be a little less rough with those things?" I yelped, indicating the bandage she had just put on my arm. She growled. I took that as a no.
It took about twenty minutes to cover all of my wounds. I stood up and stretched, feeling greatly refreshed. Kagome picked up a book and began scribbling frantically. I peered curiously over her shoulder.
"What'cha doin'?"
"Homework." She mumbled without looking up.
"What kind?"
"Geometry." Came the blank reply.
"You need help?" I asked, a little too innocently.
"I need you to shut up!… wait what?" I chuckled.
"It's Saturday Kagome! Chill out!" A sudden thought occurred. "If you get all this crap done today, can I take you somewhere tomorrow?" She furrowed her brows.
"Sure?" I scratched my head.
"'Cept I don't gotta car… how am I gonna get there to begin with…?"
"You can borrow my mom's. Where are we going?"
"Oh, just… THE BEACH!"
Beach parties. Just the thing to cheer up your friends! And this one promised to be a doozy.