Story rating: T For language.

Blanket Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I do, however, offer my thanks to her for creating such vivid character's for me to terrorize.

ENJOY & REMEMBER REVIEW PLEASE!

Chapter 10. The Space In-Between

**KAG POV**

Things had turned upside down, and not for the better. Why it happened? I didn't know. One minuet I was so happy just being near InuYasha that it made me smile so hard my cheeks damn near hurt. And the next minuet, I was revolted by even the slightest thought of him. I couldn't understand it. I didn't know why he had all of a sudden acted like the words biggest asshole and then claimed to know nothing about it. I tried to come up with some sort of possibility, some sort of explanation, but I could't think of any.

In spite, Id hoped InuYasa was very happy with Kikyo. Or kinky-hoe as I had now been officially calling her behind her back. Yea, yea I know. Very mature, but whatever. She was one so shut up.

I stared mindlessly out the window of Koga's very expensive convertible car. We hadn't said a word to one another since I left the school after yelling at he who shall not be named. After I ran out of the school crying, Koga just walked my sobbing self over to his car and pushed me in the passenger seat and started driving. I had no idea where were heading but frankly, I didn't care. I was still to numb to care.

Koga had been driving silently for about forty-five minuets and I thought he really didn't know where we were headed in all honesty. I thought he was as numb as was. I watched as random hay bails flew by every once in a while, followed by some small herds of cows and horses grazing by the side of the road so I knew we were somewhere out in the country, away from the city. Koga pushed the car forward, causing the dirt road we were driving on to pick up dust behind us.

I glanced down at the really nice upholstery covering the seats and noticed the car still had its new car smell. I blinked and turn to look at Koga. His hands were gripped tightly around the steering wheel, grinding his teeth together. He looked as mad as I felt so I decide to lighten the mood.

"So uh Koga? Are all demon family's like filthy rich or what?" I asked, trying to sound light and cheerful, but my voice comes out sounding strained and broken.

Koga visibly flinched at the sound of my raspy voice and shook his head."No uh….a lot of demon family's live in poverty because of their race. But my grandfather was a wolf demon chief and when he died, I took over the head of the wolf demon tribe and so thats why I live a nicer life. Its all about rank, really." He continued to stare out the window as he talked so he couldn't see the small smile starting to form on my painful lips.

"Chief huh?" He nodded his head but still didn't look at me. "Chief Koga!" I said in a playful voice and Koga finally tore his hardenedgaze off the road and looked over at me. His baby blue's were distant. But when he saw my smile, he cracked a smile himself that wrinkled his nose.

"Don't call me that." He winked at me and for some reason, I suddenly found everything funny. Everything. I started laughing a little, occasionally snorting. Koga looked over at me like I was completely bonker's but soon joined in with my laughter. Our laughter burst out and filled the entire car, ringing noisily in my ears. We both start laughing so hard at each other that I have to hold my stomach from the pain and Koga has to pull over and stop the car. We laugh and laugh and laugh.

Why were we laughing? I didn't really know. I just needed some type of release from my built up anger and I guess so did Koga. When we finally calmed ourself's down and sobered up, we just sat, staring out the wide windshield of Koga's car. I glanced over my shoulder and out the tinted window, watching the rolling grass hills and light blue sky. It looked so peaceful and calm that I want to go run and bask in the sun. So I do. 'What's stoping me, right?'

Flinging the car door open after taking off my shoes, I jumped out of the car -much to Koga's surprise- and ran out into the field, enjoying how the cool each felt on my feet. Koga shouted after me, asking me where I thought I was going but I ignored him. I ran so hard, after a while I stopped feeling my legs pound into the grass. The autumn sun and wind felt like heaven on my face. I grinned when Koga caught up to where I was and we run together. He was even kind enough to run at a human speed next to me.

We continued to laugh and run around the open field, when Koga decided to play a game of tag. I kept trying to stay out of his reach, running around as fast as I could but Koga, damn him and his demon legs, kept up with me easily.

Finally I had to forfeit the game, surrendering to Koga. I stopped dead in my tracks, trying to catch my breath, and just stare up at the sky. The cool, crisp air nips and tugs and the end of my hair and I had to smooth it away from my face.

I turn and smile at Koga who looks like he enjoying the unusually warm weather as I was. I smiled at him and he smirked. Then, he made a remark about how I should just forget that stupid dog breath and Im suddenly thrust back into the real world again. Suddenly Inuyasha's voice rang thought my head. "Just what I said. I love Kikyo. Your nothing to me. A pathetic little nobody. The only person I want and need is Kikyo. Not you."

Tears are instant, welling up in my eyes as I been to cry again. I let out a sob and suddenly I feel Koga's arms around my waist and I leant into his chest. I grip the front of his shirt with my fist as I continued to sob out painfully. My tears spilled down the front of his navy gray button up shirt, but he didn't mind or care. He rubbed my back, whispering soothing words, calming me. We continued to stand in the middle an empty field, holding onto each other when I regained my composure, calmed myself down and stopped sobbing. My tears stopped cascading down my cheeks, and I'm left to hiccuping and sucking in air. I slowly slid my arms out from his shirt and he brushed away a strand of my hair from my face. I smiled a small smile at him in a way I hope he understands that I mean 'thank you'.

Only then do I realize how worn out my thighs and legs are from my running and crying and I move to sit down, tucking my knees to my chest. I sniffed uselessly, wiping the streaks of tears off my cheeks with the back of my hand. I glanced around through puffy eyes, taking notice how the grass was taller then I was when I was sitting. All I could see was the sky and tall-grass. I move my knees away from my chest and lay down on the dying autumn grass, shoving my hands behind my head, watching the clouds rolling overhead. They look so soft and harmless, floating lazily in the atmosphere that it makes me want to take flight and fly up there so I sleep on them.

Koga, who had been starring at me witch cocnern strewn all over his face, nervously wringing out his hands, shifted and lay dawn right next to my side in the same position. Wordlessly he gave me a grin before returning his gaze to the sky, watching the clouds with me. I smiled slightly as I watched a big cloud floating over our heads.. I point up to it and tell Koga that it looks like a guy who has a banana for a nose. Koga turned his head to stare at me like I'm crazy.

"What?" I asked innocently. "It does. Look." And I point again.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his face scrunching up as he tried to see the band nosed guy that I was blathering on about.

"Cloud watching." I sighed, and he blinked confusedly. Frowning I asked, "What? Have you never been cloud watching before?" I could hardly believe it when he shook his head no. "Oh my god Koga!" I screech, my tone accusing, as if never going cloud watching was a sin. I scooted closer to his side so that we were resting shoulder to shoulder, our heads almost touching. Ok here's what you do: you watch as the clouds roll over your head and you try and figure out what they look like. It could be anything."

His face scrunched up again. "And why would I want to do that?"

I shrugged, half taken back by his question. "I dunno. Because its fun?"

He rolled his eyes but focused his gaze back on the clouds, determination written all over his face. After a few minuets of me mindlessly rambling off a few things I thought the clouds looked like, Koga finally opened up and pointed out what a few clouds looked like to him. He seemed like a little kid, watching all of the lazy clouds roll by. I laughed at all of the silly things we came up with. Like a guy with a banana for a nose, a giraffe doing the tango, a car that was wearing a superman cape, fighting crime and a lot of other funny random things.

After we done and tired with cloud watching, Koga captured my hand in his, guiding me back to his car. Omce we were both seated and buckled in, he silently turned on the car, and drove away from the field. I watched sadly as it faded into the distance behind us.

xXx

~INU POV~

I don't know how long I'd been lying in bed just staring at the ceiling, but I really didn't give a flying fuck anyway. I couldn't get Kagome's face out of my mind. Her eyes filled with tears, her quivering lips, her balled up fists as she yelled that she hated me and wished that she never saw me again. I still didn't understand why she was so upset with me. 'Did Koga tell her a vicious lie about me?' I shook my head, trying to erase that thought. 'Nah. He wouldn't do that. At least I don't think he wouldn't.'

I bit my lower lip. 'Is she mad because I sat with Kikyo for lunch? No. Even if she did get jealous of me sitting with Kikyo, she wouldn't be furiously angry at me. So what the fuck is going on?

My inner demon would't shut the hell up and it had been blaming me for the whole thing. Everyone is, apparently. I would tell you the nasty things my inner demon had been saying to me but uh… you really don't wanna know.

I groaned as I heard the doorbell ring. "SESSHOMARU! GET THE DOOR!" I yelled out into space.

Sesshomaru slowly approached my room and stood in the doorway. "You wish little brother. I am not a slave nor a servant to you. Besides, I believe whoever is at the door is here to see you."

I rolled over and grunted into my pillow. "Well who the hell is it?"

"Some wench with long brown hair and big brown eyes." He said, his tone completely bored and emotionless. It was only when Sesshomaru disappeared from my doorway did his words suddenly registered in my brain.

I shot up from my pillow but didn't move. 'Is it Kagome?

Flinging myself out of bed, I put on a black button up shirt and headed downstairs to the door. I made to grab the doorknob when I stopped, my claws inches away from the handle. What would I say to Kagome? 'Hey Kagome how are you'?' I scoffed at that thought. 'No thats way to stupid'

'How about; Kagome, hey! Whats up'? Oh hell no. Thats worse then the first one. Oh fuck it. Who cares what I say?

Clenching my jaw, I grabbed the handle and cracked the door open. "Hey Kago-..…" My words died on my tongue when my eyes were met with dark chocolate ones. The person standing in front of me isn't Kagome and it a person Id though Id never see on my front porch.

The person smiled at me, showing off her flawlessly white teeth. I shift uncomfortably, crossed my arms over my chest and leaned onto the doorframe. "Kikyo? What the hell are you doing here?"

xXx

~KAG POV~

I fidgeted nervously with my hands, staring down at my lap. Koga and I were parked outside my front door and he was staring at me but I couldn't myself to look at him. "Thank you so much Koga. I must have been insanely annoying to deal with today, and I hope I can fin a way to repay you somehow." I was so embarrassed and mortified. Id cried so much in front of Koga and he'd just taken it without any complaints. 'How embarrassing.'

As if he read my mind, he started to chuckle and shook his head. "Kagome, I know you've been hurt and you were sad. Don't be embarrassed. You needed me, and I'm glad I could help you try and get you mind off of…" He cleared his throat. "Well, you know."

I nodded sadly, a single tear sliding down my cheek. "Yea. I know."

Koga leaned across the inside of his car and used his thumb to wipe the tear away. When I lifted my head to look at him, he slowly stopped wiping my tear and stared into my eyes. Being so close to his face like that, I could see how perfectly pale and blue his eyes were. They looked like crystal clear, caribbean water. He smirked at seeing my obvious ogling and I felt my stomach doing flip flops. Blushing embarrassedly, I was going to hurl from all the butterfly's suddenly occupying my stomach.

'Yea, like thats just what he needs. Cry and barf on him all in the same day. Real smooth Kagome.'

Koga eyes flutter down from my gaze and he eyed my slightly parted lips. I try to control my breathing as Koga leant in toward my face, allowing me to feel his warm breath on my lips. Time stopped as he moved forward and pressed his lips against mine. I blink rapidly, completely surprised. When Koga's mouth continued to ghost over my own, i blinked a few more times before my eyelids fluttered close. After a few seconds of our lips just touching, he pulled away, leaning his forehead onto mine as he tried to catch his breath. I licked my lips and and closed my eyes, enjoying being close to him. Then without warning, he pressed his lips onto mine again and he brought his hands up to cup my face. I threw my arms around his neck, suddenly desperate to get more of him, to taste more of him, to now more about him.

'Is this what is supposed to be like?' I thought as his hands snaked into my hair. 'Is this what love is supposed to feel like?' He slid his tongue over my lower lip, nipping and nibbling away. I nudged my lips closer and allowed him into my mouth. Our tongues danced agains't one another as he explored the inside of my mouth. My mind goes completely blank, except for being very content with Koga. All I wanted, all I needed, was Koga.

It was weird, only just today Id felt uneasy about merely holding his hand and now, there I was, kissing him. No. I wasn't just kissing him. We were making out. And I was enjoying it. Honestly, I could've stayed there forever, in that deliciously wonderful moment. Only when we both needed a good lung full of air did we pull apart. I giggled softly and blushed like crazy, staring at the middle of his chest not being able to meet his gaze, I mumbled "I have to go," suddenly realizing how late it was getting. 'Mom must be worried sick by now.'

Koga suddenly leant away from me, looking at me like Id slapped him. "Oh so thats how it is. You didn't like our kiss so now you bail?"

Frowning I shook my head."No Koga. No never. I…that was.. It was wonderful. Really." I giggled some more and he let a small smile tug and the corners of his lips.

"Really?"

"Yea. Really. I mean it." I licked my lips, still feeling a ghost of Koga's mouth on mine.

His smile turned smug. "Ok. I just thought maybe you didn't…"

"No. Its not that. I just really have to go. My moms going to have a cow if I don't come home soon." I mumbled and reached for the door handle. Koga- being the freakishly fast demon that he is- ran over and opened my door even before I could blink. I let out a squeak when I realize he's there and he chuckled. He reached out for my hand and I grabbed it, allowing him to help me out of the car. He walked me up to the door and I stopped and stared at him underneath the porch light, swallowing when I realized I don't know what to say to him.

He must have sensed my sudden discomfort because he spoke. "Ill see you tomorrow, right Kagome?"

"Definitely."

He captured both of my hands in his, leaning in and pecked my lips like we'd done it a million times before. And I let him. Drawing back from his mouth, I grabbed onto his shirt, drawing him closer to me so I could hug him. I threw my arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Thank you. I whispered, nuzzling into his comfortable shoulder. "Thank you."

I felt him node his head slightly and I could almost feel him smile. "Anything for you babe."

Tucking my hair behind amy ear and stopping back from him I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Bye Koga." I gav him one last grin before pushing open the door and stepping into the house. "Bye Kagome." I was about to shut the door when Koga's hand snaked its way in and blocking the door from closing.

"Wait. I need to ask you something."

I opened the door wider and let him step into the doorway. "Yea what is it?"

He took a huge breath, his eyes flicking all over my face until they stopped on my own."Kagome, I know I only met you a few weeks ago but I really like you. Your the type of girl Ive always pictured being in my life."

I wiped my suddenly sweaty palms on my jeans. "Koga, what are you saying?"

He smiled, showing off his fangs. "Kagome, will you be my girlfriend?"

xXx

~INU POV~

Kikyo was sitting on my couch. The same Kikyo Id known since I was four. The Kikyo that I used to love like crazy. The Kikyo that I would've done anything for. The Kikyo that wanted way more from me then I was ready to give when we were dating, and dumped me when I said I wasn't ready. The Kikyo who was once my world and turned out to be just a ordinary horny bitch.

Sure I loved Kikyo when we were dating, really I did. But I wanted to wait to have sex because if I had sex with her, then our whole relationship would be different. And when I told her that she ran off and cheated on me with a guy named Onigumo from a different school.

When I found out, I was so mad nothing could calm me down. I had went on a rampage, telling her how much she hurt me and that I couldn't believe she would do something like that. She begged me to take her back. She tried telling me how sorry she was but I didn't want anything to do with her anymore. I couldn't trust her. So I broke up with her, just like that. I didn't expect her just to show up on my door step out of nowhere.

I sat awkwardly on the opposite side of the couch from her, starring at my hands resting on my knee's. I didn't have any idea what to say so I kept my mouth clamped shut. What could Kikyo possibly want?

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "You probably weren't expecting to see me right?"

I rolled my eyes. Well isn't that the understatement of the year? "Obviously." I grunted harshly.

She turned toward me and gazed at me with a pensive look. "Look Inuyasha, I just really wanted to talk to you about…some things."

My eyes slid over to her and she smiled weakly. "Ok. Talk."

She inhaled and exhaled loudly, glad that I was giving her a chance to explain herself. "Ok well… see I think we need to talk about what happened between us when I… well, you know."

I feel anger start to boil up in my chest and I stand up and start pacing the length of the couch like a caged lion at a zoo would.

"Whats there to talk about Kikyo? Hmmm? You cheated on me! I mean hell, you wanted some so you got some, Right? I don't know why you think theres something to talk about. There's really is nothing to talk about that is there?" She lowers her head in what I think is shame.

Her bottom lip quivers and shakes. "Inuyasha I know I hurt you. I hurt myself to! After I cheated on you, Onigumo wanted nothing to do with me! He got what he wanted and then he just left me." Her voice broke and cracked. A part of me actually felt bad for her.

I turn my back to her and I look at the flickering fire thats burning in the fireplace and wonder what the hell happened to us. "Look Kikyo I…. Im sorry he did that. No guy -no matter what he is to you- should ever do that to a girl."

I groan inwardly when the smell of salt water embraces my nose.

Fuck it all. She's crying.

She sniffs loudly and her words come out in sobs. "Look Inuyasha, Im so so sorry. I-I never ever meant to hurt you I…." She cant finish her sentence because she starts crying to hard.

I groaned and rubbed the pads of my finger's over my tired eyes. I hated crying women. My mother used to cry whenever she saw me when she was getting really sick. And after that, I hated crying girls more then anything. And I hated a lot of things. A crying girl just isn't right. Because when a girl cry's, you know it usually for a good reason.

Sighing and grumbling to the seven hells about crying women, I stood up stiffly and made my way over to where she was crying and gazed down at her with pity. What was I supposed to do? Awkwardly, I lowered myself down beside her and cleared my throat apprehensively.

Pushing all of my past grudges of Kikyo out of my mind, I reached out and grabbed one of her hands in the only reassuring way I knew how, only to have her start blubbering harder. I shifted uncomfortably and cleared my throat again. "Look Kikyo, Im sorry for what ever that dirtbag did to you, but honestly? Its sort of your own fault." I admitted truthfully. Kikyo sniffed and lifted her head and glared at me fiercely from behind her tear filled eyes.

she ripped her hand out of my grasp and stats whipping her tears away with the back of her knuckles. "Don't you think I know that Inuyasha? God. I mean how stupid do you think I am?"

I rubbed my forehead and slid my hands down my face. "Kikyo, why the hell are you here?" I asked, getting impatient.

She stoops sniffing and whipping and looks up at me from underneath thick eyelashes."I don't know Inuyasha. I just thought maybe….maybe I could just tell you how sorry I am and that we could try being friends again."

I reclined a bit on the couch, completely taken back by her statement. This was what she was here for? This was why she was sitting on my couch, crying might I add, just so she could ask me if we could be friends? I mean, being friends with her would be a hell of a lot nicer then being her enemy, but I still didn't know if I could fully put my trust back into her. But maybe being her friend would't be all that bad. 'Although, my brain supplied, 'if I suddenly start hanging out with Kikyo more, Kagome is going to hate me more then she already does.'

I frowned at that thought. 'Kagome.'

I sat forward agin and gazed at Kikyo thoughtfully. "Kikyo? Do you know why Kagome is really mad at me? She just randomly blew up at me today for no reason and I don't know why."

Kikyo visibly stiffened, her eyes flicked around nervously, landing on anything that wasn't my face. She swallowed hard and shook her head no.

I sighed, shortly followed by a soft sigh from Kikyo. We both sat on the couch staring blankly at the fire place, not saying a word to each other for what felt like a century. I felt the need to asks her all the questions that war buzzing around in my tea like an angry nest of bee's but I didn't say a word.

She was the one who broke the loud silence. "So...Inuyasha. can…can we at least try being friends?"

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch again. Could I really really trust Kikyo that way? Could I truly put the past behind us and try to move forward with her? Against the little voice inside my head telling me that I couldn't, and that I shouldn't, I nodded slowly.

Her head whipped over in my direction, her dark eye wide in surprise. "Really? Are you serious?"

Now, I wasn't exactly sure why I was saying yes. Maybe it was because I was a sucker when a girl cried. Or maybe it was because I thought that she maybe knew something about why Kagome suddenly hated me, and if I was friends with her maybe, just maybe, Kikyo would tell me why. And Kagome was the most important thing to me and I wanted her back.

I needed Kagome back.

Kikyo suddenly threw her arms around my neck, thrusting me out of my thoughts, and hugged me. I was so stunned and surprised by her actions, that I sat there awkwardly staring at the top of her head as she nuzzled her face into my neck. I lifted my hands and patted her back lamely, wishing that she would get the hell off of me. "Thank you Inuyasha! Thank you." She whispered.

Just when I thought she was going to get up and leave my house, she leaned backward only to lean forward again to kiss me. Just like that. It was a fast kiss, no tongue, just a small peck on the lips. Just her pressing her lips onto mine, my lips completely limp like a dead fish. Before I could ask her what the hell she thought she was doing, she giggled and smiled at me before standing up, grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

"Bye Inu-baby! Ill see you tomorrow! Tell fluffy I said hey, kay?" With that she flounced out the doorway, slamming it behind her. I winced, my ears pinning themselves down onto my head.

I gawked at the doorway where she had stood. 'What the hell just happened?' I rubbed my mouth with the back of my rough hands, trying to to get the taste of kikyo off my lips.

My eyes flicked themselves over in the direction of the stairway as someone walked into the room. And wouldn't you know all the luck? Its Sesshomaru.

'fucking fantastic.'

He laughed darkly and lower himself down onto the couch next to me. "Well that was pathetic." I felt my eyes narrow on him with little amusement. Why the seven circles of hell was I settled with him for a half brother?

"Well gee thanks. I really appreciate your words of mature wisdom."

He ignored my sarcastic comment. "You know, that wasn't Kagome." I turned back around to glared at him while he reclined comfortably on the couch.

"Yea no shit sherlock. Any other bright statements?" I shuffled toward the kitchen and flung open the fridge and looked for something to eat. Apparently Sesshomaru didn't get the hint that my sherlock statement meant leave me the hell alone because he followed.

"You know what your problem is little brother? You don't know when and how to say no to that girl."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, digging a spoon into a jar of peanut butter. "I said no to her when she wanted to get into my pants didn't I?" I gazed at my half brother with a lazy expression, plopping the spoon into my mouth.

He sat down on a barstool across from me and scrunched up his perfectly pale face in to disgust. "Well the was a little more then I wanted to hear."

I pulled the spoon out of my mouth and let the peanut butter slide onto my tastebuds. "Yea? Well then why not try and stay out of my fucking business and your wouldn't have to hear about it then." I put the spoon into the sink to let the maids clean it in the morning before grabbing a coke from the fridge and heading upstairs.

A grin formed on my face as stopped at the top of the landing. Leaning over the main balcony I shouted at the top of my lungs,"NIGHT FLUFFY!"

I laughed myself into my room as I heard him mutter angrily, "That wench is dead."

A/N: Ahahahah. Fluffy. I love Sesshomaru's nickname.

Updated/ 1/ 23/13