Ch. 14- The Argument
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
Thursday, April 3rd. 8:30 AM.
"How are you feeling today, Inuyasha? Are you feeling better?"
"I'm a little sore here and there, but I'll be okay."
Kagome sat next to Inuyasha in the cafeteria as he guzzled down his milk, her expression etched with worry and nervousness. The half-demon didn't seem to pay it any mind as he let out a boorish sigh and belched, licking the milk mustache off his upper lip and tossing it in the garbage can, then he began to eat his toast. He looked over at the girl sitting next to him and he felt a small twinge of guilt as he saw her face. Her smile was still there, but he could see she was concerned for him.
"...Kagome..." Inuyasha muttered. "I...I'm really sorry I scared you the other day."
"I was really worried about you," Kagome replied. "I hardly slept, last night. I'm surprised that you didn't get suspended."
"It helps when your Dad is rich as hell," Inuyasha muttered, remembering his rather unpleasant visit to Principal Hamada's office, earlier that morning. "The principal let me off with a warning, though...and Koga, too."
"I can't believe Koga," Kagome said, bitterly. "Where does he get off, treating you like that?"
"Ah, don't worry about it," Inuyasha said while waving his hand, nonchalantly. "Koga's always had it out for me."
"I asked Miroku about that, actually," Kagome replied. "I mean...it's one thing if you guys have a rivalry, but...Miroku said he had never seen you look so mad, before...and...that thing with the red eyes...what was that?"
Inuyasha's ears drooped before he glanced over at her.
"It's...it's what happens when I get too worked up about something," he said. "Sometimes, I lose control of myself and transform into a full demon, like my Dad or my brother. I'm a half-demon, though, so when that happens...I tend to go a little crazy."
"I'll say," Kagome muttered.
"And then," Inuyasha began, "when Koga told me that he was involved with you...and then started yelling all those things at me...I snapped. I just couldn't take it anymore."
"...What did you mean when you said that I was yours?" Kagome asked, causing Inuyasha to turn and face her, completely. He vaguely remembered saying something like that to Koga once his inner demon came out, but...he didn't realize that she actually heard him say it. It made his heart skip and his stomach twisted with unease. He swallowed thickly and tugged at his shirt collar with a finger while Kagome just blinked up at him.
'Oh, man...' he thought. 'What am I supposed to say?'
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.
"Umm...well..." he muttered. "I...I said that because...umm..."
"Yes?" Kagome said, trying not to sound like she was urging him.
"Well...I..." Inuyasha stammered. "I said that...because..."
"...Because...?" Kagome repeated.
"...Because I thought that you and Koga were...fucking," Inuyasha answered.
"...Excuse me?" Kagome asked with her brow furrowed. "What did you just say?"
"Well...is it true?" Inuyasha inquired.
"No!" Kagome yelled. "What the hell makes you think that were sleeping together?!"
"Well...i-it's just that...well...Koga said-" Inuyasha stammered.
"And you believed him?!" Kagome questioned.
"Well, I saw him leaving the garden shed!" Inuyasha retorted, suddenly growing angry. "Isn't that where you go when you wanna shag with someone?!"
"No!" Kagome yelled. "I mean...yes, Koga and I were in the shed, but-"
"So you were fucking, then!" Inuyasha interjected.
"No, we weren't!" Kagome countered.
"Uh-oh..." muttered one of the students, watching from nearby. "Trouble in paradise."
"I did see Higurashi and Koga go off together," whispered another. "I could've sworn they were shagging together."
"You keep outta this!" Inuyasha and Kagome yelled at the eavesdropping group, causing them to turn around and go back to their meals.
"If you and Koga didn't fuck," Inuyasha began, "why was he in the shed?! And more importantly, why didn't I see you?!"
"I was hiding!" Kagome answered. "Hiding from you when you walked in on us!"
"So you did fuck with him?!" Inuyasha asked.
"NO, WE DID NOT!" Kagome shouted. "God, why do you think that?!"
"Well, given your reputation, it wouldn't actually surprise me if you did!" Inuyasha shouted, causing Kagome to gape at him...but then she took in a deep breath and gave him a sweet...yet rather unsettling smile.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.
"W...what?" Inuyasha asked...only for Kagome to grab her milk and splash him in the face with it, causing him to splutter. Then, she grabbed her tray and dumped all her food on his head, causing him to cry out in disgust before she promptly stormed off with her book bag slung over her shoulder.
"Hey, what was that for?!" Inuyasha questioned...only for Kagome to turn around, and suddenly...he felt very, very small as he met her piercing gaze.
"You know something?" she asked, coldly. "You really are a jerk."
Inuyasha stiffened as if those words pierced through his chest while Kagome kept walking...and suddenly, he felt his heart drop as he realized what exactly it was he said.
"...Oh, shit..." he cursed. "I messed up, big time..."
XXX
9:45 AM.
"He said what?!" Sango asked, trying to keep her voice down despite her shock. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No," Kagome whispered as she sat next to her while the lecture was going. "He actually said that to me."
"Oh, my god, Kagome..." Sango muttered in disbelief.
"How could he even say that to me?" asked Kagome. "I mean...yes, Koga and I were in the shed, and yes, we were about to do it, but...I kicked Koga out because he said I smelled different, lately."
"Why would he say that?" Sango inquired.
"...I guess...maybe he smelled Inuyasha on me," Kagome answered. "He is a wolf demon...but still, that doesn't give him the right to say what he did!"
"Shh~!" Sango shushed.
"Right, sorry," Kagome whispered. "I can't believe that he'd just say that...based on my reputation."
"...Well...Kagome," Sango began, "I'm not taking his side in this...but...Inuyasha is kind of right."
"What?" Kagome asked. "Koga and I didn't go all the way, though."
"But you almost did," Sango began, "and...well...maybe Inuyasha felt like you betrayed his trust."
Kagome's eyes went wide as she let those words sink in.
"I mean, hey, I could be wrong," Sango said, "but...you and Inuyasha have been hanging out for a while. I-I'm not saying that it justifies what he said! It's just...well...maybe his feelings are hurt."
"...He hurt mine, too..." Kagome muttered as she slumped against the desk.
XXX
10:40 AM.
"You told her that?!"
"Well...wouldn't you have said it, too?"
"No!"
Inuyasha grumbled under his breath as he walked down the hallway with Miroku, to whom he had just conveyed what happened in the cafeteria at breakfast this morning.
"...I fucked up, didn't I?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes, my friend, I'd say you fucked up, royally," Miroku answered. "I'm not even going to sugarcoat it."
"Fuck...!" Inuyasha cursed as he ran his claws through his hand. "I can't believe this...and after I made the confession that I'm in love with her!"
"Inuyasha," Miroku began, "while I can understand why you'd be angry, you still basically called Kagome a slut without even saying it."
"I didn't mean to call her that!" Inuyasha argued. "It's just...the thought of her...and Koga-"
"I get it," Miroku assured. "Koga's been your bitter rival since middle school. You're a dog, he's a wolf, it's a natural thing...but consider this: do you think that Kagome actually WANTED to sleep with him, but she felt she had no choice?"
"...No..." Inuyasha muttered.
"Well, then, there's your answer," Miroku said. "Inuyasha, it's as you said on the day you met her. Kagome just has her issues and she's trying to work them out...maybe she sleeps around because she feels like it gives her something that a regular relationship won't give her. Maybe try and ask her why she feels like she has to have sex, every now and then."
"...I guess..." Inuyasha said.
"But more importantly," Miroku began, "you have to apologize and show her that you mean it."
"...I figured that much," Inuyasha replied. "But...what if she won't talk to me?"
"Then you have to keep trying," Miroku replied. "Inuyasha...you told me you love this girl, right?"
"Right," Inuyasha nodded.
"And you're not going to give up on her after one little argument, are you?"
"No."
"Then go after her. Apologize to her, talk to her...make her feel better, and you'll feel better."
Inuyasha looked down at the floor for a moment, but then he put on a determined expression. Miroku was right about this. He made a mistake, but he had to fix this, somehow. He didn't really hear Kagome out, after all, so she was probably in the right...well, maybe not when she sprayed him with milk and dumped her food on him, but still!
"So what are you going to do?" Miroku asked.
"...I have to find Kagome, first," Inuyasha answered.
"Hey! My books!"
Inuyasha looked up to see a small group of boys, at least 16 or 17 years of age, all of them surrounded a purple-eyed girl with tanned skin and silvery hair that had cute little blue ribbons tied into it at the sides. She whimpered as she tried to pick up her scattered books off the floor, but one boy cruelly kicked it out of her reach.
"Stop it, you guys!" she cried. "You'll make me late!"
The boys laughed at the girl, who whimpered as tears stung at the corners of her eyes...but then she gasped silently as she saw someone towering over them from behind, and suddenly, the boys felt a deep sense of dread before they all turned around and saw Inuyasha, who glowered down at them with darkened eyes.
"What's going on here?" he asked in a deep, threatening rumble. "Don't you punks know it's not polite to gang up on a girl?"
"Uh...I-Inuyasha!" one of the boys stammered before giving a nervous chuckle. "We were just leaving! Y-yeah! Heheheh!"
Soon, they all scurried off like the rats that they were.
"Psh!" Inuyasha scoffed. "Dirtbags..." He then looked to the girl and offered his hand. "Hey, Shiori. You okay?"
"I am now," answered Shiori as she let him help her up. "Thanks, Inuyasha."
"Sure," Inuyasha replied. "...Hey, Shiori...you don't think I'm a jerk."
Shiori blinked at Inuyasha before she smiled up at him.
"Of course not!" she answered. "You're very nice! You wouldn't have helped me if you weren't!"
"...Thanks," Inuyasha replied while giving her a smile, too. "Now you get on to class, okay?"
"Thanks again, Inuyasha!" Shiori bowed her head before she hurried to her next class, leaving Inuyasha to watch after her before he sighed and looked at his phone.
XXX
Kagome was in one of the fitting room stalls, about to change into her archery outfit when she heard her phone's ring tone. As she picked it up, she saw that it was Inuyasha calling her. She held up her finger, preparing to swipe the "answer" icon...but then she glared before she swiped her finger to the left, causing her phone to stop ringing.
She knew that he wanted to talk...she just wasn't ready to talk to him, just yet.
For that matter, she didn't know when she'd be ready, either.
Oh, dear. :(
Review, please!