OOOOF.. so umm.. it's been a while, haha. Sorry my dudes. Life has just been... ooooooof... So uh, yeah. Hope you enjoy! Oh! I also wanted to take a moment to thank my guest reviewers! I keep forgetting to say this cause I just copy and paste these notes from the AO3 ver. but thank you so much for reviewing! I love reading them, and I'll try to remember to thank y'all up here when you post them!

Kagome let out a huff as she reached the top of the stairs of Sanko Shrine. There had been a lot on her mind the rest of that week, and she was actually looking forward to the weekend. She was eager to let out some of her pent-up emotions. She wasn't sure what to make of her feelings for Kouga. Her possible feelings, she had to remind herself. She ran a hand over her face, trying to clear the thoughts from her mind. She was here to work on her reiki. She didn't need to think about this right now. With that, Kagome made her way towards the back of the shrine where Kikyo was waiting. Their greeting was silent, as always; a small bow from Kagome, a nod from Kikyo, and then they were getting down to business.

They were continuing to work on controlling just how much reiki she put out in an attack. Kikyo was constantly scolding her about how she was releasing too much, but it was difficult for Kagome to control. She wasn't sure why she had such huge bursts of reiki, that's just how it had been for her entire life. They worked on archery for roughly 3 hours before Kagome requested a break. Kikyo relented and Kagome let out a sigh as she walked over to her things, picking up her water bottle and chugging.

She turned to sit down, but was surprised when she saw Kikyo still standing there, eyeing Kagome. Usually, Kikyo went off to do something else while Kagome took her break. She raised her eyebrow at the miko. Kikyo let out a soft sigh and walked closer to Kagome.

"There's something on your mind. There was last weekend as well. What is it that you want to tell me?" she asked.

Ah.. that… Kagome took another sip of her drink to stall. She almost forgot there was something else on her mind, what with her and Sango's conversation earlier in the week. She capped her water bottle and lightly tapped her thumb on the cap. "Well.. I was curious as to where Inuyasha is. I mean, he's not been here once, so I was just wondering if you send him off before I get here or something."

Kikyo's demeanor changed then. Her face became emotionless and there was a coldness in her eyes that Kagome couldn't quite place. "Why would he be here?" she asked, her voice icy.

Kagome resisted the urge to shudder. "Well I mean.. he's back in Japan after all and I figured.. he'd be.. here…?" Suddenly, Kagome wasn't so sure of herself as the miko in front of her continued to show no emotions.

"I didn't know he was back."

Kagome's eyes widened, and her grip loosened on the bottle in her hands. "Wait, what?" she asked. "I.. I thought he would've come here first." she added, clearly confused.

"He has no reason to."

That just confused her more. "What do you mean by that?"

Kikyo raised an eyebrow at her question. "You don't know?" When Kagome shook her head, the miko let out a sigh. Some emotion finally came back to her face and Kagome was shocked to see just how tired Kikyo looked. Tired and hurt. "We never officially got back together. I learned he was keeping you a secret as well and I was upset with him. We got into a huge argument, and the next day he was on a plane and leaving to go "find himself" or whatever it was he said." she replied, waving her hand in clear frustration.

Kagome stood there in shock for several moments before rage consumed her. He put her through all of that pain and suffering, only to do the same to Kikyo and then not even be with her?! "I swear to the gods I'm going to rip him apart." Kagome growled, her grip tightening on her water bottle to the point her knuckles were white.

Kikyo let out a chuckle and gave Kagome a wry smile. "If you do, you better invite me as well."

The banter was a surprise to Kagome, but she quickly accepted it, a grin spreading on her face. "Well of course!"

From there, the two opened up to each other about their interactions with Inuyasha, both agreeing at how ridiculous this all was. The conversation carried on for a little over an hour, and Kagome had never felt closer to Kikyo than in that moment. She had always pictured Kikyo as this cold, unfeeling woman because who could just take someone while they were still in a relationship? But now that she knew the truth, she realized how unfair it was of her to judge Kikyo before she really got to know her. And from what the miko could tell, it seems as if Kikyo had made rash judgments about her as well, seeing how open she was now being with her now that everything was out in the open.

They continued with the training then, and the air around them was light. Kagome would toss in a few jokes every now and then, and Kikyo would actually laugh, she even threw in a couple of her own. Once the day was over, Kagome was sad to see it go. They shared their usual goodbye and Kagome left Sanko Shrine feeling surprisingly light. She could feel a bond forming between her and Kikyo, and it excited her! Feeling giddy, Kagome pulled out her phone and called Sango, who was on her speed dial.

It took a couple rings before Sango picked up, and the miko was so excited that she spoke as soon as she heard the phone pick up. "You will not believe what just happened!"

..::YatM::..

Kagome had been on the phone with Sango until she reached the station. She hadn't been able to get everything out there, but she had mentioned the gist of everything and suggested they get together one day to discuss further, and as more developed. The train ride back home gave her some time to think over things. She thought about what Kikyo had told her, and slowly connected the dots. She was able to put together the missing pieces, and it just made her even angrier at the hanyou. She nipped her lower lip as her fists clenched in her lap. Kagome sat there, stewing for several moments before she pulled out her phone and tapped out a quick message to the inu.

Hey, let me know if you're free Monday. We need to have a talk.

She let out a soft sigh and locked her phone, putting it back into her purse as she got ready to get off the train. Once it came to a stop, she got up and left. As she left the station, she pulled out her phone to see if Inuyasha had texted her, and he had. She sucked in a breath, bracing herself, and unlocked her phone to read it.

We can talk NOW.

Kagome groaned and quickly replied.

No, wait until Monday.

He started to call her then and Kagome jumped, fumbling with her phone and almost dropping it. She grumbled to herself before answering the call.

"What?" she asked.

"Why can't we just discuss whatever this is now?" he snapped.

"Because, I'm on my way home and I'm tired. I think you can wait, Inuyasha." She could hear him grumble, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she waited for him to say something coherent. When he didn't, she let out a frustrated groan. "Look, I'll talk to you later, alright. Monday. No sooner than that." And with that, she hung up the phone.

Kagome grumbled and moved to put her phone back in her purse, but it started ringing again. She glared at Inuyasha's name and ignored the call, then muted her phone before putting it away. She didn't have the energy to deal with this right now. Running a hand through her hair, she made her way home, grumbling to herself. She would have to pick out a time and place to have this talk with Inuyasha. It needed to be a calm, neutral environment, as it wouldn't be calm for very long. Somewhere public, too. She continued to plan it out, and it helped pass the time it took to get to the apartment.

Kouga watched her approach from the outside walkway, a small frown on his face. He could tell that Kagome was deep in thought from the way she was walking, but he wasn't sure what would be bothering her. A part of him was scared to ask, especially as she came up the stairs and all he could smell was a forest fire coming off of her. "Hey Kagome, how'd it go today?" he asked, moving to open the door. His voice seemed to pull her out of her thoughts and she flashed him a tired smile. The raging fire in her scent started to die down as well.

"It was alright. Kikyo and I talked about some things today… I um… I'll tell you about them later. I just.. wanna get this sorted first." she said.

His eyebrows furrowed at that, but he let it go. "Alright.. Well, I've got some dinner ready for you."

"Thank you, Kouga." she said, beaming up at him. He returned her smile with a grin of his own and locked the door behind them, following her into the living area.

..::YatM::..

Kagome let out a sigh and locked her phone. It was Monday and she was anxiously waiting for Inuyasha inside the café. Over the last two days, she and Kikyo had discussed their relationship with Inuyasha in greater detail with each other as she trained. Kagome had been absolutely seething, and a part of her still was, it was just being hidden by her anxiety for now. She knew a fight was going to come, she could feel it deep down in her soul. She wasn't sure how much of it she could handle though, or how bad it would get. She grumbled a bit to herself and took a sip of her coffee and tapped her fingers against the tabletop.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait much longer, as she heard the bell above the door chime and, looking up, there was Inuyasha. She moved her hand to wave the hanyou over, but he was already walking towards her before she had the chance to. He looked angry and Kagome immediately put up her walls. Oh yes, this conversation was going to be bad. The inu sat down across from her with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. They sat in silence for a few moments before Kagome took in a deep breath.

"Well.. would you like to order any-"

"No. Let's talk." he spat, venom dripping from his voice. Kagome resisted the urge to wince at his tone.

"Alright.. fine." she replied, calmly. Her demeanor seemed to piss Inuyasha off even more. She tried her best to ignore it. "A while ago I started training to improve my skills with my reiki. Take a guess as to who my mentor is."

"How the fuck would I know?" he snarled, rolling his eyes.

"It's Kikyo." Inuyasha immediately stiffened and all traces of anger left him.

"K-Kikyo?" he asked in disbelief, his voice a whisper.

"Yup." she answered. She folded her hands on the table then, leaning back against her seat. "I wasn't too sure about it at first, but she's the closest miko and she was willing to take me on, so I figured, why not?" She shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly at that. "She seemed to be exactly how I imagined her: cold, stuck up, emotionless… but recently we actually started talking and getting to know each other and, wouldn't you know it, it seems like I was wrong about her." she said.

Now more than ever, Inuyasha wished he could just disappear. He could smell the flames starting to consume Kagome's scent, but her expression was neutral, aside from her eyes. Her eyes were cold, colder than he had ever seen them. "W-Whatever she told you is a lie, Kagome!" he snapped.

The miko simply raised an eyebrow at this. "Really? That's where you're going to go with this?" she asked. Kagome wished she could be surprised. "And honestly, how do you expect me to believe you after you lied to me?" she added, anger lacing into her voice and expression now. It made a chill run down Inuyasha's spine. It didn't help that her reiki was now spiking and pushing against his youki.

"Kagome I-"

"She told me everything. How you lied to her just like you lied to me. You told her you hadn't seen anyone after you broke up. You told her she was the only one that mattered to you, just like you told me." Tears began to spring in her eyes as years of pent-up pain came out. Reiki crackled at her fingertips and sparked against his youki. Inuyasha paled, unable to say or do anything. "You put us both through so much, and for what? You just left! You didn't even stay with her? After all you put me through?! You just left Kikyo behind after everything you did!"

Inuyasha flinched, his ears pressing flat against his head as he averted his eyes from her harsh glare. "You did everything you could to get back with her. You lied to me, you lied to her, and for what?! You abandon the both of us. You run away like a coward. Why? You have no one to blame but yourself for all of this." she snapped. Inuyasha's nose was burning from the intensity of her scent. All he could smell was a burning forest, even any traces of wolf that had been lingering on her were engulfed by her rage. He felt like he was suffocating.

"Kagome, it's not like that.." he tried.

"Oh really? Then what is it, then?"

Inuyasha fumbled for a few moments, trying to find the words, willing to do anything to salvage this. "I don't know what I was thinking. I thought I loved Kikyo.. I thought she was the one for me but.. I just felt so guilty and every time I looked at you it hurt. I was confused I…." He ran his claws through his hair and Kagome eyed him skeptically. He appeared to be genuine, but Kagome knew she couldn't trust that.

Once he found his words, he began to defend himself once more. "Being away from everything helped me clear my mind. It really sorted things out for me. I know that what I did was wrong, and there's nothing I can do to fix the pain I caused but I realized something.." He looked up at Kagome then, searching for something in her expression. She gave nothing away, simply quirking an eyebrow at him. He took in a deep breath. "I realized that.. I…" His cheeks burned pink. "I love you, Kagome!"

Her heart twisted in pain as several emotions slammed into her at once. As her scent became muddied, Inuyasha continued. "I never should've tried to get back with Kikyo. It was a mistake, one I'll regret forever. But I know now that I only want you, Kagome. I love you."

Kagome looked him over, searching his expression. She just… she couldn't tell. Was he being genuine? Was he just trying to trick her again? She clenched her fists, her reiki crackling once more as anger consumed her. There was only one thing she knew for sure.. she wasn't going to take this anymore. Inuyasha flinched as the miko in front of him became enraged. Kagome stood up abruptly then and his ears flattened against his head as she glared down at him.

"Maybe you should've thought about that sooner." she growled, voice low and full of venom. Then, she was storming out of the café and making her way back home.

Inuyasha sat there, dumbstruck. He couldn't have been more confused. Isn't this what she wanted? Didn't she want him to choose her and only her? Wasn't that what she had screamed at him before she broke up with him? Where had he gone wrong? The hanyou sat there for several more moments before finally getting up and leaving the café, shuffling his way home as he tried to figure out where he went wrong.

..::YatM::..

Kagome arrived at the apartment, completely drained. Her anger had subsided for now, and all that remained were the muddied emotions she felt from his confession. Could she even call it that? Should she? She had no idea if he was lying to her or not, and she really didn't want to find out, if she were being honest. This certainly wasn't what she had expected, and it most definitely wasn't what she needed. Though, all in all, she couldn't really say she was surprised. If Inuyasha was telling the truth, it'd be just like him to blurt it out when he felt like he was losing her, and this was especially true if he was lying. Despite his intentions, whatever they may be, she felt manipulated and used.

She unlocked the door to the apartment with a huff and stepped inside, closing the door behind her and locking it once more. She took her time taking off her shoes, her mind racing with a million thoughts. She felt like she needed a nap. Out of habit, she announced that she was home, even though she knew the apartment would be empty for a short while; Kouga had taken Shippou out to the park shortly after she left.

Letting out another sigh, Kagome walked into the living area and plopped down on the couch. She let out a small whine as she curled up into herself, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. She was exhausted, and she didn't want to deal with this, not at all. But, it seemed like she would have to. She groaned once more and shifted on the couch, falling onto her side. She laid there silently for several moments before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She clicked the button on the side and frowned at what lit up on her screen. She had several texts and a missed called from Inuyasha and she was grateful she had muted her phone. Just as she was about to put it away, however, a new notification popped up. A text from Kouga. She tapped on the notification and then unlocked her phone, the device taking her directly to his message.

We're on our way home. Everything alright?

She considered her response for a few moments. She could try to lie, but she had a feeling that he would see right through her, just as he always did. He knew something was up with her anyway, so what was the point in trying to hide it from him? She frowned slightly and tapped out a reply. Read it a couple times. Delete. Rewrite. Delete. Rewrite. Pause… Send.

Okay, and… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I'll explain when you get here I guess.

It was really the best she could come up with, and she hoped her response didn't worry him at all. She stared at the conversation for a few more moments before tapping out of her messages with a sigh. She then took her phone off of silent before locking it and letting it slip out of her hand, the device landing next to her face. Her mind continued to swirl with thoughts and she wished that they could just… stop. She was sick of all this drama. She just wanted to rest, just once, just for one day. Was that too much to ask? She scoffed as she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Apparently it was.

She continued to lay there on the couch for a couple moments, just taking some time to herself, dissociating mostly. She eventually snapped back into herself and sat up. Running a hand through her hair, she let out a small huff and swung her legs over the side of the couch before getting up and making her way to the kitchen. She should get started on some food for them. She picked up her phone and slipped it into her pocket before making her way into the kitchen. She walked to the fridge and opened it, looking to see what they had. She chewed on her cheek as she considered her options, and eventually pulled out some chicken thighs.

Kagome got to work then, getting the prep work started for their meal. Cooking was surprisingly soothing to her; it allowed her mind to drift off and she forgot about her worries, for the most part at least. She was most of the way through her prep when the sound of the door unlocking snapped her out of her rhythm. The door opened, and she heard Shippou announce their arrival and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "Welcome home!" she responded. She made her way to the fridge, putting the bowl of chicken thighs in the fridge to marinate. It was a couple seconds before she heard Shippou barreling through the room, running up to her and jumping onto the counter beside her. The kit then started to rapid fire his adventures of the day. It overwhelmed Kagome at first, but she soon relaxed and listened intently to the kit's stories. As he talked, she began to wash their rice.

Kouga soon entered the room and watched the two of them with a warm smile on his face. He stood there for a few seconds before walking into the kitchen. Shippou was finishing up his tale, and once he was done, Kouga ruffled his hair. "Hey, how about you go watch TV?" he offered. Shippou nodded enthusiastically and took off. Kouga laughed a bit, always amazed at how eager Shippou was. Once the TV was turned on and the kitsune was entranced by it, Kouga turned his attention to Kagome. The miko had a rhythm going, washing the rice almost absentmindedly. He hated to interrupt her, but he needed to know how she was doing. "So, what happened?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

She took in a deep breath before slowly releasing it. "Well, while training with Kikyo this weekend we actually got to talking. I heard her side of everything and, surprise, Inuyasha lied to her too." Kouga honestly couldn't say he was surprised. He didn't have very many interactions with the inu, but he's heard nothing but bad things. There was also the fact that his only two interactions with the hanyou were less than pleasant. "He told her that he hadn't seen anyone else after they broke up and all this bullshit. They never even officially got back together. That's what's really killing me with all of this. He put the both of us through so much, and he doesn't even stay with her? He goes off to "find himself" or some bullshit like that and I…" She sucked in a deep breath, trying her best to not let her anger consume her again. She took a couple seconds to calm herself before draining the water from the rice, filling the bowl again, and washing it some more.

"I saw him today, to confront him on it. He tried to tell me that Kikyo was lying, told me he made a mistake in leaving me. Then he told me he loved me and I…" Her movements stilled as tears brimmed in her eyes. Kouga stopped a snarl from ripping out of his chest, clenching his fists at his side instead. "I just feel so.. manipulated. I told him off and then left and he's been blowing up my phone since. I'm just… I'm so tired, Kouga. I don't want to deal with this." Kagome began trembling then, tears slipping free and running down her cheeks. She had done her best to keep it in, but she just couldn't anymore.

She set the bowl of rice down as she barely caught a sob, choking it down as her shaking worsened. Kouga frowned and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her protectively. Kagome turned into him more and wrapped her arms around him, doing her best to keep her hands off of his shirt so she wouldn't get it wet. He brought a hand up to her hair, smoothing it down and occasionally running his claws through it. It brought her some sort of comfort, but she just felt too torn up. There was so much going on and she just couldn't handle it anymore.

After a few moments and seeing that the miko was just steadily getting worse, he frowned. "How about you go lay down for a bit? I'll take care of the food. What were you making?" he asked.

She sniffled, and it took her a few moments before she was able to answer. "Karaage."

He nodded and continued to soothe her for a few more moments until she began to pull away. He gave her a reassuring smile, cupping her cheek with his hand for a couple seconds. She tried to give him a smile as well, but it just wasn't working out, so she settled for leaning into his touch for a moment before fully pulling away.

"I'll get you when it's done."

She nodded and then left the kitchen, shuffling into her room. She closed the door behind herself and made a beeline for her bed, collapsing onto the mattress and wrapping herself up in the blankets. Hopefully a nap would help soothe her, at the very least for now.