Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe. The rest is mine.

Chapter 22

Inuyasha heard the clatter of his phone vibrating against the hard surface of his nightstand, and he immediately picked it up without looking at the screen.

Kagome.

It had to be.

She had left his phone charger behind after promising him she would take it, and naturally, her phone was dead again. She really needed to get that battery looked at if she wasn't going to be responsible about her charger. He had called her half an hour ago at 10pm, only to have his call go straight to voicemail.

"Hey," he sighed in relief, "I've been worried about you."

'Well...I've been worried about you, too,' a silken voice purred on the other side of the phone, and his heart leapt into his throat.

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha whispered, sitting up in his bed and turning on the light.

'Really, Yashie...am I that easy to forget about?'

"Hardly," he replied wryly. "I just thought you were someone else."

'Your girlfriend?'

"Yeah, actually," he sighed. "Kikyo...why are you calling? It's almost 11 at night."

'I thought now might be a good time to talk about meeting up. I'm assuming your girlfriend isn't there anymore?'

"No...Kagome went home a while ago," he confirmed uneasily. Almost three hours ago, in fact...she should be back home by now! Why hadn't she called him?

'Good! That means you aren't busy, right?'

"No...I'm not."

'So...when would be a good time to meet up? Next weekend? I can come to you. We could make a day of it.'

"I can't," he replied, shaking his head. "Kagome is coming back next weekend. I can't the weekend after either, before you keep asking."

'You aren't blowing me off...are you, Yashie?' she whispered nervously on the other side of the phone.

"No," he sighed. "Just trying to be honest. She's only here for a few more weeks, and I want to spend as much time with her as I can before she leaves."

'Leaves? Where is she going?'

"Home. Ohio."

'Really?' she replied, and Inuyasha could almost see the smug glee on her face as clearly as he heard it.

"Yes, really," he snapped. "Don't be a snob, Kikyo. You're from the Midwest, too."

'You're right. I'm sorry,' she apologized, but he could hear the insincerity in her voice. 'I'm just jealous that you've been able to move on so quickly, Yashie.'

Her honesty surprised him.

"It wasn't as quick as you might think," he found himself saying before he could stop himself.

'So,' she began again, clearing her throat. 'The next two weekends are bad. What about during the week? Tuesday? We can meet an hour away from each other...maybe get some dinner and just talk?'

He was silent for a long moment as he mulled it over in his head. If he did this now, then he could be done with it...and he wanted to be done with it. He wanted to be completely free of any possible regrets in his relationship with Kikyo. He didn't want any possible self-doubt holding him back when he asked Kagome to stay with him.

"Sure...I'll make Tuesday work."

'Great! I'll find something and text you the details.'

They said quick farewells and hung up, leaving Inuyasha alone to repeat the last few minutes in his head again. This was good. He was making the right decision. It kept his weekends open so he could still see Kagome, and it would help him move on from Kikyo.

This was what he needed.

He fell back in bed and glanced down at his phone.

It was almost 11pm. Where the hell was she?

Almost as if Kagome could sense he was thinking about her, his phone started vibrating again and her name scrolled across the top of his screen. He quickly unlocked his phone and answered it.

'Hey Babe…'

"Hey," he breathed. "God...I've been worried sick about you. You should have been home a while ago!"

'I know...I'm sorry. I had to stop for gas along the way, and that was a whole thing. They wouldn't accept credit cards, and I didn't have any cash on me…' she began, reliving her ordeal with him and her quest for an ATM and a late night hot dog.

'...needless to say, I'm never stopping there again.'

"You know, you could have left at any point in time and gone to a different one."

'Not when I was already running on fumes. And before you start...yes...I know. I got careless and I should always keep a twenty on me, but I used it up a week ago and I forgot to get more. Trust me...my lesson has been learned.'

"Good. You know what else I'm going to say?"

'Mmmmm...No?'

"You forgot something at my place, Higurashi."

'I did?'

"Yup. Something you promised me you would take?"

'Shit.'

"I'll say. It's a moot point now, but can you please do something about this? Buy a new charger? Make an appointment with Apple? Something? Anything?"

'I will,' she promised with a yawn. 'Listen...I'm exhausted. I'm gonna head to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow?'

"Yeah," he smiled.

'Ok. Good night, Yash. I adore you.'

"I adore you too," he breathed, hanging up with her before realizing he had forgotten to tell her something very important.

He hadn't told her about Kikyo.

Shit.

He got the text from Kikyo the next day while eating his lunch. She had made reservations for them at 6:45pm on Tuesday at The Equinox. It was also cocktail attire, apparently...which meant he had to dig out a sport jacket from deep inside his closet.

It was a typical Kikyo move.

He would have preferred to have gone somewhere a bit more casual. It didn't have to be bar casual...but he would have even taken an Olive Garden over this. Kagome would have done that. She wouldn't have picked some crazy, probably very overpriced restaurant with its own dress code.

Kagome did greasy dive bars.

She did comfort.

She lived in the moment with him.

She didn't need fancy and expensive. She didn't need things for the sake of appearance. Kagome was...Kagome was refreshing, and down to earth, and honest. Kagome was...Kagome was perfect. She understood him in ways Kikyo never had. She was kind and loving in ways that Kikyo wasn't and never could be. She was sexy and always willing to try new things and could turn him on so fucking easily...but most importantly? He was his truest self with her.

He smiled at that thought and told Kikyo he would be there.

Kagome had taken the news...well...she had taken it as well as he could have asked her to. He knew that she wasn't happy about it, but she was also appreciative that he had told her everything once he had all the details. That was the line he had fed her, at least. He still felt a little guilty that he hadn't told her sooner...but it had been late, and he was just relieved that she had made it home safely.

Telling her about Kikyo had been the last thing on his mind at the time.

He promised her that he would call and tell her all of the gory details as soon as he was on his way home, provided she wanted them.

Which she did. Naturally.

Inuyasha had managed to find street parking a few blocks away from the restaurant and quickly parallel parked. It wasn't that he didn't want to use the valet parking, exactly...it was that he wanted to know exactly where his car was in case he needed to make a quick exit. Besides, it was nice out. He didn't mind walking five minutes to get to the restaurant.

That was something else Kikyo would have hated, and Kagome wouldn't have minded.

He also would have taken the time to drop her off in front...but that was beside the point.

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile to himself. He hadn't met up with Kikyo yet...but he already found himself making positive comparisons between Kikyo and Kagome - positive meaning that he was finding all the ways Kagome was better for him, of course.

It was nice.

Reassuring, really.

He was glad he was doing this.

It was forcing him to really look at his past and move on, and he was doing just that.

He shrugged into his black sport jacket and smoothed it out. He had to say...he thought he looked sharp. It was a simple ensemble, but one that always worked for him. Black jacket. Black pants. White shirt, slightly unbuttoned. If he were feeling particularly dangerous, he would go with a black shirt too...but he decided to keep it classic tonight.

He opened the door to the restaurant and was instantly hit in the face by the atmosphere.

Could she have picked a more romantic restaurant?

He wasn't sure he wanted an answer to that.

It was dimly lit and filled with expensive yet modern accents and furniture. Smooth jazz floated through the air, adding to the dull murmur of conversations in the background.

"Yashie!"

Kikyo waved from the bar as he was about to talk to the maitre'd, and she came over with her white wine and a large paper bag to give him a hug and a kiss to both of his cheeks. He stepped back uncomfortably and Kikyo giggled.

"Yashie...relax!" Kikyo teased. "It's how you greet people in France."

He wanted to tell her this wasn't France. That she couldn't kiss him anymore, even if it was just on the cheek...but the maitre'd interrupted by leading them to their table. Inuyasha pulled out the chair for Kikyo out of habit more than anything else before unbuttoning his jacket and sitting down himself.

"You look good, Yashie," Kikyo praised, drawing her eyes up his body. "Is that the one I gave you?" she asked, referring to his jacket. He had honestly forgotten, but yes it was. "It still looks good on you," she continued after he confirmed that it was. "I always said that if you ever got tired of the Navy, Lephant would be more than happy to take you on as a model. You have the body and the face for it."

"I know...but I'm happy where I am, Kikyo. I think I'd die of boredom."

"Better boredom than other things…" she replied, trailing off to allow his imagination take over the very real way he could die at his current place of employment.

"We didn't come here to talk about that, Kikyo."

"My...jumping right in?" she smirked. "Not even going to wait to order a drink first?"

"I shouldn't...we shouldn't. We both have to drive later."

"I know...but one little drink won't hurt," she countered, waving a water down and ordering him a glass of overpriced top shelf whiskey.

"Kikyo...I shouldn't…"

"Please, Yashie. This is on me. I feel awful about how I treated you. Let me buy you a drink? It's the least I can do."

He reluctantly nodded, and the waiter left to bring him back his beverage.

"So," she began chipperly. "Tell me...how was your move? Have you settled in?"

He told her that it was fine, and that he had.

"Good...I'm glad you're making a life for yourself here, Yashie. I am. I know you came here for me," she began, pausing when the waiter brought him his glass of whiskey. She waited until he had left before continuing, "You seem happy. I'm glad it wasn't a mistake."

"It wasn't," he agreed, a secretive smile spreading across his face as he thought about Kagome.

"So...tell me more about this girlfriend of yours? Kagome, was it?"

"Yeah," he replied, his grin widening as he took a sip from his drink and began to tell her everything. He told her about how they had met., and how he had found her again because of the dog tag that had washed ashore. He explained about how her brother had set them up...and how he was rapidly falling for her.

"I know we started this with the intention of ending it, but I don't want to," he admitted. "I'm going to ask her to stay with me in two weeks."

He watched Kikyo swallow hard at that before she smiled at him and told him she was happy for him. "You deserve to find someone, Yashie. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and I hope you two find it together. I hope she says yes."

"Me too," he confessed in a whoosh. "I...I think she will? I think she wants this as much as I do...but long distance is hard."

"It is," she agreed, reaching out and taking his hand. "But if anyone is worth doing long distance for, you are. I'm sorry I was so...so cruel to you before, Yashie. You didn't deserve it. Any of it. You're a good man. A kind, caring, thoughtful, giving, sweet man. You offered me the world, and I spat in your face," she whispered as she started tearing up, and she brought a finger up to wick them away as they began to run.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm sorry for being so horrible to you. I'm sorry for not understanding what it was that you wanted. I'm sorry for not seeing what we had. What we had was precious...and I didn't quite understand how much I had taken you for granted until you walked out the door."

"I...forgive you," he told her, and he found himself meaning it. He didn't resent her or begrudge her actions anymore. He was moving on...and hearing her apologize to him and mean it so sincerely...it was what he had really needed.

"Thank you, Yashie."

The whole night was rather lovely. After they had gotten past the hard stuff, they spent the rest of the evening catching up and reminiscing. Near the end of the evening, when she had ordered them coffee and dessert (which she had only taken one bite of...unlike what Kagome would have done), she had handed him the shopping bag she had brought with her.

"It's for you and Kagome," she explained. "It's from our fall line. I designed all of them myself, and I thought you would look good in them. I threw in a few things I thought would fit and look good on Kagome, too."

"Kikyo..."

"I know," she smiled pleadingly. "Please, Yashie? I'm trying to make amends…"

He hesitated for a moment before taking the bag. He wasn't allowed to tell her what she did or didn't need. And besides...they were just clothes.

"Thank you, Kikyo," he had smiled softly, placing the bag on the floor by his chair.

They finished up their meal and left the restaurant, parting with hugs at the door.

"Thank you for doing this with me," she whispered in his ear, her lips gently brushing against his skin. He tried not to jerk his head away from her.

"I'm glad you suggested it. I think I needed it, too," he admitted as she pulled slightly away from him and gazed up into his eyes. For a split second, he thought he saw longing and desire in her eyes...but it was gone before he could really confirm it.

"Listen, Inuyasha. I would really like it if we could find a way to be friends."

His heart began to race as his fight with Kagome came rushing back to him.

"...The next thing you know she's asking if you can find a way to just be friends with her. Then, in a few months when everything breaks down with Kyle...then she's pulling you back in. Soon you'll be comforting her, then fucking her, and then everything just starts back up again."

No.

No...he wasn't going to do that. He wasn't even going to allow the possibility of that happening. He couldn't. He wouldn't. Kagome was his world now. He wasn't going to allow Kikyo to slink back into his life and add extra headaches and heartaches to it. He was done. He had needed tonight…

But he didn't need more.

"I can't do that, Kikyo," he shook his head, shoving the bag back at her. "And I can't take this. Really. Thank you for everything. Tonight was nice...but this is it. I wish you the best with everything. Truly. And I hope that things work out with Kyle...but this is it. Goodbye, Kikyo."

"Inuyasha," she called as he spun around on his heel, walking back towards his car. "Inuyasha!"

He didn't stop.

It felt fucking fantastic.

Once he made it back to his car, he plugged in the address to his apartment and removed his jacket, and then he called Kagome.

He spared no details, sharing everything from the time he greeted her to the time they parted ways.

"I'm glad I did it," he told her. "I feel...I feel like my chest doesn't have this hidden weight on it anymore."

'I'm glad,' she replied.

"Thank you for being so understanding, Kagome. I mean it."

'I know you needed it,' she sighed. 'I'm just glad it's over with.'

"Me too," he breathed. "Listen...I wanted to do something special with you next weekend for being so…" Perfect. The right word was perfect. "...patient with me. Think on it?"

'I will,' she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"I miss you so much, Babe," he sighed. "I can't fucking wait to see you...and hold you...and kiss you…and taste you," he purred, making her giggle.

'Soon. You just have to wait until Friday.'

"I need it to be fucking Friday now," he whined.

'Fucking Friday, or just fucking Friday?'

"Take your pick - I plan on enjoying both," he replied huskily, and she laughed again.

'Soon. I'm going to head off to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?'

"Of course. And get a new charger!"

'I will, I will! Night, Pumpkin!'

"Good night, Darlin'," he replied. "I adore you."

'I adore you.'

He smiled and leaned back in his seat as his apartment came into view. It had ultimately been a good day.

It was a shame that he didn't have many more in his future.

A/N:

AHHHHHHHHHHH JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER AND AN EPILOGUE! I can't believe it's almost over! I've said this a few times on Tumblr before, but I changed the significantly since I wrote this because this became a fic about a sweet summer romance and healing. Everything after the next chapter was slice of life for Saucy so it had no place here anymore.

I plan on one day doing a slice of life fic with those ideas…

But once I wrap up a few more stories.

Thank you to Saucy for all of the edits, and to everyone who has reviewed! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

I don't want to get your hopes up, but I asked Saucy to try and get the next chapter done for next Monday the 15th. TBD though…and fingers crossed!

Until next time!

-LL