A/N: Apologies to all Hojo fans out there. I don't usually write him as a serious character, but I tried to.
I tried to do something different here, but it probably looks like a train wreck

4. Underrated romantic relationship. P

Kagome was really pretty. She was cute and kind, shy and gentle. She wasn't the prettiest girl in the school, but whenever she smiled, he felt warmth swelling in his heart. She was his ideal, quiet and sweet, a girl that could make a man feel like a real knight in shining armor taking care of his lovely princess.

She wasn't a genius, but she was smart. She was dedicated and hard working, studious. When she could focus on the material, she quickly learned it, most of the time. Math was the hardest thing for her to grasp. She accepted his help with grace and gratitude and he felt good when he helped her catch up with the lessons and prepare for exams. She could be a bit of an airhead sometimes, but that only endeared her to him even ore.

She was so sickly lately. Always missing class and focusing on catching up when she was able to go to school. He did his best to help her, bringing her all kinds of medicine to battle the numerous illnesses that plague her frail body. She accepted his gifts and he felt so proud that he could be of assistance, that he could protect her from some of the bad luck that was following her and keeping her away from enjoying her teen years.

Thanks to her friends they got on a date - Kagome was so shy and bashful, not knowing how to act around a boy. That was the best day of his life, spending time with her, telling her about all the things that were happening in his life. She appeared somewhat distracted, probably overwhelmed with the fact that they were on a date. He didn't mind it when she ran off before the end of the date, knowing that she was probably overcame with nerves - after all it was their first date.

Sadly, there was no second date.

But it was alright, they still met whenever she was in school. Months passed with her coming to school whenever she could.

And at the festival, thanks again to one of her friends, she got to be his princess while he played the role of a prince. All was splendid until... Until he met the boy with dyed hair, who her friends named her boyfriend Inuyasha. That boy struck him as one with an attitude, a mouthy guy for sure - and the sweet Kagome was dating him.

That was a hard blow to his heart. He wanted his shy, sweet Kagome to be e his girlfriend, but after some weeks of paying attention to when she was at school plus talking to her friends, he realized that this was not going to happen. Kagome dated that strange troubled youth who was allegedly a gang member. At first he wanted to confront the boy - Kagome was an innocent, gentle girl, he worried that the boy was abusing her or using her in some way.

Then he spotted that boy carrying or walking her from school and helping her arrive on time for her entrance exams. She hugged him with a giant smile - a smile that Hojo had never seen on her face - and excitedly ran towards the entrance to the exam building. The pale-haired boy waited for a minute after her disappearance and went away with her mother. From his looks it was easy to see that he had been in the middle of some festival or a geek gathering, but he had dropped that to help Kagome. He was gentle with her, awkwardly accepting her kindness. They looked at each other with eyes that shone with emotions that Hojo never saw in her face when she looked at him The nervous shy girl from the school was full of life and energy.

All of that made him realize that the girl he loved was in love with someone else and there was no hope for him to get her to love him. From her friends he learned that she had been forgiving him a lot, truly a wonderful girl Kagome was. She was making that troubled youth a better man, Hojo was sure of it. He could see how the scowl on that boy's face softened when he looked at her.

She liked him and was his friend, but her heart was already taken by that other boy. That hurt, yes. It was heartbreaking to know that the girl he had a crush on didn't return his feelings. He felt so jealous and hoped that that other guy know what gem of a person she was and cherished her protected her and treated her like the gentle princess she was.

It took a while to accept that, but Hojo wanted her happy, even if it meant he wasn't going to be her boyfriend. They still could be friends and he could try and move on, find another girl he could care for and protect. He was there for her during high school, when her boyfriend moved out of town to somewhere else. Without the trio trying to sett them up on dates their relationship progressed naturally, in a pace that suited them both.

He looked out for Kagome, and in time saw more of the fiery, stubborn outspoken woman she was becoming. She argued with him on many topics, her temper flaring, but they made up when she cooled down. He learned that the girl he saw as a delicate butterfly liked hiking and shot bow like a pro. That she liked to camp under the stars and knew more about first aid than he himself - which he learned to appreciate when he accidentally cut his hand and passed out seeing his own blood, to wake up with Kagome finishing bandaging him while the others called an ambulance, panicked. He saw in her face the hard look of someone who had seen more than a little cut, but when she noticed him conscious, she smiled at him reassuringly. He wondered then, not for the first time, if he actually knew her before.

That made him wonder if they would have ever been a good couple, if they had been dating. in time he started seeing other girls and Kagome cheered him on, even supplied relationship tips.

When, after graduation, she moved out of the city to marry her sweetheart and stay with him, Hojo missed her dearly, but was happy for her. He still loved her, even if his love was the one of a friend now, not a smitten boy.