Prompts given:
"Why do you hate me?"
"You're special to me."
"Mine."

"I never understood what I did for you to hurt me so, Inuyasha." Kikyo's expression was unreadable, blank, her eyes dark and looking straight through the half demon and to the woman behind him. Kagome pulled the robe of the fire rat over her bare chest, blocking as much of her body as she could while she avoided all eye contact with the priestess in front of them. Her fingers trembled against the thick cloth, wanting nothing more than to run from the overwhelmingly uncomfortable situation they suddenly found themselves in.

They'd been caught in an intimate act. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if it had been one of their friends that had seen, or even a random villager. Still humiliating, but not as terrifying. Unfortunately, she couldn't get that lucky. Kikyo's dark stare burned at her exposed skin, feeling as if the few freckles on her shoulders typically hidden beneath her school uniform stuck out as brightly as the stars in the night sky above them. Never before had she thought so ill about their own love making. Never before had Kagome been ashamed to be seen with Inuyasha.

Never had she felt so much like the other woman.

Kagome was disgusted with herself. Of course she had considered Kikyo in all of this as their relationship began to unfold and mold into something deeper. She was too afraid to open that door, though. Inuyasha cared for both women, she knew this, and it was always a lingering fear that he would leave her for the priestess if he were called away.

It was justifiable to think that it was safe to allow a more meaningful connection between the two. She knew Inuyasha in ways no one else did, and it was only because the half demon allowed it. In the beginning, Kagome was worried she was being selfish by not stopping their developing relationship, but then she realized she couldn't even if she'd wanted to. Their souls called to one another. Their spirits ached to be united. She felt a physical pull in her chest when they were apart, and when they were together, touching in any way, her pulse calmed and her mind felt at ease. Inuyasha knew what he was doing when he kissed her. He knew what he was doing when he wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered sweet nothings into her ear. It was easy, after some time, to let go of the constant worry that Kikyo would be hurt, or that she would be hurt by any interference.

"Kikyo, I-"

"Kagome, what have you to say for yourself?" Her tone was sharp, malicious.

Kagome felt a heated jolt shoot through her body, her brown eyes darting up to collide with Kikyo's. She opened her mouth to say something, but her voice was caught beneath the giant, painful lump in her throat.

"Leave her out of this, Kikyo." Inuyasha warned, widening his protective stance to make sure the girl was properly concealed behind him. "This is between you and me."

"Hardly."

"Kikyo, I never meant to hurt you."

"And what did you think I would feel at seeing this?"

"You were never supposed to see this!" Inuyasha shouted. His body seemed to grow more tense, as if subconsciously grounding himself to not move toward the priestess or else Kagome would be openly vulnerable. As much as he wanted to sort things out privately, he couldn't do that to Kagome. He couldn't leave her like this.

"Oh, how kind of you to hide it from me!" Kikyo fired, her voice dropping dangerously to challenge the half demon.

"I wasn't hiding anything, either!"

"You make no sense, Inuyasha! What was it you were trying to do then?"

Inuyasha looked away, guilt riddling his head. He could feel Kagome's shame and discomfort. In his peripherals, he watched her body shying beneath his suikan, her folded legs and disconcerted face the only skin remaining uncovered. It was true, he'd never meant to hurt Kikyo, but he also never imagined she would be. She was dead, her clay body made up of a small percentage of Kagome's soul, and continuously sustained by stolen souls of women beyond the grave. He still cared for her, yes. That's something that would never change. If she needed him, he'd be there to help in a heartbeat. If there was anything he could do to make up for her death, he was willing to do it, no matter the cause. She'd let his heart go, though, wanting nothing more than vengeance and peace. And he'd let hers go too, wanting nothing more than Kagome.

"I wasn't trying to hurt you. I-I thought we'd moved on." His honey eyes gazed back at her.

"Apparently, you have." She remarked, her glare icy.

"You're telling me you haven't?"

Kagome swallowed thickly, fearing the answer Kikyo would give, a cold sweat working over her body. It felt like the make-it-or-break-it moment she'd been waiting for since the first time Inuyasha pulled her aside for a kiss all those months ago. What would happen if Kikyo said she still wanted Inuyasha? Would he go with her? Kagome wasn't ready for this; she'd had no opportunity to steel herself.

"We swore to belong to each other one day. You swore to belong to me."

"That was a long time ago." He said gruffly, his shoulders sinking.

"Tell me then, what's changed between us? Why do you hate me?"

He hadn't expected the question, stunned as it left her mouth. She seemed so level and cool as she asked, her pale lips a flat line on her face, dark eyes unamused. Did she legitimately believe what she, herself, was asking? Was she even affected by his assumed hate?

"I don't hate you!" Inuyasha said sternly. "Kikyo, you know I care about you!"

"Do not lie!" Again, the ice crept over him, her head cocking to the side as she tried to see the woman on the floor beneath the dark blanket of red.

"I'm not lying! You mean something to me! You're special to me, you always have been!" He barked, flinching as he inched forward but hardened his resolve to stay put. He was getting a headache, his head and heart battling it out in a wild screaming match. A part of him wanted to comfort Kikyo and rationally explain why she'd found them in the middle of such an intimate act, whisking her away to a private location for more than one person's benefit. But the other part of him, a larger and more dominant part, refused to budge any further from the girl behind him. He'd made his choice a long time ago, and there was no going back. He didn't want to go back.

"If that is what I am, then what is Kagome?" Kikyo asked harshly, arching her brow in petulance.

"Mine."

Kagome was taken aback, glancing at the twitching muscles of Inuyasha's bare back. He hadn't hesitated, stuttered, or faltered. He was vehement in his statement, as if his claim on her wasn't just for Kikyo's knowledge. Her heart sputtered powerfully in her chest, her breath hitching sharply in her lungs as she inhaled.

"Kikyo, you were never mine. You were yours and yours alone." Inuyasha continued steadily, briefly peaking over his shoulder at Kagome then back to the priestess. "Kagome... with Kagome, things are different. She's mine and I'm hers, and-"

"I have heard enough." Kikyo interjected, turning away from the half demon and his lover. "I will not call on you anymore, Inuyasha."

"Things haven't changed, Kikyo. This isn't anything new, I-I'm still here whenever you need me. We're all in this fight together."

"No. We are not." The priestess walked away, illuminated soul collectors swimming through the air to follow.

Inuyasha turned back to face Kagome, crouching down in front of her sitting form, hands coming to rest on her shoulders. She still couldn't manage to swallow the shame that overtook her, muddling her mind to any other thought.

"I'm so sorry," She whispered, not missing the way his ember eyes studied her, no doubt taking in her small trembles.

"Don't be." He said, looking around to gather her carelessly strewn-about clothes.

"But it must have been hard to say."

"It was." Inuyasha placed her clothes in front of her knees, glad he hadn't chosen to rip them from her body this time around. "Kagome, I was never trying to keep you a secret. You know that, right?"

She allowed the half demon to take the fire rat from her hands, knowing he would hold it up for her while she dressed as he always did, giving her the comfort of some sort of concealment. Kagome adjusted her clothes in silence, worrying her bottom lip all the while, the only thought going through her head being the ache Inuyasha must have felt while telling Kikyo the truth. She tapped his clawed hand to let him know it was safe, and he lowered the robe, once again studying her, dropping the cloth from one hand as he dragged his thumb across her lower lip to get her to stop gnawing it.

Kagome slowly stepped forward to close the distance between them, her hands grazing the skin just above his pants, running over the hard plains of muscles and stopping at the curve of his hips. She exhaled shakily, knowing he'd felt her hot breath by the way his torso tensed at the sensation, resting her forehead against the warm flesh of his chest. He stroked her long, black hair, placing a lingering kiss to the top of her head.

"I know." She finally answered, placing a hand over his heart to feel the steady beat beneath her fingertips. "Are you okay?"

"I will be. Believe me, I will be."