DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I don not own Inuyasha. I just like playing with them.

Relinquished Destiny

Ch. 14

By: Lara Winner

If Kagome had thought her day would take a turn for the better after her run in with Yuka, she was sadly mistaken. As planned both girls caught up with the rest of their group in the gym. No one appeared to notice the tension that now existed between Yuka and herself and if they did it was not commented upon. Kagome had breathed a silent sigh of relief when she realized that Yuka was going to keep their agreement quiet and not drag everyone else into the sordid mess.

It was not long after everyone had taken seats that Inasho made his appearance. There was hardly time for a nodded greeting when Yuka had attached herself to his side, subtly commanding his undivided attention. It was a smooth ploy and it worked fairly well. Inasho seemed to enjoy the way Yuka hung on his every word and laughed at all the appropriate moments. Her bright smile and her rather blunt flirtations were not wasted.

Through the corner of her eye, Kagome watched them. She noted that every so often Yuka would find some way in which to touch Inasho. Whether it be a slight brush of her shoulder against his or reaching up to teasingly play with his unruly hair, or leaning into him when he spoke to her, Yuka put the mild contact into play with practiced ease. And to Kagome chagrin, Inasho seemed to be delighting in every bit of her attention.

It wasn't as if Kagome could blame him. After all, he did not remember that past that they shared and he was completely unaware of the game Yuka was playing, and she had to admit, their meeting in this life had hardly started on the right foot. She tried to tell herself that it did not mean all hope was lost but the small ache in her heart told her she should prepare for the worst.

As if the gods wanted to toy with her even further, the echo of Kaimi's words from their fateful conversation played over and over in Kagome's mind…

"…With Kikyo?"

"Yes, with his soulmate."

Kagome found it amazing how remembering a significant memory at the right moment could bring back feelings a person might believe they were freed from. It was like a knife was stabbed directly through her heart, suddenly making it exceedingly difficult to draw a breath. Not once, but twice she was being forced to watch the object of her affections turn their heart to another. Suddenly things that Kagome thought had been long forgotten came bubbling to the surface once again…

It was the night Inuyasha made his choice. How foolish she had been, coming through the well thinking she had Inuyasha worrying about her only to find him with Kikyo. He hadn't had the heart to say the words but she knew, one look in his eyes had told her that despite his regret his heart still remained with his former love.

But because of love she had remained by his side, giving in and keeping her own desires to herself. What had existed briefly between them was never mentioned again. Inuyasha was horrible at hiding that fact that he cared and it was obvious that he did indeed care about her very much, but the hope for anything more than friendship had died the moment he had met her eyes across that clearing…

It was with a sickening feeling that Kagome realized the same thing was happening again. Perhaps Inasho had not liked her upon their first meeting. That was a fair enough assumption considering she didn't know what to make of him at first either. But over the past two weeks they had been forced to spend time together and somehow they were making the best of it and becoming friends. Was she repeating history over again? Was she destined to love Inasho even when he would not return her feelings? Judging by the relaxed way he interacted with Yuka and how he all but encouraged her attention, it was safe to say this would be another no win situation.

Still, Kagome felt she had to try. So while keeping one eye on Aki's game and the other on Inasho, she began making mental notes on Yuka's body language and a memory log of Inasho's responses. With the proper attitude and right amount of determination she could make Inasho see the connection they shared. At least that was what she told herself over and over until she was almost beginning to believe it.

It was not long before Kagome realized that the gods had not lost their sense of humor, for even as she was beginning to lift her sinking sprits the basketball game called half time and a familiar voice called her name from a few bleachers down. Stifling a groan, Kagome waved politely and Houjou, taking the action to mean than more than simple acknowledgment, assumed that was an invitation to join her. Kagome did not find the sweet smile on Houjou's face as endearing as it was supposed to be and as he took a seat beside her, through the corner of her eye Kagome saw Inasho looking in their direction.

Setting her lips in a pleasant smile, Kagome settled in to listen half-heartedly to Houjou's exuberant chatter. Oblivious to her lack of enthusiasm, Houjou rambled on and on about everything from the pop quiz in Language that morning to how wonderful it was that Aki's elective class allowed her to play basketball for a test grade. As he continued on about the pros and cons of conducting in-school sporting events pitting varsity players against junior varsity players, Kagome was hard pressed not to sigh or perhaps bang her head really hard against the nearest post or wall available. Since neither action was an option she could take, she'd had been forced to settle for reigning in her swiftly rising annoyance and keeping her expression pleasant while casting glances at Inasho the rest of the evening.

The sun was setting below the western horizon, deepening the growing shadows, as Kagome returned to the shrine. More out of habit than actual awareness she nudged her bicycle's kickstand, leaving it propped just inside the shrine gate and continued on to the house still panting from her hike up the main steps. Drained from the day's series of events and emotionally spent from her personal anxieties made the prospect of finally arriving home a blessing.

The thought of a warm bubble bath stealthily crept into Kagome's mind and slowly took hold, pushing all her worries aside and enticing her to forget her current problems and indulge herself. Her stomach grumbled, softly reminding her that she had not eaten since lunch. Before her mental musing could return to the reason that she had not had an appetite for concessions at the game, Kagome redirected her thoughts to contemplate how quickly she could make it to her room and run a bath.

Kicking off her shoes by the front door, she entered the house calling out her usual greeting, "I'm home!" only to be rewarded with silence.

"That's odd." She muttered to herself as she realized the house was empty. Instead of heading to her original destination she made her way to the kitchen. As expected a note awaited her tacked onto the fridge with a picture magnet. A younger version of her smiling face accompanied by Souta's stared out from the small frame catching Kagome's attention for a moment as it reminded her of a simpler time. There were no worries then. No past, present, and future melting pot to confuse her and no complex emotions that could bring her to her knees. It was just a picture of two children grinning cheekily at the camera as their mother captured them in a frozen moment of innocent abandon.

Shaking her head at her melodramatic mood, Kagome took down the folded piece of paper and headed up stairs while quickly reading her mother's hasty scribble.

Dear,

I've taken Souta and Jii-chan to visit Akako. We'll be home in a bit. I left dinner for you on the stove in case you are hungry.

Love,

Mom

That's nice, she thought sourly. Nobody wondered if I'd like to go visit Aunt Akako too. It's been nearly two years since I've seen my Aunt and Uncle and all my cousins…

The thought cut off abruptly as Kagome reminded herself that time had once again changed. What had been two years of juggling school and shard hunting had reversed itself. She supposed that technically she hadn't seen her Aunt in three months.

A rueful smile curved her lips as entered her bathroom and started to run her bath water. She began to undress the odd, off-balance sensation she getting reluctantly used too came flooding back. It was like her world had titled on its axis and things were no longer as they should be. And it was moments like this, when events and situations that she had not thought to consider struck her out of the blue. There was no time to prepare because so much had changed, or rather reversed, that there was no way she would think of everything on her own. Because of this she was put on the spot having to deal with each instance as it arose. The constant loss of bearings between the past and the present left her feeling dizzy and hopelessly lost.

It wasn't until Kagome was submerged to her neck underneath the warm water and a mountain of bubbles that her mind began to wander over exactly what this new realization would mean. She made a mental checklist, taking into account everything she had missed out on while living her double life down the well. Hitomi, the youngest and most boisterous of her Aunt's children, was still in school with Souta. Her tenth birthday would be in three months and the bicycle accident that put her arm in a cast would not happen for another year. Seiichi, the typical middle child who was destined to be a doctor, had not left for college yet. This made Kagome wonder if he would still choose to attend school in Berlin. Rika, the oldest of the three, would graduate from the local university in just a few weeks. It was bout this time that she had met Haru so they were not married as of yet. And last but not least, Uncle Masakazu would not turn fifty until next year.

Kagome was sure there was more she was unable to recall but what she could was enough to make her head swim. The slight pounding in her temples warned her that she was thinking entirely too much. This was her moment to relax. All of her problems could patiently wait until she was done with her bath, even her homework. Maybe she would give Seiichi a call when she was done with her bath. It couldn't hurt to get the events straight this time around.

Her worried frown eased. "I just hadn't realized everything that changed." She whispered to no one in particular as she closed her eyes and sank deeper into the water.

****

The next morning came all to quickly for Kagome. After waking up only to realize that she would be late, she dashed madly about her room in an attempt to dress quickly. She breezed through the kitchen completely unaware of food or her rumbling stomach on the way out of the door. It wasn't long before she realized that her morning was only bound to get worse. Traffic both in the streets and on the sidewalks was nearly at a stand still. After fighting to get all the way to her school and arriving just in time, Kagome then remembered that she had left her History textbook on her bedroom desk.

Fighting back tears of frustration she marched to the classroom ready to either burst into a sobbing fit or fatally hurt the first person to get in her way. As always her emotions were written clear as day upon her pretty face. Inasho eyed her curiously, instantly picking up on her foul mood as she took her seat beside him.

Inasho wisely kept silent when Kagome made no attempt to greet him with her usual, perky "good morning." His expression turned from curious to contrite as he mistakenly concluded the reason for her irritability. Continuing to cast her inconspicuous side-glances, he pulled out his textbook and pretended to gather the materials they would need to complete the construction of the verbal portion of their project.

The bell rang hailing the official beginning of the class period and Mr. Tuganashi's voice boomed over the quieting murmur of the students. "Remember class you have until Friday to turn in a complete rough draft of the speech you intend to give on your project topic. Ten points will be deducted from the overall project grade for every day the draft is late so I suggest you get to work."

A collective groan was heard around the room as a few of Kagome's fellow classmates realized that time was running out and the work they were postponing would have to be done. Kagome felt a small twinge of relief that her rough draft was half finished. Thanks to Inasho's help of course.

Taking a calming breath, Kagome's anger began to fade. It was pointless to proceed with a rotten attitude. That would only set Inasho off and then they would get no work done because they would far to preoccupied with ignoring each other. It had happened enough in the past two week and she was not in the correct frame of mind to add to her already miserable morning.

Trying to feel out Inasho's mood, she offered a sheepish smile. "Is it okay if we share you text book? I kinda forgot mine at home."

"Sure." He nodded, moving the book in between them and catching her gaze for only a moment before looking away. His expression was becoming earnest, as if there was more he wanted to say but was uncertain. Shifting his attention once again to his notebook, he shrugged slightly and blurted, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just so far it's been a bad day." She admitted with a disgruntled frown marring her pretty features.

Violet eyes took on a knowing look and perfectly curved lips quirked in a sympathetic smile as Inasho looked up once again. "Your folks giving you hell too?"

"No it's not that, I was just running late." Kagome hastened to explain. "My Mom is the best and we get along great."

"And what about your dad? What's he like?" Inasho asked innocently, his head tilting slightly to left in blatant curiosity of her answer. Kagome blinked, caught off guard by the simple question. Seeing her hesitation he said, "I didn't get to meet him when I came over so I was wondering. Are they divorced or something?"

It took Kagome a moment to realize that it was natural for Inasho to be inquisitive about her father. He had not asked this particular question as of yet and she had not felt the need to tell him because with everything going on she had overlooked it. The absence of her Father was something she was regrettably all too used to and almost everyone already knew so it was not an immediate response to talk about his death. It no longer stuck out in her mind as an oddity that needed an explanation nor did it upset her to talk about it. But she did miss her Father and she couldn't stop the wistful smile that crossed her face at his memory.

"Actually, my Dad was killed in a car accident when I was seven." She replied softly and Inasho's eyes went wide.

"I… I'm sorry." He stammered having the grace to appear dismayed at his own thoughtlessness. "I didn't mean to make you feel worse by bring it up. I just thought that he didn't live with you. I had no idea that he… uh… you know…"

Inasho's awkwardness was endearing to Kagome. That he would care about hurting her feelings started a little spark of warmth pooling in her chest. "It's okay, you didn't know and I'm used to my friends already knowing. I should have told you. Don't worry about it."

He looked down still appearing stricken. "But still, I shouldn't have asked. I'm really sorry."

Kagome smiled, slightly surprised by his apology and how at ease he was with saying it. Acting on impulse she rested her hand on his arm prompting him to look up once again. "I told you it's okay. It happened a long time ago and over the years it has become easier to deal with. At least I have memories of him, Souta was still a baby at the time so he doesn't remember."

"Man, that really sucks."

Kagome dropped her gaze and smiled sadly. "But I've got mama and jii-chan. Besides, its not so bad because after a while you learn to live with the memories." She said, her forced cheer obvious in her voice.

Kagome could feel Inasho watching her and vaguely she wondered what was going through his mind. Belatedly she withdrew her hand, blushing at her own unintentional forwardness. Suddenly embarrassed at how she poured her heart out to Inasho, Kagome's insecurities raised their ugly heads compelling her to make light of her own sorrow. "Anyway, it's not important. Sorry, that was pretty lame of me to go on and on like that, huh?"

When Kagome gained the courage to look up Inasho smirked, his over confident expression one again firmly in place. "Don't worry, if I didn't want to listen I would have told you to shut up."

Kagome could only blush, unsure how to take the comment. It was rude but, in a way, he was also being understanding…

She sighed and motioned to the books and papers spread out before them. "We better get started. There is still a lot we have to do."

Letting the subject drop, Kagome and Inasho turned their attention to the work at hand. At least Kagome tried but her thoughts were flying in a hundred different directions that periodically interrupted her concentration and allowed her mind to wander into forbidden territory.

What in the world was going on?

Just yesterday Inasho had been mean and nasty and jumping down her throat for every little thing and now today he was acting normal. On second thought, she realized, he was acting very apologetic, super nice even. Was he trying to say he was sorry for the way he had treated her yesterday?

Casting him a side glance, she couldn't help but smile to herself and he scribbled madly, so completely focused on what he was writing that his brow was creased in a dark frown as he absently chewed on the cap to his pen. Inasho was definitely an unpredictable mystery. The combination of man and child was most times infuriating, especially when he threw one of his tantrums, but it was moments when his maturity came to the surface that made Kagome wonder why he was so determined to hide that part of himself behind his spoiled, cocky façade.

She supposed he had his reasons and perhaps he just needed more time to grow up. Either way, this morning's little attempt at an unspoken apology was heart warming and it lifted an enormous burden off her chest. Maybe there was still hope… The notion was good enough for her so with a small smile she set about getting back to work.

However, Kagome could not concentrate on school no matter how she tried. After several failed attempts of willing her errant thoughts off the topic of Inasho Saigi, Kagome patience was sorely strained and her mind was still a million miles away. She hadn't even realized she'd zoned out until a hand waved a mere inch from her nose causing her to jump.

"Nani? I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention."

"So I noticed." He laughed. The curious gleam was once again back in his eyes belying his casual tone as he remarked, "All I said was that the bell is gonna ring in five minutes so there's no point in starting the next section right now. Are you sure you're okay? You've been out of it all morning and that's not like you. I mean you act pretty weird sometimes but…"

Kagome's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Gee thanks. Not only am I looser and a mental case but now I'm acting weird?"

"Um… that is not what I meant." He tried to amend a little too late. "Don't go getting all pissed off. I was only joking and, for the record, I never said you were a looser."

"Riiiight," she countered, "and I'm not a mental case either?"

"No, you are a mental case." He teased, trying not to smile. When she continued to glower he rolled his eyes and sighed. "Lighten up, if I meant it you would know it."

"You mean like yesterday?"

The biting words were out of Kagome's mouth before she could stop them and strangely enough she felt justified when his expression turned guilty. Let him feel bad, she thought. He had hurt her feelings several times with the mean things he'd said. She'd tried to let it slide but it was time he began to understand that he could be a real jerk when he wanted to be.

"About yesterday…" he sighed, this time nervously, "I was pissed off and I took it out on you. I didn't mean all that crap I said. Its just that my dad was-" he paused, then shook his head, "Look, don't worry about it."

Kagome was about to insist that he tell her what happened, what would make him so angry, but the bell rang loud and shrill, hailing the end of class. In the blink of an eye Inasho had scooped up his belongings and as hefted his backpack into place he looked over his shoulder and grinned, "I'll call you tonight okay?"

Nodding dumbly, Kagome watched him walk away mildly confused with her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to tell herself it was nothing, he was calling about the project and nothing more, but she knew something was changing between them, however, timing was forcing her to save the questions for later.

When Jori suddenly materialized beside her nearly bubbling with questions that only proved she had spied on them the entire period, Kagome let the chatter go in one ear and out the other. As she collected her things quickly she took a deep breath, willing her heart to stop racing while stoutly trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

A.N.- There is no excuse for taking so long on this chapter. I understand your frustration when you feel you must wait forever for the next chapter of a story and I truly regret making everyone wait this long. The only thing I can say in my defense is that I had to edit the original ending to this story and slightly modify it as I found some discrepancies in the plot and since I am writing this a chapter at a time I found this chapter gave me some problems and was rather difficult.

Thank you so much for being patient. As for this chapter… well things may be looking up for Kagome from now on. *coughs* yeah right *coughs* Actually j/k. I'm not telling where the story is going from here. All I will say is that things should start getting real interesting from now on.

*Hugs* Thanks for taking the time to read! Luv ya guys!!