WOO HOO!!!!!!!! ANOTHER UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol, I'm such a spaz. Oh well.
I'm soo sorry about the delay guys. Schools starting soon, and you wouldn't
believe the rush. I'm pumped though. I got a 4000 dollar grant for my first
year of college! WOO HOO! Lol, anyway, enjoy!
Oh! And here's another apology to Yani C. I love her work. She's great. But I NEED to update. I'm SORRY!
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The phone rang and Kagome moved to pick it up. She gave her brother a shaky smile before answering it. "Hello?" Both of them recognized the voice on the other end though Souta could barely hear it.
"Hey Kag. I'll pick you up in two minutes for dinner." Jason's voice was so calm, so normal, making the memories of his anger seem so distant and foreign. She glanced at her brother.
"I don't think I can make it . . ." She began hesitantly. He moved to her side and slipped his hand in hers, bringing tears to her eyes. "In fact, I don't think this is working."
"You don't think what is working?" His voice was low, and if she'd been in the right frame of mind, she'd have realized how dangerous he sounded.
"You and me, being together. I don't love you Jason. I'm not going to be with you anymore." She hung up before she lost her nerve. Souta grinned at her and squeezed her hand.
"Wanna play Super Smash Brothers?" She laughed at the expectant look on his face.
"Sure kid. It's been to long since we've played. Though I didn't realize you were so anxious to lose." She was smiling, giddy with the rush that came from dumping Jason. She pushed all thoughts of school to the back of her mind. For the moment, she was free. And her brother loved her.
Grinning, they both ran to the living room.
***
Inuyasha didn't waste any time. Not even glancing at the others, he threw Hojo over his shoulder and leapt into the well. Briefly, he heard Shippou complain about being left behind, but than the darkness swallowed them up.
***
"Hey, set it up and I'll go make some cocoa, ok?" Kagome waved her brother forward as she turned into the kitchen. It took her a minute to find the packaged chocolate flavor, and than she had to heat the water to boiling. She set the kettle on the stove, lighted it, and glanced out the window.
Technically, she was now free of the dark cloud that had been hanging over her, changing her, these past few weeks. But she didn't feel completely free. She felt safer, maybe even a little happier, but she still felt the gnawing loneliness Jason had nearly filled.
It wasn't an instantaneous transformation. Even now, she found herself distressing over the length of her skirt, or feeling a little lost now that he wasn't here to tell her what to do. It had been so long since she'd been completely and totally in charge of her own life. How pathetic! She was disgusted with herself.
How hard could it be to live your life?
But that's how it seemed . . . so terribly hard. When she thought about the moment, she was okay, maybe even better than okay. She was going to spend some long needed time with the brother that loved her more than she knew, and than she'd do her homework in an effort to bring her grades up.
But what about school?
What would she do when she went back to school on Monday? It was Friday now, giving her at least the whole weekend to decide how to handle herself, but she wasn't sure if that was enough time. There would be friends to explain herself to and curious glances from other students. And she wasn't sure she could face Jason. Sure, she was scared that he'd hurt her, but the thing that terrified her most was that she would take him back.
Jason had always calmed her with his sweet words and gentles looks, always making her forget or ignore the hardness of his hands. But now, she had finally stood up to him. Would she be so easily swayed? She hoped not. She wanted to be sure, but couldn't quite find the strength to believe in herself.
Because she hadn't dumped Jason for her well being. She had done it for Souta. If nothing else, she wanted to keep his love, and maybe even his respect. Was that need enough to conquer the needs Jason filled? She didn't know.
Her other fear was Inuyasha. It had been so long . . . too long. She had a responsibility in the past. She had ignored it far too long. She had broken the jewel, and it was her duty to gather all the shards. If she didn't, chaos would reign in the past and who knew what kind of effect that would have on the future?
But if she went back, she'd have to face Sango, her best friend. She had said horrible things to her, in anger over Jason. Not only would she feel foolish, but she was afraid she wouldn't be forgiven. Part of her argued that she was being dumb. Of course Sango would forgive her! But she couldn't quite convince herself that anyone would forgive someone who couldn't forgive herself.
And of course, there would be Miroku and Shippou to explain the situation to. Miroku might take it in stride, and try to be as supportive as possible. He'd probably be hurt she hadn't told him before, but he really would try to understand. She wasn't sure yet what she would tell the young Kitsune. She didn't want him to know just how pathetic she had allowed herself to be. It was bad enough her brother had found out. She wanted to remain perfect in at least one person's eyes.
And than there was Inuyasha . . .
She felt tears sting her eyes at the thought, but quickly blinked them back. How could she face him? She'd been horrible to him, openly leaving him for Jason, something he had never done with Kikyo.
He wouldn't forgive her. She didn't even bother pretending he might. She had done the unforgivable, and Inuyasha had never been the kind to bend the rules for anyone.
How could she survive going back to the past, and spending so much time with him? She couldn't imagine the pain she would feel. Jason's "I love you"'s had been like a drug, and she had been so addicted she could hardly move without them. Now that she was going cold turkey, she'd not only have to live alone, but spend time with the one person who's love had ever mattered.
What kind of person did she appear to be, that God thought her that strong?
She was about to tear her gaze from the window, spying the steaming kettle from the corner of her eye, but suddenly she froze. A black Honda pulled into her driveway.
As if in slow motion, she watched the door open and a young man step out. It was broad daylight, so nothing hindered his imposing image. She watched, open-mouthed, as Jason made his way towards her front door.
Suddenly she found her voice. "Souta! Get upstairs to your room, now!" She ran into the living room, not caring if she scared him with her panic.
"What's wrong?" He looked terrified. She gripped him by the shoulders.
"Go upstairs. Don't come down no matter what. Promise me!"
He stared wide-eyed at his sister's face. "I . . . I promise."
"Good." She released him, and watched with relief as he ran up the stairs. When she heard the inevitable knock at the door, she ignored it. There was silence, and for a moment, she thought it would really be that easy.
Than she heard the handle turn.
Crap! She cursed herself mentally. I can't believe we don't lock the door! She couldn't run upstairs. She didn't want him to see her brother. She ran into the kitchen, hoping it offered better hiding places than the living room.
"Kagome." His voice was hard. He closed the door behind him. "Where are you? We need to talk."
"I don't want to talk to you!" She shouted furiously before clamping her hands over her mouth. Nice going genius.
He bypassed the living room and walked straight into the kitchen. She stood as tall as she could, mentally reminding herself that the stove was not the best thing to grab on to to steady herself, regardless that it was right behind her.
"Now." Jason's voice was cold, and he spoke slowly, stressing each word. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I don't . . . I don't . . ." She refused to meet his gaze. "I don't love you." His eyes hardened briefly, before he smoothed his features into a hurt expression.
"I love you." He whispered. "Do you know how much you're hurting me?" There was so much pain in her voice, she had to look at him to see if he was even slightly sincere.
"I . . . I . . ." She cleared her throat, determined not to get lost in his wounded eyes. "I don't care." She forced the words out, almost spitting them.
"You're just like her." His expression changed dramatically. Kagome didn't need to ask who 'she' was. His old girlfriend from America had been a constant goal for her to beat. She had been so blind! She had convinced herself he was so much better than Inuyasha, but even Jason compared her to another girl. Briefly, she wondered just what it was about her that made her unable to be worth anything on her own.
"Go away Jason." Her voice was tired, almost as if she didn't realize the seriousness of her situation. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. In reality, she just wasn't sure if it would be worth it to fight . . . she wasn't even sure that she could fight back.
Grabbing her arm, he pressed her body against the counter so hard it stung. She bit back a cry. "You want to know what I think of you? Do you?" He clenched the front of her shirt and yanked her towards him before throwing her back against the countertop. Her head smacked the cabinets and her vision clouded briefly.
"Stop it." It was somewhere between a moan and a plea. He laughed at her, cruelly. She opened her mouth to say more but he slapped her sharply across the face.
"You are a pathetic little slut." He spat the words, spraying her face with his saliva. Disgusted, she looked away. Angrily, he slapped her again. "I should never have wasted my time on you. Do you want to know what you deserve?" He slapped her again. "Do you?" His voice had raised to a near scream.
She didn't answer. Distractedly, she felt a warm thick liquid fill her mouth, leaving a strange unwelcome metallic taste.
He lifted her up by the front of her shirt easily, terrifying her with his sheer strength. "I'm going to . . ."
"Put her down if you know what's good for you." A familiar voice growled from the doorway.
Jason whirled around, throwing Kagome's body to the ground as easily as if she'd been a doll. Against her will, she found herself lifting her bruised head to find the face of her rescuer. She didn't need visual confirmation, she knew that voice, but her body refused to listen, torturing her with the sight of the one person she couldn't bear to become disgusted with her.
"Inuyasha." Her voice was a whisper, as if afraid he would hear. He did, of course, tossing her a genuinely worried glance before he achieved eye contact with her ex-boyfriend.
For the first time in his life, Jason began to wonder if he had done something incredibly foolish.
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WOO HOOO! I'm proud I finally got this out! I need to update Silent Screams too! It's been too long! I'm SO sorry! Things are SO hectic here! Anyways, the next update will be out as sooooooon as possible! I promise!
Rogue Pryde
Oh! And here's another apology to Yani C. I love her work. She's great. But I NEED to update. I'm SORRY!
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The phone rang and Kagome moved to pick it up. She gave her brother a shaky smile before answering it. "Hello?" Both of them recognized the voice on the other end though Souta could barely hear it.
"Hey Kag. I'll pick you up in two minutes for dinner." Jason's voice was so calm, so normal, making the memories of his anger seem so distant and foreign. She glanced at her brother.
"I don't think I can make it . . ." She began hesitantly. He moved to her side and slipped his hand in hers, bringing tears to her eyes. "In fact, I don't think this is working."
"You don't think what is working?" His voice was low, and if she'd been in the right frame of mind, she'd have realized how dangerous he sounded.
"You and me, being together. I don't love you Jason. I'm not going to be with you anymore." She hung up before she lost her nerve. Souta grinned at her and squeezed her hand.
"Wanna play Super Smash Brothers?" She laughed at the expectant look on his face.
"Sure kid. It's been to long since we've played. Though I didn't realize you were so anxious to lose." She was smiling, giddy with the rush that came from dumping Jason. She pushed all thoughts of school to the back of her mind. For the moment, she was free. And her brother loved her.
Grinning, they both ran to the living room.
***
Inuyasha didn't waste any time. Not even glancing at the others, he threw Hojo over his shoulder and leapt into the well. Briefly, he heard Shippou complain about being left behind, but than the darkness swallowed them up.
***
"Hey, set it up and I'll go make some cocoa, ok?" Kagome waved her brother forward as she turned into the kitchen. It took her a minute to find the packaged chocolate flavor, and than she had to heat the water to boiling. She set the kettle on the stove, lighted it, and glanced out the window.
Technically, she was now free of the dark cloud that had been hanging over her, changing her, these past few weeks. But she didn't feel completely free. She felt safer, maybe even a little happier, but she still felt the gnawing loneliness Jason had nearly filled.
It wasn't an instantaneous transformation. Even now, she found herself distressing over the length of her skirt, or feeling a little lost now that he wasn't here to tell her what to do. It had been so long since she'd been completely and totally in charge of her own life. How pathetic! She was disgusted with herself.
How hard could it be to live your life?
But that's how it seemed . . . so terribly hard. When she thought about the moment, she was okay, maybe even better than okay. She was going to spend some long needed time with the brother that loved her more than she knew, and than she'd do her homework in an effort to bring her grades up.
But what about school?
What would she do when she went back to school on Monday? It was Friday now, giving her at least the whole weekend to decide how to handle herself, but she wasn't sure if that was enough time. There would be friends to explain herself to and curious glances from other students. And she wasn't sure she could face Jason. Sure, she was scared that he'd hurt her, but the thing that terrified her most was that she would take him back.
Jason had always calmed her with his sweet words and gentles looks, always making her forget or ignore the hardness of his hands. But now, she had finally stood up to him. Would she be so easily swayed? She hoped not. She wanted to be sure, but couldn't quite find the strength to believe in herself.
Because she hadn't dumped Jason for her well being. She had done it for Souta. If nothing else, she wanted to keep his love, and maybe even his respect. Was that need enough to conquer the needs Jason filled? She didn't know.
Her other fear was Inuyasha. It had been so long . . . too long. She had a responsibility in the past. She had ignored it far too long. She had broken the jewel, and it was her duty to gather all the shards. If she didn't, chaos would reign in the past and who knew what kind of effect that would have on the future?
But if she went back, she'd have to face Sango, her best friend. She had said horrible things to her, in anger over Jason. Not only would she feel foolish, but she was afraid she wouldn't be forgiven. Part of her argued that she was being dumb. Of course Sango would forgive her! But she couldn't quite convince herself that anyone would forgive someone who couldn't forgive herself.
And of course, there would be Miroku and Shippou to explain the situation to. Miroku might take it in stride, and try to be as supportive as possible. He'd probably be hurt she hadn't told him before, but he really would try to understand. She wasn't sure yet what she would tell the young Kitsune. She didn't want him to know just how pathetic she had allowed herself to be. It was bad enough her brother had found out. She wanted to remain perfect in at least one person's eyes.
And than there was Inuyasha . . .
She felt tears sting her eyes at the thought, but quickly blinked them back. How could she face him? She'd been horrible to him, openly leaving him for Jason, something he had never done with Kikyo.
He wouldn't forgive her. She didn't even bother pretending he might. She had done the unforgivable, and Inuyasha had never been the kind to bend the rules for anyone.
How could she survive going back to the past, and spending so much time with him? She couldn't imagine the pain she would feel. Jason's "I love you"'s had been like a drug, and she had been so addicted she could hardly move without them. Now that she was going cold turkey, she'd not only have to live alone, but spend time with the one person who's love had ever mattered.
What kind of person did she appear to be, that God thought her that strong?
She was about to tear her gaze from the window, spying the steaming kettle from the corner of her eye, but suddenly she froze. A black Honda pulled into her driveway.
As if in slow motion, she watched the door open and a young man step out. It was broad daylight, so nothing hindered his imposing image. She watched, open-mouthed, as Jason made his way towards her front door.
Suddenly she found her voice. "Souta! Get upstairs to your room, now!" She ran into the living room, not caring if she scared him with her panic.
"What's wrong?" He looked terrified. She gripped him by the shoulders.
"Go upstairs. Don't come down no matter what. Promise me!"
He stared wide-eyed at his sister's face. "I . . . I promise."
"Good." She released him, and watched with relief as he ran up the stairs. When she heard the inevitable knock at the door, she ignored it. There was silence, and for a moment, she thought it would really be that easy.
Than she heard the handle turn.
Crap! She cursed herself mentally. I can't believe we don't lock the door! She couldn't run upstairs. She didn't want him to see her brother. She ran into the kitchen, hoping it offered better hiding places than the living room.
"Kagome." His voice was hard. He closed the door behind him. "Where are you? We need to talk."
"I don't want to talk to you!" She shouted furiously before clamping her hands over her mouth. Nice going genius.
He bypassed the living room and walked straight into the kitchen. She stood as tall as she could, mentally reminding herself that the stove was not the best thing to grab on to to steady herself, regardless that it was right behind her.
"Now." Jason's voice was cold, and he spoke slowly, stressing each word. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I don't . . . I don't . . ." She refused to meet his gaze. "I don't love you." His eyes hardened briefly, before he smoothed his features into a hurt expression.
"I love you." He whispered. "Do you know how much you're hurting me?" There was so much pain in her voice, she had to look at him to see if he was even slightly sincere.
"I . . . I . . ." She cleared her throat, determined not to get lost in his wounded eyes. "I don't care." She forced the words out, almost spitting them.
"You're just like her." His expression changed dramatically. Kagome didn't need to ask who 'she' was. His old girlfriend from America had been a constant goal for her to beat. She had been so blind! She had convinced herself he was so much better than Inuyasha, but even Jason compared her to another girl. Briefly, she wondered just what it was about her that made her unable to be worth anything on her own.
"Go away Jason." Her voice was tired, almost as if she didn't realize the seriousness of her situation. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. In reality, she just wasn't sure if it would be worth it to fight . . . she wasn't even sure that she could fight back.
Grabbing her arm, he pressed her body against the counter so hard it stung. She bit back a cry. "You want to know what I think of you? Do you?" He clenched the front of her shirt and yanked her towards him before throwing her back against the countertop. Her head smacked the cabinets and her vision clouded briefly.
"Stop it." It was somewhere between a moan and a plea. He laughed at her, cruelly. She opened her mouth to say more but he slapped her sharply across the face.
"You are a pathetic little slut." He spat the words, spraying her face with his saliva. Disgusted, she looked away. Angrily, he slapped her again. "I should never have wasted my time on you. Do you want to know what you deserve?" He slapped her again. "Do you?" His voice had raised to a near scream.
She didn't answer. Distractedly, she felt a warm thick liquid fill her mouth, leaving a strange unwelcome metallic taste.
He lifted her up by the front of her shirt easily, terrifying her with his sheer strength. "I'm going to . . ."
"Put her down if you know what's good for you." A familiar voice growled from the doorway.
Jason whirled around, throwing Kagome's body to the ground as easily as if she'd been a doll. Against her will, she found herself lifting her bruised head to find the face of her rescuer. She didn't need visual confirmation, she knew that voice, but her body refused to listen, torturing her with the sight of the one person she couldn't bear to become disgusted with her.
"Inuyasha." Her voice was a whisper, as if afraid he would hear. He did, of course, tossing her a genuinely worried glance before he achieved eye contact with her ex-boyfriend.
For the first time in his life, Jason began to wonder if he had done something incredibly foolish.
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WOO HOOO! I'm proud I finally got this out! I need to update Silent Screams too! It's been too long! I'm SO sorry! Things are SO hectic here! Anyways, the next update will be out as sooooooon as possible! I promise!
Rogue Pryde