Three Musketeers

"All for one and one for all."

-Alexander Dumas, The Three Musketeers

Chapter Four: Always There For You

But the relationship changes again.

I come home from track practice to see Sango comforting Kagome in Sango's driveway. I walk across the street to the two, and sit down to listen to Kagome intersperse words with sobs as she tells Sango her pains.

"He's been cheating on me for months! And when I found them, he acted as if there was nothing wrong. 'Why can't I have two?' he said. As if we're just things for him to own and play with. Said if I wasn't going to put out, he could find someone who did. And asked if I wanted to do a threesome! As if I wanted to have sex with him, much less with him and another girl! He's the one who kept saying I was cheating on him, that nobody could be 'just friends' with someone with as huge breasts as I have. And all along it was him cheating on me. Asshole."

Sometimes you have to learn things the hard way. Sango and I had done our best to warn Kagome, but she pushed us away, refusing to see the truth. And now she has her own proof of just who he is. I can't help but wonder if she'll again just accept his apology and welcome him back into her too-caring arms.

And she continues to cry.

"Why didn't you tell me? You knew, you both knew, I know you did. Why didn't you warn me, tell me?"

"You wouldn't listen. He was everything in your eyes. You never believed us when we told you he was no good."

"I feel like such an idiot. I feel like I should watch the movie- good girl falls for bad boy. But where's my happy ending?"

"This bad boy has has no soft side to appeal to."

"He told me I couldn't go near you. That he would dump me if I did."

It's both nice and horrifying to have your guesses proved true. I'm not sure if I'm happy to be proved right, or angry. Kagome's the most wonderful girl in the world and he's cheating on her.

"You were right. You both were. I'm sorry. I was so blind. How can you even stand to be near me, when I kept pushing you away, calling you liars and all sorts of terrible things?"

"We're your friends, Kagome. We're not going to abandon you just because you're being foolish for love. We'd wait forever for you to come back to your senses."

And Sango and Kagome begin to cry all over again. I'm not sure what a guy's supposed to do when placed in this sort of situation. I'm not going to cry. My masculinity is challenged enough as it is, and even if I do my best to ignore it, you can only take so much before you begin to wonder yourself.

They finally calm down.

"I told him I wasn't some doormat he could walk all over whenever he wanted. That if he wanted her, he could have her, but he sure as hell wasn't having me. Then I punched him."

"Oh my."

"In the nuts."

I flinch instinctively. Well, he had it coming. I knew sooner or later Kagome would see him for what he was. Love may be blind, but once you get used to the dark, you see with your other senses even better.

"Security escorted me out of the mall."

We all share a laugh over that.

"So it's all over between you and him for good?"

"Yep. I've dumped him like a dirty diaper and I'm never picking him back up again. And if I try to, kindly knock some sense into me."

"Preferably with a two-by-four."

"Maa, maa, Sango, no need to be violent."

"When it comes to guys, there is always a need to be violent."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Sango, he's a guy."

"And I can beat him up any day. Isn't that right?"

"I love you too, Sango. Please don't hurt me."

The three musketeers. We're not perfect, but we'll always be there for each other. Just waiting for you to remember who your real friends are.