Broken Heart

Kouga was holding Kagome protectively, as he glared at Inuyasha, who scowled right back.

"I don't remember inviting you to my coronation, wolf shit," Inuyasha growled. His golden eyes were a darker shade than usual. He saw Kagome in Kouga's arms.

"I didn't come to see your damn coronation, dog turd," Kouga snapped. "I came for MY Kagome. I didn't think even you'd be so low as to take another man's woman as your mate." Then, turning to Kagome, Kouga asked, "Did he hurt you? How could you let him make you his mate?" Kagome raised an eyebrow.

Inuyasha's face was red. "She's not my mate, dumb shit! Don't just jump to conclusions!"

Kagome put a hand to her head. Kouga jumped to conclusions all the time.

Kouga looked utterly confused. "She's not...? But everyone knows that in a youkai coronation... the mate is supposed to carry up the crown...?"

"Inuyasha doesn't have a mate," Kagome said dryly. "So I had to fill in." She tried to gently pry herself from Kouga's grip. Kouga took no notice, and held her just as tightly.

Kouga smirked, as if back on a subject he understood. "So dog turd here can't get himself a mate, eh? Figures."

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha roared.

Kagome watched as both men glared at each other. "Oh, let's all have a staring contest," Kagome muttered. "Real mature."

Suddenly she realized that everyone in the entire hall was watching them. 'It's time to end this,' she decided.

"Um, Kouga?" she said softly. Kouga averted his gaze to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry, but about you and me, I don't think it's gonna work out."

Inuyasha snorted triumphantly.

Kouga glared at him. "Whaddya mean? Of course i'll work out!" he protested. "You're my woman," he added, as if that solved everything.

"What if I don't want to be your woman?" Kagome asked, beginning to get annoyed now.

"I understand."

"Really?"

"It must be that time of month, eh?"

"WHAT?"

Inuyasha broke into laughter. He doubled up and landed on his rear on the floor.

"Well, Kagome," Kouga said seriously. "I'll come back for you soon. I'll make a note not to come around this time of month. Ya know, to give you time to work your feelings out."

"WHAT?"

Kouga had already gone.

Kagome turned her head furiously to the laughing Inuyasha. Fortunately, the 'audience' was leaving. Kagome's face was heating up rapidly. "INUYASHA!" Kagome kicked him lightly. He was still laughing.

"Hey! What was that for, wench? For once I agree with that wolf shit. You really must be on PMS!" Inuyasha smirked, getting up.

"No, I'm not! Shut up!" muttered Kagome.

"Kagome!" Sango and Miroku had both come on stage.

"Who was that?" Miroku asked, smirking at Kagome.

"Ugh, Miroku," Kagome sighed. "He's just a childhood friend."

"Who calls you his woman?" Inuyasha burst out.

"I don't know," Kagome said, confused. "He called me that from the first moment he saw me, when we were both ten years old."

"You've known him for that long?" Sango asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Kagome replied. "He suddenly appeared in my town one day, and -"

"I'm gonna leave now," Inuyasha muttered. "I don't really wanna stay to listen to the love story of the bitch and wolf shit."

"What's with him?" Kagome asked, as Inuyasha walked off. "Is he on PMS, too?"

"Sounds like someone's jealous," Sango sang out.

Kagome looked shocked. "No way! He has no reason to be jealous of Kouga! I mean, he hates me, right?"

No answer.

"Whatever," Kagome muttered. "Well, I'm gonna go see what's up with him." She said something like 'impossible' under her breath.

Sango soon noticed that she was alone. With Miroku. Uh-oh.

"Sango?"

"Hm?"

"Did you really mean what you said earlier?"

"About what?"

"I asked you if you really thought badly of me. You said yes."

Sango looked at Miroku. Really looked at him. His dark eyes, his funny expressions. 'Wait, what am I thinking here?' she thought. 'This is Miroku.'

But this was not the first time that Sango had found Miroku to have taken something she said to heart. It was almost touching... But this was Miroku. And that made everything just an act... right?

"Um... Inuyasha?" Kagome had found her way to Inuyasha's room, during her 'thinking.'

"Hm." was his response.

Kagome pushed the door opened slowly, and invited herself in. She was more than surprised at what she saw. Inuyasha was sitting on the side of his bed, somewhat in the middle of thinking. It was rare that Kagome saw him really concentrating on doing that.

"What's up?" Kagome asked softly. "You seemed sorta pissed off when you left."

"Well I'm sorry if I upset you," Inuyasha snapped sarcastically. He glanced at Kagome. Her eyes suddenly looked so concerned. He just wanted to reach out and wrap her in his arms. More to make him feel secure than her.

"Inuyasha? Are you okay?"

"I will be, if you leave me alone, wench."

"What?"

"I said, get the fuck out of my face, bitch. I don't need you hanging over me every second."

"Jerk..."

"GET OUT! Can't you see? If you just fucking got out of my life, everything would be so much better."

Kagome felt tears rising into her eyes. 'I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry,' she thought bitterly. 'But just as I thought I was starting to know him...' Kagome walked out of the room, a slight limp to her step.

Inuyasha watched her leave, his chest feeling unusually tight. 'I can smell her tears,' he thought. He felt like a cruel monster by making her cry. But he knew that if he hadn't said what he'd said, he would've become powerless to stop himself. He would've been unable to contain the feelings going through him.

There were so many things that he had to protect Kagome from. But the one he need to protect Kagome from the most was... himself. When he had seen Kouga so close to Kagome, he had feel such anger as he had never felt before.

He could not let history repeat itself.

Kagome buried her face in her pillow. 'That jerk...' she thought to herself. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing. 'How could he have said the things he did?' His voice still rung in her head like and echo. Kagome broke into sobbing.

"Hey, Kagome!" Sango entered the room. "I was wondering where you - WHAT HAPPENED?" She hurried to her friend's side.

Kagome raised a tear stained face to look at Sango.

"It's nothing," Kagome mumbled, as tears continued to make their way from her eyes to the pillow.

"You're crying," Sango stated the obvious. "Something's wrong. Is it Inuyasha?"

"Don't tell him I'm crying," Kagome begged.

Sango swore under her breath. "What did the asshole do?"

"Sango, just don't ask. I really need to be alone for a while. Please?" her eyes looked pleading.

"All right," Sango finally gave in. "But if you need help on getting revenge, tell me."

Kagome forced a small smile. She watched as her friend walked out of her room, closing the door behind her.

Kagome thought to herself, as she felt tears tickling her eyelashes, 'Why am I crying? It's not like I'm not used to Inuyasha's insults. But this time, he had sounded so serious... Does he really hate me that much? Just when I'm beginning to like him."

Kagome pictured his fierce golden eyes, his long silver-white hair, his strong embrace that time... Kagome wished that Inuyasha had whispered her name instead of Kikyo's then... She had felt so safe in his strong arms. She felt comforted by his mere presence beside her.

And at times she even felt that she would do anything for him...

Inuyasha's impression of her suddenly seemed incredibly important.

'Is this love?'

The morning came too early for Inuyasha. He thought back on the last evening's meeting with Kagome. 'What made me say those things?' Inuyasha couldn't help but remember how hurt Kagome had looked when he had told her to get out of his life.

He hadn't meant it. Inuyasha sighed. He just didn't want Kagome to go through everything he had... Kagome was innocent... She deserved better than what... Kikyo had been through...

'Is this love?' he wondered. 'Or lust?' He was afraid he was just seeing Kagome as a replacement for Kikyo. 'Kagome deserves better...'

"Hey," a quiet voice drifted into his room, breaking his train of thoughts.

"Hey," Inuyasha replied, seeing Kagome approaching his door frame.

"Can I come in?" Kagome asked timidly. Inuyasha mentally kicked himself. What had he done to the lively Kagome?

"Yeah," Inuyasha answered. He watched as Kagome carefully walked inside, looking weak all of a sudden.

'She's been crying all night,' Inuyasha realized with mounting guilt.

"Um," Kagome began.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Inuyasha said at last, obviously with effort.

"Oh..."

"..."

"You don't need to say sorry."

"..."

"I just wanted to know... Did you really mean all that you said yesterday?" Kagome's look was probing.

"..."

"It's okay if they were. I can handle it," Kagome said quickly, making to leave, taking Inuyasha's silence as a yes.

Suddenly she felt strong arms envelope her form. Inuyasha was pulling her towards him. Kagome felt tears brimming her eyes. She allowed herself to relax against his chest. 'This feels so right,' she thought.

Gradually, Inuyasha pulled her face closer to his. Kagome closed her eyes as her lips touched his. At the contact, Inuyasha felt his heart tighten.

'No...' he thought. 'I don't want to hurt her. She doesn't have to end up like Kikyo...' He pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to do that." He walked out of his room, leaving Kagome to think to herself.

Kagome felt her heart break.