DISCLAIMER: If I owned Inuyasha, would I have to write a fanfiction?

A/N: I'm quite sorry for this chapter. I'll probably be taking it down and reposting it after a while, mostly because of its pointlessness and/or my perfectionist side isn't quite happy with it. Oh well, here it is anyway.

Btw, if you haven't noticed yet, this fic is slightly leaned towards Miroku/Sango interaction. I just kind of like their pairing, that's all…

Kuroi to Shiro

Chapter Six – Stepping Back

By Blue a.k.a. asian tofu

Kagome dropped her keys back into her pocket; safely back at the shrine, the nirvana of normalcy. Where she had laughed and cried, played and loved.

How distant it seemed to her, the shallow grief of childhood: her old memories. Pacing tediously, she found her way towards the wellhouse. The doors creaked, reminding her faintly of dying cats, and she cautiously walked inside.

The wood sang as she descended on the moss-ridden stairs, the clammy draftiness bringing a drop in her stomach.

At the bottom of the steps, in the middle of the dirt ground, the well stood. She placed her hand against the cold surface of the wood, letting the moisture sink into her hand. Kagome dropped her knee on the rim, looking down into its depths.

Is anyone there?

With one proficient sweep she plunged herself down, almost grateful for the familiar jolt of meeting the earth. Kagome propped herself beside the wall, hugging her knees close for warmth.

When had it become so cold?

She sat there for hours – minutes – listening for the past.

Waiting for it to come back.

He had done it. The break-up. Hojo pumped himself for some sort of masculine pride, but it wasn't coming. The fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he realized, unpleasantly, that he felt nothing at all.

That is, nothing but regret.

He'd brought up the past. The past she had been trying to bury so they could start over, so they could be together.

What had he done?

The young man closed his eyes momentarily as the wound on his face prickled. It flamed with contempt, her contempt.

But what about my own hate?

Hojo had become conscious in the years they were together of the occasional remote look in Kagome's eyes that spun him out of her life, a sea that thrashed his existence into oblivion. Except now he wasn't going to let her treat him like a blind man, leading him into the intersection before letting go. Forgotten.

Inuyasha was gone. He'd been gone for years.

I'm still here.

With a tug, he screeched the car to a halt, much to the chagrin of the drivers behind him. Most flicked him off as they passed around him.

It was beyond his notice. He sighed heavily, breathing gradually becoming an ongoing torture. Once again, a thought fluttered faintly through his mind, but this time it seemed to disappear as quickly as it had come.

I'm waiting for you.

Bells tingled as a young man entered her shop. Monique was placing another bed of diamond necklaces in her display, making sure to lock it before gazing up to dazzle him with her rows of perfectly aligned, white teeth. He obviously didn't see her, as he continued to peruse through the rows of jewelry. Faintly perturbed, she strode up to the section he was examining. "Hello sir, may I help you?"

He acknowledged her, "Yeah. It's my girlfriend's birthday, I was planning to surprise her with something."

Monique grinned warmly at him, "That's sweet. What kind of gift are you considering?"

He smiled, "It's not just a gift."

The shop owner received an all-knowing twinkle in her eye, "I see."

Miroku was watching Sango brush her hair, getting ready for her date. How many times had he seen her smiling like that?

Only when he is there…

It was quite obvious, how happy she was. Eventually, she would leave him to be with Shunsuke, and he would wither until nothing was left of him.

If.

"Miroku?" He snapped out of his reverie, mildly cursing himself for staring at her ass for such a long time. Sango frowned at where his eyes had been, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to ruin her mood with all that blood…

"Yeah?" he yawned, stretching on her bed, wondering vaguely how it smelt of roses. Shampoo that accentuates personality – nice touch. She set down her brush, checking herself in the mirror on the wall one more time, "You look fine." He said off-handedly, answering to her unexpressed query.

"Are you sure?" Miroku groaned – this was the fourth time she'd asked him.

"Yes."

Satisfied, Sango began going through her closet again. Miroku raised himself from the bed, gazing at her, speechless. "What?" She glanced him and snorted, "You didn't expect me to meet him in this, did you?" Contemplating for a moment, she finally took out a casual red dress. "What do you think?" She asked, holding the dress in front of her.

"But you're damn sexy already!" He spluttered, gulping yet again at the black satin dress that was emphasizing her curves so well.

Ignoring him, she rushed to the bathroom, yelling an "It's not perfect!" to him before the door shut. Once safely locked, she rubbed her cheeks profusely. Blushing at a Miroku comment…I seriously am losing it!

She glared at herself in the mirror, a wisp of hair escaped to dangle on the middle of her forehead. The stain of pink across her cheeks was diminishing, if not at a painfully slow rate. Sango backed away from it, getting a good look at her attire. The neck dropped down low, but modest enough. True, the way the clothing clung to her curves made her a bit alluring, although not seductive.

"He thinks I look sexy?" she wondered aloud. It was almost unnerving that he would say it to her. Usually Miroku reserved his perverted antics to old women on the street, if not on accident.

"Sango?" Miroku called through the door, "I've got to use the bathroom!"

"Hold it a little longer!" she snapped back, smiling at her suddenly tasteful reflection. Sexy.

There were a few short bangs on the door, and an agonized Miroku said, "Let me in." Sango sighed, walking over and turning the handle. The man fell right at her feet, clutching his lower abdomen as he crawled to his porcelain savior. She swiftly closed the door and ran to her room, hanging back on the red dress.

"I look fine," she reaffirmed wistfully.

Hojo found himself thinking about her again. The phone was there, ready for him to pick up and apologize. Make everything better again.

Somehow a brief memory slid through him, one that had dissipated in his mind – the day in which they had decided to become a couple.

/Flashback

"I'm sorry, Hojo."

He glanced at her then, impersonally, "What?"

"Forgive me, please," Kagome asked. Hojo shook his head.

"I don't understand- what's wrong?"

Suddenly she looked up into his eyes, transfixing him in her stormy-blue eyes, "For not being able to love you back."

It made sense then, the way everything worked. He smiled gently and brushed his lips against hers, "Time, Kagome. Let's just give love time first." In all honesty, he didn't care if she did.

/End Flashback

"Why do I have to carry your horse as well?" Inuyasha grumbled, jumping higher towards the clouds. Kagome gave him a peeved glare and cuffed him at the back of the head. "Damn it, that's annoying!"

"It's called a bicycle. And, you were the one who just had to take it apart!" She snapped. "Live through the consequences of your actions!"

Inuyasha snorted under his breath, "Like hell I will."

Kagome huffed irately, "Inuyasha!"

"How was I supposed to know there wasn't in ramen in there anyway?" he sulked defensively, "Besides, I was hungry."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him and perceived what she hoped was laser vision. "Inuyasha! You knew perfectly well that you could've waited until I came back, and I would've cooked you some! You had no right – "

"How was I supposed to know that you hadn't run off to your mortal lover Hojo?!" Inuyasha automatically replied.

Kagome hissed warningly, "Inuyasha!! Hojo is not my lover!" He had hit a raw nerve.

"A-ha! So you admit it!" he smirked triumphantly.

"What?"

"You have a lover!"

"Idiot! You know perfectly well what I meant! Stop manipulating my words!" Kagome seethed, and as punishment boxed the back of his head again.

Inuyasha stopped moving, speedily discarding her off on the ledge. "No, I don't think I know!" He argued, turning around to face her full on.

"Oh, forget it! I don't even want to bother…" Kagome growled, crossing her arms and giving him the most incensed glower she could congregate.

"Are you saying you're too good to argue with me?!" Inuyasha growled back, squaring his jaw with that signature glint of stubbornness traced along his eyes.

"There you go again manipulating! I never said that!" she sighed jadedly.

"But you implied it!"

"I have never done anything like that Inuyasha, and you know damn well!" Kagome had never been so angry with him in her life; didn't he know her better?

"Are you sure? You seemed pretty ready to be able to be ashamed of me back there!!"

Kagome was at a loss for words.

"Inuyasha…!"

Inuyasha glared at her, "Every time that Hojo comes, you ignore me!"

"But it has nothing to do with your…your blood!" Kagome sputtered, aghast.

He snarled, "Is there anything else?!"

"It's you, okay?! You!" Kagome contended, "You and your stupid, good for nothing mouth, the way you act, everything!"

"So you hate me?" Inuyasha faltered.

"No!" Kagome finally was noticing the wetness in her cheeks, the obscuring of her vision. "I've been trying not to love you!"

She gasped, holding her hand to her mouth as if trying to take the words back before they could reach his ears.

Inuyasha's face had a fleeting hint of panic on it, immediately replaced with a desolate realization.

"I-I didn't mean that." Kagome spoke up, fisting her hands in her skirt. He must hate me now. She hid allowed her bangs to hide away her eyes so he couldn't see the emotion trapped within in them, and so she didn't have to see his.

"Kagome," Inuyasha felt his stomach knot. She loves me. Why god, does she have to love me?

Inuyasha strode fervently across the barren rock, every step feeling more painstaking than the last.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," she said as he brought her head beneath his own. It was scented – her sweet scent.

"Shut up," he whispered, trying to embed her smell into his memory.

With his arms around her, he marveled him how perfectly they seemed to fit together. Feeling the same rush of emotions that swept through him every time he looked at her ten-fold. He wished that he could tell her…exactly how he felt.

Kagome took her hands up onto his chest and pushed him away just so she was staring at the red of his worn haori, "We should go back to the others."

There it was. The buzzing again. Did silence have a sound?

Kagome brought her blanket closer to her chin, her dream sparking his memory fresher than ever.

Her resolve to forget him had disintegrated over the years. At first, she had shamefully been using Hojo to do it, but as time passed it became more evident that she was only falling in love again with her memories – his ghost.

I'm sorry, Hojo.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you For Infinity readers noticed, I tweaked a scene from that story and added it to the chapter. Some of my earlier writing was actually good, and I felt it fit into the plot nicely enough. I've got some writer's block going on for the next few chapters, but I'm all inspirationally pumped for later chapters! Hope to see you all soon!

Review Replies

dragon girl: My style of writing does tend to be confusing because I only give bits of information at a time – you'll eventually get it!

crazyFORvampires: Wow, thanks! I hope I can update quickly too! XD

mystlady: O.o, Asia-chan…I'll have to add that to my list of nicknames. I don't mind you calling me that, but I think my favorite nickname still has got be to be Blue.Oh dear, I made you cry? pats back Terribly sorry. I've been a romantic ever since my first anime, Sailor Moon. I was four at the time and was watching to find out whether or not the lead couple would get together… XD Go mushiness! Ah, and the way Miroku doesn't care…I find it sweet at times how he's willing to sacrifice his own happiness for Sango's. squeals --- Ok, I really did just squeal. looks around frantically Phew, no one heard. :P The Hojo/Kagome scene I added right before I uploaded the chapter, but I never thought I'd get Kagome to slap him. A brief moment of inspiration, I guess. I admit it was somewhat entertaining to write…hehehe…happy reading!

alexandra cai: Thank you! Um, enjoy the chapter!