The next morning started off no differently than the rest.
Kagome had gotten up and made breakfast. Inuyasha, grouchy because he was the last one to awaken and so had gotten mostly-cold food, made a snide remark about Kagome's cooking. Shippou went to her defense and the hanyou began chasing the kitsune in irritation. Kagome chased after both of them, trying to get Inuyasha to leave Shippou alone. Sango and Miroku glanced at one another and sighed.
What was different this time, however, was that Miroku's "cursed" hand had made no move onto Sango's body. Sango wondered over this for a moment. She could hear Inuyasha's annoyed voice and Shippou's high-pitched squeal somewhere among the trees, which meant that the houshi and taijya were left alone. And yet he has yet to try anything… he is simply sitting there, eating calmly. Though she wasn't about to complain about it, she did think that it was rather odd.
He then sighed deeply and began to speak. "I shall have to have a chat with Inuyasha today." Sango looked up at him. Miroku's eyes were closed and he looked as though a great task was ahead of him. "Why is that, houshi-sama?" The monk reached into his robes and retrieved his notebook. "I had found this last night." Turning to the page in which he had written down "Kagome's" poem the night before, he handed it to the girl besides him to read. She took the book gingerly and read through it.
A crimson blush appeared on her cheeks and she gasped. It's mine! How did he-? "I see that you are surprised." Sango looked up at Miroku, who was looking at her solemnly. "I cannot see why you should be. Such a thing was obvious to me." Embarrassment shone through her eyes like a beacon, and so Sango quickly looked down, thankful for her bangs spilling over her eyes as she set the book on the ground. "But… then… why must you speak to Inuyasha?"
"Is it not obvious, Sango? If Kagome-sama has such emotions, then it is my responsibility to inform Inuyasha of them right away, lest he continue to play with her heart." Sango gasped again. He thinks Kagome-chan wrote this for him? He thinks Kagome-chan… is in love with him? She found herself unable to speak. Why would he think that these words belonged to Kagome… unless a part of him wanted them to belong to her? So then… he wishes to confront Inuyasha with his mutual emotions for Kagome-chan. Feeling tears burning at the corners of her eyes, she finally choked out, "T-tell me, houshi-sama… w-w-… what do you think of these words?"
Miroku released a wistful smile that she could not see. He was confused as to her reactions, but he could not help but smile when he thought of the love contained behind the poem. "I think they are the words of a person who is desperate for love, who would do anything for that whom she loves, and a person who deserves that love to be returned to her a hundredfold." Words, he continued in his mind, that I am more likely to think would come from you rather than her.
Miroku was surprised when Sango suddenly stood, her head bowed. And he feels such things about Kagome-chan… surely he would think differently if I had told him that it was my own. He is a good man; Kagome-chan surely deserves one such as him rather than that clod Inuyasha. Who am I to interfere with either of their happiness? "I wish you luck on your endeavors, then," she whispered coolly as she suddenly turned and walked into the woods.
Miroku had not the time to call out to her before Kagome ran into the clearing, carrying a laughing Shippou in her arms, Inuyasha chasing after them half-heartedly. The laughing smile on Kagome's lips suddenly melted away when she saw Sango walk off amidst the trees. "Sango-chan?" She looked down at Miroku and (since women always seem to know such things) was instantly aware that she and Miroku had just had a falling out of sorts. Seeming to forget that the kitsune was still in her arms, she sprinted after the taijya. "Sango-chan!"
As Kagome and Shippou disappeared, Inuyasha walked over to the stunned Miroku, his arms crossed over his chest. "Keh! What'd ya do now, monk?" Miroku looked back at the hanyou as he sat himself across the small fire that Kagome had made to cook breakfast. "I… do not know. I had thought that she would be happy, but…." A snicker escaped Inuyasha's throat. "Not every woman wants some bouzo's hands all over her, ya know." Honestly baffled as to what he had done wrong, Miroku slouched down and sighed. I shall never understand the female heart, he told himself.
"Inuyasha," he began slowly, not wishing to inflict the wrath of the hanyou when he was trying to help him, "how much do you think you know about the average woman?" Inuyasha looked at him, feeling that the monk was going to regale him with stories of the scores of girls that he has done illicit things with. "I know enough to know that ya don't go grabbin' their rears if ya want 'em to 'bear your children!'" Miroku let out a small laugh as he reached for the journal that Sango had abandoned. Flipping through it, he said, "Perhaps. But then, if you know so much, how do you still manage to leave Kagome-sama wallowing in her own sadness?"
Inuyasha blinked in confusion. "Eh? What ya talkin' about, monk?" Miroku's eyes went up to meet Inuyasha's for a moment before going back to the poem he had jotted down last night. "This is what I'm talking about." In a clear voice, he read Inuyasha the eight lines that he had discovered the night before.
When he looked back up at Inuyasha, he saw that the hanyou's cheeks were tinted pink. Though Inuyasha didn't quite know as much or care for poetry as Miroku did, and he didn't quite understand the extent of all of the metaphors in the writing, he knew that something profound had been said. "K…Kagome wrote that?" Miroku nodded. "For me?" The houshi nodded again. Inuyasha looked down, suddenly deep in thought. Kagome… Kagome loves me? She'd… she'd die for me?
After a few moments, Miroku stood and put his journal away. Inuyasha's eyes looked up at him. "Inuyasha," Miroku said gently and yet sternly. "I am not one to tell you what to do or what to feel. And it is not my business what Kagome-sama thinks of you and how she chooses to express it. However, you must take into consideration after hearing these words that a woman with such emotions should not be treated with scorn and ill-will." Inuyasha looked back down, not liking the lecture. "How you feel about Kagome-sama is none of my concern. But if you choose to ignore her feelings for you, at least take into consideration her general feelings."
With that said, the young monk walked away, leaving the hanyou with his thoughts.
Inuyasha was not left alone for very long.
He looked up to see Kagome entering the clearing, panting. "I couldn't get her," she stated, collapsing onto the ground besides Inuyasha. Inuyasha could smell a twinge of fear coming from the girl. Kagome looked down, the pit of her stomach weighing her down. "She wouldn't even talk to me. She just kept on walking. I even saw her crying, and she wouldn't tell me why." Her worry suddenly overcome by a fiery anger, Kagome clenched her fist as she looked up, her eyes burning in fury. "Oooh, just wait until I get my hands on that Miroku! I don't now what he did, but he's gonna get it!"
Inuyasha's mind went back to what Miroku had told him. Can she really feel that way about me? No way. I refuse to believe it. Still, he decided to at least silently make peace with her. He put a hand on her shoulder and told her, "Let's leave Miroku out of this for a while. Somehow, I don't think he actually meant any harm this time around."
Kagome looked at him in mild surprise, then turned away from him, determined to keep her wrath for Miroku on account of her friend's tears. "Just like a guy! Always siding with the other guys in a group." Trying not to get irritated with her so quickly, Inuyasha remarked, "Hey! This is the first time I 'side' with the monk, okay?" Kagome seemed to not hear him. "I mean, you're the one who can't even tell that Sango-chan has genuine feelings for him! You can't spot the mood when it's sitting right in front of your face! What would you know about a guy hurting a girl's feelings? You and Miroku probably wouldn't even realize that you're letting a girl drown in her own tears unless you felt your feet getting wet!"
At the mention of the word "drown," Inuyasha's thoughts went back to the poem that Miroku had recited. She mentioned drownin'…. He suddenly felt a deep pang of guilt shoot through his body for her. "Kagome," he said quietly. The tone of his voice made Kagome wonder if what she said had actually affected him, and she looked back at him, her expression changing slightly. Her face was then overcome with immense confusion as Inuyasha reached over and engulfed her in an embrace more meaningful than any he had previously given her.
"I..Inuyasha?" Not knowing what else to do and not receiving any kind of verbal explanation, Kagome slowly put her arms around Inuyasha. Had I… had I offended him? He's never gotten insulted because of the things I say…. He usually just gets annoyed and say something mean to me in return. Relaxing herself against him, she then asked herself, And I'm complaining about this, why? She tensed up a bit as he spoke again.
"I'm sorry, Kagome. I know… I know I can be a bit of a jerk sometimes… but I never thought that I was really hurtin' you." This only confused Kagome even more. Could he… could he actually be apologizing for yesterday? Does he finally realize why it hurts so much when he abandons me for Kikyou? She shook her head against his chest. "No… it's okay. I'm... I'm actually kind of surprised that you actually noticed what… what was going on."
Inuyasha held her closer to him. So then it is true. Miroku wasn't just pullin' my leg. "Yeah. I guess ya can say that Miroku helped me see what shoulda been right in front of me the whole time." Resting her head against his shoulder, Kagome said, "So that's why you were sticking up for him."
Inuyasha didn't answer. She didn't ask how Miroku had known about her feelings. Maybe she really is right when she said that I don't know what "the mood" is. After some time, Inuyasha whispered, "Listen, I… I just don't want you to hurt anymore, okay?" The imagery within the poem- that of praying for death and the whole thrusting upon a sword bit- affected Inuyasha more than he had initially realized. If something happened to Kagome on account of him…. "I mean, I've been known to do some stupid stuff and you've helped me out more than I'd like to admit. I don't want to think about losin' you."
Kagome's eyes widened as she suppressed a gasp. Lose me? So… does this mean that he's finally made a choice? Is he choosing me over Kikyou? "Inuyasha…." She pulled away from him just enough to look into his eyes. "Are you sure…?" A bit angry that Kagome would think that he wasn't sure about whether or not he wanted her to die or even hurt on account of him, Inuyasha took hold of her arms and loudly exclaimed, "Of course I'm sure! What kinda question is that? Don't ya know how much I need you?"
Inuyasha stopped, surprised by his own outburst. "Need" her? What the heck did I mean by that?! But he knew. He knew the moment the words were out of his mouth what he meant by that, which was the reason why his cheeks flushed immediately afterwards. However, even after "knowing how she felt about him," Inuyasha had not been prepared for what happened next.
Kagome leaned in and touched her lips to his.