Disclaimer: I own Inu-Yasha not.
Author's Note: Yes, I know- unbelievable as it may seem, I am updating! ::teary eyed:: Sorry it took so long- and I know my excuses of 'I was busy' and all that won't help. . . (even though I really was!) I should have updated. I know. A thousand apologies! (But at least you had Rozefire-sama's new fic to keep you entertained, yes? XD I admit, at first I didn't really like Zero-G , but it's beginning to grow on me! 3)
A few things I'd like to address before I begin the chapter.
One- As many of you may have noticed, I have begun writing fanfics for a manga series called Chrono (Chrno) Crusade. And- while I serious encourage any die-hard Inu-Yasha fans to give it a read because the series is ABSOLUTLY FANTASTIC (::hearts glitter stars::), I thought I'd take a moment to reassure you all (because it has been asked) that I will NOT be abandoning Inu-chan, or any of my fics. True, I would like to start a few chapter fics for Chrono-baby and Rosette-chan, but I will never just stop writing Inu-Yasha stories. So you haven't gotten rid of me yet! Mwahahaha!
Two- This story, no matter how amazing it may seem, is coming to an end in just a few more chapters. Two, I believe. After that, I'll probably focus on said Chrono fic, Stardust, and Shards of Life. I will, eventually, start another Inu-Yasha chappie fic (Probably 'The Prism Effect'), but it won't be immediate. Kay kay?
(RANDOM EXCUSE ALERT!) Gomen ne, but one of the reasons why I haven't been updating (apart from being insanely busy and stressed) was that I guess I was kind of bored. I love Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku, but after a while doesn't it just feel a little repetitive? I felt that way with my one-shots, ergo I don't do as many anymore. So. . . I guess I needed a break. Now things are fresh again and I'm ready to start! (OKAY, RANDOM EXCUSE DONE.)
Finally, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my good friends Jinny, Bella, and Aamalie, as well as all of my other readers who have waited so patiently for an update. I LOVE YOU GUYS!
Have a lovely holiday season full of love, laughter, and joy!
- - - Headlines: A Hollywood Romance- - -
-Chapter Eleven: When the Lights Go Down -
CRASH!
"Huh- - -?!" Tptptptptptptptpt- - - ! "What the- - - ?! Oh my God!"
"!"
"N- No, stop! I- - - !"
Clatter! Thump!
Ring-
Ring-
Ri- - -
"Bzzt- 'Lo?"
"I- Inu-Yasha! Help- - - ! Two- - - strangers are br- breaking. . . ."
BANG!
Thud.
"Bzzt- Kagome? Kag- bzzzt-, are you still there?! KAGOME- - - ?!"
x
"Kagome! Oi! Kag- wait up!"
The girl paused, pressing her hat firmly to her head as she glanced over her shoulder, school briefcase bouncing gently off her knee caps in the autumn wind. "Hm? Oh!" She beamed happily as she noticed Inu-Yasha running up behind her, fixing his backpack and zipping up his sports coat. "Hi!"
"Hi?!" he repeated, though the malice in his words was obviously fake, "That's it?! That's all you have to say to me after you ditched me in Chemistry?!"
The high school girl's cheery expression fell flat as she turned her face away. "You were screwing around and about to get us both in trouble," she reminded him dryly, eyes closed in exasperation. "Besides, I have no interest in making stink bombs."
He smirked, shaking his head of long silver hair with a snicker. "You're such a girl!"
"You're such an idiot."
"I take that as a compliment!"
"That's stupid.""You're stupid!"
"Am I, now?" Kagome laughed sweetly as he jokingly glared. "Ah well. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not, Either way- I'll let that one slide since if I argue anymore you'll just start crying in defeat."
"I know I would," Inu-Yasha smiled, golden eyes on the gray sky. But the peaceful contentment in his amber gaze disappeared with a spark of remembrance when a crispy maple leaf floated past on air. "Oh- that's right!" Spinning on his heel, Inu stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked backwards in front of his best friend; large grin on his face worth ten million yen. "You wanna go to the park later? I need some help with my leaf project."
". . ." The girl all but face-faulted as she quickly smacked him over the head with the back of her hand. "What?! You idiot!" she reprimanded in a strained voice. "That project was due a week ago!"
"I know," the hanyou shrugged. "So- no better time to start it!"
"You're impossible."
"You know it!"
'. . . Is there really a reply to such a statement?' She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Well, even if there was, she didn't know it. Ergo, she simply stuck out her tongue in retort, not feeling it was worth it to crush him with (pointless) words. Yet instead of finding offence in the statement (of sorts), he smirked with a lick of his lips. "Don't stick that out unless you plan to use it," he teased, tapping her lightly on the nose with a wink as her cheeks flamed up; eyes bulging out. That said, he turned around and swiftly scampered away, laughing like a hyena at the girl's face.
'Can't- take- sexual- joke- - - !' It was bad enough that the kids at school teased her, insisting that no one could 'Just be friends' with THE Inu-Yasha- Tokyo's most popular teen bachelor. But now him, too?
"I- I- INU-YASHA!" Kagome eventually managed to scream, shaking a flustered fist after his retreating back. He only response by waving merrily and calling back:
"See ya in the park at 4!"
x
And she did see him in the park at four. She ended up seeing a lot of him. . .
Kagome blushed as she flopped back on her bed, staring at the pink canopy above her. 'Inu-Yasha. . .' Biting her bottom lip, she sighed and held the picture in her hands over her head, watching it with magenta hued features. It was probably their best photo together- cute, in casual dress for once, covered in leaves at the park. The pedestrian they'd asked to take it didn't even cut anything off, strangely enough. It was definitely frame-worthy, and so Kag had bought a lovely wooded frame especially for it. And while she was at the store, she managed to pick up something. . . else. . . she needed.
The red color intensified as she closed her eyes, butterflies dancing around in her stomach. 'What happened?' she wondered, hugging to photo to her chest. 'One minute we were laughing and talking like normal. . . Then that leaf fell on top of my face, Inu-Yasha removed it, and. . .
And. . .'
She'd never been kissed before, therefore she wasn't prepared when his lips first covered her own- cool and gentle. Such a strange sensation it was- laying there in the dry, crinkly leaves, staring up at the clearing sky- when Inu-Yasha's face suddenly covered her own; his forelocks tickling her cheeks.
Well, one wild thing led to another and- without another word- the pair of them ended up waking in Inu-Yasha's bedroom, bare and embracing as the moon began to rise.
". . ."
That had been a month ago, and they hadn't spoken of it since. Sure, things had been a little awkward at first, but they agreed not to discuss it until they knew how they felt about. . . everything. But. . . If Kagome's hunch was correct. . . They might have to decide how they felt soon. She bit her bottom lip as her right hand instinctively fell upon her abdomen, trembling.
Well. . . The test should be done by now. . .
Time to see how much she should worry.
x
"Damn math. . ."
Inu-Yasha grumbled inaudibly as he- for the umpteenth time- chucked his calculus book at the wall, along with his notebook, calculator, and pencil. Snorting in mild satisfaction as a bit of plaster snowed down from the ceiling when the school supplies made contact with their target, the hanyou was about to ditch his homework and go play Game Cube- - -
When the phone rang. His eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Damn phone. . ." he bit out, jumping across his rat's nest of a bed to his messy bedside table, picking up the cordless receiver he'd stolen from the kitchen. "'Lo?" he greeted flatly. "Inu-Yasha speaking. Who is it?"
"Inu-Yasha?" a soft voice croaked, followed by a sniveling sound. His ears perked happily as he recognized the person on the other end. "Inu-Yasha, it's Kagome."
"Hey!" he greeted again, more cheerfully this time. But the depression he heard on the opposite line made it hard for him to work a smile into his voice- much less keep one on his face. "What's up?"
". . ."
He blinked once as a the girl began breathing hard, trying to keep calm. "Kagome?" he swallowed, confused and a bit worried. She was obviously crying- and his Kag didn't just cry for no reason. "Kagome, what's wrong?"
". . . Inu-Yasha. . . I have some. . . news."
x
He was on her doorstep in less than five minutes- a new record, seeing as how she lived across town. Watching silently as the door slowly creaked open and Kag poked her tear-streaked face out, Inu-Yasha stood there, hands in his pockets, watching her.
She stared blankly back, sniffling once.
Then he opened his arms- and she fell into them, crumpling to the ground with him.
x
The toy rattled as she ran her fingers over it, her pinky fitting perfectly into the little loop at the end of the stick. Shaking the pink and blue striped ball at the top of the play-thing, Kagome smiled slightly; her feet leading her instinctively towards the school grounds.
"It will be okay. . ." she told herself quietly, echoing the words Inu-Yasha had spoken to her the previous night. And it would be- eventually. True, with a baby on the way she'd have to drop out of high school and give up her scholarship to the Fine Arts Academy, but she'd get by. Inu had promised to marry her, and then get a job to provide for the three of them. Life wouldn't be as exciting as she'd previously hoped, but it wasn't the end of the world. . .
. . . Provided her mother didn't kill her when she found out. Kagome gulped silently, sliding the rattle into her purse. 'It will be okay. It will be okay. It will be okay. . .'
Repeating this mantra continuously in her head as her pace sped up a bit, Kag began to jog down the path, not wanting to be late. After all, she needed to make the best impressions possible during the last few months she was allowed to attend school.
By the time she reached the large, white brick columns that marked the entrance of the gates, Kag was panting- each breath floating towards the blue sky in smoke-like puffs. The crisp air felt like it was burning her nose and her stomach felt queasy, but things could be worse. Still. . . She needed a moment.
Resting her weight on her hand as she leaned against the left column, Kag clutched her weak stomach and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. 'In. . . out. . . In. . . .out. . . I- - -'
It was within this moment of silence that she heard it- the very distinct sounds of Inu-Yasha and his guy friends coming closer- stopping casually under a bare tree on the grounds.
"- - -me, right? That's her name?" one boy was finishing with a chuckle. "That is her name, right?"
"Yeah.," Inu-Yasha replied with a pained sigh. "Even her name is annoying, isn't it?"
'W- what. . . ?' Kagome froze, eyes snapping open. 'Me? As in, Kagome?' That- that couldn't be it. . . Could it?
"That's the one that keeps following you around, right?" another inquired, laughing as a third began muttering something. "That really clingy one?"
The girl's heart stopped- - -
"Mhm," the dog-eared boy returned . "God, she pisses me off! I wish she'd take a hint- just get a life- and leave me alone. I hate her, I really do!"
- - - And then it broke.
"No one can stand her," the first teen comforted, though he was obviously amused. "But at least we have it easy. It doesn't look like she has some dorky little crush on us- like she does you!"
'N-no,' Kagome thought desperately, hand shooting to her mouth as she used the bricks to keep her balance. 'He- he can't be referring to me. . .'
"Oh, leave me alone," Inu snarled, pushing his friends away. "It's not MY fault she's a clueless bitch. Stupid idiot actually thinks I'm a friend- as if I'd ever sink so low as to care about or help HER."
But it seemed he was. And she couldn't take it anymore.
With all thoughts of school out of her mind, Kagome spun on her heel and raced off- eyes blurred with tears, heart and legs heavy as she ran. Ran to who knew where- through packed city streets and under bright neon signs, through bare green parks and past cold blue ponds. She ran and ran and ran- as if desperately trying to run from her problems. But the mere idea of escaping them came crashing down around her as her foot caught on a root on the gravel path, making her fly foreword and land face down in the road- bits of rock and wood chips wedging themselves into her skin; drawing blood. A particularly large stone, as well, jammed itself into her lower stomach.
Pain- A realistic reality keeping her from drowning in the surreal existence around her.
But. . . At the same time. . . She couldn't help but think: 'This can't be real. . . None of this can! Inu-Yasha can't hate me. . .
. . . Can he. . . ?'
A weak gasp escaped her chapped lips as the spinning earth slowed, all oxygen having been forced out of her lungs. The school girl tried to scramble to her feet, to keep going- but the sheer weight of her situation kept her pinned to the ground, eyes half lidded as a trickle of blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth. She could feel hundreds of moist, burning intrusions invade her skin, but her whole body felt numb- making it impossible to even roll over to escape the hurt. Not that it really mattered. . . The searing, ripping, dying feeling inside her heart would have made up for all of that.
All the same- there was nothing she could do by lie there in the cold, half-alive and half-gone, waiting for something to happen or someone to come. Anything! Anyone!
But there was nothing. Everyone was in school or at work or at home- no one cared about the suffering girl who lay in the park; the girl who was slowly but surly pushing herself to her knees, covered in scratches, scrapes, and shallow wounds. Crawling under a tree on a small hill, Kag used her lumpy knapsack as a pillow for her head, covering herself up with her jacket. It didn't keep the frost out, though.
'I never planned for this to happen,' she mused sadly, wiping the back of her hand across her face as she observed the ice-cream clouds float by. 'I didn't plan to get kiss, or to kiss him back, or. . .
I didn't even realize how much I loved Inu-Yasha. . . Until. . .'
She could feel blood oozing lazily from underneath her skirt, but paid it no heed- instead watching the world go by through her lashes, cold both inside and out.
x
She never skipped school. Never. Not even that time when she had the flu and threw up all over her geography test. Inu-Yasha's brow furrowed as he finished questioning the last of Kagome's classmates, watching them giggle as they linked hands and ran towards the exit. 'She never skips school, but. . . then. . . where the hell is she?'
Frowning in concern and glancing around the grounds, he searched desperately for Kagome- but only ended up noticing a cheerful Ayame running towards him, waving frantically.
"IIIIIIIINU-CHAAAAAAAAAN!"
Shit.
And that- in addition to his growing worry- was what really stimulated his racing into the wild that was and is Tokyo to search for his best friend.
x
"Kagome?! Kagome, where are you?!"
". . . ?"
She blinked, the noise going through one ear and out the other- yet at the same time waking her out of her trance-like daze. Slowly twisting her neck, the girl had to work to open her iced shut eye lids. 'I. . . Inu. . . Inu-Yasha. . . ?'
And as the boy noticed her, covered in crusted blood and infected cuts underneath that bare tree, she felt something she'd never felt before burst into life in the pit of her stomach.
Hatred. Raw, untamed hatred- a virulent emotion that proceeded to devour her every thought; watching the relieved teenager rush to meet her and help her up.
"Kagome! Oh, my gods- are you all right?!" he gushed, golden eyes wide. "Where the fuck have you been all day?! You never skip sc- - -"
SMACK
"!" Inu-Yasha reared back, horrified as his hand flew up to his abused cheek; a drop of blood trickling down it where her nails had raked through his flesh. His tawny pools widened in shock and hurt. 'What the- - - ?!'"Ka- Kagome- - - ?" he choked out, gaping like a fish. But she wasn't done yet- clasping her quivering hands together as she used her feet to kick the male away.
And he took it, finding himself without words.
"Don't TOUCH me. . ." she hissed, a single tear falling down her cheek as she continued to push herself backwards, flush up against the tree. "Don't look at me- and don't speak to me, you- you- you asshole!"
Inu-Yasha stared at her, locked in an odd state of shock. "Kagome- - - ?!" he gaped- before shooting his hands out and clasping them over her wrists, holding her immobile. "What in the gods' names are you going on about?!"
"DON'T!" she screamed, struggling against him. But the more she fought and wiggled the more pain she felt- spider webbing through her veins from her very center. Blood began flowing again, seeping into the pleats of her uniform's short dress. "Don't TOUCH me! You're a liar and- and- and- - -!"
"Kagome, I don't know what you're talking about!" he bellowed back, pulling her foreword so that their faces were scant centimeters apart. "What's wrong?!"
"EVERYTHING!" she roared, ripping herself away with a pained pant. Allowing her head to drop with a sob she slammed her fists to the ground, squeezing her eyes shut. Inu-Yasha just watched her- hand outstretched but unsure what to do.
Then she spoke- softly, vengefully, coldly.
"I- hate you. . . Inu-Yasha," she forced out in rapid gasps, shoulders quaking. A sharp jolt shot through his heart, his own hand falling to the ground. "I hate you."
Hate- - - ? His ears drooped like a puppy's.
"N-no. . . Kagome, I know you don't mean that! Sto- - -"
"I HATE YOU!" Kagome screeched, two tears splattering on the dry earth. "I want you to leave me alone! I don't ever want to speak to you again! EVER! I HATE YOU!" She snapped a frosty glare upon him, ebony locks contrasting her pale skin. "Go. Away."
". . ." Inu-Yasha stared at her, eyes wide and glassy. He seemed to have reached a state of stunned stupidity- complete betrayal- - -
But as soon as he blinked he was over it; there and back. And he stood, stuffing his hands in his pockets like he always did. Their gazes remained locked for a moment. . .
Then he spun around and left- slowly, as if waiting for her to stop him, but with enough decidedness that he wouldn't change his mind on his own. She watched him go, throat as dry as a desert as her jaw slackened.
This was really happening.
'Stop him. . .' a voice in her mind pleaded. 'Stop him! Call him back- you didn't mean a word of what you said!'
Her hand flew to her lips.
'Stop him!'
She tried to cough out his name, but only succeeded in spitting up blood. Her world was growing fuzzy. . .
'STOP HIM!'
Kagome could feel her body fall foreword; through the air as blackness ate away at the corners of her eyes.
'STOP HIM!'
x
"STOP!"
Inu-Yasha all but leapt out of his skin as the unconscious girl lying on his bed shot straight upright, drenched in sweat as her arm shot out wildly, grasping air.
". . ."
She blinked, then flushed red when she noticed him standing there, holding a bowl of water and a clean cloth in his hands and wearing an innocently surprised look on his face. "Eh- - - ?!" 'Where am I- - -?! And why is Inu-Yasha here?!'
This was. . . Unexpected.
". . . So. . ." he randomly smacked his lips, arching an eyebrow. "Are you always this dramatic when you wake up?" Pulling up a chair and straddling it, he smiled half-heartedly and wrung out the washcloth.
She responded with a huff, flopping back onto the messy sheets as she closed her eyes. 'Need- say- something- - -!' "Do you ever clean? Honestly, this is as bad as your room in high school." Kag grumbled inaudibly as she took in all of the posters, the broken TV, the. . . other stuff. But she paused in her observation as she heard him chuckling, rolling over on her side to stare at him. He stared back, still working the cloth.
". . . That comeback," he then smirked, skimming his talons over her side before placing the moist washcloth on her forehead, "was pathetic, even for you." Crossing his legs and drumming his claws on the sides of the ceramic tub, he glanced down at the actress as she curled into a ball, resting her laced fingers near her face.
She tried to retort again, but found herself unable. One, because she wasn't sure she could at the moment (just look at her last attempt), and two, because there were things more important to deal with at the moment. Like why the hell she was here. "Wh. . . What's going on?" she asked, closing her eyes. "What happened?"
"Keh- you're asking me?" his voice retorted from beside her, though it sounded far away. "All I know is that you called me 'cause those stalkers of yours broke in. Then you must have fainted 'cause when I got to your house you were conked out on the floor."
"Nnn. . ." Kag groaned, taking a deep breath as things suddenly began to click. "Yes. . . That's right. . . I was in my room getting ready for bed. . . I heard a noise and ran down the stairs- and there were two people there, dressed in black. I surprised them, I guess, and they began to escape through the window. I tried to stop them- stupid, I admit it- but it didn't matter. They didn't stop. So I called you for help. But in my haste I dropped the phone and that wasted time. They got away- but not before firing. . . something."
"A gun," Inu-Yasha filled in. She pealed an eye open to stare up at him, but his gaze was locked on an invisible point on the other side of the room. "But the strange thing was- it was never pointed at you. The hole was through the ceiling." He shook his head. "Weird, huh?"
"Mmm. . ."
They fell silent.
Then-
"Hm," the girl randomly giggled, rolling over onto her back and tossing off the cloth; pulling a pillow to her chest and hugging it tight. Inu-Yasha glanced her direction, setting the water down.
"What's so funny?" he questioned, a little ruder than he originally intended. She didn't seem to take offence, however- simply placed the pillow lightly over her mouth.
"Just thinking. . ." Kagome whispered, voice a bit muffled but still understandable. "This is the third time I've ended up waking to you hovering over me. Isn't that ironic. . . ?"
". . ." He didn't reply, only returned his gaze to the wall. The cold shoulder. Ouch. Guess he didn't want to be reminded.
But. . .
The actress swallowed a lump in her throat, eyebrows knitting together. ". . . I was dreaming. . ." she eventually pressed on, timid, "about. . . that day."
Kag could sense him stiffening, but didn't mention it. At least, she didn't plan on mentioning it- until he brought it all up.
". . . You had your question answered," he stated flatly, alerting her attention once more. "Now it's your turn to answer one of mine." Their gazes locked as he turned his head. "What happened that day? Why did you push me away?! I was going to live up to my promise- you know I'm true to my wo- - - !"
"Your word had nothing to do with it," she interrupted, biting the inside of her cheek. "At least. . . Not the words you're thinking of."
The hanyou cocked his head, bewildered. Kagome blew out her cheeks, wiggling her socked feet in anxiety.
"The. . . The thing is. . ." she breathed, trying to keep her emotions in check. "The think is I heard you that morning. I made it to school early and was hiding behind the columns when I heard you and your friends- talking about me. You said you hated me! And I. . . I couldn't take it.
. . . When I was running from school I fell hard on a rock and started bleeding.
I guess that's about it." Though somehow her 'truth behind the story' didn't sound quite as dramatic as she'd hoped. . .
But it didn't matter, in the long run.
". . . So it was a miscarriage. . . ?" he surmised, clearing his throat as his voice cracked. She nodded. "I thought so." Inu smiled sadly, nonchalantly flicking his hair over his shoulder. "Even in your greatest bouts of rage I knew you wouldn't be able to bare killing an innocent life. But. . ." His face quickly hardened, snapping a furious stare on the girl. She winced. "What the fuck are you talking about, saying that I said I hated you?! I never hated you! Ever!"
What the- - -?! "Not true!" she fought back on instinct, rolling over so her back faced him. "I heard it with my own ears! . . . Um. . . Well. . . Sorta."
"Sort of?!" he echoed, exasperated. "How do you SORT OF hear something? . . . Explain."
The woman flinched at his harsh tone. "I. . . Sorta. . . Only caught the last part of the person you were talking about's name. But it ended in 'me'! How many people did we know in High School who's name ended in 'me'?!"
". . ." Inu-Yasha's face was wiped clean of all expressions. ". . . Gee, I don't know," he drawled, irritated. "Ayame, maybe?!"
Kag froze, eyes widening.
"That bitch wouldn't leave me alone!" he continued ranting, furious. "Always going on about wanting to date me to make that stupid Kouga-boy jealous! She wouldn't take a hint and leave me the fuck alone!"
'Oh my God. . .'
So. . .
So then. . .
The sickly feel of her stomach dropping to her feet took control of her body. "So. . . What you're trying to tell me," she began slowly, monotonically horrified, "is that we've been at each other's throats- the other's enemy and the fodder for rage- for the past several years- - -
All because of Ayame?!"
That was sort of. . . Anticlimactic. In a sick, twisted way.
Inu-Yasha shrugged, not that she could see it. "Always knew she was a bitch," he muttered. "Still cursing me even after marrying that damn wolf."
Kag, however, was too busy trying not to scream into the pillow to notice the humor. "I went through all of that pain and heartache because of HER?!"
"Well, that and because you were eavesdropping," Inu reminded flatly, watching her with half-lidded eyes as she silently stuttered. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it was rude?"
"Shut up, Inu-Yasha!" she snapped, about to yank out all of her hair. "I'm NOT in the mood!"
"Are you ever. . . ?" he mumbled, but was spared the girl's wrath by pretending he was the victim of a coughing fit. Glaring icily, she chucked the pillow at him- but to her disappointment he caught it deftly, smirking once more.
"Sooo. . ." he cleared his throat, standing and throwing the 'weapon' over his shoulder. "Now that that's cleared up. . ."
Kagome moaned, running her hands over her weary face. "Don't even bring it up again," she begged weakly. "I feel too stupi- - -ek!" She yelped in surprise as a sudden weight dropped onto the other edge of the bed, making her bounce up- - -
And land in Inu-Yasha's suddenly awaiting arms. He grinned smugly down at her as her face suddenly flushed. "I knew you never really hated me."
Her embarrassed expression quickly turned to one of dryness. "Then you did a good job of pretending to think I did."
"Keh! Of course. That's why I'm the better star."
"In your dreams, maybe!"
He began to frown, as he always did when they fought-
But instead of continuing, he hugged her closer; pressing his face into the crook of her neck and squeezing her to his chest- like a life line he never wanted to release. Kagome couldn't help but squeak in surprise at the initial giving of the embrace, but soon found herself returning the show of affection.
". . . I'm sorry," she breathed, gripping his shirt tightly with her hands. "I- I was so scared then that I. . . And then I hated you. . .but. . . But recently it didn't matter- I think I was falling again a-anyway an- - -"
She trailed off hoarsely as he suddenly pulled away, staring straight into her azure orbs. Her mouth fell open slightly, parting just enough for her to breathe through as a red tint colored her cheeks- - -
And his lips found her own; needy, warm, loving.
It wasn't an acting kiss- of that she was sure.
x
Yeah! And the pathetic truth is finally revealed! ::waves a dinky little flag:: XD Kudos to everyone who figured that the overreacting to the "baby" in previous chapters was part of the plot- though I don't think many of you did. (Was I that sneaky or was it just so obvious you thought I'd be smarter than that? ::sweat drop::)
Three quick things before I say good-bye.
Firstly- to apologize for my lack in updating, I will be posting the link to my personal fan art from this story. It's not on-line yet, so don't bother looking, but I will get it up soon! XD It's the famous picture that both of them keep hidden.
Secondly- this chapter's title comes from Faith Hill's song 'When the Lights Go Down', which is my theme for this story. However, I decided to give you all a break and not make this chapter a song fic. Heehee. . All the same, please check it out if you have a chance.
Three, please forgive any grammar/spelling mistakes, per usually. I'm sure it's chock full of them, but I'm so tired I probably missed 'em. . . ::swirly eyes::
Anyway, that's it- hope you enjoyed the chapter! Love you all! Ja ne!