Sorry guys, it's been like forever, but I wasn't really liking the way my story was sounding… it just… idk, seemed weird, and OOC, but I decided to start it back up anyways and I might go back and fix the first few. So here ya go…. Hope this chapter's better than the last couple.

Last time

"Kouga, I just want to make sure everything is cleared up between us," she shifted uncomfortably at his persistent gaze.

"I smell mutt boy," Kouga said as calmly as he could, but Kagome could see the pure satisfaction in his eyes, he loved seeing Inuyasha slammed into the dirt.

Kagome sighed at what she knew she had to do, "SIT!" Once the command was said she rushed to the form lying in the bushes to her far left. "What are you doing Inuyasha? Didn't I specifically tell you to not follow! If I believe right you are the one who went off about privacy and following people so why don't you take your own advice and let me have a private conversation with Kouga? If you want companionship so bad, go find Kikyo."

The coldness of her voice froze even Kouga who stood dumfounded a few yards away. He couldn't believe she'd something that was sure to put a gaping hole in his rival's heart. Even he felt sympathy for Inuyasha at that moment.

"H... How can you say that?" stuttered Inuyasha.

"It's the truth," Kagome responded glumly. She was beginning to hate herself for what she had just said when she heard the hurt in his voice and the pain was flowing from him in immense waves. "I know I am but a pale comparison to her so...so just go," the last word was spoken so softly that if either of the demons had been human there was no way in hell they would have heard.

Inuyasha stood without a sound and lept off as fast as he could, never letting his gaze meet with Kagome.

'I hate doing this to him, but it needs to be said. He needs to know that a time has come when he must decide.'

Chapter 5 Two heads are better than One

Kagome sat there for awhile, just thinking about what she had said. 'Was that really necessary? I haven't seen him that upset, well, ever'.

sigh

Kouga broke her train of thought, "So, Kagome… you wanted to talk about something?"

"Yes Kouga, and brace yourself, ok?" Kouga shifted uncomfortably at her words but didn't interrupt her. "Ok, I know there's been some confusion between us, but I want to get it all cleared up right now, and, well, sort of ask for your help. You see, I think you and I both know, deep inside, that I love Inuyasha. I don't know when it started or how it happened, but I do," Kouga decided to stare at the ground at this point, and try not to show his disappointment, "Well, I also think that Inuyasha loves Kikyo,"

"That dead bitch?"

"Yes, her. Well, I think that it's time for Inuyasha to choose, I'm sick of being second best. My friends gave me some advice, they told me to do something called, playing hard to get, which is where I pretend that I don't really care what Inuyasha does or who he does it with, and he'll be so upset that he'll have to tell me how he feels, before it's too late."

"That makes sense," Kouga responding, thinking about what she was saying, "but what do you need my help for?"

"Well, it also helps to get the person jealous, and I know Inuyasha is insanely jealous over you. I'm not talking about kissing or anything," Kouga visibly slouched, "I just mean that when you flirt with me, I may flirt back. I just didn't want to lead you on, because I think that'd be wrong. So… Will you help me?"

Kouga took her hands in his and stared deep into her beautiful eyes. "Kagome, I love you, and I always will. You are the most loyal, loving, trusting person I know, I never thought I could be in love with a human, I was wrong… but I see now that I can't have you, you're practically already spoken for, but I would still do anything and everything to help you, even if it is to help you get together with mutt-face. I sort of always suspected you two would end up together, I guess I just didn't want to believe it. Whatever you want I'm here for you, and I'm glad you told me that this is just to get Inuyasha, it's saving me a lot of hurt." He kissed her hand sweetly and said, "but if you ever change your mind, or he treats you bad, I'm here for you."

They stood and began walking back towards camp as Kagome was engrossed in her thoughts. 'He's so sweet, why don't I love him, why must I love the one that I can't have, maybe Inuyasha is playing hard to get with me' sigh 'either way, it's time for me to slip my mask back in place, we're almost at camp'.

They walked back into camp to see a very worried Shippo, Miroku, and Sango, and a very moody hanyou formally known as Inuyasha.

"Hey guys, we're back," Kagome smiled brightly.

Sango looked at Miroku and he looked back as if they were reading each other's thoughts, 'What happened to make her so happy?' but they thought better of saying anything about it. They'd much rather keep their head on their shoulders, and that wasn't necessarily a guarantee with Inuyasha in the mood he was currently in.

"Inuyasha quit being so moody… geez… you act like we're married or something." Kagome said to the brooding half-demon.

Inuyasha looked back at her totally shocked. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. 'I deserve every word' he thought, 'I'm always such a jerk to her; I guess I just always expected she'd be there no matter what. I never really thought what would happen when I pushed her off the edge'. He sat looking at the ground forcing himself to keep up his cold demeanor and not show her how much he was hurting, but what was to come next nearly drove him insane.

"Well Kouga, it was nice that you visited but I think you should get back to your pack now before any fighting breaks out, hope you visit soon."

Kagome kisses Kouga lightly on his cheek and Kouga grins ear to ear

"No problem babe, I can never not come to your enticing scent, see ya later!" Kouga responded with a wink as he ran off in a tornado of wind.

Inuyasha couldn't handle it anymore; he leapt off into the God Tree and left Kagome fighting the urge to follow him. Eventually, she couldn't fight it any longer and followed him, hoping he was all right and that she hadn't hurt his feelings beyond repair. She knew he was insecure about his half-demon heritage and didn't know what she would do if she had hurt him enough to lose everything they had worked for.

"Inuyasha!"

"Beat it wench, go find your wolf prince," Inuyasha responded coldly.

"Well why don't you go find your mud princess," Kagome bit back.

"Is that what all of this is about!" Inuyasha screamed, "You're fucking with my feelings because of fucking Kikyou!"

He jumped down from the tree and landed right in front of her and they locked eyes. When they did so, both noticed how much pain and sorrow where in each other's eyes, and they had done this… to each other.

Kagome wanted so hard to just give in. To wrap her arms around the man she loved and scream apologies that the whole world would hear, but she knew she couldn't. She knew that he loved Kikyou and she wouldn't humiliate herself to the point of telling him her feelings, just to be rejected. Inuyasha on the other hand…

Inuyasha leans down and plants a soft kiss on Kagome's lips

"I can't believe you're doing all of this because of Kikyou," he smirked.

"Don't… don't touch me Inuyasha," Kagome finally choked out, wile touching her lips in disbelief. 'How could he toy with my feelings like this!' She turned and ran out of the forest leaving a very shocked and self-conscious hanyou behind.

When Kagome reached camp she wouldn't talk to anyone, she simply rolled out her sleeping bag and curled into it, soaking her pillow with fresh tears. An hour or so later, Inuyasha returned to camp and was greeted with 8 eyes glaring at him fiercely.

"What? I didn't do nuthin to tha dumb bitch!" he practically screamed, then flinched hoping he didn't hear her, but luckily it seemed as though she was asleep.

He sat on the tree directly above the woman he loved and wondered how the hell he was going to her himself out of this mess. 'How can she ever forgive me?' he pondered. He tried to fight off the urge to sleep but it was useless and within minutes he fell into a deep slumber filled with the same dreams he always had, dreams of his one and only Kagome.

'Dumb bitch eh…' Kagome thought quietly.