Mixed Emotions Fifteen

Author's notes: Well...I really screwed up on the previous chapter. Please forgive me. I can't believe I had a mental block on that chapter! ARGH! And the school year has begun. Anyway, I'm back for chapter 15. I know the story's been stalling a bit...I guess it's time to speed up. Song-chapter 16 is coming maybe!. But I still haven't decided what song to put in it. Oh well. Sooner or later a song'll just pop up in my mind. Onto the chapter!!! -- Kagome ran, rode a bus, rode a stolen bike...everything, and I mean everything as she travels to the edge of Tokyo, hoping to catch Inuyasha and Kikyo before the moment of engagement. Shippo, Kouga, Ayame and Sango runs minutes behind their friend, worried about what moves she was going to make on the way to Ahakuri...where everything will shatter into a million pieces! (By the way, I kinda changed things around.)--

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Nope. Not me.

Mixed Emotions Fifteen - To turn away when it was close

Breaking down...

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'I'm sorry, guys...I have to go...I must see him...before everything falls apart between the two of us...'

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Kagome's POV

I jumped and escaped through the washroom window when I thought about what was to happen if I don't do anything. I only wore my blue sweater, jeans, my Santa hat, and socks and slippers at that time, which made me feel really cold when the winter breeze blew. Sneaking at the front door, I managed to get my winter boots without anybody noticing. That's when I ran through the crowded streets, bumping onto everyone who was in my way. I had to get to Ahakuri at the edge of town, no matter what. I have to get there before Inuyasha and Kikyo do. I can't stand it when Miroku and the others are just sitting around drinking tea, thinking that there's a lot of time before the fated moment arrives. But something told me things were to happen a little quicker than they thought. Or rather, we thought.

I knew that they were going to follow me, so I dashed as fast as my legs could carry me. My heart pounded quickly inside my chest. Somehow, it seemed like I knew where I needed to go. I saw a bus that was headed somewhere near there, so I came up with some change inside my jean pocket (which came pretty handy) and hopped on. I don't know how far behind me were the others, but I wasn't really worried. Stopping that engagement is my first priority right now.

The bus went on for what seemed like hours. I'm really getting tired of waiting. I couldn't sit still on my seat, so I decided to get off at the next stop. As I hopped off, I sat on a nearby bench, and asked someone for the time. As I recall, I left the house around 5:00PM I think. Now it was 6:00 PM. I travelled far enough; I don't think Sango and the others would catch me this far. And so, I didn't have anymore change to get on another bus that comes. Looking around, I found a worn-out bike sitting outside a beef bowl restaurant. I knew that it was wrong to steal, but I can't just stand around and wait for someone to drive me there or something. So I took it mindlessly and began pedalling as quickly as I could until I reached a steep hill 20 minutes later...

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6:20PM, Sunset. The gates to Ahakuri swung open as a magnificent looking limousine paraded through; inside were Kikyo and Inuyasha, side by side. Kikyo was anxious. Not only will she be bound to Inuyasha forever, but also she would live with him and go to his school! Inuyasha, however, looked pale and worried, which is why his gaze was not on Kikyo. He was afraid that she will find out that he loves Kagome. Kikyo was beginning to get suspicious though. It's been about half an hour since the hanyou had said something. Usually (in the past), he would always rant and talk like a chatterbox. But now he was as silent as a doorknob.

The doors of the limousine opened, Inuyasha stepped outside, breathing in the evening breeze. This was it. In a few minutes, he would be on one knee and propose to Kikyo...or will he?

Taking Kikyo by the hand, Inuyasha strolled inside Ahakuri. The candlelights flickered as the door that led to the outside. The couple took a seat at the far end of the restaurant; the one that was particularly overlooking the sunset and a small stream with a garden buried in snow outside. It was quite a beautiful sight. Inuyasha pulled out a chair for Kikyo and waited for her to sit. When both of them are sitting opposite each other, the waiter took their orders and they waited. There was a tense atmosphere between Inuyasha and Kikyo. Neither spoke for a very long time...even when their food finally came. Kikyo grew tired of waiting and finally spoke out.

"Okay, Inuyasha. Just cut the crap and tell me what the hell is wrong!?"

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"Damn...I'm so confused right now. If we want Kagome to have Inuyasha, then why are we trying to stop her?"

"You've got a point...I don't know, either."

Sango sighed as she sat on the bus beside Miroku, who has his eyes closed and was trying to rest. Kouga and Ayame were at the back, keeping Shippo company for a while. They've been on that bus for about half an hour already, and still, there was no sign of Kagome in any of the stops that they've passed by. One by one, the bus began to empty out as they journeyed closer to the edge of Tokyo to Ahakuri. Suddenly, Shippo shot up and pointed out the window, yelling, "Look! It's Kagome! She's riding a bike up the hill!" Everyone else gazed outside the transparent window and saw a raven-haired young lady, pedalling steadily on what-looked-like a worn-out bike. It looked like it was going to collapse in a few minutes. Miroku signalled the driver to stop, and once again, the group of five began to hustle behind their 15 year old friend once again.

"Why don't we just stop, Miroku?!?" Sango yelled out.

"If Kagome gets into an accident, we'll be the once to blame!" Kouga responded in place of Miroku. "Yo, monk, I knew you're thinkin' it! I'm just sayin' it!"

"Kouga's right, Sango," Miroku replied calmly. "We better hurry, or we'll never catch up with her."

Meanwhile, Kagome legs ached in pain as she struggled to pedal to the top of the hill. It was an old bike that was lying around by a beef bowl restaurant around two kilometers away from where she was now, so she assumed that no one owned it. But it turned out to be the shop owner's property! Dumping the stolen bike to the side of the street, Kagome dashed up to the hill that led to Ahakuri. Finally...she was there...just in time to stop the engagement...or was she?

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"Okay, Inuyasha. Just cut the crap and tell me what the hell is wrong!?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!!"

"I know you're hiding something from me, Inuyasha!" The other couples inside Ahakuri turned to stare at Kikyo and Inuyasha, who were arguing very loudly that it echoed in the high ceiling. Getting really impatient and angry, Kikyo pulled the hanyou by the arm out through the back door to the gardens. "I demand that you tell me, Inuyasha!"

"There's nothing going on, okay?!?" he rambled. "Why are you getting all suspicious for?!?"

"You're not the same person that I met four years ago! You've definitely changed!"

"So what?!?"

"You have a new girlfriend! That's it! You love someone else, and you don't want to do this anymore. That's why you're so quiet!" This struck Inuyasha's heart. Indeed, he loved Kagome more than he ever loved Kikyo. This is now, not "before." Not "the past." He had no other options but to confess everything now...everything that he felt since he transferred to Kagome's school, and how his cold heart fell for Kagome's warm smile. She taught him how to be nice, and how to be truly happy. To make choices that comes from your heart. His mind and heart have made a similar choice. To be with Kagome.

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Kagome panted heavily, reaching the gigantic gates of Ahakuri. She slipped in the sliding door that was meant for people who don't drive to come in. The exhaustion that she felt was getting to her head, though managed to open her eyes through all that pain and pressure inside her mind. Using the wall as a guide and support, it guided her to a secret path to the gardens. To moment she stepped out of the secret cave passage, the first people that she saw were Kikyo and Inuyasha. Her eyesight was getting a little blurry, and the couple was almost too far away for her to hear their conversation...

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"That's right. I do have a new girlfriend. Her name's Kagome, and I love her very much. I love her for who she is, and I don't care if she does look like you." The cold wind blew slightly towards the couple, making a very awkward atmosphere.

"W-w-what??" Kikyo asked, bewildered and taken aback. A sad expression emerged on her face. Slowly, she tears welled up in her eyes. "I thought you said...you loved me..." She couldn't hold them back. It was so unlike her to cry so easily. Inuyasha's words peirced through her heart, like a kinfe cutting butter in half. Not once in her life did she feel like this before...not once.

"I did Kikyo. I'm sorry, but I had to move on. I can't dwell on the past forever. At one point in my life, I have to move on and think about the present, and not what happened long before."

"I-I-I...see..." Kikyo muttered. "So she has replaced me in your heart?" Inuyasha hesitated for a moment, but nodded in the end.

"I'm sorry, but yes. She has a big place in my heart..." Inuyasha replied, his voice full of truth. "...but I still love you, Kikyo...as a friend who guided me through elementary and middle school. A friend who I could trust in times of need. Thank you for that. For taking care of me for three years." And with that, the hanyou gave Kikyo a hug that she will never forget. The last loving hug that she will ever get from him. "I have to go. They're waiting for me."

"You..." Kikyo thought. "You heart-breaking bastard...I'll still love you...no matter what happens..."

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Kagome, who strained her eyes to see what was going on between the two, saw Inuyasha give Kikyo an intimate hug. Only one thing came to her mind at the point: she didn't make it in time...or so she thought! Finally, her mind went blank and her knees buckled. Her body thudded roughly on the ground, scratching her skin to a small cut. She felt so helpless for a minute; no one was around her...no one could see her from where she was. Exhaustion took over...

...And then...everything turned black.

"KAAGGOOMMEE!!!!" a voice echoed...

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There I go again...short chapters...late updates...school work...can my life be even more complicated?!? Ah well...here's chapter 15 for you. It's 1:00AM, and I have to get to bed. -yawns- Well, see you people next time on "Mixed Emotions: Chapter 16 - Wreaking Havoc at the Valentines day dance!" Get ready! Things are about to stir!

Still thinking that Inuyasha got engaged to Kikyo, the group becomes angry with Inuyasha, now that Kagome has figured everything out. And so, to try and persuade Inuyasha into coming for Kagome, Miroku and the others device a plan to tick off Inuyasha's jealousy point at the Valentines Day Dance. But will everything turn out as they planned? Or will someone else's feelings change for Kagome?

P.S. Reviews please?