Disclaimer:

Me: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kasey: I do.

Rumiko and Me: What!

Kasey: Hehe. Heh. Never mind. I own Not Pretty Enough though.

Rumiko: -glares- I own Inuyasha.

Me: I don't own anything. Except this story I guess. Cool!

Kasey: No, I own that!

Me: Mean!

Last Chapter:

Kagome sat down at her desk, a chill running through her bare legs as she pulled the keyboard out. So late? What was Inuyasha talking about? She glanced at her bedside clock. The red neon numbers read 1:02. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was amazing how fast time went by, and even more amazing how fast you could lose someone to it.

Not Pretty Enough

Chapter 12: Late Night Confessions

xNotPrettyEnough: Hey. Couldn't sleep. How about you?
DoggieChan1: Yeah, same. Anything wrong?
xNotPrettyEnough: Not really. Bad nightmare.
DoggieChan1: ic
DoggieChan1: Tell me about your nightmare.
xNotPrettyEnough: It's really hard for me. It's about my dad.
DoggieChan1: I thought you lived with your mum...
xNotPrettyEnough: I do now... Not anymore though...
DoggieChan1: Was he abusive... did he hurt you? Cuz my god, if he did...
xNotPrettyEnough: No! NO! Nothing like that... don't think that... please!
DoggieChan1: Sorry Kagome. Do you need to talk about it? Call me if you do.
xNotPrettyEnough: Yes, yes... thank you.

By the time Kagome hit the sign off screen name button, she was already in tears. Inuyasha's phone only had to ring once before his gruff voice answered.

"Kagome..."

She couldn't answer as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She was afraid that if she said anything she would start to sob, something she promised herself she'd never do. Kagome could cry quietly to herself, but she would never allow herself to make any noise. Her mother could never know of her daughter's quiet suffering. Mother had suffered enough as it was.

"God, Kagome... Are you sure you're okay?" Inuyasha asked, a hint of concern in his voice. She breathed deeply, wiping her hair from her eyes. Why had it all come back to her all of a sudden? Why now?

"Inuyasha... He died in a car accident. I was in the car..." She managed to whisper out. Already that was more than most of her old acquaintances knew, even some people she had known for years. "Why didn't I die instead?" She heard herself saying, finally revealing the one thing she had been carrying around with her for nine years. Never had she spoke of it out loud, instead allowing it to lurk in the shadows of her mind, growing heavier and heavier each day.

"Kagome, I'm coming over there." Inuyasha hissed, and with a click the phone turned off in her hands. Kagome held it, still too miserable to do anything and listened as a young woman's voice came on.

"If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try your call again. If you need help hang..."

The phone flew from her hand and crashed into the wall, leaving a dent. Closing her eyes and biting her lip, Kagome managed not to scream. A car pulled into her driveway, and the headlights flicked off. Kagome stood and rushed to her window and met eyes with Inuyasha, watching her from the driveway expectantly.

She rushed down the stairs, pulling on a silky robe as she went. When she reached the front door she cracked it open quietly so the old hinges wouldn't squeak. Even though her mother's room was in the back of the house on the second floor Kagome knew she couldn't risk it. Mother was already upset enough as it was.

Inuyasha slipped in the partially open door, his eyes nervously scanning Kagome's trembling body. He pulled her into his arms and she heard him breathe a sigh of relief as he tightened his grip around her waist.

"Up to my room... shh." Kagome whispered, grabbing Inuyasha's warm calloused hand in hers before leading him up the stairs. They entered, and Inuyasha held Kagome in his arms once more before letting her go.

"Tell me everything Kagome. I want to know." He said, sinking into her bed and gazing at her in a way she couldn't explain. It was as if his whole world only revolved around her and for that time in his life nothing but her mattered. She finally felt as if she found someone she could talk to.

The story of the accident spilled out of her fairly easily which surprised her. Before she had never been able to talk about that day and finally telling it was releasing a large amount of pressure off her. Mother never wanted to talk about the accident and bringing it up would only amount to punishment so Kagome had learned at a young age to keep her emotions inside. She never knew how good it could feel to actually get some of her feelings out in the open.

Tears were running down her face once again when she finished the story, but Inuyasha stayed mostly expressionless save for his golden eyes. They were still gleaming with a look she couldn't place, but whenever she looked into them she felt as if her troubles might be able to melt away in a while. She blinked, knowing that nine years had already past. It had already been a while, and her troubles only seemed to grow.

"I lost my mother." Inuyasha whispered, stirring Kagome from the light slumber she had fallen into. She was stretched across her bed, Inuyasha's strong arms holding her tight. His whisper was more like a silent purr, and it tickled her ear when he spoke. "She was anything anyone could hope for: Smart, caring, witty, and one of the kindest people on this earth. I always thought she was happy. I never even saw her cry. I guess she just... couldn't handle it any more..." His voice seemed to trail off, as if he was thinking.

"Inuyasha, do you ever miss her?" Kagome whispered back. She felt him shift, and then pull her tighter.

"She died when I was 11. She was all alone. My poor excuse for a father never even came to her funeral. She really loved him... I don't even know why. Even I, his own son, could see what a complete bum he was..."

"Sometimes love works in mysterious ways..." Kagome sighed, snuggling closer up against Inuyasha's warm chest before falling asleep before she could hear his reply.

"Sometimes love doesn't seem to work at all."

Kagome awoke the next morning to the loud buzzing of her alarm. It was one of those days where it's already 75 degrees at 5 A.M in the shade. There was no doubt it was going to be a hot one. Inuyasha stirred next to her, and opened a bloodshot eye. Kagome felt a bit guilty for his sleepless night because it was all her fault. At least she had some sleep that night because she went to bed at 6. She hadn't even had dinner, and when she realized that her stomach gave an unhappy gurgle.

"Inuyasha, I'm going to grab something to eat, and then we have to leave before my mother wakes up." She whispered. He groaned.

"Right."

She rushed down the stairs, knowing her mother might wake up at any minute. She scrawled a quick note, grabbed two pop tarts and headed back up the stairs. Inuyasha was leaning against her wall with his eyes closed, looking more dead than alive.

"Inuyasha, give me your keys." Kagome said, and he handed her them without opening his eyes. Together, they ran through the house and out the front door. Kagome slid into the driver's seat and Inuyasha slid next to her, reclining his chair and closing his eyes.

"It is way too early for this." He muttered as they backed out of the driveway and into the light early morning traffic. Kagome decided to stop at Inuyasha's home because they had an hour before school officially started.

After showering and changing into some clothes she had forgotten at his house the last time she stayed over she exited the bathroom to find Inuyasha, sprawled out on his bed asleep. His silver hair was haloed around his head and his face lost all anger and unhappiness when he was asleep. Kagome felt guilty having to wake him up again, but she needed to go to school. She shook his shoulder gently, and he opened his eyes and smiled sleepily at her.

"Hey Kagome..." He whispered, and leaned up and brushed his lips against her cheek. He sat up, and after telling Kagome not to look he changed.

They were pulling up to the school together when everything from last Friday came flooding back. Kikyou was walking into the school wearing nothing but a tiny black skirt and a white tube top that left little the imagination. Kagome saw Inuyasha's eyes on her body and felt a stab of jealousy from somewhere deep inside her. She didn't really know why though, because it wasn't like they were officially dating. Maybe she had been wrong to think that the last two nights actually meant something to Inuyasha.

She stepped from the air conditioned coolness of the car into the Californian heat. The ninety degree weather seemed to ensnare her, leaving her mind momentarily blank as the humidity seeped through her body. Inuyasha began walking up, motioning Kagome next to him with a blink of his eyes. She kept an eye out for Kouga as they ascended the already crowded high school stairs into the muggy building. She was so busy searching for the brown haired boy that she never saw who was walking up behind her until she felt a cold clammy hand rest upon her bare shoulder.

"Hello Kagome."

n: Cliffy! Hurrah. I'm sorry this chapter kind of sucks. I'm completely blocked. I'll get on with the plot in the next chapter.

Preview:

His vile eyes peered into hers, and she felt as if he could read her thoughts and feelings, like he was raping her mind. His greasy black hair was slicked back from his eyes and the gel's reflection danced eerily on the ceiling. He had a cruel smirk on his face, something that made her uneasy in ways she couldn't begin to comprehend. He had summoned her to his office, telling her that he needed to inform her of something very important...