Title: It Started With A Kiss
By: Queen Beryl
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Chapter Eight: The Reason: A Letter

"How's my favorite granddaughter?" Grandpa inquired when I finally came downstairs. My eyes were still puffy, but I looked halfway normal; I hoped Grandpa wouldn't notice.
"I'm your only granddaughter, but I'm fine, Grandpa. When did you get here?"
"A few hours ago." He wrapped me in a hug. "Now, let me tell you about the dangers of traveling on that contraption they call public transportation!"
And with that, he launched into a full-blown lecture. This was one of his favorite pastimes, second only to placing charms and ofudas all over our neighborhood. Oh, what joy.
I finally escaped the lecture when Mom interrupted Grandpa by saying I was dating a really nice boy from school. I froze instantly.
"What? My little Kagome dating again?" Grandpa smiled approvingly, then suddenly, the good feeling slipped away. "You know, young boys at his age are-"
"Dad," Mom scolded, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh, right, right. What's his name?" Grandpa looked at me expectantly.
"Inuyasha." I mumbled dejectedly after several moments of silence. I heard a thump upstairs and suddenly wondered where Souta was.
"He isn't a dog, is he?" Grandpa looked skeptical.
"It's just his name." I shrugged, praying with whoever was listening to let the torture end soon.
Apparently, nobody was listening at that moment.
"Does he have any classes with you? What does he look like? How many previous girlfriends has he had? What are his parents like? Is he-" Grandpa rattled off questions... every one of them I had to answer. I spent the rest of the night dealing with the Spanish Inquisition. Finally, I trudged upstairs well-after midnight and plopped down on my bed.
I briefly wondered why Mom had just let him quiz me like that. Then I thought that maybe she just wanted to know too. I shrugged, rolled over, and went right to sleep, not even bothering to change for bed.

& * &

"Kagome. Psst! Kagome." I could hear my name being whispered in close proximity to my ear, but for the life of me I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes to see who it was.
"Mmm hmm mm?" I asked in my sleep-deprivated state.
"What? Kagome, are you awake?" I blearily recognized the voice belonging to Souta.
"Wh-what isch it?" I asked, snuggling deeper into my blankets.
"Are you even going to school today?"
"In the morning." I replied.
"It is morning. It's almost eight."
Normally, this startling news would have me flying out of bed, but today, I just couldn't do it. It was like everything was coming to a point, and the sleep, or lack thereof, just tipped the scale. I'd just skip school today. Nobody'd miss me, anyway.
"Then I'm not going." I muttered, turning over.
"Okay. Just make sure you read the letter on your desk later. Bye, sis!" Souta patted my head and ran out of the room, slamming my door behind him. I smiled and nodded, even though he couldn't see me, and fell back into dream world. The last thing I thought was: what letter?

& * &

"You know if you get too much sleep it'll make you sick." Were the first words I woke up to at about noon. Grandpa's voice seemed right in my ear, much to my dismay. "Back when I was a boy, I never got to sleep in, you know. I was far too busy working to earn money for my education. It was quite ironic because I would often skip school so I could put in more hours making money. I used to-"
"I'm awake, Grandpa." I muttered, slowly sitting up and stretching.
"That's good, I'm terribly glad to hear it. Your mother told me not to talk your ear off, but I wanted to know what ails you. It could be pneumonia or typhoid fever. You know, the smallpox is going around. I hope it isn't tuberculosis, which would be just tragic. Now it could be-"
"Grandpa!" I interrupted hastily. "I just have an upset stomach, okay? Why don't you go see what's for breakfast."
"It's almost lunch now, sweetie."
"I would love ramen." I hinted, smiling innocently up at him.
"I heard that ramen is just the thing for arthritis. You don't have it, do you?"
"No. I don't, but I heard it was good for an upset stomach." I waved ecstatically.
"Ah, very good, I'll go tell your mother." Grandpa left, muttering something about illnesses.
After he left I had the opportunity to think about what I had just said. I told him I loved ramen. Then that made me think about Inuyasha, which got me depressed all over again. What a fool I was to think he really cared about me. How could I have been so blind as to not see what was going on right in front of me?
Then what Souta said came back to me. I stood up, stretched, and drug my incoherent body over to my desk where a crisp white envelope sat propped up against my math book. I blinked owlishly at it for a moment before deciding it really was Inuyasha's neat all-caps writing my name was written in. I scowled but pulled out the sheet of paper.
Kagome:
I'm not a perfect person. There's many things I wish I didn't do, but I continue learning. I never meant to do those things to you, and so I have to say before I go, that I just want you to know. I've found a reason for me to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new and the reason is you.
I'm sorry that I hurt you; It's something I must live with everyday, and all the pain I put you through, I wish that I could take it all away. And be the one who catches all your tears. That's why i need you to hear.
I'm not a perfect person. I never meant to do those things to you. I just want you to know: I've found a reason for me to change who I used to be. The reason is you, Kagome. I've found a reason to show everyone a side of me they didn't know. A reason for all that I do, and the reason is you.
I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, Kagome. I made a mistake. I never thought losing you would be so bad. I was stupid. I hope you can forgive me. I love you, Kagome. I've decided to become a better person because you deserve that. You deserve someone who will treat you right, who won't be fickle or careless. I want to change everything. I hope you read this letter and realize that you're my reason I want to change.
Love: InuYasha
I sat down on my bed, the letter still clutched in my hands, which were shaking. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until my chest cried out in scandalous protest. I took deep shuddering breaths before reading the letter over again. I set the slip of paper carefully beside me and promptly started to cry.

First, I feel that I must apologize for the very long delay in updating. I was so stuck with a daft writer's block. I mean, I knew what I wanted to say, but I couldn't make it come out right on paper. Thankfully, my wonderful reviewers {you} encouraged {even threatened} me to get on with it.
Secondly, I am apologizing for the fact that this is also one of the shortest chapters I've written for this fic. As a compromise, I will make the next chapter longer and fluffier and what not.
Thirdly, thanks to NefCanuck for saying that you read it all in one sitting. That made me feel like a totally awesome writer!
Fourthly, I don't own "The Reason" lyrics or anything, I'm just borrowing them. In the story they aren't lyrics, just Inu's letter. I also changed some things around and omitted words/phrases/etc. you get the point.
And Lastly, {I swear} so far I have a grand total of *counts* 2? people who want the one-shot? I'm asking for ten, so it's up to you guys. Let's see... I think that's it. If I'm missing anything, SORRY! Oh, yeah. THANK YOU ALL MY REVIEWERS AND READERS!!!