It Started With A Kiss
By: Queen Beryl
Chapter Thirteen: Round Two - Knock Out!
Now it was just getting ridiculous. No, seriously. As if the flyers weren't enough, Kouga left flowers on my doorstep every morning, chocolate kisses in my locker, love notes everywhere I looked, amongst other things.
I had to say, if this was a real battle, Inuyasha would be losing right now. Big time. So far, the only thing he'd done is punch lockers in anger and glare at Kouga whenever the two happened to glance at the other. We hadn't spoken too much either. Part of me couldn't figure out why he just didn't attempt to whisk me off my feet and carry me off to a palace or something, but the other part was stubborn and said that it didn't matter if he did or not; I wouldn't be baited so easily.
"I just don't get it!" I finally confessed to Sango, who had just gotten off her combination date and class assignment with Miroku. They were having "marital troubles" that needed to be resolved. Inuyasha and I were having real troubles of our own on top of that. I had gone over to his house just for the assignment. I stayed as short of a time as possible, but even then we ended up fighting.
"What don't you get?" Sango asked, forcing me from my recollection.
"Inuyasha!" I spat, as though it were the top concern on everyone's list at the present moment.
"Nobody gets Inuyasha." Sango agreed. "He's too confusing."
"Why doesn't he try to do something? Anything?!" I pounded my fists angrily on the table, accomplishing nothing except pain shooting through my hands. I glared at the table.
"He's a high school boy. That should explain everything." Sango plopped down on her couch and stretched out with a smile on her face. "Miroku is so wonderful."
I didn't bother to say anything. She went on a nice long monologue about how great Miroku was. Thanks for listening, Sango. After about an hour of that, I was at my wits' end and I needed some air.
"I'm gonna go. I'll see ya at school tomorrow, okay?" I stood up the moment she paused for a breath.
"Oh, sure. I'll see ya!" Sango called as I exited the house. I breathed a sigh of relief and let my shoulders slump against her door momentarily. There was nobody I could turn to! I felt so utterly alo-
"Kagome? Is that you?" The car driving by had slowed down and its driver had rolled down the automatic window on the passenger side.
"Miroku? Didn't you just leave Sango's presence?" I jogged over to the car and leaned on the door.
"Yeah. I was on my way to Shippo's house." Miroku explained. "Hop in."
"I was just going to walk home…"
"It's already dark. You might get molested by some stranger." Miroku unlocked the door. I entered the vehicle with misgiving.
"Better a stranger than someone I know." I replied pointedly. Miroku wiggled his eyebrows and laughed.
"I've been getting better at… containing myself, if you will. Now that I have my beloved Sango, I don't need to touch-"
"Harass." I interjected.
"-anyone else." Miroku finished without missing a beat.
"Well, I'm sure that's a comfort to me. Now poor Sango will have all the 'touching' to herself. I'm sure she's excited." I joked, putting on my seatbelt as we headed off. Miroku cleared his throat, but didn't say anything. He started fidgeting just enough to begin to irritate me.
"What is it?" I demanded after I could stand the very uncomfortable silence no more.
"Are you still angry with Inuyasha?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You can't be serious?!" I burst out, whipping around to face him. "He cheated on me! Do you not understand that concept? He was caught, by me no less, kissing all over that Kikyo girl! And he won't attempt to win me back from Kouga!"
"So Kouga is swaying you, then?" Miroku asked, keeping his eyes on the road. I wanted to hit him. Why were men so… stupid?
"No, he's not. It's just… oh why am I bothering to talk to you about this anyway?" I slumped back against the seat, tears forming in my dark eyes. I angrily brushed any that dared to fall away from my cheeks.
"Here, take this." Miroku pulled out some napkins and proffered them to me. I stubbornly stared at them for a moment before accepting them.
"T-thank you."
"He still cares about you a lot." Miroku stated as we were stopped at a red light. I blew my nose and looked at him.
"He has a funny way of showing it. Didn't he tell you we fought today… again?" I laughed bitterly and stared out the window.
"Inuyasha is still in the mindset of being in elementary school. He annoys the girls he likes." Miroku paused, either letting the information sink in or just allowed the silence to float on.
We sped on toward Shippo's house in relative silence before Miroku cleared his throat again.
"I think there's something you should know, Kagome." He said as he pulled in front of Shippo's house. He stopped the car, but made no move to get out. It was really quite scary and unnerving to see him act so serious.
"Is it bad?" I asked tentatively.
"Inuyasha, even through he's developed the reputation of a play boy, has never cheated on any of the women he's dated. This is an all new concept, and there's only one reason why he's doing it. Kikyo."
"I could have told you that." I took off my seatbelt and was about to get out, but Miroku grabbed my hand.
"It's still not what you think, Kagome. I mean, it's her fault he cheated on you."
"Oh, yeah, he's just an innocent bystander, right?" I snorted.
"She tricked him into it."
"What, she pretended to be me, then, did she?" I raised an eyebrow at Miroku. Miroku shook his head.
"Did you know that Kikyo was Inuyasha's ex-girlfriend?" Miroku tried a different route.
"What?!" I exclaimed. "But when they first met… and even afterward, it was as though he'd never seen her before in his life!"
"He had to pretend he didn't know her. He also wasn't exactly sure it was her. When he heard she was from Kyoto, though, he knew. Look, Kagome, I'm his best friend; he tells me everything. I was around when she was… long ago."
"But I've liked him since the sixth grade, Miroku. Don't you think I would have noticed if he'd had a girlfriend that looked exactly like me?"
"But were you stalking him during the summer of eighth grade year?"
"Well, no…"
"Right after school let out, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Rin, and I all went to Kyoto. Sesshoumaru went for a business trip, but said we could come along as well, so we did. We weren't there for more than a day and a half before we met her. She wormed her way into his heart. I caught on early that she was only flittering around him for his money and status. I tried warning him, but he kept going on about how beautiful she was and how devoted she was and whatever. She made him promise they'd be together forever and all that romantic crap. Well, you know Inuyasha and his promises….
"Well, soon the business part of the trip was over, so we were scheduled to come back here. So to make sure that they'd never truly part, she also made him promise that if she ever met him again, he would do anything. Now, that's a pretty vague promise, don't you think?" Miroku finally paused, waiting for me to say something. I just sat there, drinking this story in.
"Anyway, he promised it, without so much as batting an eye. Now he's paying for it. Kikyo demanded he stay away from you. She's so money- and power-hungry that she'll stop at nothing. I'm afraid she's going to ruin his life. I… felt that I had to tell you. I know you two care about each other quite a bit. I want you two to be together."
I just sat there, completely astounded at this newfound revelation. I hadn't known anything about any of this. It explained a lot, and I did know about Inuyasha's obsession with always keeping his promises, no matter what. I had to find a loophole! I had to get him out of this mess!
"What can I do?" I asked desperately. Miroku ran a hand through his black hair and shrugged.
"I have no idea. Shippo's the smart one, other than Inuyasha, of course, but he'll know what to do. That's essentially why I'm here. I'm just lucky I bumped into you on the way over." Miroku finally stepped out of his car. I followed suit and headed up Shippo's flagstone walkway.
"Shippo? But you know Shippo hates my guts." I said, standing next to Miroku on the doorstep. Shippo was going to be valedictorian in his year. He was in eleventh grade, just behind us, but he still managed to be insanely popular with everyone. He mostly hung out with the chess club members, but he was a frequent friend of Miroku and Inuyasha. Well, mostly Miroku; Inuyasha couldn't exactly stand Shippo.
"That's not exactly true." Miroku chuckled as he rang the doorbell. I gazed up at him, unable to fathom what the heck he was talking about.
"Who is it?" I girlish voice called from the other side of the door.
"Shippo, it's Miroku… and Kagome." Miroku grinned at the closed door. The door quickly swung open and there stood the brown-haired, green-eyed underclassman.
"K-Kagome!" Shippo's voice went a tad higher, and he smiled at me. "Please, come in."
"Thanks." I entered with Miroku, who pulled me over to the living room as though he'd owned the place.
"Alright, Shippo, stop ogling over Kagome and give us advice. You know why I'm here; I just picked up Kagome on the way." Miroku got down to business, which made me double-take. That was two serious moments in one night… something wasn't right.
"I-I wasn't ogling…." Shippo's cheeks turned red and he sat down on the sofa across from where I was seated next to Miroku. I was concentrating on the oddity of the situation and had let my guard down. That's when Miroku struck; his hand was all-too-suddenly on my backside.
"Pervert!" I yelled and slapped him, knocking him off the couch. Shippo laughed momentarily, and Miroku groaned.
"It slipped!"
"Yeah right. Sit over there. No, no! That's too close." I scooted to the opposite end of the couch, making sure he stayed at his end.
"Let's get to the point, Miroku, and stop harassing Kagome." Shippo leaned back and waited.
"Well, we want your advice. I told Kagome what was going on, and now we need advice."
"How many people know about this thing in Kyoto?" I demanded. Why was I always the last to know these crucial things?
"Just Inuyasha, Miroku, you and me." Shippo nodded. "Miroku would have told more people, but Inuyasha threatened to ground him into dust. He wasn't at all thrilled when I found out, either."
"I could only imagine. Well, could you help me out, Shippo? What do I do?"
"I never expected you to put your faith in me so quickly." Shippo blushed and smiled. "There are several options, many of which involve hair loss and bruising to Kikyo."
"Can there be mud?" Miroku's ears perked up. I sent him the dirtiest look I could muster. Shippo just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Another option includes running away with Inuyasha. The best thing I could come up with, however, was to confront Inuyasha about the situation and make him realize that he promised to do anything, not everything, for Kikyo."
I sat there for a second, soaking it in like a sponge. By the stars above, Shippo was right!
"You're right!" I exclaimed, standing up. "You're absolutely right! Oh, Shippo, you're a genius!" I hugged him tight.
"Come on, Kagome, you're making him blush." Miroku arose and pulled me toward the front door. Sure enough, Shippo was beet red and eyes adverted to the window.
"Thank you so much, Shippo!" I called as Miroku exited the house.
"A-anytime, Kagome. Heh, anytime." Shippo waved as we headed outside.
"See, I told you Shippo didn't hate you." Miroku wiggled his eyebrows and grinned wildly.
"He's a sweet boy."
"That's not what I meant, but never mind. Shall I take you home now?"
"Yeah, and if you even think about moving that hand any closer to my butt, you'll pull back a bloodied stump." I warned.
"You had a piece of fuzz on your jeans, I swear." Miroku hopped into his car with a defensive air. Some men would never learn.
"Come on, Kagome, I've given you so many things and what has he given you? Has he even done anything for you?" Kouga asked as I sat at the usual table in the cafeteria. He was sitting next to me, quite close, and Inuyasha wasn't even around. Other than class, I hadn't seen him at all. I figured he was avoiding me, but I desperately needed to speak with him now.
"Kouga, we've been through this. I don't feel for you any more. I lack any affection toward you whatsoever, and what you're doing is wrong. I refuse to be swayed by your 'chivalry' or your forcefulness. I still care about Inuyasha, though, and there's no way around that."
"So… are you two back together?" Kouga asked, hope in his voice that his question would be replied in the negative.
"If you'd leave her alone and give me a moment, yes." Inuyasha's voice came out from behind me. I jumped, as I had not expected him or his words, but Kouga remained calm, though rigid.
"I see." Kouga's voice was crisp; he'd finally recognized his defeat. "It seems I've lost."
"Yes you have." Inuyasha stated smugly. "Kagome, come with me, please?"
I left behind Kouga and Sango and Miroku, the latter two had just arrived, but I was sure Kouga would be thoughtful in his telling of defeat. Well, maybe. We exited the cafeteria toward the school parking lot.
"We really need to talk." Both of us said at the same time when we'd come to a stop.
"You go first." Inuyasha nodded. I was about to protest, but I decided it would be easier for both of us if I just got it out.
"Thank you. Inuyasha… I know everything about your promise with Kikyo and the trip to Kyoto and everything else." I paused, watching his eyebrows ascend in surprise. "And I wanted to point out to you that you promised to do anything for her… not everything for her. I don't think it's right or fair what she's doing to you, and I'll help in any way possible."
"You… know?" He asked stupidly. I nodded solemnly. Perhaps he was going to be mad at Miroku for telling me? Maybe he was mad at me for knowing? He suddenly reached out and pulled me into an extremely tight hug.
"I was just going to tell you everything. Oh, Kagome, I'm so sorry." He kept his arms around me, his face in my raven hair. "I couldn't tell you before, because I was ashamed… I still am. She… she… and I-"
"I know, and it's okay."
"No it's not. I was stupid and blinded by what I thought was love… but I realize now that what I was feeling wasn't love."
"What are you trying to say?" I could feel my cheeks lighting up and I was so grateful that he couldn't see my face.
"I… uh… well, you know." Inuyasha seemed extremely flustered.
"No, I don't know." I teased, determined to get him to make some admittance.
"I… really, really like you." Inuyasha seemed to think that he'd escaped something.
"Oh… well then, Kouga really, really likes me too, you know."
"But he doesn't love you!" He exclaimed, holding my shoulders at arms length.
"Well neither do you."
"Yes I do!" Inuyasha had exclaimed before he could prevent himself from doing so. He looked both shocked and bothered that he'd admitted such a thing and looked over my shoulder.
"Well, it's about time you admit it." I cupped his face with my hands. "You're so sweet."
"I'm a jerk."
"Well, I'm glad you've finally realized that." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips. Kouga was knocked out in Round Two of the Battle for Kagome… and I don't feel the least bit sorry.
Oh, thank you so much to all of my reviewers! The compliments… I'm overwhelmed! I loved them! Hehehe! Man, you guys are so awesome! Oh wow, I don't even have words to say! ,, Okay, well, maybe a couple:
Big thanks to Mystic Hanyou for the suggestions.
To I love Kouga: who knows? It could be either way at this point… hehehe.
To foxfire730: I'll let you know when I update. Thanks so much for the wonderfulness!
To thecritical: Thanks so much! I try my best at grammar and punctuation because stories that are poor in that area tend to bother me.
To iceberglettice: not just yet. The weeks are passing quickly though! There's about a week left. Dun, dun, dun!
To Chrisy12: I wouldn't have stopped, just… kept putting it off… for a long time… sigh Anyway, thanks a ton!
To Story Weaver1: HEHEHE, I agree. Poor warped fool….