Authors' Notes: Bah, came down with some sort of bug this weekend. I'm sure going to work and school the whole time didn't help it either. Fortunately I napped and feel mucho better now. Hopefully I'll get 2 chapters done this week…we shall see…

Coming Together

Chapter 3

As Inuyasha sat watching the scene, his mind raced with thoughts, one standing out over all others:

'What the hell?'

He never was very articulate…

Kagome was sure she was blushing from head to toe. Her first kiss! As Hojo looked down at her shyly she couldn't help but avoid his eye, she was speechless at the moment.

"Well Higurashi…goodnight." Hojo turned away and bound down the stairs, happier than he had been in a long time.

Kagome leaned against the Sacred Tree for a moment, her hands to her lips in a thoughtful expression.

'My first kiss…'

Inuyasha's anger had quickly turned into shock when the boy planted one squarely on Kagome…

His Kagome.

As he tried to calm his racing heart, he found something else taking over him completely, something sad that he didn't particularly want to deal with. Growling, he bound off his perch in the tree Kagome was standing under and tried to disappear into the well.

'Keh! So this is what she does behind my back…'

Before he jumped into the well, he turned with sorrow filled eyes towards the girl he was leaving behind.

"Kagome…"

And with that, he leaped down into the dark well.

Kagome lay in bed later that night, going over the kiss again and again in her head. It seemed a bit over-dramatic, but hey, a first kiss is something you don't forget.

Even if you had hoped that first kiss was going to be given by someone else…

'Oh stop it! He's already got-' she sighed before her thoughts ran away with her to a place she didn't want to go 'Give it up girl-he's not even looking in your direction. No matter what you do you'll always just be…there.'

What was worse, she could have sworn she had seen a blur of red and felt his aura right afterwards, but perhaps that was just her mind's wishful thinking. Her life wasn't some sort of pathetic drama show, or worse: fanfiction. He wasn't going to see one guy kiss her and then BAM! realize that she was 'the one' for him.

'Pffffttttt-I would be so lucky…'

When has she fallen in love with Inuyasha anyway? It happened so unexpectedly. One minute she couldn't stand him, the next she was scared to death some giant spider was going to eat him. But was she really in love with him then? Or was she simply scared for a dear friend?

What about the battle with the thunder brothers? She had risked her life then for him and Shippou. Maybe she was, but the moment it really became clear to her was that time she was pinned to the tree. She was unable to move or speak, and she was just sitting there…watching…

"Maybe I'll just go back tomorrow," she said aloud, trying to stop her line of thinking.

Turning over, she tried to catch some sleep.

Inuyasha had grabbed a hold of his anger again before coming out on the other side of the well. There was no way in hell he was talking to anyone tonight; maybe he could just avoid everyone until this whole thing just blew-

"Hey! I thought you were bringing Kagome back," yelled a tiny kitsune.

Or he could just hit Shippou to relieve some stress.

"She doesn't want to some back yet runt," he countered, half-heartidly swining and missing said runt. His heart just wasn't in it tonight. Hell, his heart wasn't much of anything tonight…

"Yeah right! You never let her stay when she wants to you meanie! I'll bet you got into another fight with her and she doesn't want to be with you anymore!"

Any retort Inuyasha had crumbled as his shoulders and ears drooped. It wasn't meant to be such a blow, but what did the dumb kit know? Turning around, Inuyasha decided to take the long way to the Sacred Tree, just wanting to be away from everyone.

Shippou wasn't dumb, he knew he had crossed a line. But what could have happened to have someone like Inuyasha look so…depressed?

"Inuyasha…?"

"Save it. Get outta here runt," came the tired reply.

Shippou ran off to the village to seek some professional help on his mystery while Inuyasha was left to once again sulk about his favorite subject.

('…she doesn't want to be with you anymore!')

He knew it was ridiculous to think. She was Kagome. She worried about the cuts he got in battle, never mind that he healed up the next day. She always wanted to bandage them with her stupid medicines. She introduced him to ramen, she was his best friend she

'Kissed another boy..'

He shook his head to get rid of the thought. She wouldn't leave him would she? An image of Kagome surfaced in his mind from what seemed like a lifetime ago.

('I'll always be by your side…')

He sighed and stared at the moon. It would only be a few nights until he was human again. Then he'd be totally worthless to Kagome. He wouldn't even be able to protect her.

It was just as well he didn't pursue her (not that he wanted to). He couldn't afford a luxury like being with her. He didn't even know if he would make it out alive in his current situation.

He had promised Kikyo that he'd go to hell with her. She had told him once that their paths were starting to turn away from each other, but who knew what she meant by that? She may still want his life, and by his reasoning, she had every right to it.

And even before he considered that, he had to live through battling Naraku. Not that he was worried or anything, but in case that slimy bastard did something tricksy , how could he profess his love to Kagome and then die on her?

Not that he did love her or anything…

He had decided she wasn't all that bad when she helped him with the nasty hair demon. He had forgotten when exactly he realized that her scent made him relaxed and feel at home, but he did remember getting really pissed about it.

The last thing he wanted to do was get attached again to another person. The last time had gotten him pinned to some damn tree, and he figured Kagome would be no different.

How wrong he was.

With her cheerful personality, friendship, and a short skirt that didn't exactly hurt matters, he had fallen for her before you could say ear tweak.

'Just as well she found someone else' he thought dejectedly to him self, 'it was only a matter of time I guess. She deserves someone who can love her back without hesitation. I just wish…'

If only it were him.

Back at Kaede's village, Shippou was reporting the strange behavior of their companion over dinner.

"You're sure that's what happened?" asked Sango.

"Yeah! He was really upset about something, it just had to be Kagome!"

Sango looked puzzled, "They might have argued, but he wouldn't normally be so upset about something that petty."

"She must've really done something to have upset him that bad," said Miroku sagely while sipping his stew.

Shippou puffed up a little, "Serves him right! He's always hurting her feelings! Maybe she finally figured out what a two-timer he is and dumped him!"

Shippou wasn't entirely sure what all those words meant but it seemed to fit.

Sango didn't seem as convinced, "Do you really think Kagome would just give up so easily?"

Miroku sighed and put down his bowl, "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happened once Kagome gets back."

Author's Notes:

Chapter 3-woot!

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