Disclaimer: I own no one.

Author's Note: I AM SOOOOOO SORRY! You all hate me, don't you? It's just that for awhile I lost interest in this story. But, now I'm back because I've missed my romance story. So, here you go! Chapter ten. I apologize immensely for leaving you hanging. This chapter isn't incredibly long, but I thought I'd put it up to get you to forgive me. I'll try to get the next one up soon. The ending is stupid, but please forgive me for that as well. Sorry again.

Well, I'll let you read. Please review. SilverRose88

Chapter Ten

"You apologized, right? That's good," Miroku said.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I'm glad we're not fighting. I hate it when we do,"

"Aww, isn't that cute," Miroku cooed.

"Shut up," Inuyasha snapped, though he blushed a little. "It's not like that,"

"Mmmhm," Miroku said skeptically. "…So, what are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku sighed exaggeratedly. "I mean, what are you and Kagome going to do now? If you've apologized, you should, I dunno, go forward, I guess,"

"Okay…then, I suppose we'll just talk,"

"About what?"

"…I don't know. School, classes, life…"

"Very interesting," Miroku said sarcastically. "Why don't you ask her to dance?"

Inuyasha almost choked. "W-Wh-What?" he sputtered.

"Why don't you ask Kagome to dance?" Miroku repeated more slowly this time as though he was speaking to a kindergartener.

"B-But, I-I-she-she…I don't dance," he decided as an excuse.

"But you can. You're a good dancer, I've seen you dance," Miroku said.

"So? I-I don't think Kagome…wants to…dance…"

"She's a girl. All girls love to dance,"

"…"

"Whatever. I give up," Miroku said.

They returned to the table, and after Sango had gotten her thirst quenched, she and Miroku returned to the dance floor, leaving Kagome and Inuyasha alone. Again.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha, who was staring at the dance floor, and sighed. She rested her chin in her hand and turned to watch the couples moving about on the floor. She quickly found Sango and Miroku and smiled to herself, slowly humming to the music.

Inuyasha glanced sideways at Kagome and noticed the way she was watching the people dancing. There was longing in her eyes. Inuyasha sighed. "…Kagome, do you want to dance?" he asked quietly.

Kagome spun to face him. "W-What?"

"Want to dance?" he asked, staring right at her.

Kagome blushed from his offer and at the sudden intense way he was watching her. "Well, if you don't mind,"

"I asked, didn't I?" Inuyasha laughed. "Come on," He stood and grabbed Kagome's hand, surprised at it's warmth. Once on the dance floor, the music suddenly changed to a slow song, and Inuyasha at first wasn't sure if this was okay. But, he slid an arm around Kagome's waist anyway, and pulled her close. Kagome hooked her arms around his neck, and together they moved slowly to the beat of the music.

Kagome could feel and hear her heart pounding crazily in her chest and wondered how Inuyasha didn't notice it. She began to wonder if this was a good idea. How could she be so close to him knowing what she felt about him and how he didn't feel about her. He still loved Kikyo, Kagome was sure about that, and because of that she knew there was nothing that could ever happen between them. And, she had Koga now.

"You seem really quiet. Something on your mind?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, shaking Kagome from her thoughts.

She glanced up at him and shook her head lightly. "Not really, sorry,"

"You don't have to apologize stupid,"

"Who are you calling stupid?"

"So, who were you thinking about?"

"What makes you think I was thinking about someone?"

"Weren't you?"

"…Maybe,"

"I knew it. Come on, spill. Who's on your mind?"

Kagome bit her tongue to prevent herself from spurting out his name. She reeled her brain and said the next thing that came to mind. "Oh, I was just thinking about how Koga loves to dance,"

Inuyasha practically froze in the middle of the dance. He felt the anger boil in him. "O-Oh…does he now?"

"Yeah. We go dancing all the time. He's a wonderful dancer, too," Kagome said. She noticed how Inuyasha's arm around her waist began to tighten.

"…The two of you are really close, huh?"

"I guess you could say that,"

"What does that mean? Aren't you engaged to him?"

"I know that," Kagome said. It's just that I'd rather be with you. "Koga's great,"

What's so great about that bastard? "I'll take your word for it," Inuyasha said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"…How did you and Kikyo, um, you know, break up?" Kagome asked quietly.

A bit surprised, Inuyasha took a moment to think before replying, "Oh, well, she dumped me,"

"What! Why?" Kagome exclaimed. How could she? That witch.

"I-I don't feel like explaining right now, Kagome," Inuyasha said, looking away.

"O-Oh," Kagome replied.

Inuyasha noticed the upset tone in her voice and said quickly, "Well, m-maybe not the main part. Even I don't really know why she left, but she did give some tiny reasons,"

"Like what?"

"Like how I spent a lot of my time looking for you," Inuyasha replied, staring straight at her.

Kagome felt herself blush, heat radiating in her cheeks.

When she didn't reply, Inuyasha continued, "She said she was getting annoyed with it, but I kept telling her you're my best friend. I couldn't just let you get away,"

"You spent all that time looking for me…but when we finally meet again, you blow up," Kagome said.

Inuyasha laughed slightly. "Of course I blew up! What do you take me for Kagome? You just walked away. I was pissed,"

Kagome looked away and didn't answer.

"I-It hurt you know,"

Kagome nodded.

"Why did you leave?"

Kagome didn't answer.

"Kagome? Please tell me. Why did you leave?"

Kagome looked up at him, finally meeting his gaze, but then shook her head and back out of his grasp. "I-I'm sorry, I-I just can't," And with that, she spun on her heel and ran off the dance floor, and disappeared into the crowd.

Inuyasha stood on the floor for a moment before realizing what had happened. He then ran after Kagome, shoving his way through the mass of people. He saw her running towards the ocean, and chased behind her.

"What did he do?" Miroku asked as he saw Inuyasha run after Kagome.

"If he did anything to hurt her, I'll hurt him and you," Sango warned.

"Why me?"

"Because you're in on this too,"

"N-No I'm not! I'm as innocent as a lamb!"

"Just shut up," Sango said. "…And, don't touch me!" She slapped him.

"O-Oh, ow…"

I'm so stupid. Why did I just run away like that? Damn it all. Kagome shook her head and hugged her legs to her chest, sitting and staring at the fathomless ocean. I hate this. God, it's so hard to be by him. Knowing my feelings for him aren't reciprocated. They will never be reciprocated. I'm so stupid to be doing this. I-I tried to get away and he's come back…I can't take much more of this. My heart will burst…

"Kagome!"

Oh, no, he found me…Kagome ignored Inuyasha's call and continued to stare at the ocean. Maybe he'll leave me alone.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha said again, this time standing right beside her. When she didn't answer, he sat down.

Guess that didn't work.

"Why did you run off?" Inuyasha asked, turning to look at her.

Kagome shrugged. "I just didn't feel like dancing anymore," she lied.

He didn't buy that for one second. "Kagome, answer me. The truth, if you don't mind,"

"But I do mind,"

"Kagome! What is wrong?" Inuyasha said. He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "Please, tell me what's going on,"

"I just can't, okay?" she replied. "Don't ask anymore,"

"I can't help it. You're annoying me,"

"And you're annoying me! Just leave me alone,"

"I won't Kagome. I'm not taking that chance again. Last time you ran away. I'm letting you do that another time,"

"I didn't run away. I went to college,"

"Before graduating from our high school? Without telling anyone? Without telling me?" Inuyasha asked.

"I-I…" Kagome began but couldn't find the right words to say.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said pleadingly.

She turned to look at him, and saw sudden pain and agony in his eyes. Had her leaving affected him that much? Why did she matter? He had Kikyo. What did she matter? She looked away, unable to bear the emotions in his eyes.

"Look at me, damn it," Inuyasha said sternly, his grip on her arm tightening. "Tell me why you left,"

"I told you, I just can't," Kagome insisted.

Inuyasha sighed, and he let go of his grip on her arm. He turned and faced the ocean, watching the waves meet the sand.

Kagome sighed inwardly, glad he'd dropped the subject. There was no way she could ever tell him the truth about why she left. That was something she planned to take with her to her grave.

"…I didn't know what to do," Inuyasha said after a moment of silence.

"What?" Kagome said, not understanding. She turned to him.

"I-I didn't know what to do," Inuyasha repeated. "You just took off, without so much as an explanation, and it left me wondering. I was angry at the world. I was angry at myself for not being there. Obviously something was going on with you and I didn't know about it. And, that made me just feel…depressed,"

He was that affected? But why? This doesn't make any sense.

"I wondered for a long time if someone had done something to you. Then, I wondered if that someone was me," Inuyasha sighed, and shook his head. "No matter how hard I tried to understand the situation, I just got more confused. I just didn't care anymore. My best friend had just got up and left, and I felt…empty,"

What? Kagome thought. My leaving hurt him that much? It hurt me to leave, but I never assumed he'd hurt so much…

"I tried looking for you. I tried thinking of what I'd done wrong. I tried, but I didn't get any answers," Inuyasha continued. He then turned to Kagome, and said, staring deeply into her brown eyes, "Please, tell me. I-I need to know. Was it something I did?"

Kagome didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell him the truth. And, it wasn't his fault anyway. It wasn't his choice to fall in love with Kikyo. Love isn't assigned. It just happens. He just fell in love with her the same way she'd fallen in love with him. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't hers either; though she did have more fault. She had left because she couldn't handle being around him. She was a coward. She had run the moment he'd denied her love by loving Kikyo. She hadn't even given a reason. And now, he wanted one, and Kagome didn't know what to say.

"I-I-Inuyasha…don't ask any more of me. It's too hard to talk about…" Kagome said, looking away. She stared at the sand next to her, blinking back tears. Her heart was tightening in her chest. She couldn't take any more of this. It was too hard. She knew she could only ever love Inuyasha. She could only ever want to be with him. Leaving had been hard. Seeing him again was even harder. Accepting the fact he loved Kikyo, and she was now engaged to Koga was the hardest. Kagome sniffed, and couldn't stop the tears from flowing. It hurt so much. It hurt to see him, talk to him, be with him. Know that he didn't love her. Know that her feelings would never be returned. She was all alone.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said, reaching a hand over and catching her cheek, turning her to face him. She shuddered from the warmth of his touch. He saw the tears in her eyes and his heart went out to her. He leaned closer and felt his heart skip a beat. Despite her tears, she looked…beautiful.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said. No, please, don't look at me like that. I-I can't take it. My heart won't last any longer. I-I'll blurt out the words. The words that will only complicate things more. God, don't do this to me. I-I can't tell him I love him.

"Kagome, I-I'm sorry," Inuyasha said, moving closer still. "Please don't cry," He wiped her tears with his thumb, and Kagome sighed breathlessly.

"I-I can't tell you…" Kagome said quietly, staring at him, their eyes locked. "I just can't,"

"I know," he said. "But, I told you, you can tell me everything, Kagome, and I meant it. Don't run away from me anymore,"

His face is so close…he's right there…what's going on? I can't do this, I can't handle this! "In-Inuyasha?" Kagome asked cautiously. He was so close. She saw his gaze flick towards her lips and felt her heart hammer. No…please, I can't take this…

"Don't run away again, please. Don't leave me, Kagome," Inuyasha said before closing the small space between them in a soft chaste kiss on the lips.

Kagome felt a tear slide down her cheek as she kissed him back, her affection taking over. This was what she'd wanted for a long time. This was what she'd ached for, wished for, needed, and desired. This was how she wanted it to be. Just her, and Inuyasha. But, it hit home a moment later. They were kissing. And, even though she wished for this, she knew that Inuyasha didn't want it. Something was wrong.

Kagome pushed him away, and gasped for breath.

Inuyasha licked his lips and stared at her, surprised.

"I-I…" Kagome began, cautiously touching her lips. This wasn't right. Why would he have kissed her? This was something Kagome would do to him. That made more sense. W-Why would he come onto her? Kagome felt her eyes swell with tears as she realized what must have been going through his head. "I-I'm not Kikyo," she said and abruptly got to her feet and ran off once again, leaving a bewildered and frustrated Inuyasha behind.

Inuyasha dropped his face into his hands, and ran his hand through his hair. He stared at the ocean again, and sighed, breathing in the clear air of the beach. I'm not Kikyo… Kagome's words echoed in his mind, and his heart.

"I know that…" he whispered silently to the wind.

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"You did what!"

"I-I kissed her…" Inuyasha replied glumly.

"WHY?" Miroku demanded.

"I don't know,"

"Liar,"

"Listen, you moron, I don't know why I kissed her," Inuyasha said. "She…just…I don't like Kagome in that way. I love Kikyo, and yet…"

"Ooh, you've gone astray! Loving one girl, yet kissing another! Tsk, tsk, tsk--hey, ow!" Miroku exclaimed.

"Idiot! I'm not like you! I-I don't know what came over me," Inuyasha said.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Miroku asked, rubbing his head. "You're going to have to talk to her sooner or later,"

"But after this, I don't think she'll ever want to talk to me again. After I kissed her she said, I'm not Kikyo, and ran off," Inuyasha sighed. "What did she mean by that?"

"Um…Maybe that she's not Kikyo?" Miroku replied obviously.

Inuyasha glared at him.

"Come on! It's easy to understand. She thinks you kissed her because you thought she was Kikyo," Miroku explained. "But, I don't see where she got that from. She and Kikyo are so different. Kikyo's all cold and passive, while Kagome's cheerful and lively. There's such a big difference. And, anyone can tell Kagome's the better person too, it's so impossible to hate her. She's so nice and innocent and pure…Kikyo's more mature, and I don't know, evil,"

"Kikyo's not evil!" Inuyasha practically roared. "Don't talk about her like that!"

"Sorry, but I'm just stating what I see. You know I've never really liked Kikyo,"

"Doesn't mean you can say crap things about her,"

Miroku shrugged. "Whatever. I'm just giving you my opinion. You're the one with the problem. You say you love Kikyo, yet you kissed Kagome…hmm, curious," And, with his advice done, he walked down the hall and disappeared into one of the rooms.

Inuyasha sighed and slumped against the couch until he was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. What was going on? What unearthly force had compelled him to kiss Kagome? Especially since he was in love with Kikyo. He knew that. It wasn't something that would just go away, but yet here he was two days after kissing another girl. And not just any girl. But a girl he'd known for a long time. A girl who'd come to be his best and closest friend. A girl that was lively and cheerful; feisty and stubborn; smart and kind. A girl that was bright and beautiful in so many different ways.

Kagome.

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Kagome reveled in the way she had things to occupy her time, and mind. She was taking summer classes, and those took up most of her day. She had her job at the restaurant with Sango, and she had Koga. She smiled at the thought of her fiancée who always spend his time making her happy. He was able to take Kagome's mind away from the things that bothered her, and being with him let herself go loose. And, Kagome really needed to let loose. Now, more than ever. She was having such a hard time coming to terms with what had happened, that sometimes she would just break down and cry because it made the whole situation seem surreal. But, no matter how much she escaped reality, it always came back ten times stronger. Kagome was just glad to have things to do to keep her mind away from thinking about him, and that one day.

Because she'd been spending time not thinking about those things, she received a big shock when the first person she saw after her last class was none other than Inuyasha. He was waiting right outside the door, sitting on a bench, casually just looking around the hall.

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome stammered, gaping at him.

"Oh, there you are! I was wondering how much longer it was going to take," Inuyasha said.

"W-What are you doing here?" Kagome exclaimed.

"I came to talk to you," he replied simply. Then, shrugged and said, "It's been a week since I saw you, so I thought maybe we could go see a movie or something,"

"H-How did you even know this was my class?"

"Sango told me,"

"B-But…"

"So, are you in or not Kagome?"

"I-I--"

"Kagome, what are you doing?" called a voice.

Kagome cringed slightly at the inappropriate moment for Koga to call her. She turned and smiled at her fiancée. "Hey Koga," she said.

Koga grinned at her, and slid an arm protectively around her waist, holding her close to his side. "Ready to go?" he asked her.

"Um, just a second…" she said, and nodded towards Inuyasha, who looked positively livid at the sight in front of him. "Um, y-you remember my-my friend…Inuyasha…"

"Right," Koga said through clenched teeth. "How are you?" he asked, trying to impress Kagome with his kindness.

Inuyasha ignored him and turned to Kagome. "Well, are you coming?" he asked her.

"Kagome? Are you going with him? We have plans," Koga said, sounding hurt.

"No, Koga, I'm not," she said. Turning to Inuyasha, she told him, "I'm sorry, but I can't go with you today. I-I've already got plans with Koga,"

"What plans?" Inuyasha demanded.

"W-Well, we're--"

"Going over wedding details," Koga interjected.

"Wedding details?" Inuyasha repeated angrily.

"Y-Yeah…" Kagome said. "We just want to get a head start…"

"I see," Inuyasha said. "Well, then, I'll just leave you to it. Have fun," he said sarcastically, and then turned to leave.

"Ah, wait, Inuyasha!" Kagome said, quickly, now acting on impulse.

Inuyasha turned to her, a bit surprised. "What?"

"I-I…I'll call you later, okay?" she said with a sigh, and felt her heart hammer.

Once her words registered, Inuyasha grinned. "I'll be looking forward to it. Catch you later, Kagome," He waved and took off.

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