Disclaimer: No, I do not own Inuyasha and Company.
Author's Note: I'm back! Here's the next chapter! Sorry for the really long wait, but here you go! Thanks for your reviews! Byes! SilverRose88.
Chapter Thirteen
"But Kagome, pushing the wedding date isn't going to solve anything! You're going to have to talk to him eventually," Sango said that night after Koga had left and Sango had demanded everything out of Kagome.
"I don't care," Kagome replied. "T-This is just how it'll be. He's obviously got Kikyo, so he doesn't give a crap about me,"
"Are you going to listen to that bitch's lies instead of trusting your own friend?" Sango inquired, and Kagome actually tensed, thinking that over.
"I'm not listening to anyone. I'm doing what I have to do," she said after a moment. "Being with Koga will give me a peace of mind. W-We'll get married, and-and then after this summer, I'll never have to think about or see Inuyasha again,"
"You know that's not what you want, and you know that's not going to work. If you marry Koga, I can bet you'll live the rest of your life wondering 'what if?'. What if I had made up with Inuyasha, and Kikyo had…died? Would we be together?" Sango said. "I know that's what will happen, and I never want to see you go through that,"
"I'm sorry, Sango, but I-I just can't. I don't think I can ever see Inuyasha again," Kagome replied.
"But aren't you going to invite him to the wedding?"
"…I don't know. Maybe. But after that, I swear to never talk to him again,"
"He's not going to agree to that, Kagome. After what I've seen and heard about the two of you, I can bet my life that he's not going to let you get away again. Even if you're married, he'll hunt you down,"
Kagome sighed, and pulled the covers over her shoulders. "Then I'll just have to shut the door in his face," she replied. "Good night, Sango,"
"Kagome--"
"Good night,"
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"She slapped her?" Miroku exclaimed.
"Yes," Inuyasha replied. "And, I have no idea why,"
"I think I do…" Miroku mumbled to himself.
"What?"
"Uh, nothing!"
"What am I going to do? I feel horrible about missing the dinner with Kagome yesterday, but I'm still so angry at her for slapping Kikyo. I can't believe Kagome would ever do that to someone,"
"She's slapped you plenty of times," Miroku pointed out.
"Yeah, and I never deserved those."
"Sure you did. She always slaps people when they deserve it. …But, I don't get why she used to slap me…it's not like touching her is a bad thing," Miroku said with a thoughtful look.
Inuyasha shook his head. "You complete moron. I don't know who wouldn't slap you for touching them,"
"Anyway…what are you going to do? Kagome's obviously angry and upset. You're angry and upset, and Kikyo's…a bitch,"
"Don't call her that," Inuyasha said, though for once, he didn't get overly angry about it.
Miroku found that very interesting, and grinned.
"Why the hell are you smiling? This isn't a happy occasion," Inuyasha growled.
"Just go tell Kagome you're sorry," Miroku suggested. "A good apology is always a great icebreaker,"
"…Yeah, you're right. But, I still don't know," Inuyasha replied, and put his head in his hands.
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"Hey, Kagome, are you feeling any better today?" Koga asked the next day as he picked her up for class.
Kagome laughed slightly and said, "Koga, you called me like twenty times yesterday asking if I was okay or not. I'm okay. And, I'll get better, slowly,"
"Don't worry, dear, I'll be there for you," Koga said and grinned.
"Thanks, Koga," she replied.
"Ready to go?" he asked her.
"Let me just get my stuff," Kagome replied and hurried to the bedroom as Sango walked out.
"Oh, hey, Koga," she greeted. "I heard the news. Getting married sooner, huh? Lucky you,"
"Thanks, Sango," Koga said, grinning. Then, seriously, he whispered, making sure Kagome couldn't hear, "Um, Sango, could you give me Inuyasha's address while he's here?"
Sango froze and looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"
"Because we-we want to send a wed-wedding invitation," Koga replied. "I'd ask Kagome, but she gets teary whenever I mention his name,"
"Understood," Sango said with a nod. "Here, I'll write it down for you,"
"Thanks," he said, and waited as she quickly jotted down the address of Inuyasha's apartment. Just then, Kagome walked out, supplies in hand, and the two of them left for class.
xxxx
Koga drove down the street once he'd dropped Kagome off after classes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper with an address on it, and just knowing it was connected to that bastard made Koga seethe. He had to deal with this problem right now, before he forgot. It was something he'd never let go. That bastard had hurt Kagome, and he was going to pay dearly for it.
Koga found the apartment complex easily and took the elevator to the appropriate floor. He knocked on the door and then heard a loud, "Who is it!" yelling through the wood.
Koga didn't answer, not wanting to give himself away.
"Who is it?" Inuyasha called again.
Realizing that Inuyasha wasn't going to answer the door until he knew who it was, Koga replied, "Just open the damn door, you bastard,"
There was a slight pause, and then the door slammed open and Koga was met with a disgruntled and furious looking Inuyasha.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha demanded.
"We have to talk," Koga replied.
Inuyasha laughed. "We have to do nothing. Get the hell out of my face,"
"No. We have to talk. You hurt Kagome,"
This made Inuyasha stop shutting the door and turn to look at him. "What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Koga snarled, stepping closer. "And, if you ever try to hurt her again, I won't hesitate in killing you,"
Inuyasha didn't reply; just stared spitefully at Kagome's fiancée.
"Don't you ever make her cry again, you bastard," Koga said.
"I would never want to make her cry," Inuyasha replied evenly.
"Good, because you should just leave her alone from now on. Don't see Kagome anymore. All you do is make her upset," Koga said.
"You can't tell me what to do!" Inuyasha roared. "I'm her best friend and if I want to be with her, if I want to see her, then I will. I'm not taking your crappy advice,"
"You may be her best friend," Koga agreed, "but soon, I'm going to be her husband, and you'll just continue being the best friend,"
Inuyasha growled at him.
"Leave her alone if you know what's good for you," Koga said, turning to leave.
"I'll say the same to you," Inuyasha called after him.
The two glared at the other once more before Koga disappeared into the elevator and Inuyasha returned inside, slamming the door shut.
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Kagome sneezed. Someone must have been talking about her. She sighed and rubbed her nose, resisting the urge to sneeze again. A lot of talking about her going on somewhere. Kagome laughed to herself, wondering who was spewing gossip and crap around. She made her way down the street and to the coffee shop where she was supposed to meet Koga in a few minutes. He'd said he needed to take care of something, and that they should meet around five-thirty at the coffee shop. Koga had been acting rather weird that day, and she wondered what was up. He'd been really impatient during classes and had practically sped down the streets after class to drop her off. When she'd joked about him losing interest in her, that he had to get away so quickly, he looked so horrified that he'd started going on and on about how he could never fall out of love with her.
Kagome sighed. She liked Koga. He was such a sweet, caring, charming, handsome guy. He was smart, always happy, and a natural leader. Kagome dropped her face in her hands. She was making a good guy go through with a marriage that should never happen. She was making such a great man, someone who could have any woman in the world, marry her just because she was too afraid to tell the real person she loved the truth.
"He deserves someone better," Kagome mumbled to herself as she swirled her spoon around in her coffee. "Definitely not someone like me. I'm just a lying, cheating, stupid little girl who's running away. I'm so selfish. He definitely deserves someone better,"
"Who deserves someone better?"
Kagome gasped and found Koga grinning at her from above. She bit her tongue, hard, to punish herself from talking aloud. And to herself too; people must have thought she was crazy. She looked at Koga who was sitting down next to her and said, "You're here. I was wondering what was taking so long,"
"I'm sorry, love," Koga replied, kissing her softly on the cheek. "So, care to tell me who it was you were talking about?"
"I'd rather not," Kagome said, blushing. No way am I telling him that! "Just some random babbling,"
Koga nodded and took a sip of his own coffee. "Kagome, I want to ask you something,"
Noting the sudden serious tone in his voice, Kagome turned to Koga and said, "Yeah, sure, what's on your mind, Koga?"
"Well, are you sure about getting married so soon?" he asked, watching her closely. "I-I know you asked to push the date up, but still, I just want to make sure,"
Kagome swallowed. I-I hope he's not suspecting anything. That would be so horrible. I-I don't want to hurt Koga. "Of-Of course I'm sure, Koga," she said finally, trying to sound confident. "I was just thinking that I'd like it better if we were married sooner. B-But if it's not what you want, then--"
"Are you crazy, Kagome!" Koga exclaimed. His eyes were shining, glowing like sapphires, and he was grinning warmly. He took her hands and kissed them, then said, "Kagome, I'm so thrilled! You don't have to worry about me. This is a dream come true,"
Kagome smiled, his happiness was just so intoxicating. "T-Thanks Koga,"
"I should thank you," he said, and grinned. "I've wanted this for a while…but I always had a feeling that you-you didn't feel about me the same way I felt about you," he said, looking at her carefully, a slight sad expression in his eyes.
Kagome tried not to cringe. Does he know I don't love him? Does he know that my heart only belongs to Inuyasha? Then, laughing, she said, "Oh, Koga, where did you get that from? Of course I-I love you," She smiled brightly for him, hoping he didn't see through her fake gesture.
Koga searched her face for a second, and Kagome held her breath. But, then he slowly grinned again, and pulled her into his arms. Kagome let out a sigh of relief and put her arms around him. "Oh, Kagome, I love you too," Koga said, then kissed her softly on the lips before standing. "Now, let's go. We've got some serious shopping and planning to do if the wedding's this soon,"
"R-Right," Kagome replied, also getting to her feet and following her fiancée out into the street.
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"Have you apologized yet?"
"Apologized? What the hell for?"
"You know, about missing that dinner with Kagome you were supposed to go to," Miroku said.
Inuyasha flinched slightly at the remembrance of what he'd done a few nights before. "Hn. I ain't got to apologize for anything," he said gruffly, childishly crossing his arms.
"But you missed her dinner to spend time with Kikyo! You practically cheated on her with another woman! Ah, gasp!" Miroku said sounding scandalous, then quickly dodging the pillow that was thrown his way. "You should apologize, you know,"
"But it wasn't my fault! I forgot, which is a harmless mistake anyone could make. She should apologize!"
"Why? Kagome didn't do anything,"
"You're forgetting she slapped Kikyo,"
"But that's something between her and Kikyo. It doesn't directly involve you,"
"Yes it does! It involves my best friend and the woman I love!"
"You…still love…Kikyo?" Miroku asked, surprised.
"What are you talking about? Of course I do!" Inuyasha snapped.
"Hmm," Miroku said thoughtfully.
"Hmm? What hmm?" Inuyasha demanded.
"Hmm…" Miroku repeated.
"Miroku! What are you hmming about?"
"Oh, nothing! Nothing!" he said, heading for the kitchen.
"Argh! Forget it then, I'm going for a walk!" Inuyasha said abruptly and ran out the door.
Miroku smiled to himself as the door shut. "That fool. Why does he continue lying to himself? If only he wasn't so stubborn, then he'd easily see how much he loves Kagome and not Kikyo. Stupid moron,"
Just then the phone rang and Miroku went over to pick it up. Once he realized who it was, he practically leapt in joy and exclaimed happily, "My dearest Sango! I can't believe that you're calling me! I haven't heard your voice for such a long time, and it is still just as melodious as ever! Oh, how long we have been parted, woe is me! It is an honor to be called by you, I cannot contain my happiness and passion!"
"Hello to you too, Miroku," Sango said flatly.
"Ah! You actually greeted me as well! I might as just die right here and now, seeing as how my life has been fulfilled!" Miroku exclaimed, not noticing the dull tone in her voice.
"Shut the hell up and listen, will you?" Sango snapped, though somewhat flustered that he was that excited about hearing her voice.
"Yes, my dear Sango, anything for you! To what do I owe this gracious call?"
"Who are you calling 'dear'?" Sango exclaimed angrily. Then regaining composure, she said, "Well, I'm actually calling on behalf of Kagome, who's too stubborn and upset to even let me mention Inuyasha's name…So I'm just the unlucky messenger,"
"And I must be the great lucky recipient! Fate must be on my side today!"
"Knock it out, will you?" Sango said, trying to fight a sudden blush that wanted to appear on her cheeks. "As I was saying, since Kagome's a fool, I'm just calling to remind you and Inuyasha that you're both invited to Kagome's wedding, and not to forget about it!"
"Kagome's wedding?"
"Yes, her wedding with Koga, remember? I'm just reminding you about it,"
"But isn't it a bit early to be reminding us? She isn't getting married right now, is she?" Miroku asked, confused.
"What are you talking about? Don't you know that Kagome and Koga's marriage is in a few weeks? I thought she'd already sent you two an invitation," Sango said, frowning.
"WHAT! Her wedding's in a few weeks!"
"Yeah, she asked Koga just a few days ago to pull the wedding date up. Kagome's getting married in less than three weeks,"
"WHAT!"
"Quit shouting, damn it!" Sango snapped. "Anyway, why're you so surprised? Didn't you get the wedding invitation Kagome sent out yet?"
"Wedding invitation? What invitation?"
"Curses. Kagome, that stubborn little fool…and Koga'll get a piece of my mind for lying to me," Sango ground out through clenched teeth.
"Sango, when did this all happen? I know that Kagome wouldn't just randomly decide to get married so suddenly. When did she decide this?" Miroku asked.
"Uh, a few days ago, actually. She came home, crying about something to do with Inuyasha, and then asked Koga to pull the date up. It was the night she was supposed to make Inuyasha dinner, but he never showed up," Sango explained.
Miroku thought about this for a second, letting the words click into in brain, and then a sudden connection was made. "Sango," he said seriously. "Kagome…Kagome loves Inuyasha, doesn't she?"
Sango almost dropped the phone along with choking on the piece of chocolate she was eating at the same time. "Wh-Wh-What? Where-Where'd you get t-that fr-from?" she spluttered.
"Sango, tell me the truth. Kagome loves Inuyasha, right? I know it…she has to,"
Sango sighed, knowing Kagome'd probably kill her for this, but deciding that since he knew anyway… "Yes, Miroku. She does. She has for quite some time now,"
"I knew it!" Miroku exclaimed excitedly. "I just knew it! God, it makes sense now, everything makes perfect sense, all of it since she left two years ago! I understand it now…and now she's marrying KOGA! GAH! This is horrible!"
"Don't I know it," Sango said bitterly. "Kagome's practically glued herself to Koga's arm after what happened, and she won't let me mention a word about Inuyasha or about what she should do to make up with him. Koga's too thrilled to realize something's horribly wrong, and I don't have the heart to tell him the truth. Poor guy'll probably die if he realizes what's really happening outside his own little world,"
"And Inuyasha's a fool if I ever met one. He's got it into his head that it's Kagome's fault for what happened, when she was obviously the victim here. Then, he's still telling himself he's in love with that bitch Kikyo, when he's definitely got strong blooming emotions for his best friend," Miroku said, shaking his head at his friend's stupidity.
"Both of them are the same. It's beyond me how they even managed to fall in love in the first place. Stubborn as mules and both upset about the same thing without even realizing it. Kagome's handling it by marrying Koga, and--"
"Inuyasha's just decided to have nothing to do with her. He won't even apologize for missing the dinner," Miroku said. "That stupid fool, I swear I'm going to pummel him if he doesn't come to terms with his feelings right now,"
"I'll come help too!" Sango said, then sighed. What a mess she was in. Kagome and Inuyasha both needed a slap in her opinion. A good shake would help them realize how retarded they'd been behaving.
"Sango, where is Kagome right now?"
"She took Koga to go see her wedding dress. She and I picked it out a while back, and she wants him to go check it out,"
"They're wedding dress shopping!" Miroku exclaimed. Then, realizing something, asked quickly, "Is that the wedding dress store by the ramen shop a few blocks from the movie theatre?"
"Yeah, it is. Why do you ask?"
"Well, you see, Inuyasha stormed out of here awhile ago for a walk. If I can make him stop by the ramen shop, he'll have to pass the wedding dress store to get there!"
"And, he'll see Kagome with Koga, picking out dresses of all things, and get insanely--"
"--jealous, as in his nature. I know he loves her, and even slight little pushes like these will make him realize it more. If he can see her there, with Koga, he's bound to get annoyed, and upset,"
"Maybe his anger will make him storm in and actually talk to Kagome as well,"
"Now, that may be asking much…but seeing as how he can't handle his anger any more than a raging bull, I say there is a chance at that happening,"
"So, I guess there's a plan for the moment. Call Inuyasha, then call me back later if he goes or not, kay?" Sango said.
"Aye, aye, my dearest Sango!"
"Quit calling my your dearest! I'm no one's dearest!"
"Not yet, my darling, not yet," Miroku said, then chuckled when she yelled, "Damn you!" and hung up on him. Then, seriously, he dialed a certain moron's cell phone.
xxxxx
"That moron. Expects me to go buy him ramen! He doesn't even eat ramen! …Well, then there's more for me, right?"
Inuyasha stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned the corner down the sidewalk to the ramen shop. Silently, he actually thanked Miroku. Maybe eating his favorite food would help him forget about pressing matters in his life. He was still angry at Kagome about the slap she'd given Kikyo, and though he didn't know all of the details, it still pissed him off that she'd even raise a hand to his girlfr---Wait. Was he going to say girlfriend? Kikyo wasn't his girlfriend anymore. Sure, he still loved her, but they weren't together, so why was he about to say that? Had he thought that they were going to get together after spending time together? She had called him the day after to talk, and they'd spent about two hours catching up on the phone. It had been so easy to talk to her, even though they'd broken up, and he had felt an incredible lightness in his heart that he was able to hear her voice again. He'd missed her so much.
But even though he'd been enjoying himself, there had been a certain part of his inner self, a certain cavern in him that was telling him that this was all wrong. That he was doing everything wrong. His inner self kept telling him that he was no longer in love with Kikyo. That if he just closed his eyes and thought for just half a second, he'd realize that all along, the one he'd been wanting to be with was---
Inuyasha had long since learned to not listen to his inner voice. Whatever that voice was doing in his mind, he didn't know, and he was now promptly ignoring it. He loved Kikyo. He knew he did, and no little voice was going to tell him otherwise.
He sighed. Even though he was still angry about what had happened, he was also hurt and guilty about missing Kagome's dinner. Her last words to him that night had replayed about a thousand times in his head after she'd ran off, and every night afterward.
…Why don't you think about it over dinner? But don't mind me, I've got a big feast prepared. I was going to eat it with my best friend… But, now, I think I'll just call Koga instead. …Thanks for nothing, Inuyasha.
He couldn't explain the guilt he felt when hearing this, and he knew that he'd been insanely stupid to have forgotten the dinner she had prepared. He had been the one to want to spend more time with her, and he'd gone and crushed the next chance he'd had by forgetting about their night altogether, and being with Kikyo, another girl, of all people. He was a jerk, and he knew it. He also knew he should have apologized, but his anger at her for slapping Kikyo outweighed his desire to amend the situation with his best friend.
But she was so hurt.
There is was. That stupid inner voice again. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and tried to block it out, but it's words flowed out to him, loud and clear.
You hurt her. Don't you want to make thing's right between you two? Can you go on knowing that, from now on, it would be your fault if she never spoke to you again? Kagome must have had her reason's for slapping Kikyo, and even if it is the woman you love, isn't Kagome and her friendship more important? You've only just got her back, and you've been making progress…Remember that night at the beach…Or the night of that 'date' in the car…
"Damn it, shut the hell up you stupid voice," Inuyasha ground out, his nerves on end. Just thinking about the last two mentioned events made his blood begin to beat rapidly. God knew he couldn't forget those two days, but---
But nothing. You know you're feelings are changing. You can feel them change when you look at her, when you think about her, when you hear her speak, when you feel her touch…You know you're lying to yourself about loving Kikyo…You've been lying to yourself all along…
"Shut up," he spat again.
Even if I do, it's not going to change your feelings. Why not find out what really went on before jumping to conclusions? Why not tell her you're sorry for forgetting the dinner. Make amends with her before it's too late. You know you want to.
That time Inuyasha couldn't deny the voice, because it was the truth. He wanted to. He desperately needed to apologize. He desired for everything to go back to how it was. He didn't want to lose her again, and by not speaking to her, he was only making the situation worse. He'd hurt her. He needed to fix things.
That's the way to go! the voice said approvingly.
"Shove a sock down your throat already and leave me alone!" he grumbled, and passerby gave him an odd look. "Great, now I'm talking to mysel--" He abruptly stopped himself as something through the window of the store he was passing by caught his attention. His jaw then hit the floor.
There, in every fiber of her being, was an angel. A gorgeous pure white dress of what seemed to him silk was covering her slim body in a very promising way. The fabric caught every curve over her body perfectly, emphasizing her figure in such a way no man could ever resist. The dress was beautiful, and on her it looked even better. Inuyasha moved to stand in the open doorway to get a better look. The top was a halter, with a triangular collar that dipped downward for a small view of cleavage. The collar was lined with pearls and two pearl strands held the top up, tied at the back of her neck. There were no sleeves on her arms, save for the silk gloves that made their way to her elbows. At her waist, where a string of pearls wrapped around her like a belt, the dress pulled out only slightly and fell down to her feet. Another string of pearls outlined the bottom of the dress, along with about five strands of pearls that were stitched to the dress falling from the waist to the bottom; one from the center, and two on either side. As she turned around, he saw that the back was a bare, which made his heart leap. The strand of pearls around her waist ended at the small of her back where the base of the top closed, giving no more view to bare skin. Seemingly attached to the string of pearls at the waist, a transparent fabric of some sort fell to the ground long after the dress' end to serve as the train. The train, like the front of the dress, contained strands of pearls, about six of them in all.
Inuyasha stepped closer as Kagome turned around again, and his breath caught in his throat. His mouth went dry and his heart had lost all track of beating. Never in his life had he beheld such a sight. Never in his life had he felt so effected by another person's beauty. Kagome--with her cheeks a faint red from possible embarrassment, her eyes wide with excitement, and pain, he noticed with a slight frown, her lips red and welcoming, her raven hair that tumbled down, cascading over her shoulders, and framing her face--looked beautiful. The essence of that word had never before been so appropriate. Anyone passing by would have to be blind or stupid, or both, to dare say she wasn't as gorgeous as Aphrodite herself.
As he continued to gaze over her, he realized that she was the epitome of perfection, not one flaw could be found. She looked as though she'd fallen straight from the heavens, a gift from the gods, an angel of the highest nobility and beauty. His chest thumped rapidly as still he stared at her, not able to tear his eyes away. He'd never seen anyone so enticing, had never experienced a time when he'd been dumbfounded by someone's beauty, had never had to remind himself how to breath… And here he was, staring at Kagome, his best friend of all people…and she was doing all those things to him and much more. The hairs on his skin stood on end as she continued twirling around to gain view of her appearance from every direction; his eyes were swallowing her in, pools of only the engaging woman before him…
Just then, she turned and saw him, and he saw her gasp in shock. He only sought out her eyes and grasped onto the hold of her gaze. He locked her stare with his own, gazing intensely at her as he'd never done before…except for two certain nights… Inuyasha was suddenly swarmed with thoughts and emotions from the two nights he'd kissed her and unexpectedly he wanted very much to run up to her and wrap her angelic form in his arms and press his lips against hers…All other thoughts escaped his mind as that urge became the more desirable…he wanted to feel her mouth against his, he wanted to hold her and feel her warm, lithe body against his chest, he wanted to absorb her every being into his mind, soul, and heart…Heart?
He quickly snapped his eyes away from hers, as shock took over his brain. He gasped for air, not realizing he'd been holding his breath when they'd locked eyes, and he'd stared at her with such passion…Wait, passion? Inuyasha suddenly felt very dizzy and he leaned against the doorframe…and though he didn't want to…his eyes traveled back to Kagome and again got lost in those pools of chocolate brown…
Kagome felt her heart quench tightly in her chest, felt the heat rise several degrees in the air around her, felt her mouth go dry at the sight of the man she loved…She hadn't seen him for days, hadn't talked to him for what seemed like a week, and hadn't seen him, hadn't beheld his appearance for what was to her an eternity. And there he was, the object of her affection, the desire of her every dreams, the cause of the pain she was putting herself through…Inuyasha. Kagome had to refrain the tears from flooding her eyes. She was trying to move forward. Seeing him right now, at this moment, was not the best thing that could have happened, and-and--why was he staring at her like that?
She could see the swirl of emotions in his dark eyes; shock, confusion, and…was that love? Kagome almost laughed out loud. Love. She must have been seeing things. But as she tried desperately to pull her gaze away from his, she couldn't, and found herself only staring even more at her love's face. She vaguely heard someone calling her name, but since she was now in a world of her own, a world of just her and Inuyasha, she didn't think much about it, and continued gazing into Inuyasha's emotion filled eyes.
Koga looked up at Kagome worriedly. She had suddenly froze as if something horrible was going on, and now wasn't responding to her name. Staring at her, he realized that something opposite had her attention, and slowly turning, Koga found the object of her gazes---and he'd never felt so much hurt in his life. One look at Kagome and back to that bastard in the doorway practically sent him into a rage unlike any other, but he held his calm. Maybe it was just a fluke. Just seeing the passion in Kagome's eyes didn't necessarily mean she loved that stupid bastard. He knew she hadn't seen him for awhile, and he knew that they were insanely close as best friends…maybe she was just surprised to see him so suddenly, knowing what had transpired just a few days ago between them. …However that didn't explain squat why the bastard was staring at her with so much emotion Koga wanted to gag. The great fool had a girlfriend (A/N: Koga doesn't know that Inuyasha doesn't really have a girlfriend anymore), and here he was eyeing his woman! The nerve of that bastard!
Koga marched down to the door and grabbed a fistful of Inuyasha's shirt and glared at him. "Keep your filthy eyes off of Kagome, you bastard," he snarled.
Inuyasha instantly locked fierce gazes with Koga. "Get your disgusting hands off of me," he ground out, angry that the bastard was here with Kagome, and that he'd dare interrupt his and Kagome's moment---Whoa. Rewind. Had he just said moment? His and Kagome's moment?
"Koga! Inuyasha! Stop it!" Kagome exclaimed from where she was standing, wanting to rush up and stop them, but couldn't because of the dress.
Both males slowly pushed away from the other, muttering "Bastard," under their breaths. Inuyasha, first to recover, turned to Kagome and said, "Kagome, wow, you look great," An understatement to beat all understatements. She looked like goddess.
Kagome blushed. "T-Thanks…" she mumbled.
Koga growled angrily at that exchange, and sent Inuyasha a warning glare before walking over to Kagome and giving his fiancée a hug and kiss (mainly to piss Inuyasha off) and said, "No, Kagome, you look perfect,"
She blushed again, and Inuyasha scowled. What the hell did she see in that ugly, stupid, flirty, overprotective bastard of a fiancée? For all it was worth, he was a hundred times better than him!
"Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked tentatively.
"Just taking a walk when I noticed you through the window," he replied. And practically fainted at the impact of your beauty… "Why are you dress shopping already? Isn't it a bit early for your wedding to be picking out the dress?"
Kagome hesitated. Oh, crap. I-I didn't want to tell him face to face. That's why I had Sango call them…He must have not heard then. Damn it, how can I tell him? I-I don't think I can…
"Because, Kagome and I are getting married in a few short weeks," Koga replied, glaring at Inuyasha, though a slight smirk played at his lips.
Inuyasha almost hit the ground in dead shock. "Y-Y-You're what in a few short weeks?" he bellowed.
"Getting married…" Kagome quietly replied this time, carefully meeting his gaze. The emotions she'd seen before were all replaced by just one strong emotion: anger.
"And when the freakin hell were you planning to tell me, Kagome?" Inuyasha demanded, his eyes locked onto hers once more, a fierce intense gaze that practically ripped her soul.
"I was going to, but seeing as how things haven't been very well between us…"
"That isn't an excuse! You're getting married and you don't have the decency to tell me?"
"I said I was going to! Just once Koga and I got things fixed! We're still working on a date, and we don't even know where the wedding will be! So, don't ever start thinking that I wouldn't have told you! I was going to! I could never not tell you…" Kagome said, slowly bowing her head, and her bangs shielded her face from view.
Inuyasha couldn't tell if she was angry or hurt…or both. He suddenly felt stupid for snapping at her like that; she hadn't meant not to tell him. But he was angry. And at first he'd thought it was because he hadn't known she was getting married, but he realized just a moment later that it was a different reason. A more pressing reason. His best friend was getting married. Kagome was getting married. Married. That word had never held so much meaning until that very moment, and Inuyasha felt anger boil within him as a sudden urge to throw himself at her fiancée and pull his head straight off his neck overwhelmed him. He'd never felt this way before. He had never wanted to hurt someone as much as he wanted to hurt Koga right then. He'd never felt so furious in his life.
And, he'd never felt so much pain. Kagome was getting married and the thought that she was going to leave him again began to consume his very soul. She was marrying Koga and leaving him. She was running out of his life all over again, and that scared him to death. He'd never been scared of anything…The first time he'd felt fear was when Kagome had left two years previous; he'd been afraid of what had happened, but more so about how she was, where she was, if she was okay, or hurt, happy, or sad…if she'd made a new best friend. But this fear overshadowed any other fear he'd ever had. The fear that she was leaving him for good…that he'd probably never see her again if that bastard had his way about it…that it didn't matter what he said because from now on…Kagome belonged to someone else…and he didn't want that. And that thought alone caused another bout of fear.
Why was he acting as though this was that great of a deal? He should be happy, not angry or fearful. He should be rejoicing, not depressed and feeling abandoned. But he wasn't happy or rejoicing in any way. He felt as though someone had just stomped on his heart and smashed it under their feet. But why? WHY?
As he gazed back into Kagome's eyes, locking his dark orbs with Kagome's own chocolate pools…As he took in her very essence, every ounce of being, her hair, her face, her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her lips, her arms, her legs, her body…As he was suddenly reminded of the kisses they'd shared not too long ago, and how wondrous it'd felt to feel her lips pressed his own, how perfect her body had fit perfectly against his, how every cell in his body had reacted like electricity and water…
No, he thought, stepping back in sudden fear. No…It can't be…I-I can't…It's not true, I don't believe it…I don't lo--
"Inuyasha? What's wrong? Y-You don't look that great…" Kagome said, concerned at how his face had gone pale and he seemed to be staring at her with shock.
Inuyasha just shook his head. "I-I'm fine," he lied. "Uh, Kagome…I have to go…I-I'll see you later, okay? Bye,"
And before she could say another word, he'd fled out the door and back the way he'd come. He ran back to his apartment, denying everything he was feeling, had been feeling since he'd first kissed Kagome that night on the beach…He denied the feelings he had whenever he saw Kagome smile…He denied that urge he'd had to maim Koga…He denied the way he'd been eagerly eying Kagome back at the store…He denied the sensations he had when kissing her…He denied the way hurting her made him feel horrible…He denied how he loved seeing her mad…He denied the fear of losing her…
Inuyasha simply denied the truth.
The truth that he had fallen in love with his best friend.