Author's note: thanks for all the support guys! I luvz ya! I really do hope that I can accomplish all that I want to before my time is up. This whole story is kind of based on my life. I did NOT copy a walk to remember! Well, maybe a little, but it wasn't my intent! I swear! ; there is a poem in this chappie that actually does belong to me because I wrote it!

Chapter 7: Sentimental Values and Revealed Secrets

Inu Yasha sat down on his bed, utterly confused. Since when had he ever been wrong about Kagome? He thought he knew her inside and out but after the show of complete anger and deep loathing she had given him earlier he wasn't so sure. He held the yearbook Miroku had shoved into his hands in his lap. Looking at it intently, he wondered if Kagome had really changed that much? He had thought she would have been happy to be the center of attention but he was really wrong.

He slowly opened the yearbook and flipped through it trying to find the place where Kagome's picture was placed. She had been valedictorian the year they had graduated from elementary school so Inu Yasha immediately flipped to the page acknowledging all the most important students. Sure enough, there was Kagome's picture. Underneath were a few things about her: her favourite thing, her pet peeve, and her life's goal.

Inu Yasha read the caption underneath her photo carefully, figuring that this was where Miroku had expected him to look. It seemed that Kagome's favourite thing was reading and writing poetry, something Inu Yasha had not known before, and her pet peeve was people who didn't know how to laugh. Inu Yasha smiled at this as he remembered a little scene of his own.

Flashback

"Inu Yasha!" called the familiar voice of the miko who had saved his life only a week ago.

"You're out of the hospital?" Inu Yasha said in surprise "already?"

"What's with the surprised look?" Kagome asked "personally, I thought I was ready to leave days ago!"

"How's the cut on your back?" Inu Yasha asked slowly.

"A lot better" Kagome said with a sigh of relief "it finally stopped bleeding"

"I'm sorry Kagome" Inu Yasha said as the two wandered over to the forest of cherry blossom trees and sat down, leaning against each other "You only got that cut because you were trying to save me."

"How does that make it your fault?" Kagome said "it was my choice to do what I did; if anyone's responsible it's me."

"That doesn't make me feel much better" Inu Yasha said glumly.

"I'm beginning to wonder if anything does" Kagome said with a pout "we've known each other for about a week and I've never seen you laugh, or even smile for that matter."

"I don't really have a reason to" Inu Yasha said truthfully.

"Impossible!" Kagome said matter-of-factly "everyone has a reason to smile!"

"Not me" Inu Yasha said, looking down.

"Well, maybe that's because you never tried" Kagome suggested.

"I don't even think I know how" Inu Yasha explained.

"Nonsense, everyone knows how" Kagome said with a giggle "see?"

Inu Yasha didn't seem to respond at first, but then, little by little, Kagome saw a small smile appear on his face, then it grew bigger and bigger until Inu Yasha was laughing out loud. He rolled on the ground hugging his sides.

Kagome soon joined him, laughing her whimsical yet melodious laugh. The two giggled until their stomachs hurt and they were gasping for air.

"That was the first time I've ever laughed" Inu Yasha said in shock "I think"

"You're weird" Kagome said, still giggling "but I like you."

"I like you too" Inu Yasha smiled.

End-of-Flashback

Inu Yasha smiled and laughed again as he remembered. Kagome was the one who had given him his first grin, his first giggle. After that the two of them were inseparable. They just clicked, like the moon and the stars, or the leaves on the trees. Inu Yasha didn't know why Kagome and he met, but he had always known that it was no accident. And he proved that on one particular day.

Flashback

"Kagome?" seven year old Inu Yasha called out as he sat down in the forest of cherry blossom trees. Kagome and Inu Yasha had decided to make this their special meeting spot since they had first met each other there.

Inu Yasha looked around, trying to find his friend. Just when it seemed she wasn't there…

"BOO!" yelled a girlish voice as someone pounced on Inu Yasha.

Inu Yasha yelped as the figure's weight brought the two of them crashing down to the ground. "Kag-chan!" Inu Yasha yelled as he saw the girl on top of him "why did you scare me like that?"

"Calm down Inu-chan!" Kagome said giggling "just a little practical joke, I do it all the time."

"I'm just glad you didn't ruin my present" Inu Yasha said with a smirk.

"Present?" Kagome said dumbly, tilting her head to give him a puzzled look "who for?"

"You of course" Inu Yasha said as though it should have been obvious. He pulled out a small blue box and handed it to Kagome.

Kagome slowly opened the box and gasped at what she saw, for inside was a silver, angel wing pendant on a delicate silver chain "Oh Inu-chan" she said, picking up the artifact gingerly.

"You like it?" Inu Yasha asked with a giggle.

"It's amazing!" Kagome said "but it's not my birthday you know."

"I know" Inu Yasha said with a smile "it's not a birthday present, it's a friendship present. Now, even when you're alone, I'll be with you."

Kagome felt the hot tears of her happiness sting in her eyes. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Inu Yasha's neck and hugged him tightly "Thank you Inu-chan!"

End-of-Flashback

Kagome surely was not the same Kagome she had been back then. Now, she seemed colder, more distant from the world, as though she was numb and felt nothing. No pain, no happiness, no laughter. The Kagome Inu Yasha had once known was always cheerful and laughing, as though there was no sadness in her life. Now it seemed as though she would never be joyful again.

Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if it was because of him. Was he really the cause of her new attitude towards life? But then again, Kagome did seem to revert back to her old self sometimes. Like when she was at the tree huggers' society, that always seemed to put the bright, dazzling smile back on her face. And sometimes, even if only a little bit, they seemed to get along as well as they had when they were younger.

The bet suddenly flashed in his mind. He certainly wasn't winning. At this rate, he would be in so much debt. If he lost, not only would he owe the group all the money they had bet, but his reputation would be shattered. He couldn't understand why Miroku had gotten so sensitive about his care for his reputation. What was the big deal?

Inu Yasha didn't have anymore time to think about it, he was going to be late for school if he didn't hurry it up. Glancing at the clock, he realized that he had only 5 minutes to get his ass out the door so he threw on his shoes and ran out with the yearbook in hand, he would have to do more research later.

Kagome sighed as she rubbed a red eye. Crying every night was becoming more stressful lately. The fact that Inu Yasha had suddenly turned into this nice guy towards her made her feel uneasy or unsure of her own feelings. In a way, it made her want to scream! He had some nerve interacting with her so suddenly when they had spent the last 3 yrs in silence. But on the other hand, it was kind of nice having the old Inu Yasha back. Both feelings consumed her every time she saw Inu Yasha. She was so confused that her emotions were channeled into her tears every night. She cried twice as much now and it was really beginning to take its toll on her.

"Hey Kagome" Sango said as she and Rin caught up with their friend.

"Oh hey guys" Kagome said, looking away in attempt to hide her puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks.

"We tried calling you last night but your mom said you'd locked yourself in your room" Rin said in a concerned tone "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine" Kagome said "I was really busy working on a new poem."

"Why?" Sango said suddenly worried "we didn't have that as an assignment did we?"

"No" Kagome said "I wrote it so I could just take out all my frustrations."

"Oh is that all" Rin said in a sarcastic tone.

"Shut up!" Kagome said as the three girls laughed.

Kagome was always grateful that she had friends like Sango and Rin. They had always been there for her. It was them who kept her smiling everyday, them who kept her laughing, and them who kept her living.

Inu Yasha sat at one of the many tables in the cafeteria by himself. He kept reading the last part of the caption under Kagome's picture over and over again. Her life's goal was to live everyday like it was her last. Something about this goal made him wonder if she really had a reason to live her life to the fullest. It seemed hard to believe that she even thought her life was really worth living. Her outward looks seemed as though she didn't care if she died before the day had ended.

He glanced over and saw that Kagome too was sitting by herself at another table. He figured her friends had not joined her yet but were coming soon. She was writing something in a small, blue notebook. Every minute or so, she would look up at him and then go back to writing in the book. Inu Yasha guessed that Kagome had seen him staring and was looking up to see if he still was.

Kagome ripped the page out of her book and crumpled it "That was the worst one I've ever written" Inu Yasha heard her mumble as he watched her toss it into the garbage can with perfect aim.

Inu Yasha tried to figure out what it was that Kagome was writing but had no idea what it could possibly be. Suddenly, just as Kagome was beginning to write in her book again, the bell rang. Kagome gathered her things and ran out of the cafeteria, leaving Inu Yasha alone. He looked over to the garbage can and ran to it. Giving a disgusted look that seemed to say I better win this bet, he reached in and grabbed the crumpled piece of paper.

Unfolding it carefully, he read it over:

No One Here to Save me

By: Kagome Higurashi

You listened to me screaming

Through the blasting of my song

Stood behind me when I was fighting

Always told me that I belonged

I blindly thought to trust you

Thought you'd save me from the fall

But I was sadly mistaken

For you were never there at all

My insanity, it kills me

Though my outward looks are content

My life may seem so perfect

But it's worth less than I have spent

I've gone through many loves

I doubt I could love once more

The way I truly cared for you

It makes my heart so sore

Now the blade of the arrow pure

Is glinting in the light

Daring me to take the plunge

To end the pointless fight

But even as I lay here now

I wonder if I can

Am I willing to sacrifice all I've done?

And kill myself again?

For in an eerie sort of way

I am already dead

I've been so hurt I cannot feel

The way that I once did

So now I raise the glinting blade

And though I drown in fear

I feel the blood, it's rushing down

And know my life ends here.

Inu Yasha gasped. The poem was amazing. He hadn't known that Kagome had such a talent for writing. But her talent wasn't what had made him gasp; it was the subject of the poem. Was Kagome really going to kill herself? Did she really mean it when she said she had been hurt so badly she couldn't feel anymore? But what made Inu Yasha want to cry out loud was the fact that the whole reason she felt that way was because of him. It had been made clear in the poem. She had trusted him not to hurt her and he really had betrayed her. It didn't really make sense to him either. If Koga and Naraku were the ones that had almost killed him, let alone Kagome, then why did he betray her just so he could be better friends with them?

He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt horrible. He had to make it up to her somehow. But what could he do? Nothing could take away the pain of what he had done to her. Suddenly, it came to him.

Flashback

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Kagome said, giggling as she hugged Inu Yasha tightly.

"Kag-chan…you're…choking…me" Inu Yasha choked out as Kagome hugged his neck.

"Sorry" she said laughing lightly as she let go "It's just that I've never gotten anything so pretty!"

"I'm glad you like it" Inu Yasha said with a giggle of his own as he rubbed his neck, which had turned slightly red from Kagome's embrace.

Kagome struggled to clasp the necklace around her own neck. Inu Yasha took the clasp from her hands and did it for her. The two just stared at each other for a while, smiling at one another

"aww how cute" said a voice from behind them.

Kagome and Inu Yasha whirled around to see Koga and Naraku leering down at them.

"Inu Yasha and Kagome, sitting in a tree" Naraku teased

"Shut up Naraku" Kagome said angrily "unless you want me to hurt you again."

"I think you've got it the other way around little girl" Koga joined in, raising his claws "in case you forgot it was me that hurt you."

"Oh I didn't forget" Kagome said with a smirk "But I just remembered that I never paid you back"

Kagome pounced on Koga just as she had on Inu Yasha earlier. Koga and her landed a few centimetres away from Inu Yasha and Naraku.

"You just made a big mistake girlie" Koga said as Kagome backed up off of him "this time I really will kill you!"

"Go ahead and try it numbskull!" Kagome challenged.

This time Koga did not hold back. Soon, he had Kagome pinned to the floor "Not so tough now are you Kagome" he scoffed.

"Inu Yasha…help" was all Kagome could utter on account of Koga's hands now firmly gripping her neck.

Inu Yasha paused, unsure of what to do. But suddenly, it came to him. He stood and ran over to Koga, pushing him out of the way. Kagome gasped for air as Inu Yasha helped her sit up.

Before Koga or Naraku could do anything else, they heard a woman calling their names "shoot, its my oka-san" Koga cursed under his breath. But before the two left Inu Yasha and Kagome alone, Koga grabbed the chain around Kagome necklace and yanked it off, breaking the pendant in half.

"NOOO!" Kagome yelled as she scrambled to pick up the pieces "I hate you Koga!"

"Do I look like a care?" Koga said as he and Naraku raced off.

Kagome burst into tears as she held the broken necklace in her hand. Inu Yasha put his arms around her to comfort her and told her that it was just a necklace.

"But I really liked it" Kagome protested, leaning against Inu Yasha.

"I'll get you a new one" Inu Yasha said.

"Promise?" Kagome said weakly.

"Promise" Inu Yasha replied with a nod.

End-of-Flashback

But of course, Inu Yasha didn't keep that promise, but that didn't mean he couldn't now.

Author's Note: how did you like it? I got a lot of good reviews for the last chapter so I really appreciate it. Thank you! Anyways did you guys like the poem? I wrote it myself, no lie! SEND IN THE REVIEWS! Thanks for reading, till next time.