A/N: Winter Break is the best! I wish everyone a very cheerful Christmas and best wishes for the New Year that shall be filled with so many new and happy memories.

So finally you will get the reason you have all being waiting for! I hope it is a satisfying reason, seeing that you had to wait two chapters for it… Enjoy!

Chapter Ten

Reasons

"… because I wanted to prove myself and also because of … Miroku."

"Miroku?" Kagome asked in confusion.

Sadness filled Sango's eye's as she continued, "Yes, Miroku. My dad has been telling me over and over again how wonderful a husband he would make for me. Miroku is well educated, a gentleman. What more could I possibly ask for? But I have been educated as a child as well! I could do just as good on those exams as Miroku can. So I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that a girl can pass those exams, work for the government, and not need a man to lean on." Tears slid down her face.

"Oh… don't cry," Kagome patted her back and tried to sooth her.

"So I really hope that I did pass it. Through out the whole thing I was afraid that I would get caught and thrown out. That's why I pulled you into the brush today. I didn't want you telling Kaede or anyone else that I was there. I'm sorry for doing that. I must have scared you, Kagome."

"It's okay."

Inuyasha, who had been listening quietly this whole time, spoke up, "I agree with you Sango." The two girls turned to look at him. "The government shouldn't suppress women. Women that do have the intelligence and the education should be allowed to take part in the government. Our government wants to recruit the most talented of people. But then that number is limited to only men when women aren't even allowed to participate."

Sango couldn't believe her ears. Inuyasha, a man, had agreed with her on this issue. "I didn't know you…" she began.

"I do care for the government. Yes. This is our country. We must try to make it the best." Sango had made him care of his nation like he had never before. Being the prince of China for his entire life, he hadn't felt the need to think about the government and how everyone else in China lived. He had accepted the way things were run. Soon, he would be able to rule and he would be able to change the laws and make his people respect him and his nation an even stronger one.

Kagome smiled at him. He didn't seem the caring type at first sight. But now, being with him and hearing these words, she knew that he did have a good heart. "So you're going to go against your parents word and not get married?" she asked her friend.

"This marriage wasn't arranged recently. It was in agreement when we were both just children. For my parents to tell Miroku's parents that I won't get married would… would just be a disgrace for our family's name… I don't know what to do, Kagome."

"Just get to know him a little better… maybe he isn't so bad…" She forced on a weak smile.

"Why don't you two spend a day together? All four of us?" Inuyasha suggested.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you planning?"

Inuyasha could believe he was now playing match maker between Sango and Miroku. "Well, tomorrow I was planning on making Kagome come with me to go hunting and then spend a night out in the wilderness. She would cook and skin the animals…"

"How does that have anything to do with Sango and Miroku?" She was getting irritated at Inuyasha making her do all these things in front of Sango.

"See, that is where we plans were going to have to change. Instead of it being just you and me, Kagome," he smirked at her, "Sango and Miroku could join us. It wouldn't be as awkward since there will also be the two of us with them? Right?"

She nudged her friend slightly. "Sango, how does it sound to you?"

"It's really very kind of you, Inuyasha, but I really don't think…"

"Then it's settled. We'll see you tomorrow here in the morning. You better go home and get some rest. You look really tired and remember to tell Miroku about these plans." Kagome pushed Sango towards the door. "I'm really tired myself. So good night."

"But…"

"Just get some rest. And we'll have fun tomorrow."

"Fine. Night." Sango knew there was no reason to argue. It was two against one. She couldn't have won.

Kagome closed the door and latched it behind her. "You are a fast thinker."

"Unlike you."

"I was giving you a compliment. You didn't have to insult me."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "So why do you care so much for this nation?"

"Why do you care?" Something had put Inuyasha in a sour mood all of a sudden. Probably because he had been too nice lately.

"I'm just a commoner, so I guess what I care doesn't matter." Kagome could like him so much for a minute and he can change into such a jerk the next minute.

"Look I didn't mean that. I didn't say anything about you being a commoner. You said that yourself."

"I like being who I am. An orphan and a commoner." With that, she went upstairs to get some rest.

&

Inuyasha woke that morning to someone shaking him. "Lemme sleep some more." He waved his arm at the person without opening his eyes to see who it was.

"And you call me a sleepy head."

He recognized the voice. "Kagome? What are you doing in here?"

"Waking you up."

"You can't just walk into a guy's room like that."

"Like you can't walk into a girl's room."

"So this is just payback?" Inuyasha was still lying in his bed with Kagome sitting at his side.

She looked does at him and gave him a big smile, "You bet it is. Oh, and guess what today is?"

Inuyasha thought about it for a moment. "What?"

"It's your last day here. Today is your seventh day. I am sure going to miss you."

"I am going to too!" And he sat up and gave her a hug- a very tight one.

"Let… go… of … me…" Kagome choked for air.

"Sorry, it's just too much emotion," he said sarcastically and wiped a fake tear from his eye.

She shook her head. "Get packed. Breakfast is downstairs." Kagome got up.

Inuyasha shook his head. "I think you should help me pack up."

"As in do it for you?"

"You know me too well."

&

The sun was high over their heads as the four set out. Each were on horseback except Kagome, who was riding on the back of Inuyasha's horse. They had gotten a late start that morning since Sango hadn't wanted to go. After an hour of persuasion she had finally agreed fully.

Sango was leading the way, with Miroku by her side. Miroku, Sango, and Inuyasha had brought along their bow and arrows for hunting. Sango knew a good area for game and was taking them there.

"Stop bouncing up and down, Kagome."

"It's because of your horse. He's not steady at all."

"Don't hold on too me so tight."

"I'm going to fall off if I don't hold on. Can't you stop complaining?"

"Well you should know how to ride a horse."

"I don't even have a horse. What good would it be if I had learned?"

"Why don't I teach you?" Inuyasha steadied his horse to a stop and hopped off.

"It's truly okay. I don't have to learn." Kagome shook her head. She didn't want to learn how to ride, especially not to earn from Inuyasha.

"It'll be fine," he grinning up at her. "Just scoot up and hold onto the reins."

Kagome moved forward and took the reins, what other choice did she have? Inuyasha hopped back on the horse; this time sitting behind Kagome.

"I don't think I should…" she turned around to face him. She wore a worried expression.

"It's going to be fine. Trust me," he grabbed on to her hand and slightly kicked the horse at the side. "See it's not so bad." The horse trotted steadily, even more steadily than it had when Inuyasha was controlling it.

Kagome laughed. "I like it. It makes you feel so free and in control."

Ahead of them Sango and Miroku turned around to see what was keeping Inuyasha and Kagome.

"Oh, they look like two lovebirds…" Miroku turned towards Sango, "Would you like to ride with me Sango?"

"In your dreams."

He sighed inwardly. "Hurry up you two. We still need to find some dinner for tonight."

Kagome was now getting comfortable to the idea that she was actually riding a horse. She kicked hard in the horse's side when she heard Miroku's call.

The horse jolted forward at the pain and sent Kagome and Inuyasha forward and holding on to its reins for dear life.

"What did you do that for?" screamed Inuyasha trying to hold on to Kagome and trying to stay on the horse himself.

"AH! Make it stop!" Kagome had lost grip of the reins and the only reason she was still on the horse was Inuyasha holding on to her.

"Hold on to me!"

Inuyasha tried hard to get the horse to settle down. At the same moment that Inuyasha had finally regained control of the situation and the harness, Kagome let out an ear piercing cry. She had let go of Inuyasha for a moment and was on the verge of falling off.

The horse lifted his front legs into the air and neighed wildly. It jumped up again, shaking its head violently. Inuyasha's hand slipped from the bridles. Everything that happened after that was spontaneous. Kagome fell backwards, knocking into Inuyasha.

Her weight pushed him further and back and soon enough, they were both lying on the ground.

"Ouch!" Inuyasha exclaimed with his back on the ground and Kagome one top off him.

She turned to face him. Her nose was so close to touching his. "I'm sorry…" Kagome looked down at his chest and blushed.

Inuyasha looked up straight at her, into her beautiful eyes. Then he regained his composure. "Just get off of me already." He squirmed from beneath her.

Kagome stood up quickly and extended her hand towards him. He gripped it firmly and pulled himself up.

"Why did you kick the horse so hard?" he asked as he dusted himself off.

"I didn't think he would go that fast. You should have told me that."

"I didn't think you were that…" he looked up.

Before he could finish his sentence, Kagome had already walked away. The horse had now calmed a bit and she walked over towards it and smoothed its mane.

"I'm sorry for kicking you," she whispered to it.

Sango and Miroku had rode back after hearing Kagome's scream. "Are you two okay?" Sango asked.

"At least we didn't die." Inuyasha shot Kagome a stern look.

"Yeah, we're fine."

"Thanks to you we are. Come on. We have to get going if we want dinner." He mounted his horse again and looked down at Kagome. "Coming?"

"Does it look like I have a choice?"

"No, so hurry up."

She kicked off him off the ground and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's waist as he kicked the horse.

&

After about a half of an hour of silence, Kagome couldn't take it anymore. "So, Inuyasha…"

"Huh?"

Anything to talk about was fine right now. "Where… are you going to go after you leave here?"

"Probably some other town, meet some other people, and the cycle will start over again."

"So I'm just another person in your life that you wouldn't ever even look back on?" Kagome knew that the time they had been together was short, but she would never just forget him.

Inuyasha laughed. "No, I'll remember you as the girl that I almost married." There was a pause. "What will you be doing after I leave?"

"Life will go back to normal. I cook and serve food… And maybe one day…" Kagome was cut off. Sango and Miroku had stopped ahead and gotten out their bow and arrows.

They had gotten to their hunting grounds. They were in a clearing and just ahead was a forest. Inuyasha halted his horse and got down. He opened his pack and got out his bow and arrow as well.

"Aren't you going to help me down?"

"Umm… no."

She gritted her teeth. "I'll be able to get down without you."

"I'm watching." Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest and smirked at her.

Kagome swung her legs onto one side and hopped off gingerly. She smirked right back at him. "See?"

"Hurry up! We don't want to lose you guys once we get into the forest," Miroku called.

&

After an hour of walking through the forest, Sango had killed two rabbits and Miroku a single bird. Inuyasha was still left empty handed.

"Inuyasha can't shot a bow an arrow," Kagome teased.

"You probably can't either."

"I bet I would be better than you."

"No, you probably couldn't."

"Let me try then and we'll see."

Sango and Miroku watched the pair.

"Aren't you having a fabulous time with me today?" Miroku had been trying to make conversation with Sango the entire day, but nothing worked.

"Hunting it fun. You aren't." Sango swept past him.

Kagome had now gotten the bow and arrow from Inuyasha.

"You are going to shoot someone with that." Inuyasha stepped away from her.

She turned and pointed the arrow right at him. He ducked quickly and she started to laugh.

"Look at yourself! I wasn't going to shoot you."

"How was I suppose to know that," Inuyasha said angrily and stood up.

"Shhh!" she whispered at him suddenly.

He looked at where she was pointing her arrow at. It was deer. It stood quietly near a tree, almost hidden.

"You can't hit it," Inuyasha whispered in her ear.

"Just wait," she responded.

Kagome pulled the bow up and set the arrow into place. She hand was steady; she aimed for it. She pulled the arrow as far back as she could and then… she released it.

The arrow flew swiftly and hit the animal right in its abdomen. The deer didn't have time to react before the arrow came surging towards it. At the impact, the deer feel to the ground.

Kagome smiled at her accomplishment. She had never shot an arrow in her life. Beside her, Inuyasha stared in amazement. "How could she have done that," he wondered.

"I told you I could shoot better than you."

"That was luck."

"Admit it, you can't shoot like me."

"No." He crossed his arm. He was not about to let her know that she was better than him, especially from him.

"We both know it, so stop denying it." She ran towards her prize. "Help me carry it back for dinner."

Inuyasha stooped down towards the deer. It was a full grown one. It probably weighted one hundred and fifty pounds at the least.

"Sango, Miroku, I got our dinner!" she yelled at the two. "Inuyasha and I need help to get it back."

They sprinted back towards them. "Nice catch."

Kagome beamed.

&

Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome were all sitting around a blazing fire. They had set up camp in the clearing before the forest. The deer was now roasting in the fire.

After they had finished eating, everyone was holding their stomachs. Deer meat was a delicacy. Kagome loved it and it seemed everyone enjoyed it too.

"What now?" Kagome asked after everyone was thoroughly finished with their meal. She wasn't ready to go to bed just yet.

"Sleep?" Inuyasha yawned. "I'm tired."

"Not yet, it's still way too early." Miroku's day with Sango hadn't been what he had wished for. "We should… tell stories. Anyone have a creepy tale?"

"I don't want to get nightmares tonight." Sango shook her head in disagreement.

"You wouldn't with me by your side…"

Sango slapped him upside the head. "Who says that you'll be sleeping anywhere near me?"

Kagome and Inuyasha rolled their eyes at them. "How about a little song and dance?" Miroku pulled out of flute from his pack and started to play. It was a light and cheerful tune.

Kagome swayed to the music. "Let's dance Sango!" She took Sango by the hands and pulled her up. They danced and twirled around the fire to the tune, laughing the entire time.

Inuyasha got up and sat down next to Miroku. "I'll play. You go and dance with Sango."

"You know how?" The music stopped but it didn't seem like the girls noticed.

"Just give me it. Do you want to dance with her or not?" Miroku handed Inuyasha the flute obediently. He strolled over to Sango. "May I have this dance?"

Inuyasha had started to play a different piece. Sango smiled at Miroku for the first time. She was in a good mood, a really good mood. "Of course." And she let go of Kagome's hands and took Miroku's.

Kagome walked back and sat down next to Inuyasha. He was still playing, but now it had turned into a much slower and more romantic song. Miroku and Sango were dancing closely.

"This was a good idea." Inuyasha nodded in agreement. After the song ended he took the flute from his lips.

The sat there together for awhile, then Kagome broke the silence. "Do you want to dance?"

"There won't be any music if we all dance."

"Just hum it to me." Kagome grabbed his hand before he could protest.

Inuyasha started to hum the same song had played. Kagome felt protected being around him. Hand in hand they stepped to the music. Kagome started to lean her head on his chest.

Suddenly, Inuyasha let go of her. His head turned towards the forest. He rushed to grab his sword and called for Sango and Miroku to get out theirs as well. They stopped dancing and looked over at Inuyasha confusedly, but got their swords.

He ran back to Kagome. "Don't leave my side," he warned. She knew something was terrible wrong.

Then Kagome heard a noise. A sound of hooves was coming from the forest…

A/N: Yes! Another cliffy for my readers! It makes you wonder, doesn't it? I hope you liked this chapter. A lot of stuff happened.

I can't wait to write the next chapter. Lol. I'm actually excited about it. I love writing this story though. It's my first story. Ever actually. I've written stories, but they were all for school. This is actually something I like. Okay, that was probably more information than you wanted to know. The next chapter will be coming soon. I'm going to Cali this break. So I hope everyone else has a good time this holiday season as well.

Please review! And I thank you very much for reading it.