Author's Note: Hey everyone, I hope you enjoy this fanfic, please let me know what you think, thanks! And no, of course I don't own Inuyasha. Enjoy!
Side note: "Normal parenthesis" means that someone is talking; "parentheses italicized" means that it's a message- email and "parentheses italicized and underlined" is Kagome's thoughts during that moment or her reflecting back on that scene. As always, enjoy!
Part 8: Aftermath
"Who needs the guy anyway?" Miroku's email read.
"He sounds like a jerk. You're better off without him." Sango's email, although reassuring, held a cold tone to it.
"Guys like that are no good. Listen to Mother; you're too young for a guy anyway." Mother's email read. Although he had been busy, he still sent a reply and I could still feel Mother's warmth and concern.
"Thanks everyone. You guys are right." Although I had typed that back, I felt like a yes man. Just because people gave me advice, I should I take it? I wanted to make my own decision, although it felt like my heart had been torn in pieces. I had sent everyone an email earlier in the morning when I was upset but now I was reading their replies at night after homework. For a whole day, it felt stuffy and very lonely to hold in all these feelings up until now, when I could get their honest feedback. Although I hadn't told Inugami that I had a crush on Naraku, I told him how I had gotten replaced and how his words at the end.
"Are you ok?" Inugami's message from the morning read.
"Sorry for the delay in reply. I'm ok now." I quickly typed back.
"Really?" As always, his reply came faster than the others.
"Yes."
"Good. That guy is a jerk. You don't need a friend like him."
Smiling at the reply, I typed back, "Thank you, really." Like last time, he had been the only one to ask if I was ok first before giving advice.
"No problem. As long as you're ok."
"Ah, enough about me lol. I'm ok. How are you? How's school?"
"Skipped."
"eh? You skipped school?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Went skating instead."
Immediately, I pictured him ice skating and typed back, "I didn't know you skate."
"Skateboarding. Yes."
"But school... You shouldn't skip lol."
"Its fine, I had fun."
Smiling, I walked over to my bed and lay down on my stomach. "Well, ok. I'm glad you had fun though ^_^."
"haha thanks. Are you staying up tonight?"
"I can't. School tomorrow." Looking over at the time, I noticed it was 2 AM. I don't really want to go to class tomorrow.. Perhaps I should skip?
As if reading my thoughts, he replied, "Skip haha."
"I really want to. Naraku will be there, so awkward.."
"Then skip and then email me."
"I want to lol but I've never skipped a class a day in my life, let alone a college class… You pay for those, you know?"
"Fine. Good luck tomorrow then."
"Thanks.. Don't skip tomorrow! Go to class! lol." I typed back, as an image of Inugami skating vaguely entered my mind.
And like I said, I went to class the next day. We stopped having breakfast together, and stopped walking to class together. In fact, we were never together anymore. Perhaps I was avoiding him at the time. And without his help, computer science began taking a toll on my time and life. I worked twice as hard outside of class trying to understand the material and asking the professor a million questions. Eventually, I would just type, "Homework, busy" briefly to my online friends before leaving my room to use the programming system in the school's library.
A year passed like that, a hectic me trying to regain control of my life. Pushing emotions aside, I focused all my efforts into my classes. I could tell at the same time that my online friends missed my presence but like Mother, it was out of my hands. I ended up barely passing my finals of my first semester and improving my grades at the end of my second semester. Luckily, I also picked out a single room for my sophomore year at Skidmore College. Unfortunately, Naraku and Kagura had started dating and were both in my Theology class for my sophomore fall semester. Oh well, a bridge I would cross in due time.
Going home for my summer vacation, I would reopen my Priestess email, updating my friends on my year. I received back positive emails, all encouraging me to keep up my positivity and not let heartbreak be the thing to bring me down. Even Kirara and Shippo came out of their hiding holes to reunite with the group for the summer. It felt like everything at Skidmore had been but a long dream.
At the end of my summer break, Inugami asked, "Hey, so got a boyfriend yet?"
And I would reply, "No. I'm not ready for a boyfriend at the moment. I just really want to focus on my studies for now." Sighing, I was reminded of Naraku. No, definitely not ready for one any time soon.
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