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 12: Arguments Over "Priestess"

Although we were now official, many things remained the same. In other words, we were still ourselves around each other. Perhaps just more open with our feelings. He was still my best friend, which he hated to be called. Other than not being able to be physically together, we were like any other couple. Couple. Even the word felt fun to say. But the word I liked the most was "boyfriend", he was finally my boyfriend. And although he and I knew it, no one else knew it. I just didn't have the courage to tell my mom and Sota. And these fears, I confided in him with them.

My biggest problem, was the fact that I was still using Priestess around him. I could tell he wanted to drop the alias and reveal the real us behind our characters.. The problem? That Priestess was so much more than an alias to me. Priestess was my alter ego. Although not different by much, she was a part of me, a happier part. A part that shined and emanated kindness and positivity. She was the part of me that was happier and so much more naive to the world. And I? I was the part that had grown up and took my experiences with me.

And for the longest period of time, I couldn't tell him that. What would he think? How would he react? If he knew that the person he fell in love with for 3 years was.. An alter ego? Perhaps it was because I was starting to learn how it felt to care for another person.. But wholeheartedly, I did not want to hurt him any more than this.

One day, I asked, "There's plenty of fish in the sea.. Why choose me? What if in the future… What if you'll like some fancy rainbow colored fish?"

"That won't happen."

"Why?" Why was he so confident?

"It won't because I love this fish right here *pulls you to me* and I don't plan to let this one go." Feeling my heart beating crazily, I really hoped that we could stay forever this way..

"*hugs you* really?"

"Yes, really."

"What are you thinking of right now?"

"You."

His sweet words always had a way of moving my heart. And like a real couple we would continue to be until he started getting more and more curious about the girl behind Priestess. Should I tell him? But what if he doesn't like me anymore after hearing it?

"Priestess.. Tell me who you really are? Please? I know I've asked many times now, but I've also dropped it many times for you. I love you so much. Won't you tell me?"

Did he really love me though? Or did he love Priestess? Which one of us did he really fall for? Although both were the same girl, I needed to know. I was growing more and more sick of hiding the truth from him..

And one day after he continually asked me about my identity, asking about pictures, and asking if I really wanted to continue to be in this relationship with him, we had a fight.

"You're always hiding it. What exactly are you afraid of? That I won't accept you?"

"No. That's not it.. I just don't want to be forced to.." I didn't want to be forced to give up being Priestess. Once I told him, my role as Priestess would really start to disappear. But would I choose him or Priestess..?

"It's always what you want in the end. I forget, you don't have any experience in this, do you? Well, people in a relationship work things out and compromise. You're sealing yourself up. You're doing as you always do, especially last time when I offered to drive to you and meet you in person, you denied it saying that you believe in destiny. That if we're fated, then we'll eventually meet."

I couldn't say anything back because I knew he was right. We hadn't even been dating that long. Probably 2 months at the most? And he was already forcing me to reveal Priestess… The Priestess that in my heart I couldn't bear to part with a second time after the closure of TM. He was right. He was being patient, but even the most patient of people lose their tempers..

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. This is why I didn't want you to fall for me.." I knew that this was an excuse. An excuse to continue being Priestess for a longer time.. But if I revealed myself, would he still continue to like me?

"Forget it. It's fine." But I knew it wasn't fine. It wasn't fine at all. He was doing it again.. Bending and doing what I wanted, despite not agreeing to it. Was I being a horrible girlfriend..?

And so we would have many fights like these, that usually came up only when he mentioned wanting to know the real me. It would take some time before I would reveal the real me. Much, much more time.

I had lost count how many arguments we would have over it, but I finally cracked. I was unable to carry on as Priestess, loving the Inugami that was him. I couldn't continue this relationship. One day after an argument, I typed, "Let's break up."

Almost immediately, my phone exploded with text messages asking me why. Message after message, it would ask me why I was always so rash and what he did wrong. Truthfully, it wasn't him. I was just tired of lying to him, tired of forcing this relationship to work.. I was tired of being pressured to reveal myself, although it was the right thing to do.. I wished he could just trust me.. My naive self wished for him to trust me. But my conscience knew that it wasn't right. So I wanted a break up. Then he did something he had never done before. He called my phone. Again and again.

Sitting on my bed, I watched my phone go off like it had never done before. I knew I should answer. I knew I should do something. Finally, I picked up my phone and texted him back.

"It has nothing to do with you. It's just… Priestess. You want that secret revealed, right?"

Finally, the phone stopped buzzing and went silent for awhile. Then a new message read: "Yes. Please tell me the secret."

And so I did, every single detail of why I had created Priestess. Why Priestess meant so much to me and why Priestess was my last remaining momento of TM. Then feeling myself shaking, I realized that this was the first time.. The first time I had ever revealed Priestess to someone else. She was my friend. Yet, she was also me.. Sango, Miroku, Mother, Shippo and Kirara all knew Priestess and I hadn't even told them yet.. Now, he was the only one who knew. Finally after what felt like hours, he replied.

"Then what separates you two? What makes you different from your alter ego?"

"She's more naive. She is more positive and radiates that positivity, believing in the good of people and failing to see their flaws. That's the kind of person Priestess is."

"And you?"

"I'm like her, but I know the flaws of humanity. I carry the more negative human qualities that she lacks. I've grown and experienced things, things that I've not forgotten.. That's the difference. So we must break up."

"Why?"

"Because.. You've liked her positive side right? You've liked that she was always so positive toward you. But I can't always be that positive.."

"Idiot. I love both sides of you regardless. Your positive side. Your negative side. Your naive side and your strict side that fights with me. You're human, it's natural."

Feeling surprised, I hugged my phone. He was so kind.. He was so quickly accepting of the me that I hid from others..

"So, you don't mind? That Priestess is my alter ego?"

"No. So, can we start over?.. This time as us?"

"But.. It's going too fast.." I was still reluctant to jump into a total reveal of myself.. I could however, expose my name.. For now.

"Can we start with just a name then? We'll take things slow and eventually get there, ok?"

"... My name is Kagome." There. I said it. My real name.

"Kagome, my name is Inuyasha. Nice to finally meet you *hugs*"

He was being so warm.. So kindhearted.. He was compromising and I was learning how to. He seemed to always have so much more experience than me when it came to this, that I was slowly, slowly learning. And he was being patient with me. I could feel the nervousness ease out of me, as I relaxed and typed back, "You too. *hugs you back*"

"Kagome, are you willing to be my girlfriend again? Take me back?"

"Yes, of course ^_^"

"*kisses you*"

I had recently stopped preventing him from kissing me, but hadn't quite reached that stage where I was kissing him back yet. "*smiles* Thank you."

"For?"

"Still accepting me.. Even after knowing about Priestess."

"You idiot. Both sides are still you. Don't think for a second that you could leave me because of that. Inugami wasn't an alter ego, but he was still my selfy, so I understand."

Blinking, I looked up surprised. That's right.. Inugami was also his selfy name.. Why.. Why didn't I think of that? That he could understand Priestess because he had created Inugami?... Yeah, it's official, I'm an idiot. Smacking my head with my palm, I was glad that we were slowly going to get there.

"Oops.. I didn't think about that.."

"haha, I can see that. But it's ok, we're moving in the right direction. My girlfriend now, my wife later."

This guy and his jokes.. Laughing, I was glad that the tense atmosphere from before had disappeared so quickly. Only he could do that. It seemed that only he could make my anxieties appear and disappear so quickly.

Author's Note: Hey everyone, thank you very much for reading! As always, please leave your reviews on what you think about what you've read so far. Would you want to see more? Please favorite the story or feel free to hit the "follow" button for me, so you'll be notified first of any new chapters/stories. Thank you guys again!