Sorry for the long wait. *jumps up and down* I am FINALLY done with the background part. I REALLY hate writing background as you can see. Again I must apologize for the long wait. The house that Kagome grew up in, is NOT the house in the manga. It is actually modeled after the house I grew up in. Just to let you know this is NOT a Kagome/Koga story. Next chapter should be done soon and the story will FINALLY move forward. yeah!! Please read and review. Lemme know how I am doing. Any improvements that need to be made. PLEASE don't make me beg for reviews. I know it's being read.

Chapter 6

Fully Awake

A gentle kneading on her stomach brought Kagome from her dreams.

"Buyo." She complained, pushing her very fat cat from her bed. A loud thump signified the cat had landed on the floor. The jingling of the bell on Buyo's collar slowly faded as the fatty cat exited her room.

Kagome curled back up under her warm covers. She just wanted to go back to her dreams, dreams of Inuyasha. Dreams of her lost love and what could have, what was supposed to have been. She did not want to face today, for it was the day she move officially back into her mother's house. Koga would be coming over soon with his pick-up to help move her belongings from the apartment to her childhood home.

The sleepy girl rolled over to her stomach and groaned into her pillow. She mentally added independence to the list of things she lost in this living nightmare. Just below Inuyasha and right above her job. She was let go from her waitressing job for her constant absence from work. Sure, she loved her mother, but being forced back home because of some wicked plot, just plain sucked hard core.

The smell of coffee filtered into Kagome's room and jerked her from her thoughts. A soft rap echoed on her door. She smiled softly for the first time since her breakup a month ago. Koga, as annoying as he was, could be a sweetheart at times. No, she wasn't falling for him; she was just beginning to see a different side of the guy.

"Come in.," she answered, her face still buried in the pillow, making the sound come out more distorted than understandable.

Koga pushed the partially open door with his foot, carrying two cups of hot coffee. He placed the two steaming cups on Kagome's battered desk and sat on her bed. He carefully reached over and pulled Kagome's dark hair from her face. Kagome turned her head slightly to glance at him.

"Come on, Kagome," he told her softly, "Time to get up and face the day."

She stuck her tongue out at him, then placed her pillow over her head.

"Kagome, don't make me pull you out of this bed." Koga warned.

"Don't wanna." Came her muffled reply.

"Fine, then I'll just take this French Vanilla Latte and leave." Koga stated, rising from the bed and grabbing the hot drink.

"NO, no, no, no." Kagome pleaded, jumping up from the bed and snatching the coffee from Koga's grasp.

Koga chuckled at her antics and she just grinned at him through the steam rising from her cup. Kagome took a sip of the delicious brew, before shooing Koga from her room.

"Nice to see you smiling again." He stated as he stood in the doorway.

Her grin instantly disappeared and her face darkened. "Out, Koga." She commanded pushing him the rest of the way out of her room. "I need to shower and dress."

No sooner did she get her door shut, did tears spring into Kagome's eyes. A month. A stinking, rotten month since all this crap had started. She hated going from slightly happy to an outright wreck in mere seconds. She had recently given up crying in front of everyone. She was tired of the sympathetic looks, the pitying. She was an adult; she could take care of herself and didn't need the pity.

Frustrated with her tears, she angrily wiped them from her face. Kagome just wanted to be happy, but she knew that would never be possible as long as Inuyasha was not hers. He refused to listen, to acknowledge her pleas. The realization of what she had lost had sunk deep into her soul and she knew it would never leave. She would never marry because it would not be him. She would never have kids because they would not be his. She was doomed to be alone for the rest of her life simply because she could never, would never stop loving Inuyasha.

Growling to herself and her depressing thoughts, Kagome snatched up her clothes for the day and stomped into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, undressed, and stepped into the hot spray. She welcomed the slight burn on her skin. She closed her eyes and let the water wash away her aches and pains. Too bad it wasn't that easy to wipe away the pain from her heart. She finished her shower at a slow pace, relishing the heat from the water. She just did not want to face the pain in her heart and knew that today she would have to face a small portion of it.

Kagome stepped from the shower, into the steamy air of the bathroom. She wiped the steam from the mirror and stared at her reflection. She was tired, but she wasn't ready to let go just yet. The woman on the inside of her was screaming, banging her fists on the mirror; but her outward visage remained calm, too tired to show anything. Tearing her eyes from her reflection, the heartbroken girl proceeded to get dressed.

The drive to her once apartment was a silent one. Koga held her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze every now and then, a comforting gesture between two friends. He knew this was hard on her and Kagome appreciated his silent support. She stared blankly out the window at nothing, not wanting to talk, steeling herself to the task at hand.

Kagome stepped up to the door, took a deep breath, unlocked, and entered the apartment. Koga followed closely, carrying the packing boxes. Once inside, Kagome headed straight for her former bedroom at a quick pace, not wanting to linger on her thoughts or memories the apartment brought forth. She stopped her rushed steps inside her bedroom.

"So where do you want to start?" Koga inquired, placing the boxes on her bed.

"Just start throwing stuff in the boxes." Kagome answered quietly, grabbing the nearest items and placing them in a box.

Understanding her need to finish the task as soon as possible, Koga followed suit. In just a couple of hours, the bedroom was completely bare aside from the bed. She would leave that. The two then proceeded to the kitchen, packing at a slower rate, taking care to wrap the breakables. From there it was on to the living room, the easiest of all rooms. One small box of DVD's and a throw blanket off the back of the couch. All the furniture and electronics would stay. Kagome refused to take anything she had purchased with Kikyo. She was afraid of the reaction Kikyo would give her if Kagome took anything not belonging fully to her. A few earthly possessions were just not worth the mess they would bring; besides, she didn't need a couch or TV at her moms. Kagome had resigned herself to the loss weeks ago.

"I'll be in the truck." Koga said, taking the last box from the girl.

Kagome gave him a small smile of thanks. He knew saying goodbye was something she needed to do alone. She glanced around the apartment, silently releasing what she had thought to be her future, releasing the plans she had made. She let go of everything, everything but Inuyasha. She would never let go of him. She still had a faint glimmer of hope that she would be able to reach Inuyasha somehow, that everything would be ok; and until that hope was gone, Kagome would not give up on getting him to hear her out, to trust that she was innocent.

Kagome twisted the keys to the apartment off her key ring and placed them on the kitchen counter where she knew Kikyo would see them. She turned and left the place, closing the door on her friendship with Kikyo, and ending that chapter in her life.

3 weeks later, Kagome sat on the deck of her home, in a daze, shocked more or less. Inuyasha was gone. He had left for college. All hope of making him understand died with that one phone call. She had called his house for the umpteenth time and Sesshomaru had answered. Kagome had asked for Inuyasha, knowing Sesshomaru would give the phone to the young man without telling him who was on the line. Instead of Inuyasha, she had received a sigh and informed he had left for college the day before.

She had always thought, even if she could never reach him on the phone, she was bound to cross paths with him at school, once college started in September. They had both applied and been accepted into the local community college. They had wanted to attend the same college rather than brave a long distance relationship. Kagome now knew running into him would never be possible. He had left. Something died in the heartbroken girl in that moment.

Kagome's eyes dulled and hardened, resolve set in taking the place of whatever hope she had clung to in the past. She would make a new future for herself, a future far away from here. She would leave and never come back. She would attend one of the other universities she had applied to before her and her love had decided to attend together. This chapter in her life was over, done, finito. She would move on as he so easily did, but she would never forget him.

4 days later, after talking to admissions, Kagome would be attending college 2 states away. She had called Koga as soon as the plans finalized. She would tell him she was leaving for good. In three days, she would be free of this place. She would still carry the memories, but at least she would no longer have to face them every day.

Her mom, like any mom, was excited yet sad to see her go. Suki knew Kagome was having a hard time and hoped that by leaving, she would finally be able to heal, to move on and fall in love again one day. She only wanted what was best for her little girl after all.

A vehicle pulling into the drive lurched Kagome abruptly from her thoughts. She really did not want to say goodbye to Koga. He was a great friend, but she had to leave. He would understand her need to fly, to be free of this place, to escape. At least she hoped he would. Kagome didn't want, couldn't lose another friend. She couldn't handle any more pain, any more loss. She heard the crunch of her friend's shoes on the walk behind her. Kagome glanced up at Koga as he came along side her and settled himself nest to her on the steps between the yard and front lawn.

"How are you doing?" he asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Kagome leaned her head on his shoulder as she answered firmly, "I'm doing better."

Hearing the strength in her voice, Koga looked down and her and smiled. Kagome lifted her gaze to his, intent on telling him her plans, trying to voice the words she wanted to say. Koga saw the resolve clearly in her eyes though tinged slightly with apprehension. Kagome let a small smile appear on her lips as she prepared to deliver her news. Before she could relay her decision, Koga closed the distance between their faces and pressed his lips to hers. Kagome jerked from Koga in shock, her fingers finding their way to her lips. She stared at him, eyes widened with her shock. Koga reached for her, but she leapt to her feet, successfully evading his grasp. She stared at the male in front of her with an apologetic look that also held so much pain.

"I'm sorry, Koga." She said, turning and fleeing into the house.

Within moments, Kagome heard his truck start and pull out of the graveled drive. She took a shaky breath and headed down the stairs to her bedroom. In the short moment Koga had kissed her, she had realized something. Something her naïveté had blinded her to for years. All the times Koga had interrupted her time with Inuyasha, all the times he had stated to her 'All the good ones are taken,' and his touchy-feely relationship with her, pointed to one thing. Koga was in love with her. How could she not have seen it? It baffled her and she briefly wondered if Inuyasha had noticed it.

Kagome came to a second realization. He would never leave her alone, now that she was no longer with Inuyasha. She loved Inuyasha and only him. Koga would not accept that. She would leave in 3 days, as planned. Koga would not be told where, would not know where she was going. If he did, he would follow her. She questioned his motives. Everything that he had done for her in the last 2 months was only for his gain. Kagome would leave the selfish man behind, and that's exactly what she did.