Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha.

The next day at school I had to keep reminding myself to not let Inuyasha get close. I had to keep reminding myself of the pain I felt when I did let people close to me; so close that they could break me apart, piece by piece.

"Kagome," Sango called to me waving me over to her table at lunch.

I sat next to her carefully avoiding the eyes of Inuyasha.

"So?" Sango whispered to me, referring to last night.

"I just can't, Sango. I can't do it," I told her quietly so that the boys couldn't hear.

Sango nodded, smiling at me sadly before turning back and talking to Miroku.

"What was all the whispering about?" Inuyasha asked me.

I stared down at my food, not really feeling up to eating.

"Nothing," I responded sadly.

"Kagome, it's something, I know it is," he told me, trying to get me to look at him.

"It's…nothing," I repeated, unsure of what to say to him. "I…don't want to talk about it."

"What's wrong? Yesterday you were all happy and then today you act like we aren't even friends."

"Inuyasha, I can't tell you. Okay?" I snapped.

He stood up, taking me with him and pulled me over to a deserted part of the lunch room.

"Talk," he demanded, frustrated.

"I can't," I told him.

"Kagome-"

"No. Listen. I can't tell you, okay? If I do you are going to start hating me again and start yelling at me like there is no tomorrow," I said calmly.

"Just tell me," he ordered.

I stared down at the ground not speaking. I wanted him to just get it and leave me alone.

"Why are you suddenly pushing me away?" he tried again.

"Because I don't want to get hurt again!" I yelled at him fiercely.

He stared at me with a hurt and mad expression.

"Inuyasha, I-"

"Just save it," he barked as he walked away.

I stood there, staring at the place he occupied moments ago, tears falling down my face.

"Kagome?" I heard Sango whisper from behind me.

I turned around and looked at her, Miroku at her side.

"What happened?" Miroku asked me, hugging me.

I cried into Miroku's chest. This time, I was crying over Inuyasha. I was crying over how he didn't understand what I'm going through. He, I would've thought, would've been the last person to just walk away like he did.

"What happened?" Miroku repeated, rubbing my back, trying to calm me down.

I pulled away from him just enough to see his and Sango's blurred faces.

"He doesn't care anymore," I said through my sobs.

"Inuyasha? He cares. He cares for you more than anything," Sango told me, looking at me with concerned eyes.

"He doesn't, though," I objected. "He doesn't understand any of the pain that I'm going through."

"Kagome, he cares and understands you better than anyone else in the world," Miroku said.

"He asked why I was suddenly pushing him away. I told him because I didn't want to get hurt again. Then, he left after yelling at me."

"He wants you to trust him enough not to hurt you, Kagome."

"It's not just him, though," I muttered. "It's everyone."

I broke out of Miroku's grasp and walked down the hall. I went to my locker, ignoring the stares, got my books and left school for the day, not able to bare anything more. When I got home, I went upstairs and cried myself to sleep, thinking of what just happened. I had just lost my best friend just because I didn't want to get hurt again.

When I woke up the next morning, I lied there, staring blankly at the ceiling, not ready to face the world. I told my mom that I wasn't going to go to school today, and after she looked at me she just nodded and left for work. The whole day was spent lying there, doing nothing but thinking. While I was thinking, I noticed that I had let Inuyasha get close; otherwise I wouldn't be lying here like I am. He didn't get very close to me, but it was close enough to break me in the littlest way and turn my life around once more.

I received various phone calls from Sango and Miroku but didn't answer any of them. When the phone rang I didn't even look up or move a muscle.

I didn't even remember falling back asleep but I must have because I woke up to Souta shaking me gently.

"Sis?" he asked when I opened my eyes.

"Hm?" I grunted in response.

"Mom made you something to eat," he told me.

"I'm not hungry."

"Have you eaten anything today?" he questioned me.

"No."

"You've got to eat something," he pushed.

"No thank you."

"Kagome, what's wrong?"

I looked up with blank eyes at my little brother.

"I let him get close and he hurt me again," I told Souta simply.

"Who?"

"Inuyasha," I said like it was nothing.

"Kagome! Don't worry I'll go call him and make him come over and apologize!"

"No."

"Kagome…"

"Souta, if you do that, he'll find a way to keep on hurting me. He always does," I explained.

He looked at me with sad eyes before leaving my room. Next my mom came up stairs with the phone in hand and mouthed the word Miroku.

I sighed before holding out my hand for the phone. It was obvious that they weren't going to leave me alone until I talked to them so let's just get this over with.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Kagome!" I heard Sango yell from the background.

"Kagome, why didn't you come to school today?" Miroku asked.

"I didn't feel like it."

"Kagome what's wrong with you?!" Sango asked.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," I told them.

"Kagome just please come to school tomorrow so we can talk about this," Sango replied. "If you don't want to talk to Inuyasha, that's fine but at least talk to us."

"Fine."

I swear I could hear her smiling through the phone.

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow Kagome."

"Bye," I said before hanging up.

Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.