The Way I Feel Inside
Chapter Two

A/N: Hello to all. Yes. I'm back again, in such a short period of time. My start to the story isn't really that building up, so I thought I'd add the second chapter rather quickly and see how the response is. Please review and let me know what you think so far.

As soon as she got home, she rushed to her computer. She was anxious to see what he'd say about that. Signing in to her account, a chime went off as a little pop-up box appeared. It informed her that Inuyasha was online right then. Oh, I can IM him.

"Hey there, Inuyasha." She hit the enter button. The day had been great with her that day. As she waited, she took off her jacket, laying it over the back of the couch. Her heart jolted as it chimed, informing her he responded.

"Hey, you. What's the chances? We were never on at the same time before. Now twice? In two days?!" She laughed lightly.

"You're smothering me." She stated. As she sent that, his response was almost instant.

"Zing! There you are. Much better than our last conversation already." She laughed.

"Are you saying you don't enjoy our conversations anymore?" She said teasingly.

"That really depends on your mood." She expected him to reassure her that he did, that came as a surprise to her.

"Hey now. I was just kidding." She said.

"So was I." He said shortly. She noticed he wasn't typing anything more, so she decided to go on with her news.

"Guess what?" She sent that and din't wait for a response as she finished it up. "A friend of mine informed me today that Feudal Era's big tour finale is coming to my town. She
also hooked me up with a backstage pass." It took a little while for him to respond, so she thought he was surprised.

"Wow... That's a bit odd." Odd? She thought to herself.

"Odd?"

"Yeah. I have backstage access for that show as well." She leaned back, staring at the screen until the words burnt burned into her brain. She didn't realize how long it was until he sent another message. "I heard they were going to go out with a bang."

"So did I." She responded. She bit her lip as she typed in 3 simple words and looked at them. Should we meet? She wondered that question herself. Should they? She really wasn't too sure about it herself. In all honesty, she only knew what he told her. She didn't know him, but at the same time, it seemed like she did. They talked almost everyday for over a year. If he was some sort of weirdo, he would have already tried something, right? That's what she told Sango, but now that this was staring her in the face, she wasn't sure. The truth is that you never know, but their whole connection, their friendship was all based on chance and risk. Kagome found herself liking that. Take a risk, Kagome. She told herself. She hit enter, sending the message out to him. There's no turning back now. She smiled lightly, glad that she had done so. Twiddling her thumbs, she waited anxiously for his reply. The magical chime ran out of the speakers once again.

"Hello?" Miroku said, waving his hand in from of Inuyasha's face. Inuyasha's head shook as he came out of his little daze.

"Huh?" Miroku shook his head.

"What's with you lately? You're beginning to worry me, now that you're 'thinking' more often. What keeps your mind so occupied as of late?" Inuyasha found himself glancing over his shoulder. Should I tell him? It didn't take long for him to make up his mind. Why not?

"A girl." Miroku just looked at him. A girl? Who could it be?

"Please, Please. Don't tell me it was that bimbo from the Music Awards." Inuyasha scrunched his face in disgust.

"No. Hell no!"

"Well, who is it then?"

"You know how I go online to check out the latest rumors about us?" Miroku nodded. "Well, I met her in the bulletin board."

"Does she know who you are?" He shook his head.

"I set up a fan's account. We're on a first name basis only. She sent me a message asking me a question about the band." He chuckled. "She thought I seemed 'knowledgeable' as she put it." Miroku laughed at the irony.

"Were you able to answer it?"

"Of course not. It was so over my head. I had no idea." He said sarcastically. "From there, we just talked about music. She's open-minded to everything. Any music she's willing to give a chance. It's so odd." He said. Miroku saw the look in Inuyasha's eye. He was intrigued by this girl, but it seemed like more than that.

"Sounds like you really like this girl." Miroku threw out there to see what response he'd get. It seemed as if he sobered up out of his little trance.

"Oh, I don't know. She's just a fan girl." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That may be so, but so was Sango in the beginning." Inuyasha shook his head.

"It's not the same. We knew Sango since those days when we'd play in your parent's garage. We know her and have seen her."

"True." Miroku said. An idea popped into his head. "Have you ever thought about meeting her so you can get to know her and see?" He asked, as he picked up his guitar and began strumming a couple of chords.

"I've thought about it." He admitted. "But I don't know. She said she'd try to make the final show."

"That's perfect, then."

"I'm not so sure." Inuyasha said.

"Why?"

"Well, I told her that I was going to be at that show."

"And?"

"She asked if we should meet?"

"So?" Inuyasha threw his hand in the air.

"I don't know. I still don't have any idea what to say to her. I told her that I'd forgotten something and would get back to her later about it."

"That actually may be a good move. A little anticipation will have a good effect. You're probably on her mind, right now." Inuyasha froze. As much as he liked that thought, it scared him as well.

"A little anticipation..." He said under his breath. Miroku saw his expression and his silence helped confirmed it, he screwed something up.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. That's the problem." Miroku looked up from his guitar once again and raised an eyebrow in question. Inuyasha could feel his gaze. "It's been three days."Miroku set down his guitar, walking over to him.

"How often do you talk?"

"Everyday, at least once, but sometimes it's more than that." Miroku stalked over, grabbing the back of his chair, he dragged him and the chair over to the desk, setting it in from of the computer.

"You have to talk to her, Inuyasha. She's probably in a mix of self-doubt and confusion. She probably thinks she put a damper on your relationship." Inuyasha glared at him.

"What makes you think you know so much about women anyways?"

"Fortunately for me, it was a gift bestowed upon me." Miroku said. Then he pointed to the computer screen. "Answer her." Inuyasha stared at the blank screen.

"I don't know what to say."

"Are you going to meet her?" Inuyasha shook his head as if to say I don't know. Miroku understood and sat down next to him.

"Why don't you know?"

"I just- don't know. I mean there's no real reason not to. I mean, the worst thing that could happen is..." He never finished, so Miroku picked up where he left off.

"Is that she doesn't feel the same way?" Inuyasha looked over at him. Miroku was confused by his expression, unsure of what to make of it. It almost startled him whenever Inuyasha reached over and put a hand on his shoulder... that is, under he felt it clench his shirt and begin to pull him out of the room. That was the Inuyasha he knew. He pulled him to the door and shoved him out. "Wait a-" He found himself talking to the shut door in no time.

"Feh. Listen to this guy. 'She doesn't feel the same way.' Ha!" He said to himself, feeling a little better after removing him from the room. He turned around and saw the blank screen again. The text cursor was flashing, awaiting for him to input some text. It seemed to flash over and over again in his mind. He went over and sat in the chair in front of the computer. What am I going to say? He tapped his fingers lightly against the keys.OK... I can at least start it. But should i just do a casual 'Hey' or a 'Dear Kagome?'" He sighed, but just let his hands type the message. He wasn't exactly sure of it's content, but he was going to send it come hell or high water.

"Hey." She just nodded her greeting as a response. "I take it that there's no word from him yet."

"No." Kagome said as she clocked in. Sango felt bad for her. Kagome didn't even act like that whenever there was trouble with her brother. She must have been attracted to the guy in an extreme degree. Kagome wasn;t one to fall hard or fast when it came to relationships. She didn't find many men that she liked. Above all, Sango heard the defeated tone in her voice. It wasn't just the physical exhaustion, but the mental exhaustion that was bringing her down.

"Even if he doesn't want to meet, you can still come. It's going to be one hell of a show." Kagome knew she was trying to cheer her up. Sango never really used curse words in any sense. Kagome smiled lightly.

"I know. Thanks for inviting me and all." Sango could feel a 'but' coming on, so she spoke before it came.

"Maybe he's just been busy with work. You said he was on the road a lot."

"Yeah, I suppose that's possible. He said it was going to get hectic."

"You see. Chances are that you have an e-mail from mystery man right now." Kagome smiled.

"Thanks, Sango." She smiled and nodded.

"I almost forgot again, Miroku called me and apparently they have a day off between their last two shows. He decided to come ahead of the rest of them. Do you want to have dinner with us?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You're not. Trust me. The more, the merrier."

"I guess. Sounds good, I don't know about work though."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about the crappy schedule. Well, it's that Saturday around 7 or so." Kagome smirked lightly.

"I have to admit that I am curious about him. I've heard so much that magazine and gossip columns don't even know., such as his engagement to a certain book-keeper." Sango flushed lightly.

"The long, secret engagement. Well, we talked about that a little. It may not be too long that we're engaged anymore." Sango never heard Kagome squeal in excitement before.

"You're finally getting ready to set a date?" Sango nodded. Kagome hugged her. "Well, congratulations!"

"Thanks. We haven't one specifically in mind. We thought we'd discuss it when we see each other."

"It'll be better talking about it face-to-face rather than over the telephone. You have so much patience. I don't know how you do it."

"Oh, I've had my moments." She laughed lightly. "But I love him. I'd wait forever if he wasn't ready. Besides it has it's benefits as well. Just- we're still keeping it on the down low. Rumor has it that he's dating some super-model." She laughed again. Kagome loved watching her talk about it. The more she thought or spoke about him, the more joy that shined on her face.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it to myself."

Kagome flipped open the laptop as she reclined back in her bed. He wasn't online, but she did have a e-mail awaiting her. She clicked on the link, silently cursing it for running for slowly. Finally the page loaded. As she scrolled down, her hopes were up. When she saw who the message was from her hopes fell, but at the same time she was excited. Her brother didn't e-mail her very often. She opened the message.

Hey Kagome. How's it going? Sorry that it's been awhile. Mom told me about your work. That must be hard, but don't worry to much about it. I bet things will start looking up soon. They always do. She also told me she wasn't able to get a hold of your over the phone. So I'll ask for myself. I'm going to be coming home for a little bit next weekend. I'm really hoping that we can hang out together like we used to if it's at all possible. Anyways, I hope to hear from you soon, either way.
Your bro,
Souta

Kagome read the message a second time. She was happy for him. He seemed to be reverting back to his old self since a hard time he had. Going away to college was hard enough, but he met this girl and fell in love. He was explicitly happy with her. 6 months later, he proposed to her. 3 weeks after that, he went to his dorm after class to find her with her hands down his roommate's pants. His break-up devastated him. He didn't call home, his grades slipped. It made him sick mentally and physically. The family hadn't heard from him in months and he usually called once a week. Three months later, he called Kagome out of the blue. He was wasted, babbling nonsense for quite a while, then he got angry when she asked him if he was drinking. After he got that out, he broke down and cried, spilling into his confession. Kagome read the message again. It was short, but hopeful. Compared to that phone call, that message was so much better.

She felt torn. There was the concert or her brother. Seconds later, the latter won out over the former. Family came before pleasure. Simple as that. She knew Sango would understand, she knew about what happened with Souta, but Kagome dreaded telling her. I'll jump in the shower before I call her. A twinge of regret washed over her. All well. Things happen.

After she finished up in the bathroom, she sat on the couch, staring at the telephone. Well, maybe I'll write Souta back first. A glance at her laptop told her she had a new message in her inbox. She clicked on it and saw it was from him. Thank God. I didn't push him away. Clicking the message, it promptly opened.

Dearest Kagome,
Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I guess I probably left you hanging there. Yes, I'd love to meet up with you and I'm honored that you'd want to do so. And what better place than a concert? How about we meet up backstage? I'll make sure to wear a Cure t-shirt. I"m looking forward to seeing you.
Can't wait until we meet,
Inuyasha

Kagome slumped against the couch. No. This isn't happening to me. She re-read that message again and again. After the fourth time, her head went into her hands. What should I do now?

She tried, but she couldn't do both. After a phone call, she learned Souta was coming in Saturday evening, stay all day Sunday, and leave Monday morning. There was absolutely no way they'd have another chance while he was there. No way she would be able to manage work, the concert, and Souta either. She managed to convince her boss at the bookstore to let her have Saturday off, but her boss at the diner wasn't lenient at all. I tried. There's nothing else that I can do. She picked up the phone and dialed Sango's number. She picked up after the second ring.

"City morgue. You stab 'em. We slab 'em."

"What if it was someone who doesn't appreciate that little job like I do?"

"If that's appreciation, I don't want to see you excited." Kagome laughed. "So, what's going on?"

"A lot actually. Listen. I've tried everything I could, but I can't make the concert."

"Is everything alright? It's not work, is it?"

"No. For once, it's not work. Souta's coming in and Sunday is our only chance to hang out before he goes back."

"Oh, that's good news then. He's doing better?"

"Yeah. He seems to be."

"Have you heard form Mr. Online?" Kagome laughed lightly to herself. Usually it was 'mystery man.'

"Yeah, he seemed to be glad to have the chance to meet."

"Ouch. I'm sorry. Have you gotten around to responding?"

"Not yet. I'm scared to tell him, Sango. I just don't know what to say or how he'll react."

"Don't worry to much about it. It seems like he's an understanding man."

"Yeah, he is. He does have a tendency to over-react at first, though. I guess I better get this nasty, little job out of the way."

"Alright. You can still make it to dinner on Saturday, right?"

"So far, things are working out for that."

"That's good. Well, I guess I'll let you get to that e-mail."

"Alright. See ya." She waited to make sure Sango hung up before hanging-up herself. Turning around, she looked at her computer.

"Damn it." She swore whole-heartedly. She hated being the bearer of bad news. It was the most difficult letter she'd ever have to write. With a deep breath, her fingers tapped the keys. Here it goes...