The next day

Koga came to pick up Kagome and take her home from work. While she was getting her things and clocking out, Koga had to deal with Inuyasha again.

"You're back again?"

Koga knew he couldn't be rude to Kagome's assistant store manager but he certainly found him annoying. "Yes."

"Well next time wait outside. We have a 'no pets allowed' policy." He huffed.

"Inuyasha, leave the kid alone!" Bankotsu intervened. "Unfortunately, this store doesn't have a 'no dorks allowed' policy."

The two laughed together and Koga tried his best to keep his composure for Kagome's sake. He just laughed it off.

"What did I tell you about bothering him?" Sango shouted, slapping both of them. "I'm really sorry about them."

"Don't worry, it's not a big deal." He said with an optimistic smile.

Kagome returned to the counter with her bag and tugged at Inuyasha's ear.

"Hey! Not my ears!" He shouted, trying to pull away.

"Kagome's getting kinky over here!" Bankotsu called out.

Her eyes shot daggers at Bankotsu as he smiled widely. "Stop being so mean to Koga." She said to Inuyasha as she let go. "Bye, everyone!" She waved and left with Koga.

Inuyasha unlocked his door and was surprised to see Kikyo inside waiting for him.

"Surprise!" She said with a smile.

"It definitely is." He smiled back and gave her a kiss.

"Well since I have more time on my hands, I figured I'd give as much of it as I can to you."

As usual, Inuyasha was so blinded by love that he forgot all about his issues with Kikyo and what he overheard in the food court. He just knew Kikyo was giving him love and attention.

The two were on the couch lying in each other's arms resting and enjoying each other's company for a while.

Inuyasha noticed Kikyo's scent changed slightly but he wasn't sure what it meant. He figured it probably had something to do with her female cycle and ignored it.

"How was work, Inuyasha?"

"It was pretty much the same as always. My co-workers always make it interesting."

"Speaking of your co-workers, my love…I'm not too fond of that Kagome girl."

'She doesn't like Kagome?' "Why not? Did she say something to you when you came to the store?"

"No. I just don't trust her. Try not to spend too much time around her, okay?"

Inuyasha was beginning to grow suspicious. Kikyo never had a problem with any of his female friends, but she has a problem with Kagome? He didn't like that at all and something in him snapped. Sango was right about him not knowing what he was doing.

"What's the problem? What did she do?" He continued to grill her.

"S-she…she's just. I don't know. I wouldn't trust her around you." Kikyo spat out as she stammered over all her words.

"Why not? I want to know exactly what your problem is with her."

Kikyo felt backed up into a corner and her calm answers started to sound frustrated and overly defensive. "Why are you protecting her so much? Are you messing around with her?"

"ARE YOU MESSING AROUND WITH SOMEONE?" He shouted.

Kikyo froze. Did Kagome say something? 'No, she couldn't have.' She thought as she released an irritated sigh. "All this fuss over a stupid teenage girl." She shoved his arms off her and headed towards the door. "Call me when you're ready to grow up and stop putting your friends before your girlfriend." And she slammed the door behind her.

Inuyasha got up and dragged himself to the kitchen. He leaned against the counter in deep thought, forgetting why he went in there in the first place. 'Did I just argue with Kikyo about Kagome? What am I doing?'

Inuyasha walked over to Sango's and knocked on the door.

Miroku answered soon after with a carton of milk in his hand.

"What's up, Inuyasha?" He asked as he brought the carton to his mouth.

"I need to talk to you and Sango. I just did something really dumb."

"Story of your life!" Sango yelled from the kitchen.

Inuyasha sighed and rolled his eyes. "Can I come in?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Miroku told him as he opened the door wider. "Tell us what happened."

"I had a fight with Kikyo about Kagome." He replied sadly as he plopped on the couch.

Sango came out of the kitchen and gawked at him. "How did Kagome even come up in your conversations with her? I thought you two were supposed to be strengthening your relationship, not talking about your other woman."

"Other woman?" Miroku spoke up in an intrigued tone. "I didn't know you and Kagome were involved in that way, Inuyasha."

"Oh come on! I never touched that girl!" He said in his defense.

"So then how did Kagome come up?" Sango asked.

Inuyasha told Miroku and Sango the details of their argument and the two came to the same conclusion.

"She's cheating on you." They said at once.

'Why is everyone fucking saying this?' "No! T-That's impossible! She goes to school, works, takes care of her sister, when the hell would she have time to cheat on me?"

Sango shook her head disappointingly. "You're dense, you know that? How do you know Kikyo is at home when she goes to sleep? Or that she's really in class all the days she says she is? Can you verify these things?"

"Why do I need to verify everything? Can't I just trust the girl I'm with?"

"You must trust, but verify, Inuyasha." Miroku explained. "Sango and I trust each other but we also have valid and verifiable reasons to trust one another."

"And we communicate constantly." Sango added.

"Guess that's why things are so good between you two." Inuyasha said in a sad, small voice.

"Inuyasha, how do you feel right now?" Sango asked as she sat next to him.

"Dunno. I still don't think Kikyo is cheating. She doesn't seem like the type to-"

"Didn't you learn from meeting Kagome that some people just don't seem like the type to do certain things? It doesn't always make them bad people, but you can't just look at a person and know what they're going to do."

"Speaking of Kagome." Miroku cut in. "Sango was telling me you overheard her saying something in the food court about Kikyo. What was it, exactly?"

Inuyasha clenched his fist and breathed deeply. He felt like all odds were against him. He still refused to believe what was being said and what was heard about the girl he'd been with for so long. He figured he knew her better than anybody. "She was basically saying what you two were saying. And that she's two timing me with some older guy."

"So what are you going to do?" Miroku questioned.

"Do? I'm not gonna do shit. I'm gonna stick by Kikyo and believe her."

Sango didn't like what Inuyasha was doing...or not doing, for that matter. "You seriously don't believe any of us? Not even Kagome?"

"I..I just think you're wrong."

"I know what it is." Miroku said confidently.

'Oh no, here it comes. The psychology major reading into shit as always.'

"You're afraid of the truth because you don't want to be alone. It also bothers you that Kagome is seeing someone else so you can't have her either. In other words, you'd rather stay in this relationship with Kikyo simply because the loneliness is more unbearable than the betrayal."

"I don't have to sit here and listen to this!" Inuyasha shouted as he stood up.

"Where else are you gonna get the truth? From Kikyo?" Sango shot back.

He glared at her coldly and let himself out.

"Maybe I was a bit too harsh." She said, biting her lip as she turned to Miroku.

"Not at all. Inuyasha is the type you need to be brutally honest with, whether he wants to hear it or not." He told her as he sat next to her. "But now that he's gone..." Miroku began to nibble on her ear and fondle her.

"You can't ever keep your hands to yourself can you?" She sighed as she pulled the milk carton out of his hand and got up.

Inuyasha sat by the windowsill in his apartment enjoying the breeze from his window.

"What the hell am I supposed to do? I know Kikyo wouldn't cheat on me. I believe in her."

He began to reminisce about special moments with Kikyo.

The two were in Kikyo's backyard lying on the patio hand in hand counting all the stars they could see.

"The sky is so clear tonight. How many stars do you think there are?" Kikyo asked curiously.

"Billions." Inuyasha told her as he looked over at her. "No matter what, there will always be stars in the sky."

"Well as long as there are stars in the sky, I will always love you. Even if you can't see a single star."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as his entire face went red. "Y-you're my first love."

Kikyo smiled and stroked his warm, red cheek. "And last. We will always be together."

Inuyasha laughed off everyone's assumption. "She said always and I believe her."

thank you guys for the reviews and feedback ^_^

xo

-VQ