Ah, well here's chapter 7. Thanks a bunch for those of you who reviewed. This chapter's a little SangoXInuYasha- I know, I know. I hate it too... well not really, but don't worry! I've finally decided to make this a Sango/Kagome. YAY! lol, but really... It's going to take a LONG while for it to show up. :( But have no fear! At least you know the pairing, right? ANNNDDDD, what's this? HIATUS?! D: yes, it's true. My stories are on hiatus for a little while (It's been in my profile for a little while). I've been having a few problems in life and I guess I kind of need a break from writing (I can barely concentrate on writing anyways). (Plus I need to start on my summer assignements for school) So... no chapters for a little while. But I will be back! Lucky for my faithful readers (and especially my faithful reviewers ;D) I have a few chapters in stock so I'll update this story every now and then during the hiatus (just not as often...) Anyways, onto the next installment of Eliminated!

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha; duh. XD
Rated: Mature For mainly crude language, sexual references, and mature situations.

CHAPTER 7

"I can't fucking believe her," I fumed as InuYasha chuckled.

"You know she's only worried about you," he said, sneaking a fry from my tray. I smacked his hand, but he took it anyways. "Besides; now you look like a total nutcase."

"I'm not going to cut anymore," I mumbled watching him pop the fry into his mouth. "Besides, she'll only be wasting her money. I don't need therapy."

InuYasha cocked his already handsomely arched eyebrows and I muttered to myself.

"I think it'll be good to have someone you can talk to," he said with a smile.

"Why can't I just talk to you?" I blushed after hearing myself say that.

"Would you rather that? I'm sure she'd take you out of that if she saw that you were talking to me," he said seemingly thinking really hard about it.

"Then I'd have to see more of your ugly mug," I said, watching him scowl.

"I'll have you know that-"

"You're a total hunk. I know," I smirked.

He blushed and glanced away. "So, what's up with you and Kagome?"

"Huh?" I asked, wondering what he was talking about.

"You spend a lot of time with her," he said taking another one of my fries. I gave him a confused look. I didn't think anyone noticed that we were friends. She was always with Koga so we barely hung out.

"How did you…"

"Oh, well… I just saw you talking to her and a couple of times I've seen you driving her around town," he shrugged.

"Oh."

"Are you two… together?"

"What?! Oh come on InuYasha. You know that she's with that bastard," I spat foully.

"Oh yeah," he said, looking as if he suddenly remembered. "Well, do you like her?"

"And what gave you that idea?" I shot him a glare and his amber eyes revealed his playfulness. I could also see that he was really up to something.

"Oh, I dunno… Perhaps the fact that you get this far off look in your eyes when you talk to her," he giggled.

My eyes widened and I started laughing.

"Holy shit- you just giggled," I laughed and he looked a little irritated.

"What? Can't a man giggle?" I looked over at me slyly from the corner of his eye and I laughed more.

"Ok ok. I figured you'd like me better if I showed you a bit of my feminine side 'cause you're into chicks and stuff," he joked. Smacking my hand to my head, I rolled my eyes.

"Could you hurry and finish my fries so we can get the fuck out of here?"

InuYasha did just that and we walked out to his car. As he was driving I suddenly asked, "So who are you with now?"

"What?" he asked, probably missing my question.

"Who are you dating?"

"Oh, no one," he shrugged taking a right down the road our school was on.

"Can't find a girl?" I asked, wondering about this. Most of the girls at our school adored him.

"It's not that… I'm just not looking and even if I was, the girl I'd pick would never say yes, so," he trailed off with a chuckle. "Why; are you interested?" he joked.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. InuYasha would be a very welcome distraction. Of course it'd be terribly awkward, but a very welcome distraction nonetheless.

He looked pensive, but didn't reply.

"You know- you never answered my question," he said, turning onto the road that would take us to the apartment complex I lived in.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I mumbled still thinking about what a strange couple InuYasha and I would make.

"You like Kagome, don't you?"

I looked over at him, but his gaze was focused on the road. I didn't answer because suddenly, my thoughts bombarded me and I couldn't form words. Did I like Kagome? Was that why I was so protective of her? Was that why I still just couldn't shake my grudge when it came to Koga? Was that the real reason why I was jealous of him? Was that why my heart ached when she left each day after she finished work? Was that why my heart sped up just because she looked at me? Was that why I adored everything about her?

I didn't realize it, but we were soon parked in the parking lot in front of my apartment building.

"Well Sango. You don't have to answer, because I already know. I just wanted to know if you knew yet," InuYasha laughed.

"InuYasha, there's one thing I don't like. That's people thinking they have me figured out. So unless you want me to get really pissed with you right now; I suggest you stop with the bullshit," I glared hard his way. His smile didn't falter and his amber eyes stayed glued to my deep forest green eyes.

"The girl I'd pick would be you, Sango. But it'd be useless for me to tell you this and expect you to reply to that correctly with your heart elsewhere."

"You like me?" I was astonished.

"What? Can't a guy like an amazing girl like you?" he asked with a cute smirk.

I blushed, not knowing what to think. InuYasha liked me? How weird was that? He was one of the most popular boys at our school. One of the most handsome and athletic. But then, the more I thought about it, the more I should've known; I should've seen it coming.

"I… InuYasha that's…"

"Hey, I was just telling you; don't get any strange ideas about trying to become a couple or anything," he shrugged his shoulders. "You don't seem like the type of girl who'd go out with someone just because she could. You seem like someone who wouldn't settle for less."

"God, I hate you so much right now," I mumbled. He was giving me a headache with all his statements. So much deep thought was evoked from his vocal musings. "And you're not 'less'. There you go spewing shit again."

He laughed, "Sango, you're too much sometimes."

I glanced at him and his eyes betrayed him. He liked me more than he was letting on. I could see the regret pouring into his eyes and suddenly, I felt as if I were being drawn in by them. Our lips touching shocked me out of that illusion. We quickly parted, and InuYasha smiled.

"Your lips are just as soft as they look."

I didn't reply. I couldn't reply. He had kissed me after giving me a short speech about why we shouldn't even consider being a couple. I could tell that he was lying. He wanted nothing more than to be with me. I could see in his eyes that he resented the part in him that chose to do the right thing. He resented the part in him that knew he'd only be hurting himself.

"InuYasha; stop. You're confusing me," I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. His contradicting actions were really baffling me. I felt as if I were put under pressure, trying to decide which of his behaviors were the right ones to follow. The ones that said "us" was a bad idea or the ones that said "we" could be?

"Sorry," he looked genuinely so and scratched the back of his head. "I didn't mean to. I'm just confused myself, ya know. I really like you," he confessed. "But that's just not enough, ya know? I mean, it's so obvious you like Kagome and I know you hate the fact that I'm telling you this. I just see that I couldn't possibly compete with her."

"I… InuYasha, I need time to think," I muttered, not knowing how to answer him.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," he smiled. "Thinking is good."

He killed the engine and we both got out of the car.

"Look, I'm sorry about all of this. I really didn't mean to trouble you- you're still recovering and all…"

"Don't apologize to me," I snapped, irritated thoroughly by him. Did he not know when to stop? He just needed to shut the fuck up. I started towards the building.

"Come on, Sango. Please, just hear me out."

I looked up to see his amber eyes pleading with me and I sighed, stopping.

"I've heard enough, InuYasha and personally I don't want to hear any more," I told him truthfully.

"I've liked you for the longest time, Sango. Even when you were with Miroku, but I've learned that you don't just go for anyone and if I'm not who you want, then so be it… but if you ever decide to not follow your feelings, but you still want to be with someone, know I'm here," he continued despite me asking him not to.

"I told you I don't want to hear any more," I felt my eyes burn with tears. Damn him! Damn him and his big mouth. Damn him and his feelings. People are better off without them sometimes. I glared at him and turned away slightly.

"Damn you!" I huffed, swiping at my leaking eyes.

I felt him encircle me with his arms, and I would've punched him but as of lately… As of lately I had been spoiled by Kagome and had become addicted to embraces as such. I was still quite emotional after all that had happened. I wished it would just stop. I wished I could go back to my old self, but after seeing such concern come from people who cared about me- I realized it would be a hard thing. To hide in my shell would be a hard thing because they wouldn't let me. They wouldn't let me fall back into what I had just escaped.

My back was flush against his hard, chiseled body and I looked over my shoulder and up into his face. He looked down at me, making eye contact and suddenly, he was kissing me again, but this time I didn't recoil instantly. I kissed him back deeply, hoping that perhaps this kiss would allow me some clarity. As we parted, I soon felt a disappointment cloud my thoughts. As the first kiss of a somewhat, actual relationship after a long time, it was dull and lacking. It didn't give me anything near the high I felt when I had kissed Miroku. I sighed and pried his fingers from me. I turned to look at him and he frowned.

"Not what you're looking for, huh?" he asked gently. I shook my head and he sighed. "Well… I don't know, really. I guess I'm not it." He shrugged and then a lopsided smile slipped onto his lips. "I'll call you later or something." He turned and started back to his car.

"I'm sorry!" I blurted. He looked back at me and I blushed. "I'm really sorry about this."

He smiled, not saying a word, and got into his car. He drove out of the parking lot and I lifted my knuckles to my tingling lips. How had this happened? How had I so quickly fallen prey to my emotions like that? How did InuYasha know about my intense attraction to Kagome before I realized it myself? Why had he kissed me? Why was he being so contradictory?

Suddenly feeling very weak, I decided I needed a hot shower and just to turn in early for the night. Turning, I found confused blue eyes staring down at me. Kagome stood at the top of the staircase. Her face held an odd emotion that I had never seen on it before. As I started up the stairs I had to wonder what she was doing there anyways. Had she been talking to Kagura?

"I… umm… I came to see if you wanted to hang out," Kagome said, startling me before I reached the top. She always somehow knew what I was thinking. It was strange, but our friendship had gotten to that stage of extreme connection.

My eyes hitched onto hers and I didn't say anything. She was jealous. It was glowing brightly in her blue eyes. Was she making no move to hide it? Or perhaps she didn't know how? Perhaps she was so rarely jealous of other people that she just didn't know how to react to it. Why was she jealous anyways? Was she one of the many who fancied InuYasha? Didn't she have Koga? Couldn't she be happy with what she had?

Suddenly irritated with my suddenly pensive state, I unlocked the door and walked inside, leaving it open for her to follow. There was no trace of Kohaku or Kagura around anywhere. That was really strange. And Kagome wanted to see if I wanted to hang out? How strange was that? Was Koga on a trip or something?

With only my mind on the shower that I needed to think about things properly, I started to remove my jewelry. My eyebrow piercing came out first. After finishing that, I had a pile of silver in my hand. I looked up at Kagome and she looked a little hurt. Why was she still here? I wasn't feeling well.

"That's nice of you, Kagome… but I don't feel all that well," I told her, blushing as her eyes met mine questionably.

"You're sick?" she seemed a little unconvinced.

"Yes, I'm feeling disoriented," I confessed, as I unbuttoned my pants. I shamelessly shed them, causing Kagome to blush madly. She averted her eyes quickly, despite the fact I was still wearing my underwear.

"Y-you want me to stay around?" she stumbled on the first word terribly.

"That'd be nice. I'm taking a long shower though," I warned her as I tugged my shirt over my head. My arm warmers were the next to be shed and partially healed wounds were revealed. A few were looking terrible- still oozing from time to time. I gave up on the bandages because they were uncomfortable however. The wounds were relentlessly itchy.

I headed into the bathroom in my undergarments, hoping to get started quickly.

"Are you and InuYasha-"

"No," I quickly cut her off. "No he just… we're just friends."

"Then what was that kiss about?" she ventured to the mouth of the door. Standing there, she gave me a critical look through the mirror. She still looked hurt and jealous. What was her issue? My head was starting to hurt. Why was she here again?

"I'm starting to wonder if therapy would be the best idea," I muttered to myself. Kagome heard it of course, because she was suddenly standing next to me with concern in her eyes.

"Sango, are you alright? You look dizzy," her voice was dripping with worry and I took a deep breath to straighten myself.

"I am dizzy, but I need to take this shower," I muttered, refusing to look once again at her amazingly blue eyes. I pushed her out of the bathroom suddenly, and shut the door. Locking it I leaned against it heavily and sighed. I pinched the bridge of my nose to find tears cheating their way out of the corners of my eyes. Turning I turned the hot water on and then switched it over to the shower. Stripping whatever was left on me, I jumped in once the water temperature was adequate. The warm water washing over heightened my dizzied state and I felt myself slip a little.

"Shit," I muttered, suddenly irritated with myself. One fucking kiss from InuYasha and I was a total mess.

"But it wasn't just that," I tried to convince myself. Turning my back to the spray I rested my palms on the back wall of the shower. My forearms were dully aching.

InuYasha had been right. I definitely had feelings for Kagome. Every time I gazed into her amazingly blue eyes my heart jumped. Every time she smiled at me I felt light and happy. And now the sudden thought of being with her made my heart shoot itself into my throat. I wanted to be with her, that's all I knew. It just annoyed me to no end to know that InuYasha had to be the one to tell me this. Why couldn't I have figured this out on my own? Why did he have to tell me how I felt? It didn't feel right.

And on top of that he kissed me! Twice.

"Your lips are just as soft as they look."

I blushed at the sudden memory of what had transpired between us. I could still feel the gentle caress of his lips. He was undeniably handsome and surprisingly sweet. He was fun and caring… He was everything I needed, but… I didn't want what I needed. I wanted someone I couldn't have.

I wanted Kagome.

Just the thought of that made my heart ache dully. I couldn't possibly have Kagome. She was so into Koga and I doubted she liked women even a bit. Even if that were the case, why would she return my feelings anyways? Was I not the freaky weird girl who was in the custody of her boss? Wasn't I the freak who ran off and tried to kill herself? Wasn't I the freak who was scheduled to start therapy tomorrow?

I felt my eyes burn with sudden tears. The thought of wanting her so badly, so suddenly wasn't what was ailing me. It was the fact that I couldn't possibly ever tell her. It was the fact that I knew I couldn't handle the rejection. It was the fact of knowing that she had tamed me so well- that I couldn't be the same without her friendship. It was the fact of knowing that I was too timid to risk that friendship. It was the fact of knowing that I didn't know who I was anymore.

Who was I? Why was I crying? Why couldn't I just clench my jaw and bare it? What was happening to me? Was this love?

I made up for the InuYashaXSango parts with a little bit of implied Sango/Kagome! Ain't that great?
Anyways, review please!
-Enigmatic Ethereality