Hi again =)Thank you to all the great people who leave me so many lovely comments. And even those who don't- if you read and enjoy, it makes me happy ^^

So I got a review that did irk me a bit.

The person told me she hated my coupling of Rin and Sesshomaru. I'm perfectly aware that in the manga/anime, they do not share a romantic relationship. This story IS AN AU STORY, you know. But I like this couple, and if I want to write it, I will. I'm sorry if it disturbs you, but everyone has different preferences.

She also brought up the topic about Kikyo bashing.

It's true that I've never been a big fan of the girl, and I admit that in previous stories, I've picked on her. However, I'm not doing so in this story, I SWEAR. She plays the 'bad guy' right now, but if you were patient, you'd see her development. YOU CANNOT JUST ASSUME I'M HATING ON HER DUE TO HER CHARACTER AT THE CURRENT TIME.

I'm not trying to be rude to you at all. Honestly. But please, you have to consider the fact that this is my story! I'm not bashing on Kikyo just for the heck of it. And Rin and Sesshomaru is a pair I just like to ship. That is all. =)

Oh wait, I lied, there's one more thing: the update was a VERY delayed (like by two weeks! :/ I finished this chap a long time ago) and was unable to update cuz of some fanficton error... however, the very lovely Kinky-Hoe saved me! :D

Bitter or Sweet?

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns all

Chapter 15: Acting and Moving

Then you come out, turning up the heat
Upstairs all alone, one click for a show
Your roof is on fire, you're loosing control
There's a party in your bedroom all night long
There's a lot of talk about you
Cause there's a party in your bedroom all night long
Pretty girl, it's your show, let it go, when you're alone
Lips sealed tight, don't say goodnight

~Cash Cash: Party in Your Bedroom

INUYASHA'S POV

"I don't want it."

She gapes at me. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I. Don't. Want. The. Stinking. Chocolate."

Kagome just gives me this blank look. "But you've been pissed at me the entire day because I forgot to give you some! Look, you can't just do that, Inuyasha." She crosses her arms at me.

"Do what?" I demand, glaring at her. "I didn't do anything. I was only angry because you purposely left me out when you were the one who declared me as your 'buddy' or pal or whatever and you were the tipsy little lady who puked in my precious car the other day. Or have you forgotten already?"

"You're such a jerk, Inuyasha," she snaps. "You've given me enough hell about that already. I'm so sorry I threw up in your stupid car, but I didn't do it on purpose, blockhead. I already apologized!"

I scoff. "So? If apologies were sufficient, then there would be-"

"I know that there wouldn't be police in the world if saying sorry solved everything, but you know what, Inuyasha?"

I get all up in her face, staring her down- which is pretty easy since I'm taller than she is. "What?"

Pause. "Um… give-me-a-moment."

What the hell did she just mumble right now? "Huh?"

"I said, give me a moment!" she barks angrily, like some angry little yorkie sizing up to a great big bloodhound.

Then I burst out laughing. "You can't…even…finish your threat," I wheeze, doubling over in mirth. "Wow, I'm so scared. I swear I nearly pissed my pants at your death-glare." Straightening up, I pat her on the head as if she's a teddy bear or something- I know she hates it. "You just made my day, Kaggie-poo."

Eyes narrowing, she pulls back her fist and rams in right into my stomach. We yell in pain at the same time.

"What the heck, Inuyasha!" she screams. "Why is your stomach so freaking hard?"

"Fuck! That fucking hurts, you little wench!"

Kagome cradles her right hand, while I cough, holding my abdomen. An awkward moment of silence passes by, as we both mutter unmentionables under our breaths. Then, she sharply turns on her heels, wheeling around and indignantly walking towards home. I just stand there, wondering how a punch from a girl could actually make me cry out. No sexism intended.

Just as I stuff my hands into my pockets and begin to walk, Kagome spins around abruptly and hurtles something into the air (making it spiral) like a professional football player. It lands right at my feet- a battered box of chocolates. I open my mouth to tell her to take her stupid sweets back, but then she starts running, and soon, she's out of sight. The girl's lucky she's fast or I would've chased after her.

I take several seconds to debate on whether I should just leave them there, or pick them up. After much thought, I sigh heavily and over exaggeratedly, and lean down to scoop up the disheveled little box. It's pink, red, purple, and brown- probably the most horrifying combination of colors I've ever seen in my life. On top is a little pink bow- the kind you can find in any cheap convenience store.

I lift open the top and pop one of the small brown sweets into my mouth.

At first, I cringe as the dark chocolate coating leaves a bitter taste on my tongue… then, it melts, and turns sweet.

You're such a stupid little idiot. And stubborn, too.

You just had to give me the chocolates no matter what. Unnecessary.

Whatever.

Anyways… yeah. Um, yeah, thanks.

Whatever. And I did not just thank you, in case you're wondering. Keh.

-IY

I can't believe you called me an idiot.

Asshole.

And for your information, the reason why I was set on giving them to you was because… well, I paid for them, didn't I? Yeah, that's what I thought, you dummy.

And I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but you did say thank you. Haha.

So you're welcome. 'Keh.'

-K

(PS: you used the word 'whatever' two times in your text. You really need to expand your vocabulary. We're working on that the next time I come over to tutor.)

"It's a marvelous tale. We will be performing the storyline of Beauty and the Beast for the spring play. We will add some twists, definitely, as well as changing the title, but the fundamentals come from the original story. I've already assigned everyone their roles," Mr. Myoga says.

A large chunk of the class scoff in disbelief. Myself included. Like honestly. A play? It's not as if anyone will even memorize their lines.

"Kouga, you play the Beast and Inuyasha, you play the Beast in his 'prince' form. Sango's Belle- the beauty-, Miroku is Lumiere and Maurice, Hojo is Cogsworth, Bankotsu is Gaston, Tsubaki can be the witch who casts the spell on the Beast, Ayumi is Mrs. Potts, Yuka is the executive director, Eri is props and costume coordinator…"

Oh great. I'm the prince.

Well, at least I don't have that many parts, since Koga's role is much more dominant.

"… and Kagome, you're our lovely narrator. I'm going to get Eri here to pass out the scripts. I advise all of you to start looking over your lines so we can have a good start. We're presenting this play to the entire school, so I'd like this project to be a booming success. We are trying to raise money for new school computers, after all. Let's all do our best, everybody! Class dismissed."

"I can't believe it," Miroku tells me as we walk down the hall towards our next class. "Me? Lumiere? What a perfect match! We're both charming, we're both ladies' men, and we're both-"

"Perverts," Koga finishes, rolling his eyes. "Yep, perfect match."

I snicker. "I thought it was hilarious how you're going to play the Beast."

"Oh, shut up," he says with no heat in his tone. "At least I get the girl."

Miroku gives him the stink-eye. "It's not fair you get to be all lovey-dovey with Sango. She's too good for you."

"Says the pervert."

Rolling my eyes, I flick Miroku on the ear. "He's right, you know. Maybe the reason why you're never going steady with the girl of your dreams is because you can't seem to take anything seriously. You're not really into commitment."

Miroku looks over at me, expression suddenly morphing into one of concern and sympathy. "Neither are you," he says, not unkindly. I avert my eyes.

"I'm different. My circumstances are different. If I could, I…."

Koga gives me a pat on the back. "It's okay, Inuyasha- we know."

I simply brush them off and continue walking, but inside, I'm inexpressibly relieved they do.

When it's that time of the day again- to walk home with the lovely Drama Queen- I pray that she won't mention anything about the play.

But she does.

"Mr. Prince, shall I escort you home?"

"Shut up, bitch."

"My, my- language, Mr. Prince!" she scolds, shaking her head. "I'm surprised at you! What kind of prince uses such ill-mannered vocabulary? Well, let's put that aside for now, Mr. Prince. Would you like me to carry you home? Or maybe buy you a chocolate parfait at the local diner? Or-?"

"You're such a little twerp, Kagome!" I snap. "Like, seriously, shut the hell up! Are you trying to annoy me to death? I didn't think that was even possible till you came along and proved me wrong. Jeez." I cross my arms.

She sighs, looking perturbed. "Alright, fine… you're Highness." At the last part, her voice regains its cheeriness again, and as my jaw drops at her persistence to be exasperating, she winks and dashes off.

Unconsciously, a fond smile lifts up my lips as I start to chase after her.

"Nah, nah!" she laughs, sticking her tongue out at me while looking over her shoulder. "You can't catch- ahh!"

Kagome trips on the curb, and I run up and snake my arms around her waist before she can fall flat on her face. "Smart move," I snort at her.

Her grin turns sheepish. "I know, right?" she jokes weakly. When I set her down, she folds her hands together, and gives me this deep, Japanese traditional bow. "I thank you, thee brave knight, for the act of saving thy poor damsel in distress."

I arch a dark brow. "The last time I checked, a damsel is female. You are not."

"Ha ha ha. You are quite the joker, my fellow."

"So first I'm Mr. Prince, second I'm the brave knight in shining armor, and now I'm the joker?"

She shakes her head, chuckling. "Sorry, I know I'm kind of bothering you-"

"Kind of?"

"-But it's only because I know you'll be the best actor on stage," she continues as if she hadn't hear me interrupt. "But I'm worried you won't take your part seriously. I thought, if I bugged you about your role, you would want to 'wow' everyone by turning our cheesy image of Romeo into an amazingly breathtaking king. You really should; it'd mean a lot to everybody, and also to me. I take my fairytales very critically- you know I'm a serious romantic."

I toss her a quirky smirk. "And I'm a non-believer."

Kagome's expression sobers up at this. "So you like to say." It's quite evident she doesn't trust my word on it.

"But you know what I think, Kagome? I think you're not as faithful to the idea of 'love' as you tell me you are; I think you're actually very cautious and scared, and just put on that gushy font to try convince the people surrounding you and yourself otherwise. It's probably just easier for you, isn't it?"

She doesn't say anything to that. She just hikes her bag up from over her shoulders, and resumes walking. "Let's go home, Inuyasha."

For some odd reason, I know I've hit her on one of the spots that hurts the most. And although she doesn't tease me for the rest of the way to our houses, I feel, stupidly, guilty. As if I'd just played the role of a parent who told their child that Santa didn't exist… As if I'd just crushed one of her dreams.

We silently arrive, and both take our separate ways.

With that same irritating-as-hell culpable emotion pulling at my insides, I enter the door, drop my knapsack onto the floor, and make my way to the kitchen. My mom is waiting for me, sitting at the dinner table beside Dad.

Wait. My dad?

"What are the two of you doing home early?" I ask casually, reaching into the cupboards to find some ramen. "Is it some special occasion?"

"Inuyasha… it's that time again." Mom's the one who speaks.

I freeze, face paling of all its color. "Already?" I hate that I'd whispered the word.

My father takes in a breath. "Well, not really. We're not immigrating to another country- in fact, not even a different city. We're just moving houses. This time."

Chest tightening, I force myself to ask the obvious question. "Okay, then, where to?"

Mom stands up and walks over to where I'm rigidly situated. "My condition, it- it's getting worse again, and I have to take checkups more daily now. It would be best to be living somewhere as close to the hospital as possible, so that's where we're going. It's not that far, sweetie. You can still go the same school- you'll just have to take the bus." She places a hand on my back, the action gentle and apologetic. "Let's hope that this is the farthest we'll have to move for a long time."

"It's okay, Mom; don't worry about me. Just concentrate on getting better."

Dad nods at me, but Mom's face still shows regret.

"I love you, honey," she tells me. "I'm horrible at expressing it, but the fact won't ever change."

I close my eyes, and when I open them, I try to lift my lips upwards into my trademark smirk, but all I can manage is a soft smile. "Same."

KAGOME'S POV

The next day, Inuyasha seems a little distant.

"Hey, did something happen?"

He snaps his head to look at me. "What-? Oh, um..." He seems to be in a dilemma. Finally, he says, "Why do you say that? Everything's fine."

I note that he didn't actually answer my question. Everything being 'fine' has nothing to do with if something happened. "If you say so. See ya."

And then the day just blurred. Sure, more tests, more essays, more projects. But I'm getting more used to it now- same old, same old, you know?

Sango seems to be struggling most though- with all the sports tournaments and games coming up, her grades have slipped a tiny bit, and she's terribly disappointed… as well as her parents. Ayame's marks are good, too. Maybe she'd be lower if it was summer because that's when she goes all out with her running, but since it's still damp out, she can only do track indoors and that limits her abilities.

"How's school, Inuyasha?" It's simply small talk, since he's clearing not going to start a pleasant chat with me. "You're applying yourself more?"

"Uh huh. Sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"So, you're not wearing boxers today, I heard?"

"Yeah."

"And you were watching porn with Miroku yesterday, too?"

"Yeah."

"Oh my gosh, Yasha, did you just say you love me?"

"Yeah."

Not able to take it anymore, I burst out into fits of laughter. "Do you even know all the things you admitted to right now?" I ask. "Wow. What a shocker; I didn't think you were the perverted type… Ugh. My respect level for you has gone way down now that I'm aware of your dirty secrets."

He snaps out of it, and gives me a look saying 'I-don't-know-what-the-heck-you're-rambling-on-about.' "What'd you say?"

Yep; he's definitely acting weird. That is, weirder than usual, and that's pretty weird. "Can you just tell me what's up? If there's anything I can do to help you with the issue that's obviously worrying you, then I'll be happy to."

Inuyasha attempts to smirk. And fails.

Oh dear. This is more serious than I thought.

My brain spinning around the fact that there's something biting at Inuyasha, I breeze into my house. "I'm home, Mom!" I call out of habit, slipping out of my shoes and heading towards the living room where the sofa- my thinking place- is. "Mom?"

Just then, someone enters the house.

"Mom? Is that you?"

She plops down onto the seat next to me. "Sorry, Kagome, I was helping Izayoi pack and prepare for the move. Whoo! What a lot of work. Unfortunately, Taisho is too busy with work to help, so I was glad to be of assistance. Of course, it's rather depressing that my dear friend isn't going to be my neighbor as well, but I'll deal."

I can practically see the question mark engraved onto my forehead. "What, is Sesshomaru moving in or something?"

Mom laughs, pinching my cheek. "Stop the act. I know Inuyasha's told you."

"That's the thing, Mom. He's hardly said anything to me all day. Barely even two sentences, in fact."

"Is that how it is? Well, I'm sure his mind was just too full- he was probably going to tell you soon. You see, Izayoi said that because of Taisho's frequent long commute, they wanted to get a little closer to his business. So they're moving." She sees the alarm on my face. "Oh, don't worry! Inuyasha's not going to transfer schools. They're still going to be in the region, just a bit further from us is all. If I remember correctly, I think they said they're new place- an apartment- is very close to the central hospital. You know where that is, right? If ever we want to visit, we can just take the subway."

Why didn't he tell me? It's not like he was moving miles away or anything drastic. "So when's moving day?"

"Friday. After school, do you mind if the two of you come over to the new place and help unpack? Inuyasha knows how to get there."

The week is pretty uneventful. Especially so because Inuyasha's turned into some sort of mute. At one point, I tried to start a conversation with him.

"So I heard you're moving," I'd said.

He nodded slowly. "That's right."

"Near the hospital?"

"Yeah."

Inuyasha hadn't seemed eager to be participating in the verbal exchange, so I didn't push him into saying anything more. "We'll still hang out from time to time. Don't forget me or anything just cause our daily routines are back to a normal high schooler's, okay?"

It was a rhetorical question, yet… It frightened me to think that I even had to ask.

On Friday, my friends bombarded me with questions regarding the whole Inuyasha thing. Questions like, what's going to happen to you two? Are your Moms still soul-mates? What about your Monday/Friday home routine? I answered them as honestly as I could, though I didn't know the correct responses to some.

But I have inquiring of my own- for example, will Inuyasha return to completely disregarding my existence like three years ago? Will all the progress we've made spiral back to square one? I can't help but feel that way. After all, we live in two different worlds, and the only connection we'll share after all this is the fact that my friend- Sango- and his friend- Miroku- are boyfriend and girlfriend (though not all of the time).

A strange emptiness causes my stomach to drop to my feet, and even on the subway ride, I can't do anything by glance nervously out the window at only the darkness to entertain me. The color matches my anxiety.

I should push my thoughts aside.

I have to put my best efforts into helping Izayoi and Inuyasha settle in.

INUYASHA'S POV

I know it's stupid and ridiculous to be ignoring Kagome.

But it's the fact that I know I shouldn't have gotten closer to her but I still did that makes me think that I can't allow myself to be a part of her inside circle. The next time we move, it might be across the ocean. And then I won't ever see her again, and… that would just hurt too much. She's one of the few people who trust me. And this incident is like a rude awakening. I have to be more careful.

Kagome's been acting nervous, too. But as I watch her try her best to laugh and smile as she attempts in making unpacking 'fun', I realize that even if I feel dark inside, I can't- won't- let her see.

"It's very pretty," she says, smiling tightly, strolling into my room. "I can't wait to see what it looks like after you've painted the walls and everything." Pause. "I'm so jealous of the gorgeous view you have."

I leans against the window casually, leisurely, arms crossed. "I suppose, if you're into scenery and environment or whatever, then it is pretty great."

"Well, do you want help unpacking? You surprisingly don't have that many boxes, but it's a lot of work to be doing all on your own, and I'm happy to be of any assistance." Again, that rigid smile. Is she really comfortable or something? Oh, wait- she is. 'Cause of me.

I shrug it off. "It's really not that much, but if you really want to, I'm not stopping you. But don't force yourself, seriously. You already did enough."

Kagome grins, relieved at the sound of me talking, and lightly plops down onto my bed. "In that case, I think I'll just rest first. Join me!"

I make a face. "Are you kidding? I'm part demon. I don't need to rest."

"Oh, stop trying to act all tough and macho. It's not going to work on me. So why don't you just give it up and sit down with me?"

Dammit. I'm not going to move, I'm not going to- Fuck. Why can I feel the mattress under my ass? Oh, right, because I actually listened to her and am now currently just inches away from a girl who can seriously throw a good punch. I'm screwed. What happened to my cool? I wish I knew. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic."

"Fantastic." I reply with just about the same enthusiasm as her. In other words, zero.

"I know."

I growl. "Just be quiet already!"

She growls right back. "Excuse me?"

Funny how all our conversations take the same turn.

By then, we were all up in each other's faces, so close that I could feel her warm breath fanning my face every second. I didn't want to admit it even to myself, but subconsciously, I knew that she was starting to make me feel almost intoxicated. Maybe even drunk. What the hell is wrong with me? I can't find it in myself to be the one to pull away. Kagome, being the smart and rational dumbass she is, backs off. Then she stands up.

"I'm done resting," she announces cheerfully, as if our little verbal duel hadn't happened. "Um, so I'd better get going home now. I'm sure my mom would appreciate an extra pair of hands for making dinner. I'll… see you around?"

It sounded like a question. "Right."

She gives me a little wave as she walks towards the door. "Bye."

Bye?

Why does it sound more permanent then temporary?

For some inexplicable reason, my heart clenches and I jump up and my hand moves without my permission, leaping out and gripping onto her wrist. Kagome freezes, her own hand on the door knob. She opens her mouth to say something, but I close in, not wanting her to break the moment once again by saying something that will shake us both back into our senses. For now, at least, I want to be stupid and foolish and young.

So, forgetting all about the consequences that could follow my actions, I lean towards her, but only so that the only things that touch are out foreheads. Agonizingly slowly, I gradually tilt my head, and finally…

KAGOME'S POV

It's as if time stops. Sounds ridiculous, but it's how it feels like.

Feeling, sensing nothing, and consumed by nothing but Inuyasha, my head stops whirling, and as our mouths press hotly together, I cling onto him as if I couldn't risk letting go.

My hands dig into his thick hair, and his do as well, tangling and grabbing and yanking so that he could have better access. It should've hurt, but if it does, I can't feel the pain. Only the hot ache of knowing this won't last forever- and the desperate yearning to persuade both of us otherwise. A strange sound- similar to a moan- escapes my lips, a mixture of pleasure and grieving.

He slams me back into the door, and the knob pushes into the small of my back, but I don't care. I don't give a crap.

Inuyasha drags his hands out of my mass of dark strands and placed them on either side of my head. My leg even comes up to wrap around his waist, but it's not to add to the heat of the moment, but because if I don't have anything to hold onto, I would fall limply to the ground in an instant- my legs might as well be made out of rubber.

Just as his tongue passes over my bottom lip, and just as I part my mouth, Inuyasha pushes back fiercely, knocking himself hard into the opposite wall. I slump down on my knees- told you my legs were boneless.

"Sorry, I- I mean- Fuck!" Giving up on dialogue, he quickly crosses the room and gripping my arm, he opens the door and lightly tosses me out. He shuts the door, practically slamming it in my face like the gentleman he is.

And I just stand there like an utter fool, wondering how that could've just happened.

Wondering why I just kissed Inuyasha, or why he kissed me.

Wondering why I didn't want him to stop.

Oh, he is so dead.

AN: This chapter actually gave me a really tough time. -_-; haha

But I hope you all enjoyed! ;)

Feedback is loved, as always ^^

Oh, and quick note- my 200th reviewer didn't respond to her prize yet, so this wasn't her 'gift' chappie.

Huggles,

~Nyony

(PS: thanks to Daichi for editing this one heck of a messy chapter)

Ninja beta Daichi: OMG! I was so not prepared for what Innuyyasha did! And then just throwing her out? If I was Kagome, I would feel like a hooker who just got rejected. Lol.

I would also say something about what that reviewer said, but If I did, we'd have to change the rating a bit.

REVIEW for Nyony!