Author's notes:

1) Let me tell you I absolutely and passionately hate OCs. So not to worry. Trust me, ok?

2) I know I know, a little filler chapter. But this is gonna be a "smut with tons of plot".

3) Sorry it took so long to update, I had a kind of writers' shut down right at the beginning because there are so many WONDERFUL fanfictions out there, and I was feeling extremely anxious that I would never be able to live up to imaginary expectations. Then, after long weeks of overthinking, I came to a conclusion that I am an idiot and nothing will ever improve if I am only wallowing in my executive disfunction. -_-


Kagome was jolted out of her dreams by loud footsteps and laughter echoing down the hall. As she slowly regained consciousness, she realized the voices sounded familiar. Suddenly, the door flung open, and the corridor lights unpleasantly illuminated the room she shared with Sango.

"Thanks, guuuys, I will take it from 'ere" Sango's voice was heavily slurred; she was obviously not thirsty. Kagome was about to sit up with a yielding sigh to help her friend when Inuyasha's low voice hit her, and she stiffened abruptly.

"Keh, yeah, like you can." Even without turning to face them, Kagome could almost see the haughty expression Inuyasha undoubtedly wore on his face. "Miroku, you bastard, it is your fault she got so drunk. Get your ass in there and put her to bed!"

'Miroku?' Kagome tried to remember meeting anyone named Miroku, but her mind couldn't recall such a name. She felt her whole body tensing up as she heard a group of people walking inside their room. How many footsteps was she hearing? Two? Three? More? She was ready to jump.

"Will you be my pillow?" Sango teased whoever was inside, and Kagome heard the gentle but amused voice of a male.

"You are drunk. Maybe next time, alright?" Kagome felt her muscles relax a little as she realized that whoever this Miroku was, he was not about to try taking advantage of the situation. She couldn't help but like him already, even if - according to Inuyasha - it was his fault that Sango got wasted in the first place. Kagome smiled into her pillow. She knew her friend was not the type to get just dragged into any situation she did not like.

As Kagome was busy focusing on the interaction between her best friend and this guy 'Miroku,' Inuyasha stepped inside quietly.

He couldn't believe what he was smelling. He was sure his nose picked up her sweet scent when they took a right turn at the stairs, but now his mind was blown by the realization that he had just stumbled right into her room. It only took a moment for his demonic eyes to get used to the darkness inside, and he immediately spotted the pile of blankets that more than likely was hiding her slim body.

Inuyasha stared at her bed in disbelief as Miroku desperately tried tucking Sango in. Eyeing the feminine outlines of Kagome's body, he suddenly realized a familiar ache had started to creep back into his chest. He snorted loudly - earning a questioning look from Miroku - and stomped to the kitchen counter.

"What are you doi-?" Miroku was interrupted by Sango, who decided it was time to start taking off her leather shorts. "Ooo no no no, don't take that off, it is fine, let's fix that tomorrow!"

"No! It's too tight!" Sango whined, her eyes already closed. After getting rid of her uncomfortable garment, she finally dropped down on her pillow. Miroku shook his head with a puzzled smile and pulled her blanket over her. But not before he stole a glance at her perfectly round butt. Certainly not.

"Tucking girls in instead of making it a fun night, eh, Miroku? Thus the glory of the world passes away." Inuyasha snorted with amusement and put a glass of water on Sango's nightstand.

"Ho? Is it the water delivery guy that I heard speaking?"

"Keh."

Kagome's eyes widened as she heard Inuyasha making his way over to her bed. Her mind started rushing wildly, coming up with all kinds of escape plans- but she only heard a soft bump before his steps took their way out of the room again. A door closed, and the dorm room went dark and silent anew. Kagome immediately sprung up and stared at a glass of water on her nightstand. 'What the...'

Sitting back down on the edge of her bed, she took a sip, staring at the water absent-mindedly. She felt so confused. With a sigh, she reached out to her phone to check her messages. She noticed that Sango still hadn't seen her SOS signal, and she couldn't help feeling a tiny sparkle of resentment rising in her chest. However, she noticed the name "Jinn" popping up.

That was not his real name, but as long as Kagome could remember, everyone called him that because he seemed to know everything about everyone and magically appeared anywhere with just the perfect timing. Sometimes Kagome felt very glad she was on his better side. They became friends when her father died in an accident ten years ago, and it was Jinn - who then attended the same school as her - who reached out to her out of the blue, listening to everything she had to say, no matter how long it took.

Their friendship rocked only once over the past ten years when Jinn tried to kiss her after another long sleepless night of talking, only a few weeks after her horrible breakup with Inuyasha. Kagome still felt uneasy as she remembered the awkward silence which fell on them after she pushed him away, maybe a little harsher than what would have been justified. Even though many found him attractive with that deeply mysterious aura about him, Kagome only thought of him as a cousin or a brother. Neither of them brought up that incident ever since; they just returned to where they left off their friendship. Kagome admitted to herself that she found that shamefully convenient. Shaking off the unpleasant memories, she proceeded to open his message.

Jinn ›› Everything fine at fancyville?

Kagome ›› Not really, Inuyasha is here

Jinn ›› That is impossible

Kagome ›› Well, he is here. Fuck my luck inr? Maybe you aren't a jinn after all lol

Jinn ›› You ignore him

Kagome frowned at the tone, but she couldn't really blame him for being overprotective, even if it irritated her. After all, he went out of his way back then to keep her away from Inuyasha. If it weren't for Jinn, she might have accepted her ex-boyfriend's invitations to one of those afternoon coffees, opening an opportunity for him to try to explain things that needed no explanation. Jinn protected her dignity when she would have failed to do so.

Kagome ›› No worries, I am a big girl. Sango is here too.

Kagome looked at her snoring friend and couldn't help but shake her head and smile a little. 'Not like she would win the Sidekick of The Year Award for her achievements so far.'

Jinn ›› Sure sweetheart you are. Talk to you later. I got some things to do

Kagome ›› At 4 am? Do I even want to know?

Jinn did not reply. Kagome wasn't surprised; he tended to act weird when they were texting. If it was a face-to-face meeting, he could pull off being the most charming person you have ever met, but when it came to texts, she usually felt like talking to a doorknob. With a heavy sigh, she dropped back and stared at the ceiling.

"I am a big girl. I can do this." her whisper felt more like a prayer than a statement.


Kagome was woken up again - this time by a loud thud and an indignant groan. Opening her eyes, she saw the sun was already dimly shining through the curtains. "Good morning Sango."

"Mor...ning... Holy shit... I need a painkiller." Sango scrambled to her feet and started going through her bags, looking for the holy grail in the form of some good ol' paracetamol. She finally found what she was looking for and reached for the glass of water still untouched on her nightstand. Suddenly her eyes widened as she whirled to face Kagome. "Holy shit Kagome, what you missed last night!"

"Well, you will tell me, I guess." While Sango swallowed the pill and the rest of the water, she blissfully missed the cold hint in Kagome's voice.

"We were dancing inside, and suddenly everyone was wet, and ahh... holy shit, it really did turn into a pool party! And then, at one point, I think I was with a group of seniors, but it was not at the party..." With eyebrows furrowed, Sango tried hard to assemble the scraps of her memories. She suddenly laughed out loud, making Kagome, who decided to make herself useful by making them coffee, raise an eyebrow at her mug.

"Jesus Christ, we stole two shopping carts! Then we raced on the road and..." She laughed again, and Kagome couldn't help but smile at her idiot friend. "Policemen shooed us back into college territory, telling us we can feel free to compete for the Darwin Award there."

Kagome giggled. Alright, this does sound fun. However, Sango suddenly gasped and stared at her friend in shock. Kagome looked at her from the corner of her eyes.

"Kagome... Jesus... I think I met him. Oh no... I fucked up..."

"It's alright. He and another guy brought you home." There was a few seconds of awkward silence as Kagome walked over to her best friend and sat on her bed, handing over a mug of hot latte. "And I very much regret to say that they behaved impeccably." Kagome smiled aloof as she watched her coffee whirling with the movements of her spoon.

"I... Kagome... I don't know what to say."

"It's alright. I don't mind. As you said, he is history." Kagome forced a cheerful tone, and much to her own surprise, it was not wholly fake either. After what happened last night, she felt she could finally let go of her remaining doubts and regrets. It was past over time she accepted that he was never more than a heartless player. And for the first time, Kagome felt almost eager to beat him at his own game if that is how he wants to play.

Sango still couldn't speak. She just kept staring at her friend and seemed ready to start crying at any moment. Seeing Sango's honest agony, Kagome felt her grudge melt away and smiled at her friend warmly.

"I want to be honest with you. I felt very frustrated when I couldn't get a hold of you through either text or call after my initial shock of discovering him. But I guess I also understand why you didn't bother checking your phone, so we are ok." She put her hand on Sango's. "Really ok. But next time, I want to race shopping carts too. Alright?"

Sango hugged her so tight she felt her chest was going to explode. "I just hope you know I love you, and I care."

"I know." Kagome hugged her back with all her heart before patting her shoulder in a playfully urging way. "Now hurry up and take a shower! We have classes in an hour, and we still don't even know where the auditorium is."

"Yes, yes, you are right." Sango looked around the room vaguely, then emptied her bag onto her bed. "Umm, have you seen my phone?"

"Ehh, honestly, I was busy hiding under the blankets from Inuyashawhile Miroku tucked you in so-" Sango gasped, and her face turned bright red.

"Miroku did what?"

"Yeah, you heard it right, shopping-cart-racer party princess." Kagome giggled. "Jokes aside, he might have your phone. Who is he, anyway? Is he handsome?"

"Umm, yeah, kinda." Sango's embarrassed mumble was barely audible as she proceeded to drag herself toward the bathroom.


Kagome and Sango crossed the lush park between the dorm and the university buildings. The scent of freshly cut grass filled the cool morning air, and Kagome stopped to take a deep, close-eyed breath.

"Everything is okay...?" asked Sango in an unsure tone. Kagome opened her eyes and gave her a somewhat sad smile.

"Absolutely. Yesterday night something happened that made me finally understand that I was so wrong about Inuyasha. I finally get it. And I know I should feel upset, angry, or maybe even sad... But I only feel so strong and free, Sango. It is so hard to explain. I am spiraling." Sango hugged Kagome's waist with a knowing look and gently pulled her to keep walking to their class.

"I think I get it. And even though your wording makes me believe you don't feel like telling the whole story, let me tell you something I know for a fact. You are a bright, fun, and strong woman, Kagome. Not the broken-hearted high school bimbo he still takes you to be. It is natural to feel the way you do. I always felt your doubts made you question and restrain yourself. Allow yourself to feel free and strong. You sure damn deserved it." As they walked, Sango leaned her head against Kagome's lovingly.

"Thank you, Sango. Really."

"Nah, but maybe we should thank Inuyasha." Sango grinned.

"Maybe. Or maybe how about no." Kagome made a face but giggled light-heartedly.