Relationship incongruence - when two people in a relationship are emotionally out of sync—whether in needs, expectations, or communication. It creates frustration, misunderstanding, and emotional distress.

"Hey! Kikyou! What about Inuyasha?!" Kagome called out, her voice tight with emotion, as she watched Kikyou walk away.

She slumped forward, wrapping her arms around herself. Ever since Inuyasha heard about this Saint Hijiri, he's thought about nobody but you... The admission stung. I hate to even admit this, but you're the one Inuyasha wants to be with.

With a heavy sigh, Kagome wandered back to the waterfall and sank onto a smooth rock. The sound of rushing water filled the silence around her, but inside, a storm raged. Sadness churned in her chest, curling into frustration. Those two strange girls had given her a choice:

"You must make your decision."
"Whether or not you will save her."

Kagome grit her teeth. As if they were testing me... trying to prove something.

And then, it hit her. Was this about Inuyasha? Did Kikyou think I wouldn't save her because she's in my way? A sharp bitterness clawed its way up her throat. That's gotta be it! Of all the dirty tricks—how could she even think I'd be that awful?! Ugh!

Her nails dug into her palms as she stared at the water below, her reflection rippling, unsteady.

As if summoned by her frustration, a familiar voice broke through the clearing ahead.

"Kagome!"

She tensed. Inuyasha.

Quickly scanning her over, he thought, 'She's alright', relief flowing through him. She could see the way his ears perked forward slightly as he scanned her for injuries.

"Kagome!" Their friends called, catching up.

Kagome's grip on her emotions tightened. She exhaled slowly, forcing herself to stay still as he approached. But then she saw it—his eyes flickering around, searching, sniffing the air. Looking for someone else.

And just like that, the knot of anger in her chest tightened.

"What are you sniffing around for?" she snapped, her voice sharper than she intended.

Inuyasha blinked, caught off guard. "Huh?"

"If you're looking for Kikyou, she's already gone. Why don't you go after her?" The words came out flat, but beneath them, an ache spread, deep and dull.

Inuyasha stared at her, brows drawing together. "You mean... Kikyou was actually here?"

The way his voice eased—like a weight had been lifted—made her stomach twist. He was relieved. He was happy.

Kagome tore her gaze away before he could see the hurt written across her face. "Yes," she said, forcing her voice to stay even. "But she left a while ago. I told her to stay and see you, really."

Inuyasha exhaled, tension he hadn't even noticed slipping from his shoulders.

Kagome glanced at him and immediately regretted it. The soft expression on his face confirmed what she already knew. I knew it. He's happy. Something inside her cracked. It was like a bottomless pit was opening in her stomach, swallowing everything in its path. She wanted to cry, to scream, to disappear. I'm tired. I'm so tired.

From the side, Miroku hesitated before speaking. "Inuyasha, what will you do? Go after her?"

Inuyasha shifted, as if considering it. Kagome's hands curled into fists.

Sango watched Kagome closely. Her friend looked... diminished. Smaller. As if she were shrinking in on herself, curling inward against something invisible but suffocating.

Inuyasha, oblivious to it all, asked, "Kagome, did something happen between you and Kikyou?"

Silence.

Kagome swallowed hard. She thought back to the waterfall, to the moment her hand pressed into Kikyou's chest, channeling her power to purify the miasma. I felt so determined then. I never thought I'd feel like this now.

Inuyasha sat down in front of her, frowning. "Kagome... What's your problem? Why the long face? It's not like you."

"Oh, be quiet."

The sharpness of her voice sliced through the night air. Inuyasha reeled back slightly, caught completely off guard.

"This whole mess is your fault!" she snapped.

Inuyasha stumbled backward, eyes wide

"Please... just leave me alone." Kagome's voice wavered, quiet but firm. Her exhaustion bled into every word.

Inuyasha clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling over. "I don't know what you think I did, but you better knock it off before I get seri—"

"Stop it!" Kagome suddenly covered her ears, her voice breaking.

The air around them went completely still.

For a moment, the only sound was the waterfall behind them, a soft but constant presence. Then, without warning, Kagome's shoulders began to shake.

She was crying.

Inuyasha's anger vanished in an instant. His ears flattened slightly, guilt creeping in. He took a hesitant step forward. "Kagome, I—"

A hand on his shoulder stopped him.

He turned to find Sango watching him, unimpressed but understanding. She slowly shook her head. The message was clear: She's had enough.

Later that night, the fire crackled quietly as Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou sat in a circle. No one spoke. The tension from earlier lingered, heavy and unspoken.

Sango glanced toward the waterfall. Kagome was still sitting there, unmoving.

Finally, Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha, are you sure you don't want to go after Kikyou?"

Inuyasha stared at the fire for a long moment before replying. "It's hardly even an option. Not with Kagome like this."

Sango crossed her arms. "So you mean if Kagome had sent you off with a smile, you would have gone?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth—then closed it. Sango was right. The fact that he was even debating this said more about him than it did about Kagome.

Kagome focused on her breathing,

'in… out… in… out…'.

Kagome focused on her breathing. In... out... in... out...

Her body felt both tense and numb at the same time. How did she get here? How did she end up so knee-deep in something so complicated?

She wanted to go home. She wanted to leave this place and forget this whole thing ever happened.

A rustle behind her broke the silence. She looked up, startled—only to find Inuyasha sitting in front of her, his back to her.

Hesitantly, she asked, "What is it?"

"Are you still mad at me?" Inuyasha asked, flatly.

Tears sprang to Kagome's eyes before she could stop them.

She slumped forward. Mad? He thinks I'm mad?

She wasn't sure which possibility hurt more: that he didn't understand why she was feeling this way, or that he did—but was so focused on Kikyou that he couldn't honor both at the same time.

"Aren't you going after Kikyou?" She asked, her voice laced with heartbreak.

Inuyasha sighed. This was, in fact, his fault, and now it was his turn to fix it.

"When I was up there alone at the base of the mountain, I met Saint Hijiri, but it turned out to be Kikyou's puppet. I found out that the real Kikyou was overcome by Naraku's miasma and that her life was nearing it's end"

Kagome stared at his back, torn between understanding and hurt.

"How's Kikyou? I mean… how did she seem?"

The words tumbled out before she could stop them.

"Badly injured and unconscious, but then… I managed to purify the miasma, so I think she'll be alright."

"You mean you did that for her?" Inuyasha asked as he turned to look at her.

Kagome blinked at him, thrown by the question. Then, irritation flared in her chest.

Why does everyone keep acting like it's some grand sacrifice for me to help Kikyou? Like it's shocking that I did? Why should I have to prove myself every single time?

Instead of saying any of this, she just nodded slowly.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

Finally, Kagome sighed. This was her life in the Feudal Era—always being the bigger person.

"Inuyasha, go after Kikyou. Don't worry about me"

"I won't," he said firmly.

She blinked.

He finally turned around to face her, catching her off guard. "I told you that I would never leave you again, so I won't."

Kagome stared at him, disbelief flickering in her expression. No way…

"Besides, you're the one who saved Kikyou, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Then she's gotta be okay! I won't go after her."

Whatever glimmer of hope had started to rise in Kagome's chest was crushed in an instant.

Oh.

So that's what this is.

I saved her. He trusts that I wouldn't let anything happen to her. This has nothing to do with me.

Kagome's fingers curled against the fabric of her skirt.

It wasn't about his promise. It wasn't even about who he wanted to be with.

It was about the fact that he could trust her to handle things for him. That because she'd taken care of it, he didn't have to go.

That's all I really did. I made it easier for him.

She exhaled, feeling hollow.

"…I see."

Her voice was quiet, but she knew he heard it.

She stood up, brushing off her skirt. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. She didn't want to sit here, next to him, pretending things were okay when they weren't.

"Kagome?"

Without another word, she walked off towards their friends, leaving him sitting there in the moonlight, watching her go.

AN: I recently rewatched this episode and was surprised by how sad it really is when you think about it. There was so much dialogue in the episode that I wish didn't happen that would have highlighted the emotional pieces that much more, i.e., When Kagome yells, "I hate your guts!" and then sits Inuyasha. Had Kagome just left at "This whole mess is your fault", it would have been totally different.

Also - the Saint Hijiri saga is an EXCELLENT SPACE FOR INUYASHA TO LIVE UP TO HIS PROMISE BACK IN EP 126 (See where Im going with this), but he doesn't touch on this at all. Plus, he DOES separate to look for "Saint Hijiri". So. I mean.

SOoooOOoo I wanted to rework some of the dialogue and really highlight how wild this whole situation was, especially from Kagome's perspective