192AN: Surprised to see a new update? I know it has been FOREVER since I have updated this story, but I am still working on it! Life has just gotten in the way of writing. However, I will try to update when I can. I hope you enjoy this new chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Disclaimer: I do now own Inuyasha or any of its characters. However, I do own this story.
Kagome stared at Inuyasha with an unreadable expression. It had been several minutes since Inuyasha declared his feelings and Kagome had yet to respond. She just continued to stare at him.
"Kagome? Say something." Inuyasha pleaded. He moved his hand from her chin to gently caress her unbruised cheek. Inuyasha was pleased when Kagome leaned into his soft touch.
"Do you mean it Inuyasha? Do you really love me?" Kagome's voice was meek. She stared straight into his eyes and refused to show any emotion. She was not willing to let her fragile heart break even more.
Inuyasha did not reward her question with an answer. Instead his lips met hers in a soft kiss. Inuyasha could feel the tension leave Kagome's body as his lips gently moved against Kagome's lips. After several sweet kisses, Inuyasha pulled away from Kagome's reddened lips and looked into her eyes.
"Yes, I really love you."
Kagome rewarded him with a small, but fearful smile. She cupped Inuyasha's face between her hands and stared him down. "You have to be one hundred percent sure that you mean it, Inuyasha. My heart cannot withstand another beating."
"Kagome, you have nothing to fear. Your heart is safe with me."
Kagome's smile widened and the fear faded away. "Thank you, Inuyasha." She pecked his lips with eyes closed tight before letting go of his face. She then put her head upon his chest and let Inuyasha encompass her in his warmth. Inuyasha stroked Kagome's hair as she snuggled closer to his body. He was glad that he could provide her some relief and happiness.
Inuyasha placed a light kiss upon Kagome's head before breaking their peaceful silence. "Kagome, we need to put some ice on your cheek. Hopefully that will prevent the bruise from getting worse."
Kagome didn't argue with Inuyasha's request. She simply bobbed her head in agreement and let him get off the sofa. "Just stay here, Kagome. I will get the ice. Then I want to take a look at your arms and see if they need to be iced as well."
"Inuyasha my arms are.."
Kagome pressed her lips together tightly. She did not say a word. The look on Inuyasha's face let her know that she was not going to win in this situation. He was going to take care of her bruises whether or not she gave him her permission. She just gave in and nodded her head in agreement.
Inuyasha left Kagome comfortably sitting on the couch. He went to the kitchen to prepare a bag of ice. When he got there he was not surprised to find his two best friends sitting at the kitchen table. Their heads were bent together and they were silently conversing with each other
At the sound of Inuyasha's approach, the pair abruptly stopped their quiet conversation. Suddenly Inuyasha found himself being bombarded by several worried questions. "How is she?" "Is she crying again?" "What is she going to do now?" "What was that crash we heard earlier?" "Did she hurt herself?"
"Slow down you two. Kagome is okay for now. Sango why don't you go and sit with her while I get her some ice for her cheek?"
"Okay" Sango frantically agreed. She hurried out of the kitchen to the side of her downtrodden friend.
Miroku watched his girlfriend scramble to Kagome's side. He then turned his attention to the tense man putting ice in a plastic sandwich bag. "So how is she really?"
Inuyasha continued to fill the bag as he truthfully answered Miroku's question. "She's a mess, Miroku. Her whole world has been shattered in the matter of a day. On top of that I chose the wrong moment to let her know how I feel."
"Woah man, slow down a minute." Miroku grabbed the bag from Inuyasha's hand and set it down on the counter. He shoved Inuyasha lightly on the shoulder to grab his full attention. "What feelings are you talking about?"
Inuyasha scrubbed his face with his hand as he let out an exasperated sigh. He grabbed the sandwich bag and continued to stuff ice into it with more vigor then before. "I told her I love her Miroku."
"You love her?" Miroku choked out. Never had Mirkou heard such emotional words come out of his friend's mouth.
"Yes Miroku, love; the same emotion that you feel for Sango. I love Kagome and now she knows."
"Wow man, that's great. What did she say?"
Inuyasha let out another deep sigh. He shut the freezer door and closed the bag of ice. He turned around and leaned against the counter as he fully faced Miroku for the first time since the conversation began. "She said 'thank you'."
If Inuyasha was not confused by the current status of his life, he would have found Miroku's expression priceless. "Thank you? She actually said thank you? I thought those types of responses only happened in the movies."
"Well apparently they don't because that's what she said. It was all too overwhelming for her. Her father just hit her. Then I come in like some idiot and tell her I love her. Girls don't want to hear those words when they are at the lowest point in their lives. They want to be taken out on a romantic date and have those words whispered in their ear."
Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's shoulders and gave him a good shake. Thankfully it seemed to snap Inuyasha out of his self-pitying rant. "Inuyasha calm down. I don't think it matters when you tell her that you love her. All that matters is that you meant what you said. Now give her some time. I know she loves you and once things calm down she will remember to say it to you."
"I hope you're right Miroku." Inuyasha grabbed the ice bag off the counter and turned to leave the kitchen. "I need to get this on Kagome's cheek. I will send Sango back in, but keep this little conversation between you and me."
Kagome pulled the blanket tighter around her skinny form as she continued to answer her friend's questions. "Yes Sango, he told me that he loved me."
"I am happy for you Kagome. You two are so good for each other." Sango truly meant it. The news was a surprise; but Kagome and Inuyasha deserved each other.
"So what did you say to him? Did you tell him you love him too?"
"No"
Sango turned towards Kagome confused by her answer. "No? What did you say to him?"
Kagome blushed lightly before answering the question. "I said thank you." Kagome mumbled.
"You said what?" Kagome cringed at Sango's screeching disbelief. She tried to bury herself under the blanket to hide from Sango's wrath. However, Sango was not going to let her hid from this situation. "What in the world possessed you to tell Inuyasha thank you?"
"I was caught off guard, Sango."
"So you say thank you? Do you love him?"
Kagome looked at Sango with a gentle smile on her face. It was the first time that day that Sango saw her friend genuinely happy. "Yes Sango, I do."
Sango pulled Kagome into a warm hug. "Tell him" She whispered into Kagome's ear. Kagome's only response was to squeeze Sango tighter.
"I hope I am not interrupting anything important." The two friends broke apart at the sound of a very masculine voice.
Sango was the first to speak. "Only a hug between friends." Sango got off the couch to give Inuyasha room. "I am going to see what Miroku is doing in the kitchen. Let me know if you two need anything." Sango left the couple alone. It was obvious that everything would be okay between them. She gave them a final wave before leaving to keep her boyfriend company.
Once Sango was out of sight, Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome. "So what did the two of you talk about?" While waiting for an answer, Inuyasha began to tend to Kagome's cheek. He took a better look out Kagome's left cheek to assess the damage that her father had done.
"She mainly just sat and kept me company, silent support." Kagome flinched when the coolness of the ice meet her cheek. Inuyasha quickly pushed her hand away when she moved to take a hold of the bag.
"Inuyasha, you don't have to hold the bag to my cheek. I am capable of doing that myself." Kagome sighed. She loved that he was so nurturing, but she wasn't a baby.
"I know you can Kagome, but I want to take care of you. So stop pouting and lie down on the couch with her head in my lap. That way neither one of us has to hold the bag on your cheek and we both win."
Kagome smiled at Inuyasha's logic. She happily scooted down on the couch, curled up into a tight ball, and placed her head on Inuyasha's lap. Kagome flinched, once again, when Iuyasha propped the bag of ice back on her check. However, the moment was made sweeter when he began to gently stroke his fingers through her hair.
"I see that Sango took the time to clean up the broken cup." Inuyasha noted. The ceramic pieces were swept away and the tea stain was mopped up.
"Yeah, I feel bad for making such a mess. It was very disrespectable."
Kagome's head slightly bobbed up and down as Inuyasha began to laugh. "Kagome, I am sure that Sango does not care about the small mess you made. All she cares about is you."
"I know, but it's still not nice." Kagome huffed. She took a hold of her ice bag and began to squirm around on the couch. It was not easy to gracefully sit up when Kagome's legs were tangled in her blanket.
"Now don't get mad Kagome. I am just stating a fact. So stop squirming around and put your head back on my lap." Inuyasha gently demanded. Kagome looked up into his face and sighed in resignation. She stopped her silent protest and laid back down. Once she was comfortable again, Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's arm and wrapped it around her waist.
"Much better" Kagome sighed. Her words made Inuyasha burst with happiness. It was good to know that he made Kagome feel safe. More importantly, Kagome wanted him around.
With Kagome finally comfortable, Inuyasha felt that it was time to ask Kagome more pressing questions. "Kagome, what do you plan to do now?"
Kagome took a deep fortifying breath before answering Inuyasha's question. "Well, I plan on moving in with Sango. After the fight with my parents, I packed up as much of my belongings as I could and left."
"That's absurd Kagome. You don't need to move in with Sango. You will come and stay with me." Inuyasha sternly stated.
A look of surprise appeared on Kagome's face the minute she understood what Inuyasha was saying. She shot up quickly on the couch and moved to face him. Her eyes caught sight of the bag of ice slipping off the couch, but Kagome chose to ignore it. She had more pressing issues to discuss.
"I can't live with you!" Kagome exclaimed.
"Why not?"
Kagome gave Inuyasha an exasperated look. He always knew how to make a frustrating situation more difficult. "Inuyasha, if I live with you the whole town will talk. The fight between my parents today is probably already running through the gossip mills. If I add moving in with the town rebel, I am afraid that the entire town will be put into a state of shock."
Kagome paused to see if Inuyasha comprehended the words she was saying. From the blank look upon his face, Kagome had no clue what he was feeling. She fiercely grabbed a hold of his hand and tried to plead her case one last time. "Inuyasha, I don't want the town to have another reason to turn on me."
Inuyasha's eyes softened when Kagome finally finished her little speech. It was evident that the backlash from her community was going to take a massive toil on Kagome. She already lost her family, but soon she would lose her community's support as well. Even though he understood her fear, Inuyasha was not going to let her life decisions continue to depend on her society's feelings.
"Kagome, you are going to move in with me. There will be no more arguing about this subject." Inuyasha commanded. He placed a finger against Kagome's lips when he saw an argument begin to form.
"I don't care what other people will think about your new living situation. You have chosen me, stood up to your parents, and moved out of your house. The community will talk no matter who you stay with." Kagome took a sharp intake of breath to protest again. However, Inuyasha kept his finger firmly against her lips which successfully muffled all of her arguments.
Inuyasha's voice softened for the last part of his plea. "Stay with me Kagome. I want to protect you from your father's anger and Riverside Green's judging words. Just…say yes."
After several agonizing moments Inuyasha heard Kagome whisper "yes". There was no way that she could tell Inuyasha no. The words he spoke, the actions he took to protect her, and the love in his eyes; it all reassured her that he was the right choice. Screw what her parents thought and what people would say. She wanted to be happy.
"Are you sure you're okay with me staying at Inuyasha's and not with you?" It was now ten o'clock at night. After Inuyasha had thoroughly tended to all of Kagome's bruises, the pair went in search of their two friends. They found the pair arguing over a hot stove. Apparently they thought it would be a nice gesture to cook dinner, but they could not agree on how to properly sauté the vegetables. After a few tense arguments and several pieces of burnt chicken with charbroiled vegetables the group had an edible meal. Now Kagome and Sango were faced with the task of cleaning the dishes, while the men watched some TV.
"Yes Kagome. I actually think it is best for you to stay with Inuyasha. Your parents are less likely to storm into his house and try to take you back home if you stay with him. Not to mention that Inuyasha loves you and wants you by his side at all times."
Kagome ducked her head to hide her blush. She still could not believe that Inuyasha would soon be her new "roommate". She really hoped that Inuyasha's father did not have any objections to her new living situations. His feelings on the situation would become known once Kagome's stuff was moved into Mr. Takahashi's household.
"Good"
As Kagome was drying the last dish, Inuyasha walked into the kitchen to check in on the two girls. By this time, it was already eleven o'clock at night and Kagome was having some difficulty keeping her eyelids open. Inuyasha knew it was time to get Kagome to bed. "Are you ready to go Kagome?"
"Yeah" Kagome yawned. All she wanted to do was get into a warm bed and sleep away the horrors of today. Inuyasha took Kagome by the hand and led her towards the front door. He gave Sango and Miroku a quick nod to show his friends his appreciation for all they had done for him and Kagome. Kagome sleepily waved goodbye to her friends while Inuyasha led her towards her car.
Inuyasha had taken her keys out of her hands and positioned her in the passenger seat. Kagome was too tired to ask about Inuyasha's car. She knew that Inuyasha had a plan and he would take care of it in the morning. Kagome gave Inuyasha a drowsy smile when he was buckled behind the wheel of her car. He returned the smile with a caring visage.
"Are you ready to go home?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yeah, let's go home."
AN: Hope you enjoyed this story. Let me know what you thought by REVIEWING! It's not that hard, just push that bottom in the corner and leave me a message! I love to know what people think. It motivates me to write more sooner! ;) SO REVIEW!