InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ What A Girl Needs ❯ What A Boy Says ( Chapter 3 )

Originally posted April 21, 2005. Minor typos fixed September 10, 2005.

 

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns everything and I humbly bow to her genius.

 

What a Girl Needs

 

by Souta's Sister

 

Chapter 3 -- What a Boy Says

 

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

Kagome stood looking out at the view of Tokyo from the top step of the Higurashi shrine. She had grown so used to the quiet beauty of the past that coming home felt odd and the noise of the city surprised her for a moment. This wasn't where she felt comfortable anymore. How would she leave the past behind when the quest was over? She wasn't sure if she could be at ease living permanently in modern times.

 

She sighed and dragged herself inside and found her home to be empty of people. She looked around and found a note in the kitchen from her mother. It said that if Kagome came home, not to worry about them. She and Kagome's grandfather had gone out of town to visit her great-uncle and would be back in two days. Souta was staying at a friend's house while they were gone, but he would come home to feed Buyo each day. The note was dated that very same day, so Kagome's family must have just left that morning.

 

Maybe it was better that she had missed them, Kagome thought. It would have been hard to explain to her mother why she was purchasing modern contraception for a girl from the past, thus enabling her to have worry-free sex with a perverted monk, not to mention the fact that her mother would have noticed Kagome's own distress and asked about it…and she wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

 

Kagome took a shower and once she was clean, she dressed in a comfortable but flattering shirt and skirt set before she left the house to take care of business. The breeze on her face felt nice and she unconsciously smiled, never realizing how pretty and desirable she looked, even with no makeup on and slightly damp hair.

 

When she got to the shrine steps, she met Souta who was running up them. He saw her and ran to her to give her a hug and a smile.

 

“Nee-chan! I didn't know you were home! Mama and Jii-chan won't be back until the day after tomorrow. I guess you got their note?”

 

“Yes, but what are you doing here? I thought you were staying with a friend.” She turned around and walked with him back toward their house.

 

“I was coming to check on Buyo and I need my soccer uniform. We have a game tonight and I forgot to bring it with me last night when I went over there,” he explained as they reached the front door and she unlocked it. “How long can you stay and where were you going?” he asked, seeing her large bucket-style purse and casual clothing.

 

As they went inside, she answered, “I just got here about an hour ago. I was going to go do some shopping and have lunch.”

 

She walked with her brother to his room and watched from his doorway as he got his uniform together. She missed him. He was thirteen now and had grown so much. She'd blinked her eyes and her brother had become a young man almost taller than her. The years had flown by so quickly. It was scary how much had happened and how much she had missed with her family while she was busy dodging death and fighting evil in another time.

 

Time. Yet another reason, she told herself, to grab life with both hands and make the most of it.

 

“Want to go with me? I'll buy you lunch and maybe even get you a present while we're out,” she suddenly suggested with a smile. She didn't want to miss the opportunity to spend time with her brother. If she blinked again, he'd be in college.

 

He stilled his movements and looked at her, surprise in his expression.

 

“I can go with you? You're not in a hurry to get back to Inu-no-niichan?”

 

“No, I'm not in a hurry today. I'd like to spend some time with you. I've missed you,” she told him honestly.

 

He stared at her, wide-eyed, and for a moment looked like he might get emotional, but then he turned away from her and continued to put his uniform into an athletic bag.

 

After a minute he answered her. “I'll go with you…and you don't have to buy me anything. I miss you too,” he told her quietly.

 

She swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled at him when he turned back to face her. She briefly wondered how hard it had been on him when she was on the other side of the well. Did he worry that she might not come back each time she left? She suddenly appreciated her family's patience with her and the burden of her absence from their daily lives.

 

She brought her attention back to her brother and smiled at him again as she said, “Come on then, let's go. I have a lot to do and I'll still let you pick out a present for yourself along the way.”

 

Souta smiled back and told her he had to call his friend to let him know that he would be gone for a while but that he would be back in time to leave for their soccer game. After that, he left his duffle bag in his room, and he and Kagome left the house together.

 

Kagome and Souta chatted about his school and soccer and how his life was going while they walked to the bus stop. Even as she listened to him, she kept noticing the noise and the smells around them. The air was not clean like it was on the other side of the well. Kaede's village could smell sometimes too, but not like modern Tokyo. The exhaust from cars was a strong odor, and when they got onto the bus, the press of people made her aware of their smell too.

 

There was also little grass to be seen. Everything, the buildings and streets, appeared hard and angular. It all seemed so unnatural to Kagome now. She used to be unaffected by all of it, and it did not strongly bother her now, but she was very aware of the contrast between her time and Inuyasha's, and she was aware of her own awareness.

 

She forced herself to focus on Souta and watch where the bus was going so she would not miss her stop.

 

First, Kagome took them to a funny kind of shop with some very old things in it. From her handbag, she pulled out a fairly nice bowl that she quietly told Souta she had bartered for in Kaede's village a while back. Kagome sold the pottery to the shop owner for quite a nice sum and added the money to the large amount she already had in her wallet, saved from previous sales similar to this one.

 

Souta knew that occasionally selling authentic items from the Warring States Era was how Kagome helped their mom pay for all the food and supplies Kagome brought through the well for the group. He and Kagome each had a nice trust fund from their father's life insurance, enough to put them through college and let them live comfortably for a few years afterwards until they were settled into a good job, but their mom had to make her insurance income last for the rest of her life and support them until they moved out on their own. They never lacked for anything, but their mother had developed the habit of being, not necessarily frugal, but rather conservative in her spending habits.

 

After Kagome sold the pottery, they went to a medical clinic. Kagome stood outside for a moment and contemplated what she should tell Souta.

 

Souta looked confused, and before she could say anything, he asked, “Nee-chan? Are you sick?”

 

“N-no… I need to get something here though. It shouldn't take very long. Let's go in and you can wait for me in the waiting room.” She hoped her face was not too red. She was not comfortable talking to her brother about this.

 

They went in and Souta watched her the whole time with concerned eyes. She tried to be discrete but he must have heard her talking to the nurse, because twenty minutes later, as they were leaving, Souta asked her, “Nee-chan, I thought Mama took you to get shots for that. Why do you need pills too?”

 

Kagome blushed with embarrassment. How did he know that she was already on birth control? She'd have to explain it to him and answer his questions…darn it.

 

“Well, the pills aren't for me. And, yes, I have been getting shots for birth control, even though I don't do anything to need it,” she stressed, “ but Mama thought it would be best because she knows how violent it can be on the other side of the well.”

 

She did not mention `rape' but Souta seemed to understand judging by the sober expression on his face. “And,” she admitted, “Mama thought Inuyasha and I might...like each other…like that…but we don't and I haven't done that with anyone…because you should love someone before you do that with them…and I…”

 

She suddenly stopped talking, dropping her eyes to the sidewalk, dismayed at her nervous runaway tongue. She was starting to babble in her embarrassment now and she knew it. Her brother didn't need to know that she was thinking about doing that with someone. She hoped Sango appreciated this favor and thought to herself that the monk had better damn well make it worthwhile for Sango's sake and for Kagome's trouble.

 

She looked back up at her brother and again marveled at the young man he had become. She kept eye contact with him, took a deep breath, and started again.

 

“The pills aren't for me,” she repeated. “Sango loves Miroku and wants to be closer to him, but it would be dangerous for her to become pregnant right now. They are promised to each other but won't marry until after we defeat Naraku. I'm taking these to her. I'm also going to buy condoms for her and a book about sex. I think she should know about her body and about what she is about to do. I want her and Miroku to be happy together.” There. She'd said it.

 

He blushed a little but didn't laugh. He thought about the injuries his sister had received over the years and what she'd told them of their battles…and guessed about what she didn't tell them. He knew what they did was dangerous, that it might even be deadly in the end. Having a baby would not be a good thing for them right now.

 

After a moment, he replied, “I think it is good for you to help them. They are older than you, right?”

 

She nodded, yes.

 

“They are old enough to be together. And they love each other. They should try and be happy together while they can.” He paused, dropped his eyes, and then continued with all seriousness, “And you are old enough to try and be happy too.”

 

Kagome blushed harder. Did her brother just give her permission to have sex? She was even more embarrassed knowing he was thinking about her and Inuyasha. He knew she loved Inuyasha, no matter how much she denied it, and he probably assumed Inuyasha loved her too.

 

She cleared her throat. “Souta, if I find someone who I think I can love, and I know he loves me too…I plan on…being close to him like Sango wants to be close to Miroku.” Why couldn't she say the word `sex' in front of her brother? Why was she suddenly using euphemisms? Gods, this was embarrassing. She closed her eyes for a second, took a deep breath and tried to calm down before continuing.

 

“But, I haven't found anyone like that yet…If you see Inuyasha, please don't say anything to him about this, because…he doesn't feel that way about me. Okay?” It was painful to tell him that.

 

He looked back at her with a pensive expression and slowly replied, “I think he does feel that way, Nee-chan…but…I won't say anything to him.”

 

She exhaled with relief and smiled at him. Ignoring the pain in her heart, she brightly said, “Alright, enough of that! Let's go shopping!”

 

Kagome took Souta through several more shops and told him to pick out something that he wanted. He didn't find anything immediately, but when they passed a jewelry shop with many exquisite rings, bracelets, and necklaces in the window display, he stopped and stared for a moment.

 

She laughed behind him because most of the display consisted of engagement rings and wedding bands.

 

“Are you thinking of someone special to give one of those rings to?” she teased.

 

He blushed, but smiled at her, “No, you know I'm not. But you said that Sango and Miroku are engaged, right?”

 

She nodded.

 

“Do you think they would want wedding rings? Do they even do that in their time?” he asked.

 

She was stunned for a minute at her brother's sensitivity and thoughtfulness. `Mama is raising him right,' she thought. He was turning out to be a nice young man. Sure, he had his bratty moments, but then so did she, and all in all, she realized that not only did she love her brother, she actually liked the person he was becoming. She again thought of all the time that had passed and all the moments like this that she had missed while she was on the other side of the well.

 

She swallowed another lump in her throat and smiled at him. “You know, Souta, that's very thoughtful of you and I think they would really like that, even though I don't think exchanging rings is something people do back then. Do you want to help me pick them out?”

 

He flushed slightly at her praise, and replied, “Yeah, I guess,” trying to sound like he would suffer through the ordeal, but she knew he wanted to help.

 

“Come on then. I'll have to explain to Sango about the modern custom of exchanging rings,” she said as they entered the store. “I think we should get something fairly plain, because I don't think they would appreciate anything that got in the way when we are in battle.”

She missed his sharp look at the word `battle'.

 

He slowly replied, “I guess that makes sense.”

 

“I have enough money to buy something nice, but probably not a diamond and the gem can't be too large if we see one we like.”

 

They looked at the displays in silence for a few minutes until a thought occurred to Kagome. “I hope I can guess their ring sizes. They won't be able to have them adjusted…but then again, I have spent quite a lot of time watching out for Miroku's hands and I think I may be able to guess the correct size, and Sango tried on my high school class ring and it fit her. Hold out your hands, Souta.”

 

He did as she asked but questioned, “Why?”

 

“I'm just trying to judge the right size. I think Miroku's hands are bigger than yours…”

 

They went back to looking at the displays under the glass counters. After a few minutes, Souta pointed out a rather nice band set.

 

“Do you think that would do, Nee-chan?” he asked.

 

“Yeah, I like them,” Kagome replied and she looked up to catch the eye of someone that worked there. A smiling young man came forward and asked if he could be of assistance.

 

“We'd like to see this ring set right here, please,” said Kagome while pointing at Souta's choice.

 

The man pulled the yellow gold set from the display at once and handed them to Kagome. The lady's ring was thick and had a single recessed dark purple amethyst in it. Kagome thought it matched the color of Miroku's eyes. There was a light filigree pattern carved into the rest of the band. The man's band had no gemstone, but had the same filigree pattern. She liked the set and asked the price. It was actually less than she expected and she knew she could afford it.

 

“I like them. What do you think, Souta?”

 

He was running his finger over the gemstone in the lady's band.

 

“The stone doesn't feel like it would snag any clothing and it doesn't stick out so it won't be in the way. I like them too, but do you think your friends will like them?” he asked, meeting her gaze.

 

“Yes, I know Sango will. I think Miroku will think they are nice too.”

 

She looked at the salesman and glanced at his hands. She blushed slightly and asked him to let her see his hands so that she could try and judge the ring size. He smiled and held out his clean, manicured hands for her inspection.

 

She blushed more and said, “Could you hold your hand like this?”

 

She demonstrated the slightly cupped hand position that Miroku used when he was in full grope mode. The salesman complied with a puzzled smile and she studied his hands without explaining. How would she explain why she wanted his hands in that position?

 

After a moment, she decided that Miroku's hands were about the same size, maybe slightly larger but not by much. She told the salesman and he recommended a size for the man's band. He also measured her finger so that they could get the correct size for Sango.

 

Kagome held the rings in the correct size on her palm and just looked at them a moment. She then took the lady's band and tried it on her own ring finger.

 

She asked the salesman to try on the man's band. He did, even though it was just a little too big for him, and after a moment, she said, “I think it will fit him. Can we purchase it?”

 

“Of course,” he said with a wide smile, happy with his commission, no doubt. He gave her the total and she paid with cash.

 

“Will you wrap them in a nice box, please?” she asked and he quickly complied, thanking her for the purchase.

 

Kagome smiled at Souta while they were waiting for the rings.

 

“Thanks for suggesting this, Souta. I'll be sure and tell Sango that you were thinking of her.”

 

He blushed and gruffly said, “It was nothing.”

 

They left the shop a few minutes later and as they exited onto the sidewalk, they heard a shout. Kagome turned to see who was calling her name.

 

“Houjou-kun?”

 

Kagome blushed at Souta's look. He rolled his eyes and mumbled something about idiots who never give up.

 

“Higurashi! I have not seen you for so long! How is your health?” His smile lit his handsome face. She stared at him and realized that Houjou really was a very nice looking boy.

 

“Hello, Houjou-kun. I am feeling fine, thank you. You remember my brother, Souta, right?”

 

Kagome was not really happy to see Houjou. She had never liked lying about imaginary illnesses and he always asked about them.

 

He and Souta exchanged polite greetings.

 

He immediately focused on Kagome again. “I'm glad you are feeling well because there is a party at my friends house tomorrow night and I would really like for you to go with me!” He looked so excited.

 

Kagome hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should encourage Houjou, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings either. Despite what she had told Sango, she still wasn't sure that she could comfortably be with Houjou or anyone else besides Inuyasha. She knew Houjou was really nice and all, but still…he was just so…tame. She tried to let him down easy.

 

“I'm not sure I can, Houjou-kun,” she began, but he interrupted to prevent the rejection.

 

“Well let me give you my phone number and if you feel well enough, let me know and I will pick you up!” His eyes were hopeful and he pulled a small pad of paper and an ink pen from his shirt pocket. She briefly thought that he was odd and a little nerdy to have that in his pocket, but then she felt slightly guilty for mentally insulting the consistently polite and friendly boy.

 

“O-okay, but I won't promise anything, Houjou-kun.” Kagome gave him a small smile as she accepted the piece of paper with his name and phone number on it and told him, “We really must go now. It was good to see you again.”

 

Kagome pulled Souta away down the sidewalk as Houjou shouted his good-byes and said he hoped to hear from her soon.

 

They headed back in the direction of a good restaurant to eat a late lunch.

 

“He has always liked you, Nee-chan. Before you graduated from school, he would come by the shrine at least twice a month asking about you. He still comes by sometimes. Do you like him?” Souta asked tentatively.

 

Kagome sighed. “I don't know if you remember, but he and I have been on a couple of dates, that is, he tried to date me, but no, I don't think I like him as anything more than a friend.”

 

“Will you meet him tomorrow?”

 

“I don't know, Souta,” she answered, looking off at nothing, thinking.

 

After a moment, Kagome looked back at Souta with a mischievous light in her eyes and a slight blush as she asked, “Do you think he'd make me `happy' if I asked him nicely?” referencing their earlier euphemistic conversion about sex. She tried to keep a straight face, but it was hard.

 

Souta's eyes grew wide when he caught on to what she was implying and they laughed, but he could not tell if Kagome was really serious or not and he hoped she wasn't really thinking about Houjou that way.

 

OOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

At Kaede's home, Inuyasha sat morosely staring out the open doorway for almost an hour. Kaede finally had enough of his sighs and fidgeting, and asked, “What ails ye, Inuyasha? Have ye not fully recovered from Naraku's poison?”

 

“Keh, it'd take more than a little miasma to keep me down, Babaa.”

 

Kaede continued to prepare their midday meal without looking at Inuyasha. After a moment she said, “Then mayhap, ye miss Kagome.”

 

Miroku silently applauded Kaede for her bravery in asking Inuyasha such a thing. He exchanged quick eye contact with Sango, both anticipating a typical hanyou over-reaction. He didn't disappoint.

 

Inuyasha instantly sprang up to deny any connection to Kagome and hoped they attributed his sudden blush to anger. Why did they always have to butt into his personal business? He suspected, not for the first time, that they liked deliberately provoking his temper.

 

“What does that bitch have to do with anything? I didn't even notice she was gone! Can't I just sit and think without being harassed about it? You all piss me off, you know that?!”

 

He stomped out of the hut and headed toward his favorite perch in the God Tree.

 

It made him angrier when he heard Shippou's snickering comment of, “How did he know Kagome was gone if he didn't notice it?”

 

He broke into a run so he didn't have to listen to the others' replies. Damn…now he'd miss lunch…and Sango would tell Kagome that he'd said something stupid again…

 

He sighed as he settled onto his branch.

 

Kagome had left about three hours ago. It had only taken him a minute after she disappeared down the well to decide, `Fuck this! She can just learn to be happy with me!'

 

He'd almost gone after her, but after thinking on it a moment more, he'd decided that she was probably still angry about yesterday, which would make it hard to talk to her without being sat.

 

He was also certain she would not fuck anyone today or tomorrow. She had said she wanted to `care' about the bastard before she slept with him and she told Sango that she hadn't even met anyone she was interested in yet, besides that Houjou jerk. So since Kagome wasn't likely to get into trouble in just one day, Inuyasha figured it was safe to leave her alone until tomorrow.

 

And Inuyasha knew Kagome `cared' for him too. It was a start. He'd just have to convince her that he didn't belong in the same `hugging' category as her brother and grandfather.

 

Now he just had to find a way to tell her she was his without making her mad. He'd deal with Kikyou later. He forced his guilt away at that thought.

 

After a while, to distract himself while waiting for Kagome to return, and because he had been tired of his own thoughts, not to mention hungry, he had gone to Kaede's to wait for lunch. It had been a mistake.

 

They knew. Sango and even Miroku knew what Kagome was plotting on the other side of the well right now. Without him.

 

He could feel them watching him. They made no comment about the incident at lunch the previous day, which was completely unlike either of them, and the fact that they made no comment about it made him think about it more, and he wanted to shout at them to get their insults out in the open. Yelling he could deal with, but that silent condemnation shit had really bugged him.

 

They sat there quietly, polishing their weapons, pretending not to watch him, but he knew they did. They exchanged quick glances, silently communicating in their game of watch-the-hanyou-squirm.

 

They knew, but he couldn't let them know that he knew too.

 

He was angry. He was angry with himself. He was angry with Kagome. He was angry with the stupid houshi and Sango for knowing what they knew but acting like they didn't know. And he was angry with Shippou because the kid had been giving him the You-Hurt-Kagome-You-Bastard look while drawing pictures that he told Sango would make Kagome happy again.

 

And speaking of bastards…that bastard Miroku hadn't said a damn thing to him yesterday morning or today. Even in his human form, he'd heard the bouzo fall over in the bushes just like Sango had. Kagome was the only naïve baka who wouldn't think that noise was the houshi unless she actually caught him.

 

Inuyasha needed to know everything that Kagome said before he woke up night before last in case there was something important that he had missed. However, he didn't want to be the one to bring it up with Miroku because then Miroku would know that Inuyasha knew too, and he'd tell Sango, and Sango would tell Kagome.

 

Miroku had been on his best behavior for the past two days. He hadn't groped Sango or done anything to even mildly piss her off since she told Kagome to bring her the `birth control' treatment.

 

Inuyasha figured that the bouzo was totally focused on doing everything in his power to not fuck up this opportunity to get into Sango's pants, and telling Inuyasha about her and Kagome's conversation would definitely piss off Sango if she found out about it.

 

And she would definitely find out about it because the minute Miroku spilled his guts to him, Inuyasha would have a good excuse to confront Kagome without Kagome finding out that he had actually been awake and listening to her private discussion with Sango. He'd be able to blame his knowledge on Miroku, and Kagome would be mad at the houshi for eavesdropping, not Inuyasha.

 

So what if the bouzo lost his chance to fuck Sango. Miroku hadn't had sex in the nearly four years that Inuyasha had known him - he'd have smelled it on the bastard - so what did it matter if Sango got mad and refused to give it to him now? It wouldn't be any skin off Inuyasha's nose.

 

But so far, Miroku hadn't talked. Not even a hint. The bastard…protecting his own interest over that of a friend…

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

 

After lunch, Kagome and Souta finished her shopping quickly. Souta even found a cool collectable figure from his favorite anime that he liked and Kagome bought it for him. They returned to the shrine and picked up his soccer gear. Kagome went with him and watched his game, cheering him on and embarrassing him with her shouts of encouragement. They both loved it. It was the first soccer game she'd seen him play in almost four years.

 

After the game, which Souta's team won, he went back to his friend's house and she returned to the shrine for the night. They had hugged good-bye since they were not sure if she would be home when he came back to the shrine. Their mother and grandfather would be home late the next evening or early the following morning, she was not sure, but Souta would not return until after they did.

 

Kagome was very glad she had spent the day with her brother. It made her more determined than ever to really experience life for herself and to appreciate her relationships with her family. She spent more time with her friends in the past than with her own blood relatives. Inuyasha was her whole world it seemed and if she planned on surviving after he went to hell with Kikyou, she had better learn to let others into her world once more. She decided she'd start by spending more time with her family. Inuyasha would not like it, but he'd just have to suck it up, because she wasn't going to back down.

 

Kagome sighed and turned her attention to sorting out her purchases. She packed some things in her backpack, ready for her trip through the well tomorrow night or the morning after, but the items for Sango were kept separate and she planned on delivering them the next morning.

 

She ate a light supper and then relaxed on her bed in her room for a while, thinking. She had found Houjou's contact information when she unpacked her purchases and the slip of paper was now resting on her desk, distracting her and making her think about him and her plan to find someone to `help' her.

 

Houjou really was…nice. He would never call her `bitch' or rant at her when he was frustrated about something completely out of their control; she was sure of it. And he was very…accommodating. He would never try and control her or restrain her from seeing her family, or doing anything she decided she wanted to do. He would acquiesce in all things and never lose his smile while letting her have her way. She would always be in control of him and their relationship if she were with Houjou, she was certain.

 

And he was very handsome in a sweetly boyish way. He was not feminine at all, but there was nothing wild and animalistic about his beauty, or strangely compelling and excitingly dangerous, or anything else about him that would make her feel a deep and uncontrollable need to have physical contact with him, even if it was just her hand on his arm. She would always be safely in control of herself around Houjou.

 

She sighed. No, there was no question about that. It would all be so safe and easy with Houjou. No conflict, or passionate disputes. No emotional outbursts or flaring tempers that would create sparks between them that sent disturbing tingles down her spine and made her feel on the verge of something overwhelming and frightening and wonderful as something fluttered and ached deep within her abdomen.

 

She would never deliberately challenge his authority, knowing he would accept the challenge and stand so close to her that she could feel his warm breath on her face as he matched her word for word, temper for temper, trying to dominate her. She would never feel the itch to physically grapple with him in her anger and frustration, or the strange need to feel his hands on her during an argument. She would never feel compelled to provoke him and clash with his will, or feel this vague but intense wish to crash into him so hard he would never be able to untangle himself from her afterward.

 

She noticed her breathing starting to get faster and her palms were moist. She forced herself to calm down and relax her tightening stomach muscles and willed herself to remove the image of a shirtless, worked-up, ranting Inuyasha from her overheated brain.

 

Kagome silently groaned at herself. `What is the matter with me? What am I doing? Trying to talk myself into using Houjou?'

 

She abruptly got up and went to her bookshelf and pulled out a picture album her friends had given her last year. It was filled with a disproportional number of pictures of Houjou compared to the number of pictures of her girl friends. She had been slightly annoyed with them at the time they presented it to her like it was a treasure, as they proceeded to try to push her into setting another date with him.

 

Now, looking at the pictures, she was glad she had them because she wanted to show them to Sango and talk to her about him when she brought the birth control pills and other stuff to her in the morning. Since Sango already knew about her `plan' and everything, Kagome figured she could talk to her about Houjou.

 

She sighed and got ready for bed, hoping that a good night's sleep would help her think straight and clear her misgivings. She had so many conflicting feelings about her `plan' already, whether or not Houjou was ever involved.

 

Thinking about her plan, she felt guilty again and wondered if Inuyasha really heard anything or not that night. She'd been upset yesterday when he called her names and then ran away, but after spending years with the hanyou, she knew his temper could be provoked by almost anything. She had, after all, been actively avoiding eye contact with him and she was now certain he knew it. That alone could have caused him to yell at her and then run away to sulk, so it might not have necessarily had anything to do with him hearing anything she said to Sango.

 

And, normally, if she hadn't been feeling so guilty about her conversation with Sango and hadn't felt like she was cheating Inuyasha somehow, she would have sat him into the ground instead of bawling like a baka and upsetting Shippou.

 

She didn't want to think about any of it any more. Why was everything always so complicated?

 

She lay down and turned off her bedside lamp, but slept restlessly as, in her dreams, Inuyasha forcefully showed her what he thought of her `plan' and held her down while he enthusiastically took care of her `needs' with his mouth, hands, and body.

 

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo ~ End Chapter 3 ~ oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

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Author's Notes: Thank you again to everyone who took the time to review my story. I can't express how much your feedback means to me. I really appreciate your comments. My spell-check program can take the credit for some of them, I think.

 

The character spellings I use come from the translation sites that I referenced in my author's notes in chapter 2. I know there are alternate spellings, and I have no idea why I prefer the ones I use. Oh, well.

 

Also, if you want to see something funny, go to the Hero in the 21st Century Diversions page and look at the cartoon called `Enough Is Enough' (nexus. colum. edu/ user/ nierodzik/ html/ diversions /enough. htm) (remove the spaces). Kristine Batey is a genius and this cartoon was one of the sparks that lit the fire that burned into this story.

 

One last note: There is a very short, quite sweet one-shot story by Nabob called `Carpe Diem' that really illustrates Souta's feelings about Kagome's absence very well. The link is (www. mediaminer. org/ fanfic /view_ch. php/ 87286/ 290293#fic_c) (remove the spaces) if you care to read it. Yes, I'm shamelessly plugging a friend.

 

Thanks for reading my story and I hope you enjoy the rest of it. And if you actually read all these boring Author's Notes, I doubly appreciate your time! I'll update within the week.

 

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