InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Autumn Bane ❯ Stages of Love ( Chapter 8 )

Author's Notes: Ok, I'm a bit late so this will be the only chapter I can manage before I leave tomorrow morning. I should be back around the 21st unless I like the weather in Arizona so much that I won't come back home ^_^

So this is goodbye till then and read this chapter as slowly as possible to last out three weeks (an infallible plan ¬_¬).

TTFN!

Autumn Bane

Chapter 8

Stages of Love

~Kagome~

No one was any the wiser the next morning. My mother was still sick with her flu, although her fever had faded somewhat, and she was far from discovering that her daughter had been very cosy with her fiancé the previous day. Lord Inu was about as oblivious to everything as ever so there no worries there. The only people who knew what me and Inuyasha had done was… me and Inuyasha.

That had been my first real kiss…

With a sigh, I sharply reprimanded myself. Of course it wasn't! But oddly enough, it had felt so new and strange that it had felt like the first time all over again. Hojo had been my first, but I'd kinda stood there, a bit too shocked and flabbergasted to respond to him. Plus, I never really liked Hojo in that way so I didn't like to think of that time as my first true kiss. Then there was the messenger, but I don't think it warranted as a real kiss either because I bit his lip and drew blood deliberately.

The last person I thought I'd ever enjoy a kiss with was Inuyasha… but blow me down with a feather, the second his lips had touched mine I had ascended to a whole new level of heaven. He'd felt hesitant… probably because he'd expected me to start bashing him at any moment. But why would I do that? I was falling in love with him, and he was falling in love with me. We were a couple right then and there…

But were we?

Miroku and his slippery lies had led us to confronting each other… and no sooner had we both realised what the monk had done, then we both spouted the truth. Inuyasha had only said he was falling in love with me because he thought I was the one in love. His pity for me had driven him to say something he didn't feel… and his little white lie had provoked a similar response from me.

But had it?

If I wasn't in love with Inuyasha, and my feelings were only a result of Miroku's meddling, then why had I been getting butterflies at the mere thought of him since the moment I had arrived?

Well… these were one sided feelings, apparently - Inuyasha had made that very clear. I wasn't going to embarrass myself any more by speaking of them again.

Running my hands over my hair, I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. Things were messy now… somehow me and Inuyasha had screwed up our wonderfully stable hate/hate relationship. After that kiss and our discovery of Miroku's instigating, I hadn't dared follow up on the feelings I'd professed. I didn't kiss him, hug him, smile at him or any of the fond things I would do if I was in love with him… I withdrew and turned cold. He did the same…

Just like that, all our walls were back up and we were ignoring each other the way we should have been…

But at least we were together on one thing; and that was Miroku's demise. We'd organised it together… we hadn't mentioned if the monk had succeeded or if he'd failed… we just talked revenge and were going to get on with it.

"Lady Kagome, is something the matter?"

I opened my eyes slowly. Ah… here came the mouse sniffing after his cheese. But I wasn't the one who would be springing the trap… Inuyasha would be doing that. I was just the bait.

"Houshi…" I turned with a smile to face him, setting down the kimono I was working on. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

I was smiling, but oh how I wished to take up my needle to stab him a few times for good measure…

"Have you spoken to Inuyasha yet?" he asked amiably from the doorway. "I'm sure-"

"I have." I interrupted abruptly, my smile never wavering.

"Oh?" he seemed surprised. "And what did you discuss?"

I gave a dreamy sigh. "Our feelings. After I told him I loved him too, we kissed and decided that we should marry by the end of Autumn."

Miroku beamed at me. "See? I told you it would all work out if you were honest to each other."

"In fact, we're so happy and so grateful for your help that we want to thank you to the bottom of our hearts." Forget being a princess - I was an actress! "I know that Inuyasha is just dying to thank you personally. I know - come with me and we'll find him together."

"Do you know where he is?" Miroku followed me as I swept past him into the corridor.

Did I know where Inuyasha was? In the same room as our carefully laid trap, obviously. But I couldn't say that so I improvised. "Oh, when you're in love you intuitively know where your other half is."

"It's so nice to see you two getting along." Miroku told me happily. "It makes a lovely change from seeing you down each others throats."

I coughed slightly but kept my smile in place as I led the hapless fool to his doom. I wasn't as passionate about getting revenge as Inuyasha, but this monk had played us both and embarrassed me most of all. I was ashamed that I had been so easily pulled along to the idea that Inuyasha was in love with me. I should have known better… people didn't go from bearing ten year grudges to being in love in a matter of days.

I led Miroku up to the top floor - the floor in least use. We stopped outside a random empty room and I turned to him. "He's in there."

"After you." He gestured.

"Age before beauty." I gestured back.

"Oh no, youth before wisdom."

I hesitated slightly. Was he onto us? Or was he just being a polite gentlemen to a fault? "Ok…" I said slowly, knowing I would have to improvise a little more. I knocked on the door. "Inuyasha - Miroku's here to thank you… darling."

"Ok… sweetie, bring him in."

I slid open the door and, seeing as how reluctant he was to go in first, I drove my elbow into his back and surged forward.

"Whoa!" he stumbled forward. "What on earth was that for?"

That? Oh, that was for the plank of wood that came swinging out from the side to clock him on the head. I smiled blandly as he reeled for a moment after the impact before succumbing to the blow and toppling back. I stepped aside nimbly to avoid getting caught by his falling form… then I looked up at Inuyasha who was idly slapping the end of the wooden plank into his palm.

"Crude, but effective." I commented.

He smirked, nudging Miroku with his foot. "Looks like we caught ourselves a big one, eh?"

~Inuyasha~

There were many things in life that got up my nose and had my ears in a twist - the main one being harvest flies… literally. I hate harvest flies. I also hate warm drinking water that has been left in the sun for too long. I hate sand, new moons, moths, monkeys, millipedes and most of all, monks.

At least… one in particular.

I also despised being the subject of a trap led by a glib-mouthed instigator. I was ashamed and embarrassed that I hadn't seen through his lies sooner. But no matter… he would be a dead monk soon enough.

Well… not really, but he was going to be wishing he was when I was through with him.

"How long is he going to be unconscious?" Kagome asked from where she sat cross-legged on the floor, looking up at the rafters. She was casually sucking sticky rice off her fingers from the snack she'd brought up from the kitchens.

"Dunno…" I answered, following her gaze to the monk we'd tied up against the widest timber beam. I pursed my lips thoughtfully before picking up one of the remaining rice balls and lobbing it up at our victim. "Hey! Bouzu! Wake up already!"

The little food package hit him on the cheek with a wet slap and he snorted awake. "What? Huh?" He blinked down at us. "Why… why are you standing on the ceiling…?"

"You…!" I jabbed a claw at him. "You have a lot to answer for, asshole!"

He gave me an appealingly innocent look. "I have no idea what you mean."

Kagome was on her feet in an eye blink beside me. "Don't give us that! You've been going between us and inventing things!"

"Things like love!" I added.

"Yeah!" Kagome glowered up at him impressively. "Do you have any idea how it feels to have your feelings played with?!"

We both folded our arms, awaiting his answer.

"Well." He looked down at himself, completely strapped to the rafters as he was. "Seeing as how I'm tied up like a spit roast, I'll have to be honest in my interrogation. No, I have no idea what it's like to have your emotions played with."

What an irritating answer…

"You lied to us!" Kagome snapped at him. "You told me that he was in love with me!"

"Nope." He smiled neutrally. "I said he had feelings for you… which he did at the time I told you about them."

A heated flush spread across my face, and I wouldn't have been too surprised if I was blushing. "I only had these so called 'feelings' because you were telling me that Kagome was in love with me."

"Well… isn't she?" He blinked at us.

I glanced at Kagome hesitantly at the same moment she glanced at me. We both looked away with equally peeved expressions. "I did not tell you I wanted to marry him and have his children!" Kagome growled, looking flustered.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye, startled that she hadn't actually outright denied Miroku's accusation that she was in love with me. But maybe that didn't mean anything and I was looking too far into it…

"You pulled us along, monk!" I bit out. "You made us believe in something which wasn't true and now we're not going to let you down till you apologise!"

"Ok." he chirped cheerfully. "I apologise for causing you both a lot of grief and embarrassment. Feel free to never forgive me, for I am your humble friend who only got his signals crossed. I am sorry from the very soles of my sandals."

Me and Kagome exchanged perturbed looks. Damn… that had been too easy.

"Forget that. We're not letting you down." I said, realising that Miroku wasn't beneath stooping to grovelling in order to get free. "We're not letting you down till tonight when you've had ample time to think about what you've done."

Miroku gave a heavy sigh. "Inuyasha… I daresay that I have had as much time to think about this as you."

I narrowed my eyes up at him. "Meaning?"

"Meaning you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink."he replied loftily.

I narrowed my eyes even more. "Uh… meaning?"

"Meaning I can tell you one thing and I can tell her another, but in the end, I cannot make you love each other. Love is your own creation, not mine. I didn't cheat anyone; you're both just cheating yourselves. You're both so busy wrapped up in hating each other that you fail to notice any other feelings - I merely gave you a push in the right direction. Nothing more."

"We aren't in love!" I ground out. "You just like to think we are."

"My mistake." Miroku shrugged as best he could. "But maybe you should only speak for yourself, Inuyasha."

I wasn't sure I understood what he meant again, although Kagome sure did. I turned to ask her, but she was already storming towards the door. "Kagome-"

"Leave me alone!" she snapped, sliding the door shut with a bang in her wake.

"Oh, well done." Miroku complimented me sarcastically from above my head. "I'd give you the slow clap, but my hands are a little tied at the moment."

"Shut up…" I grumbled half-heartedly, still a little confused at Kagome's sudden swing in moods. What was her problem anyway?

"Inuyasha, as much as I'd love to hang around here all day, I really do have things to do. Evil omens to vanquish, women to comfort, men to rip-off, you know the sort." Miroku called sweetly. "Would you mind being a good fellow and letting me down?"

"You're staying up there till midnight!" I snapped back, already beginning to enter the first stage of my most foul mood yet.

"I don't think so…" Miroku called down uncertainly. "You didn't tie these knots very securely, did you?"

"I used granny knots." I scowled. "They'll hold."

"Are you sure? Or did you use bunny knots?"

"Um…" I thought hard. "You know, I don't really remember which one's which."

Something snapped above me and a tendril of rope came spiralling to the floor, allowing Miroku's arm to slump down. "Bunny knots." said the monk who looked like he was either constipated or just holding his breath. "Definitely bunny knots."

"Ah." I nodded, looking all knowing and wise. "Looks like you'll be down sooner then you thought."

I pivoted and started for the door.

"Wait! Aren't you going to put a blanket beneath me at least?"

I shrugged, still walking away. "And why would I do that?" I stepped out and shut the door after me, but Miroku's voice was still clear as day.

"Because if these ropes slip and I fall, I'll-"

Snap, snap, snap went the ropes! I listened with mingled delight and a twinge of sympathy as I heard a loud thud and a muffled variety of choice curses. Well, as long as there was karmic justice, I was satisfied.

I dusted off my hands and went on my way.

However… something weighed on my mind. Miroku may have been dealt with, but Kagome was another matter entirely. I had a feeling that her current strop would only bear more grief for me.

Selfish cow…

~Kagome~

What a creep!!

I think I actually let out a heartfelt growl at some point as I stomped down the steps leading into the castle's compound, starling a few of the maids I passed on the way. I was so annoyed with him - I just couldn't help it.

I mean, come on! There was a point when such passionate denial began to get on your nerves! How many times had he not-so-subtly pointed out that we weren't in love? Loudly?

I drew to a stop beside the dried-up well, gazing thoughtfully at the scuffed dirt beside it. I felt miserable… depressed even… but I wasn't sure why. Inuyasha's rather loud admission that we weren't in love had touched a nerve. It made me wonder… did I want us to be in love? Did I really want to stop the fighting and settle down with him?

Was I in love?

With a huff, I shook my head, casting my hair across my face. No. I wasn't allowed to be in love. Especially when the object of my so called 'affections' wasn't about to return them. I had more dignity than that. I wouldn't trail around after him like some lovesick teenager… or even worse - a princess with unrequited love!

I wasn't a sop! I was Kagome - the most infamously feisty Princess in all of the Western lands!

"You." said a voice uncomfortably close to my ear.

I whipped around with a startled squeak.

Well… feisty up to a certain point… and that certain point was a certain creepy advisor.

"Kagome-hime," Naraku drawled, looking down his nose at me. "Is it not proper for princesses to remain indoors at such hours as these?"

Right then and there, I realised that Naraku didn't like me. Whenever he saw me, he basically told me to push off with his "princesses shouldn't be here" speech. This was awfully rude considering I was a guest here and fiancée to the son of his master. He wasn't exactly below my station… but he wasn't exactly above me either. I may have been a Hime, but in terms of nobility I was only middle of the road - being a hime was no where near as close to being a daimyou, was it? And second best to being a daimyou was being advisor to one…

So in some respect, gender wise if nothing else, Naraku could pull rank on me at any time.

Any time like this moment right here. A pity I wasn't in the mood to be pushed around by snobbish advisors.

"I'm just getting some fresh air." I smiled hollowly at him, not at all surprised when he didn't return the gesture. "Even us princesses need a little time to clear our heads."

He flicked his gaze momentarily to a point behind me, then returned his glare to my face. Yes, that was definitely a glare. Judging by where we were standing and the direction he'd just glanced in, he'd looked at Kikyo's humble abode. I still remembered quite clearly that he had asked the miko to marry him several times already. Was that where he was going now?

No doubt Kikyo would turn him down… probably because she had feelings for a certain hanyou.

A twinge of something akin to annoyance tugged my eyebrows together for a moment.

Was I jealous?

"It would be best if you were to go indoors." Naraku interrupted my inner monologue.

With a sigh, I shifted my stance and folded my arms. "Look, I'm not doing anyone any harm here, am I? Why can't you just leave me be?"

I reckon he just wanted to pick on me because I looked like her. Perhaps his pent-up irritation with Kikyo was out-letting itself

But then Naraku surprised me. He bowed humbly before me. "Then by all means, stay there, princess." He turned and swept away, heading in the direction of Kikyo's house.

I couldn't help my snarky, little mutter once he was out of ear-shot. "There is such a thing as flogging a dead horse, pal…"

Imagine how my heart pounded when he stopped, and for a moment looked as though he was about to turn to me again. He couldn't possibly have heard that! I was ready to jump down the well to hide if he really did turn to give me the ultimate death glare I instinctively knew he was capable of… but no. He started on his way again without a backward glance.

With a sigh, I blew out the air I hadn't known I'd been holding. I slumped against the well and resumed my intense stare of the scuffed earth.

My thoughts wandered for a while, as thoughts tend to do, but no matter where they led me, I was always taken back to Inuyasha. I think I actually pondered on what it would be like to really marry him and kiss him and have children. I didn't want to marry yet, but I knew that one day I really did want to have children of my own…

The fact that I kept picturing my future little darlings with little doggie ears and golden eyes made me want to cry.

Our parents had signed and stamped our fate together and that was that. Any children I have will be Inuyasha's… every kiss I share will be with Inuyasha. But what upset me most was that I actually began to long for that kind of future with him… even though he evidently felt nothing for me. What was I supposed to do?

I may have shed a small tear or two, but I dried them quickly with a dusty sleeve and blinked rapidly to try and rid myself of the urge to cry. They say that you feel refreshed after crying… but perhaps I hadn't cried enough, because I felt absolutely rotten.

Perhaps I should continue in more private dwellings? I glanced around suspiciously before standing and heading back towards the castle.

A crash and a mighty crack of splintering wood made me and everyone else in the compound whirl around. My hand flew to cover my mouth in horror as I watched half of Kikyo's house tear apart from the other half and go cascading across the allotments. I wasn't near enough to be caught in the rain of debris, but I saw several villagers ducking for covering as wood and thatch hailed down.

Kikyo stood with Naraku in the remaining half of her house, looking out over the destruction with a look on her face that suggested she'd just bit into a lemon. Naraku looked cocky… but his arm was what got me.

Who knew that the daimyo's advisor could apparently turn his arm into a tentacle?

And with a quick 'schlurp' sound, it could be sucked right back into its original arm-shaped form.

I pointed, completely flabbergasted. "Did you see that?!" Who was I talking to anyway? "He's a demon!"

~Inuyasha~

Of all the crummy jobs in the world, I'd been assigned to - this had to be the lamest.

"Open your mouth." I said flatly.

"Go away." Lady Jun responded, equally as flat.

I pouted slightly. "I can't feed you if you don't open your mouth!" I grouched.

"Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young man." she lectured, giving me a cold eye from where she lay on her futon. But she soon enough switched that glare to a rather concussed-looking Miroku on her other side. "And what is he doing here?"

"To be honest, I'm kinda scared of you." I told her bluntly. "No way am I putting my hands near your mouth without some kind of witness."

"Oh ho!" she scoffed at me. "If you think one lousy witness will keep me from attacking any wandering hands, then you've got another thing-"

"Do you want to starve to death?! Open your mouth and take the damn food-!"

"-And no ­perverted hands should be wandering near, thank you very much!"

Miroku gave a loud sigh. "Please cease your fighting-"

"SHUT IT!" we both bellowed at him.

The monk sat back with a rather put-out expression.

"Ok…" I said slowly, taking an onigiri in hand. I braced for another struggle. "Just sit back, relax, and put this in your mouth."

"Have you washed your hands?" she demanded.

"What's it to you?" I asked haughtily.

"I'm already sick! I don't want to get sicker!"

"Take the damn rice ball!"

"I'll die first!"

Ouch… but she'd said it, not me. "Very well, I guess we'll just have to do things the hard way!" I shuffled closer on my knees.

"What are you doing?" She eyed me warily. "Stay back - I'm warning you!"

"Just a little persuasion technique." I told her flippantly as I straddled her waist and clamped my free hand around her jaw. "Now open up for the birdie, Jun."

Her teeth remained firmly clamped together before she still found a way to talk. "Don't call me Jun!" Except it sounded more like "Jnn kull ne Jgh!"

"Well, this isn't very dignified." Miroku commented from the sidelines.

I glanced at him. "If you want forgiveness, then you better damn well help me out here!"

"Fine…" He gave another dramatic sigh and shuffled forward to help unclamp Lady Jun's jaw. "Wow, she's pretty strong for a sick lady."

Sango chose that wonderfully well timed and almost strategic moment to enter. Me and Miroku both looked up at her uncertainly as she looked back at us with a nonplussed expression.

"Guys, I leave you alone for five minutes and you're already molesting her."

"She won't eat the damn food." I said bitterly as I sat back.

"That's because you're not doing it right." Sango came over to kneel down beside Lady Jun and picked up a rice ball. "You have to coax her."

"I'm not a cat." was the testy response.

Right then, somewhere beyond the castle came a terrific crash. My ears flicked towards the source of the sound which was loud enough for even the humans to hear.

"What was that?" Sango whispered.

"Sounded like… someone smashing wood?" Miroku hazarded a guess.

I was up on my feet and racing out of the room in a second flat. People around the castle were also on their feet, heading outside to see what was happening, but I overtook them and charged down the halls at a rate of knots to see it first.

But by the time I arrived, it was already over. Damn Lady Jun's room for being on the upper floors…

My father was the nearest person I recognised. He looked grim and unusually sombre. "What happened?" I asked, looking around at the mass debris of what looked like a house. With a start, I realised that it was Kikyo's. "Where's Kikyo?! Is she-"

"Fine? Yes." My father responded, waving a hand in the general direction of the well. I followed his gaze and spotted the miko standing beside the wooden structure, leaning against her bow. She seemed ok… but I noticed that only a few metres away, someone had been tackled to the earth and was currently being tied up more firmly that I had done for Miroku. "That's…?"

"Naraku." My father nodded. "His passion for the miko has led him to extremes… he's dangerous." His brow lowered a fraction. "He's also a demon."

You learned something new every day.

Well… I didn't particularly care about Naraku, so I wasn't too upset at his apprehension by the guards. He'd probably be exiled or beheaded or something…

Kikyo was my main concern.

I started towards the well, intent on reaching her and seeing if she really was ok.

Kagome intercepted me before I got to her. "Did you see what happened?" She was in a state of disbelief. "Naraku was a-"

"Demon? He's also an asshole, but what are you gonna do?" I didn't even grace her with a momentary glance as I brushed past her on my way to Kikyo.

The miko saw me coming and smiled ever so slightly. I frowned in concern. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Naraku just got angry that I refused his offer of marriage again."she answered calmly.

"But he didn't hurt you?" I looked her over for some sign of damage or bleeding. "He didn't touch you then?"

There was that small smile again. "He touched me." She raised a hand to cheek to show me where. "Which is why he is now unconscious."

Good. But the thought of Naraku touching any part of Kikyo literally made my stomach turn…

~Kagome~

What was I, invisible?

I'd just stood there like a prat as he'd pushed past me in order to make a dash for Kikyo. It was reasonable, I guess… considering she was the one who had been attacked and all. But still… didn't I even merit a glance?

I looked over at the pair who were conversing deeply. Kikyo seemed to be reassuring him whilst Inuyasha seemed to be overly concerned for her welfare. My temper literally flared to life when his hand touched her cheek though. He dropped it just as casually, but my jealousy still raged.

Yep. Definitely jealousy.

I couldn't stand any more at that point. I turned and marched back into the castle, making a straight beeline for the room I shared with Inuyasha and our favourite chaperones. I slammed the door shut and immediately flopped down on my rolled up futon. I sat there and I steamed. There was nothing else I was capable of doing…

Then I cried. Gut-wrenching, heart-breaking tears fled down my cheeks and I felt out of control. I couldn't stop myself from sobbing. All I could do was clutch my stomach as the sheer force of my tears made me double over. I could almost feel my heart tearing, a horrible squeezing feeling in my chest that made me cry all the harder.

But even as I sobbed my heart out, I felt angry. Angry at myself, angry at Inuyasha, angry at Kikyo even.

"I bet if it had been me who was attacked, he still wouldn't have cared!" I shouted into the empty room, my anger and pain already well beyond my control. "If I'd been blown to smithereens, he still would have gone to her to see if she was ok!" I feigned his voice. "Oh Kikyo! I hope all Kagome's raining down body parts didn't hit you or stain your robes with blood or anything!"

Didn't the kiss we'd shared mean anything to him? Was it just so easy to forget that he had told me he was falling love with me?! How could he just turn around and act like nothing had happened when my whole world had been upturned and rearranged around him?!

I wanted to hit him - if he'd been there, I would probably have done so. And I would have made sure it hurt.

In this fleeting passionate moment, I wanted to hurt him inside his chest as much as I was hurting right then. I had never felt such pain… and it was much worse than physical pain. A splinter had been lodged in my heart and it wouldn't budge - it was driving me beyond my limits to the point where I didn't care what I did.

I kicked my rolled up futon, tore the sleeves off my kimono and for the grand finale, I screamed. I really screamed. I took all my pain and my anger into on lungful of air and I let it out at a deafening quality…

A flock of birds took flight from the trees far below the castle grounds, and I heard a lull of noise in the lower compound as people must have stopped what they were doing to listen to this awful scream.

Good. I finally had someone's attention. I wondered if Inuyasha could hear me… hear my pain…

I couldn't keep it up and I soon collapsed to my knees, breaking off the scream with more choked up sobbing. I was such a mess… and I was so ashamed of myself for losing control. I had screamed myself so hoarse that the crying began to chafe my throat.

I just wanted to curl up and die.

I had just about gotten to the curling up part when Sango came upon me. She had evidently heard my scream. "Kagome, what's wrong?" She hurried to my side to comfort me, but by then my tears were already beginning to subside a little… yet I was still left feeling as horrible as ever.

Sango helped though. Her arms wrapped around me compassionately and l leant again her heavily as she rocked me. She smelled feminine and her embrace was gentle and motherly… and I couldn't help but wish that she had smelled musty and wild like Inuyasha with an embrace that radiated protection and loving. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to pretend he was holding me… but Sango's chest was too lumpy to fool my imagination.

I was in love with him..

I hadn't just been in love with him since he had swept past me to see Kikyo. I hadn't fallen in love with him when he'd kissed me, or even as far back as the first moment I'd seen him and gotten dizzy.

I'd loved him for years… many, many years.

As a child, I had looked to him as my other half, his yin to my yang. I'd secretly adored him and had been in constant awe of his personality - his ability to challenge me in everything I did. I'd grown to love him like a brother, a near constant presence who had been an annoyance, but a comfort at the same time. He'd been my protector. When I'd fallen down, he'd picked me up. When another boy had shown me unwanted attentions, he'd been there to put an end to it. His daily challenging had brought me to life, and I knew that every time I returned home without him I was empty till the next Autumn."

Then I'd loved him with a girlish crush, completely flustered by his attractiveness and his occasional ability to be pleasant. It had been nice while it lasted…

But now I was truly in love with him. I'd outgrown my crush and it had blossomed fully into a woman's love so powerful that I could hardly bear it by myself. It terrified me the same way it exhilarated me…

But…

I clenched my fingers into the material of Sango's yukata and winced as hot tears prickled my eyes again. Her tender embrace remained as she whispered comforting, yet meaningless words above my head…

I could help it. I couldn't stop the tears from falling because there was one painful fact that kept returning to stab me straight to the heart. I was in love…

But he doesn't love me back…!

AN: Ooh… >.< The teenage angst!