InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Breaking The Habit ❯ Chapter 1: Stupid Girl ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1: Stupid Girl

"She's going away, / (She's going away) / What's wrong with my life today? / She's going away, / (She's going away) / What's wrong with my life today? / Stupid girl, Stupid girl"

-Stupid Girl, Cold

"What?!"

Kagome winced, then continued to pack her bag. "I have to go back," she repeated in as much of a normal voice as she could.

"Didn't you hear what the old witch said?" Inuyasha demanded, standing in front of her.

Kagome paused and tried not to shiver. "Well, yeah, but…"

"But nothing, you idiot!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Kagome looked down at her bag and reminded herself that he didn't mean that the way it sounded…and tried not to blush.

"Of all the stupid, idiotic things to do," Inuyasha raged. "Death is coming after you and you want to leave to go to a party?" he humphed. "Stupid girl."

'That's it,' Kagome thought, her blush darkening in anger. 'That is the last straw that breaks my camels back, the drop that overflows my cup.' She raged inwardly. She wanted to 'sit' him into the next century but instead, reasonably, she stood and glared at him. Miroku and Sango tried to hide from the line of fire without going too far to hear the fight.

"I don't need your permission, Inuyasha," she spat at him. "I will do as I damn well please and I could give a rat's ass what you think." Her voice was growing angrier by the word. She never cursed unless she was very angry and twice in one sentence…"I *am* going home to my friend's birthday party like I promised and if you don't agree, well, that's just tough." She slung her bag on her shoulder for emphasis and had to widen her stance to keep her balance from the weight. Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized that he was only trying to protect her, but she just couldn't sit there and let him try to control her. Something about it just rubbed her the wrong way.

She lifted her chin and stared at him defiantly, "What do you care anyway?" she spoke "I'm just a stupid girl, right?"

Miroku winced and Sango opened her mouth to warn Inuyasha but Miroku clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Line of fire, remember?" he whispered, letting her go when she glared at him.

Sango sighed, but remained silent.

"Yeah, but you're a stupid girl who can sense jewel fragments and if you get yourself killed I'll…" he faltered, his eyes softening but only for a second. It was gone in a flash before Kagome had time to question it. "I'll take forever to complete the jewel that *you* shattered."

The readiness and ease of his answer hurt her more than she was willing to let on…she would not get hurt…"Why you…!"

"We've got to do something," Sango whispered. "This is getting out of hand."

Miroku sighed and stepped forward. "Lady Kagome is right."

The 'Sit' command on the tip of her tongue lodged in the back of her throat.

"What?!" both Kagome and Inuyasha asked in unison, turning to stare at Miroku.

Miroku gulped. 'Oh boy, so much for staying out of the line of fire,' he thought, then cleared his throat and schooled his features into passivity. "Lady Kagome would be much safer in her own time, Inuyasha," he spoke, surprisingly calm considering he could feel their angry auras focusing on him. Kagome was the first to cool.

She smiled and it was like storm clouds breaking to let in the sun. "That's right!" Kagome exclaimed. "Not that you can stop me," she said, sure now that she had won the argument. "But if you needed something to keep you pacified, that should do it." She turned to Inuyasha who was staring at Miroku as if the idea of sharpening his claws on his flesh were the best thing that had occurred to him in a long time.

"You see," Kagome said added sweetly, as if trying to pacify him. "Miroku understands."

"Monk," Inuyasha growled.

To Miroku it sounded like a warning to start running. However, despite his better judgment, he stood his ground and remarkably kept his face passive. "You said it yourself, Inuyasha, do you not remember?"

There was silence as the parties involved remembered Kagome's forced exile to her own time.

Inuyasha clenched his jaw as the phantom memory of her warmth in his arms magnified her scent. Even though she stood a few feet away he could almost smell the different scents in her hair and skin. The anger gave way to something else he wouldn't name and he turned his back on the group to avoid showing his weakness.

"Fine, whatever…*go already*," he said as dismissively as possible.

Kagome snapped out of her memories and all doubt about leaving was gone. She would not break another promise to her friends. She couldn't.

"Like I need your permission," she scoffed, walking past him. "Bye Miroku, bye Sango," she waived, her head held high. "Tell Shippou I'll see him when I get back!"

"Fine!" Inuyasha called after her. "But if Death comes after you, don't come running to me!"

Kagome paused, her hand on the warped wood of the well for a brief moment, thinking about his words. A part of her heart held her there. She waited, sitting on the edge of the well, her right hand feeling the grooves of the wood as her left caressed the jewel around her neck. Then she pushed herself off the edge and closed her eyes as she fell.

Inuyasha felt it the moment she was gone. He couldn't explain how, nor did he think too much about it. He was still fuming. How could she pick a party over her own safety? "And good riddance," he spat out loud. "Who needs her?" he asked the air around him.

"Do you think she'll come back?" Sango asked Miroku quietly.

"Who needs her?!" Inuyasha repeated, glaring at Sango.

"I don't know," Miroku answered Sango, ignoring Inuyasha's exclamations. "She always has before, no matter the argument."

Sango nodded thoughtfully absently watching Inuyasha pace. "But will she come back before Death comes for her?"

Inuyasha stopped cold. The heat of his anger was swept away, replaced by a coldness rising from the depths of his heart and spreading throughout his body. 'Death is coming for Kagome.'

"I do not know," Miroku answered honestly, unaware of Inuyasha's inner turmoil.

"But if it does…"

'Then I won't be there,' Inuyasha silently finished Sango's sentence.

"Then we won't be there," Miroku voiced into the sudden silence.

'That's not going to happen,' Inuyasha thought. 'I'm going to be there even if she doesn't want me there.' He was walking before he had intentionally thought of where he was going. 'Who the hell does she think she is, anyway? I'll be damned if I let her die over this.'

"Inuyasha ?" Sango called after the retreating figure. When he didn't answer, Sango turned to Miroku. "Where do you suppose he's heading off to?"

Miroku shrugged. "He's heading in the direction of the…" he trailed off as the obvious became clear.

"Well!" both he and Sango exclaimed.

"He's going after her!" Sango smiled.

"Um…?" Miroku started.

"Hm?"

"Don't you think we should go too?"

"Why?" Sango asked.

Miroku's self preservation instincts hadn't been what they once were ever since he got tangled up with this group, otherwise, he wouldn't be making the statement he was about to make. He knew this, and still, "They weren't in the best of moods with each other when last they met…" he let his words trail off.

Miroku's meaning became clear just as Inuyasha disappeared over the rise of the hill leading to the well. Sango acted, jumping to her feet and heading in the direction of the well, "Oi!" she called as loud as she could. "Inuyasha! Wait!"

"Inuyasha!" Miroku joined in, at a dead run. "We're coming too!"