InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chances ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

******************************************************* *****************

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inu Yasha and pals. That honor belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

************************************************************* ***********

AUTHOR'S NOTE: From here on out, it should be a little lighter but I can never leave angst behind for long. After all, fate is rarely kind and Murphy rules supreme. MURPHY'S LAW: Whatever can go wrong...will! I hate Murphy...I think that he is stalking me. But enough of that. Read and Enjoy! = P

********************************************************************** *******************

Chapter 7

When Kagome popped her head out of the well, she wasn't surprised to be bombarded by a small furry missile screaming her name at the top of its lungs. She wasn't surprised to see Inu Yasha lounging on a tree branch waiting for her return. She wasn't surprised when Sango flashed her a warm smile from beneath the tree in which Inu Yasha sat. What did surprise her was that Miroku wasn't there to greet her. She glanced around the clearing and felt the disappointment surge when she saw that he really wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Sango saw her friend's looks and the expression on her face, and tried to hide the grin that had snuck up on her. Kagome seemed so upset that the monk wasn't there. Their relationship was getting stronger with every moment that passed. She got to her feet and walked over to the younger girl.

"He is with Kaede in the village. One of the men was attacked by a small demon a short while ago and he is there."

"What about the demon."

"Its dead. No worries." Sango smiled at her best friend and brushed her knuckles on the front of her kimono. "Killing demons is what I do." Kagome punched her lightly in the arm and giggled.

"Thanks Sango."

"Its my job."

"That isn't what I am talking about and you know it."

"Yeah, but its fun to fluster you. Now come on, lets go." Kagome nodded and hefted her pack. When they reached Inu Yasha's tree, she looked up at him and smiled sweetly.

"I told you I would be back."

"Feh." He looked away from her but felt his heart lighten. She looked so happy. Sango did too, now that he thought about it. He jumped down and took her pack from her.

"Thanks." He just turned away and began walking. Phase one of the plan was going into action now. BE NICER! Okay, so it wasn't a big step but it was in the right direction. Maybe that time away from here had been what she needed. She seemed to be back to her normal self and she was treating him just like she used to. He was now far enough ahead of the two girls that he could heave a sigh of relief without worrying that they would hear.

"Kagome!" A blue blur rushed past him and swept Kagome off of her feet. She squealed and laughed as she was spun about. Inu Yasha turned around glaring at the monk.

"Shippo, my how you have grown." Kagome giggled.

"Yes, I have." Miroku puffed out his chest proudly and smiled at her. They stared at each other for a moment and then began to laugh. Sango joined them. Shippo jumped onto Kagome's shoulder and tugged at her hair.

"Kagome, that isn't me! That's Miroku."

"Oh really? I thought that you were the only one that launched themselves at me when I came back." Miroku looked sheepish but couldn't dampen the million watt smile that threatened to swallow his face.

"Things change." he said softly. " I am just very glad that you are back. I missed you."

"I'll say he did. He slept by the well for both nights." Kagome raised an eyebrow and looked up at him with a smirk.

"And I guess I imagined the furry little lump in my robes, right Shippo?" The little kitsune looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Of course I was. I am starting to worry about you Miroku. First you think that you are me and then you can't remember that I was here keeping you company. Maybe he's sick Kagome." The little fox suddenly looked at her with bright eyes and licked his lips. "So what did you bring me?"

"Its in my bag Shippo. Sango will give it to you as soon as you get back to the village. Its right on top." She looked at the exterminator, who nodded, although she looked a little puzzled. "I have to talk to Miroku... alone." Her tone seemed so serious. The monk's smile dimmed even as the hanyou's began. Was she going to tell him that she had made a mistake? each wondered, having very different reactions to that thought.

"Okay. Come on Shippo, lets see what you got this time." She smiled at her friends and removed Shippo from Kagome's shoulder. "Take your time." She then walked over to where Inu Yasha stood, still watching the couple. With a rough shove, she turned the hanyou around and then began pushing him back toward the village. "That is a private discussion Inu Yasha." They could hear his protests for a few minutes, and Kagome shook her head. She turned her attention back to the monk and blinked a few times. He seemed pale and dazed, his eyes wide and glassy.

"Are you sick, Miroku?" She pulled him over to a fallen log and made him sit down. She knelt in front of him and felt his forehead with the back of her hand. He didn't feel warm, so she tried her mother's method and pressed her lips to his forehead. He expelled a shaky sigh and she drew back.

"Maybe just a little heartsick, Angel." he whispered. He could feel his heart slowly splitting apart, and he couldn't look into her eyes. How could he go from the heights of joy to the depths of despair so quickly and hope to survive?

"Oh, I thought that you were glad to see me." The confusion was apparent in her voice. She looked away from him. What had happened in the past few minutes to bring about this change in his behavior?

"Can we just get this over with Kagome?" he asked. His voice came out much harsher than he had planned. From the corner of his eye, he saw her flinch. He turned toward her and saw the same kind of hurt and shock that she had worn after her fights with Inu Yasha and he cursed himself. Damn, he didn't want to hurt her. He was supposed to help heal her heart, not deepen the wounds. He couldn't stop himself from reaching out and pulling her into his warm embrace. He couldn't stand to be the cause of her pain...ever. "I'm sorry Angel."

"Its okay, Miroku." She turned to him and searched his eyes with her own. "What happened? Why are you acting like this so suddenly?"

"I don't know how to act. I have never been in love before, and never had my heart broken before either." Her eyes widened and he realized what he had said. Now his eyes widened and he began to panic. Was there any way to reverse time or just wipe out her memory of the last few minutes? If she was about to break his heart, this wasn't the time to tell her that! They stared at each other for several long moments in complete silence.

"You are in love?"

"For quite some time."

"With me?" He sighed and rolled his eyes, but didn't reply. "Oh." The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back with her on top of him, as she pressed light kisses all over his face. Was he having another fantasy? No, this seemed to real. What the hell, he thought as he caught her lips and kissed her deeply. If this was a fantasy or not, there was no use in wasting the opportunity. When they finally broke apart, they were panting for breath but smiling at each other once again. "I don't want to break your heart, ever. I want to keep it safe. Why would you think otherwise?"

"You said that we had to talk." She stared at him as if he had lost his mind and then began to laugh. He watched her curiously, but all he could hear was her saying that she wanted to keep his heart safe. That she didn't ever want to break it. It wasn't exactly a declaration of love, but it was close. After a few moments of watching her lips move, it occurred to him that she had been saying something so he decided to pay closer attention. When he did, he figured that he must have heard her wrong.

"I'm sorry. What did you just say?"

"I said, we should fix up Inu Yasha and Sango. That will solve all of our problems." She gave a self satisfied nod. Now it was his turn to stare at her as if she had gone mad. For her to say that, and think it was a good idea, there was no doubt in his mind that she truly had gone insane. And he knew that he must be in love when he heard himself agreeing to help.

****************************************************************** ******

AN: I am so sorry, I didn't realize that it had been so long since my last update. I got a review that made my head spin...she told me that I was wasting her time, and it made me wonder if I was. I went back and re-read it and decided that I liked it, so I'm going to continue. So please forgive me everyone, I will try to do better this time. Just a warning though, I am going on vacation for a week so it might be a little while.

Sandra: Please don't cry any more. I will do my best, I promise. Hope there were enough "cute" moments for you. ; ) And I am still waiting for an update of Methusula!

Tokyo Nights: Too confusing? Yikes, didn't mean for it to be that, but I really enjoyed the other adjectives. My head is beginning to swell again. But thank you so much and I hope that you continue to enjoy it!

Laraina: Yep, we are going to have some matchmaking going on, and Inu Yasha is beginning his "plan". Things should get interesting. = P

Murr: Your wait is now over! There will be mushy moments to come, I promise. Can't let everyone hanging. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

******************************************************************** ****