Chapter Text
It happened again. Inuyasha had snuck out to see Kikyo. Kagome said she'd stay by his side no matter what but... It doesn't take away the ache. The pain in her chest at the thought. "Stop it!" She muttered to herself, hugging her knees and burying her face in her arms. She currently was sitting in the grass by herself while everyone else slept peacefully in the small shack they were camping in. "You knew this would happen, you, idiot!" Her body shook as she fought back against the emotions that welled up and threatened to spill out. "Stop it!" She chastised herself again in a pained whisper.
"Kagome?" Sango said in a concerned voice. She lifted her head to meet her friend's eyes. "Are you okay?" Kagome did her best to put on a happy face.
"Y-yeah! Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Sango frowned before sitting down beside her then suddenly put her arms around Kagome and pulled her against the woman's shoulder.
"If you need to talk, I'm here. I'm always here." This felt nice. It reminded Kagome of her mother.
"Don't say things like. Don't ask me about them." She whispered.
"Ask you about what? Who is them?"
"These feelings. These ugly, terrible feelings. I hate myself. I hate that I love someone who just runs off to see another woman! It makes me hate her! I don't want to hate her! And he doesn't even seem to care! I wish I could tell Inuyasha this to his face but I know he'd hate me for saying something bad about her! I can't stand this much longer. I feel like I'm going to break!" Kagome sobbed into her friend's shoulder who hugged her close. This is what she figured it was. Inuyasha had run off to see Kikyo again, sneaking out like a child who doesn't want to get in trouble. That idiot! It almost made Sango shake with anger.
"First of all, I don't think Inuyasha could ever hate you. And secondly, those feelings aren't ugly Kagome. Of course, you'd be upset! Not only did he just leave, but in the middle of the night no less! I'd feel the same way. Jealousy is a natural response. Despite how it seems, I don't think his feelings for Kikyo are what they used to be. I think it's more of a sense of duty. He's chivalrous down to his bones. I think it's guilt but I also think he hasn't realized it yet. It hurts right now but be patient. This will all work out."
"But how could you know that?" Kagome asked with a quiet voice.
"Because I've been traveling with you two for a while now. He has a softer side around you. He's comfortable with you. For Inuyasha, that's a very important thing." Kagome thought about her words. Could it be true? Could he have feelings for her? Sometimes it seems obvious but then he does things like this. It left her feeling so confused. She didn't want to get her hopes up either. Kagome untangled herself from her friend's embrace. "Better?" Kagome gave her a weak smile.
"A little. They didn't go away, just pushed aside for now. Thank you, Sango. I appreciate it."
"Of course! I'm always here if you need to talk. I'm sorry you fell in love with an idiot, but he's your idiot." She joked. That made Kagome giggle. "Now let's get some sleep." They went back inside to lie down. Kagome didn't get any sleep that night.