“Kagome!”  The brunette shrieked from the couch, clutching a binder to her chest. 

“I’m perfectly serious.”  Kagome replied with a smirk at her former roommate.

Sango glanced back down at the paper she had been writing on.  “He really wants to…”

Miroku chuckled and was instantly slapped on the arm.  “Hey!”

“You could learn something, Mr. Guitar Man.”  Sango chastised him.

“What?  So you want to get married now?”  Miroku replied, rubbing his arm.  “Last time I even hinted at it you hit me.”

The front door opened and all three pairs of eyes stared at Inuyasha, struggling with his art things to get through the door.  Kagome stood and went to help him inside.  “Guess who’s here!”

Inuyasha dropped his things and blinked at the assembled group.  “Hello.  Long time no see.”

“Is it true?”  Sango asked, bouncing up from the couch.

“What?”  Inuyasha asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable about the whole situation.  He never really cared for groups of people. 

“You and Kagome… getting married soon?”  Miroku smirked.

Inuyasha opened his mouth and looked around.  “I… have a test tomorrow.  Sorry… I have to go to bed.”

Sango and Miroku looked at each other passing an uncomfortable look between themselves before looking to Kagome.  “Um… we should go.” 

Kagome hastily bid them good night and locked the door behind them.  Taking a deep breath she made her way to the bedroom and let herself in.  Inuyasha was sitting on the bed, staring off into space.  “Inuyasha…”

“You told them?”

“It came up.  We were talking about the apartment…” 

“You told them we were getting married soon?”

Kagome looked ready to cry.  “Yes.  Was that wrong?”

Inuyasha shook his head and blinked a few times.  “You told my mother that you weren’t my fiancée.”

“You heard that?”

Inuyasha nodded.  “I heard everything.” 

“I just… wanted to be honest with her… about us.” 

“And yet you don’t want that honesty when you volunteer information to Sango and Miroku?”  A scowl crossed his face.

“I…”

“Be honest!”  The boy barked shortly. 

“I thought I was being honest…”  Kagome whispered in a small voice, staring at her toes. 

“You were?”  The wind left his sails and he stared at her.  “You honestly think we’ll get married?”

Kagome nodded. 

“When?”

The girl shrugged and shook her head.

The boy gave a soft sigh and gestured her closer to him.  His arms wrapped around her body and they both sat, unmoving.

Inuyasha grunted, swallowing hard.  They were doing it… they were actually doing it.  His tongue probed deeply as his taste buds sang with her flavor.  Her body pushed against his as his mouth tried to take in her heated folds all at once.  In the back of his mind a nagging doubt was forming.  “But what if the rabbits catch us?”   No, the rabbits couldn’t catch them.  De Vinci had made that perfectly clear… should the rabbits catch them, they would all be in trouble…

Rabbits?

Inuyasha flinched.  Something hot and wet was pressed to his face and he was...  With a gasp he looked up.  Kagome writhed, squirming under his ministrations. 

With a sharp cry the girl sat up a bit, locking her legs around his head, burying his face deeper.  For a long moment they lay together, both gasping for air. 

Lethargically, the boy crawled up to lay beside her.  “Kagome…”  His hand wiped away the wetness from his chin. 

Kagome’s eyes opened and she smiled at him.  “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Inuyasha blushed and bowed his head.  “Neither was I.”

Concern filled her eyes.  “What do you mean?”

“I was… dreaming.”  His lips lightly touched her cheek before he settled down beside her. 

“Dreaming?  So you never meant to…”

“Hush…”  His breath touched her ear. 

“Have you ever done that before?”

“No.”

Kagome was silent for a long time, unsure how to state her question.  Finally, taking a deep breath she whispered.  “Do you want to get married?”

Inuyasha snorted through his nose.  “What?”

“You seem… scared.”

“I’m not scared.”  His arms tightened for a moment around her body.  “I mean… I am young.  How will I support a family when I haven’t gone through school yet?”

“I guess you’re right.”

“That doesn’t mean… I’m not ready to make a decision… on whom to live my life with.  I just don’t have the means yet to support her.”

“So… someday you’ll marry?”

“Yes.”

Her body snuggled back against his. 

“Kagome… I want…”  His breath touched the back of her neck.

“You want what?”

“I want it to be you.”

Kagome smiled and shut her eyes.  “Did you like what we did?”

“Did you?”

Slow to answer, Kagome stared at the curtained window.  “It felt so… good.”

“Good.”  Inuyasha breathed, hugging her tighter.

Inuyasha dropped his things off in the living room before entering the kitchen and sitting on a chair.  “Got my grades from last semester.”

“How’d you do?”  Kagome asked from the stove.

“Passed.”  The boy replied, sitting back in the chair. 

“That’s good.”

“My art teacher loved that portrait I did of you.”

Kagome blushed and glanced back him.  “The one…”

“Yeah… that one.  He said there was passion.”  A smile touched his lips as he stared at her.

“That’s good, right?”  The girl thought on what his mother had said about art school.  “Have you thought about next year?  You could go far with your talent.”  Her hands caught the potholder and pulled the food from the burner to serve him from the pot.

Inuyasha made a face, staring down at his dinner.  “What do you want to do with your life, Kagome?  What’s your dream?”

“My dream?”  Hastily she served herself and sat down across from him.  “What do you mean?”

“You told me once that you wanted to take over your family shrine.  Do you still want that?”

“I want what you want.”  Idly her food was picked at.  “I’ll follow you no matter what.”

“I don’t want you to give up your dream for me.”

“Is that school so far away?”

“If you follow me… I’ll be taking you away from your family… Your education.”  His eyes glared at his food as if he was accusing it.

“I’m sure there are schools there that I could attend.  As for my family… I’ll eventually come back, right?  How long is the program?”

Inuyasha shook his head.  “I can’t ask you to…”

“Then don’t as me.  I’ll follow you without you asking me to.”

Inuyasha again shook his head.  “Besides… I’ll be painting all the time.  You’ll have to model…”

A laugh escaped Kagome as she took a bite.  “You’re just making up excuses now.  I’ll model whenever you need me to.”

Staring for a long moment at the table, he seemed to come to a decision.  Finally his eyes met hers.  “Tonight?”

^.~

Kagome lay on the bed, with only a sheet wrapped around certain parts.  Her eyes were intent on the man that stood near the doorway, working at his easel.  “Why is it I always end up naked?”

Inuyasha grinned and continued to work.  “Model’s curse, I guess.” 

With a small smile Kagome relaxed a bit, allowing more skin to be seen.

“Don’t move.”  Inuyasha breathed, continuing to sketch.  The sketch was minimal.  His focus was on her form, as if he was trying to commit her body to memory instead of paper.

Kagome rolled her eyes and rolled over, causing the sheet to come off.

With a sigh, Inuyasha dropped his pencil and stared helplessly at his easel.  “You did that on purpose.”

Kagome opened her mouth to reply and the doorbell rang. 

With a worried glance, the artist left his model and easel to answer the door.  His model hastily pulled on a bathrobe and followed him.

“Hello…”  The woman at the door said, regarding the artist with a small smile.  “Inu… yasha?”

The look on Inuyasha’s face was a mixture of fear and hope.  “Kikyou?  You’re… dead!”  Unconsciously he took a step away from her.  “You can’t be… I saw you… your funeral…”

Kikyou entered the apartment, throwing her arms around him.  “They staged my death… I dishonored your family and they…”

Helplessly, his arms went around her.  “Kikyou…”

“I’m called Kaede now.  They gave me money and sent me away with a new identity… I couldn’t stay away from you.”  Her hands wound themselves in his hair as her lips touched his. 

Inuyasha gave a sort of gasp. 

Standing in the doorway, Kagome watched the whole scene.  Her body slumped a bit, using the wall for support. 

Finally Inuyasha stepped away and glanced helplessly back at Kagome.  “Kikyou… this is… Kagome.”

Kikyou stared at the other girl, taking in the scantily dressed form.  “I didn’t know you… had a roommate.”

Inuyasha blinked at the threshold, noticing the bags.  “Do you… need a place to stay?”

“Yes… I do, Inu.”  Kikyou hugged him again.  “It’s so good to see you again.”

Inuyasha led her into the apartment, setting her bags down in the living room.  “Tell me what happened.  I went to your funeral.  It was an open casket.  How did they… fake THAT?”

“Your family is very rich and influential, you know that, right?  After they found out about me and… well… they had to get rid of me.  I was sent away and they used their technologies to create a something to put in the casket.  I’m so sorry.”

“You’re sorry?”  Inuyasha sat her down on the couch beside him.  “I can’t believe they did that to you.”

“I wanted to come find you sooner.  You were the only man that ever cared for me.  I want to set you free.”

“Free?”  The young man blinked for a moment, oblivious to the other girl that watched him intently.

“You don’t need to live by their rules.  You are your own, Inuyasha.”  Kikyou breathed, touching his cheek. 

Kagome backed away and went to their bedroom… hers and Inuyasha’s.  Her gaze fell on the portrait he had been working on before Kikyou came back into his life.  With a sniffle she shut the door and turned off the light before climbing into bed.

^.~

Kagome woke late in the night still alone in bed.  For a moment she wondered if the other two had stayed up talking.  No sounds came from the other side of the door.  Maybe they fell asleep together.  Carefully she slipped out of bed and her feet touched something warm and soft instead of floor. 

“Ouch!”  Grumbled a voice in the darkness.

Kagome knelt on the floor beside the body she nearly stepped on.  “Inuyasha?”

“Don’t step on me.”  Inuyasha’s voice whispered.

“What are you doing on the floor?”

“You were asleep.  I didn’t want to wake you.” 

“Well… come to bed.”  Kagome took his hand and pulled him up onto the bed. 

“Kikyou is on the couch.”

“Did you have a good talk with her?”  The girl tried to keep the pain from her voice but it leaked through.

“Yes.  I… It’s my fault.  I was thinking… I need to help her.  She deserves so much more.”

Kagome was silent, feeling Inuyasha settle in beside her.  “Do what you must… I know… she’s important to you.” 

A strange sort of sigh escaped from the boy as he curled up in a ball.  “Thank you.”

Kagome stared at the plate before her.  “What’s this?”

“It’s breakfast.  This is Inuyasha’s favorite.  I thought you would know that.”  Kikyou answered, sitting down before her own plate. 

Inuyasha chewed thoughtfully, smiling across the table to Kikyou.  “It’s good.”

“You’re just saying that…”  Kikyou blushed demurely. 

Kagome tasted the other girl’s cooking.  Kikyou wasn’t half bad in the kitchen.  Kikyou wasn’t half bad at anything she attempted, making Kagome feel worse with each passing day.  Inuyasha spent his time complimenting her.  The only real time he spent with Kagome was at bedtime when he stumbled in late at night.  The rest of the time was spent at Kikyou’s side, trying to help her regain a life that had been stolen away.  On more than one occasion Kagome had walked in on a conversation with Kikyou pleading Inuyasha to “escape” with her.  It was unnerving to be spoken of as the “other woman” and sometimes she wondered if Inuyasha would stay with her as he had often voiced before Kikyou had shown up.

“You’re very quiet.”  Kikyou stated, staring at Kagome.  “Planning something?”

“No… I just have a test…”  Kagome answered, taking another bite of her breakfast.

“I was thinking… I should get something better to sleep on.  The couch is hurting my neck.”  Kikyou looked to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha nodded with a wave of his hand.  “Sure.” 

Kagome frowned and stood.  “Excuse me… I need to go get ready for school.” 

“Wait up… I’ll walk you to class.”  Inuyasha volunteered, standing and following her to the bedroom. 

^.~

“May I ask… how long will she…” 

“How long will she what?”  Inuyasha asked, giving Kagome a side-glance.

“I mean… It’s none of my business… your relationship with her… But…”

Inuyasha stared ahead at the sidewalk.  “She was my first real friend, Kagome.”

“I know that.”

“She lost everything because my family… I OWE her.”

“You told me once that you… wanted me.”

Inuyasha stopped walking and caught her hand, spinning her around.  “Is that what this is about?”

Kagome looked away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

“She needs me right now.  You and I… we have…”

“What do we have that you and Kikyou don’t already have?”

Inuyasha looked away, unsure how to answer.  For a moment he blinked.  Finally his eyes caught hers.  “My oath.” 

“We haven’t done that yet.”  Kagome answered, turning away.

“You’re the only one I’ve ever felt comfortable sharing a bed with.”

“Inuyasha…”  Kagome turned back to him, searching his eyes with her own.  “I’ll… wait for you.  I love you that much… that I’ll wait.”

Gingerly he reached out to touch her face.  “I’m glad.”  His lips touched hers for a moment before he pulled away and continued to class.

“I know you think he’ll settle down and marry you… but he won’t.”

Kagome put down her things in the living room and stared at Kikyou.  “What?”

“Inuyasha belongs to me.  We grew up together.  I know what he needs.  You don’t.” 

Kagome gave the other girl an odd look.  “But…”

“His family destroyed my life.  I can never forgive any of them for that.  I’ll make sure Inuyasha pays for it all.”

Covering her mouth, Kagome gasped.  “You CAN’T.  Inuyasha was hurt very badly when he thought you were dead.  You can’t BLAME him or take your anger out on him.”

“Can’t I?”

“He… loves you.”  Kagome breathed.

“All the more reason for me to take him.”

“What will you do with him?”

“Destroy him.  He LET me get taken by that… bastard.  He didn’t care.  If he did… he would have made some protest.”

“He thought that’s what YOU wanted.”

“It’s no excuse.”  Kikyou turned away.  “He was my… intended.  And he let me go to that party.  He didn’t care that I would be with other men.  If he truly loved me… you would think he would make some protest.  But he didn’t.  I was forced on him and he was probably relieved when I was taken away.”

“How can you say that?”  Kagome demanded.  “He still has nightmares about it.  He wakes up crying and on more than one occasion I’ve seen him cry over his old sketches of you.”

Kikyou stared at Kagome for a long moment.  “Have you ever thought… about how much we look alike?”

Kagome blushed and looked away.  “Not really, no.”

“I’m sure he must have been aware of it.”

“He did call me by your name when we first met.”

Kikyou smiled.  “So… he DID choose you because you looked like me.”

A frown crossed Kagome’s face.  “Once he got to know me…”

“But you got his attention… because you look like me.  Doesn’t that bother you?”

Kagome crouched by her book bag, going through the contents.  “No.”

“Do you honestly believe you can live up to my influence on him, his oldest and dearest friend, when I’m still alive to compete against?”

The book bag was pulled back up onto Kagome’s back as she made a beeline for the bedroom.

^.~

“Where’s Kagome?”  Inuyasha asked, looking around the living room.

“She went to go study elsewhere.  It’s just you and me tonight.”  Kikyou smiled.

Blinking a few times, Inuyasha slowly nodded.  It wasn’t like Kagome to abandon him… but if Kikyou said so… “Did you make dinner?  Or is it my turn?”

“I made dinner.” 

Inuyasha smiled and put his things down.

Catching him on his way out of the room, Kikyou wrapped his arms around him from behind.  “Inu… there is one thing I always regretted…”

“What was that?”  Inuyasha breathed, glancing back at her.  A hand slipped down his front and he stared at it, a bit in shock. 

Kikyou smiled against his back, gently rubbing at a place between his legs.  For a long moment they stood, until her hand slipped down under the waistband of his jeans to touch flesh.

With a small grunt, Inuyasha pulled her hand away.  “I am hungry.”  His hand clutched hers, careful not to release and allow her to wander. 

“Inuyasha… You and I… we were to be married.”  Kikyou pouted, trying to pull back her hand.

“I know that.”

“What’s wrong with… doing it now?”  Kikyou blinked up at him.  “We’re both grown.  Your roommate isn’t here.”

Inuyasha shook his head.  “You don’t understand, Kikyou.  I didn’t understand… not until I met...”

“But I love you.”  Kikyou whispered urgently, staring deep into his eyes.

“I’ve always loved you.”  His voice seemed rather weak compared to her words.

Kikyou frowned and pulled away.  “You’ve replaced me, haven’t you?  She’s not your roommate, she’s your live in lover, isn’t she?” 

The boy was silent, unwilling to agree or disagree.  To disagree was to lie… to agree was to hurt her.

Looking nervously around the room, Kikyou finally focused on him.  “Tell me how you feel about me.”

“I love you.  You’re my oldest friend.  I’ll always take care of you.”  Inuyasha replied on no uncertain terms.

Kikyou smiled and pulled his face to hers, kissing his lips. 

Inuyasha blinked a bit, still unused to her display of affection… it was so unlike when they were younger.  A small sob filled the room and his eyes scanned the area until he saw Kagome standing in the doorway.  Hastily he pulled away from the kiss.  “Kagome?”

Kagome wiped at her tears and ran out of the apartment. 

Part 5
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