Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

Chapter 3

To say that this was awkward would be an understatement. It wasn't that Kagome wasn't happy to see her friend, no, she was ecstatic! After the little episode with Inuyasha and their brief moment in the bathroom, things had calmed but Kagome had not. Her ex was left brooding in the seats across the isle from them although Kikyou had switched places with him and she wanted to continue their conversation but had no idea how or where to start. Tatsuo's words to her in the bathroom made it difficult for her to think straight as she attempted to conjure up an idea of what his words meant. \

In a way, she didn't feel like she deserved them. If anything, those words directly applied to how she felt about him.

'There's no way he could possibly feel that for me. I'm not that special...'

Tatsuo had always been someone that she secretly admired. She longed for the strength he possessed, especially once she learned of what took place behind the closed doors of his home.

Kagome shuddered as she thought briefly of the pain Tatsuo and his mother experienced at the hands of his monster of a father.

When her troubles with Inuyasha and Kikyou began she felt alone, despite Sango and Miroku's protective presence. Often, she wondered just how she would fare from their abuse if Tatsuo would have stuck around. Would he have run them away? Or would the abuse have gotten worse? Could she have been stronger with Tatsuo by her side? Or would she push away like she did everyone else?

Kagome sighed, 'Great, barely 5 minutes into this flight and I've already managed a headache…'

"Hey, are you in there?"

She twisted her head to the side in time to watch as Tatsuo tapped a single finger on her forehead. "Um..s-sorry?"

He chuckled, "I said are you in there? I asked you a question but you spaced out on me." He watched as Kagome gasped in embarrassment, a fleeting though of how cute she was when flustered crossing his mind.

"I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to tune you out, I was just…thinking….of something and my imagination ran wild so to speak. What did you ask me?"

Tatsuo shrugged. "It's ok, I just asked how you were doing. If anything has changed since I've been away," He smirked as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "Besides your figure of course."

Kagome, face thoroughly red from embarrassment, swatted Tatsuo on the shoulder. "Tatsuo! Miroku has obviously rubbed off on you way too much."

He chuckled. "I'm kidding, not that you aren't beautiful of course, but I was just trying to get your attention."

It became so very hard for Kagome to concentrate as she became more aware of the lack of space between her and Tatsuo. He really had grown up in the time he was gone. He was no longer that skinny little boy who she use to follow around faithfully, but a man. A man built with broad shoulders, toned arms that she could probably swing from, and a chiseled face rid of any adolescent baby fat.

'Definitely a man…'

"Sorry," Kagome replied sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it. Honestly I'm just happy to see you. You were one of my closest friends."

Growing up, Kagome and Tatsuo were extremely close. There was never a moment where one was seen without the other. Because they both had come from humble backgrounds and were often teased about their appearance and their circumstances, they had formed a kinship and promised to protect each other in times of need.

Kagome smiled. "Thank you Tatsuo, you were a close friend of mine too."

He opened his mouth slightly as if he wished to talk but shook his head before closing it.

"What? What is it?"

Tatsuo sighed. "Kagome, what happened with you and Inuyasha?" She stiffened. "When I left you two were all lovey-dovey and the idiot couldn't keep his hands off of you. Now I come back and you two aren't together, he's with that witch, and they're both treating you like crap. What's going on and why hasn't Sango killed him?"

"It's a long story…."

…..3 Years Ago….

"Kagome! No, wait! Please!"

Celebrating a birthday was usually a joyous occasion. Being surrounded by your friends, family, and loved ones who all gathered in your honor, to bask in another year surviving on this Earth.

For Kagome, it was exactly how she pictured spending this day, although it wasn't hers to celebrate. Her boyfriend Inuyasha was turning 25 this year and wanted to do so with a bang. Deciding to throw a party in the comfort of his own home, or castle as Kagome's younger brother Souta dubbed it, he went all out complete with a tented dancefloor in the backyard, open bars both in and outside of the house, a DJ booth by the pool, and various acrobatic performers scattered throughout the property. If Kagome hadn't spent every other night in his home, she may have very well believed that this was a club.

But none of the glitz and glam were what mattered to Kagome, just the fact that she got to spend another love-filled year with the man of her heart. Unfortunately, so caught up in his party planning Inuyasha's presence in her life had become scarce as of late. Their phone calls became small shorter and less frequent, their dates practically nonexistent, and she couldn't remember the last time they had kissed.

Kagome chose to ignore these things though, no matter how hard her best friend Sango pleaded with her to not ignore the "red flags" in her relationship. In her mind, Inuyasha would never think about hurting her. He had said so himself, his exact words had been:

"You're my life Kagome. I need you and nothing will ever change that."

In that moment, she had believed him and swore to herself that she would spend the rest of her life proving her love to this man in hope of getting it back in return. But today, her dreams were horribly dashed as Sango's fears came to fruition.

"Stop!"

Pushing through the crowd of people surrounding the side of the pool, Kagome nearly stumbled to the ground as she tripped over her own heels. Her eyesight was blurred from the onslaught of tears and she could hardly breathe from crying so hard. But the sound of his voice was too much for her bear and encouraged her to flee in order to escape the pain.

'I can't believe this…Inuyasha…..'

It seemed like a smart idea at the time. Sneak into her boyfriend's bedroom in order to have a little quality time alone before she was forced to share him with hundreds. Tip toeing to his door, she expected him to be surprised and welcome her with open arms after spending so much time apart. What she didn't expect was for another woman to beat her to the punch.

Kagome stood frozen the desolation within her growing as she watched the love of her life embrace and kiss another woman that wasn't her. Her stomach churned with growing disgust as she watched said woman thrust her hands down the front of his pants. She nearly vomited when he moaned at the action, pulling the woman closer.

Neither of them noticed her presence until she dropped his present on the floor, a custom made Rolex inscribed with his initials, a very pricey gift but one Kagome had no regrets purchasing. Now she only wished she had thrown it at his face. Upon seeing her, Inuyasha immediately pushed the woman away and gave chase.

Kagome slammed the door shut, and ran down the hall. She wanted no part of him to touch her. At this point she wasn't sure if she could stomach the sight of him. Which was what led them to this point. Her running away in an attempt to find her best friend to take her home and away from the nightmare that was her love life.

Just as the crowd had thinned long enough for her to spot Sango at the bar chatting away with a dark-haired stranger Kagome felt a hand rap around her elbow and pull her back into a hard and shirtless chest.

"Stop running and talk to me!"

Kagome jerked and pulled and punched until Inuyasha let her go. She spun around to face him and was filled with an anger so hot she could barely think. "Why in the world would I want to talk to you after what I just saw?! Why, so you could try to explain yourself? Explain how you were CHEATING on me with another woman?! Tell me Inuyasha, how you could possibly explain it to me when I saw it with my own eyes!"

Guests had moved away from the shouting woman too afraid to be caught in the crossfire. The DJ had turned off the music and now all attention was fixated on the steadily crumbling girl and the guy who was about to lose everything.

Inuyasha reached out towards only to reel back as Kagome slapped his hand away. "Kagome, please. What you saw….just let me explain! Kikyou she-"

"She what Inuyasha? Put a gun to your head? Oh wait, it would have been impossible for her to do so since both of her hands were stuffed down your pants!" She retorted heatedly.

Despite the fairly tensed atmosphere, quite a few people chuckled at the man's expense.

Flushed red in embarrassment, Inuyasha could only stutter. In his mind, it all made sense why he had begun seeing Kikyou behind Kagome's back. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with his girlfriend. In fact, she was perfect. She could cook, clean, had the singing voice of an angel, got along with his friends and his family, and was passionate about their relationship.

But, all of those qualities didn't stop his mind or his body from drifting. Inuyasha wanted to have sex. He wanted to have sex with Kagome but she wanted to wait for marriage. In the beginning he had been to focus on getting Kagome that he didn't give too much thought about the physical state of their relationship, assuming that once she became more comfortable things would progress.

It wasn't until they were 5 months in did she drop the bombshell during a late night out together.

'I'm sorry…but I I'm not ready. I mean I want to, but I want to wait until marriage. You understand right?'

Inuyasha rolled away from Kagome, opting to stare at the star-studded sky from the bed of his truck as his mind raced. He wanted nothing more to continue what they were doing but her words presented a new problem for him.

'What? No sex?'

'Inuyasha?'

He turned his head only to completely melt on the inside. She was so beautiful when they had been intimate. Her hair slightly toussed, lips rep and swollen from kissing, and cheeks flushed as she tried to capture her breath. There was no way that he could say what he was really thinking. That he wasn't sure if this was something he could accept.

'I understand'

He didn't understand. But here he was now. Standing in the midst of hundreds of people at his home watching the woman he claimed to love fall apart before his eyes. He never thought he would become this person. That he was capable of causing such pain especially to someone he felt so strongly for.

Tears pricked the back of his eyes as he watched Kagome choke out another sob, looking hauntingly beautiful in the all-white dress she picked just for him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to get like this. Kagome, I love you with all of me-"

"Don't."

"-I never wanted to hurt y-"

"Stop."

"-but I just couldn't do it anymore-"

"Do what?!"

"Be with you without having sex!"

The crowd became hushed as the weight of Inuyasha's words settled within Kagome's mind.

"I'm sorry! I tried! But it just became too much. You always wanted to kiss, and cuddle, and do everything else but when it came down to it you always pulled away! For Christ sake Kagome we're adults who have needs not horny teenagers afraid of getting caught!"

"So….so…y-you cheated on me because I wouldn't have sex with you?" Kagome whispered.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Kagome-"

"So I'm being punished for making a personal choice in regards to my body?"

"No that's not wha-"

"Don't lie to me! I can't believe you! Even after I shared my fears with you! You told me-" Kagome stopped.

'Wait…'

Looking around her all she could see were a mix of faces highlighted by the pulsing strobe lights of the DJ booth, all of them torn between amusement, pity, and curiosity as they witnessed her messy breakup. At once, it hit Kagome just how pathetic she looked. Here she was, at her boyfriend's – Ex-boyfriend's – birthday party, screaming at him as they stood poolside. Her in a white dress and him barefoot and shirtless as the partygoers all stood around in shocked silence.

This was officially the worst day of her life.

"You know what? You're not worth it," Kagome whispered. Behind her, she felt a comforting hand lay upon on her shoulder. However, she was too numbed from the confession to pay attention.

"Come on Kagome," someone whispered in her. It didn't take her long to recognize the voice as that of her best friend's. She immediately sagged in relief and leaned on her for support. But before Sango could pull her away, Kagome turned back to Inuyasha who at this point had averted his gaze from hers and was noticeably tense as he waited for this moment to end.

"I love you Inuyasha," His head snapped up to meet hers, the tear running down his face doing nothing to simmer the anger inside. "I always will. But I never thought you would hurt me like this. All I ever did was try to love you and this is how you repay me. Punishing me because I wouldn't give you my body. You're disgusting and I hope Kikyou makes you as miserable as I know she will."

With that being said, Kagome allowed Sango to steer her away.

"Let's go home."

While her words mirrored the truth mirrored the truth of her feelings they did nothing to soothe the turmoil in her heart. She wholeheartedly meant it when she said that she would love him and always will. But that love wasn't enough, not this time.

…..End ….

Tatsuo was appalled. How could any self-respecting man treat the woman they claim to love like that? So what if Kagome chose not to have sex, that was her decision and Inuyasha should have respected it. He knew that when he left Kagome in his care nothing good would come of it. 3 years later and here they were. While it pissed him off to no end that his friend was hurt in such a way he was happy that it ended. Now she could find a man who would treat her like the queen he believe her to be even if the thought of her finding another made him sick to his stomach.

'If only I had stayed…none of this would have happened….'

She laughed, though it wasn't humorous. "There was one thing Kikyou was willing to give up that I wasn't and Inuyasha didn't believe I was worth the wait. Regarding why they treat me the way they do, I honestly have no idea. I do my best to avoid them at all costs but as you can see, trouble follows me everywhere I go."

"That's no fuc-fudging excuse to talk down to you like they do!"

"Wait…fudging?"

Tatsuo grumbled. "Sorry, I'm trying to cut down on my cussing. Miroku suggested I get a jar but I don't think I have enough money for that."

Kagome giggled, this time the sound of it sincere. "Yeah, I don't think you could. Didn't your mom always say that you had the mouth of a sailor and should be shipped out to sea?"

"Yeah," Tatsuo laughed. "Said I got it from my grandfather, apparently he had a mouth worse than mine before he became deaf."

"Is that even possible?"

"Watch it." He leaned over and poked her in the side, noting just how easy it was for them to come back together despite the time they spent apart.

"You know what my favorite memory of us was? That time those random group of kids stole my lunch and because my mom was busy with work your mom came and hand delivered me her famous homemade oden." Kagome sighed and mockingly rubbed her stomach. "It's where my love affair with oden began"

Tatsuo chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah I remember. I remember being so jealous that I kept begging you to trade your lunch with me."

A snort-like laugh was his response. "For a raggedy tuna fish sandwich? No one in their right mind would have made that trade!"

The conversation came to a comfortable silence as the two relished in the memories of their shared childhood. The two had many adventures together; some good, some bad, and some just downright ridiculous. His mom, Nozomi, always joked about how the two were the Japanese Bonnie and Clyde minus the crime spree even though she often claimed they weren't too far off from it.

"Speaking of Nozomi…..how is she? Is she ok? After, you know….everything?"

Tatsuo sighed heavily. "She's steadily getting better. I call her at least once every day so she can hear my voice. Not having me by her side has taken a toll on her even though she was the one who wanted me to go."

Kagome smiled encouragingly while she cried internally for Tatsuo and his broken family. She remembered just how bright and beautiful his mother had been. Her smiles, comforting, and peaceful disposition that only a mother could possess were among the qualities that made her such a delightful woman. But to hear that the very same women with such a strong spirit was nearly dead inside due to the actions of someone she trusted above all did something to her. It made her wonder about the lengths she was willing to go through for love, if she could ever allow a man the power to affect her so.

It made her think of how close Inuyasha came to causing the same distress within her life. Would she have become as solemn and withdrawn as Tatsuo's mother? Would she become bitter and hateful, distrustful of any man that would get close in fear that they might cause her heartache? While she would hope that she would be strong enough to pull through, the longer she allowed Kikyou and Inuyasha to torment her the more she believed that her future would follow that path.

"I'm sorry. This must be hard for you too."

Tatsuo nodded. "Yeah, I'm just trying to be optimistic. I'm all she has."

Patting his shoulder, Kagome offered him a comforting smile. "She's lucky to have a son like you."

'Thanks, I'm just lucky to still have her in my life." For a brief moment, the atmosphere became solemn as Kagome allowed his words to resonate in her mind. Here was a man with a heart as good as gold whose mother had gone through hell and back with a man that Tatsuo had once admired. He had to witness as she was broken down to nearly nothing and struggling to pick the pieces back up again. Through the pain and suffering, Tatsuo was still able to find joy in his mother and his mother in him.

His situation humbled her. If he could go through such terror and still find happiness what was stopping her from doing the same with her problems?

"Hey, you're spacing out on me again," Tatsuo chuckled as he once again tapped her on the forehead. When she blushed in embarrassment, his chest tightened as a feeling of warmth quickly spread though him.

"Stop it!" She slapped a hand on her forehead. "You're always teasing me."

"That's because you're so cute when you're embarrassed." Tatsuo smirked as Kagome's eyes widened and she struggled to retort. It amused him to know end just how easily he could ruffle her feathers when he attempted to flirt with her. Honestly, he wanted to do a lot more than verbally tease her. He wanted to do so much more but figured he would have to take things slow with her if he wanted to crawl out of the dreaded friend zone.

Not only that, he just didn't feel right coming on too strong when it was obvious that she still had underlying issues with Inuyasha. He wanted to be with her but not at the expense of their friendship.

He hoped that this vacation would do them both good and work to bring them closer past the boundaries of friendship. What he didn't realize was that the petite girl next to him was silently hoping for the same, that maybe she could find in him what she couldn't with any other.

As said girl moved to stare out of the window of the plane the vibrant pinks and blues of the sky mesmerizing her in nearly the same way as Tatsuo had, her hopes for the next week increased tenfold.

'Can I do this? Especially with Tatsuo? Even though he just came back it feels like he's always been here...Maybe I could….'

Kagome was brought out of her musings when a large, muscular arm wrapped around her middle. She could practically see the butterflies in her stomach as they fluttered uncontrollably. His body heat was such a welcoming feeling that she desperately missed it when he pulled away. She had to catch herself from leaning towards him as he moved back to fully sit in his seat.

"Safety first," Tatsuo spoke, his breath tickling her ear. She nodded dumbly, unable to do anything else as she was sent reeling from her body's response to Tatsuo's proximity.

This is gonna be a long place ride…

A/N: Feels good to be back…..again