The Things You Said

"I'm sorry."

"Would you quit apologizin' already?"

"... sorry."

An irritated sigh. "Just forget about it, Kagome."

Her fingers were interlacing and then separating in a repetitive fidget. Her posture was all contrite awkwardness.

"It's just," she said, eyes cast down, "I really didn't mean it."

Inuyasha heaved another sigh. He didn't turn his head, his gaze seemingly fixed on the path to the village, but he watched her from the corner of his eye. "I've heard."

"I was grumpy about my exam results and—"

"I know."

"—I haven't been sleeping much lately because of that stupid test—trying to cram for it and all—"

"I know."

"—and you came to get me right after I found out I wouldn't be allowed to take a makeup test, and my grades have already gotten so low, and—"

He made a growling sound of impatience in his throat. "Fuck, I get it. Would you drop it?"

"—I just didn't realize how stressed out I was until I let it get the better of me, and I know none of this excuses the things I said, but I just want you to know it wasn't about you at all, it was my own stupid issues getting to me, and I'm really really really sorry, okay?"

There was a pause, in which she seemed to be catching her breath. Inuyasha kept looking ahead.

When he continued to say nothing, she ventured meekly, "Um, so...?"

He snorted. "Like I said, forget it already. Your yapping is way more annoying than the shit you're apologizing for."

She frowned, her hands still at their anxious fidget. "I... I really don't think you're a nuisance."

"Uh huh."

"And you have to know I didn't mean it when I said I wished I'd never fallen down the well."

His left ear flicked once.

"You know I'm glad that I met you... right?"

He snorted again.

"... because I am. Really glad. You know that... right Inuyasha?"

"All I know is that I'm hella tired of hearing about this."

There was a pause. Then the tiniest noise—like a strangled sigh—sounded from her throat, so small he would have missed it were he human. But he wasn't.

And he descended on it like a hawk on a wounded mouse.

"What was that, Ka-go-me?" He let his lip curl up in a sneer. "Didn't hear ya."

Her hands dropped to her sides, fingers stiff now, and she turned her face away. "Nothing."

"Hn," he said. "Interesting. 'Cuz it sounded like someone being a hypocrite. Must'a imagined it."

Her head whipped back around as her jaw dropped open. "What?!"

"Yeah, you're so sorry – until I'm not groveling at your feet like an apology from you is a gift from the gods. Then it's back to being my fault, huh?"

"I—you—how could—" She couldn't seem to find words appropriate enough to express her outrage. Her brows lowered over stormy grey eyes that blazed at him. "That's not it at all, you jerk!"

"Oh yeah? So you don't care more about making yourself feel better with these bullshit apologies? Sure seems like it to me."

She actually stopped walking, staring at him open-mouthed for a moment before that sound in her throat was back, only much louder and far more aggravated. "I can't believe you!"

"Right back at'cha, bitch."

Her eyes narrowed, gleaming like steel. "Just what is your problem?"

"Your bullshit apologies are my problem."

She made a pathetic human version of a growl. "I've been trying and trying to talk to you about this, and you keep snarling and blowing me off and pretending you aren't bothered when you obviously are! And now you're accusing me of insincerity?! That's rich, Inuyasha, even for you!"

He'd stopped walking when she had. Now, one eyebrow arching, he very deliberately stepped into her space. "Let's get one thing straight," he growled, squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin. "I ain't bothered. I don't give a shit about what you said, or what you think. And I especially don't give a rat's ass what you think about me. Got that?"

If she was intimidated by his height or aggressive stance—he was over a head taller than her, and standing so close that she was entirely in his shadow—she didn't show it. She simply rose up onto her tip toes and, never breaking eye contact, poked an index finger into his chest. "You're a lot of things, Inuyasha, but a good liar isn't one of them." He sputtered for a moment, swatting her finger away from his chest, but she ignored him and continued, "I know what I said bothered you. It would have bothered me too! It was mean, and uncalled for, and I'm sorry! And," she said loudly, cutting him off as he opened his mouth to say something scathing, "if you really want to know what I think of you, I'll tell you!"

He had inhaled sharply, gathering the air to tell her exactly where she could shove her "I knows"—but at her words, he stilled. He felt a quick and unwelcome stab of alarm.

He'd be better off never knowing what she really thought of him. The half-breed. The nuisance.

And yet he couldn't make himself bite out the "hell no" that was just on the tip of his tongue. As much as he didn't want to know—the things she'd said in the heat of anger like barbs digging into his brain—he also needed to know.

Slowly releasing the breath he'd been holding, he considered her. Though the scowl never left his face, it lost much of its hostility as he stared, expression morphing from a snarl to a clear, questioning 'Well?'

Her grey eyes were intent on his when she took a deep breath and said, "I think you are the most stubborn, hot-tempered, rude, defensive, impulsive person I've ever met, and half the time you drive me completely crazy!"

His alarm was quickly souring into chagrin, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. Forcing a "Keh!" past his lips, he closed his eyes and started turning his head away. A gentle but firm tug on his hair had his eyes popping back open, gaze returning to hers.

She surprised the hell out of him when she smiled, wide and radiant. "But you're also the most reliable person I've ever met—I know without question that I can always count on you. Once you set your mind to do something, it'll definitely get done, heaven help whatever's in the way." The hand tugging on his hair gentled, fingertips beginning to stroke through silver strands instead of pulling on them. A soft caress.

"And you're the bravest person I've ever met," she said, "sometimes so brave it frightens me. There's no challenge you won't take on. I admire you for that, but I also worry for you."

The hand stroking his hair moved, palm smoothing over and then resting flat against the center of his chest. He was more stunned by that simple touch than by any demon attack. His heart rate kicked up, and he absently wondered if she could feel it.

The faintest pink tinted her cheeks when she continued, "And as much as you try to pretend otherwise, you're one of the kindest people I've ever met. You risk your life for others all the time. You help people even when it would be so much easier not to." Her smile turned vaguely sad. "And you're honorable. You try to do what's right even when it's hard."

Her other hand rose to join the first, resting against his chest in a barely-there pressure. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Truth is, you drive me crazy in a lot of ways, but..." the blush in her cheeks brightened, "mostly in the good way."

His heart damn near stopped, then gave a series of hard thumps. He swallowed convulsively.

He could tell by both her steadily-deepening blush and the way she kept nervously wetting her lips that she was embarrassed; but she never stopped looking away from him, gaze serious and steady.

"I really am sorry, Inuyasha. Will you accept my apology?"

Faced with her raw sincerity, it was impossible to find words to respond. He struggled for a moment, tongue feeling heavy in his mouth. Then he sighed and slightly turned his head—anything to give him a reprieve from those eyes—one clawed finger rising to scratch nervously at his temple.

"Erm," he mumbled. "Yeah. Uh. Sure. I guess." A pause, followed by a cleared throat. He peeked at her from the corner of his eye. "If... if that's what you really think then... why'd you say that stuff back there?"

She surprised him again when she glanced away, her fingers beginning to fiddle with the cloth of his suikan.

Now she really looked embarrassed. That got his full attention.

"Kagome?" he prompted after a long stretch of silence.

"Oh, well," she stammered, eyes flitting between his face and his chest, clearly no longer able to maintain her previous eye contact. "It's like I said before. I was really stressed and I just... took it out on you. That, and... I had sort of hoped..."

She fell silent. Her hesitance seemed telling, but he wasn't sure of what.

Damn him if he didn't want to find out.

Before he could think better of it, he gripped her hands—still resting against his chest—with both of his, and dropped his head so that his eyes were more level with hers. "You hoped...?"

Her eyes darted to his, then down to where his hands held hers, then slowly drifted back up.

"I, um..." Her whole face was reddening, but at least she could look at him again. "When you came to my time, I had hoped that... you were there to see me. You know, just because. So when you said you'd come to bring me back for shard hunting, I..."

She didn't finish, but she didn't need to. The cogs had started turning and he could figure out the rest.

She'd gotten so mad because she was disappointed. She'd missed him.

She'd wanted to see him.

Him. The half-breed.

He didn't realize he was grinning until her lips formed a pouting moue and she grumbled, "Jeez, Inuyasha, it's not that big of a deal."

His grin widened until a fang poked out over his lip. "You know," he said, stepping in even closer, "you keep getting redder and you might burst into flame."

"Inuyasha!"

She tried to pull her hands away, but he held on. Tugged her a little closer, until her forearms rested against his chest too.

"So you missed me, huh?"

Her pout was part glower by now. She pressed her lips together tight, refusing to speak.

He snickered. "Too late to take it back now."

"Watch me, dog-boy."

Slowly, gauging her reaction, he dropped his head until his forehead pressed against hers. Her hair, soft and sweet-smelling, floated against one of his cheeks. He heard her heart beating rapidly. Her fingers clutched his suikan, and her hands, held so tightly in his, were warm.

He closed his eyes. Savored.

"Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"... you drive me crazy, too."

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A/N: Look, I just wanted to write Inuyasha and Kagome fighting and then making up, okay? It's my favorite.

I've been rereading parts of the manga lately, and it struck me that Inuyasha is actually very sensitive to whatever Kagome says. Like, as much as he tries to act gruff and tough, a single word from her can take him down when a horde of demons couldn't. (See chapters 164 and 310 for the best examples of this.) That's basically what inspired this sappy mess. Hope you guys enjoy!