9 - Confrontation - Tuesday

Several days had passed, and just like Miroku had feared, Kagome hadn't taken his calls. He did his best to control the urge to call repeatedly, restricting himself to two per day, but it was making him insane. He wanted to explain himself, to apologize for hurting her feelings, for making her think he didn't want her when he did.

What was worse, she wasn't answering Inuyasha's calls either, so neither male had any idea how she was. They didn't know if she was simply busy, though it wasn't likely, or if she had decided to separate herself from them both. Miroku was incredibly depressed, while Inuyasha was just plain pissed off. She had been his friend for years, and he refused to be dismissed simply because he hooked her up with a friend, and things didn't work out.

After three days, Inuyasha was done playing around. He wanted to talk to her, and he wasn't taking no for an answer. After checking to make sure her car was in the parking lot, he pounded on her front door. Kagura answered and glared at him.

"Where's the wench?"

"She's not here."

"Don't fucking lie to me. I know she's here. I saw her car, and I can smell her. You'd better let me in. We both know you don't want the apartment destroyed while you try to keep me out."

Kagura sighed but nodded. "She doesn't want to see you. Enter at your own risk."

"Just get the fuck out of my way, bitch," the hanyou growled. Kagura stepped to the side, and he barged in, heading straight for Kagome's bedroom. He knocked and waited only a moment before opening the door, startling the girl lying on the bed. "What the fuck is your problem, Kagome? You're not allowed to ignore me!"

She merely rolled her eyes before turning her head to stare out the window. When he stomped over to stand in front of her, she sighed. "What do you want, Inuyasha? I'm not in the mood."

"You're not in the mood? Well, you should have thought about that when you decided to ignore my calls. You know, I thought I was doing a good thing, introducing you two, but I wish I hadn't. Now Miroku is a mess, and you're acting like a spoiled brat."

"Inuyasha," Kagome growled through her clenched jaw. "You have no idea what you're talking about, so I suggest you butt out!"

"Oh, come fucking on. You're really gonna act like this because he didn't fuck you? Did you even listen to why he said no?"

"I heard him. It was crap."

Inuyasha sighed and ran his fingers through his bangs in frustration. "No, it wasn't. Kagome, he really wants this to work between you two. He's always jumped into bed the first chance he got, and he's never had a relationship last more than a few weeks. He thought that maybe, if he did things differently, it would turn out better. He just didn't want to ruin things by having sex too fast."

"I thought I told you to stay out of our relationship."

"I tried, damn it. You didn't leave me any other choice. Now, you need to quit pouting and call him. You're fucking up a good thing because you were a little embarrassed."

"A little?" Kagome yelled. "No, I was humiliated! I threw myself at him, and he rejected me! The guy that was pawing at me all fucking night rejected me! Why would he do that if he didn't want me?"

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, trying to calm his anger. He sat down beside her on the bed and looked into her eyes. "He did want you, still does. He was just trying to make sure your relationship lasted longer than a few weeks. He really sucks at the long term. Never made it past a month with any girl, and he thought that maybe having sex too early was the problem. He regretted his choice the second he told you no. He didn't mean to hurt you."

"It doesn't matter. I can never face him again."

"Yes you can, and you will. You're going to call him right now!" Before she even knew what was happening, Inuyasha snatched her phone from the bedside table and dialed Miroku. He switched it to speakerphone and waited, ignoring  Kagome as she tried to set him on fire with only a glare.

"Kagome?" Miroku answered, the happiness and hope in his voice making Kagome's stomach twist up in knots. "Kagome, are you there?" He waited for a long moment before sighing. "Of course you're not there. You probably butt-dialed me. That's the only way you'd ever call me again."

Kagome continued to glare at Inuyasha as he held the phone out to her, refusing to take it. She already said she didn't want to talk to Miroku, and he wasn't going to force her into it.

He knew she couldn't hear him, but he felt compelled to continue anyway. He needed to get his feelings out, and this was the closest he was going to get to talking to her. "I... I'm sorry I hurt you, Kagome. I didn't mean too. I just... I wanted things to work between us. I wanted you to love me, too. I wish you would let me explain."

Inuyasha watched as his best friend's eyes filled with tears, and he knew she would cave. A moment later, it happened.

"Miroku, wait! Don't hang up," she said before accepting the phone from the hanyou.

"Kagome! Oh, did you... did you hear all that?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "Did you mean it?"

"Every word," he answered without hesitation.

"Do you... do you love me?"

"From the first second I laid eyes on you on the train platform."

"Do you, maybe... Could we...?"

"Would you accompany me to dinner this evening, Kagome?"

She smiled and Inuyasha finally relaxed. "Yeah, Miroku. I'd like that."

-

"So," Kagome started after taking a sip of wine. "What makes you think that having sex is the reason your previous relationships failed?"

"I'm not really sure," Miroku replied slowly. "It's the only constant, the only thing I've always done, so I figured it was worth a shot."

"Did you ever consider that maybe you're just bad in bed?" Miroku's eyes widened, and Kagome couldn't help but laugh at the shocked look on his face.

"No, I mean, I don't think so. No one's ever said anything."

"Relax," she said with a grin. "I was just kidding." He stayed silent, and Kagome could almost see the gears turning in his head. "Stop torturing yourself thinking about it. It was a joke." She felt guilty now; never having thought that a simple comment said in jest could shake his confidence so much.

"Well, I suppose it's possible. But, wouldn't someone have mentioned it to me if I was that bad?"

Kagome sighed. "How about this? Have you ever had sex more than once with the same girl?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, if you were so terrible, why would they sleep with you again? I think that maybe you were just picking up the wrong kind of girls. Think about it. If they were just looking for something casual and not long-term, they would be more likely to sleep with you early in the relationship and then move on. You're looking for a girl that wants a long-term relationship now. That's just a different kind of girl."

"I'm not looking for a girl to have a long-term relationship with," Miroku said with a grin. "I'm looking at the girl I want to have a long-term relationship with."

Kagome couldn't help but smile. "So, how long are you planning on waiting before we sleep together?" she asked. She had no intention of putting herself out there again to be rejected, so initiating was now solely on him. She was just looking for a time frame.

"I... I really don't know."