Disclaimers: I do not own InuYasha or any of the manga/anime characters. They belong to the wonderful genius Rumiko Takahashi.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

"Damn it! You're not Kikyou, you know!" the hanyou yelled.

Kagome froze. She was so startled by his angry words. She thought all of that had been put behind them. She thought that she'd conquered her jealousy of the dead priestess, but at that moment it all came rolling back: she wasn't strong enough, she wasn't a good shot, she wasn't pretty, she wasn't smart enough, she couldn't protect herself. She was clumsy and seemed to be no good for anything except looking for shards of the Shikon no Tama - and that didn't matter any more because Naraku had all but the one in Kohaku's back. Her eyes filling with tears, she couldn't even make herself "Osuwari" him for stating the blatantly obvious. Unable to face any of them, she fled.

A roar forced the upset hanyou to spin around. "Miroku! That thing ain't dead yet!"

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango shouted as she hurled the giant boomerang from her place on Kirara's back. It went through the Oni's arm like butter and returned to the demon slayer.

"Don't you dare!" InuYasha shouted as he ran towards Miroku and stopped him from removing the rosary from his palm. "You don't know how it will affect you - that thing might kill you!"

The hanyou held Tessaiga in front of him. "Kirara! Get Sango out of the way!" he directed. As soon as the fire cat was clear, he shouted, "Wind scar!"

With a final bellow the creature that had assaulted them was torn into a thousand pieces.

"Where's Kagome?" Sango asked as Kirara landed near InuYasha and Miroku.

"Damn bitch took off," the hanyou snarled. "First, she nearly got herself killed, and then she ran. She's probably home by now."

"It's your fault, baka!" Shippou taunted as he reappeared from his hiding place.

"Why is it my fault that she ran right in front of that thing? And then she had to trip before she could even pull out an arrow! I had to grab her and get her out of the way, and then she did it again!" InuYasha stuffed his hands into his sleeves and turned his back to them.

"It's your fault because you compared her to Kikyou, you idiot!" Shippou responded.

"You didn't," Sango said quietly but with anger in her voice.

"He did," Shippou confirmed.

"That's enough," Miroku ordered, staring at his hand while clenching and unclenching his fist. InuYasha had stopped him from opening his Kazaana because he knew how bad the shouki was in his body. ‘InuYasha was right. If I had used it on the oni, it could have made it considerably worse or killed me.' He glanced up at the others. "We are not far from the village, and Kagome has probably gone home. InuYasha will have to go after her-"

"And apologize!" Sango interrupted.

The hanyou still had his back turned to them. Miroku looked at him appraisingly, noting his posture and his flattened ears. He knew he was stressed from the additional burdens he'd been carrying lately. "He will go after her and talk to her. Right, InuYasha?"

The silver head barely nodded, and then he was gone.

Kagome couldn't stop sobbing as she sat in the bottom of the well. She now knew that she meant nothing to InuYasha. In spite of everything, he still compared her to Kikyou. The priestess had wanted him to turn human for her, and when she thought he'd betrayed her she had pinned him to Goshinboku. She'd tried to drag him to hell, she'd tried to kill Kagome, and yet he still wanted her. And why not? Even though she had finally died in his arms after he kissed her goodbye, she was everything that Kagome could never be: she was powerful, she was beautiful, she was well-trained, she was a good shot, she was smart, she knew countless potions for ailments - she was what Kagome wasn't. The young miko couldn't help but to cry as she convinced herself that InuYasha didn't love her and never could. She would never be able to measure up to her predecessor. She didn't know why she had even tried.

The inu-hanyou was angry with himself as he went after Kagome. As usual, his mouth ran without thinking, and he had said something he didn't really mean. Well, actually, he did mean it, but not in the way the miko took it. His ears were still plastered to his skull, and he could feel a whine rising at the back of his throat. He couldn't bear the thought that he might have finally driven her away for good. Following her trail straight to the well, he stopped for only a moment before he leapt in.

The young miko had managed to climb out of the ancient structure, but had made it only as far as the well house floor before she collapsed again. She was so overcome with her inadequacies that she couldn't even make herself go into the house. If she did, she'd have to explain to her mother why she was home and why she'd run this time. It was bad enough having to admit she was a failure to herself. She didn't think she could say it out loud to tell her mother what had happened.

InuYasha was overwhelmed with the pungent aroma of her tears when he landed at the bottom of the well in the modern era. He jumped out and saw Kagome sitting against the wall, her arms wrapped around her legs with her face pressed against her thighs. Not even knowing where to begin, he moved closer to her and sat down before placing Tessaiga across his crossed legs. "Kagome," he said softly.

She didn't even raise her head to look at him. Instead, she wrapped her arms more tightly around her drawn up legs. "I heard you the first time. I know that I'm not good enough. You don't have to rub it in that I'm not Kikyou."

"And I thank the kami for that every day," InuYasha whispered.

Kagome raised her face just enough to look at him. "What?"

InuYasha looked at his sword as he turned it over and over in his lap. "I'm glad you're not Kikyou."

"But she was stronger and braver and a better shot - she was better at everything than I am," the miko insisted.

"She was trained, you aren't. You're strong Kagome, and brave... and I don't know..." his voice trailed away.

"You don't know what," she pressed.

The hanyou continued to stare downwards, still nervously twisting Tessaiga in its sheath. "What I'd do if you got hurt - or killed," he murmured.

"But Kikyou..." she started, but didn't know what to say.

"Never allowed me to touch her - not when she was alive anyway," InuYasha confessed. "Not like you."

"But we haven't..." Kagome was confused since they hadn't done anything.

The hanyou reached over to touch her hand, and Kagome wrapped her small one around his fingers. He squeezed her fingers with his thumb. "I mean that she didn't allow me to touch her..."

Realization dawned on Kagome of what he was trying to say. "You mean, even like this?"

InuYasha looked back down and shook his head.

"But Kikyou-"

"Was a formidable priestess who had been trained to kill all youkai. She didn't kill me, but she wanted me to become human for her. I was so lonely that I was willing to do it, or at least try. But you... you're different."

"I'm useless and in the way, that's all. You don't even need me as a shard detector now since we know where they all are." Kagome had released his hand and withdrew back into herself again.

"You know that's not true. Sango needs you; Shippou needs you; hell, even the bouzou needs you sometimes. Sango probably would have killed him already if you weren't there to calm her down. Not to mention, you've saved him a couple of times with those weird medicines from your time. They need you and want you back," the hanyou argued.

"What about you?" the young miko asked very quietly.

"I... I... I was so scared when I thought that oni was going to get you," he replied. "And then when I thought I had you out of the way, you had to go and do the same thing again. That's why I was so angry," he answered.

"I know - I'm just a stupid, ugly klutz who can't take care of herself." Kagome pressed her face to her knees again.

"No you're not," InuYasha said without thinking. "You're strong and beautiful even if you are something of a klutz."

The miko glanced up. "What did you say?"

"That... that... that you are sometimes a klutz," he stammered.

"Before that." She sat up and searched his face.

He reddened and looked away.

"Did you say I was beautiful?" she asked him.

He refused to look at her but he nodded slightly.

"Like Kikyou?" she pushed.

He shook his head.

Kagome sobbed and buried her face in her knees again.

The hanyou sighed. He was no good at understanding his own feelings, much less anyone else's, but he knew he had to fix this. Kagome was becoming unraveled, and it was all his fault. If he only could have kept his fucking mouth shut.

He scooted over so that he was right next to her. He leaned in so that he was certain she would hear him. "Kagome, don't you get it? Kikyou was beautiful, but she was cold and distant. She was devoted solely to her duties and little else. Even if I had become human so that I would be a suitable husband for her, I don't know how much time she would have spent with me. But you... you're beautiful and warm. You have friends you are devoted to, and who are devoted to you in return. You... you... you accept me as I am, and because of you, I've learned to accept myself. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm okay with being hanyou now. I no longer want to become a full youkai, and being human one night a month is more than enough."

That brought a giggle from the miko.

Encouraged, he continued, "Kagome, we know you're strong. Shit, look at some of the stuff you've done even though it turns out your powers are mostly sealed - you've almost gotten Naraku a couple of times, and I know he's afraid of you. You managed to get that bow - I don't know that even Kikyou could have done that, and you freed that miko that Naraku was using. You've saved me more than once. Kagome, don't you get it? Your voice wouldn't have brought me back if I didn't care about you. If I really wanted to be with Kikyou, I would have died and joined her. I didn't, Kagome - I came back to you.

"I'm sorry for what I said. I have to admit, I meant it, but I'm glad you're not Kikyou. I wouldn't want you to be. I was sad when she died not because I still love her, but because I failed her. I couldn't protect her, and she died because of me. My word is all I have to offer, Kagome, and I couldn't keep it. And today, I almost failed you." The hanyou fell silent.

He felt her shift and realized she'd moved enough so that she was now leaning against his shoulder. Blushing, he gingerly placed his arm around her.

"You mean it?" she asked softly.

"Keh."

"You don't want me to be like Kikyou?"

He shook his head. "I like you just the way you are."

"You mean it?"

The hanyou chuckled. "Don't push your luck."

"Are you ready to go back?" the miko questioned.

"Only if we're okay," InuYasha responded.

Kagome grinned and wiped her tear stained face. "I think I understand. Thanks, InuYasha."

"Just promise me you won't try to take on any more oni by yourself. You scared me," he admitted.

She laughed. "Especially if there's a tree root working in coordination with it."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

Kagome smiled as InuYasha lifted her to stand on the well wall with him. As they jumped in together she concentrated on the fact that, yes, she was Kikyou's reincarnation, but she wasn't her - and that was a good thing.

*finis*