Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

Author Note: Originally, the characters were Lana Arishima and a guy named Fujimaro. They were my own made-up characters and after typing the first chapter, I realized how similar Fujimaro was to Inuyasha thus resulted in me writing an Inu/Kag fanfic.

Chapter 1
The Unpleasant Meeting

Kagome Higurashi scowled at the intruder, daring him to openly insult her once more. Instead, the boy just glared at her through golden-brown orbs as his eyebrows weaved into thick disapproval.

"Heh! What do you take me for woman? A beggar?" he asked indignantly. Upon seeing her amused smile, he glanced down at his hands which were currently locked in a death grip around an apple. He did not wait for an answer and tossed the apple aside. "What?!" he growled angrily. The woman simply shook her head.

"Just so you know," he began lowly. "I will not bow down to scum like you." And with that, the boy vanished before her eyes. Kagome gaped in awe as a black mist began to fade. What started out as a simple walk in the Imperial Gardens, turned out to be an encounter with a cunning thief. If it were not for her keen sense of danger, Kagome would have never realized his presence. When she finally did, she had let her loud mouth get the better and, as it turns out, the stranger was a bit of a hothead.

–Flashback-

"Kaori, I'll be in the gardens" Kagome called. A moment later, a short girl appeared holding a tray piled high with towels. She was fairly small with long onyx-black hair that flowed in wisp down her back. Kaori smiled warmly at her friend. Although she was merely a servant, Kagome treated her as an equal.

"Yes your Highness" Kaori joked in a high-pitched squeak. Kagome rolled her eyes and proceeded through the sliding doors of her bedroom. "I've had enough of Sachicko!" Kagome huffed before hearing her friend's laughter penetrate through the now closed doors. She cursed under her breath and briskly walked down the crisscross path.

Kagome inhaled the perfume of spring: cherry blossoms, magnolia, camellia, peach-blossoms, and Azalea all invaded her nose and she shivered in delight. This was her sanctuary from the troubles of the palace. As she walked pass the berry brambles, she felt another's presence. Kagome froze in her tracks and dove behind a willow when her eye caught a glimpse of black from behind. She panted at the sudden lurch and her heart beat furiously.

"Why, if it isn't the princess" a voice snarled. Kagome stiffened at his awareness of her hiding spot. Hadn't she passed him? How is it that she didn't see something so obvious? Kagome carefully stepped out from behind the tree, letting her fingers glide gently through the rough bark. There, perched on top of the stone wall, sat a boy. His long, silver hair cascaded down his back like a waterfall and his stern gaze was enough to make her want to melt.

"Who are you and how did you get pass the guards?" Kagome asked, her anger finally setting in. She studied his lean form and black garments until her eyes fell upon a sword hilt sticking out behind his right shoulder. Kagome backed away slightly, an ominous feeling creeping over her conscience. The boy laughed at her attempts to run. Kagome stopped, and shot him a dangerous glare. His laughing faded as he jumped off the wall. Kagome gritted her teeth and held her ground. He landed a few meters away and began walking towards her.

"I-I'll ask you once again," Kagome began, slightly stuttering, "Who are you?" The boy ignored her and continued to approach her. Kagome felt her legs turn to jelly and cursed quietly. When he was a couple inches away from her, he smirked at her expression; eyes squeezed shut, wrinkled forehead, and bitten bottom lip. She made it seem like he was going to kill her! The satisfied boy made his way past her and stopped when he was a foot away. Without turning, he spoke.

"Relax woman, you're too ugly to kill." This comment shocked her out of oblivion and she spun around to face him. 'How dare he insult me' she thought. 'First he barges in here and scares the living daylights out of me and now he insults me'

"Why you...you...you jerk!" she snapped. The boy looked unfazed by her sudden movement and insult. (It was kind of pathetic) He just turned and gazed at her, a look of boredom on his face. Kagome flushed, realizing how stupid she must have sounded at the moment. She quickly gathered what little courage she had left and shot him an icy glare. That all melted away when she noticed the condition of his clothes. They were tattered, thin and scratched all over. Ironically, a cold gust of wind blew and she could have sworn he flinched.

"Are you cold?" Kagome asked out of the blue, concern lacing her words. She did not expect this simple question to result in all out chaos.

"C-C-cold?" he coughed out, "Feh! What do you take me for, some weakling?!" by now, he was yelling and Kagome was afraid he would pull out his sword and finish her off. She quickly pushed that thought aside as her stubborn personality flared in annoyance.

"It was a simple question," Kagome retorted, "I was just—" But before she could finish, he was already rambling on about the difference between humans and demons. Kagome stopped short from making a remark when she registered the words.

"You—you're a demon?" she asked in awe. Kagome had never seen a demon before, and was always advised to keep away from them because of their temper and belligerence. 'Hmm, perhaps father was right' she thought looking at the boy. She couldn't help but smile at the puppy ears.

"No," he grimaced while averting his gaze from her curious chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm a hanyou" he said with a shrug. He expected her to be disgusted, to scream for the guards, or to recoil with fear. Instead, she nodded approvingly and proceeded to ask if he was hungry. This resulted in another quick comeback and insult. And with that, he simply disappeared leaving a flustered princess.

-End of Flashback-

A/N: I had to removed the first chapter to fix up some errors and as a result, deleted the whole story! Sorry, it's back up now. Please review and tell me what you think!