Unrequited

By: InsomniAsylum

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. All rights go to Rumiko Takahashi.

CHAPTER ONE

"Kagome, why the hell are you doing this again?" Inuyasha huffed, tagging along dejectedly behind Kagome as she headed toward the old well.

"I told you, Inuyasha. I have an old friend coming to Tokyo to stay at our shrine for a couple of weeks until his family meets up with him at their new home in the city."

Inuyasha glowered at the back of Kagome's head, following her as she treaded heavily through the thick brush, her backpack clearly weighing her down. He would have offered to carry it, but she was leaving again.

"Honestly, it's only a couple weeks. Then I will be back." Kagome assured him, as they finally reached the well.

She dropped her pack down the well with a soft grunt and swung her legs over to dangle her feet down its entrance and looked to Inuyasha, who watched her with a scowl. Why did he always have to act like this when she wanted to go home? She breathed out in an exasperated sigh.

"Well. Here goes I guess" she said to him, bracing herself against the well to push off and into her own time.

"Wait!" Inuyasha exclaimed suddenly, walking up to her in a flash.

Kagome hid the knowing smirk that threatened to break free from her lips. "What is it now, huh?"

"Two weeks is a long time" He said, remembering how long only three days without her was. Certainly, these two weeks would feel like an eternity.

Kagome tilted her head and gave him a small smile. "It really isn't. I promise. You'll hardly notice that I'm gone".

Inuyasha paled. "It's not like I'm saying I'll miss you or something, just give me the shard you're carrying! It would be safer with me here!" He sputtered indignantly.

Kagome narrowed her eyes and Inuyasha suddenly felt the need to brace himself against an inbound barrage of 'sits'. Instead, she dropped her gaze and sadly took the necklace that held the large shard from around her neck.

"Of course he wouldn't admit to missing me…but he's right about the shard," Kagome thought, holding it out toward him without looking up or uttering a single word.

Inuyasha took the shard, hesitating slightly. Why did she look so sad? Was she going to cry? What was wrong with her? Was it because of him?

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said hesitantly, looking up to see him staring at her. "Just tell him you'll miss him! Do It! Why are you hesitating?" She furiously chastised herself. He held her gaze, unwavering. She suddenly broke into a nervous sweat. What was that look in his eyes?

"Don't you dare come after me until I'm ready!" She shouted hastily, pushing herself off and into the well. She floated through the faint blue aura of time and closed her eyes. "I really will miss you, Inuyasha," she said softly to herself, as her knees suddenly came to rest on the dirt under her.

The sweet smell of incense greeted her and she realized that gramps must have lit some in case she arrived. She found her pack lying beside her and hoisted it up and out of the well with a thud, before climbing out into the musty shade of the mini shrine. The faint smell of leaves and the sound of birds chirping greeted her as she made her way down the path to her house. She then heard her mother's voice carrying from the courtyard.

"I really don't know what's taking her so long, I apologize, but won't you come in and have some tea? I'm sure it was a long and tiring trip from Saipan …"

Kagome hustled around the corner and dropped her backpack heavily to the ground. "Mother here I am! Just got back and..oh!" Kagome flushed as she realized who her mother had been talking to. A tall, lean young man of about nineteen with medium length black hair, dyed with blue streaks was peering back at her with piercing emerald-brown eyes.

"Kagome!" Her mother smiled brightly and gestured toward the young man. "You remember Yuki Harashi, don't you; it's been quite some time hasn't it?"

Kagome strode up and smiled at Yuki . "It's been six years! Wow, Yuki, you're all grown up!" And incredibly attractive.

Yuki smiled and hugged Kagome, causing her cheeks to tinge pink. "You're all grown too! It's really great to see you again; my parents won't believe how gorgeous you've gotten!"

Kagome's pink cheeks burned hotter at his choice of words as she stooped to pick up her backpack and follow them inside. Yuki snatched it up before she could lay a hand on it, and slung it over his shoulder easily.

"I'll get this for you, it looks heavy. Your mother told me you liked to hit the books, but I didn't imagine it was this excessive," he joked, walking toward the front doors of the shrine

Kagome smiled and followed beside him. "I...um… I don't get to study a lot and I just like to know I have all my bases covered for school and tests, you know?"

Yuki opened the doors and let Kagome go in ahead of him, before entering and shutting them behind them. He plopped her pack down in a nearby chair and sat at the table, pulling one out for Kagome as well. Kagome sat next to him, and caught herself staring at him before abruptly looking away. Yuki placed a finger under her chin and turned her head to face him, peering into her eyes.

"So what have you been up to, miss Higurashi?" He smirked at the obvious reddening in her already flushed cheeks.

"Well, you know" she started. "School and school and lots of school," Kagome sighed and rested her chin in her hand. "I don't think I'm going to pass most of my classes actually, and it's so hard to study with Inu-I mean, with everything else on my plate."

Yuki nodded, thankfully missing her near slip up. "So I take it you don't get out much?" he asked. "How about we go to see a movie tonight and maybe go out to eat? I've only been in Tokyo for two hours. I want to see the city!" he grinned at her playfully.

Kagome laughed and tucked a strand of her ebony hair behind her ear. "Well, I could use a good vacation from studying."

And from being Inuyasha's shard detector.

"So absolutely! That sounds great, actually" She finished, smiling at him.

Yuki clapped his hands together and smiled broadly. "I'm so freaking excited! I want to see the bullet train, and the lights and the live music… Oh, and all the street vendors!" He chimed happily.

She all but laughed at his excitement, and then realized she was still un-bathed, unchanged, and probably smelled like the forest and smoke from the campfires in the feudal era. Ugh. She shifted uncomfortably and then excused herself from the table, telling Yuki she needed to freshen up a bit before going out. As she lay in the tub enjoying the steamy water, she recalled Yuki and her childhood together. He'd always been like a mentor to her; always sticking up for her, always keeping her by his side. She was the first one he would come to if he wanted someone to play with, to talk to, or if he was upset, and vice versa. Before she had really made any friends, he was her only friend; her best friend. Then he moved; he had left her. Kagome's chest tightened as she remembered the old pain that had once wrecked her heart. She lowered her chin into the water to rest against her knee.

"He's back now, but it just feels so different. It feels as though I hardly know him," She thought silently to herself.

She stood up, finally, and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself before stepping out of the tub and pulling the plug to drain it. She was going to try everything in her power to make Yuki feel at home in Tokyo. He would have done the same for her, had it been she who had moved.

Several hours and a few ferris wheel rides later, Kagome and Yuki were chatting and enjoying each other's company as if he had never left at all. He had told her all about Saipan, the small island his mother and father had moved him to when they decided to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. Decidedly, they had figured less pollution and less people would allow a better upbringing for him. Kagome couldn't argue that fact. Then she regaled him with stories of growing up, school, her horrid luck with math, and her encounters with Hojo, the hopeless romantic who nearly worshipped her. The only thing she omitted was her dealings with Inuyasha and the feudal era. She couldn't bring herself to tell him about that. Not so soon anyway.

"Besides, he would probably think I had gone insane," she had thought to herself.

After their long night out, they finally decided it was time to go back to her house.

"I'm surprised how many things there are to do in Tokyo," Yuki said, sounding exhausted from their lengthy outing. Kagome nodded and yawned as they entered her house, and made their way into the living room to plop down on the couch next to each other, where Sota sat, watching late night cartoons. Kagome reached out and ruffled the hair on the back of his head.

"Hey kiddo, shouldn't you be in bed already?" Kagome asked. Sota turned around and smiled, rubbing at one eye and yawning adorably.

"I wanted to wait for you to get home. Mom went out with some friends of hers to a wine tasting thingy and I was too scared to go to bed by myself," he explained.

"Grandpa is here though," Kagome pointed out, nodding toward the loud snoring in the room next to the living room. Sota scrunched his nose, and yawned defeatedly.

"Yeah, but he is always asleep so early," Sota whined. Yuki chuckled and scooped Sota up from the floor.

"I guess I'll just tuck you in then," He said grinning down at the child, who had already started dozing off in his arms. Sota responded with a soft snore as Kagome mouthed "Thank you" to Yuki. Yuki winked at her and disappeared up the stairs toward her and Sota's rooms.

Kagome grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels absentmindedly, stopping on a shiatsu sandal infomercial that reminded her of Hojo and made her giggle a bit. She was certainly glad that she did not have to go to school for another month. She almost drifted off to sleep until she felt a strange twinge, followed by a loud yelp from upstairs. Kagome bolted up and ran fast up the stairs to find her light on, and Yuki standing in the middle of her room, staring at her now open window.

"Yuki, what are you…?" Kagome trailed off.

Yuki grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her away from the window, panting slightly.

"I was looking for the bathroom, and I passed by your room and for a moment it looked like there was someone in there!" He gasped. "I think they jumped out your window, but we're on the second floor! How the hell….?"

Kagome felt the blood drain from her face. That twinge she had felt. It was a Shikon shard. "Inuyasha…" she whispered softly. Yuki looked to her confused, still breathing hard.

"What did you say? He asked curiously, walking over to the window and peering out into the darkness. Finding nothing, he closed it and latched it tight.

"Oh, nothing…I'm just a little shaken," Kagome lied, feeling angry and yet relieved that Inuyasha had come to visit her. She walked over to stand by Yuki at the window and he wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, causing her heart to race. "It's ok. I'm here with you and I won't ever let anything bad happen to you," Yuki murmured into her ear. Kagome gently slid out of his grasp feeling a bit uncomfortable and smiled reassuringly at him. "I think we should call it a night. The guestroom is all made up for you."

Yuki nodded silently, guessing correctly that he had come on too strong.

"Look, Kagome," he started, seemingly trying to choose his words carefully. "If I made you feel uncomfortable just now, I apologize..." He stared hard at her with his piercing eyes, making her feel even more nervous than before. "I just feel like we have a connection, you know?"

Kagome looked to the floor, blushing furiously. "I just need sleep. I'm having trouble taking all of this in at the moment," she explained. Her response seemed to satisfy him, because he cracked a sheepish grin and nodded.

"Alright then. Sleep tight Kagome," he said, exiting her room and closing her door behind him. Kagome sighed and took one last look out of her window before drawing the curtains and collapsing onto her bed. Life had just taken an unexpected turn on her. Why had Inuyasha showed up out of the blue? Was he spying on her? How long had he been in the present? A sharp pang of guilt hit her stomach. What if he had followed her and Yuki around all day? Surely he wouldn't have done that… No, He wouldn't have been content to just follow her around all night. He would have burst out of nowhere, Yuki or no Yuki and made himself known. Wouldn't he? Kagome's eyes got heavy as she lay on her bed, second guessing and playing through scenarios in her head. Finally she couldn't keep herself awake any longer, and she drifted off to sleep, quietly murmuring Inuyasha's name.