The sun was shining through the brisk spring clouds and the birds were singing. Today, he thought to himself, was going to be a good day. He walked into Sand Brooke Café, just as he had every morning at precisely eight o' clock and walked over to their table. It was Thursday, it was always a Thursday that they sat together and silently enjoyed their game of chess over their morning breakfast; his was a cup of coffee and hers was a toasted crème and cheese bagel with a tall caramel latte. He motioned for the waiter to prepare their ritual breakfast five minutes before she would arrive, because she always arrived at eight twenty five, and the game began at eight thirty.

He thrummed his fingers along the cold glass of the tale and patiently waited. She was the one who had taught him to be patient and it always made him chuckle as he remembered how they had met.

Flashback

It was a cold winter day; the wind was vigorously beating through the streets as rain dripped from the weeping clouds. People raced down the streets running towards shelter from the frigid winds and it just so happened that he was one of them. Normally, he wouldn't have entered such a local shop, but under the circumstances, it was worth it. When he entered the shop was rather quiet, a nice break from the raging outdoors and his busy work. He casually strolled to the coat hanger and shook his coat off. He hung it on a peg and made his way to a table with his briefcase in hand. In the entrance to the café, a petite girl with long ebony hair strolled through in a fit of giggles. She hung up her phone and pulled her baggy coat off. Beneath the coat, he noticed, she was slim and lean; her arm muscles were flexed as she twisted out of the jacket, but it was in an appealing way. She wore a semi-tight blue t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans. The male workers around the store seemed to perk up upon her entrance. When she turned and smiled time seemed to stop. Her eyes met his and he felt his fist tighten.

She strolled to the table I was currently sitting at and smiled shyly.

"Do you mind if I sit with you? This happens to be my favorite table." She asked. he blinked in confusion before his mind registered what she had said. he glanced down at the table where a chess set sat and he allowed a small smirk to appear on his face as he came up with a brilliant idea.

"I'll play you for it." he challenged. A brilliant smile spread across her face as she threw her head back and laughed. Her neck was exposed and that was a challenge with his instincts, he felt his lower regions tighten in eager excitement and he allowed a small smile to creep out. She was different than most girls, good. She plopped down across from him and pulled the chess set to her side of the table. She slipped her hand into the bag and grabbed two pawns: one black and one white. Behind her back, she mixed the two pieces between her hands before pulling her hands back in front of her with her fists tightly wrapped around the two pawns. She smiled slyly at him before opening her mouth.

"Pick a hand." He smirked and looked down at her fingers and noticed that between the thumb and index finger of her right hand he could see a small flash of black. He lifted his right hand and grasped her right wrist.

"I'll take black." She blinked in confusion and glanced at her hands. A pink blush dusted across her nose before she let out a sheepish grin. We distributed pieces and before they knew it, he was winning. She was down to one pawn, her queen, a rook, and her king. He grinned and moved his rook to the left side of the board, took her last pawn, and put her king in check. A small grin lit up her features and he frowned in confusion. She reached past his hand where it hovered above the rook and grasped the knight that he hadn't taken account of. He narrowed his eyes and realized what she had done. She tricked him; she placed her pawn there intentionally, and waited for him to take it. Her eyes were filled with mirth and a small grin was turning up the corners of her mouth. She took his rook and all he had left was his king, four pawns, and a bishop. He frowned and sent her a playful glare. He brought his bishop to the right and pulled his hand back. She looked at the board in concentration and he couldn't help but admire her focus. She finally reached out and brought her queen two squares away from his king. He grinned and moved his pawn to take her queen but she just smiled and shook her finger.

"Check mate." He furrowed his eyebrows and looked back at her rook. He clenched his fist and when he realized his mistake, he huffed and tipped his king. She clapped her hands with a giant smile on her face and he just chuckled.

"I haven't lost since I was little." She smiled and shrugged.

"I usually play against my little brother in here, but he just moved to England for a soccer scholarship." She had a sad look on her face for a moment before she smiled and turned away.

"I'm going to grab a latte, you want anything?" She asked. He smirked.

"Coffee would be nice." He replied. She just smiled and walked to the counter.

It had been a year to this very Thursday that they met and now this was what he looked forward to every week.

End of Flashback

He glanced down to his watch and realized she was late. It was eight thirty two. He heard the door chime as another customer entered and he glanced up eagerly; it wasn't her. He calmly stirred his coffee and waited. Eight minutes passed and she had yet to appear. He sighed and pulled out his laptop. A man, who he clearly recognized, strolled up to the table he sat at and sat across from him.

"Miroku." He said to the man. The man grinned before handing him a letter.

"She will not be visiting today." Miroku turned and left. He sighed and looked at the letter.

"To Sesshomaru: From Kagome." He pushed the laptop hastily aside and ripped the letter open. What he read made his heart drop; today was not going to be a good day. He wouldn't have a good day for a while.