I'm gonna try to keep these chaps short, so I can write on this story if I'm tired or am having trouble with my others. Enjoy! Disclaimer: Inu is not mine. Sigh :(

"Kagome! Where's my tie?! The one with the green and white stripes? I thought I left it sitting on the dresser the other day, but now it's not there," Inuyasha yells from the bedroom, before walking up the hall into the kitchen, where Kagome is making breakfast.

As the hanyou turns the corner, he stops abruptly, seeing his fiancee standing by the counter, slowly stirring her coffee. Her robe hangs loosely from her shoulders, her head down. Inuyasha can smell something salty in the air.

"Kagome? Are...what's...wrong?" he asks, knowing the answer already, as he comes up behind the girl, wrapping his arms around her.

Kagome sighs as tears slowly trickle down her cheeks. She leans back against the tall half-demon, closing her eyes as Inuyasha places his chin on the top of her head. "It's just...," she chokes a bit on her words.

"Kagome," Inuyasha says, his voice deepening. "If...if it's about last night...I'm sorry I was late to the counselor's appointment. Mr. Tagachi wouldn't let me leave 'til all the exhibits were locked up. And then I had to run by Hojo's to finalize the honeymoon plans..."

Inuyasha stops speaking as Kagome a deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I know. Everything is...there's just so much going on. Both of us in school, working, planning the wedding. Gramps...," Kagome chokes again before forcing out her next words. "Gramps...in the hospital..." More tears stream down her cheeks. "And...and then...the...fight...we had...," Kagome says, sobbing, as her knees buckle beneath her.

His arms the only thing keeping Kagome from sliding to the floor, Inuyasha places one beneath the girl's knees--the other still around her shoulders--and lifts Kagome, carrying her into the living room and sitting down on the couch, placing the young woman in his lap. Inuyasha cradles her to his chest, running his hands through her hair, still messed from the restless night's sleep she had gotten.

"Kagome--I'm sorry for the things I...said...last night." Inuyasha puts one hand under her chin and lifts it so that he's looking into her glossy, chocolate-brown eyes. At the sight of her tears, the half-demon feels his chest constrict, a small pain stabbing him in the heart. I can't bear to see her...like this...

Grinding his teeth together to keep himself from crying, Inuyasha says "I...I didn't mean what I said. I was just angry. And...and frustrated. And stressed..." The hanyou brings both of his hands up to cup Kagome's cheeks. "I love you more than anything, Kagome. Please...forgive me...for last night," Inuyasha utters, his voice rough with emotion

Kagome stares into the half-demon's deep amber eyes for a moment before replying. "I'm sorry, too...for what I said... I...I didn't mean any...any of it," she whispers. Grabbing the front of Inuyasha's dress shirt, Kagome pulls him towards her and kisses him lightly. "Forgive me, Inuyasha?" she says, more tears spilling down her cheeks and onto his hands.

Inuyasha nods and wraps his arms around his fiancee, pulling her into a tight hug.

Kagome squeezes him back, closing her eyes, her cheek pressed against his chest. They stay that way until Kagome hears a soft click and opens her eyes. They focus on the small clock sitting on the end-table beside the couch. She gasps, hopping out of Inuyasha's arms and running into the kitchen. "You're late! It's already 7:30, Inuyasha!" she yells while rummaging around, cabinet doors slamming behind her.

Damn! Inuyasha jumps up off the couch and bounds back into the bedroom to finish getting ready for work. "Where's my..."

"It should be in the laundry room--on top of the pile of clean stuff," Kagome says, walking back into the living room to look for his necklace. Inuyasha comes back up the hallway, his tie swinging from one wrist, while he fastens his watch on the other.

"Can you...," he asks, turning pleading eyes to the girl holding purple beads in one hand and using the other to stuff some kind of warm pasty thing in his mouth. "Mmmm..."

Kagome laughs, taking the tie off his wrist and looping it and the beads over his head. Almost instantly, Inuyasha's hair changes from silver to black, his fuzzy ears disappearing from the top of his head to show up as a normal human's, his claws and fangs vanishing. Kagome walks around behind the now--seemingly normal--half-demon, to pull his long hair from underneath the tie and necklace. "Thank Kaede--bless her soul--that she taught me how to cast spells," Kagome mumbles as she walks back around to face Inuyasha, who is finishing the last of his breakfast.

"Yes," he says, swallowing. "This is much easier than having to explain to everyone about demons all the time."

Kagome finishes with his tie and walks back into the kitchen as Inuyasha puts on his shoes and grabs his backpack. I still hate these things... Inuyasha thinks with disgust. Stupid loafers!

Kagome comes back out with a brown paper bag and a thermos, handing both to the hanyou before kissing him again and opening the door to the apartment. "Tell everybody I said "hi," and let Sango know I'll still be by to see her tomorrow, okay?"

Inuyasha nods as he runs out the door, heading for the stairwell.

"And don't spend too long talking to Miroku! Dinner's at 6:30!" Kagome yells, seeing his arm wave as Inuyasha passes through the door at the end of the hall.

Kagome stands in the hallway for a moment, watching the door her fiancee just ran through until it closes. Slowly she closes their own, leaning her back against it before sliding down it to the floor. The young miko brings her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, sobbing quietly.

I can't do this...to him...I can't...even..though... Kagome stands up, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her robe. She goes back into the kitchen and takes a sip of her coffee. She sighs.

"So, I have to meet with the caterer at 10, then with the priest for lunch, then go to work for a little bit this afternoon...," Kagome's shudders a little, as she thinks about the other meeting she has this afternoon. He's...just a friend...

But this encounter has nothing to do with the wedding.

What'd ya'll think? Keep going?