Hello everybody! Welcome, or welcome back as the case may be. This story was actually written for my sister, but I think (I hope) that you others out there can enjoy it as well. If you don't, well... sucks to be you! (Don't take me seriously, please.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-yasha.

Love and hate – first encounter

"Are you sure that's her?"

"Yes, Miroku. I'm sure. Will I have to say that many more times today?"

"She doesn't look like the picture, that's all I'm saying."

"Listen, knucklehead. I would recognise that girl even if she shaved her head and grew a beard. OK?"

Miroku seemed to ponder this for a while, finally reaching a conclusion.

"Now that would really be a pity."

Inu-yasha sighed deeply. That was such a typical Miroku-comment. He was diagnosed as "chronic lecher", which meant that he grabbed at anything in a skirt. This always tended to cause embarrassment, not least when they visited Scotland.

Inu-yasha stirred his drink and sipped it carefully (Miroku could do things with alcohol that made him wish he'd stuck to milk), then looked out of the window again. There she was, his Kagome. Well, technically she wasn't his yet – she didn't even know he existed, to be honest. But she would before long. He had moved into this house yesterday, and now it would be a good idea to introduce himself. "Good neighbour"-like. She would like that, he felt sure. And he'd have her back.

He rose from his seat by the window, putting down his glass on the table with a small clink. Reaching for his coat he changed his mind halfway to it, and left it hanging. It was only early spring yet, but the sun had been warm lately. And anyway, he'd just be going right over the street.

"Miroku?"

"Yes?" his friend stuck his head out of the kitchen, which he had been examining.

"Are you planning on sticking around for long?"

"If you'll let me. Actually, I'll probably stay even if you don't let me. I always like to have a place to crash at, and your joint is as good as any. It's a nice little shack, and the kitchen is simply superb! So the answer to your question is yes, I'll be around for a while."

Realizing that this was as close as he would get to "Please can I stay with you? Gee, thanks", Inu-yasha left his new home – and new roommate – and crossed the street to Kagome's garden. She was sweeping up leaves, depositing them in a big basket in one corner of the yard. She was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt that said "PADI diver" with the sleeves pulled up above her elbows – so different from that school uniform with the short skirt she had used to wear... Of course, she was older now. She had been... what? Fifteen, sixteen?... when he knew her, and now she had to be somewhere in her mid-twenties.

He leaned his arms on the fence, trying to look casual although his heart was thumping wildly, beating hard on the inside of his ribcage.

"Nice garden."

She turned around, shaking her fringe out of her eyes. Her face lit up in a delighted smile.

"Oh, hello!" She left her rake and her pile of leaves and walked towards him, brushing off her hands against her pants. "Bother, isn't it... you'd think all the leaf-raking business would be finished by late autumn, but when you start your spring cleaning there's still just as much left! You're our new neighbour, aren't you? I saw you moving in yesterday. I'm Kagome Higurashi, pleased to meet you."

"Inu-yasha," he replied, taking her hand. The feel of her skin, after so many years... Kagome smiled again, glancing at his ears.

"Oh, I see you are a demon... dog demon?" she asked, and he nodded. "I thought so. The name certainly suggests it."

"Yes, my parents didn't seem to have much imagination," sighed Inu-yasha, making her laugh. He then looked around himself, making a great show of taking in his surroundings. "I am very new in this neighbourhood... in this entire town, in fact. Only moved in yesterday, as you saw. If you have the time some day, would you mind showing me around a bit?"

"I'd be delighted to!" Kagome exclaimed, clapping her hands together and smiling happily. "It's nice to finally have someone of my own age around here. Most of the other neighbours are sixty plus. They're all dear old people, but one does long for other company. Of course, I don't know – being demon you could just as well be sixty plus yourself, couldn't you?" She laughed, the sound stirring golden, happy memories deep within his soul.

"If I was human I'd be... say, twenty-five, twenty-six years old," he grinned. "We'd better not go into the details of how old I really am. But I'm only half demon, so I'm not that ancient."

"Half demon?" asked Kagome. "What a coincidence – one of my old work mates is half demon as well! So now I know two half demons!" She stuck her tongue and smiled mockingly, like she'd always done when she was making fun of herself. "Wow, aren't I cool."

"Kagome? Who're you talking to?" called a sleepy voice from the open window of Kagome's house. Inu-yasha stiffened. He knew that voice. Please, no. This could not be happening.

"My new neighbour!" Kagome shouted back. "Come on out and meet him!" Then as a young man opened the door and came towards them, stretching and yawning loudly, she turned back towards Inu-yasha and explained, "This is my boyfriend, Koga. He's demon as well."

"Morning," said Koga casually, then laid an arm around Kagome's shoulders and kissed her ear. "Thought I told you to wake me up before you started working. I can do my share too, you know, even if I don't live here..."

"That's sweet of you, honey," smiled Kagome, "but you looked so cute when you were sleeping I couldn't bring myself to destroy the picture. Koga, this is my neighbour Inu-yasha – Inu-yasha, Koga." She waved a hand between them and Koga let her go, stretching out his hand towards Inu-yasha.

"Hello," he said, smiling. "Sorry for my bad manners, I'm not at my best when I've just woken up." Inu-yasha didn't take his hand, only stared at the other man as if he was seeing a ghost. Which, of course, he was – in a manner of speaking.

"Gods, not in this life too," he mumbled, making Koga frown in puzzlement.

"Sorry?" he said, grinning slightly. "What was that?" Inu-yasha didn't answer for a second or two, but then he seemed to come to his senses, shaking his head briefly and then taking Koga's hand.

"I'm sorry, seems I'm not wide awake myself!" he said, forcing himself to smile. "You know how it is... with the move and everything... gets you all out of sorts."

"Oh, I recognize the situation perfectly!" laughed Koga. "Have moved around a bit myself. I know exactly how you feel."

No, you don't, thought Inu-yasha bitterly, fighting to maintain the happy, carefree grin. You can't even begin to guess how I feel, you flea-bitten bastard. You have no idea. You have no fucking idea of what you have stolen from me.