Summary - Kagome is your average teenager and as an average teenager life is supposed to be complicated. She begins to wonder if her life is just a bit too complicated at the moment. Her mom is getting remarried to a man who already has two sons and has been married twice before. If that wasn't enough something seems off about her new soon-to-be step-family; it's like they're hiding something. Kagome is determined to find out just what that something is before her mom goes through with this wedding. With the help of her two best friends Sango and Kikyo she starts an investigation, but will they find more than they went looking for? Maybe.

(This is not just about Kagome and Sesshomaru although they're the main pairing. The pairings are as follows K/S K/I S/K. ^_^ and of course there's also Kag's mom and Inu's and Sessh's dad but they're there for more of a plot device reason.)

InuyashaForever1989: Usual disclaimer, I don't own anything except the plot. And welcome to the first chapter of 'Love and Secrets'

Kikyo: So I'm actually going to be in this one.

IF: Yeah, and no I'm not gonna make her out to be a two faced bitch in this series. She's actually here to help and maybe fall in love ^_^

Kag: Yay! Wait she's not getting Sesshy right? *looks at IF with puppy eyes*

IF: 'Course not he's all yours, but gotta have someone for - -

Inu: DON'T GIVE EVERYTHING AWAY! Geez!

IF: Oh right ^_^ although I'm sure most of you already get the picture ; )

Kouga: Hey everyone!

Kag: What's Kouga doing here?

IF: Here for a reason. Anyway let's get on with this thing ^_^

Sesshy: I'm getting a bad feeling already.

Sango: You said it.


Chapter 1: The News

Sigh, Kagome sighed for about the billionth time. She wanted out of this damn class already. The last class of the day always took forever to end. She looked between the teacher and the clock. Come on already, she whined in her head. Something about history just bored her to death. Tick tock, tick tock, she watched the clock count down the seconds.

Riiinnngggg!

"Finally," Kagome said as she jumped from her chair and practically bolted for the door. She headed straight for her locker through the crowded hallways. How did it seem to get more and more crowded every damn day. She knew it wasn't actually possible, but it sure seemed like it.

Dodging a few more people she finally came into sight of her locker and stopped short when she saw who was there waiting for her. Why, why, why? she asked herself as she stared at the boy who was leaning up against the locker next to hers. She slowly approached her locker and said, "Hi, Kouga."

"Hey, Kagome," he replied. Kagome opened her locker, exchanged some things, and closed it fast, looking to make her escape. When she turned around she ran right into Kouga.

Here it comes, Kagome braced herself.

"You know what I'm gonna ask you, so why don't you just say yes this time. I promise you won't regret it," Kouga said with a wolfish grin.

And there he goes. Everyday for the last month Kouga had in some way, shape, or form asked Kagome out on a date. Kouga was notorious with girls and Kagome didn't believe for one second that he wanted anything more or less than the get into her pants. Although, he did seem a bit persistent for it to be just that. No, no, no. Don't go soft on me now Kagome, she scolded herself.

"I must've given you the same answer about a hundred times by now. Just give it up already," Kagome told him once again. She tried to side step him but he pushed her into her locker a hand on either side of her head. Her mind drifted for a second thinking how lucky she was that she hadn't hit the handle on the locker before she shook the thought and brought her attention back to the real problem.

"I won't give up 'till you say yes," he informed her and leaned in ever so slightly. Kagome was afraid he would kiss her and began to panic. Suddenly he pulled back sharply and cursed. He rubbed the back of his head and turned to see who had hit him. It was none other than Sango, who looked pretty pissed. "You again," Kouga muttered under his breath. Sango had a habit of showing up just in the knick of time to save Kagome.

"What are you, in heat or something? Go find someone else to harass," Sango reprimanded him and he glared at her, took a look back at Kagome, and then just walked off like it was his own idea to leave.

"Thanks Sango," Kagome said with a smile.

"No problem, you just owe me, again. Now let's go find Kikyo."

They walked down the hall, which had become less crowded with everyone in a rush to get home, until they heard someone shouting and they knew what to expect.

"Just what the hell did you think you were doing?" they heard someone scream.

"He was just asking for a homework assignment," came a weak reply.

"I told you I don't want you talking to any other guys you got that! You're mine! In fact I don't even want to catch you looking at another guy! Is that understood?" the angry voice demanded.

Just around the corner was Kikyo who looked near tears and her boyfriend Naraku. Naraku had his hand wrapped tightly around Kikyo's upper arm and the girl winced in pain.

Naraku was a jerk and the two girls had told Kikyo to get rid of him, but she just wouldn't come to her senses. Sango nearly rushed the scene to beat the crap out of him but before she could Naraku turned and stormed off leaving Kikyo by herself as Kagome and Sango came up to her.

"I should go after him and see how he likes getting beaten!" Sango said furiously. "You don't have to take that," she stated turning to the now crying girl. Kikyo looked up at her with pleading eyes, like she didn't know what else to do.

Kagome sighed and grabbed the girl's arm. She grabbed for her lower arm as she remembered the bruises on her upper arm. "Let's go to my house, ok? My mom just went shopping so we can raid the 'frig and stuff," Kagome offered with a smile. Kikyo smiled back weakly and Sango shook her head as they left for the school parking lot. But Sango made a promise to herself that if she ever saw Naraku again that he would get his.

Each girl had her own car and they all made their way to Kagome's house separately. Kagome was in her red convertible, Sango in her blue jeep, and Kikyo in a white car with a sun roof. (A/N: I'm not a car person so that's all you get description wise)

"Hi mom!" Kagome shouted as she walked through the door.

"Hello dear, how was school?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"It was fine I guess. Do you mind if we get something to eat?"

"Not at all," Ms. Higurashi said as she looked over at her daughter's friends. "Uh, Kagome?" she called for her attention.

"Yeah, mom?"

"Later, after your friends go home, I have something I need to talk to you about."

Kagome looked at her friends and to her mom. It was weird. What could she have to say to her that she couldn't say in front of Sango and Kikyo? "Okay," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

So with out anything else to say the girls dug into the refrigerator and a cabinet or two, mostly grabbing a lot of junk food. Kikyo even opened up the freezer and snagged a container of ice-cream. They all grabbed a spoon and headed for Kagome's room where they proceeded to stuff themselves.

Kagome sat on her bed, Kikyo pulled the chair out from the desk, and Sango decided she was going to stand and lean up against the wall.

"Honestly, that Kouga guy really pisses me off. I mean where does he get off harassing you in the middle of the hallway like that?" Sango fumed. She would have started up about Naraku but that was a really touchy subject with Kikyo and she didn't want to start something that would only end in tears and nothing being done.

"He was at your locker again?" Kikyo asked as she turned to Kagome.

"Yeah, he just won't take a hint or utter and complete rejection," Kagome explained as she took a scoop of the chocolate ice-cream that Kikyo had grabbed.

"You really should do something about him Kagome," Kikyo pointed out and the other two girls almost screamed in frustration at the irony.

At least he's not hitting me, Kagome thought to herself bitterly. Kagome settled for a sigh and then looked to Sango who was digging into a bag of chips. "Maybe you should take him off my hands. You do seem to have a knack for putting him in his place," Kagome pointed out.

Sango choked on a chip and wound up spitting it back out. "You can't be serious!"

"Aww, why not? I think you two would make a great couple," Kikyo decided to tease the girl as well.

"Are you kidding me? We'd kill each other. Not to mention I'm not exactly his type," Sango explained. The other two girls sat and stared waiting for an explanation. Sango sighed in annoyance and snatched the container of ice-cream from Kagome and took a scoop.

"Hey," Kagome whined and reached for the container. Sango held it out of reach and Kagome resigned herself to some jello she had snagged out of the fridge. (A/N: they really did just grab junk food _)

Kikyo sighed and opened a package of cookies and turned to Sango. "So, explain yourself already," the girl pushed.

Sango sighed, took another scoop of ice-cream, sighed again, and looked to her two best friends. "I, I'm just not pretty enough," Sango finally got out as she took a sudden interest in the ice-cream.

Kagome and Kikyo went wide eyed. "What the hell would make you think something like that?"

Sango squirmed uncomfortably. She really didn't want to talk about it, but she knew her friends wouldn't drop the subject. So, she took a deep breath. "Ok, look, you guys remember how I went to visit my relatives last summer."

"Yeah, it was so dull here without you," Kagome replied, even though it had been a more or less rhetorical question.

"Well, there was this guy."

"What?" the two raven headed girls burst in.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kagome asked, completely shocked at her friend. They always told each other everything.

"Well, it didn't last and I didn't really want to talk about it," Sango stated looking at her very surprised friends.

"What happened?" Kikyo asked and Sango could just see all the possibilities going through the girl's head and she didn't want that.

"He was just a jerk and a pervert. Someone who probably didn't even deserve the time of day from me but . . . he seemed funny and nice at first and I couldn't help it. I fell for the guy," Sango started to explain.

"A pervert?" Kikyo asked, absolutely horrified.

"Always grabbing my ass and the ass of anything else that walked by in a skirt," Sango told her friends bitterly. "But I liked him and when it was time for me to come home I asked if he would come with me. He told me he had found someone who was actually pretty who was willing to give it up and he dumped me."

"That's awful," Kagome said as she looked at the brunette girl. The usually proud and confident Sango had been heart broken and they hadn't even known. Kagome and Kikyo trapped the unsuspecting girl in a group hug and Sango cried a little. She had never really let herself get emotional over the jerk but she couldn't stop it now.

"Don't you ever keep anything like that from us ever again, do you understand? And not to mention you are beautiful and the jerk must have been blind," Kagome admonished her friend and Kikyo nodded in agreement. Sango couldn't help the small smile that came to her face as she looked at her friends.

"Anyway," Sango started, determined to change the subject, "Kagome, how's your mom doing? You know, with that guy she's dating?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders as she went back to her seat on her bed and stole a cookie from the package Kikyo had opened. "I don't know. She doesn't talk about him much. She did go out to have some fancy dinner with him last night though. It was some kind of special occasion or something."

"That's so romantic," Kikyo gushed. She had always wanted a romantic love life, which is part of the reason they wondered why she held onto Naraku.

"Do you know where they went?" Sango asked.

"Some place that I probably couldn't pronounce the name of if I tried. You know, one of those really, really expensive ones," Kagome explained.

"Sooo, he's rich?" Kikyo asked.

"I think he owns some kind of company or something."

"And she met him where?" Sango prodded, wondering where the hell Kagome's mom would meet someone like that.

"Online dating," Kagome admitted. It was a little embarrassing that her mom had gone to one of those sites to find a boyfriend.

"That's . . ." Sango started.

"Interesting," Kikyo finished.

"I know, I know, it's weird and I haven't even met the guy. I mean I've seen him a couple times but that was like him in a car and me waving goodbye to my mom."

"That's really weird," Sango admitted. "Maybe you should ask your mom some questions about this guy before they get too serious."

"Who gets serious with some guy they met online?" Kikyo asked and they all shrugged. How wrong she was though.

The hours passed by and the girls finished off a good deal of the junk food they had brought up to Kagome's room. A phone rang and all of them checked their cell phones. Sango held hers up. "Mom," she announced and answered it.

"Hey mom . . . Uh huh . . . Ok, I'll be home in a bit . . . Ok, bye" was the one sided conversation. "Gotta go, I'll see you guys tomorrow in school," Sango informed her friends as she started to walk across the room to the door. Kagome and Kikyo walked her down stairs and to the door and with one last hug Sango left.

"I should probably get going too then," Kikyo said turning to Kagome.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow," Kagome said as the girls hugged and Kikyo was gone as well. She shut the door behind her friend and then stared at the stairs thinking of the mess they had left in her room that she was now going to have to clean by herself.

Kagome sighed and headed for the stairs when her mother caught her. "Kagome, there's something I need to tell you."

That's right, she had said that earlier. "What's up mom?"

"Well," she started then paused, not really sure how to tell her daughter the news. "Last night I had a special dinner date." Kagome nodded, she already knew that. "And he asked me a very special question," she explained slowly, letting the information sink in.

It took a second before Kagome's eye went wide with realization. "He what? What did you say?" Kagome wasn't sure if she was excited for her mom or freaked out or what.

"Well, I said yes," she stated simply and waited for her daughter's reaction.

Kagome didn't know what to say. She didn't even know the guy. Had her mom even ever mentioned his name? Damn it, she couldn't remember! Kagome sighed, "I guess, as long as you're happy," Kagome decided and promised herself she'd give the guy a chance. Her mom did look pretty happy. "But, I have to finally meet him already."

"Oh dear, that's right. He'll be here for dinner tomorrow night and he'll be bringing his sons with him."

"He has sons?" Kagome asked in surprise. Well, it should make for an interesting dinner.


IF: All done for this chapter. Not my usual cliff-hanger endings but it will have to do for now I guess.

Inu: You're starting to lose your edge

IF: I am not and just for that you have to end it *leaves the room*

Inu: Fine! W/e, don't forget to review, k? She likes it when you people do that. I'm outta here