Author: JediK1

Genre: Drama, Romance

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: Don't own em, though they'd make a nice birthday present...

Summary: Kagome goes home for Valentine's Day, but gets more than she bargained for when her date goes horribly wrong.

My Accidental Valentine

It was winter in the Sengoku Jidai, and the first snowfall of the year had already come and gone. Now the weather was clear; the clouds had dispersed, leaving bright, blue skies to surround a cheery sun. Kagome smiled as she glanced up, happy to finally be seeing the sun once more. She hugged her coat closer as a chill wind blew past, reminding her that even though the sun was shining, Old Man Winter would still linger for another month or two yet.

InuYasha caught the content look on the girl's face. Her smile seemed to outshine the sun, and for a moment it was almost contagious. The hanyou quickly turned away before anyone else could see the slight curve at the edges of his lips, but he was almost certain that Kagome had spotted him. Now, he turned to hide the light blush that crept onto his cheeks.

The miko had indeed seen the tiny smile, and she closed her eyes, sighing contently. Maybe now's a good time to ask him…she thought as she inched closer to him.

"InuYasha…"

The hanyou, who had been walking next to Kagome at the front of the group, eyed her suspiciously. "What is it now?"

She turned to face him, flashing her brightest smile. "Well, I was wondering if I could go home for a few days?"

"What? You can't be serious?"

"Oh, come on InuYasha! It's almost Valentine's Day, and I promised Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi that I'd go out with them if we couldn't find dates!"

InuYasha stopped abruptly, almost causing Miroku to walk right into him. The monk had been distracted by the sway of Kagome's hips as she nearly bounced beside the hanyou, but he caught himself at the last moment. Sango noticed the monk's wandering eyes, and scowled at him menacingly.

"Maybe you should keep your eyes on the road, lecher," the demon exterminator mumbled as she crossed her arms.

The incident went unnoticed by InuYasha and Kagome, who still stood on the path outside of Keade's village. "What the hell do you mean, Valentine's Day? And who the hell are Yuko, Ari and Ayummy?"

"They're my friends back home! I hardly ever get to see them anymore because I'm always over here, and I promised them I'd spend some time with them!"

"Feh, fine, but you still didn't tell me what this Valentine's Day thing is."

Kagome rolled her eyes and sighed; she was obviously annoyed. "Valentine's Day is a day devoted to people in love. They get each other presents like flowers or chocolate and they go on dates. Every year, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi and I go out together if we can't find dates. It takes place tomorrow, and I need to get home so I can make plans!"

"That's it?" InuYasha eyed her incredulously. "You just want to go home and sit around? We have jewel shards to find!"

Miroku, who had edged away from Sango's dark glare, rubbed his chin absently. "A day devoted to love, you say? It is certainly a shame that we do not have a holiday such as this in our era." While he spoke, Miroku had carefully made his way back toward Sango. The demon slayer stared at him, readying herself for the monk's advances. He looked deep into her eyes, pulling her hand into one of his. "What do you think, dear Sango?"

"I think, Miroku, that you should remove your hand before I cut it off."

The rest of the group glanced down after noticing that Miroku's cursed hand had once more found its way onto Sango's rump. Shippo shook his head, and Kilala gave a slight squeak. When would Miroku learn?

"Oh dear, it seems that the curse has caused my hand to wander again. I assure you, it has moved of its own accord; I would never intentionally do such a thing to you."

Kagome flinched as a loud crack echoed across the village. Miroku stood, rubbing at the large red handprint on his cheek as Sango pushed her way past the hanyou and the miko and stalked off toward Keade's hut. After her friend had walked past, the two tailed fire cat hot on her heels, Kagome turned again to InuYasha. "So, can I go home now?"

After much arguing and several "sits", Kagome finally convinced InuYasha to let her go home for a few days. Before he could pull himself up off the ground and change his mind, the girl had packed her things and was waving goodbye as she headed away from the village.

The forest was quiet as she walked toward the Bone Eater's Well. The few birds that chose to brave the winter season chirped happily in the trees. They cast shadows across the golden pools of sunlight on the forest floor as they flew from limb to limb, and Kagome smiled at them sadly. She had put up a happy front while with her friends, but inside she felt a little down.

Now that she was alone, she let her thoughts wander. Part of the reason she had wanted to go home was because she did not want to spend the most romantic day of the year next to the one person she could never love. Even if he would happen to give her some sign that he cared, she doubted that he would be able to understand the concept of the modern holiday. So, to save herself from heartache and headache, Kagome was heading home.

Kagome jumped through the Bone Eater's Well, letting the soft pink light of its magic consume her. It was comforting in a way, because no matter which direction she was headed through the enchanted well, Kagome knew that she would always be going home. Once the light had faded, Kagome found herself surrounded by the familiar sight of the old well at her family's shrine. Quickly, she climbed up the ladder that had been placed there and headed for her house.

H

The rest of the evening passed swiftly, until the girl finally closed the books she had been pouring over and slipped between the soft sheets of her bed. The night was fleeting and the moon speed across the sky, eager for a rest of its own. Daylight found Kagome up and running about as she hurriedly got ready for school.

I've missed so much…Kagome thought as she ran out the door. It'll take a miracle to get into high school now.

The day was a long one for the time traveling reincarnate, but Kagome managed to get through all of her classes. It was now the end of the day, and she waited at her desk as her three friends came over to chat.

"Hi guys!" she greeted as the trio crowded around her.

"Wow, Kagome, I'm surprised to see you today. After all, you did just finish those rabies shots.

"Yeah, Eri's right. How did a raccoon manage to show up at your shrine, anyway?"

"Those shots must have hurt," Ayumi added.

Kagome hid her head in her hands. Rabies? From a raccoon? They don't even live on this side of the world! What will Gramps think of next?

"Uh…yeah, they did kinda hurt…anyway guys, what are we going to do tonight for Valentine's Day?" Kagome quickly changed the subject, hoping to draw her friends away from her grandfather's made-up illness.

"Um, well…"

"We kinda…"

"We have dates!" Ayumi squealed happily.

Kagome stared at the three girls, her mouth hanging open. They have dates? I can't believe this! Now what am I going to do?

Kagome's friends seemed to notice the shock on her face. Eri leaned in close, a little smile playing on her lips. "You know, Hojo was looking for you earlier. Maybe he wants to go out with you."

"Yeah," Yuka added. "He did seem kinda nervous. You should go find him!"

"But what about your boyfriend? You know, the tough guy who makes you visit him, even when you're sick all the time?"

"Wait, hold on a second!" Kagome pleaded. "You said that Hojo was looking for me?"

Eri nodded. "Yeah. You should go catch him before he leaves!"

With a little more encouragement from her friends, Kagome stood up and left the room, leaving her backpack behind. She hurried through the halls, trying to find Hojo before he went home for the weekend. Well, I don't have anyone else to be with. And I don't want to sit around and wait to see if Inuyasha shows up, so I might as well hang out with Hojo!

She searched the halls, but there was no sign of the boy anywhere. He must have gone home, she thought sadly as she made her way back to the classroom to grab her books. When she entered the room, the first thing she noticed was that her friends were gone. There was a little note on her desk, and Kagome could tell before she even picked it up that it was from Eri, Yuka and Ayumi. They had to run, the note explained, and they wanted her to call each of them when she got home to let them know how things went with Hojo.

Kagome sighed, and reached down to grab her bag. As she straightened, she set the backpack on her desk so that she could slip the note in one of the pockets. When she went to put the paper away, however, she noticed something else. There was another note already in the little pocket. That's strange; I don't remember putting anything else in there…

Curiosity shone in the girl's dark eyes as she plucked the folded piece of paper from its resting place. Maybe they left another one…but as Kagome unfolded the letter, she noticed that the handwriting was entirely different from that of her friends. The note read;

Dear Kagome,

I hope that you are feeling well. I know that you have been rather ill lately, but there was something that I wanted to ask you anyway. Since today is Valentine's Day, I was wondering…

Would you be my Valentine?

If your answer is yes, please meet me at the movie theater tonight around 6. I'll be waiting!

Sincerely,

Hojo

The miko folded the paper after she finished reading, placing it carefully back in her backpack. I must have just missed him, she thought as she picked up the bag and slung it over her shoulder. She walked over to the last remaining classmates in the room, asking them if they had seen Hojo. The two girls answered that they had, and that the boy had come in just after her friends had left. Kagome sighed, still wondering how she had missed seeing him. With a shake of her head she thanked the girls and headed home, not even noticing the strange look in her classmates eyes as she left the room.

Kagome spent the entire walk back to the shrine lost in thought. Part of her wanted to go out with Hojo; after all, he was sweet, considerate, and above all, completely unafraid to tell her how he felt. Not like Inuyasha, who's always so rough around me. He's always there to protect me, but does he care? Or am I really just a shard detector for him?

The steps to the shrine loomed just ahead as Kagome tore herself from the depressing thought. She climbed them wearily, her heart heavy as she reflected on her 'relationship' with InuYasha. She was still debating what to do as she swung the door open and slipped off her shoes.

"Kagome, is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom."

Mrs. Higurashi came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands dry on a dish towel. "What's wrong dear? You sound a little down."

Her daughter dropped her gaze to the floor for a second. "Well, I've got a little problem."

The older woman smiled kindly, motioning for Kagome to follow her back into the kitchen. "Come on in, dear. I'll make us some tea and you can tell me all about it."

So both mother and daughter seated themselves in the kitchen, a steaming cup of tea in hand. Kagome explained her dilemma to her mother, asking her which man she would choose.

The older woman sighed. For a moment she did not speak, opting to take a sip of her tea instead. She stared into the cup, mulling the question over. "Kagome," she said quietly, "you are still very young, dear. You don't have to choose anyone just yet. I know that your heart keeps leading you to InuYasha, but maybe you should give this Hojo a chance. He seems like such a nice boy, and he's very fond of you. Just because you choose to go on one date with someone does not mean that you will stay with that person forever. If things don't go that well with this boy, then maybe you really should be with InuYasha. But if they do…" she trailed off, pausing to finish off her tea. Kagome's mother stood, and the girl looked up into her kind, understanding eyes. "Well," she continued, "whenever you are ready to settle down with someone, just make sure that you really love him."

A sigh parted Kagome's lips as she lowered her eyes to stare at her reflection in the tea. "But how will I know when I've found someone like that?"

The young miko looked up again as she felt her mother's hand touch her shoulder. "You'll know, dear. You'll just know." She gave her daughter's shoulder a light squeeze before setting her cup in the sink. With one last understanding glance, she left the room, leaving her daughter alone to think.

Kagome sat at the table for a few minutes, letting her mother's words sink in. Maybe she's right…maybe I should go out with Hojo, if only to see what happens. A shaky smile crept onto her lips, gaining more confidence as it bloomed. Kagome finished her tea, placing the little cup next to her mother's in the sink before grabbing the note from her backpack and running upstairs to her room. She had a date to get ready for.