Nineteen reviews to answer! My head hurts. But seriously though, I'm not complaining! Thanks to everybody who reviewed! You guys keep me going and updating the chapters faster.

Although, the longer the review, the more I could answer to. So I apologize if I wrote more back to some people. But mostly, I think the length is fair.

Thanks for taking time out to review! And now, I'll take time to answer because it's the least I could do.

INuYaShAsweet- Haha, I loved your review. It's so amusing and brought a smile to my face when I first read it. Thank your for understanding the fact that I'm very busy, but thanks to the reviews, I'm getting this chapter up ASAP! I'm glad you enjoy the story so far!

Kagome7Inuyasha75- Wow, thanks for the review! Your comments were really nice!

CandyCOLOUR- Thanks for waiting and being patient. I really liked that you didn't try to rush me, and I appreciate it! After reading the review, you know what was the first thing I noticed? The fact that you spelled 'color' like 'colour', haha, which Microsoft Word NEVER lets me do. Haha. Well, I hope this chapter isn't TOO long, and I'm trying not to leave a cliffy. Thanks for the review!

Punkgurl- Thanks! Hope you like this chapter!

TheNotSoEmoEmu- I love your pen-name! It's so hilarious. Anyway, yay for me! I actually can spell and paid attention in language arts class! Whoo hoo! It's funny that you should mention that, because usual, whenever I write something, I ALWAYS make a mistake somewhere. Keep a look out for me in this chapter for mistakes! Thanks for reviewing!

Punk Rock Miko2- Thanks very mucho. I'll try to update sooner in the future!

Jasane-chan- Wow, I'm glad you can relate to Kagome. In this story, I made Kagome's character a bit ooc, but I'm trying to get her back on track. Yep, Kagome's a senior, but you'll reading more about her freshman year later hint

SummerRoses- Yeah, I get what you're saying. I'm not sure how I want to pace this story. I already know what I want to write, and am processing it so that I can tell all the basics and get on with the story, but I don't want to write a hundred chapters. Basically, I think this story is going exactly the way I want. Thanks for the review!

- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story so far!

Kannalover- Short and sweet review. Hope you're willing to read more of the story!

Kagome- Thanks for the review!

Elizabeth Hemingway- I love your review so much! It's long . . . just the way I like it, but not of some random stuff. I'm glad you actually paid attention to the style of my writing, and thanks so much for believing in me. This is one of the reviews that I'll probably remember forever, because it means so much to me. You fill me with hope, so thank you.

Sesshy's Girl- It's alright, you don't have to sign into your account to review. Yep, this story's AU. I'm glad you're taking a chance and reading this story. I hope you're willing to read on. Thanks for the review!

Jsinuyasha- Wow, thanks for the short and sweet review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Acrazychild4life- Really? You like the length? Well, this chapter, I wrote even longer, but I hope I'm not boring you with writing too much. LoL. I'm so surprised with myself for being able to write so much, I never though I had it in me. Thanks for the review! Btw, nice pen name.

Sno-man80- I'm flattered that you're willing to read this story, and giving it a chance! I, on the other hand, actually like reading stories that takes place in the future rather and in the past. I love your name, it's so rare. Yes, I know this is a very original pen name, and it's also a very long story of how it came about. Thank you for reviewing!

Yoli05- Thanks for the review. I'm so glad that you're interested in the story so far!

Kycio-san – The story is Kagome and Inuyasha, but I'm not giving up any information other than that (which is pretty obvious) lol. Well, in this chapter, you'll find out a bit more about Inuyasha and his family. But I'm not sure where I'm going with Inuyasha's character. I don't want to go overboard and make him nasty and icy, but for him to have a bit of redemption and sympathy. Inuyasha's a playa, I like that idea. Haha. Thanks for the review!

And last but not least Kittykat- First review for you! Yay! I'm glad you like the length and I'm not going too long, but I also hope that this chapter isn't too long either. Thanks for the review!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed! And for those of you who reviewed on chapter two, I'm sorry your reviews got deleted. I had to delete the old chapter two in replacement of this one, so the reviews were deleted along with it.

She sat there, surveying her surroundings. Three feathered pillows relieved her back, and a cashmere comforter dusted her skin. Letting her head loll back, her skin tingled slightly at the touch of a warm breeze spraying her features. Kagome molded her back so that it fitted in perfection against the mattress.

A cool tone of cucumber green glazed over her wandering eyes. Four walls of green, and a roof full of dangling lanterns. The round, delicate lanterns floated in motion as the air sifted through the windows. Plush cream carpet soothed over the floors, and a four poster bed smack dabbed right in the middle of the room. Oak Versace cabinets lined every corner, with a walk-in closet half the size of this room set on the side. A few personal belongings dotted the place, but the rest was still left unpacked in Kagome's blue suitcase lying lifelessly on the side.

The room was big, that was a given, but it lacked life. It was one of those simple model rooms that you would skip right over in a showcase. It needed warmth and maybe . . . just maybe . . . a little bit of Kagome.

While she was to be here for the whole summer, she might as well get acquainted with her room. No matter how impressive the bedroom looked, she couldn't help but feel a little lost and missing her old room.

She hesitated a little, recoiling back as the knob on the door shook. Was it too late to pretend that she was still asleep? The quaint old clock read 8:27 AM.

The door creaked loudly to an open, while a voice muttered softly, "Damn, we need to get that oiled."

Kagome tilted her head up so that a pair of jumpy amber eyes of amusement met her own. A grin cracked on her lips, and it fitted.

"Hey, I'm glad you're up," Sora flopped on to Kagome's bed with a soft thud, and turned to face her guest. "So . . . we have a busy day ahead of us."

Carefully considering her statement, Kagome said, "Mmm . . . I'm not so sure about that. Now that school's over, I'm thinking about maybe taking it easy for a while."

She knew better to say that though. There was no such thing as 'taking it easy' in the town of Deom Bell. Deom Bell is the celebrity hot spot, where talent agencies are always recruiting on the street, and people who wants to make it big would be attracted here also. Most stars were always on the go in Deom Bell, whether it was to a studio, or movie premiere. The party spots were always in full swing, day or night.

Of course, Mrs. Higurashi wasn't famous, but she bought a simple house in Deom Bell since she thought it would be easier living closer to her job. She was a personal assistant for the Taishos, living here made her life simpler now that she didn't have to be stuck for hours in traffic.

Houses tend to run big in this populated town, especially the Taisho's. What with three working member of the family making high pays, they could afford just about anything. The Taisho family has been under the spotlight for about three years now, and nothing was going to take that reputation away from the family.

Sora Taisho's known for her angelic singing voice and beautiful looks. But what had kept her under the paparazzi's gaze was her innocence. Mr. Taisho owned the world famous jewelry line, Taisho & Inc. And last, but not least, Sesshoumaru Taisho had done many ads for not only his father's company, but managed to steal the hearts of many fan girls as well. Inuyasha . . . was a strange case, for no one's heard of that name beyond the high school.

Kagome found that odd, how three out of four Taishos managed to find their way into the business, where as the last one just disappeared in the public's eyes, but she hated lingering thoughts at Inuyasha. Kagome moved her mind on to other subjects.

"Sora? Did one of the maids come in last night to open my window up?"

The model looked at her funny, as if she was pulling a prank on her. "No, Kagome. We don't keep any assistants around the house after nine, besides the guards. Inuyasha's very particular about these kinds of things, he . . . doesn't like extra people roaming around the house. Not after . . . never mind."

The girl hadn't paid any more mind to Sora's words either.

"So Kagome, I have made up my mind." She couldn't keep back the smile bursting on her face. "I'm going to give you a makeover. I mean, you're so pretty, and your cheekbones are to die for, if we could just do something about that hair of yours—"

"But Sora," Kagome cut in, not seemingly so sure about the idea as the model was. Her train of thoughts was lost when the pair of golden eyes fell and lost all the sparkle and enthusiasm they carried when they first arrived. Sora's body went limp and she struck out her lower lips into a pathetic pout.

"Well," the guest reasoned, she hated dampening the mood. "Aw, now, Sora, that's not fair. How can I say no to that puppy face you make?"

A rightful smirk broke out of across Sora's face as she leaned forward to face Kagome. She façade reappeared cool and content, perfectly model-like. Opening up her perfectly manicured hands so that her palms faced up, she let the girl's fragile hands slip on top of hers.

"Place your trust in my hands," she spoke as if she had the whole world in the palm of her hands. "And I'll make you gorgeous, Kagome. A heartbreaker."

A chill crept up Kagome's spine, and she flinched at the last word. Sora knew she had struck a damaged nerve, and she felt guilty for doing so. She also knew what Kagome was capable of, and she wasn't about to let a beautiful girl pass her by.

"I suppose . . . maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea," she whimpered. "It's just that I would hate to crush your hope and disappoint you. Really, I don't think there's much you can do with me, I'm not drop-dead gorgeous like you."

Before Kagome could even give her full consent, she was already being dragged halfway out the bedroom and into the halls. Sora was determined, and little was she going to let Kagome whine through her time and regret her words.

"Come this way, my makeup artists are already on their way to get me to a shoot. I'm sure they'll love you. You're like an empty pallet: full of potentials."

Kagome narrowed her eyes with a bit of reluctance against Sora's grasp on her. As she trudged through the steps, she couldn't help but notice the smirk on Sora's face sinking deeper and deeper by the second.

"You didn't happen to know what I was going to say yes, did you?"

"Like you said, who could say no to this face?"

0-.-0

Apparently, Sora had been telling the truth, because after half an hour of 'putting on her face' she left in a rush, screaming something about being late for the shoot. Kagome had to admit that it might've been quite a bit of coincidence there, but decided not to argue over it with herself.

Sora had practically fed Kagome into the sea of hands, grasping for their next victim. The makeup artists flocked and fawned over her. It was as if she was next big round shiny thing that they could attempt to amuse themselves with. Kagome had never gotten so much attention and gushing over, but she was willing to get adjusted to it.

Kagome felt trapped as the artists held her down and examined her. She felt exposed of all her weaknesses. Her insecurities must've been written all cross her face when a pair of strong hands circled protectively around her and yanked her out from the throng.

A pair of sympathetic eyes met hers as she looked up.

"Take a step back off of Kagome," Her voice boomed and took command of everyone's attention. That was power. "And Itone, you come with me." It wasn't a request, but a demand. A young bald man extinguished himself from the crowd and scampered after the woman.

He was scrawny, Kagome noted, but had an enormous amount of self-confidence and pride that could blow everyone's pants off. The man whom Kagome could only identity as Itone moved in a catlike fashion, yet somehow it was befitting of him. With hair tied back into a sleek ponytail, and an awkward floral shirt, he was a makeup artist come alive.

"Hello, I'm Sango," the tall woman gave Kagome a stern but warm shake of a hand. "I'm Sora's manager."

Her tone was sharp and bright, seemingly having to be as piercing as lightning. Sango was the pure definition of a businesswoman. Hair tied neatly into a ponytail, and a striped business suit without a single crease. She carried herself with grace and power, demanding not to be toyed around with. But also, there was something very kind and friendly about her that Kagome couldn't quite put place yet.

"And I'm Itone, Taisho's personal makeup artist," the man snaked his hand into Kagome's with a flimsy shake. "Sora gave me the 411 on the situation, and I must say, I'm quite pleased with her victim."

Sango backed Kagome up against a spiral chair and sat her down.

"I'll make every guy you see swoon over you. You'll understand the meaning of power and control," Itone said, tipping Kagome's jaw upward so he could give her a full examination. His eyes quickly swept over her face without hesitation, and he clicked his tongue with a broadened smirk. "Girl, you have stunning cheekbones. It's a shame that you'd hide all this under that cascading oil black hair."

She scanned the flawlessly smooth floor in shame and felt her cheeks turn rosy.

Itone's nimble hands must've worked at a hundred miles per hour. He dusted Kagome's face with golden tanned powder, and found his way through the blushing red curves of her cheeks. While he was doing that, he had eight rollers working at her hair simultaneously.

Kagome blinked, not daring to contradict what Itone had planned for her.

Her eyes were rimmed with shadow as dark as midnight, giving a smoky effect on her daring bright eyes. They seemed to shine with a secret buried deep underneath, yet their facades were angelic and innocent. Plumped with the color of mauve, her lips seemed to have light up her face.

With a swift movement, Itone whipped off a handful of cream and massaged into Kagome's scalp.

"How long have you been working as Sora's manager, Sango?"

"About four years now, not a lifetime, yet surely not that short," she replied coolly, sneaking a peak at the progress Itone was making. "Only after they moved here four years ago was I hired to work for Sora, and that's around when the family made it big too."

"They were . . . very particular about moving here. It was after they moved in Deom Bell did Mr. Taisho's company skyrocket, boosting both Sesshoumaru and Sora's fame. They didn't like their old house much, they didn't have a very particularly fortunate past."

Sango slid Kagome a very secretive glance, but Kagome didn't seem to catch on to it. This wasn't the first time she's heard of Kagome, but was the first time that she's actually gotten to meet with the infamous girl. It wasn't very much like Sango to stick her head where it didn't belong, especially when it involved any other Taisho than Sora, but the story was too haunting for her not to know.

She was about the one of the few people that truly recognized what had went down with Kagome four years ago, and that's when Sango first started working here. Her heart when out of the poor girl, and what she went through, especially since she's deserved none of it, but she also fathomed that life wasn't always very fair.

"Now hon, that raggedy t-shirt is not going to do." Itone chipped in, weighing down his own opinions on the new girl.

"But it's a rarity item," Kagome defended, looking a tone dimmer.

Itone rolled his eyes expressively, and sighed. "Then we'll sell it on Ebay or something, and maybe get you something good with the money."

She grumbled to herself, "I don't need the money. I'm not poor."

"Kagome," he looked down at her with a disapproving look hanging on to the corner of his eyes. "You're pale at hell. In fact, you're so pale, even Sango's tanner than you, and she doesn't get out much." With that, he earned a kick in the shin and glares from the woman next to him.

Sango's eyes lit up like two burning light bulbs. "Hey, the pool house outside is open. We can get you tanned there. Then you'll get a body to match with the face."

"But what about these self tanning sprays that I've been dying to try out?" Itone piped up with one bottle quipped in each hand.

Sango narrowed her eyes and placed her fists firmly on her hips. "No you're not. We're not going to let her walk out here looking like a big giant orange. Remember what you did last time with Sora? We had to keep her out of the public's eyes for a month in order to wear the color off."

"But guys, seriously, I don't think that's such a good idea," Kagome muttered hesitantly, fingering the vinyl fabric of the chair. It felt rough and lacy against her fingertips.

Without a word more, Itone immediately started unclipping the curlers from her hair. Soft curls tumbled to her shoulders, like cascading rich oil. She watched as the waves bounced against her skin, eccentric and flamboyant. The raven dark hair fanned around her face, and draped over her shoulder.

Itone smudged her cheeks with his thumb and gave her a careful smile for the finishing touch. Spinning her chair forward so that she was twirled facing the mirror, her hair flew and spun like a skirt. Kagome forced her eyes open and a clumsy smile fell to her lips. It wasn't one of those exaggerated gasps with tears, because what she saw in the mirror was the girl that she's known for the past eighteen years. She was familiarized with those shy, sad caramel eyes and the worn lips that she's forced smiles on for so long. Except they weren't quite the same.

Kagome wasn't sure when it had happened, but relief washed over her. She didn't see the same frizzy hair or the girl that hid in fear, or of a new Kagome that she knew so well, but had left behind in the baggage over the past few years. She memorized that face, the one that she had once thought she'd never see again. It was the same person that had enjoyed life, and took advantage of every situation. Pushing back the tears springing to her eyes, she thought to herself, Where have you been? Why did you let this happen?

Nothing responded.

"You look so radiant, Kagome," Sango advanced toward the girl. "You pass for a model. Wait til the rest of the world sees you." They were only inches away, when Sango leaned in to whisper in the girl's ears, "Go break his heart."

0-.-0

She stumbled out of the bathroom, feeling exposed and foolish. Hardly did she feel beautiful rather than insane that she was going through with this.

The manager was waiting for Kagome just outside the wide double doors. Hands placed on her hips, and head cocked, she inspected Kagome from head to toe, not missing a centimeter of detail.

Sango nodded and turned back to the stylist with a sign of approval. "You may go now. We got a keeper."

The gray haired stylist bowed his head and ducked out of the room. Sending her full attention back to Kagome, Sango gave a curt nod and smile.

"You looking dazzling," she pointed out. "White is your color. Just like an angel."

Kagome fingered the strap of her bikini in doubt. The tied white strings dug into her sensitive skin. She crouched in humiliation of baring so much skin, with her body coiling in defense.

"Don't try to suppress yourself, it makes you look scared and cowardly. Straighten up!" Sango led Kagome into the elevator and tugged her in before the elevator doors could close in on her. "We're going to the sun deck. There's a pool up there if you ever need to tan, but most important of all, the next time I see you, a presentable tan must be seen or you're outta here."

Kagome wondered if the manager was just kidding or had actually threatened her. Not a tone of humor could be traced back to her voice, so the girl took caution in Sango's words.

As she was being dragged along, Kagome noted how vacant the house seemed. Never, since her stay, has the house seemed so deserted and empty. Where were all the servants? And most important of all, where were the Taishos throwing around their fast tantrums?

"Where is everyone?" she confided in herself, her brain stirring madly.

Sango couldn't help but to overhear Kagome's personal words, so she decided to answer them for her since it was apparent that the guest was clearly baffled. "Sora's out on a magazine shoot. Sesshoumaru's out promoting Taisho's new jewelry line. Mr. Taisho's locked himself in his office with his greatest paying sponsor, Harishima. And I'd just been informed a few hours ago that Harishima brought over the whole family who'll be dining with us for lunch and preferably diner also."

Huh, Kagome contemplated to herself, And she finished that all in one breath. But Kagome couldn't help but to ask, "And where is—"

"Inuyasha's out with his girlfriend, so you don't have to worry about him getting in your way." Sango smirked with a hint of understanding twinkling in her eyes. Motioning with her hands for Kagome to opening the bronze door, she stood on the side, eyeing the girl. She noticed Kagome's chest puff out, relieving the nervous breath trapping within her.

"Kagome," she placed a hand dusting on Kagome's arm. "Before I leave you alone, I just wanted you to know that I've talked to Inuyasha the other day."

Squirming uncomfortably, Kagome's eyes locked with Sango's. "And?"

"I wanted to let you know that he's agreed to leave you alone and make peace. And I'm hoping that you're mature and respectable enough to do the same thing, Kagome."

She wasn't sure what came over her first, relief or anger. All she could feel was a struggle of mixture of feelings. Hasn't she wanted so long for them to just forget about the whole thing and just have Inuyasha let her live? Yet she's wanted so much more to hear the inu-hanyou apologize to her face. Kagome's face froze and she kept her posture ice still.

"I'll do so," she spat icily, for the first time in the house showing some discourtesy. "As long as he keeps to his end of the agreement."

She stepped out of Sango's questioning gaze and into the sun deck. The heat was overwhelming, almost making Kagome dizzy, but she stayed rooted to the ground in order to catch a few more glimpse of the impressive land.

A sparkling aqua pool, the size of her own house, stretched out for miles in front of her. The light hit it in all the right places, reflecting off billions of tiny crystals. Matching azure umbrellas and beach chairs dotted the deck in a stylish manner.

It had certainly gotten much hotter since that morning when she'd woken up. The sun was a giant ball of inferno, tempting to release its power and melt everything along on the land. Kagome found sanctuary in the icy pool water enticing her as she lay across the chair, trying to catch a tan. Of course, with pounds of sun-tan lotions slathered all over her pale skin for she wouldn't want to see the reaction of her mother when she returns home after the vacation to report that she has skin cancer.

She was notified by Itone that it took forty minutes to start getting a tan, so she relaxed her bones, and decided maybe get some sleep. It sounded like the best idea she's heard of all day. And it wouldn't hurt to tune out on all the boring specifics of how to tan. After a few minutes of thrashing around, she finally settled in on some sleep, and let her mind rest to envelope around all the comforts she knew so well.

0-.-0

Kagome's eyes suddenly shot open in the alertness of a cheetah only to be met with the glares from the rays of the bright sun.

Her muscles burned and ached like a thousand watts of sparks firing at the joints of her elbow as she brought it up to scratch her flaming stomach. Flexing her fingers, her whole body felt raw and broken.

It was just then that the heavy brass doors slammed open with a thundering crash. Kagome jumped in alert, her eyes focusing in on the origin of the distraction. There, she caught sights of glossy silver hair flickering in the sunlight, and golden skin bathed in warmth. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to make out the figures at the door, and gasped in pure shock and deep disdain.

A lanky girl was hooked to Inuyasha's capable arm for support, her back craned into a perfect arch. The part that stood out about her the most was her flaming red hair, mounting like patches of flame burning brightly. She had a voluptuous body with gorgeous curves that fitted in perfection against Inuyasha's molds. Arms dragging skimpily against Inuyasha's neck, her creamy skin contrasted like black and white against the hanyou's tanned surface.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, had his face buried in the nape of her neck, his growls muffled against the pure flesh. Claws sinking into the small of her neck, he felt her icy warmth underneath his fingertips. Entwined, they stumbled into the pool deck.

Kagome drew back her gaze, shuttering at the scene. That disturbing image is going to be imprinted in her brain forever. She was truly going to grow up traumatized.

In blind embarrassment, her hands reached for the first magazine in the stack of motley magazines Sango had piled up by her beach chair earlier. Flipping through the pages, her eyes barely skimmed through the text, but she stared into space and her fingers nimbly and subconsciously flipping.

"Get a room," she murmured to herself in disgust. A dark curl fell into her shoulders, and she blindly tucked into behind her ear.

Inuyasha's sensitive ears twitched, making out a whispering female voice. He pulled back from the woman who quickly fell into his grasp and traced his eyes back to the sound. A few yards across from him laid a gentle body stretched out across the old beach chair. The only thing he could make out was a flood of inky curls and perfectly tanned skin.

Smacking his hands, the inu-hanyou's face soured at the sound. He dropped the woman hotly to the ground and flashed around to confront the lying figure.

"Excuse me?" He demanded, his voice booming louder than he had proposed.

Higurashi bit her glossy lips in confusion, and forced her eyes to comprehend the mysterious language of the magazine. Her ears strained at the sound of Inuyasha's coarse voice barking at her, and she winced.

The usual Kagome would have just shrunk back to the smallest she could and avoid confrontation. She'd try to vanish in thin air and hope Inuyasha didn't recognize her. Another voice screamed inside her head, unfolding her barrier and told her not to be bossed around by a hanyou.

She swerved around, glaring at him. Both her hands clutched the magazine in a strangling fashion, yet her hands were sweating profusely. Training her eyes to focus at Inuyasha's terrible façade, she let out an angered breath.

"I said," she hissed, knitting her brows together. "TO GET A FREAKIN' ROOM! Is that too much to ask for?"

The demon took a few threatening steps toward her, trying to read the girl's face. His eyes drank in her features, but his brain frantically refused to accept what he was seeing.

"Higurashi?" He let out a strangled breath. What had happened to her?

"No," she rolled her eyes at his bewildered expression. "Your mom."

She reminded herself that she didn't have time to have a conversation with an idiot, and turned back towards her magazine.

"Inuyasha," the redhead piped up crossly, obviously unfamiliar with the situation. Flinging herself to him, she gave him a yearning pout and gazed up at him with watery eyes—the trick worked on every guy so far. He scowled at her in annoyance, and pulled out of her embrace.

"I have to go to the runway show soon," she scanned his cold face for a sign of sympathy. "You better stop me."

He stopped hot in his heels and whirled around, struggling between whether or not stopping Ai. They've been together for pretty long—a week—but perhaps she was a little too high maintenance for her own good. His mind ached at coming up with a decision on the spot. Did he really need her in his life?

She was gorgeous, of course. Not only that though, but his sister depended on him to win Ai's heart. The woman's coldness was contagious, and Inuyasha wasn't one to stand against it.

Ai might be every guy's dream girl, but in the past week, the demon found himself questioning was beauty was. Maybe beauty really was in the eyes of its beholder, but was he really one to be up for the challenge to find out?

One last chance was all both of them needed, yet Inuyasha found that faith being tested little by little.

Chasing after her, Inuyasha tugged on her arm gently, and let it drop. She glanced back with a coy smile on her lip like a Cheshire cat. "Yes?" she purred delightedly.

His eyes were heavy, yet his body displayed boredom. "You forgot to give me my keys back."

Voice echoing in her mind, she gritted her teeth in bafflement. "What? You told me that those keys were mine to keep, Inu-hanyou."

"Yours to keep until this is over," his voice droned on in monotone. "And I believe this is over."

For a while, they both stood there, trying to grasp the words that were too hard to forget.

She laughed, holding her head back in amusement. Ai's arms were outstretched, dangling a pair of keys. Holding them away from her, she acted as it they were contagious. "Wait until Sora hears about this. She's never going to let you live it down."

His movements were agile and swift, until he had the keys in his grasp. Motion blurred, the keys were in his possession before Ai had even realized what went on. "Oh trust me, Ai. Sora's the last thing on my mind right now."

With the flick of her head, she turned and stomped away in the most dignified manner she could pull together. Her face distorted into nausea and she sent one last look back at the demon. With all the courage she could muster, she spat, "You're just like your mother, worthless dog. No wonder you're only a hanyou."

With that, Inuyasha flung the door shut in her face. His face was full of threat and menacing. He was not about to unleash that ugly monster of hatred burning inside of him, for Ai was not even worth that. Having no idea why he showed compassion with her in the first place, he rushed his head in a dizzy darkness.

His funky mood stunk up the air. Kagome opted to run and get out of Inuyasha's wrath, but that would target her as more than suspicious. Emotions ran through her head, was she suppose to feel sorry for him? Maybe forgiveness was finally found.

Never.

Her hand trembled as much as she tried to steady them. Eyes flickering back at the lines of blurred works she held in her hands, she made a conscious effort to concentrate. Eyes darting from one line to the next, her brain seemed numb of thoughts.

In a flash, sharp fingernail had buried themselves on the pages of the magazine, making a smooth imprint. Kagome's eyes widened and she choked back in fear. His hands gently tugged down the magazine, so the shield between their faces was destroyed. Kagome was met with a pair of luminous bright eyes that caught her totally off guard.

"Nice choice of magazine," he commented smoothly, letting an easy smirk slide on his face.

Kagome's eyes immediately bolted to the front over of the magazine. Parenting Magazine.

Figures.

"So, who's the daddy?" Inuyasha sneered at her with a teasing gleam in his eyes.

Her lips twisted in disgust, and she knitted her brows together in anger. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"As a matter of fact," His voice lilted in amusement. "I would. Care to enlighten me?"

Kagome's perfect fingertip dug into the paper as she shuffled and folded them together. No way was she going to let that hanyou get the best of her, after all he wasn't worth all the trouble.

"What do you want?" She scowled, pursing her lips together.

"So I see you finally saved enough money to buy yourself a pretty face." His face contorted into fake sympathy.

"You should be the one to know," she said crossly. "Where did you get yours? The dollar store."

His face was shadowed by anger and some sort of frustration. One of the things Inuyasha could not stand was smart-asses, such as the one before him. Applying pressure to his arms, he bent down and placed both of them on either side of the girl, trapping her like a targeted animal right in the center. She was taken back by fear.

"You," he growled, his eyes seemingly on fire. "Get out of my house. This is not where you belong, and I'm not going to put up with you the whole summer."

The fact that she held his gaze and not once tried to tear away her eyes frightened him. Where was the girl that was nobody? Could she have possibly been replaced by . . .

Kagome straightened out her arms and placed them on Inuyasha's chest. With easy force, she shot them out and pushed him stumbling away. He was a force to be reckoned with, but Kagome couldn't help but to take a shot at him. Once regaining his balance, he glowered at her with might laced with threat.

Whipping her legs to the side, she got off the beach chair with considerate grace. Delicately, she placed her palm flat on his shoulders and looked straight into those eyes that she's been so afraid to challenge for years. There was a yearning in her soul to put him in his place.

"I'm not threatened by that dangerous veil you're put up, because I intent to destroy that and make the world see you for what you really are. When I look into those eyes, I see an unbearable pain whose origin I couldn't even imagine. Sadness flood those barriers and takes the toll on you. Those things I have no idea where they arrive from, but I'm fixed to discover the truth."

Kagome took step forward, and Inuyasha followed in a daze.

"But you know what I don't see, Inuyasha? I cannot see all the things I should be seeing. You have no shame, not an ounce of guilt either. Everything about you is carefully concealed, but I hope you realize that nothing gets past me. You'd better run."

Unable to bear the woman's truth anymore, Inuyasha looked away and broke the connection.

Kagome smiled in glory.

She won.

No. of Pages: 15

No. of Words: 6404

Date Started: 10/4/06

Date Finished: 10/27/06

Spell Checked: Yes

Date Edited: N/A

Date Posted: 10/28/06

Review!

I'm glad I got the chapter done in the last minute. Phew. I also apologize for any spelling and/or grammar mistakes. I tried to get this chapter up ASAP, so after I post, I'll go back and fix every mistake and try to repost again.

Also, I was reading it over, and it really did see me like the chapter was moving way too fast, and that's purely intentional. I need to tell the basics before I can get on with the plot, so I have you guys understand.

Happy Halloween!

Ellen AKA Walking Flame

PS. What's everyone being for halloween?

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