Chapter Three

Summer 1858


It was another blaringly bright summer day when Kagome decided she had had enough schoolwork for the day and desperately needed a break. Kaede had fallen asleep on the settee and a wicked glint twinkled in her eye.

Kagome calmly put her pencil down and pushed back from the desk.

"Where do you think you're going?" Souta's disapproving voice asked.

She jumped having forgotten Souta was doing lessons with her this morning. Recovering, she skipped over to his desk and sat on the edge of it. She put on her prettiest smile.

"I'm just going for a quick walk while Kaede naps. I don't want to disturb her and I'm already finished with my lessons for today."

Souta rolled his blue eyes. "I'm not stupid sis; you don't have to lie to me."

Her smile turned into a playful grin. "Okay, so I may or may not go and rump around with the slave children."

"Kagome." He said sternly.

"You can come if you like."

"Kagome."

She gave an unladylike snort and lifted her chin defiantly. "Are you going to tell on me?"

His expression softened. "Of course not, Kags. I just worry about you is all. Papa has been talking about sending you away to finishing school because you haven't been acting like a lady."

She sighed and fidgeted with her white dress. "I know, I know. But that's all the more reason for me to enjoy myself now, ain't it?"

He raised an amused eyebrow at her weak reasoning.

"I'm going, Souta. You should come too; you're not sick anymore."

"That's true but I also don't want to deal with Papa's wrath. Things have been good lately with the money and expansion but who knows what will set him off? And besides, I'm not a kid anymore Kags. I'm almost 18 and Papa expects a lot more out of me."

She stared at her older brother wondering when he had gotten so mature. Maybe it was overcoming his mysterious illness that made him wiser beyond his years. What ever it was Kagome was sure she didn't like it. He made so much sense and she didn't want to feel this guilt. What she wanted was to go and see if Inuyasha and Shippo were on break right now. Well, mainly Inuyasha…

Souta noticed her secret smile and realized she was already off somewhere else in her head. And he had a pretty good guess as to where it was. He sighed and made a shooing motion with his hands.

"Oh, get out of here ya hooligan."

Kagome jarred from her thoughts and sent him another pleasant smile. "Thank you! When Kaede wakes, tell her I had a headache and am napping. That should buy me some more time!" She jumped off the desk and walked around to her grown brother.

She gave him a jaunty kiss and skipped from the room. He watched her with amusement but also concern. She was too naïve about the world and the sooner she understood that the better.


Kagome was dashing into the kitchen when she saw her father approaching. Quickly, she slowed herself down to a more ladylike walk as he came into the house.

"Good afternoon, Papa." Kagome greeted him with a forced smile.

He stared down at his daughter with dark eyes. "Where are you off to, Kagome?"

She put her hands behind her back and looked up at him with innocent eyes while feeling a sickening churning in her stomach. "I finished my studies and Kaede said I could have a quick walk before my piano practice since I finished early."

His maroon eyes narrowed. "Why isn't your brother or Kaede escorting you?"

Kagome made a show out of a dramatic sigh. "Papa, I'm just going to walk around the garden for a little. Besides, Souta is too responsible to do something as mundane as walking when he could be perfecting his account books."

The diversion to Souta seemed to appease her stern father. "He is working on his account books right now?" Kagome nodded. "Excellent. Alright Kagome, continue with your walk but if you are a minute late for piano… you answer to me." His voice darkened to compliment his handsome dark looks.

She nodded once more and hurried past him. She was aware of his eyes boring into her back as she made her way out the kitchen door into the blinding sunlight.

She had just entered the slaves quarters when she saw Inuyasha and Shippo among a larger group of slaves on break. She joined them with a smile. The group muttered a general greeting and she answered back with one.

She tried not to be hurt at the complete stop the conversation had made when she approached. Slowly, over the years, the slave children she had grown up with had begun to distance themselves from her more and more with each passing year.

"So what are you guys going to do today?" Kagome asked Shippo.

He shrugged. "I think we might go down to the river and swim a bit. It's crazy hot today."

"Swim?" Kagome asked with surprise.

Shippo nodded as did some of the other demons. One of them suggested leaving now since they had to be back to work in a few hours and as one the group started to move to the line of trees. Kagome hesitated, Inuyasha and Shippo paused for her.

"What's keepin' ya?" Inuyasha drawled with an edge of annoyance; Shippo sent him a glare at his lack of respect.

"I-I um, swimming? Really, you guys want to do that?"

Shippo's fluffy tail wagged behind him. "Yeah! It's great fun; we have contests too! Like who can swim the fastest or hold their breath the longest."

Kagome felt her heart rate increase. Races? Contests? Oh boy, this isn't going to end well.

"You guys go on, I think I'm going to stay here. Papa would be angry if I came back sopping wet."

Shippo frowned and chewed his lip; clearly he really wanted to go but felt obligated to stay with Kagome. She noticed and in return felt guilty that her position in relation to him made him feel that obligation.

"Keh, what ya afraid ya can't keep up with us demons?" Inuyasha taunted.

Kagome felt herself bristle. She loved challenges, especially when it meant a chance to prove herself to Inuyasha. But… she couldn't take the bait. I don't know how to swim…

"Oh, I'm sure I'm a better swimmer than you. But like I said, I can't get my new dress wet." Pointedly, she smoothed her hands down the front of her summer dress.

Shippo by now kept looking back and forth between them and the trees; clearly, impatient to be with the others.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're all talk." Inuyasha snapped his head at Shippo. "Will ya quit that fidgettin'? Just get gone, will ya? We will be right there."

Shippo smiled toothily. "Sure! See ya!" Gleefully, he shot off like a bullet.

"No, we will not. I am going back inside."

"Go run along then. Don't want your perfect skin to see the sunlight. It will damage your marriage value." His amber eyes were dark and vicious.

She stomped her foot. She didn't mean to seem so childish but she couldn't help the rage this boy could raise out of her. "Oh you- Oh, you are so- so! Ugh!" She groaned spinning around and walking purposefully toward the main house.

Inuyasha followed behind her. "That's it? That's the best you can come up with?"

She stopped and turned around with a finger pointed at his chest. "Oh, I've got a thing or two to say to you-"

"Is there a problem here, Kagome?" An icy voice, made her straighten her spine.

She felt a long fingered hand on her shoulder and didn't need to look behind her to know that her father was there.

"No, Papa. There is no problem." She said quietly, dropping her hand.

Inuyasha had gone quiet as well and was looking at the hard earth.

"Was there something you needed, slave boy?" Naraku asked with venom.

"No, sir."

"No, master." Naraku corrected.

"No, master." Inuyasha ground out.

"Good, you should be getting back to the fields then."

"Yes, master." And he left immediately.

Kagome felt her heart clench. She ruined Inuyasha's break by getting him into trouble.

"Now, my lovely daughter, I thought you were going to go to the garden to walk."

She took a calming breath and tried to smile at her father. "I was, I just thought I heard a strange noise over here. I guess I imagined it."

Naraku's eyes held hers for a long, uncomfortable minute. "I'll be happy to walk with you now."

She felt a shiver expel down her back. "On second thought, its much too hot for a walk. I think I will go inside and read quietly until piano."

Her father nodded approvingly. "Wise decision, my child."

She smiled one last time before disappearing into the house with a heavy heart.


Finding herself in bed that night, Kagome's heart was heavier than ever. After a dull afternoon of reading, piano and then more lessons, dinner proved to be the perfect ending to a perfectly horrible day. Her father announced his intention of sending her away this fall to a finishing school for aristocratic young ladies. She couldn't do anything but thank her papa for his generosity although the idea burned uncomfortably inside her.

I only have two more months of freedom…

And that's when something clicked inside her. She smiled devilishly as the bargain began to form itself in her mind. She threw back the covers, grabbed a robe to wear over her nightgown and slipped down the stairs silently and out into the night.

The plan was completely perfected as she made it to the front door of Inuyasha's house and opened it without invitation, a habit that she had adopted the last couple of years. Shippo was missing but Inuyasha was sitting at a chair at a small wooden table, leaning over something that he was studying in the poor candlelight.

"I'll teach you to read." Kagome said impulsively, her words breathy. "If you teach me to swim."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, mistrust shining bright as day. Yet, Kagome sensed he wanted so bad to take her up on her offer. Knowledge and learning could ultimately change the fate of a slave.

"Keh. Go make that bargain with some other idiot."

Kagome shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere until you agree. Please, it has to be you."

"Why?"

She wondered to herself why it had to be him. But she just knew, like she had always known with all things regarding him. She wanted it to be Inuyasha that taught her how to swim, not any of the household servants, not any of the other slaves. It had to be Inuyasha. She simply wanted it to be him.

She shrugged and tossed her head to the side, a self-depreciating smile on her rosy pink lips. "It just does. Please?"

His intense amber eyes studied her a long moment, his arms stiffly folded across his chest. "How would I even teach ya?"

"Well, I don't know. I don't know how to swim."

"That's not what I meant! I mean how, when would there be a time that no one would know?"

Kagome's smile faded and she bit her lip in concentration. "Well, it wouldn't be hard for me to hold-up my end of the bargain. My maid goes to bed rather early, and my father locks himself in the study right after dinner. I could come down here to the slave quarters when she retires and teach you. The only tricky part is when I can actually learn to swim." She sat down on the hard and dirty bunk that was Inuyasha's; she didn't miss the way his eyes flared as she made herself comfortable.

"Yeah well, I ain't riskin' my life so ya can learn to swim. I'm only teachin' ya if I know for a fact we ain't gonna get caught."

"Then I guess you could teach me to swim after I gave you a lesson in reading and writing."

He studied her for a long time and then shrugged. "Forget it. I ain't doin' it."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why not? You know you want to learn."

He snorted and stood up from his table. "No, I don't."

"Ha!" Kagome stood up from his bunk and marched purposefully over to the table Inuyasha was sitting at. There on the table was an old newspaper, from the looks of it he was trying to read it upside down. She lifted it up and waved it in his face.

"Yeah? And what were you doing with this?" She asked with a raised eyebrow; he growled in response. "You want to learn; admit it, or don't admit it, but you will teach me to swim." She finished triumphantly.

Inuyasha snatched the newspaper from her. "Keh, fine. When do we start?"

Kagome's eyes grew large with happiness. "Tonight."

"Tonight?"

She nodded. "Only, I didn't bring anything to teach with so let's go swimming."

"How convenient. You're already flaking out on your part of the bargain."

She laughed and shook her head. "So lets do this! Come on, do we have a deal?"

Inuyasha eyed her again so she stuck out her chin and held out her hand. Finally, he took it into his larger, calloused hand and gave her hand a firm shake. Kagome felt something stir inside of her, something big and exciting. She knew this was the largest decision she had ever made and it felt great.

Inuyasha led the way into the dark night. Once under the cover of the trees however, Kagome was slipping and tripping over the obstacles the darkness of night had made invisible. After about the fifth time they had to stop for Kagome to right herself, Inuyasha made a show of grabbing her hand roughly and tugging her along.

The jolt of having his hand so suddenly holding hers twice in one night sent her heart a fluttering. She bit her lip at the sneaking suspicion of what this excitement she kept feeling, meant. It almost bothered her that she was feeling nervous around him. She almost preferred the constant bickering they usually indulged in.

Once they broke the coverage of the trees at the bank of the river, Kagome's eyes found it easier to see with the moon reflecting silver light off the water. Immediately, Inuyasha dropped her hand and stripped off his linen shirt. Kagome stood transfixed; she had never seen a man without his shirt before. The other slaves stopped undressing in front of her years ago and it was a simple fact that Inuyasha was not at all comparable to the young bare bodies she had seen as a little girl.

She recovered by the time he turned to face her. "I didn't think to bring a change of clothes."

Inuyasha's upper lip twitched in annoyance.

"Nevermind, its fine! I'll just learn in my nightgown. I'll hang it up tonight so it will be dry by morning." She untied her robe and tried to stifle a blush at Inuyasha seeing her in her nightclothes.

Geez, when did I start caring about propriety? I'm sounding like Souta or Old Kaede… worse, I'm sounding like papa…

That disturbing thought led her to squaring her shoulders. "Okay, how do we do this?"

By this point, Inuyasha had finished undressing and now stood only in his linen breeches. He shrugged at her question.

"Let's get in the water."

She followed behind him suddenly nervous. At the bank she stole what little resolve she could find within herself and put her first foot into the water. It was cold but the crisp quality of the water was invigorating. She must have looked like an excited child because when she looked up at Inuyasha, he was holding back a laugh.

She flushed and quickly waded her way to Inuyasha where the water was just below her chest. She felt like she weighed a ton with her nightgown stuck to her body and laden with water. She wondered if she would be physically able to swim with the confiding clothes or simply drown… Not that Inuyasha would let that happen…hopefully…

Inuyasha assessed her for a moment. "So you know how to float right?"

"Uh, no." She said with mild annoyance at his patronizing tone.

"Okay, we'll start there then." He stepped a little closer. "So just lay down in the water like its your bed."

She stared at him. "What?"

"Come on, its easy. Like this." Inuyasha promptly laid back, bringing his legs up and holding his arms out wide; he looked like he was laying on top of the water.

He stood up, shaking his hair out of his face. "You try."

Kagome swallowed and bit her lip. Very slowly, she leaned backwards but didn't bring her legs up soon enough and ended up just dunking herself in the water. She came up sputtering.

Inuyasha was rigid with withheld laughter. She would have bitten his head off but she could acknowledge that at least he wasn't actually laughing like he easily could be.

She settled for a 'humph' and, "I can't do it."

Inuyasha shook his head. "Yeah, its easy-"

"It's not easy!"

"-let me help you." He continued impatiently through tight lips.

He put a hand to her shoulder and another at her hip and helped to lean her back. She felt anxious until with Inuyasha's applied strength, her legs were brought up and when he released her, she was floating.

Kagome held very still apart from the smile that kept getting wider and wider on her face. Floating was in her opinion one of the greater accomplishments of her life. When she came up, she was aware again that she was exuding too much childish delight by the look on Inuyasha's face but she didn't care.

"Okay, so now what?" She asked eagerly.

They spent some more time floating; her on her back, and then her on her stomach. Slowly, he helped to move her hands and legs in the right ways to actually propel her. By the end of there lesson she could successfully manage a dog paddle.

Over the course of the following months and as the novelty of swimming lessons slowly began to wane, Kagome began fighting with a strangely familiar but somehow different stirring inside her when she was swimming with Inuyasha. The moment they set down there pads of writing paper and pencils and dashed for the river, somehow their dynamics changed. They were playful almost and they never bickered once during the following lessons.

During the day, Kagome was distracted by the pleasant thoughts of once again swimming with Inuyasha. She felt so content with him, safe and happy. He made her feel like how she once did when her mama was still alive.

It was Kagome's last night before leaving for school and they had just finished their nightly swim. Kagome collapsed on her back on the bank. She was wearing borrowed old clothes of Souta's to swim in, since they offered her more mobility. She was wiped out; they had just spent an hour racing back and forth from bank to bank. She didn't win except for once but she had a sneaking suspicion that Inuyasha felt bad that last race.

She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. I'm glad I get to spend my last night like this… with Inuyasha… she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

Inuyasha joined her on the bank. "Keh, maybe swimming will be a survival skill for you. Since obviously you need more of those."

She turned her head to look at him and narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

A wicked grin came across his features. "Really? You want me to remind you of all the times you have gotten yourself into trouble? And needed my assistance?"

She made an indignant sound. "I can't think of a single instance!"

He took the challenge. "The time you were trying to out climb me and ended up face to face with a beehive. I had to jump up there and haul you away before you were stung to death."

"Well, at least I still beat you. Jumping, obviously disqualified you." She muttered remembering that memory perfectly well.

That was the first time Inuyasha had let her ride on his back. She would never forget the frightening and exhilarating feeling of leaping down from the tree, with the force of the wind blowing her hair, the strength of Inuyasha as he landed nimbly.

"Keh. That wasn't the point, woman." He paused for a minute. "What about that one time you thought you could ride your pa's fiercest horse and nearly broke your neck? I had to snatch you from your certain death, of course."

Kagome actually laughed at that one. Why? She wasn't certain. Maybe because his teasing tone was doing interesting things to her insides? Maybe because they were flirting?

"Okay fine. So you've saved me a time or two."

"What about that one time-"

She laughed loudly and sat up. "Stop! Okay, I need survival skills are you happy?"

Inuyasha folded his hands behind his head in a very pleased fashion. "Yep. I was right, you were wrong."

Kagome stared out over the river. On reflection, if Inuyasha hadn't been there for more than a few times in her life, she would most certainly have not made it this far in her life.

"I'm glad my papa bought you." She muttered out loud unknowingly.

The silence that immediately followed snapped her back to reality. She didn't need to ask if she said that out loud because when she turned to look back at Inuyasha, his face had hardened. He stiffly sat up and began dressing.

"We should go."

Kagome felt all the shame in the world at that humiliating statement. Of course she hadn't meant it to sound so callous or even to be heard at all. She meant more along the lines of she was glad she had him and they were friends. How did it come out sounding so passionless? She felt hot tears prickle behind her eyes as she too stood up and grabbed her robe.

"Inuyasha-"

"Miss. Higurashi," He bowed his head. "Goodnight." And he turned and left before she could say another word.


Kagome was in a state of extreme anxiety the whole of the next morning. She was leaving this very afternoon and she still hadn't had the opportunity to find and apologize to Inuyasha for last night.

The memory brought a new flush of pink to her cheeks. She felt unbelievable shame at having said what she had, even if it hadn't been her intention for it to come out the way it did. What if he didn't forgive her?

Kagome stopped packing her luggage for a second to contemplate that dark thought. Last night as she tossed and turned it never occurred to her once that he might not forgive her. It was an impossible thought because they were friends, he had saved her life numerous times…

She felt the sting of unshed tears. How could she go away to the North knowing that Inuyasha hadn't forgiven her? That he would be happy to be rid of her for the next four or more years? It would destroy her. It was already destroying her.

Her heart was beating heavily and with each pump a stabbing pain shot through it. She wrapped her hands around her stomach trying to physically pull herself together. She was a wreck.

"Kagome?" Souta asked pausing at her door.

She turned to him with such a countenance of poor health that he immediately rushed to her side. "What's the matter? Have you taken ill? Shall I call the doctor? Kaede?"

She tried to speak but found her throat constricted in agony. She shook her head and with Souta's assistance rested on her bed. He produced a glass of water and she drank it down.

"Souta," She croaked, finding her voice. "I can't leave. I just can't."

"Sis, you can do it. If I was in better health I would have been gone for a long time already."

She shook her head. "No, that's not what I mean, though I will undoubtedly miss you terribly."

"But we will write." He added encouragingly.

She nodded becoming a little impatient with his interruptions. "Yes, we will write but Souta. I can not leave because I will be homesick. I can't leave because," here her eyes obediently filled with more unshed tears, "Because Inuyasha is mad at me and I can't stand the thought of leaving him on such ill terms."

Souta took a moment to process this and then he nodded and joined her on the bed. "Yes, it is clear that you have a rather fondness of him."

Kagome's heart tinged painfully. She had never admitted that to anyone, she hardly recognized it for herself that she had become dependent on him as a fixture in her life. She craved Inuyasha more than anything, it often led her to distraction.

"Yes." She agreed miserably.

"Why is he mad at you?"

Hesitantly she retold him what had happened along with the history and nature of her bargain with Inuyasha. She was surprised when she finished her story that Souta was not judging her for her reckless behavior, instead his look held genuine pity.

"You have to go and talk to him." Souta decided.

Kagome looked at the clock hanging on her wall. Her heart sank. "I can not. I am leaving in less than an hour and Kaede will be up any minute to help me finish packing and bathe.

Souta thought for a minute. "I will just have to distract her then."

"You can not! What if papa finds out! We both would be dead but it will be worse for you because you have to remain here with him."

Souta shook his head decidedly. "Kagome, go to him. Make him understand. Do not waste this opportunity; I do not know how much time I can buy you."

"Souta-"

"Kagome, you're happiness means the world to me. I know what it will be like if you cannot settle things with him before you go away."

She didn't make any move, so Souta dragged her from the bed and pushed her into the hall. With a final 'go' Kagome took off.

She ran with determination but also a lack of attention and it was by pure luck she didn't encounter any resistance before she reached Inuyasha's hut. She let herself in and was surprised to find it empty. She felt panicky and her mind tried to think where else to search. If he was in the fields, there was not way for her to leer him away. And then she wouldn't be able to apologize…

"Kagome?"

She turned around and ran to the young fox demon. "Shippo! I need to see him!"

Shippo's eyes saddened. "I-I don't know about that Kagome. He has been sad all day. He didn't show up in the fields this morning… he is lucky there is so much chaos with construction that he wasn't missed or else…"

Kagome had stopped listening when Shippo said he had been sad since last night. Inuyasha was never sad, he got angry but never sad. This might be irrevocable.

"Shippo, I need you to tell me where he is." She begged.

Shippo shook his head. "He said he didn't want to see you ever again…"

Fighting the pain that statement inflicted, Kagome resorted to something so desperate she would undoubtedly feel guilty about later tonight. Coming to her full height, she lifted her head and in a commanding voice said,

"Shippo, tell me where Inuyasha is."

The direct order had its effect and after the squeak of surprise Shippo was forced to tell her that he thought Inuyasha went to the river but wasn't sure since he didn't say.

That was all she needed to hear before she apologized and ran from the hut. She ducked into the forest, a little more aware this time that by now she could be suspected missing. She tried not to dwell too much on that thought as she pushed herself to run faster.

She came to a skidding halt once she cleared the trees and reached the river bank. To her left she didn't see him but when she looked to her right, he was right there staring morosely into the water. He hadn't even noticed her dramatic approach, or if he did he didn't plan to acknowledge her presence.

"Inuyasha." She called breathlessly coming to a halt just a few feet away from him.

He turned his head toward her but didn't speak. She tried to squash the bile rising in her throat at his devastated expression.

"I am so sorry." She started but wasn't sure what else to say. How could she explain her thought process without it coming out as harsh as before? How could she explain something that was still new to even herself. She liked him.

He turned away from her and that made her desperately try to find the right words.

"It wasn't what I meant." She gushed. "I-I was wrapped up in those memories you reminded me of… I was thinking how grateful I was to have you as my friend… Inuyasha, you've save my life so many times… I owe you so much."

He didn't make any indication that he heard her.

She felt the tears stream down her flushed cheeks, trailing down the column of her neck. "It doesn't matter, does it? You hate me and there is nothing I can do to change that." She wasn't aware he was looking at her now, she was mad with anguish. "It doesn't matter that I've been fascinated with you since I was ten or that we made a bargain to teach each other. Or that I swore to protect you and you me. All those times we would sneak off into the night are no good now that I made that one, horrible mistake. That I got so caught up in my feelings for you that I accidentally said something that shouldn't."

"Kagome." His voice was strained, but it was loud enough for her to stop herself.

She blinked away the tears blurring her eyes and tried to calm her hasty breathing. "What? Didn't I get it right?"

His golden eyes were hard as they bore into her blues. He took a step closer and reached out his hand, it was only an inch from touching her neck. He was battling something but Kagome couldn't guess what.

"Inuyasha, I'm leaving. I'm leaving any minute now and I can't go unless I know I still have you." She sniffled and closed her eyes; she was on the verge of sobbing and she just wanted to have some level of composure.

"You have always had me, Kagome." His thumb ran down the tear line that stained her throat.

She shivered and opened her eyes to see him watching her carefully; she shook her head. "I don't mean in the slave and master way. I need to know we are still going to be friends."

His hand fell away. "Friends." The word was thick, almost unwanted.

"You still want to be friends, don't you? You have to forgive me, please." She pleaded.

He lowered his eyes. "Yes, we will still be friends."

Then why does he look so miserable? I can't force him to want me like I want him but I'm selfish enough to settle with this…

Their spines stiffened as they heard her name being called in the distance.

"You have to go. Good bye, Kagome." He was taking a step back when she grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

It startled both of them. But Kagome was overcome with a desperate need to solidify his promise of still being friends. And she couldn't lie to herself and pretend she had wanted to grab him like this for months now.

Her name was called again.

"Inuyasha," she took an uncertain breath and raised her eyes to his, "hold me." She acknowledged as his body jolted to wrap around her it was a direct order and he had to comply.

Fearfully, she looked up to see if she had just undone everything she was trying to fix. Surprisingly, he was staring down at her with a look of uncertainty. An uncertainty she was sure was mirrored on her face as well. Her face felt hot and her heart sped up to a frightening pace.

There was just one more thing she wanted… no needed from him. "Inuyaha, ki-"

His lips fell down on hers suddenly halting her command. Her heart soared as she relieved in this kiss. In his kiss. In her first kiss.

It was blissful and perfect. It was tender and warm. It was everything she had hoped for in every girlish fantasy she had ever had. It rivaled any epic romance she had every read and that was mostly because…

She didn't even have to command it from him…

His warm lips pulled back from hers and she stared up at him in fascination. He wiped the remnants of her tears from her face. She smiled up at him not sure what to say.

Her name was called again, much louder this time. Her time had run out.

She reached up and fisted her hand in the hair at the nape of his neck. She pulled his lips once more to hers, elated by her boldness. When she pulled away, and stepped out of his arms she looked back over her shoulder.

"I will miss you. Goodbye, Inuyasha. Don't forget what you promised."


"My goodness." Was the only reply Miss. Hill could muster, her pale face surprisingly tinged pink.

Kagome chuckled. "Yes, I was quite bold." Her smile turned a little sour. "My father didn't find that boldness as amusing as you or I however."

"I wouldn't imagine he would during that time period."

The older woman's blue eyes hardened. "Do not give him the credit of excusing his horrid character as being a product of his time." The harshness of her voice, made Kagome sigh and return to staring out her window. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be so harsh."

"No, it is nothing at all."

"Well, after that kiss I didn't see Inuyasha for another three years." She began again as if the story hadn't halted.

"Did you write to each other during that time?"

Kagome's wrinkled lips lifted a little. "No, but I thought about it everyday. Souta wouldn't ever indulge my subtle questions about Inuyasha either. I suspect my father read over whatever was written between us."

"So you came home in…?"

"1861. That was the beginning of the Civil War and our school closed because families were pulling their daughters out in fear."

"So you were 18 years old then. And how did Inuyasha react when you came home? He didn't forget his promise, did he?"

Miss. Hill was happy to hear Kagome's melodic chuckle again when she answered, "He reacted in true Inuyasha fashion of course. And, no, he didn't forget his promise."


Well, hello there!

I'm finally uploading again! And geesh, I'm pooped. I forgot how much work it is to write, edit, upload, edit and post... So I might have skipped a little editing here and there... oops! Well, I'll get around to it anyhow.

Sad news... So, I know I promised that I would do this story alongside Chicago Seasons but I decided I will continue that one once this one is finished. Or at least for the time being it is on hold. I have a lot of material for this story and instead of letting it sit there unedited and unpublished while I battle the writers block for Chicago Seasons, I thought it would be better to upload this one more frequently.

But :) Glad to be back and writing again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry if its a little choppy, it really needs a little finesse... that I will get around to! As always, let me know what you think!

Thanks friends!

hugsLovingMyKitsune