Disclaimer: The story is mine, but the characters are not. Happy days, everyone!

wk: Urgh. I've been studying like crazy for the finals coming up. I don't need this STRESS, but you know. While I was studying, I couldn't help but type down my ideas for this story, as it's been progressing along very nicely. It's been kind of fast, but kind of slow at the same time... Does that makes sense? (Sweatdrops) Anyways, like always, tell me what you guys think about it!

Chapter Three
Jealous Rivalry

Kagome had been the one to say not to be awkward, but she couldn't help but peek out her window to make sure her corrupted neighbor wasn't outside before she went to go check her mailbox.

The damn neighbor must have been watching her, she though viciously as she saw him walk down his porch steps to greet her.

"Hey Slim," he said, kissing her on the cheek easily. Her neck might have been ticklish, but her cheek was not. She felt her face heat, and horrified at the knowledge she was blushing, she gave a noncommittal grunt before turning to flee into her own home. He watched her go with amusement, going to his own mailbox. It was Sunday, but what with yesterday being such an eventful day, they had both forgotten to check their mail yesterday.

Contrary to what she believed, he hadn't been looking for her. He grinned. He'd been sniffing for her. And listening for her. It was an easy thing to do when you had the nose and ears he did.

She didn't understand that she had challenged him last night. When he had blatantly told her that he had wanted her out of his system, he had meant it. Still, when she had told him to take it with another woman, he didn't even think about agreeing. Maybe he would try it tonight. He ignored the feeling of distaste that roared in him at the thought of another woman other than Kagome. And then she had practically thrown his offer back into his face, which made his blood rise to meet the challenge in her eyes. Now he was wondering how to get her comfortable with him again. It was going to be a hard task considering he didn't feel "comfortable" around her either.

Going back into his own home, he tried to think of plans to get Kagome to at least talk to him again. He heard the lawn mower of his other neighbor, and tried to block out the droning noise. His other neighbor was a man with a wife and three kids. Inuyasha made sure to stay away from him, because he wasn't exactly for demon-rights. His two little girls and an even younger boy all seemed to be afraid of Inuyasha as well. The wife was cheerful and nice enough, but she kept away from Inuyasha also. The man might as well have a rifle with him whenever Inuyasha left the house. He always regarded the dog-demon with barely controlled disgust and dislike.

I protect your damn asses, Inuyasha thought with a sneer. Well, whatever. He just didn't have to expect Inuyasha to do anything if he did get into trouble. Speaking of, he could hear his beeper going off. Sighing, he moved toward his pants in the bedroom. The shrill sound always hurt his ears, and he pressed them against the skull of his head before shutting the beeper off.

He freshened up, putting on his slacks and a button-up shirt before going out. He had a jacket over his shoulder as he kept his hands in his pockets. He whistled as he strolled down to his beat down car, and glanced into his neighbor's yard. The bad neighbor, who was mowing his lawn. Inuyasha didn't bother with hellos as he got into his own car. He was rumbling out of there and he definitely noticed Inuyasha, since he had a disapproving scowl on his face.

Had he wanted Inuyasha to say hello? Inuyasha snorted. As if. Leaning back in his seat and hoping it didn't break underneath him, he drove to work. When he arrived at his office, Miroku was sitting in a chair, already waiting for him. "Hello," the ex-monk said pleasantly. As always, Miroku had a weird glove on his right hand. It was most likely to prevent everything from being sucked into oblivion.

Inuyasha was the first person Miroku knew that didn't seem repulsed by the curse in his hand. Miroku, of course, didn't know how he received it. He only knew that it was a demon that cursed every generation in his family, starting with his grandfather. He was raised to be a monk, but he stopped his training to go after the demon that had doomed his family. He didn't want his own children to be inflicted with the curse, and he didn't want to end up like his father: in oblivion, a vacuum of space created by his own hand.

Inuyasha sat across from him, exhaling a long breath. "So what's up?"

"Chief said that we're supposed to go on patrol today," Miroku said. Inuyasha scowled.

"Again? We should be getting detective work, not this patrolling shit. He only wants us on patrol because he thinks I'm going to tear the psychos apart with my claws, or they'll get sucked into your Kazoona—"

"Kazaana, Inuyasha."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Well, there was that time you attacked one of the criminals."

"He deserved it! Killing women like that… Makes me sick. Bastard had a daughter, too."

"I know. He's just lucky that you came to your senses and only ended up giving him a few bruises. He was terrified of you, though. He admitted to everything once they threatened to bring you in."

Inuyasha swelled with pride. "Well, yeah. I am intimidating like that." Miroku rolled his eyes.

They went out the door of Inuyasha's small, cramped office. Miroku sighed when they went outside. "Why don't they give you a new car? That one's disgusting. It couldn't catch a kid in a shopping cart." Inuyasha shrugged.

"If it breaks down on the way, then I'll fix it."

"I think you should have become a mechanic."

"Nah. I would have brained too many people with a socket wrench for their stupidity."

"You say that you don't do that now."

"Well, I don't maim anyone."

They bought coffee and rattled away to catch a few speeding punks. "I can't believe you beeped me for this," Inuyasha said, sipping his coffee. "You could have done this by yourself."

"Yeah, but I don't want to use my car. It's actually new and shining compared to his heap of dung," Miroku said, affectionately patting the armrest. "Anything new with you?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha grinned and took another sip of his coffee. "Met a girl."

Miroku, who always had lecherous thoughts, gave Inuyasha a look with a raised brow.

"Pretty?" Deciding to pull Miroku's leg, Inuyasha shook his head.

"The most hideous thing you'll ever see. She could make a pile of shit look pretty."

Miroku was shocked into silence for a moment. "Skinny?"

"Fat as the broad side of a barn. She's wider than she is tall."

"Why are you seeing her again?" Miroku choked out, deciding to gulp down his hot coffee in his confusion.

After his coughing subsided, Inuyasha said, "Because she's a great person. She's so full of life." He found that this part was true. "Maybe you'll meet her later."

"I hope not," Miroku muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Inuyasha said, although he had fully heard what Miroku had said. He did have a dog's ears.

"Er… Nothing," Miroku said, smiling at Inuyasha.

Suddenly, in front of them, they saw a car whiz by. You didn't need a speedometer to know that the punk was speeding. Inuyasha quickly pulled up behind the car, and Inuyasha found himself thinking the car looked familiar. Still, he put on the flashing lights on the dashboard, and saw the car immediately slow. That was when he recognized the car.

He let a laugh burst out of him, and he turned to a startled Miroku. "Looks like you'll be meeting her sooner than I thought," Inuyasha said with a grin. He could have sworn Miroku turned pale.

He pulled over where the car had pulled over, and he could see the silhouette of Kagome's head frantically whipping side to side, probably looking for something.

Inuyasha got out of the car. He walked up to Kagome's car, and made sure his face was hidden above the car.

"License and registration, please," he said, dropping his voice a few octaves lower.

"Yes, hold on," Kagome said frantically. "I'm looking for it right now. I think I might have left my wallet at home." He could hear her searching and shuffling, and he resisted the urge to peek in.

"Please step out of the car ma'am," Inuyasha said. He glanced at his own car, and saw Miroku trying to peer into the car. He grinned at Miroku and gave him a thumbs up sign. He heard Kagome sigh, and she pulled the door handle. He stepped back, allowing her room to step out.

He glanced at Miroku, who was gaping at the figure that stepped out.

"I'm sorry, sir, I—" Kagome stopped when she saw Inuyasha. She closed her eyes in horror. "Please don't tell me you're the one that's going to give a ticket."

"I can get Miroku to do it, if you'd rather him give you the ticket."

"Can't you just… You know… let me off?" Kagome looked at him hopefully. Inuyasha grinned.

"What'll I get in return? It has to be something good, ma'am." Kagome flushed with anger.

"I'm not giving you my body you—"

"Well hello," Miroku said, striding up. He gave Inuyasha a dirty look, one that had Inuyasha snorting with laughter.

"Hello," Kagome said politely.

"I'm Inuyasha's partner. Nice to meet you," he said, mustering all the charm he could into his voice. "He's told me so much about you." Again, another dirty look was thrown in Inuyasha's direction.

Kagome shook Miroku's hand, and was slightly surprised when he kissed the back of her hand. Astonished, she didn't do anything, but Inuyasha was suddenly there, taking her hand fro Miroku.

Miroku was surprised as well. Inuyasha was so territorial over this one, and it didn't take a scientist to figure that out. Inuyasha was giving him a warning look as he led Kagome a little bit away from Miroku. Amused, Miroku watched as Inuyasha leaned down to whisper in Kagome's ear.

"I'll be expecting a date in return for this," Inuyasha whispered. Kagome gave him a dirty look, and he leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head away, and his lips landed on her cheek. Grinning, he bit her cheek, making her squeal outrageously. She batted him away, huffing.

"I'll let you off this time, but remember that you need to slow down." Inuyasha got into his own car, and Miroku followed. Kagome drove off at the same speed she was going before, and Inuyasha sighed.

"'Hideous and as fat as the broad side of a barn', eh?" Miroku said. Inuyasha shrugged.

"She's all right," he drawled.

"She seems to not like you," Miroku said with amusement. Inuyasha sat back, relaxing as he drove off in the opposite direction of Kagome.

"Oh, she likes me. She just hasn't realized it yet." Miroku only rolled his eyes at this.

"Of course, ye of high self-esteem," Miroku said. "Where'd you meet her?"

"She's my neighbor," Inuyasha said, and Miroku stared at him.

"Won't that make it a bit awkward if you were to break up with her?"

"Well, I already figured that, and I don't know. She seems to be quite the little charmer."

"Yes, she looked quite ecstatic to be in your presence," Miroku said. Inuyasha grinned.

"The little hedgehog will grow fond of me, and than you'll see. She won't be able to tear herself away from me."

Miroku only rolled his eyes again.

Kagome's hands were itching to kill him. They were tightening and loosening convulsively on her wheel. The weasel had blackmailed her into another date. In front of his partner, nonetheless.

Dammit. She was trying to avoid him at all costs, not get flagged down by him. "It's a small world after all," she sang under her breath.

Her cell phone started ringing, and she picked it up, smoothly going from both hands on the wheel to one hand while turning. "Hello?"

"Well, I was calling to say hello, but if you don't want to talk…"

"Kouga!" Kagome exclaimed happily. She leaned back into the seat, filing away thoughts of Inuyasha to the back of her mind.

"How you doing, baby?" Kouga purred out.

"Okay," Kagome said. Before he could ask, "Why only 'Okay'?" she quickly said, "When are you going to visit me, hm? You said you would come and see me as soon as I moved in."

"I know… Which is why I'm coming in today to see you! I hope you have room for me at your place, because I'm going to be staying for a while."

"How long is 'a while'?" Kagome asked.

"A week, maybe longer, depending on my mood," Kouga drawled.

"I'll have a room set up for you as soon as I get home."

"Where are you right now?" Kouga asked.

"I'm going to meet some new friends of mine. The next time we were going to meet was actually tomorrow, but one of them had a crisis. A 'Boyfriend-Broke-Up-With-Me-After-A-Good-Bout-of-Sex' crisis."

"Oh shit. Well, you better get there fast."

"I'm planning on it. I'll see you when I get home, Kouga. The door's open, so you can just go in."

"Still not locking your door, Kagome?"

"Never!"

Kouga laughed, and said his goodbye before he hung up.

Kagome was grinning when she hung up. Kouga had been her first for everything. And she meant everything. Still, after their relationship, they had managed to be good friends. He had told her he was still in love with her, several times, but she laughed it off for the joke it was.

She made it to Eri's house, but she was half an hour late, thanks to the muddy directions she had been given.

Eri was on her couch, sniffling with a tissue practically melted onto her face. Ayumi absently gestured Kagome over, patting the seat next to her. Kagome sat, placing he keys on the glass table in between the couches.

"I mean," Eri hiccupped, "after having really great sex, he was all like, 'I really don't want to do this now.'" Kagome felt a pang of sympathy for the woman. What kind of man would do that? Cowardly. Saying what he wanted after he got what he wanted. It was all about a man's selfishness.

"Men are just scum, dear," Yuka said, patting Eri's hand. Eri gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry for calling all of you guys, but now you're the only friends I have, ever since I moved here."

"Don't even worry about it," Ayumi said, reaching over to grasp Eri's other hand.

"Yeah, we women need to stick together in our crusade against men," Kagome piped. Eri gave a watery giggle. "Did he tell you why?"

"Yeah. He said that it just wasn't working out." She mocked his low voice, but then burst into more tears as she did so.

"Oh, honey, don't cry for that bastard. He'll get his, I'm sure," Kagome said. Eri sniffled. Kagome got up, moved towards Eri's kitchen. "This calls for chocolate ice cream and cookies. Where's your secret stash?" Kagome asked from the kitchen. Eri gave a strangled giggle.

"Lower left cupboard on the right side."

Kagome opened the door, and gave a small murmur of triumph. This was the stash of Oreos and Ho-Ho's that every sane woman had in case of emergencies such as these.

Now for the ice cream. Kagome rooted in the fridge, pulling out cartons of rocky road ice cream. Wow. Eri was really prepared. Precariously balanced with stacks of cartons and bags of cookies, she slowly walked back into the living room. Ayumi leapt up to help her when the cartons started to sway.

Kagome went back into the kitchen to find four spoons.

Eri instantly dug into the ice cream, her tears mixing with the creamy goodness. However, when she shoveled the first spoonful into her mouth, she sighed as if her all her troubles were over. "Now I remember why I got this," she murmured.

They all began to talk about their own experiences, sharing the ice cream and cookies.

"I have a rude neighbor that thinks too highly of himself," Kagome said over a mouthful of Oreos. "In fact, he wrestled me into a second date today. Jerk caught me speeding." At their blank looks, she explained, "He's a cop."

Murmurs of "What a jerk," reached her. Nodding in agreement, she grabbed another cookie.

"Is he cute?" Eri asked slyly. Hearing about others' troubles seemed to have her own mood lifting. Miserly loved company, after all.

"He's absolutely gorgeous, but that doesn't say anything about personality," Kagome said, sniffing haughtily. Then she chuckled. "And, I have my ex coming over today. He's going to stay for a week or two, and when Inuyasha finds out, he'll be so mad—"

"Inuyasha?" Ayumi asked suddenly. "As in dog-demon?" Kagome nodded. The stereotypes of demons and prejudices against them were strong sometimes.

"He's not dangerous. He would have to be somewhat law abiding to be an officer of the law." The subtle tension that had just permeated the air relaxed a bit.

"You better be careful, Kagome. Demons are—"

"Completely prejudiced against. My ex is a full wolf-demon," Kagome said, her eyebrow arching. There was a hushed silence.

"There was a time when a demon saved me from a burglar. He went away before I could say thanks, though," Yuka admitted. "They're not all bad. It's just people think they're bad because some of them are the worst, but there are worse people out there, too."

Kagome gave Yuka a grateful smile. Prejudice against demons was dying down, but that didn't mean that it was completely dead within people. Kagome herself had been criticized and looked down on for having a soft heart towards demons.

"But I will be careful, although it might not be in the context you were speaking of, Ayumi," Kagome said. "Besides… the ex that's coming over today is the only one I've ever slept with. Other than him, I've found I couldn't stomach men that pawed at me as if I was a hanging piece of meat. The silly thing is, that's how Inuyasha treats me, but I think he's a spectacular piece of meat as well."

The group chuckled at her dilemma. "I've never felt lust this strong for a man, including Kouga. Kouga was my first because I was curious, and he was persuasive. It was nice, and it felt good, but beyond that, I couldn't see all the hype about it."

"Honey, you obviously slept with the wrong man if you don't think there's anything special to it," Ayumi said with a curl of her lips. Kagome gave a laugh.

"I don't know… Maybe I'm just a romantic, but I don't want to do it with anyone else, until I've fallen in love. I'm not a virgin, and I'm also not completely naïve. Innocence, these days, is overrated. And besides, men are pigs that can't be satisfied any other way."

Eri raised her spoon up in the air. "I completely agree!"

They all raised their spoons in agreement.

"I think the way you can tell a good man from a sex addict is to refuse to have sex no matter what for at least a month or two," Yuka said. "If he sticks it out, that either means a) he's cheating on you, b) he's desperate for some booty, or c) he really likes you."

"Now there's something we need to think about. Let's call it the Monthly Golden Rule. If he can have no sex for a month, and still stay with you, he might just be worth keeping around," Ayumi said, sticking a spoon into her mouth thoughtfully.

"I love the idea," Kagome said. She crumbled an Oreo onto her spoon, and then spooned up some ice cream before putting it into her mouth. She resisted the urge to purr.

They spoke some more about their men problems and it lasted long into the afternoon. Some of them ended up crying with Eri as they remembered past loves, and Kagome kind of felt cheated. She wanted a past love. Kouga might have been a first sex partner, but he was a far cry from being a first love.

"This has been fun guys," Kagome said, glancing at her watch, "but I gotta run. The ex coming over today and all. He's probably kicked back in my sofa, looking through my personal items." They all laughed, and Ayumi and Yuka agreed that they had to get home as well. Eri, whose face was still puffy from crying, gave them all smiles. They had helped her a lot, and she would be able to get through the night without crying on her pillow.

Kagome got into her car, and looked at the pink sky. It was a beautiful sunset, and she pondered about Inuyasha as she started her car. Would he be able to stand a month without sex? The man seemed to have an insatiable appetite. She snorted. He probably wouldn't be able to stand a week without it, nonetheless four. She would see. If he was just an over-sexed idiot, he wouldn't be worth her time.

When she arrived at her house, she grinned when she saw that Inuyasha wasn't home yet, and she also saw Kouga's motorcycle. She remembered that when they had been in college together (That was how they had met) he had insisted on buying a motorcycle to impress the girls.

"Kouga," she called out as she opened the door. In a flash, he was in front of her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I need to breathe," she said in a strangled voice, but he didn't loosen his hold.

"It's so good to see you, Kag!" Kouga exclaimed, and his smile nearly split his face.

"I'm glad. Now let me go, you goof," Kagome said, trying to shove her hand in between them to get some air. He finally let go of her, but before he did, he couldn't help but sniff her neck for her reassuring scent. What he found was far from reassuring.

"You smell like a dog's bitch," Kouga growled out. Kagome looked up at him, mildly surprised.

"It's probably my new neighbor," she said wryly. Kouga started to growl.

"Did he touch you?" Kouga asked. Kagome rolled her eyes. Lord help her from male egos.

"Yes, he did, but it's not like I—" Kagome stopped as Kouga pushed past her. "Where are you going?"

"To tell him a thing or two," Kouga snapped as he opened the door and went out.

Well, at least he isn't home, Kagome thought, but right then, she heard the unmistakable rattle of Inuyasha's car. Dammit!

"Kouga, why did you have to get all big-brothery on me now?" Kagome muttered. She didn't understand that Kouga did not feel like a big brother. He felt like an overprotective lover.

"You!" Kagome heard Kouga shout as a door slammed. Kagome wondered if it was a good idea to go outside. If they killed each other, maybe she would be rid of all the men problems. Fat chance. If that happened, she would feel too guilty to feel happy.

"Me?" Inuyasha asked as he got out of his car. Miroku came out as well. Sometimes, Miroku spent the night at his house, whenever the mood called for it. Inuyasha did have two spare bedrooms. Miroku also always said that Inuyasha's bed was far more comfortable than his own.

"You son of a bitch!" Kouga seethed. Inuyasha instantly stiffened.

"What do you want?" Inuyasha asked, his voice dropping an octave like it did when he was faced with a serious situation. Since he had just pulled up, he had not noticed that Kouga had come out of Kagome's house. This guy was a full-fledged wolf-demon, and would not hesitate in giving Inuyasha trouble.

"Listen, dog shit," Kouga spat out as he strode up to Inuyasha. Inuyasha tried to stand motionless, but Kouga invading his personal space had his hackles rising. Miroku watched, interested. He knew that Inuyasha could handle himself, and he also knew he would be more of a hindrance if he tried to intervene. "Ka—"

"Kouga! What do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha stiffened even further when he recognized Kagome's voice and that she was calling for this piece of wolf crap, and not for him. Kouga continued to glare at Inuyasha, but took a step back when Kagome arrived at the scene of possible murder.

"Kagome," Kouga said with a change in his tone as his gaze slid away from Inuyasha to Kagome. Inuyasha noticed affection when he saw it, and he had to refrain himself from cutting out the wolf's throat when Kouga touched Kagome's arm in a reassuring gesture.

"You," she said, stabbing at Kouga's face with her finger and ignoring his touch, "are in big trouble. Get in the house while I apologize for your behavior."

"You don't need to apologize to him," Kouga spat, giving Inuyasha such a burning look that Inuyasha knew if it was in Kouga's power, he would be dead right now.

"Go, dammit, before I get really mad and kick you out of my house," Kagome said through gritted teeth. Inuyasha couldn't stop the growl from coming out of his throat and his hands clenching when he heard that Kouga would be staying at Kagome's house. Miroku looked at Inuyasha with interest. He had known some of Inuyasha's girlfriends. He had seen Inuyasha's reactions to them, and they weren't as fierce as he was showing for his new neighbor. Interesting, Miroku thought.

Huffing as Kouga walked away sulkily, throwing hateful looks over his shoulder at Inuyasha, Kagome walked up to Inuyasha. She gave Miroku a look that had him scuttling away to find sanctuary in Inuyasha's house.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's house, a growl still in his throat. He had threatened him, him and Kagome's relationship!

"Listen, I'm sorry about that." Inuyasha's gaze from her house slid to her as she let out a deep breath. It seemed to pain her to apologize to him. His growl died down as he watched her struggle to find words. He was still angry, but it wasn't at Kagome, so he let the anger simmer. "He's very overprotective, and he tends to scare off any potential boyfriends before they begin to even think about getting close to me. Still, he's a close friend of mine, and we've been close friends since we broke up and—"

"You dated him?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"I slept with him, too," Kagome said wryly. Inuyasha reeled back in shock, and then stepped forward in anger. Kagome must have felt his anger, because it was coming from him from nearly touchable waves, and she took a step back.

"You slept with him." It was a statement, not a question. Still, Kagome nodded. In a move she didn't see, he had her upper arms in his grasp. He moved her out of the line of vision of her house, pulling her so that he was in front of his garage. Now, Miroku couldn't see them either.

Kagome winced as his grip tightened. She tried to pull her arms out of his grasp. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Kagome growled out.

"How many lovers have you had?" Inuyasha asked, a hard edge lining his voice. When she continued to struggle, he leaned down and bit her shoulder. Yelping, she stood still in stunned silence. "How many, Kagome?" he demanded.

"He's the only one," Kagome snapped. Was he trying to embarrass her? So what if she only had one. He probably thought she had had twenty men on the side, like a model girlfriend of his, or—

It did not make Inuyasha feel better. He had thought she was innocent, and she was, just… It's not like he expected her to be a virgin… It bothered him that a stupid wolf had gotten Kagome first.

Dammit. That wolf had tasted her, known her. It blinded him to reason, and he wanted to show her that although Kouga might have had her first, he would be the last one. He understood that it was an over-possessive thought, and that he had had no such thoughts with any other woman. He understood it, but wasn't capable of processing the thought at the moment.

He leaned down to kiss her, but she moved her head to the side again. Growling, he gripped her chin and leaned down, noticing her panicked expression. She jammed her hands against his chest, but he ignored them.

She expected the kiss to be angry, harsh, and demanding. Instead, it was so soft that she barely felt it. Her problem was that she felt it to the bottom of her soul.

Shuddering under the power of his kiss, her hands moved from his chest to move to his shoulders. Making a small sound in her throat that nearly drove Inuyasha mad, she rose on her toes to make the contact a bit stronger. This wasn't her first kiss, but it felt like her first world-shaking moment. It wasn't the first time she had been touched, but the hands on her arms felt like her first real touch. He hadn't kissed her before, and she supposed that she hadn't let him because she was afraid of this. Kouga had kissed her before, of course, but he hadn't made her feel like this. Now if only she could figure out what this was.

Inuyasha's own head was reeling, and every breath he took now was filled with Kagome. She was shaking underneath his hands, and he thrilled in that fact. He was doubtful that Kouga could make her feel what he was making her feel right now.

"Kagome," he whispered out, and she murmured something in return. "Go out with me tonight."

The statement slowly made her return to reality, from the pleasant waves of pleasure, and she drifted back onto shore.

"No," she said softly. His hands, still on her arms, tightened.

"Why not?" he asked tightly.

"Because of this," Kagome whispered. Inuyasha's hands loosened as he once again saw her panicked expression.

"Keh. I'm not going to tell you to take your time," he warned, and let go of her. He watched her flee like a frightened rabbit back to her house. Walking into his own home, his own mood severely dampened, he saw Miroku sitting on a couch, looking straight at him. "What?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Well, that was fast," Miroku said. Inuyasha thought he was talking about his confrontation with Kagome. He didn't understand that Miroku was talking about how quickly he had fallen in love with his new, feisty neighbor.

wk: Since I actually should be studying instead of doing this right now, I'm going to skip RoR again. Sorry for you folks that were probably waiting for it. I'll try to write one next time, I promise!

In the meanwhile, please review and tell me how you think the story is progressing along so far. I got so much helpful criticism that my fingers were just itching to fix everything. Thanks so much for your support so far guys!

Oops. One more note. Is it Ayumi or Ayami? I'm confused. (Grimaces) I've been writing almost non-stop for this story, so the next chapter should be out soon.