Of course Kagome had failed miserably in her sour attempts at removing her Evil Angel as she had began to call him from her thoughts. She had however found that it was easier to push his beautifully haunting eyes out of her thoughts if she had something to occupy her mind with. So she had thrown herself into her schoolwork as well as Sango's ridiculous idea of a band. For the entire week leading up to her blind date with the band's composer and percussionist, she had been practicing with her favorite deep blue electric violin bass. Though it really wasn't the bass that Sango was originally looking for after a few songs she started to like it.

Tonight was her blind date with the elusive Shippo, the real brains behind their band and he had somehow managed to avoid her all week, so she didn't even know what the man looked like or even his last name. He had helped keep her busy though, making her the lyricist for the upcoming talent show. They had two weeks to pull something together and so far they had only managed to decide a name and brushing up on their skills. She sighed and set her guitar aside and moved to her closet instead. She really didn't know what to wear because for one, she didn't know where she was going or what they would be doing. She didn't know to dress formal or casual, warm or light. Would they be indoors or out? What did he like? Frowning in frustration she wondered how it was people found this enjoyable. It was torture!

After a few moment she decided to go for a neutral outfit. She would dress lightly in case they were indoors most of the time where it was sure to be warm, but she would bring her heavy coat and she would wear her most dress casual outfit she could. After a little debating, she pulled out her silver gray stretch dress pants and her pale blue silk kimono top. Tossing the items on the bed she moved to the dresser at the foot of Sango's bed and snatched out her roommates silver-gray lace trimmed camisole. When picking out their dorm for the year they had decided that less space was a sacrifice they were willing to make to not have another random person sharing with them. So here they were for their freshman year in a room just big enough for two twin sized beds, a desk with a rolling office chair, a small dresser and their two closets facing the foot of their beds with their mirrored sliding doors.

Kneeling down to the additional drawers beneath her bed she dug around until she found her most comfortable pair of black and blue lacy boy shorts and the matching bra. She smirked to herself. Even if he wasn't going to see what was underneath her clothes just knowing she was being naughty boosted her ego just a bit.

"The confident woman's secret," she said to herself, remembering when her mother had spoken to her when she first began dating.

She loved her mother more than anything in the world, and thought of her more like her best friend than her mother. She didn't grow up in a strict household, and honestly felt she was better for it. Her mother's motto always was, "I would rather you tell me or do it in front of me, than behind my back because at least that way I know you're safe." Kagome admired this about her mother and the amount of trust she was given. She told her mother everything and never once did her mom come down on her for her choices, instead she would give her sound advice on the matter or ask her to rethink things. She said that she didn't want to live her life for her, she had to get out there and have her own experiences and learn from them just like she did when she was growing up. When Kagome told her mom about her blind date her mother only told her to be safe and to no matter what try to have a good time, but if he was a loser to feel free to excuse herself.

A moment later she was dressed and kneeling back down to the drawers under her bed and getting out her small make up case. She didn't wear make up often but decided this time was worth it. Moving and sitting in front of the mirror door of her closet she applied silver metallic eyeshadow, a thin line of eyeliner on her upper and lower lids, and finished off with a pink lip gloss. Pulling her long raven locks up, twisted it into a knot and clipped it into place leaving only her bangs out to frame her face beautifully. Satisfied with her appearance she stood and put the rest of her things away, throwing her pajamas on her bed for later.

"Coming!" she called out taking one last moment to check her appearance in the mirror when a slightly hesitant knock sounded on her door.

"Hi, uh, Kagome, right?"

She stood a gaped for a moment. There on her door step was Shippo. THE Shippo Miyazaki, sophomore extraordinaire. He was famous in all her music classes for being amazingly talented, good looking and smart, but she had always passed it off as the rumors being made by obsessive teenage girls. Of course she had never even met the man, nor even so much as seen him before now, though she now understood where the rumors had started. He was gorgeous with thick reddish brown auburn hair and a set of the most startling emerald eyes she had ever seen. His smile was brilliant with perfectly shaped white teeth flashing from between his soft looking pale pink lips. All in all he was almost as beautiful as her Evil Angel and she hadn't even looked away from his face yet. Blushing she mentally berate herself for thinking of that mean old man at a time like this.

Clearing her throat she answered softly, "Yeah that's me, and you're Shippo right?"

He flashed a brilliant smile again, "No, a lot of people think that, but I'm his twin brother Fred!"

"Fred?" she questioned looking at him deadpanned.

He scowled angrily, "You got a problem with my name? Jesus, you know what?" he asked hurtfully but didn't give her a chance to answer. "You're just like everyone else always judging me before you even get to know me! You come expecting the amazingly stupendous Shippo and you're always so disappointed when you find out that I'm his less than likable twin Fred!"

Kagome gaped at him like a fish out of water as he continued his rant waving his arms and raising his voice angrily, causing some of the people in the hall to look at him or poke their heads out their doorways. After a moment she pulled herself together and reached out placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"I'm so sorry Fred," she apologized sincerely. "I didn't know who you were, I mean, Sango and Miroku had told me I was going out with your brother."

Fred grinned, "They were right!" he laughed.

"Right about what?"

Shippo leaned in closer to her causing her heart to skip a beat, "You're a guppy."

It was Kagome's turn to scowl, "Excuse me?" she growled narrowing her eyes at him stiffly.

"I have no twin brother, I was just playing a joke to see if you were as gullible as they told me you were, that or either I'm just that good of an actor," he continued mumbling the last part to himself more than to her as he put a perfectly manicured finger to his lips.

Kagome fumed for a moment at a loss for words, so she did the first thing she thought of. She stepped back and slammed the door in his face. She smirked when she heard the satisfying thud of wood meeting face and with a growl turned away and marched to the desk chair in front of the desk in between the two beds.

"Aw, Kagome!" Shippo whined from the other side of the door. "I was only joking, don't be like that!"

"This guppy isn't going to believe that line!" she called back to him angrily.

He sighed and cracked the door open poking his head inside, "Kags, come on. Don't let that ruin the night!" he pouted giving her the best puppy dog face he could.

She glared at him for only a moment more with her arms folded over her chest stubbornly before the puppy face won out. She sighed and couldn't help but smile at his cuteness. If her Evil Angel was like a seraph then this man was more like a cherub. She just couldn't resist him! Grabbing her purse she took the arm he offered her impishly with a grin and led her out the door.

She was surprised to actually find herself having a good time as he took her out to a nice dinner at a local cafe where local bands were preforming. She even got to show him the lyrics to the song that she had come up with which he criticized enthusiastically. The lyrics were actually a poem she had wrote a long time ago, but she had worked when she was bored in class to change it into a song. Together as a band played softly in the background they made the poem into what they hoped would be a hit. Being with him was easy and she found that he really was a lovable person. Soon they left and went for a walk downtown where some of the lights were already shining for the upcoming spring festival were lit, casting a colorful light that softened the brightness of the street lamps.

"Oh my, goodness, I can't remember the last time I laughed this much!" she giggled recovering from one of his tales from his childhood. Apparently he was even more mischievous as a child than he was now, always pulling pranks on everyone. "You're such a fox, I bet you drove your mother insane!"

He shrugged his smile fading slightly, "I probably would have, but she actually died when I was born."

Kagome's laughter died in her throat, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a shake of his head digging his hands into the pockets of his khakis. "If she hadn't passed I probably would have never met the wonderful woman who raised me," he paused and looked at her carefully. "You know, you remind me a lot of her."

She looked taken aback for a moment, "Wow, that's what a girl wants to hear on the first date," she joked. "I'm flattered."

He laughed, "Sorry, I'm not one for thinking before I speak."

"I noticed," she giggled, their light mood returning. "By the way, aren't you cold? It's like forty out here and you don't even have a jacket!"

"Nah, I'm used to weather like this. Back home winters were hell and my step dad used to make me train in it so the cold eventually stopped bothering me," he replied with a shrug as they began to walk again.

"Train? Train for what, catching pneumonia?" she asked with a startled laugh.

He snickered, "See what I mean? I used to say stuff without thinking around her too."

"Oh? What was she like?"

"Gods," he sighed looking up at the stars, "there aren't enough words to describe her! She was the most amazing person that I have ever met. She was so warm and kind, always putting others before herself, especially when she adopted me when my dad passed when I was still pretty small. No one else really wanted me, but when she saw me she practically just picked me up and took me home. We were pretty inseparable after that until she met my step-dad. She never forgot about me but... well enough about me, what about your parents?"

"Oh um," she replied thoughtfully. "My daddy died when I was six so I don't really remember him, so it's just been me and my mama ever since. My mama sounds a lot like the woman who raised you actually, so maybe it's a mom thing," she giggled. "My mama is my best friend and I tell her everything."

"Sounds like we were lucky huh?" he smirked.

"Yeah I guess so," she nodded before she looked out to the road spacing out feeling awash with homesick feelings.

There at an intersection that they were approaching was sitting a nice red car, a corvette specifically. She rolled her eyes when the driver revved the engine a few times impatiently. She heard Shippo comment on the driver being a show off and was about to reply in agreement when she noticed who it was driving the car. There sat Evil Angel, glaring at the light waiting for it to change. She briefly wondered if he glared his icy stare at everything, before the light changed and he took off. Without thinking she let go of Shippo's arm and took off sprinting after the man. She didn't know why, but she just had to see him again and tell him how she felt. It was like there was some pull towards him and she feared that if she didn't tell him now then she wouldn't get the chance. Ignoring the protests of the people she dove around and Shippo yelling after her she ran, defying the myth that said girls couldn't run in heels.

She knew she had one chance to catch him and that was at the last three way intersection at the end of the street. Giving one last burst of energy she darted and hurdled the low safety rail running into the street and right into his path as he took off around the corner. She only had a second to realize that perhaps using herself as a human barrier was a bad idea as the tires squealed and the car coming from the opposite way nearly hit the side of his car. She panted as she glared at the man who mouthed something she couldn't hear, but knew it probably wasn't anything pleasant towards her person before he threw open his door and stepped out. They locked eyes and time seemed to freeze as amber met azure. It had been less than a minute but she had felt something happen between them that she couldn't quite explain as she stood frozen with her arms thrown out panting. She could hear Shippo calling for her as he ran down the street fighting the crowd that she didn't seem to have had a problem navigating a moment ago.

EA looked towards the boy and a look of recognition flashed in his eyes before he turned back to her as the car behind him began to honk impatiently.

"Get in," he ordered getting back into the drivers seat and slamming the door.

She looked at him surprised for a moment meeting his cold glare and heard Shippo yell for her once more as he reached the safety rail. She sent him an apologetic look before she ran to the red corvette and slid into the passenger seat. He didn't wait for her to even buckle her seat belt before he took off, the tires protesting loudly. Shaking she fastened the safety device and attempted to calm her breathing. They rode out of town into an area that she didn't recognize somewhere in the thickly wooded hills that surrounded the small university town. She studied the way that he elegantly shifted gears, but she couldn't bring herself to look him in the face. She did however notice that one hand, the one shifting the gears, seemed paler than the other which confused her slightly as she wondered how a person could tan one hand more than the other and why.

The silence was tense, but once again in his presence she couldn't find her voice and so sat there mutely, in fascinated awe. With his swift speeds it didn't take them long to reach a house at the end of a long gravel drive way. She didn't get a chance to really study the outside of the large estate before he pulled into an attached garage big enough for three cars and then some. He didn't say a word but stepped out and then up the few steps to a door that led him into the kitchen of his home, his silver hair blowing behind him like a perfect super model. Her heels echoed on the floor as she followed after him the moment he disappeared around the corner, leaving the door open for her. She carefully shut it behind her for whatever reason attempting to make as little noise as possible. She walked down the short hallway before turning down the same corner she saw him turn down just a moment ago. Looking around she became slightly worried when she didn't see him in the beautiful and warm kitchen. Suddenly she realized that she didn't know EA at all and for all she knew she was going to die here. Her heart thudded in her chest fearfully and she jumped with a small scream when his voice floated from behind her.

"So now I know why you're so careless," he said as she spun to face him. "You're suicidal." she didn't say anything in response her heart attempting to burst from her chest. "If you want to kill yourself, go ahead the butcher knife is just behind you," he continued motioning elegantly behind her.

"I'm not suicidal," she growled, though she sounded more like a small puppy than anything.

He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow as he reached for the glass of wine beside him and took a sip before he questioned her further, "So you just jump out in front of random cars for sport then?"

"No," she squeaked, her voice cracking causing him to smirk as he sipped his wine again. She quickly cleared her throat and shook her head to clear it, giving herself a mental pep talk. "I wanted to know why?" she demanded.

The smirk quickly fell from his face and his eyes that had just been filled with mirth iced over once more and he set the glass aside, "Why what?"

"Why were you so mean to me before?"

He growled almost inaudibly, but it was still a growl that put her own to shame as he stepped towards her. Instinctively she stepped back her heels the only sound in the room aside from his feral growl. He moved until he had her backed up to the counter between the range and the double stacked oven.

"You ruined my shot," he replied simply.

She snorted her courage growing despite the rapid beating of her heart, "I said I was sorry, but that was still no reason to be so rude."

"You ruined my shot," he repeated, placing his arms on either side of her effectively pinning her as she bent backwards from him carefully.

"You ruined my life!" she blurted without thinking. "Ever since that day I can't get you out of my head."

He smirked but this time it didn't reach his eyes, "Then were even, because I couldn't get that crappy love poem out of my head either."

"My writing isn't crappy!" she defended straightening back up their faces less than a foot away from each other.

"Believe me when I say that indeed it is, woman."

"My name isn't woman either, you jerk!"

He shrugged standing back up straight, "I could care less, however, what I would like to know is the reason for attempting to plaster yourself to my vet."

"I.." she faltered. She really didn't have a reason. "I just... I wanted to give you a challenge!" she declared finally, flying by the seat of her pants. He only raised an eyebrow in response, "If you think that I'm such a terrible writer then come to my concert the weekend after next, where my band will be playing a song I wrote. Then tell me I suck!"

"You're lying," he stated flatly.

"Huh?" she replied intelligently. "How would you know?"

"I can see it in your posture," he said leaning towards her again. "So tell me what's the real reason you're here?"

She felt her train of thought slip as he leaned so closely that she could smell the wine on his breath as well as something sweet that she couldn't quite place. She could only watch her eyes moving back and forth between his molten eyes and his beautiful thin yet inviting lips.

He paused only an inch from her face, "I wanted to see you again," she breathed,

He growled and pushed himself away from her using the counter behind her before he stormed into the other room. Without thinking she followed him and only stood watching him as he tossed himself into a large overstuffed ivory leather chair near the window. She was mildly surprised that even he could make flopping look elegant and suddenly she felt very out of place again.

"Why?" he asked, looking up at her with his head resting on his more tanned hand.

"I don't know," she admitted. "At first it was because you insulted me and that bothered me, but now... now that I've met you again, I can't help but feel like... I know you."

He scoffed, "Woman, you know nothing of me."

"My name is Kagome! KA-GO-ME, not woman, not wench, not girl, and certainly not bitch or any other colorful title you can think of!" she declared with a stomp of her foot.

His jaw dropped a fraction of an inch as a carefully suppressed memory flooded his mind and he looked at her with utter shock, "What did you say?" he asked in disbelief.

"What?" she asked suddenly worried she had said something else without thinking. "I just said my name."

He shook his head and looked at her with his stoic mask in place once more, "I think it's time you left."

"How do you expect me to do that?"

"I don't care, just leave," he replied looking out at the window and not at her.

She sighed, "Sure just give me the keys to your precious vet out there and I'll be more than happy to be out of your sight."

"The keys are on the counter."

She was so surprised that she took a step back and looked at him as though he had grown three heads, "I was only kidding!"

"I wasn't. Get out, I'll come for the car later."

She would have argued further, but the sound in his voice made her turn swiftly, snatching the keys off the counter and walking back out the way she came. It wasn't so much his tone, but the tone hiding under the emotionless front. She could tell whatever she had said bothered him deeply, on a level she couldn't even begin to understand. Sliding into the driver's side she adjusted the seat for her short stature before starting the engine. Noticing the garage door was shut she looked around for some sort of opener before noticing one clipped to the visor above her head and pressed the button. While the door opened she pulled on her seat belt. Carefully she backed out, thankful that her mother had insisted that she learn to drive a stick.