Whoahhh I'm so sorry people! It's been wayyyy too long since I've been on! You all probably hate me! But I'm back and ready to give you more chapter for all my stories! Don't give up on me! And oh my gosh I realized I made a big mistake! I had Inuyasha's and Sesshoumaru's last name as Taisho in one chapter and then used Takahashi the next! Ah! Well it will be Taisho from here on out. Sorry about that Guys!

Changing Tides

The next morning brought the girls sitting around Sango's kitchen table having a breakfast of fruit salad, French toast, and bacon. They were talking excitedly about the night before and laughing hysterically when Sango's cell phone rang. It was Inuyasha.

"S-sup Yash?" She said between hysterics.

"Sango…are Kagome and Kikyo still at your place?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah why what's up?" She asked, calming down a little.

"Cool…Miroku's over and we're about to hit the pool. You girls wanna join?" He asked and Sango instantly perked up.

"Yeah definitely we'll be over soon!" She said hanging up the phone. "We're going over to Yash's to swim." She said and the girls agreed, saying they just needed to stop home for their suits. Kikyo offered to drive so the three of them hopped in her car and they were off to the Higurashi household. It took no time at all to reach their mansion.

"I'll never get used to the size of this place." Sango said chuckling as the gates were opened for them.

"Kagome!" Was all she heard before an orange ball of fur flew into her arms.

"Why hello Shippo!" She said hugging him tightly.

"Why were you gone for so long? I missed you!" He cried,

"So long? I was only gone overnight!" She said laughing as they went upstairs to grab their suits.

They went to their respective rooms and grabbed their Ed Hardy swim suits, towels, and flip flips and threw them into their beach bags. Kagome paused in front of the mirror as she thought of the previous night. How did he know it was me? And why did he save me? She thought before shaking her head and continuing back out into the hall where Sango was waiting. Once Kikyo came out of her room they were all ready to go. Kagome said goodbye to Shippo and asked him to tell their dad that they would be home in a couple hours. They hopped into Kagome's car this time and drove to Inuyasha's.

When they got there the boys were already in the pool and told the girls to change in the pool house. As they changed Kagome couldn't stop herself from fidgeting and peeking out the curtain up at the house.

"He's not here." Sango said from behind her and she jumped a foot in the air.

"Wh-who's not here?" She asked rubbing her head sheepishly.

"Sesshoumaru…he doesn't live here." Sango answered, giving her a you-don't-fool-me look. "When their parents split he moved out with his mom."

"Oh I see…" Was all Kagome said while tying the string of her bikini. Kikyo was giving her a strange look out of the corner of her eye.

Once they were all changed they stepped out into the sun. The boys gaped at the bikini clad girls until Inuyasha composed himself and loudly asked the girls if they were "going to stand there obnoxiously all day or get in the pool already." To which the girls responded to with cannonballs. They spent the next hours swimming, splashing, playing, laughing, and at times arguing over 'marco-polo' rules. When Inuyasha was dubbed 'Polo' he grabbed Kikyo who couldn't swim away fast enough. He opened his eyes to a blushing Kikyo and started blushing profusely himself. He quickly let go and stuttered that she was 'it'. Kagome obviously saw this exchange and knew that tonight was the night she would convince Kikyo that she had a crush on Inuyasha.

When they finally left they were exhausted. Kagome hugged Inuyasha and Miroku goodbye and after some secret nudging Kikyo gave Inuyasha an awkward little hug as well. Before they left though Inuyasha pulled Kagome aside to ask her something.

"Hey Kagome…?" he asked

"What's up Yash?"

"Uh…do you think we could get together and talk? Like lunch tomorrow or something?" He asked hopefully. She seemed to think about it for a minute then nodded her head.

"Yeah that would be ok." she said with a smile and he looked relieved.

"Ok…great. I'll give you a call tomorrow k?" He said and she nodded once again.

She made her way over to her car where Sango and Kikyo were waiting for her. They gave her strange looks when she got in the drivers seat but she just shrugged them off and started driving. She dropped Sango off at home and Kikyo hopped into the front seat. They drove in silence on the way home, each in their own worlds. They got home just in time to change for dinner. Their dinners were always formal, something having to do to with keeping up appearances even when at home, so they each changed into a gown and did their hair. Kagome's dress was dark blue and Kikyo's was dark green. They both put their hair up in elegant buns because their hair was still damp. They reached the table and their family was already waiting for them, each in a suit.

"Girls…how was your night with Sango?" Taro asked his daughters.

"Oh it was good…you know…girl time." Kikyo said with a smile and her father smiled back.

"Ok enough said." He said with a chuckle. "Where were you girls today?"

"Uh…at our friends house swimming." Kagome answered.

"And what friend is this?"

"Our friend Inuyasha Taisho…" Kagome said warily, not knowing how her father would react.

"Inutaisho's son? Hmm I haven't seen him in a while…perhaps we should invite his family over for a dinner party soon?" He mused to himself. Kagome and Kikyo just gave each other looks of relief. It was a good thing Inuyasha's father was such a prominent business partner with their father.

After dinner Kagome and Kikyo decided to go in the hot spring in their vanity room. They changed out of their gowns and got into the spring, enjoying the hot water and steam that now filled the room. They enjoyed the silence for a bit before Kikyo started fidgeting and swishing the water around.

"Yes Kikyo?" Kagome asked with her eyes closed.

"I was just…wondering…"

"What Inuyasha was talking to me about?" Kagome finished for her. Kikyo's silence was her confirmation. "He wants to go get lunch tomorrow. Said something about wanting to talk…" She said with her eyes still closed.

"Mmm…" was all Kikyo said and Kagome peaked one eye open.

"Is someone jealous?" Kagome teased and Kikyo instantly got defensive.

"No!"

"It's ok if you are…I know you have a crush on him. But you don't have to be…we're not interested in each other like that."

"Whatever…I do NOT have a crush on him…well at least not a big one." She mumbled the last part quietly but Kagome still heard.

"Oh my GOSH I knew it!" She exclaimed, splashing Kikyo who splashed her back. "I am so good." She sighed contently to herself and pulled herself out of the spring. "We should hit the sack. We've got training with Kaede tomorrow morning at dawn."

They both made their way to bed and crawled under the covers for a good nights rest.

The dawn brought Kagome and Kikyo groggily to the training dojo past the gardens behind their house. The first thing they did to warm up was shoot arrows at standing and moving targets.

"Alright girls, ye may begin." Old Kaede said. She was old but both girls knew she was formidable and taught them well throughout the years and they viewed her with great respect. She was a quiet woman who liked to keep to herself mostly, but did come to family functions and dinner sometimes as she chooses. The girls started letting their arrows fly, putting more and more power into each one. Kikyo's arrows glowed pink while Kagome's glowed light blue.

After target practice they moved on to hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and other weapons. They trained for five hours that day and were sweating profusely by the time they finished. They said their goodbyes to Kaede and went back up to the main house.

Kagome got back to her bedroom and heard her cell ringing. She rushed over to answer it but didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"Heyyy Kags!" the voice on the other line said.

"Inuyasha! Hi!" She said happily

"So I realized today that I didn't even have your number! I had to call Sango to get it! So you wanna meet at the Sushi place on Main in about an hour?" He asked and she looked at the clock beside her bed…she should have enough time to get ready.

"Yeah sounds great. I just got done with training so I just gotta hop in the shower and get ready and I'll see you there!" She said

"Sounds good see you then." He said.

"Bye." She hung up her phone and got in the shower. She made sure to be quick so she could get out and finish getting ready. She quickly changed into a purple sundress and blow dried her hair which she put up into a ponytail. She put on top eyeliner and mascara but that was it. She slipped on a pair of purple flats, grabbed her purse and headed out the door. She hopped in her car and drove down to the restaurant. She parked and walked up to the entrance and saw Inuyasha waiting for her. He was dressed in khaki pants and a signature red shirt. She saw his ear flick over in her direction before he turned his head to look at her. She suddenly had a huge urge to touch his ears.

"Hey there." He said pulling her into a hug.

"Hey Yash! Lets go eat I'm absolutely starving!"

They were seated and placed their orders. They were just talking about random things until their food arrived.

"So what did you wanna talk about for real?" Kagome asked him, getting serious.

"Well there's actually a couple things I wanna talk to you about. The first is…uh…about your sister." He said, looking down at his plate.

"Ah! You like her I knew it!" She said laughing.

"Shut up! I just…think she's cool ok?" He said defensively and she couldn't help but think how a like he and her sister were.

"Well…I know she thinks your "cool" too. Maybe you should ask her on a date…she'd probably say yes." She advised. "What's the other thing?"

"Yeah…that's about someone else. You actually."

"I…don't understand?" She asked confusedly. What was he implying?

"Listen Kags…I care about you a lot…I don't say that to a lot of people. Not even my old man. But there's something special about you. You were the first person ever to just accept me for what I am…and I really don't want to see you get hurt." he said, looking into her eyes. She just looked at him with a sweet but confused look still. "Sesshoumaru…I know you like him."

"Oh…" She said nervously, now being the one to look down at her plate.

"Hey…look at me…you're a sweet girl. Probably the sweetest one I know. And he's a bastard. He hates humans and has a cold heart. I've known him my whole life. I don't want you getting hurt." He said looking at her. She just nodded and smiled.

"I know Inu…thanks…I'll be careful." She said with a small smile.

"Ok good." He sounded satisfied and continued eating his meal.

Once they were done they went their separate ways, saying they'd see each other at school tomorrow. On her drive home Kagome couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Both Kikyo and Inuyasha have warned her now. But if Sesshoumaru was so bad then why did he save her the other night? And why did he even talk to her if he hates humans so much? She just couldn't believe that he could be as bad as people say he is. And if he blew off Kagura like he did then he definitely can't be all bad. She thought to herself with a smile.

Kikyo drove to school again on Monday because Kagome would be rehearsing after school with Sesshoumaru today, which she was extremely nervous about. Not that she was nervous to sing in front of him, that wasn't the problem, it was being alone with him for however long they would be alone together.

"So Kags, I was thinking that we could skip lunch and I could start sketching you for my art project? And then maybe again in study hall?" Kikyo asked from behind the wheel.

"Yeah that would be good. Where are we going? Like what setting?" Kagome asked her and Kikyo 'hmmmed' for a moment.

"I was thinking that there's this really pretty Sakura tree by the track. I could have you sitting, leaning against the tree and either be sleeping or reading a book or looking up or something like that." Kikyo suggested and Kagome just nodded in agreement.

They reached the school, parked the car, dropped their stuff off in their lockers, and went to homeroom. The rest of the gang was already there. Kagome took the seat next to Sango, forcing Kikyo to take the one next to Inuyasha, which she got a dirty look for. Kagome just smiled innocently in return. They talked about swimming on Saturday and at one point Inuyasha accidentally smacked Kikyo in the arm in his enthusiasm. He apologized, kind of, but Kikyo still whacked him upside the head which set the group into a whole new laughing fit. When the bell rang they all went their separate ways. Kagome walked into Physics and took her seat next to Sesshoumaru.

"Hi Sesshoumaru. Ready to rehearse today?" She asked lightly

"Hn." was all she got as a reply.

"I'll take that as a yes." She said chuckling and rolling her eyes. All of a sudden a little paper square landed on her desk. She silently groaned, glancing across the room to Koga who was smiling at her devishly. She sighed and opened the note. It was a poem.

Roses are red, violets are blue

My heart is all a flutter when I look at you.

Kagome suppressed a gag and just put the note away. Some girls liked all that romanticizing but Kagome just thought it was corny. She pretended like she didn't even read the note but she couldn't help the slight grimace on her face. She didn't know how many times she had to tell him she wasn't interested in him like that. So she didn't even look back over to him. She stared right at the teacher the whole class. She was focusing so much on the teacher that she didn't notice a pair of golden eyes watching her the majority of the class.

Lunch was finally here. Kikyo and Kagome ate their lunches quickly and excused themselves to go start Kikyo's art project. Kikyo pointed out the tree and Kagome took a seat under it. She had Kagome hold a flower and softly touch the petals with one finger. Kagome held absolutely still like that for the rest of the lunch period until the bell rang. Kikyo wanted to get all the scenery and lighting down first because it would be different later on in the day. She would do the details of Kagome in study hall.

They walked down the arts and music hall together before splitting up and going to their respective classrooms. Kagome took her seat on the risers and waited for class to start. But to her dismay, Kagura sat down right next to her, and there was still 4 minutes before class started. Today was just not turning out to be her day.

"Yes Kagura?" She asked tiredly

"Oh poor poor Kagome. I just came to warn you. Don't get too comfortable with Sesshoumaru. Just because you're doing a solo together doesn't mean he likes you. He and I are just on a temporary break. We're going to get back together very soon don't you worry." Kagura said with an evil smirk before getting up and going back to her own place on the risers. Kagome followed her with her eyes and then found herself seeking out the eyes of Sesshoumaru. He was staring right back at her. She tried to convey her question through her eyes. He must have gotten then message because he gave just a slight shake of his head. She turned around with a small smile on her face.

They were now in study hall sitting at one of the round tables. Kagome was in the position she had been under the tree with the flower so Kikyo could sketch the details of her expression and hands better.

"So what's this for again?" Inuyasha asked, looking over Kikyo's shoulder marveling at her work.

"It's for my art class. Kagome is my favorite model." Kikyo said with a smile.

"Aw Kik, you make me blush." Kagome said giggling and Kikyo reprimanded her for not staying still.

Kagome wanted to tell Kikyo about what Kagura had said to her but Kikyo would probably just agree that she should stay away. Though Kikyo was opening up to demons a lot more. She and Shiori got along very well and she was allowing Inuyasha to look over her shoulder as she worked, and she never let anyone do that. The final school bell rang just as Kikyo was finishing up.

"I can't wait to get this down on a canvas with paint! It's gonna be awesome!" She said while they all packed up their things.

"Kagome." Was heard from behind them and she froze mid pack.

"Oh hey Sesshoumaru. Ready to rehearse?" She asked nervously and he nodded his head.

"I will accompany you to your locker to get your belongings." He said stoically.

"Oh…ok." Kagome said and shrugged to Kikyo who was giving her a dirty look. He walked with them to their lockers and stood silently while they book their books in their bags. Once they were all done Kagome said goodbye to Kikyo and told her she would call their driver for a ride home later.

"Alright Kags…see you later." She said giving Sesshoumaru a cautious look before walking away. Kagome rolled her eyes and turned to Sesshoumaru.

"So where are we practicing? In the choir room?" She asked and he shook his head.

"No…we are going to my place…after we make a stop." He said before walking towards the front door and Kagome jogged to keep up.

He led them to a silvery-white Mazda rx8. Kagome put her bag in the back seat and got into the passenger seat. Sesshoumaru got behind the wheel and sped off. Kagome clutched on to her seat in fear of the speed they were going. She didn't even dare look over to see how fast they were going. But what seemed like no time at all they were slowing down. She looked out the window to see they were parked in front of Sota's and Shippo's school. She was just about to asked what they were doing here when Sesshoumaru got out of the car to greet a little girl. A little human girl, who latched on to Sesshoumaru's leg in affection. He patted her on the head and directed her to car and helped her into the back seat. As soon as the little girl saw Kagome she got very excited.

"Hi! Who are you? Rin's name is Rin!" She said so cutely. Kagome couldn't help the smile that spread ear to ear.

"Hello Rin! I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you!" She said while Sesshoumaru got back in the car. She gave him a questioning look but he just started driving, much slower this time, to a street of very nice apartment complexes. They parked and Rin shot out of the car and up the stairs to one of the doors. Sesshoumaru made his way at a much more reasonably pace and Kagome followed behind him. He unlocked the door and let it swing inward.

"Kagome-chan come see my room!" Rin said tugging on Kagome's hand. She let the little girl drag her down the hallway while she admired the apartment. It was large and very nicely decorated. Rent must be quite a lot. She was snapped out of her thinking when they reached a cute little girls room. The walls were a light pink and the carpet was plush and white. The bed was covered in a green comforter with pink flowers on it. There was a toy chest over flowing with toys, a bookshelf stacked with children's books, and a desk with coloring and activities books on it.

"Wow this is amazing Rin." Kagome said sweetly to her.

"Rin, do your letter work until dinner is ready. Kagome and I have to practice." Sesshoumaru said from the doorway.

"Ok outo-san!" Rin said and ran over to her desk with her little back pack.

Kagome's head was reeling. Outo-san? She thought. This little girl is Sesshoumaru's daughter? Well obviously not his biological daughter considering she was 100% human…but that just means he must have adopted her. She dazedly followed Sesshoumaru back out into the living room and he took out the score from his back pack. She right away noticed the piano in the corner of the room.

"Do you play?" She asked him and he shook his head.

"My mother used to." He said taking a seat on the couch.

"My mother was the first one to teach me…before she died." She said looking at the piano. "Could…I play while we rehearse? It would make it easier to have music to sing along to." She said and he just nodded his head.

He got up from the couch and took a seat next to her on the piano bench. She placed the score in front of her and expertly started playing. They both sang the parts that the whole choir sang before Kagome got into the first part of her solo. As she was singing she could feel his eyes on her so she turned to look him right in the eyes as she sang. They did not break eye contact all through his solo, the rest of her solo, and the rest of the song. Kagome couldn't break herself away from his beautiful eyes. Thankfully the sounds of small hands clapping brought her out of it.

"That was great!" Rin said smiling. Sesshoumaru looked over to her with a raised eyebrow. "Ok going back to do my letters now!" She said with a laugh and ran away.

"So…you're not the human hater everyone says you are I take it?" Kagome asked bravely.

"And why do you say that?" He asked monotonously

"Because…you adopted that little girl and it's obvious you care very much for her." She said, daring him to challenge her. Which he did.

"Rin is an exception. I don't hate humans per say…they are just not worth my time. I never used to have a problem with them until…her." He said.

"Her?" She asked confusedly

"Inuyasha's mother. He left my mother for her." He said and Kagome's eyes softened in sympathy. "I moved here with her when they split. She died some years ago, of a broken heart some would say."

"Oh I'm so sorry." Kagome said, wanting to reach out to him but knowing better. They stayed quiet for a while, just sitting there before Sesshoumaru asked if she would like something to drink. She gladly thanked him and they moved to the kitchen.

"How did your mother die?" He asked suddenly, very personally.

"Oh…well…when Kikyo and I were very young we were walking home from the playground with out mother when a demon attacked us. He killed our mother before he was stopped." She answered vaguely, not knowing if he knew she was a priestess or not.

"Your mother was killed by a demon…does that make you frightened of demons then?" He asked

"No not really…I did for a long time but I can take care of myself." She answered honestly.

"So you do not fear me?"

"No of course not." She said and all of a sudden he was in front of her, pressing her against the counter with a hand gripping the counter on each side of her. He put his face just inches from her own and she could feel his breath on her mouth.

"Now are you afraid of me?" He asked her quietly. She gulped silently and shook her head. But that was a lie. She was very afraid right now. Not of him, but that she knew he could definitely hear her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful he was. She was very aware of his fangs and claws. He was a dangerous beauty. She looked up into his eyes and saw the amusement there. He's enjoying this! She thought. Well I can play this game too.

Suddenly Sesshoumaru found himself being pressed against the counter. Kagome had a hand on each of his wrists and her body was pressed against his.

"Are you afraid, Sesshoumaru?" She asked in a whisper.

"Of you? No." He said with what would almost be a smile.

"No? You should be." She said with a smirk and put just a very tiny bit of energy into her hands, just so he could feel the tingling and look down at his wrists.

"Hn." He said with a smirk, he liked this feisty little human girl. He quickly twisted and grabbed her wrists, turned her around and held her arms behind her back. So her back was to his front. He made sure to be careful that he palms weren't touching him in anyway as he held her arms with one hand and placed his other claws at her throat. He noticed from this angle he could see down her shirt a bit and her ragged breathing was doing something unfamiliar to him. He had the urge to sink his fangs into the crook of her neck. He shook his head mentally.

"Little human, you should fear me." He purred into her ear. But he was surprised when he felt a jolt go through his body and he instantly let her go.

"That was just a taste, don't make me hurt you Sessh." Kagome said, though she was panting from the feeling of him being so close to her like that. Sesshoumaru just stared at her. He hated to admit it but…he was impressed.

"So what are you making for dinner?" She asked him. He looked around the kitchen and shrugged his shoulders. He was honestly going to order take out. "Hm let me help! I can make great oden!" She insisted and started looking through his fridge. She took out the ingredients she needed and set him up at the cutting board and told him to start chopping. Shortly they were done making the oden and called Rin for dinner. Kagome was about to go pack her things and call to be picked up but Sesshoumaru said she should stay and eat, since she prepared it.

Rin and Kagome chatted all through dinner with Sesshoumaru contributing to the conversation at times. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but notice how much more alive the room seemed with Kagome here. He couldn't stop looking at her. There was a light emitting from her. She just…glowed. What's wrong with me? He asked himself. He could not be falling for this human girl. He was not his father. But…was Kagome different? She had more power than any other human spiritual powers and he knew she had more inside her that she wasn't letting out.

After dinner she had called her driver and gave him the address. It would take him about twenty minutes to get there. She didn't realize they had driven so far from their school. She offered to help put Rin to bed and then she and Sesshoumaru were sitting in the living room. It was getting dark outside.

"So…um…my father wants to have a dinner party soon. With your family. That means your father, brother, and you. And of course Rin as well." She said and he just looked out the window.

"I know you don't like Inuyasha but it would mean a lot to my father…and to me…if you were there." She said looking down at her lap. At that he looked up to stare at her.

"Why do you want me there?"

"I just…I think it would be nice…" She said fidgeting he hands. She stilled instantly when he laid a hand across hers.

"I will come." He answered and a huge smile spread across her face and not being able to contain her happiness, she threw her arms around him in a hug. He stiffened at first but soon relaxed, though he did not raise his arms to hug her back. Kagome's driver then arrived and she left. Sesshoumaru watched them go from the window. He could not deny it to himself any longer. This human girl…she was his and no one else's.

Well I hope you liked this chapter guys! I know it's been wayyyy too long since I've updated. Don't hate meee!

~ Anelle