Chapter Nine

Miko

It had been nearly three days since she had seen Akida, but Miko still hadn't stopped thinking about him. She didn't even want to. Thinking that she might run into him again on their journey made her train harder. She wanted to impress him.

She missed a lot of details those days, but one thing was obvious. InuYasha and Kagome were still in love. Everyone was sure of it. They spent so much time together, just talking or stealing glances at each other. What annoyed Miko was that if you asked either of them, they would say that you were imagining things. The mutt swore that as soon as Kito was dead, Kagome was going right down the well. What idiots. How can they be so blind?

"Shippo, why do they keep denying it?" she asked the kitsune on the forth day. They had taken to hanging out most of the time, since they were closest in age. Herta stood nearby, like always.

"I wish I knew. All the time I've known them, it's been obvious to everyone but them. Before Kagome left, it seemed that they might get together, but then that idiot made her go home. It took a lot of yelling to keep him from sealing the well."

"If someone loved me, I wouldn't act half so blind," She said confidently.

"Really? I doubt it. Idiocy is in your blood," he glanced up at the other boy, who nodded.

"Feh," she punched the back of his head.

"Ouch! You're too much like your father!"

"Hello, Mikomi!"

The girl froze. Was it really who she thought it was? She looked up and saw a man with bright blue eyes. "Akida!"

He smiled shyly when she ran up and hugged him. He patted her back, "So, you remember my name, eh? That's a surprise."

Not really. You remembered mine. "Where have you been? You didn't say goodbye before."

"Sorry, I really am. Please don't sound so sad," he waved his hands, looking frantic. "I'm no good at goodbyes. They always come out more of a 'gu-buh' noise than a word. It would have been embarrassing."

He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled nervously. His face was crimson, which showed very well on his pale skin. Such a nice match for your eyes, too.

Shippo and Herta glared at him. Akida seemed surprised, but quickly turned his attention back to the girl. "I was wondering..," he started, blushing deeper. He shuffled his feet and kept his eyes to the ground. It seemed like he was still having trouble looking right at her.

"Yes?" she prompted, sensing a happy ending to her fantasies.

"Well, just that I thought maybe you'd want to go for a walk?"