I'm going to start working on coming up with an idea for a full-chaptered story. Question: Would you rather read a fic about the two characters getting together, or one that starts off with them already a couple? I feel like 90% of stories are about how boy meets girl, boy woos girl, boy weds girl, the end. Would you guys be terribly disappointed if I wrote a full-chaptered story where Inuyasha and Kagome are already married or already engaged or already dating?

Just a thought. :]

Note: By "a full-chaptered story," I mean one where every chapter is at least 2500 words, there is an established plot, and the timeline does not leap forward at random as it sometimes does in this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Life Goes On

Part 13

"What?"

Since they were on the phone, all Kagome had to go on to gage Inuyasha's mood was the tone and volume of his voice. Even so, she could still picture his face, the one that matched his angry, booming What?: eyes wide and flashing, thick eyebrows slanted at a steep downward angle, mouth open and closing rapidly without any other sound as though he couldn't pick which expletive to use. He was something that was a mixture of anger, surprise, and confusion. Although she wasn't sure what had set her boyfriend off this time—really, she could hardly ever tell what he'd shrug off and what he'd get frustrated at, even after well over a year of dating—she could be certain it was something she'd done or said.

With a drawn out sigh, Kagome repeated the last statement she'd told him before his emotional response. The What? "I called up Kikyou and asked her if she'd want to go shopping with me this weekend."

There was a brief pause, and Kagome could swear she heard a muffled thump in the background on his end of the phone line. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he'd just hit his head against his desk in exasperation. Why did people keep doing that around her?

"I don't understand," Inuyasha finally said. Kagome could tell he was trying very hard to keep his voice under control, the tone neutral and the volume normal. With an eye roll—again, why did everyone always think she was the irrational, emotional one in the relationship? Inuyasha was at least dramatic as she was, if not more—Kagome paused on the sidewalk and examined some jewelry displayed in a shop window, waiting for him to finish explaining what he meant. "How did you even get a hold of… eh, Kikyou?"

Kagome felt a tug at the corners of her mouth when he hesitated to say her name. He even had this note of disgruntledness when he finally managed to force it out. "I went to that restaurant she works at."

"And they just gave you her personal information?" Now, his voice was incredulous. Again, Kagome pictured his facial expression: eyes even wider, eyebrows raised to his hairline, jaw clenched.

"Of course not," Kagome responded. "I told them I was Kikyou's sister. You have to admit, that's totally plausible."

Inuyasha smoothly glossed over his answer to that. Instead, he asked, "And that's all it took? They gave you her information then?"

"Pretty much," Kagome mumbled, leaning closer to the glass, her blue eyes trailing over the sparkling earrings in the corner. "I can be very persuasive, Inuyasha."

There was a muffled guffaw from him, which sparked some defensiveness in her. "You talked to a guy while wearing a really short skirt, didn't you?"

"…Maybe that was it," Kagome admitted abashedly. "Anyway, I called her up this morning to ask if she wanted to do some shopping downtown on Saturday."

"Kagome," Inuyasha began. Whenever he began a sentence with her name, she knew he was about to save something either demeaning or demanding. "Kikyou is my ex-girlfriend. She is not your new friend."

"Well, why can't she be?"

"What?" This time, the word from Inuyasha came out more confused and surprised than ever, void of all anger. He was also, if anything, quieter than normal.

"Is there some law that says that an ex-girlfriend and a current girlfriend can't be friends?" The silence stretched between them for several seconds, and Kagome actually began tapping her foot, hoping that her boyfriend was as good as picturing her face as she was at picturing his. "Well?" she prodded when he still hadn't come up with a response.

Spluttering, Inuyasha finally declared, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure there is a law, Kagome."

"Anyway," Kagome said, clearly dismissing his answer. "It doesn't matter. Kikyou turned me down." She was miffed when she heard Inuyasha let out a string of expletives, followed by an unhappy exclamation about the entire conversation being a waste of his time and energy, and then he hung up on her. But it was okay; he could make it up to her by buying her those earrings. Thankfully, Kagome still had his credit card on her from when she borrowed it the day before. Going from miffed to pleasant in the three seconds it took her to open the shop door and enter the building, Kagome reached into her purse.