Summary

With the cold starting to set in, it's time to start dressing warmer. Kagome gets a blast from the past. Itachi wonders how he got roped into shopping...

A/N: NEW NEW NEW! lolz! Time for an update! I had lots of fun doing this one! But it seems I have lots of fun doing this series all together! So anyway, let me know what you think! Oh! And I don't own KSM's "Read Between the Lines". Sadly, this probably won't be the last time I reference a song. Music is a lot of my inspiration to write.

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Kagome hummed cheerfully as she brushed her long hair. Today would be a great day. She could just feel it in the air. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Itachi was downstairs making pancakes. The priestess giggled at the image of the stoic Uchiha whistling a happy tune while he flipped Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes on a griddle.

'There is no way that he would do that. I should expect evil death glares and the charred remains of my stove to greet me,' Kagome thought, securing her hair in a low ponytail. She glanced up at the mirror, frowned sharply, and pulled the tie from her dark hair. She looked too much like Kikyo when she wore her hair that way. Fixing her shaggy bangs and deciding to leave it loose, she finally smiled and bounced out of the room. By the time she was downstairs she was into full blown lyrics without a care in the world.

"You say it's all right, but something's wrong

I can see it in your eyes

If I turn around, will you be gone

Are we running out of ti-"

"What are you doing?" Kagome shrieked at being interrupted and stumbled in the kitchen. Itachi was staring at her in just the tiniest amount of shock and the priestess finally recovered, blushing in embarrassment.

"Sorry. I forgot you were here," she mumbled, scuffing the floor with her shoe in a child-like way. The Uchiha finally sighed and shook his head.

"It's... fine. I don't really want to know anyway." He motioned for her to sit down and she complied, avoiding his now amused gaze. Looking down, she poked at her plain pancakes in an unenthusiastic attempt to distract herself. A bowl of strawberries was shoved into her line of vision.

"Here. If you don't eat, I'll make you," the former heir muttered, a determined glint in his eyes, "I didn't stand over that stove for nothing, you know." Kagome bit her lip to keep the smile off her face. She wanted to appear serious for once.

"Yes sir!"

"Don't do that. You look constipated." She finally let loose and collapsed against the table in fits of laughter. Itachi looked vaguely put out.

"... What?"

"I... I imagined you... setting t-t-the stove on fire!" the priestess managed to get out around her chortling.

The Sharingan user did not look amused.

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"Okay! So since you came by so early, you can help me with some shopping!" Kagome chattered, handing him a basket as she pushed him out the door.

"I didn't come here to help you shop," he spat the word out like a bad taste in his mouth. He hated shopping. It was one of the single-most evil things a girl was capable of doing.

"Well, I'm making the executive decisions today, and I need some help carrying things," the priestess declared, then added innocently, "unless, of course, you want me to carry all the heavy bags and get hit on by several guys at the same time?"

... Damn his protective streak. It would be the death of him one day.

He stuck to her like glue, daring any male to even attempt to approach her. They would be in for a world of torture and pain. His companion grinned in triumph, patting him on the cheek lightly before proceeding into the fresh market.

"So, since it's getting colder, I need to be on the lookout for a scarf."

"You don't have one?" She shook her head and he pondered an interesting thought.

"Do you?"

"I don't like wearing them. They're... stuffy."

"You just don't want to get hanged in a tree or something, do you?" Kagome teased, laughing lightly when Itachi muttered under his breath as his face heated slightly.

"It's... painful." Not to mention embarrassing. He'd only been a genin when it happened, but the memory alone made him avoid clingy fabric wrapped around his neck. It had been part of the reason he'd worn a loose shirt under his ANBU armor.

He followed her around dutifullly as she made purchases and spoke with several people happily; he still wondered how the hell she'd managed to convice him into going shopping with her. And then he thought about the other males. It was enough to drive him insane with annoyance.

Exchanging coin for produce, their basket began to fill up slowly. By early afternoon, he was ready to go home. Itachi watched Kagome laugh at something a young man said and grit his teeth in his only show of dissatisfaction. The man slid a package into her hands, his fingers lingering on the priestess for far too long, in his opinion.

And then she waved goodbye and returned to his side, grinning happily up at him with flushed cheeks. The Uchiha's annoyance vanished instantly and felt his gut flutter with... something. Not to mention his heart suddenly beating faster. He sincerely hoped he wasn't getting sick again.

He nodded at something she said when she pointed in a direction, and they proceeded in that general direction. And then she stopped suddenly.

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Kagome froze and felt as though she'd literally been punched in the stomach. That scarf... It looked like...

'It looks like Sesshomaru's sash,' the priestess thought faintly, tuning out the sounds around her and moving in a daze towards the trolley. She didn't even notice when Itachi stopped and pulled her from the side of the street to avoid being hit by a cart bearing various vegetables.

Her entire existence had pinpointed down to that wisp of bright material. Kagome's heart clenched painfully as the memories unexpectedly assulted her.

Inuyasha fighting Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru attempting to kill her with his poison.

Inuyasha saying he'd protect her.

Sesshomaru saving her from the panther demons.

Inuyasha becoming stronger.

Sesshomaru dislocating Inuyasha'a jaw in their father's tomb.

Inuyasha-!

She slammed the door on her thoughts, clenching her eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. Everything had hit her so suddenly; she felt like she was drowning. Feelings, emotions, anguish washed over her, and she literally had to keep herself still in order to keep from letting loose and falling apart.

"-gome? What is it? Say something! Kagome!"

The priestess finally noticed Itachi holding her, wrapped in his arms and muttering under his breath. Asking her if she was okay. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"I'm... I'm okay, Itachi. Just dizzy," she lied, hating that she had to. There was no way she'd be able to tell him. At least, not right now. Her mind faintly registered that he'd finally said her name; and some part of her was elated.

"... Let's go back. You should rest," the Uchiha declared, attempting to steer her in the direction of her home. She shook him off gently.

"Wait! I want to see those scarves first." With that, she strode purposefully across the street to the trolley, the Sharingan user hot on her heels.

The old woman smiled when she approached and immediately started chattering to the priestess when she touched the yellow scarf.

"You like it, yes?"

"It's... beautiful," Kagome agreed, letting the heavy silk slide through her fingers reverently. The pattern and coloring were the exact same. Even the indigo on the ends were alike. It was... terrifying, in a way.

"It's one of a kind, m'dear," the old woman stated proudly, grinning at the wistful look that flitted across the pretty young girl's face.

The priestess nodded and felt around for the price tag. She'd said she wanted a scarf, and this one would not only be pretty, but would also have sentimental value.

'For the first time in a long time, I want this Sesshomaru Scarf,' she thought decisively, pulling the price tag out and glancing at it giddily... only to deflate in shock. She couldn't afford that price. It was... horrendously expensive.

Itachi watched her carefully as the emotions skittered across her expressive face. Shock, fear, longing, excitement, then finally defeat. And when she smiled awkwardly at the old woman before hanging the scarf back up, he didn't understand. If she wanted it that badly, why didn't she just get it?

"Thank you. I'll... think about it." And with that, Kagome strode away hastily, pushing the scarf from her mind as forcefully as she tried to keep the tears at bay.

There was no way she'd be able to get her Sesshomaru Scarf. Not with her meager salary.

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Itachi watched her walk away in confusion. Something important had just happened, and he'd completely missed it! Glancing back at the yellow scarf one last time, he wove his way around the crowds in order to try and catch up with the bobbing dark head of the girl he'd been keeping an eye on.

'She knows I hate crowds. Why is she so strange?' But truly, he was thinking. Didn't she want a scarf? She'd said so herself. Perhaps... He'd decide on that later. For now, he had a priestess to catch.

And interrogate.

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A/N: The end. For now. Look for an update soon! Also, the poll has officially closed. So if you didn't get your vote in, sorry. Maybe next time, right? It looks like The Red Sin is our winner! -throws confetti-

So I'll be putting that up probably after Christmas. For now, I want to devote my time and energy to doing this series before I start something new. I'm sure you all understand.

Please review.