I'm sorry for taking so long you guys! Now it's weird... it's winter in the story, spring in reality. I'll have a tough time keeping that straight... well, anyway, please review! I had writer's block for like, 2 months... sorry. Well, enjoy!

Chapter 14 - The Date

Kagome gazed out the window, watching the snow fall softly to the ground outside. Winter had never seemed so beautiful, now that she was so detached from it. Winter in a village is cold and wet, whereas inside Inuyasha's magnificent castle, all was perfect.

Not entirely warm, maybe, but definitely dry.

She pulled her robe tighter around herself, shivering slightly. Stone castles and their drafts. In the middle of summer, she'd merely thought the carpets and tapestries works of art; showcase pieces, no more.

Now, she knew better. They were for winter, when insulation proved to be the key ingredient in the recipe for warmth and comfort.

Inuyasha -damn his eyes- was impervious to cold. Kagome gave the hanyou a glare as he came around the corner to stand beside her at the window. He glanced at her and blinked.

"Cold?" he asked, his face showing nothing but indifference. She snorted and continued staring out the window, shivering quietly to herself.

She heard a rustling at her side, and warmth fell around her. She looked over her shoulder and up into his red eyes, which showed a hint of amusement. His hands rested briefly on her shoulders, then he removed them, leaving her with his coat.

"Thank you," she murmured, and he nodded, a smile hiding in the corner of his mouth. She felt the sudden urge to kiss the spot where the smile lurked. Then, blushing, she shook her head, causing Inuyasha to raise his eyebrow.

"What is it?" he asked. Kagome blinked. She hated it when he asked her that; it meant he'd never stop badgering her until she'd answered truthfully.

"Just wondering about my family," she replied, the answer coming automatically. It was one of her usual responses, and he nodded like he always did, his face as bland as ever.

Kagome took a sidelong look at him. He was so different, it was unbelievable. She could hardly remember what he'd been like earlier. His face harbored no traces of demonic urges. The only hints of anything were his red eyes and the purple marks on his face.

She sighed, content. Then she blinked.

Content? Since when had she become content here? True, she'd taken advantage of everything the castle had to offer, and was generally healthy and taken care of...

But, satisfied with herself? Happy in where she was and what she was doing? Who she was with?

She sighed, looking at Inuyasha. The guy was so... ack. Words couldn't describe him. He was his own person entirely, and Kagome had never met anyone like him. No one she'd ever known hid their feelings with callousness, a callousness so deep that it was appalling in some cases.

Except sometimes, when she was with him... Kagome smiled. He could be so nice sometimes, so sweet and caring... but one wrong move and he was off like a skittish pup.

With a rueful expression, Kagome realized that she was content. But sometimes she did miss her family... but slowly, these people were becoming that family. Sango was like a sister to her, and Kaede was already like a grandmother to her. The boys, however, were a different matter entirely.

Miroku was like that horrid little cousin you have who won't leave you alone, badgering you endlessly. He could occasionally pull off a witty and endearing moment, and then would completely ruin it with one foul thing or another.

And Inuyasha... Kagome frowned. She couldn't really think of him as actual family. In some ways, he was like her best friend, always there, always dependable. Like a puppy, she thought with a grin. And yet... there were those instances when she just wanted him to hold her and never let go...

Kagome swallowed nervously, realizing that Inuyasha had been watching this play of emotions and thoughts cross her face for some time now. She looked cautiously up at him. To her surprise, he merely looked slightly curious. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh," she tried to smile, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. "Winter always makes me think," she blurted. His other eyebrow joined the first in silent contemplation. "You know... it's the end of the year, washing away the old... but bringing forth the new." He nodded, turning back to the window.

"And then spring comes," he said. Kagome tried to smile, but failed. Gulping, she put a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out," she said soothingly. He glanced at her, his face picking up a slight pink tinge.

"Keh," he said. Kagome rolled her eyes and looked back out the window. The birds flew down from the trees, picking at the grass that peeked up from below the light snow.

"Inuyasha! I have an idea!" Sango swooped in out of nowhere, causing the hanyou to yelp and drop his chopsticks. He glared at the girl, but she ignored it. Instead, she waved her hands about wildly, a grin on her face.

"We thought of something for you two to do together!" she whispered loudly, and excitedly. Inuyasha sighed, pushing the bowl in front of him away.

"What?" he asked. His fingers tapped the table impatiently. Sango walked up to the table and set her hands on it, looking him straight in the eye.

"Take her for a walk."

Inuyasha stared at her for a long time, not even blinking, while Sango smiled in anticipation.

"That's the best you can come up with? Take her for a walk?" He shook his head. "What am I paying you for?"

Sango gave him a sardonic glare. "I'll have you know that you're not paying us anything. It's room and board." She let out a sigh, placing her hands on her hips. "Besides, you wouldn't have agreed to anything that would be considered remotely romantic." Inuyasha contemplated this for a second, then smiled sheepishly.

"Pretty much," he muttered, embarrassed that he was that easy to read. He tapped his fingers on the table, thinking. Sango walked closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'd do it soon, if I were you," she said quietly. "Spring isn't that far off." He moved his shoulder abruptly.

"I know that," he said harshly in a whisper, and returned to glaring at the table. With a small smile, Sango left the kitchen.

Inuyasha leant forward and laid his head on his palms. "A walk..."

"A walk?" Kagome blurted. She eyed him carefully. "You want to go on a walk?" He nodded stiffly, trying to smile. The back of his neck felt cold, and shivers kept running his arms, neither sensations due whatsoever to the chill in the air.

Suddenly the young woman's face broke into a grin, and she shooed him away with one hand. "Go back to your room and wait for me; I'm going to change into some warmer clothes. Go on!"

Inuyasha hurried out of her room, his heart beating erratically. She'd agreed... Dear Kami, she'd agreed! He wandered over to the silver box, running his claws over it before opening it to reveal the tiny gem inside. He held it in his palm, appraising it with a low growl.

"Am I going to defeat you, Kikyo?" he whispered, "Or am I going to die bitter and lonely, like you hoped?" He closed his fist tightly, unable to look at it. Throwing it back into the box, he slammed the lid shut and stalked over to a comfortable chair that - so far - hadn't been demolished. He rested in it, leaning his head back against the wall, and closed his eyes.

"Inuyasha?" the voice came hesitantly, and he turned his head slightly toward the voice. He woke slowly out of his stupor, keeping his eyes shut. The steps came closer, and the scent of Kagome enveloped him, and his breathing almost stopped entirely. A few moments of silence passed, and he wondered how long he could lay there, wondered if he could maybe - possibly - get out of going for walkies?

He was proud of himself when he didn't jump as Kagome touched his face. The touch was gentle, barely there and almost ticklish. She lightly traced his demon marks, running her nails up and down the jagged purple flesh. Then her hands moved into his hair, and he barely restrained a growl when she pet him like a puppy. Then she moved onto his ears.

He let her stroke them for a while, then got sick of it, no matter how good it felt. Sitting in a chair being fondled in your 'sleep' wasn't extremely entertaining. He liked looking at her more.

So when he opened his eyes, he found Kagome staring back down at him with her eyes wide open. They both blinked, and he felt her fingers twitch before she released his ears.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. She swallowed nervously, and he smiled to himself.

"I'm sorry," she said hastily, "You just looked so... so cute, sleeping there..." she trailed off, biting her lip, then grabbed his hand with a grin and pulled him to his feet. "Come on! I let you nap, so now we get to go for a walk!"

Inuyasha allowed himself to be dragged for a bit, his mind still absorbing her words, which resulted in a light blush that grazed his cheeks, with a smile smack dab in the middle.

Cute, eh?

Then he shook his head and regained control of his own arm. Kagome just looked back at him sheepishly and slowed down to match his slow and leisurely pace.

They made it outside, and both of them breathed deeply of the fresh air. They walked along the outer pathways together, both buried in their thoughts. It was silent for a while, with only the sound of the wind around them.

"Why did you want to take a walk?" Kagome asked, breaking the silence at last, and Inuyasha twitched, berating himself for not having an answer ready. He just shrugged.

"There wasn't much else to do," he said shortly, and shoved his hands in his pockets. Kagome smiled softly to herself. She looked around at what was once a garden, blooming with flowers. It was now blanketed in snow, untouched and beautiful in the scant light of morning.

Grinning, Kagome stopped where she was and sat in the snow, then laid back. Inuyasha looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

"You want to get sick?" he asked sarcastically. She just smiled, waving her arms back and forth at a slow, leisurely pace.

"No," she replied. Inuyasha waited for an explanation. It didn't come.

"So, what are you doing?"

Kagome giggled. "Making snow angels."

"Snow angels."

"Yeah." She closed her eyes and shivered, then stopped moving and carefully got up. She looked down proudly at her work. "See?" she said, pointing down at the figure in the snow. Inuyasha blinked at it.

"Huh. Snow angel."

"Yup!" She grinned down at the ground, then pointed. "Your turn."

"What?" He frowned at the ground. "You want me to lie down in the snow?" Kagome grinned.

"Sure. I did it, after all," she taunted. He narrowed his eyes at her until she started giggling, and then he gave up. Grumbling, he gracefully flopped down on his back in the snow. He made erratic gestures with his limbs for a few seconds, then leapt up out of the ground and shook the snow off himself.

"There, you happy? I'm freezing and wet, but you got a snow angel." Turning, he looked down to inspect his work as Kagome started laughing.

It was definitely not his proudest moment; his "angel" looked like an imprint of a man falling in the snow and trying hastily to get out... which, more or less, was exactly what it was.

"Hmph," he said, crossing his arms in front of himself and putting on his frown. Eventually, Kagome stopped laughing, and reduced herself to brief bursts of chuckling. When she finally gained control of herself, she smiled at him.

"Oh come on, Inuyasha," she said softly, her voice still hinting at laughter, "It was funny." He didn't answer, just made another sighing noise and looked away. Kagome hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took his hand.

Immediately, the hanyou's head whipped around and his eyes met hers with more than a little disbelief. The young miko saw it, and squeezed his hand in answer with a smile. His face relaxed slightly as he looked at her, and he squeezed lightly back. Kagome's smile grew, and she looked quickly down at the ground, tugging his hand along as she continued to walk.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, was quite lost in his own thoughts.

They circled the castle and made their way back in complete silence. Kagome was a little worried; Inuyasha's face was completely closed off, for the first time in months. She had been used to it before, but lately he'd been more open with her, more friendly.

Maybe she shouldn't have taken his hand...

But Kagome hadn't really meant to, exactly. It had simply happened. Her body decided to move without first consulting her mind, like it usually did. She just hoped it hadn't done any irreparable damage...

Inuyasha didn't let go of her hand though. He held it, lightly, but he was holding it. If he didn't want to, he'd drop it.

Wouldn't he?

Flushed, Kagome let Inuyasha draw her inside the castle, and she shivered involuntary at the draft that resulted from the closing of the doors. Inuyasha looked down at her and the corner of his mouth twitched up; a smile.

Reassured, Kagome stepped closer to him as they walked up the stairs. Once on the landing, she moved into his warmth, leaning slightly on his shoulder as they walked.

Inuyasha's face burned, and he scratched the side of his head with his free hand. Somewhat reluctantly, he released Kagome's hand as they reached her doors.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," the girl said softly, and she looked at him for the first time since they were outside. He was determinedly looking at anything but her, casting his eyes around the floor in search of a non-existent distraction. Smiling, she gently placed a hand on his cheek and turned him to face her.

Kagome's mouth fell open, as for a moment when his eyes met hers, they flashed gold.

Grasping the opportunity - since she seemed frozen to the spot - Inuyasha leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips, then fled into his rooms. Kagome returned to reality with the slam of his doors, caressing lips that turned up in a mysterious smile.

Ooo... fluff. Teehee. I'm trying to get this story out in as few chapters as I can, to make up for how long my other story was... Heh... Please review! - Ariana