A/N: Not dead. For once, it was for good news. I had a promotion, so I had to change work location and move and it's been hectic. Plus, I started my masters part-time at night. SO, I'm all over the place, aha.

But I'm alive.

Changing Seasons

Part 2

Late, late, late!

She was so fucking late.

Kagome was out of breath, panting, while her high heels clicked against the ground. Nobody ever warned her it would be this difficult to run with high heels and a long fancy dress. For the love of god, she was going to be sweaty. She could not be sweaty for this. She wanted to pray nobody would notice but everyone always glanced at the photographer at least once during the evening. She was completely screwed. She stole a quick peak beneath her armpits, grateful that there was no sweat stains. At least something was salvageable. Her only salvation was the fact that she had left her winter jacket in the car, hoping that the cold would keep her temperature down.

Finally, the huge brown wooden doors came in view and she let out a sigh of relief. Fingers wrapped around the shiny silver handles and she swung them open. Inside, she found a magnitude of people, some of them dancing, others chatting away. It was one of the biggest, most important charitable event of the year. All funds went towards helping sick children. A big financial institution was throwing it and each year there were more people. It was actually an honor to be chosen as the official photographer of the event. It was one of her biggest contract this quarter and her work needed to be flawless. She really needed this.

She smoothened her long black locks, hoping her bun would hold for the rest of the evening. She grabbed her red dress, lifting it higher as she went up the stairs. Once she made it to the top, she opened her bag and retrieved her camera. She turned on to adjust the settings while she kept moving forward, hoping nobody noticed her lateness. She popped her lips in approval as everything was set right and then, she brought the camera to her eye. Oh by the buffet! Three men and two little kids. That would make a good photo. She zoomed in, hoping to get a better look at their faces when… oh my god.

Kagome dropped her camera to her lap, thankful for the black strap that hung around her neck. Hot chocolate guy! She narrowed her eyes, stretching her neck forward. Yes, it was him. Granted this time, he was wearing a fancy black suit and his ponytail was all neat but - oh my god it was him. What was he doing here? A panic filled her chest at first as her dishevelled appearance came to her mind. Kagome promised she would repay him but - she never thought - this what. Alright coherent thoughts. She had to focus on that and everything would be okay.

He had not seen her yet.

That was a good thing.

As a matter of fact, it was a great reason to simply turn around and walk away.

No, why was she shy all the sudden? Didn't she run after him back at the ice rink?

But this was different. This was weird. She was not supposed to see him here. She had looked a bit, well weird. And this was an important event where she had to look professional.

If he noticed her, he noticed her.

Until then - she would keep on taking pictures.

Kagome gathered herself, took a deep breath, and resumed her work. This would be fine.

Time ticked away, the event flourishing. In the corner of the room, Kouga was pressed up against the wall, his neck tensed while the vein on the column of his throat began to bulge. He wanted to go home. These events were good and they did help kids but the people? They were all awful. Most of them did this with the simple purpose of boosting their image. They did not care about the kids or what the money was actually going to do. If he had to spend one more second with those phonies, he was going to lose his mind. As the years went by, he did not have to attend as many events as before, but some were part of the package deal.

Aggravated, he ran his fingers through his bangs, messing them up.

Maybe he could slowly walk away and nobody would notice.

He began walking backwards, a smile on his face. Everything was fine, he did not look suspicious at a-

"Hey!"

He cringed as he felt his back come into contact with someone. So close. He rapidly turned around, holding his hands out in front of him as a peace offering. "I'm so sorry miss." And then he looked at her; long locks of hair, beautiful, tight dress that hugged every curves… wait a minute. "Hot chocolate girl!" Kouga made no effort to stop the grin that reached his lips.

Who knew all that was hiding under that coat.

"K-kouga." She had managed to avoid him all night but then - she had been taking a picture. He bumped into her!

"So you remember me," he said with a wink.

She did her best to control the blush that formed on her face but she knew he noticed. "I - well I do have to repay you."

He chuckled and nodded. "I didn't know that meant stalking me."

Suddenly her mouth shifted, and she put her hands on her hips, leaning forward. "I wasn't stalking you. I'm working."

For the first time since their random encounter, he let his eyes travel to the camera that hung from her neck. "You're a photographer?"

She nodded, a smile beaming on her face. "I am."

"Are you done?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you done working?"

"Hm, not exactly." She paused. "Why?"

"Well - you do owe me."

She would be lying if she said she was not intrigued. What could she possibly do for him? Did he want her to take a picture?

"This event is killing me." He remembered her; she was funny and she barely stopped talking. That was a combination he could live with because unlike all of those people, she was not fake. She certainly was not afraid to be who she was and that was admirable.

"You want me to keep you company?"

"We'd call it even this time."

"Deal."

-C-

"I don't think my boss would be happy if I came back with photos like these."

"Hey, it would be more accurate."

She laughed out loud, a shake of her hair messing up her neatly placed bangs. Kouga had spent most of the evening hiding behind her while she took photos of the event. Honestly, at this point, she had enough photos but she stayed regardless. He was not a fan of these events. She was not part of that world, all she saw was what was available through her lens. She had noticed that some of them were cold and clearly thought they were better than her but she never paid attention to it. People like that existed everywhere.

"Can I ask something?"

"Sure," he answered before bringing the rim of his champagne glass to his lips.

"If you hate it so much, why are you here?"

"I own a company."

Oh.

"There's things I have to attend if I wanna keep everything running smoothly."

"Wow."

After his wife passed away, he buried himself into his work. When he was not working, he was taking care of his daughter. It made for a lonelier world but it did pay off in the end. He had everything he wanted, everything he needed. Plus, his daughter would never need for anything. He could provide her with a comfortable life - a life she deserved. Perhaps he was trying to compensate for the fact that she did not get to meet her mother, but - but he would do it anyways. His priority was making sure she did not notice what she was missing in life. He knew he could never offer her anything that would replace having a mother, but - he would distract her from it.

He was a single dad running his own successful company. Was there anything he could not do? Here she taking photos to finance her dream of being an author, and he had it all figured out. Despite everything that happened to him, he managed to push through - she admired that.

"It must be difficult."

"It's okay." He was reminded that he shared with her what happened to his wife. She was not giving him the pity eyes, but he could still feel it. He was not staying alone because he was still hung up on Ayame. He was still single because he did not have time for a relationship. He did not want his daughter to feel like she came in a second and his company took up a lot of his time. He decided to put his energy and focus somewhere else. Plus, he found people were hard to trust nowadays, and he preferred to be alone. Yes, that included having a few lonely nights, but it was something he could easily deal with by now.

A relationship would not work for him. And he was fairly he had forgotten how to date after all these years.

"Maybe one day you'll be important enough to not hide behind the photographer," she teased.

He smiled before brushing up a hand against her shoulder, pointing to a group of people standing in front of her. The moment she felt his warm flesh on hers, she felt a jolt. "You wanna try these people? I'll take the pictures."

"You'll take the pictures?" she inquired with a quirked eyebrow. Her skin felt moist beneath his and she swallowed hard.

"I'll have you know, I'm great at photo taking."

"Oh, are you also a photographer in your free time?" she teased.

"No, but I got pretty good over the years, documenting my daughter's life."

She knew he did not mean it in a way that would gather pity from her, but it was the end result regardless. She felt bad for him, sad that he had to learn how to cope with the loss of his wife and how to raise a child alone. She had seen her own mother play that role and she knew all of the sacrifices it entailed. It hit close to home for her and - she knew he had to master more skills than one parent should have to… but… it was how it went. She tried to offer him a smile, try to shield away the pity that shone in her eyes.

"Why not," she finally offered.

It was too late, the damage had been done. Although, he might have brought it upon himself. It had been many years for him and he had gotten used to his situation by now. Sometimes, it slipped him. Sometimes, he forgot how people might react. It was not as though he let in a lot of new people. Usually the awkward stages were over for him and he usually kept to himself.

But he talked to her.

He watched as she removed the camera strap from around her neck and handed him her prize. She stepped off and watched as he concentred on the scenery in front of them. She had not pegged him for a photographer, but then again, he seemed like someone who would rather behind this fake scene than in front of it. Not that she could blame him. It did make him hard to figure out. A few sounds of the clickers were heard and she observed his body language, his motions. Once he appeared to be satisfied, he pulled away from the camera and flashed her a grin.

Kouga ended her back the camera. "Thanks."

Before she was able to form a reply, her cellphone dinged. "Oh." She fished it out of her purse, and turned it on. Creases formed on her face as she read the words on the text message.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah - I just, one of my friends need me to get her out of jam. She needs some photos ASAP."

"Duty calls."

"Duty calls," she repeated. "But thank you."

"Thank you." She was the one who rescued his evening and helped him free himself from the claws of high society.

She shoved her hand once more into her purse and pulled out a white card. She handed it to him as she took back her camera. "Let me know if you wanna see how your photos turn out."

He stared down at the cardboard paper reading out her name; Kagome Higurashi. He leaned forward, almost as though he was going to kiss her cheek but he did not. "We'll do Miss Higurashi."

Kagome flashed him a smile before hopping away from sight. Meanwhile, Kouga flipped the card between his fingers, watching her leave. And now he would have to face the rest of the evening without her present to rescue him.

"Kouga?"

He turned his head, giving his attention to another older man who's name he could not remember.

"Let me introduce you to someone very important."

And so it began…

-C-

"Kouga!"

The forceful sound of Ginta's voice dragged him back to reality and he finally raised his head to meet his glance. "What?"

"You haven't been listening to a word I said have ya?" he asked with a smirk.

He had seen his friend distracted in the past but this was something new entirely. Whatever it was, it had his whole attention and more. Ginta allowed his eyes to follow Kouga's gaze until they landed on a small white card on his marble desk. "Who's Kagome Higurashi?"

The faintest blush manifested itself under his tan skin. "No one."

"Awfully distracting for a no one."

Kouga flashed him a glare. "She's a photographer."

"Any events coming up soon?"

"Yeah."

But that was not it, Ginta could tell. However, he did know better than to press right away. Kouga was shutting away from him, which was new. He would have to find out a bit more about this photographer. Kouga was not very present on the dating scene and he was not one to hook up with a string of women. It might be harmless, it might be nothing - but he wanted to know.

"How was it yesterday?"

"How do you think?"

A string of annoying people bothering him, demanding more from him than he could offer. He was not important enough to not attend him - which meant his presence was required. His business was doing well, but it did not mean he could start shunning people. He had to pull through it for a couple of more years and then he could put it all behind him.

"That bad huh?"

Well, this time it was not so bad, but he could not share that. If he even mentioned a woman, Ginta would not let it go. Even if it was nothing. His friends had been worried about him after his wife's loss. And then, they worried because he never got back on the dating scene. It took them a long time to understand that he did not have the need for someone new in his life; he had his daughter and it was plenty. It took him even longer to make them see that he was going to stand up every date they scheduled for him.

"Yeah."

"Alright, well, let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Kouga heard his friend walk away, and the sound of the door as it closed behind him. However, his eyes remained on the card. He should not be calling her. It was not as though he cared about the photos he took. He knew she would not be using them, and nothing would come from it. And yet she had given him her card. But that also did not mean anything. He leaned into his chair, the metal squeaking as it swayed back and forth. He reached out for his cellphone, flipping it over so that he could see the screen. Maybe a text? He could text? She was in age range that enjoyed the technologic world and minimal contact right? That made him wince. He was not that much older than her was he?

Slowly, he began entering her number, a little shake in his fingers. What could he write to her?

For fuck's sake. He was not a goddamn teenager. Plus, it was not as though he was asking her out on a date or anything like that. It was a casual conversation.

Screw it. Hope the photos turned out alright. That was simple enough right? Wait. Should he be identifying himself? It was not as though he made such an impact in her life that she would recognize him from one silly sentence. Thanks for saving my butt. That was enough right? Fuck. He hit send anyway.

Kouga was about to flip his phone again to avoid the torture of looking at it when a ding echoed through the room. He knitted his eyebrows, intrigue flowing through him; she could not have possibly responded that fast.

Not bad for an amateur :).

A laughter bubbled from his chest as he softly shook his head. Amateur huh?

Maybe you could show me my amateur work. Send.

Another ding.

Sure. Let me know when a busy entrepreneur like yourself is free.

The company was his - he made the hours as he pleased. Of course, he had to deal with many issues and big projects but - but he could be free whenever he wanted.

I'd be free at lunch.

Was he? He did not even check his schedule.

You can come by my studio if you like. It's right downtown. Say 1pm?

Np. What's the address?

For a second he felt a lump in his throat. This was not a date, it was not anything. And yet, as she sent him the address, he took it down on a post-it. It should not matter. It should not work him up like this. It was a young woman. He had seen his share of women over the years and he was never interested. Heck, most of them he did not even text back. His friends were the same as before and most of them were men. It did not mind the company of women but - it never happened really.

He put his phone down and then covered his face with his hands; what the fuck was he doing?

-C-

"Coming!"

The knock on her door had been hard to miss - especially since the visits to her studio were scarce. She hopped to the front door, her foot nearly getting caught in one of the many cables that decorated her floor. By the time she reached the door, she felt breathless. She leaned forward, only keeping one foot on the ground and grabbed the handle before swinging the door open.

"Hi."

"Hey," he replied with a grin.

Her hair was tousled, barely holding on into the shape of the messy bun she had attempted to do. There was a red bandana holding back her bangs, clearing up her face and allowing her blue eyes to shine brighter than usual. She had on nothing more than a pair of jean shorts and a simple yellow camisole which made her look like a bum compared to him. He was dressed in a fancy grey pants with a light blue shirt and a tie that matched. It brought out the color of his eyes and for a second she was mesmerized. Not matter what, he looked polished and older.

Meanwhile, she appeared to look like a child.

It was quite a different look she had one compared to the last time he had seen her but then again, considering all their previous encounters he had no expectations when it came to Kagome. She always seemed to find a way to be surprising and unexpected.

"Come in," she offered as she moved herself away from the door. "Excuse the mess. It happens a lot when I have a few contracts at once." Kagome was old school; she loved the art of photography. On top of taking the photos, she made sure to develop them herself. It did mean she needed a quiet place away from her apartment and a lot of equipment but she made due. It was a lot of traveling around but it was half of the fun.

He casted a quick glance around, noticing the many lens, flashes and equipment that covered her floor. He expected as much. "Do you take photos here?"

"Hm, sometimes," she said as she tucked behind her ear a loose strand of hair. "But, mostly I just develop the photos."

"Yourself?"

She nodded.

"That's impressive."

"Not as impressive as having my own company."

He chuckled. "Still." He only did it because he had a lot of time on his hands and grieving situation to work through - it was not that impressive. Meanwhile, it appeared she was flowing through life. He was not quite sure this was the only job she had, but it felt impolite to inquire about the personal details of her life. After all, they were not friends.

"Now where did I put them," she asked herself as she tapped the side of her cheek. "Oh." She bent forward, offering him more of a view than she intended and retrieved an envelope that was stuck beneath a few books. She turned around and handed it to him with a beaming smile. "All your hard work."

He chuckled as he took it from her. His fingers brushed up against the back of her head allowing him to feel the smooth skin beneath his fingertips - which he barely noticed… He cleared his throat and then flipped it around and slowly pull the shoots from inside the envelope. Why was he doing this? He knew he did not care that much about some foolish photos. He did not even like the people or the event! Still, he looked at them while she watched him, slowly rolling on the ball of her feet, leaning forward and then backwards.

"Not bad for a beginner."

"I'll take it as a compliment."

She laughed. "Hungry?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm kinda stealing your lunch away. I have some food if you want."

He got what he came for; the photos. This was only about picking up his handywork and then he was leaving - nothing else. And yet there he was, envelope in his hands and hesitation on his lips. Women had forcefully hit on him, they had dragged him to dark rooms, palmed at his skin and he had turned them down. Of course, he had given in a few times but it was not because he had lost control - it was out of need. He might not want another relationship but it did not mean he did need a bit of loving once in a while. Although even that had taken a back burner in recent years.

How was it that every time she was around he felt like a bug ready to get zapped?

"Sure."

Another step in the wrong direction.

Kagome headed in direction of her fridge and swung it open. She did not use to have so much here but after wasting countless hours, she realized that if she did not have the bare minimum she was going to starve to death. "I have left over chinese and beer," she announced with a grin. Obviously it was not up to par with his lifestyle but - well they were very different people.

"Sounds great," he said as he took a step forward. Most of his lunches were either spent locked in his office or with stuck up entrepreneurs with fancy steaks and whiskey. Left over food and beer actually sounded nice for once.

Kagome pulled out two containers and two beers out of the fridge before closing the door shut with her foot. She dropped everything on the counter and then motioned for him to join her. He sat on a stool across from her while she retrieved some plates to heat up the food. "Is your office far from here?" It was not something she had considered when proposing this little meet up.

She did not even know why she proposed this. Or why she invited him to have lunch with her.

"Not really."

After getting her heart broken, Kagome had made a point to stay away from men. She found that trusting them did not come easily after the betrayal she had experienced. She had gone on a few dates with perfectly nice gentlemen but… she had kept her reservations and had never called them again. And now here she was. Maybe he was easy to approach because he was… a dad? Because he was older? Because he clearly did not have any interest in her? She kept her heart guarded, protecting it from future heartbreak. She did not want someone new in her life. But this was different. It was! Because she enjoyed his company.

She retrieved the plates from the microwave and put his down in front of him. She opened both of the beers and handed one to him. "Thanks."

Kagome took a swing of her beer and Kouga followed her. "How did your daughter's date go?"

He chuckled. "The boy lives."

"That's good."

"But I think she likes him."

"Is that so bad?"

"Yes."

She laughed, before offering him a bemused smile. "You'll have to go through it at some point."

"I'd rather later." He wanted her to stay his little girl forever if possible. He did not want to think about her growing up, having her own life and being on her own. He had protected her from the world all by himself and though he might have overdone it sometimes, it had always been done out of love.

"It's like a bandaid, you have to rip it."

"We'll see."

"I'm sure you raised her to be a smart girl. You shouldn't be worried."

"I hope I did." He did the best he could with what he had and - well he was not her mother. He had his own limitations, no matter what.

"I wish I had your job," she said, changing the topic. She could see a change in his glance and she assumed it had something to do with his daughter growing up motherless. She did not invite him over to have him depress about events that were out of his control. "Leaving and going as he pleased."

He smirked. "Being your own boss needs to have its perks."

"Hey I'm my own boss, but I can't afford too much time off."

"You do this full time?"

"I try. I'm hoping this get me into journalism."

"You take photos in the hopes of writing?"

She chuckled. "I know, it doesn't make much sense. I've always wanted to write but I never found my muse. The camera helps me show what I want to tell. I'm hoping the writer in me unblocks at some point." She had tried but nothing she had ever written had been enough. Sango had also tried to provide some assistance but she had never liked the end result.

"I'm sure it will." What a strange girl.

He tilted his head forward, resuming his eating and Kagome could not help but stare at him. Most people she was with all day in her every day life were around her age range. Except for business, she was never around people who were much older than her. Somehow, she was at ease with him. They had a few personal conversation and she ever thought of creating a distance between them. She had even spent an entire work evening with him without any issue. What was it about him that made her comfortable? She had the same friends since forever - which had nothing to do with her being antisocial, she could simply be a little shy about herself.

"Thanks."

They kept on eating, maintaining the conversation light until the beer bottles were empty and they were scrapping the bottom of their plates. Once everything was put away, Kouga retrieved his envelope - the actual reason he came over - and stood up. "I won't keep you much longer."

"No worries, developing photos is a long process in the dark. A little light is good."

"I always found that fascinating."

"I'll show you someday if you want." She had said it so naturally but once the words had left her mouth she felt like an idiot. Did she just invite him to continue this weird… friendship? They were having. It was not even a friendship, it could not be one.

"I'd like that." Did he want to know, or was he making up an excuse to see her again? Why did he need one? Why did he want to? She was younger than him, much younger. They should not have anything in common, they should not have anything to talk about. There was something about her. Her smile, her childish antics, her need for sugar or her vast knowledge of different skills? He did not know.

She took a step forward, closing some of the distance between them. Suddenly she found a nervousness settling in, like her something was clutching at her stomach. She dared to look up, noticing just how much taller than her he was as he towered over her small frame. She could hear her own heart beating inside of her head, her throat clamming up and her fingers becoming fidgety.

"Let- let me know when you're free," she managed to say though her mouth began to feel like cotton.

"I have your number," he added with a smirk. Was he flirting with her?

"Just ring me up," she said, finally tearing her body away from his. She managed to move to the left, ready to open the door for him.

Unfortunately for her, life had other plans. Before she was able to reach the handle, one of her feet caught itself in one of the cables, launching her forward. Kouga was quick enough to notice the fall, but not quite fast enough to prevent it all together. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and he tried to steady the both of them. Instead, they both ended up leaning towards the door, his back hitting the wooden door with a loud slam. He winced as he took the hit for the both of them, her tiny body hitting his chest as it happened.

Once it was clear they were out of danger, he opened his eyes and stared down at her. All he could see was the top of her head, and feel the closeness of her body as she held on to him, her arms clutching at his shirt, afraid to let go. He felt her chest rise up and down, and then, her head moved. She tilted it backwards and stared into his eyes, panic filling her blue orbs. As she arched her back, he could see the rise of her breasts as they were squished against his chest. He should be staring into her eyes but he found his glance straying.

Kagome wanted to look away from his face, but could not. Her body was still shaking, and all she could feel was his large palm holding her small back. It rested right above her rear, spreading warmth to her flesh.

"T-Thank you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yea."

Except she was not removing herself from him, and he was making no attempt at letting her go. She was warm, soft and small. He felt his blood pumping rushing to places, and he found himself rolling his lips together. He had to release her. He swallowed the lump in his throat and managed to put some distance between their bodies.

"I'll - I'll get going."

"Yeah, of course. Thank you."

She pulled away like she had gotten burned and did her best to put a smile on her face. She watched him go, her heart hammering and deafening her.

What was that?

-C-