Disclaimer: Rivers do not flow,

As fast as sorrowful tears

Make trails on my cheeks.

Oooookay…That was my messed-up attempt to convey the message that I don't own Inuyasha! It's haiku! 5. 7. 5! Very demented, I know, but I got tired of typing the same disclaimer over and over again. Next time's a limerick, if I can manage!

Author's Note: Yay! I'm back everyone! ^_^ Sorry that I haven't updated in so long! Y'all must be feeling deprived… But I always feel unproductive when I have just done ten tons of homework, so blame my school's teachers if you wanna gripe about how long it took to write another chapter! I also want to tell everyone to go worship ArtemisMoon, because it was her reviews that encouraged me to hurry up and write my ass off for you guys! She gave me 7, long, wonderful reviews all at once! I was so grateful to her! Please go read and review her Rurouni Kenshin story, Koishii, if you want to thank her for making me write this chapter sooner! It's a bit of humor and romance at mixed into one… Anyway, this chappie has some Sango and Miroku fluff, in case you're interested! And just for a preview: Chapter 25 will contain major sweetness and fluff between…you guessed it, Inuyasha and Kagome! Please enjoy!

The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 24

"Okay, okaa-san! I'm leaving now! Bye-bye! I'll be back in about a week or so! Bye Souta! Take care of Buyo! Bye jii-chan!" Kagome called out cheerfully as she stepped out of the house, carrying a large green backpack, as always, into the cool autumn morning. The various members replied from different parts of the shrine-house as the teenager walked quickly towards the well house. "Oh dear," Kagome said aloud as she glanced at her silver-chained watch, "I'm late again. Inuyasha's going to be mad! I better hurry up!" She started running towards the well house, and quickly went in.

Just as the miko was about to jump in over the edge, she faintly heard her mother's voice yelling, "Wait! Kagome, you should bring a- " But it was too late, Kagome had already disappeared. "-jacket." Her mother appeared at the doorway of her house, shaking her head resignedly. "How did she leave so fast? Oh well, must be that she's in a good physical condition. She should have brought a heavier jacket though. It might get a bit chilly in the Sengoku Jidai. Oh, I do hope my little baby girl doesn't catch a cold. She has such a delicate constitution."

Just as Kagome's worried mother was saying this, the girl with the supposedly "delicate constitution" was screaming at a certain dog-demon, "INUYASHA!!! Osuwari! I didn't dawdle! I came here as fast as I could after breakfast! Just because you don't have a life, that doesn't mean I can't have one either! I had to say good-bye to my family! And I ran as fast as I could here afterwards!" She stamped her foot for emphasis while glaring at the figure laying face down on the ground.

Inuyasha muttered scornfully with his face in the dirt, "Can't even run fast enough. Feh! Weak humans…"

"Grrrr…Inuyasha! I'm not a weak human! I can stand extreme conditions better than anyone in my class! I'm the most physically fit person in my gym class! I can run faster than any of the boys can in my class, too! How dare you call me weak!" Kagoem shouted angrily. She was annoyed that no matter how hard she tried to impress or please Inuyasha, he always criticized her and called her weak, or stupid, or anything insulting. "Osuwari!" She stomped off, fuming at the hanyou's words.

After the spell wore off, said hanyou sat up, brushed his clothes off, and said to himself, "What did I ever do to deserve this? And what's 'fi-si-cul-ly' mean?" It was almost a month since the fire, and he had worked hard to keep his relationship with the miko-in-training the same as it was before. Using bribing, threatening, and wheedling techniques, he had convinced everyone who had witnessed his tears to keep their mouths shut about the incident when he had rescued Kagome. They had agreed, for personal reasons of their own. Shippou, mainly out of fear of retribution as well as the promise of a giant Hershey's chocolate bar from Kagome's house. Miroku, out of amusement and understanding, as well as a threat to tell Sango about the time that he had peeked on her while bathing. As for the demon exterminator herself, well, let's just say that she was more sensitive to the feelings of her companions, and was willing to give Inuyasha his chance to woo Kagome in his own demented way.

And the dog-demon himself had made a conscious effort to act normally towards Kagome. He had to work hard to keep his face muscles in a perpetual frown when she was around, he thought carefully before answering her questions in order to sound brusque and rude, and he purposely ignored the fact that the teenager was voluntarily warming up to him. Kagome crept closer toward him at night, around the campfire. She spoke warmly to him now and then, and didn't get as angry when he tried to annoy her. She almost never sat him unless she was very pissed off, either. It was as if she knew his feelings and was trying to return them.

Anyway, after their fairly small squall had blown over that morning, Kagome and Inuyasha prepared to lead the rest of the group off towards the northern part of the domain. What with one thing and another, they finally managed to leave the village in the late morning, when the sun was shining brightly. They were off to gather more shards, as usual, and everyone was in a relatively good mood. Except Kagome. She was actually still steaming about Inuyasha's comments, and she vowed to herself that she would prove herself as strong as any of them.

Secretly, the fact that she always looked weaker than the rest of her friends, except for Shippou, was one of her main insecurities. She was afraid that they thought of her as a burden, because she always needed to rest, and needed to be protected during fights, and was always seemed like a fragile person. Kagome never paused to think of the fact that the three of them were all trained fighters and used to living in the wild, used to providing and watching out for themselves. Still, the futuristic girl furrowed her eyebrows and thought to herself determinedly, "I will not let them think I'm weak! I swear that I'll act strong!"

As Kagome walked, last in the procession that was led by Inuyasha, she was so immersed in her thoughts that she failed to notice the sudden darkening of the previously bright blue sky. That was why, when they stopped for a midday meal a few hours later, the miko was surprised to find that the sun had been blocked out by thick dark clouds, and that there was a threatening, ominous mass of black and gray clouds that was rolling speedily towards them. The air had grown chillier without the heat of the sun, and she could no longer see her companion's shadows because it was so dark. She shivered involuntarily, though whether it was because of the foreboding atmosphere of the weather, or because her scanty, thin school uniform was not affording her any heat, she didn't know.

Sango and Miroku, who were walking side by side, having formed a silent truce moments before, edged closer to each other for warmth. The monk glanced at her, then with a well-hidden smirk, draped a casual arm around Sango's shoulder. The demon huntress stiffened, and gave him a warning glare that seemed to say, "If that hand strays, I'll hit you so hard that you'll be sorry." Then, seeing as the lech had an innocent yet expressionless look on his face, she decided to put aside her animosity towards him away for the moment, in favor of more warmth. Sighing with resignation, the taiji-ya didn't say a word as she put an arm around Miroku's waist and snuggled closer towards the monk. Miroku started at her unusual actions, then slowly grinned and hugged her tighter in an effort to pass some of his body heat to her.

Kagome, who had been watching the pair's actions from behind with undisguised amusement, thought happily to herself, "Well, it's about time those two got together. Sango and Miroku are such a cute couple! I'm glad they're finally warming up to each other." She smiled warmly at their intertwined bodies, then sighed to herself. "If only I had someone like that…" Her glance fell automatically upon Inuyasha's stoic, red-clad figure. He had Shippou huddled in a heap on his shoulder, but he didn't seem to mind, or notice. The hanyou took long strides forward, and seemed oblivious of the incoming cold air. Kagome shook her head sadly, then shrugged, tightened her arms around herself, and ran forwards to catch up with her friend.

"Hello, Inuyasha! It's a cold day, isn't it?" Kagome spoke casually towards him.

Inuyasha gave her a cursory glance as she drew level with him, but otherwise gave no sign that he had noticed her presence. The high-schooler bristled at his disregard, and repeated in a exasperated tone, "Inuyasha! Are you listening to me? I said that it's cold outside!"

The dog hanyou looked at the white puffs of air coming out of her mouth, paused, smirked, and declared, "Feh! You're so weak! It's not cold at all right now! I've been through much worse!" As he spoke, though, he tucked his hands into his hakama to keep them warm.

Kagome huffed angrily, her pride hurt, and said, "Humph! I didn't say I was cold. I'm perfectly fine!" She folded her arms, pressed her lips together, and refused to look him in the eye. Inuyasha snorted, but didn't reply.

The miko was seething inside, angry at his insult, but she didn't say anything aloud as she thought, "Huh! So, I'm a weak little girl, am I? Oooohh… I'll show that arrogant, selfish, stubborn, violent, angry, stupid, narrow-minded, dog-breathed jerk! I'm not going to say a word about how cold I am! I swear that I'd rather freeze to death than admit it!" As she glared at the "jerk" 's retreating back, though, she shivered again.

"Inuyasha. Maybe it would be wise to stop and turn around, or find shelter in a cave or village. There is a storm approaching, and, judging by the falling temperatures, there's probably going to be a snowstorm. I advise that we get the ladies into a warm place soon, lest they cannot stand the cold." Miroku spoke in a smooth, reasonable voice.

The dog demon, reluctant to stop, but aware of a human's limits, looked up calculatingly at the dark sky. It was only noon, yet already temperatures were falling, and the sky looked as dark as dusk. He glanced back at Sango and Kagome questioningly, as if asking their opinions.

Sango, who was wearing relatively warm clothing, shrugged dismissively and answered, "I'm fine. It's only a bit cold." She looked at her close friend, and continued carefully, "It's nothing I can't handle, but Kagome-chan is probably cold. She's only wearing a thin shirt and a short skirt. It will not insulate her against the cold winds. Maybe we should stop."

Everyone, including the fox cub, looked at Kagome. She forced herself to straighten up and said coolly, "No. I'm fine too. I'm not cold. Perfectly okay. We should continue looking for the shards. Everything will be fine. It probably won't start snowing until late afternoon or tonight! " She spoke with an outward confidence that she didn't really have. But she stubbornly refused to cause inconvenience to her companions. "I'm not weak!" She thought to herself. Kagome clapped her hands and said cheerfully, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go everyone! A little snow won't be able to hurt us!" Just as the last words came out of her mouth, the first snowflake landed gently and soundlessly on her head, it's crystalline white forming a stark contrast against the ebony blackness of her hair.

A/N: Bit of a cliffhanger, no? But not that bad… Hope you appreciate the fact that this is an exceptionally long chapter! See ya next time! Ja ne!

Review Responses:

ArtemisMoon ~ First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU so much for reviewing!!!!! You totally uplifted my glum spirits and nudged me towards my pen and paper pad! ^_^ Arigatou! I already talked nonstop when I reviewed your story, so I'll keep this short: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And keep on reading! Hope you liked this chapter!

Erica ~ ^_^ Thanks for reviewing! I wanted to watch the episodes on Cartoon Network, but I don't have the channel… So sad… L

Makura Kirei ~ Yes! I agree! Kikyou is evil!!!!!! Grrr… Anyway, ^_^ thanks! I'm honored that you think I'm a master authoress! *poses*

Liz ~ Arigatou! I'm gonna write as much as I can! I love fluff too! There'll be lots of Inu/Kag sweetness in the next chapter!

C-Chan ~ Thank you! I agree! We should all call Kikyou dumb dead-wench or something! She is so evil! - Blech! Well, good luck in college! Take care!

Laura-chan ~ Yep, Sess-chan isn't as cruel as we expected, thanks to Rin's loving, innocent influence. And Inu/Kag is my favorite couple, so don't expect anything else! Arigatou for reviewing! I'll try to update soon!

celadonserpent ~ Thanks! Inuyasha is closed up sometimes, but you have to take into account the fact that he had a very scary childhood…

strawberry goodness ~ Calm down! I'm writing as fast as I can! Here's the chapter! Happy? ^.^ Keep reviewing!

Itadakimasu ~ Hi! Thank you for always taking time out to write such long reviews! Um, glomp isn't a different language, I don't think… I'm pretty sure it's English… Dun worry, I'm horrible at languages too! I'm taking Spanish, but I know Chinese, and now I'm familiar with a bit of Japanese too… So confusing! Too many different languages! LOL Yes, Inuyasha and Kagome are the most kawaii couple in the history of the world! ^_^ Mmm… Coke is good… I like getting sugar high too… Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing! Luv ya! *glomp* Get out of the mental hospital before I drag you out! I need you as inspiration! LOL ^_^

aBascus ~ No such luck! Sorry! ^_~ Gotta be patient, 'cause Inuyasha's not gonna 'fess up' for awhile yet! Sorry to disappoint! Thanks for reviewing, though!

Mia Anika ~ Arigatou!!!

Kumori ~ There will be more 'lovely, not too OOC, not too over-dramatic, but nice and fluffy' fluff in the next chapter! Wait for it! ^_*

chickittychick ~ Like I said in the review, Shikon no kakera is a correct phrase… But thanks for noticing! Keep writing your story!

Thunk ~ SOLEDAD was wonderful! I can't wait to read what happens next! Did you like my insanely stupid haiku disclaimer? ^ ^;; Yes! Love the image of inuyasha doing CPR on moi… too bad it will never happen… *tear* But…* cheers up* One can always dream, right ^_^;; Anyway, arigatou!

Rosefire ~ Hi! I'm glad you think I deserve some credit! Ya know, I can't believe I got more than 150 reviews! It's exhilarating! I started reading chapter 7 of 'The Price of Freedom', but my parents made me stop…I must go back and finish it soon! Thank you for the encouragement! ^_^ Keep writing!