A/N: Yes! I AM alive!!!  High School kind of....ate me. No, no. Just joking. It was hard at first, but I think I finally got a schedule working, here! And I made some free time to write ^.^

By the way....I'm am sooooooooo sorry for anyone who reviewed. I can't believe I had to reload it and lost the reviews ; . ; But that's okay because I remember that I had 4 reviews...One from ???? (I forgot what the pen name was...sorry!), two from Atlas-86, and one from Rosedragon. Now I have one from the Three-Legged-Dog, one from Jenny, and one from Youkai-Chick-Supreme. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR REVIEWING!

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                                    Come What May

                  Chapter Three: Finally, The Beginning

            Kagome just stared after him. Wasn't he upset at all?! They could have killed her! And he keeps on walking...How could he not be affected?! Hadn't her heard the screams and cries?! Her plan was brilliant...! Well not so brilliant, being that the villagers were rather simple. Still...The villagers *screamed*. *She* screamed. She had threatened every one with death...! And the hanyou kept on walking.                    

            With a sigh she trotted until she was close enough so that he could stay in her sight, but far enough so that he wouldn't be suspicious. Supposedly.

            He stopped then and turned around with a scowl. "Alright then you're out of your village. You happy?! I saw you, heard you, and caught your scent from the moment you stepped out of your hut and began to follow me! You wanted out?! You got it. You better quit stalking me or else I'll slice you into little bits!"

            Once again, the cat had "caught her tongue". Or in this case the dog. Regaining her composure at his abrupt outburst she managed to speak . "You'll stab me...?!" Was she terrified? Indefinitely. Would she show it? No way in hell. Prince or not... "You might as well have stabbed me as soon as you found out I was following you, because those villagers weren't exactly welcoming me with open arms!!"

            He looked down at her. "I was being generous, wench. You should be grateful I got you out of that village."

            "Grateful...*You* got me out of that village?! They were going to *kill* me!"

            "Feh!! You look alive enough to me!"

            "That's because I managed to fool them!"

              He would never admit it. As soon as he heard the cries he turned back, sword with-drawn, ready to fight. But. He heard her as she began to speak out. That was when he figured she had it under control...that time, at least. Besides. If they weren't ripping her to pieces, he didn't want her to know he was actually turning back for her...Stupid girl.

            "Whatever, wench. I'm not wasting my time with you. Just quit following me." He began to turn around.

            Kagome knew if she let him walk away, she'd never have another chance to tell him. So she blurted it out. ".....I want to work for the Western artillery..!"

            The hanyou stopped and slowly looked back to her. ".......Nani..?"

            "...I can do anything you want me to. I can learn to fight...! Or I can cook for the soldiers... I can clean!"

            "...." The hanyou remained silent.

            "...Please!"

            The look of shock was forcefully replaced with one of annoyance and a haughty smug smile. "! Goddammit if you can fight...you're a *girl*..."

            Kagome's eyes narrowed slightly.

            "...feh...So that's why you were following me?"

            She nodded.

            He stared. "...How old are you....?"

            "Sixteen."

            ".....Why the hell would a sixteen year old girl want to work for the artillery...? Don't you have anything better to do?"

            With a deep breath, a glance to the ground she fumbled for her words. "I...I can't go back. I have no other place to go. You've seen---You must have..."She pleaded, "You *know* it'd be impossible for me to go back without getting killed..." Her eyes were filled with sincere fright. She was scared. 

            He met her gaze evenly, and for the second time that day he was at loss for words. Here he was. On a round for calling *soldiers* and he finds a girl. She'd be helpful none-the-less. She was even willing to fight, unlike some other men he had gathered from the other villages. After a what seemed like 100 years, he huffed, snapping back into "himself". "....Fine....we're short of  people who can cook and clean for the soldiers...."

            So....he wasn't so mean as she thought. Gratefulness washed over her in a large wave. "Thank you!! Thank you so much." She bowed clasping her hands tightly together.

            "Whatever.... You're still going to have to present yourself to my brother...As will the other people I have recruited...My brother has the final word in it so its up to him..." He seemed to resent that fact.

            "Yes." She nodded and bowed once again. Still, a question aroused. She looked around. "Where are the other people you recruited...?"

            "At camp." He stated simply.

            "But..." Kagome was still a bit confused.

            "We're going there now." He began to walk.

            "Oh...But, Prince Inuyasha, you didn't take any one from my village? " She followed him, attempting to match his pace...She was a step behind.

             "No. They were all too old or too young. And those who were the correct age couldn't fight or cook for themselves let alone others....figures you can cook, being that you lived alone all these years...and haven't died yet."                                                                      

            "Oh." She nodded. She could cook....She had for thirteen years. All by herself.  She was sixteen. It was a bit sad...She was old enough to be recruited. She had made it by a year. Fifteen was too young.

            The sky began to grow dark. Looking up she smiled to herself. Kagome matched his pace.

            Looking down the hanyou spotted her footing. Raising an eyebrow he looked up at the horizon with a slight smile. "Hehe." A laugh..?

            The girl looked to him head tilted side-ways a bit curious and smiled slightly. Kagome then turned to watch the horizon ahead.

             Matching his pace...She had caught up.

            Finally, it was the beginning.

A/N: WHOO! Inuyasha and Kagome moment ^.^  Awwww...Yes I know this chapter was REALLY  SHORT! But I promise the next one will be looooong!       Anyways....*cough cough* reviews? Hm? Any one? Who said that? I did!! 'Cause I need 'em! C'mon..Tell your friends. Tell your neighbors. Or...at least anyone who has an interest in Inuyasha. This fic and its writer (Tee hee) needs reviews! PLEASE don't forget to leave one ^.^ Chapter four is on its way. I need about 3 more reviews to update! So c'mon folks ^.^