Forgotten Snow
Chapter Thirteen


Kagome gulped as she stood before the door. Never before had she realized how large and deadly the simple wooden door really was. Behind it, there could be the timid puppy or the furious dog. She wasn't sure which, and after yesterday's awkward scenario, she was a little hesitant to even be fifty feet near him.

She smoothed out her skirt and readjusted her blouse. She licked her parched lips and touched her hair, smoothing it of any flyaways that may be present. She took a deep breath before releasing a long exhale, the tension in her shoulders obvious and her palms growing sweaty. Why was she getting so worked up over a boy? ...A man?

Taking one last breath she knocked on the door.


Inu yasha quirked an amused eyebrow. He could tell Kagome was on the other side of the office and she was very tense and apprehensive to knock on his door. He chuckled darkly to himself and cleared away his desk of papers that had no importance to him.

He looked at his ceiling and took a deep breath when she finally got the courage to knock on the door. "Come in," he said patiently, pretending to not know that the woman had been standing outside his door for ten minutes.

His chair swiveled and a loud resounding creak echoed through the office. Kagome took a few hesitant steps into the room, her head bowed and her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her blouse.

"What is it?" Inu yasha drawled out, trying to sound bored and push the quiver in his voice down.

Kagome tensed at the sound of his voice and hesitantly looked up at him. She licked her lips again and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I came to...apologize about yesterday."

Inu yasha stood up and walked around his desk, standing before him. His long silver hair swished across his back and his golden eyes peered at her, causing her to look away from the piercing gaze.

"I thought we went over this yesterday," Inu yasha said as he rubbed his temple idly.

"I know, but I really am sorry. For everything. For yelling at you about Kouga, for calling you inappropriate names and for...slapping you," She said slowly, her blue eyes finally meeting his own.

Inu yasha shrugged, "It's ok, really. Kouga will be fine, I've been called worse, and I don't even feel it anymore." He rocked slowly back and forth on the balls of his feet. He looked at her expecting her to leave but she remained rooted to the spot. "Is there something else you needed to speak to me about?"

"I..." Kagome blushed softly and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked at the window behind Inu yasha and watched the sunny sky greet the crisp air. "Are you really sure its ok?"

"Would you stop that?" Inu yasha barked, growing irritated, "I accepted your apology, what more do you want, woman?"

Kagome felt her anger boil but remained in her calm state, "Well excuse me for being worried about you!"

"You aren't worried about me," Inu yasha snorted, "You just don't want to lose your job."

"Excuse me?" Kagome hissed and clenched her fists. So much for feeling sorry for her boss, so much for having some sympathy, so much for everything! He was just ASKING for an ass kicking.

"You heard me," He shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Are you done yet or must I be nagged by your appearance?"

"You!" Kagome snapped angrily and resisted the urge to punch his gut. "You are impossible!"

"I thought we had this conversation already," Inu yasha hissed through his teeth. "Is there anything else I don't know?"

Kagome growled softly and huffed angrily. "Fine. I'll leave."

"You do that," Inu yasha said and turned back to his desk.

Kagome fumed and began to walk out.

"Oh and Kagome?" Inu yasha asked in fake sweetness, "Don't stand outside my door for ten minutes next time, it's very annoying and distracting."

Kagome's response was slamming the door shut.


"I don't understand, Sango!" Kagome said loudly as she stirred sugar into her coffee. "One minute he's his old sweet self that I remember and the next he's a total asshole."

"Are you sure you're the victim here, Kagome-Chan?" Sango asked as she stared at the brown liquid swirling in her coffee mug.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kagome snapped at her friend. The woman didn't respond at first, instead relished in the feel of the mug's cool ceramic texture against her lips.

She rubbed her chin for a moment before looking at Kagome. "Think about it, Kagome, there obviously has to be something up with him that prevented him from moving on and forgetting you. I mean, you moved on, you've dated many men before meeting up with him again, ten years is a long time." She sipped her coffee and peered at Kagome over the rim. Setting down the cup, she continued, "Obviously ten years is a long time, a long time to forget, forgive and move on. Something has to be keeping Inu yasha tied. And he hates it."

"That's not true, he just hates me," Kagome said glumly. She idly twisted the spoon around her mug. "Oh Sango, I didn't know how much I missed him until I saw him again! I'm such a fool!"

"You both are," Sango said softly to herself before sighing loudly. "Kagome- Chan, you know Inu yasha better than I do-"

"Knew." Kagome corrected, "He's completely different from the Inu yasha I once knew. He's rude, arrogant, pompous, snobbish, hard headed, stubborn, gorgeous, rough, powerful- and yet so handsome and wonderful-"

She shook her head, "What am I saying? After all he's been through; he'd never give me the time of day."

Sango sighed softly. "Kagome, listen to me."

Kagome looked at her friend softly and set down her now empty mug of coffee.

Sango's maroon eyes stared intently at Kagome's blue ones, they locked for a long time and Kagome blinked in surprise, "Sango?"

Sango looked away and stared at the floor for a long time before clearing her throat. "No one knows how long it can take to heal a broken heart, Kagome, but to see the one who broke it, and may still hold it, tends to make us bitter and cold."

Kagome nodded but seemed sad. "He'd never want me back," she said pitifully, "He hates me."


Kagome walked home sadly, she had missed the bus and had to walk home to her apartment. She didn't mind much, her home wasn't too far away, and she couldn't deny the fact that she needed the exercise. The air was crisp and cold, even with the sun beating down behind her as it slowly sank into the west. She yawned softly, having not gotten much sleep the night before.

Her mind had been plagued by that almost kiss...

If Miroku had just been two minutes later…

No, she shouldn't think those kinds of thoughts; after all, she was the bitchy ex-girlfriend that toyed with her boyfriend's heart before finally dumping him for some dirt bag she barely knew. She never realized how much she loved Inu yasha until he was gone and away from her reach. Naraku was nothing compared to the beautiful silver haired hanyou she fancied.

But...

Her hand lightly touched the doorknob of her apartment and turned the key into the lock. Hearing the soft click, she entered her humble abode with a heavy heart. She bit her lip and fought back the inevitable tears that collected in the corners of her aquamarine blue eyes. The glassy orbs focused on her phone and she checked for messages.

The flashing red light told her that she did have new messages, in fact, five. Her heart lifted and she whipped her eyes. Hopefully it was her mother calling for a lunch date, she really needed some company.

She clicked the access code for her message box and went through the phone messages. One was from her mother, the other from Sango and the others from other various friends. But the last message made her gasp and drop the phone in surprise.


The next day, being her day off, Kagome peered out of her apartment door, as if expecting something to hop out and attack her.

The phone message replayed itself in her head like a continuously broken record and the crisp male voice kept repeating: meet me at the park, meet me at the park.

Why would she need to go there of all places?

She gripped her purse and walked briskly to the park.

The message had told her to meet him at the large tree near the playground with the red slide. With all the snow around, it was hard for Kagome to locate the red slide, but as she drew nearer, the tall evergreen tree loomed above her in all its magnificence.

She met him under the tree and he grinned at her, his eyes shinning brightly, "Good morning."

"G'morning," she replied numbly and rubbed her cheeks to get some circulation in them.

"I called you for a reason," He said with a nod and grabbed her hand, "Let's go sit down somewhere."

Kagome nodded and watched the man pull lightly on his ponytail, a habit he had never been able to break. As they approached a picnic table located under a tree, he helped Kagome sit down before sitting on the bench directly across from her.

"So, why the park?" Kagome asked with a raised eyebrow.

He grinned wolfishly and rubbed the back of his head, chuckling softly, "I didn't want to make it too inconvenient for you."

"We could have just met at my apartment, it would have been warmer," Kagome said as she rubbed her arms.

He raised an eyebrow, "Would you trust me in your house, Kagome?"

"No," Kagome sighed and her breath became a small cloud of white. "So, why did you bring me here, Miroku?"

The said man looked around, making sure no one was listening to what he was about to say. He leaned in and whispered softly in her ear, "Sango told me."

"SHE DID WHAT?" Kagome screeched and caused some roosting birds to scatter into the air with cries of anger and resentment to the human girl.

"Please be calm, Miss Kagome," Miroku waved his hands and motioned for her to sit down. When she did, he cleared his throat and folded his hands in his lap, "As you know, Inu-yasha and I are friends." He waited for Kagome to nod in understanding before continuing, "So naturally I know how he feels and what's going on in his head."

Kagome's eyes widened and her ears perked, hanging onto Miroku's every word, "And?"

"He loves you," Miroku said firmly without a beat of hesitation.

The world seemed to grow warmer, the sun shining above her was warm and comforting, the air was no longer crisp and unbearable, it felt like it was warm: like a tropical breeze. Her heart thundered in her chest and she felt like she would faint.

"N-No, seriously, Miroku," Kagome stammered out, her cheeks red in embarrassment.

"I am quite serious, Kagome," Miroku said, his eyes leaving no room for argument. "He hates to admit it, but his heart still lies with you, even after all these years. I don't know why, no offense, but his soul lives on only for you, his heart beats only for you and he sees only you."

Kagome stared at him in shock, "Quite the poet, I see. What do you do, attend poetry meetings?"

"I get around," Miroku said with a shrug and stood, "Kagome, if you really want Inu yasha to be happy, tell him. It will do us all some good." He rubbed the back of his head, "I don't know how many bumps on the head I can take. Please, Kagome, don't hurt him any more than he already is."

Kagome's eyes were wide and she nodded happily, "I will! Thank you Miroku!" She rushed into his arms and gave him a hug.

Miroku grinned and rubbed her butt.

With a new bonk on his head and a sheepish grin on his face, Miroku waved to a lively and excited Kagome as she ran towards her work place.


By the time Kagome got to the office, up the elevator and into her office, her lively attitude had deflated to nothing but a moping teenager. She sighed and tried to sooth her racked nerves or the quiver that surrounded her knees when she stood or her arms when she tried to reach for the door. She gulped loudly and then marched up to his door, knocking loudly.

She paused and waited for an answer. After a few moments she knocked again, louder this time. She tapped her foot in impatience and growled softly when there was still no answer.

"Inu-yasha!" she shouted angrily, "I know you're in there. And I know you can hear me, so get up and come answer the door!"

Nothing.

She sighed loudly and took a large breath. Then she launched herself at the door like a rampaging animal and attacked the wooden door like her life depended on it. She kicked and shoved at the door and bashed a shoulder into it. She rotated around and pressed her back against the door and shoved up against it, her head thrown down in concentration.

"There's such thing as a doorknob," Kagome looked up in alarm and nearly face faulted.

Inu yasha stood in front of her. His legs were complimented with black slacks and his bare feet, instead of the usual classy shoes. His white dress shirt was slightly unbuttoned and without a tie. In his hand, he held his jacket, slightly thrown over his shoulder. His eyebrow was raised in amusement, "Hello, Kagome, unless I'm mistaken, this is your day off?"

Kagome blushed and stood upright, readjusting her skirt. She looked up at Inu yasha and took in his appearance. He sipped some coffee indifferently with his eyebrow still arched.

"Why is that whenever I see you, your fidgeting like crazy?" Inu yasha chuckled. Truth be told, he was in a good mood today, and Kagome's presence was not as annoying as it normally would be.

"Uh..."

"Anyways," Inu yasha cut her off with another sip of his coffee, "What are you doing here?"

"I..." she couldn't tell him the reason: 'yeah, I came here to say I love you.' That would just seem like a cruel joke. "I forgot my jacket!"

Inu yasha raised both eyebrows and his golden eyes twinkled in amusement. "Really now?" He tapped his foot impatiently and cracked his toes. Kagome looked at him with a slight look of disgust at the action before cringing at the loud crack that filled the room.

"Yes," Kagome began throwing random things off her desk in a futile (and fake) attempt to find her coat. "Not here!"

"Kagome cut it out, I know you didn't leave your jacket," He shrugged, "If you did, Nazuna would have picked it up by now."

"Nazuna?" Kagome asked in confusion.

"The maid, genius," Inu yasha said flatly and walked towards Kagome, his long silver hair swishing behind him and his ears perked towards her. "So what are you really doing here?"

"I'm..." Kagome brought up all the courage she could muster and puffed out her chest. "I came here to tell you something important."

"Well, what are you waiting for then?" Inu yasha asked with a bemused look on his face.

'Its not or never,' Kagome thought, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

"Inu yasha..." she began.

Inu yasha's ears perked higher and he raised his coffee mug to his lips.

"I love you."

Inu yasha's eyes widened and he gasped. The coffee mug slipped from his fingers before they made it to his lips, crashing to the carpeted floor and spilling the brown liquid along the cream colored fabric. The cup rolled slightly, dumping the rest of the liquid onto the floor. His jacket fell from behind his back and into a little bundle on the ground. His golden eyes were wide in surprise as his mouth dropped open. He resembled a gaping fish.

"You...what?" His voice was hoarse, his golden eyes returned to their normal size and he gulped loudly.

"I...love you, Inu yasha," Kagome whispered in embarrassment.

He took a step towards her, ignoring the fact that the coffee stain had spread to his jacket and the article of clothing would probably smell of the Columbian bean for a while. His eyes were transfixed on hers, golden locked in a fiery gaze of disbelief.

"You do?" he insisted softly and his hands reached out to touch her, before drawing back.

"I still love you," she said firmly this time.

Inu yasha's mouth closed in shock and he stood awkwardly in the room like a straight man would at a gay party.

He licked his lips and opened his mouth and Kagome smiled softly, he was going to say it, just like Sango and Miroku had said.

His eyes suddenly narrowed and the golden eyes bored into hers and he spoke with the harshest and the deadliest voice she'd ever heard. The venom evident in his voice and his golden eyes blazed with anger:

"Bull shit."