"Ohhh, that was nice!" purred Kagome, sitting at the table, her wet hair in a towel. Looking at the food on her plate, she happily dug in. "Gods, I've eaten more ramen than anything in my entire life! It's so nice to have a change in menu."

"Well, eat up sweetie. You need to get some studying done before Inuyasha comes barging in. I just hope he leaves you alone in time to go to school tomorrow! Grandpa is getting wilder and wilder with your illnesses, so just go with the flow." Her mom said, picking up their finished dishes.

"Ugh, mom! I have a hard enough time keeping up my schoolwork without having to worry about what day I went for diabetes shots, or how my bunions are doing!" Kagome whined, remembering the last time she had come home. Explaining what had happened during her 'brain trauma surgery' had not been her idea of fun. "Plus, Hojo won't leave me alone! I have so many gifts for healing, I could be a therapeutic, or a doctor!" Sota laughed as he heard the last one, walking into the room.

"Just tell him to leave you alone. I don't like him anyway, I think Inuyasha's way cooler!" he grabbed a bowl of ice cream, and sat next to his sister. Sota had never liked Hojo very much, Inuyasha being his hero.

"You would! But you don't have to stand him as long as I do! Like today, he called me 'wench' 5 times! Besides, he's rude, and obnoxious!" Kagome stood up, picking her empty plate off the table. "I'm going to study, no disturbances please!" And with that, she headed up the stairs where history and algebra awaited her.

"Be home later!" Kagome yelled before walking out the door. "Ah, back to school. I couldn't study, so I hope the test isn't to hard." She frowned as she approached the school, and her friends began to surround her.

"Hey Kagome! Where have you been? Did you get those skeletal x-rays back yet? It sound horrible, your back being out and all." Yumi started, standing blocking Kagome's way. "Ugh, it's just like dodging Inuyasha!" she thought. But she was saved by the bell. Sighing, she headed toward the door. "Hope I can remember all the material I need to. But every time I go to think of something, all that pops in my head is what that stupid hanyou is doing!" Settling down into her usual seat, Kagome turned to stare out the window imagining…

"Ugh, it's been two days, how many more can she need?!" Inuyasha paced back and force next to the well in boredom. He had managed to keep himself from disturbing her this long, but he couldn't stand it. "That's it. I'm going. Sorry Kagome." Looking around, he saw no one. Sitting on the side, he looked down into the portal to her world. "Well, here goes." And with that he dropped in.

"Miss Higurashi?" Kagome looked up as her teacher called her name.

"Yes?" She had been daydreaming about the ugly, pussy red monster that she had battled before coming here.

"Would you like to draw? The school is having a contest. Anyone who got a good score on the history test can try. The Grande prize is a trip around the world for you and four others. Go on, try!" Her teacher held up a box, brightly decorated, with a hole in the top just big enough for her hand. She sighed, but stood up. After all, she did have the best history scores of anybody. Having a first hand experience had definitely helped. Stepping up to the box, she entered her hand. Rustling through the pieces of paper inside, one just seemed to call to her. Kagome pulled her arm out, a single paper grasped in her hand.

"Here you go, what's the prize for…red?" Her teacher took the slip from her, and pulled out a chart.

"Let's see, let's see, ah yes…! Oh my, you did it Kagome! That's the world trip!" Kagome stood, mouth slightly open.

"R, really? Wow!" She took the package her teacher offered her, and turned toward the class.

"Good job Kagome! How'd you do that?" Yumi and the rest of her friends surrounded her again.

"How do they do that? They've gotta practice!" she thought, referring to the way they could lock her in with ease. "Well, just luck I guess. Gotta go, bye!" Ducking past them, she hurried in the direction of the shrine. Suddenly a thought hit her. "Oh shoot! I'm never gonna get to go! This trip is for like, months! Inuyasha'll never let me go!" Stopping at the door, she took off her shoes and entered. "Mom, grandpa, Sota? Anybody home?" she made herself a cup of tea and went up to her room. "Ugh, that stupid demon! He shouldn't be aloud to rule my life! But I spose it's partly my fault. I don't think I'd be able to stand being away from him that long." As Kagome mused to herself, she failed to notice the form perched on her window sill.

"Dumb wench, why are you sitting there with that dumb look on your face?!" Kagome gasped and turned around, her train of thought disturbed by his sudden appearance.

"Gods Inuyasha, don't do that!" Clutching her heart, she completely forgot about the contest. "And anyway, what are you doing here? I told you I'd be back in four days! Last I knew, you could still count!" Turning angrily, she stomped out into the hall.

"Gees, I did it again. I walked in with one sentence, and she's already angry. Maybe I shoulda listened to the priest…" But none the less, a package on Kagome's desk cut off his thoughts. Padding over, he picked it up. Now, he couldn't read, but the pictures on the book defiantly weren't Tokyo. Some were boats, and others were palaces, and one had a gigantic building the size of a mountain! Turning it over, he saw a happy person getting an the biggest boat he had ever seen. "Why does Kagome have this?" He murmured to himself, setting it down. "What if, she's going some where?" He felt horrified at the thought. Not only did she come here where he was not, but what if she was moving without telling him! Maybe that's why she was so upset when he came. "I have to ask her!" Walking over to the door, something stopped him. Looking at Kagome's dresser, he noticed several pictures. He grinned slightly, remembering the day she had brought her, camera. Looking at them, there was one of Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and him all together and separates of each of them. Then, there in the front, were he and Kagome. He held it up, looking at it. The focus was crooked, and it was obvious that Kagome had not taken it, or anyone who knew how to hold a camera. Besides, she was much to busy to be thinking about pictures. Inuyasha's features widened in surprise at the content. There she was, sweaty and bedraggled after a battle, just the way he liked her. And there, right next to her, was him! He was unconscious during the picture, and he shivered remembering why. But what made him happy was the look she had on her face. One of complete concentration, worry, and…love? Carefully wrapping a bandage around his waist, she was tending to his wounds. "I, I can always rely on her. Always." Setting the picture down gently, he wondered to himself about their relationship. "What if she is leaving? I'll have to follow her." Suddenly, the door opened and Kagome entered, slightly shocked that Inuyasha was still there.

"What, can't you give up? I'm not going yet!" She was angry, but something made her feel guilty. It was Inuyasha, caught quite off-guard, with a look of…was that hurt? But what hurt worse was the picture he had been looking at. She remembered the day Miroku had given it to her. But the feeling soon disappeared as Inuyasha regained his composure.

"Oh yes you are! You've been gone long enough and we still have loads of shards to find!" She flared up, but took a deep breath.

"Look, Inuyasha. I can't go. In fact, I'm gonna be gone for, close to a few months. I just won a trip round the world." Motioning to the package he had looked at earlier. His jaw dropped a record mile, and she flinched. "Look, I'm sorry. But I'm sure if you just kill every demon in sight, you're bound to find a jewel shard eventually." but it even failed to be believed by her, let alone Inuyasha.

"You want me to kill every demon from hell to heaven just because you wanna go on a trip! Don't make me laugh! There's no way you're going. Besides, you've already been to the past, why go round the world?!" She could tell this wasn't going anywhere, but she forged ahead anyway.

"Please! I'm gonna get to visit the U.S, France, Russia, India, Egypt! Haven't you been anywhere but past Tokyo?" He looked at her skeptically, and she guessed that was a no.