Here Without You

Chapter Three

"I'm here without you baby
But your still with me in my dreams
And tonight it's only you and me."

-Three Doors Down

Inuyasha padded softly through the forest, his feet making soft little tapping sounds on the dirt. Golden eyes darting around, he picked up his pace, leaping over fallen branches and in between bushes and trees, his destination already in mind.

"Where are you going, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou stopped in his tracks and turned to see a smug-looking Shippou, smiling slyly at him.

Inuyasha crossed his arms, turning his head away from the kitsune. "I'm going to use that machine to talk to Kagome," he said, still refusing to look at the small boy.

"Ah, so you do miss her!" Shippou cried happily, thrusting a finger at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha snorted. "I do not miss her."

"Then why do you want to talk to her?"

Inuyasha shot a sideways glare at Shippou, a growl rising in his throat. He had a point. Why did he want to talk to Kagome? Maybe he really did miss her…?

The hanyou shook his head at the thought. "I just thought that she might want to talk to me. That's all." Oh, great reasoning, Inuyasha, you're a sly one.

Shippou smirked. "Sure."

Inuyasha shot another glare at the boy before darting in the direction of the well.

A shrill noise rang through the silence that had once occupied the room, shaking both of its inhabitants out of their peaceful slumber. Kagome Higurashi buried her face in her pillow, trying to block out the sound, while Piper did the same, growling angrily at the device.

"Kagome…" came her tired voice. "Make it stop."

Kagome lifted her head from the pillow, her drowsy brown eyes honing in on Piper, asleep in the bed next to her, and then the phone on the bedside table. The object continued to emit harsh, ringing tones as Kagome stared at it, willing it to stop. Who would call at this hour? She wondered, reaching for the phone.

"Hello?"

"Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes popped open at the sound of the familiar voice. "Inuyasha?!" she cried into the phone, causing her roommate to grumble and cover her head with her pillow.

"Keh. Who else?"

Kagome sat up in her bed, clutching the cordless phone like a lifeline as she grinned from ear to ear. It had been almost three weeks since she last saw Inuyasha, and it had taken his voice to remind her how much she missed him. "Inuyasha…" Her brown eyes roamed to the clock on her bedside table. "Inuyasha, it's four in the morning here!"

"God damn, Kagome, shut it!"

Kagome smiled in amusement at her friend's brusqueness. "Sorry," she whispered, crawling out of her bed and out the door.

Once in the hall, Kagome spoke into the phone. "Inuyasha… I haven't talked to you for so long."

"Feh."

Kagome smiled at Inuyasha's usual response. "How are Shippou and the others?"

"They're fine." There was a pause on the other end. "How's that place?"

Kagome giggled softly. "New York is very nice. I've met a lot of people."

"Keh. Aren't you supposed to be studying?"

Kagome's brow furrowed. "Yes, but I can still do other things."

Inuyasha snorted into the phone.

A playful smile crept across Kagome's lips. "Inuyasha… you're not jealous, are you?"

"Jealous? Keh. Of what?"

Kagome closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. "Never mind." The girl thought for a moment before speaking again. "Inuyasha… why did you call?"

There was silence on the other end, and Kagome was almost positive that Inuyasha would be blushing. "Was I not supposed to?" he asked uncertainly.

"No, it's fine. I was just wondering why all of a sudden-"

"I just wanted to talk to you."

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat, her heart clenching. He… misses me? Kagome's smile widened into a grin as her cheeks flushed. "I'm glad."

"Keh. Well, don't think it's going to happen a lot. I just wanted to make sure that you weren't hurt, or didn't forget about us."

Kagome's eyes softened as she smiled gently. "Inuyasha, I could never forget you."

Yet another moment of silence on the other end. Kagome yawned, craning her neck to the side. "Inuyasha, I should probably go. I have a test tomorrow, and I need to sleep."

"Hai." Inuyasha's voice came in a breath, sounding defeated and disappointed.

"If you want to call me again, call some time during the morning or late night, okay?"

"Hai."

Kagome smiled gently, wishing that Inuyasha could see how much he had made her smile. "Good night, Inuyasha."

"Good night, Kagome."

Kagome removed the phone from her ear and pressed the off button with a sigh. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes, sighing again. Hearing Inuyasha's voice, hearing how he hadn't changed at all since she left, should have made Kagome happy; it should have reassured her.

But, it only made her miss him more.

"Arigato, Mrs. Higurashi," Inuyasha mumbled, exiting through the back door. He padded off in the direction of the well, his ears drooping slightly. It had been the first time in weeks that he had had the chance to talk to Kagome, and their conversation had been so short.

Inuyasha kicked the side of the wooden well with a frustrated grunt before jumping in. He remembered that Kagome had said that she could never forget him. He only hoped she was telling the truth.

For the second time that night, a shrill sound rang through the dark room, alerting both of its residents out of their sleep.

"Stop calling us!" Piper shouted to no one in particular, her voice drowsy and annoyed. She threw a pillow at the phone, sending it clattering to the floor.

Kagome lifted her head from the pillow, her bangs falling over her tired eyes. "Ano, that's not the phone." A look at the alarm clock confirmed Kagome's fears. It was seven o' clock; time to get up.

Piper reached out a hand and pressed the off button on the clock, grumbling as she did so. "I need aspirin."

Kagome smiled slightly, stretching her arms and legs out. "I think anyone would need aspirin after having three bottles of beer and then partying for five hours straight," she said, hopping out of her bed, completely headache free.

Piper snickered and pulled out the drawer from the bedside table, shoving her hand inside and digging around. She pulled out two small pills and popped them into her mouth. The painkillers having been devoured, Piper rolled back into her bed, closing her eyes.

Kagome rolled her eyes and snorted, grabbing onto the blonde's wrists and pulling. "Come on," she said, "We have school."

"Do I look like I care?"

Kagome gave another roll of her eyes, smiling gently. "No, but you will when you get kicked out of school."

Piper opened her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting position, casting a sideways smirk at Kagome. "Damn you and your Japanese reasoning."

Kagome smiled. "Now, come on, we need to get going."

Piper and Kagome worked quickly to get ready, the time until their classes started wearing thin. Kagome slipped into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before jetting out the door.

"Ja ne!" she called, grabbing her backpack and closing the door.

"Ja," she heard Piper's lethargic voice call.

Kagome smiled to herself. Having been with Piper for almost three weeks, Kagome had taught her a few terms in Japanese. And, much to Kagome's satisfaction, she didn't butcher the language.

Kagome hurried out of the dorm building, her quick footsteps barely audible among the screeches of cars and sirens. The girl hurried to her first class, which was oh-so-conveniently placed five minutes from her dorm.

Upon reaching the building, Kagome pressed through the mass of students around her, mumbling little 'excuse me's' as she went. The girl opened the big, wooden door and rushed inside of the building, making a beeline for the auditorium where her lecture would take place.

Tiptoeing into the large room, Kagome's brown eyes darted around searching for a seat. Finally landing on one, the girl walked towards it, squeezing past her peers. Upon reaching her chair, Kagome sat down, letting a sigh escape through her lips.

"Late again? Now, Mrs. Higurashi, we expected better of you."

Kagome turned to meet the gaze of the owner of the annoyingly charming voice. She was met by a wide grin and playful brown eyes.

"How ya doing?" Ricky asked, tilting his head in an innocent fashion.

Kagome blushed slightly and shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze. "Fine." Her blush deepened as Ricky continued to smile at her. She bowed her head slightly. "And you?" she asked, casting him a sideways glance.

Ricky grinned, baring pearly white teeth. A slight shiver went up Kagome's spine. Something about the way he smiled, the way he always had this unwavering confidence, didn't feel right to her.

"I'm fine," he replied in a near whisper, facing forward as their American history professor entered the room. "But, I'd be better if it was still summer vacation."

Kagome smiled gently, pulling her notes out of her bag along with a mechanical pencil. She understood very well what he meant; once school had started, she had had even littler time for herself than she had in the days when she wandered around feudal Japan.

Kagome's heart gave an unexpected clench as she remembered those days; the 'good old days' as so many would put it. It seemed like so much time had passed, though she knew it had only been weeks since she had been to Inuyasha's world.

Kagome sighed, trying to pay attention to what her professor was rambling on about; something about a city called Boston and a tea party. But, somehow, she found it hard to concentrate when a silver-haired hanyou plagued her thoughts.

A gust of wind passed by the Goshinboku, ruffling the leaves that had remained throughout the beginning of the monsoon season. A weary hanyou sat among the branches, a sigh leaving his lips as he stared out at the clouds in the distance. Another gust of wind greeted the hanyou, a familiar and enraging scent carried upon it. Inuyasha growled. Oh God, I'm not in the mood…

"Oi, dog turd!"

Inuyasha's growl rose in his throat at the sound of the wolf demon's voice. He peered over the side of his branch and glared down at a very impatient looking Kouga. "What do you want?" he asked in an agitated tone.

"Where's Kagome?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened for a moment before he remembered; Kagome hadn't seen Kouga since she got word of her acceptance to that school. He didn't know that she was gone. Inuyasha snorted and flicked his gaze away from the wolf. "She's off at school."

"At this time of day?" Kouga asked. "Shouldn't she be out?"

Inuyasha snorted again, closing his amber eyes. "No, she's at a different school," he explained. "A school in another country, somewhere."

There was a moment of silence between the normally bickering men, neither knowing quite what to say. Finally, Kouga spoke. "So... she's… gone?"

"Keh," Inuyasha grunted. "Finally you get the idea."

A growl was heard from the ground has Kouga stared up at the hanyou. "When will she be back?"

Inuyasha shot a glare down at the wolf boy, his golden eyes flickering momentarily. That was information that he'd rather Kouga didn't know. He snorted. "Don't know."

Kouga growled again. "Well," he said, sounding aware of his defeat, but still defiant, "I'll be back when she gets back, dog turd. Ja."

And, with a burst of wind, Kouga had headed off, a small cyclone of dirt and air forming around him as he ran. Inuyasha watched Kouga's tornado form run until he could no longer see him among the trees. The hanyou sighed. On any other normal day, Inuyasha would have been more than willing to drill Kouga into the ground. A small smirk appeared on his lips. Well, if Kagome didn't 'osuwari' him into oblivion.

The smirk disappeared from Inuyasha's lips as soon as it had come. Maybe that was the problem. On any normal day that Kagome was there, he'd be willing to kill Kouga in an instant; but, of course, wouldn't be able to before she osuwari'd him. And, now that she was gone, Inuyasha could destroy Kouga. He just didn't feel the need or want to do it.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes before closing them, bracing himself for the rain that would soon come. Was missing Kagome supposed to be this complicated? Was it supposed to be this confusing?

Drops of water fell from the sky, landing on the top of Kagome's head. The girl raised her eyes to stare at the sky as the rain fell around her, ensuring that she would be soaked from head to toe within minutes.

"K'so…" she murmured, ducking her head down and heading for the library. Why does my job have to be on the other side of the campus? She wondered dismally as more rain fell.

Kagome cursed under her breath. A week ago, getting a part time job had seemed like a great idea. But, now, as she ran through the campus, getting soaked by the downpour of rain, it just seemed asinine. How would she be able to pass her classes and work at the same time if by the time she reached her job, all of her papers were soaked? Kagome growled softly, making a silent reminder to invest in an umbrella.

As if on cue, the onslaught of rain discontinued, leaving Kagome wet, but no longer annoyed by the tiny pricks of rain on her skin. The girl looked up to see what was now blocking her from the rain, and noticed a blue canopy overhead. Kagome shifted her gaze to the side to see Ricky standing there, umbrella in hand.

The man smiled warmly at her. "You might want to get one of these if you're planning on living in New York City."

Kagome nodded, blushing slightly at the realization of how close together they were standing. She nodded again, keeping her head bowed as she mumbled a quiet thank you.

"So, where you headed?" Ricky asked.

Kagome glanced up, swallowing her shyness and smiling gently. "The library," she said, "I got a part time job there."

"Ah," Ricky murmured, nodding knowingly. "I was just on my way there to do some studying. How 'bout we walk together?"

Kagome nodded, her blush returning as they walked along the sidewalk. Her heels clicked on the wet cement, the sound muffled by the clattering of the rain on the umbrella.

"So, you're from Japan, I hear."

Kagome shot a glance at Ricky, worried that he would try to speak Japanese, but nodded. "Yes."

"Do you miss it?" Ricky inquired. "I know it must be pretty weird being so far from home."

Kagome nodded, a wistful smile appearing on her lips. "I guess I do miss it a little," she admitted quietly. "But, it's not so much that I miss actual Japan; just that I miss certain things about it." Her heart gave a painful lurch as her thoughts crept back to her home, her family, her friends… her Inuyasha.

"Got a boyfriend back home?"

Kagome stopped walking at this question, her brown eyes widening. The girl turned to face Ricky, who was now smiling hopefully, his eyebrows raised. Did… did she have a boyfriend? Kagome's thoughts swept back to Inuyasha, the hanyou that had stayed by her side through all of those years…

The girl blushed, quickly shaking her head. Inuyasha wasn't her boyfriend; she was almost sure of it…

"No," she whispered, wondering if she had said the right thing.

Ricky grinned. "Then, I guess it won't matter if I do this."

Kagome titled her head, about to ask 'Do what?' when Ricky leaned down and caught her lips in a quick kiss. Kagome's eyes widened in shock; fighting the instinct that told her to push him away.

Ricky removed his lips from hers, grinning widely. His eyes darted to the watch at his wrist, widening slightly. "Sorry, I just realized that I have a make-up to do for chemistry." He stepped away from Kagome, who would have responded, but was still in a daze. "Later, Kagome." And with a quick flash of his pearly grin, he was gone.

And Kagome was standing in the rain, staring after him.

The girl's mouth was agape, her cheeks the color of the reddest rose. Rain continued to pour, dampening the girl's hair and clothes until she was soaked through to the skin. But, somehow, Kagome didn't seem to care.

The room was hot, way too hot. But if this was where Piper and her friends insisted on going, then so be it.

Kagome looked around the small bar cautiously. "Are you sure we're allowed to be in here?" she whispered to Piper, her eyes darting around the room nervously.

"It's fine," Piper said reassuringly. "Nick's cool, he's fine with us being in here."

Kagome nodded and stepped away from Piper. She stole a glance at the bar-owner, Nick, and smiled graciously. Not very many bars were willing to admit four eighteen-year-olds who claimed that they just wanted a place to hang out.

"Oh, karaoke!" Willow squealed, pointing towards the stage. She turned to Kagome and smiled. "Don't they do that a lot in Japan?"

Kagome smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but I've only done it a couple of times."

"Well, let's make it a few times," Piper said with a grin. "Why don't you go up?"

Kagome blushed and bowed her head. "I don't know…" she murmured.

"Oh, come on, you'd be great," Ricky said, Alex nodding his agreement.

"Well, I don't know very many songs in English," Kagome protested honestly.

"Do one in Japanese," Piper said. "That would be so cool!"

"They probably don't have the music-"

"Oh, excuses, excuses." Piper grinned. "Just get your Japanese ass up there."

Kagome smiled at Piper's brusqueness, and, still blushing, walked up to the stage. Her legs felt like jelly, and provided little support. Once on stage, Kagome's brown eyes roamed over the small bar. She sighed a breath of relief upon realizing how few people there were, but her nervousness returned once she spoke into the microphone.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi," she said quietly, though the microphone made her voice much louder. "And I'm going to sing… um…" She paused for a moment, thinking of a song. A smile appeared on her lips once she landed on one. "It's called Sen no Kotoba, which means one-thousand words in English, I think."

A howl was heard from the audience, and Kagome looked down to see Piper and the rest shouting and clapping. And, from there, Kagome pulled her inspiration.

"Kimi no kotoba wa yume no yasashisa kana?" Even without the music, Kagome could remember the words perfectly. "Uso wo zenbu oikakushiteru. Zurui yo ne."

The girl continued to sing, adding subtle little dance moves every now and then. By the end of the song, Kagome had started to feel a little like Koda Kumi herself.

With the ending phrase, a loud roar of applause and shouts were heard from the crowd, which now consisted of only Piper and her friends. Kagome grinned and bowed. "Arigato!" she shouted, throwing an arm in the air as if she had been announced the champion of karaoke.

Kagome pranced off of the stage, still smiling brightly, and sat next to Piper.

"I don't understand a word of what you said, but that was pretty cool," Piper said.

"Yeah, I might have to take Japanese," Willow chimed in, smiling warmly.

Kagome grinned. "Thank you," she said, her cheeks flushing to a gentle shade of pink.

"Oi."

Kagome turned towards the voice, and was met with a wide grin. Ricky sat next to her, one of his arms creeping around her shoulders. Kagome's breath hitched in her throat as she stared at him.

Ricky's grin never left his face as he stared at the girl, his confidence shining in his hazel eyes. He leaned in towards her, until his mouth was up to her ear. Kagome could feel his breath on her face, and shivered. Finally, he spoke. "I kind of like you."

And Kagome's legs turned to jelly again.

A deep growl rose in Inuyasha's throat. He clenched his teeth as the hair on the back of his neck rose.

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou turned to the monk who had spoken, his growl subsiding.

"I don't know," he admitted, his golden eyes darting from one end of the hut to the other. "I just keep getting these weird feelings. It's the second time today." Inuyasha shook his head furiously, sending his silver lochs flying around his face.

Again, the hair on the back of Inuyasha's neck bristled. A shiver shot down his spine. Inuyasha growled again, baring his teeth. Something's wrong, He thought, his eyes narrowed. He just wished her knew what.

Author's notes: gaaah, I hate this breaker! ::glare::