I reread this chapter and had to rectify a few embarrassing mistakes… .

Chapter Three: Lover's Lane

Kouga was exactly on time when he rang Kagome's doorbell on Friday night. He was immaculately perfect in black jeans and a dark blue shirt, his tail silky to the touch thanks to his grooming skills and his hair let loose out of its usual ponytail. When Kagome opened the door he handed her a bouquet of pink roses.

"Hey you," Kagome said, smiling as he gave her the roses. She turned back and set the roses on the hall table before going to get in the car with Kouga. "What's the movie pick of the night, if I may ask?"

"You may," Kouga said, giving her an appreciative look up and down her body. "But I'm not sure I'll remember. You've distracted me completely."

Kagome knew he was being modest; she wore blue jeans and a black shirt with a light blue jacket. "Try to keep focused."

"Oh, definitely. You've got my full attention."

Kagome grinned weakly, thinking it was going to be a long night.

Kouga had, predictably, taken her to a scary movie. Kagome couldn't help that the scary parts and surprises had placed her dutifully almost in his lap with fear. He'd used the classic yawn effect to put an arm around her shoulder, and at almost the end of the movie, had kissed just on the line of her jaw teasingly.

Kagome knew the ins and outs of dating, and knew almost every trick in the book that guys were likely to pull. But while she'd taken all of this in stride and responded in kind, Kagome couldn't help but keep her mind on anything but Kouga. She remembered dating Inuyasha, hearing his laugh when he knew he was pulling a cliché move, remembered him not being able to wait until the movie was even half-way over to kiss her.

Then remembering his replacing her with Kikyo. Kagome wondered if he did the same things with Kikyo. If he laughed when she pulled pranks on him, or purred when she pet his ears. Kagome hoped he didn't. She wanted those things purely to herself, to her innocent memory. She shivered when this thought occurred. What innocence did she retain after all that had happened in her life? After all that had happened with Inuyasha? Where could she manage to fit in without him by her side, however secretly?

"Are you excited?" Shippou asked, playing aimlessly with a pen on his desk, phone clutched to his ear with his left hand.

"Yeah, I'm excited, but it's not like anything's going to change." Rin said on the other end. Girl had a point.

Shippou made a dismissive noise. "Nothing's going to change? You're going to legally be able to say you're my cousin, something I've worked very hard to assure people otherwise of."

"You know you love me beneath it all." Rin said, carrying on the joke. Shippou felt a small tremor even though she continued to say, "I'm irresistibly lovable, don't deny it."

It made him smile as well, knowing that Rin was smiling too. "Tell that to Kohaku."

"That boy is so adorable I find it offensive."

Shippou felt the expected small surge of jealousy, and mentally quashed the feeling viciously, reminding himself that she was his cousin.

"Shippou," Called Kikyo from downstairs, "Uncle Myoga is here! Time to get off the phone!"

"What's Kikyo yelling about?" Rin asked curiously.

Shippou mentally beat his head against a random hard surface. "Myoga is here…"

"Funny time for a visit." Rin remarked. "I heard a storm was coming our way soon."

"Snow storm or rain storm?"

"Snow,"

"He'll be out of here that much faster then." Shippou said, feeling a little relieved.

Myoga was the one who had become the legal guardian of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru when their father had died and Inuyasha's mother not long after. Why he was 'uncle' instead of 'grandpa' was anyone's guess. Along with having been Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's guardian, Myoga had a funny fear of weather, particularly rain and snow.

"I bet he knows about it, too. Could be that he's in for a long visit." Rin said.

"God I hope not…" Shippou mumbled. "I better get go before Mom kills me. I'll call you when Myoga turns tail."

"Ok," Rin said, hanging up.

Later that night, when Myoga had gone home, ever the coward, and Kikyo had gone to bed, Inuyasha picked up the phone. It was late, almost one in the morning. He was sure she'd be up waiting for his call. Shippou was in his room, doing who knows what—

Inuyasha's thought was interrupted when he heard voices speaking quietly on the phone. They were so quiet, in fact, that had he been human he wouldn't have heard them.

"You have to show me sometime." The voice of Rin. She sounded teasing to his ears.

"Why? It's embarrassing." Shippou said. He certainly sounded embarrassed.

"Then give me a name and I swear I'll stop bothering you."

"No you won't. And you'd probably hit the old yearbooks going crazy looking for her, too." Her? Now Inuyasha was really confused.

"So I've know her a while, have I?" Rin sounded demanding, very like the way Sesshoumaru sounded demanding; as if something bad was going to happen if you refused them.

Shippou sighed, sounding frustrated. "It'll never work between me and her because she's close to someone I know. But I just can't help my feelings. Promise to keep something secret for me?"

"Uh-huh. Of course. I've kept all your secrets thus far, haven't I?" Rin said, sounding a little sad. Inuyasha wondered if Shippou had told her about Kikyo's abusive tendencies.

"I'm not very sure, but… I think I love her." Shippou said as quietly as he could, seemingly petrified that anyone could hear him if he spoke any louder.

"Love her?" Rin asked, sounding oddly muffled. Inuyasha cursed the phone for not conveying scent so that he might gouge her mood. "Just who is she, and why is it you think you love her?"

"She is close to people in my family. I just don't see her often enough to be sure if I love her, but she's on my mind all the time…" Shippou certainly sounded like it was at least puppy love. But on the other hand, it sounded to Inuyasha like he loved Kagome. She was close to the family, and he couldn't see her often…

"Well I'm going to go to bed. You still want me to come over tomorrow?" Shippou asked.

"Yeah," Rin sighed.

"Oh don't sound so depressed. Why should you be depressed when you're seeing me?" Rin laughed, but it sounded kinda hollow. "Don't forget that Uncle Sesshoumaru needs to give me a ride back home."

Rin made a noise of agreement before hanging up, and then Shippou hung up. Inuyasha hung up the phone quickly and went up to his bedroom, slipping out of his jeans and his shirt and putting them in the hamper. While brushing his teeth, careful to brush his fangs carefully and thoroughly, he thought about Shippou.

It was certainly plausible if the kit loved Kagome; a teenage boy in high school with a drunk mother and a beautiful woman to flee to? He'd be lucky if Shippou weren't head over heels in love like the stupid wolf was. Worried but wondering, he washed out his mouth and joined Kikyo in bed, in for a sleepless night.

"Hello?"

Kagome wearily checked the time on her alarm clock after picking up the phone. Select few people would ever call this late and usually it was important. Kouga tightened his grip on her momentarily, his tail curling and uncurling around his thighs.

"I can't take it anymore." Ah, Shippou.

"Really? So you're calling me at two fifteen in the morning on a Saturday to tell me… what exactly?" Kagome asked, rubbing at her eyes and trying to clear her brain.

"She's unbelievable, and beautiful, and she's legally my cousin! Does it matter if I'm related only by law, or is it still considered wrong?" Ah, Rin.

"I've never dealt with this kind of love situation." Kagome said, groaning. "Did I tell you that?"

"Yes," Shippou said dismissively. It sounded like he was pacing furiously. "She's… she's everything I want and all that I'm denied."

"Oh you are a little Shakespearian. Woo me with your poems of beautifully unrequited love, my little Shakespeare." Kagome joked wryly, but still touched that Shippou felt this deeply for Rin.

"Don't mock me." Shippou admonished sadly. "It's bad enough that I'm mocked in my dreams when I can manage to sleep."

Instantly Kagome felt apologetic; the kitsune was really torn up about it all. And he wanted so hard to be a good son, especially since the incident not too long ago at her own house. Beside her, Kouga had begun to stir. "Who's calling this late?" He asked sleepily.

Shippou fell absolutely silent on the phone, and she was sure he could hear Kouga with that youkai hearing of his. "Talk to me later, ok? And try to get some sleep."

"Sorry," Shippou said, a little remorsefully. "I didn't think you would have company."

"Shippou?" Kouga asked, more awake. "Is everything alright?"

Kagome nodded a yes to him, Shippou having already hung up. "Nothing's wrong… just a little girl trouble."

Kouga once again wrapped her in his embrace, which was warm as lava. "Let's hope that's all his problems are."

It was the next day that it happened. It was when Sesshoumaru had driven him home. Rin had walked him up to the door, and come just inside so he could give her a book he'd borrowed long ago. Then she'd given him a look. A deep resentment and loss, and she'd just been standing there staring at his lips! Shippou had forgotten that his mother was home. Forgotten that she'd begun acting like the mother he usually knew and hated. But it was only an accident. He'd just lost control.

Rin's lips were petal soft and luscious, the feel of his hands on her hips so good as well as her cold fingers on his face. He'd wanted her. Wanted her for ages and his mother knew it. His mother knew and completely disapproved, telling him it was wrong. Telling him that even though they weren't related by blood, she was still his cousin and it was wrong.

"I think you'd better leave, Rin."

Kikyo's icy voice sent fear racing through his veins, and he didn't dare look at her. Her voice was never different when she was drunk. Rin wouldn't be able to tell that once she was gone Kikyo would fall onto him and beat him senseless. But he didn't look at his mother, didn't have to, and didn't want to know with further proof that she was drunk. Rin's eyes were too beautiful and he might never get to see them again. One of these times Kikyo could kill him. Shippou knew that she didn't mean it. But he had to steal one last kiss from her, his beautiful Rin.

"I'm sorry…" Shippou said quietly, almost choking over his words. He kissed her cheek swiftly and closed the door, waiting for the first blow to hit.

To Be Continued…