Wow! I feel so LOVED! I kept tweaking this fic so that it would work right. Now I'm happy! Light bit of fluff in here. But no love... yet. Hehehehe...

Waaaaaaah!! I'm so sad! I can't get any reviews in my inbox! It breaks my heart to have to go on the internet and look for myself. Not to mention I CAN'T GET ANY OTHER MESSAGES EITHER!!!!! bashes head on wall What's bam wrong bam with bam my bam Goddamn bam COMPUTER!!! BANG BANG BANG

Dragoneyes238: AUGH!!! STAY AWAY FROM MY HAIR!!! NO TOUCHIE!! NOOOO TOUCHIE!!! defensive Karate pose stay away from me, you stalker!! (same goes for you too, Jon!!)

Chapter 3: Catching up

Kagome raced up the stairs and into the kitchen, looking around frantically for the necklace. 'Where'd I put it? Where'd I put it?!' She asked herself silently. Then she remembered. 'The tray!' Kagome ran over to the tray and pulled her necklace out. She nearly flew down the stairs in excitement. 'Please be true... please be true... please be true...' Kagome stopped in front of the wide-eyed demon and held the necklace up to him.

"This..." She panted. "...was given to me by my best friend... in exchange for that necklace... so we could remember each other... no matter what happened." Inuyasha stared at the jewel hanging from her hand, then at Kagome, who sighed and continued. "You might be my friend from who knows how long ago!" Kagome concluded.

Inuyasha was frozen stiff. "Kagome..." Inuyasha swallowed. "Kagome Higurashi."

Kagome sat down in her not-so-favourite spot on the couch and looked at Inuyasha. "Your last name isn't really Fujiko... is it?" Inuyasha shook his head.

"No." He replied. "It's Yamaguchi. My father died when I was ten and was replaced by Gyoubu. Sesshomaru and I hate him."

"At least you have a father." Kagome said looking down at her legs.

"Our father's only after our money. That's the only reason he's here. He cheats on my mother all the time. I've seen him flirting with women around town. He's no father of mine."

The two were silenced by the sound of a door opening and a gruff man's voice mumbling something about work.

"Gyoubu's here." Kagome murmured.

"Feh." Inuyasha closed his eyes and looked away. "He was probably seducing some rich blonde chick." He growled. Kagome sighed. She wasn't sure if this was her Inuyasha... the one she missed. They were so much alike... yet so different. Kagome had one more test.

"So..." Kagome started. "How's Myoga?"

"The usual. Sucking blood from people... mainly me-" Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Kagome... is that really you?" Kagome smiled and nodded. At first, Inuyasha gawked; then he started to smile, showing his fangs. Kagome had missed that fanged grin so much! It was great to have him back! Her thoughts were silenced when she felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her.

"I missed you, Kagome." Inuyasha said to her. Kagome smiled and hugged him back.

"I missed you more." Inuyasha chuckled as they pulled apart.

"You're still competitive, I see." He laughed. Kagome grinned in reply.

"Man..." Kagome murmured. "It's like an early birthday present!"

"Huh?" Inuyasha turned to her.

"It's my birthday in two weeks!" Kagome exclaimed. "Don't tell me you forgot when my birthday is!" Inuyasha seemed to panic slightly, which made Kagome smirk.

"Hello? It's been a seven-year separation or something like that! Am I supposed to know everything about you?!"

"Well, you are my best friend." Kagome growled. She was actually enjoying watching Inuyasha freak out.

"Fine. What do you want?" He asked, crossing his arms. Kagome smirked. "I shouldn't have to tell you." Kagome teased. Inuyasha freaked out once again. "Besides, this was already a great gift!" She said, smiling. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow in question.

"What was?" He asked curiously.

"You being here! I couldn't be happier!" Inuyasha smiled. He had to admit, it was great to have his friend back. That was one thing he could tell to the world.

Kagome pulled a remote out from under her and aimed it at the giant TV in front of them.

And in latest news, the demon Naraku has struck again, killing twenty and injuring over seventy.

"Feh." Inuyasha growled. "Where the hell was he? The mall?"

More to come in a few minutes. Back to you, Hikari.

Kagome changed channels. "Doesn't it suck to have tons of channels and, never have anything on?"

"Isn't that what movies are for?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh, wait! CSI Tokyo! What a wicked series!" (ha, ha! D238!)

"I still say the original CSI is better." Inuyasha growled. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"You're so annoying sometimes!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Sesshomaru watched the fight from the top of the stairs. Now that Kagome was back... things would be better. He let out a sigh. It would be better... at least until they found out the news. What would happen to them then? He wasn't sure. Sesshomaru turned and silently walked up the stairs. As he strode into the living room, he gave his stepfather a cold glare, then turned to his mother.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" He asked. "I mean... what if they're meant to go their separate ways? This could really hurt their friendship... along with the relationship I have with my brother. He might never trust me again.

Ms. Higurashi and Nini let out a sigh. "It's for the best." Nini explained.

"This is great against 'you know who'." Ms. Higurashi added.

"Shouldn't you wait a few years... you know... before telling them. They still need time to get to know one another."

Nini looked over at her neighbor. "Sesshomaru does have a point. Maybe we should wait before telling them."

Kagome's mother let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright... but in six months, they're going to be told."

"I still think they're too young for this." Sesshomaru muttered, looking over his shoulder.

"It's for the best." Gyoubu said firmly. Sesshomaru looked over at his stepfather and gave him another cold glare.

"Last I checked, you are not in this family." He snapped. "You have no say in the matter. Now go grope some helpless rich girl and leave us be." Gyoubu was taken aback by this. Nini looked over at her husband.

"What does he mean by that, honey?" She asked. Sesshomaru smirked as he watched his stepfather try to worm his way out of his tight spot.

"I... have absolutely no idea!" He exclaimed, glaring at the demon. Sesshomaru flexed his claws, which made the man pull back from any future threats.

& & &

Inuyasha's ears twitched to the sound of angered voices. "What's going on up there?" Inuyasha asked himself. Kagome just shrugged.

"So... you going to school tomorrow?" Kagome asked. The demon let out a sigh.

"I guess so." He replied dully. "But you might want to tell me which people to avoid."

"Well, first there's Yuki. She and her friends really like to flirt with guys like you. If they're lucky, they might seduce you. Also, avoid the jocks. They're strong, yet stupid. Say a single word that's over eight letters long and they'll be stumped (D238).

"Feh. I could beat them in a fight any day!" Inuyasha growled, flexing his claws. Kagome sighed.

"Also watch out for the principal. He'll do anything to get you in trouble. Same with the other teachers. Then there's the case of Hojo." Kagome shuddered at the thought of the boy.

"What about Hojo?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's really annoying." Kagome growled. "He follows me around everywhere and boasts about things he couldn't have possibly done."

"Like what?"

"Some stunts like sky diving and shit like that." Kagome started to laugh coldly. "Heck, he took me to the theme park and wussed out on the Sky Zone. I mean, if he's been sky diving, you think he could handle a ride like that."

"You mean the one where they drop you from over thirteen stories, then they bounce you back up?" Inuyasha grinned. "That's gotta be the best ride there!" Kagome smiled.

"You've changed, Inuyasha." Kagome said, smiling.

"Hn?" Inuyasha's ears perked up at this.

"You're definitely more courageous than you were before... not that you weren't brave before!" Kagome mentally kicked herself and waited for Inuyasha to hit her. Nothing happened. Kagome opened an eye to see Inuyasha staring at her as if he never heard her, so she continued. "You're funnier and you won't let me touch your ears!" Kagome started to pout once again. Inuyasha let out a sigh and leaned closer to her.

"Okay..." he growled, his eyes narrowing. "But only this one time!"

Kagome grinned and rubbed her friend's ears. "I've always wanted ears like yours." Kagome said as she let go. She then scratched behind them, which Inuyasha didn't seem to mind. She started to laugh when she heard the familiar purring sound coming from his throat.

"Stupid dog perks." Inuyasha muttered despite the fact that he was enjoying Kagome's company. Kagome had actually changed a lot too. She was way cuter... 'Augh! No... it will not end like this!' He told himself. 'No, no, no, no, no, no, no...' Kagome was also twice as competitive then she was the last time he saw her. It was going to be fun having her around.

Then again... some things didn't change. Kagome was still the sweet little girl she was when she was a kid. She had the same petite figure and her eyes always looked honest. 'Yep.' Inuyasha concluded silently. 'Same old Kagome...' His eyes narrowed at the memory of watching Kagome through the back window of the car as she faded into the distance. He could still see her tears shining in the sunlight as she disappeared over the hill. It hurt to remember that. But now was different. He had Kagome again, and they were intending to stay in this house. Then he could be with Kagome forever...

Kagome finally stopped scratching Inuyasha's ears. "Is there something wrong?" She asked, her eyes slightly saddened. Inuyasha hated that about Kagome. Whenever she looked sad, you felt guilty... even if it wasn't you. The demon shook his head. "No." He replied quietly. "I was just thinking..."

"About what?" Kagome asked, tilting her head to the side.

"About... the day I moved away." He replied quietly. "I thought I'd never see you again... but here you are."

"Yeah..." Kagome murmured. "It's almost too good to be true." She then looked up at Inuyasha with a smile, which surprised him. "Well, let's at least make the best of it." She said cheerfully. The demon just nodded dumbly.

"Inuyasha!" Nini 's voice rang through the basement. "Time to go!" Inuyasha sighed and headed for the stairs, followed by Kagome. The demon stopped halfway up and turned to Kagome.

"So..." He started, unsure of what to say. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Kagome smiled and nodded.

"Sure." She replied happily, giving his ear one last tweak.

"Hey!"

Kagome smiled innocently, causing Inuyasha to overlook what she had just done. The two finished climbing the stairs and walked to the door.

"See you tomorrow, Inuyasha." Kagome said as she waved goodbye. "Bye Sesshomaru!" she added before the door closed.

With a smile on her face, Kagome bounced down the hall to her room. Life was good again. Her best friend was back, her birthday was coming up and nothing was going to dampen her spirits for a while. Kagome opened the door to her bedroom. It was fairly messy from her picky choice of wardrobe, stuffed animals had fallen off of the bed and onto the floor and Kagome's finished homework lay in the corner of her desk. The dark-haired girl looked out the window to see a pair of golden eyes staring right back at her.

"I-Inuyasha...!" Kagome opened her window to let the demon inside. "Inuyasha! What are you doing here?!" She asked harshly. Inuyasha shrugged.

"There's an argument going on downstairs." He explained. "I was getting sick of the yelling, so I decided to visit you." Kagome wanted to punch her friend, but resisted the temptation despite the fact that her hands were twitching. "Is something wrong?" Inuyasha asked raising an eyebrow. Kagome took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"No, Inuyasha." Kagome replied sarcastically. "Everything's fine." Inuyasha scowled at the girl.

"I see I'm not wanted here." He muttered as he leapt onto the windowsill. Kagome had her back turned to him and didn't reply. She heard a gust of wind and turned around. Inuyasha was gone. Walking to the window, Kagome climbed onto the ledge to maybe get a glimpse of where Inuyasha was. Nothing.

Kagome was about to go back inside when someone grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her on the roof.

"Psyche!" Kagome gawked at the demon, then her eyes narrowed.

"You and your stupid pranks." Kagome growled. Her scowl turned into a smile. "I missed them so much!"

"You think my pranks are stupid?"

"No. I was joking."

"Oh." Inuyasha smiled. "Good."

Kagome and Inuyasha stayed on the rooftop until the yelling in Inuyasha's house subsided. They talked about their lives when they were apart and memories from when they were together. It seemed like they were up there for hours until Kagome finally fell asleep, her head leaning on Inuyasha's shoulder. The yelling had stopped and the lights were starting to go out.

Inuyasha picked up Kagome as gently as he could and leapt into her room. After stepping over an obstacle of clothes and stuffed animals, the demon finally reached her bed. He placed Kagome down on the soft mattress and covered her with the blanket.

"Good night, Kagome." Inuyasha whispered before exiting through the window and into his own house.

& & &

Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Such a cute chappie, don't you agree? Now... what to do in the next chapter... hmm... oh! I know! But I'm not telling you! That wouldn't be any fun. Review pleeze!