A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a little slow, but you have to understand that A) I am obsessed with Inuyasha in modern clothes, and B) I am obsessed with description. I promise it will get more exciting soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

"What the hell d'you mean 'she's gone'!" Inuyasha exclaimed. Kagome's mother flinched. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, I don't know where she went or why. Her note said something about wanting a few days off. She must have come in sometime last night. Did something happen? Something bad, I mean?"

Inuyasha sighed, "No, there was something of a…er…misunderstanding. Kagome might believe something that isn't true, so I really need to talk to her. D'you have a hat I can borrow? I want to see if I can track her."

Kagome's mom nodded. "Yes. I have your usual hat, and after you made a habit of coming back, I took the liberty of getting you some normal clothes, just in case." She withdrew a carton from a closet with his green and black cap on top, and handed it to him. "You can change in Kagome's room. Just leave your things there, I doubt she'll mind."

Inuyasha took the box and went upstairs, glad to finally be doing something productive. Ten minutes later, he regarded himself critically in the mirror on the back of Kagome's door. It had taken him a while to figure it all out, and he was only seventy percent sure he'd done it right. He felt odd wearing jeans and a tee-shirt. The jeans felt comparatively tight and restricting, and there was an odd lump in his pocket from the Sacred Jewel, but when he stretched, they moved well enough with him. He wouldn't want to wear them in battle, but he doubted that would be necessary. The black shirt (the package said it was a cotton/poly blend crew neck tee, whatever that meant) was surprisingly comfortable, though the dark color contrasted starkly with his silvery hair. Unfortunately the hair was an attention getter, no matter what. He braided it, and it helped, marginally. Since he was only looking for Kagome, not doing battle with demons, he left the Tetsusaiga on her bed. He shrugged into a soft denim jacket and snugged the cap over his ears. Finally, he stepped into black flip-flops, wriggling his feet against the unfamiliar feel of rubber. He took one last look in the mirror, decided he looked passably modern, and left Kagome's room.

On his way downstairs, he encountered Sota, who did a classic double take. "Inuyasha?" he said incredulously. "Hey," Inuyasha replied, pleased with Sota's reaction.

"Are you going to look for Kagome?" Sota asked.

Inuyasha frowned at him. "Yeah."

"Did you make her mad again? What did you do this time?"

Inuyasha gave him a dirty look. "Whadya mean 'this time'? How often does she say we fight?"

"She never says anything, but it's usually kinda obvious."

Inuyasha had no idea how to reply to that, so he just nodded and walked out of the house. The day was sunny and warm, with big white fluffy clouds in the sky. There wasn't much wind, so all the scents of the city wouldn't interfere so much with tracking Kagome. He sniffed, but he was too close to her house, her scent was everywhere. He began walking, crossing to the front entrance of the shrine where the gift shop was. Kagome's grandpa stuck his head out the door and yelled after him: "I don't know what you did, boy, but you had better make it right, or so help me, I will find a way to curse you!" Inuyasha flinched and hurried on.

Once he reached the street, he was able to pick up her scent trail. It was early enough that there was virtually nobody on the streets, so he was able to sniff her down without attracting too much attention. When he reached the shopping district, it was a different story. By then, it was mid morning, and the streets were full of people.

After being questioned by a man in uniform, Inuyasha gave up tracking her by scent and began looking for a place Kagome was likely to be. Unfortunately, everything was completely foreign to him. Store names were just words to him, nor did he have any idea what type of store she might go into. There were so many of them! Even if he had a clue as to where to start looking, the chances of him actually finding her were not good. Worse, actually. Damn near impossible. And the stench of so many people in one place was giving him a headache. Feeling depressed and overwhelmed, he sat on a bench to think.

Kagome dressed and exited the hotel with a new purpose in her stride. She would not be unhappy today. No. Today, she would shop. She managed eight stores before melancholy got the best of her, so she went into a café for lunch.

She sat gazing into her tea, trying very hard not to think about Inuyasha, and failing miserably at it. She couldn't even blame him, dammit. Kikyo was beautiful, smart, and a powerful priestess. Basically, she was everything Kagome wasn't. Well, maybe that wasn't quite true, but for Inuyasha it was, and that was what mattered. She probably would have picked Kikyo in Inuyasha's place, too. Especially with the Sacred Jewel. Kikyo and Inuyasha would have a second chance at the life Naraku had taken away, and she didn't have it in her to begrudge them that.

So why does it hurt so much, she asked herself. Because I love him, she replied. No, that's not it, said the first voice. She sighed and slumped into her chair, her eyes clouding with tears. Because I thought he loved me. See, that's why it hurts, the voice said. You were always a little jealous of Kikyo, but deep down, you honestly thought he'd pick you. That's why it hurts. Oh shut up, she told herself. I hate it when you're this reasonable.

To distract herself, she picked up the little plastic ad stand on the table and began reading it. She gasped when she saw what was on it, though. A picture of the Shikon Jewel. Underneath it was a description of a museum exhibit about the mythology of demons in Japan, including the story behind the jewel. Hurriedly she paid her bill and rushed to the nearest bus stop.

Twenty minutes later, she stood at the entrance to the exhibit. She took a deep breath, then wondered why she was nervous, she already knew more about demons than the people who made the exhibit. Shrugging, she stepped into the dark entrance.