Hey everyone! Thanks for the reveiws! I have 44! Wow, that's more than I expected out of the whole story! And a special thanks to everyone who answered my question at the end of the last chapter! Really appreciate any kind of input y'all have. After all, I'm writing the story for you guys to enjoy. If ya wanna know what I decided, then check out my bio. X-tra long chappy this time around! For now, enjoy!

5 - Birthday Girl

As they entered their homeroom, Kagome and Sango spotted the boys sitting over in the corner. Kagome walked quickly and silently, the whole time not looking at Inuyasha.

'She really must not want to see me anymore after last night' he thought, disheartened. 'But who can blame her? If I was risking pissing off my family, I wouldn't want to see me anymore, either' His ears drooped down to touch the top of his silvery hair of head. He sat there silently, looking at her back.

'Poor Inuyasha' Kagome thought. 'Sango told me not to pity him, but it's hard. I can't imagine being disliked because of something out of my control. It's not like he chose to be a half demon. Not that there's anything wrong with that. His ears are so cute! And underneath his rough and tough exterior, he has a gentle heart, I can tell' She gathered her courage and decided to talk to him.

Just as she was about to turn around, Mr. Totosai began to speak. "I have been told to inform you of the dance coming up on Saturday, December 18. It will be formal, so dress nice. At this dance you will vote for a young man and young woman to be crowned 'Winter Fest King and Queen'. It runs from 7:30 to 11:30, and pictures will be avaliable for friends and couples. So, now that I've told you that, I don't care what you do for the rest of the bell," he said as he said at his desk.

"Do we ever do anything in this class?" Sango asked.

"Nothing so far this year," Miroku replied, turning to face her. "Easy grade."

"I guess," she said, glancing at the pair beside her, oblivious to the conversation. They seemed lost in their own little worlds.

"Did Kagome tell you whats wrong with her?" Miroku said in a hushed voice.

"Yeah. She and her grandfather got in a fight about Inuyasha last night."

"I know," he replied.

Sango gave him a withering look. "How would you know? Did you sneak into the girls bathroom again, lech?"

He gave a little blush, but a wide grin. "Tenth grade was a good year..." he said as Sango was about to hit him in the head. He caught her hand in his own easily. "Learn a new trick," he told her sarcastically. "I'm tired of this one." He released her smaller hand from his large one slowly.

"No, I didn't sneak into the bathroom again," he said in reply to her previous question as a furious blush went up her cheeks. "Inuyasha told me. Aparently, he and Kagome are neighbors..."

"Wait a minute!" Sango exclaimed with a pang of reliazation on her face. "You're not saying she's related to that cranky old man that runs ths Sunset Shrine, are you?"

Miroku nodded. "She lives there now."

"Now I understand why she's so upset. He maybe old, but he's mighty mean," she said. "That explains everything."

"What do you mean?" Miroku replied.

"She grew up very sheltered. When I told her that we were his only friends, she was shocked. She started crying. Miroku, even though they've only known eachother for a day, she likes him so much. She told me herself that she dosen't care what he is, only who he is. It was very sweet," Sango said quietly, knowing very well that Inuyasha was hanging on every word they said.

His ears twiched quickly when he heard Sango's last comment. 'She doesn't care? With a grandfather like that, how can she be so open? And she already likes me? Oh shit, I'm blushing!' He tilted his head down so his silvery bangs covered his face.

The whole time Miroku and Sango had been talking, Kagome was staring at her desk, thinking over her options. 'One: I can stop being friends with Inuyasha, losing the friendship of Sango and Miroku, thus being friendless, and feeling horrible for being hateful to a great, wonderful guy. Or two: I remain friends with Inuyasha and make my grandfather go ballistic, probably have him kick me out of the house after I'm eighteen, and having to live in a dumpster somewhere. Okay, so maybe that was a bit drastic. But on the bright side, I would still have friends' She kept on staring harder at the desk, as if the grains in the wood would somehow spell out the right answer. When she was young, her father always told her to follow her heart. 'If I do follow what I feel in my heart, then it's not even a question' She took a deep breath and turned to face Inuyasha. He had his head bent so she couldn't see his eyes.

"Hey, Inuyasha," she said to get his attention. He quickly looked up, his cheeks becoming a deeper shade of red with every second she looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"Look, I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you think that I had a problem with you. I really like you and I don't want something stupid to stop what could be a good friendship. I don't care what you are. All that matters is who you are. And I can already tell that beneath that gruff exterior is a nice guy. So can't we be friends, Inuyasha?" she blurted out quickly. Inuyasha looked shocked. 'Oh crap, he's not gonna forgive me, and to make matters worse I just made a total idiot of myself! Oh crap, oh shit!' she curse herself mentally for her stupidity.

Inuyasha was dumb founded. 'Did she really just say that?' he thought, astonished as her boldness toward him. With the way she had been acting all day, he thought he was going to have to trap her in a corner so she would talk to him face to face. Yet, here she turns around and just let all her feeling out as if they had been building up for a while. 'She doesn't care that I'm a half-breed? Isn't she embarrased to be seen with me? No, if she was, then she wouldn't have walked with me in public yesterday or this morning. Maybe she felt sorry for me? No! Not this again!' He was tried of arguing with himself. He also felt extremely stupid diong it.

Kagome sighed and turned back around. "I guess that's a no..."

Sango reached over and slugged him hard in the upper arm. He shook his head and looked at her.

"Quit being stupid and talk back to her, dumb ass!" Miroku hissed.

'He's right. Well, here goes nothing' He reached out a clawed hand and put it on her small shoulder. "Uh, Kagome?" She turned to look at him, tears leaking slowly out of her deep brown eyes. Now he really felt bad. "Come on, I hate to see a woman cry. Especially you." That last part accidentally slipped out, but didn't go unnoticed by Kagome and their friends, who were enjoying this little show. 'Damn it, now she'll think I'm a stalker or something!'

To his surprise, Kagome smiled. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

Now he was lost. "What do you mean? You didn't do anything," he replied in a very confused tone.

"I thought you were mad at me for something I did," she replied.

"No, that's not it..." he hesitated. He didn't want her thinking he was eavesdropping, but he couldn't think of a better way to get her to understand. "Last night I heard you and your grandfather arguing, and I assumed..."

Her eyes widened with realization. "That's why you're being weird! You think I hold a prejudice against demons like my grandpa, right? Well, you're wrong," she told him in a matter-of-fact tone. "I would never be like that toward anyone! Someone once told me that even though we look different, we all have the same hearts, and I firmly believe that! So please, dismiss any thoughts you have about that. You can trust me, Inuyasha."

He suddenly smiled. 'She's really not like that... Now I feel bad for even thinking it' he told himself. "Okay, I guess we can be friends. But, we gotta lay down some ground rules."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "Rules?" she said skeptically.

Inuyasha's face held a boyish grin. All of the sudden, she blushed madly. 'He's so hot... Oh come on girl, stat focused!' She returned his grin, picking up on his mood. "Like what?"

"Well, for one, you can't talk to Kouga in any sort of friendly way, other than being polite."

"No problem," she replied confidentally.

"I didn't think you would mind that. Okay, number two, you can't try out for the cheerleading squad."

"Why not?" she questioned. Not that she had any intent of trying out, she was just curious.

"It's a story for another day," he replied uncomfortably. He didn't want to go into this now.

"Got it. Any more?"

"Hmm... You have to be open with us about your problems if there is anyway we can help."

She went quiet. 'I really don't want to talk about this now... But if the time comes...'

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said while flicking her in the forehead.

"Ow! Inuyasha, you have claws!" she said, her hand over the little scratch.

"Sorry. Well..."

"Fine. If there is anyway you can help me. Otherwise, please let me tell you in my own time. Deal?" she said, sticking out her hand.

"Deal." He grabbed her hand and shook it easily. Her hand fit easily in his, almost naturally. Both blushed with the feel of eachother's skin.

The bell rang loudly, signaling the class change. Inuyasha and Kagome released eachother's hands and stood. Sango made eye contact with Miroku. They smiled at eachother, knowing that from now on, things were going to be okay.

The gang sat themselves around the small table in the cafeteria to eat their lunches. "So, anybody have any plans this afternoon?" Miroku asked.

"I have karate at 2:15 right after school until 4:00," Sango replied.

"My new car's coming in today at 3:00 and I'm gonna go pick it up form the dealership," Inuyasha said through a mouthful of ramen noodles that he bought from the lunch line.

"Don't chew with your mouth full," Kagome scolded out of instinct, earning a glare from Inuyasha. "Mind if I go with you? My mom said she would get me something expensive for my birthday, and I was thinking about a car."

"Sure, you can come."

"Hey, when's your birthday?" Sango questioned.

"Thursday."

Inuyasha swallowed a large bite whole on accident. "Thursday? That's two days from now," he said while trying to catch his breath.

"Good job, Inuyasha. You learned how to count," Sango told him sarcastically, receiving a sneer in return.

"Feh. Shut up, wench. All I meant is it's kinda short notice, that's all."

"That's a good point. Why didn't you tell us sooner? We could've planned a party or something," Miroku asked her.

Kagome's eyes narrowed with a sad gleam. "I just don't like to make a big deal out of it. Sorry."

Inuyasha growled lightly. "Will you quit appologising for things you didn't do!" he said, aggrivation lining his voice.

"I'm sor-" She was cut short by a clawed hand covering her mouth.

"What did I just say?"

She moved his hand away from her face. "Okay."

"Now that we've got that settled, what shall we do for Kagome's birthday?" Miroku asked.

"You really don't need to-"

"Well, why don't we go to the carnival in the park? They're setting it up today, so it should be open by Thursday," Sango said quickly, cutting Kagome off.

"Guys, that's not nessecary-"

"That sounds like a good idea. Inuyasha can pay for everything," Miroku said, ignoring Kagome's comment.

"But I don't wanna have a-"

"Why the hell do I have to pay for everything?" Inuyasha hollered.

"Because you have the most money," Sango said with a grin.

"No matter what I say you guys are gonna do something, aren't you?" Kagome whined with a look of defeat on her face.

"Yep!" Sango and Miroku chorused, nodding their heads enthusiastically.

Kagome sighed. 'It's too bad they're such good friends. If they only knew... but I'll put on a happy face for them' she thought as she gave a half hearted grin. 'This will be an interesting week'

The sun was almost ready to set when Inuyasha and Kagome were riding home from the car dealership.

"Isn't this car exactly like your old one, except for the color?" Kagome questioned.

"Yep. I liked it so I got another one. My favorite color is red, anyway."

"Then why did you have a blue one?" She looked at him as his clear amber eyes clouded with memories and sadness.

"It was my mother's favorite color," he replied. "The blue reminded me of her. Thats all."

"Is your mom..."

"Yeah. She and my dad have been dead for almost thirteen years."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I know how you feel," she replied, trying not to let him see the tears welling up in her eyes. 'So he lost his parents. Maybe he could understand...'

"Feh. How in the hell can you relate to me on any level about this?"

She gulped. "My father will have been dead a year on Thursday."

He suddenly slamed the brakes on the car. Luckily, they were on an empty road. "Seriously?" he said with compassion filling his eyes.

She only nodded. If she had said anything, her tears would have spilled all over him. She tried her hardest to hold them in, but they just persisted on coming. Finally, she broke down and her tears came in an unrelenting torrent of salty water staining her cheeks as her breath became ragged. Inuyasha pulled her across the seat to him and wrapped her in a hug. She gripped his red t-shirt and cried into his shoulder. He slipped his hand away for a moment and turned the car off. This position seemed so natural that they stayed like that for an hour before Kagome stopped crying.

'I think I'm starting to understand why she acts like she does now. All the tears, all the mood swings; she's still recovering from losing her father. Compared to her, I was lucky. I hardly even remember what they looked like. That doesn't mean I don't miss them, though...' he thought as they pulled away from eachother.

He started his new car up with a turn of the key. They drove down the road silently, both lost in their own thoughts. 'There's more to Kagome than just a pretty face. More even than I know now. She'll tell me on her own time. I'll wait for her to tell me the whole truth. I won't press it. And with the anniversary of his death coming up... wait a minute!' A thought struck Inuyasha's mind hard. 'She said her dad will have been dead a year in Thursday! He must've died on her birthday last year! No wonder she didn't want to have any sort of celebration... I guess all I can do is try to help her have fun on Thursday and keep her mind off it. That's the least I can do'

'I can't believe I just told him that. At least I didn't lose my head and tell him everything... even though I almost did. I don't want him in danger, and if he knew why my father is dead right now... well, I don't even want to think about it. All I can do is put on a brave face and have fun Thursday' she thought as he pulled up to the stairs leading to the Sunset Shrine.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Inuyasha," she said as she got out of the car.

"Okay. I'll be here at seven to pick you up."

"Got it. And Inuyasha... " she trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks... for everything."

He smiled one of his rare smiled that sent a blush up Kagome's cheeks. "Anytime, Kagome. Anytime," he told her as she shut the door. His little red car drove into the parking lot across the street as she started to walk up the stairs.

"Oh, Inuyasha. You're the best guy I've ever met. Am I somehow falling in love with you?" she whispered to herself as she continued to walk up the stairs. Unknown to her, a certain hanyou picked up her voice with his ultra-sensitive dog ears as he walked to his apartment building.

2 days later...

Kagome entered her room at 11:52 pm on Thursday night. She fell on her bed exhaustedly and laughed her head off. 'Tonight was the best night of my life!' she thought happily as she changed into her pajamas and sat by her window. She opened it quickly, and started starring out into the blanket of stars that covered the pitch black sky, the half moon grinning wildly at her. The cool night air blew by her face as her deep brown eyes surveyed the veiw from her sencond story bedroom window. Her eyes glistened when she spotted a certain window on the building across the street. The farthest window to the left on the top floor. Inuyasha's window. She fingered the loose-fitting jade choker around her neck as she sighed heavily, thinking over the events of the day.

flashback -

Kagome had walked to school with Inuyasha that morning. When she asked him why they weren't driving, he simply replied, "It's a nice day. Beside we're going straight to the carnival after school, and I'm not leaving my car in the damn parking lot of the school to be vandalized."

The day had pasted quickly. Not one of her friends had wished her happy birthday. By the end of the day, she was actually dissapointed. 'After the big deal they made about it, you would think that they would at least say something to me!' She walked out of the high school to find her friends standing at the bottom of the steps. Inuyasha holding a small cake with 'Happy 18th Birthday, Kagome!' written on the top with green icing.

"Oh my gosh! You guys shouldn't have!" she gushed at her friends as they approached a picnic table to eat it.

"Feh. You knew we were going to do something, don't act so surprised," Inuyasha said to her as Sango started cutting the cake.

"It's just... well... no one's ever done anything like this for me before."

"It's okay, Kagome. You're our friend, so don't worry about it," Miroku assured.

"Yeah, I didn't take three hours to bake this cake for nothing!" Sango announced proudly as she handed everyone a slice of cake.

Inuyasha put it to his nose and sniffed it. "If you made it then I don't know if I want any," he said.

Sango, not picking up on the sarcastic tone in his voice, hit him in the head with her fist.

"Damn it, Sango! I was just kidding! You didn't have to go and do that, wench!" he said as he got back up and started to eat his cake. Miroku and Kagome fought to surpress their laughter as they watched the inu-hanyou blush with embarrasment.

"We better hurry up and finish eating. Don't want to be late," Miroku said casually.

"Late for what?" Kagome asked. "I thought we were just going to the carnival."

"Shut up, Miroku!" Inuyasha and Sango said simultaneously, giving him withering looks. Under their glare, Miroku sunk down in his seat until he was sitting on the ground.

When they were through eating, the group headed toward the fair grounds in the park. Sango constantly checked her watch, at times hurrying them along. They reached the carnival quickly, thanks to Sango's constant proding.

"Just in time!" Sango said as the sun began to set on the horizon. "Now, watched the blimp, Kagome!" she said point to a large blimp circling the fair grounds. She watched and saw what Sango was so excited about. On the scrolling sign on the side of the blimp, it flashed 'Happy Birthday, Kagome!'

"Aww! That's so sweet of you guys! Thanks!" She hugged Sango as the message disappeared, replaced by 'Tenseiga Hotels, best stay in town!'

They continued through the night, playing games and riding some of the collapsible carnival rides. By 11:00, they were exhausted. Kagome had been carrying around a large dog stuffed animal Inuyasha had won her for nearly an hour. She had wasted well over $10 on baseballs to attempt to knock down the milk bottles that were stacked up on the table. After her eightenth miss, she yelled, "No stuffed animal is worth this much greif, even if it is totally adorable!"

Inuyasha had been watching with amusement at her aggrivation. He wished Miroku and Sango were here to see her go ballistic at the milk bottles that could easily be knocked down. They had gotten bored and went off together, and he wasn't one to get in the strange couple's way. Now he felt sorry for her, trying her hardest when she wasn't going to win. He went and paid for another baseball and easily tossed it and knocked down every milk bottle. Kagome's look of shock and amazement was priceless. He grinned at the cute expression.

"Why in the hell didn't you do that before I wasted all that money?" Kagome hollered at him.

"Because it was funny watching you try. Don't feel bad," he added, pointing to the stuffed dog that Kagome wanted so the vendor could get it. "Sango and I played these games all the time when we were kids. Won every time." He took the stuffed dog and handed it to Kagome.

She hugged it close to her body and whispered, "Thanks, Inuyasha."

"Why did you want that thing anyway?" he questioned.

"Well, it might sound silly, but it's ears reminder me of yours."

He blushed and she snickered at the rare event.

They met at the ferris wheel at 11:00 to ride it before they left. Inuyasha and Kagome got in one car, and Sango and Miroku got in another. As they rode up into the sky, Kagome broke the silence.

"Thanks for everything tonight, Inuyasha," she said, snuggling up to the large stuffed animal in her arms.

"Feh. It was no big deal," he replied.

"No, Inuyasha. It was a big deal. You know what happened to me at this time last year. Thanks for making my eighteenth birthday something to remember." She leaned over and quickly pecked him on the cheek before she lost her courage. His cheeks turned crimson with the touch of her lips on his cheek.

He turned to her. "Kagome..." He faltered, remembering what she said on Tuesday night.

"Inuyasha, come on, the ride's over," she said as she pulled on his sleeve as her face flushed a pink color.

They stepped off the cart and waited in silence for their friends to get off. The group of four walked to the exit of the carnival, talking about the fun they had that night. They reached Miroku's car and Sango said, "Now it's time for some presents!"

- end flashback

Kagome smiled as she remember the gifts she recieved. Sango had gotten her a pretty green tank top and a plaid green and magenta skirt, which she loved. Miroku had gotten her a bouquet of yellow roses with a card stuck in them that read 'Happy Eighteenth Birthday, Kagome. Would you please reconsider bearing my children? Love, Miroku'. That earned him a knock in the head from Sango. Inuyasha had waited to give her his present until they got to the front steps of her house.

- flashback

"Goodnight, Inuyasha," she said as she started to go up the steps.

"Hold on!" he said. "You aren't leaving without taking this present." He handed her a small package wrapped in silvery paper.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," she told him as she looked at the beatiful gift in her hands.

"Well, I did, so hurry up and open it. I don't want your grandfather to come out here and see me anywhere near you. No offense," he added.

She smiled at his nervousness. "None taken," she replied. She almost didn't want to open it because it was so pretty, but her curiosity got the best of her and she carefully removed the paper. Her fingers delicately opened the jewelry box that was uncovered.

"Oh, Inuyasha!," she gasped. She took out a goregeous choker necklace. It was made up of jade stones that glinted in the moonlight and the largest stone in the middle was shaped like a cresent moon, the sniny jem winking at her. "It's so wonderful! Thank you Inuyasha, I love it!" She practically tackled him in a bear hug, over-whemled with emotions. He hugged her back. When she realized that she was still hugging him, she let go. Her face began to pinken as she thanked him again and ran up the stairs. Inuyasha stood dumb-founded, until he regained his senses and walked home.

- end flashback

She snuggled up with the large, white dog stuffed animal. 'It really does reminid me of Inuyasha' she said as she rubbed it's ears subconciously. 'Someday, I'll tell you how I feel. I promise'

Kagome got up and got into bed. With the sheets tucked over her, she felt safe from anything that could come her way. And even if she couldn't handle something, Inuyasha would resuce her. She was sure of it. 'But there are some things I don't think you'll be able to save me from' She sighed. 'Only time will tell'

I don't know if I'll write chapters this long anymore. It takes a lot out of ya, but I'll try to keep it up. Hope you guys liked it! Adios!

-Ash