Chapter 1: Impatience

"Do you really have to go home tomorrow evening?"

"Yes. I made a promise and I have to keep it. Besides, I have some things to take care of tomorrow. I'll be leaving on a trip for a month."

Kagome took another bite of her pasta and took a sip from her iced tea. She was having lunch with her cousin in a restaurant downtown from the dojo their family owned.

"But Kagome, you never spend time with the family anymore. You should stay and socialize."

"With who Akane, Uncle Soun? Besides, you shouldn't be worrying about how much time I spend here. What you should be thinking about is the time you'll get to spend with your husband tomorrow evening."

Kagome smiled at the blush the colored her cousin's cheeks. Right then, a gentleman with a braid and sporting a red Chinese shirt and black pants walked into the restaurant and headed for their table.

"Ah, speak of the devil and he appears."

The young man wrapped a well-toned and tan arm around his fiancée's shoulders from behind and planted a light kiss on her cheek.

"How are you beautiful women doing today?"

"Ranma, don't you know you're not supposed to see your wife for twenty four hours before the wedding?" Kagome scolded. "It's bad luck."

The young man let out a hearty laugh.

"Me and bad luck, that's a good one Kagome. Well I have to run. I'm supposed to meet Nabiki about some last minute stuff. I just wanted to stop in and see you on the way. I'll see you tomorrow; twelve o'clock sharp, right? Don't be late tomboy."

"You either jerk." Akane responded playfully.

After a quick kiss, Ranma said his good-byes and left.

Kagome smiled at the dreamy smile on her cousin's lips.

"He makes you really happy, doesn't he?"

"Yes. And that reminds me, who is he?"

"What?"

"Y'know, the one that has you starring off into space and sighing like you forgot to breathe for a moment."

Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but Akane cut her off.

"And don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. I've been there and done that. Come on Kagome, you can trust me. Tell me about him."

Kagome stared at her iced tea for a moment, then sighed in defeat.

"He's the most insensitive, arrogant, jealous dog I've ever met!" (Pun intended)

"And?"

Kagome sighed again.

"And he's gentle, sensitive, protective, strong, courageous, and not to mention gorgeous."

"Ah, sounds like déjà vu. I always knew you and I were going to marry twins or something like that. But what's the problem?"

"He's in love with someone else. An ex-girlfriend of sorts."

"Oh is that all? Kagome, Ranma had two other fiancées, if you don't count my sisters, and two psychotic stalkers. Who were brother and sister!"

Kagome's eyes widened.

"Oh... wow."

"Kagome," Akane looked Kagome in the eyes with a serious gaze, "Do you love him?"

"I... uh... um..."

"Kagome, be honest with yourself, for once."

"Yes...yes I do."

"Then please don't make the same mistake I did. I waited three years to tell Ranma how I felt. It almost cost me his love. How long are you going to wait to be with the man you know you're supposed to be with?"

............

InuYasha relaxed peacefully in his tree and listened to the forest around him. Well, the outside appeared relaxed at least....

Damnit. Why did I have to say yes? What the hell made me say yes?! I miss her. How the hell does she expect us to go jewel shard hunting without her here?Is she thinking about me? Naraku's probably collected at least a hundred more with all the time we've been sitting around the past two days. I miss her scent. We can't wait two more nights. That damn shard detector needs to get her butt back here tonight! What if she lied about her cousin's wedding? Doesn't she care about anyone else around here? What if she's with someone else? This is crazy! She should be here with us! I need her. That damned woman only thinks about herself. Why is she always leaving? Does she hate to be with me so much that she has to leave whenever she can? I bet she's fooling around while we're here busting our butts and risking our lives to fix the mess SHE made! I love her. That's it! That wench is coming home NOW! Whether she likes it or not!

His mind made up, even if his motives weren't, InuYasha sprang from the tree and ran towards the well.

.............

Kagome tossed her purse and keys on her desk and flopped on her bed, her head hitting her pillows in synch with the exhausted sigh that escaped her rose-painted lips.

It had been a beautiful wedding. The colors were red and yellow, Ranma and Akane's favorite colors. The flowers were red roses and yellow daisies. Though it had been a Western-style ceremony, Akane chose to wear a traditional white wedding kimono decorated with red vines and yellow flowers. Kagome, as Maid-of-Honor, had worn a simple scarlet-red dress with yellow flowers on it. Her hair was pulled back from her face, yet left to cascade down her back, and she had small jewels hidden in her hair to make it glisten when the light hit them just right.

The drive home had been long and tiresome. She had made the trip by herself since her grandpa had wanted to stay to fellowship with Uncle Soun and his friend, Ranma's father, and her mother had wanted to catch up with Kasumi and help her clean up the grounds after the wedding. Souta had gone home with some relatives to spend the rest of the week with his cousins from another uncle.

Kagome, too tired to really get ready for bed, simply pulled off her dress and stockings and elected to sleep in the black slip and underwear she had worn under her dress. Crawling under her sheets, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

...............

InuYasha's ears swiveled from side to side as he listed for signs of anyone being awake.

"Lights are out, no one's talking or walking around, coast is clear."

InuYasha leapt up the tree growing next to the house and landed on the branch just outside Kagome's window. This window had been his passage in and out of the Hiragashi residence many times over the last three years. The windowpane even sported a claw mark or two. InuYasha quietly slid the window open and entered the dark room.

Not wanting to waste time, InuYasha lifted the sleeping Kagome from her bed and set her on his back, the way he always carried her. He grabbed her infamous yellow backpack and was in and out of the room and back down the well in five minutes flat without even waking Kagome.

................

The whole boring paragraph about the wedding was for all you girls who care about detail like that (and guys too I suppose)

And before I get swamped with reviews all asking the same thing; No, I did not make a mistake. InuYasha did not notice the way Kagome was dressed or rather her lack of garment. He was in a hurry and it was dark so he probably thought she was wearing some nightgown or something rather than a really see-through slip. And for those of you who don't bother to read the author's notes at the end of chapters (like me) this will be mentioned in the next chapter.