HEY! I just might have the eighth chapter up TOMORROW, so be sure to come back and check, okay.

Oh, and if you understand what Hojo is saying in this chapter, you're my new best friend! Haha! Thanks to all who responded. Chapter 7…

Chapter 7: The Sunset That Started it All

Upon emerging within the well house in Kagome's world, the hanyou took special care that the girl would not see him. At least not until he saw her first and decided whether or not she would accept yet another corny peace offering. Another bouquet of freshly picked flowers remained locked in his hands, and its pollen irritated his noise slightly, but the smell was wonderful. Inuyasha assumed that Kagome had worn some of that perfume stuff of the same smell, for the flowers reminded him so much of her. Every whiff of it brought warmth to his body and made him slightly drossy. It was hard to admit even now that he loved the way Kagome smelled, but that had yet to matter, for whether it was from a girl or a flower, his steps always led back to her.

He stifled the yawns that begged to break through his breath, convincing himself yet again that sleep was a secondary need. Such was his character to push on until he could push no more, and ultimately collapse from exhaustion. Mostly because he wanted strength, or because if he was not strong, he risked losing a battle. The battle today was the one that scared him the most.

Always when he fought with Kagome he found some trouble sleeping. Out of anger and out of fear. Both emotions stemming from a supposed rejection on Kagome's part. The idea that she may leave him for good if pushed too far made his stomach churn. Inuyasha was a creature of brawn, not brains, so he had not the knowledge of how sensitive the miko might be to his pleadings. All he ever knew for sure now was that he had to keep on fighting until the battle was won, no matter what the situation. Lucky enough for his tired mind, once he gave her the flowers, he fully intended on sleeping on the spot. At least that might save him some embarrassment at having once again gone soft concerning his shard detector. Everyone else had already seen after all that Kagome was his most powerful point of weakness… and strength.

His first instinct was to go to her room, and he leapt onto the rooftop beside her window. This window he had been to countless times before, and he was already running the procedure through his head on how to break in if it was locked. He ran one sharpened claw down the edge of it like one would with a credit card and the lock clicked. Inuyasha smiled at such an achievement and slid the window to one side. In one leap he was on the carpet in her room and was bombarded with the sensations he had come to know and love from his miko. The room was the same as it had always been over the years they had known each other, except for that now there were countless pictures of the Feudal Era adorning the surface of her drawers.

For a moment, he allowed his eyes to run over the frames and their contents. There was one of Miroku and Sango smiling, and a definite hand creeping up behind the Hiraigotsu towards their favorite destination, which Inuyasha remembered resulted in a black eye that almost lasted two weeks. Another was of Shippou and Kagome in a friendly pose, playing innocently with his many tops and toys, and Kagome's eyes filled with the same childlike innocence as the kitsune.

Inuyasha felt the warmness in his breast increase as he saw there were many pictures of himself. In each picture, he had a clear passive expression or at least a face showing displeasure at such a weird object as a flashing box. His arms were crossed in every one, and he glared at the camera. There was one in particular that caught his eye the most. It must have been the only one with both him and Kagome in it, and it looked rather odd to the hanyou.

Inuyasha had attempted to maintain his gruff attitude towards the idea of picture taking, and refused to be a part of it. However, Kagome was bound and determined to get a good picture with him. Once she had instructed Sango on how to take it, she casually strolled up to the hanyou and grabbed a hold of him by the neck. He stumbled slightly and looked at her confused for a moment. He didn't have any time to question it though, for Kagome had leaped onto his back like she had done many times before and put her arms around his neck. She lifted her head high into the air in triumph and turned with a happy grin towards the camera.

Now as he looked at the picture, he saw something he was sure Kagome had not expected, and he would have hoped she wouldn't have expected it. His head was turned not to the camera, but to her, and upon seeing her face so contorted with glee, had magically lost his own scowl and attitude. All there was left of such a trait was the confused look in his eyes, but there was something else there also. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He assumed that whatever it was, it had been the reason for why his scowl had faded.

Kagome always had a way of taking away his scowl. He knew his very skin seemed changed since she came into his life. It just seemed less taught that before. The rhythm of his breaths and as he saw by the picture, the very nature of his eyes was very calm. His face became the eye of the storm, and nothing could break the silence of his soul. It was like a peaceful departure from the world of the living, one which he would accept with open arms if given the chance. Kagome was his only means of calm nowadays. A sweet release that he desperately needed.

Seeing as she was not in the room to notice this curiosity, he ventured to others parts of the house in search of her. When he left her room he instantly felt the loss of her scent, and realized that she hadn't been in the area any time soon. The hanyou sneered to find her gone, and he growled as he came to his own conclusion, that she was probably out with her friends, forgetting all about him and their fight while he continued to torture himself to find a way of bringing her back. Well, he certainly wasn't going to let her forget him without a fight. At lightning speed he was out the door and down to the grand city of Tokyo. As he looked at how huge it was, he sighed. This was going to take a long time.

"Here's your table. Please enjoy yourselves," said the waiter.

Hojo was gentleman enough to pull out the chair for Kagome to sit in, and he took the seat opposite her with a blue polo shirt and a smile to boot. Kagome wore the same dress she had on her birthday, which she soon figured out was a mistake. Her birthday had been the only other time she had worn it, and therefore, wearing it again only brought back memories of the Feudal Era. In fact, when she had been getting ready, her hair was put into a bun, but just wouldn't cooperate with the fingers that tried to position it. She had refused to keep it down, for she remembered that was what Inuyasha had preferred. However, it was a useless task and so she finally let her hair down, and had looked at the mirror sadly. That was when she knew she wouldn't truly be able to enjoy the company of Hojo tonight. Her thoughts would always go back to the others, and Inuyasha especially.

As Hojo engaged her in conversation, and quite intelligent conversation at that, all Kagome could think about was how different he was from Inuyasha. Hojo was a gentleman, friendly, smart, compassionate, and brought her presents for no reason at all. 'That Inuyasha. He's such a moron. He doesn't know how to treat a lady. Not like Hojo does anyway. Agh, if he would just admit that he was wrong and apologize for it…'

She did admit she felt guilty about leading Hojo on, but if truth be told, it wasn't completely like that. She missed her own time and her own friends, and that didn't exclude the kindness Hojo constantly offered her. How could she reject him when he had wanted to spend time with her for so long. But this sure didn't feel like a date. Her every thought was of Inuyasha, and not the wonderful man sitting before her. Hojo continued talking about whatever he was talking about, "And isn't it strange how the environment of an accent determines meaning?"

…. Damnit. Why did it suddenly feel like she had zoned out of an entire school lecture?

Inuyasha growled as he continued down the nightlife streets of Tokyo. Never had he seen so many flashing lights and heard such loud noises before. And the huge amount of people on the street wasn't helping his search for Kagome either. Their strange smells just got in the way. Every where he went smelt of meat and smoke and overpowering perfumes. Kagome's scent was so soft and playful, it was no doubt being hidden away by everything else in the air. It made him irritable to think that her scent was being hidden from him. He was like Kagome herself was being kept from him. Some girls walked by and whispered to each other how odd it was for someone to wear a baseball cap when it was so late in the day. Even more girls gave him mischievous grins, for which he became very nervous.

On his search, he ended up running into Kagome's mother, who waved with the same kindness in her eyes as her daughter. He waved back to the woman with an arm full of groceries. The leaves and petals of his flowers tickled against the skin of his chest. They had been tucked away safely in his haori until they could be brought out inconspicuously. He could just imagine Kagome running away if she saw him coming with this pathetic display. However, nothing got past Mrs. Higurashi, and she spotted the few petals and leaves that had broken off innocently and flew out of the hanyou's shirt. Long ago, she had known how dedicated Inuyasha was to her daughter, even if she didn't know it. She couldn't help herself, "How are things back in your time?"

"Fine, I guess," he shrugged.

"Are you still facing a lot of danger everyday?"

He bowed his head, much like a child with his hand caught in a cookie jar. He wondered if this was more about Kagome then himself, which was probably true. Somehow there was something else for him to fear now: the approval of a parent to have their daughter face life-threatening situations every day. It still surprised him that her family was willing to let him into their house on a daily basis, without even second-guessing their intentions with her daughter. And to have her off fighting demons all the time couldn't be of any comfort. The rim of the baseball cap just covered his worried eyes from sight. His answer was soft, too soft for him. "Yes."

Mrs. Higurashi noticed his usually confident voice had now gone soft, "What is it?"

He regained his composure and continued walking down the long sidewalk in search of his miko. He called back to her mother, "You shouldn't worry about Kagome. Nothing will happen to her. I'll make sure of that."

But Mrs. Higurashi only smiled to herself and thought, 'I know you won't.'

As she was about to continue her walk, a thought suddenly came to the hanyou's mind. "Hey, do you know where Kagome went?"

"Uh, she said she was going to this restaurant called Benton's. It's about five blocks that way," she pointed to the west.

Inuyasha smirked and took off in that direction, clutching the flowers close inside his haori. At least now he had an idea of where he was going. Already the sun was fading over the mountains, and soon it would be night. As he went running, he pictured in his mind how Kagome would react to his gift. Countless memories of her smiles erupted in his mind, and how he prayed he would be rewarded with that smile again. He could receive nothing else from anyone for the rest of his life and that smile would be enough. Right now as he daydreamed, that one speck of light on his heart told him that the hope of her smile was worth the trial. He knew wholeheartedly that he would travel around the world and back again to find her, just to live in her energy and her happiness.

Kagome's lips seemed to be permanently latched onto the straw she was drinking from. For the most part, it was out of fear that Hojo might assume she had something to say about whatever he was talking about. Everything was complete jargon as far as she was concerned. She had missed so many classes, she didn't even know if he was talking about something school-related.

'Aw man. Who knows what might be covered on the next test? Then again, I guess tests are the least of my worries now. What with demon fighting and that insufferable Inuyasha. Ha, if it weren't for him keeping me away all the time, I could have a normal life back here. I wouldn't be falling behind in my classes and ditching my friends here and there. Sometimes I think he doesn't even realize how much I've given up in order to be with him in the Feudal Era. And all he can do is complain that I'm not doing enough, that I'm completely helpless without him? Well at least I can show him my life doesn't revolve around him. I can go hang out with Hojo without Inuyasha getting in my way again. I just hope he doesn't show up and ruin anything.'

Her eyes darted around the outdoor patio in search of her hanyou. All she found were human faces engaging in conversation, laughing, and eating. All completely obvious of the power of a well within Kagome's backyard. She couldn't help but think now that it was a stupid idea to go with Hojo. If Inuyasha could find her, he would most definitely interfere, and then what? That hanyou always wanted to be the center of attention, and she wouldn't put it past him to punch out one of her good friends if he posed a threat to that need. As a silent prayer, she prayed to the Gods that he wouldn't show up while she was on the date. Hojo kept talking, "And therefore, I guess it's easy to mix up K and G for example, which I am thinking might be able to account for common misspellings, and how much we've evolved since Proto-Indo-European while still retaining those similarities. Correct me if I'm wrong, cause I don't know.'

"Er… yeah. I totally agree," Kagome replied, though she really hadn't a clue what he was talking about.

'Agh, that's it. No more thinking about Inuyasha. Focus on your friend, Kagome.'

Inuyasha pulled out the flowers and glanced at them. He sighed in aggravation as he saw that they were already falling apart. After leaping around with them in his shirt, many petals and leaves had broken off, and they were pretty much stems at this point. Kagome would just laugh at him if he gave them to her. A guy about his age walking with his buddies looked at his poor excuse of a bouquet and started laughing out loud, "Haha! Looks like you can forget about getting laid, you loser! No girl would want that!"

In an instant, Inuyasha appeared right next to them and punched the guy clear in the face. The boy fell back with such force it threw him ten feet. The boy rose from the ground instantly with a shattered and bleeding nose. He looked at him with shocked eyes, wondering how someone could punch someone that hard with such little effort. His friend was at his side in an instant, picking him up, and they both looked at Inuyasha flexing his claws, and they saw… they were sharp.

Scrambling to a standing position, they ran away as fast as their feet could carry them, leaving a trail of blood behind and screaming for the police. Inuyasha looked at his flowers, "She has to like them, she just has to."

He continued his thoughts in his head, 'But I think I need some replacements."

The answer was close by, for he found a park nearby with wild flowers growing. In one snatch, he had them in his hand and was ready to go. In a few minutes, he was at the supposed restaurant where Kagome was, and the strong scent around the area confirmed this. As inconspicuous as a white haired man in a red haori could be, he leapt into a nearby tree which overlooked all the customers. His eyes quickly scanned the area and he soon found her again. A growl instantly rose from his chest when he saw who was with her. 'Nani? What the fuck is that loser doing near her? That bastard. He's at it again.'

Hojo had to be trying to claim Kagome as his own again, maybe even take advantage of her. This Inuyasha could not allow. After all, he had promised to protect her, and he was not one to break promises. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but at one point, he saw Kagome start to laugh, and it made his growl grow deeper. It was definitely strained, and he knew immediately that she didn't want to be there. A nagging at the back of his neck said she was being forced to spend time with him. Perhaps being forced into the boy's company in the hopes that she would fall for him. Already he could see her slipping beyond his grasp, and he had to do something quick! He positioned himself to jump.

However, before he could make a move, he saw them start to rise from their chairs. He loosened up and sighed in triumph. Whatever hold Hojo had on her before, it was gone now. At least it was over now, and Kagome could go back to the Feudal Era with him. He looked at his flowers again. Now it was his turn to be strong. No backing out now. He glanced back up, but gasped slightly when he saw that they were still talking to each other, and he saw something that made his blood run cold.

In the back of his mind, he saw the colors in front of him start to melt away, thereby leaving everything black, white, and gray. He saw the sunset in the distance give way to the night sky and the clouds disperse to reveal few stars behind their forms. He saw Kagome's free spirited hair calm down once the wind had died, leaving it a prisoner to gravity. He saw the boy that was the competition, inching ever so slowly closer to the one he secretly had feelings for.

To be continued…

I'll tell you right now… the next chapter is the whole inspiration for the plot, so it will be sooo fluffy and intense. There is a lot more fluffiness to be had, and it will definitely come. I promise you that. I'm just setting up so much info in this chapter it's hard to get it all in. And when they confess you-know-what, there will be sooo much of it. Okay, take care everyone, and please respond.

Jedi1K: …. Oops. Oh well. Perhaps I should go back and fix that sometime. I guess I just love those amber ones so much I had to type it. Sigh. (hugs)

Pan-chan's Hope: Hahaha, you're cute. But so very evil. Better keep Hojo away from you, I guess. (hugs)

trekker4life: Hm, ya know, I've never thought about whether or not it would work on those nights. I don't see how it wouldn't. Hope I didn't miss some important episode about that. Oh well. Thanks a lot. (hugs)

Darkened Soul1: Don't feel too bad for him, now. It just makes it harder for me to do this to him. (hugs)

Random Reader: Ah, aaaah. Puppy-dog face! I'm such a softy. Must… get… evil rose boy…. (hugs)

BlueMoonDog: I just think Inuyasha is totally oblivious to reality. The stuff that everyone else sees, he doesn't see. It just better serves my story, so it's good that way. Hm, I don't know… why do you feel that way? Evil grin! Evil grin! (hugs)

InuyashaGal: Wow, good thing I know by now that you're friends because I was thinking this was going to be an awkward moment. Haha, and thanks for the fluff dance. Wonder what that would look like. (hugs)

INUYASHALOVER45: Glad to hear that. I get really worried that I may not be able to keep everyone interested. Thanks. (hugs)

Kamira: Both nice and evil, huh? That's odd. But very true. (hugs)

Mental Mess: …. That was… without a doubt… THE oddest review I've ever gotten. What just happened? But glad you like the story, anyway. (hugs… very carefully)

Helikakileh: huh… what happen… (hugs… again, very carefully)

a100rinchhead: I'm really glad you told me, cause I was thinking this was going to be horribly awkward. Haha. Cliffies are evil, but for some reason I can't seem to stop them enough. (hugs)

Caline Daniels: I'll be getting fluff in wherever I can. But I definitely make up for it when there isn't any later. You'll see. Hehehe! (hugs)