Disclaimer:  I don't own Inuyasha . . .

ROCK ON!!!

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"Hurry up, you stupid wench!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "I'll be done in a minute, Inuyasha," she called grudgingly through her closed door. "Go downstairs and chew on some ramen or something."

It had been approximately one and a half months. One and a half months since her grandfather announced his intentions to have her join the campaign. One and a half months since the first attempt on her life. One and a half months since she first met the tempermental hanyou.

Inuyasha . . . The heiress shook her head ruefully at the thought of her body guard. She was currently in her bedroom, getting ready for a 'night on the town', as Inuyasha would say. She had been working diligently on the scrolls, and was about to come across a major breakthrough (or at least she thought she was) when the hanyou came storming into her face, demanding a change of venue.

At first the miko refused, remembering the ice cream parlor encounter with the mysterious woman that led her to question her poor mother two weeks earlier. "Who knows what trouble we'll find next," she grumped, burying her face once again into the scroll.

Surprisingly, Inuyasha remained silent for a few minutes, allowing her some peace and quiet to work. Unfortunately, her peace didn't last, and back came the hanyou with a new idea. "Let's play a game of Janken," he had suggested, with an evil glint in his eye. "Loser has to do whatever the winner says for the rest of the day."

Kagome, being the fool she was, agreed. Janken was her favorite game of all time, and was never beat . . . ever. "You're on!" she challenged.

And so the game began. Five minutes of playing became ten . . . then twenty . . . then thirty. Soon they were tied, 89 to 89. "Next one wins," the heiress grinned, her competitive streak getting the best of her.

So here she was, in her room, dressing up for a night out. Kagome grimaced as she remembered the agony of her defeat, and the triumphant look on her body guard's face.

Stupid fool . . . she narrowed her eyes, smoothing out the dress before turning around to check her reflection in the mirror. She was dressed in a cream colored dress her mother bought for her the year before, but was never worn. It was of modest length, the hem barely touching her knees. It was sleeveless, and it swooped low into a v-neck that revealed a hint of cleavage.

Kagome had curled her hair before piling it all atop her head, letting a few tendrils fall around her face. The color of the dress and the style of her hair showed off her porcelain complexion. Turning to her face, she found the barely red lip stick and black eyeliner was suffice. Checking to make sure her pearl earrings and necklace was on correctly, she turned, just to hear another muffled growl.

"Are you ready yet?!" a familiar impatient voice rumbled from the hallway.

"Five more minutes!" Kagome yelled in exhasperation. She listened in satisfaction as a few choice words were muttered, before his footsteps down the stairs were audible.

She sat on her bed, strapping on her off-white pumps. Inuyasha . . .

The miko paused a moment, before sitting up. This particular hanyou was unlike any other person she had ever met before . . . he was tempermental, angry, impatient, forceful . . . all the things she couldn't stand.

So what keeps you around him? a small voice chided inside her. Kagome thought a moment.

Well, he does have some nice qualities . . . he's brave, and he can be nice . . . in an insensitive sort of way . . . and he's dependable, and always there, and--

Kagome gripped the edge of her bed. What's wrong with me? I . . . I don't have feelings for Inuyasha . ..

Do I?

"NO!" she protested aloud, her voice echoing in the still room. I can't . . . I won't . . .

But you can . . . and you do . . .

The heiress turned her head, biting back tears. And what? Have the same thing happen like last time? Ever since Naraku I wasn't even able to approach a man . . .

Man . . .yes . . . hanyou . . . no . . .

Kagome felt her heart stop. Hanyou? Inuyasha?

You can act like your old self around him . . .without any inhibititions . . .

I . . . I . .

"Kagome, I swear, that if you don't out here by the time I count to ten I will--" an angry voice threatened.

Shaking her head of her thoughts, she quickly strapped on her last shoe and grabbed the coat that hung by the hanger in her open closet. Inuyasha had barely counted to five when the door swung open.

"I'm ready," she announced, slightly breathless from the argument she had with her own thoughts.

Inuyasha, who was prepared to yell at her for taking so long, was speechless. She's . . . she's . . .

Stunning, a voice inside finished.

"Yeah . . ." he trailed off, taking in the beauty that stood before him.

Kagome frowned. "Yeah what?" she asked, puzzled.

"Uh," Inuyasha stammered, "Yeah . . . yeah you better be ready, woman! It's been two hours!" he finished roughly, mentally patting himself on the back. Good save, Inuyasha.

Raising an eyebrow, Kagome scrutinized the young man in front of her. He was dressed in slightly baggy slacks with a black shirt, his silver hair brushed till it shone. "Well," she began, trying to hide the blush that had crept on her face as she examined him, "Where are we going?"

Inuyasha coughed, before turning around and headed for the stairs. "You'll see," he snapped, stomping down the steps.

Kagome watched as his silver head disappeared. "Oh yeah, some prince charming," she muttered, shaking her head.

Not all princes come in shining armor and horses . . . some come with dog ears and a sword . . .

The heiress grinned, her thoughts amusing her as her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she made her way down the stairs.

I'd take the dog ears over rusty armor any day.

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AU:  sorry for the wait, but school was hectic this week!  anyways, I know this chapter is sorta short, but the next chapter is coming soon!  Promise!!

is anyone confused about the story?  Let me break it down to you:

Kagome's Past:  Kagome once had an abusive boyfriend, Naraku, that scarred her for life.  Although he had been gone for over two years, Kagome became frozen and distant with her family and friends.  It wasn't until the entrance of Inuyasha that she began to act like her normal self.

Shojiro:  Shojiro is the son of Seiji, and the father of Kagome.  He is already dead, but the circumstances of his death are questionable.  It seems as though Katsuko, Kagome's mother, and Seiji are hiding something.

Assassination attempts:  These began as soon as Kagome entered the campaign Seiji was running.  No one knows who is behind them . . . yet.

Kagome and Inuyasha's Relationship:  Although the two get along, they won't admit their feelings toward one another.  Kagome is still pushing him away, afraid of the pain that Naraku left behind, and Inuyasha refuses to bring himself to acknowledge his feelings towards her.  Unbeknowst to both of them, they're getting closer as time passes by.

Kikyou:  Kikyou is the adopted daughter of Katsuko, who was brought into the family shortly after the death of Shojiro.  No one knows why Kikyou was brought into the family except Seiji, who was against the adoption in the first place.  Sharing a striking resemblance to Kagome, there are some suspicions in the air . . .

Whew . . . yes, all those things are circling in the story at once!  kind of a handful, ain't it?

well, the next chapter will be up soon!

thanks for the reviews!  Stay tuned!