Kagome walked into her small living room, that lived up to it's name splendidly, blinking rapidly at the bright, vivacious sun streaming in through the windows. The pale blue curtains were pulled back to it's full extent so that it let in extravagant amounts of blinding sunlight. She had awoken no more then a minute ago, hungry, and in need of a shower.

The sequence of events from the night before were a dim memory in the back of her mind, similar to a distant dream, which was exactly what she wished it to be.

The young collage student, not looking extremely radiant this early morning since her hair was a messy mass of raven strands spilling down her shoulders and back, that only topped off her ruffled appearance.

She was able to cheerily keep up the pretense until she changed into a clean pair of light blue jeans, accompanied with a navy blue short-sleeved shirt after she finished her morning routine consisting of all things hygienic.

Kagome then tottered merrily to her kitchen, pausing by the couch where Miroku and Sango had crashed the night before, blankets were folded lopsidedly where the two had slept, but her friends were no where to be found.

She turned slowly to face the kitchen, hoping that she wouldn't see a silver haired boy, hardly older then she, with cat... dog ears.

But indeed she did. Re-playing Miroku's speech in her head, she approached him slowly. She could get a better look at him now that their was a decent amount of light. But nothing about him had changed over night. He still had a long mane of white hair that spiraled around his face, and laid limp over the edges of the table her mother had bought her when she had first moved into her apartment. The dog ears were still there too, perched atop his head, nearly lost in his mass of silver locks.

She checked his breathing. It was better then it had been... the man had to be part something other then human to get over such horrible wounds so fast. Half-amazed she ran her index finger lightly over the nearly faded scars. Curious, she unwound the bandages. They revealed healthy skin, hardly bothered by bruises or punctures.

His body was still the perfect picture of physical fitness as well, she noted, allowing her eyes to linger on his bare torso. He would need clothes when he woke up...hopefully Miroku could supply. As easy on the eyes as this guy was he wouldn't look nearly as flattering in one of her skirts.

She would have to call Miroku when she got back from classes. Her eyes zeroed in on his triangular ears, tipped with soft looking silver fur.

Must...resist...

Giving in to her desire to fondle his ears, she bent over him cautiously and rubbed the wolfish ears throughly. Smiling to herself she decided that what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Well, now that that's out of my system." She sighed, backing away. She wondered when he would be awake. Hopefully it would be a time when Sango and Miroku were around.

"What have I gotten myself into?" She asked in the placid silence of the room. Receiving no answer, other then Inuyasha's soft breathes, she trotted over to her fridge and scanned the inside.

What could she make that wouldn't burn her home down? Opting for a quick bowl of cereal she poured some, and automatically walked back to her kitchen table.

Breakfast wasn't going to happen there. That was for sure. Why had they set him on the table of all places? She had a couch... she then caught sight of the blood spattered carelessly on the tiled floor. Scrunching her nose up at the dried liquid she found she was glad he wasn't on her couch. At least it would be easy to clean up. Yet one more thing to add to her schedule. She was seriously going to have to consider purchasing a handheld.

Breakfast was a more pressing matter, as she only had thirty minutes left until she had to leave. Sitting cross-legged on her couch she grabbed the remote and turned the television on, watching the shows half-heartedly as she munched on her cereal.

Buyo showed his tri colored face for the first time that morning, conveniently, after Kagome had finished eating. She tipped the bowl so that Buyo could lap up the remaining milk.

"That reminds me. I'll have to pick up some diet cat food on my way home." Kagome told him, making a mental note.

Buyo jerked his head back, giving Kagome a truly horrified glare. Leaping off the couch with a brief hiss, he high-tailed to some other location in the house.

"Hmm. Wonder what's gotten into him?"She wondered outloud as she watched his tail disappear behind a half-open door.

Buyo waited until Kagome had finished getting ready, left and locked up to come out of hiding and take a pee in her closet, in which she kept her clothes.

Kanna sat petitely at her desk with the same unfeeling mask she always wore. Had anyone but Kanna received the job of filing all this paper work, they would have been curled up under the desk drooling by now. The sheer amount of stress a secretary for this type of business received was terrifying.

Luckily, Kanna was perfect at her job, but even she was feeling contempt beneath her flawless mask. The escaped projects body had yet to be found, making the already delicate procedure around here even more fragile. She didn't know this just because of the unsettling amount of paper work on her glossy oak desk, but because at the fuming Kouga, and Kagura approaching her at a rapid speed.

"Kanna! Where is Naraku?" Kouga demanded leaning onto the desk, knocking off a stack of papers in his carelessness. Kanna watched the papers flutter to the immaculate white tiled floors with blank eyes. "Naraku-sama is at a meeting. You know as well as I that it's one of those surprise check ups." Kanna whispered. "You should be thankful that he is not around, for he is in a ill mood."

"When is he not in an ill mood?" Kouga fired back. Kagura pushed past him, knocking over yet another stack of papers. "Just see that we get to talk to him soon!" She growled, her eyes glowing with fury. Kanna listened to their voices fade as they walked away. "Can you believe this? When will Naraku stop this foolishness...?"

With a resigned sigh Kanna left her office chair to retrieve the fallen papers... this would not bode well...

Kagome climbed the steps to her apartment slowly. She wanted a beach, a bikini, and some tanning lotion. Unfortunately, what she had was a less flattering composition to write.

With a soft moan she juggled the bag of diet cat food so that she could dig into her small, light purple backpack that doubled as her purse, for her keys.

Grabbing the keys with a light jingle she unlocked and pushed her door open, glad to be home. Times like these Kagome had a very one track mind. And the one thing on her mind was a bath. A bath was Kagome's answer to all lifes problems and quirks. Now counted as a quirk.

Dropping her bags onto the couch as she passed it, she completely missed the kitchen table that was lacking in silver haired men with dog ears.

Inuyasha had woken in a strange environment. He blinked around the room, trying to gain his bearings. Why was he on a table... without a shirt?

"God's, tell me I'm not drunk." he moaned into his palms as he remembered the one time Miroku spiked his drink. He was feeling the same way he had when he had awoken the next morning to a hang over, as Miroku called it. Only then he had woken up covered in soy sauce, not blood.

Slowly his memory leaked back to him, he hadn't gotten caught had he? A quick glance around the small living quarters assured him that he was not. This place was too decorative, bright, and cheerful to be.

The walls were painted a very light blue, the whole theme of the room revolved around pastel colors such as blue, purple, yellow, and a hint of green. A female definitely lived here, not only did the house look a bit feminine but a girls scent covered the place.

He swung himself off the table, leaving behind a trace of his upper body in his own blood. Lovely. Keeping all of his senses open, he walked noiselessly through the apartment. The room that was covered almost completely in the feminine scent must have been the bedroom. He poked his head through the door and glanced around the empty room, no one but a fat cat occupied the space.

The cat lifted it's head and watched him with large, unblinking eyes. Weird...

Inuyasha scented the air, checking all there was inside this building. It seemed only a woman lived here with the cat. He squinted his eyes, something seemed so familiar about this smell... wait! He knew this scent!

This was crazy! Why would he be in her home? And why was it decorated so cheerfully?

Rage filled him, making him forget his injuries, all save one. A light clicking noise filled the silence and the locks on the door turned, alerting him to the owner of the house presence. He swiftly moved out of sight. He had learned one could never be too careful.

Suppressing a growl, he watched as his enemy walked into the room with a sleepy look on her face. She sure looked different then the last time he had seen her.

He remembered Kikyo with long, straight hair that fell past her waist when let free. Her hair was a bit shorter now, and curled at the ends. He eyed her clothes. They were very un-Kikyo like. She had always worn very professional looking clothes, not the casual clothing she was sporting now. He sneered. It seemed everything about Kikyo had two sides...

With a soft sigh Kagome walked mechanically into her bathroom, she turned the hot water on and waited for the tub to fill. She grabbed her brush resting on the sink, along with an elastic hair bow, and quickly swept her jet hair into a messy ponytail.

Inuyasha crept behind the closed bathroom door, listening. Kikyo was not armed, she would be easy to defeat. Then he could leave here... how strange of her to be so unprepared. The sound of water filled his ears, making his face fill with color. He could wait...

Buyo had never felt so humiliated in all his life, as he swung upside down, being held by his back feet by the strange newcomer that smelled of both dog and human. He was grateful when he heard his human let the water drain out of the tub and bustle around closed doors, for the man holding him quickly lost interest in him. Inuyasha jumped to his feet, steading himself for the struggle that was sure to come.

Feeling back to her old, cheerful spirits, Kagome wrapped a fuzzy towel around her freshly washed body and proceeded to her bedroom to get dressed. It was only around five... perhaps she would go visit Sango for a while. It had been a while since just she and Sango had gotten time to hang out with each other, plus Kirara could use a checkup.

As she opened the door, she had anticipated the blast of cooler air, but certainly not the strong arms that wrapped themselves around her waist and neck.

Barely able to keep her towel around herself, she gave vent to a scream that even her partially deaf neighbors could hear.

As surprised as Kagome was, Inuyasha was almost as surprised. Now that she had washed herself... she smelled less like jasmine... she hardly smelled like Kikyo at all. He loosened his death grip on her, and spun her around so that he could see her face clearly.

Her chocolate brown eyes were wide with surprise and fear, her damp raven locks hung in ringlets around her pretty face, her cheeks had a pink color to them. Their was a eerie similarity to Kikyo, but this girl wasn't her... his gaze dropped down to a rather attractive, curvaceous body, covered only in a towel.

Oh, shit.

"Your not Kikyo." Inuyasha muttered intelligently.

In answer Kagome's eyes filled with untainted, unrestrained, raw anger.

Sango had been on her way to visit Kagome, not only to check up on her best friend and Inuyasha, but to drop off some clothes Miroku had given her to give to Inuyasha when he woke up. Right as she had lifted her hand to knock an ear splitting scream erupted.

Startled Sango cringed and nearly dropped the pile of clothes she was carrying. What in the...? Worried for her friend, she turned the door knob, finding it to be unlocked. When was Kagome going to learn to lock her doors. She was going to get robbed one day...

Padding her way into the living room, where she could distinctly hear noises, she nearly dropped the clothes again.

Inuyasha was doubled over, kneeling on the floor before Kagome whom was dressed in only a towel, and was obviously miffed.

"I take you into my home and this is what you do?" Kagome shouted, backing away from Inuyasha. He was unable to answer...

"Um...Kagome?" Sango asked hesitantly.

Kagome jerked her head up to meet the eyes of Sango, whose dark eyes held a very peculiar gleam in them.

"Oh... Sango-chan, when did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago. I, um, I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

Kagome tilted her head to one side, ready to ask Sango what could she possibly be interrupting. Then she remembered she was in a towel, dripping wet. Crap. This didn't look as nearly innocent as it was.

"Of course your not interrupting anything!" Kagome assured her friend, her already flustered coloring deepening. She quickly went on to fill Sango on what really happened.

Inuyasha had regained breathing rights, and had moved to the couch along with Sango by the time Kagome had gone to her bedroom to change.

"Shame on you, Inuyasha. Scaring Kagome like that, Miroku must be rubbing off on you."

"That's a load!" Inuyasha argued shooting her a cold glare, "I thought she was someone else..." he finished off lamely.

"Who else could she have been?" Sango wanted to know, raising an eyebrow.

Inuyasha struggled to find the right words without actually telling the truth. "Just someone from... you know..." He shifted uncomfortably.

Sango was just as uncomfortable about hearing his past as Inuyasha was talking about it. "Why did you think that?" She asked, picking Buyo up, whom had been rubbing himself around her ankles, and placing him in her lap.

"I woke up in a place I've never seen before, what would you have thought if you were in my place?"

"Probably the same thing... but why did you attack Kagome? She can't be that much of a threat to you." Sango reasoned.

"She's not a threat to me." Inuyasha snapped.

"If so then, again, why did you attack her...?"

"Will you just let it go." Inuyasha sighed, weary of Sango's increasingly uncomfortable questions.

Thankfully, in Inuyasha's case, Kagome emerged from her bedroom, now wearing a black skirt that fell to just above her knees, along with a light yellow shirt that was black around the collar and the ends of her sleeves, ending the question and answering ceremony.

"Why don't you apologize for scaring me like that." Kagome confronted Inuyasha immediately.

"What! Why don't you apologize for kicking the hell out of me?" Inuyasha responded, baring his pointed teeth at the girl.

"You deserved it." She sniffed, clenching her own, less sharp teeth as well.

"Oh, yeah. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Sango remarked as the pair continued to duke it out verbally.

Sango wished she could kick Inuyasha herself. Kagome was the only one who would take him in, and he would be safe with, and what was he doing? Assaulting her both physically and verbally. Genius. With an attitude like that no wonder he was getting shot at. She couldn't for life of her figure out why someone was trying so desperately to re-capture Inuyasha. You would think once he was gone you would be celebrating... she thought dryly.

As she watched the spectacle before her, she decided she would have to stop it some how. If the argument got any worse, Inuyasha would find himself homeless.

How would she stop this? As she watched Inuyasha and Kagome, she couldn't help but notice that beyond obvious differences, they were very similar to each other...somewhere in there stood the answer. Ah-hah! Sango proclaimed herself a genius, and sat Buyo down on the floor.

"Hey, you guys, would you like to walk with me down to the Ice-cream parlor? I have a craving for a milkshake."

As Sango planned, the pair forgot about each other as their stomachs took their brain over temporarily.

"Great idea, Sango-chan. I could use some ice-cream." Kagome chirped happily. "Just let me go grab my wallet..."

"No, no. It's my treat." Sango smiled. "But perhaps you should change clothes, Inuyasha, before we go anywhere. Miroku gave me clothes for you." She said, pointing to the pile of clothes beside her.

"Whatever." Inuyasha mumbled, grabbing a pair of jeans and a grey shirt with white sleeves before heading to the bathroom to change, shooting a sour look at Kagome before he shut the door.

"I think we should put him in a headlock when he comes out." Kagome suggested, sticking her tongue out at the door.

Sango laughed, shaking her head of long brown hair. "I'm glad to see you and Inuyasha are getting along so well."

Kagome stopped sticking her tongue out at the closed door, and turned to do it at Sango, who just laughed again.

"Kagome-chan... I know he can be a real jerk... but please put up with him for a while. You wouldn't believe some of the things he's gone through... so...his behavior is-" Sango started to say, switching her laughter for a serious look.

Kagome's features softened. "Miroku told be a little bit... but don't worry! I wouldn't just kick him out. And it's only for a little while right?" Kagome said, her soft heart unable to freeze itself to the point where she could do anything cruel..Correction, too cruel.

"Right."

Naraku paced his office in the dim lighting of the room. He always kept the lights low. He found bright lights to be extremely annoying. He had also found that it unnerved almost any other that cared to step into his quarters.

And today he had needed any edge he could get. The government had decided to send someone today unexpected. And while nothing abnormal of a corporation dealing with health was where prying eyes could see, unless they knew exactly where and what to look for. It had been a close call. It seemed someone had been slipping information... that wouldn't do. And he had a inkling of who it was.

He poked his head out of his door and looked down the long corridor where Kanna's desk was placed. "Kanna." He called.

Kanna glanced up at him, pulling the phone away from her platinum blond hair. "Please hold." She spoke into the phone quietly before answering Naraku. "Yes, Naraku-sama."

"When you see Kagura tell her to kill Takanaka."

"Which Takanaka? The male or female?" Kanna asked looking down at the large book on her desk.

Naraku thought about it for a moment. "Both." He said simply.

"Yes, sir...Oh, Kagura and Ookami requested a small meeting with you." Kanna said seeing a note she had made.

"Fine. Schedule it tomorrow, I have no patience for either of them today." With that he shut his door with a slam, it somehow sent a stack of papers on the end of her desk tipping over the edge for the umpteenth time.

She blinked slowly. "Yes, sir." She put the phone back to her ear. "No, the cafeteria must be stocked with a supply of shrimp, lobster will not do this week..."

Sango made sure she walked between Inuyasha and Kagome, the pair was still likely to make another jab at the other. And that was a big no-no.

The threesome walked on a sidewalk made especially for the pedestrian who didn't wish to get hit by a car, but did have a need to walk to a small shopping strip, placed near enough to Kagome and Sango's apartment complex that they could walk to a small ice-cream shop included in the shopping strip, and buy a frozen dairy treat and make it back home before it melted... horribly.

Kagome and Sango broke the silence by carrying on a conversation about Sango's new found cat, a conversation too boring and girly for Inuyasha to take an interest in, so he resigned himself to watching car's licence plates as they sped past.

He had just spotted one from Niigata when they arrived at the small ice-cream parlor.

"Three chocolate milkshakes, right?" Sango asked as they walked through the double doors, setting off a small bell.

"Yep." Kagome said smiling, while Inuyasha just nodded his head, which was covered by his black beanie, of course, but he still managed to attract the stares of what few people were there.

"Alrighty then." Sango said before she walked up to order.

Inuyasha admired the pink wall paper with distaste, as he avoided looking at Kagome, as Kagome avoided looking at Inuyasha. Kagome ended up getting an eyeful of vivid yellow eyes anyways. No... more of a golden color, Kagome thought. She had never seen such a brilliant eye color before. His eyes were very soulful, and the unique color only added to the mysterious quality. She had never though a man's eyes could be beautiful... but his came awfully close to it.

Inuyasha was also observing her eyes. They were nearly the same eye color as Kikyo's, a soft shade of brown that changed hue according to the lighting. But the shape was all wrong, and Kagome's eyes were filled with what he could only describe as innocence. He wasn't used to seeing that. Also, Kagome's eyes showed her emotions without restraint. Kikyo had always masked her true feelings, making it impossible to see what she was really feeling or thinking...It was nice to see something... honest for once.

When they realized they were staring at each other, they quickly whipped their heads around, both nearly getting whiplash. A rose color tainted the skin of their cheeks.

"Um.." Kagome started, trying to make the moment less awkward. "Let's go help Sango carry our stuff.

"Right." Inuyasha agreed, equally eager to leave the uncomfortable moment behind.

They walked up to the counter to retrieve their milkshakes, a particularly vicious looking old woman had her large purse set on top of the counter while she went to go get a napkin. Out of the three identical cups if ice-cream, they both reached out to grab the same one at the same time.

The two exchanged challenging glares as the tightened their grip on the cup.

"Now really, you guys, this is ridiculous. They're all the same thing! One of you just grab the other cup." Sango hissed in a loud whisper.

Kagome smiled with mock cheerfulness. "Well, seeing as I had this one first, I'm sure Inuyasha wouldn't mind."

Inuyasha returned the smile, only his was more like a snarl. "You've made a mistake. I had this first."

"You've got to be kidding me." Sango remarked, glad that no one was paying close attention to them.

Kagome tried pulling her milkshake to her chest, but Inuyasha pulled it back. Sango watched disbelievingly at the childishness being displayed. She would expect a couple of three years olds to have a tug-of-war like this but... suddenly, Kagome and Inuyasha pulled the milkshake hard at the same time, sending it, lidless, into the old womans purse.

"Oh, shit." Inuyasha said as he watched the neon yellow cup tumble upside down into the old hags bag.

"Oh, crap!" Kagome started in horror.

All three exchanged uneasy glances.

"You know, I don't feel much like ice-cream." Inuyasha stated.

"Really?" Kagome asked taking the only cup left.

"Really."

"Well, I think were done here." Sango said, switching her milkshake from hand to hand.

Their was a two-second relapse before all three ran hell for leather out of the parlor.

"I feel horrible!" Kagome cried out between bursts of laughter once they were safe on the other side of the street.

Sango leaned on Kagome for support, she was laughing too hard to stand on her own. "That poor old lady." she gasped out when she had enough breath to speak.

"Ah, she'll live." Inuyasha said with a shrug, although even he had a slight smirk on his lips.

Kagome stopped her laughter and leaned away from Sango so she could turn to Inuyasha. "Are you sure you don't want this?" She asked offering him the yellow cup.

"Nah. I'm fine." He told her, finding elsewhere to look.

"You sure?"

"Yeah..."

She smiled warmly at him. "Well, thanks." She used a plastic spoon that had been attached to the cup to spoon it into her mouth.

"No problem." He said nonchalantly.

Sango smiled relieved. They were capable of acting civilly towards each other!

Inuyasha watched Kagome from across the room. They had returned to Kagome's apartment about an hour ago, Sango left soon after they arrived, saying something about groceries.

Kagome watched him with large dark eyes.

He remembered what Sango had said to him before she left. He had to try to be nice to this girl so that he could remain with her. As much as he didn't like to depend on others, he needed a place to stay, as much as he hated to admit it, to hide.

Well, he would do whatever necessary to keep his freedom. He could deal with a young woman for a while.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha was pulled out of his thoughts by Kagome's voice.

"Did you hear me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him in question.

"Yeah, I heard the first time..." He caught himself before he said 'bitch', "But why do I need to take a bath?"

Kagome gave him a skeptical look. "Because you have been bleeding, heavily. Some of it is still matted in your hair, and I'm sure some is dried on you body...which reminds me. I have a lot of cleaning to do."

"Alright! Whatever." He stood up and made his way grumpily to the bathroom, the whole time muttering under his breath about 'Schizophrenic, hygienic, control freaks.'

Kagome sighed and stretched out on her couch, laying on her back. Buyo was resting on the top of it, his claws dug into the material to assure his perch. She reached up and scratched a calico ear that was very similar to Inuyasha's. She winced a bit, hopefully he would never find out about that.

"Don't worry Buyo. We'll manage. This is only temporary after all..."

A/N:

Or is it? I bet you would all love it if they fell head over heels in love with each other, and the living arrangements became permanent and they made love together every night and had lots of cute little pups. Well, they would if it wasn't Inuyasha and Kagome we were reading about here. Plus, I have much more exciting plans in store for them! . ducks the tomato Anyways, this was pretty much a filler chapter, we'll get into the thick of things around chapter five...Wow, will this fic make it to chapter five! With your support I'm certain it could. However, I won't be able to get started for a week, since I'm going on vacation. I just felt like I needed to get this chapter out before I left. I do hope you enjoyed it! I'll be expecting comments when I get back!

As always, reviews are loves, cherished, and doted upon... even the mean ones...Oo

Lady Illu:

Thank you so much, I'm glad you think so! (Giggles) Yes, Kanna does seem suited to the secretary's life, doesn't she? I appreciate your review, it helped a lot . I'll update as quick as I can, except for the whole 'I won't be here for a week thing' I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

JazzyMonkey:

I do so love your reviews! Thanks so much. Hate Naraku already, do you? Give it time, you'll hate e'm more.. Along with another person..(Cough-cough- Kikyo- cough-cough)...Thanks for reading both of my stories I love you input. And look! Inuyasha is, indeed, awake. I have a feeling your going to love the next chapter to bits (winks) I'm very flattered that besides your busy schedule you still find the time to read my fics. That's spiffy of you. The least I can do is reply to you, even though I'm going to have to cut it short because I am barely awake (But what do I know about being tired, right?)lol, Hope to hear from you again

terran Inu:

Don't worry, the romancing as you put it will start soon enough. It will take time to develop Inuyasha and Kagome's relation ship, but maybe I'll throw in some Sango/Miroku fluff? And yes, eventually you will learn about Inuyasha's Oh-so-mysterious past. Thanks for reviewing.

Kurra-chan15:

lol, your review(s) were so lovely I hope you liked this chapter, I would hate to disappoint you. I'm updating as quick, and writing as smoothly as I can, so hopefully you'll be happy with this. Thanks for reviewing!

Ivy and Crystal:

Yes! I plan on making this very 'good' indeed! You have not a clue. . See? I updated (When you wrote 'review' I assumed it was either a typo or you want be to review a fic of yours... I did one I'll try to do the other, so call Shippo off!...He's drooling...bleh. Thanks for the review.

Silver slytherin serpent:

Aww, thanks, but I think your exaggerating. (Not that I mind) Thank you so much for the review and the praise that came with it. I sure hope your not disappointed with this chapter ;

Until next time...

SilverSqueakyInuEars.