A Bride's Request a Bridesmaid's Promise

Chapter 4 – The Slight Scent of Cologne

Comfortably seated in a large leather armchair aboard Inuyasha's personal jet Kagome watched the plane take off with growing apprehension. She knew how lucky she was for Inuyasha to fly her out to LA, she was saving a ton of money let alone hassle, but Inuyasha had to be the last person she wanted to get airsick in front of.

Glancing around she still could not believe how luxuriously Inuyasha chose to travel. The jet could seat six passengers total and every seat was a brown leather reclining armchair that could easily seat two people if so desired. The carpet beneath her feet was lush and cosy, even more so than the one in her own house, allowing for you to take your shoes off without second thought unlike the ones on commercial airplanes where you would never do so for fear of getting foot fungus. There were two rows of seats, three on each side of the plane with their own window. One set of curtains blocked the doorway to where the pilots were and another at the back of the plane where the two flight attendants hung out conversing in quiet voices as they read their magazines.

"Okay rule number one," Inuyasha said finishing his conversation with the flight attendant and turning towards Kagome, "no puking on the carpet. If you feel the need to throw up you are to run immediately to the bathroom. Got that?"

"Yes," Kagome replied sullenly.

"Good. Rule number two, I need to concentrate so no talking to me, got that? That means no singing, no humming and above all no conversation."

"Yes," Kagome replied returning her gaze to the slowly shrinking runway. "You don't have to worry about that, I'll probably spend the whole time in the bathroom being sick to my stomach. I won't have energy left to talk let alone sing."

Inuyasha paused as he took his laptop out and looked intently at her, "so you really do get airsick pretty bad then?"

"Everyone has their weaknesses," Kagome snapped mistaking his comment for an insult.

"Whatever," Inuyasha replied flipping his laptop open and immersing himself in his work. "You should be nicer to someone who's just allowed you to travel with them free of charge."

There was silence disturbed only by the quick and precise tapping of Inuyasha's fingers as he typed away gazing intently at the screen.

"Soooooo," Kagome said finally unable to take the silence any longer. "What's it like running your own company? Lot's of work involved I imagine."

"I thought I told you not to talk," Inuyasha said not taking his eyes off the screen his fingers still typing away.

"Oh yeah," Kagome said, "sorry."

After a few moments of silence where Kagome sat unsure of what to do, Inuyasha startled her by saying, "I don't run it just by myself you know. Sesshomaru and I run it together."

"Oh well of course," Kagome said hurriedly, "What I meant was what's it like to be in charge? To have everybody working under you for a change?"

"It's nice I suppose," Inuyasha replied. "There's a lot of work involved though, even more since Sesshomaru got married."

"Yes I can imagine," Kagome said. "How are things going between Rin and him? I was surprised when I heard he had got married, he always struck me as the sort who never wanted anything to do with love."

"He didn't," Inuyasha replied taking his fingers off the keyboard. "But once he met Rin his heart didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"He met her one night after a black tie affair we were attending and saved her," Inuyasha said. "We decided to leave early that night and a good thing we did. As we were walking out we suddenly heard a girl scream and we hurried into the next street where Rin was being attacked by three drunk men. Sesshomaru launched immediately into battle knocking two of the three men unconscious. The last one shoved Rin at Sesshomaru to distract him and then fled. I chased after him and caught him while Sesshomaru staid behind to take care of Rin because when the man had shoved her she had fallen to the ground and hit her head pretty hard. By the time I had hauled the man to the police station and then returned home Sesshomaru had put her to sleep in one of the spare bedrooms. At that point we didn't know her name was Rin for she had lost her memory and couldn't remember who she was. We told her she could stay with us until her memory returned which the doctor assured us would within a matter of days, because no relatives came forward to say who she was."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked leaning forward due to Inuyasha's wonderful storytelling ability. "Didn't her family wonder where she was?"

"When Rin regained her memories, she told us about how she had lived most of her life in an orphanage, while in school she had achieved straight A's for which she had received various scholarships which along with student loans had been able to put her through university. She went into business and within two years had become a partner in an advertising company. She had been at they same party we had but her ride had never shown up so she had decided to walk home since it was only a few blocks away. I had to go away right after that on a business trip but instead of sending Rin home one she regained her memories Sesshomaru offered to let her stay with us for a while. She accepted and, well the day I got back they announced their engagement."

"Wow!" Kagome exclaimed shocked. "That must have been some surprise!"

"You're telling me," Inuyasha said. "I swear my heart nearly stopped. It had never even crossed my mind that Sesshomaru liked Rin that way until they told me they were getting married. Hell, I never even knew that Sesshomaru would consider getting married!"

"It's really romantic though," Kagome said with a wistful sigh. "He saved her and then they fell in love."

Just then the flight attendant walked up to them and said, "we're about to enter a bout of turbulence, I would suggest fastening your seatbelts and holding onto your drinks."

"Thanks Nina," Inuyasha replied as both he and Kagome did their seat belts up. When the turbulence hit Inuyasha looked over at Kagome to see how she was doing and saw her turning slightly pale. Suddenly she jumped up and dashed to the bathroom, flung the door open and emptied the contents of her lunch into the toilet. Inuyasha winced and turned back to his work.

After an hour Kagome had been sick to her stomach 5 times and felt the sixth coming. It was more horrible than she could ever remember. She had actually vomited up bile a few times and was feeling one hundred percent miserable. Letting her head fall Kagome began to cry, oh why was she cursed with such a weak stomach!? Inuyasha meanwhile had found it increasingly hard to cope with the pain Kagome was going through, every time he heard her throw up he winced in sympathy. But when he heard her start to cry he couldn't take it anymore. He hated it when women cried, it always made him feel responsible for their pain. He stood up with every intention of telling her to be quiet because he couldn't work; but when he looked down at her sobbing form huddled over the bowl of the toilet every mean word he had been planning to say flew out of his head. He felt so sorry for her and yet he had no idea of what to do to make her feel better. "Nina," he whispered signalling for her to come over. She quickly hurried over, "can you grab me a glass of water?"

"Sure sir, just a second," she replied and poured a bottle of water into a glass and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said and she went off back to her Vogue magazine. Walking back to the bathroom he said, "here I brought you some water."

Turning to him weakly Kagome instantly turned her face away, wiping her sleeve across her eyes Kagome choked out, "Inu- Inuya- Inuyasha please go away, I don't want you to see me like this."

Inuyasha paused for a second and then sank down next to her, taking her hand he slide the cup of water into it, "here drink this. It'll help wash the taste away."

Kagome looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying and sniffling took the glass with a shaking hand. And strangely enough Inuyasha didn't think any less of her at that moment, in fact he hardly noticed it. Bringing the glass to her lips she took a small sip and swished it around in her mouth and then instantly spat the now foul tasting water back out. "Thank you," she said weakly.

"No problem," Inuyasha said. "I just couldn't take sitting there any longer listening you be sick."

"I was half wondering when you would come," Kagome said weakly trying to smile. "I was expecting you to come in at one point or another and yell at me because you couldn't focus."

Inuyasha winced at the truth of that statement and couldn't believe when she put it that way that he had even thought of doing that.

"I think I owe you an apology for thinking that," Kagome said. "I feel bad for thinking you would do that and then here you are trying to make me feel better. I misjudged you."

"It's just a glass of water," Inuyasha said blushing. "It's nothing really. And you haven't misjudged me that incorrectly."

"What," Kagome said in a close to playful tone, "You mean to say that you actually are a arrogant, selfish, stuck-up, conceited pig whose cologne stinks?"

"No!" Inuyasha said quickly and then his brain translated what she said and he exclaimed, "I do not smell bad!"

"Your cologne it much to heavy and strong, no girl wants to be suffocated," Kagome said, but in truth she just wished that he had no smell at all because right now she felt a strong urge to sniff him because he smelt so good, but to do so would mean she would suffer humiliation until the day she and Inuyasha parted ways. So with an immense amount of will power she forced herself to wave her hand in front of her nose as if it actually stank as say, "peyew," when really she wished she could smell more because he actually hadn't put way to much on either just enough to tempt her nose the way she liked it. Kagome remembered how Bankotsu, Kouga and Hojo had all slathered theirs on, this was how cologne was supposed to be worn but like hell she would ever let Inuyasha know how good he smelled.

"Ahh be quiet," he said sullenly.

"Well thanks nonetheless," Kagome replied. "I appreciate your concern, and strangely enough I'm feeling better than I have ever since I started throwing up."

"It's nothing, maybe all you needed was to take your mind off your stomach," Inuyasha said helpfully. "I mean there can't be anything left to throw up."

Kagome nodded and said, "yeah I guess you might be right. I've only been throwing up bile for the last little bit."

Taking her arm gently by the elbow Inuyasha helped her to her feet, "here," he said "come and sit down. I'll ask Nina if we have anything that might help.

"Okay," Kagome said getting to her feet and leaning shakily against the sink. "Thanks."

Inuyasha moved out of the bathroom and waited outside the door for her and luckily he did because Kagome's first step was so shaky she stumbled forward and had Inuyasha not caught her she would have fallen.

"Thanks," she said bracing her arms on his strong ones, looking up into Inuyasha's eyes. And then she realized that that was the second time she had just thanked him.

Inuyasha grinned wryly, "no problem." They just stood there for a moment looking into each other's eyes until Kagome blushed and Inuyasha blushed in return and lead her to her chair.

Sinking into the comfy chair Kagome let her eyes close as Inuyasha walked away in search of any medication that might help. An odd sense of peace came over her as she slowly let her thoughts drift. She was just beginning to fall asleep when Inuyasha returned trying furiously to open the bottle Nina had given him. "Damn bottle," he said exasperated. "They say child proof but I swear the bloody things are just plain human proof! AHA!" he exclaimed triumphantly finally succeeding in opening the bottle. Pouring two out into his hand he poured a small amount of water in Kagome's glass he had retrieved from the bathroom. He turned to her and was about to say "here you go" but stopped when he noticed that she had fallen asleep. Quietly he placed the pills back in the bottle and got up and walked over to an over head compartment and pulled out a green warm and fluffy blanket out. Returning to where Kagome lay sleeping peacefully he placed the blanket over her slim frame. As he bent down to tuck it in around her shoulders she sniffed and her eyebrows came together for a second and then murmured gently, "you smell nice," and then turned her head away to lean it against the back of the chair. Standing back up Inuyasha grinned, "so I do smell good" he said wryly. A small smirk remained on his face for some time even after he returned to typing on his laptop.

"Kagome," a voice said somewhere from outside her dream, "Kagome, wake up." Groaning Kagome squinched her eyes shut; she didn't want to wake up her dream was so nice.

"Go 'way," Kagome murmured. "Don't wanna get up."

"Damn it wench wake up already," Inuyasha said. "I'm debating throwing my water on you. The bloody plan's landed and I want to get to my hotel so I can relax."

"Whaaa," Kagome said confused slowly opening her eyes. How had Inuyasha gotten there, they had just been walking along a beach together? What!!! Sitting up suddenly, in shock when she realized just what exactly she had been dreaming, Kagome collided heads with Inuyasha.

"Ahh!" Inuyasha yelled falling back on his but clutching his forehead. "Fuck that hurts! Why the hell did you sit up like that you stupid wench?! What kind of idiot just sits strait up!"

"I didn't realize you were right in front of me you baka!" Kagome retorted stung by the fact he had reverted to his old self by calling her wench. "And it's not as if my head doesn't hurt to, I didn't purposely hit you. Plus you shouldn't have even been that close to me in the first place! Haven't you ever heard of personal space?"

"Of course I have, I'm not stupid!" Inuyasha retorted climbing to his feet his hand still on his now throbbing forehead.

"Could have fooled me," Kagome said getting to her feet as well.

"You finally ready to go?" Inuyasha demanded impatiently. Kagome just glared in response. "Let's go then, my staff have already had plenty of time to take all our stuff to the taxi." Kagome just huffed and followed him silently as they descended the stairs and climbed into the taxi waiting just below. They road in silence for the first ten minutes, the taxi driver sensing the tension had long ago given up attempting to start a conversation. Glaring outside the window at the passing scenery Kagome was occupied with calling Inuyasha every name imaginable. Inuyasha sat glaring out the other repeatedly asking himself why the hell he had agreed to travel with that…annoying female in the first place!

As Kagome began to run out of names to call Inuyasha, she realized all her previously radiating anger has dissipated. Everything between them had been going so well, Kagome had actually begun to let down her barriers down when around him and had started acting more like herself, and then he had gone and blown it by getting mad and calling her a wench. Turning her head so she could see him Kagome wondered if this was how it was destined to always be between them? Were they destined to forever keeping hurting each other?

Inuyasha heard Kagome sigh and risked a quick glance in her direction only to catch her gaze blushing they bother turned away hurriedly. The silence in the car changed, from one of angry to one of regret. Neither wanted to be the first to apologize even though they both knew it was coming. Inuyasha opened his mouth trying to think of what to say but Kagome not seeing him decided to talk first. "I'm sorry I sat up like that," she said softly.

"It's okay," Inuyasha said. "My head doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's good," Kagome said awkwardly.

Silence stretched between them, finally Inuyasha said making sure not to meet her gaze. "I didn't mean to call you an idiot…or a wench."

"I didn't mean to call you a baka either," Kagome replied, "my anger-"

"-just took control," Inuyasha said finishing her sentence. "Yeah same here."

Kagome smiled looking at him and then after another moment went by said, "you always were good at that."

"At what?" Inuyasha asked confused. "Apologizing? Yeah right."

"No," Kagome said shaking head causing her hair to fall across her shoulders, "at finishing my sentences." She paused and after a moment went on. "You used to do it all the time when we were little. I see you haven't lost your touch."

"Yeah, strange," Inuyasha admitted, "for some reason you're the only one who I can."

"Really?" Kagome asked. "That is weird." She paused briefly and then laughed when she remembered something.

"What?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh nothing," Kagome said. "I was just remembering when we were little and we both had the exact same math score on that one test. Do you remember that?"

"Oh yeah," Inuyasha said smiling. "The one where Ms. Caferata thought we had cheated off each other because we had all the same answers right and had made all our mistakes on those three questions."

"Mhmmm," Kagome said laughing as well. "I remember her forcing us to stay after school until one of us admitted we had cheated. I was so mad that you wouldn't fess up, I wanted to get home to watch TV."

"Same here," Inuyasha said. "Well except for the whole TV part. She made me miss soccer practise that day, and I was so mad. Yet I knew you would never have cheated and I knew I hadn't so I just was waiting for her to get bored and dismiss us."

"What?" Kagome asked startled. "You mean you didn't cheat?"

"Hell no," Inuyasha laughed. "I didn't need to copy off anyone I was so good at Math. At first I thought that you had cheated but then I caught you glaring at me as if you wanted to kill me and I knew that you hadn't cheated and obviously thought I had. Then I burst out laughing and Mrs Caferata scolded me."

"That's what you were laughing at!" Kagome exclaimed. "I thought you were laughing because you knew you were going to get out of it!"

"Knowing what a bad-ass I was even back then I would have probably thought the same thing," Inuyasha was grinning. "But no I actually didn't cheat, I was pretty shocked though when you scored the same as me, let alone get right all the same one I had. No one had ever beaten or tied me on a math score before that. I remember being really annoyed that you of all people had managed to do that."

"I worked my but off," Kagome admitted. "I remember thinking if I could beat you at math, you would think I was worthy of hanging out with. But it was the reverse; you hated me all the more for it didn't you? I was so naïve back then, I'm going to tell you something and don't laugh or I'll never forgive you….but I actually thought that you being able to finish my sentences and scoring the exact same on that test was proof that we were soul mates." The corner's of Inuyasha's mouth twitched. "I thought that it was more than just coincidence that you lived next door and that it was destiny that we'd fall in love."

"You always did believe in all that destiny stuff," Inuyasha said. "I'm quite surprised that a romantic like you isn't already married with kids."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome demanded annoyed thoughts of her last break up coming to mind.

"Well you always were talking about finding your soul mate and how once you did you'd settle down with him and raise your family it a nice little suburb like the one we lived on," Inuyasha said.

"How do you know I'm not already married?" Kagome asked.

"Because you're not wearing a wedding ring," Inuyasha said simply.

"Oh," Kagome said deflating at the obvious.

"Why aren't you?" Inuyasha asked after a moment turning to look out the window.

"Pardon me?" Kagome asked looking up.

"Married I mean," Inuyasha said. "Still haven't been on a date I suspect, too absorbed in wanting them to be your perfect daydream.

"Yes I have," Kagome said and then looked away as she murmured, "I just haven't been able to make any of them last yet."

"Meaning?" Inuyasha said.

"I've had four boyfriends since graduation, none of them lasting more than 6 dates," Kagome said.

"What!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "You're joking. Only four! I figured you definitely would have found your soul mate by now."

"I don't believe in that stuff anymore," Kagome said softly. "I gave up on that a long time ago."

"Oh," Inuyasha said unsure of how to reply to that last comment. "I still can't believe you've only had four boyfriends though. Make's me wonder what you've done to scare them all away."

"I was asked lots I've have you know! And I never scared anyone off, if anything it was the other way around! I was….just too busy with my studying before graduation," Kagome protested in her own self defence. "When I entered university I found after the first year I had more time and didn't need to be studying quite so much. One night Sango and I went clubbing and a cute guy asked me out and I almost said 'no sorry' but then I thought, 'why not he's cute and a great dancer' so I said yes. His name was Bonkotsu, we went a couple of times and I kept wanting to break up because he was so obsessed with his car but I thought I'd wait it out a little longer."

"WHAT!!! You dated Bankotsu!!" Inuyasha erupted eyes bulging half way through a laugh. "What would ever possess you to date that jerk!?"

"What's your problem," Kagome asked. "You know him or something?"

"Know him!" Inuyasha exploded. "He's my enemy! He run's Banryuu Industry!!"

"You mean he named his company after his car too!" Kagome exclaimed giggling.

"How could you go out with an arrogant, conceited - What?" Inuyasha said stopping mid- rant.

"His car," Kagome said giggling. "He was obsessed about it, always polishing it and getting it tuned up. I swear he spent easily half the week taking care of his precious Banryuu. He even named his dog after it."

Inuyasha grinned, his anger vanishing like smoke, "are you serious?"

"Totally," Kagome said.

"So you eventually broke up. Who came next?" Inuyasha asked.

"What makes you so curious all of a sudden?" Kagome asked. "What if I didn't want to tell you?"

"I don't know, just curious that you've only ever had three boyfriends, that's all. I can't even remember my various dates names let alone how many I've actually dated," Inuyasha said shrugging. "I'm more of a solo flier myself."

"You mean, you live off one night stands?" Kagome said bluntly.

"Uhhhh," Inuyasha said blushing. "Yeah I guess."

"Hmph," Kagome said. "Figures. Well my next boyfriend was actually someone Sango introduced me to. He was a model, and not a bad guy, but I just didn't like the way he always obsessed how he looked whenever he walked into an interview or a photo shoot. He'd primp for nearly an hour, before he was ready to go and even then he'd constantly be fixing his appearance in the review mirror. I realised that I would go crazy if I staid with him, so I broke up with him."

"What was his name?" Inuyasha asked fearfully. "Please don't let me think it's who I'm thinking of because if it is I think I'm going to kill someone."

"Kouga; why?" Kagome asked.

"Kouga! KOUGA!! KOUGA!!!" Inuyasha yelled. "I knew it! I. Knew. It. What is it with you and dating my enemies! I thought Bankotsu was bad! Now that I find out you've actually dated that blithering idiot I want to scream. I thought it was bad when he started dating Ayame! Now I found out he's been dating my other childhood friend! What the hell is going on in the world!"

"You know Ayame!" Kagome said surprised.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said trying to calm himself down. "Yeah I'm the one who introduced her to Sango."

"Oh wow. Talk about a small world," Kagome said and then hastened to change the subject away from Kouga. "So yeah then I went through a long time before I dated someone again because of the…fire and afterwards. A couple months ago I met Hojo when I had to interview him for an article I was working on. He works at NASAA, and is a certified genius. When he asked me out, I thought to myself, "okay Kagome, here you go, one absolutely cute, smart, kind, courteous prince in shining armour. I figured that he must be a very down-to-earth guy to work for NASAA; he was also everything I though I wanted in a guy. He was organized, polite, modest, a hard worker, he gave me the respect I wanted, never demanded anything more than I was willing to give, and was always showering me with presents and declarations of love. So I gave him a shot."

"So what went wrong, you said yourself that he was perfect," Inuyasha inquired irately.

"I don't really know," Kagome said stalling as she tried to find the right words. "I guess he was just too perfect. He was so organized, it drove me crazy. And then one day I realized that there just wasn't that spark."

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked confused.

"That…spark," Kagome said. "You know the one you should feel the first time you kiss? The one where you know that you're head over heals in love and never want to stop."

"You mean he didn't kiss well?" Inuyasha asked more confused than ever making Kagome feel she was speaking in a completely different language.

"No, well at least not the way that I want to be kissed," pausing she sighed. "It's hard to explain, but you know how you want to be kissed, how when you kiss them everything's supposed to feel right. It just never happened, I gave him a while thinking maybe the spark would come but it never did."

"Oooookay," Inuyasha said looking at her strangely. "I'll take your word for it."

"I know what you're talking about," the taxi driver said startling both of them.

"You do?" Kagome asked with a slightly nervoud laugh she had completely forgotten he had been listening.

"Mhmmm," the man said. "I feel it every time I kiss my wife. It's just like you describe it miss. Meeting Inuyasha's eye throw the review mirror the man went on, "you know how when you kiss a girl they respond?"

"Mhmm," Inuyasha said.

"Well, it's when they respond with just the right amount of force, passion and all that. They just seem to melt into you and you melt into them. You just seem to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle."

"Oh," Inuyasha said thinking about what the man had just said. "I think I get what you're saying."

"It's obvious you've never experienced it then," the man said. "I know I never did when I was in my one night stand phase either. Sorry to interrupt miss but where do you live?"

"90th Ave SW," Kagome replied.

"Okay well enough about how poor Hobo was a bad kisser," Inuyasha said. "So who's the forth?"

"I don't talk about him," Kagome said bluntly.

"Why not?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Because," Kagome said.

"Because why?" Inuyasha demanded persistently.

"Because!"

"Because why!"

"Just…BECAUSE!"

"Because WHY!!!"

"Because it's nobody else's damn business but mine," Kagome said angrily.

"Well then why did you bring him up," Inuyasha asked. "If you didn't want to talk about him you should have only said you had three boyfriends."

"That would have been lying," Kagome said. "I don't lie."

"You did when you told me I stunk," Inuyasha said triumphantly, smirking at his own intelligence.

That stumped Kagome. "What are you talking about?" she said offhand.

"I said, you lied when you said I smelled bad," Inuyasha said. "After falling asleep you murmured that I smelled really good, so HA in your face!"

"I said what!" Kagome exclaimed turning a pretty shade of pink. "No I didn't!"

"Oh yes you did," Inuyasha reassured her. "I heard it with my own two ears."

"Well…uh…" Kagome said inarticulately, "I...uh…yeah."

"So you admit you were lying then?" Inuyasha asked causing Kagome's cheeks to turn even pinker. "I'll take that as a yes."

Kagome quickly turned away to look out the mirror and to hide her red face. She was cursing herself at that moment for falling asleep in Inuyasha's presence. "Fine," she said trying to sound calm. "I'll admit you do smell good."

"Why thank you," Inuyasha said with mock politeness. After a moment of staring at the back of her head Inuyasha had the strange impulse to touch her hair which was looking very soft and shinny in the sunlight the flooded the cab. Looking down in embarrassment he noticed his hand making it's way towards Kagome's hair without his consent. Snatching it back hurriedly in case Kagome happened to turn around at that exact moment Inuyasha scolded himself. 'Control yourself man,' he said mentally. 'You're staring to act like Miroku!'

Taking a deep breath and making sure his face showed none of his embarrassment he said, "There's no need to be embarrassed. Plenty of women have told me I smell good before."

"Well I'm not some woman you just picked up on the dance floor and compliments your every action, all the while hoping you'll take her home," Kagome said unintentionally snapping. For some reason the fact that Inuyasha was a one-night-stand man bothered her. "While we're talking about our love lives why don't you enlighten me as to why you prefer to go to sleep with someone whom you don't know and never will, instead of having a meaningful relationship."

"Because I'm not into the whole romance thing," Inuyasha said simply.

"What's that supposed to mean," Kagome asked.

"I don't believe in love," Inuyasha replied. "I know you do but that doesn't mean everyone does. To me love's just a stupid little emotion that gets in the way of your better judgement. It chains you and in the end someone always ends up getting hurt. So I just say why put yourself through all that heartache."

"But what about love at first sight," Kagome protested. "You've heard all the stories about people falling in love the moment they laid eyes on one another and go on to get married and raise a family."

"I believe what you're referring to is lust at first sight. Not love." Inuyasha said. "No one falls in love just by looking at someone."

"Love is completely different then lust," Kagome argued. "Love is built on trust and understanding, it's built on honesty and feelings of respect."

"You've just gone and contradicted yourself," Inuyasha said. "How are all of those developed within a single second? That single moment when you meet their eyes."

"That's where the spark comes in," Kagome said.

"Oh god, not this bloody spark thing again," Inuyasha said throwing up his hands in mock despair. "Tell me have you ever experienced this so called spark?"

"I did once," Kagome said defiantly. "I've been searching for another ever since."

"I thought you said this spark showed you that the two people were soul mates," Inuyasha laughed.

"I was young and naïve at the time," Kagome said quietly. "And the person I cared for never returned my feelings."

"What!" Inuyasha said whirling his head around in shock to look Kagome in the eye. "You are talking about….you can't possibly mean…you mean that person was…"

Kagome nodded weakly, "but you never returned my feelings so I forced myself to move on. Thinking back on it now, the idea of you and I being together is almost laughable. We can hardly stand to be in the same room for five minutes without bickering let alone spend the rest of our lives together."

Inuyasha looked away without responding. "I'm sorry I was such an ass back then……… I really hurt you didn't I. Not just with all the names, but the way I always rejected you also."

Kagome was silent.

"I did didn't I," Inuyasha said softly.

"It's okay," Kagome said sighing and looking up at the ceiling of a cab. "I was too persistent for my own good, too blinded by my love that I never saw what was right under my nose. You were telling me in your own way, we were only eight after all, you didn't know what else to do." Looking out the window Kagome realized that she was close to her house. "Well we're almost there, thanks for flying me out here. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

"No problem," Inuyasha said. "So I'll pick you up three days from now?"

"Well I'm not really sure if I will be three days," Kagome replied. "Do you have a number that I can reach you at?"

"Umm yeah sure," Inuyasha said and pulled out a pen and a sticky out of his briefcase and wrote it down. "Here."

"Thanks," Kagome said. "Mind if I borrow a sticky to write mine on so you can phone me if need be?"

"Sure," Inuyasha said handing the pad and pen over.

Kagome finished writing down her number just as they pulled up in front of her house. "Here you go," she said handing him the little yellow slip of paper. "Do you want to come in for coffee or something because you're more than welcome."

"I would, but I have a meeting with my secretary in an hour and I still have to unpack," Inuyasha said wishing he could stay.

Opening the door and stepping out Kagome smiled, "okay, well if you change your mind you can always phone."

"Will do," Inuyasha said returning her smile. "If not I'll see you 1 o'clock 3 days from now."

"Gotcha," Kagome replied and shut the door. "See you soon."

"See you," Inuyasha said softly watching her walk up to the front door and then disappear from sight with one last wave.

To be continued….

Author's note:well I apologize if there's spelling mistakes an all that bad stuff, my beta reader's really busy right now and I figured as a holiday gift I'd post it and I can always go and repost the edited chapter later. Well thanks once again to all of you who reviewed. Merry Christmas Happy Holidays! Hoping to post ch. 5 soon too; I'm about ½ way done. Toodles for now.