Disclaimer: Again! No I do not own Inu-Yasha!

Chapter 3- Another Present

Kagome decided to go for a walk, if she stayed where she was the others would find her and right now she didn't feel like joining in the party. Getting up she made her way through the forest, she wasn't really paying much attention to where she was, until she found herself at the God tree. Staring up through the branches she saw a speck of red among the green.

"Inu-Yasha" she called out softly. Even from her spot on the ground Kagome saw the Hanyou give a start. The fact that he hadn't heard her even with his heightened senses showed that he must have been really deep in thought. He peered down at her.

"What are you doing here," he asked her, "shouldn't you be at the party?" Kagome felt herself anger a little.

"What about you? Isn't my birthday party important enough for you to even attend!"

"It's not that!" Inu-Yasha insisted, "I just needed to do something."

"What, sit in a tree and brood! Nice to know you care!" She turned to leave, the hanyou had effectively ruined her birthday and she felt like being alone.

"Wait!" Something in Inu-Yasha's voice made her pause and turn back. She watched him jump out from the tree to land nimbly in front of it. She felt her heart flutter slightly at the action, but kept a straight face. He walked towards her. "I wasn't sure when to give you this," he was looking at the floor and Kagome could hear the nervousness in his voice. He brought his hand out from where it had been hiding round his back. "Happy birthday." He mumbled. Kagome took the small box with a trembling hand; she looked up at the hanyou, slowly removed the lid and gasped. Inside, neatly placed, was a necklace, almost identical to the beads that bound Inu-Yasha to Kagome's command. The round beads were red and the fang shaped ones white. Taking it out of the box Kagome held the treasure in her hand staring at it, amazed.

"Inu-Yasha," she managed to choke out, she was so happy that he did care about her birthday that she was close to tears. He took the beads gently from her hand and stepped closer, slipping them round her neck as he did so. He raised one clawed hand to her cheek and stroked it gently, staring into her eyes with his great amber ones.

"Happy birthday Kagome." He whispered again, before leaning in and giving her a soft kiss. Kagome's eyes widened in shock as Inu-Yasha's lips found their way to hers and it took a couple of seconds for her to comprehend what was happening, but when she did, she relaxed and gently kissed back. When they parted, the hanyou smiled at her. "We should probably get back to the party," he said quietly, "the others will wonder where we are." Kagome nodded, having lost the ability to speak and, taking hold of each others hand, the pair walked back through the forest. As they went, Kagome wondered if Inu-Yasha knew that he had given her the best birthday present she had ever had in her life.