Disclaimer: Everyone wishes they owned Inuyasha. To bad none of us do.

Warning: This story contains explicit sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.

The One.

Chapter one: Weird Wednesday

There was a noise. Familiar. Loud. Alarm? Alarm clock. Head? Pillow. Arm? Who cares? Noise increasing in volume. Immobility. Annoyance. Tingling fingers. Where? Side. Which one? Left? Which one was left? Stupid buzzing. Another noise, more annoying. Yowling? Cat. Move arm. Finger twitched. That was good. Voice? Not working. There was a faint thump as the cat attempted to jump onto the bed and missed. There was a twitch at the corner of her lip. Face? Numb. There was a squeak of old springs as the cat finally managed to hop onto the bed. More yowling. Stupid cat. The buzzing was becoming increasingly annoying. Her ear twitched. Good sign? Depends how you look at it. Then there was a sharp pain in her arm... Cat. With a sigh Kagome heaved her thousand pound arm over and hit her bedside table.

"OW!" Kagome yelped as she whimpered and rolled off her bed, cradling her twitching hand. With her mind half functioning, she nearly blamed the alarm clock for biting her. Sighing, Kagome rubbed some of the sleep from her eyes. Buyo, the fat and acrobatically challenged cat, sat on her bed, watching her with his small, lamp-like eyes. Kagome often wondered why he was so disproportioned. Tiny head and enormous body. She turned her half lidded eyes on her ringing alarm clock. It was six in the morning. With a flick she turned the clock off.

There was a period of nearly half an hour while Kagome simply stared at her bed, her mind completely blank. Her bed was completely falling apart. The sheets were everywhere, her quilt on the floor, her pillow was no where in sight and it would appear that she had been using an old pair of sweat pants as a replacement. Kagome took a deep breath. Inhale, fill lungs and chest completely, exhale. Then it hit her. School! She was going to be late for... Wait... Kagome's mind paused for a moment as if just catching on to some kind of joke. I got out of school yesterday... I must have forgotten to turn off my alarm. It was a sad realization. She had woken up at six AM on her first day out of school. Her first thought was: I'm going back to bed. It was to bad Fatty was lying in the middle of it. She didn't have the heart to move him.

Now what to do? A sly smile crossed her face as she hauled her thousand pound body onto her million pound legs. She shuffled her feet over her carpet until she stubbed her toe on her door frame trying to make a left turn. The sharp, shooting pains in her foot were enough to reduce her weight to mostly normal.

The hall way was completely deserted as Kagome tip-toed over the hardwood floor. Their house, a beautiful home, featured in more than one magazine, was worth a king's ransom. It had one downfall: a small hot water tank. It would last probably for a shower just over half an hour long. Perfect.

As she passed, Kagome looked out of the huge bay window, adorned with gauzy curtains, onto the street below. Cars sped past in two different directions. Traffic was starting to get heavier as morning approached. Soon, her step-father would be getting up to head down to the office for the day and then her mother would get up and put the coffee on. It was what happened every morning before the youngest Higurashi, Sota, got up for the day and wreaked havoc.

The dark blue tiles on the bathroom floor were pleasantly warm as she glided into the room and turned on the light, closing the door behind her. Kagome looked into the mirror that rested on the wall next to the walk-in shower and blanched. She looked terrible this morning, her hair in a mess, her eyes not fully opening, a trail of drool from some time in the night was visible down her cheek, her pajamas were a rumpled mess and she was devastatingly pale. She sighed.

Turning away from the mirror, Kagome laid a bath mat on the floor and then a towel beside it. She turned the knob with red lettering all the way up and then gave the one with blue lettering a tiny twist. She gently felt the temperature with her hand and then smiled, giving the blue knob a little tweak. Perfect.

Kagome peeled off her long-ish grey t-shirt and then her pair of panties. She sighed as she stepped under the hot water. There was a moment when Kagome actually fell asleep against the wall of the shower. Only a moment though. Then she took a deep breath and shampooed her hair. It didn't take long until Kagome started singing. She hummed and 'la la'ed as she shaved and ran conditioner through her long black hair. She was still singing as she hopped out of the shower, wrapping her towel around her body. She happily brushed and dried her hair, feeling strangely light hearted, and then picked up her clothes and carried them to her room.

Careful not to stub her toe this time, Kagome walked into her bedroom and tossed her clothes in the general direction of her laundry hamper. Her alarm clock told her it was quarter after seven and her cat told her he wasn't going to get off her bed until she fed him. It was a strange connection Kagome had with her cat, but she loved him so she decided that she wouldn't give it too much thought. Looking outside at the brightening sky, Kagome decided that she should probably get dressed (don't ask how she got that out of a sun rise).

Fifteen minutes later Kagome bounced down the stairs in a pair of black capris and another gray t-shirt. She had her head phones around her neck and was concentrating on her MP3 player as she entered the yellow kitchen. She glanced up and froze mid step. Both her parents were standing at the counter, looking grave. Her step-father, a tall man with cropped silver hair and bright hazel coloured eyes was looking at an envelope he held in his clawed hand. He was a dog demon, and a proud man. She had never seen him look quite this upset. Her mother, still youthful looking with short dark hair, was on the verge of tears.

"Mama?... Dad?" Kagome's eyebrows drew together in a concerned frown.

"Kagome!" A tear nearly spilled from her mother's eyes as both her parents looked toward her, their eyes held the same sorrowful expression. Something was definitely wrong. There was a deafening silence as the pause in their conversation stretched on longer.

"Kagome... sit down, we need to talk." Her step-father finally spoke up. Well, that's never good, Kagome though. She pulled a chair out from the table and plunked into it. She waited while her father sat down and watched as her mother left the kitchen. Odd.

"Dad?" Her curiosity level was through the roof.

"Kagome... You know I'm an inu yokai..." Kagome nodded encouragingly. "Well... You also know that you're my adopted daughter..." Again she nodded. "Well... The leaders of the inu yokai clan have called a clan meeting this weekend..."

"So?" Kagome asked. "You've gone to those before, it's nothing new." She had no idea how this applied to her.

"Well, um, this time you have to come with me." Kagome's eyebrows rose. "You see, every year the dog demon clan gets together and takes part in a three day celebration. That celebration is to honor and find a mate. Since you're my step-daughter and I've acknowledged you as such, you were accepted into our clan. Since you turned eighteen, you've apparently come of age and they want you to come and... participate."

The whole thing went right over Kagome's head. "Huh?" Her step-father moaned and then rubbed his face with his hands. Kagome waited.

"Okay, well, for inu yokai, we have only one life mate each. Sometimes you find them, sometimes you don't. I was one of the fortunate when I met your mother." He smiled wistfully and then shook his head, focusing again. "Well, this ceremony consists of trying to find that mate. With out them you live the normal life span of a human being. Since we can't scour the world, the clan meets and we try that way."

"Okay..." Kagome was still lost, but decided to play along. "So, how do you tell?"

"Well, the male will scent the female. Now, each female has five distinct scents that blend to create their own. If the male can distinguish all five, he's found his mate."

"How do you know if he's got them right?"

"Because the 'father' can smell them all as well. It's a bit different though... hard to explain."

"Okay, well," Kagome stood up smiling, "that was a great lesson in demonology Dad, but I highly doubt any guy is going to find me smelly." She smiled and winked. She watched as Akito sighed. He knew she didn't get it at all. "But, I'd love to go to the ceremony with you! How should I dress though?"

"Uh..." Her step-father said in a truly male fashion. "I'm wearing a suit." He said, not knowing if that would be of any help of not.

"Semi-formal then. I need to go shopping." She wandered out of the kitchen, a dreamy look on her face and she turned on her MP3 player and hooked one side of her head phones over her ear. Akito banged his head on the table once before he left for work, leaving a note of good bye for his mate.

At nine thirty Kagome decided that she'd let her friends sleep in long enough and phoned up Eri. She sounded groggy but at the mention of shopping she became suddenly energized. They talked and it was agreed the Kagome would pick up Eri who was going to call Yuka and Ayumi. It had been a couple of months since they had all gone shopping together and now that Kagome had an excuse she was going to take full advantage of it.

It was quarter to eleven when Kagome and her three best friends all arrived at the enormous shopping mall. They stepped out of Kagome's shiny black car and headed arm in arm for the large glass doors. They swung open as the girls neared and they walked inside, giggling and happy. It was a kind of high that only a girl gone shopping can know.

"Okay Kagome, so what do you want to shop for?" Yuka asked as the looked around them at the different shops.

Kagome grinned. "Semi formal wear. I want a nice top, maybe a sexy dress, a skirt, definitely shoes. I'm not really sure. Lets just see what we can do!"

Their first stop was a store with a wide variety of clothing. It left something to be desired in the pants department, but Kagome had to admit that she was pleased with the selection of tops she'd managed to find. As Kagome admired a red silk and lace tank-top she thought about what her father had told her earlier. She wasn't completely stupid. It was easy enough to understand what he was trying to tell her but to be completely honest, Kagome didn't find it at all likely that she was any sort of demon mate. I mean, would you believe it if your father told you that? I didn't think so.

"Kagome! Come out here, I want to see!" Called Ayumi from outside her changing stall.

Opening the door, Kagome stepped out with a twirl. Her friends all grinned and Yuka even cat-called. They all giggled and unanimously decided that the little tank top was a necessity.

It was nearly two and a half hours later when the girls took a break to sit on a bench, blissfully eating chocolate. There it occurred to Eri that there might actually be a reason why Kagome needed to go shopping. She pondered it as she allowed the chocolate in her mouth to melt. When it dissolved she decided that, since she couldn't think of a reason why by herself, she should just ask. And that's what she did at the next pause in their conversation.

"Kagome?"

Looking up from her shoe bag, Kagome lifted her eyebrow in Eri's direction.

"Um... Is there a reason you wanted to come shopping today? It's kind of out of the blue."

Kagome wasn't sure if Eri was talking about her question or their shopping trip but her friends were all looking at her curiously, apparently all in agreeance. "Oh... Well, I have to go to some demon ceremony thingy with my dad... It's something about finding a mate or some other weird thing demons do." She shrugged.

Her friends all looked completely blank. Kagome ignored them and opted the stick her head into another of her shopping bags. She was amazed at how much she'd actually bought. Four shirts, a skirt and two pairs of shoes. And that wasn't counting the make-up. Or body wash.

"Hey ladies." There was no mistaking that smooth, over-confident voice. Kagome sighed.

"Hi Kouga!" Kagome's friends all answered in unison. Kouga, a wolf demon, had joined them in their last year. It had been a tough year, him always ogling, but Kagome thought she'd seen the last of him yesterday.

"Kagome..." Kouga leered at her. She tried to hide her grimace behind a smile. It didn't work to well.

"Hey... Kouga." It was when he tried to sit next to her that Kagome jumped out of her seat. All eyes were on her. Improv. "Got to pee!" And off she went.

She sped through the mall and into the first bathroom she caught sight of. She sighed and leaned against the door for a moment before she walked forward and checked her reflection in the mirror. She had chocolate on her chin! Kagome washed it off and then checked her appearance a moment longer before she left the bathroom. She opened the door, checking quickly over her shoulder to make sure she hadn't forgotten her lip gloss or something else vital. Turning back around, Kagome shrieked and nearly fell over. There, leaning forward with a stupid grin on his face, was Hojou, another boy from her class.

"Higurashi Kagome!" He sounded delighted to see her. Kagome was just weirded out.

"I've told you before, call me Kagome." She looked for an escape.

"Don't be silly Higur-"

"Oh my goodness, is that the time!" Kagome cut him off, pretending to look at a nonexistent watch. "Sorry Hojou, I have to get going. See you around!" And she was off, praying she would never have to see him again.

Kagome got back to her friends and saw, to her dismay, that Kouga was still sitting there. Urg. She would have to use the same excuse with them as she'd used with Hojou.

"Hey you guys, we've got to go! I forgot, I'm late!" Kagome bent down and scooped up her bags and turned to Kouga, a bright smile on her face. "Sorry Kouga, I've got to go. See you!" Not.

"Kagome!" Kouga call after her. She looked back. "Go out with me!"

Kagome sighed and resumed her walking. "What did I tell you yesterday!" She must have turned him down at least once a day for the entire year. It made Kagome glad that she didn't have to go back to school in June and spend another year with him and his indestructible ego.

"Kagome!" Yuka whined. "Kagome, what are you doing? What are you late for?"

"Uh... I promised my father I'd be there when he got home so I need to beat the rush hour." Kagome quickly fabricated as she popped the trunk and unceremoniously dumped her shopping in.

It took talent to open a door backwards while carrying numerous shopping bags of various weight. Fortunately it was a talent possessed by Kagome. She swung inside and then kicked the door closed behind her. Depositing her bags on the kitchen table, Kagome looked around and noticed a full duffle bag at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyebrows scrunched together and she looked up the stairs. She had seen Sota playing his video games as she walked in and so wondered at the duffle bag. Maybe he had a friend over? But it looked like one of theirs.

"Hello?" Kagome called up the stairs. Akito poked his head out of her parents' bedroom.

"Hi honey! Better get packing, we leave in the morning!" Kagome was confused.

"Dad... Tomorrow's Thursday. I thought you said we were going for the weekend."

"I did!" He yelled as he disappeared back into his bedroom and Kagome began ascending the stairs. "But..." He seemed to be thinking about something. "But, we get there a day early and you have to mingle with the other bit- er... young ladies," He glanced over his shoulder to see if she'd caught his slip of the tongue. She was leaning against the door frame. "Well... Yeah. That's it." Kagome sighed tiredly and walked out into the hallway to dig through a closet and look for a duffle bag of her own. It was an interesting affair that took nearly fifteen minutes.

Packing was a completely different affair that took about four times as long. She needed to leave out the necessities for tomorrow but she packed all her new clothes and some jeans and shorts and her black capris. Her make up and shampoo didn't even fit in her bag. She had to put them in a big sparkly make up bag she had once received really cheap make up in for her birthday from her aunt. It was a good thing that Kagome always kept pointless packaging. Her closet was full of it. Kagome was just contemplating whether to bring a sweater or not when she was summoned by a very powerful and uncontrollable force: Her stomach.

"Kagome, Sota, supper time!" Kagome heard her mother yell from the kitchen. Kagome hadn't even heard her come home from the hair dressers'.

Kagome pelted down the staircase and skidded into the kitchen. Her family was just sitting down. She plopped into her seat, caught her breath and started shoveling food into her mouth. It wasn't a vision of beauty, that was for sure. Sota went about his eating, ignoring his sister's slurping while their parent's exchanged looks.

"Kagome...?" She looked across the table at her step-father, one shaped eyebrow raised in question. "Kagome, you're not going to eat that way at the ceremony are you?"

Kagome slurped up a noodle and then sat up straight. "We're eating with other people? At a table?"

"Well..." Akito shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "If you find a mate we'll be dining with their family. If you don't we might dine with friends some nights."

Kagome rolled her eyes. He was just trying to make her use her manners. As if. They would probably be eating hot dogs out in some open field or something. She ducked her head back down and continued slurping what ever kind of noodles she was eating. She hadn't bothered to check. And besides, she wasn't planning to find a 'mate' anyways.

School in Japan lets out for their summer break over the month of April and only lasts for one month.

Reviews are greatly appreciated.