Chapter 10

Kagome awoke early the next morning, unable to sleep after having such a fabulous night. How could she? Kouga occupied her each and every thought, every fiber of her being so desperately wanted to be near him once again. It was all she could allow herself to think about.

Kagome leisurely rolled out of her bed, and stretched lazily upon standing up. She gazed out of the window, the pale sky still speckled with a few remaining stars. The sun hadn't yet risen, but was just a faint wash of pinkish hue that appeared along the horizon.

This was the last sunrise that she would witness as a sixteen year old. She thought excitedly. She smiled, and then turned away from the window, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm as she made her way to her computer chair, to retrieve the robe that was slung over the back side. She slipped the garment on, and securely fastened the waist tie, so as not to allow any cold air to come inside.

She padded over to her cd tower, and scanned her eyes lazily over the many titles listed before her. She pulled out a few jewel cases as she went along, choosing the ones that appealed to her the most. A few moments later Kagome gave an exasperated sigh. She couldn't decide which cd she wished to listen to. She was in a cheerful mood, but wasn't particularly in the mood for any upbeat pop music. She placed all but two back in their slots. She held the two remaining cd cases out in front of her. It was either The Pillows, or Guster. Both were her favourites, therefore making the decision very difficult. After a few more moments of contemplation, she finally opted for The Pillows.

Hitting the open switch, and removing the BoA cd she had been listening to, she popped the cd into its proper place before she settled herself down in the chair next to her stereo. She gently hummed and tapped her finger to the beat as One Life began to play softly through the speakers mounted upon her walls.

She reached over to her desk, and grabbed Interview with The Vampire, and curled her legs underneath herself as she settled down for a long read. It was only six thirty. She had time to read at least a good fifty pages or so.

Somewhere throughout her reading, Kagome happened to cast a glance up at her alarm clock, and to her dismay, saw that it was to go off in two minutes. That meant she would have to forcefully tear herself away from the book, and begin preparing herself for school. With a sigh of disappointment, she lifted herself up from the chair, carefully making sure to mark her spot in the book before placing it down on the chair she had previously occupied. She reached over and flipped the off switch on her stereo. Without the music playing, the house seemed deathly quiet. Normally by now, she could hear her mother busily concocting something in kitchen, or trying to bribe a very sleepy Souta out of his bed. She thought for a moment, wondering if anything was amiss, but then just as quickly dispelled the thought from her mind.

Humming the tune of Moon is Mine, Kagome walked down the stairs, an extra cheerful bounce in her stride.

Warm rays of golden sunlight streamed into the kitchen, making the wooden floors give the illusion they were aglow as they reflected the intense morning light. There was still a slight dusting of melting snow on the tree limbs, occasionally dripping gleaming droplets as the sun's warmth began to increase.

Kagome skipped across the kitchen, and over to the pantry, pulling the doors open to peruse its contents. Rolling back and forth on her heels, arms folded comfortably behind her back, she scanned over the various boxes and packages of breakfast foods. A moment later, she backed out of the closet; a box of cocoa pops in hand.

She found a bowl, and retrieved the milk out of the refrigerator, grabbing a spoon from a drawer as she made her way to the table on the opposite side of the kitchen. Tilting the box down overtop of her bowl, Kagome began emptying some of its contents, until she had reached the desired amount.



Kagome was just about to lift a spoonful of the chocolaty cereal into her mouth, when something caught her eye. A small white note rested on the far end of the table. Curiously, Kagome reached over and began to read the note.

Dear Kagome

I'm sorry that I could not tell you this in person, but this morning I received an urgent message from your Uncle Ryuken. Your great aunt has fallen, and broken her hip. They wished for us all to come and stay with her, however it is crucial that you do not miss any school. You cannot afford to at this point. Souta and I should be back late tomorrow night, or Sunday at the latest. I'm so sorry that I will not be here for your birthday, dear. Believe me, I will make it up to you, I promise. There should be enough leftovers in the refrigerator and if not, I've left you some money in case you'd like to buy something at the store, or eat out. I will call you sometime tomorrow to check on how you're doing and to wish you a happy birthday of course. See you soon, sweetheart!

Love,

Mom

Kagome placed the note back onto the tabletop, her spirits considerably battered. She knew her great aunt needed to be looked after, and would enjoy her mother and brother's company. She knew that it wasn't her mother's fault she had to leave. Yet, she still felt anger towards her. Why did her aunt have to get hurt right before her birthday? Why couldn't Kagome at least go with them? It wasn't fair.

Kagome gulped down her breakfast, not in the mood to take the time to enjoy her meal. She then dumped her bowl into the sink, and proceeded to stomp up the stairs and into her room again.

Kagome emitted an exasperated sigh and threw the doors to her closet open. She reached in and pulled out the first thing she could get her hands on. A pair of black sweat pants and a gray sweatshirt. It didn't matter how she looked today. She wasn't dressing to impress. She felt awful, and just wanted to be as comfortable as humanly possible for the rest of the day. After having selected all of her clothing for the day, she disappeared into the bathroom to take her shower.

Ten minutes later, Kagome emerged from the bathroom, fully clothed, feeling refreshed. Her mood considerably lightened, Kagome carefully removed the sleeping Buyo who had positioned himself atop her school books, and gathered her belongings together before descending the stairs once again.

Maybe today started off badly. Kagome mused as she let herself out of the house and into the crisp morning air. But at least I'll see Kouga today. That guy can always make me smile, no matter how awful I feel. Things can only get better today.

~*~*~

Kagome had never been happier to be in English class than she was today. She practically knocked several innocent students over in her mad attempts to dash over to where Kouga was standing with several of his friends. Ignoring the dirty looks and comments from the students behind her, she set her books down and then sidled up to Kouga.

"Hey Kouga!" Kagome said happily.

"Oh hey Kagome. Gimme a second, will ya?" He replied, glancing down at her for a split second before returning his attention to the boys he had been conversing with.

Kagome nodded slightly disappointed that she would have to wait even longer to talk to her beloved Kouga, but proceeded to walk over to sit at her desk, figuring Kouga would come talk to her a soon as he finished his conversation.

As she waited for him, Kagome folded her arms on the desk in front of her, and rested her head on top of them. She closed her eyes and thought about the night before, and how much she had enjoyed watching Kouga up on the stage. His band had been really good. Him especially. She recalled how the crowd responded when he had had his drum solo. They absolutely loved it, and so did she. He was so wonderful, so talented. She couldn't wait until the weekend, so she could at least have something to look forward to on her birthday. A day with just the two of them, was exactly what she needed.

Her thoughts were jarred as she felt someone poking her on her shoulder. Raising her head from her arms, she turned to look at who had disturbed her pleasant thoughts. It was Kouga. She immediately straightened up and smiled up at him, her eyes emanating an almost electric fusion of happiness, joy and an almost impish delight.

"Hey, love." He said in a soothing voice. "How are you on this fine morning?"

"Now that you're here... I'm great." She said, her dark eyes gazing up at him through thick, doll-like lashes.

"That's awesome." He said with a grin as he plopped down into his seat behind her.

" I had such a great time with you last night." Kagome said, memories of the previous night flashing before her eyes in a vivid display of sight and sound.

"That's awesome." He said with a grin, that quickly changed to a look of complete seriousness before he began to speak again. "That reminds me." He said, running a hand through his tangled mass of unruly black hair. " My band is playing at Battle of the Bands this weekend. So unfortunately, I won't be able to do anything with you until Sunday night at the very latest."

Kagome's heart sank.

"When are you leaving?" She asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice, yet too subtle for Kouga to pick up on.

"We are supposed to leave right after school's over pretty much." He said excitedly, completely missing the look of despair that had contorted the girl's normally cheerful face.

Oh no. Kagome thought to herself sadly. He doesn't even know that it's my birthday tomorrow. It's not like I can bring that up now, though. She thought sullenly. He's so happy about his gig. I can't afford to be selfish at this point, it just wouldn't be fair to him. No matter how much I want him to be here for my birthday, no matter how much I cant stand to be away from him, I don't have a choice. I wont let my selfish wants get in the way of what he wants to do with his band. I know how much it means to him, how much it makes him smile.

With that, Kagome plastered a smile upon her face, skillfully masking the look of despair that had flickered across her face a moment ago.

"That's so awesome, Kouga. I'm really excited for you guys." She said, turning around to face the front of the class. The bell had just rung, and tardy students flew in from all directions in an attempt to seat themselves before the teacher noticed their absence.

This is going to be the worst birthday ever. Kagome thought miserably, barely able to absorb a single thing that was being discussed in class. How could she? Her entire weekend was ruined.

Mom's gone away with souta, kouga's going to be gone with his band. She sighed.And I'm sure Sango and Miroku will be way too busy with that one week anniversary Inu Yasha's been complaining to me about all week. That leaves me with no one. I'll be all alone...all alone.

~*~*~

Inu yasha sat in the library, a book in hand, patiently waiting for Kagome to come to their usual tutoring session. He had gotten out of his last class relatively early, and figured he had nothing better to do than to sit down to a good book. He had taken the liberty of monitoring Kagome's reading list, and itching with curiosity, had decided he would check some of them out for his own reading pleasure. He currently had his nose buried in Interview with the Vampire. It shocked him how much he enjoyed reading it, it was as though he had an insatiable hunger for more, almost unwilling to place the book down. For a few minutes, he continued to read, practically inhaling the book's content as he went, he stopped for a moment, and placed the book down, and cast a quick glance at his watch. She was late.

Wonder what's keeping her. He thought curiously as he lowered the book, and skimmed the group of students who had congregated in the library. There was no sign of Kagome. She's never usually this late. Hope she didn't forget, it being her birthday tomorrow and all. I'm sure she's eager to get out of school to be with that mangy cur of a boyfriend of hers.

He became so engrossed with his sulking, that he did not notice the figure that walked past him, and settled itself to his left.

"Are you ready, Inu Yasha?" Came a soft voice from beside him, jarring his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh. Heh. Didn't see ya there. I thought you forgot about me." He said, casting her a questioning smile.

"No, I didn't forget. I'm sorry. I'm just not with it today." She apologized.

"No need to be sorry. I understand." He said smiling warmly, before proceeding to reach for her note book, and leafing through the multitude of notes she had taken earlier in the day.

"Alrighty then, linear programming eh? Fun stuff." He said as he began to produce practice problems for her to complete.

Kagome watched the paper, as it began to fill with Inu yasha's pencil markings. She found herself unable to concentrate on what he was attempting to show her, and eventually lost all focus she had previously had. Her mind returned to the events of the day. How sad she was that she would indeed be spending the entire weekend alone. No one to celebrate with, or keep her company.

"Are you ok?" Inu Yasha said softly from beside her, the math work seemingly forgotten.

Kagome turned to face him, a hint of sorrow marring her normally cheerful expression.

"I'm fine." She lied, unwilling to drag him into her concerns. There was no reason he should feel sorry for her. Should there? She turned to stare down at the table top, refusing to look him in the eye, afraid that she might cry right then and there in front of him.

"Now, we both know that's not true. " He continued. "Come on, out with it."

Kagome remained silent, though the expression on her face revealed that she indeed seemed to be undergoing an internal conflict of some sort, but what, he did not know.



Tentatively, Inu yasha reached out a hand, and gently pulled her face up to look him in the eyes once more. As she reluctantly gazed up again, she found that his eyes held a look of deep concern, emanating a friendly warmth, begging for the truth. She found that she could not deny them, and decided that she would comply.

"Well, it's just that..."she paused. " It's just that, tomorrow is my birthday. I was really looking forward to it. Looking forward to celebrating it with my family and friends, but I don't think that will be happening. My mom and brother left early this morning to go and take care of my aunt before I even woke up, Miroku and Sango will be too busy and I-" She found that she could not bring herself to continue, as she burst into tears.

"It's not fair." She choked out in between sobs." And the sad part about it, is how selfish I'm being. I can't believe I was actually angry with my aunt, angry with her for having to get hurt for my birthday. I blamed her for ruining it all!" Kagome closed her eyes against the tears that flowed so freely from her troubled orbs, but found that it was no use.

Inu yasha felt a sorrow deep within his heart that he had never experienced before. Seeing her like this, was just entirely too much for him to handle. With that, he reached out, pulling her closer to him, and wrapped his arms around her in a protective embrace. The poor girl She was so upset, she was a complete mess. Inu yasha could feel her shudder, with each sob that racked her entire body. Her hair was now matted, and clung to the moistness of her cheeks in ribbon like patterns. He held her closer to him, allowing for her to bury her face into his kimono. She clung to him, finding an unusual comfort being in his arms. She felt more at ease than she had before, the hurt gently fading with each tear that was spilt. It was not the least bit awkward or embarrassing being like this with him, she realized. Had it been anyone else, she would have been ashamed of her sudden outburst of emotions. Inu Yasha was different though, his soothing voice, and strong embrace had a calming effect on her, easing her mind and body.

After a few moments, Kagome reluctantly pulled away from him, wiping her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were puffy and red.

"Are you alright now?" Inu Yasha asked softly, slightly disappointed that the moment had come to an end. She appeared to be less upset seeing as her crying had come to a stop.

She nodded her head slowly.

"Yea, I'm better now." She smiled weakly at him.

"You know what?" Inu Yasha said, picking up her books, and placing them into her bag. " I think we've done enough for today. You need to relax a bit."

"But I-" She began to protest.

" Nope" he said shaking his head. "You're going to relax. No buts. And you know, maybe you could come over and hang out with me this after noon, being that you'd be all alone and all...I figured you could use some company. So what do ya say?"

"Oh, I'd love to." Kagome said as enthusiastically as she could.

"Great! Come on then, let's go. " With that, he gathered up his book bag as well as hers, and walked with her out of the library.

There is no way I'm going to let her stay home alone tomorrow, and not have something to do for her birthday. He thought determinedly, an idea forming rapidly in his head. Kagome was going to have fun on her birthday, if it was the last thing he did.