-PANIC-

Kikyou sat there giggling madly with her two other look a likes occasionally forking her salad between her thin lips.

"So what's the deal with you and Yasha-Kun?" Yuri smiled as she finished the fine touches of her new pearl pink nail polish.

"I have a date." Kikyou smiled as she downed the rest of her Evian. "Tonight!" she squealed.

"We're going to your place to help you get ready! Yuka beamed as she chewed on her necklace.

"But of course!" Kikyou smiled as she reached into her purse for her vibrating phone. She frowned and then groaned.

"Your driving Green peas home again aren't you." Yuka and Yuri knew just by her expression.

"Sadly enough," Kikyou grumbled as they tossed their trash and went back to class.

Kagome sat in the library with her nose buried in one book after another. She had so much make up work to do after being sick from so long. She had already worked through her one free block that she had for the whole week and was now working through her lunch. Her stomach growled making her face twist in pain.

Two hands slammed down onto the table made her jump. Looking up with bloodstained aggravated eyes, she growled but sought to retreat once seeing that Sango's were fiercer.

"Big bird won't start again?" Kagome sighed as she started to leaf through her Shakespeare book.

"I don't know why!" Sango shrieked as she chucked her keys at the door and then jabbed a finger in Kagome's face. "And DON'T call her that!"

"And here I though genderizing cars was a guy thing."

"My father gave me that car and I grew up with him calling the damn thing Clementine." Sango mumbled as she dropped her head onto the table with a loud thud moaning a soft "Ouch…"

"How convenient, the woman before your mother's name." Kagome once again sighed as she snapped another book shut and piled it onto the mountain of books beside her. Groping around for another one, she had settled for her lime green biology book.

"What is it with you and all this sighing?"

"I am swamped with all this make-up work, I lost yet another job, I have child duty tonight, and to top it off I have to get a ride home with her highness." She grumbled as she began shoveling books into her bag.

"Date night with Gyllenhal?"

"I'll bring the snickers."

"I'll bring the hair dye."

"Darling I'm all yours." Kagome smiled as she hauled her bag over her shoulder and stumbled out the door.

Her eyes followed her feet as she looked down at them when her combat boots crushed the tile on the ground. Her shoulder was already cramping from the access weight on her shoulder. The entrance door was only a few yards away at this point but from the rate she was walking, it looked as though it might have taken her days.

"Would you like some help with that?" and without her permission a large hand lifted the strap off her shoulder and then shifted the weight onto his. She looked up and saw a boy smile with a wide tooth grin.

"Thanks." Kagome smiled not really sure how else to respond. They continued to walk in awkward silence.

Every now and then, she stole a glance to her side to see who had now had her bag. He was rather tall about six two maybe six three. He had many wolf-like features and a very proud air about him. He walked with arrogance but seemed to smile with modesty as he caught her looking at him.

"Do I have something on my face?" he chuckled softly. His laugh seemed to grow from deep inside his throat and she could not help but smile.

She just shook her head rather shyly and kept her eyes on either the ground or forward, More so the ground, which was why she had not seen the door. Thus resulting in her walking straight into the glass frame. Nice… she thought dryly as she held her forehead in her hand.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he dropped her bag gently on the ground and pried her hand from her forehead. He gently placed one hand on each side of her head to stop her from moving. Leaning forward he began to gently blow on it.

She quickly pulled away and scooped up her bag. "I have to go," she said blushing madly as she dashed out the door.

"Wait!" he tried but she was already flying down the steps and had slipped into a shiny red convertible as soon as his foot was out the door.

He sighed. "God that took me all week to even get the courage to even speak with her…and I just lost my perfect chance didn't I…?" he spoke his thoughts aloud as he mumbled a few curses under his breath.

Kikyou sat in front of her vanity smiling. Her hair falling to her shoulders in large banana curls, her eyes lightly dusting with a soft shimmering pink and her lips pouted with a light coat of clear lip-gloss.

"Try this!" Yuri beamed as she pulled out a light yellow sundress.

"No it's too dressy; it's only a dinner and a movie darling." Kikyou sighed rather disappointedly as she bounced the ends of her curls.

She smiled as she watched Eri play around with her hair styling it to perfection. Pulling her bangs off to the side with a pink ribbon, she looked almost like a Lolita doll.

"Then this is perfect!" Yuka squealed, as she pulled out a light pink halter top to match the eye shadow. "And these." she said pulling out a pair of white open toed sandals with straps that would wrap around her ankles.

Eri smiled at her worked and looked at Kikyou's smile in the mirror. "Now the question is skirt or pants." she stroked her chin as she looked down at Kikyou.

"No more pink; so you'll need your black purse to add a little dark color to you." Yuka said as she circled the stool that Kikyou sat on.

Three younger children just then shot past the door Kagome trailing behind them with a rather frantic look on her face. "NO RUNNING WITH SCISSORS!" she cried as she tried to race past the room but she was soon pulled right in.

"Those jeans, we need 'em." Yuka stated boldly as she looked as though she were ripping them off Kagome's body with her eyes.

"No." Kagome said starting to stand only to be cut off.

"Just for tonight Kagome! Please!" Kikyou whined.

"No, their mine." Kagome pushed past them and out the door.

"I'll pay you!" Kikyou called and Kagome slipped out of the room.

"Why do you want them so badly?" Kagome questioned as she glanced down the hall knowing very well that the children had already made it up to the attic.

"Because believe it or not Green Peas, add grunge with glamour you have style." Kikyou stated simply.

"Twenty bucks." Kagome said leaning against the doorframe folding her arms across her chest.

"What! No way!"

"Want 'em or not?"

"Twenty bucks is wa-a-ay too much."

"Twenty-five." Kagome smiled

"I don't have that much."

"Thirty."

"Fine here." Kikyou growled as she pulled a crumpled twenty out of her drawer.

"I want them back as well as washed." Kagome said as she stripped them from her body and threw them in Kikyou's face.

She quickly slipped out of the room to grab a new pair of jeans before she had to barter any other part of her body.

"Where did she get these!" Yuka cried as she read all the different passages written everywhere and all the pictures and designs.

"It was some stupid game she played with her friends." Kikyou mumbled as she threw on the jeans and then strapped on her sandals. "Now what purse?" she smiled as she dangled about five on each arm.

"Shippo give me those!" Kagome said yanking the pair of scissors from the crying toddler.

The small boy grabbed at the bottoms of Kagome's jeans and yanked harder the louder his shrieks became. Kagome was in the kitchen and it was already seven o'clock. Her mother had night duty tonight and Kikyou was going on a date. Therefore, she was stuck home alone with three children ages six, four and two.

The young boy stuck to Kagome's leg wailing as he soaked her jeans with snot. He was two turning three in October but he was still a handful. Mayu who was four sat there on the kitchen counter sniffling, every now and then breaking out into sobs as she held out her hand but then withdrew it every time Kagome tried to claim hold of it.

"Mayu I need to see it sweetheart so I can fix it." Kagome cooed with a tired sigh.

"No! Gome! No! No! NO-O-OH!" she screeched as she kicked her feet letting them bang loudly as they fell against the cabinets.

This whole time Souta sat quietly at the table humming to himself as he finger-painted with Kikyou's make-up…just as Kagome permitted as long as he promised not to eat it.

The doorbell rang and Kagome sighed with relief. "Must be Sango." she thought aloud as she scooped up Mayu in her arm who was screaming in her ear at how much the splinter in her hand hurt. Shippo toddling behind her blinded with tears as he screamed for attention himself.

Kagome flung the door open and picked Shippo up by the back of his overalls sitting him on her other hip.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked as she bounced both children up and down.

He looked at her shocked for a moment and then shook his head. "Kikyou…?" he asked as he looked closely at her.

"No, Cinderella is upstairs still getting ready." Kagome said coldly.

He smiled at her with a lazy sort of smile. "I thought you looked a little too short." he chuckled.

Kagome slammed the door on his face and turned back towards the kitchen.

He opened the door and let himself in. "That was rude." he scoffed his expression now rather cold.

"I don't have time for you, I can't wait on you; I don't know if you realize but I have two screaming children attached to my body and I have one unsupervised in the kitchen. PLEASE excuse me." she had not really spoken those words but rather threw them in his face.

He decided to let her words pass over him after addressing the situation and then began to pity her. He waltzed into the kitchen and leaned on the doorframe watching her. She looked so kind and gentle with those children. She had a small girl sitting in front of her on the counter cooing softly to her as though trying to charm a cobra.

"Mayu come on sweetie let Gome see." Kagome spoke softly as she stroked the girl's hair.

The small girl had tears streaming down her cheeks as she sniffled. Her fingers balled tightly into a fist which was hidden behind her other hand as well. He also noticed a smaller boy that clung to her leg as though he were an abnormal limb. He shook with tears as snot dripped from his nose and onto her jeans as he wailed as though he used his whole body to announce his discomfort.

"Would you like some help?" he offered as he walked over to her.

"If you can get her to open her fist and get that splinter out; but I've pretty much tried it all."

"Here." he smiled softly as he picked up the small boy and placed him in Kagome's arms.

Kagome sidestepped and bounced Shippo up and down to get him to stop his banshee tears. But with him, there was still no avail.

The boy smiled at Mayu gently and held out his hand. "My name is Inuyasha…do you know why I'm here?"

"E-E-NU…" she struggled; frustrated with herself that she could not pronounce his name.

"Yasha." he smiled very patient with the small girl.

"Yasha!" she smiled proud of herself.

He pulled over the small first aid kit and began talking to her. "So Miss Mayu, do you know why I'm here?"

She shook her head from side to side making her small pigtails fall loose and gently fall matted against her face.

"I am here to catch the dragon in your sister's closet." he said as he pulled out a small brown bottle and a cotton swab.

"Really?" the little girl sniffled again, her voice small and fragile.

"Yeah you see I need to check everyone's hands to make sure their not scaly or green." he said as he dipped the cotton swab in the brown bottle.

"Ma'am may I see your hands." he said to Kagome as he held out his hands.

Kagome held out her hands to let him inspect them she looked at him with a little question. "Nope, no green and no scales." he winked at Kagome. "A good sign." she could feel a strange tingling feeling as he let his large hands linger on her smaller ones.

He then moved on and looked at Shippo who had stopped wailing as soon as he heard about a dragon.

His big blue eyes were wide with wonder as he sat there in Kagome's arms sucking on his fingers. Inuyasha did not even have to ask the boy for he had already stuck out a hand that was covered in drool.

"Nope no dragon here." Inuyasha smiled, he then turned to Mayu. "Now princess can I see your hands?" he said softly as he picked up the cotton swab.

Mayu slowly released the presence of her hand to the older boy and squeezed her eyes tightly together. "Ah dear, you have very pretty hands." he smiled at the little girl. "Dragons like pretty hands so can I put a spell on them to keep them safe?" Mayu did not say a word nor did she open her eyes she just bobbed her head up and down in silent permission.

"All done." he smiled.

Both Mayu and Shippo looked down at their hands in awe and looked up at the strange man. Mayu smiled at him with a smile that looked like it stretched from ear to ear.

"What do you say?" Kagome asked as she placed Shippo to toddle on the floor and then scooped Mayu up in her arms.

"Yasha!" Mayu beamed as she jumped from Kagome's arms and into Inuyasha's.

He chuckled as he felt the little girl's arms stretch around his neck as she clung to him.

Kagome smiled. "Thank you." she said as she peeled Mayu off the man and set her on the ground only to have the small girl cling to his leg just as Shippo had done to her but she was not sobbing nor drooling.

"It was nothing." he said softly as he looked down at her with a gentler smile. She is cute…he thought as he looked at her as she chased after another boy he had not met. This one looked a little older and he was covered in what looked like paint. He had been sitting there in the corner quietly sucking on what looked like a lip-gloss stick.

But his eyes still wandered to Kikyou's look a like. She had her hair pulled back into a messy bun that allowed little strands to fall back towards the sides and in her face. Her face looked flushed as though she were out of breath making her cheeks red and her eyes tired. She looked comfortable though in her loose hanging jeans and her loose tank top. Her jeans though hung loose enough at her hips enough for him to catch a glimpse that she was wearing comic book panties just like a little boy would. He sort have laughed at her but tried to hide it so he ended up snorting.

Inuyasha looked down at Mayu and smiled as the little girl balled her small fist around a patch of his jeans. She too was sucking on her fingers as she giggled at her older sister as she pried what he assumed to be make-up from the little boy.

Kagome scooped up the boy and threw him over her shoulder as she took Shippo by the hand. The boy over her shoulder had long ebony curls that fell over a pair of silver eyes. He had a pout of his face and looked to be at the point of tears, but this child looked more furious then depressed. He punched his sisters back and demanded that she put him down.

"Inuyasha is it?" Kagome asked as she sat Souta in the sink and then scooped Shippo and Mayu up so she could seat them at the kitchen table. Mayu sat in a lime green booster seat and Shippo played with cheerios in his blue high chair.

"Mhm." he smiled as he sat across from Mayu who was groping the tabletop as though trying to climb towards the older boy.

Kagome stripped Souta of his shirt and began to hose him down with the sink nozzle. He looked like a cat forced into a bath not screeching but clearly unhappy.

"Inu-chan!" a voice sang as Kikyou bounced down the stairs and into the kitchen. She came up from behind him, snaked her arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek.

You could not see it because Kagome had her back to them the whole time but she knew what was going on. She was about to warn him that to Kikyou this was routine…happened last week…last Sunday…Last Saturday…Last Friday…Last month…and it will happen tomorrow and from then on. And more then likely these dates he will not be invited to.

It was then that the kitchen door burst open and the three children shrieked. "GO-GO!" they cheered as a girl stepped inside the house with four grocery bags hiding her face.

"Hey there midget monsters." she smiled as she piled the grocery bags onto the table another boy trailing quietly behind her. "Who's hungry?" she smiled as she picked up a towel and wrapped Souta in it and sat him down in the chair.

Inuyasha looked at her she had thin black hair that she pulled back into two ponytails. She had her eyebrow, her nose and her labret pierced. She had pink purple blue and yellow streaks randomly placed in her hair. She wore what looked like a mini Lolita black and white skirt and a button down black shirt that exposed a lot of her cleavage. Wearing a pair of black and white striped tights and a pair of laced up combat boots as well.

"MEEE!" they all cried holding their hands in the air. The boy Sango had walked in with stood silent in the corner.

Kagome walked over to him and smiled pulling him into a hug as she ruffled his hair. "Hey Kohaku." she smiled as she kissed his forehead gently. "How you feeling?"

"Fine." he said slowly as though he was not sure they were his own words.

"You hungry?"

"Not really…"

"Aw! But I made you spaghetti." Kagome pouted like a child.

"I'll have some." he said quickly thinking he might insult her if she waited too long on his answer.

"Okay good that makes me happy." Kagome smiled.

Kohaku soon found himself smiling as well.

Inuyasha noticed the closeness between the two as well as saw the sadness in the boy's eyes. He frowned and felt himself pull slightly from Kikyou's arms.

"Well we're going." Kikyou decided as she saw her friends at the top of the stairs slip out the front door.

It seemed that no one noticed as the two slipped into the night. Sango had been wrapped up with the children and Kagome was trying her best to make the other boy smile.

She glanced over at the door and waved them off Inuyasha only catching a side-glance before Kikyou shut the door.

"Sorry you had to see all that chaos…I swear one day it will drive me insane I mean I do all the work around the house and Lazy Green Peas does nothing." Kikyou sighed as she linked her arm with Inuyasha's.

"Green Peas?" he asked as he looked at her in question. Looks to me like Kagome does all the work…

"You met my sister." she said as though the named would have been obvious. He opened the door for her to his car and then walked over to the other side.

"We call her that because she's this female activist, you know the vegetarian type?" Kikyou rolled her eyes as she flipped down the visor so she can blink at herself in the mirror.

"Oh." was the only thing he could think of to say before he sped down the driveway.