I just realized that I haven't been responding to reviews in the last chapter. I'm so sorry! T-T I'm a horrible human being... Anyway, here it goes!

Superkkrocks: Thank you, thank you very much :P Thank you very much. I enjoyed writing it as well

Timewriter: I believe you might be right about that theme song XD

Kiteou-kun: Thank you very much, and I plan on it :P

James Birdsong: Thank you :)

And now, onto the main event! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 8: A Fateful Encounter

Saya sighed in contentment as she awoke from her slumber. She had not slept that well in what felt like forever—she blamed the cold, hard ground. Her bed felt like heaven! She knew she should start getting ready to head back, but she was enjoying her time to relax. Call her selfish, but she wanted to spend some time in her era for a bit longer before she returned to the grumpy hanyou and continued her arduous training while searching for the Shikon no Tama fragments.

She stretched before cringing. Her phone began blaring the song "Call Me Maybe" (Saya still had yet to figure out how to change it, much to her chagrin). Ayano was calling. Quickly answering the electronical device to silence the blasted thing, Saya greeted her friend.

"Hey there!"

"Hey there? Really?! You don't answer your phone for weeks, and when you finally do, you answer with 'hey there'?!"

Saya chuckled at how melodramatic Ayano was being. "Nice to hear from you too. Sorry I haven't answered—haven't exactly been in areas with the best cell reception." Yeah, like no reception, she added mentally.

She heard the other female huff on the other side of the line. "Fine. Suppose there's nothing you can do about that. Where've you been? What've you been doing?"

Saya glanced at the clock on her wall. "Why don't we meet up for lunch, talk about it then?" When she heard her friend's agreement, Saya suggested a restaurant close to the halfway point for the two to meet up. After agreeing, the two bid each other farewell. Saya quickly readied herself and headed downstairs to greet her family.

She smiled as she entered the kitchen. Her mother stood at the sink, washing the dishes from breakfast while her father attempted to get Daichi to stay put and eat the remainder of his snack. Not much seemed to have changed with her absence. Deciding she had wasted enough time just staring at them, Saya decided it was time to make her presence known.

"Morning!" She walked over to Daichi and ruffled the child's hair. "Good morning, Daichi."

"Nee-chan!" The child instantly demanded a hug from his older sister, his snack now a forgotten memory.

"When did you get in?" Her mother turned to glance at her with her hands still submerged in sudsy water.

"Last night."

"Did something happen with the others?" Her concern was almost a physical entity.

"Inuyasha is a pain in the rear end, Momma. How could you tolerate him for so long?"

Kagome laughed, the tension from worry instantly dissipating. "He grows on you after a while."

Saya huffed while crossing her arms. "Well, it's gonna take a lot longer for me, apparently."

Hojo stared at his daughter for a moment. "Have you started eating healthier? You certainly look as though you have."

"Started working out recently. My trainer has a very cruel sense of humor," she responded slowly, knowing what was bound to follow. She wasn't wrong.

Her father grinned widely. "I'm so proud of you! You've finally started taking your health seriously!"

Saya glanced at the time on her phone nervously. "Oh, look at the time!" She started backing away toward the door. "Meeting Ayano for lunch. Love you, bye!" She was out the door before either of her parents could blink. Talk about healthy habits still made her uncomfortable, it seemed. Having an extreme health nut in the family tended to have that effect on people.

As Saya dashed to the café, she noticed that she was not losing her breath as quickly as she had before she started her training with Hiyori. Maybe it actually was working… She also arrived a minute or two faster than she normally would have. Saya chalked that up as an accomplishment. Once inside the establishment, Saya double-checked to make sure Ayano hadn't arrived early before requesting a table for two. Saya took her seat, but didn't have long to wait as Ayano arrived.

"I'm surprised that you got here before than I did. Normally you're late."

Saya laughed sheepishly about the statement. "Yeah…Gonna try to stop doing that."

"Good. It's not very becoming of a young lady to continuously show up late to dates." Ayano winked at her from over the top of the menu with a mischievous smirk. The two shared a small bout of giggles. "But seriously, how have you been? I haven't seen you or Hikari-chan in so long."

Before Saya could respond, the waitress came to take their drink orders. After promising to give them a few minutes to look over the menu, the server departed to retrieve their drinks.

"Haven't been too bad—been spending all my time helping my mother and a few other people with something. It forces me to be without my phone for a while—weeks on end, actually. Some of the people that I'm traveling with aren't too bad, but there's one guy that just drives me crazy—"

"So you've been traveling around too? Is it with that one guy that was at your house and at graduation? The one you thought was cute."

Leave it to Ayano to jump to the correct conclusions. "Unfortunately. He's the one that's been driving me crazy! One minute he seems to almost care about how I feel and the next he's yelling at me for some reason or another. I swear, that guy…"

Ayano took a sip of her drink. "Tell me more about him and how he's been acting."

The waitress chose that moment to return and take their orders. Quickly glancing at the menu, Saya ordered the first thing that looked decent. Ayano seemed to know what she wanted already and just ordered a cheeseburger. After making sure that everything would be to their satisfaction, the waitress left to put their orders in. Once sure she was gone for now, Saya continued with her story.

"Well, we ran into another guy that's been continuously doing things to purposefully piss Inuyasha off—guy I'm annoyed with. Anyway, some of the stuff he's doing is calling me his woman, making claims on me, things like that. He says it all jokingly. He knows that nothing could or would happen. I've been very clear about that, but he still likes do this stuff to piss off Inuyasha.

"Like what just happened the other day: the guy needed help doing something to keep his family safe, but instead of just asking for my help like a normal human being, he sweeps me off my feet—literally—and takes me away from our group."

Ayano's eyes widened as she set her drink down with a small thud. "He kidnapped you?"

Saya rolled her eyes. "More or less, but then he explained what was happening and why he needed my help. I agreed to help him after I gave him a nice earful for pretty much abducting me."

Relief flooded her before she gave a shit-eating grin. "That's my girl."

After pausing for a short bark of laughter, Saya continued. "So, after things started, it got a little rocky. I almost got hurt multiple times, but everyone kept looking out for me. Then Inuyasha shows up and just takes care of everything. After it was done and over with, he starts yelling at the guy for taking me away. When I defend him, Inuyasha turns to me and starts yelling at me."

Ayano hummed in thought, twirling the melting ice in her cup with her straw. "It seems to me that he was just worried about you."

"If he was so damn worried, why did he go off the deep end and start yelling at me?"

The waitress left fresh drinks for the two, as theirs were beginning to run a little low. She told them their food was almost done before leaving to check on her other tables. With an appreciative smile sent her way, Ayano emptied her first glass of sweet tea before placing her straw in the other cup. Returning her attention to her friend, she went through her friend's questions with a roll of her eyes.

"He's a male, Saya. Males can't show their emotions like we females can—especially guys like this Inuyasha fellow. He seems to be the type to hold everyone at an arm's length to avoid getting hurt, but when he does let people close to him, he cares for them deeply. If something were to happen to them, it would not go well for him."

"And the yelling?"

"Defense mechanism," she replied nonchalantly with a shrug of her shoulders. "This is all speculation, of course, because I've never actually met the guy."

Saya set her second cup of soda down and gazed at Ayano with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Is that a hint?"

"You bet your sweet ass that was a hint!"

Saya dissolved into a fit of laughter and watched in amusement as their waitress approached their table with their food. She gave an odd look to both females before leaving them to their own devices. Ayano and Saya glanced at each other before both erupted into laughter. She had missed this so much.

Saya had suggested venturing to the shopping center nearby once the two had finished their meals and paid. Saya needed to pick up some clothes that would be better suited for traveling in the Feudal Era than what she had originally packed. Jeans were a must!

Once the duo arrived, however, Saya became distracted with the sales many of the stores were advertising; tons of the clearance clothes were adorable. She knew she should focus only on the items that were a necessity, but it was so tempting to purchase something else. There were so many cute clothes! Saya had to keep reminding herself that the likeliness of her being able to wear said cute articles of clothing would be minimal due to the fact that she would not be in a place that would allow for such a style. Practical, sturdy clothing were required, no matter how much she wished otherwise. She was replacing yet another cute shirt back on the rack when Ayano seemed to notice.

"What are you doing? That shirt is adorable! You should get it."

Saya grimaced. "Yeah, it is, but I probably wouldn't be able to wear it all that often. You know, traveling and all, and where I have to be, there aren't a whole lot of options for cute clothing."

"Well, that sucks."

"You're telling me. I need to wear sturdy, practical clothing. Like jeans, tees, and tennis shoes. It's super annoying, but at least I don't have to wear a skirt."

Ayano chuckled at her friend's random optimism. "Well, if those are the clothes you need to wear, the least we can do is find cute, practical clothes."

Saya grinned; Ayano was always one to find the best out of less than favorable situations.

Inuyasha stared at the well with impatience. Where the hell was that girl? She should have been back by now. Kagome would have been… The thought made Inuyasha pause. He was right, Kagome would have been back—but Saya was not Kagome, just like Kagome was not Kikyo. Saya wasn't like any female he knew. She was, honestly, similar to Kagome in only a few ways, and the only thing she had in common with Kikyo (the only other female he was slightly close with) was the fact that they could almost pass as sisters in appearance. The attributes Saya had in common with Kagome was her appearance (they really were almost spitting images of one another) and their temperaments were of similar nature. She was also as loud as her mother when they shouted at him. Sometimes, he forgot that he wasn't dealing with Kagome but her daughter. Everything else was different.

For that reason, he had no idea how to handle her. (If he were to be perfectly honest with himself, he wasn't that great at handling any of the females in his life, but he wasn't going to go there.) Which lead him to his current dilemma: what should he do about the missing miko? Would she come back on her own? Or would he have to go and get her? Something told him that she would not return unless he dragged her, but he had hoped to avoid that. It would likely involve shouting, and if she was anything like Kagome, it would most likely hurt his sensitive ears. However, they needed to continue their search for the jewel shards. With one final deliberation, he stood and jumped into the well.

Saya stared in awe at the outfits Ayano had given to her to try on. She definitely followed the requirements. Each one consisted of sturdy clothes, but they were all cute or fashionable. She really needed to take Ayano shopping more often. She tried on an outfit before stepping out of the dressing room for Ayano to inspect.

"Turn around." Saya obeyed her friend's command. Ayano hummed in thought. "Looks good, but I'm sure there could be better. Those jeans look really good on you. Makes your ass look fantastic! Have you started working out?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I have a little bit." Yeah, thought Saya, I've been working out, alright. Hiyori keeps torturing me as a means of training me. I suppose it shows…

"Lookin' good, hot stuff," Ayano joked with a wink and a giggle. "Go try on another outfit."

Saya disappeared into the dressing room again with a chuckle. As she exited the room, she saw a flash of red. Realization dawned on her before the dread set in as she saw Inuyasha drop directly before her.

"What the hell are you doing? We need to get going to collect the jewel shards."

In a mildly panicked second, Saya glanced to see if Ayano was looking. Thankfully, she was examining a stand with more jeans stacked on top. Saya instantly grabbed onto Inuyasha and dragged him back into the dressing room. The hanyou stood there confused as Saya glanced back out. When she returned facing him with a sigh, Inuyasha's confusion multiplied. What was she doing? "Did you hear me, wench? We need to—"

"Yes," she said interrupting the hanyou, "I get that, but I want to spend some time here. I haven't seen my friends in a while." Her voice was lower in volume than usual.

"You can come back here all you want once we get the jewel shards!"

While Inuyasha did not lower his voice, she continued to speak in hushed tones. "So thoughtful, but guess what: I'm coming back here anyway!"

"We need to collect the shards!"

"Saya?" Said female tensed. "You okay in there?"

Saya glanced toward Inuyasha. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Just struggling with this zipper."

"You want my help?"

Saya heard the humor in her voice, and under different circumstances, she would have laughed. Currently, it only made her nerves and tension spike. "Uh, I think I'll be okay." She tried to laugh it off, but it came out as a nervous, almost hysterical bubble of laughter. She turned to Inuyasha and hissed to him, "Go back to my house. I'll be there in a bit."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. Why was she acting this way? He took in a whiff of her scent and noticed that nervousness, fear, and irritation were the main three emotions racing through her. Was she in some kind of danger? Her nerves spiked when the other female called out to check if she was still alright. Her friend seemed to be the main source of her nervousness, much to Inuyasha's confusion.

"You okay in there?"

"Yeah, just give me a second." She turned to Inuyasha and hissed, "Go."

"No."

Saya grit her teeth in agitation and exasperation. A guttural sound escaped from her throat as she glared at the stubborn hanyou before her.

Was that a growl he just heard from her? That did not seem possible. She wasn't a hanyou nor was she any type of animal. Where did that come from? While he was musing over that question, Saya was conflicted as to what to do.

She really did not want Ayano to see Inuyasha, but on the other hand, the other female did want to meet him and would be pissed if (and that was a big if) she ever found out that he had been nearby and she hadn't been able to meet him because Saya had sent him away. At the same time, however, Saya really did not want Inuyasha to meet anyone quite yet. His ears and choice of clothing would attract far too much attention, not to mention the fact that he had a tendency to be crass and speak whatever came to his mind—no matter what it was. She also seriously doubted she could convince Ayano that his ears were just an accessory for a cosplay like she had with her father—the girl was far too perceptive for that. The only options were to anger her friend later on in life (if she ever found out about the hanyou's presence in the dressing room with her), or have Ayano and Inuyasha meet. Saya really was not happy with either option. While Saya continued her internal debate, she failed to realize how long she had kept Ayano waiting, who stood outside the dressing room Saya locked herself into.

What was taking that girl so long? How long does it take to change into a pair of jeans and a different shirt? Even with zipper problems… She pulled out her phone to check the time. While she was replacing her phone into her pocket, she heard a shriek of surprise. It was Saya. Ayano took a step forward to check on her friend, only to have to jump backward in order to avoid the door that swung open. She did not land gracefully. With her posterior throbbing in pain, Ayano snapped her head up to yell at her friend—only to stop with her mouth gaped open. Standing before her was a male dressed in traditional red robes, long silver hair, gold eyes, and….were those dog ears on his head? The detail that stuck her the most, however, was her best friend strung over his shoulder like Santa's bag at Christmas time. Her friend was fruitlessly hitting said male on his back with her fists.

Ayano was only brought out of her stupor when her friend groaned, "Put. Me. Down." Instead of responding, the male only scoffed before turning his attention to Ayano. Said female, now standing, stared at the duo with an extremely flabbergasted expression. Ayano's confusion turned to curiosity when noticed that Saya's face was beginning to resemble the color of the male's garbs. An image from graduation popped into her head of the guy Saya had thought was cute. Putting two and two together, a mischievous smile slithered onto her lips.

"You wouldn't happen to be Inuyasha, would you?"

"Uh, yeah. What's it to ya?" His eyes began to narrow.

Her smile expanded into a grin before she leaned over to gaze at Saya, amusement and mischief dancing within her irises. "I can see why you think he's cute." Saya's face deepened in color. "Wow, I didn't think it was physically possible to resemble a grape so closely."

"Shut up Ayano!" Said girl chuckled at her friend's misfortune.

Saya heaved an exaggerated sigh of relief once the trio arrived at the shrine. The return trip had been far more stressful than the young miko in training had anticipated. Inuyasha kept attracting attention unknowingly with his ears and the way he was so jumpy with the passing vehicles. Ayano kept glancing curiously at the hanyou every time he would act oddly. Saya couldn't have been happier when they finally arrived at the shrine.

"So, what do you do for a living, Inuyasha?"

Saya was wrong. She was so very wrong. She was not happy they were back at the shrine, in her room, conversing—well, Ayano was doing most of the talking. Inuyasha and Saya only commented when asked a question. For the hanyou, it was becoming a rather regular occurrence. His ire started growing.

"What…do you mean?"

"I mean, what do you do where you live?"

"Oh, I hunt demons."

Saya had tried to stop him from saying so but failed miserably. Ayano turned to her friend, confusion and concern in her expression. Saya had tried to keep the information that Inuyasha was a half-demon a secret from her friend, but the silver-haired male was not making the task any easier. She would likely have tell her friend the whole story about what was going on in her life later—if at all. Saya heaved a long-suffering sigh.

A short, awkward pause passed through the trio before Saya spoke up. "Ayano-chan, I think we actually need to get going again here soon. It's gonna take some time for me to get ready, and then it will take a little bit before we arrive at our destination. We need to get back before it gets too late."

"Of course," she nodded while standing. She turned to the hanyou, albeit a little awkwardly. "It was nice to finally meet you, Inuyasha."

He nodded quietly, deciding it was best not to comment—if only for the sake of his ears should he actually say what he wanted to. The thought of dealing with an irate Saya and Kagome was the reason the hanyou did not say anything else to the annoying female.

Once her friend was seen to the stairs, Saya turned to the male next to her. "Was there a reason you told Ayano-chan about the demons?" she asked with exasperation and annoyance.

"She asked the question, so I answered. What's the deal?"

"Because," Saya grit out, "there aren't any demons here. In fact, I'm sure it has been a long time since humans have even seen or heard from demons."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Well, she shouldn't be puttin' her nose where it doesn't belong. That's what she gets for askin' stupid questions like those."

Saya determined that Inuyasha was going to be the death of her—if only from having to deal with Ayano and all her questions the next time she returned to her time period.

I am so sorry it took me so long to update this story! Full-time job, life, and a boyfriend tend to take up a lot of my time. Sorry again. Anywho, please let me know what you thought of this chapter. I love the input! Helps keep me motivated to continue this story. Until next time, loves.

~Saph