Thanks to those of you who reviewed. It's always encouraging to hear my story is being enjoyed. –Ainsley

Kagome practically pranced up the stairs to her apartment. She couldn't wait to see what Kouga put together for her. She reached in her purse and pulled out her keys'. 'This is it! She thought as she opened the door to...nothing. Absolutely nothing. She slumped her purse off her shoulder and walked into the apartment, kicking off her heels as she walked. She looked to her right and saw Kouga dozing on the couch. "Kouga?" She walked up to him and rubbed his shoulders. "Kouga did you forget what today was?" He rolled over and opened his eyes "hey Kags." She smiled she couldn't ever be mad when she looked into his amazing blue eyes. "So what do you want to do tonight?" She beamed at him hoping still that he didn't forget. "Well I was gonna go down to the bar to get a drink with a few friends later. It's just gonna be me, Ginta, and Hakkaku. You can come if you want. Actually I'm supposed to meet them in an hour I'm gonna go get a shower." He smiled and kissed her as he headed off to their shower. 'He actually forgot' she slumped into the couch bowing her head as tears pooled in her eyes.

Kouga waved his goodbyes and headed out the door. Kagome refused to be upset in front of him. She looked around her apartment. Had it always been this small? She noticed the water marks on the ceiling and the peeling of the yellow dull paint on the wall. The appliances were extremely dated and their furniture was all old and battered. It felt empty. She couldn't see the light in it when Kouga wasn't here. They had moved here ten years ago. 'It's so hard to imagine' she thought. She looked at all their little bobbles and pictures hanging around the apartment. It'd been awhile since Kagome got her new job that she'd cleaned the place. Kouga's dirty work clothes hung on the back of the kitchen chairs and there was dust on the lamp shades. "Well now's a good of time as ever to fix that." She said as she stood up to go change. As she cleaned she thought about all her years with Kouga. They got married when she was 18. He had been an old neighborhood friend and they began dating in high school. They were head over heels in love and everyone knew it. They had a simple wedding, both their entire families had shown up. She glanced down at her wedding ring. It was such a simple ring. A gold band with three little diamond studs in it. Had her life always been so simple? She thought as she swept the floor. She and Kouga never had much money, especially because they had to pay for Kagome to finish school. Kouga himself didn't go to college, instead he worked as a restaurant manager, and had for as long as she could remember. She thought of Kikyo and Inuyasha and their fancy clothes and impressive jobs. She quickly shoved the thought away 'work stays at work' she thought to herself. She began dusting off the pictures around the house taking time to look at each and every one. There was the picture of her and Kouga on their wedding day. They were smiling so big. Kagome snorted at the thought that she could've been so happy and ten years later been this upset. She picked up the picture of her when she graduated college, with her diploma in her hand. Then there was the picture of her and her brother Souta with their cousin Rin. Rin was only four years younger than Kagome and they had always been close. She told herself shed call her soon.

"Kagome! I'm home!" Kouga drawled. Kagome rolled her eyes, she could tell he was drunk. "Kags baby have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" He kissed her on her head and walked into the kitchen. "Damn I'm lucky I come home to a clean house and a cooked meal. You're a hell of a woman Kagome." She looked down at her feet and grumbled to herself getting more aggravated by the second. Dinner went by, and Kagome hadn't said a word. "Kags! Let's have some fun tonight it's been awhile." Kouga smiled at her and winked. She murmured under her breath. "What'd ya say Kags?"

"Nothing" she grumbled as she started clearing the table. She was just ready to get the night over with.

"Naw come on what'd ya say?" Kagome had had enough and blew up, "I SAID YEAH IT'D BE NICE TO DO SOMETHING ROMANTIC BECAUSE ITS OUR ANNIVERSARY!" Kouga just sat back in his chair as Kagome left the table and stormed off to their room, slamming the door. Kouga didn't know what else to do so he sat down in front of the TV and turned some football on. 'I guess she just needs some space' he thought suddenly sober from her outburst.

Kagome sat on her bed crying. She was so mad, how could he have forgotten!? For the first time since she started her job she felt like maybe she wasn't in the place to counsel other people on their marriage. Her marriage obviously wasn't perfect. Kouga quietly knocked on the door. "Go away Kouga!" She wailed as he opened the door. He crawled up in bed next to her and kissed her forehead. "Kags I never meant to forget I just get the days all confused you know I've been busy." She sniffled some more but drastically calmed down from before. "How about tomorrow I take you out? It's Friday so we can go out. How's that sound?" She nodded into his chest as her tears began to dry. "Now let me make it up to you as much as I can tonight." He growled as he began to unbutton her blouse. Not wanting to fight any more, Kagome complied and gave away to passion as they celebrated the best way she knew how.

Inuyasha put his head in his hands and groaned. Kikyo hadn't shut up since they got home. Rarely ever were they in the house at the same time but today was his lucky day. "I really think this therapy is going to work dear. We can fix this. Were meant to be baby." She droned on. Inuyasha stood up to walk out of the room. He needed to get out of this damn house. The house was so big he wouldn't even have to leave to get away from her, but he wanted to go out. He wanted to do something wild, he wanted to sin, he wanted to cheat. Like she cheated on him. He thought back to the day he'd caught her in bed with his business partner Naraku. He growled at the thought and grabbed his keys. He drove what felt like miles as he found his favorite bar. He ordered a round and asked for a shot of whiskey. He eyed all the girls in the bar. There was a dull red head 'busty, but looks easy. And she's smoking. Nah' then he eyed the blonde next to him. Her make-up was terribly smeared and she appeared to be high. 'Oh yeah that's why I come here' he remembered. He had found this bar a few years back and fell in love because he knew he'd never find a beautiful woman here, no woman that he could be unfaithful with. He sighed and ordered another shot.

Once he was good and drunk he began to think on his relationship with his wife. It'd never been a good relationship he'd decided. He couldn't even recall if he loved her. He did love her didn't he? She was his world for months when they first met five years ago. He would've done anything for her. He showered her with gifts and love and to him that's what love was about. Love was security. Love was the ability to provide. Wasn't it? He shook his head as he thought about the way his parents looked at each other. 'No love is more than that, it has to be.' The relationship had been easy at first. He gave her presents and his affections and she shared her bed with him. It seemed only natural to propose. After being prodded by his mother for months he finally bought the ring. Their wedding was massive. He thought of all the people who attended. Would those same people be disappointed when they found out about the divorce? He rolled his eyes. Why should he care? He could've lived an easy life with Kikyo. Never truly loving her, but loving her enough to be happy together. But once they'd decided to have children things changed. His heart broke when he found out Kikyo was barren. That's when the fighting started. It came to the point where they no longer had sex, they no longer slept in the same room and eventually no longer interacted. The only time they were ever really together was when they were in public. It was good for business for him to be married, and for the sake of his mother, he carried on the facade. She would be so disappointed if she knew her son wanted a divorce. Of course, thinking about it, with the lack of attention from him it was only natural for Kikyo to seek love elsewhere. He wasn't really mad about that. 'Wait' He thought, 'im not mad about that?' He mused over the thought for a few moments and decided that he wasn't mad at her any longer. What right did he have to be? Kikyo wasn't a bad woman, and she deserved her happiness. She had been a good wife when they both still believed that she could. It was only after she stopped being a wife that he stopped caring. He wasn't mad that she sought out the attention that he just couldn't find in his heart to give her. He was disgusted, yes that was the right term he nodded decidedly. He was disgusted as well as jealous. Jealous that any man other than himself should touch his wife. It didn't matter that he himself did not want her but she shouldn't allow other men to touch what was rightfully his. He'd slept around on her as well for the past few months. Perhaps a diplomat's daughter one night, and then the following week a prostitute. But lately he had just lost interest. He'd lost interest in everything. When he discovered that Kikyo lost interest and had moved on to share her bed with another man, he lost all interest in sleeping around. Of course it was all for Kikyo's attention that he did it. Maybe she would notice him, and desire his company again, and maybe she would scream or yell or do something. That was what their relationship had come to. There were no longer fights, no longer yelling or screaming or tears. It was the silence that killed him. There would be days where they never spoke a word to one another, weeks when they would go without seeing each other. Inuyasha missed the comfort of being angry and sad when he realized how painful the complete hopelessness of their relationship had become. But once he realized that she was past the point of caring about him, he realized there was no longer a point in doing what he was doing. He stopped his late night romps at work. He never smiled at a woman, never offered his arm to walk a lady down the stairs. Now he just sat around and wallowed in his own emptiness all day. That's why he wanted a divorce, he had lost all hope at being happy. He felt caged and trapped, and even more confused than before. Kikyo wanted to 'fix things' as she had put it. She suddenly wanted to become his wife again and stand by his side. He wondered what it was about Naraku's dick that changed her mind so quickly about their relationship. He could ponder all day he decided, and quickly thought of other things. He thought of work and business and sports. Taking a shot with each topic change. Then he thought of Kagome. He smiled at the thought of her. He didn't know why he enjoyed taunting her the way he did, but he couldn't get enough of her. At first glance he thought she'd looked just like Kikyo, but after being with her for a while he realized he was wrong. People often thought Kikyo beautiful. And she was she had the pale skin and long legs. But if Kikyo was beautiful Kagome was a goddess. She was much shorter than Kikyo, but more curvy. She had a large bust and a tight waist with a lovely ass. He sighed at the thought. It'd been so long since he'd been with a woman and kagome was an amazing woman. 'I bet shed be amazing to fuck' he thought as he took his sixth shot. He wanted to get to know her. He knew there was more to her then her polite and professional demeanor. He wanted to know why she was with that bastard that she married and if she had children. That's why he had paid the secretary double the money for tomorrow so he could get in to see her.

He'd had a taxi bring him home. He was barely sober enough to walk. He was sure he over paid the cab driver by at least a hundred dollars but didn't care enough to do anything about it. He was drunk, he was tired but mostly he was horny. Kikyo was sitting in the living room talking on the phone when he walked in. "Hello Inuyasha." He didn't even acknowledge her as he began to walk up the stairs. He stumbled on the third step and fell down. As he was cursing Kikyo giggled. "I'm sorry but I have to go my husband appears to be piss drunk." She gracefully walked towards his defeated figure lying on the ground. "Could you use some help honey?" He growled as she helped him sit up. He looked up at her. He wanted her, for the first time in months. Maybe it was just because he wanted anything, or maybe because he somehow found a way to love her again, he reached up and kissed her. He didnt know which of the two it was and at the moment he didn't care. He rolled over on top of her and deepened their kiss earning a moan from Kikyo. "Let's take this to your room." She whispered and he suddenly became sober enough to carry her up the stairs.

Inuyasha lay in bed. It was well past midnight. His senses finally came back to him just in time for him to notice a sleeping Kikyo cuddled into his chest. He sighed. He couldn't kick her out, but he also realized he didn't want her next to him either. He squirmed uncomfortably until he made his way out of his bed. He slipped some boxers on and walked to the living room and grabbed a blanket. He'd sleep on the couch before he'd sleep with her. He couldn't sleep he realized, so he began to think of his work schedule tomorrow' eye doctor at seven, then a meeting at 9:30, lunch with my mother..' He thought on until he got to five o'clock and a smug smile appeared on his face 'five o'clock, appointment with kagome.' He smirked as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Thanks for reading sorry if it seemed like I rambled! Please read and review. Thanks