Disclaimer- boooriiing!! Wouldn't you much rather be reading? Good! Because I feel like writing! So what if I don't own Inuyasha! Ick….did I really say that? Oh well! Life goes on!

Chapter Seven: The Date, Moving on, and a New Friend (in that exact order, too!)

Kagome sat on the porch and checked her watch for the third time. 'Is it me, or is he taking entirely too long?' Her blank gaze wandered in a bored fashion over the misty yard and stopped at the driveway that twisted up to the main road. Perking up she snapped her vision towards the city (she couldn't really see it because of the mist) and held her breath as she heard the faint sound of a car heading her way. Grunting with annoyance she slumped as the sound passed and faded. 'He's ten minutes late…' her eyebrow twitched as she stared at her watch, narrowing her eyes. Another engine murmured in the distance, and Kagome sighed as it too passed by. 'He better not have forgotten about me!' Another five minutes rolled by in silence, and the mist settled in Kagomes hair, clothes, and on her skin. She shivered as the dampness chilled her body, and in response she rubbed her arms. Finally, another engine sounded in the distance, slowed, and began traveling down the lengthy driveway that led to her house.

Kagome stood as she saw the light from the headlights of the car approaching, and did her best to put on a cheerful smile. 'He's twenty minutes late…' her cheery façade was the only thing covering her annoyance at Senshozsu's tardiness. The dark blue Mustang (A/N: love 'em! Maybe not dark blue, but hey!) pulled up beside the house and Senshozsu emerged from the car. "Sorry I'm late, Kagome! This mist is awful hard to drive in! And my mom forced me to change six times…" He stepped up onto the porch and smiled, his emerald eyes twinkling with a bit of guilt for being so late. Kagome took a quick look at what his mom thought was good enough to wear on a first date. Black jeans, a blue, long sleeved shirt, and sneakers. 'Eh? Sneakers? Huh, oh well!' "It's okay! I don't really mind!" Kagome waved a hand and smiled. Senshozsu sighed in relief and glanced at her choice of outfit, a jean(s) skirt and a green tee-shirt. Simple, but flattering, he smiled. "So…where are we going?" Kagome quirked an eyebrow at him and her question jerked him back to reality.

"Oh, right! I guess I forgot to tell you! My dad cooks at a nice restaurant in town, so naturally when I told him I had a date today; he invited us to 'dine upon a feast fit for a king'. Made by him, of course!" Kagome laughed at his facial expression when he told her what his dad had said. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a drag after all. "Shall we?" Senshozsu offered Kagome his arm and straighten up, not so different from a noble perfectionist. "We shall!" She took his arm and he guided her down the porch steps, having a hard time suppressing her giggles. Once he had escorted Kagome to the passenger side of his car (A/N: for any of you that are interested, Senshozsu is sixteen.) Senshozsu got in the drivers seat and headed back up the driveway. "So! On a rating of one to ten, how nice is this restaurant your father works at?" Kagome cocked her head and looked at the boy sitting beside her, who glanced at her briefly when she asked the question and then returned his eyes to the road. "Well, I'd have to say….around nine or ten. After all, he does cook as second in line for head chef at a top notch restaurant!"

Senshozsu smiled at Kagomes reaction, which was a slack jaw. "You're taking me there? On a first date? Why?" "Well, as my mother told me too many times to count, make the most of your first impression, so I think that's what I'm doing!" Kagome blushed ever so slightly at the special treatment, and at the fact that he was really trying to impress her. "But we have met before now." Senshozsu glanced at her again and replied, "yes, but this is your first impression of me on a more intimate level, correct?" As he realized what he was saying he blushed, and Kagome did too. "Yeah, I guess so…" After that the ride to the restaurant was quiet, but not uncomfortable. And with this spare time Kagome let her mind wander. 'I wonder…how Inuyasha is doing….and the others…how will they complete the jewel without me and the shards we have collected?' she stole a quick glance at Senshozsu out of the corner of her eye and pondered some more. 'He's so nice! But, even though he makes me laugh, and he IS pretty easy on the eyes, it's just not the same….not the same as when I'm with Inuyasha…' (A/N: I had you thinking that she might fall for him, didn't I? Like I said, this is an Inu/Kag fic! No other lovers for Kagome are allowed!) Finally they reached their destination and Senshozsu got out and walked around the car, opening the door for the young priestess. "Madame!" Again he offered her his arm and she took it, nodding at him with a happy smile on her face. They walked into the restaurant, which was called Tamekos' Palace. When she saw how grand and fancy the place was Kagome could not help but stare in awe. Senshozsu noticed the expression on her face and smiled in satisfaction and then signaled to a waiter. "Tameko, who happens to be the head chef as well as the owner of this place, is one of my fathers' friends. She loves to cook food from all over the world, so you can get anything from sushi to a cheeseburger and fries here. Table for two, please." The waiter seated the two and handed them their menus, straightened his jacket, and then politely asked what they wanted to drink.

The night went smoothly, filled with laughter over funny stories they swapped, ranging from embarrassing moments while at a restaurant to stupid things that had occurred when hanging out with friends, such as the unfortunate happening in which Kagome laughed so hard once that the soda she was drinking had spewed out her nose. Feel the burn, literally. At one point when both teens were silent Kagome glanced around at the other people dining. They were all dressed so formally and here she was in a jean(s) skirt and a tee-shirt. 'If I had known we were coming to a place like this I would've dressed for the occasion! But Senshozsu didn't dress in anything fancy….I guess he's used to coming in regular clothes because this is his fathers work place.' She noticed Senshozsu looking at her, and she turned to meet his gaze. The instant she locked eyes with him he glanced down at his half eaten plate Alfredo noodles, his cheeks warming in embarrassment. Kagome smiled and then continued eating, and after a few seconds to let his face cool down Senshozsu did too.

The night drew to a close, and after Senshozsu's father had come out and thoroughly embarrassed the both of them Kagome was once again riding shotgun, pondering over the nights events on her way home. "Well Kagome, did you like Tamekos' Palace? How would you rate it on a scale of one to ten?" Senshozsu's question snapped her out of her daydream and she mulled over the thought for a while. Finally reaching a decision she replied and a smile spread across her face. "I would have to say ten. Those churros were absolutely fabulous!" a dreamy expression spread across her face as she remembered the savory taste. "Huh!" Senshozsu chuckled a bit and smiled, his emerald orbs twinkling with delight. "Yeah, I remember when dad brought me home a churro from the restaurant when I was little. I think that was one of the best things I have ever tasted!" his eyes fogged over as he recalled the event from his past. Kagome smiled and nodded, and then turned to watch the world go by outside the car window. It wasn't at all foggy in town, but as they traveled through the neighboring countryside the fog closed in around them, forcing Senshozsu to turn on his fog lights and slow down.

"Well! Here we are!" Senshozsu parked and got out, once again opening Kagomes door for her. "You know, I can get the door myself." She tilted her head and quirked her eyebrow, an amused look playing across her features. "I know, but its common courtesy for a gentleman to open the door for a lady." He bowed and locked gazes with her, and for a second she truly believed he was being serious, until she noticed the mischief in his eyes and his face broke into a grin. "Huh. Right." Kagome rolled her eyes and walked up onto the porch, Senshozsu following behind. "Really!" He laughed and she turned to look at him, snorting in amusement. The air was filled with a thick silence that lasted for a few seconds, the obnoxious sounding snort echoing in the teens' ears. Senshozsu raised his eyebrows as Kagomes face began to turn beat red in attempt to hold in the on coming laughter. The attempt was futile when Senshozsu began to laugh, and soon the night echoed with their uncontrollable howling. After a few moments the last of the giggles died down and the two stood on the porch, their gaze locked. "'Night, Kagome." Without really thinking Senshozsu leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Kagomes cheek causing her to blush furiously. He turned around and headed to his car without hesitation, not wanting to stand there and face Kagome any longer, because in truth he was blushing too. "Goodnight, Senshozsu." Kagome whispered and touched her cheek, wondering what brought on that little spill of emotion from him.

"Hey, Kagome?" He turned around and looked up at her on the porch, his hand resting on the car door handle. "Yeah?" "Do you think, we could maybe….do this again sometime? I really enjoyed having dinner with you." At his last remark Kagomes face flushed pink and she paused for a moment, letting the night really sink in. "Uh…Uh-huh. Sure." She nodded dumbly, earning a smile from the emerald-eyed boy. "Great. I would really like that." When that was said Senshozsu turned back to his car and got in, driving away and leaving Kagome standing alone on the porch. But not for long! Whose mother wouldn't spy on her daughter when she was having a moment with a fine looking guy?

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Inuyasha had stayed in the Goshinboku tree, mulling over all of the things that had happened since Kagome had first pulled out the arrow that stuck him to the very tree he was occupying. All the quarrels they had with each other, all the demons they had overcome….and then there were those, moments. Those times when he and Kagome had been at peace with one another, and had experienced something quite special because of it. Yes, those moments were few, but they were the most precious thing to Inuyasha at the present. But, they were also the things that were making him hurt so much. He didn't like to show it, and when he did it made him feel vulnerable. It had always been one of his top priorities to keep every last self exposing emotion bottled up so no one could use them, cause him any more pain than he had already endured. But without Inuyasha fully knowing it until now, Kagome had worked her way past that wall, and when they were alone it showed. She could see his very soul, and now that was tearing him apart.

Inuyasha had liked that, having someone around who cared about him no matter what he looked like or what he was. That was why it had ripped his heart out when he lost her, lost the only one who could truly understand him and his stubborn, untrusting ways. Even though Inuyasha never told Kagome, he didn't dare express it in even the slightest subtly that he was glad she got through to him and made him feel accepted. So now he felt betrayed, unwelcome around anyone. After all, every single person who had ever shown him compassion had been taken away from him, either in death or leaving him behind. There was a flicker of movement on the ground, and immediately Inuyasha locked onto it and watched in curiosity at the events that played out before him. There was a bird, fluttering its wings and hopping around in distress. At first the hanyou wondered what could have this bird in such a state, but then he saw why. Lying on the ground was a little baby bird, and when he flicked his ears in the birds' direction he could hear its pitiful squeaks and the parents distressed cooing.

The baby must have fallen out of the nest and had injured itself from the fall, and now it was dying and the parent could do nothing but watch. In a few moments the babies cries for help to its parent weakened and faded away all together. The mother bird hopped around the baby, and then it stopped and watched as the helpless little thing passed on. Inuyasha perked up his ears when the parent began to whistle a tune of mourning for its lost young. It then flew up into the branches of a nearby tree and perched, still whistling out a song of sadness. Moments passed and the bird halted its upset song and flew to another tree, joining a second bird. The two sat and chirped back and forth for a bit, and then they flew up into the very top branches of the tree and began to sing. It wasn't a song of mourning or sadness, it was happy and uplifting. That bird had been quite upset with the loss of its young, but it had mourned and now it decided it was time to move on. 'Yes,' Inuyasha thought, 'the bird has mourned its loss, but now it has moved on to continue its life. I have been in this state of misery for long enough. Kagome's gone, so now…..I must….move on.'

His piercing golden eyes watched the birds and listened to their song until the two flew away. Yes, it was indeed time for him to move on. At that instant he felt such an overcoming sense of relief it almost shocked him enough to cause him to fall out of the tree. Somewhere in the back of his mind though, he had a knowledge that this wasn't over. Kagome was coming back someday, and they would finally finish their journey. How else was the Feudal Era going to escape from this time of turmoil and darkness? If the future Japan was such a lively place void of all the evil that was about now, then a certain miko must come back and purify the jewel, and best of all, aid in the defeat of Naraku. Inuyasha lifted himself off the gnarled tree branch and leapt to the next, working his way back to the village. No more clam shell life for him! It was time to get back to the everyday, stubborn hanyou life! The dog demon stopped dead in his tracks, and his eyes widened as he realized how far back he was going to have to go in his life to reach the point of 'everyday, stubborn hanyou life'.

'I haven't been like that for over….fifty years!' The thought struck him hard. He had to go back before Kagome, before the Shikon no Tama, before Kikyo. But, he wanted to keep that special little part of him that Kagome had melted, that part that was more trusting, more forgiving. He had given her nothing, and yet she went out of her way to soften him up, to bring him closer to being a caring, kind person. Inuyasha looked to the sky and sighed, the stars glittering in his eyes. 'Goodnight, Kagome.'

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Kagome stared out her window at the night sky, the moon and stars reflecting in her cocoa brown eyes. 'Inuyasha….I miss you…' She sighed and looked down at the porch roof, replaying what had happened when Senshozsu had brought her home. Her fingers brushed ever so slightly over her cheek as she recalled his little kiss. 'He kissed me….on the cheek, but still. Senshozsu kissed me! But, I don't feel that way, now that I think about it. It was almost……awkward! I should tell him Monday….that it just cannot be.' Kagome sighed again and turned away from the window, shaking her head tiredly. "I hope yawn that he isn't upset…." She plopped herself down on the bed and sat for a while, watching as the leaves from a tree in the yard danced in and out of the moonlight creating strange shadows on her floor. She yawned again and stretched, arching her back in a very cat-like manner. 'Well, I think it's time for me to hit the sack. Goodnight…..Inuyasha….' she curled up under her blankets and closed her eyes, sleep overtaking her body. But just before she was fully out, she could have sworn she heard a certain silver-haired hanyou whisper goodnight right back.

Kagome woke up bright and early, birds twittering outside her window, the fresh scent of spring tingling her nose….and an annoying alarm clock blaring Change the World in her ear. She smashed her fist down on it, successfully shutting it up and knocking it to the floor. 'Stupid clock…..I really need to get a new one. That one always gets me up a few hours early!' Groggily opening her eyes she hunted around the floor with her hand by the bed stand, too tired to actually pick up her head and look down to see where the alarm clock was. Finally her fingers bumped into said object and she picked it up, staring blurry eyed at it. Her eyes widened considerably and she sat straight up, glaring in disbelief at the insolent little mechanism. "Four o'clock!??! This stupid thing woke me up at FIVE O'CLOCK!?!?! On the WEEKEND!?!??! I should be sawing logs right now!!!" In a fit of annoyance she threw the clock on the floor and hopped out of bed, attempting to smash it with her foot. It was then that she remembered she had no sort of protection on her foot.

This worked Kagome up even more, and she stormed over to her closet and pulled out one of her metal spiked cleats that she could no longer use for sports, jammed her foot into it, stomped back over to the poor defenseless little alarm clock and successfully smashed it to pieces. She grunted with satisfaction at her work and glared at the wreckage, still peeved that the once functional clock had woken her so early. Kicking off her single cleat and shoving it back into her closet she threw her hands up in frustration. "Great! Now I'm totally awake with nothing to do, and I have no alarm clock!" She sighed as her annoyance seeped away, and she looked out the window. The very first rays of sunlight were just beginning to peek over the horizon and lighten the sky, hinting the start of a new day. "Well, there's no point in going back to sleep now! Besides, I don't have anything to wake me up anymore." At that remark Kagome shot a glare at the small pile of rubbish on her floor. Stupid dysfunctional alarm clock….

Slipping into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt Kagome snuck downstairs and out the front door. Amazingly enough no one woke up when she took a shower and crashed to the floor in a sleepy haze while trying to get her jeans on. Warm showers always made her sleepy. Oh, the steamy hot goodness…..just thinking about it made Kagome shiver in delight. Ever since she had left the Feudal Era she appreciated hot showers A LOT more! In her daydream state Kagome slipped down the wet porch steps and almost fell face first into the mud below if she hadn't snapped back to reality and grabbed onto the railing for dear life. After her slip up she found herself gripping the railing and sitting on the wet steps, her eyes wide with shock at her near dirt-meet-face experience. Picturing how she must have looked sliding down the stairs and currently sitting in this awkward position she did her best to keep from laughing out loud at her own strangeness, causing her eyes to water. No, mornings were definitely not for this young miko! They made her act like a nutcase……

Kagome finally stood up, brushed herself off, and carefully made her way down the rest of the stairs. 'Maybe I'll take a walk in the woods….or should I go up the road?' She stepped around the corner of the house and looked first up her driveway, then down the field at the woods. It was dark, and there could possibly be some insane maniac driving around just looking for someone to kidnap. 'I'll walk in the woods!' She quickly darted around the side of the house and took on last fleeting glance up the driveway before scurrying across the field. It was fairly light out, considering the moon was still up and the sun was beginning to rise. This time of day was so magical, when the sun and the moon shared the sky, stars still visible on the furthest edge from the rising sun. Kagome sighed contentedly and walked through the forest, taking in every bit of it. The sights, the smells, the sounds…they were all so different than the daytime. An owl hooted wearily and Kagome looked up just in time to see it swoop down into the tree branches and retreat for the day. She walked on, breathing in the crisp, twilight air. There was a flash of yellow-green eyes in the brush nearby and then they were gone.

At the sight of them Kagome instantly thought of Inuyasha, and she began to wonder how her friends were doing back in the Feudal Era. This had become a regular habit. Whenever Kagome saw something that reminded her of them-- somebody wearing a red long-sleeved shirt, a cream colored cat, a little boy with red-orange hair-- she would begin to ponder about their wellbeing. A robin began to sing a song announcing the new day and Kagome was sidetracked from her thoughts as she watched the little brown and red bird flit through the canopy and burst out into the open sky. Once again Inuyasha came to mind as she remembered how she used to ride on his back whenever they were in hurry to get somewhere, which was probably about ninety-five percent of the time. Yes, life in the Feudal Era was eventful and dangerous, and here it was…….dull and boring. "I don't know how I managed before I went back in time! Normal life is such a drag!" Kagome sighed and walked on. The sun had begun to show itself to the world, ever so cautious in its arrival.

The stars had faded out all together and the moon had decided it was time for it to take its leave of this part of the vast sky, which put an end to the short, but ever so magical time of twilight. Kagome stopped and stared on into the woods before her, slightly peeved that she had been walking for a while now and there was no sign of an outlet. Not that this was a bad thing, of course! But she had set out the first time to find something mysterious at the end of these vast roots, and the end itself was yet to be found. But now it was time for Kagome to head back to her house and leave this search for another day. Upon turning around she saw an adorable little puppy sitting at her feet. It was white all over except for a brown patch over its eye and the tip of its tail was brown. It had pointy little ears, somewhat like Inuyashas', and crystal blue eyes. Kagome just stared at the sweet little bundle of fur for a moment, and when she did nothing the puppy cocked its head, blinking curiously.

"Aw!! Here boy! Come here, I won't hurt you!" She kneeled down and beckoned the puppy with one hand as she inched forward.

The little dog shied away, and wagged its tail, almost as if it wanted to play. Finally it turned and scampered away, but not before it barked and pounced on Kagomes unsuspecting hand, giving it a slobbery lick. Kagome called out for the puppy to come back, but in vain. This dog wasn't like Inuyasha, who always seemed to be there when she wanted him around, heck he was even there when she didn't want him to be!

With a shake of her head Kagome started back to her house once more, her mind drifting back to her feudal friends. After few moments the little puppy totally disappeared from her thoughts, leaving her to contemplate on more pressing matters. Getting used to having a regular life again was harder than she thought. No more demons, no more Naraku, no more Inuyasha…….and no more jewel shards. 'Wait, that's not entirely true! I still have the shards we collected when I was in the Feudal Era!' Kagome picked up her pace, and after what seemed like an eternity of endless trees she reached her house. Once she had quietly snuck back in and made her way up to her room she opened a drawer on her dresser and pulled out the Shikon jewel shards. Kagome stared at them for a while, and then with a frustrated sigh she threw them back into her dresser and flopped down onto her bed. Getting used to life here was hard. But leaving the Feudal Era behind was even harder. And even though Kagome never really showed it, not being around Inuyasha and knowing that he probably hated her for leaving him and not even saying why was eating her up inside.

That was it! She was going back to the shrine and she was going to at least try to tell Inuyasha why she left. And if she couldn't get through the well……..then she'd figure it out when she got there.

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I'm so sorry I haven't updated for like…..a month!!! Please don't hurt me!! Hides under the bed I'm such a lazy slacker……and this chapter probably sucks really badly. So sorry! But anywho, back to the matter at hand. I fixed up the friend part!!! So now it shouldn't seem as stupid as it was before. And just to let you know, this turned out totally different than I expected. When the new friend part was first thought of, believe you me it was a totally different idea. Thanks a heap to all my awesome reviewers!! And if you have any seriously good ideas that you would like to be in the story, just email me and I'll see if I can put it in! Later days!!

Mistoffelees Shadow