Inuyasha sat leaning up against the wall and four red velvet pillows that his unkempt bed, with his covers thrown in knots at its foot, stood against. A pleasant breeze blew through his open window, where it was located near the stairs on the second floor. But there wasn't anything pleasant about the look on Inuyasha's face to suggest that he noticed, or cared about the breeze, much less its pleasantness. His usually annoyed look had faded to one of glum depression, and his lips were rested into a troubled frown. Inuyasha sighed and began scratching behind his left ear with his hand, his red jacket sleeve falling almost immediately down his thin muscle toned arm and to his elbow. Stopping, he flexed his now bare arm towards him, his eyes moving down to the side of it that no one usually saw where his vital vein ran vulnerable underneath a small amount of skin and tendon. Along this line of veins and tendon, he observed with a sad smile, ran jagged letters once written in his own blood and flesh, but now written in a permanent scar. "Remember the Day." It had served its purpose well, making sure that he remembered what he never wanted to forget. Slowly he unclenched his right fist, which had been strained against his jeans' ripped knees in pain at the bitter memories vacating its master's mind. Carefully, he uncrumpled the notebook paper that had been located inside and carefully read through it, a little light filling his face at the familiar cramped handwriting.

12/17/06

Inuyasha,

God, my handwriting's a mess. Happy almost four month anniversary! How are you? You seemed pretty down today. Ashley-chan said Kikyo-sempai was talking to you. What about? She said you two were arguing pretty badly. Is there something you're hiding from me? Kikyo-sempai is even crueler than usual to me, snubbing me and such, but then you show up and cuss her out... like your protecting me. It's not only her I feel your protecting me from. I feel like it's that classmate of yours, Naraku-sempai , too. I don't know why you're so careful with me lately, either. Every time you go to touch me, kiss me, hug me... you act as if I'm going to break. Rin-san, Sango-chan, Miroku-kun, and you have been whispering around a lot. Kojiro-sensei is being tougher on me with archery, and gets upset when I get tired very quickly, while he neglects the rest of us who train with him. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. I'm sorry. I just sense that something is wrong. I don't know why. Don't let this bother you, though. I love you! Heh, so you youkai and hanyous are known now a days as Aristocrats. I know better. lol. Kidding.

Love,

Kagome

Inuyasha sighed again, holding the note to his face and closing his eyes. Kami, it even still smells like her, Inuyasha thought. He pulled the note away from his face with a smile, before something made him frown again.

"Kikyo-sempai was talking to you. What about? Ashley-chan said you were arguing pretty badly. Is there something you're hiding from me?"

"If only you knew, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured, his grip tightening on the note, "If only you knew."

A scuffling outside the door caused Inuyasha to jump. He dropped the note to his bed as the door burst open.

"Excellent form, Sesshomaru," A man around the age of twenty commented with a smile, walking into the room. He had long red hair that went to his waist that was tied with a ponytail at the base of his neck, and yellow eyes that would have glowed in the dark. Red plated armor covered his thin chest and blue haori, and he lithely slid his withdrawn sword into its hilt at his side.

Inuyasha regarded the man in outrage as the man sat in the black E-Z chair located near Inuyasha's TV, smiling blissfully.

"Kojiro-kun!" Inuyasha fumed. The man looked up and waved at him in a cheery manner. "You and Sesshomaru were practicing with your swords in front of my room?!"

"Calm down, little brother. Kojiro wouldn't have let me stick you through." A cool, calm voice drawled from the door. Inuyasha looked up in rage as another man, around the same age as the other, entered.

This man had golden eyes, and long silvery hair that ran, undisturbed, down his back and past his hips. He had two purple birthmarks on his cheeks in the form of slashes, and another big one on his right arm, plus a blue crescent moon on his forehead. Armor also coated his lean chest and white haori, only black. His fur leftover from his demon form hung innocently and unsuspected over his right shoulder like a boa.

"Sesshomaru, you--" Inuyasha snarled.

"Kojiro," Sesshomaru addressed the redhead, "tell him what we have come to tell him."

"Yes," Kojiro smirked, getting up from the comfy leather chair and walking towards Inuyasha.

Inuyasha surged forward in panic, making a swoop for the note he had dropped in front of him, hoping to grab it before Kojiro would notice. It would have been too late even if he hadn't moved. Kojiro's eyes were fixed upon the note, now in Inuyasha's hand, whom had frozen

-Flashback-

"Rin, did you finish your homework?" Kojiro asked, setting bread and two plates with silverware down on the white, lace embroidered tablecloth that hung over their large dining room table.

"Yes, Kojiro. Kagome-chan helped me," Rin replied, humming sweetly as she tried to reach in for a cheeseburger across the table. Her hand fell short, and Kojiro idly slid the plate a little closer to her. Rin giggled in thanks and took the cheeseburger closest to her.

"And how is Kagome-chan lately? Her and Inuyasha have missed their lessons this week. Kagome archery, and Inuyasha, sword. We can't be having that, not if Inuyasha's family wants help protecting..." Kojiro was cut short by Rin, who held up her hand in warning.

"Mr. Inutaisho told Mama and Papa not to talk about it, so we shouldn't either," Rin explained.

Kojiro studied her for a moment, before smiling and nodding. "Yes, he did. I'll speak to Sesshomaru about it, then."

"Sesshomaru-dono..." Rin trailed off in thought.

Kojiro got up and bent across the table to ruffle her hair playfully with one hand, while grabbing a roll from the bowl in the table's middle with the other.

"Don't worry. Sesshomaru really doesn't hate his brother as much as you and Inuyasha-kun think." Kojiro smirked mischievously.

"A secret? No fair!" Rin whined, looking disappointed. Before Kojiro could say anything, Rin's face brightened and became smug.

"Speaking of Inuyasha-kun and Kagome-chan, I know a secret, too!" She laughed, taking a bite out of her cheeseburger.

"Really?" Kojiro inquired, curiously, sitting back down. "If I promise to make your favorite meal tomorrow, will you tell me that secret?"

Rin laughed again, and stuck out her tongue at her older brother. "You're nosy! I'll tell you, but you can't tell Sesshomaru-dono. Inu-kun and Kag-san are dating! They've been dating since the twelfth of September of this year, 2005. It's so cute! They write notes to each other all the time. But Kikyo-sempai... I think she knows the secret. What Inu-kun's family is protecting, I mean. And the worst part is, she likes Inuyasha-kun. She's ruthless. But Inuyasha-kun loves Kagome-san, and he's go to any lengths to protect just her alone so I shouldn't be worried, but I am, because... What if Kikyo-sempai forces him to do something to protect Kagome-chan?"

-End Flashback-

"Kojiro."

Kojiro snapped out of his reverie and glanced around. Inuyasha, whom he had been in the process of walking toward, was staring at him in confusion, and Sesshomaru stood, arms crossed, leaning against the wall near the door. His eyes, cold, icy pools of gold caught and held Kojiro's gaze. He looked annoyed, and, only Kojiro noticing it, concerned.

"Kojiro," Sesshomaru repeated, his golden eyes scrutinizing Kojiro's face, "tell Inuyasha what we have come to tell him. Father wanted us outside as soon as possible."

"Yes, I apologize, Sesshomaru," Kojiro forced a smile, and Sesshomaru tensed, alert. "Inuyasha-kun," Inuyasha blinked as Kojiro divided all his attention to him, turning away from Sesshomaru and his seemingly emotionless face, "the neighbors are here. Be ready to help as soon as possible."

Inuyasha snorted and mumbled something about "Stupid, helpful fathers," making Sesshomaru bristle. Kojiro sighed and stepped between the two to stop a fight.

"Sesshomaru, shall I wake Rocky?" Kojiro offered, hoping Sesshomaru would take the bait. "That lazy son of a bitch friend of ours fell asleep on your couch, and it's going to take everything I have in me to rouse him."

"Yes. I shall accompany you," Sesshomaru agreed, already walking through the door.

"If it isn't too much to ask, Sess," Kojiro piped up, trying Sesshomaru's very rarely spoken to him nickname with the success of it being Sesshomaru stopping and glancing back. "I would like to stay here a moment. I don't feel well, and would like to rest."

Sesshomaru nodded in consent. "Do as you see fit. However, I prefer an easy smile to a forced one." Inuyasha stared suspiciously at Kojiro, whom ignored it. "I see them too often lately." Sesshomaru's eyes flashed to Inuyasha and then away before the hanyou could notice.

Kojiro nodded, and Sesshomaru left the room as though hoping to get rid of a plague. As soon as he was gone, Inuyasha stood up and made ready to walk out the door also, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Inuyasha-kun," Kojiro smiled, letting go of his shoulder and falling into the E-Z chair again. "Don't make any rash decisions, okay? You're only nineteen. Remember that."

Inuyasha glared at him, completely baffled at this sudden remark. It had been a long time since anyone had said something like that. Longer than a couple of months, but falling short of a year. He shook his head and bid Kojiro a small farewell before pulling off his jacket to reveal his equally red tank top, and making his way down the stairs beside his room.

"Damn," He swore, steadying himself as he nearly fell down the stairs. He looked around to see what the culprit that had tripped him was, and found one of his Father's ties lying hostilely on the stairs. "What the hell is one of Dad's ties doing here?" He mumbled, throwing the tie out of the way so it couldn't trip someone else, especially his mother.

"Inuyasha," his father called from the front yard, "come help out, son."

"Coming," Inuyasha growled resisting the urge to growl at his father about the tie, and shoved his way through the front door.

As he came through the door, however, three things happened at once. Inutaisho, a lean yet muscular demon who looked very much like Sesshomaru but with amber eyes smiled and waved in greeting at his youngest son, and Inuyasha heard a yell that meant Rocky had been awoken be Sesshomaru in a very unpleasant, and probably painful way. But neither of these things compared to the third thing that had happened at that moment.

A white and orange moving truck pulled up to the spacious house next to Inuyasha's, and a black haired, probably sixteen years old, girl jumped out. A black haired sixteen-year-old girl that looked oddly enough like...

"Kagome..." Inuyasha whispered, as the girl turned her head to look at her new house, giving him a view of her face.

And in that moment, time stood still.