A/N: Inuyasha disclaimer: I birdhummingalong solemnly disclaim Inuyasha.

O.O

The smoke and dust powdering the air cast his face in a foggy, dreamy shadow, but to her it seemed that his physic as a whole remained untouched by it. As if he were too powerful for the tainting smoke to even graze.

It couldn't be him her mind cried frantically. How could he be here? Did he find my well? It had never been mentioned to her by her family that a boy with white hair had been poking around it, she didn't understand how he was here. She slammed her eyelids tight together. As if they could shut out the crazy scenario if she only squeezed them hard enough. This is all just my imagination, he is just a mirage created by the smoke. He is not real. When I open my eye's…he will be gone.

She took a deep calming breath and began to open her eyes, only to be knocked down by a heavy force.

Crap

She fell, landing hard on the packed dirt of the village's dusty road. Pain laced up her side where she had fallen and leached in spasms all the strength out of her body. Faint, she propped herself up on her elbow and looked weekly towards were the blow had come from.

Her view of the hell hound was blocked, by him. He was holding a large sword, shaped and branded like a great ivory tooth. It gleamed, illuminating the smoke into eerie sparkles as it struck the great hell bitch. Kagome gasped in surprise, causing her to suck up musky dust as the Hell Hound evaporated into a defeated mist. She coughed, grasping at her bruised chest, and looked up. He was still there, he was real.

He was looking at her.

But it wasn't him, or at least it couldn't be. Because the Inuyasha she knew was not this strong and did not have such an exquisite sword, or a sword at all for the matter. But Inuyasha could very well be strong, know how to yield a sword, and just be hiding it from everyone in the future. Like how she hid her miko powers. But that didn't seem like something Inuyasha would do. It seemed like something he would want to flaunt it in everyone's gaping faces. She smirked, she could just imagine him swinging the big heavy sword around at school. Knocking desks over with it, and laughing. Challenging Koga with it. Striking poses with it. Slicing logs for the bonfire with it, and chopping up vegetables with it… well the last one was a bit excessive.

There were many stupid things she could imagine him doing with it, because Inuyasha enjoyed doing stupid things. Men enjoyed doing stupid things...something about high testosterone levels taking over their body's, her mother had once said.

But then she remembered the night before at the bonfire, his gentle eyes and strong safe arms. And she thought well maybe this hunk of brave and hero could be Inuyasha. But then she also got a lovely visual of him slurping ramen. No, she thought this could not be Inuyasha. Again she looked up at him.

He was smirking. A smirk that looked very, very familiar to Kagome

–It was him, she just knew it!

Inuyasha was five hundred years in the past. He had just defeated a gigantic Hell Hound Bitch with a giant shiny tooth like sword that could very well parallel the weight of an African elephant. And he was just standing there, smirking at her like as if he had just done the most awesome, manly thing in the world. It was an almost taunting smile, like he didn't even recognize that it was just weak helpless Kagome on the ground he had shone up, not a rival.

Her heart squeezed. She began to hyperventilate, did he recognize her? Fabric slid soothingly across her lips and chin as her jaw moved up and down with her frantic, heavy breathing. What if he recognized her, what would she do? Say? And then she realized it. He couldn't recognize her because of her veil. Well she was at quite an advantage here. For all she knew he could be some super evil ancestor of Inuyasha's. Come to find out her identity, kill her, and then travel back the future through her well to tell the real Inuyasha about it. Right? –Okay, so that was also far fetched. She didn't have time to reflect on it though. Her body gave out, as darkness's thick wooly blanket bundled her.

She had fainted.

O.O

Aww crap, she fainted. Damn, it was a totally clishe move, all the freaking damsels in distress do it Inuyasha thought gloomily, dropping his now small and rusty sword into its sheath. And just when he was about shove the fact that he had saved her priestly ass in her face. Out at the most inoportune of moments! But he began to soften his wratj as he looked at her sprawled helplessly on the ground. She must have been using a lot of purifying power to tucker out so bad. And he was right, the beast had already been more than half defeated when he had arrived, it only needed one small finishing slice from him to end its life.

Although he was still confused as to why she had frozen. One minute she had blue and green rays whipping the monster, and the next she had all colors previously streaming from her fingers, diluting slowly into the smoke as she stared at him, totally spooked. Was he really that amazing of a sight? he didn't have time to wonder just then she had done the most stupid and careless thing a person could do during a battle, she had closed her eyes, just as the beasts smoldering paw was headed straight for her. He had no choice but to knock her down out of the way, and defeat the Hell Hound himself. It seemed like she took a pretty hard fall though...now that he thought about it. And he was a bit upset that he hadn't been gentler with her, but hey, at least she wasn't a pile of ash.

What he really wanted to know was he wanted to know where the hell had the hell hounds come from? Heh, pun. But he couldn't ask her that question until she woke up...He looked around quickly, checking to see if anyone was watching. Hmm, no one, It looked like the whole town had evacuated. He then scooped her up carefully in his arms and ran back to Kaede. The feeling of her light weight in his arms taunting dejavu into throwing tiny little pins angrily at his head. He did not notice them at all. He ran straight for his home.

O.O

Green, brown, and many other tiny sparks of color flew in great blurs past Kagome as she listened to the faint pat of feet, and crunching leaves and twigs. She lay confused and dazed for a moment before looking up at her holder. Golden eyes, silver hair… she gasped as memories attacked her throbbing skull. Not strong enough to withstand the heavy pressure on her forehead, she allowed darkness to rap its heavy vines around her ankles and pull her back under.

O.O

"No I will not allow it!"

"WHY THE HELL NOT?"… "wait… WHO DO YOU THINKS IN CHARGE HERE?"

The yelling soon reached Kagome's ears, slightly muffled by blankets. She was just so tired. Why couldn't they shut up and let her sleep? She began to open her warm, heavy lids, only to quickly realize that the shouting had stopped and let them fall shut. Maybe they were done yelling now…and she could sleep. She loosened her tense shoulders as she began to relax and fall…fall..

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"—" Anonymity is a right of the Miko's, it is against the law for you to take off her veil!"

Kagome flinched at the blaring, intrusive sound inching her slowly awake.

"She is in my care, and my castle…"—" Aren't you even curious about what kind of face is under that frilly thing.?"

Kagome had had enough. She was dead tired, and they were disturbing her sleep! She had almost returned to her previous slumber, but was interrupted by two loud, aggravating voices. Again.

"SHUT UP!" she half yelled, half mumbled. Her bubble of happy warm unawareness burst brutally. She rolled over onto her side clutching a pillow to her chest. Only to squeake and frantically fling herself back into her previous position as she felt heat flare up her side. She rubbed her soar side as hot tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes, but did not flow. That had really hurt.

Two heads peered around the edge of the door frame and then disappeared unoticed by Kagome nursing her side. Anxious loud whispers reached Kagome from the other side of the wall and she ridirected her head quickly to catch small glimpses of wildly gesturing arms. "Toto" she whispered conspiratorially to herself, "I don't think were in Kansas anyomore."

"She is awake!"… "What do we do?" A male voice whined.

"This is silly, we walk in there and ask her how she is feeling" a grandmotherly voice echoed.

They were not getting any quieter… Kagome groaned into her pillow.

" ..what if she thinks we kidnapped her?"

She sat up quickly, had she been kidnapped?

Naw… She relaxed back into her pillows. Then why was she here? Heat, smoke and a beast…golden eyes… pain up her side…a smirk…running feet, and warm arms. All these things flashed across her mind. And she realized that this must be the "Inuyasha imposter's" house. And, she found,Oddly enough, that she felt at ease and not the least bit shocked.

She hopped off the bed, her bare feet landing with a small smack on the floor. Its chill spiking up her feet like angry ice out for revenge.

"G-GAHHH" she yelped, trying to hide her discomfort. Her head rotated around, scanning the room. Royal blue draped around the windows, and dark purple silk lined the bed. It was beautiful, she was somewhere definitely well off.

"Were did the bitch dogs come from?" a forceful male voice demanded. Kagome looked down at her feet to see a shadow growing towards them, she then looked at the door to see Inuyasha stride in.

"Hell Hounds" she whispered looking down again…it felt weird, having him talk to her like he didn't know her. She was actually sad that he evidently didn't know her well enough to be able to recognize her form, veil or no veil.

"I ASKED YOU—" began impatiently, not hearing her nearly none existant whisper in his heated rage.

Anger at his rude impatience grew stronger than the sadness as she retorted loudly. " I said they are Hell Hounds! Not hell bitches, or hell bastards, or whatever you call them." She turned to give him a chilled glare.

He stopped moving forward and just stared eerily at her, his head cocked to the side like a confused dog…(huh, ironic.)

Uh oh, she froze, she had said too much, he knew it was her… she needed to change her voice… or something.

"Umm…well I better get back to the village!" she said, her voice now an octave higher than normal. She sounded a bit like olive from popeye. Ughn, not attractive.

"After mom and dad died." she continued with a sigh, bowing her head in mock reverence, "May they rest in peace." She gave a small sniffle as she began walking toward the door, edging around him as he remained dumbstruck. "Kagura, the demon slayer of the air, has been taking care of me. She must be terribly worried."

She was almost past the threshold when she turned to be met by two soft brown eyes in an old feminine weather beaten face.

"I'm sorry Priestess Kago-ao-koke" the friendly face that was blocking her path to freedom said.

"Please, call me Kago" Kagome blurted automatically without thinking. Omg…is it too close to my name? She thought terrified, looking back at Inuyasha's ever remaining puzzled face. Had she just given herself away?

"Kago, in your condition," the old woman continued without skipping a beat. And kogome bounced her skeptical glance back to her. "I'm sorry to say that it is not safe for you to travel back to the south by yourself in your condition."

This was not good. Her parent's would be so worried if she didn't come home, they might not let her come back. "I really appreciate you helping me…" she wasn't sure what the old woman's name was.

"It's Kaede"

"Kaede, but I really have to get back…" she pressed.

"I'll accompany her" Inuyasha was now facing them, finally out of his "huh?" Stage, his eyes set expectantly on Kaede.

Kaede cleared her throat. "Ah yes this is Lord Inu, he brought you here when you fainted in the battle with the Hell Hound."

Well duh, Kagome had already gathered that much. But at least the lady was civil. She couldn't quite say the same for- wait, Lord?

"Least you could do is thank me for saving your sorry ass." Inuyasha added haughtily, quirking an eyebrow.

Kagome was fuming… Lord Inu huh? He was way to rude to be a Lord! So she remained sceptical of that. But there were two things she was sure of. One, he was definitely Inuyasha. And two, she needed to get back and he was her only way. She gave a brief glance to his cocky stance and raised her brow.

But he was so IR-A-TAT-ING! "No way, am I going back with him!" she barked as she stomped her way out the door. Her steps quieting as she tuned down a second hall, and then came to a complete stop as she realized that she was lost.

"Ya lost huh?" she turned to see Inuyasha leaning comfortably against the wall beside her, addressing her with steady, sure eyes. She flinched like a startled bird, how was he so damn sneaky?

"No… I was just admiring your—" she looked around the cold stone corridor. "—um tastefully decorated halls." She quirked an eyebrow to add some jazz to her sarcastic statement. And with that she began to walk away. No way was she staying to talk to some Lord jerk.

"You're going the wrong way."

She stopped, shrugging he rshoulders. He was probably right. He did live here after all. Or, if her assumption was correct, lived here part time. "Fine, lead the way."

"You have to say the magic words first."

"Please?" she tried.

"I said words not word."

Alright, this was going to take some effort. She laced her fingers together and held them dramatically to her chest, looking up at him with big eyes and pouting lips…not that he could even see her lips, she was just getting into character.

"Would you please show me the way out?" she stressed the word please as she sauntered close, fluttering her glossing eyes in mock helplessness. She leaned up against him, "I would really appreciate it." She gave a big grin, so he could see the smile lines form on the rims of her pleading eyes.

"Umm" his chest more than his throat rumbled. Suddenly a bit confused he backed up against the wall. "You were going the right way, I just wanted to see you squirm." He admited before he had even realized it. How the hell did she do that? Didn't matter, time to get going. He coughed looking away and began to walk towards the exit, knowing she'd maybe he should tell her his intentions, before she magically pulled them out of him, that is.

Scratching the back of his head nervously, he looked back where she stood oddly dumbstruck. " I'll… take you home" and then he disappeared around the corner. Hoping that she hadn't seen him blush.

Wow she thought, still shocked. she put a hand on her hip as she cocked her head to the side, watching him walk away. He had actually out smarted her. But what a rascal making her think she was going the wrong way just to get her to say please! She didn't even have to get into helpless sweet maiden mode. She had been looking forward to playing that character. She should have just walked away. She could have won! Dam it!

His head reappeared with a pop from behind the wall, "You coming?" he asked.

"Umm" she looked around, gathered her skirts and ran after him. She would get him back…somehow.

But somehow she found herself smiling. So she carefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as their figures rounded a corner and walked out the door. Fading into the blinding sunlight, rare to the late afternoon.

O.O

"So" Kagome started, drawing her fingers languidly along the ruff underside of a tree branch as she ducked neatly under it. "What do you like to do in your free time? You know when you're not running the North…"

This was perfect, she could ask him anything and act anyway she wanted. He didn't know who she was…and really how was he supposed to answer that question. What would he say? Would he say; um yeah, I go to a school 500 years in the future, where I torture my friends by stealing there chocolate, and then I get food made in these awful things called cafeterias were I eat like a pig and then I… Yep she could have a lot of fun with this. However, his honest responce surprized her.

"I like to travel and chart out the North, I'm working on a map of it. I'm only half way through though." He was looking at her, his hand frozen on a branch he had been moving out of the way.

Her frigid heart melted, his reply felt honest to her even though she knew he wasn't telling her everything. Right then and there she made a fleeting decision. And beaming she skipped ahead of him stopping just a few feet ahead to beckon him closer.

Puzzled, and not sure what she was up to, he walked over to her. She held out a hand for him. He took it, and felt her squeeze his lightly, this was weird. He barely knew this chick and she was already getting pretty...friendly. He watched anxiously for clues as to her intent.

She inhaled a deep breath of the forest, water, and plants that surrounded them. Kagome let the sounds of chorusing birds and persistent winds pooling through the leaves reach her ears, as she searched for one distant sound she knew very well. "I think maybe you should map in some places in the south." She suggested lightly, turning her head away from him as she found the sound she was looking for. " Let me show you a place more than good enough for your map." And then they were off and running, an eager and only slightly limping Kagome pulling an anxious and confounded Inuyasha by the hand through the forest.

Her eyebrows pushed downward in concentration as their fleeting steps echoed off the trees and shook the ground. She had decided that she wouldn't try and get back at him, that she would just try and have fun with him instead. He had opened up a little to her and she would do the same for him, except more.

Kagome led them through a wall of vines, hanging like a thick twining curtain off of the surrounding trees. She pulled back a section, not even blinking at the incredible density it held.

Behind the first segment of vines there were more vines and after that even more vines. As they began to walk through them, the layers of vines never seemed to thin. But Kagome kept on steady, not even commenting on the green tweed ropes that seemed to go on forever. She acted as if possessed by something strong and beguiling behind the wall calling her forward at all costs.

The suspense was killing Inuyasha.

"Uh priestess Kago…does it ever sto—p" Inuyasha cut his steps short. He could hear the sound of running water as the priestess pulled back the last thicket of the vines, giving him a wide view of several small pools of water surrounding a large pool at the center.

Hot water poured in the form of a waterfall and rolled from high up into the middle pool. Sending the frothing water from the large pool lightly over the edges in small little water falls of its own into the smaller pools. Steam rolled off the top of the water like smoke off of flames.

The water was a different color of blue in every pool. Some a deep aqua blue and some a more of an emerald or sky blue. Small and simple flowers and intricate exotic flowers traced softly over their edges, along with a delicate green moss that webbed across the stones cracked surface.

Inuyasha couldn't believe he hadn't heard the waterfall before. With his Hanyoi ears, he should have. He thought maybe the thick walls of Ivy had made the place sound proof. After all the place was surrounded by the stuff. But then, how did the Miko find it?

He turned a puzzled grin at her…how had she found it?

She too was smiling at him, he could see the crinkling around her eyes. "Do you like it?" Came her slightly muffled voice from under the fabric.

He thought it was amazing, but all he did was mumble "uh huh" and then re-glued his eyes upon the mouth watering spectacle. A moment later he felt a shadow fall on him, the Miko had neared his shoulder. "Ya think it might be good enough for your map?" She whispered airily near his delicate, now twitching ears.

"Possibly" he called, breathless in his desire for the beckoning water. He stripped his shoes, sword, and shirt, and dived straight into its overflowing depths.

Kagome raised her eye brows at seeing his smooth, shirtless torso. Her heart beating a little faster than before. It was okay, she could handle it, he was only half naked. But her eye's continued to widen as she took in his strong, masculine arms pushing against the water. His well defined chest and lithe abs pulsing with each stroke through the water. She decided she would just sit and enjoy the view.

The water was hot and smooth, its fresh flower and dewy water scent delectable.

He dived under and then burst up sharply from under the water, throwing his head back and inhaling the deep scent that seemed magnified after entering the pool. He turned his wet head toward the distinct feminine sound of giggles.

Kagome was feeling a bit giddy as she watched him burst from the water like merman. Weird analogy, but really it was a pretty sight. His wet white hair shooting back and clinging to his muscled back, his yellow eyes glowing with content.

The Miko was sitting on the edge of the grotto, her ankles dipping daintily into the water; he didn't understand why she didn't just come in.

She just smiled at him when there eyes met, and then began kicking her feet languidly back and forth.

The sight gave him a comfortable nostalgic feeling, so much so that he started to hum as he flipped onto his back and floated around the pool.

"So how did you discover this place" he asked, while trilling water through his fingers, eyeing the thin green net of vines above him, with shoots of golden light falling through.

She knew he was going to ask this and she had prepared her self, but she still didn't want to tell him.

"I was kind of exploring, just walking around the forest…" she started.

"And?"

She gave him a warning look before she went on. "Well, the forest was so, so peaceful that I… I.." she began fiddling with a piece of moss, avoiding his eager eyes.

"You?" he set himself on his feet and stared expectantly at her. "You what?" She was taking forever to get to the point. But he trying to was be as patient as possible, she better be damn grateful for that.

"I started singing" the words rushed out of her lips like the heated waterfall.

He flipped back onto his back, now officially not that interested on what she had to say next. This story was obviously not going anywhere. But not being able to help his small twinge of curiosity, he asked, "So what does singing have to do with how you found this place?" He gestured lazily with his hands at the paradise.

She glared at his skepticism as she ripped up and threw a piece of moss angrily at him "It has everything to do with how I found this place!"

He lifted his head up and raised an eyebrow doubtfully at her, he didn't see how singing could be that important. but he didn't question her, she was a little crazy after all. however,his temper got the best of him. He was tired of her taking so damn long to get to the point. And he did not like having moss on his nose, he yelled back at her, "Then hurry up and tell the damn storey!"

Her forehead wrinkled in aggravation, but she continued. "So I had been taking a rest by a tree, and had begun singing." She paused and looked around at the scenery, a distant, soft look entering her eyes. "As I was singing, I began to hear the far off sound of a waterfall. Realizing I was actually quite thirsty I followed the sound. And I was so into the song, that I didn't stop singing as I searched for the waterfall." Inuyasha was a little compelled by this, she could hear the waterfall, while he couldn't.

"I found a wall of ivy, and could hear the sound of the waterfall behind it, but not only that, I could hear the sound of all the tiny little waterfalls also, together with the sound of insects and birds, it sounded like one big beautiful song" she sighed at the memory. "So I found my way through the vines, and ended up here." Her eyes returned to the present as they connected with his.

"Now, I don't have to sing to hear the waterfall, I can just hear it if I listen really hard."

Inuyasha didn't say anything, he was too busy trying to figure out the storey she had told him. Singing, really, it made no sense. He, himself had also began to fiddle with the moss that had landed on him, as he thought.

The sound of water being pulled and then dropped somehow managed to reach his ears through his jumbled thoughts. He could see that the sound was the Miko drawing her feet out of the water. "We should go" she said airily, and then danced ahead of him on wet toes to go pick up her bow and arrows.

Inuyasha threw himself out of the water and began to shake himself dry as fast as he could. He hated the feeling of cold air running across wet skin and hair, cold equaled icky.

He stopped shaking though when he saw that the Miko was shaking too. Shaking with laughter.

"What?" he barked, a little disgruntled, now ringing out his wet mop of hair.

"Wet" she gasped, grasping at her stomach, "dog." She hastily wiped the tears of mirth from the corners of her eyes before straightening up and apologizing. " I'm sorry, it's just with those ears, and your hair…and then you started shaking the water off, you just reminded me so much of a wet dog!" she continued chuckling daintily. Although, to her credit, she showed great signs of trying to stop for his prides sake.

Inuyasha was not amused. "Hmph" he grumbled before slapping on his shoes and holster. With bunched fists and a pushed out chest, he made his haughty exit out of the vines.

"Well you have absolutely no sense of humor whatsoever!" she called after him, her arms waving up in exasperation before she also began stomping out.

Inuyasha just smirked behind her as he allowed her to lead the way to her village. He thought she was a very interesting girl and would probably be a lot of fun, and trouble.

He noticed that she seemed to have more energy than before, each step she now took carrying a slight bounce.

He also noticed that a little while after they had left the grotto, he could still hear the waterfall.

O.O

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the sound of clinking silverware and dishes being laid on the dining room table and his nose sniffed at the smell of baking lasagna as he entered his house.

"Inuyasha!" His mother rounded the corner, a strange clanking sound following her with each step. Inuyasha raised a brow as he noticed the sound come form the hands she had set firmly on her hips they were laden with silverware. Evidently he hadn't shut the door quietly enough to be overlooked. "This is the fourth time in a row that you have been gone all day."

Her tone was rough as she nagged him, "you can't just disappear for the whole day and expect me not to worry!" she shook her head at him, her dark, silky locks dancing around her waist. "Your father is not happy."

"I don't see why it matters" he mumbled, pulling out a chair and sitting. "He's never happy about anything I do." He looked down at his plate, to avoid contact with his mothers withering stare. How did she do that? Make him feel like shit when he really wasn't doing anything wrong.

"The lasagna should be ready by now, I'm going to go check on It." She really didn't feel like arguing with him right now. "Would you tell your brother dinner is ready?" she called over her shoulder as she walked back into the kitchen. "And could you try and do it nicely this time, he just got back from the dojo and is probably tired and cranky. I want a nice family dinner tonight."

"Sure" Inuyasha breathed, and then leaned his head towards Sesshomaru's room. "SESSHOMARU…DINER!"

His mother's furious face returned to give him a harsh stare, "Inuyasha!"

"What" he shrugged "you said to do it nicely."

"And you call that nice?" she said as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Yeah…" he propped his foot on the table and began to rock back in his chair. "It's way nicer than what I did last time." He bragged "last time I—oomph—what the hell!"

Sesshomaru had just walked in, grabbed the back of Inuyasha's chair and pulled. Inuyasha was now fuming on the floor while his brother walked silently to his seat.

"What happened?" his mother called from the kitchen.

"Nothing" Inuyasha mumbled, getting up. His eye's narrowed as he sent waves of hate toward his stoic uncaring brother.

O.O

"So, Inuyasha what have you been up to today?" Inuyasha's father asked between a bite of lasagna.

"I don't know, hanged with my friends I guess" he said shrugging. He knew where this was going. And he didn't like it.

"Inuyasha, I don't understand why you have to be so useless. I know that you have fighting ability, it runs in our family." He sighed as he gave his son a disappointed look. "Why don't you join a dojo like your brother? He has won so many trophies; don't you want excel at something?"

Inuyasha growled under his breath, his father was always trying to get him to be like his older brother. His father didn't understand that Sesshomaru was the last person he wanted to be like.

"I know I disappoint you!" he yelled, slamming his fork on the table, suddenly frustrated. He had had a long day.

"If you would just—" his father shouted standing up. But he stopped when he noticed that Inuyasha was no longer in his seat, but half way out the front door.

Inuyasha was silent as he left. He needed to find somewhere quiet to cool off.

As he was walking along the street, he noticed an empty coffee shop called Naraku's Great Coffee Carnival.

Weird name, but it seemed harmless enough.

O.O

Kagome was calmly wiping down the counter when she heard the bell. Someone had entered, she looked up and froze, seeing Inuyasha walk in and sit calmly at a table.

Butterflies flittered about her stomach, how should she react? Did he know that she was the miko? She had just seen him a little while ago, how was she supposed to act like she hadn't seen him since yesterday? How was she supposed to act like she hadn't just shown him one of her most treasured places five hundred years in the past? How was she supposed to pretend that she wasn't angry at him for being rude to her, and happy that he had liked her little paradise? And most importantly, how in the world was she going to be able to hide the blush that crept across her cheeks when ever she thought of him without his shirt on?

Oh god this was tough and he was getting up. He probably wanted to order some coffee. She squeaked as she dropped her towel behind the counter and got down on her hands and knees to "retrieve" it, before he could see her face.

She continued to pretend to search for it, her hands running blindly in front of her over the smooth tile as he made his way to the counter. Hopefully he wouldn't notice she was there, or would give up on getting his order taken when he noticed that she was...slightly indesposed! She was not ready for this confrontation, she needed to at least have a good nights sleep and a hot bath first.

"Ahem" the irritated throat clearing ascended annoyingly from above her. Damn it, he knew she was there. He was getting pretty impatient too it sounded like. She could hear his long finger nails rapping in a stoic beat on the counter top, she rolled her eyes.

Alright then, she cracked her knuckles, her hands still shaking from nervousness. She stood up fast flipping her hair over her shoulder and began tucking straying strands behind her ears. She didn't look up at him as she spoke in a plastic, fake, cheery voice; "Hello welcome to Naraku's…" she then looked up at him, and let the look of confusion and fluster hit her eyes. " Inuyasha!" she gasped, bringing a hand to her chest. "What are you doing here? What a surprise!"

"Kagome?" he raised an eyebrow as his eyes widened also with surprise. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah" she said, "I have to lock myself in a closet half of the time to keep myself from bragging about it." she laughed apprehensively at her sarcasm.

"I haven't seen you all day, why didn't you come to school?"

"Oh" she blushed, now rapping her nails on the counter also, but out of nervousness instead of impatience. "I'm not feeling" she brought her hand to her mouth and gave a meek cough "very well" she lied.

He leaned close and surveyed her with suspicious eyes. "You don't look ill."

She began to sweat lightly, her heart thrumming faster beneath her chest. Oh god she thought, he knew.

Taking in her slightly frazzled condition, her wetting brow, and disdained expression. He scratched his head, "Never mind, you actually don't look all too great."

She narrowed her eyes at that. She couldn't believe he had just told her she didn't look too great, it wasn't something a guy would normally tell a girl. Had he no conscious? This was why she knew they would never get too close, because he had to go and say things like that. He was just too irresponcibly blunt!

"Man, that look is so familiar." She managed to hear Inuyasha's comment through the thick mist of her steaming thoughts. It didn't surprise her that he found the look of her rage so familiar. He ticked her off a lot and so had probably seen the look many a time.

She ignored his comment though and decided to get professional. "What can I get you?"

He stopped his rapping nails, at her words. He though it was funny how he had seen the look now in her eyes also in the veil shadowed eye's of the priestess from the feudal era. In fact they had a lot of similarities.

"I just wanted some water, it's really too late for me to be having coffee."

Odd, those words sounded way too responcible to be leaving Inuyasha's lips. "Uh, sure" she said, still a little awkward and shaky with her words at the possibility of being caught. She threw some ice and water in a cup as she watched him, saunter over to a table and collapse oh so guyishly into the chair. He was supporting his weight on his arms propped on the table, looking down. He seemed to be in deep thought.

Timidly she set the wader on the table, pulled out a chair on the other side of the small round table and sat, studying his unusual seriousness.

His white brow was bent into his glossed golden eyes, tinted with a somber mahogany.

Inuyasha couldn't stop thinking about how angry he was at his father, so he decided to try and figure out the mysterious showing of those hell bitch things. He wondered if maybe Kagome new anything about ancient demons, of course in the sense of them being folklore.

He looked up at her, were she sat studying him, "Hey Kagome?"

"Yeah?" She perked up, she was feeling more at ease sitting down. And was used to being just Kagome to him now.

"Do you know anything about Hell Bitches?" he questioned.

Kagome rolled her eyes," Hell Hounds" she corrected, the words were out of her mouth before she had time to hastily snatch them back. Crap! She gulped.

"Whatever" Inuyasha rolled his eyes also, before he realized who this correction had just come from. "How do you know that?" he demanded, his tone dark and serious. He backed up in his chair, now freaked out.

Kagome's insides were a mess, every fiber of her body vibrating with panic, but she somehow managed to keep a straight face as she though fast. "Uhm, doesn't everyone know that?"

" No Kagome, not everyone knows that." He informed her, leaning forward, a new intensity lighting in the centers of his eyes. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her firmly toward him. The flickering intensity in his eyes, now a large flame of power burning into hers. "Kagome, how did you know that?" his tone now had a slightly furious, panicky edge to it. What was going on?

O.O

A/N: Oh my, does Inuyasha know? Is Kagome caught? Will she finally tell him the truth?

So much drrrama!

Well anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter, Please let me know if you enjoyed this one!