Heeeey! I'm updating sooner then usual because you guys are all so awesome :) I already reached 80 reviews! So I thought, they deserve an update haha. I also tried to make this chapter longer :) lots of drama in this one guys. Well, kinda...you'll see. So just sit back and enjoy!

Chapter 11: Unexpected Encounters

Kagome's first thought upon waking up on Saturday morning was that sunlight was streaming through her window. It hadn't been sunny out in a few weeks and she unlocked her window and slid it open. She shivered and realized that while it was sunny, it was still freezing outside. Spring wasn't coming for at least another month. She felt slightly disappointed because winter seemed to be dragging on and on and she was tired of it.

Closing her window, she went to take a shower. As she stood under the warm water and worked shampoo through her hair, she reflected on her decision to go out with Koga today. It had been more of a spur of the moment decision than a carefully thought out one. Plus, she had been so angry with InuYasha that she probably would have agreed to go sky diving with Koga if he had asked her.

InuYasha. They hadn't spoken much since the incident a few nights ago. Reading her letters outloud still stung whenever she thought about it, and part of her also didn't want to be around him because it reminded her he hadn't written any of them. So she had been keeping to herself most nights, staying up in her room and doing homework or flipping through her tv. InuYasha didn't seem to mind; he usually stayed out late or went straight to his room after school.

Kagome sighed. She remembered telling Sango about her date with Koga, and of course her friend had flipped out.

"I didn't know Koga was interested in you!" she had exclaimed, smirking. "When did he ask you out?"

"In a Sweetheart Booth letter," Kagome answered, trying to look indifferent. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to say yes at first though."

"Well, you're lucky. He's almost as popular as InuYasha, and since he's graduating this year, lots of girls are trying to snag a date with him."

Kagome shrugged and absentmindedly twirled a lock of her raven hair. "I figured as much. Ayame seemed really upset when she found out we were going out this weekend. Koga was telling Ginta and Hakkaku about it loudly in student coucil yesterday, and she overheard. She looked like she wanted to cry...she left the room for awhile, and when she came back she didn't really talk to anyone. Hojo overheard too. He didn't look happy either." Kagome bit her lip.

"Well, they can date each other then. You've got Koga!"

Kagome laughed and shook her head. "I don't have anyone. It's just one date. Who knows? Maybe we don't even have anything in common."

Sango put a finger to her lips. "You'll have to call me with the details as soon as you get home from it."

"I will."

Kagome turned off the water in the shower and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her slender body. She had to admit, she was a little nervous. It was the first date she'd ever been on after all.

After blow drying her hair and brushing it out, she opted for a white floral dress with black leggings and a jacket. She slipped her feet into her favorite pair and boots and headed downstairs. As she was checking her makeup in the entry way mirror, she glanced over to see InuYasha coming around the corner from the kitchen.

"Where're you goin?" he asked, trying to sound uninterested.

"Um..." Kagome pondered making something up, but why lie? Her date with Koga would be all over school by Monday morning. "I have a date."

"With who?"

"Koga."

InuYasha's face turned from uninterested to annoyed. "He sent you a letter didn't he? What, are you guys like, together now?"

Kagome put her hands on her hips and frowned. "What does that matter to you?"

"It...doesn't. He's just a player and I think you're being stupid if you want to go out with him." InuYasha crossed his arms defiantly.

"He's not a player!"

"Uh, yeah he is."

"No, he's not. Leave him alone." Kagome felt her cheeks turning red with anger. Why did he always make her so aggravated?

"Why are you defending him?" InuYasha glowered, holding her gaze.

"Because if I remember right, I defended you when Hojo was calling you a player."

InuYasha was silent, and he opened his mouth to say something before closing it again. Finally, he brushed past her and reached for his coat on the coat stand.

"Whatever. I'm meeting up with Miroku. Don't wait up."

He opened the door and a rush of cold air came in, but as quickly as he had opened it, he closed it again, trudging out towards his motorcycle.

xXxXx

"Kagome! Hey, I'm glad you made it. I was beginning to think maybe you wouldn't show."

Koga's face lit up as he jogged towards her, his cheeks pink from the cold, his sky blue eyes reflecting the afternoon sun. Kagome noted again how handsome he was. She waved and gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry for being late. I got kind of...held up."

"It's no problem. You can make it up to me by just having a good day with me."

Kagome smiled. "What do you have planned?"

Koga made a big show of searching in his pocket, retrieving two tickets, and handing them to Kagome. She examined them before saying, "Baseball tickets?"

"My dad works at the stadium. He gets two free tickets every six months, and when I told him about my date with you today, he said I could have them. I hope you like baseball." He grinned.

Kagome looked from the tickets, to him, then back to the tickets. "Oh," was all she said.

Koga sensed she wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea. "Or, we could do something else," he said quickly, shrugging. "There's ice skating on the other side of town until dusk. Or we could just see a movie. I wasn't sure what you like to do so I looked up a few different things." He gave her a sheepish look and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Kagome swallowed and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I do like baseball and I think it's sweet you went to all that effort. It's just...my father used to take me to baseball games when I was a little girl."

The blue-eyed boy gave her a confused look. "Oh? I don't quite understand..."

"It's just hard for me to think about things we used to do together. He loved baseball. He..." she paused, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. "...he passed away recently. The pain is still very fresh."

Koga looked as though he'd just been hit by a bus. "Kagome, I...I had no idea...I'm sorry." He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "If I had known..."

She shook her head again, a sad smile on her lips. "You had no way of knowing that. It's not your fault. Both my parents were killed in a car accident at the beginning of this year. That's why I transferred to Tokyo High School."

Koga was speechless. And why wouldn't he be? Finding out your date's parents had both died less than 2 months ago would leave anyone at a loss for words. But to her surprise, Koga took her hand and gave her a kind look.

"We don't have to go Kagome. We'll do anything else you want."

"No, I want to go. It would be nice... it would bring back some good memories," she said quietly, trying to smile. "Let's go."

"Okay." Koga took the tickets and returned her smile. "But I'll do my best to make it unforgettable."

xXxXx

Trying to balance her hot dog and soda in one hand, while readjusting her knit cap in the other, Kagome took her seat in the stands beside Koga. They had relatively good seats; there was a nice view of the field, and they were sitting near the left side of the diamond. As they waited for the game to start, Koga chatted about how he loved baseball but never really got an opportunity to play.

"In fall, I'm captain of the football team. In winter, I'm captain of the basketball team. And then in spring, I'm captain of the cross country team. Spring is also baseball season, but my passion is cross country, so I've never been able to join the baseball team," he was telling her, sipping his soda.

She nodded and listened to him explain how the basketball season was going this year. But as she was listening her gaze started drifting off down the stands...

And her eyes made contact with someone who had been watching her.

Someone she had never met, yet recognized immediately.

The man from the bus.

He was sitting a few rows down from them, just watching her, a malicious look on his pale face. His long, brown hair was tied back in a low ponytail and he smirked when their eyes met. Kagome felt sick to her stomach.

"Um, Koga, will you excuse me for a minute? I need to use the restroom." Kagome said in a rushed voice, standing and hurrying up the aisle. She followed the restroom signs she'd seen early and they led her down a long hallway to the ladies restroom. She pushed her way in and locked herself in a stall.

Sitting down on the toliet seat, she took a few deep breaths and put her head in her hands. What was he doing here? Was he following her? Stalking her? Who was he? She had so many questions and all of them she felt she wouldn't want to know the answer to. He looked like a bad person, one she shouldn't ever associate with.

She was grateful that no one else was in the restroom. She unlocked the door, came out of her stall and crossed over to one of the many sinks. She patted her face with some cool water, then washed her hands. She would just ignore him...yeah, that's what she would do. And avoid him. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

As she came out of the bathroom, however, she immediately knew her last thought was dead wrong. It was no coincidence. He was standing right there, in front of her, so close she almost ran into him on her way out. A surprised gasp escaped her lips and she backed against the concrete wall.

"Hello," the man said in a deep, almost mocking voice. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you."

"U-Um, someone's waiting for me-" Kagome tried to walk away but the man grabbed her wrist and held her to the wall, bringing his face close to hers. He smiled his devilish smile and shook his head.

"Now you're not being very polite," he said in a low voice, holding her gaze. "I said I just wanted a word with you. It won't take long."

Kagome felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her blood rushed wildly through her veins and her head pounded, yet she couldn't move. She was too frightened to try to run, and they were far enough down the hallway that it would be hard to notice them unless you intended to use the restrooms.

"Please," she practically squeaked out, tears forming in her eyes. "Just let me go."

"I can't do that. I didn't have a chance to speak with you last time we met. Remember? On the bus." When Kagome's eyes widened, so did his smile. "I knew you'd remember. Now, why don't we go somewhere more private to talk-"

"HEY!"

Before Kagome knew what was happening, the man was being pulled off of her and thrown into the opposite wall. She immediately sank to her knees and started crying, not caring who saw or who was there. She felt two arms wrap around her shoulders, and a voice she recognized well was whispering to her.

"Kagome. Kagome? Are you okay? What did he do to you?" InuYasha was asking worriedly, gently squeezing her shoulders. "Did he hurt you?"

When she didn't respond, he stood and glared daggers at the man across from him, who was still smirking and looking amused.

"Hey! What the hell did you think you were doing to her?" InuYasha spat, taking a step closer. "I ought to kill you right here, right now."

The man laughed mockingly, his dark eyes dancing with pleasure. "I don't think that will be necissary, InuYasha. I was just taking my leave." He turned and started walking away. Just like that. But before he was completely gone, he looked over his shoulder and called, "We'll talk again my dear. Count on it." He winked before vanishing completely.

InuYasha growled, deep and menacing, and he looked as though he were debating whether to go after him.

Kagome felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked over to see Miroku giving her a kind smile. "You're okay now. But are you alright?" he asked carefully, helping her to her feet.

She was shaking uncontrollably, images of what might have happened racing through her mind. "I-I think so," she lied.

InuYasha turned around to look at her, and when she glanced up at him through swollen eyes he wrapped his arms around her again.

"You're safe now. You're safe," he whispered, placing his hand on the back of her head as she sobbed into his shoulder. They stayed like that for awhile; Kagome wasn't sure how long. The next thing she knew, she heard footsteps and Koga's voice echoing down the hallway.

"Kagome? What's going on?" he asked in a confused tone, looking from her, to InuYasha, to Miroku. "Why are you with these two?"

She tried to wipe her eyes but knew they were still puffy and red. "A man attacked me. He pushed me against the wall and InuYasha and Miroku saved me." She indicated the two men beside her.

Koga's expression changed to one of anger. "What? Someone attacked you? Who was it?"

"I don't know," she admitted, biting her lip. "He was a stranger. But...he knew your name, InuYasha." She looked at the silver-haired boy, furrowing her brow. "How did he know your name?"

InuYasha shrugged. "I have no idea. I've never seen him before either."

Miroku put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Maybe he's one of the men you stole a girlfriend from. Or a wife."

Seeing the horror on Kagome's face, InuYasha immediately took a swing at Miroku, who ducked easily. "You retard! No he wasn't!"

"It was merely a joke."

"Anyway," Koga said impatiently, crossing his arms. "What are you guys even doing here?"

"InuYasha's father has season passes but he never uses them," Miroku answered simply. "Sometimes we come if we get bored. And we were walking by on our way to the concessions when InuYasha recognized Kagome's outfit, so we came down to see what was going on."

"Yeah, good thing too," InuYasha added.

"Well, Kagome, are you sure you're alright? Do you still want to watch the game?" Koga touched her arm tenderly, and Kagome noticed InuYasha's expression of disdain.

"Um, actually Koga, I think I just want to go home," Kagome said quietly, looking at the ground. "I just don't feel like watching the game anymore."

Koga nodded. "I understand. Just let me get my things and I'll-"

"No!" Kagome said quickly, waving her hands in front of her. "I don't want you to miss the game on my account. Stay. I'll find a way home."

"Kagome, no-"

"I'll take you," InuYasha piped up, fishing around in his pocket for his keys. "I was gonna go home anyways. Miroku's more into these things than I am."

"It's true," Miroku sighed.

"Would you?" Kagome asked, adjusting the purse on her shoulder.

"Now hold on," Koga said. "If anyone is taking you home, it's me."

"Koga, stay," Kagome said firmly. "I know how much you love baseball. We'll go out again soon okay? I promise."

Koga still didn't look happy about it, but he eventually sighed and nodded his consent. As Kagome and InuYasha were about to leave, Koga shouted, "I expect it to be soon though!"

"Yeah, yeah," she heard InuYasha mutter bitterly.

xXxXx

When they got home, Kagome went upstairs and took a long, hot bath. She tried not to think about what had happened earlier, and instead dwell on the fact that at least now she and InuYasha were speaking again. She couldn't help but smile a little when she remembered the way he had protectively wrapped his arms around her, as if shielding her from anything that wanted to harm her.

She stepped out of the bath and put on a fluffy pink robe, then braided her hair. Going downstairs, she walked into the kitchen to find InuYasha hovering over the stove, looking aggravated.

"Aargh!" he yelled, backing away from the burning stove, waving his right hand around. "It burned me!"

"Here," Kagome said quickly, taking his hand and running cold water over it from the sink. "Leave it under the water for a minute."

As he obeyed, she went to the freezer and found a pack of frozen peas. She took his hand again and placed the peas in it, telling him to sit at the table.

"What were you doing?" she asked, observing the pot on the stove and turning it down to low.

"I was trying to make dinner," he admitted in a somewhat embarrassed voice, looking at the table. "I figured you wouldn't want to tonight, so I just thought I would."

"You were making dinner for me?"

"Uh-huh."

Despite herself, a smile spread across Kagome's lips. It had to be the single cutest thing she had ever seen. InuYasha knew how exhausting her day had been, and how shaken up she was, and so he had been trying to make dinner for her. He continued to surprise her...in the sweetest ways.

"Thank you InuYasha. That was so thoughtful of you."

"Yeah, well, it's turning out to be a failed effort," he muttered.

"I'll tell you what," Kagome said, sitting across from him at the table. "How about tonight we order pizza and rent a movie, and tomorrow I'll teach you how to make something. Deal?"

InuYasha looked relieved and grinned. "Deal."

As she was stood up to go get the phone, a thought suddenly struck her and she turned around to face him again.

"InuYasha...thank you for coming to my rescue today."

He met her gaze with a serious expression; the same one he had given her the day he'd chased her to the swing set.

"I promised you I always would, didn't I?"

xXxXx

I thought this chapter up at work a couple days ago, and just had to type it up right away! Okay, not right away but still...lol. And that ending just seemed too good not to write while it was in my head! Tell me what you think k? :)

It's past midnight and I'm sooo tired so I'll thank my reviewers next chapter alright? But just know I LOVE YOU ALL and appreciate every last one of your reviewers! You make writing so rewarding! :)