"Hey where do you want me to put this Hinoko?"

He held out a big black box so Hinoko could see.

"Oh, you could just set that on the top shelf by the window," answered Hinoko.

It was a cold winter day like the past week, since winter vacation started. There was snow all over and a light, cold breeze blew by every now and then.

"Hey," yelled Hinoko through the wall that seperated them, "Where did you put the white box with black lace tied around it?"

"Uh...oh! I put that next to those jars," said the man, quickly lifting up his hat to scratch his ears, then adjusting it back on his head.

"Hey, Inuyasha, what do you say we go get some breakfast?" asked Hinoko.

"Sounds good!" answered Inuyasha.

((aahhh i've been waiting to announce that!!!))

Inuyasha finished moving the boxes to their right places, when he slipped his gloves over his hands, walking out to the cold. he slid the door to the shrine shut and waited for Hinoko.

Just then Hinoko walked out wearing a black coat and gloves.

"Ok, so where to now?" asked Inuyasha putting his hands into his pockets.

"How about we go into town and get something to eat? Theres this really good restaraunt there--"

"Anythings fine with me," Inuyasha cut him off as his stomach growled.

"Ok," laughed Hinoko, "Just dont hurt me." Joked Hinoko.

They walked into town-a lot smaller than Kagome's- and passed small shops; cafes, toy stores, clothes stores, ect.

Inuyasha could smell all the different types of foods around him as they entered the "food" kind area in the town.

"Ah! There it is!" said Hinoko as his stomach, too, growled.

He pointed to a small building towards the end of the street, showing Inuyasha.

"I'm so hungry!" moaned Hinoko as if he hadn't eaten for days.

"This stuff smells great!" exclaimed Inuyasha, already standing in front of the restaraunt, looking through the window, "Hurry up, Hinoko! I'm starving!"

Hinoko giggled, "Ok, ok!" he walked at a more fast pace, trying to catch up with Inuyasha.

It had been a week since Inuyasha had started working at Hinoko's shrine. When he first arrived in the town, he couldn't pick up Kagome's scent whatsoever. He wasn't going to give up looking for her, but he knew he had to make smart decisions on what he was going to do so he could acheive that goal. His immediate thought was to get a "Job" and inch his way from there.

"Aaaah!" said Hinoko sitting down in the boothe, "so what are you going to get?"

"Huh?" said Inuyasha, just staring at him like he was crazy.

"What are you going to get for breakfast?"

Hinoko picked up his menu and waved it in front of his face.

"Uh...um..."

Inuyasha didn't have a clue. He didn't know how Kagome's era-or what he hoped was Kagome's era-worked.

Hinoko opened up the menu, realizing that Inuyasha didn't understand a single thing he was talking about. He showed him the different foods that he could have. Inuyasha was amazed, that he could have whatever he wanted to eat for breakfast.

"Hmm..." said Inuyasha deep in thought, "I guess I'll have those 'pancake' things or whatever they're called."

"Ok," said Hinoko speaking to the waitress, "I guess I'll have the same thing."

The waitress walked off and left the two of them sitting in the boothe. Hinoko looked out the window, watching the cars pass by. All the smells from the restaraunt made Inuyasha nausious.

"So how old are you?" asked Hinoko. They had talked some the past week but not a lot.

"Um..." said Inuyasha thinking, "17."

"Really?" asked Hinoko surprised, "So you're still in school?"

"Uh, yeah," said Inuyasha, "You?"

"Oh, I'm only 16, but I'll be 17 in a couple of months."

'Thats right,' thought Inuyasha, 'Kagome is 16 also...'

"So you have a school thingy around here?" asked Inuyasha.

"Theres a couple, but I go to a high school in Tokyo. Theres a lot more people there."

Tokyo, Tokyo, why did the name Tokyo seem so familiar to Inuyasha? Ah well.

"I'm kinda new there, but theres a girl na--" Hinoko was cut off.

"Heres your food sir," said the waitress, handing each their plate, "anything else you need?"

"No thats okay," replied Hinoko.

Inuyasha grabbed the fork ((i kno i kno "where are the chopsticks?!" well dont ya think itd be kinda hard to eat pancakes with chopsticks?)) and started poking the pancake with it. He sniffed it, not aware that Hinoko was staring at him.

Hinoko didn't think anything of it, so he just giggled. He seemed like a very open and understanding person, even when things weren't explained. In this case; the fact that Inuyasha was sniffing the pancake.

"So, what brings you to a small town like this?" asked Hinoko, after swallowing a bite of his food.

"Well..." said Inuyasha, while there was still food stuffed in his mouth, "I'm kinda...I'm kinda searching for someone..."

Inuyasha couldn't hide the fact that he was looking for someone, but it almost seemed like it was a secret.

"Searching for someone?" asked Hinoko, staring curiously, "as in work or like a friend?"

"Well, I guess more of a friend..." said Inuyasha starting to daze off, "Shes more...than...a friend..." he said slowly looking at his plate, deep in thought.

"More than a friend?" asked Hinoko confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean shes more like a friend..." said Inuyasha quickly correcting himself.

"You said 'Shes more than a friend'," smiled Hinoko, suspiciously, "Do you love her?"

"What?! I did not! I said 'shes more like a friend'!" said Inuyasha defensively.

"Okay, okay," said Hinoko smiling.

They sat in silence for a few moments while they ate. Hinoko was too curious though, he wasn't going to give up until he knew a little about this mysterious girl.

"What does she look like?" asked Hinoko, setting his fork down.

"Why should I tell you?" replied Inuyasha, food still in his mouth.

"I just want to know a little about this girl!" said Hinoko, excitedly.

"Feh, fine," sighed Inuyasha, swallowing his food.

Hinoko smiled, in victory.

"Well..." said Inuyasha thinking, "Shes got dark brown hair...and dark brown eyes..."

"And?"

"...And shes got this smile that never fails to make you smile, no matter how much you dont want to..." Inuyasha started dazing off again, thinking about Kagome, "...shes the most beautiful girl I've ever met...and shes 16..."

Hinoko realized that Inuyasha must've been in love with this girl...or still is...

"You must be in love with this girl."

Inuyasha didn't say anything, it was true and he wasn't going to deny it.

"Can I ask you something?" said Hinoko staring at Inuyasha long hair.

"What?"

"Why is your hair so long?"

"Huh?! What kind of question is that?!"

"I don't know...Its just that I haven't really seen someone with such long hair."

"Whats wrong with that?!"

"Oh nothing," sighed Hinoko, "How about I take you to get your hair trimmed a bit?"

"What?! Why?!" said Inuyasha, grabbing his hat to make sure no one was going to take it off to reveal his dog ears.

"Just come on!" Hinoko jumped up and started for the door after leaving the money on the table.

"No way!!" said Inuyasha standing up and following Hinoko out the door, holding his hat tightly in place.

"Why not?" said Hinoko disappointed.

"Because I said so!"

"Fine," Hinoko sighed.

They walked back down the street and to Hinoko's house. Hinoko kept nagging Inuyasha about cutting his hair and didn't stop. When they got back to the house they went inside to the warmth and relaxed. Inuyasha was staying in a spare bedroom at Hinoko's house after explaining that he had no where to stay.

When Inuyasha got into his room he layed down on the bed and closed his eyes. His body ached from all of the work they had done earlier that morning. Before he knew it he was asleep.

Everything was black, then a light shone through a glass window. Inuyasha was sitting in the front seat of a car that was driving through a town. He looked into nights sky and saw no moon. He saw buildings, and other cars pass by. Then he saw a big park with rows and rows of chairs that had people sitting in them. He heard a loud screech and saw a flash of bright lights through the window that suddenly broke. Then he woke up.

Inuyasha was sweating where he lay. He was trying to remember the little that happened in that dream...or that nightmare. When he opened his eyes, the room was dim and the only light shone through the door, from the hallway. Hinoko came running in shortly thereafter, flipping on the lights.

"Is something wrong Inuyasha?" asked Hinoko with a worried look on his face.

"What happened?" asked Inuyasha not quite sure why Hinoko had ran in the room.

"I heard you yelling..." said Hinoko still worried, "...you were just...yelling..."

"I was?" asked Inuyasha wiping the sweat off his face.

'Why was I yelling?' thought Inuyasha '...in the dream...I was in my human form...'

"I'm okay..." said Inuyasha reassuringly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine..."

"Okay..." said Hinoko.

"Is it already dark outside?" asked Inuyasha looked to the window.

"Yeah, you've been asleep for quite a while," said Hinoko looking at his watch, "Its already Eight..."

"Oh..." said Inuyasha laying back down, "Whatever that means" he whispered to himself.