The rest of the weekend went by quickly. Sango had come home early Saturday morning after a long night dancing with Miroku. She had been in a sappy romantic daze ever since. It was good though. It kept Kagome distracted from her own romantic issues. The word 'Friends' reverberated in her head. Constantly she thought about shaking his hand and the sad look in his eye before Kikyo's voice called him back into 'Dansu Dansu'. He had looked at her for one short moment before hurrying back to Kikyo's side. It had stung, but she shrugged it off. She had no right to feel pain because of him. Inuyasha had done nothing wrong. Kagome, on the other hand, felt as if she had come way, way, too close to kissing Inuyasha. Way too close to betraying Koga who was nothing but good to her.
So it was a good thing, not just for Sango, but for Kagome that the rest of the weekend they only talked about school, homework, and Miroku. Kagome couldn't be happier for her best friend. Sango hadn't had that much fun in so long. Kagome could tell that Sango was falling fast and hard for Miroku. She really hoped it went well. Koga had texted her a few times too, but the amount seemed to be dwindling. Kagome thought that maybe he was just having pre-engagement jitters too. But she couldn't be sure.
He was still the same loving and affectionate Koga, but he was claiming work had picked up and thus that was why she hadn't heard from him as much. Maybe it had. It was a weird mix of relief and pain when her phone didn't beep before bed with a goodnight message from him. Her feelings were a big jumbled mix. She hated it. By the time Monday rolled around Sango had an official date set up with Miroku for the following Saturday and Kagome was a bundle of nerves to see Inuyasha in person again.
The morning went by fast. Her alarm blared and she rolled over to turn it off before scurrying off to the toilet. Sango was downstairs already as per usual but she had a hot breakfast waiting for Kagome. She managed to get a little bit extra reading done before she had to run out the door. It was rainy today so she had her umbrella out. She walked slowly, enjoying the smell of the fresh rain, when the beep of her phone made her jump. She finished walking across the courtyard and shook her umbrella off before stepping into the building and checking her phone.
Koga: {Good morning sweetheart. I miss you. Sorry for my absence. Work was crazy.}
Kagome smiled down at her phone as she walked into the classroom and took her seat. She barely even registered when Inuyasha slid into the seat beside her.
Kagome: {I understand. I know work must get crazy sometimes. I hope it wasn't too hard on you. I hope you didn't have to put any down. I know how much you hate that…}
Kagome: {You still looking forward to Kozue?}
Kagome flipped open her notebook and took out her pencil as she impatiently waited for a reply. It took a while, the Professor was about to call the class to attention when it finally came through.
Koga: {Of course my dear Kagome! It will be a night to remember.}
Kagome felt herself relax. She felt relieved. She even felt a bit of excitement. Maybe she really only did view Inuyasha in a lustful way and now that they had clearly designated that they were friends, maybe, just maybe, that lust would fade away. Maybe she really did want to marry Koga.
Wonderful, loving, predictable, Koga.
The Professor called the class to attention and the work began. Kagome focused but she could still sense how close Inuyasha was. She could feel his eyes on her as she worked. She glanced back at him a few times but when she did his eyes were always straight forward. It was his ears that gave him away. One pointed to the front, one pointed right at her. She blushed a bit but kept focusing on the lecture.
When class finished Inuyasha made it out of the class before her. She packed up her things and made her way out of the classroom. She wasn't in a hurry. When she finally left the room Inuyasha was there, waiting for her.
"Hey Kagome."
"Inuyasha." She nodded at him and he kept pace with her.
"It was nice seeing you at 'Dansu Dansu'"
Kagome looked up at him. He was smiling at her, sincere. "Yea. It was fun."
"Sorry you had to leave so early, friend."
Kagome smirked. "I just had to leave. I… I was missing my boyfriend."
Inuyasha looked away when she said that. "This boyfriend of yours, what is his name?"
"Koga. I haven't seen him in a while, but he is bringing me out to Kozue this weekend." She wasn't sure why she told him that. It just slipped out.
"Kozue?" He still wasn't looking at her, but his ears flipped quickly in her direction. "Pretty romantic spot, yeah?" He finally looked at her. Their eyes met and she had to turn away from him when she felt a rush of something wash over her.
"Yea. It should be nice." She muttered. They were already at the point in the courtyard where they usually went their separate ways but neither was moving. They were just standing there.
"It seems like Sango and Miroku are hitting it off."
Kagome smiled. "Yea it does. I'm really happy for them."
"Guess that means we are going to see a lot more of each other if they make it past the first date."
"I guess so." She looked up at him. His smirk was simply adorable.
"I think we are going to make great friends, Kagome." His voice was soft and kind.
The rain had stopped so she didn't need her umbrella. The ground was slightly damp and she liked the freshness of it all. She took a big whiff and Inuyasha seemed to stifle a laugh.
"I'll see you later Inuyasha." She smiled at him and walked away. She couldn't help it. Just being near him sent tingles up her spine. She could only hope that would go away with time. She walked into the food court and sat down to study for a while before her next class. When she turned her phone on she had another message from Koga.
Koga: {I can't wait to meet our pups one day…}
Kagome leaned back in the chair. What? I mean her and Koga had talked about having pups one day, but besides that one drunken conversation they hadn't really discussed it. It felt odd. Really odd. To have him bring the idea of pups up so suddenly like that. She simply couldn't shake the weird feeling it gave her.
Kagome: {Huh?}
Kagome: {I mean, I hope we have pups one day but we haven't talked about that in ages…}
She read while she waited for a reply, her fingers nervously tapping on the table. She was already stepping into her next class when he finally replied.
Koga: {Sorry. I had a dream about our pups last night. It was indescribable Kagome. You are the only women I ever want to have pups with. You're it for me. You're everything.}
Kagome smiled. He was being a bit cheesy but she didn't mind. Before she could reply class had started and she was stuck listening to a lecture she could barely manage to pay attention to. She was relieved when it was finally over and she rushed over for a quick late lunch with Sango before her last class. Kagome slid into their usual booth and started eating her sandwich just as Sango scurried in to join her.
"Hey Kagome!" Sango's face was flushed.
"Hey Sango…" Kagome quickly swallowed the bit of food in her mouth. "Sorry, mouth full."
"It's ok." Sango sat down and quickly took out her phone. "Miroku texted me again. He is determined to make this date on Saturday turn out great. A little overeager if you ask me but he is so sweet…"
Kagome smiled at her. She could tell Sango really didn't mind that Miroku was texting her. Sango's fingers were already flying across the phone's keyboard writing a response to him. Kagome could tell Sango was falling fast for him, she really hoped Miroku could let go of his womanizing ways. She really did think that Miroku felt something special for Sango. It was the way he looked at her at the club. Of course Miroku thought Sango was hot but there was more than that. Kagome could see it. He didn't just view Sango as any other girl. Sango was special.
"Ok… Done." Sango bit her lip before setting her phone down, a light blush coated her cheek. "How was seeing Inuyasha?"
"It was ok…" Kagome trailed off hoping the conversation would end there but Sango's questioning gaze was relentless. "I mean we decided we would be friends. It seems like it will work out. I hope."
"Do you Kagome, do you really hope being 'friends' will work out?" Sango put air quotes around the word friends.
"I think I do. It would be best if I do." Kagome paused for a minute before continuing. "I did get a weird text from Koga today."
"Weird how?" Sango replied through a mouth full of food.
"Well, he said he couldn't wait to meet our pups. I mean, we talked about it before. But only once. It was just so random. I barely heard from him this weekend, he said it was a work thing, and then this, just out of the blue…"
"That is a bit odd… I know he is eager to start his life with you, but it still is a bit odd."
Kagome nodded before noticing the time and hurrying off to her last class of the day. Class was tough. There was a lot assigned and Kagome could tell she was going to be swamped with reading for the rest of the night and maybe even most of the next day to get it done. Her walk through the courtyard was lonely. She looked around for Inuyasha but he was no where to be found. When she got home she cracked open her books and got to work. Nothing exciting. Nothing fun. Just a short dinner with Sango who was busy on her phone.
Before she went to bed she walked out onto the upstairs balcony to get some fresh air (or, at least as fresh as the air could be in Tokyo). The breeze gave her a bit of a chill so she wrapped her arms around herself to keep the warmth in. She was about to text Koga when her phone beeped with a message from him.
Koga: {Darling Darling Darling. We are wolves.}
Kagome stared down at her phone. That didn't seem right. What did he mean 'we are wolves'? Yea, he was a wolf but she sure wasn't. Did he mean by mating her she would then be considered a wolf? She was about to respond when her phone beeped with another message from him.
Koga: {Oh, Kagome! I'm so sorry. Wrong number.}
Koga: {I love you.}
Kagome couldn't believe it. That message wasn't supposed to go to her? But the message had the littlest twinge of romance to it. But Koga wouldn't cheat on her… He just wouldn't. Suddenly the cold didn't bother her. She sat down on the chair and just stared at her phone. Her heart raced erratically.
Koga: {Kagome? Really, it was nothing. Believe me. Have I ever lied to you before?}
Kagome nodded her head no but she didn't reply. She just sat there and starred at her phone. All thoughts of Inuyasha vanquished from her mind as this terrible gut feeling settled uneasily in the pit of her stomach.
Koga: {Really Kagome? Not replying? Don't do this. I'm sorry. The text was nothing. Nada. Zilch. Just a joke with a workmate. Who is a wolf. Seriously.}
Koga: {It was just a wolf thing…}
Kagome sighed and pushed her hair back with her hand. Was he serious? Just a wolf thing? But she wasn't sure about all the demonic specific banter that happened between Koga and his wolf-mates. She had been around him and some of his pack before, like when she met his family, and there were several jokes and innuendos she just didn't or couldn't understand it was shocking. She asked Koga to explain but he had just told her 'It's a wolf thing' and she had let it go. She figured if she was around them enough she would begin to understand. So maybe he was telling the truth. He had never lied to her before. Never. He was trustworthy, patient, and kind. He was dependable, predictable, and thoughtful. He would never be unfaithful to her. She shook her head, her hair splaying out around her as she stood up and walked back inside and snuggled into bed before texting Koga back.
Kagome: {Ok. A wolf thing. As long as all that is, Kozue is still on.}
Koga: {Yes! I wouldn't ever lie to you my dear, dear, Kagome. It really was just a wolf thing.}
Koga: {I'm so glad you still want to go to Kozue. Not much longer now until I get to see you again. Can't wait.}
Kagome smiled at her phone and rolled over, snuggling deeper into the pillows, before softly whispering, "Can't wait," to the open air.