Monday morning rolled around all too fast for Kagome. Too soon for her own liking she was sitting in class, bouncing her pencil absentmindedly against her notebook with her right hand as she gazed at the engagement ring on her other hand. It felt surreal, having it there. Sango had geeked out over it before looking up at Kagame's face and realizing she didn't look as excited as she should. She didn't say anything, but simply gave Kagame a reassuring hug before letting her be. Kagame couldn't describe it. Ever since Koga had left to go back to work she had had this overwhelming mix of feelings. There was still something in the pit of her stomach, begging to be realized, telling her something was wrong. But, she couldn't pinpoint it. Thoughts of Inuyasha still swirled vaguely around the outskirts of her mind, but she was mostly consumed by this feeling that something was simply off. Off with Koga. Off with the way he acted. Just, off… and she couldn't place exactly what it was. She didn't notice when the silver-haired half-demon slid into the seat beside her. She didn't notice when his gaze caught sight of her new ring. She didn't notice the way his eyes slightly widened in realization and that his hands tightened around the notebook he was setting down on the table. She didn't notice him, not until he coughed ever-so-slightly and she was broken from her trance.

"Inuyasha?" Her voice was slightly hazy, as if she was coming out of a fog and she was unsure exactly who was near her or what was happening.

He smiled slightly at her as her gaze caught his golden eyes. His ears were slightly drooped, as if something had upset him.

"You ok?" Her voice was soft, nudging him to provide an answer.

He wrinkled his nose in confusion, raising one eyebrow slightly. "Yea, why?"

She lifted up one finger, her ring sparkling as it caught the harsh light in the classroom, and pointed at his ears. "Your ears are droopy."

Immediately his eyes flashed to her ring, and she didn't miss the look this time. He smiled but his eyes looked sad, his ears never changed position, even as he seemed to forcibly give her a wide smile.

"I see you got engaged. So, Kozue went well." He said it as a fact, not needing any supplementary information. She nodded curtly before turning to the front of the room. The professor had just arrived and class would be starting any minute. She found herself twiddling with the ring. That same sensation still gnawing at her. She felt him shift in his seat as his shoulder lightly leaned against hers, sending a shiver through her arm making her slightly pull away from him. "You happy?" He whispered. The professor had just started. She could feel his gaze on her but she refused to look up from her paper, and she didn't answer.

She could feel his eyes on her for most of the class. She didn't look at him. She couldn't. She was absorbed by that sense of dread. It just wouldn't go away. She should be happy right now. She should be overjoyed. She should be bouncing with excitement and planning her wedding in her head. Yet, she was doing none of those things. She felt stuck. Trapped. Frozen in a place she didn't want to be, somewhere she couldn't escape from. Mostly, she just felt confused. She didn't even notice when class ended. Almost everyone was gone and it wasn't until Inuyasha's warm hand was placed tenderly on top of hers that she broke from her reverie.

"Class is done, Kagome." His voice was so soft, she leaned her head back to look at him and he was so close to her. Not as close as when they danced at Dansu Dansu, but still close. She felt her breath catch slightly in her throat and she knew he heard it by the way his ears twitched and a blush spread quickly across her cheeks.

"Oh…" She muttered. It came out breathy. His hand tightened around hers, squeezing it gently. Their eyes were locked in combat. Both frozen and confused. They couldn't stop looking at each other. They couldn't pull away. Her breath was quickening and his ears twitched towards her again, now firmly fixed upon her. She saw a small blush appear on his cheeks which only made hers intensify. Her other hand tightened against itself and that's when she felt it. The new feeling of the gold wrapped around her finger. Her eyes widened slightly in shock. What am I doing? Slowly, regretfully, guiltily, she pulled her hand out of Inuyasha's. The sudden lack of warmth seemed to encompass her, pressing in on her. The regret of not having his touch, the guilt from wanting it, overwhelming her. She scooted her chair back and stood up. Confused even more by the slightly hurt look on Inuyasha's face. She couldn't understand her own feelings. She was too wrapped up in trying to figure out the feeling of dread that had pervaded her about Koga. Now, that weird confusion about Inuyasha was also resurfacing inside of her. It fluttered in her stomach, unwelcome but permanent. She blushed again and took a step away form him. She cleared her throat slightly and started to walk out of the classroom as he followed.

She tried to focus her mind, yet only one topic appeared to her. "So, how's Kikyo?" She regretted it as soon as she said it, there was a twinge in her voice when she said Kikyo's name. It almost sounded like envy. She didn't look up at him, but she felt his step slightly falter beside her.

"She's… Fine…" He trailed off. They didn't say much else to each other. The air between them was awkward and full of an undefinable tension that neither were willing to explore. They parted and for the first time since she saw him today she felt like she could truly breathe.

The rest of the week went by in much the same way. Inuyasha and her would talk, but nothing in depth and only for a few minutes before and after class. Nothing else was said about her ring. Nothing else was said about Kikyo. It felt awkward between them. She couldn't place her finger on it. She couldn't explain it. She wasn't even entirely sure exactly why it felt awkward. It just, simply, was. Soon it was Friday, Sango had finished class and had somehow persuaded Kagome to join her for the night.

They were going to Miroku's and Inuyasha's apartment.

Kagome felt like she was going to hyperventilate.

She had discussed everything with Sango. The engagement, the weird texts, the call, the bad feeling that she couldn't quite shake… Sango thought a night out with friends would be the best distraction. From the way that she wouldn't cave until Kagome said yes, told Kagome everything she needed to know. Sango was unbelievably nervous to go to Miroku's place. She needed support and that was one thing Kagome would always do. She would always be there for her friend when she needed her.

But, that didn't mean she wasn't going to freak out in the process.

The girls looked good, dressed casual in jeans and nice t-shirts. After all, this was just going to be a group hang out. They were going to watch a movie and order in some pizza. Nothing fancy. Simple. Fun.

Or, at least, it should be fun.

She had to keep reminding herself that her and Inuyasha were friends. Just friends… and she was fine with that. She had to ignore the memory of his hand on hers in the classroom, the way their eyes had connected, the feeling that she didn't want to move, that she never wanted to have to look away from him… She fell into a spiral, trapped within her thoughts, until Sango nudged her as they stood in front of a thick wooden door. They were on the 18th floor of a top-end 20 floor apartment building. The entire place looked expensive. Much more expensive than where they lived. Sango reached out nervously, hand shaking just a bit, as she hit the door bell.

A few seconds later they could her shuffling behind the door before it was thrown open by an extremely excited looking Miroku.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome beautiful Sango!" He reached out and grabbed Sango's hand, making her blush, as he pulled her in and kissed her. Kagome stood frozen. Eyes locked on Sango as she saw her friend visibly melt at his touch before breaking the kiss, a strong blush permanently dotting her cheeks. "And how could I forget the wonderful Kagome?" He turned and smiled at her, motioning for them to follow him in. Sango seemed lost in a daze so Kagome had to gently push her through the door into what could only be described as a lavish apartment for two college boys.

Miroku pointed at things as they passed, giving them the semi-tour of the place. "Over there, the small bedroom, is mine. Got my own bathroom and everything. To the right is Inuyasha's suite. It's giant. It has a sun lounge, giant tub, double sinks, the works…"

Kagome's eyes lingered longer than they needed to on the dark wood door that marked the entrance to the suddenly intoxicatingly interesting room that lay beyond.

"Right here is the kitchen…" Miroku popped the door open for them to get a quick glance into the rather large kitchen. It was at least double the size of theirs. "And through here, the creme-de-la-creme, the living room."

They followed him into a massive living room, windows dotted the walls. She imagined they let in plenty of light when it was day out. The area was huge. The floor was wood but had an elegant carpet strategically placed under the large leather couch and two armchairs that were positioned towards a giant TV. She could see the entrance to a balcony over to her right and it took her a minute to stop gazing at every small decoration that dotted the walls.

"Hey, Kagome!" An eager voice invaded her ears and she turned back towards the couch, just now noticing Inuyasha sitting on the couch.

She smiled warmly at him. Genuine. His warm greeting had seemed to disperse some of the awkward tension between them. "Hey, Inuyasha." His smile grew and his ears twitched, one towards her, one on the TV. "Come, sit."

Miroku was already dragging Sango over to one of the over-sized arm chairs, so Kagome went and sat down next to Inuyasha. As soon as Miroku and Sango had somehow found a way to curl up together on the one chair it was like they were in their own world, completely oblivious to the two other people who sat a mere couple feet away.

Kagome leaned over towards Inuyasha, careful to leave an appropriate sized gap between them. "Wouldn't they, you know, prefer the couch?"

Inuyasha smirked and glanced over at them before turning his gaze back to her. "Nah, the chair lets them be… closer."

"Oh…" Kagome blushed and began to fiddle with her ring as the weird tension between them gradually reappeared. Inuyasha glanced at her, noticing the way she was fidgeting, before glancing back over at Miroku.

He smirked. "Hey, pervert, what movie are we watching?"

"Hm?" A groggy Miroku was broken away from Sango's gaze and turned to star daggers at his friend, making Kagome giggle as Inuyasha's smirk widened.

"I said what movie we watchin'?"

Miroku and Sango seemed to awaken from the cloud of bliss they had been inhabiting. Kagome was happy for her. She really, really, was. It was rare to see Sango act so girlish, to see her let her guard down. She noticed the embarrassed look on Sango's face, as if she had been caught doing something inappropriate, and smiled warmly at her. Encouraging, supportive, that was what Sango needed from her right now.

They bantered for a while about which movie to pick and soon, much to the boys surprise, they settled on an action comedy. The girls being the strong proponents for an action movie while Miroku gently insisted on something a bit more lighthearted. Probably so Sango and him wouldn't get distracted by interesting combat scenes and could spend more time trapped in their couple bubble. The pizza arrived and they began to eat as the movie started. Miroku and Sango entranced with each other, snuggled up on the chair. While Kagome and Inuyasha sat there somewhat awkwardly. As the movie played, she relaxed. The pizza was good, the movie was good, and Inuyasha's little comments on the different action sequences made her laugh. She inadvertently found herself sliding closer to him. There was still several inches between them, but they were considerably closer than before. The awkward air had lifted as he talked or yelled at the movie and she laughed at his comments. She felt magnetized, as if his words pulled her closer to him. They opened something within her, something she didn't even know she had locked away. She felt free. She felt new and exhilarated and a million other things that she couldn't quite pinpoint. For the first time since the feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach, she had forgotten about the dread that had inhabited her. Simply, she had fun. She relaxed into Inuyasha's atmosphere. His smile was warm and his eyes lit up as she laughed, his ears fixed on her. She noticed the way he kept glancing at her, by the time the movie was halfway done he was more looking at her, and simply glancing at the movie. They talked, they debated the action sequences, guessed what would happen next, and were simply the most annoying movie watchers ever — if anyone was paying attention that is. Except, Miroku and Sango were in their own little world, completely oblivious to the movie or the people around them.

The movie was just about 3/4 done when her phone beeped, interrupting Inuyasha in the middle of him saying a certain explosion scene was simply impossible.

Koga: {Hey fiancé… Wishing you were here.}

Kagome knew she should have felt happy when she saw the message, but instead she felt a weird sort of disdain. She glanced up at Inuyasha who seemed to have stilled next to her. She tried to catch his eyes but she couldn't, he had turned back to the movie.

Kagome: {I'm hanging out with Sango and some friends. It's fun. You'd like it.}

She had added the, "You'd like it" as an afterthought. Truly, she felt as if Koga was invading on something private and important. She felt frustrated with him and that feeling of dread was slowly slithering back into her stomach.

Koga: {You're with friends?}

A minute later and he texted again, almost as if he needed an extra moment to carefully consider what she had just said.

Koga: {Me too! I'm out with Ayame.}

Kagome froze. That feeling of dread was at full force now. It stung every inch of her, alerting her, warning her, something was wrong, something was off. Still, she tried to push it away and ignore it. Ayame was his coworker. He could have friends, it never bothered her before if he hung out with another girl, so why did it bother her right now? Why did the mention of her name instantly send her into a free-for-all of terrible thoughts?

Inuyasha set a hand gently on top of her knee. A rush flooded there, but still it was not enough to quell the sting. "Everything ok?" He looked concerned.

"Yea… I… I'm just making more of it than I should. I think…" Her voice trailed off before she noticed the confused expression on Inuyasha's face. Just like that, without even thinking about it, she told him everything. Well, not about her confused feelings for him, but about the weird texts and the call and the way Koga was acting. She told him about Ayame and she watched the way his face flickered and changed, she watched the way his smile fell and the worry that seeped into his look. The knowing worry. As if he understood, just from her brief overview, exactly what was wrong, exactly why she felt the dread that had overwhelmed her.

He turned away from her, voice soft, hair shielding his face, as his hand (which she had forgotten was still on her knee) tightened reassuringly against her knee. "I'm sorry, Kagome." His voice sounded sad, resigned, full of a knowing that Kagome couldn't or simply didn't want to understand yet.

"Sorry for what?" She raised an eyebrow at him, inquisitive. He didn't say anything and before she could ask again her phone beeped. Her eyes widened as she realized it had been a solid ten minutes and she still hadn't replied.

Koga: {You know Ayame and I are just friends, right?}

Kagome: {Yea, I know. Sorry, was watching a movie and got distracted.}

Koga: {You sure that's all?}

Kagome frowned at her phone but typed in the lie anyways.

Kagome: {Yea.}

She didn't ask what he was doing with Ayame, a big part of her was begging herself not to ask because she didn't want to know the answer. She put her phone down and it did not beep again. There was no goodnight message from Koga that night. Nothing else was said to her. She turned to Inuyasha and place her hand on top of his and squeezed.

"Something's wrong isn't it? Or am I just imagining things?"

He turned to look at her and she noticed that his ears had never left her. "I think something's off…" His voice trailed off, hiding the whole truth of his thoughts on the matter, and she knew it. But, she let it go. She didn't want to ruin the fun that she had been having that night. She wanted that stinging, dreadful, feeling to seep back into the corners. She wanted that warm glow that Inuyasha gave her to come back. She wanted to be happy. As if he sensed her mood he began animatedly discussing the current scene.

"They would never have that much ammo!"

She looked at him for a moment, silently considering something that she couldn't quite place, before she smiled up at him and they fell back into how they were before Koga messaged. It was easy and exciting, it just came naturally to them, to talk to each other and be so close. She didn't even realize it when he had flipped his hand around and wrapped his fingers between hers. Their hands rested, entwined, on her thigh. A part of her begged her, told her it was wrong, nudged her with thoughts of Koga. The other part screamed that they were just friends. Just friends. This meant nothing. Nothing. Nothing… and she let herself believe that even though a warmth was spreading up her palm and making her heart dance to an exotic beat.

When the movie was finished they just sat there, watching the credits roll. Neither spoke, but his hand tightened around hers, as if silently begging to not have to let go. The awkward tension was beginning to reappear, but Kagome was determined not to let whatever it was interfere with their budding friendship. Inuyasha's phone beeped and when his eyes met the screen he frowned. He reached over with one hand and began typing a response, it beeped again and he slowly pulled his hand from hers and used both to madly type agains the screen. Her hand felt cold without his, and it curled up reflexively upon itself. Inuyasha's brows were furrowed and he looked less than pleased by whatever he was reading on his phone. Finally, when the credits were almost finished, he turned to look up at her, a sense of resignation on his face.

"I have to go."

She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Kikyo." He held the phone up to her, the screen blank, like some kind of proof that he was being beckoned away but an evil force.

She forced a smile on her face. "It must be nice, to be in the same city as the person your dating." She glanced down at her ring and felt a stab of pain from being away from Koga. So many people took it for granted, being able to be near the one you loved. Distance… distance had a power to destroy relationships, to weaken bonds, and it was a constant battle to push through it. A battle, as far as she knew, Koga and herself were winning.

"Yea, sorry, um, talk to you Monday?" He had stood up by now and was heading towards the door. She nodded at him and waved as he disappeared, a sudden loneliness spreading through her. She glanced back down at her phone and began to type.

Kagome: {I love you Koga.}

There was never a response.

~ Author's Note ~

Hey, everyone! I'm so sorry it took me so long to post. I'm going to start updating more. I got absorbed with school, and moving, and my two Fairy Tail fan fictions (check them out if you like, please review!).

Once again, so sorry for the delay. I do know where this story is headed, I'm just not sure how fast I should bring it there. What do you think?

Please review! I really appreciate each and every one.

~ FeudalAi