Disclaimer: I claim no ownership of Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha or Yuu Yuu Hakusho. InuYasha belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while Yuu Yuu Hakusho belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro, Shueisha, Viz Media, and Shounen. No profit or money of any kind is made from this fan-created crossover.

Title: Love's Lies
Chapter Four: Dates Are Demon-Spawn

Only a few hours had passed since she sat down with the man Yusuke introduced as Shuuichi. She had to bet that before his step-brother moved out, there had been much confusion since they shared the same given name. But she could immediately see the differences between them that would make it hard to confuse one for the other. The Shuuichi before her had such exotic looks, most likely from the youki she could sense, while the Shuichi she knew looked ordinary. The younger Shuichi also was not as smart, nor possessed such a gentle voice, and he also did not hold himself with a predatory ease the one before her exuded. She could almost see the mercilessness and coldness hiding deep within his green eyes. If she had never been in the presence of demons such as Sesshoumaru or Kouga, she could've easily been seduced by his aura like so many other women, she was sure.

Looking up after finishing off her paper in record time, thanks to the wonderful source of information the man across from her was, she smiled gratefully at him. The sincerity in her smile caught Kurama off-guard, he was used to smiles that held ulterior motives from women. Being in her unaffected presence was, dare he admit, refreshing. He could literally feel the truth and gratefulness in her voice as she thanked him.

Unnerved, he brushed off her thanks, "It truly was no problem at all. You are already so knowledgeable in the legends on Ancient Japan; all you needed was to be pointed in the right direction."

She looked down at her paper embarrassed, and quickly gathered up her things. Praise was something she felt she could never become accustomed to, especially when it was true. Too many insults had rendered her unable to respond properly to praise and compliments. Kurama watched curiously as she hurried grabbed her things and ran out of the library, muttering only a small thanks. He wondered just what he did or said wrong to the woman that had obviously captured the attention of one of his closest friends.

Once outside the library, Kagome ran across the street for the safety of the small park. No matter how much time would pass, she would always search out nature when she needed to calm down or feel closer to the past she had to leave behind. Underneath the trees the air always seemed cleaner and feeling the rough bark biting in her skin always made her feel good, for some reason. That connection to her past was exactly what she needed now.

As she slowed down and took her time walking between the trees that grew, she made the mistake of looking around her. Just ahead of her she could see Shuichi sitting on one of the benches, the woman he saw behind her back curled up in his embrace. They both were surrounded by an aura of contentedness, and it caused her heart to constrict painfully. Her and Shuichi were never that comfortable or looked that at ease with each other. Perhaps that was her fault, and the fact she was never around. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to keep the tears from falling.

She was jolted from her self-pity at feeling an all-too-familiar aura wrap around her along with an arm. "What is it with couples always meeting in a park for too much P.D.A.?" Yusuke's teasing voice caused her to open her eyes and stare up at him. So, it really was his side she was pressed into. Who knew the smell of ozone could smell so good?

"Perhaps it's the starting of a new trend?" She joked back half-heartedly; she just didn't have it in her to fully push back all her sadness, but she couldn't resist or explain the elation at knowing he was next to her.

Kagome allowed herself to fall into the safety and warmth of his embrace. As much as she hated to admit it, she was glad to have him help her through seeing her ex for the first time, even if it was just to walk her past him. While she no longer loved him, but that didn't stop the pain of seeing him making-out with the woman he cheated on her with. It would always hurt to be slapped in the face with the knowledge you weren't good enough. She tensed for a moment at feeling him tighten his grip on her, moving his hand down to rest on her hip. A blush spread on her face at feeling that wonderful fighter's hand against her hip, a part of her relished the feeling while her mind kept telling her he was only doing it to make it seem like they were together as they walked past Shuuichi and his new girlfriend.

"...So, will you go with us?" That question was all she heard when she was finally able to pull her attention away from his hand. Her blush darkened as she realized she had absolutely no clue as to what he was asking or talking about.

"Uhm... Sure?"

"Great! I know Ayumi will be glad to hear that, and it seems like so will that Hobo...or whatever...person."

Kagome closed her eyes and desperately wished she had gone with "No."

Their double date ended up changing sometime through the night. Kagome and Yusuke couldn't stop goading, or rather, flirting with, each other, while Ayumi and Hojo found themselves keeping each other company through most of the date. They parted ways at the corner later that night. Ayumi and Hojo hung back behind Kagome and Yusuke, who were too caught up in their argument to notice they had reached the block they lived on. Both of them stared at each other with small, knowing smiles before Ayumi cleared her throat loud enough to catch the attention of her date and her friend, "It was a lot of fun tonight, but Hojo-kun and myself are at our block... Perhaps you could escort Kagome-chan home, Urameshi-san?"

Kagome turned her head away, blushing at what her friend was suggesting. Sure, she and Yusuke fought a lot, but they weren't flirting... Were they? And now she was thoroughly confusing herself over her feelings for the demon beside her. Yusuke just smirked and waved them off with a wink, and a: "Don't have too much fun!"

Yet, Kagome remained oblivious, stuck in her own mind trying to figure out the changing of her feelings towards the demon beside her. It just had to figure she had to fall for another demon. The only upside was that he did not have silver hair nor did he have amber eyes. She was also fairly sure he would not have cute fuzzy ears for her to molest or a tail, but that was OK. Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt his hand pressed up against her lower back, leading the rest of the way home.

As he felt her tense up after finally realizing he had his hand below her shoulder, he chuckled darkly, "What were we arguing about again?"

Now, that was an excellent question. Not willing to let him know she couldn't remember either, she opted for the safest route: crossing her arms and huffing, "You know what we were arguing about."

"No. No, actually I don't."

"Men," she muttered under her breath before speeding up her gait. It wouldn't do to be within talking range of him or else he might discover that she didn't know either. His rough, warm hand on her back would definitely not help her out either.

The rest of the way to her apartment was silent for different reasons. Kagome didn't want to get caught up in another argument, while Yusuke was too fixated on watching her ass as she walked. Some habits just refused to be broken. As she unlocked the door to her apartment, she turned around to thank Yusuke for walking her to her door even though she wasn't expecting him to. It just didn't seem to be like something he would normally do. She stepped back, pressing herself up against her door at his proximity. He was standing so close to her, and as he put both hands on the door behind her, trapping her against it, she couldn't stop her blush. All that masculinity and body heat, it should be a sin.

Kagome swallowed thickly as he pressed her back against the door even more. The look in his eyes more than gave away his intent; she still couldn't believe he was after a real kiss. Well, maybe not a real kiss, but one given freely. Not forced, and not stolen. She was determined to resist him, even though he was making it nearly impossible by just being himself. The situation she was in would be so much easier if he was just a normal demon.

He leaned in closer, causing the blush on her face to deepen more. "You're so cute when you blush, Kagome-chan," he was so close to her, she could feel his lips brush against hers with each word he spoke. She was quickly falling for his rugged charm, and he really was just too tempting! "Yusuke," she whispered thickly as her hand found what she had been looking for. As she saw his eyes begin to close, she turned the handle, allowing herself to fall back into the house, and then kicked the door closed right in Yusuke's face. Literally.

She leaned back against the door, one hand gripping her chest while the other touched her lips. For a moment there, she had wanted nothing more than to lean into his embrace and kiss him with unbridled passion. And while he deserved it for trying to get her to kiss him, she couldn't help but feel horrible at hearing his curses and occasional moans of pain. She really hoped she didn't hurt him with her desperate move. Their little game now stood at a tie, both of them with six points over the other.