Hey guys! Sorry if my concluding paragraph for the last chapter made you think that the story had ended. I was only trying to wrap up the chapter lol. Trust me; there are a few things we have to take care of before that happens. ;) Consider the next chapters as the 'Adult' phase in life for our characters.

With school starting Monday, chapters will be uploading slower; meaning every week so not too bad. I know it sucks but it's just how it is. I have a feeling 9th grade is going to take up a lot of my time. Wish me luck guys! Enjoy the chapter!

Two weeks had gone by after graduation. Life seemed to have stayed the same except having to go to campus every week. Jakotsu was sad to hear that InuYasha decided it was time to leave his job at the salon. After handing him his last paycheck he made him promise him that he would come back to visit sometime with Kagome.

Kagome was still sighing every minute she stayed at work; the work life just wasn't the life style she had hoped for. She wanted to quit, but her mother wouldn't allow her to head down that road. She was still wondering about the career she wanted to take in the future. Her job was okay but it certainly wasn't a career.

She thought gaining the title of Dr. Higurashi would be amazing to earn; but she just couldn't picture herself having to perform a risky heart surgery, or cleaning up after immobile patients. Just the mere thought made her wince. Sure doctors made a lot of money for what they did but would they be able to train her to not giggle when a patient came in with an embarrassing problem needed to be fixed? She could only picture the things she would have to see and could picture herself gagging and having to leave the room. Maybe working in a hospital just wasn't going to have a place for her…

Kagome rang up the lingerie for yet another costumer and stuffed the items in a fuchsia bag.

Perhaps InuTaisho would hire her at the Taisho corp. She wouldn't mind being InuYasha's secretary or something…Speaking of InuYasha, he never actually said if he was planning on becoming a businessman. Kagome pictured him becoming all sorts of things. Correction; she pictured him in all the different work uniforms he could be wearing.

The lovely images of InuYasha's muscular chest covered with a white lab coat fluttered into Kagome's head. His clawed hands now trapped in latex gloves and a surgical mask hiding his beautiful, signature smirk. He looked ahead of him in Kagome's mental image and snapped the latex against his wrist. "Miss. Higurashi, are you ready for your examination?" He asked in a husky voice.

Kagome hurriedly wiped away the image of Doctor InuYasha and fanned her face. "I-is it hot in here or…?" She asked her next costumer, laughing nervously. How dare she picture InuYasha in a doctor's uniform! She even made him speak no less! The female purchaser was with her husband and handed Kagome her credit card.

"I think it's just you. You may want to wipe your mouth, dearie. The look really isn't flattering if you are looking for a man…"

Kagome wiped the slight drool on her face in embarrassment and gave an apologetic look to her costumer. "I'm sorry for spacing out…I really haven't-"Kagome got a look at the woman and gasped. It was the old lady at Rin's and Sesshomaru's wedding that kept wiping her drooling face for her. She seemed to only see her when she was in the drooling state. The old lady gasped to and snapped her fingers.

"Oh I know you! You were that drooling girl at Sesshomaru's wedding."

"And you are that old lady!"

The elder rolled her eyes and entered in her pin number to finish her purchase. Kagome waited patiently as the long receipt was spit out of the machine next to the register, before handing it to the woman. She never did catch her name but it wasn't like she would remember it even if the lady told her. They would forever only know each other as the drooling girl, and the dear old lady that helped clean her face.

"You're all set. Have a nice day." Kagome smiled as she leaned on the counter. Just a few more minutes and she would be on break. Lunch time was the only good thing about coming to work every day. After all her hard labor of folding lingerie and using all her strength to put it in the bag, she was greedily awaiting to devour her home cooked meal that had her stomach growling. Most morning her mother prepared her a meal for her before she had even woken up.

Kagome ran her hands through her hair and tied it up in a cute bun. She stopped her actions suddenly and stared at the doors of the store. "Did I just sell lingerie to an elderly couple? Ewww!" Kagome shuddered at the thought of the sweet old lady in such an outfit. Kagome really must have been zoning out if she didn't realize what the old lady was purchasing sooner. Logging out of the computer, Kagome grabbed her purse and headed to the staff's lunch room.

She got back to thinking about a future career as she walked down the long hallway to the lunchroom. She was already beginning to smell the unpleasant odor created by the mixtures of scents from other people's lunches. Kagome was passed by a security guard that gave her a slight nod. It gave her another idea. What if she was a police woman? Kagome began lightly giggling to herself as she pinched the skin on her humerus bone. Some people wouldn't mind calling that area of their body their biceps but Kagome was failing to see any muscle there.

'Everyone knows I'm not very strong… Even InuYasha; that's why he always won our little wrestling matches when we were younger. I couldn't possibly be a police woman being as weak as I am. Now…I could always train. But am I willing to? That is the question…' Kagome thought for a moment and shook her head. 'Too much work, unless InuYasha's willing to be my personal trainer.' The pads of Kagome's fingers lightly pressed against her warming face. 'Kami…what's wrong with me?'

Kagome walked in the lunchroom with a lack of use in her senses. She was too focused on the images of InuYasha in a police uniform, wearing a cute custom-made police hat that had holes for his ears to go through. His masculine figure was rested against a motorcycle as his foot lay rested on Kagome's back while she attempted doing push-ups in her prison uniform.

Kagome gulped and lightly slapped herself, peering into the refrigerator. What was with all these strange fantasies that kept playing in her mind by itself? Kagome decided that she and her mind were two different people. Her mind played the role of the pervert while she was the perfect angel.

She settled on the idea of forgetting about the whole 'choose a career' thing for now. She wasn't getting anywhere with it. The only thing she was getting was hot, and mental images in InuYasha in a bunch of work uniforms. She stood puzzled as she remained parked in front of the fridge. Where was the okonamiyaki she had in there? She grumbled at the thought of another employee stealing her food.

She didn't have friends at work besides her boss, Rosetta, which she didn't see that often. Who would stoop as low to stealing a girl's food? Closing her eyes, she slammed the fridge door and sighed. It wasn't like she brought enough money for a whole mean. She sat down at a table near the fridge and reached into her purse for any crumbled up dollars.

The faintest of chewing could be heard from the corner of the room. The back of her hairs stood up. She could have sworn she was the only one in there. She glanced behind her, her mouth dropping to the ground in the process.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kagome asked in shock, getting up from her seat and walking to the table nearest to the small television.

There, sitting by himself, was InuYasha enjoying the last bite of okonamiyaki that lay steaming on the plastic plate in front of him. He wiped the crumbs from his mouth and gave a small salute. He couldn't help the small grin as he focused back on the television.

"I should have known you would be the one to steal a girl's lunch." She sighed taking a seat next to InuYasha. "Now I'm going to have to starve. I hope you enjoyed yourself."

Picking his fang with his claw, InuYasha nodded. "I did enjoy myself. I could tell right away you weren't the master chef."

"Hey!" She said, offended.

"You should pay more attention to your surrounding Kagome. I'm surprised you didn't notice me sooner."

"I was just thinking is all…"

"Before I ask you, 'What about?' allow me to take you to the diner across the street as an apology for stealing your lunch."

Kagome grinned, taking out her bun to make her more presentable. "Something tells me this was all planned. How did you even get in here?"

"The woman Rosetta; she said I could wait in here for you."

"What was the point of eating my okonamiyaki then?"

InuYasha rolled his eyes and slouched. This girl just loved explanations to everything didn't she? "Because then you would have been like, 'InuYasha, my mommy worked really hard on this yummy, delicious okonamiyaki and I don't have the ability to just waste it. Sorry but we'll have to go to lunch another time.'" InuYasha scratched his nose and tossed the paper plate in the trash. "So now you have no excuse."

Kagome was laughing at the way InuYasha tried to mock her in his best girlie voice. How could she turn away the cute hanyou? It wasn't like she planned on it in the first place; free lunch sounded good.

"Well, I only have a thirty-minute lunch so let's hurry."

"Rosetta said she would stretch it to forty-five just for today."

Kagome crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her best friend. "What did you do?" She asked with a smirk.

InuYasha shrugged, "I…have my ways?"

"You bribed her, didn't you?"

"So!" He argued like a small child. "It worked! We're the best of friends now. C-can we just go now?"

"Mhm." She smiled.

()()()()

"That's just fucking nasty." InuYasha complained, glaring at Kagome as she laughed with her head slammed against the table. "B-Because of you I don't even know if I can eat anymore." He whined.

They sat across from each other in a small booth at the cozy diner InuYasha chose. The service was great and just being with Kagome was enough fun right there. Their food consisted of a platter with a little of everything. Being with a hanyou, Kagome didn't have to worry about any leftovers.

Kagome wiped away the tear that was squeezed out from her hard laughing. She got a good look at InuYasha's face and burst out laughing again.

"That shit ain't funny Kagome! It's sick! I'm scarred for life!"

"Will you two be having dessert?" A waiter asked as he was passing by InuYasha and Kagome's booth at the diner. He stared at the young girl laughing her butt off and chuckled lightly to himself. Laughter was contagious; but so were tears. Seeing a laughing person made you want to laugh, and seeing a crying person dampened your mood and made you want to cry with them.

He just wanted to take a seat next to the duo and say, 'hey guys? Why we laughing?', but sadly…they would probably think he was some weirdo. He hated not being able to know what was so funny.

InuYasha glanced at the waiter, and occasionally gave Kagome an odd look. "She thinks old ladies that wear lingerie is freaking hilarious." He said to their waiter casually, jamming his thumb in Kagome's direction. Just having InuYasha say it made her laugh even more.

"Ew, gross." The waiter laughed.

"Hey giggle girl, you want dessert too?" InuYasha asked with a raised brow.

Finally able to contain herself, Kagome shook her head. "Nah…I have to get back to work soon. I probably just have time to finish off another soda."

The waiter nodded and set down their bill before going to assist some of the other tables he was assigned to.

"You never told me what had you in a trance when you walked into the lunch room." InuYasha pointed out, resting both elbows on the table now. If he was at a restaurant with his parents they would have never allowed it. Sesshomaru threatened to cut off his arms last time he tried pulling that. That had been back in the days when InuYasha was scared of his older brother; long ago when the great Lord's hands were stubby little things.

"Oh…I've just been wondering what career I would be good at for the future. I don't want to be stuck at Victoria's Secret forever."

InuYasha placed his hand on his chin and got a good look at her. "You seem like someone who likes being around little kids." He shrugged.

"Yeah, that's probably why I hang out with you."

"That wasn't funny."

"I honestly think kids are annoying."

"Wow, does that mean you don't want kids? That would mean you were the first girl I met to not want them. Did your mom never give you those baby doll things when you were little?"

Kagome stirred her soda around with her straw and took a sip. "Not right now. I'm sure later I'll feel a certain emptiness and want a baby…I had baby dolls when I was little, but that was different. They never peed in your face like a fire hose or screamed in your ears all day."

"Just the thought of their screaming, hurts my ears." InuYasha winced as his ears pinned to his head. "Okay…so everything that deals with kids is out."

"And so is anything in a hospital, and law enforcement."

"Jeez you're difficult. "

"Well fine. What do you want to do?"

"I've had interests in things but…it wasn't really a high priority. If I don't think of anything soon I'm going to be shoved into the business life with my dad and half-brother."

"Is Sesshomaru the heir, or are you both?"

"It doesn't really matter to my father. He just says, regardless, one of us is going to have to take over after he passes. Could you picture me as a crime scene investigator?"

'Oh yes I certainly can.' She said in her mind, taking his words as a request rather than as an opinion of hers.

Kagome shooed away her perverted mind before it was able to finish the final sketches of InuYasha as a CSI and nodded.

"I think you have the potential. Couldn't you get away with living a work-free life with how successful the Taisho corp. is?"

"I could if I was the one taking over. It's not like Sesshomaru is going to share the money with me."

"But Taisho's in your name too!"

"Yeah well; life sucks."

"W-would…it be weird if me and y-you…were roommates," Kagome asked, switching to a new topic. "In our own little apartment? I think it would be fun." She said quickly, looking at the ground. InuYasha thought about it a little while he shoved a forty dollar bill in the little sleeve for the bill.

Best friends decided to live with each other a lot after graduation. It was just a fun way of moving out of the parents' house, with a little financial help from your friends and some company. Just her bringing up something like that reminded him about when they said they were going to get a mansion together.

He supposed it would be interesting. They were best friends, so what would be so weird about it? That would mean he would have to get a job to help pay for the rent. Yeah…that sounded like a lot of work. Did she not know he was lazy? He barely had enough energy to make himself instant ramen. Nozomi did all the hard work for him.

"…Well it certainly isn't going to be a mansion." He chuckled. "I don't get the bags of cash until I marry or turn twenty-one. Then my friend, we can move into your funky Barbie dream house crap…"

"Oh no; j-just a little apartment would satisfy me. I know I want to move out and become independent. I just feel like a bother to my mom sometimes. She does so much for me…and it's time for me to be the adult now. Graduation proved that to all the seventeen and eighteen year olds. I would live alone if I had to but…who would kill spiders and roaches for me or protect me at night…" She whispered the last part.

"You say that like I would reject your request." InuYasha blew up at his bangs and looked up at the clock. "I think that would be fun too. Get like…two bedrooms, two bathrooms…or even three if you want like a study room. It could definitely be arranged. But…wouldn't you rather live with Sango? That part seems odd to me."

Kagome couldn't believe it. He was actually considering becoming her roommate! That whole myth about dreams not coming true was considered fake now right? In Kagome's eyes, yes. A little, annoying Kagome appeared on her shoulder, created by her imagination.

"He's only considering moving in with his friend." The tiny Kagome said.

"-Best friend." Kagome corrected.

"Whatever. The point is, it's not like you guys are marrying and getting your first house together. You're getting excited for nothing."

"Why you being a butt munch about it?" Kagome argued to her imaginary conscience friend on her shoulder. "I still think it is going to be fun."

The little Kagome huffed and suddenly vanished. Kagome looked up and stared at InuYasha's confused faced. Kind of like the face he made when she told him she saw an old lady buy lingerie. It wasn't as funny, but his expressions always had character in them and made her laugh.

"…I'm a butt munch for saying sure?" InuYasha asked confused.

"What? N-no…I was just…" Kagome sat there, with nothing but awkwardness radiating off of their table. How on earth did she plan on explaining to him that she was talking to her other half? Just like this ladies and gentlemen: "Um…I need the bathroom. Be right back." She said dashing off to the restroom.

She waited two minutes, just standing by the bathroom door and then walked back to their booth. InuYasha was getting out of the booth and handed her purse to her. Did she do something wrong?

InuYasha chuckled at his friend's saddened face. "I'd love to hang out with you for the day but somebody's gotta go to work; meaning you." InuYasha pointed out.

"Oh yeah; I forgot about that." She sighed.

"If you see any close apartments near the Higurashi shrine let me know. I really think it'll be fun to live with each other. My parents would help us out the first few months but after that we are on our own."

"Okay,"

"Do you want me to drive you back on my motorcycle?"

"Nah. It's pretty close here."

"Alright."

"Thanks for lunch. It was good."

"No problem."

InuYasha and Kagome both went their separate ways, giving a wave to each other.

Sure, it was possible that getting an apartment was going to take some time. He wasn't even sure if Kagome was quite ready to move out of her mother's house; the two were really close. But Kagome was right, it's time to let go for everyone at some point. Knowing Kagome for years he got the hint that she liked to be the one to grow up quicker and be independent. He didn't like the fact that she considered moving by herself though. It wasn't necessarily the safest thing to do.

He hopped up onto his motorcycle and pulled his helmet over his head. How bad could it be? A lot of kids did it.

Maybe we'll even score with our mate… his inner demon purred.

"That's not even funny," InuYasha growled. "It's just wrong."

Before riding off, he made sure Kagome made it safely back to her work building. He stared up at the unusual purplish skies about thirty miles away as he kicked the motorcycle to life. 'I always remembered teachers telling me the sky was blue; not purple.' He stared at it for a few more seconds and shrugged it off. Wasn't his problem…he had apartment shopping to do.

Author's note: So, I got a review saying they were disappointed in the story, yet they read the whole thing, and asked me to update by a certain date… I thought you didn't like it? Lol

Anyways, this anonymous reviewer also said InuYasha was really out of character. Well, obviously…I wasn't going to have a two-year-old InuYasha cursing. I hope now that the characters are older they seem more in character. /: It is some-what of an AU so…deal with it. (She said oh so nicely.)

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