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17 Years

"Here's to us! We just finished fucking MEDICAL SCHOOL! Hell yeah!" Cheers erupted within the crowded bar as alcohol glasses were raised high in the air. The woman on top of the table smiled from ear to ear and pointed to the back of the room. "And here's to that bitch in the back! Kagome Higurashi, our beautiful and brilliant leader! #1 not only in rank, but in our hearts!" Applause and even more cheers took over the bar. "Let's get wasted, ladies and gents! Congratulations to you, to me, to her…let tonight be something we'll never ever remember!"

23 year-old Kagome had stopped talking to the bartender in order to shake her head and smile at her friend's antics. She watched as Emily climbed down off the table with the help of one of the many enraptured men who gladly offered to hold her hand during her descent. After gifting the man with a flirty kiss on the cheek, Emily ran straight back to Kagome to wrap her martini-free arm around Kagome's neck. "Oh, my God, I just love you so muuuuch!"

Kagome laughed and smirked at her friend. "I can tell. Thanks for the shout out, by the way. Very much appreciated," she teased.

"I just wanted everyone to know how absolutely am-ahh-zing my beautiful friend is! I had to do something to thank you for letting me use all your study guides! You're just lucky I didn't remind everyone how young you still are, you baby doc." After a wink, Emily suddenly put both arms lifted at her sides in a placating gesture towards Kagome as her face became serious. "Okay, okay, okay. Real talk right now. When do you leave?"

Kagome became slightly solemn at the reminder that she would soon need to part with her closest friend. "I leave late tomorrow night and will get there sometime in the morning," she informed, almost apologetically.

"…does he know?"

Kagome's eyes reflexively rolled at the reminder. "Who cares?" she scoffed. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he doesn't, or at least doesn't care, considering he's moving to Kyoto the day I land in Tokyo. Just because I absolutely love the rest of his family, under no circumstances do I expect, or want, to spend time with that jerk Inuyasha."

Until Kagome was about 18, she and Inuyasha continued their close relationship; they talked at least once a week. Kagome remained fluent in her native Japanese tongue while she simultaneously helped Inuyasha learn and practice his English. They updated each other on every little detail of their lives. Then, suddenly, Inuyasha stopped calling Kagome. At first, she didn't mind being the only one who called anymore. However, it eventually turned into Inuyasha not answering at all. After about a year of the hurtful treatment, she demanded an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Aunty Iz," Kagome greeted happily,"how's my favorite aunt?"

Izayoi laughed, always loving when any Higurashi called. "Oh, she is just fabulous, dear. Aging a little day by day, but gracefully!" She paused, "at least, I like to think so!" and then laughed once more.

"Oh, my goodness, I'm sure you're as youthful as you were 500 years ago! You should focus on thanking Uncle Tai instead of thinking you're getting old!" Kagome knew that not a word of her statement was false. Being a demon's mate came with many benefits, one being a nearly eternal lifetime. She knew, without a doubt, that Izayoi looked the same as she did the last time they saw each other, almost a decade prior.

"Well, thank you very much, dear. I knew you were my favorite 'almost-niece' for some reason!"

Giggling softly, Kagome decided to get to the point. "As much as I love just inflating your ego, I was actually wondering if I could talk to Inuyasha, please?"

"Of course, Kagome. Let me just tell him you're on the pho—"

"No, wait! Please don't tell him it's me! I, uh, I just want to surprise him." Laughing obliviously, Izayoi agreed and beckoned Inuyasha to the phone, claiming it was a friend but she hadn't asked for their name.

"Hello?"

"Who do you think you are?"

Inuyasha froze immediately. "Kagome?"

Ignoring his question, she began to ask all of the questions that had painfully built up within her chest over the past year. "Inuyasha…did I do something? Is there a reason you aren't talking to me? And don't even try to say that you aren't ignoring me. Every call, voicemail; every email, no reply; every message, comment, and/or wall-post over freaking Facebook doesn't even get acknowledged! And I never use Facebook, but after your complete dismissal of me, Inuyasha, I didn't know how else to reach you! You made me call your damn house and ask your mother to hide who I was so I could fool you into talking to me!"

"…Kagome…I…"

"Please, Inuyasha," she begged, "please just tell me what I did. I don't understand…help me understand why you've avoided me like the plague for the past year. I thought we were fine…"

"Kagome…I just don't think we should really talk that much anymore…"

Inuyasha bolted upright in his bed gasping for air. Damn it…haven't dreamt about that in a while, he thought as he sighed into the darkness and ran his hand through his mussed hair. Not that it was a surprise that he was still dreaming of her after five years of absolutely no communication.

She never was one to go down quietly, he smiled fondly as he thought about the woman he's loved all of his life. However, once he realized he was about to, once again, take a sad trip down memory lane, he angrily pounded his fist on the bed beside him and lay down once more.

How could he not be over her yet? Five years later and the wench still invaded his mind. Wasn't that the point of all that he did? All the pain he put both of them through, wasn't that so he could get over his lifetime crush? Didn't she understand? Didn't everyone—his parents, his brother, her mom, her brother—everyone understand that the reason he stopped talking to her, the reason he had to stop talking to her, was because there was no hope for them to ever be together?

She was in America and she was staying in America, while he was always destined to become the co-CEO-alongside his brother-of his family's hospital. Why keep putting himself through all the misery of hearing her, but never seeing her; hearing her, but never touching her, if he knew that was all that could ever be?

Damn it…he had a flight to catch in a few hours. He didn't have time to mope about something that already ended—if it ever really started—forever ago.

She took in her first giant gulp of Japanese air in 17 years. It felt amazing. As she practically ran through the tunnel connecting the plane to the airport building, she couldn't help but smile at the fact that she had finally returned. God, I must seriously look so stupid right now, she laughed to herself, thinking about the giant smile she wore as she strolled through the airport to retrieve her luggage.

As she made her way towards the appropriate conveyor belt, she felt as if someone was searching for her. Throughout her entire walk, she felt as though someone was trailing not too far behind. However, every time she turned around, there was never a suspicious or interested face she saw more than once. Officially diagnosing herself with paranoia, she dismissed her imaginary follower and quickly retrieved her luggage.

As she exited the airport and found a cab to take her to the dealership from where she pre-ordered her new car, she still couldn't shake the feeling that—even as she was getting into the cab—someone was desperately trying to find her.

He couldn't do it. Later, when his best friend Miroku asks him why he couldn't get on the plane, Inuyasha can't come up with a good answer. I don't think I'll ever have a good answer. Damn…Kikyo's going to be pissed as all hell. He and his long time girlfriend, Kikyo Himura, had decided to finally move in together. She found her perfect dream job in Kyoto. She was already waiting for him at their new apartment.

I can't go…why can't I fucking go? Sighing in defeat, he phoned his girlfriend and told him that he had a few more things he really had to deal with before he finally joined her.

"Take your time, Inuyasha," she started kindly, "I'm sure I can hold the fort down for a while longer." He could hear the smirk in her voice. "How long will it take again?"

"I'm sorry…but can you give me a month?" Why did he go with such a long period of time? Wouldn't a few days be enough to sort out…whatever the hell this was? I should've went with a week or something, jeez!

"Okay, that's fine, I guess…I'll miss you though! Hurry and join me as soon as possible!" She ended the conversation by blowing him a kiss through the phone. After the call ended, he turned around to make his way back out of the airport. He had some really good thinking to do about what exactly happened here.

That's when he smelled it.

Lavender and vanilla, with a hint of strawberries—there was only one person in the world that smelled like that and the fact that he hadn't smelled that scent in 17 years didn't even slightly wipe it from his memories. Her scent was unforgettable.

Granted, the only memory he had of it was when it was still a child's scent. This scent was different because it was that of a grown woman's, but there's no way another person could possibly have a scent so similar to hers. Once he pinpointed the exact direction the scent went, he ran to follow. Too many feet ahead of him, he saw the source of scent moving through the crowd. Her midnight black, middle-back length hair flowed behind her as she walked swiftly to her destination.

He hurriedly picked up his pace. If she would only turn and show her face…

As she turned a corner, he cursed his luck. He needed to catch up with her right away, or else he may never completely know whether or not it was truly Kagome. If this crowd would just fucking part! When he finally rounded the same corner, he could no longer spot her. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on that heavenly scent. His head snapped towards the exit.

He barely saw her get into a cab and ride away, all the while keeping her head turned the other direction.

After swiftly retrieving her new car—a graduation gift from her beautiful mother—she drove straight to the Takahashi mansion, where her Uncle Tai, Aunty Iz, and Sesshomaru were expecting her. Using the miko powers her mother had always made sure were in tip top shape, she created a barrier around her car as she drove up to the house in order to mask the sound and smell. Then, once she was parked discreetly on their massive drive way at the side of their house, she masked her scent. Slowly walking up to the house, she knocked on the door and stepped off to the side, where the peep hole and side windows couldn't see her.

"I see you haven't aged much since we last saw you," a deep voice behind her teased, causing her to jump.

Placing a hand to her chest, she playfully smacked him on the shoulder. "Oh, my God, Sess! You could've killed me!" He chuckled as the door flew wide open to reveal his parents.

"What are you two doing just talking on our porch without even thinking of inviting us!" Izayoi teasingly yelled as she wrapped an arm around each person as Inutaisho smirked behind her. "Goodness, come in, come in!" As soon as both stepped happily through the threshold and the door was shut, Izayoi grasped Kagome's face within her hands and placed a kiss on each cheek. "Oh, my dear dear child, how much we've missed you all these years! How are you? How was the flight? You have your car, I presume? Do you start residency tomorrow? Or in a few days? I'm assuming it's in a few days considering you would be a little jet lagged if it started tomorrow. Oh! Have you seen your new apartment? We had it all decorated for you already so you don't have t—"

"Iz, my love, breathe," Inutaisho teased his wife as he wrapped his hulking body around Kagome to welcome her home before shaking his son's hand. "How about we feed these kids while we talk to them before you talk her all out, hm?" When she gently smacked his shoulder, he quickly grasped the offending arm and drew her into his side in order to lead her to the formal dining room. "The food's in here. While we eat, Kagome, you must catch us up on absolutely everything. You must leave nothing out, my dear child!"

A few hours after the incident at the airport, Inuyasha figured he had better tell his family about his decision to stay another month, while attempting to avoid the confusing question of why. After stopping by his parents' favorite restaurant and picking up some food, he set out for his parents' home: his childhood home. All the while, he couldn't get the mysterious girl out of his head.

She smelled just like Kagome used to…only, different…Keh! He scoffed at himself. That makes a whole lot of sense, dumbass. God, why am I even thinking about this? She's in fucking America. Get that through your skull. She's. In. America. Though the mantra kept replaying in his head, he still couldn't deny what his nose was telling him.

Finally arriving at the house, he saw a different car parked alongside Sesshomaru's in the driveway. After parking on Sesshomaru's other side, he got out and scented the air to see if he knew the person.

…no scent? The lack of scent outside perplexed him beyond belief. Carrying the food, he went to the porch and raised his free hand to knock when the door was whipped open to reveal his family showing their smiling guest out. Everyone froze—much like his heart did—when they saw him.

"Kagome?"