Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I own this story/concept...and your heart. ;)

Rated for profanity.

Summary:

There are some things that can be taught and others you can only learn through experience. Some subjects you can master and others you can completely fail at. No one ever said love was easy, but damn, no one ever told Inuyasha it was THIS difficult. Love in his 30's is harder than he thought. Can he get an A+ in the subject of love?

Learn It by Heart

Romance 101

A lesson in romancing your important person

1 hour.

To be specific it had been 57 minutes and 32 seconds since Inuyasha had sat on his ass and had given deep thought as to how to ask Kagome out.

It was a very rare occasion when things tended to go well for him. Hell, has anything ever gone consistently well for him? He couldn't remember a time when that was the case, but this. This was one good thing that had been going well for the last week.

Inuyasha was gradually speaking more with Kagome each and every day and he loved it. His mornings were filled with texting her and his nights were typically filled with her being the last person he spoke to. Inuyasha didn't even like texting, but he was managing to text with her on a daily basis.

They hadn't gone out again since Tuesday, but now it was Friday and it was the perfect opportunity to ask her out for the weekend. One could say another perfect opportunity was placed in front of him and yet…..

I can't think of a single goddamn way to ask her out.

All of the signs were there, or at least he hoped. Regardless of if she liked him right now or not, there was a clear interest brewing. Why else would she spend so much time texting him? Why else would she try to speak with him, discreetly, during their small breaks if time permitted it? Why else was she breathing in his direction? Dear God he hoped he wasn't just making stuff up in his head.

He had been thinking about it for a while and it was starting to annoy him that he hadn't asked her earlier.

He had no idea what he planned to do with her or where he would take her, all he knew was that he wanted to go out with her on an obvious date to make his intentions a bit more clear with her. Would it be a bit pushy after only talking with her every day recently? Maybe? But there were plenty of people that asked others out on a date during the first day of meeting, so was it really a swing in the dark for him?

It was a small feeling, but a good feeling that Kagome would be interested in something a bit more tame for a first date. If he planned a picnic, would that sell him as the romantic type? He wasn't, but when he put his mind to it, he certainly could be.

Plus it'd give us time to talk….

There was always the option of going to the movies, but that's cliché and Inuyasha wasn't so interested in going…

I'll think about it some more.

Inuyasha hadn't given this much thought to something in over a year. He couldn't even remember the last time he asked a girl on a date.

"I could ask Miroku," Inuyasha mumbled to himself. Just as quickly as the idea came to him, it threw itself out the door. Miroku could probably think of the best date for them to go on, but knowing him, he would suggest something so over the top that Inuyasha would probably hate it. Inuyasha still didn't want Miroku butting in in his love life anyways.

He shuddered just thinking about it. "We're supposed to talk about the proposal later today too…." As much as Inuyasha wanted to go home and relax for the night, he was more than happy to help Miroku with planning out his proposal to Sango.

The two had talked about it quite a bit since he had initially brought it up. Miroku had come up with a very sweet proposal that Inuyasha had been working to help him pull off. They had already planned out a date for when it was to go down and had talked about a few details here and there. Inuyasha had attended a few weddings in the past, but it was his first time to be involved as much as he had been with the process. It would only get worse when the duties of best man came on.

I could probably ask Kagome to be my date to the wedding too…..

With resolve set deep in his chest, Inuyasha stood and made his way out of the room. There was still a good thirty minutes until class started which meant they would have a good ten minute window to talk completely uninterrupted before students would start flooding in and he could properly ask her. Not only would it be a great way to start the day... if she said yes…. but it would hopefully make her day as well. He couldn't picture her saying no and honestly wasn't sure how he would respond if she said no.

Again, signs were a hell of a thing, and she was sending major signs.

Her classroom is too far. It was a relatively short walk, but it was strange to think that she was located in an area separate from all of the other teachers in her grade. All rooms around him were taken up but he hoped that she'd be able to get a room close to him or at least switch with someone next semester.

Inuyasha enjoyed roaming the school when few people were around. He didn't always get here early enough, but times like these were somewhat rare and he truly did enjoy them. There was something eerie about how when it was very early in the morning around dusk, the sun always seemed to hit the school at the perfect angle, adding a touch of beauty and mystery to it in its wake.

The fact that he could take pleasure in such a simple thing amazed him. He felt like his eyes were a bit more open after talking with Kagome more. Fate was weird in how it brought him and her to this school. From the sounds of it, she had a pretty interesting background if she had planned to do something else with her life, or at least that's what he remembered her saying when they had dinner together.

I need to focus.

Inuyasha rounded the corner, adrenaline causing his heart to pick up pace. Surely she wouldn't say no, but…..there's always the off chance that she could find him repulsive and want absolutely nothing to do with him and push him away after he makes it awkward by asking her out….but that wouldn't happen, would it? Surely luck would be on his side.

He was fairly confident in being able to ask her out. Not to toot his own horn, but he had been doing everything well.

Before Inuyasha could make it around the corner, he could hear Kagome speaking with someone. Inuyasha rolled his eyes when he heard exactly who she was talking to.

"So I think it would be a good idea." An award winning smile was given Kagome's way.

Kagome gave a slightly nervous laugh. "I see."

Inuyasha slowly peeked around the corner to see what exactly was going on and frowned at what he saw.

Kabedon? What the hell?

Kagome was practically backed into a corner with Miroku's hand slammed firmly against the wall, effectively blocking her from moving away from him. Inuyasha knew Miroku all too well and knew there wasn't necessarily any reason to intervene with Miroku being as harmless as he was and as faithful as he was to Sango in that matter. Curiosity held Inuyasha in place as he continued to watch the two.

"So you agree it's a good idea?" Miroku asked pushingly.

Inuyasha could see Kagome move to the side slightly, forcing Miroku to push himself closer.

Despite there being nothing to worry about, Inuyasha could have choked Miroku to death; he had to suppress a growl brewing in his throat. Where was Sango to wring Miroku's neck for him? Why the hell was Miroku always invading people's personal space? Clearly Kagome was uncomfortable, who wouldn't be?

Again, Inuyasha was waiting for a day when Miroku would get in trouble for getting much too close to someone. Inuyasha knew what Kagome was feeling all too well. Inuyasha shuddered just thinking about his first encounter with Miroku. From the first day, Miroku had been too touchy-feely. Miroku was too much to handle.

"If I say yes, will you let me go?" She asked.

"Of course." Miroku answered with ease as he took one giant step back.

She was silent for a while, as if chewing over truly giving him a yes.

What the hell are they talking about? Inuyasha was practically breaking his back to get closer to them while also trying to stay hidden behind the wall.

"Then yes." Despite her previous look of discomfort, she seemed to give him a genuine smile.

Inuyasha could only see Miroku's back from where he was positioned but there was a noticeable, if not clear, evident slack of his shoulders, one of relief.

"I owe you the world and then some more. We'll talk more later, I have to finish getting ready." Miroku patted Kagome's shoulders in gratitude.

No doubt stunned into silence, Kagome could only nod her head as she watched Miroku go back to his classroom. Inuyasha walked as fast as his legs could away from them. The last thing he wanted was Miroku asking what he was doing near Kagome's classroom. Inuyasha could hear it now.

Were you trying to sneak a little kiss in before morning class?

Trying to get a date for my wedding, eh?

I knew you were head over heels for her. Why else would you be sneaking around her room, you stalker.

Inuyasha could also see himself killing Miroku if any of that was said.

Once Inuyasha was in the safe confines of his classroom, he leaned against the door to process the last couple of minutes. Not only had he not asked Kagome out, but now he knew something was going on with Kagome and Miroku. No matter how much he thought, he couldn't think of any reason the two would talk...There was the lesson plans for the field trip that could be a topic of interest….But Inuyasha just couldn't see Miroku actually cornering Kagome like that for the topic of work. Hell, the man barely did the work that was asked of him.

He began to pace the room as his mind swarmed with all kinds of thoughts before he walked to the window to help clear his mind.

Inuyasha pulled back the curtains in his classroom and took a deep breath. "I can't worry about that right now." He had bigger things to focus on than Miroku's reasoning for talking to Kagome. "It's fine, I'll just ask her to talk some other time today. It'll all work out." He wasn't usually the one to keep a positive attitude, but it couldn't hurt to try, right?

Wrong.

Very wrong.

In fact, he was wrong for thinking things could go right. Who was he to think something like this would go smoothly?

Yet again, Inuyasha was back at the same cozy spot he had been earlier this morning when he had watched Miroku corner Kagome.

Inuyasha had been trying to speak to Kagome all day and yet there was always someone or something or some other factor preventing him from accomplishing such a simple task. During lunchtime, he had officially been pushed to his wit's end.

Inuyasha had specifically left the classroom a bit early during his free period to catch her before she went to take her lunch break and now here he was watching as Kagome was backed into a corner by the school nurse.

Again, she looked slightly uncomfortable, or confused, or flustered, or a combination of all three.

"Ummmm…." A fairly big watermelon had been placed in her hand.

Inuyasha watched as the school nurse brushed a hand through his sandy brown hair. "There are many health benefits to it, ya' know?" He started rattling off a shit ton of nonsense Inuyasha didn't care to listen to.

Akitoki Hojo, the school nurse and health nut of the school stood with a sheepish expression. Inuyasha hadn't spoken to him much at all, so Inuyasha didn't have much of an opinion about him. The only thing Inuyasha could think of him was that he was bland, like unseasoned food or the color gray. He reminded Inuyasha of the taste of water for some reason, but that was just if Inuyasha was basing his opinion off of how he looked and the very few times he had seen him.

Is this going to be my new home? Inuyasha thought as he had been watching the two for a couple of minutes now. Would it be that every time he came to Kagome's room, he'd be stuck hiding behind the wall?

He had to admit this was pretty entertaining though. She really looked confused at what to do with such a giant watermelon.

"Thank you so much, Hojo-senpai."

"You don't need to be so formal, Hojo is just fine. No one really calls me by my first name here, it's always just Hojo." He gently patted the watermelon. "I figured that you and I cou-"

This little shit. Why was it that when Inuyasha finally got up the nerve to really ask Kagome on a date that other idiots had been trying to get closer to her. As much as Inuyasha hated Hojo talking with Kagome, it was obvious he wasn't much of a threat. Hojo didn't feel like any bit of competition considering that he was trying to get Kagome to address him formally now.

"What are you doing?"

Inuyasha nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden hand on his shoulder. Deep brown irises locked with his in pure curiosity. Her eyes danced between Kagome, Hojo, and Inuyasha, before her lips curved into a soft smile.

Nope, nooooo. This isn't happening.

"What are you doing here, Sango?" Inuyasha whispered with an annoyed sigh.

"I was going to ask Kagome if she wanted to get lunch together. Boy am I glad I came early to see this."

Inuyasha grabbed her wrist and began dragging her back to his classroom. He tried to calm his racing thoughts as he thought of how to get himself out of the hole he had now dug himself. One person knowing about his little crush was more than enough, he'd have to either kill Sango or Miroku to keep it that way. That was the only way to keep his crush safe.

"It's not what it looks like," Inuyasha said as soon as the door to his classroom was shut.

Sango raised an eyebrow as she sat on his desk. "Oh? And what exactly does it look like?" It was an innocent enough question. However, Inuyasha knew Sango wasn't stupid.

"Does it please you to see me squirm?" He'd get her back for her sadistic tendencies, that was one thing he vowed on.

"Squirm? Wriggle? Jump? Yes, yes it does." She laughed as Inuyasha's face paled. "What are you so nervous about? I don't know what you think I saw, but I didn't see anything."

"What are you playing at?" Was she trying to play dumb? Was he reading into it too much? To other people it may have just looked like he was eavesdropping, which probably wasn't a good look for him...but it was better than the latter. "Did you talk to Miroku?"

"Did I talk to my boyfriend today? Yes, we talk every day, we live together unfortunately."

Inuyasha could feel himself sweating. "Did you talk about…..me?"

"Today? I don't think so?" She seemed to think it over before finally asking, "Why?"

Inuyasha rushed out a quick, "Keh. No reason." He would rather not spill everything out right now. Or ever.

Sango's eyes lingered on him in a way that completely unnerved him, he could feel himself sweating with each passing second. The bell resonated throughout the halls, momentarily drawing her attention up at the noise. She hopped off of his desk with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk about your little crush on Ms. Higurashi, I won't say anything until you're ready." At Inuyasha's flabbergasted look, she winked at him. "You're a bit too obvious, you didn't see how you looked peeking around the corner. I want to catch her before she leaves for lunch, so I'll catch you later." Without waiting for a response, she walked out of the room, leaving Inuyasha with a racing heart and racing thoughts. Had his anxiety always been this bad for things like this?

It's just Sango….

If there was anyone on this God-forsaken earth that he could trust to know about his little crush, it was Sango. She didn't have a big mouth and the only other person she would tell already knew about it...so why did he feel so nervous?

"I can't worry about this…" Why was this the second time he had thought the same exact thing today? "I've got bigger things to focus on. I'll just ask her at the end of the day."

He was determined to ask her out and he'd be damned if he didn't do it by the end of the day.

The rest of the day had dragged on slow enough. Slow but in a good way for once. Inuyasha had enough time to give more thought about how to approach Kagome, which he was more than grateful for. It also helped that he had been having a pretty okay day with his students.

School had just let out 15 minutes ago, meaning the students had most likely finished doing their chores and were out at school activities or were in the process of leaving the school.

Inuyasha had messaged Kagome, asking if he could meet her in her room around 4:50, which she had agreed to. There was no way this could go wrong.

Inuyasha began making his way down the familiar pathway to Kagome's classroom.

I can finally ask her out.

Inuyasha was long past the point of feeling nervous about asking her on a date. He just wanted to get it over and done with after two failed attempts to even get near her.

I swear to God if I have to hide behind the wall again for any reason. I give up.

He had already reserved a time to speak with her, there shouldn't be any reason for them not to be able to speak.

And yet…..

Inuyasha could see Kagome making her way back to her classroom from God knows where from where he stood. The more she came into view, the more his confidence flew further out the window.

What the hell happened to her?

The closer she got, the more he could see just how disheveled she looked. She looked like she had been in a fight and had lost. Hair that was once in a neat high ponytail lay scattered and pulled every which way. A once pure white blouse and clean skirt were covered in mud and dirt. Her face was slightly red and she looked completely drained. What had happened in the last ten minutes between when he asked her to meet and now?

By the time Inuyasha was in front of Kagome, he could tell she just wanted to go home.

"Sorry," she said with a very heavy sigh. "Let's talk later, okay? I'm going home."

Inuyasha wasn't sure if he should ask what happened, offer to walk her home, give her his shirt, or what. She looked so shaken that he wasn't sure if even offering anything would be of some assistance.

"Yea….." Inuyasha watched as she tried to compose herself a bit more while walking into her room and grabbing her things. "Wait for a sec."

Inuyasha quickly ran to the teacher's lounge and up to his desk.

I know it's here somewhere.

As soon as Inuyasha spotted the bag he was looking for, he grabbed it and left the room. He could already see looks of interest directed his way and he wasn't exactly in the mood to start a conversation with everyone in the room, especially after just having asked Kagome to wait for him. Without even a glance at everyone he continued on his way out.

Kagome had already locked up her classroom and was waiting outside her room for him by the time he returned. She had tried to straighten herself up slightly by fixing her hair and wiping a bit of the mud off of herself.

Inuyasha all but shoved the bag into her hands.

"What is this?" Curious eyes peeked inside the bag as she cracked a small smile. "Thank you." She ran her hand along the soft of the fabric. "I'll clean it and then give it back to you, okay?"

Inuyasha rubbed a sheepish hand behind his head. Why did she look so grateful, it was just an old t-shirt he had laying around. Each teacher was responsible for sponsoring a club. Inuyasha sponsored a very small art club made up of only five members. He never really monitored them and only checked on them once every couple of weeks to make sure they were set. On a rare occasion, he would actually sit and paint with them. He couldn't paint for shit and knew nothing about how to paint, but it was nice to interact with the students on a different level every now and then. For those occasions, he made sure to have a shirt ready to work with them and get messy. Luckily, he hadn't gone to the art club this month yet and the shirt was still clean.

"It's just an old shirt. Nothing special."

"I know, but….Just thanks, it'll save me the trip of walking home in mud." As if remembering something, she looked up at Inuyasha. "You wanted to talk, right?" Maybe she had been a bit too rude in dismissing him and saying she wanted to talk later.

Of all the ways he pictured asking Kagome out, her being covered in mud and slightly agitated hadn't been one of them. Now just didn't feel like the right time unfortunately.

"Don't worry about it. Go home and clean up."

Kagome looked slightly relieved at being able to go home rather than talk. Inuyasha was sure she wanted nothing more than to run home to a nice shower with how messy she looked, so he could understand.

She fidgeted with the shirt a bit before returning her eyes to his. "I'll call you tonight, does that sound good? Around 9pm?"

She threw him a bone and he sure as hell was going to take it.

"Sounds good."

Inuyasha watched as she walked off to go change into his shirt. He had something to look forward to tonight and even if it wasn't how he had planned to ask her out, he was perfectly fine with asking her to meet up on the weekend via phone.

As Inuyasha returned to his classroom to finish grading the latest test, he couldn't help but think about this whole crush, dating, liking shit. Nothing ever went as planned, did it?

Inuyasha had truly underestimated how easy it was to do such a simple task.

It made him question if these were signs that he should stop. Just as quickly as the thoughts came, they left. At the end of the day, he couldn't see himself giving her up. Wasn't it a good sign if she was saying she would call him tonight? That was a good enough sign for him.

"For the love of God, I get it." Inuyasha yawned as they continued walking down the street. Miroku had just come to Inuyasha's house to walk with him to get burgers from a local burger joint in the area. Inuyasha had offered to just order food for them to eat at his place, but Miroku had insisted on coming over and on them getting burgers at one of his favorite places together.

Just survive until 9pm. Just survive until 9pm. Just survive until mother fucking 9pm.

"Come on, you know you enjoy talking about it just as much as I do." Miroku probed.

"That's quite debatable at this point."

After finishing up at work, Inuyasha had gone home to relax and shower for a mere two hours before it was time to meet with Miroku for dinner. They were supposed to talk more about the proposal from Inuyasha's understanding. Inuyasha could honestly say he was looking forward to this dinner. Now that there was a more fully formed plan for the proposal, he was enjoying helping Miroku with it. It was nice to plan something with his best friend.

Despite any protests Inuyasha had about Miroku infringing on his free time, Inuyasha looked forward to the times when he and Miroku could just chill and talk outside of work. While their talk had centered mostly on the proposal these days, Inuyasha liked that Miroku could make for good conversation.

"I just want to make sure everything is perfect."

Knowing Miroku, everything would be absolutely perfect. He was the sloppiest perfectionist Inuyasha knew. It would probably be the best proposal in the world, aside from Inuyasha's whenever the time may come of course.

As the shop came into view, Inuyasha felt the need to reassure his best friend of one thing. "It'll be the best damn proposal there is. So stop worrying about it so much." This would be the one rare and only time of the year, Inuyasha would say something touching to Miroku.

Miroku pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Thanks, bud. Is it a full moon?" Miroku quickly looked up. "Nope, just a crescent."

Inuyasha nudged Miroku. Maybe it was because he was in a good mood from landing a phone call with the girl of his dreams, or maybe it was because it was the weekend. Either way, Inuyasha was in a good mood and didn't mind being a little nice. "I'm just saying."

As they approached the doors of the shop, Inuyasha could feel his mouth salivating. It had been a long week, eating burgers was exactly how he needed to end it. A nice, calming, delicious, meal with his best friend, what more could he ask for?

Miroku held the door open for Inuyasha to walk through. "After you, my dear lad."

Inuyasha walked through the doors, ready to eat the best burger of his life. "I-" Inuyasha couldn't even complete his sentence as his eyes landed on where the group normally sat when they came in.

Kagome and Sango sat laughing about one thing or another, not having noticed Inuyasha nearly walking in. Inuyasha took two giant steps back before grabbing Miroku by his shirt and pulling him outside the restaurant.

Forget any nice thing Inuyasha had said. What the hell was this?

"What the hell is going on?"

Miroku shrugged his shoulders. "I asked Kagome to join Sango, me, and you for dinner. Well technically just Sango and I."

"I asked you not to meddle." Inuyasha growled between clenched teeth.

This was exactly why Miroku was only allowed but so much into Inuyasha's personal life. He was a god damn meddler. Who thinks to do something like this?

Inuyasha looked down at his attire. Given that it was just supposed to be him and Miroku eating burgers and relaxing, he was in lounge clothes so as to completely unwind. Inuyasha had on a pair of red sweats and a black t-shirt. Thank God I look good in anything I wear. Inuyasha forced a glare Miroku's way. Was it a big deal? No. But did that mean Inuyasha was okay with Miroku butting into his love life? Absolutely not.

"I'm not." Miroku wore an innocent look. "How narcissistic of you to think that we're meeting because of you." Miroku brushed his shirt down as Inuyasha's glare bore holes into him. Inuyasha wouldn't be satisfied until Miroku spoke the truth. "Okay, fine, I set it up for you."

Good, with Miroku's honesty, Inuyasha had every right to hurt him.

"So, you admit it!"

"But!" Miroku rushed out quickly as he held his hands up in his defense. "I wouldn't have had to if you had just made your move on Kagome. You haven't even talked to her since your flub up and I thought I could at least help move things along for you."

Inuyasha took a few deep calming breaths. If looks could kill, Miroku would already be in hell. "Let me get this straight….you set this up….because you think I haven't spoken to Kagome?"

Miroku nodded his head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Now thank me for being the bestest best friend in the world."

Inuyasha's glare narrowed down on Miroku. "Kagome and I text every day and night. We went to dinner on Tuesday too! Mind your goddamn business."

Miroku looked at Inuyasha as if he had been speaking a completely different language. It was clear that it hadn't occurred to him that Inuyasha may have contact with the female species outside of Sango. "Congrats buddy, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you meddling!"

"I only do it out of love," Miroku caterwauled. "This is your time to get to know more about her, enjoy it. Besides, this is the perfect chance for us to work on the project and get the information ready for Tsubaki. Now can we eat and talk about work please?" Miroku held the door open once more.

Inuyasha knew damn well they had no intention of doing the bullshit assignment. "You owe me for this."

Miroku better not ask him for anything outside of the proposal. Not. A. Single. Damn. Thing. Inuyasha had absolutely no intention of helping him after this stunt.

Inuyasha stepped into the shop and waved at Sango. To Inuyasha's surprise, a look of complete shock took over Sango's face. Miroku really had set this up all on his own. At seeing Sango's attention drawn past her, Kagome turned around, matching Sango's look of surprise.

"Speak of the devil." Kagome laughed as her face lit up.

Wait they were speaking about me before we walked in? What were they saying? What could they possibly have to say about me? Hopefully only good things….

Miroku planted a gentle kiss on his girlfriend's cheek as he took his seat next to her. He seemed quite pleased with himself for managing to get everyone together under one roof. With Miroku sitting next to Sango, that left Inuyasha to sit next to Kagome in the small booth.

We haven't sat next to each other like this since that night.

In reference to him becoming a drunken mess. She still seemed surprised that he was there as she eventually noticed that she needed to scoot over to make room for him. As Inuyasha sat next to Kagome, he offered her a smile. It wouldn't exactly be the calm bro night Inuyasha had hoped for, but another night with Kagome was just as good.

"So you were talking about me?" Inuyasha finally asked.

"Yea, about what a nuisance you were." Sango answered. "We ordered already, you guys should order too."

"I'll take care of it." Miroku said as he pulled out his card. "It's my treat, Inuyasha. I already know what you want, bud."

"I know it is." Inuyasha grunted. It'd take more than just a burger or two to get back in his good graces.

"Get two milkshakes for Kagome and I as well, love." Sango added.

"Vanilla for me." Kagome chimed in.

Miroku winked at the group before going to the counter to order their food. With Miroku out of the picture, Sango turned back to Kagome with a glint in her eyes. She switched between looking at Inuyasha and Kagome before fixating on Kagome. Inuyasha wasn't sure why but he could feel his skin crawling.

Maybe I should have been worried about Sango finding out too…

"So Kagome, you were quite popular at school today," Sango joked. "I know Miroku flagged you down earlier, then there was Akitoki-san, and Jinenji."

Jinenji? Inuyasha didn't even know who that was.

Kagome laughed at the sudden topic. "It would seem I was a bit popular today, wouldn't it?"

"Don't let those harlots know or else they'll be out for blood with vicious rumors." Sango stated with a roll of her eyes, referring to the women they worked with. "But what really happened?"

Inuyasha was latching on to each word they said as a bystander. He really did want to know about what was going on with Hojo and whoever else they were talking about.

"Well…" Kagome thought back to each instance. "So Miroku already told you about how he cornered me to come tonight?"

"I'll apologize for him now. He can be a bit….pushy when he gets something in his mind." No doubt all three knew this fact very well.

"It was fine, kind of funny even. I know he means no harm. I was actually happy when he invited me to get dinner with you two."

Miroku walked back to the group with a smile as he placed a large set of fries and their drinks on the table. "They'll bring the burgers as soon as they finish. What are you talking about?"

"All of the encounters I just so happened to see Kagome have earlier."

"Tell me more."

Kagome laughed nervously. "I'm not so sure why Hojo decided to pay me a visit. I've never actually spoken with him…He gave me a watermelon though, so I guess that was nice. .As for Jinenji…" The smile she once held dropped.

"Who is that?" Inuyasha asked.

"The school's gardener. Keeps all the plants and stuff real' nice," Miroku filled him in. He wasn't surprised that Inuyasha had no idea who that was seeing as the gardener tended to keep to himself and only really tended to the plants when the kids finished classes.

Inuyasha had to think very hard about it, but he couldn't remember seeing a gardener...ever…..

"What's the frown for? It looked like you and Jinenji were getting on very well when I passed by on my way out." Sango asked as she ate one of the fries.

"We were getting along so well! He's such a sweetheart and he has a lot of knowledge about a lot of different herbs and plants. I even helped him with the plants a bit. But then it happened." Her face twisted in disdain.

"It?" All three asked, very curious about what it could be.

"As I was helping him, a worm fell on me off one of the leaves and I freaked out. Mud went flying everywhere, I nearly had a heart attack, and he had to do his absolute best to calm me down. That was the worst first impression I think I've ever made."

Wait a minute.

Inuyasha thought back to her messy appearance just a few hours ago. It was all because of a worm? Inuyasha could practically picture her flailing around, screaming about it. He doubled over in laughter, unable to obtain himself.

"That's why you looked so crazy earlier? I thought you had been in a fight. You guys should have seen her after school." Inuyasha said in between his laughter.

Kagome lightly slapped his arm. "Aren't you laughing a bit too hard? You're talking to a girl with scoleciphobia and helminthphobia. I feel sick even talking about it." She shivered involuntarily at the topic.

Inuyasha had never heard of someone having a fear over something as simple as a worm, but it was so damn hilarious to think about. Miroku and Sango found it pretty interesting too as they joined him in laughter.

At Kagome's look of murder, Miroku patted her hand. "It's all in good humor. I only wish I could have been there to see it."

Sango clutched her sides. "That makes two of us."

Kagome rolled her eyes with a huff before taking one of the fries. "Didn't you literally bust your butt the other day when we were walking around the park?"

Just as quickly as Sango's laughter started, it stopped. "Mou...Okay, that's enough." She lightly knocked Kagome on the head with her knuckle.

They went out the other week?

Now he could see it. The way they easily chatted, interacted with each other, and touched each other. Sango had made a new friend and it seemed like they were getting pretty close.

It was odd. The way Sango and Kagome interacted with each other. He had never seen Sango be this chummy with another coworker, a female at that. Additionally, Kagome and Sango seemed to have quite good banter going on between them. When the hell did this happen? At this point, Kagome was clearly more comfortable around Sango if Inuyasha had to compare his relationship with Kagome with her's.

"We can't forget Inuyasha's mess up two weeks ago though." Miroku laughed.

Inuyasha stopped laughing so quickly, it was almost as if he hadn't been laughing in the first place. "Stop right there, Miroku."

The group gave their thanks as the burgers were placed in front of them. Everyone seemed temporarily distracted by the meal placed, much to Inuyasha's relief. Inuyasha was thankful for the meal and distraction. It became quiet as everyone appreciated their burgers and dug in.

Kagome lightly nudged him with her elbow. "So what is this about a blunder I hear?" She chuckled at his expression. "You literally saw me at my worst earlier today, the least you could do is tell me."

"No, it's not." Inuyasha grunted as he continued to bite into his burger.

"When we went to a ramen shop a couple of weeks ago, he got so excited that he spilled it all on himself. Picture him screaming cusses while covered in ramen. The owner had to go in the back and make a whole new one."

Kagome didn't laugh at first, but the more she pictured it. His cussing, the look of disappointment, the flustered expression- it all came together to form the most hilarious image. She couldn't keep herself from laughing even if she wanted to. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at Miroku. Miroku was just adding up reasons for Inuyasha not to help him out in the future. It's like he got off on saying and doing things Inuyasha didn't like.

Kagome wiped a tear from her eye. "That's not so bad." Her laughter said otherwise.

Inuyasha hoped that laughter at his expense wasn't the new norm if she was going to continue hanging out with the group. With how much Sango and Miroku seemed to be enjoying themselves, he felt it would be the case.

"Oh, that reminds me." Miroku directed his attention at Kagome. "Where were you at lunch? I came by your room, but you were gone."

Okay, now I'm starting to think Miroku is barking up her tree a bit too much. What was with the sudden fascination with Kagome? Maybe he could understand Sango wanting to have a female coworker to get along with, but Miroku too?...He could hardly talk though….

Why are we all so interested in her? She's a witch.

Sango took a sip of her milkshake as she nodded her head. "I tried to find you too, but by the time I went back to your room, you were gone."

Kagome looked down at what was left of her burger awkwardly. "I went to eat in the garden today. I don't eat in the teacher's lounge for obvious reasons. It's either the garden or my room, …..but then there was the roof that one time too...I just go any place where it's quiet." She ended before finishing off her burger.

"You should eat with us sometime." Sango motioned around the group. "I don't always eat with them, but it's a really nice comic relief to watch these two interact with each other."

Kagome's face lit up with a gentle smile. "Thanks. If you don't mind, I'd love to eat with you guys." Her eyes drifted towards Inuyasha as if to ask if it was okay.

"What she said." Inuyasha mumbled. Oh god. With her looking up at him with those big doe eyes, he could feel his face warming up. With how much effect she had on him while looking at him like that, she could probably ask him to sell his soul to her and he would do it in a heartbeat.

"I-" Kagome was cut off by a vibration from her pocket. Her face went as white as a sheet of paper. "Sorry, I'll just take this call really quickly." She scooted out of the booth to answer the phone.

Inuyasha looked at the couple in front of him. He was sure they all had the same idea about Kagome. This girl fit in with the group pretty well. The night seemed to be going great so far. Great friends, great food, and what was soon to be a great phone call with Kagome if she was still down to talk later tonight. Miroku was looking at Inuyasha with such anticipation that Inuyasha had to roll his eyes. Inuyasha knew what Miroku wanted very well and he had no intention of giving it up.

Inuyasha didn't care how swimmingly Miroku thought the night was going. He didn't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he had done good by setting this whole thing up. He could have very easily done it himself, or at least that's what he kept telling himself. Inuyasha took the last fry off the plate before popping it in his mouth.

Just as quickly as Kagome left, she flew back into the diner. "Sorry about that."

She took her seat next to Inuyasha before gulping down some of her milkshake.

I know she isn't that popular to have all of these guys after her in one day. Or maybe she is...

"Souta called?" Sango asked with a smile.

Kagome nodded her head. "And he was furious. I completely forgot to tell him I was going out again, I was too excited about eating with you. I didn't know he would finish with clubs early so he was a bit confused about why I wasn't home."

"Is that your brother's name? Sango mentioned you had a brother that went to school around here." Miroku asked.

Kagome nodded her head. "Yea. I'm sorry but I'll need to head home a bit earlier tonight. He'll meet me around the train station in about 20 minutes."

Now that Inuyasha thought about it, if her brother went to school around here, he was either in middle school or high school, but Inuyasha hadn't heard any word of her brother going to their school. Would he even hear about something like that?

"He goes to school about 55 minutes away from here, that's a bits away, isn't it? Why'd he choose a school so far away?"

Her eyes darted to the side for a second. "Well, I don't know if you guys remember when I started working, but I started in July even though the school semester starts in April. My brother and I moved here during an off time and he was able to choose which school he wanted to go to without doing an entrance exam. He ended up choosing one a bit further away because he liked the programs the school offered and thought it would look good on college applications." Kagome explained.

Sango and Miroku tried to think back to a year ago. Neither seemed to remember exactly when she started working, just that she had started soon after they got back from the school trip. With the school year starting at such an odd time, it was a bit strange that she had applied when she did .

"Did you finish getting your license to teach during that time or something? That's a bit weird." Sango asked.

"No, it's a bit of a long explanation. I didn't expect to become a teacher. I was actually set up to work for Shikon when I had to move here. Packed up all my stuff, got the apartment and everything and was literally with my foot out the door." Kagome turned to Inuyasha with somewhat of a smile. "As I once told Inuyasha, things don't always go as planned."

The group fell into a silence that Kagome couldn't quite figure out. They seemed to exchange all sorts of looks between each other, though none said a word. Seeing how they all had similar expressions made her feel like she had missed something or said something wrong. She looked at each individual and couldn't pinpoint any of their reactions.

"That's a mighty big company." Miroku spoke after some time. "You would literally make over triple all of our salaries combined if you would have gone with that company."

Kagome shrugged her shoulders, evidently not wanting to get into too many details as of now. "Life is quite unexpected." Not liking the sudden turn in tone, she almost felt like an outsider for not understanding. Kagome motioned towards the couple in front of her. "You guys make the cutest couple. Was it unexpected or did you guys hit it off from the start?"

Seeing Kagome's clear attempt at changing the topic, Sango decided to help her out. Sango gave a hearty laugh. "This was very much so not planned. This guy's reputation preceded him because he had flirted with a friend of mine before we even worked together."

Miroku rubbed a sheepish hand behind his head. "I did. But as soon as I saw Sango, I knew she was the one for me. I tried everything to get her to date me after her first day in the school."

"He did and I rejected him every single time." She smiled as she took a sip of Miroku's drink. "I knew how guys like him got around and I figured he'd be bored of trying after the first week."

Miroku smiled fondly at his beloved. "So I spent the next year letting her know that wasn't going to happen."

The couple looked knowingly at each other for their ridiculous love story. As crazy of a couple that they made, one thing Inuyasha could say about the two is that they fit each other in such a perfectly imperfect way. Since Inuyasha hadn't joined the school until this year, he hadn't even known of Sango's existence before Miroku had brought her up.

Knowing Miroku's lecherous tendencies, Inuyasha hadn't thought anything of Miroku talking about a pretty new girl that started working with him at the school. But when Miroku would talk about her back to back each and every day, Inuyasha could see Miroku was quite taken with her.

Inuyasha rarely thought anything nice about Miroku, but it was easy to see the man wasn't ugly. That being said, many women gave Miroku the time of day and were more than happy to spend time with him. Minus his inability to commit and his wandering hands, Miroku always treated women with respect, which made some seek his attention even more. Sango was one of few that had actually rejected Miroku and she was the first to continuously reject him, for a year at that.

"He was never very overbearing with how he approached me, but he worked hard to let me know I was on his mind each and every day." Sango thought fondly about the little notes that were left on her desk, the flowers, and checking in on her. Every small little thing he did really meant a lot to her, especially with her not being on good terms with the other female coworkers.

"It took a year, but I finally won her over."

Sango leaned her head on his shoulder. "We gradually became friends during that time, but I remember it as clear as day when we decided to give us a try."

"And when was that?" Kagome asked as she leaned forward, latching onto every word.

"The day I finally gave him a chance was when I realized he was dead set on me and was serious about being with only me. Miroku was the one to sit me down and listed out all of the reasons why he was serious. It really made me think we could have a future together."

Sango could laugh about it now, but at first she hadn't taken him very seriously. "He listed out how he is with other women compared to how he is with me and how he was committed and dead set on having a family."

"She knows how much having children means to me and she knows I take that one thing very seriously." Miroku stated.

It was times like these when Inuyasha felt a bit odd. Miroku and Sango were never really romantic around Inuyasha. Aside from the mild PDA of a peck on the cheek or holding hands, they only ever really looked at each other this way when talking about their love story in front of him. Inuyasha and Miroku had come a long way with their friendship and he could say that Miroku had always been the type to mess around, but held true to his morals, goals, and ideals. One being to have a legacy and a family at some point. With his parents dying when he was so young, he had always made it a point to have a family somewhere down the line.

"And it's been love ever since." Sango said as Miroku kissed the back of her knuckles.

Inuyasha always felt something stir within him during these kinds of moments with the strange couple. The feeling didn't hold an ounce of jealousy or envy, some people just matched each other in one way or another and that was just simply something Inuyasha couldn't even begin to feel jealous of. Inuyasha had yet to coin a term to the sensation but maybe it was something closer to hope? Hope or even yearning for a relationship where Inuyasha could share laughs with someone like this, someone to be happy to go home to at the end of the day, and to have someone that he truly did love. His eyes drifted to Kagome as she looked at the couple before her. The way she leaned into her hands with eyes lit bright, truly enjoying learning more about the lovely couple before her made Inuyasha think Kagome might have the same thoughts as him.

Would Kagome be someone I could come home to?

It was strange to think about with her directly right next to him.

"I still feel like she was just playing hard to get after the first month of being around me." Miroku joked.

"That's so sweet." Kagome said dreamily. "I'm a die-hard romantic, I really love hearing things like this."

"No potential boyfriend in sight?" Miroku asked with a smile.

Inuyasha could feel his back go rigid at the question. It wasn't the simple question of 'do you have a boyfriend?', but 'is there one IN SIGHT'. That's a whole different ball game. No matter how close she felt to members in the group, Inuyasha wondered how comfortable she would be divulging such information if there was information to give.

She seemed to flounder under their gazes as her face flushed bright red.

"Now, now. Let's not pester her too much in one night." Sango said as she wiped her hands on her napkin.

As if to rescue her, Kagome's phone began to vibrate. She pointed at her phone with a relieved smile. "Would you look at that? My brother is nearby. I should start heading out." She stood and stretched. "Thank you so much for the lovely time."

"It was nice to just relax together. I'll see you this weekend." Sango said with a wink.

"I can't wait."

Inuyasha could feel his heart sink with her words. He had waited too long to ask her and now she already had plans. For some reason, Inuyasha didn't feel as bothered as he thought he would at not being able to ask Kagome out. While it was on a different level, seeing how gradually Sango and Kagome had managed to become so close gave him a slight bit of hope that the same could happen with his relationship with her. There would be more weekends to ask her out, he just wouldn't hesitate next time.

"And I'll see you when I see you." Miroku smiled. "After learning more about you today, I would go as far as to say that destiny really has placed you with our group." Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Miroku's cryptic words.

Obviously confused by what her new friend was saying, Kagome could only nod her head. "We'll talk at work." She ended with a giggle.

"I'll walk you to the station." The words were out of Inuyasha's mouth before he had even realized he said it. Kagome seemed surprised but her smile surely did seem to grow in Inuyasha's eyes. It felt like some bit of tension in his shoulders was released as he stood up. I guess I really am tired of being a bystander in my own life.

Kagome waved as they made their way outside of the restaurant. As they started walking their short walk to the station, Kagome kicked a pebble in front of her. "Thanks for walking me out."

The pebble danced over to Inuyasha's side, so he kicked it forward for her. "No reason to thank me."

The two fell back into a comfortable silence, though Inuyasha could feel his skin crawling. Her eyes were on him and she had yet to take them off of him.

"What?" Inuyasha asked after some time.

"Nothing," she said as she shrugged her shoulders. "I just think it was a nice time. Learning about Sango and Miroku's love story, ya' know?"

Why was she bringing this up now? There was nothing wrong with talking about it. However Inuyasha wasn't too sure of how to respond. Even though it wasn't far from the truth, he felt like if he said anything about wanting to have a good relationship like theirs, it may seem like he was talking about her even without her knowing how he felt, and that certainly wasn't something he wanted to say right now. On the other hand, Inuyasha did want to say something about this topic, somehow indirectly.

"Yea…." Inuyasha was struggling to answer her within a reasonable amount of time with something more than just a basic answer.

"Kind of makes you think about how you should really just go for it headstrong in the field of love, ne? I'm impressed by Miroku's tenacity."

At her words, Inuyasha stopped walking. "What do you mean?"

Had she been in his head? Had she somehow found out about all of the craziness that has been his day with trying to speak to her. It was too much of a coincidence for her to say something like that.

Once more, she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders as she lightly nudged him, signaling for him to keep walking. Kagome noted that he seemed a bit surprised by her question, though she held the same tone. "I'm just talking to talk. Like I said, I'm a die-hard romantic, I love love. Seeing other people in love makes you wonder when you'll actually experience it, doesn't it?"

No, no it doesn't. It seemed like such a romantic thought to have, but seeing other people in love didn't make Inuyasha really feel something like that. However other things surely made him think the same thing. Hopeful about his next relationship whenever that may be? Yes. But curious about when he'd be with someone next? Nope.

"Doesn't it seem a bit sad to think about when you'll be in love since you don't exactly have an answer to that?" Inuyasha asked. He didn't know why it felt rude to ask but he was curious about how she would respond to the slight disagreement.

"Well, I guess it could be. I like the wonder of it all. I guess people that are uncomfortable with being alone or single might not like it, but I like the idea of looking forward to my next relationship...whenever that is."

Inuyasha nodded his head, once again unsure of what to say. "I'm sure your next relationship will be good." Inuyasha wasn't sure why he said that. Was he manifesting it into reality?

"Oh?" She asked innocently. "I'm sure your next relationship will be very good too."

Why'd she say it like that? Inuyasha was nearly ready to make a conscious decision to stop reading into her words. She was a playful little thing now wasn't she? She should be more careful with her words, he may get ideas.

Inuyasha could see the station coming into view. "We still on for tonight?"

"You know it." She laughed to herself as something crossed her mind. "I want to tell you about something hilarious that happened in the classroom today, I think you'll get a kick out of it. It happened to a student in your homeroom." She lightly giggled to herself.

Inuyasha found himself chuckling at the thought. I like this. The person she was eager to talk to was him. Inuyasha didn't even like talking on the phone but he could honestly say he was looking forward to going a bit beyond just texting with Kagome.

"Kagome, I-"

"Kagome."

Not too far from them, Inuyasha could see a young man jogging their way. He breathed a small sigh of relief. Inuyasha wasn't sure what he was going to say, though he was somewhat grateful he was cut off.

Now isn't the time.

She was wondering about when she would fall in love, right? If Inuyasha was going to be a contender, he wanted to do things right. As they had both stated, they both deserved a good relationship. He would surely ask her on a date soon, but this moment just didn't feel right.

Despite these thoughts, Inuyasha had to wonder, if now wasn't the time, then when would be?

He could somewhat understand Kagome's interest in when it would happen if he thought about it. Hesitation was one hell of a thing.

A look of apology came to her face as she waved her brother over. "That's my kid brother."

The closer the boy came, the more Inuyasha could see how much the two resembled each other. Same deep brown eyes, same round shape face, same poofy bangs, even the same way of jogging. The boy slowed to a stop in front of them as he eyed his sister, a bit of agitation in his features. She had mentioned something about blowing him off earlier, Inuyasha's best guess is that he still wasn't that happy about it.

"Ummm. Souta this is Inuyasha, my coworker. The one I got ramen with the other day. Inuyasha, this is my little brother, Souta."

There was a slight bit of acknowledgement given Inuyasha's way, though her brother's attention immediately turned back to his sister. "Let's go."

"Alright, alright." It was clear she saw no room for argument. "I'll call you tonight."

"See ya'"

She gave a parting wave before her brother wrapped a protective arm around her. A small glance was given Inuyasha's way once more, almost as if he was being sized up, before Souta pulled his sister in the direction of the train station and started complaining.

As Inuyasha headed back to the burger restaurant, he found himself smiling. There was no particular reason for him to think such a cocky thought, but he felt oddly optimistic about his relationship with Kagome and where it was headed…... wherever that may be.

Finished writing on September 16th.

Dare I say we're making progress with the relationship?

Arc 1: 4/8…..4/22

Posted on: November 15th, 2021

Pages: 24

Words: About 10,200

8/22