It had only been a few months since she started working at Mythical Moon, and Kagome had integrated with the pace smoothly. There was always that overwhelming experience when first starting a new job, but given that there were so many that she knew, they made her feel welcome as if she hadn't moved away for so long. It was unexpected, but it was nice. She was still pinching herself each morning when she woke up to realize that she was the right hand to her best friend.

Inuyasha never made her feel less for her position, either. As it was, she wasn't just running errands and taking calls on his behalf. She was being asked for input and opinions on projects from Inuyasha as well as others in the company, helping organize wherever an extra set of hands were needed. Word got around quickly and before she knew it, Inuyasha was coming up with work that she would have to do within his office just to keep her nearby.

As soon as she realized this, it was sweet, if not amusing that he was the same boy she used to hang out with after school. That same little boy would get so mad if she got pulled away from him.

Although…he wasn't so little now, and he certainly wasn't a boy anymore.

For all of the quirks she still saw in him, Inuyasha was a man. Or half-man. She had to remind herself that he was a hanyou whenever she started thinking of him as a man because she didn't see the fuzzy ears as something any different than a birthmark. It didn't help matters when her thoughts focused on how he looked now. Remembering how he was so skinny, even if he could lift the back end of his mom's sedan without breaking a sweat. Now he looked like he could pick the whole car up and be able to.

She wanted him to pick her up. And…not only that way. Multiple ways. Inappropriate ways. Very inappropriate ways.

A few months since she started the job and that schoolgirl crush that she thought she'd gotten over had not only kicked down the door to her hormones, but it had sent them into overdrive. It wasn't her fault though! He was handsome, desirable, smelled wonderful, good enough to li–

"Kagome!"

She let out a squeak as the new voice interrupted her sinful daydreams of mimicking dripping ice cream and turned to follow the sound. Her jaw dropped when she took in the sight of long dark hair, tanned skin, and a wolfish grin.

"Koga! Is that really you?"

The ookami held out his arms and continued to grin as Kagome closed the distance. "It's great to see ya, Kags! When did you get back in town?"

"A few months ago. Where have you been? I'm surprised it's taken me this long to cross your path again!"

Koga shrugged as he released her. "Been overseas visiting Ayame's family. She had a sick grandparent and didn't want to travel alone, so as her ever-supportive boyfriend I went with her."

Kagome's expression brightened further. "You mean that? You and Ayame are really together?"

"Oi, it's not like it's some scandal!"

"Yes but if I remember right when we were all kids you said you'd never date," she stated matter-of-factly, turning and walking back to the office. She didn't have to ask him if he was going to follow. Koga didn't need that signal.

"Okay – yes – I did say that. But I was what, seven? Eight?"

"You also said that you'd never date the girl that always followed you around like a puppy."

"Speaking of puppy…" he snickered as Kagome opened the door to the office. "Sup, mutt?"

Inuyasha didn't bother looking up from his computer screen as Kagome and Koga walked into the room. "Nice tangent from whatever conversation you were having with my assistant," he stated flatly. "What do you want?"

"Your undivided love and affection, precious."

That time Inuyasha did look up from the screen, with an expression that bordered on disturbed and terrified. His ear twitched in Kagome's direction as she started to laugh behind her hand, but he was too focused on trying to forget what Koga had said. Koga glanced between the two and the expression in his eyes said that it wasn't something he wanted to talk out loud about. "Uh…Kagome?" he asked, reaching into the top drawer of his desk. "Can you do me a favor and run this over to Sesshomaru? It's a set of demo files that the public relations kid sent to me, and he needs to sign off on it too before they can go forward."

"Of course."

Kagome had taken the file folder without questioning why he was making her run another errand after she had been out all morning. He thought he was in the clear until she reached the door. "I'll go ahead and get lunch while I'm at it. Koga, will you be joining us?"

"Nah, sweets. I'm good."

"Alright then. I'll leave you two lovers to it," she grinned, closing the door behind her.

Inuyasha groaned and Koga visibly shuddered as the door shut. "The hell are you getting freaked out about? You're the one that started it!"

"Yeah, but I didn't think Kagome would finish it!"

"She's come a long way since we last saw her." The hanyou could recall how she used to be shy, hesitant to speak her mind immediately. She still had her moments - it had been twenty years after all - but she was growing comfortable around him again. It would take time for her to come out of her shell.

"I'll say. She moved away and grew up, man." Koga dropped into the vacant chair across from Inuyasha and got comfortable. "So…"

"So?"

"You doing anything about that?"

The hanyou's eye twitched. "Doing about what?"

"Kagome, man! You're gonna sit there and tell me that you haven't done anything? That you haven't thought about doing anything?"

"Oh I've thought about a lot of things, but that doesn't mean it can happen."

Koga pulled a face. "You're a piece of work, Yash. You've been crushing on that girl since we were kids, and now she's your assistant and with you, at work, every day and you're not going to try to pursue the dream?"

"That's precisely why I'm not," Inuyasha snarled back. "Kagome's my friend. She's my coworker. I can't risk losing either of those." It's not that he hadn't thought about it. Gods did he ever think about it! "She hasn't been back in town for long, anyway. We're trying to get used to being around each other again. It's been two decades, easy. A lot of things can change. People change."

"Not entirely."

"What's your point, Koga?"

"My point is that you missed your chance twenty years ago. I know we were kids but you two were joined at the hip. Everyone thought that you two would be the homecoming king and queen when we were seniors."

Not a memory Inuyasha wanted to relive. He had been chosen, but it wasn't Kagome that had stood next to him in the pictures. It had been Kikyo. Two of the most unlikely people to be homecoming king and queen. He could still remember what Kikyo had said.

"The only reason I didn't pull my name was because of my cousin. She was meant to be here, not me. I'm doing this for her, so look happy dammit. I'm sending her a picture, and it's going to be a good one."

Her cousin had told him that she'd barely made the homecoming court at all. It was one of the last pictures he got, and it pissed him off still. She was just as beautiful as those other girls, and the one that had been crowned queen? There wasn't anything special about her, so it had to be some "born and bred" hometown notoriety that took precedence.

"You gonna let her slip away again, Yash?" Koga had seen the growing frown across his face and knew what memories he was revisiting. He'd seen the picture - eventually. Once Inuyasha had let go of it. Kagome hadn't looked as she did now, but she had been on her way.

"I can't -" Inuyasha began to say that it pained him even letting her out of his sight some days. He wanted to say that he couldn't let her go because she was an amazing partner to work with. He wanted to say that he couldn't let her...what? Change jobs? Date? Move to another town? "She's a grown woman, Koga. Kagome can do as she pleases."

The ookami sighed. It shouldn't have surprised him that Inuyasha wasn't being upfront. The hanyou had crushed on Kagome since the second grade. It was literally puppy love, and to make the irony even greater, he suspected that she'd liked Inuyasha back. He'd stuck it out and dealt with the fallout of Inuyasha being left behind when she moved away. He just hoped that there wouldn't be a repeat.

"So If one day Kagome up and decides that she wants to do you, are you going to turn her down?"

Koga couldn't decide what was funnier, how still Inuyasha went as he contemplated the question, his shell-shocked expression, or how quickly his face went red. Oh yeah, the hanyou still had it bad. Hell, even he could appreciate how good Kagome looked. If he had been unattached and a total bastard he'd have taken her out himself just to prove a point to Inuyasha. But he couldn't. Even if he were single, he knew nothing would come from it. He cared about Kagome's happiness too much and to an extent Inuyasha's. It was more fun to goad him into doing something than it would ever be to dangle a relationship over him.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Of all the people that Kagome wasn't expecting to call on her, it was Kagura. Fiancé to Sesshomaru, head of international correspondence and interpreter when needed. Like Inuyasha's brother, they had been three years ahead in school. They'd spoken on occasion, but it wasn't like they were besties.

At least, that's how it had been.

Now Kagura was a totally different person. She had the same dry wit, now laced with dark humor. According to Inuyasha, she was always taking a dig at him as a personal challenge to get his brother to laugh. Whenever she talked with the older woman during work, she was kind and patient, answering Kagome's questions without hesitation.

"Kagura. Is something wrong? Do I need to get you anything?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. Well… there is something. Or...a couple of somethings."

Kagome wasn't sure how to interpret that, or the almost pleading look.

"You know how my wedding is in a couple of months, yes?"

Of course she did. The invitation had shown up in the middle of her unpacking her apartment. She'd just moved in. Hadn't even unpacked her good underwear yet and she'd been expected to put on a fancy dress for the wedding of her best friend's brother.

"I'd like you to be a bridesmaid. Please. I don't have any family that I can count on. Kikyo will be there, too. I don't want you to feel like it's a last-minute choice, though - I was fully prepared to pay to get you in if you hadn't moved back, so it's great timing actually…"

"I'd be honored," Kagome cut in before she could trail off further. "What else did you want to ask?"

Kagura looked sheepish for a moment. "Yes, well. It concerns Inuyasha." She crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling. "My future brother-in-law needs to attend with a plus one. It's more of a company thing because somehow our guest list includes potential clients, and Touga feels that it would be good publicity. Between us girls, I think it's more that he wants both of his sons to be happy but doesn't want to act mushy. Anyway, would you be willing to help me make sure Inuyasha has a date?"