It was at least a 20-minute walk home, but she was still seething when she walked in the front door. She decided to soak in a bubble bath, filling the tub, and adding her favorite smelling salts, lavender and honey.

Shedding her clothes, she stepped into the tub, submerging herself up to her chin. She let the hot water seep into her skin and bones, washing away her frustration. Why did InuYasha have to make such a big deal about this? It was only studying, but he acted like she was going on a date with this boy.

She thought of Koga—his long dark hair, with its blue sheen, and his crystal-clear, blue eyes. She could admit that he was handsome, but he just wasn't her type. She thought of InuYasha, with silky, silver hair and large golden eyes, and her heart swam. She sunk lower into the tub, remembered all the times, he'd held her hand and pulled her close, whispered that he loved her, and how the butterflies would be in full force whenever he leaned down to gently kiss her goodnight. She leaned her head against the side of the tub, and breathed in the sweet scent of the smelling salts.

Could she have overreacted? Clearly, he was struggling with something, and the first thing she did was verbally attack him. Maybe if she had handled the situation better, they wouldn't be in this mess. Kagome took a deep breath, and felt a little more of her stress melt away. She gripped the sides of the tub, and pulled herself up to sit upright. She grabbed the soap, beginning to lather her body in suds, then rinsed off. She stepped out of the water and dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved, cotton tee, wrapping her hair in a dry towel.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she glanced at the clock. It was still early, 4:30pm. She wasn't meeting Koga until 7:00pm. To pass the time, she sat at her desk and did some light reading, finishing her homework in no time. By the time she finished, it was only 6:00pm. She still had an hour.

She sat on her bed, crossing her legs, and reached over to snatch her phone from the end table. She opened the message app on her phone, and the texts she had traded with InuYasha the night before were the first thing she saw. She opened the conversation and reread the messages:

InuYasha: You left your pink sweater here, you goof.

Kagome: LOL, that's ok. I'll get it, tomorrow. Can you bring it with you to school?

InuYasha: Is that all I'm good for now?

Kagome: No, you're also good for lifting heavy boxes and carrying me to bed when I fall asleep. 😊

InuYasha: You know I like holding you when you sleep.

Kagome: I know.

InuYasha: Are you ever going to spend the night with me?

Kagome: You know I can't. My mom won't like it.

InuYasha: I can wait. 😉 Love you.

Kagome: Love you.

Kagome smiled as she read the texts. She pressed InuYasha's name and a picture of the two of them on their first date popped up. Kagome stared longingly at the picture, remembering the butterflies she'd felt when he'd held her hand, and how it felt at the end of the night when he'd kissed her. They'd gone to a carnival, and were playing at one of the tents, where you throw a plastic ring onto the top of a bottle to win a prize. Kagome desperately wanted this fox, with auburn hair and bright green eyes, but no matter how many times she tried, she just couldn't get the ring to land on the bottle neck. After her fifth attempt, InuYasha had put his hand on her hip, and gently taken the ring out of her hand. Blushing at his proximity, she slightly stepped away, but was acutely aware of his fingers brushing her skin where her shirt had ridden up.

Effortlessly, he had tossed the ring, and it landed on one of the farthest bottle necks. The clerk said she had her pick of anything on the racks. She looked at InuYasha, "Go ahead. Pick one," he said. She pointed to the fox and the clerk got it down, handing it to her. She gushed, and said, thank you. "No problem," InuYasha smiled back. They'd gotten ice cream after that. He paid, and Kagome was careful not to get anything on her prize. When the night was over, InuYasha walked her home, and they passed through the park, which lit up at night with dozens of lights in the trees, the branches, and the lamps. They stopped in front of the fountain. The surface of the water glimmered, casting sparkles over their faces, and reflecting the amber highlights in InuYasha's eyes. He turned to her and looked down at the stuffed animal she was clutching to her chest. He smiled, and said, "I know you're attached to that thing, but you think you'd be okay without it long enough for me to kiss you?"

And then, he had. Kagome laughed quietly to herself, touching two fingers to her mouth as she remembered how she'd dumbly nodded her head, but hadn't moved. InuYasha had stepped closer, lightly pulling the stuffed fox out of her arms and carefully placing it aside. When he'd turned back to her, with his long, silver hair falling over his shoulder, Kagome had nearly lost her nerve. She stood there balling her fists at her sides. He noticed, frowning slightly at her hands, before taking both her fists in his, gently uncurling her fingers. He let one hand rest at her side, but he cradled the other one, lifting her palm to his lips, pressing a kiss to the center. Then, he'd looked into her eyes, brought her hand to rest on his neck, and he placed his other hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer. His hand slid warmly down her arm, while he dipped his head, locking her in a stare until their lips met, then they both had closed their eyes.

She'd been completely breathless, but it was the most alive she had ever felt. She fit right into the crook of his arms, like it was where she belonged. And when he held her at night, after she'd fallen asleep with him on his couch, it was like everything in the universe just felt right. And when she woke, right before she opened her eyes, she felt the hard planes of his chest and stomach beneath her, felt his breath on her hair, his lips pressing softly when he knew she'd woken. She would open her eyes, turn and look into his loving gaze. They were filled with such warmth and adoration, that her heart nearly collapsed with the weight of it.

Kagome flashed back to the present, and decided to call InuYasha, before she had to leave to study with Koga. She'd apologize if she needed to, but her heart was breaking at the thought of losing him. She put the phone to her ear, and listened as it began to ring. After two rings, InuYasha picked up, "Hey" he said, quietly, almost tentatively.

"Hey," Kagome answered.

She heard him sigh on the other side of the line. "Listen, I feel bad about snapping at you, it was uncalled for."

Kagome closed her eyes, he was apologizing first. "No, I handled it wrong. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"It's not the yelling, Kagome. I just don't like the idea of you being alone with other guys."

"I can understand that."

"Well, anyway, did you want to come over, now?"

Kagome glanced at the clock. It was 6:30, damn. "I can't, InuYasha. I have to leave for Koga's soon."

"What? You're still studying with him?"

"Duh."

"You said, you understood."

"And I do, but, I still have to study with Koga, tonight."

"You've got to be kidding me."

Kagome felt her anger flare, again. "You're acting like a jackass. Stop it!"

His reply was nonchalant. "Spare me. Clearly, you like jackasses."

Kagome couldn't take it anymore, and she clenched the phone in her fist so hard, she thought it might break. "Goodbye InuYasha!"

She hung up the phone. Tossing it across the bed, but it bounced and rolled off the side, hitting the floor. Glancing at the clock she noticed it read, 6:42. Shoot, she was going to be late. She jumped off the bed, pulled on her tennis shoes, yanked the towel off and ran a brush through her hair, quickly. Then, she leaned down to grab her phone from the floor, lifted her bookbag to her shoulder, and ran out the door.

She headed down the street, and opened the message from Koga where he'd sent her his address.

Koga: 463 Tishibi Lane, thanks for coming. Just knock when you get here. 😊

Kagome felt herself smile, he could be very sweet. Why couldn't InuYasha just trust that it was only studying? It was his fault for getting all bent out of shape. So, why did she feel guilty about going to Koga's?

She shook the thought away, and walked another ten minutes before rounding a corner and heading onto his street. Her hair was still slightly wet, and the night had grown cold. She crossed her arms her chest, trying to exude any warmth the long-sleeved tee would give her. It wasn't dark out yet, but it would be when she was walking home. She should have brought a jacket. She was almost there, when it started raining, and it wasn't long before the rains poured down on her. She started running, but she was soaked before she could do anything.

It took her another five minutes to find the house. She checked her watch, 6:58pm. She had just knocked on the door, when it swung open. Koga stood in front of her, the wide grin on his face disappearing when he saw her current state. "Hey," he said, stepping to the side, gesturing for her to come in.

"Thanks." She replied, stepping through the threshold. "That was quick, were you waiting by the door?"

Koga shut the door, squinting his eyes at her. "You make me sound desperate."

"Aren't you?" she teased.

"No." Koga tried to look dignified, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Well, maybe."

They both laughed, and Koga led her upstairs toward his room. For the first time, Kagome realized how quiet the house was. "Are your parents home?"

"Nah, they always work late."

"So, you have the house all to yourself?" she asked, following him up the stairs.

He stopped and turned, looking down at her. "Why, nervous?" he asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

"No. Well, maybe." She said, mimicking his earlier comment.

"I said, I wouldn't bite." They had reached the door to his bedroom, now. He pushed it open and held up a hand, motioning for her to enter first.

"You did," she said, maneuvering around him, exaggeratingly. "Just not sure I believe you."

He held his fist to his chest, pretending to be insulted. "You don't trust me. Kagome, I'm offended."

She laughed, "Not going to cry, now, are you?"

"Not while you're here. But trust me, I'll cry into my pillow tonight." He said, walking around her to his dresser, and pulling out a sweatshirt. He handed it to her, but she just stared at it, dumbly.

"What's this for?" she asked, taking it gently from his fingers.

"You, goof. You're soaked." Then, he turned to plop onto the foot of his bed.

"Thank you." Kagome said, slipping it on, over her wet clothes. Koga patted the space next to him, smiling sweetly. Kagome moved to sit on the bed.

He grabbed his notebook from his bookbag, and flipped open to the notes from that day, and Kagome could see that he had already spent time highlighting. The page was covered in streaks of fluorescent yellow, and she could see he had annotated, as well, scribbling all over the page.

Koga noticed her scrutiny. "It's a mess, I know. I always highlight way too much."

"No, it's fine. Whatever works best for you. But if you want any tips," she pointed to the first paragraph with her index finger. "you might want to try to limit yourself in paragraphs like this." Her finger traced the outside margin, "With paragraphs this big, it's better to just underline."

"That won't make it harder to pick out the important information?"

Kagome shook her head, "MmMm, your eyes are going to be drawn to the larger paragraphs anyway. Better to mark them up as little as possible. The smaller paragraphs don't need much either, but at least your brain doesn't have so much to work through. Annotating helps, as well. I see you've done some of that too." She flipped over to the next page, catching even more scribble and sharp pen marks. "A lot of annotating, I see."

Koga scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, it helps me remember which paragraph says what."

"Like I said, whatever works. I'll grab my notes and we can start going over this."

"Cool."

Kagome pulled her history notebook into her lap and opened to today's notes. She'd started reviewing, as well, color coding, highlighting, and adding sticky notes. She'd also underlined and circled the key words. But where Koga was clearly lacking any system, Kagome's notations were very neat and organized.

"Jeez, how long did that take you?"

Kagome found herself laughing, again, at Koga's incredulous expression. "Not long. I do most of it during class."

They started going over the notes. What information was more useful for the essays, what was most important to know about the historical figures. Kagome showed Koga how to outline each person, so it was easier to distinguish who was who, when you had 20 people to know. Together, they went over each section of their notes, endlessly poring over every detail. By the time they were done, it was fully dark outside and Kagome was exhausted. Koga, on the other hand, started complaining that he was starving.

He jumped off the bed, "Wanna order a pizza, Kagome?"

She paused, thinking about whether she should get home and try to call InuYasha, again.

"Hey, come on." He said, grabbing his wallet and his phone. "I made you suffer through hours of studying, it's the least I can do."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow.

Koga held up his hands, palms up. "Okay, fine. I'll let you pick the topping."

Kagome laughed, "Alright, I'll stay for pizza. But I definitely get to pick the topping." She said, holding up one finger.

"Deal," Koga said, dialing the pizza parlor.

They ate the pizza and watched a movie, White Fang. Kagome started to cry when the boy decided to leave the wolf behind, and she cried even harder when they were reunited in the end. Koga patted Kagome's knee when she was finished crying. "See, I told you it had a happy ending."

Koga stood, reaching for movie case and retrieving the DVD. He had a large flat screen, and a couch in his bedroom. Kagome was cold, so Koga had given her the throw on the back of the couch. After the movie, Kagome was seriously struggling to stay awake. Koga frowned down at her. "Are you going to be okay getting home?"

"Yea, I'll be fine." She handed the blanket back to him, and began to remove his sweatshirt. Koga held up his hand, "Keep it until tomorrow. It's chilly out, tonight."

"Thanks," she said, tugging it back into place.

"Want me to drive you?" He shook his keys.

Kagome paused, with her bag on her shoulder. She was seriously tempted by the thought of not having to walk almost half an hour in the cold. She bit her lip, looking down at the floor, as she thought about it. Well, wouldn't it be better, anyway? That would get her home a lot sooner, and in time to call InuYasha, if he would still talk to her. She frowned, as she remembered their earlier conversation.

"It's really not a problem." Koga's voice interrupted her thoughts. She glanced up, to see him frowning at her.

"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks Koga."

Koga grabbed his phone, and led Kagome out of the house. They got into his royal blue Nissan Altima, and Koga put the heater on high. Kagome put on her seat belt and settled into the seat. Next to her, Koga stared at the road, straight ahead. Maneuvering the car with ease, one hand on the left side of the steering wheel, and the other resting on the gear shift between them. Kagome stared out the passenger side window, her hands resting in her lap. She watched the houses go by, and waited for her street to come up ahead. Before they got there, Koga spoke up.

"So, listen, thanks for helping me with history. I really appreciate it. I struggle a lot in that subject."

Kagome turned her head. "Oh, no problem."

"You sure?"

Kagome paused for a second. Not sure what he was suggesting. "What do you mean?"

Koga glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "That boyfriend of yours doesn't like me. I just want to know that he didn't give you any trouble."

"No, he never gives me 'trouble'. He just has less patience some days than others." Kagome replied, brushing it off. She just wanted to get home and call him.

"He's a demon, Kagome. Patience aren't really a virtue in our world. Even a half demon has to deal with all the traits a full demon has to deal with."

"Like what?"

"He's possessive." Kagome started to object, but Koga halted her. "I don't mean physically, though, there is some truth there, too. I mean, emotionally, he doesn't want you near any other male, let alone a male demon."

She sat quietly, unsure what to say. She was unprepared for this kind of conversation, especially with someone she had known for less than a day. But, admittedly, she felt oddly calm. Talking about her relationship with another boy, a demon one at that. She didn't know how to feel about that, either.

"As long as he treats you right." Kagome gasped slightly, turning to look at Koga. He was staring at her, just for a second, before he turned his attention back to the road. She gulped, not trusting her voice, and not really knowing what to say. So, she turned in her seat, back to the window.

In less than five minutes, they were out front of Kagome's house. Koga stopped the car, and Kagome jumped out, pulling her bag behind her. "Thanks for the ride, Koga!"

"Any time." He said, before she shut the door. He drove down the road, and Kagome watched his car until he made the turn. Then, she began to walk toward her front door, when she stopped dead in her tracks.

He stepped off the front porch. The light bulb throwing an eerie glare over his face, hallowing out his cheeks and under his eyes. His mouth was set in a grim line, and his eyebrows were pinched low over his eyes. He was angry, really angry.

"What the hell, Kagome?" InuYasha growled.

She didn't answer him right away, which made his even angrier. "Kagome, answer me!"

"Nothing happened." She spit out.

"It's been hours." InuYasha said. "I've been waiting here for hours. And then, I see you drive up in that bastard's car." He took a few steps closer, but Kagome didn't back down. She stood motionless, one hand cradling the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "What have you been doing all this time?"

Kagome felt her own anger flare up, "None of your business, InuYasha."

"None of my business? It's none of my business where you spend your time?"

"That's correct. It's mine. You don't own me, InuYasha. I can spend time with whoever I want."

"Who said anything about owning you?"

"Whatever, just leave."

InuYasha stood, speechless. His mouth hanging open, trying to form the words he couldn't find. Kagome moved forward a step, looking mad as ever.

"You heard me, I'm going to bed." She stalked past him, and walked into the house. Shutting the door with a loud bang.

InuYasha couldn't process what had just happened. After staring at the closed door for a few seconds, he turned and began to walk home. All the while, he tried to think through the events of the night. He had gone over to try to talk to Kagome, but she was already gone. He knew she'd gone to see Koga, but hadn't expected to wait there all night. Nothing like this had ever happened between them, but he didn't think they couldn't work it out. But to do that, she needed to talk to him. What would happen tomorrow, if she was still furious? InuYasha walked the rest of the way home, knowing that he was in for a very different day tomorrow.

Kagome stomped up her stairs, and slammed her bedroom door shut. Who did he think he was? He had no right to ask her where she'd been, or what she'd been doing all night. That was her business, not his. She dropped her bag down by her desk and went to her dresser, to prepare for bed. Her eyes caught the ring InuYasha had given her on their 2nd year anniversary. They'd gone out to dinner, and InuYasha had a waiter bring them sparkling apple juice. Kagome hated anything bitter, so he went with something sweeter, but neither of them could drink, yet. They'd each held a glass of juice in champagne glasses. The wait took the photo of them, bending their heads close together, and clinging the glasses together, and when she'd looked down, there was a red velvet ring box on the table, in front of her.

She'd been shocked to open the case and see a beautiful ring, with two small diamonds, each set in the center of a heart, with a gold band. Kagome took the ring, opened her top dressed and dropped it in, so it was out of sight. She took a deep breath, and pulled out her night clothes. She dressed, and brushed her teeth, before crawling under the covers. She clicked on her phone, and saw she had two messages. One from InuYasha, and one from Koga. Out of sheer curiosity, she tapped on InuYasha's message.

"Can we talk?"

She shook her head at herself, and then tapped on Koga's message.

"Hey, thanks again for studying. Sorry I kept you so late, but I hope you liked the movie. I had a great time. Sweet dreams 😊"

Kagome couldn't stop smiling. He really was sweet. She quickly typed a message back to him.

"I had a great time, too. We'll do it again soon. Good night!"

She closed the phone and placed it on the bedside table. Within seconds, she heard it beep with the sound of Koga's reply, but she went to sleep instead of checking it. She was tired, and she couldn't ignore the butterflies in her stomach at the thought of Koga texting her this late. She fell into a peaceful slumber, with a smile on her face. A certain, temperamental half-demon forgotten for the night.