Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho 1. The Cafe

**As Time Goes By**

**Scene One- The Cafe**

He's old and he knows it.

He can feel his age weighing him down. Not in his bones, not anywhere in his body, but in his mind, making him cautious and weary and just _tired_.

The girl sitting across from him makes him feel older still.

She's all nerves and fidgety, entirely restless. He's tranquil, rooted to the ground and to this earth in ways she'll never be or understand. He is not a creature of much change; the world alters itself around him and he remains constant, a plant fixed into the soil, growing slowly older with no known expiration date.

She's a walking time bomb, only given a century at best to live out an entire lifetime, hardly enough time to truly live. If time were a tree, he would be one of its branches, and she, merely a leaf. Yes, a leaf, one of too many dangling upon the edge, so brittle and frail, liable to fall at any time and wither upon the ground. There she would crumble and disappear, forgotten nearly as soon as her existence began.

For her, however, that short lifetime is all she will ever know. She will never realize just how short her own existence is, not when she and all those around her only live for decades, not centuries or millennia. She believes the time she has is enough; it only proves how ignorant humans can sometimes be.

"—rama?"

How long has he not been listening? He gives her one of his usual smile, the one that never quite meets his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kagome, could you repeat that last bit?" he requests.

His smile seems to have no effect. Her brow furrows as a soft frown turns her lips downward. The mug she is holding makes a light _clink_ as she sets it down on the table between them.

"Are you okay, Kurama? You seem… distracted."

Kagome's head tilts ever so slightly to the side as she says it, a telltale sign that she is concerned. She is no longer as restless as before, though he can tell the tension that was present before has not disappeared completely. They have been alone together in the past, but never has there been this much anxiousness present in her. She has spent more time looking out the café window than at him. It worries him, for he believes he knows the reason for this change of attitude.

"Just thinking," Kurama assures her, though he is careful not to make his voice too inviting.

The frown disappears and is replaced by a soft smile. "That brain of yours just never stops ticking, huh?" She says it fondly.

Kurama stays absolutely still when he sees her hand move. He peers into her face, but she's lowered her eyes. "…Ya know, you can tell me what's wrong," she tells him. She hesitates, then covers his hands with hers. "Easier for me to help if—"

He does not waste time as he gently slides his hand away and places it on his lap, out of sight. She cuts off when he moves, her eyes flickering up to his face searchingly. Yes, she is looking for something specific, and he ensures she will not find it.

She's young, and almost everything she does seems to remind him of that fact. He feels tired, having to deal with her in this instance. Her company might have been enjoyable, but he has no need for one more girl with a crush.

"Kagome…" he says and just barely keeps the sigh out of his voice. She looks up then, and her eyes are hopeful. He wishes they weren't.

"I'm sorry."

They both know the apology is not because he was not listening. There is a second where he sees the hurt fill her eyes, followed quickly by regret and then indignation. That is all he sees before she turns her head as she searches for the bag at her feet.

Her chair screeches back as she stands, drawing more than a few looks from others around the room. Her hand is tightly wrapped around the strap of her bag.

"No, _I'm_ sorry," she mumbles as she stomps by. Her tone is bitter; her words, clipped.

Kurama expects her to slam the door on her way out, but it closes ever so quietly and it seems worse then, a silent fury. He is still for a long moment, aware of the curious gazes but ignoring them. Then, with a small sip of his drink, he stands and heads for the entrance, the bell above the door ringing cheerfully as he exits.


	2. The Alley

**Scene Two- The Alley**

He is aware of how fragile she is, how fragile all humans are. How can he not be when the evidence is all around him? Yet the knowledge seems evermore prominent where she is concerned, when she so fearlessly runs into fights with creatures of a devilish nature. She never thinks about her actions as rationally as she should. No, instead she is all about instincts and feelings and spontaneity.

Perhaps that is why Kurama worries. Not only is she delicate, but she hardly ever bothers to strategize. It is true that neither does Yusuke, but he, at least, has a colossal amount of power on his side. She relies too heavily on her emotions to see her through, and changes her mind far too quickly to be able to see all the potential outcomes one little alteration might create.

It makes her dangerous, how breakable and impulsive she is. He feels she requires a watchful eye during battle and that would split his focus. A valuable asset to their team she may be, but he can only care for her so much.

The footsteps have not escaped his notice. She has followed him after their most recent battle against a demon. Kurama sighs to himself. He had hope that he might slip away as he has done many times before, but it seems Lady Luck has taken away her favor.

He leans back against the nearby wall, one leg bent to rest his foot against it, and waits. The grimy nature of the building does not deter him—he's been up against far worse—though he does slide his hands into his pockets as opposed to bracing them against the bricks.

She stops when she turns the corner and sees him, slightly taken aback, but continues forward after only a moment's hesitation. He never even glances her way.

"What is on your mind, Kagome?"

"I just wanted to talk to you before you ran off," she says. The unsaid words of '_like usual' _hang in the air between them. Her voice sounds frustrated, though she seems to try so hard for it to be neutral.

He says nothing, merely inclines his head, a signal for her to continue. She interprets it accurately, for she goes on.

"_You've _been avoiding me." It is entirely an accusation and the way she says it comes off as somewhat childish.

He avoids the temptation to smile. "I do not know what you mean," he goads, very obviously lying.

He has grown used to her companionship, that much is certain, and in the past months while they have been on shaky terms, he has nearly forgotten how easily she can get him to smile. Of course, he has not evaded her completely. Kurama merely limits the time spent together, meeting with her only when necessary and as briefly as possible. In all, it accumulates to just slightly less time than they shared before the café incident. He has just acted far more distant and reserved than before. That more than anything is doubtlessly what upsets Kagome.

She walks into his line of sight and stands right before him, easily meeting his eyes. Her hands go straight on her hips, though the effect is ruined by the pout on her lips that he does not believe she is aware of.

"You know exactly what I mean. So let's get it out there," Kagome tells him, holding her head up high. "I think you're cute. I have a bit of a crush on you. I know you don't feel the same, but I wish you wouldn't ignore me because of it."

Her bravery is endearing and he finds himself impressed by her spirit. He is nearly certain this is what she meant to admit to him in the café, though he had already refused her before she could. Yet this time around she seems much calmer, more composed, than the bundle of nerves she had been then.

Relief is the most pronounced emotion on her face, glad to have said it aloud and be done with it. Perhaps he has been wrong in keeping away. A miscalculation. He has not wanted to encourage her in any fashion, but it could be possible that letting the feelings out is all she needs to get over them. He can only hope. He must admit, there are times when he misses her cheerfulness.

Kurama allows her to see a small smile. "Bold words. Not many people are so open about their feelings."

To his own puzzlement, she averts her eyes. "Better said than left unsaid," she remarks as her hands drop away from her hips.

He sees the sorrow hidden in her eyes and knows it has nothing to do with him. It has not escaped his notice that age beyond her years lingers in those eyes. For as long as he has known her, it has been there; sometimes dormant, but always present.

Pushing off the wall, he steps closer and places a hand on her shoulder. He means to remove it after only a moment, but Kagome's hand comes up and holds him there. Her gaze, which has been downcast, comes up to look into his face.

Old.

Everything about her is so young and lively, always full of energy and sunshine and too much happiness to be entirely legal. Her eyes always filled with laughter, a smile hanging on her lips… Everything—except when she looks at him the way she is now.

She looks old.

"Have you ever been in love, Kurama?"

She startles him with the question and he does not know how, but she picks up on it. And the first answer that comes to mind is exactly the one she does not want.

She shakes her head. "No, Kurama, not a son's love for his mother. Have you ever _loved_ someone?" She takes that step forward, closing the distance between them, and he lets her. "Real love. Soul-hurting, body-aching, _real_ love."

The hand on his wrist tightens and she uses the other to give him a gentle push. His back is to the wall once more.

He should break her hold. He knows this. It is too risky letting her get this far, and yet… he is curious. For all his years, too many years spent performing rather dastardly deeds, he feels she knows more than he does, at least where this subject is concerned. He has been with many but love…. It has not been one of his priorities. He has never bothered to care for someone deeply enough. Love is a weakness most demons cannot afford. Most see no necessity or appeal to the very notion of it.

She is close enough that he can feel her warm breath against his shoulder, though she keeps that inch apart so not one part of their bodies is touching, save her hold on his arm and shoulder. Her eyes flicker up to his, but not for long as they trail down his face and settle lower, on his lips.

He gives her no sign, no 'go ahead', only remains stagnant, though completely relaxed under her touch. She needs to discover it for herself. He does not have what she is looking for.

She goes on the tips of her toes, leans in… and stops. He can feel her trembling breath brushing against his lips for a moment before she pulls away. She gazes up at him and her eyes tell him of her confusion, as if even she does not know why she did not follow through. Kagome lets go of him and takes more than one step back.

Her arms fold just under her chest and she stares down at them, a blush creeping up her cheeks. The move is not of defiance, but more of a comfort to herself.

"No. Somehow, I didn't think so." Her voice has an edge of bitterness.

She starts to retreat and nearly makes it back onto the street and out of the alley before she turns partially back.

"Just… I'd appreciate it if you stopped ignoring me," she finishes and by tone of voice alone, he knows it was not what she means to say, but it is what she settles for.

"Kagome, I never meant to give you the wrong impression," he tells her. "I stayed away for your own benefit. I thought you might not be comfortable or wish to be around me after what happened."

The look she gives him is not appreciative in the least. "I can decide for myself what's right for me. I'm not some silly high school girl anymore, Kurama. I'm a big girl now." She says the last part with a fair amount of sarcasm. "Besides, I don't think that's it. You've given me enough time by myself to think about it, after all. You were avoiding me so you wouldn't have to deal with me, with my feelings. That was entirely for _your_ benefit, not mine."

"You are misinterpreting my intentions," he says coolly. "We are friends, Kagome, and above that, allies. I did not want anything else to cloud that."

She turns her back to him again. "Gotcha. You know, the 'just friends' thing was pretty apparent the first time around. But completely dodging me, yeah, that seems like a great way to stay _friends_," she snaps.

Her fists are clenched at her sides until she suddenly lets go of some of the tension and her hands hang limply again. She starts to turn her head but stops herself.

"Am I even your friend, Kurama?"

So softly spoken. Her vulnerability is showing. '_Do you care about anyone? Do you care about _me?' is what she's really asking.

He makes sure his voice carries to her. "I greatly value your friendship. Never doubt that."

She sighs and grumbles, "Some way of showing it."

He can tell he has put her mind at ease, however, for she turns back to him one last time and grants him a tight smile before disappearing from view.


	3. The Walk

**Scene Three- The Walk**

She's magnetic.

Yusuke is on the receiving end of a playful slap when he calls Kagome a demon magnet, but Kurama finds it true nonetheless. Only, as he watches her talk and laugh with Botan and Keiko, he does not believe it applies only to demons. Although her antics could sometimes be rather childish, her charm appeals to all, whether they understood it or not. Even Hiei, who has taken a dislike to her cheerful attitude, sometimes finds himself unable to leave her presence, even when she grates on his nerves--which happens to be most of the time. She has captivated them from the start without even her realizing it, charmed her way into their close knit group with her smiles and strong will, so much so that it seems unnatural to think of a time when she was not a part of them.

It makes Kurama wonder why he does not feel the pull quite as much. The girls had their own connection as girls often do, and that he could easily understand. But there is definitely a fondness present between Kagome and the two boys, Yusuke and Kuwabara. A brother/sister type dynamic. They fight and play like young siblings would, and yet Kurama himself feels no sort of closeness of that kind with her. Not more so than anyone else, in any case.

No, her pull does not affect him in the same way as everyone else. He has no problem staying off to the side even now, hidden by the cover of the trees, as the others enjoy a short afternoon picnic. Besides, he prefers the solitude, the peace. He doubts that they are even aware of his nearby presence, save for perhaps Hiei.

They leave one by one until there is just her left, and she flops down unceremoniously onto the blanket, stretching out in the sun on Genkai's property. He approaches then, though stops just before his shadow touches her form. It hovers dangerously close to her arm, but does not quite fall upon her.

She is completely unaware, eyes closed as they are. Her arms stretch way above her head and brush against the grass beyond her blanket, her shirt pulling up a bit to reveal a thin strip of skin on her stomach. Her face looks utterly peaceful, but she is not asleep. Not yet.

"Cat nap?"

Kagome startles at the sound of his voice. Her eyes open and she sits up swiftly, pulling at her clothes to fix their state of disarray. "Kurama! I didn't see you."

"That does tend to happen when one has their eyes closed," he teases gently.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you. The others all left already. And you should've been here hours ago."

She does not sound accusing or upset, just stating simple facts. He can tell she wants an explanation or an excuse, but he gives none. Anything he could say was liable to be a lie, and he does not feel like being dishonest in this moment, and so he says nothing on the subject.

He takes a step forward and offers her a hand, and in doing so, his shadow spills completely over her. She looks up at him curiously, and he finds himself wondering if the sunlight would have caused her eyes to shine if he was not shielding her from its touch.

"Walk with me?" It sounds much like a request—his voice is soft and inviting—but it is not one.

Kagome hesitates a moment before placing her hand in his. She must sense something amiss, or perhaps their last conversation is still fresh in her mind, for there is none of her usual enthusiasm.

"Okay."

He lets go once he has pulled her to her feet and begins his walk back toward the woods that hid him only minutes before. She follows unsurely, her every step tentative. He does not walk too fast, and yet she always stays a step or two behind him instead of walking by his side.

While he might typically reassure her, he speaks no words of comfort on this day and merely continues on. There is no beaten path and the only time he pauses is to steady Kagome as they travel over the uneven landscape. The assistance might not have been entirely needed but he knows Kagome has no objections to the lent hand. He does not fail to notice the slight pink hue in her cheeks as he takes hold of her elbow and guides her over the rotting trunk of a fallen tree.

In all honesty, he has no notion of where he is headed. Kurama has no destination in mind, even as he has trouble remembering the last time he has done something so unplanned. He merely wants her along with him, for there is something still that she does not understand. She needs to discover it for herself without there being any doubt. He has denied her and she accepts this, but there is still something that stands between them. Hope.

It makes all the difference.

"Kurama."

His pace does not change and he acts as though he has not heard her call.

"Kurama, hold up a sec!"

She catches his arm, causing him to turn slightly her way. He stops and she moves so that she is directly in front of him, facing him. His gaze slips to his arm where she still has a hold of him. She follows his eyes, but does not release him, though her grip loosens.

Kagome is no longer speaking and he simply waits, expectantly. Her eyes travel back up to his face and their eyes meet. Her gaze is searching, but he knows she will find no answers there.

He lightly grasps the elbow of the arm that is holding him. He means to use it to have her let go, but she has other thoughts in mind. With one step, she closes the distance between them. Her arm slips out of his hold as her hand goes to his shoulder, using it to steady her as she goes onto the tips of her toes.

And then, she is kissing him. Caution must have been thrown to the wind; she is not at all timid in her approach. He feels her passion as if it is tangible as she draws him closer to her. Her lips are insistent and just a tad clumsy at first, but she quickly settles into a rhythm. Her hands around his neck tense as she presses her body fully against his and his hands rest very lightly on her waist.

It is not like he is unresponsive, but he is nowhere near as vigorous as she is. His lips brushing against hers is merely a polite gesture. Soft, but unemotional. Her kiss loses its fierceness as her lips move in time with his, slow and even. And then it slows even further as her hands fall away from him and a small space is created between their bodies, until her lips are not moving at all, just simply pressed against him. Even that does not last long and Kagome takes a step back.

She raises a hand to her lips as her gaze flits upward to meet his. And in her eyes…

Utter disappointment.

She takes a step back and then another, creating more distance between them. Her arms fall limply to her side and she searches for something, anything, to look at that is not him. Her gaze falls upon the tree limb beside her and her hand goes up to wrap itself around branch. A muscle in her arm twitches as her grip tightens.

"I…" she starts. She never does finish that sentence. Shaking her head, she turns around. Away from him. "I'm going back."

He lets her go.

Her hope has been crushed just as he has intended, although it has happened not in the way he wants. Kurama cannot help but feel the faintest bit of regret as he watches her walk away. But then he merely brushes the feeling aside.

How could he complain when this turns out to be just as effective?

* * *

_AN: This is pretty depressing so far, isn't it? (laughs) Don't worry, it gets better/happier._

_I rewrote this scene three or four times. I still don't like it, but I'd rather just be done with it so I can move past it to more fun scenes. Yay, fun scenes!_

_Oh, hello lovelies, by the way. If anyone's still out there, heh. I'm going to try to come back and stay back this time. Let's see how much my college life actually agrees with this statement. (Probably not at all, but I will make it like it, damn it!)_


	4. The Rain

**Scene Four- The Rain**

Her expression is initially one of panic as she spies him in his usual spot, leaning against the far wall as various students pass him by. She schools her face near perfect and erases almost all traces of the emotion, though it is hard not to notice the way her tongue darts out and wets her lips in what had to be a nervous gesture. Her grip tightens on the handle of her school bag.

The internal struggle is plainly written on her face, but she quickly comes to a conclusion and bids farewell to the other students she is with, two boys and a girl, as she makes her way over to him. She crosses the hallway in just a few steps, expertly dodging the other students.

"Hi," she greets Kurama with no small amount of uncertainty in her voice. "I didn't expect to see you today."

With a slight tilt of his head, he regards her as though this is a truly puzzling thing she has just said. "If memory serves, I have always accompanied you back after classes on Mondays and Thursdays. Those are the days our lectures run until about the same time."

"It's just that, I thought…. Well, after yesterday…." She stops as her face becomes flushed. She tries again. "Of course. How could I forget today's Monday?" she finishes weakly.

They both know this is a lie. She has not forgotten. Several months ago it could have been true, but things between them have been different since the day in the café.

He pushes off the wall and extends his hand. "Shall we, then?"

She relinquishes her hold on her bag as she always does, though the act is not as natural as it usually is. Never before has she ever had a problem with his chivalry, but he can see why now it would be different. Everything is different.

But they can always pretend…

Pretending. He has spent his life pretending. What is one more lie?

The walk is not filled with their usual comfortable silence. It is thick and stifling, enough to choke on.

"I'm sorry," she blurts out. "For the kiss, I mean. It was all… wrong and I shouldn't have done it, I don't know what made me, it just felt right at the moment, ya know? But it was really, really wrong and bad—not that you were bad, I mean, it started off good and everything, but then all I could feel was the despair and loneliness and—that sounds really terrible, doesn't it?—and all I could think about was how wrong it felt and—"

"Kagome."

He interrupts her while suppressing the chuckle that is his immediate reaction, regardless of how unusual the response is for him. Her rushed and ill-thought out rant is endearing. He does, however, allow her to see a smile, which causes the tension to visibly diminish from her shoulders.

He reaches out in a pure instinctive move and puts one hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. Kurama worries for a moment that Kagome may take this the wrong way, but the opposite becomes true. Her uneasiness begins to melt away and she smiles timidly back at him. Dare he hope that things between them have started their revert back to their original state?

"Don't give it another thought," he tells her. She appears just as happy and relieved as him to put it behind them. Shifting the weight of her bag on his shoulder, he continues, "Now, where were we?"

Kagome parts her lips to begin to say something, but the words never make their way into the world as the first drop of rain falls upon her face. Instead, a squeak erupts from her and the raindrop is followed by another, and then another, coming in quicker succession.

She spins in a quick circle with her hands over her head, as though it would protect her from the rain and the eventual soaking it promised. He scans the surrounding area for the nearest shelter, but Kagome has a different plan in mind as she finally settles in front of him again. Eyes dancing, she grabs one of his hands with both of hers and tugs playfully at him before releasing him.

"Let's go!"

Without giving him time to respond or a choice really, she runs ahead, choosing to run into the damp grass nearby instead of staying on the sidewalk. She whirls around and gestures for him to come along with a smile.

Maybe she has done it to change the tone of their conversation and escape the last lingering bit of tension, and he believes this to be mostly true, but it is also her bubbly nature peaking through. He is surprised to admit to himself he has missed it. Her perkiness is something exotic to him, something he himself could not dream of achieving. Their distance has affected Kurama and that alone is enough to surprise him.

It is because of this that he allows himself a small chuckle, and perhaps a smile as well. He follows suit with her childish antics, albeit with less enthusiasm and more of a quick stride than a run. Kurama feels much happier than he has in quite some time. He is relieved knowing their friendship, in recovery as it is, is still intact. That is the reason for his improved mood.

Of course it is.


	5. The Confession

**Scene Five- The Confession**

Kurama would not call what he is "lost in thought" because it is an inadequate term. He is not lost in his mind for he knows it too well for that. He is merely calculating. Assessing.

Yet as he is reviewing certain recent events in his mind - such as musing over Hiei's and Kuwabara's most recent spat, and how to resolve it without either realizing Kurama has _possibly_ manipulated them - apparently he has been looking in the direction of a young human female across the park, which his companion sitting beside him has not failed to notice.

He closes his eyes and leans back into the bench, tilting his face up to soak in the warm rays of the sun. And he waits. Kurama senses more than hears Kagome shift on the bench beside him. He wonders momentarily if she has angled herself closer or further away from him.

She takes in a small breath. Here it comes.

"She's very pretty."

If he were a lesser man, or truly a man at all, he might have raised an eyebrow at the comment. It is not what he expects. Furthermore, there is not a hint of jealousy or resentment in her voice, just her presenting the reality of the situation. Kurama supposes the girl is attractive, but he has not paid close attention.

Regardless, he responds with, "Is she?" in a noncommittal way. Her unusual comment has piqued his curiosity. He opens his eyes and looks over to Kagome, but she is looking in the distance, toward the young girl in question.

"She definitely likes you, too."

Indeed, the girl throws another glance Kurama's way, a coy smile attached to it. He responds again with the extremely verbose, "Hm."

"Why don't you-"

"You don't have to do that," Kurama interrupts.

"I know." The silence stretches. "I want to."

Kurama scrutinizes the raven-haired girl beside him. Knees tucked under her, her body is inclined toward him, but her gaze is still far off. She refuses to meet his eyes. Everything about her screams human, the way she thinks, acts, and most noticeably, her emotions. Although it has no reason to intrigued him, for he has seen and dealt with it countless times before, it does.

"I just... want you to be happy," she finishes.

"And I am happy just to be here with you."

Has he just said that? It slips out unheeded. How very odd.

Her eyes snap up to meet his, surprise registering in them. Her mouth forms a small "o", before she breaks out in a smile.

"Stop that! You're not allowed to say sweet things like that, it's not fair!"

Kagome smacks his arm playfully. Even though there is a laugh in her voice as she says it, he suspects on some level she truly means the words.


	6. The Doppelgänger

**Scene Six- The Doppelgänger**

He should not have gotten this reaction out of her. They fought side by side an immeasurable number of times. Perhaps not immeasurable. There are at least forty-three incidents that came to mind, and depending if one wanted to break it up as fights per a day or how many demons fought in general, the number could be significantly higher. But none of that particularly matters in this moment.

Yet this was the first time he has changed his form in front of her. The first time she laid eyes on his demon form, his true form.

Was the form unappealing to her? She did not seem disgusted, and as far as demon shapes go, his is not one that should be considered repulsive. If he were a more conceited individual, he would consider himself quite attractive - and let's face it, he did indeed. Even to a human's eyes, long, flowing silver hair and golden eyes were exotic, striking features.

The look on Kagome's face, however, is one of shock coupled with another emotion. Almost... afraid. Her body remains frozen where she stands a few yards away from him, the blood of their dead adversaries stretched between them.

"Kagome."

His voice breaks whatever spell has taken her over. She blinks and the slight panic in her eyes fades and is replaced by curiosity. The familiar emotion from her relieves him. The way she cautiously takes only one step forward does not.

It is not as if she did not know he is a demon. Once she had become an official member of their group, many secrets were revealed. If anything, much of the time she seemed more at ease with demons than humans. Yet moments ago, he could see her trembling. Why?

For her sake, he stays frozen as she approaches, as though she is a wild animal; a deer who has sensed a predator nearby. She steps right through the bloodstained grass, but does not notice, mesmerized by his features. A few inches from him, closer than she has come in some time, she stops. He searches her face for some clue as to what could possibly be going through her mind. Her gaze is glued to just above his head.

Her hand reaches upward and lightly grabs one of his fuzzy ears. It twitches in response. Upon feeling the texture, a soft smile spreads across her lips, but there is an element of sorrow to it. She gives a light tug, and the abrupt laugh that admits from her is choked out.

"You look like him."

It is the only explanation she offers. Yet, it triggers something within him. She never talks about her past, before she came to join their group. They might have known of her family and she would tell them stories about mundane things, but there is a secret that she keeps. One she refuses to talk of. Her eyes look so sad, so old, when she lost herself in those memories. Years of her life, important years, that she will only glaze over when questioned.

Her fingertips slip from his ear to run themselves through his long silver hair, watching the strands glisten in the sun. Her eyes follow her own movements, though he wonders if she is even seeing it any longer, lost in thought as she is. He worries about how uneasy it makes him feel, or the fact that it makes him feel at all.

He catches her hand with his, effectively stopping her, not able to handle the emotion. The sudden movement causes her to finally snap back to reality and meet his golden eyes with her own.

What he does next is rash. Using the hand he has captured, Kurama pulls her forward and embraces her. Anything to help remove this emotion from her, and to free himself of it as well. She does not resist, but falls limp against him without returning the gesture.

When she mumbles into his shirt, he feels the vibration across his chest. It might have been pleasant in other circumstances.

"You're not, though."

He closes his eyes as he feels the change begin to sweep through him. Warmth emanates from his body as his hair bleeds back to red and his shape reduces to that of his human form. She fits ideally in his grasp this way.

"No, I'm not."

She pulls back a small amount, his arms still around her. She does not try to escape them, nor does he try to break the contact. From inches away, she looks him in the eyes, now with green irises, and smiles tiredly.

"That's good."

Neither moves until a familiar voice across the field interrupts the moment, a shout from Yusuke urging them to hurry up. Kurama lets go of Kagome and she willingly steps away from him.

"You're much cuter this way, anyway," she adds, a teasing lilt to her voice.

He can tell she is trying to brush off the emotional display like it never happened. He allows her to for now, filing the event for future review.

"The demon in me is very displeased to hear that."

"Oh! I didn't mean - that is - " she begins to rant, then upon realizing he is baiting her, she continues, "Ah! Not nice."

In what is perhaps the most childish sentence to ever leave his mouth, Kurama replies with, "you started it." It is only in an attempt to make her smile, of course.

He succeeds, for she beams up at him. They walk side by side for a few silent moments before she decides to speak.

"Thank you." Kagome tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "For not asking."

Kurama does not ask, for he knows she will dodge the question. In some ways, Kagome is incredibly honest, but this one subject is different. He will not ask what has happened, what memories and secrets she has hidden, or what could be so terrible that she wants nothing more to avoid it.

He will not. Not yet, at least. He will, however, find out eventually.

One way or another.


	7. The Date

**Scene Seven- The Date**

Yusuke smacks Kurama's forearm as he points across the restaurant.

"There she is," Yusuke says.

Without waiting for Kurama's input - which quite frankly, not listening to always ended with Yusuke in trouble - the dark-haired youth beelines for Kagome's table. Being a Friday night, the restaurant is rather busy and dimly lit, most of the illumination coming from candles strategically placed throughout the room.

The seat across from Kagome is vacant when Yusuke approaches and so he unceremoniously plops down in the empty chair. She looks up from her menu with a start.

"Yusuke!" She glances behind her and sees Kurama not too far behind. "Kurama. What are you doing here?"

Her heated question is directed across the table at Yusuke, who replies with, "What're _you_ doing in a fancy place like this?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her cheeks turn pink with outrage coupled with embarrassment. "I'm on a date."

Kurama is skillful enough to not let the incredulity register on his features. Why should he be surprised? She is an attractive female, personable and sweet. He is sure she must have many suitors. Until now, he has never given it too much thought. Odd.

He is sure his face gives away nothing of his thoughts. It does not matter, anyway, for she keeps her angry gaze focused on Yusuke even as Kurama settles into place standing beside the other man. They are the targets of many judgmental and curious looks all throughout the restaurant, some of the diners being more obvious than others.

"A date? Why?"

Yusuke asks it as if he honestly could not fathom a reason. Whether he is referring to her or people in general is up for debate. Luckily, she does not take offense and instead responds with sarcasm.

"You see, Yusuke, when two people meet and they like each other very much..."

Very much? How long has the gentleman been courting her, Kurama finds himself wondering. More troubling, he is not sure why it should matter to him.

"Okay, okay. So where is this guy?" Yusuke asks.

He makes a big show of glancing around the restaurant, twisting in his stolen chair this way and that. She flicks the hand that he has put on the table to get him to stop. Kagome nods in the direction of the restroom where a well-dressed male has just exited and is headed their way.

"_That_ guy? Seriously?"

The disapproval in Yusuke's voice aimed at someone who appeared as such a gentleman amuses Kurama, but Kagome does not feel the same way. That much is obvious, given the death glare she throws him. Kurama supposes the man could be considered good-looking, but he is not impressed by her choice, either, and silently commends Yusuke for his criticism of the fellow.

Kagome shushes him and throws an admonishing look both their ways as her date draws closer.

"Kira, this is Yusuke and Shuichi," she introduces when he arrives at the table, a puzzled expression on his face. He especially does not seem to know what to make of Yusuke, who has not even attempted to remove himself from his rightful seat. "They were just leaving."

"No. No, we weren't." Yusuke leans back in the chair to prove this point further, making himself nice and comfortable. Their audience is not even trying to be unobtrusive, openly staring as the drama unfolds. Some even look hungry for it.

"Pleased to meet you," Kurama says without a bit of truth to it. The statement directed at him distracts Kira momentarily from the odd atmosphere around him, as it is intended to do.

The whole table shakes as Kagome kicks Yusuke underneath it, trying her hardest to communicate telepathically with him, or at least send negative feelings his way, by the look of it. The candle atop the table waves precariously.

"We're here because... because of your uncle."

Kurama feels somewhat proud of Yusuke for picking his words carefully instead of just blurting out the truth in front of Kagome's new romantic interest. Being honest would surely scare the man away, which they would not want to do. Obviously.

She seems to soak the new information in, narrowing her eyes. "My uncle?"

"Koenma," Kurama adds when Yusuke fails to invent a name in a believable amount of time. She shoots him a glare as though to say, "et tu, Brute?"

Up until that point, she has mostly ignored his presence there. When their eyes meet, there is an unspoken tension. Still, she stands her ground. He might have admired her for it if they had not been there on important business, and time is ticking away.

"I'm sure _Uncle_ Koenma is just fine."

So she understands they have come for supernatural reasons, but she is not convinced they need her.

"Sadly not. He's had an accident, you see," Kurama continues, smooth as ever.

"Kagome, if you need to leave, I understand," her date, Kira, says.

Finally, Yusuke decides to stand. Hope is a fleeting emotion across Kagome's face, for Yusuke's next move is to slap a hand down on Kira's shoulder, slinging his arm around the other man. She deflates when the realization hits her that she would not be so easily rid of them.

"You," Yusuke lies, "I like you. Let's have a drink."

Yusuke drags Kagome's date off to the nearby bar, throwing a pointed look back at Kurama. Kurama takes the opportunity and slips into the seat Yusuke has just vacated. He does not show how uneasy he is sitting across from her in the current romantic setting.

"I'm sure you guys will be fine without me," she says before he can start.

"Besides your healing, which has become invaluable to the team since you learned the trade, this is more than that. Botan has been able to locate the ring leader. All those demons that have been appearing lately, they are all part of one nest, and we've found it."

"Damn," she says softly, as close to a curse as she ever does get. "Can't it wait? Even just a little bit longer?"

Kurama nods to their other companion across the room, who has somehow convinced Kagome's date to buy them both beers. "You know how he is. I'm surprised he did not just throw you over his shoulder and run out of the restaurant as soon as he saw you."

It is true, how impatience Yusuke is. Yet, Kurama feels he has more... selfish reasons for wanting her to leave with them as soon as possible. His comment coerces a fond smile from her, knowing very well Yusuke's antics. She still has trouble denying Kurama his requests, and he uses it against her now.

He offers his hand across the table. "Come with me."

Not us. Me. The symbolism is not lost on her. She bites her lower lip and downcasts her eyes as she thinks about it. He already knows what her answer will be, but the display is rather cute and he does not mind waiting for her inevitable response.

Her hand comes to rest upon the table from where it is on her lap, but she hesitates there. Her eyes dart up to meet his, and he can see the exact moment she melts.

"Just this once. But you owe me."

She puts her hand in his and he lifts her to her feet as he stands as well. He does enjoy it when he gets his way.

"I'll do what is in my power to make it up to you."

* * *

_Author's Note: Kurama totally uses his power over her for evil. Bad Kurama! Bad!_

_To my reviewers, thank you for the encouraging words. I'm glad to be back. I hope you're all enjoying the story, please let me know what you think!_


End file.

Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, Drama, Romance