7

Tuesday morning was a lot brighter to Kagome.  She and Sesshoumaru had come to an understanding about their relationship, and his harsh words, and had now made plans to see each other every now and then after Jujitsu practice.  In fact, today they were planning on meeting out of town to have dinner and catch up on the time they spent apart.

With a slight skip in her step, Kagome walked the hallways of the school smiling as she went. Her bright smile caught the attention of a few other students who politely smiled back

She had a date with Sesshoumaru!  Her mind supplied in a jovial tune which only made her smile grow even wider.

She reached her locker in no time when she felt a hand land on her shoulder.  She turned and met the suspicious stare of Sango.

"Just what are you so happy about today?" Sango asked her.

Ayame jumped into the conversation suddenly and supplied the information.  "Didn't you hear?  She has a date!"

Kagome paled.  How did they know about her date with Sesshoumaru?  No one was supposed to know! 

"H-how did you know about that?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

Ayame looked at Kagome with wide, bright eyes and grinned.  "Are you kidding?!  Everyone knows about your date!  It's all over school!"

Kagome felt her heart stop at Ayame's announcement.  This was it; it was all over before it even got started.  Sesshoumaru was going to lose his job and possible spend time in jail.  She was going to be ridiculed and have a stigma over her head for seducing older men.  Worst of all, she and Sesshoumaru would have to be apart.  They would not be able to see each other civilly until either she graduated or he got out of jail. 

Hot tears began to form behind her eyes as she tried desperately to think of ways they could make everything work.

Her friends, oblivious to Kagome's inner turmoil, continued on with their chatter.

"So Kagome, where are you and Kouga going on your data?" Ayame asked her.

Kagome stopped her less-than-progressive train of thought when she heard Ayame's question and rapidly raised her head.

"Uh...um...what?" Kagome managed to get out.

Ayame rolled her eyes and smiled at Kagome.  She had noticed her far-away look and wondered where Kagome's thoughts had drifted off to.  "I asked where you and Kouga planned on going for your date."

"Oh! Um...I think he said he wanted to go to this new burger place down the road," Kagome offered slowly.  She had completely forgotten all about the date that she had set up with Kouga the day before.  The only thing she could think about was Sesshoumaru and the way he kissed her last night.

"You are soooo lucky Kagome," Ayame swooned.  "Any girl would be lucky to go out with Kouga."

‘Maybe you should take him then,' Kagome thought bitterly to herself.  It was not that she had anything personal against Kouga, but she was apprehensive about the way Sesshoumaru would act when he found out that she still had plans with the wolf.  ‘This could only end badly.'

****

The day passed by quickly enough and Kagome took in a large breath of air before opening the door to the Jujitsu practice room.  Some way or another she had to break the news with Sesshoumaru that she still had plans with Kouga; thus ruining their plans for their date.

Throughout the day she had been bombarded with questions and surrounded by curious people.  Didn't these people have other things to do?  Kagome could not understand the fascination that the populous had with her "date" with Kouga, but as the questions and comments continued to come at her, she came to a conclusion.

It would look greatly suspicious if she were to cancel on Kouga the day of their date, considering the spectators they had rooting them on.  She could only imagine the rumors that would begin to hurl into the fray of gossiping teenagers; especially if the demon she was going out with tonight had his ego bruised. 

She shuddered at the thought of her private life with Sesshoumaru becoming topic of conversation.  Kagome did not yet know Kouga well enough to trust him not to say anything about what he had heard over the weekend. 

That being said, she would go out with him tonight, but deny any more dates with him, giving him so reason or another to sate his ego while letting him down gently.

With one final deep breath for courage, Kagome opened the door to the practice room, only to find it completely dark and empty.

"Huh?"

Kagome took a step into the practice room and looked around confusedly.  There was not a soul in the room and it seemed as though no one had been there at all.

With one last look around the room she stepped back and out into the hallway.  Kagome glanced around her to be certain no one was there before she closed the door completely only now catching the note that was left on the door that had stated practice was cancelled for the day.

Kagome rubbed her temples with her fingers in an attempt to soothe the oncoming headache. 

"It's okay; I'll just call Sesshoumaru and tell him that I have to cancel tonight.  He'll understand why," Kagome spoke assuredly to her self.  She hurried her pace down the hall to get to her locker where all of her things were stored.

Once there she dialed Sesshoumaru's number to tell him of her "date" with Kouga.  Kagome's heart dropped when Sesshoumaru's phone went straight to his voice message.  Running her hand across her face, Kagome waited for the all too familiar ‘beep' before speaking.

"Hey Sesshoumaru it's Kagome.  Listen, I have to cancel tonight, but I would like to take a rain check.  Please call me as soon as you get this so that I can explain."  Kagome sighed as she slowly closed her phone.  She could only hope that Sesshoumaru got her message.

Kagome quickly changed back into her clothes and headed towards she and Kouga's meeting place; her thoughts completely taken over by images of Sesshoumaru.

****

Kagura watched from behind a row of lockers as Kagome exited the room before she smiled wickedly.  So Kagome had a date with Sesshoumaru tonight?  This could definitely work out to her advantage.  Especially if she could get her hands on Sesshoumaru's cell phone before he got the message.

But how to go about it?

Kagura stepped out of the locker room and headed towards the parking lot until she thought of a fabulous idea.  She wanted to pat herself on the back for being able to think of something so devious.  

Switching directions she picked up her pace in search of Kagome.  A short while later she caught up with the girl just about to leave the school grounds.

"Kagome!" Kagura shouted out.

Kagome looked around and saw Kagura so she stopped to wait for her.  "What's up; is everything okay?"

Kagura shifted a little in her stance to portray nervousness; for once her freshman acting skills were coming in handy.  "Listen Kagome, I...I overheard you talking on your phone.  I know that you had plans with Sesshoumaru tonight."

Kagome's eyes widened and she paled.  She didn't know how Kagura would take this information, but she hoped and prayed to all the gods above that she wouldn't say anything to anyone.

"You-you won't tell anyone...will you?" Kagome asked nervously.

Kagura gave Kagome a false assuring smile.  "I won't tell anyone.  In fact, I was actually going to offer you my help."

"Your help?  How could you help?" Kagome questioned innocently.

"You had to cancel with Sesshoumaru tonight because of your date with Kouga, right?"

Kagome nodded.

"Seeing as how you couldn't get a hold of him, what if I went to tell him that you couldn't make it?  That way everything works out how it should," Kagura offered.

Kagome was at a loss for words.  She felt relief and gratitude spring up in her and she could not help but smile at the godsend in front of her.

"Oh Kagura, that would be fantastic!  Thank you so much!  I honestly don't know hoe to thank you!"

Kagura smirked at her plan that was nicely playing out in front of her.  "It's my pleasure."

****

It was nearing seven-thirty and Sesshoumaru checked his watch for the tenth time in the last five minutes.

Where was she?

He had dismissed the waiter several times and each time he felt his anxiety grow.  Absently, Sesshoumaru began tapping his fingers on the table in order to pass time and to keep his mind from wandering down dangerous paths. 

What if something had gone wrong? 

Sesshoumaru shook his head and let loose an almost non-existent snarl at his wayward thoughts.  He was acting like a foolish child.  He could, and would, wait patiently.  She was only...half an hour late.

Sesshoumaru raised his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes to ward off the oncoming headache.  He should just call relent and call her instead of sitting here brooding.  He reached into his coat pocket in search of his phone before a hand fell gently on his shoulder.

He looked up expectantly in hopes of it being Kagome, but was a disappointed to find it was not her that had touched him.

"Good evening Sess- Mr. Taisho," Kagura said deeply.

Sesshoumaru bowed slightly out of politeness.  "Good evening miss Wind."

"Do you often come to dine her Mr. Taisho?  It seems a bit far from Tokyo don't you think?" Kagura ventured.

Sesshoumaru eyed the woman in front of him with a less-than-pleasant look.  "Not that it is any of your business, but I frequent this place often.  I find its cuisine quite pleasing to my pallet."

Kagura grinned at him.  Things were moving along nicely.  "I know what you mean; it's a lot better than most run of the mill places around Tokyo that's for sure.  I keep insisting that my friends come with me here, but they'd rather go to that new burger place down the road.  Even the new girl, Kagome, is having her date there tonight.  I tried to talk her out of it."

Up until he heard mention of Kagome, Sesshoumaru had not been giving Kagura much of his attention.  However, if what Kagura had just said was true, then Kagome stood him up to go with that wolf even after he asked her not to.  Was she punishing him for the words that he said to her when they met again?  She should know better than that; he could never think of her as a mistake no matter how hard he tried.

"You say Miss Higurashi is out tonight?" Sesshoumaru asked.  When Kagura nodded he felt it wise to continue in order for it to seem less suspicious.  "Do you believe she is enjoying her time here?"

"I believe she is; she's made a lot of friends very fast.  This is only her second week here and already she has a date with one of the most popular guys in school.  No girl in their right mind would turn down a chance with him," Kagura offered.

Although on the outside Sesshoumaru seemed calm, on the inside he was seething.  Kagome had missed their date for that lousy excuse for a demon?!  Did she not feel what he felt?  Did she not know that he spent months sulking because of her?

"Sess-I mean, Mr. Taisho, may I please borrow your phone, I seemed to have forgotten mine and I need to check if my date is coming," Kagura requested, bringing Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru nodded and reached once again into his coat pocket for his phone.  He handed it to her and she strode outside to use it.

Unbeknownst to Sesshoumaru, Kagura had somehow accessed his inbox and erased the message from Kagome.  It was time to put an axe in between Sesshoumaru and Kagome; trust was not an easy thing to win.  With an evil smile on her face, she walked back into the restaurant before she put on a look of dejection.

"Thank you Mr. Taisho; it looks as if I'll be dining alone tonight," Kagura said with a half hearted smile while she handed him back his phone.  "Enjoy your meal," she said before turning around to leave.

Now normally, Sesshoumaru would have done just that: enjoy his meal, alone, and then take his leave.  However, tonight he was in a particularly foul mood thanks to a certain dark haired beauty named Kagome, and chose to act otherwise.

"Kagura," Sesshoumaru called out without looking up from his menu.  "I see no reason as to why we cannot dine together tonight.  It is strictly platonic."

Kagura was extremely pleased with herself.  Her plan had turned out exactly how she wanted it to, and now she was going to get to have dinner with Sesshoumaru. 

"I wouldn't want to impose-" Kagura started.

Sesshoumaru shook his head slightly and motioned for her to take a seat, in which she did so graciously.  Kagura did her best to keep Sesshoumaru involved in conversation and even brought up Kagome a couple of times to talk about how much fun she was probably having on her date with Kouga.  She did not miss the slight clenching of his jaw when she mentioned this and inwardly smirked as she felt his restrained rage start to rattle his cage.

Sesshoumaru did not want to believe that Kagome had stood him up for another and each and every time Kagura brought her up he found it harder to sit still.  When Kagura brought her up once again, he knew then that he had to see it for himself.

"Thank you for the company Kagura, unfortunately I have many matters to attend to before school tomorrow.  Dinner is on me, please enjoy the rest of your meal," Sesshoumaru said quickly before he got up to leave.

Kagura's smile was unbridled when Sesshoumaru left the restaurant.  Things were about to get even more interesting once he saw Kagome with Kouga.  He would not be able to deny it then that his little girlfriend left him for someone else.

Kagura quickly picked up her phone and dialed a number.  She only had to wait a couple of rings before someone answered.

"Hey it's me...he's on his way now, give him about fifteen minutes to get there...you know what to do," Kagura said and then hung up the phone.  She entwined her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands.

"Don't mess with Kagura Wind," she said quietly to her self.

****

Kagome propped her head on her fist and drummed her fingers with her other hand.  This was the last place she wanted to be right now and having to listen to Kouga go on and on about his many awards and trophies was making this night the longest night of her life.

Sure he was nice enough, handsome even, but as soon as he opened his mouth things went south.  Kagome wanted desperately to be with Sesshoumaru and she could only hope that Kagura got her message to him so that he wasn't waiting long.  Just an hour more and she could nicely tell Kouga that she needed to go home, and then this nightmare would be over.

"-and that was the fifth time I saved our team from a loss," Kouga continued.

"That's great Kouga," Kagome said unenthusiastically.  She watched as Kouga puffed up his chest proudly and opened his mouth to speak again before he jumped a little.

Kouga reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.  He looked at the number and quickly excused himself to answer it.

Kagome sighed in relief for her temporary reprieve.  ‘Saved by the bell, er, vibration,´ she thought whimsically.  She watched as other couples and groups made their way out onto the makeshift dance floor and scowled mentally at them.

They were all so carefree with their friends and partners that she couldn't help but feel a bit envious.  As much as she and Sesshoumaru wanted their relationship to be easy, it was anything but that.  However, there was a sort of exciting thrill at the thought of having to sneak around behind everyone's backs that made the situation less harsh.

Kagome jumped when a hand was suddenly in front of her face.  She looked up to see Kouga with his arm outstretched towards her.

"Wanna dance?" he asked with a bright smile on his face.

Hesitantly, Kagome nodded and took his hand to lead her on the floor.  As much as she wanted this date to end, Kouga had been a very nice date so she would return the favor.  He led her to the dance floor and wrapped his arm around her waist to which she instantly blushed.  The only other person to be so close to her like this had been Sesshoumaru, so she was still new to the feeling.

The dance was slow, much to Kagome's chagrin, and Kouga took every opportunity he got to brush up against her just a little.  His eyes kept darting to the front of the shop, though Kagome missed this. 

Just as the song was about to end, Kouga found the opportunity he had been waiting for.  Kagome had closed her eyes and did her very best to stifle a yawn when she suddenly found Kouga's mouth latched on to hers.  Her eyes opened wide and at first she was rendered incapable of movement due to her shock.  But when he slipped his tongue into her mouth she raised her hands to his chest and pushed roughly, making him stumble back.

"What the hell was that Kouga?!" Kagome shouted at him.

Kouga looked at her sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck.  "Sorry Kagome, I've just been wanting to do that all night."

Kagome shook her head at him but gave him a small smile.  "I'm sorry too Kouga.  But I just don't think this is going to work out.  You're a great guy, but I'm just not looking for anyone right now."  It wasn't a complete lie.

Kouga shrugged and gave her another toothy grin.  "Eh, don't worry about it, there's plenty of fish in the sea.  Just keep me in mind if you ever are on the market," he said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Will do.  Thank you for understanding.  I've had a really nice time tonight, but I should probably be going now."

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Kouga offered.

Kagome shook her head and then gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before she left.  With that obstacle out of the way, she could now devote her time to Sesshoumaru.  With a happy grin she set off for home in hopes of being able to speak to Sesshoumaru in person tomorrow after practice.

****

It did not take him long to make it to the place that Kagura had told him about.  With so many high school kids walking in and out of the place it wasn't hard to find either.  Sesshoumaru pulled into the parking lot and stealthily made his way towards the front of the hamburger place that Kagome was having her date.  The thought still made him angry, although he would give her the benefit of the doubt.

Sesshoumaru casually looked through the front window in search of Kagome.  At first he could not spot her, but when he did, he almost wished he hadn't.  He watched as she slow danced with the vile wolf and if that wasn't bad enough he had bared witness to them sharing a kiss.  Sesshoumaru could literally feel his heart freeze over with loathing and turned quickly away.  He could no longer watch the one person he had truly cared for with another. 

He missed when she pushed Kouga away, and he missed when she yelled at the wolf for doing what he did.  At the moment he could not even fathom any explanation that she may have had for what he saw, nor did he care for any.

Sesshoumaru sped off quickly, only seconds before Kagome came out of the restaurant alone with a grin on her face.