You guys may think that I don't see all the many lovely reviews, follows, and favorites you guys left me for Sweet Dreams, but I do! I honestly did not expect Steve and Kagome to get so much love in that one-shot, but I guess you guys really love them together! Which is great, because I can't help but feel the same way. Especially after writing them together. It's just so...

Aghh!

But yeah, because of the immense popularity the last Steve x Kagome one-shot got, I decided to make another one. And to answer all your questions:

NO!

This is not related to the first one (Sweet Dreams) in any way, shape, or form. It's a completely separate story.

So yeah. I just wanted to clear that up before anyone got confused. I meant it when I said I wasn't making Sweet Dreams anything more than a one-shot. I just feel like a one-shot is all it's meant to be, so I shall leave it as such. And I feel the same with this one as well. I think this ends on a pretty good note and doesn't need anything else as it may run the risk of sounding like crap. With that being said, this will remain a one-shot. I'm sorry for all you die hards out there who can't find too much Steve x Kagome. I will, however, try to write more for them in the future.

It's actually a funny story. I didn't even really know that I had this story to begin with! I was looking for a story in my documents to continue and maybe finish writing, found this, and didn't even remember what it was. After reading it, I realized I had completed it, but never uploaded it. So yeah, I'm a genius. But it's here now! So I hope you guys enjoy it :D

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avengers, Captain America, or Inuyasha!

There had been very few times in Steve's life where he could honestly say that he felt miserable. In fact, the only two that came to mind were his mother's passing and when his best friend, practically brother, had lost his life to the people Steve promised to protect him from.

This, however, could most definitely constitute as another one of those times.

Steve looked around in mild horror as he walked down the streets of D.C., still trying to come to grips with how much things have changed over time. Not only did everything look completely foreign to him, but the way the people behaved was completely different as well, if not somewhat disturbing.

All people could seem to focus on these days were the cell phones in their hands and the destination they had in mind. No longer did people feel the need to say good morning to the people they pass on the street or throw a smile at somebody who looks like they may need it.

To say that Steve was going through culture shock would be an understatement.

And he felt absolutely miserable about it.

Steve truly missed his time. He didn't belong here. There was nothing for him in this day and age. He felt as if he shouldn't even be here right now.

But he is, and that single fact was the thing that kept him up at night. The thing that's been slowly eating away at him from the inside out.

Steve snapped back into reality when he caught the scent of something familiar. He came to a stop and took another whiff before realizing what it was.

Coffee.

Steve glanced to his left to find that he was standing right next to a small coffee shop, emphasis on the small. In fact, if the scent of coffee hadn't been so incredibly strong and enticing, he probably wouldn't have even noticed it in the first place.

Suddenly feeling the urge to buy a cup of the popular beverage that everybody seemed to not only drink, but live off of, these days, Steve reached his hand into his pocket to make sure he brought his wallet with him before proceeding to push the front door of the shop open and step inside.

Once inside, Steve quickly noticed how spacious the building actually was. It may have seemed tiny from the outside, but that was actually far from the truth. Directly in front of him was a display filled with all sorts of pastry and sweets. Behind the display was the cash register and to the left were several tables spread out across the open room with some booths lined up along the farthest corner from the door.

The design of the place was simplistic in comparison to most interior design these days, which Steve had to admit was extremely calming on his nerves.

He liked this place.

"Hello, what can I get for you?" the woman at the front counter asked.

Steve quickly relaxed once he realized that she either didn't recognize him or didn't care. Inhaling deeply, Steve glanced at the menu before tensing once again.

'What is half of this stuff?' Steve asked himself as he read over the unfamiliar names. He honestly didn't expect for something as simple as coffee to have change as well over his long period of absence. Although he really wasn't too surprised. Just… disappointed.

"Uh," he stuttered, trying to think of what to get. Deciding to just stick with what he knew and hope for the best, Steve asked, "Can I please get a plain, black coffee?"

The lady smiled, "Sure thing. What size can I get for you?"

Steve thought this over momentarily, "Um, a large?"

"Alright. That'll be three dollars."

Steve pulled out his wallet and handed the cashier the S.H.I.E.L.D. issued credit card he was given after waking up from his time on ice. The woman swiped the card and typed a few things into the machine before handing Steve his card along with his receipt.

"Your order is coming right up."

Steve nodded and stepped away from the counter to wait for his coffee.

As he continued to glance around the small shop, he heard the bell over the door ring, signaling the entrance of another person.

He moved to pull his hoodie over his head, hoping that whoever had just came in didn't recognize him. He really didn't want to run into any Captain America fans right now…

"Here's your coffee, sir."

Steve grabbed his drink and headed over to one of the booths in the far back.

He honestly didn't know why he stayed. He could have just left, but he didn't. To be honest, this place was the first place he's been to that's actually made him feel somewhat comfortable. He hadn't really had the chance to do anything "normal" since he's woken up, so this experience felt like a godsend to him.

And if it managed to make his day a little less miserable, who was he to complain?

He lost track of how long he sat there, staring at the empty seat in front of him and taking sips of his coffee here and there.

"Um, excuse me?"

Steve nearly jumped at the unfamiliar voice.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

He didn't know how he hadn't noticed before, but at some point after he drifted off into the depths of his mind, a young woman slipped into the other side of his booth.

Steve tensed at the sudden presence. He didn't feel comfortable with the fact that this woman was able to sneak up on him like she had. He needed to be more careful. After all, he knows better than anyone how devastating it can be to let your guard down.

"It's okay ma'am," Steve said hesitantly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The woman's bright blue eyes narrowed in concern before she shook her head, her long, black tresses falling around her shoulders as she did so.

Now that Steve actually got a good look at her, he realized how undeniably attractive she was. She wasn't necessarily sexy, or "hot" as people today would say, but she had this aura of confidence to her that seemed to make her radiate.

Steve felt captivated.

"I'm sorry to just come up to you like this. It must seem strange, huh?" she asked sheepishly.

Steve didn't know what to say, so he chose to say nothing.

Instead of being intimidated or weirded out by his silence, however, the woman simply took it as her opportunity to continue.

"I just recognized the look on your face and thought you could a bit of company."

This threw him off. The look on his face?

"Um," he started, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm one hundred percent sure of what you mean, ma'am."

The woman looked him directly in the eyes. Her bright blue eyes suddenly didn't seem to bright blue anymore. Instead, they looked hard, cold, and understanding. The level of comprehension that she was able to translate through eye contact alone was startling to Steve. He hasn't seen those sort of eyes in quite some time.

And then she blinked, breaking the eye contact and leaving Steve feeling as if his soul had been torn apart from the inside out. He felt almost violated in a sense.

"You just seem really lost and lonely," she said, not even bothering to sugar-coat it. "You seem out of place. I know how that feels, so I figured you might want somebody to talk to. You don't have to talk about yourself. You can talk about favorite flavors of ice cream for all I care."

Steve stared wide-eyed at this woman. He was shocked. He had barely said a word to her and somehow, she had managed to gather all of that information about him. It almost made him anxious.

"H-how?" he stuttered before stopping himself. What was he doing? He can't let her know that she was right. Nobody was supposed to know who he was, and he had the feeling that this woman would be the exception if he continued this conversation with her.

However, there was also this small part of him that told him to go for it. The small part of him that craved the human interaction he'd been so violently stripped of for the past 70 years. After all, what did he have to lose? He wouldn't be talking about anything personal. Just talking. That sounded awfully nice…

No. What was he thinking? He needed to get out of here.

"I'm sorry ma'am, bu-"

"Kagome."

Steve's brows furrowed in confusion, "Excuse me?"

"My name, it's Kagome," she stated.

"Okay… Kagome. I'm sorry, but I really should be going."

Steve moved to stand up, grabbing his empty cup of coffee along the way. When he looked back down at her, he recognized the look of understanding in her eyes.

It wasn't pity, or sympathy, but understanding. Like she somehow knew exactly what he was going through.

He really needed to leave.

"It was nice meeting you," she said with a soft smile. Steve felt his heart warm at the way she was looking at him.

"You too. Have a good day Kagome."

He rushed towards the front of the shop, dumping the empty cup in one of the trash cans on the way out. He frantically pushed his way through the door and was nearly out when he heard her voice from behind him.

"It hurts, but it will all be okay. I promise."

Steve's eyes widened.

The doors closed.

Steve felt tired.

It's been a month since the nightmares started up and he'd barely gotten any sleep since then. He'd counted himself lucky if he got an hour a night. It didn't affect him too badly though. The serum made sure of that.

But even the serum couldn't stop the mental and emotional fatigue that stuck with him like the plague. One could see this by simply looking into his eyes. The dark bags only helped emphasize the dead look in his eyes.

He just wished for some peaceful sleep.

Unfortunately, however, you don't always get what you want.

Steve glanced around the park from his spot on one of the benches. Whenever he felt like he was having a particularly bad day, he always enjoyed going to the park to clear his head a bit. He liked listening to the trees sway in the wind as the sound of children playing tag with one another chimes through every once in a while.

It was the most peaceful place he could think to go. And considering today was one of those days, he quickly found himself sitting at his favorite bench in one of the particularly green areas of the park.

As Steve sat in silence with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company, his mind slowly wandered back to that strange woman he met a couple of weeks prior. Kagome, her name was. Her parting words still stuck with him. In fact, he couldn't get them out of his head.

"It hurts, but it will all be okay. I promise."

When she said those words, Steve felt a stab of pain that made him physically wince, yet at the same time he felt this odd sense of relief. It was like a small amount of the giant weight on his shoulders had been lifted. He didn't know who exactly this Kagome was, but she was the only person who made him feel even the tiniest bit accepted, acknowledged, not alone…

And all with those 10 simple words.

A small voice in the back of his mind told him that there was no way she could understand what he was going through. There was no way she knew what it was like to be thrown into a time in which you aren't supposed to even exist.

She doesn't understand.

But the look she gave him said otherwise.

This left Steve majorly confused. Why did she even approach him anyways? What did she have to gain from it? Nothing. There was nothing that she could have possibly gained from trying to talk to him, so why did she do it?

Unless she knew who he was. Maybe she knew he was Captain America and was trying to draw information from him. Maybe she's working for one of the bad guys.

Suddenly, Steve felt stupid for not thinking of this before.

"Hey, it's you again!"

Steve's head snapped up at the now-familiar voice. Standing in front of him, dressed in a pair of tight leggings, a deep red tank top, and some tennis shoes, was none other than Kagome herself. Her hair had been pulled into a high ponytail and Steve couldn't help but notice how bright her eyes looked under the sun.

"Um, hi. Kagome, right?"

She smiled before nodding vigorously, "The one and only. So, how are you doing?"

Suddenly, warning signs went up in Steve's head.

This can't be a coincidence that he'd run into her like this again. D.C. wasn't a small place and the coffee shop that he first ran into her at was a good distance away from here.

And suddenly, everything clicked into place.

Steve's expression tightened. His jaw clenched as he balled his hands up into fists.

"Leave me alone," he spat, glaring harshly at the confused woman in front of him.

"E-excuse me?" Kagome stuttered, not sure where the sudden hostility came from.

"Why can't you people just leave me alone? I'm not doing anything. Just stay out of my life," Steve almost growled, standing from his previously low vantage point until he was soon enough towering over Kagome's small frame.

Kagome frowned, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. Is everything okay?"

Steve snapped, "Don't pretend like you actually care! You're only here to make sure I don't say anything that could make your lives harder. Why don't you just go back to headquarters and tell Fury to back the hell off!"

Steve was left shaking. She was with S.H.I.E.L.D., he concluded. She had to be. He already knew that they were keeping an eye on him, but this was absolutely ridiculous! They had no sense of privacy and Steve found it disgusting.

Steve watched as Kagome's eyes widened slightly at his demand. Right when he thought that she was going to give up the act and leave him to his solitude once again, her eyes narrowed into daggers.

"Listen here buddy, I don't know who the hell you're talking about, but I am not going to sit around and let you snap at me like that! I don't know who the hell Fury is or what the hell a shield has anything to do with it, but I will not sit here and let you tell me what I am! I am sick and tired of people telling me what I am!"

Steve was shocked by her outburst and he immediately felt guilt sink in once she finished. He heard the way her voice nearly cracked at the end, making him feel even worse about what he just said to her.

"I-I'm-"

"Look," she cut him off. She planted her feet directly in front of him and stood her ground with a firm confidence, "I get it, okay? I'm sorry I yelled at you. You probably didn't need that right now. I've just had too many people take me for someone that I'm not and I wasn't about to let that happen again."

Steve shook his head, "No, it's me who should be apologizing. I really didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just… it's been a long week."

Kagome chuckled, "I can tell. Anything you want to talk about with a stranger?"

Steve felt his lips twitch upwards. It wasn't enough to be noticeable, but he didn't miss the knowing expression that slipped across Kagome's face for a brief second as she awaited an answer.

"Not particularly. I really am sorry though. I honestly just don't know who I can trust anymore."

Steve didn't know why he was telling her this. He'd only met the girl twice and he was already spilling more than he had to anybody else he'd met since he woke up.

Kagome brushed him off with a quick flick of the wrist, "It's fine. Really. Don't worry about it."

Steve nodded before dropping himself back onto the park bench, "So, what brings you here?"

"Oh, you know," she sung, taking a seat beside him, "just out for a morning jog. I'm really shocked I ran into you actually. I've never seen you here before."

And then Steve felt even more guilty. He had practically just accused her of working for S.H.I.E.L.D. as a spy because he ran into her twice in spots that she's probably frequented long before he came into the picture.

Steve felt like banging his head into a wall at his own stupidity.

"I've only been coming here for the past couple of weeks," he said lamely as he tried to hide the shame he felt.

"Oh, that makes sense," she noted thoughtfully. "I've been pretty busy the past couple of weeks and haven't been able to go on my morning runs."

Steve nodded. They then became quiet, both staring ahead at nothing in particular.

"Is everything okay?"

Steve felt a nagging ache spread through his chest. That simple, yet loaded question gave Steve no doubt as to what the true meaning behind those words were.

"I… I don't know."

And it was the truth. He truly didn't know. He was so lost in everything going on around him, that he began to lose track of himself as well. He didn't feel okay. Nothing felt okay. He felt horrible. He wanted to go back to the place he called home, but he knew he could never do that.

"I'm so sorry," Kagome whispered ruefully.

Steve was confused by her apology. Why did she sound so upset about it? It's not like she had anything to do with it. So why did she apologize like she was the person to freeze him in the ice all those years ago?

"Why?" was all he asked.

She paused before looking at him with frighteningly cold eyes.

"You don't deserve it. I'm sorry that this happened to you."

And that was the moment that Steve realized two very important things.

One being that this woman was going to be an important person in his life. He didn't know how or why or even when, but he knew it was going to happen eventually. He just felt it. It was like a special type of connection that he'd never shared with anyone else before. Not with Bucky, not Peggy, not anybody.

And the second was that he could trust this woman. He didn't know what it was that told him he could trust her, but he knew that he could.

No if's, and's, or but's.

"Thank you," he said with so much emotion laced into his words.

It was quiet once again before Kagome abruptly stood up from the bench to stretch her legs out a bit.

"Well, it was nice to see you again. I hope it doesn't look like I'm stalking you, because I swear I'm not," Kagome stated with a small smirk on her face. Steve felt the corner of his mouth finally curl into small smile.

"I believe you."

Kagome stared in momentary shock before collecting herself.

"Hey, maybe we'll run into each other again. You never know."

Steve nodded. Kagome then turned and waved a small goodbye. Before Steve had a chance to be sucked back up into his thoughts once again, she turned around and shouted.

"Hey! One more thing!"

He turned his attention to her, giving her a look that showed he was listening to what she had to say. Although he couldn't say that he expected the next thing that came out of her mouth…

"What's your name?!"

Steve quickly threw on a pair of shoes, glancing at the clock on his wall to check the time.

12:54 A.M.

He let out a sigh before heading out the front door of his apartment in search for any place that sells food at this early hour of the morning. Steve hadn't really eaten anything all day, so when he finally went to his fridge to grab something to satisfy his growling stomach, you can only imagine his disappointment when he found that it was completely empty.

Well, it wasn't completely empty. At least if you counted the half a lemon and ketchup sitting on one of the higher shelves.

'I really need to go shopping tomorrow,' he thought to himself as he exited the apartment building.

As he walked around town trying to find a 24-hour diner or fast food restaurant, Steve found his thoughts drifting off to the enigma known as Kagome.

It's been a good month since he'd last seen her and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about her since then. She was just so different. He couldn't pin what it was about her that drew him in, but for some strange reason he felt a connection. It may not be a large connection, but the feeling was still there none-the-less.

Steve shook his head. He doesn't even know her. The only thing he knew about her was her first name. He needed to just forget about her. That would be the best for him at this point.

Steve reached the end of the sidewalk and moved to turn the corner when suddenly, he crashed right into someone sending the other person, along with himself, into a sprawled out heap on the concrete floor.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I didn't see you there. I'm sorry!"

Steve looked up in shock to see who he had just run into.

'Speak of the devil and he shall appear,' Steve thought to himself before pulling himself off the ground.

"Kagome?" he asked, reaching a hand out to help her up.

Kagome took the hand and allowed him to pull her up off the ground before narrowing her eyes in an attempt at see his face underneath the hoodie he was wearing.

"Steve?"

When Steve pulled the hoodie off, he saw Kagome's eyes light up in recognition.

"Steve! Hey, fancy running into you here," Kagome said with a bright smile.

Steve couldn't help but smile at the situation. What were the odds that'd he'd run into her here of all places? And at this hour of the night as well?

"It must be fate," she stated, finishing his thoughts with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, must be," he mumbled. He briefly thought about how strange it was that she was able to knock him over like that, but quickly brushed it off as him not paying attention. He simple wasn't prepared to run into anything.

Suddenly, another thought popped up in Steve's mind.

"It's not really safe for a young dame to be walking around alone this late at night, may I ask where you're going?"

Steve noticed a look of amusement take over her features and he suddenly realized what he had said.

"Woman! I mean woman. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything," Steve rambled on, his cheeks going red from embarrassment.

Kagome smirked, "No, no it's fine. I don't really mind. And to answer your question, I was trying to find something to eat but it seems that not too many places are open this late. Go figure."

Steve nodded, still slightly embarrassed over his slip of the tongue. Kagome really didn't seem to mind, however, so he didn't mention it again.

"Me too. I was supposed to go shopping today, but that didn't seem to happen," Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Really?" Kagome asked. "Well then, why don't we both look around together? After all, they always say that two sets of eyes are better than one."

Steve thought this over for a minute. There really weren't any problems with her suggestion. Plus, he had been the one that thought he felt some sort of connection with the strange woman standing in front of him. Maybe this was his chance to see what that was all about.

"Uh, sure," he agreed hesitantly. As soon as he saw the smile that spread across her face, however, all feelings of doubt or hesitation flew right out the window and a smile of his own threatened to creep onto his face.

"Awesome! Follow me then, I heard there was a 24-hour diner a couple blocks away from here."

Steve followed Kagome, the two walking side-by-side. Steve was surprised to feel Kagome wrap her hands around his bicep, but didn't say anything about it. He simply smiled and listened to her ramble on about random things.

In that short walk to the diner, Steve learned a lot of things about Kagome. Nothing too personal. Just small details such as favorite color, hobbies, and even favorite ice cream flavor. When they reached the diner, they grabbed a table and continued to talk as they waited for their food to arrive.

When they got their food, they ate in a comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other's company.

Towards the end of the meal, however, Kagome decided to break the silence.

"I'm glad you're feeling better."

Steve was surprised by her statement at first before his face softened and a smile slid easily across his face.

"Thank you."

Kagome grinned, "Any time."

They didn't say anything else for the rest of the time they spent at the diner. They didn't need to. The silence between them spoke in and of itself. They might not have known each other for that long, but it didn't seem to matter to them. It was at that table, at that 24-hour diner that the two young adults felt their fates intertwine.

After Steve had walked Kagome to her apartment that night, exchanging information so that they could plan to meet up again, Steve went back to his house feeling a lot better than when he had left. He also realized something that seemed to take all of the weight off his chest, giving him the feeling of being as light as air.

He wasn't alone anymore.

He had Kagome now, and knowing that somehow made everything else much more bearable.