Kagome had lived a pretty normal life in her opinion. Well, as normal as a time-traveling teenager can. She had managed to graduate, despite her poor attendance record, she had lunch with her friends every sunday, she had a stable job and though she was still living at home she felt that she had her independence. It was a little lonely at times. She was a busy girl. She had never dwelled on being single. After realizing that her feelings for Inuyasha were only that of a first love, fleeting and a bit childish, she had checked out the dating scene and ran in the other direction. It's a bit hard to settle into a relatioship with someone after spending a few years in Feutal Japan battling demons. It had shaped her image of what a man should be and quite frankly, these modern men just didn't cut it. It wasn't their fault, not really.

She had been trying to settle into her modern life. She just couldn't seem to get rid of the nagging feeling in her stomach that something was made no sense. Her friends were here which should have made it easier. Somehow they were adapting better to mordern life than she was. Sango was working at a martial arts studio and seemed to be balancing having twin girls and a new baby quite well. Miroku had started a small cafe that did quite well, she should know, she worked there. Shippo had become very awfully close to Sota, seeing as they were in the same class. Koga and Ayame owned an interesting little bar called The Wolf Den that seemed to be a breeding ground for troublemakers. Sango frequently complained about Kohaku working there. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, though still at odds, were working together at their father's company. That had been the biggest shock. Tired of endless battles while mending a broken heart, Inutaisho had faked his death and lived a quiet life while watching over his sons from a distance. Of course as an Inu, with their determined nature, he could only live quietly for so long. He had created quite the little business venture. Kagome didn't know what they did and she didn't want to know. She had a feeling it wasn't entirely legal.

Everyone seemed to have settled into a their lives. Everyone except her. This had been what she wanted. Find all the shards and return to her time, graduate, get a good job, fall in love, get married and have children. How was it that everyone had gotten there before her? What is the point of time travel if it doesn't get you were you want to be? She would be willing to skip all the little steps too! She didn't need dates and flowers or to introduce him to her family. She just wanted someone to wake up to and have a quick shag before work, maybe someone to have dinner with some nights. Hell, she would settle for someone to bring her coffee in the morning.

She had spent too much time thinking about this and now she would be late for work. It seemed to be her morning routine: wake up, think about life or the lack of life that she had, rush around, trip on something Sota left out, yell, run to work. She didn't even have the energy to rush today. She threw her blanket back and laid in bed for a moment, letting the cool air wash over her skin. She shivered and swung herself into a sitting position. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back. It gave a satisfying pop and she stumbled towards her door in an attempt to get to the bathroom. She tried the door handle and cursed under her breath. She beat on the door.

"Sota! I'm going to be late for work. Get out!" Her headfell forward, too heavy to support in her exhausted state, hitting the door.

Shippo came out from the room he shared with her little brother. His copper hair had yet to be pulled into its usual ponytail, and his school uniform made him look too old for her liking. He was still her little kit even if he was in his last year of middle school. His school jacket wasn't buttoned and the blue t-shirt underneath was rumbled. He really was spending too much time with Sota.

"Sota isn't in there. He already left for school," he mumbled.

"When I get home," she threatened ominously.

Shippo gave a great yawn and she softened. With a sigh Kagome straightened his shirt before buttoning his jacket and turning him around to pull his hair back. She hadn't had much time to spend with him lately and it gave her an overwhelming sense of sadness. When she was done with his hair he turned around to thank her. He stopped. Her brown eyes were filled with tears and she looked entirely too sad.

"You're so big."

Shippo stiffened. Of course he was big. He wasn't a child anymore. She couldn't even see his demonic changes. His tail was no longer a giant ball of fur but a sleek tail that any fox demon would be proud of and his fangs were much more impressive. His chest puffed up with pride. Kagome was praising him. He was a bit confused though because she sounded so sad. Was it common for girls to be sad about growing? He would ask Sota later.

"Of course," he said with pride. He have a wave of his hand before leaving for school.

Kagome watched him go with a heavy heart. She sighed. It made no sense to dwell. He was turning into a man before her very eyes. She would have to talk to Inuyasha about sparring with him. Shippo seemed to be getting a bit lazy and it was showing in his control. He had accidentally broken a door a few weeks ago because he hadn't been paying attention. Now that she thought about it, she should have had him open the bathroom door.

With a huff she left it and went back to her room. She would freshen up at the cafe. She pulled her hair into a sloppy bun after shimmying into a pair skinny jeans. She pulled a large sweater on before running out the door. She heard her mother yell after her. Probably because she was skipping breakfast again. Kagome couldn't remember the last time she had a decent breakfast. Her mother tried but most mornings she was lucky if she had time for a piece of toast.

She was running down the shrine steps while trying to slip on her flats. A mistake because her foot slipped and twisted her ankle when she tried to catch herself. She groaned. Her ankle hurt and she had caught her hip on the stone steps. She huffed and tried her best to rush towards her bus stop. She saw the bus at the stop and cursed. There was no way with her ankle like this that she was going to catch it. She watched it drive off with a glare. She wassn't even that clutsy. It just seemed like the universe was against it. She tried to convince herself that it was just a bad week. People have those, right?

She readjusted her purse and walked with determintation towards the cafe. It wasn't that far. After walking around the countryside in Feudal Japan with no end in sight, a few city miles didn't seem like much at all. She could tell she was limping but she had to figure out how to cover up the obvious ankle injury or Miroku wouldn't let her work today. It wasn't about needing to work. Not really. She had saved up most of her paychecks in hopes of moving out soon. She took the occasional night shift at The Wolf Den when a waitress or bartener called in sick or if Inuyasha's assistant called in for a personal day. Not that she did much. It was mostly just faxes and telling him he had a meeting, getting lunch or coffee, and answering phones. His assistant only took personal days when he was being an ass. He had once asked Sesshomaru if he could borrow his assistant but Sesshomaru refused to subject Rin to his abuse.

Kagome was willing to put up with his demands for the pay. Besides, she put up with his demands for a lot less most of the time. She mentally scolded herself. Inuyasha wasn't that bad. He was a bit difficult and had a quick temper but he was a loyal and fierce friend. Her life was better for having him in it. She was close to the cafe now and her cell phone rang. She wanted to ignore it but so very few people had her number so she couldn't get away with ignoring it.

"Hello?"

"Kagome! Where are you? I need you. That bitch just called in to say she needed a few days," Inuyasha sounded both pissed and panicked.

Speak of the devil.

"I'm nearly to the cafe. I have work today Inuyasha. I can't just cancel without talking to Miroku first," she tried to explain but honestly, she would rather go sit at a desk than walk around in a maid uniform all day.

"My dad is in the area for a meeting. He'll pick up in 20 minutes. Just stay at the cafe."

"Inuya-" She was cut off before she could admonish him.

She sighed and rushed to check in with Miroku. She walked in the back and headed towards Miroku's office. He was looking over menu options when she came in. It was his least favorite job. He much preferred picking out new theme ideas or which uniform design to use next. She put on a bright smile to hide her ankle pain. She leaned against his door casually to take pressure of her foot.

"I hope you're not understaffed today." She said ruefully.

"Inuyasha just called me," he said shaking his head in dismay, "If he was less of an ass she would take less personal days."

Kagome smiled. She walked over to his desk and looked at the menus he was holding. The samples weren't that bad: one was white with extravagent gold lettering, one was a soft creme with feminine black print and pink flowers, and the last was black with white lettering and a thin white trim and little strawberries next to the specials and staff favorites. She pointed to the third option.

"This on is nice. Like a daifuku." She smiled before going to the changing room so that she could clean up a little. She brushed her teeth and washed her face with a bit of cold water. She considered brushing her hair but decided that if she didn't care about her hair being neat then Inuyasha wouldn't either. Sesshomaru on the otherhand would probably glare at her until she brushed it and made it decent. She laughed to herself. he was good at keeping her on her toes. She wondered how Rin put up with his perfectionism. Rin was just over 19 and was still more than happy to play in mud and pick flowers and chase Jaken around with worms. Sesshomaru would definitely have his hands full when they had children.

Kagome snuck a strawberry from the kitchen before going to check the schedule. She sighed. Miroku was cutting her hours back every week. Sango must be complaining about how she overworks herself. Kagome didn't see anything wrong with working hard and frequently. Maybe she worked a little too frequently. So what if she only had Sunday afternoons free? She didn't see a problem with how she lived her life. She wished she had a bit more time for archery and she could spend some more time focusing on medical herbs and harnessing her powers but she also wanted to find her own place to live. She wasn't going to get a place until she had at least half a years rent in her bank account. Her friends thought she was crazy but she had long ago learned that life is far from stable and she would do as much as possible to create a security blanket for herself. If she was ever in trouble she wanted to be able to save herself. This wasn't Fuedal Japan; Inuyasha can't just come slay the big bad demons. This was reality where the big bad demons are bills and responsibility.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a stern looking man in a suit that probably cost more than her whole wardrobe. She looked at him with wide eyes. This was the changing room and it was very much only female. He should not be in here. She was clothed but the other girls would not appreciatethe breech of privacy. She said as much.

"The car is out front, Miss."

He turned to leave and she followed. She should known he worked for the Western Lords. She didn't know anyone else who wore that condescending and cocky look. Everyone in the damn company had the same "I know exactly how amazing I am but if you ask I'll scoff because you already know too" look on their stupid faces. She wanted to smack every single one of them. Demons had a tendency to be high and mighty. She wanted to zap the litte buggers with a small dose of spiritual energy just to give them a taste of their own medicine.

The door was opened for her and she thanked him softly before slidding into the car. She squealed when she realized she was sitting on someone and not the usual fine leather of the luxury cars Inuyasha usually sent. She jumped up and fumbled around in the tight confines of the car in an attempt to no sit on the other occupant. She heard a deep chuckle that made her heart flutter in an unfamiliar manner. That was new. A laugh didn't usually make her gooey. She heard fabric slide across leather. A low, rich, amused baritone echoed off the walls when he spoke.

"Please, sit."

She sat trying to hide a blush. How embarrassing for their first meeting. She had never seen him. She had ducked out of most of the family dinners she had been invited to in favor of sleep. She didn't mean to be rude but it was rare for her to have a free evening and when she did her body was too tired for anything else. Inuyasha had stopped inviting her and Sesshomaru only passed on the invitation because Rin wanted her to come. Apparently eveyone thought she was socially hopeless at 24. She turned to apologize and got a good look at him.

Holy mother of the sculpted gods!