Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rated: T

"W-what?"

It was the only thing Kagome could say as her mind scrambled to process the words that had just come from the blond's mouth.

"You heard me," Heiwajima Shizuo took a casual drag of his cigarette (to which she unconsciously frowned at), though his hand shook ever so lightly, "Want to get a bite to eat at Russia Sushi with me?"

Kagome ignored Tanaka's snicker in the background and stared at Shizuo with wide blue eyes, feeling her face flush deeply, "A-are... are you asking me out on a date?" She squeaked out, feeling mortified that she had just emulated a mouse.

"Well," Shizuo's arm came up to scratch the back of his unruly hair as he suddenly felt a bit bashful underneath Kagome's wide-eyed stare, "If you want it to be."

He had no idea when his interest in the teen girl had grown into something more than platonic, but he knew it was partly because she had never been afraid of him, even when he lost his temper in front of her numerous times.

"You're not that frightening, Shizuo," Kagome had smiled when he had asked her why she was not scared of his inhuman strength like everyone else, "Though you could use some anger management~"

Plus, her overly kind nature and strange pink glow that healed his wounds and made him feel like he was on a blissful high had him more drawn to her than he would like to admit.

Kagome put her hands to her cheeks, still rather embarrassed that she was blushing so hard over the fact that Shizuo had actually asked her out a date, 'What is this?' She wondered, 'It feels much different than when Houjo-kun asks me out.'

Perhaps...

Did she actually like Shizuo back?

'I haven't even been in Ikebukuro for that long yet!' Kagome thought with disbelief, 'Can Shizuo actually like me?'

Sadly, she had thought it was impossible for anybody after Inuyasha.

"Well, what do you say?" Shizuo asked in a rough tone, a bit put out that he had yet to receive an answer from the squirming Miko, "I ain't gonna force you or anything..."

"U-umm, yes!" Kagome said a little too quickly and found herself embarrassed all over again, "I-I would love to!" She smiled shyly, ignoring Tanaka once more as he whistled suggestively.

"Great," Shizuo seemed taken back and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, "My job's done for the day, so if you want to go right now...?"

"Y-yes," Kagome's hand was a bit shaky, but she placed it over Shizuo's and nervously licked her dry lips, "I'm free now too." Maybe this was what she needed to move on to a new future.

Once and for all.