Kagome Higurashi was nervous.

As she darted around the small kitchen, cracking eggs, flipping ham, and mixing up pancake batter, she was consumed by thoughts of her 'guest'. How could she have done it? It was so far from her normal behavior that she didn't even know where to start. How could she face him? What would he say? What would she say? Just how awkward was it going to get? And why in the world was she making him breakfast?

A sudden noise had her spinning around to see the object of her angst standing in the doorframe, bare-chested and looking just as hot as she'd found him the night before. Her mouth went dry.

InuYasha Hamamoto stepped into the room in nothing but his boxers. His silvery hair was tousled, and his golden eyes were still heavy with sleep. For a moment, neither spoke. "That smells good. Can I share?" he asked, his ears perking up hopefully.

Kagome's eyes tracked their movement. Damn, those ears! They were the main reason she'd behaved as she did last night. InuYasha was the sort of man who would draw the stares of women and not really care about the attention he was receiving. His face was youthful, but there was something hard in his eyes that gave him an air of bad-boy wildness she found fascinating.

Realizing that she was staring and that he was waiting for a reply, she managed an 'mmhmm' before turning back to the stove. She really hoped he didn't notice her blush, or smell her arousal at his presence. This was all so embarrassing!

InuYasha had spent the night in her small apartment. He'd been her first one-night stand, and she was finding herself mortified by her actions. She'd always prided herself on using her head before acting, but last night…

"Sounds good," he said, but she didn't turn around, pretending deep concentration on the pancakes bubbling before her.

"It's going to be a few minutes. You're welcome to take a shower while I finish up here," she offered, needing some space. She hoped he wouldn't want to hang around after breakfast, and yet she had to fight down thoughts of what they could do with the pancake syrup and whipped cream. Bad Kagome!

"Great. I'll be back in five," he answered, and she heard him leave the room. She sagged, taking her first deep breath since he'd come into the kitchen. She was completely overwhelmed.

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InuYasha stepped into the tiny bathroom, trying to get his thoughts together. Kagome's apartment was smaller than his, but filled with colorful throw pillows, bric a brac, books and other touches that turned it into a showpiece. He especially liked the watercolors that adorned several walls. If she could cook as well as she decorated, he was in for a treat.

He thought about the odd twist the night had taken. He was supposed to sleep on her couch, a guest of her family, after attending the engagement party for her cousin Kohaku and his niece Rin. Couch, ha.

He'd never even sat on the thing. Once her front door closed behind them, they'd been all over each other. They'd managed to make it to her bed, but they didn't get much sleep. Just remembering had him hard again. The sight of her this morning, in a simple T-shirt and running shorts had turned him on. She was cooking him breakfast! He was both pleased and flummoxed.

As he stepped into the shower and let the water run over his head and shoulders, InuYasha thought back to the party, and their meeting. They'd started out flirting, and he'd been instantly attracted to her laughter and bright smile. She'd been so happy, and he'd found that contagious.

The whole evening, her joy had lit up her entire face. Framed by dark, wavy hair and gorgeous blue eyes, he'd been unable to resist. But after breakfast, he would have to. InuYasha rarely, if ever, slept with the same woman twice. It just wasn't his style. And he most definitely never woke up beside one. Never. It just didn't happen in his world. So why now, and why did he feel a sense of loss at leaving?

He shrugged those thoughts aside, adopting his usual mental mantra for these types of situations. It was nice, but that was it. He wasn't cut out for a relationship. He knew that and had accepted that fact long ago. And by never sleeping with the same woman twice or waking up beside her, he'd never had to explain his stance. Until now. Damnit.

InuYasha finished his shower and shut off the water and grabbed a towel from the hanging rack, drying his body off before wrapping the towel around his waist and heading back to her bedroom. He quickly donned his clothing from the night before and then joined her in the kitchen.

The table was set, with two plates already fixed. Kagome grabbed the juice from the refrigerator and joined him at the table. It smelled delicious, and he told her so as he dug in unashamedly. The first bite of the fluffy pancakes had his eyes closing in near ecstasy. They held the faintest bite of tartness that set off the sweetness of the syrup to perfection. The ham was browned and juicy, the eggs topped with cheese and chives. It was a feast.

For a time, neither said anything, busy with eating. He had no sooner taken his last bite than a bowl appeared, full of fresh fruit and topped with what he was sure was homemade whipped cream. He ate this with relish, unable to remember when he'd enjoyed a meal, or a woman, quite so much.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" he asked between bites.

"My mom, mostly. And I like experimenting with new flavors and ingredients," Kagome told him.

He'd worried that they would have little to talk about, but he settled back with a cup of coffee and found himself asking her about her family, complimenting her on her apartment and making enjoyable small talk. He learned that the paintings were her own, though she hadn't shown any. Soon enough, breakfast was over and she began clearing the table.

"Let me help you with that," he offered, but Kagome shook her head, and a sigh of relief nearly escaped him. He wasn't sure he could trust himself around her in the small kitchen space.

"There's no need," she answered. "I'm just going to sit these in the sink. I'll be right back." She didn't wait for his reply and he let her go, knowing that his time was up and he needed to leave. He shoved down the sharp pang of regret.

When she returned to the small dining area he said, "I should probably get back to the city, I have work waiting. Kagome, last night was great, but I don't really have time for a relationship right now, so…"

Kagome nodded, and didn't hide her blush this time. "I know. I-I've never really done this before, but its okay." She wrung her hands, nervous. "If we meet up in the future for family events, can we just be friends, and keep this quiet?"

Instead of being happy, he found himself almost offended that she didn't want to try and see him again. His ego was slightly bruised, but he couldn't deny the sensibility in what she said. He nodded. "It's probably for the best. I'm good with it if you are."

She gave him a relieved smile, and he put on his shoes and headed out. Kagome had been a one-night stand, and while she was a beautiful, vibrant young woman, she didn't want a relationship with him any more than he did with her. Leaving made sense. So why did InuYasha feel so lost?

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So, what do you think?

I have 8 chapters of this right now, and will work on the rest as I can.

I'll try to update once a week, but as we are in the process of moving (end stages, thankfully), that might not happen. Be patient, and REVIEW!