Author's note: I really wanted to make a modern day AU, but I felt the need to include some real life details about Japan for worldbuilding purposes, particularly Kyoto and the surrounding areas and forests. Google maps is a hell of a drug folks. If anything's inaccurate just let me know and I'll edit.

Kagome Higurashi was screwed, totally screwed. She'd forgotten to sign up for the annual training and registration week that all Miko and Youkai had to go through! And now unless she found a spot, she'd be arrested for failing to register with the government. She'd only done this every year of her life, how could she have forgotten? Oh yeah, because she'd been a bit distracted getting dumped by Inuyasha last week.

Ruminating on her current lack of a love life, she frantically searched the internet looking at all of Kyoto's shrines for a spot, but they were all taken. This didn't bode well for her. Usually the shrines were the last to fill up because yokai preferred not to take the trainings there.

Moving on to government buildings and reserved high schools, she finally found the last spot at Kyoto Prefectural Kitakuwada High Branch School, deep in the Kyoto Tanba-Kogen National Park. Realizing it would be too tough to commute for a week, she quickly found the only ryokan in the area, the Yamazato Ryouri, and booked a room with a check in for tomorrow. Perfect!

Sighing in relief, she collapsed on her bed and looked around at her tiny 1K apartment and realized she needed to pack a weeks worth of her clothes asap. Groaning, rolled over and put her head into her pillow to scream out her frustrations. A small tear blazed it's way down her face as she silently cried herself to sleep.

When Kagome awoke the next morning, she took her times getting ready and moved slowly so she wouldn't forget anything. It's not like she'd be able to go down to the store once she was up in the national park. She packed a mix of nice clothes and clothes meant for comfort, opting for a lot of sundresses to combat the heat and humidity of the summer.

Checking her bags twice and realizing she wouldn't have enough practical underwear for the trip, she opened her special panty drawer and threw in a few of the more comfortable ones. At least she'd be getting some use out of the frilly things instead of just letting them sit in a drawer forever.

By 1pm, she was grabbing her two suitcases and heading downstairs. She packed up her little baby blue Nissan and started her journey to Nantan on highway 162. The travel time was only listed as an hour and fifteen minutes, but she wanted to find some lunch in the small village surrounding the ryokan before checking in at 3pm.

Her good planning was fortunate, because she got lost twice once she got off the highway and barely made it to the ryokan at check in. Discarding her shoes in the genkan, she was greeted warmly by the innkeeper and her family. After settling into her cozy tatami-styled room, she had just enough time to scarf down a small lunch downstairs before needing to leave for the first day orientation at 4pm.

The 15 minute walk from the inn to the high school was breathtaking. Surrounded by gorgeous rolling hills and mountains, she walked alongside the Yura River on the back roads and vowed that from now on she'd voluntarily do her annual registration here. It felt like she was on vacation rather than a mandated training.

Once the school came into view, she quickly found the auditorium she was registered for and realized she was the first to arrive. It didn't surprise her since she was 15 minutes early, so she took a seat at the back of the room. Participants slowly filtered in, and the banter in the room increased. Kagome realized that most people in such a rural area would know each other, and her suspicions were confirmed when groups and cliques formed, seemingly knowing where to sit with years of familiarity between them.

It seemed that most of the mikos sat in the front, with only a few mingling in toward the back with the yokai surrounding her. It looked like they were giving her a wide berth, but she wasn't exactly sure why. Shrugging it off, she pulled out her document folder and a pen from her purse and set it on the desk in front of her to wait for the registration to start.

Just when she thought everyone had settled into the room and the government officials arrived, one last very large group of yokai burst into the room. From the tails of the full yokai and the occasional set of ears atop hanyous' heads, she immediately pegged them for ookami. And they were all making their way directly to where she was sitting.

Realizing this must be their seats, she watched them filling in all around her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a tall man with his hair in a ponytail sit next to her and murmur, "I haven't seen you around here before" while arching an eyebrow.

Kagome blushed, smiling a bit and saying, "Yes, sorry I didn't realize these seats were taken. I can move to a different spot tomorrow if you'd like?" Fiddling with her pen and crossing her legs, she shyly looked up at him and froze. He was the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. She took in his thick black hair, high cheekbones, flawless skin, but what caught her interest the most were his piercing blue eyes. She felt like she could drown in their aqua depths.

He flashed her a grin and whispered that it wouldn't be necessary, and she could sit with them anytime. His eyes trailed down her body and back up again, but when his eyes caught hers she was confused. His face had turned from a grin of male appreciation to a look of sudden shock. She heard him growl out something in Ookami and heard the responses from the surrounding demons. She suddenly wished she had taken the language in college.

Turning tomato red as she realized she was staring, she quickly turned her head back to the front of the room just as the government official started droning on about the week's schedule and what documents they would need to complete their registration. Against her will, she occasionally peeked over at the man next to her every few minutes, noting that every time she did, his eyes would slant over to hers and the corner of his mouth would tilt up into a smirk.

About 30 minutes later, the official began passing out the registration packets and Kagome had to focus and began filling out the application. It wasn't difficult because of her notes and documents listing the dates of all her previous training and the dates she gained certain abilities, but as she looked over at the mystery man beside her she realized not everyone was as meticulous as she was.

She snickered silently at the confused look on his face and the piles of papers he had on his desk before finishing her packet and bringing it to the front of the class after packing up her purse. The official thanked her and said she was free to go, reminding her that class started the next day at 9am. Sneaking one last peek up at the back of the auditorium, she hurried out of the room after noticing several ookami staring at her.

Leaving the school, she slowly walked towards the inn, taking her time to enjoy the beautiful day and stopping several times to snap a picture to text her mother. She was nearly to the ryokan when she heard a loud call of "Hey, wait!" coming from behind her. Turning, she was surprised to see the man with the ponytail sprinting towards her and she stopped to lean against a fence.

"I never caught your name. I'm Kouga." Looking into his eyes, she vaguely heard herself breathlessly say "Kagome" and was blown away by the handsome grin he gave her. "I know this is forward, but do you want to go get coffee? There's a little coffee shop down the street and I'd love to show you around the town."

Holding her breath for a moment while considering, she decided to go for it. Her friend Sango told her to get back out there and meet new people after Inuyasha had dumped her, and she felt like she should take that advice for once. He seemed like a really sweet guy, maybe just what she needed after Inuyasha's bad mannered ways.

With a firm nod as her answer, he smiled and led her down the street, passing the ryokan and heading over a small bridge. They chatted as they ordered their drinks and sat down, conversation coming easy despite only meeting today. When her order as up and she went to pay he gruffly refused and paid for it himself, making her blush and look away shyly.

All too soon it turned twilight and he regretfully cut their coffee date short, saying he needed to get home to the pack. "Where are you staying for the training? Can I walk you there to make sure you get home safe?" She nodded and let him know where the ryokan was. Only a few minutes later he had safely delivered her to the inn, and he blushed when he asked, "Can I take you out for lunch tomorrow? We get an hour break in the middle of training and I know a little lunch and confectionery shop near the school."

The word "yes" flew out of her mouth before she could even think about it, and she was so embarrassed that she ran inside and closed the shoji door without giving him a chance to say goodnight. Leaning against the wall and trying to calm her racing heart, she heard his soft chuckle and fading footsteps.