InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Rose Colored Lenses ❯ A Hanyou's Seduction ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: See Ch. 1

Through the Rose Colored Lenses

By Sailor Scribe

Ch. 17

Kagome stood before her mirror judging her fifty-first outfit for that evening. After the incident on their way home, Inu Yasha had offered to reschedule, but she had declined observing that, if they did, Inu Yasha would manage to get two dates from the deal, since she was positive he would still try to romance her tonight. He had agreed to keep the affair quiet and casual for the benefit of her nerves, though she expected him to pull at least one stunt this evening. If there was something she had learned by observing men in college was that they tend to be more immature than children when it comes to getting attention.

She took a deep breath and examined herself with a look of approval. It had taken sometime, but she had finally found the perfect outfit, not that she was trying to impress anyone. She was just afraid that he would look for an excuse to have a second date when she remained firm with her resolution at the end of the evening. She had to treat this as if it was a real date with a guy she liked, not that that was so hard to fathom. She decided for the sexy, but slightly conservative look with hunter green caprices that hugged her hips and thighs before flaring a bit at her knees. She had combined them with a white sleeveless shirt that complimented her hourglass figure. Leaving the top two buttons undone, the Shikon no Tama perfectly accessorized her neck. She had let her wavy hair down so she didn't have to worry about earrings, though she was sporting her mother's lucky pearls as a precaution. With comfortable rusty green low heeled sandals that made it seem she was wearing a toe ring, she was ready for whatever the hanyou decided to throw at her. After quickly fixing the mess of clothes she had made, she applied bronze shimmer gloss to her lips and went to convene with her date.

Inu Yasha patiently waited for Kagome in the kitchen as he made a few calls. Everything had to be perfect, and he hadn't given himself enough time to prepare. Granted, he did his best work under pressure. His strategy decided, all that was left was to court the lady of the hour. Speaking of which, her scent was drawing closer. Surprise could only describe what Inu Yasha felt as he took her appearance in. He was prepared for her to throw a clean pair of jeans with any old shirt on, not for her to look as good as him. He smiled at her and asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"I just need to grab my bag." She blushed as his words interrupted her examination of the expose flesh his red silk shirt failed to cover. He had left three buttons undone, which became quite distracting to the young miko. He followed her into the living room where she picked up a matching bag from a nearby closet. She looked around the room before commenting, "That cleaning crew your father sent did an amazing job. You could never have guessed that someone had ripped this place apart."

"They have lots of experience…I was known to have a violent temper as a child."

"Oh…you don't say." Kagome raised one eyebrow in challenge.

"Yeah, but one good spanking from my father in front of my brother changed all that."

"He knocked some sense into you?"

"Not exactly. He barely touched me. It was the humiliation of getting disciplined in front of my brother that taught me my lesson." Kagome laughed softly. He was definitely acting amiable tonight, but that was to be expected. "We should be going." He said turning to open the door for her as he put on a black baseball cap. For the first time she noticed the carpenter jeans he wore. They were not as tight as Miroku's, but they were tight enough for her to admire his sculpted bottom. Oh, the boy meant business!

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"I want that one!" Kagome laughed as the attendant handed her a large stuff two tailed cat. "I don't think they will let you in here again." She teased him as they maneuvered through the crowds of young lovers, parents and hyper children towards the next game. Inu Yasha had chosen the carnival for their first stop. Though she had asked for quiet, he was afraid that she would become withdrawn if she was allowed time to think of today's incident. He decided that this was the answer her request for a casual evening, and the loud pop music and chatter was enough to keep anyone from thinking.

"Hey, it isn't my fault they don't have hanyou proof games." Kagome laughed in response as she noticed the overly greasy attendant at the next game looking nervously at the toy in Kagome's arms. "Want another prize?"

"How about I win you one this time?"

"That sounds like a terrific idea!" The attendant turned to them with a smile, revealing overly yellow teeth. "Why don't you step this way Miss." They were in front of the riffle game, and even though Kagome detested guns, she didn't want to be outdone by the hanyou. "Just shoot the tip of the toothpick of the prize you want."

"What if I can't see the toothpick?"

"Well, we need to have a little challenge in the game." The fat attendant laughed.

"What do you want?" She asked turning to Inu Yasha.

"The deck of cards would be fine." He replied checking out the items on the first and easiest line.

"Come on, like the guy says, we need to have a little challenge in the game."

"Fine, the red dragon cap on the third row." Kagome smiled and as she handed the money to the attended he gave her a riffle.

"Three shots, three chances to win, three prizes that can be won!" The attendant gave her the rehearsed slogan. She aimed carefully, getting used to the heavy weapon. First she shot the toothpick off the deck of cards; then, she shifted to shoot the toothpick off the cap. Finally, she tilted the angle and she shot upwards.

"Did I get it?" The man rushed up the side ladder and examined the toothpick. In his twenty-five years of working this game, he had never seen anyone win an item from the top shelf with just one shot.

"Out of all the things from the top shelf, you had to get me the flea?" Inu Yasha complained as the attendant handed him a stuffed Myoga doll as large as Kagome's cat.

"Well, you being part dog and all…" he growled jokingly towards her as he changed caps and put the deck of cards in his back pocket. They stopped in front of the cotton candy vendor.

"Blue or pink?"

"Pink." She smiled as the overly sweet treat was handed to her.

"How long has it been?"

"Since I last had cotton candy?"

"No, since you've dated." He noticed she visibly stiffened. He didn't want to put her on the spot, but this was supposed to be a date, and a few things needed to be covered.

"Like officially had a boyfriend…I can't remember, but as in just go on a date with someone…oh, not since college. You?"

"About two months."

"For both."

"No, I haven't been in a serious relationship for about fifty years."

"Wow, that's a long time."

"It's relative. It was the time I needed." Kagome suddenly stopped and gave him a serious look.

"Inu Yasha, how old are you?"

"I'm supposed to be twenty-eight, but in reality, I'm about a hundred."

"How about?"

"Ninety-eight."

"Damn, that means I can't date you." He turned towards her with a raised eyebrow. "I have a rule not to date guys over fifty."

"Then I'm just going to have to convince you to make an exception." He smiled placing his hand on her back to lead forward.

"Wow, so does that mean you are going to be twenty-eight for ten years or something?"

"No, hanyous live to be around 200. From now on, I'll age similarly to a human."

"So, pretty soon, you'll start to catch up to your brother." Inu Yasha gave her his famous smirk. "So, what will happen to Rin?"

"For now, she and Kanna will age at the same rate, since Kanna is an elemental demon, and they age like humans for the first 20 years of their life. When she is old enough, my brother will most likely use his sword to lengthen her life…but that still remains to be seen."

"Sword?"

"Long story and not good date talk." He smirked and winked at her.

"So what is good date talk?"

"For a guy, he needs to be able to compliment his date while making himself look good in her eyes."

"Like what?"

"I can't tell you my secret weapons."

"Come on Inu Yasha, this is probably the only time I'll get to see your famous charm in action."

"Well, if you play your cards right, this could be the beginning." He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in close to her ear. "Besides," he whispered, "the best charm is the one that goes unnoticed." Kagome shivered before smiling. He was good. "Shall we?"

"What?" Before Kagome knew what was going on, Inu Yasha had seated her on the first ride of the evening. "Roller coaster? No, Inu Yasha, I can't do roller coasters!"

"What? Don't tell me you're scared." He mocked lightly.

"Yes, I am petrified!" She tried to stand up, but a blonde skinny employee locked her in. "I can't do this!" She began to hyperventilate, and for the first time that evening, Inu Yasha gave her a serious look.

"Yes you can! It's a basic roller coaster, and I'm here with you, so don't worry." He slipped his arm around her waist as the coaster began to move. All the color drained from her face as she brazed herself for impact silently promising herself the hanyou's head on a plate if she survived this. She was surprised to feel the warmth of his lips on her temples as he reassuringly kissed her. "Try to keep your eyes open, I promise you will enjoy the ride."

"Who told you?"

"Huh?"

"Who told you I was scared of rollercosters?" She asked angrily as the cart made its way up the first hill. Her heart was beating so fast she could have sworn that it was permanently frozen against her chest. She needed to get distracted, to relax, and to plan how she was going to kill the idiot and his accomplices.

"Sango might have mentioned it."

"Tell me Inu Yasha, do you usually scare all your dates to death?"

"No, just the ones I really like."

"If I survive this, I am going to…" The rest of the sentence ended in a scream as the cart raced to the bottom of the hill. The rest of the ride was a blur for Kagome, who later realized that she had held her breath throughout the ordeal.

"Now was that so bad?" He asked as she gratefully stepped on solid ground. She shot him a death glare.

"I am never speaking to you again!"

"Come on, it wasn't that bad!"

"Yes it was!" She wanted to cry; she wanted to laugh; she wanted to skin him alive! It felt as if her nerves had been shattered for the second time that day.

"But you survived it!"

"That's not the point!"

"Yes it is. Rollercoaster rides are pretty much like relationships. They have their ups and downs, their exciting moments, their risks, and both are frightening, but after you survive it, you are that much stronger for it." Kagome looked at him. Suddenly she didn't want to hurt him as badly: she wanted to hurt him more.

"You made me go through that hell to make a point! Why didn't you use words like a normal person?"

"I told you; I am not good with words. Now, I believe that Sango might have also mentioned that you loved Ferris Wheels. Shall we?"

"Sure. Right after I rip your heart out through your mouth!"

"Did I ever tell you that I find violent women quite sexy?" She suddenly remembered the stuff animal she was still clutching and threw it at his head. He laughed and caught it easily. He knew he had gone too far, but it wasn't his fault she looked gorgeous when she was mad. "I'm sorry I scared you, but I needed to make sure that you listen."

"Just consider yourself lucky I don't have my arrows with me, or your sorry behind would be purified by now!" She took a deep breath smelling the candy apples, fried chicken, and French fries. Her stomach growled.

"How about I buy you dinner to make up for it?"

"This stuff will probably kill us!" After getting two plates full of unhealthy food, Inu Yasha led Kagome to a secluded part of the carnival near the park. Though the music was still loud, the place was far away from the chatter of the crowd, so they could talk.

"But what a way to go." Inu Yasha laughed as he bit into his double cheeseburger.

"You know, you can't buy me off with junk food."

"Of course not," he said grabbing the extra large fountain drink. "I'm going to wine you as well." Kagome laughed as she took a sip from his drink. "So, do you do any rides?" he asked.

"It's just roller coasters I can't stand."

"How come?" Kagome shrugged.

"My father didn't like them either, so I guess I inherited it."

"Do you still feel the same way?"

"Yup! I am never getting on one of those again!"

"We'll see." He teased.

"Don't push your luck Morrimotto." She warned as she bit into a curly fry.

"Let's see, we've been on the grasshopper, the pirate ship, the hunted house, the fun house…did we miss anything?" Kagome asked as they made their final rounds among the crowds.

"The tunnel of love?"

"Nice try, but they don't have one." She hit him playfully. He smiled and taking her hand in his pointed towards the Ferris wheel.

"Your favorite." She smiled at him as he led her through the hoards of people. They sat down next to each other, and he took the opportunity to put his arm around her. After dinner, she had relaxed around him, and he was finding it easier and easier to touch her. They laughed as they examined the carnival from above, making fun of the people and the rides. Finally, the wheel came to a stop, leaving them stranded on the top. Kagome took the opportunity to enjoy the view of the harbor. The full moon was out with billions of stars shinning on the black water.

"It is so beautiful." She whispered.

"So are you." Kagome mentally kicked herself for blushing, but she was suddenly brought out of her thought by a large boom. She looked up to see the sky sprinkled with fireworks. "I guess the night ends with a bang." She relaxed into Inu Yasha's embrace thinking she was home free.

"No, it only begins with one." He whispered into her ear as the dark sky became light with golden flames that reminded her of his beautiful eyes. She turned to him to dish out a witty comment when her eyes were caught by the intensity of his gaze. He seemed to be worshiping her with his eyes making her feel sensual and powerful. Her breath was caught in her throat as he leaned in closer to brush his lips against hers tentatively before fully claiming her lips. Her split personality reaction was immediate. Her mouth responded to his willingly, but her arms jumped to his chest to push him away, though they lacked the strength to do much damage.

He pulled away reluctantly, knowing she would only be stunned in place for a moment. He smirked to himself as he noticed her flushed cheeks and glazed eyes. He was getting to her. Slowly but surely, he was making an impression on her heart.

"You are not allowed to do that on a first date!" She gasped as she found her voice and anger.

"Actually, I am." He smirked as her eyes cleared with the spark of anger. "What? Didn't anyone ever tell you that guys have to try to get as much as they can get out of a date?"

"I was told they were supposed to act like total gentlemen."

"I got news for you." He moved in and whispered in a husky voice that sent shivers down her back, "You're with a bad boy now. We play by a different set of rules." She swallowed hard as the Ferris wheel began to move again. He held her still with his eyes as he relished the slight change in her scent: she was receptive once again.

"Time to go home?" She asked hopeful once the solid ground sobered her.

"But the date has just begun."

"Huh?"

"Well, it's not like you have a curfew." He laughed as he led her towards the car. If they left now, they would beat the closing hour rush.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Something I think you will like." Inu Yasha drove towards a dock.

"Why is it that every nerve in my body is urging me to run in the opposite direction?"

"Relax, it's not anything bad."

"We had names for girls who went with guys to the docks at night…and none of them were anything to be proud of."

"Then it's a good thing that we aren't going to the docks." Inu Yasha smiled as he droved into a warehouse. He parked on the bottom floor, which was filled with expensive vehicles. "I wouldn't want you to get a bad reputation." He smirked as he stepped out of the car. She had barely managed to unfasten her seatbelt when her door opened. Like earlier that evening, the hanyou was behaving like a proper gentleman.

"What is this place?"

"A little project I started in a few decades ago, when I still looked under aged. A group of us youki decided that we needed a hangout, so I took my allowance and invested it in this place. No human would ever suspect what this place really is, and the rest of us get to have a hangout. I think we are so successful because we let 'The Hole in the Wall' grow with us. It used to be just an arcade with a few televisions." Inu Yasha opened the door on the second floor allowing the loud music to leak out of the room. The walls were covered with high definition flat screen televisions putting Circuit City to shame. People were sitting on comfortable leather couches, and those standing where either by the bar in the front right of the room, or gyrating on the dance floor to the left of it.

Inu Yasha led her in waving to the bouncer that did not hesitate to immediately remove the red velvet rope to let them enter. He led her pass the crowd by the bar signaling something to a waitress. Now that she could see the end of the room, she realized how big the building was. To the right there were eight bowling lanes followed by an arcade large enough to please her brother. They were walking towards the left where the pool tables were.

"When I first got this place together with a friend of mine, I would never have believed that I would see the day we would put a laser tag system on the third floor." They reached an empty table by the corner, which for some strange reason no one seemed interested in, even though there was a line to play pool. The waitress was there with a set of cue sticks, chalk, the balls and two Sierra Mists. "Diet Coke for my friend next time, Keiko."

"Private table?"

"Perks for being one of the owners."

"There are more than one?"

"Yeah, the friend that helped me start this ended up doing almost all the book keeping. I'm not stupid. I can't be here all the time, and even though I still enjoy hanging out here, I don't want to be worried about profits, so I made Manzo an offer. He has a really good mind for this kind of stuff."

"I'm glad you appreciate me." A young man about Inu Yasha's age with jet black hair and scarlet eyes approached them. He had hard angular features that gave him an air of danger, and a rock hard body that would make any self-respecting woman drool.

"Manzo, I like you to meet Kagome…off limits!" He warned when he saw Manzo was about to kiss her hand. "Kagome, this is my childhood friend Manzo."

"As usual, your taste is impeccable, Inu Yasha." Manzo teased making Kagome blush. She was beginning to doubt if her cheeks would ever return to their natural hue. "It's been a while; I'm glad that you finally decided to dignify us with your presence. As you can see, business remains the same."

"Is it always like this?" Kagome asked as she noticed the floor was packed with young people. If they had been human, she would have sworn that they ranged from16 to 28 years old, but with youki, she was probably a few decades, if not centuries, off. She was suddenly grateful for the little breathing room Inu Yasha was able to provide.

"Only during the week, by Thursday we get packed." Kagome gave him an incredulous look. "Hey, the youki teens need a place to go to that doesn't card, and since we are in the middle of nowhere, the security that they won't get caught sends them in flocks. And the older ones need an after-hours spot that serves food. We have customers here that were part of the original crowd, have gotten married and had children of their own, and still come here. We provide what human clubs cannot: a club designed specifically for youki needs." At his words, Inu Yasha removed his new hat and allowed his ears to breath.

"But, I sense a good chunk of humans in here."

"Well, some of us youki like having human friends, dates, significant others…just because we target youki does not mean we can't serve humans." He winked at her as she surveyed the restored warehouse. It looked as if it was ripped out of MTV's Real Life Series. "Anyway, I have customers to tend. I'll be around if you need anything."

"Nice guy."

"The best." Inu Yasha agreed handing Kagome a cue. "Do you know how to play?" She smiled and shrugged as he quickly explained the rules to her. "Since you're unfamiliar with the game, how about we don't call the hole until we have to put in the eight ball? That should make it easier for you to get use to the game."

"Sounds good. May I break?" He smiled getting ready to help her, but was surprised when she moved the cue ball at an angle and dispersed the rest of the balls throughout the table.

"Why do I have the feeling I am about to get hassled?"

"Just your imagination." She smiled as he hit two balls into the side pocket. "Solids." He declared before moving on. They played three sets, and Inu Yasha was happy to see that Kagome wasn't as green as he thought. She still wasn't as good as him, but she was good enough that he could let her win this game without her noticing.

"You had to make things complicated!" Kagome sighed as she examined the Inu Yasha's red ball, which was blocking what would have been an easy shot.

"I thought you liked challenges."

"Ones I can tackle, but this one…I don't think I can jump your ball."

"Hit it at an angle, and go for the opposite hole."

"It's not clear." He smiled as he leaned in next to her. Wrapping his body around hers, he placed his hands above hers. His proximity caused her heartbeat to accelerate and her mouth to dry. She didn't understand why, but he was affecting her body, and she was sure that he knew it.

"You are going to need to hit it as hard as possible…Kagome if you remain this tense, you won't be able to do it!" He chided mockingly. She sent him a glare and he backed away. She shot, and missed the eight ball all together. Two could play it that way.

He leaned in to take his shot, but Kagome leaned down next to him and whispered in a low sultry voice, "Your angle is all wrong." He turned to see her defiant smile on her face, before swallowing hard. Only he was allowed to do that! Trying to act as if she had not affected him, he took his shot and scratched.

"Keh!" Kagome laughed at him as she declared,

"Eight ball corner pocket," point to the desired hole. Before Inu Yasha had a chance to retaliate, she took the shot and won the game. She cheered before exclaiming, "It only took three hours, three games and 5 bottles of Coke, but I finally beat you."

"Keh!"

"Speaking of soda…"

"Want another one?"

"No, I have to go to the bathroom."

"Second door to your right." He signaled and the minute she was out of sight, he pulled out his cell phone. He noticed the missed call and growled. What had taken that idiot so long? He impatiently waited as the phone was answered on the first ring. "What the hell was that stunt today? Listen, I don't pay you to apologize! I pay you to warn me when he is going to pull a something like that…I had Kagome in the car! She could have been hurt…Look, no excuses! If this happens again I will personally terminate our agreement, is that clear?" After the other party grunted out an affirmative, he hung up and dialed a second number.

"Is everything set? Good, we should be there in an hour."

"I leave you alone for one minute and already you are on the phone with another woman!" Kagome smiled as she winked at him.

"Look Sesshomaru, whatever it is it can wait until business tomorrow." Kagome looked at her watch; it was three thirty in the morning. "Workaholic." Inu Yasha explained when he saw her facial expression. "Ready to go?"

"Lost one game and you are ready to go home crying!" She teased.

"Actually, I was planning to congratulate the winner in my special way." He replied moving closer to her. His intentions were clear enough for her to move out of the way.

"Going home sounds good…I am a bit tired. It's been a long day." She quickly added. Throughout their game, Inu Yasha had found all sorts of reasons to touch her, hug her, try to kiss her. Though she was expecting it, she wasn't expecting how natural and right it had felt to be touched, hugged, and she rather not think of the effect his lips had on her. Things were getting complicated, and she was having trouble sticking to her resolution.

"How about we pick up some ice cream on the way home?"

"I don't think there is an ice cream shop open at this hour, Inu Yasha."

"There is a twenty-four hour doughnut and ice cream shop near Tokyo University."

"I know which one you are talking about…it helped me through all my finals, but it's on the other side of town."

"So, we don't have a curfew."

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"So what did you do then?"

"I ran back to my room before Sesshomaru could rip me to shreds."

"You deserved it." Kagome laughed as she took another lick of her cookie dough ice cream cone. "Kami, you two were horrible to each other as kids!"

"Kids? This happened last week." Inu Yasha said in a serious tone as he took a sip of his chocolate milkshake. He helped her out of the car carrying the stuffed animals and led her up the shrine steps wanting to hold on to her smile for an eternity. He knew it would be difficult, but he was determined to have many more nights when the exclusive right to make her smile was his. He knew he had a good start. She had relaxed greatly during their date, but now that it was over, he could see her stiffen with every step she took.

"Have I ever told you…" Kagome gasped as she reached the top step and noticed the trail of candles leading to the god's tree. She raced towards it to see a blanket laid beneath its branches, which were decorated with thousands of tiny balls of light mixed with the white blossoms of the tree. The whole tree was aglow with firefly-like light and demon magic in a ghostly beautiful enchantment.

"Inu Yasha…it's breathtaking."

"Not compared to you." He whispered lovingly into her ear enjoying the look of surprise on her face. She pretended not to notice his comment as she turned and smiled.

"You shouldn't have gone through all the trouble…or ask someone to go through all the trouble."

"You deserve this and much more." He said leading her towards the blanket. Her ice cream, semi-forgotten, began to melt down her hand, which he licked clean, sending shivers of unknown emotions down her spine.

"Oh Kami," she thought. "If I don't regain control of this situation, I am doomed. I have to find my anger again. Just my luck that prince charming hasn't put his foot in his mouth since the rollercoaster! And to think that if there was one thing I thought I could count on was on him saying the wrong thing at the right time!"

"What are you thinking?"

"That you are a louse and a cheater!"

"How so?" He asked raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"I agreed to go on one date. One and you managed to turn it into three!"

"Hey, a hanyou has to do what a hanyou has to do!" He laughed, and to her disdain, it relaxed the irritation from her bones. When had he learned to laugh so intimately…as if she was the only person he would laughed with? "Did you have fun?"

"Yes, I did." She smiled and turned back to her ice cream trying to ignore the urge to kiss him.

"I'm glad." He smiled as she finished her ice cream.

"Why here?"

"Huh?"

"Why decorate the god's tree?" She had to interrupt the silence between them: it was too comfortable.

"Well, because it felt right. It's sacred, and only good things can happen near it!"

"You are half right." She smiled. "Don't forget the legend of the miko and her hanyou lover. The two that should never had seen each other as anything but enemies…that defied the world by falling in love with each other." She closed her eyes with a soft nostalgic smile painted on her lips as she recited the old verses. "Evil envied their resolution, and sought to taint the purity of their union, so a thousand demons embodied a corrupted human soul, and used his body as a vessel. Evil had its deception, and the lovers died by each other's hands, but love would not be defeated. Upon their dying breaths, the trickery was discovered, and the lovers swore to reunite in the next life. Forgiveness ran through their bodies as the Shikon no Tama grieved for its mistress's death. With light of new hope, the jewel engulfed their souls and protected them as they swam through the river of time seeking a new incarnation to fulfill their love." She opened her eyes and turned to him. "It was before this very tree that the lovers fell…"

"And arose again." Inu Yasha finished.

"My grandfather use to tell me that story before he tucked me in at night. I remember praying to any god that would listen that I be that miko…that I would find my lost love."

"Maybe they finally answered your prayers." Inu Yasha whispered as he moved closer to her.

"I doubt it…it has been a long time since I prayed for silly things like that."

"Love isn't silly."

"But the idea of a fairytale love is. In the real word, love hurts…it is something that requires work and effort. No relationship exists without compromises, arguments and disillusions."

"True, but they all have this air of mysticism…of magic. It is a fairytale, but the happily ever after is a relative term. While together, overall, the couple is happy, but it does not mean that they don't have struggles. The best…the strongest relationships are those made of people who overcome large obstacles to be together."

"When did you turn into a romantic?" Kagome teased.

"The minute I looked into your eyes." He smiled back as she blushed. After a brief pause, he continued. "I'm sure many happy things happened before this tree."

"They did. My father proposed to my mother underneath its branches. I saw Souta for the first time by this tree. I learned how to do a cartwheel under its shade…we use to have family picnics here when I was growing up. Momma would lay a blanket, and then Papa would bring down plates full of Oden…grandpa would pray for the tree to bless us, and we would sit down here…like we are right now…so unaware of how things were going to change…" She was trembling with chills from past memories, and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. He wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her onto his lap. She rested against his sturdy chest taking comfort in his warm breath upon her cheek. They stayed like that for some time, admiring the stars, basking in each other's company.

"What are you thinking, Inu Yasha?"

"That I would love to hold you like this more often."

"Inu Yasha…"

"Remember our deal." He interrupted before she could turn him down.

"I know, but I can't make my decision on just one date…I think we need to do this a few more times before I can decide." Inu Yasha smiled sensing her blush.

"I like that compromise." He held her tighter as the first rays of light broke the night. He lightly kissed her cheek, and she turned towards him hypnotized by his warmth. After locking his eyes with hers, he quietly rested his lips upon hers, and as a new sun rose upon the young couple, their souls mixed with their kiss teaching them passions buried long ago.

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A/N::: Wow, 18 pages! My longest chapter to date!!!! I hope you guys don't mind the long read…I guess it kind of makes up for the shortness of the last chapter. Things are moving in the right direction for your heroes, but don't be fooled: there are many bumps still to come. I know Inu Yasha seems very out of character in this chapter, but you must remember, he is a playboy that has lived a painful life. He is also supposed to be an educated older youki, so he has learned how to communicate, but like usual, he only seems able to do it when alone with Kagome. He will deny anything he said in the morning.

Comments and Answers I forgot to mention last chapter: I MADE 300 REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET'S PARTY AND CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, someone asked me about the spelling of Morrimotto. I got the name from one of my professors, and that is how he spelt it. I don't know much about Japanese names (nor do I claim to). If it seems wrong, it may be that they changed the spelling, but otherwise, I have no clue what to say.

For those of you that were worried about the horizontal tango…PG13!! It won't happen in this story, but stay tune to my next stories. They will be rated R, and will not be as sweet and fluffy as this one, but that does guarantee any tango either.

Some of you asked the meaning of my title. It has two origins. In photography (actually all art), to give a picture a warmer look, you want to lean towards the reds. By using a pinkish filter on your lens, it makes a cold scene look more homey. The other comes from the expression, "Looking at the world through rose colored lenses." It is used to describe a person that never sees anything wrong with the world. When the characters in my story looked through rose colored lenses, they were only able to see the good and beauty in their subject: like Inu Yasha noticing Kagome for the first time.

Special Thanks and tons of gratitude to Meche Benz for editing this chapter for me. Double the thanks since it was much longer than usual.

Don't forget to Review!!!!!!!