Disclaimer: OK, if you are planning on suing me, don't! Why? DON'T GOT ANY MONEY I DON'T OWN INU YASHA, AND UNLESS HELL FREEZES OVER, I NEVER WILL I'M A POOR COLLEGE STUDENT WITH NO $$$$$$$ IF I AM WRITING ON FANFICTION.NET, WOULDN'T YOU THINK THAT I DON'T OWN IT? BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, MONEY DUMPED ME FOR ANOTHER WOMAN. I'm still hurting from the loss.

Through The Rose Colored Lenses

Chapter 18

By Sailor Scribe

Kagome was soaking in the tub when her phone rang. After not making it to bed until after dawn, and not being able to sleep passed nine in the morning due to habit, she chose to relax with a nice hot bath as she contemplated her situation. Fate had another thought. "Inu Yasha! Can you get that? Inu Yasha?" She asked getting out of the tub. Just her luck, the hanyou was out of hearing range. She wrapped a towel and rushed to her room from where she could hear Sango leaving a message on the machine downstairs. "This better be good! You interrupted my bath."

"With that kind of hello, you almost sound like Inu Yasha!"

"Sorry Sango, it's just that I didn't get much sleep last night, and you know how cranky I get when that happens.

"And what were you doing that kept you up?" Sango asked in a suggestive voice worthy of Miroku.

"Letting Inu Yasha romance me…hey do you think my pink flower power shirt goes with my pink shorts?" Kagome asked as she searched her closet for an outfit.

"Honey, you are almost twenty-five years old, dress like it! Now, what is this about Inu Yasha romancing you?" Sango asked on the other end.

"He was testing out his moves on me, nothing serious. How about my beige top with white shorts?"

"Which beige top?" Sango asked as she sat up and snapped her fingers at Miroku, who seemed engrossed in the latest Sport's Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She mouthed "Inu Yasha." He understood and pulled out his cell phone.

"The one I bought with you last week."

"That will work, but now tell me about Inu Yasha using you to test out his moves." Neither Miroku nor Kagome missed the anger in her voice. As Kagome elaborated with Sango, Miroku got a hold of Inu Yasha.

"Keh!"

"Hey Yasha, whatcha up to?"

"Painting the god tree fence and picking up the lights."

"So things with Kagome went well last night?"

"Perfect."

"So then you and her are an official couple?" Miroku sounded out each syllable so that Sango could hear.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean not exactly?" Miroku was losing his patience especially with the look Sango was giving him.

"So you and Inu Yasha went on a date last night and you didn't tell me?" Sango feigned hurt. "But you had a great time."

"So she agreed to go out with you again." Miroku elaborated.

"What do you mean it isn't going to amount to anything?" Sango asked nervously.

"What do you mean it is only a matter of time until you get her to be your girl?" Miroku asked reassuring Sango with his eyes.

"Yeah Sango," Kagome spoke in the other line, "it is only a passing fancy."

"Keh," Inu Yasha spoke into his cell, "a girl can only refuse me for so long."

"I give it two weeks tops." The two declared simultaneously to their respective friend.

Sango sighed heavily as she hung up the phone. "She isn't interested." She whined to Miroku.

"How can you be so sure?"

"She didn't gush over how romantic he was last night. I think she is so convinced that he is only playing, that she refuses to get attached."

"Well, then it is a good thing that Inu Yasha has every intention to take this to the next level, and with us feeding him his lines, there is no way he can stick his foot in his mouth."

"Knowing Inu Yasha, he will find a way!" Sango complained as Miroku turned the page; his lecherous smile grew. "What are you reading?"

"Sport's Illustrated."

"Really?" Sango pounced on her boyfriend causing him to drop the magazine and reveal another one inside. "Miroku…what is the meaning of this?" Sango asked as she held up the wedding catalogue.

"Well, lady bug…sweet heart…love…oh, gentle one" he cautiously examined the vein popping from her forehead, "since it took me so long to convince you to be my girlfriend, I figured that if I started planning the wedding now, I could convince you to marry me before the next decade." The look she gave him would have sent Sesshomaru running for the hills. "Sango?"

"You haven't earned the right to think of marriage!" She rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I just got use to the idea of being your girlfriend…I'm not ready to think of furthering this commitment. Why can't we just enjoy what we have right now?"

"But don't you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"It's not that." She sighed. "I just want to enjoy each step of the way." Miroku smiled and hugged her.

"You're right, Sango." He closed his eyes and brought up his mental score card: Miroku two, Sango zero. He had tricked her into admitting that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and snuck the idea of marriage into the back of her head. He was good.

*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*

"Bankotsu!" Yura screeched as she stormed into his room. He was sitting on his bed staring into a picture of his old crew in front of a black racing car with the logo "Shichinintai" across the top.

"What do you want?" He didn't bother to look at her.

"What was that stunt you pulled yesterday?" She glared at him as she walked towards his trophy case. Her ridiculously short skirt swayed lightly catching Bankotsu's attention.

"What are you rambling about?" He examined her legs as intensely as she examined his trophies, both remembering happier days.

"That thing with Inu Yasha."

"I was under orders from Naraku."

"My cousin could have been with him."

"But she wasn't." He protested as he left his picture behind and walked up to her. His black braid swaying with as much grace as her skirt, his white jeans rustling as he walked.

"You were the best." She whispered as he approached her.

"We were the best. We were a team, including you."

"Someone had to cheer you guys on." Her smile faded as she turned from the case and saw a poster of Inu Yasha in front of a silver racing car. His face was unrecognizable from the darts that had hit it. "You still blame the competition for their deaths." She frowned.

"No, I blame their murderer, and I will have my revenge."

"Whatever!" She sighed and started walking out the room, "Just avoid hurting my cousin."

Bankotsu threw another dart at the hanyou's head. He would have his revenge.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

"Wow, Inu Yasha doing manual labor? I can't believe it!" Kagome laughed as she joined the hanyou by the god's tree.

"Keh! Someone has to do it, and your lazy behind decided it would be me."

"Well, excuse me Mr. Please-Have-My-Food-Ready-At-A-Moment's-Notice. We all need to chip in around here. If you missed it, we don't have servants, nor could we afford it, nor would it be proper to have them at a shrine."

"Yeah, yeah." He turned towards her gaining a nice view of her exposed legs. The woman definitely had a body most of his models would be envious of. He whipped his hands on his dusty blue jeans and fixed his red t-shirt. He had finished painting the fence and was now busy wrapping the lights. He didn't want anyone interrupting them until they were done, so he decided to clean them up himself. Now, he wished he hadn't. The wires were thin and easily tangled, and he knew that Miroku was going to kill him if anything happened to his precious lights.

"I am going to pick up my new car, and then I'm heading over to Kaede's. I haven't really helped her much since I started working full time for you guys. Given the current situation, I don't think it will be appropriate to slack on my miko training." She was tense; he could hear it in her voice.

"Gi'me a minute to shower and I will drive you."

"No need. I'll hail a cab."

"No, I will drive you. That is the point of me moving in with you."

"So you can be my personal chauffer?"

"So I can protect you. Hard to do when I am not with you."

"Well, it's not like you can be with me when I drive the car back! Besides, I want to spend the day with Kaede."

"I'll have the car delivered, and I will drop you off at Kaede's and pick you up when you're done."

"Gee Daddy; can we go for ice cream afterwards?" Kagome rolled her eyes as she laid the sarcasm thick.

"Only if you behave." He retorted as he moved uncomfortably close to her and slipped his arm around her waist, noticing the raise in her body heat. He whispered huskily into her ear, "But I'm glad to see you know who your daddy is."

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome tried to push him away, but he held on tight.

"What? Like I am going to let you sit me that easily." He smirked and her body heat rose again; this time in anger.

"You can't hold on forever!"

"But it will be great to try."

"Fine, you win." He smiled and backed off, but not before he kissed her lips lightly. She smiled and turned. "Oh, Inu Yasha…" She waited for him to turn towards her before continuing in her sweetest voice. "Sit!"

-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"Hello Kaede." Kagome smiled as she entered the old store.

"Why child, ye have been gone far too long from these old eyes." The old woman raised a cup of tea in offering to the young miko. "What brings ye to my store with such worried eyes?"

"Kaede, this old replica of the Shikon no Tama… is a replica, right?" She curtly emphasized the last word.

"Call it that if ye may."

"May call it? What do you mean?"

"Sit child, a story as long and complicated as this must be told comfortably." After Kagome and she were seated comfortably in the back of the store, Kaede keeping an eye on the front ensuring no customers came while she spoke, she began to speak again. "Do thou remember the accident ye had at twelve years of age?"

"Yes, I fell down the shrine steps."

"Quite hurt were ye: twelve stitches, a mild concussion, and an unidentifiable growth on thy left hip. Before the medical doctors could diagnose it, thy grandfather rushed ye to me. He believed traditional medicine worked better than that 'black magic.'" Kaede laughed to herself as she remembered the rambunctious old man. "That growth…that growth ye had was the Shikon no Tama thou now wears around thy neck."

"It was inside of me?" Kagome asked incredulously.

"Hai."

"Then why did you not return it to me when I wanted it?"

"Ye were too young to protect the jewel. To ensure that evil did not obtain the jewel, it was necessary that the Shikon no Tama remained dormant so that they would not detect it."

"Why now?"

"Inu Yasha has returned."

"What does Inu Yasha have to do with anything?"

"The hanyou is destined to protect the mistress of the Tama."

"Does he know?"

"No, but that shall not stop him. He has shown interest in ye, has he not?"

"Well, yes, but that is a passing fancy!" Kagome quickly added.

"I doubt thy words. That hanyou's heart is more faithful than miko blood. Think of how faithful he remained to my beloved sister, Kikyo."

"What does she have to do with anything?"

"Has he not spoken of her?" Kaede raised an eyebrow. Kagome shook her head. "That fool of a hanyou, but it is not my place to speak."

"Kaede, who is Naraku? How does he know of the jewel?" Kagome added the second question when she noticed Kaede's eyebrows rise in surprise.

"That fiend is still walking the Earth? Thou must be careful, child. He is an evil that has plagued this land for centuries determined to cultivate the power of the Shikon. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and thou must not underestimate him. Naraku is a master of setting terrible things into motion, and ye will not notice until he has you trapped." She warned in a whisper.

"Kaede?"

"We shall continue thy training now." The old woman standing turned silently, praying to herself. "To any god listening, protect my child from this storm to come."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Has my car been delivered?" Kagome asked as she entered the silver sports car and rubbed the kinks out of her neck. Kaede had worked her harder than usual.

"Well, hello to you too!" Inu Yasha growled.

"Sorry, I guess you rubbed off on me." She smiled.

"Keh!" He leaned in and pulled her close for a kiss.

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome pushed away. "We need to talk!" She spoke sternly. Inu Yasha stiffened: he knew a break up sequence when it started from dishing them out on a weekly basis. "You can't go on kissing me like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because you are not my boyfriend!"

"I'm working on that!" He smirked.

"Inu Yasha!" She complained. "You have no right to be kissing me whenever you want! You need to respect my personal space!"

"You didn't mind last night!" He complained.

"Th-that was different!"

"Because we were on a date?"

"Well, yes." He raised an eyebrow at her. "But only cuz you caught me by surprise."

"What do you want me to do? Ask permission?"

"That would be nice." Kagome confirmed as Inu Yasha pulled out of his parking space and relaxed into his seat.

"I told you before, Kagome, you are dealing with a bad boy; we play by a different set of rules." Kagome glared at him. "You know, it's your fault."

"Oh?" Kagome asked incredulously.

"Yeah, if you just accept being my girl, then when and where I kissed you would not be an issue." He finished as he stepped out of the car.

"Inu Yasha…sit!"

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Yura!"

"Yes, master." Yura entered Naraku's office with her head high in defiance and her skirt swaying sultrily.

"I need you to do something for me…something up to your special expertise." He chuckled.

"I suppose I do not have a choice in the matter." She replied after hearing her instructions.

"I make it a habit of making my instructions my employees' choice." Naraku hissed.

"I am family, not an employee." Yura retaliated. "Don't worry Naraku. I value my life." She turned and left.

*/*/*/*/*/*/

Yeah, I know it's a little shorter than usual, but I've been really stress. This Friday was my school's Cultural Enlightenment Show, which is a huge production. I was in charge of Coordinating the Cultural Segment and helping Fashion and Talent out back stage. Just ask Meche Benz, I really didn't get much rest. I felt I needed to get out a filler chapter to prepare you guys for the transition this story is about to take. Yes they are beginning to pursue their love interest, but as Kagome explained, they are NOT dating. He still has to romance her a bit more. Some of you miss interpreted the last chapter. Anyway, I am about ready to let this story go, so the action is about to spike.

Hope you enjoy it. Super special thanks to Meche for staying up until I finished this chapter and reassuring me that it did not suck.