Four Seasons by *A-Kay*

Four Seasons

Kagome sat in her bedroom looking out of the window. She had finally gotten a break from the feudal era. She was able to convince Inuyasha that girls from her time needed a little 'time' to themselves. It was her nice way of saying that she felt crowded with him breathing down her neck everyday huffing and puffing about jewel shards. Couldn't she just get away and go home without a reason? He sure was selfish. Jerk she thought before brushing her hair out. The sound of the doorbell ringing caught her attention followed by her mother calling her name. "Kagome! Houjo's here!"

Here she was dressed in a nice pair of denim jeans that complimented her shapely hips perfectly. She wore a green tank top over a yellow one giving off the new style. She remembered one day when she returned her friends had came over seemingly with entirely too many layers of clothes on. They had explained to her that it was the new style and that she had better catch up on the latest. So she did.

Walking downstairs she hugged her mom and told her not to wait up for her. She only nodded knowing that Kagome was a responsible young woman and very trustworthy. She greeted Houjo with a hug and kiss to the cheek before they walked out of the shrine's front door. "So where we going?" she asked as she sat in the passenger side of his car. A car she didn't even know he had. She was so use to seeing him riding on that bike of his that the thought of him owning a car was quite new. Where had she been? Oh that's right, the feudal era trying to save the world.

"To the Spring Festival and the rest is a surprise." he smiled warmly at her. She smiled back before looking out of the window. She enjoyed festivals and she hoped that this one would be just as great as the others. She also couldn't help but wonder what the other part of this outing was. He said it was a surprise and she found herself anxious to find out what it was. This was technically her fist official date with Houjo to her. All the other's had in some kind of way been ruined by an abrupt appearance of a silver haired hanyou with a big mouth demanding that she returned with him.

Houjo often found himself asking her who he was, but she'll just wave the question off as unimportant, but sometimes he was persistent. So she had told him the first thing that popped into her head which was he's my mother's nephew's brother's son's cousin twice removed. It didn't make sense, but it did get him to stop asking and that was more of a relief. She never was any good at lying, but she was a master artist at throwing you off when necessary.

He parked in the in a legal parking spot before they got out and walked hand and hand to the festival that marked the end of spring. She had run into a few of her friends who had complimented on how cute they were together. Houjo had blushed and thanked them, but she was completely speechless. She never thought of Houjo and herself as a couple. Just friends enjoying each other's company, but perhaps they were more. Or at least they could be more. He pulled her to the games and won her a nice little stuffed animal that looked like a unicorn and she smiled at him. This was the first time a boy won anything for her and she was blushing.

They had rode rides, played more games, and even enjoyed a nice little snack while out there. Her friends and their dates had met up with them around the time the festival was closing up and decided that they would all meet up at the drive-in movie. The movie was nice and Houjo was such a gentleman feeding her popcorn and candy and they shared laughs while watching the movie. She had glanced out the window for a brief minute and saw her friend and her boyfriend making out in the back seat of his car. She blushed and looked away back at the screen. How can someone do that in public she would never know, so she ignored it.

Houjo had noticed her blush and smiled as he put his arm around her and continued to watch the movie. Such a gentleman. So she thought. How was she to know that he would all of a sudden develop an entirely different personality once midnight hit. After the movie he had brought her to his home. His parents were out for the night and he had guided her to the back yard. A very large back yard complete with pool, Jacuzzi, and a hell of a lot of land. In the distance she could see candles surrounding a blanket that had a tray of fruit and wine on it. At first it seemed all nice him feeding her chocolate covered strawberries and her doing the same for him. Not much of a wine drinker she took a sip as did he before they laid back on the blanket enjoying the moon and few visible stars in the sky.

"It's a beautiful night." she said out loud before looking over at him. "Thanks for a wonderful evening Houjo."

He had smiled at her and turned on his side reaching his hand out and placing it on her stomach. "Thank you for joining me." he said. At first it seemed like a friendly gesture, but then he moved closer and his hand slipped under her shirts moving up and up and-

"Houjo!" she squeaked moving away from him. "What are you doing?"

He looked at her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Kagome, I do not care about your many sicknesses. I'm in love with you and I want you desperately. Please, just let me kiss you." he leaned closer to her and she was too stunned by his words that she couldn't move until she felt his lips against hers and his hands once again trying to get under her shirt.

"Houjo, stop!" she pushed him away and stood up. "Have you lost your mind? I don't know you that well, and this was just our first date."

"First? Kagome we've been out several times before." he said before adding, "Although you always ran off for something, still we've been out before. Those dates should add up and count for something right?"

"Are you serious?" she asked as she backed away from him when he stood up. The look in his eyes told her that he was indeed serious. "You are. Houjo, I'm sorry if I led you on or anything, but, I'm just not ready for that."

His eyes narrowed at her. "Not ready?" She shook her head and he turned away from her. She moved to touch his shoulder and apologize just in case she had led him on, but he jerked away from him. "Leave."

"What?"

He turned angry and hurt eyes on her and kicked the tray of strawberries and wine before yelling at her, "Leave!" She jumped. She had never knew this Houjo before and as far as she was concerned she could do without ever seeing him again. She walked to the sliding doors of his home and walked through grabbing her purse before walking out the front door. By the time she was down the street at the bus stop she saw him running out of his front door calling for her. She only ignored him as the bus stopped right in front of her and opened the doors. She paid and moved to take a seat. She wanted so much to cry, but what would be her reason? Why would she even dare to cry? She had done nothing wrong. Nothing except assume. Assume that Houjo was actually a nice, respectable boy. Man didn't he have her fooled. Not only her, but her friends, her mother, seemingly everybody. Well she wasn't fooled anymore. She now knew and she didn't like it. She'll just go home and sleep this off and return to the feudal era in the morning.

It's been quite some time since the incident with Houjo. In fact since then she hadn't spoken to Houjo even when he would try to apologize by leaving little notes and flowers on her desk or at her home. She wouldn't even spare it a glance, she would only toss it in the trash. One summer day Inuyasha had followed her home and saw the vase of roses sitting on her desk next to a card and a 'Get Well Soon' balloon. He had watched in fascination as she simply pulled out a pair of scissors and popped the balloon. He followed her as she grabbed the vase of flowers, card, and now destroyed balloon and brought it downstairs tossing it in the garbage.

So consumed with her actions she didn't notice that Inuyasha had been following her every move so when she turned around she bumped heads with the nosey hanyou. "Ow, Inuyasha!"

"Hey, watch where you going wench." he growled with a hand against his forehead.

"Me watch where I'm going? Why don't you! You're the one who bumped into me!" she yelled at him out of irritation. Why did he have to go and pick a fight with her when she was currently in a bad mood.

"Whatever, just hurry up and get packed. I'm ready to go." he grumbled turning away from her. She huffed before moving back upstairs. Once she was out of sight he turned and dug the card out the garbage. Curiosity getting the better of him. When he opened it he read the neat handwriting. "I'm sorry Kagome. I never meant to hurt you. I just really wanted to express my love for you in a special way on a special night. I do hope you forgive me for that mistake. I hope that when you are feeling well that you are willing to give me another chance by going out with me again. Love, Houjo.".

Looking up he rushed up the stairs and into Kagome's room pushing the door open. "What did he do to you?!" he demanded to know and Kagome looked at him as if he lost his mind as he raised her arms inspecting them for damage, turning her head from side to side. Seeing nothing he moved to try and lift her shirt, but she swatted his hands away.

"Inuyasha! What is your problem? What are you doing?" she asked as she moved away from him a few inches. He lifted the card to her face and she frowned before rolling her eyes, "Digging through trash now Inuyasha?"

"I had to find out why you were so mad. You stabbed that strange floating thing." he said waving his hand in the direction the balloon had once been.

"It was just a misunderstanding. Nothing big so just drop it." she stated firmly before throwing a few more things in her bag.

"Says here that he hurt you. Exactly what did he do? Kagome tell me so I can fix it." he demanded and she stopped what she was doing and stood in front of him defiantly.

"Fix it? Fix it? How could you possibly fix it Inuyasha. There's no way you can fix something you had nothing to do with. Besides this happed a while back. It doesn't even matter anymore. To me at least." she plucked the note from his hand and ripped it into shreds. "Done and over with."

"I can't tell." he said and she pulled her yellow bag over her shoulder.

"Let's go." she said and walked out of her bedroom.

Inuyasha looked down at the shreds of paper and shook his head. Stupid girl. he thought before following her out of the room and back into the well house so that they could once again make the trip through time back to the feudal era.

Once on the other side of the well she took a deep breath of fresh air and smiled despite how she was feeling before walking in the direction of Kaede's hut. Inuyasha could sense her distress and wanted it to go away. When she was like this it was hard to even approach her. How could he make her feel better? He wondered. "Kagome." he called softly and as soon as she turned around she found herself backed into a tree with his lips on hers. His trying desperately to gain entrance into her mouth. She pulled away from him and pushed him away.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled at him rubbing her now swollen lips.

"I wanted to take your pain away." he said and she slapped him. His face had turned on the impact and she pointed at him angrily.

"That! That is not the way to do it!" she yelled before stomping off. If anything he had just made it worst. Stupid Inuyasha. she thought. If this had been a sometime in the beginning when she had strong feelings for him that would have been a dream come true, but as of late it was not. She knew that he loved Kikyo more and would eventually choose Kikyo over herself and she grew to accept that. It was after all his life to do as he pleased with and she had no say so in it. She was just here to collect the jewel shards. Stopping at the bridge she sighed before something in her peripheral vision caught her eye. Turning her head to the left she saw him standing there with a smirk on his face and pity in his eyes. She had wanted to ask him what he was doing here, but before she could open her mouth to form the words he was gone. Had he really been there in the first place?

Shrugging it off she continued to the village. Well she wouldn't be too mad at Inuyasha. His mishap wasn't as bad as Houjo's. In fact she wasn't sure anybody could top Houjo.

Boy was she ever wrong about almost everything in her life. It was now official. Men will be men and dogs will be dogs and that fact was clearer than the purest crystal ever right about now. Why was she surrounded by idiots. No, scratch that. Why the hell was she surrounded by male idiots that couldn't control their egos, hormones, and whatever else it was that they often lost control over.

Here she sat next to Sango and Miroku with Shippo cuddled up in her jacket also watching as Inuyasha and Kouga once again try to rip each other's head off and for what? For Inuyasha a girl that he didn't even want and Kouga for a girl he thinks he want. The two of them was just one big headache and pain in the ass if she must say so herself. The bastards.

"Kagome, can't you get them to stop already? It's getting cold and I'm tired." Shippo whined as he cuddled up closer to her. He seemed to be the only sane male around her right now, but perhaps that was only for the fact he was a child and did not understand. And if she was lucky he would stay that way or at least not as bad and out of control as the two idiots fighting in front of her. Then there was always Miroku to look out for. Although he hadn't made passes at her in a long time, which she was indefinitely grateful for, he did however make passes at other women and Sango. He was indeed a bad influence on the kit as well.

Sighing she brought her attention back to the hanyou and demon before stepping up a few steps. "Um, you guys. Can you kind of knock it off already. Some of us are ready to turn in for the night."

"Kagome's mine so back off mutt!" she could hear Kouga yell.

"Right, over my dead body!" Inuyasha retaliated.

"That could gladly be arranged!" then the two were back at it again in mid-air clawing and punching and kicking. Fed up now that they weren't listening to her she did the only thing she could think to do at the moment.

"SIT!" the hanyou slammed face first into the hard ground creating an impressive crater around his form. Kouga had landed right next to Kagome all smiles and laughs as he pulled her close to him by the waist.

"Like I said mutt this is my woman, the future mother of my pups." he stated boldly and Kagome glared up at him.

"Do I have a say so in this?" she asked before moving away from him. He looked down at her noticing the hanyou gain his footing again. "Kouga I am not, or will I ever be your woman. And I do not... I repeat do NOT have any intentions on having any of your offspring. In fact I'm not too sure I want to be a mother if all the male ever thinks about is the act of actually making the child itself."

"That's ridiculous. What made you ever think a stupid thing like that?" he asked her as he pulled her back close to him.

She pinned him with her eyes, daring him. "Kouga tell me you love me."

"What?!" she heard Inuyasha yell behind her. Shippo had looked up at her wide eyed and even Sango and Miroku had to wonder what Kagome was up to.

"Tell you what?" he asked with a somewhat bewildered look on his face.

She tilted her head to the side, "Tell me you love me. You know l-o-v-e. Surely you know what that means right?"

"I uh..." he stuttered as he rubbed the back of his neck out of nervousness.

She nodded to him. "Right, just as I thought." she whispered. She lifted Shippo out of her jacket and told him to go to Sango and he did so as she walked closer to Kouga and pushed him against a rocky wall. "So you can't say the words? I wonder." she pondered out loud to herself as she removed her jacket though it was cool she ignored it for she was trying to get a point across. "Come on Kouga, let's go make those pups you want so bad." she smiled and a wide grin spread across his lips as he looked down her shirt.

He grabbed her around the waist and pressed her hard against his body, "Alright then."

"What the fuck is wrong with you Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Shut up mutt!" Kouga yelled back at the hanyou who was trying to change the girl's mind. His woman's mind.

He tried to make a move to run off with her, but Kagome jerked out of his embrace. "First, tell me you love me." his face fell again and she wanted so much to laugh.

"Kagome I-"

"You don't." she wanted to sound hurt, but couldn't because truth was she didn't care. She didn't want him to love her in that way. Sure love her as a friend, but not a mate or whatever he was trying to consider her as. "You don't love me Kouga so don't stand there and lie to me." It seems the men of my time got it honestly. she thought to herself before pulling her jacket back on and zipping it up all the way to her neck suddenly feeling naked. "Like I said. Pretty much all of the male species love the act not really the female. You should really think up on that before you go putting claims on people." turning around she looked up and stopped. There he was again his eyes dancing in amusement. Was he laughing at her? The jerk. she thought.

Everyone noticed how she seemed to stare off into the distance and followed her line of sight, but by the time they looked he was gone. "Kagome, what are you looking at?" Sango asked as she walked up to her friend.

Kagome shook her head, "Nothing. Nothing at all. Let's go." she said before walking off and waving at Kouga, "See you around."

She was sitting alone against the Goshinboku letting her mind wander on the year's events. She had on some pink snow boots, jeans, a long sleeved pink shirt that was currently hidden under her oversized silver puff jacket with the fur around the hood. She also wore pink gloves that she was currently blowing into to keep her hands warm. She didn't know why she decided to leave the warmth of the hut, but she really wanted to be alone. She wanted to think. Why was it every guy she came across that year decided to go through some major male issues. First Houjo, then Inuyasha, and well, Kouga had just reached his boiling point with her. She had to put an end to his claims some kind of way.

"Men suck big monkey butt." she pouted as she blew into her gloved hands again.

"Such a strange thing to say miko." she jumped at the sound of another voice. Not only was it another voice, but it was as cold as the very snow she sat on. A smooth as the very shiny material of her jacket, as demanding and piercing as the winter breeze itself. Looking up she saw him standing on the side of the tree leaning there with his arms folded. Could he do anything other than look arrogantly elegant in the simplest things such as leaning against a tree?

Apparently not. her mind supplied before she looked back straight ahead of her. "Why is that?" she asked him.

He was quiet for a minute before he too took up a seat against the very large god tree. "Why would a man suck a monkey's butt?" Now, she just had to laugh. When it left her mouth is sounded right. It sounded like an appropriate insult, but when he said it. It seemed ridiculous. He looked at her in question. "Do you find something amusing?"

She continued to laugh. When she finally calmed herself somewhat she took a deep breath. "No. It's just an expression."

"An expression meaning what?" he questioned. Humans were indeed a strange being and their phrases were even more odd. Why he suddenly felt the need to talk to one was beyond him. In fact he had no idea why he had followed them for so long.

She looked to be in thought. Deep thought. "Well when I said that men sucked monkey butt I merely meant that men sucked. Pretty much not worth the time and effort if they were all just dogs. No offense."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Dogs? Why would you compare them to dogs?"

"It's complicated." she said. "I guess it's pretty much for the same reasons men always compare women to cats or kittens." And I swear that Hello Kitty made it worse. she mused to herself.

"You do not like to be called kitten?" he asked.

"I guess it's in the way one says it." she informed. "For instance there's a insulting way to say things then there's a playful way, a much more flattering way, but I guess it all depends on the tone one uses. I mean how would you like it if I called you a filthy dog?" she could hear a low growl come from him in warning. "Exactly, you wouldn't like it. So why should I like it some idiot tells me you like that kitten?"

He wanted to laugh at her explanation. She was indeed a mystery. "It's degrading." she mumbled before blowing into her hands again. "Another reason men suck is because they're too touchy feely. A girl does like her own breathing room from time to time."

"You do not wish to be touched?" he asked looking up at the sky. He could hear the movement of her clothes and he knew that she had only shrugged her shoulders.

"Only if I invited one to touch me." she said. "There's always a right and wrong way to approach a girl and some guys just don't get that in there thick skulls. You can't just take away a girl's pain by trying something physical. That only makes the issue worse." she said in a defeated tone thinking back to that summer day when Inuyasha kissed her. Sure his intentions were good, but done in the wrong way.

He was slowly beginning to understand the human girl somewhat the more she talked. "What would be the right way?"

"Talking would be a good start." she said then got quiet as she brought her knees up to her chin resting her chin there as she stared at the snow beneath her feet. She wiggled her toes inside of her snow boots as she whispered. "A girl just wants to be loved from time to time. Most of the time." He looked to his side so that he could see her clearly. "Why do men try so hard and lie so much for something that only lasts for a small amount of time for just one night only to leave the girl with the consequences?" She didn't expect an answer and he didn't give one. They sat there in a comfortable silence before she stood up. "I should be heading back. Thanks for listening to me rant."

Just as she was walking pass him she felt him grab her wrist and pull her down into his lap and she 'eeped' as she landed. Looking up she met golden eyes as they stared back down at her taking in her beautiful brown eyes. He placed his hand under her jacket, but on top of her shirt over her stomach. "Am I touching you inappropriately kitten?" he asked with a smirk. She shook her head no. He leaned down and rubbed his cheek against her own cold rosy colored cheek growling low and softly as if to soothe her trouble mind. She sighed in contentment when she noticed she had just spilled her heart out to this man... no demon. A demon that she knew only as an enemy, but now she wasn't so sure. He whispered into her ear, "I will not lie to you, I do not love you though I always get what I want. However what I want from you is not what you think. I do not love you, nor will I ever will. I am however, intrigued by you. You've gained my interest and Curiosity. You, kitten are quite a mystery."

She gulped at his whispered words. At least he was honest and not really putting her down. One thing stuck out to her though. "What do you want from me?"

He pulled away from her. In a graceful move she didn't even notice he stood and placed her back on her feet. Reaching out his hand he touched the side of her face in a soft caress. "Companionship." her eyes widened at his confessed words, but once again before she could form any more words he was gone. She blinked and took a step back.

Companionship? she repeated in her head as if questioning if she heard correctly. She nodded realizing that she had and smiled warmly despite the cold before pulling her hood over her head and walking back to Kaede's hut in the village.