A/N: I'm turning into a sap. A corny-romantic-completely-cliché sap. Ah, well, nothing can be done about that, can it? I just hope that I'm still safe from the "soft-kisses-and-whispers-of-I love you-with-music" phase. Hopefully. By the way, I know that this concept is completely not original and way too overused. But still, I couldn't pass the offer up. XD Take pity on my one-track mind, eh?
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Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. He and the other characters belong to R. Takahashi…and VIZ, and etc.
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Dedication: This story is dedicated to That'sMyFiasco with gratitude and appreciation. Thank-you for your wonderful and thorough reviews, Fiasco! You always know what to say…and oh my, I don't think I've ever felt that good about my writing before. XD I'm still in awe at your last review. .:giggles sheepishly:. I hope that this story is good enough.
Catch Me, Miss Me, Kiss Me
"Kagome-chan…I'm bored."
The fifteen-year-old ravenette looked at her adoptive son briefly, sighing into the warm summer day. It was just far too humid and ridiculously hot to play, not matter how inactive you could be. Kagome felt like lying on the soft grass beneath her and just be a damn floppy vegetable. Not moving, not speaking, not doing anything. Hell, breathing at this moment felt like hard work – especially with the burning air filling your dry lungs.
In fact, it was so hot that Kagome had opted to change into her blue short-shorts and a tight white tank top – accompanied by bikini straps. Kagome hated to wear this (she only wore it when she went to bed), but had no other choice. It was either to die of a heat stroke or lose her modesty, and Kagome chose the latter.
Miroku had stripped of his heavy and stuffy purple Buddhist robes, and sat on a nearby rock in his thin white yukata. Kagome had offered Sango one of her mini-skirts and t-shirts – but the blushing brunette just shook her head and chose to wear a knee-length summer dress.
Kagome smiled lightly. Even in that, Sango looked like she was going to die of embarrassment. And Miroku's wandering eyes never did help the poor girl.
"Shut up, ya runt."
Shippo whined in a high voice as he shook his tiny fist angrily. Sango rolled her eyes and Miroku just hummed in disapproval. Kagome didn't even bother to defend the little kitsune. The guy had to fight his own battles too, Kagome figured.
The foul-mouthed hanyou slouched against the warm trunk of an enormous oak tree. The spectacular shade did him little good, however. The sun's unrelenting rays still found some unknown way to sneak past the shadow barriers and heat up the youth's tanned skin. His red pants hung loosely on his pelvis, low enough to show his hipbone and the southern part of his abdomen. InuYasha's muscular and naked torso was a sight for sore eyes, and the way that it slightly glistened through the cracks of the leaves of the tree made Kagome nearly swoon in girlish delight.
She would have swooned, if only it wasn't so damn freakin' hot!
"Kagome-chaaaan! Can we play a game or something?" Shippo drawled out lazily. The aforementioned girl just groaned in reply, lying back onto the soft earth.
Then Miroku spoke up. "I personally think that we should take Shippo's comment in consideration." Violet eyes darted around the group, frowning when he realized no one was actually listening. "Lying around like this won't do us any good. And since we're not going shard-hunting today or kicking some random demon's butt – " Miroku glanced briefly at the brooding half-demon " – why not play a game? Exercise is healthy."
"Houshi-sama, you're insane!" cried Sango, fanning herself desperately. "Nothing can survive in this weather. Even InuYasha agreed that Naraku wouldn't do anything sinister in this sudden heat wave."
"And since when was InuYasha ever right?" The demon growled, white appendages flattened against his skull at the petty insult. Miroku ignored him. "Come on, people! We've been like this for three days. What do you say?"
"You know, if we move around, we might not feel so hot…" drawled the girl in the ridiculously short-shorts. Suddenly, she sat up, a small smile gracing her young and feminine features. "How about a game of tag?"
"TAG?!" Miroku, Sango, and InuYasha shouted out in unison. "In this weather?"
"Tag! YEAH! Kagome-chan! Let's play tag!" Shippo jumped up and down for joy, his orange ponytail bouncing delightfully.
"The heat's finally gotten to her," mumbled the silver-haired teen nearby. Kagome pouted and looked at the others.
"We need to keep in motion, ya know, to get our mind off the heat. Besides, if we run around, we'll sweat, and we'll cool off faster."
Miroku brightened at the idea, but Sango seemed reluctant. InuYasha didn't give a damn at all. Kirara just mewled, looking bored.
"All right." Magenta eyes glowed as the owner stood up, stretched, and winced slightly at the sticky beads of sweat rolling down the small of her back. Miroku did the same – except without the wincing, but scowled instead. His yukata stuck to him like a second skin. Sango tried not to notice. Her blush was evident enough, though.
Shippo was ecstatic. "LET'S PLAY!" After three days and nights of lying around, he was finally going to get some action. YOSH!
"Everyone know the rules?" Three pairs of blank eyes looked at Kagome, save for the fourth green pair, whose owner nodded vigorously. Kagome sighed. "Okay, there's a person who is "it". The "it" is the tagger – he or she has to catch the other players. Follow so far?" Everyone nodded. "You can be caught anytime – unless you get into the "safe zone". That is the "safe zone"," she pointed to the large tree that InuYasha was sitting under. "You must be touching the tree in order for you to be safe from being tagged. The person that is caught is the next "it"."
"Okay! Let's play already!" the fox child screamed brightly. Sango nodded.
Kagome looked around evilly. "Then…INUYASHA'S IT!"
Kagome laughed whole-heartedly at the oblivious expression on the hanyou's face as he sputtered and looked at her in surprise. Shippo whooped loudly before dashing off, a two-foot blur of green and orange. Sango took one look at InuYasha before grabbing Kagome's hand and ran off into the meadow, with a lecherous monk not too far behind, eyes firmly planted on the demon slayer's derriere hungrily.
"…the hell?" Golden orbs flickered around the now empty scene before him, the triangular ears atop his head involuntarily turning to capture the faint giggles and patting of feet in the far-off distance. He reluctantly stood up, hating the way his hair stuck to his slightly sweaty back like wet clothing.
So I'm "it", eh? A dangerous fang peeped out as InuYasha smirked, immediately switching into Predator Mode. Well, two can play at this game.
He quickly dashed off after the others. You're all mine!
Her surroundings were quiet.
Just a little too quiet.
Sango carefully crawled out from the metre-high meadow grass, the yellowish-green vegetation smelling lightly of hay. Now resting on her knees, the taijiya straightened her back and looked across the plain, skilled magenta eyes searching for any signs of silver hair or red pantaloon pants. After all, Sango was the best at these sort of games in her village – since it was kind of like training. Hiding from the enemy, her kinsmen used to say, and to see how fast you can run away after you've been spotted.
And she will win, goddammit!
InuYasha is nowhere to be found. Coast is clear, Sango mentally chanted in her mind as she concentrated on her next move. Where would she hide next? Which area would be the closest and safest place near the oak tree? How will she –
"Ah!" Sango's head was unnecessarily smashed into the earth below her as she was pulled roughly by her left ankle.
When she rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was violet.
Smiling, amused violent windows of the soul.
Sango cursed and quickly sat up. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, her left eyebrow twitching dangerously.
Miroku merely grinned and threw his arms around her, mentally sighing in bliss as her soft breasts were pressed against him. "I finally caught you!" he whispered huskily in her ear. Sango blushed and sputtered, before weakly pushing him away. Then, she felt something squeezing the tender flesh of her, erm… backside.
"HENTAI!" With a giant heave, Sango grabbed the monk by the legs and lifted him up, swinging him around twice in a circular motion before letting go.
With a terrified yell as he flew through the air, Miroku landed somewhere a few feet away in a muddled heap of sprained body parts and bruised limbs.
He never stood a chance – and he knew it. But the few brief moments of womanly paradise was all worth it.
"Kirara, do you see him?"
A soft mewl was his reply.
Shippo and the demon cat ran from tree to tree continuously, eyes ever alert for their now-hunting predator. The wide trunks of the towering skyscrapers hid their tiny forms well, especially when they crossed a path filled with jagged shadows that could easily fool the hunter's eye. Orange and cream ran alongside each other, the kitsune leading the way with the neko youkai tailing after him.
The excited duo stopped briefly, hidden behind the prickly bushes that littered around the forest grounds. "I think we're safe for the time being." Red eyes smiled in agreement.
Suddenly…
"HENTAI!"
"AAAAH! Sango…no!"
THUD.
Shippo winced, and Kirara's fur stood on end. "At this rate, InuYasha will catch them in no time." The youngster resisted the notion to roll his eyes, but failed. Green orbs turned upwards towards the blue sky, and stayed that way for a little while. The ever-faithful cat purred in agreement, closing her eyes in disappointment.
Kagome crept on all fours behind some well-appreciated bushes, giggling at her own cleverness. Her predator, InuYasha, was right in front her, completely unaware. She had followed him – always out of sight – throughout the entire game. It seems that her brilliant idea of rolling around in the meadow earlier before had created a strong impact on her scent.
Either that, or InuYasha had hay fever and his nose wasn't working properly.
She watched with curiosity through the thick stash of leaves as the man in red balloon-like pants stood still, the muscles in his back contracting and relaxing as he turned this way and that, golden eyes narrowed down in concentration.
Then, in a simple heartbeat, he was gone.
"What on earth…?"
Kagome sat up from her hiding place and blinked in confusion. Where did he go? She turned her head around, looked left to right, high and low.
Nothing.
This is odd. Maybe he's down in the –
"Found you, Ka. Go. Me."
"AAAAH!"
"Was that Kagome?" Sango murmured in worry as she suddenly shot up, body and mind alert for a threatening battle. But then again…it could have been InuYasha…
"Oh – the tree, that's right!" And off she dashed, being careful to dodge behind the necessary shadows and massive trunks along her way.
"Ah, I see that InuYasha has found Lady Kagome," grinned the monk, before wincing as the wound in his lower lip reopened. I have to get to the tree – and some medical supplies. Miroku groaned in pain as he tried to sit up, but to no avail.
This was going to take a while…
Kirara's ears pricked up at the shrill sound that emitted from Kagome's vocal chords. Her intuition told the neko youkai that she was in no real danger – except the danger of being tagged, that is.
Kirara mewled warningly at the kitsune, whose green eyes widened in glee as he announced in a hush voice, "THE TREE! We havta go to the tree!"
And before Kirara knew what was going on, Shippo grabbed the poor cat demoness by her double tail and ran off into the woods…
"Found you, Ka. Go Me."
"AAAAH!"
InuYasha growled playfully as he crouched down low on the balls of his feet, hands on the ground supporting his upper body weight. His amber optics glowed with a feral light, lips pulled back into a faux snarl as two deadly fangs peeked out from underneath. His wild silver mane was brushed to one side, a few resistant silver strands clinging onto his sweaty back. Kagome licked her lips as she eyed the delicious muscle rippling beneath his tanned skin, and almost forgot what kind of situation she was in…
Then, he pounced.
Kagome shrieked as she backed away, instinctively yelling "SIT" at the top of her lungs as she scrambled off to the side. InuYasha gave a yell of surprise as he was slammed mercilessly into the soft earth, creating a very familiar-looking crater in the ground.
Now, five metres away in safety from the dangerous half-demon, Kagome smiled giddily in triumph as she called out childishly, "MISSED ME! Ha ha! YOU MISSED ME! Now you gotta kiss me!" Spinning around with a joyous cry, Kagome laughed and took off running.
InuYasha froze in mid-curse, bloods boiling and ears stiff at her command. Slowly, he lifted his head up from the dirt and eyed the female in front of him with an indifferent look. How dare she prance around in front of him like that? With hardly anything on, too! God, it was almost painful to watch her run around in those ultra-short pants (more like underwear, he thought), and that tight, form-hugging, damn see-through shirt…
…AND SHE RAN OFF!! How dare she?
InuYasha growled and jumped up, but instead of chasing after he, he just walked and took his time. After all, where could she go?
Almost there…almost there… "Finally!" Sango giggled in relief as her palm hit the rough bark of the "safe" tree, chest heaving from her sudden sprint. The young demon exterminator smiled slightly, but immediately frowned when she caught sight of a limping and groaning monk dragging his sorry behind towards the tree as well.
"Dearest Sango!" he called out with a shaky laugh. "I am in so much pain…would you be so kind enough as to help me?" Miroku gave the brunette his best impression on an innocent man, but unbeknownst to him, Sango didn't give a crap.
She just turned her head and kept her hand on her safety post.
Miroku frowned, but after about five minutes of agonizing pain and dragging his bad leg behind him, he finally crept over to the tree, giving a triumphant yell of "SAFE!"
Tension was high that day around the tree…
Kagome laughed as she ran, determined to make it to the tree where the others were surely waiting for her. She had bought herself a little bit of time with her subjugation command (not that she meant to, that is), and winced inwardly at the pain that the poor hanyou must have had to endure.
Then, she realized it.
Kagome froze in her tracks, breathing ceased as her heart pounded like crazy in her chest. Hands clenched and unclenched beside her, her palms unnaturally clammy. She bit her lip nervously as her mind recalled exactly what she had just said…
…KISS ME?! What the HELL was she thinking?
Knowing InuYasha, he would probably take that silly childhood chant seriously, partly because Kagome hardly ever said those things, partly because this was five-hundred years into the past, and partly because the damn hanyou just had no sense of humour whatsoever.
Things were not looking good. Kagome contemplated on whether or not to run away, welcome InuYasha's advances, or just sit him until kingdom come.
Actually, the third choice didn't seem so bad.
But, he could get angry. Kagome immediately feared for his irrational temper. She could imagine it now. His stupid insults, his false accusations, his unnecessary need to yell and scream and whine until her ears rang…
The third choice was starting to look quite appealing, actually.
Crack.
Kagome spun around, body ready to either fight or take flight at the sudden intrusion.
Greyish-blue met gold.
Quicker than a blink of an eye, InuYasha appeared before Kagome and pinned her against a tree, his face, his body, his entire everything just a little too close for comfort.
PERSONAL BUBBLE! Kagome wanted to yell. DO NOT POP THE PERSONAL BUBBLE, GOD DARN IT! But she was too busy gaping like a fish for such words to come.
InuYasha smirked a predatory smirk, leaning down purposely and fanning his breath over her face. Kagome groaned as his luscious scent sent her head spinning.
"Now that I caught you…can I kiss you?"
Those husky and soft-spoken words never registered in Kagome's mind, however, since all she heard was OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD…
But Kagome was wise enough to realize something life-altering, cosmos-changing, world-ending was going to happen. Right then. Right there.
She reeeaaaaly didn't like the look in InuYasha's eyes at the moment.
"Oh, there you are, Shippo," announced Sango as she welcomed Kirara with open arms. "I was starting to get worried. InuYasha didn't catch you, right?"
The little fox child shook his head and grinned, sitting down with his back against the tree. Miroku failed to remark how Shippo's posture looked horridly like InuYasha's. How similar they are when the other is not around to witness it.
After a moment of silence, Shippo wondered, "Where's Kagome? Does this mean that she's been tagged?"
"Let's wait a while longer." Miroku looked at his companions with his one good eye, the other being too swollen to open. "I'm sure she'll be here soon."
"Now that I caught you…can I kiss you?"
"What?" That came out in a chocked squeak, which made InuYasha raise an eyebrow in amusement.
InuYasha leaned in even closer, his lips now near Kagome's ear as he breathed onto is slowly, eliciting a small shiver to run from the top of her cerebrum to the soles of her heels. Kagome felt her knees go weak as they threatened to buckle. She clung onto InuYasha's broad shoulders for dear life as her brain tried to decipher just what the hell was going on.
"Who do you think you are, Ka-Go-Me?" He nipped her earlobe lightly with his fangs. Kagome's breath hitched as her mind screamed OH MY &$#!# GOD!! PERSONAL SPACE! PERSONAL SPACE! PERSONAL –
" – prancing around in those shorts…and damn, your shirt is practically see through!" InuYasha growled unappreciatively as this. "When we get back, you're changing. I don't care if it's fucking hot. No one but me will ever see you like this, understood?"
"W-when are we getting back?" Darn her voice! Why on earth was she stuttering? Wait…there is a sweaty and ultra-sexy white-haired hanyou in front of her right now. Yes, that must be the reason. Not because she's been waiting for this moment ever since she set foot into that damn shrine. Not because being with InuYasha made her feel rebellious and naughty and goody-goody at the same time. Not because her stupid, frigging libido won't stop beating.
Nope. Not at all.
"Prey shouldn't be making demands, wench," murmured the young man as he kissed along her jaw line, before licking up her left cheek to her temple. Kagome's mind was now going haywire – close to going into overdrive and self-combusting all together. Personal space, it demanded. YOU NEED PERSONAL SPACE! He popped the sacred bubble of comfort, you dimwit! But all Kagome could feel and focus her attention right now was the very tempting mouth of her hanyou. Screw personal space. And screw her mind. It needed to get laid, she decided.
He slowly made his way to her mouth, before whispering, "You should think about the consequences before being such a tease, Kagome." Then, his mouth was on hers.
Now, this was not just some gentle, one-second-long kiss that ended before it even began. It was the full-blown guarantee, complete with tongue, spit, teeth, hot breath and roaming hands. This kiss was the kind of kiss that left the occupants panting and dizzy from lack of oxygen, but uncaring because they were apart for one millisecond. This was the kind of kiss where being close was just close enough, where mouth against mouth, skin against skin, was not enough. This was the kind of kiss that left the people on a dangerous high.
This kiss was porn-worthy.
And when they finally parted (because even youngsters like them need air), Kagome hoped that InuYasha would end their moment with something romantic, something that would have swept her off her feet. You know, like confessing his undying love for her or how she was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to him.
But noooo…all he said was,
"By the way, tag – you're it." Insert cocky and over-confident smirk here.
The worse thing about the entire ordeal was, however, is that Kagome was too busy hyperventilating to even give him a decent glare, nonetheless a powerful and extremely-painful sit command. Soon he was off, running out into god-knows-where so that she could catch him.
Wait…she was it?
Aw, hell.
The End
A/N: Please review! If I've made any mistakes, feel free to tell me. I would appreciate it very much. Thanks again.