A/N: This was just a dumb thing I wrote. Fluff galore. Friendly reminder that this gets a teensy bit suggestive towards the end, so if that isn't quite your cup of tea, feel free to skeedaddle on outta here and find something more suited to your comfort level. Enjoy!

Kagome collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, a mess of sweaty, leaden limbs and heavy panting. Her dark bangs were damp with sweat and pine needles pricked at her skin through her clothes, though she couldn't have cared less. She needed a breather.

"You're gonna kill me," she mumbled in between harsh breaths, the words barely escaping her chapped lips as her lashes fluttered shut.

Inuyasha snorted, gazing down at her, golden eyes glinting with mirth. Warm sunlight filtered in through the swaying branches of the tall trees surrounding them and a warm summer breeze ruffled the pair's clothes and hair. The distant sound of running water trickling between mossy rocks and chipped logs was soothing to Kagome. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, amusement still looming behind them.

"C'mon, 'f you're gonna learn how to fight hand to hand, you need to keep on your feet. Your arrow sure as hell ain't always gonna be enough. So uh. Geddup."

She grunted.

"Encouraging," she quipped dryly, getting to her feet slowly. She winced at the complaint of her quivering muscles, but neglected to acknowledge it and brushed the dirt and pine needles off her clothes haphazardly. She readied her stance like he'd taught her. There was a certain hardness that flared fiercely in her eyes. An edge that was hard to miss when one looked at her. She was uneasy, though. She hadn't been able to even consider getting him on his back as of yet. She cringed at her poor choice in thought. She shook it off, a dry leaf crunching quietly under her shoe as she shifted her foot in preparation for him to make the first move. Her unease was faint, like a wisp of smoke, curling and dancing tentatively around the intense, crackling flames that were her determination. He was much too quick, much too strong for her to get around doing this tactfully. He had been fighting in hand-to-hand combat all his life, whereas she had only begun sparring with him yesterday. And if she was being honest with herself, all she had managed in a day and a half was learning how to stand correctly. She was in the unfortunate habit of blindly swinging her fists around in hopes of miraculously winning. And Inuyasha had most definitely noticed. Luckily though, he was being uncharacteristically patient with her. She was new to this. He knew that.

"Kagome, you can't keep waitin' for me to make the first move. You need to always keep your guard up. Attack before your opponent can and get the upper hand while you still have the chance." His voice held its usual rough gruffness, though she could sense a patient undertone to it. She nodded and swallowed thickly, hands balled into fists and poised in front of her chest, elbows bent at her sides.

"Right, okay."

He was a surprisingly good teacher, much to Kagome's astonishment. It was a wonder how he hadn't blown up at her yet. He was definitely rough with her, but she really hadn't expected anything else. He was Inuyasha. That's just how he was. Though she knew for a fact that he was holding back a considerable amount, the level of fighting happening was just outside her comfort level. She let out a harsh, uneven breath, wiping the quickly-gathering beads of sweat off her forehead with her rolled up sleeve, brows drawn together in concentration. She was still winded from their previous bout of practice fighting, and the warm air that gently tousled their sweaty clothes and hair wasn't helping her situation in the slightest. She wished she could relay her problem to him, dire as it most definitely was, but he would without a doubt give her the same infuriating response he'd been giving her all afternoon.

No excuses.

She huffed internally, brows twitching agitatedly.

She briefly considered pretending to have her period suddenly, but quickly swept the thought to the back of her mind. She needed to learn how to fight. She would beat him for sure this time.

She advanced towards him tentatively, making sure to keep her guard up. He gave a small, approving nod in an attempt to encourage her. Her knuckles bleached white as her short, blunt nails dug into her palms. She was SO gonna kick his ass this time. She felt it. That could've just been the adrenaline rush talking, but it gave her confidence nonetheless. In a moment of brilliance, she visibly brightened as the gears in her brain began turning, forming a strategy. Inuyasha, picking up on her sudden change in demeanor, tightened his jaw, readying for her attack. He was physically stronger than her, no doubt. But something about the way she was staring at him caused unease to spread goosebumps along his tanned skin, rising the fine silver hairs on the back of his neck. He made sure to give no outward indication of his steadily increasing unease, however.

Without a second thought or a moment of hesitation, she swiftly swept her leg underneath both of his, her worn shoe catching in the vibrant red folds of his hakama. Identical, bare glimpses of fear flickered across the pair's features before they were sent tumbling down the rich, grassy hill into a small canopy of thick, intertwined branches and stray vibrant green leaves. Rays of sunlight streamed in through the many spaces between the canopy's branches and leaves, casting a rather unusually shaped shadow on the pair while bathing parts of them in small pools of warm sunlight.

Kagome winced, gingerly plucking a leaf from her hair. Her gaze flicked up to find that Inuyasha had landed on top of her and was now hovering over her, face contorted in what she initially mistook as pain. She quickly realized that it was most definitely not pain that had him hunched over her, shuddering slightly. Her knee happened to be fixed in a very compromising position. Enamored with his pleasured reaction, she shifted her knee experimentally, causing him to nearly lose his balance on his forearms as he let out an embarrassed, stuttering groan.

She blinked a little, cheeks pinking.

Well this certainly would be a type of hand-to-hand.

A/N: *gallops off into the moonlight, cackling at her own terrible puns*