Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha.

Hello, Readers!

This is my first fic here on the Net, & I want to thank you for giving it a chance. I've had this idea for a story bouncing around in my head for so long, that I decided it was finally time to throw it out there!

Enjoy! 3KuwaiiEmmieChan

THE STUFF.

Chapter One.

Kagome was staring out the classroom window, her mind wandering to her scarlet-clad hero, as it usually did when she was supposed to be paying attention in school. He was always on the fore-front of her mind, wondering if he was okay, if he was hungry… if he missed her as much as she missed him. She liked to think that he did, if all the stress he gave her about returning to her own time had anything to say about it.

It had been four years since she had gone down the rabbit hole and back again, and she was disappointed to report that the dynamics of her and Inuyasha's relationship hasn't changed. Well, at least not in the way that she wanted it to. True, he was her best friend, and she was his. He'd opened up to her more than she ever thought he would, and lately he's been so nice… if his foul mouth didn't screw it up. But, she still couldn't help but wish that something more blossomed from their friendship, that it would take a turn for the better.

She had turned 18 the previous month and she was tired of him not seeing her as the woman she had become! Four years of fighting together, fighting each other, and fighting for each other, and even after Kikyo's second passing, he still didn't see her that way… to her dismay. Even after she ditched her school uniform, sticking to the more… comfortable items of clothing, vying for his attention, he just seemed to get more and more irritated. What was a girl to do when the man she loved wasn't a regular human man, with regular human man reactions?!

The school-girl sighed, placing her chin delicately into the palm of her hand. How was she ever going to get Inuyasha to not only notice her, but… she blushed hotly, closing her eyes, but really notice her.

She was jolted from her reverie as her classmates all shifted around her, moving to leave their small desks and make their way out into the sunlight- to the freedom of outside. As she made it to her feet, her three friends swooped upon her, all laughing and talking excitedly.

"Kagome!" Yuka cried, grabbing her stomach as she tried to control her laughter. Kagome stared at her, waiting for her to catch her breath as the other two continued to guffaw. "You need to see this video!" She lifted her hand, bringing up her new phone into Kagome's view. It was all screen, with a dark pink case lining it. When the video started, it was in high definition, making the Kagome's eyebrows shoot up into her hairline.

"This is your phone?" She asked, impressed. Wow, she thought, what am I missing in the feudal era?

"Yeah, yeah," Yuka said, brushing aside her awe. "Watch this!" Eri and Ayumi moved in behind Kagome, their quiet giggling slightly distracting. A young girl, her golden hair in adorable pigtails, stood in what appeared to be a bathroom, explaining to her viewer about how they were trying to breed their full bred show poodle. She and her mother had gone to the pet shop and found-

"THE STUFF." The girl said dramatically, holding out a large bottle of dog shampoo in front of the camera, her green eyes opened wide. It had a picture of two dogs surrounded by floating red, pink, and purple hearts. The three girls bust out into a new round of chuckles, making Kagome smile. "This is THE STUFF that makes doggies fall in love!" She squinted at the small print and began to read from the back of the bottle.

"THE STUFF guarantees a Happy Ending with your breeding troubles. The enhanced scents from THE STUFF are meant to bring your own dog's natural pheromones into a new light, taking your breeding troubles far away and will have those dogs howlin' to the moon!" She laughed a little herself, a mischievous glint shining in her young eyes. " 'Warning: Wear gloves at all times when handling this product'… I wonder why…?"

The girl then proceeded to pour the breeding shampoo into another shampoo bottle, laughing the whole while. When she was finished with her transfer, she moves closer to the camera, and says in a stage whisper- "This is my older sister's special shampoo. She got mad at me for using it, so I'll make sure she doesn't want to use it either!" Kagome's three friends couldn't hide their mirth as the girl put the shampoo back into the shower, but she was suddenly watching the humorous video very intently. She had a feeling where this was going, and her suspicions were confirmed when a poodle appeared, clawing and whining desperately at the closed bathroom door.

Her heart was beating so fast.

Yuka actually collapsed onto a near-by desk, her laughter making it impossible to keep standing, as the young girls sister finally exited the bathroom, gracing the audience with a loud, surprised screech as the poodle began to… sexually assault her. But Kagome wasn't watching the video anymore; her mind was running a million miles a minute.

There was a shampoo… that turned dogs… into sexual fiends?!

…

What would it do to a specific inu-hanyou, that she wouldn't mind going into a sexual frenzy while she was around? She gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth, accompanied by a wild blush that stained her skin from her chest to her hairline. She just couldn't wrap her mind around the possibilities.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Eri asked, concern glowing in her brown eyes. Kagome's eyes met hers and she said the only thing she could think of.

"I'm not feeling well…" She grabbed her things, beginning to walk away briskly. "I should go home and rest. Bye, guys." And she was gone. She left the classroom, got out of the building, off the campus, and was trying not to run as she made her way to the nearest pet shop. This was an opportunity that she just could not pass up… She wasn't even sure if she had the courage to do what she obviously wanted to do, but step one was acquiring THE STUFF.

Kagome hesitantly stared down into the well, her giant yellow bag once again stocked to the brim of her time's "Ninja Food," her raven locks still damp from the extra-long bath she'd taken early that morning. She had spent the better part of yesterday in the bathroom, staring at the little bottle of THE STUFF that was sitting on the lip of her tub; debating on whether or not she ought to do what her body was telling her to do. In the end, after going to bed late, and waking up after some especially heated dreams of her silver-haired demon, she was ready to get down and dirty… or, clean, I guess, with THE STUFF.

Now she stood on the brink of the two time eras, looking down into the well, her apprehension causing her to pause. She had washed her hair, scrubbed her skin, and even made a bubble bath from THE STUFF, using nearly the whole expensive little bottle, but she still had her doubts on if it were going to work or not. Maybe I should just wait to return… She thought, but immediately scolded herself. Even if Inuyasha wouldn't come looking for her if she was late, it was her own decision-making that led up to THE STUFF, so she would deal with the consequences!

Her frown and brisk nod was all that accompanied her leap into the well, the magical blue light engulfing her and transporting her to the past where her friends, and Inuyasha, await. After appearing on the other side, she began the arduous task of lifting her large, heavy, cumbersome pack up above her head to throw out of the well. Usually, if Inuyasha was within scenting distance (which she doesn't actually know how far away that is), he would have made it to the well to help her out by the time she'd gotten it over.

She smiled as, right on time, a clawed hand reached down from somewhere above her to help her out. She reached up and grasped it just before she was hauled out as if she weighs no more than a paper doll; her stomach was suddenly filled with frantic butterflies, keeping time to the fast-paced beating of her heart. When she landed beside him, she lost her footing and found herself falling into his hard chest. His arms instinctively went around her, steadying her… She heard him breathing deeply, moving closer to her, his arms tightening around her.

Kagome stilled, her heart beating ever harder, his close proximity making her recall her vivid dreams about him from the night before. A blush steadily rose up her face as she heard him groan, his hands beginning to roam from her shoulders to her elbows, and back up again, pressing herself even more firmly against him. His breathing was starting to sound ragged, almost labored in her ear, as he dipped his face towards her neck; she jumped, startled, when she felt his hot tongue run across her pulse point, making her shiver and her legs get weaker.

She closed her eyes as she felt the muscle slowly trail up to her ear, where he oh-so-gently nipped her lobe, growling so low it almost sounded like a purr vibrating through her body from where they touched. He grasped her chin, pulling her face upwards to face him, her eyes flew open just in time to see how his eyes had darkened to a liquid amber, his pupils dilated, and the hunger she saw there was unmistakable. She licked her suddenly dry lips, and his eyes caught and followed the movement, staying to study the outline of her lips.

"I-Inu… yahsa…?" The words were barely there, whispered into the air between them, hoping to not break the spell. His ears swiveled toward her, but his eyes stayed on her lips, moving slowly closer to her mouth until she was just a hair's-breadth away. She felt his hot breath and her eyes slid closed again, ready and willing for the kiss that was sure to come.

"KAGOME'S BACK!"

Said girl's eyes flew open, surprised and disappointed from the yell in the distance. Inuyasha immediately took a step away from her, and she looked to her hanyou to gauge his reaction. He looked alarmed, confused, surprised, curious, but most of all… hungry. For her. She could tell he was trying to get a hold of himself before he did something he regretted.

Shippo was suddenly in the clearing, jumping into Kagome's arms as Inuyasha stepped back behind her. Miroku and Sango were hot on the fox kit's tail, both eager to see their time-travelling friend. As Shippo started firing his questions and chatter at Kagome, she felt Inuyasha move in closely behind her, a clawed hand on her back, rubbing in small circles, and his nose in her hair, reverting back to the deep breathing from before.

Kagome felt guilty, but she couldn't say that she regretted any form of attention she would receive from Inuyasha in his current state. Her eyes drifted close as his hands continued to move over her form, enjoying every second of it.

"Hello, Kagome-chan!" Sango said excitedly, walking up to her friend to share an embrace. "We missed you while you were away," she said with a bright smile. Miroku came up besides her, nodding his agreement, but kept his eyes on Inuyasha. His expression grew more and more confused as he watched the hanyou's impromptu back massage. He nudged Sango, moving her attention to the half-demon as well.

What's going on...?

"Inuyasha…" Miroku started, trying to catch his companion's attention. "What exactly are you doing?"

Inuyasha jumped away from her, as if burned. His face glowed with the ferocity of his blush, and his wide, startled eyes jumped from each of his friends, finally landing on Kagome.

"i…" He gave her a pleading look. "I'm sorry."

And then he was gone, having dashed out of the clearing and disappearing into the surrounding forest. Their group sat in stunned silence, staring where he'd run off to, until Shippo snapped everyone from their reverie's by asking if Kagome had brought him any sweets. After relinquishing the lollipop to the kitsune, the four of them headed back to Kaede's village to decide on their next course of action.