---If You Were Nearby---
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha.
This is a request from Hikage Dragon.
I've chosen to interpret this unique request in a… way I'm not accustomed to, and I hope you guys like it. (Is nervous.)
This is an INUNARU short, short, short story. Kabuto/Kagome pairing; serious OOCness warning. Until the end? I don't know.
Part 1: Straying Near
Kabuto always visited a certain teahouse for lunch.
Whenever he wasn't caught up in research, going on missions, healing, or running simple errands, the medic-nin would arrive at a certain teahouse to settle down and relax.
Always this teahouse.
Not only was the service acceptable, but the tea was moderately sweet, and it sent tingles, and a faint, pleasant buzz to his ears.
"Kabuto-san! You're here again! Same as usual, or would you like to try something different today?"
"Yes." He smiled cheerfully, nodding to the waitress.
She nodded, tucking her notepad into the pocket of her simple work attire, "It'll probably be ready in a few minutes."
Kabuto caught the glimpse of her shining nametag before she turned away… 'Kagome.', it read.
Sighing, he picked up the daily newspaper.
There was so much to do these days. Shovel the sidewalk for the old man across the street, report to the Hokage, run his daily routine, arrive on time for some more complicated healing lessons from the Konoha Medical Squad…
"It's such a bitter winter this year, isn't it?" Kagome came back, "There you go. Here's some rice and fish, with a nice cup of hot tea to suit the season." She smiled, setting everything down on the table.
"Ahh…thank you"
"Kagome! You're off now! Sango's taking the next shift today; have a safe trip home!"
Kagome turned towards the counter nodding in thanks, "Thanks, Miroku!" She slipped her apron off and turned back towards Kabuto, "Mind if I have a seat? I'm exhausted."
"No, not at all." Kabuto sipped his tea, calming regarding her.
"So…" After a while, Kagome attempted to strike up some conversation, "I'm Higurashi Kagome, but that's probably a bit obvious…who are you?"
Kabuto looked up from the paper, "Yakushi Kabuto."
"What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a medical ninja."
"Oh, that's nice." The waitress nodded, "So, have you gone on any missions lately?"
He nodded, "I just got back yesterday. Some scouting mission down in Wave Country."
"Was it a success?" Kagome cocked her head curiously.
"Yes, the whole mission went quite smoothly."
"How about your past missions?"
"The same result."
They remained silent the rest of the way, Kabuto eating, and Kagome staring out the window.
"Finished? Here I'll take that into the kitchen." Kagome stood up, carefully stacking the ceramic bowls and walking off.
Kabuto, seeing as he had no other reason to stay any longer, paid the bill and exited the teahouse, only to be immediately assaulted with the harsh winter air. He could've sworn something splashed him on the nose, but after a minute, there was no reoccurrence, so he deemed it a nice day.
"Kabuto, wait!"
The medic-nin turned around to see Kagome rushing up to him.
"Kabuto, I just thought…I have nothing else to do today, and I don't want to be cooped up at my apartment…could I hang out with you for the rest of the day?" Kagome asked, obviously embarrassed.
He shrugged, "Why not?"
She grinned, "Where to, then?"
"I suppose we could…" Kabuto looked up into the sky again, and a drop of water planted itself onto his forehead. He held out his hand, "It's going to rain."
"Yes…" Kagome breathed, following his gaze.
But what they thought was only going to be a small drizzle, grew into a downpour
Kagome couldn't help but laugh, and she grabbed a hold of Kabuto's wrist, fleeing to an undercover area.
121212121212
The two were sitting on a bench at the side of an empty marketplace, trying to squeeze water out of their clothes and hair.
"And I heard it was going to be a nice day today," Kabuto commented placidly, defogging his glasses.
Kagome shrugged, "It's raining so hard…" She stared ahead, entranced by the droplets, "I don't want to say this…but I think we're stuck here until it clears up a bit."
He simply nodded, sighing.
"Say…so you said you're a medic-nin, right?"
"Yes," Kabuto replied, taking his glasses off. He used the end of his shirt to rub the fog out of the lens, "I think it's what I'll be doing in the future."
"I hope so! It seems like an exciting life, other than like me, where I only work with my friends in a teahouse. It's pathetic, right?" Kagome laughed.
"No, no, not at all! And you make very good tea, so I'm sure it's a benefit for everybody that goes there."
She flushed in embarrassment, "I don't! I really don't, do I?"
"Of course you do, you make excellent tea; why else would I keep coming back if it was pathetic?"
"—Hey! The rain's cleared up," Kagome interrupted nervously.
Kabuto laughed, shaking his head, "I guess I better get going then, it was nice talking to you."
"Yes…I hope to see you around sometime."
"I'll be coming in for tea again," He nodded.
"Bye, Kabuto…"
121212121212
'I wonder what Kabuto's doing…' Kagome fingered the hem of her clothing at home, sighing.
She couldn't say she didn't regret mentioning that the rain had stopped earlier on.
…And they were having a nice time then too…
Kagome cursed her embarrassment.
121212121212
"Kagome!"
"Kabuto?" Kagome turned around to see him waving at her across the street. Excited, she ran up to him, "Hey, how're you doing?"
"Fine, thank you. I was at the teahouse yesterday, and it seemed you weren't there…"
"Oh! Yeah, sorry about that," Kagome scratched her head, "Miroku said I could take a few days off work, so I've been off since yesterday."
"Ah…I see…" Kabuto nodded, "Well, since we're both here, would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Why not?" She grinned, "Do you know a good place?"
"No, unfortunately. I've always been at your teahouse."
Kagome blushed, letting out a long breath, trying to recall if she had ever been to one recently, "How about…that one?" She pointed to the one down the street, where a man stood out front, sweeping some dust around.
"Alright, let's go."
121212121212
"A few days ago, the rain didn't last very long, did it?"
Kabuto shook his head, "I guess it was just a cloud passing by. It was lucky for us though."
"Yes…" Kagome trailed off, sighing. She rubbed her hand against the side of her coffee cup, "And it's cold outside, but I'm glad you suggested walking instead of staying inside the shop. Coffee keeps the warmth around."
"Yes…it does, doesn't it?"
"You don't make much conversation at times, do you?" She grumbled.
He laughed, "Do I?"
Kagome whacked him on the shoulder, "…You could at least try to start a conversation."
"But I do."
"Hardly," Kagome rolled her eyes.
"I'll be forced to dump my coffee on your head."
"You wouldn't."
"Perhaps."
End part one. There will be four or so parts to the story. He's OOC, but don't say I didn't warn you. I've got this story precisely planned out; he's supposed to be like this. It's Romance/Angst, and there will be...except I don't think I can nail the angst, because I suck at angst. XD
Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this chapter to this unusual pairing.
Note: Yes…note that the summary of this story doesn't actually make sense until the very end. XD
Reviews would be appreciated.
Sayonara,
Tenshi-Battosai