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Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 2: First Date…?

"So what movie do you want to see?" I asked Inuyasha as I drove us to the movie theater.

"I don't care," he replied. "Whatever you want to see." I stole a glance at him as I came to a stop at a red light.

To my surprise, he looked back at me. When our eyes met, I couldn't help but feel those familiar butterflies I'd gotten before he kissed me for the first time.

Do I want him to kiss me?

I looked away from him and focused on watching for the light to change. Mentally chiding myself, I tried to make it to the movie theater without incident.

It was a quiet drive, but the previous animosity we'd had between us for the whole day had begun to fade a little.

The look he'd given me at that stoplight…what was that?

It wasn't until we were waiting in line to buy tickets that we spoke again.

"So which movie?" he asked. I peered at the choices, but ultimately picked a new comedy that I'd heard was pretty good.

Inuyasha nodded at my choice and reached for his wallet as I began to dig around for my own in my purse.

"No, I got it," he said as he pulled out some cash. I frowned.

"No, really," I replied. "I can pay for myself." Inuyasha smirked.

"Now what kind of date would this be if I didn't pay for you?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"This is not a date," I corrected. "This is me being a good best friend to Sango." Inuyasha chuckled.

"Whatever you say," he replied. "But I'm still paying." I couldn't help but feel an embarrassed blush come to my cheeks.

"Fine," I conceded. "Thank you…but this still isn't a date." Inuyasha smirked again as he paid for the tickets.

"I'll buy the popcorn," I said as we walked up the concession stand. "It's only fair." Inuyasha shrugged.

"Okay," he replied.

Once we'd gotten popcorn to share and two drinks, we headed into the correct theater.

And it was empty.

Usually, I love empty theaters. I love being able to laugh openly and cry as hard as I want with a few close friends.

But being alone with Inuyasha, I knew, would only lead to trouble.

And the real question is…am I okay with that trouble?

I shook the question from my thoughts as we sat down in seats in the middle of the theater.

"Can you believe how hard it was to find seats?" Inuyasha asked jokingly as he grabbed a handful of popcorn. "I'm shocked we were able to even sit together." I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile that came to my face.

"It's a true miracle," I replied. Inuyasha took another handful of popcorn, and without thinking about it, I took his wrist and stopped him before he put it in his mouth.

"Save it for the movie," I scolded. Inuyasha paused and looked from me to my hand on his wrist and back to me.

"You know, Ka-go-me," he said, "you don't have to make up excuses. You can just hold my hand if you want." I practically ripped my hand off of him and frowned.

"Don't get any ideas," I warned. Inuyasha chuckled.

"Same to you," he replied. "Just because we're alone doesn't mean you can try to get fresh with me." Before I could protest very adamantly, the lights went out and the previews began.

Inuyasha and I were quiet until the opening credits came onto the screen. Immediately, we were laughing at the movie. The comedy didn't disappoint, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed that hard.

And actually, I was pretty glad that Inuyasha was there with me.

About ten minutes into the movie, I reached for the popcorn that Inuyasha had settled in his lap.

And like a cliché, our hands touched in the popcorn bowl.

I felt his eyes on me, and figuring I'd probably regret it, I looked back at him.

Then suddenly the movie was gone, there was nothing else in existence but us, and we were kissing.

Inuyasha's hands instantly came up to cup my cheeks and guide my face to his. I quickly responded by wrapping my arms around his back and reaching my hands up to tangle in his hair, much like our first kiss.

His lips were soft, playful, parting. His hands eventually slid down to wrap around my waist and pull me as close to him as possible. The shared arm of our two seats was pressing against my hip, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I was relishing and living in this kiss, in the boy I'd tripped over on that fateful night two weeks ago, and I was loving it.

The kiss went on until I could hardly remember my own name and my lungs felt like they were going to explode from lack of oxygen.

Finally, after what felt like a decade, Inuyasha pulled back to look into my eyes.

We were silent as we stared at each other, and I couldn't find even two words to say.

His hands came back up to my cheeks, but instead of pulling me forward, his thumbs gently stroked my skin.

"So much for not trying to make-out with me," he teased quietly. I sighed and leaned into his hand.

"Oops," I murmured back. A smirk played on his lips.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Oops."

He looked like he was going to move in for another round, but a crunching sound between us stopped him.

We both looked down to find the source of the noise and saw that in our eagerness, Inuyasha had dropped the entire bucket of popcorn onto the floor. There were pieces of popcorn all over our laps and the floor.

Dang, I thought to myself. Big bucket. I laughed as I let go of him to start picking up the popcorn.

"How did we not notice when it fell?" he asked as he bent down to help me. I paused and gave him a Look. He smirked.

"Uh-huh," was all he said as he resumed our pick-up.

Once all of the pieces were mostly back in the bucket, Inuyasha turned to me again. Instead of reaching for me, he gave a small smile.

"I wish I'd done that when I saw you this morning," he admitted. I smirked.

"You wish you'd picked up a bucket of spilled popcorn?" I asked innocently. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Of course," he teased back. "But kissing you was up there, too." I kept the smirk on my face, but it faded a bit.

"I'm actually kind of glad you didn't," I replied. Inuyasha looked confused.

"Why?" he asked. I sighed.

"You kissing me would have made me ridiculously confused," I explained. "I mean, think about it: we haven't talked since the day after we met. I figured you'd lost interest…or you realized that you weren't interested to begin with. I figured maybe you thought that night was just a fluke." Inuyasha chuckled.

"There you go with that word again," he replied. "But I get it. I thought the same thing." My eyes widened.

"Really?" I asked in disbelief. His expression went serious as he nodded.

"Well, yeah," he replied. "I kissed you. I asked for your number. I thought I was the only one interested after we texted for the first time." I frowned.

"I'm sorry," I said sincerely. "Sounds like we both messed up on that." Inuyasha smiled and took my hand.

"And we messed up this morning," he replied. "But I think we finally got something right just now." I smiled back at him.

"You're right," I agreed. "I don't want to mess anything else up." Inuyasha looked hopeful.

"So…you really are interested?" he asked. I giggled.

"Duh," I replied. "You, too?" He nodded eagerly.

"I knew that night, Kagome," he said. "I knew there was just something about you…something I didn't know I needed." I blushed.

"I'm glad," I admitted. "I missed you. It sounds crazy, but I really missed you." Inuyasha smirked.

"Crazy, right?" he asked. "This is only the first time we've seen each other since the exam that day, but somehow it feels like I've know you for, like, five-hundred years or something." I laughed.

"Me, too," I replied. "I feel the exact same." He took my other hand in his.

"So can we call this a real date now?" he asked. "I mean, we already kissed. We're holding hands right now…it seems legit to me." I squeezed his hands.

"Yes," I said immediately. "And I'm sorry for shouting at you this morning. I should really work on that." Inuyasha chuckled lightly and gently touched his forehead to mine.

"Eh, I changed my mind," he replied. "As long as you use that mouth to kiss me, you can yell with it all you want." I laughed at that and kissed him quickly.

"Okay," I said as I pulled back to meet his gaze. "Let's finish the movie and then…"

"Uh, Kagome?" Inuyasha interrupted. "Look at the screen." Confused, I moved my attention to the movie screen and saw the end credits rolling. My hand flew to my mouth in surprise.

"The movie is over?" I asked in horror. "I can't believe it…I can't believe I just made-out with someone for an entire movie…" Inuyasha wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close.

"Yeah, that's the first time I've done that, too," he replied. "But I gotta say it was worth it." Eventually, I smiled at him hesitantly, a blush bright on my cheeks.

"Then I guess let's go," I said. "I have a place I want to show you." Inuyasha smiled and nodded as he stood up.

We left the theater hand-in-hand as we quickly made our way to my car.

"Where are we going?" Inuyasha asked as I put the key in the ignition.

"It's a surprise," I replied as I pulled out of the parking lot.

About twenty minutes later, we reached our destination.

"Whose house is this?" Inuyasha asked as I parked on the side of the street in front of a house in a residential neighborhood.

I shrugged as I turned the car off. "I have no idea," I replied. Inuyasha looked skeptical.

"Then why are we here?" he asked. I smiled.

"This isn't where we're going," I replied. "Now come on." Inuyasha still looked a little skeptical, but he got out of the car and followed me as I began walking across the street.

He took my hand after a moment, and I smiled as our fingers laced together.

"We just have to go down this street and through a cul-de-sac," I explained. "There's a little path that leads to my favorite place in town." Inuyasha looked around at our surroundings.

"Are you sure we're allowed to go back there?" he asked. I paused.

"Uh, not exactly," I admitted. "We're allowed to go on the path because it's a public site, but I don't know about the place we're heading. But I've been going there for a while, and there's never been anyone around to tell me to leave or anything like that…so we should be fine." Inuyasha chuckled.

"Sounds legit," he replied. I laughed and tugged him along.

We reached the path a few minutes later, and Inuyasha's eyes widened when he saw where exactly we were going.

We actually had to cross the path and go through a small wooded area. There were train tracks that ran parallel to the path, but they were semi-hidden by the trees we had to go through to get there. A small pond was tucked away that surrounded the train tracks. It was beautiful in the early mornings; there was a light mist that settled on the water. It was a magical place.

I led Inuyasha through a small opening in the woods so we could step up onto the railroad tracks.

"Wow," he breathed as he saw the pond for the first time.

I smiled at his reaction. "It's beautiful, right?" I asked. He nodded.

"It's amazing," he replied. I led him to farther down the tracks until we reached the pond. The railroad tracks eventually came to hover over the water, so it resembled a small bridge.

Once Inuyasha and I reached the bridge part, I sat down and encouraged him to do the same. Slipping off my flip-flops, I dipped my feet in the water and relished in the sunshine warming my face.

"I come here a few times a week whenever I'm on break from school," I said. "It's a nice place to clear my thoughts or just enjoy the scenery. Sango has come with me once or twice, but this is the one place I can actually be alone. I'm always afraid to be alone for the amount of time I spend in this place, but for some reason, I'm never afraid out here." I met Inuyasha's gaze. "But it's the kind of place I want to share with you." Inuyasha smiled and took my hand.

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. I leaned my head on his shoulder as we looked out into the water.

We were quiet as we just admired the scene around us.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Inuyasha said, breaking our long silence. "I made the Dean's List." I lifted my head and smiled brightly at him.

"Really?" I asked. "That's great!" Inuyasha smiled back at me.

"I'm convinced that the only reason I made it was that A I got on our Economics final," he admitted. "And I guess I should thank you for that. Not only did I meet an amazing girl, I actually did well on the exam." I laughed.

"I'm pretty sure that night is why I got an A, too," I replied.

"Did you make the Dean's List?" he asked. He smiled turned to a smirk. "But I'm assuming you did. Obviously you're a smart one." I laughed again.

"Yeah, I did," I replied. "And yeah, I am a smart one. Apparently you are, too." Inuyasha chuckled.

"I knew you were," he said. "And thank you. I don't hear that one a lot." I shook my head before leaning back on his shoulder.

"I get the smart vibe from you," I replied. "And I get the good vibe…and the honest vibe…and the strong vibe." Inuyasha shifted so I would raise my head.

His hands came up to cup my cheeks. He looked at me for a moment, and then he leaned in to kiss me.

This was a quiet kiss; it was the kind of kiss you never forget. I've learned that there are kisses that get lost along the way in a relationship, but this is one I know will stick out. It's the first one I've ever felt this way with, and I knew it would forever be my favorite.

When Inuyasha pulled away with a smile on his face, he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close.

We stayed like that until it got dark outside, and that's when I realized how late we'd been out.

"We should probably go," I said as I began to stand up. "I like this place, but it can get creepy when it's dark." Inuyasha nodded and stood up next to me.

"Yeah," he replied. "And Miroku and I are heading home tonight. This was just a day trip." Sadness filled me as I realized our time together was coming to an end.

Inuyasha took my hand as we walked, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Although a melancholy feeling was settling in my chest, I felt a wave a happiness come over me.

This was real.

The drive back to my apartment was quiet, but Inuyasha held my hand the entire way. I had to admit it was a little hard to drive one-handed, but it was worth it.

When I pulled into my parking spot outside the apartment, Inuyasha stopped me before we got out.

"So I know this might be dumb," he began, "but I still think I should ask." He looked into my eyes and squeezed my hand. "Will you be my girlfriend? I mean, will you upgrade from the wonder-girl I met one night, the girl that makes me feel like I've never kissed anyone else, to my actual girlfriend?" I laughed and squeezed his hand.

"Yes," I replied. Inuyasha smiled and let go of my hand.

"Cool," he said. "Now we can go inside." I giggled as we got out of the car and made our way to my apartment.

After I unlocked the door, I opened it and called out, "We're home!" I wasn't sure if we would be interrupting anything, so I figured I'd let Sango know as soon as we walked in.

"We're in the kitchen," Sango called back.

Inuyasha and I made our way into the kitchen and found Sango and Miroku sitting at our small dining table. They were holding hands across the table and Sango had a dazed look on her face.

"Hey," she said. I could tell she was trying to clear her mind and focus in on us. "How was your…outing?" I stifled a giggle.

"It was great," I replied. "We saw a movie." Well, we saw about ten minutes of it…

I decided to save that little fact for when Sango and I were alone.

Miroku sighed. "This has been great," he began, "but Inuyasha and I should probably go now. It's almost ten." Sango face fell.

"Okay," she said in disappointment.

I took Inuyasha's hand and tugged him toward the living room. "We'll give you guys some privacy to say goodbye," I said. I wriggled my eyebrows at Sango, and I was glad to see that it brought a small smile to her face.

"And we have a goodbye of our own," Inuyasha said after we were isolated in the living room. He pulled me into his arms and held me tight.

I felt tears spring into my eyes as I held him just as tight.

Inuyasha pulled back slightly so he could look into my eyes. "I'll visit again soon," he promised. "Miroku probably won't be able to stay away from Sango for very long." He smirked. "And I know I won't be able to stay away from you either." I laughed but felt a few tears trickle down my cheeks. I quickly let go of Inuyasha to wipe them away.

"Sorry," I said as I tried to regain my composure. "I know it's silly to cry." Inuyasha only smiled and wiped away my last tear.

"It's okay," he replied. "It means you'll miss me." He left his hand on my cheek and I leaned into it as he moved in to kiss me.

After only a few moments, our kiss was interrupted by a girlish gasp.

Inuyasha and I pulled away from each other to find Sango and Miroku staring at us with their jaws practically on the floor. I felt a blush creep onto my face.

"Uh," Inuyasha said slowly. "Surprise?" Miroku and Sango only laughed.

"We were hoping that would happen," Miroku admitted. Sango looked at me pointedly, and I knew we were going to have a very long and in-depth conversation after our guys left.

"Inuyasha, are you ready to head out?" Miroku asked, leaving the newfound relationship alone. Inuyasha nodded.

"Yeah," he replied. With one last quick hug, he let go of me and waited for Miroku to finish his not-so-quick hug with Sango.

When they finally parted, Miroku and Inuyasha headed to the door.

The last thing I saw was Inuyasha tossing his trademark smirk at me, and then they were gone.

Sango immediately whirled on me.

"Kagome!" she shouted. "You and Inuyasha?" I laughed.

"Yes," I replied. "Me and Inuyasha." Sango pulled me over to the couch and sat us down.

"Tell me everything!" she commanded.

It took me longer than I thought to fill her in on "every little detail" as she'd requested, and I could've sworn she was going to burst with excitement.

"This is so great!" she said. "We're best friends and now we're dating best friends!" I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, but I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

"What about you and Miroku?" I asked. Sango blushed.

"He said that he loves me," she replied. I squealed.

"Oh my gosh!" I shouted. Sango laughed.

"He said he knows that it's a little sudden," she replied. "I mean, we've only been dating for about a month-and-a-half, but he said he didn't think it mattered." She blushed again. "He actually told me he knew he was in love the moment her first saw me." I smiled widely.

"I'm so happy for you, Sango," I said sincerely.

"Thank you," she replied happily. She began to fill me in on the rest of her evening spent with Miroku, and I felt a content warmth fill me.

That feeling I'd had after Inuyasha had walked me to my dorm had returned: the feeling that something beautiful was beginning.

But this time, I knew it had already begun.

To be continued…

Eek! Major fluff!

I based the scene where they went to the pond on an actual place in the town I live in. The real place truly is a magical one, and I wanted to include it in this fic. I hope you enjoyed that little tidbit and the overall fic itself! More chapters are soon to come so stick with me! :)

Much love. :)