Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha—he's all Rumiko T.'s *sob*—but I do own this plot so deal with that.

A/N: WARNING: SOME BAD LANGUAGE! By the way, I don't know if there are food museums in Tokyo, much less one with ramen. Anyways, people may be OOC for the story... Just saying...

Summary: Higurashi Kagome's older sister, Kikyou, dumps her boyfriend Takahashi Inuyasha once he decides to go study business and all that good stuff in an American college. When he returns, he sets out to win her heart and get back what they had. Despite his persistence, however, Kikyou is frozen, for he kind of sucks when it comes to romancing women. Kagome, being the kind butterfly she is and also remembering the times she spent with Inuyasha (and Kikyou), decides to help Inuyasha win Kikyou's heart, giving him hints on love and stuff. But things begin to backfire when Kagome finds herself slowly falling in love with the man who's infatuated with her sister. Will Kagome stick to her promise of helping him, or will she back out, ignore him/possibly try to win his affections? As their mission progresses and the steps become clearer, will Inuyasha realize that maybe Kikyou isn't worth it, and what he's wanted all along has been standing in the sidelines all these years...?

CURIOUS OF HOW KAGOME'S SCHOOL WORKS? GO TO imtc. gatech. edu/ i-irasshai/ 2/ 207/ 207a01/ 207a01. htm (WITHOUT THE SPACES) AND THERE SHOULD BE AT THE VERY TOP OF THE PAGE YOUR TYPICAL, WEEKLY JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE.


Poppy:

Imagination, Dreaminess, Eternal Sleep.


HOW TO LOSE THE BEST THING THAT EVER CAME TO YOU

Step 7: Dream and Live Your First Date


"From top to bottom of the ladder, greed is aroused without knowing
where to find ultimate foothold. Nothing can calm it, since its goal is
far beyond all it can attain.
Reality seems valueless by comparison with
the
dreams of fevered imaginations; reality is therefore abandoned."

—Emile Durkheim


The fifteen-year-old miko hugged her pillow close to her blossoming chest, creaking open her elder sister's bedroom door. She peeked in to first see a certain half-demon's black sleeping bag on the floor, his self shirtless except for his red flannel pants. The miko blushed at the sight of him tossled up in his sheets, innocent and clueless to his surroundings. Then she focused on the lump in the white-covered bed with dull, straight, black hair and whispered, "Kikyou…"

"Kagome?" came the voice of the groggy eighteen-year-old. She didn't flick on her nightstand light, but even at two o'clock in the morning, her little sister's voice was recognizable, and the moonlight was enough to show her long raven hair and a bit of her lively yet currently frightened pale eyes. Kikyou glanced at the sleeping form of her boyfriend, who'd been staying at their house the last few days due to a large fight that'd occurred between him, his brother, and his father. Gods, how Kikyou hated Inuyasha's family. They were absolutely annoying. "What are you doing here?"

Kagome felt her face redden in embarrassment. "I… I'm sorry. I had a bad dream. I thought I could stay with you for the night, but I forgot that Inuyasha would be— I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Kikyou mumbled, wiping some sleep from her eyes. Kagome slightly panicked when Kikyou murmured, "Inuyasha…" His ear twitched, but he didn't wake up. "Inuyasha."

"What?" he grumbled, stirring in his double-sided blanket. Kagome wondered why even in the middle of night, his hair was perfectly displayed, never tangled or frizzed, never lifeless or dry.

"Kagome wants to sleep in here," Kikyou told him. "Let her use your sleeping bag and come into my bed."

Inuyasha complained some more, and Kagome felt her heart quicken. The moment his feet hit the floor, Kagome collapsed onto his made-up bed, trying to control her breathing. She heard the elder two mutter their goodnights, but she was feeling too sick to pay them any mind. Why does the thought of Inuyasha and Kikyou sharing a bed make me feel like crying? She stared out Kikyou's bedroom window, where the moonlight shown in brightly. They're a couple. It shouldn't bother me that my maybe-friend and sister are together and sharing a bed…

So why did it?

—~*~—~*~—~*~—

The evening doesn't go well at first, especially when Inuyasha opens up the car door for me, posing as a gentleman, only to accidentally slam it on my leg. I whimper from the throbbing, and after convincing him I'm fine, we start for the road. I take in his chipper, hyper mood and question it, to which he responds, "Mother got a new shipment of chocolate," which would explain his sweet-smelling breath. You know, even though I'm seriously confused since I thought chocolate was supposed to be bad for dogs. Maybe the demon part helps out his immune system? After doing a few things together, Inuyasha asks, "Are you havin' fun yet, Kagome?"

Despite the somewhat-remaining soreness in my leg—and the fact that he just called me by my name—I nod joyfully, and laugh when we hit another pothole. Yes, it's painful to jump around in his Ferrari and knock into things, having the seatbelt choke me continually, but altogether, I feel so happy just spending time with him. I sigh contently as he makes a swift turn onto another road, this one having much less potholes. He turns to me with a mischievous glint in his eyes before flooring it, not bothering to obey the laws or stay in our lane.

Gripping onto my surroundings with every bit of power I have, I scream, "INUYASHA! YOU IDIOT!"

He snickers, narrowly avoiding being hit by another car. After receiving whiplash a few times and almost throwing up on his leather interior, he finally comes to a stop outside the Japanese food museum. Today's display: the totally classic Ramen Is Us. He jumps out of the car like a kid on Christmas Day, and races into the small business while I just shake my head. The doors lock behind me, and I'm pretty sure that everyone can see Inuyasha just bouncing with excitement. I resist the urge to laugh in his face, though my breath pretty much dissolves when his hand rests on my lower back, guiding me animatedly to the ticket desk. At his childish grin, seeing him so happy, I smile also.

My first date.

He didn't tell me it was a date; we're just "hanging out". We weren't supposed to tonight—our Win Kikyou's Heart plans won't continue until he's delivered the flowers for the first time—but we're together and having fun. Yet, despite our claiming it's not a date, it sure feels like it. It's just me and him: no Kikyou, whether she be here in person or conversation.

As we learn about the making of ramen and its entire history, I still cannot believe Inuyasha dragged me into this. To believe, my first somewhat-of-a-first-date is with Takahashi Inuyasha. For some reason, that makes my stomach energized in ways that make me want to giggle. After we've gone through all the exhibits, Inuyasha's still jumping around. I raise an eyebrow, and he insists, "Pet store."

This is probably the strangest "date" ever known to man.

First, we ran by the shrine and knocked on Jii-chan's window, hiding when he came to investigate the source of its tapping. Second, Inuyasha took me to a gas station, even though he didn't need any gas. Third, we sat in the park for half an hour, just talking about random things. Fourth, the ramen exhibit in the food museum, and now…

A pet store.

If there was ever a good time to question his sanity, it would be right about now.

We storm through the aisles, the sugar-pepped Inuyasha never once settling down. He grabs squeaky toys and teases the animals with them, and doesn't understand why he gets bitten repeatedly. He even ripped open one of the dog treat bags, wanting to "experiment". Finally having enough of his weird behavior despite my obvious entertainment, I demand, "What're you taking?" I'm talking about drugs, by the way, because he's probably popping pills when I'm not looking.

He stares at me for a moment before breaking out into a shameless beam. "Chocolate, remember?"

"Oh, dear Kami," I groan as he points cheerfully to the fish. Inuyasha… I've never seen him so happy. Just thinking that makes me smile. He twists up his face some after tasting the treat, before putting the half-eaten thing back into the package. I gag, and he laughs at me before I throw my high heel his way.

He then steers me to the rabbit section, where he explains dog demon territorial boundaries, and how mutts hunted poor, unsuspecting bunnies when they were young. Hecks, even at twenty, Inuyasha knows how to hunt with only his instincts in the wild. I find this impressive, though that quickly fades when he grabs a carrot from the vegetable dispenser and aims it at the animal. The moment the veggie hits the cage floor, I could've sworn that bunny bared its teeth and hissed.

For our own safety, we calmly and quietly evacuate the area.

"RUN FOR IT!"

"KILLER BUNNY ON THE LOOSE!"

I don't think we're going to be allowed back into the pet store for a while.

Chocolate-drunk Inuyasha flips off the shop repetitively before I drag him away by the ear, scolding him for such behavior in public—and in front of children, at that. He whimpers like a canine, and when I finally stop causing him pain, rubs his abused appendage. I apologize with a pouty lip, and he pecks me on the cheek, still hyper. But his lips feel so warm, so comforting. It makes me feel like— Well, like maybe we're—

"Kagome has a date!"

My eyes open slightly, taking in the sunlight escaping through my bedroom window. It blinds me, and makes the headache I've somehow already obtained worse. No, I think sadly. It was all just a dream? None of that happened?

"Kagome has a date, Kagome has a date, Kagome has a—!"

"I do not!" I insist, chucking a pillow Souta's way. He snickers, shakes his head, and points to my calendar. I squint my eyes before seeing what day it is, and groan. Today's Sunday, my date with Bankoutsu.

My real first date. And I don't even want to go on it.

"According to this baby," Souta murmurs, pointing to the calendar as if it's a math equation, "you have a date with… Pain-koutsu? Bane-outsu? Banky? Hanky-Panky? Hank? Spank-Me-Silly—"

"OKAY, I GET THE POINT, DUMMY!" I groan, hiding my eyes from the sunlight and my ears from Souta's voice as I shove my head underneath my pillow.

Souta laughs evilly once more. "So…" I can hear the teasing in his voice already. "Is this the guy you were thinking about the other night?"

"NO!" I insist, trying to repel the blush coming on. Oh, Gods. Does Souta even remember Inuyasha coming back? If he does, will he find out about our plans?

Will he find out about my dream?

Oh, he better not. For his own health, he better not find out anything, or even remember Inuyasha exists.

I get up feebly, still under the spell of slumber. I look at the clock and realize it's noon—I never sleep in this late. I guess my body must've forced itself to rest longer to see how my dream played out. I sigh, reliving the date as I take a cold shower—since I don't want to waste the hot water for everyone else—and when I exit, I see I still have one and a half hours until Bankoutsu's arrival. I spend thirty minutes brushing my teeth and hair, changing into a comfortable outfit, and just gathering my things together. I never wear make-up since that's Kikyou's thing, nor do I do anything special with my hair. I don't even accent my amazing body like Miroku and the Terrible Trio would suggest; I just wear comfortable jeans with a short-sleeved t-shirt.

I trudge down the stairs lazily, taking one whiff of my mother's cooking before quickening my pace. The moment I walk into the dining room, my mouth waters at all the delectable foods in front of me. "Mm," I hum, plopping down next to Souta, who sits next to Jii-chan, who sits next to Kikyou, who's right across from me with Mama separating us. I pick up some chopsticks and begin digging in, enjoying all the flavors grazing my tongue and filling my stomach gradually. I don't know if Bankoutsu's taking me out to eat or anything else, but I do know that I'm hungry and I'm not taking any chances.

"Gee, Nee-chan," Souta mutters teasingly, "you wanna get any fatter?"

I grimace before setting down my chopsticks as if putting down a gun. Thanks for the reminder, Souta. You're rocking my world today, little man, and I'm not being sarcastic at all. But, sadly, I am, so I just lied. Whoops.

Gods, I will get fatter by eating lunch, won't I? I get up to go out for a quick ride on my home-bicycle when my mother stops me. "Oh, c'mon, honey," she soothes, sending me an encouraging smile. "You should fill up and store your energy. You never know when you'll need it."

For some reason, I automatically see a double meaning to those words. That's when I notice the obvious shining in her and Jii-chan's eyes: We want more kids in the house, dammit. Great. Next thing you know, they'll be pressuring me into marriage—though I don't see why they'd want me to have kids before courtship.

I sit back down and eat slowly, hopefully making it seem like I'm eating an average serving when I'm really only taking portioned bites. As I rub my temple, hoping it'll help subdue my never-ending headache, Souta continues, "What's this guy like anyways? The Hanky-Panky person?"

I roll my eyes. "Bankoutsu," I correct. "And all I know is that he's friendly, charming, and has a large mass of friends." Or fangirls. Whichever fits better.

"Sounds nice enough," Mama adds when Jii-chan shouts, "HE MAY BE A DEMON IN DISGUISE!"

"Why would he be in a disguise?" Souta questions, raising an eyebrow. "Jii-chan, demons already live amongst us; they're a normal part of society. Plus, if he was an evil demon, Nee-chan would've known before even Onee-chan—" Kikyou sends him a glare since she doesn't like talking about my spiritual powers, though she doesn't seem to be a big fan of hers, either. "Anyways, Nee-chan knows better than that."

"Damn straight," I say without thinking. When I feel surprised eyes on me, I instantly recover from my faux pas. "Dan's straight." Still baffled stares. I try again. "Haha, Sango—she passes new habits onto me every day." I don't think they really believe me since Sango doesn't show that side of her with other people around, but they all drop it and resume eating.

Except Kikyou. "Sister," she says oh-so-kindly. "Why have you been away from the house so often?"

Weird thing is, I don't think she's suspecting anything from me. Even though she asked me directly about my absence, it's obvious she has no idea about Inuyasha and I's plans to get them back together. I answer truthfully, "Ever since that darned Suzuki came along, I haven't done so well in math, and Watanabe-sensei is a good teacher, but it's hard for me to keep up with him. Sango's been offering to give me tutoring sessions around work time, practice, and all that good stuff." Translation: I'M HANGING OUT WITH YOUR EX-BOYFRIEND! HAHAHAHAHA!

I hope my sister's not a mind reader.

Luckily for me, Kikyou nods in understanding, and all the pressure lifts off my shoulders. Then it nearly pushes me to the floor when it comes crashing back down as she says something that makes me nearly choke on my oden.

"Inuyasha's back from America."

Everyone looks at her, shocked, though I'm stunned for different reasons. I try to hide my panic. Why did Kikyou bring him up? She never brings up anything happening in her life out of her own freewill—never. What has changed? Why did she bring the topic of Inuyasha's return into our nice family chat when she hasn't spoken to him in five days?

"Really?" Mama asks, the first to come out of her stupor. Souta's probably hiding the fact that he knows Inuyasha is here as well, since I see small terror in his eyes. So he does remember Inuyasha from my tournament. Darn it.

Kikyou nods. "Tuesday, he came to my window and asked if we could talk. But I didn't want to hear any of it, so I merely requested that he leave." I look at her dubiously. Are you kidding? Her anger almost caused a twister, I'm sure of it. Her behavior that day was so far from ladylike. Is she lying to stay on Mama's good side and remain known as an "adult"? I narrow my eyes at the thought, but she continues, oblivious to my glares. "He didn't, so I finally decided to close my window and show him that I was not interested in speaking. Fortunately, when I came down for dinner, he wasn't out front anymore. But then I received this today—" She holds up something wrapped in plastic. "—and now I'm reconsidering."

When I look closer, I realize it's a three-flower bouquet of lavender stocks, which means "bonds of affection" and "you will always be beautiful to me". He didn't overdo it, thanks to my expertise, and the note…

Wait… I just realized—

That idiot! Does he ever listen to me? No, 'cause apparently, I'm always wrong and don't know a freaking thing about women or my sister (though the second can be true, since Kikyou and I aren't the best of friends). Dummy. I'm going to give him a big, fat piece of my mind when I talk to him tomorrow at school.

Kikyou tells us, or more specifically, everyone but me, "They're stocks." No duh. "I looked up their meaning, and found out they meant something like 'undying love'." Insert my eyes narrowing even more here. "They're beautiful, and I read the note only to see 'Reconsider, Kikyou-han.'" She smiles. "We always joked about how Kyoto citizens pronounce -san as -han, so I know it's him." She takes a big whiff of the petals.

I've pretty much fallen out of my seat whereas Souta's out of it. Mama seems glad that Kikyou's happy about the flowers, while Jii-chan has that I want great-grandchildren glint in his eyes again. I don't get why the old man wants us to have kids, yet one look at the word "love" is enough to make him go off on us about how we should avoid the opposite gender. And Kikyou was so negative about Inuyasha, but after one bouquet of flowers and a freaking note, she's suddenly all I'm happy and smiley 'cause I'm in love? Oh, hecks no! This isn't right! IT ISN'T RIGHT!

My thoughts come to an abrupt stop. Then I mentally slap myself for even thinking like that. The plan's working, and I'm getting upset. I'm Inuyasha's helper in crime—err, romance; I shouldn't be losing it because our mission is working. I sigh. What's going on?

I'm about to on another rant in my head when the doorbell rings. I look at the clock, and see it's one o'clock. I sigh and get up, only to be shoved back down into my pillow-seat by my mother. She grins and says, "Family inspection." I just bury my face in my hands and whimper at the words that can cause death. I remember all of Kikyou's dates having "family inspections" with us, and they never ended well.

Except Inuyasha's, that is. Our family never got tired of him. They loved his fiery, childish, stubborn spirit, how he could interact with us as if we were already family, and laughed when we had arguments or he got hurt in some form or way. Most of the time, one of us—mostly myself—was the person to get him riled-up or hurt, so of course it'd be amusing to all us Higurashi and seen as intolerable to himself, a Takahashi. Strangely, you'd think most of those things would break bonds, but it only seems to strengthen ours.

Unless you're Kikyou and serious about every little thing.

Mama escorts in a smiling, flower-holding Bankoutsu dressed handsomely in a button-down shirt with nice khaki pants. It's a sight most girls in my grade would love to see, though I just have the urge to crawl under my bed and go back to sleep. He hands me the flowers, still grinning, then tucks his hands into his pant-pockets before sitting down beside me. I'm guessing Mama had either whispered news of the interview with him or he'd just automatically assumed that he was going to be bombarded with questions. Typically, Jii-chan fires the s-e-x question and gets smacked, but Bankoutsu laughs as if it's normal. Deciding that this is just weird, I take in the flora he'd given me, and find myself resisting the desire to scream in agony.

I find it extremely awkward when a guy you don't know all that well gives you "I'll still be waiting" flowers. Astilbes. They're the type of flowers you can find in a bush, and one of my favorite to look at, but not the type you should give me, someone who wasn't even considering a second date as a possibility.

Oh, gods. What if he wants a second date? I won't be able to reject him because of the promise that may not even exist. I internally groan as I pop back into reality when Bankoutsu says something about my tournament. "What?" I ask, wondering what he said.

He smirks. "I went to your cycling competition yesterday," he informs me. "You did pretty well." Mama and Jii-chan nod proudly while Souta cheers, remembering the event. After a quickly shared glance, I'm sure he understands that Inuyasha being there should remain a secret. Bankoutsu nods at something Souta said—I'm spacing out—before he announces, "I didn't expect to see Takahashi-sensei there, though."

I nearly choke on air while Kikyou freezes before shrugging it off. Takahashi's a common name, so she must believe the chances of it being Inuyasha are slim. Oh, if only she knew. She echoes, "Takahashi-sensei?"

Bankoutsu nods again. "One of our student teachers," he explains. "I saw him there with some kid, cheering Kagome on." I hold my breath somewhat. Apparently, Inuyasha and Souta had gained some attention. And, as luck would have it (in a good way), Bankoutsu doesn't recognize my brother as "the kid". Bankoutsu smirks once more before drawling out, "I think our student teachers have the hots for Higurashi-san. Can't let that happen, though, can we?"

My heart skips a beat. Inuyasha—liking me? The idea makes me fidgety for some reason. If I wasn't so shocked right now, I really would be up in my room, hiding from the embarrassment yet to come.

Mama laughs and nods while Jii-chan praises Bankoutsu for taking his side on things, momentarily forgetting that Bankoutsu himself has the "hots" for me. I roll my eyes when Kikyou asks casually, "And what do you think of these teachers in-training?"

I cringe; I've never seen her talk so much to me in the last year. It's kind of creepy, to put it lightly. "They're nice," I answer, which is true. "They're really cool guys." Also true. What I left out: they're possessive, and one's my best friend and after my sister's heart. Yeah—developing feelings for their past love's little sister is totally something someone does while trying to get back together with said ex-girlfriend.

Kikyou smiles tightly. Bankoutsu gestures to the other bouquet of flowers in the room. "I'm guessing someone's trying to win you over with flowers, too?"

At this point, I almost screech, "YOU IDIOT!" But my sister beats me to reacting.

Kikyou smacks the table, and my eyes grow three times larger at the sudden action. When she brings her hand back up, the flowers are crushed and dying on the table, the petals scattered and the stems completely flattened. I scare at them nervously, my eye twitching occasionally, before looking up at Kikyou in surprise. She growls at my date, "Flowers don't win hearts, nor do they stir emotions. Especially if the note that comes with them is not even romantic."

Oh. I look down at the abused flowers before gazing into Kikyou's dull gray eyes. I think that's as "romantic" as Inuyasha can get, Kikyou. No offense to you or anything… I look around the room, realizing just how quiet everyone's grown at Miss Perfect's outburst. Then I force on a smile.

"Well, that movie sounds good right about now. Don't you agree, Banky-pie?"

—~*~—~*~—~*~—

I really regret calling him that now.

The movie was horrifying. If Bankoutsu wasn't trying to hold my hand, he was doing the I'm fake-yawning and stretching so I can get my arm around your shoulders move. It wasn't working in the slightest, and when I distanced myself from him, he tried giving me nicknames, which I was quick to reject. Now we're walking back to the shrine since we're too young to drive, the sunset coming early at four o'clock. Bankoutsu keeps attempting to touch me in some way or form, but I'm not having it. I couldn't even focus on the movie because I was so distracted with trying to keep a reasonably comfortable distance from him.

That, and I can't stop thinking about Inuyasha. I think about his return, the flowers, his note. Why he didn't wait for Monday like I'd told him to. I muse into detail everything we've experienced together since Tuesday, ever since the moment he'd mistaken me for Kikyou when I saw him for the first time in two years. I try to drift away from that topic when my stomach grows jumpy. Instead, I wonder about Kikyou's reaction to him, and why I was so frightened when it looked like she was going to take him back. That's what I want, right? For Inuyasha and Kikyou to reunite? Don't I want them together?

I instinctively touch my cheek—the one he'd kissed in my dream. His lips were so warm and comforting. It felt as if it was rough yet gentle, playful but meaningful. That date we had in my dream—ever since then, I've been really wishing to see him again. Just the two of us, like it's been recently, too, because when we're alone, I feel freer, maybe happier? Then I get an image that makes my throat clog: Inuyasha and Kikyou, hand in hand, while I play the third wheel like I always did when they were a couple. I gulp unconsciously and grasp my dream-kissed face. Do I really want them together?

After the zillionth attempt to share an idealistic moment with me, Bankoutsu sighs and sticks his hands in his pockets. "Higurashi-san," he sighs, "did you even want to go on this date?"

That makes me come to a pause. I turn to him guiltily, an apology on the tip of my tongue, when he just smiles and shakes his head before walking ahead. I'm confused at first until I run up to him and insist, "I'm sorry, Shichinintai-kun. You're a good person, but—"

He gives me a knowing smile when he cuts in. "You like someone else?"

I can't help tripping over an invisible crack in the sidewalk at that one. "W-what?" I stutter, sounding more anxious than I feel. Or maybe I'm more anxious than I sound?

"You didn't want to go on a date," Bankoutsu says, "with me. But you look really distracted, as if you're thinking about something deeply. Honestly, I've only ever seen that look in romance movies—"

Hold the phone! Bankoutsu likes romance? Wow, if I tell Yuka this, she'll leave Inuyasha alone for good.

Wait, why do I want her to leave Inuyasha alone? I shake my head at the thought. I'm helping him win my sister, that's why. There can't be anyone falling in love with Inuyasha, because that would put all of my good ideas and wisdom to waste. I don't want that, and that's why I'll see if Bankoutsu will go out with my friend.

"—and whenever people have that look, it means they're in love with the person they're thinking about," Bankoutsu finishes. "And I really don't think you'd dream about me while I was actually there."

"Haha, yeah," I chuckle tensely. Like I can love the boy I'm trying to hook up with my sister.

He doesn't look convinced about something, though I'm not sure what. Finally, I reach the shrine, and he walks off. "See you, Higurashi-san!" he shouts, waving goodbye with his back facing me.

"Bye," I whisper, feeling kind of bad for getting distracted on my date—my first date. But he's wrong, because I don't like anyone. Really. Bankoutsu needs to get his brain checked or something.

When I walk into the house, the telephone's ringing and Buyo's stretching. I ignore the ringing device at first, thinking Mama, Souta, Jii-chan, or anyone else will get it, but once it stops and I hear nothing but the cat's footsteps, I realize my family's gone somewhere without me. Not that I mind; I have to sort out the whole Inuyasha-Kikyou situation anyways. I'm heading towards the stairs when the phone rings again. I groan, walk into the kitchen, and answer the phone with my usual "Moshi moshi, Higurashi residence, Kagome speaking." Then I notice how there's over thirty messages on our answering machine. What in the seven hells? I curse, not even bothering to keep it tame.

"Kagome?"

I jump out of my skin. "I-Inuyasha?"

"I'M SORRY!" he yells, his voice slurred.

I'm wondering what's up with this dude as I rub my temple some, trying to ease my headache. "Sorry for what?" I ask, pressing hard into my pulse.

"I'm sorry for kissing you!"

My heart stops. "Kiss—? When did we kiss?"

"Last night, when we left the pet store," he says, as if it's obvious. Then he groans, "Fuckin' hangover."

"Kiss?" I repeat, thinking of my dream. "Hangover?"

"How bad is yours?" he wonders, sounding in pain.

I'm deeply confused. "Inuyasha, what're you talking about?"

"You mean you drank so much you don't remember?"

My throat dislodges. He sounds…hurt. I hate to say it, but— "We drank?"

It's silent for a moment, the slight static of the phone buzzing between us. Then he asks, "Do you remember anything from last night?" I gulp in response. "Wow. I'm the one who got drunk and yet you're the one who forgot everything."

"What was there to forget?" I question angrily, tired of being the dumb one in this conversation.

"I got hyped up on my mom's chocolate and ran to Java the Hutt 'cause I wasn't sure if we were supposed to meet up or not," he tells me. His voice is obviously trying to come out in a growl to show his authority, but he whines at what must be his hangover. "I saw you there, but you told me you weren't sure if we were supposed to meet, either. So I suggested we just go and hang out, forget about our plans and shit, since we always focus on anything except having fun." My mouth goes dry. "I remember slamming the door on your leg—sorry. I remember making you just stand around at a gas station—sorry. I remember dragging you into a museum—sorry. I remember getting us kicked out of the pet store—sorry—"

"Why are you apologizing so much?" I ask. Apologizing is very un-Inuyasha-like. Gods, that must be one hangover. Then it hits me: "I dreamed about this last night."

"You did?" My insides dance when his voice turns hopeful.

"Yeah," I say. "I dreamt from what must've been us getting into your car to you kissing my cheek outside the pet store. Other than that, I don't know anything."

"Feh" is all he mumbles at first. Then— "Um, well… All you need to know is that I bought a bottle of sake, got drunk while on chocolate, and made you sip not even a cup. So, uh, sorry."

Sounds like a lot of crap went on last night. "You're fine," I insist. "Stop apologizing for the littlest things. Man, you say sorry once and it suddenly becomes your new favorite word."

He chuckles uneasily. "Keh, yeah. At least I gave you some gum so no one would notice—"

"My alcohol breath," I sigh. "Yeah, thanks. I remember how much fun I had. I haven't been that happy in a long time, so, I'll repeat: thank you."

I expect a verbal reply, but instead, he turns dead-quiet. Then the dial tone kicks in, telling me he's hung up. Did I say something wrong? I think it over before deciding he was just so hung-over that he couldn't even hold the phone anymore. "Weirdo," I mutter as I delete all the messages from Inuyasha's phone on the machine and erase him from caller ID. Unless he doesn't want Kikyou anymore, he better not call the house phone because next time it happens, I doubt he'll be lucky enough for me to answer. In other words, he'd blow our cover.

Buyo rubs his fur against my legs, and that's when it hits me: that jerk made me drink illegally. I'm about to curse when I realize something even more important:

I actually did have my first date with Inuyasha.

"WHAT THE HELL—?"


A/N: Okay, so change of plans with the update-dates (gah!). I'm planning to post two new stories next month: Rocked Out and The Colors to One's Soul, and possibly The Looney Bin. All of them are Inuyasha fan fiction works, of course. I'm going back to my old "it should be around this day" thing, so you'll have to constantly check my profile to see what it is, okay? All righty. Now, please check out my other posted stories and take my poll (if you've read One Messed-Up Story)? Please? And review telling me which story sounds most interesting out of the ones I'm going to post in July!

REVIEW AND FAVORITE!