Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this planning session... especially for the one who's being coy. A nod of recognition is bent toward Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.

Scoop

Mid-February...

Kagome carried her favorite coffee cup to the cafeteria and held it out to the lunch lady with both hands. "Please, I'm desperate! Susan hasn't bailed on her New Year's resolution yet, so all we have in my office is decaf."

Gert chuckled as she retrieved the pot and poured, just as the school's two janitors trooped into the room.

"What did you bring me?" asked Shippo as he dropped onto his usual seat.

"Pound cake, two ways," Gert answered. "I want you to try both and tell me which you like better."

"Double portions!" exulted the redhead.

Inuyasha sat beside Kagome, who was too busy covering a huge yawn to offer a greeting. Gert passed her some pound cake and casually asked, "Up late?"

"Mmm, yes," she replied, savoring a long sip of hot coffee.

With a sly look at Inuyasha, the lunch lady sweetly asked, "Did you have company?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened at the obvious implication, and he cut an anxious glance at Kagome.

However, she only made matters worse. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."

"Just the two of you?" pried Gert.

"Naturally," Kagome replied with a quick peek at Shippo, who was snickering into his coffee cup.

"That sounds cozy."

"Oh, it was!"

"Oi," Inuyasha interjected weakly, his face turning a fetching shade of pink. "I never...!"

"He kept me up half the night, though," Kagome revealed.

Inuyasha's mouth snapped shut, but Shippo gamely asked, "On a school night? I'm shocked."

"Yes, but once we got started..." She punctuated her remark with a helpless shrug.

"Really?" Gert gasped delightedly, in full gossip mode.

"Really," Kagome confirmed with a very straight face.

Inuyasha was casting sidelong glances for all he was worth.

With a sympathetic look in his best friend's direction, Shippo casually remarked, "You know... I think someone's giving us the run-around because I tucked Inuyasha in at the usual time." Filching another slice of pound cake, Shippo added, "He gets real cranky if he doesn't get his beauty sleep."

"Keh," muttered Inuyasha moodily.

Gert finally noticed the mischievous gleam in Kagome's eyes. "Young lady, who were you out with last night?"

"I wasn't out," she replied innocently. "We stayed in."

"Principal Higurashi," the lunch lady said in no-nonsense tones. "Were you seeing another young man last night?"

Kagome giggled and held out her mug, begging a refill. "Only in the loosest possible sense. My little brother came over yesterday, and we played games until all hours."

"Oh, you," Gert scolded. "No one's said boo about a second date, and I thought I'd finally scooped Susan!"

"Mmm," Kagome replied, taking another long swig of coffee. "I'm still waiting to hear about that myself."

Inuyasha blinked, Shippo chuckled, but Gert got down to business. Whipping out one of the bright pink calendars with February's cafeteria menu on it, she asked, "What works best for the both of you—burrito day or fish sticks?"

"Inuyasha doesn't really do Mexican food," Shippo helpfully offered. "What about mac'n'cheese?"

"That's a school night," Gert warned.

"They could do lunch," he pointed out.

"No, no... dinner is more romantic," the lunch lady insisted. Looking into Inuyasha's wide eyes, she asked, "Is pizza day good for you?"

"Oooh, this one looks promising!" Shippo exclaimed, tapping the last Friday of the month.

The entire discussion verged on the ridiculous, but before their coffee break had ended, Inuyasha and Kagome had settled on corndog day as the night for their second date.

End Note: This oneshot was written for the Live Journal community firsttweak and their prompt for Contest #35—Up Late. This oneshot was originally posted to Live Journal on January 16, 2010. 579 words.