The Boardwalk- Chapter 2

"I'm NOT talking to you anymore," grumbled Inu-Yasha. Sopping wet from pointy dog ears to feet, he trudged after Kagome, cursing her silently. How dare she humiliate him like this! Why was he even here, anyway? How had she even succeeded in convincing him to come? He watched her wring out her hair and toss it back, sunlight hitting tiny droplets of water, making them sparkle as they flew through the air. The cheerful smile on her face seemed permanent today. Or maybe that was just her laughing at him for making a fool out of himself.

"What was so fun about that ride??" he demanded, shaking out his long, damp hair in a very dog-like manner.

"What are you talking about? It was great!" said Kagome. "You were flailing and shrieking all the way down! Hahaha!"

"Shut up!" Inu-Yasha said. "You screamed too, stupid! And you were squeezing me so hard, I thought my back was gonna break!"

She stopped suddenly and turned around. "I thought you weren't talking to me anymore? Changed your mind so fast?"

"Uh..." he was caught. "I...uh...um..." Kagome peered at him curiously, and he squirmed. "I-I can do what I like! Mind your own business!" he said louder than he intended, and marched ahead as fast as he could.

Inu-Yasha's heart pounded furiously as he walked. It was true. He realized that he took for granted being able to talk to Kagome. Before, there had been no one. Solitude...he'd thought that solitude was what he preferred. But now that Kagome was always beside him, he wasn't so sure...

He shook himself. What was he thinking?

"Hey, Inu-Yasha, I know what'll cheer you up!" She prodded his arm. "Are you hungry?"

"Food?" he said. His mouth was watering already. "Is there any ramen?"

Kagome laughed. "If you really want it. But there's a bunch of other kinds of delicious food here. How about...ice cream?"

He looked puzzled.

"It's really good, especially on hot days. I'll buy us each a cone! Wait here, okay?" she said, and dashed off.

"Wait-!" he called, but she was gone already, lost in the moving crowd. He couldn't see her at all. Great. What was he supposed to do now? He didn't want to stand here by himself in this strange world. Some people jostled him, pushing him into the crowd, and he was pulled along by the current of people. "Fine...while I'm here, I might as well go find Kagome," he muttered to himself.

Inu-Yasha began to notice that people were staring at him. "Yo, nice costume, man," someone said.

"Costume??!" he said, outraged. "I'd call those stupid garments you're wearing a costume! These robes are made of the finest cloth you'll ever see in your life!" Angrily, he drew his sword to chase after the guy, who was ignoring him. Before he could reach him, a two girls wearing bikinis and jean shorts scampered over and latched on to him. "Ooooh, how cute! Those ears look soo real!" they exclaimed, pulling at his ears. A vein popped in his forehead. Only Kagome was allowed to touch his ears.

"Let's take a picture!" suggested one of the girls. She snaked an arm around Inu-Yasha's neck and pulled him down to her height, practically strangling him. "Hey!" said the other girl. "How come you get to pose with him first??" She yanked his other arm around her waist, and the two commenced jabbering loudly over who would be in the picture. Stuck in the middle and feeling as though his arms were being torn in half, Inu-Yasha flopped back and forth helplessly.

Suddenly, he heard her voice.

"Inu-Yasha!" It was Kagome, struggling through a wall of people. "Inu-" She was cut off by the sight of the the swimsuit-clad girls with him. Red creeped over her face as she stomped to him, an ice-cream cone in each hand. He cringed. Smoke was practically billowing from her ears. He knew what was coming, but he tried anyway.

"Kagome, listen, I can explain-"

"SIT!!!"

The half-demon hit the ground face-first with a ringing smack.

"Geez...sorry," said one of the girls, looking down at Inu-Yasha's crumpled body with distaste. "Didn't know you had a girlfriend." Losing interest, she and her friend whizzed away into the crowd.

"I'm NOT his girlfriend!" Kagome yelled after them. "What were you doing, Inu-Yasha?! I told you to wait there!"

His arm twitched painfully in reply.