The Boardwalk – Chapter 3

"Here, take your ice cream." Kagome thrusted the half-melted cone at Inu-Yasha. He took it, rubbing his head gingerly. Side by side, they sat in silence for a while on the low wall that separated the boardwalk from the beach. Inu-Yasha took a peek at Kagome's face, and quickly recoiled. She was still mad...

Warily, he lowered his mouth and lapped up a tiny bit of the ice cream. Mmmm....a smooth, cold sensation filled his whole mouth, feeling so good in the heat of the summer day. He took a larger lick. Why didn't they make food this good back in his time? His mouth closed over the top of the cone, and he took a huge gulp.

Kagome, curiously watching him, finally spoke up, "Don't take such huge bites."

"Mmmfph?" said Inu-Yasha. He swallowed and tried again. "If you're not gonna eat that, can I have it?" He indicated the melting ice cream in her hand.

She stared at it. "Sure," she said, handing it over. "You made me lose my appetite, anyway."

"I didn't do anything!" he complained. "I told you, those girls came after me!"

"Uhuh. Sure." Kagome turned away.

"Really!" In an attempt to prove his honesty, Inu-Yasha flung out his arms. Big mistake. The tops of his ice cream cones flew off into the air. One plopped into the sand. The other crashed right into-

"My shirt!!" screamed Kagome. Bits of ice cream dotted her face and hair. A large white blob stuck to the front of her white tank top and was already melting, dribbling down her front. She looked at Inu-Yasha with an expression of the utmost rage. "Aughh!!"

"Oh no!" he yelled, jumping down from the wall onto the beach. He ran, his feet slapping down the sun-baked sand as fast as he could, with Kagome right behind him. In his hands, he still gripped the ice cream cones. He took a big bite as he ran. Turning his head, he stuck out his tongue at Kagome teasingly. "Nyah, nyah! You can't catch me!" This was a lot more fun than those rides!

Suddenly, his face hit the sand, and there was gritty sand inside his mouth. "Hey!" he cried. Kagome was sitting on his legs, grabbing fistfulls of sand and throwing them at his hair. "Not the hair!!" He got up, shaking his head from side to side and spitting sand. She slid to the ground, grabbed his feet, and promptly tripped him again.

"Ugh..." said Inu-Yasha. He lay there, his chest heaving. "I give up."

"Hahahahah!" she laughed, grasping his ears and tugging them. "See, I did catch you! You're too slow."

"No, I only let you win because I felt sorry for you." He stopped breathing as she leaned close, her hair touching his, black against white. Her hands pressed into his shoulders as she sat on his back.

The scent of the ice cream the from her shirt, now a sticky melted white, drifted into his nose. His heart thudded wildly. Reaching over him, Kagome pulled something from the sand. "Look, it's a shell!" she marveled, bringing the miniscule, clam-shaped seashell up to his eyes. "It's so tiny!"

Inu-Yasha stared at her face. "What?" she said, looking confused. "Is there something on my face?"

"Yeah..." he said, in a voice barely louder than a whisper. A voice that didn't sound like his own. "There's ice cream on your face..."

He craned his neck sideways, in a very uncomfortable position because she was sitting on top of him, and kissed the white dot near her mouth.

It was hardly a kiss. More like a nuzzle. His lips barely touched her face.

But the movement froze Kagome in shock.

She quickly got up and brushed herself off. A thin layer of sand clung to the stickiness on her shirt. She flicked it off roughly, not seeming to be able to focus on anything.

Inu-Yasha pushed himself up as well. What cursed demon had possessed him to do that?? Now, she was another step closer to discovering his inner self, his inner emotions. And how he felt. He wished hard that he could melt into the sand like the ice cream.

A hand touched his back. He turned.

"Let's go on some more rides, okay Inu-Yasha?" She was smiling. As though nothing had happened. Thank the heavens...he wouldn't have to be embarrassed...

"Okay."

Even as he uttered the word, he knew he would regret it. More rides. Yippee. He fell back to his old complaints. "Can we go on something a little...easier?" he said, climbing the steps back to the boardwalk.

"Easier?" Kagome mused. "Oh, I know! How about...that? The pirate ship?" Inu-Yasha followed her pointing finger. A large wooden ship, swinging back and forth like a pendulum, held a few taciturn people. Among them were two little kids, who sat there looking bored. One person near the top belted out a half-hearted yell, but stopped when no one else made a sound. It didn't look TOO scary...

He nodded his consent, and followed Kagome to the entrance line. If those kids could do it, he could too. The gate opened, spilling a handful of people into the waiting ship. A sign said "Children and those with serious heart problems, please sit in middle."

"Umm..?" Inu-Yasha pointed at the sign worriedly. But Kagome was already seated in the very back. "C'mon!" she said, patting the seat beside her. Slowly and reluctantly, he dragged himself all the way to her. It's okay...it can't be too bad...if those kids could do it, I can do it too, he calmed himself.

"Please raise your hands above your seat until the safety bar has been completely lowered," said a mechanical voice. Everyone raised their arms.

"Safety bar?" said Inu-Yasha, his voice rising in panic. "What do we need a safety bar for?" The metal bar clanged down into place. Locking him in. "K-k-kagome??" he said. The ride jolted and began to move forward.

Kagome grinned at him. "You can't possibly be scared of this little baby ride, Inu-Yasha?" Slowly, the ship swung back.

"I'm not scared!" he retorted, puffing out his chest arrogantly. "I've fought countless demons and evil storms, how could this- WAAAHH!"

The ship had suddenly plunged down, leaving his stomach still hanging in the air somewhere. Before he could recover, it swung back for another round. This time, even higher than before. "WAAAHH!" he screamed as the ride sliced through the air. He was parallel to the ground, and the people on the other side of the ship were straight above him. His head spun. Holding to the safety bar in front of him for dear life, he clenched his eyes shut.

"How much longer until this thing stops??" he yelled.

Flying through the air, Kagome whooped with delight. "Oh, only about...five minutes!" she shouted back.

Five minutes...he couldn't make it. He ducked down into his seat, stomach heaving violently.

*****

Note: How is it so far? Speak up! I want to make this story as good as it can be! ^_^