"You were what?" Inuyasha growled. "Robbers? Are you all right?" His fists were clenched in fury. It was a good thing they were on the phone, that way, she couldn't see how angry and concerned he was over her.

"I'm fine. Kouga came to help me," Kagome's cheery voice replied.

"What?" Inuyasha practically yelled. "Did you say Kouga?"

Kagome sounded a bit confused, he noted, from her reply. "Yeah, Kouga. Why?"

Inuyasha growled. Was he stalking Kagome now? He had seen the way that jerk off had been staring at Kagome all through class. "No reason," Inuyasha answered, trying his best to stay calm. From her silence, Inuyasha suddenly felt a pang of suspicion.

"So...what happened afterwards?" he inquired.

"Nothing, really. I was lecturing him on manners, and those robbers wouldn't shut up about crying or something, so I beat them all with a stick."

There was a thud as Inuyasha fell off his chair. Damn. Sango must've rubbed off on poor Kagome.

"And Kouga didn't lift a finger to help?" Inuyasha retorted. Ha! That bastard obviously had no pride if he wouldn't help an individual in need during a time of battle.

"Well, I'm sure he would have, if he had been given the chance. He did try to tell me to get out of there, but there was no way I was going to let him push me away like that. Just because I'm a girl. What nerve!" Kagome's answer sounded a bit thoughtful.

"And then what happened?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome blushed heavily, remembering what had happened after the battle. Her cheeks flushed, recalling his face so close to hers. "Nothing! I uh- went home afterwards!" Inuyasha was skeptical. "Right. So after a gang of robbers attacked you, you just went skipping home?"

There was a deafening silence on her end. Wait a minute. What the hell? She was definitely hiding something. "You're hiding something. What happened afterwards, Kagome? Did that bastard do something to you?" Inuyasha's voice rose with concern. She didn't respond.

"Tell me! What did he do?" His golden hued orbs widened at her response. There was a sigh on her end of the phone.

"He kissed me. Well, tried to anyways." Kagome sounded almost embarrassed about it. "Tried to?" he asked.

"Yeah. But I pushed him away before he could."

Inuyasha blinked. "Why?"

What did he mean, 'Why?' Kagome glared at the phone. "Why do you think?" She shouted into the receiver. "And what's with the third degree? Geez!"

Inuyasha, who was stunned by the outburst, regained his senses. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, that's all. Got a problem with that?" he shot back.

"N-no…" Kagome was surprised to hear her own voice falter.

"So, what time do you want to hang out at the mall?" Inuyasha asked.

"Anytime is okay with me," Kagome replied.

"How about I meet you there in...half an hour or so?" Inuyasha quirked.

 "Sounds like a plan to me!" she answered cheerfully.

"Alright then." Inuyasha started to hang up the phone, but Kagome called out,

"Wait!". He blinked, pressing the receiver to his ear.

"…Huh? What's the matter?" he asked, dazed in confusion.

"Well, I was just thinking that…this'll be fun, you know?"

Inuyasha quirked a brow, bewildered by Kagome's words. "Yeah, it'll definitely be fun," he replied nonchalantly.

"Mmm hmm. It's going to be the first time we've hung out for a while…since our…date." Kagome hastily remarked over the phone. "See you later! Bye!" she gushed, clearly embarrassed at her previous words.

This time, Inuyasha called out. "Whoa! Hold on a second, Kagome!"

Blushing, Kagome blinked. "…Y-yes?" she asked, afraid that he might laugh at her comment.

"About that. I've been meaning to ask you- did you have a good time on our…-" Inuyasha swallowed nervously, "-date?"

Kagome smiled softly. "Of course. I had an amazing time. I thought I had made that perfectly clear." The two blushed furiously, recalling the kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah. I was just wondering. Because, well…I had a great time too." There was a definite pause. "One more thing, Kagome." Inuyasha waited for her to respond.

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

Here goes. "Since we both know that it was an 'official' date…does that mean that we're-" Unfortunately, he was cut off by a loud shout on the other end of the phone.

"Kagome! Who are you talking to? And why is the door closed? What exactly are you talking about? You're doing drugs, aren't you? I knew it! I could tell from the way your friend Miroku looks!" Inuyasha blinked. Hadn't he heard that voice once before? Was that Kagome's mother?

 "Um. Inuyasha, I have to go. We'll talk more later, okay?" Kagome's voice was shaky. She was definitely embarrassed that Inuyasha had heard her mother screaming.

"Okay," Inuyasha replied.

"Bye," she said. Hanging up the receiver, she rolled her eyes and went downstairs to straighten her mother out.

"Damn it," Inuyasha muttered darkly. He hadn't been able to ask her if they were boyfriend and girlfriend. He stole a quick glance at his reflection in the mirror. Feh. Since when had he been one to blush so much? Just the faint memory of her made him blush.

"This dating thing has me all messed up," he sighed, shaking his head in annoyance. Leaning back in his chair, his eyes closed peacefully. Running the conversation through his mind- especially the last few minutes- over and over again, he savored her words.

Then his eyes widened abruptly, and he tipped over with a crash. Kouga! That bastard had actually tried making a move on Kagome! What had she said? He rummaged his brain for tidbits of the conversation.

"He kissed me. Well, tried to anyways." How dare he!

"Bastard." Inuyasha growled. There was something unsettling about the part of the conversation in which Kagome had revealed this to him. She had tried to hide it. And she had sound clearly very embarrassed  But why? Could it be that she had feelings for Kouga but was reluctant to admit it to him? Well, if she did have feelings for Kouga, wouldn't she have let him kiss her? Hmm.

"Or maybe…" Inuyasha said aloud from his position on the floor, "she was embarrassed to tell me because she has the same feelings for me as I do for her…and was afraid that if she told me what had happened, I wouldn't like her anymore…" Nah. That couldn't be it, he decided as he mused. Kagome probably didn't like him, and only wanted to hang out at the mall for sympathy.

But a small part of him couldn't help but hope that his assumptions had been correct.