A Lover's Kiss Part 3

--year 1996, Tokyo Japan--

"I'm here!" Kagome jumped into the car. Her mother was sitting in the driver's seat, her grandpa, the one beside it. Sota was sitting on the back seat beside Kagome.

"Are you ready, dear?" Her mom asked.

"As ready as ever!" Kagome replied, a bit out of breath. She peeked behind her just to see if Inuyasha was following. Fortunately, no half-youkai with puppy ears and a very angry face jumped out of the well.

She sighed with relief.

Finally she can get a vacation.

After a few minutes of conversation with Sota and blushing like a rip apple, Kagome leaned back on the cushioned seat and her mind wondered about what Sota said. His assignment for Language was to read a book called Sleeping Beauty, and he had asked her if Inuyasha was the 'Sleeping Beauty', will she kiss him to wake him up. Her public answer was a big 'no' and 'that's disgusting', but deep down inside, she knew her answer would be 'yes'.

"We're here!" The car skidded to a halt. Kagome opened the door and stepped out. Right infront of her was a group of young-looking girls, waiting in a line which continues to the top of the stairs into the shrine.

"What's with this, Grandpa?"

"I don't know, Kagome."

"Come on, Grandpa! Let's go!"

The family climbed up the long stairway and turned toward the temple, careful to avoid the long line of girls to the left. However, Kagome's curiosity got the best of her, and she slowly ventured toward the group.

But when she got there...

GASP

In front of her was a boy, about the age of 18 or so, with a great big mass of hair which runs down his back. Two snow-white puppy ears were sticking out of the hair.

"INUYASHA!!"

He was standing, or rather trapped, in a web of tree veins, which crawled all over his body and locked him onto the trunk of the tree. His eyes were shut tight. A half rotted arrow was sticking out of his chest. It was the exact duplicate of the first time they met. Except that this was in the present and a VERY long line of girls were taking turns trying to pull the arrow out.

"Inuyasha!!" Kagome squeezed through the long lines, ignoring the protests of other girls. Oh god... she was almost there...

"Hey! Don't cut in line!" A chubby woman growled and blocked the half- youkai from view. "I was next!"

Kagome didn't hear her. All her thoughts were set on Inuyasha. Why was he there? Trapped and dead, just like when they first met? Wasn't he fine just a few hours ago? Oh, she never should have left him...

She tried to side step the woman but failed. Tears were streaming now. "Inuyasha!" she cried.

Suddenly, all the girls around the shrine gasped. The chubby woman whirled around to see the cause of the commotion, and Kagome squeezed past her at the chance.

"His ears twitched!" The girl currently pulling the arrow shrieked happily, and redoubled her efforts. "Kya!" She screamed a second later, "his nose moved! I must have the magic touch!"

Girls around her pushed closer, and once again Kagome's way was blocked. "Inuyasha!" she cried again.

His nose twitched again, and his chest raised as he took a deep breath. Eyelids fluttered and a name escaped his lips. "Kagome...?" His nose twitched again and his eyes snapped open, "Kagome!"

The girl currently pulling the arrow gasped in shock at his outburst and released her hold, stumbling back into the crowd. "Kagome? Who's Kagome?" they all wondered.

"God damn it! Get out of my way!!" The said girl finally squeezed her way to the tree and stood panting in front of her friend. Wait... no... not friend. More than friend. This whole situation had made something click in her mind and there was no way she's going to deny it now.

"Why are you crying?" Inuyasha asked softly, a little dazed.

"Why am I-- you, you idiot!" Relief turned into anger as Kagome stalked up the tree branch and stopped right in front of his face. "What did you do? Getting yourself stuck in a tree yet AGAIN and lying there... dead..." her anger faded into sadness, and the tears returned, "I thought I had lost you..." Then she threw her arms around his neck and began to cry. Inuyasha awkwardly tried to comfort her by whispering apologies into her ear, all the while blushing at the hundreds of eyes glued on them.

"Why..." Kagome spoke into his collar, blushing timidly, "why aren't you hugging me back?"

"Um..." Inuyasha started, "the arrow..."

"Oh!" Her blush intensified, and quickly she pulled the arrow out. "Sorry."

He grinned at her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "It's alright." Then he broke the tree trunks holding him and proceeded to stretch out his muscles. Belatedly he realized Kagome had frozen in place.

"Eh... Kagome?"

The girl snapped out of her reverie and beamed at him. He grinned back, "I have to tell you everything. But um... let's get out of here." He eyed the staring group of girls.

Kagome nodded. She started to climb on Inuyasha's back, but clawed hands gently pulled her off and scooped her up. Her blush intensified.

In a heartbeat the pair was gone, leaving a wisp of displaced air in their wake and a very grumpy grandfather, who finally pushed through the crowd of girls to witness their disappearing figures, yelling at the top of his lungs to give back his granddaughter.

As they were sailing through the air, Kagome leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Inuyasha's lips.

Finally, a lover's kiss to wake up Sleeping Beauty.

End!

Ah, since someone DID read the fic (for which I am eternally grateful) I, Obi-chan, have decided to come back and squeeze out the last bit. Now, this wasn't the way I had it planned say, 3-4 years ago when I started it (it would have been longer), but I thought this would be an okay ending. Basically, Inuyasha is now in Kagome's time, and they left for God-knows- where to talk and that's why the past-Inuyasha couldn't find them. Then things happen yadda yadda and whala! IY is by the tree. Hopefully it's not that confusing. sweat drop (also, sorry for the rushed ending.)