Title: It Started With A Kiss
By: Queen Beryl
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Chapter Three: My Husband Loves Ramen

"We come to one of the most expensive, fancy restaurants in Tokyo, and you order ramen?" I stared at Inuyasha, who sat next to me- to my dismay at the moment.
"What's wrong with that?" Inuyasha asked, handing over the menu to the waiter.
"Nothing." I rolled my eyes and peered across the table at Miroku and Sango, who were enjoying each other's company. Miroku had his arm around Sango's shoulder and was whispering something in her ear, making her giggle and blush. They'd only been married for a day! Then that thought lead me to think about the truth: they weren't even really married!
"So, dear," Inuyasha used the word in such a way that made it sound like an insult, "your favorite food is oden, I take it?"
"So?" I demanded. Surely there was an ulterior motive for this.
"I'm just trying to make conversation, seeing as how I won't get a response from that end of the table. Besides, we're married, aren't we?"
"Not according to you; you aren't acting like it. I'm not saying you have to be like them, but a greeting and farewell would be appreciated, you know." I leaned back against the seat. Suddenly, Inuyasha leaned over, so his lips were right next to my ear. I heated up violently at the close encounter. The most popular boy is sitting mere centimeters away from me, his warm breath on the side of my face... I can't breathe.
"Well, I'm sure you're right, I should be more... affectionate." He lightly touched my hand with his, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I would have caught on sooner, but I was too busy blushing to realize the truth.
He was messing with my mind.
"Stop." I shoved him back as he started laughing.
"You're beet red." He stated unnecessarily.
"It's called blushing." Sango seemed to come out of the little world she and Miroku had until that moment occupied. Of all the moments to awaken....
"Why would she have a need to blush?" Inuyasha asked, obviously stupid. If it weren't me they were talking about, I would have sighed and shook my head. Men could be so dense sometimes.
"You know. You see it everyday, Inuyasha. Girls fawn over you, and the shier ones tend to blush, like Kagome, here." Miroku nodded. Oh, Heaven help me, I'm gonna kill that boy.
"Oh, so you like me, eh, Kagome?" Inuyasha purred. I scooted away; quite determined to bolt out the door at the first opportunity I received.
"Since forever." Sango chimed in. My best friend... turning me in. Traitor.
"Really?" Inuyasha looked surprised. I could feel my blush deepen, even though I wasn't too sure it could.
"Look, I've gotta go home. I didn't tell my mom I was here, so bye!" I made a beeline toward the door.
"But Kagome!" Sango called.
"I'll bring her back." Inuyasha called over his shoulder as he followed me. The moment I was outside I started running. I wasn't exactly sure where I was gonna go, but I just had to get out of there. How embarrassing!
"Kagome, wait!" I instantly stopped upon hearing my name; I looked over my shoulder, and when I saw the only man I thought I'd never see following me, I did the first thing that came to mind: I ran faster. I was in the safety of nearby barren park when I guess he'd had enough. Inuyasha tackled me like a football player. I lay on the ground for a moment, breathing deeply, trying to catch my breath. Inuyasha lay half on top of me, doing the same.
"Why... did you chase me?" I asked, once I could talk again.
"You ran." He said simply, rolling off me and laying beside me. "When something moves, dogs pursue."
I turned on my back and looked over at him. "You're a jerk."
"And you're cute when your angry and embarrassed. Now we're even. Let's go back; I'm sure the ramen and oden are waiting impatiently for us." He stood and held out a hand to me. I accepted it, deciding to ignore the cute comment.
"Fine."
"Yes, I am."

& * &

I fell down onto my bed exhausted. Inuyasha could really tire you out, just by being around him. Dinner went as smooth at the sea before a storm. I almost cried twice. Even though he's not the Prince Charming I'd imagined earlier, there was still something about him that refused to let me forget that I liked him a lot. I put a hand to my ear; I could still feel his breath and body warmth. I smiled against my will and quickly changed for bed.
Why was Inuyasha so... cruelly handsome? Apparently fate had a sense of humor in order to put us two together. Either that or fate is just plain obnoxious. Neither way was working for me. I fell asleep, still thinking of Inuyasha, which caused me to dream of him. The story that I was writing came into play, and I woke up the next morning feeling extremely giddy.
I dressed quickly so I could be able to walk to school today; my body was not exactly made for running. I was still in a playful mood, so I crept into Souta's room and pounced on his bed.
"Wake up! Wake up!"
"Get off me!" Souta struggled under the covers.
"But it's morning!"
"Since when did you become a morning person?"
"Since I had good dreams! Hurry and get up!" I gave him a big kiss on the cheek and skidded out of his room and down the stairs. He stared after me like I was some nut-job... and he was probably right.
"Morning, Kagome." Mom smiled, looking up from the rice cooker as I burst into the kitchen.
"Morning, Mom. Mm, smells good!" I sat down and began eating my toast.
No sooner had I finished and ran upstairs to brush my teeth, I could here a knock at the front door. I briefly wondered who would be here so early in the morning, but I was too busy finishing my morning routine. I ran downstairs, my schoolbag in hand and stopped dead in my tracks.
The only person who would come over so early in the morning was sitting on my couch, pleasantly talking to my mother.
"Inuyasha!"
"Good morning, Kagome." He smiled, looking for the entire world as if seeing me was the highlight of his day. I'll have to thank my mother later. "Your mother and I were just talking."
"Kagome, you didn't tell me you were dating such a nice gentleman." Mom half reprimanded. My mouth dropped in shock. What had he told her?
"I- well, erm, I-" I stuttered violently. What do I say?
"I was just telling Higurashi-san about our date last night. She wants me to come over for dinner tonight. I hear you're having ramen." The last sentence made me want to roll my eyes. Ramen was definitely Inuyasha's mistress; my husband was cheating on me with ramen. Oh, how romantic.
"M-mom?" I turned to her, trying to dissuade her from making any requests... but it was far too late.
"You'd better get going, Kagome. Inuyasha, was it?- said he'd drive you to school. What nice car he has, too!" Mom... she'd never learn.
"Yeah, well, let's go the, dear." Inuyasha smiled and made his farewell to Mom. What a suck up.
I stepped outside, closing the door behind me, looked up, and froze for the second time that morning. Inuyasha really did have a nice car.
"Breathe." Inuyasha pushed me forward toward the passenger side of the red convertible mustang.
"This is yours?" I asked lamely.
"No, I stole it from some old rich guy down the street." Inuyasha got in without opening the door. Showoff.
"It's nice." I managed, sliding in on the beige leather seats.
"Well, thanks. Now that you like it I think I'll keep it." Inuyasha revved the engine, shifting, and taking off. I glared at him; what was with all the sarcasm this morning?
"You're not coming over." I stated before we even left my property.
"What?"
"Tonight, for dinner. You are not coming."
"Too late, your mom already invited me. Besides, it's ramen, I can't turn down ramen." Inuyasha grinned at me, hardly taking his eyes off the road.
"Cancel. Say you forgot your dog was dying or something. You are not coming." I folded my arms in front of me defiantly.
"Like I said before, Love, too late. We're married, remember?" A hint of mockery edged his words; and to think, I've liked this guy since sixth grade....
"How come we're only married when it's convenient for you?"
"Because I'm popular, and I get what I want." Inuyasha shrugged, pulling into the school student parking lot.
"Tch," I scoffed, getting out of the car as quick as possible, "just because you're popular, rich, have a nice car, and great looks, you still have a rotten personality. You won't always get what you want, you know."
"Great looks, huh?" He smiled at me. I blushed instantly; it had slipped out, I swear! Now I'll never be able to live this down.
"You know you're hot. That's why you're so arrogant." I countered, praying my red cheeks would disappear.
"I'm not arrogant. I just know I'm good. It's called high self-esteem." He smirked.
"Cocky fool." I headed off to school. I can't believe him! What a conceited, arrogant, little-
"But you like me anyway." Were the five words I dreaded to hear from him. They were so close in my ear, and I almost blushed again. Of course he knew! Sango blurted it out yesterday, remember? It was still unnerving, though.
"So?" Oh yeah, Kagome, that was really intelligent.
"Maybe, you know, we could, work something out." He grabbed my hand, and even before I knew what was happening, he kissed the base of my neck. I stiffened, much like Sango when she's groped by Miroku, turned and shoved Inuyasha away, very violently.
"Keep your hands and lips to yourself." I commanded, glaring at him on the ground. I stormed off to class, determined to not let him hear my heart beating so loudly from the kiss. I knew the only reason he did it was to get under my skin; I mean, Inuyasha was a very experienced person in that sense. I've only been on two dates my entire life... and he, well, he knows his stuff.
I sat down, my incredibly happy mood gone, before I realized I had detention today for Naraku-sensei... with Inuyasha. I frowned... what happened to the good luck?
"Who died?" Sango asked as she sat down.
"My good luck provider." I muttered.
"What happened?" Sango looked concerned.
"Just a bad day," I lied. There was no way I'd tell her about the little incident in the parking lot.
"Well, I don't mean to be the bearer of great news, but guess what?"
"Inuyasha died and left me money?" I asked hopefully.
"I thought you liked him?"
"I did. I do, but being married to him is completely different than stalking him from afar."
"Anyway, Miroku asked me to be his girlfriend. In reality!" Sango squealed, just as the bell rang.
"No way!" I brightened immediately. At least one of us was getting some love luck.
"After we dropped you and Inuyasha off home yesterday, he asked me, and I said yes."
"Apparently, you've stolen all my luck. That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"
"Alright, class, today we're going to be working with-" Kagura-sensei began after taking attendance. I tuned her out from then on. I was in no mood for math today... not at all. I was off in La-La Land, about to sleep, when a piece of paper attached to an eraser hit my on the side of my head. I blinked and starred down at the scribbled "Wench" on the front. Ah, Inuyasha, I wish you'd call me Kagome. I opened the note, careful to not let Kagura-sensei see it. She enjoyed reading notes aloud.
Wench: What's with you? You act like you've never been kissed before. You still have to surprise me with something today, you know. I can't wait.
The letter wasn't even signed, which for some reason pissed me off even more. He had the right touch to get under my skin, and no matter how much I scratched, the itch just wouldn't go away.
I then thought of something wonderful. It was sure to surprise him. I withdrew a pencil from my bag and delicately replied.
Inuyasha, my love: ^_^ What difference does it make whether I've been kissed before or not? It's none of your business. And your surprise is this: I didn't get you anything. SURPRISE!
I left the eraser on my desk and told Sango to pass the note to him. She complied hastily, too busy listening to Kagura-sensei. I watched Inuyasha open and read the paper, his frown deepening with every line he read. I smiled behind my hand. I turned my attention to the formula filled board and was tempted to write them down, but the paper sailing over Sango and landing on the floor next to my desk luckily distracted me. I picked it up and unfolded it.
So, you've never been kissed before, eh? I just might have to change that.
I gaped at the letter; I could feel the pit of my stomach tighten and my heart momentarily stopped beating. I leaned back and looked at Inuyasha. He was seemingly intently starring at the board, an arrogant smirk on his face. I turned away from him, just as my fingers went numb. Inuyasha... kiss me?
The bell rang, I slowly gathered up my belongings, and slipped the note into my folder so it couldn't be seen by anyone else. I was one of the last out the door; Sango and Miroku were waiting for me.
"What was all that note passing about?" Sango inquired, holding Miroku's hand. I wasn't sure whether it was a sign of affection or because she didn't want him to grab her.
"Oh, you know. Married people still like to pass love notes to each other." Miroku smiled, kissing Sango on the cheek.
"Heh, yeah..." I prayed the subject would drop. There was no way in Hell I was going to reveal the contents of that letter.
"Well, I'll see you later, Kagome. It's off to journalism for Miroku and me." She waved and turned down the hall as I journeyed off to P.E. Shudder; but at least I didn't have it with Inuyasha. I'm grateful for that one.

& * &

The rest of the day passed by without much happening; Inuyasha didn't even attempt to harass me or anything. I started to feel cheerful and uplifted, and then the final bell rang... reminding me that I had detention. I said goodbye to Sango and Miroku and headed off to Naraku-sensei's class. I was the first one to get in there.
"Hello, Higurashi." Naraku-sensei looked up from grading papers and greeted me. I set my bag down with a thud on one of the stations and walked over to him.
"What will you have me do?"
He gave me the once-over, as if seeing if I could actually do work. "Clean those beakers over there." I nodded and turned around to follow his instructions. How did I know?
I was halfway through cleaning my first beaker when Inuyasha came casually strolling in. He set his bag down next to mine and waltzed over next to me. He nudged me over slightly and grabbed a beaker.
"Nice of you to join us, Inuyasha." Naraku said coldly, glancing up. Apparently, Inuyasha had been in here for detention before.
"Always a pleasure, Sensei." Inuyasha didn't even turn around, but apparently Naraku-sensei was used to his sarcasm.
"I was beginning to hope you wouldn't show up at all." I muttered, setting the clean beaker off to the side.
"That's not true. Admit it: you want me." Inuyasha nudged me aside again, this time, not moving back again.
"Grow up." I took the beaker from him and cleaned it. He wasn't helping at all, with the beakers or my situation.
"But you like me the way I am." He wrapped his arm around my waist and left it there. I tried to move away, but he just moved with me. I decided that instead of attracting Sensei's attention I'd leave it. "What time's dinner, wench?"
"Five-thirty." I replied without thinking. Then I realized what he meant. "But you're not coming."
"Too late." He removed his arm and grabbed a couple flasks to clean. Apparently, he wasn't a bum after all.
"Alright, you two. You're done. Go home and stop feeling each other up." Naraku-sensei called from his desk. I whipped around, ignoring the self-satisfying smirk on Inuyasha's face.
"I didn't feel- I mean, it was Inuyasha, he-" I protested.
"Don't bother, wench." Inuyasha grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. He grabbed both of our bags, never letting go of me, and rushed out the door.
"Where are we going in such a hurry?" I asked, trying to keep from being completely dragged.
"It's already almost five. That leaves half an hour until ramen time." Inuyasha replied, entering the parking lot. I swear, I could have sweat dropped right then. He really loves ramen.
"Oh, you're making ramen, too? What a coincidence!" I smiled, getting in the passenger seat and watching him throw my bad heedlessly in the backseat. He got in, started the car, and half glared at me.
"You're not funny. You can't uninvite me, either, because your mom said I could come."
"That reminds me, why did you tell my mom we were dating?"
"I said we went on a date last night. A really romantic one." He put his arm around the back of my headrest, made sure he wasn't going to hit anything, and backed out of the parking spot.
"What?! It was not romantic in the least!" I defied. It was probably the worst date I'd ever been on... and that was sad, considering the other two dates really bit the dust.
"Probably not to you, but to me, it was the best night of my life." He winked at me again. I wanted to believe him, I really did, but all the lovey-dovey comments were just to get a rise out of me and retaliate, I knew.

& * &

We walked up to my door, and I shoved Inuyasha's hands off my waist three times before I opened the door. He was like... a male slut.
"During dinner, please keep your hands to yourself. If you touch me at all during dinner, I swear, I'll kill you... slowly." I threatened.
"Yes, but after dinner..." Inuyasha wiggled his eyebrows. I deadpanned and entered the house, calling out that I was home and Inuyasha was with me.
"Oh, so he did come for dinner, that's fantastic!" Mom entered into the living room. "Good to see you again, Inuyasha."
"Good to see you again, too, Higurashi-san." Inuyasha smiled as politely as could be. He could pretend to be a charming individual so quickly it was amazing.
"Ah, well, come in and eat, I've just set dinner down." Mom nodded and headed back toward the kitchen. The moment her back was turned, Inuyasha ran his hand along my waist. It was going to be a long night.

I'm so proud of myself... this is the longest chapter I've written for... anything, I think. YEAH! I hope you like this one, and thank you to all my fantastic reviewers for the little boost I needed!