A/N: For the 'Tryst' theme on Dokuga's LJ comm - 300 words, no more no less. Originally posted on July 4, 2011.

To be on a fighter's "dead side" means that the opponent is standing where the fighter has the least powerful counterattacks. Usually, this is where a fighter can't easily readjust - a right-handed fighter's dead side will be on his left, preferably far enough to his side and back that even his left jab will be rendered useless. When someone is on a fighter's dead side, they have an enormous, if momentary, advantage.

888888888888888888888

Dead Side

Kagome waited at the restaurant for an hour and a half before giving up on him. Ignoring the sympathetic looks from the waitresses and the smirks of the busboys, she paid for her single, melting drink and gathered up her belongings.

"He stood me up, Miroku," she said when she hit the sidewalk, her cell phone cradled between her shoulder and ear.

"Really? Are you going over to his place to check on him?"

She frowned up at the street signs. "Maybe. It could be nothing. He could have been busy."

"He's working for Naraku. This could be far more than getting caught at the office like any normal boyfriend, Kagome." He paused. "You can't be afraid of every shadow now that there's more to care about than getting a criminal off the street."

"I hate it when you know what I'm thinking," she murmured.

She could almost hear the understanding smile in his voice. "That's what I'm here for," he said before his tone brightened. "He probably just fell asleep. You can wake him up, tell him all about my fantastic idea about how to save his skin and yours, and finish out your plans for the night. You know, the fun stuff."

"You're such a pervert," she replied, but she was laughing all the same.

"Ah, that's the other reason I'm here."

She hung up a moment later, feeling confident as she made her way to Sesshoumaru's place. The dog demon was prone to dozing in the early hours of the evening. If I find him in bed, at least we won't have to go far to end our evening properly, she thought with a grin.

Her hopes dimmed the moment she opened the door and felt the cold, still air. No one had been here in days.

888888888888888888888