Prompt: "Stop wandering off! I keep thinking you've gotten abducted or something. I swear I'll put you on a kiddie leash. Don't tempt me."

Inuyasha paused when he found Kagome waiting for him after practice, again. He had not been expecting her. They hadn't made any plans, he hadn't asked her anything, and yet, here she was, looking around. Waiting. For him.

"Hey," he said, voice sounding gruff, as he walked towards her. "What are ya doing here?"

"Well, I figured you could come over tonight, but first we need to go buy some stuff. Are you free?"

He rose an eyebrow.

"Is that a date?"

"A date to the grocery shop? Sure. I'm just that romantic."

He scoffed, then shrugged. Why the fuck had he even asked?

"Sure."

"Yay, it's a date then!"

He stared at her, then laughed a little. His heart has just jumped in his chest a little, and it was ridiculous honestly, but shit, he couldn't help it. Kagome watched as his expression changed. She liked to make him laugh. She liked the way he sounded, his deep voice, and she was always a little surprised by how unsure he seemed. Like he didn't laugh a lot, like he didn't quite know how to do it right. She was more than happy to help him train.

She took a step towards him and slipped her hand in his.

"Let's go!" she said chirpily, hoping her voice didn't go a tad too high, because, wow, she couldn't believe she was doing that.

Inuyasha looked down at their hands, following after her. Her hand was small and soft, and of course, Kagome was far weaker than him, and yet he didn't feel like there was any way for him to resist her pull. No use, either. He grinned, and let himself be taken away.

He didn't know how he could keep losing her in such a small place. She would ask him to go get her something, he'd do it, and by the time he was back, she had vanished. He couldn't even count on his nose in such a place. The fruit stand in particular was disorienting, but generally, the food everywhere didn't help him.

With a sigh, he resorted to looking for her the old-fashioned way. Yeah, he could have jumped above the shelves, but something was telling him that the owners wouldn't appreciate that too much. Also, the ceiling seemed a bit low.

When he found her — fucking finally — he grinned, only for this grin to turn into a frown when he saw the person she was talking to. She didn't seem too happy about it either, her shoulders tense, her smile forced, and he instantly felt his protective instincts kick in. In a few strides, he arrived next to her, moving his arm over her shoulder.

"Stop wandering off, dammit. I keep thinking you've gotten abducted or something." He eyed the man dangerously. "Ah, Naraku. You're here too."

"Inuyasha," Naraku smiled, giving him a nod, and Inuyasha had to hold back a hiss. His demonic, animal instincts didn't have much hold on him most of the time, but seeing the spider demon really got on his nerves, in a way few other things did. "Do not fear, I have no interest in your girlfriend. Not in this one, at least."

Inuyasha's hand tightened a little on Kagome's shoulder, but he forced himself to release his grip so he wouldn't risk hurting her, and his arm fell to his side. He missed Kagome's little shudder when his warmth left her.

Naraku had always been interested in Kikyo. It had been a subject of conflict, actually. Of course, this was quite some time ago, now, but there were rumors going around that him and Kikyo were an item, and even now, Inuyasha didn't like that idea. The guy was fucking shady.

"Great. Then get the fuck out of my face."

Naraku's lips tightened, but even he wasn't going to start shit with Inuyasha — or, possibly, with the priestess who was standing next to him. Inuyasha saw his fist clenching, knew he hadn't made a friend, but he didn't give a fuck. He watched the man's back as he left. Good riddance.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice sounded worried, and he gritted his teeth. He hadn't meant to do that.

"If you keep doing that, I'll put you on a kiddie leash, I swear," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't tempt me."

It worked, at least briefly, and she chuckled.

"Pff, I'd like to see you try."

He grinned, leaning forwards a little.

"Would ya?"

It was a delight to see her blush and turn away.

"W-we're almost done here, come on!"

He laughed quietly and followed after her, but the mood didn't go back to what it was before they had run into Naraku.

They walked back home without speaking, both lost in rather unpleasant thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Kagome asked, her voice soft and quiet, finally breaking the silence.

When Inuyasha didn't reply, she lifted her shoulders a little, eyes on the ground. She was aware of who Naraku was, of what people said about him and Kikyo and maybe… Maybe Sango was right, after all. Maybe Inuyasha wasn't over Kikyo, if that encounter was making him react like that. Maybe his interest in her was purely platonic, or worse, maybe he was looking for a rebound. Maybe…

Inuyasha grabbed her hand.

"'m good," he said with a shrug. "It's all in the past now, y'know. Doesn't mean it ain't—" He cleared his throat. "Doesn't mean I enjoy having to think 'bout it, 'specially not like that, but, well, 's over, and I know that. There's— I don't like Kikyo anymore."

He was ready to move on.

Kagome didn't answer. She wasn't quite sure what she could say, what she should say, what he wanted her to say.

So she didn't say anything, and she just held his hand tighter.

Hope you guys are still liking this! Thanks a lot for all your kind words, they're very appreciated :) Throwing in just a tad bit more of angst, and we are getting close to the end of this little thing already, but I certainly hope it's fun for you so far!

Dya.