Gomen! XP Blech… I've fallen behind… sorry, everyone, but with my computer having had to be reformatted and all the drawing I was doing… blegh… the panda eye look is NOT a good one. Arigato for you reviews, as always! Thanks for all the encouragement – I am notoriously bad person for middle things… I'll rev up for the start and the finish but the middle is always a little past me. Anyway, without further ado:

Make Me

He pressed his mouth to hers.

Everything came screeching to a halt.

Wha…?

Kagome's eyelids shot open from the half lidded state they had been in, and an abrupt "Mmph!" came out as her surprised squeak.

What the hell does he think he's doing?

This was just all wrong. This was just not how Kagome pictured her first kiss. She'd daydreamed about it, of course. Somewhere romantic, the scene lit either by candles or the moon, and perhaps various positions; sitting on a bench, standing on a beach, maybe. The picture she painted in her head was always one hundred percent perfect and where there was love.

Maybe, Kagome thought, if she wasn't the person who was getting her first kiss stolen, she would've laughed. The irony was just too… thereto ignore it.

It was ironic, that the place was not a romantic place – by any means. It was just a simple room, with little light; a standardized room.

It was ironic; that the position they were in was also not idealistic. Standing up in center stage – albeit no one was there being a voyeur – it was not the stuff made of dreams.

And it was sheer irony that shone through when the other half of the 'non-couple' was Inuyasha. The type of person she'd always detested – and even more so now. There was no love – or even like. She'd never even envisioned in her head if her first kiss would be where she was unwilling. Never mind one hundred percent – it barely qualified for one.

Fate had just screwed her over.

The kiss was cruel as it was short. Kagome had to clench her hands to stop herself from screaming and she could feel moisture gathering at the corner of her eyes. She dug her nails into her palms to stop them from falling.

Inuyasha lifted his head, smirking. Inuyasha: 1. Kagome: 0.

But then he caught her gaze.

It was a mistake – he'd purely intended to laugh and lord it over her, then turn around and leave, cool as you'd please. But the utter emotion in her eyes rendered him still. She was mute; but that just expanded the sensation.

There were tears on her lashes – they didn't drip down her face but they held at the corners, and a sadness and weariness penetrated the air about her. But most of all there was barely suppressed fury pinning him to the spot; dark snapping eyes that he couldn't pull away from. The hair was mussed and fell into her eyes, but that didn't block any of the rage emitting off her.

Inuyasha had never wanted someone as badly as he did now.

Eventually she spoke. It was a low voice; a soft voice, with a slight tremble that belied her temper. "I won't forget this."

She swept past him in a swish of fragrance and texture and emotion… of her.

Although Inuyasha would never, ever – even if he got tortured in hell by the Devil himself – admit it, even he felt a little shaken by those words.

Inuyasha had been trained by the best. He knew how to use a sword, several guns, daggers, and a couple of other nifty tricks that could instinctively save his life. Whenever he went of publicly he had at least two bodyguards shielding him, and they all carried the best weapons money could buy.

So why was it that Inuyasha felt rather apprehensive every time he heard a slight sound?

Inuyasha smacked himself lightly on the head. Criminals, stalkers, serial killers, I can handle. And then one fucking girl comes along, Takahashi…

The look in her eyes kept replaying in Inuyasha's head – he couldn't stop it, nor did he want to. The hurt and the anguish and the anger mingled perfectly into one – imprinting something unforgettable into Inuyasha's memory. She was the first person to look at him like that – and undoubtedly the last. Even if there would be another, none would be able to pull of such an expression as well as Kagome. There was no argument in his head: she was the only one.

This was a completely new one on Inuyasha.

Sure, he knew girls. He knew how they cooed over flowers, swooned over jewelry, and most of all, he knew if they smiled and winked at him coyly, he was in.

This was were it posed a problem.

Kagome Higurashi was not going to coo over flowers – if he even sent any, that was. Kagome Higurashi was not going to swoon over a 24-carat necklace. And Kagome Higurashi was most definitely not going to smile or wink at him, let alone speak his name with even the slightest bit of warmth.

There was also a catch: Kagome was a guest. That meant she was off-limits. He could be assured that Sango and Miroku would have his head if he so much as laid a finger on Kagome.

But then again, if they knew Inuyasha well enough, they would also know Inuyasha could never resist a challenge.

Kagome sat on a pretty wooden bench, just outside of the back door. Naturally, being rich, Inuyasha had plumped for the seaside view, and Kagome had to admit that it was gorgeous. She idly swung her legs and a warm breeze flew by, tussling her hair.

She was alerted to someone being there by the rustling of clothing.

"Who is it?"

The superstar came into view, and the warmth in Kagome's voice instantly dulled. "It's you. The baka."

"Such tender words." Inuyasha sat down beside her, apparently enjoying himself if the little smile that kinked his lips and sigh of appreciation was any indication.

She scowled at him threateningly. "Do you really think it's so wise to come so close to a girl you angered only a moment ago?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes into what Kagome could only describe as an expression of utter relaxation. "I don't see why not."

Kagome's fist clenched until her knuckles turned white, but she remained silent on the issue, choosing to instead focus her burning gaze on the ocean beyond her.

Inuyasha folded his arms and opened one golden eye in her direction. "So what are you going to do around here, wench? Don't count on me to be your entertainment system."

With some difficulty, Kagome pushed back her irritation and blazing infuriation, promising herself she would give into the banked anger sometime appropriate. "If you paid attention you would know I've got finals in three months. Studying isn't a thing you do for fun." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "I'd hardly call your presence entertaining Inuyasha, and even if your brain manages to concoct up anything, I wouldn't call games used to stimulate four year olds fun," she snapped.

In a flash Inuyasha was pressed up against her and his face hovered just above hers; an expression of hunger as he gazed down at her. "Some games don't have to be for four year olds," he breathed. "I can show you others… that would be a lot more… fun," he purred, running a finger steadily higher on her smooth thigh, stopping and stroking suggestively where the edge of her skirt lay.

Kagome looked merely unmoved, and swatted the finger away with a certain amount of annoyance. "You really are a incorrigible jerk, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha moved back to his original position and rolled his eyes good-humouredly. "You know too many complicated words, bitch."

"And you know far too few," Kagome shot back. "What about you then? Shouldn't you be hanging out with a model called Candy or something? Drinking? Smoking?"

A shadowed look fell over his face then, but Kagome made the mistake of blinking and the next second, it was gone. "That reminds me." Inuyasha drew out a packet of cigarettes and lit up. He took a deep drag and let the smoke waft out around him and – much to Kagome's disgust – her.

She waved a disgruntled hand around the curling smoke, as if hoping to smack something solid. "That's a filthy habit. You're enslaving yourself to little brown sticks."

Inuyasha glanced at her. Figured she'd be annoyed about something as stupid as that. He blew a deliberate stream of smoke in her face, making her gasp and her eyes water slightly.

"You moron! Fine, it's your choice to kill yourself, but don't try to take me down with you! Haven't you heard of passive smoking before?"

When he did not reply, only continuing to blow out plumes of white clouds, Kagome felt some of her fury force itself to the surface. "But why would you care about my welfare? Or even pretend to? I mean, that would require manners, wouldn't it? Obviously your mother never actually ingrained you with any!"

His reaction was instantaneous; a dark and murderous look spilled across his face as he pressed up against her again, this time for a different reason. "You don't know shit about my mother. Keep your mouth shut if you don't know the facts."

Actually, Kagome knew the facts very well, thanks to Ayumi's habit of incessant reading out of any glossy magazines about a certain hanyou. Inuyasha's mother had claimed to have died a 'mysterious and unknown' death, the cause of much upheaval during which Kagome had been oblivious too, only having been born then.

But she was too incensed to take the words back, instead feeling half of her in terror of the black look and regret that would follow later, but the other half was in exhilaration, enjoying the fight in some twisted way. "Obviously I was right, otherwise you wouldn't be so defensive."

The fierce expression intensified. "You're right, bitch. I don't have manners. Not around you, anyway." Before Kagome could manage a retort, he narrowed his eyes. "How does this link to what you're really mad about? Too afraid to bring it out in the open?"

If Inuyasha's eyebrows were raised savagely, Kagome's lowered into a deep frown. "I'll talk about anything I damn well want! Screw you!"

"Only if it's you doing it, darling," he shot back.

The both locked gazes, fuming.

Inuyasha snapped first. "How does it really matter? So I kissed you, big deal. It's just a fucking kiss, Kagome."

Something inside Kagome cracked then. The lid on her rage was brutally pushed aside as that sentence hit home. It went against everything she had been brought up as and her beliefs – and she was not going to let some spoilt, stupid jerk of an actor undermine them.

Kagome let out a bitter, mirthless laugh. "Right. Right. It's just a fucking kiss, isn't it? No big deal. So, forget about the fact I was saving it for something – someone – special. Forget about the fact I don't even like you. Forget about the fact my mama always taught me to give my first kiss to someone I loved."

Inuyasha was feeling distinctly uncomfortable now. He shifted a little. Who knew the wench would look so much into a stupid thing like a kiss? How was I supposed to know she was saving it?

Kagome took another breath, and his eyesight picked up the tears glittering in her eyes, the fact her fists were clenched, the shaking of her body – probably out of infuriation – and felt his discomfort double.

Her voice however, remained smooth and clear. "So when my friends ask me, "Kagome, what was your first kiss like?" What can I say? That my first kiss was from a guy who doesn't even like me? A guy who'd rather-"

Kagome choked on the words, and they died on her lips. What's the point? A guy like him – he wouldn't care.

She gave him a bittersweet, melancholy smile. "Kisses are meant to be cherished, Inuyasha. But why am I trying to explain this? A person who slings them out left, right, center… You wouldn't understand – or even want to."

Inuyasha couldn't breathe. That smile she'd only just given him – he'd never seen anything like it before. It was an extraordinarily painful mix of sadness and sweetness that had got him in the ribs. It'd made her seem positively angelic; with the tears glittering at her eyes, the dark lustrous hair escaping from behind her ears, and the grief shown in that simple tilt of her lips. His breath had caught in his throat, and he'd wanted to freeze time so he could forever admire that smile.

But then she'd gotten up – the smile faded and the spell broken. Inuyasha watched her go, watched her stop short at the door. Kagome turned around, and he thought he caught a glimpse of the old glint in her eyes, but he couldn't confirm it for sure until –

"Fuck you, Inuyasha."

Yes. He was sure now.

He didn't know about the mischievous grin on her face as she strided out of his sight, down the sleek white corridors with wooden floorboards, her little sandals click-clacking on them.

He also didn't know about her thoughts.

I told you I wouldn't forget this, Inuyasha. I'm going to change you – and set you straight.