Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I'm currently setting up a rescue team to save him from Kikyo's clutches. Anyone wanna join?
A/N Okay, folks! Here I am, back again! -grins- I think you guys are going to like this chapter...
Oh! Canadians everywhere! We may rejoice! New Inuyasha episodes have come to us! And to all you Americans laughing at us right now because you already have them...well...have a reminder of Naraku in a speedo! Bet you're not laughing anymore, huh?
To those of you who thought that Sesshoumaru might have been out of character for that last bit in the previous chapter...wait a minute...I must have missed the memo informing everyone that Sesshoumaru had gotten a character... I mean, to be out of character you kinda have to have a personality first, right? No, I'm just kidding. He was slightly out of character I'll admit...but it was fun...and I couldn't resist. So I guess you'll just have to live with me as I ride on my cloud of insanity...
Okay. That passage screwed up again in the last update. I'm tired of trying to fix it. You guys can guess what it said, right? Jodi was flung across Kagome's lap, reaching out for Inuyasha. Then Kagome asked "Could you not?" and then it continued as you can see in the screwed up version. Thank you and have a nice day.
WARNING!!!: Grapefruit ahead!!! You have been warned! Yes, that's right. GRAPEFRUIT!!! Didn't see that one coming, didja? Well, since you're all so baffled now, I'll tell you that Spacewolf, Calum and I decided that since some -cough- events got labelled as citrus fruits, why didn't others? I mean, there should be a scale, right? So, I'll inform you that we created the scale; it goes orange, grapefruit, lime, and then lemon. Oranges have already happened in this fic. You figure out what grapefruit means.
..:V:..
"Kagome..."
Kagome glanced up at the silver haired boy walking slowly towards her. She frowned. Why was he wearing a loin cloth? And why were there dog ears on his head...?
She shrugged. It made sense.
"Kagome," Inuyasha repeated, walking towards her.
"Yes, Inuyasha?" she breathed, her heart racing. Why was her heart racing? Would it win? Could she put a trophy for first place in a heart race on her mantle? She shook her head. There was no time to think of that. There was an incredibly sexy hunk in a loincloth in front of her. She must sort out her priorities!
"Kagome, I..." Inuyasha started, but didn't seem to know how to express himself in words. Instead, he placed his strong hands on either side of her slim waist and pulled her closer to his warm, firm body. He began leaning towards her. Kagome eyed his lips as they inched closer to her own...closer...closer...
"KAGOME!!!"
The shrill voice pierced through Kagome's warped dream and jolted her upright in her bed with a loud, "HOLY SH-" She glanced around for a moment at the two other girls in the room and checked her language. "HHHHOOT!" she finished.
Sango gave her friend a funny look. "Kagome...what were you dreaming about...?"
Kagome thought back to her bizarre dream and blushed. "Uhhh.... codfish!"
"Ahhh, so you were trying to imitate fish lips!" Ayame said in sudden understanding. "That's what all the puckering was about!"
"Uhhh...uh huh..." Kagome smiled weakly and nodded.
"They must have been fascinating codfish," Sango said. "We've been trying to wake you up forever and it hasn't been working..."
"Um...they were! Incredible animal, the codfish..." Kagome said quickly.
"Well, come on downstairs, fish lips," Sango continued. "We ought to go have breakfast before the boys come a-knocking."
Kagome nodded, blushing at the reminder of a certain boy... Weird dream...didn't make a ton of sense, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed it... Wait a minute! What was she saying?! She didn't think of Inuyasha like...that... Did she...? Naaaahhh...he was only hot, athletic, sweet when he wasn't being a jerk, fun to be around, cute, funny, an all around great guy... Nothing special.
Oh, dear.
Ack! ...She was falling for Inuyasha! No way! When could this possibly have started?! Last week, she had hated him and all he was! Nooooo! Why did she have to be falling for such a perfect guy?
Wait.
Why was she complaining?
Kagome shrugged and smiled happily to herself. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all, liking Inuyasha a bit more than a friend. After all, it was only a bit.
"Kagome? Where are you? Did you get lost between your room and the kitchen?" Ayame yelled up to her friend.
"Ha ha!" Kagome called back. "I'm just going to have a shower, that's all!"
"Okay, but hurry up!" Ayame responded. "The boys should be here soon!"
"'Kay!" Kagome said, making her way to her bathroom with the happy thought of a certain semi-date she had with a certain boy that evening in her head. Inches before entering the bathroom, however, she stopped. Dashing to her bedroom door, she called out to her friends, "Uh, guys? We're going out with the boys tonight, right? Well, I don't have anything nice to wear! All my clothes is either track pants or casual, everyday stuff! I need to do some serious shopping!"
There was a pause before, "Ahh! You're right! I don't have anything either!" Ayame responded.
"Me neither!" Sango admitted. "And I have to look good for Miroku!"
"Uhh...wait a minute, let me rephrase that-" Sango began.
"Don't bother," Ayame cut in. "We know exactly what you mean."
"B-but-" Sango sputtered.
Ayame held up a hand to silence her. "How about this, guys? I'll call the guys and we'll all make a special trip into town today! That way we can buy stuff and the boys can...well, the boys can...um...keep us company?"
Kagome shrugged from her position upstairs. "Sounds like a good idea. Okay, call them and tell them to come over in fifteen minutes! I'll hopefully be ready by then!" With that, she dashed into the shower.
..:V:..
Miroku hung up the phone with a click and turned to his two friends who were starting to put on their ski equipment. "Uh...you might wanna hold off on that, guys," he said. When Inuyasha and Kouga turned to give him curious looks, he continued, "That was Ayame who just called. Apparently, the girls have spontaneously planned a day on the town and want us to come along..."
Inuyasha looked longingly at his new Tetsusaiga skis. "B-but...but..."
"Oh, get over it," Kouga said. "It's not like you'll never get to use them."
"I'm sorry, was I the only one who noticed the first day of the competition is tomorrow?" Inuyasha snapped, recovering.
"I noticed, mutt face," Kouga said. "But you need those skis for the slalom race, which is the day after, Thursday. Tomorrow is GS, which you only need the skis you've been practising with for the past week for. Just get over it and let's go hang out with the girls."
"You're awfully eager," Inuyasha muttered as he removed his jacket and ski pants. "Must have something to do with a certain girl..."
"Whatever, dog-turd..." Kouga muttered, but without enough anger to make him seem innocent of Inuyasha's suggestion.
Inuyasha and Miroku shared a look before the latter took a look at all of their choices of clothing. "I suppose we should all change..." Miroku suggested. "I don't think we should really go around town in jogging pants and old, mismatching turtlenecks... The girls probably wouldn't want to be seen with us..."
The other two boys sighed. "I suppose..." Inuyasha grudgingly agreed, heading for his room. Miroku and Kouga soon followed his lead and entered their own rooms in order to change into something more appropriate.
When they had all emerged in jeans and long-sleeved shirts, the boys once more grabbed their jackets, but instead of putting on their ski boots, they slipped into their normal snow boots and headed out the door. After casually strolling over to the girls' condo, they ascended the inside stairs and rapped smartly on their condo door.
Sango opened the door and admitted them while yelling up the stairs for Kagome to come down. The boys noticed that Ayame was finishing a bowl of cereal while Sango walked back to the table and took her empty bowl over to the sink in order to wash it clean. A few moments later, Kagome rushed down the stairs, still in the process of securing a pink jewelled earing in her ear. "I'm here! I'm ready!" she proclaimed to the group.
"Uh, Kagome...?" Sango said. "You haven't eaten breakfast yet."
As Kagome opened her mouth to respond, Inuyasha cut in, "That's alright. I haven't eaten anything either. We'll get something in town together."
Kagome smiled brightly at him. "Okay!" she agreed.
Miroku raised an eyebrow and shared a look with Kouga. Both could distinctly remember Inuyasha stuffing eggs, toast and bacon down his throat earlier that morning... 'Inuyasha, you sly dog, you,' Miroku thought in his head.
"So...everyone ready, then...?" Kouga asked.
"Yup!" Ayame said, finishing her cereal and taking it to the sink where Sango quickly washed it with her own. The three girls grabbed their purses and jackets and walked out with the boys, locking their condo behind them.
Outside, the group decided to travel in two different vehicles to allow for more mobility in the town. Inuyasha and Miroku's cars were chosen over Kagome's van since they were less bulky and the boys insisted that they were much sleeker and sexier as well.
After rolling their eyes at the boys' argument, the girls sorted out the seating arrangements. It turned out that Inuyasha, Kagome and Ayame would ride in Inuyasha's car while Miroku, Sango and Kouga would ride in Miroku's. Once in to town, Inuyasha and Kagome were going to search for a restaurant while the others went their separate ways. The girls would meet up again at lunch time to pick out their clothes for the evening while the boys would...well, the boys would...um...keep them company?
After fifteen minutes of driving, the two cars of teenagers arrived in the town of Devil's Peak. Ayame and Kouga disembarked and walked off together towards a few souvenir stores while Miroku and Sango waved and drove off down another street.
"Hmm...guess that leaves us alone together..." Inuyasha mused, shifting his car into gear. "Let's go find some chow."
"Mmm...yeah!" Kagome agreed. "I'm starved! Take me to a place of edible materials!"
Inuyasha glanced at her with a grin. "And where exactly would you like to go, oh mighty princess?"
Kagome lazily stretched before flopping back sideways in her seat so she could have a better look at the boy next to her. "Hmm..." she said thoughtfully. "I'm not so keen on normal fast food restaurant breakfasts... How about Tim Hortons?"
Inuyasha shrugged. "Sounds good to me! I could do with a hot chocolate...it's a pretty cold day."
"Yeah," Kagome agreed with a shiver; as if to accentuate the point. "I'm going to have a hot chocolate, a croissant and a chocolate chip muffin!"
Inuyasha chuckled as he pulled into a Tim Hortons. "Well, thank you for your order, ma'am; I'll have it ready for you as soon as we order at the actual restaurant."
Kagome laughed and punched him in the arm. "Thanks, waitress," she said as they got out of the car and headed for the restaurant.
..:V:..
"Ah, there's something wonderful about this fine season known as winter," Miroku said, sighing blissfully as he took in their frosty surroundings.
"And there's something suspicious about your hand inching closer and closer towards my butt," Sango muttered, quickly catching his offending hand before it reached an unsanctioned area. After she had crushed it sufficiently, however, and released it, Miroku was quick to use it to recapture her hand and hold it gently.
Sango looked down in shock at their joined hands, but when she looked up at saw Miroku's earnest smile, she couldn't help but tentatively smile back.
As she and Miroku walked hand and hand down the little wintry street, Sango felt a warm tingling sensation in her stomach. There was something about this situation...that truly made her content. The thought made a faint tinge rise to her cheeks and the mere thought that she, Sango, was blushing over a boy, made her blush even harder.
"Sango, are you getting wind chill or a sunburn? Did you want to go inside somewhere?" Miroku asked in a worried tone as he spotted her red cheeks.
Sango almost laughed at him worrying over what was nothing more than a blush, but instead opted for blushing harder out of embarrassment. "Um...no, it's alright... I like walking out here...with you..." Sango's cheeks were quite red at this point and she avoided making eye contact of any kind.
Miroku beamed at her statement and gently squeezed her hand. "I like walking with you too..." he responded honestly, without a hint of pervertedness in his tone.
Sango finally lifted her head gave him a genuine smile. "Well, then I guess we'll just keep on walking, hm?"
Miroku returned her smile. "Sounds like a perfect idea to me."
..:V:..
"Well, that old lady probably has nine children, twenty-four grandchildren, nineteen cats and one canary..." Inuyasha said, eyeing a senior lady who sat at a corner table in the restaurant.
"Hmm...good call," Kagome said, eyeing some hair she saw clinging to the lady's clothes. "Who should I analyse...?"
Inuyasha glanced around the small Tim Hortons before his gaze landed on a brooding teenage boy four tables away from them who was wearing black jeans that from his angle, looked very much like they were falling down, and a black shirt with red diagonal slashes across it, accompanied by the words, "SCREW THE WORLD!" Then there were chains hanging from his almost scandalously low pants and piercings covering most of any visible skin, and the boy's hair was longer than most females'.
"That guy," Inuyasha said, nodding his chin towards the boy in question.
Kagome grinned. "This is gonna be a piece of cake," she said smugly. "Obviously, the kid's depressed. He's trying to express himself and his individuality by punching holes through various bits of skin and sticking shiny things in them. Clearly, his individuality has sky-rocketed by this technique and girls who have peas for brains have suddenly developed a strong attraction towards him. Oh, and he keeps his hair that long because it's 'cool'. Personally, I think it's because he needs to get in touch with his feminine side... Other than that, he probably has a fully-functional family, but of course 'nobody understands him.' He broods a lot, and he thinks the world is against him... I'd say he has both parents living together, a sister and...a dog...a Doberman."
Inuyasha nodded thoughtfully. "Good analogy. Hmm...I think we've basically analysed the general impression everyone in the restaurant gives off. They're probably the farthest from the truth...but if people are going to dress and act the way they do...we can only assume so much about them..."
Kagome nodded emphatically. "Too true."
Inuyasha looked down at their empty plates. "Well, it looks like we're done here. Good to go?"
Kagome smiled at him. "Yup! Let's blow this joint! Let's go...uh...let's go...hmm... I don't even know what there is here!"
"Well, I guess we'll just have to go out there and see now won't we?" Inuyasha said condescendingly.
"Yeah, I guess so, Mr. I'm-So-Smart," Kagome said back teasingly. "So let's go then."
"Lead the way," Inuyasha said, smirking at her. Kagome tossed her head and purposely sauntered out of the coffee shop, Inuyasha following behind.
Once outside, they decided to forsake the car and walk among the downtown shops. They looked in the windows every now and then, but saw nothing special. Then they came upon a souvenir shop and Kagome insisted they head inside to take a look around. She claimed that you never know when you might find something that you absolutely needed to get for one of your friends, or a family member. Inuyasha responded by shrugging and saying he'd take her word for it.
They were greeted by a kindly old man behind a small counter and they noticed right away that the shop itself was not overly spacious. Inuyasha stood casually by the door with his hands in his pockets as Kagome browsed through various trinkets and classic souvenirs. Thinking of her mother and other friends at home, Kagome bought a few postcards that she would send later that night.
As she was heading towards Inuyasha and the door to leave, a glitter caught Kagome's eye. She made her way to a stand next to the doorway where several necklaces were being displayed. Most of them were fairly nice, but what really caught her attention was one beautiful necklace in particular. It consisted of many white, elongated beads around the cord of it, and a shimmering, swirling pink jewel as the central pendant.
Kagome gazed at it lovingly for a few moments before Inuyasha snatched it from the stand. Kagome looked up, startled, as Inuyasha made his way to the counter and quickly purchased it. Astonished, she asked hesitantly, "Uh...you buying that for...someone...?"
Inuyasha looked at her fairly blankly, though there was also a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Yeah..." he said as if it were obvious. "What, you thought I was gonna wear it...?"
"Oh, well...of course not," Kagome said, flustered. "I just thought maybe...I dunno... Um...who...exactly...did you buy it for...?"
Inuyasha gave her a strange look. "You, of course. Who else? I mean, you were just standing there ogling it... You would have probably never have bought it since you were shopping for your 'family and friends' and then you would have been whining and complaining to me about it for the rest of the day. So I bought it for you. You want it or what?"
Kagome grew flustered. "Oh...! Um, of course!" She gave Inuyasha a beaming smile. "Thanks so much, Inuyasha! Wow...no one's ever...well...it's so...thank you!" Launching herself at Inuyasha, Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug.
A rosy hue quickly sprung to Inuyasha's cheeks as he hesitated in Kagome's grasp. To cover his embarrassment, he backed away slightly; enough to take up the newly purchased necklace and slip it around her neck. He had to return her hug in order to clasp the necklace at the back of her neck and for moment, each of them caught their breath. Kagome because she could feel Inuyasha's warm breath exhaling softly on her neck and Inuyasha because of his close proximity to Kagome; a girl for which he was beginning to develop feelings he'd never experienced before.
"Um...there you go..." Inuyasha said with a gulp as he finally managed to clasp the necklace with his shaking hands. Leaning back slightly, he let his hands fall down from Kagome's neck just as she lifted her face slightly, her eyes locking gazes with his. Inuyasha swallowed nervously as he froze and his hands stopped their descent by lightly resting on either side of Kagome's waist. As he gazed into her warm brown eyes, he flickered between uncertainty of the situation and wistfulness of what could be.
Kagome, meanwhile, was having just as difficult a time. With her hands resting softly on Inuyasha's chest and his golden eyes focused on her brown ones, she felt her heartbeat quicken. Of course, her racing heart reminded her of her dream earlier that morning that, with a jolt, she realized was eerily similar to the situation she was in at the moment. Well...save for the loin cloth and the dog ears... But, their position was the same...which he...? Would he...? Would she...? Would they? Would-
Her thoughts were cut off when Inuyasha's head dipped slightly; uncertainly. Kagome's brain completely stopped working as she leaned up a fraction of an inch, communicating her wishes silently with Inuyasha. As the two slowly drew closer to one another...
"Hey! You kids gonna buy anything else or what?" the voice of the man behind the counter cut in.
Inuyasha and Kagome sprung apart as if they'd been severely burned. They didn't spare a glance for one another as they began uncontrollably stuttering.
"Uh..."
"Um..."
"I...we..."
"Well..."
"Eh heh..."
"I don't..."
"Well...?" the man asked expectantly.
"Um, no; bye!" Inuyasha said quickly, frantically escaping the confines of the shop.
"Yeah; thanks, bye!" Kagome said as she ran after Inuyasha, refusing to think about what had just happened between them.
..:V:..
Kouga grinned as he sauntered down the snowy street, Ayame by his side. The thought of her herself was enough to make him grin as he thought about all the times they'd shared in the past week of being together. He was really growing attached to his pretend girlfriend and he had her to thank for numerous good things. She had done what no one else was capable of: cured his immense fear of snoopy, nosey, no-good reporters. And it had been by the exact opposite method he would have ever thought. When his natural instinct had been to run away, she had shown him that the best way to hide was right out in the open. By taking her on as his make-believe girlfriend, they had been able to lead the reporters on and play a game all their own.
Kouga thought about the elaborated stories they'd led the public to believe, and all the little pranks they'd pulled off together. Through their imaginary bond, he felt that a real bond had formed and he found himself thinking of the girl beside him in a way that he had thought of no other. He was feeling fairly happy at that moment in time and hardly anything could spoil his mood. Trying to seem inconspicuous, Kouga carefully slung an arm around Ayame's shoulders, making sure to avoid making eye contact the whole time.
Ayame giggled at his antics and snuggled in a bit closer to him, enjoying the proximity of their bodies. The two of them forgot about the stores they had been glancing into for the moment and just dwelled on the close company they shared. They were convinced nothing could ruin the moment. Nothing...
"Kouga! Are you enjoying a day on the town with your new girlfriend?"
"This must be the 'Ayame' you spoke of before!"
"Kouga, do you have anything to say to your fans about your race tomorrow?"
...Well, except maybe that.
"Uhh..." Kouga and Ayame blinked as if they were deers caught in headlights.
"Are you enjoying your outing?" one reporter asked, pushing his wire-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Yes. Yes, we are," Kouga said, regaining his composure and determined to face the reporters confidently.
"Are you prepared for your race tomorrow?"
"I'd say so...I've been training a lot lately, and I'm really confident in my skills," Kouga responded cooly.
"Is your relationship genuine?" a voice piped up from the back of the reporter group.
Kouga froze. "Say what...?"
"Is your relationship with Miss Ayame here indeed genuine?" the reporter asked again, squirming his way to the front of the small crowd. He had jaggedly cropped brown hair and greedy brown eyes. His hand tightly gripped a pen that hovered ominously over a pad of paper he was holding with his other hand.
Kouga almost panicked, but managed to just barely keep his reaction under control. "Um...erm... Whatever would lead you to believe otherwise...?" he asked hesitantly.
The reporter raised a greasy eyebrow. "Well...Mr. Haruko...you have never really...proven...your relationship with Miss Ayame here..."
"...Proven...?" Kouga asked uncertainly.
"Well...you haven't kissed her or anything, now have you?" the reporter demanded matter-of-factly.
Kouga and Ayame stared at him stupefied for a moment before glancing at one another and then trying to regain their dignity. "Hmph...what would you know?" Kouga asked stubbornly, crossing his arms. "As a matter of fact, we've kissed lots of times!"
At this proclamation, Ayame felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Since Kouga had just blurted out that little exclamation, she figured that could just nicely go on their way...dragging their dignity behind in crumbling ruins...
But no. Of course not. Nothing could ever be that easy.
"Have you...?" another reporter took up the uncomfortable questioning. "We've seen no evidence of it..."
Kouga gaped at them. "What is with you freaks? Do you watch everything I do or something...?"
The small crowd looked at him expectantly.
"Oh, yeah..." Kouga said, deflating. "Stupid question... But...I mean, come on! We, uh...always kiss in private. Jeez, do you really think I'm going to kiss her in front of you guys?!"
Another expectant silence ensued.
"Oookay..." Kouga exhaled loudly. "Another stupid question... Wow...you guys really are sick, aren't you? I would never kiss Ayame in public; in front of all of you! How could you even consider that I'd want to kiss her when I would know that immediately after, scores of photos would be taken, scandalous articles would be written and false rumours would be spread?!"
Ayame knew why Kouga was yelling everything he was, but she could help but feel a little bit of a twist in her gut hearing him say he would never consider kissing her... She tried to tell herself that she was being silly and that she should take consolation from his arm that was still draped around her shoulders, but there was a nagging, illogical feeling of hurt somewhere deep inside of her.
"...Why don't you kiss her now to prove all of us wrong?" the original snoopy reporter was saying.
Kouga shifted nervously. "Uhh...okay...I think question period is over; now! Let's move it!" he yelled, letting his arm dropped from her shoulders, only to grasp tightly onto her hand. Quick as lightening, he spun in the opposite direction and took off like a bullet, dragging Ayame behind him.
"Holy cra-a-a-p!" Ayame cried as she stumbled along, trying to match paces with Kouga. "Warn me next time you do that, would ya?!"
"Sorry! No time!" Kouga called back as he noticed the reporters took up the chase. "Turn!"
Ayame frantically turned to the right, desperate to let her inertia keep propelling her forwards as Kouga turned too quickly and managed to tear her arm off. "What the...!" Ayame exclaimed.
"No time for that!" Kouga called back. "It's called running away and it's something you need to work on!"
"I see you've perfected the technique..." Ayame muttered as she finally caught up with Kouga and ran side by side with him. They ran from the reporters for the better part of ten minutes before finally ducking in an alleyway and watching the small group rush past the opening a few moments later.
"Whoo..." Kouga said, breathing hard. "Note to self: never trust you can have a normal interview with reporters that are out to ruin your life."
"Yeah, really," Ayame scoffed.
"I mean, honestly! Who do they think they are?!" Kouga continued, beginning to rant. "Jeez! Kiss you in public?! Are they crazy?!"
Ayame attempted to smile. "Apparently..." she said with a hollow laugh.
"I would never dream of doing anything like that!"
"No...never..."
"Why would I ever kiss you in public-"
"Stupid idea, really..." Ayame said, her heart feeling like it was slowly being crushed.
"-When I would much rather kiss you in private...?"
"Huh?!" Ayame's head shot up so fast it almost collided with Kouga's, whose was hovering right over her own.
Kouga smirked and threw all thoughts of consequences or rejections out the window as he leaned forward quickly and softly pressed his lips against those belonging to the startled girl in front of him.
Ayame's thoughts stopped in their tracks. Was he...? Did he just...? Was this actually...? Wait a minute! She was just standing there like a dead chicken...well, not technically, since she didn't think dead chickens stood... But still! 'Respond, dammit! Respond!' she screamed at herself mentally.
Just as Kouga thought he'd made the biggest fool of himself he could possibly have made, and started to pull back from the rejected kiss, Ayame leaned in closer and pressed her lips back firmly against his.
Surprised but happy, Kouga grinned against Ayame's mouth as he tried to contain his joy of her accepting him. Ayame responded by deepening the kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck as she felt his snake around her waist.
When they finally broke away, they stepped back slightly, but enough as lose contact with each other. Flustered, they gazed at one another, surprisingly keeping eye contact the whole time.
"You know..." Kouga said, grinning out of one side of his mouth. "...I've wanted to do that for a long time now..."
Ayame's eyes danced as she smiled back at him. "You could've gotten away with it any time..." she informed him coyly.
"Hmm..." Kouga said thoughtfully while raising an eyebrow playfully. Before Ayame could react, he quickly kissed her again, pulling back before she could even properly respond.
"Hey!" Ayame said jokingly, punching him on the arm. "You're taking advantage of my naive innocence!"
Kouga snorted. "Innocence my ass..."
Ayame laughed.
"Say, Ayame...?" Kouga began.
"Yeah?" Ayame responded.
"How about being my real girlfriend from now on...?" Kouga asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Are you asking me out?" Ayame asked bluntly, but excitedly.
"Yes...I believe I am..." Kouga mused, a smile playing on his lips.
"Well...this is a tough one..." Ayame began as if she were really thinking hard. "You're going to have to let me think about it..."
Kouga stared at her incredulously.
Catching his expression, Ayame laughed and said, "Of course I'll go out with you, you dolt! What do you think that kiss just was?"
"Uhh...lip exercises...?" Kouga joked, playing dumb.
Ayame smacked her forehead as if in exasperation, though she was smiling. "Well, fine then. I will go out with you, if only because I think my lips need to work out more often," she said with a wink.
"I think I can help you there," Kouga said earnestly. "I'm a very good lip trainer."
"Good then," Ayame said, composed. "We've got a deal."
"I'd say so."
"Excellent."
"Mmhmm..."
"Yup..."
"So..."
"Hmm..."
"Uhh...ready to go?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Onwards, then. To...elsewhere..." Kouga said, keeping one arm around Ayame's waist as they walked out of the alley.
Ayame took one last glance at the alleyway where she shared her first kiss and had gotten her very first boyfriend; the only boyfriend she would ever want. She would always fondly remember that dim, secluded alley as the glorious place that-
Hmm...fondly remembering a dim, secluded alleyway? That wasn't healthy thinking, was it? Maybe she'd have to rethink the phrasing, but one thing was for sure: she'd never forget this time or place as long as she lived.
..:V:..
A/N Aww...wasn't that just so...-wipes tear from eye-...touching and moving and sappy and wondrous and beautiful and all around great? Wow...it sounds like it's the end of the story or something. Yes, that's right; go home, folks! Show's over!
Nah...I'm just kidding you...there'll be more to come... Otherwise, I'll be slaughtered mercilessly by all the Inu/Kag fans out there who are in the process of sharpening their big rusty pitch forks because I gave them such a horrible teaser up there... Wait a minute; they're gonna slaughter me anyways! Oh, well...if they do, they'll never get the chapter where they really kiss! -nudge, nudge, hint, hint, wink, wink- Mwuahahaha, I'm so devious and jacked up on adrenaline...
Yes, that's right. I have stayed up until 3:47am to bring you this choked-with-fluff chapter. And I have been working on it on and off all week... So I hope you're all happy and you forgive me for the constant delays I now experience between chapters...
And for all you non-fluff lovers out there who just wanted to smack me the whole way through...ack, whatever. The chapter needed to happen; the stuff in it needed to take place. Get over it; I'm tired... More humourous stuff will happen next chapter...
'Til then, keep in mind that money can't buy happiness. But it sure makes misery easier to live with.