About Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Inuyasha.

Kagome always had some strange infatuation with dogs. Maybe it was because she grew up with only Buyou around, or maybe it was because of Inuyasha's cute puppy ears, but, either way, she loved dogs. This got her into trouble sometimes, such as now.

Godaime-sama had allowed her to live with the Inuzuka Clan until she could provide a place of her own. More specifically, she was living with Tsume, the clan leader, and her family. Kagome got along well with Tsume herself and especially well with Hana, Tsume's daughter. Her son however…

"Kagome!" The grinning miko ran out of the compound with a large white dog, who would have been grinning if he could, right on her heels. "Get back her with my dog!" The canine gave a bark and continued after the black-haired girl. "Akamaru!"

Kagome laughed as she heard Kiba's whine which was quickly followed by a string of curses. She and Tsume's son had hit it off quite well, if you ignored the name-calling, 'dog-snatching', and less than friendly spars between the two.

The villagers watching her and Akamaru run past shook their heads with knowing smiles on their faces. They and Kiba's teammates and friends had accepted her very easily, which earned them the title of 'Traitors' in Kiba's mind, even if he continued to hang out with them. Naruto was especially close to the miko, and would play pranks with her, mostly on Kiba.

The biggest 'betrayal' as Kiba would call it, came from none other than his best friend and partner, the white dog currently running with her. Akamaru would take it upon himself to make sure that she didn't have nightmares of her past, usually ending up with Kiba glaring at her for cuddling with the canine.

"Kagome!" The shout was closer than the miko expected it to be and she grinned – he was getting faster. Of course, so was Akamaru and the dog loved to give Kagome rides on his back – she was too light to hinder his movements at all. "Get back here, wench!"

Kagome faltered for a moment at the familiar 'pet name', but Akamaru butted his head between her legs, lifting her onto his back. Maybe that was one of the reasons that she didn't get along with Kiba: he was too much like Inuyasha. The now permanent separation from the hanyou and the others had been hard for her. She was getting through it, but the resemblances in character between her old friends and the new ones pained her sometimes.

Akamaru reached an open training ground and ran at full speed, sending torrents of wind flying around his passenger and through her hair. The familiar feeling brought a smile to her lips and memories of her past. Unfortunately, the sense of security didn't last long, ending the moment a glaring jounin appeared in their path.

Kagome reached down to pet Akamaru's head, smiling sweetly at Kiba as they came to a stop. His glare and scowl only intensified. Akamaru growled protectively before whining, trying to get his partner to at least become a little less angry.

Kagome slid off the canine's back as soon as Kiba looked down at his dog. "Thanks for the ride, Aka-kun." Her whisper was only answered by a single wag of the tail since the white ninken was holding a staring contest with his partner.

The miko turned to walk away, knowing that those two could stare at each other for hours. That wasn't the case this time, however. Kiba watched her go, scratching behind Akamaru's ears idly. Once he realized that he was staring, he promptly scowled and looked away. "Come on, Akamaru."

Kiba searched frantically in the crowd – she had to be there somewhere…

There had been a surprise invasion by Iwa and Oto on Konoha – it had been completely out of nowhere – there was no chuunin exams, no special meeting or anything. The enemy was beaten back, now, but some of the village was in ruins and the Inuzuka compound had gone up in flames. The clan and several other citizens and shinobi without homes were gathered in the square, taking account of the damage and deaths.

Akamaru was dashing through the crowd much like his master, whining to other dogs occasionally before darting off again. Kiba looked from face to face, his own formed into a worried scowl. Where is she? "Onee-sama, have you seen Kagome?"

Hana blinked in surprise at the sudden question before narrowing her eyes in thought. "No, I haven't – but what would you care? The two of you are practically always at each other's throats."

Her comment didn't receive a reply as he turned and walked away again. Damn it… where are you? His head snapped to the left as he heard his partner let out a joyful yip. He found her! He didn't stop to analyze why he was so relieved that she was here, or, as his sister and pointed out, why he cared at all in the first place – he just ran toward her.

He broke though the crowd to see her laughing as Akamaru pinned her down, giving her a tongue bath. Her smile made him relax considerably before he scowled again.

Stalking over, he pushed his partner off of her and pulled her up. "What were you thinking? Didn't I tell you to stay close?" His voice was a harsh whisper, hiding how much he had worried about her.

Kagome's shocked expression from his abrupt entrance shifted to anger as she wrenched her arm from his grasp. "Who are you to question me? To order me around? I'm perfectly capable of defending myself and others if need be, so I don't need your protection!"

She turned to storm away, briefly taking note of the crowd that had gathered to watch them argue, before a hand gripped her wrist, whirling her back around. "What now –" She was quickly pulled flush against the jounin's chest and his lips were fiercely pressed against hers. After taking a moment to understand what was happening, she began to shyly respond, earning more than a few catcalls from the people around them.

Well, it's about time. Akamaru gave a few barks, spinning around before settling down to watch his partners. It took me long enough to get them together.

AN: I liked this one! I read the first couple paragraphs to my cousin and he just cracked up laughing, so I guess it's good. ; Anyway, there's more coming - I just don't know when. Gomen!

An Orochi/Kag is somewhere in the future, along with a Gaara/Kag and a Shika/Kag. I've been asked to write sequels to a few of the previous ones, so we'll see how they turn out.

Please leave me with a review and maybe a request! Thank you all for reading!