Author's Note: Wow, people review drabbles like crazy. If I could get half as many reviews per hit on my chapter-saga type fanfiction, I'd be in seventh heaven. Minor Spoilers for MangaChapter 530, concerning Kagome's grades.

A Distant Promise – Drabble #5

Just a kiss.

Why was that such a big deal? Kagome huffed in frustration, throwing herself face-down onto her bed. The pink cushions and coverlets were gone, but the room still reminded her of her younger days, full of frustration and teenage-angst over her relationship with Inuyasha (or rather her lack thereof). Not too much had changed, on that score. Inuyasha had tried to kiss her a few times in the modern world, she was almost sure of it – but every time they had been alone together, Souta or her mother or her grandfather had burst onto the scene and spoiled it. And even if one of her family members didn't interrupt, Inuyasha never seemed to have the nerve to do the deed.

He was like a blushing schoolboy, embarrassed by the idea of liking a girl. She didn't have cooties! Finally, she had asked him about it, point-blank. Inuyasha had muttered some feeble excuse about the modern world being so fast and busy – there never seemed to be time.

What a load of crap! she thought to herself, fuming. He certainly seemed to have time to ogle other girls, in their short mini-skirts and school uniforms. Kagome had caught his eyes inadvertently following them, every now and then, tracking their bare legs as other girls walked down the street. Funny how she never seemed to notice these things in the past… Had he ever looked at her like that, back when she wore her green and white middle-school outfit? Her high-school uniform had a much more conservative look.

It was enough to make a girl wistful – if she had scored better in middle-school, then she could have picked any high-school she wanted. Instead, she had been at the bottom of her class. In fact, the only reason she passed her tests was due to a vacancy – some students had failed to show up. That was how abysmal her grades had been.

And that was all Inuyasha's fault too, although she didn't blame him for it. The quest she had completed in the past was important. The Shikon no Tama had to be destroyed for the good of mankind and the future of the world. Yada, yada. All she really wanted at this point was a little recognition, in return for all her effort.

She wanted Inuyasha to kiss her! It had been almost a year, since they came to her era, and their relationship had gone nowhere. He was shy, and she was stunted – the past held a more repressive society than the future. And besides, Inuyasha wanted to 'settle down' first – in his mind, a man had to find a job and own a home, before he could be a good provider for a wife. And the idea of getting funky before they were married, well… he wouldn't disgrace her like that. Not to mention the whole thing became very awkward, with him living under the same roof, near her mother's watchful gaze.

Sighing, she rolled over and rubbed her eyes, fighting off tears. Her arms ached where Inuyasha had grabbed her roughly, bruising her limbs, the other day. It had been a stupid argument.

The worst of it was that Inuyasha still behaved like a jealous idiot, around other guys. Hojo dropped by the house once to say hello, because they hadn't seen each other in a while, and Inuyasha spent the entire time being rude and chauvinistic. Yet the ex-hanyou had a double standard, when it came to himself! All the local girls thought he was hot. Droves of tittering schoolgirls flocked to the shrine, every week, to say hello to him. And did she, Kagome, complain? No, of course not. She was never rude. She might fume and glower in private, but she knew how to remain civilized in public.

Finally though, she had snapped. They had been picking up supplies for the shrine, and a teenage girl in a skimpy looking outfit had rubbed up against Inuyasha by 'accident' on the check-out line. Rather than pushing her away, or even looking uncomfortable, Inuyasha had seemed amused.

Screaming at him, as though the whole thing was Inuyasha's fault, she had started the fight. And once she was mad, he quickly grew angry too. Only for once, she didn't win the day by telling him to 'Sit!' – he had no rosary beads restraining him anymore – and for once, Inuyasha had refused to back down, firmly asserting that he hadn't done anything wrong. He had hurt her arm, dragging her back to the shrine, and then refused to speak to her all day.

At this rate, she was going to die a virgin.