Inuyasha fumed as he sat beside the well.  He was upset that she left him alone today of all days.  She said that she had forgotten and made plans.  She had offered to stay, but he insisted that she go.  “And that wench took it…” he mumbled.  “I didn’t think she would…” He stared down the well.  “What is so important over there that she had to leave me on my night?”  He looked down into the darkness and back up at the setting sun.  In a few minutes he would be defenseless.  In a moment he decided he would rather be defenseless at her side than alone.  He took a deep breath and jumped into the well.

~.^

Kagome stared out her window at the setting sun.  She gave a silent prayer that Inuyasha would be safe for the night without her there to watch over him. 

“Earth to Kagome,” Kyoko called, hitting her over the head with a pillow.  “Come in Kagome.”

Kagome turned to stare at her friends.  They were all sitting around, laughing and talking.  “Hmm?” she replied, distracted.

“Have you ever kissed a boy?”

Kagome’s eyes flew open.  “What?  No!”   The slumber party was in full swing.  It was the night before their finals and they had planned to pull a group all night study session.  Somehow the topic had changed from math to boys in a matter of seconds.

The girls all laughed.  Kagome gave a sheepish smile and looked out the window.  “I wonder what he’s doing now?” she asked herself.

~.^ 

Inuyasha pulled himself out of the well.  Somewhere to the west, the last rays of sunlight were extinguishing.  He could feel his change overtake him.  He sighed and looked around the well shrine temple.  There was no going back for him now.  He grit his teeth and walked to Kagome’s house.  Perhaps she would take pity and let him stay the night.

Not wanting to attract attention, he stood below her window and tossed small stones.

Kagome blinked as the tiny rock hit her window.  The other girls scrambled to find out who was there.  She pushed past them to look out.  “Inu… Yasha?” she whispered.  He stood, staring up at her, looking perfectly human and vulnerable.

“Who is he, Kagome?  He’s cute!” the girls giggled.

“He’s my friend,” Kagome said, blushing. 

“Then how come we don’t know him?”

“He doesn’t go to our school…” Kagome tried to come up with a believable explanation.

“Can we meet him?” Kyoko suggested.

She was met with choruses of “Yes, yes!  Can we?”

Kagome sighed and opened her window.  “Inuyasha?  I’ll let you in the front door.”

A small herd of teenaged girls thundered through the house and the main entryway. 

The door was opened and Inuyasha was met with a half a dozen girls.  “Uh…” he vocalized.

“He’s hot,” someone giggled.

Kagome stepped out of the crowd and smiled at him.  “What are you doing here?”

“I came over to… um… well…” he stammered.

“Invite him in,” someone prompted.

Kagome blushed and smiled.  “Would you like to come in?”

Inuyasha blinked at all the hopeful female eyes giving him their full attention.  “Sure…” he replied.  Many pairs of hands pulled him into the house and he was surprised to find one pair on his butt.  He turned around looking for the owner of the hands, but he was met with smiles from several girls.  “What are you doing?” he asked, feeling a little bit like he was a plaything.

“We have a final tomorrow, so we’re studying,” Kagome replied. 

Inuyasha turned around to make eye contact with Kagome.  “Studying?”

Someone pinched his butt and he jumped.  A few girls giggled.  Inuyasha frowned.

“Kagome, dear… what’s going on down there?” Mrs. Higurashi called as she came down the staircase.  She stopped and smiled at Inuyasha.  “Oh, it’s you.  Where are your ears?”

Kagome gave Inuyasha a worried look before catching hold of her mother and pulling her into the other room.

Inuyasha was left alone with the herd of teenaged females.  He gulped audibly.  They all smiled at him like rabid beasts eyeing their next meal. 

“So… How long have you been with Kagome?”

“About a year now.”

“And you haven’t kissed her yet?”

“I… what?”

“You’re her boyfriend, aren’t you?”

“I… erm…”

“Why haven’t you kissed her?”

Kagome chose that moment to walk into the room followed by her mother.

“We would be happy to have you spend the night with us, Inuyasha,” Mrs. Higurashi smiled.  “You can sleep in Souta’s room when you are ready for bed.”

“Um… thank you?” Inuyasha replied, looking at Kagome in confusion.

Kagome smiled.  “Let’s go back to my room until dinner,” she said.  The girls began to climb the stairs.  “You too…” she whispered to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha shivered, watching the herd of females lumber back up the staircase.  “Are they always like this?”

“Only when it comes to boys.”

He stared at her in shock.

“Just don’t give them too much information.”

Back in Kagome’s room there was a futile attempt made to study.  It was broken with giggles. 

“What high school do you go to?”

Inuyasha looked up from the book Kagome had given him to decipher.  His reading skills weren’t very good and he was struggling.  “I don’t go to high school,” he said absently.

“A college man, then?”

Inuyasha glanced helplessly at Kagome.  “He’s sort of… done with school,” she told them.

“Kagome has an older man…” One girl moaned.

“I’m so jealous.  Look at his hair,” another girl lamented.

Inuyasha blushed and stared down at his book.

“Do you often go to her window?” Kyoko asked.

All the girls held their breath and stared at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked from his book to Kagome and back down again.

“He does!  I bet he does!” the girls chorused.

Inuyasha sweat dropped.

“Inuyasha, truth or dare?” Kyoko challenged with a hungry glint in her eye.

Inuyasha frowned.  “Truth?”  Beside him, Kagome made an uncomfortable noise.

“Why haven’t you kissed Kagome?”

Inuyasha paled and looked to Kagome for prompting, but she was looking away, blushing.  “I won’t answer that.”

“You have to.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You took my challenge.”

Inuyasha stared at his book for a long time.  All eyes were on him and he felt very uncomfortable.  In any other situation he could shrug off the questions or get mad to deflect it, but he was an invited guest.  Mrs. Higurashi had invited him to stay.  She was Kagome’s mother and he respected mothers in memory of his own.  “It…” he frowned at his book, “hasn’t come up.”  He could hear Kagome let out her breath.  He wondered if she was satisfied or angry at his answer.  He didn’t have the courage to look at her and find out. 

“Kagome, truth or dare?” Kyoko asked.

Kagome’s voice was shaky in its reply.  “I don’t want to play.”

“Truth or dare?”

After a long moment she chose, “Dare.”

“I dare you to sit in the closet with Inuyasha until your mother calls us for dinner.”

“But that’s almost an hour away!” Kagome protested.

“Then you have plenty of time.”

“To do what?”

“Whatever people do in the dark.”

Inuyasha frowned.  Before he could protest he was pounced upon by the horde and tossed into the closet with Kagome shoved in behind him.  “Why those little…”  His anger was met with giggles.  “Why did they have to shove me in here too?”

“Would you rather be out there, alone with them?”

Laughter echoed from outside the door.

“No,” he replied.  “I shouldn’t have come,” he whispered as he slumped over something soft in the closet. 

“You didn’t know.”

“I was just so…”

“Sh!” she cut him off with her hand over his mouth. 

“What?” he muffled through her hand.

“They can hear us.”

Inuyasha frowned.  The dimensions of the closet were cramped and Kagome had her elbow in his gut.  He reached for her and pulled her against him in a less painful position.

“Ow!” she gasped, realizing how uncomfortable he was.  “Sorry.”

“Quiet,” he whispered.  He wrapped his arms around her and listened to the laughter outside of the closet door.  Carefully he stretched his leg out to keep the closet door closed.  He didn’t want to be caught in some incriminating position. 

Kagome was silent for a long time, cradled against his chest.  “Inuyasha?” 

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“Getting tossed in here with me.  They can be cruel.”

Inuyasha was silent for a long while.  “I shouldn’t have answered.”  He could feel her breath on his cheek.  It sent delicious shivers down his spine.  He turned his head and caught her lips with his.  It was almost as if by accident.  Her breath caught and he smiled.  Slowly her lips began to respond to his.

The door moved against his foot and he sat up.  She slid off of him and together they blinked up as their pupils dilated. 

“Dinner,” Kyoko grinned.

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome.  She blushed.

“What did you two do in there?” Kyoko asked as they all went downstairs.

“That’s none of your business!” Inuyasha growled.

“Hey, Kagome… Truth or dare?”

--End

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