Chapter One[/u]

He walked alone in the rain, his clothes and skin soaked nearly down to the bone. The day was much colder than the others had been lately, the rain almost feeling like droplets of ice instead of water. His long silver hair was free from its usual low ponytail, clinging to his lithe form like it was glued there. Normally, he would simply smirk and say that he was quite warm, causing many to give him astonished looks.

But today, he tried to fight the shivering that still made his shoulders shudder.

He walked slowly, narrowing his honey golden eyes when the wind began to blow harder. Of course, the one day he'd remembered his lighter and cigarette the weather decided to change within a matter of minutes. It always seemed like his luck was against him, trying to mess with him enough to make him give up or become aggravated. But unfortunately for his less than helpful luck, Sesshoumaru was quite stubborn.

But there was one who could easily best him in levels of stubbornness.

He smirked lightly as he continued walking up the slowing sloping hill, the rain coming down on him in torrents. The one person who could possibly be competition when it came to stubbornness, and he was walking in the rain for said person. Normally, he would have quirked and eyebrow and said something along the lines of "Fuck you and have a nice day."

But for some reason when it came to her, everything he knew about himself changed.

Yes, it was a female who seemed to make him bend over backwards and twist to the right a few times. She could easily be a contender in a battle of wills, and get him to do the things most people could never imagine him doing. To everyone else he was the rebellious, icy, and dangerous youth who was at the end of the line and so close to ending up in a juvenile facility it was just plain luck keeping him out. But around her, he laughed, joked, and became a person he'd thought he could never become.

"Oi! You gonna stand around all day or are you gonna tune my guitar!" He hadn't realized he was standing outside her house now, barely noticing that her family was not there, and he smirked slightly to see her dressed in her usual black pants and worn out, way too big, sweatshirt. She leaned over the railing of her porch, the small roof overhead just barely blocking the rain. Her hair, which he assumed she'd wrapped in a towel so that it dried, was billowing around her in an onyx cape with her long unruly bangs dancing in front of her sapphire eyes.

He always wondered what she'd look like dressed up and actually looking more like a girl.

"Calm down Kagome, I'm coming." He chuckled quietly as he reached the bottom of the steep stairs leading to the front door of her house, keeping in mind to watch out for the third stair from the top.

He knew her residence too well in some ways, like how the bathroom in the main hall always felt like a sauna in the morning due to the oddly set up heating system. In the last few years he'd been here many times, especially since he discovered that not only did the girl intrigue him with her mannerisms, but with her talents as well. She could sing, play guitar, draw, and even write. Yet, she was not mediocre at a single one of them. But she was modest, very modest, and overly shy. These things he had learned right away about her.

He finally reached the top of the steep stairs and gladly rushed inside the house, sighing at the warmth coming from the fireplace just inside the doorway. She was already coming back out of her bedroom with some extra clothes she'd convinced him to leave there, and he wanted to smile when she simply thrust them into his arms before turning and walking into the kitchen. Most likely to make something warm for him to eat or drink. He actually did smile once he'd walked around the corner and into the bathroom. Once again, the room was like a sauna and he guessed she must have turned on the heat before lighting the fire.

"Sesshoumaru! Hurry up before I eat all of this!" He shook his head and quickly replaced sopping clothes with the dry ones, yanking on his extra sweatshirt last as he walked back out into the main part of the house and depositing the wet clothes on the laundry pile on the way into the kitchen.

"Kagome, you're going to get fat should you keep eating so much." At this, the girl snorted and stuffed another bagel pizza into her mouth.

"I'm already fat Sesshou. Besides, there's no point cause no one wants to be with a tomboy." He narrowed his eyes at her slightly, leaning against the fridge as he too popped a bagel pizza into his mouth.

"How many times must I say this? You are not overweight and there are many who would wish to have your build."

"Oh no, not this argument again..."

"Kagome." She "eeped" slightly at the stern tone in his voice, not used to hearing such a thing from him, and then looked up at him through her messy bangs.

He was staring down at her intently, so intently that she could feel goose bumps rising across her skin. She had always held something more than friendship for the young man before her, not really knowing why or how it happened. He captivated her in everything he did, even in the simplest of things. His anger, his love, his passion, his humor, and his sadness were all things that made it so she couldn't force herself to look away. But even the little things attracted her to him like a moth to the flame. She could watch him ages, never looking away even if she was bored. She was her own personal addiction, the dirty little secret she dared not tell her other friends about. Yes, she kept her feelings for him very close. Only one other knew of her feelings, and that was only because she'd finally broken down.

Even though he probably knew anyways. After all, you begin to understand a person much better once you've dated them.

But not only was she keeping the secret of her true feelings locked away, she was trying to live up to her family's expectations. Trying to be something she wasn't, and being happy for everyone but herself. She couldn't remember the last time she did something for herself apart from drawing, writing, or singing. It almost seemed impossible to fathom.

But around him, she was suddenly free. Again.

"Are we going to argue about this again?" His voice was softer, more controlled than a few moments ago. But Kagome noticed he was still slightly peeved at her starting the argument again. It was one of many small arguments they had on a nearly daily basis. But they were arguments they would both look back on and laugh about.

"I don't know. Besides, aren't you supposed to be tuning my guitar for me?" Sesshoumaru sighed a nod, not really wanting to argue with her.

Even if he really did want to change her mind.

They both walked back to the hall and into her room, causing her to frown slightly when she was once again hit with just how small it was. Once Sesshoumaru had flopped into her desk chair and grabbed her guitar, she realized she had to get to the other side of the room, which was a whole new argument waiting to happen. But she sighed and simply jumped up onto her bed before walking over it and then jumping off as she reached the edge, not knowing Sesshoumaru was watching her from the corner of his eye.

She really was more graceful than she knew. Sure, she was a clumsy little fool like no other and tripped over her own two feet, but she was graceful nonetheless. She had long, athletic legs from her days when she still ran track and decent curves hidden by baggy clothes. Sesshoumaru shook his head lightly, grabbing her electric tuner he still had yet to teach her to use and hooking it up to the guitar before reaching up and removing a pick from where she'd stuck it on her computer monitor.

"My mom and bro won't be home for awhile so you can mess around as much as you want." Sesshoumaru nodded, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder as she spoke, and yet somehow knowing he shouldn't. "Don't look back here, I'm changing my shirt."

'Strange, she's always so modest about such things.'

'Weird, I'm not freaking out about showing skin around him suddenly. Huh, go figure.' She finally pulled off her long sleeved shirt that was still wet and grabbed another shirt, this one short sleeved and black with pink writing that said "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster". After pulling it over her head, she reached for her extra hoodie that was hanging on her dresser and yanked it on as well, finding that the heat was already bleeding from her body.

"You're G string is off." The statement caused Kagome to choke on air, her slightly twisted mind totally manipulating what he'd said. But she knew this, and her face still glowed a vibrant red.

"Huh, Souta must have been messing with it again." She let a nervous giggle, inwardly cursing herself for sounding like some stupid girly girl. Honestly, it really ticked her off just how much one guy could mess with her without even meaning to.

"He must have. It's even worse than the first time I tuned it." Kagome blinked as she looked over her shoulder, seeing his eyes intently fixed on his work.

"That bad huh? I think I'm gonna start locking my door again." He nodded quietly, lightly tuning the guitar so that she could barely hear the note. But suddenly he seemed satisfied with a smirk and disconnected the tuner before hooking up the aqua blue guitar to its amp and immediately hitting a huge chord as soon as he'd switched the amp on.

Kagome frowned at this. She could barely play guitar and he knew it ticked her off that she was learning slow. So every time he tuned the guitar he always had to sit there and rub it in that he kicked every available ass at playing. She knew he did it just to rub her the wrong way, and even so, she still got miffed when he did it. She turned away from him with a snort and began looking for her pencil and sketchbook.

But something else caught her eye.

It was a cardboard tube she used to hold her larger drawings in since her mom hadn't gotten around to getting her a portfolio. In that moment Kagome felt an evil grin make its way across her features, already knowing what she was going to do as she reached for the tube.

"Kagome, you're being quiet and that often doesn't bode well." Kagome snorted as she picked up the tube and flopped onto her bed, taking up her discarded strawberry soda from her night stand as she did so.

"I'm not being quiet, I was taking a drink from my soda."

"Uh huh, and I'm God." Kagome, who had been half sipping her soda, nearly spit out said soda when he said this. After all, anyone with a brainstem knew that Sesshoumaru Taisho was far from religious. "Nice, now you're spitting drinks everywhere. New trick I presume?"

Finally Kagome let her arm fly and the hard, cardboard tube connected with his arm. Silence was thick in the room, even the slight echo from the guitar's amp was quiet, and Kagome nearly smiled when she received a raised eyebrow coming from over Sesshoumaru's shoulder. But had she'd been smiling, she would have faded into a frown as he simply turned and began to play on the guitar once more, thinking to himself with an inward smirk.

'Three...two...one...' He wanted to visibly smirk when he felt the tube connect with his arm again, this time quite a bit harder.

"Kagome, are we really going to do this?" He turned and raised an eyebrow at her, noticing her grip tightened on the tube as she reached for her soda once more.

"I don't know. Are we?" She took a sip from her soda as she swung and hit him in the shoulder hard enough to make it sting, and in a split second he was grabbing for the tube and setting her guitar gently against the desk, making her eyes go wide as she quickly put the soda down so she wouldn't spill it on the white carpet.

Which was a huge mistake since the only thing holding him back from a full assault was the soda.

"ACK!" Kagome squealed loudly as he leapt at her and grabbed the tube in her hand, attempting to take it for himself to get his revenge. She should have expected as much. After all, this was strangely an everyday thing for the two of them. "Sesshoumaru no!"

They both had a hold on the tube, good holds too. But both were unrelenting even as Sesshoumaru pushed her back so that she fell onto her bed flat on her back. She didn't release an inch, but instead tightened her grip as she yanked on the tube and pulled him down closer to her so that their faces were only a foot apart now. Luckily he couldn't read minds, for if he could he would discover her mind most definitely not on the tube clasped in her hands

'Okay...note to self...best friend has a nice ass when he leans over this way...ACK! Bad Kagome!' She squealed loudly from her thoughts, and thanked anyone watching from above that Sesshoumaru decided to yank her back up to a standing position at the same time, smirking widely at her flushed face.

"Kagome, is there a reason you're blushing?" This only served to deepen said blush as she frantically shook her head.

"No! You're just a lot stronger than I am so naturally I have to work harder!" The statement sounded lame even to here ears.

"Hn." He tugged on the tube again, nearly making her trip over a pair of her discarded shoes.

Sesshoumaru was starting to get slightly irritated. Usually by now he would have gotten some form of revenge instead of fighting over the weapon of choice. A cardboard tube he remembered to be storage for her drawings.

That's when it hit him.

'She said her mother had bought another tube for her poster drawings recently...' He began to glance around, not wanting to give her the idea he was searching for the much larger weapon. But when he found it, she knew something was amiss because he took one hand off the tube and reached into the corner of her room she used to store her artistic supplies

'What on Earth is he...Oh no!' She saw the large white tube come from behind her chair and knew immediately Sesshoumaru was out for revenge.

"ACK! No Sesshoumaru! I barely even hit you!" But either Sesshoumaru wasn't listening or he really wanted his revenge because he tugged on the smaller tube, bringing her about a foot closer, before taking the white tube and smacking her upper right thigh with enough force to make her yelp, causing his smirk to become a grin. Then his mirth leapt as she suddenly dropped the smaller tube and took off at a run out into the hallway and towards the living room where her brother's toys were sprawled everywhere.

'Damn it, where's that stupid...Yes!' She spotted her quarry and sprinted over to it, grinning when she grasped the new Star Wars light saber in her hand and flicking her wrist so it extended to it's full length. She stood still as Sesshoumaru came out into the hallway with his grin still in place, feeling like a battle ready warrior as she took up the toy and pressed the little red button, causing sound effects to come from the "hilt". The whole thing nearly made her laugh. Nearly.

"Kagome, you're not going to win." She snorted, tilting her chin up a little higher.

"Yeah? Says who?"

"Says me as I repeatedly smack your leg." He ran at her and she realized there was no way she'd avoiding getting hit. So, in a blur of blind instinct she struck at his leg again, effectively causing a loud "smack" to ring out in the empty house. But she quite surprised when she tried to pull away and found that to be impossible since her weapon was grasped tightly in Sesshoumaru's hand.

'Crap and a half...' She squealed as the white tube came in contact with her upper thigh several times, earning a rather victorious sounding chuckle make its way from Sesshoumaru's mouth. For a moment, she paused. Kagome was closer to him than most, but even still it shocked her when he laughed. It was so becoming of him, like his smile, and she personally thought he should do it more.

"Ready to surrender?" Kagome blinked out her reverie and snorted as she yanked on the toy sword in her hand hard enough to free it. Then, she gave him her answer as she smacked him once more in the leg.

"Hardly! Take this Fluffy!" She smacked him in the shoulder this time, only sparing a second to inwardly giggle about his nickname. She honestly had no idea why she'd started calling him that in the first place. He winced this time, and she knew she'd hit the same spot once more, effectively making it sting.

"That's it." Kagome "eeped" as he lunged at her before she turned and took off around the corner into the kitchen, Sesshoumaru hot on her heels.

So, not having any brighter ideas, she ran around in circles with him behind her, going through the living room, into the kitchen, and then back out into the living room again. Then, she suddenly realized Sesshoumaru was no longer behind her as she heard a familiar door slam, making her turn towards the hall with her eyes ablaze.

"Sesshoumaru Taisho get your sorry ass out of my room now!" She charged down the hall before reaching her door and turning the knob as she slammed into it, knowing well that he was already holding it shut with his lean, yet nicely muscled body. Inwardly she cursed herself.

'Yet again, now is not the time to be thinking about how hot your best friend is! Bad Kags!' Had she'd had a free hand, she would've smacked her forehead for good measure.

"You're not getting in Kagome!"

"Urasai na baka! You're the one locking ME out of MY bedroom!" She slammed into the door again, visibly wincing when it started to make loud cracking noises.

'Shit, mama'll kill me if I break the door! And gramps might just kill me for letting him in the house!'

Suddenly, she felt the door open and she shoved her toy saber into the three inch opening, grinning when the tip met Sesshoumaru's side. But the door was once more slammed in her face as he shoved the saber back out into the hall with her.

"Damn it Sesshoumaru! Let me...Ha!" He opened the door again and she repeated her previous action, narrowly missing his temple. But she didn't get another chance as Sesshoumaru once again slammed the door.

"You know, I could simply lock this door and I'd be able to go through every on of your secrets." Kagome visibly paled out in the darkened hall.

"You wouldn't dare!" Her answer was the click of the lock.

Kagome froze, seemingly terrified as she heard several drawers opening. Luckily for her, Sesshoumaru liked to tease her more than anything and the drawers opening and closing were simply him messing with her desk. Kagome, throwing all fear of her mother into the wind, began to ram the door with her lithe frame. At the same time screaming every curse she knew and in every language she knew.

'Stupid rotten sonofabitch! I've been his best friend since he moved here and this is how he repays me! Oh, just wait! I'll find a way to unlock this door and...wait...lock...key!' Kagome grinned as she thrust her saber off to the side and ran back out into the kitchen. She immediately threw open the small drawer at the end of the counter that was known as the "Junk Drawer" and pulled out one of the smallest screwdrivers in the house.

In that moment, she thanked every entity alive that she didn't have a typical key-lock.

She sprinted back down the hall, trying with much difficulty not to laugh maniacally as she stopped in front of her door and inserted the screwdriver tip into the hole known as her lock. Sesshoumaru stopped playing with the pick in his hand abruptly, not at all liking the metallic scratching noises coming from the door handle.

"Kagome, what the hell are you doing?" He swore he could see her grin.

"You'll see!" Not liking the tone in her voice, Sesshoumaru got closer to the door in case she somehow managed to unlock it. Suddenly, a victorious yell rang out in the hall and Sesshoumaru flung himself at the door just as it began to open.

"Ha! How do you like them...OOF!" Kagome felt the air come rushing out of her as Sesshoumaru flung his full body weight at the door and slammed it shut once more, sending her onto her rear in the middle of the hall. For a moment, she just sat there stunned as Sesshoumaru's hearty laughter echoed from within HER bedroom. Then, she growled as she lifted her right leg and then proceed to slam her foot flat against the door with a shout.

"Stupid fucking jackass!" At this, Sesshoumaru laughed even harder. But Kagome found that for the first time, she didn't care. She sat there and glared fire, daggers, and whatever else came to mind at the door for awhile. But finally, she realized she was fighting a losing battle and she groaned as she turned around and simply leaned against her bedroom door.

"Kagome?" She snorted.

"Shut up already, would ya?" Sesshoumaru was slightly surprised at her quiet tone, knowing he'd angered her. But that tone told him she was more upset that usual.

Which was right.

As she sat there, leaning against her door, Kagome thought the thoughts that had been plaguing her for some time now. Sesshoumaru was her best friend, having been more than that once when he'd first moved into the area. But that didn't last long and it was far from peaceful. At every turn someone was telling her something new about him. About how he was cheating on her as they spoke, or how he would tell anyone would listen that she was just a "challenge". But she trusted him and brushed it off.

Unfortunately for Kagome, trust was one sided.

She began to hear that others were now going to Sesshoumaru, telling him that it was HER that was cheating and lying. That she was nothing but a little slut that was trying to make sure he didn't get anywhere in his new school. But naive she was, for she still didn't worry.

Although, a seed of doubt was deeply planted within her heart.

That doubt began to grow, slivering out like the vines her mother hung in the dinning room. She began to hear more and more hurtful things that had her crying so hard when she was by herself that she almost thought she could never cry anymore. They began to argue, scream at the top of their lungs until their voices were nearly gone and their throats were raw. Sometimes her hair-trigger anger would take over and she'd actually hit him before trying to walk away, only to be pulled back in a rough embrace more than often.

The day that he didn't pull her back into his arms was the day everything went to hell.

The next day was numb to Kagome. She went to school in what she'd worn the previous day, not having slept or ate since the fight. A deep foreboding kept her appetite at bay and she only spoke when she was spoken to about class or by a teacher. By late morning, it began to rain. Torrents of water cascaded from the skies and by the time lunch came around, it mixed with Kagome's tears as she stood out on the nearly empty basketball courts.

He'd left her.

She'd stood out in the rain until every inch of her was drenched to the bone, her body shaking uncontrollably from the lack of heat. But she still didn't move. She didn't even blink as someone shouted her name from across the courts. Only when she felt a gloved hand on her shoulder did she move. She turned to see the two people who were closest to her. Suddenly, it all came rushing at her in a whirlwind of emotion and she'd collapsed to her knees in heart wrenching sobs. The other two girls leaned over and helped her up before leading her into the bathrooms, which were strangely empty.

After that day, something inside her changed.

Before he'd came, she wore bright colors and laughed just as brightly. She'd listened to rap and bouncy music that had a lively feel to it. She actually tried to look nice, even though she knew it was in vain. But by the next week, she'd become a different person. She'd worn solid black, her clothes worn and looking as though she'd run them through a blender. Her long onyx hair was up in a messy bun, not having been brushed at all. Her face was pale and tired looking, appearing so much older than it had looked only days before. Her friends tried everything to cheer her up, but nothing seemed to work.

But finally, something seemed to click and she began to laugh again, not as brightly, but she laughed. Her clothes stayed dark, occasional splashes of color thrown in, but she wore much nicer clothes. She cut her hair and dyed it several times, and the rosy complection she was known for returned. But the pain was still there, cleverly hidden behind a smile and laugh so that her friends and family would no longer worry. She kept it all inside everyday, only releasing it once she was alone in her room.

She didn't want any of them to worry, she didn't want to see their pity filled expressions, and she didn't want to care anymore. And for awhile, she didn't.

Both of them moved on, Sesshoumaru finding another girlfriend only days after their break up. She would hear about him sometimes, but she forced herself to remain neutral when it came to him. She began seeing her childhood friend Hojo, who ended up being too sweet for her to deal with and too far from what she knew. After splitting up with him, she realized that for some odd reason, she'd always compare her next boyfriend to Sesshoumaru. But with that realization came another...

She still cared for the jerk. And the day she started high school was a bittersweet moment.

She'd be leaving him behind, and she'd be bringing her feelings with her. And he would never know.

Surprisingly, they somehow ended up back together for a few weeks. But nothing came of it and Kagome was once again trying to hold everything in. She did almost flawlessly now, hiding behind the mask of the notorious prankster tomboy who's aggressive nature held all males at bay. Over time, they began to talk more and more. Not about old times, but of their two separate lives.

They became friends once more, and that seemed to be enough for her. At the time.

Now, over a year later, she sat there in the hallway of her own home, listening to his breaths coming from the other side of the door as she lowered her head with a rueful smile.

'Damn it, no matter how hard I fucking try, I still care about the jackass. I guess I really am hopeless.'

"Kagome? You're being quiet and it's quite unnerving." She snorted, shoving her thoughts and darker emotions back into the crevice from where they came.

"You know, it would really suck if you opened the door right now. I mean, I' d probably land on my...ACK!" The door swung open and Kagome found herself flat on the ground with a smirking Sesshoumaru standing over her in her doorway. The look he was giving her was enough to make her glare up at him as she crossed her arms and lay there. "Jerk."

"No, you're just a little stupid." She snorted as she walked over next to her knees and bent over, offering his hand to help her up. At first she was stubborn about it, but she sighed heavily before simply flinging her hand into his and letting him yank her up. Actually, he yanked so hard that she nearly toppled over as he helped steady her. Which sent her anger flaring once more as she swung and smacked him on the side of the head.

"You're a jackass Fluffy." She turned to walk out into the living room, but she squealed as he suddenly yanked on her sweatshirt and caused her to turn around before simply flopping back onto the ground. Sesshoumaru, being a young man of opportunity, simply flopped down onto her and pinned her arms to the ground at her wrists, making her eyes widen.

'Oh bloody hell...' Sesshoumaru smirked down at her, either not noticing her nervousness to the fact that he was straddling her or just knowing and getting a rush of satisfaction from it. The thought made her frown up at him through her messy bangs.

'Hmph, it's probably the latter. Asshole's always loved to make me nervous.'

"Are you going to surrender now?" Kagome snorted up at him.

"No." Sesshoumaru nodded, knowing she'd probably never surrender.

"Well, are you going to hit me?" Kagome glared.

"Depends. Are you willing to take a risk?" Sesshoumaru smirked before he abruptly stood and brought her up with him by her arms.

"Do you have to ask?" Kagome glared at him once more, waiting slightly patiently for him to release her wrists. But when he did so, shock became vibrant on his face as she simply smacked him upside the head before turning and running out into the living room, cackling like mad all the way.

And of course, he took this as a challenge and chased after her before simply causing her to trip and become sprawled on the floor as he quickly caught up with her.

"You jerk! I almost my head on the coffee table! You could've really...ACK!" For the second time Kagome's face flushed red as Sesshoumaru pinned her wrists to the floor and straddled her, his victorious grin adding her ire over her nervousness. "Why you stupid mother fucking sonofa..."

"Kagome, I can stay here all day." Kagome froze in mid shout, her head inclined a few inches off the ground as disbelief washed across her face.

"You wouldn't..."

"Try me." In that moment, Kagome knew he wasn't lying and she allowed her head to drop back onto the floor. Only then did she notice how much weight was on her stomach.

"Holy shit Fluffy, how much weight have you gained? I can barely breathe!" Sesshoumaru snorted lightly, sitting up more and putting most of his weight on his knees instead of her. Hey, you'd be breathless too if your ex was sitting smugly on your gut. "Keh, thanks for nothing. I'm still pinned."

"And you will remain so until you give in." Kagome snorted and looked away from him, immediately feeling nervousness creep into her as she began to move her feet since they were the only part of her body she really could move. Suddenly, something seemed to click and she looked back up at Sesshoumaru with a smirk, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Kagome, I don't like that..."

"Take this!" Somehow, using every bit of flexibility she had, Kagome brought her right foot up and felt it connect with the back of Sesshoumaru's head, feeling the overwhelming glow of smugness fill her as shock clearly registered on his face. By the time her foot hit the ground again, Sesshoumaru was simply shaking his head with a light chuckle.

"Well that was unexpected. But it is also easily solved." Kagome gasped loudly with an inward swear as Sesshoumaru pinned her legs with his lower legs, his strong muscles not giving any sort of escape route.

Now she was completely pinned.

"Sesshou!" Sessshoumaru wanted to smile when she whined, but he only smirked instead and leaned down so that their faces were only a foot apart.

"Ready to give up?"

"No!" Kagome growled and looked away from him, noticing the slight flicker from his silver necklace in the dying sunlight coming from the large window to her left. Silence reigned heavy for a few minutes and finally she couldn't take it anymore as she whined again and began to feebly try to move her right wrist, which was beginning to ache. "Can you lessen up on my tiny wrists? They hurt like a bitch."

Lessen up he did, and he lessened up so much that Kagome was able to free one hand and simply brush a piece of hair from in front of her nose, shocking the male who was still straddling her.

"Kagome, you could've fought back you know." Kagome shrugged as she rotated her freed hand in an effort to get rid of some of the stiffness.

"Then I'd simply get pinned again. It would be a waist of energy." Sesshoumaru smirked at down at her, and she seemed to notice because she looked back up at him. "You know, you have a really weird looking nose."

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow at her, effectively making her laugh from his bewildered look. Then, she grinned brightly and wiggled slightly beneath him.

"Don'tcha love me!"

"Yes." Kagome froze with wide eyes, looking up at her "captor" with almost doe-like eyes. But she came to her senses and snorted as she suddenly frowned up at him.

"Shut up and quit lying Fluffy." Sesshoumaru chuckled lightly and leaned down a little further.

"If I didn't love you, you wouldn't get away with all the crap you pull around me." Kagome blinked, noticing how serious his voice had suddenly turned. But she once again shook it off as a deceitful blush stole over her cheeks and she used her free hand to pull the front of her sweatshirt over her face.

"Hmph, whatever." Sesshoumaru laughed quietly. But his laughter didn't last long as he felt his legs beginning to ache from all the weight he was pressing on them and seeing as Kagome was incapable of movement, she became his pillow as he leaned down and placed his head on her shoulder, basically laying on top of her and earning a slightly defeated sounding sigh from Kagome. "Are you quite comfortable?"

"Oi, I'm being the nice guy and not putting my full weight on you. It's tiring." She snorted.

"You? Be nice to me? Ha, that's a laugh." Sesshoumaru sat up a little, looking down at where her face should have been if it wasn't hidden within her sweatshirt.

"I'm nice to you. I let you mess around with me all the time." Yet again, she snorted. But this time she moved slightly beneath him as a spot in her back became stiff.

"Yeah, and then you get your revenge by tickling me." Sesshoumaru, feeling suddenly quite evil, used his own free hand and brought it to her side before wiggling his fingers slightly, earning a loud, yet muffled, yelp from Kagome as she tried to fend off his hand with her own.

"That's cheating!"

"Oh, I believe it's perfectly fair."

"Jackass!" He tickled her again, enough a loud squeal in return. By now, Kagome was getting desperate. So, she blindly struck where she could feel his leg against her hip and she was quiet satisfied to hear a loud smack when her hand came in contact with a thigh.

"Ow damn it! That hurt!" Suddenly, Kagome felt his remaining hand leave her wrist. But both hands were quickly pinned down with his knees instead.

Now this position would be hard for anyone to explain, and she was pretty sure he'd simply done it on a whim. But his hands were free nonetheless and he could now freely tickle her.

Or other things knowing the type of male Sesshoumaru was.

He immediately began to tickle her, making her yelp and squeal loudly as she squirmed fitfully beneath him. Quite a few times she came close to freeing herself form under his knees but he'd adjust his weight enough to prevent it. Finally, he let go of her sides and pinned her wrists with his hands again and then allowing Kagome to get the oxygen she needed.

"That...was so cheating Fluffy..." Sesshoumaru snorted as he laid back down again, placing his head on top her her right shoulder.

"It was perfectly fair Kagome. Consider this revenge for the times you've hit me and such and I didn't fight back." Kagome snorted.

"Yeah whatever. It's still unfair, and now to add onto to that, you're crushing what little boobs I have jerk." Sesshoumaru sighed, not wanting to have to argue over this one more time, but still feeling that he was supposed to make her believe what he said on this matter.

"Kagome you do not have small boobs." She snorted and somehow brought her head out of her sweatshirt finally, making him sit up slightly as she glared at him.

"Yeah I do, and speaking of my boobs, you've grabbed them way too many times Fluffy." Sesshoumaru shrugged. This was true, he'd taken it upon himself to fondle her many times.

"Yes, and that's one of the reasons I know you don't have small boobs. Besides, smaller ones are actually better in my opinion."

"Oh God, don't start sing the 'Itty Bitty Tities' song again." Sesshoumaru shrugged again, noticing she was now looking away from him again pointedly.

"I'm simply trying to prove you don't have small boobs."

"Well I do have small boobs so drop it." Sesshoumaru, feeling slightly frustrated, narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled loud enough to make her look at him again quizzically.

"Kagome, if I can hold one of your boobs in each hand and actually fill my hand, you have big boobs." Kagome glared at him more as she snorted.

"How many times do I have to say it? I don't have..."

"I'll prove to you right here and now that you don't have small boobs." Kagome froze, blinked once, and then leveled him with a fierce glare, which he pointedly ignored.

"You wouldn't dare." Her answer came as Sesshoumaru released her wrists and firmly placed his hands on her chest so fast she could barely get in a gasp before he was talking again.

"See? Each one fills up one of my hands, and therefore..."

"Let go of my chest Sesshoumaru!" She slapped his thigh again, causing his hands to come off her chest. Then, she glared up at him as she crossed her arms over her chest protectively. "Stupid fucking lecher."

"I'm not a lecher. I'm just trying to prove a point."

"With your hands!"

"Yes in fact, I was." Kagome found herself yelping as his hands found their way beneath her arms and firmly groped her once more. She frantically pulled his hands away not once, not twice, or even three times. But instead fended him off four times before finally giving up and hiding her blushing, nervous face within her sweatshirt again, causing him to chuckle as he kept his hands firmly planted on her chest. "Having fun?"

"Who me? Hell no! But you, stupid perve, are probably having a good ol' time with this!"

"Yeah, pretty much." She snorted.

"Bastard." Sesshoumaru chuckled as she smacked his thigh again and he was forced to release his hold her chest to pin her hands again before simply flopping back down so his face was now flat against her right breast. That's when a rather devilish plan came to mind.

"You know, I just had an idea. Although, I don't know whether I should do it or even tell you." Kagome squirmed slightly.

"Don't say another word Sesshoumaru." He chuckled, and Kagome felt her skin erupt in goose bumps when she felt his breath tickle the shell of her ear that was still sticking out of her sweatshirt.

"Kagome..." Kagome, feeling slightly frustrated, suddenly remember his necklace that was hanging out of his red sweatshirt and she used her free hand to grasp it tightly before somehow freeing her head from her sweatshirt and yanking him down so he was face to face with her.

"If you're so tired, then let me up." Sesshoumaru smirked.

"No." Rebellious thoughts swelled in her mind and before she could even bother to think, Kagome smashed her forehead against his in a headbutt. But poor Kagome, who had thought she was already pinned enough, suddenly found her free arm pinned back down and added to that, Sesshoumaru now had her head pinned to the ground by pressing his forehead against hers.

"Damn you Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru smirked, and he was so close she could feel the muscles in his face working to make him do so. That thought once again cause goose bumps to erupt on her skin.

'He's gonna kill me. He really is. He slowly doing so right now!'

"Hey, you're the one who headbutted me." Kagome snorted yet again with a sigh.

"You're the one who was me pinned." He chuckled and she once again felt his warm breath across her skin.

'Yup, he's gonna kill me.'

"I'm just lucky you haven't decided to have your way with me." She could see him raise his eyebrow, feel his muscles move, and she grinned up at him once more with a giggle. "Don'tcha love me?"

"Yes."

"Shut up. I'm just slightly more special." Sesshoumaru sat up a little, so he could see her face better and replied.

"Not true."

"Uh huh." Suddenly, his idea came back and a slightly evil smirk appeared on his features, making Kagome blink wearily. "Sesshoumaru, I really don't like that..."

But Kagome was silence as Sesshoumaru suddenly leaned towards her and closed his eyes, that being the only kind of warning she had before his lips collided with hers and her already wide eyes doubled in size. Her entire body seemed to freeze in time as she felt his warm lips against hers in a seemingly innocent, chaste, and spur of the moment kiss.

And yet for some reason it still took her breath away. But it wasn't because she was highly inexperienced, it was all because of the one doing this to her.

'Sesshoumaru...'

Suddenly, he slowly pulled back and she suddenly drew in the breath she needed, shock still keeping her frozen on the floor. Sesshoumaru smiled down at her, not his usual smirk or grin, but actually smiled and it took her some time to find words.

And even then they sounded...pathetic.

"If that wasn't cheating then I don't know that is."

"It was all completely fair." He leaned towards her once more, and suddenly two very different ideas shot up in her mind as time seemed to slow.

'Ack! He's doing it again! Should I actually go along with it! No! Bad Kagome! You're supposed to be getting over his sorry ass! Not kissing him!'

For some reason her thoughts seemed to focus on what had been bothering her for the last few months. The fact that she was desperately trying to get over her feelings about him. So as his lips came in contact with hers once more, she pursed them shut. But surprisingly began to inwardly curse herself.

'Damn it! I just made one of the biggest mistakes of my entire...huh?' He pulled away much quicker this time, a strange look in his eyes as he sat up. He continued to keep her wrists pinned, but he simply looked down at her as she breathed in a strangely heavy fashion.

"Uh..." It was the only thing she could do, and she was rather shocked when he smiled again.

"Do you want up now?" Kagome nodded quickly, and she was beyond shocked when he simply stood and offered his hand to help her up. Taking his hand, she didn't expect him to pull her up so quickly and had to hand onto him for support as her legs tried to catch up with her. Finally she stood as he back up a few steps and flopped into a small recliner her younger brother used, looking very out of place against the pinkish material.

Suddenly, she forced her anger back up to hide her obvious confusion, and she snorted as she stretched her left arm lazily.

"You know, I could get my revenge right now and simply straddle you so you can't move from that chair." She knew he didn't believe her, and yet still angered her when he said it.

"You wouldn't do that." But Kagome was a girl of impulse and her impulse at that moment made her walk over, stand before him, and then lean over and push back on his shoulders with a smirk.

"Care to try me?" Sesshoumaru raised and eyebrow, but she simply stood up again and lightly smacked him on the side of the head. What she didn't expect to happen though was that he pulled her back onto his lap with the help of her sweatshirt, completely shocking her once more.

'Is he doing this to mess with me? Or to kill me? Cause he's doing both.' She pouted at him childishly before sighing and laying her head on his shoulder, forcing herself not to bite him since her face was so temptingly close to his neck.

"You're such an ass, do you now that? You really are an ass Sesshoumaru."

"Yeah, don'tcha love me?" Outwardly, Kagome snorted and got out of his lap before sitting on the floor next to the chair and leaning her head on his hip, but inside she was actually answering him.

'Yes, I do.'

She winced though when her left shoulder suddenly erupted in pain, protesting the time it spent flushed to the hard floor, which she was sure was an hour at least. But she was shocked when she felt a hand slowly move its way across her shoulder before gently beginning to rub gently.

In that moment, she closed her eyes and gave into him. One of the very few times she'd ever done so. For a few more minutes they idly chatted in the quiet of the house, their voices strangely quiet as well. At one point she smiled, as well as Sesshoumaru. But on the inside, she was crying so hard it hurt to breathe.

For she knew this was a fleeting glimpse of what she could never have. Sesshoumaru didn't care for her that way anymore, she knew he didn't. But she also knew he didn't like girls who were inexperienced, and she was more inexperienced than anyone she knew. Even friends she had that were two years younger than her. In that moment, she wanted to let go and cry right there in front of him, but she simply kept smiling as she talked quietly with him. Her closest friend.

And she guessed that she was content enough for the moment.