(Disclaimer: I don't own.)

The Kiss

Chapter Three: What a Kagome Wants, What a Kikyo Needs

Part 1

Inuyasha crept into Kagome's room with such silence and ease that he didn't even hear himself go in. He knew that either he was just that sneaky, or that every ounce of his attention was so focused on the amorous visions that drove him that he lost temporary bearings with himself. He liked to think the former to be true. Then again, when it all came down to it, he really didn't care. He was on a mission, and the first step was breaking and entering, which he had successfully completed. Everything else was gravy.

It was time for step two: investigation. Once over the window seal and on the floor, he narrowed his eyes and looked about, sniffing the air for information. The usual scent that was Kagome permeated the room in its floral, feathery way. Aside from the other familiar smells of old books, sharpened number 2 pencils, a handful of wildflowers in a vase on her dresser, and light traces of the overweight Bouyo here and there from earlier in the day, he found nothing of interest.

No, wait. He suddenly froze, a deer in the headlights of an eighteen wheeler. There was another scent mingled in, just barely distinguishable through the heavy mask of everything else. A familiar scent. The scent of a stupid young boy who was not supposed to be anywhere near Kagome, much less her room.

Hojo. That bastard.

The hanyou clenched his fists as a guttural growl rumbled through his huffing chest. What was Hojo doing in her bedroom? Kagome knew better than to talk to him, than to invite him in like everything was all right, knowing that she was not allowed to talk to any other males that were not in plain sight. Sure, the kid was not at all alpha, definitely no match for Inuyasha, and no where near as skilled with the Tetsuaiga as he, but Kagome, from what he had seen, tended to follow the weaker males. Inuyasha knew this, because he still retained harsh images of any encounter with Kouga she had ever had. Damn mangy wolves…

Point being, he had to protect her from other males for her own sake. Besides, how was he supposed to get her to fall in love with Kikyo if she was tailing Hojo? It was unacceptable, completely, totally, undeniably.

For the moment, Inuyasha knew he had to keep his mind on the task at hand: finding out anything and everything he could about what Kagome liked and disliked so that he could create the perfect moment in which she would fall in love with Kikyo. He pushed his disdain temporarily aside for another day and continued through the dimly lit room.

On her desk, the same old computer set, screen off but the tower buzzing and whirring noisily. Sometimes, when Inuyasha paid unknown visits to Kagome while she slept, mostly to make sure that sleeping was what she actually was doing, the computer would be on. He never understood how she could sleep through such a racket. Then again human ears proved to be somewhat simple tools in design and ability, so for all he knew she could be hearing nothing but silence.

Nevermind. The only thing he needed her to hear now was her heart's unspoken desire. She would want Kikyo, whether she wanted to want her or not. Besides, after all the times he saved her live, she pretty much owed this to him. He kept this tidbit in mind as he continued through the room, scanning, sniffing, and occasionally frowning, but sometimes overruling the frowns with stupefied grins and thoughts of the kiss.

Next, his eyes fell upon Kagome's dresser. He quietly slid the first drawer out and peered in suspiciously. "…What the hell is this?" he found himself blurting aloud as he stared at a strange, stringy pink contraption dangling from his claw. He was astonished. Was it a head ornament? It had to be. He could think of nothing else it could be.

Curiously, he brought the pink string headband up to his nose and sniffed gingerly. It took all of one second for his eyes to shrink in their sockets and his heart to stop completely. And, as it usually did, the pup tent appeared and betrayed him of everything he worked so hard to keep secret. This was definitely no headband.

"Kagome?" a voice called out from the hallway. Feet stepped before the door. "Kagome, are you in there?" Before Inuyasha could act, the door opened and the silhouette of Souta stood in the doorway. Inuyasha had only just enough time to ball the undergarment into his fist and hide it behind his back.

"I-Inuyasha…?" The boy flipped the light switch on and blinked at the dog demon. "Inuyasha, what are you doing here? Where's Kagome?"

"Uh…"

The boy looked down by the hanyou's feet and back up with a raised brow. "Why is my sister's drawer open, and one of her thongs on the floor?"

Inuyasha gulped. "Uh…"

After a few stale moments lingered, silence, and then Souta frowned deeply, something the half demon had never seen him do before. "You hentai…"

"Hey!" Inuyasha growled defensively, clenching the thong behind his back with an iron grip. "I was only in here 'cause I wanted to find out what Kagome likes so I can get her to like Kik-er, me!!"

"…You just don't get it, do you?" the boy whispered quietly, shaking his head. As a look of blankness washed over Inuyasha's face, Souta quietly stepped inside and closed the door securely behind him. "It's not about what my sister likes. It's about what she wants. She wants you, and you're both so far in denial about it that neither of you will get what you want in the end."

Inuyasha chose to ignore the denial part, seeing as it was unimportant and he would probably end up forgetting about it in just a few short minutes. "What she…wants?"

"She wants to be romanced. She wants to be shown adoration. I don't know much about love, but I think that if you would do that, she would finally have the security and the courage to come out and tell you what she wants."

It was starting to make sense, somehow. "Okay…so, what does she want?"

"Baka!" Souta slapped his forehead in frustration, ignoring the scary growl that erupted from the half demon's chest. "Look, she wants you, Inuyasha! I just told you that!!"

"Okay, well… How do I get her to say it?" He almost couldn't believe he was asking a boy, who was very well more than a century and a half younger than he, about dating tips. Then again, he was Kagome's sibling, and no one would know her any better than her younger brother would.

"Uh, well… Don't be mean. But be yourself…"

Oh, great, he thought. Like that'll help me…

"Why don't you take her out to dinner?" he chipped in thoughtfully, a hand to his chin in wonder. "Yeah, I think she would like that a lot. A quiet place out in the open, with flowers and romantic music."

Now that sounded more like it. He could picture it all. Kagome and Kikyo, staring into each other's dark pools, both wondering why they felt so helpless to their unknown desires, desires that he so cleverly spent time and patience into learning, which was sooo much harder for him to do than what he thought possible. But hey, it really was paying off. He just had to keep remembering why it would all be worth it in the end. He just had to keep the image of the kiss fresh in his mind whenever any doubt crossed his thoughts.

As for the flowery, quiet place, he knew just the spot. But what was this romantic music Souta spoke of? "How am I supposed to play music?" Unless one counted the musical whistle of the Tetsuaiga as it slashed effortlessly through bone and sinew, Inuyasha did not know the first thing about music and playing music.

"You don't have to," the boy said with a small laugh. "I have a CD player you can borrow. It works great. Just changed the batteries in it a few days ago, too."

"CD player? What the hell is that supposed to be?"

Souta's face lit up. "I'll be right back!"

Inuyasha grunted in protest and crossed his arms defiantly. He didn't have all day to be there fooling around. Kagome would definitely notice his absence from Feudal Japan if he was forced to stay any longer, and conversely, she promised she would make everyone ninja food, the food of champions, for dinner. He wouldn't miss that for the world. Well, except for maybe the kiss… Or would he? Tough choice. He shook his head and remembered where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. And then, with a twitch, he remembered Kagome's thong gripped tightly in his clawed grip. A cold sweat enveloped him as he heard Souta's bedroom door close, and the boy's footsteps made their way back toward his sister's room.

Quickly, Inuyasha stuffed the dainty little pink thong down his undershirt, shivering as he remembered on what part of the body it normally touched. How the hell was she supposed to wear it, he wondered? To think that a string could replace panties seemed somehow absurd. And strangely arousing. He immediately put his hand to the hilt of his blade, allowing the sleeve of his Firerat robe to cover his front area just as Souta appeared.

"Okay. This is a CD player," Souta said, holding up an oval contraption about the size of a baby. After pushing in a small, round button located on the top and to the side, the top of the CD player opened, revealing a secret compartment. In Souta's other hand was a shiny, flat, circular thing, which he held up for presentation. "And this is a CD. I borrowed it from mom." He popped the disk snuggly into its plastic and metal bedding and closed the top. "I asked her for the best romantic music she had, so she let me borrow this."

"Uh…okay."

Souta looked up with an apologetic sigh. "I almost forgot, I should probably show you how to use it first."

"Uh, yeah. That might be good."

The boy ignored the hanyou's snide attitude and proceeded to teach him the basics of using the small machine, to which he only barely grasped.