Disclaimer: I firmly believe that Inuyasha has a sense of humour. It's just well hidden. All characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko, and used without permission.

Finale Part IV -Meet and Greet.

By Icka! M. Chif

Kagome froze in mid-step. She could feel a deamonic presence... But she was in her time! She glanced around, hoping not to attract the attention of her two friends. Who ever it was was close. A rustle in the trees above her made look up. She caught a flash of faded red and white.

"Inuyasha..." She growled under her breath. She knew she was late, he didn't have to come get her from school!

"Who?" Her shorthaired friend asked.

"Nothing." She said hurriedly, pulling her bag higher on her shoulder and picking up the pace. The half dog youkai was directly above her now, probably ready to pounce and drag her back to the Warring States.

"So anyway, then Kenji- hey!" Her other friend stopped to brush some leaves off the top of her head. Kagome could swear she heard Inuyasha snickering from above.

"I know I'm late!" Kagome shouted at him. "You don't need come get me!"

"I didn't!" He called back, as if he'd never do such a thing. "Your mother sent me to remind you to pick up Sota at school!"

"Kuso!" She'd forgotten about that.

"Course, *I* could always go and get him..." Inuyasha mused. She could practically smell the mischief on him.

"Oh, no you don't!" She snapped. If he did that, not only would Sota never be allowed back at school, he'd pester her even more for Inuyasha to hang around.

"Kagome-chan, who is he?" Her shorthaired friend asked as he moved from above her to the shadows off to the side of the walkway.

"Why don't you introduce us to him?" Her hair-banded friend purred. "He sounds cute."

Kagome nearly choked. Inuyasha? "You have got to be kidding. A mangy, ill mannered, conceited-"

"Oh! So this is the guy you're always muttering about!" Shorthair clapped.

Kagome sweatdropped, her face turning red. She was not surprised to hear Inuyasha snicker. "Oh, shut up!" She snapped. "That's not how it is!"

"Then how is it?" Headband asked, a twinkle in her eyes. "You haven't been cheating on poor Hojo, have you?"

"No!" Kagome growled.

"So you are going out with Hojo, then?"

She could practically feel Inuyasha's glare. "NO!" She snapped, glaring at her two giggling friends. "And I'm not going out with anyone!"

"So, you wouldn't have any objections to you meeting him, would you?" Shorthair pressed.

"Yes, I would!"

Inuyasha had given up on being angry and was back to snickering again. He was enjoying her being in the hotseat.

"Like what?" Headband demanded.

"Okay, fine." She threw her hands up in the air. "I give up. C'mon out and meet them if you want to."

Inuyasha paused, thinking it over while her two friends held their breaths. Kagome wasn't sure if she was calling his bluff or not, he usually stayed hidden in her era.

Then he stepped forward.

Her two friends stared in shock at him for a long, tense, moment.

"Kagome..." Headband finally said, her voice wavering a bit "Your boyfriend is a youkai-?"

"NO, HE'S NOT!!!" Kagome protested.

Shorthaired blinked in confusion. "Then how do you explain the ears?"

"He's *not* my boyfriend." Kagome growled out of gritted teeth.

"Oh."

There was a long pause as Inuyasha watched their reactions in smug silence.

"Then does that mean he *is* a youkai?" Shorthaired inquired.

Kagome sighed. Inuyasha was going to be teasing her about this for a while.

"Yes. My best friend is a dog youkai." She muttered. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go pick up my younger bother from school before my mom gets mad."

She stormed over and grabbed his sleeve, dragging him back into the shadows of the bushes. He turned and waved cheerfully at her two friends, probably scaring the daylights out of them further.

"That wasn't funny!" She hissed, dropping the kitsune illusion. He snorted in response. It was to him. "And just what are you doing here anyway?"

He shrugged in response. "Helping your mom. C'mon, we still gotta pick up Sota." He walked off, oblivious in all regards to her standing there fuming.

"I'm gonna get you for this, mutt." She growled, following him. At least he hadn't thrown her over his shoulder this time...

Fin.