Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.
Snowbound
He didn't want to get up. He was entirely comfortable and warm, wrapped around Kagome. But, while he could live with the definite taint of stuffiness and smokiness in the air, it didn't take a mental giant to figure that bad air wasn't good for his beloved.
Swallowing a sigh, Inuyasha carefully wriggled out from the covers, not wanting to wake Kagome. Pulling on his clothes, he walked silently over to the firepit. With a length of bamboo, he began poking at the smoke hole. Snow showered down as he carefully worked the stick to avoid the covering over the hole. Cold, fresh air began to sink into the room. With a nod of satisfaction, Inuyasha returned the pole to its place, then slid the exterior shoji just enough to peek outside.
The world was white and gray. Snow piled high, and it was still drifting down. He smirked, happily anticipating the day. Kagome wasn't going to want to go anywhere in all this snow. She would be all his—
She was awake when he slid back under the covers. "What were you doing?" she asked with a yawn.
"Clearing the smoke hole," he said, nuzzling her neck and reaching for a breast. "We're snowbound," he added.
Kagome tensed, to his surprise. "How much?"
"Knee deep, maybe," he mumbled, his fingers busy. "Still snowing. Wind's down."
She pulled away, rolling over to face him. "Shouldn't you be checking on the village?"
"Hunh?"
"Heavy snow can collapse buildings," Kagome pointed out.
"But…"
"At least check on Kaede and Rin? And Miroku?"
He gave her a whine, ears lowered. He didn't want to go out in the cold and damp. He wanted to stay right here.
She smirked, and then kissed his nose. "I'll make it worth your while."
He heaved a sigh. Did he have to?
"Please?"
He gave her an even sadder look, before crawling out of bed, snagging the fire-rat laying on top of the covers. Kagome watched him leave, smiling, before searching for her own clothes. Time to get up and prepare a breakfast fit for a hero.
Even a reluctant one.
Author's Note: Oops. This piece was actually written nearly a year ago, for the prompt "Snowbound", but managed to avoid getting up here to . Sorry 'bout that. Good news is, this piece has a sequel, which is how I realized it was missing. Keeping reading... (first post November 28, 2010. Took first place for the contest at the "At First Tweak" community.) (11/23/2010)