Neighbors

A/N: In which Kagome, whose a nurse, cuts her finger too deep and Inuyasha, a doctor across the hall, stitches her up. dailyau I work at a hospital and this was driving me nuts. So as always, Trash it is: Please me forgive.

-IK-

The shower cut off as a raven haired beauty wrapped herself in towels and made her way to the dresser. Donning a red tank top and a pair of black shorts, made her way to the living room where the black machine flashed a red 2 on the screen. Kagome pressed the button and waited intently on what was to come.

You have two new messages:

Message one, sent today at 9:00AM

"Kagome, this is Keade. I revised the schedule next week. You'll be working Wednesday thru Friday. I know it seems like we're over working you dear, but our staff is too short handed right now. I appreciate all you do. See you Wednesday."

End of message.

Message two, sent today at 12:45PM

"Kagome, it's your mother. I was hoping you would be working today, but Keade informed me you were off until Wednesday. Your grandfather has been admitted again, but nothing too serious. I just wanted to see my darling daughter. It's been too long dear. Call me back. I love you."

End of messages.

Smiling, Kagome unwrapped the towel from her wet head, wrapping her long locks in a wet, messy bun. Kagome made her way to the kitchen. "I'm starving." Opening the fridge, she pulled out a bag of green beans and the thawed chicken breast. "I'm gonna cook some dinn-errr." Her sing-song voice filled the air as she did a little shimmy with her hips.

Pulling a large glass pan and a bag of potatoes from the cupboard, she got to work on cooking her favorite american dish. Kagome's father was a chef who excelled on international dishes, and when he died, he left his entire collection of recipes to her. Too bad the hospital took up all of her days and nights.

Kagome shrugged and shimmied again as she reached for the stereo that was built into her cabinets. Her favorite station blared a song throughout her kitchen and she had a hard time not dancing away.

"Do you wanna see heaven tonight underneath those lights, you will look so beautiful. Do you wanna see the stars before they fall, see the stars before they fall?" Kagome sang into the spoon she was using to stir the marinade for the chicken. Dipping each piece into the marinade, she smiled. She missed cooking and sometimes being a nurse was challenging. She made it home that morning at six-fifteen AM.

Just last night, right before her shift was supposed to end, a patient of hers passed away. The elderly man was a joy to take care of and she wasn't expecting such a drastic change in his health. The heart attack came in the blink of an eye and they couldn't save him. Kagome wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and continued making dinner. "No sense dwelling on the past. He was a good man. It was just his time." Reasoning was the easiest way to cope.

She tossed the fresh green beans in the bottom of the pan and placed the three chicken breasts in the center. Once satisfied, she began to chop the potatoes. Kagome smiled as her favorite part of the song came up, the chorus.

She was way to caught up in the music, and wasn't paying attention. "Do you wanna be my lover tonight? And for all my life, it could be so wonderful. Do you wanna see the stars before they fall, see the stars before they f- FUCK!"

Red liquid oozed from her left palm, the point starting from between her thumb and forefinger to the center of the hand. She tossed the knife down and grabbed a dish towel. "Dammit!" She applied pressure before taking off to the bathroom. Kagome turned the cold water on to clean the wound and assess the damage. The color drained from her face when she noticed that it was a clean cut, to the bone. Well, this is just great. She mused. Oh how she did not want to go back to the hospital, especially the ER.

It took her a few moments, but she remembered her neighbor, -Ash or something like that-, was a doctor, or was it surgeon, either way a doctor of some sort. Wrapping the wounded appendage once more, she ran for the front door and across the hall to 7B. Kagome barely made a sound as she hurried across the carpeted floor.

Knock - Knock - Knock

Kagome waited patiently as the dish towel slowly began to go from sea foam green to a deep red and brown. She knocked again. "Hello? Please open up."

A deep growl emitted from deep in the apartment and she had half a mind to turn around and run away, but the door flung open and a tall, shirtless exhausted looking man stood in the doorway. When he snapped his head up, Kagome gasped. Half-demon. Are those ears not adorable? Her hands itched to reach out and grasp one, but the throbbing ceased the action. Instead,she took a moment to appreciate the gorgeous specimen in front of her. Silver hair, -that was much longer than hers- cascaded down his back in a tangled mess and golden eyes pierced her deep blues with an angry expression.

Kagome attempted to speak, but her voice failed her. "What is it wench? You either better be dying or bleeding because I ju-" Kagome cut him off as she held up her injured hand. "-shit! Come in." He pulled her in his apartment gently and ushered her to sit on the couch. "Let me see." Kagome unwrapped the towel, blood still steadily oozing from the cut. "How did this happen?"

Still finding it hard to find her voice, Kagome squeaked. "Wench?" She found his gaze and huffed. "My name is Kagome. Not wench." He laughed and it was a deep, manly laugh.

"Okay, Ka-go-me. I think we need to get you to the ER-"

"No!" She blurted. "I don't want to go to the ER."

"Why? You afraid of hospitals or somethin'?

She frowned. "I'll have you know I am a Registered Nurse at Tokyo Medical. Thank you very much." He grinned at her flushed face. "I just came off a sixteen hour shift and I really don't want to go back if I can help it."

He nodded in understanding. "Same. I work at the Metropolitan Matsuzawa, and I just came off a 30 hour shift." She gave him a blank stare. "ER was rushed due to a fire downtown. I'm exhausted and you come knocking on my door at six-thirty-five at night with a wound that needs stitches." His larger hand took hold of her injured one gently. "Let me get dressed and I'll take you myself." He made to stand.

"Ugh. You're a doctor, can't you just stitch it up yourself, uh- sir?" She pleaded.

He stopped standing and locked his molten orbs on her deep ocean colored ones. It took a moment, but soon he was laughing. "Inuyasha."

She blushed. So not Ash, eh close enough. "Inuyasha, please?" She gave him the big eyes and pouty lip. He inwardly groaned. She was hot and he couldn't deny it, no matter how hard he tried. Kagome had been his neighbor for the past three years and during that time they worked opposite shifts and days and he hardly ever saw her, but when he did, damn was it not a sight for sore eyes. "I'm loosing feeling here and I feel faint."

Inuyasha sighed. "Let me see if I have the stuff to stitch it up." He made his way to the back of his apartment, emerging shortly after with a black bag. "I have the suture packs, but I don't have anything to numb the pain."

She gulped. "Oh uh- okay then. Let's do this."

Inuyasha nodded and sat on the coffee table in front of her. "So, an RN huh?" She nodded. "How long?"

"Four years."

"Let me guess, twenty-five?"

She giggled. "Close enough. I'm twenty-seven. You?"

"Twenty-eight." She gave him a look that said she definitely approved of what she was looking at and he chuckled. "I'm sorry, but like I said, I don't have anything to numb you, so do I need to give you something to put in your mouth-" Her eyes widened as a dirty thought passed over her mind. "-to quiet the screaming you're about to do?"

I can think of something to put in my mou- "Uh, sorry." She shook her head. "No. I think I can handle it."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure." Inuyasha took his time cleaning the wound before he set to closing it. He opened a pack of sutures, placing them next to him. Threading one in a knot before he reached for her hand. "This is going to hurt." He repeated.

"Okay." She took a deep breath, the needle closing in on her wound. It pierced her flesh causing a gasp to escape her. Shitshitshitshit. Kagome closed her eyes in pain and took another deep breath. "Fuuuuuck" She exhaled.

Inuyasha was caught up in what he was doing, but he still heard her and he still smirked as he continued to work. Twenty-six stitches, a few cuss words, and a grunt later, he was done. "Good as new."

Kagome exhaled once more with relief as she lifted her palm to examine his work. "Wow, for an ER doctor, you are good at stitching. Usually they call the plastic surgeon to handle things such as this at our facility." She extended her hand back as he gestured for her to allow him to wrap it in gauze.

"Yeah. Actually, I'm a surgeon. Neurosurgeon to be exact." He never realized he was still holding her hand as he spoke.

Neurosurgeon? Holy hell, that's ho- "Hot." She breathed. He smirked at her, but she shook her head. "I mean, you put in more hours than I ever thought possible." Kagome was impressed with his work ethic. "You know, I thought your name was Ash." She admitted.

He laughed. "Yeah, I'm called that by my best friend, Miroku. He's a plastic surgeon. I think the only reason he went into such a profession was so he could give women bigger breasts and asses." Kagome laughed. "He's here on my off days or whenever I am available. His wife Sango is a Paramedic and does most of the transports for our facility."

"Sango Tanaka?"

"Uh, yeah. Ya know her?" He packed up his supplies and set then under the coffee table.

"Yeah. She and I go way back. I haven't seen her since last year, but she's a good friend of mine. I actually went to her wedding. And now that you mention it, Miroku's perverted-ness is actually a perfect match for plastic surgeon. I need to ask Sango." She laughed as the realization finally hit her. Her smile was bright and Inuyasha found himself wanting to reach out to her. It wasn't until she looked away from his deep golden gaze, did she notice he was still shirtless. "Have you been bare this whole time?"

Looking down he grinned. "Suppose so." He didn't miss the way her eyes lingered a little longer and he definitely didn't miss how short her shorts rode up and how her breasts look wonderful in that red top. How he loved red, and how he loved the way her cheeks flushed.

"So, thank you, Inuyasha. You saved me tonight and to repay you, how about dinner? I was in the middle of making it, but you could come by in about an hour and eat with me?" She fiddled with the cushion nestled next to her. "I-If you want, that is."

He grinned. "Sure." He stood to walk her out. "I'll shower and head over in an hour." She nodded and walked back to her apartment, missing the satisfied smirk on the hanyou's face.

-IK-

It was three till eight when a knock sounded throughout her one bedroom apartment. She checked her reflection in the mirror before running to answer. "Hey, come in."

Inuyasha, now clad in dark jeans and a plaid button up over a white wife beater, walked in. He eyed her a moment, taking in the skinny jeans and same red tank with a black cardigan, which made her even more beautiful; albeit, he loved the look she sported earlier. Her hair was now down and curled around her frame, but she remained bare foot.

Stepping into the kitchen, he noticed the pan full of beans and potatoes, covered in chicken, sitting on her dining table. She had set out two plates and silverware with a couple of green cloth napkins. Kagome blushed. "Please, sit." Turning to the fridge, she asked. "Drink?"

"Got any beer?"

"I do, but when do you work next?"

"Tuesday. I have three full days to myself." He leaned back in his seat. "You?"

She reached for two beers, mindful of her left hand. "Four glorious days to myself." Kagome handed him a bottle.

"Who knows, maybe we can spend our time together." He took a swig and Kagome choked on hers. "It was a joke."

Kagome composed herself as her face lit up red as a tomato. "I knew that."

He grinned. "Sure ya did."