Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, or any other manga, anime, movie, or book! The characters just popped into my dream!

Secretly a Princess

Chapter 7

Family Feeling

When Kagome woke up, she still felt his secure arms wrapped around her. She opened her eyes hesitantly; she was afraid that if she woke up completely, the welcoming warmth would disappear. But when the first thing she saw was his red haori, she knew he was truly there.

But then, the realization hit her.

"Oh no! If Inuyasha's still here the maid will surely see him! He's gotta get out of here!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome whispered, reaching her arms up to gently shake him by the shoulders. "You have to get up, Inuyasha!"

"Hmm…" he replied groggily. "Kagome, go back to sleep." Inuyasha mumbled.

"No, Inuyasha; it's morning and the maid will be coming soon!" she tried again, but he just waved his hand and turned away.

Kagome resorted to the last tactic for waking the hanyou up. If this didn't work, she didn't know what else would.

She was now able to freely move because Inuyasha had released her when he turned away so she quietly crawled up towards his head. She quickly spotted the two fuzzy puppy ears. The two items under her gaze twitched. Kagome leaned over his head and leaned in, so that her face was directly in front of his ears.

"Forgive me." She whispered. And then…

"Get up!" Kagome said, rather loudly, directly into one of sensitive ears.

"Ow! Dammit that hurt!" he said, rather loudly, back.

"It got you up." Kagome said, shrugging.

"And why exactly did I have to get up?" Inuyasha asked. "We're perfectly safe in my…"

At that moment, he looked around and stopped mid-sentence.

"Oh…" he trailed off.

"Yeah, it's morning, you're here, and the maid with my chores will be coming soon, so you've gotta skedaddle." Kagome explained.

"Right!" Inuyasha whispered, understanding.

He got to his feet and Kagome got up, as well.

"You'll come to the meeting room again tonight, right?" Inuyasha asked Kagome.

Kagome smiled and whispered, "Count on it."

Inuyasha smiled and then, he was gone.

Kagome decided to go change.

She grabbed the old clothes, which were on the floor, because she had left them there before bed. Then she made her way up the staircase and into the restroom. There she changed and after she was done, she hid the outfit in the same cupboard as the previous day.

Kagome then rushed back to her spot in the living room, lying down and closing her eyes.

Not long afterward, she heard footsteps coming down the grandiose staircase.

The person got closer and closer, and then the steps ceased.

Kagome slightly opened one eye, curious.

There was a young, new maid looking at her with sympathetic pity.

Instead of rudely waking her, the new maid quietly put the list of chores on the floor beside Kagome, looked caringly at the girl with a sad smile on her face, and then retraced her steps, ascending the staircase.

"This house doesn't deserve such a kind soul slaving away here." Kagome thought.

"Well, since I'm awake anyways, I should probably get to work." She sighed, got up a bit slowly, and started on her chores.

The list of chores wasn't so long as usual, so Kagome was done working at a more reasonable time. The clock read ten thirty when she walked into the kitchen and grabbed the piece of bread that was her dinner, which was lying on a plate on the counter.

She eagerly ate the bread, hungry after all her work. But the bread didn't satisfy her and her stomach grumbled as though it felt teased. She wished that she had been given more food than just a chunk of bread.

Kagome sighed, remembering the tasty, healthy, and large meals her mother used to serve her when she was alive.

"That's all they give you to eat around here, even when you work so hard?" the voice, which had ceased to surprise her when it came out of nowhere, asked in somewhat angry disbelief.

"Yup, but I deal with it, all the same." She replied.

"You're still hungry, I'm sure of it." He said, and he sounded sure. "Here, hold on and I'll take you back, where you can have a decent meal."

Inuyasha crouched, with his back to the girl, as though he were about to spring.

Kagome climbed on his back, reminded of the days when she used to ride on her father's back, piggy-back style, when her stomach growled again, dragging her back to the dull pain of her hunger.

The half demon chuckled and Kagome's cheeks heated up.

In what seemed like no time at all, they had made it to the little door. Inuyasha opened the door and ushered Kagome in, very much like a gentleman. He quickly followed her after she ducked in, closing the small door behind him.

As she walked through the narrow tunnel that led to the hidden rooms, the air smelled of baking chicken and butter. Her mouth watered slightly and her stomach had a fit. Her brained screamed, "FOOD!"

Her feet seemed to move faster as instincts drove her towards the delicious scent.

When she made it through the tunnel, she tried hard not to giggle. Tadashi was standing at the miniature stove, stirring a pot, a frilly apron covering his front from the top of his chest to about mid-thigh. It looked so uncharacteristic that Kagome wondered how Sango and Miroku, who both seemed to be reading on the sofa and chair, didn't laugh out loud.

Tadashi turned toward Kagome and Inuyasha, who had just come through the end of the tunnel, with a wide, warm smile on his face.

"You've come just in time! Everything's ready!" he said.

The four youths sat at the table while Tadashi placed all the food items on it; the silverware had already been set.

"Oh my gosh, this smells so good! Did you cook it all, Tadashi?" Kagome asked disbelievingly.

Tadashi rubbed the back of his head with his hand, smiling. "Yeah, but this is one of the few meals I can make. I bet everyone else is already tired of this meal."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Wow…"

"Well, let's dig in." Miroku suggested, already reaching for a drumstick.

As they reached for food, talked, and ate, Kagome couldn't help noticing the warm, friendly feeling in the room. As they dined, it felt almost as if it were a family dinner again.

Author's note: I decided it was time I updated Secretly a Princess! I hope you liked it! ^^