Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this installment… especially for the one who values privacy. A nod of recognition is bent towards Rumiko Takahashi for her creative prowess.
Alarm
Sleeping under a roof was a luxury in this era—one Kagome never took for granted. She was always grateful when Miroku was able to find accommodations at an inn or in some lord's household, but staying at his old mentor's mountain home was a true extravagance, given the temple's size and the breathtaking view… so long as you didn't mind a bit of dust and clutter.
Sango enlisted the kids' help to banish dozens of empty sake bottles from one of the side chambers, and Inuyasha dragged in a brazier and lit a fire to warm the space. By bedtime, it was nice and cozy, and with great satisfaction, the girls claimed the room for their own… and issued dire threats to any who would trespass upon their privacy.
Inuyasha waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, we ain't gonna bother you. Just rest; we'll be staying put for a while, so you can sleep in."
"Sounds good to me!" Kagome replied with a bright smile. Turning to the haphazard pile of gear in the far corner of the main room, she raided her backpack. Armed with pillow, blankets, and pajamas, she said her goodnights and joined the other ladies in their room, where they laid out the bedding on smooth floorboards.
Once Rin was tucked in between Kagome and Sango, the taijiya doused the lamp. Kagome lay awake for a while, watching the shifting light as the embers in the brazier cast their glow upon the ceiling. Feeling safe and warm, Kagome drifted into a deep sleep.
The soft but insistent scrape of the sliding door registered somewhere in the back of Kagome's mind, but she did her best to ignore it. Too early. She'd been promised the chance to sleep in, and there was no way it was already time to get up. A cold draft and a shaft of predawn light accompanied the intruder, sending her burrowing further under her blankets. Clinging to her pillow for dear life, she tried to hang onto pleasant dreams.
"Miko."
Though spoken in an undertone, the single word was as effective as a bucket of cold water. Kagome's head popped up, and she stared blearily at the pair of plain, white tabi directly in front of her pillow. "Sesshoumaru-sama?" she whispered uncertainly, completely thrown off by his presence in the room.
"Your pack requires attention."
My pack? For a moment, she was confused. If Jaken and Rin where his pack, did that mean something was wrong with Inuyasha or Miroku… or perhaps Kohaku?
"Is someone sick?" she murmured in immediate concern, pushing herself up onto her knees.
That's when she realized that she could hear muffled beeping coming from inside the bright yellow backpack dangling from Sesshoumaru's fingertips.
"Oh," Kagome breathed in understanding, reaching with both hands to accept the bulky bag. As quickly and quietly as she could, she opened the flap and rummaged for the culprit—a small travel alarm clock—and hit the snooze button before bringing it out into the open, hoping she wouldn't wake the others.
Checking the settings, she realized that the malfunctioning alarm had been going off for nearly two hours. It must have been driving him crazy. Looking up at the lingering youkai, she mumbled, "You could have told me sooner."
Sesshoumaru shrugged one shoulder. "You forbade entry to this room."
"Something like this is an exception," she quietly argued.
"I am here, now," Sesshoumaru pointed out evenly.
"Next time, don't wait so long to ask," Kagome gently chided.
"Hnn," he acknowledged.
"I'm sorry to annoy you."
The taiyoukai hesitated in the doorway, and to Kagome's surprise, he corrected her. "It is not you, but your pack, that tries my patience."
End Note: This oneshot was written for the Live Journal community dokuga(underscore)contest and their theme for Contest #07—Malfunction. First posted to Live Journal on December 18, 2008. 617 words.
