Three days. It had been three days since she went home for one of her "tests". He used to fight her tooth and nail about going home, but that was before. Things between them had changed so being in her world, in her room, they got to fully embrace this change - and each other. On the quest they had to keep everything a secret. Kagome called it private but he knew better. He knew how his world would react to her rubbing his ears while he ran, or him nuzzling his face against hers while they stopped for lunch. All hell would break loose if Shippo or Miroku caught them kissing when she stopped to tie her shoe, taking just long enough for the rest of the group to crest the hill before reaching up on her tiptoes to gently brunch her lips against his. He couldn't even hold her hand as they walked down the road for fear of a random traveler getting the right idea about their relationship.

Their relationship.

He couldn't stop the smile that broke out across his face as he sat on the roof of her house. Things had definitely changed for the better, but for the last three days it had all backslid. This wasn't a normal test she was preparing for. She didn't come home from school alone; she had an army of friends sharing notes and going through practice questions with her. She didn't come and sit on the bed with him, using his leg as a pillow while she read. Instead he'd been banished to the roof or the sacred tree to make sure her friends didn't see him. She had originally suggested he go back through the well until she was done, but he couldn't do that anymore. Her stress was palpable, and his protective nature was in overdrive. There was no way in hell he was going any farther than the roof directly above her window. Maybe he couldn't hold her anymore but at least this way he could still hear and smell her.

Unfortunately it also meant he could hear and smell Hojo. He trusted Kagome, and he knew how she felt about him. He didn't know why but still. He also knew a "sit" from a second floor window onto concrete would really, really hurt. So he kept his vigil, carefully out of sight while they continued to work.

He knew humans wouldn't smell scent marking, but he could, and he needed to make sure Kagome smelt as much like him as possible when a rival male was around. Human noses be damned. It was over two hours before his moment finally arrived. As Hojo excused himself to the bathroom, Inuyasha sprung into action. Leaning down over the lip of the roof, he lowered himself until his face was upside down in the middle of her window.

"Kagome," he called, "Kagome come here."

The girl in question spun her chair around so fast she nearly flew out of it.

"Inuyasha!" She hissed his name as she scampered to the window. "Get out of here he's gonna see you!"

"Then you better get over here quick, huh?" he smirked at her, one ear trained at the door.

"What do you want, Inuyasha? I know it's boring for you but this is important."

"So is this-"

He reached out, his right hand caressing her cheek as she leaned into him. His kiss was rough and demanding, his tongue swiftly invading her mouth. His hand began to move down her neck, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. The spike in her scent nearly had him falling off the roof, her quiet whimper enough to have him seriously consider pulling her out the window. It was not to be, though, as he heard footsteps coming down the hall. He slowed the kiss pulling his face away just a hair. He had only a second before Hojo reentered the room, he had to move quickly. Taking full advantage of his hanyou speed Inuyasha swiftly ran the flat of his tongue across Kagome's face in what can only be referred to as a 'puppy kiss'.

"Gotta go!"

He had pulled himself up and away from the window just as Hojo opened the door, leaving a blushing, sputtering, entirely discombobulated Kagome half leaned out her bedroom window.

"Uh, Higurashi? Is everything okay?"

She turned from the window so quickly Inuyasha heard her collide with her side table, the lamp knocking against the wall.

"What? No. I mean yes. Its.. I'm fine," she sighed deeply. Inuyasha imagined her blush deepening from his post back up on the roof. He knew he'd catch hell for that later. She hated it when he got possessive around Hojo, and she always got testy when he teased her around people knowing he could smell her even if the humans couldn't. But right now, he was safe to sit back and enjoy her frustration aimed at someone else. Maybe being a secret wasn't so bad after all.