Temporary Home

Summary: Kagome would be the first to tell you that life wasn't easy. She would also tell you that she didn't want it to be. If not for the hard life she had, she wouldn't have the life she did...all thanks to them...

Anime/Manga: InuYasha/Prince of Tennis

Genre: Romance/Drama

Pairing: Kagome (None)

Rated: T

-x-x-x-

Kagome was sitting at a large dinner table with Daichi and Etsuko on either side of her, to Daichi's left was Kouta and the Sachiko, and on Etsuko's right, Ayano sat down. Across from her was Eiji and then to his left was an old man and old woman, another man had walked in not long ago and was taking his suit jacket off when he sat beside Sachiko and kissed her on the cheek. Sleeping by the door was Taiki and while she hadn't found it yet, she was sure she heard the distinct call of a squawkingbird earlier.

"Is this..." the man stalled, looking to Sachiko who nodded before he smiled and continued, "Kagome-Chan. Welcome to the Kikumaru family. You've met everyone at the table already?"

"Mm," Kagome played with her fingers a bit before clearing her throat and speaking in a controlled voice, "knowing Eiji-nii and Sachiko-Okaa-San from prior visits, I met Daichi-nii, Kouta-nii, Ayano-nee and Etsuko-nee today. Ah! I met Taiki-Kun too!" She smiled when the dog woke to its name and lifted its head curiously in her direction.

"Ah, this is Ojii-San Hideyoshi, and Obaa-Chan Chouko. My name is Isamu...how has your first day here been?"

"It's...busy..." she sighed, "I'm not used to being quite so emotional, but there's an endless flux of emotions in this household and I can't seem to settle on just one of them."

Isamu laughed, "would you believe me if I told you that was all Eiji."

"Why does everyone pick on me, nyan!?"

Kagome had noticed that as well. Eiji had been the youngest before she came, so he was at the mercy of the majority of the families jokes. She saw this as love, but she guessed it would be hard to deal with if it was an everyday thing.

"Kagome-Chan will be attending Seigaku Elementary, right?" Kouta asked as he piled Green Been Goma-ae on his plate. He paused in mid motion before taking some in his chopsticks and reaching across Daichi's plate to put some of the Greens on Kagome's plate.

Kagome watched curiously as Daichi stared at the arm in his way.

"Oi, Kouta..."

"Hm?" Kouta reached forward and grabbed more greens before reaching across Daichi's plate and repeating the process of piling the side on her plate.

Kagome chewed on the rice in her bowl, watching the pile of green grow by the second, she realized he had no intention of stopping. "Ah, th-that's enough Kouta-nii!"

Kouta froze mid reach, his hand retracted slowly, and he returned to eating his own food.

Kagome leaned forward to look at him but stopped when Daichi placed his hand on her head.

"Let him bask in the moment,"

Isamu laughed, "yes, Kagome will be attending Seigaku Elementary across the street from Eiji's school. You will be able to walk to school together. However, because Eiji has Club responsibilities, he can't bring you home."

"Club responsibilities?"

I spent the whole day writing down things, about how she would look, and what her personality might be like!"

Kagome stared down at the page, "...must like tennis?"

"YEAH~!"

"That's right..." Kagome spoke before anyone could answer her. "Eiji-nii play's Tennis."

"He's so excited. He's been down lately, I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with his doubles partner..."

"Doubles partner?"

"Mm, he plays tennis, doubles, meaning he plays with another tennis player, um, his name is Oishi-San, I believe."

"Doubles with Oishi-San."

"...wah...sugoi! Kagome-Chan, do you know Oishi-Kun!?"

"Iie, mn...Sachiko-Okaa-San mentioned it before."

He plopped down and sighed, "Oishi-Kun is out of town, so Eiji doesn't have a doubles partner until he gets back!"

There was no doubt in her mind that he was pouting. In fact, he was quite good at it. "Can I come by after school and watch you practice?"

Once again, Daichi brought his hand up and placed it on her hand before pushing her head just enough so that she couldn't see Eiji. "Let him bask in the moment,"

The girls at the table laughed and Kagome found she was completely confused as to what was going on. Still, everyone was laughing and smiling, she felt warm.

-x-x-x-

(That Night)

Kagome sat a picture frame on her bedside table, her room was somewhat put together. The paint was at least dried, and there was paint still left over. They had told her she could use it how she wanted to, but she didn't dare mess up their hard work. The dimly lit lamp on the table gave the room just enough light that the tidbits of glitter in the paint on the ceiling sparkled against the light. It really was beautiful. Her eyes followed the Orion Nebula, she recognized it. Easily. It was so well detailed, she wondered which brother was the artist, assuming he must have some interested in Astrology to pull out such a detailed portrayal of this Nebula.

She stood up and turned the light on brighter, walking towards the paint, she eyed it for a moment thoughtfully and sighed. 'Would it hurt to leave something behind?' Smiling, she popped the top off the bucket of paint and picked up a paint brush. It wouldn't be big, but when she finally left, it would be there.

-x-x-x-

Eiji frowned as he wiped his mouth with the towel. The light under Kagome's door told him that she was still awake. Worried that she was having difficult sleeping, he knocked on the door softly before opening the door a bit. He frowned when he didn't see her in bed. Opening the door wider, he looked around the door and found her looking up at him with wide eyes filled with worry. He looked at the deep blue, deep pink and violet that was covering her hand in intricate patterns and lines and tilted his head a bit curiously as he stared at her in wonder.

"Nai, Kagome-Chan, doesn't the paint go on the wall?"

Kagome blushed turning away, she pressed her hand against the wall and ignored the gasp from behind her. She figured she was going to be scolded, but she didn't care. She wanted to do this. Somehow, it was important to her.

Pulling her hand from the wall, she looked at her handy work and smiled at the pretty ombre of violet in to blue. She could see the deep magenta lines of her hands contrasting darkly against the navy and violet Nebula, having not put too much paint on her hands, it came out looking good.

"M-me too!"

She turned to see Eiji sitting beside her now with his hand held out to her. Not sure of what else she should do; she dipped the paint brush into the navy and started to paint his hand carefully.

"Pink and light blue too!"

"Hai," she nodded. Utilizing the light blue in the background with the Navy before using light pink and magenta on the lines of his hand, the nebula started dark in the middle and faded into the light blue towards the outside of his hand. Taking the violet, she out lined his hand and gave it an ombre effect so that his hand didn't disappear on the wall. It gave it an almost silvery outline look. Kagome smiled at her canvas.

-x-x-x-

Kouta stepped inside Kagome's room, having heard the two from next door, he walked out of his room and ran into Etsuko who was on her way to the restroom. The two gave into heir curiosity and peered inside her room since the door was wide open. Watching Eiji press a paint covered hand against Kagome's wall beside a much smaller handprint had the two of them sitting down beside them.

"Ah, Etsuko Nee-Chan next!"

"Are we doing this by age?" Kouta asked, noting the order of the prints so far and the fact that Etsuko would technically be after Eiji if that was the case.

"Hai!" Kagome painted the pink along Etsuko's hand, her sister laughing as the brush tickled her palm. The light blue followed before the violet and navy finished the pattern on her hand.

Kouta looked at the colors and smiled as he looked up at the Mural. Each hand was its own unique nebula of colors. He would do something special for each of these hands once they'd had time to dry. He would make each hand a representation of the many beautiful worlds inside of each member of his family, starting with Kagome, ending with their grandfather. This, he could do for his new baby sister.

"Look at this mess,"

The four turned to see Ayano and Daichi in the doorway. Ayano had been the one to make the comment, as Daichi was grinning ear to ear and moving inside to join in their fun.

"Daichi-nii, wait! Kouta-nii is next, and then you!"

Daichi frowned.

"It's youngest to oldest, Daichi." Kouta chuckled at the pout on his brothers face. Despite him being twenty-one, Daichi was very much so a kid at heart.

"Ah," he nodded, watching as Kagome followed the lines on Kouta palm with the navy paint and light blue over a light pink and magenta ombre. He looked over the other prints and realized that she'd done similar things with theirs. Etsuko's lines were painted light pink over the navy with an outline of pink and violet ombre. Eiji's was done with the lines being light blue and pink and then the deep blue and navy making up patters with a little violet added into the ombre of colors. Each one was beautiful. Looking down at his hand, he wondered what she'd paint, what colors she saw on his hand. It was magical to watch her work. He smiled, looking at the little bit of her tongue that was peeking out between her lips as she focused on Kouta's hand.

"My goodness! It's almost ten and all of my kids are wide awake and playing with paint!" Sachiko sighed, "these kids..."

"Okaa-san!" Eiji stood and moved over to their mom, taking his only clean hand, he pulled her over and guided her around to see the handprints on the wall. "Kagome-Chan is putting everyone's handprints on the wall."

Kagome watched Kouta press his carefully after Etsuko's and looked curiously to Sachiko. "Am I in trouble?"

Sachiko looked shocked by the question, "good heavens, no!" She laughed, "no one ever goes to be on time in this house, I was only giving everyone a hard time. Are you putting everyone's hand on the wall, can I put mine on the wall too?"

Kagome nodded, "...everyone?"

"I will go get Otou-San, Obaa-Chan and Ojii-San,"

Kagome watched as Sachiko left the room, her eyes were clearly filled with surprise as she had expected to be scolded for something. Not being in bed, keeping everyone else awake, painting on the wall, getting messy after taking a bath!? She was unsure of her feelings. This family was really like nothing she knew of.

"Kagome-Chan?" Daichi called out to her.

She looked up and blushed before shaking her head of her thoughts and getting to work on his hand. She looked at the colors and this time, she started with the pink and then a think layer of light blue before she followed the lines of his palm carefully with violet, outlining the violet with bursts of the magenta pink paint.

-x-x-x-

'Day One: Kagome's Frist Night at Home – Success!' Eiji giddily cleaned his hands from beside his mom. "Kagome-Chan is surprisingly artistic, nyan~!"

"Shh~" Sachiko smiled, "she just fell asleep. Don't be so loud."

"Hai," he looked at the darkness seeping out from beneath Kagome's door and closed his eyes, "what should we do tomorrow."

Sachiko watched as her youngest son left the bathroom with a towel and shook her head as she realized that her home life was about to get a thousand times more exciting and more delightful. Well, all in all, she looked forward to it.

"Sachiko-Chan, oyasumi~"

Turning, she smiled at her mother-in-law, "oyasumi, okaa-san."

Chouko smiled as she too finished drying her hands after having been painted on by the ten-year-old little girl who was to become a most amazing treasure to the Kikumaru family.

Yes, Kagome's first day was a success, but one day was only one day. There were many more to come. They couldn't wait to share them all with Kagome.

-x-x-x-

Me: Here is chapter 5 of Temporary Home! I hope nothing was confusing!