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Kagome woke up to find InuYasha kissing her neck. She sighed and leaned into his arms carefully, so as not to hurt him.
"Trying to give me a hickey or something?" She murmured as he continued.
"No, just seeing how to best wake you up. With Miroku I use the naked Sango thing, and now I know to kiss your neck. Need to work on Sango though..." InuYasha began to concentrate on what kind of torture he'd use on the bass player.
"You're awful. What time is it?"
"Kagome, what time do I ever wake up? And do you always ask that?"
"Sorry, it's habit. I can't see anything with the curtains closed and you don't have a clock in here either. In two nights you've ruined me from waking up by ten to sleeping until noon!"
"Yes, but you've never slept this well before have you?" InuYasha smirked in the darkness. Kagome huffed and drew the curtains open, nearly blinding him. "Oww! My eyes! My eyes!"
"It's not that bad! Come on, you need to get dressed so I can change your bandages and then we need to finish packing." Kagome began to leave his room to get herself cleaned up. "And be careful so you don't hurt yourself!"
"Yes doctor." InuYasha grumbled and shuffled to his closet to pick out something he could put on with one broken hand. It turned out that it was harder to find something of that nature than he thought. In the end InuYasha just picked out a pair of clean boxers and performed his hygiene routine before sitting down on his couch to wait for Kagome.
It was only a matter of minutes before she returned to the room, arms loaded with bandages other medical products. InuYasha got up to move to his stool so Kagome could have more room to move around him. She unwrapped his dressings and surveyed what damage was left. Most of the bruises had turned the green-yellow color of healing and the lump on his head had disappeared. He still couldn't move his fingers too much, nor could he use his broken arm. She rebandaged everything but his head and tied his sling once more.
"What about my nose?" InuYasha looked up to give her a pleading face.
"Nope. That stays until we leave on the plane. You don't want your nose healing up crooked, do you?" Kagome stated firmly as she continued to wrap his ribs in the soft cotton.
"But I look so stupid! Please? How can you refuse this face?" He pouted in hopes that the puppy dog look would get him his way.
"Easy. The puppy dog look doesn't work, especially since most of your face is strange colors. Now hold still so I can finish up your ribs." Kagome was right, he looked like a mess. Two large bruises still remained beneath his eyes and one coated most of his forehead. All of them were a nasty green, making him look queasy.
"I never get my way. The puppy look never worked on my mom either. Would you care to find a shirt I could put on without a lot of frustration?" He still hadn't gotten dressed and was getting cold in the boxers alone.
"Okay. Should I grab some pants for you too?" He nodded and Kagome entered his closet. It was huge; large enough to hold the contents of an entire store. Clothes were crammed in every single square inch of storage space, from shoes to shirts, to jeans and jackets. He had an outfit for every occasion and then some. After much debate she selected a black button up shirt and a simple pair of loose jeans. She didn't even bother with shoes since he never wore any unless he was in the city for some reason. He hated socks with a vengeance and didn't own but one pair for wearing with dress shoes.
"Should I dress you or do you want to risk rebreaking your fingers?" She held the clothes over one arm as he nodded. He was independent by nature and hated having someone wait on him, but if that someone happened to be Kagome he really didn't mind as much. She had him dressed in a matter of minutes, along with an ear rub and a kiss. InuYasha's nose perked up as they broke apart.
"Do I smell...jam?" He sniffed the air and grinned. "Sango's making jam! Yay!" He raced down the hall with Kagome's hand grasped lightly in his own. She jogged along behind him, trying to equal his large strides. They entered the kitchen and InuYasha's suspicions turned out to be correct. Sango stood at the stove, ladling jam into glass jars. She already appeared to have made a few batches since the entire counter was covered in full jars.
"You cook?" Kagome took a seat next to Miroku, who was watching Sango cook fondly.
"All I can really make is jam, but I guess that counts for something." Sango shrugged and returned to her food. InuYasha already had a spoon out and was hovering behind her, nearly drooling. "Go sit down Sir Eats a Lot and I'll get you a cooled jar, okay?" InuYasha sat down next to Kagome in a flash. He grabbed a napkin off the center of the table, threw it in his lap and held his spoon at the ready.
"Where'd you get the spoon?" Miroku asked.
"I have a tendency to carry one around. Never know when you'll find something to eat and won't have silverware. The laundry women are threatening to kill me if I leave one more set of silverware in pocket though. They've melted more than a few spoons in the dryer." InuYasha waited for Sango to bring him the snack. "I'm hunngrrry!"
"Shut up! I'm hurrying! Do you want this batch on the stove to go to waste?" She finished scooping the last of the jam into a jar and wiped her hands off. She grabbed one of the full containers and sat it down in front of InuYasha, along with a box of graham crackers. "You happy now, you bottomless pit?"
"Yup! Did you make any types beside raspberry?" He unscrewed the lid and stuck his spoon into the thick stuff and lifted it to his mouth.
"Yes, I made blackberry and strawberry too. Don't eat it all in one day either. I want to at least try some." Sango began to make another batch while InuYasha consumed a fourth of the jar in a few bites.
" 'Is is um 'ood shtuff. Oo unt um, Kagome?" InuYasha said with a full mouth as he continued to stuff himself. "Oo'll ike it!"
"I guess I'll try some. That is what you meant, right?" InuYasha nodded and handed Kagome his spoon, a rather generous act when it came to him sharing food. She took a bite and gasped. "Sango, this is fantastic! You could jars of this on the internet and make thousands! People would kill for a jar of preserves made by the great Sango, bass player for the Tamas!"
"I couldn't sell it. InuYasha would eat my whole stock before I even had a web page finished." Sango grinned at the compliment though.
"Anyone got a spoon?" Kagome asked. InuYasha whipped one out of his pocket, much to her surprise.
"Always carry a spare. You can share some of this jar since there's plenty left for me to attack later." InuYasha shoveled another heap of raspberries into his mouth. Kagome joined him, trying to match his pace.
"Here, before the two of you kill yourselves from not breathing in between bites." Sango poured a tall glass of juice and sat it in front of the two teens, complete with a straw for each of them. They both came up for air and took a drink of the juice. Sango sighed and got out a glass of milk for Miroku, who had decided to eat the graham crackers. He grabbed her by the waist of the pants as she walked away, making her come back. "Yes?" Sango asked. Miroku stood up and kissed her quickly on the cheek before returning to his snack. "Well, that's better thanks than I got from those two."
"Fank oo, 'ango." Came the muffled reply of two mouths filled with food.
"Don't mention it. I'm afraid all of the jam would fall out of your mouths and I'd have a big mess to clean up." Sango watched as Kagome leaned over to take another drink. She snuck up behind the girl and jerked up the neck of her shirt. Kagome turned around and gave her a funny look. "You have a hickey of gynormous proportions on your neck that you might want to hide before Miroku starts asking questions." She whispered to Kagome. InuYasha gave a loud snort as he ate another spoonful of jam. Kagome poked him in the ribs, just hard enough to make him feel it.
"Wha'?" he asked innocently.
"That's for doing what I asked if you were trying to do this morning." Kagome pouted and returned to eating.
"Am I missing something here, because you three seem to know something I don't." Miroku gave the group a questioning look as he munched a graham cracker.
"Which one of us tells?" Kagome looked over at InuYasha, who was still stuffing himself. "Guess that means me. Um, InuYasha and I are kind of...a couple."
"Like I didn't see that one coming from a million miles away. It's been obvious since day one. And here I thought you had some interesting news. Pitiful." Miroku took a swig of milk as Sango sauntered by. He reached out a lecherous hand and quickly got swatted away. Sango had gotten good at telling when he was trying to sneak in a grope and could smack him before he was in range.
"Lech."
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The next two days were total hell. With only a day left before they got on the plane for the tour, the mansion had fallen into complete chaos. Everyone was rushing around; packing clothes, instruments, personal items, and basically anything that could fit in a suit case. Sango had already had a few nervous breakdowns as she tried to choose which of her tons of hair clips to pack. Kagome had helped her through her 'tough time' before having her own crisis over whether or not to pack her book collection. Miroku was trying to decide which of his playboys to take, much to Sango's dismay. InuYasha was still wrapped up like a mummy at Kagome's insistence which didn't bother him at all since he never had to lift a finger. He spent his nights with Kagome in his room and his days at the breakfast table.
On one of such days he sat quietly at the bar in the extra dining area. The room had an opening like a window that opened into the secondary living room, which Sango, Kagome, and Miroku were currently standing in, surrounded by baggage. InuYasha watched silently, jam jar and juice in front of him, eating as the drama played out. He'd been observing the chaos for the past few days; it amused him greatly, as if it were a play. Sango was leaning over a bag while Kagome read off a list of items that she was supposed to check for. Miroku was contemplating on whether or not to grope the girl. He stretched out a hand, trying to be sneaky.
"Oi, Sango, you might wanna watch it. The lech is trying to sneak a grope." InuYasha offered helpfully and scooped up a spoonful of blackberry jam. He'd annihilated the raspberry and was working on the other flavors. Sango wheeled around and grasped Miroku by the wrist.
"NO." She said firmly before leaning back over. Miroku quickly leaned over and managed to get a small feel before Sango caught him. "I SAID NO! Don't you get it? No! N-O! No!" Sango shook him furiously by the shoulders. " How'd you like it if I grabbed your ass all the time?"
"I'd rather not answer that one..." Miroku got smacked upside his head by Sango as she returned to her previous task.
"Oh, I love it around tour time! Everyone is happy, so calm, so friendly!" InuYasha quipped as he downed his juice. Kagome stalked over to the window style opening, reached through and grabbed his ear, giving it a sharp pinch.
"You shut up if you can't help! It's rough to pack for months!" Kagome tugged his ear on every syllable, punctuating her remark. InuYasha smirked up at her while she pulled. She wasn't hurting him at all. He stood up, making her let go of his ear, leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before taking off to get another jar of jam.
"Oh, Kagome? You got blackberry on your cheek." He called as he set off for the kitchen. She sighed and left the mark there, then returned to the suit cases.
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Late that evening Kagome walked down the boys' hall, intending to borrow one of InuYasha's guitars to practice with. She hadn't practiced in a while and thought some was better than none since they were leaving tomorrow.
"Kagome!" She heard InuYasha shouting from the vicinity of his room. He stumbled out, wrapped in a black robe and looking like a sticker machine had exploded on him. He was covered from head to toe in those new thermal patches that were supposed to relieve pain by using heat.
"What did you do to yourself?" Kagome asked in shock.
"Miroku said that these heat things and this cream helped relieve pain, and well, my bruises are still a little sore so I put on both and now I feel like I'm on fire! Please help me!" InuYasha had practically collapsed at her feet.
"Okay, what was the cream called?"
"Bengay, I think." He mumbled. Kagome's eyes widened in horror. Thermal patches on top of that stuff had to burn something awful. (a/n: totally something I would do on accident...when I'm in pain I don't think straight...)
"We need to get you into the bathroom before you die of being cooked from the outside in." She followed him to his bathroom, which was much like a larger replica of her own. It was laid out the same, except everything was much bigger. She directed him to take off the robe and sit on the edge of the tub while she got a wash cloth. Kagome pulled off the patches one by one until they were all lying in a pile on the floor. She turned on the warm water and began to scrub off the cream. By the time she was finished the water was up to the top of the tub since she'd forgotten to take the plug out and InuYasha was cream free.
"Thanks, that's much better. But you know what?" InuYasha asked as Kagome put away the cloth.
"Hmm?" She asked absently as she walked back over next to the tub.
"I think you need cleaned off too." InuYasha grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the water, soaking her completely.
"You're...you're..." She stuttered as she sat up.
"I'm?"
"You're so dead!" She jumped out of the water and chased InuYasha through the bathroom, slipping and sliding in her wet boots. He dashed through the door and into the bedroom, Kagome hot on his heels. She finally jumped and tackled him onto the bed. "Now I'm going to get dried off and you can lay here and be soaked."
"You're coming back, right? Some movies are on tonight."
"Of course!" She skipped down the hall, leaving a trail of water in her wake.
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