CHAPTER FIVE

x.

"They still don't fit!" Inuyasha groused.

Kagome had to agree -- the sweatpants didn't fit Inuyasha. They were about an inch too short. Every time he yanked the waistband up over his waist, the bottoms rose over his ankles. For someone who normally didn't think about his clothes at all, it was infuriating.

"Well, your clothes won't be dry for another hour or so," she said, wringing out Inuyasha's towel as he tried to make himself comfortable in the sweatpants.

"Why not?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Because you wear a lot of clothes, and they absorb a lot of water," Kagome said. She kept her back turned while Inuyasha kept fiddling with the pants, until he got them comfortably adjusted.

"Can't I wear something else?"

"Nothing else will fit you. The only alternative is to go naked."

Inuyasha flushed openly. He sullenly followed her down into the kitchen, where Grandpa was unloading a few bags of groceries. The old man's eyes widened as he saw Inuyasha stomping down behind Kagome, bare-chested and yanking at the waistband of the sweatpants.

But before he could say anything, Kagome quickly asked, "Grandpa, how do you get funny smells out of clothes?"

The old priest thought for a moment, still flustered. "What sort of smells?" he asked slowly.

"Uh, never mind." Kagome didn't want to describe Naraku's vapors to her grandfather. Just thinking about them made her queasy. "Inuyasha's clothing got all funny-smelling, so I decided to wash them."

"And don't do that to me again!" Inuyasha suddenly said. "If ya want my clothes, just ask me! And get me something that fits first!"

"All right, all right," Kagome said hastily. "Just calm down."

Her grandfather was turning a funny color again, but after hearing Kagome's explanation he calmed down somewhat. Then he said suddenly, "Kagome, would you tell your mother that I won't be returning tonight?"

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.

"I've been asked to exorcise an old building that is haunted by a pair of ghosts." Grandpa looked very proud of himself -- he rarely got to exorcise anything. He had been delighted a few years before when Sota claimed there were mysterious noises above his bed. The old man's disappointment had been unbounded when it had turned out to be rats. "I will be staying with a friend of mine at his shrine when I'm finished."

Then he frowned. "But your mother is going to visit your aunt tonight... would you mind looking after Sota? Just make sure he behaves and doesn't eat too much candy...."

"Sure, I can do that," Kagome said.

As she carried the vegetables over to the fridge, Grandpa leaned over and said to Inuyasha ominously, "You behave too."

"I ain't done nothin'," Inuyasha said, equally ominously. "Besides, I'm sick."

Grandpa left after several minutes of Kagome assuring him that yes, if she needed anything at all she would call him. He was obviously uneasy about the idea of leaving her with a slightly wild half-demon and her equally unpredictable little brother. Besides, Kagome thought with a smile, Inuyasha was a boy, and Grandpa knew it.

She watched as Inuyasha walked in a rather wobbly way off to the couch. Apparently all the excitement had worn him down a little, which was good for her. The more sedate he was, the easier the next day would be for her. If she did what her mother did -- feed him and pamper him a little -- he would probably be content to stay on the couch and heal.

Well, it wasn't like she hadn't done this before. She had made it through an entire week with nobody except Sota and Inuyasha before, and had lived through it. Barely. Even so, it was only a night -- Inuyasha was too sick to make much trouble, and Kagome was sure she could handle Sota.

So why did she have this feeling of impending doom?

"I'm home!" Sota shouted, followed by a loud slam. "Mom, I'm hungry! Inuyasha?"

"Are my clothes done yet?" came a loud voice from the general area of the couch. "These damn things don't fit!"

Kagome sighed wearily. It was going to be a long day... and night.

TO BE CONTINUED