Cuddle Buddy

Inuyasha sneaked in Kagome's room through her window. He took a deep inhale, simply enjoying the scent of the girl living in this place mixed with the odd scents of her futuristic belongings.

He had not seen Kagome since their last quarrel ten days earlier. He had been visiting her time, of course, seeing her from a distance, but afraid to approach the miko. Actually, he had wanted to speak to the girl eight days ago, but Souta had warned him she was still angry at him.

Inuyasha sighed and made his way to Kagome's bed. He sat on it and rubbed his face with his hand. The girl was in school right now, so he felt pretty safe in her room. She wouldn't come here and scream 'osuwari' at him for no reason. He growled as he remembered the last time he had been sat. It wasn't his fault the words never came out of his mouth like they should. The wench was smart, why couldn't she realize by now what he meant? He felt lonely when she was away, he felt like there was a gaping hole in his chest when her scent was fading around him. It was frightening how much he was addicted to the girl's presence at his side. She had more power over him than just the beads, but luckily was unaware of her influence...

Inuyasha leaned back, enjoying the scent of his miko, letting it soothe his loneliness, calm his spirit. He could just hope she'd get over her rage soon, so he could spend time around her, not creep in her room when she was away.

As he outstretched his hands above his head his claws touched something silky and the hanyou looked up in curiosity. There was something just under the soft pillow and Inuyasha was going to dig it out.

With a swift move of his hand he reached under the pillow and pulled out from under it a small doll. It was a simple doll sewn from rags and definitely made by an amateur, but Inuyasha didn't care.

It had a red outfit, with little pink blobs for hands and feet sticking out of the sleeve and pant legs of the billowy robe. It had a big round head with two golden buttons sewn where eyes should be. With black thread someone made thick brows, nose and mouth. Long and silky white hair was falling in a tangled mane down the doll's back and two triangles of a fabric covered with something similar to fur were sticking out of the top of the head.

Inuyasha was staring dumbly at the doll of himself for a long minute, his mind completely empty.

"Why does she have a doll of me?" he asked the room, but the room didn't provide any answer. He spent some more time just examining the doll - obviously Kagome's creation. It smelled strongly of the miko. But it was missing something. Something very important.

When Kagome came back home the doll was placed back under the pillow and the hanyou was long gone.

.

Kagome sighed dejectedly and closed her bedroom door behind herself. 'It's two weeks since I returned and he didn't come for me,' she thought and closed her eyes, trying not to cry. 'I knew it, I finally made him realize he doesn't need a weak, always complaining girl around. He probably went to Kikyou to be his jewel shard detector...'

She knew she should go through the well - just to say goodbye to the rest of her friends from the past and to give her jewel shards to them - but she was too scared to do that. She was too afraid to face them, to learn the truth about them replacing her with the other - much stronger - miko. It would mean that her adventure there was over, that she had nothing else to do there. That the only person who she needed to be happy didn't need her anymore.

Kagome bit her bottom lip. 'Don't think that! Maybe Inuyasha's still angry at you for sitting him so many times, but he would never just replace you with Kikyou without telling you a word! He'd at least come for the shards and to say goodbye.'

'But he didn't come for two weeks. What if they're fighting Naraku there? Or are hurt...?' Worry for her friends' well-being flooded her mind and Kagome clenched her fists, coming to a decission.

She had to go back and make sure they were safe. 'If they don't need me anymore I will at least know, not worry here,' she thought. She turned around, determined to go to sleep and visit the past in the morning. Inuyasha had warned her more than once not to go through the well alone after sunset.

The miko felt warmth in her heart when she thought about her at times too protective favorite hanyou. He was doing his best to hide his big, soft heart, but she knew him too well not to see how a good person he was. Stubborn, rash, brazen, arrogant, at times stupid, annoying and violent boy, who could make the cutest lost puppy expression in the world without even trying. Who would put his life at stake to save innocent people, who was honorable and honest no matter what.

Kagome moved her pillow and froze, realizing that something was wrong. Her Inu doll, her cuddle buddy, was gone.

Her musings about Inuyasha forgotten the miko started to look for her little Inu. She had made the doll some time ago and liked to cuddle it when she was visiting home. It never left her bed, usually spending the days under her pillow. But now her little Inu was gone. 'Who would... Souta, if you took my lil Inu I'll gut you!'

Morbidly embarrassed at the thought that someone found her doll Kagome turned around, about to let loose a cry of rage.

Something red under her window caught her attention and Kagome looked that way.

"Lil Inu!" she exclaimed happily at the sight of her handmade doll sitting there. She squatted by the doll to pick it up when she noticed it was wrapped around something. "Huh?"

Kagome poked the doll and when its arms fell from around the object her eyes widened. The thing the doll was wrapped protectively around was another doll! It was done with even less skill than hers, but she recognized her school uniform and mane of black hair, two brown buttons were sewn on a face adorned with huge, silly grin.

She realized that it was a doll of herself when she heard silent tapping at her window and looked up.

Inuyasha was sitting behind the glass panel, tapping it with his claw, his yellow eyes looking straight at her and the dolls. Kagome panicked and did the first thing that came to her mind.

"Osuwari!"

.

Mama Higurashi was putting her sewing tools back in the drawer. Inuyasha had brought them back not too long ago and the woman was wondering what for he had needed them. Clearly not for his robes, they were mending themselves. She shrugged and smiled.

'It's not important. The important thing is that he's coming here, which means he'll soon make up with Kagome and she'll be off to the past," she thought. "And this means I'll need to refill the ramen cupboard."

Mama Higurashi sat by the table with a cup of fresh tea, smiling to her thoughts, when she heard a loud thud just outside. She gasped, startled, but didn't go to the window to check what it was. She knew perfectly well. She heard footsteps running down the stairs, then going around the house to stop under the kitchen window. Mama Higurashi cold clearly see her daughter looking down at something - or rather someone - on the ground.

"Oh, goodness, Inuyasha, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!"

"Stupid wench," drifted to Mama Higurashi's ears through the crack in the kitchen window.

"I dare you to say it to my face, dog-boy!"

Mama Higurashi grinned when she saw the white-haired boy leap to his feet and wrap his arms around her daughter.

"Wench," he murmured in her hair, the name spoken in a soft voice.

"I have some leftover oden, if you two are interested," Mama Higurashi said aloud, grinning like a kitsune when the startled and deathly embarrassed pair realized they had an audience looked her way and blushed hotly.