Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Young Justice and make no money from these writings.

Little Things

Moment Six

Kaldur was trying to relax on the couch but was having trouble getting in a position where his ribs didn't ache. "I could come help you," he called over his shoulder to where Conner was in the kitchen gathering what they'd need for breakfast.

"Kagome said to rest until she gets home," Conner repeated for the third time since they'd gotten out of bed. As he came into the living room, he set down two bowls with spoons, two boxes of cereal, and the carton of milk before tossing an ice pack to Kaldur. "She also said to ice your ribs."

Pressing the ice pack to his ribs, Kaldur winced a little but settled back into the couch cushions. At the very least, he looked much better that morning. Once burned skin was fresh and pink, and even the darkest of bruises had faded to only slight discolorations. It was mostly the soreness from deep in his muscles that remained. He watched Conner pour two different bowls of cereal, adding a little milk to Kaldur's while drowning his own. Kaldur had to admit that it was kind of nice to be the one being taken care of, even if the circumstances weren't the ideal.

"What channel did she say it would be on?" Conner asked as he handed Kaldur his bowl and grabbed the remote.

"I believe it was fifty-five," Kaldur said as he took his first bite of cereal.

Conner pressed the 5 button on the remote twice and waited for the channel to change over. What came on was one of the most popular of many morning variety shows that showed light news headlines, the day's weather, and usually had a number of special guests and interviews. It looked as though it was still fairly early in the program though, so hopefully they hadn't missed anything.

Watching as they ate, the commented back and forth about how accurate the forecast was likely to be, Conner questioning how the hosts could seem so chipper so early in the morning.

"And now," one host said, seated in a different part of the set after coming back from a commercial break, "we have a very special guest with us today. I'm sure many of you are already familiar with her and her work, whether you know it or not, so please help me welcome Kagome Higurashi." The audience applauded as Kagome walked out onto the set, the picture of professionalism in her pressed and tailored suit, and greeted the host with a brief but warm hug and handshake. Kaldur tried not to laugh when Conner gave his own muffled "woo" from around a mouthful of cereal.

"How does she manage to look that…" Conner trailed off, waving his spoon as he searched for the right word. "Refreshed? She was up most of the night waiting for us to get home and then for a while even after that."

Kaldur shrugged as Kagome and the host made the usual small talk about something else that had been featured on the show just before the last commercial break. "It is impressive. She got more of a nap than any real amount of sleep."

"So Kagome," the host began, starting the interview in earnest. "We've had your appearance here on our show planned for a while now, and as terrible as the attack on Star City was last night, I have to say that it was well timed to talk about exactly what it is you do. For those who might not really understand your role, would you care to give us a brief explanation?"

"Of course," Kagome smiled before launching into a semi-rehearsed speech. "I'm the public relations representative for the Justice League, but I also double as their publicist. The League, for all the good that they do, does occasionally get bad press, usually for things like collateral damages, bystander injuries, and even suspicion because they choose to keep certain secrets, like their real world identities. My job is to mitigate that and put a more positive spin on things."

The host gave Kagome a playfully skeptical look as they said, "If I didn't know better, Kagome, I'd say it sounds like you're trying to sell us some tall tales about our caped crime fighters."

On their couch, Conner and Kaldur both frowned, automatically feeling defensive on Kagome's behalf, but their tension eased with Kagome's response.

"No, not at all," Kagome laughed as she gently touched the host's hand before straightening back up in her seat. "I'll never tell you anything about the League or its members that isn't true. It would be counterintuitive since if a lie ever got out I, along with the League, would lose our credibility with the public."

The host nodded in understanding as they took a sip of their water before moving on. "Then I'm sure you monitor a lot of what's said about the Justice League, not only on news outlets but on social media."

"Of course," Kagome answered. "I always have my phone nearby and follow pretty much every hashtag and keyword associated with the League."

"In that case," the host said as they turned a little in their seat to look up at a large screen on the wall behind them. Large screenshots of tweets, Instagram and Facebook posts, snaps, and more started flashing across the screen as the host continued, "These are mostly from people in Star City last night. Is there anything you would like to say in response?"

"If you'll give me the opportunity," Kagome said, and when the host motioned her to continue, she nodded in thanks. "It's true that in these fights, sometimes the collateral damage can be extensive," she began as the screen started to show pictures and video of cleanup efforts and some of the more heavily damaged areas of the city. "But I would like to point out that there was no loss of life last night. At my last check, everyone reported missing in the chaos has been found and most of the injured have since been treated and released from the hospitals." Clips from news coverage of the fight itself began playing on the screen as Kagome continued, "The Justice League is full of some of the most caring and selfless people I've ever had the privilege to meet. These are people who rush into the most dangerous and unpredictable situations on the planet without questioning the potential danger to themselves."

Kagome watched the screen for a moment before motioning towards it with her hand, "They regularly put themselves in harm's way to protect people more vulnerable than themselves. Their main goal is to make sure the people of our world are safe and able to live happy lives, to protect our friends, our family, our parents, spouses, and children." It was then that the clip of Kaldur protecting the teens flashed across the screen before it was replaced with the next clip.

The two heroes on the couch weren't sure if anyone else could notice how tight Kagome's smile got in that moment, or if it was a subtle shift that only they would see, but they were both proud when Kagome was able to take a deep breath before getting her composure back and continuing with her speech.

"It's not just the displays of strength and speed and special powers that make the Justice League members incredible," Kagome spoke in a serious tone. "This, their selfless drive to protect no matter the costs, is the reason we still continue to call them Heroes."

The audience broke out into applause again as the host leaned over to shake Kagome's hand and thank her for coming in despite her busy schedule for the day, and soon after the show was moving onto their next segment.

Kaldur and Conner tuned out the TV after that, Conner standing to take their bowls to the kitchen and Kaldur shifting what was left of his ice pack to the other side of his ribs. When Conner came back into the living room and started looking for something else to watch, he asked, "Did she say when she'd be home?"

"She mentioned having a few people to see about statements and press releases before coming home," Kaldur said as he shifted and tried to stretch out his back a little. "I doubt she'll be home before this evening, but I'm sure she'll let us know when she's on her way."

"Because I was thinking," Conner began as he finally found something worth watching. "We kind of forget how hard she works since she does a lot of it from home. Maybe we could order dinner from that restaurant across town that she likes and have it ready for her by the time she gets back."

It was easy for them to forget and overlook just how much work Kagome did for the League, and by extension the Team, but her influence was clear when anyone looked at the public opinions. The hero organization had one of the highest approval ratings they'd had since the League's inception. It was still a wonder to both men that they'd all been able to find time to become friends, much less partners, after their first awkward encounter in the Watchtower. And still, Kagome went out of her way to take care of them at home after taking care of their images in the news.

Kaldur thought for a moment before saying, "We should have one of their menus in the drawer under the microwave."

"Great," Conner said as he pushed himself back onto his feet. "You text her and ask around when she might be home and I'll look for the menu. Don't say anything about it though," he warned. "It's gonna be a surprise."

Kaldur smiled as he opened up a new message on his phone and began typing out his question. Conner was right. For all she did for them, all of them, she definitely deserved a happy surprise when she got home.