"Good morning!"
The older male looked at her through slitted, tired eyes. They stared at each other for a half of a minute or so, one overly happy, the other with that same glare. Then he grudgingly opened the door fully and let her in with a flick of his chin.
She smiled again and went inside, heading straight to the stairs. Sesshoumaru watched her go, her sailor uniform crisp and clean, although slightly worn, the green having faded a shade or two. She had left her penny loafers in the foyer with the other two pairs. They looked small compared to the boys' shoes. Her darkest of brown hair, midback, swished around a corner and then she was out of sight.
Sesshoumaru brushed his own pale, plaited hair over his shoulder to hang down his back, the tuft at the end brushing against the back of his knees. Random strands poked out here and there, as he hadn't rebraided it in perhaps a day or so. He'd finally managed to doze off at his desk, head in his arms, for about a half hour before the doorbell rang.
He heard shuffling around in the Other Room before the girl poked her head around the corner to look at him. Sesshoumaru, realizing he hadn't moved at all since he had let her in, shut the door and went upstairs.
"Sorry, do you mind...?"
She didn't have to finish her question. He unlocked Inuyasha's room and she went inside, gathering up a few articles of clothing to take with her into the Other Room. There was some mumbling inside which turned to grumbling.
"I don't want to..."
"Well, you have to. It's Sango's birthday, remember? You need to go today."
"You always make up an excuse for me to go."
"That's because there always is a reason for you to go. There are classes, Inuyasha, you know, where you learn things about the world that may or may not pertain to what you're going to do after graduation? And tests on those subjects that you have to pass in order to become a part of society? And that delicious stuff called school lunch, a rare delicacy so rich in flavor that it turns the stomach? Oh, and there's us, too, your friends? How on earth could I have almost forgotten to mention us?"
Sesshoumaru could imagine the snarl on Inuyasha's face by her snarky comments. The image became reality when he walked passed them towards his own bedroom.
"Kagome, I'm tired."
"You're always tired. Now get dressed before I do it for you."
Inuyasha's face flushed heavily before her shoved her out of the room and shut the door. Kagome stood there, smiling, satisfied, as she listened to him change. She caught Sesshoumaru's eyes while he watched them, bemused.
"How are you this morning?" she asked of him.
He moved his head to the side, but still kept their eyes locked. He said nothing.
"Rough night again?"
It was said in such a way that it was like she was inquiring about the weather.
"...Windy."
Inuyasha opened his door, scowling deeply. He had shrugged on a pair of black skater shorts, a white wifebeater, and a red-and-black checkered, button-up t-shirt, which he left unbuttoned.
A necklace of purple beads and fangs rested against his collarbone. He never took it off.
"Are you ready?"
Inuyasha mumbled something.
"No, you're not, you need to brush your hair and brush your teeth. Wash your face. Deodorant. Did you even brother to take a shower this morning?"
"Busybody."
Kagome's smile cracked a little. Suddenly it turned into a fierce glare. "I beg your pardon?"
The black-haired boy wisely sidestepped around her and into the bathroom. She followed him in, grasping a brush and pulling it roughly through his tangled hair.
"Ouch! Jesus, Kagome! You're going to rip my scalp off!" This was barely intelligible speech, as his mouth was full of toothpaste and toothbrush and pain.
She proceeded to pull the brush through his hair, angry, before she toned it down. She marveled at the length of his hair. "It's getting really long, isn't it?"
He said nothing to this, just watched her reflection warily in the mirror, before leaning over and spitting into the sink. He wiped his mouth on a paper towel and tossed it. When he turned around, she gasped.
"Inuyasha, blood..."
He touched his mouth where he felt liquid drip down from his nose onto his lips. The coppery taste spread over his tongue.
Kagome helped him quell the flow of blood, which used up three more paper towels.
"...You're dehydrated again, aren't you? You didn't drink any water at all yesterday, did you?" she asked accusingly. He didn't meet her gaze.
"Inuyasha, you're doing to wind up in the hospital again!"
"Quit acting like we're married! We're not even dating! Stop being such a nosy busybody!" Inuyasha yelled, finally reaching his breaking point.
She stepped back a bit, shocked. Her heart fell into her stomach. His own heart froze in his chest before he broke the gaze.
"I'm sorry, I didn't..." he started, then stopped.
Sesshoumaru stepped into view. "Get out of my house and go to school. Your voices are grating against my ears."
Inuyasha tsked and went past them both, grabbing a bag from his room which contained his school uniform, and proceeded to thump down the stairs, where he pulled on a pair of sneakers at the front door. Kagome quietly followed after him as he left the house begrudgingly.
After putting on her shoes, she paused at the doorway and bowed at Sesshoumaru, who had followed them to the top of the stairs.
"If anything major happens, I'll let you know," she said softly, and left.
Sesshoumaru went into his bedroom, looked almost longingly at his perfectly-made bed, then sat down at his desk and resumed where he had left off.