The bright morning sun was what woke Kagome the next morning, and she cracked open her eyes, stretching her tired limbs. Honestly, she didn't even want to get up out of this strangely comfortable bed...she didn't even remember getting in a bed last night. What exactly had been in that tea...?

Kagome shook her head wearily, deciding she didn't really want to know, and she sat up in the bed, looking around blearily. The room was simple, the walls a light pink. She grimaced, pursing her lips distastefully. It was the same color of her own room back in Sapporo. She had begged her mother to get them painted her favorite childhood color, but as soon as her mother died, Kagome found that she absolutely despised it.

You don't like it?

She turned her attention to Inuyasha standing in the doorway.

What, the room? No, not really. (shrugs) Pink's not my color.

(chuckles) I didn't figure as much. You seem more of a...dark blue, probably black.

(blinks) Actually, onyx, but dark blue is my second favorite color. How'd you know?

Lucky guess, is all. You are actually pretty predictable.

Piss off. Why is this room pink anyway?

Well...Tsubaki just took a little peek into your memories, that's all.

SHE WHAT?!

Relax, it wasn't like—

--she totally invaded my privacy?! No, I think it was exactly like that! Where is she, anyway?!

(blinks) I dunno. She was gone when I woke up, along with Krone.

Kagome groaned, massaging her throbbing temples. How could he defend such an flagrant intrusion of her privacy?!

Whatever...I'm hungry. I hope there's some food around here.

Of course. Make your way to the kitchen, fix what you want.

Kagome fidgeted a little under her covers, then blanched. Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow.

What's wrong with you?

Uh...you need to leave.

Why?

So I can get out of bed!

...?

I—(whispers) I don't have on clothes!

Inuyasha turned red to his very eartips and turned away from her, clearing his throat nervously.

Oh. Do you want a towel or something?

Something would be appropriate!

I guess I could get you something from Tsubaki's dresser...

Hurry up and do that!

He scurried out of the room, and Kagome sighed, embarrassed. But this surprised her. Why did it embarrass her to tell him that, when she was not even a virgin?

When he came back, Kagome wanted to laugh at the way he held, amongst a bunch of clothes, a black bra, pinched between his claws as though it were contaminated.

Here...

He put it on the foot of the bed and left the room without another word, his blush distinct. Rolling her eyes, Kagome pushed away the covers and looked at Tsubaki's clothes, all of them black. They were nice, but they seemed a little small, especially the shirt and bra. With a sigh, she figured it would just have to work. She put on the clothes and looked at herself in the full-length mirror on the wall. The blouse's sleeves stopped at her elbows, and the jeans were a somewhat snug fit, but otherwise, she actually looked...good.

She walked out of the room and went down the short spiral staircase to the kitchen, where Inuyasha was warily sniffing a jar of clear liquid.

What's your deal?

(doesn't look at her) You've really gotta be careful in Tsubaki's house. She doesn't label her potions and whatnot, so you don't really ever know what's...indigestible...and what's not. Do you think you can wait until she comes back? I'm sure you're not that hungry, right?

(shrugs) I guess.

Inuyasha shook his head and closed the jar back, then turned to her. His eyes widened and the jar slipped from his hands, breaking on the floor.

Ah! Shit! (hisses)

The liquid spread all over the floor, smoking and sizzling. Pursing her lips, Kagome stepped back, smirking at Inuyasha.

A bit clumsy today, are we?

(mumbles) The...jar slipped. Uh.

Nervously, Inuyasha scratched his head, staring up at the ceiling.

(quirks eyebrow) You're gonna just leave it on the floor, then?

Huh? ...Oh! The—crap!

He jumped across the steadily spreading liquid and started looking for a mop. Kagome rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

Boy, you're certainly off your mark today, huh?

(snaps) I haven't been here in a while, okay?!

Hey, cool it, buddy! I'm not the one who broke the jar of...whatever that stuff was.

Just forget it—could you please help me look for a mop?

I shouldn't...since it wasn't my fault...but I'll do it anyway. Just 'cause I'm such a nice person.

Kagome went into the entrance room, searching for anything like a mop.

There's not anything in particular I should look for, right? I mean, priestesses don't use ops different from normal people, do they?

Actually, they do, now that I think about it...ever heard of a squibble?

What the hell is a squibble?

It's a kind of little oni that pretty much eats anything, if you know how to control it. A kind of vacuum cleaner. Of sorts.

Does Tsubaki have a...squibbler?

Squibble.

Do I look like I care?

No. But I can't remember. If she does, it's probably sleeping, since squibbles sleep twenty-two hours out of the day.

Well, let's go find the little bugger and wake it up.

Bad idea.

Why?! God, since when were there so many semantics involved in cleaning up a spill?!

Since it was discovered that squibbles are deadly when awakened.

...(sighs) I'm going back to bed.

Hold on, hold on. It's probably on the ceiling or something. (cranes neck upward)

Oh, delightful. A murderous dust sucker. What's next, a-a demon that cools the food in your refrigerator by magnetically sticking to the outside of it?

Well, actually--

Ah-ah! I don't want to know!

By the time Tsubaki returned, the liquid had burnt a hole in the floor, and Inuyasha and Kagome were watching television, pretending they didn't know what had happened. She waggled her finger scoldingly at them.

Inuyasha, has it really been that long since you've been here?! You know where the squibble is!

No, I didn't.

Yeah, and we looked all over for that stupid thing.

(sighs) Tsk tsk. Krone, fetch one of the weavers from upstairs.

...Weaver? (looks expectantly at Inuyasha, who shrugs)

Hell if I know.

(puts on bright educational tone) A weaver is an oni able to stretch itself over a hole and pose as a supplementary surface.

(sarcastic) Gee, thanks, G.I. Joe. Is knowledge power as well?

Well, technically, it is.

Kagome and Inuyasha anime-sweatdrop, as Tsubaki follows Krone upstairs.

Your friend's weird, dude.

Yeah...I know. I know.

When can we leave?

As soon as you make an appearance on the news, we've got to leave. But until then, it's best that we stay here.

You...really think it'll get that bad?

Kagome bit her lip, scared and worried. She was certain Kamikaze wouldn't care that much...right? After all, he could always find some other unsuspecting woman with a daughter, couldn't he?

But even she knew that was untrue. Like it or not, she was linked to him. It had taken him ten years to possess her; Kagome knew him too well to think he'd waste another ten years on someone entirely different. No, she was his, and she knew it. Being the skeptic that she was, she also knew she couldn't elude him forever, even with Inuyasha's help. How long would it be before he either found her or gave up? How far would she and Inuyasha be able to go before something happened to jeopardize their journey?