Chapter 3:

Kagome blearily opened her eyes. Groaning, she narrowed her eyes to focus on the alarm sitting atop the bedside table. 5 am. She rolled over, determined to sleep again. School didn't start until 8 am, and she needed her energy if she wanted to make a good impression on her classmates.

A few seconds ticked away, before Kagome gave up. There was no use trying to go back to sleep. Dealing with an inu-hanyou who wakes them up as soon as dawn breaks, and being the obedient shrine priestess for her family had shifted her internal alarm clock completely. Deciding to make the most of it, she left the comfort of her bed and prepared for her first day at Honan Academy.

When she exited her bedroom later, she was wearing the black and white female uniform. Tugging her hair up into a ponytail, Kagome wandered into the kitchen, starting on making their breakfast for the day.

As she raided Takeru's fridge, she made a mental note to go grocery shopping later. While she was happy that Takeru was able to take care of himself so well, she would be happier if her cousin would let up on his food intake. While she understood that Takeru was that obsessed with his chosen sport, she didn't want such a rigid food intake herself. Deciding to make it her goal to persuade Takeru to eat at least one thing that is not within his prescribed protein and stuff, she brought out the necessary ingredients.

She had just finished their breakfast when Takeru came in, already dressed for school. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Good morning! Isn't it too early for you yet, Takeru?" He shook his head, taking a seat at the table. "I have club practice. I have to maximize my time to get in as much running as possible."

Kagome huffed in amusement as she started to clean the pans and knives she used. It was good to see her cousin be so enthusiastic, even though his enthusiasm can be a bit worrying. Drying her hands on a towel, she started to join her cousin on eating when she noticed that he was still poking the food.

Clicking her chopsticks together, she asked, "Is there something you don't like? Are you allergic to something?"

Takeru visibly started, chopsticks hesitantly hovering over the dishes. Kagome worried her lip, concerned that she had pushed too far, and maybe following Takeru's prescribed recipe would have been better. She did make sure that at least the nutrients would be nearly the same, though, she knew keeping his health up was important to him.

Having noticed the worrying of his cousin, Takeru frowned to himself. While not his usual meal, Takeru would regret it if he made Kagome feel that her efforts had been all for naught. Steeling himself, he started to dug in his food, relaxing at the smile his cousin sent him at the action.

As she started to eat, Takeru mourned in his head. He was going to be spoiled by Kagome if she kept cooking delicious meals for him. He wouldn't be able to come back to his rigid food intake at this point! But, if he couldn't keep his normal intake, then he could use the added calories to run even more. It's a win-win situation!

Kagome giggled behind her chopsticks as she watched her cousin attack his food with vigor. He was a growing boy after all, and a sporty one at that. She had enough experience with Souta to know what food would keep his energy up, and wake him in the mornings.

Having finished breakfast earlier than Kagome, despite the amount of food he had consumed, Takeru bid his farewell, though not before mother-henning Kagome.

"Do you know how to get around the school? You're not going to get lost are you? I can show you where your rooms are after my club practice if you want. Or do you want to go together?"

Kagome laughed, waving off Takeru's worries. "We toured the school just this weekend; I'm sure I can't get lost by now. Besides," she added, glancing at Takeru's tapping feet, I've kept you from running for 2 days straight, you'll burst if I don't let you run now."

Having been assured, Takeru dashed away, and Kagome waved him off.

"Ah! I forgot to hand him his bento!" Kagome frowned. "Maa, no matter. I'll just hunt him down during lunch."

Taking her time to eat her food, and then cleaning up after, Kagome decided to get going. While she didn't think she'd get lost, she'd still rather get to school early for her first day. Snatching up her bag, she locked up the apartment behind her, having been given a duplicate by Takeru already.

"Well, this shouldn't be harder than hunting for jewel shards all over Japan, right?"