InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dancing with Scissors ❯ Apologies, Sleep Deprivation, and a Sick Little Girl ( Chapter 20 )

Sesshoumaru had just finished exchanging a series of emails with his legal department when he heard a muffled sound at his study door. “Come in,” he said, expecting his mother; she was the only one who knocked so softly.

 

To his surprise, Kagome entered and marched up to his desk, eyes downcast. She took a deep breath. “I'm sorry,” she blurted out. “My yelling was rude and out of line. I acted like you were barging in on me in my home, when in truth, I was trespassing and you had every right to be there. The only excuse I can offer is that I'm completely and utterly overtired, and my brain wasn't functioning at its highest capacity.” She looked up shyly. “Forgive me?”

 

He walked around the desk to stand next to her. “I'll accept your apology if you accept mine. I should have left you be.” She was genuinely contrite, but he couldn't resist needling. “So you sing in the shower. What other secrets are you keeping?”

 

Oh…I pen a sex column, am incongruously petrified of intimacy, and hardly ever wear underwear, she thought. “If I told you, they wouldn't be secrets anymore.” Her tone more than matched his teasing. “Can we start over, pretending I didn't totally yell at you like some kind of potty-mouthed lunatic?” she asked, grateful that they were resuming the rapport that had developed over the course of the summer. “Sesshoumaru, welcome home. I'm glad you're back. So sorry your trip had to be cut short. I hope the emergency isn't too terrible.”

 

“Kagome, thank you. It's good to be home. The emergency has already been dealt with.”

 

She smiled widely. “And you got to spend some time with Rin before your mom put her to bed?”

 

“Yes,” he nodded. “She gave me the highlights of her first two weeks at school, complete with a list of who cried on the first day…other than you…told me all about her new teacher and what was packed in her lunch box. She was disappointed that I'll be busy all weekend, but I promised her that if I am able to finish catching up, I would drive her to school on Monday.”

 

“Oh! Rin would love that. She really missed you a lot.” Kagome chewed on her lip self-consciously. “I missed you too.” Their eyes met, and though he said nothing, she knew he meant it as well. “So…you've got quite an impressive assortment of classical music. You wouldn't mind if I came in someday and picked out of few CDs to burn? I'll put them right back; you'd never even know I was here.”

 

Sesshoumaru raised a brow in amusement. “Oh? The last time you came in here unattended you ended up naked.”

 

Kagome blushed and laughed lightly. “I thought we agreed to pretend that never happened.”

 

“I don't recall agreeing to anything.” The flush on her cheeks deepened, and he regretted the amount of work he had to do. “Are you still as busy as you indicated in your emails?”

 

“I finished my commission, a wall quilt for a family dentistry…kicked ass by the way, very sweet little whimsical tooth fairy thing. But yeah, I'm fucked. I started the pieces for my show at the end of next month and average about three hours sleep a night. It's overwhelming when I stop and think about it. So I try not to stop. Thank fucking god for caffeine.”

 

“Haven't you asked for help with Rin?”

 

Kagome shook her head quickly. “Oh don't misunderstand! Your parents have been great. I just have a ton of pieces that I had to start from scratch. It's like this every time I have a show. The only difference is now I'm not nursing a chronic hangover.” She pinched herself in a preemptive strike against blabber mode; lack of sleep completely turned off her already unreliable filter. “I need to get back to my studio…got a long night of cutting in front of me. I just came over to kiss Rin and apologize.”

 

Their eyes met, silently acknowledging that they wanted to stay in each other's company and catch up, but work came first.

 

She turned to leave, then spun around as inspiration struck. “Hey! On Monday when you come to get Rin, come a half an hour early and have breakfast with us…or at least coffee.” After two weeks apart she wanted to part with the reassurance that their friendship was certain and they would not merely be seeing each other in passing.

 

“I'd like that,” he said as he watched her back away, smiling. He winced when she clumsily almost ran into the door jamb on her way out and went back to his desk, work a distraction from dwelling on how much more at home he felt with Kagome and Rin next door.

 

XxXxX

 

When Sesshoumaru came to the guest house to pick up Rin for school, Kagome's dog, patiently waiting in front of the door to be let back in, rose and greeted with him sleepily. “Did Kagome forget about you?” he asked as he scratched behind floppy ears, wondering at what point he started talking to animals out loud. He knocked briefly and entered, with just enough time to set down his laptop before he had to catch the brightly colored torpedo flying at him.

 

Rin screamed with delight as she was swooped up. She kissed him on the cheek. “See my pretty dress?” Sesshoumaru nodded appreciatively at the red and yellow sundress that brought out the child's coloring. “Kagome's acting kinda weird,” she whispered in his ear.

 

He looked past the small dark head into the kitchen and saw Kagome flitting around, apparently making coffee, emptying the dishwasher, watering her windowsill herb garden simultaneously. She was dressed in the same jeans and tank top she had been wearing the day before and was singing along to The Clash, which played in the background. She grinned when she saw him walk toward her, carrying Rin.

 

“Good morning!” she announced. “Ohyouletthedogin! Thanks! Sorry Obi. Ihaven'tstartedbreakfastyet. Any requests?”

 

Sesshoumaru frowned at the run-on sentences and deep circles under her eyes, made even darker by her pale skin. “Just coffee is fine. Kagome…are you okay? You look like an end stage tuberculosis patient. How much sleep have you gotten?”

 

“I haven't been to bed yet,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I'm on a roll and didn't want to break my stride.”

 

“Is that wise?” he asked dubiously.

 

“I'm fine. Just a little manic. I was cutting fabric all night. It was strips and squares with the rotary cutter…stuff I can do on auto pilot.” She poured two cups of coffee. “Rin Rin, would you like French Toast for breakfast?”

 

Rin had woken up with a sore throat and nothing sounded very good to eat, but she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to jeopardize her uncle taking her to school. Kagome was not usually an alarmist when it came to sniffles, but Rin was unsure of her sore throat policy and was unwilling to take a chance. “Can I have cold cereal instead?” Sesshoumaru deposited her on a tall stool at the counter, as Kagome got a bowl and cereal from the cupboard. “Uncle Sesshoumaru, can you stay at my school for a little while? I can show you Cards and Counters and read to you.”

 

Sesshoumaru had cleared his early morning schedule so he wouldn't have to rush out as soon as he dropped her off. “I can only stay for an hour this morning, but I am trying to set aside some time to have lunch with you one day this week.”

 

Rin beamed at her good fortune. Inuyasha had been a favorite among both children and teachers at Haven Montessori, and though she couldn't exactly picture her uncle engaging Shippou in the relentless teasing the boy had so often enjoyed with her father, she was sure that she would be able extract some valuable playground time from him. Kagome set a bowl of Cheerios in front of her and put the milk in the pantry and the cereal box in the refrigerator. Rin and Sesshoumaru exchanged glances. His critical expression reminded her so much of her father's goofy mocking of Kagome that she almost spit her mouthful of food out with joy. She managed to swallow, then burst into riotous giggles. It was contagious; Sesshoumaru laughed as well.

 

“What?” Kagome asked in confusion. When she realized what she had done, she smiled sheepishly and corrected her mistake. “Maybe I shouldn't wait until this afternoon to take a nap. Too bad I've consumed three pots of coffee since midnight.”

 

XxXxX

 

Kagome surveyed her studio with satisfaction. She had been working for over twelve hours straight and now had four wall quilts designed, fabric cut, and pieces organized into boxes and trays. The watercolor quilts were of the same forest scene, each with different color combinations depicting the four seasons. She finished sweeping the scraps into a pile and sighed heavily. It was almost lunch time, but she was so tired, sleep was the priority. “Oberon?” The dog raised his head, hopeful it was now time for a run. “Wanna take a nap?” Not exactly the word he wanted to hear, but he followed Kagome into her room anyway. She was about to undress when her cell phone rang. It was Rin's school.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hi Kagome, this is Angela at Haven. Rin is complaining of a sore throat and headache.”

 

“Oh, poor baby. Is she there?”

 

“Yes, one moment.”

 

“Kagome?” Rin's voice sounded small. “I don't feel good.”

 

“Hey hon. Do you want me to come get you?” Kagome could hear the girl beginning to sob. “Sweetie, I'll be there as soon as I can. You sit tight.”

 

“Okay,” Rin said, sniffling.

 

Kagome hung up and sank numbly onto the bed. Sick-Rin had always been her sister's territory. Calm, accomplished Kikyou, who already had good instincts when it came to her daughter, possessed a preternatural gift at comforting the sick child. Kagome, and even Inuyasha, had tended to steer clear until the worst was over—fever broken, tummy less upset, nose not congested. She had no experience dealing with anyone else's illness and suddenly, for the first time since the car accident that took her sister and brother-in-law, Kagome felt completely helpless. “What would Kikyou do?” she asked the dog. He wagged, stretched, and lay down, resigned to not getting any exercise for the time being. “Well she wouldn't panic, so neither will I,” she said with a confidence she didn't feel. Kagome had been the loving aunt in their time of grief and managed to morph into competent parent over the course of the summer, taking care of the day to day minutia, setting limits, wiping tears. Now she felt like her love and competence were truly being tested.

 

XxXxX

 

Sitting on the edge of Rin's bed and hovering like a guardian angel, Kagome smoothed sweat-damp black tendrils from the girl's fiery forehead and looked at the Kit-Cat clock on the wall. It was after five, she noted, relieved. Sesshoumaru should be getting home any minute.

 

“Kagome,” Rin mumbled, stirring out of fitful dreams.

 

“Right here, honey.” Kagome had been sitting vigilant next to her niece for the past two hours. She had picked Rin up from school and, after learning that three children were absent that day because of strep throat, drove straight to the pediatrician. In the time it had taken to get to the doctor, the long wait for an opening, and then the short wait for the results of the rapid strep test, Rin had gone from moaning and complaining to miserable and listless. And Kagome's anxiety level grew as Rin's condition worsened. She phoned in the prescription to the pharmacy, but, only wanting to get Rin home and in bed, called Sesshoumaru and asked him to pick up the antibiotics on his way back from the office.

 

“I want Mommy.”

 

Kagome scooted down on the bed and put her arm around the tiny, fevered body. “I know.” She was reminded of the all times after her parents died, through sickness and boyfriend problems, that she longed for her mother's straightforward, no nonsense reassurance and advice. At those times she realized how much alike her mother and sister had been—both quiet and strong, confident and solid to her spontaneity and fire. “She's still here with us though, as long as we remember her, she'll always be near.” Kagome gathered her motherless niece closer and held her tightly, wishing she could shield her from present and future pain, telling herself to stay strong and not cry. “When you are feeling a little better, I'll tell you a story about when we were girls.”

 

The dog on the floor perked up his ears, followed by the sound of the front door opening. A moment later Sesshoumaru walked into the room, looking to Kagome like a savior in tailored super 140s wool.

 

“How is she?” he asked and handed Kagome the bag from the pharmacy.

 

“The ibuprofen brought her fever down some; it's only one hundred one now. She still is burning up though.”

 

Sesshoumaru sat on the other side of the bed while Kagome got up and read the dosage information on the bottle of amoxicillin. “I finally got the rest of my luggage back from the airport today,” he said, stroking Rin's hair, alarmed at the heat radiating from her. “In one of the suitcases I have a present for you.” Rin smiled weakly and didn't open her eyes, causing Sesshoumaru to frown with concern. She seemed like a completely different child compared to the normally vibrant, energetic one he knew.

 

“Okay, sweetie,” Kagome said, “you're going to have to sit up a little.” Sesshoumaru helped her raised her head, and Kagome put the small plastic measuring cup to her lips. Rin drank a little, but grimaced at the sweet, medicinal taste. “All of it, hon.” Once emptied, Kagome gave her a drink of ice water.

 

“It hurts to swallow,” she whimpered.

 

Kagome tucked her in and kissed a flushed cheek. “You go back to sleep. At this time tomorrow you'll feel a lot better.”

 

Once satisfied Rin was sleeping again and wouldn't need anything, the two adults looked at each other, wordlessly communicating their common distress. They went into the kitchen.

 

“Thanks for picking up the prescription and getting the yogurt,” Kagome said as she put the items in the refrigerator, trying to stay in control of her emotions. “She doesn't have any appetite right now, but I know when she wakes up she'll be starving…though the sore throat will make it difficult to eat. Thank god I've got some juice pops in the freezer.”

 

Sesshoumaru watched Kagome go through the motions. He knew by the crease in her brow that she was tense, but the uncharacteristic slump in her shoulders and slow, distracted movements as she tidied the counter told him that she hadn't napped yet that day.

 

“How are you?”

 

“I'm fine,” she answered with forced perkiness.

 

“Don't lie, Kagome. You look like shit.”

 

She scowled at his bluntness and looked at her reflection on the side of the stainless steel toaster. Even in the fuzzy image she could tell her cheeks were sunken, eyes red and puffy. “Running on fumes. I feel like I've entered some Bizarro World were the norm is Rin is sick and I am not allowed to sleep.”

 

“Kagome, go lie down. You aren't doing either of you any favors by exhausting yourself; it will just make you more vulnerable to getting sick.”

 

“I don't think I can sleep until her temperature is closer to normal.” She rubbed her lower back tiredly. “Seeing her like that…I've always felt protective of her, but this illness is different. It's wakened some deeply buried mother bear instinct I didn't know I possessed. I think my sister acquired it automatically when she gave birth. I'm still learning what it all means—to be have someone so dependent on you is a scary feeling. And humbling.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I don't know what my problem is,” she said as she wiped angrily at her eyes. “It's just strep, but I feel like I would willingly die to make her feel better.”

 

Sesshoumaru gently pulled her against him and let her cry for a minute. “We all feel that way about her, Kagome. You aren't alone in this.” He was glad to be able to offer some solace, but hated the unaccustomed feeling of inadequacy he was experiencing.

 

She nodded and yawned. “Thanks. I know, but she's my responsibility,” she said stepping back. “And don't worry about me. I won't get sick; I can't afford to. Doctor bills are exactly what I don't need right now.”

 

“Don't you have health insurance?” he asked, mildly irritated at her stubbornness and missing her in his arms.

 

“God no! Do you know how high the premiums are for women of childbearing age? One of the joys of self-employment, other the love/hate relationship with my boss, is insurance plans, even without the maternity rider, are pretty much unaffordable. I go to Planned Parenthood once a year for a well-woman visit and keep my fingers crossed that I stay healthy.”

 

Her words did nothing to decrease his unease over situation; he knew she would scoff at him, but he thought that she needed to be taken care of as much as Rin. “I need to return some emails and I have a meeting tonight. I'll stop by later to see if you need anything.”

 

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

 

“And don't hesitate to call.”

 

“I won't. I should get back to Rin. Thanks,” she smiled. “For everything.”

 

Kagome grabbed her laptop on her way back to Rin's room, deciding that she would take a break from work. She had some designing to do for the next phase of preparation for her show, but the light in the bedroom wasn't very good and a head start on her column was never a bad thing. Once satisfied that Rin was sleeping peacefully, she settled herself on the edge of her bed and opened her inbox.

 

Dear Scarlet, I am the only man who works in a small office—all my coworkers are women. A couple months ago this MILF in the office next to mine came in during lunch, got to her knees, and gave me head. A few days later the same thing happened, but with a different chick. Then the first one came back with the receptionist and we had a three-some in the break room. First I screwed the secretary while she ate out the MILF, and then they played with each other's boobs while I got hard again. Then they took turns sucking my cock. Did I mention all these ladies are super hot? Now it happens at least once a week. My problem is: the only woman left in the office who I haven't fucked yet is my boss. Should I be worried about my job? Would it be worse to fuck her too or tell her that it isn't appropriate? Signed, Banging in the Break Room

 

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Loser.” Typically she could spot a fake letter a mile off, but this one was so obvious it practically jumped up and down screaming Unemployed Masturbator at her. NEXT

 

Dear Scarlet, I am a woman in my early forties. My husband and I divorced amicably a few years ago, and now I have a girlfriend—a much younger woman in her twenties. She is the first woman I've been with, and I'm her second. She is wonderful, smart, and we have a lot of fun together. Unfortunately we do not see eye to eye about sex. I have tried several times to bring toys into the picture, not like a giant ten-inch dildo or anything, just some harmless egg vibrators or an angled g-spot stimulator. She says my desire to be penetrated means I'm not really over my ex and I'm not really a lesbian. I won't lie and say I never fantasize about cocks, but I really like this person and the sex we have. I just would love to expand her horizons. I'm worried though about freaking her out—she's never been with a man and has never inserted anything vaginally larger than a couple fingers or a tampon. Is she right when she says that I'm really het at heart and going through a post-divorce dyke phase? Are there some girl-on-girl rules that I'm breaking? Am I doing it wrong? Signed, Toy Lover

 

Dear Lover, there is no wrong way to have sex. The right way is whatever feels good, which is too individualized and personal to conform to a set of rules. Not all lesbians use dildoes; not all gay men like anal intercourse. Perhaps your girlfriend is intimidated by the differences in your ages and your sexual history and hopes to even the playing field by manipulating you into thinking you are in denial and, unlike her, lacking in lez cred. Perhaps her first lover, who likely taught your gal everything she knows, was phallus-phobic, so obsessed with gender politics that penetrative sex had no place in her world view. I don't know. And neither will you unless you talk about it. Before the clothes come off and the toys come out. Let her know that you enjoy sex with her and be open with all the things that turn you on, including penetration by something with more girth than fingers—and that doesn't mean it has to be a cock. Once upon a time there was a tragic misconception that women were capable of two different kinds of orgasms, clitoral and vaginal, and that of the two, the vaginal, obtained by heterosexual intercourse, was the superior. Fortunately the marvelous clitoris was eventually given its due, but consequently the vulva and vagina lost ground. I think it is high time we stop focusing on the separate parts that make up the glorious thing that is the human female sex anatomy. The clit is more than just the bit under the hood; it is a vast, beautiful network of nerve endings and erectile tissue, and there is nothing antifeminist or purely heterosexual about wanting to pleasure the entirety.

 

Dear Scarlet, I am a straight guy with a gay brother. When he came out of the closet officially, my and parents and I were fine (we'd always known), but the extended family have not been as accepting and have more or less shunned us. With Thanksgiving a couple months away—

 

“Kagome?” Rin moaned.

 

“Here I am,” Kagome said, closing her computer and laying it on the floor.

 

“Is my uncle still here?”

 

“He had to go, but he'll be back to check on you.”

 

Rin nodded sleepily. “Don't leave me, okay?”

 

“Never.” Kagome knew it was time she had more ibuprofen to avoid a spike in her fever and that she was probably thirsty. “Let's try to go the bathroom,” she said gently, picking up the sick child. Brought back to her reality of mothering, she felt a twinge of guilt for indulging in the brief respite that was her column. She could only hope that Rin would more or less sleep soundly through the night and she would be able to get a little drawing done, then seek some rest herself.

 

XxXxX

 

The sounds of childish and musical laughter were the first things Sesshoumaru noticed as he walked toward Rin's room, so different from the tense, worried silence of the day before. But it was the sight of his niece sitting up in bed wearing a huge grin, munching on popcorn that told him that she was feeling better. Kagome was next to her, and they were looking at something on her laptop together. He had spoken with Kagome several times that day, and she had reported cheerfully that Rin's condition was much improved, but it was still nice for him to have visual evidence. “How's my girl?”

 

Rin squealed with excitement at seeing him. “I'm good! Come and see this funny one!”

 

Kagome turned the computer so he could see the screen. It showed a sad looking kitten, with a caption underneath. “I made you a cookie…but I eated it,” he read aloud.

 

Rin collapsed into a fit of hysterical and, in his opinion, unwarranted giggles. Sesshoumaru, needing an interpretation of the madness, quirked a brow at Kagome.

 

“We've been looking at lolcats for the past hour,” she said in explanation. “Prolonged exposure brings out the silly in her.”

 

“So she seems back to her usual self,” he commented. And so, he noticed was Kagome, who had regained some color in her face and her air of confidence.

 

“Late this morning, after her third dose of the antibiotics, she became noticeably better. Isn't it amazing how quickly kids bounce back from illness? We cuddled and read and told stories all day, then my mind stopped working so I resorted to first AMVs, now lolcats.”

 

“AMVs?”

 

“Anime music videos…it's when people take anime clips and edit them together and set the whole thing to music.”

 

“People actually spend their time doing that?” He couldn't imagine a less worthwhile pursuit.

 

“Don't judge,” she chided. “Some are eh, some are really cool. We alternated Rin's love of the magical girl transformation videos with me getting my yaoi bishie fix on.” She winked at him. “Just had to keep it Rin-safe.”

 

“Do I want to know?”

 

“Probably not.”

 

“Do you want to see one?” Rin asked enthusiastically.

 

“NO!” Kagome screamed in mock horror. “If I see another Sailor Moon or Tokyo Mew Mew video my brain will bleed. You can show your uncle some Nanoha or Kaito Jeanne vids the next time he babysits you.”

 

Rin started to pout, then saw Sesshoumaru held something behind his back. “What's in your hand?”

 

He gave her a smiling plush panda. “It's Jing Jing, one of the mascots for the Olympics next year. I picked it up when I was stuck at an airport, but next time I go I'll bring you back a toy from Singapore. I had to leave so unexpectedly, I didn't get a chance to go shopping.”

 

“I love it!” She jumped up and hugged him around the waist, Kagome rescuing the bowl of popcorn before it spilled. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

 

“Ahh…a boy, I think.” Sesshoumaru still was getting used to thinking like a parent and preparing himself for the inevitable questions Rin seemed to enjoy asking, though his instincts in making up plausible answers were improving.

 

“Let the man go, Rin Rin,” Kagome said.

 

Rin looked up, but didn't loosen her grip. “Will you take me to school tomorrow?”

 

“Can you go back already?” he asked, surprised. He found it hard to believe, given how sick she had been the day before.

 

“She's been on antibiotics for twenty-four hours, so she's not contagious anymore. And she's obviously feeling better.” Kagome grabbed Rin and try to pull her off, but she clung tightly, shrieking joyously. “Sorry,” she said to Sesshoumaru. “She's a little keyed up. I'll teach you a trick of the trade.” She moved her hands to Rin's armpits, instantly causing the girl to let go. “When in doubt, tickle.”

 

Rin shot a dark glance at her aunt, but in truth she was happy. Happier than she had been since her parents had died. The warm, cozy security and love circulating in the room approximated the feelings she had when she was with her mother and father, and she almost felt like she was a normal girl, with her experience of a normal family again.

 

XxXxX

 

Sesshoumaru sat in the sunroom, savoring his cup of coffee and leisurely reading the New York Times online before heading into work for a few hours. His parents were out of town, leaving him free from his father's questions about the arena project and his mother's none too subtle suggestions about dating the daughters of her country club friends, to bask in the solitude of a quiet Saturday morning. It was something he was able to enjoy infrequently, especially lately. Between putting out fires with the unions and the city Council and cementing contacts for the second phase of his oversees business, he had been at the office fifteen hours a day, dividing his remaining time between sleep, Kendo, and Rin. He regretted he was not able to spend more time with Kagome as well, but she was working as much as he was, and they traded child care duties.

 

And Rin was hardly a burden. She was an exuberant handful, but a cute, good-natured one. That his sweet, sensitive niece was his brother's offspring no longer gave him pause. Hidden not very deeply in the child were all the things he had simultaneously love and hated about Inuyasha for the past three decades. She had his unique sense of humor and utter lack of fear and the infuriating combination of naiveté and experience. She was thoroughly Inuyasha's child. Somehow the aspects of his brother's personality that drove him crazy growing up, in Rin were charming and only further endeared her to him, and he felt himself gradually coming to a calm acceptance and understanding of their shared childhood and lives as brothers.

 

The chime of the front doorbell brought him back to the present—confusing, as he wasn't expecting any callers at eight on a Saturday morning. He went to investigate and found Rin, looking worried. “Rin, what's wrong?”

 

“Something's wrong with Kagome,” she said, lower lip quivering. “I went to wake her up, but she keeps going back to sleep.”

 

Sesshoumaru sighed with relief. “Rin, Kagome has been working late every night and not sleeping enough. She's probably just finally being forced to catch up on some rest.”

 

Rin shook her head, wondering why adults had such a hard time believing kids and had to try to rationalize everything. “I know she's been tired, but this is different. She's hot, and I can tell she hurts…all over, really, really bad. Please come with me.” She paused for dramatic effect. “I'm scared.”

 

They went into the guest house, but halfway down the hall, Rin remembered something. “Can you wait for a minute?” she asked, suddenly unsure of herself for bringing Sesshoumaru.

 

“What is it?” He was confused by her hesitance after almost running the distance between the two houses.

 

Rin took a deep breath, hoping Kagome wouldn't be angry with her. “Kagome doesn't sleep with any clothes on. I need to check if she's still covered up.” When her parents were alive and they all lived together, at least partial nudity was commonplace at home, but she didn't think her uncle was quite ready for that level of exposure.

 

Sesshoumaru held back a smile at Rin's protectiveness and her desire to preserve her aunt's modesty. “Call me when she's decent.”

 

A moment later Rin shouted, “It's okay! There's a blanket on her!”

 

Inside the dimly lit room, he was able to perceive that the large lump on the bed was Kagome curled up in a fetal position, her messy black hair barely showing from under the quilt. Next to her was Oberon, who wagged upon seeing him, but didn't get up. Her other guardian angel was sitting on a pillow, petting her head.

 

“Kagome,” Rin begged, “wake up. Please.”

 

The lump groaned and moved slightly. “Ohhh…my throat,” Kagome whispered. “I think I'm dying.”

 

Rin bent down and hugged her. “It's okay, Kagome. Uncle Sesshoumaru is here now. He'll take care of you.”

 

Kagome weakly lifted her head and squinted through the darkness. Sesshoumaru was indeed standing next to her bed, dressed casually in khakis and an oxford blue shirt, looking like the Greek God of Silver-Haired Sex. She could only imagine what she looked like. “Shit,” she muttered, burying her face in the sheets, trying to escape the injustice.

 

&&&

 

I do not own Inuyasha. Nor do I have any claim to The Clash, Kit-Cat Klock, DC fictional planets, Planned Parenthood, lolcats, Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, Jing Jing, the IOC, or the New York Times. Thank you for reading!