Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.  The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

This was written for the livejournal community iyficcontest. The theme was “snuggle.” Unfortunately (or fortunately, since I took first this week, yay!) All I can think of when you say that work is the adverts for the fabric softener. LOL

“Meeeeeeeooooowwwww.”

Inuyasha snickered as his captive let loose a half-hearted complaint at his antics.

“Come on Buyo, you know you love to dance” the hanyou laughed, his sunny amber eyes alight with mischief as he pulled lightly on the immense cats’ outstretched legs.

“Stop torturing Buyo, Inuyasha.” Kagome’s voice was relaxed, if a little on the weary side.

Inuyasha promptly dropped the cat’s paws and looked up at the woman towel drying her hair in her bedroom doorway. After three weeks of battles and traveling, she had demanded that she be able to return home, and he had reluctantly agreed. He could tell that she was growing weary, and he had to admit that even he could use a break from all the fighting.

As she toweled her long ebony locks dry, casually leaning against one side of the doorframe, he studied her long legs, tanned and toned from their adventures. Her dainty feet were bare, the high arches shying away from the carpeted floor, and he watched, fascinated, as one smooth calf raised up to rub against the other. The hand holding the towel dropped to her side as she tipped her head to the left so that it too could lay against the wall. Her eyes closed and she sighed.

The afternoon sunlight shone in through the window he was so well acquainted with and became tangled with her damp hair creating a sparkling red corona about her. Inuyasha was momentarily speechless at this show of simple beauty and wondered what had happened to the annoying little girl he had met so long ago. Surely that girl and this woman could not possibly be one and the same.

“Inuyasha.” Her soft voice caught him off guard and his snapped up a bit faster than the situation called for. He looked into her deep blue eyes, such and unusual colour, and before he could reply she sighed again.

“You’re filthy and you smell terrible.”

Any reply he was planning on making caught in his throat and his jaw hung slack for a moment before he responded indignantly, “Keh! It’s not my fault we got attacked on the way to the well! You’re the one who had to go home!” He made a move to point at her, but found that the sleeve of his robe was so sodden with demon slime that it was heavier than he anticipated. He cast it a quick glower, realizing that she was right. Again.

“I told you so” Kagome told him flatly from the door upon seeing his grimace. Didn’t she ever miss anything? Still staring in frustration at his sticky clothes, Inuyasha was surprised when something soft hit him in the face. Reaching one clawed hand up to snatch the furry object, he looked questioningly at the towel.

“Go bathe Inuyasha and I’ll get your clothes washed for you.” Kagome flashed him a tired grin before yawning.

“Fine. But you rest, and I’ll clean. We came back here cause you were tired right?” he pressed, standing and moving to the door, fluffy towel in tow. Kagome nodded. “Then sleep so we can get back. We have things to do ya know!” He tried to sound convincing, but even he knew that he was tired and needed the break.

“OK” she told him as he walked out the door towards the bathroom. The thought of him trying to use the washing machine suddenly entered her thoughts, and she quickly called after him, “But just take your clothes to Mama when you’re done! She’ll clean them for you.”

He gave no sign of hearing her, other than a quick wave of the towel behind his back, and she smiled before crawling into her bed. Curling up into a ball, she decided that rest was exactly what she needed.

Inuyasha closed the bathroom door behind him and peeled the fire rat robes from his body. He noticed that Kagome had already set out fresh clothes for him to wear after his bath and he smiled at her thoughtfulness.

Reaching out, he turned on the water and adjusted the taps, having prudently learned how to use the tub after the scalding water incident with Souta. Turning the water off and climbing in, Inuyasha relaxed for what felt like the first time in months.

After his bath, he drained the water and toweled dry, putting on the modern clothes. Carefully gathering up his fire rat robes so as to not get himself dirty again, he exited the bathroom and headed down the stairs. Looking into Kagome’s room as he passed it, he saw that she was already asleep, and he grinned. She needed to rest while they still had the luxury and time to do so.

He was forced from his thoughts as something small and solid ran into his leg. Looking down, he eyed a confused looking Souta who was sprawled on the floor in front of him, lightly rubbing his head.

“Hey Inuyasha! Whatcha doin?” Brown eyes met amber as the little boy scrambled up from the floor.

“Hey kid. I’m washing my clothes.” Inuyasha gestured to the smelly and slimy mess that he held in one hand.

Souta wrinkled his nose at the smell and appearance of the robes, and then eyed Inuyasha thoughtfully. “Uhh…. We’re all heading out to a thing at my school, but if you want to just leave those downstairs, I’m sure mom would be more than happy to wash them when we get back.” He too had been blessed with the mental image of the hanyou using the washer. “Anyway, I gotta go! See you when we get back!” And with a small wave, the little boy disappeared down the stairs.

Inuyasha heard the front door slam, and realized that everyone thought that he was incapable of cleaning his own clothes. Well, he would show them! With a determined stride, he set off for the laundry room.

He had seen Kagome’s mother washing clothes before, and figured that it couldn’t be all that difficult to follow her example. He was a smart hanyou after all. He lifted the lid to the machine he knew washed the clothes as opposed to dried them and threw in his robes. Looking around he spotted a red bottle of something marked “detergent.” He approved of the colour, but was questionable as to the little bear that was smiling on the bottle. “All Small and Mighty with the Power of Snuggle” it said. Well, whatever. Twisting off the cap, he poured in over half the bottle.

Turning the knob on the top of the washer, he watched with a pleased smile as the machine began to fill with water and make a soft swishing sound, just like it did for Kagome’s mom. A satisfied smirk gracing his rugged face, he left the room and headed for the kitchen to wait for his robes. He wasn’t a fan of modern clothing and couldn’t wait to change back into his own.

Sitting at the table, he listened as the machine lightly swished and hummed in the other room. And then it began to bang; loudly.

Startled by this turn of events, Inuyasha leapt up from his chair and rushed into the laundry room, only to be met with a terrifying scene.

It was covered in bubbles and suds- the entire room- and the washer was pounding and thumping and shaking.

His jaw dropped, and a silent shriek emerged from his slack mouth. Without a second thought, he closed his eyes and jumped into battle, lashing out blindly with his claws.

The machine continued to thump for a moment before tipping over to one side like a wounded animal. And then all was quiet.

Inuyasha panted slightly, staring at the washer in abject horror. That never happened when Mrs. Higurashi did the laundry!

And then the machine fell over with a deafening bang.

Thick white hair lashed from side to side as he frantically looked around for any sign that Kagome had woken up to the noises of him “killing” her washer. When nothing happened he breathed a silent sigh of relief before focusing his attentions fully on the machine.

Amber eyes narrowed, he stared at it. The machine seemed to challenge him even in death. He had no idea how to fix the thing, and he certainly wasn’t about to admit that everyone had been right about his inability to clean his own clothes.

His ear twitched as he picked up the sound of a car door from outside. With a small yelp, he grabbed the heavy washer, clothes and all, and picked it up. With a grunt of effort, he almost scurried out the back door to the well house, washer in tow.

A few hours later, as he relaxed in the God Tree in his forest, Inuyasha saw a bright blue light flash from the well. He grimaced slightly, knowing that Kagome had finally come for him. Maybe she hadn’t noticed the washer’s absence? With hope in his heart and his sun dried fire rat robes on his back, he leapt gracefully down from the boughs of the tree.

Kagome clamored out of the well, dropping her heavy yellow pack on the ground and trying to catch her breath. Who knew that ramen and pocky could be so heavy? Letting her legs slip out from under her, she sat down and leaned back against the well. A warmth settled against her side, and she didn’t need to look up to know what it was.

“You smell nice and clean Inuyasha” she told him, while pressing against his side and leaning her head against his chest.

“Keh” was all he could manage as he stared off at the horizon, a faint blush tinting his cheeks. He felt her snuggle in tighter against his chest and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Hmmm… That’s nice” she said while stifling a yawn.

They both enjoyed the silence of the evening around them.

“Mom wants to know what happened to the washer” she said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Inuyasha grimaced and tensed. “I buried it” he told her seriously, making sure not to make eye contact. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable “osuwari.”

Kagome sighed. “You’ll have to tell me about it tomorrow.” And then she snuggled more deeply into his side. “For tonight, let’s just relax.”