Author Notes: Okay, so it may not be a one-shot. It's a two-shot (do such things exist?). I don't plan to extend this into anything full blown, but I like revisiting Inuyasha and Kagome in this realm.

Disclaimer: The Inuyasha world and all characters depicted are a creation of mangaka, Takahashi Rumiko.

Mile High Discomfort

By Hoshi-ni-Onegai

She hated flying. There was probably no other form of transportation she detested as much as flying.

Kagome adjusted herself on the unnecessarily uncomfortable seat once more as she tried to find a good position. The moment she rested her against the window her head rattled from the vibrations of the engine, and the other side was a woman with a baby boy. The woman was already juggling enough with the child, the poor mother didn't need to be bothered with Kagome's drool along with the baby's staining her shirt.

Kagome looked down at her watch. She groaned. She had hoped in some kind amazing twist of fate, fourteen hours had passed without her realizing it. Unfortunately, it had only been twenty minutes since takeoff. They were barely in the air, and they had finally reached thirty-six thousand feet and cruising altitude -according to the captain.

What wasn't helping matters was the baby that was crying next to her who was having none of his mother's cooing.

Kagome sighed, "Do you have a pacifier?"

The woman took a brief moment to take the attention away from the baby, "A pacifier?"

Kagome nodded as she carefully took the crying child as the mother dug through the diaper bag. Finally pulling out a pacifier she gave it to Kagome, "He doesn't like it. He never wants it."

Smiling Kagome took the item and offered it to the infant. After fussing a few short moments, the baby finally took the pacifier. After a few sucking motions the child finally calmed down and lulled itself to sleep. The mother stared wide-eyed at her child who was now sound asleep in a stranger's arms.

"How did you do that?"

She shrugged in response, "He doesn't know how to get rid of the pressure in his ears. Usually I tell parents to give their kids gum for a long flight, but for a baby a pacifier will do the trick."

"Pressure in his ears?"

"You know, when your ears pop because of altitude change. He just panics, because it feels like his head is about to explode -the same way a baby freaks out when it hasn't been burped."

The mother sighed in relief just as the stewardess came over to their seats. Kneeling next to the woman the stewardess said a polite tone of voice. "I was able to get the gentleman in the back to switch seats with you so that you can sit with your husband."

The mother smiled, "Thank god. I really appreciate it."

Gathering up the diaper bag the mother stood up and took the baby from Kagome.

"Thank you so much for the pacifier trick. Me and everyone on this plane is grateful little Sean hear isn't wailing his little heart out all the way to Tokyo."

Nodding, Kagome sighed and settled back into her seat as the mother made her way down the cramped aisle. This would be Kagome's first trip back to Japan in a little over fifteen years. She had avoided it -especially because of the long flight- but mostly because she hadn't found the time to go back. But at the end of the day, she really hated planes.

It wasn't that she was scared of flying. No, far from it. She had flown enough times in her life and known enough about statistics to know that she was most likely to die crossing the street to work every day then flying on a commercial jet. But that didn't change the fact that the plane was like the modern version of a torture devise. It was as if the person who designed the interior of the plane had never been on a flight longer than twenty minutes. The seats were uncomfortable. There was barely enough leg room if a person even had the smallest of carry-on items stored below the seat in front of them. The stale air that circulated with coughs, sneezes, breaths, and farts. Yes, farts. There was always the sent that clung in the air of reused air. The food also left so much to be desired. Whoever decided the menu was obviously a vindictive person who barely passed culinary school. She hated the constant hum. She hated barely hearing herself think. And she hated never really falling asleep. The overused and itchy blankets along with the unsubstantial pillow did nothing to add luxury to the experience either. There was nothing pleasant about a plane ride.

"Don't you just look miserable?"

Kagome frowned and turned toward the man that plopped himself in the seat next to her. She rolled her eyes at him, "Five hundred plus people on this plane and you end up being the guy switches seat with that lady?"

"What was I supposed to do? Say no to a mother and baby?"

"I thought the whole point why our seats were separated was so no one thought we knew each other."

"It is, but nothing draws attention to someone like a dude demanding to sit next to another dude while a seat just opened up next to a gorgeous twenty-something doctor."

Rolling her eyes she pushed the button on her arm rest to tilt the seat back. "Flattery will get you nowhere Inuaysha. Now, let me sleep."

Inuyasha shook his head, "It's two in the afternoon in New York. How the hell are you sleepy?"

"I'm not. I just prefer sleeping through the plane experience instead of going through the entire thing."

"What? You're afraid of flying?"

She glared at him and snapped back, "No. I just find it unbelievably uncomfortable."

He shrugged as he also leaned back his seat and settled in. "I don't mind it. Fourteen hours is a bit long, but it's not terrible."

"I don't know how you can stand it."

He smirked and leaned closer to her to whisper, "Want to stay distracted by joining the mile high club?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, "You're an idiot and a cliché."

"Oh come on. It's not a far cry from what we did last night."

Readjusting herself once again in her seat, she seemed barely phased by his words. "It is a far cry. There is no room for what we did last night here."

"What about a repeat of the shower from this morning?"

She lifted the armrest between them and leaned against his side. Sighing in satisfaction she pulled the stiff navy blue blanket around her. "Get off it. Now let me sleep. You make a good pillow so don't move."

As Kagome finally found a comfortable nook between Inuyasha's shoulder and chin, he sighed. He had known the girl for barely a week. Sure, they had slept together -but that wasn't something so unusual for him. The fact that he was letting her use him as a human pillow on the other hand was something he would have never let anyone do.

Sliding his arm to wrap around her shoulder he settled in for the long flight. He was right, she would be trouble.