Inuvember Day #1: Main Gang

Inuyasha didn't know how much more of Kagome's muttering he could take. Ever since he'd agreed to letting the group rest for the night, Kagome had been mumbling and talking to herself as she read over one of those stupid "eggs-ham" books. Inuyasha closed his eyes as he drifted off in thought. What she needed to know about eggs or ham was beyond him- what were eggs and ham compared to the deliciousness of instant noodles? As visions of ramen cups and chopsticks danced around in his mind, Inuyasha almost salivated at the thought until the smell of salt brought him back to his senses.

Eyes opening in concern, Inuyasha scanned the clearing where he and his friends had set up camp for the night. The last few rays of the sunset shone through the forest canopy and gave the forest floor an almost golden glow as it continued to descend below the horizon. After they'd settled down and eaten, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo had passed out almost immediately around the campfire. The flames of the campfire left shadows that danced against his friends' sleeping faces. All except one.

Kagome was curled up in a ball, face buried into her knees and textbook off to the side. Tremors wracked the girls frame as she tried to silence her sobs. Eyebrows furrowed, Inuyasha stood from where he'd been resting and made his way over to her slowly and silently. Once he'd closed the distance between them, Inuyasha knelt in front of the crying woman in front of him. The longer he watched her the more he felt his heart breaking. What should he do? What was the right thing to do? He couldn't just leave her crying there, but what if she wanted to be left alone? Wouldn't she have come to him if she wanted to be comforted? Just as he was about to stand up and leave, Kagome peeked from where she'd been hiding her face.

Before her protector could move any farther, Kagome grabbed one of his haori sleeves and held on with a vengeance. She didn't want him to leave her alone. She didn't want to be left with her thoughts any longer. As her thoughts began to spiral, she almost didn't catch the hanyou in front of her taking off his haori. It was only when the robe of the fire rat was brought to rest on the crown of her head that Kagome noticed he'd stayed. Chocolate eyes met amber, and before she could blink she was swept off her feet and held flush against Inuyasha's chest. Kagome immediately buried her face into Inuyasha's shoulder, her tears staining his inner kosode. Bringing a hand to support the back of her head, Inuyasha just stood there and let her cry.

The pair stayed like that, despite the compromising situation, until Kagome's breathing finally began to even out. Sobbing turned to sniffling, and as Kagome's wave of emotion finally began to pass Inuyasha took the opportunity to investigate the cause of the girl's distress.

"Are you okay?" the hanyou asked softly, his voice right by her ear. The miko shook her head in response, not even bothering to say a single word. Inuyasha waited to see if she had anything she wanted to say before speaking again.

"...Do you want to talk about it?" He asked even softer. When he received another nonverbal no as his answer, Inuyasha resisted the urge to sigh before going back to where he'd been sitting before, Kagome in tow. Back resting against the tree trunk he'd been leaning on earlier, Inuyasha let Kagome make herself comfortable in his lap before resting his cheek against the top of her head and draping an arm around her shoulders.

While Inuyasha knew he wasn't the best when it came to using his words or talking about feelings, that didn't stop him from doing the only thing he knew how in that certain situation: letting her know that he was there if and when she was ready to talk.

To be continued in Inuvember Day 2: Main Gang