I do not own Inuyasha or its characters. Rumiko Takahashi does.


Skin


Her hands slid gently over him, her fingers finding every ridge, every defined dip as she explored his ribs, his stomach. She watched, mesmerized by the scattering of goose bumps emerging behind her touch. Her mouth dropped into a frown as she eyed the gauze wrapping that hid his upper chest from view. He'd been hurt protecting her. She blinked away the sting of her tears while reaching to smooth the hair from his face.

She traced his cheekbone until she found the gentle swell of his lips. Pulling away, she pressed a kiss to her fingertips before laying them gently against his mouth again; a kiss as unknown as her touch. He hadn't woke since they'd returned to the hut, hadn't stirred under her gentle caress. He'd never know she'd cried while bandaging his wounds, never hear the broken words of her apology as she cleaned the blood from his skin.

She'd never forget the fear that crushed her heart the moment his flesh had been broken. She wouldn't forget the sound of her own scream filling the night, his blood soaking the ground as he fell. And she'd never forget the surge of her power, the deafening roar of the enemy as her arrow pierced its heart, or the sparkle of dust erupting from the demon as it exploded.

Moving quietly, she pulled his head onto her lap before reaching to wipe away the tear that had fallen from her face to his. She combed shaking fingers through his mane of silken hair. Though her throat was raw, she hummed softly long into the night because the air was so quiet. There were no crickets to sing her to sleep. There was no movement in the forest outside, no wind to stir the leaves on the trees, no rain to wash the scent of his blood from her hands.

There was only the darkness to surround her, the sound of his breath wheezing through his lungs, the soft warmth of his skin beneath her hands. The minutes ticked by while she sat unmoving beside him. Minutes turned to hours before she moved to collect water from the river, and wood from the forest for the fire. She fed him broth to keep him hydrated, pulled her sleeping bag over him to keep the cold from his skin.

As dawn broke the sky in brilliant shades of red and gold, she whispered his name.

"Inuyasha."

She curled up beside him, her hand resting over his heart, its steady beat against her palm. Her eyes fell closed as sleep clouded her awareness. She never heard the soft timber of his voice as he spoke her name, never felt his gentle caress when he pushed her hair over her shoulder.

"Kagome."

She missed the emotion that lit his eyes as he gazed at her, didn't feel him pull the sleeping bag over her as she rested by his side. But somewhere in her subconscious, she could still feel the warmth of his skin under her fingers, and the soft beat of his heart beneath her palm.


A/N: Newly edited, though not much was changed.