Reworked: A Soft Embrace.
Chapter 1.
InuYasha stared up at the ceiling above him, and reviewed his situation. Kagome had a virus, and she couldn't travel to the feudal era. He was charged with watching her until her parents came back from attending an emergency out of town. He scowled. How convenient for him. He sighed, and, despite the comfortable montage of blankets he was laying on, with a soft pillow under his head, found he couldn't sleep. He got up, and walked out of the room, down the stairs, and into the hallway. No one was home except Kagome, and she was sleeping upstairs, so he had free run of the house until they got back. InuYasha, with his excellent vision, didn't need to turn on any lights, but it was a different story when he opened the refridgerator. He was blinded momentarily by the light that it produced, and his pupils contracted quickly to counter the harsh light. He swiftly grabbed what he was looking for, and closed the fridge partially. When it was half open, the light from the fridge cast a comforting glow. He got a cup down from the cupboard, and filled it with milk. He loved the stuff. Couldn't get enough of it. He filled the tall glass up to the top, and replaced the milk jug in the fridge, closing it fully this time. He picked up the cup, and walked slowly back to Kagome's room, careful not to spill a drop of the precious liquid. As he opened the door, it squeaked, and he winced, hoping that Kagome didn't wake up.
She did.
"I-InuYasha?" She asked softly, and InuYasha nodded. "Right here Kagome, don't worry, I didn't leave you." He said, reassuringly. She nodded weakly, and spotted the glass in his hand as he raised it to his lips to take a drink.
"My throat hurts, can I have a drink?" She asked. InuYasha nodded, and handed the glass to her.
"I already drank out of it though." He commented. Kagome gave a little shrug, sitting up in bed.
"Like I care." She said, taking a sip. Then she giggled. "Milk, again?" She asked. "You always drink that stuff when you come over." InuYasha shrugged, miming her.
"So?" He asked, daring her to challenge him. She didn't. She merely raised the glass to her lips, and took another swallow. Then it occured to her that it was good that InuYasha had gotten milk. Nothing else seemed to soothe her throat like milk did. She set the half empty glass down, and InuYasha swiftly picked it up, lest she drink the rest of it.
He looked at the alarm clock on Kagome's desk, and saw that it said 1:36. He knew that it was getting late, and he also knew that she wouldn't get better unless she slept. And if she didn't get better, then they couldn't find the all-important jewel shards. He wanted her to go to sleep now.
There was another reason, he thought to himself, as he tucked her in, and wiped off her slightly sweaty forehead. But he would never admit it to anyone else. He wanted her to get better mostly because he worried about her, and right now he was worried that she would become even more ill and weak from the virus. He cared about her and her health, but he wasn't going to be telling that to anyone anytime soon.
"Hey, InuYasha?" She asked. InuYasha looked down at her and sighed inwardly.
"Yes?" He asked. Kagome patted the spot on the bed next to her.
"Can you please sleep beside me?" She asked. "I really want someone to hold me right now, and I want that someone to be you." InuYasha blushed, and didn't know if she meant it, or if she was delirious from the virus. He grimaced, agreed, and climbed in beside her, but not before loading his side of the bed with all the blankets and pillows he could find. Which were lots, because it was Kagome's room they were in.
Kagome, clad only in a knee length nightie and the appropriate underwear, put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, demanding that he sleep as close to her as possible. InuYasha sighed, agreed again, and moved over, piling all the blankets on top of them, and all the pillows underneath. Suddenly, he was very tired. And that only meant one thing. He was comfortable. He would only start to get tired when he was comfortable, and when he knew that it was safe to sleep. He yawned, and tried to keep his eyes open, but to no avail. He let them close, and realized that he was quite comfortable, laying on his right side, facing Kagome who was on her left side, facing him, with her arms around his neck. InuYasha had more blankets than he had ever slept with in his life, and slowly drifted off to sleep next to the sick girl beside him.
He awoke that morning feeling very awake, due to his great sleep the night before. Realizing that the parents were still gone, he would have to make breakfast. Kagome was still passed out beside him, her nightie sticking to her slightly from her sweating. InuYasha clucked his tongue at her in a rare bout of sympathy, and got slowly out of bed, so as to not disturb her. He walked downstairs, and started to get all the things he needed to make pancakes. He licked his lips. His pancakes would be huge, with lots of syrup. He planned it all out, mixed the ingredients, and started cooking.
A short time later, Kagome awoke to the delicious smell of pancakes. Her stomach growled, and she realized she was starving. Then a bout of dissappointment hit her. She was hoping to awake before InuYasha, so she could get another glimpse at his sleeping face, and spend some time with him in bed, holding each other, before he went to make food. She sat up in bed, and wrinkled her nose in disgust at herself. No wonder InuYasha left so fast, she looked terrible, and probably smelled it too. Her skin was clammy, and her forehead felt really warm, but her chest and arms were ice cold. She sneezed, then shivered, as cold sweat hit her. That was the worst part. The cold sweats. Feeling your body sweating because it was too hot, at the same time it shivered, because it was freezing. She cursed the damn viruses, and grabbed a brush off her dresser, running it through her hair. She combed out all the tangles and knots, and wondered briefly if InuYasha was going to stay in the kitchen all day or if he would come up to visit her. She shrugged. She might want to see him, but that didn't mean that he wanted to see her. She laid back down, then winced as her head started pounding. She sighed, and blew her nose, wondering what she would be able to eat today. So far she had only been able to handle liquids, like milk. Yesterday she didn't feel like eating anything, but now she was starving, and her stomach wasn't twisting at the thought of pancakes. She hoped InuYasha thought to cook her some.
InuYasha flipped the last pancake onto the plate, and flicked off the stove. He balanced the plate on one hand and grabbed the butter and syrup with the other, lugging it all up the stairs. He walked into Kagome's room, and set the plate down in front of her. She smiled up at him, despite the way she was feeling, and accepted the fork that he offered. She took the syrup bottle from him too, and drenched her pancakes in it, looking forward to eating them. They looked really good.
She was able to eat them all, and her stomach didn't rebel against the food. That was a good sign. Kagome set her plate down, and thanked him quietly. He nodded, still not used to being thanked for anything.
"Kagome, when do you think you'll get better?" He asked quietly. Kagome thought about it, and thought back to all the other viruses and germs she had caught. She figured that she was about a day and a half away from being completely better.
"About two days." She said, and InuYasha nodded.
"Okay, just wondering." He said, seemingly completely distracted. She wondered what was on his mind, then realized that the night of the new moon was tomorrow. She gasped. InuYasha might catch her cold. She smiled, and held her arms out. InuYasha automatically gave her a hug, but it didn't do anything to make her feel better. She pouted.
"Aww, hey InuYasha, I want a real hug!" She said. InuYasha snapped out of his trance, and looked at her. Then he grinned. He reached out and hugged her tightly, wanting her to get better as soon as possible.
End Chapter 1.
A/N: So yeah, I realized that my other version was on crack, so it being my very first fanfic, I decided to re-write it instead of deleting it. Old one will be deleted when this one catches up. Please review.