I just wanted to make a quick note up here: I don't actually have allergies, so this might not be ENTIRELY scientifically accurate. That said, any constructive criticism (not flames) is appreciated. As are any other reviews. ^-^

And, obviously, I don't own InuYasha or I wouldn't be posting this on fanfiction.

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"Achoo!" Kagome sneezed, snuffling unhappily. Her cold, or whatever it was, had been slowly developing over the past few weeks of their trip. Inuyasha groaned, but then smirked. Kouga was visiting, flaunting himself as usual, and this was the perfect reason to get Kagome away from the mangy wolf.

"C'mon, wench!" He grabbed her arm, dragging her back through the well. She looked at him dazedly, her swollen, itchy eyes full of tears. "Wha- are you crying?" he asked warily as they leapt back out into the well house, backing away from her slowly.

"N- achoo! No… it's just this cold... I feel miserable…"

"Kagome? Is that you?" Mrs. Higurashi entered the small hut, only to see her daughter leaning against the well sneezing her lungs out. "Oh, dear, Kagome! Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'm fine… just a little cold…" She gave a harsh cough and spat out a glob of mucus. "Eurgh."

"Oh, my. Kagome, I'm taking you to the doctor." Mrs. Higurashi frowned gently. "Inuyasha, why don't you go into the house? I'm sure Souta will be happy to see you."

"Meh. All right." Inuyasha looked at Kagome with immeasurable worry in his eyes as mother and daughter exited the small room.

Inuyasha paced back and forth across the kitchen, beginning to panic. Kagome and her mother had been at the doctor's for over two hours, and still had not returned. In his time, that could only mean one thing. That's not a good sign…

Puppy ears twitched and turned in the direction of the entrance as he heard the click and creak of the opening door. He bounded out to the entryway, meeting the two Higurashis in the open yard. "Well, wench? What's wrong?"

"A-a-achoo! Inuyasha, are you actually worried about me?" Kagome smiled through her watery eyes.

Of course I am!"Keh. If you're sick, we'll be delayed for days! We're trying to catch Naraku, remember?"

"Oh… achoo!" Kagome appeared saddened by this answer. "Well… the doctor told us I had an allergy, and sent us to see an allergist. And the allergist did some tests-"

"Tests?" Inuyasha interrupted. "You mean like those things you have to do at skoo-el? You didn't ask to study for this one." Kagome shook her head, laughing a little at his pronunciation.

"No. Those are a different type of test. This time, the doctor was testing my body to see if I'm allergic to anything." The miko winced at the memory.

Growling, Inuyasha spat out, "Did he hurt you?"

"No, no!" Kagome chuckled nervously. "But… Inuyasha, do you know what an allergy is?"

"No." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "It's not gonna stop you from coming back with me, is it?"

"Well…" Kagome looked at her mother for help. Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "Inuyasha, when someone has an allergy to something, it means being around it makes them sick. It can come from anything – the pollen of flowers, dander from animals, or even saliva. In Kagome's case, it makes her feel as though she has a very, very bad cold."

The hanyou shrugged. "Okay. So I'll make her stay away from whatever she's allergic to. What is it?"

Kagome closed her eyes and braced herself. "Dogs. I'm allergic to dogs, Inuyasha. Achoo!"

Inuyasha felt the world drop out from under his feet. Does that mean… Every unkind word that had ever been said to him echoed in his head, the most recent killing him the worst, all the voices familiar. 'Dog… dog… stupid dog… mutt-face… idiot dog…mongrel…insolent puppy.' "Dogs… like me? Do I make you sick? Is it because I'm just a half-breed?"

Kagome's eyes crinkled sadly. "No, Inuyasha, of course not! It's got nothing to do with you! I really hate this, and I'm going to do something about it… or at least I'll try. As hard as I can." She paused, looking at him thoughtfully. "Besides, I bet it's not even you that caused it. You're not a dog, you're Inuyasha! I bet it was just some pet at the village."

"Uh-huh… okay…" Inuyasha nodded. "Then go get that big bag full of stuff and let's go."

"Now? Achoo!"

"Yes! We're wasting time!" he growled. "And make sure you've got some of that ninja food. Especially the ramen!"

Kagome didn't have the strength to argue with him, and even if she had, she was glad enough to see him recovered from his momentary melancholy that she would have remained silent anyway. "Okay… just a second…" She ran into the house, emerging with the yellow backpack that had a surprisingly large capacity. "Let's go… achoo!"

"Kagome, is something wrong with Inuyasha? He's been running ahead of us all day." Sango asked softly. Kagome sighed.

"I don't know… maybe he's still mad that we had to stop so I could go to the doctor…" Kagome watched as Inuyasha turned from his spot far in front of them to glare. Kagome shrunk down behind Sango. What's he so angry about? I came back when he wanted, and I brought ramen and everything!

Inuyasha continued to avoid Kagome for the rest of the day, and even through the week. He sprinted ahead each day, and at night hid up in a tree, only jumping down for whatever food had been prepared, though he refused to let Kagome hand it to him. Finally, the miko couldn't stand it any more.

"Inuyasha, SIT!" As the hanyou slammed into the dirt, she moved to his side, 'sitting' him again each time he tried to get up. "What is your problem?" Inuyasha looked away from her, staring down at the dirt with great interest. He slowly began inching backward, still attempting to escape. She grabbed a handful of his robes and jerked him toward her with a scowl to match his own on her face. "Look, Inuyasha, you're going to tell me what's gotten you in such a bad mood that you won't even look at me, or so help me, I'll – ACHOO!" The hanyou winced as the sneeze sprayed directly into his face. Opening her eyes, Kagome looked at him apologetically. "Oops. Sorry."

Inuyasha growled, wrenching himself out of her grip. "Stupid girl. This is why you gotta stay away from me! I'll get you sick!"

Kagome sighed sadly, staring at his quickly retreating back, and whispered, very softly, "But I don't want to stay away from you, Inuyasha…" His ears twitched, but other than that, he gave no sign that he had heard her.

"Hey! Kagome!" A familiar whirlwind appeared off in the distance. Her heart sunk. This was the last thing she needed.

Kouga came to a halt in front of the miko. "I'm glad you're still in the area. Mutt-face won't be able to drag you away this time, though. Why don't you come away with me?" He placed a very slobbery kiss on Kagome's hand and she winced in disgust. "I'll make you a lady, and I can protect you better than that stupid puppy."

Kagome scratched her suddenly very itchy hand absently. "Kouga, you know I'm not going to come with you. I…" She looked down at her now tingling hand and gulped. The back of her hand seemed to be breaking out in large red lumps. Oh no… hives. But where did they come from? The doctor's words flashed through her mind. 'Anything can trigger an allergic reaction – dander, hair, or even saliva.'The light went on in the miko's head. Saliva… oh, ew…Well, I guess it wouldn't worked out between us, even if I did like him like that…

"Kagome? What's wrong?" Kouga peered at her closely, nose almost touching hers. She repaid his concern by sneezing in his face. And those hides he wears are making it worse.

"I just… ACHOO! Aw, no…" Kagome began coughing once again, her throat thick with mucus. "Inu…yasha…" It felt as though all air had left her lungs, and she dropped to her knees, struggling to breathe through her shrinking airway. "In… my bag… medicine…" Inuyasha found the unfamiliar substance at once, and flinched as she stuck herself with it. Slowly, her throat cleared, her breaths calming. "Thanks." She heaved in great gulps of the fresh breeze that blew her way, turning grateful eyes on her savior.

But Inuyasha was no longer by her side. The hanyou had walked to where Kouga had fled to, far away from the recovering girl, and grabbed the oukami by the throat. "What the hell, you stupid dog?" Kouga sputtered.

The force of Inuyasha's glare silenced him. "Yeah, I'm a dog. 'Nd so are you. You know what, you mangy fleabag? Kagome's allergic to dogs. She gets sick when she's around them. And I think you just nearly killed her." Golden eyes narrowed even more. "Know what? I'm kind of glad she is. It means if you show your ugly face around us again, I'll have an extra reason to kick your scrawny wolf self right out. I won't let you hurt her again." With that, he dropped the wolf to the ground and stalked away.

"Hey, but…. doesn't that mean she's allergic to you, too? So you better get outta here when I do," was the rough reply from the very confused but stubborn oukami. Inuyasha growled low in his throat.

"The difference is…." he rattled out. "The difference is that I know how to keep my hands off her. And Ihave the self-control to stay away from her when I know I'm gonna hurt her. Besides, it doesn't mean I'm gonna stop protecting her from creeps like you! C'mon, Kagome, I'm taking you home." The irate hanyou grabbed the startled miko's arm and dragged her away, determined to help her even if it killed him.

Stealthily, Kagome jumped out of the well, glancing around.

"KAGOME!" She ducked her head guiltily as Inuyasha landed in front of her, arms crossed and scowling menacingly. "I thought I told you to stay at home until your allergies got better. Now come on." He grasped her backpack and began moving her back towards the portal.

"No… Inuyasha! Hold on!" Kagome struggled against him until he paused. "First off, allergies don't just go away on their own like a cold. If they do go away, it could take years…" The half-demon quickly released her. "No, it's okay. You see, in my time, there are ways to help get rid of allergies…. so, I got these shots-"

"Wait. You got shot?" Inuyasha appeared panicked as he gave the miko a quick once-over. "Where? Does it still hurt? Who did it? I'll kill them!" Kagome hurriedly shook her head.

"Not that kind of shot! What happens is, they stick a needle in my arm, and put stuff in my body that makes me more resistant to the allergies. So, now I'm almost all better, and they won't really affect me anymore, at least for a while." She grinned that smile that made his heart leap and seized his hand. "So, are you ready to go back and start looking for Naraku again?"

He sniffed. "Are you sure you're better? I don't want you getting sick and delaying us again. Especially if that mangy wolf shoes up and drools all over you again? And what if we're far away from the well and I can't get you help in time?"

Anger flashed briefly through Kagome's eyes, causing Inuyasha to cringe back in anticipation, but then she gave a very wicked smile that made the hanyou want to go hide in a hole for a very long time. She stepped up to him, giggling quietly before she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips firmly to his.

He opened his mouth in a gasp but didn't jerk away. When she finally pulled back, he gulped and sputtered nonsense, embarrassed and worried for her safety (and perhaps sanity). Kagome's head bowed and her shoulders shook as she held her stomach. Shit. Did I get spit on her? Is she having a reaction?

She most certainly was, but not the type he had thought. Laughing hysterically, she met his eyes with her own, a mischievous glint sparkling in the deep brown. "See, Inuyasha? I'm fine. No more allergies." Gripping his hand again, she began to pull the very red half-demon back to the village. In her head, she too was blushing, but also beaming happily, if somewhat nervously. He didn't pull away! I guess that was a good reaction, wasn't it?

End