I do not own "Inuyasha" or any of the characters in this story
"Bedtime Story"
"ACHOOO!" Kagome sneezed, thrusting herself upward in bed, then falling back down. Her head was aching, her nose was stuffy, and her throat was sour.
Inuyasha was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Um, are you okay?"
She gave him a mean look. "Do I look okay?"
He scoffed. "Man, I was just asking. You've been sick for three days. I'm telling you, you'd be better by now if you'd just let me make some of my mother's medicine."
"Forget it!" she hollered.
"But it worked last time."
"I didn't know you put in LIVER last time!"
Inuyasha smirked when he remembered how she reacted when Sota spilled the beans about his secret ingredient in his medicine.
At that moment, Kagome's mother came into the room, holding a small plastic bottle of blue liquid. "Here's some medicine Kagome."
"Tanks Mom," she groaned as she sat up, ready to take her medicine.
Mama read the directions on the back. "Let's see… Take two t-spoons every eight hours. May cause light headedness." She looked at Kagome. "This might make you a little bit tipsy, honey. Are you sure you wanna take this?"
"Yes!" Kagome exclaimed. "I can't handle this cold anymore."
"Okay," she looked at Inuyasha. "I don't think she'll be coming to the Feudal Era for a while."
He stood up. "All right. I'll be back a little later. I need to go tell the others." He looked out the window. The sun was just starting to set. "I should be back by nightfall."
"Great, because I'd really like someone in here to keep an eye on her in case she wakes up in the night," Mama said as Kagome gladly took her medicine.
Inuyasha glanced at Kagome one more time before he left the room.
oOo
When Inuyasha came back, the sun was completely set and the stars were shining in the sky. He re-entered the house, using his key that Mama Higorashi had given him. After locking the door behind him, he carefully tip-toed up the stairs and into Kagome room. She was sleeping peacefully in bed. Her head was resting on one side, and the moon was shining in through her window on her face. Her black hair was a little mussed from moving around in her sleep, but other than that, she looked absolutely… beautiful. Inuyasha sat next to her on the bed. He smiled as he watched her sleep. He really did love her, and wanted to badly to let her know. But he had already set the stages for their relationship from day one. But that was just his nature, before he really got to know the kind hearting, loving, wonderful person she was. He reached out and gently caressed her warm cheek, smiling.
She stirred in her sleep, and he froze, hoping that he didn't wake her. After going without a good night's sleep for a few days, she would probably shout "SIT BOY" a million times!
She slowly opened her eyes, and turned her head to look up at him. But instead of being mad, she smiled. "Inuyasha?"
He gulped. "Yeah? You need something Kagome?"
She sat up in bed… and threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're back."
He just sat there, in complete bewilderment. "Kagome, aren't you too sick to be happy?"
She shook her head, still hugging him. "How could I not be happy when you're here?"
He glanced at the medicine bottle. It was half empty. He remembered that the directions said something about light headedness. "Kagome, how much of that medicine did you take?"
"Half the bottle. I kept waking up."
He dropped his shoulders and looked up, shaking his head. "Kagome, that's way too much. You're acting like you're drunk!"
"So what?"
He sighed. "Well, just lie back down. You've got enough medicine in you to put you right back to sleep." He carefully pried her loving arms off of him and tucked her back into bed.
"Inuyasha," she said, still smiling. "Tell me a story."
He stared at her blankly. "A story?"
"Mmm-Hmm. A bedtime story. Please?"
Normally, he would insist that she go to sleep. But he just couldn't say no to the cute face she was making. He sighed and smiled. "All right." He positioned himself on the foot of the bed, ready to tell any random story off the top of his head. "Once upon a time, there was a knight."
"Oh?"
"Yes. He was brave, strong, handsome, and wonderful." He smiled with pride, knowing that he was talking about himself. He made a sour face. "But then, a nasty witch named Kikyo showed up, and cast a spell on him."
"Oh no! What happened?"
"She turned him into a… cat."
"Cats are cute, though."
"I know… Anyway, one day, a Princess was taking a walk in her back yard, when she found the cat sleeping next to a nearby tree. She thought the cat was so cute. But when she brought him home, he would bite and scratch a lot."
"Why?"
"Because that was just the kind of cat he was. He never really liked people too much. But when he got to know the Princess a little more, he realized that…" He gulped. "He realized that he really liked her. Actually, he loved her."
She giggled happily. "Oh! Really!?"
He nodded. "After he learned to behave himself more, the Princess decided to keep him forever. One day, she gave him a kiss on the nose. And guess what?"
"What?" She was in suspense now.
"He turned back into a handsome knight, and wanted to propose to the Princess."
"Well, did he!?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped for a moment. "… I don't know."
She sat up in bed, almost angry. "Why don't you know!?"
He looked at her sadly. "Because he was afraid to ask her. After all, he had bit and scratched a lot when he was a cat. He wasn't sure that she would love him enough to want to marry him."
She shook her head. "Of course she would! She has to…" Then, Kagome tipped over to one side.
Inuyasha caught her. "Okay, now it's time for you to get some sleep." He laid her back down and tucked her in again.
She blushed. "Inuyasha… Will you give me a good night kiss?"
Now, his cheeks were as red as beets. "Well, I really don't wanna catch you cold, Kagome."
She made a sad face. "Okay. Good night."
He sat there, staring at her for a few moments. This time, she had fallen asleep with her face upward, not off to one side. He gently caressed her cheek again, but she didn't wake up this time. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "Good night, Princess," he whispered.
oOo
Inuyasha woke up the next morning to find that Kagome was not in her bed. A blanket had been wrapped around him while he was sleeping. Bewildered, he stood up and headed downstairs, where he found Mama Higorashi in the kitchen. "Where's Kagome?" he asked.
She smiled. "She felt a little better, so she decided to go out for a walk and get some fresh air. She should be back by now."
Inuyasha slowly walked outside and found Kagome, sitting on the front steps. When she noticed him, she smirked.
He sat down next to her. "You're all better now?"
"I guess so." Her smirk didn't leave her face.
"What?" he asked, getting slightly annoyed.
"Would you like to know how the story ends?"
He blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Then, he recalled last night's story. She was so full of medicine, yet she actually remembered! He gulped, worried as to what she would say.
"The Princess accepted the knight's proposal, and they lived happily ever after."
A happy smile formed on his face. "Really?"
She nodded. "Really."
He felt like he was going to shout for joy, but instead, leaned in to give her another kiss. But suddenly… "ACHOOO!" he sneezed.
Kagome laughed. "What's wrong?"
He sniffed. "I don't know… But I think I might have… caught your… ACHOO!"
She giggled. "Well, I'm not surprised. I mean, you got way to close to my face last night."
He blushed. "You remember that too?… ACHOO!"
She nodded. "Yep. But I'm glad you're getting my cold."
He scowled. "Thanks a lot."
"No! I mean now… We can start another story."
Realizing what she meant, he smiled again. "ACHOO!"
She took his hand and they stood up. "But first, let's get you the rest of that medicine, okay?"
THE END