Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor do I profit from this fanfic.

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"Well, if it isn't the wench."

Kagome Higurashi glanced up from the damp pavestone path to see none other than InuYasha Taisho watching her from within the shrubs at the side of his house. His deep voice and golden gaze always unnerved her, though tonight she was concerned to see the dark hair and brown eyes of his human night. Thankfully, the sight of the blood trickling onto his shirt from a cut on his forehead reminded her of why she was there and sent her into EMT mode.

His chin was scraped and raw, his mouth was thinned with pain, and he was covered with cuts and scrapes. From the way he was laying, she guessed there was something more serious going on, his ribs maybe.

"InuYasha! What on earth happened to you?" She hurried the last few steps to his side.

Despite the obvious pain, the hanyou still managed a cocky smirk. "What can I say? The ground wanted to meet me. "

She sighed in exasperation. He was always brushing off his injuries, claiming that he wasn't as weak as 'you puny humans'.

"Hey, any way to keep you from telling Rin about this?" he asked, shifting with a groan.

Rin Akitoki was Kagome's best friend, as well as the fiancé of InuYasha's older brother Sesshomaru. The two had a running rivalry from childhood, having different mothers, and Kagome knew the older youkai wouldn't hesitate to tease InuYasha unmercifully should he hear of it.

She grinned. "You're in luck. Patient confidentiality. My lips are sealed."

This brought his gaze to said lips, and Kagome was mortified to feel a hot blush creep over her cheeks. Ducking her head in an attempt to hide it, she rummaged in her bag for the necessary equipment.

She had been friends with InuYasha Taisho for years, and had harbored a secret crush for most of that time. He had been a teasing pest in high school, but had matured in the years since. Not much, but some.

"So, what on earth were you doing on the roof tonight of all nights?" she asked with her head still buried in her kit bag. As she spoke, gusts of wind blew leaves about wildly, and the scent of rain was heavy in the air.

"Keh, stupid satellite dish was wonky. I was about to miss WWE's Ultra Global Domination," he answered, as if this were a completely normal reason to be on the roof with a storm brewing.

She huffed. "You're lucky you didn't break your neck, baka."

He gave a halfhearted snarl. "I'd have been fine if the roof weren't wet from that earlier rain." And I hadn't turned human right before that damned wind blew me off balance. But he kept that to himself. This was embarrassing enough as it was.

Kagome began checking his heart and pulse, and then carefully running her hands over his ribs. Other than scrapes and having the wind knocked out of him, he seemed fine in that regard.

"I think my shoulder's dislocated," he finally admitted, biting back a groan as he shifted once more.

Kagome quickly moved to inspect that area, just as her partners arrived with the neck brace and backboard. He must be in pain, she thought, if he's actually admitting to an injury. She had to fight not let her fingers linger on his toned abs.

"No sign of concussion," she told Jenenji, "No broken ribs. Airways clear and pulse strong."

"I don't need all that crap," InuYasha protested, seeing the equipment. "Just help me up and I'll knock this arm back into place."

"Like hell you will!" she exclaimed. "Stubborn baka, if it weren't serious you wouldn't have called 911 in the first place."

He eyed her narrowly. "I didn't. Damn nosy neighbors did. Must have seen me fall. I ought to file a charge for stalking."

She saw right through his gruffness, and as she glanced to the house next door she saw Mr. Murowa watching anxiously from his front porch. "Well, we'll let the doctors decide what you do and don't need, okay? Just stay put and let us work."

The next few minutes were spent getting him prepped for the ambulance, ignoring his protests and starting an IV, just in case. Once he was settled on the board, he asked cheekily, "So, wench. You're coming with me, right? To hold my hand?"

She smirked back as he was carried away. "I have to. They're my ride!"

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Sometime later that night, InuYasha opened his eyes to find himself in a generic hospital room. It took a moment for him to remember why he was there, but as he moved, the sudden pain brought it all back clearly. "Ugh, damn."

"Hey there, Dogboy. Good to see you awake."

He carefully turned his head to find Kagome in the chair next to his bed. "Keh, just couldn't stay away could you, wench?"

She rolled her eyes at his words, hiding her reaction to just how true his words were.

"Why do you smell like smoke?" he asked. "Even with this pathetic nose, I can smell it from here."

"Fire call," she answered, wondering at the concern she saw in his gaze. "You didn't think I'd been here all night did you?"

Now it was InuYasha's turn to blush. He'd been infatuated with her ever since he first met her, but he was careful to hide his feelings. Kagome came from a Shrine family, and she deserved better than to have a handyman/jack of all trades hanyou sniffing around her. Nonetheless, he had been unable to resist her, and had managed to keep things on a friendship level so as not to lose her entirely.

"Well," he said, "you know you can't resist this face."

Kagome blushed, but gave it right back to him. "Nah, it's the ears that do it for me. And seeing as you don't have those right now…"

Seeing his shocked face, she laughed gleefully. Got you, Yash!

He grumbled and mumbled, and she was sure if he'd been hanyou he'd have growled in annoyance. "Baka wench thinks she's so funny." But the thought that maybe she really did like his ears warmed him somewhere deep inside.

"You know all this was unnecessary, right?" he asked. "I'll be fine come morning. This was a waste of time and resources."

"Seeing as how you couldn't even stand up, I'd say it was very necessary," Kagome retorted. "Quit being so stubborn and let people help you."

"Keh. Tell your grandfather I'll be by this week to see about those repairs he asked for," he answered, changing the subject.

She narrowed her eyes at him, not fooled in the least. InuYasha hated being coddled and thought of as weak, let alone having any weakness seen. Still, he was injured, so she let it go. "Well, it's getting late. You need your rest, and so do I. It's been a long day."

He almost whined as she got up and made to leave. "Maybe you could come by tomorrow and check on me."

Kagome did a double take. "InuYasha? Are you sure you're all right?"

Moving closer, she took his clawless hand in hers. He nearly shuddered at the contact. Get a grip, man!

"Keh! I'm fine, wench," he said, not meeting her eyes. "Big strong hanyou, remember?"

She frowned. InuYasha never asked for attention, claimed not to care about such things. "Inu-"

Abruptly he brought her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. "Thanks for being my hero, Kagome."

Said woman sputtered and gaped, utterly speechless. When he sent her a saucy wink, she regained some of her composure. He was teasing her again, but she wished he weren't.

"I'll let you get some sleep, okay?" She squeaked.

He nodded; glad to have redirected her thoughts. "I am kind of sleepy."

Better to remain friends, no matter how hard it was.

She slipped out the door, passing him a last, lingering glance before she disappeared into the hallway. Teasing or not, there had been a thread of seriousness in his tone she hadn't missed. Something was definitely up with InuYasha Taisho.

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