It was a not-so-ordinary day for the Higurashi household. For starters, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Rain pattered against the roof and walls of the old building, pooling in storm drains and rushing down to the ground. In the distance, thunder growled its familiar sound, the dark night sky punctuated occasionally by bursts of bright lightning.
However, the more problematic situation was occurring inside the house, which was unusually vacant except for the presence of a young woman and half-demon. Inuyasha was sick, and Kagome, fulfilling the role of nursemaid, was worried.
Oh Inuyasha...I hope he's okay...
Kagome Higurashi pushed the nagging worry to the back of her mind, though unfortunately it refused to stay there.
The raven-haired girl sighed with resignation and, leaning her head against the kitchen wall, allowed the memories of the previous night to flood her mind... The way Inuyasha argued with her about where to camp for the night...
It wasn't safe, Inuyasha argued, too open, and a town was only five miles ahead.
"And a sacred jewel shard could be right around the corner! We can't afford to be lazy."
Matching scowls appeared on Sango's, Miroku's, and Kagome's faces. Out-numbered, a pouting Inuyasha scampered up the nearest tree.
Later that night, however, Kagome was startled out of her slumber by a hacking cough. Concerned, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and peered into the treetops.
"Inu...yasha? You okay? I heard coughing" She'd whispered
Inuyasha, balanced precariously on a branch somewhere above her, glared and waved his hand dismissively.
"'s'nothing wench", he slurred, tilting backwards slightly.
"Inuyasha! Get down!" Kagome called out. She was able to tell even then that something was wrong.
"told you ... 's'noth-" At this, Inuyasha toppled from the branch.
Kagome inhaled harshly and struggled to leap from her small sleeping bag. With an inhuman twist of his body, Inuyasha landed roughly on his hands and knees, straddling Kagome.
"I thought only cats could do that" Kagome said, her voice an octave too high.
Silver strands of hair brushed against her cheeks. Kagome looked up into the intent gaze of her captor and smiled nervously. Hazy eyes observed her silently, sending shivers of fear and worry down the girl's spine.
"You fault for...In... the way" Inuyasha managed to get out, before curling his arms underneath her and depositing her into his lap sideways, resting his back against the trunk of the tree and tucking his arms around her slight frame.
Her heart beating rapidly, Kagome swallowed the tremors in her voice before asking,
"What... what are you doing Inuyasha...".
Smothering a cough, the hanyou only grunted and buried his sensitive nose in her neck, inhaling her scent and shuddering slightly. Kagome was unable to resist resting her head against Inuyasha's warm chest...
Kagome was brought back to earth by the spastic coughing coming from upstairs and shook her head.
Now let's hope a sick Inuyasha is easier to deal with...
It was certainly much easier to treat a bed ridden Inuyasha then a free reign Inuyasha. The stairs protested loudly as Kagome raced to her room and a heart wrenching site.
He was there; half-dressed and apparently attempting to climb out the window, but was stopped in his progress by a coughing fit. Inuyasha was now crouched on one knee, a clawed hand bracing the window sill, the other at his chest. Kagome winced at the pitiful sight, Inuyasha's skin dewed with the effort he was exerting.
"Inuyasha!" She cried, ducking quickly under his arm just as he collapsed on to her. His claws dug into her shoulders, but Kagome wasn't arguing now that he was unconscious.
"Ka-kagome…"
Scratch that, partially unconscious. Biting her lip with worry, Kagome lowered her patient on to her bed. This had been a moot point, as the hanyou had always enjoyed her scent. The feel of Inuyasha's taught muscles brought back memories of last night, which refused to leave her. She blushed and forced the thoughts away, reaching to cover her sick patient with the many blankets carelessly shoved to the foot of the bed.
Once again, it was too late.
Inuyasha was cold, that much registered in his mind, and the partially opened window wasn't helping, neither were the multiple blankets. Groaning in protest, the almost entirely naked Inuyasha got up from Kagome's bed, bracing himself for the shock.
It was worse then he'd expected. Kagome's scent had acted as a tranquilizer to his senses when he lay on her bed, sending him into a sort of hazy bliss. Inuyasha whimpered, an entirely non-Inuyasha-like sound, and fought the barking coughs that suffused him. His sensitive ears flattened against his head in protest.
The next few moments were vague, he shrugged his pants on and then…everything went dark. The next thing he recognized was Kagome's scent overwhelming his senses. Then it was cold again, and this time it was unacceptable - there was a warm presence nearby.
Kagome...warm and... smells so good...
Hell, he had done it before when he was upset, wrapping his arms around the raven-haired beauty and settling her against his chest. She'd always accepted his embrace, always accepted him for who and what he was.
That settled, he growled and reached up to grab her wrist. She complied, though not entirely, and fell into his arms.
What is he doing! Kagome thought to herself, feeling warmth creep up her neck.
Before she'd accepted he was exhausted and not thinking but now- this was ridiculous! Though…it was a nice feeling. The topless half demon inches from her was sufficiently more gorgeous then she remembered. Skin rippled seductively as another coughing fit began. Kagome took in the broad expanse of lightly tanned skin inches from her nose and was filled with an impossible urge.
Reaching out tentatively, Kagome spread her fingers across Inuyasha's rippling chest, amazed at the feeling of strong muscle moving beneath such soft skin. Abruptly, the hanyo's breath caught in his throat, and Kagome realized her mistake.
Ohmigosh what am I doing to Inuyasha!?
The man in question smirked and drew her tightly against the chest she so admired. His skin was hot, Kagome noted, but that didn't seem to decrease his… possessiveness, she resigned to call it. She was just getting used to the feeling of his arms locked around her when he moved, ever so slightly. Kagome looked from Inuyasha's chest... to his chin... to, reluctantly, his face where she found glazed eyes studying her curiously.
Was he in pain? Kagome struggled to lean over her captor and felt his pulse at the base of his neck, then his forehead. He was sick alright, but not horribly. Bed rest was his best option. Kagome attempted to get out of the bed and Inuyasha's embrace, but was fouled once again, her patient rising in a weak protest to her departure.
"Stay…stay with-" He was averted as the spasms of coughing took over once again, Inuyasha falling sideways onto his elbow. Kagome cried out and pushed him slowly back onto the bed.
"Inuyasha! Don't do that again, okay? I will stay and study at my desk... but only until you fall asleep"
She added the last softly, as she tucked her patient in. Twisting around, he ran his claws lightly down her bare arm, causing ripples of pleasure to cascade down the young woman's back.
"Compromise?" He croaked out.
"Enu…wahsa!"
Inuyasha opened his eyes to a flailing Kagome underneath his sleeves.
"Oh. Sorry"
"Pssht… pfeh"
Spitting out fibers of his hakayama and strands of her hair Kagome sighed and struggled to sit upright, pushing back the possessive arms of the hanyou beneath her. Resigning herself to another hour of this sweet, sweet torment, Kagome pulled her math and science textbooks back into her lap, making Inuyasha grunt.
He was distracting in a way that wasn't entirely bad, Kagome noted, pushing back her sick captors' arms as his sleeves threatened to envelop her.
"INUYAHSA!" Kagome shrieked as the hanyou's arms pulled her backwards once again, her back colliding with the solid wall of muscle that was his chest. Blushing furiously, she batted away his claws raking through her hair.
In between coughing fits, she managed to grasp what the half demon said next.
"WH—YE! IN- WHAT!"
Inuyasha, smirking devil that he was carelessly tossed her forgotten textbooks to the side and flipped Kagome around in his arms.
"Feh… you - know you want to-"
Shaking her head, Kagome closed her eyes and against her will, breathed in Inuyasha's deep wild scent. His clawed hands gently rubbed circles in her back, making the girls' eyes droop even more.
"Come on…" then, whispering
"Sleep with me...?"
Shaking her head some more, Kagome declined, and tried to right herself as she was seated before, in the hanyou's arms, and in his lap.
Before she could turn around, the sneaky half demon bent over and ran his tongue along the curve of her neck, tasting her. His arms reflexively pulled her closer as he delved deeper; trying in vain to convince the flighty girl that he needed her.
Needed her warmth.
Needed her company.
Needed her… oh.
Needed her...
Her…
Love.
With this revelation, the now lustful half demon changed. Probably for the better.
Stifling a shudder, Kagome opened her eyes and maybe it was a trick of the light, or just her imagination, but for a minute she saw his eyes so painfully deep. Radiating loneliness, the eyes she saw for only a second were watery with unshed tears.
"Hey… Inu…yasha?"
Pulling away, Inuyasha refused to meet her gaze, instead burying his face in her neck.
Kagome pulled her arms free and looked down on the mane of silver hair flowing down Inuyasha's back, touching the strands lightly. His hair was smooth, softer than she had expected.
Not knowing what to do, Kagome remembered once before he was sated when she…
Picking up a brush, Kagome ran it slowly through the hanyou's hair. Inuyasha trembled in her embrace, and Kagome worked his silver hair until it was softer than before, and slightly shiny.
Inuyasha, completely focused on Kagome's hands on his body didn't even notice when she discarded the brush and slipped her hands through his hair to his back, massaging the tight muscles there.
"Inuyasha… you're still sick so…." She trailed off, leading the now composed hanyou to remove his nose from her neck and look down at her.
"Hmmm…?"
The girl blushed and flustered, looked away from the deeply sated eyes of her patient. At this the sick half demon frowned and, taking the girl with him, stood.
"What? Kagome, are you ok?"
Kagome nodded and looking sideways at the hanyou, lead him silently back to her bed and with a final shove pushed him onto the bed. Dazed and confused, Inuyasha could only stare.
"I'll uh… go get some more blankets!"
With that the girl started the leave the room but stopped as the sick patient occupying her bed grabbed her wrist and pulled her roughly back into him. The two flew backwards and the bed protested loudly.
"If you were cold…"
Swiftly, Inuyasha discarded his hakayama, leaving only the much softer shirt underneath. In a second movement, faster than Kagome could follow, he wrapped himself and Kagome together with the blankets she used to sleep with every night.
Totally frozen partially with shock, but mostly pleasure, Kagome failed to notice Inuyasha's arms burying under her and around her shoulders, pulling her taut against him.
"…you should have said something. I'll keep you warm myself. We don't need that many blankets…"
Without the cough's, the hanyou's words should have made a lot more sense to the girl, but Kagome was fascinated with the contrast in the softness of Inuyasha's shirt against the comforting strength of his arms and chest.
Inuyasha smirked at her state, then sighing he laughed quietly and curled himself around her more.
Pressing his nose into her raven hair, Inuyasha breathed deeply the scent he secretly loved.
Let loose his emotions, Inuyasha was to be feared, Kagome was realizing, as with nothing to stop his advances, the hanyou only became more possessive and, strangely enough, cuddly?
If she were sane, Kagome would have stopped to think about this, but in her state all she was willing to do was smile contentedly and fall into the sleep she had been forcing away.
"Cute..."