Of Love and Fevers.
Sango, Miroku, and Shippo had left to go to Sango's village two days ago, so it was just Inuyasha and Kagome left to search for the jewel shards until they returned.
Kagome wasn't feeling that well that particular morning but decided not to tell Inuyasha. He'll just say I'm lying anyway. Or that Kikyou wouldn't get sick, or something… she thought to herself dizzily. In all truths she was feeling awful, she felt hot and cold at the same time, she was incredibly weak and her vision was really blurry. She couldn't even walk straight.
"Oi wench, hurry up would ya? We don't have all damn day, we have jewel shards to find."
She's gonna 'sit' me any second for that one… Inuyasha thought, realizing that his words weren't exactly the nicest thing to say. He was feeling anxious that day, Kagome's delicious scent seemed off and he was very worried about her. She was incredibly pale and was wobbling as she walked. He wanted to go scoop her up into his arms, but his pride was getting the best of him, keeping him from doing so. He was surprised when she just nodded and stumbled to his side.
"Sorry, Inuyasha. I'll try to keep up," she mumbled in a scratchy voice that made his ears go flat against his head.
"Kagome," he called gently, "Are you alright?" To hell with my pride. She needs me right now… he thought.
She nodded woozily, "I'm fine, Inuyasha. Just a little tired." That's the biggest goddamn lie I've ever heard… he thought angrily.
"You are not fine, Kagome. You're pale as a ghost, you can't even walk straight, and your scent is all wrong." He placed a hand under her bangs to feel her forehead but jerked it away quickly feeling the intense heat coming off her head. "Dammit, you're burning up!"
"In-Inu-Inuyasha, I'm f-fine. Really." After she got that sentence out, she collapsed right into the concerned hanyou's arms.
"Kagome? Kagome!" Inuyasha shook Kagome's limp body gently. Her body felt like it was on fire in his arms and she was shivering slightly.
"Damn," he muttered, "I should have made her get on my back hours ago."
He rose with the unconscious and feverish miko cradled to his chest and, smelling a storm on the horizon, ran to the nearest shelter he could find, his mother's special cave.
When he arrived in the familiar cave he immediately placed Kagome down on the soft bed and went about gathering supplies to help him care for his sick love. Damn, why does she have to get sick just when I was about to tell her how I feel… the young hanyou sighed, dejected. He cared very deeply for Kagome, though he tried to hide it under a mask of irritation and insults. In his heart he loved that sweet, gentle, kind, brown-eyed girl from the future.
She no longer reminded him of Kikyou, that cold and hard woman who'd wanted him to become human to be worthy of her love. Kagome loved him as a half-demon and accepted him for who he was, attitude and all. Gently, he brushed a piece of ebony hair away from her now flushed face and stared down at the beautiful creature that was the object of his affections.
He leaned down by her ear and whispered, "My sweet Kagome, once you're better I'll tell you how I truly feel. For now, rest love. I need you to get well again." He lifted his face and softly kissed her hot forehead before laying a cool cloth on it. Situating himself at the foot of the bed, he prepared himself for a night of watching over his sick angel.
Throughout the night, Kagome's fever grew steadily worse. She began to thrash in her fevered state and cried out for him, as though in pain. All of this made the hanyou's heart ache, wishing for his love to be better.
The next morning, Kagome woke still feverish and in pain. Upon seeing Inuyasha hovering over her she whimpered, "Inuyasha? My tummy hurts really bad."
"Shh…Kagome, is it really really bad?" All she did was whimper in reply and clench her stomach hard. He sighed and stroked her hair while he tried to think of what he could do to ease her pain.
He could see that the clenching was just making it worse so he tried to gently coax her to loosen up, "Kagome, I want to help but I need you unclench just a little bit for me. Okay? Just move your arms and I can make the pain go away." She looked up at him with fever-bright eyes and loosened her grip on her abdomen.
Looking sweetly into her eyes, he began to rub her tummy, gently, in soothing circles. As he did this, he moved her so that she was in his lap still wrapped in the soft blanket. "Does that feel better?" he was careful to keep his voice soft and tender as he spoke to the miko. "Yes, thank you Inuyasha." She snuggled closer into his chest and in moments was asleep. Even after she fell asleep he didn't stop rubbing her tummy, wanting to comfort his koibito, even in sleep.
"Sleep well, my Kagome. I love you. Please get better soon." Finding himself very comfortable in that position, the inu-hanyou kissed her forehead sweetly before succumbing to sleep himself.
The next night, the night of the full moon, Kagome woke up feeling a billion times better and turned to Inuyasha to tell him so. Instead of finding her healthy hanyou, she found a flush-faced , black-haired, completely human, and shivering Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha, are you alright?" He cracked open one dark-violet eye and grinned weakly, "Hey Kagome, you feeling better?"
She nodded and stroked some dark hair away from his hot forehead and said gently, "I'm fine, but I think that you caught my cold, Inuyasha." He just shrugged and whispered hoarsely, ""As long as you're okay." She shook her head at the stubborn hanyou.
"Here lie down, I'll take care of you." She walked of to go wet a cloth for his forehead but turned back for a second and said, "And Inuyasha?" he looked up, "I love you too."
As he watched his love walk away he thought to himself, grinning, Maybe being sick isn't all that bad, after all.