Disclaimer: Inuyasha and the characters in it don't belong to me. No profit is being made from this story either.
Authors Notes: This is just something that came to me one night, and I thought it might make an interesting story. I hope it's at least somewhat original and enjoyable. I would of course love some feedback.
Bare feet pounded along the dirt path at a breakneck pace, as the figure running pushed himself as hard as he could. The pain his battered body was in flared up with each step, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it. He couldn't afford to slow down, not now. Not as the breathing pattern of the woman in his arms became shallower.
Almost there. he told himself as he dug down for whatever energy reserves he had left to get him to his destination just a little bit faster.
Inuyasha knew the monk and demon slayer were still back there quite a ways behind him, but they were in good enough shape to make the journey on their own. His musings were interrupted when the girl he held coughed slightly, the wet sound of it and the scent of blood on her breath caused his heart to clench tightly.
Hang in there Kagome. Please...
Words flowed by over his head and all around him, the hurried speaking of Kaede as she moved about with a suddenness that made her seem years younger. There had been no need for explanations when he arrived, it was as though the old woman had been waiting for this the entire day. What she did was help set the young girl down and immediately get her herbal medicines ready.
He barely heard some of the succinct orders given to him over the pounding of his heart and his labored breathing. But when those orders were given, he moved like the wind, whether it was to fetch more rags or water or anything.
After bursting through the door to deliver the latest supply needed for Kaede's medical work, he hastily swiped at the small trickle of blood running into his own eye. His own wounds did not escape the notice of the elderly woman, but she knew his body would survive, so she kept her focus on the more dire patient.
Besides, she knew that even if Inuyasha was on deaths door, he never let her spend a moment tending to him if it could be spent helping Kagome. Taking the cloths given to her, Kaede dipped it in a bowl of clean water and wiped it along the face of the unconscious woman once more, trying to keep her cool and clean.
Scanning the length of the body laying there, the old woman exhaled deeply and leaned back slightly. Inuyasha's hand clenched in frustration as his eyes darted from Kagome to Kaede. "Well old hag, what are you waiting for! Isn't there something more you can do?" he shouted.
"Silence Inuyasha. I have done what I can for the moment, and now Kagome must do her part to recover."
A surge of anger and helplessness threatened to completely overtake Inuyasha at that moment. Rationally he knew Kaede was right, but he also knew Kagome was still in a critical condition, and that sent his emotions boiling.
As though sensing his potential outburst, the old woman stood up and faced him squarely. "The last thing she needs is for you to lose her temper. If you can think of anything more I can do, speak up. If you can't control your anger, then leave for now and let her have some peace."
Growling under his breath, he unclenched his fist and sat down upon the floor cross-legged. Kaede sat down as well when she saw that he got her point. Collecting some of the dirty rags and setting them aside for disposal, she glanced over at the hanyou from the corner of her eye.
"I suppose congratulations are in order. I sensed a great evil had vanished, so I presume Naraku is finally gone."
Looking up from his fixation on Kagome, he nodded his head. "Yeah, that bastard got what he deserved." he said in a low tone.
"And the Shikon Jewel?"
Reaching into his coat, he pulled out the virtually complete jewel and held it in his palm. It was missing only a few fragments, some of those were in Kagome's care. Inuyasha gazed at the shining object in his hand for a long moment, his mind inevitably dredging up events of the past. There had been a time when he longed for the warmth of the complete jewel in his hand, so that he could use it to become a full fledged demon.
A wheezing breath from Kagome caught his attention, and when his gaze snapped up to focus on her, his clawed hand closed tightly around the item in his hand. Now the warmth of the jewel in his palm was nothing more than a bitter reminder of all the pain and destruction caused for its sake.
Perhaps at a later time he would ponder upon what he should do with this jewel, but that was not the case at the moment. At this time, Inuyasha's thoughts didn't stray from the prone body laying upon the floor. The frustration within him rose once more, despite his efforts to keep calm.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he slipped the shikon fragment back into his coat and stood up. Staying in this cramped hut, with Kagome's injured body in front of him and nothing he could do to help her, didn't appeal to Inuyasha in the least at the moment. Even worse, the sight of her was like a silent declaration of his own failure to protect her. Without a word to Kaede, he marched out into the slightly warm air of the early evening.
But as it was, the peaceful settings of nature didn't ease his mind in the slightest. The memories of what happened wouldn't allow that. Over and over, in his mind, he could see the blow that struck Kagome down. Shaking his head back and forth, he angrily tried to shake the image from his mind. I should have protected her better, I should have gotten in front of her in time to block it.
He could still smell the scent of Kagome's blood, the aroma causing his stomach to knot up painfully. Even the thought that the one responsible for so much of their troubles, Naraku, was dead, couldn't lift Inuyasha's spirits.
And so he stood out in the ever darkening landscape, his body still wounded from battle, his mind unable to allow him the luxury of rest. After a little while, he dimly heard the sound of approaching footsteps to his rear.
"You're as stubborn as you are foolish, Inuyasha. You know full well where you should be right now." Kaede said.
"I don't know what you're talking about." he muttered gruffly.
"Kagome may not be awake yet, but her soul is still aware enough of what's going on around her. Although sometimes I cannot fathom the reasons for it, she cares for you, and would want you with her now."
Inuyasha's posture became more rigid as he silently thought over her words. Even after all this?
"If I want to see her, I will when I'm ready." he declared before crossing his arms and settling down up against a tree.
Kaede watched his form for a moment before letting out a tired sigh and heading back into her hut. Kneeling before the unconscious girl, she placed her hand upon her forehead to check for any signs of fever.
"Don't worry, Kagome. Once he's through beating himself up he'll be back here."
Fireflies lazily flew about the landscape, their illumination adding a touch of the magical to a simple summers eve. But all the beauty of nature was lost upon Inuyasha, for he still sat in the same position that he had for quite some time. His head was leaned back against the hard trunk of the ancient tree, his eyes closed.
It was a memory that plagued him, one that had lurked unwanted in his subconscious for several weeks now. With the events of this day however, his efforts at stemming this particular memory were futile.
The campfire was burning low as the night had dragged on into the early morning hours. Inuyasha and the others had earlier that day dealt with a pesky group of demons, and all had been tired and eager to try and rest as much as they could. Inuyasha however still slept lightly, his senses attuned to the area just in case of trouble.
When he heard the sound of Kagome getting up and leaving the campsite, he initially paid it little heed, thinking that she was merely going off to attend to some needs. However, when she remained away from the camp much longer than normal, his curiosity was awakened. Giving in, he got up and went off after her scent.
He came upon her at a clearing atop the rolling hill they were on. Under the soft glow of moonlight, she sat in a picturesque fashion. Inuyasha stared at her for a moment before walking over to her side.
"Can't sleep?" he asked her as he sat down next to her.
Kagome shrugged her shoulders in silence and continued to look out over the landscape. There was something off about her tonight, and it nagged at Inuyasha more by the minute. "Is there a shard out there or something?"
When Kagome turned and looked him dead in the eyes, something about her expression sent the hairs on the back of his neck prickling.
Kagome's voice was totally calm when she finally spoke up. "We get into a lot of tough battles, don't we?"
The question was unexpected to be sure, and it took Inuyasha a moment before he could reply. "Well, it's nothing I can't handle."
Kagome looked back over the hill. "Some day, we're going to have fight Naraku and defeat him once for all. It won't be easy." she added softly.
"What's all this about?" Inuyasha shot back at her in an annoyed fashion. He didn't like this weird sensation he was getting from her.
The dark haired girl swallowed hard. "I don't have any regrets you know, about coming here and being with you. Even if...even if something bad happens, I still won't regret it." the waver in her voice nearly betrayed her, but she managed to maintain her composure.
Inuyasha could only manage to stare at her in a mixture of confusion and worry. "You're not making any sense tonight. You should go back and get some sleep." he said in an almost agitated fashion before getting up. "If you're worried about something, well you should just stop. Everything's gonna work out." he declared before heading off back towards the camp.
Kagome remained silent as she stayed in the same position she had been in. For the next few hours, she sat in that clearing alone under the moonlight. The next day, there were no more words spoken of the conversation which took place. Life had gone on as normal, at least on the surface...
Opening his eyes, Inuyasha looked up at the night sky and noticed how the moon hung heavy on this night not unlike it had on that one before. Turning his head back towards Kaede's hut, he noticed the glow of a lone lantern in the room Kagome was in. His body moving as though of its own accord, he got up and strode over towards the building.
Sliding open the door, he stood there in the doorway and gazed down upon the young woman. She looked paler than before, he inwardly noted with a certain grimness. Padding softly across the floor, he moved over to her side and knelt down.
"How ya doing Kagome?" he asked in a voice a little more than a whisper.
By her scent, and appearance, it seemed as though things hadn't got any better. And if he was being honest with himself, he'd say things had frankly gotten quite a bit worse for her. But facing up to this was the last thing he wanted to do. Becoming slightly fidgety amidst the silence of the room, he shifted about and got into a more comfortable sitting position.
"So we finally did it, didn't we? We got that bastard Naraku, and sent him straight to where he belongs." he remarked to the unconscious girl.
The sound of raspy breathing coming from Kagome was all that he heard in reply.
"It feels kinda weird I guess. You know, not having him to worry about anymore. After all this time chasing after that coward, it'll be strange just being able to go where I want." he spoke in a little louder of tone, as though to drown out the disconcerting quiet.
Casting his gaze about the room, he watched the flickering shadows on the wall as he spoke up again. "Sango and Miroku are fine, in case you were wondering. They got a few wounds, but nothing they can't handle. That lech is probably feeling her up in celebration of having his wind tunnel gone finally."
Still only the labored breathing of Kagome was heard after he finished. The sound frayed upon his worn nerves. "Are you trying to make me worried? Come on Kagome, I know you can beat this. You've gotten bad hits before and you always get right back up. So quit messing around and just start getting better, ok?" he asked of her in an agitated voice.
With a ragged breath, he tried to relax his tense muscles and keep some semblance of calm. "We've been through a lot together Kagome, and if I've learned anything about you it's that you don't ever give up. Whether it's in a fight or if it's believing in something or someone, you're as stubborn as hell. So I know you can recover."
But in the dimly lit room, with the time slowly passing by, the darker thoughts still hovered about him. Doubts and fears mixed to form an emotion that made it feel as though his heart was slowly being crushed. She has to make it, she just has to. It's silly to think she might...die.
Looking at her face with a softening expression, he absently thought about how fragile she looked at that moment. Gently, he ran the backs of his fingers across her forehead, and then moving down her cheek. He had long ago memorized how intoxicatingly soft her skin was, but he never let himself dwell on it too much in the past. You just can't die on me Kagome. I don't know if...I could...
Closing his eyes, he sighed softly. "Not again, I couldn't lose another. Not after losing Kikyo once." he whispered.
He could feel a slight lump form in his throat at that last thought, but he swiftly reigned in his emotions. "You're really gonna get it when you wake up Kagome, trying to worry me like this." he grumbled half-heartedly.
Leaning back, he mulled over Kaede's words earlier. She thinks that you'd want me here with you Kagome. I don't know if you still would after I couldn't protect you, but I'll stay here just in case...
And so the moments flowed by. Though the expanse of time didn't offer peace of mind to Inuyasha, it did give him time to reflect. It was all he could really do at the moment, and the only thing keeping him from going crazy. The memories that danced across his minds eye turned out to consist mainly of the little moments which were scattered throughout a normal day.
Whether it was watching the sunlight reflect off of Kagome's hair as she sat in the sun and stitched up a tear in her skirt, or hearing her hum a tune to herself as she washed clothing in a river, his memories invariably focused upon Kagome. He remembered how the girl that had been considered a nuisance at first ended up becoming an integral part of his life.
There had been times in the past where he had tried to steel himself with the thought of losing her, but to be faced with such an event was far different than merely thinking about it. Hanging his head, he stared bleakly at the floor. "Don't do this Kagome, don't give up."
But he could hear it in her weakening heartbeat, her raspy breaths, he could hear her slipping away.
"Please..." he implored in barely a whisper.
He moved closer to her, close enough to touch her again. Softly, the tips of his fingers played about with her silky hair. In the depths of his heart, he wondered if this was the last time he'd ever feel this. The thought of this caused a burning sensation in his eyes, as the beginnings of tears formed.
Clenching his teeth tightly, he tried to fight off his emotions, tried to keep in control of them, but it was simply too late. Bending over so that his head touched the floor right next to Kagome's head, he silently let the teardrops come.
Don't leave me.
There was a warm breeze on his face, and the distinct feeling of sunlight falling upon him. Slowly, Inuyasha opened his eyes, and found himself in a most unexpected place. He was no longer in a dark room at Kaede's. Instead, he was standing outside in the middle of the day.
"What happened?" he asked himself quietly as he looked around.
It took a moment, but he slowly realized that he was upon the same hilltop that him and Kagome had sat upon on that night some weeks ago. Blinking a few times in confusion, he tried to figure out how he could have ended up here. Yet before he could think too long about it, a familiar scent came to him, and his heart skipped a beat.
Kagome!
Spinning around, he saw her with his own eyes. She stood there under the shade of a tree, her face holding a slightly pensive look upon it. But she seemed healthy, and alive, and a flood of relief poured through him. It must have been a dream.
Sprinting over in front of her, he let his eyes fixate upon her, as if to confirm that she was really there. A smile tugged on his lips as everything seemed to be normal. Yeah, it was just a dream.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha." Kagome said quietly.
The hanyou tilted his head to the side in a questioning gesture. "What do you mean?"
Kagome wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at her shoes. "I didn't mean to hurt you, that's the last thing I ever wanted." she explained mournfully.
And that's when the feelings of relief drained from him, and the cold sensation which had gripped his heart before returned. "Kagome, are you...ok?" he asked slowly.
She looked up at his face through her bangs. "I don't know if I can do it. I'm trying so hard Inuyasha, but I just can't seem to wake up."
Even as those words struck his heart, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders. "You can't give up!" he shouted at her.
Lifting her head, she gave him a watery smile. "Believe me, I don't want to leave you. I mean, you finally got rid of Naraku right? I was always curious as to what you'd do after that was all over."
Inuyasha gaze became slightly accusatory. "You knew didn't you? That this would happen. Why did you do it? Why didn't you tell me so I could've tried better to protect you?"
"You needed all of your focus to defeat him. If you were going to spend all your time acting as my shield, it wouldn't have worked out." she explained.
Shaking his head back and forth, he moved closer to her. "I don't care about that! Your life is much more important than me than killing Naraku!"
Kagome looked at him silently for a moment, and then raised a hand to touch his cheek. "You needed to defeat him. I know you couldn't have been truly happy unless you avenged what happened to Kikyo."
He didn't like the way she was acting, the way she was looking at him. It was too much like she was trying to say goodbye. And that was something which he simply couldn't handle. Not after all the time they had spent with eachother, and especially not now, when they finally had a chance to live a life together free from Naraku's shadow.
"Kagome, don't you know by now? I can't truly be happy unless you're with me." he said softly.
The dark haired girl's breath hitched as he finished speaking. Inuyasha could feel the hand against his cheek tremble as Kagome's emotions overtook her. She moved her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out, only the sound of a sob choking whatever she planned on saying.
Inuyasha cupped the back of her head as she buried her face against his chest. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt, and this only made him clutch her all the more tightly against him. Closing his eyes, he leaned down and nuzzled the top of her head, hoping against all hope that this wouldn't be the last time he could do this.
After several long moments, Kagome finally got herself under enough control to speak again. "I just wanted to see you at peace Inuyasha, that's all. And if it meant...sacrificing myself in the end, than I was willing to do that."
A grimace flashed briefly across Inuyasha's face, as he wondered if he had done enough to let her know just how valuable she was to him in the past. Could she have really thought that I wanted to avenge Kikyo so badly that I'd be willing to let her die in order to help me?
Reluctantly, he pulled back so that he could look into her red rimmed eyes. "You have to come back Kagome." he stated solemnly.
After staring deep into his eyes, as though searching for something within them, Kagome eventually nodded slowly. "I don't know if it's too late by now, but I'll keep trying."
Inuyasha swallowed hard, as the uncertainty in her tone worried him still. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
And for the first time since he saw her here, she smiled a genuine smile. One that lit up her face in the most radiant of ways.
"You already have."
Understanding just what she meant, Inuyasha gave her a tentative smile of his own. It was frightening and yet liberating, the way that he felt now. Chains he kept around his heart were being unlocked seemingly by the moment, and the feelings that were finally free to roam were taking a firm hold of him.
He had the urge to do something he had only allowed himself in passing fantasy to experience before. Something which might just be the final incentive Kagome needed.
He wanted to kiss her.
And so as the sunbeams in this phantom realm shined down upon the pair, Inuyasha slowly but surely lowered his head and closed his eyes, throwing caution to the wind for this one time. He heard the slight gasp of surprised recognition on Kagome's part just before his lips made contact with hers.
They were as delightfully soft and warm as they were in his dreams, and he felt some kernel of happiness amidst the turmoil of the moment. And when she kissed back harder against him and made a little noise of pure pleasure, he just knew...
It's gonna be alright now.
The feel of a wooden floor against his cheek was the first sensation he had as he slowly came to awareness. The second was that he was bent over in a most uncomfortable position. However, those two thoughts quickly vanished as he thought of Kagome. Snapping awake, he straightened out and hurriedly began to examine her condition.
When at first he saw her still laying there unconscious, his heart sunk like a rock. But then, as his eyes took a closer look at her face, and his ears picked up on the rhythm of her heart, a feeling of hope surged in him. It was obvious that she was doing far better now than she was before. Her skin had a healthier tone to it, her breathing was deep and steady, and her pulse was strong and vibrant.
"You did it Kagome." he muttered with a half-grin forming on his face.
The door to the room slid open, revealing the form of Kaede. She didn't say a word to Inuyasha, only walked over and quietly knelt down beside Kagome. After quickly checking her over, she nodded her head and made a positive noise.
"She's recovering well." she stated simply.
After a moment, she looked up at Inuyasha. "Her soul had needed something to give it the will come back to us."
The hanyou's eyes fell back to the peacefully sleeping form of Kagome. He didn't have to say anything in response to Kaede's query, and he knew it. His eyes told the whole story well enough.
With the barest hint of a smirk on her face, the old woman stood up and straightened out her robes. "It's about time you smartened up, Inuyasha." she said before walking out of the room, leaving Inuyasha alone with Kagome once more.
Looking up from his vigil over Kagome, Inuyasha noticed that the morning sun was starting to rise. It was over finally, that long dark night. But not only that, also the chapter of his life which was begun when Naraku interfered in it was finished as well.
The smile on Inuyasha's face took on a certain peaceful quality as he slowly realized all of these things. "I guess I have you to thank for this, don't I Kagome?"
Gently placing a hand overtop of one of her own, he settled down into a more comfortable seating position to watch the sunrise. There would be time later on to reflect on just all the changes that his life would now take. But at that moment, only one thing mattered to Inuyasha.
And that was that he'd be facing those changes with Kagome by his side.
Authors Notes: So did you all enjoy that? I got some more Inuyasha fanfic ideas, but I'm not sure how long it'll take to get them written out.