Obligatory Disclaimer: The "Inu Yasha" series and its characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Sunrise, Shounen Sunday, Viz, and other corporate types. I am none of those entities. I'm just a silly fan writing silly stories because it's fun. Suing me would only be a waste of time and funds, so please don't.

I CHOOSE NOT TO WARN!

This story contains material that might be disturbing or outright triggering to some. Reader discretion advised.

Seed of Memory
By Misarae

Chapter One
Paying the Price

Inu Yasha sped through the treetops to keep up with the slightly overburdened Kirara. Shippou floated alongside them whenever he could, sometimes by himself, other times carrying Kagome. Inu Yasha could feel the chill of the air rushing down his spine, his back feeling even emptier than what passed for his heart at the moment. Kikyou had simply up and vanished again, leaving Kagome to give him the message that she was all right. He'd known Kikyou could be cold, but this was simply beyond the pall. He'd been so worried about her for so long! Another shudder wracked him. He hadn't realized how used he'd become to Kagome riding on his back. Her proclamation that she hated him, right on the heels of Kikyou's desertion, had cut him deeply. Now that he had time to think, he really couldn't blame her for refusing to ride on his back. It also meant she hadn't forgiven him yet, if she ever would.

It went against every fiber of his being to call for a rest, but even he could feel how low Kagome's reiki was after whatever she had done to heal Kikyou. Normally he would never, ever purposely take them out of the way of their quest, but he'd insisted that they should go back to Kaede's village to rest.

Okay, what actually came out of his mouth was, "If Kagome's not at full power by the time we find Naraku, he might get away again!", but same difference.

He'd never been good with words, anyway. Hopefully once Kagome was feeling better she would know better than to take what he said at face value when it came to showing any kind of weakness. That included being nice.

Over on Kirara, Sango held Kagome's hands around her waist, letting her friend relax and get some sleep. Usually Sango sat in front of Miroku, but even though she and Miroku were technically engaged, she was well aware his hand still wandered, and the last thing Kagome needed at the moment was a lecherous monk feeling her up. She knew Kirara wouldn't let any of them fall.

"I would shout 'REPENT!' at him, but he'd probably break his neck," Miroku observed.

"He deserves to think about what he did," Sango said firmly. "He's so insensitive!"

"Though, wasn't it his suggestion that we go back to Kaede's village?"

"It's the only reason I haven't told Kirara to drop him off a cliff," Sango replied. "He should be thanking Kagome for being the bigger person and not smashing Kikyou while she was weak."

Miroku blinked. "So bloodthirsty, Sango."

Sango sighed. "Kagome's been hurt enough, Houshi-sama," she said. "All I want is for her to be happy."

"A man's heart is a complicated thing," Miroku said with a sage nod.

"Stop defending him. I'm not in the mood to hear it; not when the closest thing I have to a sister half kills herself for her romantic rival, and the fool she loves refuses to even acknowledge it."

Miroku wisely kept his thoughts to himself after that.

"We're almost at the village!" Shippou announced, balancing on Sango's shoulder after popping out of his pink balloon transformation.

Sango patted Kirara's side. "Thanks for putting up with this, Kirara."

Kirara rumbled in acknowledgement.

Kaede had been surprised, but pleased, to see them back so soon, though the way she frowned when she took in the sleeping Kagome heightened everyone's worries again.

"Do you think she will be all right, Kaede-sama?" Miroku asked.

Kagome had refused to rouse once they'd landed. Without a word, Inu Yasha had lifted her off Kirara's back and into his arms. Now that they were inside Kaede's hut, he laid her down on the futon Kaede indicated, then stood back.

Kaede examined her, the old woman's face growing more grim with each passing moment. "Her stores of spiritual energy are all but depleted. What happened?"

"Kagome-chan is the only one who knows all the details," Sango said, "but apparently she found Kikyou wounded and near death. She used her spiritual powers to heal Kikyou, only for the ungrateful bitch to just walk away." Sango's eyes widened and she blushed when she realized what she'd just said. "I'm so sorry!"

Kaede waved her off. "My sister has never been one for displays of gratitude," Kaede said, "and it pains you to see Kagome's generosity be so poorly repaid. I don't blame you for your choice of words." Kaede shook her head. "The only thing that will restore Kagome is time. Her body is currently working very hard to replenish the energy that she has expended. It may be a day or two before she regains consciousness."

Inu Yasha had his back to the majority of the room, but Kaede caught the way his lips tightened and his eyes grew hard.

"Great. More delays. Might as well make sure we have enough supplies for when we finally get on the way again," Inu Yasha said, whirling and stomping out of the hut.

"Why that..!"

Miroku placed a hand on Sango's shoulder. "Let him go, Sango. It is the only thing he can do for her right now, after all."

Sango deflated. "Fine."

"Why don't you all go relax for a bit?" Kaede suggested. "I'm sure Kagome isn't the only one drained from your recent adventures."

"Good idea, Kaede-sama. I'll go help Sango relax..."

"Touch me, you're dead meat," Sango said.

Miroku held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I was merely suggesting a meditation technique."

"Sure you were."

Their voices drifted out of earshot before Shippou hopped over to the futon where Kagome lay. "Is she really going to be all right?" he asked.

Kaede gave him her best reassuring smile. "She will be, given time and rest. There is no need for concern."

Nevertheless, Shippou made his bed with Kaede and Kagome that night, snuggling in close to Kagome's chest so he could hear the beat of her heart and every breath she took.

"It's been three fucking days! She should be awake by now!"

"Now, now, Inu Yasha," Miroku said, trying in vain to pacify his volatile friend. "Need I remind you that although she is a miko, she is still merely human? Besides, you heard what Kaede-sama said. Not only was she drained of reiki, but even I could sense that she suffered quite a bit of exposure to Naraku's miasma. Her body can't fight the miasma without putting further strain on her spiritual reserves."

Inu Yasha growled, not liking what was going on. Not one little bit. The day after they arrived in the village, Kagome had come down with a high fever. They had even debated taking her to her own time once she hit thirty-nine degrees Celsius according to the thermometer she kept in her backpack. One degree higher and they would have. However, she held steady through the night and into the next day. It wasn't until that very morning that the fever had broken, and she was still unconscious.

Inu Yasha's conscience had been prickling at him since Kagome's temperature started to rise. He had been so focused on Kikyou and her condition that he had put Kagome's health at risk. He'd thought she was fine. If she had the energy to argue with him, nothing was wrong with her. He'd pushed any thoughts to the contrary away until the next morning when she'd awakened with her skin still deathly pale beneath her tan. Even then it wasn't until later in the day that he'd called for a halt to the quest and got them all on the way to Kaede's.

She was so strong, he often forgot that she really was just a fragile human. She might not be the focus of Naraku's attacks, but she was still a threat, and quite honestly, she was the most vulnerable of them, everything taken into consideration. He had been so obsessed with preventing Kikyou's death at Naraku's hands for the second time, that he might now be the cause of Kagome's.

He'd had a near-miss before, almost coming too late when that strange baby tried to steal Kagome's heart. Apparently the lesson he thought he'd learned didn't stick. Now once again, she was drained, her body fighting for survival, and what had he done? Grilled her about Kikyou!

Inu Yasha punched the dirt before rising, not saying a word to anyone else. He turned his back on Miroku, stalking toward Kaede's hut.

Miroku sighed. Inu Yasha's remorse was practically a tangible force radiating off him in waves, and Miroku found himself breathing easier now that his friend had left the area. Sango had been keeping herself far away from Inu Yasha, and Shippou had been spending his days away from the village, only to come back late at night and settle himself on Kagome's futon.

Miroku rarely prayed in earnest, but he did so in that moment, hoping his words might reach a compassionate ear that would ease Kagome's suffering and bring her back to them.

Inu Yasha settled himself beside Kagome, staring at her face, which was still slightly flushed. Her hair was a matted mess. She would demand a bath as soon as she awakened, he knew that much. Inu Yasha tried not to think about the way Kagome was dressed, her uniform clean and mended on a chair, one of Kaede's kosode from when she was Kagome's age wrapped around Kagome's body instead. They were easier to take on and off, considering how many blankets and kosode she'd already soaked through. Inu Yasha ignored the warmth that came to his cheeks as he recalled the one time Kaede hadn't warned him that they were in the middle of changing her. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her naked before, but the stronger his feelings for her grew, the more the rare sight of her body affected him.

Inu Yasha looked around, and seeing that no one else was in the hut, he allowed his hand to rest on top of her head. He could feel the heat through her hair, smell the sickness that still lingered about her.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, so quietly that a normal human couldn't possibly have heard it. His gaze drifted to the shelving nearby, mentally cataloguing the few healing herbs and tinctures that he recognized. His eyes landed on something that was definitely out of place in Kaede's hut. He blinked. Kaede hated umeboshi!

Inu Yasha rose to his feet and heard the embarrassing protest of his stomach. He realized that he'd barely eaten since the incident at the waterfall. He plucked the wooden bowl off Kaede's shelf and sniffed it. They smelled pretty fresh, just pungent enough to make his mouth water. Probably a gift from a villager who had no idea how much Kaede hated salty, sour stuff.

Figuring he'd be doing Kaede a favor, Inu Yasha took the bowl back with him to his former position beside Kagome. It wouldn't do for him to keel over from hunger, especially since he knew if he did, Kagome would choose that moment to wake up. Her timing was just that obnoxiously good.

He picked a dried plum out of the bowl and popped it in his mouth, refusing to let his eyes close as he savored the sheer rush of salt and acid that washed over his tongue. He'd almost forgotten how good they were. As soon as the last vestiges of his first treat disappeared, he reached for another one, then another.

By the time he nearly finished the bowl, his vision had started to swim. He felt lightheaded and sleepy, barely aware of anything but the need to shovel more fruit in his mouth. As he swallowed his most recent bite of plum, darkness rose up to meet him and he knew nothing more.

Author's Note: Cliffhanger, I know. I don't know why, but this story ended up with a few. Ah well! I'll update soon, hopefully within the next few days.