Author's note: I have read the very end of Inuyasha (the manga). This fan fiction takes place almost immediately after the end of the series. There will be spoiler-like details. You have been warned.

oOo

Clean Me.

oOo

Inuyasha's nose twitched when he smelled the contents of Kagome's stomach. She had thrown up what little she had tried to eat.

He immediately jumped up from where he had been sitting inside the hut to investigate. As he walked out into the hot sun, his senses picked up the smell of her sweat. He quickly found her leaning heavily on a tree a little ways behind Kaede's home.

"Hey you! Is this what you mean when you excuse yourself to do your 'business'?"

She leaned over shakily. Her lack of a retort concerned him further.

He laid his hand on her back. "You didn't say you were this sick."

"I didn't… think I was…" Her voice was weak and gasping.

Inuyasha's hand came up to rest on her forehead. "You have a fever." He scooped her up quickly and began to fly toward the river in his usual enormous leaps.

"No!" She quickly said batting at him deliriously.

He slowed and stood with her in his arms. "Yes. You're very sick and you need-"

"No, not that," she said shaking her head. "My stomach can't take that- your jumping."

"Oh."

He had to walk slowly with her in his arms. It wasn't something he was used to. Usually they were off to places at great speed. He had to pay very careful attention to how much he jostled her.

He village people weren't used to this either. They stared, wondering what was going on with their precious miko. Inuyasha was glad when he had passed out of the village.

His golden eyes looked down at her. Beads of sweat formed on her face as it was scrunched up in nauseous torment. She burned like fire in his arms.

Eventually, they made it to the river. He continued to walk directly into it. The cold water pulled at them, soaking their clothes, and cooling them off quickly. As he stood in the river, Inuyasha wiped Kagome's face with his soaked sleeve. Her eyes, which had mostly been shut tight, opened blearily.

"It feels good…"

He then carried her limp body toward the shore.

There was a sandy spot where water met land that he chose to gently lay her down. A large tree shaded them as tall grasses hid them from view of passersby. Their cool wet clothes clung to their bodies and helped with the summer heat. Sand stuck to them as they rolled in it slightly.

Inuyasha's clawed hands tested her forehead again.

"Your fever isn't so bad."

"Uh-huh." She sounded exhausted.

"You're studying healing from Kaede and you didn't even know you were that sick?"

"Uh-huh."

"You must not be a very good healer…"

"Uh-huh… Wait. What? Shut up."

He leaned over her, grinning in her face. "You're feeling better?"

"A little…"

"Well, hurry it up. You have stuff to do."

"Leave me alone! Or else…"

"You can't 'sit' me. I'm above you. That would kill you in your weak state."

"Then you'd better get away from me or else I might do it by accident and then you'd feel guilty for killing me."

"What? Stop talking nonsense. Your fever must be getting worse again."

"Shut up!"

He did. But his taunting smirk was louder than any word at the moment.

It might have been the fever, it might have been stupidity, but she couldn't resist. "Sit."

His eyes grew wide and suddenly he was trying with all his might not to crush her beneath him. His arms were holding himself up against an extremely powerful force that was trying to pull him down. Each of his palms sunk deep into the sand on either side of her. Their noses were touching. And then, it was over as he crashed into her.

Luckily the sand was soft. They were mostly buried in it. His body was pressed flat against hers. Their legs were tangled.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled in anger. He knew she was alright; he had nothing to fear, because she was giggling. His yell was muffled though because his face was planted firmly in the sand. At the last second before the collision, he managed to maneuver his face away from hers so that they wouldn't bash heads. This meant she could breathe clearly with her face above the sand while he was choking.

Spitting furiously he got his head into the air. Kagome's cheek brushed his. He noticed that she had stopped giggling.

"Inuyasha…" Her arms turned over sand as she hugged him. He felt that she was still feverish.

He sighed but suddenly turned redder than his kimono at her next statement.

"Sand gets everywhere," she murmured into his hair. "Clean me."