Sup! I'm still crying over the last chapter, but, well, it had to be done.

OMFG!!!!!!!! The third chapter had been up for less than twelve hours and it pulled in five reviews!!!! That's probably changed by now but DAMN!!!! Getting fifteen reviews for a three-chapter story? That's crazy, man!!!

By the way, these people that I know go through and look for Inuyasha stories and authors worthy of recognition. They call their judging the idol. Here are the November awards:

Best Inuyasha Fanfictions:

1st place: Choices by hanyou007

2nd place: Hanyou and Miko by TsucasaofMeiji

3rd place: Behind My Golden Eyes by shahirah abal

Best Inuyasha One-shots:

1st place: Perfectly Flawed by dolphingirl0113

2nd place: Just You, Me and Her by Wolf Blossom

3rd place: What Did He Do? By Rozefire

Best OOC Inuyasha Fanfictions: (basically means a story that has nothing to do with the Inuyasha story line)

1st place: Simply Irresistible by Sereia

2nd place: Matchmaker by Starlight Demon22

3rd place: Sold by speed killz

Best Inuyasha Lemon One-shots:

1st place: Staking a Claim by KeiChanz

2nd place: Tied Up In Your Love by KeiChanz

3rd place (by an writer but not on link to it is on her page): Strip Poker by Wolf Blossom

Best Inuyasha Fanfiction writers:

1st place: Wolf Blossom

2nd place: Rozefire

3rd place: speed killz

4th place: dolphingirl0113

5th place: shahirah abal

Yay!!!! I got a third place and a fifth place!!!! Not bad for an amateur writer, eh?

-Coughs- anyways, I'll let you finish reading the story:)

Luffs and inu plushies (cuz you know you want one oooo mind reader)

Shay-Shay (omfg the author's note almost took up a whole page!!! Now my goal for the chapter has to be 12 pages instead of 10. Oh my…)

"I'm sorry! I can't help it!" Inuyasha cried, unsettled and afraid by her tone.

Noticing how she had sounded, Kagome stroked his cheek, trying to calm and comfort him as she spoke. "I know you can't help it, Inuyasha. It's just…well, you're ill enough without this."

He nodded, leaning into her touch on his cheek. He was hungry, but decided against saying anything. He was too comfortable to move, anyways.

However, his cover was very quickly blown when his stomach growled.

Kagome looked at him oddly as he grinned sheepishly. "Um, I guess I'm hungry." He said, fingering the soft sheets of her bed.

"I guess you want ramen, then?" she said, smiling softly at her hanyou.

"Um, actually, I'd rather not have ramen at the moment."

"You're turning down ramen? You must be sick." (A/N: I agree, it's the same for me. If I turn down ramen, I must be sick lol)

He shrugged. "I thought you already knew I'm sick. Anyways, I just don't want any ramen."

"Well, how about some broth?"

"Some what?"

"Broth." She thought for a moment. "It's like the water in ramen. It's a liquid that tastes like chicken or whatever kind of broth it is, and it's supposed to be good for you when you're sick." (A/N: She's talking about the broth that you get out of a can.)

"Keh. If it tastes bad, I'll blame you." He replied.

"Um, okay." She stood and turned to leave. A soft whimper made her turn back, though, and she gazed curiously at Inuyasha.

"Where are you going?" He asked innocently, his gaze fixed on her.

"To go ask my mom if she has any broth."

"Oh." She turned again, but another whimper gave her pause.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" she asked without turning, starting to get irritated.

"I don't want you to go." (A/N: Awww…)

She turned to face him in surprise and her heart instantly melted.

He had the cutest puppy dog eyes to ever exist.

He was sitting there, cuddling a pillow as he looked at her innocently, pupils dilated, but not enough to make her worried. He whimpered almost silently, and, for an added effect, his dog-ears were twitching slightly, just begging to be rubbed. (A/N Yes, another one, back off: Can't you imagine it? SOOOO KAWAII!!!!! -.-)

Unable to resist (no surprise there), she walked over and cuddled him, reassuring the hanyou. "I don't have to go yet."

Yes! It worked! WHOO-HOO!!! Was all Inuyasha could think of as he gave a content sigh.

Smiling slightly, Kagome ran her fingers through his silky tresses as he shifted so that his head was in her lap. She wondered if Inuyasha was acting this way because he was sick, or if the illness had sped up his display of affections.

Inuyasha started shaking again and, remembering what had happened before, Kagome held him a best as she could as another pain attack struck the poor hanyou.

As he collapsed afterwards, breathing raggedly and heart pounding, Kagome could tell that even though this was only the second attack, Inuyasha wouldn't be able to take much more of it.

At least, not without eating something.

Kagome stood up, much to the male hanyou's weak protest, and headed downstairs to get him that broth.

When she returned and sat down, putting the bowl on a table by her bed, Inuyasha clung to her and would not let her go. Sighing, she leaned over and picked up a spoon, dipping it into the broth and offering it to Inuyasha.

He sniffed it curiously, then lapped it up, slowly at first but soon was begging for more.

She smiled at his conduct. He seemed almost puppyish. It was adorable to see him look at her with those heart-melting eyes when he dilated his pupils. She wasn't sure how he did it but wasn't worried in the least.

Soon he was eating so fast that she just gave him the bowl. When the bowl became empty, a soft whine escaped his throat and he looked up at her, obviously wanting more.

However, perhaps six minutes later, Inuyasha started to retch, coughing up sour bile and metallic-tasting blood. He hurried into the bathroom and emptied his stomach in the sink.

Kagome felt a pang of fear and pain in her heart. Poor Inuyasha. But what really worries me is if this will happen every time he eats. Perhaps that's what makes infected youkai die.

Her thoughts seemed to be jinxed. Every time Inuyasha ate, he deposited it in as little time as six minutes.

It was pitiful. Inuyasha was slowly starting to show the symptoms of his illness. He grew paler by the day, and his ribs showed. He could hardly stand on his own two feet, and he was too afraid to sleep alone. Kagome always slept with him.

He still had fire in his heart, though. He still felt for the miko who cared for him, ad that alone kept him alive against all odds. He missed the taste of ramen, though, and silently mourned the loss of it. (A/N: good god. He loves his ramen.)

Kagome's friends took advantage of her return to her time by stopping by every other day, but Kagome made sure that they didn't go upstairs. But she tied a silvery bandanna, which was hardly visible against his hair unless he moved, around his head to avoid giving the girls a fright and exposing their secret in case one might slip away.

These precautions turned out to be less groundless than Inuyasha thought. He figured this out when he heard loud footsteps coming up the stairs, with Kagome's fruitless cries drifting up with them.

"Please don't go up there!" She cried desperately. Inuyasha had a habit of scratching his bandanna off and if he had, they would be in huge trouble.

"Why not?" Yuka asked.

Kagome thought desperately, trying to think up a lie to tell. This was in vain, however, and she ended up realizing that she would have to tell the truth. "My boyfriend's up there. He's sick right now."

"Oh!" Her three friends cried. "Let's go check on him, then!"

Kagome sighed in defeat. She followed her friends up the stairs and into her room, where a confused Inuyasha lie in bed. He coughed and swallowed the phlegm that pooled into his mouth.

"Hi!"

"Are you okay?"

"You're really thin!"

"Are you actually sick, or are you trying to be pitiful?"

"What's wrong?"

"What happened?"

Inuyasha was bombarded with questions and comments until he covered his head with his arms and hid under the blanket. "Okay, okay! I surrender! Now leave me alone!" he cried.

"Guys, leave him alone. He's not feeling well!" Kagome called desperately.

The trio quieted, blushing. Inuyasha deemed it safe to peek out from under the blanket, golden eyes searching. All clear, He thought, and he sat up.

Yuka ventured forward with, "How are you feeling?"

Inuyasha blinked and shook his head. "Horrible." He replied.

"Oh."

"What were you expecting?"

"I didn't expect it to be that bad."

He just shrugs and lies down again, snuggling under the blankets and sighing.

Kagome sat down next to him and he laid his head on her lap. She tenderly stroked his hair. Eri smiled slightly and asked, "Do you know what he has?"

"I'm not sure. But I do know that it isn't contagious." Kagome said in response. Inuyasha buried his head in her lap.

Another string of comments followed this, and Inuyasha wondered if they'd ever leave.

Thankfully, they soon got bored (which, of course, seriously surprised Kagome) and decided it was time to leave.

"See ya!"

"Get well soon!"

"Hope you feel better!"

God…they are some kind of crazy. Inuyasha thought with an exhausted sigh.

"Man, Kagome, I don't know how you put up with them." He said, awed.

"I don't know either." Kagome replied sheepishly.

Grrrrrrooooowwwwwwwwwwwllllllll…

"What…was that?" Kagome asked.

"Um…I don't know…" Inuyasha murmured.

"I think you do. Was that your stomach?"

He blushed, giving himself away.

"But you can't eat!"

"Actually," he said in a knowledgeable voice, "I figured out how I can."

"How, Monsieur Einstein?"

He ignored that comment and explained:

"Have you ever seen Animal Cops Detroit?" (I LOVE that show :P)

She nodded.

"Did you see that episode with the little black Pitt Bull the owners left in the snow?" (A/N: this is an actual episode.)

"Yes, but I don't see how this links with how you can eat."

"You'll see how it does in a minute. Anyways, remember how they said they couldn't give the dog a lot of food because she was so emaciated that it would be a shock to her system?"

"Yes."

"Well, I figure that the disease in my body is not used to food. I think that if I eat small amounts and allow my system to grow accustomed to it, then I will be able to eat without throwing up."

Kagome just stared. "Wow."

He grinned. "I know."

"Okay then. I'll bring you a little bit of meat or something from dinner last night so you can test your hypothesis out."

"Thanks, Kags." He replied, smiling.

"Kags?"

"It's your new nickname." Inuyasha said smugly.

"Whatever."

Kagome headed downstairs to the kitchen where her mom was cooking some stew for dinner.

"Hey mom, when's that stew going to be done?" Kagome asked her mother.

"Maybe in five, ten minutes. Why?" Mrs. Higurashi replied without looking up from the pot.

"I want to take some to Inuyasha."

"I thought he couldn't eat."

"Well," Kagome started, "He's smarter than I thought. He figured out how he can eat and he's gonna test his hypothesis out."

"Wow. That surprises me." Mrs. Higurashi said, smiling at her daughter. "Well, I hope that works out. Good luck!" She handed her daughter a bowl of stew and a spoon.

"Thanks mom." Kagome said happily before heading back upstairs.

When she walked in, Inuyasha was waiting somewhat impatiently. He stared at the bowl as she sat down next to him.

"That doesn't look like meat to me." He said.

"Nope. It's better. My mom just made it." She said, handing him the bowl.

He stared down into the stew. It smelled delicious, and he knew it would be difficult to eat only small amounts. Taking the spoon from Kagome, he filled it with the reddish liquid and brought it to his lips, taking a sip.

"Mmm…delicious." He murmured. He sat still for about five minutes before taking two more sips.

This routine continued, the sips doubling every five minutes and not once did he so much as feel like he would throw up. Feeling very proud of himself, he finished off the bowl with a flourish.

"Your mom has to be, like, the best cook in all of Japan." He said, smiling. "I want some more."

Kagome giggled. "Okay Inuyasha, I'll get you some more."

She picked up the empty bowl and headed downstairs. As she walked down the steps, a thought occurred to him.

Hm…my own personal maid…and a beautiful one at that, he thought smugly, watching her leave.

She returned with another full bowl and he downed it in record time, enjoying his first meal in about a week.

"Hey, Inuyasha, I need to go to the feudal era for a moment to make sure everything is all right and to see if they've found anything out about your illness. Is that fine with you?" Kagome asked suddenly.

Inuyasha looked up from his bowl and nodded. "Sure. Just come back, okay?"

"You know I will." Kagome said, stroking Inuyasha's cheek affectionately.

He nodded and watched her as she stood up and turned to leave. But before she left, she turned and gave him a hug.

Inuyasha blushed but didn't complain. He didn't want her to leave but he knew that she would be fine.

Scene Change!!!!!!

"What is it?"

Kagome turned a leather book over in her hands.

" 'Tis a book on youkai." Kaede said. "I was not able to understand the writing, but ye may be able to."

Kagome opened the book and examined the writing within. "It's written in Old English." She observed. "I didn't know they wrote in books and in English here."

"Aye, we don't. That book came from a merchant that was passing through. I went to buy herbs when I spotted that book. I figured ye would like it." Kaede said.

Kagome looked up at the old miko, her eyes shining. "Oh, thank you, Kaede!" she cried, hugging the old woman.

Kaede smiled and looked at the reincarnation of her older sister. "Take care of Inuyasha. It will never be the same without him calling me an old coot and complaining all the time." She said, her eyes humorous.

"You have no idea, Kaede." Kagome replied. "Time for me to go back. Thanks, Kaede! I appreciate it!"

"Goodbye, Lady Kagome!"

The aforementioned miko waved and walked towards the well. Opening the book, she skipped the small introduction and moved on to a chapter entitled, "Youkai Breeds".

Very sophisticated, Kagome thought with a smile as she went to the part on inu youkai.

She searched and searched and finally found a breed that seemed to fit Inuyasha. It was written in a very old-fashioned way but she managed to translate it into this:

Flame-Eared inu-youkai(A/N: Yeah, weird name. but I couldn't figure out a snazzier one. Gimme a break, okay? O.o)

Named for the fluffy wolf-like ears ocassionally sported by some specimens of the breed, the Flame-Eared inu-youkai is one of the most endangered breeds of inu-youkai. The breed's numbers have quickly decreased due to human intervention and castration complex, or the castration of a male by the father in response to the male having sexual interest in the mother. Castration is very common among the breeds, not just in complex, but the castration of younger males of a small pack to prevent inbreeding or threats to the dominance of the alpha male. However, once a castrated male leaves his pack, he is unable to breed, therefore dooming his breed.

There is no record of obeseness amongst Flame-Ears, as all specimens have been found to be lean and muscular from birth. However, lone Flame-Ears tend to be leaner and more muscular than those living in packs, due to the difficulty of having to provide food and shelter on its own. When they do band up, packs of Flame-Ears range from a male, his mate, and their offspring and their mates, to several of these famlies combined. Lone males are often considered threats and are run off unless the group has no alpha male. Females can give birth to three pups at a time, though more often than not one or two die or are killed. The gestation period is 180 days (five months). Males are often taller than most human warriors. Females aren't often seen, as they do not need to come out for anything more than fresh air, as her mate or, if in a pack, the males of the group provide her with food, water, warmth and bedding.

Flame-Ears are very protective of mates or of what they think or know is theirs –

Kagome looked up and realized she was in front of the well.

"Oh well. I'll finish reading this later." She murmured to herself as she leapt through the well to her time.

Who-wee! That took forever and a day. Lol anyways, here's your chapter. Now quit bugging me XD

Wuffies,

Shahirah Abal