She slowly surfaced from sleep as if she were swimming up from a deep ocean. It was warm, this ocean, and comfortable. Part of her really didn't want to surface, but a bigger part of her knew she had to, so she rose.
But she went slowly.
She started remembering what had happened. A fight. With Neith and Xether. Reaching for the Shikon.
It was like she was watching a movie, images flashing before her. She wasn't upset or frightened, but watched it all simply.
InuYasha, kneeling on the ground, helpless and furious. His long silver hair trailing in the dirt.
She opened her eyes slowly.
Outside the cave, the wind blew stronger. The leaves in the trees rustled and danced, sounding like rainfall. Moonlight would almost flare, casting dark shadows amongst the trees, before a cloud would slide over it's face, throwing everything into darkness.
It was oddly beautiful.
InuYasha's scent lay all around her.
She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. His haori was tucked around her, resting against her nose and mouth. Everytime she breathed in, she got that fall apple scent that she always associated with him, and his own, personal scent.
She realized how calming it was to her. How content it made her.
Outside, the moonlight flared up again, dazzling.
She was still tired, but warm, and so very comfortable.
Slowly, she woke more, senses starting to sharpen. After a minute or two, she became away of just why InuYasha's scent seemed wrapped around her.
She was seated on his lap.
His haori draped over her, she was seated upon his lap, leaning against him, the right side of her body against him, her head resting against his left shoulder. From where she sat, she could feel his left arm curled around behind her, hand resting lightly against her left hip. His other arm was resting atop the haori, arm resting across her thighs, hand dangling over the edge.
Kagome remained still, surprised she wasn't panicking. As she lay there, she realized she could feel him breathing, soft, slow, steady breaths, and could hear his heart beating. He seemed relaxed, and she guessed he was probably asleep. His wounds had been worse than he had thought.
Kagome watched as the moonlight came and went outside the cave, listened to the wind sighing high in the sky, hissing amongst the leaves. She realized she could almost see her breath in the cave, but was so warm where she sat.
Kagome felt so comfortable, so safe, so content, so right, and she thought to herself, I've missed this. I've missed this so much.
She felt her eyes prickle as tears threatened.
I don't want to love him anymore. I'll just get hurt, over and over and over. He can't help himself. He loves Kikyo too much. I accept that. But I can't be walked on anymore, and InuYasha can't help but walk on me when she's around. I asked him to change, and he tried. He really did. But he can't.
Please...please, don't let me be falling back in love with him. I don't want to.
She felt him shift slightly, and she pulled an arm out from under the haori, quickly wiping at the traitorous tears that were starting to form.
His voice was quiet, and hesitant, "Kagome?"
She sat up a little, holding the haori to her, looking up at him, not surprised to see he was looking down at her, alert, a concerned look on his face. He wasn't even blushing, was too concerned about her, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," she said very quietly, not moving, "You?"
"Me?"
"Your wounds."
"Practically healed," he said simply. She studied his face, and saw with approval the cuts, the burns on his face were already looking like they were several days old, not new. In another few hours, they would look a week old.
By tonight, they would look months healed.
She spoke quietly, "Why..."
"You were shivering," he said, "It's gotten colder in here. Even with my haori, you were shivering. I just thought...you know...with your arm, and being so tired and everything...it was a great way to get sick."
"I've probably bled on you, though."
He said nothing.
InuYasha watched her, and loosened his arms a little, waiting for her to rise, to pull away, to stand up, and he was startled to feel her sit back down again.
And shocked when she leaned against him again, resting her head against his chest.
Carefully, he slid his arms back around her, gazing down at the top of her head. In the low light, her hair looked like pure ink, poured over her, slipping down her back, resting against his arm.
"Why are you always warm?" she asked quietly.
InuYasha blinked, feeling his face blush slightly, "Huh?"
She didn't move, but spoke gently, "You always feel warm. Are hanyou naturally warmer than humans?"
"I...I don't know," he said lamely, not sure what to say.
They were quiet for a bit. Kagome watched the moonlight, InuYasha watched Kagome. Her scent was soft and warm to his nose, calming.
When he had first come into the cave with her, his mind had been on one thing; that he had turned demon again. He was sure that she must have been hurt, somehow, and he was frantic to search her, find some injury that proved he had attacked her.
Finding her unharmed, by him at least, was a strong relief.
Since that first time he had turned into a demon, back in that village, where that demon had been killing those women, and both him and Miroku had been trapped in the demon moth's ball of silk...he had turned full demon several times. And since then, he realized he had come to rely on Kagome when it happened. Because...as bad as it got, Kagome's "Sit" command always brought him back. And she knew as long as he had his Tetsusaiga in hand, he was safe.
He knew she would look out to him.
Keep him from turning. With her around, he was afford a rare luxury of not having to worry about it, because she would keep an eye on it for him. He knew that if the worst came to the very worst, and he turned...Kagome would keep him from killing anyone. Keep him from just...rampaging.
She would make sure he stayed normal.
So why did he turn today?
He closed his eyes, thinking about the attack. Certainly, hearing Kagome making those horrible soft, pain-filled sounds had gouged into him. Every time Neith had yanked back her hair, twisting his fist, he had wanted to lash out, to cut off the offending hand. And when Xether had stabbed her...
Was that what happened, then? Her pain hurt me so damn much that I changed?
He mentally cursed. Something else to worry about?
And Kagome had used the Shikon.
He wasn't sure what to say, or do. He hated the thought of it. The last time she used it, it had done something to her. Kaede likened it to literally pulling a muscle in her head. She had gone back as if to an infant, unable to walk, unable to talk. And although within hours, and days, she regained everything she had, her memory had been affected. She couldn't remember him at all.
It had been another day before everything had come back to her.
Now, the second time she had been forced to use it, and he had been unable to be there for her, to help her.
He mentally cursed.
But...at least she seems ok. She's exhausted, but ok. So..that's a good sign, I guess.
"InuYasha?"
"Yeah?"
"What about Neith? Hasn't he come in after us? He must know we're here somewhere."
InuYasha looked out through the cavern entrance, "I've gotten his scent a few times while you were sleeping. He's definately looking for us. He knows we're somewhere nearby, but can't locate us."
"The Shikon is shielding us."
He blinked, looking down at her.
"I can feel it," she said quietly, "It's put some sort of barrier at the cavern entrance. We're hidden in here."
"Maybe that's why it got so cold," he said, "It's keeping the cold cave air in here too."
"Maybe."
"How long do you think...?"
"I don't know," she said quietly, "Because I don't think I'm doing it myself."
"What?"
"The Shikon senses I'm exhausted. I think it's trying to hide me from Neith, so I can rest, get my strength back."
InuYasha fell silent, but inwardly nodded. Good.
They remained together a little while longer. Kagome was still tired, but no longer so tired it was hard to think. She started thinking she should move, should stand up. She was afraid the longer she stayed there, the more InuYasha may take it wrong.
Even if she was starting to have...stronger...feelings for him, she refused to let herself act on them. Show them. It would just lead to her pain again. She would not admit it.
Not to him.
Not aloud to herself.
But it was hard trying to get up. She was so warm. So comfortable. And she felt so...safe and secure in his arms.
She shifted, and felt his arms tighten slightly, in protest. Kagome was just about to say something, when a voice echoed outside the cave.
"InuYasha! Kagome! I know you're here, you worm-crawling bastards! Come out and face me! I'll peel your flesh from your bones!"
Kagome heard InuYasha curse, glaring towards the door, "Guess he's finally started homing in."
She looked at him, worriedly, "Are you rested enough to fight him?"
InuYasha nodded, "I'm ok."
Kagome stood up, feeling the cold air in the cave swirl around her, as she followed him towards the cave entrance. She watched InuYasha check to made sure Tetsusaiga was at his hip, before he turned to the cave entrance.
"Wait," she called, and he looked back, to see her running towards him, haori out.
InuYasha shook his head, "Put it back on."
Kagome blinked, "What? No. You need this, it's like...your armor. You're only wearing your gi."
He turned to her, "My haori's powers are against fire. Neith doesn't have fire as an attack, I won't need it."
"I don't need it either!" she protested.
He spoke softly, "It's still cold in here. Put it back on."
She felt lost, and a little angry. He was going into battle, why couldn't he stop thinking about her? So what if she got cold?! He might need it to stop a blade or something!
"The worst that'll happen is I get a cold," she protested, holding it out to him.
"I...I'd rather you wear it, ok?" he spoke, "I'll feel better, knowing you're wearing it."
Kagome faltered a little, lowering the haori.
Why do you have to be so..so..stupid!? she mentally raged at him, You're going into battle! I'm not! Are you honestly saying you'll be distracted by the thought I might be cold?
But she said nothing, and silently slipped it back on.
InuYasha watched her quietly. The haori was volumnous on him; it almost swallowed Kagome whole. The one time she had worn it because she had nothing else, she had managed to shorten it by tying it up, ending up with a rather silly-looking bow on her butt. But now she just stood there, his haori hanging on her, like a child playing dress-up. The ends almost came down to her knees, the sleeves hanging past her hands.
She suddenly seemed to look so tiny, he had an overwhelming desire to walk over to her, and kiss her forehead.
He looked back out into the forest, then back to her.
"You stay in here, you hear me? No matter what you hear, you stay in here."
Kagome blinked, suddenly afraid, "What do you mean?"
"The SolarFlare is there for me to use now, but I don't know how this fight will go. Not yet. I'll fight better if I know you can't be touched in here. So promise me you'll stay inside."
Kagome watched him, dark eyes worried, but she nodded. She had been a hinderance enough tonight. This was serious. Despite wanting to help him, she knew she couldn't, and her presence would just distract him from doing what he did best; fight.
"I promise. I'll stay in here.
But I know you'll kill him, InuYasha.
I know you will."
InuYasha paused, and smiled at her, and she was suddenly very glad she said it. He needed a confidence boost now, badly, and just knowing she believed in him meant a lot.
"Of course I will," he suddenly grinned, that grin that she loved so much, and then he turned, and lunged outside, and was gone.
"I know you will," she said again, almost a whisper, trying to convince herself.

InuYasha lunged out of the cave, moving at top speed. If Neith truly didn't know where they had been, the shorter amount of time he was near the cave entrance, the less likely Neith would realize Kagome was still in there.
He ran along the ground, skimming the dry grass, eyes and ears alert for attack.
It wasn't long in coming.
Even above the wind, his ears heard the whirring sound, and he looked over his shoulder to see a long black crescent sweeping down towards him.
He cursed, and jumped to the side, angling upwards. Behind him the crescent sank deep into the ground before exploding upwards, rocks, dirt and debris bursting outwards.
InuYasha landed, spinning in place, feet sliding backwards on the ground, facing Neith.
The Shadeling hovered about 10 feet off the ground, his face a mask of rage and hatered. The long black blade in his hand shimmered with a deadly glow.
"Oh you bastard," Neith panted, "How I will make you and your bitch suffer."
"Don't count on it," InuYasha yelled upwards, raising Tetsusaiga, "You were lucky the first time. That ain't happenin' again!"
"You could have had everything!" Neith suddenly screamed, "Power, fear from the lesser people! You could have been so far above them, you fool! You could have been like a God among men! I offered it to you, it was in the palm of your hand!"
"All you offered me was the chance to become a monster!" InuYasha hollared back, "I saw what you offered me, and I didn't want it! Yeah I had power! I had armies, I had money and soldiers and everyone respected me and feared me! But what the Hell good was that, when I killed my friends!? All that's hollow if I had to be alone!"
Neith ground his teeth in fury.
InuYasha continued, "But you could never see that, could you!? All you saw was power! I kinda feel sorry for you, you know that? You have power, and you have fear and respect, but you never had friends, did you!?"
"I would have been your friend, you fool!"
InuYasha blinked, stepping backward. He tightened his hand on the hilt of Tetsusaiga.
"We are the same, InuYasha!" Neith screamed down at him, wild in his anger, "We are both half-breeds! You are half demon! I am half Shadeling! I was willing to accept you because I knew what a half-breed could do! I saw you for what you could have become!"
InuYasha half shook his head, uneasy. Neith had basically wanted to include InuYasha, make him one of them, not just because he saw what InuYasha could have become, but because he was lonely?!
"We would have been as brothers!" Neith yelled, "I would have supported you and fought by your side! We would have been unstoppable, and you threw it away for them?!"
InuYasha snorted, "If you had told me all this before you kidnapped them and tortured them, I might have been able to understand you. But you went too far, Neith! You hurt them all! Kagome, Miroku, Sango...even Shippo!" InuYasha's fangs flashed in the low light, "You made Shippo think I was going to kill him, and he was willing to let me do it so he wouldn't be alone! You're nothing but a sick bastard!"
Neith spoke, startling InuYasha with the sudden change of topic, "Where is Kagome?"
"Never you mind where Kagome is. She's somewhere you can't find her. Now shut up and attack me!"
Neith lifted his head, calling out to the forest, "Kagome! Get out here!"
"Get down here and fight me!"
"Come out, Kagome, or I'll split InuYasha straight down the middle! I'll carve out his heart, and give it to you as a gift, before I make you eat it!"

Kagome stood just inside the cave, looking out into the forest around her. The clearing before her was small, but when the moonlight came out, it was very easy to see. She watched InuYasha as he stood on the ground, calling up to Neith. Watched as Neith and InuYasha spoke. The wind pulled their words away from her; all she could hear was them yelling at each other.
Suddenly, Neith's voice rang out to her, over the sound of the wind, "Come out, Kagome, or I'll split InuYasha straight down the middle! I'll carve out his heart, and give it to you as a gift, before I make you eat it!"
She said, and did, nothing, but she was grateful she could see everything where she was. If she had heard that, but hadn't been able to see anything...she wasn't sure she would have been able to stay inside the cave, despite her promise to InuYasha.

InuYasha ear flicked, trying to listen for the sounds of Kagome, fearful she might come out, but unable to look back for fear he'd give away her location. He watched as Neith's eyes scanned the area, searching, and felt himself relax a little. Kagome obviously hadn't emerged.
Good.
Neith looked down at InuYasha again, and grinned, a cold, hard smile.
"You killed her. You killed my beloved Xether."
InuYasha said nothing.
"For the first time, I was happy. Really happy. But you destroyed all that. You tainted it.
And for that I'll obliterate you!"
Neith dove towards InuYasha, screaming, face enraged.
InuYasha lunged to the side, swinging. The Tetsusaiga scored a hit on Neith's face, but it only scratched the skin, hardly made a mark.
Neith darted backwards, then lunged ahead again, swinging. InuYasha lunged back, feeling the edge of the blade miss his face by mere inches. The air that followed it was frigid, and he knew it would have burned had it made contact.
InuYasha turned, and darted sideways, trying to put some distance between himself and Neith. If he was going to use the SolarFlare, he needed room.
But Neith knew that as well, and he continued to press his advantage, always on top of the hanyou, forcing him to defend instead of attack.
Neith was faster, too, and swinging his black blade in a powerful arc, he managed to score a hit along InuYasha's arm. His white gi parted like paper, blood flowing and darkening the edges of the fabric. He felt it burn with an icy touch, causing his arm to go cold.
InuYasha kept a tight grip on the Tetsusaiga, though, and he turned, swinging outwards again, weilding the blade one-handed.
Neith brought up his blade, and the Tetsusaiga struck it with a clang! that ricocheted across the clearing.
Grinning like a wild beast, Neith pushed back against the Tetsusaiga, forcing InuYasha to take several quick steps backwards to keep his feet.
Around the clearing in this manner they went, Neith always pressing, moving forward, InuYasha being forced to back up, keep making distance between them, fending off one attack after another. He mentally cursed, desperate to make an opening. While he was holding his own for now, even he couldn't fight like this forever, and his arm was starting to ache.
Wind gusted through the clearing, and a could passed over the moon. The clearing darkened slightly, and InuYasha, jumping backwards, landed slightly wrong. He stumbled, and Neith was on him.
He ducked the sweeping blow that would have beheaded him, but Neith reversed his arm, and struck InuYasha in the face with the pommel of his sword.
Pain exploded across his face, across his sensitive nose, and he fell backwards, staggering. He knew Neith would take this advantage, so he lowered his sword, and leapt away, as far as he could, trying to put distance between them.
Hot liquid slipped into his eyes, and he cursed, raising a hand to wipe his face. His white gi sleeve came away bloodied, from a split forhead and bloody nose.
Behind him he could hear Neith chasing after him, swinging his black blade, cackling gleefully as he chased after the hanyou.
Wiping his face again, he turned, lunging back out with his blade, catching Neith off guard.
The Tetsusaiga struck him square in the chest, but it didn't cut. Instead it pushed Neith backwards, casting him back to slam into a tree, as if InuYasha had struck him with a club, not a blade.
Spinning, planting his feet, InuYasha reached for the SolarFlare, and sent it tearing out towards the Shadeling.
Neith was pushing himself off the tree, grunting in pain. Seeing the SolarFlare ripping towards him, he lunged to the side, his long blue hair rippling as he went, and the sun's fire engulfed the tree.
InuYasha cursed, and tracked Neith with his eyes, watching. The Shadeling shook off his shock, and came at InuYasha again. The tree that had been struck with the SolarFlare remained standing, untouched.
"Stand still!" Neith screamed, swinging at InuYasha.
InuYasha raised the Tetsusaiga again, deflecting another attack. The two swords clashed, and InuYasha planted his feet. Throwing all his weight behind his sword, with an angry hollar, he shoved Neith back, hard, several feet.
Keeping the Tetsusaiga moving, he followed through with the attack, letting the blade swing out, then back again. he carried the motion up, bringing the Tetsusaiga up over his head, and then down, to sink the blade deep into the eart.
"SolarFlare!"
The SolarFlare tore outward, ripping into the ground as it came.
Neith had no time.
It engulfed him, bowling him backwards, setting fire to him. From within the golden and red flames, an agonized scream tore out for less than a second, then it was silenced.
The backdraft of the SolarFlare blew against InuYasha, setting his clothing and hair flying about, and he struggled to stay on his feet. His hands tightened on the hilt.
The SolarFlare roared it's anger for another second or two, before it started to fizzle out. The flames lessened, lessened, then died out.
InuYasha eased up on his grip, warily watching, looking for Neith.
The only sign of the Shadeling, was a charred spot on the ground, a small bit of his clothing. The grass and trees remained standing.
As he watched, the wind took the charred remains, and blew them away, casting them into the air.
InuYasha watched, then let out his breath in a long sigh.
It was over.
Neith was dead.

InuYasha made his way back towards the cave. He felt odd...there were two emotions warring inside him. Elation that the bastard was dead, and a strange, almost empty feel. It felt so odd to know that both Xether and Neith had finally been defeated. He had hated Neith for so long...had hated his guts, had almost fantasized about killing him, and now...now he was well and truly gone.
"InuYasha!"
He looked up to see Kagome leave the cave, come running towards him. His red haori flopped and swished around her so comically that he found himself smiling. Like a big red blob, she made her way towards him.
As she got closer, though, he saw her face. She was pale, and her eyes were wide as she watched him.
"InuYasha, are you ok?" she ran up to him, searching his face, his body closely. She saw blood on the sleeve of his gi, and dried blood on his face.
"I'm ok."
"The blood-"
"It's stopped. Neith got a lucky hit."
She ran her eyes over his face, at the wound on his forehead, and winced, "Are you sure you're ok?"
"I'll be fine," he said, and started to feel his wounds. The few that were still healing ached a little, and his forehead definately stung.
Kagome studied him, and spoke softly, "He's gone. You killed him."
InuYasha said nothing, just looked at her.
She suddenly smiled, "I knew you could do it."
InuYasha smiled back at her, tired, sore, but proud.
"Come on, we should get back to the camp. Miroku and Sango must be wondering what on earth happened to us."
InuYasha looked over his shoulder, back where he had slain Neith, then back to her, and nodded.

They walked along the path. The wind was still strong, tugging their hair, their clothing, but outside the cave it was warm. Kagome looked up at the moon. It was in it's last quarter, waning.
She spoke before she knew it, "The new moon is coming soon."
InuYasha cursed as he walked beside her, "I'm starting to think there's two every month now, instead of one."
Kagome looked at him, smiling gently, "It's not that bad, is it? I mean, we're not running from Naraku any more, and we have a good place to stay. The village is a good place to stay while it happens."
"Yeah, I guess."
Kagome looked at him, "How's your face?"
He grinned at her, "Will you stop asking? It's fine. Once I get the dried blood off, you'll see it's fine."
"Well, when we get back, you change into your other clothing, and tomorrow I'll wash this and your gi, and mend the tears."
He fell silent, watching her as they walked, and spoke softly, "You don't have to do that."
Kagome spoke before she knew she was going to, "I want to."
Silence. They walked side by side, practically in step.
He spoke again, soft, "Thank you."
Kagome just nodded, saying nothing.
They topped a small hill, looking down into the village. Most of the huts were black as it was late, and people were sleeping. They noticed a single candle burning in the hut they shared, though, as Miroku and Sango were likely waiting for them to return.
Kagome pulled his haori a little tighter around herself.
I have to be careful. My...my feelings... she refused to call it love, are back again, and strong. I have to make sure I don't...do or say anything to give him the wrong idea. That would be really wrong of me, very cruel. Even if I do have feelings for him, I'm not letting myself get too close. I'll just get hurt.
Beside her, InuYasha walked in silence. He glanced at her, as she walked, watching her, noticing she seemed lost in thought.
You let me hold you, Kagome. You stayed in my arms for a while, and didn't try to leave. I remember how good it feels, to just hold you.
I'm winning you back, aren't I? It's working. The steps have been small, so far, but tonight...you stayed with me.
I'll win you back yet. You'll see.
They crested the hill, walked down the small hill, and entered the village below.

END