AN: Nothing really to say. But I would like to take this time to thank all the people that have reviewed and have added this story to their favorites list! You guys rock and are the reason that I keep writing!
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Healing Scars
Chapter 9: Contact
Coming slowly back to consciousness I blink in the orange afternoon sunlight that is streaming into my room.
"Kagome?"
I blink again and focus on Inuyasha who is propped up against my bedside table watching me.
"Hey," I croak out. My throat is so dry! Ugh!
"Hey," he gives me a quick up turn of his lips, not really a smile, but I'll take what I can get.
"Ugh, how long was I asleep?" I groan, trying to stretch without moving my back too much.
"About eight hours, it's four in the afternoon," he says glancing over his shoulder at my alarm clock.
"Wow, I must have been really tired then," I mumble. I go to shift my left hand but am surprised to feel the weight of it. Glancing down, I stare for a couple of seconds before my brain registers what I am seeing. I am holding Inuyasha's hand!
Inuyasha follows my gaze and a quick blush steals over his face, 'Uh, yeah can I have my hand back?"
"Y-Yeah, sure," I am blushing now too, and quickly drop his hand. I remember now, how I had panicked and reached out for him right when I was falling asleep. Did he hold my hand the whole time I was asleep?
"You hungry?" he asks me suddenly. Apparently my stomach can now understand Japanese because right then it lets loose a huge growl.
I flush again embarrassed while Inuyasha smirks at me, "I'll take that as a yes. C'mon let's get you up."
He reaches for me and pulls me into his arms, before gently lowering my legs so that way I am standing, but so that I am leaning against his chest. I feel my legs wobble for a second but then they seem to get their bearings. I glance up at him and am startled to see how close our faces are. We are merely inches apart, the thought that we could kiss right now runs through my brain before I can stop it. Suddenly a hand is on my face gently cupping my cheek. He is staring at me, so intense and I know that I am blushing now. I feel his thumb move across my cheek in a small caress and my heart is beating a frantic tattoo in my chest. Part of me is wondering if he can hear it, the other part of me is telling myself to shut up and enjoy this. Abruptly I am engulfed in the sleeves of his fire rat robes as he wraps his arms around me in a hug. His arms are wrapped low on my waist to not disturb the stitches and I feel him bury his face into my hair, while my own face is pressed into his chest.
"Inuyasha?" I whisper, startled by the sudden affection that he is showing. He hasn't hugged me like this since that battle with Sesshomaru when afterwards he tried to seal the well.
He takes a deep breath, I can feel his chest expand and I am briefly distracted by the steady thumping of his heart. It was a wonderful sound and reminds me of all the times that I have been worried that it would stop. He is alive and I am alive to fight another day.
"Damn wench," he mutters into my hair, "don't you ever scare me like that again." His voice is full of repressed emotions and I know that me being injured like that is hard on him. He always takes any injury I receive as a personal blow to his fighting abilities. That if he had been a little faster or a little stronger I wouldn't have been hurt.
"Inuyasha," I murmur and I manage to free my arms from where they had pressed to my sides and wrap them around his neck. In response he pulls me tighter against him, not enough to crush but still I feel my breath catch in my throat a bit. We don't say anything for a while; we just stand there and enjoy each other's closeness. Finally, though my body protests and another huge growl erupts from my stomach.
He snorts into my hair and pulls back enough that I can look into his eyes; they have a playful quality to them that I am not used to seeing.
"Let's get you some food. You're starving, I'm starving and I can hear your mother downstairs cooking dinner."
I can't help but smile back at him, the mood is catching. Keeping an arm wrapped around my waist he helps support me out of the room and into the hall and down the stairs into the kitchen. My mom is there, standing in front of the stove stirring something that smells delicious in a pot. She looks up hearing us enter and a smile breaks out over her features.
"Kagome! You're up! How are you feeling dear?"
"I'm fine Mom, just a little sore and stiff," I reply as Inuyasha gets me settled on a cushion.
"That's good, glad to hear it dear. I am making you all some ramen, hope that's ok?" she asks, turning her back to us and going back to stirring.
"Yeah that's fine Mom. I think I would eat just about anything right now." My stomach gives another growl to back up my statement.
"Yeah ramen sounds great Mrs. Higurashi," says Inuyasha who sits down on a cushion next to me and is following my mother's movements like a hawk.
My mom laughs, "Well I knew you wouldn't complain Inuyasha. It seems like that's all you eat when you are here." She turns to the table holding the pot that I can now see is full of steaming noodles. She sets it down and begins dolling out portions into bowls while calling for the rest of my family.
"Sota, Dad, dinner's ready!"
The next second Sota comes flying into the kitchen and sits himself down opposite of me and Gramps comes in behind him and places himself opposite of Inuyasha. They both give me smiles and tell me that they are glad to see that I am up and about but I am only half listening. I am distracted by a weird tingling feeling that is creeping down my back. I shift trying to ignore it, but the feeling just intensifies. I frown and squirm again, this time catching the eye of the hanyou sitting next to me. He gives me a confused look, but I just shrug and force myself to sit still, even though the sensation of something creeping down my back is driving me crazy.
My mom hands me my bowl of ramen and I thank her and try to eat, hoping the feeling will pass. Inuyasha is wolfing down his portion of the meal but in mid bite he pauses and sniffs the air. I notice all of this out of the corner of my eye since I am trying to focus on my dinner afraid that if I look at anything else my discomfort would show in my face.
"Inuyasha?" my mother questions, no doubt noticing the he has stopped eating.
He doesn't respond, instead I can feel his gaze on the side of my face. I hazard a glance and meet shocked and worried golden eyes. His eyes move from me to my back to me again. He repeats the motion a couple of times before it clicks what he is trying to tell me without alerting my mother. My back. There is something wrong with my back and he can smell it. I narrow my eyes and give a barely noticeable shake of my head, warning him not to say anything. He frowns at me and gestures with his eyes to the door, clearly wanting us to leave so he can take a look. I again shake my head and look down at my food and then up at him. I don't want to raise suspicions, and it would look funny if we left in the middle of the meal. His frown deepens but turns away and again starts chowing down on the ramen like nothing is wrong. The whole exchange maybe took ten seconds.
"Inuyasha?" my mother questions again.
Swallowing a large mouthful of noodles Inuyasha says, "Sorry Mrs. Higurashi, just smelled something funny outside I guess."
Sota and Gramps seem to accept this answer and go back to eating since they too had paused when Mom had first questioned Inuyasha. Mom, however, I am not sure if she buys the story. She watches Inuyasha and me for a bit but then goes back to eating. Once I am sure no one is paying attention I drop my hand and grasp Inuyasha's thigh as tight as I can, using him to distract myself from the pain. Inuyasha jumps at the contact and shoots me another worried look, but doesn't say anything except to speed up his eating. I too am trying to hurry but with every minute that goes by the pain increases. I am gripping Inuyasha's thigh so tight that I know my knuckles have to be white; also I am sure that if Inuyasha was a normal human he would have bruises for days the shape of my fingers.
The second I swallow my last bite I am excusing myself from the table.
"Momma thanks for the food it was wonderful but apparently I am not as recovered as I thought I was so I am going to go back upstairs and lay down for a while." As I am saying this Inuyasha is already pulling me to my feet and starting to guide me towards the door and the safety of my room.
My mother blinks surprised but nods, "Ok dear, if you're sure you got enough to eat."
With that we are out the door as fast as I can walk, which is not very fast, but as soon as we get to the stairs I am pulled into Inuyasha's arms as he leaps up the stairs and into my room.
My only thought was, 'What had gone wrong now?'
AN2: Please R&R!
