Chapter 10:

Hard rain fell around the two figures of Inuyasha and Kagome hugging in a dark alley. The sky had shifted towards twilight, closing in on nighttime at last.

Kagome's perspective:

My stomach still aching from where that maniac had kicked me, I stood with my arms wrapped around Inuyasha, just relieved we were alive. Amazed at what Inuyasha had done to free us. All I could do was shake like a leaf and cry. It seemed like I cried in Inuyasha's arms for hours, although it was probably just a few minutes. I just couldn't stop. My pulse was still pounding, and every time I thought about what had almost happened to me, I broke down again.

Inuyasha had put his good arm around me, his hand smoothing my wet hair with calm even strokes. I felt his body shake, and at first I thought it was from emotion, but then my eyes sprang open with the realization that it came from his body coping with pain. 'He's just been shot three times, and he's standing in the rain just so I could cry on his shoulder?!' I thought incredulously.

Looking down at my clothes I saw with alarm just how selfish I had just been; my white sweater was stained red with his blood. Inu Yasha hadn't said anything after I'd hugged him. His shoulder, oozing blood into the ruined oversized shirt I had given him this morning, hung limp at his side. Another large stain of red had spread at his stomach, where he was hunched over slightly after I stepped away.

Lower down, His hip was bloody as well, but his shirt hung over it so I couldn't see how bad it was. He was favoring his other leg to keep himself up. His normally alert golden eyes had lost focus. Against all odds, his baseball hat had stayed on his head, which hadn't stopped the rain from soaking his hair, plastering it to his face and neck.

Hastily, I slung his good arm over my shoulders, helping him walk back across the street so we could go home.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." I decided out loud. He had lost a lot of blood.

With a jerk he released himself from my support.

"No hospitals!" he said fiercely, his words a little slurred. "I'll be ok." He mumbled continuing to hobble without me the rest of the way across the street.

"Inuyasha, are you stupid?! You could die!" I cried in disbelief. Saying that out loud caused fresh tears to come to my eyes. I couldn't stand the thought of a creature as beautiful and brave as him dying. "You have to go." I said firmly.

"NO!" He shouted, pausing to look at me over his shoulder. His golden-amber eyes were feverish, and seemed to take on their own light. "If I go to a hospital, do you know what they will do to me after I recover?!" Perhaps seeing the tears in my eyes mixing with the rain running down my cheeks, his face softened. "I would never be free, Kagome. I would rather die." He said softly, as he looked away, walking again. "I'll be okay Kagome. Trust me."

Coming to our dropped bags, I gathered them up. I was not going to lose these clothes. Not after all the trouble we'd just been through. My arms full, I walked next to Inuyasha, his arm draped over my shoulder. Lending him a little of my strength, we eventually came to the entrance to the shrine. The steps leading up to my house now looked about as impossible to climb as a cliff side.

Looking up at Inuyasha, I saw his face take on a determined look. Pushing away from me, he started quickly up the steps, taking them sometimes two at a time. Alarmed, I ran after him, ready to catch him if he slipped. But he just kept going, huffing each time he took a step, we reached the top rather quickly. Not pausing at the top, probably afraid if he lost his momentum he would never start again, he continued straight to the door, where I caught up, quickly unlocking the door and opening it for us.

Now I had to decide where to put him. The couch was out of the question. Since my mom's room had a king size bed in it, I decided to take him there. But first, I had to clean him up! Dropping the clothes, I took his arm, leading him up to the bathroom. Knowing we had some bandages there, I sat him on the edge of the bathtub, finding the first aid kit under the sink.

"Inuyasha, um, you're going to need to ditch the clothes. I'll go get you some shorts." I explained.

Inuyasha's eyes had started to drift closed, but they popped open when I started talking.

"Why is it every time I come to your house, I end up naked?" He asked, grinning.

I couldn't stop a giggle at that. "Just your luck, I guess. I'll be right back."

Running, I got a pair of boxers from my grandpa's closet, and came back. Inuyasha had already taken off everything but his underwear. With his hat off at last, I could finally look at his ears; I had missed them. This time, It wasn't as much fun to look at him, now that I saw his wounds.

"Put these on," I said, tossing them to him.

As he did so, I got the first aid kit ready, and started cleaning his wounds with disinfectant after he had put the boxers on.

"Promise me, that you won't call the police or something when I'm sleeping Kagome." He said suddenly.

Looking at him in surprise, I shook my head and looked down, not meeting his eyes.

"I can't do that Inuyasha!" I argued. "You might need the help!"

Surprisingly I felt his hand gently cup my chin, tilting my face up as he leaned close to me, his entrancing eyes only a half-foot away. "Kagome, I- I've been shot before. I have never needed a hospital. I might get worse for a while, but I won't die. Do you trust me?" He asked gently. Looking into his golden eyes I could barely breath. My heart pounded in my ears at his touch. But staring at him, I found that I really did trust him. I nodded slowly, trapped. "Then promise me. Please."

"I promise." I said defeated. I prayed he was right. "Let me see the wound in your hip." I continued, still unable to look away from him.

How could I have known him for only one day?! It was suddenly hard for me to imagine what it was like not knowing him. Releasing my chin, he looked down at his wound. With a grimace, he reached down and pulled down his boxers slightly, giving me a look at the bullet hole in his hip. 'How could he be alive after all this?! Why wasn't he crying?' I thought to myself in awe as I cleaned that wound too. I worried about the bullets still inside him, but I couldn't do anything about it. Hopefully Inuyasha had thought of that.

Taking a couple rolls of bandages, I wound them around his torso, then his hip, pulling them tight. Blood soaked them immediately, but it looked like they were doing the job. Moving to his shoulder, I repeated the process. When I was done, he looked like a half naked mummy. A cute one. Leading him to my mothers' bed, I sat him down. Getting a bunch of towels, I put them down laying Inu Yasha on top of them. Mom would not like seeing bloodstains on her bed when she got back. Putting more towels on top of him, so he wouldn't get her covers bloody, I tucked him in. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out, snoring softly.

I paused over him for a second, just looking. His silver hair framed his face, flowing over the covers. His right ear twitched every now and then, as he softly breathed in and out. I gave a little jump when I noticed that his bruise from the head wound he had gotten earlier today was almost completely gone. Nothing healed that fast. I started to believe him about him going to be ok.

But then he started to shake, and then to hunch around his wounds, and it was all I could do to stay strong and not cry again. I went and got some water and a damp rag, and I settled down next to him over the covers in my moms' bed. Dabbing his forehead, and putting a little water to his lips when it seemed like he needed it.

I was still wet, so I got up after awhile and changed into shorts and a slightly oversized shirt, my usual pajama outfit. Coming back to Inu Yasha, I saw he was groaning, and twisting while he slept. Settling in next to him again, I wiped the fresh sweat off his forehead with the rag.

I hadn't realized how exhausted I had been, and before I knew it I had drifted to sleep, and dreamed.

I was running in a sunny meadow, laughing and enjoying the feeling of just using my body, running. Then the meadow darkened as a shadow covered everything. Looking up into the sky, I saw not the sunshine, but the gangster with the gun. His black eyes seemed to swallow up all light, and he was looking hungrily at me. Wanting me.

Screaming, I ran, but he was always there, just over my shoulder. I kept running, panting in fear, until suddenly I reached the end of the meadow, and all that I saw beyond it was air. Looking down I saw that the meadow ended in a cliff, with a bottom I couldn't see. Turning just as the maniac reached me, I took a step back. One step further and I would fall. He reached out a giant black arm to grab me, and so I made my decision; I jumped, screaming as I fell. After a while the ground finally reached up to claim me.

With a cry I sat upright in the bed, sweat covering my body. With a trembling hand I wiped the sweat off my brow. Beside me, Inuyasha had started convulsing, coughing and panting. He still slept, but he looked like he was getting weaker.

Idiot! Why had I promised not to call someone?' I scolded myself as I watched his struggles get weaker and weaker. 'Because he looked at you with his big doe eyes, and asked you not to.' A sarcastic voice in the back of my brain scoffed back.

Suddenly his struggles stopped. I felt a cold hand clench my heart. More scared than I have ever been in my life, I leaned over Inuyasha and put my ear to his chest, listening for his heartbeat. I found none. NO! Frantically I got on my knees beside him, and with my palms folded on top of one another began pumping at his chest like I had been taught in school.

'Don't die.' I prayed frantically as I pushed at his chest, 'Don't die!' Tears streamed down my face, as I did it again, the bed shaking with the force, "DON'T DIE!" I cried out loud as I kept repeating the process.

Suddenly his hand came up and grabbed my wrist, holding it. Shocked and hopeful, I leaned over to look down at his face, my tears falling onto his cheeks. His eyes opened slightly, showing a slit of gold.

"Damn it, woman," he whispered, his voice barely audible, "I've been rained on enough today."

His grip relaxed, and his fell once more into a deep sleep.

To be continued...