Chapter 10- Getting Close

For the next few weeks, things have become very calm. Kagome had been spending much more time with Inuyasha and her friends. She had starting eaten with everyone, and she had become much more agreeable. But she had made it clear, that she wouldn't take orders from Inuyasha, and if he wanted her to do something, then they would compromise.

Things had been much quieter since the night that Inuyasha had protected Kagome from himself. The others had noticed the change around the castle since that night as well. Inuyasha had become much more patient and calmer, at least when Kagome was around. They could see that he was really trying to change for her. And that had given them something that they hadn't have for the last 7 years… hope.

It had been almost 3 weeks since Kagome had come to the castle, and late one evening, she was talking to Miroku and Sango in one of the many living rooms. Shippo hurried over to the window and smiled in delight. "It stopped snowing! Let's go out and play now Kagome!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Kagome laughed. "Sounds good!" she replied. She was as excited as he was. Holding Shippo's hand, she pulled open the heavy door and exited the room, leaving Miroku and Sango to give each other 'What just happened?' looks.

Sango shook her head. "That Kagome…she's unique, but in a good way," she said, walking to the window and watched as her two friends went running out into the courtyard.

Miroku smiled in agreement as went to stand beside her.

"He can have quite the temper sometimes," Sango concurred. "I'm just glad that the poor girl wasn't scarred for life. I can't believe that she forgave him so easily."

Miroku regarded her seriously. "She knows that it wasn't Inuyasha's fault. Once she understood what is going on, she had become much more understanding. Not only that, but I think that when she heard that Inuyasha was fighting to protect her, she might have realized that he's not all bad after all." He was silent for a moment before asking her, "Do you think that she could be the one to break the curse, Sango?"

Sango was taken aback. "What?" she asked in disbelief. "I-I don't know…I know that she and Inuyasha had been getting along better. I think that they might even be considered as friends by now… but actually falling in love? I just don't know. You don't just start loving someone like that," she snapped her fingers as she said that.

"I understand." Miroku nodded. "But all the same…I guess we won't know until the time comes, now will we?"

"I guess so," Sango said sadly as the pair looked out the window.

It was a clear night. Sango could faintly hear Shippo's laughter, but that was the only sound that penetrated the peace and tranquility that the dark night housed. There were no clouds in the sky, only the bright, twinkling lights that were the stars. They shone brightly against the coal-black sky.

"It's so beautiful out tonight," Sango said softly, as though afraid to disturb the serenity of the night. She allowed a small smile of contentment to grace her features.

"It is," Miroku approved quietly. "I guess that only people like us can appreciate scenes like this."

"Miroku…"

Miroku turned to smile at her. "Sango?"

Sango blushed. "Nothing," she muttered, sitting back down in her chair. She moved a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear and smoothed an invisible wrinkle on her skirt. She closed her eyes and sighed, only opening them when she felt a warm hand on top of her own.

"Miroku?"

The monk smiled at her. "Don't look so sad, Sango. It hides your beauty," he told her seriously.

Sango's face felt like hot coals. "Miroku…I-" Suddenly, a dark look overcame her face. Narrowing her eyes, she swung her palm and slapped the monk as hard as she could. "Pervert!" she yelled, referring to the hand that had been on her rear seconds earlier.

He just had to ruin the moment…

Sango stood up angrily and was just about to walk away when she saw another figure. "Inuyasha," she greeted cheerfully, all traces of anger gone.

The said human only nodded at her, but Sango didn't mind. She knew that he was lacking in the communication skills department.

Inuyasha looked at Miroku. "I want to talk about the jewel," Inuyasha said bluntly.

Miroku's eyebrows rose in surprise but he nodded anyway. "Would you prefer to walk and talk or just sit here?"

"Here's fine." Inuyasha sat in an empty chair and stuffed his hands into opposite sleeves. He didn't beat around the bush. "I assume that you all know that we are running out of time?"

Miroku frowned at him. "Yes. I've seen the jewel, and I know that judgment day is coming soon."

Sango spoke up. "But we still have time. I'm not promising anything… but things have gotten better around here. So maybe…"

Miroku looked at her sadly. "We absolutely still have time. But you guys know as well as I do that nothing short of pure love will be able to break the curse." Miroku turned back to Inuyasha. "So, what else were you saying Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked sour. "Nothing. I just wanted to know let you know that it might be best if you guys stay away from me tonight."

Miroku's head snapped up in surprise. "Why? Are you having another attack?"

Inuyasha merely shrugged. "I don't know. But lately, I've been able to feel when one is coming. Sometimes, it's a false alarm… but… all the same. I think that it's best that you all stay out of the west wing tonight."

As the other two nodded, he stood up. "I guess I'll be going now," he said.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned and looked at Sango. "Yeah?"

Sango pressed her lips together and gave him a sad smile. "You never really apologize for what happened that night."

Miroku looked surprised. "He never said that he was sorry?"

"How do you know?" Inuyasha asked at the same time.

Sango rolled her eyes at the ignorant men before her. "Kagome never once said anything about you apologizing," she told the monk sarcastically. She flicked her gaze back to Inuyasha. "And I know you Inuyasha. Kagome was really upset and scared that night. So, I think that she'd appreciate an apology."

Inuyasha just snorted. "You obviously don't know me as well as you think, Sango."

Sango rolled her eyes again. "I know you well enough, Inuyasha. I'm just saying that the girl has done nothing to you and you treated her terribly in the beginning. I'm glad that things have gotten so much better around here. But considering that tomorrow is her birthday, and she is going to be spending it with us instead of her family, I thought that it would be a good present. You only turn eighteen one time." Without another word, she stomped off, muttering about going hunting.

"Kagome is turning eighteen?" Miroku asked stupidly. He pouted. "How come Sango knows everything that is going on and I don't?" he asked in a mock sad voice.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Must be a woman thing."

Miroku nodded. "True, they do spend a lot of time talking." His face became serious again. "If it is her birthday tomorrow, an apology would be a present that I'm sure she'd appreciate. See you later, Inuyasha." He hurried off to catch up with Sango.

"It's not her birthday yet!" Inuyasha yelled after him, but the monk just gave him a backward wave and kept jogging.

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered.

A musical laughter floated through the night air, coming from outside. Inuyasha instantly recognized it as Kagome's laugh, even though he hardly heard it.

He went to the window and looked out. Shippo and Kagome were building a snowman. Having nothing better to do, he headed toward the stable to see what Kagome found so funny.

He had not taken more than two steps when he heard an earsplitting scream.

Kagome threw her head back and laughed. "And what did he do?" she asked Shippo with a giggle.

Shippo grinned. "He started moaning and complaining about how Sango crushed his heart,'" Shippo said. He had just finished telling Kagome about a time that Sango had dumped a bucket of water over Miroku's head while he was sleeping, leaving him in wet clothes for the entire day.

Kagome was about to comment when she suddenly stiffened.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" asked Shippo.

"Shippo, be quiet for a minute," Kagome whispered, feeling tense. Shippo's eyes grew round but he nodded.

It was silent but Kagome could sense a demonic aura just outside the stable…and she couldn't shoot arrows with her wrist in its current condition. She closed her eyes to focus her powers manually –

And a powerful shriek erupted through the air.

Shippo screamed. "Kagome!"

"Shippo, get behind me," Kagome commanded sharply. He complied and Kagome raised her eyes to meet those of the demon that she had sensed.

Oh, great. It was a giant centipede demon. The upper half was that of a woman with 6 arms, and a mouth with razor-sharp teeth and long black hair. It was a mistress centipede. Normally child's play for her, but right now…the best that she would be able to do was protect her. She wouldn't be able to do any damage.

Closing her eyes and muttering an incantation, Kagome focused…and conjured a barrier around herself and Shippo. Mistress centipede swung 6 arms at the barrier, only to receive a shock of purification. Kagome tensed and tried to keep her only protection in one piece. The demon howled and cried out, "Wretched Child!" before striking the barrier again.

This time, Kagome could barely keep it in place. Fearing for her life and Shippo's, she resorted to a last measure. She screamed.

As Inuyasha jumped out the window, and lightly landed on the ground. He then ran in the direction of the scream. It didn't take him long at all to see the mistress centipede demon that had its back turned to him. He clenched his fists apprehensively. Where was Kagome? It had been her scream, he was sure of it. He shifted sideways, so that he wouldn't alert the demon, and then he saw her. A flimsy, pink barrier was protecting her and Shippo.

Instinctively, Inuyasha's hand came to rest on the hilt of one of his swords. Before he was cursed, he used to always use his Tetsusaiga. It had the power to slay 100 demons with a single stroke when he was half-demon. But he hadn't used since the curse had been used on him.

"Oi! Ugly! Take off the mask! Did you know that you're scaring people?" Inuyasha called smirking. The beast turned and grunted. "Yeah, I'm talking to you! You're pretty stupid, attacking a purification barrier like that," Inuyasha said.

It was true. The demon was already sprouting many purification wounds on her paws, head and belly. Apparently, it was trying to destroy the barrier with everything that it had, literally.

This'll be easy…

Inuyasha raced forward, raised his clawed hand but before he could use them, the demon swung its tail right into Inuyasha's stomach, sending him flying. Inuyasha cursed his stupidity and laid a hand over his abdomen. He could feel the warmth of his blood where the demon had scratched him.

"Bastard," he muttered.

The demon came at him again to finish him off. Inuyasha quickly moved to the side and plunged his claws into the belly of the centipede. It howled in pain and brought its jaws toward Inuyasha, in hopes of biting him in half. Unluckily for it, Inuyasha easily dodged it and was able to slice through it, destroying the body. After a long shriek of pain, it finally collapsed, dead.

"Nasty hag," Inuyasha mumbled again, touching his stomach.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha looked up and saw that Kagome had dismantled the barrier and was rushing toward him. "Shippo! Hurry and get Sango and Miroku. Tell them that Inuyasha is hurt and we need some medical supplies," she said quickly, falling to the ground beside Inuyasha.

Shippo nodded worriedly and scampered off.

Kagome locked eyes with Inuyasha. "Take your shirt off," she commanded. "I need to see your injuries."

Feeling dizzy from blood loss and in no mood to argue, Inuyasha obeyed her and leaned against the wall of the castle, ignoring the snow. She looked at his stomach quickly before pressing his discarded shirt against it.

"It doesn't look deep, but we have to stop the bleeding," she explained.

"Keh," he said quietly. "It'll be completely healed by morning."

"Well, until then, we need to keep pressure on your wound," she said, pressing slightly harder.

Quiet ensued for a few minutes and Inuyasha was feeling hazy again. He could use a nap…

"Hey!" Inuyasha jerked. "No falling asleep! You need to stay conscious if you want to live," said Kagome forcefully.

Annoyed, Inuyasha looked at the young priestess. "Who says I want to live? Why don't you just let me die?" he asked coolly.

Kagome looked shocked. "You…? Why…?" Suddenly, realization dawned on her. "Oh, I get it…this is about the curse," she said quietly.

"Damn right it is."

Kagome didn't comment for a few seconds. She looked…sad. "I didn't think that you were the type to give up on something just because the odds were against you," she said softly, looking into his eyes.

"Don't think that I haven't tried to break this damned curse! I have searched for nearly 7 years for the cure! I have searched…!"

Kagome interrupted him. "Perhaps this isn't something that you can find by searching for it, Inuyasha. Maybe…if you stop searching for it…it'll come to you. Don't struggle so much, best things happen when not expected."

Inuyasha gave her a weird look. "You have no idea what you just said, do you?"

Kagome blushed. "It sounded good though, didn't it? It sounded like something that my father would have said," she replied with a giggle.

Despite himself, Inuyasha felt a small tug on the corners of his lips. "I have less than a year, Kagome. I probably have a few months…or weeks."

Kagome gave him a comforting smile. "Anything can happen in that amount of time, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's eyes hardened again. "Just because it can happen, doesn't mean it's going to," he emphasized. "I don't have what it takes to break the curse," he said, resting his gaze on her broken wrist.

Kagome blushed. "It doesn't hurt, Inuyasha, and you weren't yourself when it happened."

"Doesn't matter," he muttered. "That Kikyo should've purified me rather than left me living in hell."

Kagome felt tears behind her eyes but she held them back. "You are too strong to just die, Inuyasha," she said simply. "However…wishing for death is a cowardly thing to do."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a coward," he hissed venomously.

Kagome shifted her position. Without taking her hand off his stomach, she maneuvered herself so that she was leaning against the wall too. To Inuyasha's surprise, she rested her head on his shoulder. "I know you aren't," she said wearily. She sounded exhausted.

Inuyasha tensed.

"Relax," she muttered without moving. She shut her eyes, "I'm not hurt or anything. It's just that…that was the longest amount of time that I've ever held a barrier for and I'm tired," she said softly.

"Keh, I knew that," Inuyasha said, feeling stupid.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Kagome spoke again. "How's your wound?" she asked.

"It's fine," Inuyasha said gruffly.

"I'm glad," she said with a small smile. "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…for saving my life," she said, looking up at him and giving him a tiny, but grateful smile.

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. "…No big deal…"

At that, Kagome smile widened and she felt truly happy for the first time since she had arrived at Inuyasha's castle.

"…Please don't give up on yourself yet," Kagome pleaded softly. "I want to see you free from this curse just as much as you do," she said, laying her hand on his arm. "I've learned in a short amount of time that you don't always get what you want. And if you do get it, it isn't necessarily what you need. You just have to keep going…" She hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Inuyasha? How do you break the curse? Maybe I can help?"

Unsurprisingly, he didn't answer. Why is it that no one will tell her how to break this curse and yet they seem to think that she has the power to break it? What does this have to do with her?

The feeling of her warm hand on his bare arm brought Inuyasha a sense of comfort and peace. He was just about to say something to her when he heard three sets of feet approaching. "Sango, Miroku and Shippo are finally here," he said, painfully standing up.

Kagome nodded. "I'm sure that they have some medicinal herbs that will take away the pain.