Spooktober Day 14

Chills

Bare feet sprinted down the carpeted hallway, stumbling in her haste to reach her parent's room and her concern great enough that she hardly even paused when the door slammed against the wall from the force of her entrance. She zoomed across the room, tripping over her own feet, and when she reached the side of the bed she reached out and frantically shook the figure beneath the blankets.

"Mama," Izayoi called, still shaking her, her face pale and her voice desperate. "Mama!"

Fully rousing at the sound of her daughter's frantic voice, Kagome blinked her eyes open and peered at the young half-demon at her bedside, barely making out her wide, frightened amber eyes and her pale face. Instantly alarmed Kagome shot up and reached toward her, aware of Inuyasha sitting up beside her with a concerned frown.

"Iz?" she asked, her voice husky from sleep. "What's wrong? What happened, are you okay?"

"It's Tai," Izayoi whispered, shaking her head. "He's—"

"Aw, shit," Inuyasha swore and hurriedly got out of bed, not even pausing to jerk on a pair of jeans as he jogged out the door in his boxers and headed toward his son's room, toward the very unpleasant smell that grew more prominent the closer he approached. "Shit—Tai? I'm comin', bud, hold on."

Truly concerned now, Kagome turned toward Izayoi, her eyes as wide as her daughter's, the question in her eyes clear as day.

With wilted ears, Izayoi admitted, "Tai's sick, Mama."

Kagome grimaced as the sinking feeling in her stomach developing into a hard knot of worry. "I was afraid of that," she sighed and nodded. "Thanks, sweetie. You can go back to sleep if you want." She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and kissed Izayoi's forehead before standing and retrieving her bathrobe, quickly shrugging it on and exiting the bedroom.

She wasn't really surprised to hear her daughter following after her – despite her "mean older sister" image, Kagome knew she loved and worried for her younger brother like any sibling would.

She met Inuyasha in the hallway carrying their sick child and instantly she moved over to them, her face a mask of concern as she touched Tai's flushed cheek and smoothed back his hair. "Oh, baby," she murmured. "Don't feel good?"

Limp in his father's arms, Tai's eyes were brimming with tears and he sniffled, his little form shaking. "I'm sorry, Mama," he said hoarsely. "I got sick."

"Shh," she soothed and stroked his cheek, frowning at how warm he felt. "Don't be sorry, baby, you didn't do anything wrong. Your dad and I are gonna do everything we can to help you feel better, okay? Let mom and dad take care of you." She caught a tiny ear between her fingers and soothingly rubbed the sensitive flesh, leaning up to kiss his nose.

Tai sniffled again and nodded, clinging to his father as Inuyasha started down the hallway toward the bathroom, murmuring quietly to him and rubbing his back with a hand.

Watching them go with a sigh, Kagome idly wondered what time it was as she headed toward the kitchen with Izayoi in tow.

"Is he gonna be okay, Mama?" she asked, biting on her lip, ears drooped and amber eyes wide.

"It's probably just the flu," Kagome answered as she flicked on the stove light turned the Keurig on; she doubted she or Inuyasha would be getting any more sleep tonight. "Some of my students are out with it too so it's going around. He'll be fine, sweetie. It's contagious, though, so try to stay away from him, even if it does sound a little mean." She got out two mugs and sent her daughter an inquisitive look. "Are you going to go back to sleep, Iz?"

Izayoi bit her lip and stared off in the direction of the bathroom, her brow wrinkled as she thought it over. She turned back to her mother, looking hopeful now. "Can I stay up?" she asked cautiously. "I'm worried."

Expression softening, Kagome gave her daughter a smile and nodded. "Of course, sweets." She retrieved an extra mug, her daughter's favorite princess one, and pulled down some hot chocolate from the cupboard. "I need to go take care of the mess in Tai's room, though, so stay here. I don't think your nose can handle the smell."

Izayoi's nose wrinkled just thinking about it and she nodded, agreeing easily.

An hour later, with Tai's room cleaned and the door closed as a fan blew out any lingering scents, chemical or otherwise out of an open window, the young hanyou himself was freshly washed, donned in clean pajamas, and curled up on his dad's lap on the couch, the TV on low with some cartoons playing on the screen.

Izayoi sat curled up in the corner of the couch, a fresh mug of hot cocoa in her hands and a concerned frown on her face as she gazed at her younger brother, ears low on her head. Both of her parents could tell she was struggling to stay awake and figured it wouldn't be much longer until she nodded off, but all the same they admired that she wanted to be there for her little brother and make sure she was okay. Sure, they fought and bickered like any regular siblings, but Inuyasha and Kagome were supremely glad the young half-demon took her role as a big sister seriously and was just as protective of him as they were.

Having swapped her bathrobe for sweats and a t-shirt after cleaning her son's room, Kagome stifled a yawn as she meandered into the living room and sank down on the couch next to her husband and child, reaching out to press a hand to his forehead. Her baby was burning up but despite the fever he had, his little body was wrecked with chills, his flushed face dotted with sweat and his amber eyes glazed and sleepy.

Amber eyes blinked slowly up at her and then a wide yawn stretched his mouth, showing tiny fangs and eliciting tears to develop in the corner of his eyes. Smiling gently, Kagome smoothed back his hair and rubbed his ear, wishing her baby wasn't feeling so miserable, but the doctor's office wasn't open until 8 am tomorrow and urgent care wouldn't do anything but tell them what they already knew before slamming with them a ridiculously huge bill.

"Why don't you try and go to sleep, baby?" Kagome murmured and tucked the blanket more firmly around his shivering body. "In the morning we'll go to the doctor's and get you some medicine to make you feel better, okay?"

Tai gave a soft sigh and snuggled more firmly against his father. In response Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair and emitted that soothing rumble in his chest to help relax him. "K-kay, Mama," he muttered, his eyes drifting closed. "C-can you stay w-with me?"

"We'll both be right here, and we ain't leavin', bud," Inuyasha answered for her and Kagome nodded in agreement.

A little frown puckered his brown. "Iz?" he murmured, so quietly the girl in question almost didn't hear.

Eras pricking forward, Izayoi set her mug on the coffee table and crawled across the couch to settle against her mother's side. "I'm here too," she affirmed and released a yawn, resting her head on Kagome's shoulder.

A little smile curved Tai's lips at the sound of his sister's voice as sleep finally claimed him.

Wrapping an arm around her daughter and then shifting so she was in a more comfortable position leaning into her husband's side, Kagome sighed and settled in to wait until morning, making a mental note to call the school to excuse the children from going. Izayoi would no doubt be too tired to function in her lessons, and she felt more comfortable having her here just in case she started showing symptoms of the flu, too.

Inuyasha kicked his legs up onto the coffee table and dropped a kiss to his wife's head, stretching his free arm both she and his little girl and keeping them close.

Together Inuyasha and Kagome watched over their children until the dawn's first rays of sunlight filtered into the living room bay windows, chasing away the chill of the night, and as Inuyasha carefully transferred their sleeping son into Kagome's arms so he could put Izayoi into bed, they were both relieved to discover that his fever had subsided considerably and his chills had disappeared.