It had run rampant throughout plenty of neighbouring villages, a deep, wet cough that morphed into a fever that took forever to break. Some never did, leaving casualties in its wake - an invisible threat that held no antidote.

Kagome had tried to explain the concept of a 'virus' to the group in the past, as common colds and fevers were just as such in the feudal era. This was a whole different level. There had been a stress that Kagome put on Kaede to keep herself from getting too involved with the healing, as she had an idea as to what the village may be dealing with, and elders were much more susceptible. Instead, the young miko had taken it upon herself and, with the help of Rin, Inuyasha and Miroku, they offered as much care as they could to those who were suffering from such an intense illness.

It had been Rin who got it out of the group first, the deep, wheezing cough keeping from the point of sleep. The only time she would get sleep is if her body was too tired to move, and when she woke up, she would cough for long periods of time. Even with Kagome persisting in the use of keeping their mouths and nose covered, it wasn't enough.

For three weeks, Sesshomaru stayed close by, somewhat out of sight but definitely not out of mind. There had been a conversation that took place between the young Miko and the Daiyoukai prince, Sesshomaru scoffing at the notion that such an illness would have an effect on him. The conversation came to be by Rin asking if she could see Sesshomaru after the second week; though she had been improving, Kagome was wary of it possibly being spread to others. Yet, with the reassurance that neither himself nor Inuyasha had any possibility of contracting the disease, she permitted it.

Thankfully, Miroku hadn't seemed to have caught it, nor did Kaede, Sango or any of her children.

Kagome wasn't so lucky.

It had started with the fever, feeling Kagome shivering under the covers but her entire body felt blazing hot. Inuyasha had witnessed what happened to those who caught the illness; some were more or less intense than others. The greatest fear came over the Hanyou, seeing the sweat on her forehead as she whimpered out of extreme discomfort.

"Kagome…" he whispered, having propped himself up on his elbow to let his other hand brush back her wet bangs from her face. Her eyes opened, though obviously heavy-lidded and exhausted.

"I'm okay," she tried to reassure, giving him a small smile to pair alongside her words. That reassurance did nothing for Inuyasha, knowing full well that she was the complete opposite of that statement.

"Like hell you are," her husband replied rather brazenly, "You're boilin' hot while shakin' like a leaf. Where's that tea you made for Rin?"

Her muscles ached, moving to sit up, "I'll get it," she croaked, only to feel a clawed hand rest on her chest to push her back down.

"Just tell me where it is."

"In the cabinet by the door," she stated, rolling onto her side, which gave Inuyasha some relief.

"Silly woman, pushing yourself too hard," he muttered only to see Kagome give him an apologetic smile. Thankfully, it seemed the illness had run its course through most of the village, and Rin had mostly recovered, which meant that Kagome wasn't as needed. As if Inuyasha would have let her go back out there in her state, regardless.

Climbing to his feet, he swiftly found what he was looking for, starting a fire and placing a full kettle over it to bring the water to a boil. While he waited, he brought over the water pale to their bedroom, placing it beside Kagome so it would be easy for her to reach, should she need it, "Sit up," he ordered, watching as his wife moved to do so. With Inuyasha's help, she sat up before being offered a ladle of water, "Drink."

"I can hold the ladle, Inuyasha," she tried to argue only to see the determination in the hanyou's eyes. Accepting defeat, she let him help her drink, downing the whole ladle before releasing a sigh and nod when it was empty, "Thank you."

There was no hiding the concern that seemed to etch itself in her husband's features; perhaps to those who didn't know him well, it would be a difficult feat. However, for Kagome, she could read Inuyasha like a book at this point, just as he could read her.

"Stay seated for a sec, I'll pour you some tea," he added, swiftly leaving her to do just as he said. As quickly as he left, he was back with tea in hand, giving to her and forgoing his aid, as he knew the water was hot. Giving her husband a thankful look, she reached out her free hand to cup his cheek in an attempt to reassure him.

"I'll be okay," she stated, knowing full well that he was worried that she'd caught the illness that had taken the lives of at least thirty villagers, all in ranging ages. There was a part of him that wanted to tell her she didn't know that, but he knew now wasn't the time for such negative thoughts. Instead, he simply nodded in agreement, a weird turn around to make her feel reassured as well.

"Yeah."

It didn't take her long to finish her tea, placing the empty cup by the futon before laying back down. Rolling on her side, she pulled the blankets up to her chin in an attempt to warm herself, even though Inuyasha could practically feel the heat radiating from her, "I'm gunna head out to the village tomorrow and let Miroku and Kaede know that you'll be staying home."

"But-"

"Don't fight me on this," he snapped, moving to take his place beside her on the futon, facing her, "You can take a day, at least," an attempt at a compromise, even though they both knew that it would likely be worse by that morning. Pulling her close, he let her head rest on his arm so he could keep an eye on her condition throughout the night. There was no way in hell that he would be able to sleep now, "You're no good to anyone if you're sick yourself."

With his free hand, he brushed her bangs back once again, seeing that feverish flush on her cheeks. A part of him was thankful that he was practically impervious to common human illnesses, which meant that Kagome wouldn't need to be completely isolated, "Try'n sleep, Kagome. Hopefully that tea'll help," he mused, feeling her move to get closer to him and the warmth of his bare chest against her. It was uncomfortable for him, her body completely searing with heat, but he'd bare it through for her.

Somehow, an hour or so later, she'd managed to fall completely asleep. It seemed deep, too, as the sun came up and Inuyasha managed to pull himself away from her completely. Holding her head up slightly with his free hand, he managed to slide his arm out from under her before placing her head on the pillow.

Propping himself up on an elbow, he used his free hand to cup her cheek, stroking the apple of it gently.

"Kami, she's burnin' up bad."

Pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, he climbed to his feet soon after. He wasted no time getting dressed, tying his obi and sliding Tessaiga into it. As much as he hated the idea of leaving her alone, he figured it was best to keep her far away from the village. By the way she slept, he figured he had a good amount of time before she would be awake and in need of more current care.

After one last glance towards her, he left the hut and swiftly made his way towards the village.

Upon reaching the village, it was obvious that things had begun to go back to normal; there were more people in the fields, more idle conversations and monotonous motions that held normalcy. Yet, back in their hut, the woman who helped bring back such things as suffering, as if paying the price for being as kind as she was. On the surface, it infuriated Inuyasha, but he knew deep down that Kagome would have done it all over again, if she could.

"Inuyasha!"

The sound of his name had him turning his attention to Kaede, seeing her just walk out of her hut. Making his way towards her, he could see the old miko peering around in search of Kagome, "She's not here," Inuyasha answered the silent question that he was sure would have been voiced, "She's-" it scared him, "She's sick. Got a raging fever."

Kaede's eyes widened with shock before softening with a sigh as she glanced to the ground, "I suppose it was only a matter of time…" the old woman muttered beneath her breath. Lifting her gaze back to the hanyou, "Let me grab my things and we will go see her. Rin!" Kaede called back into the hut, immediately hearing the chipper voice of the young girl as she ran out to join them.

"Yes, Kaede-baba?" Inuyasha was glad to see Rin back to her normal self, it made him a little less uneasy about Kagome's condition.

"Grab the herbs and oils. It seems Kagome has become ill," Kaede explained, only to hear a sad sound leave the young girl.

"Oh no! Poor Kagome... Okay," with that, Rin ran back inside but for a moment before coming back out with a basket filled with herbs and small vials filled with ointments that were to help with the pain and discomfort.

Inuyasha was becoming impatient, watching as Kaede went to tack up her horse. His ears were an obvious tell, twitching irritably as his brows furrowed while peering over his shoulder, as if he was scared to see Kagome coming down the road. With a frustrated grunt, he turned back to the old priestess before making the decision to leave before them, "I'll meet you there." Not a second was wasted as he turned and began running back towards their home.

As he neared their home, he could hear it. Coughing.

"Damnit."

Running into the house, he saw her sitting up, her fist in front of her mouth as she continued through her coughing fit, "Kagome," her name left him in a panic as he kneeled on the futon beside her, placing a hand on her back to rub it as she continued to hack. It carried on for a few more moments before she drew in a deep gasp of air, panting heavily from the exertion. There were tears in her eyes from the force of her coughs, her hand lifting to her chest as if to try and calm her lungs.

"I'm okay," she tried to assure, though she meant in the sense that she was done coughing for the time being.

"Kaede and Rin are on their way," he was being much more calm than he felt, his heart sinking at the sight of her so weak and ill. Leaning partially over her, he grabbed a ladle of water and handed it to her this time, rather than helping her. Watching her take down half of it, she almost choked on the rest as another small fit of coughs wracked her body, spilling the water on the ground by the futon.

Inuyasha didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to help her, and that tore a whole within him so large that it could consume him entirely. She left a time where they could give her better medical treatment than him. He didn't know how to give her that; he'd promised to always protect her and he meant that. But now, with her becoming so ill, Inuyasha didn't know how to keep his promise.

"Kagome!" the sound of Rin's voice came through just as the girl did herself, ears twitching to hear Kaede was not far behind. Following the sound of coughing, Rin made her way into their room, seeing Kagome dressed in her sleep yukata and her ever concerned husband knelt beside her. Kneeling down beside Inuyasha, Rin pulled out a small vile from the basket she held, "Here. Hold out your hand," Rin ordered the man beside her. Doing as he was told, he watched as Rin poured a couple of drops into his hand, "Rub that on her chest, then I'll give you more to put on her back."

The smell of it had his nose scrunch, pungent and gave a cooling sensation in his nostrils. Regardless, if there had ever been a time to be obedient, Inuyasha knew it was now. Nodding affirmatively, he gently opened the front of her yukata enough to reveal her collarbone and cleavage. Kagome, thankfully, had stopped coughing but it left her panting, Inuyasha able to hear her heart pounding hard and fast in her chest as he rubbed the oil over her skin.

Mindful of his claws, he made sure he got the entire span of her chest before holding his hand out to Rin for more. Well accustomed to what it meant, Kagome twisted her body enough to have her back to him as she let the yukata fall off her shoulders. There was some relief already, lungs able to clear themselves just a bit to keep her from coughing. The gentleness of her husband's hands touching her in such an affectionate way helped as well; he'd helped her when she was sick once, but nothing to the severity of what she felt now.

"Thank you," Kagome croaked, feeling Inuyasha pull her sleeves back up to her shoulders as she tightened the garment back up.

"Oh, ye poor child," Kaede hummed as she entered their home, joining the other three and immediately seeing just how red her face was and how her bangs clung to the sweat on her forehead, "We should bring you back to my hut-"

"Ain't happenin'," Inuyasha suddenly butted in, "Just tell me what she needs and I'll do it," he was completely serious, not wanting her to leave the comfort of their home. Out of everyone, Kagome deserved that; she deserved privacy. Kaede could see the look in his eyes, the look that told her she wasn't going to win any sort of battle against him in this context. A part of her wanted to argue, to tell him she needed to be around someone with more medical prowess, but in their case, there wasn't much that she as a healer could do. The illness just had to run its course.

After Kaede ran through what Kagome needed to be comfortable, Inuyasha made sure he mentally noted everything down. It was imperative that he followed everything to the exact point Kaede mentioned. There was no way in hell that he would lose her. Not like this. Not after three years of being without her, thinking he'd lost her forever.

The rest of the day, Kaede left Kagome in the hands of Rin and Inuyasha, with Kagome trying to reassure both of them that she was fine. It was noble of her, to try and make sure everyone else was okay, rather than focusing on herself; yet, all it did was frustrate her husband to no end.

By the time Rin had been picked up by Kaede, Kagome was conscious but exhausted. Her entire body felt achy, lungs and stomach feeling bruised and her voice was lost from coughing so much. Inuyasha did as much as he could to keep her comfortable, replacing the cold cloth for her forehead and running his fingers through her hair in a soothing manner as he lay down beside her. The idle touches had made her sleepy, or perhaps it was that tea that they had been brewing all day, but the moment she seemed to be falling asleep, she would need to cough.

Inuyasha didn't know if he could handle seeing her like this for more than a couple of days.

Unfortunately, her condition became worse and worse over the next week, fever spiking as it became harder and harder to breathe. Kaede had suggested taking her to the river to cool Kagome down and regulate her temperature, something Kagome herself had mentioned they did back in her time. Not with a river, per se, but the concept was the same. Doing anything and everything that he thought would help, he carried Kagome to the nearby river that seemed to run by the treeline that created a natural border around their property.

"Inu...yasha…" she croaked out, breathing turned to wheezes that chipped away at Inuyasha's resolve with every exhale, "Where are we going…"

"I'm takin' you to the river, Kagome," his tone was mono, afraid to let any sort of emotion slip from him in fear of opening some sort of flood gate.

"Is my fever that bad?" she asked, as if she wasn't the one who was suffering from it.

"Yeah," he stated honestly, perhaps too bluntly, as he reached the water's edge, "I'm gettin' in with you," he added, having carried her over in just her yukata, prepared to dunk her in with everything on before carrying her home swaddled in his suikan. Sitting down, he placed her in his lap as he untied his obi to remove said suikan and the kosode beneath it. Topless, he lifted her up bridal style before stepping into the shallow bank and slowly sinking them into the crispness of the water.

A whimper left Kagome at the sudden temperature change, body tensing as much as it could in her weakened state, "I know it sucks, but it'll help," he reassured her, regardless of the fact that she was well aware.

Finding a large rock, he sat on it and began moving her so their chests touched, Kagome immediately resting her head against his shoulder out of exhaustion. Inuyasha maneuvered her legs so they sat on either side of his hips, "I'm sorry…" she murmured against his neck, barely able to keep her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Don't," he scolded, frustrated by her apology for something that wasn't anyway near her fault, "I don't wanna hear that shit," he added, lifting a hand to cradle the back of her head, "Don't apologize for things you can't control."

With the smallest of nods, she kept her eyes closed, "The water's nice…" she added, feeling her body start to regulate its temperature better than the last few days. Inuyasha kept her pressed against him, knowing that they wouldn't be sitting there for too long. Kagome herself had mentioned in the past that too long could cause the body to react with the opposite effect, dropping the temperature too much. Not only that, but with the cold water, came more restriction of her lungs. Her chest felt tighter, trying to breathe in and only able to take in what felt like almost nothing, "Inu-"

Before she could finish his name, he was standing and taking them back to the shore, holding Kagome in the same position as he did so.

Same as before, he sat down, though in this position it was easier for him to slide her yukata off her shoulders while keeping some of her modesty. The chances of someone seeing them was basically none, but he knew how Kagome was - knew she'd want to stay as out of sight as possible. Grabbing his suikan, he draped it over her shoulders and pulled her arms through one sleeve at a time before managing to wrap it tightly around her. He could feel her trembling against him, likely from the chill of the water paired with the chill of her fever. Putting on his kosode, he tightened his obi and climbed back to his feet, all the while never loosening his grip on his wife.

Taking a pace that held urgency, Inuyasha could hear Kagome's teeth chattering in her mouth as she tried to leech onto his warmth. He knew she must have been cold, but they needed to keep her relatively cool to help with her fever. Any and everything done to make sure she was more comfortable while also helping with the illness.

Her sickness seemed to have hit a climax at the end of the second week, every breath brought into her lungs sounded like it was being drawn through a pinhole and exhaled with a crackling noise deep in her chest. They'd taken to sleeping with her sitting against his chest in his lap, finding it to make her cough less and get more sleep that way. Wth her back against his chest, he enveloped her, head tucked under his chin as she continued to struggle to breathe. Having rubbed that oil on her chest and back, paired with making her drink some tea, it came across as if she was actually asleep.

It was becoming unbearable. The ache in his gut and the small cracks in his heart started to become insurmountable. The suffering she must have been feeling, it would have been easier if she'd stayed in her time. In fact, she probably wouldn't have gotten this sick in the first place. Remorse weighed heavily in his soul at the thought, knowing that she had given up so much to be with him. To think that she could die-

A lump caught in Inuyasha's throat, the first he'd felt since Kikyo died, coming to the realization that it could be a possibility. The grip around her tightened with a tremble as she continued to try and breathe with great difficulty. Three years without her. Five years of loving her. For this to be her end, Inuyasha didn't want to believe it.

Yet, the realist in him, the trauma-ridden side of him, fed into the notion that he'd taken her from so much and let her get sick. It was because she'd come back for him that she'd gotten sick, that she suffered so greatly. Adjusting her, he held her tighter against him, her head resting against his shoulder as he dug his head into her neck.

"I promised to protect you. I promised to give my life to do so. But how do I protect you from something like this?"

"Kagome…" he choked out, voice obviously fighting back the threat of tears, "Fuck-" The pure anguish and pain rang true, despite the volume not going above a whisper, "I'm sorry…" He couldn't keep them at bay anymore, letting tears flow freely as he kept his head dug into the crook of her neck, "I'm so sorry…"

"Inu...yasha," the exhausted husk of her voice had him cursing himself for waking her up, "Are you crying?" she murmured, managing to lift a hand to wrap around and cradle the back of his head.

"Kagome, I-" there was a hitched sob that followed, "Damnit. I'm supposed to protect you." His voice was louder then, holding more conviction though just as much distress as previously.

"It's okay…" she reassured, using what strength she had to grip his hair.

"Stop saying that!" he argued, pulling his head from her neck to look down at her with a sense of anger towards her, "It's not okay! You're not okay!" he added, Kagome able to see the streaks of tears that ran down his cheeks through her heavy lids, "And it's-" the hand that had been cradling her head cupped her cheek, feeling just how hot she still was, "It's all my fault." His voice lost confidence then, ragged and filled with woe, "If you'd stayed-"

The gentle press of her finger against his lips had him stopping whatever further tormenting thoughts that threatened to spew from them, "I'm with you, Inuyasha," she stated as simply as she could with how hard it was to breathe, "I'll be okay. I'm in the safest place I can be."

"You don't know that," he choked, grabbing her wrist and feeling the hard, fast beat of her heart against his fingers, "You don't-"

Clenching his jaw, he leaned forward to rest his forehead against her own, trying to ignore the sweat and heat that radiated from it, "Fuck Kagome, I can't lose you..."

"You won't," she managed to breathe out, feeling him move his hand to cradle the nape of her neck, "Trust me," it was akin to a plea that Inuyasha knew he had to concede to. Nodding, he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, then to her lips, feeling Kagome press back with featherlight pressure, "I'm sleepy…" she murmured within the kiss, Inuyasha pulling away enough to move her into the position she'd been in before, back pressed against his chest and seated to make it easier for her to breathe.

As much of a struggle as it was for her, Inuyasha could hear the even rhythm that told him she'd fallen into as deep of a sleep as she could, considering her condition.

"Trust me."

Those words echoed in his mind, knowing that she was the first person he ever truly trusted. That had never changed and he knew it wouldn't now, not when she'd explicitly told him to.

Falling into the third week of her illness, Kagome's fever finally broke, her lungs slowly clearing day by day. Food stayed down and she was able to sit up on her own and get herself water when she wanted. Regardless of her improvement, Inuyasha remained plastered at her side, rarely leaving her alone unless it was to refill the water pale or chop firewood.

By the end of the third week, her lungs had cleared enough for her to sleep without a single coughing fit. Those nights were spent with her head resting against his chest and his arm wrapped around her, as if to remind himself that she was there - alive and finally on the mend.

If Inuyasha had any faith, he would have been thanking whatever higher power brought his wife back to good health.

The fear that had settled in Inuyasha's heart, dark and barbed, began to dissipate. Unfortunately, the guilt of taking her from a time that could give her so much remained stained in his chest. Something he realized may never go away, a calloused scar over his confidence.

"I told you," Kagome suddenly murmured against his shoulder, causing Inuyasha's ear to twitch and one eye to pry open.

"Mmm?" he hummed in question, seeing her having moved her head to peer up at him with those big, brown doe eyes that he hadn't seen much the past three weeks. At least not as lively as they were in that moment, regardless of the fact that they'd both been on the edge of slumber.

"That I was in the safest place I could be…" she highlighted, hearing her husband give a deflective scoff. Kagome's lips pulled into a warm smile, one he'd missed so dearly and would go to the end of this world or any other to see again, "I'm sorry I scared you…" she added, Inuyasha having looked closer to see there was a sprinkle of apology in her expression.

"Kagome…" he breathed, moving his free hand to take hers and press a kiss to her palm. He wanted to scold her for apologizing for something he felt was so unbelievably stupid, but she wasn't wrong. She had scared him. Scared him to the point of shedding tears, something he could count on one hand he'd done in his adult years, one of the other times having been because of her, "Don't….ever do that to me again," he stated with the hint of a growl behind it, as if he was threatening her when they both knew that he was aiming them towards whatever devices could come to harm her - whether it be physically or benevolent didn't matter.

Rolling onto his side, he kept his arm out for her to use as a pillow while releasing her hand to cup her cheek. Seeing him head on, Kagome let her own hand cup his neck, thumb brushing over the curve of his jawline, "I can't promise that," she stated while seeing her husband's face turn slightly dark, brows furrowed and lips frowning towards her, "Just like you can't promise that to me."

Inching herself forward, she let her arm wrap around his neck, turning her forearm upward to scratch at the crown of his head between his ears. Unable to keep himself from her, he pressed his forehead against her own, releasing her neck to wrap his arm around her waist and curl his other around her shoulders, "I love you, Kagome," each word held so much weight within it that Kagome could feel them so deep in her mind that she nearly felt intoxicated by them, "I know it's selfish, but I need you here. I need you with me."

"It's not selfish," she replied earnestly, brushing her nose against his, "I need you, too. I'll always need you," her lips were a breath away from his then, "I love you, Inuyasha."

He couldn't keep himself away from her any longer, capturing her lips in a desperate kiss with Kagome returning it with the same intensity. The first proper kiss they'd shared since she got sick, and it brought Inuyasha an overwhelming sense of comfort. The comfort of knowing she was there with him, alive and well. The comfort of knowing that she was safe.