An Inuyasha Secret Santa Story for Loversthroughtime

"Stupid snake…" a silver-haired teen grumbled as he tore through the forest, snarling as branches caught the long strands of his hair. A particularly hard yank had him turning with a growl, sharp claws making short work of a branch and the hair that had tangled around it, leaving a streak of red against the dulled silver. Golden eyes lifted, the anger in them softening momentarily as he caught a glimpse of white and green moving towards him, before he shook his head, turned back to his path, and continued his race forward…

Just at a slightly slower pace; he didn't want to get too far ahead, knowing she was coming after him…

Inuyasha sighed as he reached the edge of the stream he had been searching for, dropping down into a crouch at the bank. His hands were stained with the last remnants of the yokai that had attacked his friends at dusk as they had been preparing the camp.

His claws closed into a fist before he pounded it to the ground. It had been close, too close. The snake had to have been following them for a while. It had been too well-timed: the yokai revealing itself while Inuyasha had been catching their dinner, too far from the camp to stop the attack.

He knew better… he really did. As they had been collecting jewel shards, attacks had gotten more frequent. He shouldn't have gone as far as he had, but he had to travel further than usual to find enough rabbits for their dinner…

Which he knew should have been his first hint that things were not fine, but no, he had ignored the signs. All he had thought about was making sure Kagome had enough to eat; while he could live on ramen alone, he knew the others couldn't.

"DAMMIT," he cursed as he plunged his hands into the stream, watching as the water turned pink as it flowed past him.

If he hadn't felt the need to turn around when he had…

A branch broke behind him, causing one of his triangular ears to flick. He had already known she was there, the soothing scent of jasmine and vanilla that was uniquely Kagome surrounding him, calming him.

"Inuyasha…" Her voice was soft, but he could hear the determination in it.

"What are you doing out here, Kagome?" he grumbled as he rubbed his hands together in the water, scraping the last dried yokai parts off.

"You're hurt."

"Not the first time, won't be the last."

"So?"

Inuyasha turned his head back to meet the chocolate brown of her eyes, his eyebrow raising at the first aid kit in her hand.

"You should be back at camp with the others; it's not safe out here."

"Sooo, you would rather I go back through the woods on my own, where anything could happen to me, rather than stay here with you?" she shot back, a smile on her lips even as her eyes shone with worry.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed… wench had him there.

"Feh, whatever."

Kagome smiled softly before he turned away, her face sobering as she took in the condition of his fire rat robe. The fabric was torn, something that rarely happened, and if it looked that bad, how badly had he been injured? She shuddered as images from the fight played in her mind: the white snake appearing through the fog, its jaw wide as it attacked, Inuyasha's cry as he caught it mere centimeters from her. The strike had been too quick for any of them to react; Sango had still been reaching for Hiraikotsu when Inuyasha had dragged the snake away from the camp.

Kagome had grabbed her bow and arrows and scrambled to follow, determined to help when she could. The loud crack of a tree next to her had her screaming as it fell towards her.

"KAGOOOME!"

A bullet of red and silver grabbed her around the waist as Inuyasha hauled her to safety, entrusting her to Miroku with a glare before turning back to the snake.

The battle had been brutal, the snake almost as fast as Kouga, throwing Inuyasha into the woods with a flick of its tail, catching him on his right arm with its fangs and ripping into it. In the end, Inuyasha had to rely on his claws to tear it apart, unable to grip the Tessaiga.

When Inuyasha had taken off through the woods, nursing his arm and his wounds, she had been helpless to follow.

Watching him as he crashed through the trees had been painful. It was the first time she had seen him lose his usual grace; he had been almost staggering, stumbling into the trees he normally avoided without any thought. She knew he had seen her when he turned his claws to his own hair, and the poor tree it had caught on. It had been a testament to how injured he was that he hadn't ordered her back right then.

Not that she would have listened.

"How bad is it?" Kagome caught her lip with her teeth after she asked, almost afraid of his answer when Inuyasha's shoulders stiffened, then dropped.

"I'll survive. Don't worry about it."

"That's not what I asked, Inuyasha." Her voice had an edge as she stepped closer, her eyes darting across his back and the injuries she could see.

"Kagome…" He growled, but she ignored it to place her hand on his shoulder, her fingers trailing down his back, noting where he hissed when she brushed his back.

"Off."

Inuyasha turned, his eyes narrow as he glared at her.

"What the hell are you talking about, Kagome?"

"I said off." Kagome's hand tugged at his suikan.

"Leave it alone, Kagome."

"Nope. Off."

"They will heal on their own, woman."

"And until they do you will be in pain. If I can help that, I'm going to; now, I'm going to say it again… OFF."

Inuyasha stood, towering over Kagome for a moment before his eyes darted to the side with a sigh. He couldn't deny her anything, and he was pretty sure she knew that.

Kagome gasped as the suikan dropped, revealing his hanjuban, now almost as red as his fire rat.

"Tha… that too." Her voice broke as she spoke, and his eyes shifted back to hers for a moment before the blood stained garment dropped to the side, revealing his torso.

"Oh, Inuyasha…"

"Feh, looks worse than it is," he grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. His body protested the movement, and he fought back a moan as he felt the skin on his back and arm pulling. Yes, he would heal; didn't mean it wouldn't hurt while it did. "You don't have to…"

Kagome knelt by the stream, reaching up to take his wrist and tugging until he dropped beside her. The moment he was settled, she wet a cloth from the kit, carefully wiping his skin down to see the full extent of the injuries and the skin that was knitting back together.

Inuyasha saw her reach for a jar in the kit and tensed. He didn't know what that jar was, but it always burned his nose and stung like hell when she used it. He was in enough pain; he didn't need that on top of it. He turned his head away from her, his ears flattening against his skull as he spoke.

"Feh, It'll all heal on its own. I told you before, my body is different from yours; these will be gone by morning. Save the supplies; you promised you wouldn't be going back for at least the next five days, so there's no point in wasting them on me. Don't think I will let you go back any earlier just becau…"

A gentle pressure on his shoulder made his words stop as his brain short circuited. One of Kagome's hands was holding his wrist; the other touching his knee to support herself… so what…

His face swiveled to see her lips against his shoulder. Her scent enveloped him as his heart began to race, his eyes wide.

She…

She was…

Kagome...

Did she...

She was kissing his wounds?

"Ka… Kagome…?" Inuyasha stuttered.

Her gaze rose for a moment before she ducked her head, busying herself with unraveling the bandages.

After a few minutes of silence her eyes lifted, and her cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure at the wide, unfocused gold of her beloved hanyou.

' has stopped responding,' she giggled, the sound breaking him out of his daze.

"Wh…what was tha… Why… Kagome…"

"My mom used to kiss my scrapes when I was younger." Her voice was soft, soothing, even as her cheeks were on fire. "It always helped me feel better."

Inuyasha's cheeks flushed, stunned into silence, while he watched her tend and wrap the rest of his wounds.

She had… she had kissed his wound, just to help him feel better. No one had done that for him since his mother: no one had thought to, cared to. And with Kagome, it had just been so… carefree. No unease, no fear because of his mixed blood, just… thinking of him, wanting to help him.

Kagome had told him many times that she didn't mind that he was a half-yokai, that she preferred him that way, but the one simple act, that one gentle kiss, spoke more than words ever had.

When she stood, her medicine kit in hand, he had followed her mutely.

They were halfway back to the camp and the others when he stopped, waiting till she turned back to him with a question in her eyes.

"Kagome… I…" He gulped and met her gaze. "Th… thank you. It… it did make it feel better."

Kagome smiled shyly as she reached out for him in response. His hand wrapped around hers, and after a moment he laced their fingers together, feeling her brief hesitation before her grip tightened against him.

When Kagome stepped closer, leaning head against his shoulder, he smiled a rare smile, letting himself relax in contentment.

Moments like that made everything he had ever gone through worth it, to have the opportunity to have this one amazing woman at his side.

It made him hope that one day she would see him as more than her protector, that she could love him as much as…

As he loved her.

He wondered if he would ever muster the courage to actually say it.

Three years, 13 days, 14 hours and 32 seconds after the well had ripped Kagome from his time (not that he had been counting), Inuyasha held the woman he loved more than his life in his arms. After years of dreaming about the too-few moments where she had provided him comfort, longing for the soft touch of her lips against him, the feel of her skin against his, she was there.

He breathed deep, letting the scent of jasmine and vanilla fill his lungs, able to breathe deeply for the first time.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome sobbed into his chest, holding him as tightly as he held her, "I've missed you so much. It felt like a part of me was missing, and it hurt, so so much."

Inuyasha shifted one arm to tilt her head up, looking down at her beautiful, tear-stained face. His thumb caressed her cheek before his lips brushed against hers, once, twice, as her breath caught.

"Inu… Inuyasha…?" she whispered, her eyes locked on his.

"You were hurt," he whispered back, "it's a kiss to make it feel better." His lips descended again, lingering against hers as his world righted itself.

"And… and that one?" Her voice was hopeful, beautiful, and Inuyasha smiled. Three years living around others, of watching Miroku and Sango grow together, had taught him many things. While words still weren't his strong point, there were some things that needed to be said, as the words themselves had power.

"Because I love you, and if you will let me, I will spend the rest of my life showing you just how much." His ears quivered as he watched her. He had finally been able to say the words he had waited three years to tell her. If the kami were going to return her to him, he would not hide behind his worries and insecurities again.

The scent of salt mixed into Kagome's scent, and Inuyasha felt a moment of panic, the insecurities creeping back in, before Kagome pushed onto her toes, meeting his lips with hers, answering him without words.

Neither would feel the pain of being separated again.