Dog Days
Kagome sighed as she came out of the cave she, Inu-Yasha and Shippou had stopped in the night before.
"It's so hot! What I wouldn't give for a nice, air conditioned house!" Kagome thought, as she looked around at the heat haze. Well, if she hurried, she could be home by nightfall. With a nod, Kagome made a decision; she was going home.
"Inu-Yasha! Shippou! C'mon!" Kagome shouted, getting the usual grumbled responses from Inu-Yasha about being an early riser. When she told the hanyou of her intentions, he was put into an even worse mood.
"You're going home?! But there are still shards out there! How are you going to find them at home?" Inu-Yasha asked, angrily.
"I won't. The whole point is that it's getting way too hot to search. I don't intend to spend the hottest days of the summer being cooked alive by the sun!" Kagome said, sensibly.
"It is hot, Inu-Yasha." Shippou panted, from Kagome's shoulder.
"Fine! I'll look for them on my own! Just don't blame me if I find more shards without you!" Inu-Yasha said, then went off to sulk.
"Kagome? Aren't you going to 'sit' him?" Shippou asked.
"No. Let him sulk. He'll come around after a while. Let's go." Kagome said. The rest of the day was spent going at a leisurely pace. Kagome could tell that Inu-Yasha was behind them because she could hear him grumbling. Yet, as the sun started to descend, and she and Shippou reached familiar territory, Inu-Yasha's grumbling ceased.
"He must have gone to Kaede's. Oh well. He knows where I will be." Kagome thought, as she climbed into the Bone Eater's Well and went home. When she got there, her family was eating dinner. They were pleased to see her, and stunned to see the little kitsune that was sleeping on her shoulder. After explaining that it had gotten too hot to continue the search for the jewel shards, Kagome went up to her room. When she turned on the air conditioning, Shippou squeaked in surprise and tumbled from her shoulder.
"Sorry, Shippou-chan. I didn't mean to startle you." Kagome said, with a smile as the little kitsune took a closer look at the 'air conditioner'.
"Why is it growling, Kagome?" Shippou asked, turning when he heard Kagome's cat jump onto the desk beside him.
"It's not growling, Shippou-chan, that's just the motor you hear moving inside it. The motor is what makes it cool the air." Kagome said, trying to explain to the kit.
"Okay. Is this why you came home, Kagome?" Shippou asked.
"Part of the reason. The other reason I had was to see my family again." Kagome said, as she fixed up a bed for Shippou to sleep in.
"But what about Inu-Yasha?" Shippou asked.
"What about him?" Kagome asked, wondering why Shippou was asking her about the stubborn hanyou.
"Doesn't he like the air conditioning, too?" Shippou asked.
"To tell you the truth, I honestly don't know." Kagome replied, as they both settled in for the night. The morning was well advanced when Kagome awoke to something stinging her neck.
"Ouch!" Kagome yelped, slapping at her neck. To her surprise, a flattened Myoga floated down into her outstretched hand.
"What're you doing here, Myoga?" Kagome asked, expression deadpanning.
"There's something wrong with Inu-Yasha-sama! He collapsed this morning!" Myoga said, when he'd regained his senses. A thrill of fear ran through Kagome; something was wrong with Inu-Yasha?!
"Where is he, Myoga?" Kagome asked, as she rushed to get some clothes on.
"Follow me!" Myoga shouted, as he hopped away. Following the flea's lead, Kagome went back through the well, into Inu-Yasha's time, and to the place where Inu-Yasha had collapsed. She was shocked to see that what Myoga had said was true. Inu-Yasha lay in a crumpled heap, barely breathing. As she knelt next to him, she became aware of the intense heat bearing down on them.
"He got overwhelmed by the heat! I need to get him to my time so I can get him cooled off!" Kagome thought, as she pulled the passed out hanyou onto her shoulders and hauled him back to the well. Thankfully enough, her family was gone from the house when she got there.
"Must have gone to the pool." Kagome thought, as she hefted Inu-Yasha's weight and dragged him upstairs. Once in her room, she unrolled a bedroll she'd used when having friends over and put Inu-Yasha on it.
"Now what? Now what……………….? Oh! Loosen the collar of his kimono so he can breathe!" Kagome thought, as she did just that. When she brushed the damp hair off of his face, she found that his skin was burning hot.
"Fever……………….sunstroke most likely……………….he needs a doctor! But I can't take him to one considering what he is! People will freak if they see his ears and claws!" Kagome thought, as she rushed out of the room to get a basin of water and a washcloth. When she got back, Shippou and Myoga were watching Inu-Yasha with looks of concern on their faces. To her surprise, Inu-Yasha's eyes were open, but they were unfocused.
"Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked. The ill hanyou looked up at her, trying in vain to focus his eyes.
"Kagome? Where am I?" Inu-Yasha asked, weakly.
"My house. Stay still, you got overheated and passed out. Myoga came and got me and I brought you back with me." Kagome said, gently, as she dipped a cloth into the basin, wrung it out slightly, then wiped Inu-Yasha's hot brow with it.
"Is there anything I can do, Kagome?" Shippou asked, eager to help.
"Do you know where the kitchen is?" Kagome asked. Shippou cocked his head slightly.
"Is it the room that has that big white box in it?" Shippou asked.
"Yes! There's a slight indentation in the front of one of the doors on the box where if you put a glass against a lever you will get ice from it. Can you go and get a glass of ice and a spoon from the kitchen for me?" Kagome asked.
"Hai!" Shippou squeaked, before scampering off to get the ice.
"Are you sure he can handle that, Kagome?" Myoga asked.
"He saw me get ice from the machine last night. He's a smart little guy, he'll remember how to use it." Kagome said, with a slight smile of confidence. Moments later, sure enough, Shippou returned with a glass of ice and a spoon.
"Thank you, Shippou-chan." Kagome said. The little kitsune practically beamed at her, so pleased was he at being able to help.
"Inu-Yasha, open your mouth." Kagome ordered, gently. For a moment it looked as though Inu-Yasha was going to be stubborn, but then opened his mouth. Gently, Kagome fed him some of the ice. His eyes widened somewhat when the cold moisture hit his tongue, but then realized that it helped against the heat that ebbed the strength from his body. Then his foggy brain brought up the fact that the air around him was cool, almost like that of an autumn day. He wanted more of the ice, and Kagome silently obliged him.
"Take it slow, Inu-Yasha. If you don't, you'll get even sicker than what you are now." Kagome warned. Inu-Yasha looked blearily up at her, then decided that he was too tired to argue with her and went to sleep.
"Will he be all right?" Myoga asked.
"He will be, if he takes it slow. He needs a doctor, but I can't take him to one, nor bring one here because he's so different." Kagome said, quietly, as she continued dabbing at Inu-Yasha's brow with the damp cloth.
When Inu-Yasha next awoke, he felt a gentle dabbing at his brow. He looked up and saw Kagome's mother sitting there. He opened his mouth to say something, but she put a finger to her lips and pointed at the bed. Slowly, Inu-Yasha turned his head and looked; there, sitting against the bed with Shippou in her lap, was Kagome. She had fallen asleep while watching over him.
"You've been asleep for about twelve hours. She watched over you for all that time. The little one also. Neither of them wanted to leave your side." Kagome's mother whispered.
"But why? Why would they do that for me?" Inu-Yasha asked. The older woman shrugged.
"I think they care about you. Whether you want to admit it or not, they really do care about you. Try to get some more rest, okay? I'll have some soup ready when you think you can handle something to eat." Kagome's mother said, as she left his side and Kagome's brother took over.
"They………………..care about me? Why?" Inu-Yasha wondered, as he reached out and touched Kagome's hand. To his surprise, the hand wrapped gently around his.
"Maybe they do care about me…………………" Inu-Yasha thought, as he allowed sleep to take him again. Kagome roused up long enough to give Inu-Yasha's hand a gentle squeeze, then she too went back to sleep, a soft, knowing smile gracing her features.
~Owari~