Disclaimer: The rights to Inuyasha and co. do not belong to me. I'm am merely borrowing them. Please don't sue!
Author's Note: I'm baaaaaaackkk!!!!!! ^_^ Hi everyone, long time, no post! I actually thought for awhile that I'd never finish this chapter! It sure gave me a lot of trouble though… But now, I'm finally finished with it! Yay! Whew. Okay… now, I hope you all haven't forgotten what the whole story is about, since I haven't updated in so long… ::sweatdrops:: Well, just read on and we'll see! Please review!
The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…
Chapter 27
Inuyasha awoke in the middle of the night upon feeling a warm, heavy bundle lying next to him. Feeling quite uncomfortably warm, though he didn't know why, he sniffed the air cautiously, and was immediately calmed by the closeness of Kagome's scent. Still drowsy, he opened his eyes slowly and glanced to the right. It took a few extra seconds for him to fully wake up, and realize that the shape lying next to him was Kagome! But upon doing so, he yelped with shock, and bolted upright from the floor, managing to wake up the sleeping girl next to him.
Since it was still pitch black inside the cabin, he couldn't make out the face of the miko-to-be as she sat up. But before he could speak a word, his sudden movement caused a sudden wave of dizziness to assault him, and he had to clutch his head to prevent himself from throwing up. Once he felt the nausea pass, he started to lay back down, but began to cough violently before he could.
Kagome, hearing the hoarse hacking next to her, realized that Inuyasha was awake, and quickly climbed out of bed. Trusting to the dimness of the room to obscure her nakedness, she hurriedly slipped on her clothes from yesterday, then knelt by his side worriedly, patting his back and supporting his body as it was wracked with tremors. When the sick hanyou had finished coughing, Kagome turned on her flashlight and gently pushed him back down onto the floor, covering him with the blankets.
"K-ka…go..me? What-" He asked confusedly when he saw her face, but was cut off a giant sneeze before he could finish his question.
"Shh…don't worry. You probably got sick because of the snow. Just lay back and stay quiet. Everything will be okay," she told him in a gentle, soothing voice. Reaching up to smooth the wrinkles out of his frowning forehead, she was surprised to find it hot to the touch and burning with fever. It was also damp with sweat. His eyes were bright and feverish, and his cheeks were flushed with heat, in contrast to the pale white they had been only hours before.
"Oh dear! You have a really high fever!" Kagome quickly pulled the olive-green striped knot of her school uniform tie off and folded it into a makeshift handkerchief. She leaned over and gently wiped the beads of sweat off his face and forehead. "Hold on a sec…I think I have Tylenol…somewhere in here…" She said as she rooted through her backpack. Bringing out a small bottle of tablets, she opened it and shook out two small white pills, and handed them to him along with a glass of water that she had poured. Helping him sit back up, Kagome watched as he swallowed the medicine.
Making a wry face, he said ruefully, in a hoarse voice, after a pause, "Well, I guess I was wrong about hanyou's not being able to get sick, ne?"
Kagome laughed gently, and replied, "Yes, but that's alright. I'm sure you'll get better soon. It's not your fault, anyway."
Inuyasha shook his silver head of hair wearily, but before he could contradict her last statement, he fell into another bout of coughing that left him gasping for breath afterwards. Kagome could see his bare chest (*ahem…no comments here please ^-^ ) heaving as he breathed deeply, and she could tell that his arm muscles were quivering with the strain of keeping himself from collapsing back down onto the bed.
"Ano…Inuyasha, why don't you lay down and go back to sleep. It's only an hour after midnight, I think. We still have a few more hours to go before morning. And I'm going to go back to sleep too." Kagome stated quietly after another minute had passed silently.
The dog demon was unwilling to go to sleep, for he was always loathe to admit any weakness, in any shape or form, but he knew that it would the best way for his demon blood to help heal himself quickly. So, reluctantly, he grunted, and lay back down and snuggled into the blankets with a barely audible sigh of relief. Kagome fastidiously smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in the blankets and wiped his forehead with her cloth, before reaching one hand up to scratch his ears. Before the drowsy hanyou could help himself, he began to purr from the back of his throat, sounding like a cat who is experiencing the pleasure of having his belly scratched. He heard a faint giggle from Kagome, and blushed, embarrassed about his purring, but was pleased that he had at least made her happy. As the young girl's nimble, slender fingers continued to gently smooth the tips of his puppy-like ears, rubbing and nudging, Inuyasha felt himself drifting off to sleep again. The last thing he felt was a pair of warm, soft lips upon his before he fell into darkness.
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The next morning, both Kagome and Inuyasha were awake again, and Inuyasha no longer had a fever or a cough. He was fully healed and healthy and strong, except for a slight case of the sniffles. And if anyone, anyone at all, noticed that his cheeks still held a slight tinge of pink to them, they would attribute it to his minor cold…
The two had woken up that morning in yet another awkward position, for Inuyasha had been completely naked, and sleeping between Kagome's arms, when he got up. Kagome quickly let go of him once she realized that the dog demon was awake, and turned around, facing the wall, squeezing her eyes shut tightly and saying, "Um…Your clothes are against my backpack…I was letting them dry, so I think you can wear them now." She tried not to blush, or let her voice betray her, but nevertheless, as she spoke, a deep blush crept up her cheeks. If she had turned around, she would have noticed how the tint of her face matched that of Inuyasha's, for he too was blushing furiously, although all he said was, "Um, okay."
Once he had put on his fire-rat haori and hakama, Inuyasha silently walked over to Kagome, and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. She whirled around with a gasp, then sighed in relief once she saw his familiar face.
"Oh! You scared me for a second, Inuyasha! I thought you were still on the other side of the room…Anyway, I guess the storm's stopped…" Kagome continued talking, but he tuned out her nonsense babbling as he stared at her animated face. Placing one clawed finger on the lips of the blushing teenager to shush her, the hanyou took another step closer to her. Kagome abruptly halted as she looked up shyly into his honey-golden eyes, blushing an even deeper shade of red than before as she felt his finger upon her lips.
He uttered her name in a low, husky voice that sent flutters through the young girl's heart, "Kagome." It wasn't a question, or a statement, or even a command. The way he spoke her name, in the unique way only he could, placed an accentuation on one of the three syllables in some way that she had never known could be possible. It spoke volumes, through the pitch and timbre, rather than through the word itself. Her name, spoken by him, became a sentence, a paragraph, all by itself, which stirred the very depths of her soul. His rich tenor told of being soaked by warm, gentle, spring showers and being buried under piles of crisp, fresh, autumn leaves. It told of the cool, refreshing scent of the highest peak of a mountain and the roaring of the rushing, white-water rivers and waterfalls. Kagome found herself speechless, trapped in a spell that only he could break.
"H-hai?" It was the only thing she could say, but even that came out mumbled and unclear, with his finger still blocking her lips.
His intense golden eyes burned into her face as he whispered softly, "Arigatou. For saving me from the storm, and taking care of me last night, and helping me get better when I got sick. I'm grateful."
Kagome's mind was racing at a frantic pace as she tried to come up with a rational reply. She was so flustered that all she got out was, "It's, I mean…that's, oh- you're w- I, wait, no…I'm not…" Her face was a flaming shade of crimson, and so quickly dropped her gaze again.
Her eyes met his, involuntarily, and he leaned ever closer to her. Their mouths were less than six inches apart, and Kagome's heart was beating furiously. Oh my god! Is he really going to do what I think he's going to do???? She thought frantically.
The hanyou moved his head closer, hesitantly, moving slowly to give the girl time to protest, or move, or something. But she merely closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards, in a silent gesture of acquiescence.
Inuyasha smiled slightly, his own blood pumping erratically through his veins, and swept down to claim her lips. An instant before his skin touched hers, and loud bang interrupted them, and the door was knocked open by a snow-covered monk. Three seconds later, he was followed in by a demon exterminator, who, in her haste to get inside, had bumped into his sturdy body.
With an "oof" of surprise, Miroku fell to the ground, accidentally grabbing Sango's arm as he fell and dragging her down on top of him. The breath was knocked out of his chest by the sudden weight, so he was unable to speak, while Sango was too shocked to move. Then, to add to the confusion, an orange bundle of fur sped in, hopped right over their entangled bodies, and attacked the stunned girl.
"Kagomeee! Are you all right? We were so worried about you! Where were you all night? Sango and Miroku and I started to look for you after the snow stopped but we couldn't find you and we saw the tracks in the ground this morning and we thought a demon had attacked you or captured you both or something! Waaaahhh! Kagome! I was so scared that you were hurt!!!!!" The little fox cub gripped her shirt tightly, his claws nearly pricking her skin in his anxiousness to be near her.
The young miko was startled, to say the least. A faint blush painted her cheeks, but she hurriedly hugged the kitsune back, answering, "Oh, I'm sorry you have worried you, Shippou. Inuyasha and I got stuck in the storm, and when we found this cabin we just decided to stay here for the night, to wait out the bliz –"
Her words were cut off by a loud smack. "HENTAI!" Sango screeched loudly, hitting him in the face with her hand as she struggled to untangle her limbs from his, furiously slapping him for placing his hands on her butt. The infuriated demon exterminator would have continued to pummel the object of her fury, but everyone was interrupted by a loud roar that drown out all other conversation.
"What the HELL is going on here?!?!?!" The hanyou shouted, his face a livid mask of rage. The rest of his companions froze. Miroku gently and unobtrusively removed himself from Sango's grasp, and got up, dusting himself off with a wince.
"Eh…heh-heh. Inuyasha… ah, I… um, I am very glad to see that you and Kagome-sama survived the snow storm. Sango and I were worried about your welfare, and so decided to set out to find you both this morning, after the blizzard had died down."
The hanyou's face will still a dark shade of red, though whether is was from anger or embarrassment, nobody knew except himself. He gritted out through clenched teeth, "And what… may I ask, possessed you to come tearing in here and… knocking down the damn door?"
Sango sighed and stood up as well. "Calm down, Inuyasha. We weren't trying to purposely burst in on you guys. The tracks in the snow near this cabin looked like there had been a struggle, and judging from the footprints outside, someone was being dragged along, so we thought one of you had gotten hurt or captured by a youkai."
The houshi grinned suggestively, and continued, "Now, Inuyasha. Would you like to tell us why you're so upset about our interruption? It couldn't possibly have been because you and Kagome-sama were… in the middle of something before we came?"
"Pervert!" Was the general outcry in the small wooden structure. There were three loud noises almost simultaneously. One, Sango's boomerang making contact with the priest's skull. Two, Inuyasha's fist slamming onto his head. Three, Kagome herself, slapping him soundly on the cheek, leaving a red imprint of his face that rivaled the redness of her own two blushing cheeks.
Shippou winced. Yep, there were definitely some not-happy campers here this morning. He actually felt kinda sorry for Miroku. The kitsune glanced at the monk who was twitching in pain on the ground. Grope. Grope. Slap. "Lecherous priest!" Then again, he probably deserved it.
A/N: So, how was it? Good? Bad? Don't really care? ^_^ I tried for some humor in that last scene, to balance out the huge amounts of fluff. (Which I'm sure most of you don't mind anyway…) Anyway, please review!
Review Responses:
niasdreams ~ Sure! I'll send it to you as soon as I'm done with it! Sorry if this chapter took a long time in coming!
Shichan Goddess ~ I quite agree. Fluff is all that's needed to make the world go 'round. ^-^ I'm so glad that you liked it! I love reviewers like you who are so encouraging and cheerful. ::glomps:: How could I resist your offer of an Inuyasha on top? Of course, I had to write more! Keep reading!
Itadakimasu ~ Thanks so much for the long review! You made my day! Sugar cookies are good, but chocolate chip ones are better! Nyaahh! j/k Wow! I'm honored! You read my story twice??? ::gasp:: Falls over and dies… Heh, heh.
shinobu ~ Yep, I updated! It's a miracle! ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!
jenna ~ Did you press the review button twice accidentally, or were you trying to emphasize your point? :D I tried to fit in tons of fluff to please you, along with all my other fluff-crazed readers!
Laura-chan ~ Eek! Hope you're not dead yet! LOL I'll seriously try to update sooner next time… now if only I could convince my muse that it's worth it to get brilliant ideas more often…
C-Chan ~ Yep, I completely agree with you. I didn't want Kagome to get sick for the blanket scenario because I've read so many fics that have her play the role of a weak, sickly human girl… Sigh. What are these people thinking? Kagome has to stay well so she can pamper Inuyasha when he gets sick! ^___^ Though this chapter didn't turn out exactly the way I had envisioned it… oh well! Arigatou for your review!
ArtemisMoon ~ ::gasp:: Please forgive me for supporting your fluff addition! I'm utterly ashamed of my villainous act! How will I ever live it down! NOT! I live to addict people to Inu/Kag fluff! That's my job, my duty, my calling, my destiny!!!!!! Bwuahuahaha! You will never escape my fluffiness! LOL ^_^ Awww… was the "Easy as 1, 2, 3" story just for me???? Ahem. Well, I know it's not, but I'll pretend it is anyway… Loved it! You're a bloody brilliant genius, ya know that? Oh, and by the way, I do know a teensy bit about Rurouni Kenshin (sp?). From what I've seen of the episodes on T.V, it looks quite interesting, so maybe I'll go back actually seriously read "Koishii" later on… Please do go read "My Lady Miko," it's suffering from a lack of reviews… ::pouts:: Anyway, sorry about the insanely loooooonnng response… Thanks again for the review!
AWC ~ Well, I tried for more fluff! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
Esther ~ Thanks for reviewing *and* emailing me! Sorry, but I think Kikyou will have to eventually appear sooner or later, because I need her to DIE so that the conflicting emotions between Inuyasha and Kagome are resolved… (It is just me, or I am being a bit sadistic?) But don't worry, you're not the only who hates Kikyou…
killer-tinkerbell ~ Thanks! Hope you like this chapter as well!
Emily Jones ~ Well, here's more fluff, coming right up in dangerously large dosages! ^-^
Crystal phoenix ~ There wouldn't be any chance that you'd lend me that big pile of soft fluff, would there? ::gives her a puppy-eyed look:: Please? Pretty please with an Inuyasha on top? :p
Miko of Ice Warrior of Heart ~ I'm glad you liked it! Continue reading and reviewing, onegai?
Galenbrethil ~ Wow! You actually came to read and review my story! Thanks so much, Em! You should write more, too… ^_^ I have no doubt that you'd be a wonderful writer!
InU-cHaN ~ Love Inu/Kag romance? I think that makes you, me, and the entire rest of the fanfic world all part of a Inu/Kag romance club! ^_^ And I have a friend who likes DBZ also…
josie ~ Heh. Don't worry, you're not the only one who's sadistic. I would kill for a chance to "nurse" Inuyasha while he was sick… ::grins:: Hope you're not still sitting at the computer and waiting!
chickittychick ~ Hiiii!!! Long time no see! Hope your story is going well! I'll drop by and read it someday, when I have time, okay? Glad that you liked the last chapter! Keep reading and writing!
Inferna ~ Well, actually, Inuyasha's been sweet and caring about his feelings plenty of times in this fic. Besides, he didn't kiss her, he licked her! Bwuahuahaha!!! Of course, now that I think about it, I guess that would be more intimate than a mere kiss, ne? Still, Kagome inwardly hopes that he really cares about her, but she's afraid to take it the right way in case she's being used as a substitute for Kikyou… But thanks for bringing it up! I welcome constructive criticism! I'm glad you liked the story, though!
Hiko-and-Kenshin ~ I dunno, maybe your right. But the Snow-White scenario was so appropriate to the scene, I couldn't help but stretch it out a little… Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
xXMistrssNarakuXx ~ Blech. Jaken in a Speedo?!?! Please, spare me the horror! o_O Thanks for putting me on your favorites list! I'm honored! I'll go check out the other fic some day, when I'm no busy!
Païen ~ Lucy! You reviewed! Wow, I'm so happy! The best authoress in the world has honored me with her sacred words! LOL Eh-heh-heh…as for the not posting… it's the typical procrastination snydrome… ^_^;; I'm still working on beta-ing your fic, too! But anyway, keeping reading and writing!