The Scent of Despair
Written by Catrina Winner
Author's Notes: Homework… Where do I get the time to write? Uh… let's just say my math grade could use a little… a LOT of work… Ah, yes… FLUFF AS PROMISED!
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Chapter Seven
A cooling breeze wafted through the tiny room. Two still figures lay curled upon each other, their breathing gentle and level. One stirred slightly and opened his glowing eyes to the room around him. Turning his head slowly, he let his gaze settle on a body somewhere in front of the bed he was currently lying on.
"Inuyasha… Nice to see you awake," Miroku mumbled, stifling a large yawn. "Took you long enough." He toyed with the prayer beads wrapped loosely around his wrist.
The hanyou looked around the room, trying desperately to figure out how long he had been under the spell of the Sacred Blood Rite. It should have kept him out for a few days, but he had shards of memories from those long hours. More were of his Kagome… his Kagome in pain… because of him. All because of him! Biting down hard on his lip, Inuyasha lifted their bound arms and stared. Dimly he could feel Kagome's pulse beating beneath her flesh. There were no wounds to blemish her soft skin, but he could feel the heat of his blood moving through her. It would last within her for the remainder of the day, but would soon dissipate and return her to normal.
"… So I told Kaede that she was wrong, and you were perfectly correct in performing the Sacred Blood Rite, but she…" Miroku rambled. Inuyasha blinked in surprise. He hadn't even realized Miroku had been talking. Whatever about didn't concern him, for it didn't sound to be life threatening at the moment, and everything could always be repeated. That in mind, he turned his attention back to Kagome.
Her chest rose and fell gently with her every breath. They were normal and gentle, a far cry from the gasping woman he had carried to the village. Staring at her rising chest, Inuyasha blinked. Something was wrong. He couldn't place it… What was…?
His breath caught in his throat and Inuyasha began to choke and gasp a moment later. His little show caught Miroku's attention.
"Uh… Inuyasha? Whatever is the matter? One moment I'm telling you what you have to do to assure Kagome's survival and the next you're… Are you blushing?" Miroku asked in surprise.
"No!" Inuyasha said and quickly turned his face away from Miroku's piercing gaze. This gave his a full view of Kagome's body, covered modestly in half a sheet and a few cotton undergarments.
Miroku shook his head in confusion. He finally looked up at Inuyasha. Seconds later, rich laughter erupted from his throat, something Inuyasha did not hear very often on their quest.
"You're blushing… because she's wearing those clothes? Or… should I say the lack of those clothes…" This gave way to another tirade of laughter. Inuyasha scowled. Even the chirping birds outside the window seemed to be laughing at him.
"Why is she in that?" he shouted, pointing at Kagome with his free hand. (A feat indeed.) The pleasant songs of animals and Miroku's strange chuckling angered him. It took but a moment for Inuyasha to realize how badly that could be taken, and, of course, Miroku took it just that way.
"Would you rather she wouldn't be wearing anything at all?" he asked. Inuyasha fell back into his gagging stage and Miroku shook his head. "Well, her clothing was soaked when you brought her in, so Kaede removed it to let it dry, then you came slamming in here. So she's been like that from the very moment you tied yourselves together. As for you, Kaede was afraid one of you two would get tangled up in that huge kimono you insist on wearing and choke. Though you seem perfectly capable of doing that without the help of your robes. We had quite the battle getting them off with you tied to her like that," Miroku grinned.
"But I… I'm not… I… uh…" Inuyasha stuttered for a moment. His mind was feeding him images of what Kagome and Inuyasha may have appeared like. He was missing his fire rat kimono and baggy top shirt, and Kagome was, well… missing most of her usual garments. The two of them tied together… under a sheet… He could almost feel the blush creeping back over his already flushed cheeks. Shaking his head in hopes to rid it, Inuyasha looked back down at the sleeping girl, making sure to keep his eyes on her face. It was a warm color, slightly reddened, as if she too knew what was going on and was embarrassed as he was.
"Don't worry, Inuyasha. She should be fine. Kaede told me to bring in some herbs for you to keep your strength up what with the blood loss… I'll be back in a moment," Miroku said, standing up quietly. He leaned on his staff for a moment and smiled down at the half-naked hanyou. "Don't be doing anything to Kagome while I'm gone!" he said, grinning madly, and rushed out of the room.
The hanyou rubbed his cheek with the loose hand, trying to wipe the blush off of his face. It, of course, did not leave. With a sigh, Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome… again. He had been worried about her… Even he could not deny that to himself. Scared… He was so afraid she would die… Nothing would have cut him deeper, because it was his fault she was in this predicament in the first place.
Touching her cheek lightly with a claw, he laid his head across her collarbone and began to purr, imagining she was rubbing his ears again. Though he would never admit it, he loved the way she pet his ears more than anything in the world. Except maybe her… The thought slipped out unwanted and took Inuyasha by surprise. A flutter lit in his stomach and he frowned. It wasn't as if he didn't know his love for Kagome ran deeply, but… he couldn't admit it. They were going to be separated as soon as she was well again and granted them each their hearts truest desires. Then… she would leave… and never return.
Lost in the sadness of losing his Kagome, Inuyasha lifted his eyes and stared down at her sleeping face. Can I really let her go? After all we've been through together, can I really just let her go? He shook his head. There was no other way for them… The truth hurts… Inuyasha thought.
He looked at her eyes; half wishing she would open them and stare back into his own. Her scent was rougher than normal, probably because of his demon blood. Even with the heaviness, her gentle sweetness was still prominent. Her skin glowed with health and her eyelashes no longer appeared to be so dark against her high cheekbones. A light blush still remained across her face and Inuyasha felt his breath catch in his throat again. She was so beautiful, sleeping like this… Slowly, caught up in the soft light filtering into the room and the sleeping Kagome's happy smile that clung to her features, Inuyasha bent his head down, slowly, until his lips gently touched hers.
Somewhere in the back of Kagome's mind, she sensed Inuyasha and moved underneath him. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment and she saw Inuyasha's warm face close to hers and could feel… his lips pressed against hers. In her half dream state, Kagome smiled and trailed a hand up to his ears, which she began to rub.
Inuyasha paused, half-shocked. His eyes opened for a moment, and he saw Kagome's tired ones staring, glittering up at him. Just as he had wishd.
"Mrph?" he mumbled against her lips. She just smiled and pulled him closer to her.
Miroku pushed the door open with his back, grinning. He hoped Inuyasha was still blushing because it was so much fun to poke fun at him when he was tied to Kagome and couldn't come after a poor, helpless monk. The sight inside the room was not one he was expecting, however. Inuyasha was supporting himself just above Kagome, who was obviously awake and rubbing his ears… And they were both…
"Whoa," Miroku said. Kagome's eyes opened fully and the heaviness of sleep cleared from them. Inuyasha pulled back as soon as he realized Miroku was present in the room and stared at Miroku. Kagome blinked in shock for a moment before she looked up at a rather shirtless Inuyasha and then down at herself… who was more than a little shirtless…
"Gah! What the hell where you doing?" Kagome shrieked and kicked him roughly in the stomach. Her new-found power of the demon blood lent her strength she had never before possessed and sent Inuyasha skidding to the other end of the room, colliding on the wall with a loud crunch. Kagome forgot to note one that a torn bed sheet tied them tightly together. The knot pulled ever stronger as both the bodies were flung unceremoniously across the room. After a minor struggle, Kagome was first to realize her new position.
Her brightly shining eyes widened as she discovered herself straddling Inuyasha hips. Her tied arm was behind his back and the other was resting on his bare chest. With a surprised yelp she tried to pull her hand from underneath him, still not understanding how she had managed to become tangled up and at the other side of the room with this hanyou. Inuyasha didn't move, but stared up at her with darkened, quiet eyes.
Kagome took one look at his face, shrieked, and tumbled over to the side, ending with Inuyasha on top of her. This began another bout of rolling and surprised faces. Miroku stood by the door… well; actually, he was on the floor, tears in his eyes, laughing harder than ever before.
Finally, Inuyasha decided he could take no more of this. He wrapped his free arm around Kagome and pulled her close to him. Her heart was beating wildly, though not quite as quickly as his. Inuyasha closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in her warm scent, just enjoying the feeling of her body close to his.
Kagome couldn't understand what was happening. She could hear Miroku's laughter somewhere in the background of her mind, but couldn't quite perceive the kindness Inuyasha was generating as he held her so gently. She felt her wrist lift up and watched as Inuyasha's claw glinted and sliced carefully through the fabric. No longer were they tied together. Still, Kagome couldn't bring herself to move away from him. They may not be tied together physically, but in spirit she could almost feel the ropes binding them.
"Kagome…" Inuyasha said, rubbing her face gently. He leaned back and gazed into her eyes. His hand, unaccustomed to its new freedom, brushed accidentally across her chest and ruined their moment as Kagome shrieked and leapt backward.
"Inuyasha!" she shouted, grabbed a blanket from the fray, jumped over Miroku, whose sides were about to split with laughter, and ran down the hall.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Kaede pressed a light, cool cloth to the patient's head, looking over her shoulder as she heard strange thumps. Kagome, naked save her undergarments, streaked past the broken door, a towel flying out behind her like a cape, screaming at the top of her voice. Shocked, Kaede almost keeled over as Inuyasha thumped past, shouting Kagome's name and trying unsuccessfully to pull on more acceptable clothing. The procession didn't stop there as Miroku stumbled by the doorway, gasping and clutching his sides, weakly protesting the speed of his companions and missing the "show."
Still perplexed, Kaede turned to her patient who had fainted dead away at the strange occurrences just outside her door.
"I can't believe they can travel together…" Kaede mumbled as she heard another scream and a loud crash, followed by the longest stream of "SitSitSitSit!" Kaede had ever heard in her entire lifetime. "Here we go…" she muttered and turned back to the patient.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Okay, a little uplifting humor for us all there! Ah, yes, Kagome AND Inuyasha have survived! But… What about Kagome's despair? Shall it resurface in the next chapter? You bet! And this doesn't seem too good for Kagome's and Inuyasha's relationship does it? I'm so evil. I love it. Review and I'll have the next chapter up sooner!! Let's hear how you liked my pathetic stab at humor!