A/N: Thank you everyone who has reviewed my other stories! It means so much to me! I hope you like this one as well. It's been stuck in my head for a while and I just had to get it out on paper. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. But my half-birthday is right around the corner!

What Happens Now?

Chapter 1

By: Ks-Starshine

The only sound he could hear was his own harsh breathing as he ran through the trees, the surrounding forest seeming only a blur. Without stopping, he stole a glance at the limp form in his arms. Seeing her pale body dangling in his protective embrace urged him forward to speeds he would have thought impossible as he raced ever closer to Kaede's village.

"Inu. . .yasha?" Kagome breathed weakly in barely a whisper.

He nearly fell as he skidded to a sudden stop. "Kagome!?!" he gasped. He loosened his grip just slightly allowing him to see her face more clearly. Her brows were furrowed in pain. Her skin was marred with cuts and bruises. Each breath seemed to take more and more effort. She made no movement to even acknowledge she could hear him.

'She's so pale. What happened back there?' he asked himself. 'Hold on, Kagome. We're almost home.'

Realizing that standing there would do nothing, he surged forth again, mentally cursing himself for the delay. He wasn't sure what had happened in the heat of the battle. It was such a blur. All he knew was that he had to get Kagome to Kaede's hut, . . .and soon.

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Inuyasha paced outside Kaede's hut. He had been ordered to wait out there while she examined and treated Kagome's injuries. Time seemed to slow down. The hours feeling like days to the distraught hanyou, until he heard a noise from the woods and saw Kilala approaching with Sango, Miroku and Shippou on her back.

"Inuyasha!" Shipppou piped up. "Where's Kagome? You didn't let anything happen to her did you?"

"Yes, you and Kagome disappeared so quickly after the battle," Miroku chimed in. "When I had finished tending to Sango's wounds, we noticed you had left without a word."

Inuyasha turned his back on them, attempting to quell the emotions that coursed through him. "I don't know what happened," he said, fighting to keep his voice steady. He couldn't meet their eyes. He couldn't allow himself to see the disappointment and anger he knew they would have for him upon hearing about Kagome's injuries. "Kagome is inside," he choked out, trying to hide his inner turmoil. He was supposed to protect her. He had let everyone down, even himself.

Shippo let his teary eyes shift to the hut, "Kagome?"

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Kaede closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly at the girl on the mat before her. How she was still alive after sustaining such injuries was beyond her understanding. Kagome had deep gashes all over; several appeared to be infected with different poisons from the many demons that had attacked. Blood had been caked on her school uniform, which now lay to the side in tatters.

"Ye must have had quite a battle," she mused sadly.

Getting some more herbs from her storage, she retrieved the water she had been heating over the fire. She mashed the herbs together in a bowl and added some water to create a poultice. Pouring more hot water into a separate bowl, she set about cleaning Kagome's wounds with a clean cloth. After frowning once more at the extent of damage Kagome had received, she began to slather the herbal poultice over the cuts. The girl jerked slightly, wincing at the stinging solution, but showed no further signs of waking up.

"I know it hurts," Kaede whispered to the injured girl. "It will help ye to heal. Now ye just need to rest and let the medicine work." Kaede finished bandaging Kagome, and then covered her with a nearby blanket. "Ye can come in now Inuyasha," she said.

Before Kaede had finished speaking, the hanyou had already sped through the doorway and approached the sleeping girls side. He grasped her hand and paled at how cold it felt. Taking off his red fire rat coat, he draped it on top of the blanket that already covered her.

"Her wounds are very serious. We will need to watch her closely," the healer told him as if she read his mind. "You did well to get her here as fast as you did," Kaede added before exiting the hut to address the three concerned sets of eyes peeping through the doorway.

Once alone, Inuyasha raised her hand to his cheek, willing the warmth from his body to flow into hers. Brushing some stray hair behind her ear, he pleaded with Kagome, "Wake up. For Kami's sake, please wake up."

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Well, what do you think so far? I know it's short, but I promise the next chapter will be longer and give you a little bit more hints as to the plot. Let me know what you think so far! Please R&R, even if you didn't like it. Criticism is accepted!