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Kagome sucked in a deep breath, and found that even doing that was painful. Her vision was becoming blurred, a sign of just how fast the poison was coursing through her bloodstream.
She was faintly aware of Inuyasha crouching down beside her, brushing her perspiration-stained hair away from her eyes. "Stupid girl. You're not dying out on me," he said, but his voice sounded distant.
Kagome gave him a weak smile, upon seeing the concern carved on his face. 'He's worried about me,' she thought, a surge of warmth filling her chest. 'Inuyasha... Thank you.'
Biting her lip, she felt another surge of pain fill her body. It was like a thousand needles were pricking mercilessly at her skin, the agony was just so great.
"I'm getting a doctor," Miroku called as he hastily turned to walk away.
Inuyasha growled in frustration. "You know that won't help. No doctor can treat a saimyoushou's bite. Even Myouga would only be able to keep it from effect for a few hours. Naraku, that fucking bastard!" The hanyou slammed a fist into the sand, causing an upheaval of dust. His face was contorted in a mixture of anger and disgust.
Miroku slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Doctor Myouga is currently at the palace," he reminded. "Days away."
"She got a strangely large dose of poison," Inuyasha observed, eyes focused on Kagome, unconsiously placing a hand gently on Kagome's forehead. "Must've taken Naraku days to create the saimyoushou that bit her - eh!"
Kagome had grabbed one of the hanyou's clawed hands, and was squeezing it with every ounce of her strength. Her face was a ghostly pale, and she looked drained of energy.
"Kagome..."
"Inuyasha," she barely gasped out. "I don't want to die..."
Inuyasha took one look at the girl panting in pain before him, and growled angrily, "You're not going to."
"I'm already..."
Inuyasha felt a surge of fear fill his chest. He glanced at Kagome's pale face, which had once been full of life and color.
'I can't let this happen to her.'
He momentarily envisioned Kagome's warm smile. That was already enough reason for him to the extent that he would risk anything to keep her by his side.
Tracing a clawed finger carefully along the length of the girl's arm, Inuyasha searched for the injury inflicted by the deadly insect. When he found it, he cut a small wound on his own lips, before pressing his bleeding lips firmly to the wound on Kagome's arm.
Miroku watched in silent horror as the hanyou proceeded to use all his power in sucking the poison out of the injured girl. It was an unpleasant sight, but it somehow made sense to Miroku. The years he had spent living in among a company of youkai had taught him a few things.
He remembered eavesdropping on the conversation Lady Ayame had presented a younger Inuyasha with after his human uncle passed away, victim to a saimyoushou's poison. This had been the first death the young prince had been exploited to in his life, so he was terrified.
[Flashback]
(A younger Inuyasha, perhaps only eight or nine years old, sulked unhappily in a corner as the queen entered the room, her burgundy hair messily escaping from its clasp.
"Oh, Inuyasha," Lady Ayame sighed, tears brimming her eyes. She pulled her son into a tight embrace.
"Wasn't there any way that he could've been saved?" the young prince demanded, tears pouring down his face. He wiped them away hastily, unwilling to appear too emotional.
Lady Ayame hesitated a bit before replying, as if pondering whether Inuyasha was old enough to hear what she was about to say. Voice trembling, the queen said slowly, "There's only one way a human can live after a saimyoushou's bite. I say human, because a youkai would survive a saimyoushou's bite anyway, because their blood is intense enough to melt the poison."
The young white-haired prince looked up at his mother, listening intently.
The queen continued, "Remember when your father told you the story about the creation of the saimyoushou?" Without waiting for an answer, she went on. "Well, the saimyoushou was made with a lust for blood. So, once its poison enters the bloodstream of one person, there is only one thing that can attract it, or lure it, into someone else's body. And that thing is denser, more compact, blood."
Lady Ayame watched Inuyasha carefully. He seemed to be following. So she continued.
"A youkai's blood is less diluted and denser than a human's blood," she explained. "But even a youkai's blood by itself is not enough to suck the saimyoushou's poison from another person's bloodstream. However, when a youkai's blood is emboldened and strengthened by an emotion that is pure enough and willful enough - only then will the saimyoushou's poison be drawn from its victim's body and lodge itself into the bloodstream of another. And the only emotion that can fit the description pure and willful, is love."
"Then wouldn't the person who lured the poison into their own blood, die?" Inuyasha asked.
"No," Lady Ayame replied. "Of course, to be able to draw the poison from its victim in the first place, the person would have to have youkai blood within them. And as I've told you, youkai blood melts the poison. No harm would come to the youkai."
Inuyasha stood up, an angry look on his face. "Why didn't anyone save uncle, then? Since it could have been done?"
Lady Ayame looked sad. "Remember, the poison cannot be lured out without love. Only someone who was in love with your uncle could've saved him. In other words, only his destined soul mate. Unfortunately, your uncle hadn't met that special person yet.")
[end]
'If Inuyasha can lure the saimyoushou's poison from Kagome's body into his own, then that means they are destined soul mates,' Miroku thought. 'And the fact that Inuyasha's sacrificing himself for Kagome...'
In all his years of growing up with the hanyou, he had never known him to be sacrificial. Or, for that matter, even sympathetic. 'But then, of course, with Kikyo...'
Inuyasha opened his eyes in exhaustion, and leaned back from Kagome's arm, disconnecting his lips with her skin, although he had felt the desire to linger a little longer. Mentally kicking himself for the thought, he glanced at the girl. It was now that he became only too aware of how skimpily the girl he had been leaning over was dressed.
Inuyasha felt a dark blush creep up his neck as he brushed some stray strands from Kagome's face.
She had gone unconscious.
Inuyasha suddenly remembered that he wasn't alone with Kagome, and quickly snatched back his hand from her face. He glared in the monk's direction. Had he seen everything?
Miroku was in a state of semi-shock.
"What are you gaping at?" Inuyasha growled, although it was half-heartedly. He was drained of most of his energy, to be honest.
Miroku really couldn't snap back, seeing as how his friend had just completed such a noble task. The silence was broken abruptly by the appearance of Sango, who hastily rushed to Kagome's side as soon as she saw the scene.
"What happened?" she demanded of the two boys, an accusing look in her eyes.
Miroku replied, as Inuyasha was too weary to do so. "Kagome was bitten by a saimyoushou, and Inuyasha just sucked all the poison out of her," he said simply.
Sango found this hard to believe, especially since she couldn't find a memory in her mind in which the monk had said a whole sentence to her without a perverted remark or suggestion. But when she whipped her head around and saw the blood lacing the corner of Inuyasha's lips, she drew in a deep breath.
"Inuyasha..."
Everyone turned their gaze abruptly to the source of the voice, Kagome, who was steadily regaining consciousness.
Kagome sat up weakly and captured Inuyasha in a tight embrace, much to the surprise of everyone.
"I was so scared," she whispered softly, leaning up to whisper in Inuyasha's furry ears. "Thank you... for what you did."
"Feh," the hanyou replied gruffly, turning red, but there was the tiniest hint of appreciation in his voice. 'She was awake that whole time?' he wondered, his face reddening still.
Kagome's face was very pink when she finally let go of Inuyasha. But she graced the hanyou with a bright smile.
Inuyasha felt his heart melt upon seeing Kagome's chocolate brown eyes twinkling with tears and happiness.
"So that's the way to a woman's heart," Miroku mused in the background, putting an arm around Sango. "When you ever need help, don't fail to ask me first, Sango dear. And when I'm done fixing everything up for you, you'll be even deeper in love with me!"
The said girl narrowed her eyes at the monk, though the tiniest of blushes was showing on her face. "If you don't take your arms off of me, I swear you won't be alive by that time," she whispered menacingly. Sango was about to go talk to Kagome, when the monk tugged softly on her sleeve.
"Leave them alone," he told her seriously. "They need time to sort out their feelings for each other."
"They don't have any feelings for each other to sort out," Sango said, confused.
Miroku grinned at the girl, "You really are naive, dear Sango."
"Not enough," Sango muttered, slapping the houshi whole-heartedly. "What do I need to do to make you stop groping me?"
Kagome reached out and touched Inuyasha's bleeding lips. The blood had stopped flowing, but she felt the need to touch him. 'Or perhaps, it's an excuse to touch him...' Kagome blushed at the thought.
"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked the hanyou uncertainly. "You did just take poison."
"I'm a hanyou," the boy muttered in frustration. "Half youkai. I'll heal."
Kagome chewed her bottom lip nervously. "And you took a dose of my blood, you know. We probably have different blood types. What if you get a blood clot?" She knew the way she said it sounded ungrateful, but it was true.
Inuyasha growled, "It's not like I sucked your blood or anything. I just placed a wound of mine by your saimyoushou bite, and the poison came to me. So I don't have any of your blood mixed in with mine."
Kagome suddenly thought, 'If all he needed was an open wound, why did he choose his lips?'
"It's getting dark," Inuyasha said uncomfortably, breaking the silence. "We better get back to the inn."
"Yeah," Kagome said softly. It was really late, and the sun had sunk long ago into the misted horizon. "Miroku and Sango seem to have already gone back," she noted. Inuyasha remained silent. Kagome glanced towards the hanyou, and her eyes widened.
"Inuyasha!" she gasped in shock.
AN: Confused? [sigh.] This chapter took me so long to write! Well, hope you liked it! Review!