The next morning Inuyasha woke. Kagome was laying beside him. Her back was against his side and curled up in front of her was a little girl. He tried to move and had to stifle a groan. Unfortunately he had not been able to cut it off soon enough and it woke Kagome and the girl.
Kagome sat up an looked at Inuyasha. She was relieved to see him awake. "Aiko, could you go and see if the others are ready to go?" she asked. The girl nodded and left. Kagome leaned down and kissed him gently. "I was so worried."
"You aren't getting rid of me that easily." he replied. "So, did Sango finish off the demon?' Kagome shook her head. "Well what happened?"
"I don't want to tell you." she said. "You'll just get upset." He growled softly. His meaning was clear. She was his mate and he expected her to tell him. "I purified him."
"What?" How?" he asked.
"When I saw you fall, I just ran to you. I think Sango and Miroku told me to stop, but all I could think about was getting to you. The demon told me to give him the jewel and he would spare the lives of the others." she paused. His look told her to go on. "I walked up to him and placed my hand on his chest. All I could think about was how he had hurt you. I felt the power flow through me and he was purified."
Inuyasha looked horrified. Kagome thought it was because of what she had done, that he would be afraid of her now. She had to fight back the tears. He took her hand. "Baka, will you never learn not to risk your life for me?" he asked. "Don't you understand I can't lose you."
She looked at him. He wasn't afraid of her. He was afraid of what could have happened to her. "You risk your life for me." she said.
"That's different." he replied.
"How?" she asked.
"I am half demon. It is a lot harder to kill me than a pathetic human." he said. Inuyasha finally managed to sit up. "We should get going. I can't fight like this. We can't stay in one place too long." He tried to stand.
"InuYasha, you should rest. You can ride Kirara." she said.
"I'm fine." he scoffed. Then Kagome did something that surprised him. She made a sound suspiciously like a growl, and he had no trouble understanding her meaning. This was one fight he was not going to win. "Fine, but I'm walking when we get to the village." Kagome reluctantly agreed.
As soon as the village was in sight InuYasha slid off Kirara's back. The children all cried out calling for their parents. Most of the village came out to see what the commotion was. The parents and the children ran to meet each other. Kagome led the way with Inuyasha beside her as they continued through the village.
"Wait." a woman Kagome recognized as Aiko's mother called. Kagome stopped prepared for whatever the woman would say. "Thank you." the women held out a small basket of vegetables. "I have nothing else to offer you."
"Thank you, but keep your food for your family." Kagome told her. Kagome raised her voice. "If any of you truly wish to repay me then remember what has happened." She took InuYasha's hand. "He risked his life to save your children, even after the way you treated me. You look at him and see a demon. I look at him and see a good man. Maybe next time you will remember that it is not what someone is that is the measure of their worth, but who they are. Let a person's actions be the true judge of their character."
Several more people came up to thank her and offer their apologies. Kagome was talking to one, when Inuyasha leaned heavily against her. She saw the villager's eyes opened wide and followed her gaze. There was blood rapidly seeping through InuYasha's haori. His face paled.
"Miroku help me." she called. "I can't hold him by myself."
In an instant Miroku was by her side. Together they lowered him gently to the ground. Kagome reached in her bag and pulled out her supplies. She opened his clothes and pulled off the bandages. The villagers around them gasped. Kagome went to work closing the offending wound. At last the blood flow ceased and she reapplied the bandage.
He opened his eyes. "You stubborn hanyou." she whispered. "What am I going to do with you?" he smiled before closing his eyes again.
The headman approached her. "You and your friends are welcome to stay here, until he can travel." he said. "A hut has been prepared for you." Kagome nodded her acceptance. Inuyasha would be furious but she didn't care, as long a she got better.
The next morning as Kagome changed his dressings, she marveled at his healing ability. His wounds weren't fully healed, but she knew he would insist on leaving today, and she wouldn't be able to stop him. He woke as she was applying the last bandage. He caught her hand and pulled her close. He put his other arm on the back of her neck and pulled her lips to meet his. She gave into his kiss.
"I guess this means that you are feeling better." she teased.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"In the village." she replied.
"Why are we still here?" he asked.
"You needed time to rest." she said softly.
"We're leaving." he told her. She nodded. "You aren't going to argue with me about this?"
"I wish you would spend another day healing, but as long as you agree to stop today if you need to, then we can leave." she said. He didn't say anything. "Inuyasha, if you can't ask to stop for yourself. Then find some way to let me know and I'll say I need to stop."
"Keh." was his reply. He started to get up and winced.
She bent down beside him. "Let me help you." she offered. He pushed her away. "Inuyasha I know how strong you are. Just let me help. No one will know." This time when she reached for him, he let her.
Just outside the village Miroku stopped and turned to Kagome. "Kagome-sama, I feel I would be remiss not to speak. You have taught us all a lesson that I shall never forget. You humble me with your character and your pure heart. It is a deep honor to be among those you call your friends." he told her.
Kagome blushed. "I didn't do anything that any of you wouldn't have done." she said quietly.
"He's right Kagome. I would not have helped them were I in your position." Sango admitted.
"Sango, you underestimate yourself. I am sure you would have done the same." Kagome replied.
Miroku shook his head. Of course it wasn't in Kagome to see how special she really was. She thought the best of everyone and that was part of what made her so rare. "You are a rare person. I hope InuYasha realizes how lucky he is." Miroku finished. He and Sango resumed the journey.
"I do." Inuyasha whispered to himself.
They had been walking about two hours when Kagome noticed something was wrong with Inuyasha. His brow was covered with sweat and though his face was impassive, his eyes held his pain. Kagome stopped walking. "Would anyone mind if we stopped for a while?" she asked. "I stayed up too late watching Inuyasha and could use a short rest."
Sango looked at both Kagome and Inuyasha. Kagome didn't look tired, but Inuyasha looked like he could hardly stand. "I wouldn't mind stopping for a while." Sango said.
Kagome shot her a grateful look. "What do you say Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"If we don't stop those two will just be whining about it until we do so." he huffed. "Might as well save ourselves the trouble of listening to them and stop now."
With that Inuyasha slid his back down a tree onto the ground. He would have kept walking until he fell over and couldn't move. He hadn't expect to still be in so much pain after two days. He was actually relieved that Kagome had stopped them. Though at this rate it would take almost a week to get back to the village.
Kagome looked at Inuyasha. Why did he have to be so stubborn? She dug in her bag and got out some supplies to make lunch. She gave them to Sango and went to sit beside Inuyasha. "Why didn't you say anything?" she whispered.
"Because I'm fine." he said.
"You are not." she told him. "We had an agreement."
"No, you agreed I didn't." he said curtly. "If you just came over here to bitch at me then you can leave."
He closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to see the tears he could smell on her face. "I came to make sure you were all right, but since you don't seem to appreciate that I care about you, I'll go." she said softly.
He heard her walk away. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but he couldn't tell her the truth. It hurt too much to talk. He just wanted to be alone, to try and get the pain under control. A few minutes later Kagome came over and handed him a bowl. She stood there for a minute waiting for him to say something, but he remained silent. She sighed and returned to Sango and Miroku.
They resumed their journey about and hour later. This time Kagome watched Inuyasha more closely. He might be content to kill himself, but she wasn't about to let him. He tried not to be obvious but she noticed as soon as he started using Tetsusiaga as a cane for support. She stopped walking.
"Forget it wench. We aren't stopping again yet." he growled.
Kagome sat down where she was standing. "Unless you can carry me, or you plan on leaving me, we are stopping." she replied.
Damn it. She knows there is no way I'll be able to make her move. "We'll never get back if you insist on stopping every hour." he reasoned.
"We're not taking a break. We're making camp for the night." she said.
"For the night!" he yelled. "It's barely after noon." She shrugged, but gave him a look that dared him to continue his tirade. He ignored the look. "Sango, Miroku, tell her. If she's that tired she can ride Kirara."
"Maybe we should stop." Sango said cautiously.
Inuyasha gave her and incredulous look. "It could be nice to travel at a leisurely pace for a change." Miroku added.
Inuyasha growled his frustration. He shot them all a dirty look before storming off and sitting under a tree several feet away. Kagome shook her head sadly. Sango gave her a reassuring pat on the hand and Miroku gave her a reassuring pat on the rear.
"Miroku." she cried pushing him away and bringing her hand back to slap him.
"Kagome, please allow me." Sango said sweetly. Kagome nodded and it was followed by a resounding slap.
Kagome looked over at Inuyasha. She was surprised that he hadn't come over to thump the monk for touching her. It wasn't like him. She went over to make sure he was all right and found him passed out. "Sango, come help me." she called. Sango joined her beside Inuyasha. " Help me lay him down." He groaned softly as they straightened him out. Kagome touched his cheek gently. "What am I going to do with you?"
The next morning Inuyasha looked a little better and they set out. They walked until lunch time. Truthfully Inuyasha didn't feel any better than yesterday, he was just hiding it better. He was beginning to think that the demon might have had poison claws. When they stopped he looked down and noticed a small amount of blood seeping through his haori. Kagome had seen him looking.
"Inuyasha, open your shirt." she said.
"No." he replied. She reached for him and he slapped her hands away. "I said no damn it. As my mate you need to stop arguing with me and when I say not to do something don't."
"Fine." she said through her tears. "Kill yourself, see if I care, but I'll be damned if I am going to be around to watch you do it. You can keep walking as long as you like, but you will be going without me."
Instead of going over to sit by the fire with Sango and Miroku she found a semi dry spot of ground beneath a tree a few yards away and sat down. She pulled her knees to her chest and cried. Inuyasha dropped his haori over her shoulders and went to sit down, so that he was far enough away not to smell her tears, but so that he could still see her.
She cried for a long time, until there were no tears left. Why was he being so mean, she wondered. He hadn't treated her this way for a long time. Maybe he was sorry he had asked her to be his mate. She was only trying to take care of him. She wrapped his haori tightly around her and laid down.
Inuyasha could tell that she had fallen asleep. She had cried a lot longer than he had expected. He had been a little harder on her than he should have. She was worried about him. He guessed he should have tried harder to see her concern for what it was. She loved him and didn't want him to be in pain. Baka, you are lucky she cares about you at all. You criticized her about being a good mate, when she never says anything about the names you call her and how you make fun of her. How many people would care about the pain of a hanyou? Not many.
He could see her shivering from where he was sitting. He went over to her and pulled her into his arms. She stirred, but didn't wake.
"InuYasha ...Sorry." she mumbled. What is she sorry for, he wondered.
When he felt her waking, he laid her back down and returned to where he was sitting before. She sat up and looked at him sadly. Kagome shook her head. She had been sure that he was holding her and expected to wake up in his arms. She supposed it was just wishful thinking. She went to sit by the fire. Sango suggested that they play cards, to try and cheer Kagome up.
That night as she tried to sleep she buried her face in Inuyasha's haori and cried softly. She breathed him in and wished that he was beside her. It wasn't her earlier nap, but his absence that denied her.
Kagome finally fell asleep sometime just before dawn. They walked until nearly dusk before Sango finally insisted that they stop. Kagome could hardly stand. They hadn't even covered that much distance because she had been walking so slow. It was easy to see that she was exhausted. Miroku offered to help Inuyasha gather wood for the fire.
"Inuyasha, perhaps you should talk to Kagome." he suggested gently.
"Mind your own business, monk." Inuyasha replied. Miroku sighed.
As tired as she was Kagome couldn't fall asleep. The others watched with concern as she didn't eat more than a bite of her dinner.
They made it back to the village on the sixth night. Kagome had slept little and ate less since her fight with Inuyasha. The only thing that kept her from going straight to the well was the Shippou's excitement at her return.
"What's wrong?" he asked from his place in her lap.
"Nothing." she said softly. "I'm just tired. I didn't sleep well on the journey."
InuYasha couldn't stand to look at her, so he left to sleep in the Goshinboku. He had slept little over the last few days, but he was stronger than Kagome and so looked less effected. He woke early to the scent and presence of a strange youkai. He jumped out of the tree with Tetsusiaga drawn.
"Show yourself." he said loudly.
"Oh, you are a feisty one. This should be fun." a smooth female voice said.
Inuyasha watched her step out of the trees. Damn it. This was going to be difficult. He filled his minds with thoughts of Kagome and steeled him self against her. "What do you want temptress?" he asked.
"So you know what I am. I seek the Shikon no Tama of course. I heard you protect the Miko who guards it, but I was not aware that she was your mate." the temptress said. "Clever puppy. Put your sword away."
She ran her hand across his shoulder and around his back as she circled him. He sheathed his sword. She put her hand to the side of his face, and drew her face close to his. As their lips were about to touch a familiar scent caught hit him. Kagome. With the thought of her name the spell of the temptress was broken.
He turned to see her jump into the well with tears streaming down her face. He pushed the female demon away from him. "Don't touch me bitch." he cursed. He went to draw his sword, but she was gone. He ran to the well and jumped in.
He heard her crying as he reached the base of the well in her time. He jumped out. "Kagome." he said softly, putting his hand on her arm.
She pulled away. "Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me again." she said. "Just go away and leave me alone."
"Kagome it wasn't...she was..." He started.
"Shut up." she yelled. "Just stop. If you care about me even a little just leave and don't come back."
"All right. I'll go, but I am going to come back as soon as I find a way to prove to you that I didn't betray you." he told her.
Kagome made her way to the house, relieved to find that her mother wasn't home. She went up to her room and laid down on her bed and cried.
Inuyasha headed straight to the village. They were all in Kaede's hut. Before he went in he realized that they were talking about him.
"I just don't understand him Lady Kaede." Sango said. "I really though he had changed. I don't know what he said to her, but she was absolutely devastated."
"Surely not. Kagome is a strong girl." Kaede replied.
"I have to agree with Sango." Miroku offered. "She stopped eating and only slept when her body refused to continue any longer without rest."
Inuyasha stepped inside. "If you think I've messed up bad now, wait until you here what just happened." he said. He told them what happened with the temptress and after with Kagome. "How can I prove that I didn't do anything?" he asked.
His hopes fell, when no one could give him an answer. He left them and went to the sacred tree. At least there he felt connected to Kagome.
Kagome didn't hear her mother open the door to her room. "Kagome dear, what's wrong?" she asked.
"I can't talk about it right now mama. Please." Kagome replied.
Kagome pulled Kagome into a hug. "Of course dear." she said softly. "You don't have to tell me until you are ready." Kagome cried in her mother's arms. Asami Higurashi stroked her daughter's hair and rocked her softly. After a while Kagome calmed. "Would you like a nice hot bath?"
"I think I'd just like to be alone." she replied. Her mother nodded and left her.
Two weeks passed and neither Inuyasha nor Kagome were fairing well. Kagome only ate when her mother forced her and always had dark circles under her eyes. She still hadn't spoken about what upset her. Inuyasha rarely left the Goshinboku, always watching the well, hoping she would come back. The only time he ate was when Sango or Miroku would bring him something.
He jumped out of the tree. "What the hell do you want?" he asked.
"Where is your mate?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Gone." he replied.
"Where?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Does it fucking matter? She's gone and she's not coming back, and it's my own fault." Inuyasha said.
This was serious. "What happened?"
"She was already mad at me, but it would have been okay, if it hadn't been for that damn temptress." Inuyasha growled.
Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"
"Nothing." he said. "She tried to kiss me, but I stopped her before it happened, but Kagome thinks I wanted her to."
"Then why did you simply not allow her to find the truth?" he asked.
"If I knew how to do that I would have." Inuyasha told him. "Why are you here anyway?"
"That is unimportant." Sesshomaru said. "Inuyasha, the truth of what happened is in your blood. To betray your mate is to break the bond. It would taint you and she would no longer be able to stand the taste of your blood. Then I would have to kill you. Though there may have been a time that would have brought me pleasure, that time has passed. Go retrieve your mate."
Baka, of course Sesshomaru knows how to prove that you didn't betray her. You could have had her with you all this time. "Inuyasha." Sesshomaru said. "You might want to consider a bath before you go after her."
Inuyasha realized that after two weeks, Sesshomaru was probably right. He went as fast as he could to the springs and then he went after Kagome.
Inuyasha felt his feet hit firm ground on Kagome's side of the well. The scent of her tears assaulted him. He heard her crying. "Inuyasha where are you? Why haven't you come for me?" she sobbed.
He jumped out of the well. "Kagome." he said softly. She looked up. "I thought you didn't want me to come."
"Baka, of course I wanted you to come. I love you, even if you don't love me." she cried.
He moved to sit beside her. He wrapped his arms around her. "Now who's being a baka?" he said.
"I want to be with you. I promise I'll try to be the kind of mate you want." she told him.
"Kagome, what are you talking about?" he asked. "You already are the kind of mate I want."
"I thought maybe you were sorry, you chose me because of what you said on the way back to the village, about how I never do what you say." she replied.
"That's why you were so upset?" he asked. She nodded. "Kagome, I'd like it if you didn't argue with me about everything, but I'd never change my mind about being with you."
"But you were with that woman?' she said softly.
"She was a temptress after the Shikon no Tama." he told her. "I'd never do that to you I swear."
"I want to believe you." she said.
"I can prove it. Sesshomaru told me how." He used his claw to draw blood from his finger. "Here." he said putting it to her lips.
She tasted his blood on her tongue. "Why did you do that?" she asked.
"Was it the same as when we became mates?" he asked. She nodded. "If I had betrayed you, then you would have been able to tell. The taste would have repulsed you. You can ask Sesshomaru."
"I believe you." she said. She out her arms around him. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too." he whispered. "Will you come back with me?"
"Of course, but can we tell mama first?" she asked. "I need to explain some things to her before we go." He nodded. They walked to the house.
A/N: Thanks to wolf69 - lyn - draechaeli - owari nai yumes - daydreamer62386 - ana7 - inuyashaluvzkagome - for their reviews. I was afriad no one would like my fic when I started posting. I appreciate you taking the time to read and review...