Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.

Of Fates Unknown

Chapter Twenty

Kagome passed a long, unpleasant evening, hoping that Inuyasha would ask for her and there-by relieving her of the necessity of trying to persuade him to let her heal him. But when no summons came, she finally went off to bed, deciding that Inuyasha's fear and dislike of her powers must be greater than the pain he was suffering. Or perhaps he'd drunk himself into a stupor, which she knew was how most men coped with such pain.

She'd been greatly surprised to learn that the potion her people made from the poppy flower was unknown here, even though several people had told her that the flower itself grew in abundance in the wild. Tadiz was very interested, and when the spring came, she intended to seek out the flower and perhaps try to cultivate them in the gardens of the keep.

It felt as though she had just fallen asleep when a vigorous tapping awakened her at her door. After putting on her robe, she opened the outer door to Inuyasha's highly agitated young aide.

"Lord Inuyasha has need of ye, ma'am. He canna sleep for the pain."

She followed the boy to Inuyasha's quarters, giving no thought to the fact that she should have dressed properly before doing so. She found Inuyasha pacing around the large room, clad only in a pair of loose trousers. The eyes he turned to her seemed to hold more anger than pain.

"I dislike this," he stated with an animalistic growl.

"What is it you dislike: the pain or having to call me?"

"Both. But I must have some sleep. I haven't slept for four nights now- ever since the wolf attack, and even for a hanyou it is to much."

"I'm surprised you didn't just drink yourself into a stupor," she commented. "That's what most men would surely have done."

"I dislike drunkenness," he replied in that same animalistic voice, "regardless of the reasons for it."

Because of your father, she thought but didn't say. Instead, she gestured to the bedchamber. "Why don't you lie down and I'll see if I can help you."

He didn't move, but she noticed her ears pressing towards his skull. "Perhaps I should call young Kari back in here, in case you decide to take this opportunity to do away with me."

She found herself more amused than angry at his gruffness, probably because she understood its caused, but more of a sneaking suspicion it had to do more with his ears. "If I wanted to do away with you, I doubt that Kari- or anyone else- could prevent me from doing it."

She deliberately raised her hand, curving her fingers as though to trace those runes once again. "Now will you do as I…?"

For someone in great pain and suffering from lack of sleep and a bad wound, he moved very quickly, closing the space between them and grabbing her hand tightly as he cursed.

"Damn it! I warned you not to…"

"Calm down, Inuyasha," she said as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter. "I was just trying to persuade you to lie down."

He continued to hold her hand in an iron grip. His lips curled slightly to show off a bit of his fangs. "So now your powers have become a cause for amusement?"

"Not my powers, Inuyasha- you. That would couldn't been more unpleasant than you're being at the moment."

He let her go, and the trace of a smile hovered above his lips. Then his eyes searched hers carefully. "Did you think that you were responsible for what happened to me?"

"Wh-what makes you ask that?"

"Because you smelled so terrified and I didn't think it was the sight of my blood."

She hesitated, and then nodded. "I was afraid that I might have done something I didn't intend to do."

"Why would you think that your mere wishes can come true?" he asked.

"Inuyasha, you asked me here to help you. Please-"

"Answer my question first. Why would you think that?"

She turned her face away from his, not wanting to see his piercing eyes at the confession for some reason. "Because…" she hesitated for a moment before continuing in a very soft tone. "I think that mush be how I got to the tower that night. I remember wanting to go there- and then I was there, with no memory of actually getting there." Turning back towards him, daring him to refute her claim. "And as you said, the door was locked."

He just continued to stare at her, and she looked quickly away. "Please don't stare at me like that. I feel strange enough as it is. I didn't want this, Inuyasha. I wanted only to live in peace here in the land of my people."

Then she started nervously as he one hand but kept the other in his grip. When she looked up at him, she thought she saw understanding there, but it was gone so quickly, and he said nothing as he led her into his bedchamber. She stopped as she saw the big, rumpled bed. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, you're safe. All I want now is sleep."

She started to make a sharp reply to that, but bit it off. Already, he seemed able to read her mind at times and she didn't want to risk being told that he knew what she was feeling.

When he had settled himself in the bed, she went over to sit down carefully on the edge. She saw his gaze fall on the deep vee of her robe. Then, before she realized what he was about to do, he reached out and lifted the Val-Ceadda from its nesting place between her breasts.

But as soon as he'd grasped it, he let it go again and jerked his hand away with a curse. Then he flexed his clawed fingers carefully as he glared at her.

"I wasn't going to take it back," he muttered.

"What happened?" she gasped at his action, unable to understand what could have caused him pain. His injury was to the other shoulder and she worried that he might have other, invisible injuries.

He continued to flex his fingers as he stared hard at her. "Don't play games with me, Kagome. You know perfectly well what happened."

Blinking wide-eyed she replies, "No, I don't."

He leaned back against the pillows, still watching her carefully. "Even if you didn't do anything, you still must have felt something."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Inuyasha." But she was beginning to suspect that the sacred Val-Ceadda itself might have caused the pain.

"When I touched it, sharp pains went through my hand and arm," he admitted with obvious reluctance.

"I had nothing to do with it- I swear I didn't. Why would it happen when you touch this one? You've worn the other one."

"For me, it is nothing more than jewelry. For you, it must be more, since you're Ceadda."

She lifted it herself and stared at it. "Perhaps you're right. I haven't taken it off since I found it."

Then she looked at him and saw the lines etched into his face and remembered why he'd called her in the first place. She put out her hands tentatively, stretching them toward the injured shoulder. He started to draw away, then stopped. The heat she felt coming from the wound seared her hands until she touched the thick bandage.

They both watched as her fingertips began to glow. But the light was barely visible and she suddenly realized that the bandages itself was preventing her from healing him. Or at least, she hoped that was cause.

"I think I'll have to unwrap your wound," she told him uncertainly. "Do you have a knife I can use?"

He gestured to a nearby chest, where she found a small, sharp knife of the type most men carried with them. Then he moved to the edge of the bed and she cut away the bandages very carefully until she was able to unwind the final layers.

The wound was jagged and ugly. She hadn't seen it before and was shocked at the sight. She was also shocked to see that Tadiz had stitched it. How had he endured the pain? She hadn't even heard him cry out, and this wound was quite large.

He lay back against the pillows once more said she put out her hands uncertainly, not wanting to actually touch the would and cause him more pain. The heat burned her hands for a brief moment, and then subsided as her fingertips began to glow brightly. Within seconds, the glow had spread to cover the entire wound. As before, she felt something travel through her fingers and they started to tingle.

She was so fascinated by this display that she momentarily ignored him. Then she heard him sigh softly and saw his body relax slowly. She glanced up towards his face and noticed his ears drift from a forward position to a more relaxed one, and his eyes closed. The deep lines in his face seemed to smooth away even as she watched him.

She sat there for a moment longer, until the glow began to dim and then vanished entirely. Then she gasped as she stared at the wound in the light of the lamp beside his bed. The ugly, raw, seeping wound had almost healed. Nothing was left but a bunch of long, red lines, with a crisscrossing of stitches.

Kagome felt slightly dizzy as she stared at it. It was one thing to have someone say that you'd taken away pain- but to have the visible proof was another matter altogether. She actually wanted to shake him and wake him up to see this miracle. But she contented herself with wondering what he would think when he saw it himself in the morning.

She got up carefully and then drew the bedcovers over him. She'd intended to leave, but something held her there. Her eyes once again drew up towards the soft fur covered ears resting on the top of his head. Biting her lower lip, she glance quickly down to his face before reaching over with a hand and gently rubbing the closest one. A soft smile graced her lips as she continued. She felt a totally unexpected surge of tenderness that actually made her legs shaky.

Something is changing, she thought. Both of us are changing. We don't trust each other, but we are somehow being bound together.

Her mind went back to that moment in the tower and that terrifying need for him that she'd fled from. From what he'd said later, he'd felt it too.

Inuyasha stirred slightly, making Kagome quickly withdraw her hand, then settled down again. A few strands of silver hair fell across his face, and without thinking, she reached out to sooth them away. As she reached his face, she noticed his nose twitching and he murmured softly in his sleep- and she could of sworn that he had said her name.

)O(

Review responses:

Mrsjenthornton – Thank you for your lovely review. Actually what is funny about it is that before I post my chapters, I run thru my e-mail to make sure I got all the responses. I must of just missed yours when I went to post. LOL! I am glad you have enjoyed my story so far and hope you continue to do so.

jeff16 – Tis good to hear from you again. Actually, the thunderbolts thing is sort of like this. Not all Ceadda have the same type of powers. They have their more, um, should I say dominate trait. You will find that Kagome's will be more of a, shall we say, healing and defense, type. Now don't get me wrong, even a shield used in a particular way can be considered a weapon. But you get the idea. I haven't considered Souta's power. (can we say sequal) but actually I will keep that in mind. I thank you for your wonderful suggestions, and it would be an interesting thing to see. (maybe, not even for Souta, but maybe Kagome and Souta weren't the only ones who escaped.)

Oh… I see a world of possibilities with that one now. Searching for revenge, and with the invisible power to kill… wicked! (evil grin) I love it!

Aitu – Wow, thanks! About Naraku's attention towards Kagome. It isn't like he is smitten with her, but more like, he sees the unending possibilities if he can get his claws on her and her brother. Naraku is an evil, calculating mind. (shivers)

Shippou isn't really that fond of Inuyasha, where as Souta just adores him. Shippou is more attached to Kagome then anyone else. And you will see just what he will do in order to keep her safe. (besides, just being her shadow)

And even if he thought he could use Souta to charm his sister, he has quickly learned to like him and also the fact that diamonds may be considered the hardest substance on earth, but it really has nothing on a woman's stubborn nature.

I am glad you liked it so much, I try to post two chapters a day. (activities in real world permitting) And I do hope you will like the rest of the story too.

Lil-Moe – (blushes) Aw, thank you. I am just glad that people are enjoying this story as much as I am in creating it. I was sort of worried to tell you the truth, about doing an AU because I love the original story so much. I have seen Inuyasha mature in the manga but still hold on to his "I don't really care, at least that I want to admit" nature, and worried that it wouldn't work for him here. But I was able do keep it in a more under the surface, type thing. Miroku's character does show great intelligence too, but hides it under his (ahem) charming tendencies. In the end I hope that I was able to bring out more of their true natures. So over all I am quite pleased with this story. :)

Jay – Glad you love it. Thank you for your nice review.

Josie'n the P.cats – The wolves were also my sort of reverting back to the manga, where he is tormented by Kouga's wolf pack. (I just couldn't help myself) Since it was with Kouga that you see a more, um, conflicting nature come about with Inuyasha's interaction with Kagome. He protects her fiercely, almost to the point of jealousy but refuses to say why he doesn't like Kouga's attention of Kagome.

I think in the manga too, Inuyasha can see her as a threat and a desire. He desires to protect and care about her, but he can't because of the situations around them. (her ability to sit him, Kikyou, Naraku using her against him…) But that is just my take on the story.

I read (I believe in the story "Present Time") Kagome once question about Hojo. She questioned why someone who had such good grades was such a dunce when it came to girls and relationships.

Ramzgurl – LOL! I have put a hold on my other two stories, myself to re-edit and try to restore my documents. My computer crashed and all information I had on them went out the door. So I know how it goes. I have not seen the show that you were talking about, but if you happen to remember the name, let me know. I would love to see it. Thanks for the wonderful review.

Poabrittany – Thanks, I try to post as fast as I can, but with things happing in real life, sometimes I can only get one a day. I try for two though.

Sorry story is was delayed today. I had to shovel snow out of the driveway and then watch as a snowplow wiped out our mailbox. So then I had to call the county and have them fix it. (sigh) We go through at least two a winter. Then to top it all off, I couldn't log into my FanFiction account. (grrr.) I swear the world is against me today... Least it is anime night on Cartoon Network!

Major turning point in their feelings… (ahem…) er, not that they would admit it to anyone in a hundred years! Yeah, well, this chapter is important because it pretty much forces Inuyasha to admit to needing her. (even if it is just for healing) And Kagome sees that even though his father was a threat to her, maybe the son doesn't hold the same ideals.

I will try to post another chapter later today, but I may not be able to. Tonight is YYH and all the good anime stuffs, so you know how that goes. I so look forward to Saturday night.

Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews,

Brightest of Blessings,

Lady Banshee 999