Author's note: Thanks to my wonderful reviewers for the great response
to the last chapter! As they say of all worthwhile things in life, it's
the quality, not the quantity that counts! What follows now is an
installment of another three chapters and I'll try to get to a more
satisfying breaking place with another update sometime next week. I
will keep updating/writing as I can, but if you have any questions
about the story, feel free to e- mail. --JR
Chapter 21 Aftermath
By the flickering light of candles, Inuyasha watched her for signs of movement. Kagome was on her bedding, covered with blankets, her wet hair framing her pale face.
He watched her, frowning. This wasn't good. She had been back less than three days, and, one way or another had been asleep more than awake. When she was awake, she was in danger of meeting harm, more from herself even than the demons. Earlier today she had battled one of the largest demons he had ever laid eyes upon, and then fainted from exhaustion. He had cared for her, making sure she revived fully only to have THIS happen to her.
'What was she doing in the water on her back?'
He didn't know how, but somehow her actions had caused this, her near drowning, and now this strange sleep. Her breathing was still shallow and too slow. He wanted her to wake up. Gently at first, he pressed on her shoulders, trying to wake her. Growing frustrated, he shook harder. Her body was still limp, almost lifeless. He was trying hard not to worry, but he shook his head. He could not, would not allow himself to think about anything happening to her now.
Kaede had also looked at her when he first brought her back and didn't understand why she was sleeping, but, giving him a look that was meant to be reassuring, said, "Let's just give her time to rest, Inuyasha. She should be fine when she awakens."
Outside, he heard Sango return and enter. "No change in her?" Sango asked. He shook his head. He could see the concern on Sango's face too. "Hmph! Don't worry, woman, she'll be fine. I'm seeing to her!" When he said it, both he and Sango knew he was trying to convince himself more than her.
Miroku, had given Inuyasha a wide-birth when he came jumping into the yard with Kagome unconscious and wrapped in his coat. He was upset to see her unconscious again, but knew better than to ask questions until Inuyasha was ready. He silently said a prayer thanking the gods that Shippo had fallen asleep waiting for her return. The little kitsune always angered the hanyou, but with Kagome hurt again, Inuyasha would be even more short with him than usual. When Sango came back, he asked her what had happened, and she told him enough of the story for him to realize Kagome's state was not caused by natural sleepiness. He entered the hut behind Sango and met her eyes across the room, careful not to allow his own eyes to travel any lower. She was still dressed in the bating suit with a towel wrapped around her.
"Miroku and Inuyasha, I want you both to step outside for a moment so I can change. I'll change Kagome into some dry clothes too."
"No," Inuyasha said in a low, firm tone. "Don't touch her Sango. I have her well-covered. I don't want anyone touching her."
She knew that the fact that he was not yelling at her right now showed real restraint on his part. Whatever was going to happen between them, Inuyasha was possessive of her in the way a demon protects a hurt mate. She lowered her head and nodded, careful not to upset him.
As the men stepped outside and closed the door, Miroku turned to him, a fresh look of concern in his face.
"What is monk? You look as if you saw a ghost," Inuyasha snorted.
Miroku looked at him nervously. "I'm not sure what it was," he said, "but I sense something gathering around Kagome again in her sleep. Whatever attacked her before is coming back."
Without waiting to find out if Sango was presentable, Inuyasha charged back through the door, past a startled but dressed Sango, and sat down by Kagome, guarding her. He didn't sense or smell any strange presence near, but in this instance, he believed the monk had abilities to detect things that he didn't. By all outside appearances, nothing had changed in her condition, at least, not yet.
Kagome looked up at the sky. It was an ominous gray, and a cold wind swept across her face and through her hair. Her feet were bare, and she shifted them in the sand dunes, feeling the gritty sand gathering between her toes. "It's going to start raining any minute, "she thought. "I need to find shelter."
She held her hands up to her face to keep her blowing hair out of her eyes as she scanned her surroundings. The ocean was behind her, the beach extended to the horizon in both side directions, and ahead of her, lay the mountains. She wasn't worried about how she got here, she had been here before, she knew. She just didn't remember how she got here or where she was supposed to go.
She felt the first drops of rain hit her bare arms. She was wearing only her bathing suit, and was growing cold. She headed for the mountains, eager to find some place to wait out the storm.
Up ahead in the outcropping of rocks she saw something dark, an entrance to a cave, a threatening maw.
"That's it," she thought, "This is where I'm supposed to go." Her goal in sight, she began running.
"Inuyasha, I think you should wait for her to wake up someplace else," Miroku finally said, after trying to find a way to suggest this without angering him.
Inuyasha looked up from her sleeping face and met his eyes. "No," he said firmly. "I'm not leaving her side."
"But, "Miroku began, "If she goes into a waking-dream as she did last time, you could be sent flying. The repairs to Kaede's hut aren't even completed. Please consider letting Sango and I–"
He looked at him through dangerously narrowed eyes and answered in a low voice.
"No."
The fact that he wasn't yelling was almost of as much concern as Kagome's condition, but Miroku didn't want to test his luck any more than Sango did, so he dropped it.
Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome. Still she didn't move, didn't make a sound in her sleep. Her face was pale, but placid. He remembered how much pain she seemed to be in the last time she was in this sort of state. He desperately didn't want to hear her cry out in pain like that again. But this sleep was different too. The last time her sleep seemed troubled, she was restless and made noises, even spoke. This time there was no response. It was as if only her sleeping body was in the room with him, not her mind.
'Gods,' he prayed, 'Let her come out of this.'
She reached the entrance to the cave and dashed through the opening in the dark rock.
The rain was falling hard now, and she had gotten very wet just running to the cave. She turned and looked out the opening and back at the beach and the endlessly raining gray sky. How long was it going to rain this time?
This time?
Yes, she remembered, it had rained last time she was here too. Suddenly she became aware of a presence behind her and spun round, startling.
The small figure of a child was looking up at her, watching her with large, black eyes.
"I know you!" Kagome said, warmly. "I've seen you before, haven't I?" She smiled at the girl to show her she didn't need to be afraid of her.
The girl gave her a short, thin smile. "You're supposed to go inside," she said. "They're waiting for you."
Kagome looked down at the smiling child and watched as she turned to mist, disappearing in front of her. She wasn't frightened seeing this, she had seen this before too, although she couldn't remember where. "I must have met her here last time too," she thought.
With no one to keep her company and only the steady sound of the hard rain by the entrance, Kagome turned to face the cave's interior. Although she was unable to see, she walked calmly into the darkness.
"It's funny," she thought. "I think I was afraid of falling last time." The cave's floor was cold but dry. Her feet walked on the sand below her she couldn't see. Up ahead she sensed an increase in the darkness and realized she was leaving a passageway and entering a cavernous room.
She felt the temperature drop as she entered the room and hugged herself, once again wishing she had worn something warmer.
She heard nothing, saw nothing, felt only cold and sand, but she became aware of feeling the presence of many others in the darkness, waiting. The sound of breathing made the silence thicker.
'The ones the child spoke of,' she knew.
"Hello?" she called out. No answer came, not even an echo of her own voice. The room seemed to absorb all light, sound, and warmth. She stepped forward a few more steps and, for the first time, began to feel fear. She still could see nothing, but knew they were pressing close to her from every side. She tried hard to stay calm and stand her ground, but she couldn't stop the slight tremble in her arms.
She felt them, felt their hatred.
Sensing a blow coming to her face, she reached out to cover her head. Her hand struck cold, stone. It burned her like fire even as she felt it writhe, living beneath her touch.
She screamed. Her arms flailed in front of her, trying to push back, but with every movement she felt them press closer There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them, distinct but merged. They swarmed on her, crushing her. Stone of ice and vile heat lashed out and grabbed for her, her head, her arms, her legs.
Pain white-hot beyond her endurance shot through her, their collective pain. They were sharing it with her, forcing her to taste it burning in her mouth, scorching her eyes with white fire. She was trapped in stone, dying in fire. She screamed in terrified agony.
Two hours had passed since he brought Kagome back and she had not moved in the slightest. They were alone in the silent, lowly-lit room. He sat beside her, cross-legged on the ground, his eyes never leaving her face. Then, without warning, she went into convulsions.
Inuyasha stood, and, drawing Tetsiga, whirled around wildly, searching for the enemy that was doing this to her. "DAMMIT!" he yelled. "Where the fuck are you?! Come fight me, you bastard!" He sensed nothing, but knew it was there, hurting Kagome. Whatever this was, he couldn't fight it off and couldn't protect her.
He looked down at her thrashing form, and, in panic, pinned her arms, trying to get her to lie still. Underneath him, the convulsions continued. He realized her temperature had spiked very quickly, her face was a burning red as her head and body moved on their own in rapid, jerky movements. Her heart was beating frantically, erratically. He laid down on top of her, putting his full weight on her, his legs on top of hers, pinning her. Her neck kept arching her head wildly, and he brought his face down upon her burning cheek, trying to hold that down as well. He was out of his mind with fear for her.
"Kagome, please don't die. Please don't leave me!" He yelled out in desperate fear, oblivious and unconcerned if he was heard.
At any second the spell could activate and he would be sent flying upwards with a force to propelling him through the roof.
'Please, don't let her repel me, at least not until she stops this!'
Miroku heard Inuyasha's desperate yells, and came running through the door. He took in the scene, horrified, as Kagome convulsed and Inuyasha tried to contain her mindless movements. Kaede and Sango stood in the threshold, watching in dread concern and feeling helpless. Kagome was dying a horrible, violent death, and her attacker was invisible.
Kagome made no sound, but her pain was obvious. Miroku moved beside Kagome and Inuyasha's struggling form, raised his staff, and began chanting the prayer he had said earlier. His staff went flying out of his hand and struck the opposite wall, piercing the wood like a spear. As soon as his staff was taken, he was slapped hard across the face by the force he could only feel and went down to the floor.
Across the room he heard Sango call out to him, but her voice sounded far off. He was now caught in a typhoon-strength wind. Through tearing eyes, he saw Inuyasha still struggling to hold Kagome down on her bed and Sango and Kaede across the room, outside the wind, calling to him with terrified expressions. He wanted to remove his rosary and open up his own wind- tunnel, but knew he couldn't, not this close to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Whatever's attacking Kagome is attacking me too. It's isolating me, trying to stop me from helping her."
Kaede tried to approach and was thrust back into Sango with a hard push to the chest. It was then that the saw it. Only for an instant, the invisible force took a form of sorts, black and viscous, like the sickening smoke of a grease fire. In that moment, he had an idea.
"SANGO!" he yelled as loud as he could, "KAGOME'S STAR!" He hoped she heard him and understood. The wind picked up and he couldn't open his mouth now against it's force. It was hard to open his eyes at all now, but he glimpsed Kagome and Inuyasha's bodies, still thrashing. 'If I can't stop this, she'll die now,' he thought in grimly.
He cracked his eyes in the howling wind that was pinning him to the floor and saw through a blur Sango standing, readying her boomerang. 'She's not going to throw it in here, is she?!' he thought with terror. He lifted his head and struggled to open his eyes to see Sango's boomerang hit the wall of wind and rip through, causing the wind to die-down for an instant. That was all the time he needed. He saw what Sango had done–the star was tied on the top of the boomerang, held in place by a heavy cord.
In a quick motion that tore the amulet from it's chain, Miroku grabbed it and held tight, just as the wind regained its force. Holding the amulet against the floor and his hand, he began chanting, even though the wind tried to block out his words. After several seconds, he could feel the heat beneath his rosary and cloth-covered hand, and saw a yellow glow begin to emanate, bright light cracking through his gripped fingers.
Holding on with all his might, he lifted the glowing charm into the wind, which instantly died. Freed, he stood up and ran to Kagome and Inuyasha. Both Inuyasha and Kagome had their eyes closed, Inuyasha struggling to maintain control and Kagome lost in the darkness. As he approached them, Inuyasha opened his eyes.
"Inuyasha! I want to try the star amulet! Keep her head still" Miroku yelled.
Without answering, Inuyasha pressed the side of his own face harder on hers. She continued to jerk, but not as violently. Miroku still wished she wasn't moving so much, but watched for a clear shot. With the star in his palm, he reached for Kagome's forehead, connecting.
Kagome knew she was dying again, but her own dying wasn't the worst, it was their pain, the sound of thousands of beating hearts, trapped in stone. The hatred that poured over her was like a sea of fire. She was burning everywhere, could feel her skin melting in the fire as icy stones held her down.
She was dying, and that would be her salvation. But what about these beings? Who could save them? Even in the grips of her own agony, she grieved, wishing that somehow her own death would at least put a stop to this endless pain, knowing it wouldn't.
She heard his voice, weak, far-off. Somehow, he had come for her, giving her comfort.
"Look up, Kay! Look at the stars!"
She closed her eyes tighter, readying to let go. She knew it was only her dying mind's wish that he could save her now. It wasn't real. She was shut inside, deep inside the earth. There were no stars in this darkness. Then she heard another voice, louder than the first:
"Damn it Kagome, stop struggling!
Open your eyes and look!
Look at the star Kagome!
Stay with me! Look at the star!"
She was letting go, wanting to be rid of the pain, but he was yelling at her, insisting she listen, demanding her attention.
Through eyes glazed in pain, she looked up.
As soon as the amulet made contact with her skin, the convulsions stopped. For just a moment, her back arched and her eyes opened. Miroku saw with dread they had turned the strange pale-blue color he had noticed after the battle with the worm demon. Her eyes closed again quickly, and the tension left her body.
Inuyasha opened his eyes and lifted his head from her face to look at her, terrified she had just died. When he heard and felt her heart beat, he gave a sigh of relief and buried his head against her neck, allowing himself to feel her pulse and breath deeply into her scent as tears pooled in his eyes.
Miroku was standing over her, holding the amulet firmly against her forehead. Inuyasha released her arms and pushed himself off of her, not wanting to crush her now that she had stopped thrashing.
Miroku chanted a prayer over and over, and, as he did so, the center of the glowing amulet changed from yellow to a swirling, sluggish, dark purple, like the color of cold blood. As the amulet's center filled with the new color, Kagome made her first sound–a sharp, long intake of air.
She let it out and began breathing normally. Her face was no longer a burning red, but returning to a normal pallor. Inuyasha brought his hand lightly down to her cheek to confirm it, her fever was gone.
After several more minutes of chanting, Miroku lifted the star and held it out, away from his face. The dark color bled from the center down through it's tips, leaving the center apparently empty. Miroku then said a banishing prayer and watched as the star began to heat, it's own energy burning away the remnants of the evil, purple color. The center returned to a glowing yellow again, and the yellow light flashed down through the tips, then vanished. In an instant, it stopped and the star was back to it's original appearance, a slightly milky-white translucent center with clear points, cool to the touch.
Miroku exhaled and smiled in exhausted but happy victory. "It's done!" he said. "The force that came through her dream is gone."
He lowered the star. Sango rushed over to him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him, full on the lips.
The surprised monk looked ecstatic. "Why lady Sango!" he exclaimed somewhat smugly, "I thought I wouldn't get another reward for a week," he tried to contain it, but couldn't hide his huge smile of enjoyment. The rush of blood caused his heart to race again, but not in fear this time, but in simple relief and a happiness that was far from simple.
"That wasn't for good behavior, Miroku. That was for saving Kagome.
"You still have to wait a full week for the next one," she said, and couldn't stop herself from smiling back at him. Before letting go of him, she grabbed him again, not kissing him, but hugging him, burying her head to his chest before forcefully stepping back.
Inuyasha was holding Kagome's hand, sitting beside her. He watched her sleeping normally now, moving slightly and breathing in a steady rhythm.
After what she had just been through, he knew he should just let her sleep, but when he thought no one was looking, he lifted her hand to his mouth and gave the tip of her index finger a playful nip.
Kagome gave a soft sigh in her sleep, and her mouth curved into a small smile.
At this little sign from her, Inuyasha's face broke into a happy grin. Behind him, where he was not aware he was being watched, Sango, Kaede, and Miroku all smiled.
It was the Valentine's Day party at the club. Kagome was dressed in her slinky red velvet tank-top and low-rider jeans. She remembered this outfit, this night. She was dressed to kill.
She made her way through the strobbing lights past the dance floor to her regular table.
A group was gathered in the semi-darkness, playing cards, five men and one woman.
Chloe gave a high-pitched laugh as she took off her engagement ring and placed it in the middle of the table.
"Next time it's going to be the real thing, baby!" Brad said to her with a leering smile.
"There won't be a next time because I'm winning. If there is, I'll give you my panty-hose, but that's all!"
"That's fine 'cause I know you 'aint got nothing underneath them!" he grinned widely.
The group broke out into hardy laughter.
"Ooh baby!" Ricky called, turning to Kagome. "Pull up a chair and join the game!"
About thirty minutes later, Kagome began tossing more in her sleep, mumbling incoherently. Miroku stepped closer, beside Inuyasha just to make sure nothing supernatural was beginning again.
Suddenly, she sat up, her eyes opened and gave Miroku a hard punch to the side of the jaw.
As Miroku reeled back in stunned pain, she yelled, "I told you I'm not taking off my top, asshole!"
She slumped back down and closed her eyes. Inuyasha watched with a mixture of amusement and alarm. "What the hell is she dreaming about now?" he wondered. He gave Miroku a suspicious look, causing the still-startled monk to retreat rapidly to the far wall.
He and Miroku were both relieved to see her eye color had returned to normal, even if she was still experiencing some kind of strange dream.
After a few minutes, she began talking in her sleep again, but didn't open her eyes or sit up.
"I take truth," she said, a slight frown furrowing her delicate brow. A couple minutes later the silence was broken ". . . . Yes I am, but just because someone's a virgin doesn't mean they don't have fun!" Kagome said, turning over.
A collective gasp was uttered by the humans, and a blush spread across the faces in the room, Inuyasha's face the reddest by far. Sango approached her, feeling she needed to do something to stop Kagome for saying something even more personally indicting. When she reached her side, Sango gently laid her hand on top of Kagome's. Kagome's eyes opened and locked on hers as she tightly grasped her hand.
"You can't marry him! Can't you see what a womanizer he is?! He's a drunk and a bum, and you deserve better!" Her eyes closed again and she released Sango's hand. It was Sango's turn to turn crimson and, for no real reason, she turned on Miroku, giving him a withering stare.
"What?!" the monk protested, still rubbing his bruised jaw. "I just saved her! That's all I did, I swear it!"
Twenty minutes later, the group gathered round her bed, watching and listening for what was coming next.
She continued to talk every few minutes. At times the group was baffled by her meaning, like when she said, "strawberry margarita," and "fuzzy navel."
Other times she said things that were embarrassing, or personally revealing. Despite their concern for her, there were moments of laughter.
When Kaede approached, Kagome said suddenly, "Here, hon, try my chocolate lip-gloss. Paul loved the way it tasted on me."
Inuyasha reddened with anger as everyone else tried to suppress embarrassed laughter.
Inuyasha growled softly. He had enough of this. It was time for Kagome to wake up.
Her set was over and she was standing with Mika by the side of the dance floor. They were talking over the music when they both stopped. Walking past her was a veritable god. He was tall, thin, and muscular, and looked incredible in a white t-shirt and jeans. His flowing hair was long and jet- black, almost as long as her own. His eyes were dark, almost jet, like his hair, and were an incredible contrast set-off against his warm tan. He was the sexiest man she had seen in a very long time. She stared at him as he turned toward the bar. Who did he remind her of?–God, yes! He looked just a little like Inuyasha had during his human transformations.
Mika said, "hot prospect, nine o'clock. I'm going in!"
"Back-off Mika! Kagome said. . . .
". . . .I saw him first!" she said aloud in the hut, this time sounding angry.
The group watched her as she seemed at first to be arguing with someone, and suddenly smiling, enjoying herself.
She left Mika and walked over to him. Mika was fun, but sometimes she was just too pushy. She wanted every guy she saw, but something about this man attracted Kagome. She wasn't going to let Mika take this chance away from her. It was Valentine's, and, in the mood of the party, she felt much bolder than usual.
She walked up to him and she saw he noticed her. She smiled as she came beside him. "Hi!" she said smiling.
"Hi," he said back. "I saw your act. You're amazing."
Kagome blushed and averted her eyes for a moment. "Thanks," she said, smiling shyly.
"Look," she added, raising her eyes, "I don't normally do this, but would you like to dance with me?"
"I'd love to," he replied, dark eyes sparkling with male satisfaction.
Kagome smiled and walked ahead of him to the dance floor. He came up beside her, surprising her by taking her hand in his own. She didn't pull away. Together they made their way through the crowd. They found a spot just as the music turned to a slow-dance.
"I'm dancing with a stranger! I don't even know his name," she thought, as the man brought his hands to her waist and she raised her own arms to his shoulders. She smiled and leaned into him slightly, closing her eyes, enjoying the song and the sensation.
Everything was perfect,. . . for about one minute. Then Michael was there, beside them.
"Aa-hum!" he coughed loudly.
Kagome opened her eyes and looked at him.
"It's getting late Kay, time to go home."
WHY did he have to show up every time she was having fun? Couldn't he let her enjoy herself without being babysat for one damn night?!. . . .
Whatever Kagome was dreaming now, Inuyasha saw she was happy, smiling peacefully. She murmured and nuzzled her head into the air. Then she was talking again.
"Buzz-off ! I'm not leaving now. I'm dancing with my new friend.. . .
. . . .Get your own date Michael! Leave me alone!
. . . .I said I'm not going home with you!. . . .
. . . .If I want to dance with him all night I will. I'll do what ever I want with him! You can't stop me!"
. . . .LET GO OF ME! I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME!"
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and looked down at her. His face was as red as his coat. She was with some man in her dream and enjoying herself.
"That stupid bastard can't control her at all!" he thought.
Inuyasha bent down over her face and brought his own eyes very close to hers. He reached down and grabbed her firmly by the wrist. "You don't ever have to go home with Michael Kagome, but you're coming home with ME, now!" He growled into her ear.
Kagome's eyes flew open, meeting Inuyasha's. She gasped in surprise and then blinked, trying to regain her bearings.
She blinked as the room came into focus.
"Inuyasha, what happened?" she asked.
He was still holding her tightly by the wrist, still leaning over her. He wasn't sure she was really awake until she spoke his name.
His anger over her dream evaporated, a feeling of total lightness and relief replacing it.
"Inuyasha?"
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to sit up.
Gently he pushed her back down.
"Nothing's wrong Kagome, not now. I've brought you home," he whispered into her ear.
He brought his mouth quickly to hers and kissed her, not caring who saw.
It had been a long night. After everyone greeted Kagome and expressed their relief and joy that she was truly alright, it was late. Kaede went back to her own hut to sleep and Miroku and Sango bedded down for the night.
Kagome was recovering, but she was still weak. Her friends had told her what had happened to her, how she had nearly drowned before Inuyasha saved her, how Miroku and Sango saved her from something that attacked her in a dream with her grandfather's amulet.
The gratitude she felt for what her friends had done for her was immense. She realized that if she had not given Miroku the amulet last night, she may not be talking to them now.
"I guess my grandfather really did know more than I thought he did," she said smiling meekly. "It seems as if he was looking out for me, knowing that I would need it someday," she said, giving an involuntary shiver. "Miroku, Sango, thank you," she said, her eyes filling with tears.
She looked down for a moment then brought her eyes up to meet Inuyasha's.
There was no way she could say thank you to him. He had saved her from drowning, that much she had been told, but she had a sense that it was something more. He had stayed with her through the attack, even though he was at-risk of being attacked by her. He had done something else, too--she wasn't sure what it was, but she could feel it. He had somehow been there with her in the dark, giving her an anchor with his will, something for her to reach out to and hold when she was lost. Without him, she knew, she would still be drifting in darkness.
He sat beside her, his expression intense and unfathomable as he met her gaze. "I don't know how to begin to thank-you," she said plainly, almost in a whisper.
He stared back at her his expression unchanging. "You woke up," he said. "It's enough."
She smiled at him through a rush of fresh tears.
Sango and Miroku had drifted-off to a well deserved sleep, and, even though she knew she had been sleeping for hours, Kagome was feeling the need to rest too.
She had an amazing headache, and got up to search through her duffle bag. She found her bottle of aspirin, and quickly swallowed one, making a face at the bitter taste before sitting back down on her bedding. Inuyasha watched her.
"What did you just eat?" he asked.
"I just took some medicine. I have a headache and it helps."
"Let me see," he asked, indicating the bottle.
Kagome shrugged and tossed him the plastic bottle.
Inuyasha shook it, listened to the sound of the pills rattling. He tried to remove the child-proof cap, making Kagome smile despite her aching head.
"How do you open this?" he asked finally.
She popped the cap and handed the bottle back to him. He looked down into the opening at the white pills and sniffed. The aroma was sharp and unpleasant. He tipped the bottle and shook one out, holding it in his palm.
"Inuyasha, do you have a headache or something?" she asked wondering why he was so interested in the aspirin.
He shook his head and handed it back to her. "No," he said. "But if I did I'd take some of Kaede's herbs. These smell horrible."
Kagome smiled and closed the bottle. She laid down on her bedding and yawned, glancing at Inuyasha who still didn't move.
"Uum, Inuyasha, aren't you going to go now?"
"No, "he said. "I'm staying here. I'm going to watch you sleep tonight," he said in a low voice.
Kagome blushed. "That's really not necessary, and besides, you need to sleep too. You can't watch over me all the time!"
"Yes, I can. I told you, I'm not leaving you."
"Well, then I won't sleep either. I can't sleep while you're sitting there staring down at me!"
He gave a sigh. "Okay then I won't sit and stare at you. Move over."
"What?!" she replied, her voice sounding too high-pitched, betraying her surprise..
"Move over so I can lay down beside you. I'm not leaving your side tonight, so if you want either of us to get any sleep, you need to just let me lay down."
She looked at him, trying to think about giving a rude response that would get him to go back out into a tree. After all he had done for her tonight, she couldn't think of one thing she could bring herself to say. She moved over, and he lay down beside her.
"You know how this is going to look, don't you?" she said, thinking about what their friends were going to think when they woke in the morning and found them laying together.
"Kagome, I don't give one damn how it looks," he said. He looked at her so sincerely, she was embarrassed by her own sense of prim decorum, which now seemed petty. He was protecting her, taking care of her and once again, she was acting less than grateful for it.
"Goodnight Inuyasha," she whispered. She looked at him, eyes darting rapidly as she stuggled with herself for several seconds.
He was watching her, giving her a look that let her know he was beginning to get annoyed again. Knowing she shouldn't for many reasons, she gave him a soft kiss on his surprised mouth before quickly turning away from him and facing the wall. 'But there are many reasons why you should kiss him, and many more reasons why you want to,' she thought to herself. She could still feel the lingering warmth and taste of him on her lips as she tried to will herself to sleep. In the morning, she would have to sort things out with him, but for now, she was going to allow herself to enjoy his closeness, maybe for the last time.
Beside her, Inuyasha also reveled in the warmth of her kiss. He was painfully aware of her with all his senses, and he lay still, trying to will his excitement away with slow, deep breaths. He wanted to groan, he wanted to. . . .
Earlier this very day, he had planned to lay sleeping with her tonight, just like this, holding her as his new mate. Now he was laying beside her, very close to her, but separated by so much doubt and misunderstanding. Still, even that didn't matter. What mattered was that he hadn't lost her tonight, she was alive, breathing beside him.
Chapter 21 Aftermath
By the flickering light of candles, Inuyasha watched her for signs of movement. Kagome was on her bedding, covered with blankets, her wet hair framing her pale face.
He watched her, frowning. This wasn't good. She had been back less than three days, and, one way or another had been asleep more than awake. When she was awake, she was in danger of meeting harm, more from herself even than the demons. Earlier today she had battled one of the largest demons he had ever laid eyes upon, and then fainted from exhaustion. He had cared for her, making sure she revived fully only to have THIS happen to her.
'What was she doing in the water on her back?'
He didn't know how, but somehow her actions had caused this, her near drowning, and now this strange sleep. Her breathing was still shallow and too slow. He wanted her to wake up. Gently at first, he pressed on her shoulders, trying to wake her. Growing frustrated, he shook harder. Her body was still limp, almost lifeless. He was trying hard not to worry, but he shook his head. He could not, would not allow himself to think about anything happening to her now.
Kaede had also looked at her when he first brought her back and didn't understand why she was sleeping, but, giving him a look that was meant to be reassuring, said, "Let's just give her time to rest, Inuyasha. She should be fine when she awakens."
Outside, he heard Sango return and enter. "No change in her?" Sango asked. He shook his head. He could see the concern on Sango's face too. "Hmph! Don't worry, woman, she'll be fine. I'm seeing to her!" When he said it, both he and Sango knew he was trying to convince himself more than her.
Miroku, had given Inuyasha a wide-birth when he came jumping into the yard with Kagome unconscious and wrapped in his coat. He was upset to see her unconscious again, but knew better than to ask questions until Inuyasha was ready. He silently said a prayer thanking the gods that Shippo had fallen asleep waiting for her return. The little kitsune always angered the hanyou, but with Kagome hurt again, Inuyasha would be even more short with him than usual. When Sango came back, he asked her what had happened, and she told him enough of the story for him to realize Kagome's state was not caused by natural sleepiness. He entered the hut behind Sango and met her eyes across the room, careful not to allow his own eyes to travel any lower. She was still dressed in the bating suit with a towel wrapped around her.
"Miroku and Inuyasha, I want you both to step outside for a moment so I can change. I'll change Kagome into some dry clothes too."
"No," Inuyasha said in a low, firm tone. "Don't touch her Sango. I have her well-covered. I don't want anyone touching her."
She knew that the fact that he was not yelling at her right now showed real restraint on his part. Whatever was going to happen between them, Inuyasha was possessive of her in the way a demon protects a hurt mate. She lowered her head and nodded, careful not to upset him.
As the men stepped outside and closed the door, Miroku turned to him, a fresh look of concern in his face.
"What is monk? You look as if you saw a ghost," Inuyasha snorted.
Miroku looked at him nervously. "I'm not sure what it was," he said, "but I sense something gathering around Kagome again in her sleep. Whatever attacked her before is coming back."
Without waiting to find out if Sango was presentable, Inuyasha charged back through the door, past a startled but dressed Sango, and sat down by Kagome, guarding her. He didn't sense or smell any strange presence near, but in this instance, he believed the monk had abilities to detect things that he didn't. By all outside appearances, nothing had changed in her condition, at least, not yet.
Kagome looked up at the sky. It was an ominous gray, and a cold wind swept across her face and through her hair. Her feet were bare, and she shifted them in the sand dunes, feeling the gritty sand gathering between her toes. "It's going to start raining any minute, "she thought. "I need to find shelter."
She held her hands up to her face to keep her blowing hair out of her eyes as she scanned her surroundings. The ocean was behind her, the beach extended to the horizon in both side directions, and ahead of her, lay the mountains. She wasn't worried about how she got here, she had been here before, she knew. She just didn't remember how she got here or where she was supposed to go.
She felt the first drops of rain hit her bare arms. She was wearing only her bathing suit, and was growing cold. She headed for the mountains, eager to find some place to wait out the storm.
Up ahead in the outcropping of rocks she saw something dark, an entrance to a cave, a threatening maw.
"That's it," she thought, "This is where I'm supposed to go." Her goal in sight, she began running.
"Inuyasha, I think you should wait for her to wake up someplace else," Miroku finally said, after trying to find a way to suggest this without angering him.
Inuyasha looked up from her sleeping face and met his eyes. "No," he said firmly. "I'm not leaving her side."
"But, "Miroku began, "If she goes into a waking-dream as she did last time, you could be sent flying. The repairs to Kaede's hut aren't even completed. Please consider letting Sango and I–"
He looked at him through dangerously narrowed eyes and answered in a low voice.
"No."
The fact that he wasn't yelling was almost of as much concern as Kagome's condition, but Miroku didn't want to test his luck any more than Sango did, so he dropped it.
Inuyasha turned his attention back to Kagome. Still she didn't move, didn't make a sound in her sleep. Her face was pale, but placid. He remembered how much pain she seemed to be in the last time she was in this sort of state. He desperately didn't want to hear her cry out in pain like that again. But this sleep was different too. The last time her sleep seemed troubled, she was restless and made noises, even spoke. This time there was no response. It was as if only her sleeping body was in the room with him, not her mind.
'Gods,' he prayed, 'Let her come out of this.'
She reached the entrance to the cave and dashed through the opening in the dark rock.
The rain was falling hard now, and she had gotten very wet just running to the cave. She turned and looked out the opening and back at the beach and the endlessly raining gray sky. How long was it going to rain this time?
This time?
Yes, she remembered, it had rained last time she was here too. Suddenly she became aware of a presence behind her and spun round, startling.
The small figure of a child was looking up at her, watching her with large, black eyes.
"I know you!" Kagome said, warmly. "I've seen you before, haven't I?" She smiled at the girl to show her she didn't need to be afraid of her.
The girl gave her a short, thin smile. "You're supposed to go inside," she said. "They're waiting for you."
Kagome looked down at the smiling child and watched as she turned to mist, disappearing in front of her. She wasn't frightened seeing this, she had seen this before too, although she couldn't remember where. "I must have met her here last time too," she thought.
With no one to keep her company and only the steady sound of the hard rain by the entrance, Kagome turned to face the cave's interior. Although she was unable to see, she walked calmly into the darkness.
"It's funny," she thought. "I think I was afraid of falling last time." The cave's floor was cold but dry. Her feet walked on the sand below her she couldn't see. Up ahead she sensed an increase in the darkness and realized she was leaving a passageway and entering a cavernous room.
She felt the temperature drop as she entered the room and hugged herself, once again wishing she had worn something warmer.
She heard nothing, saw nothing, felt only cold and sand, but she became aware of feeling the presence of many others in the darkness, waiting. The sound of breathing made the silence thicker.
'The ones the child spoke of,' she knew.
"Hello?" she called out. No answer came, not even an echo of her own voice. The room seemed to absorb all light, sound, and warmth. She stepped forward a few more steps and, for the first time, began to feel fear. She still could see nothing, but knew they were pressing close to her from every side. She tried hard to stay calm and stand her ground, but she couldn't stop the slight tremble in her arms.
She felt them, felt their hatred.
Sensing a blow coming to her face, she reached out to cover her head. Her hand struck cold, stone. It burned her like fire even as she felt it writhe, living beneath her touch.
She screamed. Her arms flailed in front of her, trying to push back, but with every movement she felt them press closer There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them, distinct but merged. They swarmed on her, crushing her. Stone of ice and vile heat lashed out and grabbed for her, her head, her arms, her legs.
Pain white-hot beyond her endurance shot through her, their collective pain. They were sharing it with her, forcing her to taste it burning in her mouth, scorching her eyes with white fire. She was trapped in stone, dying in fire. She screamed in terrified agony.
Two hours had passed since he brought Kagome back and she had not moved in the slightest. They were alone in the silent, lowly-lit room. He sat beside her, cross-legged on the ground, his eyes never leaving her face. Then, without warning, she went into convulsions.
Inuyasha stood, and, drawing Tetsiga, whirled around wildly, searching for the enemy that was doing this to her. "DAMMIT!" he yelled. "Where the fuck are you?! Come fight me, you bastard!" He sensed nothing, but knew it was there, hurting Kagome. Whatever this was, he couldn't fight it off and couldn't protect her.
He looked down at her thrashing form, and, in panic, pinned her arms, trying to get her to lie still. Underneath him, the convulsions continued. He realized her temperature had spiked very quickly, her face was a burning red as her head and body moved on their own in rapid, jerky movements. Her heart was beating frantically, erratically. He laid down on top of her, putting his full weight on her, his legs on top of hers, pinning her. Her neck kept arching her head wildly, and he brought his face down upon her burning cheek, trying to hold that down as well. He was out of his mind with fear for her.
"Kagome, please don't die. Please don't leave me!" He yelled out in desperate fear, oblivious and unconcerned if he was heard.
At any second the spell could activate and he would be sent flying upwards with a force to propelling him through the roof.
'Please, don't let her repel me, at least not until she stops this!'
Miroku heard Inuyasha's desperate yells, and came running through the door. He took in the scene, horrified, as Kagome convulsed and Inuyasha tried to contain her mindless movements. Kaede and Sango stood in the threshold, watching in dread concern and feeling helpless. Kagome was dying a horrible, violent death, and her attacker was invisible.
Kagome made no sound, but her pain was obvious. Miroku moved beside Kagome and Inuyasha's struggling form, raised his staff, and began chanting the prayer he had said earlier. His staff went flying out of his hand and struck the opposite wall, piercing the wood like a spear. As soon as his staff was taken, he was slapped hard across the face by the force he could only feel and went down to the floor.
Across the room he heard Sango call out to him, but her voice sounded far off. He was now caught in a typhoon-strength wind. Through tearing eyes, he saw Inuyasha still struggling to hold Kagome down on her bed and Sango and Kaede across the room, outside the wind, calling to him with terrified expressions. He wanted to remove his rosary and open up his own wind- tunnel, but knew he couldn't, not this close to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Whatever's attacking Kagome is attacking me too. It's isolating me, trying to stop me from helping her."
Kaede tried to approach and was thrust back into Sango with a hard push to the chest. It was then that the saw it. Only for an instant, the invisible force took a form of sorts, black and viscous, like the sickening smoke of a grease fire. In that moment, he had an idea.
"SANGO!" he yelled as loud as he could, "KAGOME'S STAR!" He hoped she heard him and understood. The wind picked up and he couldn't open his mouth now against it's force. It was hard to open his eyes at all now, but he glimpsed Kagome and Inuyasha's bodies, still thrashing. 'If I can't stop this, she'll die now,' he thought in grimly.
He cracked his eyes in the howling wind that was pinning him to the floor and saw through a blur Sango standing, readying her boomerang. 'She's not going to throw it in here, is she?!' he thought with terror. He lifted his head and struggled to open his eyes to see Sango's boomerang hit the wall of wind and rip through, causing the wind to die-down for an instant. That was all the time he needed. He saw what Sango had done–the star was tied on the top of the boomerang, held in place by a heavy cord.
In a quick motion that tore the amulet from it's chain, Miroku grabbed it and held tight, just as the wind regained its force. Holding the amulet against the floor and his hand, he began chanting, even though the wind tried to block out his words. After several seconds, he could feel the heat beneath his rosary and cloth-covered hand, and saw a yellow glow begin to emanate, bright light cracking through his gripped fingers.
Holding on with all his might, he lifted the glowing charm into the wind, which instantly died. Freed, he stood up and ran to Kagome and Inuyasha. Both Inuyasha and Kagome had their eyes closed, Inuyasha struggling to maintain control and Kagome lost in the darkness. As he approached them, Inuyasha opened his eyes.
"Inuyasha! I want to try the star amulet! Keep her head still" Miroku yelled.
Without answering, Inuyasha pressed the side of his own face harder on hers. She continued to jerk, but not as violently. Miroku still wished she wasn't moving so much, but watched for a clear shot. With the star in his palm, he reached for Kagome's forehead, connecting.
Kagome knew she was dying again, but her own dying wasn't the worst, it was their pain, the sound of thousands of beating hearts, trapped in stone. The hatred that poured over her was like a sea of fire. She was burning everywhere, could feel her skin melting in the fire as icy stones held her down.
She was dying, and that would be her salvation. But what about these beings? Who could save them? Even in the grips of her own agony, she grieved, wishing that somehow her own death would at least put a stop to this endless pain, knowing it wouldn't.
She heard his voice, weak, far-off. Somehow, he had come for her, giving her comfort.
"Look up, Kay! Look at the stars!"
She closed her eyes tighter, readying to let go. She knew it was only her dying mind's wish that he could save her now. It wasn't real. She was shut inside, deep inside the earth. There were no stars in this darkness. Then she heard another voice, louder than the first:
"Damn it Kagome, stop struggling!
Open your eyes and look!
Look at the star Kagome!
Stay with me! Look at the star!"
She was letting go, wanting to be rid of the pain, but he was yelling at her, insisting she listen, demanding her attention.
Through eyes glazed in pain, she looked up.
As soon as the amulet made contact with her skin, the convulsions stopped. For just a moment, her back arched and her eyes opened. Miroku saw with dread they had turned the strange pale-blue color he had noticed after the battle with the worm demon. Her eyes closed again quickly, and the tension left her body.
Inuyasha opened his eyes and lifted his head from her face to look at her, terrified she had just died. When he heard and felt her heart beat, he gave a sigh of relief and buried his head against her neck, allowing himself to feel her pulse and breath deeply into her scent as tears pooled in his eyes.
Miroku was standing over her, holding the amulet firmly against her forehead. Inuyasha released her arms and pushed himself off of her, not wanting to crush her now that she had stopped thrashing.
Miroku chanted a prayer over and over, and, as he did so, the center of the glowing amulet changed from yellow to a swirling, sluggish, dark purple, like the color of cold blood. As the amulet's center filled with the new color, Kagome made her first sound–a sharp, long intake of air.
She let it out and began breathing normally. Her face was no longer a burning red, but returning to a normal pallor. Inuyasha brought his hand lightly down to her cheek to confirm it, her fever was gone.
After several more minutes of chanting, Miroku lifted the star and held it out, away from his face. The dark color bled from the center down through it's tips, leaving the center apparently empty. Miroku then said a banishing prayer and watched as the star began to heat, it's own energy burning away the remnants of the evil, purple color. The center returned to a glowing yellow again, and the yellow light flashed down through the tips, then vanished. In an instant, it stopped and the star was back to it's original appearance, a slightly milky-white translucent center with clear points, cool to the touch.
Miroku exhaled and smiled in exhausted but happy victory. "It's done!" he said. "The force that came through her dream is gone."
He lowered the star. Sango rushed over to him, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him, full on the lips.
The surprised monk looked ecstatic. "Why lady Sango!" he exclaimed somewhat smugly, "I thought I wouldn't get another reward for a week," he tried to contain it, but couldn't hide his huge smile of enjoyment. The rush of blood caused his heart to race again, but not in fear this time, but in simple relief and a happiness that was far from simple.
"That wasn't for good behavior, Miroku. That was for saving Kagome.
"You still have to wait a full week for the next one," she said, and couldn't stop herself from smiling back at him. Before letting go of him, she grabbed him again, not kissing him, but hugging him, burying her head to his chest before forcefully stepping back.
Inuyasha was holding Kagome's hand, sitting beside her. He watched her sleeping normally now, moving slightly and breathing in a steady rhythm.
After what she had just been through, he knew he should just let her sleep, but when he thought no one was looking, he lifted her hand to his mouth and gave the tip of her index finger a playful nip.
Kagome gave a soft sigh in her sleep, and her mouth curved into a small smile.
At this little sign from her, Inuyasha's face broke into a happy grin. Behind him, where he was not aware he was being watched, Sango, Kaede, and Miroku all smiled.
It was the Valentine's Day party at the club. Kagome was dressed in her slinky red velvet tank-top and low-rider jeans. She remembered this outfit, this night. She was dressed to kill.
She made her way through the strobbing lights past the dance floor to her regular table.
A group was gathered in the semi-darkness, playing cards, five men and one woman.
Chloe gave a high-pitched laugh as she took off her engagement ring and placed it in the middle of the table.
"Next time it's going to be the real thing, baby!" Brad said to her with a leering smile.
"There won't be a next time because I'm winning. If there is, I'll give you my panty-hose, but that's all!"
"That's fine 'cause I know you 'aint got nothing underneath them!" he grinned widely.
The group broke out into hardy laughter.
"Ooh baby!" Ricky called, turning to Kagome. "Pull up a chair and join the game!"
About thirty minutes later, Kagome began tossing more in her sleep, mumbling incoherently. Miroku stepped closer, beside Inuyasha just to make sure nothing supernatural was beginning again.
Suddenly, she sat up, her eyes opened and gave Miroku a hard punch to the side of the jaw.
As Miroku reeled back in stunned pain, she yelled, "I told you I'm not taking off my top, asshole!"
She slumped back down and closed her eyes. Inuyasha watched with a mixture of amusement and alarm. "What the hell is she dreaming about now?" he wondered. He gave Miroku a suspicious look, causing the still-startled monk to retreat rapidly to the far wall.
He and Miroku were both relieved to see her eye color had returned to normal, even if she was still experiencing some kind of strange dream.
After a few minutes, she began talking in her sleep again, but didn't open her eyes or sit up.
"I take truth," she said, a slight frown furrowing her delicate brow. A couple minutes later the silence was broken ". . . . Yes I am, but just because someone's a virgin doesn't mean they don't have fun!" Kagome said, turning over.
A collective gasp was uttered by the humans, and a blush spread across the faces in the room, Inuyasha's face the reddest by far. Sango approached her, feeling she needed to do something to stop Kagome for saying something even more personally indicting. When she reached her side, Sango gently laid her hand on top of Kagome's. Kagome's eyes opened and locked on hers as she tightly grasped her hand.
"You can't marry him! Can't you see what a womanizer he is?! He's a drunk and a bum, and you deserve better!" Her eyes closed again and she released Sango's hand. It was Sango's turn to turn crimson and, for no real reason, she turned on Miroku, giving him a withering stare.
"What?!" the monk protested, still rubbing his bruised jaw. "I just saved her! That's all I did, I swear it!"
Twenty minutes later, the group gathered round her bed, watching and listening for what was coming next.
She continued to talk every few minutes. At times the group was baffled by her meaning, like when she said, "strawberry margarita," and "fuzzy navel."
Other times she said things that were embarrassing, or personally revealing. Despite their concern for her, there were moments of laughter.
When Kaede approached, Kagome said suddenly, "Here, hon, try my chocolate lip-gloss. Paul loved the way it tasted on me."
Inuyasha reddened with anger as everyone else tried to suppress embarrassed laughter.
Inuyasha growled softly. He had enough of this. It was time for Kagome to wake up.
Her set was over and she was standing with Mika by the side of the dance floor. They were talking over the music when they both stopped. Walking past her was a veritable god. He was tall, thin, and muscular, and looked incredible in a white t-shirt and jeans. His flowing hair was long and jet- black, almost as long as her own. His eyes were dark, almost jet, like his hair, and were an incredible contrast set-off against his warm tan. He was the sexiest man she had seen in a very long time. She stared at him as he turned toward the bar. Who did he remind her of?–God, yes! He looked just a little like Inuyasha had during his human transformations.
Mika said, "hot prospect, nine o'clock. I'm going in!"
"Back-off Mika! Kagome said. . . .
". . . .I saw him first!" she said aloud in the hut, this time sounding angry.
The group watched her as she seemed at first to be arguing with someone, and suddenly smiling, enjoying herself.
She left Mika and walked over to him. Mika was fun, but sometimes she was just too pushy. She wanted every guy she saw, but something about this man attracted Kagome. She wasn't going to let Mika take this chance away from her. It was Valentine's, and, in the mood of the party, she felt much bolder than usual.
She walked up to him and she saw he noticed her. She smiled as she came beside him. "Hi!" she said smiling.
"Hi," he said back. "I saw your act. You're amazing."
Kagome blushed and averted her eyes for a moment. "Thanks," she said, smiling shyly.
"Look," she added, raising her eyes, "I don't normally do this, but would you like to dance with me?"
"I'd love to," he replied, dark eyes sparkling with male satisfaction.
Kagome smiled and walked ahead of him to the dance floor. He came up beside her, surprising her by taking her hand in his own. She didn't pull away. Together they made their way through the crowd. They found a spot just as the music turned to a slow-dance.
"I'm dancing with a stranger! I don't even know his name," she thought, as the man brought his hands to her waist and she raised her own arms to his shoulders. She smiled and leaned into him slightly, closing her eyes, enjoying the song and the sensation.
Everything was perfect,. . . for about one minute. Then Michael was there, beside them.
"Aa-hum!" he coughed loudly.
Kagome opened her eyes and looked at him.
"It's getting late Kay, time to go home."
WHY did he have to show up every time she was having fun? Couldn't he let her enjoy herself without being babysat for one damn night?!. . . .
Whatever Kagome was dreaming now, Inuyasha saw she was happy, smiling peacefully. She murmured and nuzzled her head into the air. Then she was talking again.
"Buzz-off ! I'm not leaving now. I'm dancing with my new friend.. . .
. . . .Get your own date Michael! Leave me alone!
. . . .I said I'm not going home with you!. . . .
. . . .If I want to dance with him all night I will. I'll do what ever I want with him! You can't stop me!"
. . . .LET GO OF ME! I DON'T WANT TO GO HOME!"
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and looked down at her. His face was as red as his coat. She was with some man in her dream and enjoying herself.
"That stupid bastard can't control her at all!" he thought.
Inuyasha bent down over her face and brought his own eyes very close to hers. He reached down and grabbed her firmly by the wrist. "You don't ever have to go home with Michael Kagome, but you're coming home with ME, now!" He growled into her ear.
Kagome's eyes flew open, meeting Inuyasha's. She gasped in surprise and then blinked, trying to regain her bearings.
She blinked as the room came into focus.
"Inuyasha, what happened?" she asked.
He was still holding her tightly by the wrist, still leaning over her. He wasn't sure she was really awake until she spoke his name.
His anger over her dream evaporated, a feeling of total lightness and relief replacing it.
"Inuyasha?"
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to sit up.
Gently he pushed her back down.
"Nothing's wrong Kagome, not now. I've brought you home," he whispered into her ear.
He brought his mouth quickly to hers and kissed her, not caring who saw.
It had been a long night. After everyone greeted Kagome and expressed their relief and joy that she was truly alright, it was late. Kaede went back to her own hut to sleep and Miroku and Sango bedded down for the night.
Kagome was recovering, but she was still weak. Her friends had told her what had happened to her, how she had nearly drowned before Inuyasha saved her, how Miroku and Sango saved her from something that attacked her in a dream with her grandfather's amulet.
The gratitude she felt for what her friends had done for her was immense. She realized that if she had not given Miroku the amulet last night, she may not be talking to them now.
"I guess my grandfather really did know more than I thought he did," she said smiling meekly. "It seems as if he was looking out for me, knowing that I would need it someday," she said, giving an involuntary shiver. "Miroku, Sango, thank you," she said, her eyes filling with tears.
She looked down for a moment then brought her eyes up to meet Inuyasha's.
There was no way she could say thank you to him. He had saved her from drowning, that much she had been told, but she had a sense that it was something more. He had stayed with her through the attack, even though he was at-risk of being attacked by her. He had done something else, too--she wasn't sure what it was, but she could feel it. He had somehow been there with her in the dark, giving her an anchor with his will, something for her to reach out to and hold when she was lost. Without him, she knew, she would still be drifting in darkness.
He sat beside her, his expression intense and unfathomable as he met her gaze. "I don't know how to begin to thank-you," she said plainly, almost in a whisper.
He stared back at her his expression unchanging. "You woke up," he said. "It's enough."
She smiled at him through a rush of fresh tears.
Sango and Miroku had drifted-off to a well deserved sleep, and, even though she knew she had been sleeping for hours, Kagome was feeling the need to rest too.
She had an amazing headache, and got up to search through her duffle bag. She found her bottle of aspirin, and quickly swallowed one, making a face at the bitter taste before sitting back down on her bedding. Inuyasha watched her.
"What did you just eat?" he asked.
"I just took some medicine. I have a headache and it helps."
"Let me see," he asked, indicating the bottle.
Kagome shrugged and tossed him the plastic bottle.
Inuyasha shook it, listened to the sound of the pills rattling. He tried to remove the child-proof cap, making Kagome smile despite her aching head.
"How do you open this?" he asked finally.
She popped the cap and handed the bottle back to him. He looked down into the opening at the white pills and sniffed. The aroma was sharp and unpleasant. He tipped the bottle and shook one out, holding it in his palm.
"Inuyasha, do you have a headache or something?" she asked wondering why he was so interested in the aspirin.
He shook his head and handed it back to her. "No," he said. "But if I did I'd take some of Kaede's herbs. These smell horrible."
Kagome smiled and closed the bottle. She laid down on her bedding and yawned, glancing at Inuyasha who still didn't move.
"Uum, Inuyasha, aren't you going to go now?"
"No, "he said. "I'm staying here. I'm going to watch you sleep tonight," he said in a low voice.
Kagome blushed. "That's really not necessary, and besides, you need to sleep too. You can't watch over me all the time!"
"Yes, I can. I told you, I'm not leaving you."
"Well, then I won't sleep either. I can't sleep while you're sitting there staring down at me!"
He gave a sigh. "Okay then I won't sit and stare at you. Move over."
"What?!" she replied, her voice sounding too high-pitched, betraying her surprise..
"Move over so I can lay down beside you. I'm not leaving your side tonight, so if you want either of us to get any sleep, you need to just let me lay down."
She looked at him, trying to think about giving a rude response that would get him to go back out into a tree. After all he had done for her tonight, she couldn't think of one thing she could bring herself to say. She moved over, and he lay down beside her.
"You know how this is going to look, don't you?" she said, thinking about what their friends were going to think when they woke in the morning and found them laying together.
"Kagome, I don't give one damn how it looks," he said. He looked at her so sincerely, she was embarrassed by her own sense of prim decorum, which now seemed petty. He was protecting her, taking care of her and once again, she was acting less than grateful for it.
"Goodnight Inuyasha," she whispered. She looked at him, eyes darting rapidly as she stuggled with herself for several seconds.
He was watching her, giving her a look that let her know he was beginning to get annoyed again. Knowing she shouldn't for many reasons, she gave him a soft kiss on his surprised mouth before quickly turning away from him and facing the wall. 'But there are many reasons why you should kiss him, and many more reasons why you want to,' she thought to herself. She could still feel the lingering warmth and taste of him on her lips as she tried to will herself to sleep. In the morning, she would have to sort things out with him, but for now, she was going to allow herself to enjoy his closeness, maybe for the last time.
Beside her, Inuyasha also reveled in the warmth of her kiss. He was painfully aware of her with all his senses, and he lay still, trying to will his excitement away with slow, deep breaths. He wanted to groan, he wanted to. . . .
Earlier this very day, he had planned to lay sleeping with her tonight, just like this, holding her as his new mate. Now he was laying beside her, very close to her, but separated by so much doubt and misunderstanding. Still, even that didn't matter. What mattered was that he hadn't lost her tonight, she was alive, breathing beside him.