Author's Notes: Well, here it is. I'm pretty sure I can't drag this story on any longer, and I am deeply saddened I could only get three, very short chapters into it. I love you ALL who review with nice posts and constructive criticism! Cookies and hugs all around! Review for meee! 'Cause it keeps me goooing! (And I'm open to ideas from fans, but I can promise I will probably be too picky to want to write them. My apologize. But if by some odd, freaky accident I do, credit will go to you ... But don't get your hopes up. Heh heh. O.o)
Disclaimer: Don't own ... But the plot's mine, anyway. If you can call it a plot.
And I Will Love you, Chapter Three
The Lovers and the Evil-Doers
"Oh, hell," Inuyasha muttered to the pouring rain. The large leaves they were seeking shelter in were starting to crumble. He covered Kagome's sleeping form with a protective arm.
Kagome stirred slightly. "Inu ... -chan?" came her sleepy voice.
"Umm ... uhhh ..." Did she just call me Inu-chan? Shit ... now she's even cuter. No no no! Don't think that ... She's not cute ... She's not cute ... Damn, she's cute. No! Wrong! Bad
Kagome pulled her blood-stuck hands away from her stomach, still oozing the red liquid. "Owie ..."
Inuyasha couldn't help but flinch at that. I can slaughter countless demons, yet I can't stand to see her in pain ... "I think ... I think we need to wash that, Kag."
She let out a small hiss of pain as Inuyasha gently set her off his lap onto the soggy ground. He took off his last bit of shirt and held it out into the downpour. "Lift up your shirt."
"What!"
"Just ... I have to be able to get to the wound. You know I suck at this medical crap, and you fighting me won't help at all!"
Kagome slowly peeled away the once-white shirt from her torso, ignoring the thoughts racing through her mind. He's going to see you with you top off ... He'll have to touch your bare skin ... Oh, Kagome. This is what we've been longing for.
Hush, now! her other mind scolded.
"This'll be really cold," Inuyasha told her before slowly starting to dab at the wound. He could hear her sharp intake of breath at the touch of cloth on her skin. "I ... I'm sorry," he muttered. "I know it's uncomfortable." Bad Inuyasha! You just apologized! That's not what you do!
Yeah, but ... She's unhappy and it's my fault ...
Inuyasha sat quietly as he dabbed at the wound, his once pure white shirt a now sickly reddish pink color. Once all the blood was gone, he was able to tell what the problem was. "Ah, crap."
"Huh?" Kagome muttered, opening her eyes.
"That damned demon poisoned the wound," Inuyasha cursed, not at all happy.
"Well ... I ... Oh ...," was all Kagome could say, because Inuyasha started to press real hard when cleaning the gash. "Oh oh oh ...," were her pained remarks.
"Kagome ... I have to get the poison out before it spreads, damn it! You'll be screwed if it does!"
"But oh, Inu-chan, it hurts so much! Please! Please just stop!" Tears were rolling down her cheeks; her face dyed an ashen color.
"Please, Kagome. I gotta get this clean. If you stop moving about, I'll ... I'll give you a present, okay?"
"O-okay." She bit back the cries of pain, her teeth sinking into the side of her cheek. Her nails dug into the earth, dirt and grass in her grip.
Eyebrows furrowed, Inuyasha placed a hand above the cut, applying light pressure as he scrapped out the harmful substance. "Just a little more," he whispered more to himself than Kagome.
When the last bit was finally cleared, he tossed the ragged shirt into the rain. "Bandage ... bandage ... bandage ..." His eyes fell upon the hem of Kagome's skirt, but then they wandered to her discarded shirt. "Uh huh, that'll work ..." He snatched it up and tore a long strip from it, ignoring Kagome's feeble protest of "but that's my ...".
He carefully helped her up into a sitting position, and wound the strip of cloth round and round her waist, making sure it was tight enough to keep things out.
When he was finished, Kagome like collapsed against him, breathing heavily. "Ow ... ow ... ow ..."
"Hush," he soothed, running his hand down her back, trying to calm her. "Stop crying, I hate it when you cry." Kagome had her arm wrapped around him, her nails slicing into his back, likely drawing blood. "Don't cry ..." Why am I acting this way ...
Kagome tried to stop her crying; telling herself it wasn't that much pain. But she found that she wasn't crying only for the pain ... but for the joy. He's ... he's acting so nice to me. He's never been nice to me! What's ... what's going on ... He can't love me back ... No, he loves ... he loves Kikyo, not me. ... Not me. With that thought brought more tears.
"Uh ... Please, stop crying ... If you don't ... I ... I can't give you your gift." What the hell am I going to give her! I have nothing ...
Oh, but you do, Inuyasha. And what you want to give her most of all is—
Kagome sniffed and looked up towards him, withdrawing her blood-soaked hands from his back. So much blood ... I may not hate a lot of things ... But blood ... I hate blood. Especially if it's Inuyasha's.
"Does that mean you want your gift?"
"I ... I guess," Kagome's hoarse whisper came.
"Well ... uh, close your eyes," he instructed.
Getting a little curious, her misty gray eyes slid shut.
Inuyasha fumbled for a few moments, last minutes hesitation. But I know she doesn't love me ... She'll kill me if I do this ... I know she will. There's no way I can—
Silencing his thoughts, Inuyasha pressed his lips to Kagome's, before instantly removing them. I can't believe ... Did I just do that! That ... that was not what I expected ... When Kikyo kissed me ... She was so cold ... so dead. But Kagome ... Kagome is soft, warm. Alive.
Her eyes shot open when he drew back. Oh my gods. Did he ... did he ... did he just kiss me? No ... No, it must have been my imagination ... he'd never ... When Kagome looked over at him, Inuyasha was not facing her, but his large tawny orbs stared out at the rain, a far, distant look on his face. A look of deep thought across his features.
"Inu ... Inuyasha?"
He couldn't help but smile lightly at that. There's my name again ... I love how she says that. I love they way she looks at me. I love ... I love her.
"Inuyasha ..."
"Yeah?" he said, really calm.
"Did you ... I mean, did you ..."
"Yeah," he nodded. "Yeah," his voice nice and gentle.
He ... he did. He kissed me. Inuyasha kissed me. Does he ... does he love me, as I love him? Before her thoughts could question much more, Inuyasha, yes, Inuyasha, pulled her into a warm embrace, hiding his face in her hair. Kagome could feel his smile against her tender neck.
"Thank you ... thank you, Kagome." Kagome could feel his breath tickle her ear. He had managed to salvage his haori, and they sat draped in its comfort.
"Inuyasha ... Inuyasha, I have to tell you something." His body went rigid.
Ah, shit. She's going to ... I know she's going to say something like 'Inuyasha, I don't love you' or something ... She's going to break my heart, right when I managed to find it. She's going to ... she's going to—
"Inuyasha. I love you." Her words poured out fast; he was hardly able to catch them.
Inuyasha felt something in his heart explode, sending sparks throughout his body.
"Kagome, I ... I ..." I'm going to say it ... I'm going to say it— "Kagome, I love you too!" he murmured, unable to contain himself. "I love you I love you I love you!" He felt a large pressure lift off his chest, like he was able to breathe better.
Kagome just sat in the silence, her arms around him and her head in the crook of his neck. "I love you," she whispered again.
"I love you," Inuyasha whispered back. He held his eyes shut tight, the tears welling up inside me. He kissed her neck, rejoicing in what was now free.
"What're ... what're you doing?"
"Showing you just how much I love you," Inuyasha replied, nudging her with his nose.
"Wh-why?"
"Why? Because ... because I want to."
Suddenly, Kagome's mouth went dry. "But ... what about Kikyo?"
"Yes, what about me?" came an icy voice.
"... Oh, shit." Inuyasha and Kagome peeked outside, their sights set on an unnaturally childish looking Kikyo ... With a big brownish tail coming out of her backside.
"... SHIPPO! I'll kill you!" shouted Inuyasha, rushing out into the now rain-free grounds.
"Let me help!" Kagome responded, and she feebly got to her feet and shuffled after them, unaware of the chuckling couple with their arms around each other.
"I guess they finally fixed everything?" Miroku said bemused.
"Guess so ..." Sango said, resting in her houshi's arms.
And they lives happily every after ... except Shippo, of course, who was subjected to days of torture and abuse by two young peoples who will remain unnamed.
Author's Notes II: Be VERY happy it was Shippo-chan. I WAS going to leave it at " 'Yes, what about me?' came an icy voice" and have it be an evil, vile cliffhanger ... But I stole that plot from myself about it being Kikyo for another story I'm now working on. So ... I've got that one, the new Sesshomaru/Kagura one that's beginning is painfully similar to that of "Fallen Angel" (another of my works) but as it drawls on it will be DEFFINATLY different, and of course that one that is an evil, angst one that I will never get to. Damn, I've got a lot to do. But you're most likely to see the new Sessh/Kagu or the Kikyo-comes-back one in the next month or so ... But I can never promise anything. Hugs and cookies to yoooous!