:bows profusely: gomen gomen nasai! i have been plauged by uber evil writers block and my plot bunnies have been telling me other stuff and have left this story in the dust. so yes this update is long overdue. again i am very sorry for the long wait. :bows again:

sesshy: its been awhile, i think you have forgotten what else needs to be done besides apologizing.

me: eh no? i think i did everything

sesshy: thats the problem, you think.

me: hey! just because im blonde doesn't mean im stupid!

sesshy: whatever just state the disclaimer if you don't want to deal with lots of lawyers.

me:cringes: ewww lawyers, fine fine i don't own InuYasha or any of the other charactures, but i DO own this fic so no stealing!

Chapter Nueve (nine)

.
.
.

InuYasha held Kagome tightly to him. He was sure this was the real Kagome, but her scent had become overpowered by that distinctive foul stench that is Naraku. He had to have her back; he had to smell her scent so he could calm down. InuYasha had been on edge for days without her around to keep him calm. Even thought he held her in his arms, his nose still needed to be convinced it was her. Naraku had held her captive for too long, his foul scent would take awhile to displace. 'There's no time like the present.' InuYasha smirked to himself as he took off towards Kaede's village without a second thought to those around him. His only concern was Kagome, who lay unconscious in his arms. Sango and Miroku hopped on Kirara's back and gave chase after him, puzzled by his behavior.

"InuYasha! What are you doing?" Sango called out to him from above.

"She reeks! I'm going to give her one of those bath things you two are so fond of."

"InuYasha, I don't think that's" she was cut off by the mother of all death glares that InuYasha sent her. "My, someone's a bit possessive."

"Well don't you think he has the right to be? You saw how he acted when that fake Kagome was killed right in front of all of us. We were lucky he had Tetsaiga, or else he would have destroyed the whole village in grief if not the whole countryside, until someone stopped him." Miroku commented pointedly. Sango had to agree so she decided not to push him on the matter, he had been through enough trauma already and she knew Kagome would 'sit' him for days on end if he did anything improper. Just the same, she wanted to keep an eye on him, he can be a little overbearing when it comes to Kagome.

InuYasha stopped at the hot spring and laid Kagome down gently on the bank. Gazing down at her, he praised whatever God brought her back to him all in one piece. He didn't know what angel he had pleased, but he was glad she was back. Now he wouldn't let her out of his sight ever again. Maybe now that Naraku had the whole jewel he would leave them alone. 'Keh! Yeah right, in my wildest dreams.' It was becoming too dangerous for Kagome in Sengoku Jedai and he had been toying with the idea of sending her back home where she would be safe. His heart ached at the thought of being without her, but it was better this way, for her. His feelings for would mean nothing if anything happened to her.

A slight moan brought InuYasha back to the task at hand. Kagome stirred in her sleep but did not wake as he dragged a clawed finger down the front of her uniform and slid it from her shoulders before lifting her and tossing the shirt aside. He did the same with the skirt and underwear, tossing them into a pile for later. 'I'll burn it later to keep her warm. Naraku's stench has been permanently etched on the clothes and it needs to be burned.' InuYasha thought quietly to himself as he too removed his haori and hakama. It wasn't like Kagome hadn't seen him like this before, even if it was partially due to Jaken trying to steal the Tetsaiga. He silently laughed a little at the memory of her blushing profusely as she caught a glimpse of him in his birthday suit. She was still unconscious as he took her into his arms once more, a slight blush forming on his own face at the closeness of his naked form to hers. InuYasha stepped out into the hot spring, wading over to a spot he could sit down with her and marvel in his good fortune. She shifted slightly, allowing her head to fall in the crook of his neck. He let the water wash over her body as he sat down on a rock in the spring and began the task of cleansing the tainted scent away.

.
.
.
.
.

oOo

Mary belongs to the words of a song.

I try to be strong for her, try not to be wrong for her.

But she will not wait for me, anymore, anymore.

Why did I say all those things before? I was sure.

oOo

.
.
.
.
.

Letting her soak in the spring for a while, InuYasha retrieved a piece of her torn uniform to make a makeshift washcloth without, of course, letting her head go under water. He hoped that the smell in the cloth would not spread into her skin as he lightly wiped her body down. As she moved at his touch, he tensed, fearing he had incurred her wrath. But when she just sighed contently, he relaxed and began to soak her hair in the spring, one hand always on the back of her head. She looked radiant amidst the rising steam and the setting sun that bounced upon the water. She truly was an angel on earth, and she was all his. InuYasha had decided, once all the danger of Naraku was over with, he would show her how much she had come to mean to him and how he would be lost with out her.

.
.
.
.
.

oOo

(She is the one), but I have a purpose,

(She is the one), and I have to fight this,

(She is the one), a villain I can't knock down.

oOo

.
.
.
.
.

Her eyes began to flutter open at the ministrations InuYasha was currently doing to her scalp. She looked up at him with relief and joy; he had found her again. Then she noticed he wasn't wearing his haori, or, for that matter his hakama; and neither was she. Kagome realized she was stark naked in a hot spring, with InuYasha. His eyes were closed and a content look played across his face as he swayed slightly back and forth to some unknown rhythm. Kagome was almost ashamed to bring him out of his little dream world, but then she thought of what he could be dreaming about. Lightly touching his shoulder to draw him out, he smiled down at her with one of his rare genuine smiles that he saved only for her. Bringing her closer, InuYasha brought her to his lap and nuzzled her neck longingly. He wrapped his arms around her when she tried to pull away, and much to her surprise, the great InuYasha began to cry like a lost child in her arms. She tried to pull away again, Kagome wanted to see his face; to wipe his tears away, but he held on to her even tighter. Then his ears perked up and he whipped his head up with a tense look on his face. Pulling her closer as if saying "your mine" he looked around with very intent eyes. Then he smelled it. 'That goddamn wolf! What the fuck does he want now!'

"Oi! Inukuro what the hell are you doing to my woman?" InuYasha just growled threateningly in response. He was definitely not in the mood to deal with Kouga and his "my woman" shit. There would be no messing around with him today, it would be kick his ass and move on. He was tired of everyone interrupting every goddamn moment of peace.

"Kouga, I'm warning you, leave now." InuYasha ground out.

"Why? So you can let her get kidnapped again and almost killed? I don't think so turds-for-brains. She is my woman and you have defiantly crossed the line here. If she were with me, she wouldn't have to worry about insufficient protection!" Kouga was beginning to grow angry at all the danger InuYasha allowed Kagome to be put in. It was about damn time she got the proper protection and care.

"Goddamnit Kouga! I am NOT in the mood for your shit!" InuYasha stood up off the rock and glared menacingly at Kouga, anger coming off in droves. Kouga ignored the warning and advanced toward him with bravado. InuYasha hid Kagome behind him protectively, not allowing the mangy wolf to see anything that belonged to him. He latched onto her legs and piggy-backed her backwards to where his haoiri was and Kagome quickly slid off and wrapped herself in it. InuYasha didn't care if Kouga saw him naked, hell he would most likely make Kouga jealous!

"C'mon inukuro, I don't have all day. Just hand over my woman and save yourself the embarrassment; it seems you're too incapable of protecting her anyway." Kouga taunted, looking at his nails as if bored. InuYasha snapped right then, launching himself at the defiant wolf. Kouga smirked, not knowing just how over protectiveness effected InuYasha, especially now. Kouga was able to dodge the first three punches and land one of his own to the gut, but InuYasha caught him off guard with a strong upper cut.

.
.
.
.
.

oOo

I see your face with every punch I take,

And every bone I break, it's all for you.

And my worst pains are words I cannot say,

Still I will always fight on for you.

oOo

.
.
.
.
.

Kagome could only watch in astonishment at InuYasha's newfound strength and could hardly keep up with the swiftly moving pair. She caught glimpses of them when they touched the ground, only to lose sight of them again the next instant. From what she could see, InuYasha had the upper hand, and her suspicions were confirmed when Kouga landed hard into the ground with swollen eye, claw marks everywhere and a fat upper lip.

"I warned you Kouga! I was so not in the mood to deal with your bitching today!" InuYasha shouted as he landed in front of Kagome and took an offensive stance, shielding Kagome from Kouga once again. Kouga looked like he was going to get up and try again, but Kagome glared at him from behind InuYasha which made him think twice about getting his ass handed to him again. Kouga grunted and ran off back into the woods, shouting back to InuYasha, "You won this time InuYasha, but I will be back for my woman!"

.
.
.
.
.

oOo

Mary's alive in the bright New York sky,

The city lights shine for her, above them I cry for her.

Everything's small on the ground below, down below.

What if I fall, then where would I go, would she know?

oOo

.
.
.
.
.

"Keh!" was all InuYasha said before turning his attention back to the object of his affection. However, when he turned around he found a very angry Kagome holding the shreds of cloth that had been her clothes. She was positively glowing with anger and for once, InuYasha was truly scared she would 'sit' him into the next life. As she began to open her mouth, he did the only thing he could think of to shut her up before she uttered his most favorite word; he kissed her.

.
.
.
.
.

oOo

(She is the one), all that I wanted,

(She is the one), and I will be haunted,

(She is the one), this gift is my curse for now.

oOo

.
.
.
.
.

At first, Kagome was caught off guard by his boldness. Where had all this come from? Where did his sudden rush of emotion stem? But then she thought about what Naraku had shown her before she completely succumbed to fatigue. He had shown her how his heart broke into a million pieces when he thought she was dead. How it had made her own heart break to see him in such pain, his howl of agony still rang in her ears. He had looked so broken and battered that she could not take any more. For once, Naraku stopped just short of completely destroying her by cutting off her view of him from there. He really did love her. He meant what he said to the doll, because he thought it was her. She relaxed into the kiss and he gracefully laid her back down onto the shore in a haze of lust and desire.

.
.
.
.
.

oOo

I see your face with every punch I take,

And every bone I break, it's all for you.

And my worst pains are words I cannot say,

Still I will always fight on for you. Fight on for you ...

oOo

.
.
.
.
.

As much as InuYasha had longed for this, he held back his need because Kagome was still in no condition for any physical play, just yet any way.

"Kaagoomeeee," he whined into her mouth. "I really shouldn't let you over exert yourself like this. You need to rest."

"But the doctor says I can at least play a little," she teased.

"Now the doctor says you need rest and this is definitely not rest." As much as InuYasha wanted to continue his little rendezvous, he didn't want to jeopardize her health for pleasure. He reluctantly lifted himself off of the ground and placed his hakama pants back on before lifting her into his arms to head off to Kaede's village.

"Wait! InuYasha, what about my clothes?"

"Keh! What about them!"

"We are NOT just leaving my only good school uniform there!"

"The hell we're not! They REEK of Naraku and will never come clean from it. Besides, you look better in a kimono anyway."

"Ohh InuYasha? OSWARI!"

"GAH!" was all he was able to say before he got a face full of dirt. Though, with respect to InuYasha, he did manage to keep Kagome up in the air while he ate the dirt. However, he silently reasoned next time he would not be held responsible for anything that happened to her. He hardened his resolve and set off towards Kaede's village once again. Kagome was none too happy the whole way back about leaving her clothes behind and the journey back was a silent one. Which was both good and bad; it gave InuYasha time to think about his next move, which might be bad depending on how you look at it.

Upon arriving, the pair was greeted with a concerned looking taija, a mischievously smirking monk and a glaring little kitsune. Still wrapped up in InuYasha's haori, Kagome practically jumped down from his arms and stormed over to Kaede's hut to retrieve a fresh set of clothes, only to find that had been her last clean uniform that InuYasha had made her leave behind. 'Oh well,' she thought. 'Makes for a good excuse to go home for a few days. Though getting InuYasha to go along with it will be hard.' With a determined look on her face, Kagome picked up her over-sized backpack and headed back out the door. One look at her expression and the backpack slung over her shoulder, and InuYasha knew instantly what she was planning. And he would have none of it.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?" InuYasha blocked her path to the well and sized her up. He was serious this time; she was not going back so soon. Besides, she still needed to give him back his haori, one way or another. She glared up at him; sometimes she wondered if he liked to aggravate her. He certainly did it often enough, but this was better than the silence they had enjoyed on the way back to the village. Kagome had always interpreted this as his public way of admitting he was glad she was there. Though not letting her leave from time to time did get rather annoying after awhile. Stepping around him, Kagome headed off toward the well but she only got a few steps before he jumped in front of her again.

"InuYasha, I need to get more supplies and clothes. I am sure there are some tests I have to take as well, and I will bring you back some ramen I promise, just let me go home for a few days and…"

"NO! You just got back! We just found you again and here you are wanting to go back home again! You always want to go home! Why don't you want to stay here for once! God knows how much time we have left now that Naraku has the whole Shikon jewel."

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that. To all of you. Naraku doesn't have the whole jewel. There is one shard missing." The whole group looked baffled at this new development. Naraku didn't have all the shards? Then why did he say he did? Was it a trap?

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

(A/N): mwhahahahahahahaha! Find out next time on Angel or Devil; Heaven or Hell! God I feel evil, yayness! And I graduated this Saturday! w00t w00t god I hope the evil plot bunnies whisper in my ear more often. I was listening to the song in this chappie called Gifts and Curses by Yellowcard for the millionth time when inspiration struck me. So I hoped you enjoyed this looooooong over due update, and don't forget to review!