Long way till morning
Kagome put the arrow to her bow and let it sing. 'I have to protect Inu Yasha.' The demons swarmed around them. Inu Yasha lay unconscious behind her. There was no help forthcoming. Sango had wanted to return to her village for a while and Miroku had decided to go with her. Kagome and Inuyasha had finally believed they relax and spend a little time together alone. They had left Keade's house for a late evening walk. Shippo had remained behind stuffing himself with Keade's cooking. It hadn't been long when Kagome and Inu Yasha had found themselves attacked by demons.
Hundreds of demons had descended from the sky and began surrounding them. Inu Yasaha a fought fiercely to protect Kagome, but they were soon overtaken by the sheer number of demons. One demon had managed to slip past Kagme's arrows and attack Inu Yasha from behind. More had found their opportunity and joined in. Kagome had destroyed many of them, but they just kept coming. There was only one reason for the hundreds of demons. Naraku had sent them in an attempt to destroy them while their friends were away.
Inu Yasha had collapsed after a while from exhasuten and loose of blood. Now Kagome stood surrounded by demons letting one arrow after another fly from her bow. 'I can feel more demons coming. I have to finish these off quickly and get us out of here.' The aura of an approaching new wave of demons was coming closer. She destroyed the last few demons with only one arrow remaining. "Oh, no. There's no way I can protect us with only one arrow. And Inu Yasha is too badly wounded to help." Kagome scanned her surroundings quickly and spotted what looked like some animal's burrow. It looked barely big enough for them to hide in. 'It'll have to do.'
Kagome took hold of Inu Yasha and began to drag him towards the hole. The inside of the burrow was much bigger and deeper than it had looked from the outside. They made it just in time, as the new wave of demons began to swarm into the forest. After making sure Inu Yasha was safe. She began to fill the entrance with handfuls of the soft earth. She left a tiny whole for air. She trembled as she watched the shadows of demons pass their hiding place. One stopped and sniffed around a bit. Kagome's blood turned to ice as she waited the five excruciating heartbeats until the demon moved on.
She breathed a sigh of relief and crawled back to Inu Yasha. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the near pitch black of the cave. She examined the wounds with a light hand. Her fingers came back bloody. They were deep but seemed to be healing. She touched his cheek tenderly. He was like ice. The demon's had done their job well. Kagome felt her insides convulse in panic. 'Please, Inu Yasha, please don't die.' Kagome pulled his upper body into her lap, cradling his head against her chest and stroking his hair. Kagome wept, her tears landing gently in his hair. She leaned against the wall of the burrow, clutching him to her and praying vigorously. Outside she could still hear the demons' footsteps.
After a while the sounds of the demons moved further and further away. Slowly Kagome relaxed. Inu Yasha was becoming warmer, his body was beginning to heal and the blood was pumping again. Kagome laid her head against his and soon was asleep.
A few hours later, Inu Yasha woke to Kagome filling every sense in his body. He could hear the steady thump of her heart and the rhythmic sound of her breathing. He could the warmth of her body and the soft fabric of her blouse beneath his cheek and the sponge flesh beneath it. Her scent filled every breath. He could also feel the terrible pain of his wounds, but they were slowly subsiding. The wounds from the demons had been more severe than he'd realized. 'That's right. We were being attacked by demons. How did we get here? Where is here anyway?' He looked about the burrow in dismay. A small hole let in dim moonlight. 'Kagome must have found some hiding place.' He moved slightly and Kagome stirred.
"Inu Yasha? Are you all right? How are you feeling?"
He didn't try to move. After all he was very comfortable leaning against Kagome's warm soft body. "I'm okay."
He felt her arms tighten around him. "I was so scared…"
"I'm sorry. I couldn't…"
"No, that's not what I meant. I was scared I was going to loose you. I thought you were going to die." Kagome's voice trembled and Inu Yahsa could feel the slight dampness in his hair.
'She's crying. Do I mean that much to her?' "Kagome…please don't cry. I'll be fine. I promise. I just need to rest."
Kagome nodded and laid her back down on his. "Then rest. I think the demons have gone. I don't think they'll come back." She stroked his hair gently. "Inu Yasha, I don't know what I'd do if you died."
"Silly girl, I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you behind." He closed his eyes and relaxed into her again. 'I wish we could stay like this forever.' It was not long before he was fast asleep once more.
Kagome sighed inwardly and pulled Inu Yasha a little closer. 'I wish we could stay like this forever.' In a few moments, Kagome too fell into blissful dreams.
Inu Yasha woke to find the dim light of the moon being replaced by early dawn light. Kagome's arms had slid down to where they lay just barely on his sides. Her head had lulled back and was leaning against the wall of the burrow. Inu Yasha raised up, the pain mostly gone now. 'She looks uncomfortable like that. There's plenty of room to lay down.' He took her gently in his arms, careful not to wake her and laid her in the soft earth. She immediately stretched out and sighed. He laid down near her, fearing she'd get too cold in the damp soil.
Kagome woke about an hour later to find Inu Yasha's arm draped across her waist and his warm breath in her hair. She rolled towards him. He opened his eyes and slowly withdrew his arm. Kagome shivered slightly at the loss of his warmth. "Are you still in pain?"
"It's mostly gone, now."
"Do you want to rest some more?"
He sighed. "I know I don't really need it, but I think I'd really just like to stay here a little longer."
Kagome smiled. 'Miricales do exist.' "Okay, but under one condition." He blinked at her in surprise. "You hold me like you were just doing."
Inu Yasha blushed slightly and smiled. Kagome tucked her head under his chin and he draped his arm around her waist again. He sighed. "Kagome…."