Chapter 5

Inuyasha's POV

I was holding my sword panting rather hard after I had just killed Marishiki with the wind scar. I ran over to Sosha and stood in front of her. "What happened? Are you okay?" I asked as she smiled at me. She took a step forward and then collapsed into my arms. "Sosha, Are you okay?" I whispered into her ear. I picked her up slowly and started to walk her back to the hut. I help her limp body close to mine. Her body temperature started to drop and she was shivering uncontrollably. A tear started to run down her face and onto my arm. I held her closer to me as I started to run towards the hut. There were sweat droplets that started to form on her face. She felt as if she was as cold as ice though. She started to sneeze and cough.

"Inuyasha," she moaned as she pulled herself closer to me. I looked at her worriedly and started to run faster towards the hut. Jumping from tree to tree I could she the hut. The closer I got the more anxious I became. The distance between her cold shaking body and mine almost seemed nonexistent. I ran to the hut and into the door. I saw Sakura and her little brother on the floor buried in bandages. I sat her on a mat next to the others and went to find her mother.

"Old lady Sakia!" I growled repeatedly when I saw her sleep in her room.

"What child!" she said as she sat up and started to stare at me.

"Don't look at me like that." I snapped. "Get up and come on." I yanked her off of her floor and pulled her to the room where Sosha lay. "Fix her." I growled lowly as I turned my back to Sosha. I looked at her hand and saw that she had something griped tight in her fist. I reached down and touched her hand. Her skin was so soft and delicate but it was freezing cold. I slowly opened her hand and a jewel shard fell out. "A jewel shard? Where'd she get this?" I whispered as her mother took out some bandages and medicine. She placed some medicine on the bottom of her foot and I watched as Sosha growled and winched in pain. Then the old lady started to put medicine on a wound that she had on her lag. She lifted her shirt and felt her ribs.

"She might have bruised ribs; I'll have to bandage them." She continued to lift her shirt and I felt myself start to growl. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye and I turned away. "Do me a favor and turn her over." She said as she backed away from her daughter as if she were merely sleeping and not injured.

"You want me to flip her over?" I asked as I felt my face turning red. Sosha almost no longer had a shirt on and the thought of me touching her skin made me slightly nervous. I walked towards her again and slowly lifted her. I could feel her chest rising and falling at a steady beat as I held her against me.

"Don't lay her down all the way or she'll be injured again. Hold her slightly over the matt so that I can still wrap the bandages around her." She started to wrap the bandages around Sosha and I started to feel annoyed by the way she kept smirking at me. Every once in a while she would say stuff like:

"You really like her?" and "she's not as good as a fighter as Sakura." I think that in actuality she didn't want to be to far away from Sosha. She sure did have a funny way of showing how she felt. When she was finished dressing her wounds I laid her down on her back. I sat beside her and waited. Sakura and Sonichi woke up about an hour later and Sosha remained sleep. I grew impatient as I sat there.

"Inuyasha, won't you join us for dinner? You've sat out there with her for two days now, you need to eat." Sakura called to me. My stomach was growling but I refused to leave Sosha's side until she awakened and it didn't seem like that was going to be anytime soon.

"No." I growled as I stared at Sosha intently. She was starting to shake again and she had a fever. I felt her head and it felt as though she burned me. I pulled the covers up on her further hoping that, that would somehow help. She stopped shaking but she still had a fever.

"It seems like Inuyasha is so worried about Sosha that he thinks that if he leaves something might happen to her." Miroku explained.

"Shut up!" I yelled. I was too weak to start arguing but at least he didn't feel like continuing our argument. "Maybe I should get something eat, in a few more days I'll be completely out of energy." I whispered to myself. I stood up and I stumbled from dizziness. I walked into the room that they were all in. I flopped down at a seat across from Shippo and he smiled broadly at me after he swallowed a mouth in full of food. I picked up a bowl and looked at the table. "THAT'S ALL THAT'S LEFT!" I yelled in astonishment. I looked at the table and there was only a small amount of rice and a tiny piece of sushi. I quickly grabbed the food and shoved it in my bowl. After I ate I immediately returned To Sosha's side and I sat there once again.

Sosha's POV

"Inuyasha! Help, where are you! I can't get back on my own. I'm so cold." I ran through the darkness and I couldn't find anyone or anything. I started to cry and I fell to my knees feeling scared and lonely. I got up and started to walk again. I started to feel warm again and it felt as if someone were watching me intently. "Inuyasha I need you." I said. I began to weep as I stood up and began my journey again.

Inuyasha's POV

"Inuyasha" I woke up and I heard Sosha whispering my name. I looked around me and I noticed that everyone else was sleep. I lifted her up and sat her in my lap. I held her close to me the way my mother would when ever I was sick with a fever. I started to rock her back and forth and she started to move. She nuzzled her face into my kimono and started to smile. I felt her forehead and it felt as though her fever broke. I started to stroke her hair until I feel asleep.

"Inuyasha?" I woke up the next morning with Sosha staring at me and smiling in my face. "Thank you for watching me, I knew that you wouldn't let me down." I looked down in my lap and I noticed that Sosha still lay there sleep.

"Not funny Shippo!" I snapped as I punched him on the head.

"Sorry, I was just trying to make you feel better." He wined as he turned back to his normal form and started to stumble away holding his head. I looked at Sosha and started to stroke her hair again.

"Get better." I whispered sounding and feeling more worried than I would have liked to admit. I looked at Miroku and noticed that he was sitting up starring at Sosha intently. "What are you staring at Monk?" I growled in a low voice.

"Calm down Inuyasha, I was just wondering about what she's thinking about and when she's going to wake up."

"She has been out for almost a week now. And I think that the longer she stays sleep the weaker she becomes."

"It's not too good for you either considering the fact that you haven't eaten in about two days."

I looked away from him and I turned my attention back to Sosha and I saw that she was opening her eyes. "I smell food." She said halfway sleep and halfway awoke. I hugged her and started to smile.

Sosha's POV

I wandered around the darkness for what felt like years. I had all but given up when I saw a flash of light. Suddenly the darkness started to get lighter and I felt like there was someone out there who cared about me. I felt warn and like I was getting a hug from an angel who didn't want to let me go. I tried to open my eyes but they were so heavy that it took what felt like another year. I finally opened them and I smelt my mother's food prying its way into my nose as if it had been waiting there for decades. I looked up and saw that Inuyasha was holding me. 'Am I still asleep?' I thought as I stared at Inuyasha's beaming face. 'How long have I been sleep?' I started to blink franticly and I noticed that Inuyasha had a weary look in his eyes he looked as if he hadn't slept in day, weeks, or maybe even months. 'Is this another dream? How did I get out of the darkness?' I started to sit up and I felt dizzy. I feel and Inuyasha grabbed me. I could tell by the warmth of his skin that I wasn't dreaming. I laid my head on his kimono and hugged him. At first he felt as if he were about to fight it but I guess that he decided against it.

"I won't let that happen to you ever again." He whispered in my ear as he continued to embrace me. It seemed like he thought that he was gonna break me if he hugged to hard. I smiled and looked into his golden eyes that seemed to hypnotize me. I kissed him and stood up. He just sat there looking at me and I smiled as I hungrily walked into the kitchen, and ate my weight in food.

"At least you have your appetite back." Sakura mocked as I sat at the table eating everything that came in my path. After I ate my food I went to take a bath. I hadn't been able to lift any logs to heat the water because my strength hadn't returned yet so I was going to just take a cold bath. When I got it the water I felt that it was warm.

"Is the water warm enough?" I looked out of the window and I saw Inuyasha blowing into the fire at the bottom of the tub.

"Isn't that tiring?" I asked looking at Inuyasha as he frantically blew into the fire.

"No, its okay I had to do it before when I was training to learn a new skill with the Tetsusaiga." I smiled at him and continued to take my bath. Every few minutes he would ask me how the water felt, and he would either blow some of the fire out or put some more logs on it. I finally convinced him that I was fine and he reluctantly left to find some fish and to help my mother shop. I sat in the bath for a long time. When I got out and got dressed I could smell fish and rice cooking. I sat there thinking about how strangely Inuyasha was acting he suddenly wanted to be helpful.

"You've been in there for a while." I looked at Sakura as I walked out of the bathhouse and smiled. "Why where you out so long? It's not like you had any deadly injuries." She asked with concern poring out of the sentence. I shrugged my shoulders and walked towards the hut. I could feel her staring at me as I walked by and I tried to ignore it.

As I stepped into the hut I saw Inuyasha sitting on the floor thinking. He looked up at me and quickly looked away. I started to feel cold when I realized that my hair was hanging over my shoulders drenching me with water. I couldn't stand the fact that I had made everyone worry so I had decided to stay home. I looked at Inuyasha sorrowfully and he turned so that he was facing me.

"What!" he growled as if he were annoyed by my presence. I turned my head and for some odd reason I started to feel worse that before. Something about him just made me feel like everything that I did wrong was way worse that I thought it was. At least he seemed to be acting like his normal self.

"I need to talk to you." I mumbled as I made my decision. I turned and walked out of the hut towards the place in the forest where I first met him.

Inuyasha POV

I was sitting on the ground thinking about where Sakura found the shard that she had and rather or not I should ask her if she had anymore. I heard footsteps behind me and I saw Sosha standing in the door way. Her hair was still damp from the bath that she took and her clothes where getting soaked. I looked away from her and tried to start thinking again. I could tell that she was looking at me because she hadn't moved an inch since she walked in. Breathing, I could hear it heavy and cold, she shifted from one side to the other on her feet, I could even hear that, but I couldn't hear her move or change position at all. I finally lost my train of thought and all of the thoughts that consumed my mind were asking me what was so fascinating about me that she wouldn't move. "What!" I snapped as I turned to look at her. She had a look of shame in her eyes and I had no idea why.

"I need to talk to you." I looked at her as she stood up and began to leave out of the hut. 'What makes her think that she can command me when ever she feels like it?' I asked my self feeling angry. 'This self pity crap is annoying.' I reluctantly got up and followed her out of the hut. Silently I walked feeling annoyed and agitated the whole time. She walked back to the place where we first met. The walk seemed shorter than it did last time. She seemed sadder than she did that first night we met and I hadn't felt anything except anger and sorrow since that night. She stopped in a clearing and grabbed an apple from a near by tree. She did another fake smile and I looked at her wondering why she was sad. It's not like it had anything to do with me I was just wondering. I saw her eyes start to tear up and I knew that she was gonna start to cry. A tear fell from her eye and she dropped the apple.

"What you cryin for?" I snorted. She smiled at me and started to walk towards me. I still hadn't forgiven her for making me worry about her. She kept walking towards me and she soon stood in front of me. She hugged me and I could tell that she was really hurt. I hugged her back subconsciously and I felt as if I were with Kagome and Kikyo at the same time. 'I won't let you go; you'll always be safe with me.' I thought as my grip tightened.

Sosha's POV

I was walking in the forest as Inuyasha followed close behind. 'How am I supposed to tell him about what Kagome said? I don't even know if I can trust her. What if I just imagined the whole thing?' I thought as I grabbed an apple from a nearby tree. I saw a reflection in the apple I had assumed it was mine until I looked again. The reflection couldn't have belonged to me because it looked like Kagome. I was overcome with guilt and I had no idea why. I felt a tear fall from my eye and I looked down. I heard Inuyasha say something smart but I wasn't sure what it was. I dropped the apple and I thought that I was going crazy. I looked at him and smiled. I suddenly felt the urge to be held by him, I started to walk to him and I wasn't sure how he would react. I felt myself grow closer to him and I hugged him. I didn't want to let him go I wanted to stay that way for the rest of my life.

I buried my face into his kimono and hugged him tighter. "What was it you had to tell me?" Inuyasha asked as he let me go.

"Did you ever embrace Kagome and Kikyo that way?" I asked looking him in the eye. I turned away and I knew the answer was yes. He nodded but surprisingly he didn't look away. I felt so stupid for falling in love with him. He was obviously still in love with Kagome and Kikyo. How could I ask him to forget about them after what Kagome said to me?

"Why?" he asked a little annoyed.

"The other day, you know when we were fighting Marishiki, I had a umm, well a,"

"A what!" he snapped.

"A umm vision." I whispered as I looked at the ground. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and I continued, "It was Kagome, she told me to let you know that she's always with you and for you to never forget her. I wasn't sure if I was going to tell you or not but I felt like I had to. I couldn't help it." I felt my self grow weaker when I admitted that he would never love me the way he loved her. "How?" I asked looking him in the face. "How am I supposed to compete with them?"

"Compete? What do you mean compete?" he asked surprised.

"Each of them have a half of your heart, where do I fit in?"

"You don't have to compete with them!"

"Don't lie!"

"It's true, Kagome and Kikyo will always be in my heart but you're, you're" he whispered and didn't finish his sentence he just looked away. I smiled slightly. "Besides, he continued I told you we need you to come with us." He looked at me and had a look on his face like he was remembering something. "Oh yeah, Sosha I got a question." He looked at the Tetsusaiga then at me. "How was it possible that you could pick up the Tetsusaiga when we were fighting? I mean the barrier around it didn't reject you. Did you notice that you changed form?"

"Well Duh, how could I not have noticed? It drained all of my energy afterwards. What you thought that I was just sleepy?" I smirked

"You don't have to yell at me!"

"I didn't yell!"

"Hmp, whatever, anyways how where you able to grab the Tetsusaiga?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

"I'm not sure." I snapped looking away from him.

"I'm serious!" he growled.

"All I know is that Kagome told me that I had to help you and that was all I could think about. I couldn't think of anything else. Even if it was trying to repel me I wouldn't have felt it." I looked at him and then I smirked, "Seeing as how you where in dire need of my help."

"I didn't need your help." He shouted.

"Actually I was just worried about you." I smiled and started to walk back to my hut. 'Maybe I should go with them I don't think I could take being away from Inuyasha for to long even if he does say that he didn't need me I'll still worry about him.'

The Next Day

"Are you coming with us Sosha!" Shippo asked smiling. I nodded and went to pack my bag. We were sitting outside eating some fish.

"Hey Sosha, come here." I heard my sister call. I sat my fish on my bag and got up.

"Oh yeah," I said with my back turned, "touch my fish and you'll loose your hands." I started to walk to the hut and I found my sister sitting there waiting for me.

"I hope you help them find the jewel shards soon." She said as she hugged me. I nodded and looked at the door leading to the rooms.

"Where's mother?" Sakura looked away from me trying to avoid eye contact.

"In her room crying, she can't stand the thought of loosing you. I think that you should leave before she goes completely crazy. I think she'll be okay though." She smiled at me and I grabbed my bag and left. I said bye to my little brother and looked at our hut one last time as I started my journey.

'Don't worry mother I'll be fine just wait I'll help Inuyasha and the others on their journey just you wait and see.'