Kagome was awakened a few hours later by the sound of her own blood-curdling scream. She sat up, grabbing her bow and arrow. She tried to move quickly, but Inuyasha's reflexes were too fast, and she stumbled, landing flat on her face. "Ouch." She whined, but made her way, quickly, to the spring.
Inuyasha was huddled in the pool of water, shaking. "Inuyasha!" She ran to him. "Inuyasha? What's wrong? What happened?" Asked a panicked Kagome. Inuyasha looked up at her, tears in his eyes.
"I fell asleep in the water. When I woke up, I dried off. But-but I noticed blood. I thought it might be a cut from a rock or something. " He looked away and sniffled. Kagome's eyes widened. "Kagome!" He cried out, clinging to her. "I stayed in the water too long, and it boiled me! Something inside of your body must have exploded. The blood is coming out…" Inuyasha pointed down, between his legs. "And, now, because of me, your body is dying! My stomach was hurting a bit, so it has to be from there!" Kagome smirked. "Your body is dying, and I'm trapped inside of it!" He wailed.
Kagome burst out in a string of laughter. She clutched her sides, and fell to the ground laughing. "This is perfect!" She said, between breaths.
"Kagome?"
Kagome composed herself, and sat up, breathing heavily. "Didn't your mom ever have 'The Talk' with you?"
" 'The Talk'?"
"Ya. You know…about when a girl becomes a woman, and a boy becomes a man?" Inuyasha glared at her.
"What does that have to do with this?"
Kagome giggled. "Well, you are the proud recipient of the woman's curse. It's natural. Lucky for you, mine's only about 3 days. Lots of others' is about a week."
Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched. "You mean…this is natural for you! To bleed for three days! How are you still alive? How often does this mess happen!"
"Once a month. Just like the one night you become full human. It has to be done." She stood up, and began walking back toward the shrine. "Stay here, I'll be right back." She rummaged through her backpack for what she needed, then returned to Inuyasha. She helped him out of the water, and handed him the small square package.
Kagome handed him a towel, and he wrapped it around himself, then studied the package. "What's this?" He asked.
"Well, it's a pad. You put it here-…" she held up a clean pair of her underwear, "-and, it's so you can come out of the water, and not be a mess." She took it from him, and loaded it, properly, for him. "It'll be uncomfortable, but I can't show you your other option. I don't even want to think about having to explain a tampon to you," she laughed. Inuyasha followed her directions on how to get her clothes back onto her body.
"We'll have to hurry back to the well, today. That was my last pad. That's why I wanted to go back a few days agao. I knew I was close to the time, and a little short on supplies." She blushed.
"Why didn't you say so!" Inuyasha's temper seemed shorter, now. But, it was semi-expected.
"I did! But, being the arrogant fool that you are-!"
"Arrogant!"
"Arr-o-gant!" Kagome crossed her arms, and looked away. She heard a sniffle, and made a side long glance at him. He looked up, at her, full of hurt.
"Do you really think, I'm that arrogant?" His eyes were full of tears, but none fell. Kagome sighed, and crouched down.
"Heeeeh? Inuyasha, there's good things about you, too. That's why I…I stay with you." She sighed, knowing full well, that wasn't the reason she stayed. "Now, we don't have time for you to get emotional, now. We've gotta get back to the well." Inuyasha gave her a disgusted look.
"Oh! I'm emotional, now! Well-!"
"Oh! For heaven's sake!" Kagome took his hand, and held it, tightly, as she led him back to the shrine. Kagome began packing, and Inuyasha continued to ramble on.
"Lemme tell you something, woman! You can be infuriating, yourself." Kagome tuned out the sound of her own voice, and concentrated on collecting everything. After a few moments, she gathered her backpack, bow, and arrows, and slung them over her shoulder.
She crossed her arms and stared at the, still rambling, Inuyasha. "Are you quite through, Inuyasha?" She asked, calmly. He gave her a look of defiance, but kept quiet. "Good. Now, come on. I have medicine, at my house, that will help you feel better…more normal, anyway." Kagome, again, held his hand, to offer comfort. She remembered the first time she had come into her womanhood. She was younger, but when you're younger, things seemed to be taken more easily…But, Inuyasha was experiencing this as an 18…as an adult. She squeezed his hand once, as they made their way.
After 4 hours, they made it to the well. "Oh, finally!" Kagome cried out. She sat all of her things, on the ground, next to the well. "Inuyasha, you stay hjere. It'll only take a minute. I'll get some more…well, I'll get the medicine, for you." She placed a hand on his forehead, and gave him an assuring smile.
Just before she jumped in, she felt Inuyasha tug at her arm. She looked down. "Please, hurry. I've got a bad feeling. What I'd give to have my sense of smell and hearing, right now." Kagome nodded, then disappeared.
A/N: There, I hope these 2 new chapters were worth the wait. Will update sometime later. Til then, enjoy, my pretties!