Author: Well. I'm not quite sure what's going to be in this chapter since
Inuyasha's dead, but I'll try my best. lol. So much for a Inuyasha/Kagome
fic. Oh well, good riddance. For all of you who saw the episodes of
Inuyasha on the 19th you know what I'm talking about. Poor Kagome. Freaking
hell people, learn when someone doesn't like you anymore to GET OVER
THEM!!!! :P Sorry. I'm ranting. Anyway, for those of you who didn't figure
it out, I was actually joking about the Inuyasha death thing. I wouldn't
kill him for at least another two chapters. Then if you guys had voted yes
for a lemon (I really should tally those, shouldn't I? Oh well, I'll worry
about that at the end of this chapter.) then who the hell would Kagome have
a lemon chapter with? Hmmmmm...........O_O I can think of a couple people,
but they'd be icky. :P
Koga: *puts his hands on hips angrily* Hey! I'm not icky!
Author: Oh, but you are. *laughs as Koga cries and runs away*
Sephiroth: *shakes his head* Oh come on now. You shouldn't take out your anger towards Inuyasha on Koga. He's very sensitive.
Author: Sephiroth, is there something you would like to tell me?
Sephiroth: *gets defensive* No! Why? What are you implying?!
Author: *grins and huggles him* Nothing...............
Sephiroth: *looks at author suspiciously, but doesn't say anything*
Author: So anyway, this chapter is a little shorter then my other ones because I'm short on time to write. Too much crap to do at the moment and I've been staying up late to type. Also, please forgive any spelling/grammer mistakes because I read it over a couple times and I'm really tired so I might've missed some things. I know that sounds weird because I can't actually post this until morning, but whatever. I want to thank everyone who has been following this story and reading and reviewing. Dreamboat Annie especially. She's always leaving long, entertaining reviews that make me laugh. Her reviews keep me typing sometimes when I have writer's block. Must......keep.....writing........for....Dreamboat......Annie.....lol. Everyone else is great too! I love clicking on my new mail and reading what you guys thought of my most recent chapter. Well, here it is. Enjoy! (By the way Hiroshimi is an OC - original character)
Chelsey: *runs in out of breath* No! Wait! Stop! *smooths down her hair nervously* Sorry I'm late. I was supposed to tell you that the author doesn't own any of the characters in this fic except for her OC. Oh, and Inuyasha's mine. *smiles sweety* It's his fault I'm late. Coat hangers sure a real pain in the butt. *eyes shift back and forth* So....yah. Go read the chapter now!
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Inuyasha awoke, head throbbing, and slowly opened his eyes to the blurriness around him. A painful groan escaped his lips when he tried to move and he blinked a couple times, trying to clear his vision. Inuyasha shifted his head to the side and looked in wonder at his surroundings. He was in a warm, soft bed, covered by a blanket and it appeared he was in a room in someone's house. It wasn't Kagome's so..........who? As he stared dumbly around the room he didn't notice someone enter.
"Father! He's awake!" a voice called from beside Inuyasha, causing him to jump slightly. A little girl peered into his face. Inuyasha moved away from her, eyes wide.
"Who? What? Where am I?!" he yelped. The girl giggled and pet his hair in a comforting gesture.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you. Father says not to move cause you got big hurts." Inuyasha flinched under her touch and looked for a way to escape. A man came into the room and smiled at the little girl.
"Come on. Leave our visitor alone. I'm sure he's scared enough already." He came over to Inuyasha with a plate of food and placed it on the table next to the bed. "You're lucky I found you young man. You were almost frozen solid when we found you. It's amazing that you survived." Inuyasha shifted awkwardly under the covers.
"Um.......thank you," he spoke quietly. The man smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Rest up. I'll check back on you in awhile. I'm Hiroshimi by the way."
"I'm Inuyasha," Inuyasha replied, then slumped against the pillow in pain. Hiroshimi nodded.
"Well, Inuyasha, it's nice to meet you, even if it isn't under the best circumstances. You should really get some rest though. Don't mind my daughter. We just don't get visitors very often." Hiroshimi scratched the back of his hair awkwardly. "So, yah. I guess I'll let you sleep now. Oh, and don't touch the bandages, they need to stay on for a couple days. I have some healing herbs on your wounds so they should close up faster."
Inuyasha nodded wordlessly and Hiroshimi and his daughter left the room. Snuggling against the comfy mattress, Inuyasha winced slightly and slowly fell asleep.
Koga growled in frustration. Was she going to ignore him all day? He tapped lightly on Kagome's window and she didn't look up from her desk. "Kagome," he called through the locked window, "come on! Open up!" Kagome stood and left her bedroom, going somewhere else in the house. Koga was tempted to break the window, but decided that would only piss Kagome off even more.
Kagome sighed deeply. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, she frowned. Why wouldn't he go away?! She just wanted to be left alone and Koga didn't seem to get that. Her mom looked at her strangely as she passed her in the hall. Christmas had been a little weird with everyone all tense and worried about their mom flipping out again, but all in all it had been all right. Not fun, but all right. She was wearing a new sweater she had gotten from her brother and had to admit he had good taste.
She peeked around the corner of the door frame. The stupid wolf was still sitting on the window sill. She looked down at her feet. Her heart ached in a way she never knew it could. Inuyasha had really cut her deep this time. She missed him so much, but her pride prevented her from wanting to forgive him. He could die for all she cared. But she did care. She raised both hands to the sides of her head, digging her fingernails in, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming in frustration. What the hell was wrong with her?! Sota skipped down the hallway and stopped, looking at her with concern.
"Kagome? What's the matter?" Kagome's head jerked up and she smiled fakely at her little brother.
"Um, nothing. I'm fine," she lied quickly.
"You've got another guy outside your window," Sota commented, noticing Koga and walking towards the window inside Kagome's bedroom.
"Don't open that!" she cried urgently as Sota unlocked the window. It was too late. Koga hopped inside, shaking snow off himself, and although his eyes looked angry at being left outside for long, he looked relieved to be with Kagome again.
"Where's Inuyasha?" Sota asked, looking around for his idle. Koga smirked and was about to say something, but Kagome clapped her hand over his mouth.
"We'll find him for you later, okay Sota? Please go for now." Sota shrugged and smiled, heading for the door.
"All right. Tell Inuyasha I said hi if you can't get him to see me later." After he left, Kagome sat Koga on her bed and went over to close the door. Koga hopped up, sniffing about her room.
"What is this place?" he asked with interest, "it's very........nice smelling."
"It's my room. Or home or den. Whatever you call it," she said, frowning, "and you shouldn't be here. So get out." Koga held up his hands defensively.
"Please Kagome. I didn't want to upset you. I was merely defending myself against that mutt. I couldn't allow him to defeat me. Then I wouldn't ever be worthy of you."
"What makes you think you ever will be?" Kagome scowled.
"I always keep hope that maybe one day you'll change your mind."
Kagome sighed and slumped down onto the bed. Koga moved over next to her and pulled her into a hug, leaning his forehead on hers. "I know that I'm not the best choice of mate in the entire world, but if you gave me a chance then you might see I'm not so bad after all."
Kagome looked at him carefully. See could use a friend right now, not a lover. But Koga had never done anything to harm her, physically or emotionally, and he was always very kind and loving to her. Maybe he was really the right person for her. Had she fallen in love with the wrong person? Or was she ever truly in love with Inuyasha? No, she remembered the feeling she'd had when he'd kissed her. She loved him. Stupid hanyou. He always had to screw everything up.
Koga was looking into her eyes anxiously, waiting for some sort of reply. "Koga............I-I don't know if I can be with you like that."
Koga smiled slightly. "I understand. Like I said before. I'll always be waiting anytime you feel differently." He let her pull away and grinned, knowing Inuyasha could never get in his way now. With time, she would eventually come to see that he was the mate for her. She'd give in one way or another.
Inuyasha woke again, not knowing how long he'd been asleep. He groggily looked around. He was alone in the room at the moment. Reaching over to the small table beside the bed, he grabbed an orange and didn't bother with the peel, munching it whole. Next he pulled the jug of water that had been put there over to his mouth and gulped down as much water as he could before he started to feel sick. With that done and over with, he leaned back into the bed again and sighed contentedly. That's when it hit him.
Kagome!
He'd left her at the mercy of Koga! He sprung out of the bed and collapsed on the floor with a loud thump. The pain from standing for a split second was so strong that he could barely breathe. He couldn't get back to Kagome in this state. Hiroshimi came running in, having heard the commotion. Inuyasha began sobbing helplessly on the wooden floor.
He'd never felt so lost and alone in his life. Hiroshimi placed a hand on his back.
"Here. Let me help you." He lifted the hanyou as though he was light as feather and put him back into the bed. "Don't worry," he said softly, a little alarmed by Inuyasha's crying, "we'll get you back to your home by tonight, okay? I'll take you myself. Please. Don't cry." Inuyasha forced his tears under control and he was shaking all over.
"Y-you'll take me back?" he sniffed, wiping tears away as they ran slowly down his cheeks. Hiroshimi nodded and sighed sadly.
"My wife got lost in the snow once, but there was no one to help her. By the time I found her it was too late. She was always the one who loved to help people in need. I feel that by helping you, it takes away a little of the pain that I couldn't do anything to help her. She would've liked you."
Inuyasha felt bad for reminding this kind stranger of the sad past. "I'm sorry," he said, voice quivering slightly. Hiroshimi shook his head.
"No, it's all right. You know, if you want, we could set out now. My cottage isn't that far from where I found you. Where abouts do you come from?"
Inuyasha racked his brain for the location of Kagome's house. "Um........my family is at t-the...house at the edge of the woods. We have a well house and, and......" He couldn't think of anything else.
"I know the place," Hiroshimi said thoughtfully, "we should get there in about an hour and a half if we leave now."
"I can't.......walk.....too well," Inuyasha muttered, embarrassed that he was so weak.
Hiroshimi laughed heartily. "Well that's why I'm carrying you."
Inuyasha whimpered. He didn't want to be carried, but he couldn't wait any longer to get back to Kagome. "All right," he nodded, "I'd be eternally grateful. If you really don't mind, then that would be great."
Hiroshimi beamed that Inuyasha seemed to like his idea so much. "I'll just grab some blankets to wrap you in. It's still snowing after all." Inuyasha watched the man hurry out and wondered if maybe he was just trying to get rid of him as soon as possible. And why hadn't he noticed the hanyou's obvious 'differences' that came with being half demon. Such as dog ears, for example. The whole situation made him a little suspicious, but he just wanted to get back to Kagome. He'd never deny his feelings for her again.
Kagome couldn't seem to get rid of Koga. Wherever she went, he appeared by her side. It was getting rather annoying and she was ready to scream at him. "Koga? Would you mind giving me a little privacy? I feel like you've been breathing down my neck for the last hour."
Koga looked genuinely surprised and nodded apologetically. "Of course. I'll be outside if you need me."
Kagome shook her head at that. What did he think she'd need him for? Once he was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief and headed out of the living room and went back down the hall to her room. She lay on the bed, thinking about Inuyasha. Christmas break was not for much longer. Then she'd have to go back to school or invent some sort of new sickness. I hope he's okay........ Maybe leaving Inuyasha out there with Koga hadn't been such a good idea. Where was he anyway?
Koga leaned against a tree near the edge of the forest. He wanted to get back to his pack for awhile. They were probably lost without him. Making up his mind, he strolled over to Kagome's window and hopped up. "Kagome?" he called inside, seeing her on her bed.
Her head glanced up towards him. "What now Koga?" she asked, sounding slightly annoyed.
"I just wanted you to know that I'm going back. I have to check on my pack and make sure they haven't got into any trouble. I'm sorry. I'll come back and see you in a week or so."
Kagome nodded. She'd be glad to get rid of everyone that reminded her of that stupid hanyou. "Thanks for telling me," she smiled, "see you later." Koga jumped down to the ground and headed to the well house. She watched him leaving and decided to do something to keep her mind busy. Kagome pulled out her make-up school work from a drawer in her desk and set to work on the ten pages of math work she had to do.
Someone knocked on their door a few minutes later and she yelled to Sota to answer it. It wasn't like any of her friends would visit now. They all had lives and fun things to do. Maybe Hojo would come and see her. That thought made her smirk. That would certainly tick off a certain half-demon. Sota's cries drew her attention and she jumped up from her desk, grabbing her bow and arrows in one swift movement. Running down the hall and into the living room she spotted Sota at the front door with a pale face.
"What is it?!" she exclaimed, moving quickly to his side. She gasped at the sight of Inuyasha cradled in a stranger's arms, badly wounded and covered in bandages. "Oh Inuyasha!" Kagome threw her arms around the hanyou's blanket covered body and hugged him tightly. He gasped in pain, eyes blinking open and looked around disoriented. Hiroshimi seemed to feel slightly awkward about the whole situation.
"I'll just put him somewhere safe. I'm sure you guys can take from here."
Kagome released Inuyasha from her grip and smiled at the kind stranger. "Follow me. We can put him on the couch." The man nodded at her and followed her as she lead him around the corner of the front entrance and into the living room. Hiroshimi laid Inuyasha gently on the couch and handed Kagome a small pouch.
"You'll need to apply these herbs once every six hours. It'll help with the healing." Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he spoke again. "You must be one special lady for him to want to come back so badly. He practically begged me to drag him here to you. You take good care of that boy." Kagome blushed and nodded. The man went back to the front door and winked at her before leaving and closing the door behind him.
Kagome knelt at Inuyasha's side and brushed back hair from his forehead. He was burning up. "Inuyasha," she whispered softly, "wake up. You need to stay awake for now. Come on." Sota had been watching with wide eyes the entire time and hesitantly approached the couch, staring at his idol with fear.
"Is he gonna be okay Kagome?"
"He'll be fine," she smiled reassuringly at her scared brother. Inuyasha groaned and looked up at Kagome unbelievingly.
"Kagome....," he breathed, reaching up a hand to touch her cheek. "I'm sorry," he choked out, tears beginning to run down his face.
He was crying. Kagome was shocked. She had never seen him cry before. "It's all right. It's okay now," she said soothingly, stroking his hair. He pulled her down to him suddenly and kissed her with so much emotion that she was overwhelmed and felt as though she might burst into tears as well. Sota covered his eyes and made a disgusted sound. Inuyasha finally released her and Kagome laid her head on his chest carefully.
"If you ever hurt me again, I'll kill you myself," she threatened, hugging him gently, "I don't want to go through any more pain."
Inuyasha managed a smirk and nodded. "I love you. Don't forget that or let me forget that ever again." His quiet voice was so weak sounding it scared her.
"I'm just going to get you a cold cloth for your head. You can rest now if you'd like." He let out a small sigh as he relaxed against the cushions. Sota looked at Kagome wide eyed.
"You guys are gross. Don't do that when I'm around." Kagome laughed and tousled his hair.
"Okay, I'll try not to. Sorry you had to see any gross stuff, but you'll be finding girls to be gross with soon enough." Sota made a face at her and stuck out his tongue, heading back to his room to play games on his computer. Kagome went into the bathroom and found a cloth. She let cold water run over it in the sink, feeling angry and relieved at the same time that Inuyasha was back. Who had done this to him? She knew the answer almost before she finished asking herself the question.
Koga.
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Author: You know this is the first time that I haven't had something interesting or completely random to say at the end of a chapter. It you'd call what I normally write interesting. lol. Oh no! Koga's gonna get his butt kicked by Kagome. Hands off her Inuyasha! lol. I'm gonna make this short and sweet. I hope I didn't do that for last chapter too. Well..... *gulps* I guess we're having a lemon chapter cause the final vote is 3 yes, 2 no, 1 undecided and a whole crap load of people that didn't say. lol. *shudders* I'll post a chapter and where the lemon starts there will be a note saying to review with your email if you want the lemon so the people who don't want it won't be forced to read it. I'll email people the lemon, who review with their email. Okee? Okay! You guys better not make fun of me cause I've never written one before. What do you write? lol.
Sephiroth: *smiles arrogantly* Just pretend you're with me.
Author: *frowns confused* You want them to watch tv? I guess I don't know what lemon is then.
Sephiroth: *glares*
Author: *laughs and kisses Sephiroth's cheek* Awww you're so cute when you're evil and angry.
Sephiroth: *smiles happily and huggles author*
Author: I promise that the next chapter will be a longer one. I feel bad posting it when it's so short, but it was a good place to stop. (I ran out of ideas. lol. Just kidding) It wasn't necessarily a cliffhanger, it was just where the story said, "I need to stop now."
Story: Oh sure, blame me. You wrote me!
Author: Did not. *sticks out tongue at story* You know what you should all do now? Who can guess?
Inuyasha: *waves hand frantically in air* Ooh! Ooh! I can! Pick me! Pick me!
Author: *whacks Inuyasha with a stick* Down boy! Well, time's up. And the right answer is: *drumroll* Review! Just click that little button down there on the bottom left of the screen. Come on. Come on. You know you want to. *looks at readers with pleading eyes* Please? Just for me? *offers money as bribes for reviewing* Well, I'm going to head to bed now so I'll see you all next chapter. Thanks for reading! :D *gives every reader a cookie*
Koga: *puts his hands on hips angrily* Hey! I'm not icky!
Author: Oh, but you are. *laughs as Koga cries and runs away*
Sephiroth: *shakes his head* Oh come on now. You shouldn't take out your anger towards Inuyasha on Koga. He's very sensitive.
Author: Sephiroth, is there something you would like to tell me?
Sephiroth: *gets defensive* No! Why? What are you implying?!
Author: *grins and huggles him* Nothing...............
Sephiroth: *looks at author suspiciously, but doesn't say anything*
Author: So anyway, this chapter is a little shorter then my other ones because I'm short on time to write. Too much crap to do at the moment and I've been staying up late to type. Also, please forgive any spelling/grammer mistakes because I read it over a couple times and I'm really tired so I might've missed some things. I know that sounds weird because I can't actually post this until morning, but whatever. I want to thank everyone who has been following this story and reading and reviewing. Dreamboat Annie especially. She's always leaving long, entertaining reviews that make me laugh. Her reviews keep me typing sometimes when I have writer's block. Must......keep.....writing........for....Dreamboat......Annie.....lol. Everyone else is great too! I love clicking on my new mail and reading what you guys thought of my most recent chapter. Well, here it is. Enjoy! (By the way Hiroshimi is an OC - original character)
Chelsey: *runs in out of breath* No! Wait! Stop! *smooths down her hair nervously* Sorry I'm late. I was supposed to tell you that the author doesn't own any of the characters in this fic except for her OC. Oh, and Inuyasha's mine. *smiles sweety* It's his fault I'm late. Coat hangers sure a real pain in the butt. *eyes shift back and forth* So....yah. Go read the chapter now!
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Inuyasha awoke, head throbbing, and slowly opened his eyes to the blurriness around him. A painful groan escaped his lips when he tried to move and he blinked a couple times, trying to clear his vision. Inuyasha shifted his head to the side and looked in wonder at his surroundings. He was in a warm, soft bed, covered by a blanket and it appeared he was in a room in someone's house. It wasn't Kagome's so..........who? As he stared dumbly around the room he didn't notice someone enter.
"Father! He's awake!" a voice called from beside Inuyasha, causing him to jump slightly. A little girl peered into his face. Inuyasha moved away from her, eyes wide.
"Who? What? Where am I?!" he yelped. The girl giggled and pet his hair in a comforting gesture.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you. Father says not to move cause you got big hurts." Inuyasha flinched under her touch and looked for a way to escape. A man came into the room and smiled at the little girl.
"Come on. Leave our visitor alone. I'm sure he's scared enough already." He came over to Inuyasha with a plate of food and placed it on the table next to the bed. "You're lucky I found you young man. You were almost frozen solid when we found you. It's amazing that you survived." Inuyasha shifted awkwardly under the covers.
"Um.......thank you," he spoke quietly. The man smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Rest up. I'll check back on you in awhile. I'm Hiroshimi by the way."
"I'm Inuyasha," Inuyasha replied, then slumped against the pillow in pain. Hiroshimi nodded.
"Well, Inuyasha, it's nice to meet you, even if it isn't under the best circumstances. You should really get some rest though. Don't mind my daughter. We just don't get visitors very often." Hiroshimi scratched the back of his hair awkwardly. "So, yah. I guess I'll let you sleep now. Oh, and don't touch the bandages, they need to stay on for a couple days. I have some healing herbs on your wounds so they should close up faster."
Inuyasha nodded wordlessly and Hiroshimi and his daughter left the room. Snuggling against the comfy mattress, Inuyasha winced slightly and slowly fell asleep.
Koga growled in frustration. Was she going to ignore him all day? He tapped lightly on Kagome's window and she didn't look up from her desk. "Kagome," he called through the locked window, "come on! Open up!" Kagome stood and left her bedroom, going somewhere else in the house. Koga was tempted to break the window, but decided that would only piss Kagome off even more.
Kagome sighed deeply. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, she frowned. Why wouldn't he go away?! She just wanted to be left alone and Koga didn't seem to get that. Her mom looked at her strangely as she passed her in the hall. Christmas had been a little weird with everyone all tense and worried about their mom flipping out again, but all in all it had been all right. Not fun, but all right. She was wearing a new sweater she had gotten from her brother and had to admit he had good taste.
She peeked around the corner of the door frame. The stupid wolf was still sitting on the window sill. She looked down at her feet. Her heart ached in a way she never knew it could. Inuyasha had really cut her deep this time. She missed him so much, but her pride prevented her from wanting to forgive him. He could die for all she cared. But she did care. She raised both hands to the sides of her head, digging her fingernails in, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming in frustration. What the hell was wrong with her?! Sota skipped down the hallway and stopped, looking at her with concern.
"Kagome? What's the matter?" Kagome's head jerked up and she smiled fakely at her little brother.
"Um, nothing. I'm fine," she lied quickly.
"You've got another guy outside your window," Sota commented, noticing Koga and walking towards the window inside Kagome's bedroom.
"Don't open that!" she cried urgently as Sota unlocked the window. It was too late. Koga hopped inside, shaking snow off himself, and although his eyes looked angry at being left outside for long, he looked relieved to be with Kagome again.
"Where's Inuyasha?" Sota asked, looking around for his idle. Koga smirked and was about to say something, but Kagome clapped her hand over his mouth.
"We'll find him for you later, okay Sota? Please go for now." Sota shrugged and smiled, heading for the door.
"All right. Tell Inuyasha I said hi if you can't get him to see me later." After he left, Kagome sat Koga on her bed and went over to close the door. Koga hopped up, sniffing about her room.
"What is this place?" he asked with interest, "it's very........nice smelling."
"It's my room. Or home or den. Whatever you call it," she said, frowning, "and you shouldn't be here. So get out." Koga held up his hands defensively.
"Please Kagome. I didn't want to upset you. I was merely defending myself against that mutt. I couldn't allow him to defeat me. Then I wouldn't ever be worthy of you."
"What makes you think you ever will be?" Kagome scowled.
"I always keep hope that maybe one day you'll change your mind."
Kagome sighed and slumped down onto the bed. Koga moved over next to her and pulled her into a hug, leaning his forehead on hers. "I know that I'm not the best choice of mate in the entire world, but if you gave me a chance then you might see I'm not so bad after all."
Kagome looked at him carefully. See could use a friend right now, not a lover. But Koga had never done anything to harm her, physically or emotionally, and he was always very kind and loving to her. Maybe he was really the right person for her. Had she fallen in love with the wrong person? Or was she ever truly in love with Inuyasha? No, she remembered the feeling she'd had when he'd kissed her. She loved him. Stupid hanyou. He always had to screw everything up.
Koga was looking into her eyes anxiously, waiting for some sort of reply. "Koga............I-I don't know if I can be with you like that."
Koga smiled slightly. "I understand. Like I said before. I'll always be waiting anytime you feel differently." He let her pull away and grinned, knowing Inuyasha could never get in his way now. With time, she would eventually come to see that he was the mate for her. She'd give in one way or another.
Inuyasha woke again, not knowing how long he'd been asleep. He groggily looked around. He was alone in the room at the moment. Reaching over to the small table beside the bed, he grabbed an orange and didn't bother with the peel, munching it whole. Next he pulled the jug of water that had been put there over to his mouth and gulped down as much water as he could before he started to feel sick. With that done and over with, he leaned back into the bed again and sighed contentedly. That's when it hit him.
Kagome!
He'd left her at the mercy of Koga! He sprung out of the bed and collapsed on the floor with a loud thump. The pain from standing for a split second was so strong that he could barely breathe. He couldn't get back to Kagome in this state. Hiroshimi came running in, having heard the commotion. Inuyasha began sobbing helplessly on the wooden floor.
He'd never felt so lost and alone in his life. Hiroshimi placed a hand on his back.
"Here. Let me help you." He lifted the hanyou as though he was light as feather and put him back into the bed. "Don't worry," he said softly, a little alarmed by Inuyasha's crying, "we'll get you back to your home by tonight, okay? I'll take you myself. Please. Don't cry." Inuyasha forced his tears under control and he was shaking all over.
"Y-you'll take me back?" he sniffed, wiping tears away as they ran slowly down his cheeks. Hiroshimi nodded and sighed sadly.
"My wife got lost in the snow once, but there was no one to help her. By the time I found her it was too late. She was always the one who loved to help people in need. I feel that by helping you, it takes away a little of the pain that I couldn't do anything to help her. She would've liked you."
Inuyasha felt bad for reminding this kind stranger of the sad past. "I'm sorry," he said, voice quivering slightly. Hiroshimi shook his head.
"No, it's all right. You know, if you want, we could set out now. My cottage isn't that far from where I found you. Where abouts do you come from?"
Inuyasha racked his brain for the location of Kagome's house. "Um........my family is at t-the...house at the edge of the woods. We have a well house and, and......" He couldn't think of anything else.
"I know the place," Hiroshimi said thoughtfully, "we should get there in about an hour and a half if we leave now."
"I can't.......walk.....too well," Inuyasha muttered, embarrassed that he was so weak.
Hiroshimi laughed heartily. "Well that's why I'm carrying you."
Inuyasha whimpered. He didn't want to be carried, but he couldn't wait any longer to get back to Kagome. "All right," he nodded, "I'd be eternally grateful. If you really don't mind, then that would be great."
Hiroshimi beamed that Inuyasha seemed to like his idea so much. "I'll just grab some blankets to wrap you in. It's still snowing after all." Inuyasha watched the man hurry out and wondered if maybe he was just trying to get rid of him as soon as possible. And why hadn't he noticed the hanyou's obvious 'differences' that came with being half demon. Such as dog ears, for example. The whole situation made him a little suspicious, but he just wanted to get back to Kagome. He'd never deny his feelings for her again.
Kagome couldn't seem to get rid of Koga. Wherever she went, he appeared by her side. It was getting rather annoying and she was ready to scream at him. "Koga? Would you mind giving me a little privacy? I feel like you've been breathing down my neck for the last hour."
Koga looked genuinely surprised and nodded apologetically. "Of course. I'll be outside if you need me."
Kagome shook her head at that. What did he think she'd need him for? Once he was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief and headed out of the living room and went back down the hall to her room. She lay on the bed, thinking about Inuyasha. Christmas break was not for much longer. Then she'd have to go back to school or invent some sort of new sickness. I hope he's okay........ Maybe leaving Inuyasha out there with Koga hadn't been such a good idea. Where was he anyway?
Koga leaned against a tree near the edge of the forest. He wanted to get back to his pack for awhile. They were probably lost without him. Making up his mind, he strolled over to Kagome's window and hopped up. "Kagome?" he called inside, seeing her on her bed.
Her head glanced up towards him. "What now Koga?" she asked, sounding slightly annoyed.
"I just wanted you to know that I'm going back. I have to check on my pack and make sure they haven't got into any trouble. I'm sorry. I'll come back and see you in a week or so."
Kagome nodded. She'd be glad to get rid of everyone that reminded her of that stupid hanyou. "Thanks for telling me," she smiled, "see you later." Koga jumped down to the ground and headed to the well house. She watched him leaving and decided to do something to keep her mind busy. Kagome pulled out her make-up school work from a drawer in her desk and set to work on the ten pages of math work she had to do.
Someone knocked on their door a few minutes later and she yelled to Sota to answer it. It wasn't like any of her friends would visit now. They all had lives and fun things to do. Maybe Hojo would come and see her. That thought made her smirk. That would certainly tick off a certain half-demon. Sota's cries drew her attention and she jumped up from her desk, grabbing her bow and arrows in one swift movement. Running down the hall and into the living room she spotted Sota at the front door with a pale face.
"What is it?!" she exclaimed, moving quickly to his side. She gasped at the sight of Inuyasha cradled in a stranger's arms, badly wounded and covered in bandages. "Oh Inuyasha!" Kagome threw her arms around the hanyou's blanket covered body and hugged him tightly. He gasped in pain, eyes blinking open and looked around disoriented. Hiroshimi seemed to feel slightly awkward about the whole situation.
"I'll just put him somewhere safe. I'm sure you guys can take from here."
Kagome released Inuyasha from her grip and smiled at the kind stranger. "Follow me. We can put him on the couch." The man nodded at her and followed her as she lead him around the corner of the front entrance and into the living room. Hiroshimi laid Inuyasha gently on the couch and handed Kagome a small pouch.
"You'll need to apply these herbs once every six hours. It'll help with the healing." Lowering his voice so only she could hear, he spoke again. "You must be one special lady for him to want to come back so badly. He practically begged me to drag him here to you. You take good care of that boy." Kagome blushed and nodded. The man went back to the front door and winked at her before leaving and closing the door behind him.
Kagome knelt at Inuyasha's side and brushed back hair from his forehead. He was burning up. "Inuyasha," she whispered softly, "wake up. You need to stay awake for now. Come on." Sota had been watching with wide eyes the entire time and hesitantly approached the couch, staring at his idol with fear.
"Is he gonna be okay Kagome?"
"He'll be fine," she smiled reassuringly at her scared brother. Inuyasha groaned and looked up at Kagome unbelievingly.
"Kagome....," he breathed, reaching up a hand to touch her cheek. "I'm sorry," he choked out, tears beginning to run down his face.
He was crying. Kagome was shocked. She had never seen him cry before. "It's all right. It's okay now," she said soothingly, stroking his hair. He pulled her down to him suddenly and kissed her with so much emotion that she was overwhelmed and felt as though she might burst into tears as well. Sota covered his eyes and made a disgusted sound. Inuyasha finally released her and Kagome laid her head on his chest carefully.
"If you ever hurt me again, I'll kill you myself," she threatened, hugging him gently, "I don't want to go through any more pain."
Inuyasha managed a smirk and nodded. "I love you. Don't forget that or let me forget that ever again." His quiet voice was so weak sounding it scared her.
"I'm just going to get you a cold cloth for your head. You can rest now if you'd like." He let out a small sigh as he relaxed against the cushions. Sota looked at Kagome wide eyed.
"You guys are gross. Don't do that when I'm around." Kagome laughed and tousled his hair.
"Okay, I'll try not to. Sorry you had to see any gross stuff, but you'll be finding girls to be gross with soon enough." Sota made a face at her and stuck out his tongue, heading back to his room to play games on his computer. Kagome went into the bathroom and found a cloth. She let cold water run over it in the sink, feeling angry and relieved at the same time that Inuyasha was back. Who had done this to him? She knew the answer almost before she finished asking herself the question.
Koga.
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Author: You know this is the first time that I haven't had something interesting or completely random to say at the end of a chapter. It you'd call what I normally write interesting. lol. Oh no! Koga's gonna get his butt kicked by Kagome. Hands off her Inuyasha! lol. I'm gonna make this short and sweet. I hope I didn't do that for last chapter too. Well..... *gulps* I guess we're having a lemon chapter cause the final vote is 3 yes, 2 no, 1 undecided and a whole crap load of people that didn't say. lol. *shudders* I'll post a chapter and where the lemon starts there will be a note saying to review with your email if you want the lemon so the people who don't want it won't be forced to read it. I'll email people the lemon, who review with their email. Okee? Okay! You guys better not make fun of me cause I've never written one before. What do you write? lol.
Sephiroth: *smiles arrogantly* Just pretend you're with me.
Author: *frowns confused* You want them to watch tv? I guess I don't know what lemon is then.
Sephiroth: *glares*
Author: *laughs and kisses Sephiroth's cheek* Awww you're so cute when you're evil and angry.
Sephiroth: *smiles happily and huggles author*
Author: I promise that the next chapter will be a longer one. I feel bad posting it when it's so short, but it was a good place to stop. (I ran out of ideas. lol. Just kidding) It wasn't necessarily a cliffhanger, it was just where the story said, "I need to stop now."
Story: Oh sure, blame me. You wrote me!
Author: Did not. *sticks out tongue at story* You know what you should all do now? Who can guess?
Inuyasha: *waves hand frantically in air* Ooh! Ooh! I can! Pick me! Pick me!
Author: *whacks Inuyasha with a stick* Down boy! Well, time's up. And the right answer is: *drumroll* Review! Just click that little button down there on the bottom left of the screen. Come on. Come on. You know you want to. *looks at readers with pleading eyes* Please? Just for me? *offers money as bribes for reviewing* Well, I'm going to head to bed now so I'll see you all next chapter. Thanks for reading! :D *gives every reader a cookie*