I am a little slow, with updates, but this chapter will be the final one. YAY! Ano please forgive my lack of motivation and enjoy this story. I love all my reviewers. Thanks for the reviews everyone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. sigh Dreams do not always come true.

Inuyasha had a little trouble opening the door with Kagome slung bridal style in his arms. However, with a little effort he managed to open it wide enough to walk through, without dropping his charge on the floor. Once inside, he followed his nose to Higarashi-sama while silently thanking Kami-sama that she was home. His tiny nose led him into the kitchen, where Higarashi-sama was preparing lunch for Souta and Kagome's grandfather. Unfortunately, she was facing away from the door when he entered. When he cleared his throat to gain her attention, she jumped nearly a mile high.

"Oh! Inuyasha, you scared the life out of me," she cried out while laughing. That's when she noticed the bundle with legs in his arms. "Oh my! What's happened?" She was trying to remain as calm as possible while her brain dreamed up all sorts of horrible conditions her daughter could be in under that red haori.

Noticing the sudden spike of fear enter Higarashi-sama's scent, Inuyasha tried to tell her what happened without making things works. "K-kagome said her head hurt and light hurt, and she wanted to go home," he rushed out.

It took her a moment, but once she deciphered his words, she understood what he meant. She nodded in understanding and motioned for him to follow her. They ascended the stairs and progr3esses to Kagome's room, where her mother closed the blinds and curtains. "Go ahead and lay her on the bed dear," she said as she left the room again.

He carefully placed her prone body on the top of her bed and slowly removed his haori from her face. He then knelt by her side and whispered softly, "you'll be alright now." He watched her face scrunch up and her jaws clench tightly as a soft whimper escaped her lips. He felt completely helpless watching this girl suffer against something he couldn't fight for her.

Kagome's mother returned to the room carrying a small bottle of pills and a glass of water. She placed the water beside her daughter and took two pills out of the bottle. "Kagome dear," she said, "You have to take these pills." Higarashi-sama motioned for Inuyasha to help her daughter sit up. He complied placing one arm behind her and held her hand with the other. His resolve almost crumbled when she squeezed his hand and groaned in pain. He quickly slid himself in behind her to help support her while she sat.

As she sat up, Kagome's head rebelled. She opened her eyes in time to see darkness creeping in around the edges of her sight. That combined with the pounding head were the cause of her groan. "Please," she wished bitterly, "oblivion take me." She felt Inuyasha scoot in behind her and she nestled herself against his chest. Then she felt her mother place the pills and glass in her hands. With shaking hands, she popped the pills and downed the water. Then she rested her head against Inuyasha's shoulder and prayed for sleep.

Inuyasha looked at Higarashi-sama and asked, "What happens now?" He was anxious to find his favorite human some respite from her pain.

The older woman pulled a wet washcloth from her arm and placed it gently over her daughter's forehead and eyes. She sighed a little before responding. "Well hopefully, she'll sleep." She turned to take the glass of water out of the room but paused. "Inuyasha, do you want something to eat?"

He looked down at the top of Kagome's head and watched her still struggling with her ailment. Then he shook his head and held the miko tighter. "Maybe later," he whispered and watched Kagome's mother leave the room.

Inuyasha could feel that Kagome was slowly starting to relax in his arms. He was satisfied that what her mother had given her would help, but he just couldn't bring himself to let her suffer alone. He sat with her in the darkened room for almost an hour not moving. Occasionally, he would whisper to her, letting her know that he was removing the cloth from her face. Then he would do so, quickly waiving it in the air to cool it before replacing it on her brow.

After two hours of this, the inu-hanyou felt her body relax and her breathing even out. He realized that the young woman finally slept. When he was sure she wouldn't awaken, he carefully slipped out from behind her body and carefully laid her head on the pillow. He took his haori and covered her sleeping form and quietly left her room.

Downstairs, Higarashi-sama was making bento for Inuyasha. She figured that he must be hungry by now. She figured this way she could bring the food to him. Kagome wouldn't be eating for a while. These headaches always made her nauseous.

She was deep in thoughts like those, when she heard shuffling foot steps behind her. She turned to see said young man enter the kitchen. "Everything okay?" she asked when she saw his distracted expression.

Inuyasha blinked a few times trying to come back from his train of thought. "Keh, she fell asleep,' he answered in his usual brusque manner. He continued to the table near where Kagome's mother worked and sat down.

The inu-hanyou looked tired and worried. She felt her heart go out to him. She knew, as a mother, that Inuyasha cared for her only daughter as more than just a friend, but also knew he'd never admit it before he was ready. With a warm smile adorning her face, the woman walked with the bento, over to the young man, and placed it before him. "I figured you were hungry," she stated simply while she took the seat opposing his.

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled with a little blush. Needless to say, confusion had struck the hanyou again. "How can she be so nice to me, knowing what I am?" Shaking the thought from his overloaded mind, Inuyasha started eating the food in from of him. After a few bites, he paused and looked at Higarashi-sama, who had been staring at him the whole time.

She smiled at him. "Are you alright, dear?"

He just raised his eyebrow quizzically. "There's that 'dear' thing again," he thought.

"You seem a bit distracted. I understand your concern for Kagome, but don't worry. She'll be fine." The motherly look on her face suddenly reminded him of his own mother. He quickly dropped his gaze to hide his feelings, as usual.

She nodded to herself and stood from the table to leave him with his thoughts. However, as she stood, he quickly spoke to stop her. "Why?" he started, but quickly shook his head. "What's wrong with her?" Inuyasha desperately longed for that answer. He knew he could wait to find out why she was so kind to him.

With a deep breath, Higarashi-sama reseated herself before answering the hanyou's question. "It's called a migraine. It's a headache that gets so bad that she feels sick and can't function normally. She used to get them all the time, but that has changed." To herself, she added, "since she met you." Inuyasha was picking at the food before himself while she explained all this to him. "Go ahead and eat, while I tell you the whole story.

"When Kagome was younger, she never had these problems. After Souta was born, she was happy and everything was fine. However, when Souta was three, and Kagome was seven, their father became very sick. He had cancer in his lungs and after several years of suffering, he died. The kids lived through his suffering and death, but it was harder on Kagome. She felt helpless and angry with the world, but she never expressed herself, because she didn't want to upset her father.

"After his death, she was lost, scared, and still angry, but she had been battling her feelings for so long that she didn't know how to express herself anymore. The stress kept building inside her, until shortly after her eleventh birthday, the headaches started.

"They weren't so bad at first, but each one got progressively worse. Finally, when she turned thirteen, we took her to a special doctor, who could help her get rid of her stress. He helped her to understand that it was okay to be angry and frustrated. He showed her how to express herself again." Higarashi-sama briefly glanced at the subjugation beads around Inuyasha's neck and winced. "I guess you know first hand how well she expresses herself now," she commented, pointing to the beads.

"Keh," he grunted in response.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "She has gotten better since then. Her migraines have become almost non-existent. However, once the first migraine happens it makes it possible for more to occur. Most often, the trigger for her is stress, but some people get them for no apparent reason at all."

Inuyasha's brow furrowed in thought, "Did I cause this," he wondered. "She was so mad at me before we left. I rushed her packing. Kami-sama!" he concluded, "This is…." The thought was interrupted by a thump on the floor upstairs. His little doggy ears perked and he heard a quiet moan from Kagome before he jumped up and bolted to her room.

When the inu-hanyou entered the miko's bedroom, he found her curled into the fetal position and whining. "Shimatta!" Inuyasha cried with feeling as he hurried toward the bed. He learned that the thump had come from her alarm clock being knocked to the floor when she moved into a huddled position.

He rushed to her side and lifted her into his arms before sitting on her bed once more. He then cradled her against his chest shushing her and murmuring comfort in her ear. He rubbed her back in those useless circles trying to calm her.

Higarashi-sama entered the room soon after having been completely surprised by Inuyasha's quick departure from their discussion in the kitchen. "What's the matter?" she asked when she stepped through the door. Before she got her answer, she saw Kagome huddled in the hanyou's arms. She quickly backed out of the room to get a fresh cold compress for her daughter's head. She was back quickly and applied the rag gently to her baby's forehead.

"Isn't there anything we can do for her?" The question came as a forced whisper. Those little puppy eyes were pleading for mercy. He couldn't stand seeing Kagome like this.

"I'm sorry. Until the headache passes, this is all we can do for her," her emotions riding plainly on her face. "You don't have to stay here, but I know you will. This will take time, honey. I wish I could fix this, but I can't." She motioned with her hands toward the charge in the boy's lap. "She seems to have settled. Why don't you get some rest," she suggested. "I'll be downstairs if you need me." The older woman turned to walk out the door, but paused for a moment. "Oh, try to keep that compress fresh for her. It will help a little." With that, she left the young pair alone.

Inuyasha stayed awake all night watching over Kagome. He religiously refreshed her compress to give her as much comfort as he could. With his emotions running so high, he finally fell into a light doze as the sun rose slowly behind the bedroom curtains.

Kagome woke in her bed. She found her hanyou sleeping with his head resting on the side of her bed. "Oh my," she thought. "He must have been up most of the night with me." She silently watched Inuyasha sleep.

He looked so peaceful sleeping. He head gently laying on his right arm. She noticed that his lips were slightly parted and that his breathing stirred the locks of hair that had carelessly fallen across his face while he slept. As she studied him in his repose, a slight breeze blew in the open window and ruffled the curtains, which were still closed against the morning sun. The subtle rustling caused the hanyou's ears to twitch slightly.

Kagome couldn't help herself. She reached down to the boy's head and caressed those sensitive ears. At the feel of her light touch, Inuyasha let out a small growl like a puppy getting its belly scratched. The young miko giggled a little. She tried to stifle the sound, but it escaped her lips and betrayed her.

Inuyasha was suddenly awake. He sat bolt upright and nearly smacked himself with the arm he had been using as a pillow. Once he stopped floundering, he noticed a pair of honey-brown eyes staring at him. There was a shine to those eyes, and after a moment of staring, he realized that the shine was from suppressed laughter.

"Oi! What's so funny, temee?"

His usual brash nature would not deter her humor this morning though. "I saw this cute puppy doing some funny tricks," she replied with sarcasm. "But then you woke up and scared him away, I think."

The hanyou looked skeptical. "Where was this puppy?"

"He was asleep on my bed when I woke up." She watched said puppy-dog look around curiously and hid a smile.

He sniffed the bed trying to find the scent of this mysterious dog, but couldn't find any scents except his and hers. "I don't' smell a dog," he noted quizzically.

"Really?" her feigned innocence nearly destroyed by her desire to laugh. "Maybe I imagined it." She looked straight into his eyes and said, "I guess there are not cute puppies in this room." With that she planted a wet kiss on his nose and quickly fled the room.

Inuyasha just sat there, eyes wide and a deep red blush spreading across his face. "Oi! What was that for!" He yelled chasing after the nymph once his senses returned.

Kagome entered the kitchen with a grin. Her mother answered her grin with a smile of her own. "Felling better already, dear?" Kagome nodded and sat down at the table. "Good, I'll make you some breakfast."

With that, they heard Inuyasha's exclamation and then a streak of red heading for the kitchen. The black haired girl shifted her gaze to the silver haired boy's face. He was blushing, she noted. "Are you okay, Inuyasha?" she just managed to keep a straight face. He stopped instantly and just stood there blinking. "You seem a little flushed. You are not getting sick are you?"

The change of subject was too fast for him. "What are you blathering about? I'm fine."

"But your face is all pink," she said placing her hand on his cheeks. He blushed harder.

"I-I'm fine, really," he stuttered. "What is she doing?" he thought as he tried to remain coherent.

"Are you sure? Why don't you sit down?" She guided the befuddled boy to the seat she vacated and touched his face as she knelt down beside him. "I mean after all, you couldn't find the dog that was obviously in my room," she continued with mock concern, as she slid her hands from his cheeks to his ears and tweaked them. "And you are all red-faced.

Inuyasha's eyes went wide as he realized the ruse. He tried to get mad at her for her joke, but a cute little growl escaped his throat. He tried to stop it, but hormones are treacherous little bastards sometimes.

When she was satisfied with her ear play, she stopped. She giggled a little at the whimper what came when she stopped.

"If anyone else tried that, I would beat them bloody, but I just nursed you back to health, so you can live this time," he growled out grumpily.

"Arigato, Inuyasha." Kagome planted another kiss on his nose causing him to blush again. Then she proceeded to eat her breakfast.

After breakfast, the two adventurers returned to the feudal era to continue their quest for the Shikon no Tama.

Fin

I hope you all liked it. Again, I am sorry for not updating sooner. I honestly thought I had already loaded chapter three, but apparently, I only typed it out. Sometimes, I wonder about my sanity escaping me. I wish you all well. Please R&R. Flames are welcome; I will use them to keep warm at night. Ja!