Chapter 14

"Oooooh…" Kagome moaned as her brown eyes fluttered open. She peered around the empty hut.

Hut.

She was in Kaede's hut….

The injured girl pulled herself up and raised a shaky hand to the back of her head. Dried blood came off on her fingers. She moaned quietly in pain.

"W-What happened?" She asked herself aloud. Where was everyone?

She stood but stumbled. Her legs felt so weak and her head felt so heavy. Harsh jolts up pain wracked her entire body. Spots danced in front of her eyes.

She peered around once again for someone, anyone. Where was Kaede…where was Inuyasha?

'Inuyasha!' She thought, her mind shooting back to the battle earlier. Had she saved him? Was he okay?

Kagome held a hand to the back of her head. Her hair was damp. Someone had already tended to her wound.

"Inuyasha?" She asked as she stepped through the doorway and peered around cautiously. It was daytime already. Kagome must have slept until morning.

'Has everyone completely disappeared?' Kagome asked herself as she began to walk slowly towards the large dogwood that stood just in front of the hut. It was fall but the pale pink flowers were still in blossom and quite beautiful. Only a few had lost grip of the twigs that held them and fluttered to the ground beneath.

"Inu…yasha…." She uttered his name in a whisper once more as she spotted him sitting high in the dogwood tree. She slightly smiled but felt it painful to even move her head or face at all.

He sat so silently. He didn't even turn around to look at her even though she knew he had heard her. His head was lowered. Was he asleep? Thinking? About what? About Kagome?

Kagome stepped up to the towering tree. She placed her hand on the trunk and stared at the wooden planks they had hammered into the tree so that Kagome could get up any time she wanted.

Slowly, she grasped the plank that was level to her head and pulled herself up. She placed her foot on the first plank and then boosted herself up more. She had never actually went up the tree using the planks. She hadn't been up there since they had put them up.

Kagome knew that Inuyasha heard her call his name. He had such great hearing. Kagome really believed that he could hear a pin drop.

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"Ugh…oh…" Kagome uttered as she finally reached the top and main branch that Inuyasha sat upon. He didn't turn to her.

She peered over at him, looked into his pale face. His amber eyes were low and staring off to the left, away from Kagome.

"How's your head?" The hanyou suddenly asked in an emotionless and rather solemn voice.

"Better…" Kagome said, not really remembering what had happened. All she could remember was the feel of her head hitting something hard so suddenly. She hadn't even seen it coming. She was glad to know that she had managed to lead Sanraku away from Inuyasha, at least.

He didn't speak another word. Kagome tried to look at his face but he pulled away from her, as if he didn't want her to see.

"Inuyasha?" She asked and quickly set a hand on his shoulder.

Upon feeling the touch, Inuyasha whipped his head around to look at her. It was just a natural reaction type thing.

Kagome gasped.

His eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot. His cheeks were stained a light pink and his face was even a little puffy. His eyes were glossy and as he looked into Kagome's eyes, they almost began to water.

"Have you been…crying?" Kagome asked, her eyes wide. Pain pounded at the back of her head.

The half-demon turned his face away from her and pulled his body farther away. Kagome's hand slid from his shoulder.

'He was crying….but why? Over me? Why was Inuyasha crying? He was always so tough! Why would he have a reason to cry over me?' Kagome thought, so many questions running through her mind. These thoughts and the actions that Inuyasha took arose a strange feeling in Kagome. A special feeling that was meant only for one special person.

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"Why not? What's the big deal?" Kagome asked in a high and slightly irritated voice.

"Because! I don't think I can stand being stuck with you in your realm for a whole week!" Inuyasha replied, his face nearly red. "Besides! I'm not gonna sit around and let this Sanraku guy stomp around, gathering jewel shards for Naraku!"

"Lord Inuyasha. Kagome may be right. Sanraku is the most powerful of Naraku's detachments. If you stay in Kagome's realm for a week and come back afterwards, you may be able to catch Sanraku off guard!" The tiny flea demon shouted as he hopped onto the inu demon's shoulder.

"Myoga! I haven't seen you in awhile!" Sango said, squinting her eyes at the flea as she tied her hair up behind her.

"Yes, well…" Myoga answered, a microscopic bead of sweat rolling down from his forehead. He always seemed to run away just as something bad or dangerous happened and always seemed to appear when good looking women and hot meals were around.

It had only been a day since the short battle and Kagome had suggested that Inuyasha come to her realm for a week until everything dies down. Sango, Miroku and the rest needn't come because Sanraku only seemed to care about destroying Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha, as stubborn as ever, refused.

"No way!" he shouted.

"YOU ARE SO FRUSTRATING, INUYASHA! YOU'RE COMING TO MY REALM WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT!" Kagome screamed at him, her fists clenched.

"NO!"

"SIT!"

Inuyasha's red face smacked the wooden floor of Kaede's hut. He moaned painfully as he struggled to pull himself up but he just continued to lay there, his face pressed to the floor. Myoga had hopped off just before and landed on Kirara's little black ear. The kit scratched at the flea wildly.

"Inuyasha. Kagome. Ye must be back in a week. The demon may come looking for ye if ye return later than then." Kaede stated, turning away from the dying fire in the center of the small hut.

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M GONNA GO?" Cried Inuyasha, pushing his face up from the floor.

Kagome's face whipped to him and her eyes narrowed threateningly. She gave him the dirtiest look that it actually made Inuyasha rethink his statement.

"…Fine…" He said, his lids dropping low and his arms crossing over his chest.

"Good! Let's go! We should leave as soon as we can!" Kagome said, a smile now forming across her pale features.

"….Why?" Inuyasha asked. Why would they need to leave right away?

"Because I have to study for my test! Now, come on!" Kagome replied, hopping up and grabbing her backpack. She flung it onto her back and waved to Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kaede. They all waved back.

Inuyasha glared angrily at Kagome but obediently followed Kagome out of the hut.

"Get on! Hurry! We'll be late for lunch!" Kagome cried to Inuyasha as she jumped onto her pink bike and kicked back the kickstand.

The hanyou grunted in disapproval but hopped onto the back of the bike and stuffed him arms into the opposite sides of his kimono.

"We're off! Bye guys!" Kagome called, turning to wave at the rest as she kicked off and began riding through the tall grass, to the well.

"Whoa!" She yelled as her bike wheel collided with a rock and she nearly lost her balance.

"WATCH IT!" Inuyasha cried, steadying himself after almost losing his balance as well.

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Yeah, reall fancy-ish! Heh. Not. This one sucked. WHATEVER! Still gets better later on.

See. She's NOT dead...Now...just set down your pitchforks and torches...geez...