"Nononononono…"

As Inuyasha collapsed to his knees with his face buried in his hands, Kagome rushed forward while their friends took care of the mushroom demon who'd just shot a cloud of spores right in the half-demons unsuspecting face. The effect had been instant. Stumbling back, Inuyasha visibly became disoriented allowing the mushroom to make a break for it. For a fungus it was surprisingly agile but Kagome wasn't concerned about whether it'd get far. She was concerned about the poor half-demon who had proceeded to lose his ever loving mind.

"Inuyasha? Hey. Hey talk to me," Kagome breathed as she slid to her knees and tried to pry his claws away from his face, "It's okay. You're okay."

"Want go home," he half-sobbed into his hands and he folded himself in half so that his forehead pressed against the ground, "Want 'Gome."

Oh boy…Inuyasha had gone bye bye.

"I'm right here," Kagome tried to soothe - her hands giving up the pointless attempts to pry him from the ground and instead began coaxing him to lay his head on her lap. It took far too many words of reassurance and what seemed like hours of petting his hair (it was minutes), but Kagome was relieved when he finally complied. Slowly, clumsily and seemingly painfully, he arranged himself against her chest. Letting his weight sag against her while still tearfully pleading for her presence. There were other things mumbled too here and there. Something about things being too loud. World melting. Colors. Nonsensical things that thankfully seemed to be pushed aside to make room for his biggest fear.
Which was apparently being without her.

"Kagome? What's wrong with him?" Sango's concerned voice whispered as the slayer stood a safe distance away and the miko sighed.

"I'm not sure. All I know is he's terrified," she answered honestly while Inuyasha continued whimpering and trying to become one with her body.

"Some mushroom demons can induce irrational fear from their victims. It's a defense mechanism," the slayer offered in an unsure tone, "But the effects are usually weak."

"That thing had a jewel shard Sango," Kagome clipped in frustration as she sent her friend a chiding glare, "I think it's safe to say whatever it did wasn't weak."

Licking her lips, Kagome tried to stand so they could move to a safer location but her movement seemed to only terrify the poor man to greater heights.

"Nononononono…"

His hands moved from his face to slam down on her shoulders - his claws inadvertently sinking into her flesh earning an involuntary cry of pain.

"No. No no," Inuyasha whimpered before dissolving into full blown sobs but not removing his hands, "I…I'm sorry. I'm s-s-sorry. Don't go. Don't go."

"I'm not going to leave you," Kagome grunted - trying to fight off the urge to cry out a second time as she reached up to force his hands away causing his embedded claws to drag through her skin. Upon realizing she was being stupid, she stopped trying and took a steadying breath, "Y-you need to l-let go. We've got to move somewhere safer, okay? Don't you want to be safe?"

"Don't go," Inuyasha pleaded - his unfocused, wide and tear filled gaze darting haphazardly to her face, "Shit," his gaze lowered to the blood soaking through her shirt, "Nonononono. I h-hurt you. I h-hurt you. No. Please no."

"Hey hey hey, eyes up here," Kagome ordered gently and amber clumsily followed her fingers until their eyes locked, "I am okay. I am not going to leave you. But we have to move. We need to get inside somewhere, okay?"

Cradling his hands against his chest, Inuyasha whined and stiffly shook his head.

"Sango, how long do these reactions usually last?" Miroku's worried voice suddenly joined in, "Isn't there something we can do?"

The slayer cringed.

"Well…"

"Inuyasha! No! No! Bad!" Kagome's panicked voice had the pair's heads whipping in their direction only to see Inuyasha start dragging his claws down the sides of his face while sobbing uncontrollably, "Don't make me say it. Don't make me. Stop it. You need to fight this."

"Hurtyouhurtyouhurtyou…"

A second later he had face planted on the ground while a rattled and exhausted looking Kagome stared down at him in shock.

"Miroku, go find an inn. Get a room," Kagome ordered mechanically after a tense moment, "I don't care how. Scam them. Pay them. Seduce their daughter. Take one for the team. Whatever you need to do."

Despite herself, Sango choked back a laugh before quickly getting serious.

"I saw a village a little distance away. I'll take you there," she offered and soon it was just Kagome with an Inuyasha who was in the process of trying to claw his way back into her embrace.

"Breathe. Just breathe," Kagome soothed as the spell lifted and Inuyasha damn near launched back into her body with such force it knocked her onto her back. In seconds he'd arranged himself atop her. Burying his face into her chest while blindly trying to force her arms around his back. A gesture she willing and quickly adopted.

"I've got you. You're okay. You're okay."

"D-didn't mean to hurt you," he whimpered miserably before shocking her when he began pressing little kisses against her sternum, "Don't leave me. Don't. I l-love you. C-can't leave me. Can't."

Well, this wasn't the romantic confession she fantasized about and it probably wasn't even true. Still, she might as well play along if only to calm him.

"I love you too. You don't need to be afraid. I will never leave you," Kagome cooed as she combed her fingers through his hair and tried to pretend this wasn't a horrifyingly awkward situation, "Just breathe for me, okay? I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe. All you've got to worry about is breathing. In. Out. In. And out."

"In out," Inuyasha sniffled in between shuddering breaths that bordered on hyperventilation, "Safe. Safe. Safe."

"Yeah. You're safe," Kagome cooed encouragingly, "In. Out. In. Out."

It felt like a freaking eternity before Sango finally came back for them but thankfully, Inuyasha seemed to be relaxing the more time went on. Even though he still seemed shaken and disoriented, he allowed Kagome to lead him onto Kilala, into the small inn and onto a futon.

"Stay," he mumbled tiredly as his eyelids dropped and he shakily laid down on the well worn bedding. His claws absently scratched the fabric as unfocused amber eyes fluttered, "Here. S-stay."

"Sango is going to bandage me up and then I'll be right there," Kagome sighed heavily before wincing when the slayer pried away the fabric plastered against the wound, "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

When he sluggishly blinked at her and his face crumpled, Kagome gave him an understanding and sympathetic smile while Sango cut the fabric away to preserve her modesty. They all had come to an unspoken understanding that moving Kagome out of Inuyasha's line of vision wouldn't end well but the wounds needed to be addressed. Kagome was grateful she'd had the foresight to pack extra clothes and extremely fortunate to have brought actual pajamas with her this time.

"You just nicked me. I'm okay," she comforted and even though he still looked high, Kagome could tell he didn't believe her. Especially when one finger moved to clumsily tap at his nose and he gave her a mournful look. Kagome sighed before flinching when Sango applied some antiseptic.

"Why don't you let Miroku clean up your face?" Kagome offered quietly as she looked to the monk who had been sitting deep in through but who immediately jumped to attention at the mention of his name, "Would that be okay?"

"You'll stay though?" Inuyasha mumbled wearily and when Kagome nodded, Inuyasha nodded his consent.

"Make sure he can see me," Kagome murmured gently as the monk picked up a few bandages and some ointment. Miroku nodded once before moving to set about his task. The next few moments were relatively quiet aside from Inuyasha being much more reactive to having his wounds touched than normal. Little whines escaping him as he winced and subtly tried to move his face away from the alcohol being applied.

"These are deep," Miroku informed Kagome with a quiet sigh - his hand moving to grab a clean bandage to wipe away the free flowing blood, "I can see bone."

Narrowing her eyes at the arguably alarmist statement, Kagome set her jaw and waited to gauge Inuyasha's reaction before responding. Thankfully though the poor half-demon seemed too out of it to register what was being said.

"Just be clean it best you can," Kagome murmured back as calmly as she could and for a brief moment, a sliver of amber glanced in her direction. For an even briefer moment, his lips kicked up into a lazy half-smirk before Inuyasha jerked slightly and tried to lean his shredded cheek away from the monk's attention. A second later and his hand shot up to grip the monk's wrist.

"Inuyasha the sooner he's done, the sooner I can come over there," Kagome tried to chide him and surprisingly, Inuyasha let go with a heavy sigh.

"S'cold," he mumbled wearily as one eye cracked open to look at her, "Stings."

"Yeah, well, that means its working," Kagome offered before gasping softly and wincing when the slayer put in a stitch without warning her first.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't think," the slayer apologized as her freehand rubbed the miko's upper arm, "You only really need two or three. The rest will heal naturally."

The two uninjured parties continued working in comfortable silence while Shippo remained in the corner being unusually quiet and well behaved. The entire experience had been jarring enough for the adults but for a child? Kagome sighed and offered the poor baby a reassuring smile that he hesitantly returned. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if Shippo had nightmares for weeks if not months.

"That should do it," Miroku sighed as he sat back on his heels and glanced towards the door, "I imagine I should go meet with the innkeeper regarding payment."

"You haven't already paid?" Kagome asked dryly and there was something about the duller than usual twinkle in his violet eyes that made her uneasy.

"Alas I have not but it would be a shame to leave the innkeeper's daughter waiting any longer," the monk hummed casually as he got to his feet.

"You're not serious?" Sango breathed - her hand jerking in surprise and as a result, pulling the stitch she was on a little too tight. Kagome hissed and whipped her head around to glare.

"Sango!"

"Sorry."

"Of course not. I simply want to pay in advance for a few more nights of room and board. These events have been trying and I imagine Inuyasha will need more time than usual to recover," Miroku acquiesced as he got to his feet, "I'm hurt you think so little of me. Especially when I was instructed to do whatever was needed. Would it have been wrong to seduce a homely little woman to secure lodgings?"

Sango scowled as she glanced up from her work.

"Yes."


Head? Pounding. Face? On fire. Stomach? Churning. Floor? Spinning. Time of day? Night. Clarity of mind? To be determined. Desire to move or ask questions? None.

Sluggishly opening his amber eyes, Inuyasha found himself having to focus his gaze on a beautiful heart shaped face that lay mere inches from his own. Maybe not everything had happened only in his mind. The trees and ground melting had been. Everyone's eyeballs being replaced by black empty holes and the flesh melting off their bones hadn't been either. The sound of screams and the repetitive squelch of a knife being removed from a wound had clearly been fake. No smells other than rancid decay. He might as well have been blind and deaf. That actually would have been preferable.

But, in the midst of all the chaos, one hazy memory stuck out to him like a sore thumb.

She'd said she loved him back. He honestly didn't remember saying it first but that must have happened. Kagome said she loved him. And she wasn't the type to say something like that and not mean it.

"Love you," Inuyasha mumbled barely louder than a whisper - a giant wave of relief washing over him as he finally felt safe enough to say those words out loud. Up until now the risk has been too great. Kagome had always made it clear she was going to leave him after the quest was complete. Always. From her constant fixation on returning to her world to her casual comments about looking forward to a life of normalcy. And she was always mad about Kikyo which was understandable.

Inuyasha's ears dropped and his stomach churned. Relief quickly turning to regret. That would explain a lot. Kikyo and his actions regarding the aforesaid dead woman made him hate himself why wouldn't it make her hate him? To forever worry about being the backup option? No one would chose that kind of life no matter how much they might love someone. And when she said that she loved him, he'd been insane so maybe she didn't mean it. Maybe she thought it would calm him down and figured he wouldn't remember what she said do it wouldn't hurt.

Jaw trembling slightly, a single finger moved to trace her jaw and then tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear. Even if he knew how to explain his actions, which he didn't, the harm had been done. She might trust him with her life but she'd never trust him with her heart. It might kill him but…but maybe he needed to stop interfering when other guys tried to win her over. Guys who deserved her because god knows he didn't.

When she showed signs that he might've woken her up, Inuyasha closed his eyes and feigned sleep. Plausible deniability seemed the way to go. Act like he remembered nothing. That would make what he probably should do less complicated. He should let her go. Kagome had a nasty habit of being miserable or getting hurt just to make his life better.

His plan would've worked if Kagome's fingers hadn't gently touched the smooth piece of skin where his human ear should've been. A highly sensitive piece that caused his whole body to react when stimulated. Despite himself, his breath caught and he jerked.

Couldn't very well pretend to have slept through that. Dammit.

"Sorry," Kagome whispered affectionately as Inuyasha reluctantly opened his eyes and met her apologetic gaze, "I didn't mean to wake you up."

And just like that his traitorous jaw started trembling at sight of what looked like love in her eyes. It hurt to look at her. It hurt to take in their position. It hurt because he knew what he had to do and how badly he wanted things to be less complicated. How badly he wanted what she said to be true.

"Hey hey hey. It's okay. It's okay. You're safe," Kagome immediately transitioned into soothe the insane person mode - her hand cupping the side of his neck while her thumb gently caressed the base of his jaw, "Just breathe."

"Get off," Inuyasha huffed hoarsely as he lightly batted away her hand, "I'm fine woman."

"It's okay to be weak sometimes. You can admit that you're hurting," Kagome murmured softly.

"M'not weak," Inuyasha corrected gruffly. What Kagome found odd about that statement was that Inuyasha looked close to tears when he said it and more damning, he was staying right where he was.

"I know you're not," Kagome promised with a soft sigh as she reached up and once again placed her hand against his neck. Her thumb gently stroking the base of his jaw. He didn't push her away.

"How about this? You had a hard day. It's okay to say you had a hard day," Kagome amended and despite himself, Inuyasha subtly learned towards her touch.

"Don't remember most of it," he admitted quietly before clearing his throat and adding, "Feels like I clawed my face off though."

"You tried but you weren't successful," Kagome teased wearily and Inuyasha nodded once while averting his eyes. The base of his neck still resting securely in her palm. This was the moment of truth he supposed. See what she said. How she acted. Maybe he had imagined the whole thing. Maybe she hadn't said she loved him and he hallucinated the whole thing just like he hallucinated a whole slew of other equally messed up things.

Inhaling deeply to calm his nerves, Inuyasha's eyes flew wide open in horror as one extremely important and horrifying detail hit him square in the senses.

"I hurt you?!" Inuyasha hissed angrily as he recoiled and scrambled to sit up, "Where?"

"Inuyasha, it's really not that bad," Kagome insisted as she pushed herself up and the bandages that had been hiding beneath the hem of her shirt momentarily peeked out. The poor miko watched as Inuyasha zoned out for a moment clearly trying to find some recollection but he was visibly still under the effects of the powder. His skin still clammy. His eyes somewhat unfocused. The fact that he hadn't noticed she was injured until now was also a major hint that he hadn't fully recovered.

What a mess.

"L-let me see how bad it is," he finally managed as he moved with less than his usual grace to kneel behind her, "I-I need to see."

"If I show you, you can't run," Kagome mumbled as she glanced over her shoulder and Inuyasha's stomach dropped. That meant it was even worse than what he was imagining and she knew it too.

"J-just show…"

"I'm just saying…"Kagome continued with a shuddering sigh before seeming to come to a decision and adding, "If you wanted to get rid of me, you shouldn't have said you love me. You're stuck with me now. You run. I'll follow."

Inuyasha suddenly found his chest rather tight even as a mournful little smile played on his lips and a remote part of him squealed in joy. Here was his choice. Pretend to not remember. Tell her she heard wrong. Or own up to it and risk losing the life he'd managed to find.

"I hurt you," he finally mumbled - conflicted as shit on what to do and deciding that statement summed up his current thoughts in a vague yet truthful way which would buy him some time. Much to his utter loathing, Kagome turned more fully and gave him an understanding loving smile.

"Never intentionally," Kagome replied cryptically - allowing him to take that response in whatever way he wanted. Because it was true. Yes, he hurt her but that was more her taking a situation personally that just wasn't personal. Kikyo was first. They'd been engaged. It had been, what, a day when she first came on the scene? Of course Inuyasha - the loyal to a fault Inuyasha - wasn't going to give up on Kikyo. How things had ended wasn't exactly consensual but it sure as hell was traumatizing. And Kikyo didn't exactly give Inuyasha room to grieve or heal. Half the time she was trying to win him back and the other half she was trying to murder him and/or everyone he cared about. In all honesty, given everything, Inuyasha was handling the completely unfair and painful ordeal with much more grace and composure than he got credit for.

"C-can we talk? Outside?" Inuyasha finally asked in a very tense voice as his ear purposefully flicked towards the others to indicate one or all of them were now listening.

Kagome nodded once before grabbing the coarse cotton blanket they'd been provided and wrapping it around her shoulders. It was so late outside no one would be up to observe them but that didn't mean she wanted to be wearing soft pajama shorts out in public. Following Inuyasha to the door, Kagome tried to remain calm and collected when he gestured for her to step out and then closing the door behind them.

One heartbeat went by before Inuyasha scooped her up and launched atop the roof where he gently set her down and awkwardly sat down directly in front of her. The slant making her almost loom over him. A setup she figured was probably intentional. Inuyasha always had an excellent situational awareness.

"Didn't want someone to see up…" Inuyasha muttered as a blush appeared in between the bandages still plastered on his cheeks and he pointedly looked at her bare legs, "Those pants are just short, ya know?"

Kagome nodded and muttered a soft 'thank you.'

"So…so I remember some things," Inuyasha began in a resigned tone - his attention and fingers focused on the thatch roof, "Not a lot but…I remember you saying that you loved me back. Which means I told you how I feel."

Kagome nodded once and amber eyes flicked up to her face before averting again. Honestly Kagome wasn't sure why she expected him to elaborate more. The awkward tense silence that followed his observation was extremely uncomfortable and it became painfully clear he had expected her to take that ball and run with it.

"I'm just saying we both know," he tried again - his fingers plucking up a few pieces of loose straw which he stared at like it was the most captivating thing in the world, "It's out there now."

"How do you feel about that?" Kagome finally asked and Inuyasha gave her a quick withering glare.

"How do you feel about that?" he parroted back with a frustrated huff - his fingers still plucking at the fraying roof, "You're the one who…who loves an asshole who literally almost too your neck off today. Who kills people. A 'two-timer' so you tell your friends. Can't read. Can't write. Just…"

"A very loyal, damningly forgiving, soft man who uses anger and insults to cover up all the trauma," Kagome finished for him and Inuyasha winced at the description.

"M'not soft."

Kagome smirked at the partial denial.

"Yes you are," she cooed before laughing softly and starting her own laundry list, "How about you? You're in love with someone who slams you to the ground whenever you do something they don't like and sometimes for no reason. Who bad mouths you to people who can't understand the situation. Calls you names behind your back. Who makes you feel bad for things outside of your control."

Inuyasha shifted his weight but did seem to perk up slightly.

"S-so neither of us are perfect," he concluded hesitantly, "Is that your point?"

Kagome nodded once and smiled.

"That, for all our faults, we still love each other," Kagome offered before adding with a short hum, "You're my happy place. There's no place I'd rather be."

Smiling faintly at that confession, Inuyasha swallowed thickly and let out a controlled breath.

"So. So..."

"So...what?" Kagome parroted back with a soft laugh and Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"So, if we start something, I got some conditions."

Glancing up, Inuyasha saw Kagome raise a single eyebrow which he took to mean she was amenable to hearing what he had to say.

"Y-you can't l-leave when the quest is over," he demanded quietly - his fingers still playing with the thatch, "You'll need to stay here."

"I figured that much," Kagome hummed, "It would be too hard for you to move to my world. You belong here. And I do too."

A moment passed.

"I c-can't stop going to see Kikyo when she calls. I do owe her a lot," Inuyasha added wearily - his ears plastering against his skull, "But I'll choose you i-if you chose me. Won't let a-anything happen and I'll make my choice known."

"I can live with that," Kagome agreed and Inuyasha finally raised his eyes to give her his full attention.

"If we do this, I want you to stop entertaining Koga and the Hojo dipshits. I want you to be very clear about the fact you're taken. I'm gunna do the same so…so I think that's fair to ask," Inuyasha demanded shakily. Kagome nodded her acceptance of this condition.

A moment went by and then Inuyasha had one final request that had Kagome blanching.

"I need…I would like if we got your mom and grandfather to approve me courting you," Inuyasha added nervously, "I don't want any surprises."

"They aren't going to say no," Kagome pointed out with a reassuring smile, "They adore you."

"They don't adore me. They accept that you have a task and that I come with it. They accept that we're friends," Inuyasha corrected wearily, "That's not the same as having me court you. I want them to approve that."

"And…if they don't?" Kagome asked - not at all afraid of that possibility but curious what his plan would be nonetheless.

"Then what happens'll be up to you," Inuyasha offered - his eyes once again finding the thatch roof very interesting, "And I'll accept whatever you decide."

Frowning slightly at this calm, strangely formal Inuyasha, Kagome couldn't quite place why this freakish behavior seemed familiar. Like…like dejavú or something. It just felt like she'd seen this type of behavior from him before. Like…like dejavú or something. What was weird is that she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she'd never heard him talk like this before. Never seen him act like this. Maybe it was something in his tone? Or body language?

"Hold on a minute," Kagome finally huffed as one aspect of his plan suddenly hit a raw nerve, "My mom says no and you'd just back down?! You wouldn't fight for me?!"

Inuyasha recoiled out of surprise and stared in confusion tinged with horror.

"Wha-"

"I can't believe you!" Kagome hissed angrily, "You'll argue over anything and you wouldn't even tell my mom she's wrong?!"

Inuyasha simply stared - too stunned to really formulate a good defense.

So he told the truth.

"W-well I want them to like me," he finally managed to stutter out, "Can't really tell them to fuck off."

Kagome set her jaw and narrowed her eyes.

"Why not?"

"W-why not?" Inuyasha managed to repeat, "B-because it's your mom?"

"Inuyasha, I see you fight tooth and nail to defend…" Kagome almost almost mentioned Kikyo but changed course, "A lot of people but you won't fight to be with me? You won't defend yourself?"

Inuyasha seemed to shrink somewhat at that instead of bristling like she was hoping he would.

"It's your mom though," Inuyasha mumbled awkwardly by way of explanation.

"So you'd just give up then? That's your plan?" Kagome concluded, "I love you. You say you love me but my mom says no so screw me then. I'm not worth it. Love only goes so far."

"That's not what I meant," Inuyasha finally snapped as he straightened up and glared, "If this," he gestured aggressively between them, "Works out then, you know, there'll be marriage and babies and I want..."

Eyes widening in full blown horror, Inuyasha's mouth moved silently for a moment while what was exposed on his bandage covered face turned scarlet.

"Know what? This whole thing is stupid," he finally huffed as he scooped her up without warning and jumped down, "Fuck you and your mom and your stupid…"

"Inuyasha, I'm just saying I want you to fight for me," Kagome sighed heavily as he deposited her and made to storm off, "Just as hard as I will fight for you. If they say no, I'm not going to accept that as an answer. I don't want you to either."

He paused and was quiet for a moment before slowly turning back towards her.

"I don't want to have to…" he finally ground out after a long moment, "I don't want to…to have to fight for this. You are the easiest thing in my life. Being with you, even as a friend, is the only easy thing. They say no and then being around you gets hard."

"But you want to risk making it hard anyway?"

For the longest time he stared at her, the cogs working furiously behind his eyes as he visibly tried to choose his words carefully.

"Because I don't want to start this, know what it's like and then…" began slowly before sighing heavily and running his heel along the dirt, "Just dammit Kagome most people are going to want to kill you if they find out we're together. You know that, right? Your family, you…you don't know how much it means to me that you guys act like I'm…"

"Normal," Kagome supplied and Inuyasha nodded before huffing.

"Well, okay, yeah, you guys noticed the ears and shit but you were never afraid of me. Never thought I was evil," Inuyasha groaned before gesturing at the inn door, "Everyone else in that room tried to kill or hurt me the first time we met. Everyone I have ever cared about assumed the worst. Well, okay, except Mother but even then it was just in different ways and...and..."

Kagome waited patiently for him to finish his explanation. It was nice hearing his thoughts for once instead of having to guess. Which was probably due more to the residual effects of mushroom spores than anything but, hey, silver linings.

"Point being," Inuyasha huffed as he ran his sleeve beneath his runny nose, "I don't want to find out I'm wrong. Don't want to find out your family hated me all this time. I will fight for you. I will but…I don't want…I don't..."

Groaning softly, Inuyasha was having a hard time keeping his thoughts straight and felt absolutely exhausted for some reason. It was a wonder he was managing to stay upright. He ran his sleeve over his face a few times to clear his blurry vision but the action only seemed to make his disorientation worse.

Cringing, Kagome saw him suddenly go pale then green. His body swaying slightly and his eyes fluttering closed like he was fighting off nausea.

"Come here," she murmured affectionately and Inuyasha slowly shook his head.

"D-don't…don't feel r-right," he breathed as his hand moved to pinch his temple. A moment then two and his knees felt like they were going to give out.

"I n-need down," he mumbled as he began to crumple before letting out a miserable groan when he felt Kagome's body steadying him.

"F-fucking mushroom," he breathed - his stomach clenching like vomit was mere seconds away.

"Come on," Kagome whispered encouragingly as she slid open the door and lead him inside, "Come on. Let's lay down, huh?"

Nodding weakly, Inuyasha collapsed onto the futon the second he felt it beneath his feet and curled into a ball. A blanket was draped over his body and he felt a warm hand lift his face. A second later his sore cheek was on something soft. One boneless arm was being moved and then he knew no more.

It must've been hours later that he woke up to the sound of a heartbeat in his ears and the feel of steady breathing beneath his cheek. A soothing warmth ran along the length of his torso. Magic fingers massaged his scalp. It was a wonderful way to wake up truth be told even if the blanket was scratchy against his bare..

Inuyasha tensed as he realized his outer garments were missing. More than that, he was completely topless. And why was his hair wet?!

"What the fu…"

"You're finally awake," Kagome cooed before flexing the arm tucked beneath his neck to keep him in place, "Stay still."

"Why am I naked?!" Inuyasha breathed anxiously as he easily broke her grip and stared down at his bare chest - thankful that he at least still had on his under garments.

"You're not naked. You just had some spores on your clothes. Sango's washing them now," Kagome explained calmly, "Sango said from what she knows those spores make baby mushrooms and each stage of development causes different reactions. I think when you rubbed your face you got exposed all over again."

Amber eyes blinked at her for a moment.

"But you're fine?" he asked wearily and Kagome nodded.

"Just lucky I guess."

"Well that's bullshit," Inuyasha groaned before shocking Kagome by plopping back down and burying his very red face in the crook of her neck.

"How long was I out?" he mumbled against her skin and Kagome hesistantly began stroking his bare shoulder earning a slight shiver.

"Most of the day," she offered and Inuyasha let out a long irritated sigh.

"I fucking hate mushrooms," he mumbled under his breath as he snuggled closer, "Poisoning little bastards."

Kagome smiled and leaned her cheek onto his hair. It would seem as though he'd accepted his fate. They were together and both of them had already decided it would be forever. It felt odd to say but as inappropriate as this position was, it felt natural. Not awkward. Not exciting or new.

"Head hurts," he suddenly sighed - his nose tilting up to nuzzle her jaw, "You got some of those modern herbs with you?"

Kagome smiled and nodded against his hair.

"Good. Might need 'em," he mumbled tiredly - his breath evening out and his mind begging him to black out again, "M'tired."

Biting her lip to hide her smile, Kagome saw Miroku nod in the doorway like his suspicions were confirmed before leaving and shutting the door behind him. Throughout the day, their friends had come to check on them and even watch over Inuyasha while the miko necessarily relieved herself. Miroku had a theory as to why Inuyasha was so dead to the world and had a hypothesis about how the poor half-demon would feel today.

Hungover. Apparently the monk was unfortunately very familiar with the feeling.

"I'll protect you. All you need to worry about is getting better," Kagome promised. Inuyasha let out what sounded like a long sigh of relief then snickered.

"Keh. Like I need protecting," he teased half-heartedly before hooking his leg over hers and settling down.

It wasn't until the next morning that Inuyasha was back to normal. Face healed. Mind much clearer. Gruff abrasive personality securely back in place. But there was something different in his interactions with the miko that the others found…inappropriate but welcome. It wasn't exactly surprising to witness how soft Inuyasha could be but it was still odd. Then again Inuyasha had about as much social awareness and knowledge of norms as a pin worm and what he did understand he ignored so…

Well it was just weird. How he was acting was weird.

The little nuzzles he gave her when they weren't around strangers. The kisses on her cheek. Pulling the miko into his lap and curling up against her at night. Weird and uncomfortable but kinda understandable. Maybe. Not really at all . It was so unlike anything they'd come to expect for him there were serious concerns that that mushroom had caused permanent brain damage.

Whether or not Inuyasha had broken his brain, two weeks and a devastatingly easy transition into borderline married couple behavior later they were back in the modern era. Kagome watched as Inuyasha took a shuddering breath before marching up to her mom and, bowing low, requesting an audience.

Five minutes later and he was rushing back with a grin on his face. His arms pulling her into a tight embrace as he snickered to himself.

"She said yes. Jokes on you. You're stuck with me now."

Kagome rolled her eyes.