Chapter 18
"My Trauma Brings All the Boys to the Yard"
In retrospect, he'd waited too long to act. It was a simple mistake, and one that he'd probably make again.
She'd been whimpering in her sleep, but not enough to make it sound like she was about to bolt upright screaming like she was being actively murdered.
Which she did, giving him a near heart attack.
He'd just wanted her to get some sleep. That was it, literally, he just wanted her to get some sleep.
He'd leaned back against the wall, rubbing his eyes as he blinked tiredly.
Kagome shifted under her blankets, continuing to whimper, and then she thrashed for a maybe a beat before she shrieked so loudly he thought his ears would bleed.
"Kagome!" He shouted, grabbing her shoulders as she fought him.
"Let me go!"
"Kagome!"
Her arms flailed as she tried to fight him off. But it was no contest; she was human, and he was not.
"Kagome! Stop!"
"No! Let me go!"
"Look at me!"
He shook her, harder than he intended, as the others were crowding around.
Kagome blinked, eyes watering and spilling over her cheeks as she stared at him completely out of breath, her fists gripped his kosode and she fell forward into him, sobbing hysterically.
Miroku and Kaede stood just out of arm's reach, staring at both of them.
Kagome sobbed low and loud, as she buried her face into his chest.
He turned his head to look at them, searching for some sort of guidance.
"Kagome," Kaede said, and she shuffled to kneel next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Kagome, however, visibly flinched away from Kaede's touch, curling up tighter against him, face still buried in his shoulder.
"Go away, please," she whispered. Her fingers tightened in his shirt, and he stared at them. He brought his hand up tentatively to the back of her head, and she sighed out the next sob.
"Aye," Kaede said softly, "we will not be far if ye need us."
And then both she and Miroku walked out of sight of the screen, leaving him alone with the emotionally unstable mess of a girl in front of him.
"Is she okay?" Sango whispered.
There was no response but a quiet sigh and the sound of shifting blankets. He brought her against him, dragging her slightly across her blankets.
"Kagome," he whispered down to her, and she sniffled.
"I can't do it," she shook her head, "I can't take it anymore."
"It was a dream," he mumbled, curling his legs around her, drawing her as close as he could to him. "It's gone. It's not coming back."
"No, that's not true!" Her head darted up so quickly it nearly caught him in the chin; he'd only just barely managed to avoid a painful collision.
"They checked for it—"
"I've seen it!" She hissed. Fingers clenching tighter in his shirt. She'd seen it? When—How—? He stared down at the girl slowly wrapping herself around him as she struggled to find some sort of comfort. Not that it displeased him or anything.
"Where?" He held his breath.
"In my head," she whispered. "It's always there," she whimpered, shuddering, and his hand casually came up to stroke her hair in a pathetic attempt to soothe her.
"In your dreams?" He asked, trying to keep his voice low, and she nodded weakly. "And that's the only place that you've seen it?"
She nodded again, and that made him breathe out a long sigh of relief.
It didn't mean that the thing was back. It didn't mean anything. Miroku said that her dreams might be weird, and maybe this was an effect of that.
He really wished that Kaede or Miroku had stayed behind to help. He knew he was fumbling to comfort her, but he didn't know what to do or how to do it.
"I don't think—" he frowned at his own words as he spoke them. "I think it was just a bad dream."
She shook her head fervently.
"No, it's still here!"
"No, listen, Miroku talked about this earlier. He said that sometimes when you use up all your power, it makes your dreams weird."
Kagome stared up at him, blinking slowly.
"Fuck it. Miroku!" He hissed, and there was the sound of blankets shuffling and the soft padding of feet across the room, and he appeared, standing at the edge of the screen.
"You called?"
"Explain the dream thing," Inuyasha ordered, not bothering to keep his voice as quiet.
"Ah, yes." Miroku moved to sit down next to Inuyasha. "What Inuyasha is talking about is a condition that occurs when someone uses up all their reiki, like we both did a couple days ago. Sometimes when our reiki is that low, it causes us to have some dreams that feel—odd."
Kagome hadn't moved, but she was watching Miroku intently.
"Odd, how?"
"I can't speak for everyone, but sometimes they're nightmares. Sometimes they feel so real, you're not sure what's a dream and what isn't. Everyone who uses reiki has had them at least once in their lives. Both Kaede and I have. I dream of my father's death and the curse when it happens. Kaede even said that Kikyo had them when she pushed herself too hard." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Whatever you saw, it wasn't real. I swear it."
"You promise?" She asked, fingers starting loosen in their death grip on his clothes.
"I wouldn't lie to you about this."
Kagome stared at him for a bit before flicking her gaze back to Inuyasha, asking her question clearly and silently.
"Lecher's telling the truth. Kaede talked about it earlier. Said it makes them see some weird shit."
Her face turned back to Miroku, watching him carefully, almost as if she were judging his answer and his sincerity.
"Okay," she answered with a short nod, and her fingers only now held loosely to his clothes.
"It would do you some good to sleep," he suggested, and had Kagome been a cat, he was sure that her hackles would have been raised and her tail fluffed out. "Our bodies need sleep to heal and replenish themselves."
"No sleep!" She practically hissed, scowling at Miroku.
Miroku merely held up his hands in faux-surrender.
"We are not going to force you do anything. It was only a suggestion," Miroku glanced up at Inuyasha, who probably looked about as lost as he felt. "If you don't want to sleep, you certainly don't have to."
Kagome turned her head and buried her face back into his chest, hiding herself from the world.
Miroku sighed and gave a slight shrug before standing to his own feet. He patted Inuyasha's shoulder and disappeared behind the screen to his own bedding.
Inuyasha remained curled around her, and she clung to him, struggling to find some comfort in her new position. But he knew that if she continued to half-sit and half-lay like she was, she'd wind up sorer than when she'd gone to bed. Being careful to not jar or frighten her, he lifted her slowly from the ground only to feel her nearly claw at his clothes and making a whimpering sound that he didn't like. Shifting his legs underneath them, he settled her back into his lap before leaning over and grabbing the mass of blankets that she'd left in her wake. Sitting upright, he threw them back over her, covering her legs with one and wrapping the other around her back and shoulders, tucking her in one-handedly.
"I'm not going to sleep," she warned him.
"No one's gonna make you," he replied, proud of himself for not starting an argument about how much she actually did need to sleep.
And she did need to.
She huffed, still holding onto his kosode, but settling into her new position and stilling.
He was sure that if nothing else happened, she'd doze off wrapped in her blanket cocoon that he'd made. At least he knew that she was warm.
And safe.
Inuyasha let his head lean back against the wall, and Kagome shifted a little so that she was curled back towards him, face buried in his chest and shoulder.
A pang of guilt struck him, sudden and painful, that he should've noticed all of this sooner. He should've realized that something was wrong and not let her convince him to brush it off. By the time he'd realized the seriousness of what was happening, it'd been almost too late. He'd been almost too late too many times.
Her breathing began to slow, and her grip on his shirt lessened until her fingers were barely dangling from his collar. He made no move to remove them, letting her keep what she wanted and too afraid of disturbing her from her sleep.
Closing his eyes, he let himself doze.
Kagome felt surprisingly warm and cozy. Feeling the dangerous lull of sleep attempt to draw her back down though made her jolt. She'd fallen asleep!
"You're okay," Inuyasha murmured above her. Struggling to free her hands from the layers of blankets wrapped around her, she fought against the blankets, as his arms wrapped around hers, attempting to still her actions. "Kagome, you're safe," he told her, and she took a deep and shuddering breath.
"I'm awake?" She whispered, looking up at his face. He gave her a slow nod, releasing her slowly. Leaning back against him, she let the sudden rush of anxiety release and disperse from her body. She was so tired, and it felt like every single part of her ached.
"You good to eat something?" He asked, and she honestly thought about it. She didn't really feel like eating, but maybe she would feel better if did? "You haven't had something solid in a few days," Inuyasha continued, a scowl forming on his face.
"I think so," she said with a nod. He rose to his feet, still holding her, even as she was practically swaddled in her blankets, maneuvering them around the screen and into the main area.
Miroku sat next to Sango, who rested against the wall, and Shippo's tail flicked back and forth behind him.
Inuyasha sat her down on the cushion next to Sango, even as Kagome vainly struggled to free her hands to hold onto him.
"Calm down, I'm just going to hunt something for later. I'll be right back. Sango's here."
Sango touched her shoulder, and freed her hands from the blankets with the other.
"We'll be fine," Miroku said, moving towards the fire, to pull a small covered bowl from where it sat, warming in the embers and coals. "I'll send Shippo if there's any other catastrophe."
"I'll stay with you too," Shippo said, sitting down beside her knee, patting it gently. "It's okay, Inuyasha. I'll protect her."
Inuyasha gave the small kit a funny look before snorting.
"Thanks," he said, ruffling the kit's hair with his fingers. He looked back at her. "I won't be long." He turned to Miroku this time. "Make sure she eats that. Force feed her if you have to."
Inuyasha stood, stepping away from her.
"I highly doubt that will be necessary," Miroku said, invading the space he'd vacated, and turning back towards Kagome.
"And—"
"Inuyasha," Miroku interrupted. "We will be fine. Kagome won't be able to miss you if you don't actually leave."
Inuyasha made some strangled noise in the back of his throat but recovered enough to quickly shove the mat out of the way and dart off.
Sango grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently.
"How are you feeling? Any better?"
"I don't know?" She finally answered, as Miroku set a warm bowl in her hands and fetched a pair of chopsticks.
Her knuckles were still sorely bruised across her right hand, and she winced at flexing the muscles and tendons as she picked up the chopsticks. But the warmth of the bowl felt good on her cold fingers.
"Well, first things first," Miroku said, motioning to the bowl. Kagome took a few tentative bites of vegetables and fish.
It all felt like it settled in the pit of her stomach like a small pile of rocks, and she tried to keep the tremors out of her hands and fingers.
"So we thought that you might like to go home for a little while," Sango suggested, and Kagome just stared at her. "To rest for a little while. We're not going anywhere for a bit, so it would be good for you to spend some time with your family."
"It might be easier for you to sl—rest at your home."
Kagome looked at Miroku and Sango, as Shippo quietly rested his chin on her thigh, but they didn't appear in one way or another to be anything other than themselves.
"Kagome?" Shippo asked her, and her eyes darted to him, disturbing her thoughts like a leaf on the surface of the water.
"Sorry," she answered, shaking her head slightly. She took another small bite of her food, but it crept down her throat like a spider. She set the bowl aside, done with it and its contents.
"You should really eat more," Miroku told her. "Inuyasha is right. You haven't been eating enough."
"I don't want to eat anymore."
Miroku reached over her to fetch the bowl, putting it back into her hands.
"Kagome, you must eat," he told her. "Your reiki needs to be replenished, and that only happens with food and rest."
"Miroku's right though," Sango suggested, nudging her to continue eating, and Kagome took another small bite to appease her. "You're not resting well here, and we only want you to get better."
Kagome stared at the bowl of food, trying to determine if going home would actually help or not. On the one hand, curling up in her bed sounded amazing, but the thought of being back in the place where all this started terrified her.
"I'm sure," Miroku said after a moment, "that Inuyasha would be more than willing to accompany you home."
She stared at the bowl, trying not to think about all the things that waited for her at home.
"We can talk more about it when he returns, for now, eat."
Shippo lightly patted her thigh, giving her a beaming smile, though she could see the worry in his face.
"What was it?" Kagome finally asked. She wanted to know, she really did.
Sango and Miroku exchanged glances between each other, and that only made the unsettling feeling worse.
"What was it?" She asked again.
"It looks like," Miroku started, clearing his throat slightly, "the boy who was sacrificed for the shrine—his spirit was corrupted over time, and he manifested as a youkai. It explains how it knew so much about you, because it was there at your home, and how it was able to exist in this time as well."
"So it was a ghost?"
"At one time, yes, it was."
"And now?"
"Kagome, it became a youkai. It was no longer a human spirit."
"Why was it corrupted though? Did I do something? Why did it want me?"
"Kagome," Sango interjected, reaching out to hold her hand. "He was angry, and he'd obviously been angry for a very long time."
"You did nothing wrong," Miroku added, shifting to sit on her empty side. "There was nothing that you could have done to stop any of this."
"But why me?"
Miroku let out a long sigh, but it was Sango who answered.
"Maybe because it recognized you from this time? Maybe because you have the jewel shards? We don't know, and we won't know because it's dead and gone forever." Sango squeezed her hand gently. "And if it being gone means that I'll never know the answer to that question, I'm okay with that."
But Kagome didn't know if she was okay with that. She should be. How much suffering had that stupid thing put her through? And to use her friend's face like that? But Kagome wanted answers. She wanted to know why—why her—why did that thing feel the need to torment her?
It made sense. An angry spirit turned youkai trapped in the shrine, so it existed in the past and the future. It was a logical answer that solved an illogical problem. It fit just enough of the spaces to make the puzzle complete, but she couldn't help but feel like there was something missing. It was a piece of a puzzle that fit perfectly, only the image didn't match anything around it.
Everyone kept saying that it was over. That it was done and dealt with and she should just let it go, but something wasn't right. They just weren't looking at the big picture yet.
When Inuyasha stepped back into the hut with a handful of fish and a couple of rabbits, already skinned and cleaned, mind you, he snapped his gaze to Kagome, who held Shippo against her like one of her stuffed dolls.
The kit though looked like he was loving all the attention.
And no, Inuyasha was not jealous.
At all.
He hung his catches up on the hook near the window.
Miroku had shifted back to Kagome's opposite side, but Kagome seemed lost in her own head.
Both Sango and Miroku looked at him when he entered, but none had said a word.
Miroku's eyes flitted to Kagome for a moment before returning to meet Inuyasha's gaze.
Kagome's fingers continued to lazily scratch at Shippo's hair as she stared at the floor, oblivious to everything.
He sighed, soft and slow, before stepping towards her, kneeling down beside her. He lightly patted her calf, and she jolted at his touch and looked up at him with wide eyes.
"You're back," she said, giving him a slight smile.
"How're you doing?" He asked her.
She shrugged, thought it was barely a slight raise and fall of her shoulders.
"We talked about her going home for a little bit," Miroku offered, and he was thankful that someone was speaking, "and how she might be able to rest better there."
He grunted.
"Did you eat?" He asked, and she buried her face into Shippo's hair.
"She ate a little," Sango answered, and he glowered at her. "Get that look off your face."
Kagome kept her head down, and he sighed out quietly through his nose, looking at Miroku for some sort of guidance here. He was treading in unknown waters, and he wasn't entirely sure if what he was doing was keeping him above the crests of the waves.
"Do you want to go home?" He asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders, and he frowned. That wasn't like her at all.
"Kagome," he said her name firmly, trying to draw her face up to look at him. When she finally lifted her head some, he continued, "Do you want me to take you home?"
"I—" She glanced at Sango, as if looking for direction, but Sango offered her nothing except for a blank look, also waiting on her answer. "Yes?"
"Okay then," he answered with a nod. "I'll take you home."
She let out a slow exhale that wavered at the end of it, and he couldn't tell if she was relieved or not.
"And you'll stay?" She asked quietly.
"'Course. Ain't like I got anywhere else to be." His fingers tapped against her leg, but she didn't meet his gaze, though Shippo did. His look reflected all the concern and worry he felt.
"Can we go now?" She asked him, and he only just barely managed to avoid recoiling, looking to Sango and Miroku for some sort of guidance, but their looks showed that Kagome's request had been completely unexpected on their part too.
"You're sure?" He asked her, and she nodded. He glanced back up to the others, but they were all glancing between each other. "Sure, I guess."
"Feel better, Kagome," Shippo said before giving her a tight hug and then climbing off her lap.
"Thanks, Shippo," she said, patting his head. "I'll be back soon."
He moved carefully to pick her up off the ground, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He stood, holding onto her tightly as he stepped away from the wall, and Miroku stood with him after a moment.
"I'll walk with you," he said, glancing over at Sango.
Inuyasha left the hut without much fanfare, and feeling strangely like he was leaving something behind.
He carried her out of the hut, but there was an odd silence between all of them. Kagome didn't speak, and Inuyasha didn't know what else to say to make things better. The crunch of grass underneath his feet and the jingling of Miroku's staff were the only noises around them.
As they approached the clearing with the well, Miroku cleared his throat.
"I'll let Kaede know that you've both gone back to Kagome's time," Miroku said.
"Thanks," Inuyasha answered after a beat.
"I hope that you'll keep us updated if anything changes."
"Yeah, sure," Inuyasha answered, stepping up onto the edge of the well.
"We'll see you whenever you're ready, Kagome," Miroku said, and she looked up from where she'd buried her head in his chest to give Miroku a small nod. "Good. Take as much time as you need to recover. We'll be here when you return."
Inuyasha's gaze drifted to Kagome for just a moment and then back to Miroku, who gave him a slight wave as he jumped inside the time slip.
Kagome felt the familiar floating sensation as they fell through the time slip, and she quickly felt the familiar tug at her spine for just an instant before it disappeared as Inuyasha landed on the soft soil at the bottom of the well. He leapt out a moment later, shifting her slightly to allow him to make the jump safely.
Maybe the tug had always been there, and she'd just never noticed. Now, she was just hypersensitive of everything happening to her.
It was probably nothing.
"Wait," Kagome said, fingers tightening on his coat as he landed.
He stopped, waiting for her to give him the go-ahead and go on. His head shifted to look down at her, but she couldn't make her eyes meet his.
"Kagome?" He asked.
"Can you put me down. Just for a minute?"
"You shouldn't be standing on—"
"I won't. I just need to stand up for a moment."
He moved to the step, lowering her feet to the stair at the bottom. She kept her injured foot from touching the ground, and his hands stayed on her waist, steadying and supporting her, just like he'd been doing for the past however long this had been going on. Kagome leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself close. She just needed a moment of quiet and stillness before she greeted her family and the chaos that she was sure would ensue.
"You swear that it's all over?" She asked him, hugging him tighter.
"It's over," he told her, his arms wrapping around her slowly. "Miroku and Kaede swear it, and I—I believe them."
"It was just a bad dream, right?" She asked.
"Last night—" Inuyasha started, hesitating. "Last night was just a reiki dream. You heard Miroku. He said he dreams up all sorts of weird shit." Inuyasha paused for just a moment. "It's over, Kagome. That thing is gone for good. It's not coming back."
She nodded against his shoulder, sagging against him, already tired.
"Want me to take you inside now?" He asked as she leaned back slightly.
"Yeah, we should probably get this over with. Mama's probably going to be upset." She grimaced thinking about how she was going to explain her injuries. She had quite a few, and some of them were a little strange. More than strange actually.
How was she going to explain the mark on her shoulder? Her back?
Or why she's been gone for a week with no word one way or another about why she left so suddenly?
"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, and she looked up at him.
And what about Inuyasha? Was he willing to stay the entire time? Or was it because he felt guilty about everything that had happened?
It wasn't like it was his fault that this whole mess had started. It wasn't even his fault that she'd gotten possessed.
He didn't think that, did he?
Of course he would, because he's Inuyasha and acts like he was born solely to be a martyr.
"It's not your fault!" She blurted out. He blinked, staring at her.
"Uh, thanks, but that doesn't answer my question."
She blinked at him, struggling to figure out when he asked a question of her.
"What—what was the question?"
He sighed as his eyes watched her face intently.
"Are you ready to go inside?"
Kagome took a breath, glancing over her shoulder at the wellhouse doors.
"You'll stay?" She asked him, watching the beams of light that drifted through the planks of wood, illuminating very little in the small space.
"'Course," he answered.
"The whole time?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck as he leaned down to sweep her legs up.
"As long as you want me to." He carried her weight easily, something that had never changed from the first time he'd done it.
She was nothing to him.
"The whole time, then." She answered, leaning against him, as he shifted her slightly to open the door and stepped outside into the sunlight. She blinked several times to clear the spots from her vision.
Everything looked the same. Nothing had been changed or looked any different than the day she'd—she'd left. And Inuyasha made no comment about anything being out of place. So it must be fine.
He walked up to the back door, pausing for a moment.
"You ready?" He asked, and she inhaled for a moment, mustering up her courage. He waited for her to give him the go ahead, to give him permission to go inside.
She wasn't ready; she didn't know if she would ever be ready.
"Yeah," she said, bracing herself for the storm that was about to erupt around them.
He took his own deep breath before he shifted her weight a little and then opened the back door.
There was a sound in the kitchen that paused.
"Kagome?" Her mother called as footsteps hurried towards them.
"H—Hey, Mama." Her voice caught in her throat as her mother's footsteps grew closer. Her fingers gripped the back of his haori.
She rounded the corner from the kitchen, apron still on, and she came to a stop in front of them.
"What happened?!" Her mother nearly shouted, staring at her, eyes laser-focused on her arms, which were still completely bandaged.
"Oh, uh, I kinda had an accident," she said after a moment, holding her leg up slightly.
"She hurt her foot and got burned," Inuyasha volunteered, and she reached out towards her mother, as she leaned in. Her arms slid around Kagome's back, and wrapped around Inuyasha as well, bringing them into one of her strong and reassuring hugs.
"We were so worried when you left. You didn't say anything, and you didn't take your bag!"
"I know. It was kind of a rush, and we forgot to grab it."
"What kept you from coming back?" Her mother asked, hand running down the sleeve of Kagome's borrowed yukata.
"There was a storm, kept us from getting to the well," Inuyasha offered.
Her mother frowned.
"So what happened to your foot?"
"Oh, I stepped on a stick, and it went up into my foot."
"Oh dear," her mother winced. "Let's get you changed and over to the ER and get you some antibiotics at least. Do you think you need stitches?"
"I—I don't know."
"We'll let the doctor take a look at it. Inuyasha, will you take her upstairs? We need to get you into some more modern clothing."
He nodded, and her mother moved out of the way.
"I'll be up in a minute. I'm going to call and see if we can get into the doctor's office. Inuyasha, dear, will you get her some clothes? I'll be up as soon as I find something out, okay?"
Her mother smoothed a hand over her hair, and Kagome gave her a weak smile.
Inuyasha shifted her weight a little as he headed for her room. Her mother was already on the phone as they passed.
Climbing the stairs slowly, she tried to settle her nerves.
"That wasn't so bad," she said, turning to look at him. Anything to avoid looking at her bedroom door, which felt more and more like ground zero for everything that had happened.
He grunted, clearly not impressed with her observation. He pushed the door open with his shoulder, stepping into the dark room, which made every hair on her body rise. It was too familiar, and all it reminded her of was muck and needle-sharp teeth.
"Wait!" She shouted, frantically leaning backwards over his arm to flip on the light switch. Inuyasha yelped as he struggled to catch her.
"You could've just said something," he grumbled as he took her over to the bed, setting her on the edge. "Where are the clothes you want?" He asked as he moved to her dresser.
"I can get—" She started to push herself up to her feet.
"You sit!" He snapped, and she squeaked, falling back onto the bed.
"You're not getting my underwear!"
His face flushed. Bright pink spreading across his nose and cheeks.
"Your mother said that I needed to get you clothes!"
"Not those!" She might be terrified of being alone in her room, but there was a line to be drawn when it came to rummaging through her underwear drawer.
Inuyasha did not need to see her ugly period granny panties.
Kagome sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of her nose to soothe her growing headache.
"Kagome?" Her mother called as she came up the stairs. Oh good. A voice of reason here.
Her mother appeared in her line of sight.
"She's being stubborn," Inuyasha said, glaring over his shoulder at her.
"I know, dear. I should've thought about that before sending you up here," she said with a pat on his shoulder. "Can you wait in the hall for a moment?"
"She shouldn't be on her foot," he pointed out, stepping out into the hall, reaching for the doorknob.
"Yes, dear," her mother said with a smile. "Don't go far."
He gave her a short nod, shutting the door behind him.
Kagome turned towards her mother, holding her arms up, already feeling her eyes water.
Her mother took a seat next to her, wrapping her up in a hug.
"Oh, Kagome," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss to her hair, and at that, Kagome broke.
She cried, sobbing into her mother's shoulder.
"Oh, my dear girl," she soothed, gently running her hand up and down her back. "What happened?"
Kagome shook her head, the only thing that she could do at the moment before letting out another painful sob.
"It's alright. Whatever it is, it's alright." Her mother hushed her quietly, and eventually, Kagome settled back into a hiccuping mess. "Okay, now, we've got an appointment in an hour with the doctor, so let's get you dressed, alright?"
Kagome nodded, sniffling, and her mother quickly reached over and gave her a tissue to wipe her eyes and nose.
She dug out a change of clothes from her dresser before helping Kagome strip off her yukata.
"We'll wash this before we send it back, alright?" Her mother carefully untied the sash around her waist, and Kagome pushed the fabric off. "What happened here?" Her mother pointed to her arm.
"Oh, I got—a cut."
"You've been through quite an ordeal, haven't you?" Her mother asked, gently rubbing her thumb over the bandage.
Kagome nodded.
"We'll have the doctor take a look, and then you can come back and rest, okay?"
Kagome nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
Her mother helped her change into comfy clothing, along with appropriate undergarments. The sports bra pressed on the bite on her back, a little uncomfortable but not awful. Her mother had thankfully not noticed that one as she focused on helping Kagome get on a pair of sweatpants.
"Inuyasha," she called, and the door pushed open, revealing Inuyasha with ears flattened back against his head. "Can you take Kagome downstairs? I'm going to go get the car."
He nodded, stepping aside to let her pass. She rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Everything will be fine," she said, patting him lightly. "I'll grab Kagome a pair of shoes on my way, so just bring her out."
He watched her descend the stairs, and then turned back towards Kagome.
"Sorry," she whispered, and he knelt down in front of her, though she wasn't quite sure that it encompassed everything that she needed to apologize for.
"Don't be," he said, and she leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck. He returned the hug. "Come on, your mom's waiting."
He scooped her up, carrying her down the stairs with ease, and headed out the back door.
He walked out to where the car was waiting. It was a long walk, and Kagome let her head fall against his shoulder as he carried her. It felt like everything had just been sapped out of her and all she wanted to do was sleep.
"Inuyasha, I think that it would be best for you to stay here until we return," her mother said, breaking Kagome's mental lull.
"But—" He started, but her mother held up a hand to quiet him.
"We are going to be gone for a little while." She felt his fingers tighten their grip on her ever so slightly.
Good. They were on the same page. She didn't want to leave him either.
"I would like for you to stay here and keep an eye out for Souta and make sure that Father doesn't exert himself."
Kagome watched a ballad of emotions sift across his features.
"Yeah, okay." He moved to the passenger door, where her mother had already opened the door for them and carefully lowered her to the seat.
In a moment of weakness and panic, she grabbed onto his sleeve before he could pull away completely.
"You're safe here. Nothing's gonna happen." His voice was soft just barely above a whisper, and she gave him a nod before quietly releasing his sleeve and swallowing the bile stuck in her throat.
He stepped back from the car, shutting the door carefully. Kagome watched him as her mother pulled out, and she continued to watch him until she couldn't see him anymore.
"So, Kagome, I think we need to have a talk before we get there."
Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat, wishing, not for the first time, that she hadn't abided by her mother's order in letting Inuyasha stay at home.
Inuyasha was not thrilled at being left behind. Especially for such a long time.
Because he was pretty sure they'd been gone for—fucking—ever.
How long did it take to give her herbs and maybe a couple stitches?
"Remember, boy, not a leaf in sight!"
"I know how to sweep, you old codger!"
So, to alleviate his boredom and frustration, he'd gone inside and found the old man, who was thankfully mostly unharmed except for the rather nasty cut and still-healing bruise on his forehead.
And he'd complained about the grounds being messy and covered in leaves, and then the manipulative fucker said he was going to go sweep it off for the visitors.
And for some God forsaken reason, Inuyasha loudly argued that he was going to do it and the old man wasn't going to stop him.
"The youth of today just doesn't know the value of hard work anymore."
"Oi! I am older than you!" He snapped before grinning at the old man. "Don't be jealous that I look better than you and can still do shit!"
"I will have you know I look perfectly fine for my age!"
"Sure, old man," Inuyasha said as he continued to sweep. "That's why I'm sweeping and you're over there."
"You are absolutely infuriating. I don't know what Kagome sees in you."
Inuyasha snorted.
"Makes two of us," he mumbled.
"What was that?" The old man snapped.
"At least I can still hear worth shit!"
"Hired help are not supposed to insult their employers!"
"Yeah, we'll, you ain't exactly paying me, are you?"
The old man grumbled something before disappearing into the house.
"Hey!" Inuyasha shouted after him. "You better not be doing stupid shit in there!" He huffed. "I swear, he's worse than babysitting Shippo."
Inuyasha looked at the broom, trying to determine if he should follow or just wait.
He should probably follow, because if something happened, it would definitely be his fault.
And Kagome would be upset.
And then he would be upset.
He looked at the torii gate, wondering what was taking them so long.
"What're you staring at, boy?"
Inuyasha sighed internally. Mostly, at least, before turning his head to look at the old man who now stood beside him. The old man grabbed his wrist, forcing his palm to be upturned.
"Hey!" He shouted, before a small piece of paper was shoved into it. He didn't expect anything that would purify him since the old man was pretty much useless when it came to anything reiki oriented.
"Oh, hush. There's your payment. Now, put your back into it!"
Inuyasha held up the piece of paper, scowling at it.
"And what the hell is this?"
"It's money! What else would it be?"
"This is money?" He held the paper up to the light to examine it.
"Of course it's money! You've been with Kagome to the store, haven't you?"
"Oh, I mean, it looks like the stuff she used to buy things. Just—different, a little."
He waved it a bit, before looking to the old man.
"So what am I supposed to do with it?"
The old man groaned a bit, rubbing the bridge of his nose, and Inuyasha nearly laughed at how similar Kagome's own motions were.
"Here," her grandfather said. "I'll hold onto it for you." He put his hand out, and Inuyasha put the piece of paper into his open palm. "Now, sweep!" He turned back towards the house, shuffling his way back inside where he disappeared.
Inuyasha let out a frustrated growl, and then grabbed the broom and began sweeping again.
Footsteps echoed off the stairs, and Inuyasha quickly felt for the cloth around his ears, hiding them from sight. It was still in place and hiding the part of him that always made him stand out.
He continued sweeping, keeping his eyes down at the ground.
"Big Brother!" Souta shouted from the top of the stairs, running over to him. "What're you doing out here? Is Kagome back? Is Gramps making you sweep for him? How long are you staying?"
"One question at a time, kid!"
"You're back! Is Kagome back too?"
"Yeah, your mom took her somewhere to help her with her foot."
"She's hurt?" Souta's eyes widened as he asked the question. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine. Just got a little hole poked in her foot. Kaede said your healers should take a look at it. You know, just in case."
"Oh, well, I guess that's good. How's Gramps?"
"Cranky. Probably needs a nap."
Souta laughed.
"That sounds like Gramps. Is he inside?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha said, glancing at the house.
"I'll go check on him, and then I'll come out and help you sweep."
"That's not," Inuyasha started, but Souta waved him off.
"I'll be back in a bit!" He said, jogging off towards the house. Inuyasha watched him go, and then looked back at his broom.
"Buncha weirdos." He continued the familiar movement, trying to distract himself from everything while he waited and continued to wait.
It didn't take long to finish sweeping the grounds between the two of them. Inuyasha took their brooms back to the shed where he'd gotten them from.
"Do you wanna come play video games?" Souta asked as he opened the door to put the brooms away.
"Nah, I'm good, kid." He shut the door behind him. "I think that I'm gonna wait in the tree."
"You can wait inside," Souta told him, and Inuyasha ruffled the kid's hair.
"I can see the road from up there. Kagome is going to need help getting up the stairs."
"Well, come down if you get bored," Souta said. "I'm going to go keep an eye on Gramps."
Inuyasha waved him on as he leapt up into the higher branches of the Goshinboku as he waited for them to return.
The car stopped, and Kagome lifted her head from the side of the door.
"We're home," her mother said, patting her thigh. She looked up, and saw the stairs of the shrine before her, letting a soft sigh.
The doctor had given her crutches and strict instructions that she shouldn't be on her foot for a couple weeks to make sure that her foot healed properly.
He'd even complimented the stitches in her arm saying that they were well done, though the material used was odd.
She'd just smiled and nodded as the doctor gave her antibiotics and told her to rest for the next day or so before heading back to school.
She'd claimed that she'd gotten hurt on a camping trip with some friends, and her mother had gone along with the lie.
Though her mother didn't know quite the entire truth either. Kagome had to fudge over a lot of details to not make her worry quite so much, though she wasn't sure if her mother believed her PG version of events either.
She swung the door open.
"I'll get your crutches," her mother said as she swung her feet out the side. Her foot was heavily wrapped around the ball, and she flexed her toes, wincing as it pulled on the stitches. They were parked in the drive for the shrine, but that meant she was going to have to make it up the stairs on these things. She limped along slowly, heading towards the stairs.
Her crutches made a soft tick sound as she pressed them into the concrete. She started towards the stairs, pausing at the bottom to look up at them.
"Come on, Kagome. I'll help you up," her mother said, waiting a few steps up for Kagome to join her.
A flash of red appeared in front of her, making her jump and yelp, nearly toppling over backwards. Clawed hands grabbed her waist, steadying her from falling on her butt. The crutches clattered to the ground as she gripped his sleeve before launching herself at him, latching her arms around his neck.
"Oof!" He grunted at her sudden shift in weight. "How did things go?" He asked, shifting to look over her shoulder at her feet. "Are you better?"
"She's not supposed to walk on her foot for a little bit," her mother said, stepping down to pick up her crutches that had fallen to the ground.
"She'll break her neck on those things. I'll take her."
He pulled her arms away and leaned down in front of her, quickly scooping her up from where she stood. She scrambled to grip onto his haori from the sudden shift.
"Would you relax? I ain't dropping you."
"Sorry," she mumbled as he shifted her weight slightly in his hold so she could turn more towards him. She let her head rest on his shoulder, feeling the stress of the day wearing at her.
"You're okay though?" He asked, glancing up at her mother for more information.
"She's just tired. We had to wait to be seen by a doctor for a while." Her mother held up the crutches. "Let's get back up to the house, and I'll start dinner." She started up the stairs, carrying the crutches in her arms.
"How're you doing?" He asked her, glancing down at her face. She could see the shift in his jawline as he looked at her.
"Fine," she mumbled into his shoulder. She had one arm draped around his neck as he carried her. He grunted, carrying her up the stairs, and she struggled against herself trying to stay awake when her body really wanted to sleep.
But she didn't want to. She couldn't. She couldn't risk everything, all of this being a dream.
"Well, that's a fucking lie if I ever heard one," he told her, and she smacked the fingers holding her at her knee in response. "Ow! Don't hit me!"
"Kagome, be nice. Inuyasha is carrying you up after all."
"See, your mom said you should be nice."
"You should be nice first, and we both know that didn't hurt you at all," she retorted, and he shifted his grip.
"We both know that you're not fine, Kagome," he spoke quietly, keeping his voice low enough that her mother wouldn't be able to hear him.
"I'm—I'll be fine," she answered after a moment, stuttering through her words. "I just need a little time. That's all."
"You're not going to school tomorrow."
"Yeah, sure," she answered, burying her face into his shoulder.
"I mean it, you're staying home and resting."
"The doctor already told me to stay home tomorrow."
He grunted in agreement, and she remained silent as he continued climbing the steps.
"Inuyasha, will you be staying with us for dinner?" Her mother asked, and he faltered for a moment.
Her fingers tightened on his haori. He couldn't leave her alone. Not here, where everything had started.
"Yeah, I guess," he answered.
"I'm so glad. I feel as though we don't get to see you often enough." Her mother cleared the top of the stairs. "Oh, you swept!"
"Yeah, the old man kept insisting on going out here and doing it himself, so I did it so he'd stop blabbering about it."
"That's so kind of you. I'm sure Father appreciates it."
Inuyasha walked inside as her mother held the door open for them.
"Can you take her upstairs to rest before dinner? It might be good for her to take a short nap."
She jolted, and Inuyasha's grip tightened on her.
"Yeah, sure," he said, turning away and heading up the stairs.
"Mom?" Souta called as he came into the kitchen. "Big Brother! Sis!" She glanced over his shoulder to see her brother running up the stairs after them. He felt the press of her fingers into his shoulder as she leveraged herself up a bit.
"Hey Souta," she said leaning up to smile at him over his shoulder.
"Hey kid," Inuyasha said as he continued up the stairs.
"Inuyasha said you were hurt. Are you okay?" The kid was following him up the stairs, but he wasn't going to let them have their little reunion there. He can follow them up to her room. Her mother wanted her to nap before dinner.
"She's fine. She just needs some rest."
He walked through the doorway to her room, setting her on the bed, situating her so that she was resting back against her pillows.
"I don't want to sleep," she said, shifting to sit upright against the headboard.
"You need a nap," Inuyasha argued with a growl. "You were practically falling asleep on the way up here."
"No sleeping," she hissed back at him, leaning away from her pillows. "You can't make me."
"You can't avoid sleeping forever." He reached behind her, pulling the pillows up so she would be supported.
"Watch me," she snapped.
"Uh, Kagome?" Souta asked, stepping into her room. Inuyasha leaned back, glancing over his shoulder at the boy standing just inside her doorway.
"Hey, Souta," she said.
"How're you feeling?" He asked, edging towards her bed. Inuyasha took his cue and shifted over to the desk, leaning back against it with his arms crossed.
"I'm fine. Just being a klutz. You know how I am." She waved her hand as if brushing off any lingering concern, but the kid's face wasn't so easily convinced.
Souta stared at her foot and then her arms, a questioning look on his face. Kid was smarter than he gave him credit for.
"I promise, Souta. I'm fine," she reassured him. "How's everything been going lately?" She patted the spot next to her on the bed, and the kid sat down before talking.
"Gramps has been grumpy lately, since the doctors said that he couldn't do anything that was really stressful. So Mom won't even let him sweep the grounds until he gets the all clear."
Kagome looked to him for an answer, and he shook his head.
He wasn't surprised that she didn't remember; she hadn't been here when it happened, and he'd only mentioned it in passing.
Kagome didn't question Souta's comment.
"Well, some rest won't hurt him. How's everything else?"
"Oh, I got some copies of notes for you from your friends. And you have a couple of tests coming up, I think. I wrote it down on a sheet of paper. I put it on your desk."
"Thank you. I'll look at it later."
Inuyasha watched them interact as he leaned against the desk. Kagome wasn't as animated as she usually was, and every now and then Souta would glance at him as if questioning what Kagome said.
Eventually though, their mother called Souta down to set the table, and he got up from the bed, jogging out of the room.
Kagome seemed to deflate back into her pillows.
"You good?" He asked, leaning off the desk, and she turned towards him as he approached.
"Yeah," she said, giving him a slight smile. It was all a farce though. He could see right through it.
"Kagome! Inuyasha! Dinner!" Her mother called up the stairs, and he looked at the door for a moment before sighing.
She swung her legs over the edge of her bed, and he stepped forward to carry her down.
"If you get my crutches, I'll—"
"Keh, like I'm letting you use those. I can carry you just fine."
He picked her up off the bed with a familiarity he'd never had with anyone else, and her arms wrapped around his neck easily.
"I'm not going to make you carry me everywhere."
"You're not making me do anything, idiot."
"Don't call me names!"
"Keh, like you can do anything to stop me, right now," he said, leaping down the steps with ease, and moving into the kitchen. Souta quickly pulled a chair out for him, and he set Kagome down in it.
"Oh, I forgot that you didn't have your crutches," her mother said, turning around to look at them. Inuyasha pushed the chair in, taking the chair next to her. "You should've said something."
"Keh, it's not like it's hard," he said, and it wasn't. It wasn't like Kagome was heavy; she was barely within his notice. He'd lifted things way heavier than her, and he ran with her on his back all the time. It wasn't hard, and he kinda liked her having to be so close to him. He liked that she needed him. "Besides, she'd probably break something on those stupid things."
Her mother set the bowl on the table as Souta walked the old man into the kitchen.
"Hey, I'm not completely helpless, you know!"
"What is this ruffian saying about my only granddaughter?" He took a seat at the table.
"Nothing that's not true," Inuyasha commented, and Kagome glowered at him, only pausing to thank her mother for the bowl set in front of her.
Inuyasha reached over and took his bowl from her with a word of thanks.
They started eating, and he glanced at Kagome as she almost nibbled at the food in front of her. Catching her mother's gaze, he noted the same look of concern on her face as she watched Kagome eat as well.
Because the simple truth was that she wasn't eating, like she was afraid she'd puke it all up again, but it was only going to make things worse. She needed to eat a real decent meal.
"Kagome, you'll need to eat more than that or else the antibiotics will make you sick."
"I know, I just had a big breakfast at Kaede's, so I'm not really hungry."
Kagome's mother flicked her gaze to Inuyasha, as if asking him to confirm this. To which, he shook his head softly, hoping that her mother seemed to get the message that no, Kagome had not eaten a big breakfast as Kaede's.
"Well, be that as it may, that was breakfast, and this is dinner. You need three square meals a day."
Kagome sighed and continued eating, albeit slowly.
There was no escaping her mother's gaze or her notice of how much she'd eaten. She'd already been told that she wasn't leaving the table until she finished her bowl, which was way more food than she'd eaten in a while or even wanted to eat.
It also made her feel like she was five again, and being punished because she didn't like olives.
And Inuyasha was just sitting next to her like he didn't have a care in the world.
"You don't have to sit here," she said, and he shrugged.
"Someone's gotta make sure you finish that." He tapped her bowl with the tip of a claw. "Besides, your mother put me in charge."
"I don't know why," Kagome said with a roll of the eyes. Inuyasha tapped her bowl again, as she mushed some food around with her chopsticks.
"Because she knows that I'll make you finish it."
"I might opt to sit here all night instead of eating," she said, taking a small bite and tried to fight the grimace of swallowing food.
"Well, then we'll be here all night, I guess," he said, calling her bluff, and she sighed.
"I'm really full. Can we please go upstairs?"
He sighed, looking at the mostly eaten bowl, and his brow furrowed as he thought something over.
"Eat half of that and then I'll take you upstairs."
She looked at the bowl, and exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
Maybe if she just shoveled it down it wouldn't feel like stones rolling down her throat.
She ate quickly, but the food tasted worse and worse the more she tried to swallow it down.
There. Finished.
She pushed the bowl back as she chewed and slumped back in her chair.
Inuyasha stood, taking her bowl to the sink to rinse it out. Her mother appeared in the doorway.
"Did you eat everything?" Her mother asked.
Kagome nodded, still chewing.
Her mother put a single pill out in front of her, and Kagome took it with a swig of water.
"Do you think you'll need help with a bath?" Her mother asked her, and Kagome shook her head.
"Can you wrap my arm? I'll just take a shower and stick my foot outside the bathtub."
Her mother nodded, walking by her as she grabbed some cellophane from the cabinet.
"Inuyasha, can you take her to the bath?" He nodded, leaning down as Kagome wrapped her arm around his neck. He carried her up the stairs, and she stopped him in front of the bathroom.
"I need clothes." He moved her to the bedroom, sliding them through the doorway with ease. "Can you put me down?"
"You can open the drawers."
She looked at him before looking back at her dresser. He wasn't going to put her down, was he? Reaching over, she pulled the drawer open and started pulling out her change of clothes for the bath. Except for underwear.
"Can you look away for a second?" She said, turning towards Inuyasha. He huffed, but turned his face towards the ceiling.
"Happy?" He grumbled, and she quickly grabbed a pair of underwear out of the drawer, shutting it just as quickly.
"Very. I'm done," she said, and he grumbled something under his breath before taking her to the bathroom to wash off the entirety of the day.
He set her on the closed toilet, and she slid her arm off his shoulder.
"You okay?" He asked, reaching up to squeeze her hand.
She'd let out a long breath, grabbing at his hand. She'd managed to get by most of the day not thinking about it, using distractions and arguing with everyone about everything, because anger felt like a safer emotion to all things. But now, bedtime was right around the corner, and he was right: she couldn't stay awake forever.
"I'm sorry," she said, still not able to voice more than that, and he frowned at her.
"For what?"
"You ready, Kagome?" Her mother asked, and Inuyasha quickly stepped away.
"I'll—I'll wait outside," he said, stepping outside and closing the door behind him.
Her mother helped her wrap her arm in cling wrap, and she excused herself after turning the hot water on and letting the shower warm up a little. Kagome stripped down, and after situating herself in the tub, scrubbed herself down. It wasn't easy, but not overly complicated as she'd expected. At least her hair felt clean now.
The hospital made her feel extra grimy.
She slid into her clothes after taking the cling wrap off, and she let out a sigh as she let her hair rest in a towel, suddenly extremely tired.
"Inuyasha?" She called and the door opened immediately. He stepped in front of her, and before he could say or do anything, she lifted her arms, asking to be picked up like she was a little child.
He obliged her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up, sliding one arm under her thighs and the other around her back. She slumped against him as he carried her back to her room.
"Will you sit up with me tonight?" She mumbled into his shoulder.
"You need to get some rest."
"No sleeping," she muttered as he set her down on her bed that was already folded back for her. "Did you do this?"
"Your mom, while you were in the bath."
"Sit with me," she said, patting the bed beside her as she scooted closer to the wall.
Inuyasha flipped the sheets back, and sat back against the headboard beside her, leaving Tetsusaiga against her nightstand. He reached over to flick off the light, but she leaned over to grab his sleeve.
"Can we leave it on?"
He pulled his hand back, settling back against the bed.
She rubbed the towel over her hair, pressing it gently to draw the water and dampness out of it. She yawned as she worked on her hair.
"Tired?"
"I'm not sleeping," she said, letting the towel fall into her lap.
He snorted, grabbing the towel from her lap and tossing it into the hamper at the end of her bed. She couldn't tell if it made it in or not, but she also didn't really care.
She looped her arm around his, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"Your hair is still wet," he commented.
She hummed, closing her eyes to relieve the ache behind them. Just for a moment.
For a moment.
That's all.
Just a moment.
The doorbell rang, and Inuyasha sat up straight, and Kagome would swear she saw his hackles raise.
"Kagome! It's for you!" Her mother called.
Inuyasha growled as Kagome turned her body towards him.
"Well, Crutches? Are we going down or not?"
"We're not," he said, crossing his arms and scooching farther back on her bed.
What was his problem?
"Fine," she said, pushing herself up from her chair. She kept her leg raised and hopped towards the door.
"What do you think you're doing?" He snapped, climbing off the bed, but she was already at her door.
"Going downstairs, since you won't take me."
"Kagome!" He clambered after her as she approached the stairs, an arm around her waist, preventing her from going any farther. "You're going to break your damn neck!"
"Well, someone insisted on me not using crutches," she said as he started down the stairs. "A girl's gotta get around somehow."
He huffed, leaping down the rest of the way and carrying her like that to the front door. She twisted her head to look at his face.
"Inuyasha, put me down. You need to go put on a bandana or a hat or something before someone sees your ears."
She watched his ears flatten back, but he set her down all the same, making sure that she was steady on her feet before letting go.
"Don't open the door until I get back."
He darted off, and she leaned over, bracing herself against the wall, reaching for the door knob and pulling the door open.
"Kagome!" A familiar voice practically cheered.
"What the fuck did I say, woman?" Inuyasha practically shouted as he came around the corner, as she stared at Hojo standing with an arm full of flowers and a wide smile on his face.
Oh no.
This was bad.
This was really, really bad.
"Who is that?" He asked, leaning forward slightly to see who was shouting.
"Inuyasha," she said, shifting herself in front of the door and facing him to prevent him from shooting past and possibly murdering the poor clueless boy. "It's Hojo."
"Yeah, I know who the fuck he is. What I want to know is why the hell is he here?"
"Oh!" Hojo started, as if remembering suddenly why he'd stopped by. She turned back towards Hojo, but her socked foot slipped on the wood floor, throwing her arms out to grab onto something.
Inuyasha stopped her from hitting the ground; in fact, she actually never came close to even falling at all. She grabbed onto his shoulder as his arm snapped around her waist, hauling her back up to her feet.
"You hurt?" He asked her, arm still around her waist, pressing her close against him. She shook her head, fingers clutching his fire rat.
"Kagome? Are you alright?" Hojo asked, and she turned to look at him, feeling the blush creep up her face. Inuyasha let her turn around, but kept his arm around her waist and kept her pressed against his chest.
"She's fine. No thanks to you," he snapped.
"Be nice," she hissed.
He snorted and turned his glare towards Hojo.
"What made you stop by?" She asked the boy standing on her porch, and she glanced at the flowers in his arms.
"Oh, I heard that you were ill, and I wanted to drop these by." He held the flowers out to her, stepping a foot inside the house.
Inuyasha stiffened as Hojo presented the flowers to her, and she took them gently from him.
"That's very kind of you," she said, looking at the blooms that were a lovely shade of purple. "What are they?"
Hojo grinned.
"Bellflowers. Kikyos to be exact."
A/N: So there's that.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and that it wasn't too boring. I don't know how my stories all keep winding up in transitional spaces all at the same time. It's a gift that I didn't need or want.
Also, thank you to whomever nominated this for an award at Feudal Connection. You're amazing, and I'm so glad that you all like this story so much.
As always, let me know your thoughts on the chapter!