AN: I forgot it in the last one, so here goes: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the manga's/anime's character. I only own this plot.

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She groaned and let her eyes flutter open. It was dark outside, although it couldn't have been much past dusk.

I…I'm alive? I'm alive! Then Inuyasha saved me! Where…Where is he?

She surveyed her surroundings, all while keeping her eyes peeled for Inuyasha's bright red attire, and saw a few tall trees and tall reeds. She listened closely and heard a chorus of toads nearby. There was a soft swish and shallow splashes that signaled nearby fish swimming a little too close to the surface. She tried to get up, but she found herself restricted.

I'm…in water. Is it a lake? And why can't I move? Am I tangled in nearby growth?

She scooted her arms beneath her and began to push herself upwards when she heard a groan of protest and the ground beneath her shifted roughly. She stopped and felt the pit of her stomach drop out from under her in fear.

Oh no. Please. Please don't let it be…

"Inu…Inuyasha?"

There was no movement. There was no response, but in her heart of hearts, she knew it was him. She sucked in a deep breath and looked down at the surface supporting her. It was InuYasha.

His face was pale and his eye lids drooped heavily over what usually were heavenly amber orbs. His haori was soaked through with water, although it was clear to Kagome that there was some blood that had soaked into it recently as well. She reached behind her and picked his arm off of her back. His face immediately contorted in pain, but it was short lived as his head rolled sideways and his black bangs hid it from view.

Inuyasha, what happened to you?

That's when it hit her. His hair was black. Black! Could it really be the night of the new moon already?

Had she realized how intimately Inuyasha had been holding her as they both laid there, she probably would have blushed. However, with her beloved half blood lying beneath her, unconscious and in pain, nothing except for helping him crossed the priestess's mind. She skillfully rolled off of him without causing him any discomfort and kneeled beside him.

"Inuyasha. Inu-chan. Please. Please open your eyes. Please…please," she pleaded with an audience that wasn't tangibly there.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck and took in the scent of his black hair. It was full of earth, pine and, in his human state, there was a certain scent of mortality. She didn't realize it, but she wept for him. She wept because he had sacrificed his well being for hers.

Inuyasha, why did you do it? Please, don't let this have been in vain!

She pulled away from the hanyou-now-turned-human and cautiously put her hand on the side of his face. It was cool and clammy to the touch.

"Inuyasha, please. Wake up. Just wake up."

"K-kagome. Why…Why are you…ah!"

She looked at him and caught a glimpse of deep brown before his eyes snapped shut in pain.

"Inuyasha, you're hurt."

"Don't remind me."

"We need to get you out of the water. We need to get you out of the open."

His face twisted in pain and he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding before he spoke.

"I know. Kagome, I'm going to need your help. I-ah-I don't think I can walk on my own."

"Inuyasha, why? Why did you--"

He lifted his left hand slowly and put it to her lips to silence her. He looked up at her and his eyes held compassion, but there was more. His eyes were filled with love.

Kagome smiled a bit and he let his hand come away from her mouth and he put his hand on her shoulder. She watched as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do.

"Don't move. No matter what you hear, don't move."

She nodded at him and he began to sit up. His right shoulder jostled and he cried out, but still he continued to raise his water soaked body off the ground. After what seemed like hours, Inuyasha collapsed into Kagome's arms. She supported him, both emotionally and physically, as best she could.

The next half hour passed without any conversation. Kagome had picked her wounded friend up from the ground and with one step on his left leg, he had nearly collapsed on its instability and cried out in pain. There was no doubt in Kagome's mind that his leg was broken.

Kagome offered herself as a crutch for Inuyasha and without hesitation, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and avoided using his left leg at all costs.

They wandered for a bit until a small abandoned hut came into view. Kagome changed their trajectory for the new found shelter, but Inuyasha held back from sheer exhaustion.

"Inu…Inu-chan. Please. We're almost there! You can make it!"

"Kagome. I need you to do something for me, alright?"

"What is it?"

"I need you to put my shoulder back in place."

What?!"

"Please. It's more painful to have it dangling by my side than it would be to be back in place. Please, Kagome?"

He dropped to a sitting position and his right arm rested lamely next to him. His face was pleading, but she didn't know if she could bring herself to hurt him. She bit her lip and slowly kneeled next to him.

"You know this is going to hurt, right?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he searched the ground for a nearby stick and popped it in his mouth and bit down hard. He nodded at her and looked away from his right arm. Her hand twitched as she neared him.

Get yourself together Kagome. You've seen this done plenty of times on TV. Just hold it out straight and pull!

She gingerly grabbed his arm and slowly began to raise it. She heard a growl rise in his throat, but he didn't budge.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and without another moment's hesitation, she jerked his arm forward and heard a grinding click, signaling the joint was back in place.

The stick in his mouth broke in two and as soon as Kagome let go, he was cradling his arm with a whimper caught in his throat. His body was shaking and his eyes were brimming with tears that he knew he'd never shed, especially not in front of Kagome.

She leaned closer to him and hugged him, careful not to jar his shoulder after she had so violently put it back into place.

"Thank you…enh…Kagome."

A few more minutes passed, and Inuyasha stayed in Kagome's warm arms all through, before the duo resumed their trek to the hut in the distance. It was a slow journey and even Inuyasha knew it was going to be an extremely long night once they were safely inside.