Chapter 7 When Friendship isn't Enough

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or other characters belonging to the creators of the anime show.

...

When Kagome awoke several hours later, she was no longer in the field. Instead, she was placed down on a soft pallet in the same hut where they had been just this afternoon. A quick look around the room told her that she was alone, and the slivers of sunlight coming in from the rafters that it was early morning. She shifted slightly, and hissed as waves of pain washed over her. Her shoulder burned and throbbed underneath the bandages that someone had wrapped around it. A quick appraisal of her body yielded two interesting facts; the rest of her was unharmed and all she was wearing above her waist was a one-strapped black lace bra. She distinctly remembered that it had had two straps when she had put it on the previous morning. Clearly, someone had ripped the other off when bandaging her wound. With something of a wry grin, she begrudgingly acknowledged that at least they'd left the rest of it on her, rather than leaving her naked and exposed while she was unconscious.

The creak of the door opening brought her mind away from her state of undress. A figure entered the room, then another, then another, and finally one small one, the size of a child. They moved quietly so as not to disturb her.

"Hey guys," Kagome greeted, her voice hoarser than she had expected. Four pairs of eyes locked onto hers, and she squirmed uncomfortably underneath their fierce gazes, embarrassed by her weakness. She tried to get up, but stopped when she remembered that 1. she wasn't wearing anything other than a half-destroyed bra and 2. her shoulder was clearly, judging from the overwhelming burning sensation she was feeling, not fond of sharp movements of any kind.

"Kagome, don't get up," Sango chastised, but there was relief in her voice and in her eyes at seeing Kagome awake. She moved back to re-arrange the pillows so that Kagome could sit up and talk to them. Kagome smiled up at her reassuringly, and sank down obediently back onto the cushions. The moment she had been seated, Shippo ran over to her, giving her a tight hug that made her wince slightly, and then curling up at her side.

"I brought some soup and a few pieces of bread back from breakfast for you," said Miroku, depositing the aforementioned items on the floor next to her. His concerned eyes met hers, and she smiled in gratitude, a wordless thanks. He pressed a hand to her unwounded shoulder, squeezed gently, and then stepped back.

Inuyasha moved forward before Miroku had even gotten a foot away from her. His presence, increased by the wide folds of his haori, was slightly overwhelming, though not unpleasantly. He peered down at her intently, his eyes roving her body, searching for any further signs of injury.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her, his voice more gentle than he had expected. He seemed more agitated than usual, his movements sharper and more distinct. He wasn't quite as in control as usual, and knowing that he was off-kilter sent a pleasant thrum humming in her veins, which only grew stronger when she saw the worry in his eyes.

"My shoulder hurts a little, but I think I'll live." She meant it to come across jokingly, but it didn't quite have the intended effect. Whatever stormy emotions were brewing inside Inuyasha, her comment only made them worse. She could see it in the way his muscles tightened, a frown flashed across his face, and his eyes blazed with anger and something that looked suspiciously like guilt.

He motioned forward with his hands, and another figure, a woman, stepped forward. She was as old as Kaede, but her hands were deft and her eyes were clear.

"I'm Akane," the woman told her, kneeling at her side so that she could get a better look at her wounds. "I am the healer of this village. I tended yer wounds last night. You were in quite a bad shape"

"Thank you," Kagome told her, sincerely. "I'm sorry to be such trouble".

The old woman slapped her gently on her uninjured shoulder. "Don't be saying such things. Ye have ridden this village of a monster that was preying on our loved ones. It is we who should be thanking you. Tis an honor to be healing you."

With that said, the conversation stopped. Akane focused her attention on carefully and thoroughly examining Kagome's shoulder, running her hands along the muscle, checking to see where there was still pain, and making sure that the area still had proper feeling and circulation. Kagome stayed perfectly still, trying to suppress the sounds of pain that threatened to escape her lips. If a few escaped, Akane took no notice of them.

When she was done, she leaned back, her brow furrowed.

"The area looks good," Akane informed them. "Your wounds are receiving proper blood flow, and the scratches have closed up, but I suspect they need to be washed and re-bandaged. Which one of ye will do it?" She asked of the others standing around. Sango opened her mouth to offer, but Inuyasha beat her to it.

"I'll take care of it." He told the aged healer. She looked at him then, scrutinizing everything about it. He held still under her gaze, firm and unwavering. When she nodded her head, there was respect in her eyes.

"Ye'll do just fine," she told him. Reaching into a small sack she carried in her waist, she handed him a tube of strange-smelling ointment. "Put this on her wounds before you re-bandage them. It'll help her heal faster."

He took it without a word, though his head nodded briefly in acknowledgment.

"Thank you," Kagome said again, looking reprovingly at Inuyasha for having not said it sooner. The old woman bowed, and then took her leave of the hut. Inuyasha moved forward to pick her up, and she stopped him with a hand.

"Sango?" she asked, turning to her friend.

"Yes, Kagome?" Sango queried.

"Can you help me put a shirt on? I don't really need the whole village seeing me in just my undergarments."

Sango laughed at that, and came over to help her. "Turn around" she ordered the boys, who obeyed, though not as quickly as they could have. Promising them severe punishment if they tried to peep, she reached into Kagome's pack, pulling out a simple navy and grey striped tank that matched the navy skirt Kagome was still wearing. With some difficulty, they managed to get it over her head.

"Thanks, Sango" Kagome told her. The moment she was dressed, Inuyasha turned back around, swiftly picking her up in his arms, and carried her out the door.

Within minutes, they were sitting at the edge of a small stream about forty yards from the beginnings of the forest just outside the village. It was far enough away to guarantee them privacy, and Inuyasha easily chased away the few villagers who had made the trek out there.

He hadn't said a word to her since they'd left the tent. She could feel the tension in his body, could see the way he moved with more purpose and direction, his muscles flexing underneath her. Yet, regardless of whatever emotional battle waging inside him, Inuyasha was careful as he set her down by the stream.

"I need you to remove your shirt," he told her, his voice low, but firm. Obediently, she began pulling it off with her good hand, only to realize how difficult it was to take off an article of clothing with only one of her appendages. Inuyasha's hands were on her in a moment, lifting the fabric up and over her head. Gently, he pushed her hair aside so that he could better look at her shoulder.

She held still, trying not to squirm under his touch even though every fiber in her body was trying to protect itself from further harm and damage. Even though she knew Inuyasha would never hurt her, self-preservation instincts were hard to ignore. He began to un-bandage her, and the feel of the dressings ripping her wounds open was almost unbearble. To take her mind off of her wounds, she let herself focus completely on the other emotions and sensations she was feeling.

The cool air felt good on her hot skin. She was once again in front of Inuyasha in only a bra, and yet she felt no discomfort. He was close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his body, keeping her warm and making her feel safe. The feel of his hands on her body made her ache for him to touch her in other places. She focused on her desire, allowing it to numb her from the pain.

When he began to sponge off the dried blood, she almost sighed. Water droplets slid down her body, leaving her skin feeling refreshed and alive. He began to lather her wound with the healing salve Akane had given to him. His touch sent shivers down her body, making her feel energized, recharged. If she had her way, he would never stop touching her.

But she could also sense the tension in him, and it bothered her.

"What's wrong?" she asked him softly.

He didn't answer for a moment, his eyes still glued to his work.

"I couldn't protect you." The words came out as a growl, and his fingers clenched on the fabric in his hand he was using as a sponge.

"It isn't your responsibility to protect me," she reminded him, gently.

"You've almost died twice in the past two days. This is too dangerous. It isn't worth risking yourself for this quest."

She turned to face him, shocked and angry. "You can't make my decisions for me," she informed him. "I chose this path a long time ago. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to stay here in the feudal era."

"You didn't know what you were choosing," he snarled.

"I knew exactly what I was choosing, Inuyasha. I knew from the first moment I freed you from that tree and you came after me what this life was going to be like. I'm not going back now, not after everything we've been through."

He didn't say anything, but continued to bandage her wounds. Kagome stiffened at his refusal to acknowledge what he was saying, refusing to give up the fight. The moment he finished bandaging up her wound and pulling her tank-top back over her head, she turned to face him, ignoring the spasm in her shoulder.

"I would choose it all over again, every moment, every decision." She told him fiercely, looking at his eyes.

"What if I fail again? I can't protect you from everything" His voice was rough, harsh.

"You've never failed," she told him, meaning every word. "And you can't protect me from everything. I'm not a child anymore, Inuyasha. What are you so afraid of?" She asked.

The moment his gaze met hers, understanding dawned in her brain. His eyes were filled with so many emotions she could barely make sense of them, but she recognized lust, heat, guilt, and fear. The way his gaze roamed her body left no doubt that he recognized how much she'd changed, and how much she'd matured.

"You don't need to protect me." Kagome repeated, choosing her next words carefully. Electricity sparkled between them so strongly she half expected to start sparking small lightning bolts. Everything hinged on her next words. What syllables, strung together, could create the impact she needed to reach through to him, "not even from yourself."

His eyes darkened from gold to dark amber. The sunlight illuminated his tan skin, his silver hair shining brilliantly. He seemed to grow even larger, until she could almost feel him touching her despite the inches that separated them. She longed to close the distance between them.

"I saw you that day," he admitted to her though he wouldn't meet her eyes as he said it. When she looked at him quizzically, he added to his previous statement, "the first time you found one of those zones where people had..been together." His voice was low, husky.

"And," she asked, her voice breathless. Anticipation flooded through her veins. Her heart was beating so loudly she wasn't sure she would even be able to hear his answer.

When he lifted his head up and looked at her, his gold eyes blazing like molten suns, she just about melted right then and there into his arms. But nothing prepared her for the next words that fell from his lips.

"And I wanted you so badly, it almost killed me."

She moved closer to him, a hairsbreadth from his face. She licked her lips slowly, drawing his eyes to her mouth. She tilted her head, looking up at him, her eyes clear and filled with emotion.

"I am yours, Inuyasha." She told him, her voice husky, "If you'll have me."

His lips were on hers before she even finished the last syllable.