A/N: Geez guys I'm so sorry! In the previous chapter I didn't go over it as finely as I should have, since I was trying to get it up ASAP, There isn't any smutt or anything but it was implied so for any distress I caused I apologise, I'll go back and change it a little later.

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Hero

Fourteen

Inuyasha rested Kagome against the tree, its branches overhanging into the calm stream beside it. The forest was so dark, yet the rays of moonlight trickled through the thick branches of surrounding trees, reflecting in the water and allowing light into the small glade. Kagome winced in agony as he set her down, and gasped, causing Inuyasha to look back at her in concern. The reflection of the moonlight in the water shone on her sweet face, and he found her even in this pitiable state to be angelically breathtaking, the moonlight lit up her skin as she lay there motionless, and only half-conscious. As she took in a shallow breath, her lips parted slightly; Inuyasha lost all self-control, and leaning forward, brushed his lips against hers. He pulled away from her quickly, regaining his sense and realising what he had done. He leant back off her and onto his heels, his face rather flushed. He turned away from her momentarily towards the stream, and knelt beside it, feeling rather thirsty all of a sudden.

In Kagome's distantness from reality, she felt the sharp pain across her stomach as Inuyasha set her down, though she did not know where she was, or have the strength to ask. She had no idea what had happened between Inuyasha and Kazuya, and had no idea that Inuyasha had tapped into her miko powers, and put up that barrier, though she found herself feeling even more drained all of a sudden. Then she tried to move, as her back ached from how Inuyasha had sat her, but she could not move, and she let out a shallow breath as the bruise across her stomach throbbed again. Suddenly she felt her face grow hot, and something passed over her slightly parted lips. As whatever is was pulled away from her lips and left her side, she wondered what was happening, and tried to bring herself back to reality.

'Inu…yasha?' Inuyasha turned round on his heels at the hoarse sounding of his name. He saw Kagome shift slightly, and then her eyes fluttered open. Inuyasha dashed back to her side, and she looked around hazily and confusedly, trying to get her focus back. 'Inuyasha?' she repeated quietly. Inuyasha moved closer to her, slipping his hand into hers that lay limp, across her lap.

'I'm here,' he replied huskily, caressing the back of her hand with is thumbs reassuringly. Kagome struggled for words at first, as she struggled to get her vision back, she tried to speak, but the words wouldn't form properly.

'I - I can't - can't see,' she stuttered. Tears fell from her eyes as she struggled to see again, and she tried not to be afraid, an aching feeling in the back of her head where she had landed from Kazuya's blow. Inuyasha's free hand stroked along the side of her face, and she nuzzled close to it, tears falling from her eyes. Inuyasha stroked her tears away with his finger, Kagome tried to form words to tell him she was in agony, but her throat was dry from her long silence, and all she could form was hoarse breathing or random words. 'Inuyasha, I can't - it hurts - like this - I…' Inuyasha had no idea what she was saying; he leant forward, pulling Kagome towards him, she gasped in agony as her stomach bent, until Inuyasha pulled her onto his lap, her head resting against his chest. He held her so the pain in her stomach lessened, and her vision returned slowly, as she curled her fingers around the locks of white hair that draped over Inuyasha's shoulders.

No sooner had her vision returned, than in Inuyasha's warm embrace, she closed her eyes, bordering on sleep. Inuyasha looked down into her peaceful face, and believing her to be fast asleep, ran his finger softly along her bottom lip. Her eyes fluttered open again, and she looked up at him catching the doting look in his golden eyes before he hid it from her by looking away. Kagome didn't have the energy to smile, but she felt she would have if she could. As Inuyasha shifted slightly, to avoid the numbing sensation in his legs from how he sat, Kagome felt the kimono around her slipping open, and she released her fingers from Inuyasha's hair, pulling the kimono back round her; however as she did so, the pain shot back over her stomach and she flinched. Inuyasha looked down at her confusedly.

'What's wrong?' Once again Kagome tried to speak, but her throat was too dry, and no words Inuyasha could understand came out of her mouth.

'Here,' said Inuyasha, and he pulled her up, so her head rested in the crook of his arm, she winced as he moved her, but Inuyasha just pulled her closer to the stream beside them.

'I…can't,' stuttered Kagome, wincing as she attempted to move. Inuyasha cupped some of the gleaming water in his hand and held it to her lips.

After he had fed Kagome the water, he laid her back down against the tree, though setting her down a little more comfortably this time. He looked away from her a moment, gazing pensively at the ripples in the water. 'You must think I'm really pathetic,' she uttered, breaking the silence, 'being this helpless.' Inuyasha did not look up at her, but continued to gaze at the water as he replied.

'I don't think you're pathetic…you were strong enough to be alive after what just happened to you.'

'Nothing happened to me, you stopped him,' she replied weakly, still feeling useless. 'All I do is cause you trouble.'

'That's not true,' he replied, still not looking at her.

'Then why won't you hold me, or look at me?' she asked, her voice strong again. Inuyasha took a while to reply, and when he did, his voice was full of self-wretchedness, and guilt.

'Because something could have happened…if I hadn't come when I did, he could have - hurt you, and it would have been entirely fault, just because I broke my promise, and let go of you.' Kagome looked at him with glassy eyes, trying to make him look at her.

'It has nothing to do with you, it was my fault he caught me! If I had ran when Sango said, if I wasn't so dependant on you, if I wasn't so weak-' she tried to stand up then, but fell forward instead; Inuyasha leapt forward and caught her, holding her in his arms. 'See, I can't even stand up on my own,' she winced as she held her stomach, feeling utterly pathetic, 'what must you think of me…?'

'I think you're beautiful,' he replied, brushing her hair out of her face, and tucking it behind her ear. Her eyes widened in surprise of what he'd just said. 'And you are all the more beautiful to me because you are fragile, and so easily broken. And the more you fall, the more you mess up…it only makes you shine all the brighter.' Kagome looked up into his golden eyes, trying to stop tears from pouring from her own.

'I'm not beautiful,' she replied, the tears flowing uncontrollably from her, 'I'm not anywhere near as special as you make me out to be.' Inuyasha did not say anything; he just gazed at her devotedly, as if he weren't fully aware what she was saying. 'I'm just some stupid little girl who needs to be rescued all the time-'

'-I told you, it doesn't matter-'

'-No it doesn't,' she interrupted, 'because I've already been saved.' Kagome continued, ignoring the agony in her stomach as Inuyasha held her, inches above the ground where he'd caught her moments before. 'And every time I fall, I don't have to worry because I know you will always be there to catch me; and every time you do, I know I made the right choice when I chose you. You have a lot of faults Inuyasha, a lot of downsides…but you have even more goodness to you than anyone else has ever seen. You chose to be good when evil was offered to you, saved and protected so many people, and you're kind when you allow yourself to be…' She broke off for a moment, partly because of the overwhelming emotion, and partially because of the pain in her stomach. '…and that's why you…you're my hero.'

Inuyasha suddenly found himself enchanted by the hazel orbs that were her eyes, gazing at them through the tears that built in his own. Kagome had seen Inuyasha cry only once before, and that was only because he thought she was dead, not because of something she'd told him. Inuyasha's hand, (the one not supporting her back) traced up the side of her body slowly, and he held it gently behind her neck. He dipped her body downwards; Kagome gazed up at him in bewilderment, while closing his own golden eyes, Inuyasha leant his head down towards her, passing his lips gently over hers, so that they barely touched.

Kagome pulled her own arm round Inuyasha's neck, pulling him closer and sucked lightly on his bottom lip. She released him just then, pulling her arm away from his neck. 'I'm sorry,' she said huskily, 'I just…' she didn't finish her sentence; she just fell into silence as a deep breath passed through her slightly parted lips.

Inuyasha, ignoring every instinct of his usual behaviour, leant back down towards her, his hand straying from her neck to her shoulder, and running up her arm, guiding it back behind his neck once more and pressed his lips softly against hers. Inuyasha pulled away suddenly, sitting her up gently beside him, pulling the kimono up fully round her. Kagome turned slowly, and saw what he was looking at. Sesshomaru stood close by, and Kagome was sure he was close to smiling oddly at Inuyasha.

'Do you think you can keep those raging desires under control for a moment, brother?' he asked his voice cold as he added the last part. Inuyasha did not reply, he just stood up, walking over to Sesshomaru, not wanting him to come near Kagome when she was wearing practically nothing.

'How long have you been standing there?' asked Inuyasha quietly so Kagome could not hear.

'Long enough,' replied Sesshomaru, just as quiet. Inuyasha grew impatient with his older brother.

'Well our family reunions, however not very often aren't exactly wanted, so what the hell do you want?' he asked snappishly.

'I heard your human screaming, though when I got to the place I had heard it, she had gone. All I found was a thoroughly livid Kazuya, and some shreds of your humans clothes.'

'Why didn't Kazuya kill you?' Inuyasha asked. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes slightly.

'I can void being seen if I wish. I am not as reckless as you Inuyasha; no one will find me until I want to be found.' Inuyasha exhaled deeply, using up every piece of his will not to smack the smug look off his brother's face.

'Well I kind of had to be seen, I kind of had the: I'm going to smack Kazuya across the forest floor, thing going, so you kind of have to be seen for that.'

'He would have killed you Inuyasha. Even you are not foolish enough to want to go up against him alone.'

'I know he's stronger than me, but some things cancel out power. I had to go and find him, and I had to face him, whether he could kill me or not. It was out of my control.'

'Yes,' said Sesshomaru, his gaze fixing over Inuyasha's shoulder and on Kagome. 'Some things do.'

Inuyasha was fed up with his brother now and basically just wanted him the hell away from them.

'What do you want? Tell me and piss off!' Sesshomaru did not respond, until he felt like he wanted to.

'I have my reasons for being here, some I will reveal now, and some I won't.' Inuyasha sighed again.

'Alright, when did you start talking in riddles? What do you want?' Sesshomaru extended his arm, and Inuyasha noticed he was holding a small bundle of clothes; Inuyasha looked up at his brother in bewilderment. 'What the hell are these?'

'These are for your human, I told you I saw her clothes shredded; these are for her.' Inuyasha did not take them. Sesshomaru stepped forward, going to step past Inuyasha, but Inuyasha leapt in front of him.

'Where the hell do you think you're going?'

'You won't take them; I'll have to give them to her.' Inuyasha looked at him with pure hatred.

'I hate you,' he assured his brother with deepest loathing. Sesshomaru nodded slightly.

'You do not have to like me to keep your human from freezing to death.' Inuyasha took the bundle off Sesshomaru, rather reproachfully, and making this known to his older brother as well with a nasty look in his golden eyes. 'I thought so; you wouldn't want me near your precious human would you?' Inuyasha stiffened at the faint hostility in his brother's voice.

'I would never let you near her; and don't call her that, she isn't some possession, she doesn't belong to anybody. So don't look at her with that sick, sadistic gaze, like she's some sort of thing.' Sesshomaru looked as though he may smile, but he didn't.

'You really are her hero aren't you,' he muttered. Inuyasha's eyes widened at Sesshomaru's words. Had he heard his conversation with Kagome?

Inuyasha looked back up at Sesshomaru, as he realised he still had no intentions of leaving anytime soon.

'What now?' he asked, his voice filled with annoyance.

'I want something in return for something you want.' Inuyasha rolled his eyes impatiently, and nodded for Sesshomaru to continue. 'Our father left something for each of us, do you want yours back?' Inuyasha's eyes widened as Sesshomaru drew Tetsusaiga from behind him, but Inuyasha did not move.

'What do you want from me?' Inuyasha asked.

'If I give you back our father's sword, I want you, when the night without the moon comes, to not hide, I want you to stand under the moonless sky, to enter the temple of Kazuya's grave, with all of your companions.'

'Are you joking?' asked Inuyasha, 'Kazuya will sense us and kill us all.'

'What would be the point of giving the sword to you, just so you would die? Then Kazuya would get Tetsusaiga. I do not intend for you or any of the others to die.'

'Oh, that's nice to know,' Inuyasha replied sarcastically.

'Do you want our father's sword back or not?' Inuyasha looked with deep hatred at him, before hesitantly reaching for the sword, but Sesshomaru jerked it away slightly. 'You must swear on your human's blood that you will do this.'

'But we can't hide out for another month, the night with no moon passed when we were at The Temple of Lost Souls.'

'Yes, but there will be another moonless night the day after tomorrow.'

'But, that can't be,' argued Inuyasha quietly, 'the new moon won't come by for another-'

'I know what you think, just trust me, get to the temple from where you exited, and go in when the moonless sky is overhead.' Inuyasha knew that Sesshomaru was up to something, but something in his brother's eyes told him he was sincere with his request, and he nodded, before taking the sword from his brother, and turning, going back to Kagome's side.

As he sat beside Kagome, she looked up at him in bewilderment. Inuyasha reattached Tetsusaiga's sheath to himself, before setting the bundle of clothes beside Kagome.

'What was that about?' she asked quietly, as she watched Sesshomaru disappear from view.

'He gave me some things, in return for a promise, which I think is mostly just a hint of how to defeat Kazuya.' She looked at him even more oddly at his reply. 'Can you move yet?' she shook her head slightly, wincing as she tried to sit up. 'He gave me some clothes for you, I want you to put the on, so we can get going.'

'I can't move,' she replied, 'can't we wait?'

'I'm afraid not, we have to be at the temple the day after tomorrow night before the new moon, and we have to find Sango and the others before that.' Inuyasha pulled his arms round her, setting her up on her knees before him, steadying her up, and handing her the clothes. 'Don't think about it too much, we just gotta do it. Please, try and dress, I'll be back in a moment.'

'Where are you going?' she asked panicking, as he got to his feet, starting to walk away.

'I'm just gonna be over here, until you're done.' Kagome smiled at him slightly, as he walked over behind the tree and sat beside the stream.

Inuyasha tried not to look into the stream to see her reflection there, but his curiosity got the better of him, and his golden eyes would not tear themselves away from her image in the water. He watched as she drew on her long skirt with difficulty, wincing slightly; although she now had her back to the stream, Inuyasha knew she was holding her hands over the wound on her stomach, and he got up slowly, walking over to her. Kagome dropped to her knees, unable to support herself anymore, though still hadn't managed to draw on the shirt of her kimono. Inuyasha knelt down soundlessly behind her, hung the white clothing over her shoulders loosely. She jumped slightly, as he touched her, and he smiled. 'Sorry,' he said, lifting up the ebony silk that was her hair, and sliding the shirt completely over her, letting her hair fall back again afterwards.

Kagome tied the front up, now being fully clothed, but noticed Inuyasha's hands remained on her shoulders, and she turned slowly to face him.

'Thank you,' she whispered, her dulcet voice returning to normal at last after that night's events.

'You're welcome,' he replied, still gazing at her. With that, Kagome lifted her hands behind her head, scooping up the black silk, and tying it up. When she looked back at Inuyasha, to discover he wore a slightly odd look on his face.

'What is it?' she asked him, and his face grew into a smile, his eyes shining at her.

'Close your eyes,' he said softly to her. She looked at him oddly for a moment, but then sighed, and closed her eyes slowly. Inuyasha leant forward, his hand tracing up the side of her face, and into her hair, drawing softly out the white band she had tied it up with, (he guessed it must have been in the bundle). She opened her eyes slightly, to find his face close to her, and he sat back on his heels, after having drawn out the tie from her hair, and it flowed down, hanging over her shoulders slightly. She looked at him in bewilderment. 'I love your hair,' he said distantly, running his fingers through the ebony tresses. Kagome wondered if he knew he was saying this out loud, and started blushing slightly at his compliment.

'I'll wear it down if you want me to,' she replied, he smiled in reply, continuing to run his fingers through her hair.

Suddenly, Inuyasha pulled his hand away, seeming to snap back into reality, and sniffed the air slightly. 'What is it?' she asked.

'I can smell…' he drew off, looking about slightly. 'Sango, Shippo, all of you get your asses out here,' he called, and to Kagome's surprise, out of the trees, came Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala.

'Having fun were you?' asked Inuyasha annoyed, tapping his fingers on his arm, his arms crossed.

'Well sort of,' replied Miroku, 'it's amazing what you can see when you're hiding in a bush.'

'How long were you there for?' asked Kagome, blushing slightly.

'He and Shippo only caught up with Kilala and I when you were dressed don't worry. But Kilala and I were here, well, Sesshomaru was here when we got here,' said Sango, as she helped Kagome to her feet, Inuyasha drawing up beside her. 'What the hell did he want, we couldn't hear?'

'Long story,' said Inuyasha, 'I'll tell you on the way.'

'Everything?' asked Shippo, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Inuyasha turned nearly as red as Kagome, but did not reply.

'Stop teasing our little silver-locked hanyou, we have more important things to do,' insisted Sango, noticing Inuyasha did not like the reference to hair that was sneaked in. 'Let's get going.' Inuyasha hoisted Kagome up onto a transformed Kilala's back, and she sat with Shippo, while he, Sango and Miroku walked in front, talking quietly, knowing that they were not alone in the forest, feeling something's gaze weighing heavy on their party as they walked, and they quickened their pace a little.

TBC

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A/N: And the fluff continues? Liking it? No? Oh, well, I tried. I am sorry to say that this fic is quite near the end, but don't cry too much (Hey, why aern't you crying?!! LOL) 'Cause afterwards I'll post the sequel. The fics get better as they go on so, all ones after this are better than the ones before it. Okay, nice comments please, they spur me to create things better than this old thing lol. R&R

Luv Shigure

x chuu x