A/N: Hi guys! I'm glad you love the story! I hope your holiday season is going well! This chapter is short again, but it has a lot in it. Please enjoy!

Please continue reviewing! It really helps me as an author know that you are enjoying the story.

Sorry for the late chapter guys! I've got a lot going on in life, especially around Christmas. So there might be a few slow updates, but hopefully nothing more than a couple of days late. The updates might be small, like this one, but I'm hoping I can push them out for you.

Anyhow, I don't own any of the characters. And I hope that you enjoy the story!

11

Light streamed in through the window's partially parted blinds. Inuyasha sat next to Kagome, his hand gently stroking her cheek. She had yet to wake up after her surgery and he wanted to be there when she did. Sesshomaru had left a few hours ago to go back to the Bureau, pressing a kiss to her temple as he dashed out the door.

The casualness his brother exuded around Kagome really pissed him off. He was too friendly with her and jealousy boiled through his blood at the very thought of it. But now wasn't the time to be worrying about that. Worry gripped at his heart, it couldn't be normal how long she had slept. It had been well over fifteen hours since she went into surgery and she still hadn't opened her eyes.

Warmth radiated up and down her cheek from Inuyasha's fingers gently brushing it. Slowly, she opened her eyes to meet his. "Inuyasha." She whispered, slowly entwining her fingers with the ones on her cheeks.

His eyes widened. "Kagome." He breathed heavily. "I'm glad you're awake. You were starting to worry everyone." A smile eased to his lips as his muscles began to relax from the relief of seeing her awake.

A sad smile crept to her face, "Everyone, huh? Well tell them that I'm sorry." It hurt her slightly that he didn't say that he specifically was worried, but then again, why would he be? 'It's not like he has any feelings for me.' She thought, an empty feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

Inuyasha's hand dropped from her face as he stepped away from her bed, embarrassed. "How are you feeling?"

She attempted to sit herself up better, and instantly stopped. All of her stitches yanked painfully and her bandages tightened around her. Contorting with pain, her face gave away her every feeling, making her unable to hide how she felt. His hand grasped her shoulder instantly, and gently eased her onto her back. "I'll take that as my answer. Why didn't you tell us you were hurting?" His tone was hard as he questioned her actions over the last week.

"It wasn't anyone's business." She said stubbornly, turning her face away from him.

Anger overtook Inuyasha. "Not anyone's business? It damn well was our business!" His voice rose as he paced around her bed. "Whose business would it have been if you died? Hm? Because you almost did! Whose business would it have been then, Kagome!"

Kagome's face fell, but she refused to show him that his words were affecting her. "Tell me Kagome, what would Ileana have done if you would have died putting up your front? Your selflessness really pisses me off, Kagome! You're not doing anyone any favors by pretending to be alright!"

His hands grasped the end of her bed and stood facing her, his shoulder's squared. "Ileana saw you, Kagome. She saw me carry you away, unconscious! Your mother, my mother, they all saw you! What was the point of that Kagome? Whose business was that? Because it sure as hell wasn't yours because you weren't even conscious!" She still refused to turn her head and meet his eyes. "Look at me!" He screamed at her.

Her head snapped forward, and she met his eyes. For the first time, she could see the pain and worry in them. Tears rolled down her face as realization dawned on her. In her attempt to protect everyone and not worry them, she had actually done the opposite.

Inuyasha's heart stopped when he saw her tears. "Don't cry, Kagome." His anger began to dissipate. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

Sobs shook her body, causing her heart monitor to spasm. "I'm so sorry." Every hitched breath caused her side to hurt in unimaginable pain. "I didn't mean, I didn't mean to worry everyone. That's not what I wanted." She hiccupped between sobbed breaths. With every one, Inuyasha saw her pain spiking on the monitor.

"Kagome." He moved to her side and cupped her face. "Kagome, listen to me!" Her sobs lessened as she looked into his golden eyes. Her breathing was heavy as she tried to get control of herself. "Shh. Shh. Calm down." He stroked her cheeks gently, her body wearing out from her tears. Her eyes were dropping as her tears dried up, he could see her heart rate stabilize on the monitor as she started to fall asleep again.

"Kagome, I'm sorry I upset you." He gently pressed the button to allow morphine to join with her IV fluids. Her hair spilled out on the pillow behind her, illuminating how pale she was from her recent loss of blood.

"Inuyasha." He heard her whisper as she began to float into a morphine induced haze. "I'm sorry I worried you."

His heart tugged as he watched her fall asleep. Gently, he ran his finger over her cheek and collapsed back into the chair behind him. He ran his fingers through his hair and groaned inwardly. He hadn't meant to loose his temper at her. He just wanted to understand why she hadn't told him she was in pain.

He looked up at her again and watched her heart beat on the monitor. He wished he could hold her and feel it himself underneath of his palm, he hated that she was stuck in an uncomfortable hospital bed surrounded by monitors.

Last night he woke up to find the nurse, Kagura giving Kagome more pain medication. She had said that when she did her routine rounds she noticed her pain was spiking and thought it would be best to give her more so that she would heal faster. He had been glad that someone had noticed she was hurting.

Looking at the clock, he realized Sesshomaru would be back in the next couple hours.

At the end of her shift, Kagura opened her locker and put her scrubs inside. "You headed home, Kagura?" A male coworker asked as he came into the locker room.

"Yeah. It's been a long day." She smiled warmly at him.

"You had a thirty hour shift, didn't you? Must be nice to get home to your own bed." He smiled at her again. "Well, I'll see you around!"

She laughed and waved at him as she headed out the door. "See you around, Hojo." Once she was outside, she pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number she'd come to know by heart.

"Good evening, Kagura. What news do you have for me today?" A deep voice drawled.

"The girl has protection on her at all times. Even going in to the room to administer medication, they stir." She kicked a stone under her feet as she wandered through the park adjacent to the hospital.

"Have they made you yet?" His voice was level as he asked.

"No. They have no idea, but their bringing in more and more guards to watch the hospital and the halls. The only people who have access to her room are one other nurse, her doctor, and me. Any other visitor has to be cleared by the Crown, but she hasn't had any. " The stars above her looked lovely, a stark contrast to the feeling calling her boss caused her.

"Alright. Remember, you can't afford for this assignment to fail, Kagura." His voice held the unspoken threat.

"Understood, boss." She hung up the phone and took a deep breath. It scared her to think what it would mean for her if she couldn't deliver this girl to him. She knew that he wanted her, but he didn't know why. She figured her daughter would be the main target, as it had been for years, but now, something new had happened, causing him to change his plans.

Once, she would have known first. She used to be his number on confident, but she had failed him once. That was all it took to put someone on his bad side.

She took a deep breath and sat down at a park bench, watching the hobos getting situated amongst the bushes. She had been one of them once, before her boss had pulled her out of the slums of the earth and given her a job, a degree, and a reason to support his every decision. Now though, she found him questioning him and doubting his judgment, but lately he had been making more and more foolish decisions and holing up in his office, rambling like a madman.

She thought her boss's quest for the throne had driven him to insanity, and his recent schemes had been justifiable proof of that for her. She just hoped things didn't escalate further than they already had.

Stay tuned for another chapter!