They sat there on the edge of the river bank. Relief cascaded through her body as the tension eased out of Inuyasha's shoulders and his head nestled perfectly in her lap. Closing her eyes, she focused on the feeling of soft fuzz between her fingers and the sounds of the lazy river passing. Exhaustion started to pound behind her eye lids. She wanted to be clean and sleep the day away. Truth be told, she wanted Inuyasha to be well enough so she could snuggle against his warm back as they returned to the others.
Kagome barely registered Inuyasha moving away from her grasp. Her eyes flew open, hands springing forward to catch the drifting hanyou, only to come in contact with his chest. Inuyasha had turned to face her. He knelt on the river bank before her, a worried expression displayed on his face, along with an emotion Kagome couldn't quite figure out.
"Inuyasha?" He didn't answer her. She watched as he placed his hands over hers, slowly moving them up her arms. A lump formed in her throat as a flush raced across her skin. Her darting eyes tried to find a crack in his unreadable expression.
He scooped his arm around her back and she realized that he was pulling her into the water.
"Wait, what are you doing?" The words spilled out of her in a breathy whisper. Normally Kagome could easily grab hold to the folds of his robe but currently her hands were splayed across a hard expanse of slick, warm skin. It was as though her brain had taken holiday without her. She became even more tense and panicked as he pulled her into his arms.
Her voice was a screech, "Inuyasha! What. Are. You. Doing?" each word punctuated by a breath.
Inuyasha's stormy expression broke and he pulled her into his arms, crushing her against him.
"Just…" His words seemed to be hitting a wall in his mind. "Just shut up..."
Her heart thundered in her ears. Even with the cool water encasing them, her skin felt aflame. She felt hot. Too hot. And shutting her eyes had been a mistake because it made her sense of hearing focus solely on the words spoken in her ear.
"Don't make this any harder… Just let me… Take care of you." The way his words sounded pained and pleading were enough to break her heart in half.
She nodded against his chest.