It took her a few days before she was strong enough to sit up on her own. She learned she'd been unconscious for a little over a month. Apparently, the life force she now shared with Sesshoumaru combined with his nominal control over the corruption spread by Bakusaiga, had been enough to tip the balance in her favor, but it was still a slow process.
His mother had clicked her tongue when she'd told Kagome about it. "What did you expect, dear, that you would inherit all the regenerative prowess of a youkai through mating my son?"
Kagome wanted to protest that none of it had been her decision, it wasn't as if she'd been conscious, but she couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"That was why he brought you here, in the first place. You were hanging on by a thread, those days, and I could have resurrected you again with the Meidou Stone should you have passed again."
She went on to say that she had never seen her son in such a state, not even when his other human girl had been concerned, that he'd scarcely left her side when she was sleeping, barely let her companions see her. All Kagome could definitively conclude from the visits by Shizuka, was that she did not live up to her name. Besides that, she was left to ponder the stark contrast of what she was told Sesshoumaru had done to what she knew of him.
Sango began helping her get back on her feet, gradually working her muscles back up to their previous level over the following weeks. Her stomach habitually pulled at the exertions, a large, puckered scar above her belly button reminding her daily of how she got to be here. It was different from the reminder she got from the scar on her shoulder, which still burned and seared at times throughout the day, no matter how many cups she drank of the vile brew that was supposed to help with that. On this, Shizuka was conspicuously quiet, eyes twinkling, saying only that she should confer with her mate.
And she would, if only he would show his face for more than a glimpse at a time. She'd seen him glide off on several mornings, just as she was waking up. She'd inferred from that, that he would sometimes spend the night beside her. Sometimes, when she was walking around the palace with Sango, she would catch him staring from a distance, but he would be gone when she blinked. Then, when she was in her room, either reading, talking with Miroku, or playing a game with Shippou, she was certain she could feel his presence just outside the door, but he would always retreat after a few moments.
"There he goes again," she remarked on one such occasion.
"There goes who, Kagome-sama?" the monk questioned.
She gestured to the door. "My besotted husband, ofcourse," she snarkily commented before letting out a big sigh.
Miroku blinked at her and asked her how she'd known Sesshoumaru had been there at all.
Kagome frowned at him. "I sensed his presence, of course."
"I could not sense him at all, Kagome-sama. Maybe it's because of your new bond that you can."
"But why won't he talk to me? I have so many things to ask, and he's avoiding me like the plague…"
The door slid open, and Kagome was startled by the jump her heart made at the white hair that entered, only to deflate when it was accompanied by red clothes.
"Keh. Asshole's just sulking." InuYasha sauntered over and dropped to the floor in his habitual pose.
Of all the things that had happened when she'd woken up, InuYasha not being more furious with the state of things ranked high on her list of surprises. He'd been taken in by Shizuka, as they all had, to be near Kagome as she recovered. He'd told her he had been learning about his father from whatever their hostess was willing to share, and that she had been teaching him the intricacies of the youkai court. When Kagome'd asked him if he would stay, then, he'd snorted and adamantly refused, stating that they would be out of there as soon as she was up and running again.
"Sulking?" Miroku asked, pulling her out from her reverie.
"Yeah, 'cause he's stuck with Kagome for life, now."
Kagome bristled, and Miroku quickly intervened. "Care to elaborate, my friend?"
InuYasha lay back with his hands behind his head. "Mating bonds can't be broken, right? So he's stuck with her. But as soon as she's better, she'll come back to the village with me, and he'll be left to suffer."
"Suffer how?" Kagome questioned.
InuYasha sighed dramatically, as if questioning her intellect. "'Cause of the bond, duh."
"InuYasha, not all of us have been getting a crash course in the Inu-youkai etiquette," Kagome growled, "so would you please tell us the whole story?"
"I don't remember, exactly, all right? But 'cause it's a new bond, you have to stay close, or something. Otherwise, you'll be in pain."
"So, won't I be in pain if I leave, then?"
InuYasha shrugged. "Nah, it's just a youkai thing. Probably."
As he and Miroku started talking about the move back and what should be done about the jewel, Kagome wondered at the information her hanyou friend had just given her. Up until now, she hadn't questioned whether they would leave together, because that had still been a given in her mind. She wasn't so sure anymore now, because how could she be the cause of a lifetime of pain for the man who had saved her from literal death?