Gwen awoke from fitful sleep with a hum, wondering why the mattress was moving. Bleary eyes opened, only to find a set of golden ones watching her. Tōga lay on his back, an arm secured around her, gaze intense. Suddenly, the events of the previous night rushed to her fuzzy mind, and Gwen inhaled sharply.

Her hand lifted timidly, but she didn't dare touching him; the dark bruises on the side of his face had gone purple, and probably hurt like bitch. The fact that she was unharmed was a miracle.

"How are you feeling ?" she whispered.

"Like hell."

Gwen winced; the absence of Tōga's usual bravado was testimony to how dire the situation was. Those yōkai had truly battered him like a ragdoll. She'd come incredibly close to losing him. Now that danger had passed, the shock settled in her mind. A tear rolled down her cheek at the memory of his broken body, sprawled at her feet upon unforgiving concrete.

So close… The perspective of a life without him suddenly stared her in the eye. A bleary, too probable future that wrenched her guts and called forth a wave of nausea. Her whole frame started to shake, and Gwen scrunched her eyes close in an attempt to rein in the panic. To no avail. Suddenly, the dam of emotions shattered, and she found herself sobbing against his shoulder, mindful not to jolt any of his injuries.

As shameful as this breakdown was, her heart refused to be curbed until it had expressed the extend of its sorrow. Thus, Gwen shed a river of tears, shaking in Tōga's embrace while his hand attempted to card into her wild tresses. His hold was weak, at best, but his warmth and smell surrounded her. In the background, she could also discern his yōki swirling around her, a comforting embrace he couldn't give physically.

When, eventually, her grief was spent, Gwen sniffled.

"Sorry," she breathed, dropping a wet kiss upon his jaw.

"You should be," he rumbled. "I told you to go away."

The young woman started, pushing on her forearm to look him in the eye.

"I couldn't leave you there."

Tōga's jaw was so tense that it was a miracle he didn't dislodge any teeth. His eyes blazed, anger and distress swirling in their golden depth; the same look he'd addressed her after the fire. She knew he was about to lash out – the result of his fears – and braced for his anger.

"You should have !" he nearly shouted, his voice barely controlled.

And despite the fact that he lay prone in a bed, the underlying anger contained in his voice still affected her. The onslaught hurt deep, but instead of crumbling down like the last time, Gwen found her courage and confronted him. Because out there, in the streets, he wasn't her Captain, but her companion. She wasn't ready to lose the man she loved.

"You do not get to order me outside the fire station, Tōga."

To say he was shocked by the sudden backlash was an understatement. Tōga blinked twice, caught between anger and disbelief, emotions betrayed by his erratic yōki. There was no mistaking the strain it took for him to keep himself together; Gwen feared the argument would escalate when a casual voice rose from behind her.

"She saved your life, chichi-ue."

Gwen jolted, catching a glare on Tōga's face directed at the person behind her. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was, but curiosity pushed her to shift and take a peek at the Ice King. Sesshōmaru sat casually, his three-piece suit as pristine at the previous day, long hair shining in the morning light. His amber eyes stared his father down, unaffected by his death glare, the crescent moon peeking under his bangs.

Had he been sitting there the whole time ? Watched her sleep ? Cry and bawl ?

"She nearly died," Tōga's strained voice rang in her ear. Gwen scooted away from him, sitting to observe the very tense interaction between father and son. Well, former father and son; it was clear that Sesshōmaru had not reinstated Tōga as his sire, given the cold and unemotional scolding he was giving him. His icy gaze flittered to her an instant, deep and thoughtful, before it returned to Tōga.

"YOU would have if your woman had not stood her ground."

Pride swelled in Gwen's chest at the subtle praise; for sure, Sesshōmaru was just sticking to the facts. But the truth was that she had repaid her debt, and saved Tōga's life. This, alone, gave her a sense of worth she'd been missing. The mattress shifted slightly as her lover's agitation grew, and she grabbed his arm in hopes of appeasing him.

Evidently, it seemed that her safety was about to be a major point of friction in their life; she couldn't blame him, for she felt the same. The sooner he accepted she would face danger by his side, the better. Gwen caught his gaze, searching for the right words when Haru - the middle-aged yōkai - walked into the room.

"Three cracked ribs, one broken, muscle laceration to the leg down to the bone, a dislocated shoulder and a nasty concussion," he announced. "You will have to stay abed for a few days, I'm afraid."

"Kuso," Tōga swore in between his teeth.

"I slowed down the blood flow from your punctured lung the past night, but you must remain prone for at least another twelve hours."

Gwen sucked in a breath. Punctured lung. Concussion. Suddenly, the fingers around hers tightened in a reassuring grip. Had Tōga eventually realised how close he had brushed death ? Golden eyes flickered back to her, anger receding in favour of a sheepish expression. She marvelled at his openness; her Captain was so much easier to read than Sesshōmaru whose impassive mask was carved perfectly.

"I'm going to have to call in sick," he sighed.

"You're going to go AWOL, chichi-ue. You're not coming back."

The finality of Sesshōmaru's tone sent alarm bells in Gwen's mind.

"Explain," Tōga hissed through clenched teeth.

And Sesshōmaru proceeded to tell them how the story they had posted online had caught the attention of Ryūkotsusei's – the dragon that had fatally wounded Tōga - descendants. Fortunately, both he and Setsuna – his daughter - kept an eye on said tribes as part of their usual duties in the yōkai secret services.

"You are going to be a target now that people know you are resurrected. And you cannot protect yourself against full-blooded yōkai, or even hanyous. Their power is too great for your abilities now."

A building falling upon her head would have been more merciful. Suddenly, the enormity of their situation hit Gwen full force. By publishing this story, they had doomed themselves.

"I need to take it off line," she breathed.

"It's done," Sesshōmaru stated. "You must both disappear from the net, and from this place. We're flying to Japan as soon as we're sure you don't need emergency surgery."

Gwen's mouth nearly fell open in shock, but from the look of things, there wasn't any way around it.

"Is my family in danger ?" she asked.

Cold amber eyes settled upon her, causing a shiver to run up her spine.

"Unlikely. There is nothing that links them to you, and the ones who attacked you are … dissolved."

The reminder of greenish volutes eating away at flesh caused her stomach to churn painfully, but Gwen nodded her thanks. Suddenly, the world she used to live in had tilted again, but instead of taking a turn, it had gone upside down. This was an earthquake magnitude 10,000 on the scale of Gwen's habits.

Talk about an adventure.

"Is there any way we can pack some stuff from our place ?" she asked.

Sesshōmaru exchanged a glance with Haru, then nodded. Gwen was already filing up the indispensable things she wanted to keep, oblivious to the tension that suddenly rose in the cabin.

"Haru will drive her."

"Sesshōmaru," Tōga interrupted.

"Hai ?"

"Can you take her ?"

The tall daiyōkai shared a long, loaded glance with his former father before he nodded his assent. Gwen shivered at the idea of being alone with such a majestic and cold yōkai, but it would ensure the healer remained with her beloved. Another squeeze at her hand, and she turned to Tōga, finding an apologetic look upon his face. The devastated expression, topped by the ugly bruises that marred his beautiful cheekbones broke her heart.

How he managed to look formidable while lying prone in bed was a wonder.

"I'm sorry," he breathed.

Gwen knelt beside him, her fingers trailing across his bangs.

"It's not your fault."

"It is," he countered. "They attacked me because of my blood. You got caught in the crossfire. And now I'm uprooting your whole life."

The young woman shook her head and dropped a kiss upon his battered lips.

"Still not your fault."

"But…"

Gwen bent over until her forehead touched his, capturing his eyes in her determined gaze.

"How would you feel if people attacked me because I'm a woman ? Or a blonde ? Or the daughter of a viking ancestor ? You are who you are, and I love you for it."

It took a moment for Tōga to deflate and concede her point, albeit begrudgingly.

"I see your point, little lady."

"Good," she smugly retorted, kissing his forehead. "Now rest, I'll get our things."

Sesshōmaru's lips twitched, that slip of a woman reminded him of Kagome. In, fortunately, a less vocal version. Somehow, she had faced him, knowing fully well his capacity of destruction, without backing down. Both women had forfeited their lives for those they cared for. And he had to admit that InuYasha took a lot after his own father anyway.

Déjà vu.

Perhaps Gwen would help keep his resurrected Chichi-ue in check after all. If she could not protect him physically, she might still be able to ensure his safety by appealing to his logic. Yes, perhaps he ought to consider an alliance with this little ningen, because the former Inu no Taishō was as brash as ever. Considered he'd lost most of the firepower… it sure as hell was about to get complicated. Sesshōmaru felt a headache coming.

Damn. He needed a stiff drink.

The daiyokai suddenly stood, startling both ningen lounging on the bed.

"Be ready in ten minutes," he instructed his father's lover.

Gwen only nodded her assent. No useless words, no nagging questions.

Good.