Chapter 68
Apologia pro vita sua
"Defense of one's life"

"Thus human beings judge of one another,
superficially, casually,
throwing contempt on one another,
with but little reason, and no charity."
—The Scarlet Pimpernel

It was early evening when they touched down just outside the village. Inuyasha tucked her up closer against him.

She looked up at his face, but he was still staring at the road before them. Well, more like glowering at the road before them.

"Is something wrong?" She whispered to him, following his gaze.

His eyes darted down to her, and his face softened a little.

"No," he said, shifting her up a little higher.

"You're sure?" She asked him again.

"Yeah," he muttered, and she very quietly looped her fingers around his beads, running the pads of her fingertips over the smooth pieces. "You guys lead," he said, nodding at them to take the road first.

Kirara hopped up to Sango's shoulder, and Shippo rode on Miroku's shoulder as they walked towards the village's entrance. They were walking several feet in front of her, and Kagome's eyes drifted to the entrance of the village. It wasn't large and no one harassed them when they walked in, but at the same time, it felt very intimidating.

Miroku quickly stopped the first person they saw on the road, and Kagome saw the woman glancing over at her, eyes narrowing slightly.

"What are they saying?" Kagome whispered.

"He's asking for directions," Inuyasha murmured to her. She tightened her grip on his beads.

She'd been in villages like this before. She'd been fine.

And then there were the people who'd talked and whispered where they'd thought that she couldn't hear.

But they were wrong.

Or maybe they didn't care whether she could hear them or not.

She wasn't entirely sure which was worse.

Inuyasha tightened his grip on her, and she rested her head against his shoulder. She didn't want to see anyone or anything else.

"We're heading this way," Miroku called over to them, and she felt Inuyasha begin moving again.

"You okay?" Inuyasha asked her quietly.

She nodded against his firerat, still holding onto his beads and her free hand slowly intertwined itself into his robe, seeking comfort from him in any way that she could.

"I got you," he murmured, and she felt a small smile break over her face at his comment.

"I know," she mumbled into his shoulder, and he made a small grunting sound, so quiet that it barely made a noise, but she felt it with her cheek pressed against him.

They wandered through the village, and Kagome noted that there were a few homes undergoing repairs. Not entirely unusual for a village this size, but she could see the people watching them as they passed. Some of them would stare and then turn to talk to others about them. She knew it was about them. What else would they have to whisper about? People only whispered about things that they didn't want people to overhear.

"What are they saying?" She asked quietly.

"Nothing bad," he said, turning his head slightly. "Something's been through here though."

She dragged her eyes back to the repairs. Roofs. Walls.

He was right, something had been through here.

"Sounds like a youkai," Inuyasha whispered a few moments later.

Kagome watched the villagers. None of them seemed to be paying them much attention aside from their initial stares before they continued on with their business.

They stopped moving, and Kagome turned to see them in front of an inn.

"Monk, we were supposed—"

"I know," Miroku interrupted, holding up a hand. "They said that she was near here and to see if a room is available."

"You okay?" Inuyasha asked her, and she nodded, head still against his shoulder.

Miroku slipped inside while Sango waited outside with them.

"How're you feeling?" Sango asked, turning towards her. "Does anything hurt?"

"No, I'm okay," she said, running her fingers over his beads.

Miroku reappeared, walking up to them.

"They're sending someone to find the healer," he said. "And they also have a room available for us."

"Why do I feel like there's a 'but' coming?" Inuyasha asked.

"They did say that we would be required to talk with the headman before they would let us stay?" Miroku winced. "In all fairness, they did say that if the headman agreed, they would not charge us for our stay!" He finished quickly.

Inuyasha growled.

"So where's the headman?" Sango asked.

"I thought that you and I, dearest Sango, would go see him, and you, Inuyasha, could tend to Kagome in our room."

"Our room?" Inuyasha asked.

"Miroku," Sango warned.

"Only so the healer would know where to find her!" Miroku added, waving his hands in front of himself.

"We'll go talk to the headman, see what he wants, and then come back and let you know," Sango sighed heavily. "Is that okay? Or would you rather me stay with you?"

Kagome looked at the inn, and then up at Inuyasha.

"Keh, I ain't going with those two," he scoffed quietly.

"Miroku could probably use your help," Kagome told Sango.

"I would never decline a moment alone with my dearest love," Miroku said.

"We're taking Shippo," Sango muttered.

"Aw," Shippo whined. "I wanted to stay here with Kagome."

"Help Sango and Miroku. This way you can tell me everything," she said, giving him a smile, and his tail flicked before giving her a solemn nod.

"I'll make sure Miroku doesn't do anything dumb," Shippo vowed.

"Thanks for the vote of reassurance," Miroku deadpanned. "I'll go show you to the room."

"Sango, bring the bag," Inuyasha ordered.

"Be nice!" Kagome chastised, jerking on the beads slightly. "Thanks, Miroku," Kagome said, as he took the lead with Inuyasha following him up the steps and into the small inn.

"If you could please show us to the room? Our priestess is the one in need of medical attention." They stared at them, and Kagome could feel Inuyasha's fingers grip her more tightly.

No one moved in the small space.

"You only requested one room," the lady spoke softly turning towards Miroku.

"Is that a problem?" Miroku asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

The woman's gaze flipped between the three of them before settling back on Miroku.

"The priestess will be safe—" Inuyasha's growl and Miroku's throat clearing stopped her from finishing the statement.

"I'm afraid that Inuyasha is her guardian protector. He doesn't let her go many places alone but especially not when she's injured."

The woman didn't appear convinced.

"Inuyasha's not violent, if that's what you're thinking," Kagome added with a frown. Why did people always assume the worst with him? It wasn't like he was running around and slashing things. Instead, they were just picking on him for no reason at all!

"So long as our dear priestess is safe, he's practically a puppy," Miroku continued, and she saw Inuyasha snap a glare at him.

"I'll show you the room," the woman said softly, leading the way down the hall. She walked them down, passing the various sliding doors before stopping at the end of the hall and pulling the door open for them. It had a fire pit and the room looked like it would sleep all of them easily. There was even a screen that could be used to separate the room if they wanted.

"You've been so kind," Miroku said to her, as Inuyasha stepped inside. "I assume, you'll both be okay here?"

Inuyasha scoffed moving farther into the room.

"Sango and I will return as soon as we have news," Miroku said, taking a step back as Sango came inside and set her backpack down against the wall.

"You're sure you'll be okay?" Sango asked again.

"Yeah. I think we'll be okay," Kagome said and Sango gave her a nod.

"Alright, we'll be back soon," she said with a wave, walking back out into the hall, giving them both a small smile as Miroku the door behind them.

Inuyasha sighed before walking over to the fire pit and settling her down beside it.

"I'll go grab a blanket and start the fire. You need anything?" He asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I think I'm okay," she said as Inuyasha gave her a short nod before standing and walking over to her bag. He scooped it up off the floor, carrying it back to her by the straps. He quickly dug out a blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders even though the room wasn't that chilly.

He quickly set off to start the fire, opening the door to find the cut wood stacked up just outside the door. Carrying an armful to the small fire pit in front of her, he quickly piled the wood into shape. His movements were all lithe and familiar. Kagome unzipped the front pocket of her bag, digging out the box of matches, handing them over to him.

"Thanks," he said, digging a match out, and striking it against the floor, bringing it to life. She watched him situate the match, and the logs charred, bringing the fire to life and then slowly starting the coals.

She put the box of matches away in her bag.

"What do you think the headman wants?" She asked him as he shifted to sit beside her.

"Who knows?" He sighed. "Don't really care so long as they don't make us leave before that healer gets their ass over here."

"I'm sure they're working as fast as they can," Kagome said, patting his forearm. "It's not like we live here. You know Kaede would choose to help one of the villagers first too. We can't blame them."

"You're too nice," he grumbled as she shifted the blanket around and tried to get comfortable.

"One of us has to be," she said with a smile. He glanced over at her, mouth twitching ever so slightly at her own smile.

She shifted again, and he stared at her before moving his arm to the side, opening himself up to her, giving her the option to lean against him.

She took a moment to appreciate the gesture before she twisted herself to lean her back against his side. She grabbed his arm, tugging it over her shoulder and wrapping her arms around his and grabbing his hand in her own. He tensed against her, and it took a few minutes for him to relax again.

It was nice and quiet. The sound of the fire crackling next to them made her feel so close to falling asleep.

She let her head fall back against his side, and he squeezed her fingers lightly.

She made a noise in the back of her throat as she let her cheek rest against his arm.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, lightly shaking her shoulder. She lolled her head back, groaning. She'd been sleeping comfortably and well, and she didn't want to be awake just yet.

"Five more minutes," she grumbled, trying to twist herself back into the comfortable warmth that she'd wrapped around herself.

"The healer's coming. You have to get up," he said, and she groaned again, but shifted herself to sit upright, wincing as her joints crackled. "You okay?" He asked, and it took her brain a long moment to process just what he was asking about.

She glanced over her shoulder, nodding at him. Rubbing at her face with her hands, she tried to wake herself up. He rose up, pausing ever so slightly to look at her for a moment before he strode over to the door, sliding it open and stepping to the side.

"Hello?" A woman's voice came through the doorway as a middle-aged woman appeared, recoiling visibly at the sight of Inuyasha. "What are you doing here?"

"Inuyasha is with me," Kagome said, firmly, now completely awake. She didn't like the way the woman was staring at Inuyasha, like he was a threat. He wasn't a threat to anyone, but she was acting like he didn't belong here. "Are you the healer?"

"Yes. They said that you had a dog, but I didn't realize he was youkai," she spat.

Inuyasha stood there, fists clenched, not saying a single word.

"Inuyasha isn't leaving," she said, watching the woman edge into the room clutching her basket in her hands and keeping to the walls of the room.

"Will you please shoo him out while I'm working?" The woman asked, standing so that Kagome was between her and Inuyasha.

"I'm not shooing him anywhere!" Kagome said, pushing herself awkwardly to her feet.

"What do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha shouted at her, as she struggled to stay upright and balanced on one foot.

"She does not get to treat you like an animal!" She shouted at him as he grabbed her elbow as she nearly toppled into the fire pit.

"Would you sit down?!" He said, righting her stature.

"You let him touch you so familiarly?" The healer nearly shrieked.

"He's not doing anything inappropriate, you—you prude!"

"Kagome," Inuyasha chided as he tried to urge her to sit back down, but she fought him, tugging her hands free.

"You call yourself a priestess!" The healer spat at her, eyes drifting up and down her form. "And you let a mongrel like that touch you!"

"It doesn't matter what I call myself!" Kagome snapped back at her. "And don't you dare talk about Inuyasha like that!" She pushed his hands away, marching over to really give her a piece of her mind—and her hands—but that first step made her entire body crumple with a sharp yelp.

"You're not supposed to be standing on that foot!" Inuyasha caught her under her arms and lowered to the ground as she resisted the urge to fall backwards and whine like a small child with an 'ouchie'.

But her ankle was throbbing painfully, and she wiped the tears away from her face.

"I'll look at your ankle," the healer said, moving towards Kagome, "but only if he leaves."

She knew that if she asked him, he would leave, especially if it meant that she could be taken care of by the village's healer. That had been his entire insistence on coming here in the first place. But it wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. And she wanted him here with her.

"Inuyasha stays," Kagome repeated firmly. "He's not leaving."

"It's inappropriate to allow such a creature to stay indoors!"

"What're you implying?" Inuyasha snapped.

"He's a person!" Kagome shouted at the same time as she sat on the floor.

"You can't be serious," the woman half-laughed. "I refuse to work while a beast like him is in the room, much less a man!"

"Then you can leave!" Kagome growled out.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. "No!" He moved quickly, blocking the doorway with his body, glowering at the healer.

"I'll scream," she warned, taking steps backwards and away from Inuyasha. "The guards will come." Her voice wavered, and Inuyasha almost grimaced.

"Everything okay?" Miroku asked, stepping into the room, gently pushing Inuyasha aside.

"Oh good, a voice of reason!" The woman sighed, motioning a hand to Kagome. "This woman has clearly been addled."

"Excuse you!" Kagome shouted.

"Hey!" Inuyasha snapped, stepping forward and making the woman shriek.

"How about we all take a breath and start from the beginning?" Miroku stated, holding his hands up. "There has obviously been some miscommunication here."

Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I assume you are the healer," Miroku said, ignoring Inuyasha's glare. "Would you mind filling us in a bit on what happened?"

Inuyasha's growl echoed behind him as Miroku stepped more fully into the room with Sango skirting by him to move beside Kagome.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked softly.

"Yes, she just—"

"I came to see to a priestess, but you can imagine my horror when I found this thing here."

"He is not a thing!" Kagome snapped, looking for something to throw at her.

"Ah," was all Miroku said at that line. "I think I can see what's happening here." He cleared his throat a little.

"I want to go," Kagome said loudly.

"Kagome, your ankle really needs to be looked at and your shoulder," Sango argued.

"I will not work with a youkai!" She shouted.

"I understand your concerns, but I can assure you that you are in no danger—"

"Have you seen what his kind has done to our village?"

Inuyasha's ears flattened back against his head even farther, and Kagome held her hand out to him, eyes already beginning to water.

It wasn't fair! Why did people always judge him to be the absolute worst when he'd done nothing wrong? He'd literally just existed, and they just blamed him for everything. Why couldn't anyone see what she did? Why didn't anyone give him a freaking chance?

Inuyasha, however, wasn't moving towards her or even looking at her.

He just stared at the ground, arms shoved into his sleeves with his signature glower on his face.

"We have spoken to the headman," Miroku reiterated as Kagome withdrew her arms back to herself, "but you must understand that our friend here is her protector. I promise you that no one will come to any harm here. We are here to help."

The woman didn't say a word to that, only stood there angrily staring at Inuyasha.

"Take him outside, and I will see to her." The healer crossed her arms in front of her chest after making her ultimatum, as if daring them to refuse.

She couldn't do this alone! The idea of being without someone made her heart pound so hard in her chest she was surprised each beat didn't knock her around the room.

Kagome's eyes snapped between Inuyasha and Sango. Inuyasha scowled even fiercer, opening his mouth to retort.

"I will stay," Sango interrupted, looking over at Kagome and grabbing her hand. "I'll stay."

Kagome nodded, exhaling long and slow as she gripped onto Sango's hand.

"Inuyasha, Shippo, and I will step just outside on the veranda," Miroku offered, tugging gently on Inuyasha's sleeve to make him move.

"But—!" Shippo started, leaping off Miroku's shoulder, but Miroku quickly snatched him out of thin air, preventing his escape. He whined, but Miroku ignored him.

"We'll be right outside this very thin door," he continued. "Where I'm sure even I will be able to hear everything that is said."

Inuyasha grumbled something as he passed by, giving her a quick glance before disappearing outside the door.

"We will be right here," Miroku said loudly as he shut the door, dividing them.

The room felt very small, and she watched the healer's shoulders drop in what she assumed was relief.

Kagome, however, felt tenser than before.

"Alright," the healer said after a moment. "Where are you injured?"

"Our main concern is her ankle," Sango answered. "Her shoulder probably needs some stitches as well."

The healer shifted to sit down at her ankle, gingerly lifting the limb into her lap to unwrap it.

"These bandages are most unusual," she commented. "I've never seen fabric like this before."

"They're from my village," Kagome snapped back at her, still upset about how the woman had treated Inuyasha, but Sango was right, her ankle definitely needed tending to, and they needed this village's lackluster version of Kaede.

The healer set the wrap aside and began looking at her ankle. She carefully pressed her fingers along the joint, and Kagome hissed loudly as she pressed a particularly tender area.

A short growl came from outside the door, followed by a mumbled response from Miroku.

"This will probably hurt, but I have to check the joint." The healer's eyes darted towards the doorway to the porch before she looked back at her foot.

Fingers carefully pressed along very painfully tender spots, making her jerk her foot and whine at the throbbing pain that was starting to take hold.

"I don't think it's broken, but you've twisted it very badly. You probably shouldn't be putting any pressure on it for a few weeks, and keep it elevated as much as possible."

There was a small amount of relief in that she hadn't managed to break it. That would definitely complicate things, to say the least, and Inuyasha would be insistent on returning home and her staying there until she was healed.

But a sprain, she might be able to convince him to let her stay. The healer dug through her basket, opening up a jar of some sort of salve and rubbed it over her bruised flesh. She wrapped a new strip of fabric around her ankle firmly, tying it off quickly and easily.

"Where else are you injured?" The healer asked her, setting her leg gently beside her own.

"She's got a large cut on her shoulder and then some smaller ones on her arms," Sango filled in.

She rummaged through her basket before shifting to sit closer to her shoulder.

"May I?" The healer said, motioning to her collar.

Kagome unbuttoned her shirt, pushing the collar to the side so she could see could begin to unwrap the bandages that Sango and put into place for her. When she removed the last of the layers, Kagome fidgeted with her fingers as the woman stared at the wound on her shoulder. She hadn't gotten to see it, but she knew that it couldn't look that pretty.

"When did this happen?"

"A few days ago," Kagome said.

"What sort of creature did this?" Her fingers pressed gently around the wound. "This looks almost like a bite mark."

"A wolf," Sango answered after a beat, and Kagome looked over at her. The notion that she might blame Inuyasha for what had happened crossed her mind, and she knew that if she did, then Inuyasha would definitely not be welcomed any longer, which meant that she would not be welcomed, because wherever Inuyasha went, so did she.

The healer hummed a bit under her breath as she examined Kagome.

"It looks like it's healing quite well enough on its own. You've taken good care of it."

"Uh thanks," Kagome said as the healer worked on her shoulder.

"Unfortunately, stitches aren't an option. The skin has already begun to heal, and stitching it might cause more issues than not. The best I can do is clean it well enough, but you'll need to make sure it stays covered and dry." She rifled through her basket taking out a couple of small jars and handing them to Sango. "I'll leave you those salves to help keep it clean and a little moisturized, which may help with some scarring." She looked at it again before shifting the contents of her basket, drawing out some fresh wrappings, and began the process of rewrapping her shoulder, while mumbling underneath her breath.

Whatever she said, Inuyasha snarled at and Kagome saw his shadow looming through the doorway.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted. "We talked about this!"

"Yeah, well fuck you and your words!" Inuyasha snapped.

"We're almost done," Sango quickly called through the door. "Just a bit longer."

The healer cleared her throat, quickly tying off the knot in the front.

"Anywhere else?"

"Nope!" Kagome answered quickly, tugging her shirt up over her shoulder to hide everything from view. Sango gave her a look, but didn't push the subject any further.

"Well, then, I will happily take my leave, and get away from—" Her voice paused as she considered her word choice, settling finally on, "foolishness."

Picking up her basket, the healer nodded her head at the both of them, spinning on her heel and marching herself out the door. Kagome flinched at the sharp snap of the doors behind her.

"Fucking finally," Inuyasha said, snapping the back door open as Kagome finished buttoning her shirt. "Thought that bitch would never leave," he said, walking over to her. "You okay?"

"Yeah?" She said, though she wasn't sure why he was asking. "She gave me some stuff for my ankle and shoulder." He settled down beside her, and she twisted herself to wrap her arms around his, biting back a small yawn.

"Here," Sango said quickly, pulling out her sleeping bag and unrolling it. Kagome shifted herself onto it.

"C'mere," Inuyasha said, shifting his leg, so it was closer to the floor.

She looked at him and then at his leg.

"You gonna lay down or not?" He asked, and she smiled as he dragged the sleeping bag into better position, and she curled up with her head on his leg. He deftly flicked the blanket back over her, and Shippo quickly dove under the blanket, curling up against her chest. Kagome rested her arm over him, and he took a deep breath as he snuggled in under her chin.

Inuyasha's hand rested on the side of her shoulder, and she sighed as she looked out across the fire. Sango and Miroku were sitting across from them, and Kirara was curled up in Sango's lap.

Inuyasha's thumb lightly tracked over her shoulder.

"So what did the headman wanna talk about?" She asked, eyes already drifting closed.

"You gonna be able to stay awake?" Inuyasha asked.

"Uh-huh," she mumbled, tucking Shippo in tighter against her.

Inuyasha snorted out a quick disagreement of her assessment of herself.

She didn't even hear Miroku's response.

A/N: Thanks again for being so patient with me! You guys are amazing. The first full week of school is always rough, and I've never been happier for a Friday. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. As always, let me know what you think!