InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ In Pursuit of the Green Dragon ❯ Awakening ( Chapter 18 )

They were leaving him. His friends were leaving him. She was leaving him.

It happened in a hundred different ways--sometimes, she died in his arms, with blood bubbling on her lips and soaking the blouse of her school uniform.

Sometimes, it was Kouga, that arrogant stinking wolf, who stole Kagome from him. Smiling shyly up at the dashing, pure-blooded youkai who had won her heart, she departed in Kouga's company, never looking back to where Inuyasha stood, bereft and abandoned.

And sometimes, she simply left, promising to return in a few days when her schoolwork was done. But she never returned. And he never saw her again.

The worst dream of all was the one that was simply a memory of what had already happened: …he leapt into the well, time and time again, only to find his way blocked by the dry dirt and bones at the bottom. Kagome was lost, somewhere on the other side of the now-closed portal. He could feel her, knew she was alive, but where? And, tangled in the net of Edward's magical circle, he couldn't find his way to back to her...

His dreams were vivid, filled with sight, with sound, with scent.

All of them ended with him alone. Abandoned.

His dreams were vivid enough to feel real.

So, when he awoke with a start in the gray half-light of very early morning, his cheeks wet and sticky with half-dried tears, Inuyasha wasn't certain that this wasn't yet another dream.

For one thing, his sense of smell, his hearing and his eyesight were all muted in a way that he experienced only on the night of the new moon.

And for another thing...Kagome was sleeping right next to him, her hip pushing against his, her hair brushing his cheek and nose.

He froze as he noticed her proximity. Maybe this was still a dream. Why else would Kagome...?

It was a dream. It had to be. Kagome in his bed, as if he were a normal man and not a despised hanyou, and she his wife...

His body feeling as heavy and sluggish as a stone statue's, he turned and lifted his hand, skimming fingertips over her cheek. She felt real, her skin warm and soft. She was dressed in the sleeping garments she called 'pajama' and she was deeply asleep.

Not a dream. Damn, he thought, wonderingly.

Then he realized with--was it relief? Or just his sense of propriety?--that she wasn't, in a strict sense, sharing his bed. Kagome had her own futon and quilt.

If anything, he had crept over to her side, and had been clinging to her, like a lost child.

He remembered bits and pieces of his nightmares, of losing her over and over again, of pursuing her retreating form, and pleading with her not to leave him. And here they were now, snuggled together.

Why? Had he been begging for her in his sleep?

Creeping horror and humiliation tightened around his chest like carnivorous youkai vines.

Rolling onto his back with an effort, he took an inventory of his surroundings with his dulled senses. He felt stiff and sore all over, and helpless, but none of his bones felt broken, and he didn't seem to have any other injuries beyond a few bruises.

The last thing he remembered was being in the Bone-eater's Well, the blue light devouring him as he fought to reach Kagome...and then a sense that she was by his side, and that he could sleep now…

How much time had passed since? It had been noon then, and now it was nearly dawn. He had been removed from the well, stripped of his fire-rat robes, and put to bed like a child.

A quick touch to the side of his head, seeking and finding human ears, confirmed that he was human and therefore nose-blind, damn it!

At his side, Kagome mumbled something, snuffled, and rolled closer to him. He froze, and lay utterly still for what seemed a long time, not wanting to awaken her.

He really should move back to his own mattress, he told himself, as the interior of the hut gradually grew lighter, and the morning chorus of birds started up outside. What if she was angry at finding him here, or thought he was trying force himself on her?

But he couldn't summon up the will to leave her, not when she was curled up trustingly at his side.

It was only when he heard the first villagers rise from their beds, and smelled the smoke from cooking fires, that Inuyasha knew he had to move.

He sat up slowly, hoping not to disturb the girl still sleeping at his side. Looking down at her, he felt a twinge in his chest. This is what he wanted, more than the Shikon no Tama, more than anything--to wake up like this every morning, with Kagome at his side.

Almost against his will, he reached down and touched her cheek again.

And froze when she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

Oh shit. I woke her up. And now she's gonna notice that I'm--that we're--

"Inuyasha?" she mumbled, still obviously half-asleep. Then she blinked, and gave him a heartbreakingly brilliant smile. "You're awake! How do you feel?"

Before he could react, she sat up on her knees and lunged forward, engulfing him a hug, dragging her quilt half over them with sleepy enthusiasm.

He let himself yield to the embrace for a moment, inhaling deeply to try to get some trace of her beloved scent through the damnable dulling of his senses.

Then instinct took over: I can't let her know how weak I am.

"I'm fine. I feel fine." His voice sounded hoarse and uneven, even to him. He put his hands on her shoulders, and pushed her away, gently but firmly. Removing a dangerous temptation...

Steeling himself to ignore the hurt expression on her face, he climbed unsteadily to his feet and looked around for his fire-rat garments. He hoped like hell that the light sleeping robe he wore concealed the fact that his knees were shaking.

"Inuyasha, I don't think you should--"

"Dammit, Kagome, how long have I been lying around here?" he demanded, brusquely.

"Three days," she said, softly. "I was really worried."

Three days? What the hell--? His heart sank.

He spotted his clothing.

"Well, I'm fine now, and sick of being cooped up. Turn around, willya?" he demanded, picking up his hakama. "And no peeping."

"Like I'd even want to!" she protested, and huffily maneuvered herself around to sit with her back to him.

No one else was in the hut. Even old lady Kaede had found somewhere else to sleep. Inuyasha wasn't sure if he was flattered or irritated by this sign of special treatment.

Inuyasha cursed as his shaking fingers frustrated his efforts to tie his belt.

Behind him, he heard the soft rustle of clothing and the creak of the floorboards as Kagome took the opportunity to dress herself, as well.

"I still think you need more rest," Kagome said, without turning around.

"I'm fine," he snapped, glaring at his uncooperative fingers. "And don't we have a jewel to find, and a dragon to hunt?"

"But, Inuyasha, you're still not..." Her voice trailed off, but he knew what she wanted to say.

"What, you mean just because I look human?" he sneered. "I'm fine. Stop treating me like some wimpy..." He groped for a comparison, and came up empty. "...human."

Even without his hanyou senses, the waves of anger rolling off her were impossible to miss.

"What are you trying to prove, you idiot?" she asked, her voice rising with temper. "Can't you, for once, just let your friends help you? Especially when you're like this?"

The reminder of his detestable weakness rankled him. I can still protect you, Kagome!

"I don't need your help." He finished tucking in his jacket, and looked around. "Where the hell did you put my sword?"

"Inuyasha!" she said, enunciating each syllable of his name with icy precision. "You get back into bed this very instant! Miroku said you need to rest until your youki is replenished."

"Oh yeah?" It was vitally important that she not look at him and think he was weak. "Make me!"

"Osuwari!" she yelled, then clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.

The enchanted rosary around his neck gave a warning tingle, and he braced himself for the inevitable impact against the floorboards.

Me and my stupid mouth. This is gonna hurt.

…and nothing happened.

Hah! He grinned triumphantly at her, resolutely ignoring the fact that he apparently had so little youki that even the rosary couldn't subdue him.

Her guilt-stricken expression transmuted back to annoyance.

Only then did he notice the tall, golden-haired youth standing in the doorway of the hut, a bucket of water in his hands.

"Er, sorry to intrude," said the stranger, politely. "But Miroku said we should give Inuyasha a sponge-bath today..."

His gaze flicked uncertainly over to Inuyasha, as if surprised to see the hanyou awake and fully dressed.

Inuyasha felt further humiliation heat his cheeks. A sponge bath? A fucking sponge bath! What am I? A baby? An invalid? Weak...

And this stranger had been amongst Inuyasha's nurses, and seen him helpless and maybe even naked?

It--it was beyond mortifying!

"Ah, good morning, Al-kun!" Kagome said, hastily pulling up her quilt around her, and blushing prettily.

Al? That tall bastard is Edward's brother?

Inuyasha caught the adoring look that this Al threw Kagome's way, and his irritation with Edward's brother curdled instantly into strong dislike.

The fact that Inuyasha had to look up to meet Al's eye didn't help, either.

"Alphonse-kun, this is Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is Edward's little brother, Alphonse," Kagome said, confirming what Inuyasha had already guessed.

"I'm pleased to meet you," said Alphonse, soft-voiced and polite as a girl. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Inuyasha thought the bastard actually sounded like he meant it.

"So, you're Edward's brother?" Inuyasha asked, slowly, deliberately using the rudest possible form of address. Damn it, he wished he had Tetsusaiga. Where had Kagome hidden his sword? "Great. Tell me you're not gonna break shit the way that your brother did."

Alphonse blinked, and frowned, as if he was certain he had misunderstood something.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelped, glaring at him furiously. "Can't you be polite for once? Al helped us a lot while you were...sick."

Inuyasha's heart sank as she hurried to Alphonse's side, and took the bastard's arm, apologizing profusely for Inuyasha's rudeness.

Kagome and Al left the hut together, her hand still clasping his arm, and him looking down at her with that same goofy, love-sick look that Kouga employed around her.

Inuyasha was left alone.

His legs were shaking too badly to remain standing. Cursing himself, his weakness, and above all, his stupid pride, he sank to his knees, and waited for Kagome to return.

She was coming back, wasn't she?

Author's Note

Many, many thanks to the wonderful kokoronagomu, who has generously agreed to serve as my beta-reader. She's already saved me twice from making glaring continuity errors...and she asks really excellent story questions.