InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fragile ❯ Purpose ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N Wow. This is a very long chapter (Almost 17 pages). A very late Valentine's Day gift for you and early birthday gift for me. (Does it count as a birthday present if I made it for me?)

Present
Past

Purpose

There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.

September 30, 2006

If there was one thing that Kagome was going to miss after her divorce to Inuyasha was going to be heightened senses. Sure her miko powers can make her hearing, smelling, etc. a bit above average, but nothing beats the advantage of youkai mating. She could hear, smell, see, etc. everything so much better than a human. And she loved it.

Except during pregnancy. That's when her youkai cravings would kick into full gear. Youkai mushrooms with curry, watermelon gelato, pickled radish, hot fudge, and some honey mustard on top. And she didn't even like honey mustard.

Kagome sighed and leaned back on her bed. She hated cravings. She remembered all the weird cravings she had with Kyo. Her new baby was getting more creative than her 3 year old.

She placed a hand on her stomach and felt the comforting aura that was within. She smiled as she recalled the names she would have for her child.

If the baby was a girl, she would be named either Mitsuko or Takara.

If the baby was a boy, he would be named either Yoshiro or Takahiro.

She couldn't wait for her baby. In less than one month, she would be able to hold her little bundle of joy. Someone that can make her see light. Someone that can give her an inch of hope. Someone to love and to cherish. Someone innocent and pure.

February 14, 1991

Kagome sighed as she walked into school, still feeling like something the cat drag in, ate, digested, and then shitted out. For the past weeks, Naraku had beaten her because he suspected that she was sleeping with Takahashi.

Not only was that disgusting, but Naraku was upset because he wanted to be the one to take her virginity and make her scream like a good whore, and she was quoting directly.

She yanked her messenger bag closer to her body to avoid touching anyone else. She was having another one of her moments in time, where she would avoid human contact, especially male, for a couple of hours. A couple of hours were long enough for her to get herself together after a vicious beating from Naraku that was more torturous than any other.

Every time Naraku would try to touch her or he would beat her senseless, craving words into her skull, she would lose sleep and faith. She would sometimes sneak out, making sure Souta was safe, and walk the dangerous streets of Tokyo. She would just walk and think, wondering and estimating how long until she was able to leave with Souta.

Contact with another male would bring back memories she tried to suppress. Contact with another female would make her remember those times when she was happy with her mom, dad, and Souta. Contact with a female was above all painful. All she would need was a couple of hours to try and repress everything and be able to put on her disguise once more that had been shattered by Naraku and created because of him.

“Hey, Higurashi!” Inuyasha called. Kagome let out a shaky breath. Takahashi was a physical person. Meaning, he would most likely touch her shoulder, arm, her head, something. She wasn't ready for that.

“Hey, busu!!” he shouted at her. He frowned when she didn't turn or even acknowledge his shout. He jogged after her and caught up. He placed his clawed hand on her shoulder. His eyebrows drew together when she visibly flinched and froze.

His eyes narrowed when his youki read that she was scared. She was scared and hurt. His aura hadn't picked it up first, because it was barely there. But now, that he touched her, the fear and panic spiked her scent and he really didn't like it for some reason.

Something was up. He wasn't A+ honor student, but he wasn't stupid either (The single A and plenty B's were proof enough). Kagome was scared of something. Something that had made her get scared when he touched her. Maybe she was in love with him and was afraid of him hurting her.

Maybe she was so much in love with him that it hurt her to even look at him. Could it be possible? Kagome had always shown that she despised him, reasons unknown. They had actually been pretty good friends in their earlier days, but after the death of her mother, she had changed completely.

“What?” she snapped at him. That slapped him out of his rambling thoughts. She had shrugged off the hand that had been on her shoulder. He looked confused for a moment.

There was a chance that she did like him. She just didn't know how to express it so she used violence.

“Are you just going to stand there, gaping like a fucking brain dead gorilla or do you want something?” she asked him harshly. Violence and harsh words.

“Be my Valentine.” He said without thinking. He mentally slapped himself when he saw her eyebrows arch and eyes looked surprised and confused.

“How much are they paying you?” she asked. He nearly sputtered before answering. How did she know?! It had only been between him and Miroku.

“What are you talking about?” Kagome gave him a deadpan look. There was no way in the 7 gates of hell that Inuyasha Takahashi, the guy who has almost every girl in school bending over for him, would ask her to be his Valentine. Mainly, when he had Kikyo. There either had to be blackmail or bribery.

“I'm not stupid. So what is it? Blackmail or bribery.” Kagome asked him. Inuyasha was about to open his mouth and make up some half cooked excuse when she spoke again. “And don't make something up. I can see right through you.”

Inuyasha sputtered for a moment. However, one look from Kagome made his shoulders slump and a sigh escape his lips. He mumbled something that Kagome's human ears could not pick up.

“What did you say? I can't hear you.” Kagome slightly mocked him. He glared at her, embarrassed and feeling quite stupid for being caught.

“Three months worth of ramen.” He said. She looked at him in disbelief, before she started to laugh. He looked at her confused. Shouldn't she be upset? Clobbering him? Strangling him? Not try to use his shoulder as support as she laughed so hard, her ribs hurt?

“Oi, wench, have you finally lost it?” he asked her. She laughed some more before finally stopping. She panted softly and wiped her eyes.

“I'm worth 3 months of ramen. Oh god, that's fucking rich.” She chuckled. Inuyasha looked at her. “What? Do I have little green, polka dotted, naked people running out of my scalp?”

“Aren't you upset that me and `Roku placed a bet on you?” She laughed once more. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Would you stop laughing and answer my fucking question?!”

“Alright, don't get your lacy thong in a twist.” She drawled. “I just find it amusing that the guy I despise the most actually cares so much to make a bet of me. It's sooo touching.”

“Stop with the sarcasm.” He snapped at her. “What's it gonna take for you to become my Valentine?”

“Now, now, Inuyasha. That's no way to ask a lady a question. Besides, you want those 100 something packets of ramen that badly.” Kagome asked him. Inuyasha threw his head back and laughed. “Did I miss something?”

“You underestimate me. One hundred packets of ramen will only last me about…..20-30 days. Three months of ramen is nearly 500 packets.” Inuyasha chuckled at Kagome's stupefied look. She was about to ask something, when he decided to explain. “I'm a demon, remember?”

To prove his point, he pointed his claw to his dog ears, which he twitched. Kagome looked at him at awe, nearly drooling at his ears. She pursed her lips and snapped her fingers when she thought of something.

“I got it!! I'll be your Valentine if I can tweak your ears at any time I please for the next month.” She proposed. Inuyasha nearly lost his balance. Tweak his ears? He never let anyone tweak his ears, not even Kikyo. The only woman allowed was his mother.

“Tweak my ears?” Inuyasha ask dumbfounded. “But. But…”

“I'll even add an extra 100 packets. And be your partner for any upcoming projects for two weeks straight. And I'll stop making fun of you and your slut-of-a-girlfriend in front of you guys and the stupid population. And I'll make sure that Kouga and the girls back off. And I'll give you a pound of pickled relish. And--“Inuyasha cut her off by placing his hand on her mouth. She felt her stiffen under his touch and something flashed across her eyes, but she recovered faster than he could blink.

“Whoa…whoa. You're gonna give me a heart attack.” Inuyasha said. Kagome gave him the `Puppy Eyes'. “You really love my ears that much.”

Kagome nodded so fast, he thought she was going to get a whiplash. He held her head so that she would stop.

She froze, but she chanted to herself to relax. It was Inuyasha. Although he was an asshole, he would never hurt her physically. He would taunt her and mock her, but never hurt her physically. She had seen how mad he would get if someone hurt a girl. He couldn't stand it when women cried. He was like one of those heroes in fairytales, except a little more real and daring.

“How about you give me a pound of pickled relish, be my partner for projects and homework, and make that wimpy wolf and those fucking bitches back off and we got a deal. But you gotta accept being my Valentine in the cafeteria in front of everyone.”

Kagome squealed, and before she could think properly, she kissed him on the lips and ran off to go and tell Kouga and the girls. Inuyasha looked at her retreating form, in disbelief.

`Did she just kiss me?' His consciousness asked him. He swallowed the big lump that had formed in his throat. He shook his head and pulled himself together. He walked to the cafeteria to talk with Miroku.

Meanwhile, Kagome had just slammed into a wall. She looked at the ceiling in disbelief as students gathered around her to see if she was alive or not.

`Did I just kiss him?' Her consciousness asked her. She replayed the scene in her mind. Her eyes widen and she sucked in a deep breath, startling the students around her.

Inuyasha laughed mid sentence as he heard Kagome's piercing scream filled most of the hallways in the school. Miroku looked at him, baffled.

“What happened?” he asked.

September 30, 2006

Kagome rubbed her stomach soothingly as she remembered the incident that had brought her and Inuyasha closer than ever. Hey, when you're in the hospital, with no good TV shows on, and nothing to do or read, remembering is all you can do.

And remember she did. She remembered everything, no matter how hard she tried to block it all out. She could remember every single little detail, every single person, every single thought. That might what had made her such a good investigator.

But that's all she could remember lately. Only Inuyasha. Just him. Nothing about her family or her friends or what the hell had happened to her in June. Only Inuyasha.

She got up, turned off and removed her heart monitor, and grabbed her IV. She put her slippers on and slipped out. She knew that the nurses wouldn't say anything, she needed the exercise, but she just wanted to be careful.

Another memory of the same day hit her hard. She steadied her pace, not knowing where she was really going.

Lunch Time

Kagome yelped as Inuyasha lifted her up and carried her away from her friends. Kouga, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi stood up and began to shout at Inuyasha. Kouga began growling and storming after Inuyasha.

“Guys, remember our deal. Don't worry. I'll be right back.” Kagome shouted. Kouga growled before sitting back down. If Kagome hadn't been blackmailing all four of them, they would have already gone to Inuyasha and ripped those ears that Kagome loved so much out of his head and feed him his own intestine.

Inuyasha grunted as he jumped to his group's table and set Kagome down on her feet next to him. By now, they had the entire cafeteria's attention. Inuyasha cleared his throat and Kagome mentally groaned, now regretting the mess that she had gotten herself into.

“Kagome Higurashi-Muso, would you please do me the honor of being my Valentine this year?” Murmurs broke out in the cafeteria like wildfire. Some laughed it off as a joke, but then realized that he was being serious. The cheerleaders were in horror, the jocks in shock, and the outcasts were having seizures when Kagome spoke.

“Yeah. Why not?” Kagome said, sort of bored. Inuyasha looked at her and she rolled her eyes before answering with dripping sarcasm. “Oh, great Buddha, thank you for finally grating my wish!! Now I can die a happy death!!”

“Inuyasha! What is the Meaning of This?!” Kikyo screeched as she stood up from her place at the cheerleader table. Inuyasha and Miroku visibly paled and looked at each other, accusingly.

“You didn't clear it with her?!” Inuyasha hissed at his friend. Kagome stood on the table dumbfounded. “I can't believe you, Miroku!”

“I thought you told her!” He hissed back. Inuyasha groaned and shook his head. Miroku slapped his forehead and slouched in his seat. Kagome scratched her hand looked for someone to give her some guidance. Kikyo seethed and screamed.

“Why are you asking this pathetic loser to be Your Valentine? I'm your girlfriend, so you should ask Me!!” Kikyo raged.

“Excuse you, whore, but it's Miss Retard Outcast, thank you very much!” Kagome snapped at Kikyo. That earned a few nervous laughs scattered around the cafeteria. There was too much confusion going on, and Inuyasha was too busy glaring and arguing at Miroku to clarify some things.

“Kagome, what the hell is going on?” Kouga asked. The table he sat at shook as he pounded his palms on it. Kagome looked nervously at Inuyasha, but he was too busy to notice. She looked around the cafeteria, wondering what in the world she should do.

“I have no fucking clue.” Kagome replied, slightly tensed since the entire cafeteria, including workers, were staring at her. “I think Inuyasha and Miroku forgot to clear the bet with Kikyo.”

“What are you talking about, Higurashi? What bet?” Kikyo asked. For a cheerleader, she was smart. She would be the perfect student, woman, friend, girlfriend, companion, etc. if she didn't go around and screw anything with a dick. That was a great mystery to Kagome. Why would Kikyo Avalon, the perfect person, fuck someone else when she has a decent toy boy whipped?

“Ohh, I get it.” Kagome said. She cleared her throat and glared at Inuyasha and Miroku to shut up. When they didn't get the hint, she grabbed the macaroni and cheese (though it was more like macaroni and paste) and threw it at them. She didn't seem surprised that it landed with a heavy `thunk' (on Inuyasha's back) and landed on the floor, not a single macaroni out of place. They both looked at her startled and quieted down.

“Alright, now that I have everyone's attention, I will help you find your way out of the confusion.” She said dramatically. “Inuyasha asked me to be his Valentine because of a bet he and Miroku made. I said yes after agreeing to some terms. However, Inuyasha and Miroku, being as smart as they are, forgot to tell Kikyo. Now, she thinks Inuyasha likes me, but he's only doing it for the bet. I think that's it.”

“Is that true, Inuyasha?” Kikyo asked him. To put on a good show, she had begun to sniff, trying to hold back her tears. Inuyasha swallowed and nodded.

“Kiks, babe, you know I love you. I'm just asking Kagome because of Miroku's bet. Otherwise, I would have asked you.” Inuyasha said softly and kindly, making all the girls (and a few guys) fall in love with him all over again. He walked over to her and hugged and kissed her. “I'll make it up to you.”

“How?” she sniffed. Inuyasha smiled and whispered in her ear, promising her an elegant dinner and some dessert that involved exercise. She smiled and kissed him. Almost everyone in the cafeteria sighed as the romantic sight between them. Kagome laughed silently as she watched Kouga pretending to throw up. Kagome jumped off the table and walked to go.

“Oh dearest Inuyasha! Take me, like the whore I am, in front of the cafeteria.” Kagome said, mocking Kikyo. The said girl let Inuyasha go and glared at Kagome, who had thrown her arms around Kouga.

“Of course, my Kikyo, my one, my slut, my herpes-infested girlfriend, but I'm too stupid to realize that.” Kouga mocked Inuyasha. The hanyou growled at Kouga and Kagome's play that had caused a few laughs. For some reason, his growls increased when Kouga and Kagome began to make out.

“Oh Inuyasha! For the first time, I can feel your erection, I think. Or you must have a string in your pants.” Kagome said. “But if you can't perform, like always, I'll just find some asshole with a dick, like always.”

“Dear, what sweet words coming out of that mouth that must have kissed at least 100 others. But alas, I am too much of a dunce to realize.” Kouga said. “Kiss me!”

Kagome and Kouga kissed again, but this time, they were interrupted by Inuyasha. The hanyou had stormed up to them and slammed Kouga against the wall, his hands attempting to strangle him. Kagome immediately tackled Inuyasha from behind. He had not expected that, so he and Kagome went crashing on the floor. Kouga panted and dropped to his knees.

“You shit head!” Kagome cussed as she rubbed her head from where she had hit her head. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi went to help her and Kouga up. Kagome refused Ayumi hand and stood up. Kikyo and the jocks went to help Inuyasha, who growled at them to stay away.

“You obviously forgot the deal. Flea-bag and those big mouthed bitches were supposed to lay off.” Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi gaped at Inuyasha. Kouga and Kagome fumed. The wolf youkia moved to set Inuyasha in his place, but Kagome stopped him.

“You can forget those 3 month worth of ramen, that pound of pickled relish, and me being your project!” Kagome spat at Inuyasha. She swung her fist and hit him in the jaw so hard and fast, he barely had time to react as he hit the ground. He rubbed his jaw, knowing that there was going to be a bruise there and looked at Kagome's orange eyes that now looked red with anger. “And you can most definitely forget about me being your Valentine.”

She grabbed Kouga's arm and stormed away. Eri and Ayumi glared at Inuyasha and walked away, restraining Yuka, who wanted to rip his hair off. All of his hair. Inuyasha sighed, knowing he had fucked up and nearly cried when he realized that he would no longer get his precious ramen or pickled relish. And to make things worse, the principal had been informed about the fight.

February 15, 1991

At almost two in the morning, most of Tokyo was asleep. Yet Kagome was unable to join those lucky, lucky sons of bitches. She was kept up and was looking forward to sleeping.

Kagome grunted, trying to keep herself from yelling and cursing out loud as Naraku took another swing at her. She bit her lip, drawing a little blood. It would be a small wound compared to all the bruises and welts she had all over her body. She didn't know why he was being more brutal than ever before.

“You little whore! I can't believe you stupid, worthless slut! I can't believe I get pulled out of a meeting to go and get your fucking ass from school because of another fight that you caused!” Naraku yelled in rage. Kagome thanked the lords for having the brilliant gift of being a miko so that she could put up sound proof barriers around her room. Naraku would always be too caught up in the moment to notice.

“After all that I have done! I married your fucking poor, weak mother and took you and your shitty little brother and gave you everything! I worked my ass off so you guys wouldn't have to worry about money or anything. And then your fucking mother died leaving me stuck with your little snot-nosed shits. I would have given you up for foster care if I wasn't such a public figure! Maybe you can finally learn a fucking lesson from this!” He screamed at her.

Kagome closed her eyes and tried to block out the pain. The wounds she could handle, but Naraku's harsh words she couldn't. She knew she shouldn't care, but she still did. She had tried to tell herself that Naraku's opinion did not matter. But they did. He was her stepfather; he was her provider, her abuser, and practically her rapist. His opinion really did matter.

He finally grew tired of beating her. She quickly took down the barrier and just laid there. Many times she would pretend to be unconscious in order to make him stop. And it worked all the time. He wanted her to be fully awake to hear her words and feel claws and feet kicked and punching, scraping and scratching.

Kagome's shoulders slumped and her tears spilled when she heard his bedroom door close. Slowly she got up and winced as her body roared in protest. She dragged her broken body to the bathroom (thanking the lords that she had a bathroom in her room) and got her medical kit from the medicine cabinet. She swallowed aspirin to dull out the pain.

She used her miko abilities to heal the biggest wounds. She swallowed her screams as she set her dislocated fingers back in their original positions. She began to clean her wounds and closed her eyes as she felt the alcohol burn. She dressed and stitched her wounds as best as she could, since she had one sprained wrist and sore fingers that had been dislocated. She changed her clothes and left the mess there. She could always clean later.

Kagome collapsed on the tile floor. Normally, she would huddle her body, but it was too much for her. She needed to get out. She was suffocating, she couldn't breathe, her lungs screamed. It was much too hot for her. Everything was closing in on her and she couldn't take it. She needed some fresh air that she could overdose on. She needed to be outside or at least in a different house.

As she came up with a plan, the fragile miko swallowed some more painkillers. She knew that she couldn't go to her friends since they lived so far away and she didn't think she could make the entire trip. She needed to be somewhere closer. She would most definitely not go to Souta. Kagome wanted to keep Souta as far away as she could from Naraku and the abusive relationship she shared with him.

She closed her eyes and wished to be able to go with her family. She wanted her father to hug her and say that it was okay and that it wouldn't happen ever again. Of course, if he had still been alive, this would have never had happen. And her mother. She wanted her mother to apologize for marrying Naraku so shortly after her father's death. She wanted her mother to say that she didn't know what she was thinking, except that she was hoping that Naraku would help them get out of the shit hole they had dug themselves in. She wanted her mother to apologize and beg for forgiveness. But in the end, she knew that her mother had nothing to be sorry for. Her mother was only trying to do was best for her and for her brother.

Kagome's tears ran down her face like there was no tomorrow. She wished there was no tomorrow. But it wouldn't happen. So instead, she wished that she at least had a pet that could comfort her and lick her tears away. Maybe a dog. A cute dog, preferably big so that he could bite Naraku. One that had light fur. Maybe white or silver fur. And cute dog ears. And light colored eyes, maybe blue or yellow or golden amber.

Kagome's eyes snapped open as she realized that she had just described her neighbor. Her neighbor, Inuyasha, who might be annoying but who was very trustworthy. Someone who would wipe her tears away because he could never stand a woman crying and would do anything he could until she was finally happy.

She slapped herself as she realized what she had been thinking. Going to Inuyasha house at 3 in the morning? That was ridiculous. Not only did she hate him and vice versa, but she couldn't tell him what really happened in her house. Well, maybe she could simply show up and refuse to give him an explanation. But he would still turn her away.

Before her mind could think things through, Kagome found herself putting her shoes on, climbing out of her window, onto a tree, and down to the yard. She couldn't jump from roof to roof since her room was on the opposite side of Inuyasha's house. She limped to the gate that separated her yard from Inuyasha's yard and jumped it (It was locked from both sides). She grunted as she hit the ground and rolled a bit. She let out a shaky breath to prevent herself from screaming in pain. She laid there, looking at the cloudy, pitch black sky.

She contemplated just lying there, having her blood soak the earth. But she got up, as much as she loathed it, and limped her way to where Inuyasha's window was. She let her aura spread to see if Kikyo or anybody else was in his room. She was relieved to find that nobody, except Inuyasha, was in the house. She looked around and saw that there was a ladder that blended well into the wall of the house. She smirked, knowing that Inuyasha and Kikyo used it to get in and out of the room.

Kagome took a deep breath and used her miko powers to try and stop the bleeding from her body. She prepared herself for the pain and began to climb the ladder. She had slipped many times because of her wrist and fingers, but she was still making progress. She was almost all the way up when Inuyasha's window opened and his head popped out. His eyes clearly showed the shock as he saw Kagome finish climbing up. He tensed up and nearly shouted at her.

"Kagome? What the hell are you—" He stopped talking when Kagome smiled at his sadly. His entire body relaxed and his dog ears folded down. Her eyes were filled with tears but her stubbornness didn't let her cry. Yet.

"Help me in, dog boy." Kagome said softly. Inuyasha grumbled softly before grabbing her forearms and lifting her into the room like she was a feather. Kagome winced as his hands unintentionally made her bruises even worse. He let go off her and noticed that she was in a pair of rolled up sweats, a t-shirt, and Vans on. He could see some blood trails going down her leg and sniffed the air that surrounded her. Her usually sweet and spicy scent was filled with pain, blood, and tears. There were many more dark emotions that had blackened her aura.

He snapped out of his daze and put on a shirt. Kagome smiled softly as she saw that he had on a pair of boxers covered in dogs.

"What are you doing here this late?" he asked her. Kagome sighed and bit her lip, regretting coming to Inuyasha for comfort.

"Uh, I was just in the neighborhood and decided to say 'hi'?" Kagome tried. Inuyasha laughed softly. Only Kagome would try and make jokes when she was covered in blood. And in her own blood, none the less.

"Sit here while I go and get a medical kit." Inuyasha said as he led her to his bed. He knew he should be asking more questions, demanding an explanation, freaking out as the girl he hated and taunted showed up in the middle of the night at his window covered in her blood. But he was oddly and slightly calm about it.

He grabbed the medical kit and went back to his room. He expected to see Kagome gone, but there she was, staring out his window. He sighed as he knelt before her, rolling her pant legs further and taking off her shoes. She stiffened and began to get out of his touch.

"I won't hurt you. I just want to clean and properly dress your wounds." He said as he eyed her poor attempts to stop the bleeding. He could smell that she had used her miko powers to close them up somewhat, but they were still deep. He shuddered to think of the condition she had been in before he came to her. Kagome relaxed and let him treat her gashes. He removed the old bandages and got out some new ones.

"How come you're not freaking out?" she asked him silently, flinching at the alcohol. He looked up and stared at her orange eyes. He smiled and went back to the alcohol and cotton balls.

"I was just asking myself that question." He said. He finished wrapping one leg and moved to the other. Kagome stared in awe as she saw that he did a wonderful job. Inuyasha saw her questioningly gaze. "Growing up with a violent older stepbrother and getting into so many fights had taught me how to take care of wounds."

"I'm sorry for disturbing you so late at night." Kagome apologized. She made it seemed like she had simply woken him up by turning her music up too loud. "It's just that you were the only person I could think of that was within limping distance."

Inuyasha chuckled as he wrapped her leg carefully. He rolled down her pant legs to cover the bandages and scars that covered her entire legs and looked at her arms. Her right wrist was blue and purple, mostly likely twisted. Her fingers were bloody. Her arms were practically bruise-and-scar-free. That shocked him. But that meant that her torso must have been the place where she sustained the most hits.

He wasn't planning to ask her about the scars. If he knew one thing about human females was to never ask them something if they didn't want to talk about it. He quickly and carefully wrapped her fingers and wrist.

"At this rate, I'm going to end up looking like a mummy." Kagome mumbled. Inuyasha laughed.

"You'll make one very hot mummy." He didn't know what possessed him to say that, but once he saw that Kagome blushed, he knew it was worth it. "Ah, so she can blush."

"Very funny." She said as her blush increased slightly. Inuyasha gather all the bloody things he had used or removed and placed them in a plastic trash bag.

"Well, that's all I can do. Unless you want me to see your torso, which I don't think you'd want me to." Inuyasha said. He stood up and rummaged for a clean pair of boxers and t-shirt to replace Kagome's bloodstained ones. He gave them to her and pointed at the bathroom. "You can change in there if you like. I'll be right back with some tea."

"Thank you Inuyasha. I was crazy for thinking that I should come here, especially with the bad history we share. But thank you so much. I know I can trust you not to say anything to anyone or ask questions." Kagome said softly. She went into the bathroom and changed her clothes as she heard Inuyasha leave the room and get her some tea. The wounds on her torso were much worse than the ones on her legs, but she used a bit of her miko powers to heal the deepest ones. She knew she shouldn't use too much of her power since she hadn't really been train to be a proper miko.

When she left the bathroom and placed her bloody clothes on bag Inuyasha left on the table, she took a look around the big room. His bedroom was not as messy as Souta's, but it could use some organization. She smiled as she looked at the posters of models, bands, and lawyer shows. She looked at his books and saw mainly books about law, crime, mystery, and horror. She also saw his dirty books that weren't hidden very well. She looked up as she saw him enter.

"Thanks." she said as she grabbed the hot liquid. She drank half of it quickly. Inuyasha looked at her astonished. "What? It doesn't burn."

"And you wonder why I call you weird." Inuyasha teased. Kagome smiled as she drank the rest of the tea slower. "So, what brings you here?"

"Ahh, just wanted comfort from a dog. You were the closest thing." Kagome said. Inuyasha perked up when he saw that twinkle in her eye whenever she got happy. He knew his next question was going to take it away.

"Does Souta know you're here?" he knew that Kagome and Naraku didn't exactly meet eye to eye so he didn't ask about him. Kagome shook her head as she set the empty cup down on the night table. She was about to sit on the floor when Inuyasha stood and made her sit on his bed.

"No, he doesn't even know what happened to me. Please don't tell him." Kagome said as she took the seat.

"I'm not even going to ask you anything about what happened. All I am going to do I offer my bed and that's it." Inuyasha said. Kagome was about to protest but he wouldn't hear it. "No, that is final. I know that you came from your house so I'm not letting you go back there. You stay the night here and I will drop you off there before Souta even notices you missing."

Kagome's back stiffened as she realized how smart Inuyasha truly was. She didn't think that he would be able to draw conclusions so well in so little time. And she knew that because he was so stubborn, she was stuck in his bed.

"You watch too many cop shows. But thanks. Again." Kagome replied. Inuyasha smiled.

"Okay, now shut up and go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll be in your room." He said.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Kagome asked him.

"On the floor or in another room if you would like." He said.

"No, on the floor is fine." She didn't know what possessed her to say that. She should be trying to get away from human contact, not offer it to stay near her. "Thanks—"

"If you say thank you one more time, I am going give you a rotten sandwich for lunch tomorrow." Kagome laughed at his silly threat. She stared in surprise as she saw that the bed actually had another mattress underneath that you could pull out. Inuyasha grabbed a spare pillow and blanket and set his bed. She realized what the real purpose for that extra mattress was. "Now, hush and go to sleep."

"Good night, Inuyasha." Kagome said as she crawled under the covers and fell asleep instantly. She didn't feel the soft touches that tucked her hair away from her face.

"Good night, Kagome." Inuyasha said as he laid down and went to sleep.

Kagome smiled as she remembered that night. It was the first night ever that, after a brutal beating, she didn't have nightmares or insomnia. That night had been the start of the friendship of her and Inuyasha. That night was the beginning of the many more nights that were to follow.

She went back to her room after the somewhat relaxing walk and was surprised to see a vase of flowers on her nightstand. She immediately went to go see from whom they were from. Her eyes were filled with love, happiness, and laughter as she read the long card that was signed by a man she loved and cherished very much.

She placed the card down and closed her eyes. She inhaled the sweet aroma of the flowers. A passing nurse smiled as she saw that Kagome was happy about the wild roses that she had received.

To Kaggy:

I'm glad to hear that you are trying to get better. Remember that when this whole episode is over, we are so going to much a deserved and needed vacation. I'm thinking Europe, but after seeing all those horror movies of tourists getting killed, I thought of backpacking through the South American mountains. Or we could always go to Hawaii and get burned by the exploding volcanoes or eaten alive by the sharks. We all miss you so much and want you home as soon as possible so that we could stop eating Sango's crappy food. So, speed that heeling faster before I go over there and strangle you. Though I don't think it will help matters.

Love, Your Brat Souta.

Care to partake in a game of chance? Push the purple button and three hot chicks will appear at your side. Or maybe, you'll get a Chapin sumo wrestlers with more ass and boobs than the whole neighborhood. Push the purple button and see what you might get.