InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ It is you I have loved ❯ A Peeping Savior ( Chapter 5 )

The rest of the day was tense. Once Sesshomaru had successfully managed to evade his brother's questions, Inuyasha had made his way over to Kagome. He didn't question her though. What he did was much worse. She could feel the angry stare Inuyasha was giving her almost pushing her from behind. He was seething and even though she feared his gaze, it was all she could do not to turn around and look at the furious hanyou. `Ugh…why me? How could I be so stupid!? Good job Kagome, now both brothers probably think you're easily swayed.' Although Kagome was angry at herself, she allowed herself a small joy. Even if it was just for one confused second, someone in the group found her somewhat attractive. At least, she figured he did, if he'd actually wanted to kiss her. It was a strange feeling. She really cared about Inuyasha, she only wanted to be with him, to make him happy, but Sesshomaru made her feel something new. He possibly returned her feelings of attraction. Her mind told her not to pursue it, but her body craved his. She wanted so bad to see Sesshomaru looking at her that way again, and if he happened to be as exposed as he was when Kagome had caught him in the pond, she had no rejection to that either. Kagome shook her head. What was she thinking? This was Sesshomaru. Inuyasha's brother. Inuyasha, the man she loved. But she just couldn't help feeling a burning lust for him, being Inuyasha's brother or not.

 

When they'd finally made camp, Kagome was exhausted. The irate hanyou had made them travel extra far. Whenever anyone complained about being tired or needing to rest, he'd only made them travel farther. Kagome was about to swallow her pride and talk to him when Inuyasha finally allowed the group to make camp. It was well into the night alread so the group would have to forgo any long rests in the spring they'd found to camp by. Kagome was allowed the first trip to the spring, with Sango and Shippo by her side. Sesshomaru had told the group that she was to go first as she was injured. This served only to make Inuyasha angrier and he ran off in the forest to, what Kagome figured, blow off some steam.

 

Sango danced around the subject of Kagome's near-kiss with Sesshomaru but Shippo, not understanding the importance, broke the subject in only a few minutes.

 

“What were you and Sesshomaru doing today? Why'd you run off? Did he hurt you?” Kagome unwillingly giggled a nervous laugh and Sango mustered a small amount of courage.

 

“Yah Kagome. I've been wondering what happened. Why did you pull Sesshomaru aside.” Kagome's stomach dropped into her feet. What would she say? She couldn't tell Sango why she'd wanted to talk to Sesshomaru. She'd have to admit to walking in on Sesshomaru while he was bathing and then she'd have to explain why she'd needed a late night bath. And if that wasn't enough, she definitely did not want to try and convey her confused feelings toward the demon-lord. Although she hated lying, especially to those closest to her, Kagome knew she must.

 

“I-I was thanking him for accompanying our group while we veered off course to get a jewel shard.”

 

“Why couldn't you just do that while you were still with the group?” Kagome was sweating, and not from the warmth of the spring. Did Sango know something?

 

“Well, I just didn't want to embarrass him.”

 

“Why couldn't it wait until we reached camp?” Sango was really questioning Kagome. She must know something. And now that Kagome thought about it, Sango could easily have seen the compromising position the two had been standing in. But, when had Sango become so bold?

 

“Well, I-you see, the thing is…”

 

“Kagome, I'm not trying to frighten you but I just think you should be more careful. I know Sesshomaru has proved helpful thus far, but I don't think you should trust him alone with anyone.” Kagome's sigh of relief was barely audible and quickly hidden as she realized what Sango was saying. She wasn't suggesting Kagome and Sesshomaru were about to kiss. Sango was saying that Sesshomaru might try to harm her or another member of the group if left alone with them. Even if Sango had seen the way Sesshomaru and her were standing, Sango must have only seen the hungry look in Sesshomaru's eyes, because Kagome sure hadn't missed it. Her heart skipped slightly at the memory of that look. It was nice to feel attractive once in a while.

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`...No!' A voice cried out from the dark forest. She was running. Running fast into the depths of the forest. She saw lightening flash…heard thunder rolling. Where was she going? `Please! Don't!' Heat, she felt heat prickling at her skin. The earth shook underneath her. It was positively quivering with each shattering crash of thunder. More screams pierced the air. The image of long, writhing arms was stained into her vision as lightening struck behind them, illuminating the entire forest. Trees were being picked up a thrown like toothpicks wherever the lightning struck. Then, she saw them.

 

Kagome's body arched as she was ripped awake. `No…that couldn't have been…' Kagome's breathing was labored. She was dizzy and still trying to realize where she was and that she was safe. `Ughn. This is getting old.' Kagome knew she couldn't keep waking up in the middle of night. She knew the nightmare only drained her of the small amount of sleep was getting and then having to take a bath on top of that meant she wasn't really getting any sleep. And to make matters worse, with all the enemies and putting up with an angry Inuyasha's travel schedule, even if she was getting sleep it would only serve to replace half of the energy she was putting out. `Sitting here thinking about it is just wasting time.'

 

Even though she didn't see anyone, Kagome still walked nervously. Although, she couldn't stay too tense. She knew she was about to climb back into the warm waters of the spring they'd luckily found to camp by. And that was more than enough to relax her.

 

Once Kagome reached the spring, she did one final sweep of the area to make sure no one was there and climbed quickly in. She'd haphazardly abandoned her belongings a few feet away from the spring, only bothering to make sure she had her soap before climbing in. The warm water seemed to sink into her body, kneading all her nerves into a subservient relaxation. It was amazing what something as simple as warm water could do to one who had not had any for a while. She let her thoughts become unintelligible, breathing in the steam that rose lazily from the spring as she did so. Her eyelids fluttered. She knew she had been tired but she didn't realize how tired. All the days without proper rest had really done a number on her. Plus, her body was still trying to heal all the injuries she'd obtained while traveling and fighting. Her breathing became heavy and slow. Kagome heard rustling in the bushes but was too far gone to be worried. She figured it was probably just some hungry little animal looking for berries or something. Kagome could feel the heat that was sunken deep into her cheeks and how her body was loose and limp. Vaguely, she realized it wasn't a good idea to be tired in a spring, but all thought was pushed from her mind as her body gave into the call of the water and she finally slipped under.

 

`This is the third night in a row,' Inuyasha mused, `what could she possibly be dreaming about that is that intense?' Inuyasha was sitting in a tree about ten feet from Kagome and had been jolted awake when he'd felt her anxiety positively rolling off of her. Not to mention he was so tuned into any noise Kagome made when she slept. The more time Kagome spent with the group, the more worried Inuyasha became for her, so much so that even in his sleep he would unconsciously make sure she was alright. But that was the problem. He could not save her from her dreams. And, he knew if he asked her about them, he would probably just get sat for watching her while she slept. Kagome could be so weird about wanting privacy while she sleeps. `Maybe it's just has something to do with when she grew up…' Again, Inuyasha felt Kagome's anxiousness. This time though, she was awake. She'd done this last night too, he remembered. Then she'd snuck off towards the pond where his brother had gone a few minutes prior. He'd wished desperately that he could follow her and make sure she was o.k. but had to admit two things to himself. One being that if Sesshomaru was around, he would protect her. Even though Sesshomaru might not care about anyone but himself, he still found it important to protect those that were part of this group. And the second reason being that Inuyasha had learned a long time ago that Sesshomaru took baths at night and if he was bathing, he would not want to be interrupted by his hanyou half-brother. This hadn't really put him at peace but he knew that that night, unlike all the other nights, he could not watch over Kagome as she bathed. Tonight though, Sesshomaru was still at his side of the camp and he could tell Kagome was about to run off to the spring that she'd already visited earlier that night. Inuyasha knew she hated being dirty and figured with all the sweating she'd done in her sleep, she would go take a bath.

 

After deciding that Kagome had satisfied herself with believing everyone to still be sleeping, he snuck after her. She was just as wary as she had been the previous night, which made it hard to follow at the close distance he usually followed Kagome with. All the same, he'd been able to secure a bush no more than eight or ten feet from where Kagome was bathing. The spring was surrounded by bushes so that made it even easier. Inuyasha noted that Kagome had been so anxious to bathe that she'd all but thrown her clean clothes on the bank of the spring. He gulped as Kagome had started to disrobe. He wanted to look away and he kind of managed to but still kept one eye on her legs, `just to make sure', he told himself trying to tell himself he was only worried about her safety. No matter how many times Inuyasha had seen her bathe, he would never get used to seeing Kagome naked. He blushed, slightly angry with himself and trying furiously to convince himself, like always, that the only reason he would watch her bathe was to make sure that she was safe. Though, somewhere deep in his mind, something told him that wasn't the only reason. He shook his head and returned his gaze to Kagome who'd already slipped into the spring. She really was beautiful. Her hair had been tied up in a messy bun but it only made her look more attractive. Inuyasha also knew that she was in heat and had to keep his mind from wandering too far. He'd made that mistake many times before and had ended up trying to find a way to hide his very obvious arousal and pretend to be sleeping when Kagome got back. It was never easy either. In fact, last night she'd been in such a hurry to get back to camp, Inuyasha really had to push himself to get back and lie in a convincing position before Kagome returned. He made it but he'd had to cover himself and was sweating from the run…and other reasons, when he'd returned. He knew Kagome would go looking for him if he wasn't back before she was and then he would have to explain why his hakama looked like a tent where it should be flat to what would undoubtedly be a very angry Kagome. He shuddered. Kagome could be pretty scary when she was angry, but smiling to himself he realized that that was one of the things he found so endearing about her. She could hold her own in an argument. Although, and Inuyasha absently rubbed his neck at the though, it was pretty easy to hold your own when you have the power to smash another's face into the ground when you want to run away. His eyes went back to Kagome. Her eyelids were fluttering. She was tired and he could tell. He knew she needed to go home, back to her time, and get adequate rest but something selfish in Inuyasha did not want her to leave. Just then, a small, furry animal crawled up his back. He would have stood up immediately and thrown it off but that would have given away his position and surely earned him quite the `sit'. He did his best not to move but finally he toppled over in an attempt to quickly remove the offending rodent. He froze. He'd made enough noise that, had Kagome not been so tired, she would have come to investigate. But she hadn't. Once he'd peeled the animal from his shirt, he turned concerned eyes on Kagome's now beet red form. `She really is tired…' Inuyasha battled for a moment with himself. He should just let her go home. Even if it was only a day or two, she really did need rest. He closed his eyes and sighed. He would tell her in the morning. Inuyasha opened his eyes just as her slight form slipped under the water. `Oh no!' why had she gone under? He thought maybe she was rinsing off but she hadn't even put any soap on yet. His mind worked furiously to try and find an explanation. He worried that if he jumped out and pulled her from the water, she would just have been wetting her hair or something and he would never be able to watch her while she bathed again, `just to make sure she's safe' Inuyasha thought, once again trying to convince himself his reason for watching her was strictly protective. But she wasn't surfacing. His mind started to race. He knew he had to get her out of that water. If she'd really been as tired as she'd looked, she could very easily have fallen asleep from the influence of the warm water and late hour. Inuyasha made up his mind. He jumped out and threw his arms in the water.

 

Kagome felt the water envelop her. It was so warm but for some reason her mind was screaming at her to surface. She couldn't really get control of her arms or legs enough to move them. She didn't really mind though. When she tried to take a deep breath though, reality caught up with her, sending her eyes shooting open. She was underwater. She couldn't breathe and couldn't get her relaxed, almost numb, muscles to work. Drowning, she knew she was drowning. Her body thrashed about as it tried to gain control and she felt something brush her arm. The blurred face of a light haired man slid before her eyes just as her body gave up and she lost consciousness.

 

The spring was deep; his fingertips barely grazed her arm. He jumped in, sending water flying, and hurled his head under the water. He saw her. Her body had just stopped moving and had managed to become almost horizontal. Inuyasha slung his arms around her and heaved her from the water. When he set her on the shore she wasn't breathing. His thoughts wouldn't cooperate. Inuyasha knew he'd seen Kagome perform what she'd called “CPR” on Sango one time after she'd gotten knocked into a rushing river, but he couldn't remember exactly what she'd done. Trying to calm himself, Inuyasha quickly took his panicked mind back to that day. Sango had been pulled from the water and set in front of Kagome. Kagome had then titled Sango's head slightly back. Inuyasha pushed Kagome's head so the angle matched the one Sango's had lain at. Kagome had then plugged Sango's nose and put her mouth on Sango's. Inuyasha's blush was intense. He had to save Kagome though. He remembered that Kagome had blown into Sango's mouth and had pressed the heels of her two hands on Sango's upper ribcage and counted off. `Please let this work!' Inuyasha plugged Kagome's nose and placed his lips over hers. He groaned. He wished so much that this wouldn't be the only time he ever touched his lips to hers. He couldn't think about that now though. He needed to save Kagome. He blew two breaths into Kagome, as he'd seen done before. Letting go of her nose, he placed his hands on Kagome's chest, blushing as he was harshly reminded of Kagome's nude state. He pressed on her chest, counting off “one, two, three, four, five.” Again, he brought his lips to hers, making sure to plug her nose so no air would escape. And again, his hands pressed on her chest. He repeated this process twice more before Kagome's eyes shot open and her body instinctively turned to cough up water. Inuyasha sunk back onto his heels and let her cough. All the while watching her to make sure she was alright. Once her coughing had subsided, her breaths came in sharp gasps that gradually slowed to somewhat gentle gulps. His eyes had stayed focused on her face the whole time, and now her eyes met with his and he immediately blurted out,

 

“I'm so sorry! You were drowning, I had to get you! I didn't mean to…I…I…are you alright!?” Kagome just gasped for more air and looked at him. He couldn't place what emotions her eyes held at first but she finally spoke.

 

“Inuyasha…You, you saved me…”

 

“Kagome, are-you-all-right?” His concern was evident and he placed emphasis on the words so she wouldn't ignore his question again.

 

“I…yes,” She gulped some more air, “yes, I'm ok. My lungs hurt a little though.” He smiled a weak smile.

 

“Kagome, what were you doing out here? Why did you let yourself fall asleep? Kagome!?” His anxious voice called as he saw her eyes slip closed again. Panic struck for a split second before he realized that she was still breathing and normal color had, for the most part, returned to her face. She had fallen asleep again already. Sighing, Inuyasha picked her up, cradling her against his chest, and started the journey back to camp.

A/n: Weird way to end a chapter, I know but oh well. The reason that this chapter came out extra fast was because the part about Kagome drowning was actually in chapter four but I removed it because it was all a little too premature. I needed a few more things to happen in the story before I could tell the rest of the story I had planned to tell. Plus, I get little bits of inspiration from time to time and write little blips of other chapters just so I won't forget what I wanted to say, be said, or happen in that chapter. Thank you for your feedback, good and bad. There was reference to Kagome's thoughts about Inuyasha's feelings. I know that she is privy to the knowledge of Inuyasha's feelings but, being a human female, She will STILL have insecurities and even if a comment is made about someone, that comment can stick with them for a VERY long while and may never leave them so If Inuyasha had made mention of her only being a shard detector, she may very well have never forgotten that. Also, Kikyo is a very formidable foe if Kagome is fighting for Inuyasha's heart. He did, after all, love Kikyo first. I appreciate your feedback though. And I mean that honestly. That you put that much thought into it means that you are really reading the fan-fic. I thank you for that . Not sure about the time frame on the next chapter. I have a pretty solid idea about the situation in the next chapter, and within the next couple of chapters there will be some pairing. Thanks for sticking with the story for this long though