InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Live and Let Die ❯ Lost and Found ( Chapter 1 )

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

InuYasha has been missing for almost a week and Kagome is filled with a feeling of dread and her dreams are invaded by nightmares. Where is her hanyou? The others want to wait him out, but Kagome wants to search for him. Will she be able to find him on her own?

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Hentai / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.19.2006 | Updated On: 07.16.2021 | Pages: 5 | Words: 9.1K | Visits: 17.7K | Status: Completed

Disclaimers: I do not own InuYasha or any of the manga/anime characters. They belong to the wonderful genius Rumiko Takahashi.

AN: Thank you to Akikazu and to inufan625 for volunteering to Beta read, and to knittingknots for her help as well. I greatly appreciate it!

For the first quarter of 2006 in the InuYasha Fanfiction Guild Voting, Live and Let Die won First Place for Best Canon (15 nominated entries), andThird place for bothBest Serial (9 entries) andBest InuYasha/Kagome Romance (15 entries).

Thank you again to all of you that nominated, seconded, or thirded Live and Let Die as well as those of you that voted for it. This portion of the story will not be eligible again, but I hope that many more will continue to enjoy reading it.

Live and Let Die

Chapter 1: Lost and Found

She did not remember how it had started - it had been just another of their senseless arguments that ended up with him calling her “Bitch!” and her sitting him. That had been five days ago.

Kagome wasn't just worried; she was starting to get frantic. InuYasha had never stayed gone this long. She had run home and left him, returning through the well to her family. But this was different; this time it was InuYasha who had stormed away after the subjugation spell had worn off. In the past he had always returned after a few hours - by the following morning at the latest. He had never stayed gone for more than a day. What could have happened to him?

“I'm sure you are just worrying about nothing. He probably is off sulking somewhere,” Sango said, responding to her friend's worried looks.

“Yeah, Kagome. He's probably just off two-timing with Kikyou again. He never thinks about your feelings,” Shippou added.

But Kagome knew that wasn't true. He had not really run off with Kikyou since that hideous baby that Naraku had created told him that Kagome would always have a speck of darkness in her heart as long as he chased after his former love. InuYasha had promised to stay with her, and he had done his best to honor it.

Kagome just shook her head, wiping away a tear. She knew what her friends were saying did not add up. “He's never been gone this long without telling us. I can't believe he would start now.”

“What about when he went to see Totosai? He didn't tell anyone then,” Miroku offered.

But Kagome knew even that was not true. She knew of InuYasha's concerns over his transformations and knew that was where he had headed.

“Maybe Shippou's right - there were soul-catchers in the area the other night,” Sango said.

Kagome wiped away another tear that was trailing down her cheek. She couldn't believe that about him. He had promised her, and InuYasha wasn't one to break his promises.

But what about Kikyou? Did she still want to haul InuYasha to Hell? When she had tried before, InuYasha was not even conscious - Kikyou had given him no say in the matter. For now she was supposed to be dedicated to sending Naraku to Hell, but could she be trusted? It was hard to determine the undead miko's motives; one minute she was helping Naraku, and the next she was helping them. Kagome did not know what to believe, except that if he had a choice, she was sure that InuYasha would have returned by now.

“What if he's hurt? Shouldn't we do something to try and find him? What if he needs us?” Kagome asked.

“What could we do that he couldn't?” Shippou asked. “He'll come back when he's good and ready - when he's had enough of Kikyou.”

Kagome was exhausted. She didn't know what to do. Her friends obviously had no intention of searching for InuYasha; they were content to sit and wait him out. Sango wasn't even slapping Miroku when she did not think anyone saw him feeling up her butt. Kagome had not slept well since InuYasha had disappeared. Nightmares crept into her dreams: nightmares of a cold, dark, damp place and the feeling of not being able to move. She had not really slept since the night after InuYasha had vanished into the woods. Shippou did not even try to sleep with her because she tossed and turned so much. The kitsune had started sleeping with Kirara instead. Not only that, the miko was not eating either, and no one had even noticed. Tears poured silently down her cheeks as she tried to determine her course of action. If they would not help her, then she would have to search for him herself. Maybe she could find InuYasha on her own. She didn't know how; she just knew that it had to be done. Kagome could not get rid of the deep feeling of dread that filled her waking and sleeping moments.

~ ^~^ ~

It had been five days, and the bundle of filthy red and matted silver was almost unrecognizable. His hair was a mess of tangles and dirt, and his firerat was covered in mud and leaves from being dragged through the forest. Hungry and thirsty but still conscious, at first he could only think of two things: `Kikyou, why?' and `please help me, Kagome.' His body could last for some time without food and water, but unable to move, InuYasha thought he was probably going to go mad in the dank, dark, loneliness of what was supposed to be his tomb. To help keep his sanity, InuYasha thought back to how he had ended up here, wondering what he did to deserve such a fate. Once again, he was what he hated most - all alone.

five days ago

InuYasha couldn't tell her why he was angry. He was not really upset with Kagome. It was not her fault that she cycled monthly, and at the moment she was very fertile. In his attempt to stay away from her, he had pushed her away again with hateful words - none of which he had meant. The hanyou finally got the reaction he expected when he heard the dreaded word, and he slammed into the ground. It had REALLY hurt this time since InuYasha was also trying to hide the growing tent in his hakama. He could not let her see what she did to him; he was certain she would be disgusted if she knew. When the subjugation spell wore off, he got up and took off into the woods. All the hanyou wanted to do was take a run to cool off and maybe dive into the freezing river that wasn't too far away. Surely that would help with the growing fire in his loins.

InuYasha had been running through the forest when he heard a call for help. As much as he pretended to hate helping people, he could not leave someone in distress. He stopped and changed directions, heading for the source of the cries.

The hanyou found a young girl sitting on the forest floor, holding her ankle. As he approached her he said, “Oi, what are you doing out here all alone?”

The girl started to cry louder. “Oh Kami, it's a demon! Don't hurt me!”

InuYasha flattened his ears to his head. “I won't hurt you. Where do you belong? You're a long way from anywhere.”

That had been his mistake. In trying to help the girl, he had somehow missed the others sneaking up on him though he determined later they had sutra to hide their presence from him.

InuYasha found himself immobilized as an ofuda was slapped in the middle of his back. He fell to the ground and could not move.

“That's the bastard; we'll take care of you now,” one of the men yelled.

“What the fuck are you doing? I was trying to help!” InuYasha bellowed.

“We have been after the demon that has been taking girls from the village that wandered too far into the forest. Now we finally have you,” the priest in the group said.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I was just going for soak in the river,” InuYasha shouted at them.

“What kind of demon are you? We will say a prayer for your soul so that you do not haunt the forest,” the priest said.

“I'm not a fucking demon; I'm a fucking Inu-hanyou. Don't you know a fucking half-breed when you see one?” InuYasha roared.

“Half-breed? Half what?”

“Half human, you fucking moron!” InuYasha hollered.

“It doesn't change anything. You're still demon spawn,” one of the men replied.

“InuYasha, I see you have gotten yourself into a fine mess,” a new voice stated.

InuYasha could not move to see who was addressing him, but he recognized the voice and scent. “Kikyou, will you please tell these fucking idiots who I am?”

The priestess responded, “He is a hanyou that I could not bring myself to kill because of his human half. You will have to decide what you want to do with him.”

With that, Kikyou left and went on her way.

“Kikyoooooou! Come baaaaaack!!” InuYasha cried.

“No, InuYasha. This fits perfectly into my plan to help Naraku complete the jewel, so I can send him to Hell with it. You just keep getting in the way,” Kikyou said to herself as she walked away from the scene.

“Well, if that priestess could not kill him, maybe we should not either,” the priest stated.

“Will you please just let me go? I only wanted to fucking help the girl,” InuYasha said.

“No, we cannot do that. The miko did not say you were not a threat, just that she could not bring herself to kill you because of your human half. I know what to do. Bring him,” the priest ordered.

They dragged InuYasha to a cave, leaving the ofuda in the middle of his back so that he could not move. They then sealed the cave with sutra to keep demons either in or out, depending upon which side they were on. There they left InuYasha - helpless, unable to move, sealed in the cave to perish from dehydration, starvation, or madness - whichever came first.

~ ^~^ ~

Kagome could stand it no more. She knew something was terribly wrong. In the middle of the night, tired of tossing and turning and of not being able to sleep without nightmares, she quietly gathered her things and set out.

Kagome started in the direction that she had last seen InuYasha head in. She did not know how she would find him - only that she had to try. The miko could not get past the feeling that something horrible had happened to the hanyou.

Fortunately, the moon was close to becoming full and provided a fair amount of light, even in the forest. Kagome followed the path she hoped InuYasha had taken, stumbling on unseen roots and debris on the forest floor. InuYasha was running when he took off, and she knew he could cover an incredible amount of ground when he wanted to. It would probably take her a couple of days to travel as far as he could have in one single night.

~ ^~^ ~

The following morning the others finally awakened to discover that Kagome was gone.

“Where's Kagome?” Shippou asked.

“Dunno. Maybe she went for a walk,” Miroku replied.

Sango responded, “All of her stuff is gone. Where would she have gone to in the middle of the night?”

“You do not think she went to look for InuYasha by herself, do you?” Miroku asked.

“She was tired and upset. It is not that far to the village. Maybe she decided to go home and wait for InuYasha to come and get her,” Sango suggested.

“I guess we should follow and find out for sure. She really should not be roaming around out here by herself,” Miroku said. “I am sure she would have stopped by and said something to Kaede if she went through the village.”

“Let's pack up and head home. Once InuYasha shows up, we will tell him to go and get her,” Sango replied.

“If she's not so mad at him she won't come back. Baka InuYasha!” yelled Shippou.

After clearing their campsite, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara headed to the village - opposite of the direction that Kagome had gone.

~ ^~^ ~

InuYasha found his mind flooded with memories as he lay trapped on the floor of the cave. Some were pleasurable, but many were not. The most painful ones replayed the times that he had hurt Kagome. The worst of those were when he had gone to see Kikyou, and Kagome had found them together. He could see the hurt and pain in her eyes, and he suffered guilt at the fact that he had caused it. The hanyou just could not bring himself to tell the miko how he felt about her.

He had realized a long time ago that he felt comfort and at peace when she was with him. Kagome soothed his soul in a manner no one other than his mother ever had, including Kikyou. He also found himself to be stronger when she was near. But he was afraid, afraid that if he ever allowed her to know how he really felt about her that she would be repulsed - that she would want to leave and not come back. So InuYasha kept pushing her away with harsh words, terrified to let her get too close.

~ ^~^ ~

Kagome had been stumbling through the forest all night and into the next day. She was completely exhausted, but knew that she could not stop. She continued to hope that she would come across some area, some sign, of what had happened to her hanyou. She had not eaten anything at all, only stopping to drink from one of her bottles of water as she continued on her way to wherever the path through the forest led her, feeling as though she were being pulled.

Kagome, too, was thinking back on her times with InuYasha and the others. There were times she was certain he wanted to say something to her, but then the monk or Shippou or even Sango would have to interrupt, and he would either clam up or end up saying something mean, so she would sit him instead. Maybe if Kagome could find him out here alone, she could sit and talk with him and find out why he had been acting the way he had. Maybe without interference and meddling of the others, InuYasha would tell her.

~ ^~^ ~

InuYasha was still wondering what he had done to deserve such a fate. He had expected to die at the hands of some powerful demon when he finally left this world, not from starvation and dehydration and the humiliation of lying in his own waste because he could not move. He had held everything in for as long as he could, but even without food and water, his bladder and bowels eventually emptied anyway. He was filthy and almost unrecognizable.

After a week he had little hope that someone would come and rescue him. At this point, he was almost wishing he would just die. But, if he were dead, who would protect Kagome? Who would tell her he had not abandoned her? He could only imagine what the others had said to her, especially if any of them had spotted Kikyou's soul gatherers in the area. Why couldn't they understand he had sworn to protect Kagome - that he would not leave her again? All he had wanted this time was to go to the river to take care of the problem he was having because of being around her while she was fertile. He had tried relieving his tension with his own hand, but sometimes that seemed to make it worse. He couldn't help it - he imagined that it was Kagome who was doing it to him, and often he ended up even harder than he started out.

InuYasha was wondering how he could ever tell her how he felt, if he could, or if he even should. Every time he had tried to talk to her, after having gathered the nerve to say something, one of the others would ruin it. He could not let them know what he was up to, so he would usually do or say something stupid just to distract them. It usually worked since it often resulted in him being sat. Maybe if he got out of here, made it out alive, he should finally tell her how he felt. He did not want her to think he would ever abandon her, that he would leave her alone on purpose. He had only planned to be gone for the night, not for a whole week.

~ ^~^ ~

Kagome did not know how she kept going. She had shot several demons that thought to attack her. She was so angry at them for getting in her way that she didn't even notice that she had turned them to a pile of dust when her arrows hit. She had not eaten for over two days, nor had she slept. She just kept walking, hoping to find some sign of her hanyou and where he had disappeared to.

It had started to get dark and Kagome kept stumbling forward; she did not even see the demon that she walked right into before collapsing onto the ground. Completely exhausted and spent, she passed out cold once her forward motion was halted.

Fortunately, the demon she had walked into was not violent. In fact, he was used to having a human companion. One of his two heads looked down at her while the other cried out to his Lord and Master before reaching around and nuzzling the human child asleep against his other side awake.

“What is it, Ah-Un?” the little girl asked.

The two-headed dragon turned his heads so that both were looking at the ground on his other side. Rin walked around him until she saw the miko, filthy and disheveled, collapsed on the ground.

“Kagome-sama! What are you doing here!” Rin exclaimed.

Rin struggled to pull the backpack off of her back, so she could roll her over.

“What's InuYasha's wench doing here!” Jaken asked.

“Master Jaken, where's Lord Sesshomaru? She needs help,” Rin asked as she tried to roll Kagome onto her back.

“The Great Lord Sesshomaru does not concern himself with human girls!” Jaken responded.

“Wha…what do you mean? I am human.” Tears threatened to escape from Rin's eyes.

“I do not know why he concerns himself with you, Rin,” Jaken replied.

Jaken was efficiently silenced by a thump to the head. “Enough, Jaken.”

“Lord Sesshomaru! Kagome-sama is hurt,” Rin said.

“Where did she come from? Where are her companions?” the Demon Lord asked.

“I do not know, My Lord. I was taking a nap waiting for your return when Ah-Un woke me up and let me know she was over here. She was asleep on the ground,” Rin replied.

The great Demon Lord furrowed his brow as he looked at the unconscious miko. He was sure he had smelled his brother not far from here, but why was the miko out here all alone, looking as if she was half starved in addition to being filthy? He had been around the miko enough to know that in spite of the strange garments she wore, she was usually very clean. She had much more regular bathing habits than most humans did.

~ ^~^ ~

InuYasha lay on the brink of consciousness. He was not sure how much longer he could hold on, or if he should even try. But he just could not bear the thought of leaving Kagome all alone. Even if she did not return his love for her, he had to protect her. He had sworn to do so. If he died here alone, sealed in this cave, she would probably think he had abandoned her, or worse, decided to go to Hell with Kikyou. If he got out of this, he had to tell her - tell her he was not going anywhere with Kikyou and that he would protect her until it was time for her to go home. He did not know how he would live without her, but he could not put her through what his mother had suffered.

He had been young when his mother died, but he still remembered all of the horrible names he heard her called. They rarely said them to her face - she was a princess and was supposed to be respected; however, InuYasha could hear what his mother could not. He heard them call her demon whore and slut. It hurt even more than the village children running from him as they and their parents called him a filthy half-breed.

That's all InuYasha was - a filthy half-breed, neither demon nor human. He did not belong to either world, so he had created a place for himself through intimidation and fear once he was old enough to protect himself. He had to learn young since the villagers had driven him away as soon as his mother had died. Her family wanted nothing to do with either of them, and neither did anyone else. They had broken into their home and stolen everything of any value except the firerat that InuYasha always wore, and one compact of lipstick that he had found left behind. He had given the shell with the lip color to Kikyou in one of his weaker moments when he thought she wanted to be with him.

Kikyou…why had she left him to this fate? Did she know what the villagers would do? Did she expect them to kill him for her so he would be waiting in Hell, or did she think they would set him free? Did she know that they were too cowardly to just kill him and had left him here to die of loneliness and starvation, even madness?

How was he going to get out of this mess this time? It did not look like there was going to be anyone to save him. Kagome would surely try to find him, but how? The monk and Shippou were probably telling her he had run off with Kikyou and not to bother. Sango was probably trying to tell Kagome that she needed to forget about him. They probably all said they just needed to stay put until InuYasha decided to come back. After all, he had always returned, hadn't he?

~ ^~^ ~

Rin and Sesshomaru had managed to unroll Kagome's sleeping bag and had laid her on top of it. Kagome had started muttering in her sleep, “InuYasha…InuYasha…where are you? Where did you go?”

“So cold, can't move. It's dark…Kagome…will you find me?”

“What?” That got Sesshomaru's attention. Why would the miko be talking to herself?

Kagome was trapped in her nightmare again. It was cold, dark and damp, and she could not move. She was so hungry and so filthy. She had started muttering out loud, “Die…will I die here all alone?”

Sesshomaru was puzzled. The miko and his brother were not mates - he could not smell them that way on each other. But they seemed to be tied into each other, anyway. And there was no doubt about it - the miko seemed to be dying. Sesshomaru did not know if it was because she was bonded in some way with his brother, or because she had gone too long without food. He could tell she had not eaten in several days. In addition to being filthy, he could see her ribs protruding from where her stomach was exposed by her short top which had been ripped somewhere on her journey.

Why should he care about it? Maybe this would finally get rid of his bastard half-breed brother and the annoying miko at the same time. He could not just kill her in front of Rin, but he did not have to save her, did he?

But then again, he could not just let them die. They had helped him to save Rin from Naraku, and InuYasha had helped Sesshomaru to escape from his clutches as well, though the Demon Lord would never admit out loud that he had needed any help when Naraku was trying to absorb him. They may be annoying, but they had been useful. Besides, Sesshomaru was going to need someone to explain the facts of life to Rin before much longer, and a human girl would be better than him or Jaken. The great Demon Lord shook his head to clear that image from his mind.

No, he could not just let them die. Sesshomaru knew he had picked up his brother's trail not too far away, so he would go and investigate.

“Jaken.”

“Yes My Lord?”

“Stay here with Rin and the miko,” Sesshomaru said before he took off in the direction he had smelled InuYasha.

It didn't take long for Sesshomaru to find the clearing where InuYasha had been captured and incapacitated. He followed the trail left by the men who were dragging him through the woods until he came to the cave where they had left him. The scent stopped abruptly at the entrance to the cavern. When Sesshomaru attempted to enter, he was thrown back.

“Little Brother, are you sealed in this cave? I hope the miko can get through since this ward prevents demons from entering,” Sesshomaru muttered to himself before he headed back.

The Demon Lord returned quickly to his camp, where he found Kagome tossing and turning, still trapped in her nightmare. Rin was watching over her, not sure what to do.

Sesshomaru reached down with his clawed hand and shook Kagome by the shoulder. She jolted awake screaming, tears pouring down her face, “INUYASHA!!!”

Kagome realized the Demon Lord was standing over her when her eyes started to focus. “Lord…Lord Sesshomaru? How did you get here? Where am I? Have you seen InuYasha?” Kagome asked with confusion, then pointed at her backpack and asked, “Will you bring me my pack? I need some water.”

Rin dragged the heavy pack over to her and Kagome opened it up, pulling out a bottle of water and almost draining it before she spoke again. “Have you seen InuYasha? He has been missing for a week.”

“A week?” Sesshomaru asked.

“Seven days. He took off after an argument and did not come back. He always comes back after he's cooled off,” Kagome responded, wiping away tears that were still dripping down her cheeks. “I can't get rid of this feeling that something terrible has happened to him.”

“Miko, do you and InuYasha intend to become mates?” Sesshomaru asked.

“What? What do you mean?” Kagome asked.

“Does he intend to take you as his mate? You are bonded to him,” the Demon Lord replied.

“What do you mean by that?” Kagome asked.

“Your soul has become bonded to his. You are dying and will if we do not go get him soon,” Sesshomaru said.

“Do you know where he is?” Kagome asked, more confused than before.

“Maybe. This Sesshomaru found a cave with a seal on it, but was unable to enter,” Sesshomaru said.

“Well, let's go,” Kagome said as she tried to stand. Only she was too weak, and she fell again.

“Oh Lord Sesshomaru, I'm sorry I'm so weak. I have not eaten or slept for days while I've been trying to find him,” Kagome said, crying once again.

“Ah-Un.”

The two-headed dragon stood up. “He will carry you. We must hurry,” the Demon Lord responded.

“Rin.”

“Yes, My Lord?”

“Stay here with Jaken.”

“Yes, My Lord. We will wait for your return.”

Ah-Un settled back down on the ground long enough for Sesshomaru to help Kagome climb on top of him. He threw her backpack up behind her in case she needed anything in it when they found his brother. Sesshomaru flew through the forest with Ah-Un right behind him.

They landed in front of the cave where InuYasha's scent had ended.

“This is it, Miko. Perhaps you can enter since you are human.”

Kagome somehow found the strength and stumbled into the cave. She had pulled a forgotten flashlight out of her pack and used it to light up the darkness inside.

Kagome was struck by the stench as soon as she went through the barrier. Even without superior senses, she could smell the odor that was trapped in the cave. Stumbling, she ran towards the back of the cave to find the filthy huddled mass of red and silver, trapped and unable to move.

“Oh Kami, InuYasha! What have they done to you? Who did this?” Kagome said as she searched him over, trying to find out what tied him to the spot. His hands and feet were not bound, but she finally spotted the ofuda in the center of his back and ripped it away.

“Kikyou…why?” InuYasha muttered.

“Kikyou? You're dreaming of Kikyou?” Kagome muttered as tears started pouring down her face once more.

“Why? why did you do this?” InuYasha muttered again.

“Kagome…please find me Kagome…” InuYasha added.

“Oh, InuYasha, I'm here. I need to get help,” Kagome said. She was far too weak to get him out by herself.

Kagome stumbled back towards the mouth of the cave and ran her flashlight beam along the walls near the entrance until she found the sutra that kept Sesshomaru out. She ripped it off and went back out in the fresh air.

Kagome stopped. She was torn as to what to do. She had to get InuYasha out of there, but she was certain he would not want his brother or anyone else to see him helpless and lying in his own waste. She knew from previous experience that Sesshomaru would not hurt his brother when he was helpless, but it had to be humiliating to be in the condition InuYasha was in.

“Lord Sesshomaru, he is in there, but he was sealed with an ofuda. He could not move and has been trapped in the same place for days,” Kagome said.

“Is that what the stench is coming from the cave?” Sesshomaru responded.

“Please, I need to get him cleaned up, but he would not want anyone else to see him like this. He's barely conscious and filthy. Please, Lord Sesshomaru, I don't know what to do.”

“Miko, you are too weak to move him yourself. There is a hot spring near here. We will use Ah-Un to help get you there, and then you will be left to clean him up. However, you too are weak and should not be left alone. This Sesshomaru will give you time to take care of him and then come to you. Will that suffice?”

“Yes, Lord Sesshomaru. Thank you,” Kagome replied.

Even Sesshomaru was surprised by the sight of his brother. He was still muttering, hovering on the brink of sanity. He did not believe that Kagome had really come to him. He thought he was hallucinating until his brother showed up.

“Come to kill me, bastard?” InuYasha barely whispered. His mouth and throat were so parched that he should not have been able to speak at all.

“No. It would be no fun to kill you when you can not fight back. The miko needed help to get you out of here,” Sesshomaru replied.

At that point, InuYasha slipped out of consciousness.

Ah-Un had followed Sesshomaru into the cave and lowered himself so that InuYasha could be thrown across his back with Kagome sitting behind him to make certain that he did not fall. Sesshomaru led them back out of the cave and then to the hot springs that was fairly close.

Sesshomaru helped Kagome down and then to get InuYasha into the shallow water. Not really wanting to leave them totally alone, he sent Ah-Un back to stay with Rin while he stayed and watched, hiding nearby so that he would not be seen.

Kagome pulled a washcloth out of her backpack along with some soap, but she did not really know where to begin. Knowing InuYasha had not had food or water for so long, she decided to pull out a water bottle and try to get him to drink first. She had put some ointment on his dry cracked lips on the way over and now gently tipped his head with the bottle to his mouth to try and get him to swallow. At first the water just dribbled down his chin, but InuYasha finally parted his lips so that some of the soothing liquid could go in. Choking and coughing at first to what now seemed alien to him, Kagome coaxed him with small amounts until he finally started to swallow. She knew he still wasn't coherent but was responding on reflex. It did not matter - at least she got some water into his body and would try again in a few minutes.

Kagome pondered what to do next. They were both absolutely filthy though InuYasha was much worse off than she was. Deciding his clothes needed to be washed as much as he did, she started to fumble with the ties of his haori and struggled until she had it off of him. Next, she tugged his normally white kimono out from his hakama and pulled it off, throwing it on the bank next to his firerat.

Kagome stared at the now bare-chested InuYasha. She really needed to get his hakama off since it was absolutely filthy. Kagome knew she should be disgusted, but it was not his fault. She could not imagine the humiliation that InuYasha must have felt when his bladder and bowels finally emptied, for she was certain he didn't do it on his own. Concluding that it had to be done, she tugged at the ties to his hakama and then pulled it free from his body. All that was left now was his fundoshi. Knowing that it needed to be washed as well, with shaking fingers, Kagome found the ends and started to unwrap it. She blushed when it pulled free and InuYasha was bare in front of her.

Kagome decided to try to get InuYasha to drink some more water before she began to wash him. She brought another bottle to his lips and held it as it poured down his throat. He did not have as much trouble this time though he was still out of it. After he drank as much as she could get him to, she put the bottle to her own lips and finished it. She was still partly dehydrated as well. Deciding she should eat something before she passed out, Kagome dug around in her backpack and found an energy bar. She ate half of it and then took the other half to InuYasha to see if he would eat anything. The hanyou was muttering incoherently again but would not eat. Knowing she had more in her backpack, Kagome finished it and then started to clean InuYasha.

~ ^~^ ~

Sesshomaru watched over them from his hiding place. He was somewhat amused upon seeing the miko blush when she exposed his brother from all his clothing. Apparently she really was as innocent as she smelled and acted. The Demon Lord wondered how they could have become bonded without actually becoming mates. Did the fact she was a miko have anything to do with it? Or was it because his brother had sworn to protect her? It was an interesting situation, to say the least.

~ ^~^ ~

Kagome had her soap and washcloth out and was busy scrubbing InuYasha all over. She did not even wrinkle her nose in disgust. She knew he couldn't help it and that he would never have allowed himself to become so filthy. Kagome just felt badly for him that InuYasha had waited a whole week for someone to come and find him. She felt guilty that she had listened to the others for even a day. Kagome had wanted to search for him after he had been gone for just a couple of days, but the others kept insisting that the hanyou would return when he was ready.

After Kagome had scrubbed his body, she went and pulled a bowl from her backpack that she could use to wet his mane. She poured water over his scalp and hair, careful not to get water in his ears. She scrubbed his hair twice, trying to make sure that all of the dirt and leaves were out of his normally silver mane. Once Kagome was satisfied that his hair was clean, she pulled out her conditioner and drenched his mane in it. She would let it soak in the conditioner for a while before rinsing, hoping it would make it easier to get the tangles and mats out afterwards.

Checking to make certain that InuYasha was propped up well against the boulder, Kagome went to tackle his clothes next. Ignoring the smell, she gathered them up and took them to a rock in the middle of the spring. Throwing the garments over it, she took one piece at a time and started scrubbing by soaping and rinsing and soaping again until she was satisfied that it was clean. She wasn't sure if his clothing would be totally clean to InuYasha's sensitive nose, but it was as good as she could get for now. Her own strength was fading fast. In truth, Kagome was running mostly on adrenaline, trying to get InuYasha taken care of after his ordeal. She could rest later.

Finally looking at her own state after she had laid his garments out on the warm grass to dry, Kagome decided she might as well clean herself up while she was here. Her clothes were torn and ripped, and she was also filthy from stumbling through the forest. She had fallen a number of times, but had just gotten up and kept going.

~ ^~^ ~

Sesshomaru cocked an eyebrow when he saw the miko start to remove her torn garments. She did not know he was watching over them, and his brother was still pretty much unconscious in the water, so obviously she thought that she did not have an audience. Sesshomaru was also surprised when he saw the number of bruises and scratches on her body. What had she gone through in order to find his brother? Why did she refuse to abandon him as her other companions apparently had? Why was she so devoted to him?

Then Sesshomaru thought of his own human companion. If Rin thought something had happened to Sesshomaru, she would go searching for him. Even though she was just a little girl, he had no doubt that she would look until either she found him, or something killed her in the process. The hair raised on the back of his neck at the thought of someone hurting Rin. When had he become so attached to the human child? Sesshomaru knew he would kill anyone who attempted to harm her. After all, that was one of the reasons he was searching for Naraku.

~ ^~^ ~

Kagome had stripped and was busy washing her hair. After scrubbing it a couple of times like she had InuYasha's, she finally put the conditioner in it to set while she scrubbed the rest of her body. Kagome had no idea she was being watched as she stood up to soap herself all over before sitting back down in the warm water to rinse the suds away. Satisfied that she had allowed her hair to soak in the conditioner long enough, she ducked her head back and begin to rinse it. Once it was clean, she picked up the bowl she was using to wash InuYasha's hair and started to rinse his as well. After all of the conditioner was rinsed out, Kagome took a wide-toothed comb and gently started trying to work some of the tangles and mats out of his mane.

InuYasha had started to come to while Kagome was combing his hair. Afraid that it had all been an illusion, he wrapped his arms around the miko and pulled her to him, nuzzling her face and neck with his nose.

Kagome gave a startled “eep!” as she felt the strong arms wrap around her and pull her to his body. Forgetting she was naked at the moment, she responded to his nuzzling by wrapping her arms around her hanyou and burying her face in his wet hair.

To be continued…