InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ LOVE POISON ❯ Safe With Her ( Chapter 24 )

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

DISCLAIMER: Don't own, will never own, wish I owned `em but I don't so don't sue cause like I previously stated, I don't own a freaking thing. Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha.

AN: I'm sorry everyone! I realize this is probably the longest time it's taken me to update but this ch ended up being longer than I expected, so I'm splitting it in two and I promise I'll be posting the next ch next week (I'll be starting university soon, so please bear with me!) You guys have been wonderful as usual ^^ I luv my reviewers! Keep the reviews coming! I can't post at AFFN since it's still moving and I can't even access my account, so I want to thank my awesome, supportive reviewers from AFFN here too, and hope they're reading this. I can't access reviews from the site, so I can't thank each of you like usual, but I will as soon as AFFN is up and working again!

Special thanks to those who are always there for me (you know who you are ^^)

I really enjoyed writing these 2 chaps, I realize nothing much happens (pure fluff and lime) but we're moving on to angst next and the plot will start to move forward faster from now on, so I hope you enjoy reading this too…and the heavy lime is coming up on ch 25 ^^ So our heroes are definetely enjoying the break ^^

Please review! mm.org and YM still can't seem to get along, so this will probably look all over the place, and italics will show where they aren't supposed to and the ones that are supposed to show probably won't >.< Sorry about that…

Infinite thanks to my fantastic awesome incredible and talented beta Trusuprise, without her I would have been stuck forever and she just freakin' rocks! THANKS SO MUCH GIRL! I love you to pieces! I can't count how many times the poor girl had to read this and help me out with my writer's block. This is dedicated to Kona-baby (I'm cheering for you, gorgeous!), huggy bear Carlitos, and the wonderful Lizashu. Hope I don't dissapoint! And please take a minute of your time to review even if you hated it!

CHAPTER 24: SAFE WITH HER

Afterwards, all Kagome could recall was she laying on her back on Miroku's retainer, Hacchi, as she blinked up painfully at the first shimmering stars.

Night closed in like velvet.

She remembered moving her head slightly to her left and finding a human Inuyasha laying unconscious by her side, his breathing shallow, his face covered with a thin layer of sweat. She seemed to recall hearing Miroku telling her to go back to sleep; that they were on their way back to her `country'. The monk's voice was hollow, as if it pained him to speak.

Sango and Shippo rode alongside Hacchi on Kirara. The firecat youkai had returned with the kitsune and left the ookami trio in a cave, where they were most at home with. Kouga had regained consciousness. Later, Shippo would tell Sango and Miroku what the Prince had said to his comrades.

Inuyasha woke up when they neared the well. Kagome didn't take her backpack with her, but hung the small glass vial she used to keep the Shikon shards they had collected around her neck in order to pass through.

After biding her friends goodbye, she had a very hard time trying to get Inuyasha to stand in his state of half-consciousness. Her heart sank when she saw the blistered skin showing and she remembered thinking `That was my fault' as she averted her eyes from everyone, including Shippo, who seemed rather confused and later would be told what had happened. Miroku and Sango helped Kagome with the now human inu-hanyou.

It had been decided that Miroku's wounds would be tended by Kaede, and the three companions would spend however long it took for their inu-hanyou friend to recover in the village until Kagome and Inuyasha returned from the young miko's mysterious land.

After a couple of tries and Inuyasha cursing under his breath, finally awake enough to stand on his own, but leaning on Kagome for support and hoping no one would notice, they passed through the time slip.

Finally, the familiar glowing darkness embraced them, and they found themselves sitting on the other side, looking up at the humid gloom of the well house. Not a word was exchanged as they both rested for a while at the bottom of the well, until Kagome murmured in a small voice that they ought to get moving.

She didn't believe Inuyasha would be able to climb the ladder her grandfather had put there for her convenience in his current state, but knew better than to speak her mind. However, Kagome had to make sure of the severity of his injuries. She had read enough about fractured bones and several diseases and wounds, and knew how to treat them in the wild from a first aid book, and even though she'd left her first aid kit back in the Feudal Era, her mother kept one in their bathroom. Broken ribs, she knew, had to be bandaged, but not tightly enough to restrict breathing.

She couldn't very well take him to a hospital since he was a hanyou, nevermind the fact that he was currently human…but she knew she could treat his wounds like she always did, and vaguely thought about her mother, and how she would absolutely insist they call a doctor and it would be up to Kagome to persuade her otherwise.

Kagome's only hope at the moment was that Inuyasha's hanyou strength, still dwelling somewhere in the depths of his being, would help him heal. `Even in this form', Kagome thought desperately, `he's stronger than an ordinary human…'

Before Kagome even suggested climbing the ladder, which they would eventually have to do, she quietly crawled over to the black-haired boy and asked him softly if he was in pain. She was not at all surprised by his reply, which was a grumpy `Keh.'

The young miko sighed as she put her hand to Inuyasha's forehead. His fever was spiking up, but he was breathing normally now.

“Inuyasha, I'm going to…to touch you, and you tell me if it hurts…okay?” Kagome said tentatively. Inuyasha nodded gravely, a pout adorning his full lips. She reached out with trembling hands, and touched his chest. “Does it hurt here?” She asked as her hands wandered. She got her answer when Inuyasha hissed and flinched when she reached a particular spot on his chest.

Kagome didn't even ask him to remove the top of his firerat kimono and his undershirt…she knew Inuyasha shouldn't move around, so she carefully and tenderly did so herself, as Inuyasha stared at her small hands with what could be described as fascination.

She bit her lip in concentration and tried to hold back the leaden guilt that settled in the pit of her stomach, ignoring the burnt skin that she had caused, as she purposefully searched for any bruised skin on his chest…trying to look at Inuyasha with a medical eye instead of stopping to marvel at the lean, tight and muscled skin of his chest.

She was used to this, she kept telling herself…but things had changed so much in such a short time…still, Kagome was secretly proud of her professionalism as she examined him, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. She sighed with relief when she didn't note any bruising or deformity of the chest.

“Okay…” She said slowly, her hands lingering on his chest more than necessary. She licked her parched dry lips and asked him to cough.

Inuyasha scowled at her in apparent distress. “You want me to cough?” He asked critically. He'd been coughing before and he hadn't needed anyone asking him to do so. The now human inu-hanyou failed to see her point.

“I need to see if it hurts when you cough, Inuyasha…I know you've been coughing a lot back there, but I think we're in luck, it can't be too serious since you haven't coughed up blood…” Kagome explained patiently, as he regarded her suspiciously.

Inuyasha had always found it unnerving, how much Kagome knew about injuries and diseases. He'd once seen her reading a book about them, and he had wondered if all humans in her world knew so much about these things, and if they did, if doctors were an extinct race in her time. With all those magical medicines, little pills and ointments Kagome kept bringing back from her time, Inuyasha didn't see the point of doctors if humans could take care of their own injuries themselves in her era.

“I've read about these things, I want to see if your bones are indeed broken…” Kagome continued.

“I know the fucking ribs are broken, wench…what the -” Inuyasha began sulkily.

“Just do it!” She said in an exasperated whisper.

Inuyasha rolled his midnight blue eyes and obediently coughed. “There, happy?” He asked, wincing slightly at the sharp pain in his chest.

“It hurts, doesn't it?” Kagome asked softly, a concerned frown marring her features.

“Of course it fucking hurts!” He snapped, his breathing becoming shallow again.

Kagome cringed and sat on her heels. “Does it also hurt when you breathe?” She asked gently, ignoring the disgruntled hanyou's snappish retort.

“No.” Inuyasha lied between clenched teeth.

Kagome resisted the urge to put her hands on her hips. Hanyou or human, Inuyasha could never lie worth a damn. “Fine. I don't see any bruises on your chest so all I'll need to do is bandage it and restrict the movement of the fractured site…but we need to get you out of the well first…”

“Whatever.” Inuyasha said as he reached for his ivory undershirt, and after much protest on Inuyasha's behalf about how he could dress himself and he was feeling just fine, conveniently forgetting she'd helped him out of his clothes in the first place, Kagome managed to snatch the shirt from him, gave him a look normally reserved for bad behaved little boys, and proceeded to wordlessly and carefully dress him herself.

Inuyasha was unusually quiet as he watched her patiently putting his firerat haori back on, staring from her gentle hands and back to her face with a sullen yet slightly intrigued look. He gave out a small sigh of slight disapointment when she was done and Kagome sat back down on her heels.

Inuyasha was used to these procedures, both as hanyou and human, and Kagome had treated much worse injuries in his human body before. Kagome would have been surprised if she had learned that Inuyasha actually enjoyed her tending to his wounds and undressing him in this manner.

The ache in his bones was minuscule compared to the exhaustion and lingering pain of Kagome's purification, but he wisely decided not to let the young miko know this. She looked crestfallen enough as it was, and the boy suspected she was following these technical procedures merely to keep her mind off what she had inadvertenly done and felt so clearly guilty about.

Kagome sighed. “Okay…now we need to get out of the well…can you climb the ladder?” She asked. But Inuyasha had already gotten unsteadily to his feet and was heading straight for the ladder. He began climbing the steps without a word of complaint, and Kagome followed suit.

The ladder seemed to go on forever. With much pushing and shoving of Inuyasha's behind, as Kagome was afraid he'd sit on her head, they were finally out of the well. When they came to the top, Inuyasha helped her up with a grunt.

It took a moment of resting against the well until Inuyasha exploded and promptly decided to throw the very much delayed tantrum Kagome had been expecting all along about going after Naraku. He ranted on and on, obviously not thinking clearly, about Naraku being up to no good, an unnecesary statement to which Kagome didn't feel the urge to reply to, as she patiently listened to Inuyasha's rambling, biting her tongue to point out that Naraku was never up to no good, until it got to the part when he began shouting madly about the shards.

The young miko explained she had their shards with her, but the now human boy didn't seem to hear her as he continued. Kagome thought he would have paced back and forth and thrown his arms up in the air for further emphasis if he'd had the energy to do so. Instead, Inuyasha was moving his leg impatiently in a compulsive way that indicated he was not happy with the situation at hand.

Inuyasha continued telling the world in general in a very loud voice about how he was going to kick Naraku's sorry ass, and turning to Kagome, he actually asked her why the hell where they in her time when they should be heading North, back in the Feudal Era, pursuing Naraku. He conveniently omitted the painfully obvious fact that he was human at the moment and therefore couldn't be spotted by Naraku or any foe in his current state.

Inuyasha was still going on about maiming, destroying, killing, and blasting Naraku into millions of gory little pieces, not necessarily in that order, in several descriptive, colorful, and variant ways, when the miko considered her hanyou had vented enough.

“…and then he'll wish he'd be dead by the time I - that fucking hurts!” This was to Kagome, who had promptly grabbed him by his black forelocks.

She stared into his deep blue eyes sternly. “You're not going anywhere, Inuyasha.” She stated firmly. “You need to rest. In case you haven't noticed, you're human again. Not only that, but you're hurt, too.”

Inuyasha opened and closed his mouth, then realizing the wench had a point, he `keh'd, half-heartedly. He was silent, catching his breath, yet his leg never ceased its relentless movement. Kagome stared at his impatient leg until he felt self-conscious about it and abruptly stopped.

“We're going back the second I return to my hanyou form, okay?” It wasn't a suggestion but a blunt statement.

Kagome nodded in reassurance. “Until then, you're going to have to let me look after you. You're hurt, Inuyasha…” She said again.

Inuyasha surprised her when he nodded his consent and offered her a tentative smile, as if having one's ribs broken and being completely purified was a daily occurrence and he was actually looking forward to being tended to.

“Only if no one else tries to help, are we clear on that?” He said, a bit testily.

Kagome smiled to herself. “Only I get to tend to your wounds, got it.”

“I mean it.” Inuyasha insisted. “I don't want anyone else touching me…” He realized what he had said and blushed. “I mean, you know…you always tend to my wounds and stuff…I hate it when Miroku or Kaede-baba do it…you…you're better at it…and besides I…” He stammered, fidgeting nervously with his hands.

Kagome's smile widened and she cut him off. “Deal. You'll be good, then? No throwing tantrums and whining about going back until you've recovered?” Her expression became serious.

“Keh.”

“Inuyasha…” Kagome began, sighing tiredly.

“Fine!” He snapped, pouting. “But…”

“…only I get to touch you.” She finished for him.

“Yeah…” Inuyasha actually smiled a little this time. Then the smile evaporated from his face as a frown marred his features and he appeared to be deep in thought. “Kagome…I…I don't think I can do this…”

Kagome stared at him with confused eyes, her head tilted to one side. “Do what?”

“My youkai side…” Inuyasha winced. “It's getting stronger…I don't think I can control him, I don't think I ever could…it feels like he was just…biding his time or something, and now…my human blood is wounded. I don't think anyone's safe…around me…anymore…” He finished defeatedly.

To his shock, Kagome's expression softened and she took his hands in hers and squeezed them lightly. “Everything will be okay, Inuyasha. Your youkai side is part of you…whether you want to admit it or not…and I believe in you. I promise I'll help you...heal your human blood…it doesn't matter how it was wounded…or…or…” She sighed bitterly, a hurt expression crossing her face for a second. Inuyasha knew all too well what that look meant and he hadn't missed it.

Kikyou…Kagome was thinking about Kikyou…

He winced inwardly but didn't dare speak as Kagome forced a smile and continued. “Right now, all I care about is that you get better. How your human side was wounded…or who was the cause of it…”

Inuyasha averted remorseful blue eyes from her.

Kagome shook her head, as if this would help her clear her mind, and smiled again. “No matter what, I'll always remain by your side, and I'll do my best to help, okay? Inuyasha, your youkai blood is as much part of you as your human blood. Without it…you wouldn't be Inuyasha. I don't care how many times I have to tell you this, as long as I can get it through your thick skull that there are not three of you…there is only… you…and I love everything that is Inuyasha…” She smiled at him reassuringly.

“Yeah, well, I don't think my youkai blood feels the same way…hell, I don't…” He muttered bitterly. He scowled slightly. “And I thought we agreed we wouldn't mention the `there's only one of you' shit ever again?”

Kagome sighed but her smile didn't waver. “I know you'll understand…eventually.”

The now human boy gave her a wide-eyed look of irritated confusion. He had no idea why Kagome was smiling at him so adoringly, but he let her continue, even though he wanted to argue that his youkai side was most definitely not him and that was the end of it.

And if Kagome thought there was only one of him…why would she stay around a cold blooded killer like…like him? She had witnessed what he was capable of. What he could have done if she hadn't intervened…and yet she was not afraid.

Inuyasha sighed warily, wondering despairingly if he would be able to see things through Kagome's eyes. Actually, he didn't really want to. It was a scary thought…that his youkai side was, indeed, him. He'd never admit it out loud, but his demon half frightened him. And if he embraced the fact that there was only one of him, that would mean Inuyasha was actually scared of himself…

On the other hand, his youkai half didn't believe there was only one of him, either…and his human side had no opinion in the matter. If hanyou Inuyasha was scared of his demon blood, his pathetic human side was probably frightened out of his fucking mind and didn't dare speak up. Which was just as well. Inuyasha didn't need another annoying voice in his head...

He looked away from Kagome's sweet eyes and down at their entwined hands. “Inuyasha… Sango-chan, Miroku-sama, Shippo-chan…they're all worried about you. I am too, but I know… I know you'll never give up…” She said gently.

Inuyasha looked up at her determined face, her eyes glowing with unconditional love and admiration.

“You never do. I don't think you can, even if you tried…” Kagome offered him a small laugh. “I don't know whether that's good or bad. You're so strong willed. Not to mention good looking.” She smiled tenderly when he blushed hotly.

Then her tone became serious again. “But no matter what, you will always fight for your friends. We look after each other. All of us will help you get through this. You're not alone, Inuyasha. You'll never be alone again. You know this, too…”

“Keh.” Inuyasha stated, looking away from her once more. He felt her squeezing his hands and knew without looking at her that Kagome was still smiling. Her confidence in him was unnerving, yet it moved him and he didn't want to admit how much it meant to him.

In fact, he suspected Kagome's blind trust in him had a lot to do with the fact that, like she had pointed out, he would never give up. And her belief made him believe, too. It gave him the mental and physical strength he needed, and until now hadn't even known he was lacking to face the situation at hand. He had almost given up.

Almost. He felt ashamed of himself for even considering such a cowardly thing. So he pushed aside his insecurities for the time being and smiled a small, yet genuine smile that reached his deep dark blue eyes when he glanced upon this petite, wonderful woman that had given him everything he had ever yearned for, and never asked for anything in return.

Kagome smiled sweetly back at him. “So...” She said softly, letting go of his hands slowly. “You're not giving up, are you, Inuyasha?" She asked, almost tauntingly, arching her eyebrows.

Inuyasha shook his head, all talk of defeat long forgotten. "Hell, no! I'm stronger than that!” He grinned at her, his confidence returning full force. “And hey, you said so yourself, I'm pretty good looking, too." He flexed some of the beautifully sculpted muscles in one arm to prove his point.

Kagome blushed. "And here I thought you needed a confidence boost." She expelled the words in a rush of warm air. He could feel her breath, the touch of her exasperation, like a caress on his skin. She sank gracefully to her haunches, settling comfortably against the well. After a moment, Inuyasha followed, crouched in his usual pose, ready to pounce, even as a battered human whose bones were broken and who was currently burning up with fever.

Kagome looked at him timidly out of the corner of her eye. She sighed, half wanting him to admit he needed some rest, and half wanting him to stay with her, in the quiet, humid darkness of the well house she'd gotten so used to and had begun to find comfortable.

Sometimes, Kagome even sat like she was sitting now, hugging her knees, her back against the ancient well, her eyes closed, as she imagined what Inuyasha was doing back in the Feudal Era, and trying very hard not to picture him with Kikyou.

But that was then, and this was now.

She smiled secretly in the dark. `I'm his chosen.' Kagome thought dreamily, and her cheeks dusted with pink, her blush blissfully hidden by the darkness.

And so, Inuyasha and Kagome sat in silence, as tension slowly melted into relaxation, into a soothing pleasure at being next to each other, breathing the comfortable, shared silence.

Until Kagome noticed Inuyasha was having trouble breathing again. He was trying so hard for her not to notice, too. She sighed in exasperation as the weight of guilt settled again in the pit of her stomach. “Inuyasha…we need to get you into the house. You're…you're not well.”

“Keh.”

“You need to rest.” She insisted weakly, her lower lip trembling slightly as she tried to hold back remorseful tears.

“I'm fine, wench.” A choked whisper, and one he was immediately ashamed of.

Kagome moved closer to him. “Lay down, at least. Please? We don't have to go in the house if you don't want to. You can…borrow my lap, would that be okay?” She finished in a broken whisper, blushing furiously.

Inuyasha's blue eyes widened and he nodded once, laying his head carefully on Kagome's warm lap and stubbornly fighting sleep.

He needed to enjoy this moment as much as he possibly could in his current feverish, human state. His head was dancing, and he looked up to meet Kagome's eyes, but met the swell of her breasts instead. He swallowed hard, and moved his head slightly, mostly to hide his reddened face.

Kagome's gentle fingers stroked his damp hair, brushed his bangs away from his eyes. He sighed and immediately started coughing.

“Can't…breathe.” He thought, and could have sworn he'd said that aloud. He grimaced inwardly when his suspicion was proved true when Kagome's pretty face melted into a mask of worry.

She placed her hand on his forehead. “You're so hot…” She whispered, her voice tainted with concern.

Inuyasha smiled feebly yet mischievously. “You're not so bad yourself.”

“Baka.” Kagome murmured, but Inuyasha's smile widened when he saw Kagome's lips curve into a timid little smile.

`She's so fucking cute.' He thought, smiling to himself in the dark as he studied her. Her eyes were huge and almost black in the shadows. Her petite breasts rose and fell heavily with her breathing as Inuyasha looked up at his chosen from a different angle.

In the dim light, she was like a vision. The warmth of her lap and her delicate fingers stroking his hair and face was like a silent lullaby; calming, and sweetly sensual at the same time, although this was completely unconscious on the young girl's part.

“Oi, Kagome…” He breathed.

Kagome's eyes felt heavy and she was fighting sleep with almost as much fierceness as Inuyasha was.

“Hmm?” The miko was exhausted, and it was no surprise to Inuyasha. The wench had pulled off one hell of a purification - on him…and had not even been aware of it.

She looked as if she hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages, her eyes were puffy, her face ashen and pale even in the dimness of the well house, her hands were cold and trembled ever so slightly as she continued to stroke his long, dark hair.

Almost as if she was afraid to touch him. Inuyasha knew all too well what that felt like…

And in a dream like state, he whispered words to her she had spoken to him earlier that day, but he was not aware of this at the time. “Don't be afraid…”

“I don't want to hurt you…” She said miserably.

The now human Inuyasha considered this for a moment. “Don't you feel as if we've had this conversation before? Only it was the other way around?” He questioned her, scowling slightly.

She laughed. It was a bitter sound, with a hint of tears in it. He'd never heard such a sound before and he didn't want to hear it from his Kagome ever again.

“Déjà vu:” She murmured after a moment of silence.

“Huh?” Inuyasha asked, blinking up at her in utter confusion.

“Nevermind.” She attempted a smile for his sake. “Are you comfortable?”

“Very.”

“My back hurts.”

“Everything fucking hurts.” Inuyasha mumbled, and instantly regretted it when he saw the guilt resurface in Kagome's eyes. He bit his bottom lip. “Kagome…look, you did what you had to do, okay?!” He said sulkily, frustrated that she couldn't see the situation like he did. “You saved Miroku's life…don't you realize what you've done?”

“I hurt you!” Kagome exclaimed, a little louder and harsher than she'd intended. “And I only…I just…all I did was touch you!”

“Keh. Now you know how I feel.” Inuyasha wanted to kick himself when he heard her sob quietly. “Oi, don't do that! Kagome…I meant…well, I…it's…” He laughed bitterly. “It's fucking annoying, ain't it? You're the one who's afraid to touch me now. Do you think there are two Kagomes now?”

She shook her head. “No. But I'm not very fond of my miko blood at the moment…”

“It was…instinct, wench. You protected your friends. You always do that, you know? You don't think about it…you just…do. You're the one who holds us together. All of us. You believe in goodness…and you make me believe in it, too. You make us all believe…I never thought…never thought I would…” He was falling asleep, and Kagome suspected he was not at all conscious of what he was saying.

Even so, as a human, he was always more open. So she waited for him to continue, not realizing she was holding her breath.

“Always thinking of others before you think of yourself. That's something to be proud of, wench. Not to feel guilty about…I…I want to thank you…for that - for being…well, for being Kagome. And I want to say I'm sorry…for being me…” His eyes closed.

“Don't say that.” She murmured. “Inuyasha…I love you…for being you.” She smiled reassuringly when he opened his eyes and looked up at her with a grateful, yet impossibly sad blue gaze.

“Kagome…” He whispered, and seemed to want to say something else. He swallowed, coughed dryly, and licked his parched lips as he ranted on. “Did I ever tell you that I…I love saying your name?”

“No…” Kagome whispered, afraid that if she spoke up, the spell would be broken and Inuyasha would take it all back. Her heart was fluttering, thumping loudly against her ribcage.

“Well, I do. I love it when it slips past my lips, how it rolls in my tongue. It's like…like a magic word.” He smiled faintly and lowered his voice to a husky whisper that made the young miko shiver in spite of herself. “Ka. Go. Me.”

Inuyasha turned his head, his breathing becoming shallow. “I never thanked you…for saving me. You have no idea how many times you've saved my ass, Kagome. Kagome. Did I ever tell you I love saying your name?”

Kagome opened her mouth to reply that yes, he had just told her seconds before, but Inuyasha was not done talking. “Can I…rest my eyes for a bit? I don't think I can stand up…and I like it here…you're so warm…and you smell so good…stupid human body…can't smell you properly tonight, either…I was human last night too, and I think…I know…that I'm safe here, I'm safe now…”

She nodded her head, but Inuyasha didn't see this as his eyes closed and he appeared to fall asleep. Kagome tried not to move, not to fall asleep herself, not to think that she had been the cause of Inuyasha's current state. He was sick, she needed to take him home…his broken ribs…she had to tend to his wounds… the fever…and it suddenly struck her. She didn't know when he would be returning to his hanyou form…

She didn't want to wake him, either. He looked so innocent, his face relaxed, his chest rising and falling a little too shallowly for her liking, his full, sensual lips parted, one hand laying on his chest. Kagome took his hand and entwined her fingers with his. It felt so warm…too warm for her comfort. She frowned in concern, and then she felt him squeeze her hand lightly and let go.

Kagome wanted to say she was sorry again, but she couldn't find her voice. The guilt was returning full force. The injured boy turned his head slightly to one side, pressing his face against her stomach.

Inuyasha was not asleep. He'd merely shut his eyes to focus on his other senses. He hated being locked in this human body, and he needed to smell Kagome like was used to, or he knew he'd go mad. He concentrated on feeling her aura first.

Soothing, calming, peaceful, Kagome's goodness shone like a white gem behind his closed eyelids, her presence wrapped about him like a warm blanket.

Inuyasha smiled to himself. Now that his eyes were closed, he could focus on all his other dulled senses with a bit more clarity. He heard her deep breathing, her fluttering heartbeat.

Smell, he needed to concentrate on that…the sweet fragrance of her skin, the perfume of her hair…he didn't get any of this comforting scents, and he was growing frustrated.

He was also wondering dimly why Kagome seemed so concerned about mere broken ribs. When he had been in his human form and Kagome had been kidnapped by a power crazy hermit, Inuyasha had had his blood drained and all of his bones broken when the mad hermit had splattered him like a cocroach with his considerable weight. He'd also been very close to being consumed by acid back then…

That was one memory he didn't particularly cherish, except on that night he had seen Kagome completely naked, he recalled blissfully, and after handing her his firerat haori to cover herself, had promptly passed out. But after that, even though his body ached and his bones wailed at every breath he took, he had tackled and fought the hermit in posession of Kagome's shards. He was stronger than that…why was Kagome so worried about his fractured bones now?

What he was personally more concerned about was the purification. Inuyasha couldn't feel his hanyou senses returning to him, and he truthfully didn't know when he would be returning to his normal self.

He was also worried about Kagome...he could feel her guilt as if it was his own. It pulsed around her aura like an invasive creature, it wavered in her eyes, peering at him cautiosly. He felt it in her hands when she touched him…

Inuyasha didn't want Kagome to feel this way, especially when what she had done was right in his eyes.

But most of all, right now, all he wanted to do was catch her scent…perhaps if he…yes, that was it…he smiled to himself and moved his head slightly against the young girl's stomach.

Without a word, he pulled her top up and pressed his lips to her bare skin very softly, his tongue flickering out and abruptly licking her navel.

Kagome gave out a little moan, and his midnight blue eyes opened lazily as he smiled up at her. He then sat up with considerable effort, hiding the pain in his body rather well, not even wincing as his bones complained with the movement, his conquering little smile still in place, his eyes sparkling like blue fire in the dark well house.

“You're very sensitive there.” He said conversationally. Kagome blushed an intense shade of red and pressed her legs together as she pulled her shirt back down.

Inuyasha was facing her now, examining her in the darkness, wearing a serious, thoughtful expression, one rarely seen on his eternally boyish face, as he licked his lips unconsciously and lifted a hand to touch her burning cheek. His other hand moved to caress her parted lips.

Kagome held her breath. “Inuyasha…we really shouldn't…” She started unconvincingly when he ceased caressing her lips and his fingers carefully, meticulously, moved her long hair out of the way, a look of deep concentration on his face that Kagome found incredibly cute and at the same time beautifully alarming given the circumstances.

“Shouldn't what?” He asked softly and buried his face in her neck, licking his way up and stopping to press his lips gently below her ear, then moving down her neck again, gnawing at her flesh a little. Kagome murmured his name and her eyes fluttered close.

She felt herself being lifted up slightly as Inuyasha pulled her onto his lap. His hands firmly wrapped her legs about his waist. Kagome's mouth was against Inuyasha's now human ear, and he was kissing her skin again as she gave out little sounds of ecstasy that grew louder when his questing mouth moved up towards her ear and his tongue licked the appendage with deliberate slowness.

Kagome's hands dug onto Inuyasha's shoulders and a loud moan escaped her lips. She was dimly aware of his injuries, and she tried with all her will not to squeeze his hips with her legs as she buried her fingernails in his shoulders.

“You're very sensitive here too…” He whispered as he blew on her ear. And Kagome could have sworn she could hear the smirk in his voice. She whimpered, her body writhing under his ministrations. She tried not to grind against him, to no avail. She felt him wiggle under her, and the now familiar sensation of his erection pressing against her crotch made her whimper again.

Inuyasha proceeded to cover her face with kisses, licking her parted lips and locking his mouth with hers. In a few heartbeats that pounded so loud in Kagome's ears that she was afraid something was wrong inside her chest, the kiss changed.

Their lips stopped merely pressing, and began to cling, to taste, to caress. Kagome's arms slipped around Inuyasha's neck, and she could not tell which of them parted their lips first, but their tongues were touching in small, wet caresses. She gasped, and heard Inuyasha groan, and clung tighter, her tongue rolling against his, feeling him sucking it gently in response.

Reality hit her abruptly when she realized where they where, or more especifically when they were.

“I-Inuyasha…” Kagome murmured between kisses. “W-wait…my family…we need to get you into the house…and explain why - why you're human and…and…” She parted from him, breathing hard, one hand against her chest where her heart was beating a little too fast, blushing hotly and at a loss for words.

She knew things had a tendency to go too far too quickly whenever they kissed, and the last thing she needed was her family happening into the well house and finding them in a compromising situation. It was bad enough that her mother had heard her on that eventful night Inuyasha had visited her as a hanyou…but what if Souta came in? Or grandpa? She'd never hear the end of it…

The human boy sighed as he shut his eyes briefly, accepting defeat, as he regained his own breath. Kagome got to her feet unsteadily and settled herself on the ground beside him. Inuyasha leaned his back against the well.

“Yeah…I know.” He pouted. “Fucking great. Is there anyone out there who doesn't already know I turn human on the nights of the New Moon?”

“That was yesterday…” Kagome said, a bit apologetically. “And…w-we shouldn't stay here, anyway…”

The young girl unconsciously touched her lips with her fingertips. “You need to rest…” She insisted, her voice a bit shaky.

“Keh.” Inuyasha pouted some more and folded his arms across his chest.

“I mean it, Inuyasha…can you…can you walk?”

The black-haired boy didn't say anything, but looked at her with such an intense, heated blue gaze for an instant that Kagome felt herself blushing with sudden shyness.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked softly, feeling his eyes would burn her as surely as his fervent kisses did.

“Like what?” He asked in a low voice, blinking at her, completely unaware of the intensity of his gaze and how it was making her feel. It didn't make her feel uncomfortable, it was…quite the opposite. She found herself wishing he'd look at her like that more often, and wondered briefly if Inuyasha had ever seen that same look reflected in her own eyes when she glanced upon him.

Kagome was not aware of it, but she had in fact given him the same look the previous night, and hanyou Inuyasha had not been at all happy that she had blessed his human side with that particular heated gaze. It was the same look she'd seen in Inuyasha's smouldering golden eyes when he'd stared up at her from between her legs the night he'd visited her…when he had -

Kagome shook her head to herself, as if this would clear all impure thoughts from her mind. It didn't work.

“I'll go warn everyone, okay? They've never seen you like this before…it might be quite a shock to them.” She said, rather hurriedly.

Inuyasha arched his dark eyebrows. A shock? He'd thought seeing him as a hanyou would be a shock to them. And the first time Kagome's family had met him, all they'd wanted to do was tweak his dog-like ears.

That had been a shock to him. Well, except for Kagome's grandfather, who had always regarded him with slight suspicion. For some reason, Inuyasha believed it wasn't because of his youkai blood, but because he hang out with his granddaughter.

He wasn't surprised at that, at least. No respectable human family, or youkai clan for that matter, would want their descendants to hang around filthy half-breeds. He'd figured Kagome's time was no different.

Then again, he had a strong suspicion this had nothing to do with it. It was simply the fact that he was a member of the opposite sex. Were all the humans in Kagome's world like them? He'd wondered. They didn't mind he was hanyou…they just worried because he was a guy.

Not Mrs. Higurashi, though, Inuyasha thought as his face reddened. Now that was one human that he couldn't figure out try as he might. She seemed to want him to bed her daughter…as for Kagome's little brother, well - the kid just thought he was a hero of sorts.

Inuyasha didn't have a problem with either, although it confused the hell out of him. And Mrs. Higurashi smiled all the time. Something had to be wrong with someone like that. Humans weren't supposed to always be happy. It wasn't in their nature. They worried far too much. But Kagome's mother treated him like…well, like family. Inuyasha wasn't used to that, but he felt he could get accustomed to it. It was a nice feeling, not being treated like… like a hanyou.

Mrs. Higurashi also fed him exotic foods - he recalled the steak and suddenly became aware of how hungry he actually was - and he had a slight suspicion that every time the woman saw him, she had to struggle with herself not to pet his head. That was an unnerving thought and it annoyed the inu-hanyou to no end, but if the mad woman was going to cook for him like she always did whenever he happened to be around, screw it all, he'd put up with it. After all, he didn't have his reputation to worry about here.

He wondered if he should ask Kagome if her family was currently having dinner, and if they were, if it would be steak. Nothing could beat Ramen, though, but he was tempted by the idea of Mrs. Higurashi's cooking.

They had all eaten it with weird steel instruments…Inuyasha was sure one of them resembled a knife, only the size of a small dagger, and not like a dagger at all…Kagome had called the mysterious other artifact a `fork'. Inuyasha didn't think of the other sharpless thing as a proper knife…but he had consumed the meat ravenously with his bare hands and no one had seemed to mind his manners. But now he was human, surely they would expect him to use the steel thingy to eat? Inuyasha had no problem with chopsticks or knives to cut food up, but the `fork' was an alien concept to him.

And now he was beginning to worry for entirely differet reasons. What if Kagome's family preferred he stayed this way once they saw him? As a human? Had Kagome ever mentioned to her mother he turned human once a month? Would Mrs. Higurashi rather have a human boy spend time with her daughter than a half demon?

He fiddled with his hands uncomfortably, very much aware of his humanity at this point and not liking it one bit, and suddenly feeling all the physical exhaustion and pain in his bones multiply tenfold. He hadn't even felt it minutes before. Then again, he'd been occupied with…other sensations.

Now he felt sore all over, and the dizziness had returned with a vengeance. He felt light headed, and his body felt heavy. Inuyasha didn't know at this point if his dulled senses were on account of him being human or if they were due to the purification. And frankly, he didn't give a damn, he just wished he could smell Kagome properly at the moment…

This led to other thoughts…mainly if she was as wet under her panties as she always got whenever he kissed her…he could always tell without even touching her there…and he loathed the fact that he couldn't catch the exquisite, mouth watering fragrance of her arousal. Even the sweet smell of jasmine of her hair was not as strong as the previous night.

Then again, it was probably for the best. Kagome wasn't in what one would call `the mood', and come to think of it, he didn't feel up to anything but sleep now that Kagome's soft, full lips weren't pressed against his, and the warmth of her body seemed so far away.

Reluctantly and abruptly, Inuyasha had been forced to cease thinking with his little head like he had been doing moments before, and the pain had begun to take over.

Kagome had asked him if he could walk. If she had asked him that a little earlier, he would have `keh'd at her and walked, just out of spite. Now, he couldn't even feel his legs, and his broken bones were starting to complain. He winced and unsuccesfully tried to hold back a groan.

Kagome turned to him and lay her hand on his forehead again. The guilt and suffering in her

chocolate-hued eyes was undeniable. “Oh, Inuyasha…”

Scowling irritably, he smacked her hand away. “I'm fine, damnit!”

A hurt look crossed Kagome's face and he winced inwardly. “You're the one I'm worried about, wench. You don't look so good.” He said in a lower voice, averting his blue eyes from her wounded expression.

“I don't feel good, either.” She murmured. “I don't think I'll ever be all right…”

“Keh. Welcome to my world.” Inuyasha muttered.

“This isn't how it's supposed to be…” Kagome went on in a choked whisper.

“Nothing ever is.” Inuyasha said briskly. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Oi. Kagome. I'm…I'm sorry I yelled at you just now…”

“You're hurt. And I'm the reason for it. Don't say you're sorry. Besides, you've been apologizing a lot lately. It's kind of creepy.” She smiled smally at him.

“Keh. Well, excuse me for trying to be nice!” Inuyasha said grumpily, making a big show of folding his arms across his chest and glaring at the wooden doors of the well house. He added a pout for good measure.

“I'm the one who needs to apologize, Inuyasha…” Kagome said in a broken voice, lowering her head.

“Stop that! I told you, you did what you had to do and I don't blame you for it, and you shouldn't either. You stopped him, like I asked you to. And I don't wanna hear another fucking word about it, understand?”

“But…” Kagome insisted smally.

“I said I didn't wanna hear it!” He sighed guiltily when she flinched again. “Look, you can control this, Kagome…you can learn to do that. I can't control the fucking bastard. But you can hold him back for me…um, I think…”

The now human inu-hanyou grimaced. His youkai side was actually stronger when Kagome was around. But at least he was not pissed and wrecking villages and making children and women cry because he couldn't catch her scent…

“I think you could. If you tried…” He added.

“No!” Kagome said loudly, suddenly angry. “I'll never do that to you again! Never! I'm scared, Inuyasha! How will I know I won't attack you…just by touching you?”

Inuyasha just stared at her gloomily. “How will you know?” He echoed. “You won't.” He sighed tiredly. “At least, that's how it is for me. Well…sometimes I can feel him…like…like he's in my head…waiting or…something. Watching. I can't explain it…what it feels like. He feels like…like something that shouldn't be there…”

Damn his human side. Couldn't he ever shut up? Kagome had said he was always more honest when he was human. Inuyasha thought his human side should just shut the fuck up and stop embarrassing him.

Also, human or not, Inuyasha was not about to admit to Kagome that he heard his youkai side speaking to him…and that he answered him, too.

“Perhaps if you pay attention…you can feel your powers, too…and try to either feed them or hold them back. Although I strongly suggest you…” He started, when Kagome suddenly turned to him in white hot anger and cut him off briskly.

“Feed them? Feed them?! What am I supposed to `feed' them with? You?” She yelled furiously, helplessly, with a hint of desperation in her voice.

“You didn't even let me finish, damnit!” Inuyasha shouted at her, even in his human, softer tone of voice somehow making Kagome's angry retort sound like a tiny squeak.

“I won't do it again! I can't! I can't…” She buried her face in her hands.

“Look at me, wench.” Inuyasha said as gently as he could, his face softening. The young miko moved her hands slowly away from her pale face and looked at the raven-haired human boy with huge, sorrowful brown eyes. “You don't seem to understand what you've done.” He said slowly, taking her hands in his. They either felt too cold or his body temperature was too hot. He ignored this as he focused on Kagome and what the hell he was supposed to say to make her understand what she had truly accomplished.

“Listen, do you think I would be - happy, if I had…snapped out of it somehow, without your help…if I had returned to my senses…and realized my youkai side had killed Miroku? He might be a pervert and a pain in the ass but…um…I don't hate him or anything!”

Inuyasha knew Kagome would understand he meant to say Miroku was a member of his pack, and that the monk was, indeed, Inuyasha's best friend.

He swallowed painfully, his voice cracking. “Cause he would have, you know! He would have. Just because the careless monk touched you! He doesn't understand…all grown males are a threat to me…um, to him! And what about the stinkin' wolf? Not that I'm saying I would be disappointed if he suddenly dropped dead and made the world a happier, less smelly place…”

Kagome scowled at him. “I know you don't want Kouga-kun dead, Inuyasha.” She said, her tone firm yet kind.

“Well…not exactly dead…but…” Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. “Keh. He's probably doing better right now than I am.” He winced when he realized this might have sounded as if he was blaming Kagome for his current state.

“I mean…you know, he's full youkai…he'll be his usual, annoying, stinking self by tomorrow…and he said…he said - he'd take you away…” His voice grew smaller as he finished talking.

“Inuyasha…you know I wouldn't have let him do that. And he wouldn't have forced me.” Kagome stated.

“Keh. He kidnapped you once didn't he?” Inuyasha retorted sourly.

“What I mean is…you're supposed to trust me, right? Do you really think I'd run off with him? And leave my chosen one?” She smiled reassuringly at him. “He's just a friend, Inuyasha. And I promised you, and I'm promising you again…I'm always going to remain by your side. Always.” This didn't have the effect she was expecting. Something else needed to be said, and so she said it, rolling the word in her tongue as if it was a caress. “Baka.”

“I trust you, wench. But…but you should know that the fucking wolf's been ignoring my scent claim on you - for…years.” Inuyasha muttered, and blushed. He vaguely recalled yelling something along those lines at Kouga earlier. He wondered if Kagome was aware of what this really meant.

Kagome sighed. “Is that really so important? You know how I feel about you…” She smiled as she grabbed his face between her hands and kissed the tip of his nose. “I love you, you jerk.” She said softly. “I loved you the first time I saw you. You looked so peaceful, so innocent…I thought you were asleep… and then, of course, you woke up, and opened your big, fat mouth.” She rolled her eyes at him, but she was smiling.

“Hey!” Inuyasha said, a little offended.

“Well, you weren't exactly fond of me back then…” Kagome started, arching an eyebrow.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply but quickly shut it. “Keh.” He finished lamely. “If you must know…I…” He swallowed. “I started caring about you…before - before…”

Inuyasha wanted to say `before Kikyou was brought back to life' but something told him this would be very unwise of him, and that saying Kikyou's name would just upset her. He looked into Kagome's eyes desperately, trying to tell her this without words.

“I mean to say…I never…never thought of you as…her. Even when I was a bit confused and shit when we first met…” Inuyasha stammered.

Kagome regarded him thoughtfully and finally smiled softly. “I know.” She said. “Come on…we need to take care of those wounds…and you need to rest…”

“So do you.” Inuyasha muttered, not realizing he had just admitted he did need to have a bit of a lay down. He realized however, that tonight he could sleep as a human…and recalled he had fallen asleep in Kagome's arms the previous night in this helpless, loathed body.

He was also quite aware that he was alone with Kagome again, and that his hormones were actually screaming louder than his broken bones from the battle, or the burns and dizziness from Kagome's purification, and were threatening to take control over his body and mind any second. He also found out that he would gladly let them. As long as his human side didn't think it was going to get further than hanyou Inuyasha would when the time was right, that is. He blushed hotly.

“Your fever's spiking up…” Kagome said softly, still holding his face between her hands.

“Um…” Inuyasha swallowed. “Yeah…the fever, that's it…”

“Let's go…I'll help you…” She offered as she stood up.

“I don't need help!” Inuyasha pouted.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Of course. You never need help, do you?”

“Keh.”

“Shut up and take my hand.” She pulled him up gently as he grabbed her hand reluctantly. His bones weren't too happy about the movement though and he wasn't able to stand on his feet.

“Fuck!” He grunted.

“I'm sorry!” Kagome said hurriedly, squatting by his side and taking his arm gently. “Here…just put your arm around my shoulders…there…”

Inuyasha groaned in pain as he got unsteadily to his feet, leaning on Kagome for support. She snaked her right arm around his waist.

“Shit! Kagome that fucking hurts!” He whined.

The young miko realized too late that she had placed her hand right on the spot where his blistered skin showed. Where her hands had been when she had desperately tried to stop him from hurting Miroku…

`Oh Gods, I did that to him…' Kagome thought despairingly, biting her lower lip. She took an unsteady step towards the double doors.

She also couldn't help but notice that his firerat kimono was not magically repairing itself like it usually did when torn. So…she had purified that, too. She sighed regretfully.

It was beginning to dawn on her that Inuyasha was rather heavy and she wasn't feeling very strong at the moment, either. As a consequence, they simultaneously fell on their knees.

“Urgh…” Inuyasha grunted through clenched teeth.

“We can make it…just…let's take one step at a time…” Kagome said weakly.

“You never give up, dontcha?” Inuyasha said, smiling tiredly.

“Neither do you, so don't you back off on this. We just need to get to the house…”

Kagome slid the double doors open while keeping one arm around Inuyasha, and they both stepped out into the velvety night.

“Okay…we're out.” She murmured, not bothering to turn and shut the doors properly as she dragged her feet towards her house.

Funny how close the two story house had always appeared to be to the well house. Now she could have sworn it was a thousand miles away.

Securing Inuyasha's arm around her shoulders while straightening her back, trying to ignore the boy's grunts and muttered curses, Kagome took a deep breath and managed a couple of steps, dragging Inuyasha with her.

Two steps closer…now to manage the rest leading to the Higurashi home. Kagome idly wondered how many steps it would take them to get there.

“We just…need to get to the house…” She said again, slightly out of breath.

“I heard that the first time, and it seemed like a bad idea when you said it then, too,” Inuyasha muttered.

“Work with me, I can't carry you there!” Kagome snapped.

“I am!” Inuyasha whined as he attempted another step.

“I'll fix you some Ramen when we get home.” She said desperately.

“You promise?” Inuyasha asked, lifting his head and staring at the distant house, his voice sounding more determined.

“I promise.” Kagome replied gently. “Now, come on…it's not far…”

Kagome had to agree with Inuyasha though, it wasn't as easy as she had hoped. For starters, he was leaning heavily on her, and the petite girl tried to support the injured human boy with one arm around his waist, taking care not to brush the blistered skin that showed through the gap in his haori; the painful, constant reminder of what she had done to him. Kagome wanted to look away but her eyes were inevitably drawn downwards towards the badly burnt skin.

She tried to focus on the path that led to her house. Her vision was becoming blurry, her mind was foggy and her legs felt like they would give in any second, and the young miko didn't need anyone to tell her these were the counter effects of having performed the purification.

Exhaustion crept over her body and mind. It came to the point where they were both leaning on each other for support, taking one step at a time.

Inuyasha's arm was around her shoulders, and every time his burnt side brushed her body, he sucked in his breath, and Kagome thought she could see his face contort in pain, but he tried very hard to hide this from her by lowering his head and letting his bangs cover his eyes.

Finally, they reached the backdoor that led to the kitchen, and Inuyasha sat down on the steps to catch his breath again. His raven hair covered his face completely now as he bent his head. He felt as if he had run a marathon.

“Ramen…you promised…” He panted.

She nodded exhaustingly as she cautiously opened the door and peered inside. “Mama?” She called. “Mama…I'm home…”

She knew her family wouldn't be expecting her, after all, she had been home two days ago, and by now they knew that Kagome returned from the Feudal Era to her own time five times a month, at most.

There came the sound of footsteps. Mrs. Higurashi's cheerful face appeared at the door, and the woman grinned so widely when she saw her daughter that a bigger smile would probably result in the top of her head slipping off.

“Kagome, dear! What are you doing here so soon?”

“I live here, mama…” Kagome said tiredly.

Mrs. Higurashi's expression of surprised delight turned immediately serious when she saw the state the young girl was in. “Honey…what happened? Are you hurt? Come in, let me take a good look at you…”

“I'm okay, mama…I'll explain later…listen, there's something you need to know…Inuyasha is…um…” Kagome began nervously. She bit her bottom lip and looked down at the human Inuyasha, who glanced up at her from under his bangs with uncertainty lurking in his dark blue eyes.

“He's…he's…um…he came along with me because…well, tonight…it's dangerous for him to be seen…you see, mama…he's…” She sighed when words failed her, and promptly grabbed Inuyasha's hand, pulling him to his feet as gently as she could manage.

“Hey! I'm hurt, you know!” The boy snapped, scowling at her as he was reluctantly forced to stand.

“You seemed well enough when we came through the well!” Kagome hissed, blushing crimson.

Inuyasha had the decency to look embarrassed and scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, well…”

Mrs. Higurashi stared from her exhausted daughter to the battered human boy dressed in Inuyasha's red, torn kimono, taking in his long, dark hair, the noticeable lack of claws, the intense midnight blue eyes that peered at her almost defiantly, and most importantly, the absence of fuzzy, white dog ears on top of his head.

Her face went pale. She opened and closed her mouth but no words came out, doing a rather good impersonation of a carp out of water, Inuyasha thought vaguely.

“Um…this is Inuyasha, mama…he's turned human…” Kagome said hurriedly.

“Mom? Is Nee-chan home? Did Inu no Nii-chan come with her?” Kagome heard Souta's excited voice coming from the living room. She could hear the tv on, so her grandfather was probably watching the nine o'clock news.

She glanced pleadingly at her mother and shook her head desperately at her. Mrs. Higurashi nodded a bit uncertainly and cleared her throat, finally finding her voice.

“Souta-kun, go upstairs and fetch me the first aid kit, that's a good boy…” She said loudly without taking her eyes off the human Inuyasha in a sort of hazed fascination.

“What happened? Nee-chan? Are you okay?” Souta demanded loudly from the hall.

“Kagome will explain later…” Mrs. Higurashi told her son. She sighed and lowered her voice. “Although I'm not sure this can be fixed with a first aid kit…come in, both of you…sit down…”

Kagome and Inuyasha stepped into the kitchen. Mrs. Higurashi leaned on the counter and folded her arms across her chest, waiting for any of them to speak, her brown eyes still glued to Inuyasha. When either of them said anything, she decided it was up to her to break the ice.

“Well. This is…unexpected!” She said casually, her usual automatic smile returning to her lips. “How did this happen?” She motioned towards the now human inu-hanyou.

“You mean you never told her?” Inuyasha asked, looking at Kagome out of the corner of his eye. Kagome shrugged and let go of his hand, not having realized up until that point that she had still been holding it, as she sat in front of the kitchen table. Inuyasha sat on the chair beside her and pointedly glared at an invisible spot on the wall.

“Tell me what, dear?” Mrs. Higurashi said, addressing Kagome but unable to avert her curious, slightly concerned gaze from this handsome, raven-haired, blue-eyed human boy, still not quite believing this was the dog demon she had come to secretly think of as her son-in-law.

“You didn't tell her.” Inuyasha stated simply. He looked sharply at Mrs. Higurashi, his voice sounding harsher than he'd intended when he spoke. “Look… all hanyou turn human once a month. It's supposed to be a secret. I'm surprised the wench…um, Kagome…didn't tell you, since everyone seems to know… but… well…” Inuyasha tried to find the proper words that would fully explain his situation. “Shit happens.” He finished.

Mrs. Higurashi's brown eyes widened slightly at this last comment, and Kagome kicked Inuyasha under the table before she could stop herself.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?!” He said accusingly. Kagome gave him a meaningful look.

Mrs. Higurashi stared in amusement at the young couple. Inuyasha finally seemed to understand he was not making a favorable impression. He cleared his throat, and grimaced at the sharp pain in his chest this action caused, but since he wasn't looking forward to being kicked in the ankle again, he bit his tongue hard when the word `shit' tried to loudly force its way past his lips again.

“I - I meant to say…bad things happen. To me, at least.” He mumbled at last, glaring at Kagome, who offered him a shrug and a slightly apologetic smile.

“But…you're badly hurt, too…those are some nasty burns you've got there, young…man…” Mrs. Higurashi began carefully.

Kagome winced and Inuyasha sighed distressingly. “Like I said… bad things just…happen. I've had worse. This is nothing, really…” The young boy shrugged non-chalantly and forced a reassuring smile to his lips for Kagome's sake.

The woman, however, didn't seemed reassured at all as she continued to stare at him as if he was an intriguing new specimen. “But…but…” Mrs. Higurashi began, looking crestfallen, as her eyes rested on the top of Inuyasha's head. “Your adorable puppy ears!” She exclaimed, her voice wavering, her hands clasped to her chest dramatically, looking at Inuyasha in utter despair, as if this was the worst thing she could possibly imagine that could have ever happened to him.

When the boy just stared at her with a look normally reserved for the clinically insane, Mrs. Higurashi turned to her daughter. “Kagome dear, when will he get his puppy ears back?”

Inuyasha looked from Kagome to her desperate mother questioningly. He couldn't help but feel that he had stepped not into a time slip, but into another dimension. Mrs. Higurashi turned to Inuyasha and smiled at him gently. “Not that you don't look handsome as a human, mind you, but…” She turned to Kagome for help again.

Kagome suddenly felt very small. Inuyasha slowly backtracked on Mrs. Higurashi's words, and he suddenly burst out laughing. This didn't do wonders for his fractured ribs, but he was unable to stop himself.

Kagome didn't seem to see the humor in the situation and she scowled at him reproachfully. He merely shook his head, still laughing, the sound becoming nearly hysterical.

Inuyasha was well aware that his dog-like ears had always been a dead giveaway to his heritage as a hanyou. As a pup, humans used to throw rocks at him and chased him out of villages.

Bitterly, and this stopped his laughing abruptly, he recalled what Kikyou had said spitefully to him…no, that had been Naraku, not Kikyou…he reprimanded himself morosely. The dark hanyou wearing Kikyou's appearence had called them `disgusting'.

And that had stung. That single word spoken in Kikyou's voice through what he hadn't known fifty years ago had been Naraku's mouth, had dripped acid and made his heart shatter. Because they were true in his and everybody else's eyes.

Before Kagome, he had never met anyone except for his own Mother, who didn't see his dog ears as anything but disgusting. Sometimes they even laughed at him because of them. Humans laughed at him.

Inuyasha remembered dimly there had not been a single day as a pup when he hadn't wished to have pointy, proper youkai ears, like his half-brother. He had always been ashamed of his dog ears. It was hard to look menacing when there were two triangular, small fuzzy ears on top of your head. People tended to look at those first, and completely overlook the deadly fangs and razor sharp claws. So he'd never managed to scare anyone as a pup. The ears completely ruined the effect. And he could never manage the impressive, I-can-kill-you-without-blinking glare of Sesshoumaru.

As a grown hanyou though, it got easier. But not much. The reaction he got was was mainly contempt. His face was too boyish, and he'd thought that would change as he grew older but unfortunately for him, it had not been the case. The permanent scowl and the flexed claws usually did the trick, and sometimes growling loudly and baring his fangs. He'd learned to instinctively flatten his ears so people wouldn't notice them.

Now however, the children in Kaede's village thought they were `cute'. He wasn't very fond of that word applied to himself. Souta thought they were `cool', which was a word he didn't have a problem with but had trouble associating with his ears. Mrs. Higurashi obviously considered them `cute' too, and was currently questioning Kagome relentlessly in a concerned tone of voice when Inuyasha would be returning to `normal'. The now human inu-hanyou's blue eyes widened in undisguised shock.

Normal?

To Mrs. Higurashi, his current human appearance was not normal? He blinked at Kagome in utter confusion, who was looking at a very interesting spot on the floor, apparently avoiding her mother's eyes at all costs, and didn't appear to notice him.

“Soon, mama, soon.” Kagome forced a weary smile and looked sideways at Inuyasha.

He couldn't bear to see the guilt resurfacing in her chocolate-hued depths. He smiled reassuringly at her, although to be honest, he was not really certain himself when he would return to his hanyou form. The purification had been too recent, and it had happened before sunset. Perhaps he'd return to normal by sunset the following day? Would he have to endure this weak human body for a whole fucking day?

He had never been human during daylight…and he was not looking forward to the experience. The immediate future had broken bones in it that would take too damn long to heal and a dull, pounding headache that would probably increase when the sun hit his human eyes.

He had never relied on sight as much as he had on scent as a dog demon, but as a human, he couldn't rely on any of his senses. It was like being locked in a blind prison of alien, numb flesh.

Granted, to Inuyasha, human or hanyou, a few broken ribs were like a troublesome cold. It was annoying as hell, but it seemed to hurt Kagome more than it hurt him. He was used to much more severe, nearly fatal injuries. Wounds that would have killed an ordinary human had never managed to keep him down.

What was making him feel lousy at the moment, he knew, was Kagome's purification. He'd rather have her think it was his fractured ribs…

A loud crash came from the kitchen as the first aid kit's contents spilled on the floor. Souta stood staring at Inuyasha, his mouth a wide `O' of shock at his suddenly different friend and idol, as Mrs. Higurashi sighed and bent to clean up the mess.

In the past two years, the boy had grown considerably taller, and he possessed the natural and complete lack of grace of all teenage boys who had been forced into a sudden growing sprout. His voice continuously wavered between a high-pitched squeak and a slightly grave tone, a small sample of what would eventually become his permanent voice.

“Inu no Nii-chan?” Souta asked, blinking incredulously after a few seconds of shocked silence. “Is that you?”

“Yes, Souta. It's him. You see…” Kagome began.

“You look so…so…” The eleven-year-old boy cut her off, struggling for words as he squinted at the human Inuyasha.

“Human?” Inuyasha guessed tiredly.

“Not that you don't look cool or anything!” Souta added hurriedly. “You still have your sword, right? And…and...”

“Actually, it doesn't transform when I'm human…” Inuyasha said bitterly. He drew his sword and showed the rusty, battered weapon to Souta before putting it back in its sheath.

“Um…wow. It looks so…old and…um…” Souta looked at Kagome, whose warning glare nailed him to the wall. “It's still cool though!” He said nervously, as Kagome nodded at her younger brother in apparent approval. “Wait…when you're human? You mean this sort of thing has happened before?”

“Yes, honey. Now, be nice. Inuyasha's hurt and he needs his rest. He'll stay here until he turns back to normal.” Mrs. Higurashi said, making it very clear in a benign yet firm tone of voice that the conversation was officially over.

“Oh, and young man?” She turned to Inuyasha with a big smile plastered on her face. “I'd really appreciate it if you didn't draw your sword in my kitchen.”

“Um…yeah…sorry…” Inuyasha muttered, looking at Kagome apologetically. The young girl merely sighed with a hint of a smile.

“When will he be back to normal?” Souta asked in a panicky tone of voice. As far as he was concerned, not having a flashy sword that could cut the wind, sharp claws that could chop up trees, and wicked fangs lacked a certain something in a hero. Not to mention the cool dog ears and the silvery white mane, that Souta was secretly planning to copy when he was old enough to dye his hair.

Grandpa, who had been overhearing the conversation by casually pressing the `mute' button on the remote and had shuffled quietly towards the door, looked on the scene unfolding before him with mild interest and sudden panic as he chose this moment to speak up. “I don't care what the boy looks like, just as long as he didn't come to help with the shrine…”

Every time Inuyasha tried to help around the house or make up for something by making himself useful around the shrine he ended up breaking some valuable family heirloom and making grandpa cry.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled gently at her father. “Inuyasha is not here to help around the shrine.” She informed him kindly.

“Thank the Gods!” Grandpa said cheerfully, and went back into the living room to watch the soap opera that followed the nine o'clock news.

“Keh. You ungrateful geezer…” Inuyasha muttered.

Mrs Higurashi was analysing the situation. She had a knack for reading her daughter's moods, and she was currently glancing at Kagome, who was sitting very still, her hands on her lap, her face very pale and her eyes seemingly unseeing.

Mrs. Higurashi's gaze fell on the burns on Inuyasha's skin, and she slowly realized they were suspiciously shaped like her daughter's hands.

She'd always had trouble thinking of Kagome as the reincarnation of a powerful miko, and she preferred not to know what it was that Kagome did on her travels to the Feudal Era. She knew Inuyasha loved her daughter and would protect her with his life, and she tried her best not to worry about her little girl. Instead, she hid her worry by trying to help her daughter in any way she could.

So this was Kagome's doing, after all…she had somehow purified Inuyasha…but why? What would have made Kagome do something so drastic to Inuyasha?

Mrs Higurashi recognized a delicate issue, so she promptly decided not to ask her daughter about this for the time being, making a mental note to have a word with Kagome about the subject when she got the chance to talk to her daughter alone.

Gathering herself, she smiled pleasantly at the human Inuyasha. “I think you should both rest. I don't even need to ask, but I take it you wouldn't want to see a doctor, dear?”

“No doctors. Kagome.” Inuyasha replied briskly.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. This was the answer she had been expecting. “Right.” She looked at Kagome.

“Well…Inuyasha has always stayed in your room, honey, I think he feels quite comfortable there, don't you?” She asked the human boy, giving him a conspiratorial wink that only served to confuse him further and make him question the woman's sanity again.

“Um…yeah…” He answered lamely, blushing and staring at his feet.

“I need to tend to his wounds…” Kagome began, fidgeting with her hands. She had missed Mrs. Higurashi's casual wink to Inuyasha, and currently the boy was eyeing the young miko questioningly.

“You do that, honey…” Mrs. Higurashi nodded happily. “March upstairs, both of you. Souta will make himself useful and bring you what you need. ”

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at the gloomy faces around her. “Kagome…what do you need to tend to Inuyasha's injuries? Just an ointment for his burns will do?”

“No…his bones…he might have a few fractured ribs…” Kagome said, wincing. “I'll need… some strips of adhesive tape, scissors, and ibuprofen for the pain…”

Mrs. Higurashi nodded to her youngest son, who began to collect the items his sister needed as quickly as he could. She smiled at Souta, and turned her attention back to Inuyasha. “Do you think you can climb the stairs, dear?” She asked, her brow furrowing concernedly in an expression the human boy found alarmingly akin to the one Kagome so often wore on her face when she worried herself sick about his well-being.

“Keh. `Course I can.” Inuyasha declared confidently, folding his arms across his chest.

Kagome stood up automatically, about to head for the stairs, when Inuyasha's hand on her wrist stopped her. She looked down at him questioningly.

“Aren't you forgetting something, wench?” Inuyasha asked from his seat.

She arched her eyebrows at him, her head pounding relentlessly. “I am?” She hazarded cautiously.

“Ramen.” Was his simple response. Kagome just blinked at him confusingly. “You promised. `When we got to the house, I'll fix you some Ramen Inuyasha,' you said. Remember?” Inuyasha said with a tinge of irritation that she had forgotten her promise to him.

The young girl sighed. “Really, Inuyasha…don't you think there are more pressing matters at the moment? Like…” She gestured towards him and looked at him in what Inuyasha had come to think as her excesively concerned motherly expression. “Your wounds?” She finished significantly.

“Keh. Nothing's more important than Ramen.”

Mrs. Higurashi looked from the helpless Kagome to the irritated Inuyasha and decided to cut in. “I'm sorry, dear but I do believe your injuries are more important at the moment than food…”

“Kagome promised.” Inuyasha stated firmly, considering the argument won.

Kagome sighed again, giving in, and offered her mother a shrug. “It's okay, mama. Inuyasha, wait in the living room. You can lay down on the couch and rest for a while…”

Souta grabbed Inuyasha's hand and pulled him towards the doors leading to the living room. Inuyasha scowled slightly and glanced back at Kagome almost longingly, who was already opening the kitchen cupboards and taking out a cup of Ramen.

He wanted to stay with Kagome. But the young boy was persistently tugging at his hand and pulling him away from the kitchen - and from his bitch.

“Nothing's more important than Ramen, huh?” Souta asked once they were out of earshot, in a slightly amused tone of voice, as he and Inuyasha sat on the couch. Grandpa had dozed off in front of the television and was snoring quite loudly.

“Keh.” Inuyasha replied, but his heart wasn't in it.

“Not even my sister?” Souta asked slyly, grinning knowingly.

“Well…I…” Inuyasha sputtered, blushing darkly.

Souta giggled. “You know, you're so obvious, Inu no-Niichan…” He said casually. “So…I take it you already told Nee-chan how you feel about her?”

“That's none of your business, brat.” Inuyasha spat, blushing further.

He stared with unseeing eyes at the tv set. As far as he was concerned, if he wasn't appearing on the magic box with moving pictures, there was nothing interesting there. Yet everything seemed more interesting at the moment than facing the eleven-year-old boy questioning him about his relationship with Kagome. Especially because the kid seemed to know more about it than he himself did.

Souta sighed, shaking his head. “Still in denial?” He asked conversationally. Inuyasha scowled ahead of him, refusing to meet the kid's eye. “I see. Anyway…” Souta grinned meaningfully and his voice lowered. “Good luck!”

“Um…thanks…I guess…” Inuyasha said absent-mindedly, not quite certain what he was supposed to say in response to the boy's teasingly vague words.

Good luck? Good luck with what? He was still trying to make sense of this, when the aroma of Ramen coming from the kitchen reached his nostrils and he promptly decided to let it go.

Kagome's head appeared through the sliding doors. “Ramen's ready.” She informed him.

“Took ya long enough.” Inuyasha retorted as he made his way to the kitchen. He snatched the cup of Ramen from her outstretched hand and began devouring it, not bothering with sitting at the table. A few slurps and rather rude noises later, he was finished and handed the empty cup to Kagome, who shook her head to herself and disposed of it, as Inuyasha used his sleeve to wipe his mouth.

“No more excuses, Inuyasha. March upstairs.” Kagome said firmly.

Inuyasha was not about to admit it, but swallowing had made his chest ache dully. He scowled at the unfair world in general and headed for the stairs, dragging his tired feet and occasionally looking back over his shoulder to see if Kagome was still behind him. She rested her small hands on his back wordlessly so he wouldn't lose his balance, and they both climbed the stairs slowly.

Kagome decided the first stop would be the bathroom. She needed to clean Inuyusha up before she tended to his wounds.

TBC

ANs: In case anyone's wondering what's going on with the rest of the characters, once I post the next ch, we'll be on the right time line (midnight) when Naraku's spell was completed and Kikyou got her new body, and Kagura has contacted Sess already. Next week…ch 25, the promised lime! I'll be posting it next week so don't give up on me guys!

Thanks at mm.org to: Kitsune Hanyou, leila-chan, Lady Kagome, Tara222 (seems like mm.org hates us both…thanks!), little white kitsune (feel free to email me at jesse_ryuu hotmail.com ^^), Caitriona695 (Thanks so much!), cheryl (Congratulations on your A! You definetely made MY day! ^^), madosie (sorry it took me so long to update! I hope you keep enjoying the fic!), and kagome313. THANK YOU ALL!

Special thanks go to Cynbad146, always here, always making me smile ^^ I hope you enjoyed this. I'll thank you properly, and all of you at AFFN when I can access my reviews! Sorry for the delay and thanks for your support and patience, always!

Until next week, love ramen and pocky to you all! Please don't forget to review!