InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Oops ❯ Kagome Fights, Kagome Battles ( Chapter 20 )

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any characters there in.

Chapter 20: Kagome Fights, Kagome Battles

(Day 52)

"I'm just saying that people in the surrounding villages are used to seeing us around each other." Kagome explained her reasoning as they walked through the forest to Keades. She didn't want to go through what she went through the last time, "It might be more suspicious if you suddenly start ignoring me and standing as far away from me as possible."

"It'll be safer," InuYasha scowled, "They'll see how I treat you and… think things."

"You're not exactly into public displays of affection." Kagome sighed, "I don't know what you think they'd see."

"If they know us so well they would see the difference." InuYasha threw back petulantly.

Kagome looked ahead and could see where the forest ended and the fields began. An idea struck her, this was sure to get him, "Eventually I'll start showing, then they'll think it's Miroku's baby. How about that, huh?"

InuYasha's scowl deepened, then he growled. He didn't like that, but… "It'd be safer." He stated darkly.

"Fine." Kagome crossed her arms and held her head high, "I'll just get all panicky and depressed and take it out on you!" she quickened her pace to leave InuYasha behind.

"Fine!" InuYasha called up to her in the same manor, "Do that!"

InuYasha crossed his arms in a pout but sped up so that he could keep an eye on Kagome until she reached the edge of the village.

He knew that he couldn't just ignore Kagome. She got weird when he did that. But, once his mark begins to fad, how could he be near her with out giving them away?

Kagome walked ahead of him but her anger quickly gave way to depression. It was so hard to read InuYasha. The time they spent in her time, InuYasha was great, in his way. Even if you didn't include the … mating. He was attentive (sort of), confident and caring. He seemed so sure of him self since the hotel hot tub. He was still an idiot, but he seemed to be getting better about that. He was so into the baby, and couldn't seem to keep his hands off her. When they were alone, of course.

But, did he love her?

That afternoon in her room, when she was so upset about the rumors at school, he all but said he loved her. He just didn't say it. He didn't say anything really, except that he marked her and she marked him and she was carrying his baby. She knew all that, but the way he said it she had thought… she was probably just reading too much into things again.

Kagome felt the familiar cold flame of panic begin to flicker in her stomach and she stopped walking when her breaths began to come in gasps. She couldn't think about this now, she knew InuYasha cared about her. There was no reason to panic yet. Just ignore it. Think about anything else.

The baby has a heart beat. The others will be thrilled and Shippo will want to hear it himself.

The panic died down as she thought of Shippo jumping around excitedly, and she continued passed the rice fields to Keades.

InuYasha walked behind her, arms folded, lost in thought. He could smell her panic again, he wished he understood where it came from.

"Kagome! Your back!" Shippo jumped into her arms, "It's been sooo boring here without InuYa… um without you. I don't care about him."

Kagome laughed as she hugged him close, "I missed you too Shippo."

"Um yeah, I missed you Kagome, really." Shippo continued embarrassed, "No one else tucks me in or plays with me like you do."

"Thanks Shippo." Kagome patted his head, "But what would you do without InuYasha to tease and bop you on the head?"

"I really didn't think I'd miss that." Shippo looked over Kagome's shoulder at the distant form of InuYasha.

"I understand Shippo." Kagome said, "My little brother can be a real brat sometimes, but I miss him when I'm here."

"Do you bop your brother on the head too?" Shippo looked back at Kagome.

"No!" Kagome looked down at him in surprise, "Sometimes I throw things at him, but I don't really try to hit him."

"…Did InuYasha miss me, Kagome?" Shippo asked hesitantly.

"He's really important to you isn't he?" Kagome asked softly.

"… No." Shippo pouted, "Just curious."

"I'm sorry I took him away from you Shippo." Kagome looked back to see InuYasha gaining on them. They were almost to Keades. "We had some stuff to take care of in my time, and… um…"

"You're new together, I know." Shippo sighed and jumped down, "I'll never understand that, I mean how much time do you need?"

`I'm not going to ask for what.' Kagome decided as she entered the village.

"Kagome!" Sango smiled as she walked up to Kagome, "We heard Shippo's call."

"It's good to see you again." Miroku greeted her, "I don't believe you've been gone this long since I started traveling with you. I'm glad InuYasha went with you."

"Why?" Kagome asked, confused, while the Sango hid her smile.

"InuYasha was always… restless when you were gone," he explained, "This time he would have been -"

"Awful." Shippo finished for him.

"What am I runt?" InuYasha glared at the kit. Apparently he had caught up to them.

"Ahh, InuYasha!" Shippo jumped to Miroku's shoulder, "Welcome back."

"Why me Shippo?" Miroku shook his head, "You know he'll hit me. You should have gone to Kagome, or Sango."

"I'm not going to hit him." InuYasha grumbled, "This time."

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed getting everyone's attention, "InuYasha heard the baby's heart beat!"

There was a moment of silent stares before everyone turned to InuYasha.

"You heard the heartbeat?" Sango asked.

"Congratulations." Miroku smiled.

"What did it sound like?" Shippo bounced to InuYasha's shoulder, "Can I hear it?"

"I won't be able to hear it for a few weeks still," Kagome put on a show of pouting, "and that's only with help."

"I wanna hear it!" Shippo hopped over to Kagome, "How do I hear it!"

"Shut up!" InuYasha grabbed Shippo off of Kagome's shoulder and dropped him on the ground, "You probably can't hear it yet runt, you don't hear as well as I do."

"Maybe not." Shippo pouted for a moment, "But I bet I know better what sounds are from Kagome and what's new, I have spent more time on her stomach then you."

Miroku began to cough violently on an ill timed breath and Kagome blushed. Shippo tried to figure out what he said when he notice that InuYasha was blushing too. Knowing that InuYasha usually got mad when he blushed, Shippo took cover behind Sango's neck.

"What did I say?" He whined.

"Not one word Houshi-Sama." Sango warned.

"Uh, let's get inside." Kagome pulled InuYasha into Keades hut before he recovered, or someone said something to make him snap.

It wasn't long before they were all settled down in Keades hut waiting for lunch to be served. Shippo had immediately crawled into Kagome's lap and pressed his ear to her stomach.

"You're ears aren't developed enough to hear it yet." InuYasha said as he watched Shippo's face scrunch in concentration.

"Shhh!" Shippo ordered, this was hard enough without trying to sort past InuYasha's comments, "I, I hear it!" Shippo suddenly squeaked, "… It sounds like you swallowed a really little bird Kagome." Shippo looked up at her with his eyes wide in amazement.

"Is that what it sounds like InuYasha?" Sango asked curiously.

"Yeah," InuYasha grumped, he had liked having that to himself, "that's it."

"Amazing." Sango looked back to Kagome, who was beaming and hugging Shippo joyously.

"May I try next Kagome?" Miroku asked in his innocent, curious manner.

"Don't you touch her!" InuYasha stated loudly, he didn't really think that Miroku was dumb enough to try, but he had to make a show. Just in case.

"Houshi-Sama." Sango warned him again, "How could you make such a comment about this!"

"I was merely curious if I would be able to hear the heart beat as well." Miroku managed to look offended.

"Well you can't!" InuYasha moved closer to Kagome, "I know that humans can't hear it yet."

Kagome sighed, "Have there been any leads on the shards?" she changed the subject abruptly.

"Yes." Sango turned away from Miroku to talk to Kagome and InuYasha, "There is a rumor, to the south actually. Only a few days walk from here."

"South?" Kagome narrowed her eyes at Sango suspiciously, that was the opposite direction from Naraku.

"We can't help were the rumors lead us Kagome." Sango defended herself quickly, "For now they lead us south."

"Fine." Kagome clipped out, "But they better start up north again soon!"

InuYasha frowned at Kagome, it looked like she was going to start pushing them all again.

*

InuYasha was ignoring her again. Maybe not as bad as the last time, but he still wouldn't look at her. He started as soon as they left his territory, and the longer it went on the stronger the terrible apprehension became. Well, it actually started soon after they got back to the feudal era, but didn't turn into a gnawing ball of icy panic waiting to explode until he separated from her.

"How much farther is this village?" Kagome asked Sango in an agitated way.

"We should reach it soon Kagome." Sango answered sympathetically.

Kagome gave her a dirty look. She didn't want sympathy! Especially from someone who had no idea what she was going through.

"The village is just over the next hill." Miroku added.

When they reached the top of the hill they did indeed see the village that Sango and Miroku had told them about, only a short jog down the hill. They also saw the giant winged harpy like youkai attacking the village.

Quickly, they grabbed their weapons and entered the battle.

It was a putrid red color with wiry black hair springing from its human head, only it's odd coloring and twisted, fang filled mouth made that face anything but that of a beautiful woman. The creature hovered above the village on giant bat wings attached to the torso, it had the arms of a cat and the lower portions of a horse. It dove down to strike at the villagers and buildings before rising up again, out of range of their farming tools.

InuYasha jumped into the fight as the monster dove into the villagers again. InuYasha managed to knock it's clawed hands back with the dull side of his sword in a desperate attempt to prevent it's attack on the young villager it was aiming at and draw the sword at the same time. The creature drew itself upright in the air and brought its' sharp hoof down on InuYasha's forearm before he could strike it with the cutting edge of his sword, cutting a gash and stopping the blow.

The youkai resumed it's vantage above the village only to be forced lower by Sango's hiraikotsu. Cautiously the youkai eyed the weapon as it returned to its master, then turned to InuYasha and his demon sword. It knew now was the time to fall back and it turned to fly away.

"It's leaving!" Kagome stated the obvious as she skidded to a stop at InuYasha's side, "It has a shard! It's in its back."

"Why didn't you say that earlier!" InuYasha yelled at her.

"I didn't get the chance." Kagome said sheepishly, she was embarrassed that she hadn't sensed the shard earlier. But she had just been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed until they crested the hill and saw the battle, "Let's get it before it gets away!"

InuYasha nodded and kneeled so Kagome could get on his back with Shippo, Kirara had transformed for the battle and allowed Sango and Miroku to mount her.

InuYasha leaped into the air, trying to keep the youkai in site as it flew quickly along the tops of the trees.

"InuYasha Stop!" Kagome shouted, "Put me down quick!"

InuYasha dropped to the ground and released Kagome, who collapsed, panting.

"Kagome," Sango called as Kirara landed beside them, "What's wrong?"

Kagome shook her head, "Nothing, just nauseous. Go get that shard!"

Miroku shook his head, "It's gone Kagome. It flew up into the clouds-"

"And you came down here!" Kagome shouted from the forest floor, "You should have followed it! I can't believe you two, worrying about me when there are shards to get!"

"Kagome," InuYasha kneeled next to her and put his hand on her shoulder, "It was faster then us. It would have out run us anyway."

"You don't know that." Kagome whimpered as she began to calm down.

"It doesn't matter." InuYasha said as he stood, "We'll find it. Besides we've been traveling all day, we need the rest anyway."

"What happened Kagome?" Shippo frowned at her, "Why'd you get sick?"

Kagome gave him a weak smile, "It was all that up and down and moving really fast… motion sickness I guess. I'll be ok."

"Come on." InuYasha picked her up and put her on Kirara's back, "let's get back to the village."

*

Kagome pouted all the way back to the village. She had tried to argue some more, to explain that they should have continued with out her, that she could still ride on InuYasha's back, just not when he ran, but had been halted by a jaw cracking yawn.

She had instantly become the center of concern and she had given in to riding on Kirara with Sango just to avoid their attentions.

Currently, Kagome was pouting outside the hut where they had been a room for the night, hiding from the smell of cooked meat. It was actually kind of nice out here, the sun was just starting to set and evening air was fresh and clear.

"Hey, Kagome." InuYasha sat heavily beside her on the porch, "What are you doing out here? Still sick?"

"No… It's the meat." Kagome shrugged, "What are you doing out here, the food is inside."

InuYasha scowled, the family they were staying with didn't like youkai much, and really didn't like the idea of hanyou, "Keh! Their foods shit. I want Ramen."

Kagome sighed, "Be polite InuYasha. It was nice of them to offer us a room and a meal."

"Feh." InuYasha folded his arms haughtily (they hadn't actually offered him anything) across his chest and winced when he irritated the wound on his arm.

"InuYasha?" Kagome looked at him suspiciously, "Where you hurt?"

"…Keh, It's nothing." InuYasha tried to hide the wounded arm without drawing attention to it.

"You were!" Kagome shot up and leaned over him to grab the injured limb, "Has anyone seen to it?"

InuYasha scowled at her, but let her pull the sleeves up. He had forgotten about the wound when Kagome was ill. It wasn't very deep.

"InuYasha, It'll get infected." Kagome scowled at the deep gash, his quick movements had reopened it and it was caked with dried blood and dirt with fresh blood oozing from the middle, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

Kagome jumped up and ran inside to get her first aid kit.

"Kagome," Sango looked up from her near empty plate, "What's wrong?"

Kagome continued to rummage through her pack, "That's all you ask me anymore. InuYasha was hurt in the fight, I'm going to bandage him up."

"Oh." Sango said, "I've saved you some food, when you're ready for it."

"Thanks!" Kagome called as she stood up and ran back outside. She stumbled down to sit next to InuYasha after getting a small bucket of water, "Give me your arm." She stated professionally.

InuYasha obeyed, holding his sleeve above the wound. After all, this was the only contact that wouldn't likely be questioned by passersby.

Kagome gently washed the wound clean of the old blood and dirt, then laid out the bandages she was going to use. InuYasha healed fast, but he healed faster when she bandaged him properly. Especially if poison was involved, and since they didn't know anything about that youkai Kagome was going to treat it as a dangerous wound.

"Don't use too much of that stuff." InuYasha frowned at the pile of supplies Kagome was organizing. He flexed his arm, causing more blood to pool in the chasm in his forearm, "I don't need to be treated as carefully as humans."

"I know how to patch you up," Kagome looked up from her supplies, "Don't do that! You'll make it worse!"

She frowned and grabbed his arm again. InuYasha swallowed a grin at her protective behavior.

Kagome grabbed her water bottle to rinse his arm again, but got distracted by the glistening of the red fluid that trickled gently over the edge of the cut and down his arm to slowly to the ground. She was mesmerized. It was beautiful. It looked… delicious.

InuYasha watched curious while Kagome gazed at his arm with a hungry look. Slowly she leaned over it and licked the blood off his arm then started to suck at the open wound.

"K-Kagome!" he started in concern. Kagome didn't drink blood, as far as he knew, "What the hell are you doing?"

Kagome jerked herself back into a sitting position. She looked at InuYasha with wide, scared eyes and blood on her lips. She swallowed, but the coppery taste of InuYasha's blood stayed on her tongue.

"I… I don't know." she wiped the blood from her lips, "I'm sorry. Um, I'll just tape you up now."

Kagome rinsed his wound and made quick work of dressing it. She was quiet as she put away her kit. She looked at her knees, sitting on the porch. She couldn't look at InuYasha, though by now the light had faded enough that she wouldn't see much anyway. She couldn't believe her actions, she had been drinking InuYasha's blood from his wound like it was… hot chocolate. And enjoying it about as much as if it had been. `What's wrong with me?'

*

Kagome lay awake late into the night thinking about the incident on the porch, she still could not figure out what she had been thinking…. Must have been one of those strange cravings.

InuYasha was just confused about the whole thing. They hadn't talked about it, and it didn't look like they would be either. It was obviously upsetting Kagome, but she wouldn't even look at him. And he couldn't go to her and make her talk to him….

Not on this side of the well.

He couldn't give it anymore of his energy, he needed to prepare for the battle tomorrow. He couldn't risk underestimating the youkai again.

*

Kagome yawed at the sun, which was still resting well in the cradle of the earth, as she sat in the same place she had bandaged InuYasha last night. They were all up earlier than usual, thanks to the headman's wife, and busily packing. She insisted they get up, get out and get that youkai before it could attack again!

Miroku had managed to convince her of the benefits of a plentiful breakfast to the wandering warrior, and gained them an hour to wake and prepare properly before the meal would be finished. That was only after Kagome had to subdue InuYasha into silence. He had not been happy about Kagome being woken up only a couple of hours after she managed to fall asleep.

At any rate, they were now packing things up to get on the youkai's trail again. Of course they didn't really know how to track a flying youkai.

"Kagome," InuYasha stood in front of her, arms crossed, face stern, "can you sense the jewel shard?"

Kagome "felt" around a bit and shook her head, "No."

"Let's just follow the path it took yesterday." Sango came to stand next to InuYasha.

"Yeah," Shippo hopped on InuYasha's shoulder, "at least then it'll look like we're doing something."

Miroku frowned at Shippo, "We are doing something Shippo. We are hunting a fierce youkai. Are you ready Kagome?"

Kagome hopped up, she didn't want the group to start treating her delicately again, and smiled brightly, "Ready when you are!"

InuYasha gave her a strange look but turned to head out of the village anyway. Sango and Miroku just smiled at her and joined InuYasha.

*

It was nearing noon when they reached the point where Kagome had stopped InuYasha, and she was tired. But she wasn't going to tell any of them that.

"Do you sense anything?" InuYasha asked, looking into the sky.

Kagome looked up as well, "Maybe," she was interrupted by her own treacherous yawn, "In that direction." She waved her hand vaguely.

InuYasha nodded and knelt in front of her. A clear indication that she was to get on his back.

"I can walk." Kagome said dryly.

"Kagome…" Sango started uncertainly.

Kagome looked at the rest of the group to see them all on the verge of the usual argument, and she just didn't have the strength to fight them right now, "Fine! I'll ride. But it had better not be a bumpy ride InuYasha."

InuYasha huffed as she crawled onto his back, he wasn't about to risk getting Kagome nauseous. Not when she was on his back, "Just don't go to sleep on me."

"I want that shard InuYasha." Kagome yawned again, "I'll stay awake."

They traveled in the direction Kagome had indicated while Kagome nodded on InuYasha's back.

"It's," yawn, "a little more to the left." Kagome didn't even lift her head from where it had fallen on InuYasha's shoulder, "pretty close."

InuYasha stopped and looked around to the left, he release her slowly and made sure that she understood he was putting her down, "You have to walk now. Wake up, we'll have to fight soon."

"I believe there is a village in the direction Kagome indicated." Miroku pointed out several dark lines of smoke that would come from cook fires.

InuYasha nodded he could smell it, but first they would have to cross some farmland.

Kagome frowned at her three friends as they stared at the smoke in the sky. This was taking too long… She turned and started after the jewel without them.

*

InuYasha scowled back at Kagome as he stepped out of the ahead of her.

"Well, you weren't going anywhere." Kagome said sheepishly, "It's not like it took you long to figure out I was gone."

"That's not the point." InuYasha growled.

"Oh, don't start that again." Sango put a hand to her forehead, exhausted from the argument Kagome's wondering off had sparked, "She knows she shouldn't have left. Just drop it."

Kagome looked down bashfully. InuYasha keh'd and folded his arms in a pout.

"Let's concentrate on finding this youkai." Miroku hoped to get them back on track, he glanced over the fields looking for the youkai.

"It's… up." Kagome said shyly as she squinted into the sky.

As soon as the group looked up, the youkai dropped down, throwing a tree at the group. Miroku and Kagome disappeared under the foliage, Sango and InuYasha pulled there weapons.

The horrendous creature growled at them and hovered just above the ground, beating her wings strongly. She looked over the group as if searching for something.

InuYasha didn't give her the time to find it, as he attacked as soon as he recovered from the surprise.

He swung his sword at her heavily, attempting more distract her then actually land a blow, The monster bobbed up to avoid him and down to strike at his head with one hoof. InuYasha dodged, getting hit in the side instead, Sango threw her hiraikotsu. The creature dodged and attacked the underside of the weapon with its claws, but only managed to send it off course.

Sango watched sadly as her favored weapon embedded itself in the ground on the far side of the battle. She that was her most efficient weapon against this type of youkai. She pulled her sword and waited for an opening, when it made a dive for InuYasha, who was just recovering, she started running. Right now the youkai had its' back to her, she might be able to reach it before it got to InuYasha.

"Shit!" InuYasha sat up holding his side, he wasn't bleeding but several ribs were broken. As he recovered his sword and turned back to the idiotically lucky youkai, said youkai was coming for him, claws first. He lifted his sword, ready to slice off the arms of his attacker.

Suddenly the youkai dissolved in a blue light, the shikon shard falling softly to the ground.

"Kagome?" InuYasha looked back to the tree that the youkai had thrown at them to see her kneeling on the trunk, immediately he ran to her side.

She was covered in small scratches from digging herself out, but that wasn't what alarmed him. She was holding her stomach tightly and grimacing like she was in a lot of pain.

As soon as she released the arrow the pain that had started in her abdomen, with the powering of the arrow, became almost unbearable. She could barley make herself breathe.

"Kagome," InuYasha landed on the tree next to her and held her shoulders, "whats wrong?"

"I… don't, know." Kagome whimpered haltingly, "I, hurt."

"You're hurt?" InuYasha felt like whimpering, but managed to keep it out of his voice. "What about the pup?"

"I, don't know, InuYasha." Kagome looked up, her eyes were full of fear and confusion, "Please, it hurts so much."