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The Backward Blanket	By : SplendentGoddess Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 8413 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi or VIZ Productions, and I do not gain financially from my fanfic in any way.

Chapter List
- 1-Part 1
- 2-Part 2
- 1
- 2
Nominated for Best One-shot (despite actually being a two-shot, so thank you guys!) Feudal Association, 1st Quarter 2008
A/N:
This story was originally only supposed to be a one-shot, but it grew so large that I thought it would be better to split it up into two chapters. It is slightly off-canon, and takes place at some random point in the storyline after Miroku's proposal to Sango and prior to Kikyou's final passing. Despite evidence to the contrary with Sesshoumaru's mother making an appearance near the end of the manga, I am keeping with the fandom's fetish of inu-youkai mating for life in this particular universe. This story was originally written prior to Rumiko revealing the existance of Sesshoumaru's mother, so please suspend disbelief in that regard. There is also mention of events that happened in the second movie, but other than that everything's pretty spot-on canon wise, for the most part. Enjoy!
~*~*~ The Backward Blanket ~*~*~

(Part 1)
"Hiraikotsu!"
"Good shot Sango!" Miroku called, as he flung a few more sutra towards the youkai.
"Everyone get out of the way!" cried Inuyasha, "Wind Scar!"
"Hit the mark, hit the mark, hit the mark..." Kagome chanted as she watched her arrow fly.
Finally, the beast exploded into a colorful cloud of sparkly dust before settling into nothingness, a single jewel shard dropping where the youkai had once stood.
"Good job everyone." Kagome congratulated, as she retrieved the shard, her touch purifying it instantly.
They had already made camp for the night when the lizard youkai had attacked them. Kagome had sensed its jewel shard at around the same time Inuyasha had detected its youki and scent. They had both stood up rather abruptly, preparing their weapons, while their companions glanced up in mild alarm and confusion for all of two seconds before scrambling to their feet as well, weapons at the ready.
In reality, the youkai hadn't been that hard to bring down, once Inuyasha and Kagome combined the strength of their attacks; a technique always assured to secure them a rapid victory. The ugly thing had been able to handle the effects of the Wind Scar by itself thanks to the thickness of its shard-enhanced hide - a feature that had caused Sango's boomerang to come out of the ordeal looking a little worse for wear, itself. There was a thin but noticable crack along its surface that would need to be repaired before she could dare use it again.
It was for that reason that everyone agreed that come the following morning, Sango would return to her home village in order to perform the necessary repairs on her weapon. Normally they would all go together, but they could not all ride on Kirara. The trip would last longer than one day, and seeing as the following evening was the night of the new moon - which meant Inuyasha would lose his youkai speed and thus force everyone to either travel at a human pace or wait it out, either way delaying their journey - it had eventually been decided that it would be better in the long run if Sango made the necessary trek while Inuyasha remained where he was. They were in a fairly secluded area in the mountains, and that rouge lizard youkai had possessed the only youki signature worth mentioning in the entire region, and it had undoubtedly been drawn to them from however far away it had ventured because of its jewel shard. They could not have, in reality, chosen a better location for Inuyasha to wait out his pending night of weakness...which was the original reason for choosing that particular campsite to begin with. It was safe...cold...but safe. On one side there were cliffs, of which they were safely at the bottom, and on the other side there was a small, frozen lake. There was only one direction from which things could approach, where the land became forest. A peaceful, ice dusted, wintry forest.

Kagome had fortunately come prepared this time around, having quickly learned her lesson a few weeks back regarding how swiftly the temperature in the higher elevations could drop below freezing. Abandoning her school uniform for the time being, she had double-layered with pants and sweaters, a nice thick pair of ski boots replacing her usual Marry Janes. A brand-new downy sleeping bag designed for insulation in colder climates had taken all of her allowance, but was well worth it. There wasn't any actual snow on the ground, as there had been no clouds in recent weeks, but nevertheless, nearly everything around them was always coated with a thin layer of ice in the mornings, the low temperatures making quick work of the morning dew.
"Sango..." Miroku spoke up softly, pulling everyone from their respective thoughts.
"Yes Houshi-sama?" she answered absentmindedly, throwing another stick into the fire.
"I wish to accompany you on your journey tomorrow." he stated matter-of-factly.
"Keh, yeah I bet you do." could be heard from somewhere above them, but the monk did good to ignore the snide remark as he continued.
"While this area is relatively safe, the journey between here and the taijiya village is not." he stated, genuine concern apparent in his voice.
"She'd be safe from your wandering hands, at least."
"Am I addressing you, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked then, rollin his eyes at the hanyou's answering "Feh."
"Houshi-sama..." Sango spoke up in that moment, ignoring their companion's teasing. "I'll be fine." she insisted, though upon registering the look of concern in his eyes, the slayer thought it best to point out, "What about Kagome-chan and Inuyasha?"
"Oh don't worry about us, Sango-chan." Kagome spoke up then, flashing her friend a teasing smile of her own. She knew that while Sango was acting reluctant to spend some quality time alone with her fianc�, the taijiya had secretly been longing for more of just that.
"Like we need that bouzu to protect us." Inuyasha chimed in, leaping down from his perch in the nearby tree.
Kagome flashed him a brief smile, glad he was suddenly on her side, but he just shrugged indifferently before plopping himself down by the fire. Grumbling to herself, the miko realized that of course he would deny 'needing' the monk, no matter his true thoughts on the subject, and if he really did want Miroku gone, it was probably just because he didn't want to be holed up with the letch, who would undoubtedly be in a 'mood' while Sango was gone. Oh well...whatever, Kagome shrugged after a moment. So long as he helped her convince her friend, nothing else really mattered.
"I would feel better if Shippou were here, so that he could remain with you guys." Sango continued after a moment, since the kit had stayed behind in Kaede's village this time around.
Kagome appreciated her concern, but addressed it with the reassurance... "We will be fine, Sango." Gesturing towards Hiraikotsu, the miko added, "You need to get your weapon fixed, and there's no point in putting that off for a whole other day. The sooner you get it repaired, the better."
"Besides, runt's not much better at sensing youki than Kagome." came the hanyou's two cents.
The glare he received at those words assured him he was lucky the ground they were currently sitting on was in fact so frozen that he would probably break his nose, otherwise said nose would have become thoroughly acquainted with said ground at that comment.
"I'm not helpless, you know..." the miko grumbled aloud, defending, "I can sense large demonic auras just fine."
"What about smaller ones?" he asked patronizingly.
"You mean like yours?"
"Oi!"
"I think what Kagome-sama means is..." Miroku decided to step in, considering he had initially caused this argument, "Anything too small to sense would also undoubtedly represent no threat."
Kagome nodded, smiling once more, answering "Yes?" when Miroku then addressed her by name.
"I know you are quite proficient with your arrows..." he started, earning a barely audible "Keh" which everyone ignored, "...but if it would be all right with you..." he continued, "...I would be more than happy to leave you some of my ofuda, as well."
Pausing a moment, Miroku spoke back up as he asked his fianc�e, "Would this be sufficient for you?"
"I don't mean to be difficult..." Sango insisted, adding, "And I do appreciate the concern."
"I would be worried if he wasn't concerned." Kagome piped up again, having nodded her consent to accepting his offer of sacred ofuda.
"Then it's decided."
"Whatever." came the hanyou's response, as he headed towards the edge of the lake, cooking pot in hand. Kagome supposed that meant they were having ramen. He had to be the one to get the water, since he was the only one who could punch through the ice.
Kagome sighed, wishing she knew what her hanyou friend was thinking. Was he also happy for their companions, and wanting to help orchestrate time alone for the couple, or did he really not care? Was he also looking forward to the alone time it would logically equal for them, as well, or was he not looking forward to being alone with her? And if that was the case, was it even really about her, personally, or was he merely concerned about his vulnerability during the new moon? While she knew he didn't share her deeper feelings, she also knew she meant more to him than merely just a shard detector. She knew Inuyasha considered her a friend, if nothing else, so surely he wasn't begrudging their pending isolation, she assured herself then. Kagome knew how badly he hated being human, so that, alone, was most likely the reason for his souring mood, right?
She sighed again. He is so hard to read at times...
"Here." he said, placing the now filled pot of water on the large rock in the center of the fire pit, "Get the ramen ready, wench."
A crooked smile played across her lips. Then again, at other times...
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"Bye... Safe journey..." Kagome waved, as Miroku and Sango ascended into the sky atop Kirara.
"Feh, they'll be fine." grumped Inuyasha, as he slouched against a tree.
"Oh I know..." Kagome assured, her voice cheery as she mentally planned out their day.
She was going to add that they'd also be fine, but then she figured that his response would probably just be to get upset over the idea that there was even a remote possibility of him being in potential danger. She briefly wondered if perhaps he hadn't wanted Miroku to leave, after all, genuinely wishing for the extra protection as had been Sango's original concern. Not that he would ever admit to that, of course. But Kagome couldn't blame Miroku for wanting to accompany Sango, either, and nodding to herself in determination, she straightened her posture, head held high, as she knew that it was up to her, and her alone, to assure Inuyasha's safety for the night. She knew that meant that she wouldn't be getting any sleep.

Inuyasha secretly smiled at the lightness in her voice, knowing that his current posture hid his expression from view. He had to admit, he was actually looking forward to spending some time alone with her, just the two of them. It had been so long since the others had joined their group, that they very rarely found themselves alone any more. Not that he would ever admit it, of course, but he planned on cherishing every moment with her he could get. He would need those memories for the day she inevitably left him. Trying not to think of such things, knowing it would only spoil the moment, he focused instead on the here and now. True, a part of him was cursing the poor timing of Sango's necessity, not that he could fault the slayer for wishing to get her weapon repaired as quickly as possible. Nor could he fault Miroku for insisting upon accompanying her, though he couldn't pass up the opportunity to rip on him for a minute. True, the man was a perv...but he was also an excellent fighter, and a loyal companion. It wouldn't be very honorable of him to not wish to protect his future mate, especially considering that Sango was basically unarmed for the time being, her katana offering little to no protection against any possible airborne threats while she rode upon Kirara. So the hanyou knew he would just have to make do with the timing of it all, and not let a little thing like his night of weakness get in the way of enjoying Kagome's company. His subconscious tried to mess with him, of course, tried to make him lose his nerve. How was he supposed to protect her when he couldn't even see, hear, or smell anything properly? Shaking his head, he puffed his chest, and vowed to protect her, no matter what. He knew that meant he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, not that he ever felt comfortable sleeping during his human nights, anyway
Most of the day went by rather uneventfully. They played games Kagome taught him from her time, and she also told him a couple of stories of things that had happened at school, making sure not to mention anything that would upset him - like Hojo. He made sure to keep up the fa�ade of indifference, though the truth was he enjoyed hearing about her life. Yet it saddened him, also, functioning as a constant reminder that she did in fact have a life outside of his world and their mission.
At one point in time, a small monkey youkai had bound into camp. A young little thing, no older than Shippou. He didn't need this right now. Inuyasha had cursed at the thing, but it'd merely laughed at him in return. Not a good thing to do with the current mood he was in. Kagome had finally managed to shoo it away by drawing her bow, though she had hated to threaten it, but she'd figured that that was better than Inuyasha tearing into its hide, as he had threatened to do. At first she'd wanted to give him something to eat, but she'd eventually relented to Inuyasha's insistence that if she fed the thing, it would never go away. She had been less sympathetic toward the baby youkai, however, when it had wordlessly 'offered' them a small pebble, in apparent 'exchange' for said food.
"Oh no, we're not falling for that trick again!" Inuyasha had bellowed, preparing to draw his sword.
It was then that Kagome had pulled back her arrow, allowing her spiritual powers to make it glow, as she'd ordered the creature to leave them alone.
That small disturbance had actually proven to be a good thing, later on, as Inuyasha's mood seemed to perk up for the remainder of the day. He even stopped calling her wench for the time being, actually referring to her by name whenever he addressed her. Apparently, he was impressed by her display, even if he refused to comment on it directly. But the old Kagome would never have drawn her weapon against such a 'cute little baby monkey' and he had undoubtedly just been waiting to see what disasters were about to befall them. Instead, Kagome had actually shown some sense of intelligence, having finally learned a thing or two from her time spent traveling in the Feudal era, and she was not taking any chances when it came to the seriousness of their current situation.
Sunset was like counting down to a rocket launch, with the way Kagome stared, gaze fixated, on the half-sphere of orange that slowly crept below the horizon. Well, okay, she didn't literally stare at the sun, because she knew that was bad for her eyes, but it sure as hell seemed that way to Inuyasha.
"Would you knock that off already?!" he snapped.
"I'm sorry...just anxious, I guess." she shrugged, as she once again turned her attention toward their camp fire. "I should gather more wood before it gets too dark." she mumbled more to herself, though he heard her just fine. He wasn't human yet.
"Feh..." he grumbled in responce, "I'll get it." That said, he jumped to his feet and entered the woods. He still had about forty-five seconds of strength left, so he might as well use it.
Several grunts and chopping noises commenced.
He reentered camp about thirty seconds later with a giant arm load of wood, far more than any mortal man would have been able to carry at one time. It quickly became apparent that rather than waste precious moments searching, he had merely made quick work of a dead tree.
Depositing the wood in a convenient location nearby, he backed away from the pile, and waited. It hit him not ten seconds later, as the last remaining sliver of orange slipped out of sight.
He shivered as his mortal body suddenly registered the cold, although he did his best to make sure that Kagome didn't notice his discomfort. His fire-rat robes provided his body with plenty of warmth, but his bare feet didn't much appreciate the frozen, crystallized earth. It didn't take him long at all to plop himself down by the fire, and if Kagome noticed that he was sitting a little closer to the fire than he normally would, she did good not to make mention of it.
Everything was peaceful for another couple of hours or so, until Inuyasha's growling stomach inspired Kagome to prepare another round of ramen. That's when everything went downhill.
Kagome volunteered to go refill the pot with water, probably with those bare feet of his in mind. It wasn't a very long walk, only about a hundred feet or so, but because of his weakened night vision, Inuyasha could barely make out her shadowy figure as she crouched by the edge of the frozen water. Kagome could still see him though, she found, as he was illuminated by the glow of their campfire. She had quickly assured him that she wouldn't take any longer than necessary, wanting to get this done as quickly as possible. It was cold away from the fire. The hole he had made in the ice was already starting to freeze back over, but the mere quarter-inch thick layer that had reformed crumbled easily at her efforts. The rest of the ice surrounding it was a good three to four inches thick, and she wondered briefly if it was strong enough that you could actually walk right out onto the lake. That'd be neat, though she knew better than to test a theory like that. She wanted to only collect her water, and get back to the warmth of the fire.
That was when the monkey decided to make its second appearance.
"Oh, it's you." she half-whispered, secretly proud of herself for sensing such a small demonic aura, as she had suddenly felt a set of eyes upon her other than those of her temporarily mortal companion. "Go on, shoo." she insisted, waving her hand in such a manner as to gesture her desire that the creature vacate the vicinity.
He just stared at her wordlessly, though she was fairly certain that the youkai probably could talk.

"Just don't let him see you." she decided upon, standing back up and heading towards camp.
Honestly, what could one little monkey do, anyway? She was pretty sure it was just looking for something to eat. Her gut instinct was to just let it take something, but she would kick herself for hours on end if it decided to hang around them afterwards, like some sort of stray dog. Inuyasha would never let her hear the end of it.
Fortunately, his human hearing hadn't picked up her softly spoken words at the lake, and as she started the ramen, he remained none the wiser to their apparent visitor. Kagome glanced around their camp anxiously from time to time, but that was something Inuyasha took only to mean that she was keeping a look out, just like she should be doing. In reality, though, it unsettled her that she could no longer determine the monkey's location, even though she was certain that it was still out there somewhere, watching them.
Just so long as it wasn't after their jewel shards. She really didn't want to have to kill the little guy.
Fortunately, though, that was not the case. Unfortunately...that almost might have been better.
It was when she passed Inuyasha his ramen that the monkey youkai decided to make his presence and intentions known. The styrofoam cup was comically snatched from Inuyasha's hand, mid-bite, by some sort of green vine/whip-like thing that reminded Kagome of the pokemon Bayleaf. She had her brother Souta to thank for that image. What it really was, though, was a green vine/whip-like thing...that belonged to the monkey.

Jumping to his feet, Inuyasha instantly stormed towards the direction that the vine had come from, Kagome quick to follow, until they both came to a stop at the edge of the woods, spying the same little monkey youkai as before, with that green vine all rolled up at its side, like Indiana Jones' whip.
"Why you little..." He lunged, easily missing, as the youkai leapt up and over his head, running back towards the direction of their camp.
"Inuyasha...!" Kagome called after him as she gave chase after her hanyou companion who was giving chase after that monkey, "I'll just make you a new one!" she tried, but to no avail.
Nobody stole his ramen!
Lunging again, he managed to get the monkey to drop his vine/whip, but the little bugger had an iron grip on that cup of noodles. He ran right past their camp, down towards the lake, and right across the ice, a fuming Inuyasha hot on his heels.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome called after him, "Wait!" It was no use.
The instant his feet hit ice, his step faltered slightly, allowing the monkey the necessary time to increase the distance between them. If it hadn't been for the frozen body of water, Inuyasha might have actually caught the little squirt, in another minute or two. But now, the youkai knew it was scot free, and it used the opportunity to torment its victim further, as it allowed Inuyasha to inch closer. Scrambling as quickly as he could, Inuyasha continued to give chase, until he was a good twenty feet away from shore. He could hardly see the monkey in the darkness, as the creature sat about another ten feet away, but he could see well enough to see it when it started to eat!
"You little shit!" he cried out, "That's mine!"

He started to run after it again, even if his running was a little more like a slow, delicate, tip-toe.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted out once more. "You get back here right now! You don't know how strong that ice is!"
In retrospect, perhaps she should have come up with something better to yell to get him to come back to camp. Perhaps "Ow" would have been a good choice, as he always seemed to rush to her side whenever he believed she was hurt. It would have been a dirty trick, but it would have gotten the job done. As it was, all she had succeeded to do was give that nasty little evil monkey the worst possible idea.
Somehow, even though neither of them could actually see very well, they both felt the sadistic grin the little fur ball was suddenly sporting. Holding out the now empty cup of ramen, as if presenting it like a trophy, the cup in question then quite spontaneously burst into flame. Both humans suddenly got rather nervous feelings in the pit of their stomachs. The monkey - who apparently possessed a sort of 'monkey fire' equivalent to Shippou's flame - then proceeded to slam the fireball down through the ice with as much passion as he could muster. All that was missing was the touch down dance.
Apparently there was something not quite the same about this little guy's fire-power, as whatever he'd done to that cup had also turned it as hard as stone, if not harder. Or maybe that hadn't been the cup at all? Maybe the cup had burned up, and this guy merely possessed the power to conjure up flaming projectiles? But whatever the case may be, what the monkey had thrown down pierced straight through the ice, a small stream of water splashing up in its wake.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome whispered, holding her breath as time stood still. Then the stupid little shit started jumping up and down. Apparently, this called for a touch down dance, after all.
Getting angry at its display, Inuyasha started to take another step in its direction, but a loud cracking sound suddenly made him think better of it. The monkey also took that sound as his cue to leave, as he quite effortlessly continued to scamper across the lake, safely reaching the other side, and disappearing into the darkness of night.
"Inuyasha..." she started then, "This is serious, so please listen to me, and do not move too quickly."
"Fucking wench!" he snapped, albeit while remaining perfectly still, damning his human vision that couldn't see the cracks he knew were there. "I sure as fuck ain't gonna take my damn time strolling back!" he shouted, as he carefully turned around to at least face the direction of camp.
More cracking noises caused him to freeze. That, and the ice had by that point successfully caused the bottoms of his feet to become quite numb. Damn human night. He couldn't even feel where he was going.
"Get down on your belly and crawl back." Kagome instructed.
"Oh fuck that." Inuyasha said with disdain, as he carefully took another step.
Nothing happened.
If he could just inch himself away from the damage that that monkey had caused, then he should be able to-
*CRACK*
"INUYASHA!"
Instinctively leaping, he tried to close the gap between himself and land. But that trick didn't work quite so well in his mortal form, and he landed with a loud thud not five feet away from where he'd started, cracks forming all around him. Trying to run proved futile with no traction.
"Goddamn Mother-" His curse was cut short as he plunged through the ice.
"Oh shit..." Kagome breathed, her heart plunging into her stomach at the sight of her companion dropping into the water.
Standing at the very edge of the lake, too shocked to even continue calling out his name, the miko held her breath until she saw him emerge, cursing and flailing his arms in failed attempt after failed attempt to pull himself back out of the freezing water. Without his claws, his mortal hands did nothing but slip and slide on the ice, the weakened edges of the hole he'd created often chipping and breaking away with his efforts. The bagginess of his kimono weighed him down to the point where he felt as though his legs were tethered to the bottom. He could hardly move.
Kagome knew he would never call out for help, but she also knew that he needed it, desperately. Running back towards camp as quickly as possible, her mind was racing as she scrambled, racking her brain for anything she could use to pull him from the water. Then she spotted that stupid little green whip.
"Oh hell yes!" she cried in her excitement, as she swooped it up from the ground without even stopping, as she quickly turned tail and ran back to the lake.
Because she was human, she knew she wouldn't be able to activate the youki magic of the demonic tool, but it should at least function as a rope well enough. Unrolling it, however, revealed that in its dormant state, it wouldn't be quite long enough to reach him from the shore. So, without options, she slowly, carefully, made her way out onto the ice, the treads on the bottom of her boots at least giving her a small measure of traction.
She expected to hear curses as she approached, calls of "Dammit wench" or any number of sentences including either the words fuck or shit, but instead, her approach was met with silence. Well, next to silence, as he was still making quite a ruckus with all the splashing and whatnot, but the cursing had stopped...and that worried her.
"Inuyasha..." she called out to him, settling herself down on her butt a few feet out from the shoreline, as she attempted to dig her heals into the ice as much as possible. "Grab hold, and hold tight." she said softly, as she gently tossed one end of the vine out in his direction.
She thought she saw him nod, but with the way he was clinging to the edge of the ice for dear life, his body shaking like he was having a seizure, she knew that time was running out.
When the edge of the vine came within reach, he quickly released the icy cliff he'd been hanging from, as he grabbed for the vine with as much strength as he could muster. Speaking had become too much of a concept to bear, as it even hurt to breathe, and he was quickly starting to debate on whether or not it would be better to simply die. Still, somewhere in the distance, he heard the voice of an angel instruct that he hold onto that vine as tightly as he could, so hold onto it as tightly as he could...he did.
Kagome had a tough time of it, at first, but just like a mother could lift a car off of her child, so could Kagome pull Inuyasha out of an otherwise watery grave. Staggering only slightly, she heaved, glad to see that he clung to the vine like the lifeline that it was. Reaching land, she got to her feet, and was quickly able to pull him the last few feet inland, until he laid, rather motionlessly, just at shore. Reaching under his arms, she quickly tucked hers around his chest, as she dragged him the rest of the way towards camp, getting herself fairly wet in the process, not that she cared.
By the time she got him by the fire, his skin was white, his lips were blue, his eyes were fluttering, and he was mumbling incoherently. His entire body continued to shake and shiver so dramatically that she worried he was going into shock, and she could not for the life of her get him to respond to a single thing she said or did.

"This is bad." she thought aloud, "This is really bad."
She knew what had to be done next, and after maybe only two or three seconds of hesitation, she decided that she was not going to permit him to die on her.
She made quick work of the ties on his hakama, first, since it didn't make sense to try and forcefully tug loose the drenched and heavy robes from where they were tucked snugly against his waist. Once the top flaps of his pants were unfastened, she then worked on untying the obi over his suikan, not to mention that stupid little black string that held the extra flap of the robe in place. Honestly, couldn't he get the damn thing tailored to fit?! It would sure as hell make removing it in a hurry a lot easier!

Taking a moment to calm herself, she reasoned that getting upset wasn't going to help him any. After discarding the fire-rat suikan, which had really not been all that difficult to remove, she quickly started next on the white kosode he wore underneath. Pulling the longer robe out from where it remained tucked into his loosened pants, she quickly discarded it next, before silently gulping, and yanking off his hakama, as well. She wondered momentarily about leaving his fundoshi in place, but quickly decided that the last thing she wanted to be responsible for was him suffering from frost bite in that location. After a tentative examination revealed that the strip of cloth was in fact just as soaked, and just as frozen, as the rest of his outfit had been, she nodded her determination, and pulled it off as well.
Now came the fun part.
She'd tried her best to look away as she'd ridded him of his final covering, but she quickly realized that her responsibilities didn't end there. His entire body was speckled with little droplets of freezing water, and his hair was literally dripping. Retrieving a towel from her backpack, she released a breath, and began the task of drying him off.
By the time she was through, she was quite certain that the cold wouldn't be bothering her any time soon, despite the fact that her own clothing was damp and chilly. Even though she'd caught a few glimpses of Inuyasha naked in the past, she'd quite suddenly become more familiar with him than she'd ever truly thought possible...and he wasn't even coherent! She suddenly felt rather dirty. Shaking the thought free after a moment, she maneuvered his body as close to the fire as physically possible, hoping that he would start to come to. Instead, he appeared to have completely lost consciousness. She quickly realized that fire or no, the rest of the night air had a bitter chill to it, and the frozen ground on which he was currently laying certainly wasn't helping matters any. No...she needed to get Inuyasha warmer than this. She needed to get him into her sleeping bag. She needed to get herself out of her own wet clothes, too, she relented, as she suddenly realized that the odd chattering sound she'd been hearing had in fact been her own teeth. So much for the cold not bothering her. But she would be fine, she reasoned, knowing her top concern right now had to be Inuyasha. She could change her clothes in a minute, but he had to come first.
If you asked her she would'd be able to tell you how she'd done it, but just a couple of minutes later and Kagome had Inuyasha's unconscious form tucked securely within the folds of her sleeping bag. His breathing appeared to be even, she noted with a smile, as she watched the rise and fall of his chest. Thank the gods he had managed to avoid inhaling any water during this fiasco. But regardless, his complexion was still much too pale, his lips still too blue, and his skin still ice cold to the touch. She looked down over herself, and the wet outfit she had originally planned on merely exchanging for another. Once again, she sighed, the slight rise in her own temperature due to embarrassment assured to only be temporary, as the night continued to get colder and colder. She knew what needed to be done. Resolved to her fate, embarrassed or no, she quickly began undressing.
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Inuyasha laid motionless, floating in a sea of blackness. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was unbearable, stabbing, burning cold.

Did I...die?
Wherever he went, he was no longer submerged in that horrible, airless void of frozen anguish, and for that, he was grateful. Still, if he had managed to get himself killed, he would never forgive himself.
What an odd thing to think... he realized slowly with an ironic chuckle.
Then he remembered that he had not been alone during his suffering, as the voice of an angel had always been there, guiding him to safety. Hold tightly, it said. Don't let go, it said. Don't give up, it pleaded. He recalled hearing that angel calling his name, asking him to speak to her, to open his eyes. He had tried to tell the angel that he was a lost cause, and to just let him go, but somehow, he chuckled again, he didn't think she would have taken no for an answer, anyway.
So, where was he now? Had she failed? Was he in fact dead? If so...this must be heaven. He didn't know why he deserved to go to heaven rather than hell, but apparently, his angel had not failed him, after all. All he knew was that he felt safe and warm, a feeling he could barely identify from how infrequently it had appeared in his life.
It only took him a few moments to realize that he could feel something else, as well...
Hands.
He felt hands touching his body.
He furrowed his brow in confusion.
Nobody ever touched his body. He was a lowly, tainted, disgusting half-breed. Nobody would dare touch him, lest he infect them with his filth. Then this truly was heaven, which meant he had truly died. He didn't want to die! Not yet anyway. He still had so much to do! For the first time in his life his life actually had purpose, and he had to go and die... Dammit!
His angel must have realized he was starting to come to, because suddenly, there she was again, speaking his name...asking him to wake up. Why bother? There was no point any more. He just wanted to lie there in silence and let the universe ignore him in death as it had always ignored him in life. But then a sudden thought popped into his mind at the sound of his angel's pleas. Not everyone had shunned him, not any longer. He had been blessed with an angel in life, just as he had apparently been blessed with an angel in death. Kagome... If there was one thing he was going to regret above all others for his untimely demise, it was abandoning her... He could almost smell the salt of her tears at the thought.
Wait a minute, I really do smell the salt of her tears...
Furrowing his brow once more, he concentrated on the words his angel was speaking.
"Inuyasha, do you hear me? Please, open your eyes! Say something, anything!"
He couldn't help but to suddenly notice how much his angel even sounded like Kagome.
Could it be...?
Was he not dead?
Reaching down deeply within himself, he somehow managed to find the strength to heed her requests, first opening his eyes, before a strangled whisper escaped him brokenly.
"Ka...gome?"
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After ridding herself of her own clothing, she had taken about thirty seconds to quickly rush around camp, laying their clothing out so that the garments would hopefully dry better before then piling several more logs into the fire, while bringing another several within reach so that she could add them later. The last thing she did was take out Miroku's ofuda, setting them within reach, as well as her bow and arrows, before crawling herself into the sleeping bag right next to her unconscious companion.
Turning him slightly onto his right, she inched herself closer from behind, pulling his body flush against her own, hissing in discomfort at how cold he felt to the touch. But she also knew that if he felt that cold to her, then she undoubtedly felt warm to him, and he needed her body heat right now, so she sucked it up. After a few minutes of lying spooned together, he actually stopped shivering, and even though she herself was shivering now, Kagome knew her discomfort was well worth it. She would gladly give her life to save his, so the least she could do was give him her warmth.
Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she rubbed her hands up and down over his chest, stomach, and side, hoping to add more warmth with the friction. She could not help the tears that fell against her will, as she pleaded with him to wake up. She was pretty sure that he would probably recover just fine once the sun came up, but she couldn't be certain. Could a hanyou suffer from hypothermia? She honestly didn't know that much about youkai physiology, generally speaking, but with him being half human, she was sure that no matter how resistant a pure youkai might be to certain conditions, Inuyasha would undoubtedly be more vulnerable because of his mixed heritage. She would feel so much better if he would just wake up.
When a small amount of sound suddenly escaped his throat, something that almost sounded like a chuckle, of all things, she backed up enough to let him lie flatly on his back. Seeing his expression suddenly shift with the furrowing of his eyebrows, she held her breath with anticipation. She even momentarily forgot about their respective lack of clothing, as she studied his face, his eyelids slowly starting to flicker.
"Ka...gome?" he whispered brokenly, his voice hoarse and raspy, as though speaking still caused him pain.
"Oh Inuyasha!" she cried with joy, pulling him tightly against her once more. "I was so scared..." she continued to cry.
Inuyasha remained stunned for a moment, as he slowly started to regain his bearings, piecing together what must have transpired. Glancing around at his surroundings, he noted that he recognized this camp site. Slowly, it all started coming back to him. The battle with the lizard youkai, Sango and Miroku leaving to repair her weapon, the new moon, the monkey, the lake... Involuntarily, he shuddered, as the memory of plunging into that frozen abyss washed over him. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around Kagome, as well.
She stiffened at the unexpected contact, not because his embrace was unwelcome, but merely because his hands were so cold. Still, he had noticed her reaction. However, his distress was momentarily forgotten when he suddenly registered the sensation of flesh on flesh where their bodies were touching.
"Kagome...?" he questioned uncertainly, his voice regaining a little more strength, as he pulled away from her ever so slightly, lying on his left side in order to face her. "What...?"
He was quite suddenly at a loss for words.
"Shhhhhhh" she soothed, brushing his still damp bangs out of his eyes, as she gazed into his mortal pools of chocolate with her own.
She wasn't stupid, and had instantly realized that he'd undoubtedly noticed their states of undress, so she felt she'd better explain.
"You were soaking wet..." she started softly, as she tucked a stray hair behind his temporarily human ear, as they remained on their sides, facing each other. "When people get wet with water that cold, they can't keep their clothes on. They have to get dry...get warm..." she attempted to explain.
Within the cover of the sleeping bag, Inuyasha quickly ran his right hand over his own body, his eyes widening at the realization that he was completely naked.
"Body heat is the best way to keep warm in a situation like that..." she continued, pulling him from his thoughts, as he turned his attention to her once more.
Slowly, his eyes began to drift lower as she spoke, focusing on her soft, pink lips. He couldn't help it. They were, after all, lying only mere inches away from each other.
"I had to get you warmed up." she concluded, suddenly noticing where his gaze was fixated.
"Inuyasha?"
His eyes snapped up to meet hers instantly, as he attempted to huff indifferently, while silently scooting himself a little further away from her so that not so much of their bodies remained touching.
"Well I'm fine now." he said after a moment, hoping she hadn't noticed the reddening of his cheeks.
"You're still weak," she said in a soft, but lecturing tone, "You need to rest."
"Feh." he grumbled to himself, but unable to deny the ache he felt in his muscles, he soon sighed his resignation, as he stated, "Fine, I'll rest. Just...just turn around while I get dressed."

Upon those words he slowly, stiffly, started to shimmy himself out of the sleeping bag, without unzipping it open, as that would expose Kagome's nakedness as well. His gradual movements were ceased, however, when said girl suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm, gently yet firmly, as she stated, "You can't get dressed yet, your clothes are still wet."
"I'll manage." he argued.
"Not in your human form you won't." she argued back, adding, "I'm making it my job to protect you for to tonight. You always protect me, and one night of role reversal never hurt anybody."
"Feh, I don't need anyone to protect-"
"Yes you do!" she interrupted hotly, "Everyone has times of weakness, Inuyasha!" she practically shouted, sitting herself up slightly while holding the edge of the bag over her chest. "Do you even realize how close you came to dying?!" She was growing hysterical by that point, as her tears fell freely. "You almost died..." she whispered, as though in a daze, then biting her lower lip, she somehow found a reserve of determination, as she suddenly demanded, "So I'll be damned if I let you get sick after something like that by putting your stupid wet clothes back on while you're still human. Now lay your ass back down and wait until morning!"
He just stared at her for a moment, blinking, until he took in her disheveled appearance, his expression softening somewhat. He hadn't been hallucinating, had he? All that time, that angel he'd heard speaking to him, that was Kagome. That savior, who pulled him from his watery grave, that was Kagome. Those hands he felt rubbing his body, keeping him warm, that was Kagome. Those tears he smelled, being cried for him...
"Why do you always do that?" he asked her gently, and it was suddenly her turn to blink in confusion.
"Do what?"
"Cry for me..." he said, as he reached forward to wipe her tear tracks away with his thumb.
Her breath caught in her throat at the contact, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by her companion.
"I'm sorry..." he apologized, as he quickly pulled his hand away. "I know I have no business touching you." he mumbled, suddenly remembering her previous flinch, when he'd wrapped his arms around her back upon first waking up. Depressed, he turned himself away from her, unwilling to see the look of disgust he was sure she had just given him.
He was the one to gasp in surprise, then, when he suddenly felt her body pressed firmly against his own from behind, her breasts against his back, her arms wrapped securely around his form, gripping him once more in the same locations that she'd previously been rubbing, on his side and chest. There went any last shred of lingering doubt to the validity of his memories while unconscious. But...why would she place her hands back upon him, now that he was no longer in danger of dying? Stupid Kagome... he thought, while secretly smiling a little.
"Baka..." she suddenly whispered into the back of his neck, a small smile appearing on her own lips at the sound of his soft chuckle.
"You always have been different." he commented, slowly rolling himself back over so that they were once again facing each other. She'd kept her arms around him as he moved, and slowly, hesitantly, he wrapped his arms back around her, as well, smiling as she scooted herself closer into his embrace, tucking her face into his chest.
Screw it... he thought, as he tightened his grip on her then, cherishing this moment in time, before in undeniable confusion, he suddenly asked her point blank, "Why don't I disgust you?"
She was taken aback by the question, at first, but quickly remembered that he was usually more talkative and emotional while in his human form. She suddenly remembered the first time she had held him on his human night, after being poisoned by the Spiderhead youkai. He had been genuinely surprised by her tears, once he had realized she had been crying for his sake, and he had even told her that she smelled nice.
"Because you're not disgusting." she answered after a moment, her voice slightly muffled as her face remained tucked into his chest. Her heart soared when she felt him lower his own head slightly, resting his chin upon the top of hers.
"But you're the only one who thinks so." he mumbled low, only to feel her shake her head in the negative.
"I'm not the only one..." she defended, turning her head slightly so that her voice was more audible. "Miroku-sama and Sango-chan, even Shippou-chan and Kaede-obaa-chan, they all accept you for who you are, too." she insisted.
"But you're the only one who ever really touches me, even when you're not wrapping me in bandages." he pointed out.
Sure, at one point in time or another, Sango and Miroku had gotten in their turns at treating his occasional wounds, but even then, most times when he got hurt, it was always Kagome who treated him, herself. They usually did it only if Kagome was also injured and unable to tend to him herself. Other than that, the only physical contact he could recall between himself and the others, was the occasional slap on the back by Miroku, which he shrugged off as being a guy thing, considering he was the only male companion the monk had with whom to share his hentai thoughts - even though he didn't want to hear them. Shippou also rode on his shoulder from time to time, but that was just because the little twerp was a mooch, and didn't want to walk when he could hitch a ride instead.
Nobody else ever hugged him. Nobody else ever entwined their fingers with his as they walked closely by his side. Nobody else ever offered the silent support of a hand upon his shoulder, while he struggled with his own inner demons. Nobody else ever kissed him, just to save him from himself. Nobody else ever rode on his back, their legs pinched tightly at his sides, their heat pressed firmly against his spine, while his clawed fingers gently gripped the soft, delicate flesh of their bare, inner thighs...
Oh shit...Not now, please not now...

"That's easy..." Kagome responded, unaware of his sudden panic, "I'm your friend." she stated with a smile in her voice.
Glad she was currently in the dark over his current situation, and wishing to keep it that way, he quickly backed himself away from her, just enough, while at the same time, hooking her chin to raise her eyes to meet his own, hoping that she would believe his reason for backing away was merely so that their eyes could meet. Catching her curious gaze, he gulped, but unwilling to risk the unpleasant consequences should she find out about...that...he tried to keep the conversation going until he could get his heated blood back under control.
"You've got other friends..." he started, "I've never see you hug Sango or Kaede, not that I'd let you hug the letch, but..." he trailed off, growling under his breath at the very notion.
She giggled at the way he managed to growl with his human throat.
"Well, okay...so you're my best friend." she confessed then.
His eyes widened at that.
"Why?" It was all he could manage to get out.
Because of times like these... she thought.
"Because even with as different as we are," she said instead, "I think you understand me better than anyone else I know."
He pulled back even more at that, a confused look of disbelief having splashed across his face. Unable to find any words, he let her continue.
"I don't belong in my world, not any more. That's nobody's fault, but it's still true. My friends back in my own time, they don't know anything about the real me. I always have to hide the truth from them, wishing I could tell them, but knowing that they'd never understand."
He listened to every word she said, desperately trying to keep his eyes focused on her own, rather than on the soft, pink lips, that were moving ever so delicately with every word they uttered. Damn, as cold as this winter night was, it was doing nothing for cooling off his heated blood. Kagome did a little too good of a job warming him up, he mentally groaned, not that she was aware of the power she had over him, and he planned on keeping it that way.
"Youkai don't exist in my time." she continued after a moment, "But neither do miko, at least, not any with any real power." It was suddenly Kagome who broke the magic of their stare, as she lowered her eyes, focusing on nothing as she quietly confessed, "I sometimes feel like just as much of a freak around everyone else as I'm sure you must." The faint sound of his near inaudible gasp brought her eyes back up to meet his own. "I...I know that no matter what, you will always accept me, just...just like I accept you."
He couldn't remain quiet after something like that. He didn't know what emotion he'd felt run through him at her admittance to feeling like just as much of an outsider as himself, though he knew a part of him felt truly touched by the message she meant to relay with that statement, that the two of them were actually so alike, in a way. But then, a horrible twinge of guilt washed through him, not just at the realization that it was because of him, and her duty to his time, that had made her so different in the first place, but also because of her confident statement that he would always accept her, just as she was. While inwardly, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that that was true, he still found her unwavering faith in him...humbling. Especially when he considered how many times throughout their mission that he had deliberately tried to conceal that very fact, by degrading and insulting her at every opportunity.
How could she just lie there and tell him to his face that he was her best friend? That she knew he fully accepted her, even after all the crap he'd pulled over the months? He knew damn well how much of a prick he'd always been to her, the single thing he still wore at the moment being a testament to that fact, as he thought about the rosary. Sure, he might no longer be a threat to her life, but that wasn't to say that he didn't cause her any pain. Why the hell would she put her unwavering trust in a guy who was always calling her stupid, and slow, and weak, and useless, and ugly, and...
My gods... he thought in horror. Why indeed?
"How can you say that...after the way I insult you all the time?" His eyes lowered, not to fantasize about the softness of her lips, but merely, because he suddenly felt unworthy of meeting her gaze.
"I know you don't mean it." she admitted softly, this time hooking his chin to raise his eyes back up to meet her own. "I mean, yeah, it hurts, I won't lie..." Had he had his canine ears at that moment, they would have lowered in shame. "But just like you know me, I'd like to think that I also know you." she continued, "You're pretty hard to read sometimes, usually keeping everything to yourself, but..." she paused, searching for the right way to phrase it, "I've come to realize that you usually only get gruff and insulting as a means of covering up other feelings."
"What feelings?" he asked, a little amused that she thought she has him all figured out.
Shrugging the best she could while still lying on her side, she said, "I think you only call me weak or clumsy to hide the fact that you're really concerned about me. You yell at me that I'm useless in a fight and to stay out of your way during battle because you couldn't stand to see me get hurt. You say I'm just for sensing the shards, but I know you really care about me."
His eyes widened, while a very noticeable blush suddenly dusted his cheeks.
"Do not..." he lied weakly, while offering her a crooked smile. She smiled slightly in return.
"Uh-huh." she answered, in a very 'sure, whatever you say' tone of voice. "Like I'm really gonna take your insults to heart, when you've already admitted that you don't mean them." she said, amused.
His eyes widened even further in confusion, as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. Seeing his expression, she figured she'd spell it out for him. "You used to tell me you hated my scent...remember? But..." she prompted.
"I was lying." he hesitantly confessed, also remembering that fateful night with the Spiderhead youkai, along with his previous confession.
"So, whenever you've told me I'm just a weak, pathetic human..." she emphasized, though it was clear her attitude was playful at the moment.
"I was lying." he finished for her, realizing where she was going with this, and offering her another small smile.
"When you told me I was ugly..."
"I was lying."
"When you told me I'm only good for sensing the shards, and nothing else..."
"I was lying."
When you said I'd never be as good as Kikyou... she thought distraughtly, knowing better than to voice such a thing out loud.
"Well, then...see?" she said instead, deciding her point had been made. But apparently, he had decided that their conversation wasn't over yet.
"What about you?" he asked her suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Have you ever lied to me?" he asked, the seriousness behind his gaze revealing that he was not being playful at the moment.
"First of all, I've never insulted you to begin with." she defended, but then begrudgingly realizing that that wasn't exactly true, she quickly amended, "And if you mean the times I've called you a jerk...well, you were being one...at the time...but-"
He cut off her rambling, not needing to hear how 'friends disagree from time to time' as he'd heard her explain to Shippou once, when the brat had asked how she could be so angry with him one moment and then forgive him the next.
"I don't mean that..." he said, being called a 'jerk' being nothing compared to the names he usually heard thrown his way. "When you...when you say nice stuff..." he mumbled, suddenly unsure if he really should have asked her this at all.
"Nice stuff?" she repeated, a little confused.
"You know..." he mumbled, inwardly cursing his human emotions that refused to let him just shut up while he still had the chance. "Like when you say you like me just as I am. That it's okay that I'm a hanyou."
Tears suddenly sprung to her eyes as Kagome registered the pleading look he was showing her in his own. Was he really that insecure? She knew that he was more emotional in his human form, but he was usually more bitter than anything else, cursing his weakness and how he felt useless. Then again, he seemed about as weak right now as he had been after the Spiderhead incident, nearly drowning and freezing to death having just about the same effect on one's body as being injected with poison. She could tell, with the way he hadn't immediately gotten up and stormed out of the bag upon regaining consciousness, despite her words. With how easily he'd let her convince him to lye back down, even while he was aware of their shared lacking in attire, she quickly realized that he must have realized just how weak his body truly was at the moment. Granted, he was no longer in danger of dying, and once the sun came up, he would be fully recovered, but how many hours remained until sunrise? And he never did sleep in his human form, unless he was unconscious from injury. Now that he was awake, she knew he undoubtedly planned on staying that way. This was going to be a long night.
"No..." she answered him softly, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of unshed tears and the pureness of the love she felt for him in her heart. "...I wasn't lying."
He saw in that moment the sincerity behind her words, as well as the love she felt for him reflected in her gaze. On a physical level, he inwardly cursed at the feel of his blood once again rushing to his lower regions, as he was unable to keep his body from responding to the notion that this woman was honestly, fully, accepting of what he was. Not even Kikyou had ever given him that much. While he had loved her, he had to wonder sometimes at the strength of the affection she had felt for him in return. She had spoken of using the jewel to purify his youkai half as though she were doing him an immeasurable favor...saving him, even. He had been willing to become human for her, to sacrifice a part of himself for the sake of her happiness, because doing so would have ridded her of the jewel, thus freeing her to live the life of an ordinary woman, as she so desired. It wasn't truly as hard of a decision as he'd thought it would have been, longing to be free from the ridicule he received for being hanyou. Even though he actually hated being human more, because of how weak he felt in comparison to his accustomed strength, the trade would have been worth it when you figured in that he would have also gained the love of a woman, in addition to public acceptance.
But what if the jewel had never been a factor in the equation? He had not initially sought her out solely to steal the jewel, after all. The first time they had met, he'd never even heard of the damn thing, and the meeting itself had happened purely by chance. What if she were an ordinary woman? A miko, yes, but not one destined to live the life of solitude that had been laid out before her with the responsibility of guarding the jewel. Would they have still become friends? Would their affection for each other still have been permitted to grow stronger after a time? Would she have sadly thought their future together unattainable, knowing of no way to rid him of his youkai heritage? Or would she merely have called him hanyou, and ordered him gone from her sight without a second thought at all? He knew she wouldn't have killed him, his presence being a much greater threat with the existence of the jewel, and her kind heart still having been unable to end his life because of his human side. But...was the only reason she allowed herself to become so close to him in the first place, merely because of the kinship they had shared in their equal loneliness? He had often wondered...had she truly loved him? For himself? What if...for whatever reason...Naraku had not interfered, and they had made their wish on schedule...but then...for whatever reason...it had failed...what then? The underlying question here was, however you shuffled and laid out the circumstances around it, if turning human had not been an option, would Kikyo have ever accepted him as a hanyou? He regrettably confessed to himself that he knew the answer was no.
Kagome, on the other hand...while she might be Kikyou's reincarnation, she was not Kikyou, and he knew that. Perhaps she represented what Kikyou should have been, the soul she carried finding its way back to him, to rectify previous mistakes. As he gazed at her now, the truth and love behind her words shimmering like a beacon in the dark, he knew he believed her when she said she loved him as a hanyou. Yes, he remembered her words. He didn't remember much from when he was transformed in Kaguya's castle, but he remembered that. He didn't remember when Kagome first ran up to him. He didn't remember imbedding his claws into her arms, though she bore the scars to prove it. He grimaced. He did remember coming to at the sound of her voice proclaiming her love, the feel of her lips against his own, the scent of her tears, and her blood, flooding his nose, as he guiltily pulled his claws from her flesh, while granting her the small gift of returning her kiss. He remembered also, the time he almost lost her to Naraku, searching blindly for false leads of Kikyou's whereabouts while Akago nearly poisoned her heart. They never spoke of it, but surely she knew by now how good his hearing was. She must have realized that he'd undoubtedly heard her proclaiming her love for him mere moments before he had crashed through the wall.
But he also knew that while she loved him, she believed her love to be unreciprocated, feeling that his heart still belonged to Kikyou. She had just about told him as much, once, when she had nearly disappeared from his life forever, merely to come back and declare her loyalty to remain by his side, no matter what. He was ever so thankful for her decision, unable to fathom what his life would have been like had she truly never returned. Still...even as he was aware of her feelings, and the hurt his remaining loyalty to Kikyou undoubtedly caused her, he simply found it hard to believe that anyone could truly, honestly, fully accept him for who, and what he was. He was hesitant to show his feelings for her in return for that very reason. A little voice in the back of his mind had always told him that while she might love him, that just as Kikyou had also cared for him, Kagome, too, would undoubtedly never be willing to be with him as a hanyou. He was a dear, close friend, loved from afar, but unattainable. If only you weren't half youkai... That was how she saw him, right?
But then he reminded himself of all that had transpired, even on this very night alone. She had risked herself to save him - again. She had cried for him - again. She had nurtured him, healed him, and touched him without fear or disgust. One could hardly shrug off their current closeness as mere necessity when you take into account that as soon as she realized he was going to be alright, her reaction had not been to shy away, but rather, to embrace him in a death grip, as though she had feared he might still disappear on her were she to let go. She had paid no attention to their lack of clothing, as her breasts pressed firmly against his own chest, as she wrapped her bare arms around his bare back, holding him to her. Nudity aside, this occurrence was honestly nothing new, though. How many times had she carelessly thrown herself into his embrace upon discovering death had not yet claimed him? Once, she had even done it right in front of the wolf, that single act easily erasing all the humiliation he ever felt at being sat in the bastard's presence.
Walking corpses aside, he had only ever hugged the real Kikyou once, and that had been when she'd tripped and fallen into him on accident, and he'd more or less wrapped his arms around her before she'd had the chance to pull away. Although she had returned the embrace, and they had even hesitantly kissed, they had never truly retained a more physical relationship after that. They always sat a few feet away from each other as they talked. Kikyou had never sat right next to him, had never leaned against him, had never rested her head on his shoulder. She had never held his hand, brushed his arm, tweaked his ears, or even rode upon his back simply as a means of swifter transportation. Kami forbid if she'd ever been exposed to his transformed state. She probably would have reverted back to her training, believing him lost forever to his youkai blood, purifying him with her powers.
He also knew that Kikyou was the one who had originally constructed the rosary, a little tidbit of information shared to him one evening by an elderly, one-eyed miko. Sure, Kagome was the one who now used it, though she had been using it a lot less frequently as time progressed. Usually, she only sat him out of anger, when he knew damn well he'd been pushing her buttons, and he couldn't really fully blame her those times. But initially, Kaede had placed it upon him only because she had feared for the strange girl's life. He knew how much of a bastard he'd been back then, and he couldn't really say that he blamed the old hag, either. But Kikyou...Kikyou had been his friend, she had been kind to him. They had talked, engaged in actual conversations, and while he had professed his desire for the jewel, he had only ever asked her for it. Never once had he raised his claws against her. Never once had he attempted to take the jewel by force, or use young Kaede as a bartering chip as other youkai had sought to do. He had even saved her little sister when that had happened, and what was the thanks he received in return? She had been plotting behind his back, secretly planning on subduing him. Yes, he realized that in the end, she had not placed the beads upon him, but even that she had taken the time to create the thing in the first place...that hurt. It showed him that at least some of their relationship, at least in the beginning, had been a lie. She had been pretending to be his friend, while working magic behind his back. What else had she been keeping secret from him? Oh yeah...Onigumo...
"Inuyasha?"
Suddenly pulled back into the here and now by the sound of Kagome's soft, caring voice, he focused his previously unstaring gaze right at her, catching her gulp of nervousness. Only then did he realize how long he had remained silent, and she was undoubtedly wondering as to whatever it was that had been occupying his mind. Maybe one day...
"I'm sorry..." he told her instead, earning a surprised gasp of confusion.
"What for?" she asked him, truly taken aback.
"Everything." he stated, as he slowly reached forward within the bag, to gently run his fingers over the marks his claws had left on her otherwise perfect flesh.
She must have been telling the truth when she said that she had come to understand him, to a point, because her eyes, in that moment, softened with just that...understanding.
"I forgive you..." she whispered, and he knew her words were sincere, while at the same time, he also knew that she had merely uttered the phrase due to her own realization that he simply needed to hear it. The truth was, he was sure, that she had forgiven him for those marks long ago, if indeed she had ever held it against him at all. As for anything else he might have ever done to displease her, he knew she had forgiven him for those times, as well. This, now, this was merely a reinstatement of said forgiveness. A declaration for him to acknowledge.
"Thank you..." he whispered in turn, forgetting himself, and pulling her tightly into a loving embrace.
The sound of her startled gasp, as she unquestionably discovered what he had forgotten he'd been trying to hide, sent shivers of fear and anxiety down his spine.
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