FicWad

RECAP OF LAST CHAPTER....

"You don't think that Inuyasha's enemies will still come after him do you? After all, Inuyasha is pretty helpless right now without his strength and Youkai... it leaves open opportunity for any demon to just attack." It was always a possibility; Tetsusaiga was sought after by both Sesshoumaru and a few other enemies regardless of their inability to wield it, it was a strong source of power and to have it, would mean more strength. Naraku was gone, this was true but now both Inuyasha and Kagome were enveloped in the scent of the much wanted Shikon no tama.


Disclaimer... I dont own Inu... Dont get pissed and sue me... believe me you wont get shit... im poorer than a monkey who lives on a bananaless island.




Inuyasha awoke to a lingering yet very faint smell of food filling his nostrils. /Ramen/. He tried to sit up and felt a sharp pain go throughout his entire spine. Kagome chose to enter holding a bowl and yunomi of tea for him.

"What are you doing? Don't move Inuyasha, you are going to hurt yourself!" She exclaimed with a worried tone. He smirked and let a feh escape his throat.

"That for me?" He nudged to the tray in her hands. She let out a sigh at his stubborn persistence to try and move despite his injuries. It was apparent that he did not want to face the idea of losing his youkai side.

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn Inuyasha?" She stated with a light feathery smile gracing her lips. This smile was for him and him alone. The food looked amazing, smelled wondrous to his growling stomach... but he had something that his heart kept calling out to tell her. He had to do it now while she was there... alone with him. Kagome noticed his smile fade and cocked her head with a curiosity.

"What is it Inuyasha? You seem to have something running through your mind...?" He looked into her face at her curious stare and let out a sigh.

"I am sorry for letting you die... I don't know what I would have done without you, I didn't know...Kagome Higurashi ... I love you... Why else do you think I would have wished what I did?" She was close to tears but managed to hiccup out her words.

"What exactly is it that you wished for Inuyasha? I never asked you..." She moved closer to him and set the tray beside his flat on the floor. Crossing her legs beneath her, she came to sit in front of his weakened frame. She waited for his response, still managing her tears from falling. He breathed deeply and looked away, he seemed ashamed of something. He was remembering the position that he had put himself in... Sitting alone beside the riverbank, throwing the food that Miroku so kindly offered the hanyou back to whence it came, haphazardly running into the hut and sniffing out the air to catch a glimpse of her lingering scent... rolling the jewel in his fingers... his face sharply turned to hers. He could see the tears swelling and her courage holding them back in suspension.

"That I would give anything to have you here again... and with my whole heart I did mean anything Kagome... even my own abilities... my own life." One of the reasons for his despising his human side crept up slyly to him... falling from his eyes and down his face. Kagome reached out to kiss one of them away as it treaded down his cheek.

"Oh Inuyasha... I ... it... it wasn't your fault... I don't remember everything but, I do remember that it wasn't your fault. You tried to protect me, you always did." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "I love you... thank you so much Inuyasha." She whispered to him. He sighed and pulled back. His eyes met hers and he gave her a confused guise.

"Thank you? What for Kagome? I didn't do anything respectable... I didn't save you, I let that bastard take a shot at you, and I let you die in my arms... I didn't even show up at your funeral, I went to your mother and told her instead, comforted her just... just to avoid watching them lower you into the ground. Why the hell would you thank me? I am a coward... I did nothing that you should be thankful for... I couldn't... I couldn't even let you rest in peace because selfishly I wanted.../needed/ you to be with me." He tried to look down but she pulled his face up with her petite hands and let out a sigh.

"Always so stubborn aren't you Inuyasha...? I am thanking you for..." she reached down to his hands and brought them both to her chest... her heart. His gaze went to hers and she let that smile pass her lips once again; loving him with her eyes. "Inuyasha I am thanking you for loving me so much that you would protect me and hold me in your arms as I took my last breaths, for going to comfort my mother instead of attending my funeral. I'm thanking you for the love that gave me another chance. You are no coward; I don't want you to ever think such a thing...You are without a doubt my love... and I only pray to Kami that I may be able to love you with half of the passion in which you love me. So don't you /ever /call my love a coward. You are far from it." She pushed her lips against his fiercely, then pulled away and smiled. "My beautiful Inuyasha... will you answer me a question?" He nodded slightly and she took that as his response. "What did you do all those months that I was gone?" She cleared her throat and tried to capture his expression. He was hushed, but his voice had become calmer... the tears no longer strolled down his cheeks.

"Spent a lot of the time at the graves... I insisted you be buried beside my mother... the two most important women in my life should have been laid to rest together. I think I just sulked... and after a while I never left your grave. I felt as if somehow I were closer to you that way... where were you anyways? Can you remember at all? What happened to you?" He was sincerely concerned and curious all at once. Kagome let out a breath and closed her eyes letting her posture sink.

"I cannot remember much, I remember hearing your voice... calling to me in tears. I remember that there was a pain sharp in my chest and then it became warm... it engulfed my entire being and I felt myself being lifted, to an unknown place, like in a dream I felt safe like I was in your arms. Somehow I do not recall anything, death... how misleading to me..." she chuckled dryly to herself "because I cannot remember being ... /dead/. I felt your presence with me the entire time. Then I awoke on the floor of my bedroom, confused." She opened her eyes to see his attention solely focused to her, eyes wide in attention. "My first thought was you. I felt you near, but you weren't. All I knew was that I needed you near." He grabbed her waist gently but promptly to him and held her snugly.

"Don't worry; I will never let that happen again... I love you too much." She wrapped her arms around his back and laid her head in the crevasse between his shoulder and neck, managing to wipe her tears from her cheek with a hand she brought up from behind him. Letting out a sigh, they both pulled away from the embraced winded from all the emotions coursing through them. Kagome let out a sniffle and sigh before reaching over to the tray she had carried in earlier. She laughed and moved it towards him.

"Heh, Inuyasha you should eat... before it gets cold. You need the energy and... well it's your favorite." She smiled and began to walk away. His hand caught her wrist.

"Where are you going Kagome?" his voice was soft.

"I need to tie up some loose ends with the others, I need to calm myself... please promise that you won't leave and come after me...? I need you to get some food in your stomach... I need you to rest so that I can hold you to your word... remember Inu... You promised to protect me." She let out a slight giggle. "Wouldn't want you to go back on that now." He smiled and started to wolf down some of the ramen. As she walked out of the room he whispered so that she wouldn't hear.

"It is me who should be grateful to you my dearest."

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Kagome wandered to the rivers bank ... past the trees, to the place where Inuyasha's mother had been laid to rest... to where she had been laid to rest. As she came upon it, the first thing she noticed was the freshly picked Sakura flowers, which were carefully spread over the front of the stone. Moving the flowers aside, she noticed a small engraving that looked as though it had been done with claws, on the base of the marker. 'I am sorry you never knew... but I will love you forever... My Kagome' She let her tears fall and permitted out a cry as she covered her mouth. Kagome slunk back and just looked at the words... the marker, in disbelief. Inuyasha had done this... all of this. I love you so much Inuyasha... I promise we will get through this. That was her silent prayer to the distraught human that she hoped was taking her orders. She got her strength back and looked over to his mother's marker.

"Thank you Izayoi... Thank you so much for Inuyasha... He is my miracle... my prince if I ever deserved one, he is an honorable man and I know that you would be proud. Please watch over him... thank you for watching over me... for sending him to me. I will never be able to find the words to truly thank you lady Izayoi. He needs you right now, your spirit... his youkai seems to have gone from him... he is no longer hanyou and he really needs your guidance. I promise I will try my hardest to console him and I will love him regardless but... please continue to watch over him. He will always love you, and I ... I am eternally grateful that I have this wonderful man beside me. Arigatou." She whispered another silent thank you and picked herself from the ground and walked back to the camp... village... there was suddenly a big burden removed from her shoulders as she traced the path back to her long lost friends. Maybe things wouldn't be so terrible after all, after they got over this rough time and Inuyasha was used to his Nijan, perhaps they could all for once... be happy. However, there was a thought that kept invading Kagome's mind. What would happen with Inuyasha's enemies? Who would come after them? And how would they protect each other? Letting out a sigh, Kagome tried to permit those thoughts to be pushed back, somewhere where she wouldn't have to worry about them. For now at least.

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The Shikon No Tama... I sense it near.../the demon made its way running, treading the ground to where the scent was emanating from. Coming upon the tiny village he quietly looked around. There was a dying fire with only an ember left burning; no one was to be seen, the sun was peaking ever so slightly over the horizon. /The aura is strong near that hut yonder. You will be mine oh coveted jewel... At last! Letting a cruel laugh escape his throat, the demons claws slowly traced the beads that covered the door frame before pulling them back. A smirk escaped him when he saw the two nijan's closely embracing, /this will be fun... /he thought at the idea of killing the two and possessing the jewel. He could sense that the girl nijan was special... a Miko, another words, guardian of the jewel no doubt. The one beside her... reeked, seemingly enveloped in the aura of the jewel... It didn't matter though; they were both going to die.

Just then, the human beside the Miko awoke. The smile on the demon's face grew wider.

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"Kagome!" he cried out holding her close to him... almost possessively.

The girl awoke with a start to see the creature standing in front of them. Unaware of what to do, Inuyasha instinctually reached for his Tetsusaiga; stopping in terror when his fingers grasped the hilt. Kagome closed her eyes and clung to Inuyasha's Haori as she called wildly for Miroku and Sango who were asleep in the next hut over. She prayed... still keeping her eyes tightly clenched together; too afraid to look upon the demon that probably wished to kill them. Suddenly she felt warmth surround her, and it seemed to tell her that everything was okay. The monster before them made a confused sound that caused Kagome to open her eyes slightly; only to find that there was a barrier around her and Inuyasha.

"How are you doing this Kagome?" Inuyasha mumbled. He was baffled. The power that she exuded was so strong that he could feel it, sense it... even as a human. Just as the demon began his to attempt to break the barrier, Sango's Hiraikotsu came flying at him. The force of its blow obviously showed that Sango was distraught and shaken from her slumber, because it simply knocked the demon to the ground. A sutra and Miroku's wind tunnel took care of the rest. They looked on at Kagome and Inuyasha in awe as the barrier started to fade.

"What was that?" Sango cried out. She knelt down before Kagome. Miroku just stood behind Sango. "Kagome..." she didn't get to finish her sentence before Inuyasha cut in.

"What the hell was that!" His eyes were wide and he just glared at her confused expression. "How the fuck did you do that Kagome?"

"I... I... I dunno... I have no clue ... how I ... di-did that." She stammered horrified from the strength of her own powers. "I think... I think I may have tapped into a power." Miroku frowned.

"It was after the jewel. And the both of you are redolent of it. I knew this would be an issue... is there anything that we can do perhaps to keep the two of you safe?" Within his heart, Inuyasha was slowly aching at the idea of being helpless to defend his beloved. Miroku just kept talking. "Now that you know about this power Kagome, is there anyway that you can harness it for use whenever you need?" Kagome gave him an unreadable look and drew in a sharp breath.

I... I don't know...perhaps..." She was still shaken but managed to pull herself to her feet and grab Inuyasha's hand as well.

"Well, there's no sense in sleeping the rest of the day away now... I am wide awake... Kagome why don't you let Miroku and I cook you guys some breakfast and let you recover from your ordeal?" Sango tried to flash a smile, seemingly wanting to change the mood ever so slightly. Kagome directed an uneasy smile to return Sango's and nodded hesitantly. Miroku and Sango left the hut and headed to make a fire. Kagome slowly turned to face Inuyasha, her hands clasped together at her heart. Slowly she looked up at him, in a daze almost. Before she had time to speak he encased her within his embrace.

"Kagome..." He had a new batch of tears streaming from his eyes. She pulled back and brought her hands to his face while he still held her.

"Inuyasha? Why on earth are you crying? We are okay... Inu nothing happened." She let his gaze fall from hers.

"Just the thought of that shit happening... the idea that I really can't protect the woman I love... it scares the hell out of me... what if you hadn't made that barrier? I don't really care how the fuck you did it... just that if you hadn't, we would most likely be dead right now... you would be gone again..." His voice was soft, not at all with a harshness that she should have expected. He was upset. She didn't know how to take the look he was now giving her. It was sadness, a desperate need to keep her close and never let her go. She pulled her arms tightly around his neck and let her head rest on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and wrapped her as close as he could.

"Oh I love you so much Inu." She whispered into his ear. Kissing the top of her head he loosened his embrace and walked over to blow out a candle that had been lit in a corner. Kagome watched as he did this and walked up behind him. He was crouched down, reaching to touch his back, his body spun and sat against the wall. Kagome cocked her head and smiled as he grabbed for her wrist and brought her body into his lap, how badly he longed to kiss her. Kagome reached out to hold his hand to hers. Slowly and gently she traced the outline of the wound on his bandaged hand. He noticed her tears welling up and did what he wanted to do since she came back, only now he had the energy. As her eyes tearfully looked up at him, he firmly he pressed his lips to hers embracing her... cradling her within his arms. Breathless she whispered to him softly.

"You know, if we keep it going at this rate... something is going to happen..." He smiled slyly.

"Heh, that's kinda what I was hoping Kagome." She couldn't help but smirk at him, there was a twinkle in his eyes that seemed to clear the clouds of doubt that had been lingering behind them before. He kissed her neck; she squirmed and let out quiet giggles at his soft kisses that continued to trail down the underside of her neck and jaw line. Just as she brought her arms around his head to pull it into her collar, Sango abruptly stormed into the hut. Just as she was going to speak she realized the compromising situation that she had interrupted and shielded her eyes with her hand.

"Sorry sorry sorry! I sooo didn't mean to interrupt you guys. Sesshoumaru is here... he wants to speak to Inuyasha alone. He says it is urgent, Miroku is trying to hold him off... you might want to go." She slowly uncovered her eyes and hesitantly looked over to them. Inuyasha was walking angrily past Sango to talk to, as he muttered under his breath, his idiot half brother. She looked at Kagome who was blushing considerably so. Kagome had been standing as well now and Sango couldn't help but walk over to her friend and place her hand on her arm.

"Bout time Kagome." She whispered. This only caused her blushing to redden even deeper.

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Inuyasha stormed over to Miroku who stood alone.

"Where did that half brother of mine disappear to Monk?" he gave him an angry glare but Miroku simply cleared his throat.

"Your brother Lord Sesshoumaru wanted me to inform you that he will be waiting near the Goshinboku tree for you ... how did he put it? Oh yes, his 'pathetic excuse of a half brother'... you might want to hurry. It seemed important Inuyasha." He let out a low growl. This surprised Miroku slightly because of Inuyasha's human form.

"Bastard probably wants to kill me now while I can't defend myself." He turned to face his friend and his face changed. "Miroku... take care of my Kagome okay?" The Houshi nodded and Inuyasha disappeared into the forest.

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Standing beside the Goshinboku, Sesshoumaru was silent as Inuyasha walked up to his half brother. Letting out a disappointed exhale at the sight of his half sibling as a human, Sesshoumaru began to speak.

"Inuyasha, I see you have given up everything for that Miko of yours? I knew I smelled the jewel on the two of you, am I wrong or did we not already bury that woman? Is she not one with the earth and soil beside your wench mother?" Inuyasha became angry at the insult towards his mother but bit it down.

"Hey Sesshoumaru what do you mean we buried? You had nothing to do with it you fuck! Now what the hell do you want? You want to kill me now that I have no defenses? Go right ahead. I really don't give a shit anymore." Sesshoumaru just looked at him.

"You are mistaken; I am not one to sink to that level. Though I do want you to die by my hand I want it to be honorably done. You in this state does not threaten me, it would not be a fair fight therefore I refuse to battle you. Unless of course, you have a death wish... which assuming you brought her back with the Shikon no tama because you want to spend whatever you have left of your pathetic existence with her by your side, you don't. Now if you do not want to accept my warning of what I know, then I will be on my way." He turned to walk away when Inuyasha called out his name.

"Ss...Sesshoumaru... I want to know. Don't just walk away. Now what the hell is going on?" He tried to cover his nervous surprise with some sort of anger. Sesshoumaru stopped and turned back to Inuyasha.

"First you should know that you reek of the powerful jewel. You and your Miko alike. There have been rumors of your likely demise now that you are unable to protect yourself. I was merely warning you. That lecher you keep around informed me of the lowlife that came but only moments ago... I assure you that if he was able to sense the jewels aura, there are much more powerful demons that will be coming." Inuyasha's heart jumped into his throat at the thought of losing Kagome again to another demon.

"Why are you telling me this Sesshoumaru? What the hell is in it for you!" He became defensive again at Sesshoumaru's solid and calm stature. He didn't understand why his brother, who hated him passionately, would be helping him.

"It is simply what I know. Do with the information as you wish." With that he walked into the trees and was gone. Inuyasha was dumbfounded as he made his way back to the camp.

"So what happened Inuyasha?" Kagome had a worried look in her eyes. "Are you hurt?" She looked at him seemingly checking him out. When she was sure that he was unharmed she ran to him and threw her arms around his waist.

"Guys... there is a big problem... and that fucking demon that was here earlier ... well, he was just the beginning."