“You’re awake…” a soft, even voice beckoned through the haze.

It had been calling to him gently, like a beacon of light through the fog of his aching, feverish head for quite some time now, he realized, despite the overpowering confusion which now flooded over him.  That voice was the only certain thing left in his whole being. It had kept him from being drawn to the tempting, abysmal darkness just beneath, kept him afloat in that sea of lethargic helplessness, and now, called him to shore…And though his eyelashes at last fluttered open, ever so slowly, suddenly being conscious again brought him no solace at all, from his distress.  His situation had simply switched plains… from a troubling, nightmarish stupor in his mind, the likes he could not awake from, to a nearly paralyzing pain which seemed to anchor every one of his aching limbs to the nevertheless plush surface he lay on.  

Inuyasha struggled to focus his weary eyes, which burned even with what little light there was, and tried to get his bearings.  He felt incredibly disoriented… he could not smell, he could not hear… he could barely make out the shadowed figure before him.  He couldn’t sense much of anything, which was extremely alarming to a half-beast such as himself, who depended so much on his sharpened senses to survive in the world.  Finding himself so cut-off was almost like being reborn, for he was helpless and unable, and began to panic when he realized it.  He was completely disconnected, and wondered if he was still dreaming somehow, as a twinge of fear began to bubble in the pit of his stomach.  He had to get away…

Despite his muscles protesting with jolts of searing pain flashing through his entire body, he forced them into agonizing motion, a low, raspy grunt escaping his throat .

“Whoa, Inuyasha, calm down...” said the voice, still ever so softly, and he suddenly fell back, motionless, on what he came to realize was a bed.  That last, slight effort had sent his body into spasms, and he could scarcely breathe without wincing.  At this rate, he would admit defeat soon.  He already felt dead anyway, his senses not having returned, though he was now as awake as he could be, in his condition.  He could not remember anything that had happened to put him there, how his body had gotten into such a mangled, unresponsive state, and for the first time in his long, battle-worn life, he felt utterly hopeless.  He actually caught himself wishing he was asleep once more…to end the horrible, heart-stopping pain and admittedly frightening isolation…whether or not he would wake up again.  He cared not.  

Just as he felt another tremor of intense pain building in his innards, threatening to hurl him back into unconsciousness, a hand came to rest on his cheek.  The figure closed in, and at last, as his blurry eyes met the others approaching his, his expression lightened, in a sudden flood of recognition.  Now that the silhouette was in such close proximity, his weakened nose twitched to life, as though in confirmation of what his eyes were telling him.  That warm, sweet smell was unmistakable, and inwardly, he sighed with indescribable relief.  

“Kagome…”
She smiled, looking at him with concern, while gently brushing a few wild strands of hair out of his face.  

Inuyasha had been so disturbed by his state of being that he had forgotten about that soft voice which had called out to him before… the very reason why he was able to leave the confines of his coma-like sleep in the first place.  And suddenly, he was glad to be awake, despite the crippling pain which was sharper than ever.  Kagome’s calming presence seemed to have restored his wits, because he suddenly realized what was going on.  He could feel her gentle fingers slipping through his hair, yet at the crest of his head, they met no white, fuzzy obstacles.  In fact, his hair was the wrong color altogether. It was now a dark, raven black, rather than his usually thick white mane, for he was in his loathed human form…though he could not exactly pinpoint why, as it was not his time of the month.  
“You’ve been asleep for hours…Do you remember what happened?”  Kagome whispered gently, as though for fear of shattering him if she spoke too loudly.

“No…” he admitted, his confusion growing with every passing second.  Upon hearing the answer, the young woman’s hands reached back to the nape of his neck and grasped at the prayer beads he had always worn, since that fateful day they had met.

“These…” she said in a regretful tone, while Inuyasha despite his best efforts, swallowed nervously.


He blinked a few times and was now quite awake….and as well, was suddenly alarmingly aware of his lack of clothing.  Most likely, Kagome had tended to his wounds during his feverish slumber, though all the same, he praised the powers that be that his pants were still on, though somewhat loosely.  Despite first impressions which might have indicated otherwise, he was a very timid demon indeed, and felt quite awkward right then, strewn unceremoniously on a girl’s bed half naked. It would have been disconcerting for even the most level-headed of demons, which Inuyasha was not, not to mention that certain human emotions which were inevitably part of him weren’t making it any easier.  Had it been anyone else, it probably wouldn’t have bothered him quite so much, but… Kagome…Feeling her touch on his bare skin was almost unbearably enjoyable, and he struggled to concentrate on what she was saying, while her body remained so tantalizingly close to his.   It was probably a good thing his human senses were so dull, because Kagome’s warm scent wafting in the air, so close now, would probably have intoxicated him otherwise.  How he knew this wasn’t the time…but he could feel her breath streaming down his neck...and his earlier pain seemed greatly diminished somehow.  That same, irrepressible urge to reach out and wrap his arms around her was driving him mad, as it always did when she was so near… even in a moment of feebleness such as this, it was like his entire being hungered to hold her close to him, to never let go.

And in all his unrest, the sudden flood-gate of emotions made him feel miserably weak and guilt-ridden.  It was not like him to indulge so much in these frail, human impulses, especially when dealing with Kagome, after all they had been through together.  She deserved more than a useless, lowly half-breed’s desire, in a time of humiliating weakness, no less.  So he resisted, again dismissing what his heart truly yearned for, as nothing more than a bodily malfunction of some kind, caused by his undependable human form. Though it persisted because of a deep respect and care for his female companion, Inuyasha’s emotionally-challenged ego indeed knew no bounds. He continued to struggle with himself, even as the girl went on speaking about the prayer beads.  

“You know how they were meant to subdue you?” She began, while the half demon slowly nodded, snapping momentarily back to reality, “Well… we learned that Naraku had tampered with one of the beads and placed some kind of spell on it… it resulted in draining your demon energy…”

The young man went rigid, and glowered.

"Maybe it was some sort of barrier, like the one on Mount Hakureizan…” he cut in, his previously questionable thoughts immediately vanishing.  He snarled between his teeth at the mention of that despicable being, Naraku.  That malevolent creature’s insidious plans knew no bounds, it seemed, and had even reached this close to him without his knowledge. Inuyasha could feel even the human blood boil within his veins, and remained silent while Kagome went on in agreement.  “Miroku thinks so.  Although we’re not sure how he did it exactly, it could have been anything.  You’ve been in such close proximity to other demons while fighting them, that any one of them might have done the deed, with Naraku pulling the strings behind it.  Maybe even a flea-demon like Myouga-jiji might have been manipulated to do it, and you never would have noticed.”

At that last comment, Inuyasha sniffed indignantly to himself, feeling his self-respect crumble, again.  He couldn’t believe he had been so careless, and his mind already began to drift towards thoughts of revenge, to make up for his own misgivings.  He did not even want to think about what the likes of Sesshoumaru would say, if he found out about such a careless mistake.  One more hit for the inadequate half-breed, he thought to himself sourly.   Kagome continued however, all the while rubbing the contours of his aching neck.

“The last battle…. He appeared and activated the spell….”

The young woman paused, her gaze lowering, while Inuyasha’s attention returned to her.  She struggled to speak, and the young man could vaguely feel her fists shaking behind his head, holding fast to the necklace.  
“Kagome…” he murmured with concern, forcing himself to lean on his elbows to try and catch a glimpse of her face again, which was veiled in her thick black hair by now.  She breathed uneasily, as she seemed suddenly tormented by horrible visions of the past encounter.  Her entire body shuddered, and there was a tremor in her suddenly somber voice, as she went on, with difficulty.  “I barely had time to purify it before…. Before…

-Kagome…” he repeated helplessly, as his expression darkened.  He cursed Naraku under his breath for having endangered those he cared about most, yet another time, and renewed his vow of revenge more fervently than ever.  That bastard would pay for all his sins, and he would be the one to administer the punishment, with his own bare hands.

“You almost died.” Kagome choked, her desperate efforts to restrain herself having failed, in all appearances.  Inuyasha sat silently, though never once taking his eyes off her.  Her worry for him was touching, but he wished in his heart of hearts that the girl never would have had to experience such stress and anguish… and in all his concern, he knew not what to say to her.  It was heart-wrenching for him… to see the one he cared about above all else, suffer.  He wanted to reach out to her…to comfort her, but he felt paralyzed with he knew not what.  A knot of anger, frustration, despair and sadness gripped at his own soul, and he could only stare at her helplessly.   However, Kagome once again proved her resilience, and, hastily wiping her moistened face, banished her tears away.  She of course knew how much her crying might worry him, and so, looked back up to him with a meek smile before continuing.  “Well anyway…” she sniffled, “We all thought it would be safer for you to come and recover here, in my time… because none of us knew how long you would stay in human form…and you were too uhm..

-Vulnerable.” Inuyasha finished, his voice dripping in self-disgust.   Kagome remained silent, looking away.  Usually, she would have scolded him for being so self-pitying, to try and snap him out of it, but she thought better of it.  He had been through enough for one day, and if this was his way of dealing with it, then so be it.

However, an idea crossed her mind for the countless time, and as she absently stared at the wall in consideration while they both basked in the heavy silence, her expression softened at last.  She turned her gaze back at the brooding hanyou, who could do naught at the moment but stare back, wordlessly.  She took a deep breath, as though trying to cleanse her soul of all the gloom they had both experienced, and slowly reached around his neck once more.  Inuyasha looked at her, perplexed, and admittedly surprised at the sudden move, before mumbling her name again:
“Kagome…?
-Now that I know you’re alright…I’m going to make sure this never happens again…” said the young woman, with a resolved tone.  It was strangely reassuring, though no less confusing to Inuyasha, who simply sat there, once more agonizingly aware of Kagome’s proximity.  

His dark thoughts seemed to dissipate at times when she was near, and it was again true in this case.  He was awash with her delicate, floral scent, the likes of which even a human nose could appreciate, and he felt a tingle dance all the way down his spine as her fingers made contact with the nape of his neck a second time, where the troublesome prayer beads lay. This time, he resolutely ignored his previous feelings of doubt…he was just too exhausted, mentally and physically, to feel guilty anymore.   He would have been perfectly happy to stay that way all day, entranced in the delectable half-embrace she was unknowingly treating him to…her soft, caring features so close to him.  It was a little piece of heaven, and for a while, though he knew he could not aspire to anything more, he reveled in the peace of mind he suddenly felt, despite the evident racing of his heart.  However, before he could even properly sigh with appreciation, he became aware that his hair was gently being pulled forward…only to be freed from the necklace’s passage a few seconds later, as Kagome carefully slipped it over and off his head.  He could not mask his astonishment.

The girl simply looked upon him warmly, her features slightly blurred by the remnants of the beads’ glow, as the last of their magic was expended.  She held them with care, and Inuyasha suddenly saw in her the strength and soft-spoken dignity of the mystical powers she was given, the likes of which he had once known.  More than that though, he realized that she was not only an awe-inspiring priestess, but also and most importantly, the caring, strong and only woman that he truly loved.  And for such a pig-headed demon, that was quite something to admit, even if it was just to himself, at the moment.  He could do nothing but stare at her fondly, with renewed hope welling within his being.  

Part of him wanted to protest, just because of the relative safety the beads procured Kagome, if ever he was to turn full demon…He had already spilt her blood one too many times, and suddenly, the resentment for his human body faded.  It was a safer place for her, he realized, and it gave him reason to appreciate it more.  For a split second, he might have considered using that Shikon Jewel that hung around her neck to make his present state permanent, if only it were complete.  For her, he thought, he could do it…and he could finally be free to show her all the affection he had carried within himself for so long, without having to worry.  Though a few shards still were missing, and hence, the responsibility to prevent Kagome from befalling any harm was still his.  Despite the girl’s overwhelmingly selfless gesture, Inuyasha felt less secure about her not having the power to send him hurtling to the ground, face first, as much as he despised it.  Those damned beads had saved her life and his more than once, and in a supreme twist of irony, their absence was unsettling.  

Sensing his hesitation, Kagome leaned forward once more, and went about silencing him.  She had made her decision. She trusted the hanyou with her entire being, with all of her heart, and wanted him to be liberated from that which restrained him. She would take responsibility for whatever her actions might cause, good or bad, because she would no longer depend on the subjugation of the one she had grown to love, to feel safe.   

Her cheeks burned as she placed a hand on his chest and bowed her head towards his, ignoring the incredulous expression on his face.  Inuyasha felt his heart stop, after what seemed like hours, as her tender lips shyly yet resolutely brushed his own.  The world around him seemed to diffuse, while wave upon wave of soothing warmth washed over him, diluting all doubts within his mind. All of his pent-up frustration, self-doubt and confusion were released in one overwhelming swell of emotion. For the first time, he truly felt free...  Every aching muscle relaxed in one fluid instant, and his body trembled slightly at the rush of relief this woman had provoked in all aspects of him, through a single kiss.  He could not help but part their lips slightly to heave a quivering sigh, before finally replying to her gentle embrace with renewed energy.  He wanted to drink all of her in, and he was in no hurry as he tasted her sumptuous mouth, touched her silky, tumbling hair, and breathed in the intoxicating pleasure of her sweet fragrance.    His senses, all focused in unison on this most heavenly of experiences, seemed to grow sharper all at once, as though Kagome was infusing his very back soul into him.  He was now overwhelmed with her being, drowning in the beautiful light she exuded from within… and nevertheless dared to caress the sides of her face delicately, immensely careful not to inadvertently nick her velvety skin with his claws.  

“Claws…” he thought all at once, and the girl seemed to mirror his reaction.  She slowly pulled away, though their foreheads still touched for a few lingering moments, and looked then upon the tussled mass of white hair adorning his head, still breathless.  Inuyasha exhaled slowly, and realized that most of his pain was gone, that he felt a new exuberance coursing through his veins.  His tongue absently explored his upper jaw, only to carefully encircle the fangs that had grown back, as he confirmed his transformation with a twitch of his white, fluffy ears, which now perched atop his head.   Kagome found the display to be quite irresistible and couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the sight, though she could already see the faintest hint of disappointment in the demon’s face.  He crackled his knuckles, and a few other varying bones, as was his custom, perhaps to resettle into his body, though really, he was trying to distract himself from the increasingly obvious flush in his cheeks.  Kagome smiled, now conscious of her own blushing face, though she appeared somewhat more comfortable than the hanyou did in this situation.   But only by a little.

“I’ll get you something to eat…” she offered finally, slowly moving away from him, much to Inuyasha’s chagrin.  However, returning to his usual form seemed to have refueled his stubbornness, and he pretended not to mind, while the girl placed the beads on his chest.  She didn’t quite know what to say herself, now that everything had been said, really, through her previous boldness.  She did not regret it, and yet, began to feel slightly embarrassed. Her feelings were no less intense than his, and she knew not what to do...  She was about to walk away when she felt Inuyasha’s hand grasp gently at her arm.

“Hey, Kagome…”

She had only just turned her flustered gaze back to him, when, in a sudden move, he placed the now powerless beads around her neck.   The swiftness of the motion had surprised her, and she could only gasp her reply, as she contemplated the demon’s adoring yet strangely playful stare.  “Wh-what?”

Inuyasha smiled almost mischievously, though the expression quickly receded into one of warm, gentle adulation. He knelt forward and carefully put his arms around her, leaning his chin into the curve of her shoulder.  He could feel the rush of her heartbeat as his cheek slowly brushed past her neck, feel her chest heave more intently as her breathing became deeper… She experienced the same tingle on her skin as her companion had, when his lips then met her ear.  The girl leaned into him, and could only sigh with contentment through the smile on her lips, as Inuyasha at last whispered:

“Osuwari…”