Unconditional Love
By Urd-chan
Awareness came back to Inu-Yasha slowly. The tremendous throbbing in his head
slowly subsided, allowing him to gradually hear the sounds around him. They
came to him muffled at first, then clearing slowly until he could distinguish
the sounds of insects and birds around him. His other senses began to return
slowly, too.
He could now feel the warmth of the sun on his skin and the gentle brush of the breeze. Smells, too, returned to him. The scent of nearby plants. The scent of sun-warmed earth. And the scent of …blood. As his sense of smell returned, the strong stench of blood came to him. A scent augmented by the heat of the sun. It was a youkai’s blood scent, mixed with something more subtle, yet very familiar. It was the scent of Kagome’s blood!
Inu-Yasha opened his eyes. He blinked hard against the glare of the sun. Only after several moments did his vision clear. His right hand went automatically to the hilt of the Tessaiga, which was safely in its sheath. He glanced around and saw Kagome just a few feet away from him. She sat on the ground with her legs drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her head lay forward, resting against her knees. Her long, dark hair fell around her shoulders and covered her face. Inu-Yasha was by her side immediately. "Kagome?" Fear tinged his voice.
Kagome lifted her head and looked at him, an expression of relief on her face. "You¹re okay now..." she said quietly. A small sigh escaped from her lips. She managed a weak smile and lay one hand on his arm. "I smell blood, Kagome. Your blood. We need to take care of your injuries," Inu-Yasha’s concern was obvious. He looked her up and down, trying to establish the source of the blood smell. Her green and white school uniform was splattered with blood, but it was obvious that it was the blood of the youkai. Inu-Yasha could not see any sign of injury done to Kagome.
"It’s just a scratch." Kagome indicated the back of her left shoulder. Four parallel scratches ran for several inches, exposed by a large tear in the fabric of her blouse. Several tiny droplets of blood were already drying on her skin.
Inu-Yasha examined the scratches closely. They weren’t deep, but the wound would need to be tended to. "Damn it," he mumbled under his breath. He hated it when Kagome got hurt, even when it was something minor. He felt like he had failed her, although he knew she never blamed him. "We need to take care of this..." Inu-Yasha motioned toward the scratches on Kagome¹s shoulder.
Kagome shrugged. "You¹re overreacting, Inu-Yasha, but I could use a bath and some fresh clothes. Do you mind if we go back to my house for a little while?"
Inu-Yasha looked at Kagome, studying her face. While her words seemed normal, there was something in the tone of her voice. He had never heard her sound like this before. He started to ask her what was wrong, but changed his mind when his gaze fell on the remains of the youkai that were scattered over the area. The blood-soaked ground steamed in the warm sun. It was apparent from the carnage that he had been out of control only a short time before. He remembered vaguely his battle with the youkai. Sango and Miroku had taken Shippo with them to handle a small youkai problem in a neighboring village. The job promised to be small, so Kagome and Inu-Yasha had stayed behind. Kagome had several exams coming up and the break had provided her some precious time to study.
The day was perfect for relaxing. It was sunny and warm, without being uncomfortably hot. An occasional breeze stirred the grass around them as they sat on the bank of a small stream not far from Kaede¹s village and the old well that led back to Kagome¹s time.
It had been a while since the two of them had been alone. Inu-Yasha felt himself more at ease than he had been in a long time. He found himself watching Kagome as she studied. Her dark hair shined in the sunlight, the breeze playing with a loose strand that hung across her cheek. Her scent came to him on the breeze. Inu-Yasha took a deep breath. She always smelled so good.
Suddenly Kagome sat up and closed the book she had been reading. She stretched, arching her back so that her feminine shape showed clearly through the fabric of her blouse. Inu-Yasha quickly looked down at his hands.
"Thanks for letting me study, Inu-Yasha. I really got alot done." Inu-Yasha just shrugged and grunted in response, but Kagome smiled. She knew that Inu-Yasha didn’t understand her need to spend so much time studying and returning to her time to take her exams. However, she had noticed lately that he had been trying to be more patient with her, and it reflected in her grades. The improvement in her scores was enough to give Kagome real hope that she would make it to the high school of her choice after all.
Kagome lay her hand softly on Inu-Yasha¹s arm and gave it a slight squeeze. "How about some lunch?" she asked. She rummaged through her oversized backpack and pulled out some instant ramen. Within minutes the ramen was ready. Kagome handed a bowl to Inu-Yasha, who ate it quickly. Before he could ask for more, Kagome opened a container that contained a special treat she had made just for him on her last trip home. She held the container of cookies out to him. Inu-Yasha eyed them warily. They didn’t look like the cookies she had made for him before. These were covered with small, dark spots.
"They’re chocolate chip," she explained.
Inu-Yasha had liked the chocolate that Kagome had brought on other trips to her home, so he quickly took a cookie and bit into it. It was even better than the last cookies Kagome had made. He reached for another. While Inu-Yasha ate his fill of cookies, Kagome opened a can of soda and handed it to him.
Just then the youkai attacked.