Hair still uncomfortably wet, Kagome hastened her way back to Kaede’s hut, bare arms clutching about one another in the chilly air. Knowing she’d just have to clean and re-bandage her wound, she’d decided to forego the long sleeves for the moment–cold though it was. Maybe it was the pronounced drop in her body temperature, but as her destination came into sight at last, Kagome’s empty stomach finally decided to voice its distinct displeasure.

Food, she thought ruefully as it churned–now there was something she’d forgotten even existed. Before she passed out from low blood sugar, she’d have to fix at least a snack for herself. It’d probably do Sesshoumaru good to eat something as well.

Probably. Checking herself with a snort, Kagome realized that she had no idea what was good for him or not–except, of course, for spending prolonged amounts of time in her company. That always seemed to end badly for him…

Tamping down her guilt, Kagome entered the cozy dwelling. Granny Kaede was still MIA–either the baby she was supposed to be delivering was taking its sweet precious time, or the elderly miko was sleeping off her exhaustion somewhere else. Whatever the case, the only current occupants were Sesshoumaru–wearing a pinched expression of annoyance–and his trusty vassal, simpering and blubbering at his side. If Kagome didn’t know any better, she’d have assumed that Sesshoumaru was on his deathbed still–from the way Jakken was carrying on.

At her arrival, she could have sworn the daiyoukai looked almost relieved. His golden eyes fell to his fretting servant.

“Leave us,” he ordered, his voice cutting through Jakken’s antics like a hot knife through butter.

“Y-yes, milord!” the imp stammered tearfully–gratefully? “A-at once, milord!”

Kagome’s brow arched as she watched him go. It almost seemed like he was happy to be kicked out of the room.

So, she mused, this is what their relationship is like…

But the idea of Jakken as a masochist wasn’t a pleasant one to dwell on, so Kagome dismissed it with a shake of her head as she walked over to Kaede’s shelves upon shelves of medical supplies. Peeling off her stiff, rusty wrappings, she glanced over at Sesshoumaru–who was watching her intently.

“Um…how do you feel?” she asked, feeling nervous herself under his close scrutiny.

“Alive,” he replied, in his usual dead-pan.

“Ano…that’s good,” Kagome said, a grin twitching at the corners of her mouth. “Are you hungry? I was going to make some lunch soon.”

Coolly, he looked askance. “I don’t eat human food.”

“Of course you don’t…” she muttered grouchily.

After cleaning her wound with care, Kagome dabbed on a liberal amount of Sango’s salve. Immediately, the ointment set to work, numbing the nagging pain of her injury. A soft sigh of relief broke past her lips. Finding some strips of fresh linen, she held one end between her teeth as she awkwardly began to bind herself up with just her right arm.

“Miko.”

Pausing, Kagome glanced over to see Sesshoumaru beckoning her with a crooked claw. Her heart skipped a beat as her mind took a brief detour into the gutter. Tousled silver hair, disheveled clothes, come hither expression—the fact that he was calling her over to his bed of all places really just completed the image.

Blushing, she approached him, the strip of cloth trailing unnoticed from her arm. When she sank down at his side, he took wordless charge of her shoddy bandage-work, deft fingers winding and securing the fabric snugly against her skin.

His lashes were lowered—hers as well. Her hip rested against his muscular thigh, the warmth of his body bleeding into hers even through the layers of silk and denim that separated them.

“Thank you,” she said softly, meeting his gaze.

Inclining his head, he lifted a hand to a damp lock of hair dripping faintly onto the front of her shirt. Ivory claws kneaded the heavy strands for a moment before sliding them back over her shoulder. When the pad of his thumb lingered at the base of her neck, Kagome winced, watching his golden eyes narrow at the fang marks on her skin.

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi