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Kagome felt as if she’d been shouting at Inuyasha for over an hour at this point. Their friends had already given them their space to exchange insults. As usual, the argument had deteriorated into general insults and bickering, far off from what they were even fighting about in the first place.
Maybe she was imagining it, but her throat was starting to feel scratchy.
“Well if you’re so mad at me, why don’t you just go away!” Inuyasha huffed, further prodding Kagome’s flame. He was perched on a low branch of a tree above Kagome, arms crossed and facing away from her.
“Maybe I wi-,” Kagome started, but her breath was stolen by a series of coughs. Inuyasha’s haughty attitude immediately faltered, frown replaced with a look of concern as he dropped down to the ground in front of her.
“Kagome, are you okay? Did something fly in your mouth?”
Once she finished coughing, Kagome crossed her arms and looked at Inuyasha with a scorching glare. “No, nothing flew into my mouth! Maybe if I didn’t have to yell at you so much, my throat wouldn't hurt!”
Kagome expected Inuyasha to fire back, but instead he just crossed his arms and turned his face away. “Then let’s stop yelling.”
Well, that was easy, Kagome thought, letting out a sigh.
...
A few days passed and with each one Kagome felt worse and worse, causing the group to retreat to Kaede’s village for rest. Inuyasha was keeping close to Kagome’s side, only leaving to fetch something she needed.
Sango, Miroku, and Kaede were out collecting some herbs to ease Kagome’s illness. Inside Kaede’s hut, Kagome was lying under a futon with a damp rag over her forehead. Inuyasha was sitting a few inches away from her head, watching over her. He felt guilty. Had Kagome’s shouting at him made her this ill? Was she poisoned? There was much about human sickness that Inuyasha didn’t understand. It pained him to look over her flushed face and listen to her coughs.
“Hey, Kagome…” Inuyasha said softly. Kagome opened her eyes and looked up at him with questioning brown eyes. “You should go home, get medicine from your time. That’s probably better, right?” Of course, Inuyasha didn’t want her to leave his side, especially being so sick.
Kagome thought it over for a moment, and cleared her throat before speaking. “Yeah, I was thinking about that… I would probably feel better faster.” She stopped to cough a few times. “But if I go, you better stay here,” She said sternly. “My family can take care of me just fine. And you running around my time would just stress me out.”
Inuyasha wanted to protest, but he held his tongue. He just wanted to do what would be best for Kagome, and if she wanted him to stay put, he would, albeit begrudgingly. He helped Kagome gather her things in her large backpack, and carried her on his back to the well. Her body was hot and feverish against him. Normally the warmth would’ve been comfortable, but it just made him worry more. Many people in Inuyasha’s time died from fever.
Setting Kagome down gently on the edge of the well, Inuyasha turned to face her. “You’ll get better right?” He reached up and touched a couple fingers to Kagome’s warm cheek.
“It’s just a cold. I’ll be fine.” Kagome cracked a smile, comforted by Inuyasha’s concern. Inuyasha nodded, bidding her farewell, and Kagome dropped down into the well. On the other side, Kagome was greeted by the familiar darkness and dusty smell of the well shrine at her home. Once inside the house, Kagome’s family quickly began taking care of her. Mama gave her some medicine, Gramps waved a charm at her, and Souta ran the bathwater.
After eating a nice soup dinner and having a warm bath, Kagome crawled into bed, relishing the soft bedding and familiar comfort of home. The medicine was helping with her fever, and some of the congestion was eased as well. “Maybe I can get some decent sleep…” Kagome murmured to herself, eyes fluttering shut.
…
After a few days of care at home, some of Kagome’s symptoms were fading. However, some more concerning ones were beginning to come up. First it was the nausea, and then the chest pain and feeling like she couldn’t take a full breath. On the fourth day of being sick, Kagome’s mom took her temperature.
“Hmm… Your fever is quite high Kagome. We should see the doctor.” Mama turned the thermometer to show Kagome the temperature.
“39.7?! That’s so high, Mama.” Kagome groaned, laying back down on her bed. A high fever was the last thing she needed. She was hoping to have been well after several days, not even more sick.
“Yes, maybe the hospital…” Kagome’s mother frowned. “Souta, help your sister pack a bag, just in case.” Souta came into Kagome’s room and fetched the items she requested.. A pair of her comfiest pajamas, toiletries, and a few books to study. Kagome got out of bed and dressed herself in some day clothes, a simple t-shirt and some leggings, and brushed her hair. After that, Kagome and her mom went to the hospital.
Kagome got checked in and put in a room with a curtain and changed into a stiff pastel hospital gown. A nurse came through, asked some questions, and took Kagome’s temperature, blood pressure, and some other things Kagome didn’t quite know of. Apparently her blood oxygen level was low, so the doctor ordered a couple of different tests. Luckily, the tests were all relatively painless, but all the commotion was making her tired.
Finally, a soft-spoken doctor stepped into Kagome’s emergency room. “Hello miss Kagome.” Kagome lifted a hand and waved weakly. The doctor continued, “So, after taking a look at your chest x-rays, it is clear that you have some pretty nasty pneumonia. I say we should admit you to the hospital for some antibiotic treatment, fever control, and supplemental oxygen.”
Kagome groaned, “Pneumonia?” She closed her eyes, immediately picturing Inuyasha’s worried face. She did tell him not to come, but surely by now he was beside himself with worry even if he’d never admit it. Hopefully this hospital stay would be a short one. She had much more important things to do!
…
Back in Inuyasha’s time, he was anxiously pacing by the well. Kagome had been gone for too many days now, and with each passing hour Inuyasha became more and more worried. If Kagome- if she died - Inuyasha couldn’t even finish the thought. Without thinking, he let out a groan and dropped himself down the well.
Once on the other side, Inuyasha leapt out of the well and walked right into Kagome’s house with, maybe too much, confidence. As he thrust open one of the sliding doors, he could immediately smell that Kagome wasn’t there. That woman, she’s probably off doing that school or something, he thought angrily.
A moment later, Souta appeared in the doorway. “Inu-nii-chan!” He greeted happily.
“Hey kid. Where’s Kagome?” Inuyasha frowned.
“Oh, sis is still pretty sick. She’s in the hospital.”
Inuyasha tilted his head to the side, “What’s a hospital? Is she okay?”
Souta laughed, “She will be! Mama told me to take you there whenever you showed up.” Inuyasha didn’t protest as Souta covered his canine ears with a scarf or when he was given a pair of sandals to wear. Inuyasha felt out of place, but he needed to make sure Kagome was okay.
The two boys left Kagome’s house and began walking the few blocks to the hospital. Souta held Inuyasha’s hand to guide him around. People stared, of course, but Inuyasha had become used to it by now. They turned a corner and Inuyasha was met with a giant building. “Why is it so big?” Inuyasha asked as Souta walked them inside.
“Well, there’s a whole bunch of sick people here, so there’s lots of rooms.”
The two walked past a room with large glass windows displaying all sorts of things, like stuffed animals, flowers, and many things Inuyasha had never seen. Souta noticed Inuyasha’s gaze, “It’s a gift shop to get something nice for a sick person.”
Inuyasha didn’t understand it, but he was beginning to catch Kagome’s scent amid the stinging scent of medicine. The two went up a couple of flights of stairs, and walked down a long hallway of rooms before finally arriving at Kagome’s room, right as her mom was stepping out. She seemed happy to see her son and Inuyasha. That was a good sign, right? If Kagome was dying her mother probably wouldn’t be smiling.
“Kagome’s sleeping, so be quiet when you go in. And don’t be scared of the medical equipment. She’s doing fine.” As Kagome’s mother spoke, Inuyasha felt the tangle of worry begin to untie in his gut. Souta and his mom left, and Inuyasha quietly slipped into the room.
Behind a curtain, Kagome was laying in a strange looking angled bed, sound asleep. Inuyasha looked her over as he got closer. There was some kind of thing piercing through the skin on her elbow and connected to a bag of fluid. At her nose was a tube that was connected to a machine. There were a number of machines around Kagome’s bed that occasionally made beeping sounds. Inuyasha remembered her mom’s warning: Kagome was fine, this is all just future medical equipment. It was still a bit scary though.
Tubes aside, Kagome’s sleeping face was peaceful. Her cheeks weren’t flushed with fever anymore, which provided Inuyasha with more relief. He sat down in a chair at her bedside, simply watching Kagome as she rested. Inuyasha reached over and gently wrapped his hand over one of hers, her skin a pleasant chill against his warmth. All of the worry that had him wound up inside him had melted away. Inuyasha leaned over, resting his head against one of Kagome’s legs, still keeping hold of her hand in his. Kagome’s body under the stiff blankets was pleasantly warm, and being that close, her pleasant scent overpowered the stench of medicine.
…
Waking from her nap, Kagome’s eyes fluttered open. Sunlight was still shining through her window, so she hadn’t been asleep for very long. She yawned and moved to stretch a little when she realized there was a weight on her lap. Looking down, Kagome gasped. “I-Inuyasha?” He was holding her hand and resting his head on her leg, and he was definitely asleep. Kagome wondered how long he’d been in her time. Did he come looking for her? Was he angry that she hadn’t come back yet?
Inuyasha’s sleeping face was so peaceful though, and Kagome very rarely got to see him in such a state. It filled her chest with a pleasant warmth. She gently squeezed his hand and smiled to herself. Now if only he’d show affection like this when I’m not sick… Kagome thought with a sigh, but Inuyasha’s pride and his ‘tough guy’ facade would always get in the way.
But, for the moment, Kagome was content with this, the pleasant warmth of his hand and the sound of his soft breaths, and the happiness that came with it.