Of Half Demons and Colds

"That's it! I'm going home!" Kagome stormed off toward the bone eaters well.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Heh. Go on! Not like we need you anyway." He called after her and started walking in the other direction.

Miroku shook his head. "Actually Inuyasha...we do need her." Inuyasha simply growled and continued to stalk away.

Shippo looked up at Miroku. "Won't he ever learn?"

Kagome sat in her room, back in her own time. ~Stupid Inuyasha! Why does he always insist on arguing?~ She fumed silently to herself. ~OK Kagome....time to get out of this funk Inuyasha put you in. It's Christmas time!~ She nodded. "And I'm going shopping!" She informed Buyo, the fat family cat, who was sitting next to her on the bed. Then she stood up and marched out of her room, determined to have fun.

In the Feudal Age Inuyasha sat on a tree stump with Shippo tugging on his sleeve. "When are you going to go get Kagome, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha yanked his sleeve away and turned in the other direction. "I'm not."

Shippo pouted. "But you have to!" He leapt up and grabbed Inuyasha's shirt and shook him. "You Have To!"

Later that day Inuyasha popped his head out of the well in Kagome's time. Grumbling he made his way from the well to her house. He tried her door. It was locked. He banged on it. "Kagome! Come on! Open up so I can take you back to the Feudal Era!" Inuyasha waited a few seconds before moving to the side of her house and leaping up to her landing. He pulled on her window. It, too, was locked. He peered inside. Inuyasha considered breaking the window to get a better look. ~If I do that Kagome will Sit me into the next century.~ He jumped down from the balcony and went to the front of the house. Inuyasha sat down cross-legged in front of the door to wait for Kagome's return.

He hadn't been sitting there for more than two minutes when something cold landed on his nose. ~Great. Snow.~ Inuyasha growled as snow started to fall around him. ~Stupid wench.~

"Oh Mom! Aren't those icicles beautiful?" Kagome adjusted the bags in her arms to point at the ice hanging from a near by bush. She was in a much better mood now that she had spent some quality time with her family... and bought some really great Christmas gifts. Not to mention that there was almost a four inch layer of snow coating everything in a fluffy white blanket. ~Everything looks so pretty covered in snow...even Inuyasha.~ Kagome froze and rethought that last thought. She squinted at the front of her house to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Inuyasha!" She bolted forward and dropped her bags as she knelt next to him. His head was down so Kagome had to crane her neck to see his face. Two golden eyes stared back at her. Two very angry golden eyes. Kagome swallowed. ~He looks so mad.~ She smiled and tried to laugh it off. "Inuyasha. What are you doing here?"

Inuyasha sprang to his feet, knocking Kagome backwards. "Waiting for you!" He yelled at her. "Where have you been?"

~He was waiting for me?~ Kagome looked up at the irate half demon. "I was shopping." She looked down at her bags that she had dropped. "How long were you waiting?"

"Long enough." He huffed and turned away, arms folded. He started off in the direction of the well, shaking snow off himself as he went. "Come on."

Kagome looked up from picking up her things. She shook her head. "I can't go back right now."

Inuyasha whirled and stalked closer to her. "I almost froze my ass off waiting for you and you're not even going to come back!?"

Kagome looked down into her bags and then back at Inuyasha. "Nope."

They both glared at each other.

"Kagome? Why don't you invite Inuyasha inside. I'll make everyone some hot cocoa." Kagome's mother said with a smile, trying to stop the brewing fight. She went to the door and opened it.

Kagome's younger brother Souta looked up at his mother after a careful glance at his sister and Inuyasha. "Can I have mine with marshmallows?"

Kagome's mother nodded and pulled Souta and Kagome's grandfather in the house after her.

Kagome didn't let her eyes leave Inuyasha's until her mother mentioned cocoa ~Mmmm. Cocoa!~ As she grabbed Inuyasha's hand to drag him inside she noticed how ice cold his skin was. She stopped and turned to him. "You're freezing."

"Feh. I barely feel it." Inuyasha pulled his arm away from her.

Kagome grabbed him and started feeling all over his body. There wasn't a dry inch of him. She grabbed his arm again and pulled him inside. "We're going to my room."

They blew past a startled Souta, who was busily pulling off his mittens and scarf. "Hey!"

Kagome ignored him as she drug Inuyasha up the stairs.

Inuyasha balked. "Kagome...what are you...?"

She pulled him through the door and started rummaging through her room. "OK. Take your clothes off."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "If you were in the mood you just had to say so."

Kagome glared at him "SIT!" She turned away from him. "And to think...all I was trying to do was help you. For all I care you can stay in those wet clothes and catch cold."

Inuyasha sat up and pouted. "I'm not weak like that."

Kagome grabbed the pile of dry clothes she had been searching for and thrust them at Inuyasha on her way out. "Fine." Then she stormed out the door and went back downstairs.

A few minutes later Inuyasha wandered into the kitchen. He was dressed in the dry clothes Kagome had given him. Kagome gave him a smile. Inuyasha shrugged as he sat down next to her. "I didn't want you to think I was ungrateful."

After cocoa Inuyasha stood examining Kagome's family's Christmas tree. "It doesn't smell like a tree." He sniffed. ~Of course I can't smell much of anything...~

Souta giggled. "Of course not, it's plastic."

Inuyasha turned to him with a confused look. "Plastic?"

"Yup." Souta nodded. "We don't have real Christmas trees around here."

Kagome padded up behind Inuyasha. She tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around they were practically nose to nose. "Inuyasha. You can sleep..." She paused and smiled before shoving a pillow and blanket into his arms. "in Souta's room tonight!" Kagome beamed at him as she turned and flounced off to her own room.

Souta grinned happily. "Great!" He grabbed Inuyasha's hand and began dragging him to his room. "I'll show you all my posters!"

"And this one's a superhero! Kinda like you." Souta smiled up at Inuyasha as Inuyasha nodded at the poster in front of him. ~Strange kid...~ Inuyasha sniffed and rubbed at his nose with his sleeve. Souta blinked at him. "You OK?"

Inuyasha sighed. "Go to bed."

That night, as he lay on the floor of Kagome's brother's room, Inuyasha dreamed.

It was dark and rain poured from the sky. He was a child again. Small and shivering.

Inuyasha shifted in his sleep.

All he wanted was to be back home with his mother. He sniffled and rubbed his nose with sleeve. "Inuyasha!" He looked up. "Mama!" He held his arms out to her, silently pleading to be picked up.

Inuyasha twisted his blanket around himself.

He was being held tightly by his mother. He coughed and nuzzled into her neck. "Don't feel good..." He shivered as she brought him inside their home and set him down so that she could get blankets. When his mother returned she gently dried him off and then wrapped him in a warm blanket. As she held him she slowly started to rub his legs until he fell asleep.

Inuyasha woke groggily. His head hurt and he couldn't breathe through his nose. ~Damn.~ He rolled over onto his side before sitting up. The sunlight pouring through the windows hurt his eyes and he turned away quickly. He glanced over at Souta's bed. It was empty. Inuyasha yawned, got up and looked around for his own clothes. He shivered as he put them on. ~Perfect...cold and damp.~

Kagome looked up from her breakfast to see Inuyasha coming down the stairs. "Morning!" Kagome grinned and offered a plate to Inuyasha. "Breakfast?"

Inuyasha looked slightly green at the idea of breakfast and shook his head. He went and stood by the door with his arms crossed. "Can we go already?"

"What's your rush?" Kagome went back to her breakfast.

As Inuyasha waited felt a small tickle start at the back of his nose. He tried to sniff it away. When that didn't work he tried to discreetly rub at his nose with his sleeve. The tickle continued to build. ~Damn.~ He looked at Kagome. "Would you hurry up?" Kagome looked up at him with a mouthful of food. Inuyasha sniffed again and rolled his eyes. "I'll be waiting by the well."

Kagome watched him make his speedy departure. ~Somebody sure got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.~

Once away from any prying eyes Inuyasha let the long held sneeze out in the crook of his arm. "Hes-Shhh!" He gave his nose an angry swipe with his sleeve. "Damn." He shivered again as he walked through the snow. He couldn't wait to get back to the snow free and slightly warmer Feudal Ages. He sat down at the edge of well, folded his arms, and waited for Kagome.

"Bye Mom. Bye Grandpa. Bye Souta." Kagome waved to her family. She jogged to the shrine where the well was held. She gave Inuyasha a smile. "Hey." He simply glowered at her, grabbed her hand and jumped into the well. ~I hope he's in a better mood when we get there.~

"Do you think he's all right?" Miroku frowned at Inuyasha, who was up the road from the rest of the group.

"He's seems a lot more angry today." Shippo turned to look up at Kagome. "Did you guys fight even worse back in your time?"

Kagome shook her head. "Nope." ~Something's not right. It's like he's avoiding us.~

They were all taken aback as Inuyasha spun around and yelled at them. "Quit talking about me!"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with his hearing." Sango deadpanned.

Inuyasha turned back around and started walking again. His nose twitched. ~Not now...~ He sniffed. ~Damn.~ "Hessh-Shhh!"

They all stood around him. Staring. He hated when people stared at him. Inuyasha didn't meet any of their eyes. He just stood, arms folded, looking straight ahead.

Sango shook her head. "Why didn't you tell us you were sick?"

Inuyasha looked at her like she was stupid. "Because I'm not." He sniffed. "I just had dust up my nose."

Kagome was feeling Inuyasha's clothes. "You should have kept wearing the dry clothes I gave you." She frowned at the dampness.

"Feh. I'd rather be uncomfortable than wear those weird clothes."

Miroku sighed. "Inuyasha. Perhaps we should go back to the village. We could have Lady Kaede take a look at you."

"I'm not letting that old crone get her hands on me. Besides, I'm a demon and demons don't get..." Inuyasha's nose twitched again. "Heh- SHHH!" *sniff* "sick."

"But you're only half demon." Shippo reminded him innocently.

Inuyasha reached over and whacked Shippo on the head. Then he turned and started off down the road. "We've wasted enough time talking here."

The group looked at each other. They knew they couldn't stop him, the best they could do was follow.

Inuyasha had stayed far in front of the others the entire day and now, as the sun was waning, he continued to forge ahead. He felt lousy and would have liked nothing more than to stop and curl up next to a fire. But there was no way he would ever admit to that. ~I'm not weak...like some human.~ He shivered and sneezed again. ~Damn.~

Kagome frowned as she watched Inuyasha walk. ~He's getting worse.~

Shippo tore her away from her thoughts as he tugged on her sleeve. She looked down at the little kitsune in her arms. "When are we going to stop Kagome? It's getting dark."

Miroku agreed with him. "Yes. We really should find a place to make camp."

They walked a few more minutes before they found a clearing they liked. As Miroku, Sango and Shippo began setting camp up, Kagome jogged up to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha? We're stopping for the night."

Inuyasha didn't meet her eyes. "So?" His voice sounded strange in his ears.

"So..." Kagome grabbed his arms and tried to pull him towards the fire. "Why do you have to be so stubborn. You're not fooling anyone. You don't feel well and we want to help."

Inuyasha snatched his arm back. His eye's glowed in the setting sun. "I'm fine." He started off toward the grove of trees before them.

Kagome stood still with shock for a second before following. "Where are you going?"

Inuyasha slouched. "Away from you."

Sango wandered over to Kagome. "Are you going to go after him?"

"I guess I sort of have to." Kagome sighed and started after the impudent hanyou.

Kagome wandered through the dense trees, looking all over. ~He couldn't have gotten that far.~ "Inuyasha!" She called out for him. "Where are you?"

Inuyasha sat up in a tree and tried to cough quietly. ~All I want is to be left alone...all she wants is to make noise.~ He closed his eyes and tried to block out the sound of her voice.

"Inuyasha?"

~Damn girl.~ His eyes slid open and he looked down. Kagome stood below him, poking around in a bush. ~If I don't make any noise...~ "HEHH-SHHH!" ~That was smooth.~

Kagome looked up at the sneeze. "There you are. Come down."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't think so."

"You know, I could make you..." Before she could finish she heard a low growl. Kagome turned her head and gulped at the sight of the snarling creature before her. It was only a medium sized rat demon, but it looked plenty angry. "Demon..."

Inuyasha had his eyes closed again. "A proper title does help..."

"No...I mean...there's a demon!" Kagome stammered as she started to back up.

Inuyasha leaned over and looked down. ~Just what I need.~ He leapt down in front of it. "This is all you're fault, Kagome."

"How is this my fault?" She was taken aback by his harsh accusation.

"You probably woke it up with all the yelling you were doing!"

"Which I was only doing to find you so that you didn't get any sicker!"

"And I wouldn't have gotten sick if you had been home in the first place!"

Kagome blinked. ~It really is my fault he's sick.~ She looked at Inuyasha when she heard him cough. He had his head buried in the crook of his arm. ~He's too sick to fight.~ "You're too sick to fight."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Feh."

The rat demon leapt at Inuyasha, who blocked and through a punch of his own. Inuyasha flexed his claws. They fought fiercely for a few minutes more, but Inuyasha's strength was beginning to wear thin. ~It's time to end this.~ "Iron Reaver Sou...HeH-SHH!" ~Damn.~

The rat demon studied him, mulling over what had happened. Then it turned and wandered back into the woods.

Inuyasha stared in amazement ~It won't even fight with me...?~ He started to go after it but was stopped by Kagome's hand on his shoulder.

"Can we go back to camp now?" She smiled softly at him.

Inuyasha sniffed. "You can go back, but I'm staying right here." He slumped down against the trunk of a tree, energy drained out of him. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, shivering. ~When did it get so cold out?~

"Then I'll stay here with you."

Inuyasha turned his head away. "I don't need your help." Kagome knelt down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder again. He shrugged it off. "Just go away would ya!"

Kagome stood up. "Fine. Have it your way. Stay out here. And since I'm obviously not needed or wanted I'll just go home." She started walking away.

Inuyasha winced at her harsh words. ~Don't go...it's better when you're here. Please...~ "Wait." He said softly, barley above a whisper.

Kagome stopped. ~Did he just...?~ She turned around. "Yes?" The only response she got was Inuyasha's harsh coughing. Kagome slowly walked back to where he sat against the tree and knelt down. She reached up to stroke his hair. Her hand traveled to Inuyasha's forehead. ~He's really warm.~ She went back to stroking his hair and ears. Kagome tried to pull him closer to her, but he resisted. "There's nobody here except us." She said softly.

Inuyasha tensed for a moment more before finally allowing himself to relax into Kagome's arms. ~Feels so nice to be held...~ It wasn't long before he was asleep.

Kagome looked down at the sleeping half demon. A small smile crept over her face as she continued to run her fingers through his hair.