Asdfgh I was writing this for about three days because I didn't want to save it half-finished in case I forgot about it so it was just open and nagging at me and they're all probably OOC but I don't care because I finally finished it.

Did I make Inuyasha a bit uke? Not sure. Unused to writing these characters, since I've just entered the fandom.

Disclaimer~

V-E-I-N-S

A small, deep rumble echoed around Inuyasha's throat as his worry increased by the second. "Dammit, it won't stop bleeding..." No matter how much of the crimson liquid he wiped away, the cut continued to bleed and the schoolgirl's whitewashed face was beginning to resemble something out of a macabre horror film.

Kagome winced, squirming slightly in her place on the grassy hillside as Inuyasha rubbed her cheek a little too hard. "He probably hit a vein," she murmured. "It's nothing much, just a surface wound."

"'Nothing much'? Kagome, you're white as a sheet and there's blood all over your clothes! It doesn't look like 'nothing much' from where I'm sitting," Inuyasha snarled venomously.

Kagome pursed her pale lips, trying her very best to not focus on how warm the calloused hand on her cheek was, or how much concern was seeping through his rude demeanor.

Her attention was - thankfully - drawn away from his hand, however, when she noticed the silky silver dog ears twitching, and she couldn't help but wonder what was being picked up by his superhuman hearing.

"Is Kagome-sama okay? What happened to her?"

"Those looks like claw marks."

"The hanyou probably inflicted them himself and felt guilty about it."

"He may be nasty, but he isn't that cruel, surely?"

"Nursing her like that, he looks kind of... human."

"Human? That monster? You can't be serious."

Ironically, despite only being known for being 'The Hanyou', people often forgot what being half-demon actually entailed. Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he realised the villagers probably had no idea that he could hear everything they were whispering behind his back.

He wanted to beat some sense into them; make them realise that no matter how furious he was, he would never lay a finger on Kagome. These cuts were the work of wild demons that he'd been too distracted to notice until it was too late.

Inuyasha snapped back into reality at the dark-haired girl's pained hiss, and he realised he'd been too rough. "Sorry..." he mumbled irritably, annoyed with the villagers, annoyed with the demons, annoyed with himself annoyedannoyedannoyed.

"It's fine," Kagome said calmly, though her balled fists betrayed her.

Her words were deemed only worthy of a grunt as Inuyasha rummaged through her first aid kit for the antiseptic cream, holding a bloodied cloth firmly to her cheek in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.

Unfortunately, Kagome admitted mentally, I think I'm only making it worse.

She tried her best to resist the colour that heated her face and sent blood gushing to her cheeks, but that warm hand pressed caringly over the wound was not helping.

The damp rag was removed only to be replaced by the ointment, and Kagome felt the blush increase tenfold as Inuyasha gently massaged it into the cuts. A jolt of electricity shot down her spine at the contact and she shivered.

"Are you cold?" Inuyasha's brow furrowed ever-so-slightly. "But your face is really warm. Do you have a fever? Are you sick again? Christ, it's your fault for wearing such skimpy clothing in winter. Of course you're gonna catch a cold," he muttered under his breath, jaw setting with concentration as he turned Kagome's face to the sun by her chin to inspect his handiwork, seemingly completely oblivious to her sharp intake of breath. He nodded in satisfaction seeing that the wound had finally stopped bleeding, but froze when Kagome's slender hand placed itself atop his on her cheek.

The pair remained still, neither even daring to breathe as Kagome realised what she'd done. After a few agonisingly long moments, she released his clawed hand with the intention of returning it to her lap to prevent the boy seeing it shake. Her mind yet out a chaotic shriek as she mentally berated herself for acting so instinctually.

However, Inuyasha seemed to have other thoughts as he snapped out of the trance and gently snatched her hand away, never once letting his burning amber eyes stray from Kagome's.

Her breath hitched in her throat, her thoughts now a writhing amorphous mass of white noise. The onyx-haired girl unconsciously leaned towards the red robe that she vaguely recognised smelled sweetly of dew after their camp out on the grass the night before.

"I'm not cold," Kagome breathed, her voice feathery light and only a warm wisp in the air, though the hanyou's ears easily registered it.

Her hand still held firmly in his, midair, he felt her pulse quicken as the heated blood pumped through her veins, matching his own stuttering heartbeat which only increased as the scorching eye contact was prolonged. He quietly rasped, as if it was an effort to say anything at all, "That's good."

Kagome couldn't bear it any longer. Thoughts of Kikyo flashed before her mind's eye unbidden and in a sudden burst of jealousy and love and anger she felt an overwhelming animalistic urge to prove to the priestess - or Inuyasha, herself or even just anyone who was watching - that Inuyasha was hers.

Her body launched forward, knocking Inuyasha onto his back in surprise, and the eye contact was broken as she shut her eyes, pressing her rosy lips firmly and protectively to the hanyou's.

A startled noise rumbled in Inuyasha's throat as his face shone six shades of red, but before he'd had time to react Kagome was three feet away on the grass, her trembling hands cupping her mouth, her chocolatey eyes round and her breathing harsh and uneven.

Unable to form a coherent thought - let alone a verbal response - Inuyasha let out a loud bark of a laugh in shock as he slowly sat up, thoughtfully running a thumb across his now swollen bottom lip.

"I-I..." Kagome started haltingly, reminding Inuyasha of a frightened doe. "I'm sorry, I wasn't-"

"Don't be," he mumbled, interrupting her, his eyes on the ground.

The teen's jaw dropped. "Inuyasha, you..." she trailed off.

He cast a glance at her, meeting her eyes with a little uncertainty, and for a moment Kagome almost thought he looked shy. "D-Don't worry about it. I didn't mind, it was k-kind of nice..." Jesus, what the fuck am I saying? Inuyasha thought angrily, wishing he could curl up in a ball and die in a hole somewhere.

He flinched at Kagome's hushed giggles, glancing up. The giggles were bubbling up from her throat, and no matter how she attempted to muffle them with her cuffs they continued to arise and increase in volume until she was shedding tears of laughter.

"W-What's so funny?" he snapped definsively.

"It's just..." she said in between laughs, wiping at her eyes, "It's just all this time, I never thought... that you would like me back."

Inuyasha's expression was a perfect mixture of shock and incredulity as he stammered, "W-why would you think that? Of c-course I..." he fumbled for a moment, unused to the taste of the words on his tongue, "... like you," he finished quietly, burning from embarrassment.

The radiant smile he received in return melted his entire hanyou self from the inside out, and just as he was about to evaporate into a gooey, blissful haze, Kaede marched out of the hut to inspect the injured teen.

"My, Kagome, you look much better," she mused with pleasant surprise. "You were white as a ghost and rather faint before, but it seems with his nursing Inuyasha has managed to return the colour to your cheeks."

Kagome cringed at the double meaning, and was suddenly sure Kaede knew what had occured.

"Do you feel well enough to eat dinner with us?" she questioned.

"Mm." Kagome nodded, the beaming smile still plastered on her face. "Sure."

The old priestess returned to her hut, waving for the couple to follow with a knowing glint in her eye.

"Come on," Inuyasha said, cracking the bones in his shoulders as he stood and stretched. He grinned fondly at Kagome as he offered her his hand. She accepted, hauling herself up and gripping it tightly as they walked. Inuyasha's fangs were revealed as the grin spread wider. "Dinner smells good."

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