Author's Note: Dedicated to all of the wonderful people who have been cheering me on today. Special shoutout to the Anons, LiaSango and Keichanz. You're all so freaking amazing.

Day 10 of the 12 Days of Witchyness

This is NOT edited. I AM SORRY.

Forget-Me-Not

Part II

Kagome woke up the next day, exhausted to the bone. It felt like she had aged years when it had been nothing more than a week. Every part of her hurt, like her nerve endings were in a constant state of fighting. She wanted to cry, wanted to bury her face in her pillow until she lost consciousness.

At least her dreams were peaceful, quiet, blank.

But that wasn't right. There were flashes of silver–

Kagome gagged, the action so sudden she rolled to the side of her bed in shock. She blinked, unsteady.

Inuyasha.

Inuyasha.

The name was so familiar and yet, she knew without a doubt that she had never met the man before. But something about him called to her. The strange man that handed her a bouquet of forget-me-nots had somehow clouded up her brain and took over.

Breakfast with her family was uneventful.

She was careful to not let anything show, to seem like her usual self. Or, at least, what Kagome imagined her usual self to be. Her younger brother gave her a bit of an odd look, but her mother and grandfather didn't seem to notice anything. It was a blessing because when they were cleaning up, Kagome asked her mom if she could go out with her friends.

"Oh, where to?" her mom asked, more out of curiosity than because she cared about the specific location.

Kagome shrugged. "Not sure yet but I think we may head down to the main street again. Ayumi wanted to buy something at the music store there that she didn't last time."

"Sounds fun. Did you need a drive?"

She refused the drive, but only because Kagome wasn't actually meeting her friends. This was something she had to be alone, to figure out by herself.

The walk was around thirty minutes but it was a pretty nice day out for spring. She used the time to try and think through her last few days. It was so strange because Kagome knew she had felt awful, nauseous, fake. But when she thought back to who she talked to and what she did, it was distorted, like the images were made fuzzy.

Just further evidence that something was terribly, horribly wrong.

When she got there, she took a moment to just watch. There were a few couples and families out, all strolling together hand-in-hand. It wasn't overly busy but for some reason that made her feel better, like this time she wouldn't get interrupted.

The flower shop was her first stop.

It was a tiny, unassuming door. A little bell went off as she walked in. At first glance, there was no one in the shop with the exception of an elderly lady who was clearly perusing the flowers. Kagome walked up the counter, wondering. What if Inuyasha wasn't in today? What if he hadn't worked at the shop at all?

But he had handed her flowers, right?

Kagome blinked and then frowned. Why had he handed her flowers? Why did that not…come across as strange yesterday?

It was then that Inuyasha walked in, coming from some employee area. His dark eyes immediately landed on her. He didn't seem surprised by her appearance; the black-haired man simply crossed his arms. "You remember?"

Did she remember? Remember what? Kagome guessed that was the whole point, wasn't it? "No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I don't– I don't know what's wrong. But something is wrong, I can feel it."

He looked her up and down, slow and assessing. It lit her insides on fire. "Do you remember me?"

The question sounded heavier than his words implied. Kagome bit her lip. "Your name is Inuyasha."

"And…?"

Kagome shrugged helplessly. "What am I supposed to remember? Do you know? Do you know what's wrong?"

Inuyasha sighed, exasperated. He looked up to the ceiling like it held some sort of answer. "Whatever. Here, take your flowers."

"I didn't–"

"Just take the damn flowers, okay?"

Kagome watched as Inuyasha pushed back his hair and then strode across the room. He made his way to a corner, where several buckets of flowers sat. He grabbed at a bundle and shoved them at her, much like he had yesterday.

"Here."

She stared down at them. "I don't know what they are."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Yeah, shocker. Can you just…take them?"

"But why?" she asked. "Why are you giving them to me? Why won't you just tell me what's wrong?"

"Because I don't know what's wrong," Inuyasha snapped. It sounded so familiar, that viciousness. "So take the damn flowers."

"Where are we then?" Kagome asked, knowing that she was starting to sound desperate. Her words were more of a plea than a question. "Where are we supposed to be?"

"I don't–" The black-haired man cut himself off, spinning around on his heel to heads towards the counter. The next words were calmly, even if only just a little. "I don't know, Kagome. Go home."

"That's what I'm trying to do!"

The world started to spin, around and around and around. Kagome clutched at the flowers and stumbled. She needed… She needed…

"Go home, Kagome."

She woke up, two hours later, on her bed.

The bouquet of flowers was right beside her, clutched in her palm.

She had no idea how she got there.

"It's not working."

"It will work, we're just not there yet."

"Miroku–"

"Kaede is doing all she can. She's replicated Urasue's spell, but now we've got to figure out how to pull Kagome's soul back."

Kagome let the warmth wrap around her, the water enveloping her. Her head bobbed up and down, gently. She could smell something…familiar–

She woke up so sick that at first, Kagome honestly thought she was dying. She barely had enough energy to turn off her phone alarm before closing her eyes again, curling into the pillow. There was no way she was getting up or going to school.

It could have been minutes, or maybe an hour, but eventually a gentle hand was shaking her shoulder, forcing her to wake up. Kagome blinked bleary eyes up at her mother, who had concern written all over her face.

"You're so flushed," her mom said, the back of her hand touching Kagome's forehead and then cheek.

"I'm sick," Kagome mumbled out, the words slurring together. She was so nauseous, all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. If she didn't, she was pretty sure she'd be puking. "Feel…sick."

Her mother hummed. "What's wrong? You seemed fine yesterday."

"Nauseous." Even that single word was too much. Kagome swallowed forcefully and closed her eyes. She could hear her mother, whispering something but Kagome couldn't make out the words. Slowly everything drifted away.

Something was wrong.

Kagome couldn't see, the darkness still surrounding her, but she could feel the tension n the air. The water was a little cooler than it normally was and the voices, when they spoke, were harsh and tense.

Once, she thought she heard someone cry. It faded in and out, like wherever Kagome was she was losing consciousness. One moment, she was aware but blind. Another moment she was just…gone.

Gone, or going.

Kagome didn't know.

Tuesday was only slightly better. Kagome still felt like death, but it was somehow more manageable. She crawled out of bed, slow and weak and stumbling into the bathroom to get ready.

Her mother wanted her to stay home again, but Kagome knew better. She knew what she had to do.

She was pretty sure this was killing her. Whatever it was that was going on, it was destroying her piece-by-piece. Every day she was more tired, and now standing felt like a chore. Kagome had no energy, could barely focus in class, forgot to eat because she honestly wasn't hungry.

She was dying.

This whole fake illusion – this world, whatever it was – was killing her.

So even though it hurt, Kagome pretended to go to school. She packaged her bag and trudged down the street. Her eyelids were heavy, her breathing laboured. A blonde cat crossed her path, making Kagome nearly topple into the ground. Distantly she heard the sound of a little boy laughing, an elderly lady scolding him. It sounded familiar.

Not much further.

She could make it.

"Seriously Miroku." Another familiar voice, but Kagome couldn't lift her head to see. "Stop being such a jerk."

"I'm not! Sango, you wound me with such talk. I'm only a gentleman–"

The couple passed by. Kagome staggered into the floral shop.

"Shit."

Blinking heavy eyelids, she tried to look towards the counter. Everything was spinning though, already and no, no. She needed to talk to Inuyasha.

She needed to talk to him.

Inuyasha.

Inuyasha.

Inuy–

The air was rumbling.

"She's okay, Inuyasha. She's breathing."

The rumbling grew louder before breaking off into a snarl. Oh, Kagome thought. Oh. Her entire body was submerged, warm once again but the true heat was coming from her right hand.

"I think the crushed clematis is helping," Kaede said. "Her fever has gone down and she's stopped shaking. I have a few more ingredients to try."

"She almost died," Inuyasha hissed.

The old woman didn't seem flustered at all. If she was, Kagome couldn't tell in the darkness. She was just floating along, warm and waiting. "The flower will give her another day. We will save her, Inuyasha. You have my promise."

There was a gentle touch to her bangs and they brushed against her forehead, almost a tickle. "Hold on, Kagome," Sango whispered. "Just hold on."

She came to on a couch, in an unfamiliar room with a very familiar stare.

No, unfamiliar–

It wasn't–

"Easy," a male voice soothed. "Don't sit up yet."

Groaning, Kagome looked around until she saw him. Inuyasha was sitting in an office desk chair, his elbows on his knees as he studied her. His expression was blank, though there were creases around his eyes suggesting worry.

"What happened?" she croaked. Her throat and mouth were so dry.

"Here, I made you tea." Inuyasha watched her warily as she slowly sat up before providing a large mug. It wasn't overly hot or full, but Kagome took in a deep breath anyways. It smelled floral, familiar.

The first sip was strange on her tongue.

"You passed out the second you walked through the door," Inuyasha explained. His lips pressed into a solid line. "You look like you're doing better now though."

Kagome nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was feeling better, though extremely tired. It was far better than the morning though. She took another sip of tea and then studied the room she was in. It was filled with papers and empty buckets, an old computer running at the side. The couch she was on was threadbare but soft. By where her head use to be sat a massive bouquet of flowers, though unusual ones.

"Clematis," Inuyasha clarified. "You needed it."

"Why all the flowers?" Kagome asked tiredly, not expecting any kind of answer.

"They're kind of important." He ran a hand through his long black hair and let out a long breath. "You don't have much time."

Frowning, Kagome tilted her head at him. "What?"

"You need to go home." Inuyasha stood up then, arms crossed. "Finish your tea and then go home, Kagome. There isn't much time left."

"Time for what?" she whispered. "What am I supposed to be doing?"

He rolled his eyes and left the back room. Kagome didn't really know what to do, other than listen to him. The tea didn't taste funny, not the more she had it. It felt like with every sip she grew stronger, like the sickness that was killing her slowly ebbed away.

When she went to leave, Kagome hesitated. She looked at the bouquet of clematis flowers and bit her lip. Inuyasha always just gave them to her. Surely, she could take these too?

Stepping into the main part of the shop, she was surprised to find that he wasn't there. In fact, no one was there.

Kagome left and made the slow walk home. She'd tell her mother she was too sick for school after all.

The warmth was starting to ebb away.

"It's not working."

"Sango, get me–"

For the first time in a while, Kagome woke up not feeling that tired.

She frowned. That…wasn't right.

Her phone alarm had yet to go off, meaning she had even woken up early. For a long moment, Kagome just stared at the ceiling. What was she going to do? The world she lived in was nothing more than a falsehood, but she had no idea what to do. She didn't know where to go. She didn't know who to talk to for help. She had thought Inuyasha could shed some light but all he'd done for her was give her flowers.

Turning her head to her nightstand, she looked at them all. The forget-me-nots and clematis and the other flowers she didn't know the name of.

There had been others, too. Others that had felt familiar to her though everything was fuzzy. A girl, named Sango. A teen with blue eyes. Sango had helped her when she was feeling like, just like Inuyasha had. The blue-eyed teen had only given her a book about–

Flowers.

A book about flowers.

Kagome was up and out of bed in seconds. She raced to her little desk and grabbed it, her fingers tracing over the image on the front. She checked first for forget-me-nots, but the book didn't really say much. Growing information, potting and the like. It did mention its meaning, though: true love.

"What does that mean?" Kagome asked, somewhat hysterically. Her phone alarm went off, but she silenced it immediately.

Clematis flowers. Also nothing seemingly useful. They meant a sort of alertness though, like an awakening. Kagome stared at them for a moment, at the soft looking petals. Inuyasha had given those to her yesterday, when she was sick. Did that… Was that intentional?

It had to be. It had to be.

There was one other set of flowers, but Kagome didn't know the name of them. She scoured the book, going page by page until an image matched. Sweet pea. Sweet pea flowers.

Meaning: wistfulness.

What do I do with this?

Kagome tugged at her hair, desperately trying to think. "I don't get it. I don't get it."

Her mother called from downstairs, but Kagome ignored it. This wasn't real anyways, was it? This wasn't where she was meant to be.

But where was she meant to be?

Kagome threw on some sweatpants and a jacket, uncaring for her oversized shirt. She grabbed all of the flowers and the book and made a run for it.

"Kagome!" her mom called out as she raced down the stairs. "Kagome, where are you going?"

"I love you! I'm sorry!" she yelled, front door already open. "But I have to do this. I have to go."

"Come back here!" her mother yelled. "You can't go like this–"

But that wasn't her mother. It wasn't her mother.

This wasn't real.

She couldn't run the whole way there, but Kagome tried her best. She was panting, near gagging for breath by the time she made it to the flower shop. Inuyasha was at the front counter, hip cocked and gaze unsurprised. Like he expected her. Like he knew this would happen.

"This world isn't real," Kagome blurted out. "I'm not meant to be here. I'm meant to be with– with–"

A wave of nausea hit her but she pushed through. She couldn't stop, not now. "I'm meant to be with other people. My friends. This isn't– This isn't my world."

Inuyasha smirked. "I have one last flower for you." He reached down to somewhere she couldn't see, bringing up a rather puffy-looking yellow flower. There were so many petals, so many layers to it. Kagome reached out to grab it but at the last second he pulled it back.

"Give it to me," Kagome demanded, voice ragged. "I need it."

"It won't be easy," Inuyasha stated. "You're going to have to fight."

She glared at him. "I always fight."

That same little smirk slid onto his face. He reached out yet again and this time Kagome didn't hesitate. She took the flower, holding it in her hands. The moment she felt it she stumbled backwards violently. Her body was on fire, screaming, burning. Nausea was fierce, her stomach rolling with each breath she tried to take. Oh god, she wasn't going to make it. She was going to pass out again.

She wasn't going to make it.

"It's called a zinnia flower."

Zinnia. Zinnia.

Zinnia.

What did it mean?

Fight, her mind whispered.

Fight, her mind demanded.

Fight, her mind screamed.

"W-what does it m-mean?" Kagome stammered out, barely able to form the words. "Inu–"

"Endurance. Memories."

She had to remember. She needed to go back.

She had to remember, she had to.

Kagome collapsed to the ground, flowers all clutched in her hands. She wanted to yell out, to beg, but the words wouldn't come. Her throat felt like it was closing, each swallow a painful stab.

Was this her dying?

Was this killing her?

The water she was submerged in was cold, by now.

"It's not working, she's shaking!" Sango's voice was high-pitched, worry in every syllable. "Kaede, what do we do?"

There was hesitation, heavy and foreboding. Kagome couldn't see but she could hear. She knew, she knew what was happening. This was real. This was real.

Real.

Her entire body was shaking, frozen, terrified.

"I– I don't know, child," Kaede whispered out. Kagome couldn't see her but she could hear the horror, feel the way the room went into instant chaos.

Inuyasha was snarling. Miroku was trying to calm him down. Sango was chanting over and over that there had to be something they could do, there had to be–

But Kagome knew.

She knew.

She needed to open her mouth. She needed to speak. She needed to break through and fix this, before the other world killed her.

When she tried to open her mouth, nothing happened. Inside of her mind she screamed. Outwardly, her body simply shook.

Zinnia.

But how would she tell them?

Zinnia.

"Kagome, I need you to stay with me, okay? You need to fight this." Inuyasha. Inuyasha was there.

Fight, he had told her. Back in her dream world. Here, right now. Then he touched her hand and she knew it was him. The heat seemed to pulse through her, this steady presence of warmth. He had been by her side this whole time.

She couldn't leave his.

Opening her mouth, she tried to say it. "Z–"

"Kaede! Kaede, look–"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha snarled. The heat travelled up to her forearm.

"Kagome, what is it?" Miroku, that was Miroku. The blue-eyed teen. Miroku had tried to help her with the book, in the other world. "Tell us what you need. We're here."

"Zi– Zin– Zin–" They were nothing more than puffs of air, a sound barely made. "–ia. Nia."

Inuyasha started to growl, frustration clear but then someone gasped, the sharpest of inhales and then–

The heat was gone.

The blackness wasn't so scary when you didn't feel anything.

Everything hurt.

Kagome knew, before she even tried to move, that her entire body was in pain. She could feel it in her bones, a steady ache that throbbed over and over. She whimpered. Not again. Not back in her bedroom. Not in the other world.

She couldn't do it. She was out of time.

"Kagome, hey, shush."

Sango. That was–

Opening her eyes, Kagome saw little more than deep magenta. They widened the more that she woke up, a massive smile breaking out on her face. Behind her was not Kagome's bedroom but Kaede's hut, the walls slightly tilted and stained with time.

She had never been more grateful.

"You're awake. How are you feeling?" The words were whispered though the joy was clear.

Kagome licked at her dry lips. "Not great but…better. Better that I'm back."

Her friend frowned at this. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Not really," Kagome admitted. It was all fuzzy from before. She remembered going to a spring to bathe, Sango a bit behind her as she finished up polishing her weapon. And then nothing.

But not really. She remembered school. Familiar and unfamiliar faces.

A lot of pain.

"We can talk about it later," Sango promised with a smile. "I'm going to get Miroku." She gestured with her head to the right, making Kagome tilt her head that way. Against the wall, barely a foot away from her, Inuyasha was sleeping sitting up. Her long silver hair covered his face, body slumped in a way that couldn't be comfortable. His ears were pressed against his head.

"He wouldn't leave your side," Sango whispered.

Kagome smiled. "Yeah, that I do know."

It took two days before Kagome got her energy back, but in that time she had learned all about what had happened. A demon sorceress named Urasue had taken her, knocked her out and trapped her in some sort of spell. Had Sango not noticed Kagome missing when she had, they may never have found her in time.

Urasue had gotten away but they had managed to stop the full spell from working.

Reversing whatever had already happened had been the problem.

Kagome took it all in, filing it away with the bits and pieces of her other life. The dream world. It, too, came back in tiny fragments. Some of it was fuzzy, nothing more than a blackened picture. Other parts were as vibrant as if it'd been real.

Now, she sat in the garden, trying to relax. Kaede had needed help planting the rest of the herbs. Since Urasue was still at large, she wanted to grow some more to be safe.

Inuyasha vowed to kill the sorceress instantly.

Kagome hummed and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the sun beat down on her. Her body still ached sometimes but the sun seemed to chase it all away. It made her remember the warmth she was already surrounded in before – a bathtub they had filled – and the grip on her hand.

There was a whisper in the grass. Kagome smiled, knowing without seeing that Inuyasha had come to be by her side. She listened as the half-demon sat down beside her, partially blocking the sun. He didn't say anything so she didn't either.

Eventually, though, one of them had to break.

"You saved me, you know," Kagome murmured quietly. Inuyasha said nothing beside her but she could feel his gaze, feel the intensity that was thrown her way. "When I was under the spell, I was living in a whole other world. Like home, but not home. I could tell something was off but every time I got close, I would get sick." She let that sink in, vaguely thinking to herself that she was doing a terrible job explaining. She hadn't breathed a word of her experience to anyone. "Miroku and Sango were there, in my school. Shippo and Kaede too, I think. Even Kirara. Everyone helped me, even if just a little. You all tried to save me."

"How?" The single word held so much incredulousness, it made her smile grow bigger.

"You gave me flowers."

"I– I, what?"

At that, Kagome did open her eyes. She grinned at him, amused. "You gave me flowers and they helped me. Each flower helped me get something back. The last one was the zinnia."

Inuyasha was frowning at her, the lines practically etched into his skin. She wondered how much damage control she would need to do to ease them. "That's what you were saying to us–"

"Exactly." Kagome hummed a little, sitting up so that it was easier to look at him. "So, thank you."

Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his head away from her. There was tension thick in every line of his body. "You shouldn't thank me. I should have–"

But Kagome knew what he was going to say. This was hardly the first time that they had had this conversation. There were always going to be demons trying to hurt her. Inuyasha was always going to be there to protect her.

She grabbed at his chin, cutting him off. With a turn of his head, she stared at him, locked in on those golden orbs that were shining a myriad of emotion, none of them easy to parse out. Slowly, giving him time to back away, Kagome leaned up and gently pressed her lips against his. It was chaste, nothing more than a brush, but it was like a livewire through her, lighting her up inside.

Pulling away the slightest bit, Kagome opened her eyes to see him still staring at her, shock evident in his features. She bit her lip and waited.

"You–" Inuyasha blinked and then made a noise that she would never in a million years be able to describe. His hands grabbed at her shoulders and pulled her back in.

The next kiss wasn't chaste at all.

Sometimes, when Kagome was sick, she would wake up in the morning to some random flower by her head. Often they were flowers commonly found in the forest, bright yellows and stark whites. Other times they were more exotic, wild things.

Inuyasha would never admit to anything.

He smiled after she thanked him though, as if she wasn't always looking.

This was not great, and I'm actually sorry but my brain is mush and I need to sleep.

I love you all. Goodnight :)