Kagome was creating a small energy ball in her hand. They were in Keade's village for a rest. They faced Naraku two days earlier and they defiantly needed the rest. Naraku got away, but not before Kagome used her powers to launch herself at Naraku and get half of the jewel shard from his chest. Kagome thought that Inuyasha would be happy, but he just yelled at her for putting herself in danger like that. Of course the gash in her arm didn't help matters. But she knew that she would do it all over again. Now they had most of the jewel shards and doubted that Naraku would be able to make anymore incarnations. That was good since they destroyed all of them except for Kanna and Kagura.

"Wench, what are you doing out here by yourself? That's how you got injured in the first place."

"Inuyasha, I remember putting up a force field before he could do any damage."

"Then what do you call that bandage on your arm?"

"A good idea that worked." Kagome was smiling up at Inuyasha while she made the ball of energy disappear. Inuyasha just stare at her in disbelief.

"You're smiling at getting hurt. Kagome, what you did back there was recluse, irresponsible, dangerous, and so, soo…"

"You." Kagome stood up so she could look into Inuyasha's eyes. "Inuyasha, you would of done the same thing if you had the chance. Anyways, now you now how I feel when you do the same thing." Inuyasha just looked at Kagome with her 'you-know-I'm-right' smile. Inuyasha blew out a breath and started walking back to the village. Kagome followed after him like he knew she would.

"Just make sure that you don't do anything like that again. You can't heal as fast as I can, and I worry about you." Inuyasha said that in a whisper hoping. Kagome barely heard it, but her smile defiantly brightened.

"Inuyasha, you always worry about me, just like I'll always worry about you." Inuyasha blushed at this and hoped that Kagome didn't notice. Unfortunately for him, she did. "Inuyasha, are you blushing?"

"No, wench, why would I be blushing?"

"I don't know, Inuyasha, that's why I'm asking you. And you are blushing." Kagome ran in front of him to get him to stop walking. Once Kagome trusted her voice enough and Inuyasha managed to get his blushing under control, Kagome spoke.

"Inuyasha, what where you embarrassed about and don't say nothing." Inuyasha felt that if he didn't tell her the trueth, he would be digging himself out of a very deep, Inuyasha shaped hole.

"I just don't get why you worry about me so much, that's all. I'm not the one who always finds trouble, or attacked, or kidnapped. Anyways, I can heal in a couple of hours." Any other female would have taken that as an insult, but Kagome knew what he was really meant. So Kagome just smiled one of her knowing smiles and slipped one of arms into his. This time, it seemed Inuyasha managed to keep his blushing under control while they walked towards the forest.

"I know all of that Inuyasha, and you do know I haven't been taken for six months now?"

"That's only because your powers increased enough for you to wait until I save you." Kagome decided to leave out the part that she purified most of her opponents before he got there. Kagome didn't feel like fighting with him today.

"Anyways, no matter how strong you get, and how fast you can run, and all the other stuff that you mentioned, I'll always worry about you. I've seen you take wounds that would of killed most demons, and mostly for me. Inuyasha, I care for you very much. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore because you were protecting me. The only way I know I can do that is by getting all of the jewel shards from Naraku and purifying them, and the only way I can do that is by getting stronger, which I have." They had stopped waling and Kagome seemed to be on the verge of tears. Inuyasha's heart was beating a mile a minute at what Kagome was saying. "Inuyasha, I will do anything to make sure you will defeat Naraku, even put myself in harms way like I did before." Inuyasha's gaze shifted to her left arm and felt the bandage. "Inuyasha, just think of me as a way to defeat Naraku. I don't car if you just think of me as a shard detector, just know that I'll always be by your side until the shard is complete and you don't need me anymore. My life is in your hands." Inuyasha was moved by her words. Kagome just gave him her life, and it felt like the life was squeezed out of his heart. He hadn't noticed that he was still holding onto her arm until she pulled away. "I'm going back to the village. Keade wanted my help with some herbs." Kagome walked back to the village leaving a stunned Inuyasha.

She didn't just pledge her life to me. She couldn't have meant it.

Baka, of course she meant it. The only time she doesn't mean anything is when she's angry at you.

But why?

Maybe it's because she's in love with you and wants to prove her worth to you.

She couldn't feel the same way towards me as I feel towards her.

Well, that speech of hers says something completely different or she wouldn't give you her life. Or course it could mean that she just wanted to help you out, though she could of just said that and not pledge herself to you. Face it, she might actually love you. So what are you going to do about it?

I'll talk to her after she's done with Keade. It couldn't take her that long to help out the old hag.

Whatever.

Inuyasha leaped off toward the village still thinking of what Kagome said and what he would say to her. He also wondered about the Shikon Jewel, and the new wish he'd make if Kagome ever decided to leave.