Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Awakening
"Inuyasha..." The words filtered through his hazy mind. The voice...he should have known the voice...
"Inuyasha.." It became more and more insistent. Who was it...? He tried opening his eyes. Everything was hazy. What had happened?
His head was spinning- figures only just starting to come into focus. Reality hit at full force then and he bolted up. He didn't know this room - the smells were unfamiliar, odd...and who were those people?
"Inuyasha...relax...lie down..." that voice again.
The person to whom the voice belonged was a girl – a pretty girl with long, black hair, lively brown eyes and a cute button nose. She looked very kind, and she smelled beautiful! But he didn't know this girl. He scrunched up his face. She wasn't a bad person, but...
"Inuyasha...lie down, you're gonna feel bad if you don't." Her little hands came to push softly against him and he complied.
He took the time to sort out his surroundings. As far as he could tell there was only one other person in the room – someone he could recognise to be youkai; kitsune, though. He whimpered. Youkai generally wanted to hurt him or worse, and although he couldn't smell any anger or desire to hunt from this one, he didn't want to get hurt.
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" The girl asked again.
"Please...don't hurt me..." Perhaps, if he asked nicely they would let him go.
"Hurt you...?" She sounded genuinely surprised.
"We wouldn't hurt you Inuyasha." She spoke in a small voice.
"Only when you deserve it! Like when you steal my pocky!!" He recognised this to be the kitsune and instantly the fear returned three-fold. His fingers gripped the blanket until his claws bit into his palms and a keening whine escaped his throat.
"Kagome...there's something wrong with Inuyasha...he looks like he's seen a ghost..."
"Shippou-chan...could you leave us a moment...? Tell Sango and Miroku not to come in either. Please?"
"Kagome..." He looked at Inuyasha then nodded. "I'll be outside."
"Thank you."
Inuyasha watched him go with great relief. Then the terror returned. If she was strong enough to command a youkai, what would she do to him?
"Inuyasha..." she was looking straight at him and he panicked, letting another whine escape him. A basic white flag pleading with her not to hurt him. She placed her hand over his and opened his clenched fist. A scent of sadness hit him then, radiating from her like heat from a furnace.
He stared in awe as she took in the sight of his bleeding palm and then kissed it gently even as the tears were beginning to heal.
"What's wrong Inuyasha...why did you do this?" Tears were shining in her eyes and he felt his stomach become leaden. She was crying for him; like his mother had done when...
"Don't cry! Please lady Kagome...don't..." His voice was small – a far-cry from his usual brashness.
"L-l-lady..." She looked shocked.
"I'm sorry...you...I thought...well...umm miss Kagome...? Or are you a queen? A princess?"
She stared at him incredulously.
"Inuyasha..." he flinched "I am your friend...Kagome...don't you remember?"
He stood up slightly to look at her then shook his head regretfully.
"I don't remember...and besides" he looked down "I don't have any friends...no-one wants to be the friend of a half-breed..."
Her arms came and wrapped around him then. He was surprised she fit in his arms...surely she wasn't that young...? She seemed to be only about 16 summers - 17 maybe - and human. He was older than her by a few years or so...but in terms of growth he was her junior by at least eight or nine years.
She held him tight and he took the chance to examine himself. His hands were bigger, definitely more so than what he remembered them to be, and the little creases in the blanket that told him where his feet were farther away than what he was used to.
What had happened to him?
"You're shaking...Are you cold?" Kagome asked.
"Where am I...?"
"Kaede's hut." she eyed him suspiciously. "Inuyasha...when is my birthday?"
He looked at her like a trapped deer.
"Why are you afraid?"
"B-b-b-because...I don't want to anger you...and I don't remember how I got here..."
"You were fighting a demon, he hit you on the head..."
"You saved me...?"
"Miroku took him with Kazaana."
"Who is Miroku?"
That was when she knew something was terribly wrong.
"You don't remember Miroku...? How about Sango?"
He shook his head.
"All I remember is hunting for some food, then I fell, and I woke up here."
"Food...?"
"Yeah...since mother died I feed myself" He explained.
"Mother...when...?"she sounded shocked.
He looked down.
"I don't know...the day...I think eight moons yonder."
"Eight...?"
He nodded.
"And do you know someone named Kikyoo...?"
Again he shook his head.
"Oh, Inuyasha..." she brought him close to her again and held him tight, as she would a child. He felt warm, and safe. Her scent was swirling around him comfortingly.
"I'm tired..." he managed to mumble before she laid him back on his pillow kissing his forehead.
"Sleep Inuyasha. I'll guard over you."