InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pulling Her Down ❯ What I Can Do ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: *Big sigh* Same as all the other chapters before.

Ok. It didn't make it up on the weekend I wanted it to be, and this one's almost past. In fact this chapter isn't finished at the end of it, so you have one more chapter to look forward to -- well, if you liked the contents of this one -- but it's been so slow in creating this one that I wanted to give you something. I don't know if I'll revise later and add the rest or just add as another chapter. This one-shot deal for this story got a bit longer than I ever expected. Geez!

Hope you enjoy.

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Pulling Her Down

by: aishiteru_inu

Part 4: What I Can Do

It had grown much later as the moon shifted its way across the sky. For the most part, InuYasha had just held her against him; resting his chin atop of her head, and feeling her breath against the skin of his throat. He took in the -- what she called 'straw berry' -- fragrance of her hair, which mingled nicely with her other scent of sakura blossoms. Her arm laid against him as the hand that had been entwined in the material of his undertunic, now rested just over his right breast. It had slackened in her sleep and slipped down a bit from where it once had been. The other one at his side, now rested limply at his hip.

He shifted her a little; moving her legs as best he could without having to disturb her too much, and managed to tuck them……sort of……to the side of her. Using his now freed leg, he encircled hers in an effort to keep them from being too exposed to the night air, covering them with the bellowed material of his pant leg. Huddled within his robe, pressed against him with his arms and leg encompassing her, she should be warm enough now.

He had told her that he would hold her for as long as she wanted, and until she said otherwise he was content to stay right where he was at. What was a hard tree limb compared to the warm, softness he held against him? He certainly didn't have anywhere else better to be, and as long as she was asleep, she couldn't say different.

InuYasha leaned back and relaxed once again, satisfied and comfortable, holding his…… holding his…… Ummmph! What was she in his arms? His companion? That didn't seem quite enough. His friend? She was that. His first real friend that accepted him as he was, but could holding just a friend be this nice? His…girl? His cheeks warmed a bit at that thought: his girl. Made them sound like a couple! His color deepened as he thought of all the…couple stuff: the little tender things, the mushy moments, the sappy stuff that others make fun at when they see it displayed. He didn't like being laughed at. So what did that leave her to be?

Kagome. Plain and simple. Kagome covered everything.

He looked down, but could not see her face very well where it laid against him, and what he could see, he had to strain his neck to do so. Shifting his arm, he was able to slide her head back so her face was more easily visible to his gaze.

At the disturbance, she stirred, nuzzling the side of her face against the soft material that covered his arm as she adjusted to the change, then laid still, remaining fast asleep.

Unseen by anyone, he smiled. Just a short time ago, he was afraid that she would never want him to come near her again, and here, -- now, -- he held her, in his arms, against him, just as he had wished he could do. And she had came willingly at that! She laid there unaware of anything around her because, to her, she was somewhere that she felt she was safe…… protected, with someone she… trusted.

His smile faded a little. Could he really be trusted? If she had taken the necklace off, would she have been able to trust him as much? She would have no control over him then, and what about after the shards had all been gathered? Would he turn on her…on them…after that?

He tensed, not liking where his thoughts were going, knowing he could sit there and think of dozens of reasons why he prevented her from taking the damn necklace off him, and not one of them happened to do with him 'liking to eat dirt' either. He could sit there and dredge up countless horrors, but he didn't ever want to think of hurting her again. This had been enough. He could never… would never hurt her intentionally, and realized finally that he had not pulled her down on purpose. It didn't excuse him from hurting her, but he was glad he hadn't done it out of meanness of heart.

InuYasha didn't want to waste anymore of this time thinking such ill thoughts. All he wanted to do right now was watch her sleep in his arms, and he would sit there all night just to prolong the inevitable of her leaving his embrace.

Looking at her, she looked so peaceful laying there with the moonlight splashing its silvery light over her face, illuminating her skin. His gaze took in the way her bangs laid against her forehead and the dark curve of her lashes against her cheeks. Reaching up with his other hand, he smooth the hair back from her face, and noticed for the first time, the dark splotch of skin on her forehead. The moon's light exclamating the point that it was he that had marred her as such.

His eyes traveled down her face to the small scrape on the upper right of her cheek and the darkening spot of a bruise there too. Her nose didn't look too bad for being slammed into the ground as she was, but her lip…… it jutted out slightly a bit more than usual. It was somewhat like a sexy pout, which he found he liked, but there was that horrendous gash upon it.

His own lip found its way out into a sorrowful pout. Even being an accident, this was still his fault!

"I'm sorry, Kagome." he whispered, then lifted her up slightly.

InuYasha bent his head until he touched his lips against her forehead. He closed his eyes at the contact, allowing a lingering moment before completing the kiss. Drawing his breath in, he inhaled her sweet fragrance before moving back and opening his eyes.

He hadn't gotten anymore than a few inches away when he stopped.

His golden eyes staring down at her, then he leaned close again and ever so gently touched his lips to the part of hers that wasn't injured.

Instead of just pulling away, InuYasha slid his lips toward the edge of hers until only the corners of their mouths touched, as did the sides of their chins. He held her for several seconds that way, then finally drew back away once again.

Was there anything he could do for her? He didn't really know if he could. There were just times in the past, when he had been badly hurt, that he would hide away and nurse his wounds; licking at them for the wont of anything else, licking at them when they ached…… anything to sooth and comfort the pain. But being a demon, even half of one, sped up his healing factor anyway, so personally, he still couldn't say for sure whether it was of any benefit or not. And it wasn't something he had ever tried -- or had ever wanted or thought to try -- on someone else to know for certain.

He knew dogs in general, had the ability to heal, so what use was it having a connection, being as such himself, if he didn't have some similar traits, right? At least that was his theory anyway, even though his brother, Sesshoumaru, had the ability to poison with his saliva.

Now it was a matter of -- dare he?

He wanted to make things better and if it worked, wouldn't it be for the best? But if it didn't… What would she think if she woke up and found him licking her like that? Would it horrify her? Would it present a new rift in their newly repaired relationship?

He knew that she had been in a great deal of pain, and that it still hurt her, so how could he not try to do something about it if he could? This would be the only time for him to do it: while she was asleep, because he couldn't see her agreeing to sit there and allow him to lick her. He'd… be too embarrassed to ask to do it in the first place, and… then he would have to explain what he intended to do to get her to let him, and… then…

'Shut up, already, InuYasha, and just do it!!' the voice in his head yelled at him, getting impatient. 'Just do it!'

"Don't be mad, Kagome,"he murmured the words in a hushed voice. He regretted that this would probably awaken her, but if he did it soft and slow enough, just maybe……

Lowering his head once more, he placed his open mouth over her lips; pressing his tongue against the gash, flattening it out to soften the touch. All the while he watched to see if her eyes opened. They didn't.

Lifting his tongue, InuYasha drew it back into his mouth, slid it across the roof, then returned it to her lip slightly moistened. He did this twice more, keeping his sight trained on her. She hadn't moved, and never even fluttered an eyelash. Good. Maybe he could do this and get away with it after all!

He relaxed, closing his eyes; as long as he was slow and gentle, she wouldn't be disturbed.

He began setting a rhythm of pushes, and licks, and rolls; his breath fanning across her cheek. The wound had opened after the first few times, giving him a taste of the sweet saltiness of her blood against his tongue. It sent a heated sensation running through him, and his breath came a bit thicker, a bit faster, but he did not stop his administrations.

Sliding his tongue back, he collected the moisture from within his mouth, then laid it against her lip to damping the open wound. Gently he lifted his tongue from her, allowing the end part of it to glide across her. Again and again he repeated the pattern until he no longer tasted the blood, and he could feel the renewed skin binding the gash closed.

He liked this. Tasting her like this. Smelling her like this. An aching jolted went through his chest and stomach. It was similar to what he felt earlier, yet different. Before it twisted him with a sense of fear and loss, but now…… now it warmed his blood making it resonate through his veins. Even as the girl stayed asleep, he could smell a change in her scent getting a sweeter, muskier aroma.

With these new sensations shooting through him, his ministering took on even a more languid rhythm. He expelled a shaking breath across the side of her face, and tightened his hold upon her just ever so slightly more. Yet this was the extent of his attempt to further things from what he was originally doing in the first place. He could not help the reaction he had from touching her like this, from tasting her, nor could he help taking note of not only his response, but hers as well. But he had not started this to seek any gratification other than to see Kagome undamaged again. Still,…… the added bonus actually spurred his need to see that she was cared for even that much more.

Having engrossed himself so full-heartedly into what he was doing, InuYasha lost his awareness of the stirring signs of her awakening, even when her lips parted. The slight change only provided him with more of an access, and he ran his tongue against the newly exposed skin, savoring the even softer part of her inner lip.

He adjusted his mouth hold on her, twisting his head until it was a little more face to face rather than off to the side. Capturing her lower lip between his, he nursed it from within his own mouth.

Kagome was wrapped in blissful warmth, feeling protectively safe. She could feel the heat of the summer's scented breeze drift across her face, and InuYasha kissing her in the slowest, softest way. It felt… so… nice. She parted her lips to deepen the kiss, and she felt his tongue shyly slide it's way across her lip right before he captured it between his, drawing it into his mouth. It was so blissful that she was content to remain there forever if it were a dream, yet already her consciousness was struggling to resurface, and so, reluctantly, she pushed her upper lip against his in a final kiss before it all disappeared. Her lashes fluttered to open, and when they finally lifted, she found herself staring into a world of silvery white nothingness.

Remaining as she was, she allowed her senses to returned even more from her dream state and realized that what she was looking at was…… InuYasha's hair? As she became more aware of the pulling and suckling sensation of her lower lip, the memory that had followed her out of her dream was…… InuYasha…… kissing……her…? It wasn't a dream after all? It wasn't a dream after all!

Peering more closely, Kagome could see that his eyes were closed being so wrapped up in whatever he was doing.

"E-nu-nasha," she questioned as best she could without a bottom lip and his upper one pressed against her teeth.

His movements stilled immediately, but didn't release the hold on her lip either as he raised his lids to reveal the dreamy glaze of golden eyes. His heated breath from his nose mingled with hers, and she couldn't help but inhale in the sweet chocolate-berry scent that still lingered. It was a moment to smile at, but with her lips captured as it was, it was a little hard to do.

"Uhhh……wat ar ou do n?"

She watched as he blinked, then blinked again; each time a little more of the shine disappeared, until he realized that he was truly staring into her rich dark eyes. Then his widened in alarm.

InuYasha jerked back from her as if he had been scalded, not able to silence the startled sound that ripped itself from him. His heart pounded against his chest seeing that his fear had became a reality. She was awake!

Disconcerted, he threw out his famous, "Feh!" to cover himself, when he was actually cringing, trying desperately to think of how to explain what he was doing. He looked away from her, setting his usual scowl into place. "I was…… I was trying to…… ummm…… to…… Feh!!"

His brows furrowed more, as he fell into silence, because he couldn't even think of the damn word at the moment! He wanted to fold his arms together, which tended to give him a shielded sense of protection, especially when he was frustrated, but, because she was still supported against the one, he couldn't. Instead, he opted to lean back as far as he could until he was pressed firmly against the trunk of the tree behind him.

Feeling that a sitting posture was better suited at the moment than being partly reclined against his arm, Kagome shifted herself until she sat alongside his still up propped leg.

"InuYasha, you said 'feh' twice in one sentence, and you didn't even complete what you were saying. So, why were you kissing me?"

"Keh! I wasn't kissing you!" he gruffly defended, pulling his arm to his side, and when she just sat there staring at him, he said a bit more forcefully, pushing his face close to hers, "I wasn't kissing you!"

"O-Okay,……"

"As if I'd--I'd want to kiss you! So, if you're going to yell at me for…… for doing something like kissing you, -- when I wasn't kissing you, -- you… you can just…… not… start, because it wasn't a kiss! I wasn't kissing you!"

He would have smacked himself in the forehead if it wouldn't have made it look so obvious that he had completely fumbled that one up!

Damn it, why did he have to stutter so badly and make such a poor excuse?! It made it sound worse, as if he had been kissing her after all…… and he wasn't! He wasn't! As Kami was his witness, his intensions were pure! He couldn't help that it felt so nice, and she tasted so good, and…… and he had indulged in the pleasure it gave him -- just as he couldn't help the hostility he was displaying now. It was from the result of feeling guilty over that response, -- because he had enjoyed it, and wanted more -- when all he had intended to do was right a wrong in the first place, if it were possible.

A deepening blush splayed across his cheeks, and he was glad for the night, even as luminous as it was out, for it hid the signs of his embarrassment. Awkwardness wasn't something that seated very well with the hanyou, and he had tried to cover it with a brusque exterior.

"Okay," she gave a type of laugh that conveyed the message that she wasn't laughing at something funny. More to the point, it was to cover the fact that she was unsure about his attitude. She wakes up, finding him attached to her lips, and when he looked at her with those lazy golden eyes…… she just wanted to melt right into them, but now he acted so upset with her. "I think I got that you weren't kissing me. So……why did you have my lip in your mouth, licking it?"

Oh, Gods, that sounded like he was kissing her! He winched inside.

"Feh! I wasn't……" No, he had already gone that route and mess up terribly. With a defeated sign, he bowed his head. "I…… thought that I…… might be able to help heal that…… gash on your lip. I think…… I should…… at least, I think I should…… have some healing ability since I am Inu related."

Kagome touched her bottom lip with her fingers, and when it didn't ache from the slight pressure, she slid them across to find that the raw jagged mark she once had there was hardly noticeable to her probing.

Her movement caught his attention, and peeking out from beneath his tousled hair of his forehead, he asked quietly, "How does it feel?"

She continued to gaze at him for a moment or so more before a tender smile graced her mouth. "It doesn't hurt anymore, and…… I think that it's almost healed completely."

Her words brought InuYasha's head up, his eyes falling directly upon her mouth.

"Let me see." he said, yet did not give any room for her to object as his fingers curled underneath and took hold of her chin to tilt her face up. He was very studious of her mouth, examining his handiwork with almost clinical attention, then he let go. Giving a light snort of satisfaction as if knowing all along he could do that, he leaned back against the tree with his arms folded across his chest. "Yeah, well…… don't expect it whenever you get a little scratch or anything. And don't' be thinking I'm Kami's gift to healing wounds, because I'm not going to go around licking you or anyone else!"

She was quiet for a moment, watching him bath in his little success.

"You are such the proud koinu (puppy)," she softly teased, watching as his mouth dropped open, then his face scrunched up.

"I ain't no koinu!"

Despite his moment of ire, she laughed, the gentle sound genuine, and it filled his ears, tickling them, and causing them to tweak up and down slightly. His brusqueness dropped immediately. Just hearing her laughing made him more at ease. She wasn't upset or horrified over what he had done, and he was glad that he had made the right choice.

"InuYasha?"

"Nani?"

"Arigato."

A bashful flicker of a grin started to show at the corner of his mouth, but as he sat there staring at her, it froze. She had the prettiest smile on her face, and as she looked at him, her eyes were deeply warm, and her scent……

He raised himself to sit straighter, moving away from the tree itself, which caused him to sit a little closer to her. She didn't back away from his advance either. His face took on a somber look as his eyes stayed fastened upon a particular spot on her cheek.

When he spoke his voice was quieter and a little bit deeper. "Kagome, if--if you want," he started hesitantly, wondering how she would react if he suggest something else. "I could…… see about taking care…… of those other……places…"

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NOT THE END OF STORY……Yet.

Note Explanations In Story: Again, my darn spell checker tells me I'm wrong in the spelling of a word I used: exclamating. Heck, it might really not be a (true) word, but it's the exact one I wanted to use in the story, and to me it means an 'exclamation point' type thing, you know, making itself more aware of, or stand out. The word exclamation didn't fit as is.

Sesshoumaru's poison salvia. I got this during InuYasha's first encounter with him in the TV series when they went to retrieve the sword. Sesshoumaru turned into his demon dog form and the light green stuff dripped out of his mouth. To me, that was like a normal dog slobbering, and slobbers is saliva just a heck of a lot of it.

Dog's being antibacterial. I've heard the saying that a dog's tongue is healing. I've heard that they create some antibacterial properties in their salvia that helps heal their wounds. I believe this, though I wouldn't want a dog (except InuYasha haha!) to try this on a cut I would have -- seen way too many things they eat, then there's that whole licking themselves thing. But anyway, they are nearly constant at it, and whether it's because they keep it so clean or they do heal themselves I don't really know.

Please Review………

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Koinu = puppy

Nani = what

Arigato = thank you

Kami = God

Feh or Keh = an expressing sound