Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was like being underwater. Everything was muffled, nothing more than an echo long forgotten. She couldn't see, for the waves were too much. She was just there, under the surface, trapped.

"Kagome!" he yelled. He sounded desperate. "Kagome! Kagome!"

But there was no one there, no one on the other side. Still, something whispered from the back of her mind, from the darkest of spaces that never truly let go. Something long buried in her heart that refused to give.

Inuyasha, it whispered. Inuyasha, save me.

And then everything went black.

Beautiful art by hopidoodle

***

Her phone alarm went off at eight o'clock in the morning. Kagome blinked heavy eyelids, groaning at the repetitive noise. "No," she mumbled, the sound mostly buried into her pillow. "Not already." How come she was so tired? It felt like she hadn't slept at all.

Grabbing her phone, she thumbed off the alarm and dropped it unceremoniously back onto the nightstand. She groaned and fell back into bed, exhausted. She tried to think back to yesterday, to what time she ended up going to sleep at, but everything was far too fuzzy. Mornings were the worst.

"Kagome!" her mother shouted from downstairs. "Are you awake?"

"No," she grumbled, but then yelled back a second later, "Yeah, I'm up!"

"Don't be late!"

Kagome was never late, but her mother seemed to love reminding her, just in case. She crawled out of bed and started her daily morning routine: putting on her school uniform, washing her face and brushing her hair. She rushed down to breakfast for a quick bite to eat before rushing back up the stairs to brush her teeth and collect her backpack. It was all very much a go-go-go morning, which didn't really make sense to her.

She went to school every single morning. Why was she so slow today? Why did it seem like all she was doing was chasing the clock?

Maybe, she thought to herself on her walk over, it was because she was so exhausted. Whatever happened yesterday obviously got the best of her.

It was late in the school year, but still a couple of months before all the major tests. The weather was fully into spring, the streets and cars wet. Mud lined the sidewalks. For a moment, Kagome paused and stared at the scenery before her.

Something was…not right.

Off, just a little.

But there was nothing wrong, seemingly. Just the usual neighbourhood with its usual sounds. There was no odd smell in the air, and no people nearby. Everything was normal.

"Weird," Kagome mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. She was so tired.

The feeling of wrongness never went away.

***

In history class, her mind wandered.

For some reason, Kagome found herself constantly looking to the large windows at the side of the classroom. Twice, she was called upon by her teacher for being distracted, but she couldn't shake it. She couldn't stop.

It was like Kagome was in a constant state of daydreaming, like the world she was living in was nothing but a lie.

Her stomach twisted, bitter and confused.

***

"You okay?" Ayumi asked carefully, joining her just outside of the school doors. "You look really pale."

Ayumi was one of her best friends, but Kagome had no way of describing what she was feeling. It was too foreign, too strange. It sounded bizarre.

So Kagome forced a smile to her lips and nodded. "Yeah, just didn't sleep well last night. I think I'm going to head to bed early."

"Let me know if you're still feeling sick tomorrow," Ayumi said, giving her a little hug. "I can bring those vitamins for you. I swear they help. Or, you know, I'm sure Hojo would be happy to bring you something!"

"Thanks," she replied, incredibly grateful.

Her other friends – Yuka and Eri – joined moments after. The four of them laughed on their way to McDonald's, grabbing a quick drink and chatting about boys and homework until they had to go their separate ways. The whole time they were together, it was just like in history class: it felt like she was experiencing life through some kind of veil.

Weird. Horrible, wretched, and weird.

Kagome vowed to go to bed the moment she got home. She never wanted to feel this way ever again.

She briefly spoke to her mom and made sure to ruffle her younger brother Sota's hair. Waving a hello to her grandfather, Kagome headed upstairs and changed into her pajamas. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sleep. The day hadn't been hard, but it had been long.

Kagome closed her eyes and wished desperately for sleep.

***

"Kaede, you have to know something! Why isn't she waking up?"

That voice. The one from before. Kagome couldn't see, couldn't examine her surroundings. This time, everything was dark. It was just words bouncing around in her head, a conversation she had never heard and never been a part of. There was a familiarity to the voices, but Kagome couldn't remember who they were. What they looked like. Where they were from.

"Ye need to calm down, Inuyasha! We will save Kagome."

"But she's not waking up." The words were a snarl, fierce and vicious. It felt like a stab wound to the chest, bleeding out uncontrollably. The blackness around her shifted, like little bits of white noise buzzing through.

Wake up, Kagome.

Wake up, Kagome.

Wake up, Kagome.

"I'm going to kill that sorceress. I'm going to rip her apart for what she's done."

Save me, Inuya–

***

She never remembered her dreams.

***

The next morning was even worse. Kagome had to sprint to school to get to her first class on time. She was exhausted, her body burning from head to toe. Her lungs felt like they were shrivelling in on themselves. It was so strange. Kagome had always thought of herself as athletic, or at least a bit of a runner.

That made no sense though. She had never needed to run from anything in her life. Why would she ever consider herself good at running at all?

Sliding into her seat for the first class of the day, Kagome buried her head in her hands. This couldn't be happening. She wanted to cry.

Wrong. Everything was wrong.

The bell went off, and class began. But it was all wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong–

Wrong.

***

Lunch was like torture.

Noise. Noise everywhere. Around her at the table were her best friends, but it felt hollow, like some sort of fake copy. Nothing was right, and Kagome didn't understand it.

She looked around. There was nothing wrong with the place. It was her school, the very same school she'd been going to for years. Her friends were the same since elementary. The teachers were familiar. The food they served in the cafeteria was normal.

Outside was fine. The cars, the streets, the houses, the fences. All of it was fine.

But it was wrong, somehow. It wasn't the scenery she should have been seeing. But then, if that was true, what should she be seeing instead?

A wave of nausea hit her, fast and unyielding. Kagome stood up and murmured a quick 'be right back' to her friends. She slid through the gathering of students, trying to avoid the crowds. The lights were too bright. Swallowing felt like a chore, like she couldn't get the bile down fast enough.

Something was wrong, wrong, wro–

When she ran into someone, Kagome recoiled and whined. It was a pathetic sound, hurt. She was going to be sick. Oh god, she was going to–

Hands grabbed at her arms and pulled her, dragging her through the hallway. Kagome didn't know where they were going, her brain unable to connect the dots. It wasn't until she was being pushed into a stall that she realized she was in a bathroom, right in front of a toilet seat.

Kagome leaned down and puked.

"You should go home." The voice was so familiar, almost startlingly so. Kagome felt tears prick at her eyelids. This was something she had been missing, desperately. For the first time since yesterday, Kagome felt nothing but rightness.

It took a while to get her body to cooperate, to flush the toilet and shakily stand up. The girl behind her helped, assisted in propping her up against the wall. It was only then that Kagome could look at her, to find this strange, alien source of comfort. It was another girl like her, maybe a year older. Her hair was long and straight, eyes a dark, almost violet shade.

Kagome had no idea who she was. "Have we met before?" she asked. It sounded like a plea, even to her own ears.

The girl looked rather alarmed. "Uh, no. I don't think so. Maybe around school in the halls?"

That wasn't right. No, it wasn't right.

Kagome took a deep breath, and then another. "I think I should go call home." She thanked the girl and then left, heading towards her locker. She couldn't actually go home; her mother was working still, and she didn't want to worry her. Whatever this was, Kagome would suck it up.

She would get through it.

Somehow.

***

"Hojo?"

The brown-haired teen twisted to look at her, the clicking of his bike wheels stopping abruptly. He smiled at her, always so kind. Hojo had been worried after her health, about the dark circles under her eyes. He offered to walk her home and Kagome, too tired to refuse, accepted. "Yes?"

"Does everything…look okay to you?" She waved her hands around her, trying to gesture to everything. The houses. The lawns. The statues. The freshly-planted flowers.

Hojo took her question seriously, a little furrow appearing between his brow. He considered the landscape around them before he finally nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Yeah, it seems okay. Why, did something happen?"

Yes, Kagome wanted to scream. Yes, but I don't know what.

"No," she answered instead, defeated. "Just curious."

***

She was surrounded by warmth. It was the calmest and happiest she had felt in what felt like forever. Around her was darkness, her eyelids firmly shut, but she didn't need to open them. Nothing around her was a danger. Nothing around her was going to cause harm or distress. She was safe.

"Kagome, I, uh–" A male voice coughed a little, awkward. "This is so stupid," he muttered, under his breath. "She can't hear me, anyways."

Silence enveloped her again, but it was still soothing. There was a heat source, latching onto her hand and soothing away the bitter cold that she felt inside of her. It was so warm here, so lovely. She wanted to stay forever.

"Please wake up."

The whisper was barely audible.

"I need you to wake up."

Wake up, Kagome, now! Kagome! Kagome!

Help me, Inuyasha. Save me–

***

On Friday, Kagome almost caved. She almost stayed in bed, curled up and terrified. The thought of opening her eyes and looking around her struck fear into her heart. She knew what she would feel if she took a glance, understood deep in her soul that a crucial part of her was missing. Gone.

She skipped breakfast. As she walked along the sidewalk to school, Kagome watched as a little boy with red hair and emerald green eyes giggled, playing with his blonde cat. He rolled in the grass and she tried not to wince; everything was still wet from the morning dew.

"Shippo!" an elderly lady called out from the front porch. "What are you doing outside, child? Get back in here before you catch a cold."

The kid whined, and Kagome had to look away.

It was the first time she had smiled in days. The thought didn't register in her mind.

***

Third period was finally over. Kagome had spent most of it looking outside, her head pillowed in her hands. They were supposed to be reading, but she couldn't gather the strength or focus to do so. Everything was floating away, anyways. Why bother?

As she traversed the hallway, trying to get to her next class, Kagome didn't move in time as another student came into her path. They collided and Kagome stumbled, spinning around with an apology already on her lips.

"Oh," the girl said, the one from before. The one who had helped her when she was sick. "It's you. How are you feeling?"

Terrible. Kagome bit her lip. "A little bit lost, to be honest." She didn't know what made her say it, what made those particular words come out of her mouth.

But the girl just nodded, like she completely understood. "Sometimes we give too much, you know? Every once and a while, we need to take for ourselves to feel better." She grinned. "I'm Sango, by the way."

Sango. Sango.

It felt right, didn't it? It felt right.

But Kagome didn't remember her, couldn't piece together why this Sango girl made Kagome feel that tiniest ounce better. It wasn't enough. It wasn't complete.

But it was there, nonetheless.

"Enjoy class, Kagome!" Sango cheered, disappearing into the crowd.

The back of her mind was screaming, waving red flags and sounding the alarm. Kagome could only watch her go, confused. She had never given her name, but–

The bell rang. Kagome was late and for some reason, staring down at the empty hall, she couldn't remember why.

***

"Hey! Miss! Miss!"

Kagome turned around, too exhausted to attempt a friendly smile. A man with blue eyes was running up to her, his black hair tied back. He bent over double when he got to her, grinning wildly. "I think you dropped something."

"I–" Kagome frowned. She didn't feel anything fall out of her bag.

The guy held up his hand, a tiny book in his grasp. It was pocket-sized, only two different colours gracing the front, along with the image of a flower. "You dropped this."

"I definitely didn't."

The guy smiled at her then, and– Kagome blinked. Was he…?

"I saw it, I swear." He stood up fully, putting his hand over his heart. His blue eyes seemed to bore into hers, but it was all kindness there. "I know this is yours."

"Do I…" Kagome cleared her throat, dry all of a sudden. "Do I know you?"

He laughed at that, running a hand through his hair. He shook his head. "Oh no, I'm pretty sure we haven't met. I would know if I ran into a beautiful girl like you before."

Blinking, Kagome frowned. "But I really think–"

"You have a nice day," the guy murmured softly. "I'll see you around." With that, the guy took her hand and placed the book on it, turning around only a moment later.

Kagome watched him go, unable to fathom what was happening. She swore she knew him. He had been–

He had been–

A wave of nausea slammed into her, making her nearly choke. It was a long few minutes before it passed, her throat working non-stop to swallow the bile that refused to stay down.

This wasn't her life. This wasn't–

Kagome spun around and threw up on the grass, book clutched tightly against her chest.

***

Warmth, all over. Water, all around her.

Still surrounded by complete and utter blackness.

"Yeah," that familiar voice said, the guy who was always there. The one who always spoke when she felt safe, felt loved. "She was just like this. That witch–"

"Hey, hey," a feminine voice chided, voice oddly soft. "Inuyasha, take a breath. We're getting closer."

Silence.

"I am no sorceress," an older woman muttered, close and then far. "I do not know the language of the Earth, not like her."

"It doesn't smell right." The guy again. Inuyasha.

"We do not want the same ingredients," the older woman stated. "Similar, though not the same. We will need to summon Kagome back to herself."

"She doesn't have time," he snapped. "She's going to die."

"Inuyasha!"

"Sango–"

"No, take a walk. Kaede is doing all she can."

"I will not–"

"I'll watch her."

There was another long silence, but eventually, a tiny huff of frustrated air. Kagome floated, lulled by the warmth. Her hand suddenly grew colder.

She listened to the whispers of the women, wanting to learn more. In the end, she couldn't stay.

***

Saturday.

Kagome had never hated a Saturday before in her life.

But there she was, walking around outside with her friends. They had been to the park earlier and were now shopping along the main street. There were stores of all kinds: bakeries and boutiques, a bookstore and a flower shop. Tons of restaurants were in between, the patios still closed due to the weather.

"I can't wait until patio season is back," Yuka announced, eyes wide and excited. "It's my favourite thing to do with you guys in the summer."

"With lemonade," Ayumi sighed happily.

"And boy watching." Eri waggled her eyebrows until the girls all laughed.

Kagome didn't, though. Kagome didn't remember ever being on a patio, drinking lemonade and boy watching.

Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong–

"Here."

A voice, gruff and familiar, sounded from behind her. Kagome could feel her entire body tensing, waiting. Waiting for–

Waiting for what?

"Hello? Wench? Can you hear me?"

Kagome whipped around, staring at a very handsome face. He had dark eyes like her, and long, wild black hair. His t-shirt was red and tight across his chest, his dark denim jeans hugging him perfectly. He was older than her, but not by that much. A couple years, at most.

Without thinking, Kagome felt herself lean towards him, almost compelled. But– But–

He was a stranger. No.

She stopped herself, but it was a close call. The guy was eyeing her, scowl firmly on his face. He waved his hand at her and in his fist contained some kind of…bouquet?

"Forget-me-nots?" Kagome asked, frowning.

"They're yours."

"I… I don't have any money to buy them with." She hadn't been expecting to buy anything, just to hang out with her friends. Her mother had been starting to look at her all concerned, and Kagome knew she had to escape the house, if only to avoid suspicion for a little longer.

How did someone tell their mother that something was very wrong with the world? That you didn't belong in it? That it was fake?

"Yeah, I'm aware," the guy snarled. He pushed the bouquet of forget-me-nots into her hands, huffing. "Just take them."

He went to turn away, but the thought of it had her insides screaming, her body yearning to pull him back in. She whimpered involuntarily and stumbled forwards, halting him by the shoulder. "No, wait! Please don't go."

The guy raised an eyebrow at her, impatient. "Why not?"

"I just–" Her head started to throb, and Kagome knew better by now. She knew better. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"Yeah, whatever." He crossed his arms. "You good, now? Can I go?"

"Your… What's your name?" Kagome bit at her lower lip, praying he would answer. She wanted to pull him close, wanted to grab at his shirt and hold him to her. He was a complete stranger but he felt…right. He felt like what should be in front of her, or beside her, always. He felt like the protection she desperately needed, like he had answers to questions she hadn't yet asked.

The guy scowled a little bit more, but eventually he relented. "Inuyasha."

"I'm Kagome." She tried for a hesitant smile, and then leaned down to smell the flowers. "They're beautiful."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but she was watching his mouth, watching the way it curved up at the edges in a hint of a smile. "Yeah, whatever."

"Kagome!" A hand fell onto her shoulder and Kagome was turned around forcefully. Eri was staring at her like she had grown an additional head. "Where did you go? We thought we lost you!"

"I was right here talking to Inuyasha."

"To who?"

Kagome tried to look, but the street was empty, save for a few random passersby. None of them had a red t-shirt and dark denim jeans. None of them were him. "He was right…" Here. He was right here.

Eri rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kagome! Ayumi wanted to go check out the music store. You know how she gets."

"Yeah," Kagome murmured, eyes still trying to roam the crowd. "Yeah, okay."

***

The old woman sighed heavily. "I'm trying, Inuyasha."

The silver-haired man beside her took in a deep breath, scowl so firmly in place it was practically etched into his skin.

For the first time, Kagome could see. It was blurry, unfocused at times, but the image was there. She was awake, but not awake. Torn between whatever this was and…and…

"I was too late," Inuyasha whispered. "I can't have her die, Kaede."

"Child, ye need to realize that Urasue would have found her no matter what," the woman scolded, shaking her head. "Sooner or later, this would have happened."

"Not if I was protecting her."

Kagome wanted to reach out, wanted to tell him it was okay. She understood. This was… This was a dream, but not a dream.

Not a dream.

Not a dream.

Not a–

***

It didn't matter. She never remembered the dreams, anyways.

Chapter Text

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 ride?"

She refused it, but only because Kagome wasn't actually meeting her friends. This was something she had to do 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, and fake. But when she thought back to who she spoke with 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 had 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; Inuyasha 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 with me?"

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 long, black 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–" Inuyasha cut himself off, spinning around on his heel to heads towards the counter. The next words he spoke were calm, though his expression betrayed him. A storm waged behind his dark eyes. "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 lay 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 don’t feel well," 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 in 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, though 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 to 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 explained. "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. 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, yet still extremely tired. It was far better than the morning. 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 her side sat a massive bouquet of flowers.

"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 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 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 on the situation, 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, just like Inuyasha had, though trying to remember made her head throb. A girl, named Sango. A teen with blue eyes. Sango had helped her when she was feeling sick, 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 with how she looked. 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 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, could 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. 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 in them 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 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 vague, 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 had been surrounded in before – a tub 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 close to 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, 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 to the answer, 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 frowned 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 dancing 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.