Chapter Text
'Kagome found herself in a void of pure darkness. No matter where she looked, there was no light or signs of life. Panic began to quickly set in. "Inu-?" She tried to say but no words would come out. She knew Inuyasha would always come for her but when she looked all around her, there was nothing. Her breathing quickened the more she looked. Where was he? Where was her husband?!
"I told you this was your destiny!" A voice said. "You can never escape from your fate!" Was she back in that terrible place? But how? The jewel was gone! She made sure it was! Hot tears burned her eyes. "You can't change your destiny!"
"No..." Kagome whispered in horror. It was getting hard to breathe. She couldn't calm down.
"Now fight!" A huge hoard of demon came from somewhere in the darkness, speeding toards her at an alarming rate.
"Inuyasha..." She choked out. "P-please, help me-!"
"Kagome!" She heard somewhere in the distance.'
_____________
He was never a heavy sleeper, a product of his supernatural hearing and need to constantly be on alert so when Inuyasha was awoken to the sound of his wife hyperventilating, he immediately jumped into action. One thing he was quick to learn after Kagome returned was her almost debilitating fear of the dark. He certainly couldn't blame her. Being trapped in a place like that for three days would send anyone into madness.
He made sure there was always a source of light in their home. Either a lit fire or on summer nights like these, a lantern. The problem was that the wind sometimes blew the light out. "Kagome!" He exclaimed. She jumped awake but the lack of light only made it worse as her hands went to pull at the neck of the yukata at her throat. "Shit!" He swore and hurried to restore the lantern in a panic.
Inuyasha took her face in his hands. "Breath, love! Deep breaths!" He made a show of deep, slow breathing and was relieved to see her try and imitate him. "That's my girl, nice and slow." Her eyes grew wet as the realization set in and it broke his heart. His arms engulfed her shoulders and his hands gently brushed through her hair as her sobs poured into the fabric of his robe. "Ssshhhhhh.... It's okay..." He whispered soothingly. "I'm here. You're not in that hell hole. You're safe. You're with me and you're safe."
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She cried and he wiped her tears away with his thumbs.
"Don't apologize. Never apologize for what you went through." A hand applied slight pressure against her head while she laid it on his shoulder. "I can't imagine how it must have felt, Kagome and I'm sorry I couldn't get to you sooner." She shook her head.
"But you did. You kept your promise and protected me no matter what. I always feel safe with you, Inuyasha."
That was all he ever wanted. Too many times he couldn't protect the women in his life. First his mother, then Kikyo. He swore that he'd never let Kagome suffer like they did but in that instance he failed. Never again would he allow that to happen. Inuyasha held her silently until she seemed to calm down a little. "How are you feeling now? Better?" He asked in a soft voice. Kagome nodded.
"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you." Her voice was sweet and her smile was sincere, which flooded him with even more relief.
"Let's get some sleep." He suggested before removing his haori and laying it over her shoulders in his usual gesture of love then laid back onto the futon. It told her that she was safe, protected and loved all without him having to utter a single word. Feeling warm and being surrounded by his earthy scent always put her at ease. Kagome snuggled into him, her head resting on his chest, and felt her heart skip when his arm snaked around her waist to pull her closer.
"I love you, Inuyasha..." Kagome mumbled as his clawed fingers gently ran up and down her back until she was lulled into a peaceful, dreamless sleep. She didn't see the soft blush on his face and the content smile that graced his lips.