"Kagome, where are you?" screeched the frantic words from InuYasha's voice,
as he bound from tree to tree, searching or her scent. The trail of her
scent dissipated with each passing second. Leaping towards the boulders of
the forbidding mountains, he collided into a swarm of poison insects.
'Naraku must have her, I almost feel it. Her presence upon this mountain
seems evident. His presence in region is formidable.' "Naraku, show
yourself!" InuYasha sneered in rage. In his search, the half-demon spotted
a cave in the mountain with a 12-foot mouth. Inside the entrance, he
spotted Kagome bound to a stalagmite by reeds and gagged with a thick
braided rope in her mouth and tied to the back of her head. Feeling a bit
ill at eased by such an easy find, InuYasha did note to himself her scent
had changed. "What are you waiting for?" demanded Kagome, spitting the
rope out of her mouth, "Untie me please, Naraku will be back any second."
"I think he is already here. I can smell his presence," InuYasha sneered,
unclicking his sword with a nervous tension in his voice. "Kagome, take
off your shirt, I want to see something." "What! You pervert, I will
not!" she protested. "I said do it, or I will cut it apart," InuYasha
demanded. "Sit boy!" shouted Kagome back at him. Her eyes widened when
the rosary didn't react. "What's going on? Why won't you obey me? I said
Sit!" InuYasha grinned upon hear her say it without the rosary reacting,
as it usually would pulling his face to the ground. InuYasha sliced her
shirt open with his Tetsaiga. On her back, he recognized the tattoo of a
spider there. Kagome began laughing, her voice changing. "You are more
clever, InuYasha, than I had thought." A black cloud formed around her
body and as quickly as the cloud dissipated, Naraku showed his presence.
"Where is she, what have you done with Kagome?" Naraku chuckled, "I will
give her back to you, but I don't know how long you can keep her. One of
my insects has stung her, if you don't do something, she will meet the same
fate as that priestess you so desired. Then and only then can Kikyo have
her soul back, once and for all." A tornado formed around the base at
which Naraku stood. Into the black vortex, Naraku vanished.
The strong smell of Kagome led InuYasha into the back of the cave. There he spotted Kagome lying on her stomach on the floor, motionless. "Kagome, are you alive? If you are, please say something," his voice becoming desperate, as he shook her body. "InuYasha, is that you?" she asked in a weakened voice. Her eyes still remained closed, too weak to open. Quickly, InuYasha scooped her body into his arms. He dashed from the cave, leaping across the treetops. Hastily, he made his way towards Kaede's village. "Hey, Old Woman, she needs an antidote." "Kagome needs one? What is wrong with her?" "Naraku has poisoned her, said she will most likely die." "I shall see what I can do for her, go layeth her in my hut for now." InuYasha did as she requested and laid Kagome on a bed of straw. Kaede emerged into the hut, carrying with her a blue bottle of liquid antidote. InuYasha held Kagome's unconscious body upright, for Kaede to pour the elixir into Kagome's mouth and down her throat. InuYasha laid her body back onto the straw. Looking longingly at her, InuYasha began pleading with her to get well again. "Kagome, please don't die. I don't know where I would be without you. Long ago you were the one who rescued me from the tree. You once shed tears for me. You were always by my side. Once I was in love with Kikyo, still I am, but you I also love. Your love for me is unconditional. You were the one who wished me to be happy, and I am. You make me feel good about being a half-demon. I wished to be all demon, but you loved me for who and what I am." Tears started forming in his eyes. He removed the top of his kimono and placed it across her body. As he sat back down beside her, he uttered, "Kagome, I love you." Quietly, InuYasha curled into a ball, his face hidden in his arms, his elbows resting on the tops of his knees. Tears rained steadily from his eyes, his voice becoming choked by the tears. "Please don't leave me," he whispered repeatedly in a sorrowful breath. Kagome's face started to squirm, as her hands and fingers started to flex. A steady pulse emanated through her entire body, all at once. Opening her eyes in a weakened motion, she looked to her right to find her beloved half-demon weeping his eyes out. His eyes suddenly met hers. "Kagome, you're alive." "InuYasha," she whispered, her body still too weak to move; her voice still recovering. "Thank goodness you are alive. I thought for a moment you were going to...you know." "I did for an instance. I thought it would be better to leave and return you back to Kikyo. I was getting ready to give my soul back to Kikyo. But then I heard your words, you expressing yourself for my sake. That you loved me. I thought ahead to what would happen if I left you, how much sadness I would be putting you through. I know you went through that losing Kikyo. I felt it would be too heartbreaking for you if I left. It would also mean you not being in my life anymore. I couldn't bear it, thus I have returned." InuYasha could barely contain his heart any longer, and hugged her body tightly in his arms, as she forced herself to sit up on the straw bed. "I don't ever want to lose you, Kagome, never again." The tears returned to his eye, and poured onto her shirt. Kagome ran her fingers through his silvery-white hair. Caressing the back of his head with one of her hands and rubbed his back with the other, she repeated whispering into his ears the words "It's okay" to him.
The strong smell of Kagome led InuYasha into the back of the cave. There he spotted Kagome lying on her stomach on the floor, motionless. "Kagome, are you alive? If you are, please say something," his voice becoming desperate, as he shook her body. "InuYasha, is that you?" she asked in a weakened voice. Her eyes still remained closed, too weak to open. Quickly, InuYasha scooped her body into his arms. He dashed from the cave, leaping across the treetops. Hastily, he made his way towards Kaede's village. "Hey, Old Woman, she needs an antidote." "Kagome needs one? What is wrong with her?" "Naraku has poisoned her, said she will most likely die." "I shall see what I can do for her, go layeth her in my hut for now." InuYasha did as she requested and laid Kagome on a bed of straw. Kaede emerged into the hut, carrying with her a blue bottle of liquid antidote. InuYasha held Kagome's unconscious body upright, for Kaede to pour the elixir into Kagome's mouth and down her throat. InuYasha laid her body back onto the straw. Looking longingly at her, InuYasha began pleading with her to get well again. "Kagome, please don't die. I don't know where I would be without you. Long ago you were the one who rescued me from the tree. You once shed tears for me. You were always by my side. Once I was in love with Kikyo, still I am, but you I also love. Your love for me is unconditional. You were the one who wished me to be happy, and I am. You make me feel good about being a half-demon. I wished to be all demon, but you loved me for who and what I am." Tears started forming in his eyes. He removed the top of his kimono and placed it across her body. As he sat back down beside her, he uttered, "Kagome, I love you." Quietly, InuYasha curled into a ball, his face hidden in his arms, his elbows resting on the tops of his knees. Tears rained steadily from his eyes, his voice becoming choked by the tears. "Please don't leave me," he whispered repeatedly in a sorrowful breath. Kagome's face started to squirm, as her hands and fingers started to flex. A steady pulse emanated through her entire body, all at once. Opening her eyes in a weakened motion, she looked to her right to find her beloved half-demon weeping his eyes out. His eyes suddenly met hers. "Kagome, you're alive." "InuYasha," she whispered, her body still too weak to move; her voice still recovering. "Thank goodness you are alive. I thought for a moment you were going to...you know." "I did for an instance. I thought it would be better to leave and return you back to Kikyo. I was getting ready to give my soul back to Kikyo. But then I heard your words, you expressing yourself for my sake. That you loved me. I thought ahead to what would happen if I left you, how much sadness I would be putting you through. I know you went through that losing Kikyo. I felt it would be too heartbreaking for you if I left. It would also mean you not being in my life anymore. I couldn't bear it, thus I have returned." InuYasha could barely contain his heart any longer, and hugged her body tightly in his arms, as she forced herself to sit up on the straw bed. "I don't ever want to lose you, Kagome, never again." The tears returned to his eye, and poured onto her shirt. Kagome ran her fingers through his silvery-white hair. Caressing the back of his head with one of her hands and rubbed his back with the other, she repeated whispering into his ears the words "It's okay" to him.