::Tainz and Sanji walk down the hallway very close together::
Tainz: ::Blushes:: Why are we walking so close?
Sanji: ::Talks out of the side of his mouth:: We're shepherding Tailz down the hallway so the bloodthirsty suspense-haters won't kill her before she can finish the story.
Tainz: Ooooh....gotcha.
Tailz: ::Whimper:: ::Clings to Sanji's sleeves:: H-hope you guys like fluff, cause this chapter's all fluffery....
-----------------
One day had passed since he'd first arrived in Kaede's village. One excruciating, never-ending, unnerving day of waiting, sitting, and obeying for Inuyasha. He'd done everything the old woman had asked—gathered herbs, collected water, fetched the other medically trained elders, prepared food, and even babysat a bunch of brats Kaede was supposed to be responsible for.
This new disease had completely baffled Kaede. She'd tried every remedy for every ailment with remotely the same symptoms to no avail. None of the herby medicines had helped in the least. The other elders could shed no light on the situation. Inuyasha had no doubt that the doctors in Kagome's time could do little more, as they had obviously sentenced her to die by the look of the bottles of painkiller in her backpack.
And so, the very distressed Kaede had settled with wrapping the small, ceaselessly cold body in thick blankets and building a fire in the gate. They'd been forced to move her out of the familiar hut and to the sick house, for fear of sickening the village's only competent healer. The sick house was smaller, and darker, even with the fire blazing in the center of the room. It smelled of sickness and herbs and damp, decaying wood. Wind would've swept through the walls if not for the many patches made of sheep's wool and cotton.
At his own request, Inuyasha had been given permission to stay with her. According to the old woman's unspoken opinion, Kagome's life was hanging by a tiny thread. Though he never would've admitted it to anyone, Inuyasha understood her reasoning. No human should ever be as pale or as cold as Kagome was. It terrified him to no end, so that he even found himself monitoring her breathing. There was but a flutter of life in the prone, blanketed form, but he wouldn't allow it to escape. He wouldn't let another woman die.
There was little at all the hanyou could do for her. He could tend the fire to keep it blazing as large as possible. He could try to pour some water down her throat. He could wrap the blankets more snugly every few minutes, but nothing seemed to help. Kagome was cold and still and silent no matter what he did. She didn't shiver, as humans should when they were cold; she didn't stir, as Kaede said even the sickliest people usually could.
But he would not just sit there and watch her die. He would not—could not—live with the knowledge that he had just allowed her to quit, to leave him and everyone else as well. The only useful thing he could think of was to warm her up a bit—the fire and blankets didn't seem to be doing any good at all. So, with utmost care, Inuyasha lifted the blanketed figure from the hut's floor and brought her to his lap.
Carefully, he peeled the blankets away. Kagome looked even frailer and sicker without their shell covering her. She felt so light—and clammy. He pulled her to his chest, and settled against the wall, covering her outward- facing side with all the quilts Kaede had piled on before He almost shivered in spite of himself. The feeling of her flesh against his was cold to the touch.
Inuyasha nearly blushed. It was a rather intimate position Kagome probably wouldn't have approved of if she'd been awake and lucid. He was stretched out, his back against the wall with the still girl lying against him sideways across his lap. Her head was lying on his chest just below his throat; he could feel her light breath tickling his neck. The slender, limp fingers were encased in his own warmer ones, like pale porcelain against muddy clay.
His fingers ran through the glossy black locks absentmindedly. The silvery- white hair of his own head fell over his shoulders and mixed with the charcoal black. Night and day. Dark and light. Inuyasha and Kagome. What opposites they were. Where he was insulting and brash, Kagome was kind and careful. Where he was moody and confused, Kagome was cheerful and content. Or, at least, she did a good job of acting the part.
He'd never known such innocence, such trust as that that Kagome possessed. His gaze softened as he glanced at her oblivious face. She shouldn't be the one lying here, an inch from death in a sick house. She deserved nothing of the sort. She should be awake and well, out playing with Shippo in the fields and laughing, encouraging them all to keep an upbeat attitude.
But....she'd so rarely had a chance lately. It'd been a mad rush against time to gain the dwindling amount of remaining Shikon shards before Naraku did. Speed and complete concentration had been demanded every moment from her and from all the other companions. Inuyasha closed his eyes guiltily, feeling shame wash over him for the first time in awhile. He'd realized how hard it had been on them—and he hadn't made any effort to make the pace calmer. Maybe if he'd tried, given them a few breaks every now and then, Kagome wouldn't be so sick.
The idea alone was enough to make him squirm. Could he have prevented all this from happening? There was nothing he could do about it now. Only time would tell if his decisions would cost his friend her life.
---------------------
Tailz: ::Cries into a hanky::
Sanji: Shhh, Tailz! They'll find you!
Tailz: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Readers: ::Burst through the door::
Tailz: T.T WAAAAAAAAA!!! I'M SORRY FOR THE CLIFFY, GUYS! BUT ISN'T IT JUST TOO SAD?
Sanji: For Kami's sake, Tailz, you wrote it!
Tailz: I know but... poor Inu-chan.... I'm so mean to him!!! Can we buy him a sympathy basket?
Sanji: Erm... I don't think that will help.
Tailz: ::Sniffle:: Right... To answer Anandria's question, I'm making the chappies short so I can update faster. I'm leaving May 22 for the rest of summer so my updates will be very, very slow—expect 3 at most, probably. Where I'm going, there's no computer—but I will try my very hardest. I love you all! Thanks for reviewing!
Tainz: ::Blushes:: Why are we walking so close?
Sanji: ::Talks out of the side of his mouth:: We're shepherding Tailz down the hallway so the bloodthirsty suspense-haters won't kill her before she can finish the story.
Tainz: Ooooh....gotcha.
Tailz: ::Whimper:: ::Clings to Sanji's sleeves:: H-hope you guys like fluff, cause this chapter's all fluffery....
-----------------
One day had passed since he'd first arrived in Kaede's village. One excruciating, never-ending, unnerving day of waiting, sitting, and obeying for Inuyasha. He'd done everything the old woman had asked—gathered herbs, collected water, fetched the other medically trained elders, prepared food, and even babysat a bunch of brats Kaede was supposed to be responsible for.
This new disease had completely baffled Kaede. She'd tried every remedy for every ailment with remotely the same symptoms to no avail. None of the herby medicines had helped in the least. The other elders could shed no light on the situation. Inuyasha had no doubt that the doctors in Kagome's time could do little more, as they had obviously sentenced her to die by the look of the bottles of painkiller in her backpack.
And so, the very distressed Kaede had settled with wrapping the small, ceaselessly cold body in thick blankets and building a fire in the gate. They'd been forced to move her out of the familiar hut and to the sick house, for fear of sickening the village's only competent healer. The sick house was smaller, and darker, even with the fire blazing in the center of the room. It smelled of sickness and herbs and damp, decaying wood. Wind would've swept through the walls if not for the many patches made of sheep's wool and cotton.
At his own request, Inuyasha had been given permission to stay with her. According to the old woman's unspoken opinion, Kagome's life was hanging by a tiny thread. Though he never would've admitted it to anyone, Inuyasha understood her reasoning. No human should ever be as pale or as cold as Kagome was. It terrified him to no end, so that he even found himself monitoring her breathing. There was but a flutter of life in the prone, blanketed form, but he wouldn't allow it to escape. He wouldn't let another woman die.
There was little at all the hanyou could do for her. He could tend the fire to keep it blazing as large as possible. He could try to pour some water down her throat. He could wrap the blankets more snugly every few minutes, but nothing seemed to help. Kagome was cold and still and silent no matter what he did. She didn't shiver, as humans should when they were cold; she didn't stir, as Kaede said even the sickliest people usually could.
But he would not just sit there and watch her die. He would not—could not—live with the knowledge that he had just allowed her to quit, to leave him and everyone else as well. The only useful thing he could think of was to warm her up a bit—the fire and blankets didn't seem to be doing any good at all. So, with utmost care, Inuyasha lifted the blanketed figure from the hut's floor and brought her to his lap.
Carefully, he peeled the blankets away. Kagome looked even frailer and sicker without their shell covering her. She felt so light—and clammy. He pulled her to his chest, and settled against the wall, covering her outward- facing side with all the quilts Kaede had piled on before He almost shivered in spite of himself. The feeling of her flesh against his was cold to the touch.
Inuyasha nearly blushed. It was a rather intimate position Kagome probably wouldn't have approved of if she'd been awake and lucid. He was stretched out, his back against the wall with the still girl lying against him sideways across his lap. Her head was lying on his chest just below his throat; he could feel her light breath tickling his neck. The slender, limp fingers were encased in his own warmer ones, like pale porcelain against muddy clay.
His fingers ran through the glossy black locks absentmindedly. The silvery- white hair of his own head fell over his shoulders and mixed with the charcoal black. Night and day. Dark and light. Inuyasha and Kagome. What opposites they were. Where he was insulting and brash, Kagome was kind and careful. Where he was moody and confused, Kagome was cheerful and content. Or, at least, she did a good job of acting the part.
He'd never known such innocence, such trust as that that Kagome possessed. His gaze softened as he glanced at her oblivious face. She shouldn't be the one lying here, an inch from death in a sick house. She deserved nothing of the sort. She should be awake and well, out playing with Shippo in the fields and laughing, encouraging them all to keep an upbeat attitude.
But....she'd so rarely had a chance lately. It'd been a mad rush against time to gain the dwindling amount of remaining Shikon shards before Naraku did. Speed and complete concentration had been demanded every moment from her and from all the other companions. Inuyasha closed his eyes guiltily, feeling shame wash over him for the first time in awhile. He'd realized how hard it had been on them—and he hadn't made any effort to make the pace calmer. Maybe if he'd tried, given them a few breaks every now and then, Kagome wouldn't be so sick.
The idea alone was enough to make him squirm. Could he have prevented all this from happening? There was nothing he could do about it now. Only time would tell if his decisions would cost his friend her life.
---------------------
Tailz: ::Cries into a hanky::
Sanji: Shhh, Tailz! They'll find you!
Tailz: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Readers: ::Burst through the door::
Tailz: T.T WAAAAAAAAA!!! I'M SORRY FOR THE CLIFFY, GUYS! BUT ISN'T IT JUST TOO SAD?
Sanji: For Kami's sake, Tailz, you wrote it!
Tailz: I know but... poor Inu-chan.... I'm so mean to him!!! Can we buy him a sympathy basket?
Sanji: Erm... I don't think that will help.
Tailz: ::Sniffle:: Right... To answer Anandria's question, I'm making the chappies short so I can update faster. I'm leaving May 22 for the rest of summer so my updates will be very, very slow—expect 3 at most, probably. Where I'm going, there's no computer—but I will try my very hardest. I love you all! Thanks for reviewing!