TheFireFox123: Thank you! :)
I've been travelling, but I'm back home and back to writing! Enjoy!
Chapter Eleven
Wounds
Kagome climbed the temple steps feeling her legs tremble. Once she saw the front door to her house, she was grateful that her family was spending the day out to visit one of her aunts.
They couldn't see her with that shoulder bite or she would have a lot of explaining to do.
She was so nervous that she couldn't get the key to fit the lock until the third attempt. After entering the house, she closed the door and walked slowly up the stairs, still clutching the handkerchief to her shoulder.
Kagome entered the bathroom and gasped at the sight of her reflection in the mirror. She was very pale, her eyes were red and her face was streaked with tears. And her neckerchief was covered with blood.
With trembling hands, she threw it into the sink and reached over, turning on the hot water. It would help to get rid of the bloodstains in her clothes.
She carefully opened her shirt and dropped it into the water, wrinkling her nose as the fabric brushed against her wound.
On closer inspection, her eyes filled with tears again. It was a pretty deep bite and was still bleeding.
After a quick shower, she wrapped her hair in a towel and stood in front of the sink again, pulling out her wet clothes.
Sighing, Kagome bent down to get some hydrogen peroxide from the cabinet. She washed the wound with cold water, gritting her teeth to hold in the pain, and then opened the white bottle and dripped a few drops on it.
Kagome closed her eyes, stifling a scream as the disinfectant began to bubble. It felt like it was burning her skin.
She held onto the edge of the sink with both hands, panting as she waited for the pain to subside. A few seconds later, when it was bearable again, she opened her eyes and faced forward to get a better look at the bite.
It was right between her neck and shoulder. Kagome felt some relief at the thought that she could at least hide it under her clothes. If that thing had bitten her neck, it would have been much harder to keep anyone from noticing.
And besides, she probably would have bled to death.
Kagome shook her head to get those thoughts away and, after cutting a piece of gauze, stuck it to her skin so that it covered the entire wound.
She spent the next half hour cleaning her clothes and her neckerchief, making sure her family didn't find out what had happened.
No one could ever find out.
Now dressed in her pyjamas, Kagome put the freshly washed clothes in the dryer and walked to the kitchen, making herself a quick lunch.
As she walked back upstairs to her room shortly after, she felt herself freeze in terror.
A demon had bitten her. They really existed, and she had almost not made it out of there alive.
Terrified, she entered her room and went to the window, looking out over the temple courtyard.
They couldn't get out of the forest. Something was holding them in there and they couldn't go looking for her. If she didn't go there, she would never see the demons again.
Her breathing began to calm as she thought about it.
She was safe. She had escaped.
The phone began to vibrate on the table where she had just left it, and Kagome reached over to look at the screen.
Inuyasha was calling her.
Kagome felt furious, both at him and at herself. Why had she gone into the forest alone? Why hadn't Inuyasha come out to look for her? And why hadn't he run to help her when he heard her screams?
Angrily, she rejected the call and turned off the phone. She didn't want to hear from him, or anyone else. She just wanted to be alone.
Kagome put a hand to her shoulder, squeezing a little on the wound. She grimaced as she felt it still hurt quite a bit.
She laid down on the bed, covering herself with the sheets. All she wanted was for the day to be over, and she didn't plan to get up until the sun came up again.
Though Kagome tried to restrain herself, her pillow ended up wet before she managed to fall asleep.
Inuyasha blinked several times, frowning.
Kagome hadn't answered, and now he heard a metallic voice every time he called her, saying that the number was not available.
He sighed and set the device down, wrinkling his nose as he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Inuyasha put a hand to the gaping wound, which had stopped bleeding. His body was recovering much faster than a human's, so in a day or two there would be no trace of Sesshomaru's attack.
He gritted his teeth, leaning against the tree trunk to pull himself up.
Based on the amount of sunlight filtering through the leaves, it must be early afternoon.
He started walking through the forest, cursing through his teeth every time he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. If he walked any faster, the wound would reopen.
He needed to make sure Kagome was okay, otherwise he wasn't going to be able to rest.
And there was no way he was going to wait until the next new moon to find out.
It was already dusk when Inuyasha picked up his red jacket, freshly washed in the river water near his cave. The fabric was magical and regenerated on its own, while stopping arrows, spears and blades like a shield.
But it was not strong enough to stop Sesshomaru's claws. Nothing was.
He hid it in its usual place, along with his father's sword. If he was going to try to go out into the human world, it was best to wear the same clothes as them in case anyone saw him.
Though his two ears were impossible to disguise, he was counting on being able to hide from unwanted eyes.
Before buttoning his shirt, he looked at the wound on his chest with a frown. It had healed, but it still hurt when he walked.
There was a moment when his vision became somewhat blurred as he tried to return to the meadow. As the hours passed, his body had absorbed and neutralised the poison, so he was feeling much better.
That damned Sesshomaru was going to pay for that.
Once he was ready, Inuyasha picked up the phone and tried to call Kagome one last time. He growled when he heard that strange voice again and put it back in his pocket.
Walking as fast as he could, he started going in a southeasterly direction, towards the large metal fence.
He was almost certain he knew where the closest point to Kagome's temple was.
Darkness enveloped the demon forest when Inuyasha saw the fence.
He had come across several yōkai, but none had detected him. He had no desire to fight that night.
Inuyasha stayed hidden behind a tree trunk for a few minutes, his ears pointed in all directions to check that no one was nearby.
Once he was completely sure he was alone, Inuyasha approached the fence. He raised one of his hands and hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should touch the metal or not.
He wasn't a demon, but he wasn't human either... Could he cross to the other side?
His instinct told him yes, so he gritted his teeth and brushed his fingers against the fence.
Instantly he felt an electric current coursing through his body and attacking his muscles.
Inuyasha held back a grunt and shifted, grabbing it with both hands. It hurt, but he wasn't dead. If he tried, he could get through.
He held onto the fence and began to climb, muttering curses every time he felt a whip in his back.
When he reached the top, Inuyasha gasped and looked around.
Not a human in sight. There were only trees in the area and a small hill in the distance, where the temple must have been.
Fuck, the force of the barrier was going to make him pass out if he stayed there for too long. Inuyasha took a big leap and landed on the branch of one of the trees in front of him.
He dug his claws into its bark and sat up, looking over his shoulder.
The Yōkai forest still seemed to be completely silent, as it did every time he observed it from outside.
A crooked smile spread across his face. He had made it. He had gotten out of there without being human.
And he was sure no one else had made it, because there were no other hybrids in his forest.
Still smiling, Inuyasha began to jump from tree to tree, pausing before he did so to listen to his surroundings.
That small forest was one of the few places in the city where nature still existed. It seemed that humans only passed through from time to time because there were several dirt paths winding through the trees.
When he reached the bottom of the hill, Inuyasha stopped to sniff.
Kagome's scent was getting stronger and stronger. He had never tracked her in her hybrid form and that way it was much easier to pick up her smell.
He scanned the slope in front of him, squinting his eyes.
Maybe Kagome wasn't at the temple. She had lived there all her life, so the whole area was marked by her scent.
He crept onward, fearful that some stupid human was making a nighttime excursion into the area. When he reached the top, he climbed up to one of the higher branches and stood silently, his gaze sweeping over the huge stone courtyard.
There was a large stone altar in the centre, where various offerings hung. Just to the right, there was a small wooden shed with a sign on the door that read "Bone Eater Well".
Inuyasha shook his head, wondering what that could be.
To the left were two small buildings, also made of wood, which advertised themselves as the office and warehouse.
And directly in front of him was the two-story family home.
Inuyasha pointed his ears forward, trying to hear something. He managed to make out four hearts beating in a quiet rhythm.
They were all asleep.
Carefully, he lowered himself to the ground and pressed his hand against his chest, checking that his wound was still closed.
Noiselessly, he began to walk around the house until he saw the front door. No light was visible, everything was off.
Inuyasha raised his head and closed his eyes, concentrating on his senses.
Kagome's scent was more intense on the first floor, just behind one of the windows.
He opened his eyes again and jumped nimbly to the roof, landing softly.
Inuyasha stood there for a few seconds, making sure the humans hadn't woken up, and after that he sat down right on the edge and, holding on with his hands, slung himself over the window sill.
The frame was made of white wood and the glass was really thin. He could break it into a thousand pieces with a little knock.
But he hadn't gone there for that.
Inuyasha dug his fingernails into the bottom of the window, pushing very slowly upwards.
He smiled as the wood began to rise. It wasn't closed.
Once it was open, he slid down the shaft and landed crouched on a purple carpet.
It was as if someone hit him. Kagome's scent was so intense that Inuyasha felt dizzy for a few seconds. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. Everything smelled like her in that room.
Inuyasha looked around with wide eyes, following the direction of her heartbeat. Kagome was in her bed. She was sleeping, but she was quite agitated.
Inuyasha stood up, staring at her.
Was she having a nightmare?
He approached her as one of his ears pointed towards the door. He didn't want to risk one of the other humans discovering him there.
Stopping just short of the bed, he saw her breathing slow and her face relax.
Inuyasha frowned, sweeping his gaze over the human.
The scent of salt filled the room, a sign that she had been crying. She was wearing a pink outfit and her black hair was tied back in a long braid, which was resting on the pillow.
Inuyasha bent down, looking for the area where he knew her mark was. It was covered, but the smell of blood was unmistakable.
With his eyes locked on Kagome's, he shifted her shirt to the side until it exposed her shoulder.
She had calmed down so much that she didn't even move.
Inuyasha pursed his lips. Even though she was asleep, she could feel his presence and it had relaxed her.
He decided not to think about it and carefully lifted the gauze that was covering the mark.
When Inuyasha managed to do so, he bit his tongue to stop himself from cursing.
That bite had to hurt pretty bad.
He looked back up at Kagome and, ever so slowly, tilted his head until his lips brushed her skin. Watching for any sign that the human was going to wake up, Inuyasha licked the wound.
Kagome sighed, but slept on.
He ran his tongue over the mark twice more and pulled away to see the result.
It looked much better now. He had read in his father's book that the saliva of the yōkai had healing powers, and it seemed to be true. It only had an effect on their mates, though.
The skin was turning pink, as if the wound was weeks old instead of hours.
Satisfied, he replaced the gauze over the wound and took two steps back.
Without taking his eyes off Kagome, he walked to the window. As he was about to leave, Inuyasha heard her breathing quicken and watched her with wide eyes, fearing she had woken up.
No, Kagome was still asleep. But she was restless again.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, returning to her side and sitting on the floor, leaning his back against the edge of the bed.
He would stay there for a while so Kagome wouldn't have nightmares. After what he had done to her, if he could help her have a peaceful night... he owed it to her.
Inuyasha wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his chin on his knees and sighing.
Everything was getting more and more complicated.
When Kagome woke up, the first thing she did was put a hand to her shoulder.
The bite hardly hurt anymore.
She sat up in bed, looking around and frowning when she saw that the window was slightly open. It was only a few inches, but Kagome had a memory of closing it all the way before she slept.
Sighing, she got up and walked over to the wall to close it.
Kagome felt something under her socks and furrowed her brow in confusion.
Why was there dirt on the floor of her room?
She shrugged, thinking that it had probably fallen from her laundry and she hadn't noticed.
It was still very early. Sunlight was just beginning to enter her room and she could hear the chirping of the birds that lived in the temple's trees.
Kagome opened the window a little wider to let in some fresh air and, after grabbing some clean clothes, headed to the bathroom.
When she took off her pyjama top, she had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming.
Her wound had changed.
When she went to sleep, it was still red and was beginning to scab over horribly. But there was no trace of the blood, the skin was healed as if she had been bitten quite some time ago.
Kagome ran her fingers over the wound, wrinkling her nose as it stung.
How the hell had it healed so quickly?
Still thinking about it, she stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. She had an exam in a few hours and needed to go over her notes. She had counted on doing it the afternoon before, but after what happened in the forbidden forest...
Already dressed, Kagome went downstairs and greeted her family.
Her mother was a little worried that she hadn't seen her when she arrived, but Kagome downplayed it, saying that she was very tired and that was why she had gone to bed so early.
After breakfast, she gathered up her notes and put them in her backpack, putting her shoes on in the hall.
Her grandfather peeked into the hallway, wishing her luck before she left. Kagome gave him a smile and opened the front door.
The temple courtyard was completely empty. No one went this early to pray or deliver offerings at the shrine.
As she passed her favorite tree, the largest of them all, Kagome brushed her fingers against the trunk and sighed.
She felt a wave of tranquility wash over her and she frowned, looking up at the higher branches. The wind stirred its green leaves, but the five century-old tree was the same as ever.
Sighing again, she walked away towards the temple steps as she turned on her phone.
She had two missed calls from Rin, four from Inuyasha, and dozens of messages from her friends.
Kagome put it back in her pocket. She still wasn't ready to answer Rin's questions, who knew she had gone to the forest. Nor did she know what to say to Inuyasha.
The only thing that mattered now was her exam.
As soon as Inuyasha saw her walk out the door, he hid better in the leaves of the tree.
He had fallen asleep in Kagome's room and she had almost caught him. Luckily, his ears picked up the change in her breathing and he woke up before she did, rushing out the window.
Kagome walked to the tree where he was, stopping by the trunk. He clenched his fists, pressing his back further against the branch he was lying on.
When he saw her glance up, he thought she had noticed him. But Kagome continued on her way, descending the stone steps.
Inuyasha sighed, running an arm across his forehead to wipe away the sweat. It had been a close call.