I think the chapters of this story will be quite short. Just so you know.

2 – The Breath

The next morning everyone woke up at the same time – not only to the baby's cry, but also Inuyasha coughing. Kaede was brewing some porridge while Kagome was spreading some menthol lotion on Inuyasha's chest and back.

"This should at least help with your cough..." Kagome said a bit quietly. Inuyasha sighed, but started coughing. He covered his mouth, but as it was already covered in blood, he didn't bother to wipe the blood off.

Then suddenly Inuyasha's ears shot up, and he quickly turned towards the door.

"Inuyasha, wha-?!" Miroku shouted out, but he could sense what the boy had sensed: "A demon..."

Sango could hear the shouts from outside.

"Take her!" she said, handed over quickly her child to Kaede, grabbing her Hiraikotsu and ran out of the hut.

"Is it close?" Sango asked when she stopped beside Miroku. The man nodded, but couldn't be sure.

"Inuyasha! Can you tell where it i...?" he asked, but when he turned towards his friend, he could see him leaning against his Tessaiga, shaking.

A huge, dark green demon with horns and teeth came out of the forest.

"Inuyasha, get back to the hut right now!" Miroku ordered, but Inuyasha just pulled himself together, lift his sword...

"Kaze... no... KIZU!"

And so a huge beam of light pierced the demon, and after one horrid roar the demon was gone, not a bode remaining.

As the dust subsided and Miroku and Sango had coughed for a while, they started looking for Inuyasha

"Inuyasha! Inuyashaaa!" Miroku shouted. And there he was, on all fours, shaking, Tessaiga beside him in it's small form. He turned his face to his friends, and as they started running towards him, he crashed on ground and fell unconcious.

"Hang on", Miroku said, calm, as he and Sango grabbed Inuyasha from his armpits and carried him to the hut.

Inuyasha was getting back concious. He was laying in a bed, freezing cold.. He could hear speech and smell food. He opened his eyes and coughed a few times.

"Hey, Inuyasha woke up!" Shippo shouted and pointed at the hanyou. Everyone turned towards him, smiling.

"How wonderful!" Kagome sighed from relief and sat right next him. She started stroking his dog ear... but just when she had touched it, she drew her hand back. "Your ear..." she gasped in distress amd touched the boy's forehead and cheek. "You're freezing cold..."

"I can feel it, alright..." Inuyasha mumbled and sat up. He was shaking a bit and his ears were drooping.

"I'll quickly brew some tea for ye", Kaede said and hustled and in no time a pot of tea was boiling on the fire.

"Maybe we should put some warm compresses on him", Sango suggested. "Maybe they'd help."

And so a bit of the boiling water was mixed with a bit of cold water, and Kagome soaked a few towels in it. She placed the towels on his chest and stomach.

"How does it feel?"

"Cold..." Inuyasha coughed once.

Inuyasha was getting worse. He was more tired day by day, and these days he did actually nothing. He just slept and coughed. But the thing that his friends were actually worried about was that he had no fever. He was cold as ice and had lost more weight.

It had been hours since a sound had been heard in Kaede's hut. Miroku was out in the woods, Kaede was looking after village's children and Shippo, leaving only Sango and her baby, Kagome and Inuyasha in the hut. The baby was asleep. And Kagome thought Inuyasha was, too, until he opened his eyes. The rays of sunlight shone in from the small window next to the door. It was all quiet.

"Kagome", Inuyasha whispered.

"Mmh... Inuyasha...?" Kagome woke up from half 'sleep and got up from the floor. She yawned and stroke his shoulder gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Remember that I... love you. That I will always protect you. Always", Inuyasha said, quiet, and closed his eyes. Kagome's eyes widened of amazement. She placed her hand on the boy's chest and stroke him.

The young couple stayed lik this for a long time. Inuyasha was breating slowly, Kagome stroke him genty.

But suddenly Kagome noticed Inuyasha's chest wasn't rising and lowering anymore. She couldn't hear that quiet snivel.

"Inuyasha..." the girl startled. "Hey, Inuyasha!" The boy didn't move. "INUYASHA!"

Sango was standing still, next to Kagome, who was crying on all fours on the ground. The girl was shaking and sobbing like no tomorrow. Sango got closer to her, knelt down beside her and placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder. There they sat, on Inuyasha's grave.