~Chapter Three~ ~Are you okay?~
Kagome opened her eyes as the new days light poured in from through the tent. For a moment, she was still, and nothing bothered her, but when the events that had occurred the previous night flooded her mind, she began to realize her body was cold, and her head ached more then it ever had done before in her life!!!
*W…Where is everyone?* She questioned in thought as she sat up.
The shadows outside told her that all her friends were already up and getting ready to leave. *What should I do? I don't feel very well at all! And I know that they'll think that I'm too weak after what happened to me last night, but I can't show weakness!! I'm strong!! Just as strong as they are!! I can't tell them I have a headache of anything!!! I can't!!* She told herself.
Suddenly, the tent door opened, revealing Sango's face. When her eyes lay onto Kagome, her expression lit up!
"OH MY GOD!!!! KAGOME!!!! YOU'RE AWAKE!!!!!" She exclaimed loudly so that everyone could hear.
Soon, Shippo ran through the door and into Kagome's arms, and then Miroku's head poked in, and the only one whole didn't come and look was Inu-Yasha, who sat by the fire outside, acting like it was no big deal, but inside he wanted to run to Kagome's side, pull her into his arms, and scream out how happy he was that she was alright.
"OH KAGOME!!!! WE WERE ALL SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!!" Cried Shippo in joy as the little fox continued to hug Kagome's waste.
She smiled. "Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine now!" She stated.
Sango stared, as so did Miroku. "But…Kagome! You were out in the snow storm without hardly enough protecting from the cold, or demons for almost 2 hours, and you were so pale last night when Miroku and Inu-Yasha found you!!" Sango explained in a worried tone.
Kagome shrugged. "Um…I don't know! That is somewhat strange, but I'm fine now! Really!!" She stated, and felt bad a moment later that she was lying about the whole thing.
Miroku looked at her face closer. "Are you sure? You still look weak!" He explained as he reached out and placed his hand over Kagome's forehead like a father would to his young daughter.
She pulled away and stood up from her blankets, wishing to pull them back on when the cold hit her skin, but didn't flinch.
"I swear that I'm fine! More then fine! Now lets get a move on! I think I sense a shard near by!" She explained, trying to cover up her pale complexion with a bright smile as she ran out the tent door with her yellow bag over her shoulder.
When she stepped out, she laid her eyes over Inu-Yasha, who was trying to ignore her while poking a stick into the fire. She suddenly noticed that his top kimono was missing!! She looked around, then looked back into the tent, and there, covering the spot she had slept at, was his red kimono top. She was stunned.
*H…he gave it to me, so I wouldn't be too cold last night!!* She exclaimed in thought.
She turned back to Inu-Yasha and smiled. He managed to work through his pride and look up at her, as if saying, "I gave you my kimono top so that you wouldn't be cold. I was protecting you, cause I care for you so much!" But that's certainly NOT what came out of his mouth.
"So you're awake, are you? Thought you'd be in that tent for weeks! Maybe even months!! You can't withstand anything! You're so weak!" He commented.
Kagome, expecting something nice, but getting a rude expression such as he always did, blew up in flames.
"YOU……I COULD JUST……..SIT BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She commanded, as Inu-Yasha hit the ground, face first.
She looked down at him and didn't think he saw her, but he did, and when he saw the sadness in her eyes, he understood why she had "sat" him in the first place. He had deserved it, because he was nothing but a cruel hearted soul, through her eyes anyway.
He stood up, and wiped the snow away from his face, and didn't say another word!
Kagome had expected him to scream, yell, curse, all that other stuff he did after she "sat" him for saying something rude, but he didn't!!
This made Kagome hope that maybe he had realized that he had been unkind, but the awful glare he gave her a moment later burned up her day dreams like a fire surrounded by paper!!
When she looked away, Inu-Yasha snacked himself across the cheek for the look he had given her. Why couldn't he just be nice!! For once!!!
"Well, are we all about ready to go?" Miroku questioned as he gathered up the tent from it's stands, and folded it up into a back pack of Kagome's.
Sango and Shippo smiled. "WE ARE!!!" They both said, and little Kirara mewed in a cute way.
Miroku looked towards Inu-Yasha and Kagome.
Kagome, though she was rather upset with Inu-Yasha, and not feeling well at all, nodded and managed to smile.
Inu-Yasha stuck his nose into the air at the monk, and began to walk down the path.
It soon was that Sango, Kirara, and Shippo led the group, Miroku stood behind them, tempted to bother Sango, Inu-Yasha behind Miroku, his hands behind his head, and his angry expression put on. Kagome stayed up behind Inu-Yasha for a while, and seemed to keep lively, but soon, it began to wear on her, the headache and all.
She tried to ignore the pain in her head, and the dizzy feeling that was starting to take affect on her body! She just wanted to lay down and sleep, but she knew that if she asked the group to stop for her to rest, then they would think she was weak, and she didn't want that!!
Soon though, she started to fall behind, and non of the others noticed except for Inu-Yasha. He listened to her sighs and knew when her feet stopped hitting the ground, signifying that she had stopped to catch her breath.
*What is she doing!!?? If she's tied, then why doesn't she say something!!??* He thought in anger, and a bit of worry. *Is……she sick or something from last night?* He couldn't stop himself then from turning back and looking at Kagome, his face trying not to look worried, but his face simply went that way when he saw her standing in the middle of the road behind him about 40 feet back, staring to the ground.
She looked up and put on a fake smile, trying to look like she was just taking a breather, nothing serious, but Inu-Yasha knew better. But not that much better, for he didn't say anything to her and continued walking.
Kagome looked back down to the ground and noticed her footing becoming wobbly. She walked over to the side of the road when no one was looking and balanced herself with a tree. Her breathing became more ferrous, and her arms and legs began to shake.
Inu-Yasha looked back again and saw her in that ill looking manner. Right before he could say anything though, Kagome saw him and quickly changed her expression to a fake energetic way, beginning to walk, forcing herself not to wobble about.
He stared for a few more seconds and then turned back to the front of the group.
Kagome sighed in relief. *Good! He didn't say anything!! I think he's noticing my weakness!!! Not good at all!! I have to make sure I don't look sick!!* She told herself in mind.
In Inu-Yasha's knowledge, he knew that she didn't want to look like a weakling, but he also knew that even if you are tuff, when you're sick, you say something!! She was pushing herself too hard, but what was he to say to her? He sighed and watching his feet walk under himself.
Kagome tripped over her own feet, and stumbled to catch herself. She couldn't stop the redness coming to her cheeks, and her runny nose to start in, and the sneezing, and the coughing. It was becoming too much of a thing to hide!!!
She looked up to Inu-Yasha. His back was turned from her, but she could tell he was listening to her foot steps, and her breathing patterns.
*I….I can't take it anymore!!! I feel like I'm gonna be sick any moment now!! And I'm so hot, and cold at the say time. AND MY HEAD HURTS SOOOO BAD!!!!!* She thought.
Her feet wobbled about, and then finally let loose underneath her. She raised her hand out to Inu-Yasha as she began to fall.
"Inu……..Yasha………" She tried to get out before hitting the ground.
He snapped around quickly and saw her laying on the ground.
"SHIT!!! STOP YOU GUYS!!! KAGOME LOST HER STRENGTH!!!" He yelled out as he ran to her side.
Sango, Miroku, and Shippo all ran to her as well.
"Ohhhh!!! Kagome!!" Cried Shippo as he saw her pale face.
Inu-Yasha picked her up into his arms as he stood beside her and stared into her features. "Damn it!! I knew something was wrong." He said in a more worried tone then any of the others had heard from him before.
"Lay her back down for a minute, Inu-Yasha." Stated Miroku.
Inu-Yasha placed Kagome's body softly onto the ground where Miroku knelt down and placed his hand over her forehead.
"My god!! She's burning hot!! You see her cheeks are so reddened!! How long do you think she's been like this??" Miroku exclaimed.
Inu-Yasha knew why Kagome hadn't said anything. *I guess that's a thing we both have in common. If I knew I was getting sick, but didn't want anyone to know about it for fear that they would think I was weak or something, I wouldn't tell, and would get sicker and sicker until it would get the better of me. I'm not gonna tell the others about that. I know Kagome is strong. She was strong last night. This'll be between her and me.* He thought.
He then explained to Miroku that he had no idea how long Kagome had been like this, and that the sickness had probably snuck up on her as she was walking behind them all.
Miroku, thankfully, believed Inu-Yasha's lie, and asked Sango to get the thermometer thingy that Kagome brought with her in her bag.
They took her temp., and were all shocked to find it at, 100.2!!
"How do you know if that's as bad as you think, Miroku?" Questioned Inu-Yasha.
Miroku didn't say anything for a second, then replied.
"When Kagome first brought her thermometer thing to this time, she explained to me how it worked. She told me that a normal everyday temp was around 97.6 to 98.5, but a bad temp that means that one is sick, is when it is around 99.7 to 100.7! The worst is when it gets into the 100's, and Kagome's temp right now is at 100.2!! That means that she's really sick, and I mean that in a serious way!!" The monk explained.
Inu-Yasha stared down at Kagome in worry. *W…What should I do?? I don't know!!* He exclaimed in thought.
Sango sighed a sad sigh. "How will we get back to Kaede's village with her in this condition, and it being so cold out and all!!??" She wondered aloud to the group.
Miroku shrugged. "I don't know. I suppose we could just make camp here and wait her illness out!" He declared.
"NO WAY!!!" Inu-Yasha suddenly shouted in anger at Miroku's comment. "I'M NOT GONNA SIT AROUND ALL DAY, WAITING FOR SOMETHING THAT I KNOW WON'T HAPPEN UNLESS WE GET HER TO SOME REAL HELP!! IF YOU GUYS WANT TO STAY HERE AND SIT IN THIS DAMN SNOW, THEN GO RIGHT AHEAD, NO ONE'S STOPPING YOU, BUT I'M TAKING KAGOME TO KAEDE!! I'M NOT JUST GONNA LEAVE HER TO BELIEVE THAT SHE'LL GET BETTER ALL BY HERSELF WHEN I KNOW SHE WON'T!!!! I'D NEVER DO THAT TO HER!!!!"
The way he screamed this was so astonishing to the three listener's ears that they simply stared for over 5 minutes at the half demon.
Miroku stood up after some time and cleared his throat. "I suppose Inu-Yasha's right. It would be cruel to leave Kagome here and just wait out her sickness. Perhaps Inu-Yasha's got my opinion beat."
"Like hell I do…" Inu-Yasha stated in a softer tone as he reached down, took off his top kimono, wrapped it around Kagome, and picked up her limp body into his arms tightly.
Miroku was offended, but then realized how rude he had been! He knew why Inu-Yasha had gotten so upset at his suggestion, and he just then noticed how utterly sucky it had been!! If they had made camp there and waiting for Kagome to get better, she might get worse and die!!!
As the group started walking, Inu-Yasha leading them, Miroku stayed behind, his head lowered, and his thoughts to himself.
*I'll make it up to Inu-Yasha somehow…….* He assured himself in mind, knowing that Inu-Yasha's feelings for Kagome, were more powerful then he could ever feel for a woman. Ever.
~Hi-ness!!! ^.^ Okay! Do you like so far?? If so, COOL!! Keep on reading, kay! It's getting exciting, huh?? Well, maybe not that exciting, but who cares!! It is to me, and I'm writing it!!!~
~chibikagome1@yahoo.com~