Chapter Three

            In the temple, Inuyasha slowly picked himself up from where he had been flung flat on his face.

            "Fast asleep, sick, and possibly dying, and the one word to make it coherently out of her mouth is 'Sit!'  What is going on in her head?"  Inuyasha yelled, causing the ill villagers to moan in protest.

            Grumbling, the hanyou sat down again.  He grumbled even harder when he saw the look on the sleeping Kagome's face.  It was quite self-satisfied.  And it didn't help that Shippou was rolling on the floor, trying to hold back howls of laughter.  Inuyasha rubbed his forehead grumpily.  He was feeling slightly less worried about Kagome.

            "I wonder what she's dreaming about."  Shippou commented, giggling.  "Clearly she's dreaming about you, Inuyasha."  The kitsune teased as Miroku and Sango entered, carrying pails of water. 

            "What was that thud?" Sango asked, pouring her water into a large cauldron over a nearby fire.

            "Kagome said 'sit!'" Shippou replied excitedly.  "I think that means she's going to be okay!"

            Miroku nodded, but looked worried.  He felt Kagome's forehead, and noted her slight fever.

            "She still has a fever, Shippou.  It might be a long time before she wakes up."  He said.

            "Just so long as she does wake up, she can sit me all she likes." Inuyasha muttered under his breath.  Miroku looked at him sideways, his mouth twitching with the hints of a smile.

            "Inuyasha, could you come help me outside?" He asked, standing up.  Inuyasha glared at the monk, but also stood.  The two left Shippou and Sango with Kagome's slumbering body. Miroku led the hanyou to the well and began drawing some more water.

            "I think that someone was deliberately trying to kill Kagome."  The monk began.  "We were all led away from her, and then the demon attacked, with a shard of the jewel no less!"

            Inuyasha growled, "I agree, it all seems too coincidental."

            "My first thought was that it was Kikyou."

            "What?" Inuyasha looked at him, shocked.  "How could you think that this could be Kikyou?  She wants to kill me, not Kagome!  If this is anyone it's-- "

            "Killing Kagome would be an interesting punishment, would it not, Inuyasha?  Kikyou knows of your feelings for her, losing the woman you love yet again would hurt you deeply.  Plus, if Kagome were to die during this era, her soul would probably return to Kikyou's body, giving her yet another thing that she wants."

            Inuyasha's face took on a very interesting shade of red, and he almost seemed to choke.  He wanted to refute what the monk was saying, to say that he didn't care about Kagome.  But he knew what Miroku would say to that.  Miroku would respond that if he didn't care what happened to Kagome then why was he always protecting her?  Inuyasha could rationalize that with the fact that he needed her to find the jewel shards, but of course, that wouldn't explain some of the things that had happened between them.

            "Love is an awfully strong word to be using, Miroku."  The hanyou said through his teeth. 

            "But then I thought that this wasn't Kikyou's style."  Miroku continued.  "She wants vengeance, and if she decided to kill Kagome, she'll want you watching her while she does it.  This feels more like Naraku, eliminating someone who can find jewel shards, and also punishing you."

            Inuyasha finally allowed himself to breathe.  As long as there would be no more talk of love and Kagome, he was perfectly happy discussing how to find and destroy Naraku.

            Kagome looked sideways underneath her eyelashes at Inuyasha.  She was glad he was here with her, sitting together in front of a fire. 

            "Do you remember when it was just the two of us?"  Inuyasha's voice echoed her thoughts.  "Before we met Miroku, and Shippou, and Sango?"

            "Yeah." Kagome replied, wondering what he was getting at.

            "I wonder what would have happened if we had stayed that way."  The hanyou spoke quietly.

            "I don't know…" Kagome found herself thinking about all the things that had happened to their group, finding the tetsuaiga, Kikyou's rebirth, fighting Sesshoumaru and Naraku and the fake water god.  She tried imagining that it had just been her and Inuyasha through all those battles together.

            A frog fairy drifted by; reminding her that this was just a dream. 

            "What does it matter anyway?  It would have been harder, just the two of us, but now we have help.  I guess I'm kind of glad we've got the others.  I was wondering what you were doing as a dog."  She said, more casually than she felt.

            Inuyasha shrugged.  "It's your dream, Kagome.  Scorpion venom has odd effects on people.  For all you know, this isn't even a dream, you're already dead."

            "Dead?  I'm – dead?"  Kagome looked across the fire, and saw the group all crying, and Inuyasha was no longer by her side, he was there, crying over her broken body. 

            "Kagome!!" Shippou was sobbing.  Miroku and Sango were holding each other as if they would both fall without the other's support.  But Inuyasha broke her heart.  He simply held her, his eyes closed, his white hair falling gently over her.  His face was pure sadness, pure grief.

            "No!"  Kagome screamed, standing up and running toward them.  "I'm okay!  I'm right here!  Inuyasha, I'm right here!  Inuyasha!"

            But he didn't hear her.  None of them did.  And no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't seem to get any closer to them.

            "I'm sorry, Kagome."  Inuyasha's voice was full of pain.  "Kagome, I'm sorry!"

            "No! Inuyasha, I'm right here!" Suddenly her nightmare changed.  Shippou, Miroku, and Sango seemed to fade away, into a fog.  Kikyou appeared behind the grieving Inuyasha.  The tragic miko put her hands on Inuyasha's shoulders.

            "Hey!"  Kagome shouted.

            Inuyasha looked up at Kikyou, and she bent to kiss him.  Her black hair mingling with his white.  He returned her kiss, dropping Kagome's body.

            "Inuyasha…?" Kagome felt her voice slipping away as her heart shattered.  I knew.  I knew that he loved her.  This… shouldn't… hurt… this… much!  Nooo!

            Kagome didn't even notice when she fell to her knees.  Her eyes were locked on Inuyasha and Kikyou; she couldn't tear her gaze away from them.  No… no… was all her mind could babble.

            Suddenly the frog fairies and angel mice in the air changed into tiny winged scorpions that flew at her face.  They laughed and taunted her, "It could be worse, Kagome.  It could be worse!"

            Nothing could be worse than this.  Nothing.  Kagome felt numb.  Tears were streaming down her face as she watched the hanyou and priestess, kissing each other.  Nothing could be worse than this.

            "Inuyasha!"  Shippou came running out of the temple.  "Miroku!  Come quick, something's wrong!"

            The kitsune looked terrified as he ran toward the two at the well.  Inuyasha instantly began running toward the temple, and Miroku was close behind him.

            When they reached Kagome's side, they found her trembling all over.  Tears poured down her cheeks as she shook her head.  Her voice was harshly whispering something.  Sango looked very tense, holding her hand.  Inuyasha knelt beside her, taking her hand, and gently brushing the hair away from her teary face.

            He bent his face close to hers, listening to her voice.

            "Why, Inuyasha?  Why?"  Her whispers were so faint he could barely make them out.  What is happening to her?  What does she think I've done?  He picked her up, holding her head against his chest.  Kagome, please.  Please wake up.  I don't know what you think I've done, but it's all a dream, Kagome!  Listening to her in his arms, feeling her tears soaking through his kimono, Inuyasha resolved once again, his vow to never let her be hurt again.

            "What is wrong with her?"  He asked Miroku, assuming that the monk would know.  Miroku felt her forehead again, and frowned with worry.

            "Her fever is rising."  He said.  He touched the red spot on her cheek and it felt like flame beneath his fingers.  He looked to Sango, the demon exterminator, hoping that she might know something of Kagome's condition.

            "The fever could be good or bad."  Sango replied to his unasked question.  "Her body is trying to burn out the venom, which is causing horrible nightmares, but if it rises too high, she will die.  Only one man in our village ever survived an encounter with Scorpion Demon venom.  The nightmares he had were so terrible he couldn't bear to speak of them with anyone.  He was never the same afterward."

            Inuyasha looked down at Kagome's face, and hugged her tighter, as if he could protect her from the dreams with his strength.  I wish I could protect you from this, Kagome.  I wish I could!