Chapter Six
Kagome felt like she had been hiding among the trees for forever. She knew Inuyasha was aware of her presence. He was just below her, and he had to be able to smell her. Kikyou appeared to be asleep. It's about damn time. Kagome thought. Kagome had watched Kikyou force Inuyasha to fight demons many times stronger than he was, and act as her slave. The fact that these were things that Inuyasha would have done for the priestess anyway, of his own free will, made Kagome more and more determined to set him free.
It would be one thing, Kikyou, if Inuyasha chose you. It is quite another when you use a tool to make him your slave. Kagome burned with fury. She waited a few more minutes to be certain that Kikyou was sleeping soundly.
"It's alright, you can come down." Inuyasha's quiet voice surprised her, but she slid softly down the tree trunk to his side. Even in the darkness she could see his face was covered in bruises. She could only imagine what the rest of his body looked like. Kikyou had him in constant battles, allowing him no time to recuperate or heal.
"Are you okay?" Kagome couldn't bear to see him like this. He just looked, resigned. Inuyasha was accepting his fate, and he was accepting Kikyou's treatment of him.
"I can handle it. You shouldn't be here." He kept his head down, refusing to look her straight in the eyes. He sat perfectly still, with his hands in his lap.
"Inuyasha…" Kagome's voice cracked, she was on the verge of tears. "I can't leave you, Inuyasha. My only place is by your side. I- I know you love her Inuyasha, but I can't let her do this to you. Not like this." She touched his hands, taking them in her own.
"I told you Kagome, you don't know how I feel! Now leave me, before you get hurt!" His voice was harsh.
"Fine then, Inuyasha! Maybe I don't know how you feel, but I know how I feel!" Kagome was flushed, and tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I feel like my heart is breaking! I love you, Inuyasha, and if you want to follow her into Hell, then I'm going to follow you! But I won't let her have you like this. Not like this!"
She reached for the necklace around his neck. The bead and bone necklace that had allowed her to 'sit' Inuyasha, and that Kikyou was using to control him. Inuyasha grabbed her hands before she could touch it, though. He looked into her eyes, shocked by her words.
Kagome stared into his amber eyes; they were full of fear and guilt. She had never ever seen Inuyasha look like this.
"Kagome…" His voice was hushed, and his eyes flashed toward the sleeping Kikyou. "Please! Please let me protect you this last time. Leave me, and you'll be safe, and I can die knowing that you'll be safe. Don't touch the necklace. She'll awaken. Kagome, you have to leave. Please! I don't want to watch you die, too." Inuyasha pleaded with her, begging her to do the one thing she knew she couldn't do.
"I can't, Inuyasha!" Kagome let her tears flow freely. She collapsed in his arms, burying her head against his chest. "I won't leave you to die… I can't, so don't ask me to!"
Inuyasha rubbed her back gently. "I'm not worth it, Kagome." His voice was trembling. Kagome knew he was trying to be strong, trying to comfort her into turning her back on him. "You can still live, and be happy. And that makes this all worth it. Knowing that someday, you can have a happy life."
I can never be happy without you. My only place is by your side. But she didn't say this. She didn't want to cause him anymore worry for now. She just stayed with him, wordlessly embracing him, until she had cried herself out. Then she stepped back, and turned away. She couldn't look him in the face, and she couldn't say good-bye. She just walked into the forest, knowing that Inuyasha's nose would know she was still close by.
Inuyasha had returned to his prior position, back against the wall with Kagome in his arms. The lack of action was making him sleepy, and he let his eyes close again.
I will not leave you, Inuyasha. I promise. He could not stop reliving that moment. When she had opened her eyes to look into his. He didn't know what her words had meant. Was she reassuring him that she would not die? Or was she still dreaming, and she meant something totally different? How many meanings could those simple words have? It was a fairly straightforward statement. So she will not leave me. That's nice to know… I guess. It is good to have her around, I'll give her that much.
Inuyasha bent his head to take a deep breath of her scent. It was delicately layered, first the fruity smell of her hair, then the light floral perfume she wore. Underneath those scents she wore, were the smells of her illness, the venom permeating her blood was becoming fainter, and the fever had raised a light sheen of sweat. But underneath those was his favorite scent of all. It was just her. The simple smell of Kagome always evoked a vast emotional response from him. A strong urge to protect her welled up inside him, along with vague senses of fear for her, and guilt that he had failed her, as he let himself drown in her scent. It always surprised him, the strength of the emotions she pulled from his heart.
For so long, Inuyasha hadn't felt anything but the bitterness of betrayal. That brought to mind how long he had been pinned to that tree. He remembered that it had been Kagome's scent that had awakened him then, as well. He had thought that she smelled like Kikyou, back then. But now, he appreciated the differences between them. Kikyou no longer had any scent. She was, after all, dead. And that was his fault, as well.
Inuyasha took a deeper breath of Kagome, trying to drown out the thoughts of Kikyou. He was starting to get a little dizzy, but he just breathed deeper. He pulled her up, and held her tighter, burying his face in her neck. Her scent was intoxicating, and right now, he was deeply glad for that effect. He was getting sleepier and sleepier, so he let her lay down, and curled up around her. She has to be okay, she has to… was his last thought before he drifted into sleep.
