Thank you to all those who read and reviewed the first two chapters of this story – and thanks to my loyal fans!!! I really appreciate the fact that you are all liking this and sorry for miss-rating it at first. Well, here I go with the third chapter.
The Horrid Cries of the Nothing Woman
Chapter Three
The heat of the day had slowly crept into the night. Cool winds stroked the quiet village in gentle deceptiveness, but Inu-Yasha never let his guard down. He touched the hilt of his silent sword, feeling the bindings slide across his itching fingers, his ears twitched anxiously as his hair rusted against his back and shoulders. Resting against the doorway of the hut, he kept his nose to the forest, but his shining orange eyes on young Kagome still and pale laying in the corner by herself.
Part of him wanted to rush over to her, put a kind hand in hers again. But, she was sleeping . . . he didn't want to wake her. It had been a rough afternoon, Kagome had been on the knife's edge of death for most of the day as did the strange young girl they had picked up, pale, dark haired and slender. It was as if the very same thing inflicted them both, even though Kagome did not suffer the same detrimental injuries.
He shuddered.
Shippou paced the floor along side the stricken women, his eyes flashed to each of them with great worry for their sakes.
Inu-Yasha blinked hard, the pup really loved Kagome and genuinely cared for others. He looked away, he was going to make a fine adult kitsune, he thought to himself.
A looming shadow slowly emerged from the center of the village, creeping along the path to the hut with a thick staff in its hand. Ever so slowly . . .
The hanyou bristled and leaped to his feet, claws cracking.
"Oh, Inu-Yasha, ye worry too much. It is only I." Kaede's tired voice responded to the desperate threats, but she knew very well that they were not intentionally directed at her.
"Finally, ya old hag! Where in the hells have you been up to wandering around so late?" Inu-Yasha growled, his eyes scanning the edge of the forest and the shadows behind her. "What have you found out?"
The old lady approached the huts guard, who stepped to the side in a meager sign of respect to allow her to pass. "I have not found much out, I am afraid. Aye, I do not recognize these inflictions any more than ye can. We must keep vigil for I am near certain that we have not yet seen the last of whatever this may be."
Inu-Yasha frowned. "So, what do you know then? What good are you then?"
"Oh, Inu-Yasha! Calm thyself a little, berating me such as you are will not help young Kagome." She shuffled over to Kagome with another cloth. "Here, Inu-Yasha, apply this cloth here while I tend to the other girl."
The hanyou responded with a somber sigh and did as he was asked, stepping over to Kagome and carefully took up the warmed rag Kaede had already placed upon her forehead.
"Her soul is a troubled one, Inu-Yasha. Traumatized and yet I cannot say how. This is not the work of any mere demon, I am afraid . . ." Kaede paused, looking back to the woman.
Sango slept peacefully leaned against the wall of the hut, she peeked as the Priestess attended to the girl and stirred awake. "She will be alright, right?"
"I will make no promises."
Inu-Yasha ignored the two as he watched Kagome's features so dim and lifeless. What happened to you? The hanyou questioned her in his thoughts. What in the hells happened to you?
Slowly he felt his hand creep into hers, it was cold and stale but he gripped it with his warmth . . . with the love that he felt for her. But would anyone notice? He glanced behind him quickly, but Sango and Kaede's backs were turned towards him.
He tightened his grip ever so slightly, hoping that Kagome could feel it. Praying upon everything that she would return to him safely. Without thinking much of it, his other hand had found her hair and he ran his fingers through it slowly. He had felt her hair before, but never like this. It was always so soft and shining, glimmering with its black fire . . . but now that fire was dull and bland. Even her scent was faded into obscurity.
Please come back to me, Kagome.
His eyes burned as tears began to form . . . Inu-Yasha quickly hid his face to the others in the hut and put Kagome's slender hand back at her side and stood up.
"What is it?" Shippou hopped over. "Why'd you jump up like that? What's wrong, Inu-Yasha?"
"Nothing." He turned away from the kitsune pup and Kagome and stormed out of the hut. "Let me know if there's any change, okay."
Not even waiting for a response, he burst into the cool of the encroaching night and found his high branch of solitude in his favorite tree.
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Inu-Yasha stared up into the sky, quietly awaiting the passing of the night. He was too tired to stay awake and yet too worried to sleep . . . either way he felt his heart heavily beat in his chest and watched as the starts twinkled unhindered in the brilliantly clear night.
Kagome had been fine at the beginning of the day . . .
She was joking with Sango before they had eaten for breakfast and yet, after she ate and after they had started on their journey for the day she suddenly fell silent and chillingly different.
It wasn't normal. Perhaps it had something to do with the area? Or the woman? But it couldn't be the strangers fault because she seemed to be inflicted with the same things as Kagome . . . this psychic trauma, whatever it was.
The only thing that had ever harmed Kagome's soul was in dealings with Kikyou . . .
Kikyou . . .
Only a sliver of the great moon hung as a comforting sign, but it was only very slight. Inu-Yasha shuddered as he focused away from the terrible thoughts of the wandering living dead Priestess. The moon was only a slight crescent . . . that meant that the new moon was coming.
He would be vulnerable again in the coming nights.
And Kagome wouldn't have a chance in the world if that, whatever it was, would attack again . . .
Or anything for that matter.
Or worse, Kikyou . . .
Was it Kikyou? Could it be her that was doing this?
It couldn't be . . .
There was a rustle in the forest . . .
Inu-Yasha could hear it coming . . .
He leaped to the ground, his claws cracking, fangs bared . . .
No one would get past him . . .
No one would hurt his Kagome!
**Okay, what do you all think? Please read and review! I love hearing from you – it gives me the inspiration to go on wink (grin)! Again, thanks to all my loyal readers, it means a lot to me that you guys keep reading and like what you read. Thank you so much!!!**