My Strength is in You
Chapter Three
Alone . . .
That's what she was . . .
Alone in a thick, dark forest . . . nothing around her but the heaving bodies of trees closing in on her . . .
"Inu-Yasha!" she called out . . . running through the torment . . . "Inu-Yasha?"
Kagome was scared . . . trembling all over in complete and blanching fear!
There were noises all around . . .
But no one was there . . .
No one . . .
She had never been more scared . . .
"Inu-Yasha .
. ."
But when she awoke, darkness was all that greeted her . . . along with the dying embers of what had once been their fire and the shadows of her sleeping comrades. She was sweating, she could feel her bangs damp against her forehead as she struggled from her sleeping bag, her back aching from the harsh earth beneath her. Her scalp burned as if someone had taken hair from her head . . . but it was only an insect bite . . .
Kagome was breathing heavily, trying to control what little awareness she had into remember exactly where she was, and that her friends had not abandoned her . . . but it was hard. And the words of Tiki rang in her head, giving her no comfort at all.
The forest hissed as if it were attempting to heighten her fear with its subliminal groans . . . the branches creaking and swaying in the night breeze and yet none of her companions moved.
None stirred, not even a hair.
For a frightening moment, Kagome began to wonder if her friends were really there . . . still alive . . .
NO! It was her mind playing tricks on her!
Clutching her fists into her forehead, Kagome struggled, blinking the smokiness away from her vision and forced herself onto her feet.
Her heart was racing in her chest.
She did not like being in the terrible forest. What made her even think that they should go and help? It was because of her that they were there in the first place . . . so she shouldn't allow herself to be afraid. Thus, would it be because of her that she scares everyone into turning back, letting down the lives of those in this far northern forest, wasting two good days of travel and searching time?
No. That was inexcusable.
There was no reason to turn back. Nothing had crossed their path, they had not faced any foes recently, nor did she sense any jewel shards that could be attached to a threat. Inu-Yasha definitely said, before they rested for the night, that he scented nothing and Miroku agreed . . . well, he sensed nothing, anyway.
So what was the problem?
Why was she so scared.
Still her heart raced in her chest and Kagome finally turned away from the camp, to the outskirts in the shadows to hide from her companions her fear . . .
From herself . . .
But there was no escaping it.
Her hands continued to tremble . . .
"What's wrong
with you?" Inu-Yasha's voice sent a cold shiver up Kagome's spine before she
spun around, her face a perfect display of confidence.
"Nothing."
"Feh, you're scared of something, aren't you?" he sneered, crossing his arms across his chest. "Wandering away from the camp is kind of stupid, don't you think?"
"Well, yeah, I know, I just needed a . . . um . . . I couldn't sleep and . . . yeah . . . I don't know." She stammered, trying her hardest to keep focused, avoiding Inu-Yasha's glinting amber eyes. "I just couldn't sleep, that's all. What's your problem? Why are you awake?"
But his eyes never faltered from hers, catching them for a flicker of a moment. "You had a nightmare, didn't you?"
"No." she almost shouted, immediately lowering her voice so the others couldn't hear. "I didn't have a nightmare. Go back to sleep."
"Feh! You did so!
I heard you say my name." He growled, avoiding her eyes. "And I watched you get up."
"So what?" Kagome shrugged as if it
were no problem of hers, taking a graceful step back towards the camp and her
bed. "Can't a girl have a dream?"
Inu-Yasha only glared at her. "Yeah, some dream."
"And what are you going to do about it? It's just a dream!" she sighed, covering herself up with her blanket, turning her back to him. "A dream can't hurt you. Now go back to sleep, Inu-Yasha, before I make you."
He squatted down next to her silently. She knew he was there but said nothing as he sniffed her. "You smell like blood."
"What?" she gasped, turning to give him the dirtiest look she could conjure at such an odd hour of the night. "What do you mean?"
"You have a cut on your head." He pointed out.
"A bug bit me." She swatted at him as if he were the pest. "Now go to sleep! We have a long walk in the morning."
He shrugged. It was a very long moment of staring before the hanyou dared move, his silvery hair blowing in the wind behind him as he tiptoed back to his tree, watching Kagome out of the corner of his eye.
The way she had said his name . . . the way she had cried out to him in the night . . .
The way the forest fell so dark and silent . . . it was impossible . . .
Kagome's blood still tingled his nose so strangely . . .
But how she said his name still send shivers down his spine . . .
*** Oooh – I'm still shivering. Well – my story took an entirely different turn than I had expected. No, seriously. Heheehe – I like this better!! Bwhahahahaha! So please read and review and let me know what you think. REVIEW!!!!! ***
*** and on a side note to my fellow IY fans – you might enjoy this – my 3 ½ (going on TEN, I SWEAR) year old son is no longer afraid of monsters under his bed or in the closet or out the window for he is certain – absolutely, positively, faithfully convinced that monsters can't hurt him because Inu-Yasha will protect him always. Yes. That was his own thinking. Don't ask me why!!! But, ya gotta admit – it is cute. ***