CHAPTER THREE
*
"Hmph. So we're back here," Inuyasha said darkly as he jumped off the bike. "Don't know why we keep coming here."
"Because even you need some down time," Kagome said, putting Shippo and Myoga on her shoulder.
"Do not."
There was a rustling inside the house, and a stocky, gray-haired old woman stepped outside. Her one eye blinked through the dim light. "Ah, Kagome, Inuyasha, and little Shippo. It has been a long while since ye came here. Where is young Miroku?"
"He's bringing up the rear with Sango," Kagome said, picking up her backpack and nearly tipping over.
"Sango? Ah, the young lady who joined ye in your travels."
Kagome began explaining more about why they had come back to the village; Shippo yawned and tried to fall asleep on her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome noticed Inuyasha was fidgeting and hunching over again. The shadows made it hard to tell, but she thought his face was twisting a little.
"Be ye all right, Inuyasha?" Kaede asked quietly. Her eye was fixed on Inuyasha's face.
Inuyasha stopped moving completely. Kagome quickly said, "He got a cut on his shoulder when we had a run-in with a demon. It's gotten kind of nasty-looking."
Inuyasha gave her an equally nasty-looking stare. "It's nothing. I feel perfectly all right."
Kaede looked grim. Inuyasha was a spirited youth -- perhaps TOO spirited for his own good. His hatred of his own weakness made him regard his own safety too casually. She had seen him try to fight his enemies after taking wounds that would have killed most others, human and demon alike, and not stopped until he collapsed. She still vividly remembered how she and Miroku had had to tie him up and throw him in a small hut, covered in demon seals...
She continued watching Inuyasha when he and Kagome sat by her fire. Inuyasha was wrapped in his own thoughts, but Kagome was watching him with concern. Shippo was gorging himself on bowls of rice.
Eventually Miroku, arrived with Sango; clearly neither of them was in a good mood. Miroku sat down by the fire. He had a noticeable bruise just below his eye; Kagome suspected that Sango had given it to him. "Inuyasha, has Kaede taken a look at your shoulder?"
"No, she hasn't," Inuyasha snapped. "It's nothing to worry about."
"Well, if tis truly nothing," Kaede said, coming behind him with a little pot, "then ye won't mind if I put some ungent on it, will ye?"
"If 'ye' haven't noticed, I do mind!"
"Take off ye clothing."
"Not you too," Inuyasha grumbled. But under Kagome's urging he removed his top again. Kagome gasped; the cut was even redder and more swollen than before. And even though Inuyasha usually healed quickly, it hadn't even closed.
"Yuck!" Shippo said. "What's wrong with it?"
Kaede studied Inuyasha's shoulder gravely. "Were ye human, I would say this wound was becoming diseased." She probed at it, ignoring Inuyasha's hissing. "Yet ye have shown me sword wounds worse than this, and they healed with little trouble. What manner of demon gave this to ye?"
"A great bear," Miroku said, leaning forward. "It attacked Kagome when she was getting water. Inuyasha killed it, but got that wound in the process. I tried to examine Inuyasha when I saw that he was in pain, but he wouldn't let me see much."
"It doesn't even hurt that much," Inuyasha said loudly.
"Ye are a terrible liar," Kaede said briskly. She dabbed a bit of the ointment on the shoulder wound. "Have ye any other injuries that need tending?"
"I could use some cold water for this. She has very hard knuckles," Miroku said, pointing at his bruise.
"You need cold water all over," Sango said ominously.
"I will tend to ye later, wayward monk," Kaede said sternly, massaging the ointment into Inuyasha's skin. The half-demon was looking away from her, as if trying to pretend he wasn't letting her help.
"The person you should REALLY be tending to is Kagome," Inuyasha said suddenly. "That bear clawed her leg, and she's been walking on it ever since."
Kaede paused in her ministrations. "Kagome, are ye wounded as well?"
"It's no big deal." Kagome stuck out her leg, and pointed at a thin red cut running down her calf. "I'd sort of forgotten about it."
Kaede examined Kagome's leg. The lines in her face became deeper with concern. "Strange this is indeed," she murmured. "Inuyasha's wound is hardly deeper than Kagome's, yet hers is healing and his is not. I would have thought it the other way around. Was there aught strange about the bear that attacked ye?"
"Well, it acted kinda weird," Kagome said, rubbing her leg. "It was sort of rolling, like it was dizzy. It was bleeding all over, too."
Kaede slowly turned to look at Inuyasha. The young demon was hunched over by the fire, as if something in his stomach was causing him pain. Half-clothed, he looked young and somewhat vulnerable. A far cry from the image he wished to convey, Kaede thought. Something deep in her memory woke, a rumor she had once heard...
"What are you staring at, hag?" Inuyasha asked.
"Considering your problem, Inuyasha," Kaede said slowly. "What I have seen reminds me of something I heard long ago." She moved over to Inuyasha. "Lay on your belly near the fire, and let me see your back."
Inuyasha reluctantly sprawled out on the floor, with his chin resting on his fist. Kaede brushed his long white hair out of the way, and traced her finger between his shoulders. "I feared as much," she murmured. "Inuyasha has been touched by the Bloodfang."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Hmph. So we're back here," Inuyasha said darkly as he jumped off the bike. "Don't know why we keep coming here."
"Because even you need some down time," Kagome said, putting Shippo and Myoga on her shoulder.
"Do not."
There was a rustling inside the house, and a stocky, gray-haired old woman stepped outside. Her one eye blinked through the dim light. "Ah, Kagome, Inuyasha, and little Shippo. It has been a long while since ye came here. Where is young Miroku?"
"He's bringing up the rear with Sango," Kagome said, picking up her backpack and nearly tipping over.
"Sango? Ah, the young lady who joined ye in your travels."
Kagome began explaining more about why they had come back to the village; Shippo yawned and tried to fall asleep on her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome noticed Inuyasha was fidgeting and hunching over again. The shadows made it hard to tell, but she thought his face was twisting a little.
"Be ye all right, Inuyasha?" Kaede asked quietly. Her eye was fixed on Inuyasha's face.
Inuyasha stopped moving completely. Kagome quickly said, "He got a cut on his shoulder when we had a run-in with a demon. It's gotten kind of nasty-looking."
Inuyasha gave her an equally nasty-looking stare. "It's nothing. I feel perfectly all right."
Kaede looked grim. Inuyasha was a spirited youth -- perhaps TOO spirited for his own good. His hatred of his own weakness made him regard his own safety too casually. She had seen him try to fight his enemies after taking wounds that would have killed most others, human and demon alike, and not stopped until he collapsed. She still vividly remembered how she and Miroku had had to tie him up and throw him in a small hut, covered in demon seals...
She continued watching Inuyasha when he and Kagome sat by her fire. Inuyasha was wrapped in his own thoughts, but Kagome was watching him with concern. Shippo was gorging himself on bowls of rice.
Eventually Miroku, arrived with Sango; clearly neither of them was in a good mood. Miroku sat down by the fire. He had a noticeable bruise just below his eye; Kagome suspected that Sango had given it to him. "Inuyasha, has Kaede taken a look at your shoulder?"
"No, she hasn't," Inuyasha snapped. "It's nothing to worry about."
"Well, if tis truly nothing," Kaede said, coming behind him with a little pot, "then ye won't mind if I put some ungent on it, will ye?"
"If 'ye' haven't noticed, I do mind!"
"Take off ye clothing."
"Not you too," Inuyasha grumbled. But under Kagome's urging he removed his top again. Kagome gasped; the cut was even redder and more swollen than before. And even though Inuyasha usually healed quickly, it hadn't even closed.
"Yuck!" Shippo said. "What's wrong with it?"
Kaede studied Inuyasha's shoulder gravely. "Were ye human, I would say this wound was becoming diseased." She probed at it, ignoring Inuyasha's hissing. "Yet ye have shown me sword wounds worse than this, and they healed with little trouble. What manner of demon gave this to ye?"
"A great bear," Miroku said, leaning forward. "It attacked Kagome when she was getting water. Inuyasha killed it, but got that wound in the process. I tried to examine Inuyasha when I saw that he was in pain, but he wouldn't let me see much."
"It doesn't even hurt that much," Inuyasha said loudly.
"Ye are a terrible liar," Kaede said briskly. She dabbed a bit of the ointment on the shoulder wound. "Have ye any other injuries that need tending?"
"I could use some cold water for this. She has very hard knuckles," Miroku said, pointing at his bruise.
"You need cold water all over," Sango said ominously.
"I will tend to ye later, wayward monk," Kaede said sternly, massaging the ointment into Inuyasha's skin. The half-demon was looking away from her, as if trying to pretend he wasn't letting her help.
"The person you should REALLY be tending to is Kagome," Inuyasha said suddenly. "That bear clawed her leg, and she's been walking on it ever since."
Kaede paused in her ministrations. "Kagome, are ye wounded as well?"
"It's no big deal." Kagome stuck out her leg, and pointed at a thin red cut running down her calf. "I'd sort of forgotten about it."
Kaede examined Kagome's leg. The lines in her face became deeper with concern. "Strange this is indeed," she murmured. "Inuyasha's wound is hardly deeper than Kagome's, yet hers is healing and his is not. I would have thought it the other way around. Was there aught strange about the bear that attacked ye?"
"Well, it acted kinda weird," Kagome said, rubbing her leg. "It was sort of rolling, like it was dizzy. It was bleeding all over, too."
Kaede slowly turned to look at Inuyasha. The young demon was hunched over by the fire, as if something in his stomach was causing him pain. Half-clothed, he looked young and somewhat vulnerable. A far cry from the image he wished to convey, Kaede thought. Something deep in her memory woke, a rumor she had once heard...
"What are you staring at, hag?" Inuyasha asked.
"Considering your problem, Inuyasha," Kaede said slowly. "What I have seen reminds me of something I heard long ago." She moved over to Inuyasha. "Lay on your belly near the fire, and let me see your back."
Inuyasha reluctantly sprawled out on the floor, with his chin resting on his fist. Kaede brushed his long white hair out of the way, and traced her finger between his shoulders. "I feared as much," she murmured. "Inuyasha has been touched by the Bloodfang."
TO BE CONTINUED