CHAPTER FIVE
*
Kaede's words clung to Kagome's mind all that night. Kagome stayed by Inuyasha's side for the rest of the evening, but he barely spoke to her. In fact, he barely spoke to anyone.
The stars were shining through the window, and a soft summer breeze seeped in the doorway. Kagome lay awake, with Sango beside her and Shippo between them. Shippo's eyes were swollen, and every now and then he whimpered in his sleep.
He's thinking about Inuyasha... she thought. She stroked his head absently.
The half-demon was curled on a pallet in the corner. Kagome could hear his heavy breathing; for a moment she was tempted to go to him. But he hated to be seen when he was weakened. For as long as she could remember, he hadn't even gotten sick; he'd collapsed a few times when he was really hurt, but he hadn't gotten so much as a cold.
She rolled over, trying not to remember what Myoga had said. No half-demon had survived the Bloodfang.
In the corner, Inuyasha stared off into the darkness with glowing eyes.
*
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Miroku asked.
"I'll be fine," Sango said, sitting on Kirara's back. She took a bundle of food from the monk. "It's not far, anyway. If you need Shippo or Kirara, you can just take Kagome's bi-cycle."
"You forgot me!" Myoga squeaked from the demon-cat's back.
"Or you," Sango amended. "Come on, Shippo. We need to get going."
Kagome came out of Kaede's hut with Shippo on her shoulder. Shippo was sniffling into a scrap of cloth. He leaped onto Kirara's back, and the demon-cat raced away into the woods.
Miroku sighed. He felt badly for Shippo. The little fox-demon had already joined Inuyasha and Kagome by the time Miroku had met them, but Kagome had given him the basics of how they had met. Shippo had been newly orphaned, and Inuyasha helped him avenge his father's death, then allowed him to come along.
Miroku had lost his own father when he was even younger than Shippo, and he knew how traumatic it would have been if Mushin had died then. Inuyasha wasn't a father figure to Shippo, but he and Kagome were the constants in Shippo's young life. He could depend on them to be there, and Miroku worried about what would happen if Inuyasha were claimed by this illness...
"Miroku!"
Miroku turned and went back into Kaede's hut. Inuyasha was half-sitting on his pallet, looking strangely grim. "Yes, Inuyasha?" the monk said.
"I need to talk to you about something. We're... not exactly friends."
"I wouldn't say 'friends,'" Miroku agreed. "Allies. Comrades. I respect your abilities and -"
"Stuff it. I need you to do me a favor."
"Yes?"
Inuyasha sighed. "You weren't there when that bear attacked Kagome. I saw it clawing at her right before I arrived. If I hadn't come, it would have killed her in a minute. Like a mad thing."
Miroku frowned. "And... you're afraid that you might lose your reason as well."
"Yeah. I want you to promise me something."
"What?"
"If this... Bloodfang makes me lost control, and I try to hurt Kagome -- I want you to use your wind tunnel on me."
Miroku's eyes widened. "The wind tunnel?"
"Yeah. No hesitation."
Miroku held up his covered hand. "Inuyasha, if I turn the wind tunnel on you, you'd be killed in a matter of seconds."
"I know that, idiot!" Inuyasha snapped. "Why else do you think I'm asking you? I won't let myself endanger Kagome if I lose my mind. Will you promise me to do that?"
He fixed his eyes on Miroku's. The monk quickly looked away. Inuyasha's hand shot out and grabbed Miroku's wrist. Miroku gasped; even weakened, Inuyasha was strong enough to break his wrist if he chose. "I want you to swear that you'll do it," Inuyasha growled.
Miroku tugged at Inuyasha's arm. "Have you told Kagome?" he asked.
"Of course not, you idiot. You're the only one I've told. Now will you swear it or not?"
Miroku clenched his cursed hand into a fist. "Do you really mean what you're saying?" he asked in a low voice. "Inuyasha, you are one of the few I would trust with my life, and it pains me to see you like this. But... this is what you really want me to do -- even if it means your death?"
Inuyasha nodded once. Miroku saw a brief flash of fear in his eyes. He wondered morbidly whether Shippo would grow up normally if something bad came of all this. The prospect of losing Inuyasha was terrible enough; the fact that Miroku might be the cause of his death was even worse.
The monk sighed heavily. "Very well. I swear I will use the wind tunnel if you try to harm Kagome."
*
Kagome wasn't sure why, but she had the feeling that Miroku wanted to say something to her -- and not his usual "will you bear my child" line. He watched her silently that evening as they ate together, and later on while she tried to study. His handsome face usually concealed what he was thinking, but now he just looked sad.
Kagome had promised her mother, when she first started going through the well, that she would keep studying. But she couldn't focus on the geometry lessons, the formulae and stuff about pi. Drowning them all out was the thought that Inuyasha might die...
Frustrated, Kagome let her textbook fall with a crash. Kaede looked up from the fire. "Be ye all right, Kagome?"
"I'm fine," Kagome said in a choked voice. She glanced over at Inuyasha, curled on his pallet.
Kaede nodded. "If any have the strength, he does, child," she said softly. "Ye must give him ye faith and encouragement, if he is to survive. I have seen how ye inspire him in battle. Now perhaps the same holds true in illness."
Kagome flushed.
But she thought about what Kaede said that night. The idea of losing Inuyasha was so horrible that it had only crossed her mind once before -- after he had thrown her down the well. He'd been so terribly injured that for the worst half-hour of her life, Kagome had wondered if he was dead. When she saw him, alive and sort-of-well, all her angry words had melted away, and she'd run crying into his arms.
Later on she'd felt a little stupid, but her words had been genuine. The idea of losing this often-rude, violent half-demon was one of the most frightening of her life. Just thinking about it made her eyes fill with tears.
I'll stay by him if it helps, Kagome thought, resting her chin on her knees. I'll stay with him for as long as it takes if it makes him get better...
Suddenly Inuyasha groaned and shuddered.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered, creeping toward him. She touched his bare shoulder, and flinched. He was burning up. "Inuyasha!"
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Kaede's words clung to Kagome's mind all that night. Kagome stayed by Inuyasha's side for the rest of the evening, but he barely spoke to her. In fact, he barely spoke to anyone.
The stars were shining through the window, and a soft summer breeze seeped in the doorway. Kagome lay awake, with Sango beside her and Shippo between them. Shippo's eyes were swollen, and every now and then he whimpered in his sleep.
He's thinking about Inuyasha... she thought. She stroked his head absently.
The half-demon was curled on a pallet in the corner. Kagome could hear his heavy breathing; for a moment she was tempted to go to him. But he hated to be seen when he was weakened. For as long as she could remember, he hadn't even gotten sick; he'd collapsed a few times when he was really hurt, but he hadn't gotten so much as a cold.
She rolled over, trying not to remember what Myoga had said. No half-demon had survived the Bloodfang.
In the corner, Inuyasha stared off into the darkness with glowing eyes.
*
"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Miroku asked.
"I'll be fine," Sango said, sitting on Kirara's back. She took a bundle of food from the monk. "It's not far, anyway. If you need Shippo or Kirara, you can just take Kagome's bi-cycle."
"You forgot me!" Myoga squeaked from the demon-cat's back.
"Or you," Sango amended. "Come on, Shippo. We need to get going."
Kagome came out of Kaede's hut with Shippo on her shoulder. Shippo was sniffling into a scrap of cloth. He leaped onto Kirara's back, and the demon-cat raced away into the woods.
Miroku sighed. He felt badly for Shippo. The little fox-demon had already joined Inuyasha and Kagome by the time Miroku had met them, but Kagome had given him the basics of how they had met. Shippo had been newly orphaned, and Inuyasha helped him avenge his father's death, then allowed him to come along.
Miroku had lost his own father when he was even younger than Shippo, and he knew how traumatic it would have been if Mushin had died then. Inuyasha wasn't a father figure to Shippo, but he and Kagome were the constants in Shippo's young life. He could depend on them to be there, and Miroku worried about what would happen if Inuyasha were claimed by this illness...
"Miroku!"
Miroku turned and went back into Kaede's hut. Inuyasha was half-sitting on his pallet, looking strangely grim. "Yes, Inuyasha?" the monk said.
"I need to talk to you about something. We're... not exactly friends."
"I wouldn't say 'friends,'" Miroku agreed. "Allies. Comrades. I respect your abilities and -"
"Stuff it. I need you to do me a favor."
"Yes?"
Inuyasha sighed. "You weren't there when that bear attacked Kagome. I saw it clawing at her right before I arrived. If I hadn't come, it would have killed her in a minute. Like a mad thing."
Miroku frowned. "And... you're afraid that you might lose your reason as well."
"Yeah. I want you to promise me something."
"What?"
"If this... Bloodfang makes me lost control, and I try to hurt Kagome -- I want you to use your wind tunnel on me."
Miroku's eyes widened. "The wind tunnel?"
"Yeah. No hesitation."
Miroku held up his covered hand. "Inuyasha, if I turn the wind tunnel on you, you'd be killed in a matter of seconds."
"I know that, idiot!" Inuyasha snapped. "Why else do you think I'm asking you? I won't let myself endanger Kagome if I lose my mind. Will you promise me to do that?"
He fixed his eyes on Miroku's. The monk quickly looked away. Inuyasha's hand shot out and grabbed Miroku's wrist. Miroku gasped; even weakened, Inuyasha was strong enough to break his wrist if he chose. "I want you to swear that you'll do it," Inuyasha growled.
Miroku tugged at Inuyasha's arm. "Have you told Kagome?" he asked.
"Of course not, you idiot. You're the only one I've told. Now will you swear it or not?"
Miroku clenched his cursed hand into a fist. "Do you really mean what you're saying?" he asked in a low voice. "Inuyasha, you are one of the few I would trust with my life, and it pains me to see you like this. But... this is what you really want me to do -- even if it means your death?"
Inuyasha nodded once. Miroku saw a brief flash of fear in his eyes. He wondered morbidly whether Shippo would grow up normally if something bad came of all this. The prospect of losing Inuyasha was terrible enough; the fact that Miroku might be the cause of his death was even worse.
The monk sighed heavily. "Very well. I swear I will use the wind tunnel if you try to harm Kagome."
*
Kagome wasn't sure why, but she had the feeling that Miroku wanted to say something to her -- and not his usual "will you bear my child" line. He watched her silently that evening as they ate together, and later on while she tried to study. His handsome face usually concealed what he was thinking, but now he just looked sad.
Kagome had promised her mother, when she first started going through the well, that she would keep studying. But she couldn't focus on the geometry lessons, the formulae and stuff about pi. Drowning them all out was the thought that Inuyasha might die...
Frustrated, Kagome let her textbook fall with a crash. Kaede looked up from the fire. "Be ye all right, Kagome?"
"I'm fine," Kagome said in a choked voice. She glanced over at Inuyasha, curled on his pallet.
Kaede nodded. "If any have the strength, he does, child," she said softly. "Ye must give him ye faith and encouragement, if he is to survive. I have seen how ye inspire him in battle. Now perhaps the same holds true in illness."
Kagome flushed.
But she thought about what Kaede said that night. The idea of losing Inuyasha was so horrible that it had only crossed her mind once before -- after he had thrown her down the well. He'd been so terribly injured that for the worst half-hour of her life, Kagome had wondered if he was dead. When she saw him, alive and sort-of-well, all her angry words had melted away, and she'd run crying into his arms.
Later on she'd felt a little stupid, but her words had been genuine. The idea of losing this often-rude, violent half-demon was one of the most frightening of her life. Just thinking about it made her eyes fill with tears.
I'll stay by him if it helps, Kagome thought, resting her chin on her knees. I'll stay with him for as long as it takes if it makes him get better...
Suddenly Inuyasha groaned and shuddered.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered, creeping toward him. She touched his bare shoulder, and flinched. He was burning up. "Inuyasha!"
TO BE CONTINUED