CHAPTER THIRTEEN
*
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered.
Inuyasha didn't respond. The flush had drained from his face, and his bare skin had suddenly gone from hot to cool. The afternoon sun was seeping through the treetops, casting a blood-red glow on his face.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, shaking him. He couldn't leave her -- not when he was so close... not when he was almost there... not before she told him...
Miroku appeared in the doorway. "Kagome! Wait! Calm down, it's not what you think!" He knelt at Inuyasha's side, and turned his hand over. "Look. Look at this."
Kagome gasped. Inuyasha's claws were gone, replaced by human fingernails.
"The sun has started setting," Miroku said.
Kagome looked at Inuyasha's face. His dog ears had completely vanished from the top of his head; when she touched the side of his skull, she felt a human ear concealed under his thick silver hair. And that was changing as well. A shimmer seemed to run over his head, turning the hairs from silver to black.
She glanced out the door. As the edge of the sun vanished beyond the horizon, Inuyasha trembled again, and lay still. His hair was pitch-black, and his claws and dog ears had vanished. She was holding what appeared to be an ordinary human, a teenage boy, asleep and peaceful.
"His fever's gone," she said. "And he's not crying out anymore."
"The Bloodfang must have receded," Miroku said. "Here, let's lower him down."
With Miroku's help, Kagome awkwardly lowered Inuyasha down to the pallet. His eyes twitched, and slowly opened.
"How do you feel?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha didn't answer for a moment. "Miroku," he said finally.
"Yes?" Miroku asked.
"Get out. I wanna talk to Kagome alone."
Miroku nodded and left the hut.
Inuyasha watched the doorway until the monk's shadow had vanished from the doorway. His dark eyes wandered over the window, where the moon had been the night before.
"Are you still in pain?" Kagome asked softly. "Are you having trouble breathing?"
"No... I'm just tired," Inuyasha said, touching his chest. "These hurt, though..."
"I can put some salve on them if you want." Kagome touched his wounded shoulder.
"Forget it. It's no big deal. They're just on the skin." Inuyasha shifted on the pallet, and pressed a hand to his bandaged shoulder. He winced. Damn, it's still hot, he thought. If it's still got the Bloodfang in it...
"Can you forgive me?" Kagome said in a small, choked voice.
Inuyasha stared at her blankly. "For what?"
"Getting you into this mess." Kagome tried to keep her tears back. Even though Inuyasha probably couldn't see them in the dark room, he could still hear them in her voice. "If I hadn't gotten cornered by that bear, it wouldn't have clawed you and you wouldn't be sick like this. It's my fault this is happening to you..."
"'S not your fault." Inuyasha slowly moved closer, wincing at the pressure on his shoulder. "Even if it was, it wouldn't matter. I'd've done the same, even if I'd known what was gonna happen." His eyes raised to Kagome's, and for a moment she saw her own eyes reflected in them. "I couldn't have stood by and let you be hurt."
Kagome had always wondered what it felt like to have a heart skip a beat. The tears she was trying to hold back were threatening to overflow. "Inuyasha..."
"Kagome," Inuyasha said softly. "Will you promise me something?"
"Sure, anything."
"Promise me... that if I don't make it past tonight... you won't forget me when I'm gone."
Kagome was silent for a moment. Then she leaned over and kissed him between the eyes. A tear trickled down her chin; Inuyasha blinked as it touched his eye. "I couldn't forget you... even if I didn't promise. And I do promise it."
Inuyasha lay quietly for a moment, listening. Then he raised his good hand and touched Kagome's cheek. "You're crying..."
"I'm sorry. I know you hate that."
"Don't cry for me," he said. "I don't like seeing you cry..."
Kagome wiped at her eyes. "You never -- you never acted like you could actually die before -- and now... when you started to transform, I thought you'd..."
Inuyasha was silent again. Unable to see his face, Kagome thought he had drifted off to sleep. Then she heard his voice whispering, "Would you do one more thing... for me?"
"What is it?"
"Would you hold me like you did before... just for a little while?"
Kagome tried to smile. "Sure." She slid down halfway onto the pallet, and gathered Inuyasha close to her, with his head resting against her shoulder. His bare chest and back were cool now that the fever was gone, but she could smell a hint of blood.
"Thanks," Inuyasha said, closing his eyes. "Just let me be here... for a little while..."
Kagome rested her cheek against his forehead, listened to him breathe. Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her back, trembling a little at the effort. It's the least I can do for him, she thought, with tears in her eyes.
*
The sky was turning a soft rose color in the east, and the sound of birds chirping crept in the windows.
Kaede looked up from the spell scrolls she had been making, just to pass the time. Her old bones were weary and aching, from the dampness and lack of sleep. She had returned from Sango's temporary camp by the well, to find Miroku sitting solemnly by the path. He said that Inuyasha had wished to speak with Kagome alone, and had told him to leave.
Inside, Kaede found Kagome fast asleep, with Inuyasha cradled against her, his head resting against her throat. The young half-demon had clearly turned human with the setting sun; Kaede had expected the changes in him, but somehow it was still a shock to see him this way.
"Miroku," Kaede had said softly. "Carry Kagome into my room and let her rest in my bed. I shall wait to see what happens when dawn comes. And see ye come straight back," she added sternly. "Ye shall not dally." The monk looked too tired to try any dallying. He carefully pulled Kagome from Inuyasha's grasp, and carried her into Kaede's room. A moment later he had returned. Soon after, he was dozing in a corner.
Now Kaede watched the sleeping Inuyasha intently. The young half-demon was still human -- until the sun rose. She looked out the window, where the bright line of the sun appeared on the horizon. As the sun rose, Kaede closed her eyes. When she opened then, she turned to look at Inuyasha. The dark-haired human boy was gone, and in his place was a silver-haired, dog-eared half-demon.
The old woman knelt at his side, and felt his face. Then she listened to his chest, and sighed. "And so tis over..."
TO BE CONTINUED
*
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered.
Inuyasha didn't respond. The flush had drained from his face, and his bare skin had suddenly gone from hot to cool. The afternoon sun was seeping through the treetops, casting a blood-red glow on his face.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, shaking him. He couldn't leave her -- not when he was so close... not when he was almost there... not before she told him...
Miroku appeared in the doorway. "Kagome! Wait! Calm down, it's not what you think!" He knelt at Inuyasha's side, and turned his hand over. "Look. Look at this."
Kagome gasped. Inuyasha's claws were gone, replaced by human fingernails.
"The sun has started setting," Miroku said.
Kagome looked at Inuyasha's face. His dog ears had completely vanished from the top of his head; when she touched the side of his skull, she felt a human ear concealed under his thick silver hair. And that was changing as well. A shimmer seemed to run over his head, turning the hairs from silver to black.
She glanced out the door. As the edge of the sun vanished beyond the horizon, Inuyasha trembled again, and lay still. His hair was pitch-black, and his claws and dog ears had vanished. She was holding what appeared to be an ordinary human, a teenage boy, asleep and peaceful.
"His fever's gone," she said. "And he's not crying out anymore."
"The Bloodfang must have receded," Miroku said. "Here, let's lower him down."
With Miroku's help, Kagome awkwardly lowered Inuyasha down to the pallet. His eyes twitched, and slowly opened.
"How do you feel?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha didn't answer for a moment. "Miroku," he said finally.
"Yes?" Miroku asked.
"Get out. I wanna talk to Kagome alone."
Miroku nodded and left the hut.
Inuyasha watched the doorway until the monk's shadow had vanished from the doorway. His dark eyes wandered over the window, where the moon had been the night before.
"Are you still in pain?" Kagome asked softly. "Are you having trouble breathing?"
"No... I'm just tired," Inuyasha said, touching his chest. "These hurt, though..."
"I can put some salve on them if you want." Kagome touched his wounded shoulder.
"Forget it. It's no big deal. They're just on the skin." Inuyasha shifted on the pallet, and pressed a hand to his bandaged shoulder. He winced. Damn, it's still hot, he thought. If it's still got the Bloodfang in it...
"Can you forgive me?" Kagome said in a small, choked voice.
Inuyasha stared at her blankly. "For what?"
"Getting you into this mess." Kagome tried to keep her tears back. Even though Inuyasha probably couldn't see them in the dark room, he could still hear them in her voice. "If I hadn't gotten cornered by that bear, it wouldn't have clawed you and you wouldn't be sick like this. It's my fault this is happening to you..."
"'S not your fault." Inuyasha slowly moved closer, wincing at the pressure on his shoulder. "Even if it was, it wouldn't matter. I'd've done the same, even if I'd known what was gonna happen." His eyes raised to Kagome's, and for a moment she saw her own eyes reflected in them. "I couldn't have stood by and let you be hurt."
Kagome had always wondered what it felt like to have a heart skip a beat. The tears she was trying to hold back were threatening to overflow. "Inuyasha..."
"Kagome," Inuyasha said softly. "Will you promise me something?"
"Sure, anything."
"Promise me... that if I don't make it past tonight... you won't forget me when I'm gone."
Kagome was silent for a moment. Then she leaned over and kissed him between the eyes. A tear trickled down her chin; Inuyasha blinked as it touched his eye. "I couldn't forget you... even if I didn't promise. And I do promise it."
Inuyasha lay quietly for a moment, listening. Then he raised his good hand and touched Kagome's cheek. "You're crying..."
"I'm sorry. I know you hate that."
"Don't cry for me," he said. "I don't like seeing you cry..."
Kagome wiped at her eyes. "You never -- you never acted like you could actually die before -- and now... when you started to transform, I thought you'd..."
Inuyasha was silent again. Unable to see his face, Kagome thought he had drifted off to sleep. Then she heard his voice whispering, "Would you do one more thing... for me?"
"What is it?"
"Would you hold me like you did before... just for a little while?"
Kagome tried to smile. "Sure." She slid down halfway onto the pallet, and gathered Inuyasha close to her, with his head resting against her shoulder. His bare chest and back were cool now that the fever was gone, but she could smell a hint of blood.
"Thanks," Inuyasha said, closing his eyes. "Just let me be here... for a little while..."
Kagome rested her cheek against his forehead, listened to him breathe. Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her back, trembling a little at the effort. It's the least I can do for him, she thought, with tears in her eyes.
*
The sky was turning a soft rose color in the east, and the sound of birds chirping crept in the windows.
Kaede looked up from the spell scrolls she had been making, just to pass the time. Her old bones were weary and aching, from the dampness and lack of sleep. She had returned from Sango's temporary camp by the well, to find Miroku sitting solemnly by the path. He said that Inuyasha had wished to speak with Kagome alone, and had told him to leave.
Inside, Kaede found Kagome fast asleep, with Inuyasha cradled against her, his head resting against her throat. The young half-demon had clearly turned human with the setting sun; Kaede had expected the changes in him, but somehow it was still a shock to see him this way.
"Miroku," Kaede had said softly. "Carry Kagome into my room and let her rest in my bed. I shall wait to see what happens when dawn comes. And see ye come straight back," she added sternly. "Ye shall not dally." The monk looked too tired to try any dallying. He carefully pulled Kagome from Inuyasha's grasp, and carried her into Kaede's room. A moment later he had returned. Soon after, he was dozing in a corner.
Now Kaede watched the sleeping Inuyasha intently. The young half-demon was still human -- until the sun rose. She looked out the window, where the bright line of the sun appeared on the horizon. As the sun rose, Kaede closed her eyes. When she opened then, she turned to look at Inuyasha. The dark-haired human boy was gone, and in his place was a silver-haired, dog-eared half-demon.
The old woman knelt at his side, and felt his face. Then she listened to his chest, and sighed. "And so tis over..."
TO BE CONTINUED