CHAPTER FOURTEEN
*
Kagome woke with a start, feeling the sun's warmth on her face.
She sat up, looking around at the plain little room. She was tucked into a bed -- Kaede's, she suspected -- and it was mid-morning, by the sunlight streaming through the window. Miroku was sitting by the door screen, with his head bowed in meditation.
Sunlight... sunrise...
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, stumbling out of the bed.
Miroku broke out his trance as Kagome went by. He grabbed her, but she pushed him away, calling Inuyasha's name over and over. "Kagome, wait! Inuyasha is-" he said. She pushed the screen out of the way, and almost fell into the next room.
Inuyasha was lying on his pallet, where he had been the night before. His hair had turned back to silver, and his ears were that of a dog. But he didn't move when she had called his name.
For one agonizing moment, Kagome was sure he was dead. Then she saw the slight rise and fall of his battered chest.
"-sleeping peacefully," Miroku finished.
"As were ye until a few minutes ago," Kaede said, appearing in the doorway. "Be calm, Kagome. Inuyasha's fever has broken, and he sleeps in peace for the first time in many days. Though I cannot be sure so soon, I think that the Bloodfang is purged from his body. Now he has only to rest and recover his strength. It has been a terrible ordeal for him."
Kagome's knees suddenly seemed to lose all their bones. Miroku grabbed her before she fell flat on her face.
"As has it been for ye," Kaede said, holding her hand. "Ye have gone without most food or sleep for many days, to hold vigil by his side. Ye must rest too."
Kagome finally convinced them to let her sleep beside Inuyasha's pallet, the way she had been for the past week. "Have you told the others?" she asked Miroku sleepily, as he draped a blanket over her.
"Not yet. I'll go right now."
"Yeah, Shippo will probably be hysterical by now." Kagome yawned and closed her eyes.
But or awhile after Miroku left, Kagome couldn't sleep. She found herself watching Inuyasha, remembering how he'd been the night before.
*
Inuyasha woke to a white mist swirling around him, seeming to envelop him like a mother's comforting embrace, letting him sink deeper. The gnawing pain in his chest was gone, and he didn't have to gasp for breath any longer.
Where am I? Am I dead? he wondered.
No... no, he wasn't. He could smell Kagome, somewhere near him. Unconsciously, he turned his head to the side, inhaled her scent. The mists began to dissolve as he struggled to locate her.
His hand bumped into something.
"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, opening his eyes.
Kagome was curled up on a bed of blankets, right next to him. Fast asleep, with her face burrowed into a pillow. His hand was resting on her shoulder.
His hand.... Inuyasha raised it in front of his face and sighed. His claws were back, and he could feel that his dog ears were too. But the pain in his chest was gone, except for those scratches he had made himself. His shoulder hurt, but it was minor compared to how it had felt before.
What he felt now was weakness. It felt like his muscles had turned to wet noodles. And the room began to blur and spin as he managed to get upright. Flashing lights danced in front of his eyes.
He fell back with an undignified grunt. "Dammit," he said hoarsely.
Kagome stirred and opened her eyes. "Inuyasha?"
"I'm awake," Inuyasha said, turning to her.
"How do you feel?"
"Weak." He said the word as if it were a curse. "I can't sit up, I can't do anything."
"Well, you are just recovering from a very bad illness. Just give it time."
Inuyasha didn't reply. He really must be feeling tired, Kagome thought. He didn't argue at all!
"Kagome," Inuyasha said in a soft, dreamy voice. "I want you to tell me something honestly... about Miroku."
"He didn't lay a finger on me, except when I almost fell on my face."
"Good." Inuyasha shut his golden eyes and snuggled into the pillow. "Glad to hear the pervert monk kept his hands to himself."
He stayed silent and still, until Kagome's slow breaths assured him that she had fallen asleep. After making sure that Miroku and Kaede were gone, he inched closer until he was beside her. Trembling with the effort, he put his arm around her.
*
"Lay on your belly, so that I may see ye back." Kaede knelt down beside Inuyasha's pallet.
Kagome's breath caught as Inuyasha reluctantly bared his back. He was slowly getting stronger, but she still had the lingering fear that anytime now, he'd start burning with fever again. The fear vanished as she saw his back. His skin was clear.
"The mark of the Bloodfang has gone," Kaede said with satisfaction. "Ye are truly healed. Now, all that remains is for ye to recover. Wait but a week or so, and that shall be enough for ye."
"Don't want to wait that long," Inuyasha mumbled. "I can be up in three days."
"I think ye overestimate yourself," Kaede said dryly. "Even ye are not invulnerable, and the Bloodfang was worse than most injuries dealt to ye."
"The Shikon jewel can wait a few days," Kagome said, pulling a blanket over him.
"Says who?"
"Says me."
"Ah yes, he has recovered even now," Kaede said wryly,
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Kagome woke with a start, feeling the sun's warmth on her face.
She sat up, looking around at the plain little room. She was tucked into a bed -- Kaede's, she suspected -- and it was mid-morning, by the sunlight streaming through the window. Miroku was sitting by the door screen, with his head bowed in meditation.
Sunlight... sunrise...
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, stumbling out of the bed.
Miroku broke out his trance as Kagome went by. He grabbed her, but she pushed him away, calling Inuyasha's name over and over. "Kagome, wait! Inuyasha is-" he said. She pushed the screen out of the way, and almost fell into the next room.
Inuyasha was lying on his pallet, where he had been the night before. His hair had turned back to silver, and his ears were that of a dog. But he didn't move when she had called his name.
For one agonizing moment, Kagome was sure he was dead. Then she saw the slight rise and fall of his battered chest.
"-sleeping peacefully," Miroku finished.
"As were ye until a few minutes ago," Kaede said, appearing in the doorway. "Be calm, Kagome. Inuyasha's fever has broken, and he sleeps in peace for the first time in many days. Though I cannot be sure so soon, I think that the Bloodfang is purged from his body. Now he has only to rest and recover his strength. It has been a terrible ordeal for him."
Kagome's knees suddenly seemed to lose all their bones. Miroku grabbed her before she fell flat on her face.
"As has it been for ye," Kaede said, holding her hand. "Ye have gone without most food or sleep for many days, to hold vigil by his side. Ye must rest too."
Kagome finally convinced them to let her sleep beside Inuyasha's pallet, the way she had been for the past week. "Have you told the others?" she asked Miroku sleepily, as he draped a blanket over her.
"Not yet. I'll go right now."
"Yeah, Shippo will probably be hysterical by now." Kagome yawned and closed her eyes.
But or awhile after Miroku left, Kagome couldn't sleep. She found herself watching Inuyasha, remembering how he'd been the night before.
*
Inuyasha woke to a white mist swirling around him, seeming to envelop him like a mother's comforting embrace, letting him sink deeper. The gnawing pain in his chest was gone, and he didn't have to gasp for breath any longer.
Where am I? Am I dead? he wondered.
No... no, he wasn't. He could smell Kagome, somewhere near him. Unconsciously, he turned his head to the side, inhaled her scent. The mists began to dissolve as he struggled to locate her.
His hand bumped into something.
"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, opening his eyes.
Kagome was curled up on a bed of blankets, right next to him. Fast asleep, with her face burrowed into a pillow. His hand was resting on her shoulder.
His hand.... Inuyasha raised it in front of his face and sighed. His claws were back, and he could feel that his dog ears were too. But the pain in his chest was gone, except for those scratches he had made himself. His shoulder hurt, but it was minor compared to how it had felt before.
What he felt now was weakness. It felt like his muscles had turned to wet noodles. And the room began to blur and spin as he managed to get upright. Flashing lights danced in front of his eyes.
He fell back with an undignified grunt. "Dammit," he said hoarsely.
Kagome stirred and opened her eyes. "Inuyasha?"
"I'm awake," Inuyasha said, turning to her.
"How do you feel?"
"Weak." He said the word as if it were a curse. "I can't sit up, I can't do anything."
"Well, you are just recovering from a very bad illness. Just give it time."
Inuyasha didn't reply. He really must be feeling tired, Kagome thought. He didn't argue at all!
"Kagome," Inuyasha said in a soft, dreamy voice. "I want you to tell me something honestly... about Miroku."
"He didn't lay a finger on me, except when I almost fell on my face."
"Good." Inuyasha shut his golden eyes and snuggled into the pillow. "Glad to hear the pervert monk kept his hands to himself."
He stayed silent and still, until Kagome's slow breaths assured him that she had fallen asleep. After making sure that Miroku and Kaede were gone, he inched closer until he was beside her. Trembling with the effort, he put his arm around her.
*
"Lay on your belly, so that I may see ye back." Kaede knelt down beside Inuyasha's pallet.
Kagome's breath caught as Inuyasha reluctantly bared his back. He was slowly getting stronger, but she still had the lingering fear that anytime now, he'd start burning with fever again. The fear vanished as she saw his back. His skin was clear.
"The mark of the Bloodfang has gone," Kaede said with satisfaction. "Ye are truly healed. Now, all that remains is for ye to recover. Wait but a week or so, and that shall be enough for ye."
"Don't want to wait that long," Inuyasha mumbled. "I can be up in three days."
"I think ye overestimate yourself," Kaede said dryly. "Even ye are not invulnerable, and the Bloodfang was worse than most injuries dealt to ye."
"The Shikon jewel can wait a few days," Kagome said, pulling a blanket over him.
"Says who?"
"Says me."
"Ah yes, he has recovered even now," Kaede said wryly,
TO BE CONTINUED