Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own it.
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She was too weak to pull it out though, and her arms wrapped around his neck, hugging him, "InuYasha! InuYasha! Wake up! Take out the arrow!" Hearing no response, she turned towards Kikyo, "Why did you do this?! Why do you still hold hatred for him when he did nothing?"
Kikyo did not say anything, than she turned, and started walking away. She knew her weak self was much to weak to pull out the arrow. And this arrow was different, by a certain time, the seal shall be permanent.
Kagome watched her go, than turned back to InuYasha. She let go of his neck and looked at his face. He in a way looked somewhat peaceful. Tears grew from her eyes, wondering if she'll ever be able to pull it out in time. She doubted it, but she had to try!
She wrapped her hands around the arrow and pulled. No difference. She continued trying to pull it out, her brown eyes showed her fear, the fear of losing InuYasha, "No! C'mon, please!" She pleaded, but with no one really. She let go of the arrow, and let her arms fall to her sides.
"InuYasha… I'm sorry…" She whispered. Again, she leaned closer to him and wrapped him in a hug. A tear fell from her face, and landed onto the place were the arrow and InuYasha were connected. A soft pink glow enclouded the arrow, Kagome let go of him, seeing the pink light.
She was confused at first, than it clicked in her mind. Kagome wrapped her weakened hands around the long arrow, and with a hard pull, it came out. Thrown back at the force, she rubbed her head with her hand. She hit a rock or something. Glancing up at InuYasha, she watched to see it hadn't been too late.
Slowly, his eyes stirred. Opening them, everything was blurry. Clearing up, he saw Kagome on the ground, with a little red on a rock nearby. Fully alert, he got up and ran over to her, kneeling by her, "Are you okay?" He asked, picking her up. He didn't exactly want to talk about what Kikyo had almost done to him.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Um, are you okay?"
He shrugged, getting to his feet. InuYasha glanced around, to see if there was anyone close by. After that, he started again his strides. Like nothing had happened at all before.
Kagome noticed this, that he was ignoring it. She sighed softly, and looked around, than she closed her eyes, feeling very very sleepy. She murmured softly under her breath, "I'm just gonna go to sleep for now…" She felt safe in his arms, and soon forgot about their troubles.
InuYasha was getting tired, and he slowed down slightly. Damn, the poison really must be getting to me know. But I can't slow down! I have to get her to Kaede's! He didn't let himself think what would happen if Kaede did not know how to cure or help Kagome get better quicker.
In his arms, Kagome seemed to be getting heavier by the minute. Of course she wasn't gaining weight, he was getting weaker. Still he pushed himself, hurrying his pace. InuYasha growled, but mostly to make himself feel better. He wondered than if the Ice-Demon had any more tricks up her sleeve.
As he continued to his way, InuYasha than remembered Shippo and Miroku. He hoped that they hadn't gotten into any real trouble, though he doubted it. Miroku's right hand was more than enough to dealing with demons, unless if Naraku's Insects were present.
It seemed to take forever, but soon enough he could see that Kaede's hut was not too far. He slowed down, feeling like he was out of breath. Taking a deep breath, he started up his strides, seeing that her hut was finally get closer, but it seemed still to take forever, like time was standing still. Or rather, slowed down.
Slowing down to a walk, he walked through her door, and looked around for her. She wasn't there. Another growl reached his throat, this was getting annoying. Gently putting down Kagome, he kneeled down and whispered to her, "I'm going to go look for Kaede, I'll be back."
InuYasha started getting up, but he felt than her hand grasp at his own hand. He looked again at her, confused. She wanted to get better, didn't she? He needed to go look for Kaede… He knelt down once more, and put her icy hand between his own hands. He softly said, "Kagome, I'll be back. But you gotta let me go… Since the old lady isn't here."
Kagome shook her head, and said in a raspy voice, "No… Please stay…She'll come soon enough…" She had gotten worse again, this poison was unpredictable. Sometimes it wore her out, other moments she was as strong as ever. She murmured softly, "I don't want to be alone."
"I'm right here…" Sitting down, he still held her hand. You better hurry it, old wrench.
He fixed himself so he sat cross-legged by her, tightening his grip on her hand. It felt like time was slowing down, but it slowly moved on. After what seemed ages, Kaede finally entered. She looked quite puzzled, than a serious look overcame her face when she saw Kagome.
Moving swiftly over to Kagome, she looked than over to InuYasha, "Can ye tell me what has happened to Kagome?"
Golden eyes looked down at the ground, and he did not answer at first. Slowly looking up at her, InuYasha than said, "There was an ice-demon, she struck her. And me too. It has poison… than she was kidnapped, and that didn't really help her. Can you cure her?"
While he was speaking, Kaede had bent down and examined Kagome's crystalized wound. Couple long moments afterwards, she looked once more at InuYasha, "I cannot help this. It is fatal, unless ye can get the actual antidote from the demon that caused this in the first place."
InuYasha tensed, and let go of her hand. He said bitterly, "Damn her…" He turned again towards Kagome, and said softly, again grasping her hand, "Kagome, I have to go. If I don't, you could die…" Seeing that she had actually fell asleep, he slowly got up. Leaving the hut, he gave Kaede a glare.
He started on his running/jumping strides again. He also wondered what had happened to Miroku and Shippo, but he shrugged. He didn't even now where to go, where would this demon be? InuYasha growled, and continued forth, and finally caught a scent. A demon's scent.
Following it still, he hurried, pushing himself harder. Kagome didn't seem to have much time; maybe he should have stayed with her? What if Kagome… No, she's strong. She'll hold on for me. He stopped, and looked around, to see where he had been lead to. On certain trees he saw a star-shaped ice mark.
Walk to each tree, he noticed that he was moving forwards. He understood what they were for, and again continued on his way, knowing that these were left for him to follow. His eyes closed half-way, and gazed around lazily. But still rushed, finally, he tripped on a root.
He got up slowly, rubbing his head where it hit ground. He beat himself inside, since that took up precious time. He regained himself and continued on froth, but more carefully -he didn't want to trip again.
After a running for hours -what really was at least half-an-hour- he stopped, InuYasha had lost the scent, and the ice markings on the tree trunks or at least they had vanished. It didn't make sense to him, unless the demon was there. But he couldn't hear anything nor smell anything.
InuYasha started getting ready to start off in a new direction, out of random, with hopes he wasn't just going further. Than he heard rustling, and called out harshly, "Come and face me, coward!" His hand slid over to his sword's handle, getting ready to pull it out.
"The hanyou's finally here. Took forever, eh? Thought you would be faster, being half-demon and all. But I guess you're actually much weaker than you say you are!" An echo-like voice said, the Ice-demon's. She appeared on a branch nearby, and looking the same as always, but the scar across her throat was now just a scar, not a scab.
"You know why I was slower! You poisoned me!" InuYasha growled, and took out the sword, and it transformed. He pointed it at her and than said bitterly, "Kagome doesn't deserve it!" He pushed himself off the ground, and took a swipe at her, but she easily dodged.
"You aren't going to hit me, InuYasha the Hanyou. So give up, well, maybe I can make a deal with you? Kikyo agreed to her deal, and it saved her life. Are you going to save the girl's life?" She paused, but saw that InuYasha actually was listening. She didn't expect that, from the rumours.
She shrugged, and opened her right hand palm, and a red-coloured sphere with spikes all over appeared, than continued, "See this? It's the antidote. Or at least, part of it. If you stole it and gave it to Kagome, it would kill her. It becomes the antidote once the protective barrier has been melted by me. So don't even try to steal it."
InuYasha tightened his grasp around the handle, but he didn't move.
"Very well. Trade me the Shikon Jewels and I'll give you the antidote," She said simply, as she dropped down to the ground, and walked up near InuYasha. But still out of striking range, "So, what do you think? Give me the jewels, and save the girl's life. Or keep them and she dies. Painfully."
"In your dreams!" He yelled. It wasn't that he didn't care about Kagome; just he thought he could beat the demon. He jumped and took another strike at her, and again she dodged. InuYasha than said to her, "I'll just kill you!" He went after her again, and kept swiping at her.
She sighed, and rolled her eyes. The demon took out her own sword, now fixed or re-created from the old pieces. She blocked one of his blows, and pushed him back. Jumping forward at him, she pointed her sword at his throat, "You can't beat me. With or without the poison. Remember when you thought you had killed me?"
Quick hand pushed her sword away, than jumped to his feet. He took another swipe, than said, "Demons that talk too much are never truly strong," He muttered at her. Blocking all her attacks, but he couldn't land one on her either. And if he did, her sword could also be fatal.
Finally, with a hard hit, InuYasha pushed her sword away, and she dropped it. She sneered, and simply jumped at a branch. Her hands were pointed at him, and ice-arrows started to be shot at him. He blocked them all, and remembered these were the same arrows that caused all this in the first place.
One of the arrows hit his sword, and it transformed back to its useless form. Damn! How can they do that?… Placing it back in it's sheath, he jumped at her, and when she shot her arrows, he broke them apart with his nails. He pushed her backwards, and she fell down.
She groaned, and looked up, to see InuYasha before. For a spilt-moment, fear filled her mind. Than she hit forward, in a punch. Startled, he moved back for a moment. But this was all she needed; she got up and again was aiming her hands at him. She shot arrows at him, and he still destroyed him.
InuYasha rubbed his face, and than saw his hand had blood on it. Her punch was stronger than it had actually felt. He growled, and again made forward at her, and slashed at her face. She was not able to dodge this one.
She gasped, and light-blue substance flowed out slowly from her wound. She was really angry now, and it showed. Spikes at her wrists and elbows grew an inch, and her entire eye was now red, not just the pupil, "You'll pay dearly for that!" Shooting a round of arrows at him, he wasn't able to miss them.
They pinned him back at a tree, immobile. Golden eyes looked at her in anger, than saw her approaching slightly.
Eyes narrowing slightly, she lifted up her hand, "Now it's time to die!" She shot a single long arrow, than shot towards him in less than a split second.
He narrowed his eyes, watching the arrow. Than a pink slur hit at the arrow, and it shattered to pieces. An arrow handed near him. Looking around, he mouthed, "Kagome?"
The Ice-demon was furious, and looked around. She caught sight of the culprit. Kagome. She walked over to her, and pointed, "You! I could have ended his life painless! And you're supposed to be dead by now!" She had underestimated the human girl, she was stronger than she had expected.
It wasn't like Kagome was strong at the moment. Sweat covering her body, her eyes were narrowed, but were weary. Her hands trembling slightly, still holding the bow. She whispered loudly, "You don't dare hurt InuYasha…" Again, she lifted her arrow, and let go of the arrow.
The demon jumped up quickly, and puzzlement still was on her face. As she watched, Kagome dropped down to her knees, breathing heavily and laboured. But she was still aiming at her, and another arrow shot towards her. She was able to dodge it, but they were so fast!
TO BE CONTIUNED