CHAPTER TWELVE

*

Inuyasha stirred in the dark. Then he blinked. His eyes were open, but he couldn't see anything. For a moment he felt a wave of panic. Am I blind? What happened to my eyes? Did that damn snake blind me? he thought.

Then a cold wind blew through the air, sweeping the clouds away, and for a moment the stars were uncovered. It lit up Kagome's sleeping features with an eerie light. Inuyasha relaxed. He could still see; it was only the moonless nighttime sky that was pitch-black.

He raised his arm and tried to clench his fingers into a fist. It wasn't quite working. His legs were still clumsy and numb, but he knew it would be only a short time before he could rise and walk... though he would probably need Kagome to lean on for awhile. He didn't like the idea, but she would insist.

It must've been those herbs Kagome put on me, he thought, glancing down at his chest. They drew out some of the poison from my wounds. I bet that's something that that damn snake didn't count on. He smiled a little at the thought. It was time for the snake demon to get what happened to all snakes who tried to harm Inuyasha: Death by a very large rock.

Kagome stirred in her sleep at his side.

One of us should stay awake, Inuyasha thought, letting his head rest against hers. He wasn't very sleepy anyway. It felt like he had slept through a good chunk of the night, although the sky was still dark. We can make a run for the village soon, and hide at Kaede's until dawn, he thought. And next month... I dunno what I'll do when the next new moon rolls around, but I sure as hell won't let Kagome go anywhere alone. We'll deal with that when it hits us.

His hand was still tightly clasped in hers, even when she was asleep. Inuyasha's face softened slightly as he looked at her. She had said that he hated people knowing about him turning into a human.

That isn't exactly true, he thought, resting his cheek against her head. I don't like Miroku, Sango, Kaede and Shippo knowing. But... I don't mind... Kagome knowing the truth about me.

Until the night Kagome had found out his secret, Inuyasha had successfully hidden his transformation from everyone. Myoga didn't know, and neither had Kikyo. He wasn't sure why he had never told her, but somehow it had never even crossed his mind to tell her, during the time he spent lurking around her village. When the moon had been dark, he hid in the trees, like he always had.

But Kagome... well, he didn't mind her knowing.

Kagome suddenly opened her eyes. "Ahh... oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Doesn't matter," Inuyasha said gruffly. "I was awake most of the time."

Kagome sat up and stretched. "How are you feeling? Can you move?"

"Some," Inuyasha grunted. With an effort, he pushed himself up, leaning against the rock wall. His arms were shaking, and his feet still felt cold, but he could move. And if he could move, he could fight. Even as a human.

Kagome pulled his arm over her shoulders and started pushing him up. "Well, we should probably get moving," she said. "Wow, you're heavy -- to look at you move, anyone would think you were a featherweight."

"Sorry to break your back," Inuyasha said sarcastically, using Tetsusaiga as a makeshift cane. "I'll be sure not to do it next time."

"That's the Inuyasha I know and love," Kagome said dryly. She found it hard to get too mad with him, after he had almost suffocated in front of her eyes. And, she thought, blushing, he did ask to hold my hand. Maybe he.... no, I shouldn't assume...

"You okay?" Inuyasha broke into her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kagome said, flustered. "How are your legs?"

"Still cold," Inuyasha grunted, as they stepped over a small incline.

"Well, you can wrap up when we get to Kaede's, and get over the venom gradually."

"IF we get to Kaede's," Inuyasha said darkly. "We've gotta lot of terrain to cross before we get there. And we've still got a bastard snake trying to eat me." He was still leaning heavily on Kagome, and she didn't dare to move too fast for fear he would slip or stumble. Even so, she felt nervous about how slowly they were going. She kept glancing at the shivering, shadowed trees, watching for a pair of red eyes glaring at them.

Suddenly Inuyasha stopped. "Kagome, don't move," he whispered.

"W-what?" Kagome said.

Then she heard the sound. A low, rattling sound like frozen leaves in the wind. She clutched at Inuyasha's shoulder as something rushed fast through the underbrush, leaving a faint smell behind it. "Is that him?" she whispered.

"Yeah, it's him," Inuyasha said grimly. "But I don't think he saw us. Yet."

TO BE CONTINUED