The Scent of Despair
Written by Catrina Winner
Author's Notes: Anyway, as a reward for EVERYONE reviewing me, A SUPER LONG CHAPTER FOR YOU ALL!!!!! And, as an added bonus, I bestow upon you all, FLUFF!! ^ ^;; You love it, don't you? Review!! *hugs everyone* Have fun reading!! ^ ^
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Chapter Five
A soft sound of breathing hung in a darkened room. There was light streaming in from outside, though no one was paying it any heed. A tired figure was stretched across the floor on a thin futon, with a small blanket arranged neatly across the body. Twitches of two ears gave the only sign that the half-demon was near waking. Slowly, the cloth stirred and Inuyasha's mind revived with a million questions.
Why is it so dark? I can't see anything! Was it… an attack? No, I've been sleeping. Something must be covering my eyes. He shook his head violently and the blanket drifted away from him. I can see again! I'm in… some type of hut. Why am I here? Shouldn't I be in the forest? He took a deep breath. It smells of medicine herbs. No, wait… medicine herbs are lighter in scent then that. A frown danced across his face. I'm so hungry… Even those herbs would taste nice now. This futon is hard… Why am I here? Anger suddenly flooded throughout the half-demon's mind. Somewhere behind him, Inuyasha could hear soft voices creating a gentle, almost music-like atmosphere just beyond the door. The door! There was a sharp pain to his head and, unknowingly, he lifted a hand to hold it back. Everything flooded back. The cruel rains and broken paths… His toil to save Kagome, who had fallen sick and- Kagome! He cast his eyes around, searching for the sight of her form anywhere on the floor. She was nowhere around. Fear replaced the anger, which had dissipated remembrance of Kagome.
Inuyasha leapt up, prepared to rush out of the room and find Kagome when the door swung open. Lady Kaede followed a young servant, assisted by her into the small room.
"Kaede! Where is-" Inuyasha began; only slightly surprised at the harsh sound his own voice created in his ears. She held up a hand to stop any further protests and tossed him the fire robe he had carried Kagome in.
"You may want to have this. Some of the girls here cleaned it for you. It took them most of the night," she said slowly.
"Most of the… night?" Inuyasha asked. For the first time, he took a better look at the room surrounding him. A gentle glow filtered in from a single window before him. There was a mist just beyond the safety of the walls, but it was light compared to the thick clouds he had forged his way through to get here. The futon he was resting on was pushed into a corner, and a small, low table was several feet away, settled somewhere near the middle of the room. It was covered in the herbs Inuyasha had smelled. Nothing else was present in the room save a few folded blankets.
"Yes, Inuyasha. You've been asleep for an entire day. I don't know how far you traveled, but it must have been quite the distance. I've never seen anyone so tired in my entire lifetime. Even Demon Wars never left people so fatigued. We gave you herbs to battle it, though, and that's how you managed to wake so early. Who knows how long you would have slept otherwise…" she trailed off, looking over at him.
"What?" he mumbled. His mind had wandered away from Kagome for a moment, concentrating on the strange circumstances that Kaede was presenting him with. It was unbelievable that any half demon could become so tired, but, somehow, it made sense. Their quest had been long and hard, with no guarantee that it would ever be completed. And as soon as it had… the only one who could pray for the immunity of the Jewel took sick. Kagome again rushed into his mind, her pale pallor and strained breathing. Shaking his head to clear the image from his thoughts, Inuyasha looked quickly back up to Kaede.
She bent towards him and smiled, handing him a small bowl of broth. "Here, eat this."
He took it from her aged hands, but did not begin to eat immediately. His stomach issued loud protests at this decision, but they were ignored, Inuyasha favoring to know what had happened to Kagome. The more Kaede avoided the subject and failed to mention her, the more he could feel a dark weight settling itself in his soul. He felt as if he were falling into a pit.
"Eat," Kaede ordered. He began into the meager meal, but kept his eyes on Kaede. She waited patiently until he had eaten all he wanted; the servant refilling the broth every few moments.
"Tell me where Kagome is," he said suddenly.
"She's in another room up the hall," Kaede said quietly.
"Well?!" Inuyasha demanded. His horror had grown with her gentle, condescending tones. Nothing could happen to Kagome… his Kagome. A slight shudder wracked his body, and he quickly pulled on the fire rat robe. An enormous frown decorated his lips and he leveled his gaze on Kaede. "Tell me," he said.
Kaede sighed. "She isn't doing very well, I'm afraid. When you collapsed, I had someone take her up to this hut immediately. As you can guess," she gestured around the room, "the rains have destroyed many of our living areas. Part of mine fell into a new river and so I've been staying here. It isn't as comfortable as I'd like, and it definitely isn't home, but-"
Inuyasha snarled. "Would you just tell me?! Stop with your stalling!" His patience was obviously wearing thin, and Kaede could tell he wasn't going to put up with many more of her subject changes.
"All right, Inuyasha. But you aren't going to like it," she said slowly. It was chilling when her tone changed and grew ever darker.
"Please…?" his voice had changed too. It had become quieter, and much more pleading, as if he was begging to hear news of his poor Kagome.
"She has the rain sickness. It comes with the heavy rains and is caused when the victim sleeps in the dampness, doesn't eat enough, and works their body too hard. It's apparent to me that Kagome has this sickness. You've been dragging her up and down that forest too long. This rain was the last straw for her body. It just stopped working properly and she collapsed one night. It was good to have you bring her here so quickly, but I think that because she kept up such a grueling pace… Inuyasha, I don't think she's going to make it," she fell silent.
His eyes widened. "What…? Not… make… it…?" his mind raced, trying to comprehend whatever had just been issued from Kaede. Kagome was in danger of death. Even though he had rushed her here, it may not be enough… He was too late. It was his entire fault… If I hadn't made Kagome rush back to the village and given her more rests like she always asked, maybe she would be fine now, and not sick in some room here. I have to see her! I can help her if I… if I… He scrambled frantically for some way to help her… save her.
A faint glimmer of an idea flickered
through his head. He leapt up, a low growl
falling from his throat.
"Where is she?!" he asked. He tried to run to the door, but a restraining hand on his arm halted him. "What?" he snarled, whirling on the poor old Kaede.
"Perhaps, Inuyasha, you should not see her. She is hardly breathing, and I don't believe it will do you any good to worry over her. Fate must want it this way. It's like an endless cycle, I suppose. She will be reincarnated again if destiny wishes it," Kaede's words did nothing to calm the angered Inuyasha.
"Nothing is going to happen to Kagome!" he screamed. He pulled his arm free from Kaede's light grip and threw himself into the door. Since he didn't bother to open it properly, it slammed into the wall, splintering and sending bits of wood everywhere. Inuyasha simply continued to stomp down the hall, pushing open every door he came to, breaking half of them. Finally, he came to one half ajar. Pushing it in more gently than the rest of them, he peered in.
His heart almost stopped. There she was. Her dark hair was a sharp contrast to her pale skin. Everything was quiet in the room. Curtains had been pulled over the small windows and the futon had been stacked upon several other blankets, lifting up the back and keeping her head elevated. She was under a large pile of blankets, but still shivering coldly.
Inuyasha wasted no time rushing to her side. Tears slipped unchecked from his eyes, though he didn't notice. He scooped her into his arms.
"Kagome!" he choked out. Nothing stirred and the entire room was held in the silence. Only Inuyasha's unhappy murmurings could be heard, and even those were muffled.
With a final sniff, Inuyasha laid her back down on the futon. He reached up to his own wrist and used a long nail to slash it. He reached down and touched her wrist with the same claw. Both their wrist's bled slowly, sluggishly, but he wasted no time in tying them together.
I hope I don't regret this later, he thought. Not everyone can survive blood sharing with a half demon. But if she does live through this… I swear I tell her. I'll tell her I love her… I love her…
He leaned his head across her collarbone and began to purr. The gentle vibrations soothed her agitated breathing, and the blood he shared with her was already restoring of her color. He shifted, sliding himself under the blankets, and pulled her closer, careful to not loosen the bond on their wrists. With a heavy sigh, he continued his rough purr, lulling them both into a dreamless sleep.
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Isn't it cute? And there's more where that came from! Promise! And I promise even MORE fluff for the next chapter! Writing fluff is so much fun! Please review!