Chapter 10 revised (2.7.04) ^-^
Disclaimer: I own Tama, Tanpopo and Kitsuko~ I WISH I owned Inuyasha (in all his wondrous forms, 'specially his kawai~i human form~ yum) Sesshoumaru, Naraku, Miroku, (Gosh I'm greedy when it comes to the bishies, ain't I?? ;p Don't worry I would share, unlike Takahashi-sama~~;p j/k RT-sama~)
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To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Four :: The Byouma
Chapter Ten :: Tou-san-dou (Eastern Mountain Route)
Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly.
The first thing he felt was a sharp pain in his skull, starting at the base and spreading throughout his brain. His sight was blurry and his head fogged, like he couldn't quite think straight. He felt as though he'd been slammed in the back of the head and been unconscious for days. Once he managed to get his bearings, he looked around the room.
He was alone, lying on a pallet of straw, his haori draped across his body. Hiraikotsu and Kagome's bow and quiver were laid in the corner. There was a fire in the floor-hearth, but it was barely crackling.
Inuyasha sat up, but immediately felt that that was the last thing he should've done, because when he did a stabbing pain throbbed in his chest, so much so that he almost cried out. He gripped a hand over his heart, willing it to stop.
It didn't.
Instead it worsened, burning hot in his chest. His heart was on fire, pumping liquid flame through his body, and it felt like someone had taken hold of both lungs and was slowly squeezing. Everytime he exhaled it seemed to get tighter and even harder to breathe than the time before. With every heartbeat the pain strengthened, and it took everything in him to breathe. Inuyasha gasped, his mouth working in a silent plea. ...Someone... someone please...
"Inuyasha?!"
It was Kagome. He knew her voice, and her scent.
There was a loud noise as several heavy things clattered to the floor, and the thud of her feet as she came to him. Her arm slipped around him, and her hand pressed against his face. Her hands were so soft and cool against his hot skin; he gasped again, a soft cry escaping his lips, and Kagome leaned forward, whispered against his ear, "Hang in there, it's almost over. You're gonna be okay, hang in there..."
After a several long moments the pain began to subside. Minutes passed before he could breathe again, and when he finally could, Inuyasha opened his eyes, blinking up at Kagome, who was crying above him. He realized he was on her lap, and she was cradling his head, stroking his ears soothingly.
He scanned the room again. She had gone to get firewood. Those were the things she had dropped running to him. He looked back at her, panting. "Kagome.. what happened to me...??"
"Y... You're sick," she said softly, wiping her eyes, "When that youkai bit you, it passed you the illness..." Her hand rubbed his chest gently through his white yukata, and he smirked bitterly. "Same one as those villagers, huh?" She nodded and he closed his eyes. "Hmph. Guess I'm gonna die then, huh?"
"No!" she snapped. "I won't let you. There's a youkai healer in Kouzuke, and we're taking you tomorrow. I don't know yet what she wants us to do, but I WILL save you," she said defiantly. Inuyasha looked at her a bit skeptically, and she faltered, leaning forward and burying her face in the white fabric over him. "I can't lose you... not forever... I can't bear it if you leave me."
Inuyasha closed his eyes, combing through Kagome's hair with his claws. "Kagome..."
"You promised me. You said you would never leave my side again... You haven't left me yet... don't leave me now...!"
Inuyasha caught his breath. He remembered that. Right after that damned baby of Naraku's had tried to use Kagome, he had promised he would never leave her side. He had always broken his promises to her; he didn't want to add another to the list.
He patted her hair, still combing through the soft tresses with his claws. "Okay. I won't leave you. I'm still here. As long as I am, I won't let this stupid thing get me." She pulled away a bit and Inuyasha grinned at her weakly. "I won't die yet."
He shifted on her lap, reaching up to put one arm around her waist, and he sighed deeply. "But stay with me... your scent... helps me sleep.."
She swallowed, blushing, before she pulled out of his grasp. His eyes snapped open, looking at her in confusion. He tried to mask the mild hurt he felt when she pulled away from him, only to catch his breath when she lay down next to him. He watched her, a little embarrassed as she took his arms, firmly wrapping them around her. Then she slipped her arms over his waist and snuggled her face against his warm chest.
She glanced up for a moment, smiled at him reassuringly before raising her hand and gently pulling the hair from his sweat-slicked brow. "Go to sleep; I'll be here with you until you do." He looked at her in wonder, his face closely resembling a little boy's, and then nodded and nestled his head comfortably against her arm and closed his eyes.
Within moments he was asleep.
Kagome watched him as he slept. This was as close as she had ever been to him in his sleep. He had fallen asleep at her house a few weeks ago, at the foot of her bed, and it was the most peaceful expression she had ever seen on him to that date.
It still was, considering he was ill now, and his entire body probably hurt. He was calm, but every so often his eyebrows would narrow, and his frown would deepen. Sometimes he would moan, but she just held him tighter. *I won't let you go... I swear, I won't let you go.*
"Did he wake up at all?" asked a soft voice and Kagome looked through the dark at Tama. Inuyasha's twin was worried herself, but it showed a bit less. Kagome smiled softly, "For a little bit."
"Was he in pain?" asked Tama worriedly and Kagome nodded. "A little, but it passed."
Tama came to them and sat down at Inuyasha's head, stroking his hair. For a moment she rested her hand on his forehead before glancing at Kagome. "His fever's gone up."
"I know," the teenager sighed, "I can't get it to cool off... I was looking for fever-reducing herbs while I was getting firewood... Can't find any."
"I've never seen Inuyasha like this... It can happen, but usually youkai don't get sick, not even hanyou... I can't stand seeing him in so much pain..." She looked up at Kagome, looking reproachful of herself. "Here I am babbling about what I feel like… it must be even worse for you... How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay. I have hope. I told him, when he was awake, about Kitsuko." Tama nodded. "It's a damn good thing Sango-chan knew about her," the hanyou said, leaned back against the wall, "Without this 'Kitsuko' he may really--"
"Don't think that way." Kagome looked at her angrily. "You can't even THINK that thought. You have to stay optimistic."
"I would rather prepare for the worst than be ridiculously optimistic and have my heart broken if it does happen." Tama said, and looked at Kagome. "Inuyasha's dying. You must know that, Kagome-chan."
"I do. But I don't believe it. I won't believe it. ......Of course I know it, but I also know that Inuyasha knows it. But if he loses faith in himself, he WILL lose. At least if I believe he can do it, he can try to believe in himself."
Tama looked away silently, shaking her head. In Kagome's arms, Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
It was a bit hard to do, having heard everything the girls had said. As he drifted back to sleep, he made a silent promise to the woman he loved. *Kagome... I'll try...*
~*~
"Kagome, how's Inuyasha?!" Shippou demanded, ripping aside the bamboo-weave curtain/door, and gawped when he saw said hanyou sitting up, dressing. Inuyasha grinned at him. "I'm doing okay right now, Shippou."
"INUYASHA~!" Shippou hugged the front of Inuyasha's haori, his eyes streaming with tears, and the hanyou grimaced. "What's the matter with you??"
"We were all very worried, Inuyasha." Miroku said as he and Sango followed the fox kit in. They had noticed the dog-demon's weak stature. He was sagging a bit, as if he were very tired, and his face was leaner than normal, and very ashen. His grin had been much weakened, but at least it had been geniune.
The hanyou shrugged at their concern. "I'm too tough for some stupid sickness," he declared. Almost as quickly as the words were out of his mouth he felt a sharp pang in his chest. Hissing in pain, Inuyasha doubled over and grabbed a fistful of his haori in his claws, trying to bear it until it passed as he knew it eventually would.
Eventually.
Both Miroku and Sango went forward to help, but the inuyoukai held up his free hand and snarled, "Stay back! ......Leave me alone!" Startled, the houshi and the taijiya stepped back, and Inuyasha clenched that same hand, breathing very heavily. Miroku thought he heard him say, "...I can handle this..."
Sango, determined, set her shoulders and went forward again, reaching out to touch his shoulder lightly, "Inuyasha, you're not ready. Lie back down and rest--" Inuyasha brushed off her hand and forced himself to stand to full height, looking a bit paler than he had a moment before, sweat trickling down his face. "I'll rest... when I need it," he huffed, "It's not bad yet."
Miroku and Sango looked taken aback. *'Not bad yet?'* they both thought.
Behind them Sango noticed Kagome. She was watching with a troubled expression, but she said nothing. Sango saw her friend take a deep breath and then the girl from the future plastered on a huge fake smile. Sango hated seeing that look, and she started to say something before Kagome flounced past her. "Hey Inuyasha! Are you ready to go?"
"Y-yeah," he said with a smile, yet another genuine one, and she slipped her hand into his. "Okay, come on." She gave him a soft tug, and they slowly walked out. Shippou jumped up onto the houshi's shoulder. "What was that horrible look on Kagome's face??"
"She was faking it." Sango replied, and Miroku frowned. "I don't like this. Kagome-sama is not herself this way."
"She's doing it for Inuyasha." Tama said softly, walking up from behind them, and Miroku blinked, "What?" Tama looked a bit sorrowful. "Didn't you see the way he lit up when she came in the room that way? If she had come in with a sad look, he would've snapped at her the same way he snapped at you."
"You mean he's acting like that because we're treating him like he's weak?" Sango asked, and Tama sighed. "That's my brother for you... Right now he thinks he's weak. If you do anything to make him feel like he's right, in this case, you won't get pretty results."
"What if he strains himself? He could get worse," Shippou remarked, and Tama shrugged. Before she could say anything, Kagome popped her head back in. "He~ey, Sango-chan, we need at least YOU to help us get to Kitsuko's! Guys, get your rear in gear!"
"Y-yeah, we're coming."
~*~
In a back room of a large shrine, Torou laughed. Across from him, his grandmother sat at the other end of the table, her face blank.
Torou folded his arms over his chest and raised one eyebrow. "I tho~~~ught you said 'Kikyou could do it better' and I had only managed to ... what was it, oh yeah-- 'appear foolish.'" the boy snarled and Uramiko gave him a death glare. "Keep smarting off like that and the rest of the youkai world WILL see how foolish you were when I decapitate your cheeky little ass and stick your head on a stick outside of the temple."
Torou silenced, and his grandmother sighed. "Whether or not you were foolish matters not any longer because you seemed to have redeemed yourself with the centipede youkai. Inuyasha has taken ill."
Torou looked surprised, but inside he was whooping for joy. *So the hanyou has been brought down by my mukade-byou's poison? Hmph. Grandmother may finally realize I have some use; I trained those centipede myself and that they have taken down the leader on the first try... Good work, Torou-sama!*
"However," he heard her break in, "Inuyasha's friends are taking him to Kitsuko."
Torou knew she had realized he was partying it up in his head, and she had deliberately thrown water on it to calm him, but listened carefully. He had been given another chance, and he would not mess it up this time. "Kitsuko? The mountain witch in Kouzuke? The demon healer?"
"Yes, the woman who betrayed me 200 years ago."
Torou scoffed, "I doubt she'll be able to do anything; her home in Kouzuke is too far from where they presently are, it will take at least two more days to reach them. In two days, the moon will blacken. Inuyasha is weak on the first day of the month, remember?"
"Yes, I know. In his human form he may be weakened beyond compare and the poison may kill him then. However I do not accept 'may.' Get out there and finish them off."
Torou pouted like the spoiled child he was and stomped away, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Uramiko exhaled deeply. She did not even turn when she said aloud, "My dear Kikyou..."
Behind her, Kikyou appeared, with the same dark and cold smile she had when she was first resurrected by Urasue. Her eyes had turned red, the same as Uramiko's. "Hai, Uramiko-sama."
"Stay in the shadows, my dear. We shall test your new strength later. But for now simply keep an eye on my foolish grandson."
"Hai... Uramiko-sama."
~*~
"Inuyasha, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," the inuhanyou wheezed, closing his eyes as he fought another wave of pain. Kagome closed her eyes also, counting to ten, trying to keep her head on. If she blew up at him for struggling he would probably get angry with her.
She heard him gasp softly and she was off the bike in seconds to catch him the moment his knees gave out. Inuyasha was fighting it, she could see it on his pallid face, and she pressed her lips together to keep from crying. Instead she focused everything on him, and held him tighter. "Hang in there, you're doing really good."
The others, she noticed, were keeping their distance, lest they get too close and get snapped at by the hanyou. Kagome said nothing to them. She knew they were worried, but they would never get to Kitsuko's if they had to keep stopping so Inuyasha could rest. Inuyasha knew it too, which was why he was trying so hard. She just wished he wasn't in this mess to begin with. Then he wouldn't have to suffer so.
The attack was slowing, she could tell by the way he was breathing. He stood shakily, and she supported him, one arm around his ribs, the other on his chest until he regained his footing. "Are you okay?"
"U..Uh-huh," he managed, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, and he looked like he might faint again. Kagome nodded. "Are your legs tired? Do you want to ride on the back of my bike?"
"No, I'm fine. It's just getting a bit harder to see." Kagome frowned at that. *Getting harder to see...?* She nodded nevertheless and got back on her bike. She rode next to him for awhile, watching him. His gold eyes were losing their luster, and she noticed that slowly, they were glazing over. He squinted more often, as though the blazing bright sun overhead was still not enough light to see.
When they stopped for a bit of rest, Inuyasha fell asleep. Taking the opportunity, Kagome pulled Tanpopo aside, who was still with them. "Tanpopo-chan?"
"What." said the girl rudely, but Kagome ignored the coarse tone and asked, "In your village, did any of the people there lose their sight?"
Tanpopo looked surprised. "How'd you know?" Then she gasped as the realization came over her. "Oh, that hanyou is going blind now, isn't he?"
"Yes, I think he is." Kagome said fretfully, "Tell me everything else that happened to the people who became ill, please? So I know what to expect."
Tanpopo didn't like humans much, but Kagome was being honest with her worries, so the least Tanpopo could do was be honest back; it wasn't like she was cruel or anything. "They lost their sight, and their hearing."
Kagome looked shocked. Inuyasha would go blind AND deaf? How would she tell him? It would be cruel not to let him know what was happening to his body, but how in God's name would she tell him that?
"I'm sorry."
Kagome jumped slightly, hearing the young fox kit say that. Tanpopo looked away. "I still dun like you, or any of th' others. I'm just sorry ya gotta see th' man ya love die, th' way m'Okaan hadta watch m'Oyaji die..."
Kagome looked at her for a long moment. Then she smiled genuinely before she said, "Thank you Tanpopo-chan."
~*~
"We're close!" Sango breathed in happily, and she looked over the large mountains that were known as Kitsuko's domain.
She turned back to look at Inuyasha. The hanyou was riding Kirara, sitting just behind Kagome. He had taken a turn for the worse the night before, coughing up blood now. He was both blind and deaf now, and had within the last few hours, mentioned he was losing feeling in his limbs.
Because of it, now everyone including Kagome, insisted he ride Kirara instead of any more walking. Inuyasha was too weak to argue and conceded without much of a fuss, except that he wanted Kagome to ride with him, and it had been that way now for the entire day.
The sun was setting, and he even looked worse, hunched over, his forehead resting on Kagome's shoulder. He was breathing heavily, and seeing him, looking as if he might leave them that very moment, spurred Sango on. She looked at Tama. "He's getting worse with every minute that passes... How did those humans stand this...?!"
Tama looked helplessly at Sango. "If Inuyasha was a full demon, he would be able to handle it a bit better. But he's only a hanyou. And..."
"And..?" the taijiya pressed.
Tama winced, her narrow eyes looking grim. "And he's weakening. It's the first day of the month," she said gravely. Sango gasped. "Oh... You mean then, if Inuyasha makes the transformation to human--"
"As a human he will deteriorate quicker, and his lifespan will be shortened." Sango looked determined, and then she turned, looking at Kirara. "Kirara, fly ahead to Kitsuko's!!"
The cat youkai leapt into the air obediently, and Kagome yelped, grabbing ahold of Kirara's fur, and reaching around to steady Inuyasha, whose blind eyes widened in surprise and confusion, darting around seemingly in a panic. Kagome glanced back down at Sango. "Sango-chan.. wha??"
"Kirara is faster in the air! Just.. go, we'll catch up!" Sango nodded. "Okay Tama-chan, follow Kirara!"
"You got it!"
"I don't think so."
Tama stopped as a huge hand came from the sky and knocked Kirara away, and the cat hit the ground hard. Inuyasha and Kagome flew out of sight. Tama gasped. "INUYASHA!! KAGOME-CHAN!"
A huge oni appeared, and on the shoulder, Torou sat with a wide grin. "Well, well, Inuyasha, it seems that you death stares in the face. Pity you can't see it."
Tama growled low in her throat. "Torou..."
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: ^-^
Okay~~ Tessen, signing out~
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
Tessen
Disclaimer: I own Tama, Tanpopo and Kitsuko~ I WISH I owned Inuyasha (in all his wondrous forms, 'specially his kawai~i human form~ yum) Sesshoumaru, Naraku, Miroku, (Gosh I'm greedy when it comes to the bishies, ain't I?? ;p Don't worry I would share, unlike Takahashi-sama~~;p j/k RT-sama~)
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To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Four :: The Byouma
Chapter Ten :: Tou-san-dou (Eastern Mountain Route)
Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly.
The first thing he felt was a sharp pain in his skull, starting at the base and spreading throughout his brain. His sight was blurry and his head fogged, like he couldn't quite think straight. He felt as though he'd been slammed in the back of the head and been unconscious for days. Once he managed to get his bearings, he looked around the room.
He was alone, lying on a pallet of straw, his haori draped across his body. Hiraikotsu and Kagome's bow and quiver were laid in the corner. There was a fire in the floor-hearth, but it was barely crackling.
Inuyasha sat up, but immediately felt that that was the last thing he should've done, because when he did a stabbing pain throbbed in his chest, so much so that he almost cried out. He gripped a hand over his heart, willing it to stop.
It didn't.
Instead it worsened, burning hot in his chest. His heart was on fire, pumping liquid flame through his body, and it felt like someone had taken hold of both lungs and was slowly squeezing. Everytime he exhaled it seemed to get tighter and even harder to breathe than the time before. With every heartbeat the pain strengthened, and it took everything in him to breathe. Inuyasha gasped, his mouth working in a silent plea. ...Someone... someone please...
"Inuyasha?!"
It was Kagome. He knew her voice, and her scent.
There was a loud noise as several heavy things clattered to the floor, and the thud of her feet as she came to him. Her arm slipped around him, and her hand pressed against his face. Her hands were so soft and cool against his hot skin; he gasped again, a soft cry escaping his lips, and Kagome leaned forward, whispered against his ear, "Hang in there, it's almost over. You're gonna be okay, hang in there..."
After a several long moments the pain began to subside. Minutes passed before he could breathe again, and when he finally could, Inuyasha opened his eyes, blinking up at Kagome, who was crying above him. He realized he was on her lap, and she was cradling his head, stroking his ears soothingly.
He scanned the room again. She had gone to get firewood. Those were the things she had dropped running to him. He looked back at her, panting. "Kagome.. what happened to me...??"
"Y... You're sick," she said softly, wiping her eyes, "When that youkai bit you, it passed you the illness..." Her hand rubbed his chest gently through his white yukata, and he smirked bitterly. "Same one as those villagers, huh?" She nodded and he closed his eyes. "Hmph. Guess I'm gonna die then, huh?"
"No!" she snapped. "I won't let you. There's a youkai healer in Kouzuke, and we're taking you tomorrow. I don't know yet what she wants us to do, but I WILL save you," she said defiantly. Inuyasha looked at her a bit skeptically, and she faltered, leaning forward and burying her face in the white fabric over him. "I can't lose you... not forever... I can't bear it if you leave me."
Inuyasha closed his eyes, combing through Kagome's hair with his claws. "Kagome..."
"You promised me. You said you would never leave my side again... You haven't left me yet... don't leave me now...!"
Inuyasha caught his breath. He remembered that. Right after that damned baby of Naraku's had tried to use Kagome, he had promised he would never leave her side. He had always broken his promises to her; he didn't want to add another to the list.
He patted her hair, still combing through the soft tresses with his claws. "Okay. I won't leave you. I'm still here. As long as I am, I won't let this stupid thing get me." She pulled away a bit and Inuyasha grinned at her weakly. "I won't die yet."
He shifted on her lap, reaching up to put one arm around her waist, and he sighed deeply. "But stay with me... your scent... helps me sleep.."
She swallowed, blushing, before she pulled out of his grasp. His eyes snapped open, looking at her in confusion. He tried to mask the mild hurt he felt when she pulled away from him, only to catch his breath when she lay down next to him. He watched her, a little embarrassed as she took his arms, firmly wrapping them around her. Then she slipped her arms over his waist and snuggled her face against his warm chest.
She glanced up for a moment, smiled at him reassuringly before raising her hand and gently pulling the hair from his sweat-slicked brow. "Go to sleep; I'll be here with you until you do." He looked at her in wonder, his face closely resembling a little boy's, and then nodded and nestled his head comfortably against her arm and closed his eyes.
Within moments he was asleep.
Kagome watched him as he slept. This was as close as she had ever been to him in his sleep. He had fallen asleep at her house a few weeks ago, at the foot of her bed, and it was the most peaceful expression she had ever seen on him to that date.
It still was, considering he was ill now, and his entire body probably hurt. He was calm, but every so often his eyebrows would narrow, and his frown would deepen. Sometimes he would moan, but she just held him tighter. *I won't let you go... I swear, I won't let you go.*
"Did he wake up at all?" asked a soft voice and Kagome looked through the dark at Tama. Inuyasha's twin was worried herself, but it showed a bit less. Kagome smiled softly, "For a little bit."
"Was he in pain?" asked Tama worriedly and Kagome nodded. "A little, but it passed."
Tama came to them and sat down at Inuyasha's head, stroking his hair. For a moment she rested her hand on his forehead before glancing at Kagome. "His fever's gone up."
"I know," the teenager sighed, "I can't get it to cool off... I was looking for fever-reducing herbs while I was getting firewood... Can't find any."
"I've never seen Inuyasha like this... It can happen, but usually youkai don't get sick, not even hanyou... I can't stand seeing him in so much pain..." She looked up at Kagome, looking reproachful of herself. "Here I am babbling about what I feel like… it must be even worse for you... How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay. I have hope. I told him, when he was awake, about Kitsuko." Tama nodded. "It's a damn good thing Sango-chan knew about her," the hanyou said, leaned back against the wall, "Without this 'Kitsuko' he may really--"
"Don't think that way." Kagome looked at her angrily. "You can't even THINK that thought. You have to stay optimistic."
"I would rather prepare for the worst than be ridiculously optimistic and have my heart broken if it does happen." Tama said, and looked at Kagome. "Inuyasha's dying. You must know that, Kagome-chan."
"I do. But I don't believe it. I won't believe it. ......Of course I know it, but I also know that Inuyasha knows it. But if he loses faith in himself, he WILL lose. At least if I believe he can do it, he can try to believe in himself."
Tama looked away silently, shaking her head. In Kagome's arms, Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
It was a bit hard to do, having heard everything the girls had said. As he drifted back to sleep, he made a silent promise to the woman he loved. *Kagome... I'll try...*
~*~
"Kagome, how's Inuyasha?!" Shippou demanded, ripping aside the bamboo-weave curtain/door, and gawped when he saw said hanyou sitting up, dressing. Inuyasha grinned at him. "I'm doing okay right now, Shippou."
"INUYASHA~!" Shippou hugged the front of Inuyasha's haori, his eyes streaming with tears, and the hanyou grimaced. "What's the matter with you??"
"We were all very worried, Inuyasha." Miroku said as he and Sango followed the fox kit in. They had noticed the dog-demon's weak stature. He was sagging a bit, as if he were very tired, and his face was leaner than normal, and very ashen. His grin had been much weakened, but at least it had been geniune.
The hanyou shrugged at their concern. "I'm too tough for some stupid sickness," he declared. Almost as quickly as the words were out of his mouth he felt a sharp pang in his chest. Hissing in pain, Inuyasha doubled over and grabbed a fistful of his haori in his claws, trying to bear it until it passed as he knew it eventually would.
Eventually.
Both Miroku and Sango went forward to help, but the inuyoukai held up his free hand and snarled, "Stay back! ......Leave me alone!" Startled, the houshi and the taijiya stepped back, and Inuyasha clenched that same hand, breathing very heavily. Miroku thought he heard him say, "...I can handle this..."
Sango, determined, set her shoulders and went forward again, reaching out to touch his shoulder lightly, "Inuyasha, you're not ready. Lie back down and rest--" Inuyasha brushed off her hand and forced himself to stand to full height, looking a bit paler than he had a moment before, sweat trickling down his face. "I'll rest... when I need it," he huffed, "It's not bad yet."
Miroku and Sango looked taken aback. *'Not bad yet?'* they both thought.
Behind them Sango noticed Kagome. She was watching with a troubled expression, but she said nothing. Sango saw her friend take a deep breath and then the girl from the future plastered on a huge fake smile. Sango hated seeing that look, and she started to say something before Kagome flounced past her. "Hey Inuyasha! Are you ready to go?"
"Y-yeah," he said with a smile, yet another genuine one, and she slipped her hand into his. "Okay, come on." She gave him a soft tug, and they slowly walked out. Shippou jumped up onto the houshi's shoulder. "What was that horrible look on Kagome's face??"
"She was faking it." Sango replied, and Miroku frowned. "I don't like this. Kagome-sama is not herself this way."
"She's doing it for Inuyasha." Tama said softly, walking up from behind them, and Miroku blinked, "What?" Tama looked a bit sorrowful. "Didn't you see the way he lit up when she came in the room that way? If she had come in with a sad look, he would've snapped at her the same way he snapped at you."
"You mean he's acting like that because we're treating him like he's weak?" Sango asked, and Tama sighed. "That's my brother for you... Right now he thinks he's weak. If you do anything to make him feel like he's right, in this case, you won't get pretty results."
"What if he strains himself? He could get worse," Shippou remarked, and Tama shrugged. Before she could say anything, Kagome popped her head back in. "He~ey, Sango-chan, we need at least YOU to help us get to Kitsuko's! Guys, get your rear in gear!"
"Y-yeah, we're coming."
~*~
In a back room of a large shrine, Torou laughed. Across from him, his grandmother sat at the other end of the table, her face blank.
Torou folded his arms over his chest and raised one eyebrow. "I tho~~~ught you said 'Kikyou could do it better' and I had only managed to ... what was it, oh yeah-- 'appear foolish.'" the boy snarled and Uramiko gave him a death glare. "Keep smarting off like that and the rest of the youkai world WILL see how foolish you were when I decapitate your cheeky little ass and stick your head on a stick outside of the temple."
Torou silenced, and his grandmother sighed. "Whether or not you were foolish matters not any longer because you seemed to have redeemed yourself with the centipede youkai. Inuyasha has taken ill."
Torou looked surprised, but inside he was whooping for joy. *So the hanyou has been brought down by my mukade-byou's poison? Hmph. Grandmother may finally realize I have some use; I trained those centipede myself and that they have taken down the leader on the first try... Good work, Torou-sama!*
"However," he heard her break in, "Inuyasha's friends are taking him to Kitsuko."
Torou knew she had realized he was partying it up in his head, and she had deliberately thrown water on it to calm him, but listened carefully. He had been given another chance, and he would not mess it up this time. "Kitsuko? The mountain witch in Kouzuke? The demon healer?"
"Yes, the woman who betrayed me 200 years ago."
Torou scoffed, "I doubt she'll be able to do anything; her home in Kouzuke is too far from where they presently are, it will take at least two more days to reach them. In two days, the moon will blacken. Inuyasha is weak on the first day of the month, remember?"
"Yes, I know. In his human form he may be weakened beyond compare and the poison may kill him then. However I do not accept 'may.' Get out there and finish them off."
Torou pouted like the spoiled child he was and stomped away, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Uramiko exhaled deeply. She did not even turn when she said aloud, "My dear Kikyou..."
Behind her, Kikyou appeared, with the same dark and cold smile she had when she was first resurrected by Urasue. Her eyes had turned red, the same as Uramiko's. "Hai, Uramiko-sama."
"Stay in the shadows, my dear. We shall test your new strength later. But for now simply keep an eye on my foolish grandson."
"Hai... Uramiko-sama."
~*~
"Inuyasha, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," the inuhanyou wheezed, closing his eyes as he fought another wave of pain. Kagome closed her eyes also, counting to ten, trying to keep her head on. If she blew up at him for struggling he would probably get angry with her.
She heard him gasp softly and she was off the bike in seconds to catch him the moment his knees gave out. Inuyasha was fighting it, she could see it on his pallid face, and she pressed her lips together to keep from crying. Instead she focused everything on him, and held him tighter. "Hang in there, you're doing really good."
The others, she noticed, were keeping their distance, lest they get too close and get snapped at by the hanyou. Kagome said nothing to them. She knew they were worried, but they would never get to Kitsuko's if they had to keep stopping so Inuyasha could rest. Inuyasha knew it too, which was why he was trying so hard. She just wished he wasn't in this mess to begin with. Then he wouldn't have to suffer so.
The attack was slowing, she could tell by the way he was breathing. He stood shakily, and she supported him, one arm around his ribs, the other on his chest until he regained his footing. "Are you okay?"
"U..Uh-huh," he managed, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, and he looked like he might faint again. Kagome nodded. "Are your legs tired? Do you want to ride on the back of my bike?"
"No, I'm fine. It's just getting a bit harder to see." Kagome frowned at that. *Getting harder to see...?* She nodded nevertheless and got back on her bike. She rode next to him for awhile, watching him. His gold eyes were losing their luster, and she noticed that slowly, they were glazing over. He squinted more often, as though the blazing bright sun overhead was still not enough light to see.
When they stopped for a bit of rest, Inuyasha fell asleep. Taking the opportunity, Kagome pulled Tanpopo aside, who was still with them. "Tanpopo-chan?"
"What." said the girl rudely, but Kagome ignored the coarse tone and asked, "In your village, did any of the people there lose their sight?"
Tanpopo looked surprised. "How'd you know?" Then she gasped as the realization came over her. "Oh, that hanyou is going blind now, isn't he?"
"Yes, I think he is." Kagome said fretfully, "Tell me everything else that happened to the people who became ill, please? So I know what to expect."
Tanpopo didn't like humans much, but Kagome was being honest with her worries, so the least Tanpopo could do was be honest back; it wasn't like she was cruel or anything. "They lost their sight, and their hearing."
Kagome looked shocked. Inuyasha would go blind AND deaf? How would she tell him? It would be cruel not to let him know what was happening to his body, but how in God's name would she tell him that?
"I'm sorry."
Kagome jumped slightly, hearing the young fox kit say that. Tanpopo looked away. "I still dun like you, or any of th' others. I'm just sorry ya gotta see th' man ya love die, th' way m'Okaan hadta watch m'Oyaji die..."
Kagome looked at her for a long moment. Then she smiled genuinely before she said, "Thank you Tanpopo-chan."
~*~
"We're close!" Sango breathed in happily, and she looked over the large mountains that were known as Kitsuko's domain.
She turned back to look at Inuyasha. The hanyou was riding Kirara, sitting just behind Kagome. He had taken a turn for the worse the night before, coughing up blood now. He was both blind and deaf now, and had within the last few hours, mentioned he was losing feeling in his limbs.
Because of it, now everyone including Kagome, insisted he ride Kirara instead of any more walking. Inuyasha was too weak to argue and conceded without much of a fuss, except that he wanted Kagome to ride with him, and it had been that way now for the entire day.
The sun was setting, and he even looked worse, hunched over, his forehead resting on Kagome's shoulder. He was breathing heavily, and seeing him, looking as if he might leave them that very moment, spurred Sango on. She looked at Tama. "He's getting worse with every minute that passes... How did those humans stand this...?!"
Tama looked helplessly at Sango. "If Inuyasha was a full demon, he would be able to handle it a bit better. But he's only a hanyou. And..."
"And..?" the taijiya pressed.
Tama winced, her narrow eyes looking grim. "And he's weakening. It's the first day of the month," she said gravely. Sango gasped. "Oh... You mean then, if Inuyasha makes the transformation to human--"
"As a human he will deteriorate quicker, and his lifespan will be shortened." Sango looked determined, and then she turned, looking at Kirara. "Kirara, fly ahead to Kitsuko's!!"
The cat youkai leapt into the air obediently, and Kagome yelped, grabbing ahold of Kirara's fur, and reaching around to steady Inuyasha, whose blind eyes widened in surprise and confusion, darting around seemingly in a panic. Kagome glanced back down at Sango. "Sango-chan.. wha??"
"Kirara is faster in the air! Just.. go, we'll catch up!" Sango nodded. "Okay Tama-chan, follow Kirara!"
"You got it!"
"I don't think so."
Tama stopped as a huge hand came from the sky and knocked Kirara away, and the cat hit the ground hard. Inuyasha and Kagome flew out of sight. Tama gasped. "INUYASHA!! KAGOME-CHAN!"
A huge oni appeared, and on the shoulder, Torou sat with a wide grin. "Well, well, Inuyasha, it seems that you death stares in the face. Pity you can't see it."
Tama growled low in her throat. "Torou..."
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: ^-^
Okay~~ Tessen, signing out~
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
Tessen