CHAPTER FIVE
*
Kagome was too terrified to make a sound. Her hands were going numb from the tight grip Inuyasha had on her wrists, and however much she struggled, she couldn't even budge. He stared down at her impassively, breathing hard. There was no sign in his face of what he was thinking. Kagome panicked silently; was he planning to kill her? Or rape her?
She cringed and squeezed her eyes shut as he moved his face down towards hers. Then she felt it. Inuyasha was licking the scrape on her cheek like a dog, cleaning the smears of blood from her skin.
Is that all he was doing? Kagome thought. A wave of relief went through her. She went limp, not fighting him as he continued licking her bleeding cheek, until he was apparently satisfied. Then he released her hands and sat up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
But he didn't get up. After scrutinizing the girl in front of him, Inuyasha grabbed a handful of her dark hair and clumsily dried off her cheek. Then he slid off her and crept into his own corner of the cave, making a strange rasping sound in his throat.
"Th-thanks," Kagome said shakily, sitting up.
He made a sound that might have been a word, but it was too faint for her to hear. Kagome curled up and rested her knees on her chin, not taking her eyes from the demon that had overtaken the Inuyasha she knew. He's somewhere inside, she thought. I KNOW he is... if he weren't, then he never would have been that... he would have actually HURT me when he smelled my blood, not tried to get rid of it. If I could try to reason with him... he's not mindless, even when he's like this... he's not in control of himself, but he's not totally OUT of control either.
She touched her scraped cheek. "Inuyasha," she said softly. "We... we have to go back to the others. If we can find out why this happened-"
Kagome saw his tensed shoulders stiffen. "No," he growled, the first word he had spoken. "We're not safe out there."
There was a cold certainty in his words that made Kagome shiver. Scratch the idea of trying to reason with him, she thought.
Then she heard a sound -- the sound of her name being called. Sango! she thought. Kagome crept toward the tiny exit, calling, "Sango, I'm-" Inuyasha pounced before she could finish her sentence. One of his arms pinned her close to him, while his hand clapped over her mouth. Kagome winced and wriggled. "Ow," she mumbled.
The sound of Sango's voice got louder... then faded away. Kagome sagged against the wall, disappointed. And Inuyasha crept away from her. His red eyes were glowing in the dim light. "Not a sound," he growled.
Kagome's heart was still racing from when he had grabbed her again. Why did he keep me from calling Sango? she thought. Does he think... he's protecting me?
A gutteral growl came from Inuyasha's throat. He stared at Kagome for a moment, with a look of hunger on his face. Then he crept to the exit and leaped off the edge, vanishing into the mist. Kagome waited for him to return, but he didn't.
All right! she thought, creeping over to the tunnel on her hands and knees. Even if he's gone only a few minutes, I can get out of here! I can...
She looked over the edge, and felt sick. It was a nearly sheer cliff stretching below her, shrouded in mist and dripping with fallen rain. It would take a demon to scale that cliff, or climb back down to the ground. When the mist parted in the wind, Kagome winced. She still couldn't see the ground.
"I can fall off and get turned into jam at the bottom," Kagome mumbled. She slid back into the chilly, damp little cave, and tried to think of what to do.
*
He raced in a red haze through the woods nearby. He was hungry. He could still taste her blood in his mouth, on his lips, but somehow he felt reluctant to hurt her. She was safe, in that cave -- safe from him, too, if he killed now. Until his lust for death had been sated, until his appetite for bloodshed had been satisfied... then he would go back.
Something darted through the trees. Inuyasha grinned and changed direction, following the small, frightened demon through the woods. His sharp claws slashed out, tearing the creature to bloodied shreds. He ran on for awhile longer, cutting down beasts and demons that were stupid enough to cross his path. They were all too easy.
But the jabs of pleasure he felt at each death were enough to satisfy him for the time being. He dragged the half-devoured carcass of a deer to the bottom of a cliff, and leaped up onto a high ledge. Blood still stained his fingers and long claws.
Then a familiar growl reached his ears. An expression crossed his face, half grimace and half smile.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Kagome was too terrified to make a sound. Her hands were going numb from the tight grip Inuyasha had on her wrists, and however much she struggled, she couldn't even budge. He stared down at her impassively, breathing hard. There was no sign in his face of what he was thinking. Kagome panicked silently; was he planning to kill her? Or rape her?
She cringed and squeezed her eyes shut as he moved his face down towards hers. Then she felt it. Inuyasha was licking the scrape on her cheek like a dog, cleaning the smears of blood from her skin.
Is that all he was doing? Kagome thought. A wave of relief went through her. She went limp, not fighting him as he continued licking her bleeding cheek, until he was apparently satisfied. Then he released her hands and sat up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
But he didn't get up. After scrutinizing the girl in front of him, Inuyasha grabbed a handful of her dark hair and clumsily dried off her cheek. Then he slid off her and crept into his own corner of the cave, making a strange rasping sound in his throat.
"Th-thanks," Kagome said shakily, sitting up.
He made a sound that might have been a word, but it was too faint for her to hear. Kagome curled up and rested her knees on her chin, not taking her eyes from the demon that had overtaken the Inuyasha she knew. He's somewhere inside, she thought. I KNOW he is... if he weren't, then he never would have been that... he would have actually HURT me when he smelled my blood, not tried to get rid of it. If I could try to reason with him... he's not mindless, even when he's like this... he's not in control of himself, but he's not totally OUT of control either.
She touched her scraped cheek. "Inuyasha," she said softly. "We... we have to go back to the others. If we can find out why this happened-"
Kagome saw his tensed shoulders stiffen. "No," he growled, the first word he had spoken. "We're not safe out there."
There was a cold certainty in his words that made Kagome shiver. Scratch the idea of trying to reason with him, she thought.
Then she heard a sound -- the sound of her name being called. Sango! she thought. Kagome crept toward the tiny exit, calling, "Sango, I'm-" Inuyasha pounced before she could finish her sentence. One of his arms pinned her close to him, while his hand clapped over her mouth. Kagome winced and wriggled. "Ow," she mumbled.
The sound of Sango's voice got louder... then faded away. Kagome sagged against the wall, disappointed. And Inuyasha crept away from her. His red eyes were glowing in the dim light. "Not a sound," he growled.
Kagome's heart was still racing from when he had grabbed her again. Why did he keep me from calling Sango? she thought. Does he think... he's protecting me?
A gutteral growl came from Inuyasha's throat. He stared at Kagome for a moment, with a look of hunger on his face. Then he crept to the exit and leaped off the edge, vanishing into the mist. Kagome waited for him to return, but he didn't.
All right! she thought, creeping over to the tunnel on her hands and knees. Even if he's gone only a few minutes, I can get out of here! I can...
She looked over the edge, and felt sick. It was a nearly sheer cliff stretching below her, shrouded in mist and dripping with fallen rain. It would take a demon to scale that cliff, or climb back down to the ground. When the mist parted in the wind, Kagome winced. She still couldn't see the ground.
"I can fall off and get turned into jam at the bottom," Kagome mumbled. She slid back into the chilly, damp little cave, and tried to think of what to do.
*
He raced in a red haze through the woods nearby. He was hungry. He could still taste her blood in his mouth, on his lips, but somehow he felt reluctant to hurt her. She was safe, in that cave -- safe from him, too, if he killed now. Until his lust for death had been sated, until his appetite for bloodshed had been satisfied... then he would go back.
Something darted through the trees. Inuyasha grinned and changed direction, following the small, frightened demon through the woods. His sharp claws slashed out, tearing the creature to bloodied shreds. He ran on for awhile longer, cutting down beasts and demons that were stupid enough to cross his path. They were all too easy.
But the jabs of pleasure he felt at each death were enough to satisfy him for the time being. He dragged the half-devoured carcass of a deer to the bottom of a cliff, and leaped up onto a high ledge. Blood still stained his fingers and long claws.
Then a familiar growl reached his ears. An expression crossed his face, half grimace and half smile.
TO BE CONTINUED