CHAPTER NINE
*
Inuyasha woke up with a start.
For a moment, he was disoriented. How the hell did I get here? he thought, looking around. He was in some sort of little cave that smelled like moss and rain, and apparently he'd been asleep. He didn't remember how he came to be here -- or WHY, for that matter. What was even weirder, he could taste... Kagome's blood in his mouth?
And then the half-demon froze. Inuyasha recognized the weird, fuzzy feeling in his head. He had transformed into his full demon form. He scrambled up and banged his head on the cave ceiling.
Kagome was curled up a few feet away. She was hugging herself for warmth, and her schoolgirl uniform looked rather ragged and worn, like it had been roughly handled. By him? Or rather, by that insane monster he became when he transformed into a full demon...
Gods, Inuyasha thought, appalled. I have her blood in my mouth... did I... bite her? Or... rape her? Dammit, dammit...
"Kagome!" Inuyasha whispered. He grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "Kagome, wake up! Please!"
Kagome woke with a squeak and scooted back away from him. Inuyasha stayed rooted to the spot, almost shaking. What had he done to her? She was scared of him -- and he hadn't scared her for a long time, not intentionally anyway. "K-Kagome," he said, holding out a hand.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said hesitantly. Then suddenly she was hugging him. "You're back to normal! I'm so glad..."
"K-Kagome," Inuyasha stammered again. "What happened? Are you hurt?" Did I hurt you? he thought.
Kagome shook her head. "I'm just a little frayed around the edges, but you didn't hurt me at all. You just took me up to this cave and kept me inside. Except for a little shoving, you didn't hurt me."
Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief.
Kagome tucked back a strand of hair. "Do you remember anything?" she asked.
Inuyasha searched for memories of the past hours, but he couldn't remember more than a few scraps. The smell of blood, the sight of Kirara, and Kagome, bleeding and frightened, trying to fight him off. That last one scared him most of all. He had always been afraid that as a full demon, he would wound Kagome somehow. Or worse. "No," he lied.
"Well, it was pretty weird." Kagome stared at him. "You transformed for no reason... and you still had Tetsusaiga."
"Yeah." Inuyasha put a hand on his sword. "Kagome... I'm..."
"It's okay," Kagome said. "But why do you think it happened? Could it happen again?" A troubled look came over her face. "Myoga told us... that if you kept transforming, you'd go crazy and then... Inuyasha, if Tetsusaiga isn't working, what will we do?"
Inuyasha avoided her gaze. "We'd better get down to the ground. Here." He slipped out of his baggy red robe and wrapped it around her. "It'll keep you warm in this rotten place."
As they descended down the cliff, Inuyasha hugged Kagome as tightly as he dared, still in the guise of just carrying her down to the ground. He had made up his mind. Now that his decision was made, he felt oddly calm, resigned to it. He stared down through the mist, waiting for these few minutes to end.
After they landed at the bottom of the cliff, Inuyasha set Kagome down and turned away. "Kagome..." he said quietly. "I'm sorry... that I scared you."
"It's okay," Kagome said, wrapping the robe more tightly around herself.
"And Kagome?"
"Yeah?"
Inuyasha wheeled around, staring at her. "Goodbye." He pushed her roughly, then turned and ran.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome hit the ground with an undignified thump, then scrambled to her feet. "INUYASHA!" she called after him. But his form vanished into the swirling mist and melted away.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Inuyasha woke up with a start.
For a moment, he was disoriented. How the hell did I get here? he thought, looking around. He was in some sort of little cave that smelled like moss and rain, and apparently he'd been asleep. He didn't remember how he came to be here -- or WHY, for that matter. What was even weirder, he could taste... Kagome's blood in his mouth?
And then the half-demon froze. Inuyasha recognized the weird, fuzzy feeling in his head. He had transformed into his full demon form. He scrambled up and banged his head on the cave ceiling.
Kagome was curled up a few feet away. She was hugging herself for warmth, and her schoolgirl uniform looked rather ragged and worn, like it had been roughly handled. By him? Or rather, by that insane monster he became when he transformed into a full demon...
Gods, Inuyasha thought, appalled. I have her blood in my mouth... did I... bite her? Or... rape her? Dammit, dammit...
"Kagome!" Inuyasha whispered. He grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "Kagome, wake up! Please!"
Kagome woke with a squeak and scooted back away from him. Inuyasha stayed rooted to the spot, almost shaking. What had he done to her? She was scared of him -- and he hadn't scared her for a long time, not intentionally anyway. "K-Kagome," he said, holding out a hand.
"Inuyasha," Kagome said hesitantly. Then suddenly she was hugging him. "You're back to normal! I'm so glad..."
"K-Kagome," Inuyasha stammered again. "What happened? Are you hurt?" Did I hurt you? he thought.
Kagome shook her head. "I'm just a little frayed around the edges, but you didn't hurt me at all. You just took me up to this cave and kept me inside. Except for a little shoving, you didn't hurt me."
Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief.
Kagome tucked back a strand of hair. "Do you remember anything?" she asked.
Inuyasha searched for memories of the past hours, but he couldn't remember more than a few scraps. The smell of blood, the sight of Kirara, and Kagome, bleeding and frightened, trying to fight him off. That last one scared him most of all. He had always been afraid that as a full demon, he would wound Kagome somehow. Or worse. "No," he lied.
"Well, it was pretty weird." Kagome stared at him. "You transformed for no reason... and you still had Tetsusaiga."
"Yeah." Inuyasha put a hand on his sword. "Kagome... I'm..."
"It's okay," Kagome said. "But why do you think it happened? Could it happen again?" A troubled look came over her face. "Myoga told us... that if you kept transforming, you'd go crazy and then... Inuyasha, if Tetsusaiga isn't working, what will we do?"
Inuyasha avoided her gaze. "We'd better get down to the ground. Here." He slipped out of his baggy red robe and wrapped it around her. "It'll keep you warm in this rotten place."
As they descended down the cliff, Inuyasha hugged Kagome as tightly as he dared, still in the guise of just carrying her down to the ground. He had made up his mind. Now that his decision was made, he felt oddly calm, resigned to it. He stared down through the mist, waiting for these few minutes to end.
After they landed at the bottom of the cliff, Inuyasha set Kagome down and turned away. "Kagome..." he said quietly. "I'm sorry... that I scared you."
"It's okay," Kagome said, wrapping the robe more tightly around herself.
"And Kagome?"
"Yeah?"
Inuyasha wheeled around, staring at her. "Goodbye." He pushed her roughly, then turned and ran.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome hit the ground with an undignified thump, then scrambled to her feet. "INUYASHA!" she called after him. But his form vanished into the swirling mist and melted away.
TO BE CONTINUED