CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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Kagome felt as if she had been walking for hours, even if she was pretty sure it hadn't been anywhere near that long. Her shoes and socks were soaked with dirty water, and she was huddled into Inuyasha's fire-rat robe for warmth.
She paused for a moment. I'm not getting anywhere, she thought. I don't even know where to start looking! Inuyasha could be anywhere now...
Discouraged, she sat down on a rock and tried to think. If I were Inuyasha, she mused, what would I do now? Where would I go? She wracked her brains, but only one thought kept coming into her mind. And she wouldn't think about that! She wouldn't think about even the POSSIBILITY of Inuyasha... hurting himself in any way.
Depressed, Kagome stared up at the misty sky. It was weird. When she had first encountered Inuyasha, she would have done anything to get him off her back. Now... she would do anything to hear him call her an "idiot" again. And Kagome was torn between the urge to throttle him, or to hug him tghtly and cry her eyes out.
Inuyasha... where are you? she thought, looking at the trees.
Then a shadow passed over her.
Kagome stiffened. It was one of those winged demons, flying slowly overhead. For a moment, she was afraid that it had seen her and was swooping in for the kill. But if it saw her, it made no move to attack. Instead it continued flying over the treetops.
It's hunting for Inuyasha! she thought. That old woman must have sent them out to look for him. So if I follow it, it should lead me straight to him!
With a new burst of energy, Kagome ran through the woods, puffing slightly. She was lucky that the demon wasn't flying too fast. The girl splashed through thin, muddy streams and over gnarled tree roots, keeping her eye on the shadows flitting through the clouds. I'm just glad I have my arrows! she thought.
Then she saw him. A faint smear of white and red, in the boughs of a dead tree that leaned over a stagnating river. Kagome's heart almost stood still at the sight of the huddled form at the top. "Inuyasha," she whispered.
Then she remembered what had brought her there. The winged demon suddenly swooped down, as silent and quick as a shadow, with its claws extended. Inuyasha apparently didn't hear it; he only started to stir, as if sensing something nearby.
Kagome whipped out an arrow and fired it. "Leave him alone!" she shouted.
The arrow slashed through the demon's batlike wing. It howled and thrashed against the tree -- only to have its head suddenly slashed off, and its wings falling in tatters to the ground. Inuyasha landed beside its body, with his claws still ready to slash again if it moved. But with a final shudder, the creature died completely.
Kagome hesitated. Inuyasha stared down at the demon he had just killed, then looked at her. His golden eyes widened.
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered.
"K-Kagome," Inuyasha stammered, looking bewildered. "But... how..."
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, taking a step toward him. The young half-demon moved toward her. "SIT."
Inuyasha barely had time to yelp before slamming face-first into the ground. "What was that for?" he snapped, springing back up.
"What was that for?" Kagome said, seizing the front of his white shirt. "You wanna know what that was for? That was for running off like that! How could you do that to me?"
"How... could I...?" Inuyasha could barely say a word, given the way Kagome was rattling him.
"Do you have any idea how scared I was when you knocked me down and ran away? And then I didn't know if you were going to be okay -- I didn't know if you were going to go try to drown yourself or turn into a full demon for good, or do something really stupid." Tears were welling up in her eyes. "You just don't get it. You shouldn't have run away -- you should have let me help."
Inuyasha was too stunned to speak, even when she stopped shaking him. She had been scared... not OF him, but FOR him? "Kagome... I-I'm sorry," he said slowly. "But I had to go -- I can't stay around you and the others anymore... if I could turn into a full demon." Especially not you, he added silently. I can't let you be around, in case this... monster inside me gets out again.
"I'm not going to let you just run away and go crazy and die," Kagome said through her tears. "I know it's dangerous, but I don't care."
"Kagome-"
"Put this on." Kagome slipped out of the fire-rat robe and held it out to him. "And just stop arguing with me, because one way or another I'm going to help you. I won't let you be alone and scared out here."
Inuyasha avoided her eyes. "Who said I was scared?"
"Aren't you?"
Inuyasha didn't reply. But Kagome knew what his silence meant. She slipped her hand around his arm and gave it a slight squeeze. She didn't know whether Inuyasha would transform again -- but she knew that the thread wasn't going to keep her away from him.
Kagome, Inuyasha was thinking. What if it happens again, and I can't stop myself?...
TO BE CONTINUED
.
Kagome felt as if she had been walking for hours, even if she was pretty sure it hadn't been anywhere near that long. Her shoes and socks were soaked with dirty water, and she was huddled into Inuyasha's fire-rat robe for warmth.
She paused for a moment. I'm not getting anywhere, she thought. I don't even know where to start looking! Inuyasha could be anywhere now...
Discouraged, she sat down on a rock and tried to think. If I were Inuyasha, she mused, what would I do now? Where would I go? She wracked her brains, but only one thought kept coming into her mind. And she wouldn't think about that! She wouldn't think about even the POSSIBILITY of Inuyasha... hurting himself in any way.
Depressed, Kagome stared up at the misty sky. It was weird. When she had first encountered Inuyasha, she would have done anything to get him off her back. Now... she would do anything to hear him call her an "idiot" again. And Kagome was torn between the urge to throttle him, or to hug him tghtly and cry her eyes out.
Inuyasha... where are you? she thought, looking at the trees.
Then a shadow passed over her.
Kagome stiffened. It was one of those winged demons, flying slowly overhead. For a moment, she was afraid that it had seen her and was swooping in for the kill. But if it saw her, it made no move to attack. Instead it continued flying over the treetops.
It's hunting for Inuyasha! she thought. That old woman must have sent them out to look for him. So if I follow it, it should lead me straight to him!
With a new burst of energy, Kagome ran through the woods, puffing slightly. She was lucky that the demon wasn't flying too fast. The girl splashed through thin, muddy streams and over gnarled tree roots, keeping her eye on the shadows flitting through the clouds. I'm just glad I have my arrows! she thought.
Then she saw him. A faint smear of white and red, in the boughs of a dead tree that leaned over a stagnating river. Kagome's heart almost stood still at the sight of the huddled form at the top. "Inuyasha," she whispered.
Then she remembered what had brought her there. The winged demon suddenly swooped down, as silent and quick as a shadow, with its claws extended. Inuyasha apparently didn't hear it; he only started to stir, as if sensing something nearby.
Kagome whipped out an arrow and fired it. "Leave him alone!" she shouted.
The arrow slashed through the demon's batlike wing. It howled and thrashed against the tree -- only to have its head suddenly slashed off, and its wings falling in tatters to the ground. Inuyasha landed beside its body, with his claws still ready to slash again if it moved. But with a final shudder, the creature died completely.
Kagome hesitated. Inuyasha stared down at the demon he had just killed, then looked at her. His golden eyes widened.
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered.
"K-Kagome," Inuyasha stammered, looking bewildered. "But... how..."
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, taking a step toward him. The young half-demon moved toward her. "SIT."
Inuyasha barely had time to yelp before slamming face-first into the ground. "What was that for?" he snapped, springing back up.
"What was that for?" Kagome said, seizing the front of his white shirt. "You wanna know what that was for? That was for running off like that! How could you do that to me?"
"How... could I...?" Inuyasha could barely say a word, given the way Kagome was rattling him.
"Do you have any idea how scared I was when you knocked me down and ran away? And then I didn't know if you were going to be okay -- I didn't know if you were going to go try to drown yourself or turn into a full demon for good, or do something really stupid." Tears were welling up in her eyes. "You just don't get it. You shouldn't have run away -- you should have let me help."
Inuyasha was too stunned to speak, even when she stopped shaking him. She had been scared... not OF him, but FOR him? "Kagome... I-I'm sorry," he said slowly. "But I had to go -- I can't stay around you and the others anymore... if I could turn into a full demon." Especially not you, he added silently. I can't let you be around, in case this... monster inside me gets out again.
"I'm not going to let you just run away and go crazy and die," Kagome said through her tears. "I know it's dangerous, but I don't care."
"Kagome-"
"Put this on." Kagome slipped out of the fire-rat robe and held it out to him. "And just stop arguing with me, because one way or another I'm going to help you. I won't let you be alone and scared out here."
Inuyasha avoided her eyes. "Who said I was scared?"
"Aren't you?"
Inuyasha didn't reply. But Kagome knew what his silence meant. She slipped her hand around his arm and gave it a slight squeeze. She didn't know whether Inuyasha would transform again -- but she knew that the thread wasn't going to keep her away from him.
Kagome, Inuyasha was thinking. What if it happens again, and I can't stop myself?...
TO BE CONTINUED