*Disclaimer: I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's work, Inuyasha.

A/N: Sorry it took longer than a week. * cowers * please don't hurt me! Anyway, just for the record, I've been "thinking" about this story for a while during the summer, but never really finished writing it all done. I'll let you know when the ones I haven't completed yet are coming next…so, in the meantime enjoy! Please read n review!

Naraku's Revenge and Kagome's Suffering

Chapter 6: This Strange Illness

"Inuyasha!?" Shippo called out while searching through the very forest where the half demon was pinned to a tree.

"Where are you, Inuyasha!?" Sango yelled, while on Kilala's back, in the sky. "Maybe Miroku has had better luck. Hopefully Inuyasha has returned to the village," she said to Kilala. Then Sango instructed her to pick up Shippo on the ground and return to Kaede's.

Once Shippo was on Kilala's back, he asked Sango, "Any luck finding Inuyasha?"

She shook her head "no" in response, and they both didn't say anything else on the way back with only their thoughts of where their half demon friend may be.

* * *

Inuyasha groaned inside the Bone Eater's Well. "The pain has gotten worse," he said to himself as he leaped out of the hole and holding his stomach at the same time with one hand.

He fell to his knees once his feet landed on the grass. Both of his hands were holding his stomach. With his body off balance, the upper torso landed on the ground with a thud soon afterwards.

Inuyasha regained himself and stood up—staggering. "I hope the others are at Kaede's," he said, breathing heavily, "Or I will be so pissed!"

He began walking toward the village, bracing himself against each tree to stop him from collapsing. Once Inuyasha reached the edge of the forest to the grassy plain, he fell feeling dizzy.

Before reaching unconsciousness, Inuyasha recalled how sickly Kagome was. This woke him up, "I won't give up on you, Kagome," he said to himself and staggered some more.

He resumed his same bracing and staggering walk, but using the huts for support instead of the trees. All the villagers could only stare, for the demon's eyes were full of hatred, hope, despair, and inner pain altogether. They were afraid of what he might do or say if they crossed his path.

Inuyasha could not only smell Sango, Miroku, and the others among the noisy villagers, but also hear in on their conversation.

"I've had no luck finding him either; he never returned here," Miroku's voice.

"Should we continue searching?" Sango asked Miroku and Kaede.

"Not now. Rest ye here a while and then we'll all continue the search for Inuyasha," Kaede answered.

"I'm sure Inuyasha is fine," Miroku stated, "He's stubborn, but he can take care of himself."

When Inuyasha was five huts away from Kaede's, Kilala could smell his presence. "What is it, Kilala?" Sango asked her. The cat demon, then, took two steps in Inuyasha's direction. Shippo was the first to notice the familiar red figure in the distance.

"It's Inuyasha!" he cried out. Everyone began to recognize him as well. As they ran closer, Inuyasha said with a small, soft laugh, "I made it."

When his friends were a just about to finish their remaining steps of their run towards him, Inuyasha collapsed one final time unconscious.

* * *

Inuyasha was standing outside of Kagome's room at the hospital on the windowsill. He placed both hands on the glass and moved his face closer so he could see through without his reflection and of the city in his way.

Kagome was the only one in the room, laying in the hospital bed. She had many tubes and wires on her, as if she were living on life support. "What's wrong with her?" Inuyasha asked himself, "I thought she was only poisoned."

Just then, he couldn't move a muscle as if he were paralyzed. What' s happening to me?! His voice was also in the same state as his body.

That's when Marimu laughed.

Inuyasha didn't like the sound of this. He looked inside Kagome's room and found her eyes were closed. Marimu's poisonous mist form slithered in her room like he had done before.

No! Inuyasha tried to cry out. Then he changed his sights toward Kagome, Kagome, wake up! Get out of there!

Marimu knew of the half demon's presence and glanced at him momentarily before fixing his sights toward his victim. As if reading the young boy's thoughts he said, "Too late, half demon!" He, then, cackled as his form consumed Kagome's entire body.

"No, Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed as he sat up in bed.

"You're awake," Shippo greeted him.

Inuyasha was still trying to comprehend what had just happened. I must have dreamed it. Luckily, it was only a dream. Inuyasha looked toward the small boy and said, "How long have I been out?"

"Ye have been out for an hour," Kaede replied as she entered the room with a bowl of soup in her hands. Miroku and Sango were her shadows.

"Was I hearing things," Miroku asked sarcastically to Inuyasha, "or did you just say Kagome's name?"

Inuyasha's face was so full of anger by the monk's tone that he wanted to jump up and slash his throat till his head was rolling across the hut floor, followed by the stream of his own blood. He quickly regained his thoughts. Inuyasha knew that the monk was unaware of the past events, but that didn't matter to him.

Kagome… The dream felt so real to him. What is happening to me? All he could do was think of the young girl who he and her have been through so much together.

What will I do if she… He stopped his thoughts right there. He wasn't going to think about that. That's when he recalled where he was…and what the others said when he woke up. Wait a minute! Woke…up…

Shippo nodded, "You did. Inuyasha said--," Inuyasha cut him off after coming to a realization at what Kaede said earlier.

"Did you say I was out for an hour, Old Hag?"

Kaede narrowed her eyes and sighed, "Yes, but--,"

I've been out for too long! I've got to get to her! Inuyasha began to stand up, but grabbed his stomach, like he had done before, and landed on his knees.

"Whatever happened to you?" Miroku asked, "It's not diminished yet.

Then Sango glanced at the squatting Inuyasha, and noticed something different, "Inuyasha, where's Tetsusaiga?"

Everyone in the room looked where the sword once was including Inuyasha. He began to make a fist of sheer anger toward the poisonous demon that hurt Kagome, then to the realization and the reason why the sword was not in its present spot, when he grimaced in pain. Raising his hand he noticed bandages and wrappings were on the tips of his fingers.

Then, Inuyasha remembered the searing pain he went through when he tried to brace his fall with the hospital wall.

I think now is the time to explain what you've been doing for the past few hours," Miroku suggested with no sarcasm but with concern.

To Be Continued…