Author's note: Yep, more notes. Anyway, I apologize for this chapter...it's one of those informative chapters that gets kind of boring. Unfortunately, it's necessary to get some important info across. Don't worry, things will pick up in the next chapter!(evil laugh)Oh, and this chapter does have a little more swearing in it than before.
Miroku waited while the others finished their tasks, and then called them to where Inuyasha was tending to Kagome. "I've seen something like this before," he began."During my travels, I encountered a small village. There was a priestess there who had fallen in love with one of the village men. She did everything she could to draw his attention, but he was infatuated with another woman. Soon he began making plans to marry the girl he had fallen in love with, and when the priestess learned of the marriage she went mad with jealousy."Shortly before the wedding, the bride suddenly took ill. She fell into a deep sleep, and a fever ravaged her body. A healer examined her and declared that it was some type of poison. Suspecting the priestess, the man hunted her down and forced her to confess her crime."
"Did she do it?" asked Sango.
"Yes, she admitted everything, including the nature of the poison. It is a spiritual poison, not meant to destroy the body, but the mind."
Inuyasha dipped a clean rag into the small bucket of water that Sango had brought. "What does that mean priest?"
"It means that the poison will slowly drive Kagome mad. The fever that she has developed will soon bring with it terrible nightmares; manifestations of her every fear. The poison is designed to wear down the victim mentally until they simply lose their will to live and slip away."
"Is there any antidote?" Sango leaned down and brushed a stray lock of hair from Kagome's pale face.
"No, there is no antidote. But Kagome has a very strong will, and with our help she may be able to withstand the nightmares until her fever breaks."
"What can we do?" Shippo chirped, anxious to help his friend.
"The only idea I have is to make sure Kagome knows she has a reason to stay attached to this world."
"And how do we do that?" Inuyasha asked as he gently bathed Kagome's face with the cool rag.
"We tell her how much she means to us," Sango looked at each face in turn as the suggestion sunk in. "If Kagome knows that we need her, then maybe she'll have the strength to survive this."
Inuyasha snorted. "Of course she knows we need her woman. Besides, she's unconscious. She won't be able to hear us."
Keade, in an uncharacteristic show of annoyance, slapped the hanyou across the back of his silver-haired head. "Ow! What was that for?"
"She cannot hear all of our words, Inuyasha, but the constant presence of a friend can lend strength in times like these. Right now Kagome is trapped in a limbo, stranded somewhere in between life and death. She needs help finding her way back to the world of the living. If what Miroku says is true, then the journey will not be easy for Kagome, and she will need a strong presence to anchor onto. You once swore that you would be this girl's protector, Inuyasha. If you truly wish to protect Kagome, then help guard her from death by lighting her path home!"
The small room in which the company had gathered fell silent. Inuyasha hung his head, knowing that the miko was right. "I know, Keade. It's just that..."
With a shake of her head, Keade placed a gnarled hand on the young half-demon's shoulder. "I know, Inuyasha. This whole event has stunned us all." She paused a moment and looked up, including the rest of the group. "We need to stop talking now and get to work, or there will be no hope for our young friend. Shippou, can you gather some more wood for the fire? Inuyasha, Miroku, please leave the room for a few moments while Sango and I try to make Kagome more comfortable."
Miroku drug a resisting Inuyasha from the hut, and explained to him what the miko had meant. "They're going to undress her now, so that they can use the rags to cool her body. By keeping her skin cool, they hope to beat to fever."
"Oh." Was the only response the priest received as the pair stepped off the porch into the thickening snow. The storm was growing in intensity now, and the snow underfoot had to be at least half a foot deep.
"Do you feel guilty, Inuyasha?"
"Huh? Guilty? Why should I feel guilty?"
Miroku leaned against a low, snow-laden wall. He was trying to find the right words to say. "Kagome means a lot to all of us, Inuyasha. We all want to protect her from the dangers of this world. To Sango and me, she's like a younger sister. To Shippou, she is the mother he has been longing for. To you..."
"What are you getting at, priest?"
"Inuyasha, I saw the look in your eyes when you brought Kagome in today."
He shrugged. "She was heavy."
"And what about the tender way you bathed her face back there?" Miroku exhaled sharply. "Don't you get it, Inuyasha? Kagome could be laying in there dying! There is a good chance that we may never hear her laugh again. We may never see her smile, or see her eyes widen in wonder at all the little sights we take for granted! You sat there and tended to her with nothing but love in your eyes, and yet now you act as though you don't have a care in the world! You swear to her that you will protect her, and then you stalk off and let a demon attack her. Why? What do you really feel, Inuyasha?"
Miroku found himself pinned to the small wall as Inuyasha suddenly loomed over him. "Damn it! I'm sick and tired of you people sticking your noses in my business! Do you want to know how I feel? Fine! I'm pissed off because you people are always trying to push Kagome and me together! I'm pissed off because she keeps trying to get closer to me, and I'm pissed off because I keep letting her!" In his anger, Inuyasha had forgotten his barriers and was finally allowing his true feelings to show. Miroku, stunned, remained silent as the hanyou suddenly realized what he had said. Without a word, Inuyasha turned and fled into the woods.
Back inside the tiny hut, Sango helped Keade undress Kagome. They bathed her body with the cool rags, trying in vain to fight the growing fever."I've never seen her so still, Keade. Kagome's always moving about, always laughing and talking. The poor thing." She gazed down at the stricken girl sadly. "She's burning up. I hope that she's strong enough for this."
"Kagome has a very strong spirit, child. Her miko powers are showing more every day, and I'm sure that her abilities will help her through this."
Both women worked silently then, lost in thought. They slipped a thin kimono over the girl's pale skin after running the cloths over her body one more time. The task completed, they sat back, each lost in their own private musings.
The fever is beginning to consume her, Sango thought.
Suddenly Kagome gasp, causing Keade and Sango to draw back in suprise. The girl was beginning to moan softly, and her body was convulsing.
"The dreams," Keade whispered. "It's begun."
