Chapter Three
"Inuyasha. Inuyasha, wake up!" Kagome said, shaking his shoulder and getting no response.
She pulled back her hand. His arm was all sweaty. He's not that well, after all. Wonder what made him so sick…Kagome thought, continuing to dress Inuyasha's wound. Once finished, she brushed his dark bangs out of his face. She sat on the chair across from the couch, and just watched him. His body softly rose and fell as he lay there, looking very peaceful to her despite the pain she knew he must be experiencing right now.
Gasping, Kagome suddenly remembered about her grandfather. She quickly ran to his room, only to find him asleep on his bed. He chirped in his slumber, and turned away from the light that fell on his face from the opened door.
"Whew, good thing he's asleep. Better for him not to worry about this," she said to herself, closing the door.
Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was only 9:00 PM. They had at least seven hours or so before Inuyasha would turn back into his hanyou form. Kagome ran up the stairs to her room to grab some blankets from the closet. On her desk, she spotted the bottle that contained her tiny Shikon shards. A youkai could easily attack her again, just like many other instances in the past. Better not to leave them there. She dropped it into her pocket before she returned to the living room.
As she made her way down the stairs, she heard Inuyasha call, "Kagome! Come quick!"
Kagome hurried to where Inuyasha was leaning on the back of the couch, looking out the window at something.
"What? Is it a youkai?" she asked, also peering through the glass into the darkness facing the south.
"K-Kagome! What is that?!" Inuyasha demanded, jabbing a finger at a tractor standing idly nearby a street light on the other side of the road.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't sense anything," Kagome responded, not understanding his concern.
"Right there! That big yellow thing! If it's a youkai, I'll have to fight it!" he raised his voice, though he didn't have much voice left.
Kagome studied the entire area for a few moments. Finally spotting the tractor, she exploded with laughter. Inuyasha looked at her hurtfully, not understanding why she was making fun of him. He laid back down on the couch, frowning at her.
When she controlled herself, she said, "That's not a youkai! It's just a tractor that people use to build things!"
What is wrong with her?! How am I supposed to know that that thing wasn't dangerous?! I don't know a damn thing about her stupid world and all the freaky things these people use! Inuyasha raged in silence, not feeling like yelling it out loud. He turned his back to her, still frowning.
"Oh, come on! I couldn't help it! Here, I'm sorry!" Kagome apologized quickly, holding out a blanket to him.
Slowly, he moved back to her, and took the blanket. He just sat there, holding it. Kagome finally turned around to make some tea for both of them.
"Kagome," Inuyasha said, stopping her.
Kagome looked at him. "Yes?"
Feeling nervous again, he beckoned her with his hand. She walked over and immediately felt his forehead to see if his fever had gone down. Before she could ask him again what he wanted, Inuyasha pulled her into a hug. Startled, Kagome hugged him back reflexively. He nuzzled into her hair, and wrapped his arms tighter around her. Kagome's emotions suddenly erupted as she embraced him carefully, still aware of his wound. She was so glad that he was alive when she found him, and that he was all right now. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they pulled apart slowly, neither of them making eye contact with each other.
"Thank you," Inuyasha mumbled, just audible for her to hear.
Without another word, Kagome simply smiled at him and went into the kitchen.
As he sat there, a thought came to Inuyasha, possibly a thought to deter him from thinking about his emotional outburst. Maybe…maybe it was because of that sweet brown stuff he had eaten earlier. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, and the smell of the chocolate had made him look through the giant bag until he found it. Another pang hit his stomach, which made him vow silently to never eat it again. Just so that Kagome would never find out, after eating the chocolate, he had stuffed the wrapper in the folds of his haori. She'd definitely find it now. He couldn't wait until Kagome found out so she could yell at him for another reason. Great. She'll get mad at me now, Inuyasha thought dryly.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath when he tried to move and couldn't, "Stupid human body…"
Shippou continued to pace around the small room. "Where is he?!"
"Shippou-chan", Sango asked after finishing her meal, "Are you sure Inuyasha didn't tell you where he was going?"
"Yes! He didn't tell me anything! He seemed to be in a bad mood like always. Only, he looked kinda sick. But that gives him no right to just disappear on us! We need him to bring Kagome back, before Naraku attacks us again!" Shippou cried, pacing faster.
"Only Kagome-sama and Inuyasha can go through the well, so there's not much we can do. But there is definitely something wrong here. Inuyasha should've come back by now," Miroku said, eyes cast on the dark patch of sky not covered by the flimsy door.
Sensing a strange aura not too far from the village, Kaede got up. "Something's coming. Be on your guard."
When hearing this, Shippou squeaked and ran behind Sango, who was going outside with Miroku. Kaede concentrated on the power she felt. It was almost like Kikyou's, but this person was not dead. It had to be a miko, and one with power. She picked up her bow and quiver of arrows, knowing that this presence was not a friendly one.
Just over the hill stood Kuma, glaring at the sky. Her long robes billowed in the wind, and she held herself, almost looking cold despite the warm weather. She shivered. Why am I still thinking about that hanyou? Even though her sister was dead, strange thoughts still seemed to control her. Kuma had been forced to kill Inuyasha. She truly had no personal reasons, just leftover grief for Tsubaki. When she had died, Kuma had known the exact instant, and had momentarily felt the remnants of Tsubaki's being seep into her. In a way, she was not herself anymore, but was in constant battle over what used to be Kuma.
The sight of Miroku, Sango, and Shippou shook Kuma from her thoughts. She summoned her shikigami and sent them into the tall grasses that grew down the slope. Who are they? They look like a nuisance. Oh great!
"Who's there!" Sango shouted up the hill as she threw her Hiraikotsu at the shikigami that had lunged for her.
"If I'm not mistaken, it looks like a shikigami! How many black mikos can there be?!" Miroku grumbled aloud as he graspedhis right hand.
Kuma's shikigami, not nearly as strong as Tsubaki's, was cut in half by the Hiraikotsu and fell into the grass. The black miko pouted instantly. Any hostile image one would see of her fell away. She sank to her knees, making strange, sad noises.
"Look what you did! And I tried so hard to raise her, too! Ahhhhhh!!" Kuma wailed, blinking away foolish tears as she glared at Miroku, who was slowly approaching her.
After retrieving her weapon, Sango turned sharply at the sound of their enemy crying on her knees. Her once anguished face loosened at the sight and complete bewilderment washed over her; the girl wasn't faking it.
"Now, now," Miroku cooed, edging closer, "What business does a little black miko-in-training have in attacking a handsome man and his beautiful female companion?"
"I am NOT 'in-training'!!!!" she shrieked, her fair face contorted with petty frustration.
"Ok, ok, do you know Tsubaki by any chance? She was a horrible witch, though I have to say she was quite the beauty," Miroku pressed, reaching out a hand.
Sango knew exactly what that perverted monk would do. To her, especially, he was doing something so utterly careless and stupid. He could easily be caught in a trap. She marched over to Miroku, just as he stuck his staff in the ground and clasped Kuma's small delicate hands in his. When he touched her, her heart beat faster and she felt the heat rise in her face.
"Would you please bear my child?" Miroku said, but it was not Sango who smacked him on the head, but Kuma.
"She was not a witch!" she growled, wiping at her face not only to eliminate any signs of tears, but to hide the blush rising in her cheeks, "Can't you just leave me alone?"
Miroku backed away. "You attacked us first."
Kuma stood up, still glaring at Sango, and now Shippou, who had dared come closer. His nose twitched as he sorted out the scents he detected on the black miko.
"You!" he said, tail twitching angrily, "Where is Inuyasha? I smell him on you!"
Kuma took several steps backwards, and called her serpent. "So what if you do? You won't find him in this world."
Miroku quickly stepped forward and snatched her wrists. "Listen, little girl, you are going to tell us where he is. Now."
"You can't make me!" Kuma squealed, and her shikigami flew at Miroku.
Kirara lunged at the shikigami and sank her fangs in the center of the serpent. Instead of bursting into blood, it shifted to little squares of white paper. Sango nearly fell over at the sight of how weak it was. Inuyasha had to be fine. But it he was, why hasn't he returned yet? And why was Kagome taking so long? She shook her head, perplexed.
Miroku let go of the girl and yanked his staff out of the ground. "Take us to where you fought him."
"Like I'm going to listen to you!" Kuma said shakily, not liking how her situation was turning out.
Kirara bared her fangs at the black miko, and Sango came to stand beside her loyal pet. "If you don't want to be torn to pieces, I suggest you do as we say."
Shippou was sent back to inform Kaede of their plans, and he put up no argument when it was suggested that he say with her. As the three of them rode on Kirara, Kuma reluctantly directed Sango and Miroku to the Bone Eater's Well. Kirara deliberately shook Kuma off, who had been in the rear, and she fell on her bottom below.
"Hey! Why'd your youkai dump me off?!" she whined, not even attempting to get up.
Sango ignored her and jumped off of Kirara after Miroku. "Why are we here?"He must've gone into the well to bring Kagome back .But if he did, then why would this black miko be involved? Miroku could only shrug after attempting to arrange his thoughts.
He smirked at Kuma. "Well, we know that you couldn't have killed him. He's much too strong for that. He must be in Kagome's time."
Kuma kept silent, not wanting these strange people to kill her. She'd just let them figure out what happened. She twirled a blue strand of hair, trying to look innocent. Besides, if she played it out right, she'd have them protecting her for the night!
"I guess we'll be camping out here," Miroku said, looking around for firewood.
Sango still didn't trust this girl, and kept her eye on her, Hiraikotsu by her side as she sat against the side of the well. As soon as the fire was started, Kuma cautiously edged closer, and curled up on the grass to sleep.
Well, she appears to think we will do her no harm. I guess we'll see when Inuyasha gets back, Sango thought as she watched the dancing flames of the fire. Miroku watched Sango finally drift off to sleep. He took it upon himself to keep watch. As his eyes wandered to the familiar trees and foliage, his mind noticed something that he had forgotten to connect earlier: there was no moonlight.
Kagome watched more TV while Inuyasha slept. Bored, she flicked onto one of the many news channels. She sat up intently as the reporter frantically blurted out information of an explosion caused near the clinic her mother had gone to. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked at the clock, and came to the conclusion that it had been nearly two hours since her mother had left. They'd been gone too long.
"We don't know how the explosion occurred, or what might have caused it. Our news team is reporting information as it becomes avaiable. Firefighters are extinguishing the flames, but they are saying the fire never dies. Stay tuned to KXL News for further coverage."
For another minute she sat mutely, staring at the screen, waiting for more information. But, to her dismay, the channel swept off to a slew of commercials. She didn't even bother to check any other channels. She knew that a youkai was responsible. Kagome didn't know what she was going to do. She couldn't just sit here and wait, depending on Inuyasha like she always does.
"Looks like a youkai is involved," Inuyasha said from the couch, startling her.
Kagome immediately ran over to Inuyasha's side. "You can't go, if that's what you're thinking. You can't."
Inuyasha grimaced as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He was a little more than fatigued, but he knew he was hardly in any shape. It's not like he was just going to sit there, in any case.
"Where's your family?" he asked as he eyed the room, though he couldn't sense anything.
Kagome fought back tears as she replied: "Mom and Souta went to the pharmacist…"
Inuyasha looked at her in confusion.
"A…a store with medicine, I mean. That's where the youkai is, somewhere in that area. I have to go see for myself." She finished, holding her fist to her heart.
Kagome turned to go when Inuyasha reached out to grab her arm and she protested. "Let me go…I care for you too much to allow you to go."
Inuyasha swung his legs around to touch the floor, and apparently too fast, since he grabbed his head immediately after doing so. "Ugh…I can't let you go alone, Kagome. I said I'd always be there for you, and I meant it."
Kagome wrenched free of his hand easily. "No! Even if the youkai were weak, you still wouldn't be able to do anything, in your human form. You have to know that, Inuyasha."
He definitely wasn't going to tell her about the chocolate now. She'd be madder than ever, no doubt…he thought to himself. How could he not go? There was no way she could make him stay.
"Well, before I go, I have to ask you something. When you were sleeping, you mumbled something about 'sweet brown stuff'. What on earth were you talking about?" Kagome asked, the question arising once more in her mind as she thought of it.
Inuyasha felt his face go red. "Uh…well…I…"
"I need to know what it is! I think I have an idea of why you were attacked," Kagome urged, not noticing how uncomfortable this was making him.
He let out a shaky sigh. "It's in my shirt."
When she went over and pulled out the chocolate wrapper, her first reaction regarded her guess. She was wrong. Her second reaction was worry.
"Y-you ate chocolate? You're half dog youkai. Dog! Do you know WHY that's bad?" Kagome reeled, staring at the wrapper, then back at Inuyasha.
Inuyasha thought of his horrible stomach pains and shook his head.
"Chocolate is bad for dogs, and I'm pretty sure with youkai it's no different! Oh no," Kagome continued, turning around to stroke his face, "You're lucky you're a hanyou."
"Why?" Inuyasha asked, a blush creeping back onto his face.
Kagome brought her hand down, and Inuyasha took it. "You could have been seriously afflicted, I bet. That's why you couldn't fend for yourself. Did you throw up?"
Inuyasha nodded, grabbing her hand harder. "It all makes sense now."
"Except for the Shikon shard in you," Kagome said quietly.
That swept away any good feelings they were experiencing. They couldn't escape it; how could they?
"Kagome, you can't keep me here. I…I don't know how that bitch implanted a shard in me but I'm not just gonna sit back and take it. You can't handle this by yourself." Inuyasha declared, reaching for his blood stained undershirt.
"Well, I can't feel anything strange, but the possibility of a youkai is very real," Kagome said, coming to terms with her defeat although distress marred her face, "You're not wearing that, " she added.
"Eh? Oh…" the hanyou frowned, "Is there something wrong with it?"
Kagome rolled her eyes as she searched through the piles of clean clothes she had thrown off the couch in her haste to tend to Inuyasha. Pulling out one of Souta's huge sleeping shirts, she handed it to Inuyasha and he slowly wrestled it over his head, followed by his haori.
They both knew they had two priorities, but even though Kagome was torn between checking on the state of her friends in the Sengoku Jidai under the possible threat of that black miko, her heart yanked painfully as she weighed that against her mother and brother. She had to find out if they were okay. She would be of no use in fighting if she didn't know.
I don't know why I finished the chapter but I did. Oh, I know. Because I realized how crappy this fic is, but I at least want to bring it to a pseudo closure that will never be revived. Hehe. If you're here, thanks for reading.