Chapter 9
Kaede walked into the hut with some bowls containing herbal remedies and medicines for Kagome. She looked down at the girl, who had been awake for almost 5 days. She was able to sit up by herself, but hadn't tried to stand yet.
She was still weak from her battle with Sesshomaru and Naraku, yet she had no visible wounds on her body. Inuyasha hadn't left her side for more than an hour at a time since they had brought her back, and even then only when he had to hunt.
"Inuyasha, you must leave." Kaede said lightly. She didn't look up from her work of mixing various plants as she spoke.
"I'm staying right here." Inuyasha replied flatly. He had abandoned his arrogance when Kagome had transformed, and now only worried himself with caring for her, not hiding his emotions.
"Inuyasha I can't treat her while you're in the room."
"Inuyasha, I'll be fine. You can come back in after a few minutes. I think I have to undress for Kaede to treat me."
Inuyasha slowly rose and walked to the door of the hut.
Without turning he said, "I don't know why you care Kagome, it's not like I haven't seen it before." He pushed the mat covering the doorway out of his way and strode out without looking back.
Kagome blushed profusely and Lady Kaede chuckled.
"Well now, he's a bit forthright, isn't he?" Kaede noticed.
Inuyahsa sat outside of the hut, watching Shippou color a picture of what looked like Kagome in her demon form. Her eyes were crimson and her fangs and claws were longer than when she was in her hanyou form. She was baring her teeth and the others were standing next to her, looking scared.
"Shippou, don't show that picture to Kagome." Inuyasha warned. He knew that she didn't want to think about what had happened when she had changed. She was glad that Naraku was gone, but was shaken when she was told that she had gone after Inuyasha.
"Why not Inuyasha?! This is a good picture! It took me a long time!"
"It would make her sad. Don't show it to her." Inuyasha explained. Shippou nodded silently and drew a new piece of paper to draw on.
Inuyasha looked over to find that Miroku was once again trying to grope Sango. However, he didn't get very far.
*WHACK*
"HENTAI! YOU ARE SUCH A PERVERT!!!" Sango screamed. She beat him over the head mercilessly and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
Inuyasha smirked and closed his eyes. He was glad that some things remained constant, even if it was only the fact that Miroku was a pervert.
"Inuyasha?" A soft voice broke him from his peace. He looked up to see a figure standing next to him.
"Kagome?! What are you doing up? Go back in the hut and get some rest!" he yelled. He immediately stood and put his arm around her, helping her walk back inside.
'Don't push yourself Kagome! I want you to heal quickly. I need you to be safe.' he thought to himself.
As if reading his thoughts she said, "Inuyasha, I'm fine. I can walk now, and Kaede said that I should be fully recovered in about 2 days."
"That's great news, but I don't want you to push it. You don't need to be walking around yet. We can try it out tomorrow, and if you're strong enough, you can go on a walk with me. Alright?" he added, looking into her eyes, hoping not to sound too commanding.
She nodded and hugged him before lying down to rest. "Thank you Inuyasha. What would I do without you?"
He sat down beside her and played with her hair absentmindedly as she drifted off.
'You'd be in a lot less pain without me.' He thought with a frown.
Kagome woke to the sound of Inuyasha yelling. "NO! I won't go with you... LEAVE KIKYOU!"
"I know that you love me Inuyasha, what you have with that reincarnation of mine is merely an infatuation. You would never betray me, not again." she whispered.
"I never betrayed you. I... I owe you nothing!" he replied, the fury rising in his voice.
Kagome had heard enough. She slowly rose, pushing herself off the wall for support. It was no easy task, and her legs were numb with pain from overworking them before they were healed. She staggered to the doorway, gripping onto her bow and slinging her quiver over her shoulder. She knocked an arrow onto her bow and tediously walked outside of the hut.
She turned to her right, and in a clearing about 50 feet away, she saw them. Inuyasha was backing away from Kikyou, who was slowly moving towards him. She moved in close to him and put her hand on his chest.
"You love me. Don't fight it." She stated coolly. He had stopped moving away, and his eyes hadn't left Kikyou's.
Kagome had gone unnoticed, until she pulled back her arrow and released it, hitting Kikyou in the shoulder.
"Don't touch him." She said grimly. "I'll kill you Kikyou, like I should have done before."
Kikyou eyed her amusedly and pulled the arrow from her shoulder. "So it's true... you are a hanyou. You must think that you're powerful now. You'll never be more powerful than I."
Kagome was so angry that she forgot about Inuyasha and the others, who were unconscious and off to the side at his feet. They had obviously been attacked by Kikyou before Inuyasha had come to their rescue, only to fall under her spell again. It was as though flames were lapping at Kagome's skin. She could feel an indescribable blaze of heat rise in her body, filling her senses and flowing through her veins.
"You're a damn idiot. I'm not a hanyou. I'm a demon, and I'll tear you to pieces, just as I did with Naraku." She had lost all feeling in her voice and her eyes were scarlet and void of emotion.
'What's this change I sense in her? Maybe she wasn't bluffing...' "No matter, I'll kill you easily. You are a mere copy of me. Besides, Naraku was a fool. Anyone could have defeated him." she said coldly.
Kagome, now in demon form, smirked. "You have no idea what you're up against."
With that, she threw down her bows and took a fighting stance. She waited for Kikyou to attack, but she stood doing nothing but staring.
"Coward!" Kagome yelled at her opponent before charging. She stood in front of Kikyou, whose face finally converted to a look of fear. She never thought that Kagome would be this fast. Kikyou motioned to her soul stealers, and they began to swarm around Kagome. With a mere swipe of her claw, they disappeared. Kagome grinned and looked at Kikyou, who was shocked.
"It ends now, bitch."
Kaede walked into the hut with some bowls containing herbal remedies and medicines for Kagome. She looked down at the girl, who had been awake for almost 5 days. She was able to sit up by herself, but hadn't tried to stand yet.
She was still weak from her battle with Sesshomaru and Naraku, yet she had no visible wounds on her body. Inuyasha hadn't left her side for more than an hour at a time since they had brought her back, and even then only when he had to hunt.
"Inuyasha, you must leave." Kaede said lightly. She didn't look up from her work of mixing various plants as she spoke.
"I'm staying right here." Inuyasha replied flatly. He had abandoned his arrogance when Kagome had transformed, and now only worried himself with caring for her, not hiding his emotions.
"Inuyasha I can't treat her while you're in the room."
"Inuyasha, I'll be fine. You can come back in after a few minutes. I think I have to undress for Kaede to treat me."
Inuyasha slowly rose and walked to the door of the hut.
Without turning he said, "I don't know why you care Kagome, it's not like I haven't seen it before." He pushed the mat covering the doorway out of his way and strode out without looking back.
Kagome blushed profusely and Lady Kaede chuckled.
"Well now, he's a bit forthright, isn't he?" Kaede noticed.
Inuyahsa sat outside of the hut, watching Shippou color a picture of what looked like Kagome in her demon form. Her eyes were crimson and her fangs and claws were longer than when she was in her hanyou form. She was baring her teeth and the others were standing next to her, looking scared.
"Shippou, don't show that picture to Kagome." Inuyasha warned. He knew that she didn't want to think about what had happened when she had changed. She was glad that Naraku was gone, but was shaken when she was told that she had gone after Inuyasha.
"Why not Inuyasha?! This is a good picture! It took me a long time!"
"It would make her sad. Don't show it to her." Inuyasha explained. Shippou nodded silently and drew a new piece of paper to draw on.
Inuyasha looked over to find that Miroku was once again trying to grope Sango. However, he didn't get very far.
*WHACK*
"HENTAI! YOU ARE SUCH A PERVERT!!!" Sango screamed. She beat him over the head mercilessly and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
Inuyasha smirked and closed his eyes. He was glad that some things remained constant, even if it was only the fact that Miroku was a pervert.
"Inuyasha?" A soft voice broke him from his peace. He looked up to see a figure standing next to him.
"Kagome?! What are you doing up? Go back in the hut and get some rest!" he yelled. He immediately stood and put his arm around her, helping her walk back inside.
'Don't push yourself Kagome! I want you to heal quickly. I need you to be safe.' he thought to himself.
As if reading his thoughts she said, "Inuyasha, I'm fine. I can walk now, and Kaede said that I should be fully recovered in about 2 days."
"That's great news, but I don't want you to push it. You don't need to be walking around yet. We can try it out tomorrow, and if you're strong enough, you can go on a walk with me. Alright?" he added, looking into her eyes, hoping not to sound too commanding.
She nodded and hugged him before lying down to rest. "Thank you Inuyasha. What would I do without you?"
He sat down beside her and played with her hair absentmindedly as she drifted off.
'You'd be in a lot less pain without me.' He thought with a frown.
Kagome woke to the sound of Inuyasha yelling. "NO! I won't go with you... LEAVE KIKYOU!"
"I know that you love me Inuyasha, what you have with that reincarnation of mine is merely an infatuation. You would never betray me, not again." she whispered.
"I never betrayed you. I... I owe you nothing!" he replied, the fury rising in his voice.
Kagome had heard enough. She slowly rose, pushing herself off the wall for support. It was no easy task, and her legs were numb with pain from overworking them before they were healed. She staggered to the doorway, gripping onto her bow and slinging her quiver over her shoulder. She knocked an arrow onto her bow and tediously walked outside of the hut.
She turned to her right, and in a clearing about 50 feet away, she saw them. Inuyasha was backing away from Kikyou, who was slowly moving towards him. She moved in close to him and put her hand on his chest.
"You love me. Don't fight it." She stated coolly. He had stopped moving away, and his eyes hadn't left Kikyou's.
Kagome had gone unnoticed, until she pulled back her arrow and released it, hitting Kikyou in the shoulder.
"Don't touch him." She said grimly. "I'll kill you Kikyou, like I should have done before."
Kikyou eyed her amusedly and pulled the arrow from her shoulder. "So it's true... you are a hanyou. You must think that you're powerful now. You'll never be more powerful than I."
Kagome was so angry that she forgot about Inuyasha and the others, who were unconscious and off to the side at his feet. They had obviously been attacked by Kikyou before Inuyasha had come to their rescue, only to fall under her spell again. It was as though flames were lapping at Kagome's skin. She could feel an indescribable blaze of heat rise in her body, filling her senses and flowing through her veins.
"You're a damn idiot. I'm not a hanyou. I'm a demon, and I'll tear you to pieces, just as I did with Naraku." She had lost all feeling in her voice and her eyes were scarlet and void of emotion.
'What's this change I sense in her? Maybe she wasn't bluffing...' "No matter, I'll kill you easily. You are a mere copy of me. Besides, Naraku was a fool. Anyone could have defeated him." she said coldly.
Kagome, now in demon form, smirked. "You have no idea what you're up against."
With that, she threw down her bows and took a fighting stance. She waited for Kikyou to attack, but she stood doing nothing but staring.
"Coward!" Kagome yelled at her opponent before charging. She stood in front of Kikyou, whose face finally converted to a look of fear. She never thought that Kagome would be this fast. Kikyou motioned to her soul stealers, and they began to swarm around Kagome. With a mere swipe of her claw, they disappeared. Kagome grinned and looked at Kikyou, who was shocked.
"It ends now, bitch."