CHAPTER TEN
*
Inuyasha was still alive at sunset.
At least, Miroku amended, he was still breathing, and his wounded heart was still beating. Barely. He hadn't woken, made a sound or twitched during all that time, and according to Kagome he was still cold. What surprised Miroku was that he was still alive at all. Kagome's sacred arrow could destroy -- or at least wound -- any demon without fail. How had Inuyasha lived through a direct blow meant to kill?
He's strong, Miroku thought. But not that strong. Unless... Kagome...
He paused in his wood-gathering, and headed back to the little rickety hut. Inuyasha was still nestled in his bed of straw, as pale and quiet as a corpse. The slight rise and fall of his bandaged chest was the only outward sign that he was still alive. Although Miroku wasn't sure if he would stay that way.
Kagome was sitting on the floor, digging through her enormous backpack. Her eyes were red from crying. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Not really," Miroku said, sitting down. "I've been trying to puzzle out how Inuyasha lived through being shot by you. Tell me, Kagome, when did you realize that it wasn't really Kagura in front of you, but Inuyasha?"
"Huh?" Kagome said, confused.
"Let me try again. Did you see that it was Inuyasha before or after you shot at him?"
"I... I don't know..."
"Think hard."
Kagome frowned, racking her brains. "I... I think it was just about the moment when I shot the arrow. I didn't mean to -- it sort of just... went."
"I know that, Kagome," Miroku said with a small smile. "But by not firing a second earlier, you may have saved Inuyasha's life. If you hadn't hesitated, he would be dead now. Your indecision changed the spell in the arrow, making it less powerful. Otherwise, Inuyasha WOULD be deadnow."
Kagome looked over at the still figure huddled in the straw. "But it's still my fault," she said in a low voice.
Without another word, she pulled a folded blanket out of her backpack and spread it over Inuyasha's still body. Miroku watched sadly as she carefully tucked it around him, pulling the edge of it under his chin. There was a tenderness to the gesture that he rarely saw Kagome show for Inuyasha; the abrasive young demon tended to act strangely when she was affectionate.
"Do you think he's going to be all right?" Kagome whispered. She brushed a few strands of pale hair away from Inuyasha's face.
"I don't know," Miroku said quietly.
*
"We're going to do WHAT?" Sango said, as if she couldn't believe her ears.
"We're going to pursue the demon," Miroku said calmly. "Remember, Inuyasha smelled human blood on that mountain somewhere. That must mean that there are humans somewhere -- even dead ones. We must at least find out if there are survivors."
"Shouldn't we wait for Inuyasha to recover before trying anything more?" Sango said.
"We may not have enough time. Inuyasha is so badly wounded that it will take him far longer than usual to heal. He's still closer to death than I'm comfortable with, and Kagome won't leave his side."
Shippo was sitting on Kirara's head, holding a small log in both tiny arms. He watched the monk and demon-slayer tensely discussing the situation before piping up, "Besides, it's not as dangerous for us. Inuyasha didn't know about those illusions until it was too late. We know!"
"Good point, Shippo," Miroku said.
Sango crossed her arms. "Do you think we could persuade Kagome to come?"
"In a word... no." Miroku sighed. "I just hope that she and Inuyasha will be all right without us here. Especially with a dangerous demon on the loose."
"Kirara." Sango unwrapped the skirt she wore over her demon-slayers' uniform. The demon-cat padded over to her and growled softly. "Stay with Inuyasha and Kagome. If anything tries to harm either one, kill it."
Kirara growled softly and narrowed her red eyes. Then she vanished in a swirl of flame, only to reappear in her smaller, much cuter form. She scampered into the hut, mewing softly.
"Well, I feel a little better now," Miroku said. He felt more cheerful since he had come across Inuyasha and Kagome in the forest. But it only took a glance back at the little, hole-filled hut to drag him back down again.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
Inuyasha was still alive at sunset.
At least, Miroku amended, he was still breathing, and his wounded heart was still beating. Barely. He hadn't woken, made a sound or twitched during all that time, and according to Kagome he was still cold. What surprised Miroku was that he was still alive at all. Kagome's sacred arrow could destroy -- or at least wound -- any demon without fail. How had Inuyasha lived through a direct blow meant to kill?
He's strong, Miroku thought. But not that strong. Unless... Kagome...
He paused in his wood-gathering, and headed back to the little rickety hut. Inuyasha was still nestled in his bed of straw, as pale and quiet as a corpse. The slight rise and fall of his bandaged chest was the only outward sign that he was still alive. Although Miroku wasn't sure if he would stay that way.
Kagome was sitting on the floor, digging through her enormous backpack. Her eyes were red from crying. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Not really," Miroku said, sitting down. "I've been trying to puzzle out how Inuyasha lived through being shot by you. Tell me, Kagome, when did you realize that it wasn't really Kagura in front of you, but Inuyasha?"
"Huh?" Kagome said, confused.
"Let me try again. Did you see that it was Inuyasha before or after you shot at him?"
"I... I don't know..."
"Think hard."
Kagome frowned, racking her brains. "I... I think it was just about the moment when I shot the arrow. I didn't mean to -- it sort of just... went."
"I know that, Kagome," Miroku said with a small smile. "But by not firing a second earlier, you may have saved Inuyasha's life. If you hadn't hesitated, he would be dead now. Your indecision changed the spell in the arrow, making it less powerful. Otherwise, Inuyasha WOULD be deadnow."
Kagome looked over at the still figure huddled in the straw. "But it's still my fault," she said in a low voice.
Without another word, she pulled a folded blanket out of her backpack and spread it over Inuyasha's still body. Miroku watched sadly as she carefully tucked it around him, pulling the edge of it under his chin. There was a tenderness to the gesture that he rarely saw Kagome show for Inuyasha; the abrasive young demon tended to act strangely when she was affectionate.
"Do you think he's going to be all right?" Kagome whispered. She brushed a few strands of pale hair away from Inuyasha's face.
"I don't know," Miroku said quietly.
*
"We're going to do WHAT?" Sango said, as if she couldn't believe her ears.
"We're going to pursue the demon," Miroku said calmly. "Remember, Inuyasha smelled human blood on that mountain somewhere. That must mean that there are humans somewhere -- even dead ones. We must at least find out if there are survivors."
"Shouldn't we wait for Inuyasha to recover before trying anything more?" Sango said.
"We may not have enough time. Inuyasha is so badly wounded that it will take him far longer than usual to heal. He's still closer to death than I'm comfortable with, and Kagome won't leave his side."
Shippo was sitting on Kirara's head, holding a small log in both tiny arms. He watched the monk and demon-slayer tensely discussing the situation before piping up, "Besides, it's not as dangerous for us. Inuyasha didn't know about those illusions until it was too late. We know!"
"Good point, Shippo," Miroku said.
Sango crossed her arms. "Do you think we could persuade Kagome to come?"
"In a word... no." Miroku sighed. "I just hope that she and Inuyasha will be all right without us here. Especially with a dangerous demon on the loose."
"Kirara." Sango unwrapped the skirt she wore over her demon-slayers' uniform. The demon-cat padded over to her and growled softly. "Stay with Inuyasha and Kagome. If anything tries to harm either one, kill it."
Kirara growled softly and narrowed her red eyes. Then she vanished in a swirl of flame, only to reappear in her smaller, much cuter form. She scampered into the hut, mewing softly.
"Well, I feel a little better now," Miroku said. He felt more cheerful since he had come across Inuyasha and Kagome in the forest. But it only took a glance back at the little, hole-filled hut to drag him back down again.
TO BE CONTINUED