CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Inuyasha woke slowly, drifting from his feverish dreams to a none-too-pleasant reality. He blinked at the cracked rafters, lit up by the sputtering fire, and the stars shining through the holes in the roof. A cold breeze was sifting through the room.
What am I... how did I... of course, he thought. Now I remember... Kagome... in the woods... she shot me with a sacred arrow...
He closed his eyes and winced. There was a fiery, hollow pain in his chest, burning inside him where the arrow had struck. His arms and legs were still aching and weak. But that was nothing compared to the pain in his head. Seeing Kagome... aiming that bow at him... it had brought back in a flash all the fear and rage from when Kikyo had attacked him. They had even had the same expression: cold, merciless.
Those memories had fuelled his dreams -- hellish, distorted dreams of the day Kikyo had pinned him to a tree. Only he couldn't tell who the girl with the bow was, Kikyo or Kagome. More dreams about fire, about arrows, about being helpless as one of the girls -- or both -- walked away into the darkness, leaving him to die... alone.
I wonder why I'm not dead, he thought. Or maybe I am, and they'll be coming in to bury me sometime soon...
Painfully, Inuyasha shifted on the bed of straw. Damn, he thought, putting his shaking hand on his wounded chest. His left arm was almost useless. He couldn't even feel it. Why, Kagome? he thought. Why did you do this? He tried to think of how everything could have crumbled away under him, but his thoughts were so confused, so corrupted by his nightmares...
He heard someone come into the hut. "Inuyasha?" Kagome said. "You're awake!"
Inuyasha shut his eyes.
Kagome knelt beside him. "Inuyasha," she said. "Please... just look at me..."
His eyes opened slightly, looking at her. "W-why?" he whispered hoarsely. "Why'd you do it... Kagome...?"
"It was an accident! I wasn't trying to..." Kagome stopped and composed herself. "Inuyasha... I'm so sorry. I never tried to do it -- it was the demon in those woods."
Inuyasha took a shallow breath. "You... you saw..."
"I saw Kagura, not you. I was trying to shoot Kagura, only I didn't know that it was really you. There was -- some kind of illusion that covered you up -- and I didn't realize what was behind the illusion until... Inuyasha... I really thought you were dead, and I was just... I don't think I've ever been so miserable in my life."
Inuyasha closed his eyes again. She wasn't trying to hurt me, he thought, relieved. She... she wasn't trying to hurt me. Not like Kikyo did fifty years ago.
The wounded half-demon felt Kagome's hand rest on his shoulder. And to his disgust, he shuddered at her touch. He couldn't help it -- though his mind now knew the truth, the memories that her attack had brought back made him recoil without wanting to.
"I understand," Kagome said softly. But tears were filling her eyes.
"Kagome..."
"If I were in your place, I'd probably feel the same way." Kagome avoided Inuyasha's glazed eyes. "If you want me to, I'll leave."
"No," Inuyasha said breathlessly. He strained upward, as if trying to get up. But he couldn't make his arms and legs obey him; his muscles were as limp as damp rags. "I want you to stay with me..."
Kagome smiled a little. Without a word she let her head rest on the hay near Inuyasha's bandaged shoulder, not touching him, but staying near him. The girl listened to Inuyasha's breathing slowing, and saw his golden eyes starting to close. "K'gome..." he murmured after awhile.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks..."
"For what?" Kagome couldn't imagine what he was talking about.
"For... crying for me..."
Kagome's heart almost stopped as Inuyasha's voice trailed off. "Inuyasha?" she whispered, sitting up and looking at him fearfully.
He was lying completely still, with his eyes closed and his face turned away from the flickering firelight. Then to Kagome's relief, Inuyasha sighed deeply and settled deeper into the hay. He was asleep. REAL sleep, not the deathlike coma of before.
Kagome resisted the urge to take his hand and squeeze it. Instead, she sat beside him and watched him sleep late into the night.
TO BE CONTINUED
Inuyasha woke slowly, drifting from his feverish dreams to a none-too-pleasant reality. He blinked at the cracked rafters, lit up by the sputtering fire, and the stars shining through the holes in the roof. A cold breeze was sifting through the room.
What am I... how did I... of course, he thought. Now I remember... Kagome... in the woods... she shot me with a sacred arrow...
He closed his eyes and winced. There was a fiery, hollow pain in his chest, burning inside him where the arrow had struck. His arms and legs were still aching and weak. But that was nothing compared to the pain in his head. Seeing Kagome... aiming that bow at him... it had brought back in a flash all the fear and rage from when Kikyo had attacked him. They had even had the same expression: cold, merciless.
Those memories had fuelled his dreams -- hellish, distorted dreams of the day Kikyo had pinned him to a tree. Only he couldn't tell who the girl with the bow was, Kikyo or Kagome. More dreams about fire, about arrows, about being helpless as one of the girls -- or both -- walked away into the darkness, leaving him to die... alone.
I wonder why I'm not dead, he thought. Or maybe I am, and they'll be coming in to bury me sometime soon...
Painfully, Inuyasha shifted on the bed of straw. Damn, he thought, putting his shaking hand on his wounded chest. His left arm was almost useless. He couldn't even feel it. Why, Kagome? he thought. Why did you do this? He tried to think of how everything could have crumbled away under him, but his thoughts were so confused, so corrupted by his nightmares...
He heard someone come into the hut. "Inuyasha?" Kagome said. "You're awake!"
Inuyasha shut his eyes.
Kagome knelt beside him. "Inuyasha," she said. "Please... just look at me..."
His eyes opened slightly, looking at her. "W-why?" he whispered hoarsely. "Why'd you do it... Kagome...?"
"It was an accident! I wasn't trying to..." Kagome stopped and composed herself. "Inuyasha... I'm so sorry. I never tried to do it -- it was the demon in those woods."
Inuyasha took a shallow breath. "You... you saw..."
"I saw Kagura, not you. I was trying to shoot Kagura, only I didn't know that it was really you. There was -- some kind of illusion that covered you up -- and I didn't realize what was behind the illusion until... Inuyasha... I really thought you were dead, and I was just... I don't think I've ever been so miserable in my life."
Inuyasha closed his eyes again. She wasn't trying to hurt me, he thought, relieved. She... she wasn't trying to hurt me. Not like Kikyo did fifty years ago.
The wounded half-demon felt Kagome's hand rest on his shoulder. And to his disgust, he shuddered at her touch. He couldn't help it -- though his mind now knew the truth, the memories that her attack had brought back made him recoil without wanting to.
"I understand," Kagome said softly. But tears were filling her eyes.
"Kagome..."
"If I were in your place, I'd probably feel the same way." Kagome avoided Inuyasha's glazed eyes. "If you want me to, I'll leave."
"No," Inuyasha said breathlessly. He strained upward, as if trying to get up. But he couldn't make his arms and legs obey him; his muscles were as limp as damp rags. "I want you to stay with me..."
Kagome smiled a little. Without a word she let her head rest on the hay near Inuyasha's bandaged shoulder, not touching him, but staying near him. The girl listened to Inuyasha's breathing slowing, and saw his golden eyes starting to close. "K'gome..." he murmured after awhile.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks..."
"For what?" Kagome couldn't imagine what he was talking about.
"For... crying for me..."
Kagome's heart almost stopped as Inuyasha's voice trailed off. "Inuyasha?" she whispered, sitting up and looking at him fearfully.
He was lying completely still, with his eyes closed and his face turned away from the flickering firelight. Then to Kagome's relief, Inuyasha sighed deeply and settled deeper into the hay. He was asleep. REAL sleep, not the deathlike coma of before.
Kagome resisted the urge to take his hand and squeeze it. Instead, she sat beside him and watched him sleep late into the night.
TO BE CONTINUED