Disclaimer: Well I'm going to say it againI don't own 'em, and I don't even own the lyrics (the only one I've owned here was the lead-off for "Shadows of Memories." I think that one was mine! YAY!)
A/N: Okay, I have a big essay to write from the moment I finish this until whenever it's done (with my luck that might not be till midnight being as that I'm such a hopeless procrastinator!) for my Adv English class...to put it short I have to get an A or B at least or my pride will die becuase my traditional place of unchallenged success has been English...ha...got our cap and gowns for graduation today...(shivers)...anyway, on the Sakana/Kagome and the others...obviously this chapter take sits name from the story's title. But in my opinion this isn't the most rivetin chapter, it merely fills in gaps that I can't just let go, the next chapter I think will be more spine-tingling, heart thrilling, teeth grinding action... Notice that I use the names Sakana and Kagome as interchangeable. Sometimes (all the time Ihope)I've used whichever name applies to who's observing her...when it's young miss Higurashi thinking herself I think I always call her Kagome, becuase her identity is pretty much restored...also when the villagers talk about Sakana's "greatest possession,"(as well asall the worries about the RedDemon corrupting her physically) they're talking about her virginity, obviously assuming the worst about Inuyasha...(snickers)anyway...those arethe only notes I can think of for this chapter...enjoy!
Somebody's Waiting For Me
"And I am searching for you
Waiting to brush your shoulder
But I'm alone
I watch the faces roll by
Roll, roll, roll right by me…"
In the late afternoon the day after she'd been abducted by the dreaded Red Demon and presumed dead, Koshi stirred the village's awe like a cook stirs miso soup when he brought Sakana back—alive. Once more the villagers whispered their stories, both amazed and frightened of the strange happenings at once. Various people crept by Mijai's healing hut curiously, peeping in just long enough to see that just as they'd heard, Koshi was inside with the healer. They speculated on the girl's health and wellbeing now that she'd been returned alive from the clutches of a demon.
"First the river, and now the Red Demon himself!"
"Yes, yes, I know…she must be immortal!"
"No—she's human! You saw her about the village, making eyes at that boy Koshi. No youkai or sprite would do that…"
"But if that's true…imagine what's happened to her, you know what a demon would do to an innocent girl like that! Take away her greatest possession…"
"Oh! The poor thing!"
Overhearing these things, Shisuki made her way to Mijai's hut, her stomach twisted in a knot of anxiety and fear for her friend. She'd watched Sakana awaken from her beginnings as a half-drowned, skinny young woman pulled from the edges of their river into Koshi's intended lover and something close to a legend among the villagers. Some hadn't called her "Sakana," but "Miracle," instead. It was true some resented her and suspiciously thought of her as the stroke of bad luck that had brought down the wrath of the Red Demon upon them, but those were few and far between. Now the thought of seeing Sakana sickened and weakened again—and corrupted by the Red Demon physically—made her sick to her stomach.
When the girl bowed before Mijai and pleaded to see her friend Mijai immediately ushered her in, welcoming her. "I was thinking," he chuckled, "That you were part of the reason she woke so well before. Koshi is at her side at all times—and shows no sign of leaving!" he seemed to nod his head at that, almost gravely, but said nothing else of it to Shisuki's surprise, "…But even so, I believe the more the merrier! And you have a wonderful bedside manner 'Suki, dear. Besides, Koshi needs sleep, as I do too, and there needs to be someone there watching over her—those samurais are always peeking in here, ready to cause trouble, especially the big squinty ugly fellow Koshi calls Namaru." He scowled.
Shisuki barely took in any of the healer's words before they'd reached the back room and her breath was stolen away at the sight of Sakana lying among the furs. A sense of déjà vu nearly overwhelmed her and for a second she was intensely dizzy. Mijai's strong, sturdy hand came out to support her shoulder, keeping her from swaying.
"Are you all right, 'Suki, dear?"
She nodded timidly, "Yes Mijai-sama." She whispered, "I just felt so terrible seeing her sickly again…I was getting so close to her when she disappeared…" she sighed, thinking fondly of how sweet it would be if Sakana and Koshi were able to follow what seemed to be their clear destiny to her—to love one another and marry. She smiled when she thought of having someone so sweet and handsome as Koshi as a semi-brother-in-law…
"Well, 'Suki, go in and keep Koshi company, and I suspect Sakana will come out of her sleep soon." He nodded assuredly, "And in a little while I'll bring you in some soup, sound good?"
Shisuki nodded and bowed slightly, "Yes, Mijai-sama." When the healer turned to leave her alone Shisuki walked silently, with her head bowed respectfully, into the room and knelt beside Sakana's futon alongside Koshi.
"'Suki…" Koshi blinked when she knelt at his side, startled, "I didn't hear you come in…"
"I didn't want to disturb you, Koshi-sama." She whispered, her eyes gleaming sadly in the faint, quiet light of the healer's back room. It was always so tranquil in the healer's hut, as it was designed, that frequently the guests and friends and family that waited for their loved ones to heal would fall into deep sleeps themselves. Koshi, with his bleary eyes and thick speech sounded as if he might've been falling into one of these. Shisuki regretted having disturbed him. Sleeping was sometimes the best way to wait things out.
Koshi sighed exhaustedly and rubbed one hand over his face roughly, trying to wake himself up. "I have gone through too much in the last few days…" he muttered, "The attack, the deaths…" he looked tenderly to Sakana and stretched out one hand, stroking her cheek lovingly, "The emotions…"
Shisuki looked away from his open display, hating the way her cheeks abruptly burned. She had never seen such love! Not even among her parents! Beside her Koshi's words went onward.
"When she wakens…when she's well again, I'm going to devote myself to her. I'm going to leave the samurais to settle with her. Perhaps, if the demon slayer that I heard rumor of, comes through again, I shall ask him to train me…"
Shisuki glanced suddenly back to Koshi and frowned lightly, "The slayer was a woman…"
Koshi blinked at her stupidly for a moment and then grinned brightly, "Oh, I see…I'm sorry…" he patted her shoulder and nodded his head in an acknowledgement of deep respect. "I should've known better than to assume…"
"It's okay…" Shisuki chewed on her lower lip nervously, avoiding Koshi's gaze and instead looking on Sakana carefully. The girl was pale and her breathing was rough—rougher than she remembered from her first illness, her first brush with the river. But other than that the girl appeared only to be sleeping…or did she? Shisuki reached up and brushed aside the sleeping girl's bangs delicately, fidgeting nervously under Koshi's careful scrutiny.
"What are you doing?" he frowned.
"I'm looking at her nasty bruise…" she scooted a stray lock of black, ragged hair from Sakana's brow, "Do you see? This was healed, she must've bumped her head again…she has no luck…"
Koshi shook his head fervently and reached out to fondle Sakana's limp and pale hands in his own, squeezing them reassuringly, "That's not true…" he whispered, his voice deep and heavy with his obvious warmth—perhaps even love?—for the sleeping girl. Shisuki turned away once more, hating the flush in her cheeks.
But she couldn't stop herself from asking, "What will you do if—when—she wakes up, Koshi-sama?"
Beside her Koshi sighed heavily and leaned forward, resting his head closer to the girl he loved. "I shall nurse her to health and happiness…and when the time is right, once she's strong enough, I will ask her to be my wife. I cannot live without her beauty in my life any longer…" he breathed, serenely, and Shisuki found that no matter how she tried to couldn't look into his face directly…she kept her eyes on Sakana's face, wondering what the poor girl had gone through at the hands of a demon…she cringed and tried to look away from this too but was unable to.
A loud voice reached Shisuki and Koshi's ears then and they looked to one another, alarmed. "I'll look in on it, Koshi-sama." Suki announced and walked to the first room of the healer's hut when Mijai conducted his non-healing activities religiously, keeping the back room empty and spacious for his patients and his patients only. What she sawmade her stare in wonder.
Mijai was speaking rather heatedly to a tall, lithe woman wearing a tight, black body suit. The young woman looked as if she and Mijai had taken an instant disliking to each other, and it appeared that the woman wanted inside the healer's hut. If she hadn't recognized the woman in the black and pink body suit Shisuki might have been frightened, she might have agreed with Mijai's opinion, whatever it was, but she did recognize her…
Shisuki stepped forward and bowed to get Mijai's attention. The old healer turned eagerly away from the other woman, glad to ignore her and deal with Shisuki instead. "Yes, 'Suki?"
"Mijai-sama," the younger girl bowed several more times to him, all of these bows more apologetic than anything else, "This woman is the demon slayer that has come to kill the Red Demon for us! You should let her in and accommodate her…"
The healer scowled unhappily, "But, Shisuki," he growled, uncharacteristically grouchy, "There are youkai with her, two of them!"
'Suki looked briefly passed the healer to where Sango, the demon slayer, waited impatiently, a tiny yellowish, keen-eyed neko-youkai in her arms and a young kitsune youkai child at her feet with, red hair and green eyes wide and innocent. She smiled, remembering them, and Sango returned the expression, although her memory was foggy and she had failed to remember the young girl as the one that had alerted them to Kagome's presence in the village to begin with.
Satisfied, Shisuki glanced back to Mijai and bowed deeply again, "I know them Mijai-sama. They likely rescued Sakana from the clutches of the Red Demon you know…" she put in, letting the healer understand that he probably owed the other woman more than he thought by far.
Mijai had taken her meaning well and he nodded, his eyes bright with understanding. Quickly he turned round and faced Sango, bowing slightly. "Hello Lady Slayer, what did you say yourname was…?"
"Sango." She nodded respectively once and then lifted the neko-youkai, "This is Kilala," the small kitten youkai mewed in response to hearing her name, but Sango had already moved on through the introductions by then, "And this," she nudged the kitsune with her foot, "Is Shippo." In response to her prodding Shippo squealed and leapt behind her leg as if afraid that Mijai might suddenlyeat him.
"He's shy." Sango explained, trying to get the kit off her leg futilely.
"Mmm, hmmm…" Mijai nodded, though his eyes fairly shouted that he wasn't impressed, "Lady Sango, the girl that Koshi pulled from the river earlier just this day is right over here…" he led the way, giving 'Suki a quick scowl as he passed her. Her intervention hadn't beenappreciated, let alone forgotten.After a moment's hesitation for respect, Shisuki followed after them.
As soon as Sango crossed into the room she felt her anxiety at not having been able to find Kagome disappear. The girl was obviously alive and well cared for under multiple layers of furs. But the second thing she noticed was that there was a boy about Kagome's age knelt at the futon, the unconscious girl's limp and pallid hands in his grasp. He was massaging and squeezing them rhythmically with worry and care at once. Sango felt her guts coil up with dread.
"Who is the boy? Her husband?" she tried to tease, but the chuckles that escaped her throat were quiet and unconvincing. Mijai seemed to notice her discomfort and shifted his weight, moving ever so slightly further away from Sango.
"No, not her husband, her rescuer…" Mijai loosened up some then and snorted, whispering, "But I think the moment she wakens he shall propose to her to make him her husband!"
Sango tried to chuckle but it ended up being a very suspicious cough instead. Oh Gods, this poor boy doesn't know that he's trying to compete with Inuyasha! Of course she doubted that it really mattered whether this Koshi knew about Inuyasha or not—it was whether Inuyasha knew of Koshi or not. She could only pray and pray that Miroku was able to keep the hanyou from leaving on a quest to exterminate the villagers until he had Kagome returned to his side safely…
At that moment she heard a familiar voice make itself known, a careful, soft noise came, the sound of someone clearing their throat before they speak of something delicate or nerve wracking. All eyes (except for Koshi because he was still obsessed with the unconscious but clearly still alive Kagome) in the room turned round to meet the purple and black robes and violet eyes of a certain lecherous monk named Miroku. Shisuki gaped at his clear handsomeness (to which Miroku was smirking right back at her, his right hand itching for a feel) while Mijai looked as if he might spring for the monk's throat for the man's violation of standard waiting and respect policies.
Sango, however, had the swiftest reaction…
"Houshi-sama!" she gasped, surprised and suddenly terrified to see him, "What manner of things brings you here so soon?" she hinted, stepping just a little closer so that she could pull and pick at his collar and robes, silently intimidating him. He knew that she could pick him up—with one arm no less—and hurl him across the room if he did or said something bad in this delicate situation with the villagers.
He gulped nervously before answering, "Why Sango! I came for no other reason than to see your beautiful face!" he smiled, the expression was too sickly sweet for Sango to be fooled even in the slightest, and by the way Mijai was staring at them both—with open suspicion—she doubted that the healer really fell for it either. But the monk's first lie opened up his chance to tell the truth when he pulled her into a sudden embrace and pressed his lips to her ear, whispering what had really brought him swiftly. "Inuyasha is on the loose…"
Although his news made Sango feel acutely sick to her stomach, Miroku's warm, steamy breath, tickling her ear made Sango's tenseness melt abruptly and her body gave an involuntary shiver…which turned out to be a very good thing as far as passing off their lie went. Mijai took one look at that closeness and believed that the monk really was the demon slayer's boy toy. He looked away, not wanting to watch them if there should be anything more than what he took to be hugging and sensual whisperings. Shisuki, disappointed that the monk seemed to have no interest in her, sighed and looked to the small youkais that were hovering about Sango's feet, one at either side.
The kitsune was grinning up at her innocently and she smiled back down at him—he reminded her of her brother's dog. But just as she knelt down to begin petting the kit there was a screech from Sango and all in the room, even Koshi this time, looked to her, blinking. The demon slayer growled in her high, wavering voice and called out, "Hentai!" furiously, then came the inevitable ricocheting slap. Koshi cringed in sympathy for the purple-robed monk.
Mijai, however, was less sympathetic. "We have a sleeping girl here—" he snapped, glaring at them sharply, "Could you please keep yourselves quiet! Otherwise I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Both Miroku and Sango nodded silently…and then Koshi jumped to attention beside "Sakana's" futon, pressing her hand to his face frantically. "She's coming to!" he announced, eagerly, eyes wide and gleaming.
Immediately Shippo jumped to Sango's shoulder, both the demon slayer and the monk pressed into the room, closer to the bed, Kilala trailed close behind. Shisuki hurried to sit beside Koshi at "Sakana's" side, and Mijai moved to take his traditional spot at the foot of the futon. The group waited anxiously for the girl to wake, anxiously, but patiently as she moaned and shifted her position, slowly beginning to flutter her eyelids, her brain turning itself on.
On her chest, still linked by its gold chain, the shards glittered and burned against her skin though none of them could see it…
Kagomeopened her eyes and blinked with difficulty. Her eyes hurt strangely, the vision wasn't right, it was blurry…she rose one hand and picked at some crusty bits in the corner on one eye and scowled in confusion and disgust. When she tried to pull the other hand up and use it to investigate her other eye she found, to her distress, that she couldn't move it…why was that? There was no pain…
Weakly she moaned and rolled in that direction—and came face-to-face with Koshi and Shisuki, who were grinning ecstatically—and expectantly—into her weary and confused face. They weren't familiar to her…
With a more powerful tug of her caught hand,Kagome pulled it free of Koshi's grip, groaning as she did. Who were these people? Why couldn't she think straight and—
Suddenly the pain hit her, straight in her forehead and temples, andKagome cried out, closing her eyes tightly. Her face wrinkled in pain.
"Oh Sakana! I'm here for you!" Koshi moved even closer to her then, reaching for her. He grasped her thin, small frame in his arms and managed to somehow get her cuddled in his arms without pulling her from the furs or invading her futon himself. Shisuki and Mijai watched the couple with soft, warm expressions, admiring Koshi's clear love for the girl…Sango and Miroku and Shippo looked at each other or the walls or the floor, anything but the couple. And each of them were thinking about what a horrible death Koshi was doomed for if Inuyasha found out—if he even simply saw the scene they were witnessing…
But to Kagome Koshi was a stifling presence, an inhibitor to her wellness. His arms around her, his foreign human male scent that she took in and unconsciously analyzed as unfamiliar, and his young and soft soothing voice were more than she could take in at the moment. Her mind raced, her senses reeled. What could she do to get him away from her? Instinct took over and she had the urge to simply bite him like an animal—but she wasn't strong enough, and the pain in her head was intense…she just wanted peace and quiet and…someone else…she didn't know what but she knew that whatever, whoever it was, she didn't have it yet…
In his arms Sakana screamed and struggled. Although her movements and sounds were weak Koshi looked stunned and terrified. He looked to Shisuki and Mijai in a panic. "She's gone mad!" he cried, and looked as if he might be sick at the thought of his own words.
Mijai, however, realized that she needed to be let alone and he reached out and grasped Koshi's arm tightly, squeezing. "Let her go Koshi—she needs to be left alone for now. Comfort can come later; trust me. For now speak to her from a distance, don't comfort her with an embrace yet…it's too much for her…"
Koshi nodded sternly and let Sakana go gently, arranging her carefully on her back on the futon still under the thick furs. The moment he was mostly parted from her Kagome stopped moving and her breathing began to normalize from her panic of moments before. Her eyes roved about the faces in the room, unfocused and unseeing. Her lips moved without sound, practicing it seemed, but it looked almost like she was chewing the air. But this strange behavior stopped a second later when she moaned and tried to turn away from them, trying to get a grip on the terrible pain in her head.
Koshi reached for her tenderly, brushing the hair from her forehead but Kagome reacted with surprising swiftness and coordination when she slapped his touch away with one hand and squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind was swamped; she was unable to sort out the strange things inside her. Thoughts, memories, feelings, they swirled uncontrollably in her mind.
The seconds passed and after a moment Koshi leaned close to her and whispered, softly, "Sakana, do you remember anything? Do you remember this room, the village…" he pursed his lips and asked one final question, "Do you remember me?"
The girl opened her eyes but didn't look to him and didn't turn toward him. After a moment she let loose with a deep sigh and whispered, in a cracking, weak, and barely audible voice, "I don't remember…"
Koshi sighed, noticeably saddened, and was about to speak again when Kagome finished her sentence, stopping everyone in the room abruptly, turning them to stone, "…you." She coughed once, weakly, and whispered the full sentence more firmly a second time, "I don't remember you."
Mijai patted Koshi on the shoulders and shook his head at the boy, "That means nothing," he counseled, "She just needs time…she probably doesn't remember anything at all!"
Hearing him, Kagome rolled slightly, her eyes closed again with the pain from even the dull light of the healer's room, "I remember…" her voice cracked and she was unable to finish the sentence. She looked as if she might drift off into sleep again.
Koshi knelt close to her and nudged her gently, trying to keep her awake long enough for her to answer him, "What do you remember, Sakana…?" he asked, breathlessly.
The room was silent as Kagome struggled against him for a moment breathing roughly. Then she coughed once, a little stronger than all the others before, and opened her weak, glazed eyes before speaking quietly and with surprising coherence, "I remember…somebody's waiting for me…" she let out a long, wheezy breath.
Koshi was smiling happily, looking to Mijai it was clear that he thought that Kagome was remembering him, but Sango, Miroku and Shippo each exchanged nervous glances, certain that Kagome was remembering someone else who wasn't currently in the room…
As if she'd heard their thoughts and apparently decided to confirm their suspicions Kagome moaned, recapturing everyone's attention, and announced in a breathy, raspy whisper: "I remember…Inuyasha…"
Koshi and Mijai and Shisuki each looked in confusion at one another and mouthed, "Inuyasha? Dog Spirit?" they looked to Sakana for clarification but she had reentered the world of sleep and didn't appear to be leaving it anytime soon.
Suspicion glinting in his eyes, Mijai looked toward the two youkai, the monk and the demon slayer, "Have you got any idea what it means?"
All four of them shook their heads, feigning complete ignorance. "Inuyasha? Never heard of it!" "Inuyasha? Sounds like a joke to me!" "Who would want to waste their time remembering strange made up names like that anyway?"
The healer glared at them suddenly with new suspicion, "Who said that it was a name?"
Immediately the monk, demon slayer, and two youkais were faced with the three pairs of baffled or downright suspicious glares from the locals. There was no point in trying to cover their tracks now…why they'd all agreed to decline from mentioning their relationship with Kagome was beyond them—although it likely had something to do with the obvious closeness that Koshi felt for the girl he thought of as Sakana. It made each of the Shard-hunters feel miserable and uncomfortable at the thought of shooting down the other young man's dreams…if Inuyasha hadn't been the "Red Demon," they'd have easily fallen back on his lack of sympathy and possessive nature to reveal the truth…but now human thoughtfulness had turned into compassionate blunders.
In the end it was Miroku who sighed, lowering his eyes, and began to explain, "We know this girl…"
Mijai, Koshi, and Shisuki all stared stupidly, all of them rendered abruptly mute. They waited with incredible patience for Miroku to begin again, much to the Shard-hunting group's discomfort. The long, pregnant silence of the group drew out, longer and longer…until it was too heavy to sustain and Miroku finally broke down.
"Her name is Kagome. She is from the area around the Inuyasha Forest, that is what she speaks of." He lied, with surprising smoothness, which made Sango and Shippo glance at him in something close to astonishment. But this was quickly stifled when they realized that it was a good lie, in fact, it was better than that—it was a great lie…but Miroku's next words, although thoroughly shocking them, weren't necessarily quite as good.
"We are emissaries from her rich Grandfather in that area. We had been sent to retrieve herfrom the clutches oftheRed Demon whokidnapped her some weeks ago…" he swallowed nervously, violet eyes swiveling uncertainly around the room. Did I just completely ruin Inuyasha all over again?
Mijai and Shisuki were still analyzing this explanation when Koshi, his face taut with terrible emotional pain, muttered thickly, "Then this demon has been chasing her for some time?"
Without any other choice Miroku slowly nodded and after a pause gestured to Sango, adding, "Lady Sango is the residing demon slayer for Kagome's grandfather…" he paused for slight effect, "She was sent with me as an escort and these two youkai as trackers for the Red Demon. It is our duty to return the girl to her family and slay the demon that took her."
Mijai's eyes were still narrowed suspiciously on the Shard-hunters. "What is her family's name? And if all this is true, why didn't you say it from the beginning?" he growled, eyeing each of them in turn. Shippo shrank away, cowering, at his scrutiny. Miroku and Sango both ignored the whimpering sounds of the young youkai and answered the healer without hesitation.
"Her family is the Higurashi clan…" Sango revealed.
"And with all that has happened—and with the boy's clear affection for young Lady Kagome, we felt it best to simply watch over all, protectively." Miroku explained, forcing his expression to be calm and friendly. He also steadfastly ignored Koshi's sudden glaring at him.
"I am no boy, I am a man!" Koshi proclaimed, defending himself. His chest seemed to inflate up at least two sizes even as Miroku continued to ignore him, "And I am worthy of Sakana—er, Kagome's—affections! When she recovers and returns home with you, I shall accompany you to ask her grandfather and her clan's permission for our marriage."
Now Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala all gaped at him, their outward appearances stunned stupidly, their inner minds working like ant nests, panicked. Shippo was the first to speak, saying the very first thing that came to mind: "But Kagome isn't even awake yet! She hasn't even told you whether she would even consider marrying you!"
Koshi seemed unaffected by such a point, "We are meant for each other—I can feel it!" he announced, and Shisuki and Mijai were staring at him with surprised, even awe-filled eyes.
"Koshi-sama!" Shisuki whispered, her face beaming, "Sakana…Kagome would never say no! I know I would wish for someone like you as my husband!"
Koshi nodded to her respectively, his face ablaze with color, "Thank you, Shisuki…"
"You can't come with us…and Kagome could never marry you!" Sango blurted abruptly.
"Why not?" Mijai, Shisuki, and Koshi all demanded at the same time.
There was no answer from Sango, only her averted, frustrated gaze. What will Inuyasha think of all this? By the time hegot through with Koshi the poor young man would be castrated for sure!
Taking their lack of an answer as a positive thing, Koshi lifted his nose higher into the air in pride, "I'm going to follow her no matter what!" he turned and tenderly reached for her, stroking her face, brushing aside her hair, "I promise…" he whispered.
He could see her pale, milk-colored flesh through the reeds. A thrill went through him when the curtain of her black hair shifted slightly, exposing the round fullness of one breast…like a ripe fruit waiting to be picked. He wanted to discard his own clothes and join her—but his limbs were rooted, strangely, to his spot. This was a spectator's sport…
And anyway, a small but powerful voice spoke up inside him, why should he risk going in there? What if she screamed and sat him? What if she didn't return his feelings for her? Was it even what they wanted? There were so many complications—yes, he was attracted to her, he wanted her, loved her scent, her smile, her beaming personality, but if he did go and do what his gut inner instincts told him to do his conscience knew that it would be, in the end, wrong.
Damn that voice!
He didn't want to listen to it but he did. It was right, his inner, wilder instincts were wrong…in fact; to be watching her while she bathed in the hot springs was a terrible invasion on her privacy! He was no better than the lecherous monk, grabbing a feel for the sake of his own perverse pleasures, whims, and needs. Such a thing was a terrible trait! He should be thinking of Kagome…
Yes, his Kagome! He tried to inhale her scent, tried to take it in, at the same time he thought he closed his eyes because the beautiful—but utterly wrong and guilt-ridden scene vanished from sight. The sounds of the river became clearer…wait, river? Hadn't Kagome been bathing in the hot springs?
Confusion swept through him for a moment and suddenly Inuyasha opened his eyes…
Sunlight was reaching through the trees at a lower angle. Some hours had passed since his last waking memories. He hadn't realized—since fleeing the meadow that he'd shared with Miroku—that he'd been so tired. One moment he remembered leaping through the trees until he reached a spot that had a great view of the distant village across the powerful current of the river, the next he'd stopped to observe the scenery and tend to his still healing arrow wounds. Then he'd been asleep and dreaming…
Yes, dreaming…And what a marvelous dream! He held the image a moment longer in his mind, savoring it. But that wondrous scene faded swiftly when he realized with a start that he hadn't planned on sleeping after attending his wounds…he'd lost a few hours to that unplanned nap!
Growling the hanyou flicked his ears. When had he become so sleep deprived? Kagome needed rescuing and he wasn't living up to his promise of saving her or protecting her…even if what she needed protecting from right now was her own stupid self…
With a weary, but annoyed look to the sun, Inuyasha decided that, come nightfall, he'd enter the village and search for Kagome…he prayed that she was there and not drowned in the river.
His heart constricted inside its cage of ribs at the thought of being without her, of thinking that she was dead again…of truly being alone. It was then that the images from his dream reappeared and Inuyasha sighed, reluctantly basking in them, although he knew that it was the wrong thing to think…it was weak! He couldn't allow his attraction to her, or his dreams about her become a foolish delusion.
With a shake of his head he looked again at the sun…thinking clearly: Just a few more hours to go Kagome…wait for me would ya? I'm always ready to wait for you…
Please…remember me…
Endnote: Kay...to thank reiviewers and answer questions: THANK YOU!Midori09, Taeniaea, cool-chick-rae, toxiclollipop, aly88, rena, freelke, spice lily, inuyasha'sbabe07, andsveta8. ThankALL reviewers!Over 150 reviews for this story, and I'm always surprised to see how many come in for it now...it started with so few! Now it outranks my other fic! (gasps at the confession!)Tiamath Yes, but I think she won't use that handy little tool until later, she's foggy right now and IY, I think, would have enough sense not to go rushing in there without thought or caution, Miroku made a VERY good point last chapter about what the villagers will think if they find out she's "involved" with their red Demon,Mad-4-Manga One of the other personalities is called ears? (blinks) can I ask why? (smirks) hehehe...and you used the word Uberously! (dies at your feet) So COOL, fanfiction1 HA! Those rivers will getcha if they can...as for your other comment, your thoughts have actually begun hatching schemes in my head...hehehe(evil laughter), Flamesofthemo0n Hey! Choir! YAYS! Me too, Unwary Hanyou wow! where'd THAT outburst come! wowhee! (chuckles) Namaru...hehe, if you already hate him now I think I'm going to make you hate him ALOT more by the end of this... bumbleflies and butterbees hehe, yes, they kissed. I REALLY enjoyed writing that chapter...but I might've gotten too carried away with it (sheepish look) but I'm glad to hear that you liked it! Pyrinsomniac (sniggles) it's that bad huh? Hehehe...GAH! (sniggles again) my Miroku says that (when I say he's Miroku I mean that he's a lech of course) (grins), toots Sorry that she hasn't really done all that much, except surprise Koshi a little by saying she doesn't remember him, and then he turns right around and thinks that she does remember him...(sighs) what can I say, guys are dense sometimes! You know how it goes...(sniggles)
I must go now, that essay is still heavy on me and it's already getting later than I wanted it to be! AHH! I have 440-some words of a needed 750 Minimum (dies) must go...