CHAPTER THREE

Jinenji's Request

Jinenji's mother was outside tending to the fields when the silver haired hanyou arrived, all the worse for the wear. "Jinenji, come! One of your little friends is hurt!" Out of a little hut in the middle of the vast fields came a monstrous youkai.... or better yet, hanyou... He stood almost 12 feet tall and had giant blue eyes. "That's Inuyasha, he's the one that was traveling with Kagome-sama," Jinenji said gruffly as he gently picked up the half dead hanyou and took him inside. "It looks like he's been infected... mother, you should wait outside." Jinenji took Inuyasha inside and put him down close to the fire. Inuyasha was still fighting the pain, but couldn't get any words out. It was ok, Jinenji knew what was wrong with Inuyasha. For on Inuyasha's chest was a bleeding wound. It showed no signs of recovery and looked as if it had opened recently. There was no tme for introductions... Jinenji started making a fine paste with his herbs and removed Inuyasha's himono to get a better look at the injury. After applying the right medicine to the now healing wound, Jinenji told Inuyasha to stay still and not move so much. It wasn't like he had much of a choice. Inuyasha felt as if a large boulder had been placed on him. He couldn't move an inch. Instead he just closed his eyes and drifted off into his thoughts....

'Where am !?' 'What am I doing here?'

'Kagome.... Kagome I'm sorry... please be safe.'

'Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kirara, please keep her safe'

'I'm counting on you.... all of you.'

It was already mid day and Inuyasha still wasn't moving. Jinenji had already begun to fear for the worst. This was Kagome-sama's friend. If something happened to him she would be truly sad. He could not let it happen. Kagome was the only human that had ever been nice to him.... accepted him. She did not deserve to lose her friends. Jinenji applied more paste to the wound and waited for Inuyasha to show signs of recovery. It seemed as if the inu hanyou was deep in thought. His eyes were open but out of focus and his dog ears were drooping. "This paste can heal any poison you know," Jinenji attempted to make conversation, but his attempt went unanswered. He looked curiously at the dog boy lying next to him and slowly inched forward.... it didn't look like if he was breathing.

Kagome had been riding for hours with no signs of Inuyasha. She was giving up hope when she heard the familiar sound of air rushing above her. She was suddenly lifted and placed on top of Kirara the mononoke. Her bike fell to the floor with a clatter on the forest floor. She looked around at her surroundings and knew she didn't have to say anything. Her companions, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou all had very serious faces with a hint of worry. Kirara too was going as fast as her demon powers allowed her to. This atmosphere caused Kagome to worry even more. If they were worried it was because something was really wrong. Shippou now sat on Kagome's shoulder and was very silent for a talkative little kitsune. Miroku was staring off into space and hadn't even bothered to try and grope Sango, who was scanning the region ahead of them, looking for signs of their hanyou friend.

Jinenji had to use drastic measures to make Inuyasha breathe again, he powered himself up and gave the unconsious dog demon a jolt of demonic energy. "AHHH!! What the hell was that for?!" he yelled, sitting up and flexing his claws at the nearest thing that he saw, which was a pot. "I am sorry, but you needed it. You had stopped breathing for quite a while now..." came a voice from behind him. Inuyasha turned around to face the giant hanyou, "Jinenji, how did I get here?" he asked, remembering only how he got to the fields and nothing more. The hanyou gave Inuyasha a bowl of soup with healing herbs and explained what had happened, "My mother found you out in the field and I carried you in... tell me, how did you get such a seroius amount of poison injected into you?" At thie the hanyou's ears lifted... He hadn't even told Jinenji about the poison. He lifted his shirt and noticed that the wound had fully closed. "You cured it?" asked the puzzled hanyou. "Yes, but it was difficult. I'd never seen anything like that. How did you get it?" Inuyasha wasn't looking at Jinenji anymore, he was staring at the floor, "We've been chasing after a piece of trash named Naraku, have you hread of him?" Jinenji simply nodded. "Well, I was fighting him and he injected me with his poisonous tentacles. I should have died." At this Jinenji turned to face him. "Do you know why you are still alive?" Inuyasha looked more intently at the floor as if searching for something that wasn't there. "No I don't." The large hanyou then took a kinife from a little cutting table and handed it over to Inuyasha. "Just make a little cut o your finger." he instructed. inuyasha reluctantly took the knife and made gash on his finger about an inch long. He looked astonished as the cut opened and closed instantly right before his very eyes. His wounds had never cured so quickly. "What the...." was all that he could force out of his mouth. Jinenji then explained that the human blood in his body was very pure and that it had rejected the poison. Now mixed with the healing herb, it made Inuyasha's healing abilities improve ten fold.

Both Inuyasha and Jinenji stepped out into the afternoon sun. Inuyasha turned to his large friend, "well, thanks. I have to go back to the others now." Jinenji turned, "wait... I have a request." Inuyasha stopped in his tracks, 'well, he did just save my life...', "yeah?" he said, trying to sound annoyed. "I would like for you to stay until Kagome-sama comes for you. I would like to tell her myself that I was able to help her friend. It was the least that I could do since she's so nice to me." Inuyasha looked down at the floor again, "Sorry Jinenji, but I don't think that they'll come for me....." at this Jinenji simply turned towards the fields, "you can help me with the weeding until she gets here. She will come for you... I know she will." "Keh, I might as well do something useful," Inuysaha retorted as he plopped himself down in the field and started weeding, " Besides, I'm sure that I need some time to heal before I can leave." Jinenji smiled and started plucking the weeds as well. He knew that Inuyasha was completely healed.

It was almost sunset when the group reached Jinenji's hut. They were quite surprised to find Inuyasha hard at work in the fields. Even Shippou, who usually made jokes about Inuyasha, was too surprised to say anything. When Kirara landed right by the dog demon, Kagome was the first one to get off and run towards him. "Inuyasha you moron!! Making us worry like that!!" These words, which were quite harsh, were silenced when she collided with his himono. 'Thank god that you're ok' she thought as she hugged him tightly. And as if he had heard her thoughts, Inuyasha said nothing, but simply stroked her hair and held her close to his now healed chest. "Ah, Kagome-sama, you're here," came a voice from behind them, "Inuyasha has been a great help here." Kagome turned and saw the giant hanyou standing behind them with some weeds in his hands. "Hello Jinenji, how are you? And how is your mother...." Kagome and Jinenji quickly engaged in conversation, talking about the healing herbs, the poison, everything. Miroku and Sango also listened intently while Jinenji explained what had happened. Then they quickly looked over at Inuyasha. "What the hell are you looking at me like that for monk?" Miroku spread a sly little smile across his face, "I'm just curious to test out this new healing ability of yours." Inuyasha recoiled like a cornered dog, "Well fat chance. Nobody's using me for entertainment!" Kagome was looking at Inuyasha with those dazed eyes of hers. 'I still can't believe that he's ok.' she thought to herself as she stared at her dog companion. Inuyasha looked back at the teary eyes of Kagome and stood up. "Keh, I don't need you to experiment on me monk. I'll be outside." He knew she would follow.