Hey, there! We're back with Chapter 3.
Kaori: And we don't own Inuyasha.
No, we don't. Sadly.
"Kagome?" Sango's voice said. Kagome opened one eye. Sango was bent over, looking her in the face. "Do you have any bandages? Miroku has this nasty cut in his thigh and he didn't tell me about it."
"Yeah," Kagome yawned. She moved Inuyasha to the floor and stood up. "Now, where's my backpack? Oh, there it is."
"You two are awfully cuddly today," Sango said smugly.
"Oh, yeah? Look who's talking."
Sango flushed red. "Hey, you don't know what happened."
"I've got a pretty good idea." Kagome tossed a box of gauze bandages to Sango. "I'm not even going to ask how you found this cut."
Sango blushed even deeper and left the hut.
"I hope she doesn't enjoy herself too much," Inuyasha said. Kagome jumped.
"You are way too good at pretending to be asleep."
"It's not like I can help it. And it's not like I can be a Peeping Tom or anything if I can't see!"
"That's not what I mean," Kagome said.
The rustle of the door a few minutes later marked Miroku's entrance. "We should get going," he said. "If we make good time, we should reach Kaede's home before nightfall."
"Right." Inuyasha sat up. Slowly and carefully, he stood.
"No, don't stand up there!" Kagome said.
"Ow!" Inuyasha struck his head on the low ceiling.
Kagome gingerly took his arm and led him outside.
"Now, listen," Sango said as they left the hut. "We must act as if nothing is wrong. If a demon should learn of Inuyasha's weakness, it could be disastrous." Everyone nodded in agreement. So long as the secret was kept, the journey to Kaede's village should be easy.
They made their way through the forest. Their progress was a little slow because Inuyasha was having trouble keeping his balance on the uneven forest floor.
Inuyasha sniffed the air. "We're being followed," he said.
Sango bristled. "Is it a demon?"
Inuyasha sniffed the air again. "I don't know," he said. The scent carried on the breeze was foreign to him. It was definitely not a human scent, but exactly what it was Inuyasha could not say. It had the sweet bite of a demon's scent, but it carried with it something else.
"Let's be on our guard," Miroku said. Sango shifted her heavy weapon so that she could draw it quickly if need be.
A tree branch rustled behind them. Inuyasha's ears twitched and he cursed his sightless eyes. The travellers moved onward. Their pursuer followed.
The warm light of the early afternoon shone golden through the green leaves. Inuyasha felt the soft glow of the sunlight on his skin. It reminded him of Kagome.
The winds shifted. The breeze rustled the trees and brought a fresh scent to Inuyasha's nose.
"There's another one!" He shouted. "They have us surrounded!"
Two voices rang out in laughter. It was not the triumphant and over-confident laugh of one who has caught his prey, but rather that of a child who has been found in a game of hide and seek.
"Show yourselves!" Miroku shouted. The laughter was heard again. There was another rustle of the tree branches and two soft thumps as two people landed on the ground.
"Good afternoon," said a female voice. "I trust your journey has been a smooth one?"
"Don't come any closer," Sango snapped.
"Temper, temper, young lady," the voice said again. "We are not here to fight, merely to watch. But it appears that you have caught on to us."
"If you come to us peacefully, why is your companion so heavily armed?" Miroku asked.
"That is merely a precaution."
"Why were you following us?" Shippou piped up.
"My friend and I," said a husky male voice, "find you most interesting."
"Oh, yeah?" Inuyasha said, looking in the direction of the voices. "What's so interesting about us?"
"We couldn't help noticing," the man said. "That you killed the giant squid."
Inuyasha drew the Tetsusaiga. Kagome released his arm and backed away.
"He who is first to draw his weapon is the one to begin the battle," the male voice said. There was a loud ringing thud and the creak of wood breaking.
"Sango!" Miroku shoved Sango out of the way of the falling tree. He struck the ground and the heavy trunk fell onto his left leg. His cry echoed in Inuyasha's ears, but the scent and sound of fire soon replaced it.
"No, Hanshi!" the male voice said. "You would burn this forest to the ground!" The sound diminished and a trace of smoke wandered through the air.
"As you wish," the one called Hanshi said. "I shall slay them with my bare hands." Something shot past Inuyasha and struck the ground behind him with a resounding crack. "Aren't you going to defend yourself, my dear hanyou?" There was another crack and Inuyasha felt the ground beside him give way.
"I grow bored," Hanshi said. "Come, Kikisemaru. Let us depart." There was a sudden howl of wind and the two stalkers were gone. Kagome sighed.
"Inuyasha, do you want me to sheath Tetsusaiga?" Kagome asked.
"Please," he said.
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Please? Since when do you say, 'please?'"
"Feh."
"Miroku!" Sango's voice was saying. "Miroku, can you hear me? Miroku!"
"Miroku's leg is caught under a tree," Kagome explained. "Maybe you can hold it up long enough for us to pull him free." Kagome led him to the tree and told him where to lift it. Inuyasha heaved the end of the tree off the ground while Sango and Kagome pulled the unconscious monk from under it.
"He's out," Sango said. Inuyasha let the tree down with a grunt.
"I see." Kaede set down her cup. She looked at them gravely. "Miroku's leg will heal with time, but as for Inuyasha..." she looked away. "I'm not sure if there is a cure for his eyes."
There was a loud clatter. Kagome's teacup had slipped out of her hands. Something inside her was crying again. She wanted to sob, scream, cry, swear, but all she said was, "Oh..."
Inuyasha heard the pain in her voice. It hurt him, too.
"Inuyasha's blindness is undoubtedly the work of a curse," Kaede continued. Everyone looked up. "Even if a countercurse exists, it is unlikely that we could find it. This is the work of foreign magic."
"Foreign? How many foreigners are there around here?" Kagome said.
"You know, those two strangers had funny accents," Shippou said.
"Did they, now?" Kaede said.
"We should probably get to sleep," Sango suggested. "It's gotten late."
"Yeah. Are you sleepy, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha was surprised to realize that he was. Kagome stood up and took his hand. She led him into the next room and through it into the next. "There's only one futon," she told him as she helped him to sit down. "I'll sleep on the floor."
"No, I will," Inuyasha said.
"Don't be stubborn." Her tone was harsh. Inuyasha decided to let her have her way. He lay down on the mat and sighed. He heard Kagome's footsteps and looked up, pointless though it was.
"Where are you going?"
"To get my backpack," she said. "I'll be right back." She left and Inuyasha was alone. He suddenly felt empty, lonely, vulnerable. He still hadn't quite recovered from his emotional flood that afternoon.
Why does my heart ache when I think about you, Kagome? Inuyasha sat back up. Did he still love Kikyo?
Kagome's scent filled the room. He heard the sound of fabric rustling.
"Kagome, what are you doing?" He wished he could see.
"I'm changing into my pajamas."
"What?" Inuyasha said, sitting up. "Here, in front of me?"
"Well, you can't see me, so why not?"
Inuyasha blushed, lying down again. It was true that he couldn't see, but he couldn't help imagining. "Kagome," he said, completely inadvertently, "will you sleep with me tonight?"
"What?" Kagome shrieked. "You're worse that Miroku!"
"That's not what I mean!" Inuyasha said frantically, realizing what he had said. "I mean, will you sleep next to me?" He realized that it was still an embarassing question. "Sorry, I - never mind."
"Oh," Kagome said. "I guess so." What harm could it do? If he tried anything she always had her 'sit' incantation.
Inuyasha's ears perked up. "R-really?"
"Why not?" she said. "You're lonely, aren't you?" Inuyasha nodded.
To his utter astonishment, she kissed him on the nose. "Poor puppy." She climbed into bed with him.
"If you try anything..." she warned.
"I won't! I won't!"
"Hmm." Kagome closed her eyes. "Okay."
Inuyasha closed his eyes as well. She was so warm. And she smelled so good. Her pajamas were made of some silky, slippery fabric. A smile fluttered across his lips. He had dreamed of this for a long time.
"Hey, Inuyasha?" Kagome said sleepily. "Don't go anywhere."
"Mmm?"
"Please don't leave us."
Inuyasha was suddenly wide awake. "What do you mean?"
"That woman, Hanshi, I don't know if you realize how close she came to killing you."
"She missed."
"You were lucky."
He laid a hand on her back. "I won't go anywhere. I promise."
But Kagome was asleep.
"Hanshi."
"Yes?"
"Do you think we succeeded, my dear?"
"Absolutely."
There's Chapter 3! Hope you liked it. Please read and review!
Kaori: Come back for Chapter 4, in which Shippou will say: "Sango, you've got a mark on your neck."
Thank you!