Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the character in it (I wish I did though...rock on Rumiko Takahashi!)
An Eternal New Moon
Chapter 2
Inuyasha awoke the next morning with a pounding headache right between his eyes. He tried to open his eyes, but that only made everything spin more than it already was, so he laid there in darkness for a while, the sunlight straining against his eyelids.
Where am I? He thought, putting his hand over his face. What's come over me? I feel as weak as a newborn bird. Did the snake venom do something to me? My body should have expelled most of the poison already, why do I feel so strange? Inuyasha scratched his head, stopped, and scratched again, slower. Something wasn't right. Then he bolted upright, the action threatening to knock him out again.
"My claws are gone!" he said, his hands shaking as he inspected them. He ran his tongue over his teeth. "Not my fangs too! Gods, what's going on?" Finally, he ran a hand over his coal black hair. No dog ears. "What the hell is wrong with me! Why am I still human?" he shouted. "The night of the new moon is over dammit, I should be back to normal!"
After Inuyasha somewhat recovered his wits, he took a look around him. He was lying in a pile of blankets in Kaede's hut, by the looks of it, although he couldn't be sure. After losing his demonic powers, he wondered if he was losing his mind as well. He looked down at his throbbing shoulder. There was a blood-stained bandage wrapped around his shoulder and around his bare chest. Inuyasha growled, letting loose a very loud string of choice words, bringing Kaede, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo into the hut.
"Are ye all right, Inuyasha?" asked Kaede, going over to the boiling pot of water in the middle of the hut and stirring it. "Ye are causing quite a racket over just one little snake bite."
"What do ya mean 'one little snake bite', you decrepit witch? My demonic powers are gone! I'm a damn human, and I can't do anything about it! What's worse, Kagome's been carried off by some flying snake thing, and we're all just sitting here! If you haven't figured it out already, no, I am not all right! No way in hell!" yelled Inuyasha, crossing his arms.
Miroku, his arm in a sling, walked over to Inuyasha's side. "Inuyasha, you know you have to rest to regain your strength before going after Lady Kagome. What if we meet more of those snake demons along the way with you in this state? We'd all be dead then. I can't fight, and Sango can't take that powerful a demon on her own. The only way to defeat them is with Kagome's sacred arrow."
"And it's really not that bad being human." added Sango. "We're not as weak as you think, Inuyasha."
"Feh. I'd still prefer to be a half demon again." he snorted, laying back down on the blankets.
"You're such a dope, Inuyasha." said Shippo, sticking out his tongue.
"Puny runt, If I wasn't in this state you'd have hell coming your way!" shouted Inuyasha, sitting up again, only to be pushed back down by Kaede, a bowl of hot water, a cloth, and a fresh bandage in her hands.
"Ye are not going to heal if you keep yelling like this." she warned, unwrapping the bandage from his shoulder and chest. He sat quietly after that, a sullen look on his face as Kaede cleaned the noticeably smaller bite on his shoulder. After that was done, a new bandage in place, he perked up as he saw Sango pull some instant ramen from Kagome's backpack.
His eyes on the ramen at all times, he turned to Miroku. "So, how did we get here anyway? We don't all fit on Kirara." Kirara walked into the hut, meowed as if to agree, and jumped onto Sango's knee.
"I sent a message to Hachi and he came and brought us here." said Miroku, sitting next to the cooking pot of ramen. "Wow, that smells great." he added. "The food from Kagome's era is so strange, yet so delicious. My favorite are those potato chip things."
"I like chocolate covered strawberries." said Sango, scratching Kirara behind the ears, who purred contentedly.
"Oh! Candy is my favorite! All kinds of candy! The yellow ones in the colorful wrappers, the white and red minty ones, the green sugary ones..."
"Feh, you guys and food." said Inuyasha. Although, I don't think I could live without instant ramen, he thought to himself.
The ramen was finished cooking, and Inuyasha inhaled his share in a matter of seconds, not even bothering to pause between bites. He laid back down on his blankets, ready to rest for a while. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought of Kagome and how she fared. He was worried about her. He hoped she could take care of herself. He felt a pang of guilt at not being able to protect her and save her from that snake demon.
Inuyasha tossed and turned fitfully, murmuring Kagome's name over and over in increasing anxiety.
"Kagome!" he shouted, bolting upright, breathing heavily. The hut was empty, the sun much lower in the sky than it had been when he went to sleep. He rested his head in his hands, ready to scream with frustration. He had had a horrible nightmare, one where Kagome was being tortured by a giant snake demon at the command of a robed figure in black and green. He had been paralyzed and not able to help Kagome. It was Inuyasha's worst fear, not being able to help Kagome when she was in pain.
"Why am I so worried about her anyway?" he whispered. "She's fine." he told himself. "It was only a dream. She's fine, she's fine." Even though he kept telling himself that, he really didn't believe it. Kagome was in trouble, and it was all his fault.
Kagome, I hope you're safe. I'm sorry I can't come and find you right away, I really wish I could, but I want to be strong enough to be able to save you. Please, be safe and take care of yourself until I can come and get you. If you died, I could never forgive myself. You're my truest friend, Kagome. Wait...a friend? Somehow, friend seems inadequate. Are you...something more to me Kagome? Do you think of me the same way? No...no. She could never love a half demon like me, I'm only a friend to her, her protector. Nothing more. Just a friend.
Those words stung Inuyasha more than any physical wound could.
Just a friend.
A/N: hey, what do you think of my first fanfic? Sorry it's so long in between updates. I'm currently working on another story (a full length one, not a short story) and two short stories for some english competitions I'm entering, so it's been busy. This chapter is kinda short too and I kind of wrote it in a hurry. Sorry! well, tell me what you think of this. Please R&R! I'm open to suggestions and constructive criticism!
