Chapter 6

I hope everyone enjoys it; the next chapter will be coming out when I get a break from homework... the college life is becoming more hectic! Well, enjoy!

Sunlight flooded into the room and Kagome fluttered her eyes open, trying to block the sun from stinging at her pupils. Her body still ached, but she was warm and comfortable; this made her pain almost disappear from her body. As her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight flooding in from what seemed to be the entrance, her surroundings became known to her. She was laying on a dirt ground that was devoid of any rocks or stones. Rock walls ran up and became rock ceilings; it was a domed cavern that InuYasha had brought her to. The sound of crashing water was floating into the cave softly, yet it wasn't loud enough to keep one awake. Kagome still laid groggily on the ground, too tired and weary to move much at the time. She was still remembering the night before; it was comforting to have him next to her, cradling her in his arms, not having to worry about anything getting to her in reality or dream…

Her eyes popped open; Where was InuYasha anyways?

She sat up gingerly, her muscles still aching dully but not enough to deter her from walking around. As she sat upright, something fell from her shoulders and she caught it before it hit the ground. It was InuYasha's robe of the fire rat. He must have put it over me before going out, she thought to herself as she draped it over her shoulders once more. The thought of him leaving it for her made her blush a bit more, and she smiled to herself, thinking of him even more.

She finally got completely vertical, which took a lot of time for the considerably short distance to rise. Her legs felt shaky and weak, but she took each step cautiously, letting herself be guided by the cavern walls. Her hand moved over several ruts and bumps in the wall; surprisingly, it didn't hurt, but was extremely soothing to her arm. The rock was cool to the touch and wasn't coarse but was almost as smooth as if it were washed out by water for several years.

She reached the entrance to the cave and found herself blinded temporarily by the sudden intake of bright sunshine. It was gorgeous outside, once her eyes became used to it. There was a small waterfall to the right of her which cascaded down into a bubbling little pool that looked no deeper than three feet. Surrounding the cave were woods, thick and strong. The trees stood close to each other and the lower growth were so tangled together it looked almost impossible to get out of. There were several paths that led in and out of the clearing, as if some of the forest animals met here daily to rest and find peace from the hectic daily life. There were already some smaller creatures by the other side of the pool; several small rabbits hopped playfully near the pool's edge and a couple squirrels darted in and out of the tree roots.

On the right side, there were the remains of a small fire. The logs were burnt and turning slowly to ash, but some embers still remained in the center, still hot. She now suddenly felt the pit of her stomach completely empty and, at a completely inconvenient time, heard it grumble loudly. She rubbed her abdomen, trying to soothe its horrid hunger pangs. Besides the pool, there really was no sign of food nearby, and she didn't feel physically able to venture too far into the woods. Besides, she didn't want to worry InuYasha if he came back and she was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the bushes and the brush around the bases of the trees, hoping for some sort of berry or nut that happened to be left by the animals unnoticed. She walked round the opening but only found three small raspberries and an acorn.

Better than nothing, she thought as she threw the raspberries into her mouth and savored the sweet yet tangy juiciness that cascaded over her tongue. It satisfied her enough to sit beside the embers and await for InuYasha's return back. She did hang onto the acorn in case he was longer than she hoped. If she had to, she would eat it, but she'd rather not…

She leaned against the outer rock wall and wrapped his cloak tighter around herself. It was extremely comforting to just sit here this way, listening to the wildlife and their constant chatter, with InuYasha's fire-red robe cradling her as if he was within it. Her eyes began to slowly close and her head rested against the wall as well, her mind fading into dreams…

Red, swirling, but not soothing… It was fiery, with orange and yellow, and it licked at her skin, stinging and singeing. She squirmed to fight it, to get away, but it enveloped her whole body…

And then it vanished. She opened her eyes and saw darkness, black as night, and nothing more. She floated in an ominous nothingness, feeling nothing, seeing nothing, sensing no life around her.

But, there was something. She was there, herself, and she looked at her feet. They were there, with their brown loafers and knee-high socks. Her legs, white as they may be, were there too. She saw herself, as if from a distance, floating nearly lifeless in the void.

She tried to call out to herself, but she was unconscious. Her voice was muted as well, and she tried to scream out to herself. Nothing left her mouth.

Just then, an orb of light began to glow from her stomach. She tried to cry out to herself, but to no prevail… it grew and enveloped her entire self, bright, pure, and holy… too pure…

It began to turn black and purple, and her self began screaming in pain, in terror, she tried to reach herself but couldn't move… She was paralyzed… Help her! She's in pain! Somebody's cruel laugh, jaunting, sneering at the girl… Nobody would listen, the screaming's getting louder, higher-pitched, make it stop, help her, somebody… anybody…

"Kagome!!!!!!!"

Her eyes snapped open and she saw two golden amber eyes, wide with shock, staring at her. InuYasha was holding her in his arms once again, gripping her arms tightly. She pressed her hand to her forehead only to find it soaked with sweat; her body was shaking uncontrollably. With that, she rolled out of InuYasha's lap and threw up upon the ashen fire pit.

InuYasha was shocked, but held Kagome's midnight black hair back as she retched over and over. She stopped, but her body was still shaking horribly, and InuYasha pulled her into his lap as he sat cross-legged. He held her, trying to calm her fears. She cried freely into his white shirt, letting the tears create a large damp spot. He stroked her hair and whispered to her, telling her it would all be okay because he was there for her, he wasn't going to leave anymore…

Her crying stopped, and she gazed up into his beautiful eyes.

"You mean that? You'll never leave me?"

He smiled warmly back at her and brushed his hand gently across her cheek.

"I'll never leave you, not ever," he whispered softly. "I-- I love you."

With those last words, he pressed his lips gently against hers, as if cautious that she wouldn't feel the same way. She closed her eyes and returned the kiss, finally knowing that they felt the same way about each other.

It was eternity between them. The kiss deepened and passion took over. InuYasha ran his hand over the back of her head and pushed her into him as she cupped his face in her hands. His other hand grabbed her waist and pressed her body into his, sending sparks up and down each of their spines. He then picked her up bridal style, with one hand caressing her back and the other supporting her legs, and carried her into the cavern, kissing her the entire way.

He set her down gently on the dirt floor and supported himself above her body, as if waiting for something. He gazed down at her, wanting more, but not wanting to hurt her.

"Are you okay with--" he started, but she placed her fingers on his lips, hushing him up.

"Yes."

Please review and keep reading!

-Kim