Chapter Three
"Hi, there!" A sing-song voice said excitedly. Kagome blinked her eyes for a moment, taking in the young girl with the bowl and rag kneeling above her. "I'm Rin. I think we've met before, but nothing much of an introduction, huh?"
"Wha-what's going on? Where's Kirara?" She bolted up, adrenaline crashing.
"Careful!"
No sooner than Rin had spoken a wave of exhaustion hit Kagome, almost causing her to faint. Pain racked every inch of her body. Her eyes fluttered and cold heat rushed down her spine, leaving her feeling lightheaded.
"Careful." Rin repeated, easing her back down. "You fell into the river, remember? You have a really bad fever. And I think you might have hit your head."
That would explain the headache. Kagome cringed as she felt at the swollen knot on her head. "What happened? Where am I?"
"You're in a cave." Rin answered as if it wasn't the most obvious of things, what with the limestone walls and far-off dripping noises. "We brought you here last night."
"We?" She asked as Rin placed a cool cloth over her forehead.
"Lord Sesshomaru, Ah-Un, me and Master Jaken."
"What happened to me?" Kagome swiveled her head, looking off at the faint glow that marked the caves opening.
Rin stood to her feet, her little cherubim smile still lining her face. "Well, last night we were walking, looking for a place to stop and rest for the night, and we came across the river. We heard you. You were screaming." Her smile faded as she walked over to the small fire she had going a few feet away from Kagome. "I was scared. Lord Sesshomaru looked at me." Her eyes went starry as she stoked the burning coals; rising embers spiraled around her face, setting a molten glow to her dark eyes. "He looked at me. Then he started running. Ah-Un chased after him. "
"When we got there you were falling. You fell off the cat, you called her Kirara, right?" Kagome nodded. "well you fell off her and into the water. You were swept in the current; it knocked you into some rocks. Kirara tried to save you, but the demon." She looked back at Kagome.
"The demon bit her. she tried to fight it off, but the serpent was venomous and she couldn't fight. It kept on biting her, over and over." Silent tears ran down both the girls' faces. "Ah-Un pulled you out of the water and brought you to shore. Right after that Kirara fell out of the sky, the serpent wrapped around her, squeezing her. She crashed into the river bank. Lord Sesshomaru killed the demon. Kirara didn't move.
"Lord Sesshomaru looked really angry. He kept staring at his sword, like he was thinking really hard. Then..." Rin thought back. She remembered the cat, its blood washing away in the tide, staining the sand crimson. It whimpered in pain, looking at Kagome, its paw twitching as it strained to move. And Lord Sesshomaru with Tensaiga. A flash of blue light.
"Kirara is alright now. She's outside now."
"She's alright?" Kagome looked back at the cave mouth.
Rin stood, brushing dirt odd her checkered orange and yellow kimono. Thin green circles dotted across it. "She's fine. She's been wandering back and forth between you and the outside. She watched your bow and arrows. We have them drying outside.
"Anyway, you need some rest. I'll let you sleep. If you need anything I'll be right here.
Kagome looked up at the cave ceiling, watching the light from the flames flicker across its surface. Soon enough her eyes grew heavy and sleep overcame her. Vivid dreams came to her. Dreams of blue light and deep amber eyes.
"I'm getting very worried, Kaede. It's been nearly two days and there's still no sign of Kagome or Kirara." Sango said, sitting down in the old miko's home.
"Fear not, child. Kagome is a strong young woman. No harm to great shall befall her." Kaede answered, sweeping the dust and dirt from her home out the threshold.
Sango face was forlorn. "That doesn't make the worry any less great. Something must have happened. Inuyasha already went through the well. Her family says they haven't heard from her."
"It is of no cause to fret. She shall show up on her own accord. Give her time; we both know the pain she suffers." The two women looked at each other, their eyes clicking together in understanding. Kagome had given up her youth for Inuyasha. She came to restore the jewel, yes, but she stayed for Inuyasha. The hanyou held her heart in his hands, and with each passing day his claws dug in a little deeper.