A big, fat blowfly buzzed in the corner of the ceiling, its corpulent body gleaming like emerald armor in the light seeping from the ajar door. It skittered along the walls, calmly preening its large transparent wings. The fly was preparing to launch into flight again, ready to generate more of that intolerable noise. Its thin, leaf-like wings, capable of beating hundreds of times per second, sounded deafening in the silence of the small hut.
The demon lay wide awake, his mouth parched and eyes bloodshot, observing the small insect that preyed on his decaying flesh. His hand twitched, and the fly took off into the air. It circled around the convalescent's bed until the youkai could bear it no longer.
Struggling with laborious breaths, the demon clenched his teeth, expending great effort to claw his way out of the bed. Slowly, inch by inch, he managed to drag his emaciated body, leaning heavily against the wall for support. He dug his claws deep into the wooden surface, attempting to hoist himself upright.
The blowfly waited.
However, the demon was far too weak. His trembling body came crashing down after he had managed to get himself into an upright position and attempted to put weight on his legs.
He gasped, sweat glistening on his face. Defeated.
In a fit of anger and frustration, he pounded the wall. Where was that human woman? A grimace crossed his face due to the jolt of pain that seemed permanently etched into his decaying flesh. Absent-mindedly, his fingers brushed his mouth. It still burned.
"Please, child, listen. This is futile. Leave the lad be, this will only bring you pain," the elderly priestess tried, yet again, to persuade her young apprentice to abandon her efforts to nurse the demon back to health.
Kagome, who was at the river gathering drinking and washing water for Inuyasha, gave her mentor an irritated look as she washed some cleaning supplies in the stream.
"And what? Let nature take its course with him? Allow him to starve to death?" Her hands forcefully smacked the rags against the surface of the water as her anger reached its peak. "I can't believe you would suggest something so cruel, Kaede."
Kaede understood the harshness of her words and was distressed by their horrid implications, but she saw no alternative. She had already witnessed a similar situation.
"Kagome, I understand how terrible this sounds because it is," the older woman rubbed her weary face. "You forget that I've seen this happen before. If my sister hadn't aided Onig-"
"Don't you dare make such a comparison!" Kagome interrupted her mentor with a panicked shout.
"Inuyasha is not a monster like Naraku!"
Kaede could only stand there, suffering in silence, and watch the girl with fire in her belly. She could not convince a young heart with reason.
She prayed that Kagome's words would prove true.
All the villagers avoided coming near Inuyasha's hut. The demon felt a certain satisfaction from this. The only human he tolerated in his vicinity was the young priestess who came in to nurse him. So, for now, the priestess was allowed to live. He would wait until he was fully healed. The girl might even prove to be useful later. The powerful aura surrounding her had not escaped the demon's notice. In fact, the girl's holy powers were so potent that her presence was almost painful.
The demon licked his lips thirstily. The woman hadn't visited him yet, and it was already past noon. He could then hear someone approaching, but it was not the priestess.
The one approaching moved much faster and seemed... smaller. A child.
The steps slowed down as they drew closer. The kid tried to sneak up to the door, but an anxious scream stopped him from peering through the doorway.
"Niko, get away from there!" A worried shout commanded. It likely belonged to the child's mother who was also running towards Inuyasha's hut.
"Aw, ma!" The boy whined, sounding disappointed. "I just wanted to take a peek."
"What a foolish thing to even consider! Haven't I told you it's dangerous?" She scolded him. The demon heard the footsteps rustling some feet away from his hut, then a dull smack. The mother had likely caught up to her child and given him a parental reprimand. A sharp yelp and scuffling ensued as the mother began dragging the boy away.
"The hanyou is insane. He nearly killed that poor woman, Niko. What were you thinking, you stupid, stupid boy! You nearly got yourself..." The voices of the mother and son began to fade until they were nothing more than faint murmurs in the distance.
The demon processed the brief exchange he had overheard.
Hanyou? A half-demon?
The demon scratched his claws against the floor, wincing at the pain in his side.
It made sense as to why he hadn't healed after all this time. He was, in fact, not a full demon. He had human blood in him, he grimaced. His blood was tainted. Pathetic!
What kind of demon would lower itself to copulate with a human?
An image, a vague reverie, flashed behind his eyes. It was of a woman, a human woman. She wore a sorrowful expression, but she was beautiful and her eyes radiated kindness.
The demon clutched his head and began to convulse. The images distorted, rapidly shifting to new ones that blurred and merged. He could hear voices from afar. But now they did not come from outside, but rather from inside his own head. He thrashed on the floor wanting to scream, but his throat was so dry he could only wheeze.
Kagome made her way back to Inuyasha's hut, noticing the door was slightly ajar. It was left this way by her when she had hastily exited the previous night, a memory that caused her cheeks to redden. She adjusted the sack on her shoulder, wondering if Inuyasha had pondered their recent encounter.
She pushed the door wide open, expecting to find the recuperating hanyou on his futon, but instead, the bed was empty, much to her shock.
"Inuyasha!" A terrified wail escaped her lips. For a brief, horrifying moment, she thought of all the possible reasons for his disappearance. Perhaps a villager, or another demon, had come in and hurt the inu youkai. Or maybe Inuyasha had gathered enough strength to crawl out on his own – but what would become of him in his current state?
Fortunately, none of these alarming scenarios turned out to be true as she spotted the hanyou slumped against the hut wall on a second glance.
"Inuyasha!" She hurried over to his aid, her voice softer, yet still filled with worry. "What are you doing out of bed? You're not well enough to... to..." Her words trailed off as she locked eyes with the demon. His red orbs held an emotion she had not seen before: confusion. He also looked hurt and exhausted. He had been in this state for a long time already and had never shown any signs of discomfort.
"Wa...ter..." He croaked, his voice nothing more than a parched whisper.
Kagome blanched, disbelief clouding her features. Had he just spoken?
"Of... Of course!" She stammered, and immediately rummaged through the sack she had dropped on the floor. Her trembling hands found a leather flask, which she pulled out hesitantly.
"Here, let me help you."
The demon shook his head.
"No." He groaned, weakly grasping the flask. He wasn't an invalid, however weak he may have been. His pride wouldn't allow him to be treated as such.
Kagome watched in awe as Inuyasha greedily gulped down the water, some of it spilling from the corners of his mouth, trailing down his neck and collar. She reached for a cloth to dry his neck, but the demon batted her hand away.
After finishing with the flask, a harsh bout of coughs wracked his body. He dropped the flask, which landed with a soft thump on the floor. Leaning his weakened body against the wall, he sighed.
"Tell me..." He began in a quiet, hoarse voice, "... what is all of this?"
Kagome tried to help him sit more comfortably, but he once again refused, pushing her hands away. He didn't want her gentle hands on his body; he couldn't stand her touch.
"No." He reprimanded her, glowering at her. "Don't." Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his throat. "Just tell me. Who am I? Why am I... injured?"
Kagome pushed aside her own hurt feelings of being rejected. Her joy at his newfound ability to communicate overshadowed her disappointment. His injuries had obviously affected his memory, which explained his strange behavior. She nodded slowly and sat next to him, pulling her knees up against her chest, leaning against the wall. Then she began explaining everything to him.
After several hours, Kagome had relayed everything she knew about Inuyasha's life, the threat posed by Naraku, the great battle, Inuyasha's injuries, and all the events leading up to the present moment.
Inuyasha mostly stayed silent throughout her narration, occasionally interrupting her for further clarification or to request more water. Now, he had a fairly cohesive picture of everything. The only aspect Kagome had not fully divulged was the nature of their relationship. She had told him how they met, how they fought side by side, and how she helped gather the shards of the Shikon no Tama. But it was a detail of unimportance. He was curious, but didn't want her to know this, so he didn't ask.
With all his newly learned information, he wanted to be left alone. He grudgingly allowed her to help him back to his futon and inspect his wounds. After patching him up, she left for the night, promising to return the next morning. She left him with water, some food, and a chamber pot. As Kagome stood by the door, about to leave, her joy was impossible to hide. She practically beamed as she gathered her kimono and exited.
Pointless, Inuyasha thought of her happiness. He began to dissect all the information she had given him. The Shikon no Tama was destroyed, a jewel that could transform a half-demon into a full demon. But it had been a miko who created the jewel. Perhaps this young, powerful priestess held similar powers that could transform him into a full demon.
He realized that his fingers had been absentmindedly rubbing his lips while thinking of the girl. The memory of their unexpected kiss lingered, puzzling him. Why had it affected him so? Why did this insignificant human... He growled and weakly punched his bedsheet. It was his accursed human side causing this inner turmoil. He couldn't afford such distractions anymore. He needed to be rid of it. The last remnant of his human side and the downfall of the previous demon – his heart – needed to be extinguished. Of course, the girl needed to be eliminated, too. Having her around could affect his decision-making. But... Her eyes, filled with joy, haunted him. That little pink mouth... Not that he could admit it to himself, but the feeling had been pleasurable.
His thoughts sparked a rush of excitement and anger. She was a weakness, a disease! He would be a fool to pity her. But if he chose not to kill her, he could manipulate her to his advantage. She could be the key to his transformation into a full-fledged demon. Once he no longer needed her, he could dispose of her, shedding the final vestiges of his humanity.
Knowing he would soon be the most powerful of all demons, he was filled with a sense of satisfaction. He could surely accomplish what that weakling, Naraku, had failed to do. The priestess was the key. She would help him, and together, they would succeed where Kikyou and Onigumo had failed.
Content with his plan, the demon relaxed. While he used her to achieve his transformation, he was certain he could find other uses for her. A hot shiver shook him lightly. The thought was full of possibilities.