InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Moon Fever ❯ The Healing Process ( Chapter 6 )

DISCLAIMER- nope, don't own Inuyasha. I own DVDs and a neato poster….but no real-life hanyou.

Hey everyone! It's been a few days since I last updated- sorry for the wait! I want to keep you all happy, so I've been trying to write a chapter a night. I got a little busy and a little lazy. I hope you enjoy this chapter(here's the romance stuff for you…nope, no lemons…..stop crying.) Have fun, and keep the reviews coming!

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Last time….

Inuyasha catches up to his friends just as they are about to pounce on the demon at its cave lair. They drive it out of its home using scented smoke. In the fight for the shard, Sango gets a bad wound from the demon's tail-spikes. Inuyasha jumps in to smash their opponent with the Kaze no Kizu, but at precisely the wrong moment, the sun sets and he is human. The youkai throws him against the mountain, and bores its claw into Inuyasha's stomach. Kagome hits the shard with an arrow, and when it is retrieved, the demon is sucked up in Miroku's kazaana. The two injured fighters have been taken to the village on the other side of the mountain.

Now….

The night air was cool, stinging her reddening cheeks as she jogged across the flat, rocky ground. Next to her was the thud of Miroku's flat sandals and the jingling of the rings on his staff. Puffing out breath after breath, struggling to keep her feet in line, Kagome searched hopelessly for a speck of light in the distance. It seemed the trail connecting to the village had lengthened since they had walked it that afternoon.

"Keep-it-up-Ka-go-me-sa-ma…" breathed Miroku, as he pushed further along the path.

Her lungs burnt inside and out, the fire in them licking up the bottom of her throat. Any longer and she didn't think her body could take it. But she would wrench her body to the farthest lengths if only Inuyasha were to survive. The remembrance of his deathly pale figure clinging to the fallen rock jarred her memory. His face clenched in pain, wordless grunts issuing from his mouth, and blood everywhere. She gritted her teeth and began to run even faster. The tears that hung around her eyelids were only held back by her physical exertion.

When cramps had begun to steal their way into Kagome's calves and her breath was jumping in short gasps, around the corner they spied the faint light of a fire.

She glanced at Miroku beside her, who forced a small grin onto his face. "We…….we….are….here………We…ma de..it……"

As they rounded upon the cluster of houses, Kagome was the first into the firelight. Not even pausing to catch a much-needed breath, she dashed to a group of men standing at the edge of the houses.

They looked at her in wonder, noticing her flushed face, lack of breath, and frantic, sorrowed face. "Where…..where….is…..he?" Before they could answer, she had collapsed on the ground, gulping for breath in the night air.

Miroku was quickly at her side, helping her to breathe and cool off. He looked into the curious faces of the villagers, his body also tingling with the long run. "Where…did they take him? Did….did you……see the two wounded….that were taken here?"

They nodded quickly towards him, one of them speaking up quickly. "Hai, houshi-sama. The cat youkai arrived a short time ago with the two on her back. They are in miko-sama's hut!" He pointed his gnarled finger to an open doorway a short distance away from which light poured out of.

Miroku nodded quickly. "Arigatou!" Helping Kagome to her feet, they hobbled their way to the entrance of the priestess's hut.

The room was lit by a bright fire in a cooking pit at the center of the room. Sprawled unceremoniously across the smooth, scrubbed wooden boards was Inuyasha, looking flushed and drawn. His robes still lay open to reveal his horrifying wound.

A woman dressed in the robes of a priestess knelt next to him, swathing his forehead with cool water.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome had flung herself on the floor of the hut, forgetting her own soreness and lack of breath.

Sango sat, slouched against the far wall. Her lips were tight with pain as another woman was tightly binding the deep gash in her thigh. The monk was quick to kneel beside her.

"Sango….are…you-" Miroku had already grasped Sango's hand in his, searching her face for a sign of her condition. The demon exterminator was so focused on the pain of the tight bandages, that she had forgotten to blush at the feel of the monk's warm palms envelope hers.

"I'm….I'll be alright…houshi-sama." Another wave of pain caused her to bite her lip. "But, Inuyasha is in bad condition…." She nodded to the black-haired Inuyasha a few feet from them.

Kagome looked nervously at Inuyasha's sweating brow. His face was tightened and flushed with pain and fever, and his eyes had not opened yet. She turned the priestess who was tending to him, her voice trembling with worry. "Will….he…be all right, miko-sama?"

The woman curled her brow in frustration, watching the boy squirm at her light touch. "He won't let me near him. I tried to tend his wounds, but it's almost impossible with him refusing help. He's very strong and very insistent, even in the shape that he's in…." Kagome frowned. Even so close to death, Inuyasha's stubborn nature still shone through. "You are close to him…maybe he will let you help him…."

Suddenly, the young schoolgirl felt the fumbling of Inuyasha's fingers along the edge of her skirt. He was searching for her hand to hold. "Ka….Kagome…" His voice was softened by his human form, and almost hushed to a whisper by the pain of his wound. Kagome leaned in further towards him, gripping his hand tightly in hers.

"….Inu..yasha….?"

His eyes fluttered open for a second, then shut closed as the light flew into his eyes. "Kagome…..would you….heal me…?" His fingers felt unnaturally weak and limp in her grasp, his arm weighing down like lead.

The elderly woman looked on at Kagome, and at the boy besides them. "You…are a miko….?"

Kagome stuttered, trying to find the best words. "I…..know how to tend to his wounds. I have my own medicine kit….if I had hot water and clean cloth, I could do it…I…. Thank you for taking him in for the night, and doing what you could."

The woman smiled gratefully at the pretty girl. "He is in good hands with you. I have done all that I can, and it is right for those who know him best to help him. I will get you more hot water and dressings." Exchanging bows with both Kagome and Miroku, she backed out of the hut, hurrying to gather materials for Kagome.

When Sango's bleeding leg had been wrapped, she nodded knowingly to the monk beside her. "Houshi-sama….there is room for us next door, I believe."

He nodded solemnly. "I think it is best we let them alone. Kagome-sama…."

She looked up sharply, her eyes obviously reluctant to leave Inuyasha. "If you need our help, we are next door." She nodded grimly, her mind distracted by the restless boy below her.

As the two left, she picked up the soft rag that the priestess had left, and wrung it through with cool water. Carefully, she lightly wiped the sweat from Inuyasha's forehead, careful not to irritate his eyes or cause him discomfort. His eyes opened slowly again, glazed with fever. "Kagome….." he murmured.

The woman had returned with a cauldron of boiling water and a stack of clean cloth for Kagome. She set them down next to the fire. "If you need assistance….." Kagome nodded, absently, not even paying the priestess attention as she bowed out, shutting the woven door behind her.

Hesitantly, Kagome laid Inuyasha's arm on the floor, and moved to drag the cauldron, cloth and her medical kit to his side. Cringing at the pained yelp that pulled from his throat, she forced herself to remove his fire-rat coat from his body.

"Inuyasha….gomenesai…this will hurt…a bit….." She murmured comfortingly in his ear. The young miko supported Inuyasha's torso with one of her arms, trying her hardest not to jar the wound in his stomach. Clinging to the back of his neck with her hand, she slid the coat off his body with the other. The light woven undershirt slid off easily with the kimono. Gingerly, she rested Inuyasha's body against the hard wood floor again, tossing the blood-soaked garments to the side.

The man was now half-clothed in the firelight, his wound glistening brilliantly with fresh blood. She quickly mixed in a batch of Kaede's special herbs with the boiling contents of the cauldron. Snatching one of the clean cloths from the pile beside her, she soaked it in the hot water. "Inuyasha…..Inuyasha….can you hear me?" The figure squirmed a little, letting out a sharp grunt under the fingertips on his bare chest. "I have to clean your wound now….It will hurt, but just hold on for a little longer…."

He nodded slowly, tightening his jaw in anticipation. Tenderly, she began to dab at the corners of the wound with the saturated cloth. The moment the hot liquid touched the ragged flesh, his back arched involuntarily in pain, a cry ripping from his lips. The concern in Kagome's voice made it come out in a high-pitched squeak. "Inu…yasha….I'm…I'm sorry…."

He shook his head, brushing off her apology, and bracing himself for another wave of pain. Reluctantly, she began to wipe the blood off again. He restrained himself from giving into the call of the pain again, his fingers once again finding her skirt to latch onto. With each stroke of the warring cloth, his grip tightened on the material. Kagome hated to see him in such pain, but at least he was letting her clean the wounds without much fuss.

When she had cleared the wound of as much blood as she could, she discarded the now-reddened cloth, and picked up a new one. This she dipped in antiseptic from the modern times that she always carried with her, and with it, further cleaned the recesses of the deep wound.

The grunts of pain were still rumbling inside Inuyasha's chest, but they were lessening to whimpers as Kagome finished cleaning the wound. She sat still for a moment, watching Inuyasha breathe shakily. "I have to wrap your stomach now, Inuyasha. It might hurt, but I'll have to lift you off the ground again." He gave her another silent nod to prove that he had understood.

She was surprised as he struggled to lift the top half of his body from the ground, his forearms supporting his shoulders. He hissed out in pain, a bead of sweat tumbling down his cheek. His eyes fluttered open once again, the blue-gray of his human form flickering to her face. His paled lips moved quietly to push out a response. "I'm….ready…"

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Hmm…that chapter was very strange to write. It's a delicate scene to write, and I need more time for the rest of it. Sorry I ended it where I did, but the next one's coming very soon. Hope you liked it, besides the short length. R+R please!

~Sadia~