InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Stealer ❯ Five - The Illness That's... Good? ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: salvatore-shan
She started tilting backwards. Then she collapsed… She briefly realised that she might be drowning, but she didn’t care. Anything to make the pain go away…

This chapter is revisiting the chapter before - following Miroku and Sango's point of view.

Kagome's sick, and Inuyasha's worried, but soon he starts to doubt whether she is 'ill'. It's been five months since he stayed the night at her house, and sometimes such situations have consequences...

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 03.02.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.4K | Visits: 320 | Status: Completed

Soul Stealer
Chapter Five - The Illness That's… Good?
She started tilting backwards. Then she collapsed… She briefly realised that she might be drowning, but she didn't care. Anything to make the pain go away…
Thirty minutes earlier…
Miroku woke up. And, to his relief, he was the first to wake up. Therefore - no slap from Sango, no aching cheek. But now that he was awake, he unfortunately had to withdraw his hand from around her waist. She didn't stir.
Even though Miroku had a problem with women, there was only one girl he loved. Sango. He didn't love the other girls… it was just that, along with his family's Kazaana curse, the whole `lecher' thing followed. It wasn't his fault.
He sat up and looked around. The clearing seemed different in daylight… larger and more beautiful than it had last night. But something… wasn't quite right. For instance, where were Inuyasha and Kagome? On further inspection, Miroku saw that Shippo was missing too. Frowning, he wondered where they would have got to.
For a brief instant, he was worried something had happened to Kagome - but surely if her illness had taken a turn for the worst, Inuyasha would have woken them all up. Wouldn't he?
Miroku stood up, turning in a full circle to adjust to his surroundings in daylight. Bending down to pick up his staff, he went through all the possibilities of where his companions were.
Maybe they're giving time for Sango and I to be together… he thought happily, looking down at the girl on the floor, smiling. Sango didn't wake. What was more, Kirara started mewing. No. If that had been true, they would've taken the mononoke with them. Miroku cursed.
There were other possibilities… but he couldn't be bothered with those right now. What he cared about was finding them.
“Mm?” Sango looked up, dazed and half-asleep, but her presence made Miroku happier. At least he wasn't entirely alone anymore.
“Houshi-sama?” Sango rubbed her eyes as she sat up, yawning. “Where are the others?” she asked, looking dumbly at the spot by the tree where Kagome and Inuyasha had been.
Miroku sighed and looked through the trees trying to catch a sight of them. Nothing. “They left before I woke up. I can't tell how long they've been gone. Shippo's missing, too.”
Sango looked sharply upwards, eyes boring into his. “You don't think…”
“Think what? That they were kidnapped?” he asked. Sango nodded. Miroku laughed. “I doubt it. Otherwise we would have been taken too.”
“But think about it. You never know. What if… well, what if Naraku wanted to use Kagome to search for the shards again, and then took Inuyasha, too… What if Shippo got in the way - you just don't know, do you?”
Miroku calmed her with a gesture of his hands and smiled, charmingly. “I'm sure we would have woken up.” He reasoned.
Kirara mewed at right that instant - particularly loud. Miroku and Sango both looked at her, and then in the direction she was turned to. There, flying through the air, was a small acorn. But not an ordinary acorn… one with eyes. It was crying.
Sango leapt up. “Shippo!” she cried.
“It's a signal!” Miroku nodded.
Sango turned to the small cat-demon on the floor. “Kirara,”
The cat mewed and dissolved in a flash of fire, before reclaiming the ground as a creature similar to a sabre-toothed tiger. Sango grabbed her boomerang and jumped on Kirara's back, as did Miroku.
Instead of Kirara's cute little `mew', she roared and leapt up into the air, heading in the direction that the acorn presumably came from. Please… Miroku and Sango prayed. Let them be safe…

Kirara landed on a grassy verge beside a waterfall. There, splashing happily in the water was Shippo. Dismounting the demon-cat, Sango and Miroku practically ran to the kitsune, concern etched across both of their faces. But, despite his distress call, he seemed perfectly happy - like any child should be.
He looked up and smiled. “Sango! Miroku! You came!” he jeered. “Can you pass me my clothes?” he asked. Sango and Miroku a little confused, took a minute to process this information. Then Sango shook her head, smiled politely and brought them over.
“Are you okay?” Miroku asked. Shippo climbed out of the water, smiling. “Why wouldn't I be?” he asked, putting his clothes back on. Sango and Miroku shut their eyes whilst he did so.
“Oh,” Shippo asked, finally understanding. He left his shirt on the ground and looked up at them. He pulled on Miroku's robe. Miroku's eyes snapped open. “You mean - why the signal, huh?”
Sango's eyes opened slowly. When she saw he was decent, she smiled. Miroku nodded at Shippo. The young fox-demon sighed and shook out his fiery red hair, spraying Sango and Miroku with water.
“Well, Inuyasha and Kagome made me promise not to tell you this so don't say anything to them…”
“We won't,” Sango and Miroku replied simultaneously, whilst they both had their fingers crossed behind their backs. Shippo toed at the floor, looking a bit upset.
“Well… when I woke up they were going away somewhere. They told me they were going to have a shower and asked me if I would come, so I said yes. Then, when we got here, I said that Inuyasha loved Kagome, and he didn't reply.”
Sango and Miroku looked confused. “And…?”
“And he actually went in with her. You know. Both of them. Together.” Shippo whined.
Sango and Miroku looked at each other, mouths open. That's it?
Shippo sighed. “They were both naked,”
“I knew it!” Miroku exclaimed, punching the air. “I told you, Sango, something's happened between those two. They've been lying through their teeth for months! But they couldn't hide it from me.” He added, proud.
Sango looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes.
Shippo was making `quieten down' motions with his hands. “Shh. They'll hear you. They're only behind the water.”
“Behind the waterfall?” Sango looked up at the wall of water churning out from atop the pillar of stone towering above them. She tried to see through - to look at her friends on the other side, yet she could see nothing except shadows. If they'd been standing just aside the water, then she'd definitely be able to see them… yet they must have been standing in the deep part - almost next to the rock.
“Hmm,” she wondered. “Shippo, go and finish getting changed over there.” She said to the boy, pointing at a spot by the bank, furthest away from the waterfall. It wasn't far from where they were standing now. Shippo nodded, bundled up his shirt and hopped over to the spot Sango had appointed. Kirara, now in her kitten form, followed him too.
“Houshi-sama, you can come with me.”
Miroku smiled devilishly. “Where to, Sango?”
Sango started walking, directing Miroku to do so too. He followed her. Sango looked out over the reflective surface of the water and sighed. “To Inuyasha and Kagome.”
Miroku hung back, stopping, mouth open. A blush crept up across his nose and down either side of his face. Sango turned. She swore that one of his eyelids was twitching. “What's so wrong with that?” she asked, frowning.
Miroku looked apologetic. “N-Nothing, it's just that… don't you think they'd want to be alone?”
Sango shook her head. “Don't be stupid, Houshi-sama. Just because they're together…”
“And nude…” Miroku added.
“… Doesn't mean anything.” Sango finished.
Unfortunately for Sango - it did. The wall of water disappeared to a thin trickle when they were opposite it. And then when they were beyond it… where the water shot further out from the rock and the world behind the water could be seen… the pair saw Inuyasha and Kagome.
Except they weren't doing anything like what they'd imagined. It was only the perverted part of Miroku's mind that said `I knew it. I knew it. I knew it!' Because not only were Kagome and Inuyasha kissing rather fiercely… they were holding each other so close and so tenderly that it made Sango numb.
Miroku suddenly wasn't happy for his friends. He was mad. Furious, even. No way was Inuyasha going to get laid before him!
“What the hell's going on here?” Miroku cried in absolute horror, gawping at his friends as they canoodled with each other - Kagome's hand beneath the water doing things he didn't even want to know about.
Sango started up too. “What the hell are you doing?” she screeched in exactly the same tone as Miroku. Sango…? You feel the same as I do? Just because they stole our moment from us? Miroku wondered, ballooning up with happiness. He knew he was wrong when he heard her getting defensive about Shippo. Sango was concerned about the young fox being so close and being mentally scarred for life. Miroku felt dismayed. It was too good to be true.
As for what happened next… it was interesting. Miroku watched it all with envy, rage and sadness. Perhaps even disbelief at some points. In fact, he'd never had a fight with Inuyasha quite like it. No fists. No kicks. Just words. And those words stung worse than any wounds could.
Miroku didn't actually think that they would all still be talking afterwards, but he was wrong. Again. Because Kagome changed all that. It's funny how, even when they were all arguing, the one person who stuck them together - the glue of the group - didn't say a word. And when she finally did spoke, they all listened, and all felt sorry.
Miroku's heart stopped beating when Kagome collapsed. He thought… he thought that she was dead. Sango obviously did too, because she ran to the waters edge, screaming her friend's name. Inuyasha waded towards her as fast as the water would allow, breathing short and fast, chin wobbling - lips trembling. He wasn't crying… but he was repeating the word `no' over and over again as if he couldn't believe it.
The hanyou didn't seem to care that the water around Kagome was riddled with blood. Instead he scooped her up before her head fell below water, and carried her out. And for once, Miroku didn't care that he was seeing a naked girl. He only cared about her welfare.
Sango immediately said, “I'll get your clothes,” and ran over to where they were, trembling. Miroku dropped his staff and sat down beside Inuyasha - now lying next to Kagome on the bank, studying her.
“She's alive,” Inuyasha said under his breath - talking to himself rather than the monk next to him. “Thank God… thank God she's alive…”
Miroku didn't look at Inuyasha in distaste in hearing him mention God instead of Buddha. In fact, religion was thrown completely out of mind.
“Is she breathing?” he asked the half demon. Inuyasha nodded. Miroku didn't even notice that his friend was naked, not until Sango shut her eyes and blushed furiously as she draped Inuyasha's jacket over his shoulders, and then covered Kagome with her school blouse and skirt.
Sango was crying - unusual for her, but these kind of circumstances dragged it out of her. Inuyasha picked up his trousers from the spot where Sango had dropped them by his side, and started putting them on.
When he was finished, he draped his jacket over Kagome - throwing her own clothes aside. Sango didn't even blink. Inuyasha's jacket was far more suitable to cover her than a skirt and top that she wasn't even wearing.
Inuyasha tucked it in around Kagome, head bowed. His eyes were dark. “That blood…” he said, pondering it over.
Sango looked a little distressed. “Perhaps Kagome is bleeding at this time of month?” she said, timidly. Inuyasha shook his head.
“No. Not it. That was far too much blood to be it, surely. And besides, she had that last week - I could smell it.”
Miroku creased up his face in disgust. Inuyasha gave him a quick look. “I mean, she smelt different - she didn't smell, she was just… different. And she was a bit grumpy too.”
“Yes. Kagome was a bit snappy now that I think back,” Sango agreed, staring at her friend on the floor.
Kagome's mouth was a flat line - completely expressionless. Her eyes were firmly shut and she was ghostly pale… like a corpse. The black hair plastered to her forehead made her look so young… so ill…
“What could it be?” Miroku sighed, looking out over the water. Then he jumped as he felt something scuffle next to him.
Miroku looked down. Shippo was there, patting Kagome's hand.
“What's wrong with Kagome?” he cried, voice sickly sweet and thick with concern. “Jeez, her hands are hot!” he leapt back at the slightest touch, slightly exaggerating.
Sango felt Kagome's forehead. “She has a fever,” she said, sadly. “I blame that stupid lake trip of ours. Maybe she has pneumonia.”
“No,” Inuyasha disagreed with Sango again. “She had those stomach pains before that.”
“And you think that these symptoms are connected?” Miroku asked.
Inuyasha nodded. “I think…” he began, and then stopped, his whole body freezing. What he had been going to say wasn't what he now thought it was. No… no, that can't be…
His throat became dry. His ears perked up, standing on end as if there were danger. His pupils were microscopic. No. No. No. No. No!
“What do you think it is?” Sango asked, looking up at Inuyasha. Miroku looked to, their previous arguments completely forgotten. All that mattered was Kagome. They had to be prepared… for whatever Inuyasha thought it was.
But she's still bleeding, she can't be-
“Inuyasha!” Shippo cried, tugging on his hand. “Answer Sango! What do you think is wrong with Kagome?”
Inuyasha had no intention of telling them what he really thought was wrong. Or rather, not was wrong… what was right. Then, if it's true, I'm going to be a-
“Keh!” Inuyasha turned away. “I'm not a doctor. You can't expect me to know these things.” Sango and Miroku deflated.
“What now?” Miroku asked, talking to thin air.
Inuyasha scoffed. He picked up Tetsusaiga, which had been discarded with his clothes earlier (a stupid idea - he should've learned after Jaken had tried stealing it). He put on his white tunic and took on the role of leader again. Now Kagome was no longer with them - or rather, now she was no longer conscious - Inuyasha could be as rude and as commanding as he had before he'd asked her to be his future fiancé.
“Well, what happens now, is that we take her to Kaede where she can be treated and we can follow up some Shikon shard rumours. Is that okay with you?” he asked, looking around at the others.
Miroku and Sango nodded. Shippo did too. Kirara appeared out of nowhere and mewed brightly.
“First, we go back to where we were staying last night and collect our stuff. Then we can head back to Musashi's domain.” Inuyasha stood up to his full height, then shook out his wet hair - careful that the water droplets didn't go over his companions. “And I'll carry Kagome, if you don't mind.” There was no answer to this. Inuyasha spoke in a tone that meant he was getting what he wanted - end of story.
Bending down, he picked up Kagome. “I'll see you there,” he said absently over his shoulder. “Shippo, you can come with me.”
Shippo leapt onto Inuyasha's shoulder, his mouth a perfect line as he looked from Kagome to Inuyasha, twiddling his thumbs. Miroku and Sango made their way over to Kirara, and then all was a blur and the world rushed by.
Shippo sighed. “I'm sorry, Inuyasha.” he said, as the half-demon started running towards camp.
Shippo took one last look at the waterfall. Miroku and Sango were clambering onto Kirara's back now that she was back in her true form. He turned back, sighing. Trees closed around them. The world became dark green and brown - nothing but endless undergrowth, canopies and tree trunks.
Inuyasha frowned. “Why, Shippo? What did you do this time?”
Shippo bit his bottom lip. “I… I was the one who called Miroku and Sango.” he said. Inuyasha's breath stopped, but he continued to run. Turning to look into the fox-demon's face, he could see Shippo regretted it. He could also see that he was afraid, screwing up his face as he waited for the blows to come.
Inuyasha took a deep breath. He could go back to his normal self and give Shippo a couple of thumps on the head, but he needed all the friends he could get at the moment. Kagome had changed him. And he knew that if she were awake and if she caught sight of him yelling at Shippo, she'd sit him.
Inuyasha smiled and shook his head. “It's okay, Ship.” He said. “Besides, how would we have coped if Kagome had collapsed without them around?”
Shippo opened his eyes slowly, still anticipating an attack. “Huh?” he mumbled. “Y-You really don't care?” he asked.
Inuyasha smiled sadly, looking down at Kagome. Remembering something she used to say a lot, he repeated it to Shippo. “Somehow… it doesn't bother me at all.”
Damn you, Kagome. Inuyasha thought, feeling his insides knot up and his heart pound. Wake up… and tell me that it's not true. That we're not-
“Inuyasha,” Shippo said quietly. “Thanks,”
Inuyasha had the sudden impression that Shippo was going to hug him, and he did. Shippo clambered up to the side of his neck and hugged his cheek hard. “I like the new you,” he said. “Stay like this forever.”
Inuyasha sighed. “Forever's a long time, squirt.” He replied, spying the campsite in the distance. Mentally he added: And Kagome won't live forever. Unlike us demons…
Shippo stared at Inuyasha's pained face. That's why I must become a human, Inuyasha thought, quickening his pace. So I can be with Kagome… always. He sighed as he halted in the centre of the clearing they'd conquered last night.
Putting Kagome down on the grass, besides her pack, he frowned. Sango and Miroku had got there before him. That was because he'd been too busy talking to Shippo. But that didn't matter. He handed Shippo over to the other two, who were waiting nervously at the borders of the clearing.
“I'll take Kagome and her pack,” Inuyasha said, “You go on ahead and warn Kaede.”
“Are you sure, Inuyasha?” Miroku asked, taking Shippo from him. Inuyasha nodded, hanging the pack over one shoulder. He bent down to pick up Kagome. “You go. I'll be along later. I don't know how long it will take me with Kagome in tow. She's a deadweight now she's out cold.” But he wasn't complaining. He held her in both arms like a child, raising her head so it was close to his.
Miroku and Sango left with Shippo and Kirara, leaving Inuyasha alone with only his thoughts and his unconscious girlfriend. Sighing, he started trudging towards Kaede's village.
I wonder if I'm right. He wondered. I mean, what if this illness isn't really an illness? What if it's good for Kagome? For Kagome and me? Inuyasha, to get rid of his suspicions, gave Kagome's abdomen a quick glance.
Is it…? No. It wasn't quite flat. But it wasn't ballooning either, `cause he would've noticed earlier if it was. It was just… well, only a tiny bit above average (which was weird since they hadn't eaten for two days). But it's been five months… surely it would be noticeable after five months…But then Inuyasha didn't know. Would it really take nine months?
She's still bleeding… her stomach's practically flat… and she doesn't have any weird cravings. She can't be. Inuyasha smiled, walking faster.
Out loud, he started laughing. “How could I ever have thought that Kagome was pregnant anyway?” But now that he'd said it, it seemed even more real. Just like the word `love' had.
Pregnant. What if she's… pregnant?