InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Nowhere ❯ The Reality ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha… though I really wish I did.

A/N: Well, I decided not to change the last chapter. This chapter came out a little later than I expected because I reworked the plot a little bit. I hope it's okay.

Faye273: Thank you for the review. Thanks to my reviews I decided not to change the chapter. However, I had to rearrange my outline because of it, which is why this chapter took a while to come out. Sorry about that. I hope you like this chapter.

Kagome14: Yes, crazy villagers. ^_^ I'm sorry this chapter was delayed so much, I hope that it was worth the wait. Thanks!

Essie: Thanks for another review. I apologize that it took so long to get this chapter out. I hope it is good.

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Kagome glanced around franticly as the villagers neared her spot. Her mind raced while she grew increasingly worried about Inu Yasha's whereabouts. As the villagers approached, she knelt down and hid herself in some of the nearby brush. The sleeves of the hakui caught on some of the branches and one of the men looked in her direction. She froze and time seemed to stop.

She held her breath and tried to remain as calm as possible. The man glanced around, and pushed his torch forward. He scanned the area incredulously but did not seem to find what he was looking fore. After a few moments he turned away. Kagome let her breath out as he regrouped with the other men and they continued in the same direction they had been heading. She felt a slight twinge in her heart at the look she had seen in his eyes, though. She had seen fear. However stubborn the villagers were, they were only trying to protect their community.

She watched the light from the torches fade into the trees. The light from the torches sent an eerie yellow light filtering through the trees and Kagome thought her heart might burst from her chest. She was alone, scared, and worried. Her own safety was secure for the moment, but she was unsure of Inu Yasha. A cold wind brushed up from behind her and sent a chill down her spine as the chilly night air brushed up the hairs on the back of her neck. As the breeze died, she heard leaves crunching, signaling that someone was coming up behind her.

She did not have time to react before a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. She turned around quickly and instinctively screamed but a hand flew over her mouth. She looked up wide-eyed to see Inu Yasha giving her an admonishing look. She smiled under his hand and leaned forward to hug him, so filled with relief. Her worry returned, however, when he felt stiff under her embrace.

She lifted her head from his chest and searched for his eyes. She hoped to find relief in them, but instead he gave her a frightening look and pulled her arm. Without a word, he slowly brought her from the brush and led her away from the villagers. She stumbled a little as she tripped over the long hakama. Inu Yasha was walking much too fast. She started whisper a complaint, but he quickly turned his head, black hair flying over his shoulder while his blue eyes pierced through her soul. He looked angry.

She continued following right behind him, wondering why he was acting so cold. The expression on his face was frightening her. He looked worried, sad, and even frightened. She had a hard time believing that the villagers had instilled so much worry in him. Something deep inside her nagged that it was something new. Just where had he gone, anyway?

They walked on silently for a long time and Inu Yasha's hand never let go of Kagome's wrist. He did not turn to look at her and did not speak a word. He led her through a field and brought her up to a cavern on the side of a cliff opening up to stream. By the time they stopped, the sun was peaking over the hills in the distance.

Kagome sleepily rubbed her tired eyes with her free hand while she tried to balance on the slippery rocks as they neared the cavern. Inu Yasha had slowed down but his brisk pace was still making it difficult for her to keep up. Every once in a while she would start to slip and a hand would fly to her back or her arm to steady her balance. She could tell by his quick movements that he was extremely alert to her movements. It was amazing to Kagome that he still had such speed as a human.

Despite being so completely groggy, she could not help but notice the beauty of the place had led her to. She knew by the way he was acting it had not been intentional, but it was still meaningful to her. She saw steam rising up along the tall stone cliff that held the cave turning brilliant colors as it mixed with the early morning light. The steam filtered through the sparse plants that were scattered along the waters edge and gave the area dreamlike feel. The bodies of water just around the corner were obviously Hot Springs. Kagome smiled to herself, thinking of how enjoyable those would be once Inu Yasha was in a better mood.

As they reached the mouth of the cave Kagome watched him as he transformed back into a hanyou with some degree of fascination. He did not even seem to notice. She tightened her grip on his hand and ran her thumb over his rough skin as she felt his hand grow slightly larger. She silently wondered how it felt for him. After so long there was still so much about Inu Yasha she did not understand.

Once they were inside the cave he let got of her hand and slipped off his haori. He abruptly handed it to Kagome and told her to try and rest. He walked out of the cave before she had a chance to question his actions.

She sat in the shadows of the cave with her back against the cool stone wall. She pulled into her arms and embraced it as though it were Inu Yasha himself. She stared at the opening of the cave while a faint breeze rustled through her matted hair as it traveled through the corridor of the cave. Rays of sunlight caught in her hair and reflected against her pale skin. As her reality became more and more surreal, she realized once again that she was alone.

Once again, she cried. The tears streamed down her face, but she no longer knew what her tears were falling for. She was tired of being left alone, but she did not believe that was all. Inu Yasha had left her alone so many times before and he always returned. She was tired of not understanding him. Her confusion at his behavior was causing something deep inside her to feel out of place. The only thing she was sure of was that wanted Inu Yasha with her. She buried her face into his haori and allowed herself to cry.

Hours past and Kagome fell asleep, oblivious to the passing daylight. When Inu Yasha finally returned, she was curled up in his Haori, leaning sideways on to the wall of the cave. Her hair was tangled and lay in a mess against her slightly tinted cheeks. Inu Yasha stopped for a moment and looked at her. With the sunlight streaming in at his back, she looked the part of an angel lying in the reds and oranges that filtered in among the shadows. His heart clenched as he wondered if he would be able to tell her what he had learned the previous night. Of course, what he had learned that day was almost worse.

He sighed and walked toward her, dropping a large bag beside her. He knelt down and pulled a blanket from the bag and wrapped it around Kagome's body. He faintly smelled tears on her and cursed himself for leaving her alone. He knew she was probably furious with him. He pulled her into his lap and leaned against the wall as he waited for her to wake up. They had a lot to discuss.

Hundreds of things swirled around in Inu Yasha's head as he tried to find the best explanation there was. However, it was not simple to explain to someone that they are causing people to die. It was even more difficult to explain that they were probably dying themselves. Inu Yasha shook his head, not wanting to think about it anymore.

His ears twitched as he studied her breathing patterns. He could tell she was in a deep sleep as he heard her heart rate speed up and slow down as she dreamed. Every once in a while she would stir slightly in his arms and murmur something under her breath but she did not wake up. He bitterly noticed the demon scent still present, though faint.

He looked outside and judged the orange sky, noticing it was already close to night. He carefully moved Kagome off his lap and laid her on his haori, pulling the blanket over her. He left the cave and gathered some wood and leaves to make a fire inside their cave. When he lived on his own, he never needed to make himself a fire but he had learned quite a bit while traveling with the group.

Once everything was set up, he quietly crawled to the bag he had dropped earlier and pulled out a lighter that Kagome had left at Kaede's hut. She had taught him how to use it before, but he was a little unsure of himself. He always thought that the small magical contraption was a little too dangerous for Kagome's hands. Shrugging, he tried to remember the series of finger movements it took to create the fire.

After almost half an hour, he finally got the device to spark the leaves. He threw the infernal contraption across the cave in frustration. He smiled triumphantly as the fire gained energy. He pulled some more objects from the bag and began to prepare what he hoped would be a good dinner for Kagome. He continued to glance at her sleeping form while he prepared rice. Her lips had pulled into a small smile and he grinned in return. He knew the smell of the food would wake her soon.

He decided that he would let her eat before he told her what he had learned when he traveled to Kaede's village that day. It would probably be wise to contact Miroku and Sango since he and Kagome would need all the help they could. It would, however, tear apart Kagome to know she would not be able to see them. Inu Yasha shook his head and tried to relax. Things were not over yet. They had gotten so far and they would not be stopped now.

Moments later, Kagome opened her eyes. Her surroundings were a blur and for a moment she thought she was in her warm bed while smells drifted up the stairs of her mother preparing breakfast. She smiled in her daze and lifted herself up. She groaned as she felt the aching in her muscles. The past few days came back to her in a flash.

When her eyes finally focused she saw Inu Yasha staring at her intensely.

"What?" she asked, getting agitated.

"Come eat." He said in a stoic tone.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at his coldness but followed his orders. She knew him well enough to understand that he was concerned, but she still felt a little cold by his actions. She sat next to him and was suddenly surprised to see he had prepared rice. She stared at the food for a moment before turning to Inu Yasha with a confused look engraved on her face.

"Where did you get all this?" she asked, noticing the blanket and pots that were not around before.

Inu Yasha looked startled for a moment, but answered quickly. "I went to Kaede's to gather some supplies."

"Oh." Kagome replied. She thought about asking some more questions but the look Inu Yasha was casting on her made her slightly uneasy. She wondered why he would have gone back and left her in the cave by herself. It was very unlike him.

The two of them ate in silence. Inu Yasha thought about what details he should tell her and Kagome wondered what he was hiding. As the meal dragged on, both grew more and more nervous. When she was finally finished, Kagome was shaking slightly. She may have been human, but even she could sense the uncomfortable tension in the air. She knew that something was very wrong.

For a moment Inu Yasha didn't speak, and Kagome was too afraid to ask him. Finally, however, Inu Yasha turned to her. He wore an expression that was very similar to the one he wore when he made his decision to protect Kikyou over Kagome. It made Kagome's heart clench in her chest.

"Kagome…" he started, feeling inadequate about his speech. He had ran it through in his head, but it was not his nature to be so compassionate. What he had to tell her would be as hard for her to take as it was for him. He was not sure how to begin.

"Is… is everything okay?" Kagome asked meekly, knowing well that it was not okay at all.

Inu Yasha didn't answer her.

"What happened?" Kagome asked. "Last night… what happened when you left?"

Inu Yasha took a deep breath. "I headed back to the village so I could get some food for you… you hadn't eaten…" Inu Yasha paused. He knew that was inconsequential. He was simply prolonging the inevitable. "When I went back, they had woken the village doctor. She was a miko as well… but she was very old… I think that's why they didn't get her at first. I overheard her talking to the men in the village. She believed you had come to the village with a disease and spread it. She claimed that she sensed a lot of jyaki on you…"

"But I'm better now. So, what's the worry?" Kagome asked.

"I think she was right, Kagome. Those men were after you so they could kill you. They killed the woman who had fallen ill in the village."

Kagome's eyes widened and she put her hand over mouth. "Why would they kill her? That's awful!"

"That's not the point I'm making." Inu Yasha said sternly, becoming frustrated with himself for avoiding the point. "I believe that you were the one that spread it to the village." He finished quietly.

"But… how?" Kagome asked, tilting her head. "I feel fine. And besides, if it was me… you would be sick too."

"Maybe it's because I'm half demon. Even when I'm in my human form, my demon blood is still present. It's hidden, but it's there." Inu Yasha continued. He was not looking forward to the next thing he had to tell her.

She looked at him with a sympathetic look. She was unsure of just what it was he was getting at. They could still go to her time and she could visit a doctor there. It was not like she was dying. She overcame it and she would not allow herself to believe anything else.

"Kagome… there's more." He said quietly, making sure he had her attention. "When I went back to Kaede's village…"

Kagome looked up at him as he paused. He looked extremely pensive and it made Kagome extremely frightened.

"Kaede's dead." He finished.

Kagome looked on at him, unable to speak. Her throat became dry and she wanted to scream. She had been as close to Kaede as her own grandmother, and now she was gone. On top of that, she was pretty sure that Inu Yasha was implying it to be her fault. Was she really spreading an epidemic?

After sitting frozen for a moment, Kagome suddenly burst into tears; unable to take the implications she had been given. Inu Yasha watched her nervously, unsure of what he should do. Shyly, he pulled her into his arms and held her. He felt her body shudder as she sobbed into his chest. He could tell she was scared on top of her despair. He was unsure of what he could do with the situation. He knew nothing of the long-term effects of whatever had infected Kagome and he also knew nothing of how to cure it. He was weary of taking her to any doctor since many would simply see her as a risk factor for their town.

Many people would surely want her dead. Inu Yasha instinctively pulled her tighter against him. She was his. No one could ever take her away from him. He would protect her until the end no matter what. Remembering the previous night made him relax slightly but his heart was still twisted.

Kagome continued to cry through most of the night, and both of them abandoned their concern over the Shikon no Tama for the first time in years. A new journey was about to begin.

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A/N: Ah, this chapter was kinda depressing. Sorry about that. Well, Sango and Miroku are coming back next chapter. Apologies to my San/Mir fans that it took so long. This story has taken an unexpected turn since the last chapter turned out much different then what I intended. I have, however, decided to go with it.

Please review!