InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Addiction ❯ Intervention ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: Well, I have my computer, but not my Internet right now. I'll have it by Friday, which is probably the day that this'll be posted. Anyway, I'm glad that you all liked the last chapter. That was my favorite one so far, but I'm thinking that this one will take that space as soon as I write it. Anyway, here it is.

 

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns everything, and I own squat.

 

Chapter 5: Intervention

 

Pulsing and beating—you depend on those two seemingly simple actions. As your heart follows them through, it carries with it the heavy burden of your life. Each pump it makes is essential, for once it stops, so does your existence. You are no longer part of the world you once knew, but trapped in the endless night of death; and the terror that should be wreaking havoc on your soul ceases to exist. Without a heartbeat, you are infused with an immunity to feeling—an unfathomable iciness that courses through you like a deadly virus. Without a pulse or a beat, you are nothing.

 

Kagome awoke abruptly, her mind caught in a swirling, opaque mist that engulfed her every thought. Her eyes were darting around her surroundings in quick sprints, attempting to take in the vague and distorted images that looked as if they were beginning to encase her. The world seemed to be an array of waving colors. She winced in pain as she tried to sit up, her arm and head throbbing. Everything was in a complete and utter blur. She remembered the bullet entering her flesh and watching InuYasha leave her to bleed. She crinkled her squinted eyes even further as her thoughts turned to her father and the way he had spoken to her.

 

“Kagome.”

 

She groaned slightly. Whose voice was that? It rung clearly in her ear, and seemed to reverberate in circles around her head. It sounded so familiar, but its echoing seemed to create a distance about it that she couldn't begin to place. She blinked slowly, watching the haze of different shades begin to blend together into a clear image. Hovering over her stood a woman, her wavy, dark hair cut neatly above her shoulders and her deep, brown eyes emanating concern.

 

“Kagome, can you hear me?” the woman asked as she leaned closer, distress pooling from her shaky voice.

 

“Mom,” Kagome rasped out, a small smile emerging on her features as she glanced around the room. The walls were a refined white hue with pink roses painted deftly along the line of the ceiling, giving the place a wholesome appearance. In the left corner were two cushioned chairs that seemed out of place with their bold, navy color. “What happened?” she questioned, her attention turning quickly back to her mother as she brought her hands up rub them across her droopy eyes that had been caught by arms of languidness.

 

“You were in a coma for a few days,” her mother said, moving to sit beside her on the hospital bed. She ran fingers across the side of her daughter's face, gratefulness swelling in the depths of her soul. “The paramedics told me that you were found on the side of the road.” She trailed off for a moment, her gaze lowering. “You were shot.” Her eyes met Kagome's as a rare intensity began to fill them, one that had been absent for the last two years. “Can you tell me what happened?”

 

“I…” Kagome hesitated as another shooting pain coursed through her head. She wanted to let everything flow out of her—to tell her story, but something had placed a seal over her mouth. This was InuYasha's business, not her mother's. She shook her head. No, that wasn't right—if it wasn't her mother's business, then it shouldn't be hers either. Kagome whimpered slightly at the notion as tears began to peek out of the corners of her eyes. It seemed as if her stress that was usually kept at a constant simmer was about to boil over. InuYasha needed help, and whether it was her duty or not, she knew that she needed to see to it that help was exactly what he got.

 

Mrs. Higurashi's expression softened sympathetically at the painful weariness that had set itself on her daughter's face. “You can tell me when you're ready,” she assured her, smiling weakly as she continued caressing Kagome's cheek lightly with the tips of her fingers. “I know it's hard for you to think about it right now.”

 

Kagome leaned into the comforting warmth, letting her eyes flutter shut to revel in the joy of having just one moment to forget. “It's not that,” she whispered softly, her eyes drifting open, falling on the nightstand beside the bed. There was a card there, perched upright on the mahogany wood of the surface. Get well, Kagome, it read. She couldn't help but let out a feeble laugh. The whole thing was drawn neatly in marker, and she was positive that every color of the rainbow had been used to fill up that simple, white sheet of paper. She scanned the bottom of the card, smiling when she noticed Sota's signature scribbled carelessly in black. Staring at it, her eyes landed on a name written beside her brother's, one that made shivers run full circles around her spine—InuYasha.

 

“Kagome,” her mother began, her voice hitched with anxiety as she pulled her hand back. “Do you think you'll be able to tell me who did this to you?”

 

Kagome jerked her attention back to the woman in front of her, trying her best to mask her sudden surge of fear behind a meek smile. She folded her arms across her stomach as her eyes became distant. “Maybe,” she said quietly. She glanced back at her mother. “There's just something more important that I need to worry about right now.” Kagome took a deep breath as she became increasingly aware of her hammering heartbeat. “Mom, it's InuYasha…he's…”

 

Mrs. Higurashi narrowed her eyes intriguingly, moving her hands to rest them on her lap. “He's what?” she asked.

 

Kagome flinched slightly as she brought her arms to her sides, pushing herself to a sitting position, and leaning against the headboard of the bed, the pillows cushioning her stiff back. “He's the one who's been stealing from you,” she forced out, a tear rolling leisurely down her cheek, staining it. “He's using it to buy heroin…” She stifled a sob as she wiped a hand across her dampened face. “I don't know how it happened, but now he's addicted! He won't let me help him, and I don't know what to do!” As she spoke, her soft words became harsh cries for reassurance—pleas for help. “He's changed, Mom. He saw me get shot… He left me there just so he could…” She shook her head, choking on her own breath as she let out another strained cry.

 

Her mother stared in disbelief. She leaned closer to her daughter, placing two arms around her, and pulling her close. “It's okay,” she cooed as she felt Kagome's tears seep through her jacket. She rocked her gently from side to side, kissing her temple as she tried to induce some form of support. A wave of guilt showered over her. She had accused Kagome of taking the money, and even after being told otherwise, she still hadn't believed her. She tossed the thought aside. It didn't matter anymore. She knew the truth now. “We'll find some way to help him,” she continued. “I promise.”

 

(00000000000000000000000)

 

“Damn it! Where is it?” InuYasha screamed out, his legs quivering under his body before giving way to gravity as he collapsed on the kitchen floor. Beads of cold sweat began dripping down his face, mimicking the rain against the panes of the window above the sink. His entire body felt numb with the sensation of pure need that had latched itself onto him with every fiber it had. He let his head fall backwards against the lower wooden cabinets as he attempted to tame his ragged breathing and trembling hands.

 

“Hey, are you okay?”

 

InuYasha tilted his head, seeing a small boy standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He was staring with his large eyes as he ran his fingers through his short, raven hair. InuYasha glared menacingly, immediately recognizing him as Kagome's little brother. “I'm fine, kid,” he said.

 

“Are you sure?” Sota asked, stepping onto the tiled floor of the kitchen, shivering as iciness spread to his bare feet. He watched InuYasha, his eyes soft with concern and worry. InuYasha looked exhausted with his sweat covered body as it shook vigorously.

 

InuYasha inhaled sharply as an intense pain spread through his body. He pulled up his knees, placing his arms on them as he tried to keep from cringing. “I…need…money,” he gasped out, his voice strained and ruptured with insistence and urgency. He pushed his knees to the floor, and craned his back until he felt his hands against the tile. Slowly, with quaking and jerky movements, he crawled toward the boy standing by the doorway, feeling himself trying to grind his claws across the floor. “You have to help me,” he pleaded.

 

Sota shook his head in shock. What was going on? Why was InuYasha acting so needy? “I have some money saved up,” he said, nearly falling over as InuYasha grabbed his legs shaking him slightly, anguish seeping from every breath he took. Sota gulped, feeling claws penetrating the material of his jeans and converging with his flesh. “What do you need it for?”

 

“Just give me it!” InuYasha forced, gritting his teeth as his body became submissive to a light spasm.

 

“InuYasha, what are you doing?”

 

He took fleeting glance upwards, his eyes watery and dilated, looking as if fear itself was lodged in his irises. A woman was looming above him, her hands clasped firmly around Sota's quivering shoulders as she glared forebodingly at him. He knew her; she was Kagome's mother. A lopsided grin curled onto his face as he watched her stern expression. “You have it,” he said.

 

Mrs. Higurashi pushed Sota side, ushering him out of the room, and pointing a finger warningly at him. “Go,” she ordered, her tone as stiff as stone, though her face emanated a softness that was worthy of a mother as she watched the boy leave in utter terror. She turned back to InuYasha, the glare returning to her face. Her hand moved to her right shoulder, her fingers slipping underneath the brown strap that hung on it. She pulled it forward, drawing up a large purse, and placing it in her hand. “I suppose you mean this, InuYasha.”

 

He thrust his arms forward lamely, watching in horror as they fell back in exhaustion. With a quick intake of breath, he nodded. “I need it…I need money…” he breathed, waving his hands aimlessly at her as his body still lay sprawled against the tile.

 

“Why?” she asked, taking a glimpse at her purse before turning back to him. “Do you want to go back on the streets to buy heroin?” She paused for a moment, her eyes stony and jeering. “Or would like to see my daughter get wounded while trying to help you, and leave her to die again?” Her voice was poisonously soft and calm as she spoke.

 

InuYasha gasped at her words as a rush of memories came flooding back to him in a crashing wave. He could vaguely remember swearing himself to protection—protection of Kagome. Still, he had walked away from her while she was bleeding. A sharp whimper escaped him as he shook his head vigorously. No, he didn't want to think about that. He would never do something, so… “I didn't…” he started. “I just-”

 

“You just wanted this,” Mrs. Higurashi finished for him. Her hand moved slowly to the zipper of the purse. Unzipping it, her hand dove inside, retrieving a small bag containing a white, powdery substance. “Is this it, InuYasha?”

 

His eyes widened even further, his pupils glazing over with an intense lust. “Yes,” he said softly, urgency wreaking its devilish terror in his voice. “I need it!”

 

“This was in Kagome's hand when they found her.” Mrs. Higurashi lowered it back into her purse. “Do you know how it got there?” She had lost her firmness amidst her words, her voice now shaky and unstable. “Did you put it there?” she asked.

 

InuYasha coughed violently as he shook his head, his eyes crinkling in pain. “No, it wasn't me.” He held out his right hand, despite its limpness and quaking. “Please?”

 

She took a step back, ignoring his gesture with a defiant look in her eyes. “Do you know who put it there?” she asked. She grew anguished at his silence, throwing her purse behind her as she knelt beside him. “I know it wasn't her! Just answer me!”

 

He looked up at her earnestly, letting out a feeble laugh. “There was a man…”

 

(0000000000000000000000)

 

Kagome threw her head back against the headboard of the hospital bed in sheer restlessness. She had never realized how boring it was for the people who were bedridden here. She sighed softly, glancing at the door wishfully. Someone would have to visit her sometime. She wiggled her toes in impatience, slowly crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes gazed at her right shoulder. Though her speckled hospital gown covered the mark, she had no qualms about its presence. She glowered at it in disgust, knowing that it would always be there to remind her of what had happened. A slight whimper escaped her, her mind immediately engulfing with thoughts and wonderings about InuYasha. She giggled weakly. Sometimes she couldn't help but hate him for making her fall in love with him.

 

She was jerked from her ongoing thoughts as a clicking noise emitted from the doorway. A nurse was standing there in a white uniform, looking fatigued from the pandemonium Kagome knew came with caring for patients. The woman was slender, her dark hair tied neatly into a bun that sat atop her head. “There's someone here to see you,” she said, nodding her head as she gestured someone in.

 

A smile quickly crawled onto Kagome's features as a man entered the room. “InuYasha,” she whispered, her voice infused with a quiet passion. “You came.”

 

“I'll leave you two alone,” the nurse spat out, not failing to notice the intimidating look InuYasha was sending her. She laughed nervously, quickly ambling out of the room.

 

InuYasha turned his attention back to Kagome, an emotion hidden in his eyes that she hadn't seen in a long time—penitence. “I wanted to see you,” he told her hastily, glancing away from her as he approached her bedside. “I want to…to help you.”

 

Kagome looked at him, perplexed. She couldn't understand it. How was he going to help her. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat as he sunk to his knees beside her left side. The look in his eyes seemed to be filling with more regret by the second, sending trails of fear down her spine. What was wrong with him? She shook the thought away, turning back to him. “InuYasha, what are you talking about?”

 

“This'll make the pain go away,” he said, reaching into the bag tied to the sash of his hakama. He pulled out a syringe filled with a liquid that she recognized right away.

 

“Stop!” she pleaded mercilessly, attempting to move her weakened body away from him. “That won't help anything!” She watched his distant expression in horror. He was high—she was certain of it.

 

“Play nice, Kagome.”

 

She jerked her head up, her eyes growing large as they became filled with her increasing trepidation. A man was standing in front of her, a grin spread widely across his grimy face. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched his hand reach into the inside pocket of his black jacket. His smirk widened as he pulled out a gun, pointing it at her forehead. “You…” she began, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at him.

 

“Don't scream,” he said. “I don't want to have to kill you.”

 

A/N: Was that evil enough for ya? I think so. Anyway, I finally got around to finishing this chapter. I was almost at the end earlier today, but my sister thought it would be fun to kick me off the computer. Well, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed this chapter. I had a blast writing it. Reviews are adored!