InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Apple Of My Eye ❯ Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: You can only hope for so long before it tears you up inside…lol! But I will hold out hope that one day Inuyasha will be mine!

 

 

 

 

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After another round of teasing Inuyasha, they all settled down under the night sky. Positions reversed as the men leaned their backs on the trunk and held the women in their embrace. The silence was occasionally disturbed by quiet conversations, but all in all, the group remained drowsy and relaxed. Miroku had just suggested heading back when Shippou went rigid in Kagome's arms.

 

 

“What is it Shippou?” she asked in concern.

 

“I… I think I smell a youkai…” he whispered in fright.

 

 

Kirara gave a mew in agreement before jumping out of Sango's arms to transform to her large fire-cat form. She gave out a thundering roar in warning, hoping to scare whatever it was away. Quiet thumping in the distance advanced and increased in volume. In seconds the crashing of trees and snapping of branches was clearly audible. An odour so noxious even the humans could detect filled the air and signaled the presence of a formidable foe.

 

 

Inuyasha jumped up and pushed Kagome behind him, his hand instinctively going to tetsusaiga's hilt. Miroku and Sango scrambled to gather their weapons and threw Kagome's bow and arrows towards her. Inuyasha drew his sword and swore when it remained in the same rusty state. The crunching closed in and revealed a giant grey oni with glowing red eyes. It stood up to its full height and gave a horrifying shriek before acknowledging the humans. Leaves quivered on the branches from the volume of the call and trembled briefly before tumbling to the ground. The crickets and howls of wolves quieted until nothing but the wind dared to breathe.

 

 

Inuyasha's head snapped uselessly to the moonless sky as he gripped his cold blade tighter. The oni focused its attention on Kagome's neck, where the nearly complete shikon no tama glowed in a low light. Inuyasha growled impressively and pushed her behind him further to shield her from the oni's searching eyes.

 

 

 

“Inuyasha…” she whispered in his ear, “Please be careful. Don't be reckless like you usually are…”

 

“I'm not reckless!” he hissed, “Stay behind me!”

 

“Inuyasha no!” Kagome begged and gripped his shoulder tightly. Inuyasha reached his hand up and held hers reassuringly for a moment, before pulling himself away completely. He looked back at her and gave a silent promise. Kagome's stomach flipped and churned, worry gnawing in her heart.

 

“I'm gonna teach this stinking, nasty little shit a lesson.” he muttered under his breath. Kagome shook her head furiously, but he ignored it and stepped forward.

 

 

With that, Inuyasha ran to the middle of the clearing in a quick line, drawing the attention away from the rest of the group. Tufts of grass prickled his feet, crushing under the weight of his body. He held his hands in the air and waved at the oni to taunt it.

 

 

“Oi, bastard!” he yelled, “Leave now and I might spare your pathetic life!”

 

 

The oni narrowed its eyes and glowered at Inuyasha. It stood immobile for a moment in indecision. A small ray of hope entered the hearts of the fighters as they thought the youkai might actually decide to leave. They were proved wrong however when it shifted its body in Inuyasha's direction. The ground vibrated under the weight of the massive oni, the trees wheezing under his enormous feet.

 

 

The hanyou-turned-human cracked his knuckles and fisted his hand at his side. The oni gave out another high pitched wail and stood its ground, waiting for the first move. Inuyasha stared down the menacing red eyes before provoking it by giving it the finger. The massive demon reared back in anger before running towards its opponent.

 

 

Small rocks bounced around on the forest floor as the oni's feet connected to the ground, a cloud of dust following behind him. For its size, the demon was threateningly agile and swift, charging at Inuyasha in incredible speed. Shippou toppled over from the quakes in the earth. Kagome quickly bent down and pulled him to his feet before pushing him towards the sheltering tree.

 

 

“Hide Shippou! Stay in the high branches of the tree!” Kagome ordered. Shippou scuttled his way over and scaled the tree, the bark breaking off under his haste. When the kitsune disappeared from sight, Kagome returned her attention to Inuyasha, worry clearly written on her face.

 

 

 

Inuyasha darted off to the side and rolled on the ground to avoid the crushing impact of the oni as it lunged towards him. He quickly jumped back on his feet and ran west, lulling the demon away from his companions.

 

 

“Catch me if you can, you dumb fuck!” Inuyasha hollered as he tempted fate.

 

 

The grey mass of flesh and limbs roared again, its eyes flashing in anger. It swiped its hand forward and caught Inuyasha under the knees, sending him tumbling forward. Inuyasha swore loudly and pulled a talon from his calf. A gurgle of blood seeped through the wound and fell down his leg, staining the grass a deep red. The oni swiped at him again and Inuyasha just managed to roll to the right to avoid the sharp claws. Kagome screamed behind him and the oni jerked away from Inuyasha to look for the miko.

 

 

“Shikon no Tama!” it yelled in a deep voice, “Give me the Shikon no Tama!”

 

 

Kagome ran forward, followed closely by Sango and Miroku. Inuyasha waved his hands at them, telling them to turn back. All three ignored his warning and advanced, set on fighting together. The oni turned away from Inuyasha and stood up to its full height of nearly fifty feet and howled to the sky. Its eyes focused in on Kagome's neck and it exposed rotten yellow teeth as it smiled triumphantly.

 

 

“Shikon no Tama!” it cried again and stepped forward.

 

“Kagome get back!” Inuyasha roared and ran towards her.

 

“You're not fighting alone!” she shouted back.

 

“It wants you! Run away!” he hollered frantically, looking around for something to throw at the oni.

 

“Then it can have me! You're not doing this by yourself!” she cried, determined.

 

“Fuck!” Inuyasha swore to himself.

 

 

The oni closed in, only twenty feet away from the trio of human demon fighters. Sango launched her weapon with a loud cry of “Hiraikotsu!” The boomerang hit true and forced the massive demon back, crushing the bones in its left arm. It screeched in pain and flailed its broken limb, outraged at the power of the attack. Its nostrils flared in anger, puffing out acrid green streams of smoke.

 

 

“You'll pay!” it screamed.

 

 

It charged towards them, intent on destroying the annoying bunch of humans. The oni was nothing short of disgusting. Lumpy and uneven in body shape, the creature was covered in grotesque welts and oozed sticky mucus. It dripped to the ground in large droplets and dragged dirt along in a string while it detached. With a grimace, Kagome knocked an arrow as she backed up, pouring her power into the steel tip of the quill. She let it fly with a rushing twang and hit the oni on the broken arm. It shone a bright light before bursting into dust and vanishing altogether. A spurt of unsightly yellow liquid shot out of its nostril in surprise. The demon screamed again and pointed at Kagome with its remaining arm, shaking in contempt.

 

 

“You bitch! You're going to die!” it yelled threateningly.

 

 

Kagome quickly cast a worried look to Inuyasha, who was still behind the oni separating them. Inuyasha swiped away the blood from his wound and clenched his fist tight to squeeze out the droplets of crimson. The oni thumped forward, its monstrous knobby hand reaching for Kagome. Miroku threw a sutra to the demon's forehead, but it merely sizzled and burst into flames. Sango ran to gather hiraikotsu to launch for another attack. Kagome's eyes flashed towards the sky, mentally screaming at the gods for picking this night for such a fight.

 

 

Inuyasha pushed himself forward, his leg slightly numb. Kagome ran from the oni, knocking another arrow in her bow. The enraged demon snarled and chased after her, closing in at a frighteningly quick speed.

 

 

“Kagome!” Inuyasha shouted out in alarm.

 

 

Miroku stopped his retreat and ran forward to impale his staff in the oni's leg. It cried out in pain and kicked the monk, sending him arching through the air. Sango's stomach dropped at the deep thunk as he made contact with the ground. Miroku tried to sit up, but the world spun rapidly around him. The forest went black in his eyes as he fell into unconsciousness. Sango ran towards him and dropped to her knees, cradling his head.

 

 

“Miroku!” she cried out in worry.

 

“Get him out of here Sango!” Inuyasha shouted, mentally trying to find a battle plan.

 

 

Sango pulled on Miroku's limp body and dragged him towards the safety of the tree line. Away from the action, she soothed her hand over his forehead and put her ear to his chest. His heart hummed strong and healthy beneath the flesh, and Sango sat back on her feet in relief.

 

 

 

Away from the two humans, the oni refocused its attention on Kagome and reached for her again. Before she was able to let the arrow fly, the red-eyed demon slapped its hand across her bow and sent her weapons tumbling to the ground. Her back met with the rough wood of the trunk of a tree as her escape route disappeared. Breathing heavily in distress, Kagome reached for a rock and threw it towards the demon. It sailed through the air with a whistle and hit with surprising accuracy. The sharp stone lodged deep in the oni's eye with a pop and blinded the creature. Black blood rushed out from the dull socket and flowed in a stream to the grass beneath, curdling the soil. It stumbled backwards, holding a hand up to cup the ruptured eye.

 

 

Adrenaline pumped through Inuyasha's veins, blocking out the pain in his leg. His heart pounded urgently in his ears, and sweat trickled down his brow. Fast as he was, Inuyasha started out at a disadvantage. He and oni had been battling at the other end of the field, a good distance away from the current action. Driving himself to the limit, Inuyasha reached Kagome's side in a matter of seconds and pulled her into his protective embrace. He held her head in his hands and forced her to look into his eyes. Kagome's line of vision dropped to the rapidly pulsing vein on his neck, but snapped back up when Inuyasha squeezed his hands.

 

 

“Listen to me Kagome,” he panted, “You have to use your arrows and hit him right in the heart.”

 

“What are you-” she began.

 

“I'm going to distract him. Hurry!” Inuyasha placed a chaste kiss on her lips in the few seconds they had to spare and ran towards the shrieking oni.

 

 

 

Inuyasha grasped tetsusaiga tightly in his hold and stabbed it in the oni's foot in one smooth motion. The thing had been distracted by the pain in his eye and was oblivious to Inuyasha's oncoming attack. Mucus bubbled out of its nose and poured down with the blood from its eye. The sticky fluid splattered out in fat droplets as the pain of the stab jerked its body. Inuyasha quickly jumped out of the way and pulled his sword with him before the oni was able to retaliate. Off to the side, Kagome fumbled with her bow and arrows and tried to sting another in place.

 

 

Sweat loosened Inuyasha's grip on tetsusaiga. He was flustered, less direct and clean as usual. Kagome's safety and his anxiety over his ability to protect her on the moonless night drove his body into a state of alarm. He gritted his teeth so tight that it hurt and set his jaw in a serious, lethal line. With a roar, Inuyasha riskily lunged forward again. He sprang up with his knees bent low, and sliced his sword across the demon's knee. Fresh black ooze poured from the laceration and bathed his hand in inky, warm liquid. The oni screamed in frustration and pulled his hand away from his eye and blinked painfully at Inuyasha.

 

 

“That's right you son of a bitch, look at me!” Inuyasha yelled, trying desperately to calm his shaky breaths.

 

“I'm going to kill you, Inuyasha!” it cried back as it swung its heavy arm.

 

“What the hell?” Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise, “How do you know my name you nasty freak?!”

 

“Everyone knows who the hanyou with the miko lover is! Everyone knows they carry the shikon no tama!”

 

“You're not getting the fucking tama!”

 

“Yes I am!”

 

“Over my dead body!”

 

“Gladly!” the oni smiled evilly, twisting the features on its face into a strange mirage of repulsive giddiness.

 

 

It swung its remaining lumpy arm and cleaved at Inuyasha. A cloud of dust formed from the constant shifting and tumbling of their battle. As it settled, the oni stood tall and smiled happily, licking the human blood off its claws. Inuyasha pushed himself up to his feet, and leaned slightly to the left. He clamped his hand over his side to stop the bleeding, but rivulets of blood seeped out between the cracks of his fingers.

 

 

Kagome let her arrow fly. It zipped through the air with a whistle, a bright glow at its tip. The arrow pierced cleanly through the back and out the oni's chest, a few inches right of its heart. Kagome's eyes dimmed in disappointment and her heart lurched uneasily. The demon howled in anguish and turned sluggishly towards the miko. Inuyasha held his arm over his head to deflect the sprinkle of blood from the crashing splatters meeting the grass.

 

 

“In the heart Kagome!” Inuyasha shouted again.

 

“Shut up!” the oni yelled in alarm.

 

 

Sango let hiraikotsu soar through the air and cleanly severed a foot from the oni. It stumbled, momentarily dazed from the onslaught of attacks from all directions. With a loud snort that sucked up the dribble of slime falling from its nose, the dismembered demon blinked and chose one target.

 

 

A visible shudder ran up its spine as it stumbled on its foot, the raw wound on its other leg stepping down onto the ground. Debris stuck to the flesh, drawing pained grunts from the creature. It ignored the pain and focused its vision on its mark. Inuyasha glared back at the one-eyed demon, his lips drawing back in a snarl. In a split second, the oni raked its claws through the air, aiming for Inuyasha. With a surprised exhale, Inuyasha bent back low to avoid the sharp talons that ghosted over his turned cheek. Just as quickly as it attacked, Kagome let an arrow fly and obliterated its footless leg completely. With a haggard breath, the oni determinedly continued its one legged advance on Inuyasha. It grinned sadistically, exposing stubs of yellow, rotten teeth. In a low, controlled voice it recited,

 

“Everyone knows who the hanyou with the miko lover is, and that they carry the jewel,” he repeated, alongside the curses Inuyasha spat at him, “everyone knows they are nothing without the other.”

 

“Stay away from her, you asshole!” Inuyasha shouted, a tinge of desperation in his voice.

 

“To eliminate one, is to eliminate them both.” it continued, “With you gone Inuyasha, the miko will be easy to kill, and the jewel will be mine.”

 

 

Inuyasha growled at the oni, baring unusually sharp human eyeteeth. The small smile gracing the ugly features of the demon disappeared in a flash. The unpredictable speed it held within came out once again as it snatched Inuyasha from the forest ground. It brought him up to eye level, staring at him with an eye the size of Inuyasha's head. The catlike pupil unnerved Inuyasha and he coughed from the foul stench of body odor and decayed breath.

 

 

Inuyasha winced but remained mute when the clawed hand tightly fisted his human body. The demon grunted in pain as another arrow shot clean through the middle of its chest, grazing the side of his heart. Its strength wavered for a second, and just as quickly recovered. It increased its hold on Inuyasha, squeezing him tightly until the air wheezed out of his lungs.

 

 

“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried as she notched another arrow.

 

 

The oni smiled, and pressed its thumb into Inuyasha's stomach. Inuyasha trashed in his grip, punching the fingers holding him captive and leaving deep, broken groves in the digits. The demon ignored the brutal pain from Inuyasha's shots and tightened his hold periodically. Its one red eye glowed menacingly and it glared at Inuyasha carefully. Its putrid breath stung Inuyasha's nose as it spoke once more.

 

 

“One little squeeze is all it'll take to kill the infamous hanyou who brought Naraku to his downfall. What do you think of that?” it asked casually.

 

“Let Inuyasha go!” Kagome screamed from behind them, her heart hammering intensely.

 

“With pleasure.” it responded with a sick smile.

 

 

Inuyasha's eyes widened as he felt the fingers go slack around him. His back arched inwards as he fell the near thirty feet, his hair whipping around his face. Kagome screamed and ran towards the falling Inuyasha, her arms stretched out as if to catch him.

 

Inuyasha hit the ground with a sickening crunch and hoarsely cried out in pain. The one-legged and one-armed oni reached its remaining limb down and captured his leg. Everything happened in a blur of speed as the demon forcefully bent Inuyasha's leg backwards until the gruesome snap sounded in the forest. Inuyasha jerked into unconsciousness from the sheer pressure and pain his human body was unable to handle. He gave a gurgled cough as the world fazed out of focus.

 

The oni's laugh was cut short as Kagome fired an arrow straight through his heart and a thundering scream bellowed out of its dying chest. In a burst of flames, the remnants of the demon dissipated into the wind and left the clearing eerily quiet.

 

 

Kagome's heart raced and blood pounded in her ears when she caught site of Inuyasha. He lay fifteen feet away, crumpled and unconscious. His right leg was awkwardly bent backwards just beneath the knee and rivulets of blood seeped from the wounds on his side and left leg. Kagome's eyes widened as her hands trembled, and her fingers quivered. She took an unsteady step forward before breaking out in a dead out run.

 

 

 

Kagome fell to her knees beside him and cradled his head in her hands. She brought her face to his and stared intensely at his closed lids, urging them to open and reveal the eyes she so deeply cared for. Kagome ran her thumbs across his cheeks, soothing his oddly hot skin. A small bead of perspiration fell from his temple and down his jaw line, the moisture catching on her palm.

 

 

Salty tears began to obscure her vision even as she tried her hardest to keep them at bay. Kagome bit her bottom lip hard, worrying the appendage with her teeth. She lowered her hand to his neck and felt for his pulse. It was beating erratically under her searching fingers and thumped wildly beneath her touch. Inuyasha's breathing was quiet and labored. His chest heaved with the effort it took to inhale and exhale, his human body not used to the agony of his numerous wounds.

 

 

Kagome's hands left his face and pressed onto his wounds. The blood trickling from his left leg was slow and languid, but the scarlet liquid seeping from his side worried her. Kagome pressed her hands to his side to stop the bleeding and pulled a pained groan from Inuyasha. Blood coated her hands and stained them a deep, haunting red. Kagome pulled her hands away and cradled his head in her hands once more. His blood smeared across his cheeks, and the impressions of Kagome's palms were mirrored in Inuyasha's crimson life source.

 

 

“No…” she begged, “You're human…you can't have these injuries, not tonight…”

 

 

Inuyasha grunted, but otherwise showed no signs of consciousness. The tears in her eyes pooled and spilled forward, splashing onto his cheeks and washing droplets of the blood away.

 

 

“Wake up,” Kagome urged, her voice cracking, “Inuyasha, wake up…”

 

 

She heard the quick thumps on the ground from Sango's hurried run, followed closely by a slower but no less urgent sprint from Miroku. Shippou darted out of his tree and raced towards the bloodied couple, coming to rest at Kagome's knees. He pushed Inuyasha's chest with his small hand, watery tears forming in his young green eyes.

 

 

“B-but…” Shippou's small voice wavered, “no…”

 

 

Kagome's hands trailed down Inuyasha's neck, leaving red streaks of liquid in its searching path. Her throat pinched painfully as she bit her tears back. She took Inuyasha's hand in hers and held it up to her face, cradling herself in his slack hold.

 

 

“Inuyasha,” she called softly, “you need to wake up.”

 

He didn't move.

 

“Inuyasha,” Kagome whispered again, “please, open your eyes.”

 

His hand fell to the ground as hers pulled away.

 

“Please…”

 

 

 

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This was written as chapter one, but as I kept adding scenes, I figured it would be too long for the first chapter of a story, lol. I didn't think it would be a good idea to couple it with the other half either…that half seemed so fluffy, and this…not so fluffy, lol. This story will probably be a teensy bit darker in tone. “Just A Break” is just kind of giving me a hard time right now…I'm not sure if I should go darker (which is what I naturally feel) or keep it light since the story itself is pretty happy. ANYWAYS, lol! I think this one will be a bit easier for me to write, since I was able to plan everything from the get-go. Okay…err…well reviews are always, always super appreciated and I just anticipate them cause they make me giddy, lol. I'm such a loser! I really hope this story will do well! =)

 

-- I came back and edited it, adding a couple details here and there (about 1000 words worth...lol!) You guys have been super nice, and it was brought to my attention that my action is lacking. I'll be the first to admit that's not a strong point of mine, lol. So after the initial bummer bit of the constructive criticism, I did something about it! Haha! Oh yeah! I changed the title too! Sorry if that confused anyone! Titles and chapter titles always had me struggling, but I finally found a muse to create titles with. I'll likely be changing the title of `just a break'…so…yeah, lol! =)