InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Challenge to the Alpha ❯ Come Back to Me ( Chapter 17 )

17. Come Back to Me

 

“Her soul is complete but—“

 

“I can do nothing for the child—“

 

“Her heart is slowing—“

 

“Take her home Inuyasha—“

 

“I won't let her die, I promise—“

 

“Ms.Higurashi, Kagome is hurt bad—“

 

“Kagome! What—“

 

“—Sis—“

 

“—hospital—So much blood—“

 

“I love you Kagome, please don't leave me—“

 

Fragments came to her ears, she did not want to hear, her eyes refused to open, so she drifted away when the pain would come. She could hear sobs.

 

Mom, are you crying? Inuyasha, don't cry for me, it doesn't hurt that bad. The light is so bright, who is that?

 

Kagome's darkness turned to light; something was drawing her out into the enveloping illumination. Serenity washed over her, she could finally see something. Looking around her surroundings she saw her Mother, Sota, Grandpa, and Inuyasha they were all with her, but why was she seeing this? How was she seeing this? Someone is in the hospital bed, who is that?

 

That's me! Please everyone don't cry I'm fine see?

 

“They can not see you Kagome.” Kagome stood shoulder to shoulder with Kikyo. “You are near your end.” Kikyo appeared so calm, so beautiful.

 

“Why am I here, why are you here? I kill you and you still torment me?”

 

“No, I am here to help you home. You gave me peace, you are once again whole.”

 

A group of nurses and doctors entered to room. “The O.R. is ready, we must take her before it is to late.”

 

“Please what can I do?” Mrs. Higurashi stood looking at her daughter, tears streaming down her face. “Please save my little girl.”

 

“You and your daughter are of the same blood type, go with the nurse to give blood, Kagome is going to need more transfusions after the procedure, if she can survive the surgery.” A young doctor motioned for a nurse to take Kagome's mother to give blood.

 

Mrs. Higurashi leaned over Kagome kissing her forehead; her skin was now a yellow-gray pallor, she looked as if death had already touched her youthful form. Weeping Kagomes mother followed the nurse down the hall. Two orderlies began to roll her away into the hall only to be halted by a strong-clawed hand on the gurney railing. Inuyasha growled at the men, who stepped away in shock of the man before them, his eyes hidden by the black baseball cap he wore.

 

“Not yet.” Inuyasha leaned over Kagomes' face, his tears falling to her cheeks. “Stay with me Kagome, be strong for us.”

 

“Sir, we must hurry to the O.R., her pressures are dropping again.” The young doctor, put a hand on Inuyashas shoulder, receiving an icy glare for his action, the M.D. quickly withdrew his hand.

 

“I know I can hear her heartbeat slowing even further.” Inuyasha whispered as he kissed her pale lips lightly. “Please come back to me Kagome.” Inuyasha stepped back from the gurney, the orderlies rushed her into the hall, and off into surgery.

 

Kagome watched her love ones being ripped apart by her dire situation. Inuyasha was crying for her, her family, she could feel their grief. Sota and Grandpa stood in the corner. Sota was crying into Grandpas chest, the boy was racked with sorrow. Inuyasha opened the window in the room, leaping onto the ledge he jumped out into the morning air.

 

“Where are you going Inuyasha?”

 

“Where he always goes for comfort.” Kikyo brought her to the operating room.

 

Kagomes soulless body lay on the table, she had tube and hoses going in both arms and her mouth and nose. She watched as the surgeon began to clamp the arteries that were pumping out her lifeblood all over the floor. She watched in amazement at the doctors skill, it struck her as odd that she was in awe of the scene, being that it was her shell on the operating table.

 

“I don't want to be here, I don't want to watch this anymore. Inuyasha.”

 

Kagome appeared at her family shrine, Inuyasha was kneeling at the god tree, pounding his fist into the ground screaming her name into the air. Tears streaming down his face, the hat falling to the ground, his ears drooping down. She had never seen him so sad. His entire body was a display of grief.

 

“He truly loves you Kagome, not even time can sever that bond of love.” Kikyo looked to her. “It is a great gift to love and be loved in return. Inuyasha needs your love, but it is you who must decide.”

 

Inuyasha stood in front of the tree; he seemed to be offering a prayer. She had never seen him pray ever in their years together, he was truly going into a bad place in his soul. After a few moments, he slowly went into the house, her blood was everywhere, it trailed from the well house to the kitchen, the smell of it pungent to Inuyashas nose. He looked down into a sanguine puddle; a hint of gold caught his eye, the locket. During the flurry of events he didn't notice the chain had broken and fallen off her neck. Picking up the ornament, he wiped away the blood so he could open the precious gift. Kagome looked back at him smiling, he smiled back at the image.

 

“Why are you doing this to me? I do not want to see them all like this, I can feel his heart breaking.”

 

Kagome was pulled back into the operating room. Her heart had just flat lined, the surgeon and his team was racing to resuscitate her body before brain death set in, finishing off her young life. Her soul felt as if it was being pulled in two directions, the light behind her was growing stronger, pulling her, part of her wished to go into the tranquility it offered, but Inuyasha.

 

“Decide Kagome. Go into the light to find eternal peace and love, or return to the body of flesh, return to pain and suffering. To die again, to hurt again.” Kikyo turned to the light. “Decide.”

 

“Inuyasha, I choose Inuyasha.”

 

With that thought her spirit was pulled back into her body, like the snap of a rubber band she was once again whole, her heartbeat returning to the monitor in a steady beep. And blinding pain, it consumed her briefly before the anesthesia regained its control.

 

------***------

 

 

Four days had past, Kagome was still in intensive care, she still had not regained consciousness, and Inuyasha had stayed in vigil seeing her every few hours for fifteen minutes at a time. He ate little and slept even less, the hours he waited to see her he stayed on the roof, pacing and cursing himself for allowing his mate to come to harm. He felt as if he was losing his grip on sanity, Inuyasha knew he needed to return to his era to let the others know of her condition, but he could not pull himself away to do the task, what if Kagome awoke while he was gone? No, he must stay here, the others would understand.

 

By the sixth day Inuyasha looked a shell of himself, even the hospital staff were beginning to worry about him, yet none dared to approach the brooding man, unaware of his hanyou blood, but they had seen his outburst when a doctor had suggested a bite of food in the cafeteria once.

 

“Inuyasha dear, please go to the shrine, shower, eat, and rest. You will be no good to Kagome like this. I bought you some clothes when we were in Kyoto, they are in Sota's closet, please go, I promise I will watch over Kagome in your absence, after all she is my daughter.” Mrs. Higurashi warmly smiled to him.

 

“Well she's my—“ He almost let it slip, hell he'd say it if he thought it would piss off Kagome enough to wake her up and `sit' him. “nothing. Fine I'll go, but don't leave her.”

 

“Of course not.”

 

Inuyasha was grateful the hospital was only a few blocks from the shrine, he was worn out, his spirit felt as if it were torn to shreds, he was racking himself with guilt, and feelings of hopelessness tormented him by the minute.

 

He stepped into the house to be greeted by Sota. The entire place smelled of cleaning products that burned his nose, the blood was gone, but in his minds eye he could still see it covering the floor.

 

“Hi Inuyasha. Did she wake up?” The boy looked to him with hopeful eyes.

 

He could only shake his head in response. Sota looked as if he had been punched in the gut. The pained expression on his face spoke volumes to Inuyasha, because he felt the same. Without a word he climbed the stairs going into Kagomes room he closed himself in her sanctuary. The fluffy pink bed that only a week earlier they had lain in, wrapped in each other's arms. He longed for that day again, her scent was everywhere, she smiled back at him from photographs with her friends, and family from all over the room. He felt his eyes burn with tears once again, he had never cried like this since the loss of his Mother. Inuyasha felt the same helplessness that he had been overwhelmed by as a child, to young and helpless to help her, now he was in the same situation once again. Inuyasha held his tears at bay, until the hot water of the shower enveloped him, he released his anguish into the steam and scalding torrents, crying out hoping the shower would drown his pain.

 

Inuyasha laid on her bed, wrapped in a towel, his body emanating the heat still from the shower. He noticed the stack of clothes on Kagomes dresser, his fire rat kimono was gone, no doubt taken by Sota to be laundered, it had been covered in his sisters' blood from her injury.

 

Dressing in the modern clothes, he felt more like a person, at least after putting on the baseball hat over his ears, he could pass for human, even with the long silver hair. He looked himself over in the mirror, the jeans were comfortable, and the shirt was the same red of his kimono, however the tennis shoes were a little tight, but they would do. Inuyasha walked through the kitchen drawing an approving nod from Grandpa. It was time to return to the hospital, he could stay away no longer, food and rest were nothing, he would do those things when his mate returned to him.

 

He arrived relieving Kagomes Mother, she herself needed rest, by midnight the entire hospital was quiet, the late nursing shift allowed him to see Kagome at one in the morning. Inuyasha silently went to her bedside. Her color was back after multiple transfusions, and her stats whatever they were; were getting stronger by the day, the doctor was uncertain why she had not awoken. Inuyasha took her hand in his tenderly kissing each of her fingertips; he then laid his head down on the bed softly crying once again. He felt like a fool for his feelings, he actually was beginning to despise his half human heart.

 

“Please Kagome wake up. Do something to let me know you are still in there. Tell me to sit, tell me I'm a total jerk for not protecting you! Tell me something, please!” The I.C.U. nurse poked her head in the room motioning him to quiet down, she then moved on to another patient. “Kagome, I love you, please come back to me.” He whispered into the bed, clutching handfuls of sheets in his fists.

 

Something pushed the hat from his head, as delicate fingers began to stroke his ear, inadvertently be purred in response, shocked he lifted his head to the movement, wondering if Mrs. Higurashi came back, and was trying to comfort him, she had been hugging him continuously the past week. Glassy, tear filled amber eyes were met by Kagomes smoky-blue gaze. A weak smile on her lips, she stroked the side of his face feebly, with a shaking hand.

 

“I love you Inuyasha.” Her voice was faint and frail, but she was speaking to him, it was the most beautiful sound in the world to his ears. “Sorry hope I didn't scare you too much.”

 

Inuyasha was having a hard time reining in his excitement. He covered her mouth and face in a blanket of gentle kisses. “I thought you were going to leave me.”

 

“I did. But Kikyo helped me back, she gave me a choice.” Kagome tried to hand him his hat that had fallen on the bed, but it felt like it weighed a ton. He took it quickly and returned it to his head.

 

“Kikyo?” She must have had one hell of a dream.

 

“Later.” She laced her fingers into his, simply happy to be with him again.

 

A nurse rushed into the room, a pleased smile on her face. “Welcome back sleeping beauty. You're prince here is certainly a devoted one, does he have any older brothers? I could use a man like him.” The question brought a laugh from them both. The nurse simply gave them a confused nod with a smile. “I will inform the doctor that you have returned to the land of the living.”