InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Genesis ❯ Five ( Chapter 5 )

 

 

 

Kagome was awakened by an odd sound that she didn't recognize at first since she hadn't heard one like it in so long. Her eyes closed, her brows drew together in a sleepy frown, as the sound came again. It sounded like a dog's whine, but it was more… What? She thought. She couldn't quite place it, but it bothered her. She started to sit up when the sound came again and she finally realized where it was coming from. She rolled over just in time to see InuYasha beginning to thrash about in his bed, the sheets entangling him and trapping him which didn't seem to help for he struggled even more.

She was by his side instantly, trying to calm him with soft sounds and at the same time trying to untangle him. His hands swung out blindly and she quickly ducked, wary of the sharp talons on the end of each finger. He was getting more restless and was starting to break out into a sweat, his breathing coming in uneven gasps and she doubled her efforts in waking him. He didn't rouse a bit and a sudden wave of terrifying helplessness ran through her. She wanted to help him. She wanted to protect him like he protected her.

She grabbed both his wrists in her hands and kneeled on the bed beside him, pulling him up and down by the arms.

“Wake up! Wake up!!”

She shook him for all she was worth and when he finally sat up suddenly, so suddenly that he almost hit her on the head with his own, she nearly cried in relief. When she looked at him, the emotions in his eyes made her own widen. She saw fear and despair, but the loneliness his amber depths held struck her almost violently. He was gasping for air, his eyes looking past her, but not really seeing. They had a far-away dazed look and she wondered if she should say something.

He slumped forward into himself and started shaking. She was at a loss for what to do, and she released the death grip she had had on his wrists. Her eyes were sad as she reached out to him and wrapped her arms about him, pulling him to her in a protective embrace. He may be part God, but he was also part human. It had been so easy for her to forget that one, simple fact and maybe that's what hurt him the most. His human side longed for contact, for company and for so much more, she could tell. For how long had he not been able to speak or talk to someone? In fact, had there even been a time when he had been free before being recruited?

He mumbled something and she withdrew a bit so she could hear him.

“You're not here…” His voice was quiet, withdrawn.

She gripped him by the sides of his arms and forced him to meet her face, but his head remained down. She jostled him a bit.

“I'm here. I'm here.” She spoke softly, trying to get through to him.

He shook his head the tiniest bit, but she saw it and she shook him again, harder.

“I'm here. I'm here!” She was becoming frustrated and slightly panicked.

“You're not real!”

She cupped his face in her hands, and forced his eyes to meet hers. “Look at me!” She screamed at him.

His eyes met hers but they didn't see her; they were still fogged over. Taking one hand from his face, she gripped his hand in her own and lifted it to her cheek. She pressed his hand to her skin, trying to make him feel rather than see.

“Look, I'm here… I'm here, I'm not leaving,” she was nearly whispering but she knew he could hear her. He seemed to relax and, as he leaned into her, she could feel his entire body releasing its tension. She felt his breathing become more even, deep and she breathed a sigh of relief. She sat with him for a few minutes, and then carefully laid him back down, resting his head gently against the pillow. She pulled the blankets back up around him and he rolled over, facing her.

She went to the window with the blinds drawn and peeked between. The sun was almost set, and she hadn't really slept much. InuYasha seemed to be craving sleep as if it was food, and he was knocked out once more. She walked back to her bed, where the covers had been thrown askew in her rush to get up. As she passed him, she gently brushed his damp bangs out of his face before settling in to her own bed. She vowed to herself that she would do everything she could to help him. He wouldn't want her help; he would want to pretend that this had never happened, if he remembered it at all, and he would want to act as if he were strong and that he didn't mind being stuck in this position for all of eternity. She didn't realize it, but her eyes softened when she glanced over to look at him.

When she went back to sleep, she rolled on her side once again; but this time, she was facing him.

 

 

^^

 

 

When he awoke, he took his time coming to his senses. The early morning light shone through the cracks in the doorway and he frowned. His sensitive eyes burned, and his ears tuned into the sound of soft breathing from his right. He knew who it was without even having to look, so he relaxed and relished in the sound of the slow, steady breathing of sleep and the quiet beyond the walls of the inn.

He sat up quietly, and cradled his head in his hands. It started to pound and he sighed lightly. This is why he never slept between Calms, it was because he had the worst dreams imaginable. He hadn't slept regularly in over a million years, and he hadn't planned to sleep again until last night when the girl had practically shoved him in to the bed. He hadn't been able to put up a fight, having been so tired. But now he was regretting it, and he stood, walking to the door and stepping outside to breathe deep and clear his head.

He closed the door behind him with a soft click and leaned against the nearby wall, crossing his arms and letting his head rest against the brick behind him. He looked off to the right where a series of hills resided, the sun's rays peeking ever so slightly over the top. Down the road to his left, the sky was darkened, but not nearly as bad or widespread as the other day. The creature was drawing the darkness closer, gathering its power and therefore temporarily giving up spaces of its claim. The result was that they had a rare day of sunshine before the clouds blocked it out once again.

He tried to strategize, but he couldn't focus. Something itched at him in the back of his mind and, try as he might, he couldn't put his finger on it. There was something different about last night's dream, something that hadn't happened before and it got him to thinking. Usually he would wake up in a cold sweat and wouldn't be able to sleep after. Last night he had relived the tenth upset in which the creature had been released. It had come to him in a rush of emotions, the situation he was in and that he was to be in it forever more. The pain was still fresh in him, how could it fade? He was still here, wasn't he?

He shifted his shoulders on the wall and leaned his head forward, his eyes opening to stare blankly at a crack in the cement below him. Last night the feelings of cold and darkness had faded into warm, soft. He had drifted back off to sleep and hadn't had a thought of it since he woke this morning. There was something that he couldn't fit together and it bothered him, since he always liked to know the answers. Vanilla and cherry blossoms…

The sun's light was stretching over the hills and the top peeked over, encompassing him in the warmth it emitted. He didn't know how long he stood there thinking, but he stayed in the same spot until he heard the door beside him open and he cast a sideways glance at her. And then he did a double take. She wasn't what you would call gorgeous or divine, but there was an air about her that created warmth and it encompassed him. Her hair was ruffled from sleep, and her eyes were slightly unfocused as she rubbed one of the absently with the back of her hand. Her other hand clutch the collar of her robe together, and she was watching him with a look he didn't understand… And he didn't think he'd want to, either. Her cheeks were rosy from the slight chill of the morning, and a loose tendril of hair begged him to touch it. He wondered what it would be like to be able to wake up every morning to someone whom he loved and loved him back, and a painful tug at his heart made him clear his thoughts.

“Sleep well?” Her voice pulled him from his reverie, soft and warm. He pushed off the wall, grunting his response, which he left up to her to decipher, and walked past her into the small room.

 

 

^_^

 

 

When Kagome had awoken she had noticed that he wasn't in the bed beside her. She had fallen into a deep sleep soon after she had lain down, and she sat up looking about the room for him. The bathroom door, she noticed, was open so he couldn't be in there. He wouldn't leave, would he? She wondered, and she tossed back the covers, slipping on one of her socks that had fallen off during her sleep. She combed her hair absently with her fingers and the chill of the morning seeped through the cheap robe. She clutched it together with her fingers and stifled a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she walked to the front door and rested her hand on the knob. She squinted as the early morning light came through the small opening of the door, and she opened it fully after a second.

The rays of light were brushing the top of the hills in the distance that she hadn't noticed yesterday. The sky above it was a soft pink-orange, and the view was breathtaking. It made her wonder how she could be in such a dire, dark situation.

He stood two feet in front of her off to the side. He was leaning casually against the wall, his eyes downcast. His hair floated lightly in a passing breeze, the silver strands illuminated by the golden rays. The ears on top of his head swiveled in her direction and he knew she was there, she realized, but he didn't move. The profile of his face was outlined by golden light, the rest of his face cast in a shadow… Except for his eyes. She was alert suddenly, as those bright eyes light up. The color of the sun and the sky behind him mixed with the golden hues of the light made them burst with a heavenly mix of amber and hints of orange and pink. Her breath caught in her throat, she couldn't tear her eyes from his and they weren't even fixed on her.

When he started to look at her, she quickly feigned sleepiness, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand, trying to hide the heat that had rushed to her face. When she thought it was safe to make eye contact again, she looked at him to find him looking at her strangely. She was puzzled but she didn't let it show.

“Sleep well?” she asked.

He blinked and grunted something she couldn't make out, and pushed off the wall walking past her into the dim room. She stared at the sunrise and frowned. Maybe she was being too forward, or maybe she had said something to offend him? She worried her lower lip and tried to decide what to do. When she drew a blank a minute later, she sighed and followed him inside, locking the door behind her.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed closest to the door, and she sat down beside him, staring at the wall across from them trying to think of something to say. When she spared a glance at him, he seemed to be in deep thought and she didn't want to interrupt him. Then she noticed that his fingers were tapping lightly against his leg, and that he was as restless as she was.

“What do we do now?” She asked, hoping to start a conversation. He shrugged at her.

“Dunno. I can't think at all right now, because someone keeps asking stupid questions,” he mumbled at her, but she sensed the aggravation that lied beneath his quiet tone.

Standing, she crossed her arms, refusing to look at him. “I'm just trying to find options because, in case you haven't noticed, we're still stuck here and that thing is still out there. It doesn't seem like it's going to be leaving any time soon,” she responded, trying to sound productive but failing even to her own ears. She sounded snippy and irritated, which she was. She didn't know why, either. InuYasha was just as on edge and he cast fiery eyes upon her.

“I never asked to be stuck with a weak human girl who doesn't know anything about combat, strategy or following orders,” he bit back. She whirled around to face him, her own anger rising.

“I saved your life!”

“I never asked you to!”

“Ingrate!”

“Fool!”

“Idiot!”

“Annoying woman!”

“PIG HEAD!”

“WENCH!”

Kagome clenched her fists and opened her mouth to say something to him but closed it and turned her back to him instead. Her nails dug into her palm and something suddenly came crashing down on her as she lost her fire and felt an odd sadness come over her. She walked to the bathroom door, and opened it, pausing in the doorway.

“My name's Kagome,” she said, quiet and resigned, as she closed the door behind her and locked it.

 

 

^^

 

 

He was taking his frustration out on her, and he knew it. He didn't mean to say the things he had said, but once they had come out they hadn't stopped. She had become a means of escape for his pent-up emotions in those few minutes and he knew it was unfair to her. She was, after all, stuck in a situation she couldn't help or fully understand and that must be a bit scary to her. He rested his arms on his thighs and his head rolled forward lazily. How long had it been since he'd interacted with a human?

“Kagome,” he whispered, the name strange on his lips and yet he smiled because it felt natural. And then just as quickly as the pleasant emotion had come over him, it was replaced by one of disgust and despair. He sighed. He shouldn't get too attached; he shouldn't harbor thoughts of hope and dreams of a normal life.

A sudden cold draft came from underneath the door, and it creaked slightly. He stood, his eyes narrowing as his lips pulled into a sneer, carefully surveying the room around him. He sniffed discreetly and checked again, sure that he had been mistaken. The familiar feeling of warning washed over him and the hairs on the back of his neck rose to attention. He walked over to the door and slid the chain lock into place, coming back to stand near the bed.

A hundred different thoughts and questions came to him at once, and he didn't know the answers for any of them. His hands came to rest lightly on his semi-autos as he tried to pinpoint the location of the eerie wave that was quickly enveloping the entire building.

The sound of shattering glass and a terrible scream jump-started him into action as a cold wave of fear and adrenaline ran through him. He hadn't even thought it possible, but that had been where he had gone wrong, and it may be too late now. He dashed to the bathroom entrance and pounded on the door, but it was reinforced and he couldn't get in even being as strong as he was. He banged his fists on the door, punching, kicking, scratching at the cheap wood but he could only barely dent it. Panic replaced logic and he ravaged the door in a weak attempt to get inside. He was running out of time. He couldn't lose her now!

“KAGOME!”