InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Just A Break ❯ The First Loss ( Chapter 12 )

Disclaimer: Wish upon a shooting star… Hmm…still not happening. Damn. Haha =)

 

 

 

 

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Leiko smiled wickedly as a wash of euphoria leaked through her system. It was deliciously fitting to have her own hand deal the fatal blow to her would-be mate. She watched as Inuyasha crumpled at the base of the tree and fall into unconsciousness. The sharp sting of the new laceration sliced across her stomach caused the demoness to bend forward ever so slightly in an attempt to relieve the distracting pain. Her hand shook as the day's battles caught up with her body. Powerful and conniving demon she may be, but immortal she was not. Leiko silently retreated and inched backwards without ever taking her eyes off the unfortunate couple. A perverted feeling tugged the corners of her lips up in a triumphant smile.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

Kagome's eyes stretched frantically and widened to an impossible size. Her step faltered as she tried to stand, only to fall back down on her knees. Dirt smudged across her sweaty palms as she pushed herself up once again. Terrified tears filled her bright azure eyes, blurring her vision. The miko stumbled haphazardly towards her mate, her mind fearing what her heart refused to acknowledge. Inuyasha's knees twisted out beneath him and one arm fell over his chest as the other was cushioned below him. His face was deathly pale, and his once full boyish lips were dry and ghostly white. Kagome's lower limbs refused to support her weight as she repeatedly tumbled to the ground. Giving up her attempts, she shakily crawled towards Inuyasha, closing the few feet that seemed to lengthen into miles. Upon reaching his unnaturally cold form, Kagome rolled Inuyasha onto his back and looked upon his emotionless face.

 

“Inuyasha…no…” she pleaded, “Wake up…I need you to wake up…”

 

Out of the corners of her eyes, Kagome could see Leiko stalk away, huddled over and arms crossed over her wounds. For a moment, indecision plagued the miko's mind. Should she go after the demon? It seemed like an easily kill…she was already injured and slow. Kagome reached for her bow, but pulled her arm back with a shake of her head. Inuyasha was the most important thing right now. Everything else would just have to wait.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

Leiko stilled for a second as she watched her adversary reach for her weapon. A cold sweep of fear flooded her nerves as she knew she had no chance against the legendary miko. Her body was ravaged and pathetic; she didn't have the strength to fight off the priestess if she chose to fight. Sending a quick prayer to the kamis of her dark beliefs, Leiko hoped the urgency of Inuyasha's state would stall the miko and give her the precious time she needed to steal away. Her prayers were evidently answered as Kagome resisted the tempting urge to seek revenge and returned her attentions to her mate. Leiko let out a breath of relief she had not known she was holding and continued her slow withdrawal. An arrogant sneer sounded inside her head, mocking her for the deplorable state she was in. The demoness' eyes hardened as the relief was replaced with malice. She swore revenge for being submitted to the tortures the couple put her thought. Never in her privileged life had she been so degraded and un-respected. `You haven't seen the last of me…Lord Inuyasha…'

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

“Inuyasha…come on…wake up, please!” she begged again.

 

Kagome shook him once more, the motion becoming increasingly desperate. Her shaky movements urged him to pull back into consciousness, to come back to the world of the living. The miko felt the aura of the demoness recede, signaling her temporary departure. Kagome pulled Inuyasha's limbs out in a more natural position until he lay flat on his back with his arms and legs spread by his side. She hurriedly pressed her ear close to his chest and was rewarded with the soft, weak beat of his heart. Her body trembled in relief as the quiet thumping against his ribs soothed her ragged nerves. A new wash of tears, forced from her overwhelmed emotions, threatened to break though. With a suppressed sob, Kagome swallowed hard and composed herself. Inuyasha needed her to be strong, to keep it together and bring him home.

 

 

She pulled apart his haori and was met with nothing but smooth tanned flesh. Kagome ran her fingers across his un-marred chest with a sigh of relief. She proceeded to tug the garments off and winced at the sight of his left arm. The attack Leiko sent at them had hit Inuyasha's left side and broken his arm. It now laid limp and swollen, bent at and odd angle near the wrist. Kagome cradled the arm gently and placed a tender kiss upon it. Breathing in deeply, and swiping away the remnants of tears with the sleeve of her kimono, she pulled his other arm out.

 

 

Kagome drew the cloth away and watched with mixed emotions as Inuyasha's eyebrows knitted together in pain. Was it a good thing that he responded, or was the feeling just so unbearable that his body reacted without his mind? A loud gasp tore from her throat as her eyes processed the sight of the blood soaked back of the haori. The once white inner shirt was stained a deeper red than even the outer firerat.

 

“Oh god Inuyasha…no…” she whimpered, “What happened to your back?…”

 

The miko brushed the soft silvery bangs away from his eyes and leaned her cheek against his chest. She took a short moment to soak in his presence and closed her eyes against the feel of his skin. The sun further dipped below the mountains and cast a glowing pink and orange light across the clearing. Kagome heard Kirara's roar closing in along with Sango and Miroku's worried calls.

 

“Kagome! Inuyasha!” they rang out together.

 

 

Kagome reached over and kissed Inuyasha's un-responding lips. She pulled his right hand into her own and held them close to her heart. Inuyasha's face scrunched in agony as a trace of consciousness began to awaken him.

 

“I'm going to get you home Inuyasha…and you're going to be okay… You have to be okay…” she whispered.

 

 

Inuyasha stirred further. His ears were muffled and it felt like a thousand Kyo's were pounding on his head. Slowly, his eyes strained open and adjusted to the harsh pink light of the sunset. The first sight he saw was his mate's face, closely pressed to his own. He moved his lips and Kagome snapped back with such speed it left him dizzy to the sudden change in scenery.

 

“Ughh…” he moaned, bringing a hand up to block out the light.

 

His left arm surged with pain and he cried out with a harsh whisper. Kagome hastily pulled herself up and kneeled beside him. She ran her hands over his face, feeling each and every contour beneath. Her head dipped down to softly kiss each of his eyelids, only to lean back up in time to watch the most precious gold in her life open. Inuyasha shifted to rest more of his weight on his good arm, trying to dispel some of the agonizing pain stinging his back. But his head, above all, pounded with ferocity and dulled the other pains of his body. His head hurt and seared with a nearly blinding pain, sending a prickle behind his eyes. The world seemed off, as if something was missing that he couldn't quite place. Inuyasha chose to focus his blurry orbs on his mate, needing her to make everything okay again, just like she always did. He watched as Kagome shook her head repeatedly and mumbled disconnected words while luminous tears raced down her cheeks.

 

“Inuyasha!” she sobbed, “O-oh god, you're a-awake!”

 

“W-what…happened?” he asked in a pained voice.

 

“You got into battle with a demon…she tricked you and hurt you Inu-kun. It scared me…so much…but you're going to be okay. I promise.”

 

Inuyasha groaned again and rolled to his side. A wave of nausea hit him like a rock and pulled the hasty lunch he had back up. The retching intensified the hammering in his head and made him wince. A roll in his stomach caused him to heave once more. Kagome supported his back and rubbed the corner of his mouth free of vomit with her sleeve. The lashes on his back screamed a hot, angry red as slow gurgles of blood continued to ebb from a few of the deeper cuts. Kagome bit her lip to keep from screaming at the site. Inuyasha moaned in pain and his legs curled higher to his chest. His heavy lids covered half of his dull honey eyes.

 

“Kagome?…You're okay?…” he rasped.

 

“I'm fine, you took the entire attack you baka…” she laughed bitter sweetly.

 

“Good… I can handle it. But you're just a weak human wench remember…” he attempted to tease, though his tone weakened with each passing word.

 

“Hai, hai. My big, strong hanyou can protect me…you always do…” more tears fell.

 

“D-damn right I,” he coughed, “…do…”

 

Inuyasha closed his eyes again against the pain. Each breath he took stretched his wounds and felt like it was pulling him apart at the seams. He pursed his lips and contained the cry that wanted to break though. Kagome lifted Inuyasha off the ground and helped him into a sitting position. She held onto his shoulders to support the weight his own body was unable to hold up. Kagome nuzzled her nose to his cheek for a moment and kissed the corner of his lips. The salty water from her eyes moistened his neck when her tears dripped off the ends of her lashes.

 

 

 

Kirara landed with a soft roar a few feet away from the fallen couple. Sango's horrified gasp was diluted with Miroku's pounding feet. The couple fell to their knees beside their hanyou friend and frantically traced his wounds with their eyes.

 

“Kagome! What happened to Inuyasha?! We came as fast as we could…Shippou said…” Miroku asked, shocked at the state of his best friend.

 

“He was tricked…and attacked…” Kagome answered quietly, “Help me get him home…please? Can I borrow Kirara Sango?…”

 

“Of course!” Sango answered and called for the fire cat.

 

 

The three of them carefully placed the semi-conscious Inuyasha across Kirara's back. Kagome climbed on behind him and held him still for the short journey home. Kirara floated into the air, flying slowly to protect her wounded comrade. High into the air, above the rustling treetops, Inuyasha regained his senses for a brief minute. He leaned back against his mate and asked her in a scratchy voice,

 

“Is it the new moon?” Kagome turned her head around his shoulders in an attempt to look into his eyes. Her eyebrows pulled together in concern.

 

“No…that's not until next week… Why?” she asked, carefully.

 

“Because I feel human…”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I can't smell you…”

 

With that his head rolled back to the soft comfort of her shoulder and he fell back into unconsciousness. Kagome's eyes widened as she mumbled the words to herself again, “I can't smell you…?”

 

 

 

 

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R/R =) Reviews are greatly appreciated, *hint hint*, lol.

 

Oh jeepers! I know this is a depressingly short chapter…but I thought you guys might want to read what I had so far, rather than nothing. My computer is totally down so I haven't been able to write =S. Sorry guys! Rest assured, there's no writers block anytime soon…at least I think so haha. Thank you SOO much for the continuous awesome feedback! At least with this chappie you guys know Inuyasha is still among the living, lol. That takes some of the edge off! And you guys leave some of the funniest reviews! For whoever fell off their chair…it's probably a bit sadistic…but that made me grin like a fool. LOL sorry though! Until next time, which is hopefully soon! Totally LOVE you guys! *big hug* =)