InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Missing ❯ missing 3 ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

---------------------------------
Missing part three
---------------------------------------
 
The storm’s winds died down to a soft blow, pushing around clouds steeped in black and blue. Everywhere laid a thick glistening blanket of white and ice. The land was covered in the snow, several feet in many places, but the storm still had not finished. It was waiting, regaining its strength for another round of wind and ice.

The horse’s breath came as fog, billowing in the air as it trudged farther and farther from the small encampment of abandoned houses nestled in the woods breast. They was protected from all but the most prying and determined of eyes.

-----------------

Inuyasha became aware he was no longer in the small cell, much less in a room. The bitter cold stung his wounds and sucked the heat from his shivering body draped across the horse’s flanks. The rocking motion slowly shook him out of the darkness, his broken bones and injures assaulting his awakened sense mercilessly.

He craned his head up to the rider through blurry eyes, his head throbbing at the slight movement. The bone-white cape fluttered in the wind, brushing his exposed skin like a feather.

He groaned softly and tried to shift some of his weight off his busted ribs, almost falling off. He tried to move but his body gave out, leaving him lying limply behind the saddle.

The pale, white trees lined at both sides of the narrow path covered thickly in white ice and snow that gleamed brightly in the pale, watery rays of the distant sun.

--------------------

Inuyasha became painfully aware of the bitter cold that sucked the heat out of his body as he lay on his back. His damaged senses were barely working as he forced his eyes open.

Tall skeletal branches laden with ice creaked far above, the stench of blood and death clung to the cold air.

He groaned and tried to turn himself over, all but screaming at the renewed pain that assaulted him. His limbs shook as he forced them underneath him, slowly getting to his feet.

The wind ripped though, blowing up fine crystals of ice that clung to the remains of his kimono and hair. He stumbled slightly, his leg refusing to hold his weight.

His breath came in pain filled liquid gasps as the blood seeped in his lungs and throat.

What remaining claws he had dug into the rough bark of a near by tree as he tried to steady himself, his strength fading like the sun on the horizon as it slipped into its nightly grave, plunging the forest into total darkness as the temperature dropped.

He raised his head weakly, his dull, amber eyes gazing over a torn carcass of a horse, the blood still warm as it steamed in the night air. The creature’s throat had been completely ripped out, bits of ragged cartilage and red muscle lay in the ruin of its neck. Piles of entrails, like pink unborn coils of serpents slid out from large gashes in the brown flank.

He felt sick, pulling his eyes away from the unfortunate horse. He already knew what had torn the creature up. A few tears fell from his eyes.

There was no sign of the human anywhere, the rich smell of blood belonged only to the horse. Part of him regretted that the exterminator had escaped, most likely sacrificing the horse so he could run while the demon was busy tearing the animal to pieces.

The rest of him raged over the loss. The human had violated his body and tortured him for an unknown period of time, taking some kind of sick pleasure from the act.

He stood there near the animal’s carcass for a long time, just trying to breathe.

With great effort he began to move. His arms and legs refused to budge on command so the half breed looked for all the world a broken puppet with no strings, constantly latching onto the trees as a means of support.

Painful tremors spread through his mangled flesh.

Inuyasha was glad - hell he was delighted. The others were not there to see him stumbling around blinding through the dark forest, at times all but dragging himself to get as far away from the place of torment.

-----------------------

The trees towered far above, the branches filtering out the feeble moon’s light, casting the dark wells of shadow through the forest of despair.

He leaned against a tree, the pain was a dark backwash to what was left of the night, seeping into his mind as the night itself seeped to the day, letting the vivid, red globe of the sun slide free of its restraints and grace the lengthening shadows with its touch.

Bright red drops glittered in the air, shimmering like tiny rubies. Another fell, then another into the small, unfrozen stream. Its tiny but numerous drops were carried away on the fast moving current to who only knows where.

Inuyasha only watched as exhaustion weighed him down, making it hard to move anymore.

The thick, red blood spread through the water as he leaned near, making strange yet oddly beautiful shapes before being carried away.

His wet clothing stuck to his cold skin; he was already shivering badly as the heat was pulled away but he did nothing but stood there, too absorbed in watching the tiny, winding stream.

Its crystal clear waster hide nothing, the smooth pale water-worn stone gleamed as tendrils of moss and algae danced to an unheard music in the rushing waters that sparkled like a thousand diamonds spread out before the sun over the snow.

The numerous wounds throbbed in pain, his broken bones ached for attention but he heard none of it. Only the mournful sound of the wind through the trees and the soft gurgle of the stream reached his ears.
Inuyasha stared at his distorted reflection, a blur among the many ripples and swirls. His red pelt turned even redder, darker where his blood soaked it.

The icy water rippled. Pale, dulled amber eyes blinked slightly, the faded memories flashed through his mind of Kagome - bits of sentences, the abusive words, the constant presence of that tormenting word as he relived the dark moments.

But he still couldn’t shake off the thought of her.

Why can’t I forget you? Even when I want to, why?

His crippled heart and body wouldn’t let him forget the pain he had allowed her to inflict, nor would it allow him to forget the times she never left his side, no mater how badly injured he was.

Inuyasha walked though the small stream the ice cold water unfelt, a thin trail of crimson rubies were left in his wake.

His consciousness tugged him towards the empty forest while the remains of his still broken heart pulled him en route for the well that hopefully lay near by. The pain, misery and despair all hung over him as he slowly made his way towards the golden path in the snow, his head hanging low.

The thick ice crust easily cuts through his already wounded legs, yet with everything that had happened, he felt not a single, trivial twinge – nothing could have been worse than the pain that resided within his chest.

--------------------------------

TBC in part six of mind games