InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ On a Leash ❯ Heartbeats ( Chapter 21 )

Disclaimer: A lock of hair might do…

A/N: Ok, I explained this once: I didn't update so fast for two reasons. One was because I didn't have my internet up, and two it was my birthday…well, and there is a third explanation of I baby-sit every other week. Anyway, my birthday was extremely fun and while I didn't update, I am entitled to enjoying my life…I still have to read The Great Gatsby and The Odyssey for my AP Lit/Comp class come the fall.

There will be neither a lemon nor a lime in this story; there is absolutely no purpose for it.

Remember everyone: Inu's only supposed to be a dog when going outside… Maybe his brother did know what he was talking about… Oh, and yeah, I forget to mention that yes, while Inu is mentally 17, Takahashi did make him physically 15 but the anime art crew decided to make him look his mental age, so in the anime he looks 17. I'm sticking with 17, and for good reason, which I will probably get to later in the story. All questions you have will be answered later, I swear.

I have internet again! Rejoice!

Chapter Twenty-One:Heartbeats

Fireworks continued to shriek, drowning out Kagome's frightened screams. Her very worst fear, though darkly ambiguous as fear always starts out to be, was painted clearly before her eyes in hues of darkest red.

He had pushed her out of the way, launched himself right into harm's way. Metal had barreled into flesh, ripping and bruising the tissue savagely while he rolled over the hood and windshield and came to rest violently on the merciless blacktop as the car plowed on.

Inuyasha's hat had flown off his head and was nowhere to be found, just like the gloves Kagome had tried to retrieve from the middle of the road.

His hair was fanned out in a silver flow, absorbing some of the blood it fell limply into. Some glass from one of the headlights was sprinkled around him like tiny diamonds against the tarmac-the vehicle must have collided with Inuyasha at a higher speed than Kagome had realized it was going. Flecks of paint lay mixed amongst the testament chaos upon the roadway.

The car had squealed away at a terrible acceleration, and Kagome's insides churned with disgusted anger, but it was enough to wake her out of her petrified trance. She tripped to her feet, stumbling once and scraped her left hand on the pavement when she fell. Even so, she made it over to kneel beside Inuyasha. The notion of internal bleeding inattentively pricked the back of her mind as she turned Inuyasha enough to see his face.

Tears welled up in her azure eyes as a gasp of even more mortification escaped her throat.

Clear and yellow glass from the front lights had gotten lodged into his cheeks and the softer parts of his face, while the harder glass of the windshield was jammed into his forehead; Kagome hadn't even heard the glass break over the clamor of the pyrotechnics or the consuming beating of her heart.

Blood continued to blossom into ruddy pearls at the lacerations, and would viscously slide down the alabaster skin, leaving streak after luscious streak until meeting the ground. It touched his lips and dew-dropped off as Kagome pulled him into her lap for a moment, cradling his torso against hers.

Touching her head to his, Kagome thought of how quiet the city was tonight-among the gala, the cheerful sounds of people celebrating, she was both mute and deaf. Inuyasha's bangs stuck to her forehead by his blood, which glided over her facial aspects in shared pain. His soft breathing was feather-light upon her tear- and blood-stained cheeks, and yet it soothed her by the assurance that he was still in the realm of the living. Wordlessly, she gently wiped the blood from his lips away with her thumb.

This street was supposed to be closed off tonight because of parades and the small school fairs going on earlier…Kagome thought, a teardrop descending onto Inuyasha's closed eye, rolling off with a thinner stripe of blood. Why was someone driving here? Why didn't they stop? Oh, Inuyasha… She sniffled into his hair, feeling one of his ears twitch involuntarily against her face.

"I have to get you out of here…" she whispered to the trembling dog-ear. "But I'm not strong enough to carry you like this home…" Pressing her lips to his brow, Kagome pondered, schooling her horrified faculties to remain calm. One of her hands dropped beside her thigh, brushing against the slight bulge in her skirt pocket. She blinked languidly, trying to figure out why a sudden jolt of detached, excited resolution rippled through her body.

The collar.

Innocently was the collar in her hip pocket. She quickly pulled it out one-handedly. "Maybe I can carry you home when you're a dog, Inuyasha." She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "You won't be thrilled about it, but you can thank me later…" Fastening it around his neck, Kagome screwed her eyes shut as a flare of light shot out.

The body in her arms began to transform into a canine shape, covered in silky fur and boy's clothing. Kagome carefully cradled Inuyasha before slowly rising to her feet to trudge home.

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When Kagome got to the shrine, the muscles in her arms were strained to the extreme, but she refused to rest. Inuyasha continued to breathe, though the breaths grew thin and forced, and Kagome felt ill at the thought of him dying.

She'd slid the unlocked front door with her foot and hobbled inside, taking him to the den as there was no carpeting and lying him down. She grabbed his blanket from his room and hustled back to the den to cover him up with before taking off the collar again. From there Kagome found the first aid kit in the bathroom and began attending to his wounds-she was glad that she'd taken life-saving last year.

First she pulled the shards of glass out of his face as best she could and disposing of them in the wicker wastebasket prior to washing his face and wrapping some gauze around his head. She took the surgical scissors from the kit and slit open the front of Inuyasha's hunter long sleeve shirt, then pushing it and the jacket off. There was glass in the upper portion of his chest as well and Kagome went to work of extracting the shards and dressing the wounds again.

When checking his legs, Kagome didn't see much more than some contusions and a few little scrapes. Apparently, it was Inuyasha's arms and chest that had been assaulted the worst. Gingerly, she turned the hanyou on his side and sat back on her feet to think.

"What do I do know?" she asked aloud. "I don't know Sesshoumaru's number, and I don't know when everyone's gonna be home…. Maybe I can get a hold of Miroku." Reaching over to grab the portable phone that had been left in the den, Kagome swiftly punched in all the correct buttons for Miroku's cellular phone.

One ring…

Two rings…

Three-

"Hello?" Sounds of people laughing and carrying-on danced in the background.

"Miroku?"

"Kagome! What're you doing? It's pretty late, but-"

"Miroku," Kagome interrupted, desperation evident in her tone, "Inuyasha got hit by a car in his hanyou form."

"What?" The background noises disappeared. "How did that happen? He wasn't supposed to leave the house without the collar on."

"I know, I know, but I'll explain that later. Right now, we have to get Inuyasha to a doctor or something. He's bleeding really badly, and I've done all I can do." A hot, prickly sensation bombarded Kagome's eyes as her breathing grew more frantic. "Please, Miroku, you've got to help me."

"I will, just calm down, Kagome," he soothed. "I've just left the party I was at and am in the car, heading for your house as we speak. I should be there in about seven minutes since it was in town. Be prepared to leave when I arrive. And put the collar back on Inuyasha."

"Y-yes, Miroku."

"I'll be there soon. Bye."

Kagome pulled the headset away and stared at the earpiece from which the solid droning tone came, like a heart monitor in a hospital that's heart it was monitoring had stopped beating…

Shaking her head sharply, Kagome turned the phone off and tossed it to the side. She didn't want to even begin to think of such awful things.

Instead, the girl wrote a note for her mom and posted it on the fridge, then washed Inuyasha's blood from her face and hands. She repacked the first aid kit and some bottled water, and waited so quietly that she could hear Inuyasha's breathing.

Before long, the sound of the doors sliding opening reached Kagome's ears along with Miroku calling, "It's me. Where are you?"

"I'm in the den," she managed weakly, slipping the blanket off the injured dog-demon.

Miroku's even footsteps proceeded to Kagome and Inuyasha's location. He frowned slightly as he entered. "He probably got knocked unconscious. Slip the collar on him."

Nodding, Kagome did as she was told, and the transformation happened again. "Now what?"

The boy knelt down and lifted the silvery-white-haired husky into his arms. "First," he grunted, "I'm going to carry him to the car, and you're going to sit in the rear with him."

"Ok..." She gnawed her lip as her friend lifted her dog-embodied fiancé and toted him out of the room. Kagome scuttled after, her supplies slung over her back in her yellow knapsack. She remained silent as they left the house and descended the temple steps to the waiting Toyota Camry on the street.

"Could you get the door?"

"Sure…" She opened the rear door and Miroku laid Inuyasha across the seat, still with a pair of jogging pants and running shoes on. She fidgeted nervously until darting in beside the former-hanyou while Miroku got into the driver seat. She hastily buckled herself in as her driver did likewise before turning the still-warm engine on and ripping out onto the roadway. "M-Miroku?"

"Yeah?"

"Will Inuyasha be ok?"

Miroku made an impressive right turn, leaving some skid marks due to the far-above-the-speed-limit-speed, while just missing the group of guys Kagome and Inuyasha had contended with earlier. "I would like to say so, as he is half-demon, but that would be more in Kaede's definite knowledge than mine. While the injuries I saw didn't look as awful as they could have, the wrappings are quiet red, and the amount of glass I saw in the wastebasket is a little disturbing. However, I have seen humans survive worse, so I am fairly confident Inuyasha will be fine."

Kagome scrunched her worried brow. While he had-sort of-put her fears to rest, the light shuddering of Inuyasha's canine frame bothered her, and the way he would bounce up and down slightly when as they went along the fairly deserted streets that were leading them out of town at the briskness Miroku had chosen to drive also troubled her.

She watched Miroku's dragon-tail bobble a bit, before shyly inquiring, "We're going to see Kaede?"

Getting her mind off of her immediate fears would probably be for the best right now.

"Yes. I called her already, and thankfully she wasn't out. We're going directly to her house. She has a small office in her home for her sicker patients."

"Oh…ok."

A groan escaped the muzzle of the dog at her side. "Wh-where…where am I…?" Inuyasha asked dazedly, gold eyes parting a bit.

"You're in the car with me and Miroku," responded Kagome quietly, relief touching her senses.

"Oh…" was all he murmured before his furry eyelids slid shut again.

"I'll wait until we are at Kaede's to have you explain why in the hell you and Inuyasha were out doing something so reckless," Miroku said curtly, finally coming to the out-of-the-way smooth pavement he had been looking for.

Glancing into the rearview mirror, he saw Kagome solemnly nodding her head with tears shimmering in her eyes as she stroked Inuyasha's head gently.

He let out a light sigh. Perhaps I was a bit too abrupt… he thought, seeing the tortured look in her eyes when the streetlamp they passed under illuminated his friend's eyes further, making him feel somewhat guilty.

Stupid though it was, it was apparent Kagome was punishing herself far worse than all of his sagely wisdom could ever hope to reprimand.

"But…I suppose it was probably Inuyasha's fault, wasn't it?" he joked with a grimace. He glimpsed to the rearview mirror again, catching Kagome's mouth making a brief return of the action.

Pulling the car into the drive of the large--yet somehow quaint--brick house, Miroku went around to the backseat and lifted Inuyasha into his arms again, Kagome hot on his heels.

Kaede had the door open for them before they had even ascended the wooden steps to her porch. She ushered them inside without a word and took them to a small room on the eastern side of the house, shutting the entrance hastily behind them. "Lay him down here," she instructed, already dressed in appropriate clothes for the situation.

Miroku gingerly laid the dog on a huge metal table.

"Go grab my surgical kit from the top shelf of the metal cabinet, and bring the bottle of anesthesia; the mask should already be attached, Miroku." Kaede turned to Kagome. "Over in that chest is a bunch of sheets. Grab one to cover Inuyasha with--then remove those clothes and the collar, child."

Kagome nodded deafly, doing as she was told. She set the covering to the side as she removed Inuyasha's shoes, socks, jogging pants, and boxers. Then, she tucked the sheet around the dog as best she could, considering he was on his side, and took off the collar.

She waited as the light died before turning Inuyasha onto his back, feeling the flutters of anxiety in her heart at the serene look on his face-a look she had never seen before, one that you see on the face of someone who is totally calm; Inuyasha always seemed to be full of piss and vinegar, and loads of reckless energy, and that look, while so beauteous like that of a flawless statue of most romantic days of old, seemed slightly amiss and reminded Kagome too much of one who was in the threshold of death's door.

Kaede must have seen the myriad of emotions displayed on the girl's face, for she said to her, kindly but commandingly, "Kagome, you should wait outside."

"What?" she murmured quietly. "No. I don't want to leave Inuyasha."

"He will be fine, child. He is a hanyou-and a tough and well-bred one at that. His pedigree is one filled with strong dog demons, and the human side is no joke either. Come," the old woman came over and placed her hand in the middle of Kagome's back," and wait here. This may take some time, depending on how much is lodged in him."

"I got some of it…" whispered the girl, allowing herself to be lead away. She felt drained and weak both inside and out.

Kaede smiled tenderly. "Do not fret. I know how to care for demons and humans as well as I do animals. Inuyasha seems to have plopped into all three." She earned an empty chuckle from Kagome before pushing the door open. "You have done what you can. Rest, and have faith in him."

Stealing a troubled glance behind her, Kagome was shepherded out of the room and the door shut out her gaze.

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Kagome sat on the porch swing on Kaede's deck. Rocking to and fro, hearing the slight rhythmic creaking of the chains in her ears and feeling the rounded slats of wood beneath her rump, Kagome's passionate sapphire eyes indulged upon the sparkling fanfare of the velvety pitch-black sky above.

The heavens were the darkest she had ever seen them. The occasional firework shot off from somewhere in Tokyo, but it was a long way off into the distance, like a memory in a dream as far as Kagome was concerned.

The house was close by a coppice of trees, the nearest to the wilderness Kagome had ever been. She couldn't see any other homes nearby, only the long stretch of concrete that made the driveway and the cobblestone walk that led up to the very porch sat on.

Kagome's attention continued to be on the injured half-demon resting in the spare bedroom. Even though both Miroku and Kaede had assured her that Inuyasha would be all right, she couldn't stop herself from worrying. He had been hit by a car! Hanyou or not, it still had to have hurt… Kagome didn't exactly relish the idea of him leaving her any time soon. It was no doubt strange how it happened, but nonetheless, she had begun to enjoy their time together, and when they were apart for a bit, it made her want to see him-even if he did have the tendency to get so annoying at times and bicker with her, but there was a bitter-sweetness in his eyes she had grown to hold dear.

In the quiet of Kaede's lot, the whisper of the wind teasing at the infant grass and awaking trees could be heard, forever enticing them and drawing them near yet never allowing neither near her as she would suddenly change direction to waltz with the tiny buds of flowers in the small meadow.

Even as the eddy flirted about, the steady resonance of her own heart whispered truer to her than it ever had before.

The heart never speaks with words in a tongue that can be voiced aloud. Many poets and writers have tried to transcribe it into precious lexes that would touch the very soul of the reader in the most intimate of way. But, they have not succeeded.

The heart never sees in colors that are in the earthly spectrum. Many painters and sculptors have tried to give it a form in such a vibrant array of colors that would stir any soul like when watching the sunset. But, they have not succeeded.

The heart never hears in a pitch or tone that can be heard. Many singers and musicians have tried to express it with such passion that would make a soul weep from the haunting truth. But, they have not succeeded.

The heart never feels pain as any other part of the body does. Many philosophers and thinkers of high intellect and stature have tried to reason it in the most eloquent of way that a soul would be content in having a logical explanation for why the heart feels as it does. But, they have not succeeded.

The heart never smells the same scents that even the most sensitive of noses can pick up. Many herbalists and florists have tried to capture it with various flower arrangements and perfumes that would cause the soul to recognize it when it wafts before it. But, they have not succeeded.

It is not among the realm of humans, demons, or hanyous to comprehend this secret society of the heart, no matter how perceptive. A glimpse, perhaps, and yet it not always seen for what it truly is.

Even so, young Kagome was able to experience the deepest sensation that the heart could produce, the one that washed all her senses with so many emotions that it would be impossible to know where to begin.

If only she was able to see it clearly like the rarity of stars up in the sky, lofting above Kaede's house tonight.

Rising, Kagome walked noiselessly to the high railing that encircled the ring-around angular porch. She had been nervous when Kaede had tactfully made her leave the room, while Miroku played assistant as she worked on Inuyasha. However, the house was soothing, just like a grandmother-of which Kaede fit the description perfectly--, and Kagome had drifted off to sleep, having odd dreams about this and that.

They had woken her at about three o'clock to let her know they were finished and that Inuyasha was resting in the spare bedroom close to the back of the house, also on the east side. Kaede and Miroku had made her recount why she and her hanyou companion were even outside during New Years undisguised. That had made Kagome launch into the tale, sniffling guiltily as she did. If she hadn't gone after those stupid gloves that she didn't even have a clue as to where they were!

After explaining, the pair of operatives had told her it wasn't entirely her fault, though very dim, it was Inuyasha's suggestion, and it was probably for the best that she had gone with him rather than firmly staying at home and allowing him to get in some form of worse trouble.

Miroku had called Sesshoumaru to detail what had happened. The last time Kagome had seen him, he had a finger jammed in his ear while talking heatedly, yet somehow calmly, with his boss on his cell phone. The Toyota was still in the driveway, so he had probably crashed somewhere else in the house.

Kaede had insisted she try and get some more rest in the front room-the old woman had even brought Kagome some extra blankets and pillows, and had shut off the lights-but the girl just couldn't will herself to. After the brief sleep of blurred reveries, Kagome had wanted nothing more than to get away for a bit, and the porch had beckoned her through the French doors.

So, here she stood.

The sky's so beautiful tonight… I wish Inuyasha was out here to watch it. Kagome sighed, folding her arms on the railing and resting her chin atop them. There are so many things I wonder about the future…things I wonder about now… What exactly did Inuyasha mean when he said, "I hope it goes better the second time around"? I just don't get it.

The whole thing about the deed sounds too simple-surely Sesshoumaru has noticed, if not Inuyasha too. That clue is so vague, and open to so many interpretations. I wonder what the prophesy says exactly… She slouched a little further. If I was going to hide something…well, everyone would know where to find it because they know they way I think…

Twinkling pleasantly, the stars caught her eyes. People try to make shapes out of clouds or the stars, various wondrous things that only someone with a keen imagination could think of…and the only thing Kagome could see amongst the sky-sea of inky-black was Inuyasha.

"Maybe…I should go inside and check on him…" she suggested to herself. Straightening up, Kagome walked around to the cracked-open French doors. She fastened them closed as quietly as she could before making her way to the back of the house, passing through the finely decorated rooms.

The whole house was painted in warm, inviting colors, and it wasn't overly cluttered, but comfortably so. It wasn't overly clean, but not a sty--and everything smelled spicy and sweet like fresh fruit pies.

Kagome passed by the personal vet office and to the next door. Cautiously she opened it, and sighed in relief when she spotted a familiar head of silver hair adorned with two dog-ears. She tiptoed in, not wanting to wake him.

As she got closer, Kagome could see the bandages on his face, and a few places where they had been left off. At those spots, new pink skin had begun to grow. It made her heave another sigh of relief.

The blue and white flowered bedspread was tucked up to the middle of his chest with his arms lying at his sides. One of his hands, she noted, had a splint on his right ring finger; it must have gotten jammed when he slammed into the windshield.

Unbeknownst to Kagome, a smile had spread across her face at the sight of him, but remembering the hit-and-run made it fade back into a neutral expression, one that her countenance was not used to bearing.

Inuyasha's aura remained strong as it always did, but the rugged wildness to it had been subdued a little more, most probably because he was healing and asleep.

Kagome stood beside the bed, brushing his bangs away from his forehead, peering at him curiously. She laid a palm against his face and could feel the texture of the fabric and the grazes that marred his face-but as Kaede had told her, there would be no scar.

Inuyasha made no movement except the even rise and fall of his chest.

Kagome could feel the tears visiting her eyes again. It still felt like it was her fault… It was a hard thing to get passed.

"Please forgive me, Inuyasha," she whispered so softly that she couldn't even hear the words fall off her lips. "This is all my fault. But…thank you for saving me."

He didn't say anything.

Gently, Kagome laid her head over his heart. The proud tattoo beat pacifically in her ear, and made Kagome's own heart feel tingly and quick-paced. "I don't know what made you so grumpy as you are sometimes, but that's ok. You're a really good person with a really good heart, and no matter what sadness you've had in your past with growing up without your family really around…or with Kikyou…. I just want you to know you don't have to worry about it." The balmy breath of the hanyou rustled her hair, and when she moved her head a little, she could feel her strands of ebony brush gently over his tepid lips; and even though he still hadn't said a word, it seemed that he understood.

She listened to his heart for a while more, growing more at ease. His heart went thump…a-thump while his breathing went in…and out. He was breathing and his heart was beating, and Kagome was comforted by that.

Standing straight again, Kagome took hold of Inuyasha's left hand and pressed it to her chest, feeling her own heartbeat channel through his hand. "Just so you don't forget that your heart should keep beating…and that you don't forget that there's a heart that beats for you, Inuyasha."

Then, placing his hand back down, Kagome leaned over and shyly planted a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.

She turned to leave, but before she did, she saw the content smile that slid over his lips, and Kagome's heart lifted and she smiled back.

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A/N: I planned on making this long and so I did. Actually, this wasn't going to take up most of the chapter, but hey. It's still important, and the other stuff, I'm guessing since this took this much, will probably make up the difference in another long chapter next time around. Sorry about scaring you guys so badly.

~Moonlight Shadow

P.S. My mom wasn't feeling well today, so I didn't have anyone beta this…except me…and even I about cried at a part of it.