InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Demons Within Us ❯ Chance of a Lifetime ( Chapter 31 )

Turbulent clouds amassed on the horizon and rolled like a tidal wave toward land. Earlier during the day they had blown out to sea but now were making headland with more force sucked into their billows.

 

Kagome watched the flicker and flash of the distant lightning erupting in their folds. The air was thick with ozone, wet wind and impending destruction. It was cold, thrilling…dangerous.

 

Shivering, she cast her sight down to the seawater below her. The waves rolled high and dark green underneath the massive wharf of the Ocean Terminal from where she stood, skewing the reflected night lights of Hong Kong's skyline upon the Victoria Harbour. Behind her she could hear the hustle of customers inside the four-story shopping center that lined the entire pier, connecting the terminal with the Marco Polo Hotel. In fact, the wharf was just a fraction of the stores that made up Harbour City, the colossal mall that linked the Ocean Terminal and Marco Polo Hotel with various avenues all the way to the Gateway. All in all, it was three blocks of stores, activities and restaurants to suit every demand, which would explain why very few were outside enjoying the scenery.

 

Of course, the soft rain would also deter most from venturing outdoors, seeking instead the comfort, warmth and familiarity of industry. But not her. She was content to watch and listen from the emptiness of the pier and pause her life for as long as she was able. Inhaling deep, the scent of brine and gasoline invaded her senses and she instinctively wrapped her jacket around her as the waft of heat from the moored Cruise ships washed over her.

 

She sighed as she rested her head on her hands on the iron railing and again watched the shipping lane as the various boats rushed to avoid the storm. Several pedestrians scuttled by her with bowed heads, not making eye contact with anyone. It was amazing that they all didn't bump into each other. So many people resided in this city and yet barely few took the time to notice each other. It was as if they never realized they weren't alone - too absorbed in their own worlds to see they were only apart of one. It was an odd lonely feeling watching them.

 

A large flash followed by a vibrating roll of thunder heralded the promising onslaught of torrential rain, which, at the moment, pelted down softly upon the water and her hair. Glancing up from her musings, she quickly realized that everyone had gone inside, seeing only a few stragglers running to the shopping center's entrances in an attempt to stay dry. She knew she should join them but her feet refused to move as her mind found purchase in humble thought.

 

It was hard not to think of him. So often she tried not to, to keep at bay that steady ache that cloaked her heart but it was near impossible. Every time her mind managed to forget him for a moment, her very being felt empty and afraid. And when she quickly stopped to ponder why, his face would come to her, filling her up again with that precious ache. It was no use, she decided. He was in her. He was her mind, body and spirit. And she couldn't let him go anymore than she could let go those very things he possessed.

 

She loved him. She knew that from the very fiber of her being. And she loved him all the more after what had happened since that night at the club.

 

Oh yes, don't get her wrong; she had hurt when he cast her off after seeing her scars. Her mind screamed bitterness and betrayal, trying desperately to harden her heart, to twist her feelings around to hate him. But she couldn't. She didn't know why since hating him would have been such an easy thing to do, but it was almost as if some force shielded herself from his actions, whispering words of hope. And that hurt most of all. The `what if.' She felt the most grief from that emotion alone. It battered her frame of mind that had neither understanding nor comprehension of what to do. She couldn't see beyond that haze of uncertainty and yet she hoped.

 

For what, she wasn't entirely clear.

 

Given time, she had thought, maybe he would see past her scars. Given time maybe he could grow to love her too. Give time maybe they could be….

 

Be what?

 

Husband and wife? Parents to beautiful babies? Lovers?

 

She blushed at that last thought before she mentally shook herself.

 

All those and more she desired but had thought they were oceans of impossibilities. Yet skimming at the surface, a lonely buoy floated on those tremulous dreams and fantasies carrying an aching wish: for him to eventually feel something for her. But even that felt too far-fetched.

 

Until today.

 

He had smiled at her, her lips lifted happily, yet it was such a fragile smile. What could she do but fall in love with him all over again? Especially after what she heard last night.

 

InuYasha had barricaded himself in his room avoiding his friends as he had done all week. It was understandable. Kouga and Sango were not so forgiving of his actions at the club as Miroku had been. Sango particularly regaled them with vicious and twisted, albeit imaginative, forms of torture she had planned for their singer. Kagome knew it was Sango's way of making her feel better, but it only made her feel worse. She just wished it were forgotten. The less that was brought up about that night the better. It was bad enough it was replaying in her mind. She didn't need to hear it playing over in others.

 

She was thankful that Miroku had stopped Sango's tirade before she really picked up steam. They were sitting in a booth in WacDonalds when Miroku finally came to join them, saying that InuYasha wasn't coming. She was both relieved and upset to hear it but hoped to hide both feelings as she dabbed her fries in her flavoured mayonnaise.

 

Sango had looked offended that Miroku cut her off but quickly changed her attitude when he gave her a stern look.

 

“You judge your best friend too harshly. You above all should know how he really feels.”

 

Sango's mouth had shut with a clack and her eyes turned quickly to Kagome before falling to her forgotten burger. She said no more on the subject and neither did anyone else. It confused Kagome greatly but she didn't press, yet for some reason that nagging hope rose a little higher inside her.

 

Later that night the four of them had stumbled upon an elaborate fountain built in front of the Hong Kong Cultural Center, just across the street from the hotel. She was keen to investigate its architecture. It was a massive globe resting high on its arched support. It spun lazily over the clear water that rested quietly in a collective pool beneath it. Bronze plating shimmered various colours against the spotlights that illuminated its frame, clearly showing the Earth in bas-relief. Mountains, valleys, ocean trenches and ice caps marred its perfect symmetry, yet on closer inspection, these imperfections were in fact words. Or specifically one word etched in each earthly formation and translated in almost every world language across the globe.

 

`Believe.'

 

It struck her to the core. She was amazed how that one word spoke volumes, stated philosophies, ideas and thought. She just stood there and examined that word in all its forms as it spun by.

 

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Miroku said.

 

She nodded, unable to look away.

 

“Why don't you make a wish?”

 

Kagome blinked and turned to him in confusion. He was holding out a few yen coins to be tossed into the water before them.

 

Smiling, she took a coin and palmed it. Her gaze drifted to the dark water that glowed several shades of silver and gold from the numerous coins at the bottom. What to wish for? There so many things she wanted at that moment is was hard to choose just one. A soft splash from Miroku's coin jolted her out of her musings.

 

“You can't ponder a wish or you'll ask for a possibility. Wishes are for impossibilities.” He said.

 

Looking down at her coin, she sighed and deftly turned her hand and watched the coin slip from her grasp to dive weightless into the water below.

 

Silence seemed to cover them in a warm blanket before Miroku softly spoke.

“He cares about you, you know.”

 

“What?” She turned to look at him in shock.

 

“InuYasha. He cares for you, deeply.”

 

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat. “Wh…why do you say that?”

 

He shrugged. “Because he's my friend.”

 

Her lips opened as several questions wanted to leap out of her, but only a hush of excited panic passed through them. She quickly tried to reign in her rising hope as doubt lingered on the backburner. “How…how do you know?”

 

A faint smile tickled Miroku's lips as he looked over on the sly at Kouga and Sango from where they sat at a bench further away. Casting his eyes back onto the water beside them he quietly told her how InuYasha perceived that night at the karaoke club. When he had finished, she stood stunned at his final words.

 

Even now, after seeing how InuYasha reacted at the Orientation, she was still overwhelmed.

 

How could she have missed it? All this time with him, getting to know who he was through his actions with his friends, she never saw him as he truly was. Not entirely. She knew his strength, knew his pride, knew his good, but she was completely blind on his heart.

 

Because she was seeing him through her own.

 

What a fool she had been not to see the truth. She ignored his weaknesses, not seeing them for what he was. She had lost sight that those weaknesses were how he saw himself, which made him doubt his self worth.

 

“From the moment he met you, he has tried so hard to knock you off that pedestal.” Miroku said.

 

“What pedestal?” She remarked in offense.

 

“The one he put you on.” He grinned. “From the very beginning he put you far out of his reach, thinking you too far above him to care about him.”

 

She frowned. “I don't understand, why would he put me up there only to knock me down?”

 

A soft chuckled past his wry lips. “Because if you fell he wouldn't have wanted you.”

 

“That doesn't make sense. He put me too far above him, thinking me indifferent, then tried to make me fall to prove I'm worthless? That would mean he was setting me up to hate me either way.”

 

“Ingenious, isn't he?” Miroku's smile deepened.

 

“Why… why would he do that?”

 

“To protect himself,” he sighed. “He had been knocked down too often in his life that it's amazing he ever found the strength to stand.”

 

“But that's what I love about him.” Her voice came out in a whisper.

 

Miroku looked at her closely. “It's also the reason why he believes he is undeserving of it.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because after everything you've been through, you can still love.”

 

She could still love. Kagome shook her head and leaned back from the railing to cast her eyes up to the looming sky once more. It was impossible to think such a wonderful gift such as love could be such a curse. He felt he didn't deserve her affections and after seeing her scars, knowing what she went through, he pushed her even further out of his reach.

 

But something was different this time. He stopped trying to make her fall. She soon realized it wasn't that he pushed her away because he thought she was too good, he pushed himself away because he thought he was too bad.

 

Had she known this she would have easily proved him wrong. Instead her doubts brought up her own insecurities to formulate that she was not what he wanted. How could she prove her worth to him when she barely felt she had any after that night? She was eternally grateful that Miroku had talked to her last night about it. He made her see that she was so much more to InuYasha than she ever realized.

 

And she saw it for a few precious seconds today.

 

His smile. It was so unexpected and so precariously unguarded before he looked away, almost as if shocked he had done it.

 

The memory sent delighted shivers up her spine. Something in him this morning had let go of his inhibitions, although only for a moment. What allowed her that one sweet gift?

 

Did it matter?

 

No, she smiled happily. All she cared about was that she could still love him and love him she would for as long as she was able. As long as he continued to give her that chance. All she hoped for now was an opportunity to prove it to him.

 

Wet footsteps approached her slowly from behind, pushing her out of her musings. Glancing casually over her shoulder, her eyes instinctively widened and she whipped around in fright.

 

“Well look what happens to be out here all alone.” A raspy voice snickered from a man dressed in a large leather overcoat. His black eyes lingered hungrily on her body as two other hard men came to stand on either side of him. “Care to go for a ride?”

 

Kagome backed up against the dripping railing behind her as he reached out and grabbed her arm hard. She cried out in pain and struggled against his hold. “Let me go!”

 

“It best you keep silent, girl, or else.” His grip tightened as he started to drag her towards him.

 

Using his pull as momentum, she collided her body up against his and hiked her knee up to connect with his groin with as much force as she could muster.

 

Her assailant instantly collapsed onto his hands and knees in a sputtering heap. Using the moment of confusion, she attempted to jump over him to run to safety. Three hands quickly wrapped around her body as the thugs who were with him pulled her back. She thrashed wildly in the hold of the larger of them but was held firm as she was forced back to face the man she had just incapacitated.

 

His black eyes seemed to look even darker as he glared up at her hatefully. Pulling himself up to his knees, he growled. “You will live to regret that.”

 

“What do you want with me?” She gasped against the pressure of her captor's iron grip around her chest.

 

The prone man pushed himself shakily to his feet, his eyes still boring maliciously into her soul. “Just you, alone.”

 

“I'm not alone.” She said automatically, though her voice shook and scratched against the hollow of her throat.

 

The man chuckled. “It's been just you for two hours. Who do you think is going to show up now?”

 

Kagome let out a startled scream as the man holding her thrust backwards in agony, letting her go in reflex. She stumbled slightly to the ground, barely registering the brute's choke on paralyzed pain from where his kidney was punched hard from behind, before she was swiftly pushed to the side when the smaller thug was knocked forward to topple haphazardly into the gang leader.

 

Quickly gaining her senses, she scrambled to her feet and darted away from reaching distance, only turning around when a familiar roar emitted from the fray.

 

`InuYasha!'

 

He was already in the action of swinging a punch at the smaller lackey, punishing him to the ground with the force of his fist. Unfortunately it left an opening for the bigger thug to catch his breath and grab InuYasha by his damp t-shirt and heft a huge punch to his gut.

 

InuYasha went down in a rasp of blocked off air but quickly regained his composure to thrust his body headlong into the gaint's abdomen, effectively tumbling him to the ground. Straddling the man's waist, InuYasha pinned his chest with one locked arm and began to hit his face with everything he was worth. The thug leader knocked him off and immediately began to kick InuYasha in the stomach, creating a sickening sound with each impact.

 

Without so much as a thought, Kagome ran back into the fight and roundhouse kicked the leader in the throat before he saw her coming. He went down hard, gripping his neck as he struggled to breathe. Turning around, Kagome quickly scoped out her surroundings. The smaller thug was already running off while the larger was struggling to his feet, his face bloody and bruised. She dropped swiftly down to shield InuYasha from more abuse, but it wasn't needed. As soon as the giant assessed the situation, he grabbed the gasping boss by his overcoat and ran after their comrade.

 

Kagome blinked hard, losing sight of them quickly as the heavens above them decided at that moment to open, drenching them in a heavy downpour. A pitiful moan brought her attention back to the man she was covering and she sat back on her knees as InuYasha struggled to sit up.

 

He grabbed his chest as a wave of anguish passed over his features and he collapsed back down into a quickly forming puddle.

 

“Lie still, I'm going to call emergency.” Kagome said, moving to get up.

 

“No!” He coughed as he grasped her arm. “It won't matter. They'll be long gone by the time any help has come. Just…just let me get up.”

 

Standing, though her legs shook from shock and adrenaline, Kagome reached down and helped to pull him into a sitting position, then to stand.

 

“Come on,” she trembled, using her body as a crutch. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

 

InuYasha shook his head. “No. No hospital.”

 

“But you're hurt!” She argued.

 

“Barely,” he grimaced. “Been in worse…” his voice broke in a wave of pain.

 

“Inu…” Kagome pleaded.

 

His grip around her shoulders tightened as he motioned towards the hotel no more than a block away. “Just get us there fast.”

 

With a lot of effort, Kagome held her tongue and guided him back to the hotel and then to his room. He acted like he was in very little pain, keeping his head up and body steady the entire way. She would almost believe people thought they were a couple if it wasn't for the bitter scowl on his face. She began to ease, thinking maybe he wasn't hurt as bad as she thought, until the room door closed behind them. He immediately let go of her shoulders and collapsed onto the floor.

 

“InuYasha!” Her voice barely made it past a whisper as she dropped to the floor beside him.

 

He quickly waved her off and struggled onto his hands and knees then achingly to his feet, pushing away any attempts she made to help.

 

Kagome bit her lower lip before shaking her head. “Come on, let's get you cleaned up.”

 

Not saying a word, he reluctantly followed her to the bathroom where she guided him to sit on the closed toilet seat.

 

“Wait here,” she stated and then disappeared out his room.

 

Groaning, he stood and moved to lean heavily against the sink and examine himself in the mirror. Thankfully no visible signs showed from the fight, having taken the brunt mostly to the chest and stomach. Looking down, he was repulsed to see that his hands were marred by the shithead's blood. Turning on the hot water, he began to wash the evidence away, examining his hands as he did. Good, no visible cuts, though he was sure heavy bruising would result from the swollen red around his knuckles. He might have to wear gloves for awhile.

 

A faint click brought his attention to the mirror as he watched Kagome jog into the bathroom carrying a first aid kit. He frowned.

 

“Where did you get that?”

 

“My suitcase.”

 

Tension eased from his body as he snorted. “You carry that around wherever you go?”

 

She nodded, not heeding the humor or incredulity in his voice. “You never know….”

 

He blinked then shook his head slightly.

 

“Sit.” She commanded.

 

Studying her face in the mirror, he sighed and moved to sit back on the toilet.

 

His breath caught swiftly in his throat when her warm fingers grazed the expanse of his chest as she promptly removed his shirt.

 

“Sorry.” She whispered, catching his eye for a moment before opening her kit.

 

His brow itched in confusion before he realized she thought she hurt him. He wasn't about to correct her by saying that her touch made him desire her, or rather it did until her palm pushed against a very sensitive and painful area on his ribs.

 

He inhaled deep and swiftly clutched at the counter with one hand and the toilet paper roll in the other to keep from moving. Fuck that hurt!

 

“It doesn't feel like anything is broken,” she murmured as she pushed lightly against each rib and then his stomach, “but I still think you should go see a doctor.”

 

“And tell him what?” He said, watching her intently as she began to bound his chest in gauze.

 

“That you were in a fight!” She snapped, not in anger but in tightly contained fright.

 

He didn't miss the emotion behind her words or her actions as she gently rolled the sterilized strip around his torso. He relaxed his arms but held them up for her to finish her mending. “And how would the organizers of the competition take the news if they found out I was in a fight?”

 

Kagome's mouth opened and closed as she peered up at him in disbelief. “It was self defense! There is no way they could penalize you for… for….” She ducked her head as a wave of emotion swept over her, nearly rendering her to tears. She folded the end of the bandage and clipped it in place. “You saved my life.” She murmured.

 

InuYasha blinked a few times then shrugged, letting his arms fall to his sides. He tested his chest with a few large steady breaths, wincing against the pain it caused, but it was much less than what it was before. “I hardly saved your life.”

 

“What are you talking about? Who knows where I'd be right now if you hadn't shown up.”

 

He winced at the idea, but quickly pushed it aside. She was safe and in one piece, that's all that mattered. His honeyed eyes drifted down to look into her frantic blue as she kneeled before him. “Considering what you did to the fucker that tried to take you, I'd say he'd think twice before taking on a lonely girl.”

 

She eyed him briefly before a soft smile etched across her lips. “I was hardly alone.”

 

He looked at her in confusion before he turned his head away in embarrassed realization. “Yeah, well, no one knew where you were, and Sango was getting worried, and fuck if the other two morons knew where to look. Besides, I was going out for a smoke anyways….”

 

“I see,” she nodded and turned her attention to cleaning up her first aid kit.

 

Silence burned uncomfortably in InuYasha's eardrums before he blurted. “Where'd you learn to do that, that kick thing?”

 

Kagome blushed as she ducked her head down further. “Tae Bo Boxing on Blu-ray.”

 

InuYasha sat stunned for a few moments before a deep chuckle erupted from his chest. He quickly tried to squelch it as his chest burned in agony.

 

“Fuck, I think I need some ice.” He grimaced.

 

“I'll get it for you. But first let me help you to bed.”

 

He shook his head as he stood, pushing her back with a contrary frown. “I'm fine, I can do it on my own.”

 

“Yes, but it can be done faster with my help,” she said, snapping her kit shut as if to say that was the end of their argument.

 

He shrugged tiredly as he stumbled from the bathroom towards the bed. “Fine, do what you want.”

 

Kagome gave his back a small frown before following him to the main room to make sure he wouldn't fall again. When he reached the bed she sighed slightly. “I'll be back in a few minutes.” She grabbed the small ice bucket and his card key. “Try not to move.”

 

He just grunted as he gingerly stretched his body out on his bed, kicking his boots off in the process.

 

Giving him one last glance, she slipped hurriedly from the room.

 

Several minutes passed before she returned with ice and aspirin. Closing the door with a resounding snap she looked up at the bed and stopped suddenly in her haste. It seemed it wasn't needed, as he was already asleep. Holding her breath, she quietly placed the items on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed to watch him.

 

His bound chest rose and fell steadily and dark bruising was beginning to form under the edges of the gauze. It looked beyond painful.

 

Her cool eyes snapped up to his face. By goodness the man was stubborn! Any other sane person would have seen a medic to assure there were no internal injuries, but he acted like it was nothing.

 

`Been in worse….' He had said.

 

She bit her lower lip and worried it between her teeth. It wasn't right that he had been in this situation, let alone more to warrant a comparison. And it wasn't fair. He never deserved any of it no matter what he thought.

 

Her fingers stretched up like they had a mind of their own and traced the subtle line of his cheekbones, down over the rims of his parted lips, to finally rest along his jawbone. Leaning over him softly so as not to touch his injuries, she placed a delicate kiss on his lower lip.

 

“Never again.” She whispered. “I promise.”

 

Standing silently, she turned off the lights and waited.

 

-+-

 

A/N: Ooops….I didn't realize I had the last two chapters switched. Hope this flows better….*sheepish*

 

 

 

I was going to continue on, but thought the next bit of the story too long to put into this chapter. Besides, what's about to happen requires a whole new chapter to itself. I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but a girlfriend of mine loaned me these Highlander books by Karen Marie Moning. Let's just say I read all seven in a week and I was about to convince my husband that we should move to Scotland. Then I gave myself a day or two for the hormones to back down and then Googled what a real Highlander looked like. The appeal left suddenly for some reason.

 

Anyways, hurray! I didn't take me a year to update and the next should be up just as quickly if I'm lucky and don't get distracted by rogue, time traveling sex gods that can succumb a woman's niblets to jelly by the mere brogue on his lustful tongue.

 

Auch!

 

Live, love and laugh!

 

WDW