Sorry about the belated post! I didn't have much time to write this week...my boss be killin' me. -.- But...I sat down to finish writing last night...and fell dead asleep. So I finished it today and here it is! Alpha. Caution- Kagome gets badly injured! Grievously. There is lots of blood, pain, and some poison. Death. Not Kagome, though! Bad language.
It wouldn't let me post all of it. :( This can also be found on Dokuga under the username Reflection of a Broken Dream.
Inspired By - Youkai Yume's Raindrops- 08 - Page 43
- I hope y'all enjoy this! ^.^
I don't Inuyasha or the characters.
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"Fuck," Inuyasha growled out as a searing pain tore into his back. He bore his fangs with a snarl and whirled around on the balls of his feet, Tessaiga slicing through the air- barely missing the sniggering feline demon. Kami he hated cats! And why today, of all days, did they have to attack like this and split the group up?! Fucking new moon! His senses were muted...and with it, his abilities to mend his wounds slowed to a crawl. It wasn't closing fast enough at all... "Get back here, ya damned monkey!" He was swinging from branch to branch with his tail...like a stupid monkey youkai would!
"Don't you have eyes? Can't you see what I am? Is that handy nose of yours broken, too?" The cat taunted half indignantly, obviously miffed over the "mix up".
"Shut the fuck up and die already!" Inuyasha snapped, letting loose a blast from the Tessaiga that missed by a mile.
"Watch it, Inuyasha!" Miroku called irritatedly from across the way. He'd nearly been grazed by the Wind Scar.
"The fucker won't stand still!" He grumped back at the monk as Miroku tended to his own pressing feline problems.
"You truly expect them to?" The monk's reply had him grunting back as a response. He knew damn well they wouldn't...he just wished--
"Hiraikotsu!" Sango's battle cry rang out along with the tell-tale whirring of her boomerang.
"Shit!" Inuyasha dove aside, rolling across the ground before leaping to his feet again as the weapon sliced through the area he'd stood mere seconds before. "Oi! You tryin' ta kill me?!"
"Sorry," Sango's strained reply came as she took on two felines at once, Kirara lashing out at them whenever the oppertunity presented itself.
Kagome wasn't faring any better...but she was farther away from the others, standing where the battle had actually began, with Shippou and Rin in tow. A purified arrow lodged in the ground powered her pink barrier that kept them safe while she tried to take shots at the neko farther from her friends... The only thing was...every time she found an opening that might turn the tables, some of the overgrown cats would attack her barrier and block her shots! She had to stop what she was doing and reinforce the barrier each time. Talk about frustrating! How was she supposed to help out when she couldn't even attack?!
"Dammit," Kagome cursed under her breath as she felt a jolt from behind. She loosed her hold on her bow to extend a hand and release some of her reiki to bolster the barrier. Kagome's azure eyes were drawn to the far right, a small group of neko youkai tag-teaming Sesshoumaru- he was closer to them than the others were. The cats kept pulling each other away in the nick of time, so none of them got killed or grievously injured. Smart, but irritating. "How's Jaken?"
"Still asleep!" Rin's voice rang out in reply. He'd been knocked out a while ago...and Kagome had dragged his scaly hide to safety inside the barrier. They really could have used his fire power right about now... "Take that!" Rin's cheerful little voice had lowered to a growl, Kagome turning to see what was going on. The eleven-year-old girl had chunked a rock at the offending neko battering the barrier- and she'd pegged him right between the eyes! Kagome grinned...and it only widened when his forehead began to smoke, the cat yowling and running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Rin's mostly latent reiki manifested itself every once in a while, and Kagome was glad it had decided to join them now.
"Nice shot, Rin-chan!" Shippou laughed and cheered, turning a devious smile to the next nearest neko. "Fox Fire!" He sent a ball of fire hurdling at the cat's backside, catching his tail alight. Kagome had never quite heard any living being let out a squall like the cat demon did, the youkai hopping around before trying to turn and catch his tail to put the fire out. The smell of burnt hair was rank enough that it made Kagome's nose crinkle, but she was proud of her two huge helpers. They had been driving away the annoyances and buying her time to try and shoot arrows.
"Alright...," she breathed out softly, grabbing her bow and arrow back up with both hands. "Let's see if we can find an opening." She pulled the string back on her bow so taut it creaked, her fingertips going numb from the force. However, Kagome didn't let any of her reiki seep into it. Not yet. She didn't want to alert them and foil her precious chance at striking back. But...
"Dammit...they're all so close to the others...I can't--" The words died on her lips as an all-too-familiar sensation teased her senses. A Shikon shard?! "Over there..." She faced the left side of the field, squinting at the dark tree line. The Shikon was there...the brightness dulled by something...or, rather, someone. Two greenish-golden eyes glowed in the darkness, their focus on the battle. How could this person dull the shine? It wasn't fully tainted, but even then it glowed with an unnatural light that Kagome would recognize anywhere. From miles away. But it seemed like...it was being repressed... She turned the nocked bow up towards this person with the unsettling ability, aiming carefully and preparing to fill the arrow with reiki.
"Uhh...Kagome...," Shippou's hesitant voice reached her ears, a small hand tugging on her plain navy shirt.
"Hang on a minute, Shippou...I think I've got a shot," Kagome tried to placate as she aimed true, pulling back on the bow so far it creaked in protest. This one shot just might end the whole battle!
"I don't think we have a minute," the panic in his voice alarmed her, Kagome reluctantly abandoning her kill shot to look at him...and then in the direction he was pointing, the color drained from his face. She was sure it drained right out of hers, too. Her fingers slacked on the bow as everything seemed to play out in slow motion...like a scene from a horror movie or something.
"Adamant Barrage!" Inuyasha's angry roar bellowed from across the field, his Tessaiga glittering like thousands of diamonds in the sunlight. His swing was almost agonizingly slow as it came down, diamonds launching from his blade. The nimble cat had already gotten out of the line of fire...leaving Kagome, Rin, and Shippou directly in its path. She watched Inuyasha's eyes enlarge, as if realizing his mistake...a bit too late.
Why did it have to be one of his barrier-piercing attacks?!
Kagome snapped into action, adrenaline pumping so hard in her veins she could hardly hear anything over the sound of her own blood rushing in her ears. She yanked her bow up and released a quick shot that, aided by her reiki, would purify some of the first wave and buy them time. The bow dropped from her hand, Kagome whirling to the right to grab up a petrified Shippou in her left arm. He was a little bigger than he used to be, and heavier, but not terribly so. Idly, Kagome noticed she could see Sesshoumaru, his eyes widening. He knew what was transpiring, but a group of the pesky cats literally jumped on him, preventing him from acting immediately. Was this their plan all along? She didn't have time to think on it, Kagome dashing back to grab Rin up in the other arm. The terrified girl was clinging to Jaken like a lifeline, the weight of the two of them together making her tilt to the side. 'Too heavy...' But she never stopped moving. Kagome grit her teeth as she pulled them all in close, urgently scrambling towards her right, hoping upon hope that Sesshoumaru could help when given the chance.
But the diamond shards had already started whizzing past her attempt at a delay...not many had been purified. Time sped up, and Kagome felt far too slow. A fractured shard grazed her left ankle, drawing blood and slowing her down further. 'I'll have to...,' her frantic thought began and ended, Kagome's will resolute. She had to get the children and unaware imp out of here! "Transform!" Kagome commanded as she threw Shippou as hard as she could to the right, just out of danger. Another shard bit into her left cheek and ear. He transformed into a big pink balloon, ready to catch someone if needed.
"Hurry, Kagome!" Shippou urged shrilly, the girl taking Rin into her left arm to toss to safety.
"Jaken first!" She insisted, latching onto Kagome, making her stagger forwards. The woman's lips stretched into a thin line, but she hurled the water imp at Shippou. He was caught with relative ease and promptly dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. It was that moment that a diamond caught her right upper arm, creating a shallow gash that bled and stung. Was that...were those screams she heard? Why were they calling her name? Another shard clipped her back, Kagome crying out and falling to her knees. Oh...that's why.
Rin wriggled out of her hold and tried to get her on her feet again...but all Kagome could think about were the three large shards coming at them. She couldn't carry Rin any farther...but she could still protect her. The elder miko grabbed the younger by the arm and yanked her down, pushing her to the ground...turning her back on the projectiles as she did. Rin was yelling at her, but she couldn't hear the words. Blinding pain seared through her left shoulder, something warm freely flowing down her front and back. 'Who...who is that screaming?' Kagome wondered, her mind somewhat detached from the goings-on. It was like she was watching everything on a big screen from somewhere else...like it wasn't her there. Rin's face morphed from frightened irritated confusion into horror. 'Oh...I was the one screaming...,' Kagome realized belatedly, throat sore, as she felt gravity pulling her down on top of Rin. 'I...I can't move anymore...I don't have the strength.' The girl was pushing at her, trying to get her off. 'But I can still...' She let out a sigh, her magenta purifying energy coming to the surface in waves, blanketing them '...protect her...' If all she could do was be a meat shield...then that's what she would do. But she would make sure no shards hit Rin. They would purify before they got all of the way through her.
"Lady Kagome, please!" Rin wailed in her ear, sobbing loudly. "Please!" She sounded so broken...why? Everything was alright. The pain was numbing now...they just had to wait it out.
"Shh....shh...," Kagome shushed softly, petting her hair. Her fingers were awful sticky... "'S okay...'s okay...." Turning her head slightly, Kagome realized her fingers were coated in blood. Was that her blood?! She took a deep breath. The less she panicked, the less she would bleed. A shard landed in the ground right by the startled miko's head with a loud 'thunk'. Rin screamed. Though unnerved, Kagome pulled her close, shielding her eyes from the sight with her body. "...won't hu...rt you...if you...stay here... Shh....shhh...."
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin cried, her voice a desperate plea as she continued to sob. "Please! Please! Kagome-sama is dying!" Dying...? She was...how...her wounds weren't that bad...were they? They couldn't be. I mean...she was a little warm and sleepy, but she knew better than to let herself rest. Wasn't Rin more afraid of the shards? The girl's voice broke off into broken pleas...ending in a shriek when she peeked over Kagome's right shoulder despite her efforts to keep her blind to the danger. Kagome braced herself for impact and waited as Rin recoiled. And she waited...and waited... Hm. "Milord!" Kagome let out a held breath in a whoosh of air...when did she start holding her breath? Everything felt a little fuzzy now, and Sesshoumaru's youki just made her feel more disoriented as it washed over her...prodding, seeking. She managed to greet it weakly with her reiki, the pink energy lowering back into its host soon after. There was a vicious snarl and the familiar sound of a body hitting the ground. And then...everything twisted and distorted, a severe pain unlike any other she had previously encountered shooting out from her left shoulder and searing every nerve across her body... The cries that came from her mouth didn't sound like her. They were weak, agonized noises a dying animal might make. Was she really dying..?
"...iko...miko...miko!" The snap of Sesshoumaru's commanding tone brought her back. Kagome blinked her eyes at him blearily...when had she squeezed her eyes shut? Why was everything tilting back and forth? He let out a breath. Was that...relief in his eyes? "This Sesshoumaru is going to close your wound so you do not bleed out. Nod if you understand." It took a lot of effort...but Kagome found enough strength to nod her head once before lolling forwards helplessly. "This will hurt."
"...M'a'ready...hurt...," Kagome managed to breathe out. How much worse could it be? All too soon...she wished she'd never thought that. The burning seared her flesh like lava, seeping beneath the skin and travelling and through her veins. The heat before was nothing compared to this! It felt like she was getting electrocuted and swallowed up by magma at the same time, everything burning unbearably while electricity jolted along her nerves. Her body was flailing, she could feel that much, despite her eyes opening and shutting of their own accord, hot tears gathering the corners and trickling down. Kagome was aware she was making sounds, but she couldn't hear them over the roar of pain that surged throughout her body...
"M-Mi-Milord...," a bloodied Rin sobbed from the side, clinging to a pale Shippou all the while. He had a thousand yard stare as he watched his mother figure convulse involuntarily with the most horrible sounds he'd ever heard emitting from her pink lips. Why...why did this happen..? Why did she...why did Sesshoumaru have to...she was in so much pain...and there was nothing he could do to ease it...so much blood...
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha snarled as he skid over, bloody and weak as hell from the fight. Fucking cats scattered once Sesshoumaru caught the upper hand and started slaughtering them... "The fuck'd you do to Kagome?!"
"I saved her life," Sesshoumaru growled back at the ungrateful pup. Kagome had already passed out from the pain, but her body still trembled and jolted into a convulsion every now and again. He held her from the side, the woman in a sitting position in his arms.
"The fuck you did!" Inuyasha screeched, pointing his sword at the older Inu. "You used your poison, you bastard!"
"This Sesshoumaru used only the barest amount to seal her wound- it is a temporary solution," he explained, irritated that he had to do so to quell the insufferable hanyou's temper. "Lower your sword...unless you wish to cause even more damage to your packmate." He knew that would hit Inuyasha where it hurt- he needed to put the damned thing away before he killed the female. Inuyasha's ears flattened to his skull, the satisfyingly amaroidal scent of guilt heavy in the air as he slowly lowered the blade.
"Kagome!" Sango yelled, running towards them with the monk in tow, both bloody and exhausted from the battle. Kilala mewed weakly from her shoulder as she dropped down by Sesshoumaru's side, moving Kagome's shredded and burned shirt to inspect the wound on her back. He shifted the miko so that her head rested against his arm, said arm cradling her by her collarbone, his maroon striped hand gently gripping her far shoulder.
"Will it hold until we get somewhere safe?" Sesshoumaru asked the taijiya, his golden eyes burning into her dark orbs as she met his gaze. She swallowed hard, eyes burning to see her dear friend in such a state.
"I think so," Sango answered softly, her voice heavy with emotion. She had seen Kagome hurt before...and hurt badly...but this...this particular wound was the very worst physical injury Kagome had ever had to suffer... It would leave deep scars in her flesh. Scars worse than Sango's... "You sealed it shut with your poison?" She could smell the acrid burning of the poison and Kagome's burnt flesh, the skin lightly grayed around the areas where her flesh had been shorn. She was just glad there wasn't any blistering or severe burning of her skin. Sesshoumaru hummed and inclined his head.
