Little Less Than Heaven

By Crimson Beauty

Oneshot

(PLEASE REVIEW)

His wrists were raw to the very bone, stinging with such a sharp, poignant pain. His brain was on fire and bleeding nervously, his head aching as if it had been pummeled multiple times with a blunt rock. His chest gave heaving convulses but his shriveled lungs didn't seem to take in any air. His eyes were wide open, but they took in no sight. His nose and mouth felt dry, every muscle and fiber of his being filled with the most ineffable aching pain. The very air around him felt like sprays of water, scalding hot until the point of an intolerable temperature. He couldn't speak, couldn't see, could hear nothing but the gentle drip of the raindrops pittering and pattering outside.

His tongue moved helplessly inside his dry mouth, producing the smallest of a moan. The floor beneath him felt unbearably cold, like frozen blocks of ice against his skin. Something held tight to his wrists, binding them against the cold wall behind him. Everything was sore and he could barely manage to blink a few times or breath, much less try to remember what was going on.

His jaw nearly dropped open, whether from lack of strength to hold it shut, or from realizing that he was in so much pain that he would rather be dead. This hurt. Moments ago…moments ago, he had been…what had he been doing?

The stunning sting at his wrists alerted him that he was trying to wriggle from the hold around his wrists, absentmindedly. The rusted cuffs held tight, no matter how hard he pulled. Each weak thrust of his arms sent a sharp pain from the rawness of his wrists. He tugged, slowly and weakly at first. Then the panic crept in, starting as a little lump in his throat before it spread and spread to a giant swelling in his chest.

Careful, heated, breaths left his tight throat as he began to tug frantically as the cuffs around his wrists. He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. Being chained up, captured, not being able to do whatever he wanted to- period- just wasn't his thing.

And then a familiar voice cracked the heavy silence.

"Good morning, love."

He gave a quick gasp, the flick of tired amber eyes into the darkness. The voice was deafening, echoing a million times in his ears at the volume of an explosion on the side of the earth. It beat harshly in his ears, filled with that malicious tone that told him the occupant of this voice was up to no good. It was only a few moments later that he realized who the person of this malign voice was.

No…

"What is it, Inuyasha? Scared?"

"Damn it, Jakotsu, you bastard! Let me outta here!" He managed to push through a raw and bleeding throat. It hurt to speak and he could feel the hot saliva trying to mend the soreness in the back of his throat. It burned. Everything burned and froze and hurt. It was hard to see the man clad in a pale leaf decorated kimono in the heavy darkness. He blended into the shadows that cast over the shallow cellar. The floor was of hard, cold stone and the walls of splintering wood, so thin that one could feel the wetness of the rain falling outside. Empty and cold. It smelled of dust and decay rolled neatly over the scent of death and tears. Where was he?

"Aheh! Now, why would I do that before I've gotten at least a little bit out of you?" Jakostu muttered, pushing out his bottom lip in a little pout. As if a few of Inuyasha's words were going to stop him from doing whatever he liked with this helpless hanyou.

Inuyasha tugged fiercely at the bonds around his wrists. He tugged and pulled and yanked until he felt his skin stretch and break, until he felt a single strip of warm liquid trickle down from underneath the rusted cuffs.

"Oh? See, now? You hurt yourself. Stop struggling." The brother from the band of seven cooed softly as he scooted forward. There was only one person Inuyasha didn't want to be chained up before and that was Jakostu. This couldn't be good, whatever he was planning to do. He was coming way to close, and it only made Inuyasha struggle more and more against his holds, his aching and weak and broken muscles working despite the sharp shoots of pain that ran up and down his tired body.

The feel of the man's hand on his bare chest was just disgusting. It made the hanyou's skin crawl away from the touch. Wait. He wasn't wearing his Yukata or haori? Had Jakostu stripped him? No. He still had his hakamas on, thank Kami. The last thing he needed was to be naked in front of his man, head over heels in love with him. If you could call it love. More like a bloody lust.

Amber eyes grew wide, his struggling stiffening into motionless shock as the feel of Jakotsu's tongue skimmed his flesh. The brother licked away the impure blood, swallowing it down as agonizingly and disgustingly slow as possible. Again, he licked at the blood that streamed down in slow moving streaks. Again, and again before he proceeded to kiss down the hanyou's arm.

A large growl emerged from Inuyasha's burning throat. This sicko! He tugged harder, faster, tearing his arms downward. He only succeeded in making himself bleed more and Jakostu kiss his skin even more eagerly. Just the thought of it was unbearable. Inuyasha felt hot bile rise into his raw throat. He had to swallow it down before it came all the way up and proved to him that he truly wasn't enjoying this- this- whatever it was.

"Jakotsu!" Inuyasha shouted firmly, raising a clawed foot to shove into the man's stomach.

He fell with a soft 'oof' to the cold ground in front of the hanyou. He pouted again, blinking his eyes pitifully, as if it really had hurt his feelings that he had been rejected. Anyone knew that wouldn't stop him. Not when he had this delicious hanyou chained to the wall right in front of him. There were so many things he could do.

"Ouch. That hurt. Why don't you just play along, Inuyasha? I'm not letting you go. Not yet. I haven't even seen you cry yet."

"Not gonna happen." Inuyasha assured him with a daring grin. He was good at not crying. He had kept those tears locked up for so long. The wall had become sturdy around them. He wasn't going to cry because of this. Somehow, he would get loose, even if it meant chewing off his own hands.

Jakotsu moved forward, taking Inuyasha's head in his hands. He watched with an amused grin as the hanyou struggled, thrashing his hand from side to side. He dove in quietly, pressing his lips tightly to Inuyasha's neck, kissing him eagerly. Finally. He had waited so long for this moment. The moment he would have complete control over the devious hanyou when he could do whatever he pleased with him.

Inuyasha jerked away, but his movements were limited by the rusted cuffs that clasped his wrists. Jakotsu held him tightly, his teeth teasing roughly at his neck, kissing and biting. The brother was torturing him with his unwanted affection. But if only it wasn't him. If only he was here with another. With Kagome.

Kagome…

Inuyasha fell limp for a moment as Jakotsu continued to get his pleasure and fun. Kagome. He'd let her down. He'd let this maniac capture him somehow and left her behind. He didn't know where she was now. He had no idea where his precious Kagome was now. He didn't know if she was hurt or scared, or even if she was still alive or not. The hanyou's heart began to thump madly, his chest swell with panic. This had never happened before. He had never failed her like this before. He was supposed to protect her and here he was, under complete control of his perverted and twisted kidnapper.

Jakotsu's hands squeezed at his sides, nails raking his back, lips and teeth at his neck. He smelled of death and soil. It wasn't long before Inuyasha sent his head over, cracking it against his enemy's. Jakotsu raised his head, hands moving back up to take the hanyou's face between his hands.

"Stay still!" He commanded, but Inuyasha didn't listen. He struggled and kicked, tugging his arms and thrashing his head. He tugged and jerked and struggled, pain never ceasing to ripple sharply through his body, until Jakotsu's palm came down across the half demon's pale cheek. He simply sat there, stunned, shocked, and hurting beyond words.

Jakotsu brought himself closer, sour breaths puffing out in warm clouds of Inuyasha's face. He whispered something that wasn't quite audible. He then brushed his lips to Inuyasha's and watched with amusement as the hanyou recoiled from his little peck of a kiss. He began to struggle again, despite the tight and gruesome hold his pain had over his weak body.

These damn cuffs! He couldn't get loose!

Without any kind of warning, the dominant one pressed his mouth to Inuyasha's. His boldness was not shocking, but the passion in his kiss was. Inuyasha, limp with shock, felt his cheeks redden and his eyes grow wide. This was…this was….sick! This man was so openly homosexual. It was truly disgusting in a way that almost made Inuyasha puke. His last pick of a mate on this Earth…the one person who wasn't even on his list, was the one who was most willing.

Kagome. Oh, if only this was Kagome pressed this tightly against him, her warm frame giving off the heat he needed to calm his soul and warm his frozen and hurting skin.

But no…

The hanyou was almost too weak to throw his off this time. The more he fought back, the more eager Jakotsu began and the more roughly he began to play with him. But Inuyasha managed to drop his jaw shut and bite harshly on Jakotsu's tongue before ripping away. His chest gave a great heave, his lungs gasping for air as Inuyasha spit multiple times onto the cold cellar floor.

"That bad? Shame…Since you'll be here awhile, maybe you should learn to like it." Jakotsu suggested, reaching out to drag his nails down Inuyasha's carved and shaped chest.

The hanyou pulled back weakly, his body heaving with breaths that didn't ever seem to make it to his lungs. His heart raced, his lids hanging low, long streaks of blood running down from his wrists. It was getting harder and harder to do anything anymore. Blink, Talk, Breath, Think, Move. He could hardly do any of it anymore. But he managed to lean forward in his bonds and spit directly into Jakotsu's face.

Horrified and disgusted, Inuyasha watched Jakotsu lick the hanyou's saliva from his chin. He just wouldn't stop, would he? Not until he got what he wanted. Sickening. Truly Sickening.

And Jakotsu didn't stop. He leaned forward, letting his lips skim down Inuyasha's chest. Little beads of heated sweat strung down the side of his face, moistening his chest as Jakotsu continued on and on, kissing lower and lower in a line down the middle of his chest. This was just wrong. He reeked of death, his kisses felt like snakes slithering across his flesh. This was wrong. And he couldn't take it anymore.

His jaw tightened, his teeth clenching. His chest heaved against Jakotsu's face. His hear pounded, his lungs pumping for air. He felt nothing, nothing but rage and disgust coursing through his frozen veins. He was freezing, but he was sweating. He was sweating like a pig and shivering like a little boy lost in a blizzard.

Where was Kagome? He needed her. He needed to protect her and now she was off somewhere, all on her own.

He didn't even have the strength to fight off his kidnapper as his fingers moved down to untie his hakamas. Jakotsu licked lower. Finally, Inuyasha bucked, shoving the pervert from him with his weak legs. His lips let out a small moan, making Jakotsu grin despite his rejection. His hakamas sagged around his hips, threatening to slip lower. The knot in the bow had been prodded and loosened. Inuyasha was disgusted more than ever.

"That was beautiful, Inuyasha. That moan. Could it be that you are starting to give in? Come on. That quick?" Jakotsu tormented with that same sly grin, naughty grin with Inuyasha's blood smeared over his pearly white teeth.

"Damn you. Damn you, damn you, damn you!" He spat, yanking fiercely at his cuffs again. "Where's Kagome!"

"Aw, that's so sweet. You already want to go back to that wench or yours." His enemy muttered with that pouting tone again.

Inuyasha only wished.

"Too bad…" Jakotsu whispered, reaching forward to run his hands down the hanyou's firm sides. He kissed his stomach, pressed heavily on his legs, pinning them down. Inuyasha was just too tired to fight anymore. Pain rippled through each and every muscle of his body. Everything was sore and throbbing and it felt as if his arms would simply fall off any moment now. But he wouldn't dare giving up. Being on the side destined to lose was still better than being on his side. Anything was better than letting this joke of a man torture him like this.

Inuyasha twisted, tugging his arms down again, forgetting for one split second that he was cuffed to the wall. He wanted to punch this man, this joke. He wanted to take him by the hair and fling him across the room, watch tears mess up that pretty purple make up under his eyes. But he couldn't. He couldn't. Because he was stuck in the stupid cellar with a man who was likely to have this fun, force him into his pleasure, and then kill him.

The pale glint of a blade was nearby. He couldn't reach it even if he tried, but he made a mental note of it, lying there. Jakotsu could pick it up any time and shove it through his heart. If he played along…NO!

The hanyou fought off Jakotsu with the last ounce of strength he had. He lay there, limp against the freezing wall. Sudden jolts of pain wracked his muscular frame. His heart beat faintly now, his eyelids falling closed. He had to force them back open against his own will. He scowled with distain at Jakotsu who only smiled in reply, licking blood from his lips. The slight sting of a cut on Inuyasha's stomach made the hanyou instantly aware of it. The bastard just bit him!

"Why so feisty? The girl is fine. I didn't even touch her. Ugh- no way. She doesn't even know you're gone…It was so easy, using Mukotsu's poison to knock you all out. All I had to do was simply…" Jakotsu kissed the hanyou's shoulder "…pluck…" Kiss. "…you…" Kiss. "…out!"

Inuyasha hadn't the strength anymore. He felt his stomach churn with bile, his eyes slide closed again, his lips curl in a faint sneer of disgust. He just wasn't able to stop this mad man from trailing his lips up his neck as his nails dug into the skin of his cheek. It wasn't long before he created another cut there, and lapped contently at the crimson blood that trickled down.

"What…did…you do to me?" He muttered, his throat bare and raw. The very last words he could manage to spit out before falling useless again.

"You're not as light as you look, you know!" Jakotsu snapped, sitting straight up again, as if they were engaged in a real conversation. "I had to drag you all the way over here all by myself! Plus, that poison is still in your system. I can taste it in your delicious, delicious blood."

If he could, the hanyou would have punched him for that. He would have punched him for ever daring to harm Kagome in the least, for poisoning his friends, for dragging him all the way to wherever the heck they were. But he couldn't. He was dying inside solely on the thought of letting Kagome down. She was probably still back in their forest camp, lying limp under the control of the poison that now coursed through her veins. That thought was the real torture. More than Jakotsu could ever do with his nasty lips and hands.

Suddenly, his enemy took a heaping handful of his silver hair. He jerked his silken locks harshly, bringing the hanyou's face closer to his own. His fingers tightened into a hard fist, tugging evilly at Inuyasha's long, long hair.

"Kiss me." Jakotsu demanded.

The nerve he had…

Pain, Pain, Pain. It burst through his skull, vibrating down his entire body. Inuyasha began to shiver with pain, bleed his pain through open wounds in his skin and heart. He breathed in pain, felt it sliding down his throat. He spoke with pain and saw the redness of his pain through his squinting amber eyes.

Was he going to die like this? Loved to death?

"N-No…" He stammered back, tasting blood on his own tongue. "No." He refused, firmly.

Jakotsu cracked a smile and, for a moment, Inuyasha thought he was going to loosen his grip and finally give it up. He wasn't going to kiss him. He would never be his love slave. He wasn't going to give up. Not until his heart gave it's final flutter.

"Fine…" He murmured, and the rake of a blade against the stone floor echoed through the cellar. Inuyasha didn't have much time to react, or the strength to dodge, or the active mind to even expect a thing as a cold blade swiftly wedged itself between the curve of the hanyou's rib cage.

No further sound lifted from his lips. All he could do, with his blood spilling from around the silvery blade of Jakotsuto, was sit there with wide, pained eyes. His lips dribbled blood, his ears drooping down low in defeat. His hands finally unclenched from their tight fists, little marks marring his palms where his nails had pierced. Finally, his head hung, his chest motionless though his heart still beat barely somewhere inside.

His lids started to droop, very slowly. He could hardly make out the smile on Jakotsu's red lips anymore but he was more than sure it was there. His vision blurred, blackened, faded as pain became the only thing he could feel anymore. All the while, thinking of one single person. One person he longed to see again. Whose voice he longed to have echoing in his ears. Whose lips he longed to have brushing his wounds, healing them with her delicate kiss. Whose eyes could always brighten his day.

Jakotsu yanked back his blade with a spurt of blood from the hanyou's gaping wound. The blood reflected a red hue into the man's eyes, making them shine with horrific accomplishment and excitement.

So this is how it ended?

Inuyasha let his lids slide lower, just let Jakotsu lean closer and dip his fingers into his open wound, then lick the blood from his fingers. There was no way he could feel any more pain than now, or any more of a failure. This was the end, after all. What else did he have to lose?

That was until the sweet scent of strawberries and Sakura petals entered his nose. Then, it was almost as if it were a dream. Or maybe he was delusional, smelling things? Surely he was in heaven, where he could live on with the spirit of Kagome beside him all the time until she could join him for real. But that was just it. Inuyasha already knew he wasn't going to Heaven, and such a heavenly scent would never be in hell.

In just those few seconds as his thoughts strangled his burning brain, his nightmare had faded. A soft clunk and an exasperated moan lifted into the air. Jakotsu fell aside. The figure that stood before him now completely took the remainder of his breath away.

His eyes fell closed, features relaxing suddenly as warm hands covered his spilling wound. Soft words tickled his ears, the scent of tears and fully budded Sakura trees pricked at his nose. His senses were still very much alive, even after his heart had stopped beating, after he had let the last of his breath pass from his lungs.

And then it was back, his chest slowly pumping up and down, the flow of his blood slowly decreasing as small hands stifled the opening of the wound. Then he felt her soft lips over his, her breath entering his mouth, her bare skin brushing his and the material of her white school blouse pressed against his open wound. And from then on she helped him breath, her petal-soft lips pressing to his until she was sure he could take control again. Then that little life-giving technique turned into a kiss. One after another, warm spots covering his lips and cheeks, his closed eyelids and forehead. These devastatingly wonderful kisses made up for all that had happened in this hellhole in the past hour.

She pulled away and held herself to him in a desperate embrace. Her delicate, bloody hands moved around to his back, stroking his skin that was covered in a cold sweat. He could feel the heat of her cheeks against his neck as she lay it there and the tears that moistened them. She was crying for him. She had stripped her own shirt from her back to soak the blood from his wound.

Oh, Kagome…

"K…Ka…." Was all that hanyou could manage through his tightened chest. His ribs were crushing in on his heart and lungs. He needed her lips again, her breath, her air. He needed her to help him before it was too late. Before the pain overcame the numbness that had suddenly shrouded him.

"No. It's okay. Don't try to talk, please." Kagome muttered, her voice choked and strained from crying. She was alive she was okay. She forgave him for failing her. But this wasn't right. He was supposed to be the one who saved her. Not vice versa. He felt guilty, useless, shameful, and a failure. But loved. He felt loved by this girl who dared to risk her life for him. If he wasn't on the line between life and death, he would have yelled at her for something so foolish as coming after him.

Inuyasha tugged weakly at the cuffs that held his raw wrists. He wanted to be free- now, so he could hold his Kagome in his arms again. Moving one leg, he felt the silk of a kimono brush his bare foot. Jakotsu. With a flick of blurred amber eyes, he saw the enemy of his was lying on his side, eyes closed, his chest slowly moving up and down with unconscious breaths.

He felt Kagome rise up, hands fiddle with the cuffs around his wrists. It was only moments later that the rusted metal fell away, and his arms came falling down around the young miko. He held her so weakly, but it was heaven to him to feel her skin at all. So the cuffs hadn't been locked by a key at all? Just a manual lock that could so easily be unclipped by someone of the outside? What torture…..what horrible torture.

Inuyasha slumped forward, the hanyou's weary head cradling against Kagome's shoulder. His wrists had been rubbed raw, the skin rubbed away to reveal nothing but the rawness and blood. The dust in the air stung at his wounds, but the caress of Kagome's soft fingers on his back was heaven beyond all the pain.

Her warmth shrouded him, healed his splintering insides. His pain slowly melted into the pleasure of feeling her skin against his. When she had kissed him, all those disgusting touches from Jakotsu seemed to melt right off his skin and slip from his memory. It was just her now, as she gently stroked the back of his aching head where a thundering headache was brewing.

"I'm here. I'm here now." She whispered as his eyes fell closed again.

'Oh, Kagome….' He thought, too weak to speak aloud. 'I love you so much…'