Redirection
Chapter Fourteen:
Thief
"Don't agree with them!" —Inuyasha
Her arms flailed out to grab something, anything, but merely grasped intangible air. Her foot searched for solid ground, but it only met with the edge that crumbled beneath her weight and sent her sliding backward. She didn't even think to scream.
And as Kagome's whole body met no resistance and her stomach dropped like a rock to her feet, she knew she was falling.
Something grabbed her—red hair flying into her face, a body pressed close to hers—but there was no salvation, for she was plunging downward still and her would-be rescuer shared her fate. Together, the two fell a few feet as Kurama, who she somewhere in her mind recognized, wrapped his arms tightly around her and braced himself for the first impact.
The fall seemed like an eternity, yet passed in the blink of an eye. Kagome felt the aftershock as Kurama hit the side of the cliff first. She was pressed so very close to him that the moment they hit they might as well have been one entity. His head jerked forward in that instant and clunked against hers, stunning her and causing a dizzying effect that only heightened as the two of them rolled down the sharply inclined slope.
Branches and thorns tore and broke their skin as they tumbled; rocks, pebbles, and the jagged terrain bruised their flesh. Her body, tangled with Kurama's, left a few spaces of undamaged and unmarked where his body took the beating in her place. Nonetheless, each time they turned, Kagome's head slammed against the ground and pain exploded in her head, intensifying each time it connected. Her sense of her surrounding diminished to near nothingness in the process and her only instinct was to try and keep her head up each time the two flipped positions for that tenth of a second, but nothing could stop it from banging against the rocky earth once again.
Sweet relief finally came as her face was pressed into his chest as something—his arm—wrapped around her head and kept it firmly in place. Dimly, she was aware of a warm, sticky goo oozing down the back of her neck and knew not whether it came from her or him or what it even was.
Suddenly, the rolling abruptly stopped, and Kagome felt completely weightless; she lost feeling of everything except her head as the pain kept her tied to reality without fail. Then a crash, dull pain all over her, and not moments later, knives of ice, that burned unbearably, stabbed her everywhere. They slid inside her every wound, her every hurt, a fire spreading wildly. She knew no other way to rid herself of it than to scream, long and hard. Scream and hope the pain would vanish as the air escaped her in one fell swoop. But when she opened her mouth, she was immediately suffocated as her body was invaded by a chilly substance pouring down her throat.
The river. They had fallen into the river.
She choked on the water she had swallowed—gagged, over and over again and it only got worse with time as more of the icy liquid poured down her throat. She kicked for the surface, but knew not where she was heading or if she was going up or further down. The rapids pushed at her, spun her all around and left her disoriented.
Her legs and arms flailed frantically, and it was only then that she discovered her companion missing from her grasp, and Kagome had no notion of when he slipped away. She spared only a second thinking of it, before every cell in her body screamed for the air it needed to survive.
Her strength drained away. Her limbs could do nothing to fight against the strong current and as she was pushed further away, she knew she was sinking deeper and deeper…
Eyes she was not even aware she closed opened, but all she noticed in the dark waters was a flash of two golden orbs.
…Inuyasha?
"Kagome!"
The yell came from the hanyou beside him with an ease and intensity that left Yusuke with little doubt that he had cried out her name just that way various times before. The cry itself was useless though, for by the time it died from his lips and Inuyasha registered what was happening, Kagome and Kurama were already halfway through their descent.
Yusuke watched as Inuyasha jumped down from the cliff, his bare feet skidding across the rocky slope to slow him for the instant he landed, then he was in the air again, quickly making his way down. Yusuke followed him at a slower pace with the intention of not repeating Kagome and Kurama's actions. His bare arms scraped across the side as he made his gradual descent, but it was nothing he could not handle, especially compared to Inuyasha. He didn't envy the abuse the half-demon's feet were getting because of his lack of footwear.
Yusuke heard a splash that tore his gaze away from his progress, looking just in time to see the last of the ripples his companions made after falling into the water. He quickened his pace downward, sliding more than climbing down, and kept an eye on the river, waiting for either of them to break the surface. Neither of them did, though something else entirely caught his eye.
The Spirit Detective squinted as he saw the long shadow lurking underneath the water's surface. He wasn't even sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him until he saw a few scales peak out from the water, skimming the top.
Yusuke let out a few choice words before he yelled over to Inuyasha, "There's something down there!"
He reached out, grabbing a small, bare bush to steady himself with one hand and aimed at the water with the other. Just as the tip of his finger began glowing a familiar blue color, Inuyasha snapped at him.
"What're you, an idiot? You might hit them!"
Hating the fact that his words were true, Yusuke stopped the attack, though threw Inuyasha a dirty look for good measure. He doubted the hanyou noticed, though, since he was mid-leap, jumping from the slope to the edge of the bank below, quite a distance down. Yusuke slid a few more feet, then jumped and landed more clumsily, though not entirely without grace.
Inuyasha was already running downriver and Yusuke set off after him, both their eyes peeled on the water. Most disturbingly, neither of their comrades had surfaced from the water yet, leaving an inkling of anxiousness in Yusuke. For a moment, he thought his worry was for nothing as the water near him shifted unusually, but it was something else that lifted out of the water.
The demon's head and long scaly neck were all he could see before it dashed forward, slicing through the water and traveling with the current, moving twice as fast as either of them. Then it paused for a moment's time as its eyes narrowed. Then its mouth began to salivate, and it dove back under, disappearing from sight.
"That's gotta be where they are," Inuyasha said, more to himself than Yusuke.
A few tense moments passed where neither the demon nor their friends were seen. He noticed Inuyasha's legs tense and Yusuke knew he was going to jump for it and dive right into the river. Before he could though, something else happened that stopped him.
Another object burst out of the water and straight into the air, spraying the two with droplets of water. Yusuke shaded his eyes and squinted to try and make out what it was, but the human-shaped thing had sprung out right in front of the sun, obscuring it from his vision.
But as it landed gracefully on the bank nearby, Yusuke felt a wry half-smile appear on his face as he recognized the demon.
Inuyasha was not amused. At all.
What was this, a look-alike contest? The unfamiliar demon's features were eerily similar to Inuyasha's own. Sure, he was a little taller and possessed a tail Inuyasha did not (which he was decidedly grateful for because who would want a ridiculous looking fluffy tail like that when it served no purpose?) but the rest of him, from his white ears resting on top silver hair to his golden eyes, were all alike. Using his keen sense of smell though, he could tell that the demon was no dog. No, he smelt distinctly of kitsune.
The fox glanced at him with equal disapproval, but only for a moment before he ignored his presence altogether, as though he existence meant nothing to him. He then released Kagome from his arms and let her drop to the ground. His eyes, cold and calculating, watched unblinkingly as Inuyasha rushed forward to check on the girl at his feet.
The hanyou knelt beside her and prodded her gently, but she did not respond to his attention. A worried frown tugged at his lips, and he nudged her again, but not so much as a moan came from her. Her eyes remained closed, and she did not move. Droplets of water mixed with blood slipped silently down her skin to the ground below. Wounds, varying in size from microscopic to a few inches wide, littered her entire body.
An icy feeling ran through him. Was she dead?
"She's not breathing!" Inuyasha barked out as he glanced up at the kitsune youkai. He merely stared back, not an inkling of sympathy in him.
A loud sound from behind him caused Inuyasha to whip around in time to see the massive demon rise above the surface. Inuyasha raised a clawed hand, ready, eyes flashing, as it darted its head forward toward them. Before it could move more than a few feet, the fox demon turned partially toward it and thick pieces of algae shot up from the water without warning. They snapped forward and wound their way around the demon, around its snout, long neck, and various other parts of its body, anchoring it down. Not only did it constrain it, but the demon was suddenly forced back down into the depths.
Inuyasha heard movement and glanced to see Yusuke kneel beside him. The boy picked up her wrist and his thumb moved clumsily around for a few moments before it finally settled in one spot.
"She's got a pulse. Weak though," he said. He glanced at Inuyasha, who stared back blankly. "She musta swallowed some water. She needs CPR."
"What the hell is that?" Inuyasha snapped, his irritation slipping into his voice. The longer they sat around and did nothing, the worse the situation got for Kagome. He knew that much.
Yusuke pushed him aside with some effort since Inuyasha was keen on staying by her side. In the end, he did allow the punk to move closer as he slid slightly back. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed on Yusuke, who looked distinctly uncomfortable as he tilted Kagome's head back and pressed his thumb against her chin to part her lips.
"Ya know, I'd usually get slapped for trying something like this," he muttered.
As he leaned down and closer to Kagome, Inuyasha grabbed his shirt and yanked him roughly backward. His eyes were ablaze.
"What the hell do you think you're doin'?"
Yusuke fixed him with a glare of his own. "I'm saving her life."
And without further constraint, Yusuke pressed his lips awkwardly against hers as heat rushed to his face. He let the air leave his lung and course into her body until he had no more breath; then he pulled back and collected more air and repeated the process. No response.
"Damn it, girl, breathe," Yusuke muttered.
He lifted himself up and moved back as he placed the bottom of his palm on her chest. Silently hoping he would not crack a rib or anything of the sort, Yusuke pressed down gently, yet firmly.
Nothing came of it.
"Down there."
Sango turned her gaze to follow the direction of Miroku's gesture. With a nod, she nudged Kirara toward the others below and they began their quick descent. Her brow furrowed as they got closer and noticed Kagome was lying upon the ground with Yusuke and Inuyasha beside her.
Once Kirara touched the ground, Sango was off her in a second and quickly made her way toward the others with Miroku not too far behind. She froze in confusion when she saw Yusuke press his mouth against hers, but shook it off and crossed the last bit of distance.
Yusuke looked up in surprise when Sango knelt on the other side of Kagome and his face flushed. Before he could speak, she did first.
"How is she?"
"Not good. She took a fall into the river and probably swallowed some water. She's not breathing."
Her eyes flitted over the damage then back up to Yusuke. She spoke quickly since time was precious.
"Do you know what you're doing?"
"…Kinda." When she fixed him with a look, he said, "I've seen it in the movies."
"Sango, perhaps you or I should—" Miroku began.
"I'd trust myself over you," she cut in. Hurt flickered over the monk's face, but he kept his silence.
"You?" Yusuke questioned. "But you and Kagome, you're both—never mind, the breathing part I can do. Pump her chest for me, I don't want to break anything."
"You guys are wasting time, just do it," Inuyasha said angrily.
Working together and alternating between breathing and pumping, they got a reaction out of Kagome. Water dribbled out of her mouth before she began coughing and sputtering violently, turning on her side as the liquid escaped from her lips. When the last of the water left and her coughing subsided, she let out a continuous moan.
"Are you okay?" Inuyasha asked before the others could.
There was a momentary lapse before she responded. "…Peachy. Did someone run me over with a bus?"
Yusuke let out a short laugh. "Yeah, I did. Sorry 'bout that. My bad."
"I knew it. Shame on you," she accused weakly.
Kagome rolled herself over to her original position, which tore a cry from her. Inuyasha was there instantly, helping her to sit up, but his hand on her back made her wince and caused her to bite her lip to keep from crying out once again. Her back felt like one giant open wound. She could feel the blood dripping down from one cut only to slide through another and cause her more pain. Kagome tried to ignore the prickling tears that came to her eyes.
Her vision wasn't even all hers. Dark spots were intent on eating it away from her. The back of her head felt like someone tried to play Whack-a-mole on it—successfully, too, with top score quality.
At least her front was in better shape, not a scratch on her, though probably a bruise or two. No broken bones, either, which she no doubt had Kurama to thank for.
"Kurama!" she exclaimed, her gaze darting around. "Is he okay? Where is he?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "Dunno. And where'd that body-stealer go?"
"That 'body-stealer' is Youko," Yusuke said. He glanced about him as though he, too, didn't know when or where the demon disappeared. "And Youko is Kurama."
"What happened?" Kagome asked in all her confusion.
"Kurama is actually a fox demon. He must have passed out or something, because he changed into his original form and saved you," Yusuke replied, directing his comment toward Kagome.
"Well, that explains it," Sango said. "We saw a demon moving swiftly on the way here. I thought it was him at first," she gestured toward Inuyasha, "but the description didn't quite fit."
"And he looked like Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned.
"Except taller… and more graceful," Sango told her.
"Stronger, faster, better-looking overall," Yusuke chipped in, though the last one earned him an amused look from Sango. "What? Just saying."
"Hey!" Inuyasha snapped, visibly annoyed.
"Yes," Miroku said with a nod of his head, clearly agreeing with Yusuke and the others.
"Stop talking 'bout me like I'm not here!" Inuyasha growled, then turned to Miroku. "And don't agree with them!"
The hanyou raised one clawed hand that turned into a fist and shook it at them. Kagome smiled at the display and gave a laugh that she immediately regretted when it made her wince.
"At least I don't have some girly tail," Inuyasha muttered to himself.
"We were only joking," Miroku said, as he held up his hands in a peaceful gesture.
Yusuke raised his hand to draw attention. "I wasn't."
As Inuyasha glared at the boy and shot back a retort, Kagome reached a hand up to her head in an attempt to suppress a headache that was screaming for attention. As she withdrew her hand, her eye caught a flash of metal on the ground. She picked up the thin piece and recognized it as her necklace.
The necklace the jewel should have been on.
Damn.
"Uh, guys…." she spoke, raising her voice as much as she could manage to be heard over Inuyasha and Yusuke's bickering. "The jewel is gone."
The rest of their gazes darted to the broken piece of jewelry she held, but Kagome was gazing at Yusuke.
"…I should probably also mention Youko's a thief," he said.
Inuyasha shot him an unfriendly look. "That information would have been much more useful five minutes ago."