I took ages to update! I'm sorry, but I was having so much fun at The US, and I hand't seen my friend for two and a half years, so I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could, and yes, that is no reason for not updationg, and I'm sorry, and you deser e vbtetter because your reviews made my story what it is today, but...I will work extra hard to make last chapter fenomenal, and...love you?
A big thanks to Tia and Janet, for giving me a vacation I will never forget.
Another thanks to all of you who wished me a happy trip.
More thanks to...
PinkSlytherin – He can, but it isn't important in this story.
WhiteDemoness11 – I actually like Kikyo and Inuyasha together. Their love is very…dramatic. It gives a lot to work at, but I wanted the attention to be on Sess and Kagome, so I left that side a bit alone. And yes, I have planned some twists for the finale.
Sayuri-girl – That scene gave me so much problems! I'm glad you like it!
Borisbear – In no way do Kouga and Sango work for Sesshoumaru. Sango works for the government and represents his father, who keeps the alliance between youkai and human. Kouga is the police chief. They both, however, have a lot to do with Sesshoumaru, since he is so important, but they don't have to tell him anything, and they didn't have prove against Naraku, so they thought better to wait. I'm sorry if that got confusing, I thought it was clear :(
TwilightDreamz13: What happened to Kikyo…you'll know, sort of, in the last chapter.
Black Winged Lady – You've read my other stories? Really? What do you think of them?
InAyUsha – I try my best to make my stories, even as normal or used as the plot is, have some twists and surprises, I want them to be unique and original, even if they have some things that have already been used, and I'm glad you think I'm doing that.
Mia – Were you there since I posted the first chapter? Even if you weren't, your words about this story are wonderful. I've put a lot of effort in it, and to see it acknowledge if my best gift. BTW, what part of South America?
Ladyfuyu – Hehe, I know. Sesshoumaru needed a lesson, so I gave it to him. Thought it was a mean one…
Ai Ai Arisusa – Thanks for your review! This story gives me headaches and tears of frustration and lots of laughter, so thanks for thinking it is so good!
ADDICTEDJSS – Haha, I hadn't thought about killing both of them and then going on vacation! It truly wasn't how I planned it…maybe I am evil…muahahaha, but I updated, so that makes me better, right?
XxBlEeDiNg BlAcK rOsEsXx – Yey, the wait is over! And your likin of my story givers me such pride! I'm glad you enjoy it so much.
Shakespeareismyhero – I have a plan for Kikyo, but you won't see it in this story. Don't worry, I will give you your Inuyasha/Kikyo moment, as for Kagome…(evil glint in the eyes)
Blacksilence333 – Don't cry, I updated, and things will get better…or not…mmm, better or worse? What a dilemma.
Broken London Bridge – I seem to leave a lot of people ant ungodly hours with cliffhangers. Sorry, hehe, but hey, reading at those hours is kind of nice. I do it all the time(Apparently, sleeping less is becoming my habit) And I sometimes stay up late because I get stuck in some part of the story and…maybe I should stop the cliffhangers…
Melantao – Hahaha, I actually liked your idea of Kikyo's shirt stuck on a branch. Maybe I'll use it, hahaha, because it is so hilarious!
Twisted Hearts
Unsaid Goodbyes
And you leave without a word of consul, without giving me advice, and what am I suppose to do without you by my side?
They saw bodies as they headed towards the house.
Body after body, and oh, surprise- more bodies.
These were sure signs that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had passed through. As they neared Naraku's house, they viewed more bodies, and Kouga noticed the dead youkai they passed looked stronger as they went. They had not been enough to stop the brothers. Kouga wondered exactly how many bodies he would see. Finally, the house came to view. Kouga did not have to look twice to know that something had gone tremendously wrong. Beside him, Sango took in the scene with one glace. They both flew from the car as soon as it stopped.
"You," Kouga said to the first man to appear to him. "Send someone to pick the bodies that are on the road. I want every single one of them." The man nodded and left to do as told. Kouga sniffed, eyed the house. "There are still some youkai inside." He informed his men. "Arrest them all. If they get rough, use more strength. If it gets dangerous, kill them." Kouga didn't care for the demons except to interrogate, and he was sure they all knew about the same things. As long as none escaped, Kouga didn't care what happened to them.
Kagome was his focus, and he could not detect her inside the house. He quickly scanned the surroundings.
"Look around the house." He told another team of men.
"Where is she?" Sango asked, standing at his side.
"I don't know yet." Kouga responded a little hard. If Sango noticed, she was intelligent enough to let it slide. She, too, was worried, and the fact that Kouga hadn't picked out Kagome yet did not make her better.
"Check the house. I want everything taken in as evidence." Kouga ordered again.
"Sir!" Someone called to him. Kouga turned towards the voice.
"It better be important." He snarled. 'Where is Kagome? I should have found her by now. She has to be close. Am I too late?' He would never forgive himself if he was too late.
"It is."
Kouga walked to the youkai that called him, passing bushes, and then he saw what was so important.
Blood and dead youkai defiled the ground. It was obvious to Kouga that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had done it. 'I have to grant it to them, they know how to fight.' He stole a look at the bodies. 'What they don't know is mercy.'
It was fine with Kouga. As far as he knew, any one of them could have hurt his Kagome.
"Clean this. Send the bodies to the forensics."
Not that there was much left.
"Yes, sir."
Kouga still didn't know where Kagome was, and it was made him itchy. Apart from the dead bodies, no one else seemed to be there. There was also no sight of Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, Kikyo.
It wasn't right.
Kouga went inside the house, Sango close behind.
"We'll have to keep secret what happened here." She told him. "If humans find out about this…massacre, they will be scared and demand protection against youkai. The bond is already fragile. This doesn't have to come up."
"You talk as if you weren't one of them."
"My job requires for me to be neither. I am neutral, and I have to think as both of them would."
Kouga nodded. When the time came, she would be an excellent ambassador. "There are only dead youkai here. I don't see how it should affect humans."
She gave a small smile. "You obviously wouldn't. People feel threatened by things like this, and besides, Kagome and Kikyo are human."
"They're married to demons."
"Then it will be worse because they'll feel betrayed. Keep this quiet and speak with your men to assure this. No one talks to the press. In fact, no one talks about this to any one. No one should view the bodies but the forensics you trust the most. Every photo taken is to be destroyed once useless."
"How are we going to send them to jail? The world already knows that the wives of the Taisho were kidnapped."
"We don't have to change the whole story; we just have to conceal some facts."
"It'll be difficult."
"We'll make it happen."
Kouga sighed. "Ayame…" He told the wolf youkai that walked silently beside him. "Make sure this doesn't get out."
Ayame left to ensure that.
Finally, they reached the basement. Kouga didn't even have to smell it to know what happened. He growled, and for a moment, anger possessed him.
"Those bastards!" He hissed through clenched teeth.
"What is it?"
"Kagome was here. They…" God, he didn't even want to know what they had done to her. By the smell of it, something horrible.
"What did they do to Kagome?"
"Tortured her. Badly."
Sango cursed.
"Maybe you should leave the survivors to Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. It is legal for a mate to take care of whoever injures his mate."
"Kagome is not Sesshoumaru's mate." He wished Kagome was his mate. He would gladly make them pay for this.
"We can overlook that." Sango told him, her voice filled with cold hatred.
Kouga was about to respond when a voice cut him off.
"Sir, we found the Taishos and one of the victims!"
Kouga glanced at Sango. "Where?"
"Near the cliffs."
Kouga didn't waste his time and made his way as fast as he could.
He stopped dead when he got there.
Inuyasha was knocked unconscious. A few meters from him, there was a blooded body. Kouga supposed it was Kagura. Then…Sesshoumaru was close to the cliff's end, holding Kagome close to his body. Kagome's blood was in the air, and there, in his arms, Kouga could see that she was still bleeding. He made his way to them carefully.
He used his radio. "Where is the ambulance?"
"It should be here in less than a minute."
"Send it over to the cliffs as soon as it gets here."
Kouga raised his hands as Sesshoumaru, eyes bright and red, growled at him.
"It's me, Kouga." He told the inu youkai. "Look, Kagome is losing a lot of blood. Let me look at her." He growled again. Kouga stepped closer anyway. He was hoping Sesshoumaru would decide to stay by Kagome's side instead of trying to kill him. If not…well, he had already lived a long time. "Sesshoumaru," He said in an authoritarian voice, "Snap out of this and be useful or Kagome will die."
That seemed to do the trick. Sesshoumaru's eyes lost their red edge and slowly seemed to regain control. Kouga stayed right where he was. No use to anger him when he was coming back to his senses.
"She's bleeding too much." Sesshoumaru told him. Kouga was surprised to hear an edge of panic. "I don't know what to do."
"The ambulance is coming."
Sesshoumaru nodded.
"Tell me what happened."
"Inuyasha lost control. He killed Kagura. Kikyo and Naraku went over the cliff, but Naraku's gun shot Kagome. She…she almost fell, but I caught her. I don't…"
Kouga placed a hand over Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "She will be okay." He said this to reassure the youkai, but also himself because Kagome was bleeding so much, and she was tortured, and only human.
Only human.
Kouga would give his bones to change places with her.
"We'll get everyone who hurt her."
Kouga felt the need for revenge dissipated only by his need to know that Kagome would make it through this.
Sesshoumaru tried to breath, but he found that doing so was far harder than he thought. Oxygen refused to pass through his lungs, and he found himself holding his breath rather than breathing.
He couldn't help it.
He sat next to Kagome in the ambulance, while the paramedics tried to do everything they could to save her and glancing at him every once in a while, as if afraid the white haired youkai would snap their necks if their patient's heart so much skipped a beat.
They weren't far from the truth.
The inu youkai did not like to see their hands on what was his, but Kouga reasoned with him and he told him that if he hurt them, Kagome could die. He told Sesshoumaru to let the men do their job. Sesshoumaru felt they were not trying hard enough, and were definitely not doing their job right.
Already Kagome's heart had stopped once. The damned machine started sounding, and Sesshoumaru had looked to it, alarmed, demanding to know what was happening. The male paramedic stumbled over his own words. The female paramedic ignored him and threw her attention to Kagome, yelling to her partner to focus.
At least one of them was near efficient.
The ambulance made its way across traffic, and every once in a while the driver swerved, sending them flying to one side. Sesshoumaru would very much have liked to kill the driver. It was obvious no one ever told him how to drive in a nice, fast, and secure way. Besides, he could smell that he was human, and who put a human to drive an ambulance? Humans didn't have the instincts that youkai had, and Sesshoumaru knew they would already be at the hospital if he was driving. He wasn't and refused to change that because what really mattered was the woman in front of him, and Sesshoumaru wished to stay by her side. He could see the life slipping from her body, and in his mind he ordered her to hold on because if she died it would make him really mad, and…
Silently, told her to listen to him just this once. Even if it was just this one time she had to follow his order. He wouldn't care if she never listened to him again, he just needed her to do it now. Only now.
He would not ask her to do anything again if she lived.
"We're almost there." The paramedic told him. Sesshoumaru didn't look at her. His eyes were fixed on Kagome.
"How much more?"
"We should be there in ten minutes."
Sesshoumaru's face remained blank, but he mentally cursed. Kagome had lost too much blood. A bullet was still inside of her. Sesshoumaru had checked, and she only had one hole on her body. If Naraku hadn't fallen down the cliff, Sesshoumaru would have happily pushed him. He couldn't believe the hanyou hadn't even bothered to use a better gun, potent enough to make two fucking holes.
She would need surgery. On top of that, Kagome's back was covered in slashes and burns. Sesshoumaru had nearly lost control when he saw the injuries. There was an ugly looking bruise on her cheek, and she had some ribs broken. Everything looked bad.
She was broken and vulnerable, and it was this that made something in Sesshoumaru twist with anger. It made him feel…miserable.
It also made him want to kill the youkais that had done this to her.
Sesshoumaru could smell them on her. He could picture them laughing as they slowly broke her down. He could see the satisfaction in their eyes when she cried out. He could see their frustrated faces when she fought against the pain she felt in every part of her body.
Kouga called him ten minutes ago. The police had taken all the youkai in, and Kouga made sure none of them escaped. The few that had almost gotten away had been chased by Kouga himself. He promised him that they would pay, and Sesshoumaru caught the anger in the wolf youkai's voice. If Sesshoumaru asked, Kouga would let him have them. Anyone who hurt the mate of a youkai could be punished by law or by the youkai itself. Kagome wasn't his mate, but he was sure Kouga was willing to overlook that.
And if he didn't…it wasn't like he ever cared about rules that were unconvenient to him.
Sesshoumaru would not let this chance slip from his hands. Those youkai would feel his fury. He would make them wish they never laid a hand on what belonged to him.
She always looked strong. The only times he'd seen her weak was when she had gotten drunk and after her talk with Inuyasha at the hospital... but even then she still had fire in her. She was clumsy and sad drunk, but she had still fought him. She was elusive and down after talking with his idiotic half brother, but the shine in her eyes hadn't completely left.
She suffered with everything she had. She was angry with every part of her soul. She was happy with every fiber in her body. She cried with all she had inside. She loved to her very core, which Sesshoumaru had first found annoying, and then found amusing.
She always seemed to be full of live.
He had entertained himself by watching Kagome's changes of mood. One minute she was angry, the next shy, and then she was laughing, and then back to angry. One could always look at her face to know what she was feeling, and right now, he face was white and still and lifeless. Sesshoumaru did not like that at all. If Kagome's face always showed how she was, then he didn't want to look at her now.
Except he couldn't look anywhere else.
He wished she'd open her blue eyes, to smile or snap at him. He wanted to fight with her. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to be with her.
Sesshoumaru no longer worried over how wrong it was to care for a human. It stopped mattering the moment Kagome was swept from his side. A small voice in his head told him that his father would be very proud of him now. He allowed himself to care for a human. He cared for her like he cared for nothing else, and Sesshoumaru almost wished he'd never let that happen.
Almost.
Because now that he knew how much he did care, there was no turning back. He cared enough about Rin to look after her, enough to let her go, so that she could have the life he would never be able to give her. And for Kagome…
For Kagome, he cared too much. He broke all his perfected rules. He forgot the hatred he had accumulated against humans for so long. For her, he would do anything, and if she died…
Sesshoumaru would not think about the possibility of her dying. If she was anyone else, he would have done it. He would have calculated every possibility, and he would have made a plan of action for every one of them, but he couldn't do that with her.
He couldn't think about her dying.
He carefully brushed a strand of hair from her face, and he lowered his lips to her ear. "If you die", he told her, "you will feel just exactly how cruel I can be."
There were no sweet words. In fact, they sounded more like menace, but Sesshoumaru knew that if she could respond; she'd have laughed, telling him to stop his nonsense. She could read him. She would detect the meaning behind his words. She would feel his worry, carefully hidden behind masks of indifference, a blank expression, hard words, and an even colder voice.
She would see through it all, and she would understand.
"We have arrived." The paramedic informed him, already preparing everything to move Kagome as fast as they could. "The doctors will do everything to heal her." She told him, unsure. By the way the youkai was acting, she didn't know if he cared or if he was indifferent to what happened to her.
"I know." Sesshoumaru told her coolly. The door of the ambulance opened, and Kagome was brought down, taken away from him. Sesshoumaru followed in silence.
If she died, he would bring this hospital and anyone who worked in it down.
Mrs. Higurashi had enough of hospitals to last her for a life time.
If she ever needed to be hospitalized, she would kindly ask whoever had thought such a foul idea to let her die.
Souta agreed.
He, too, had seen enough of hospitals. He knew the smell. He hated the smell. He had come to hate white in a way that no other human being could hate a color. He knew how awful the food was. He knew how uncomfortable the beds and chairs and sofas could be.
Really, if you asked Souta, he'd say there was nothing good about hospitals at all but that they kept you alive. Except when they didn't. Or when they prolonged the life and the pain, without paying much attention to what the patient wanted.
Yes, Souta knew hospitals.
He knew every procedure. He knew their structure. What he didn't know was the waiting room. When he was at the hospital, it has been his own life at risk. He went to the surgery rooms. He hadn't even glanced in a waiting room.
Now that he was in one, not the one tended to, he almost wished he was.
It turned out that it was worse waiting than having the doctors treat you. Who would have guessed?
Souta took a drink from his coffee and spit it out immediately.
"This tastes awful!" He exclaimed. His mother gave him a reproachful look.
"Who gave you permission to drink coffee? You're too young." Mrs. Higurashi said, taking it away from his son. Souta glared at Miroku, who was looking everywhere but at her.
"I hate waiting." Souta said, and his mother, who had been death with worry, who always seemed to be worrying about one of her children, had it.
"Souta Higurashi! " She exclaimed, and it was enough to send Shippo and Kohaku up to look for candies, and Miroku and Sango to bolt. Ayame went to find Kouga. Only Sesshoumaru stayed where he was. His wife was hospitalized. His brother, as well.
Souta took a moment to wander if the cold youkai cared about either. He hoped he at least cared for Kagome.
His mother took Souta by the arm, bringing his attention back to her.
"I will not hear one more of your whining." She said, her voice not just reproachful, but angry, and Souta thought a little disappointed. He furrowed his eyebrows.
"But mother..."
"No, listen. When you were sick, Kagome was here every day. Every time. It did not matter to her. She almost didn't finish her career because she was always here, taking care of you. She never said a word against it. She never complained." Mrs. Higurashi had seen her daughter through Souta's sickness. It had eaten Kagome. She knew it must have, but Kagome didn't want her mother worrying. She kept strong on the outside for her; she knew that she needed a strong shoulder at her side. "And now, we sit here for her, and I will not listen to you complain because you have no right. Think of all the things she's done for you. She has practically given her life for you." Kagome had, after all, married someone she despised just for Souta's sake. "She's fighting life and death. The doctors treat her as we speak, and she could die any second now." Mrs. Higurashi was tired of always having her children at the hospital. It was not fair.
It was too much for one mother. Just when she thought she was finished with one, the other decided to take her turn.
My children, I've decided, are bringing me closer to my own end.
"One more complaint, Souta, and you will wish you had never gotten out of the hospital yourself."
Souta gulped and felt guilt rise in his belly. His mother was right, of course. He shouldn't make this any more difficult. Kagome was strong, and she needed all of them to be okay for her. His mother needed him strong, too. It was hard to be here, waiting to know something about Kagome, but it must be harder for his mother, who had already gone through this and had to do it again.
"I'm sorry, mother." He said with his head bent in sh
Mrs. Higurashi was not over.
She turned herself to the stone like youkai. Ever since the paramedics had delivered Kagome to the doctors, the white haired demon had sat down and decided to pretend to be a statue.
Mrs. Higurashi knew her son in law was not the most sentimental man. She knew he was not the best at shows of feelings. She knew all this, but at the moment, she did not care. All she asked for was a little show that he cared about his daughter, and he seemed determined to not give t to her.
Mrs. Higurashi wouldn't have it.
"And you", she said, pointing a finger at him. He didn't even turn to look. Mrs. Higurashi practically breathed fire. "Pay attention to me!" Sesshoumaru slowly turned his head her way. "I thought you cared a little more about my daughter." She accused. She was too angry to notice the dangerous glint in his eyes. "You don't even care about your brother, do you? It matters not to you if they live or die. How can you live with yourself?" A small part of Mrs. Higurashi's mind was telling her that maybe she was taking this too far. An unruly part made her continue. "My daughter deserves someone else, better. Someone that will actually care for her, not someone who can't feel at all. She is too kind for you. You don't deserve her."
The small part of her mind was getting bigger, and Mrs. Higurashi figured she would need to be hospitalized when her son-in-law stood up slowly and went her way. The words had been said, though, and she would not take them back. She truly believed that her daughter deserved someone that loved her and appreciated her. For all she knew, he probably cared the tiniest bit, but definitely not enough.
Kouga did. Mrs. Higurashi wondered why Kagome wasn't with him.
But her thought about who Kagome should have ended up with came to a stop when Sesshoumaru stood in front of her, tall, striking.
"Who deserves Kagome is not up to you." He said coldly. "And how I feel about her doesn't concern you."
Mrs. Higurashi disagreed. "She is my daughter." She said crossly. "Of course it concerns me."
He eyed her for a long time. "We'll talk in another time." He said. She opened her mouth, but he left her talking alone.
The nerve of him.
Mrs. Higurashi hoped Souta married some nice, pretty, uncomplicated woman.
"I can't believe they still can't tell us anything." Sango said furiously. Miroku tried to calm her down.
"They're just doing their job. I'm sure everything will turn out okay."
"How can we be so sure?"
Miroku was tired. He was worried. He was at breaking point. Not only was Kagome at the hospital, but his long time friend Inuyasha, too. Although the doctors assured him he would be fine, they hadn't let him see for himself. It seemed he was not ready to talk to anyone. Miroku couldn't blame him. His mate was missing. They were looking for the body, but so far nothing had been found. Some parts of Naraku had been found.
Apparently, Kikyo had purified him on their way down. Miroku also knew how Inuyasha would be feeling right now. They told him how he lost control and did things he would always regret. Miroku was sure Inuyasha didn't regret killing Kagura. He would have done it fully conscious. What Inuyasha regretted was the brutal way in which he had done it. He tore her apart, mutilated her. She had still been alert when Inuyasha pulled her arms from her body.
It was a vision that would haunt him, them, forever.
Now, though, Miroku couldn't think about himself because Sango was at his side, begging him to make her better.
"I'm sure the doctors are doing everything they can because they are too scared of Sesshoumaru to do anything that isn't the best."
She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Now is not the time for jokes!"
Miroku gave her a tired smile and brought her closer to himself. "She will be alright. If she survived her marriage with Sesshoumaru, I'm sure she'll be able to survive this." Miroku wasn't so sure.
He'd always known that, at some point, Sesshoumaru and Kagome would be happy. Of course, he had never thought she'd be kidnapped and tortured. Miroku closed his eyes. He couldn't believe they tortured her. He instinctively held tighter on Sango. He could imagine what Sesshoumaru was going through right now. Contrary to popular belief, he did know that the youkai cared about Kagome.
That wasn't what bothered Miroku.
What bothered him was that the doctors were taking too much time on Kagome, and something had to be going wrong because they had yet to come out, and Miroku truly didn't know if Kagome would survive this.
Besides him, Sango lingered along the same lines. She was sickly worried for her friend, and at the same time, angry as hell for what had been done to her. Sango couldn't understand how anyone could manage such cruelly, but at the same time she knew that was how the world was, and there was nothing to change that.
Right now, the only thing she truly wanted was for Kagome to be okay. She wanted her out of danger, and after that, she would put her head on other things, like how to punish the ones that had hurt her.
Sango felt impotent, and Miroku just felt sad.
Ayame was a very patient person. She had to be. In the past it was because Kouga constantly got on her nerves in the clan; she had to learn the art of patience to put up with him. Later on, she mastered calm. It helped when the world advanced, and she couldn't understand the new technology. It helped to get her through school and the hundreds of careers she had studied. Patience had always been a good ally of hers.
But not now.
Kouga paced around, getting on her nerves like he had before. Shippo had eaten too many sweets in his anxiety, and now he was hyperactive and trying to get a worried Kohaku and a moody Souta to play with him.
On top of that, the doctors had yet to see them, and Ayame was tormented with worry since she didn't know enough of what truly happened and what little she did know didn't reassure.
Being told she was shot and tortured did nothing to ease her mind. So now, she was practicing her patience, and it wasn't working as it had before.
It seemed even patience had its limits.
"Kouga…" She went to Kouga because if she neared the children she would probably strangle them. Kouga, thankfully, stopped his pacing.
"What is it?"
"I'm worried."
She knew it was very stupid to say; of course she was worried. Everyone was. Kouga's eyes softened, and to her great surprise, he brought her close, hugging her with tenderness that Kouga had never showed her before.
"I'm worried too." He said, and his voice sent chills down her spine.
Ayame lectured herself. It had been too long since she had been engaged to Kouga, and she had stopped loving him a long time ago. At least, she thought she had. It seemed that she wasn't completely over it. It took her friend to get hurt to find that out. Ayame didn't know how oblivious anyone could be.
Just then, Sesshoumaru walked in. He looked indifferent, but Ayame could smell the worry all over him. Sango and Miroku filed in after him. Shippo calmed as soon as he saw Sango. It seemed the fox demon was scared of the woman. Ayame didn't blame him. Lastly, Mrs. Higurashi walked through the door.
"Do you know anything knew?" Ayame asked. She looked at the waiting room. It was deserted. She thought it was odd. Every time they were at the hospital, the waiting rooms were always empty. The hospitals were always full, but they always managed to get a room all for themselves.
It was kind of sad, that the world let them grieve alone because they were too scared of what could happen to them. To Ayame, it seemed that the world was too much of a coward.
"The doctors are coming." Miroku told her, and Ayame held her breath.
When the doctor stepped in, Kouga released Ayame, his attention focused on news of Kagome, and if Ayame hadn't loved her friend as much as she did, she might have been angry at her silent ghost. Everyone was quiet. The doctor seemed nervous, and in return, it made everyone in the room nervous.
"The patient…" The doctor started. Ayame wanted to shout that Kagome wasn't just a patient. She was Kagome Higurashi, eh, Taisho, and should be treated like a human. The doctor continued, unaware of Ayame's thoughts. "Had lost a lot much blood from when she arrived, but the knife didn't damage any organs, so she should be fine."
Sighs of relief sounded all across the room.
"However, we would like to keep her for observation, a week at the least, and she can't have any visitors for now."
Ayame thought that was alright. What mattered was that Kagome was safe. That was the important thing.
The doctor turned to Sesshoumaru. "If I can have a private word with you?"
Sesshoumaru, cold Sesshoumaru, who even now looked controlled, froze for a moment before following him out.
Ayame thought it had to be hard to always be the mean, tough one. It had to be hard to have to hide what you felt all the time, and she wondered why he did it. He wouldn't look weak in anyone's eyes. If anything, he looked stronger. It seemed Sesshoumaru didn't agree.
On top of everything she had felt that day, Ayame felt sorry for Sesshoumaru. She wondered what he would have done if Kagome had died.
"You wanted to speak with me?" Sesshoumaru's tone was controlled, and it didn't surprise Inuyasha at all.
"I heard Kagome is going to be fine."
"She is."
"I'm glad." And he was. He couldn't remember what had happened, not clearly. After finding out Kikyo had betrayed him, something inside of him had snapped. Inuyasha closed his eyes for a moment; the pictures he's seen of Kagura came back to him.
He had asked Kouga after he had come back to his senses to show him the pictures of what he had done to her. It'd been nasty and cruel and entirely Inuyasha's fault. He couldn't do anything to change that. He would have to learn to live with what he had done. It wasn't the killing. He had done that too many times to care anymore. It was the way in which he had done it. He shouldn't have lost control. He should have stayed calm, but he hadn't, and those were the consequences.
Kagura had died a horrible death by his hands, and Kikyo had disappeared. He knew she wasn't dead. He could feel it, but he didn't know what would happen.
"She betrayed me." He told his half brother. He didn't know why he asked him to come. Sesshoumaru didn't like him, and truth be told, Inuyasha didn't like him either, but Inuyasha hadn't wanted to see anyone else but his half brother.
His father would be proud for them, if he was alive. Kagome would be happy for them, if she wasn't unconscious. Kikyo would have approved, if she hadn't betrayed them, him.
"Yes, she did."
"You knew." Inuyasha said. He wasn't accusing the youkai. He didn't have any strength left for that.
"I knew something wasn't right with her."
"You didn't tell me."
"It was your mistake to make."
Inuyasha sighed. His ears went flat against his head. "I'm sorry I lost control."
"I don't blame you for what happened to Kagome."
"I know."
"Then what is it?"
And Inuyasha looked at Sesshoumaru, and in his half brother's eyes, he saw what the youkai was planning to do. "Don't leave her." He whispered. Sesshoumaru's eyes might have shown surprise. "I know you think it is your fault, and you think if you had never come into her life, she wouldn't have…" Saying she had been tortured was something Inuyasha would have to get used to. He had loved Kagome. A small part of him still did, and knowing she had been tortured was enough to make his blood boil and his heart freeze.
"She needs you."
Sesshoumaru didn't respond at first. "I've made my choice." He finally told Inuyasha. "I will go. Wasn't that what you wanted? Another chance with her?"
Inuyasha almost laughed. "Keh, as if you are nice enough to give it to me. Kagome doesn't want me, and I have to accept that, besides…." He had Kikyo to think about, but he wasn't ready to tell that to anyone. "You're going away because you're scared."
"I fear nothing."
"But yourself."
How much did Sesshoumaru fear himself?
"I'm going."
"You'll miss her."
"Perhaps. If that is all?"
Inuyasha grinned. "I give you less than a year to be here again with Kagome."
He swore Sesshoumaru almost smirked back. "Try not to die by anyone's hands but mine."
And he left, as Inuyasha was lost in thoughts of guilt and betrayal, and what ifs.
It hadn't been easy for him to decide.
In fact, it had been one of the hardest things he'd done in his entire life, and he had lived through so much. At the end, he decided that it was for the best. People around him always died, and he didn't want Kagome to die.
Sesshoumaru had once decided to let Rin go. He could do it again. He could set Kagome free, and then she would be happy. Not with him, but happy.
Isn't that what mattered?
Sesshoumaru had never been giving. He'd let Rin go because, at that time, she had made him look weak. Only a small part of him had done it for her.
This time, it was different.
By separating himself from Kagome, he was degrading himself, but Sesshoumaru had too many enemies, and if it had occurred to Naraku to get to him through her, someone else would think of that, too. This way, he ensured that she was far away from him and safe.
He could deal with nasty looks; his stare was far worse. What he couldn't deal with, what he refused to deal with, was watching Kagome die again. He had already cost her torture and a near experience with death.
He refused to bring more pain into her life.
She made him happy, if only for a moment, and he would give her this in return.
He would go away. She would be free. Everything would turn out alright. She'd have a happy, human life, and when her time came to die...
He would not be there for it. She would ceize to exist, and he would still be alive, and her memory would burn forever, and it would torture him eternally, but she would live and hie happily and without complications. He would make sure to keep her memory alive, though, the only decent thing he could do for the human that had given him so much.
"Leaving without even saying goodbye? I would have never thought you were a coward."
Sesshoumaru turned around slowly.
"I'm not." He told Kouga.
He laughed bitterly. "You aren't going to even see her before you go." Sesshoumaru just kept looking into the youkai's eyes, making Kouga angrier. "Don't you understand? I would cut off my arm for just one chance with her!"
"This is your opportunity." Sesshoumaru wanted to kill Kouga for wanting Kagome, but he had decided to leave her. If she wanted the wolf youkai, he would not interfere. He tried to convince himself that he would be better once he rid himself of her. Fresh memories of how he had felt when he had almost lost her came back to his mind. Somehow, he knew he would never be okay without her.
"I thought you always fought for what was yours."
He always did, but this time, not fighting was for the better.
"You can't leave her."
"Go to her."
"She doesn't want me!" He said bitterly. "She wants you."
Sesshoumaru turned around, not wanting to hear another word, and exited the hospital.
"She wants you."
He would forever be haunted by those words. He would always wonder what would have happened if he had stayed.
And by leaving Kagome, he left what little joy he had or would ever experience.
Kagome opened her blue eyes, and she felt alone. She looked to her left to find her mother there. Odd, she had thought Sesshoumaru would be there…
"Where's Sesshoumaru?" She asked, the words raspy against her throat. Her mother hesitated.
"He left."
"Huh?"
"He's gone." Her mother said, eyes careful and kind.
Kagome did not need kind. She needed Sesshoumaru. "Where?"
Her mother shook her head. "We don't know."
Kagome felt his absence hit her, and she bit back a moan.
He had promised. He had promised to never leave her. Not intill she was dead.
"Am I dead?"
Her mother laughed a little. "No."
Kagome felt tears in her eyes, and she wondered why he wasn't with her if she wasn't dead.
He had promised to stay with her until she died.
He had promised…
Nothing made sense, and Kagome cried out for Sesshoumaru, but he wasn't there.
He would never be there again.
Of course I didn't kill Kagome! What kind of person would I be if I did? Okay, so I thought about it, but decided against it. So, we have one more chapter left, which I will start working on as soon as I finish updating this, and as always, thanks to all your support. You have given me more than I ever thought possible. Review, and one more chapter left! I'm not sure if I should cry or scream with joy, so you just review and tell me what's better.
