HTF

Chapter 36

~Breathe~

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

~~Ms. Higurashi~~

I carry my daughter awkwardly in my arms, running frantically down the hall. I haven't carried her since she was a toddler, but the adrenaline and pure fear pumping through my veins drives me to the extreme and supplies the extra strength I need. My vision blurs and I faintly feel the tears trail down my face.

Kagome! Please! Don't go! Don't die!

I stumble and jam my shoulder into the bathroom door frame. We both fall, but I land with her in safely on top of me in my lap. I pull her closer and bury my face into her black hair, hoping – praying – to one day see it shimmer again in the bright sunlight.

"Kagome…" My voice cracks as I further bury my face in her hair. I shake my head back and forth and rock our bodies. Down the hall, I can hear the noises of Gumo and Inuyasha fighting, but that's so far away now. So, so far away. "Kagome… I'm so, so sorry… I can't even begin to ask for your forgiveness just yet, because part of me – the part that knows you're good, kind side – knows that you'd forgive me right away if I asked for it… but I don't deserve it – not now…"

I take in a shaky breath. "Not now…"

~~Warning, half flashback – just in past tense~~

I was coming home from grocery shopping, both of my hands full of grocery bags full of comfort food and junk food for the kids – but that's when I felt something was awry. I had slowed my steps to the house, taking in everything – that's when I heard an ear-piercing scream and a red blur zoomed past me and into the kitchen door. Inside, I hear Inuyasha scream for Kagome, but I never heard anyone reply.

My stomach had dropped, then and there, when I turned around to look down the bottom of the shrine steps to find a green suv parked by the curb.

Gumo's suv…

I drop the bags and run inside, unsure of just what I might find. I don't even bother to flip any lights on; the small stream of light flooding from Sota's room is enough for me to climb the stairs without falling.

But once I made it to my son's door…

I wanted to die.

I felt my heart rip out of my body at the sight I saw: Kagome, motionless, on the floor with pieces of rope scattered around her; her wrists and ankles severely reddened from the constant rubbing from the coarse rope.

I barely heard Inuyasha's plea to take Kagome away, but I ran to her with open arms.

~Warning: End of half-flashback

"Kagome…" I whisper into her hair, still rocking her.

"Mrmm…" I stop moving. I loosen my grip by a fraction and look down to gaze upon my daughter. Her lips part, something I was sure I'd never see again, and her soft, breakable voice whispers. "Breaatheee….can't… breaathhheee…"

She closes her eyes with a pained expression tainting her lovely face. I scoot where I sit on the wooden floor and still immediately as she winces and moans – the tiniest of movements causing her excruciating pain.

"Kagome!"

~~Kagome~~

If I thought my lungs were hurting earlier – they're nothing compared to right now. I want to scream! I want to cry my heart out! I want to run away from everything!

But the drugs Naraku injected into me are still kicking inside me: new waves of adrenaline constantly battling against the blissful-looking depths of unconsciousness, but I know if I went to the darkness with open arms – I'd never wake up.

I confess to Mama the one thing I want: air. She scoots from her position on the floor, but that miniscule movement jars me and sends me dangerously close the edge of no return. Somewhere in my poised position, I hear her call out my name, but I can't talk anymore.

I open my eyes with much struggle just to see her face, her brown eyes nearly drowning in her own tears. She takes hold of my hand, repeating apology after apology.

"For this- And for this! And-and-"

I merely look at her, hoping my eyes could reflect the hope and forgiveness behind them. But even that takes too much energy, and once again I am thrust into a world of darkness – a living nightmare where I can hear every sigh as scream, feel every stab though it's just a gentle touch, and smell the toxic fumes destined to kill me instead of the air-freshener downstairs.

Deep in the depths of overactive sensory, I feel Inuyasha come, his worried words shouting in my ears, banging on my eardrums.

I try to speak, but the words wouldn't come past the pain.

~~Inuyasha~~

"Damn! If only it were morning already!" I growl to myself, my-damn-human-self. I continue to stare at Kagome, her body startling still, a thin layer of sweat perspiring over her skin. In the corner of my eye, I see Ms. Higurashi frown at my choice of words momentarily before reverting her attention back to Kagome.

"She-she said," Her mother starts, choking back the tears I know I'm fighting as well. "She said she can't breathe."

My mind flips back to the memory of the last time Kagome couldn't breathe and I press my lips against Kagome's slightly chilled ones. I use my lips to probe hers open and sigh into her mouth. Above me, I feel Ms. Higurashi stiffen at my sudden action, but she gently moves Kagome onto the floor.

I pull away to inhale and I'm back against her lips once more. I repeat this for a minute or two, getting lightheaded, when Kagome's mother says, "I think I'm gonna go call the hospital. Keep doing what you're doing, Inuyasha, it seems she's getting better."

I pause to see if what she said was true.

Amazingly, her features look more serene, more calm.

But that can mean it's taking a turn for the worse-

I shake my head and press my lips against Kagome to breathe into her, to breathe life into her. I smile against our 'kiss,' feeling her once chilly lips warm up.

She- she's gonna be alright!

I wanted to scream it to the world, but right now, I had more important stuff to do. I won't stop until I see her brown eyes open again. I don't care how long it takes, or how dizzy I might get, I'm still gonna breathe into her.

Ten minutes later, I feel a hand grip my shoulder. I jump and spin around to face two strange men in navy blue pants and short sleeved blight blue work shirts.

"Come on son," the first one says to me, his arms still outstretched fro when he touched me. "You've done enough, let us take care of the rest."

"Like hell I will-" I feel someone jerk me from behind. I look to see Ms. Higurashi's sad face, she nods at the men to continue their work.

"Please Inuyasha, just let them do their job: to heal Kagome."

I watch as they put a mask over her head and latch something like a balloon over her mouth. The first man squeezes the balloon and releases it: he then repeats his motion and I get the feeling that that balloon thing is doing exactly what I was doing. The other man lay something resembling a table down and lifted Kagome onto it. I rush over to her side and pick her up as well, helping him with the weight – but mostly help Kagome not be in any more pain than need be.

They then cart her outside to this square box thingy. Like a car, but then again – cars didn't look like that. Both men carry her inside and start to close the door, but I grip the door with a firm hand to stop their actions.

"I'm coming with her." I state. It wasn't a question, 'cause there was no question about it. I haul myself inside and sit on a bench near Kagome's head. The two men argue with me, but finally Ms. Higurashi appears and asks them if I can go with. Thanks to her politeness, they let me. One of the strange-looking men leaves the crowded tight space and soon I feel the strange contraption move.

I look at Kagome, completely ignoring the man next to me while he does strange things to her. She sighs and I smile half-heartedly, gingerly stroking the side of her face with a human finger.

"It's gonna be okay," I say to myself rather than to her. I lean over her and lightly kiss her forehead. I don't move away, but instead rest my forehead against hers.

"It'll be okay."

A/n: Almost to the end! I wasn't sure how this chapter was gonna roll out, but I think it's okay.

I plan on typing soon, but I need more fuel than from my ramen to finish it out.

Come on! One review left until I reach 100! Who's the lucky winner gonna be?

;3

Till next time!