Dirt chapter 34: BACK IN BUSINESS
Kagome attempted to turn in Inu's arms so she could see what was going on out on the course.
"No," Inu said softly, holding her in place.
"Is he up?" Kagome asked in a panic.
"Not yet."
"Is…he moving?" Kagome asked from behind the lump in her throat.
"I can't tell." Inu hugged her tighter. "Inuyasha and Koga are down there with him."
Inuyasha and Koga stood next to one another as close to Sesshomaru as the medical team would allow. Neither spoke, just continued to watch as the medical team looked over Sesshomaru and waited for some sign that he was all right. Finally, after several tense moments, Sesshomaru moved. It wasn't much, he simply bent his right knee, but it was enough for everyone to take a collective sigh of relief. A strong-looking member of the medical team kept Sesshomaru lying down, though it was obvious he wanted to get up.
"Is he alright?" Inuyasha asked the closest EMT.
"He's complaining about his left side, his right shoulder was dislocated, and we can't rule out a concussion due to the fact that he lost consciousness, but he's coherent. We'll know more when we get him back to the rig."
Both Inuyasha and Koga nodded slowly.
"I'm fine. I can walk," Sesshomaru complained.
"I'm sure you think you can, but you just fell from twenty-five feet or more, you're not walking anywhere."
"I swear, if you try to put me on a backboard-"
"It's standard procedure-"
"I can walk."
The EMT trying to hold Sesshomaru down grinned up at the paramedic in charge. "He's pretty strong for someone who was just knocked out," he offered.
"Fine," the lead paramedic sighed. "Walk, but Sousuke's going to help you, and only as far as the cart, then you're going to ride in it to Asterisk's rig."
Sesshomaru seemed to be appeased with the compromise and actually appreciated Sousuke's help as he attempted to sit up. Koga and Inuyasha stepped forward and this time they weren't shooed away. The crowd broke their uneasy silence as Sesshomaru was helped up from the ground. The coliseum was filled with the sound of them clapping and shouting out their support, happy to see Sesshomaru on his feet after such a horrible wreck. Sesshomaru undid his helmet awkwardly with one hand since Sousuke had a tight grip on his left arm and his right arm was sore from his shoulder being dislocated moments before. He attempted to hold his helmet out towards Inuyasha and swayed severely, causing Koga and Inuyasha to rush forward to help steady him. Koga reached Sesshomaru first and gripped his right arm, snatching Sesshomaru's helmet from his hand.
Inuyasha took the helmet from Koga. "Are you okay?" he asked his brother.
Sesshomaru answered with his own question. "Where's Kagome?"
Inuyasha actually had to look around for her. "She's with dad."
"Go tell her I'm okay, and they're making me go to the Asterisk rig."
Inuyasha nodded and reluctantly turned his back on his brother and headed towards where Kagome was waiting impatiently. Koga had managed to keep his position of steadying Sesshomaru on his right side, and helped Sousuke guide him towards the flatbed of the medical team's Mule.
"I'll meet up with you at the rig," Koga said once Sesshomaru was safely seated between two paramedics.
"See how much damage there is on the bike." Sesshomaru winced as he tried to shift his weight off his left hip. "And if it can't be fixed, get my backup bike ready."
"You're insane." Koga shook his head grinning. "And you have serious brain damage if you think Kagome's going to let you back on a bike today."
"I'm fine," Sesshomaru said stubbornly. "Just make sure I have a bike to ride in the finals."
"It's your funeral," Koga joked as the Mule began to pull away.
Koga wasted no time in picking up Sesshomaru's bike, pushing it off the course and towards the tents where he could really look it over. The fact that the wheels were still willing to roll was a good sign, but the handlebars were trashed. Koga would either have to swap them out for the ones on the backup bike, or simply save the time and just get to work on tuning the backup bike for Sesshomaru's finals rounds.
DIRT X DIRT
"Is he okay? He has to be, right? They were letting him walk," Kagome spoke in a rush as soon as Inuyasha was within hearing distance.
"Well, he was knocked out and he dislocated his shoulder," Inuyasha began, pausing when he noticed Kagome cringe. "He was his normal asshole self, so don't be too worried about him," he attempted to joke.
"What else?" Kagome asked, knowing there must be worse news.
"He was complaining about his left side. They're taking him to the medical trailer, probably for x-rays or whatever."
Kagome nodded quickly and glanced around on the ground for her crutches. Inuyasha noticed and grabbed them for her.
"The Asterisk rig is on the other side of the coliseum, maybe we should stay here and wait for news," Inu offered.
"Hell no," Kagome said through gritted teeth.
"Kagome," Inu said sternly, frowning at how she favored her knee. "You know Sesshomaru would much rather you be here and comfortable then there and in pain."
"I'll deal with it." Kagome reached for her crutches and Inuyasha handed them too her.
"Kags," Inuyasha began, his tone pleading. "Let me see if I can find a golf cart or something. Please?"
"Why am I the only one worried about Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, her voice cracking with emotion. "Don't you guys care?"
"Of course we do," Inu said softly as he directed Kagome to crutch towards the tents. "But the simple fact is he's in the hands of a very capable medical team. He's fine and he isn't going anywhere."
Kagome sank into the same chair she had been sitting in earlier that morning and allowed Inuyasha to take her crutches back. She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands, despite her best efforts; she began crying. Koga noticed and dropped what he was working on to kneel at her side.
"Kags," he said softly. "He's okay."
"I know," she sobbed. "Or at least I hope so, I just… I'm a total wreck. I'm worried, like always, but I can't stop crying. I feel like I'm losing it."
Koga and Inuyasha were at a loss, they'd never seen Kagome in hysterics over something like this before. Inu however, knew what was going on, having been through it twice before.
"It's partly due to hormones," Inu supplied quietly.
Kagome looked up at him. "Great, so from now on I'm going to be a pregnant hormonal wreck?"
"It's possible," Inu laughed softly. "It's also partially because you're worried about your mate, whom you share a bond with. It tends to intensify things."
"Really?" Kagome, Koga, and Inuyasha all asked.
"Yes," Inu answered, then smiled. "Sesshomaru's probably trying to rip down the door of the Asterisk rig to get to you right now. I'm positive he can feel that you're upset and stressed."
The four shared knowing glances before Kagome spoke up. "Koga, can you give me a ride over there on the back of Sess' bike?"
"Sure, but this one's trashed." Koga got to his feet. "I'll have to get the backup off the trailer."
"Hurry," Kagome requested before taking a deep, relaxing breath, willing herself to calm down.
It took Koga only five minutes to get Sesshomaru's backup bike unloaded and over to Kagome. Inu and Inuyasha helped Kagome get onto the back of the bike, then she and Koga headed around the coliseum and towards the Asterisk Mobil Medic Unit rig. After an awkward dismount from the bike, Koga supported Kagome while she hobbled up the steps and into the rig. A nurse wearing the trademark black and red Asterisk shirt met them.
"You must be Kagome," she said smiling.
"That's me," Kagome replied.
"You wouldn't happen to have a set of crutches lying around would you?" Koga asked.
"Oh, sure, just a second." She hurried off towards the back of the rig, returning with a pair of crutches in hand. "Here you go."
Koga adjusted the crutches to Kagome's height and handed them to her.
"Thanks," Kagome said taking them from him. "Can we see Sesshomaru?"
"He's with Doctor Bodnar right now, but as soon as he's done with his examination and x-rays you can see him."
Kagome nodded, unhappy about the nurse's answer.
"It shouldn't be too much longer," the nurse offered. "There was a minor setback a few moments ago-"
"When you were freaking out no doubt," Koga said with a slight chuckle.
"He wasn't trying to leave was he?" Kagome asked with groan.
"He was, but Doctor Bodnar threatened to sedate him and he calmed down a little bit. Why don't you take a seat over here while you wait?" The nurse held her hand out towards a set of four chairs that sat against the wall of the rig.
Kagome crutched the few feet over to the chairs and sat down with Koga doing the same next to her. The minutes ticked by, but finally Sesshomaru appeared from the back of the rig. He was favoring his left leg and covered in dirt, but he appeared to be all right. Kagome got to her feet, leaving her newly acquired crutches against the wall as Sesshomaru limped closer.
"Are you okay?" she asked as she gripped the front of his jersey.
"Yes, are you?" Sesshomaru asked in return.
Kagome scoffed and shook her head before slapping her hand against his chest. "You should be worried about yourself."
"Are you?" Sesshomaru repeated the question, bending his knees slightly so he could look Kagome in the eyes.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Seriously, what about you though?" Koga asked.
Sesshomaru shrugged his good shoulder. "I'm a little banged up, but it isn't anything major."
"You have a concussion," Doctor Bodnar said as he stepped up to the group. "I highly recommend that you don't ride in the finals."
"I feel fine," Sesshomaru said as he turned towards the sliding glass door and pull it open before allowing Koga to help Kagome through it.
"If you happened to crash again, it could be catastrophic."
"I'm honestly fine," Sesshomaru said stubbornly, waiting in the doorway as Koga helped Kagome down the steps.
"It's a very serious situation," Doctor Bodnar continued. "Another blow to the head could not only end your career, it could end your life."
"I'm aware of the risks and I appreciate your medical advice, but I'm riding in the final."
Knowing he wasn't going to change Sesshomaru's mind, Doctor Bodnar shook his head. "We'll all be standing by just in case your final doesn't turn out the way you're anticipating."
DIRT X DIRT
Sesshomaru was dressed in fresh gear and waiting for the final round to begin. The top four competitors would ride in reverse order of their standings, which meant Jakotsu would ride first, followed by Hiten, then Bankotsu, and finally Sesshomaru. They would each get two ninety-second runs and the one with the best score would be the winner.
"Is my bike ready?" Sesshomaru asked Koga before taking a long drink from his water bottle.
"As ready as it can be," Koga answered.
"Sess," Kagome began in a disapproving tone.
"How long before Jakotsu goes?" Sesshomaru asked trying to avoid Kagome's disappointed look.
"About fifteen minutes."
"Sesshomaru," Kagome said sharply, gaining his attention. "You're not doing this."
"I'm fine, I promise." He smiled, but Kagome remained unconvinced.
"You are not fine. You have a concussion, you dislocated your shoulder, and you're lucky you didn't break something. If you wreck-"
"I won't wreck," Sesshomaru insisted.
"You're already leading by three points, you could still place."
"It's not enough to just place, I want to win."
"That could still happen."
"I'm riding," Sesshomaru said in an authoritative tone.
Kagome decided to use her final tactic and looked up at him, her obvious grief showing clearly on her face. "I really wish you wouldn't."
Sesshomaru faltered for a second, but then recovered himself. "I know you're not happy about it, but I'm going to ride. I can't leave this event without landing the Electric Doom."
Kagome sucked in a breath. "If you're going to ride, at least promise me you won't attempt that trick."
"I'm not going to attempt it; I'm going to land it."
"Kagome," Inu said, jumping in to the conversation, hoping to defuse the tense situation between the couple. "If you don't want to miss Sesshomaru's runs, we should head over to our spot."
Kagome sighed heavily and gripped her crutches tightly. "Fine."
Inu waited for her to crutch in front of him before turning back to Sesshomaru. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I do," Sesshomaru answered after a second.
"I'm not a big fan of your decision to continue, but you should at least try not to take any more unnecessary risks. Kagome was right when she said your score might hold first place."
"I'm not planning on even doing a full set until the third run."
"Are you dizzy?"
"No," Sesshomaru answered with a slight smile. "I haven't puked lately either."
"If you feel off at all-"
"I'll stop," Sesshomaru promised.
Inu nodded then started after Kagome, saying over his shoulder, "You should attempt to make peace with Kagome before you go."
Sesshomaru chose not to respond even though he knew Inu was right. One of the event coordinators appeared with a clipboard in hand. "There's roughly ten minutes before Jakotsu starts his run."
"Alright, thanks," Sesshomaru replied.
"I can't believe your still riding."
"You and everyone else," Sesshomaru mumbled.
"Good luck."
"Thanks." Sesshomaru turned towards Koga. "Can you warm up my bike for me?"
Koga nodded but looked skeptical. "You can't kick-start your bike, but you're planning on going out there and pulling its two hundred and twenty pounds around in a backflip?"
"Just start the damn bike," Sesshomaru growled before glancing around for Inuyasha who was in charge of holding his helmet, gloves, and goggles.
Sesshomaru spotted him standing with Bankotsu just as Koga kicked his bike to life. The sound caused Inuyasha to look in their direction and Sesshomaru waved him over.
"I see you're still planning on riding," Inuyasha said handing his brother his gear.
"As of right now, yes, I'm still planning on riding."
"Well," Inuyasha began as Sesshomaru pulled his helmet on. "Try not to wreck again. I don't think you'd enjoy being in a coma."
"It doesn't exactly sound enjoyable." Sesshomaru smirked as he tightened the chinstrap on his helmet.
"Don't wreck."
"I won't," Sesshomaru said before Inuyasha took off, heading towards Inu and Kagome.
Sesshomaru turned back to Koga as he pulled on his goggles, then gloves. He shooed Koga away from his bike and then threw his leg over the seat. Koga watched Sesshomaru carefully as he rode off and circled the warm-up area. Sesshomaru continued to ride around until Jakotsu started his run, and then he rode over to the staging area and rolled to a stop next to Kagome, Inu, and Inuyasha.
"How do you feel?" Kagome asked before anyone else could.
"Great actually," Sesshomaru answered, shutting off his bike as Kagome crutched a little closer.
"I still wish you'd change your mind."
"I'm only going to do something simple in the first run. Maybe one or two tricks at the most, just to test things."
Kagome smiled for the first time since Sesshomaru had wrecked. "Thank you for not being stupid."
"I'm never stupid."
"That's seriously debatable at this point."
Sesshomaru laughed. "Can I get a good luck kiss?"
"It wasn't so lucky last time," Kagome answered with a frown.
"The tradition has brought me far more good luck then bad," Sesshomaru reminded her.
"Alright," Kagome said as she gripped the visor on Sesshomaru's helmet, pulling on it so she could kiss the top of his helmet. "Just so you know; I'm pretty not excited about this."
"I know," Sesshomaru smiled. "and I'm sorry about it."
"Please, please, please be safe."
Sesshomaru nodded. "I promise I'll be as safe as I can be."
They watched Hiten's run together and when Bankotsu rode onto the course; Sesshomaru started his bike and left the little group, riding over into the starting area. While he was waiting, he attempted to shut off the little voice in the back of his mind that continued to tell him this was a bad idea and focus instead on the one that was telling him he had this in the bag. He shook his head slowly to test his vision and was relieved when the action didn't make him dizzy. He shifted his bike into first and took several deep breaths to slow down his breathing, anticipating the go-ahead. The staff member standing in front of Sesshomaru's front fender tapped it twice and Sesshomaru let out his clutch and twisted the throttle slowly, riding onto the course. The crowd cheered and Sesshomaru threw his fist in the air as he rode down the right side of the course. He took his time and rode around most of the ramps, until he finally decided on a superkicker that was set diagonally across the coliseum. Sticking with his game plan, Sesshomaru kept things simple and did a Solo Cliffhanger, landing it cleanly. He felt a little weak afterwards and decided to ride around for a few seconds to recover. With only ten seconds left of his original ninety, Sesshomaru started towards his second ramp, this time throwing down a Scorpion. His landing was clean and he felt good despite the extra physical effort the trick required. He rode off the course feeling confident and made his way to Koga in the holding area.
"Not bad," Koga greeted him as he let his bike die. "How do you feel?"
"A little drained," Sesshomaru answered honestly. "I'm not sure how technical I'm going to be able to get."
"Here's an idea; quit now and save your neck." Koga said sarcastically.
"I don't feel like I'm going to wreck, I just don't feel one hundred percent."
"You're crazy for going back out there. This sport requires a hundred and ten percent."
"I know."
They watched the last few seconds of Jakotsu's run and all of Hiten's before Sesshomaru kick-started his bike again and made his way back to the starting area. Realizing Sesshomaru probably didn't want to talk; the staff member remained silent until it was time for Sesshomaru to start his second run.
"You're clear," he said as he tapped Sesshomaru's front fender.
Sesshomaru nodded minutely as he rode forward. This time out he headed straight for a superkicker and performed one of his new inventions; the Windmill. He took his time getting to his second ramp and pulled off a Cliffhanger, but landed it with his hands in the air, adding the no-hander-lander for difficulty. With that trick ending well, Sesshomaru decided to try a backflip. He headed for his third and last ramp since his time was all but used up, and pulled his bike around in a textbook backflip, adding a Nac-Nac in at mid rotation. His landing was shaky, which he couldn't help but contribute to the fact being inverted had made him more than a little dizzy. After a few scary seconds, he made his way off the course, allowing Jakotsu to begin his last run. When Sesshomaru reached the holding area, Inu was waiting with Koga for him.
"Get off the bike," Inu said sternly as soon as Sesshomaru's bike shut off.
"I'm fine," Sesshomaru lied.
Inu grabbed onto Sesshomaru's handlebars. "That backflip didn't look fine. You looked like you were going to go down at one point."
"I wasn't ever close to going down," Sesshomaru defended. "I was a little dizzy and it took a second to get it under control, but I wasn't going to wreck."
"You're pride's going to get you killed one of these days." Inu frowned.
"I only have one more run."
"And it could be your last."
"I'll be fine," Sesshomaru growled. He was getting sick of repeating himself. "What are the scores?"
"No one's improved since their last round of the semi-finals," Koga answered. "Check that; Jakotsu just jumped up two points. He's still in fourth though."
Sesshomaru nodded slowly, trying to prevent another dizzy spell. "I'm going to keep the backflips down to a minimum."
"You'd be better off not doing them at all, especially if you're going to try your Electric Doom again."
Sesshomaru didn't answer; he knew his dad was right. He also knew he had no business attempting that trick again in the condition he was in. He distractedly watched the last seconds of Hiten's final run, in which his score remained the same eighty-seven he had gone into the finals with. As Bankotsu rode onto the course Sesshomaru kick-started his bike and gave his best reassuring smile to his dad before riding over to the starting area for the last time. Bankotsu finished his run and Sesshomaru watched the scoreboard, knowing Ban's score would have to be posted before he could start. It flashed up next to Bankotsu's name. It was an eighty-nine and no better than his semi-final score. Sesshomaru had already won. There wasn't any reason for him to go back out onto the course; other than to prove to himself that he could land the Electric Doom. He had done it dozens of times at home, there was no reason he couldn't do it here.
Once he received the go-ahead, he rode onto the course and towards the wrong side of a berm, throwing a backflip over it. He felt dizzy, but not enough that it got in the way of him heading for his first ramp. He pulled off a Cordova Seat Grab then headed for his second ramp, performing a Kiss of Death. His dizziness worsened with being inverted once more, but Sesshomaru pushed himself through it and rocketed towards his third ramp. He decided to keep his fourth trick simple, a Rock Solid, but added two tricks onto it to bump up its difficulty level turning it into a Rock Solid Seat Grab Indian Air. For his fifth trick, Sesshomaru attempted a backflip once more and added the Stripper movement to it. As he was coming out of his rotation, he realized that the back of his bike had drifted to the right, which meant he wouldn't have a chance of landing the trick. As he was bringing his feet back towards the pegs, he kicked the back of his bike with his right leg, forcing it over once more. His landing was definitely lacking as far as smoothness, but he had managed to salvage it and not wreck. It took him a few extra seconds to find his way towards his next ramp, but when he got to it, he simplified once again and did a Lazy-Boy.
Knowing his time was getting close to running out, Sesshomaru rode around the course as quickly as he could until he reached the ramp he wanted. This was it; his last attempt at the Electric Doom. Time seemed to literally slow down to a crawl for him as he started towards the ramp and then in a flash, it sped up to faster than he could think. His body automatically went through the familiar motions of the trick and in a blink, he had landed it. His landing left him riding towards the dirt-to-dirt gap and as he rode to the top of it, he stepped off the back of his bike, twisting the throttle back as far as it would go, sending his bike flying off the lip of the ramp without him. He fell to his knees thanks to his incapacitating dizziness, but that didn't stop him from throwing his fists in the air in triumph. Koga reached him first, with Inu close behind.
"You idiot!" Koga yelled "Did you have to do that? Throw your helmet. Throw your goggles, but not the bike!"
"It's not like I needed it anymore," Sesshomaru laughed.
"Are you alright?" Inu asked, broaching the more important subject.
"I feel like I might puke and I don't think I can stand without falling down, but I feel amazing!"
"Don't move," Inu said with a smile. "Let the Asterisk team look at you."
"Yeah, okay," Sesshomaru nodded, then regretted it. With a groan, he moved so that he was lying on his back.
"Is he okay?" Kagome asked from Inuyasha's arms as they approached them.
"He's just dizzy," Koga said quickly.
Kagome managed to wriggle herself from Inuyasha's arms and hopped to Sesshomaru's side before awkwardly maneuvering herself to the ground so that she was sitting next to him.
"You are so stupid," she hissed, accentuating her statement with a punch to Sesshomaru's chest. "You didn't have to make that run."
"Yes, I did," Sesshomaru coughed. "I had to land that trick."
The medical team arrived and stood by awkwardly as Kagome continued to hound Sesshomaru.
"You about gave me a heart attack," Kagome continued. "I thought you were going to wreck with that Stripper."
"So did I," Sesshomaru laughed.
"It's not funny," Kagome said in tears.
"I know," Sesshomaru agreed, sobering up slightly.
"I hate to interrupt," the lead paramedic said as she stepped closer. "but we should really look you over."
Inu helped Kagome to her feet and supported her while the Asterisk team went to work examining Sesshomaru. After a few more minutes of lying down, Sesshomaru's dizziness and nausea passed enough that with Koga's help, he could get to his feet again. The crowd cheered and Sesshomaru waved randomly to them. Koga helped Sesshomaru to the Asterisk's Mule, which would be giving him a ride back to the medical rig for a more complete examination.
"I hope it was worth it," Koga mumbled.
"What was my score?" Sesshomaru asked.
Koga glanced in the direction of the scoreboard and laughed. "A ninety-eight."
Sesshomaru smiled. "I guess it was worth it then."
"I don't think Kagome would agree," Koga smirked then turned more serious. "You've seriously got to cut this shit out though. All that stressing cannot be good for her and the baby."
"That was the last run I'm going to make until after the baby's born," Sesshomaru promised.
"That's going to make some of the other riders very happy," an EMT joked.
"Yeah, someone else will have a shot at winning now," another agreed.
"They better not get used to it," Sesshomaru laughed. "I'll be back in a few months."
DIRT X DIRT
A/N: I thought I'd explain a little bit of how FMX is scored since I can't remember if I have yet or not. ;)
A panel of judges assigns each rider a score based on a 100-point scale per run. They're looking for the difficulty of the rider's tricks, their style, the variations over the jumps, and the overall flow of the rider's run. Therefore, it's completely feasible to wreck late in your run and still get a high score. You can also get some bonus points for using the course in ways that other riders might not. For example, Travis Pastrana's runs at X-Games a few years back. He didn't have some of the bigger flip variations and couldn't do a lot of tricks he normally would because he had recently broken his collarbone. His overall score was larger than the other rider's because he used the whole course. Literally. He was doing backflips off tiny berms, riding up the side of the rainbow rail, and going higher than anyone else on the wall. Those things helped bump up his score without having to throw some of the harder tricks that would have possibly re-injured his collarbone. Oh yeah, and he didn't throw down the double backflip until after he had already won the gold medal. ;p