Author's Note: Okay. Earlier update then usual. You guys did GREAT on reviews! I'm so proud sniffle Anyway, I let Inu go on the first day, because you guys did so good. He went on a rampage and tried to kill me afterwards, but I took Kagome AND Kikyo hostage. Now the poor guy doesn't know what to do. Who's he gonna save first? @_@ He's in deep trouble either way… Ah well, review, and I'll let them both go for him. ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha, but I have Kagome and Kikyo hostage in order to get the cute, little hanyou to do my bidding…
Way Worn
Chapter 9: Escape from Pain
It was dark. Not only from lack of light, but from lack of life as well. The night creatures were silent, and the moon gave off poor light, as it was covered by dark storm clouds. The comforting breeze was not even present to mingle with the leaves and bushes. All was silent for miles around.
Dayu awoke, confused and in pain. As he slowly sat up, he felt his stomach shift, and lost its content to the bushes. Slowly, with one clawed hand clasped over his stomach, and the other clutched to his forehead, the hanyou stood.
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Pain.
Pain was all she could comprehend. It tore through every inch of her body until she felt as though she were being ripped apart. And the light… It was too bright. It burned her eyes even when she held them tightly shut.
And then she was falling. Falling to the ground without anyone to catch her this time. She didn't care, though. Pain cannot continue to heighten until death. There is a point where pain simply bottoms out, leaving the person blissfully numb.
That was how Nikomi felt just before the darkness.
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She had to be there. No one just disappears! She was in the bushes, or… somewhere else. He could smell her, but she was nowhere to be found.
Dayu tore through the woods in search of Nikomi. Her scent was in the air, but she hadn't been next to him as she had been before… then.
The hanyou ignored the searing pain in his head, even though it felt as if someone had grabbed a rock and begun hitting him over the head with it repeatedly. Every joint in his body protested the movement, but he forced each one to keep going.
"Damnit!" He could smell her scent so strongly, but she wasn't there. With an exasperated sigh, Dayu gave into his body, and sat on some moss to rest. He leaned his back comfortably against the tree behind him, and perked his ears up in hoped of hearing her.
"Dayu?"
A painful turn of the head, and she was there; dangling from the tree branch directly above him.
"Oh… It hurts so much. Please help me down…" She groaned, lifting her head up slightly to look at him. Obviously, though, the movement was too much for her weakened body. Her ears drooped pitifully, and she fainted. Dayu was there to catch her again, and she landed softly and safely in his arms.
"You poor thing…" He muttered as he took her over to the moss to lie her down, "You must have been clinging to that branch for hours…"
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"What?! She went to find Sess… Sesshomaru?!" Miroku could not believe his ears. Nikomi had gone to find her cold and heartless father, whom she had no idea had vowed to hill her.
"Here this, though. If I ever see her again, I shall kill her without a second thought."
"I have to go find her!" The monk slammed the base of his staff into the dirt, creating a dust cloud. Strangely, there was no wind to blow it away today. It was awfully dark for morning, too.
"InuYasha already went out to find them," Sango spoke softly. There was no reason to speak any louder, for no birds chirped, and no villagers hustled about outside on this morning.
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InuYasha could only remember one thing: the blinding pink light. His mind was clouded at the moment, and thoughts came sluggishly to him. What… what had happened? He had been searching for the two, and had caught their scent strongly on the wind. There had been demons… many of them.
He forced his stiffened body to rise, and groaned slightly at the pain that met him. There was something wet under his nose. He lifted a claw to it, and looked with blurry eyes upon the drop of crimson blood. What had happened?
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Dayu helped to sit Nikomi up once she was awake again. He could tell that she could not see, but her nose could still smell his scent. She smiled slightly, and clutched closer to his warm body. She was so cold…
"Nikomi?" He craned his neck to see her face. His body was beginning to feel much better, but it seemed that she was in much worse shape. "We should go back to the village," He mumbled into her ear; rubbing his nose into her sweet smelling, silver hair.
"No…" He barely heard her speak. She then began to cough horribly. Dayu held her a little away from him to see her face clearly. She heard his gasp, and opened her eyes slowly in question.
Dayu knew that there was something horribly wrong. A thin trickle of blood came down from the corner of the female hanyou's mouth, and her face was incredibly pale.
"Nikomi…" He said softly, holding her close to his chest in an embrace, as if trying to keep her there with him… to keep her safe from the world.
"We can't go back," She choked a bit, "I have to find my father…"
Dayu continued to hold her close. He could feel silent sobs raking through her fragile body, and almost felt like giving into the emotion himself. His poor Nikomi… If she died, she'd never see her father.
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"He's dead, me lord," The green, toad-like demon announced bitterly to his master.
The tall demon, with flowing silvery hair and cold, amber eyes, spoke, "Juro. I should have known that he wouldn't last very long," his voice was even, and emotionless, "After all, she is my daughter."
"I knew it, me lord! I knew it all along! Juro was weak, and… and—"
"And disposable. Go, Jakken. It is time for the second part of our plan."
"Yes, lord Sesshomaru."
Extra Author's Note: And look who's finally turned up! Well, I have some great ideas for the next chapter, so you better review if you wanna see them. Not only for the story's sake, but for poor, confused InuYasha's sake, too. He still can't decide who to save first. I could fix all that if you review!
