Chapter 2: Kagome's Life
It seemed to take forever to reach Kaede's, even running as fast as he had been. He tried not to dwell on the amount of blood clinging to Kagome, perfectly attuned to her breathing and heartbeat, waiting for any sign from her. It was after dark by the time he finally skidded into the village, Kagome tucked tightly against him.
He charged into Kaede's hut, stirring the older miko from her sleep. "Get up, old woman. Kagome needs your help now!"
Kaede ignored his brash attitude and immediately rose to examine the girl. "Oh no..." she breathed at the sight of Kagome's blood-stained clothes. "Quickly, put her down."
Inuyasha found himself reluctant to let Kagome out of his arms. Her bleeding had stopped, but he feared that if he took his hands away from the wounds it might begin all over again. Slowly, he lowered Kagome to the ground, settling her body with more gentleness than Kaede had ever seen from him before. Kagome was out cold, she did not even make a sound as Inuyasha set her down. He couldn't leave her touch completely, and clung to her arm like a life line.
"Inuyasha, where are the others?"
"They're coming," Inuyasha snapped impatiently. "They had to find Shippou and the shards from the demon, but we have to take care of Kagome first."
Kaede pulled at some pieces of Kagome's tattered uniform. "I see. Kagome needs help, but I am reluctant to start in this darkness without assistance. I need either Sango or the Houshi to assist me."
Inuyasha growled. "No way I'm fucking letting you wait while Kagome could die. I'll help you, just tell me what to do!"
"Fine," Kaede said appeasingly. "I'll need water, and some more light."
Inuyasha sprang up, began to stir the embers of the dead fire, stoking it until the orange glow cast flickering shadows into the furthest corners of the room. In a sort of daze, he fetched water for the old woman and began to heat it up. Everything seemed to take forever, his nervous eyes kept darting to Kagome's still form.
He returned to her side with all Kaede had asked him for. Kagome looked so pale and still, small beads of cool sweat made her face shine in the dim light. Without noticing he picked up her hand from where it lay at her side, stroking her arm gently while he stared at her face in worry.
"Inuyasha... perhaps you should wait outside," the elderly miko commented, Inuyasha's distress clearly written on his face. "Go and find the others."
"No!" Inuyasha snapped. "I said I would help. I'm not leaving her."
"Alright..." said Kaede after a moment of hesitation. "But we will need to get this uniform off of her to clean and tend to these wounds."
"I'm still not leaving," he said shakily. Kagome could sit him all she liked when she woke up for all he cared. When she woke up...
"I think that there are fastenings in the back, but I don't want to move her if I don't have to."
Inuyasha met her eyes. "The clothes are ruined right?" Kaede nodded. Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome's closed eyes. 'Please don't be mad at me for this later,' he thought fervently. He brought his claw down, snagging the collar of her uniform and dragging it down, severing it cleanly. He glanced back at her face, half expecting her to wake up and rage at him, but she did not react at all. He swallowed before carefully slicing her skirt, exposing the cut high on her thigh.
He turned away and looked at the wall. Part of him was ashamed that he was looking at Kagome in only her underwear while she was helpless. She would be so mad if she knew. Her cheeks would get bright red and she'd fist her hands up at her side as if she was tempted to just smack him. He brushed her dark wavy hair away from her face and shoulders, wishing some of that color were in her face right now.
She was so exposed. More than he was ashamed, he was afraid for her. He was used to the sight of blood. It was inevitable with all of their battles. He did not balk from the gory remains of the creatures he cut apart, did not worry about his own injuries... but Kagome was different. With her shirt cut away and folded aside, all of her scratches and bruises were laid bare, red and black malignancies creeping over her smooth fair skin. The one across her stomach was by far the worst of the decorations on her torso, a full seven inches long, though the clotted blood disguised the depth. Tension knotted in his stomach just by looking at it.
"Kaede..." The old miko looked up from the wound on Kagome's leg. "Will she live?"
"...I don't know. It is fortunate this cut missed her artery, or she would have died before you got her here. Even so... she's lost too much blood. I am worried."
Inuyasha squeezed her hand. "What do I need to do?" He felt helpless. Why couldn't this be a situation where he could just charge in with his sword and save her?
"We need to get these wounds cleaned, stitched and bandaged. There is little else that we can do after that."
Kaede removed the make-shift bandage they had wrapped around her earlier and began to clean Kagome's cut. After a moment of hesitation, Inuyasha picked up a second cloth, soaked it in the warm water and began to mimic Kaede's motions on the cut on her stomach.
She was so fragile. All of a sudden he worried about harming her carelessly with his claws as he softly sponged away the dirt and blood. His fingers brushed intimately against the soft skin of her abdomen on every stroke, her slow breathing making his hands rise and fall to her quiet rhythm. 'Kagome, I'm so sorry,' he thought in worry. 'I shouldn't have let you get hurt.' He finished cleaning her in a kind of daze, his mind having difficulty accepting that this wound belonged to his Kagome.
Kaede had finished tending to the cut on her leg, sighing occasionally as if she did not like what she saw. She pushed Inuyasha's hands away from her waist to examine the other cut more closely. He bristled when she pushed him away from her and began to prod at the wound in a way he thought couldn't possibly be good for Kagome.
"I can't see any obvious damage to her internal organs, but that doesn't mean there isn't any." She looked up at Inuyasha, as if testing his reaction. "I have to stitch this one closed now, too. Are you sure you want to watch this?"
"Keh," he muttered. "I'm not weak. Looking at a little cut like this doesn't bother me." Even so he turned his head when Kaede began. He looked instead at her face, her lips twitched slightly and for a moment he was certain she was in pain. To keep his hands busy, he began to clean her smaller scratches, dabbling at her shoulders and neck. A nasty black bruise covered much of her right arm and shoulder. That done, he looked down at her helplessly. He didn't know how else to help her. He stroked her arm very softly, his other hand brushing her white cheek. His hands and eyes avoided her neck and chest in a sort of frightened reverence. To take advantage of her vulnerability at this time would be unforgivable. Especially since he had allowed her to be so horribly wounded.
Kaede looked up at the hanyou's tormented face as she finished dressing Kagome's wound. He was bent close to her, his face almost touching hers with one hand cradling her cheek.
"Stupid girl..." he whispered without any malice. "Why didn't you protect yourself first? Sango and Miroku can take care of themselves... you should have used that arrow for yourself." He stroked her face tenderly with his thumb. "Don't you dare die," he whispered.
"Inuyasha," Kaede interrupted, "We've done all we can for now. It is important that we keep her warm and we should also try to give her some water soon. The next hours will be dangerous for the girl."
Inuyasha pulled a blanket around Kagome without leaving her side. "That's it, then? All we can do is sit here?"
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. From this point it's up to her. I know a medicine, however, which may help her recover some of her strength after losing blood. There is a doctor in the next village who can make it. If you will stay with her, I could return with it by dawn."
Inuyasha fidgeted. What if something went wrong with Kagome while everyone was gone? Still, he couldn't bring himself to separate from her. Not while each breath could be her last. "I'll wait," he whispered, as if needlessly worried about waking Kagome. He didn't even hear Kaede leave as he absorbed himself in watching over Kagome.
He felt her skin. Her body was cold, her pulse slow. 'Kaede said to keep her warm,' he thought vaguely. With the greatest care, he lifted her shoulders and set her against himself. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to share his warmth. If she were awake, he would never be bold enough to be this close to her. Especially since she was wearing little besides an old blanket.
In fact, he was growing more uncomfortable with every passing moment. Kagome was on the brink of death. He had been forced to cut away her dignity in order to treat the gashes that he should never have allowed in the first place. It was like a betrayal to hold her so closely after letting this happen to her. And Kikyou's cold indifferent face had been haunting him ever since he had sprinted away from the scene of the battle. She had not cared about Kagome's life.
The light in the hut strengthened, and for a moment Inuyasha thought the dawn was arriving. 'No, its still to early,' he thought. He glanced at the door and saw a glimpse of silver light through the crack between the mat and the frame of the door. Silver...?
"Kikyou..." Inuyasha breathed. That light was her insects. She was waiting out there for him, no doubt. He resented her presence, more than he ever had before. How dare she show up like this? The thought of her face as he had fled with Kagome filled him with anger. And yet... he had to know. But he couldn't let Kikyou come here. Something about having Kikyou near the woefully wounded Kagome set him on edge. No, he couldn't allow Kikyou near.
"I'll be right back," he whispered, setting Kagome down on the floor. "Just sleep, and I'll be right back." He gave her a long look before slipping out the door. The moonlight clung heavily to her bloodless skin, her lips relaxed into an uncharacteristic little frown.
He followed the soul-stealers as they led him towards the forest. Each step away from the hut added to his unease. After they had entered the trees, he stopped dead in his tracks. He would go no further away from Kagome, if Kikyou wanted to speak with him, she could come to him. Kikyou's insects brushed against him, trying to urge him forward again, but he resolutely held his ground.
He didn't have to wait long. The object of his torment slid out of the trees, bathed in the white light of lost souls. Her inky hair slipped over her straight shoulders, sable eyes looked sadly out from underneath heavy dark lashes. His breath caught in spite of himself.
She held out her hand. "Your friends would not have been able to find these without the sight." He looked down at the three shards she held in her delicate hand. He reached to take the glinting shards from her, suddenly unsure of their worth. He would rather have Kagome whole and well than a couple of measly shards. The loss and confusion were written plainly on his face.
"Inuyasha..." Kikyou lulled. "How is Kagome?"
The question snapped him out of his daze. "How is she!?" He hissed in anger. "You saw for yourself! She's nearly dead!"
Neither his answer or his attitude seemed to reach her. "Then she still lives..." she said softly.
"No thanks to you!" he snapped. His hands fisted at his sides, hidden by his sleeves. "Why didn't you stop it?"
Kikyou spotted the hint of malice in his eyes. Instead of balking, she took a step towards him, her face calm. "She could have stopped it herself... were she capable." Kikyou's words blended perfectly with the night, a gentle hum in the leaves. "My reincarnation... she was not strong enough to stop even that weak detachment."
Inuyasha deliberately took a step backwards away from her. "She was trying to save the others," he growled softly. "Kagome is not weak."
Kikyou closed the distance between them, resting her fair hands against his arms. "Inuyasha," she said sadly. "Look at what I have been reduced to. The power I once possessed is locked into two bodies. One is this poor imitation before you. The other is that poor little girl who cannot understand what she possesses."
Her eyes searched his. "Do you see now? Kagome is too weak to fight this battle. She does not have the experience, the strength. If she could not destroy this monster, what hope is there against Naraku?"
Her hands suddenly felt very heavy on his arms. He shoved them off angrily. "Kagome failed because she was saving Miroku and Sango! Not because she's weak! And because you just stood there, she might be dying!"
"I know," she said softly. "As I said... she does not have the experience to fight this battle. She does not understand all that is at stake. I do."
His eyes widened. "You... you wanted her to die."
"You misunderstand me. I do not desire any death but Naraku's. And I will kill him. Whatever it takes, Naraku must die. My power must be reconciled." She said it all as if it were the simple truth, begging to be recognized.
Inuyasha shrunk away from her, rage and confusion fighting for dominance. "You want her to die," he repeated, his voice rising.
Kikyou looked at him with a weary sadness that only made his anger spike more. "One of us must. Kagome does not have the skill to complete our charge. This is the only course of action."
"No!" He shook his head, restraining himself. "There's got to be another way."
"Inuyasha," she hissed sternly. "I will do what must be done. Without your support if I must."
For the first time, her cold beauty held no appeal to him. She was fractured, like ice, full of jagged edges and razor splinters. Unreachable. And yet... he had his hand in the corruption of the woman in front of him. Her eyes asked for his trust, his love, his understanding. He saw it, but for the first time wanted no part of it.
"Kikyou... I will not break any of my oaths." His voice was dangerously even, a dam holding a flood of rage and frustration. "But do not," he growled. "Do not ever go near Kagome."
Kikyou finally seemed to feel the bite in his words, retreating slightly. "We are one, Kagome and I. In the end, remember that. Our soul will survive, but only in one body."
"Get out of here," Inuyasha said harshly. "And stay away from Kagome."
"I wouldn't dream of approaching her." Kikyou's facade cracked in the slightest, a cool smile turning her thin lips. "The one you most care for..."
It was darker than it should be, Inuyasha realized. Suddenly Inuyasha was very worried about Kagome. "Kikyou... where are your insects?"
That sad half smile stayed on her face as she regarded him in silence.
A cold fear gripped him, and he turned from her.
"Goodnight, Inuyasha," Kikyou whispered as he ran from her.
For the second time in mere hours, Inuyasha was sprinting for Kagome's life. 'Please,' he pleaded, 'I'm sorry I left you, just please be alright.'
His lungs seized as if frozen, his fears realized. Kikyou's insects wove in and out of the walls of Kaede's hut, glowing eerily. He threw himself through the doorway, panting in rage and fear.
The soul stealers were wrapped intimately around Kagome's still body, the young miko's form glowing softly as the creatures slid to lift her away from the floor. Her fingers and long hair were brushing against the floor as they smoothly constricted around her neck and torso, wrapping her like white silk ribbon. The faintest choke from Kagome's lips broke the heavy dark silence.
"Get off her!" He yelled, slashing at the insects. More moved to try and impede him, but he ripped them like wet paper. "She's not dead yet!" His eyes glowed with fury that outshone their silver light.
He reached Kagome, tearing the demons away from her neck and chest. Kagome tumbled the short distance to the floor, her head banging softly as she struggled to bring air back into her lungs. He crouched at her side, cursing himself for letting her hit the ground ungently as he cut apart the insects which steadfastly attempted to approach the unconscious priestess. They all crumbled away under the force of his claws until the last turned, and, as silently as they arrived, slunk away into the night.
Inuyasha collapsed next to Kagome, breathing heavily. She was still choking a little, but at least she was still breathing. Her beautiful face was screwed into a weak expression of pain, her breathing sounded like a whimper. He could see a mark forming around her neck, where no doubt an ugly bruise would be by morning. Worse, the cut on her stomach was bleeding again. He tore her blanket away and set to work treating it again, more worried about her poor coloring than the state of her undress.
Finished, he wrapped her again tightly in the blanket. Sighing softly in pain and exhaustion, he bent over her until his forehead rested against hers.
"Kagome," he whispered, his breath mingling with her sweet warm air, "Please live, or it really will be my fault." His eyes closed wearily. How could he have been so foolish to have left her alone? How could Kikyou betray him like this-- betray her like this? There had to be other ways. Ways that did not involve the heartless murder of the fragile girl he held. How could Kikyou give up on all of them?
"I won't let anything hurt you again. I'll protect you." The words he had spoken before, but they tasted dangerous on this night, when he was on the knife edge of failure. "Whatever happens, I promise I'll always protect you."
Please review!!! Flame if you like even.
This chapter last updated: Wednesday, July 23, 2003
