A/N: Only one thing to say: KgurL9034 – Your wish is my command…
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My Favorite Color(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")
By: Yabou
Part 5 – Get Away--
Slip away to clear your mind--
The only thing that he could feel was the wind whipping through his hair. The only things he could here were his feet as they pounded against the fall leaves and propelled him further away from the girl he was leaving behind. What am I supposed to do?
He had struggled with the thought she had given him to chew on. He had asked her about it, and he had practically begged her to tell him that she was lying. She just had to be. It couldn't be any other way.
He couldn't take knowing that he had failed. He couldn't stand the fact that all of his hard work and strength had went down the drain. All of his hope had just died with the look of pity trapped within Kagome's eyes.
How could he hope for anything now? His plans had been thwarted by his stupid demon blood. That's what it was now. He didn't care about the Shikon no Tama. He didn't care about the new moon. He didn't care to change.
She didn't want him to.
And within a single look, his entire world had come crashing down like flood in the middle of a god-forsaken desert. He ignored the branches snatching at his skin and hair and forced his body faster. He wanted to be as far away from them as physically possible.
What if-? No. It wouldn't happen. He wouldn't allow it. He would go to the other side of Japan if need be, but he would do everything that it took to stay away. To keep her safe.
A large thorny vine caught him stiffly in the side. He disregarded the ache in his chest and dismissed it as another unwanted weakness. That's all he could ever be. Weak. He scoffed and allowed one hand to clutch the blood-soaked side.
His breathing was becoming more ragged as the blood loss began to affect his body. Weak. He growled in a low, disgusted tone. His hand flexed against the sword. How could he risk changing into…into that again? The answer was simple.
He couldn't. I can't.
Meekly, he slumped against the nearest tree and bowed his head in shame. I should have known. I should have never even allowed-. He sighed. It was a weakness. It was all a weakness.
His eyes closed against the pain, and he told himself that it was only the one in his side. It definitely was not his blackened heart that was aching so badly. The throbbing pain that nearly blinded him was only a physical ailment. It would be solved by morning. Unlike other problems.
His heart whispered that she would follow. No matter what; she would always come to him. She always has.
His eyes narrowed. I can't allow it. She has to stay away. His hand tightened around the hilt of his blade. She has to realize what a…a monster I can become. I am a demon, and she is only a weak little girl. She just doesn't realize. He sighed, not believing any of his own reasoning.
She'll find me before morning.
The steady beat of his heart against his ribcage lulled him into a dream-like trance. Well, that and the blood loss that was finally taking its toll. Slowly, his head fell to one side, and he dozed fitfully underneath the huge oak.
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"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out into the inky darkness as she ran off in the direction he had fled. "Inuyasha, where are you?"
She struggled to tamp her fears down and think clearly. Where did he go? I don't understand why he always runs away whenever something like this happens. Doesn't he see that we all want to help him any way we can? It's not just his problem.
She nearly passed out at the heavy amounts of blood smeared across a wicked vine. Her hand reached out and touched the sticky liquid while her brain began compiling as many deadly scenarios as it could. What happened? "Inuyasha!" She yelled and began following the blood trail.
It didn't take long for her to stumble upon his body laid out beneath a tree. Is he-? No. "You can't be dead." She kneeled down at his side and cautiously touched her hand to his cheek. "Inuyasha?" His skin is clammy.
Her eyes pooled with tears as she checked for a pulse. There! He had a strong, steady pulse. But how? "Inuyasha?" A single finger ran along his jaw line to his chin.
He mumbled something incoherently and turned his head to the other side.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice steadied, grasping his chin between her thumb and forefinger.
"Hmm…?" He tried to pull his face away, but she held firm.
"Inuyasha." She shook his shoulder with her free hand. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Her brow furrowed when he still refused to wake. It wasn't like him to just…to just fall asleep. He was always awake and alert, especially out in the middle of nowhere.
"Huh?" His eyes barely opened. "W-what?"
"Inuyasha." Kagome placed both of her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward. "Inuyasha, you've got to wake up now."
He shook his head and tried to clear away the fog, but it quickly settled back over his mind. "I-I'm trying." He grunted.
Now she was beginning to worry all over again. "I'm going to look at your wound, Inuyasha. Okay? I think you may have been poisoned by that vine-tree."
He weakly nodded and moved an arm to give her easier access to the cut. "I-it's nothing."
She frowned. He wasn't even fighting against it this time. Something was definitely wrong. Examining the scrape, it looked more like a burn or a rash than it did a slice. How strange. Careful not to touch anything with her own hands, she took the handkerchief from her pocket and touched the "rash."
She gasped when a large amount of red powder came off of his flesh and onto the cloth. Oh no. "I-Inuyasha." She tried not to let him hear the worry in her voice. "I'm going to look at that tree for one second, and then I'll be right back. Please, don't move."
He nodded again.
"And, Inuyasha." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Whatever you do, don't go back to sleep. Please, do anything else just don't go to sleep."
With his forced reply, she ran the short distance back to where she had seen the blood-covered vine-tree. What? She looked around the area in confusion. There were the rocks she had tripped over every step of the way. And, there was the bush of poisonous berries she had been sure to avoid.
She could also see the same crow sitting high up in the branches of another tree, but…the vine-tree was gone. Carefully, she searched the ground and was horrified to find the red powder covering the area. Except…there were a set of slithering marks going away from the area. No.
Turning quickly on her heel, she ran back to Inuyasha's side. What did Kaede say about the ivy demon? What did she teach me about its poison? Urgh! Remember, remember. Think! Looking over her shoulder just to make sure, she fell down against the tree he was leaning on. She was glad that he was avoiding going back to sleep.
"Inuyasha?" She turned and put one hand on his shoulder. "We're going to have to move away from here. We're too close to the ivy demon right now. We have to get away from all of this red powder."
He frowned but nodded in compliance. Throwing his arm around her shoulder, she began leading him in the opposite direction. They had to get further away. I don't know how far he can go like this. That poison is really potent, and he's practically bathed in it.
Inuyasha struggled against the haze as they hobbled toward some unknown destination in the distance. He could feel it sinking deeper into his bones and fought with all of his strength to overpower it, even if just for a moment. He had to warn her. He had to tell her to get away from him before he lost control again. But his body felt so heavy and lethargic, and the thought of sleep sounded so good.
Kagome bit her lip to keep back the tears when she felt his body going limp beside her own. He's dying. She allowed her body to collapse against a large rock formation, and the tears began to follow against her own bidding. "Where should we go? I can't just leave him out here in the open like this. The demons will come and finish him off before morning."
Her hands fell heavily against the moss covering the rock, but one hand didn't stop like it should have. It continued on into what looked like a tiny cave. Her eyes widened as she moved the foliage away to look into the tiny room. Old straw was piled in one corner, and the steady dripping told her that there was a mineral stream inside.
With the last of her strength, she wrapped her arms around the hanyou's waist and pulled him into the safety of the cave. It was well hidden by the tall grasses and would serve them well until he could be moved again. As soon as his body was laid out on the straw, she removed his haori and yukata so that she could see the full damage done by the vine-tree.
Tossing some of the water from the pool up onto her handkerchief, she wiped as much of the red powder off as possible before rinsing it off and starting in a new area. She knew that there was only so much that she could really do since it had already been able to get into his blood without having to sink through his skin, but she prayed that it was enough.
After thoroughly cleaning his upper body, she washed the red fire-rat's fur, which had the thickest layer of poison on it. Kaede said that the vine-tree is a very rare form of ivy demon. It captures its prey by spraying large amounts of a red poison into the air, which numbs the prey into a dream-like state. Then, the vine is able to coil itself around the animal and inject a second poison directly into the skin that acts as a catalyst between the blood and the red powder.
A tear rolled down her cheek when she remembered the last part of the lesson. Most smaller demons will die within twenty-four hours of the injection. "Inuyasha," she put the soaked haori up to dry and moved back to his side. "You can't die on me."
"Kagome," Kaede lifted the red powder in front of her face. "Do you know why I can touch this without being harmed?"
"Um…" Kagome blushed for being caught not paying attention. "No?"
Kaede laughed. "It is because I am a miko, child. Our blood is different from that of a demon and that of a human."
"What does that mean?" Kagome propped her head up on her hands, finally interested in the subject.
The old woman smiled and put the powder away. "It means that our blood is the cure for this particular wound."
"What?" The younger miko crinkled her nose at the prospect of how such a cure would be administered.
"Injection." Kagome looked at Inuyasha's face. He began tossing and turning in his sleep. "Don't worry, Inuyasha." Kagome picked up one of his hands and held it against the palm of her hand. "I'll save you this time." She moved one of the dagger-like claws against her skin and winced when the blood began to pool.
Laying his arm back on the ground, she pressed her injured hand against the wound and began rubbing it in small circles, making sure to cover the area completely. Her eyes watched the progress meticulously, looking for any sign of change.
When she was satisfied that it was completely covered, she wrapped the cleaned handkerchief around her own hand. Brushing a few sweat-soaked strands of silver hair away from his face, she couldn't help leaning forward and lightly touching her lips to his forehead.
She was pleased to find his skin cool beneath her mouth. He would be okay. He had to be. He had to be. With a small sigh in the back of her throat, she moved to curl up in the corner of the cave, but found herself trapped by a hand.
His eyes were staring weakly at her, and his voice was so low that she couldn't tell if she'd heard him say something or not. "W-what?" She moved closer to hear him better.
"Stay." It was only one word. She tried to convince herself that the fever had went to his head, but as she had experienced only moments before, he didn't have a fever anymore. So, with a small nod she laid down in the straw and allowed him to wrap his arm around her waist as he fell back into a much lighter sleep.
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A/N: Little fluff? Yeah…More to come...hehehehe.
Yabou