And I'm back from hiatus!! TA DAH!! ::bows:: I'm sorry for the long wait, but I finished my manga submission ::applause:: sent it off ::applause:: and finished chapter 19 of Inuki! ::more applause:: I don't know if I've won yet, since the contest isn't finished, but I really don't think I will (It really sucked. All my friends thought it was good, but I know what my best is, and it wasn't even close.) But that's okay, you guys want Inuki anyway, right?? ;p So here it is, the long-awaited nineteenth chapter of Inuki!!
Disclaimer:: Uhm, yeah I don't own Inuyasha. I own Kiley, Seth, Bri, Lori and TC though. ;p
Inuki
Chapter Nineteen :: Intimate
"Get him in here, quickly!!"
The sound of Makoto's rough voice broke Kagome from her temporary daze; the older man had taken Inuki up underneath his arms, carefully hefting the unconscious boy up onto his shoulder and disappearing with him into his son Masaki's house. Kagome nodded absently to herself, agreeing with Makoto even though the man had said nothing to her. They had to act quickly.
As she pulled herself to her feet, she noticed Sakuya standing between the blockade and the cliffs. He had appeared from his post at the end of the street; when exactly, Kagome couldn't remember. His rigid stance and angry expression told Kagome everything she needed to know about his feelings, and when she looked down at Mitaka, who was tugging at her sleeve, she knew the girl felt it as well.
They should have known. Should have realized.
"Kagome-sama, let's get inside, Sakuya will keep watch for now."
Kagome nodded, shaking slightly as she bent down to fetch Tessaiga. White knuckles gripped the blade's sheathe, holding it to her chest as if to assure no one took it from her. Mitaka led her into the dimly-lit room, shutting the shoji behind them.
In the middle of the floor, Inuki lay on a futon, his body one tremble after another. Sweat poured off his frame in buckets, and soft whimpers spilled from his lips without form. Kagome stared at him, her face blank, as though she simply could not comprehend the sight of the black-haired hanyou lying sick in bed.
Makoto knelt at his side, the back of one hand resting on Inuki's forehead. His wife Hoshi stood nearby, wringing her hands. "Well?!" Mitaka finally demanded of the headman. Makoto looked grave when he looked up at the taijiya. "His fever's bad, one of the worst I've seen," Kagome heard him reply, and Mitaka's shrill voice, "Well what does that mean?"
The old man's voice was quiet. "It means that he's been dealt a fairly large amount of poison, and that pretty soon his lungs'll lock up and Kuro'll be back for him." With his words, Kagome's hand tightened around Tessaiga's sheathe.
Only a little while ago...
"Miko-sama? What should we do?"
just like this...
"Kagome-sama?"
I watched the man I loved die. Kagome shook her head. "I won't watch it again." Finally snapping out of her stupor, the miko went to Inuki's side, setting Tessaiga down at his feet. As she did this, she looked up at Mitaka. "Mitaka-chan, please bring me my yellow bag. Makoto-san, I need a bowl of cold water, please. Hurry!"
.n.
In the dark he heard muffled sounds, like words spoke in hushes. A dim, orange flame flickered nearby, setting a faint glow over his closed eyes. His right shoulder burned with white-hot pain that reached across his chest and down his right arm, and his arm was quickly going numb. And as though the room itself were stifling, his chest heaved for air. But he felt every breath was not enough, as though someone were sitting on his chest, and he couldn't breathe.
He could feel his heart racing at a speed which greatly concerned him, but any worries he may have had were drowned out by the throbbing sounds in his head, and Inuki held little much else in his mind except the pain.
He felt someone tugging at his shirt, the buttons being plucked open one by one down his chest and stomach, and then a pair of rough hands helping his lifeless body to sit up. He groaned in agony at the movement, but quieted when he caught her scent. Honey and plumeria...
"Kagome..."
She didn't reply, but he felt his sleeve being pulled away from his shoulder, and then something warm and wet close over his wound. And then, the feeling of a tight, agonizing pulling; his blood was being sucked out of him. The poison with it; he could feel it being drawn from him.
He grunted, face tightening in pain. Kagome moved her head aside and spat, but then moved back and put her lips to the puncture wound again. He tensed again, bearing it until Kagome moved away, spitting again.
She tied the wound off, and Inuki opened his eyes, his blurry vision scanning the room. Sakuya stood across the room, arms folded, and Mitaka knelt next to him, a panicked expression on her small face. He found Kagome at his side, but the candles lighting the room were directly behind her, and he couldn't make out her face. "Ka.. Kagome....."
"Shh," she whispered to him, sounding sad. She set something against his lips, and he touched his tongue to it tentatively. Medicine. He gratefully took it, also drinking the water she offered. Then she eased him back down to the futon. "We don't know when she'll come back, so try to sleep."
He nodded vaguely, his head lolling back as the need to sleep became the one thing in his mind. The last thing he felt before he gave into his body's urges was Kagome's hand, cool and soft, against his cheek.
.n.
Kumo cursed silently to herself, shaking her head every so often as she trampled down trees left and right in her haste. Her true form, that of a huge black widow spider, disagreed violently with the surrounding forest with its close-knit trees and brush. The wound on her forehead throbbed.
"Stupid brat," she shrieked, "Wounding this perfect face of mine. Damn her!" Down went another few trees, the trunks crunching and the leaves fluttering as they crashed to earth, their very roots sticking up in the air from the trauma. That's fine, Kumo told herself repeatedly, That's just perfect. I never needed a reason to kill her, but I will enjoy doing it now.
Something moved out of the corner of Kumo's black globed eyes, and she swung towards it with a hiss of animosity. From underneath a veil of her webs, several dozens of eyes glittered red in the dark. From inside her nest, countless baby Kuromiboujin emerged, newborn and all starving. Kumo smiled at her good fortune.
"My cute children," she smirked at her babies, "I suppose you would like to know how to hunt..." She huddled in the brush, resting against the top of the burrow that was their lair. "I will show you..."
Her fanged grin gleamed in the faint moonlight.
.n.
Kagome opened her eyes suddenly, blinking in the dark from her short nap. She reached for the ceiling in a much-needed stretch, and with a sudden yawn she settled back against the wall, satisfied. Nothing like a good stretch.
In a separate room, Hoshi and Makoto had gone to bed after much assurance from Kagome that things would be taken care of. Mitaka too had dozed off, the young girl not yet used to staying up all night on a youkai hunt. Sakuya was apparently too angry with himself to succumb to slumber; the boy stood at the door, his fingers tapping impatiently against his zanbatou's blade as he watched the outside for signs of youkai.
Kagome looked down at Inuki. He was doing better; his breathing was still a little too fast for her liking, and he was fevering a lot. Thankfully, she thought, he's out of danger for now. But if Kumo comes back soon... he won't be able to withstand a second bite.
"Unh..." Inuki winced, his body tensing in a slight spasm. Kagome went to him instantly, pulling her handkerchief from the bowl of cold water by his futon. She wrung it out and then wiped his face, frowning as she swept his pale features. He's sweating so heavily... Hasn't he gotten over the worst of it..?
Dark brown eyes creaked open. "Uh..."
She smiled at him, hoping the gesture seemed reassuring and didn't betray her true worries. She didn't have to worry because he closed his eyes again anyway. The violent trembles racking his body finally stopped, and his head fell to the side as he relaxed. After a moment, he spoke, his voice quiet. "How long was I asleep?"
"A few hours, I think. Are you in any pain?" she queried, and he shook his head. "Not really.. my body just won't listen to what I'm telling it. I'm numb everywhere." She nodded, setting aside her handkerchief. Her hands tightened around themselves, clenching repeatedly in and out of fists as she gathered her courage.
"Yashagawa-kun, you--"
"Higurashi, I--"
Both teenagers stopped, and after a moment, they both chuckled, partly from relief and partly from amusement. Kagome smiled down at him. "You go first."
"No," he replied, "You go." At this, Kagome pursed her lips, nodding. Again she prepared herself for the worst and set her shoulders. "Yashagawa-kun... you..." She swallowed. "I'm sorry, about what I said earlier."
"Huh?" Her eyes, sad and glittering faint gold from the candles, turned on him, and he felt a wave of emotion go over his numb body. "When I yelled at you... and I said..."
"Oh..." he murmured, his eyes going wide from the memory, "when you said you hoped I got stomped on by the spider." Kagome sagged immediately, as though her shoulders were burdened with too-heavy of a load, and her face fell. "Yeah, that..." Inuki shrugged, or attempted to. His good shoulder twitched. So did his bad one, and he winced slightly. "Don't worry about it," he grit out.
"I can't help but worry about it," she said, her voice both empathetic to his current shoulder pain and exasperated by it. She helped him sit up, her hands nimbly working to remove his old bandage, and while she did so, she continued, "It's just that... Even after I said that to you, you still jumped between me and Kumo." Her eyes met his. "You still protected me."
"Of course I did," he snapped at her, "Did you think I was going to stand there and let that bitch eat you? That's so stupid." He looked away, eyes narrowed. Quietly he added, "I don't care if you hate me, but I would never forgive myself if I let something happen to you."
Kagome looked shocked. "I don't hate you! You're the one who helped me That Night, weren't you??" She lowered her eyes, hands now applying herbal remedies to his wound. "You're not just some boy who's living in my house, or the guy who sits next to me in class... You're important to me."
Inuki closed his mouth. Neither of them needed to add details from "That Night" to recognize it, for both knew the night she meant. The evening of the full moon, of her birthday, when the truth of Inuyasha' death had come to light. And when Inuki had held her against his chest, letting her cry in a way she hadn't ever before. A faint blush colored Inuki's cheeks at the mention of that night, and tightly he responded, "Uh... thanks." Kagome nodded, murmuring softly in response.
For a long time there was nothing said between them; the boy sat still, thoughts flooding his mind while the girl bound his shoulder. It reassured him that Kagome thought more of him than she put on; it made him feel he wasn't by himself in the middle of no-man's land. But despite that, he wished for more. Even the small favor of using his first name...
He barely remembered it now; it felt like a dream. But as he had been slipping into unconsciousness, right after Kumo bit him, he'd heard Kagome call his name. She'd called out "Inuki."
In those short moments, it had made him really happy. She regarded him intimate enough to call him Inuki, and not Yashagawa-kun, even though the honorific had never been overly formal. In fact, Kagome had a way of making it sound specialized just for him.
But he wanted her to call him Inuki. He wanted to hear her say his name.
He reached up, holding his shoulder and rolling it slightly, wincing. "It's a good dressing," he told her, and then with a sheepish grin he added, "Thanks." She nodded, folding unused gauze and storing it away in her kit. Offhandedly she wondered, "What was it you wanted to say? A little while ago."
Inuki's mouth hung open slightly. I... I want you to... Kagome turned to him, as if hearing his unspoken words. But she hadn't; her face was inquisitive, patiently waiting for him to speak. A lump formed in his throat, and he backed down instantly. "Nothing..."
"In that case, I have something I have to ask you." He shrugged and Kagome asked softly, "Would you call me Kagome from now on?"
He had to struggle to keep himself from falling face-forward like he so desperately felt like doing inwardly. How was it she managed to pinpoint whatever it was he tried to keep from her?! "Wh-wh-wh-wh-what?!" Kagome's cheeks flushed pink, and her smile broadened in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "When you shielded me... I heard you call my name. I feel like we've gotten a lot closer than before. I want you to call me Kagome from now, and... I wanted to know if it was okay if I called you Inuki."
He was practically shaking with joy. There was nothing he could do, short of grabbing her in a hug and dancing around the room, to express how utterly happy he was. However, you'd never be able to tell by looking at him.
He half-glanced at her from underneath his dark bangs. "Do whatever you like." Kagome brightened. "Okay. Inuki-kun." He watched her discreetly as she got up onto her knees, moving over to plunk down by his side. Then she gently took his good arm, tugging him downward. He looked up at her in surprise, blushing. "Wha.. What are you doing...??"
Kagome smiled as she guided his head down to her lap. "Lie down and rest for a bit. I think we still have a little while before we have to worry about Kumo. I stabbed her with the Tessaiga. And it may not have been Inuyasha wielding it, but the sword still has powers against youkai; she's not faring too well right now."
Inuki nodded, still lying stiffly against Kagome's thighs. But he could feel himself being lured to sleep by the soothing feeling of her fingers combing through his hair, and her gentle scent of honey and plumeria. She smells so nice...
Kagome looked down. In her lap, Inuki had fallen asleep; his chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm. She smiled softly in the dark room.
.n.
When Inuki opened his eyes, the sun was just starting to peek over the hills, and rays of peach-colored light slipped underneath the bamboo roll and in through the window. Sakuya was still awake, having faithfully kept watch all night, but his body slouched slightly against his weapon, exhausted.
Inuki stood, being careful not to jostle Kagome awake. His rumpled shirt was on the futon, and he tugged it on as he headed to the door by Sakuya. The boy looked up in surprise at him. After a moment he smirked. "Figured you were dead by now, you weakling." Despite the harsh words, he allowed the relief to come through, and Inuki didn't miss it, even though it was probably because Inuki was just another good hand to help fight Kumo.
"Any sightings?" the hanyou wondered, and Sakuya shook his head silently. Inuki clicked his tongue with an air of annoyance, looking over the small village. He put on hand over his bad shoulder, rotating the arm to test it. It ached a little, but at least it wasn't the shooting, numbing pains of the previous evening.
It occurred to Inuki that Kagome had saved his life, and that he owed her one. He glanced back at the girl, who was curled up on the futon, sleeping peacefully. She was so much stronger than she seemed; Inuyasha's death had summoned a dark cloud that hid the truly beautiful and powerful person she really was. To Inuki, one smile lit up the room. Her laugh drowned out everything that was bad.
And he was grateful that he was alive to be able to see her smile again.
"Are you in love with her?"
The six words broke him from his thoughts. His cheeks quickly flushing bright red, Inuki quickly discerned the meaning of the words, and the direction they'd come from. His dinner plate-wide eyes landed on Sakuya's mischievous mug. And though he meant to reply with something that made sense, his jaw disengaged and he instead burbled, "Wha-bu.. Huh?"
Irked, Sakuya waved a hand in the other boy's direction. "Never mind, you haven't gotten past the fidgeting phase yet..."
Inuki frowned, irritated by Sakuya's know-it-all attitude. "What about you? You and Mitaka-chan... Are you?" He gestured at him knowingly, "You know." Sakuya nodded, crossing his arms and glancing back into the room at Mitaka.
"Yeah.. For a while now. It was Sango-sensei and Mi-chan who found me. When my village was attacked by a group of youkai, I was the only one who fought back. Everyone was so weak... every one of the worthless, scared bastards were killed, just leaving me." Sakuya looked up at Inuki, eyes blazing. "I thought that, you know? For the longest time I thought the only way to survive was through power. To live you had to be the strongest."
He smirked, looking towards his feet. "Mi-chan ain't like that though. Even though she's smaller than me, she always beat me. That was when I realized you didn't necessarily have to be strong physically. It could be your heart that was strong. I'd still be that way if she hadn't taken pity on me and loved me first."
Then the boy-taijiya shrugged and looked outside. "Course, you're just a wuss, physically and the other." Inuki growled. "You wanna fight?"
"Trouble!! Taijiya-san, it's come again!"
Instantly Sakuya and Inuki were tensed for battle, as the terrified man hauled down the road, screaming his head off. Sakuya pulled his zanbatou out of the ground, cursing sarcastically. "Idiot, yell a little louder; I don't think she knows we've seen her yet!"
Kumo was indeed coming, and in the daylight her true form's size could easily be distinguished from the surroundings. She was, as Sakuya had estimated the day before, not very big. Her body itself was about the size of a large office desk. It was her long legs that made up the most of her mass; eight thick appendages that she swung in any direction, batting aside terrified villagers as though she were a cat playing with a disabled mouse.
And that wasn't all that Inuki noticed. Little black Kuromiboujin babies scuttled over the fallen villagers that their mother had taken out for them, leaping and biting at will. There were at least 30, very likely even more, but they moved so quickly, swarming like an army of ants, that he couldn't even begin to get a correct head count.
Uttering a few choice words, Inuki spun around glaring back into the dim hut. "Kagome! Mitaka! Wake up!!" The miko stirred awake, looking up with sleepy eyes. "Hm? What?" After a second her eyes focused on Inuki, and she dropped her head to rub her eyes from the bright dawn just past his silhouette. "What are you yelling about..."
"Kumo's back, you idiot, get up!!!"
The words translated instantaneously, and Kagome stumbled up, not bothering with her shoes. She slung her weapon, shaking awake Mitaka as she did. When she looked up, Inuki had already disappeared out the door. Fear tightened in her chest like a vice. "Inuki-kun, your wound isn't healed yet!!"
.n.
It seemed obvious now that the original plans from the night before were useless, since it was the village who had been ambushed and not the spider, but at least the damn villagers could help, like they'd originally offered. That was really the only thing Inuki thought of as he swatted aside and stabbed through the baby spiders. But no, the humans that were left huddled in horror-stricken clumps in their homes, crying in fear.
At least he could use Tessaiga. The fully-transformed blade felt like a feather in his hands, as he swung to and fro, taking out babies that were about the size of cocker spaniels. Even then, eliminating 5 or 6 with every swing of the sword, there was no end to the army.
Across the way, Sakuya's much larger blade was taking out 8 or 9, and even he was making no dent in them. The younger boy was doing very well for being so tired; even having stayed up all night was no comparison to the rush of adrenaline the fight brought.
Kagome and Mitaka finally emerged from Makoto's house, and deftly moved within the storm to gather the survivors and bring them behind the safety of the blockade, still left up from the plans last night. There, Mitaka's quick blades made short work of the babies, Kagome's arrows dusting them easily.
And still they came.
"God!" Kagome interjected, dangerously close to pulling an Inuyasha and cursing, "There's just no end to them!!"
"Kuromiboujin can have up to 300 babies!" Mitaka called, and then Kagome did curse. Twang! Twang twang twang! Arrow after arrow, and finally there was a short break. "This is going to take forever!! Someone's gotta run out of steam sometime!!"
"I have the sinking feeling it'll be us," Inuki said, suddenly at her side. Kagome blinked, not realizing when he'd gotten there. Protecting Mitaka-chan was Sakuya, though he looked like he might drop any minute.
The two of them had brought over the last of the survivors, and now, 13 people, 2 taijiya and 2 kids from the future stood facing an enormous spider and her babies. Kumo loomed over them, a wide grin splitting her inhuman face and showing off the fangs that dripped with venom. "Well well well..." she crooned, "How the mighty have fallen. Didn't the lot of you intend to trap ME here and kill me? How the tables have turned!"
Kagome swallowed, the feeling of being cornered surrounding her, suffocating her. The dozens of red eyes staring hungrily at her did nothing but cement the feel of the cold, hard stone behind her, and intensify the lump in her throat the size of a rock. It's been a long time since I was scared like this.. A long time.. Inuyasha...!
Someone's hand snapped around hers. Kagome looked up at Inuki and he shook his head. She could feel him willing his strength to her, his confidence in himself. And in her. "It's alright. Don't lose it on me now, I promised to protect you."
Feeling his strength, Kagome felt her own confidence renew itself, and she swallowed past the lump, glaring up at the gigantic spider-demon. And then, before anyone could do anything, there was another feeling she hadn't felt in half a year.
The presence of a Shikon shard!
Kagome's eyes snapped wide open and she slipped her hand into her pocket, where the Shikon no Tama had been since she and Inuki left her house two days ago. Her eyes, if it were possible, widened even more when she looked upon the globe.
It's.. glowing!!
...To be continued
a/n :: You guys know I like reviews, right? ();p lol But it's not like I'm going to threaten you into reviewing... (I want 10 reviews by the end of the week or no more cookies for you! Mua haha!!) ::smacks the chibi Tess with little devil wings on shoulder:: Don't mind her, she's uh.. not a people person. Till the next chapter!!
;p
.Tessen.