I'll keep this brief, as I know you want to get to the story. Read the AN at the bottom, please! Enjoy!
Dedicated to my first reviewer, penguinlover7! Thanks!
25 - Snapping the Comb
"In the flesh!" Yura announced as she hopped from strand to strand, quickly making her way to where Kagome and Miroku stood.
"Yep, lots of flesh..." Miroku mummbled absently as he watched the black material of her small outfit glisten in the moonlight.
SMACK!
"That's for Sango, you pervert!" Kagome huffed, momentarily forgetting that an experienced assassin was nearing them. 'Just makes me more thankful that Inuyasha is so devoted... Inuyasha!' She finally regained her senses in enough time to hop backward just as Yura slashed a hidden blade her way.
"Now, now. Why not make this easy and stand still? I promise it won't be too painful," she cooed with her crimson eyes glittering with hidden laughter. Suddenly she did a back flip and landed high up in the maze of hair as Miroku swung a large tree branch at her.
"Damn," he muttered, steadying himself as the weight of the branch caught him unbalanced. Both looked up at Yura's form. With the moon to her back and those glittering eyes watching them as she layed her weapon delicately across her left shoulder, the woman was absolutely terrifying.
Kagome's mind raced as her eyes darted around frantically, eventually landing on her fiance's back. 'Why aren't they breaking free?' Suddenly the mental image of her finger being cut by a mere touch of the deadly thread crossed her mind's eye. 'If they even move they'll be sliced to bits... I guess they figured that out by now by the way they aren't moving...'
"Kagome, watch out!" she heard Miroku say right before he pushed her to the ground, narrowly missing a surge of the demoness' hair. "Go get Sango and Inuyasha out of that hair," he whispered in her hair as he slowly got off her. "I'll distract her!"
She nodded, knowing that getting the two out of the hair was their only hope. Miroku wasn't a fighter and she could only count on a moment or so before Yura realized what she was doing as she carefully darted through the sharp hair, slicing her arms and legs here and there. Scuttling over a couple more strands she was finally in front of them and nearly gasped at the site. The silky hair was wrapped in bunches around various parts of their bodies, including their mouths.
Kagome gasped as she looked at Inuyasha. She abandoned the earlier thought that he had been smart and realized what was happening, because now she could see the large amount of blood leaking from the multitude of gashes made in result of his constant struggling. Her eyes widened as she almost screamed, but then mentally slapped herself. 'Focus!' she mentally berated herself.
By now Inuyasha had seen her and was struggling even more against his deadly bindings, droplets of crimson landing on the ground with each jerk of his body. Kagome bit her tongue, desperately wanting to yell at him. Instead she looked around for something sharp, not even thinking about how Miroku was fairing against Yura.
He had been dodging her attempts to slice his head off by blocking her blade with the branch, but it wouldn't hold out for long. The wood was easily splintering fast and her attacks were becoming quicker and stronger. His light blue eyes darted to where Kagome stood, looking around for something to cut Inuyasha and Sango down. 'Just a little longer...' he thought.
Suddenly it happened. The branch that had been protecting him snapped in half, chunks of wood littering the ground at his feet.
"So..." Yura said with a smirk as she ran her finger along the edge of her blade. "Which do you prefer? A quick jab through the heart or decapitation?"
Kagome knew Miroku was in trouble when she heard Yura's voice, but nothing she was trying worked. Everything that touched the hair was sliced in half by it's blade-like edges. Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes as she saw Yura's blade flash in the moonlight, getting ready to slice through Miroku like butter. Sango and Inuyasha were suffering from blood loss, and she was just sitting there, watching it all happen. Her heart rate increased as a feeling of complete panic filled her body, causing her breath to hitch and her vision to blur. Sweat dripped down her face and mingled with her tears of despiration as her eyes blinked heavily, landing on Inuyasha.
His face sent her over the edge. Suddenly she felt a strange power surge through her veins, causing her body to go rigid. She felt a small wind wrap around her, soothing her in a strange way as a flash of lilac light formed near her chest. Her body was quickly relaxing, allowing the darkness of sleep to settle over her quickly.
But she willed herself to stay awake as she felt the strange pulsing sensation settle on her fingertips, as thought waiting for something. Then she knew what to do. With her last ounce of strength, she pushed herself forward, wrapping her arms around Inuyasha's waist.
'What is that moron doing!' he thought frantically, knowing the hair was cutting him to pieces. 'She'll get hurt! And what the hell is that weird light?'
Then the pain of the wounds on his body stopped. When she touched him, the hair was broken and his cuts stop bleeding. The light surrounded them, briefly flashing brightly before disappearing completely. Kagome fell slack against his body, falling into his arms with a sigh.
"Kagome!" His voice was raspy as his clawed hands clutched her shoulder, his frantic eyes scanning for injuries over her fragile body.
"Inuyasha!" he heard Sango gasp next to him as she fell to the ground, covered with cuts from the hair. "What happened?"
"I don't know," called an angry voice from behind them, "But I don't care for it!" Inuyasha heard it before it reached them. He scooped up Kagome and Sango, leaping out of the way as a large amount of hair surged in their direction.
"Damn you Yura!" he called with venom as he landed near where Miroku lay in a pool of blood.
Sango immediately was at his side, calling his name softly as she looked him over. Inuyasha still had Kagome clutched tightly in his arms, never removing his glare from where Yura smirked at them from high in the web of hair. "Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way," she said as she examined her fingernails critically. "I was hoping this would be done early enough to go to the bar, but that little bitch just had to tap the power of the Shikon..."
Inuyasha growled. 'So it was the Shikon no Tama that released Sango and me?' He carefully layed Kagome down near Miroku. "How is he Sango?" he said with downcast eyes.
She looked up to him with tears glittering in her magenta eyes, her cheeks still red with drops of blood. "He's alive... She stabbed him through the shoulder and his right hand... I'll try to stop the bleeding."
"Protect them both," he said as he turned to face Yura.
"You aren't going to fight her! Inuyasha, be reasonable! She'll kill you-"
"So! She was planning on killing us all anyway! If I go down, I'll go down fighting! Just watch over them... cousin."
She heard the passion in his voice. He was going to do this wether she wanted him to or not. With a quick nod she turned and started ripping pieces off the bottom of her sun dress and wrapping Miroku's wounds.
"Well, that was sickening," Yura said in a bored tone. "Are you ready to die yet? Want to get a cup of coffee first?"
"Haha. You're funny Yura," he said in a flat tone.
"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning! Don't worry," she told him with a grin as she leapt forward, "You won't ever have that problem again!"
He jumped to the side to dodge, only to hit a wall of razor-edged hair. "Damn!" he called as it sunk into his side, causing more bleeding.
She closed in on him again, slicing his left shoulder with her blade.
The blood loss was dizzying, but he kept his composure. He wouldn't give Yura the satisfaction of killing him. With his left arm now useless, he put his right hand to his side, covering it with blood.
As she attacked again, he brought his hand down, slashing through the air as his voice ripped through the silent air. "Sankontessou!" Large red blades flew at her, quickly slicing through part of her stomach and completely detaching her right arm. A half-hearted grin spread across his face. He was happy, yet, despite how he acted, hurting others wasn't high on his priority list.
"Well, what a naughty little half demon!" she admonished, a light frown on her face.
'What the hell... Why isn't she withering with pain? She just lost an arm!' he thought, gripping his left shoulder as he took deep breaths to ignore the pain that coarsed through him.
Before he could say anything, the arm flew back to her and was reattacted by the hair with a flick of her comb. "Hmmm... I guess I will need to end this quick if you're going to play dirty."
He heard the sound of approaching hair again and leapt away, narrowly avoiding the main force as it hit his foot. "Damn! I can't see where the hair is coming from!"
"The comb..." a small voice called from behind him. His eyes darted back, resting on Kagome's limp form as she struggled to stand. "The comb she's holding is where the hair is coming from..."
"Kagome!" he said as he took a step toward her.
"Don't even think about it!" Yura lunged at Kagome, raising her comb and sending a swell of hair at the half-conscious teen.
"Ah!" Sango called as she landed a spinning heel kick to the assassin's skull, surprising her into dropping both her blade and the large comb.
"Damn!" she screamed as she scrambled for her things. Inuyasha's fist connected with her face in a sickening crunch, making Sango feel like she was going to throw up.
"Looking for this?" Kagome asked as she stood over Yura's bleeding body as a look of pure fear crossed her crimson eyes. With a small grin, she easily snapped the thin wooden comb in half.
The next thing Kagome was aware of was a warm fuzzy feeling, like she was wrapped in a coccoon of happiness. Her thoughts were running wild as her memory was coming back to her in drops. 'Inuyasha... hair... Yura... comb... Miroku... wounded... blood...' Suddenly her coccoon wasn't so fuzzy anymore.
Her eyes shot open as she woke, trying to figure out where she was. In front of her was an off-white wall, lined with deep blue chairs. To her right was a desk with people scurrying like mice around it, talking with quick words and hard tones. But the smell... that scent of medicine and bleach. That's what told her where she was. She was in the hospital again.
She tried to move but found that her arms were practically pinned to her side by the blanket that surrounded her entire body with her head sticking out the end. 'Well, there's the 'coccoon of happiness' from my dream...' she thought irritably as she struggled against the bindings.
"Geesh, quit wiggling!" someone said from above her. She instantly realized that her head was laying on something soft... that wasn't a pillow. In fact, it was her boyfriend's lap.
"Inuyasha!" she gasped, doing a complete jerk and bashing her forehead against his chin.
"Damn, woman!" he said rubbing his chin while a hand brushed her bangs back and inspected the growing lump. "If you would have just sat still..."
"Where's Yura? Why are we in the hospital? What about Miroku? Is he okay? Why did I pass out? How did you get out of the hair? Why-"
Her questions stopped as Inuyasha did the only thing that would shut her up. He kissed her. Hard.
After they broke apart, Kagome's face was flushed and she was left gasping for air. Setting aside his swelled ego, Inuyasha grinned. "Now shut up and listen and I'll explain what happened."
She nodded.
"When you couldn't figure out how to release us from the hair, you started freaking out. More than normal." She glared at him, but he continued like he didn't notice. "Then the Shikon started to glow and you hugged me. Somehow, the jewel cut me and Sango loose and you passed out."
She looked down at her neck, seeing the chain that connected to the jewel resting on her chest. 'Thanks, Shikon,' she thought, realizing how foolish is was to thank an inanimate object.
"After that, we got to Miroku and he was stabbed through the shoulder and his right palm-"
"Oh my goodness, is he all right!" she exclaimed, flopping in his lap again.
He pinned her down with one hand and sighed. "Yeah, he's all right. Sango stopped the bleeding and we got him here quick enough for there to be minimal damage to him. His hand though... It's going to take a while to heal."
"But he'll be okay?" her voice sqeaked.
"Yeah, he will be," he said as he brushed back her bangs gently.
"And what about you and Sango? All those cuts..."
"I'm fine, wench! My cut were healed within minutes thanks to my demon blood." Kagome knew that, but it was still nice to be assured. "And Sango is all bandaged up. We all got out okay. But I couldn't say the same for Yura..."
"Yeah!" She hopped again, despite his death grip on her shoulders. "I remember something about a comb..."
"You don't remember what happened?" She shook her head lightly. "You stood up after you passed out and told us that the comb was where the hair was coming from. Sango and I immobilized her, then you broke the comb. After that... well, she just dissolved."
"Like... Disappeared?" she questioned.
"Yeah. She just kinda melted. You know, like the wicked witch of the west in the Wizard of Oz."
"Why would that happen?"
"Because, in reality, she was only a comb," came a tired voice from a couple feet away.
"Sango!" they both said, Kagome once again bouncing in her coccoon.
"Hey."
"How's Miroku doing?" Inuyasha asked.
"He just got out of surgery. I came to get you guys to see him." Kagome noted the large amount of bandages on her body and the way her eyes drooped.
'Sango must've lost enough blood to make her tired,' she thought absently as Inuyasha helped her out of the blanket. "Why did you wrap me like this anyway, Inuyasha?"
He grinned mischievously. "Because I knew when you woke up you'd be hopping around and you weren't ready for that. Plus, any excuse to get you on my lap..."
She punched his shoulder with a blush running rampant across her face. Sango just smile lightly and led them to Miroku's room.
"Sango, what did you mean by Yura being a comb?" Kagome asked, a confused expression crossing her face.
"Exactly what I said. The comb was possessed by a demon and turned into Yura. So, by destroying the comb, you destroyed her."
"Ah," Kagome said in understanding before stopping in her tracks. "You... You mean... I killed her?"
Inuyasha just took her hand and dragged her along the hallway. "You did it to save us. Don't worry about it right now." His tone was final and she shook her head numbly, still not able to grasp that she had someone's blood on her hands.
After assuring them that he was okay for nearly twenty minutes, Miroku watched as Kagome and Inuyasha walked out of the hospital room and headed back to their apartment. He himself had told them to go home. Kagome still looked slightly pale and he guessed she and Inuyasha needed some 'alone time' after that incident. A grin crossed his face. 'Wow, everyone's right. I am a pervert...'
"So," Sango said as she sat in the chair to his left and took his undamaged hand in hers, "How do you really feel?"
"What do you mean, my love? I'm fine!" he said with as much of a smile as he could muster.
She just glared back and he sighed. "Come on Miroku. I know you wouldn't burden them with too much, knowing that Kagome wasn't one hundred percent."
"Ah my dear, you know me too well," he said as the corners of his mouth drooped slightly. He tightened his grip on Sango's hand as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Physically, I'll be fine. My shoulder doesn't hurt anymore, and my hand only throbs a little. But..."
"Yeah?" she asked patiently.
"It's just hard. Having that blade swung at me, feeling like each hit to that branch was one closer to my death... I was..." His throat closed up and his breath became ragged as he tried to regain his composure. "I was so afraid, Sango... So afraid I'd never see your face again..." His eyes burned and as he closed them, hoping to hide the sudden tears that threatened to over take his normally calm disposition.
But Sango wasn't fooled. She got up, sat on the edge of his bed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, allowing him to rest his head against her chest. "It's okay, sweetheart," she said, finding that her voice was cracking. "You can let it out. I'm right here."
He wrapped his arms around her lightly, being careful with how he moved his injured hand as he cried into her shirt. "I didn't want to die!" he cried softly, tangling his left hand in the back of her shirt.
She ran her fingers through his hair, whispering little comforting words. She realized with a start that she had tears running down her face as well, knowing that he could've been ripped away from her that night. "It's okay... You're here now and that's all that matters... I love you..."
They stayed that way for a long time, both of them releasing the tension from the day. When a nurse came in two hours later to change Miroku's bandages, that's how she found them, fast asleep.
"Yeah, we're all okay! Geesh, calm down Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha practically yelled over the phone.
Kagome slightly smile at the thought of Sesshomaru having to be told to calm down, but it was gone as soon as it came. Something important was still weighing on her heart as she stared at the ceiling of her and Inuyasha's little bedroom. Inuyasha had carried her home after she nearly fell asleep in the elevator at the hospital and she woke up in her bed with one of his large t-shirts on. At first she had been furious that he changed her clothes, but then realized that she still had on her undershirt and shorts. She brought her hands up and ran her fingers through her short ebony locks, taking a deep breath. Her eyes closed and she relaxed her entire body, one hand going to the jewel that rested around her neck. 'You saved everyone... But somehow I think you're responsible for killing Yura just as much as I am, Shikon.'
The mattress next to her dented slightly under the weight of Inuyasha climbing into bed next to her. At first he didn't say anything, choosing instead to drape his arm over her stomach and bury his nose in her neck. They stayed that way for awhile, long enough to make Kagome believe that her significant other was asleep. She sighed softly and closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears she knew would come.
"What's on you're mind, Gome?" Inuyasha mummbled against her skin, making her shiver and covering her flesh with goose bumps. Even though he liked being able to get that kind of reaction out of her, he knew something was wrong. "Why are you crying?"
His voice sounded so innocent to her ears, like the words would break if she thought about them too hard. "I... I don't know, Inu."
"Yes you do. Just tell me." He nuzzled her neck slightly, willing her to continue.
"I guess I... feel bad..." she stuttered. "I wanted... to save everyone..." Now her voice was cracking as the tears slid down her cheeks. "But... I never... wanted... to kill her..."
Inuyasha sat up slightly and looked into her deep chocolate eyes. He could see the genuine hurt and self-hatred in them, because he had given the mirror that look all his life. Before he met her, that is. His hand went from her stomach to her cheek as he lightly kissed her tears away.
Kagome could hardly think as his lips brushed against her skin, sending a blush down her neck and across her chest. "What you did..." he muttered in between tears, "was save us. Yura dieing... was unfortunate, but... there was nothing else..." When her tears were gone he tilted her head toward him, briefly capturing her lips. "You can't focus on the past. What happened is over and you can't change it. Sure, you might feel bad for a little while, but you can't let what happened hold you down. Look at Sango. She nearly killed us all, but she knows that dwelling on it would only bring more pain to her and us." He lightly brushed her bangs from her face, twirling the raven locks between his fingers. "Please Kagome... don't beat yourself up over something you can't change."
She gave him a sincere smile and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his shoulder. "I'll try. I'll try my best."
"Good. Get some sleep. Sesshomaru wants to see us all tomorrow morning."
"I figured he would after hearing the phone call."
A grin crossed his handsome face. "Yeah, he was flipping out. Hard to believe, huh?"
With a giggle she settled herself and took a deep breath, knowing that if she could sleep with Inuyasha's arms around her for the rest of her life that she would be strong. Just for him.
To all my Friends and Reviewers -
penguinlover7 - Thanks! Yeah, I'm sorry about that! I'm doing my best!
Lanerz - Oh, it's perfectly okay! It's the reviewers who want the rest of the story who make it all worth while! And feel free to give me a kick in the butt any time! Hehe... I have something in mind for that fish... And I got my AIM working again! I'm not on a lot, but email me your screen name and I'll add you! Email addresses don't show up in the reviews, but you can get mine from my user page. I'm really honored you like my story! This story is like my baby... the first one I ever wrote! Ha! Yeah, Inu-clown... Hehe! Oh, have fun in Boston! Much love!
eliteElite - Of coarse!
pistachio564 - Hehe! Thank you for that! I'm so glad to know that you like my story! Makes it all worth my time! I would too!
JadeElemental - Yeah, I blame that part of the chapter on you! Such a bad influence... And you know she can't be all good girl! It's not possible! Well, deal with it. I decided 'Gome' is her nickname way earlier in the story. Besides, everyone calls her 'Kag' in fanfics. I am not a conformist! ... But, yes it does sound like food. Maybe a rice dish? Anyway, what would Sesshy do without Jaken? Who would do the menial tasks that are below my beloved Sesshy-sama? See, he's ((slightly)) useful. I have a plan for that fish... I personally have nothing against it, but I know someone who does! Hehe, I'm evil! Yesh! Then be glad, Yura's not coming back, I promise! She was annoying... (hugs her Sesshy-sama) Yep, I'm glad you approve! I can accept his cold demenor for silent love! Right, koi? (Sesshy- stares) See? Isn't he cute! Love and Hugs!
Sangonesan - Hehe! I've gotten much love for the Inu-clown! Glad you like him!
Anime-Devil-101 - Totally cute, no? Hehe!
Manda - I've had worse cliffies! Plus, they make the story fun! Really! (whistles innocently) Hehe...
Life sucks. live with it - Thanks so much! No worries, I will!
sapphire-glass - Aw, it's okay Sapph-chan! I'm just glad you're still reading! It make me happy! W00t! I'll be waiting, so you better make it good! Just for me! ((I'm that special!)) Love and Hugs, meh furry friend!
Devilchild34 - Hehe, thankies! Well, of coarse Naraku screws everything up! If he just lost intrest and decided to become a used car salesman ((random example)) then he wouldn't be Naraku, now would he? (winks)
First off, I need to ask everyone a favor... If you remember most of the story, please tell me if I'm contradicting myself with these later chapters. I plan to go fix the little plot holes that are no doubt there, so I'd appreciate the help. So if you see anything I've messed up on plot wise based on the earlier chapters, I'd love for you to tell me! Thanks!
Secondly, sorry for the horrible fight scene. As most of you know, I'm much better at the fluffy stuff than action scenes. I tried!
Okay guys! I can't believe how long this story has gotten! I didn't plan on it being this long. I actually didn't think I'd have to finish it, because I figured no one would like it... I suppose I was wrong, eh? Anyway, I updated my profile last week with different info, and more quotes for you quote lovers! And... (drum roll) A mailing list! For those who want to know when I update! Just check out my profile for more info! Hopefully, this story won't drag any longer than 30 chapters. I lvoe this story to pieces, trust me, but I'd like to work on something fresh. Plus, I'm itching to go and polish earlier chapters of this story! The grammar! The spelling! It makes me cringe! Plus I have an idea for a new fic... That's not Inuyasha! (large group of people gasp) Yes, I think I might venture into the world of Rurouni Kenshin. I have a plot bunny... It's very annoying. But I promised I'd finish this before working on anything else, and I will keep that promise! Please REVIEW, as I would love your wonderful feedback! Every review is so awesome to me! Much more than I expected when I started writing! And the only reason I kept writing ((besides for my own enjoyment)) is the support I got from the reviewers! So thanks guys! I don't say that enough. Adios, mi bien amigos y amigas!
Ash