Okay, gonna keep things brief. I've put a strange dream sequence in here, but I like how it's written. Plus my longest flash back ever, I believe. It's nearly two and a half pages by itself! Hehe! And just a side note... This whole chapter happens in the time frame of one night. Hence the chapter title. Enjoy!
Dedicated to my first reviewer, Lanerz! Plus to a very good friend of mine, JadeElemental, for leaving me a review that literally took up my entire computer screen! Love ya Chel! ((hides from sledge hammer))
27 - A Very Long Night
The pain was immense. Her back hurt all over, so much that she couldn't move. What happened was in the back of her mind, but it made no sense. Why had the sliding door just shattered?
"Kagome!" Inuyasha called from the front door. When he saw her, he froze in his tracks. Kagome couldn't blame him. She would do the same thing.
His eyes were fierce as he looked her over, spying the large shards of glass sticking out of her back. He approached slowly, coming to kneel right in front of her.
With all of her effort, she raised her eyes, sending him a warm look. His bit his lower lip and shook his head slightly, his eyes becoming the hard amber she was so accustom to. For a moment, they had been different. Soft, scared... vulnerable.
When he took her face in his hands, she noticed they were trembling. "Stay here," he muttered as he kissed her forehead gently.
'Like I have a choice.' That's what she wanted to say, but all she could do is smile weakly.
Even after seeing his lover nearly sliced to ribbons with glass, he stayed calm. He quickly dialed up Sesshomaru, then Miroku. They would take care of getting help. No matter how much he wanted to, Kagome couldn't be moved.
The backs of his eyes burned as he turned to her once more. Her hair was matted with blood and her clothes were torn, but her face was still calm.
"Kagome... can you talk?"
"Yeah... but it kinda hurts... when I do..." she weezed. Her expression was still eerily calm, a small smile gracing her face.
Inuyasha couldn't understand. A normal person would be withering in pain, screaming for someone to remove the glass. But she just sat there, starring at the carpet with soft chocolate eyes. 'She knows that moving will make it worse...'
Suddenly the front door burst open, revealing Miroku and Sango. "Oh my goodness! What happened here?" Sango exclaimed as she charged in and kneeled next to Inuyasha.
"The door... It shattered..." Kagome mummbled.
"No, it was broken." Sango and Inuyasha looked behind Kagome to where Miroku stood. He had a shard of glass in his hand, examining the edges.
"How in the hell could someone completely shatter the door? The glass is pretty damn thick, you moron!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"Calm yourself for a moment and listen, Inuyasha." Miroku stood up and backed away carefully, making sure not to move any of the glass. "Stand and look at the way the glass landed on the ground." They did as he said. "They form a semi circle, the center being directly behind Kagome. The glass was broken at that point, the target intentionally being her."
Everyone was silent for a moment as they took in the scene. 'It's true...' Inuyasha thought as he kneeled near Kagome's form again. She was still starring off into space, like she wasn't completely there. 'But maybe that's a good thing... If she was... I don't know what I can do... Just wait until help gets here...'
And help got there just as he thought it.
An hour later, Kagome bit her lip as the last of the shards were removed. Fortunately, her entire body had gone numb as soon as the glass hit, otherwise it might have been an even more traumatic experience. Sesshomaru had arrived in grand style with the doctor from their first hospital visit in the states, Myoga, and his pretty wolf demon assistant, Ayame. They had carefully assessed the situation and sent everyone into another room, much to the irritation of Inuyasha.
"Well, how are you feeling Miss Kagome?" Myoga asked kindly from her shoulder as Ayame carefully bandaged up the deep gashes in her back.
"Actually, beside the initial pain of being hit with the glass, I didn't feel much of anything." Kagome carefully glanced to her chest where the Shikon no Tama hung easily from it's chain. 'And I think you protected me again, didn't you Shikon? ... I really need to stop talking to the jewel...'
"Then you are one very lucky young woman. I'm sure... you're very tough... yet so sweet and tast-"
She smacked him off her cheek and watched him as he floated down to the ground, landing lightly on the now clean carpet.
"Despite his personality, he is correct," Ayame said as she tied up the last bandage with a light tap on her shoulder. "These injuries should have been enough to at least put you in a coma, yet here you are, practically unharmed! You must be made of tougher stuff than the rest of us, Miss Kagome!" The red head's twin ponytails bounced as she made her way to the kitchen table and began gathering her things, scooping up Myoga in the process.
"You give me too much credit," Kagome said as she stood, brushing off her skirt. "I was just lucky."
"Pish-posh!" Ayame responded, which cause Kagome to giggle. "Now, just take it easy and change those bandages twice a day, applying this ointment," she said, holding up a large white tube. "You should be good as new in a couple weeks! But, seeing you, those cuts could be healed up in a few days! You're truly remarkable, Miss Kagome!"
The raven haired teen just blushed as the nurse gave a quick bow and flashed a brilliant smile, telling her to call if she needed any assistance. Once they left, she ventured into the room where Inuyasha and the others had been told to stay in while she had the glass removed from her back. She winced slightly. Just the thought of all the crimson shards she saw Ayame carefully put into a small cardboard box made her stomach squirm. She cast a side-long glance at the box sitting neatly on the kitchen table, not revealing the bloody contents in the least.
Her fingers still brushed the door knob to her and Inuyasha's bedroom as she stared at the brown container, still not sure what to make of what had happened. Logically, she should be kicking everyone out of the apartment and cramming for her finals the next day. But she didn't feel like studying. 'Not that I ever truly feel like studying...' she scoffed at herself as she saw her school books piled messily on the bar between the kitchen and the small dining room. It made no sense to study now.
Shaking herself from her wandering thoughts, she turned the knob quickly and entered the room, practically being assaulted by Sango. "Oh, Kagome! Are you okay?" she mummbled as she inspected the bandages Ayame had tied, confirming they were indeed good enough. Miroku pulled his frantic lover away, gripping her shoulders tenderly.
"Kagome is most likely exhausted, my love. Perhaps we should leave her to the rest of her nights sleep?"
She smiled gratefully to the smirking man. "Yeah, I only have about five more hours until I have to wake up for school..." she said as she glanced at her bedside table, where her alarm clock rested. 12:53 a.m.
"You can't go to school! You're hurt!" Sango cried as Miroku began pushing her out the door.
"Really Sango, I'll be fine! I'll meet you at the corner at 6:30, like always!" She heard the small sounds of a light as Miroku practically pushed the frantic girl out the door, down to their apartment.
She turned to find Inuyasha asleep on the bed, Sesshomaru sitting on the edge near his feet. "Wow, I'm surprised he was able to sleep," she commented.
The tall dog demon stood, gazing down at her with his piercing amber eyes. 'So much like Inuyasha's... Yet not the same.'
"He isn't asleep." his silvery hair swished behind him as he passed her, heading to the door. "He's unconscious." The man left without another word, the soft click of the doorknob signifying that she and Inuyasha were finally alone.
She sat cross-legged with her back resting against their head board as she ran her fingers slowly through his bangs. "Did you aggravate Sesshomaru so much he had to knock you out before he killed you? Silly puppy..." A warm smile crosses her face as she slid down next to him, carefully avoiding laying directly on her back. "My silly puppy..."
She wasn't moving.
Neither was he.
It wasn't the fact that blood was running down her back. He knew she was strong enough to handle that.
It wasn't the fact that the slider door was broken. That could be fixed.
No, that wasn't what had him so shaken.
Maybe it was because she wasn't moving. Her body was still, devoid of movement. Small hands clenched the carpet in front of her lightly. Raven locks were still as the night sky. Chocolate brown was frozen beneath her eyelids.
She wasn't moving.
It was the only thought in his mind, the only thing that dared voice itself.
He didn't want to go to her and find out the truth. For the first time, a feeling of true and complete terror crossed his being. Sure, he had been frightened before. He could admit that now.
But this feeling... This was a completely new feeling. Like his heart was ripped from his chest and his lungs were too crunched to breathe properly. The backs of his eyes burned, willing him to release his inner turmoil in the form of salty tears.
She wasn't moving.
He had to be strong. For her. Slowly, he approached her. Despite his fear, he had to know. His world was crumbling beneath his feet, and he had to know.
His knees bent as he gazed at her steadily, his body betraying his mind. He didn't want to know. Yet, he did.
Slowly, her eyes raised to meet his. They were still slightly lifeless, yet they were filled with love.
His fangs grazed his lip, and he shook his head. 'She's still here.'
But as he went through the process of calling for help, that one image, that one thought, echoed over and over again through his head.
She wasn't moving.
He sat straight up in bed. His bangs were plastered to his forehead with sweat, and his breath.
Inuyasha's sharp eyes darted around, finding his bedroom dark. A small shift to his left caused him to flinch, his ears twitching as he heard Kagome's even breath.
A sigh passed his lips as he ran a finger along her exposed shoulder, teasing the sides of the bandages. A quick look at the alarm clock confirmed that she intended to go to school the next morning.
He contemplated making her stay home and recover, but reconsidered. She was strong. He would let her do what she could.
'But that dream...'
With a grunt, he lifted himself off the bed and padded his way to the kitchen. The sliding door had been covered with a large sheet of plastic, awaiting the contractor that would repair it the next day. He spied a box on the table, and hopped over the bar.
"Did we get a package?" he wondered innocently as he carefully opened it.
He nearly gagged at what he saw. The smell assaulted him immediately, causing his breath to catch in his throat. With a jolt he closed it, tempted to throw the bloody glass through the make shift door and to the parking lot.
Instead he plopped down on the couch. His thoughts were randomly scattered, but they always thought back to the dream that had awoken him in the first place.
'She wasn't moving...' It echoed through his mind as it had in the dream, the image of her bent over form completing the feeling of stillness. "I... really thought I had... lost her..." he mummbled, feeling his eyes burn again. But this time there was no need to be strong under the darkness that blanketed the room.
For the first time in many, many years, Inuyasha cried.
"Sango, I know you need to study, but you also need rest. Please come to bed," Miroku whined from his bedroom door as Sango's tired eyes scanned the pages of her advanced physics book.
"No! I will pass!" she muttered, never looking at him.
His smile turned down to a small frown as he watched her shoulders hunch slightly, absorbing more of the reading material. 'I've always admired her determination, but she doesn't know when to quit...' Now that he thought about it, it was the same with anything she did.
- flash back
"Hiya!"
Miroku had been walking home from the restaurant when he heard the strange noise. The management was very kind about his right hand and made sure he stayed away from anything that would aggravate the open wound. For that, he was very thankful. Without that job, he and Sango would be borrowing money from Sesshomaru again.
His crystal eyes searched for the source of the strange call. Then it hit him. "The karate school..."
After poking his head through the open door, he allowed himself in the large expanse of the building. It had only three rooms: the large training room that occupied more that three fourths of the structure, a small office in the far right corner, and changing/bath rooms on the left wall. Overall it was a nice set up, devoting nearly all the space to the art of karate.
"Hiya!"
Miroku followed the sound to the back wall, where he saw a woman with long, dark hair literally beating the stuffing out of a practice dummy. Her arms moved with ease, striking with only seconds between blows. Random kicks were thrown, leaving dents in their wake. With one final crushing blow to the solar plexus the dummy exploded, leaving the woman covered with white fluff and sweat. Her strong arms went limp as she fell to the ground with a thud. With a tilt of her head she looked to the ceiling, breathing heavily as she attempted to flick some of the stuffing off her sticky skin.
"Water, my love?" Miroku said as he handed her a small glass from the water cooler. For a moment she was shocked, but let it go in exchange for the icy water.
After taking a small sip, Sango spotted him grabbing a towel from her bag, plus extra bandages. He was at her side in a moment, wiping the sweat from her brow and checking the wounds on her arms.
"I'm fine, you know." Her voice was soft, her breath still heavy from her exercise.
"I know. I'm just worried," he said as he re-wrapped her right elbow. "It's only been two and a half days since Yura attacked, and you're still injured."
She blushed slightly at his kindness, but tried to shake him off. "Really, you don't need to worry about me! I'm not the one with a hole in my right hand. You should be taking it easy."
"You know," he said without looking up as he moved to her left bicep, "I still find it cute when you blush for me."
That only caused her flush to deepen as she gazed at the blue practice mat they were currently sitting upon. "Um..."
"But you shouldn't push yourself so hard, my love. You were injured as well." He motioned silently to the gash he had moved to right below her knee cap.
"I have to though... I must be strong for out next encounter with them!" Red still occupied her cheeks, but her bright magenta eyes were clear. "I won't let anything like that happen again! After all, it's my fau-"
His head darted up when she suddenly stopped speaking. "What, dear?"
Sango's fists clenched, scraping the mat with her short fingernails. "It's all my fault this is happening! If I would have never believed Naraku, if I could've seen through his deception-" Tears were flowing down her face as she locked her wide eyes on her thighs. "I'm such a dummy..."
Strong arms wrapped around her waist as Miroku rested his forehead against her upper arm. "You must stop beating yourself up over the past. No matter how you wish things were different, you must live with what you have..."
A small smile fluttered across her face as she gently planted a chaste kiss along his temple. "Silly monk. I may regret what happened, but that doesn't mean I would change a thing. Despite the attacks... I'm very happy here with you and Inuyasha and Kagome..."
He lifted his head and gave her his most charming smile, sending her heart beating rapidly through her chest. "I had a feeling you thought that way!"
She just starred for a moment. Then, a realization hit her like she hit the former practice dummy. "You tricked me into saying that, didn't you?"
He just grinned and stood, offering her his good hand. "Of coarse not, my dear! What kind of man do you take me for?"
Sango raised and eyebrow and cocked a grin much like Inuyasha would, causing Miroku to finally find a family resemblance between the cousins. "The kind who I can stand to hang around with for the rest of my life," she replied as she took his hand.
"Good," he said as he pulled her up. "I wouldn't let you leave anyway."
"Ha! You think you could stop me? Remember, I could beat you into a bloody pulp!" She motioned behind her where stuffing was still strewn about the floor. "Wanna join him?"
"Anything for you, my love!"
She groaned as they made their way out the door, finger linked together. "Sometimes you're so sweet I'm afraid you're going to give me a cavity!"
- end flash back
He grinned and turned to leave her alone. 'At least she's not physically harming anyone... or anything, that poor practice dummy...'
A wicked smile shown through the darkness of the midnight hours, practically lighting up the clammy wear house with it's gleam. A long silver snake made it's way toward that shine, finding it's master eagerly awaiting it.
"So, did you make sure it was securely attached?" that smile asked in a silky smooth tone.
The creature hissed happily in reply, coiling itself around a pair of shapely legs.
"And you got a sample of her blood?"
Another hiss confirmed the answer.
The smile grew into a full fledged grin as a pale hand came down to stroke the snake affectionately, silently congratulation it for a mission well done.
With that the figure just gazed at the shadowed ceiling, the grin never fading. "This should be lots of fun... And after this is done... I'm destroying that damned fish..."
To my Friends and Reviewers -
Lanerz - Ah yes... Thinking back to that kinda makes my stomach churn, too! Hehe, don't get too attached to the fish! (sarcastically speaking, of coarse) Yeah, I got it, but whenever I get on you have an away message up. I'm glad you agree! Some of my earlier chapters have made me cringe. I called Kouga a 'wolk' somewhere in there... I really need to go through and spell check those chappies! You're always so nice! Thank you for that! Love and Hugs!
-Key of Minds- Haha... Yeah, was it as bad as you imagined? Hehe!
penguinlover7 - Ha, thanks so much! Yes, I have returned with my famous cliffies! Bwahahaha! But I'm glad you see the beauty of them!
demon mind69 - You have a point there! When I was planning the story, I had no idea I was even capable of writing ebil cliffies! Suspense abound! Duh-duh-dun! Ha! I wrote that before I even realized you had written it in your review! Funny! Anyway, cliffies are so awesome! Especially mine! Well... It wasn't as bad as that... But heck! I bet even Inu-baby would be close to tears seeing his lover nearly skewered! Thanks!
JadeElemental - I think he hits on people without conciously thinking about it... Like it's natural or something. At least that's my theory! Oh, you know I'll always give you your daily recommended amount of fluff! ... You just had to make something (kinda) innocent perverted! A lap dance? What am I gonna do with you Chel? And don't blame him! You were a perv LONG before he was! You know Kagome! She'd so totally do that. Slightly pathetic, but endearing none the less! And he had to realize it someday. I mean with everyone telling him every single second of the day, you'd think he'd get the hint eventually? Hehe! I always seem to have that mistake... (sigh) PERV, PERV, PERV! ... You know, I actually thought of you when I wrote that! No! I'd curl up in the corner and cry if I got a one sentence review from you. It would either mean that you hate me or my story has started to really suck, which are both bad. Tons of Love and Hugs to you my friend!
digigrllover - Thankies! Aw, no problem! The least I could do for the 400th reviewer! Yes... I am infamous for my 'lovely' cliff hangers... Hehe! It can't possibly work every time, especially when she's already on edge. I know I am when I'm (attempting and failing at) studying! Aw, you're so nice! Thanks again!
Brickwall847 - Me and my ebil little twists... Hehe... Nope! I wonder if they would have their own room dedicated to them, since they're there so much? But the lack of a hospital visit shall be explained the next chapter! (I think...) Yes, they have a tendency to smell like bleach and cotton balls... Or maybe that's just what I smell! Never mind. Anyway, thanks!
sapphire-glass - Thankies, my furry friend! Aw... Well, honestly I couldn't blame him. Guys are so fragile... Hehe! Yesh, get to the story! ((cracks the whip)) Now! ... I'm bad at being demanding... Love and Hugs!
Sangonesan - I could never deny my Inu-baby! I am starting on a Rurouni Kenshin piece, but no worries! I have TONS of Inu plot bunnies, just waiting! Thanks!
angel-tears-16 - Yay for ebil cliffies! Hehe! Hope I didn't drive you completely insane!
starxgalaxyx - Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoy it! And of coarse I'll keep writing, silly goose!
Anime-Devil-101 - I like your math, my friend! Love and Hugs!
swimmer4life1390 - Thanks a lot! I appreciate that! Hope I didn't make you wait too long!
pistachio564 - Hehe! Thankies!
inu&kag4eva - Yes, I AM ebil, thanks for noticing... (does Dr. Evil pinky think) Epp... Never mind... And cliffies are fun, no? Hehe... And it all happens to Kagome because- Um- She's fun to pick on? I honestly don't know. Oh yeah! Because Naraku still wants the Shikon no Tama, currently in Kag-chan posession! I finally remembered! Yay for me! Thanks!
Life sucks. live with it - With me, the plot ALWAYS thickens! Hehe! Thanks so much, and no worries, I will!
Please note it was two a.m when I wrote those responses, so excuse the stupidness of some of them. Man, this chappie was a pain. Not that it was actually hard to write, but I haven't been feeling well the past couple days. Every time I sat down to type I'd have to go lay down... Luckily I pieced this together. I don't think it's my writing at it's best, but it will do. Some strange things will (hopefully) be explained next chapter, so bear with me. I'm honestly trying my best, and with school around the corner, I don't know if I'll have another chappie out for a while. Unless I write one before school starts next week... I'll try my best. Thanks for putting up with me! And please tell me if I've put Ayame in the story already... I don't think I have, but I'm enough of a scatter brain to forget! A cookie to anyone who figures out what really happened to our little Kag-chan! Poor thing, always getting picked on! A little fluff for all of you, too! Again, sorry if this chappie doesn't make tons of sense... Geesh, I'm an odd bird, writing things that I know don't make tons of sense, yet posting it anyways... Adios, mi bien amigos y amigas!
Ash