Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to Inuyasha, and I do not profit from writing fan fiction.

Author's Note: OK, there was a slight delay, I know. Sorry about that. This week has been so ridiculously hectic. It's an extra long chapter, though, which should compensate for the delay a little. Also, there was some research involved in this process, so give me a break.

Translations:

Chiksou: Damn

Baka: Idiot

Youkai: Loosely translates to demon. Youkai are not necessarily evil, and exist in the physical world. They usually have animalistic characteristics.

Chapter 13, Let the Lead Guitarist Riff

"Had enough, Kagome?"

"No!" I cry. "More please!"

The pressurized water hits my back like a barrage of needles. I can't tell whether it's hot or cold. I can hardly breathe. I feel certain that at any minute, the skin on my back will peel away in horror to the abuse. And yet I won't give in. I refuse to let them see me suffer.

"Stop the water."

I crumble to my knees, but when the attendants come to help me up, I push them away. "Don't touch me," I spit.

"Now, now," Fukouka scolds. "That's hardly ladylike, is it?"

I wrap the offered robe around me and turned to Fukouka. I still can't rise to my feet, but I give him the dirtiest look that I can manage. "Your ministrations have intensified of late, Fukouka. What, are you getting anxious? Or are you frightened of what your lack of results will mean to the President?"

Fukouka slaps me, but compared to the pain in my back, it feels like a pat on the cheek. "Shut up, you hussy."

"I'm surprised they even let you work here." I say calmly. The wall provides support as I struggle to my feet. "You're a cracked old fool, worn-out junk."

Fukouka reddens, but just as I think we might have some fun, he smoothes back his hair and readjusts his glasses. "Let her spend the next six hours in isolation. See if that doesn't remind her of the respect she owes a senior officer."

My stomach falls. That cold, black hell called isolation. I shiver at the thought, but I keep my face neutral. As the attendants bind my arms and legs and lead me away, I wink at the old crackpot. "See you in six hours," I say cheerily.

"I look forward to our chat," he promises.

(…)(…)(…)

I couldn't tell which was up and which was down, but I was holding onto Senior ninja's wrist with every fiber of strength left in my body. I remember that my vision was splotchy and there was the coppery taste of blood in my mouth. A cool wind pressed against my back, chilling the sweat that trickled down my spine. My hair was stuck to my cheeks, and my ankle was swollen to the size of a bowling ball. But I was holding the Senior ninja's wrist, and the kunai that had been intended for Inuyasha was inches from my face.

"Move girl," Senior ninja said icily. "I will kill you."

Inuyasha's arm circled my waist and pulled my away. "Are you crazy?" he was asking me.

"No, I don't think so," I replied. "Just a bit dizzy."

The ninja wasn't keen on letting us get away. He jumped in front of us and placed a firm kick in Inuyasha's shoulder. He groaned and dropped me. I rolled to avoid a sharp impact with the ground.

Inuyasha grabbed my hand and swung me over to Sango, who was standing by the door. "Sango, watch her! We're going to the roof," Inuyasha commanded.

"Inuyasha, you can't-!" Sango began to protest.

"I'll go with him," Miroku said as Inuyasha headed for the window. Senior ninja followed at Inuyasha's heels, and Subordinate ninja emerged from the shadow of the couch.

"Figures he would leave me with the women," he whined. "I never get to have any fun, senpai!"

Sango pushed me behind her. "Kagome-chan," she said, "make a run for it. Head straight for the hospital and ask for Kisume. She'll know what to do with you." She handed me a gun and began to secure her hair in a high ponytail. She smiled at me before slipping a mask over her mouth. "Be safe, Kagome-chan."

"You too, Sango-chan," I said. I tucked the gun into the back of my pajamas and headed out the door. I took the stairs as quickly was possible. When I was outside, I skirted the building, heading for the alley that my bedroom window overlooked. Inside the alley, I located the fire escape, lowered it, and began to climb.

It was a long, arduous process, and a little part of me felt guilty about betraying Sango's confidence. Still, I couldn't just run away when my friends were in danger. Especially when Inuyasha… He seemed so different. My ankle slipped on one of the bars and it fell loose. I grabbed onto the rail above and hung suspended twenty feet over the alleyway. I risked a glance down as the bar hit the ground with a tiny clatter. Swallowing my stomach, I scrambled up the next couple rungs to a landing.

I flexed my foot, which wasn't as swollen as I thought it would be. I stretched, collected myself, and then began to climb the next ladder.

The only decent light came from a sputtering street lamp hanging over the alley. The roof was a labyrinth of half-shadow. I slid over the wall and ducked into a pool of darkness as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dim starlight.

I could hear the definite sounds of a fight. Feet shuffled across the concrete, grunts and moans reached my ears, and now and again, a taunt or question would strike a chord in my consciousness. I crept forward, peering into the blackness for some sign of my protectors. I made no sound as I slinked across the roof, and the darkness cloaked my progress. I could hear Sango's fight below me.

All of sudden, they were on top of me. I flattened myself against the wall as Senior ninja stumbled into my line of sight. He was grabbing at his eyes and muttering. Miroku swooped out of the shadows and planted a clean punch in the ninja's stomach.

A cry came from below. Miroku twisted around. "Sango!" he cried just before Senior ninja retaliated, knocking Miroku back into the shadows. I heard him hit the wall hard.

"Miroku," Inuyasha called nearby. Subconsciously, I reached out my hand to the sound of his voice. "Miroku, are you alright? Say something!" There was no reply. "Chiksou! You damn Government bastard!"

A couple swift hits were landed in the darkness, a brief scrimmage, and then Inuyasha was bowled back, right into me.

"Ugh! Inuyasha!" I moaned as I was crushed against the wall. I pushed him away, untangling my lips from his as quickly as my heart was racing.

"Kagome! Damn it, girl. What are you doing up here?" Inuyasha barked, whirling around.

I gasped. This was not Inuyasha. "I-Inuyasha…? Your hair… What happened to your hair?"

It was black as pitch. His golden eyes had melted away to reveal bluish grey orbs. His dog ears were missing, and his nails were flat and rounded. I gawked at him in disbelief. He sighed and looked away. "If you think you'll be protected like always, girl, you've got another thing coming." He started to get up. I grabbed his hand.

"You are Inuyasha, aren't you?" I started as his eyes met mine. I was transfixed.

He bristled. "What the hell are you staring at?"

"You look…human…" I breathed.

Senior ninja lunged. Inuyasha grabbed me and leapt out of the way. I gasped a little as my ankle hit the concrete and Inuyasha blinked apologetically. "How's your ankle?" he asked.

"Broken, I think," I answered. Inuyasha whirled around, kicked Senior ninja's legs out from under him, and then leapt away with me again.

"Damn. Normally guys like this would be no problem," Inuyasha said as he set me lightly on the ground. "I can hardly even see anything, I can't smell a ding-dong thing, and I feel like a two year old hitting a sumo wrestler."

"Inuyasha…" I said, touching his arm, "what happened?"

"For a hanyou such as Inuyasha," Miroku said, leaping out of the darkness to ward off Senior ninja's latest attack, "there are times when he will lost his youkai power." Miroku hit Senior ninja across the jaw, Inuyasha grabbed me, and together we leapt onto an adjoining roof. We tucked ourselves away in the shadows to regroup.

"Miroku-sama," I breathed.

"Yo, Miroku," Inuyasha said sharply, though I could see the relief untangling the tension in his shoulders, "nice job making me worry."

"Sorry, Inuyasha. I had something to take care of downstairs," Miroku said.

"Anyway, Kagome-chan," Sango said, coming up behind me. "Since this is a matter of life or death for a hanyou in many cases, he would never reveal this time to anyone. Inuyasha's time is that of the new moon. We only just found out recently, Miroku and I."

"Yeah," said Miroku, rubbing the back of his neck, "and we fought beside him for years. Some trust, eh, Inuyasha?"

"If you knew that about me, Miroku, you would've run away a long time ago," said Inuyasha, frowning. "That I would have this disgusting weakness…"

Sango frowned. "As usual, Inuyasha. You have so little faith in us."

"And what about me?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Everyone turned to me, and I beat back a blush as I met Inuyasha's eyes. "I'm your wife, Inuyasha. You couldn't even trust me?"

"I don't trust anyone!" Inuyasha shouted.

My heart flickered. My hand found my chest, and I blinked quickly to stem the moisture that was building in my eyes.

Inuyasha looked away. "You don't understand. You couldn't understand, Kagome. You've always been surrounded by family, friends: people who love and protect you. I… I've had to live alone, and that's how I got by. You have no right to scold me!"

I lowered my face. "I'm sorry…but…" Suddenly, I flared in protest. Alone? Alone? How dare he? Didn't friends surround him in this very moment? Whether or not he acknowledged them was his problem, but to lecture me? The audacity! "Inuyasha, you're an idiot! Baka baka baka baka!" I cried.

Senior ninja swooped out of the darkness and grabbed me, leaping away. I gasped and kicked him in the stomach. He buckled over. I gave a little cry of triumph that went dead in my throat a second later. I was falling, and there was no ground beneath me. I heard my name shouted from the rooftop. Senior ninja latched onto the fire escape and made a grab for my collar. I was jerked into immobility, and my collar cut into my windpipe.

Senior ninja tossed me like a rag doll through one of the windows. I hit something soft, and then tumbled to the floor. I was back in my bedroom, clutching my ankle in a pool of broken glass. Senior ninja perched on the windowsill, and by the lamplight I could see that he was definitely worse for wear.

This was no time for indecision. I turned off the pain, grabbed one of the shards, and flung it with all my might at Senior ninja. With a loud gasp, the man received my attack in his shoulder and bowled over onto the bed. I scrambled to my feet, slipped one of his kunai around my pointer finger, and tucked it under his chin.

"No more games," I said. "I'm tired and achy and I've got a shit load of drama going on topside. Tell me what's going on here or so help me-!"

"I've called for reinforcements," he said, calmly. "So no matter what you do to me, you and your friends are still going to end up dead."

My frustration got the better of me. I struck him in the temple, and he went limp. Working quickly, I tied him up in my sheets and hid him behind the bookshelf. Then I headed out the open window onto the fire escape.

"Inuyasha!" I cried. "He's called reinforcements."

Inuyasha landed in front of me. His dark brows were set over his luminous steely eyes. Sango and Miroku were heading down the fire escape above us. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine," I lied.

"Go with Sango and Miroku. I'm going to get rid of the ninja," he said. His voice carried that no-shit finality that I was hesitant to question.

"But Inuyasha," I managed, "You can't possibly take them all by yourself!"

"Ha! Are you worried about me, Kagome?" Inuyasha said with a snigger.

I blushed. "Well, that is… I-!" I stuttered lamely.

Inuyasha took something from his side that I hadn't noticed before. It was a sheath, and inside was a…sword? He shoved it towards me. "It was my father's sword. It has some sort of youkai power, but without my youkai blood to control it, it's useless to me. You take it with you. It should be enough to guard against whatever ninja come your way."

"Inuyasha…" I started. Swords were illegal, and the practice of sword fighting was a high offense. To imagine that Inuyasha had been carrying this around with him all this time… I stared down at the sword in wonder. The handle was battered, and the lacing on the hilt had come loose in places. It looked like a piece of junk, not a weapon I could use against my enemies.

Sango grabbed my arm. "Let's go, Kagome-chan." She steered me toward the ladder down.

"No, Sango-chan, I want to help-" I started. But Miroku wasn't going to have any of it. He scooped me up, tossed me over his shoulder, and headed down the ladder.

"Put me down, Miroku!" I cried. Inuyasha watched my descent for a minute, and then leapt away. I struggled against Miroku's hold, kicking and punching in my attempt to get free. Inuyasha needed me, or at least he needed his sword. I was determined to fight Miroku tooth and nail until he let me follow Inuyasha. "Put me down!"

"Cut it out, please, Kagome-sama," Miroku pleaded after I placed a firm kick in the small of his back. "If you don't stop, I really will drop you, and it's still a long ways down."

I stopped kicking, but I continued to pound at Miroku's chest with my fists. Inuyasha was going to die. He was going to die, and it was going to be all my fault. He gave me his sword and now he was going to die. He didn't have his sword, so he was going to die. I repeated it over and over again in my head until I was so entirely convinced that I began to shake.

We reached the bottom. Sango and Miroku dashed to the mouth of the alley. They turned right and headed down the street, dodging the pools of light that crisscrossed the street. About two blocks from the apartment, we were engaged by three ninja.

Miroku set me down as Sango ran into the fray, her giant boomerang cutting the air in front of her. "Stay here," he instructed me as he went to join her.

Like hell! As soon as Miroku and Sango were both tied up, I turned heel and ran back to the apartment as swiftly as my injured limb would allow.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango called after me. But there was nothing she could do. I was headed for Inuyasha and nothing was going to stop me, not even common sense.

I ducked around the light, running through the shadows. My breath was coming in ragged heaves, and the world was spinning. The sword pulsed in my hand, keeping time with my heart. I glanced at it as I ran. A youkai sword, huh? A gift from Inuyasha's father, huh? That made me wonder what kind of man…youkai Inuyasha's father had been. And what of his mother? If Inuyasha's father was a youkai, and Inuyasha was half-youkai, did that mean that Inuyasha's mother had been…human?

I reached the apartment and fumbled with the lock for a minute before my landlord opened the door. "Masashi-san," he mumbled, surprising me with Inuyasha's surname, "what are you doing out so late…in your…pajamas?"

"I got a phone call from my crazy aunt. I had to take it outside so that I wouldn't wake my husband. Anyway, the door shut behind me and I forgot my key," I said. The lie flowed off my tongue like syrup. Taku-san nodded and closed the door behind me.

"Don't forget your key next time," he said, He locked the door and headed back to his room, muttering good night.

I dashed up the stairs. The door to our apartment was slightly ajar. I pushed it open carefully, but there was no one inside. The couch was overturned, the coffee table was missing a leg. The window in my bedroom was shattered. The glass on one of my pictures was shattered. The apartment was almost as beat up as me. I headed for my bedroom, slipped out the window, and out onto the fire escape for the umpteenth time tonight.

I climbed more carefully than before, Sango's gun forming an uncomfortable weight against the small of my back. I cradled Inuyasha's sword in one arm, hoping to God that I had the strength to make it all the way to the top with just one arm. One rung after the next, and eventually I reached the roof.

The rooftops of backwater Tokyo hunched low against the earth, their backs cloaked in darkness. Sounds echoed strangely across the choppy surface of the concrete lake. Two men were sharing a cigarette a couple buildings down, and the wind carried the familiar scent to me. I scanned the horizon for some, any sign of Inuyasha. I hugged Inuyasha's sword to my chest and the steady pulsing helped to soothe my raw nerves.

(…)(…)(…)

The darkness has a voice. I shiver against the cold and try not to listen. How many hours have gone by? Or has it been months? Did they forget about me? Did Inuyasha forget about me? My chest collapses and the walls are closing in. I start to scream, hugging my knees to my chest as the world falls in around me. There isn't enough air. There isn't enough air!

Inuyasha is dead.

The world is shutting in. I've been forgotten.

Inuyasha is dead.

I can't breathe!

Inuyasha is dead.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HEAD!"

I'm spiraling down. Faces are flashing past me. The smell of cigarettes licks at my senses. Night, forests, earth, and cigarettes. Inuyasha! Sango is speaking to me, but Miroku wants me to imitate the style in this Michaelangelo? Picasso? Dégas? Dinner is ready. What are we having? Ramen. Again? I'm sorry I can't cook! Shakespeare wrote a painting of a play, or a play of a painting. Or maybe skis contain the secret to Plato's theory of tonal progression, and Beethoven OD-ed on Elvis in the Tower of London.

I love him, I love him, I love him and I'm going crazy.

I'm alone, I'm all alone and Inuyasha is never, ever coming.

The door opens.

"Hello, Kagome. I think you've been in here long enough, don't you?"

(…)(…)(…)

"Damn it, girl! Why can't you ever stay where I put you?" Inuyasha landed beside me.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry, but your sword-!"

A ninja swung into the light, kicking Inuyasha in the back and bowling him over. I threw a punch at him, but he narrowly dodged and used the heel of his hand to knock me over. Inuyasha kicked him in the groin, and he tipped over the side of the building.

"Let's get out of here," Inuyasha said, grabbing my hand and jogging along the roof. We jumped onto an adjacent roof, and then onto another, where we met another ninja.

"Get out of the way," Inuyasha said, pushing me away. He engaged the ninja, and the two grappled with each other. I stumbled back into a third ninja.

At least, I assumed it would be a ninja. But turning around, I realized my grievous mistake. "Youkai!" I gasped as I met two slanted red eyes. The youkai was some sort of spider demon, with eight limbs whirring and creaking around me. Two fangs loomed out of his mouth, which was bent into a crooked smile. I was frozen in horror.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha barked. "Get out of there!"

The youkai reached for me, and I held out Inuyasha's sword feebly.

An amazing thing happened. There was a spark, a flash of bluish light, and then the demon hissed and backed away. "What happened?" I wondered, looking down at the sword.

"It's a barrier," Inuyasha said, running up beside me. "Now get out of here. I'll handle this guy, so run away." He charged at the youkai, but the creature was too fast for him. It swiveled out of the way, wrapped one of its many arms around Inuyasha's waist, and flipped him around. Another limb pushed Inuyasha into the air, and when the youkai opened his mouth, a ball of what looked like thread exploded from his body and caught Inuyasha mid-air. Latching onto the adjacent buildings, it formed a gigantic wed. The youkai's neck snaked forward, and his giant pincers pierced Inuyasha's shoulder.

Inuyasha cried out in pain, and I ran forward.

"Get out of here!" Inuyasha shouted through his pain. "Run away!"

"Run away? Run away!?" I shouted back. My eyes itched with tears. "You're always telling me to run away, that it's too dangerous for me. Everyone's always protecting me. Inuyasha, I won't run away and leave you here!" I leapt forward, holding Inuyasha's sword in front of me, praying that the barrier would work again, that it would save Inuyasha.

A bluish light formed, and the web around Inuyasha faded away. We tumbled from the sky, towards the ground far below. I grabbed Inuyasha as we fell, wrapping my arms around his torso as I vainly wished for the ability to sprout wings. Inuyasha was semi-conscious, his skin was hot to the touch, and he was shivering.

Miroku plucked us from the line of our descent. The force of our fall bowled him over, and we toppled onto the landing of some fire escape. "Well, then," Miroku said, "That was quite the adventure, wasn't it?"

Sango landed beside us, her boomerang covered in a spattering of blood. "The ninja won't cause us anymore trouble," she said to my questioning glance. "We'll have to wait until morning when Inuyasha can take care of those youkai."

"If he makes it until morning," Miroku said. He was leaning over Inuyasha, his finger tucked under Inuyasha's chin as he examined his pulse. "Sango, we've got to get him to the hospital, fast!"

Miroku hoisted Inuyasha onto his shoulders and headed down the fire escape. Sango and I followed, and once we were on the ground, we began jogging.

"Don't move him too much, Miroku!" Sango warned. "It looks like he's been poisoned, and you don't want to circulate the toxins any faster through his bloodstream."

"I know, I know!" Miroku said. "But we've got to pick the lesser of two evils here. It's possible we won't even make it to the hospital in time."

Sango pulled out her cell phone. "Kisume? Get the basement level ready. I'll need hot water, soup, hydrocortisone cream, antihistamines, a breath supporter, and a shit load of morphine." She hung up. "How's his breathing?"

"Bad," said Miroku. "Shallow and irregular."

"Is he getting stiff?"

"I can't tell," Miroku said. "Can't we determine this when we stop?"

"No, I need to know what kind of venom we're dealing with, and fast. The sooner I know what kind of venom was used, the faster I can get it out of his body." We turned a corner, and then another.

"It was a youkai," I said. "I couldn't believe it. It…I thought…I don't know... I froze up. If I hadn't been so dumb…" I was struggling to keep up with Sango and Miroku, beating back the pain in my ankle.

"Don't blame yourself, Kagome-chan," said Sango. "I still remember the first time I saw a youkai. I almost fainted."

"There's a lot that the Government keeps under wraps, isn't there, Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked knowingly.

We had reached the hospital. We ran through the side door, which was open. A flight of stairs brought us to the basement. We slid open one of the doors, and deposited Inuyasha on the bed that was waiting there.

Inuyasha's right arm had stiffened. I helped Sango tear his shirt and tie back his long black hair. Miroku covered Inuyasha's mouth with a mask that would provide him with oxygen. Inuyasha's right shoulder was a terrible sight. The bites had turned white, and were surrounded by large red rings. The wound had swelled to the size of a gulf ball. Sango grabbed a washcloth, dipped it in the soapy water, and began to clear away the caked blood.

I stood by, watching Sango work. She washed Inuyasha's wound thoroughly, and then applied the hydrocortisone. "To reduce the inflammation." She explained everything to me as she worked. The antihistamines that would reduce the swelling in other parts of his body, like his throat, had to be administered through IV, and a large needle pumped morphine into his blood. Then Sango administered a general antidote.

"If this doesn't work, we'll try another kind of antidote," she said as the needle pierced Inuyasha's skin.

"And if that doesn't work?" I asked. I was making knots with my shirt.

Sango drew the needle out and placed it on the tray with the other syringes. She removed her mask and looked at me squarely. There was a sharp determination in her mahogany eyes that seemed to pierce through me. "We'll keep trying until we find the antidote that works," she promised. She reached out and took my hands away from my poor abused shirt. "We won't give up, Kagome, and neither will Inuyasha. Have a little faith in us, please?"

I nodded, but the emotion in my eyes forced me to look away. Sango patted my hand and headed for the door, where Miroku was waiting for her.

"Do you want me to look at your ankle?" Sango asked, looking back over her shoulder.

I grabbed a chair and pulled it over to Inuyasha's bed. "I'm fine. The medicine you gave me numbed the pain a little. Besides, Inuyasha's health is more important than mine right now."

Sango smiled and closed the door behind her. I sank into the chair and put my hand over his. "Because of me…!" I choked on the words. "Inuyasha, you idiot!"

I couldn't be angry with anyone but myself, and that wasn't making Inuyasha any better. I think I dozed a little, because when I looked again, Inuyasha's breathing had become more regular. He was sweating, which Sango told me was a good sign. I grabbed a corner of his blanket and dabbed his forehead.

He mumbled something and opened his eyes. I recoiled, surprised by those steel-blue eyes. "Sorry! I woke you."

"It's fine," he said before looking away. His voice was rough, but I was so relieved to hear it that I could have shouted for joy. "Kagome…"

I broke from my reveries. "What is it?"

"Why…were you crying?

I blinked. I was crying? I reached up and touched my cheek, where the memory of those tears still lingered in salty streams. I had been crying. When I saw him, defenseless and at the mercy of that terrible…thing! "Because… I thought you were going to die," I whispered.

"You were crying…for me?" He looked back at me, and his palm opened. "I had surgery once when I was little. My mother held my hand the whole time. Could you…"

I slipped my hand into his. "Yes," I said with a smile.

He closed his eyes. When I was sure he was asleep, I laid my head down on the bed beside him and closed my eyes as well.

"You…smell nice."

I jumped and looked at him. He was staring at me, with a strange, reflective veil over his eyes. "What?" I stuttered. "Didn't you say that you hated the way I smell?"

"I…lied," he said as he closed his eyes again.

I stared at him, bewildered and beguiled. Our hands were still clasped, his eyes were closed, and the room was silent except for the sound of our breathing. Maybe I'd been imagining things. But my cheeks were filled with fire and my heart was racing. What did he mean by that?

I should have realized; even then, I was beginning to love him.

(…)(…)(…)

This is a fragile world, and you don't belong here, paper heart.

- Ichimu

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