Miroku POV:
"Last boxing match of the season… last boxing match of the season…" I sang to myself. The air was practically crackling with tension. The match would decide who would be this years' champion, and there couldn't have been a worse pair up.
Naraku verses Inuyasha.
Call me strange, but I had the lingering suspicion that this was going to be a hell of a lot more than a boxing match.
Inuyasha POV:
I entered the locker room and put my combination in to my locker, 38-32-12. The metal door creaked as I rummaged around in the cluttered box looking for my things. On the table in the corner sat an iced jug of water with plastic cups next to it, so after finding my stuff, I took a drink. It was water, not much to say, is there?
Sango POV:
Miroku and I had discussed our plan. Inuyasha going to be in the locker room getting ready, so here was what we were going to do:
Convince Kagome to walk in somehow.
Lock the door and wait for them to finish talking.
A simple plan, but nearly fool proof. We could only hope that Inuyasha wouldn't get pissed enough to break down the door.
"Kagome!" I hissed in her ear. She gave me a sober look.
"Yes?"
"I need to talk to you… alone!" I whispered. She gave me another look, but followed when I beckoned her. We walked to the locker room door, and I opened it for her.
"In you go!" I trilled.
"Inuyasha's in there. You want me to talk to him." She said angrily. Damn.
I shoved her in anyway.
I locked the door and listened to her swear at me from the other side. I hoped that she and Inuyasha got over their issues quickly.
Inuyasha POV:
I walked up behind Kagome, wondering why she was here. That wasn't a mystery for long.
"Sango! If you don't open this door right now, I'll-!"
"Kagome," I said softly and close to her ear, "what are you doing?" She froze and turned slowly on heel to face me.
"I was locked in here by Sango. She wants me to talk to you about… things." She said with disgust. I stared at her. I was willing to bet Miroku was in on this to.
"Well, if we're going to talk, we may as well be comfortable." I commented, waving her over to the conspicuously uncomfortable iron benches with a wry smile. She complied, and plopped down huffily across from me.
"It's about Kikyo." She said, looking at the floor. I nodded.
"I figured. We'll take turns. You first." I spoke calmly, trying not to blow my only chance at making up with her.
"Fine. What happened between you two? Why did you do that to me? What is wrong with you?" she cried tearily.
"Well…. Kikyo broke into my house and chased me to the front door. I have no clue why you were there… I didn't make a choice to do that, and… there are a lot of things wrong with me. Like these." I said, twitching my ear and coaxing a smile out of her. I was beginning to feel a bit dizzy, but I passed it off as nerves. "Why were you at my house?"
"You called me!"
"No I didn't!"
"Yes you did!"
"Not!"
"To!"
"Whatever!" I cried, throwing my hands into the air. "We'll skip that. Next?" I asked, waiting for her to say something.
"What exactly is your relationship with Kikyo?" she queried suspiciously. I thought for a moment.
"Well… We've been over this before. Kikyo and I had something that Naraku crushed like a bug. I can't just forget her because it's partially my fault she died. But I know I can't have her, because I have you. But I love you too!" I muttered furiously, not meeting her eyes.
The dizzy feeling was much more pronounced now, and little black spots were zipping across my vision. Kagome's voice seemed to be coming from down a long tunnel.
"You can't have it both ways, Inuyasha! You need to pick one or the other…." Her voice died to background noise as I began to panic. My vision was almost completely out now. What was going on?
I stood quickly, looking around wildly, hoping to see something. At that moment, my sight went completely black.
Kagome POV:
Inuyasha stood up with a fearful expression, looking around like there was something I couldn't see in the air. He gave a sudden cry and passed a hand over his eyes in a jerky manner. He took a few clumsy steps forward while groping down the row of lockers with one hand.
"Inuyasha?" I asked timidly. He stumbled and slid down the lockers, ending up sitting with his knees up near his chin. His hand covered his face now, and I couldn't make out his expression. I hurried over and crouched next to him.
"Inuyasha! What's wrong?"
"I can't see." He whispered hysterically, "I'm blind. I'm shaking, but I'm not cold. I'm so dizzy Kagome. Even without seeing, I can feel the world spinning so fast it makes me sick." He took a struggling breath. "It's hard to breathe. So hard…" his voice dimmed further, and his breathing became faster. He slumped forward a bit. This was Inuyasha. Nothing made Inuyasha look like a little kid who was afraid of the dark. There was something seriously wrong.
"I'll go get help. Stay here, and don't you dare get worse!" I cried, my eyes tearing up again.
"Don't have much of a choice!" he gasped, "And trust me, I'm going nowhere fast."
With his rasping breath in my ears, I ran to the door and began pounding with my fist, hoping someone was on the other side.
Sango POV:
"Sango!" Kagome cried from the inside the room, "Open the door!"
"No!" I yelled back. I heard a sob and some muffled words that sounded like Inuyasha. "Not until you guys make up!"
"Please!" Kagome screamed. I could hear her crying on the other side. I couldn't just listen to her cry like that, being her friend and all, so I unlocked the door. It swung open and Kagome burst out.
"You have to help him!" she wept, grabbing my arm.
"What?"
"Inuyasha! He collapsed, and I don't know what's wrong! He's… he's…!" she stuttered. I ran inside to see the half-breed in question huddled against the wall breathing raggedly and muttering to himself. I whipped out my phone and speed-dialed Miroku.
"He-loooooo?" Miroku answered.
"Come to the locker room. Now." I snapped, crouching down in front of Inuyasha.
"Aw, don't tell me he broke down the do-!"
"Shut up and get over here! I'll explain later!" I cried, snapping the phone shut and ending the call. I reached out and tipped Inuyasha's face up toward me so I could see him better.
His mouth was half open trying to draw air, and his eyes were slitted, and rimmed with crimson. His irises were distorted and glazed over, his pupil smaller than pin-pricks.
"Inuyasha? Can you hear me?" He turned his empty gaze on me.
"Not really… I can hear you, but you're so quiet… I can barely make it out…" he murmured. I heard a bang, and turned to see Miroku skid into the room followed by an annoyed looking Sesshomaru.
"What happened?" Miroku cried looking around wildly. He suddenly spotted Inuyasha and bolted over. Sesshomaru trailed in his wake, staring at his brother.
"I don't know! Blindness, chills, rapid breath… I don't know what's wrong!"
"I do." Sesshomaru said in his quiet monotone. "Euphorbia Serrata, and Rhubarb leaf poisoning. Though those aren't things one would normally eat. Inuyasha, what have you had to drink in the last hour?"
"Water. From that jug on the table." Inuyasha panted. Kagome hiccupped in the corner and Miroku kept running his hand through his hair. Sesshomaru was the only one truly calm in this situation. He strode to the table and sniffed the jug. Placing one finger in the liquid, he anointed his tongue with a single drop.
He spat after a second. "The water's poisoned. I think it's obvious who the poisoner is."
"Naraku." I spat, and Kagome gave a low snarl.
"We still don't have proof!" Miroku yelled in agonizing tones.
"We will, monk." Sesshomaru growled. "All we have to do is bluff. Here is what we must do…"
Naraku POV:
I stood in the ring, waiting for the match to begin. It should have begun ten minutes ago, but a certain mutt hadn't shown up thanks to that little mixture Kanna slipped into his water.
Only a few more minutes and the match would be forfeited. Then I could go finish my job and slit that injured dog's throat.
The gym door banged open, and that wench Kagome appeared, Inuyasha with his arm around her shoulder, being dragged along.
"Naraku!" she sobbed, "Why? Why did you do this?" She pulled Inuyasha up closer to the ring. Miroku came now to help her.
"What?" I asked in feigned surprise.
"Poisoning him! How low can you get, you bastard!" Miroku bellowed with rage.
"Wha…? How dare you accuse me!" I cried. My arms were suddenly twisted behind my back. I saw Sesshomaru looking at me in such a grim manner it gave me chills. The girl Sango approached with the water jug in hand. The same one Kanna had poisoned.
"If you didn't poison his water, you should have no problem with drinking this!" she said, trying to pour a cup of the mixture down my throat. Knowing what it would do to me if I drank it, I sealed my lips and shied away.
"Proof." Sesshomaru thundered. "Proof that you tampered with the water to try and put Inuyasha out of action."
I gave a snarl. "So what if I did? No one would care if that nasty half breed died anyway! And you," I spat, slipping my hidden knife out of my sleeve and into my hand, "Can die with him!"
I drove the blade into Sesshomaru. I heard a grunt of pain and he let go of my hands. I kicked him away and sprinted through the door. Everyone was too stunned to move, and no one chased me.
So what if things hadn't gone according to plan?
Inuyasha was going to die.
Sesshomaru was going to dies.
And not that anyone knew it but me, but Kikyo was going to die as well.
Things may not have gone according to plan, but things had worked out in the end.
Funnily enough, they always did when it came to murder.
A/N: Sorry for being late! This was a hard chapter to write… Anyways, the thing about those plants making you go temporarily blind and possible death by suffocation is true. So don't eat random plants guys! Ok, so this is the THIRD TO LAST CHAPTER. After I finish this story I will either be posting 'The Cop and the Killer' Inu/Kag, 'Cherry Petals Fall as One' Sessh/Rin, 'Black Heart, Blue Blood' Sessh/Rin, or 'Fire Away' which is Sessh/Rin AND Inu/Kag. There will be a pole going up after the next chapter.
I should warn you, I'm going in for surgery on Friday and will be on pretty strong pain meds. If the next chapter makes NO SENSE whatsoever, blame it on drugs. :D
Don't forget to review!
Manga S.