InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beads & Bones ❯ Blue Moons and Lavender Suns ( Chapter 9 )

Blue Moons and Lavender Suns

 

 

His head throbbed; every inch of his body felt as though it pounded in time with his heart.

 

`What happened?'

 

He could see the sky through cracks in the rubble above him - what may have been a window at one point, or a doorway or maybe a decorative arch… his mind was wandering, unable to focus on anything besides the pain of his body and the fact that no matter how much it hurt it suddenly occurred to him that he couldn't feel his legs…

 

The sky was brown, he noted, aware on some level that that was a strange phenomenon but not quite able to pin down why.

 

Miroku drifted.

 

oOoOo

 

He was bleeding. He could feel the trickle of blood coming down his forehead; he could almost see the coppery-brown stain on the front of his shirt.

 

He wondered if it were possible to get stuck in one position for life; if he made it out alive, he might never be able to move his head. It was pillowed at an awkward angle on what he believed had once been a wall. Or perhaps the floor he'd been standing quite solidly on before the Earth shifted beneath the building and sent him tumbling to the floor, blanketed by the floor above him.

 

The sky above Miroku was still tinted with dust and crushed plaster. The stars were dulled, flickering dimly like a candle in the wind. The full moon shone through the shadows, a grey-blue color that reminded him of his girlfriend's dented car.

 

He wondered if he'd ever kiss Sango again.

 

He never stopped to think she may have died in the quake. He refused to acknowledge the possibility. Sango was the strongest person he knew; if anybody could survive a natural disaster, it was her.

 

An aftershock rattled the skeleton of the building he lay in. Above him, something shifted and cracked the top of his head.

 

Miroku slipped into pained darkness.

 

oOoOo

 

Miroku awoke again; blessed numbness had set in and he knew he should be frightened but instead found himself accepting his fate.

 

He couldn't swallow, could hardly breathe for the dust that coated his throat. Coughing seemed to only bring up blood; there was no water to wash away the copper taste, as though he'd been buried alive with pennies in his mouth.

 

Something nearby was burning; the smoke clawed at his lungs and stole precious oxygen. The coughing finally subsided; feeling like a monster had clawed its way out his throat, he directed his gaze upward again.

 

The sky was pink. It couldn't be dusk or dawn; the sun was nearly above him and blinding in its dark intensity.

 

Like the moon hours ago, the sun echoed the oddly-colored sky, the usual gold-orange color scattering through the smoke to appear purple.

 

It was surreal.

 

Just days ago - was it days? Hours? How long had he been trapped? - he was laughing with Sango over dinner, joking bout their upcoming wedding and making bets over whether their friends would admit to their “secret” love affair. He'd hugged her close while dancing that night, telling her he'd never let her go, that he'd cross mountains and rivers and oceans if he had to in order to be with her…

 

And how thankful he was that he never had to.

 

He'd never said anything about clawing out of his own grave.

 

A voice! Rescuers? He shouted again, aware that his voice was reedy and choked by smoke and circumstance. They had to hear him…

 

An ill-timed shout found him choking on falling plaster.

 

Miroku coughed himself into oblivion.

 

oOoOo

 

Miroku awoke to the steady beep following his heartbeat; dry air irritated his nostrils and he realized belatedly that a tube was taped to his face.

 

Black strands of hair peeked out of blankets by his hip. He noticed the neck-brace just moments before sharp pain jolted down his spine.

 

Moving his head wasn't an option. He still couldn't feel his legs.

 

Somehow finding the strength, he reached out to the head cradled on his hip, instinctively knowing…

 

“You found me,” Miroku whispered hoarsely. “How? It must have been nearly impossible.”

 

Roused from her dozing, Sango blinked tears away from her eyes. “The rescuers said there was a 98-percent chance you wouldn't've survived,” she whispered, just barely audible over the sound of hospital machinery. “But I promised,” she told him.

 

“Promised what?” Speaking hurt. Then again, so did breathing deeply. Thinking. Blinking. He hurt and ached and wished for more blessed nothingness but couldn't let go until he knew…

 

“I promised I'd never let you go. I'd do anything and everything in my power to keep you with me…” Her breath hitched as he began to lose his battle with consciousness. “You can sleep,” she assured. “But if you try to let go… just know, I'll follow you.”

 

 

A/N:

I actually wrote and posted this the same day the earthquake hit Haiti. It's the scariest thing timing-wise that has ever happened in my writing “career” - and I decided to hold off posting it on the archives.

There is certainly no attempt here to capitalize on the sad fate of the Haitian people; my heart goes out to them.

 

Originally posted to LiveJournal on January 12, 2010

Word Count: 808

Prompt: “Blue Moon”