InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Until Death ❯ Helpless ( Chapter 18 )

Disclaimer: Plain and simple this time…I do not own Inuyasha…

 

Until Death

 

Helpless

 

The small group of four, five if you counted the ugly green monstrosity that lingered forever behind his liege like a lost puppy, watched as the leaves fell from the trees, their brazen golden hues flecked with royal reds and simple yellows crunching underfoot, their once limber bodies growing taut and fragile as they motioned towards death. It was as this season ended and winter surfaced when time seemed to stop.

Kagome's time was spent indoors, more specifically in her room, as even a walk around the inner garden became too taxing for the weakened miko. True to their word, Kagome's friends sent word that they would visit as soon as the weather cleared up enough for them to travel. The region they were currently entertaining was wrought with flooding, and the bridge they needed to cross was flooded with no safe way around.

Kagome, propped up on the bed by numerous fluffy pillows, held their message in her grasp, running her bright blue eyes over the information as she had done for the last hour. Familiarity of the names that were so delicately scrawled across the bottom of the page flickered at the back of her mind, but nothing past that surfaced. She gently placed the parchment on the table beside her and rubbed her aching temples in a circular motion, her eyes squinting shut in pain. A guilty thought tore at her heart. If these were her friends, then why couldn't she remember them?

Kagome wanted to cry. She felt lost and afraid. Every morning she woke up confused on her whereabouts, unsure of where she sat, what she knew…who she knew. That is, until that man walked into her room. His presence, the silver hair, the deep honeyed orbs, and the pristine clothes that covered him, brought some familiarity back to her existence. As long as he was with her, he, Sesshoumaru, could make her remember who she was…even if it was for only the span of his visits.

Kagome closed her eyes, weary from all the thoughts she couldn't stop from thinking. Tired of feeling locked up- tired of longing for freedom and a way out, she began to drift off into sleep. As dreams replaced her thoughts, a single tear found its way down her cheek, only to appear as a darkened drop on her pillow.

*************************************************

Sesshoumaru sat behind his desk, crinkled piles of parchment and pens lay neglected on the smooth surface before him. Memory loss, headaches, and loss of consciousness. All were symptoms Kagome showed of late, and all were signs that the end was drawing near, but he saw it, the look of clarity she gave him whenever he walked into the room. She was trying so hard to stay awake for prolonged periods of time and talk with a sense of normalcy. As of late, even her usually clear, crisp voice had begun to slur. He hated to admit it, but he was scared, and with time shorter than ever…

A blood-curdling scream brought Sesshoumaru out of his thoughts. His heart sank when he realized the sound was issued from Kagome's room. Ignoring his ringing ears, he leapt out of the room, only to burst into Kagome's with reckless abandonment. The sight that awaited him made him, a war-torn warrior, want to puke. Kagome laid thrashing weakly on the bed, screaming and crying for all she was worth. It only took Sesshoumaru the span of three steps to have her held securely in his arms.

“Miko, why do you cry so?” he asked, the calm tone of his smooth voice belying the fear he held in his gut.

Kagome suddenly went limp in the demon lord's arms at the sudden awareness of who now held her. Tears coursed down her face and sweat clung heavily to her brow. “Sesshoumaru,” she whimpered, breathing heavily, barely speaking over a whisper, “I can't see.”

 

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: I think this is by far my shortest chapter, but I'm at a standstill on all my stories…I'm not sure I'll finish them… I just wanted to get something out before school started on the 20thof this month. I want you all to know the contest entry date has been lengthened to October 15th, so you have some more time, and you are allowed to enter as many times as you wish. For all of those that ask: 1) I will not tell you if Kagome dies or not, just rest assure that if she does die, that won't be the end.

2) If she dies, she will be brought back in an unconventional way…the jewel may play a part, but it's not what you think…

To tell you the truth, I have an idea for this story, but I'm not even sure whether Kagome is going to die yet or not.

Please reviewand I hope you all enter the contest, it would mean a lot to me!

If you still wish to be placed on my update list, just e-mail me or leave it in a review, and I'll add you!

Disclaimer: Inuyasha still isn't mine… Neither is “My Last Breath” by Evanescence…

 

 

 

Until Death

 

My Last Breath

 

Lost and Found

 

I'd lost my way.

I could not see.

All was dark

my legs were weak.

My hand reached out—

I took a step,

You released a reeking, raspy

breath.

Your cadaverous hand stretched from your cloak.

You cackled as if this was some twisted joke.

I could sense you coming closer still,

You were closing in for that final kill.

I closed my eyes to vanquish this…dream.

Instead, from my parted lips leapt a panicked scream.

My tantrums eased as you drew ever near.

From the corner of my eye escaped a single, submissive tear.

Your cold embrace extracted my last, expiring

breath.

My Friend, My Enemy,

Otherwise known as…Death.

**************************************************

A chill broke through the night, the icy crystals embracing the castle in a layer of sparking frost, but the beauty of it all was lost in the silence of its inhabitance. The stench of death permeated the air to an almost tangible perception. Hallways, usually bountiful in the reigning cries of joy from the mouth of an ecstatic child were left empty save for the frantic howling of the winds that shook its walls.

 

Only a single room showed that anyone inhabited the broken shell at all. A lit candle lent its flickering glimmer of light to the few that sought it. The bed, though piled with blankets, couldn't shelter its mistress from the shivers that encapsulated her rapidly deteriorating form, the source of her discomfort detached from that of the winter storm that raged beyond the walls of which she lay.

 

The Lord of the castle, silent for so long, sat at her side, a sentinel to protect her from the approaching shadow that loomed too close for comfort. His hair, glazed orange by the firelight seemed unkempt, the usually burnished bronze of his eyes, generally brought to light by the hues that swept through the room, were dull and thoughtful, gazing unblinkingly at the body that shook on the bed. His arms were propped restfully on his knees, his hands intertwined before his face, hid his mouth from view.

 

He had nothing he could say to the miko. She was well past the realm of understanding, yet he hadn't the heart, the same one the miko had found a place in, to stop the words of comfort that seemingly so easily left his lips. He had broken too many promises to count. He had, in the beginning, promised himself never to allow any past his barrier. Emotions, as petty and insignificant they may be, had been the downfall of his father, and that was enough for him to keep all at arms length. Rin had been the first person…human to break the barrier by sacrificing herself for him. Telling himself it was a fluke, he went on with his life, closing his heart to everyone except the child that had wormed her way there…but had earned it.

 

He hadn't learned though. The woman prostrate on the bed before him was proof of this. Was he so weak that he couldn't protect his heart from the prying of others, or was the miko so strong that his barrier was unprepared for the breach? Then he had promised to protect her…just look at her now… no one could protect her at this point. Never had he felt so weak in his life. Not even the loss of his dominant arm had made life this difficult, this unbearable, to stand.

 

He glanced at the child, asleep by the window. Could he truly protect Rin? Would the child be susceptible to the same illness his miko had fallen claim to? Would he be forced to watch as she fell into the same pit of despair as Kagome so unwillingly had? He shook his head of the doubt and grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed, draping it over the shoulders of the sleeping child, watching as the tremors left her body and a sleepy smile graced her youthful features.

 

His mind returned to the miko, and he turned to face her resting spot, surprised to see her awake, though her eyes were dull and blurred by the falling of her tears. Gracefully, he knelt beside the bed, a tapered finger reaching out to whisk a tear from her sallow cheek. “You're too beautiful to cry.” He whispered pleadingly into her ear. His eyes stared searchingly into her own, searching for that spark that made her Kagome. All he found was the weak glimmer that remained.

 

Hold on to me love

You know I can't stay long.

All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid.

Can you hear me?

Can you feel me in your arms?

 

Sesshoumaru's throat clenched with unrecognizable emotion. In her eyes was a plead, a plead for him to understand. An uncertain had grasped for her own, warm despite the chill the simple motion ran up his arm. She wanted him to let her go, but could he do that?

 

Holding my last breath

Safe inside myself

Are all my thoughts of you

Sweet raptured light, it ends here tonight

 

How ironic, the Ice Lord, never one to hold on to anyone, never one to love…couldn't seem to let go.

 

Closing your eyes to disappear

You pray your dreams will leave you here

But still you wake and know the truth

No one's there.

 

He wanted it to be a dream. She wasn't going to leave him. He didn't want to be alone, for once he was afraid. The fear tightened in his chest, hindering his breath to the point he nearly stopped the arduous task. His hand tightened around hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He wasn't going to let her go. Not tonight…not ever. His eyes ghosted over her pained facial features. Did he want to prolong the pain she was already feeling? Was he really that cruel?

 

Say goodnight

Don't be afaid

Calling me, calling me as you fade to black

 

Realizing within the inner turmoil that fought within him what he really needed to do. Her eyes, the window into her soul, were fading quickly, and in that instant, a decision was made. Leaning heavily on the bed, his cheek resting against hers, he spoke: “Miko, I will get you back. I will find a way. I won't leave you in the dark…

 

Holding my last breath

Safe inside myself

Are all my thoughts of you

Sweet raptured light it ends here tonight…

 

Looking into her eyes one last time, the Taiyoukai was shocked that she held his gaze sharply with her own. He brushed a stray lock of black hair from her face, and gently grasped her chin. Softly, their lips met, two mouths, sealing the promise with a chaste kiss. As Kagome released her last breath, Sesshoumaru once more breathed in her scent, quickly being tainted by the smell of death.

 

He failed to notice the wisp of pink that entered his body as the kiss broke, emanating from the broken remains of the woman before him, reveling, instead, in the warmth that suddenly ensconced him. Nights of sleepless turmoil by her side, made his eyes droop as he took vigil next to the woman, an arm slung heavily over her quickly cooling body in a protective gesture as sleep claimed him.

 

When his eyes finally closed, he felt as a kiss was planted on his temple and a finger was trailed across the span of his cheek. The skin felt cool and refreshing to his touch. “Rest now my love,“ a familiar voice rang in his ear, “for tomorrow you start your journey. Your love is waiting on the other side, and it is up to you to bring her back.”

 

Sesshoumaru felt as the warming presence left him and he succumbed to the blessed silence of sleep, knowing his last thoughts, incohesive as they were, would be nothing but a dream when he once again awoke.

 

Author's Note: I know, the chapter's short, but the point of the chapter has been put into place. Sorry she had to die, but I decided it was inevitable. I know Sesshoumaru is OOC in this chapter, but I figured anyone about to lose one of his closest loved ones is going to be acting similarly, no matter how cold and uncaring you are on the outside. He's portrayed as very fragile in the last part, to me. Almost like a child. Please let me know what you are thinking! I would love any ideas…and kudos to anyone who can guess who the person was at the end. They are going to be kind of important in the following chapters if I stay focused on the plot I have planned. Thank you to all of you that have taken the time to review! I hope I have some more takers for my contest! Please e-mail me with any questions!Review plz!