Breakdown [3/? | R]

[Leia Avenrose]

<center>Disclaimer: I don?t own Inuyasha. I don't own the lyrics used at the beginning of the chapter; they are from Silent Hill 4 - Room of Angel; I totally recommend that song. I only own ? more characters. And now a word from our sponsor?
Dedication: To Mellie, Iron Dog, Lady Casper, and Ice Princess.

{Chapter One}
{Chapter Two}



Breakdown
By: Leia Avenrose
Rating: R


Chapter Three
You lie silent there before me;
Your tears, they mean nothing to me;

Here's a lullaby to close your eyes (goodbye);
It was always you that I despised,
I don't feel enough for you to cry, oh well;
Here's a lullaby to close your eyes (goodbye)</center>



The smell of burning flesh and wood slammed hard into him, flooding his senses. Gradually he sat up, dazed. His ears came to attention, jerking. Sirens wailed in the distance. Squinting, Inuyasha let his eyes stray on the mass heap of burning rubble. Gone were the tall walls of the Hirugashi resident. It seemed like a dream; one he felt he would never wake up from again. What was going on? What had just happened? Those thoughts fled all consciousness as he heard the low moan from behind.

?Kagome!? She didn?t respond. He bolted to his feet, rushing to the prone form.

Inuyasha knelt at her side. Immediately his lips pulled back and he growled loudly at the quick scent of blood. His heart had painfully missed a few beats. The entire right side of her body was covered in a dark crimson. His eyes caught sight of the jagged end of metal. It was darkened in soot and disappeared into the side of her body, her shirt torn apart and clinging to the scrap of metal in caked crimson. He longed to reach out and comfort her, to somehow take away all her pain so she didn?t have to feel anything.

His hands trembled as he reached out to touch her. They faltered, the tips of his claws just skimming the cloth of her shirt. ?Kagome,? he tried again, placing an unsteady hand at her shoulder, trying to gently rouse her.

His eyes never left the angry red stain that had blossomed around the metal embedded in her side.

Kagome continued to lay there, afraid to move. The pain was excruciating. When she had tried to move earlier, all she could do was slump back into the ground, moaning. Her eyes fluttered open, and she had to squint against the light. ?What happened?? she asked groggily, trying to push herself up with a trembling hand.

She inhaled sharply, feeling the pain shoot up the right side of her entire torso. She had the odd sensation that she was pinned down into the ground, her right side weighed down by something. A sticky warmth coating the underside of her arm, and the dirt beneath her palms bit into the skin. As she looked down, her face paled to a pasty white. Inuyasha stood slightly, and shifted over her to her other side. He grabbed her wrist roughly before she could touch the metal rooted firmly in her skin.

He lowered his face until it was level with hers. ?Don?t move,? he growled low, putting his other hand against her shoulder, restraining her further. Kagome looked to him, her skin pale, her hands shaking.

?How??? she breathed, her head spinning. Wooziness soon turned into panic. ?Get it out. Inuyasha, get it out! Please, get it out; get it out! Oh God, oh God.? She tried to push at his hand, tried to struggle against the hands holding her back, wanting to pull the metal out on her own, but he barked an infuriated insult her way, putting a halt to her movements. It was also the blinding pain that stole her breath away, ceasing her actions as well as her breathing for the briefest of moments.

?I said don?t move! Are you as deaf as you are stupid??

Kagome grit her teeth against his words, gasping to catch her breath. She wasn?t going to fight with him, she wasn?t in the mood. She felt sick to her stomach, the pain in her side biting deeper. Her voice came out in a soft pained whisper. ?Isn?t there anything you can do?? Tears stung her eyes, but that was nothing compared to the unrelenting ache that stabbed continuously at her side.

Inuyasha carefully pulled her towards him. She went willingly, sucking back on her bottom lip to keep from crying out. Her tears fell slowly, streaking through the dirt on her cheeks.

?I have to see,? he murmured, swallowing heavily as she let her head lie against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, being cautious to her back in case of further injuries, and slowly peeled up the side of her shirt, bit by bit.

Kagome shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut and groaned, feeling nauseous. She let out a soft whimper. The pain brought more tears to her cheeks, and she failed to bite back the choked sob that left her throat as he peeled away the rest of the shirt. Hastily she brought her arm down to push at his hand, but he released the shirt to stop her, grabbing her firmly by the wrist.

Tersely Inuyasha growled, ?Stop it! I have to see, all right? Just let me see.?

Kagome turned her face in, burying it into his neck. ?I?m trying to be strong. I?m trying??

?You are strong,? was his soft reply. Was this really Inuyasha? The brash, stubborn, smart-mouth Inuyasha that she knew?

All thought fled her mind, and she hissed out, feeling the shirt peel away from her skin. Inuyasha lifted the soaked cloth up until the extent of her injury was in the open, the metal looking deadly and sharp. The skin was pushed out around the metal, the wound already swelling. The blood drained from his face. His breath caught in his throat. Things weren?t looking too good.

?How ? is it?? Her breathless voice was soft and strained. It broke him from his thoughts.

?I need you to sit up. Can you do that for me?? He didn?t wait for a response. He forced her to sit up as he pulled away from her and began to pull his red robes from his pants.

Kagome groaned, feeling her stomach heave. ?What are you doing?? She put a bloodied hand to her mouth, her fingers shaky.

?Give me a damn moment,? he snapped, ripping the robe straight down the middle. Kagome watched with wide eyes.

?What are you doing?? she repeated, but this time in a shout, shocked by what he was doing.

Inuyasha ignored her. He came up to her, instructed her to lift her arms. She did so as best as she could without further question as he began to tie the one thick strip around her torso, tying it securely, being extremely careful not to jar the metal. ?To slow the bleeding,? he said in a voice thick with emotion.

He brought the second strip up, covering the first one, only higher up. Both strips went around the wound; he got them as close as he could without hurting her. Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt his hand on her breast, pushing it up.

?Can?t you do something with these?? he demanded, tying the red strip just below her breasts. Kagome pressed her lips in a tight line, glowering at him despite how much pain she was in.

?Excuse me for being born,? she shot back heatedly, feeling suddenly frustrated and numb.

Inuyasha snorted, muttering to himself. He leaned back, narrowing his eyes as he looked her over for any further damage. Aside from where the large amount of blood was coming from on her side, there were tiny abrasions on her legs, hands and face, covered in patches of dirt.

His voice softened. ?Where else does it hurt??

Kagome made a face, bringing a hand over her eyes. With her other hand, she gingerly touched the inflamed skin broken apart from the sharp object. ?I?ll manage.?

Inuyasha sat in silence, watching her. Give her a break, she?s trying to be strong, his mind murmured. Out loud he scoffed, ?I know, I know.?

Kagome looked to him. ?What??

Inuyasha scowled now. ?What?s your problem now??

?Forget it,? she muttered, trying to twist her torso as best as she could without causing herself too much grief and pain. ?I need ? I need to get out of here; I need to find my mother, I need to see them. I need to know.?

Inuyasha reached for her instantly, grabbing her under the arm before she could fall back onto the ground and accidentally push the metal in further. ?Easy!? he shouted, his grip tightening as she tried to jerk her arm out of his grasp.

?Let go!?

?Listen to me!? He grabbed her other arm as she brought it up to hit at him. His nails bit into her wrist, but she didn?t feel it; the pain in her wrist was incomparable to that in the entire one side of her body. Inuyasha pulled her up to him, eyes glaring into hers. ?You?re hurt. You?re bleeding like hell! You can?t expect to go rushing off to find your bloody family now, not at a fucking time like this.?

?No.? Kagome shook her head, her face still pale. ?You don?t understand; I have to find them. I don?t care what you say; it?s vital that I find them. Were you able to find them? Are they across the street at a neighbors? Where are they??

Inuyasha grit his teeth. He wanted to cry; for the first time in years, he wanted to collapse to the ground and cry until he couldn?t feel anymore. He became distracted; his eyes shifted to the burning rubble behind her. Kagome tried to wrench around, but he dug his nails into her skin. ?No!? He began to shake her. The smell of her blood thickened, making him nauseous.

?Please,? he begged her now, ?listen to me. We?ll come back for them, all right? But for now, we have to get you out of here. We need to get you treated. You need to see someone who can help you, who can? who can get this ? this thing out of you.? His voice broke. He was beginning to lose his composure.

Kagome stared at him, stunned. Her voice was hoarse; her next words barely a whisper. ?Inuyasha.? She hesitated before continuing. ?What do you mean by ?come back for them?? They?re fine. They?re safe. Please, we have to find them. They?re in the Shrine; I?m sure of it.? Tears began to fall as she squinted against the burning sting. She shifted her arms down a bit, her fingers clutching at his biceps.

She watched as he closed his eyes, but she never missed the tears on his cheek. Inuyasha turned his face to the side. His fingers loosened. Kagome fell back. She spun on her heel. Her eyes widened at the massive burning rubble across from her. She shook her head, her breathing hitching. Frantically, she broke into a stumbling run, calling out for her mother and brother, over and over. Inuyasha ran for her, grabbing her by her elbow.

Kagome fought him, screaming until her throat was raw.

Her nails clawed at his arms, his chest, and his face. She wanted to hurt him; she wanted to cause him pain. She wanted him to feel what she was going through at that very moment.

Inuyasha groaned her name and, at that moment, as he pulled her into him roughly, embracing her tightly, his world shattered. He felt his knees buckle out from beneath him, and together they fell to the ground. Kagome sobbed into his chest, clutching his shirt, bloodied strands of his once white hair tangled around her fingers. Her sobs were broken, her anguish deep. She cried at the pain she was feeling, at the loss she was now experiencing, the helpless, lost feeling that coursed through her body. She clung to him, only crying harder when she felt his arm bump against the metal in her side, her shout of pain muffled against his shoulder.

The sirens were getting much closer now.

<center>* * *</center>

?What do you think is taking him so long?? asked the worried dark-haired woman from her seat beneath the tall, thickly branched elm tree. She looked over to her companion. He sat in silence, staring at the box-shaped well across the fields from them. ?Well???

Miroku blinked out of his daze. He looked over to her. ?I?m not entirely sure. But whatever is happening, I?m getting a little worried. He rarely takes more then a few hours to collect her.? He looked back out to the well again.

Sango frowned, following his gaze. ?Do you think something happened??

?Don?t know. It is possible, yes.? The golden rings at the top of the staff jingled in the breeze that blew through the fields. The grass rolled softly, the sun high, and the sky semi-overcast. ?Unfortunately there?s no telling for us. We just have to sit here and wait for them to return. We don?t have the ability as they do to just come and go as they please through the well.?

?I know that.? Sango huffed, leaning forward. She sat cross-legged, hands resting on her ankles. She tilted her head, and then looked up to the sky. ?Dark clouds are approaching.? She gestured to the north.

Miroku looked to the pointed direction. His brow creased in a deep frown. ?We must leave, come.? He hopped to his feet. The wind whipped past them, the dark purple and black monk robes draped over his lean body rippling wildly against him.

Sango stood slowly, frowning still. ?Why? We have to wait for Inuyasha to come back.?

Miroku grabbed her by the hand and began dragging her towards the well. ?There?s no time to explain, but I?m getting a bad feeling. We shouldn?t have strayed here as long as we already have.? Under his breath, he cursed. ?Just our luck, too, blast it all!?

?You lost me, Miroku. What?s going on? Why hasn?t Inuyasha returned yet with Kagome? Why do you think the dark clouds suggest an ill omen?? She tried to tug her hand from his, but he only tightened his grip, lacing his fingers with hers.

?Don?t argue with me, woman.? They were coming closer to the well now. The wind was strong in the middle of the fields, nearly knocking them over, but they hunched forward, pushing against it. The golden hoops on the monk?s staff clang together loudly. ?We need to speak with the priestess Kaede first, and if matters turn somehow worse then they already are going to be, one of us is going to go through the well and retrieve them ourselves.?

Sango stole a brief glance over her shoulder.

The hoops went silent. His fingers went slack in hers.

It all happened in a blur.

One minute her feet were solidly on the ground, the next she found herself flying through the air, the wind rushing past her ears. Tears flew out of the corners of her eyes, the icy strong torrents biting her cheeks. She tried to cry out, but instead found herself choking for air. Her fingers lifted, clawed at her throat. Her body flew from left to right; each time she changed directions, her body felt as though it were being slammed into an invisible wall. With each hit her body received, she found it all the more harder to get her breath back.

[takisha16]

OH MY GOD.....
KAGOME!!!
I sure hope you will save her Leia!!!
Inu is sooo wonderful!!
The angst was amazing...it had me cringing all the while I read it!
The wording was perfect, I still belive kag's is pretty strong, I mean I would have fainted at that!
Uhhhh.....I can still see all the blood!
Very gory that part, but all in all it was awesome!!!!
I don't think I have to end it with a 'keep it up'....it's pointless...you will always manage to surprise us with something even better than the last!

[Noko Marie]

Loved it, no question about that. But, how big is that peice of metal? It seemed much bigger at first and her blood loss greater. then things improved, which, of course. I liked.

[wj]

I've been waiting for you to update this one. Is Kagome's family really gone? Will she heal from that wound? You have to update soon now so we know what's up with Sango and Miroku too. Good chapter and post another one soon please.

wj

[Leia Avenrose]

Thank you all for your reviews! ♥ to you all.

[Iron Dog]

Finally an update! I love you for this. Good graphics and of course, wonderful angst. I love your portrail of Inu Yasha here. Keep at girl. You don't really need sleep and you must keep your loyal fan base happy.

[Mellie]

I finally had a chance to read this! Awesome as always! This one is just so intriguing! I'll keep on waiting for the next one! Loved the graphics and the emotion and the angst. But...I hated that cliffy *hearts you*

[ice princess]

This story is a lot like my mother. I love it with all of my heart, but CRAP, I don't understand it at all!!!!!! Okay, let me be frank, the action is riveting, the mystery is thick and compelling, and something HEINOUSLY evil is underfoot, but still, as much as I'm officially addicted to this story, I'm clueless as to what is attacking our favorite feudal friends. AUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Leia, you are not only the master of angst, but you are the queen of intriguingly unanswered questions and hybernating plot bunnies! I will thank the good Lord when you update and feed my face with more of your heart-thumping suspense!

~ice princess

[Leia Avenrose]

When I put myself in your guys' position... I just want to throw things and break things in a screaming fit, as well as curse the author. *sweatdrop*

Somebody! QUICK! Prod my mind, hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry!~