Angel's Tale [1/? | R]

[Leia Avenrose]

<center>Disclaimer: I don?t own the rights to Inuyasha or the characters. They belong strictly to their rightful owner. Also I do not own the lyrics to Walk Away, which is by Christina Aguilera, also the lyrics to Returning, which is by Delerium.
Dedication: To Ice Princess, Mellie and Lady Casper
Note: Forgive the delay in everything here concerning stories that I've written--that's what happens when you're struck with the writer's block, along with work dragging you back. In order to function at work, you need sleep. So ... lately it's been work, sleep, work, sleep, work--sleep. Writing. Work, sleep, work, sleep. Write some more--see the horrible pattern? Sigh. -___-'



Angel?s Tale
By: Leia Avenrose
Rating: R


Chapter 1 -- Bravery
Everytime I try to gasp for air;
seems like I may never wake up from this nightmare;
Inside I'm screaming, begging, pleading

Could the wars be in our heads?
Could our children be safe in their beds?
Where will I be when I wake up?</center>




A single shaft of light shone through the makeshift roof above. In the darkness, the humans peered at each other, then around at their current surroundings. Nowhere was safe anymore. Things were growing as bleak and dangerous as ever. Demons roamed the area day in and day out, searching for them. The three humans, accompanied by a small fox demon and a half-demon, were exhausted, tired of running, of hiding. Forced to hide for their lives, dying to keep everyone else alive would prove futile. Naraku was as strong as ever, sending out hordes after hordes of demons in their search. He was relentless; he would never give up until he had their mutilated corpses tacked to the walls of the mountainside.

They had taken refuge underground, praying every night that it would end soon. Three and a half years had gone by. With the pass of each year, a new fear rose, a new danger entered their midst and took sick perversion in tormenting them, in making them run for their lives. Never were they the type to run, all of them born of strong determination, all born to fight. However that resolve had been broken only years ago, and the fight within them had died out like a flame removed with a strong gust of wind.

They were vulnerable. They were exactly where Naraku had wanted them for so long.

Kohaku still remained by his master?s side, doing that of which his master bid. Sickle and chain in hand, the young boy continued to scour the area even now, the faint willpower for his sister?s survival only causing him to grip the cloth wrapped handle tighter each time his mind brought up her laughing smile.

A small girl cowered in the rounded corner of the underground abandoned hut, her legs drawn to her chest. In her hands she clutched at the small vial hanging from around her neck. She was the palest out of all of them, the weakest because of the injury inflicted upon her just days ago. Her breathing was labored, her forehead glistening with perspiration. Her fingers grasped the glass bottle in desperation.

?What are we going to do?? came a soft whisper from the other side.

Dark blue eyes, full of fatigue, shifted from the one female in the far corner to the one at his side. ?There is not much else we can do.? He winced, trying to get comfortable against the rocky wall. He stretched out his legs in front of him, absently smoothing down the robes of black and purple.

The female in the corner twitched and gave a slight whimper of pain.

The monk couldn?t help but look back to her. He longed to go to her and comfort her, at least try to relieve her of some of the pain that was going through her body, but he couldn?t bring himself to. They were all in pain, tired, bleeding, and bruised. The one thought that kept nagging on the edge of his mind was how she had come to attract such an injury. His thoughts were halted as a tall figure lifted off the ground, red sleeves dripping down their sides.

Watching from where he sat, the red-swathed half-demon moved slowly to where the girl sat. He crouched in front of her, pressing his hand against her forehead. She jerked beneath his touch, startled.

?She?s burning up.? The hanyou never took his eyes off her face. He brushed her bangs off her forehead, pushing the stray strands behind her ears, and framed her face with his hands, his thumbs stroking over her cheeks. ?Do you remember if there was anything left over from Kaede?s hut, Miroku??

Miroku furrowed his brow in thought. Gradually he shook his head. ?I?m sorry, I can?t ? remember. All I can remember is the blood?her body?? A hand at his arm put a hinder to his words, to the gruesome memories of the naked carnage left within the hut.

White triangular ears flattened. Inuyasha watched the small human. His eyes moved down to her hands, watching as her fingers trembled. ?Kagome,? he murmured loud enough for her to hear, ?you have to let it go. The glass will shatter if you keep holding it like that.?

Kagome Hirugashi tried to swim out of the haziness that was clouding her mind, not only her vision. She yearned to turn to him for comfort, but she didn?t think she could pull herself out of the cold shell that was enveloping her at that moment. Fresh perspiration broke out on her forehead. Her body shuddered. Inuyasha grit his teeth, roughly prying her fingers from the vial and forcefully tucked it under her shirt before then grabbing her in his arms. He pulled her into his lap, nearly groaning out in relief as he felt her curl up into him, her fingers now clutching at the front of his robes.

?You?re going to be all right,? he whispered into her hair, only tightening his grip on her as her body twitched. He knew how much damage she had sustained during the last battle; so much that he wasn?t even sure how long she had left, or if she was even going to be able to pull through.

Miroku tilted his head back against the wall, grimacing, and stared upwards to the roof. The room was stuffy, not so much cramped, but stifling. Having lost Kagome?s yellow backpack during one of the last battles against the poisonous snake demons, their sense of medical care was limited if not even there at all. His power was overdone; he was as weak as she was. He couldn?t heal at all anymore; he would need to rest completely in order for it to be restored.

Just attempting to lift his head was too much for him now.

Sango had shut herself away from the rest of them, including him. With a hand pressed to the small bulge of her stomach, she longed for nothing more then to just sleep and never wake up until this blasted war was done with. As hectic as things were now, they never had a moment alone, any of them. Demons usually stumbled upon them, and they would have no other choice but to fight. They had no backup; most of the villages in the vicinity had been vanquished long before their arrival to the area, long before they were able to seek anyone out for aid.

To walk through a village having just been run through by fiends with powers beyond any human?s imagination possible was mind numbing. It was completely indescribable. The sight of mutilated bodies scattered along the roads was sickening, and the stench of death was thick, almost like a fog that was completely impenetrable. Death was something you could not run from; once it found you, it had you and would forever keep you.

Shifting against the wall, Miroku brought up an arm, pulling the silent woman into his side. He pressed his lips into her temple, closing his eyes as he felt her press her face into his shoulder, her hands lifting to hold him close. From across the room, Inuyasha watched them with hooded eyes. He was tired as hell, nodding off every now and then. At every little sound he heard from outside, his attention was jerked to alert. It annoyed him; all he wanted to do was get at least a few decent hours of sleep.

Slowly his eyes closed and he rested his nose against the top of Kagome?s head, his hair falling forward to curtain her somewhat, draping over her. She had fallen asleep just minutes ago and was in a deep sleep. Her forehead was clammy, but her fever was going away bit-by-bit. If they weren?t in such a dangerous situation, he?d carry her down to the lake and bathe her, cool her body off and relieve her of the fever altogether.

At the moment there was nothing he could do to help her or his friends.

Kirara and Shippou both sat huddle together next to Sango. The hanyou found it strange of the pup to cling to Kirara instead of Kagome. When Kagome had been struck through by the snake demons, her composure shattering at the feel of the poison burning through her veins, Shippou had withdrawn, turning himself inside out at the sounds of her shrill screams, her broken wails of sheer, naked pain. He kept his distance, barely looked her way. Inuyasha could smell the fear in the small pup and for a moment a sliver of feeling went out to him. Kagome was in danger, she couldn?t stay here anymore, she had be returned to her natural home.

Regardless of the Shikon Jewel needing to be completed or not, he had to get her home one way or another. He knew of the medicine her world had. He knew she would be well cared for there. If only he could return her; it was near impossible. The well had been destroyed less then a year ago. It was now merely firewood, the hole in the ground cluttered with rock and other debris. The thought of her dying in this world scared him; he wasn?t going to let her die. Already she was slowly recovering from the poison that had been plaguing her system for the past month now.

Her fever, her hallucinations, would come and go.

There were times where he didn?t think he knew her anymore; she was changing, and that frightened him. The battles they had fought in had changed her, and he was right along side her in her transformation over the past three years. He remembered how her eyes would glaze over, how the power within her would unleash itself. She had no control over it at all, that much he could see. How she had crumpled to the ground, trembling, tendrils of faint smoke rising off her skin had the blood in his veins running cold. When he had reached her side, hesitant to touch her, she continued to lie there trembling, muttering something inaudible over and over like a chant.

Her skin had been so cold under his palm.

Inuyasha grit his teeth, shaking off the memory, absently squeezing her into him in reassurance as she groaned in her slumber. His ears twitched suddenly. He looked to Miroku immediately and their eyes met briefly before a sharp bang from above brought their eyes upwards quickly to the roof.

Stray rock and dirt fell to the floor around them.

Inuyasha instinctively curled his body over the female in his arms, protecting her. Miroku pulled Sango in closer to him, trying to reassure her in soft tones as he felt her fingers tighten on his robes. Inuyasha felt his ears flatten against his head at the deafening rumbling that was coming from right above them. Kagome shifted restlessly against his chest, lifting a hand to cover her ears, muttering softly at the same time.

?We have to move, Inuyasha!? Miroku shouted out through the noise. He struggled to his feet, pulling Sango with him.

Tightening his arms around Kagome, he stood, pulling her to her feet despite her protests. ?We have to go, Kagome.? The hanyou turned his back to her. Kagome leaned against him, grabbing onto the back of his robes as he pulled her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, his hands gripping the undersides of her thighs. ?That?s a good girl--c?mon, stay with me here.?

Knowing that she was securely settled against him, he gave a curt nod to the monk. Shippou and Kirara quickly shuffled towards them. Kirara transformed with a deep growl. Miroku lifted Sango up off her feet, despite the protest in his arms and back, and settled her up on the large cat?s back. Shippou climbed up, curling up against Sango?s stomach. Pulling himself up behind her, Miroku wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close and tight.

The ground beneath them trembled. The roof above them shook madly as the demons above roamed the grounds. Inuyasha?s upper lip curled in disgust, the snarl falling off his lips loud, almost feral.

?What are we going to do?? Sango whispered, looking up at the roof.

Inuyasha looked around a moment, silent, trying to keep out the sounds of above from reaching his ears. It was distracting. His eyes fixed on the tunnels, their only way in and their only way out. ?There.? He nodded sharply. ?We?ll take the right fork instead of heading through the left.?

Miroku was quick to object. ?The right will lead us straight to them, Inuyasha! You can?t be that crazy!?

?Shut up, monk!? the hanyou barked. ?Listen to their patterns. They?re charging the opposite way of the left. They going over us towards the valley, away from the village.?

?Kagome?s not strong enough to close off the door,? Sango spoke up, looking in his direction. ?You can?t expect her to close it! She?s too weak, such a move could kill her??

?The right fork,? Inuyasha cut her off gruffly, ignoring her objection. He hoisted Kagome up a bit more, tightening his grip on her thighs as he set out through the tunnel-way. ?Keep up and try not to get lost.?

TBC

[black_nemesis_queen]

OMG!! What's gonna happen? *shiver* The anticipation is unbearable!*grabs chest* Must. Read. Next. Chaper. *starts pacing* *stops and begins tapping foot* Well?

[ice princess]

Here's a perfect example of why I'm in support of human cloning.

If we had the knowledge of human cloning, there would be dozens of little "Leia's" running around with the sole purpose of completing all of her dazzling, dark, and utterly engrossing fics. They would connect the intriguing bits and pieces of astoundingly original plots and finally weave them into satisfying, thoroughly creative and mind-blowing pseudo-happy endings that all of her non-cloned readers could fawn and rejoice over! In fact, there would be enough clones to let a few of the really stupid ones (you know, copies of the copies just get duller and duller...) have no other purpose but perform as skits each and every praise-filled review the original miss Leia receives, including this very review, which is pretty much a big waste of words other than this:

"OMG!!!!! THIS CHAPTER WAS AMAZING!!!!! THIS STORY JUST REGRESSED!!!! IS THIS A GIANT FLASHBACK?!?!?! OMG!!!! UPDATE, DAMMIT!!!!"

So, in too many words, that, my friends, is why I support human cloning.

~*the original* ice princess

[Leia Avenrose]

*whispers* Human clones of ME is a VERY bad idea, just thought I'd let you know... O_o

[Lady Casper]

Aw, the group really a complete opposite of their usual fighting ways. ^.^ Awesomes job Leia.

*ventures off to read the next chappie*