Angel's Tale [2/? | R]

[Leia Avenrose]

<center>Disclaimer: I don?t own Inuyasha. Nor do I own Nine Inch Nails, the song that inspired this chapter being titled And All That Could Have Been. The lyrics are so mellow, so ? hollow, so amazing, and his voice is literally gorgeous. I?m just glad they inspired me through words and song for this chapter. THANK YOU WINAMP FOR REPEAT TRACK!!!
Dedication: To Ice Princess, Mellie, and Iron Dog; stepping stones within words, they breathe through me the encouragement to keep writing. ( wow, what a poem )


{ Prologue }
{ Chapter One }






Angel?s Tale
By: Leia Avenrose
Rated: R

Chapter Two ? All That Could Have Been
Please, take this and run far away
I am tainted
The two of us;
We?re never meant to be;
All these pieces,
And promises and left behinds;
If only I could see,
In my nothing,
You meant everything to me</center>



She staggered forward under the impact; the shot had been from a close range. The head of the arrow had pierced through her breast. Blood blossomed like fresh flowers on a warm spring day, going in contrast with the white of her blouse. Her fingers tightened visibly on her bow; he could see from the distance of where he was, hacking through the tangling limbs of the demon trying to entrap him.

He knew he wasn?t going to reach her in time.

He would have never imagined her downfall. He would have never ever imagined the look of stark panic the moment the arrow had pierced her breast. Her scent was unique, along with the scent of her blood. The moment it entered the air, he nearly lost his life, Tetsusaiga faltering in mid-slash, allowing the snake demon to catch him off-guard, the long green talons ripping multiple gashes down along the left side of his chest.

That didn?t stop him.

Tetsusaiga jerked briefly as he maneuvered her into a deadly arc, slicing through the curved body of his foe and twisting curtly to the right, severing the arteries connecting to the cold heart within the slimy chest. Shoving past the toppling corpse, Inuyasha rushed forward, twirling Tetsusaiga in his palm with practiced ease. He cut down three more demons that dared to step in his way. Their limbs fell to the ground, fingers grasping absently, crimson squirting from disengaged veins.

The once lush grass turned blood red within a matter of seconds.

The hanyou ducked low then rolled sharply to dodge the flying debris as an explosion shook the grounds, tearing it up through the center of the battlefield. The sleeves of his red robes whipped wildly at his sides in his rush, almost like blood flying along the night air, illuminated beneath the glow of the moon above. He could see her falling forward onto her knees, her hands clutching the tip of the arrow protruding through her chest. Her eyes were unfocused, glazed. Even from where he was, still trying desperately to rush to her aid, he could hear her hoarse breathing as she struggled to take every breath in slowly.

He knew her; she wasn?t one to panic. And after all that they had gone through, he knew that she knew that panicking would only give you a one-way ticket to death.

Her name filled the air on an echoing roar. His throat was scraped raw each time he called to her, telling her to hang on, to not give up, that?d he be right there. Her brow twitched; through the haze of pre-mature death, she had heard him. Kagome breathed in sharply, feeling the pain contract further within her chest. More warmth spilled out over her breast, further soaking her blouse to her skin.

?I?m going to die,? she whispered breathlessly, too numb to even cringe, too numb to care. Her fingers ached to tug the arrow from her body, but her mind was already in the process of shutting everything down.

Her knees trembled, straining to keep her standing still.

The dirt bit painfully into her knees, but the pain wasn?t registering. She felt her fingers slip off the shaft of the arrow, the blood spilling faster with each second. She never felt the ground as she hit it, her head bouncing off. The battle around her continued. No one paid her any heed; no one knew that she was on the brink of death. No one cared. She struggled to breathe; her raspy attempts nothing but failure. A shadow rose up across her, and fangs flashed in the moonlight shining out from behind.

Her listless eyes met those of the demon before her.

<center>* * *</center>

?Keep up and try not to get lost!?

?Inuyas?damn him!? Miroku swore loudly. There were times where the monk just wanted to belt the half-demon with his staff, and then there were times where he wanted nothing more then to belt him some more. ?Why does he have to be so bloody stubborn? He never listens to us!?

?I think we should do as he says,? Sango murmured, leaning back into him. ?He?s saved our lives so many times by contradicting what you had to say.?

Miroku bristled in silence.

Kirara leapt forward, following the scent of the hanyou. Miroku sighed heavily, holding the woman in front of him closer as the ceiling rumbled and rock fell upon them. From above the sound of triumphant roars and howls entered the air, sending a chill down the length of his spine. Things weren?t looking good; Naraku must?ve somehow found out their location or at least thought he knew where they were now.

?Hurry up, damn it!? Inuyasha called back to them. He lifted his nose to the air, sniffed once, twice, and then rushed headlong forward, turning sharply at the right fork. He hopped easily over the rocks and uprooted tree branches, dodging from side to side away from the gnarly roots protruding from the cavern walls.

Kirara roared lightly from behind, quickening her pace. Shippou clung to the front of Sango?s outfit, his face buried in her chest. Kagome muttered incoherently against his shoulder and Inuyasha gave her thighs a reassuring squeeze.

?Don?t fall asleep on me just yet, Kagome,? he told her, ?we?re going to be needing you the moment we get out of this hellhole.?

?So tired??

?I don?t care,? he growled. ?You can sleep once we get out of here and get you somewhere safe.?

?I want ? home??

A thunderous detonation from above drowned out the rest of her words. Inuyasha, instantly regretting even saying anything, swore violently, nearly tumbling back as large chunks of rock and dirt fell away from the ceiling right in front of him. His ears flattened, but he kept going strong, following the twist in the path, ducking slightly as the ceiling began to go downwards in a slope, scrambling over the wreckage. Miroku and the remainder followed up close behind.

The sounds of battle had grown unexpectedly silent.

For a moment, the monk wondered if his friend had actually led them away from the demons.

?Are we cleared?? he asked hesitantly, watching the hanyou closely as they suddenly came to a stop. Inuyasha shushed him harshly, tilting an ear towards the door of stone they had come to. He carefully crouched down, easing the female off his back.

Miroku slid off the large cat, moving to check on Kagome as she wobbled while sitting somewhat slouched forward. Inuyasha touched a hand to the stone, sniffing close to it. He pressed his ear to the rock, brow furrowed in concentration. Sango watched in silence, absently stroking her fingers over Shippou?s head, murmuring to him to keep him calmed. Kagome leaned heavily into Miroku, eyes closed, her breathing labored. Her hands were clutched around the glass vial hanging from her neck, a dim glow escaping through the cracks in her fingers.

With each breath she struggled to draw, the light from within the vial flickered. Her brow drew together and she groaned.

Miroku looked to her, pressed a hand to her forehead. His heart fell. ?She?s burning up again. Inuyasha, we have to get her to a village healer. We have to get her treated for her injuries!?

?Then treat her! Stop fussing and just do it already, monk!? Inuyasha shouted, a fist flexing at his side in irritation.

?You know I can?t!? Miroku retorted, gritting her teeth. ?I?ve done all that I can for her, there?s nothing more that I can do. It?s out of my hands, my powers have weakened since I last tried to heal her; I need to rest fully before I can properly heal her?you know this! YOU KNOW THIS!? he exploded harshly, his final button pushed past its limits.

Inuyasha ignored him, his attention solely on the rock door blocking their way out. Sango watched them in silence, feeling the hostility and bit her lip. Now wasn?t the time to be arguing; they should be helping each other through this, not picking fights. She feared for her friend?s life; with each passing day, the smaller female was growing weaker with the minute, the light emitting from the Jewel Shards within the vial also fading. Things weren?t looking too good for them; she feared that they might actually be at the end of their lives now.

Naraku was close on their trail, she could feel it.

She knew how he worked, how he hunted. She knew that he would never stop, never sleep, and would continue to send out horde after horde of demons in his search for them, for the remaining Jewel Shards. Sango vaguely wondered if he knew about the connection to Kagome and the Shards, if he knew of the bond. The gruff shouting distracted her from her thoughts and she sighed heavily at the sight of the men fighting.

??your fault she?s in this position, Inuyasha!? Miroku was saying, balling a hand into a tight fist.

Inuyasha bared his fangs, growling low in his voice. ?Don?t push me, monk, or you?ll have a mouth full of dirt for all the shit you?re spouting in about two seconds if you just don?t shut up!?

?Stop denying it and just face the facts?we?re not going to get out of here. Oh, sure, we?ll get out, but we won?t get far before Naraku finds us and kills us. He knows how weak we are right now. He knows about Kagome, and he knows that she is living the thin thread of life. If you don?t find another way to open this damn door that doesn?t involve killing her, then I suggest we go back to the room and wait till nightfall to escape the hordes.? Miroku took a deep breath. He was so angry, he was visibly shaking.

As angry as he was, he knew he would never win against the hanyou in a battle.

Inuyasha let out an enraged roar, throwing his head back. The walls trembled, dropping dirt and pebbles on them. He had had enough, faint violet strips appearing along his cheekbones. The whites of his eyes gradually turned light crimson, his claws biting into the palms of his hands as he clenched them into tight fists, trying to resist the transformation. He was doing this to save Kagome, not kill her, why couldn?t the monk see it? Why were humans so stupid?

?Stop ? it,? Kagome whispered weakly, trying to make her voice fierce. She was watching him through hooded eyes.

She had heard it all, despite the blanket of haze over her vision and hearing. She saw the red fade from his eyes the moment her voice entered the air. She was amazed that she had gotten through to him; when he began to transform, he heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing.

He knew no one.

Only the urge to kill and smell the blood.

She knew him not to be the bloodthirsty beast that everyone claimed him to be. She knew him to be a gentle, if not stubborn and cocky beast.

Unexpectedly Kagome began to cough violently. Inuyasha moved to her, grabbing her gently by the shoulders as she fell towards him. Miroku stepped away, moving back to Sango in silence, lips pressed in a thin tight line of annoyance.

?Take a breath,? Inuyasha whispered, brushing her bangs off her brow. He didn?t have to even touch her skin to know how much she was burning up. The light peeking from between her fingers dimmed and flickered. ?Let it go, Kagome. You?re going to break it.?

?No time?door??

Inuyasha shook his head firmly, leaning forward so his lips were close to her ear. Kagome closed her eyes, leaning her head against his, pressing her ear into his lips as he spoke in a faint whisper loud enough only for her to hear. ?I don?t want to risk it, we can find another way out. The monk is right; you might not survive if we tried. I was foolish to even think it?I?m sorry ... forgive me.?

Absently, Kagome nodded. Inuyasha sighed quietly, pulling her up. He shifted her around so she was against his back, legs hugging his waist. Despite the fact that she was burning up, the skin on her legs was ice cold. He couldn?t help but shudder at the chill that shimmied down his back. He felt her fingers clutch at his shoulders, and taking that as a sign to move, stood and moved back to the others.

?What are we doing now?? Sango asked, her brow furrowed. Miroku had climbed back up onto Kirara, hugging Sango around the waist. Shippou had fallen asleep against the curve of her belly.

Inuyasha didn?t look at them as he walked past, heading back the way they had come. ?We go back to the room and devise a plan that doesn?t involve Kagome dying.?


TBC

[ice princess]

No one writes action scenes like you. Abso-freakin'-lutely no one. Good lord, where's my heart medication? Oh, that's right...I DON'T HAVE ANY!!!! Of course, with harrowing action like this you plan on changing all that, now don't you? If only I was your publisher - thus, your boss - and I could bully you into updating every other minute!!!! You have so many amazing stories lingering on this board, Leia, and this one may very well be the crowning glory. This fic is just so....damn a-MAZ-ing! CRAP!!!! I love it. I love IT!!!! I LOVE it! I LOVE IT!!!!! So many unanswered questions, so much overwhelming emotion...GAH!!!!!

I may not be your publisher, but I can pretend....update soon or no pay for you!!!!!

~ice *da boss* princess

[Lady Casper]

Ek! Oh nos! Kagome *sniffle*

Damn Leia your really bringing forth the angst. They all seem so desperate and Kagome dangiling on a thin line. Poor Kagome.


*runs for next chappie*