Flat Line
Inuyasha-tachi and others belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Shounen Sunday – not me. Any people I add along the way, namely concerned doctors/surgeons are mine. Heh. So, I know this is probably a terrible idea for a fic – Inuyasha must probably doesn't even have an appendix – but my fics are always shots in the dark.
I know that for general fanfics and doujinshi the idea of Kagome acting all nurse-like to Inuyasha isn't original – I realise that – but I still wanted to give this a shot. Please don't brush it aside. This won't even be as long as I intend – too much for a one-shot but not enough for a full length fic… just like Erase The Past was. Enjoy! I hope…
Daggers
"I'm getting sick of looking at you! –Fine, go back to your time – see if I care! I hope you fail all of your stupid 'tests',"
Inuyasha looked up at the hazy morning sky and frowned, cracking his knuckles as he sat and watched the clouds carve tracks in the blue above. He regretted every single word that had spewed out of his mouth, but he couldn't take them back – not now Kagome was in the future and he was stuck here – in the past.
He narrowed his eyes against the bright sunlight, trying to ignore the feeling of guilt that was slowly worming its way around inside of him – making its presence known. You're alone, you know? And it's all your fault. The voice of reason told him nastily. Inuyasha tried to empty his thoughts, but all he could see was the look of hurt on Kagome's face – of her brown eyes widening in disbelief.
And… Kagome leaving. Turning away from him, disguising the tears with a curtain of dark hair. Running – running and not coming back.
Inuyasha clenched his fists. He tried to ignore the pain that was eating its way across his heart – the emotional pain – and in his side – the not so emotional pain. The all-too-real pain.
But apart from that, and his argument with Kagome, it had just been a regular day – if ever there was one. But earlier he'd snapped when Kagome had told him she was leaving, all because he'd had this sudden twinge of pain for one instant and he was afraid. Afraid because he didn't know what it meant – didn't know what it was or where it had come from.
Kagome was deserting him, right when he wanted answers. The pain had come frequently after that – stabbing pains in his right hand side that numbed all else and made him feel hollow inside.
He rubbed his side absently now, but he couldn't for the life of him decide what it was. For some reason he felt as if her were being continuously stabbed along his waist, down to his hip and just below – slowly arcing away towards his back and making it possible for him to move without gasping for breath.
That was why he was sat on the floor now. It hurt for him to stand and keep a straight posture. He couldn't even move from the position he was sitting, because he knew the pain would flair up even more.
Eventually, Inuyasha gave up on trying to ignore the pain. It was definitely there and definitely staying.
His grip tightened on Tessaiga as he tried to vent his anger and hurt, his eyebrows furrowing as he gritted his teeth. He couldn't understand it. He hadn't been in a fight recently that could have seriously hurt him – thanks to Kagome's exams they'd had to backtrack from their shard hunting and make their way back to the well.
Now she was at home, it was time for the group to relax. But Inuyasha wasn't relaxing. Far from it.
On another note, whatever those 'test' things were, Inuyasha hoped the prospect of studying for them had calmed Kagome down. They, and the argument, were the reason she wasn't here – now.
An explosion of pain shot down his waist to his hip, and Inuyasha slammed his eyes shut, slowing rocking as his body tensed up. When he tried to release, he couldn't. His body was locked up. Inuyasha's rocking got so dangerous that he found himself falling back onto the grass with a soft thud.
His head was pounding and the world wouldn't stay still. The ache in his side was throbbing and it was paralysing him – numbing his entire body until he couldn't feel anymore. Bile rose in Inuyasha's throat. He'd never felt so weak or vulnerable before.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, are you okay?" a high-pitched voice called in the distance. Shippo.
Inuyasha opened his eyes to see the kitsune running over, his expression concerned under wild, fiery hair.
Inuyasha waved a hand, angrily, in the child's direction. "I'm fine!" he snapped, creasing his face up as the pain suddenly grew. Inuyasha found that the paralysis was easing. He attempted to sit up, but failed. When he saw Shippo was closer, he waved his hand again. Shippo didn't pay any attention. He kept running forward, staring at Inuyasha with wide green eyes.
The soft patter of footsteps got louder as the kitsune got closer. In no time at all he was standing above Inuyasha with an unintelligible look on his face, his arms folded. Shippo frowned. "You're not 'fine'. You look kinda sick," he put in.
Inuyasha attempted so sit up again, but he didn't make it far enough. He clutched his side in agony and snarled at Shippo. "It's nothing, okay? I'm… I'm just thinking!"
Shippo raised an eyebrow and his eyes narrowed almost in satisfaction. He had seen the look of pain on Inuyasha's face, but he took it in his stride and felt like poking some fun at the hanyou. "Dreamin' about Kagome?" he asked, sneakily.
Inuyasha growled. The tenseness eased and he leant over, supporting himself with his right arm. He thumped the small fox-demon on the head…. and then recoiled – lowering his head as he sucked in breaths of air.
Shippo let out a wail and clutched his scalp. "Agh! Inuyasha, you meanie!"
But Inuyasha wasn't listening. He was still managing to prop himself up, but he was panting for breath. He was struggling to breathe.
His vision was going blurry and the pain was getting worse – it felt as if he was being ripped in two, someone stabbing him with a blunt dagger over and over, making his pain last. It was torture.
Shippo let go of his head and stared at Inuyasha with open worry. He started poking the half-demon, testily. "Inuyasha… What's wrong, are you–?" he began, but he was cut off when Inuyasha took a sudden gasp for breath, trying to bat the kid away.
"I'm… fine–!" he rasped out, trying to knock Shippo away. The demon child wouldn't budge. He side-stepped Inuyasha's waves and crept forward, reaching forward to check Inuyasha's temperature – putting a hand on his forehead, fingers brushing aside silver strands of hair.
Shippo's face was a mask. He looked as if he really understood what was going on, but in fact he hadn't a clue. He stared at Inuyasha critically and pulled his hand away, suddenly looking afraid. "I'm… gonna get the others," he mumbled before running off – turning on his heel and heading in the direction of the village.
Inuyasha gritted his teeth, baring his fangs. He clutched onto Tessaiga tighter and pounded his sword on the floor in fury. "Damn you, Shippo – don't leave me!" he screamed.
And then the world started flickering.
Inuyasha rolled in and out of consciousness as the scenery dissolved around him, leaving only after-images of what-had-been in a world of darkness. And when he came to again, it seemed everything had changed. The same happened again and again until he was sure he had died.
He couldn't see properly… everything was going dim…
"Shit," he frowned, shutting his eyes to stop the ever-changing world. He felt sick; the bile rising in the back of his throat was making his mouth burn. He realised, distantly, that he was swaying. His arm was shuddering – he couldn't support himself any longer.
Inuyasha could feel the heat coming off of his own body. He hadn't realized he had a fever – and now that he realised it, his morals were still yelling at him not to depend on anyone. He hadn't before, and he wouldn't now. Except…
He had to find Kagome. He had to see her – he had to. Today was one of her 'Sundays' and she was going back to study for the exam the next day, so she would still be at home – right?
Inuyasha didn't see it as depending on Kagome when he went to her for help. He didn't know why, but he didn't feel so useless when Kagome was around.
He knew that if he went to her now, she would probably take care of him. Force him to rest while she ran about, worrying. Okay, maybe he was expecting too much – maybe she would still be mad at him, regardless. He didn't know, but he wanted to be gone before the others came running to his aid.
He knew if he didn't get moving soon he would just faint. He could feel the fringes of fatigue grasping at him even now, trying to drag him down to the pits of slumber. But he wouldn't give them the satisfaction. He was stronger than that.
The well wasn't far from his spot on the floor – he'd been waiting for Kagome to return so he could apologize… in his own way.
He turned to look, and then began to crawl to the well – hissing in pain and trying to breathe.
He was against the well now. One job done. Now, to just climb in…
He tugged at the side of it, hoisting himself up as he rasped for breath.
"K– K– K– K…" he stammered, thinking only of who waited for him on the other side as he tried to pull himself up over the well.
He was dreading the fall – he didn't know whether he could clamber out the other side.
I'm pathetic, he thought, scowling. Then he lost all feeling in his fingers and unintentionally let go of the side of the well – hurtling into darkness.
Kagome ran the brush through her hair for about the tenth time, scowling in a very unpleasant way.
"I'm getting sick of looking at you!" she recalled Inuyasha saying, and her stomach knotted up in anger. Baka, he knew she would never hate him – so he thought he could say whatever he wanted to anger her. She knew she should've sat him, she knew it was the right thing to do. But she also knew it would hurt him more if she didn't.
She'd even waited in the well house for him to come back and apologize. But she should've known he would never apologize. He was probably expecting her to do it.
Kagome slammed the brush down on her desk, her eyes narrowing. Baka, Inuyasha!
She folded her arms, her eyes dark. Even if he came crawling back to her now she wouldn't forgive him. He'd have to beg and plead on one knee – after apologizing of course.
Kagome couldn't imagine Inuyasha doing any of those things. So it looked like he was in for a long period of what Kagome called the 'silent treatment'.
That moment, she heard a thud outside as if something – or someone – had collapsed. A bubble of fear exploded inside of her, and she didn't even understand why. Dark thoughts were entering her head. Her window was wide-open, the curtain billowing about the frame, and she could easily see what was going on outside if she looked out.
She didn't dare – afraid of what she'd see. Instead, she rushed out of her room and took the stairs two at a time in her haste. Her heart was pounding somewhere in her throat and her blood was roaring in her ears. What is this bad feeling? Why am I so afraid? She wondered briefly as she bolted out of the back door.
But then she knew why she had felt like that. Because her fears had come true. Lying sprawled on the 'courtyard' ground, was Inuyasha – his face pressed to the floor and his hair lying around him in waves. He wasn't moving.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, running over and dropping down beside him. If he's just playing a game… just trying to make me forgive him while he plays dead like a stupid dog… But this wasn't pretend.
Kagome rolled him over and saw that his eyelids were twitching, his mouth open in a hiss of pain. His breaths were coming short and fast – he was hyperventilating. He had a major fever and his body was tense.
"K– K– Kago… Kagome…" Inuyasha breathed, his eyes still shut.
Kagome's bottom lip wobbled. Then she did the only thing she could think of doing. "Mama!" she called at the top of her lungs. "Mama!"
That moment, the whole of the Higurashi family came running out of the house, dumfounded. When they saw Inuyasha's head resting in Kagome's lap, struggling to breathe, Mama gasped and ran forward with Grandpa at her side.
Kagome looked down at Inuyasha, afraid. His hand was now clutching the hem of her skirt, gripping onto it tight and opening and closing with the movements of his chest. Can't he–? Can't he remember how to breathe
"A wet flannel," Mama announced, fearfully – running off to the kitchen. Again, Grandpa followed wordlessly – he too afraid.
Kagome propped Inuyasha up against her and brushed his fringe out of his eyes. "Breathe with me, Inuyasha. Take a deep breath," she said hurriedly, taking over-exaggerated, deep breaths to help the hanyou breathe.
At first, Inuyasha's breathing just quickened, and then he started to breathe in unison with Kagome – though at times he was out of sync. Then his body was no longer tense and he fell back like a rag doll in Kagome's arms, limp. Beads of sweat hovered on his brow as he took slow breaths, wheezing.
Mama Higurashi ran out with a cloth and placed it on Inuyasha's forehead, before waving at Grandpa – who wished to do something. He bent down next to Inuyasha and attempted to lift him, when Mama and Kagome took the other side of Inuyasha and raised him in the air – heading towards the house.
Kagome's heart beat extra fast, and it pounded as if wanting to break free from its cage. Inuyasha was sick – really sick. She had never known him like this, and he wouldn't willingly come running for help unless he feared… Feared for his life, Kagome's mind finished. She gulped back the urge to gasp out loud, and carried on helping her family carry Inuyasha up to her bedroom.
She had a foreboding feeling interweaving with the fear growing inside her heart.
"Inuyasha, please be all right," she whispered under her breath, mounting the stairs to the second floor with Inuyasha in tow.
Inuyasha's face was blank as he slipped from consciousness. He was falling into a dark void that no one could pull him out of – that no one could save him from.
He was banished in darkness. Alone. And someone was still shooting daggers.