Curiosity – Chapter 34 – "Fight For Your Life"

Dear Lord it was everywhere – staining clothes, skin, and most of the ground in a sea of blood.

She kept calling his name; making sure that he stayed conscious while he lay upon her chest. There was no way in hell she was going to let him die; no sir, not on here watch; especially in front of his mother.

Kagome stayed as calm as she could given the nature of the situation. She wasn't totally uncaring mind you, but the one thing that was at the top of her list was getting the hole in Inuyasha's chest wrapped up. They needed to get him into the house and she wasn't going to take the chance of losing any of his organs on the short trek.

"Quick! I need something to bind his wound for a few minutes until we get him into the house."

Immediately Touga shed his haori and wrapped it tightly around his youngest chest while the young miko held him up just enough for the silk to be put into place without too much difficulty.

Without any provoking, Touga lifted the still transforming hanyou and made way for the house; Kagome by his side the entire way while their friends followed urgently, leaving Sesshomaru standing out in the courtyard. Mama had already run ahead to get all of the medical supplies prepared – but Kagome knew whatever she had wouldn't be enough.

Kagome felt Inuyasha's hand find her own and squeeze it tightly. He was now entirely human and just by looking at him she could tell that he was using all the self-discipline he could muster to not cry out in pain.

Even in a situation like this Inuyasha didn't want to appear weak in front of his father.

She felt him squeeze her hand tighter as Touga finally made his way into the house.

"Ka…can't breathe…" He was breathing harder now; something had to be done and fast.

"Touga take Inuyasha up to my room and Souta, go to Gramps room and get his oxygen concentrator!"

Within mere moments Inuyasha was laying upon Kagome's bed and being tended to as fast as possible by the elder and younger miko; each one working on either side of him since they'd had Touga move the bed away from the way. Each minute that went by someone from their rag-tag group was bringing in one thing or another for the miko. They hoped to God that he would make it through the night.

What would they ever do without him?

The now fully human Inuyasha still hadn't cried out, though anyone could tell by the look on his face that he was in a major amount of pain. He could sense all of their friends (minus Sesshomaru) filtering in and out with every little bit of medical supplies that were needed. He must have been beat up pretty bad for everyone to be panicking over him like this.

"Damn, why does it hurt so much to breathe?"

Kaede noticed how Inuyasha was taking in many short, gasping breathes and knew something dire was wrong, but what it was she didn't know.

"Kikyo, I need ye to mix up a potion for Inuyasha to ease his pain. Make up the strongest one that ye know of."

Not a movement came from the reborn woman as she continued to star at the injured man lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Did ye not…"

"I didn't know." Kikyo interrupted, her face showing confusion.

The younger (though now older) stared at her only family and waited for an answer, though she was still unconsciously binding Inuyasha's wounds.

Kikyo spoke in barely a whisper; it was amazing that anyone heard her response at all.

"I didn't know he could become human."

It was clear that Kikyo wasn't going to be of any help if she was just going to stand there like an idiot, so Kagome did the only logical thing.

"Gramps get Kikyo out of here if she isn't going to help. Sango you go make the potion."

"But where would I find the herbs to make it in this era?" Sango felt a hand grip her shoulder and she looked up into the eyes of Kagome's mother.

"Kagome keeps and extra supply in the cupboard by the stove and I can help you boil everything to make it. How diluted do you want it Lady Kaede?" Mama sure knew how to sound professional when she wanted to be.

"Give it to him straight, perhaps that will ease his wheezing."

The young miko was already drenched up to her elbows in blood. She was trying hard to piece everything back together but it was hard, especially with lingering demon poison eating your skin at every turn.

She heard the hanyou turned human beneath her gasp loudly when she brushed across a particular organ and from the way his face scrunched up she knew it wasn't a good thing.

Miroku held up a flashlight while she tried to find said organ again and let me tell you, what she found wasn't good.

"Oh no, Shippo go get in my bag and get me the surgical thread now!" Within a blink of her eye, the medical book he was holding up for her dropped to the ground and the kitsune was gone.

The urgency he had heard in his adoptive mother's voice sent him flying down the stairs faster than he had ever gone before.

"Wench…it hurts…breathe."

" I know Inuyasha. Sango is getting you some pain medicine now and Shippo's getting me the thread so I can sew you up."

She thread her fingers through his coal black hair and cradled his head in an attempt to calm him.

"There's a rip in you lung that needs to be sewn up – that's why your breathing is so rough. Inuyasha?"

Something was wrong; he had a look on his face she'd never seen before.

"Inuyasha did you understand me?"

A goofy smile appeared on his face as he gazed at her with dilated eyes.

"Ding dong the witch is dead. Which old witch, the wicked witch – ding dong the wicked witch is dead."

He continued on with the song as Kagome yelled at Souta to hurry his butt up and get the oxygen machine in her room now.

"It's not my fault that it's so heavy!" Souta huffed when he finally brought the thing into Kagome's room. Quickly, she pulled away from Inuyasha and started hooking the concentrator up as fast as she could.

"What is wrong with him?" Izayoi was upon him now, worried about the things her son was saying.

"What's this? Are we going to play a game mother?"

He'd started messing with the clear tubing Kagome had placed around his ears and in his nose; thinking that they were playing together in his semi-deranged mind.

"We've got to make sure he keeps his nasal tubing in. He's acting this way due to the lack of oxygen to his brain caused by the split in his lung." She paused to remove his hands again. "The device by the bed is pumping a purer level of air into his system. Hopefully that will make up for the loss before there is any permanent damage done."

A choked cry left from the concerned mother's throat. Though she didn't understand quite what Kagome was talking about, she got the gist of it. Never in a million years would she want her child permanently damaged; it struck her hear with a knife just with the thought of it. Thank God she had her mate; he sensed her need for comfort and gathered her into his arms and led her from the room. He knew his mate was in no condition to see her son this way; none of them were.

One thing was for sure though; Touga was both surprised and proud at how his youngest son's chosen mate was handling all of this. He was confident that Kagome would make a fine wife for Inuyasha -

"Now if he'd only get his head out of his ass and realize that for himself."

His attention was turned away from his mate to the sounds of coughing, fearful yells, and pleadings coming from Kagome's room.

Filtering through all the crying and hastily barked orders, he searched for the one noise that he desperately wanted to hear. Sorrow filled his being as he gripped his beloved Izayoi even closer to his person, trying so hard not to march right outside to his eldest son and strangle him to death.

If what he heard, or in this case didn't hear, were true then surely Izayoi would be heartbroken forever and it would be his entire fault...

After all, he had let the two brothers fight.

Once more he attempted to find the harmonious sound that every living being in the world processed – again he came up empty handed and it saddened him. It took everything he had not to lose himself over what had happened, he needed to be strong for Izayoi. A silent tear rolled down his cheek as he sent a silent prayer to save his son.

Why did it have to happen this way? They had just been reunited and now their happy time was ruined.

Inuyasha's heart had stopped beating.