Love's Lost Refrain by Aviel

Lapse

Disclaimer: Inuyasha was created by Takahashi-sensei. However, the writings of these ideas belong to me.

Chapter 3: Lapse

The scent of iron was heavy in the air.

Flashes of reiki rendered him breathless as the ringing in his ears grew louder and louder. The urgent vibrations rippling through the ground pounded in his head, quick and erratic like the beating of his heart.

Sesshoumaru wondered how long he’d been lying there, disoriented as he was, collapsed on his back over broken pieces of armor. A far-off explosion blew dust and soil into his face, making his eyes water from the sting. Something slick and warm trickled down the sides of his neck, and with a swipe of his tongue, he determined it was the blood that had spilled over his chapped lips, painting his skin red.

He had forgotten what pain felt like.

A legion of wounds littered his person, throbbing in places where his life’s essence steadily escaped from his body. His senses were dulled, his movements sluggish at best. And as he struggled to lift his arms, one of his hands came in contact with Bakusaiga’s hilt, feeling it warm under his touch. The white runes of the blade glowed a brilliant shade of green as it sought to replenish part of his missing youki and jump-start his healing ability. He wouldn’t be restored to full health, but it was a better option than his crippled state–weak and useless to the one he was supposed to protect.

Instincts screamed at him to find her as plumes of smoke and ash rose into the sky. A growl rumbled in his chest when a blue comet of purifying energy sailed above him, crashing violently into the face of the grotesque beast that had sought to crush his limp form.

“Sesshoumaru!”

Mind still working to clear the haze in his head, the inu-youkai rolled his gaze to where he’d thought the voice had come from. Kagome appeared beside him, covered in soot and gore, her expression filled with a mixture of both worry and relief. The Lord of the West was glad to see that she was relatively unharmed but couldn’t help the whine that arose at the swollen bruises marring her face. Her beautiful, long hair had also been shorn down close to the base of her neck, the uneven tresses whipping about as she dropped to her knees.

The woman managed to smile at him despite her fatigue. “I’m alright. You just worry about yourself, okay? The blast knocked you away pretty far.”

Her hands hovered over his midsection, where the worst of his injuries was, fingers gently pulling away his shredded kimono and hanjuban and prodding at the torn skin beneath. It wasn’t long before she frowned at what she’d found.

“It’s healing too fast now. The quill has to be removed before your flesh solidifies around it completely. But we have to be quick about it.”

Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome threw a wary glance over the surrounding area. Finding no threats for the moment, she slipped off the leather arm guard she had recently taken to wearing and offered it to him. Seeing his confusion, she explained, “This is gonna hurt. Unless you wanna lose your tongue, I’d take it.”

At her warning, Sesshoumaru opened his mouth obediently and bit down. He didn’t have to wait long before the miko braced herself and placed her hands on the barb keeping him pinned. And without preamble, she wrenched it from his body, ignoring the squelching sound that followed. The flames of her reiki swallowed up the offensive projectile, which had come from the back of a crested porcupine youkai. Unlike its normal animal counterpart, this particular youkai had the ability to shoot its quills at its enemies, like darts on a target board. In this case, Sesshoumaru had received the unfortunate pleasure of being turned into a pincushion.

“Feel better?” Kagome asked, trying her best to keep her eyes away from his once-punctured stomach. While she had always been fascinated by his regenerative abilities, she didn’t like to be reminded that he had gotten hurt in the first place. Nonetheless, she was thankful for his resilience and Tenseiga’s unwillingness to let him die.

Sesshoumaru gently pushed her back as he sat up, shaking his head to get rid of the last of the fog in his mind. “Where is he?”

“Dead.”

The male hummed approvingly, taking in the residual scent of reiki around the woman. That explained the innards that still coated the front of her haori. The porcupine’s death couldn’t have been anything but painful.

“When you went down, I… I just… reacted.” Kagome’s smile was grim but her expression wasn’t the least bit regretful. “So much for those lessons in control, huh?”

“There are no rules in war, miko. You did what was appropriate for your mate and alpha.” Sesshoumaru rose to his feet and allowed Kagome to step closer and hide the evidence of his wound. He remained silent–contemplative–as she carefully adjusted his outer kimono and refastened his bloodied obi around it. None would be the wiser.

Golden eyes took in her empty quiver and the injuries she had sustained while he had been incapacitated. Bakusaiga soon sang a familiar song as it was pulled from its sheath, Tenseiga rattling in dismay at his hip. At his mate’s soft behest, he had shown mercy toward the weaklings that had dared to trespass on his territory.

But no more.

“There will be no survivors.”

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Original Posting Date: May 8, 2017

Prompt: For Dokuga_Official’s Bi-Monthly Contest #01, Battle

Words: 900