Surrender

She had tried to kill him!

The Lord of the Western Lands was convinced that no mater how irrational that thought sounded that was exactly what had happened. There was no other logical explanation!

The pain that he felt coursing through his body was unfamiliar and surprisingly mind-numbing. It blinded him to the world around him, and that was completely unacceptable. The stoic youkai had never encountered a type of pain that he could not overcome with a small amount of concentration and a slightly amused smirk.

This was different. This pain roamed unchecked within him. Consuming his disciplined body slowly, and threatened to boil to the surface.

Willing his body to cooperate Sesshoumaru mentally listed the future victims of his building wrath.

First he would kill that meddlesome miko. She was the instigator of this entire debacle, and due to that fact alone she would be the first to go.

Next would be that worthless excuse for a youkai that he reluctantly called brother. That obnoxious hanyou had plagued his existence long enough.

The fact that he had absolutely nothing to d with his current condition didn't concern Sesshoumaru in the least. Kagome was responsible and therefore Inuyasha was guilty by association. Maybe the hanyou's untimely death would teach his impatient brother to choose his mates more wisely in the next life.

A seemingly never-ending wave of pain washed over him. Closing his eyes in an attempt to ignore the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him, Sesshoumaru vowed that retribution would be swift and completely without mercy.

Especially towards the traitorous wench he held primarily responsible. Years of unwavering protection and this is how she repaid him!

The journey to and from the small Musashi village hadn't taken up too much of Sesshoumaru's time. Which was the only reason he had given in to Rin's incessant pleading to visit Kagome-chan and her precious "Inuyasha-oniichan". Over the years the Lord of the West had discovered that the girl's presence during a battle was a definite hindrance, if not an outright distraction. So when Sesshoumaru decided that a conflict was actually worth his attention he had left Rin in their care.

Or rather they'd wake to find Rin sitting among them without not so much as a word of warning.

Despite his considerable influence somehow the girl had grown to care for the hanyou and his mysterious miko. This trip had lasted longer than he would have liked, and he was just grateful to get out of the presence of the overly sentimental creatures.

They had trekked over the land at a lazy pace, as he didn't have anything pressing to attend to. And despite Inuyasha's protests that he was a coldhearted bastard he did sometimes like to stop and appreciate his surroundings.

As long as the annoying hanyou wasn't in them.

The familiar singing of the young woman next to him no longer irritated him. He let an amused smirk cross his face as he listened to the lyrics of the girl's new rendition.

She was trying to annoy Jaken again.

And succeeding apparently he noticed as the little toad demon took after the girl flailing the staff of heads as he screeched in outrage. The girl had been goading him for years. You'd think he'd be used to it by now.

Sesshoumaru became lost in his own thoughts and let the words around him fade away. That was until Rin skipped past him and the tantalizing aroma caught his sensitive nose. He reached and brought the girl to a screeching halt.

"Was I too loud, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked contritely.

The smell wafted to his nostrils a second time and this time it intrigued him. "What is that you're eating?" he asked attempting not to sound too interested in her obviously inferior dietary habits.

Rin shrugged her delicate shoulders in confusion. "I don't know," she muttered, "Kagome-chan gave it to me."

Sesshoumaru inwardly winced at the reference to his brother's irrational mate. He almost decided to let the topic go, but then the smiling girl had to take another bite of the unique mixture.

Rin noticed his interest with a small smile and dug around the inside of her kimono for a second one. Sesshoumaru looked at the offering curiously before discreetly before popping the concoction in his mouth.

Curiosity appeased Sesshoumaru resumed his previous train of thought none the wiser. . .

Had she poisoned him somehow?

How was that even possible? He was immune to ever youkai poison imaginable. And there was nothing a human could create that could ever harm him!

He smelled the girl's familiar scent moments before she entered the clearing. The growl he released would have scared a lesser man, but Rin had seen him do much worse.

The girl proceeded towards him, ignoring the warning he'd sent her. She would obey him, and stay the hell away from him! As soon as this foreign feeling kindly removed itself from his throat he would see to it she was properly afraid.

The sympathetic look she gave him would have pissed him off if he could see straight.

What was that she was mumbling? Sounded like an apology.

Kagome had said what? Inuyasha was sick as well?

The words were blending together horribly but he believed he finally understood. He sank to his knees out of complete necessity.

He would not succumb to something that had defeated his weak half sibling! He would not disgrace himself! HE WOULD NOT! The growing feeling caused him to sigh in utter resignation.

Kami, he hated it when he was wrong.

He hated the humans that he had let influence him to the point of weakness.

But most of all he hated this damn "chocolate" that had done the unthinkable.

Defeated the legendary youkai in a battle of wills.

The great Lord of the West surrendered to the nauseating sensation and threw up what felt like his entire stomach contents into the bushes, as a contrite Rin held his long silvery hair safely out of the way.