I am trying get Secret Garden up for you guys and almost have it, just give me a few more days.
Enjoy the next chappie ^^
Amber eyes twitched under the lids as the demon groaned softly, his stiff body aching as he adjusted under the covers, his face wincing in slight discomfort and pain, his torso and head lifted off the mattress and pillow, his silken hair slipping off his back and onto the bed as his face turned towards the stimulus that had awoken him, the sight of his sleeping brother worrying.
The small half-demon hadn't gotten any better through the night though he slept through it, a large hand coming to cover the forehead, the fever feeling as though it stayed the same, his chest raising and falling with each ragged breath, his face looking pained. The small amber eyes opened at the feeling of his brother's hand on his face, his sorrowful irises looked to the demon.
"B-Big… br-bro-ther?" the boy asked, his voice barely above a whisper, his ears tilted to his skull as it turned to his elder.
"InuYasha," Sesshomaru murmured softly, his hand stroking the fluffy locks, "how are you feeling?"
"'M hot," the half-demon mumbled, "too hot."
"Is the room too hot for you?"
"No," InuYasha shook his head, "everything's just real hot… an' sore… everything hurts…"
"Okay," the demon whispered quietly, the pained amber eyes watching him as he stood from the bed, the hands tucking in the small half-demon, "did you want to try and eat something?"
"Dunno," the boy mumbled, "I don't feel well."
"You haven't eaten much while we were traveling," Sesshomaru told him, "you need to try."
InuYasha nodded slightly, the demon standing from his younger brother as he made for the door, his hand reaching for the handle before he glanced back at the half-demon. The two had traveled almost non-stop since they met up, Sesshomaru managing to catch them small game and cook it for his little brother, InuYasha hardly eating more than a mouthful before he leaned away from it, the demon trying to feed him as best he could without outright shoving it down his throat. The door opened slowly as Sesshomaru nearly walked into a little girl no older than InuYasha, her black hair wavy as he blue eyes looked up at him, his face mildly surprised before she opened her mouth and filled the halls with a piercing scream.
Sesshomaru stood in shock as her feet pattered along the wood, her screaming voice calling for her cousin, shouting Rin's name as she ran to the young woman, a hushing voice telling her to stop screaming. Soft feet returned to the demon's door, her body clad in a deep blue woollen long sleeve winter dress with black leggings, her head turned towards the little girl hiding behind her legs.
"Kagome," Rin told the little girl softly, "stop screaming, it's okay."
"B-B-But he's a demon!"
"Who hasn't hurt you," the young woman informed her, the little girl glaring up at the demon.
"Yet."
"He spent the night here because I let him in," Rin's brown eyes narrowed, her voice curt, "would I do anything that would hurt you?"
The blue eyes looked from her cousin to Sesshomaru, her face becoming disgruntled yet bashful at Rin's determined one.
"No," the little girl finally mumbled, her shoulders sagging slightly.
"Right," the young woman nodded, stepping aside, "now, apologize to him."
"But-"
"Now, Kagome."
Kagome huffed before she looked up at the demon, her eyes meeting his before she turned away from him, her face still sour.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Rin pressed, the little girl stiffening slightly.
"I'm sorry for screaming," Kagome mumbled, her voice resentful as she only stayed where she was because of the piercing glare her cousin shot at her.
"Alright," the young woman told the little girl, "you can go back the kitchen, I'll be back to give you your breakfast in a minute."
The little girl said nothing more but turned to run back to the small kitchen, Rin sighing before she turned to the still slightly shocked demon.
"I'm sorry about that," she told him softly, "she… she was so excited when I told her that you were staying here she just ran off before I could explain that you were a demon. I didn't mean for her to scream at you."
"It's… it's alright," the demon murmured, "it's actually one of the better reactions I've gotten. Besides, you're letting us stay here while asking us for anything."
The young woman smiled up at him kindly before she remembered the tray of food in her hands.
"Here," Rin murmured, handing the demon a tray holding two bowls, a ceramic container holding sugar and two glasses of juice, "they're not much, but it's hot and if he can keep down food, it should be something that might help him," she blushed lightly, "I'm afraid in all this excitement, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Rin, and my little cousin is named Kagome."
"I am Sesshomaru of the western lands and my little brother is InuYasha," the demon introduced himself, "and thank you, for your food and hospitality," Sesshomaru nodded, the food in his arms as he backed away from her, a thought striking him, "what if… what if he can't keep food down."
"I'll go get him something," the young woman told him, leaving the door as she returned to the kitchen.
The demon watched her go, slightly intrigued by her kindness before he returned to his little brother's bedside, the food slid onto the bedside tabled, the amber eyes blearily watching him.
"Who was tha'?"
"That was a woman named Rin," Sesshomaru explained, "she's the one letting us stay here for a little while."
"So," the boy thought for a moment, "who screamed?"
"That's her little cousin, Kagome, I think," the demon murmured as he looked over the food the young woman had given him, simple porridge still steaming in its bowl.
"She gonna scream again?"
"I hope not."
Sesshomaru turned to the soft voice and knock, Rin standing in the doorway with a stainless steel bowl, her head titling slightly to have her first look at the awakened half-demon.
"Hello InuYasha," the young woman smiled kindly, the boy trying to hide in the blankets out of shyness, "how are you feeling?"
The half-demon said nothing as he shuffled under the covers, the tops of his ears sticking out from the edge of the quilt.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Rin told him calmly as the white ears twitched, "I'm just asking how you're feeling."
"He says everything hurts and he has a fever," Sesshomaru murmured softly, "at least he's out of the biting weather."
"Right," the young woman nodded as she straightened up, the bowl handed to him, "here's in case he gets sick and can't make it to the bathroom, do you need anything else?"
"No thank you," the demon shook his head, Rin nodding in response as she smiled to the peeking out amber eyes, the half-demon ducking under the covers at the sight of her, Rin giggling softly at the boy's bashfulness.
The two of them were left alone when the door shut softly behind her, the demon turning back to the porridge in his hand, his lips tasting the warm breakfast, thankful that he tasted nothing potentially harmful to his little brother.
"Here," Sesshomaru told his little brother, the spoon extended to the younger, InuYasha looking from the spoon to him, his throat forcing down a lump as his mouth opened to accept the breakfast, the food rolling around in his mouth as he tasted it, his face wincing as he swallowed, "is it okay?"
"Doesn't taste that good," the boy confessed, the demon smiling softly, his hands gently sprinkling the brown sugar over the food, his tongue ensuring that it too was harmless and untainted.
"Try this," the demon pushed slightly, the now sweetened food given to his brother, the little boy eating the warm breakfast, "better?"
"Kinda," InuYasha mumbled, his face still in pain, "my tummy still hurts."
"Feel like you're going to throw up?"
"Yeah…"
The demon set aside the food for the empty bowl the woman had just brought in for the half-demon, the metal placed under the child's chin to be held by tiny hands as his own slowly began to rub at his brother's back, circles trying to sooth the young boy, his white locks held in his other hand before the half-demon promptly threw up, the boy coughing before he retched a second time.
"Sorry," InuYasha mumbled as he spat out the disgusting bile, "I'm sorry big brother."
"Don't worry about it," Sesshomaru told him through a wrinkled nose, "it's not your fault."
"Still…"
"You're sick, it's okay," the demon tried reassuring his younger brother as the boy looked up at him with pained eyes, Sesshomaru taking the bowl to the bathroom, the sick washed out and discarded as he returned to his little brother with a warm wet washcloth in hand, InuYasha's chin cleaned of any remnants. "Lie back down," Sesshomaru told his half-brother, "I'll see if I can't find you some ginger."
The boy nodded weakly as the metal bowl was placed on the floor within his reach, his brother rubbing his arm for a moment before he slipped silently out of the room, the door slightly ajar before he took to the kitchen, the floor plan thankfully simplistic, not that he could get lost easily with his senses. His amber eyes turned to the sight of the woman with her back turned to her cousin, the younger poking at her eggs with the fork in her hand, her face pouting from the recent chastisement she had clearly just received and her cheek in her propped up fist.
"Excuse me."
Both heads turned to look over at the demon, Rin's expression one of mild surprise while Kagome's eyebrows narrowed.
"Is everything alright?" Rin asked kindly, turning from the stove to look at him, her hands wringing on the dish towel.
"My brother's quite nauseas," the demon explained, "you wouldn't happen to have any sort of ginger around would you?"
"I have some-"
Their conversation was interrupted by Kagome pushing her chair from the table, the little hopping off it and bustling away from the two, her eyes glued to him as she kept her back to the wall, their eyes meeting for a second before she practically ran down the hallway and turned the corner, a door slamming shut behind her.
"I'm very sorry about her," Rin murmured, "she doesn't trust demons... give her time."
"We won't be staying that long," Sesshomaru told her, "just until the snow storms stop and InuYasha is better."
"I don't know how long the latter will take," the young woman informed him as she took out a mug, "but the former can last about three months out here, off and on."
"Three months?! You said three days!"
"For this one to stop, another one can come within the hour," Rin explained, turning to see the demon's slightly incredulous face, his arms crossed over his chest.
"We can't stay here for three months," Sesshomaru informed her, "I need to be back in the Western lands by next month at the latest."
"Why is that so important?" Rin asked him as she took the kettle from the stovetop, the steaming water poured in with the loose tea leaves.
"My father was the ruler of them until… recently," the demon explained, his expression falling for a moment before he regained his composure, "with his… recent passing, that duty had fallen to me; I need to return home as soon as I can to prevent any sort of upset."
"His… passing?"
"The reason that I am now travelling with my brother," Sesshomaru continued, his own grief still raw though he hid it well, "is that my father and his mother are now deceased, they were murdered by humans."
"That's terrible," Rin murmured, "I'm… I'm so sorry," her eyes darted to where their room lay, "how-how has InuYasha taken it?"
"He hasn't talked much about it," the demon told her, "but I think he is quite troubled by it, he looked as though he hadn't slept a day when I found him."
"Poor thing," the young woman half-whispered, the white cup handed to him gently, the demon looking down it in confusion, "it's an herbal tea," she explained, "it has ginger and lemon grass in it, it'll make his stomach and throat feel better."
"Thank you," Sesshomaru nodded as he turned his back to her, the steaming mug still in his hand.
"Um…"
Amber eyes turned to meet bashful brown, the young woman swallowing her fear before she pressed on.
"H-How are you… doing, with your father's death?"
The question caught the demon off guard, his eyes widening slightly at her unwavering concern, the young woman looking at him without a hint of mockery.
"I'm… fine, thank you," Sesshomaru murmured softly, "but… thank you for your concern."
"Of course," Rin bowed slightly to him, "you can find me pretty easily in this cabin if you should need anything, it's not the largest in the world."
The demon nodded to her, his head turning back to the room where his brother lay sick, the pattering of frantic feet and a glimpse of long hair as the little girl ran around the corner, the corner of his amber eye noticing her peek out from behind the corner, hoping to go unnoticed by the elder brother.
"InuYasha," the demon called softly, the door shutting behind him, "I've brought you some ginger tea, this should make you feel better."
The younger nodded weakly, his pouting face still in the pillows.
"Are you alright?" Sesshomaru asked, "did you throw up again."
"No," InuYasha mumbled, "I jus feel real sick."
"Here," the demon murmured, the sip for the tea he took swallowed, "it's not too hot, but be careful."
The boy nodded as he pulled himself up, his small hands around the mug as he took a tentative sip, his face scrunching as the bitter liquid danced on his taste buds, tears pricking his eyes as the little boy sniffed, the mug gently pulled out of his hand from his confused elder brother.
"InuYasha-"
"M-My m-mo-mmy would g-give m-me so-mething like th-this wh-when I was si-sick," the half-demon hiccoughed, his hands to his eyes as he sobbed, "I w-want h-her b-back!"
"I know," the demon hushed, his arms pulling his younger brother into his chest, an action he would consider entirely out of character when his younger brother was not in his care, the little boy allowing his grief free after what felt like an eternity.
"I w-want my m-mommy and da-daddy back," InuYasha sobbed, "I-I want 'em back!"
"I know InuYasha," Sesshomaru tried to sooth the boy, his own grief still fresh from his father's death but hidden for his brother's sake, "I know."
"Kagome!"
The little girl nearly jumped out of her skin at the whisper from her cousin, Rin's brown eyes narrowing as her cousin attempted to push the guest bedroom door open to peer in.
"Come here!" Rin snapped quietly, "you've been extremely rude to them!"
"I just wanna know what they're talking about," Kagome tried explain, her elder clearly perturbed by the actions of the younger.
"I don't care," the young woman told her sternly, "it's still incredibly impolite!"
"But they're demons-"
"-who haven't, hurt you," Rin pointed out sternly, "and one is sick, you need to let him rest."
"But what if they do-"
"Then it'll be over my dead body," the young woman told Kagome, her voice softening at the worried look on the little girl's face, "I won't let them hurt you Kagome," Rin told the younger kindly, "I promise, you know I'd never let anything hurt you, you know that."
"I know," the girl mumbled, "I'm just… worried."
"Don't be," Rin smiled, "they won't hurt us."
"How do you know?"
"I don't know," the young woman told her cousin, "I just… have this feeling."
Reviews?
