Rin was prattling on about picking flowers, and Sesshoumaru was doing his best not to scold the little girl. He had been trailing Naraku for weeks, and the scent was becoming stronger as they travelled. He knew that it wouldn't be long now before he would end the evil hanyou's life, once and for all. Then his lands would once again be peaceful and free, or at least as much as they ever were. It seemed the youkai that lived under his command never could get along.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin's voice floated up to him, and he felt her tugging on his kimono. He looked down at her, and simply nodded. She smiled when he acknowledged her. "Rin is tired, Sesshoumaru-sama. Could we sleep, soon?" The little girl rubbed her eyes and yawned, almost as if she were trying to prove her point.
The taiyoukai was about to answer her when suddenly the scent of fresh blood overwhelmed his senses. Human blood. Mixed with the unmistakable stench of Naraku. His enemy was closer than he thought.
"Jaken," he said, his tone harsh and calculating. "Take Rin and make camp. Do not leave until I have returned. And if any harm comes to her, you will pay dearly. With your life. Understood?"
The little toad demon nodded his head. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama," he said, bowing low. Then he quickly turned to Rin, and beckoned her to follow him.
The little girl started to protest, but one look at Sesshoumaru's face quieted her, and she slowly followed the imp. She stopped for a moment and turned around. "Be careful, Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin does not want anything to happen to you."
Sesshoumaru didn't hear her, as he moved forward quickly, his strides elegant and purposeful. His hand gripped the hilt of his great sword, Toukijin, and his eyes flashed red with anger. He would finish this tonight. There was no escape for Naraku, this time. He heard a scream in the distance, and began to run. That sort of terror had to mean that his prey was close. Too close.
Moments later he entered a clearing, and growled with disappointment. Naraku had been here, only moments before, but the taiyoukai was too late. The smell of blood was overwhelming, almost to the point of making him ill, and he was about to turn and leave, cursing under his breath when he saw her body lying there. Out of simple curiosity, a way to devise what sort of strategy Naraku was employing now, he approached her, kneeling down to stare at the claw marks criss-crossing her body. And then he recognized her. The taijiya who traveled with his half breed brother. If she was here, surely Inuyasha couldn't be far away. He sniffed at the air, trying to scent the hanyou, but quickly came to the conclusion that the woman had traveled here alone. Fool. He got to his feet and turned to leave.
Tenseiga began to pulse in it's sheath, and Sesshoumaru growled in anger. He hated when the sword exerted it's will over him. What business did he have bringing the taijiya's soul back to her body? Clearly she had wanted to die, coming after Naraku alone. He took one step forward, and the sword grew hot, shaking violently. He put his hand on the hilt and withdrew it, staring at the eerie glow which was eminating from the blade.
"Damn you, father, for cursing me so," he said, and knelt down beside the taijiya's body once again. He pressed his hand to her skin. The body was still warm. Tightening his fingers around Tenseiga, he waited.
And waited.
Finally, as the sun began to peek over the horizon, he saw them. Appearing as if from nowhere, moving over her body with purpose. The pall bearer demons, come to carry her soul to the netherworld. For a moment he simply watched, wishing to defy his father's sword and allow the human to perish once and for all, but the seering heat the blade was emitting became too much for even the great taiyoukai and he finally gave in, swinging effortlessly and casting the vile youkai back to where they had come from. "Not today," he said, his voice void of emotion. He sheathed the sword once again and got to his feet. He had no reason to remain here.
Sango's eyes fluttered open, and she cried out in pain, her hands coming up to her throat. She drew in a sharp breath and screamed, her entire body shaking. She felt dizzy and nauseas, and when she tried to sit up her chest burned, blood flowing once again as she reopened the wounds, the pain causing her to fall back to the ground. The taijiya looked around frantically, trying to find Naraku, but she didn't see him anywhere. When her eyes landed on Sesshoumaru, she gasped in fear.
He simply stared at her, his eyes cold and calculating.
"S..Sesshoumaru?" she whispered, her voice hoarse after being choked by the evil hanyou's tenticles. "What are you doing here? Where is Naraku?"
He remained silent, unmoving, not taking his golden orbs off of her form for a moment.
She cringed, uncomfortable with the way he was staring at her. Her eyes drifted to the sword hanging from his belt, and suddenly it clicked in her mind. "Did you...save me? Did Naraku...kill me?" she asked, her voice shaking, tears threatening to fall from her chocolate eyes once again.
The taiyoukai nodded slowly. "You should not be so careless, foolish human. If you allow yourself to be defeated again, even my Tenseiga cannot save you." He turned on his heel, his white kimono flowing around his form, and began to walk away. He had no desire to speak with her any further.
Slowly, Sango managed to get to her feet, wincing with every movement. "Please...wait. Don't leave me here alone," she said pleadingly. "I'm afraid..."
He growled in annoyance, but turned around to face her once again. "You should fear me, taijiya. I have no use for you. I could very easily kill you at any moment. You are weak. Return to my filthy brother and his wench. I have better things to do." His eyes locked with hers, and the raw emotions he saw there made him feel...what? Compassion? Impossible. Loathing? Perhaps. He couldn't be sure. Sesshoumaru shook his head slightly, the movement too subtle for her to see, and turned his back to her once again.
She took a few steps forward and knelt down on the ground at his feet, bowing her head slightly. Hot, stinging tears were falling from her eyes, but she didn't care. Let him think she was weak, what did it matter? "Then at least allow me to...thank you, for bringing me back from death," she said, keeping her eyes focused on the ground.
"I have no need for your gratitude. It is a worthless, human emotion, and means nothing to a taiyoukai such as myself. Do not waste your time. You should rejoin your...friends...quickly. You are in no condition to be wandering alone."
Her heart sank. How could she go back to the village? How could she face Inuyasha after the way she had acted? "I...I can't go back to them. I can't face them after the things that I said. I was so hurtful..." She stopped herself, her mind reeling when she remembered who she was talking to. The great lord of the Western Lands surely wouldn't care how embarassed a simple human taijiya felt. "I'll be fine, on my own." She stood once again, and moving very slowly, gingerly, bent to retrieve her weapon. Her tears intensified from agony as she lifted the heavy bone boomerang over her shoulder, the strap cutting directly across the gashes in her chest. Sango forced herself to straighted her shoulders, and turned, taking a few steps deeper into the forest before falling to her knees. Her scream pierced through the dawn air, and she pounded her fists into the ground. "Goddammit!"
Sesshoumaru turned to look at her, and felt a pang of empathy in his heart. He understood what it was like to desire revenge. It was what fueled his very existence, his desire to kill his brother, Inuyasha, and avenge their father's death. He furrowed his brow slightly, as if deep in thought, and then spoke, his voice cold but with a slightly caring undertone. "I cannot in good conscience leave you here to die, again. You may accompany me until your wounds have healed. I am sure that Rin would enjoy some human company. But be forewarned; as soon as you are well enough to travel on your own, I will no longer allow you to follow me. Do you understand?"
Sango blinked several times and then turned her eyes to his face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she wasn't sure she could trust him, but what choice did she have? "I understand," she said, slowly getting to her feet. "I will not burden you, I promise."
"Very well," he said, turning around. "Come then."
He began to walk back down the forest path in the direction he had come, and Sango had to practically run to keep up with him. Every step she took jarred her wounds, and she felt warm blood flowing down her body. She felt herself getting dizzy, bile rising in her throat, and she had to stop, doubling over in pain. Suddenly, the taijiya vomited violently, blood mixing with the contents of her stomach splashing over the ground. The taiyoukai growled, the foul stench burning his sensitive nose, but he stopped and turned around, looking down at the frail human woman before him. Her face was pale, and her body was shaking.
Very slowly, reluctantly, he bent to down beside her and lifted her into his arms, holding her body against his chest. She moaned in pain at the movement, but didn't speak. She turned her chocolate eyes to his face, her expression one of both fear and surprise, and then passed out, her body going limp in his arms. A look of slight concern marred Sesshoumaru's features for a fleeting moment, though he didn't understand why. She is only a human. You have no need to be concerned for her. She is weak. You are only doing this to use her against Naraku and Inuyasha as bait, nothing more. His mind tried hard to convince him that this was true, but a part of him resisted. Before he had time to reason any further, however, he caught Naraku's scent on the air again, and knowing that if the dark hanyou were to happen upon him and the taijiya again while she was unconscious and weakened that she would surely die, he took off towards his camp, leaping into the air almost as if he were flying. He kept a tight grip on Sango's body, feeling almost protective of her, though he would never admit it. She will be useful to me.