Rin waddled, the large bucket full of water too heavy for her, causing her to shift from side to side as she walked down the pathway. Regardless of the weight, she moved in sure steps, without falter towards Kagome's hut. The water, in other instances, would probably have sated Kagome's thirst, but she had not waken from her unconscious state since last night. Kaede reminded Rin that it was her duty to keep Kagome as comfortable as possible, to watch over the miko in her absence. Her state appeared very grim and no one knew what to do or how much longer Kagome could hold on. But Kaede needed not to remind Rin of the current situation. She could tell just by looking at the miko. Her aura had continually dueled with the darkness, fading out and then regaining its brilliance, showing anyone who could see that Kagome held powers unforeseen by most.
Rin kept a calm stoic expression on her face while she was in the hut tending to Kagome. She didn't know how else to react. After seven years under the tender care of Kagome, she had come to think of the miko as somewhat of a mother. But Kagome had that effect, for Rin wasn't the only one who felt that towards Kagome. Sango had once explained to her that Kagome be one of the purest people that she'd ever known. Those surrounding her are naturally pulled to her, and those from afar have heard of priestess's power and her compassion towards demon and human alike. How she'd even married a hanyou. How her smile would warm you when the only feeling you managed to embrace was coldness. How her touch could heal even the most broken of hearts. Even her temper was endearing to some.
Even Shippou. Late at night Shippou would often tell her stories of their travels from years ago; how Kagome cared for him as if he were her own, how she protected him and gave him the tenderness and love that he lost when his parents died. How he'd come to rely on Kagome and couldn't imagine life without her. Those three years without her, were the hardest and in her absence forced him to grow up faster than he desired, solely due to the fact that he'd come to rely on her benevolence as almost a birthright. Rin felt her eyes sting slightly, misting because their thoughts were so very akin to her own. She didn't know what she'd do if Kagome passed. Rin bit back a sob, but straightened her growing frame, and drew in a breath and a plight of strength at the same time. She would be strong. Strong as her Kagome.
She entered the hut, as quietly as she could, for Miroku was at Kagome's side praying diligently; his head bowed in severe concentration. InuYasha had not returned with the houshi, and one could understand. He had stood at her side, never taking a moment to rest; barley eating the food offered to him. He had been that way from the moment he placed her down in their hut. It wasn't until the houshi dragged him to the river to wash his wife's blood from his hands, that he'd snapped out of his fevered concentration on Kagome's wellbeing. The hanyou had murmured throughout the night how he had failed her. Almost as if chanting his sorrows, apologies and guilt, pouring affection into Kagome, willing her to wake up. Everyone in the hut except for InuYasha understood, he wasn't to blame but as of that moment, he was hearing none of it.
Grunting as she reached the corner near the futon, she lowered the bucket. The sharp pain in her back from the labored walk from the working well gradually faded as she extended her arms above her head and stretched. As she brought her arms back down to her sides, she caught sight of her palm. As her gaze lingered on the underside of her hand, she grunted again. Several gashes ran across her hand, stinging when ever she moved her hand. The slightly bleeding hands were the results of the costly mistake she made of grounding the Pyracantha plant with her bare hands, misinterpreting Kaede's orders. She did that often under the study of Kaede. But both Kaede and Kagome were patient teachers. Kagome often would come to her late at night, usually nights InuYasha and Miroku were off doing whatever they called themselves doing. She would for years, sit at Rin's beside and tell stories of her follies when she traveled and when she started her training. She would try to offer her encouragement and advice in the darkness of the Rin's room.
"It isn't an art that comes easy, sweet Rin. For me, it was hard, but because I was gifted with spiritual powers from birth, it is at the same time, easier for me." Kagome would then in short kindly show her in private, the correct technique that Rin had done incorrectly, and patiently waited until Rin grasp the concept completely. "We admire your vigor in learning these arts because you do them solely for the passion to do so, not because they are expected of you. You will get better Rin. I have faith in you".
Fortunately the bleeding was anything to serious, the cuts reopening from the weight of the bucket she had carried. She would wrap some clothe around her distressed hands later after she tended to Kagome.
She looked down over Miroku shoulders onto Kagome's stilled body, she knew that although the hanyou had temporarily left Kagome's side, his love was evident for the priestess. She'd learn that InuYasha had once been very hard pressed to offer up his feelings, but with his marriage to Kagome, he both matured socially and personally. The sorrow and guilt he felt at this moment was evidence of his love for the miko. And although she was surrounded by love, she often wondered if she would one day find someone who would stand by her side, sacrifice any and everything for her well being.
As though by accident, her mind slipped to thoughts of her silent youkai warrior. How she would love for him to be here with her, for she too needed comforting. She quickly scoffed at the idea. He protected her, yes, but compassion? Comforting? Sesshomaru? Highly unlikely.
But once, how she'd enjoy that hard glint of honey and amber to grow soft at her presence. She was a woman now, full of the grace and beauty that grew greater with each passing year. She wasn't that doting child that followed his every move, in her only way to show the taiyouki her affections. Yet every time he visited, every time they spoke, she felt the shadow of the small child, blocking out the light that would allow Sesshomaru to see her true radiance. Oh how she wish he would view her as some of the other men of the village saw her. Inhaling deeply and with a sigh mixed with longing and acceptance, she shook her head, shaking the idea away, as Miroku stood.
"Ah, Rin, you're back. Your diligence in caring for our dear miko warms me greatly." He bowed respectfully and turned to leave the hut. "I'll leave you to continue in her care and I will return shortly"
As the mat of the hut moved back into place, Rin went to Kagome's side. Squatting, she went to dipping a tattered cloth into the retrieved water and ringing it out. She busied herself with positive thoughts for the miko's sake and gingerly ran the wet cloth over Kagome's fevered neck and face. She ran moss oil across Kagome's lips to keep them from cracking and splitting. She then gently pulled at the tattered hadagi covering Kagome's torso, and tended to the wound on her side.
The site where the tentacle had punctured Kagome's skin was angered and burning with infection. But the wound was treatable, and it being a secondary ailment to the poison. The poison that kept Kagome in peril seem to collate at the surface, as it continued to breath life within her wound. Rin took a closer look at the wound, trying to think of some way to draw the poison away from the surface. Suddenly it appeared that the wound pulsed. As if angered by Rin, the poison seemed to come to a tiny rolling boil, festering and popping. A tiny whimper escaped from the unconscious miko and the startled Rin, dipped the rag into the water quickly and in a panic tried to wipe the poison away. Without thinking, she placed her hand on the other side of the thin weathered rag and held it there until the apparent pulsing stopped and Kagome quieted again.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Rin lifted her hand toward the bucket of water again, when in turn her hand suddenly pulsed. Blinking in shock, she stilled her movements.
"Rin imagined that...." the woman's breathing shallowed as she looked at her hand. She drew the courage to finally move, after what seemed like hours of her ceasing movement. Rin extended her hand to stretch when it pulsed again. This time more powerful and not to be ignored. The alarm she felt earlier advanced up her arm and suddenly a fierce pain followed the up her appendage, as if it were traveling up her veins. The pain was white hot as it coursed up her arm and across her chest. Rin opened her mouth to let an frightened scream, but her vision darkened and she went faint before the sound could leave her lips.
****
Kagome eyes shot open as she felt a strange feeling, omen like in its presence. Her anxiety was confirmed as her soul's figure abruptly stood up.
"Shit shit shit shit shit" was all that could be heard from the woman as she paced back in forth in front of Kagome.
"What was that? You obviously felt it too." When the woman continued her pacing and her obscenities, Kagome stood, placing a firm hand on the figure's shoulder. "Would you stop moving for a damn minute and explain! I don't know where I am, or what I'm supposed to do. I can't do this if you plan on losing your mind too!"
With that the figure turned towards Kagome. "Rin. The Poison...."
Kagome fell back a step, shock evident on her face. Rin has been poisoned too? I can't...I can't help her from here! How am I supposed to help her when I can help myself!....Rin.
Not waiting for an answer or the next step from the obviously distressed figure who stood with her, Kagome fell on her knees and began to concentrate even harder. The faster her body healed the faster she could get to Rin.
*****
InuYasha approached his hut with a glint of determination in his eyes. He heeded Miroku's word. He had scoured the forest floor, for herbs, roots; anything that he could think of. He'd learned quite a bit about the power of the earth from his wife, as she shared her wisdom and love for the miracles this earth could produce, with him. He returned with hunted game and what herbs he could find that would provide maybe an easing of pain, maybe diffuse some of the damage the poison was doing to his wife. Something to stall time while he could come of with a solution. He honestly didn't think the herbs would, if Kaede hadn't suggested it, why would these weeds be of any help. But he held onto hope. He found his houshi friend between that path that connect his hut with Kaede's, with a hand holding a string of beads.
Miroku silently watch InuYasha's approach, seeing the small animal that he held in his grasp. He watched as InuYasha silently walked the path with a feral, almost combative presence. Miroku nodded as he approached InuYasha. Knowing the hanyou wasn't much with words, he kept his silence, but plucked the small animal from InuYasha grasp. In turn he placed a string of prayer beads into InuYasha's hand and forced his fingers to close around them. He stepped aside to allow InuYasha to continue his path towards his house.
As Miroku crossed his path, InuYasha turned to his friend " Miroku...."
With this the houshi turned around to face him again. "I ain't no holy man. I-I'm not sure of what to do with these. But Kagome will understand, awake or not, that these came from a friend". Miroku lips pulled at the corners into a smile and placed a hand on InuYasha's shoulder. "All will be well in due time, my friend. I have faith that this isn't the end of you and Kagome's story" and with that continued down the path too have Sango prepare the kill for dinner.
Miroku made his way towards his home, upon entering he searched instantly for his Sango's embrace. He walked towards the tiny cupboard in their home and pulled out the large cooking kettle, filled it with water and placed it over the unlit fire pit. Placing the small animal next to the pit, he turned and checked the children's room, finding the twins, his son and his two year old daughter quietly playing karuta-kai. They seemed totally engrossed, not aware of anything outside the universe of the game. Not wanting to disturb their peace, he eased back into the main room and made his way to his sleeping room to find Sango.
She was sitting in the corner of the room, her legs pulled protectively into the embrace of her arms, she head laying in the crux between her knees. Upon seeing her husband, she sighed and swiped at the tears staining her face. Miroku seeing the tears, was by her side instantly, gathering her into his lap, his hands holding her face near his heart. He rocked her until the sobs she released quieted. After some time she raised her head to look keenly into his.
"She is my sister, husband. I can't lose her again. Not again". Only her husband knew of Sango's sorrow when Kagome suddenly disappeared those many years ago, only to remain missing for such a long time. She and Kagome had fought side by side, through the thickest of perils and in a flash, her only female companion was gone. Sure, she had the diligent love of her husband, and soon after the love of her children to mend the tiny crack in her heart of Kagome's disappearance. But upon Kagome's resurgence in their lives, did she feel completely at peace. Now faced with the possibility of Kagome leaving, Sango felt only sadness, masked by strength.
Miroku kissed the top of his wife head, soothingly running his hand up and down the length of her back. "Koi, just as I told InuYasha. We must all have faith for Kagome. The battle she is fighting requires us all the put as much love and positive energy into her." He placed another kiss at her crown and with his hand smoothing the frayed hairs of her tresses. "Darling Sango, don't cry, for her sake"
Sniffling she softly eased away from her husband to look back into his face. "You always know the right thing to say." Miroku chuckled and placed a kiss onto the tip of Sango's nose. Placing his forehead to that of his wife, his eyes bore into her and for a moment, he wanted to world to melt away. The demons that drove his hanyou friend to insanity at their current situation was far more understandable then he led on. For if in the same place, he would be beside himself with grief, crazed and insane had Sango fallen ill.
Lost in their own world, nobody noticed the frantic breaths coming from outside of their room. Suddenly a ball of fur whizzed into the room, and Miroku felt it connect with his chest. Looking down at, he saw Shippou, with a deranged look mixed with stricken panic blasted across his face.
"RIN! I can't find..." The fox youkai struggled to catch his breath, it seemed impossible with him in the throes of a panic attack. Miroku placed the fox onto the floor and placed both of his hands on Shippou's tiny shoulder. "Breath Shippou".
The tiny fox inhaled and gasped out "Rin...InuYasha found her unconscious on his floor next to Kagome. We can't find Kaede. Please come!" And with that the fox demon shrugged out of Miroku grasp, pointing towards the door. Grunting when the houshi didn't move, Shippou sprinted out of the room and out of the house.
"Kami!" He threw a look at Sango, silently asking if she were okay. Reading his eyes, her face brightened softly, reassuring the housi. "Go."
Miroku stood and directed Sango to stay and that he would be back shortly. Running back up the path towards Kagome and InuYasha's house, Miroku noticed something but kept running. In the distance, across the wide expanse of the fields and towards the sky, a star brighter than usually seemed to be drawing closer and closer to the village, but at the time he had not a moment to spare to investigate. Instead he bounded around the corner and entered InuYasha's house to find him leaning over now the now unresponsive Rin. "What happened?"
Words left InuYasha as he turned to Miroku. "I-I don't know. When I got here, she was like this. She looks just like K..K'gome. Look at her hand."
Miroku crossed the room, scooping the faint young woman into his arms and placed her next to Kagome on the futon. He did as InuYasha asked and took a closer look at her hand. As he turned the palm towards him, he flinched as several angry wounds across Rin's hand stared back at him. There were several open wounds and a sickly green aura emitted from the wounds.
"The oni's poison? But...but how is that so?" Looking at Kagome, Miroku called out, "Show me Kagome's wound InuYasha". Gently peeling back the bottom hem of her hadagi, InuYasha revealed the gashes to Kagome's side. The green aura being emitted from Kagome wound matched Rin.
"Rin seems to have been poisoned by the same poison afflicting poor Kagome. I can't be sure, but it seems that tending to Kagome with her hands in such conditions, may prove costly for young Rin." Growling in frustration, InuYasha stood, curling his hand into a tight fist at his sides. "Where the hell is Kaede?!" At that moment InuYasha whipped around, his nose to the air as he sniffed. He knew that smell. Looking down at Rin, he could only fathom the situation that was just outside his door.
"Sesshomaru."
In all of his arrogance and abundance in stoic manner, Sesshomaru appeared at the doorway of InuYasha's hut, his gaze ignoring everyone in the room except the small woman that laid at the feet of InuYasha. In a whurr of light and fur, Sesshomaru was at Rin's side, her small uninjured hand gathered into his much larger one. Finding impurity in the scent of the woman, he tightened his grasp on her hand and without taking his eyes off of her face, an uncharacteristic growl filling the silence of the room "What happened to this Rin?" When the silence continued, he snapped his head up towards InuYasha. "This Sesshomaru demands to know what happened to Rin!"
InuYasha pushed down his irritation for his brother, who was "demanding" things of him in his home. But as he cast a look at the woman his brother was possessively protecting, he couldn't but help be reminded of the gravity of the situation. Sighing, the hanyou shook his head. "We don't know, alright? All we know is that the poison that Kagome has in her, is now in Rin's hand."
Sesshomaru's amber eyes darkened, rimmed in fury as he continued to stare at his half brother. " I leave this woman in your care, and you allow this to happen?"
The annoyance he felt a minute ago, bubbled to the top. InuYasha scoffed at his brother. "ALLOW this to happen?" His gaze touch his ailing wife, furious that his brother was keeping him from tending to her, he spat out, "ALLOW this to happen? N'body ALLOWED this to happen to the wench. It just did, Sesshomaru. Just like it JUST happened to Kagome."
Finding the excuse, fallible, he scooped Rin in his arms and headed towards the door. "Worthless."
"I don't have time to stand around arguing with you Sesshomaru. Leave if you want. I have better things to do". InuYasha turned back to his wife.
At that moment a small voice broke the the heated argument of the brothers. "Mama??" Akihiko's small body rounded the corner and greeted the sight of his mother, fevered and bloodied on the futon of his home. "Mama? MAMA!?" The little boy face broke into small pieces and tears sprung to his eyes. The tears fell unchecked, blurring his vision but it did not hinder him from breaking past Sesshomaru and towards his mother.
"Akihiko! No!" InuYasha bounded across the room and scooped Akihiko up in his arm, bringing the child to his chest and his sight away from his wife's still body. Gathering the child, he ran out of the hut, not once loosening his grip on his son. His son struggled to be released from his father's grasp. He didn't understand why his father ran from the room. He wanted to know what was happening to his mother.
"WHY'IS MAMA BLEEDIN', PAPA? WHAT'S WRONG WIT' MAMA?"
The young child cried into his father's chest. Finally feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, all the stress of the situation he thought he'd finally got a hold of, were now bubbling under the surface. He held his child away from him, then back closer to nuzzle his face close to him. He had no idea how to explain this to his child. He had just seen his mother in a condition that probably scared him more than anything. InuYasha had forgotten that Sesshomaru had Akihiko in tow as he traveled back to the village.
He walked for a matter of moments, finding himself finally at the root branches of the Goshinboku. Lowering himself to the ground with Akihiko pulled back into his chest, he placed one clawed hand on the back of his child's head. From his chest, deep soothing vibrations rumbled and in a reassuring whisper InuYasha spoke to sobbing youth. "You have to be strong for your mama, musko. Can you do that for me? Be strong for her?" He could still smell the sorrow in his son's scent, but he felt the tears had come to a stop.
Sesshomaru, with Rin still gathered in his arms, appeared outside of the hut, and still looked determined to take Rin with him, wherever he was going.
Miroku finally finding his voice in the suffocating atmosphere of the situation called out to Sesshomaru. "Unless you are sure that you know of a cure for her ailment, flying off with her may very well seal her doom. We are quite sure, at the very moment, that the messengers of this village are solving the mystery of Kagome's illness. And in turn, solving the mystery of Rin's illness"
"And sitting here waiting for a cure that may or may not exist, is your plan, Houhi?"
Miroku nodded his head. "Its the only course of action we have, Sesshomaru." With that he approached the youkai, and glanced down at Rin, and then back at the suffering Kagome in the corner behind him. Her aura still glowed in the corner, she was still fighting and that was good. But Rin didn't have Kagome's spiritual powers, so Rin had nothing to fight with. He was sure, without the youkai asking, that Sesshomaru already knew this. Sesshomaru stood in place, his body at complete attention and rigid as wood, until he walked back inside, making his way to the window opening inside InuYasha's home and took a seat, with Rin still body in tow. With his head bowed in concentration, Sesshomaru kept his eyes focused on Rin and no one else .
"Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin risked opening her eyes and tilted her head upwards towards the man that had her in his embrace. She had no idea how long she had been sleep, but when she awoke she was equally surprised and pleased at finding her knight had come to her side. His eyes were locked on hers, and if Rin wasn't mistaken, the lines of worry were splashed across his face; an emotion she never seen before from the youkai. The stinging pain in her hand caused her to spark fully awake. She sharply looked down at the appendage, suddenly remembering. She tried to raise herself to sit upright in Sesshomaru's lap. But it proved to be futile, as her body was entirely too weak to move.
"Rin. Stop."
Sesshomaru looked back down at Rin who seemed to want nothing more than to move from the position of sitting in his lap, but upon his command, ceased her movements. "You're much too weak.". Miroku crossed the room from where he and InuYasha had been tending to Kagome, and gently took a hold of Rin's injured hand.
"Rin, the poison from Kagome's wound entered your bloodstream, through the cuts on your hand. Your situation is still very perilous. You mustn't try to move." With that he placed her hand back down and stood. "We just received word that Kaede has returned. Maybe this will lead to some type of remedy for this situation."
As if the mention of her name conjured her spirit, Kaede stepped through the door. InuYasha, not able to control his anger for the older healer abandoning his wife's side without alerting him or anyone else for that matter, lashed out at her.
"Where. Were. You?", he gashed out through clenched teeth. He honed his glare onto her, pinpointing her with supposed guilt. "You only have one damn job and its to hea...". Kaede crossed the room in speed not witnessed from her for years and stood before InuYasha.
"Silence!" Her eyes softened as she noticed the look of desperation masked by anger in InuYasha's golden orbs. "I do apologize for leaving her side, but it was for the sake of her life, nothing else. I left Rin here, in my stead. There wasn't much we could so without me leaving."
Inhaling and slowly releasing the breath, the look of contempt fell from his face. InuYasha sighed and returned his gaze back to his wife.
She looked so weak. So much the opposite that was the very lively spirit she was. All he wanted to do was will her life, for her to live. He never knew fear as he did at these very moments. She'd been down before...but never this close to death. He concentrated his gaze back to Kaede. "Oi, old woman. You said for the sake of her life. Tell me..."
Kaede stilled herself and inhaled. She closed her eyes. "The village east of here. They claimed knowledge of the youkai, confirming that the seal they had placed on it's tomb, broke, allowing it to roam free. The seal was on the western border of the village and instead of attacking the village, it headed west, to our small village. They claimed the youkai that attacked our village is a type of plant youkai called Urushiol. Rare, but not unheard of. Its historical origin go back further than that of the village." Kaede grunted as she lowered herself to the ground, her gaze never leaving the fire pit. Finally shifting her eyes from the flames to look up InuYasha. "This youkai is the vegetation of hell. It is an hell plant."
InuYasha threw out a exasperated sigh at how the old woman drew out the story.
"Keh! It's a hell plant. Got it! K'gome. Rin. How do we heal them?" Miroku placed a reassuring hand on the hanyou's shoulder, hoping to calm him. The more they knew about the plant, the better the could access a cure.
"Three types of venom are known from the Urushiol. One from its fang, one from its claws and one from its tentacle. Fang and claw are treatable, the village offered me this liquid as cure." Kaede held out a tiny vile of clear liquid, balancing it within her palm. "Tentacle poison...is treatable too, but the poison of the plant youkai works in a mysterious way. It needs a anti-venom, luckily that anti-venom is blood that contains an amount, any amount.... of youkai blood."
"THAT'S IT? Damn it! I'll sliced off my whole arm, give ya' all the blood you need!" InuYasha paced towards Kagome, pulling his suikan off his back. He gathered her head into his lap, pressing several kisses to her brow before burying his face into the crook of her neck. The pink tint of her aura enveloped him, as if gaining a bit of strength from his presence. "You hear that K'gome? You hear?"
"InuYasha..." With that Kaede stood once more, and with baited steps, hobbled over to the hanyou who hovered over his wife with an intensifying focus.
"What in Kami's name are you waiting for, you old bat!"
"Child, hear my words. I meant every word when I spoke of mysterious ways when concerning this type of youkai. Listen to what I'm about to say very carefully." She lowered herself beside InuYasha and the priestess. With slighted pressure, she grabbed at hanyou's chin, leveling his face with hers. "The Urushiol's poison...mixed with the blood of a youkai...will change her blood."
Inuyasha growing tired of her talking in circles, snatched back his face from her weathered fingers "Wha' the hell is that 'sposed to mean! Who cares if her blood is changed. Will this save her life?"
Not a beat later, Sesshomaru's snort could be heard from the other side of the room. "You were never the smart one, were you whelp?" InuYasha redirected his angry stare to Sesshomaru. "Damn you, Sesshomaru! Shut. UP!"
"This isn't the time to be dense, although I'm starting to think you can't help it." As a rare flash of frustration crossed his feature, Sesshomaru's pupils bore heavenward, as he rolled his eyes at his brother. "Think, you ignorant mutt! What separates you from me, what is the difference?"
Matching his brother's stare, Sesshomaru glared at his brother. Finally giving up at the obvious answering leaving Inuyasha, the taiyoukai bit out.
"Our blood."
Miroku eyes went wide as realization dawn on him. He now fully understood the implications of Kaede's words. How the cure Kagome needed held a whisper of finality, as things would never be the same from the moment she was healed. "InuYasha. Your blood will cure Kagome, that I'm sure of. But it will also CHANGE Kagome along with her blood. Your blood will run in her veins." Placing his hand at his chin in contemplation, he too crossed the room and stood at the foot of Kagome's futon. "She will become hanyou, InuYasha."