Chapter four - Confliction

Sesshomaru was angry, he had hesitated to kill the human girl, well instantly anyway. He tried to justify the fact he made it more torturous for her having to suffer as her life faded but that made him feel bad though he didn't know why. Now he was walking to find a place to bathe. He found a spring and lost in his thoughts he stripped down and sat in the hot water that was relaxing his muscles, then once relaxed they stiffened again. He wasn't alone the girl he failed to kill on the spot was sleeping against a nearby tree. When he listened closer he could hear her uneven breath she was suffering from his poison. He continued to sit in the spring and just watched her. She had ripped some cloth to cover her wound which he could smell it was infected. She had managed to get here to clean the slash before resting, but her efforts were in vain his poison was in her system.
He continued to watch her as sweat gathered on her brow. Finally he got out of the spring and got dressed. As he turned to leave he gave her one last look before he planned to turn and leave.

"Sesh, Sesshomaru."

He froze. In her sleep she had uttered his name. It was a desperate plea. Maybe she was seeing him before he attacked and was asking him to spare her. But when he attacked her she hadn't said anything. He tried to turn away but he couldn't. So he gathered her up and flew towards the only person he knew who could save her from such poison. Gliding on his cloud he refused to look at her face. He hated her for messing with him. What was she doing to him? He wanted her dead but she kept preventing it. Seeing Jinenji's farm Sesshomaru glided down and then left the girl outside the hut before taking off again for another bath to rid him of her scent.

"Kagome"
Rubbing her eyes she woke to a familiar voice calling her name. As her eyes came into focus she saw who it was and she smiled.
"Jinenji, hello."
Her arm trobbed and she turned to look at it, Jinenji had treated it with herbs and had put a poultice on it.
"I found you outside the hut sleeping it seemed. I smelt the poison and infection and have treated you with remedies. Soon all the poison will be gone from your system. Any longer and you would have died"
"Thank you, you saved me."
Kagome wondered at how she had got there, she had bathed then had fallen asleep only to have woken up here. But she was glad she could catch up and spend some time with her old friend.

After a week the poison was gone and the wound clean, it was a thin healing line across her arm now and with the ointment that Jinenji had given her, her arm wouldn't scar. She gave him a huge hug as they stood outside of his hut as she said her goodbyes. It had been a week and as much as she wanted to stay she needed this journey and would see it through. Jinenji had given her antidotes, remedies and ointments to aid her in her travels so she would be better prepared.
With one last look she waved at him before walking down the path into the forest to continue along her soul searching journey. Sesshomaru popped up in her mind and she frowned. Why would she think of him? He had tried to kill her! Yet she thought back to when he went to strike her, had it really been hesitation in his golden eyes? She must have imagined it. Sesshomaru cared for no-one, save Rin.

Sesshomaru was finishing the final check of his lands before returning home. The girl would be healed by now. He frowned as yet again he let his mind wander and think of her. He should have let her die. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, as he had hadn't brought himself to part with Rin when he had saved her. Was he becoming weak? Did the simple action of saving Rin allow him to becoming caring of humans? No he hated humans except Rin and Kohaku wasn't so bad. Where did the girl fit into this?

"Hey Sango you had the baby yet?" said InuYasha walking into their hut.
"Oh hey InuYasha what do we owe you for the pleasure of your company?" Said Miroku who was preparing tea for Sango.
"My stomach is still swollen what does that tell you?" Snapped Sango.
"Don't mind her, she is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and with the baby due within two weeks her hormones are making her moody." Cringed Miroku as she glared at him.
"I'm here because I went to see Kagome but she isn't in Edo anymore. Her hut had new people in it."
Miroku sighed. Kagome and InuYasha had shared a hut outside of Edo near where the well was, but when they had lost the baby she had moved into her own hut in the village and InuYasha stayed at the hut they had thought to raise their child. The separation had been hard on him, even if what he said to Kagome was wrong and out of line. How was he going to take this news?
"Kagome isn't living in Edo anymore. She headed out on her own to explore feudal Japan. She needed to do some soul searching." Miroku said watching the pain appear on the half demons face.
"Why didn't she tell me? She could get into trouble or get herself killed!" InuYasha yelled.
"Shut up! You will upset the children from their nap!" Hissed Sango
"You broke her heart when she needed you the most, she still has her spiritual powers and can look after herself. She needs this journey to heal. We worry about her too but being her friend's means that we have to respect her decision because she is doing what's best for her!"
With that InuYasha scowled and ran out of the hut. He would find her and protect her.