Disclaimer: I own nothing. Short chapter, I know – there IS a reason; deal.

Pain

When he arrived, Sesshomaru was still unconscious, and groaning in pain. He was sweating, and his pale, pale skin was beginning to turn a light red, flushed with fever. Inuyasha was worried.

He called out to his friends as he approached, and as he laid his burden down near the fire, softly asked for help. Sango was the first to respond. "What happened to him? Is he okay?"

"No, he's not. He's hurt very badly." He looked directly at Sango until he finally caught her eyes. "I.. I think.. Sango, I think my brother was raped." She gasped, and came closer, finally looking beyond just the blood and seeing what he had seen – the cloths torn off, and where the majority of the damage was. And worse, the semen, dried and mixed with blood, smears and oozed trails. She knows, had he been laid on his stomach, rather than his back, she would see far more than what currently coasted his thighs and the tattered remains of his once pristine white pants. She suspects he was raped more than once, by the amount, and by the traces of other, healing wounds.

He groans again, shifting uncomfortably. His flush is becoming more pronounced, and Sango notices, "He's got a fever!" Without thinking, she reaches out, placing her hand on his forehead, trying to judge how high, before planning a treatment. Without waking, Sesshomaru whimpers, and flinches, trying to escape the contact. Frowning with worry, she removes her hand, only to curse, attracting the attention of everyone in the cave – including Kagome, whom has finally awoken herself.

"I can't touch him! Look! My hand, just that brief touch to check him – he's , he's blistered!" Indeed, there was a clear hand mark burnt onto his forehead, though even as they watched, it was already fading, and his pain-filled whimpers were subsiding.

"How can we help him if we can't even touch him?" Kagome asked, her shrill voice unusually caring.

"I guess will have to be less direct." Miroku supplied, as he grabbed a towel, taking it to the mouth of the cave, letting some of the last bits of wet from the rain soak it.

"What does he mean by that?" She whined, completely not getting it. Sango seemed to have no such misunderstandings, as she grabbed their pots, and began brewing tea over the small fire.

He came back in, and folded the towel, laying it across the ill demon's forehead, very careful not to touch his skin directly at all. "Oh." Kagome whispered, finally catching on. Inuyasha just fretted, being a creature more of action, and not having much that he could do. Then, he flinched; hard,

"Sango, his clothes are torn badly, I had my hands on his bare back the entire time I carried him here – did I make him worse?" Fear, pain, doubt, and regret all overlaying a healthy dose of guilty panic filled the youth's tones.

Both Miroku and Sango winced visibly at this. The answer was most likely yes, but to check, and to treat any unhealed burns, they would have to turn him, which would involve touching. There was no way they could. They glanced at each other, silently telling each other the same, then looking away, remaining silent. Forcing his temperature down and some medicine in him was all they could do for him for now; that, and praying he lived to see the morning.

Still fretting, Inuyasha dashed out. He needed to think, to run, to do something – and in there, while his brother was fighting to live, he was useless. Just like everyone always told him, all his life. The two rabbits had yet to be scavenged, so he grabbed them up, and made another kill, a snipe. The wetlands bird being out of place in the woods made it easy prey, even in his overly emotional distracted state.

The pelts and feathers could be used to make a small pillow, and the meat could still be used as he had already planned. Though bird and rabbit stew just didn't sound as good as plain rabbit stew… but more meat was good for a sick demon, right? He hoped so; with this, he might not be quite so useless.

He got back, thanked tersely for the kills, and was promptly sent back out, with a pail to gather fresh cold water. They were going to try to clean the wounded demon, and also, they needed water to help keep his temperature down. It was going to be a long, rough night for everyone.

And it was, too. Just before dawn, his flush faded, his sweating ended, and his moaning and restless behavior ended; all signs his fever had finally broken. Signs that, for lack of any alternative, they were all going to have to trust. Exhausted, and believing the worst danger had passed, they all took their rest.

It is doubtful anyone could really tell you what time the rain finally stopped; they were all sleeping through it. But, they did know when Sesshomaru started reliving his experiences in his dreams. No squeals, or whines, or whimpers gave it away, but he did start thrashing in his sleep so violently he knocked over the pot, which in turn slammed into the pile of wood making up their small fire. Being woken up in covered in flames is certain to get ones attention. Inuyasha was really ticked about his singed hair, but his robe protected him from any further damage, and as he was the nearest to the spreading flames; everyone else was auspiciously spared.

After putting out the flames, of course they checked the unconscious victim, as best as they were able, but he was still out. The flea chose to return from wherever he had disappeared to – and honestly, when did he even leave? He was most disturbed.

"So, what do you think happened? Wrong place, wrong time – what with that demon in heat nearby?" Miroku asked, whispering to not disturb their 'guest.'

"No." Myouga answered, looking even more upset. "I was afraid of this, but I hoped I was wrong."

"You knew?" Kagome's voice was like nails on a chalkboard as she shrieked her displeasure.

"No, I suspected, and I hoped I was wrong. It was Lord Sesshomaru who was in heat."

The most obvious clue, at this point, he had not died was the fact the noise made by the combined clamoring of all five individuals did not wake him. For, if he was, the racket surely would have!

At the end of it, Myouga volunteered, at the point of Inuyasha's sword, to go find his retainers. They could take him back to his castle and tend him. Until then, the group would wait and do their best. As soon as his people could get him, they would continue on their quest. It did not strike any in the group as heartless or cold; none really thought they were abandoning an innocent. When he woke a few days later, and was told what to expect, he most certainly had a different opinion. But, as was his habit, it was held in, and no one wasted their time looking beyond his stoic mask to see the heartbreak and betrayal in his glowing golden eyes.