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Sesshomaru was just about to divest his dead brother's wife of her sodden clothes to alleviate one of the sources of her illness halted when he noticed that her eyes blinked rapidly behind closed lids, signifying her soon awakened state. He left her side immediately to avoid any misunderstanding that could be construed by his actions. He took no pleasure in trying to disrobe the woman; his conduct was merely to ensure that she did not die for the sake of a promise.
He stepped back even further before her eyes opened and tapped long fingers impatiently on the side of his leg. He wanted no part of this, but if he had to, the sooner it was done the better it would be and preferably while she slept because he was certain that her reaction to the infringement on her person would be met with disapproval if she awoke to find him close.
Kagome groaned as she was nudged awake by an urgent throbbing at her temples. She stood up immediately when she remembered where she was and just whose bed she was lying in. The sudden movement aggravating the overwhelming feeling of nausea and the ache in her limbs made her unsteady. Still she managed to angle her head left then right with wide searching eyes and found her reluctant companion. For a moment she stood still viewing the frown of concern on his face which further perplexed her. Why would he care? She asked herself sourly. Her eyes closed on a sigh prompting the soothing calmness of the rain to envelop her mind slowly and gently to ease the uproar of her thoughts so that she could think clearly.
Sesshomaru looked at her attentively as he gathered his thoughts. The woman was sick and in need of urgent care; also, he needed to broach the subject of her illness since he was aware that the unusual situation between them prevented her from doing so. He felt an inkling of disgust as he made up his mind to concede to his pride. There was no way around it, he had made a promise to his dead brother and as such he would respect that promise for the time being. He sighed quietly, and after a bit more hesitation he spoke quickly.
"You are ill and in need of medicine and a change of clothing…?"
He did not say anything else, there was no need to prolong the issue, all he wanted was her approval. However, she failed to respond, and as he watched her keenly he noticed that her interest in him and the surroundings had started to wane; in another moment she rocked on the soles of her feet. He made no move to catch her, and with a dull thud she fell sideways onto the stack of futons again.
Things were better this way he thought, caring for the priestess while she slumbered eased his mind a great deal though he wasn't completely rid of the apprehensive feeling. He lifted his hand over her forehead, there it lingered for sometime before he lowered it onto her skin and cleared the bead of perspiration gathered on her brows. When the task was done he slumped onto the bed and stared up at the roof, a sudden case of depression and uneasiness coming over him. He locked his jaws tightly together in an attempt to drive the frustration away from his being but to no avail. He raised himself up, he needed some time alone to think.
Entering through one of the two pathways in the room there he stood still looking through a crack high in the cave wall dripping water into a large stone basin on the floor. He stood and waited, unwilling to rush back to her side even though he heard Kagome muttering nonsensically in delirium. After some time had elapsed and he was still utterly annoyed by the awkward circumstances, he stooped low, careful not to let his knees make contact with the wet earthen floor. From this position he splashed handfuls of cold water onto his face to relieve the sudden ache in his head and the heaviness inside his heart.
He decided to return to the hallowed out cave room only after his mind had calmed a bit. When he appeared she was still asleep and so quietly he sat down beside her. In the quiet he looked the priestess over carefully, she was sick, dirty and her hair an inky mess. Caring for the woman greatly disturbed him on so many levels. She was not a child but a grown human woman
As he continued to stare at the priestess images of Rin and Jaken flashed across his mind's eye and the familiar dull ache of loneliness returned to his body, yet this time it was far worse. The reality of the situation had begun to take a numbing grip on his wavering mind now that he was in an unusual position.
There was no other recourse unless he left her to die, but Inuyasha had ensured that he would not have any another option. He cursed under his breath at the cunning trap that his brother had set and like a fool he had fallen into it. He stared into the rocky cave roof once more, a frown engraved into his placid face, though his emotions were spiraling inside him. Didn't Inuyasha understood who he was and asking him to do such a thing would be outside of his nature?
Sesshomaru face became stony and his fist clenched the blanket, Kagome groaned and turned onto her side and into him. He stiffened when her head pressed into the hard muscles of his thigh, he didn't move as he felt the sick heat of the woman moved through him.
"Inuyasha…where are you?" She mumbled.
His brows rose in surprise, because although her lilt was vague he had heard clearly when she cried out for his brother. A tremor of envy passed through him quickly, amazing him with the out of place emotion.
How could this be? He wondered. He had no desire for the priestess; all he felt was pity. So why then was he suddenly attacked with a bout of covetousness at the mention of his brother's name?
"Please don't leave, take me with you...Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out with outstretched arms in her muddled sentience.
In time her arms floated down covering his chest in a lopsided embrace. His response to the intrusion was not forthcoming although he wanted to push her away and run from the explainable fires that burned him. He did not move an inch even with the complexity of his thoughts; the woman was sick and unconscious of her actions.
Without another moment of thought he rolled the woman off him. He had no more time to think, the trap was already set and he was caught, and for the time being he would care for her, but when she was healed he would leave her behind. He did not want the complication; he was better off alone.
He snorted a laugh at his stupidity, Inuyasha had always founded a way to best him, and even in death he had succeeded in outwitting him one final time. He made a sound of annoyance and then turned the priestess on her back; effortlessly he raked an index finger down the front of her kimono ripping it open.
Slowly he parted the fabric away from her chest and then turned her on her sides and eased her arms through the sleeves. Then lastly he placed her on her back with his head turned away from her nakedness when all the wet clothes was removed from her body and tossed aside. To look upon any human female's body with lust was not a chore he desired to do unnecessarily, the idea was unfavorable to him.
He made a face and pushed through the disgust swimming at the edges of his consciousness and swung his head forward, trying not to think too much on the issues. This was not about perversion; its sole purpose was to ensure that she survived. However, what he felt in his head and what his eyes told him were two different things entirely. As he sat there and gazed at the woman's body in the soft candlelight, a loud expression changed his features and swiftly he looked away.
There was no doubt that the priestess's body was stunning, he shook his head to clear his mind, now was not the time to dwell on such things. And in any case she was human and not worthy of his interest. Strong arms lifted her from the bed and carried her unresponsive body to the basin; he stepped right into the water and sat with her in his lap. She was too hot and needed cooling down. Drenching her in cold water was the only way to break the fever quickly.
He stretched out his legs with his knees slightly elevated for support, making it easier for the water to caress her body. The places that the water did not touch like her face he rectified the problem by using his hand as a scoop and gently poured liquid onto her face. When he was finished he dried and dressed her into one of his yukata which was too large making her appear much smaller than she actually was, and set her on the bed.
Until late into the night he sat on a mat close by watching and listening for signs of improvement or decline. Then, unable to stave off the sleep that burned his eyes he yawned and closed them.
Kagome woke up the next morning and weakly sat up in bed, the fever had broken and clarity was slow in returning. Sesshomaru watched her quietly from the side seeing the obvious disorientation on her visage; the way she shook her head trying to remember and when she did her eyes widened. Her gaze swept around the room searching for him he knew, and slowly he got up and came forward. Kagome stared directly in front as he came into view, her eyes vacant yet her mind was focused on her thoughts.
She was aware that she was clean and had on a foreign garment, which by the size would indicate that it belonged to him. She cringed on the inside because for her to be in this state he must have undressed her and had seen her body. Her cheeks erupted into violent red and she let out a heavy breath with the knowledge but also with understanding.
He stopped in front of the bed, his eyes transfixed on her, sweeping over her with casual interest, observing her stained cheeks and cagey eyes.
"I see that you are well," he said dryly.
She smiled, though a bit warily to ease the anxiety from her mind and said. "Thank you…I am sorry to have been a burden."
Sesshomaru took his time before answering, his mind torn between feeling relieved and the sheer guilt he felt at the impulsiveness to get rid of her. She stirred things inside him that were best left in the darkness of his mind. The unsavory thought angered him, he had no desire for the priestess and to think otherwise was ridiculous, yet he was unable to control the venom of the spiteful words that escaped him. "My obligation to Inuyasha has been extinguished, the rain has subsided; there is no more need for you to follow me. Leave, I have no more time to spare on useless things."
His statement was slow in coming but reverberated like a thousand cannons in her brain when he was finished. Kagome brought her hands to her cheek as dejection lengthened her jaw and her face became bloodless in desperation and surprise.
"No! Please you cannot do this!" She pleaded unabashed, as his words exploded inside her head, the anxieties there threatening to make her sick again as bile formed blocking the air from her lungs.
He smiled at her predicament and she could see the wicked gleam in his eyes and it scared her. She felt pain in her body like she was being grounded to dust between two gigantic boulders. She gasped loudly by his callousness as he continued to stare at her with his mocking smile.
The bitter taste of loss and sorrow was quickly dragging her into a vortex so deep that there would be no returning from it once it pulled her in. It made her head spin faster in the chaotic abyss of her thoughts as he picked up his armor, completely disregarding her presence like she was nothing.
She struggled to hold onto her declining composure as much as she could as grief rapidly pulled her into that black hole of irrelevance. She had no one left, this was not her time and Inuyasha was dead. And the one person that she thought would be honorable enough to let her grieve silently by his side, giving her some semblance of familiarity was tossing her aside like garbage. She couldn't stand the pain any longer that his constant rejection brought.
Grimacing, Kagome lunged at him with a burst of energy borne out of misery and resentment. Sesshomaru dodged the attack easily and snatched her roughly by the hair, wrapping the long tresses around one hand and with the other twisted her arm behind her back. He yanked her carelessly towards him making her cry out long in despair. With her back pressed up against his front, the rolling waves of tension in his body rippled through her like a wild tempest.
The pain he inflicted was savage and brutal, lethal claws gripped and scraped along her skull making her faint with fear yet she continued to struggle, lashing out at him with her free hand though none of her hits connected from the disadvantageous position that he placed her in.
He was going to say something but clenched his teeth hard instead; his thoughts in a whirlwind from the moment the woman attacked him. All that remained was waves of confusion, and in his veins heated blood coursed through him.
"Let me go Sesshomaru…or I'll...?" Kagome yelled, she didn't get the chance to finish the sentence. He tightened the hold on her arm and hair more viciously, pushing the unspoken words right back down her throat. His cruelty made her groan bitterly even more.
Her spine bent backwards at angle from the brutal tug made it easy for him to see the rage in her eyes as she peered intensely up at him. He watched the heaving of her bosom from the uncomfortable harsh breaths that she took as she panted from exertion, and defiantly she hissed at him as she continued to glare at him.
His eyes narrowed and his frown deepened just before he asked. "Or you'll do what woman?"
Kagome answered automatically, angrily. "You are a cruel good for nothing being, why I ever thought that you had any common decency is beyond me."
The words discharged from her mouth harshly, though they were only lip service now. The fight had left her body; she couldn't handle any more stress that the day had to offer. Her form slumped into his hold; however, his grip did not lessen.
She closed her eyes fighting against the urge to cry but the tears seeped from them in spite of her best efforts. He lowered his head, his breath fanning her earlobes. She gasped at his nearness and her body stiffened reflexively not fully understanding his actions or motives.
Her face covered in tears and her lips parted with every gasping breath that she took held him deftly into a spellbinding trance. She looked so vulnerable, like a frightened timid little creature, and somehow that wretched look stirred his conscience and his grasp loosened. Unwittingly the image of her nakedness flashed scandalously into his head, and an unconscious groan much like an animal's caught up in heat and pain slipped out of his being.
Loss for words and straining against the dangerous onslaught of lust, firm lips descended onto hers and fused. Taken by the surprise of his sudden incomprehensible action, Kagome kept quiet, but cried out when he bit into her lips and suckled blood.
He pulled back on hearing the pained cries. His lips and fangs smeared with blood she observed. She gazed at him in shock silently. He in turn gazed into startled tear fill eyes. Why he began to smooth the tears from her face and eyes he wasn't completely sure. Perhaps he didn't like to see them there, or it could be that his actions were purely instinctive.
Whatever the cause he found that he could not stop. As he continued to stroke her cheeks and she remained watchful yet quiet, he smeared blood in the process turning the crystalline tracks crimson, making it appear as though she cried tears of blood. To witness the mess he made should have stopped him, yet it did not. He closed his eyes when neither will power nor common sense worked together to sway him.
He opened his eyes a short time later to see frightened eyes still staring him in the face, his heart thundered. It wasn't enough, not the warning in his head or the complexity of the situation he faced. He disregarded it all for the moment; he kissed her again doing it more tenderly this time. Without a word or a squirm of objection from the priestess he proceeded further, licking a bloody path down her throat and neck.
Kagome was too stunned to say or do anything, confusion sang in her soul and body. Although, through the noise she heard herself cry out, but it wasn't the sound of despair that she felt in her heart, instead it was the unexpected moans of pleasure.