A/N: Yes. I suck. I'm very sorry, guys. I can't believe it took me so LONG to get this out!! I feel sooo guilty.. feels bad I have no excuses, other than extreme laziness and complete spacing of this story. Y'all forgive this innocent face, right? Dove-chan is just to CUTE to maul.. hopes.. Drools over picture of Sesshomaru Yumm..
The Only Way – Chapter Seven
She groans and rolls over, sweat beading her feverish forhead. She shivers several times, her ebony hair sticking to her forehead. Her pale lips part to let out a soft, fevered moan of pain. She rolls over again, the blood on the back of her head mats her hair. Her pale skin stands out in the dark room…
Sango plucked several orange flowers from the forest floor. Examining them closely, she deemed each acceptable, and added them to the collection of random herbs and berries that she'd collected.
"Got it all!" She found Miroku waiting for her right where she'd left him. Together they mixed two bottles of the potion – that would alleviate any 'I'm not worthy' arguments they might get from the brothers.
Heading back, Miroku and Sango tried to figure out how to best present the drink to the guys. They saw Kagome sitting on a tree stump pouting. When she saw them coming towards her, she grinned and stood.
"Hey, guys-" She started.
"Where's Inuyasha?" Miroku interrupted. Kagome pointed towards the lake. The two marched off wihtout a word. Somewhat insulted and hurt, Kagome turned and stalked into the forest.
She walked alone for a good half-mile before she found a clearing that resembled a small valley and sat down in the middle to meditate – a nifty trick she learned that relaxed her and focused her powers more.
"Inuyasha, Sesshomaru!" Sango called, "I have the most EXCELLENT drink you must both try!" The brothers looked up from their recollection of Inuyasha's mother to respond.
"Sesshomaru? You'll try it, of course?"
"Oh heavens no! After you!" Sango managed to suppress a growl of irritation.
"It's alright, we brought enough for you both to try at the same time."
Miroku handed the brothers the drinks.
"One..two..THREE!" They both tipped back at the same time and drained their vials.
"Damn, that shit is NASTY!" Inuyasha snarled. Sango and Miroku watched as the magic took effect, glowing blue over both brothers for a minute.
They were shoulder-to-shoulder. As soon as they noticed this, they both remedied it with a shout.
The brothers appeared to be having some difficulty coping with the fact that they'd been so bloody nice to each other lately.
Sesshomaru snarled. "You ugly little half-breed, what did you do to me?!"
"ME?!" Inuyasha roared in holy fury. "What did you do!?"
"It was a demon." Miroku interceded before it could come to blows. Inuyasha snorted irritably. Sesshomaru did not mimic him, but stood silent and cold.
"I hate you." Inuyasha tacked on to his snort speedily, as though that would make him feel better.
"You? Hate me? Ah, no. I believe my hatred far surpasses yours. Happy questing." Inuyasha hesitated, confused at those last words. And then he realized that Sesshomaru was simply…not there anymore.
"Where did he go?!" Inuyasha cried irritably.
"I did not see any movement." Miroku murmured, eying the forest as though something was going to leap out and attack them. Which it should have. But didn't.
Inuyasha sensed something…was very very wrong… and then it hit him.
"KAGOME!" She was far away, and alone. Inuyasha moved like a demon possessed, racing for her.
"Kagome." She snapped her head up, startled at the voice. A frown danced across her face when she computed that her quiet meditation had been interrupted. But she got over it when she realized that Sesshomaru was leaning, back against a tree and arms crossed.
She looked about warily, trying to figure out where Inuyasha was. They'd been insepe-
"The spell has been broken."
Oh.
Kagome stood slowly, as though he was a wild animal posed to strike. 'Well lookie here, he IS' Kagome thought to herself sharply, and a little cruelly.
Sesshomaru was behind her in seconds, hands resting softly on her shoulders.
"Rin likes you. You will stay with me."
Kagome shuddered. NO NO NO! That was all wrong. She was to be around Inuyasha, hunting shards, not entertaining a five-year-old little girl.
She shrugged away, and spun on him.
"NO!" She backed up quickly, glaring a challenge without realizing it. Sesshomaru back-handed her across the face, sending her slamming into a tree. In fact, the same tree he'd been using as a leaning post moments before.
Her head hit with a sickening crack, and snapped on her neck. She crumpled like a rag-doll, blood seeping from the wound. Sesshomaru got a thoughtful look on his face.
"You need to learn your place," He muttered to her unconcious form. "And to duck." He leaned down and picked her up lightly, and then moved again in a blur.
"She was here!" Inuyasha growled, furious. His eyes were aglow with an eerie light, and he looked ready for blood.
Which there was plenty of, on the ground.
KAGOME'S blood.
"But…how will we get back to Sesshomaru's castle? He didn't stipulate his terms this time, and may have mounted a guard."
"I'll rip them apart." Inuyasha started to move but was tackled by a Taiyja and a Monk. They pinned him speedily and tied him up with a handy vine.
"You will not go gallavanting around with blind anger coarsing through you." Miroku droned, as though this was routine.
"You'll kill someone innocent, and then Kagome will kill you and then it'll get ugly." Sango lectured as well.
Inuyasha snarled and twitched, but couldn't untie himself.
"FINE!"
The two sat down and ignored him, waiting for him to wear himself out or convince them that he'd cooled down.
Whichever came first.
"Hikaru." Sesshomaru ordered his servant icily. "Go make sure she lives."
The servant nodded swiftly, bobbing a curtsy, and hurried to the room in which Kagome lay, burning with fever and bleeding from a gash in her head.
She returned just as quickly. "She is alive, but very unwell, Master. Please, couldn't one of us give her some help?"
"If she's weak enough to die, she dies." Sesshomaru snapped. "Leave me." The servant nodded quickly and left with a cordial – frightened – bow.
Kagome thrashed about in the bed she'd been dropped on. Sweat beaded her pale forehead. She sat up suddenly with a blood-freezing scream.
"What in hells-" Sesshomaru strode purposefully to Kagome's room, where she sat on the bed screaming herself blue. She didn't look at him – she couldn't. The fever was making her delerious, and she not only didn't see him, she didn't realize anything existed but what was frightening her.
He slapped her sharply several times across the face, but she kept screaming.
Sesshomaru groaned, his sensitive ears ringing. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he shook her ferociously.
"Kagome! KAGOME! Kagome. You will stop that screaming this instant." His voice rang with full authority. After another moment, she fell dead silent, still staring through him.
Sesshomaru pulled away, and took with him sticky blood. With a curious look he glanced at the back of her head. The girl's injury was getting infected and wouldn't stop bleeding. With an irritated, 'What I do for these damn humans' sigh, Sesshomaru left the room.
"Hikaru."
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?" She appeared from nowhere.
"Get her that medical attention." He muttered. The servant bobbed a curtsy and scampered away.
"Lord Sesshomaru, did you not say-" Jaken began. The green youkai did not have a chance to finish his sentence, he found himself sailing across the room.
"Do not question me."
"N-never lord Se-Sesshomaru…" The toad moaned, twitching.
Sorry. Should be longer. Isn't. Tired. Must. Go. Not. Making. Sense. Rambling. Lots. Of. Dots. Whoaa….
…Gomen nasai….
