Summary: After a troubling visit to a village far away, strange and mysterious things begin to happen to Inuyasha and the others. When the disturbing truth is discovered, the group begins a dangerous journey in order to save the life of their friend. Can they escape the sickness?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other related titles or logos.

Hello again, lovelies! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of 'The Sickness'! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, they were all very kind! I am sorry the last chapter was so short and that there wasn't much Inuyasha/Kagome goodness going on, but (if you read the author's note at the bottom) you already know my excuses (however lame they may be!). As for the next chapter, which I hope is exponentially longer than the previous ones, we will be seeing some more familiar faces, but I hope to dish out a good dose of our favorite couple (you know who I am talking about!) I used a lot of parentheses in this intro…(oh well!) Reviews are much appreciated. Enjoy!

The Sickness

Chapter Seven: The Wilted Lily

'Another sleepless night,' Kagome mused to herself as the sun began to creep steadily over the horizon, ready to wake the world with its light. She rubbed a pale hand over her eyes, trying to erase nightmares and frustrations and days of unrest. The rest of her companions were all strewn about the campsite. Inuyasha was high above them in the branches of a tree, his usual place of resting. Miroku was on the complete opposite of the campfire from Sango and herself, sporting a snoring Shippo. 'Shippo always ends up in his lap somehow,' Kagome thought with a small smile. And somehow the monk's robes escaped being drenched by the fox kit's copious amounts of drool.

Sango was curled up next to Kagome, with Kilala in between them. Kagome looked down at the slayer with soft eyes. In sleep, she looked so vulnerable, so sad. All night Sango had trembled beside her, whispering things that made Kagome's hair stand on the back of her neck. The young priestess knew her friend was hurting, they all did. But there was something not right in the way that Sango obsessed over the tragedies that had befallen her and the other demon slayers. If she continued on the path she was on now, there wouldn't be much they could do for Sango when the end finally came, especially if it would truly be Kohaku's fate to die. She hoped it didn't come to that.

Knowing that sleep wouldn't come to her and not wanting to sit idly by while the rest of her companions slept, Kagome stood and stretched her stiff muscles and began to pick up little things here and there from the campsite: the remnants of their dinner, the blankets that had gone unused, the tiny kettle she always kept with them to brew water in for ramen. As she did she thought back to last night, trying to suppress the worst of the memory, but failing.

It had happened again. Again damn it. The priestess in training was getting a little tired of her visitors' unexpected and unwelcome appearances every time she tried to take a decent bath. It wouldn't be so bad, she supposed, if they weren't trying to drown her. Even the drowning wouldn't be so bad, if she only knew why. As far as she knew she hadn't hurt anyone, desecrated any sacred places, touched any possessed objects, and thus she didn't feel deserving of the punishment she was receiving. Last night, when she had recounted the tale to Miroku and Sango while Shippo had slept peacefully within Kilala's giant tails, the monk had suggested that perhaps Kagome was being cursed. After all, it had happened before when Tsubaki, a rival priestess of Kikyo, had put a rather painful death curse upon her.

It was a likely scenario, although she couldn't think immediately of anyone who would want to curse her besides Naraku, who hadn't been seen in months, or Kikyo herself who just seemed to dislike Kagome for reasons obvious and not so obvious. But if Kikyo had put a curse on her she doubted that she would still be standing there alive. The dead priestess's powers scarcely had a rival, especially in the matters of the supernatural. All in all, it just didn't add up. So if it wasn't a curse, then the other most logical explanation was ghosts, although the young girl had a feeling that the rest of her companions were all thinking the same thing. Hallucinations.

Kagome's cheeks colored in indignation. She knew without a doubt that she wasn't hallucinating. First of all, there was nothing in her system that could be making her hallucinate, unless she was crazy, which she hoped to the gods that she wasn't. Second of all, she was pretty sure that, while frightening, most hallucinations couldn't almost successfully drown you…twice. So -ding, ding, ding- ghosts it is! Although that conclusion was a little crazy in itself, and Inuyasha had said this himself, crazier things had happened to them all on their adventures. Now they just had to find out why. Why it was happening, why only to Kagome, and what were they going to do about it. Because Kagome couldn't stand a life without bathing, she just couldn't do it. It had been hard enough to get her to agree to stay out of the water until they reached the mountains where the wise-man Seiji lived, something Inuyasha had fervently insisted upon.

This being because he didn't trust Sango to protect her as thoroughly as he could, and he couldn't very well bathe with her, although she couldn't say that she would mind. For the safety, of course. Because of this new law laid down by Inuyasha with not even a little budging room, Kagome wanted to reach Seiji even faster than they had planned. But she didn't have it in her heart to wake the others while they slept so soundly. Sleep, she knew, was a brief escape from the troubles of the world and of the heart. However, she also knew that it could be a gateway into nightmares much worse than reality, nightmares that stole your fears right out of your body and manifested them into creatures of torment.

She stole a sidelong glance at the slumbering demon slayer and frowned. When she and Inuyasha had come sprinting back into the campsite the night before, the air had been thick with tension and anguish. Kagome could feel it all around her and sense it in the way Inuyasha's shoulders tensed as he looked between the pair. Something had happened, something was happening between her beloved friends, and she was determined to find out what. She couldn't let their chance at happiness disappear, not when they were already so close. While she and Inuyasha were doomed to dance around each other for an eternity, Miroku and Sango were almost guaranteed to end up together. Or at least, they had been. What had changed? Did something happen between them, or was she just too caught up in her own problems to notice their slow decline into bitterness?

She was, Kagome suddenly realized. She was so concerned with herself, her school, her family, her relationship with Inuyasha, that she had totally missed the despair that was draining her friends of their love for one another. Or perhaps she was too weary to bother acknowledging Sango's discreet madness and Miroku's embittered longing. She felt ashamed and partly responsible for the collapse of her friends' relationship. If only she had been there for Sango when the grieving sister, daughter, and neighbor had needed a friend to help hold her to the world of reason and sanity, perhaps this never would have happened. She rubbed her hand over her eyes again, this time trying to erase guilt and weariness and misery.

Oh Kagome, she thought, when did you become so selfish?

She was startled when a warm hand fell on her shoulder. "You makin' a habit out of not sleeping?" Inuyasha asked, as if it were her fault.

She tried not to scowl at him, but failed. "You think I wanted to stay up all night again?"

He shrugged. He was concerned that she had failed to rest yet again, but it was just all the more reason to continue moving, and fast. He moved to go rouse Miroku when he felt Kagome's small hand cup the inside of his elbow.

"Don't wake them up yet, Inuyasha," she said in a hushed voice. "It's just barely past sunrise."

He shook his arm free in a fluid motion and said, a bit defensively, "Wench. We need to keep moving. There'll be plenty of time to sleep when we get there, but for now we gotta move."

Kagome agreed to let Inuyasha wake the others only on the basis that trying to stop him was a wasted effort. He was a stubborn fellow, and he was in an unusual hurry that was quite curious to her. In any case, trying to resist him was completely futile when he got in these moods. It was like he was being controlled by a more basic instinct which meant that it would be unwise to ignore him anyway. That didn't make it any easier to get out of a warm, comfortable – comfortable might be a stretch – bed, as proved by the irritated groan Miroku let out when Inuyasha gently shook his shoulder. She decided to save Inuyasha a gruesome fate and take on the task of waking Sango, who liked mornings even less than the monk.

"Sango," she said softly, placing her hand on the girl's back. "Inuyasha says it's time to get up," she murmured while she shook the slayer gently. If she was going down then he would go down with her. Fortunately, Sango must have been feeling generous and decided to spare them all. She sat up blearily, immediately seeking the comfort of having Hiraikotsu in her hands. She slid it into her lap and proceeded to glare at everyone, daring them to rush her. Thankfully Inuyasha was too busy shaking Shippo awake by his little fox foot to worry about hurrying the lady with the boomerang.

After a few moments of tired silence they kicked it into high gear. They made record time packing up their things, stamping out the already dying fire, and getting back on the path into the mountains. Kagome could tell they were close. The air was getting thinner and chillier as they ascended, and the forest was growing sparse. They would soon reach the cave that Kaede had spoken of, and from there it was pretty much a straight shot into the village. The realization of their proximity had Inuyasha positively bouncing with anticipation. His demonic instincts were leaping about inside him, causing him to walk at breakneck speed.

"Inuyasha," Kagome began to whine. However, the half-demon silenced her with a single look. The message was loud and clear: there would be no bellyaching today. She resisted the urge to cross her arms and stamp the whole way there, but moaning and groaning would only make the trip worse for everyone. At least they've gotten to sleep the past couple of nights, unlike some people, she thought moodily.

It was going to be a long day.

XXX

Kikyo's sandals shuffled through the tall grass of the meadow, parting it with a temporary imprint as she strode towards the shade. Although the harsh summer sun didn't bother her now in her body made of clay and black magic, the habits she had in her former life were hard to quench. She settled herself amongst the trees and grass and closed a pair of weary brown eyes. The past few nights had been taxing for her. As suddenly as the summer rainstorms she had fallen ill, a curious occurrence considering she wasn't really alive. She felt drained of all energy. It didn't matter how many souls she consumed, her artificial bones ached and her muscles trembled with fatigue.

She placed a cold hand over where her human heart used to be and sighed. Over the past couple of days she would feel an agonizing pain rip through her chest and be overcome with a dizziness that reminded her of dying, as if what was left of her soul was being pulled out. She could barely hold onto it anymore. The only explanation she could come up with was Kagome. Something had to be happening to that girl that was affecting them both. Kagome was the keeper of several parts of Kikyo's soul as well as her own. The parts, however indistinguishable from one another, were still connected across bodies and time. If something happened to Kagome's soul, it would be only natural that the few parts held within Kikyo's clay body would be called back to her so that they could protect her.

But what could be threatening her soul? There were many things threatening her body, and probably a few things threatening her sanity considering she traveled with Inuyasha. But the soul is a sacred thing that is hard to reach and even harder to destroy or corrupt. One of the only things capable of doing it that she knew of would be the Shikon no Tama. But as far as she knew, Kagome hadn't used any jewel shards for purposes good or otherwise. So that left her with little guesses and little time, judging by the strength of each tug on her soul as Kagome unconsciously called it back to her. She supposed it was time to pay Inuyasha and his strange group of friends a visit. If there was something plaguing Kagome it was in turn plaguing her, and she still had unfinished business to attend before she was ready to pass on.

She stood wearily and slung her bow and arrows across a narrow shoulder. It was time to go and see Kaede, perhaps for the last time.

XXX

The punishment Kagura received for leaving the castle unguarded in Naraku's absence was worth every last painful squeeze. He stopped just short of killing her this time. It angered him that no matter how much he tormented her he could see and feel through their bond that she was happy, smug almost, and despite his power over the wind sorceress he knew that she was cunning and powerful enough to prove a threat. Her serene smile made him nervous, as much as he hated to admit it. There was scarcely a person who hated him more than Kagura. He knew that one day they would do battle, and someone would die. Considering his hold over her life, he was confident that it would be her. But without that trick up his sleeve he feared that her fury would consume him altogether, especially if she had help from the several other people who hated him.

The wind witch in question was sitting atop the roof of the castle, as usual, trying to recover from the painful retribution that had been delivered to her. It didn't hurt so bad, every time she thought of Lord Sesshoumaru and their conversation the previous night. She closed her eyes and let the memory wash over her again.

Kagura took a cautious step into the palace that Lord Sesshoumaru called his home. As they walked through the endless halls she expected to see servants milling about, or visiting dignitaries relaxing in the library, or even courtesans sidling up and down the hallways. His home was strangely empty for such a vast estate. Built to house a thousand men and women, it seemed like it was only Sesshoumaru himself, the little toad creature Jaken, and their human pet who resided there. She threw a sidelong glance in the stoic dog demon's direction and frowned. 'What a lonely existence he lives,' she thought. But with a smile she realized that hers was no better.

They entered a small room in the very back corner of a random hallway, and the first thing Kagura noticed was the little girl-child that Sesshoumaru cared for sitting atop a mountain of pillows braiding wildflowers together in her tiny hands. When she noticed the pair enter she leapt off her perch and bounded towards them with a smile beaming off her face. "Lord Sesshoumaru! Back so soon!" she cried happily. When she saw the wind sorceress at his side, her smile fell altogether. Whether it was because a childlike sense of jealousy or the memory of the time they had kidnapped her, Kagura could sense the human's unease around her.

"Hello again, Rin," she purred, ruby eyes half-lidded with lazy indifference.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, why is that lady here?" the little girl demanded, staring at her with open distaste.

"Rin," he said quietly. "She is our guest." End of discussion. The little girl faithfully obeyed him, but whereas most would have cowered under his tone and stare she merely bowed and skipped back to her pillow structure and resumed braiding.

'Guest?' Kagura wondered with slight amusement. 'What an honor to be addressed that way by the daiyoukai.'

The lord in question indicated a small table near the back of the room with one sweep of his remaining arm, and in moments the two were seated, her legs tucked daintily under her while he slung an arm over his raised knee. For a long moment he did not say anything as he tried to formulate his request without sounding like he was really asking her for something.

"I assume your wishes have not changed since the time we first met," he finally said after careful consideration. There was an almost bored drawl in his voice that belied his sharply focused eyes on her face.

"I'm surprised you would even have to ask, my lord," she replied coolly, absently playing with the hem of her kimono. She glanced up at his face just in time to catch a look of slight impatience and quickly amended, "Yes, I still feel the same. Does this mean you have reconsidered?" She couldn't hide the hope from creeping into her voice.

Silence stretched on between them and Kagura's eyes widened. He hadn't said no. He was still looking at her with calculating amber eyes, gauging her reactions. "You have reconsidered," she all but whispered as her mind danced away in a frenzy of elation and disbelief.

"It has always been a mutual benefit for the two of us if Naraku should perish," he explained. "I was not keen on teaming up with anyone, especially his underling. But it seems that time has become a delicate matter, and I must have his head sooner rather than later."

She frowned at him and replied, "If it has always been beneficial for you to kill Naraku, why the urgency now?"

The demon lord didn't answer, but an almost imperceptible glance towards the human girl crawling through a cushion canyon was enough to catch her attention. Had she been a lesser demon the sideways look would have escaped her notice, but she was lucky to have been born with a swift and cunning mind.

"You fear for your ward's safety?" she said curiously, although something about that didn't sound quite right.

If it weren't beneath him to do so, she would have sworn that he scoffed at her inquiry. "Don't insult me, sorceress. I am perfectly capable of protecting her from the likes of Naraku."

"Then who is it that you aren't capable of protecting her from?" she asked. 'Don't tell me he has discovered Naraku's new pet,' she thought.

"When Naraku is dead and gone the demon council will adjourn to gather their bearings. Naturally, I must attend, being the ruler of the Western Lands. After the chaos that man has caused , the other demon lords will be more wary of humans and half-demons that ever before. When word reaches them that this Sesshoumaru has taken one into his care it will be a hard road for her, despite my protection. It would make it easier for her if someone, say a demoness, could instruct her in the ways of proper behavior for a lady of the court."

"Forgive me, my lord, but even if you have taken a human into your care, who among them would be stupid enough to challenge your judgment?" she asked.

"It is that very reason that they will challenge it. Taking in a human girl can only be seen as weakness, whether of heart, body, or mind. Even if I tell them that Tenseiga chose her, it will not be enough."

"Pardon me for asking, but if the girl is so much trouble to you then why keep her?"

The dog demon shot her a withering glance. "The point remains that if Rin were to be well-versed in our customs and behavior, it would make this transition smoother. It is not totally unheard of for demons to keep humans for a number of reasons. Her presence will be easy enough to explain. But she is a human child, and an uncivilized one at that. If she were to misbehave in front of me and the other demons lords, I would not be able to let it go unpunished."

'Which he loathes to do,' Kagura realized. She glanced sidelong at the human girl, humming a tuneless song under her breath. Her missing tooth had finally grown back, the wind demoness noticed.

"You go to an awful lot of trouble just to find Rin a teacher. For me you must first defeat Naraku. Why not ask another female demon - one who is less likely to give you such troubles?"

"You discredit your abilities, Kagura," he said, the barest hint of a smirk tugging his lips. "Besides, how easy do you think it will be to convince a highborn demoness to tutor Rin in the customs of the demon lords and ladies? I need someone who is both desperate enough and someone I know I can trust."

"Trust?" Kagura purred, tapping the end of her fan against her ruby lips. "I had no idea you had such a high regard for me, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"I trust you not to harm Rin. I trust you not to fail in your duties. I trust you know what would happen if you did," he replied, tapping poisonous claws against the table innocently.

Kagura met his lazy golden gaze. He had her frozen - an effect only he could produce. Her sharp tongue and wit could conquer almost anyone in a verbal battle, but he often left her speechless. She could feel the power that radiated from every part of him, and it did curious things to her mind and body.

"Well?" he prompted, snapping her out of her stupor.

She cleared her throat delicately. "You know what it is I desire most. I would teach ten thousand human girls to behave properly if it meant freedom from Naraku." She did not relish the thought of escaping the servitude of one just to enter the servitude of another. If it were anyone but Sesshoumaru she would refuse. But she knew him to be both capable of giving her what she wanted and of providing her with endless entertainment.

Sesshoumaru, too, was pleased despite himself. There were few people he felt amiable with. The other demon lords were tools at times and obstacles at others. His brother and his annoying companions were disgraces. Jaken was merely a servant he tolerated, and Rin was too young to provide him true companionship.

Indeed, Kagura was one of the few beings who he could speak a fraction more freely with. He felt it easier to jest, easier to smile, and easier to confide in her than any person. He was impressed by her ability and her confidence, and he would lying if he said she wasn't a perfect specimen of female demon. Young, attractive, elegant, and ripe for the taking.

Of course, he was far to preoccupied with other matters to consider mating anyone, and it would stain his nobility forever if he lowered himself to be with one of Naraku's incarnations. Perhaps if he freed her a relationship could manifest. But until then she would be his servant - one he would have to be careful of. She may need him for now, but that didn't mean she wasn't dangerous still.

"Then, Kagura. Where is Naraku's castle?"

XXX

It was evening when Kagome, Sango, and Miroku all collapsed in a small clearing reaching for water, food, and bandaids from the first aid kit for their blisters.

"Inuyasha," Sango insisted, "we need a break. We're exhausted."

They'd been walking at break neck speeds all day at the half-demon's insistence. They'd made good progress, but the humans of their group were obviously suffering for it.

"Keh," he responded. "Then I'll carry Kagome on my back and Kilala can carry you three good-for-nothings."

"Hey," Shippo whined. "I'm not good for nothing!"

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha sneered. "The transform into a balloon or something and carry us through the forest!"

They all knew that Shippo could not carry more than two people for very long at his current level. The fox bristled at the comment and promptly began to gnaw on Inuyasha's sensitive white ears.

While the two of them fought Kagome spread out a blanket and began to wrap Sango's feet with bandages to make the foot-travel more bearable.

"Thanks," the slayer said, wincing when Kagome sprayed some antiseptic on her blister wounds.

"Miroku, you're up next," Kagome said scooting towards him.

"I'll pass, Kagome. Suffering is the path to enlightenment," he reminded her. The statement seemed to provoke a silent response from each person in the group.

Kagome found herself thinking I really hope so.

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Hey there everyone! First of all, I would like to say thank you to all who reviewed, it was very much appreciated! I am glad you are enjoying the story. Second of all (and on a completely unrelated note) I would like to say that…I have made Shippo oddly silent in this story. And unfortunately, he will most likely remain that way, besides the odd interjection every now and then. It is not that I don't like Shippo! But there are so many other characters that I have to worry about, many of whom I have yet to even introduce, so there simply isn't time. Besides, Shippo is a pretty simple guy, right? He eats, he sleeps. He loves Pocky. I realize that there is more complexity to him that just that…so if he is absolutely one of your favorite characters and I need to include him more often, just let me know! But otherwise I think that he will have to take the back seat for now.

Please review and let me know what you think! I get many hits, but few reviews. And I live off reviews. In fact, I eat them for breakfast! It's the most important meal of the day, you know. Okay…done being weird now.

Also, I want to say sorry again for such a long awaited update. I'm terrible. And I also apologize for the abrupt ending. I am about to go to work and I want to update really badly. Enjoy!