Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.
A/N: Apologies for keeping everyone waiting for so long but I almost didn't write this chapter at all. Lately I've lost my interest in writing this fic, we all know if the author isn't interested then it's surely to be a bad write if forced out. I'm actually debating on putting a close on updates until this regains my full interest, that way I don't leave anyone hanging and waiting around for new chapters. I'm not sure yet, anyway I do hope this chapter is somewhat worth the wait and now on with the chapter.
Chapter 9: Hell's Fire
Sesshomaru stood outside the tiny bamboo hut as he stared at the small doorframe. He had just arrived at Totosai's place roughly an hour ago. It had taken him a good three hour, dead out run to make it here as quickly as possible. Three hours to reflect on the battle that left her in her current condition, more than enough time to think of the things he was going to do Naraku.
Totosai was still inside processing the extent of Kagome's injuries. Unconsciously Sesshomaru began to pace as he ran a clawed hand through his long silver hair. How long is he going to have me wait? Absurd! To think that little bug eyed old man had the nerve to demand me to stay outside…
A rustle of cloth stole him from his thoughts and his full attention was brought to the doorway to watch as Totosai silently emerged from the hut. "Well?" He nearly bit out as Totosai approached him. The expression written on the elders face was anything but encouraging. Sesshomaru silently waited, his patience beginning to wane as seconds dragged by in silence.
"I can't save her, Lord Sesshomaru. The miasma flowing through her body has refused my attempts to ward it off, the demonic Jyaki is eating away at her organs. She won't make it through the night unless…" Totosai had come to only one conclusion but being faced with the expressionless demon lord he was beginning to wonder if he could voice it. A small sigh escaped cracked lips he gave way and decided to continue, "There is a way to save her, but I'm not sure you would agree to the circumstances."
"What might those circumstances be?" Sesshomaru coolly inquired as he tightened the grasp on his fleeting patience.
"You would have to change her." Totosai said slowly as he watched Sesshomaru closely. Silently he noted how the aristocratic demon's mouth temporarily fell open slightly and clawed fingers clenched into fists at his sides. Totosai cleared his throat nervously as the grip on his wooden staff tightened.
"I realize that you wouldn't know of this method, it was prohibited before you were even thought of." He continued, grey brows nit together as he glimpsed back towards the tiny hut. "But that is the only remaining option for her. What is your choice Sesshomaru-sama? Time is short and if we're to attempt to save her we mustn't waste anymore time. The weaker her body is the more likely she won't be able to survive the transaction." A heavy frown marred Totosai's face as his beady eyes gazed up into golden ones.
Sesshomaru blankly stared at his elder while his brain went into a mental catastrophe. Would he be able to go through with it? Somewhere deep inside a part of him wanted her to have a more enriched life but would she hate him for taking away her humanity? Would she even be the same person afterwards? Mentally he growled at himself for his thoughts; it really shouldn't matter either way.
Golden eyes shifted over to the low flickering light escaping the worn tattered fabric covering the doorframe. He had his kingdom, his people and his pride to protect, even she was under his protection. Curtly he nodded his consent, she could hate him if she wished just as long as she survived. His eyes flicked back down to Totosai who shifted under his scrutiny. "Tell me what I have to do." He coldly stated, holding the trickle of anxiety out of his voice.
Totosai quickly nodded and motioned with his body for Sesshomaru to follow him inside, a moment passed by before bony fingers pulled the soft fabric away from Kagome's clammy body. "We will need to move her, the ritual was initially preformed in a body of water. Luckily, there is a hot spring out back we may use." Totosai explained this as he stood back and watched Sesshomaru lean down and pick her up. For an instant he saw something change in those golden eyes, softness tinged with worry before vanishing as quickly as it came.
Carefully Sesshomaru carried her out into the open and bent his head slightly down, with a deep intake of breath he filled his nose with her altered scent. It was tainted with the almost sweet smell of her blood and laced with the stench of miasma. Possessively he pulled her closer to him and missed the small glimmer that flashed in Totosai's dark knowing eyes. With a curt nod they ran towards the spring, mentally Sesshomaru had to be grateful it wasn't far away as he approached the waters edge only a couple minutes after they set forth.
A bead of sweat trickled down Totosai's face as he watched Sesshomaru gently lower Kagome's body into the hot spring, taking in her deathly pale skin and unseeing eyes. His observing eyes settled on the tattered clothing covered in fresh blood as it mingled with the already old and drying, her shallow breaths coming in slowly and hitching now and then. After meeting her in past occasions though under different company, he had become quite fond of the girl. Her fiery spirit and energy was something that drew in those around her, he was also willing to bet she had a hand in the subtle changes he had witnessed from Sesshomaru's slipping façade.
"This ritual was for intended mates before it was banned do to reasons I will explain, I should also inform you of the effects you will also be-"
"There is no time, I do not care for the reasons of the ban nor do I care of the effects it will have. I can take them whatever they may be." Sesshomaru nearly bit out as he shifted his body to rest under Kagome's, her soft back resting against his strong chest. "Now, tell me how to do this" He demanded as his arms wrapped around her slender frame.
Sesshomaru gazed down at Kagome's frail form, a deep unsettling need to save and protect wrapping it's way around his heart. Yet this went against everything he had ever grew up to uphold, would he be breaking his own code by going this far to save her? With a sigh Totosai stepped closer to the pair, nervously he wrung his hands as he stared at Sesshomaru's broad back. "Very well then, Lord Sesshomaru. You must force your youki into her and feed her your blood, and while doing so you must repeat what I say."
Only the sounds of the surrounding forest and Kagome's rattling breath could be heard for a span of a few heartbeats. Sesshomaru's gaze shifted to the gaping hole in her abdomen, her heart beat barely noticeable against his ears. Unperturbed by the silence Totosai took a moment before steadily providing him the words (that sounded more like vows) as if they had been etched permanently into his brain.
"To you I give my strength. To you I give my future. To you I give all that I am. Accept it, accept me, and you will stand at my side until death." Totosai turned away from them as he fixed his eyes to the ground, giving them a little privacy.
This was crazy; something he thought he would never do in his most absurd dreams, yet the fear of being more like his father didn't sting as much as he thought it should. A sharp claw ran over his right wrist as he gave enough pressure to break the flesh, crimson blood spilling forth from the gash and dripping down into the water. With his left hand he gently opened her mouth as his right wrist came up to rest against her mouth, unconsciously she pressed back against him in attempt to spit out the warm metallic liquid in her mouth.
"To you I give my strength," he said in a unusually strained voice, his own heart thumping erratically as his rational mind battled with conflicting emotions. This wouldn't make her his mate, he told himself as he silenced the wavering taunts and desires within. Taking a deep breath Sesshomaru began to focus his youki, slowly the power began to flow around them. As soon as his youki enveloped her she stopped resisting him, her reaction shocking him and somewhat off-putting. She shouldn't be that relaxed over him, it just wasn't natural.
Was she really that comfortable around him? Or did the mere pressure of his youki tear down the remains of her defense, rendering her too weak to continue the struggle. Sesshomaru was knocked out of his musings as he heard the old demon behind them shift nervously. A low growl rumbled through his chest as he realized what had surely caused the older youkai's unease.
Golden eyes looked down at the pale clawed hand caressing Kagome's cheek as if it belonged to someone else. He then realized that he had also craned his head down and was now hovering over her shoulder- as if he had been about to nuzzle up against the soft skin- immediately he backpedaled that train of thought and quickly regained his composer. What the hell was he doing? Steeling himself, he took back to reciting the words (refusing to see them as anything more) and concentrated once more on feeding his youki into her body.
"Accept it, accept me, and you will stand at my side until death" he finished, a small edge to his words as he flexed his wrist to pump more blood into her mouth. Slowly he glanced over to Totosai, "is that it?" He questioned in what he hoped sounded like nothing more than boredom.
"Well, normally it would be.." Totosai softly spoke as he shifted his staff to lean back against a young tree. "But Kagome is a different case, for one: she's a Miko, and a very strong one at that. Her Miko powers will do all that they can to reject your youki and purify it. For two: her injuries are severe and will take time for healing, consequently slowing the process down and three: Kagome is Kagome. She's not going to give in to any intrusion without a good fight." Totosai shook his head with a small grin as he finished speaking.
Sesshomaru merely nodded his head and glanced back to the girl in his arms, she really was a fighter and given time he was sure she could be one of the best. "What more must I do then?"
"You'll have to continue to feed her your youki and blood. Only time will tell in this case…" Totosai rubbed the back of his neck before glancing back to the girl in question. " M'lord, we mustn't keep her in the water any longer now. We should get her back to my hut and bandage those wounds."
With another curt nod Sesshomaru slipped his hand away from her mouth and eased them both out of the water, taking only a brief moment to adjust her against him before taking off. She can survive this, she has the strength. He couldn't explain the rash need to believe in his thoughts but it was there. After a moment he gave way and allowed himself to simply need.
Kagome was in the worst pain she'd ever felt in her entire life. Her body felt as if it had been ran over by a freight train and was now being torn into pieces. Rapidly her body was jumping from cold to hot, the winters ice melting into hells fire. Rational thought impossible as the hot edge of a blade played against her flesh, cutting flames along her chest and abdomen in light tracing motions. The distinct feeling of ice needles stinging through her veins, coursing through her whole body just under the flames.
There it was again, that hot sticky metallic liquid flowing into her mouth. Desperately she tried to spit it out but for the countless time that effort was rejected. It flowed freely down her throat, it's warmth turning to ice as it reached her belly, like a hail storm of fireworks it exploded through her being. How much more of this agony could she take? Fleetingly she wished death would just take her simply to put an end to it.
Just then she felt a surge of power flow around her, a low growl emitting somewhere within. Death wasn't an option it said, along with that there was another deep voice underlining that authority. In her minds haze she thought she recognized it but the pain surged against her in another colliding wave, unrelenting and giving her little time to form conscious thought. Vaguely Kagome noticed the pressure of something wrapped around her shoulders and over her legs. She instinctively tried to fight against the pressure but stilled as that distant and oddly comforting voice came back to her once more.
Sesshomaru stared down at the raven haired girl within his grasp, her dark brows furrowed in obvious pain as whimpers gurgled past his wrist as he fed her. He hated doing this. Not because of the growing amount of blood loss he was dealing with now due to his continuous ministrations over the last two days, but because of the pain she was going through the whole time. Every feeding set her in a new rage of pain, her body fighting to remove the impending threat and purify the demon youki flowing into her. Being feared and known as cold and heartless didn't change the anger and helplessness he felt; knowing that her prolonged pain was his doing.
Totosai watched from the shadows as the usually indifferent demon lord heaved a heavy sigh and lowered his head to the young girls upper chest, resting his ear against her weak heartbeat. Strain etched over his pale face as he lowly murmured something to the unconscious girl, the words fleeting and so low Totosai had to wonder if he heard anything at all. Silently he prayed to the heavens above that Kagome would pull through this. It was undeniable that her wounds were healing, in fact that process was moving along faster than he anticipated but it was still far from over.
"Lord Sesshomaru… Perhaps you should try talking to her, I believe that it would be beneficiary to her recovery…" Totosai placed down a fresh rag and bowl of water beside Kagome's sleeping mat, placing down fresh medical herbs and dressings beside the bowl. He then gave Sesshomaru a side long glance, relaying a silent message: she needs to know you're here. A curt nod was the only answer he received before he backed away to leave. He made it a whole five steps before Sesshomaru interrupted his retreat.
"Thank you."
Totosai stood there for a brief moment, trying to debate if he had heard correctly or if he was simply going mad. He said nothing and with a swift wave of his hand he broke back into his retreat, his mind boggling on what just occurred. Sesshomaru, the great Lord of the West, showing appreciation to anyone was simply ludicrous. She truly has brought on a change in him, who would've thought a human was capable of such a feat. He thought as a mischievous twinkle gleamed in his beady eyes, a small smile on his face.
Sensing that Totosai was out of earshot Sesshomaru picked up the fresh rag and soaked it into the water before bringing it to Kagome's forehead, wiping away the sheen of sweat glistening against her pale skin. She had gained more color, he noted as he placed the cloth over the pinking skin. It was then that he realized something that should've hit him much sooner. Her music box… maybe that would give her some kind of comfort, he knew it would…every night she had listened to it's tune before drifting off to sleep.
Almost hastily he stood and walked over to her overly large pack and rummaged through the contents until he found what he was looking for. Gently he wound it up as he walked back over to her, placing it softly on top of the small end table. Silently he listened to the familiar music play, it's soft melody soothing even his wariness away for the moment. Slowly he watched as her features eased ever slightly, her shoulders slumping slightly from their rigidness.
Expertly he removed the old bandages covering her injuries and worked on replacing the old herbs and bandages with the new ones. Once finished Sesshomaru took a moment to be sure Totosai was still far away, unwilling to let the old coot hear him speaking to the sleeping girl. Well speaking probably wasn't the correct terminology, as most of what came out was along the lines of murmuring and half growls of frustration. All uncharacteristic of him but it wasn't as if anyone would know of it, besides he couldn't deny the way she responded to him. Even when he was blatantly upset she would unconsciously shift her body in his direction.
A clawed hand swiftly brushed the stray lock of hair away from her face, his fingers lingering against the soft skin. She leaned into the touch and after a moment he withdrew his hand, placing it back at his side before taking back up to speaking. He could still feel the tingling, an odd sensation for such a brief contact. Everything about her was perplexing, but that wasn't anything new to him. A wry grin took over his lips as his golden eyes caught the small glint from the fires light against her hands, the fingernails glistening sharply in the small lighting.
And so it begins.
Day 3
If there was anything Kagome was sure of, it was that she was going to go insane if this madness didn't end soon. Having somewhat regained an ability to think through the pain now, Kagome could only hope that somehow she'd regain control and be freed of this nightmare. There was a low hum of music, she could barely hear it but it was surely there and along with it was that voice. She held onto them as though her life depended on it, and it very well could. She knew that without them she would lose herself within the pain and power raging through her.
Slowly the realization hit her, the faint melody drifting in and out of her mind was her music box. The voice was even further away from her senses, mingling in with the soft tune as though it was apart of it. Determined to keep all her focus on the two Kagome put everything she had into focusing on that voice, listening intently as her frayed mind worked to distinguish the face that voice belonged to. The more she strained the clearer the image became in her mind, that tone. Deep. Soothing. Hypnotic. Sesshomaru.
Day 4
Her body twisted and coiled in violently as her holy powers continued to try and remove the invading youki running over and through her whole body. Her small solitude shattered as the waves of pain returned once again. The two powers clashed with a loud crack, a wild fire erupting in their wake. She could hear the roars as they fought one another for dominance.
As the moments ticked away Kagome had to wonder. Just how long had it been now? Weeks? Months? It was so hard to tell just how long she had been in this living hell, for all she knew it could've only been hours. Kagome stubbornly pushed passed the pain and focused on clearing her head. She had to think of a way to end this torture, and fast before she lost herself once more.
Perhaps if she couldn't defeat the intruding youki then she could tame it. It sounded crazy but she would have to at least try, what other choice did she have at this point? Desperately Kagome pushed all her strength into separating the two deadly powers, inwardly rejoicing as they finally complied with her. Now, to get them to stop fighting, that was going to take an extremely large amount of work…
Day 5
The first thing Kagome noticed when her exhausted mind made it back to the forefront of her brain was that the raging powers weren't fighting, well not directly. The two powers glided along one another in a light friction rather than clashing, only nipping at one another now and then as one or the other brushed too closely. Somehow she had done it, and the war seemed to be over for the most part and Kagome could only thank heavens for that much. The next thing Kagome noticed was that something was off, well more than one something. Her senses, they seemed to be very off and it was reeking havoc on her mind.
She could hear clearly now, too clearly actually. Kagome wasn't even sure what she was hearing. There was a very loud thumping sound in a rhythmic beat along with the sound of air whooshing back and forth against her ears. Distinctly she could hear another beating sound, though not as loud or as fast as the prominent one. Then she heard it very clearly, him, Sesshomaru! Her mind screamed.
"You're conscious." it was a simple statement, low and almost whimsical. Still, it rang through her ears as if he was right against her eardrum. She winced and suddenly felt a twitch atop her head but was quickly distracted once more by that beating sound. It was growing louder and faster now and the anxiety of it was starting to tear at her nerves. What the hell was that noise?
Very cautiously Kagome cracked open an eye and gasped.
A/N: The next chapter is already in progress but I won't hold up false promises of when it will be released. I do appreciate all the support I've received over this story. It truly brings a smile to my face when I see more people faving this and/or alerts, true I'd love to know what you think but I've decided to stop asking for your reviews and just accept them when you wish to leave your thoughts. ;) I'd also like to thank my wonderful editor for once again fixing my errors and giving me limitless advice on how to improve. Thank you all for reading!
