Disclaimer: Not mine…
A/N: To answer a question put forth by Aurora, I am, for the most part, following anime cannon. I only learned after I started writing this that in the manga Kikyo is dead, again, and not until Aurora told me did I know Tokijin was destroyed. So anime cannon, for the most part. The exception is, of course, Sesshoumaru's mother. I found out about her, too, as I was writing the last chapter, and I thought she'd be fun to throw in. Gotta rework the plot line a tiny bit, but that's okay. Now for thank yous! enchanted legend (glad you love it, but no, I prefer the daddy's little girl relationship between Rin and Sesshoumar. Sorry.) kuyaga (I promise you lots of yummy Sesshy), segumisama (look back at chapter 6 when Akai is telling the youkai about her sword, that should answer your question), MiaMoo (yra writes for encouragement! Thank you!), DCoD (oh, there are so many secrets left to be revealed!), Aurora (thank you for the chapters of yummy Sesshy, and I hope I answered your questions), and dreamadream9191 (glad to know you'll be back!) Thanks everyone!
As the sun peaked over the horizon, it became clear that not much had been left of the village. Most the houses had been flattened in Sasayaki's rampage, as had a good deal of the closest trees. It also appeared that much of the livestock had suffered, either from random explosions or from the resulting fires. Meanwhile, the humans contented themselves with finding all their family and gathering what they could from the wreckage. Under the dark sky of early morning, most who had been caught in the fighting collapsed in exhaustion directly in the grass. Only a few still needed healing aid.
"Hold still!"
Akai gave Tsumeato's side a reproving jab, and he subsided in his nervous twitching. Shaking her head in exasperation, she grasped both bloody edges of the ruined tunic, and gave a sharp tug. The rest of the garment came apart easily, and hung from his shoulders as she finally took a look at his back.
Sasayaki had not been kind, but it could have been worse. The soft glow of dawn illuminated his broad back, and the deep gorge of ripped flesh and muscle weeping red droplets. Akai wrinkled her nose uncertainly as she picked a tiny stone from the depths of the wound.
"Ah! What are you doing?!?"
"Oh, stop whining, or I'll have Higure come over and cauterize it!"
Tsumeato snorted. "He'd cauterize my head off."
"Then a suggestion: shut up."
There was a deep, sullen sigh, then silence. She hid a smile as she reached for the supplies beside her. From the small pile she picked a dark clay bottle.
"Here, take off what's left of your tunic," she ordered.
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to use the pieces for cleaning your wound."
"But—"
Akai turned and lifted her voice. "Higure!"
"Nani?"
"Fine!" Tsumeato snarled.
"Never mind!"
"You are a cruel woman," he muttered, sliding one sleeve down his arm. He seemed to have trouble with the second sleeve, his breath catching in a pained wince.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but there's a great big gash across the muscles in my back. It kind of hurts to move."
"Baby," Akai teased. "Here, hold still. I'll get it."
"Iie, I have it."
"Don't be stupid, let me do it!"
She caught the left side of his tunic, swatting his hand aside. Very carefully she began to ease it down his arm. Her fingers trailed after the fabric, over the muscles of his shoulder and arm. His skin jumped and twitched like a horse with flies.
"Gomen," she whispered, pulling the tunic free.
"Iie, it's…it's fine."
"Isn't it just?"
Akai closed her eyes on a sigh. "Do you need something, Keiko?"
"Hai. Are you done with that?" The older girl gestured to the bottle in Akai's hand.
"Just about. Here, do me a favor and rip this into pieces."
Keiko took the shirt with a little frown. "Why me? You're the one with the crazy, arm eating sword."
"Please."
"Oh, all right. But if I borrow your blade, how many fingers will I come away with?"
"As many as you started with, so long as you don't swing it at me."
Keiko leaned down and took the katana from its sheath. She then lay the sheath on the ground, and put the blade crosswise across it. Stepping on the hilt, she levered the blade into the air. She smiled at her own cleverness, and slid the shirt over the sharp edge of the katana. With a firm jerk, she had two pieces of bandaging.
May Sesshoumaru-sama never know that I used it this way, Akai silently prayed. Ooh, he would be mad.
"Throw me a big piece," she called out loud, wincing as Keiko took a strange pleasure in mauling the piece of clothing. "You are having far too much fun with that."
"Well, I get to do two things I always thought only you would get to do," Keiko explained with a particularly vicious slice. "Use your sword, and rip apart his clothing."
Akai took the cloth thrown to her and ignored this remark. She applied the fabric to Tsumeato's back, just below the cut, and picked up the bottle.
"Akai?" Keiko called, eyeing her uncertainly. "Shouldn't you warn—?"
Akai upended the bottle over the wound. A steam of clear liquid hit the bleeding gash. A yelp of shock and pain burst from Tsumeato's mouth.
"Or not," Keiko muttered.
"What in the hell was that?!?" he roared.
"Saki," Akai explained simply. "For cleaning your wound. You don't want it infected, do you?"
"Woman—!"
"Alright, I'm done!" Keiko chirped, handing Akai several long strips of cloth. "Can I have the saki now?"
"Sure."
Akai moved to hand her the bottle. Tsumeato reached between the girls and grabbed it from her hand. Throwing his head back, he took a long pull from the bottle, then gave it over to Keiko.
"Have fun, kids," Keiko called over her shoulder, wiping the lip of the bottle on her skirt. "If you need help ripping his pants off, let me know!"
"Will do."
Tsumeato shook his head as Akai began to pat gently at his wound, soaking up excess alcohol.
"Is she always like that?"
"Well, I can't say for sure," she told him honestly. "Just because I haven't seen her act any different in the last three years isn't a definite 'yes', is it?"
He laughed. "You don't seem as embarrassed as the last time she was teasing you."
"Please. I just spent the night in an exhausting battle, and the better part of the early morning hauling pieces of broken house off of people. I'm too tired to react to anything other than another attack."
"Don't tempt the fates."
"Right now, I will take on the fates themselves just for a little peace and quiet." She sighed, and began to fold up the cleanest piece of his tunic. "For three years, the worst we've seen in this area are really large and angry centipedes. Now, in just over a week, we've managed to destroy the better part of the village."
Tsumeato offered back only a distracted grunt.
Akai did not mind the quiet. It gave her time to think while she applied the first piece of fabric to his back.
Sasayaki and the red one said they came for me. And I know they came from Naraku. What would he want with a mortal girl? Unless… She looked sideways at the sword, lying where Keiko had left it. Sesshoumaru-sama's fang? But then, he would just have taken it and left. They want Rin, and they'll be coming for her again. Do they think…do they think he'll come back for Rin, like he used to? Baka. He's not coming back for me.
"Akai?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you going to do?"
She jerked her head, returning her attention to her task. "I'm just going to use another piece, and tie it across your chest. We'll have to make another couple of pads, though. That bitch opened up most of your back."
Tsumeato gave a low chuckle. "You sound mad."
"I am mad," she murmured back. "Here, lift up your arms as high as you can. I'm going to tie this piece around your chest."
Slowly, and with only a tiny wince, he managed to raise his arms a bit. She watched the way his tanned skin rippled with a sleepy sort of interest. Holding the pad against his back with her left hand, she leaned forward, her right hand sneaking under his arm with the long piece of tunic. There, she found herself with a problem.
"What's the matter?" Tsumeato asked.
"I, um, I need both hands."
"Do you want Keiko to come and help?"
"I do not. I'll just…"
Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward until her chest was pressed against his back, pinning the bandage in place. She felt him stiffen, his shoulders rising slightly. With her face so close to his, she could see his eyes widen.
"Hai, uh, that…that should work."
Akai giggled nervously. "Gomen. Just for a second so I can…"
"Iie, don't rush. I want it to be right."
"Okay," Akai whispered. Somehow, being that close made their voices seem strangely loud. "Don't move."
"Not gonna be a problem."
She smiled, her lips just barely brushing the shell of his ear. She felt his muscles clench even tighter under her chest in response. Very quickly he licked his lips, eyes growing wider, eyebrows slowly approaching his bangs.
Adjusting her weight ever so slightly against his back, Akai took the strip between both her hands. She drew it straight, then brought it across his chest. To watch what she was doing she had to lean her face over his shoulder. Her own eyebrows rose a bit as she got a much closer than usual look at a very broad, well defined, nude, male chest. Even the thin, pale scars lancing across his muscles only added to the incredible appeal of the sight before her.
Wounded. He's wounded. He needs healing and aid. So just…focus on the bandages. Which need to go around his chest. If it will fit…Kami, he's big. I never realized how broad he was. He's all muscle and sinew…
Her hands shook ever so slightly as she drew the restraining band taut across his chest. Using first one hand, and then the other, to hold the pad in place, she wrapped the piece of fabric around, then led both ends back under his arms towards his chest. As the band would not go around him twice, she pulled it tight and tucked in the ends as securely as she could. His shoulders gave a convulsive twitch as her fingers brushed his ribs.
Akai laughed again, reaching for another length of cloth.
"Nani?" Tsumeato muttered, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"You're ticklish."
"I am not ticklish," he grumbled as he turned his head forward again.
"What's wrong? Is it unmanly to be ticklish?" She leaned over his shoulder to catch his eye, and gave a playful wink. "Don't worry, I won't tell."
"There's nothing to tell, because I'm not ticklish."
"Really?"
Very lightly, she drew a finger down from his ribs, along his waist, to his hip.
He jumped so hard he actually lifted from the ground, and a most unmanly yelp came from his throat.
"You were saying…?" Akai whispered.
"Stop that!"
"Alright," she sighed. "Here, I have to make another pad."
Akai leaned away from his back, and began folding another piece. Tsumeato squirmed a tiny bit, fiddling with the edges of the bandage. She looked up from her task for a moment, and flicked him behind one ear.
"Leave it alone."
"It's tight."
"It's supposed to be. Leave it alone."
She pressed the second fold to his back, then leaned in to hold it with her body again. This time, Tsumeato seemed to relax slightly back into her. She saw his eyelashes flicker, and a drowsy, content expression on his face.
"Are you falling asleep?" Akai murmured, smoothing the band across his chest gently.
"Iie. Just…resting."
"Uh-huh."
His laugh rumbled from his chest into hers. Her chin almost resting on his shoulder, she took an extra moment to make sure the ends of the cloth were secured against his ribs. Her own eyes felt a little heavy, and he made such a convenient cushion to rest against.
Very reluctantly, she finished the bandages, and leaned away.
"Two pads should be enough."
"Nani? Oh, right." He sat up straighter, and gave his head a tiny shake. "How does it look?"
"It'll do. I wish I had better bandages, but we'll have to work with what we have."
Wiping her hands on one of the few scraps left, Akai eyed his back as he gave an experimental stretch. Again his muscles gave a tantalizing ripple, but what caught her eye was the large scar arcing across his left shoulder. As he lowered his arms, she reached out and traced the dark wound with one finger.
"Is this what Sasayaki was talking about?" Akai whispered, pressing the palm of her hand flat against his shoulder. "Is this…what she wanted me to see?"
His shoulders stiffened, this time with an almost angry tension. The voice he answered with was nothing more than a void.
"Hai."
A scar, she mused, her eyes running over the length of it again. Like his name…the reason for his name…Tsumeato. His secrets are all right here, under this scar.
She reached down to her side, and began to gather the last scraps of his ruined tunic.
"You should get some sleep. I'm going to go see if Yuriko-sama and Michio-sama need anything else."
"You aren't going to ask?"
Akai looked up, to find him half turned around. Those incredible dark eyes stared into hers, uncertain. She offered a small smile.
"That's what she wanted me to do. So, that must be the last thing you want me to do. So…I won't do ir." She rose to her feet, and shrugged down at him. "If you want to tell me someday, you will."
"I will," he agreed, his voice just as soft as hers. "Someday."
She nodded, and began to walk past him.
"Akai!"
Turning, she raised her eyebrows.
"Hai?"
"I wasn't talking about the bandages," he said. "What are you going to do?"
Akai sighed, and sank back to her knees beside him.
"I'm putting their lives in danger, aren't I?" she asked. "Just by being here, I'm putting everyone in danger."
Tsumeato frowned. "Do you want an honest answer to that?"
"Iie. I know the truth." She looked down at her hands, clenching the useless scraps. "I'm supposed to protect them. But because of me, a family is dead, and half the village is gone. And it's only going to get worse."
"It's not your fault," he insisted sharply. "But, if you stay…"
He did not have to finish his thought. She already knew the outcome if she stayed.
They'll all die, her soul whispered. All of them, all because of you. So, what can you do?
"I have to leave."
"I was afraid you would say that."
Both Akai and Tsumeato jumped, looking up in surprise. Yuriko stood beside them, a sad smile on her face. Behind her stood Keiko, Higure, and Minoru.
"The youkai want you, Akai," Yuriko continued, her beautiful violet eyes grave. "I don't know why, and I don't care. You are one of our own, and we want to keep you safe. If I build a barrier, you could be safe here."
"For how long?" Akai argued. "You are strong, Yuriko-sama, but how long do you want to hold a barrier up? And to what purpose? It doesn't fix the problem. It's just a bad patch job. The only way to stop the attacks is to stop the youkai."
"Hai, I know. I just wish…" Yuriko shook her head. "I can't go with you. I have to stay. I'm the only one who can make a barrier. But I can send some of my power with you."
"How?"
Her smile widening, Yuriko gestured behind her at her three children.
"We're coming with you," Keiko said.
"Nani? Iie! They need you here!" Akai reminded them.
"Please. You really think anything is coming through a barrier that woman puts up?" Keiko jerked her head towards her mother.
"Arigatou for the vote of confidence, my love."
"Besides," the older girl grinned, "someone has to come along as chaperone. Can't have you two alone, in the woods, under the stars, on a chilly night when you just need to share a bed for warmth—"
"Whoa!" Akai threw up her hands. "There is no bed sharing! And besides, Tsumeato hasn't said he's coming."
"Don't be ridiculous, of course he is," Keiko said simply. "And as you two heroes are not needed at the moment, you might as well both get some sleep. Because we leave tomorrow."
Akai looked at Tsumeato, who answered her startled expression with a wry grin.
"How, exactly, did I lose control of this situation?" she asked him.
"You never had it," Minoru laughed. "Once Mama and Keiko get started, you might as well just go along with them."
Yuriko inclined her head and laughed. "Don't worry about provisions. The village will supply all you need. Now go to sleep, children. You have a long journey ahead of you."