Chapter Eleven
"That's the last one." She said dully as she wiped her forehead with a very dirty sleeve, no doubt the dirt and blood and rubbed off onto her face but it was the least of her worries. She'd spent the last two hours tending to the wounded; they lost a few simply because their wounds were too great. Sesshomaru had gone to retrieve Kaede and with her aid they managed to save many more while his staff started rebuilding the houses and a wall to help defend themselves.
That damn wall should have been put in place ages ago. She thought bitterly. No doubt he felt no village in his lands needed it since he's such a great and mighty Lord, Kami what a bunch of fools.
"Thank ye child." The woman she'd been tending to said weakly.
"Don't worry grandma you've got plenty of years left in you to chase those grandbabies of yours around." She said with a tired smile.
"Kagome we should take a look at that arm." Kaede said.
"I'll take care of it in a moment." Kagome said as she stood and made another round to ensure everyone else was well tended to before Kaede stopped her.
"Ye will do no good if ye die on us."
"It's not as bad as it looks Kaede really." Kagome said. "I know my limits and I've got a long way to go before I reach them."
With that she walked past the old woman and out of the storehouse to meet up with Aimi.
"It's not much but this is what I could find." Aimi said.
"It's more than enough." Kagome said with a smile as she took the bundle from the girl. "Thanks Aimi."
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Aimi asked. "I'd hate to think that you've spent all this time healing us without us being able to help heal you."
"You don't have to do that Aimi."
"But I want to it's the least I can do to repay you for your kindness."
"You don't owe me anything." Kagome said with a smile, "Besides the others may need your help, don't worry this isn't the first time I've tended to my own wounds and I wouldn't feel right if there was something that could have been done here and it didn't because of me."
"Alright." Aimi said.
"I'll be back." Kagome said as she left the village and headed into the woods. It didn't take her long to get to the hot springs and once she was there she set up a barrier. "You are about to become my new best friend."
"You are a stubborn woman indeed." Strom said as he appeared.
"That is so not the first time I've been told that." She said dryly. "Give me a hand will you?"
"Oh so I am worthy enough to ask for aid?" He asked teasingly.
"Shut it, you're the only one I do trust right now." She said. "But if you just want to stand there and let your charge bleed to death by all means."
"You know it wouldn't kill you to lighten up a bit."
"Oh I'm light alright, light headed." She said pointedly.
He chuckled as he helped her to remove her baldric before loosening the front of her battle kimono. He then watched as she cleared a small area for a fire and once she got the wood set up she looked at him. "Would you please-" She grinned when a single bolt of lightning jumped out of the sky to strike the wood. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." He said as she grabbed a short metal pole with a rounded tip and stuck it in the water before resting it in the fire. "Cauterizing?"
"I've been moving too much to simply sew it shut." She said. "And though the inside of me is stabilized I can't keep myself from bleeding to death."
"Of course."
"You know I can't help but wonder how many more lives we could have saved if I hadn't had to run back to the palace." She said softly. "What the hell is wrong with them? It's like all of their brains flew merrily out the fucking window."
"Well it's like you said, you were the brains of the operation." He said. "But that doesn't mean you should keep beating them up for it, Kami knows they've probably done more than enough of that in the last three years."
"I didn't come back to become a babysitter once again." She said bitterly.
"Well you do realize that if you'd forgive them they could get past the guilt and most likely be able to focus better." He said as she gestured for him to help her pull her arm out of the sleeve of her kimono without dislodging the arrow just yet.
"They should just let it go no matter what." She hissed through clenched teeth as the muscles in her arm protested. "There are more important things going on than my feelings. And besides, they've never considered them in the past why the hell even bother to do it now?"
"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you." He said as she felt the skin around the arrow, relieved her powers had done their job in fighting off an infection.
She filled the bowl with water and dipped a rag in it before gently wiping the area clean around the arrow. "This is not going to be a pretty scar."
"No, but it will be a badge of honor." He said as he took the rag and wiped around the back of the arrow. "Your tattoo will need to be touched up."
"Splendid." She said as she rolled her eyes before checking the poker. "Okay I know this isn't really your area of expertise but I can't reach my back and I'm not even sure if I have the strength to do the front."
"You forget Kagome, I promised to help you with whatever you may need." He said. "I am honored that you would trust me in this manner."
"You should be." She said teasingly as he picked up the red hot poker. "Okay do the back first as soon as I pull the arrow out."
"You've got it." He said as he gripped onto her shoulder above the arrow to keep her in place.
Kagome grabbed a stick and clenched it between her teeth before gripping the arrow with her right hand. Kami get me through this. She thought before yanking it out with a grunt.
The moment it was out he stuck her with the poker, her eyes widened in shock then it was over before it started only to start again when he quickly moved and did the front. That one hurt, earning a scream of pain from her that sent the wildlife running in fright.
The thunder rumbled over head as he helped to steady her as she gasped for breath. "Shh, it's all over now."
"How's it looking?" She asked dully.
"Good, it should heal properly, take a quick soak." He said. "Then we'll put those herbs on it and wrap you up just to be safe."
"Got it." She croaked as she as she stumbled to her feet and pulled the rest of her clothing off before slipping into the water. She didn't care that Storm was there or that he was male, after all he was a storm for crying out loud, no doubt he'd seen everything at least once in his existence and as for him being a male, well she knew him before the accident.
He mixed up the herbs as directed while she carefully washed up, the water stung on her wound but she knew it would help heal it faster. When she slipped out she pulled on the simple yukata Aimi had given her, leaving her left arm hanging out then sat back on her heels and held still while he dabbed the wound with the concoction before wrapping it up.
"Great job." She said. "I'm guessing you've followed a few doctors around in your time."
"You guess correctly." He said with a smile as she pulled the yukata on the rest of the way before tying the obi, he then made a sling for her.
"Yay I get to play invalid for awhile." She said sarcastically. "Think it'll be okay if I just hide out here til I heal up?"
"I'm sure the villagers would like their hot springs back."
"Damnit all anyway." She sighed as he helped her put the baldric over her head before she balled up her clothing and doused the fire. Within short order her mess was cleaned up and she was ready to head back. "Thanks Storm, you rock."
"Always a pleasure my dear." He said before vanishing.
~*~
"Mama are you okay?" Shippo exclaimed when she'd walked through the gate the next morning.
"I'm fine Shippo." She said; she'd spent the night in the village to make sure the wounded were alright before heading back on her own in the morning.
"What happened to your arm?"
"The arms fine the shoulders not so hot." Kagome said as he walked with her. "Where is everybody?"
"In the dining all." He said. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving I didn't want to eat what little the villagers had." She said. "Why aren't you in the dining hall?"
"I wanted to wait for you since I could tell you were coming."
"Ah I see." She said. "Well come along."
"See I told you she was coming." Shippo said once they'd walked into the dining hall.
"We didn't sense your aura." Miroku said.
"Of course you didn't." She said as she took a seat then thanked the servant who brought her a plate. "If you can sense my aura then so can my enemies."
"Then how did Shippo know?" Inuyasha asked.
"She's my mom you idiot." Shippo said. "I always know where she is."
Kagome winked at him and ruffled his hair before digging into her food.
"Look Kagome what you might have heard wasn't what you think it was, it was just a stupid idea." Koga said sheepishly.
"Koga look at me, do you see anything on my face that says I give a lick about what you had to say yesterday?" She asked flatly. "I was slightly more preoccupied with the current situation than some stupid idea you came up with."
"That isn't fair Kagome." Sango said softly.
"Letting innocent people die while you're busy discussing trivial matters isn't fair." She retorted. "Shame on you for being so foolish and shame on me for leaving in the first place to let things get as out of hand as they have."
"They aren't that out of hand." Inuyasha grumbled.
She arched an eyebrow at him. "Naraku's got youkai and human armies swarming all over the countryside, people are dying left and right because you haven't managed to bring him down despite the fact you said it would be a piece of cake without me to hold you back and they aren't that out of hand? Seriously what did you guys do? Go and hide in a cave?"
"Look you haven't been here the past three years, you have no idea what happened or what we've been through!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"Uh huh… and whose fault is that?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side. That statement shut everybody up leaving her to eat in peace and once she'd finished she stood. "A messenger stopped in the village last night and told me there's been a lot of youkai activity in the south. I don't care what you guys do but I'm leaving in the morning."
"But your arm-"
"Is just fine thank you." Kagome said as she pulled it out of the sling and worked it around, the food had helped immensely in building her powers back up giving her the extra boost she needed to heal it the rest of the way. If she kept up with the food during the day and got a good nights rest, she'd be right as rain by morning. "I'm going to get cleaned up and pack."
~*~
A/N: Good old Inuyasha, you can always rely on him to open mouth insert foot. Okay so i know i portrayed them all as really big idiots the last two chapters, but it was what my muse told me to do so don't hate me for it, besides it explains better why Kagome's as torn up about all of this as she is.