Tatsuhana writhed in pain, sweat bleeding out of every pore. Her clothes and sheets were changed frequently until there were none to the spare. The bottle of oil Shiro had given her did little to help though it seemed to have more of an adverse effect. The oil did nothing to stop the fever spreading or the disgusting thoughts ravaging her mind. Tatsuhana couldn't speak, breathe, eat, or sleep without picturing Akio in her head. She lived a waking nightmare. All the others could do was watch her agonize in bed.
Kagome saw how advanced the curse-mark grew. It spread over Tatsuhana's fingers and after two days, spread to her toes and slowly began to creep up her chest towards her neck. Red vines choking her.
"There has to be something we can do," said Sango.
They were only one day away from the curse-mark becoming complete. And yet, there was no sign of Akio or a retinue of his underlings coming to take Tatsuhana away. Cruel as it seemed, there was no hope that Akio at least had the decency to finish the mark and put Tatsuhana out of her misery. She clutched the bedsheets with white knuckles; she thrashed about calling him and cursing his name at the same time. Kagome wiped Tatsuhana's hot forehead with cool, damp cloth to avail some comfort.
"She just turned twenty-one," Kagome sighed, mournfully. "This isn't fair."
Inuyasha returned with Totosai, but there wasn't much the elderly demon had to say that wasn't already said. Only a demon who was stronger than Akio or if they somehow tricked him into biting Tatsuhana could lift the curse. Even as Tatsuhana twisted and turned in bed, drinking and eating what she could keep down—a small bowl of rice and some water—she spent most of her time chasing sleep. When she collapsed at Sesshomaru's feet at their return to the village, Tatsuhana pushed her body too far. Between lack of food over a day and fighting off a demon, adding the curse-mark, altogether exhausted her body's resources. They gawked when Sesshomaru carried her over Kaede's threshold with Tatsuhana in his arms like a wilted flower. He didn't stay out of character very long and vanished soon after she was settled into a bed. He didn't even stop to say hello to Rin.
Tatsuhana gasped, trying to call out a name. The fever ravaged her mind and body. The more Kagome heard Akio's name on Tatsuhana's tortured lips, the more she wanted to hunt him down and put an arrow into his chest.
"Shush, shush." Kagome tried to calm her down. She'd rather not let Tatsuhana torture herself anymore than she already had. "It's okay."
"I-I…" Tatsuhana reached with her tattoo-covered hand and grasped at her throat. She started coughing like something was stuck there.
"I'll go get some water." Sango left in a hurry to fetch some.
"I…I want…"
"Hush, you don't need to say it. We're working on a way to save you without letting Akio have you." Kagome brushed a strand of Tatsuhana's hair out of the woman's face.
The furrow of Tatsuhana's brows deepened. She opened her mouth. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she opened her eyes. Her jade-green eyes winced as in pain, the salt of her own tears burning them. The bright golden flecks appeared dim like dying stars.
"I…I want my mom and dad!" Tatsuhana wept.
Kagome wiped Tatsuhana's forehead with the cloth and then covered her eyes with it. It was the best help she could provide outside of hugging Tatsuhana. An embrace might have offered a bit of comfort, but with her physical state it was better not to risk much more. Tatsuhana missed her foster-parents terribly. She sobbed beneath the damp cloth over her eyes until her voice cracked. Sango returned shortly and they managed to help Tatsuhana drink a little.
Kagome left Tatsuhana in Sango's care. She needed the air. The aura swirling emitting from the curse-mark pervaded the air around Tatsuhana's body; it left Kagome with the dire need to go for a long bath. It was cloying, possessive energy. Her heart sank as low as ever knowing there was nothing she could do for the woman writhing helplessly in bed. Kagome lowered herself to sit on the veranda and held her head in hand. Her shoulders trembled as she fought the urge to cry.
A pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around her shoulders. She looked and found Inuyasha sitting beside. She didn't wonder how he managed to sneak up beside her so quietly—everything about Inuyasha was loud and brash and, albeit, obnoxious. Still, she wasn't in the mood to question it or start and argument. She leaned against Inuyasha's chest.
"How is she?" Asked Inuyasha.
Kagome inhaled slowly and answered with a sad sigh. "Not good. She's in pain. She can hardly keep any food or water down. Her fever is too high, her skin is too pale. She…she asked for her foster-parents."
Inuyasha's grip on Kagome's shoulder tightened. "If I see that prick, I'll cut him in two."
"Inuyasha…"
"I'll admit, I'm still unsure about her. She was able to use the well and we don't know how she did it. She smells funny to me, I'm not going to lie. But I would never wish harm to her, especially not this. She's really sick and I can smell it. There's also nothin' we can do for her now except wait for that bastard to show us his ugly head."
"Then what?"
"Like I said, I'll cut him in half."
The night went without rest. Demons and imps tried to get a good look at Tatsuhana for the same reason the other demons attacked each other. They wanted the source of that alluring scent that seemed to attract demons to Tatsuhana's side. Shippo was too young to be drawn into the curse-marks smell. Totosai was too old as was Myoga. Inuyasha wasn't effected because of his human half. Most of the party spent the night rigging traps, creating barriers, or fending off demons. Little sleep was to be had.
Dawn arrived. A new day. The last day. Kagome entered the hut to find Rin and Kaede attending Tatsuhana. Her body was painfully still. She was breathing, but it was shallow. Kagome tried not to gasp when she saw how far the curse-mark had grown in the night. Red vines and flowers reached Tatsuhana's jaw line like a full-body tattoo. Her eyelids were screwed tight; her lips were raw from biting them.
"Miss Kagome," said Rin sheepishly.
Kagome took a spot near Tatsuhana's head, across from Kaede. "Yes, Rin?"
"Is Miss Hana going to be alright?" Rin asked. Her little hands were curled on her knees. She bent her head low, hiding her face.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Her stomach plummeted as if weighed down by a boulder. She looked at Tatsuhana's pained face and felt herself a little more sick.
Tatsuhana had a fair complexion, now it was a sickly pale. Most of her body was concealed with clothing and blankets or the twisting, curling, choking vines of the curse-mark. Only her face remained visible and intact, for now. Her dark brows formed a sharp V-shape and almost drew together in a mask of anguish. Her lips, dried and cracked and more than a little red, trembled with every breath Tatsuhana took. She muttered under her breath but Kagome wouldn't let her waste the precious energy she had left to speak. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe within the confines of her kimono and the physical exertion it took to fight off the curse. A dark red splotch marred her chin, a bit of blood trailing from where she broke open her lip. Kagome carefully cleaned Tatsuhana's face with a moist cloth.
The latter's eyes peered open from behind hooded lids. Tatsuhana turned to Kagome. Her eyes were blurry and clouded as was her mind.
"M-mom?" She shuddered.
Kagome didn't have the heart to correct her. She patted Tatsuhana's sweaty forehead with the cloth and lulled her back to sleep. It didn't take long for that to happen. As quickly as it came, the energy she had left was sapped out of her and Tatsuhana fell back asleep. Her breathing remained the same and fever continued to rage on.
When they weren't catching up on sleep, they held vigil. Demons stopped coming by the village, but there was one they expected. Morning faded into noon. The villagers cowered in their huts in anticipation of the grand battle set to take place in the middle of their hometown. At any hour Akio would arrive to take his prize, whether or not Tatsuhana's new guardians willed it.
By the time blue skies bled into an orange sunset, hope was lost. Tatsuhana lay in bed, wracked in a fever-induced nightmare and body too weak to move on its own. Akio wasn't coming to at least relieve her pain.
Or so they thought.
Huddled around her, they heard him. The villagers cried out in panic. Women fled with their children into huts while brave men gathered what makeshift weapons they could find. Men stood at the mouth of the village, armed to the teeth with rakes, hoes, and staffs. Akio walked down the pebbled road like a common traveler. Behind was no army of fox spirits, no retinue of any kind, or even a palanquin. Akio carried himself and nothing more. There wasn't even a weapon at his side. The village's men took one look at the fox demon slowly approaching and counted the number of tails spread behind his back like a peacock showing off its feathers. They counted, dropped their weapons, and fled. If Akio was a simple, one-tailed fox, then it was nothing to be afraid of. Unfortunately, mortal men had something to be very afraid of when approached by a seven-tailed fox.
Akio walked through the village, paying no heed to the eyes poking out of windows to get a glance at him. His eyes focused on Kaede's hut. He smiled at the three who appeared outside. Inuyasha unsheathed his sword. Miroku had a paper seal prepared and ready. Kagome already had an arrow knocked and aimed for Akio's heart.
"Bold of you to show up without so much as a weapon, bastard!" Inuyasha stepped forward.
Akio cocked his head to the side and smirked. "Bold of you to assume I even need one. If you and your pathetic lot would move aside, I'd like to fetch my bride."
"Fat chance!" Inuyasha raised his sword.
"You're not going to get her so easily." The string of Kagome's bow tightened. All it would take was to let her fingers release and the arrow would sail.
Akio raised his brow. "You're risking her life just to spite me? Do you not know what happens when the curse-mark is not completed? She'll turn into lust-addled madwoman, that is if she doesn't die first."
"You're bluffing." Inuyasha barked.
"I wouldn't bet that an uncultured half-breed would know anything about curse-marks or how to reverse them. Do not step between me and what I want. I've been working on this for quite some time and I won't tolerate fools who stand in my way. I'll have her even if I have to kill everyone in this village to do it." Akio extended his hand out, palm towards the sky.
FWOOSH
A glowing ball of blue flames appeared above his hand. Its tongue licked the air as he held it suspended.
Inuyasha's sword lowered by an inch. He looked at the huts surrounding them. Faces peaked out from windows and cracked doorways. Not so long ago, he would have let this village burn to the ground or wouldn't care if it did. Not long ago, he would have threatened the same. It seemed like ancient history, but he was not the same half-demon he used to be. Despite Kagome's protests, he sheathed his sword.
"Inuyasha, what are you—"
"We might have him outnumbered, but he's still more of a threat than we can handle. Not without putting the village at risk."
"But what about Tatsuhana?" Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did Inuyasha dislike Tatsuhana that much that he would allow her to be carried off by this creature?
As if sensing her thoughts, Inuyasha clamped his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. "We let him remove the curse-mark for us and take her back once she's safe."
Kagome slowly lowered her bow and replaced the arrow back into its quiver. Inuyasha gave Miroku a nod and the monk returned the gesture. All three took their time stepping out of Akio's way into the hut.
The wind stirred up around their feet. Despite kicking up a little dust, the sudden gust somehow went unnoticed. Inuyasha's nose twitched. He could smell something hanging in the air, like a storm cloud about to burst open. He couldn't tell for certain but the source was coming nearby. Against the dark blue skies, black treetops swayed as the wind continued to pick up speed. Akio was too focused on his goal to notice.
With sweat beating down her brow, Tatsuhana slowly raised herself up to sit. Kaede tried to push her back down, but the old woman was strong enough. Tatsuhana brushed her aside, sat up, and pulled back the sweat-soaked blankets. Voices outside, Inuyasha and Akio arguing, and then silence. Winds began to howl, growling lowly like dogs at first. Kaede felt it in her bones.
"Miss Hana!" Rin grabbed unto one of Tatsuhana's legs as she stood shaking on her feet.
Tatsuhana pried Rin's small hands away before lurching towards the sliding door. Rin cried and tried to cling to Tatsuhana's legs to keep her within the safety of the hut. In spite of her state, Tatsuhana managed to push her away again. Half-kneeling, she bent towards Rin and clutched her shoulders.
"Stay…inside," she growled.
Tatsuhana reached the door, pulled it open with a slam, and fixed her eyes on the fox demon who had already started his imperious march towards the threshold. He smiled at her. She felt his eyes graze over her skin from head to toe. With that knowing smirk on his face, she knew that he sensed her suffering. He was, of course, the source of anguish. When she dreamed of his face, Tatsuhana wanted to kiss him then slit his throat. The rage boiled over as she leaned against the doorway for support. Her legs threatened to buckled underneath her weight, however she wasn't about to give this creep the pleasure of seeing her weak at the knees.
No.
He wasn't going to see her like that. She refused to let that happen. He had stolen enough of her time, and he wasn't going to take any more.
Tatsuhana stepped across the threshold and slammed the door home.
"There, there, that wasn't so hard, was it? Come to me, and I will make you feel so…much…better." Akio held out his arms to her.
For a moment, Tatsuhana stood there. Stone-still, she made no move to approach him any further. She hung her head as if in acceptance of this cruel fate. The black curtain of her hair covered her face.
"Tatsuhana, you don't have to do this!" Kagome pleaded one last time in hopes the latter might fight back.
The night sky turned black and sucked away all the stars into a misty void. Thunder rumbled overhead. Those outside looked up. It had been clear up until Tatsuhana appeared in the doorway. Thunder rolled. Sparks of lightning spread from one end of the other to the other. Winds howled with more violence. Roofs and timbers began to shudder in its wake. Clothing flapped around in the maelstrom. Except for Tatsuhana. Everything on her person remained frightfully still. She stood on the veranda stiff as a crag in the ocean.
Pelting the ground and all that stood on it, rain and hail came down. Tatsuhana lifted her head. Her eyes shown like green flames in the chaos now spinning around her. Winds carried leaves, twigs, and hay and sent them flying past. Akio had the sense to give her space and backed away. But Tatsuhana followed. They stood ten feet from Kaede's hut. Staring down at one another. Tatsuhana's gait shifted. When she first appeared, she had to cling to the hut's doorway to keep herself up. Now, her shoulders were back, her spine ramrod straight, and her body hard.
She kept her eyes on Akio and only on Akio. His brows knitted close together. He opened his mouth and it stayed open as Tatsuhana flexed her fingers. Akio never left her gaze. Not even when sparks flew out of her fingers.
Casting a bluish light, lighting flickered in her right hand between her fingers. In the instant before she attacked, Akio saw her eyes shift from green flecked with gold to turquoise with golden slits for pupils. A moment and he saw them.
The eyes of a dragon glaring at him while she held in her hand the power of the storms.