Seshoumaru's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Kagome!
Those cerulean blue eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty. Those same eyes! The inuyoukai could remember every moment he had spent with the human infant he had adopted in his childhood as if it had happened just yesterday. However, there was no recognition from the girl.
"You bastard!"
Seshoumaru frowned at the untimely interuption, and gave his half brother a cold look, "I would have thought that you would have learnt your lesson the first time, half-breed. The jewel is too powerful for the likes of you." Inuyasha bristled, visibly, and snarled, "What's it to you! Now get out of my way so that I can kill the wench and get what I want!"
Seshoumaru froze and his eyes flashed red. Never! However, instantly, he calmed down, and eyed his half brother as if speculatively, "No." Inuyasha stared at him, spluttering, "N-No! What do you mean, no! Since when do you care what I do!"
The inuyoukai raised a perfectly shaped brow, and spoke haughtily, "This one has no interest in what you do, half breed. However, I shall not allow you to harm the girl or take the jewel." Inuyasha stared at him, dumbfounded for a few moments before his face started turning red with anger, "You bastard! You- You hate humans!"
"I do?" asked Seshoumaru, silkily, "I never recall saying that. I disdain humans in general. I do not recall using the term hate in regards to them."
Kagome stared at the silver hair in front of her. The loss of blood from her side was making her dizzy and her vision blurred. Golden eyes. Silver hair. She had seen them before, but she couldn't remember. Why? Why couldn't she remember? She blinked, trying to push away the dizziness. She couldn't hear what the two men in front of her were discussing over the roar of blood in her ears. Men? They were men, right? Or was her saviour a hanyou as well? He didn't look like a demon. Then again, he didn't look human as well.
She saw Inuyasha raise his hand and flinched. Word of subdugation? Word of subduga-?
"Sit boy." It was more of a murmur than a shout but everyone was shocked when the hanyou fell face first into the ground. Seshoumaru looked at his half brother, disbelief shining in his eyes, before he masked his expression. Did the girl just-?
He turned to look at her and his eyes narrowed when he saw her face growing paler and paler, and the blood seeping into the ground from her side. Ignoring the curses coming from the ground, he swiftly settled her in his arms, paying no heed to her shocked cry. Striding towards the old woman, who he assumed was thr priestess, he ordered, "Heal her."
The woman gazed at him, dumbfounded, before he repeated in a frosty voice, "Heal her, or I shall kill every human in your village." This got her attention. She rushed around, throwing orders to the terrified men, and after casting a wary look at the stoic inuyoukai holding the injured girl in his arms, motioned, "Follow me."
As he followed her, he heard a growl and something smacked him in the chest. Eyes wide, he studied the disgruntled girl who growled at him, "How dare you threaten to kill the whole village, you jerk!" He stared at her as if she had suddenly spouted two heads and Kagome winced, as if realizing what she had just done. Probably signed herself a death warrant.
However, to her surprise, he simply gazed at her. A little conscious, she muttered, "What?" He looked ahead and spoke in that baritone voice of his, "You are surprisingly ungrateful." Her eyes widened slightly before she blushed and looked away from him. A second later, she peeked at him, and mumbled, "Are you going to kill me too?"
"It depends."
She grew paler and he frowned, "Do not talk. Your wound is hurting you." Surprisingly, she remained silent for the rest of the journey, giving him the chance to study her. He didn't know what to feel? Was she the same infant that had been taken away from him? His jaw clenched as he remembered the betrayal of not only Higurashi but that of his parents as well. They had planned the whole thing! However, he still recalled Higurashi's final words to him.
"You will see her again, I promise!"
Was this what she had meant? This female was so different from his Kagome. She was an adult, a beautiful one at that, but still. She had changed, as had he. Maybe he should just leave her to her own devices. However, as soon as that fleeting thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it. No. He had sworn to protect her and he had failed. Never again. But what was he supposed to do now? A part of him was rejoicing and the other part of him was confused, shaken to the core.
A soft moan caught his attention and he clenched his teeth. She was in pain. The old woman motioned towards him and he raised a brow, not showing his inner turmoil. His voice was cold as he stated, "She is suffering." Kaede flinched and spoke in a respectful tone, trying to veil her fear, "We are nearly there."
He simply nodded, and turned his attention back towards the girl in his arms. Her breathing was turning shallow and her face was growing paler by the second. His eyes flashed red for a second and he controlled his protective instincts. It had been so long since he had seen her. All her baby fat had disappeared and her face was beautiful, as if carved by the Kami themselves. Her blue eyes were the same, however. He wanted to bury hi face in her raven locks and breathe in her unique scent.
The miko's voice interrupted his musings and he looked up to find himself in a village. Frightened humans gazed at him, the terror evident in their eyes. He paid them no heed, opting to follow the old woman into a small hut. He laid Kagome down on a futon and sat down in a corner of the room. His face was blank and expresionless, however there was something akin to fear, burning a hole in his heart. As he heard the miko's rushed orders, he clenched his jaw. She could not die. He had just gotten her back.
The old woman winced as she looked at the youkai, "I have to undress her." Seshoumaru raised a brow. Taking that as his refusal, Kaede sighed and started taking off the girl's strange looking garments. Instead of the customary binding on her chest, she wore a strange contraption that supported her breasts. Kaede gazed at her for a second, wonderingly and then got back to work. The youkai was looking over in Kagome's direction, who seemed to have lost consciousness on her way to the village. Kaede shuddered as she wondered what this beautiful but deadly youkai wanted from this girl.
She started on her wound with a bit of sake to disinfect the area which was turning purple. Suddenly, there was a disturbance outside, and one of the men barged in. His eyes fell on the nearly naked girl, but before he could blink, there was a snarl and the inuyoukai had the man by the throat. He choked in terror and grasped the hands, holding him hostage. Kaede cried out in fear, and when Seshoumaru saw that the healing process was being halted, he simply tossed the man out of the hut with a flick of his wrist and settled down again. With a pointed look towards the old priestess, he simply resumed his inspection of the girl. Kaede fumbled with the wrappings, infusing her miko reiki into them, to speed up the healing process. Wrapping the wounds to the best of her abilities, she finally tied a small knot at the end.
"It is done."
Golden eyes stared at her intensly for a moment before the youkai got to his feet. Sweeping the unconscious girl into his arms, he started to exit the hut. Kaede stared at him with undisguised horror, "What are ye doing! She is still injured!"
He threw her a cold look over his shoulder and murmured, silkily, "The girl is no longer your concern."
A.N: That was tough... Now please do review. Thank you everyone for the condolences. They meant a lot. And for all those who asked, yes, I am doing better now. These things take time to heal, and life does go on, eventually. But sometimes we just wish the pain to go away, you know.
I'm sorry for the late update but I'm suffering from severe writers block. I mean, I know where I want to take this story but my head isn't getting the next step, so please be patient with me.