"And I brought back some ninja snacks," Kagome announces, pulling bags of crisps out of her pack with a proud grin.
"NINJA SNACKS!" Shippo cries out. "I love ninja snacks!"
Inuyasha has only one primary concern after this announcement and he wastes no time asking, "You brought the ramen?"
Kagome sighs. "You could at least pretend to be excited to see me."
She'd been back home for the past week due to exams and had hoped for at least a nicer reaction than that. Both boys are busy tearing through her bag for their favorite treats. Not that she expected any other reaction from them. Food seems to be the best motivator for these two.
"Of course we're excited to see you!" Shippo says, licking away on a lollipop. "We're just hungry!"
She looks around the room. Oddly enough, it had been only Shippo and Inuyasha waiting by the well when she'd returned. She had honestly expected to see Kiyomi at least nearby. Ever since learning that she has a family on both sides that are not welcoming to half-demons, Inuyasha rarely lets the girl out of his sight for more than a couple of hours. Not that she blames him; for the girl's sake they should take care to keep her identity a secret. There aren't exactly a lot of inu-hanyous running around and should Kane or her brother on her father's side join forces against her for any reason then Kiyomi could face a serious threat.
"Inuyasha, where's Kiyomi? I have her favorite chocolates," she says cheerfully.
"Mmmm, I dunno. She left this mornin'," he sniffs the air. "She ain't far, I can still smell her. I'll bet she's gonna come crawling back here once she sniffs you out."
The kid's pretty much obsessed with Kagome's snacks.
Inuyasha is right, Kiyomi isn't very far from the hut at all but, for once, she has no interest in snacks. She's curled up on a large rock by the river bank shivering in the evening sun. She feels absolutely, incredibly horrible. She's completely exhausted but she's too uncomfortable to sleep because her entire body is achy. Her nose is stuffy. To top it all off, she's cold no matter what she does which is why she's laying out in the sun.
And she can't stop coughing, it's starting to get on her nerves.
It all started yesterday. She spent the entire day feeling dizzy and weak. She hadn't even wanted to go hunting that morning with Inuyasha. It hadn't been so bad that she couldn't press on though so she spent yesterday playing outside while Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha were busy strategizing. They want to leave at first light after Kagome returns which is today. She can't tell them that she's not feeling well or they will go on without her and leave her with old lady Kaede. She doesn't want to have to wait in the village for them to get back so she's determined to keep her trap shut.
"I miss Mama," she thinks miserably. When she was around her mama was the best at making her feel better.
"Kiyomi! I'm back!" That's Miss Kagome calling for her.
Kiyomi whines, she doesn't want to get up from where she's resting.
"Yo, Kiyomi!" That's Inuyasha now. "Hurry up! She's got ninja food!"
That's her cue to get moving. Kagome won't make a fuss if she doesn't come back right away but Inuyasha definitely will. He's so bossy sometimes and it isn't fair. She sighs, forcing herself up from the rock and coughing lightly. Why does she have to feel like this right before they're going to leave? If Mama were here, she'd probably be all better by morning. Her mom always made her some nice tea that tasted like green grass and snuggled her close when she got sick. All Kiyomi wants now is to get lots of sleep.
She just feels too yucky and gross to really think of anything else.
Inuyasha's too busy eating to pay her any mind when she finally stumbles into the hut. He actually attributes her little trip to her being a klutzy kid. All he can smell is the salty goodness of ramen and ninja food so he doesn't even register that her scent reeks of a pretty nasty cold. Shippo's chattering away in his ear so he can't hear the soft whining that she's so desperately trying to cover up. He just knows she's nearby so he's got one less thing to worry about and more capacity to focus on his beloved ramen.
"Kiyomi-chan," Kagome calls out sweetly. "Would you like some noodles?"
The last thing Kiyomi feels like doing is talking, so she gingerly shakes her head as she huddles in the farthest corner she possibly can. She's really trying not to draw attention to herself. She just wants to take a nice nap. Yes, that will make her feel much better. Naps are good, very good. Mama always told her to nap when she was sick.
"Oh…" Kagome is a little disappointed again. Not only were Shippo and Inuyasha more interested in her snacks but even Kiyomi isn't very excited to see her either. She had thought that the two of them were growing to be pretty close. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel like she's being taken for granted. "Well, would you like something else to eat?"
Again, the little girl shakes her head. She curls herself up against the wall. She would really like to be left alone right now. Can't everyone just shut up already?
"Yo," Inuyasha calls out. "Come eat somethin'. We're leavin' in the morning and I don't wanna hear you complainin' that you're hungry later."
He's annoyed when his request goes answered. Then he hears a tiny little cough behind him. Oh shit… He grumbles, putting his ramen down in front of him to catch a glance at the kid. She looks like she's just gone toe to toe with some sort of hell-demon. Her eyes are only half-open, staring at nothing, and her cheeks are much pinker than usual. She looks like she's shivering. Well, that's not good… He'd better go check this out.
"You feelin' okay, brat?" he asks, squatting down to check for a fever. He can feel the heat radiating off of her before his hand even makes it to her forehead. Just as he'd suspected, the kid's got a raging fever.
"'m 'kay," she mumbles.
"Like hell you are!" he huffs rudely. "You've gone and gotten yourself sick. C'mere."
With a resigned sigh, carries her over to the fire. Kagome immediately starts rummaging through her things to pull out the thermometer. Kiyomi looks very troubled by this new development. She'd really planned on just going to sleep and everyone leaving her alone.
"Put the smaller end in her mouth… under her tongue if you can manage it," Kagome explains as she passes the thermometer to Inuyasha so that she can keep rifling through her bag for things to help reduce the girl's fever.
Even she knows that Kiyomi is a skittish child at the best of times, especially when she doesn't understand what's going on. She can only imagine how difficult the girl will be now that she's sick and very likely scared now. Kiyomi still has a hard time when people fuss over her, it makes her really nervous. Kagome suspects that it might be the simple fact that if someone else is worried about her, then it means something is actually wrong. She can understand how that would make the girl anxious.
Kagome has a feeling that this is going to be a long night of poking and prodding a very uncooperative hanyou.
"Um, okay," he answers dubiously, putting Kiyomi down so that she's sitting up and facing him. Well, at least she can still sit up, she can't be that sick if she's conscious.
She looks up at him and the odd rod and she lets out the tiniest whimper he's ever heard out of any living creature. Pups really are a huge pain in the ass. He pops it into her mouth which only elicits a loud whine and fidgeting while he's trying to figure out how to get it under her tongue as Kagome's asked him to. It's not working because the kid's jaw is clenched tight. She's glaring at him now, and purposefully keeping the stick from getting past her barrier of little teeth. He growls at her.
With a very reproachful stare, she concedes and he's able to hold the… whatever it is… under her tongue.
'Afraid,' she finally whimpers. 'Sick.'
"Uh, Kagome, that thing's not gonna hurt her, is it?" he asks quietly.
He's heard horror stories about her modern world's version of medicine. People being shot by arrows or guns and stabbed with sewing needles. It's a wonder Kagome's survived! If this is one of those things that hurts her then he's not going to leave it in there over a wimpy-ass cold.
"Hmm?" Kagome looks up distractedly from the water pot where she's dipping a rag in the cool water. "Oh, that? No, it's just a thermometer. It's going to take her temperature. Shippo, can you grab the little bottle in my medicine box?
"Hear that?" Inuyasha reassures quietly. "It ain't gonna hurt ya so quit whining."
It doesn't look like that made Kiyomi feel any better. Kagome makes her way over to the pair with a cool washcloth and brushes the girl's bangs back. Turns out she didn't need the thermometer to tell her that the girl has a fever, she's as hot as a furnace. It beeps and both hanyous are startled by the sound, Kiyomi spitting it out frantically. Kagome swiftly catches it and reads it before it hits the ground: thirty-nine degrees Celsius.
The poor thing! She must feel absolutely awful.
"Really? You had to get sick now?" Inuyasha complains loudly, while Kiyomi just ignores him. Kagome presses the cool rag on the girl's forehead, smiling sweetly at the little girl who looks like she wishes the floor would open up and swallow her whole.
"Is everything okay?" Sango asks as she surveys the scene in front of her. Shippo's curled up in her lap, watching worriedly. He's lucky that he's a demon, he doesn't really get sick all that often. It must suck!
"I think it's just a cold," Kagome soothes. "Thank you, Shippo. Kiyomi, do you think you could swallow these for me? It's medicine."
The little kit had left the bottle of aspirin by her side and she shakes two little tablets out into her hand. The girl looks sullenly at Kagome before she eyes at the pills warily and tilts her body away from her outstretched hand. She doesn't like the modern era's medicine ever since Kagome had used the antiseptic spray on her hands when they had first met. Inuyasha, on the other hand, snatches the pills from Kagome's palm and glares down at the kid. The look in his eyes makes his intentions pretty clear.
"Argh, give me those!" he demands, leaving her absolutely no room for negotiations.
If Kagome says that this will help then he'll stuff it down her stubborn throat if he has to. Kagome and the others are far too wishy-washy with the pup. It's no wonder she doesn't listen to them. Give this kid an inch and she'll take a mile. You don't ask her to do something like this all cutesy; you tell her she's going to do it and make sure it gets done. Asking her nicely only gives her an opening to say no.
He's figured out her little game by now.
"It's all right," Kagome says soothingly, glaring at Inuyasha while Kiyomi curls in on herself. "It's going to help you feel better."
"'m 'kay," she mumbles again, eyeing the two tablets disapprovingly.
"No, you're not," Inuyasha growls out. "Let's get this over with before I shove'm down your throat!"
"Obey Alpha."
"It's all right, little one," Miroku says gently from his seat beside Sango, annoyed with Inuyasha's unhelpful, brash behavior. Surely the man knows something of bedside manner? "I've taken this strange herb from Kagome before. It's easy to swallow and doesn't taste as horrible as Lady Kaede's remedies."
The girl frowns but ultimately does as she's told and Inuyasha drops the two pills into her mouth followed by a gruff "drink up" as he tips some water into her mouth. After she's finished she closes her eyes and tries to lie back down. Okay, that hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be. She'd still really like a nap.
"I'll go get Lady Kaede, she might have something that can help," Sango suggests.
"Don't bother," Inuyasha rumbles, "I'll take care of it. Sheesh, one little cold's got all of you worked up. She ain't dyin' or nothin'. Go about your business."
Inuyasha tucks a nearby blanket around Kiyomi's shoulders before wrapping her in his arms and resting her head on his chest so she can hear his heart. He waits patiently for what feels like ages, growling to her occasionally to help her relax. Her breath is hot, he can feel it through his clothes. Occasionally she coughs lightly against him. Ah, shit, that could get worse if they aren't careful. He'll have to go out once she's asleep and gather some stuff to help her get better faster. Shouldn't be much longer now, it's been about five minutes already.
He checks off the list of things he'll need to grab in his head and where to get them. He'll need some catnip, yarrow, thyme… Oh! And echinacea roots, those are really important, he can't forget those…
'Sick,' her youkai informs Inuyasha in the form of a tiny grunt, interrupting his musings. "I don't feel good…"
"Yeah, I know, stupid," Inuyasha answers her. "Get to sleep."
It's why he's picked her up after all so that she'll calm down and fall asleep. If you're sick you need rest, it's that simple. The faster he gets her to sleep the faster she'll recover and he can go get the ingredients he needs. She's almost out so it shouldn't take much longer. He can tell by the way her breathing has synced up with his and the way she's curling up against him. Heh, she's a cuddly little thing, ain't she? He wouldn't mind it so much if it weren't in front of the others. But she's sick so he'll let it slide.
Ah, hell, he'd snuggle her even if she wasn't sick; annoying little brat always seems to get her way with him.
"G'nigh', Tou-san…" she murmurs as her body relaxes against him, finally drifting off with a final yawn.
"Did— Did she just call me— I-I think she did!"
She just called him 'Dad'!
He looks up, wide-eyed at Kagome who's just across from him with an astonished look on her face. Oh shit, she'd heard that too?
With an awkward squawk, he shoves the pup into Kagome's lap and darts out the door, without bothering to see if he's woken her up. He's too flustered to think of any other way out of that hut. If Kagome had heard that then Shippo definitely had as well. And he'll wager a bet that the kit's blabbing to Sango and Miroku now. He should have knocked the boy out before he left!
Kiyomi was delirious right? That has to be it. She's sick so she's having some sort of fever dream where she thinks her pops is with her. She couldn't have been talking about him, right? That's a ridiculous idea! She'd never think of him like that. Sure, she hangs around him a lot but that's because they're friends. He's the alpha so it makes sense that she'd want to hang out with the leader of the pack. But there's no way that she could think he's her…
Not that he minds it. It's not like she's got anyone else to look up to. And his aunt and uncle had already told him that this would happen. Don't most kids usually call their adopted parents tou-san and kaa-san?
"I haven't adopted anyone! Why'm I even thinking like this?! This is ridiculous, the kid's just delirious and got me confused."
Okay, he doesn't even have time to deal with this. He has a lot of shit to gather and cook up before she wakes up from her little nap.
So, instead of wasting his time on it, he tramps his way to the forest. He's gonna have to hunt down a boar and go fishing. The chicken is going to be tough to get a hold of. Kaede might have one she doesn't like. He'd better ask her first though, there'll be no hiding what he's done once he gets started. Besides, he's not one for stealing anymore. He's got a little too much pride for that now.
The scent of his project is going to drown out what's just happened, right?
~.~.~
'Friend.' A familiar voice that sounds like a melody woofs out softly. "Well, look at who it is. It's been a long time, Sesshomaru-sama."
Sesshomaru turns. He'd known that this… he'll call it a body… has been following him for the past five days. This putrid scent started dancing around his peripheral about two days after he'd rescued the hanyou girl for his fool of a brother. He's been ignoring the specter chasing after him. Not in the interest of being cruel; he simply has nothing to say to her.
"Aika," he finally answers, looking at her over his shoulder.
Behind him is a familiar shape, shorter than him by about a head and visibly limber in every step she takes. She brushes a long lock of blonde hair over her shoulder and it all but sparkles in the moonlight. She wears an ornate kabuki mask which surprises him; it's unlike her to hide her face like this. Aika has always been vain to a fault as she'd been raised to believe that her winsomeness is one of her only redeeming qualities. Kane had always underestimated Aika's talents.
She removes the mask and he's greeted by her floral eyes.
She smiles genuinely at him. "It's good to see you."
He frowns, "You've been following me."
That smile shifts into a smirk. "I'd call it observing. I must say, I never thought I'd see you with a human as a companion. After all the shit you gave me about Makotu."
That is meant as a petty insult. He hadn't exactly been silent about his thoughts on her tryst with the mortal, particularly after the birth of the hanyou daughter. Well, that is fair, he supposes. He turns, taking a moment to drink in the scent of death that is radiating from her body.
"And where is Makotu?"
She shrugs, staring up at the moon with a familiar, wistful expression. "Still dead, I'd imagine. He's not my concern. I have more important things to do than look for him."
He doesn't have to ask her what that important thing is. He knows how much Aika treasured her daughter in life. It is the only thing that would stir her spirit from the call of the underworld. He knows who would bestow a second chance like this but why? He is under the distinct impression that she will be paying dearly for this "second chance". She shouldn't be here, even if it is for the noble purpose of reuniting herself with her daughter.
"You didn't take her with you," she accuses softly. "Why?"
It would have been easier for her to take back her baby if she were with Sesshomaru.
He scoffs, turning his head back to face the road ahead of him, the road back to Jaken and Rin. "I am not responsible for your offspring, Aika."
She steps closer to him. "You're right. It doesn't matter. I've been asked to kill the man you let walk off with my child. After that, I can take my daughter and we will—"
"Who gave you the jewel shard?" he asks, interrupting her foolish imaginings.
She smiles sincerely at him. If it were not for the stench of death radiating from her he would almost believe that his comrade has actually returned. He is not so naive to believe such fallacies though; her life, her resurrection, is sustained by the sacred jewel shard. Only one man uses the shards so callously. She reaches out to rest a hand on his shoulder but he blocks her deftly, flicking her wrist with the blade of his hand.
She sighs, "You're upset with me."
"You should not be here. Whatever Naraku has promised you in exchange for killing my brother was a lie. I assumed you were smarter than that."
She looks a little surprised to hear him mention Inuyasha so casually. Ah, she remembers his loathing. "You mean to say that you care what happens to him? Now? After all of this time?"
He scoffs. "You mistake me. What happens to Inuyasha is no concern of mine."
"Good, then you won't mind when I kill him."
"If you think that killing Inuyasha will settle your debts to Naraku, then you are a greater fool than I took you for. You had no business accepting his offer."
She looks offended. It seems that even death cannot squash out Aika's unyielding nature. She has always thought too highly of herself for his tastes. Did she honestly believe that he would approve of such a profane decision? Does she truly believe that Naraku's bargain is any more than just empty words?
She should have remained dead, instead, she's been floating around the countryside as nothing more than a preserved corpse intent on following the commands of a meddlesome, inconsequential half-demon. All for what? The scent of her alone will be enough to terrify her child right into the welcoming arms of his idiotic brother. Even the feeble-minded girl will know what her mother is upon smelling her. She cannot believe that this was an honorable decision.
Then again, Aika has a history of making unquestionably selfish decisions; the birth of her daughter being the byproduct of such poor decision making. Not that he cared all that much when he'd learned that she chose to chase after an insignificant man; he does not love Aika. He never will. But, he notes, she likely would still be alive had she done as her father had bid her and became his bride. He, at least, would not have allowed her to perish. He'd have tolerated her and whatever heirs they produced. She may have even lived something of a fulfilling life beside him.
She turned that down and very likely died because of that decision.
"Sesshomaru," she seethes, eyes narrowing dangerously but her tone is dismissive, "what do you expect me to do? That's my daughter. If you'd ever bothered to care for someone other than yourself you'd understand why I did it! I don't regret what I've done and I would do it again without question!"
He calls her bluff. "Oh? Then where is Kiyomi now?"
Those dangerously narrowed eyes widen enough to tell him that he's struck a chord with her. She's stopped looking at him, she's back to staring at the sky as if it has the answers she needs. It's an old habit of hers. She dislikes maintaining eye contact when she knows she is wrong or at fault.
"You know why I haven't gone to get her. If I appeared to her in this state… If she could smell me… she'd be terrified. I need to wait until I can be alone with her. She just needs to know it's really—"
"Spare me the excuses for your subterfuge," he drones, eyeing her frustratedly. "You may be able to convince yourself but don't treat me as foolishly as you would treat your child. Why are you here?"
There is a flash of aqua shimmering in her eyes now. He's certainly riled her up now, hasn't he? "I told you. I am here so that Kiyomi and I—"
"No," he interrupts, "why have you followed me?"
If he's not mistaken, she looks sad. She grips the kabuki mask in her left hand a little tighter, her claws scraping against the wood lightly. He is suspicious that she wanted to see if his nose would detect the traces of death that are dancing around her. If he hadn't indicated that he could, he does not doubt that she would swoop in on Inuyasha with terrible wrath to take back her prized child. Either that or she longed to see him.
She has always been absurdly sentimental.
Finally, she tilts one shoulder up. "I thought it might be nice to see you again. It's been lonely… Returning to this life. I forgot how much I gave up when I chose Makotu."
"That was your decision," he reminds her.
"You're right," she says dryly before sighing and looking up at him with a light smile. "Oh, Sesshomaru, I don't think the two of us will ever understand the other."
That elicits the ghost of a smile to his face. Not that he smiles, that is beneath him. But if he were one to smile, that statement would have done it. She is not wrong. The two of them were always an odd pair together. If he had never fought beside her, he doubts he would have ever allowed himself to grow close to her at all. She's always been so different from him. With another sigh, she places the mask over her face again but not without allowing him one last look at her uncovered face.
He'd never confess this, but he has always believed her to be remarkably beautiful.
"Well, friend," she finally begins, "I'll see you again soon. Perhaps Kiyomi and I could spend some time with you when we are reunited? The little human girl, she seems sweet."
The thought repulses him, considering the noxious odor she radiates but he does not admit this to her. He doubts that Naraku's plans for Aika end once she's killed Inuyasha and he would rather not send Aika away with such bitterness. If she truly wants to blind herself to the reality of the situation then he is not going to be the one to stop her. She'd never listen to him anyway. She never has been one to mind what she's told. It's a trait he surely hopes her child has not inherited; should she end up in his care for any reason, he would be unable to tolerate such a rebellious streak.
"If you want my advice," he warns, "wait until the girl cannot smell what you've become. Lest you want to frighten her away."
He hears a laugh from beneath the mask and he can all but see the expression on her face as she says, "You've always underestimated me, Sesshomaru."
~.~.~
Kiyomi isn't ready to open her eyes yet so all she can do is listen to the world outside and follow her sense of smell. She can smell the village; old lady Kaede is nearby, probably in the garden and there are the usual early morning scents. There's a bowl of rice next to her mat but it smells cold. Something smells rotten outside… like boiled up eggs and fish bones.
Bleh!
These human villagers sure ate some strange food sometimes. Underneath that stench, she can pinpoint the scent she's been looking for: Inuyasha and Kagome. She can already hear them bickering so she knows they are close by but for some reason their scent is comforting to her now. Her cheeks turn pink at the thought. She's not a baby and she does not need Inuyasha and Kagome to be here for her. She can take care of herself, thank you very much.
But, the more she thinks about it, last night would have been a lot worse if she'd been alone. She's relieved that they haven't left without her. It was nice to have someone there to help her feel better. It made her miss Mama less.
"You are not going to make her drink that!" Kagome cries out aghast. "That's disgusting!"
"What's wrong with it?" Inuyasha asks her with genuine curiosity. "It worked for you didn't it?"
"I've never—" Kagome gasps before pausing, her eyes widening with the realization that this is what the "fresh stuff" was. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GAVE ME?!"
"Well, yeah," he answers, a little bewildered by her disgust. "What else did you think was in it? Liver's real healthy for ya."
Kagome is now nauseous, heading towards the nearest bush. "I'm gonna puke."
Inuyasha shrugs his shoulders. He'll never understand women no matter how hard he tries. It's best to give it up now. Kagome's much too sensitive for someone who has such a dulled sense of taste. And who cares what it tastes like? He knows it's the best thing for a cold. It's loaded with nutrients and that's just what the pup needs right now!
He marches over to the hut and surveys the room. The pup's awake; he can tell by the change in her breathing. He smirks and plops down beside her mat.
"You're not fooling anyone," he tells her with a smirk.
The little girl pops one eye open and looks up at him. He's holding a steaming wooden cup that reeks of boiled… she doesn't even want to imagine what he's boiled down for that concoction. Kagome apparently had a good reason when she said she didn't trust his cooking… So that's what the awful smell was coming from… Well, he's not gonna get her to drink it like he apparently tricked Kagome.
"'M sleepy."
"Well, I got something for ya," he tells her. "Drink this and you can go back to sleep."
Kiyomi didn't have to overhear Kagome's conversation to know that whatever he's brought her is going to be foul. That stench is overwhelmingly strong now. All of those stinky, sour smells like boiled eggs and fishbones and boiled up meat coming from outside were from whatever monstrosity Inuyasha is trying to make her drink.
Nope. Nothin' doin'. Not happening. Negative. No.
"No, thank you. I'm not hungry," she grumbles with a wrinkled nose. 'Bad food.'
"It's not food, stupid, it's medicine. Drink it!"
"It stinks."
"Oh c'mon, don't be such a baby," he complains. "I promise it'll make you feel better faster."
"Nothin' doin'."
"You haven't even tried it yet! It doesn't taste that bad."
"Uhm, yeah, she's not wrong."
Both of her eyes pop open now and her eyebrows raise. "Don't tell me you can't smell that?"
"Well, yeah, I made it."
She eyes the cup warily. "Do yourself a favor and don't quit your day job."
He smirks, the cogs of his mind working out how to trick the pup into drinking his, admittedly, unpalatable remedy. At her age, it's hard to see that the benefits outweigh the cons. The cons being that this stuff is pretty foul, definitely not his idea of a good time. His mom used to have a hell of a time persuading him to drink it too. He shrugs noncommittally and puts the cup down beside him, tucking it just out of sight.
"Fine, have it your way. How're you feeling?"
They've been trying to coax her into drinking some warm broth and swallow some mushy rice to get some food into her all morning. It hadn't been worth the effort, she's remained mostly uninterested in food in general. Inuyasha's eager to see her back up and on her feet again. Once again, the damn pup's delayed his plans. But that's not really what's bothering him. He really doesn't like seeing her all sick like this.
But if anyone asks, he's mad that his trip has been held up.
Kiyomi shrugs followed by a little cough. "'M okay. Just a little tired."
"Want some water? It's, uh, been a while since you had any."
She nods her head eagerly. He shifts behind him to oblige her request, pouring some water from Kagome's water containers into a wooden cup. He holds it up to her dry lips, watching her gulp it down. While she drinks he reaches over and begins to rub her right ear. The soothing massage lulls the girl's eyes shut and she relaxes, satisfied that she's managed to evade whatever foul substance is waiting for her in the cup of stench he's brought with him and reveling under all of the affection. When he fills up another cup of water she doesn't even second guess his actions and eagerly opens wide, eyes still closed peacefully.
"Gotcha! You're too trusting sometimes, pup," he thinks triumphantly with an audible snicker.
It's not water and, by God, whatever he's pouring into her mouth tastes like it's been dead for days and then swirled in dirt! She snorts and splutters but he keeps tipping it down her throat so that she's got no choice but to swallow it or choke on it. In the interest of not choking to death, she swallows. Angrily, she latches onto his wrist with one hand and tries to push it away from her. Not that she's strong enough to move his arm in any way; cute that she's trying though.
"Oh quit it, you're already halfway done so just finish it off," he grumbles with a lengthy eye roll. His mom used to have to pull the same tricks on him. Although, he's pretty sure he hadn't been this dramatic about it. He tips the last drops of it out of the cup. "There, see, stubborn brat? It ain't that bad."
'Good pup!', he growls in an attempt to soften the blow of his trickery.
Thank the gods the others don't know what they're saying to each other. He would never hear the end of it if they did.
"PLEGH!" she spews, wiping her tongue with her sleeves trying to pick up some other taste. Anything to get rid of the taste of that… that—she doesn't even know what to call it!
"Sorry, pup," he tells her without even bothering to hide his amusement, "kinda comes with the territory."
He hands her some water to wash it down. He's not ignorant to the fact that his mother's cold remedy could even send him reeling and he's a grown man. That being said, it was probably the most nutritious thing she's had in days. All of those nutrients are going to have her up and running in no time! The disgruntled pup growls at him and chugs down the water ravenously.
'Bad food', her youkai repeats in the form of a crackly rumble in her chest once she's finished gulping. 'Betrayal!'
'Worried. Healthy. Strong!' his whines back. Her orchid eyes widen just a fraction at that declaration. He covers it up with a half-grin and scratching behind her ear again. "Heh, it's good for ya."
She's back to her usual haughty self. "I'm not touchin' that stuff ever again!"
He snorts. "Sorry, kid, there's a lot more where that came from. I'll spare ya for now though."
"You're not gonna trick me again," she warns.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you'll stop me," he mollifies insincerely. "I thought you wanted to go to sleep."
"Sleep is good when you're sick, she should be sleeping."
"Hmph," she scoffs. "That nasty drink could wake the dead."
"Well, the old baba next door says ya need a lot more rest so"—he lifts her with ease off of her mat and plops her into his lap—"it's time for a nap, runt."
She pouts. "Hmph. I'm too big for naps."
"Fine, then, we'll just hang out here."
He's not gonna tell her this because she'll flip, but she's more cute than she is intimidating when she cops an attitude. He takes a moment to hold his hand over her forehead, monitoring her fever. Good, her temperature's starting to drop, that's a relief. It's a big change from last night's fever. She's still a little warm though. She shifts in his lap uncomfortably, and her ears twitch.
"Don't you have stuff to do?" she asks hesitantly.
"Nah," he answers, leaning back against the wall hoping to maybe get a nap in himself. He might as well capitalize on the situation and rest. "The stupid humans claim they want more rest."
"Oh… okay," she grumbles. "You… You don't have to stay here if you don't wanna."
She doesn't want to admit to him that she wants him to stay.
"Well, ya look like you could use some company," he offers.
"I can look after myself, you know," she grumbles. "You don't have to babysit me or nothing."
But she can't help but wonder if this is what it's like to have a… dad?
She'd never really known hers very well. He would play with her on her human night and then he was always gone come morning. She won't admit it, but she half expects that someday she'll wake up and Inuyasha and the others will be gone too. She feels like she has to brace herself for the loneliness she's going to feel. Helping you when you're sick… isn't that what mamas and papas do? Or can best friends do that too?
That's stupid, he's not her papa. Why would she think such a silly thing?
"Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?" he asks, cutting through her thoughts. "That why you were acting all funny while Kagome's been gone?"
"I wasn't acting funny," she insists haughtily.
"You skipped our hunt. I figured you were just grumpy. The next time you're sick you gotta let me know." He bops her lightly on the head to drive the point home.
Her heartbeat quickens, he can feel it against his stomach. "Well, it's not that I didn't want to tell you… It's just that I…"
'Abandon,' her youkai whimpers for her.
"Go on," he says with a little nudge. "What were you gonna say?"
She lets out a gruff little snort before mumbling, "I figured if I was sick then you guys would go hunting for jewel shards without me 'n I didn't want to get stuck behind with old lady Kaede. She smells funny."
That makes him laugh, even if it's obvious that she's fibbing about her only worry being stuck behind with the old baba. He rubs the top of her head. "Don't be stupid. Where are we gonna go without you? You're one of the pack. We stick together."
She finds herself curling up in his arms so that she can look up at him. "I felt real awful…"
"Feh, you're a little late letting me know now. Next time say something from the start. I know 'm not Kagome or Kaede but I do know some stuff about bein' sick. I could've helped you way sooner."
She covers her mouth and nose with her hands. "If you're gonna give me that snot juice every time I get sick then I hope it never happens again!"
"Snot juice?!"
She glares up at him. "You heard me."
"Sorry, pup, there's more of that coming. Hope you like snot, I guess."
He wonders if she remembers… "Do you remember anything about last night? Uh, before you fell asleep?"
But what he's really trying to ask is if she remembers calling him… Tou-san. He's sure she won't, she'd been half asleep when she'd done it. It's not so much that he minds being called that… It's more so that he doesn't understand how to react to such a thing. How's he supposed to take on such a big role like this? Those are some pretty big shoes he would have to fill. That being said, if he looks past the whole weight of the situation, he kind of likes the idea of having someone looking up to him.
Makes him feel… well, needed.
He doesn't know it, but Sango, Miroku, and Kagome have all huddled under the window of the hut. They are all eagerly spying to see if the girl remembers what she had whispered. Had it been intentional? Inuyasha's adopted aunt and uncle had told them that it could easily happen, despite Inuyasha's protestations. They are all waiting for the latest development, hanging with bated breaths for her response.
She shakes her head lightly, looking at him curiously. "Why? Did something happen?"
"Heh, don't worry about it," he tells her softly as she snuggles closer to him in her sleepy haze. "That's it, kid, go to sleep."
He knows she said it and that's good enough for now, though it does make for a disappointed audience outside.
~.~.~
"GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE—"
The flap to the hut all but rips off and Kagome can barely make out the little blur that's escaped from inside. Kiyomi is racing across the dusty roads of town with a determined frown on her face.
She should be lying down… She has the traces of a fever and she does still have a bit of a cough. Another night of rest would really do her a lot of good. However, Inuyasha has clearly seen this as a sign that she needs more of that unspeakably disgusting medicine of his. She's not going to stick around for this! She drank enough of that stuff this morning to last her a lifetime! He's now managed to chase her out of the hut and she's taking advantage of the fact that he's still holding his homemade remedy in his hands. She's using all four limbs to gain a little distance from him.
"I WON'T DO IT! IT'S GROSS!" she hollers, sliding with a puff of dust billowing behind her so that she's facing him. To really drive the point home, she hits him with the only naughty phrase she knows.
She snorts loudly followed by a very guttural grunt: 'Fornicate fishes!'
He skids to a stop completely mortified that she's brought up that again. "Wha-WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SAYING THAT?!"
She sticks her tongue out at him, pulling her right eyelid down to make an ugly face. "You heard me! I meant it!"
"Whatever it means at least."
He strides over to Kagome and hands her the steaming mug with a curt "hold this." before darting after the kid unrestrained. The girl yelps and squeals as he closes the gap between them quickly. He reaches to grab her but she hops on top of his head, bouncing off of it and onto a nearby roof. For someone so sick the night before, she's doing quite well now; a testament to either her demon blood or Inuyasha's remedy. He's hot on her heels but she manages to just evade capture.
"You're only making this harder than it has to be," he warns behind her as he misses her by a hair. "You can't outrun me forever, pup!"
"I'd rather die!" she bellows back landing quickly on the ground.
Kagome looks down at the potion in question then at Inuyasha closing in on the poor girl running through the streets. Surely running around like this is counterproductive? God, this stuff smells truly awful… tastes wretched too. She doesn't blame Kiyomi for not wanting to drink it. She makes an executive decision.
"Inuyasha! Sit boy!"
"WHAT?!" he cries out as he plummets to the ground. He'd finally caught up to the little punk too!
Kiyomi looks relieved as if Kagome were a saint as she scurries past her to seek refuge with Sango and Miroku. Kagome tosses the little girl a wink before she darts as fast as she can for the taijiya's last known location: the river.
Nobody should have to suffer through liver potion.