InuYasha frowned from the entrance of the room as Kagome tended to the confused, sick and slightly dazed former daiyokai. He had woken a few times only to fall back under the sleep of unconsciousness. The way that Kagome was taking care of his brother made the hair on the back of InuYasha's neck seem like it was raised all the time. He didn't like the way she pampered him… Her toe was broken and she didn't care anything about it.
"Kagome, are you going to try and get your toe looked at anytime soon?" he asked, looking at her.
"I can get my toe looked at anytime. Sesshomaru needs my help right now."
"That's right!" Jaken yelled. "You turned my lord into a hanyou and now you want to keep the human girl away from him in his hour of need? How could you be so stupid? Even the human knows that Lord Sesshomaru comes first!"
Kagome made a face at the imp but put the cool rag back on Sesshomaru's forehead. Kagome was still trying to wrap around her brain what Kikyo got out of accomplishing this switch. Wasn't the goal to turn InuYasha human initially? What was going on?
"Ms. Kagome, I got the herbs you asked me to get." Rin said, running in with an armful of herbs that looked like weeds to InuYasha.
"Thank you, Rin. Just put them right over here."
The little girl did as asked and walked over to Kagome.
"Is there anything else I can help with, Ms. Kagome? Lord Sesshomaru would get mad at me if I didn't try to help."
"Sesshomaru doesn't give a flying flip whether or not you help him. He'd probably rather everyone leave him alone and go about his brooding stupid business." InuYasha griped from the corner.
Kagome turned and InuYasha flinched but so did she and they both looked at where she had leaned back on her toes. InuYasha lifted an eyebrow at her but she turned back to Sesshomaru. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. What the hell is she doing? Why doesn't she care about herself? She's too damned nice to people.
Luckily, Kaede could see that dealing with the former daiyokai was only hurting Kagome and she walked over to her.
"Kagome, I think you can leave the basics to Rin and Jaken. We need to take a look at that toe. InuYasha, you said that it was broken?"
"Yeah."
"But, Kaede-"
"No fuss, girl. Young Rin seems to know her lord well enough. If all that's needed is to boil the herbs and contain the fever, then I believe the two wards of Sesshomaru can handle that."
"I am not a ward!" Jaken yelled, stomping his feet. "I am a personal adviser of Lord Sesshomaru!"
"Yeah right; "personal adviser"." InuYasha scoffed, doing air quotes. "Sesshomaru takes no advice from anyone. He's got his head too far up his ass."
"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY LORD SESSHOMARU THAT WAY!"
InuYasha smirked at making the imp go into a fit as Kagome rolled her eyes at him. What was with him? He seemed very cranky ever since he woke up and more worried than normal about something small like her toe. Usually he would be concerned but if she was okay with it, he would let it go…
"Come one, Kagome, let me help you with that toe." Kaede said.
Kagome got up and used Kaede's shoulder to help herself get to the porch outside.
Kaede unwrapped the bandages that InuYasha had put in place and Kagome hissed when they came off of the blood that had dried onto her foot. Kaede examined her foot and grunted.
"You must have kicked that jar very hard, child."
"I was frustrated."
"InuYasha wrapped the bandages very well."
"Yeah… Kaede, why do you think Kikyo did this? What is the purpose of turning InuYasha into a full yokai? All that will do is make him more powerful than her."
Kaede washed Kagome's foot off with water and grabbed some herbs.
"I know not of what my sister thinks in this regard. It's most unlike her. You're right in that it doesn't make any sense to turn InuYasha into a full yokai at all…" Kaede looked at Kagome's foot. "Hmm… you may have to go back to your own time to get this looked at. I can do what I can but I cannot make this any more comfortable."
"I had a feeling I would have to go back home. They'll probably give me a cast or tape the two together or something… I don't want to go until Sesshomaru wakes up though. I want to make sure we explain everything to him before I leave."
"Aye, I think it would sound better coming from you. I highly doubt that InuYasha will be kind in explaining anything."
"Yeah. Man, this is really throbbing. Do you have anything for the pain?"
"I'm afraid not. I can put something on it to try and help with the inflammation but if it gets too much, don't hesitate to get InuYasha to take you to the well and have him take you back home. I wouldn't want you to suffer with mediocre care when you have advanced doctors in your time."
"Well if I liked it there, I wouldn't come here."
Kaede smiled. "That may be true, but they have come a long way since now. In this situation, I would trust your future doctors more than me."
Kagome smiled when Rin ran out with InuYasha behind her.
"Ms. Kagome! Lord Sesshomaru is awake!"
"He seems pretty confused. You me to tell him or you?" he asked, leaning on the doorjamb.
Kagome looked him up and down, taking in his taller appearance and shook her head to focus. Why do I keep doing that? It's the same InuYasha…
"Yes, please help me up."
He walked over as Rin ran back inside and grabbed her hands, pulling her up. He helped her into the hut, where Jaken was crying on Sesshomaru's lap and Rin was sitting beside him. He was struggling to get up and Kagome let go of InuYasha to go to Sesshomaru's side and help him up.
"Are you feeling alright, Sesshomaru?"
He blinked at everyone and remembered the ears on his head. He reached up to touch them and frowned.
"I was not dreaming." He said, looking at his arms that had no markings.
"No, sorry." Kagome said.
Sesshomaru looked at her. "You're my brother's human…"
"Kagome, yes. I have a name ya know."
He didn't really care but he looked at his brother, who looked odd with the markings and no ears on his head. Sesshomaru moved and stood up, walking to InuYasha. The two stared at each other and InuYasha lifted his eyebrow.
"What the hell are you staring at?"
"Nothing much." Sesshomaru said, turning.
As he turned, he suddenly fell forward and landed on the floor hard. Kagome blinked as InuYasha started guffawing as loud as possible as he pointed at his brother.
"Serves you right, you bastard! You can't carry all that armor and your ego! Looks like one of them is going to have to go."
Sesshomaru didn't get up- no, he couldn't get up but he wasn't about to give his brother the luxury of laughing at him more for struggling. He was already angry at his predicament, then he was one upped by the dreaded fall and now… now he was embarrassed. It angered him more that he knew it and that he could feel his face flushing with it. Human emotions are weak. he reminded himself.
InuYasha put his foot on the back of Sesshomaru and leaned his weight on him.
"What is it, Sesshomaru? Can't get up?"
"InuYasha, sit!"
He yelled and moved to not fall on top of his brother. Kagome hobbled over to Sesshomaru and held out her hand.
"Here, let me help you."
He ignored her hand, braced himself for the weight of the armor and got himself up. He stood up and began to unbuckle the pauldron from the right side of his cuirass with his one hand. Kagome walked closer and reached out her hands to help him get the armor off gracefully than it falling to the floor. He stopped unbuckling and looked at her.
"Please let me help you, Lord Sesshomaru." She said softly.
Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow at her non-derogatory tone as she waited patiently for him to allow her to take his armor. He knew it weighed more than she did but he wouldn't be able to catch it.
"Kagome, if that armor falls on your foot you can kiss looking for the jewel shards goodbye for a long, long time. Naraku will just take over the world while you're recuperating." InuYasha got up and pushed Kagome out of the way. "Here, I'll help you."
Sesshomaru glared at his brother as he let the buckles go. The armor fell to the floor and almost got InuYasha's own foot. He stepped back as the breastplate fell forward and looked back at his brother. Sesshomaru just lifted an eyebrow and InuYasha growled, grabbing the armor, surprised that it was almost as light as a feather.
"Hey… this new strength thing is pretty nice. This feels like I'm carrying one of those pillow things you give me in your time." InuYasha said, setting the armor down.
"Don't get used to it." Sessomaru grumbled.
He clenched his teeth on the inside of his mouth. Why can I not keep my opinions to myself?!
Kagome hobbled toward the door.
"Well, now that Sesshomaru is up, I need to go to my time and get my foot looked at. I should be back soon, okay?"
"Here, I'll take you to the well." InuYasha said, walking over to her.
He knelt in front of her and she climbed on his back as usual.
poor sessh. can't hold his own armor now. and there is a reason he can't contain himself just like the reason why inuyasha seems a little more uppity and defensive of kaggers. i assume the armor is pretty heavy since i don't think the sessh just wears any willy-nilly armor... *shrug*
cuirass - the breastplatey thing that is above his pants
pauldron - the spiky thing that connects to the cuirass