SG: Sorry it took me so long to update. Severe case of writer's block and I really wanted this chapter to be good...
Blood Under My Fingernails
Sesshomaru blinked quickly and surveyed the mess he had made. An evil part of his brain cackled,
'Hmm, now you know what your half-brother likes about her...she's intoxicating!'
"Shut up." he growled aloud. It was then that he heard a strange gagging noise coming from his feet. He looked to find a newly concious Jaken trying to regain his breath. Sesshomaru sighed, he'd never meant for any of this to happen. It was supposed to be a straight capture and tourcher deal, nothing like...
"Sesshomaru!" a high-pitched cry broke through his thoughts. He easily intercepted the kitsune missile and held him at arms length. Kagome simply watched on in shock. She still couldn't believe what had almost happened to her.
"Bastard!" cried Shippou. "Let go of me! Fight like a real demon!"
Sesshomaru sneered, "I don't fight *children*."
"Well, then at least get some fucking clothes on!"
Sesshomaru looked down and realized his state of undress. He snorted as he tossed Shippou to Kagome and opened the door.
"Jaken, follow me. Lock the door."
"Y-yes, Lord Sesshomaru." mumbled Jaken. He was seriously beginning to rethink his decision of joining Sesshomaru. Since the beginning he had been abused, belittled and nearly killed. Ah, but that was Lord Sesshomaru for you. He waddled off without another thought to follow his most glorious master.
"Inuyasha? Are you awake? Come walk with me," Miroku called up Inuyasha's tree softly in the early hours of morning. He couldn't sleep thinking of the battle to come and thought it would be a good idea if Inuyasha got some stuff of his chest before they began. He became very concerned when he discovered that Inuyasha was not only absent from the tree, but from the surrounding area as well.
"Inuyasha?" he called, worry building with each minute he didn't see his friend. "Come out right now! This is no time for games!"
No answer.
Panicked, Miroku ran back to the camp and shook Sango awake. At first she just rolled over and mumbled "Not now Miroku, I've got a headache," but her eyes snaped open when she heard the worry in his voice.
"Inuyasha's...gone?"
"I can't find him anywhere!"
"Kouga!"
Snort...yawn..."Huh?"
"Inuyasha's missing!"
"Bastard...he must have left without us. Damned fool, thinking he could do it on his own." Then Kouga sniffed the air, searching. What he found he did not like in the least.
"Quickly," he growled at the group. "This way!"
Kagome wrapped the curtain tighter around her shaking body. Shippou just looked at the door in shock. What the hell had just happened? First Sesshomaru was...forcing himself on Kagome, then he just leaves? There was something seriously wrong with that picture.
"Kagome," Shippou began. "Are you...okay?"
Kagome smiled sadly at the little fox child, "I'll be alright. He didn't do what he was going to. You came just in time!"
Shippou smiled and made a victory sign,"That's me!"
Again, Kagome smiled sadly and wished she had the power to bounce back as quickly as Shippou did.
Sesshomaru, meanwhile, lounged on his own bed and pondered what had just happened.
'First of all,' he thought to himself. 'You lost control. You, the great demon of the Western lands, lost control and tried to rape Kagome. What is the matter with you? You don't bother with *humans*.'
'Ah, even humans as lush and pretty as Kagome?'
'No. My only actions were the ones triggered by animal lust, nothing more.'
'Are you sure?'
'Yes...no.'
'Sucess! You love her, don't you? You want to be with her...just like you wanted to be with Kikyo-'
'Shut up!'
'You know you did. Stop living in denial. That's the real reason why Inuyasha pisses you off so much. He's got all the women you ever wanted, all the humans you ever thought about careing for by his side. If it wasn't for them, I'll bet you would have never even bothered with your half brother.'
'Okay, you win. I loved Kikyo. But...I always ended up hurting her. When Inuyasha was first involved I nearly killed Kikyo...and now- Look what I just did to Kagome? I can't control myself enought to love them. Kagome deserves better than this harm. She deserves someone she can trust and, more importantly, protect herself against. Kagome deserves...Inuyasha.'
"INUYASHA! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!!!" Sango felt like she had been shouting for hours. Kouga had followed his nose and the group had already treked over three miles looking for the lost hanyou.
"There!" Kouga pointed west. Mikoru burst through the rough hedges Kouga indicated and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Dear merciful Budda..."
"What is it?" Sango had followed after Mikoru and now stopped at his side. She gasped at the realization of what she saw before her.
Inuyasha lay on the ground beside a small pool of water. Blood trickled from his body into the surrounding area, staining it a deep, disturbing crimson. Even Inuyasha's normally silvery-white hair had a reddish tinge from the blood pouring out of his neck.
"He...he's killed himself..." stuttered Sango, unable to do anything but stare. "INUYASHA!!!" She flung herself into Mikoru's arms and wept. Mikoru too shocked to think about groping...simply held her, unsure what else to do. Kouga crept over to the body, almost afraid to believe it was true... Gently he pressed his two fingers to Inuyasha's neck...praying for something - anything - that might suggest life. After a few moments he gasped and turned to the group with a stunned look on his face.
"He's alive!"
Blood Under My Fingernails
Sesshomaru blinked quickly and surveyed the mess he had made. An evil part of his brain cackled,
'Hmm, now you know what your half-brother likes about her...she's intoxicating!'
"Shut up." he growled aloud. It was then that he heard a strange gagging noise coming from his feet. He looked to find a newly concious Jaken trying to regain his breath. Sesshomaru sighed, he'd never meant for any of this to happen. It was supposed to be a straight capture and tourcher deal, nothing like...
"Sesshomaru!" a high-pitched cry broke through his thoughts. He easily intercepted the kitsune missile and held him at arms length. Kagome simply watched on in shock. She still couldn't believe what had almost happened to her.
"Bastard!" cried Shippou. "Let go of me! Fight like a real demon!"
Sesshomaru sneered, "I don't fight *children*."
"Well, then at least get some fucking clothes on!"
Sesshomaru looked down and realized his state of undress. He snorted as he tossed Shippou to Kagome and opened the door.
"Jaken, follow me. Lock the door."
"Y-yes, Lord Sesshomaru." mumbled Jaken. He was seriously beginning to rethink his decision of joining Sesshomaru. Since the beginning he had been abused, belittled and nearly killed. Ah, but that was Lord Sesshomaru for you. He waddled off without another thought to follow his most glorious master.
"Inuyasha? Are you awake? Come walk with me," Miroku called up Inuyasha's tree softly in the early hours of morning. He couldn't sleep thinking of the battle to come and thought it would be a good idea if Inuyasha got some stuff of his chest before they began. He became very concerned when he discovered that Inuyasha was not only absent from the tree, but from the surrounding area as well.
"Inuyasha?" he called, worry building with each minute he didn't see his friend. "Come out right now! This is no time for games!"
No answer.
Panicked, Miroku ran back to the camp and shook Sango awake. At first she just rolled over and mumbled "Not now Miroku, I've got a headache," but her eyes snaped open when she heard the worry in his voice.
"Inuyasha's...gone?"
"I can't find him anywhere!"
"Kouga!"
Snort...yawn..."Huh?"
"Inuyasha's missing!"
"Bastard...he must have left without us. Damned fool, thinking he could do it on his own." Then Kouga sniffed the air, searching. What he found he did not like in the least.
"Quickly," he growled at the group. "This way!"
Kagome wrapped the curtain tighter around her shaking body. Shippou just looked at the door in shock. What the hell had just happened? First Sesshomaru was...forcing himself on Kagome, then he just leaves? There was something seriously wrong with that picture.
"Kagome," Shippou began. "Are you...okay?"
Kagome smiled sadly at the little fox child, "I'll be alright. He didn't do what he was going to. You came just in time!"
Shippou smiled and made a victory sign,"That's me!"
Again, Kagome smiled sadly and wished she had the power to bounce back as quickly as Shippou did.
Sesshomaru, meanwhile, lounged on his own bed and pondered what had just happened.
'First of all,' he thought to himself. 'You lost control. You, the great demon of the Western lands, lost control and tried to rape Kagome. What is the matter with you? You don't bother with *humans*.'
'Ah, even humans as lush and pretty as Kagome?'
'No. My only actions were the ones triggered by animal lust, nothing more.'
'Are you sure?'
'Yes...no.'
'Sucess! You love her, don't you? You want to be with her...just like you wanted to be with Kikyo-'
'Shut up!'
'You know you did. Stop living in denial. That's the real reason why Inuyasha pisses you off so much. He's got all the women you ever wanted, all the humans you ever thought about careing for by his side. If it wasn't for them, I'll bet you would have never even bothered with your half brother.'
'Okay, you win. I loved Kikyo. But...I always ended up hurting her. When Inuyasha was first involved I nearly killed Kikyo...and now- Look what I just did to Kagome? I can't control myself enought to love them. Kagome deserves better than this harm. She deserves someone she can trust and, more importantly, protect herself against. Kagome deserves...Inuyasha.'
"INUYASHA! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!!!" Sango felt like she had been shouting for hours. Kouga had followed his nose and the group had already treked over three miles looking for the lost hanyou.
"There!" Kouga pointed west. Mikoru burst through the rough hedges Kouga indicated and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Dear merciful Budda..."
"What is it?" Sango had followed after Mikoru and now stopped at his side. She gasped at the realization of what she saw before her.
Inuyasha lay on the ground beside a small pool of water. Blood trickled from his body into the surrounding area, staining it a deep, disturbing crimson. Even Inuyasha's normally silvery-white hair had a reddish tinge from the blood pouring out of his neck.
"He...he's killed himself..." stuttered Sango, unable to do anything but stare. "INUYASHA!!!" She flung herself into Mikoru's arms and wept. Mikoru too shocked to think about groping...simply held her, unsure what else to do. Kouga crept over to the body, almost afraid to believe it was true... Gently he pressed his two fingers to Inuyasha's neck...praying for something - anything - that might suggest life. After a few moments he gasped and turned to the group with a stunned look on his face.
"He's alive!"