Chapter Three . . .
Marani led the two to her home behind the waterfall, which spilled into a small pool of soft, gurgling waters, clear and bright. She led them between rock and water, and took them inside the little cave which was full of random things hanging off the walls and stashed about on the floor near the walls, providing plenty of space in the middle of the room. Inu Yasha stopped the moment he and Kagome entered Marani's home, for there was Sesshomaru, sleeping, on the ground, half covered by a blanket, except for his right arm which lay on his chest, over the sheets. There was a pained expression on his face, though he was clearly asleep.
"I don't believe it," Inu Yasha said softly, not daring to move an inch closer.
"I know," Kagome said, brightening her tone, "it's such a nice little place!"
"I was talking about Sesshomaru," Inu Yasha grunted.
"I know," Kagome said, "but it is an awfully cute place."
"Thank you!" Marani squeaked. "I had to make a lot of these pots and baskets and I admit to stealing some thing from the Cat Palace, but . . . it's all mine now, and how could I survive with out it? No one knows I'm here, and this jungle forest is one of the safest places in the world."
Inu Yasha finally went towards his brother, and bent down low to his resting body. He sniffed him eagerly, as Kagome examined the little "home" of Marani's. Finally, Inu Yasha pulled up the blanket and peered down into the many wounds and harsh scratches on his brother's chest.
"Damn," he said out loud, which made the girls stop giggling for a while. "This isn't no mere injury."
"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked, and came over to Sesshomaru, standing behind Inu Yasha. She winced at looking at the cuts upon him, as Inu Yasha said, "It looks like he was being tortured. The demon behind this might believe he's still alive. It doesn't look as though it was really trying to kill him, but rather put him through some good, old, slow torture before he finally killed him off. But, Sesshomaru got away . . ."
At that moment Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open, and Inu Yasha gave a yelp and fell back, landing on Kagome, and the two staggered back.
"What are you doing here?" came the low voice of Sesshomaru.
"N-nothing," Kagome stammered, not knowing what to say.
"What's wrong with you to?" Marani asked, then skipped over to Sesshomaru's side. "Oh, you're awake now! Look who I found . . . it's your baby brother! You're glad to see him aren't you?"
"No," both Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha replied.
Marani frowned, then replaced it quickly with a smile as she said, "I'm preparing dinner! You two stay, please! You get your rest, Sesshomaru!" And she skipped off towards the end of the room, where she got herself busy.
Sesshomaru rose onto his right arm, coughing as he went up. Inu Yasha asked bluntly, "So. What happened to you?"
"Hmph," Sesshomaru mused, "isn't it quite obvious? Who do you think would dare to face someone like me? Who is the only other Demon out there that has a business between you and me?"
"You don't mean . . ." Inu Yasha trailed off into silence. Sesshomaru nodded.
Both brothers said the name aloud, "Naraku."
"Naraku?" Kagome asked. "But why? I thought you two were working together, or something."
"He was merely using me," Sesshomaru said, coughing again. "He knew how I despised Inu Yasha, and used that to get me to kill you . . . for him. But I did not like his . . . methods." Inu Yasha noticed that Sesshomaru's eyes did not meet him when he said this.
"And what did he do?" Inu Yasha asked.
"After I told him off," Sesshomaru explained, "he simply watched me go my own way. I thought it was plainly over then. Besides . . . he wanted you, not me," and with resentment, "little brother. But he came upon me when I didn't expect him. Snuck up on my back, knocked me out cold. I awoke and was put through a series of tortures that only he could have thought of using on any one. I was near death, and I knew. I was bound from head to toe, and could not move. But, he underestimated my will power. Or perhaps, simply my power. He left me alone, certain that I was too weak to get out, and that I would surly die from the blood loss alone. It was my faithful but stupid servant, Jokin, that got me out. Stupid, I say, for Naraku had injured him as well, and he died within minutes of getting me out. I fled, and found myself heading south. I had no idea we were this close to this part of the country, but . . . I decided this was where I wanted to lay my body down. He wouldn't find me. I couldn't go on. It was useless for me to have escaped, I thought. I was surly dead, and the escape had only brought it worse on me. I fell, and was sure that death would embrace me in her arms and that would finally be an end to all the suffering I had gone through."
Marani came over, sniffing. She forced a smile, saying, "Aren't you glad I came along, then? You could have been dead."
"I would have accepted it gratefully," he said, monotonously.
"Damn that Naraku," Inu Yasha growled, "first he hurts my friends, then my enemies!"
Sesshomaru shot him a look.
"I'm going to get that bastard," Inu Yasha said, "if it's the last thing I do."
"Then it will truly be the last thing you do," Sesshomaru said, smiling slightly. "A half-demon like yourself will never survive the likes of a demon like him."
"Feh," Inu Yasha said, "Get well soon, brother. I'm not through with you."
"Oh, you're terrible!" Marani squealed.
"My own brother," Sesshomaru said, as smoothly as he could, "taking my own arm."
"You were the one?!" Marani cried. "You cut off your brother's arm? How could you!"
"Believe me," Kagome said, cutting in, "Sesshomaru's has done his share to hurt Inu Yasha for the repayment of that arm."
Marani frowned. "I still don't like it." Then, she replaced it with a smile. "But stay anyway. Dinner is almost ready!"
She hoped away, as the other three looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Sesshomaru coughed and sank back down, his head hitting the pillow.
"I'm still getting Naraku," Inu Yasha said, bitterly. "You can't stop me."
"At least ou won't be coming back," Sesshomaru answered, with a smile.
Marani led the two to her home behind the waterfall, which spilled into a small pool of soft, gurgling waters, clear and bright. She led them between rock and water, and took them inside the little cave which was full of random things hanging off the walls and stashed about on the floor near the walls, providing plenty of space in the middle of the room. Inu Yasha stopped the moment he and Kagome entered Marani's home, for there was Sesshomaru, sleeping, on the ground, half covered by a blanket, except for his right arm which lay on his chest, over the sheets. There was a pained expression on his face, though he was clearly asleep.
"I don't believe it," Inu Yasha said softly, not daring to move an inch closer.
"I know," Kagome said, brightening her tone, "it's such a nice little place!"
"I was talking about Sesshomaru," Inu Yasha grunted.
"I know," Kagome said, "but it is an awfully cute place."
"Thank you!" Marani squeaked. "I had to make a lot of these pots and baskets and I admit to stealing some thing from the Cat Palace, but . . . it's all mine now, and how could I survive with out it? No one knows I'm here, and this jungle forest is one of the safest places in the world."
Inu Yasha finally went towards his brother, and bent down low to his resting body. He sniffed him eagerly, as Kagome examined the little "home" of Marani's. Finally, Inu Yasha pulled up the blanket and peered down into the many wounds and harsh scratches on his brother's chest.
"Damn," he said out loud, which made the girls stop giggling for a while. "This isn't no mere injury."
"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked, and came over to Sesshomaru, standing behind Inu Yasha. She winced at looking at the cuts upon him, as Inu Yasha said, "It looks like he was being tortured. The demon behind this might believe he's still alive. It doesn't look as though it was really trying to kill him, but rather put him through some good, old, slow torture before he finally killed him off. But, Sesshomaru got away . . ."
At that moment Sesshomaru's eyes snapped open, and Inu Yasha gave a yelp and fell back, landing on Kagome, and the two staggered back.
"What are you doing here?" came the low voice of Sesshomaru.
"N-nothing," Kagome stammered, not knowing what to say.
"What's wrong with you to?" Marani asked, then skipped over to Sesshomaru's side. "Oh, you're awake now! Look who I found . . . it's your baby brother! You're glad to see him aren't you?"
"No," both Sesshomaru and Inu Yasha replied.
Marani frowned, then replaced it quickly with a smile as she said, "I'm preparing dinner! You two stay, please! You get your rest, Sesshomaru!" And she skipped off towards the end of the room, where she got herself busy.
Sesshomaru rose onto his right arm, coughing as he went up. Inu Yasha asked bluntly, "So. What happened to you?"
"Hmph," Sesshomaru mused, "isn't it quite obvious? Who do you think would dare to face someone like me? Who is the only other Demon out there that has a business between you and me?"
"You don't mean . . ." Inu Yasha trailed off into silence. Sesshomaru nodded.
Both brothers said the name aloud, "Naraku."
"Naraku?" Kagome asked. "But why? I thought you two were working together, or something."
"He was merely using me," Sesshomaru said, coughing again. "He knew how I despised Inu Yasha, and used that to get me to kill you . . . for him. But I did not like his . . . methods." Inu Yasha noticed that Sesshomaru's eyes did not meet him when he said this.
"And what did he do?" Inu Yasha asked.
"After I told him off," Sesshomaru explained, "he simply watched me go my own way. I thought it was plainly over then. Besides . . . he wanted you, not me," and with resentment, "little brother. But he came upon me when I didn't expect him. Snuck up on my back, knocked me out cold. I awoke and was put through a series of tortures that only he could have thought of using on any one. I was near death, and I knew. I was bound from head to toe, and could not move. But, he underestimated my will power. Or perhaps, simply my power. He left me alone, certain that I was too weak to get out, and that I would surly die from the blood loss alone. It was my faithful but stupid servant, Jokin, that got me out. Stupid, I say, for Naraku had injured him as well, and he died within minutes of getting me out. I fled, and found myself heading south. I had no idea we were this close to this part of the country, but . . . I decided this was where I wanted to lay my body down. He wouldn't find me. I couldn't go on. It was useless for me to have escaped, I thought. I was surly dead, and the escape had only brought it worse on me. I fell, and was sure that death would embrace me in her arms and that would finally be an end to all the suffering I had gone through."
Marani came over, sniffing. She forced a smile, saying, "Aren't you glad I came along, then? You could have been dead."
"I would have accepted it gratefully," he said, monotonously.
"Damn that Naraku," Inu Yasha growled, "first he hurts my friends, then my enemies!"
Sesshomaru shot him a look.
"I'm going to get that bastard," Inu Yasha said, "if it's the last thing I do."
"Then it will truly be the last thing you do," Sesshomaru said, smiling slightly. "A half-demon like yourself will never survive the likes of a demon like him."
"Feh," Inu Yasha said, "Get well soon, brother. I'm not through with you."
"Oh, you're terrible!" Marani squealed.
"My own brother," Sesshomaru said, as smoothly as he could, "taking my own arm."
"You were the one?!" Marani cried. "You cut off your brother's arm? How could you!"
"Believe me," Kagome said, cutting in, "Sesshomaru's has done his share to hurt Inu Yasha for the repayment of that arm."
Marani frowned. "I still don't like it." Then, she replaced it with a smile. "But stay anyway. Dinner is almost ready!"
She hoped away, as the other three looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Sesshomaru coughed and sank back down, his head hitting the pillow.
"I'm still getting Naraku," Inu Yasha said, bitterly. "You can't stop me."
"At least ou won't be coming back," Sesshomaru answered, with a smile.