"Simply Love Me"
Chapter 9
The Quest
Sesshoumaru touched Rin's cold face, his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. She wasn't answering him, her face unconscious. He stood up and stared down at Kohaku's unmoving form, feeling such fury rising up inside of him. He raised Toukijin high above his head, preparing to strike the final blow.
"Sesshoumaru, STOP!" Inuyasha's voice rang out across the forest, echoing loudly. He jumped down from one of the trees and flung himself in front of Kohaku, his Tetsusaiga ready. "I won't let you hurt him."
"Move out of my way, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said, his voice icy cold with malice. "I will not hesitate to kill you too."
"Can't you see? It wasn't his fault, he was possessed!"
"It does not matter. He should not have touched what was mine."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "You're going to kill an innocent man? You're blinded by your love for her, Sesshoumaru!"
The whites of Sesshoumaru's eyes burned a bright red; his fangs grew longer until they stuck out from his lips. He advanced toward Inuyasha, baring his teeth.
A hooded figure cloaked in red threw itself in front of Sesshoumaru with a cry. The hood flew back. He stared in surprise at Kagome's face. "Please, don't hurt them, think of what that'll accomplish!" Kagome pleaded with him.
"S-Sess," Rin spoke and moved, trying to lift her head up.
"Rin!" He knelt down beside her and took her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. "Are you all right?"
She shivered, her teeth cackling. "I-It's cold, Sesshoumaru. It's so cold," her voice was barely audible. He hurriedly wrapped his fluff around her, kissing her softly on the forehead.
"It's going to be fine, Rin. I'll get you all warmed up soon," Sesshoumaru picked her up, nodding to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Take care of the boy. I'll meet you up at the palace." He jumped off into the air and flew to the palace. He saw Sango running down the steps to meet them.
"Oh my gods!" Sango looked at Rin's pale face, feeling alarmed. "What happened?"
Inuyasha came with Kagome a moment later, carrying Kohaku. Sango gasped at her brother's tattered clothing. "Kohaku? Who did this to you?"
"He was possessed," Kagome said. "He tried to kill Rin."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama! Please, forgive him," said Sango. She turned to Kagome, "But, how?"
"Get her bed ready, Sango," Kagome said, "I'll explain on the way." She was glad that the kids were sleeping and couldn't see of this.
Sesshoumaru swept into Rin's room and laid her down on the bed. He lit a fire and knelt by her bedside. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing rather harshly. Her hair was matted in sweat and she was shivering badly, even though there was a sweltering hot fire going and she was under a ton of blankets. She started to cough fiercely and Sango came in with a wet towel and started wiping her forehead with it. Sesshoumaru took her hand in his, wishing he had come sooner.
Inuyasha came in and announced, "Mirokou's here. Everybody out, he has to see her privately." Mirokou came in, his tone worried. "My gods, are we burning someone in here? It's hot as hell!" He wiped the sweat already pouring from his forehead and came to knelt at Rin's side.
Sesshoumaru frowned at this, but went outside to wait with the others at Inuyasha's pleading look.
He stood outside with the others, leaning against the pillar, watching the snowfall vaguely, his mind on Rin.
He remembered those happy times, her laughing face as she chased Jaken with the watermelon. Her sweet smile when she caught her first fish. Such concern in her eyes when she saw him hurt under that tree. Her cheesy smile when he asked how she'd gotten hurt. Will they just be memories now? Hell, Rin, how am I supposed to go on without you? I want to see your sunny smile again. He clenched his fists, wishing he had come sooner. He had trusted for the first time in years, and he had trusted too much. It's all my fault she's like this; I should have heeded the warning when they told me. I had too much pride. His whole body shook with the depths of his feelings for her. He didn't know it would hurt this much.
"DAMNIT!" Sesshoumaru punched a pillar nearby, making some tiles from the roof come crashing to the ground into a million pieces. He heard the gasps from Sango and Kagome. It was the most emotion he had shown in a very long time, and he was not surprised at their reaction.
Kagome came and put a steady, comforting hand on his shaking shoulder. "Sesshoumaru-sama," there was a bit of hesitation in her voice.
He shook himself from her touch and growled darkly. "I can't take this anymore!" He went back into Rin's room, intent on getting some answers. Mirokou looked up from his ministering in surprise.
"Sesshoumaru-sama-"
"What is wrong with her?"
Mirokou looked nervous. "I-I am not really sure. It seems as though she has a lot poison in her blood. I think she is dying, Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Dying?" Sesshoumaru looked down at her pale face, and his heart wrenched at the thought. He went down to her side, and touched her cold face. Her breathing was more ragged than before and she was so damn pale. "I-I never thought this would happen." To see her suffer like this, it pained him. "Well, I could always revive her, right?" He rested his hand on Tenseiga, the famed reviving sword.
"It is not that simple. As we speak, the poison is taking a piece of her soul every hour. I believe the demon that bit her in the forest injected the poison. It's holding the pieces of her soul right now and pretty soon all of it. She is going to die without a soul for you to revive, Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Where is the demon?"
"I believe it is located inside one of the mountains in the north. You will have to bring her with you. But I must warn, it will not be an easy task. This demon disguises itself as other things, so be on your guard."
Sesshoumaru nodded grimly, picking Rin up and putting her on his back. She stirred then, coughing loudly, and gripping his armor tightly.
"S-Sesshoumaru?" Rin said in a strained voice.
"I'm here. Don't talk Rin, save your strength," he said, nuzzling her face for some comfort. She rubbed her nose against his cheek as an answer, and closed her wearied eyes again. He carried her outside where everyone was waiting with worry.
Kagome came to him, "How is she?"
He explained to them that he had to go get the parts of Rin's soul back, and Inuyasha volunteered to accompany him along with Jaken. "Are you sure you want to leave your family?" Sesshoumaru asked him.
"Hey, it's not like I'm going to die or anything. I've been through worst, remember? This demon's gonna be a piece of cake." Inuyasha drew out his sword, "Anyways, I'm glad to help a brother out when his woman's in trouble."
Sesshoumaru growled at him, "I never said-"
"Uncle Sess?" Mori tugged at his sword to gain his attention.
"Yes, what is it, Mori?" He bent down to look at Mori, Inuyasha's son that looked so much like him, with the elfish ears and golden eyes. What would it be like to have one of my own, Sesshoumaru thought?
"Is she gonna to be okay?" Mori fiddled with his sash nervously.
"She will, Mori. She will." He ruffled Mori's silver hair, "Don't you worry, I'll take care of her now."
"But you always have, Uncle."
"Yes, I guess I have, haven't I?"
"Uh huh," Mori gave him an unexpected hug then, and whispered, "Come back soon?"
"I try, there're no guarantees," Sesshoumaru said quietly, meaning it. "You be a good boy now, all right? Because I'm going to teach you sword lessons when I come back."
Mori looked at him in awe. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Thank you! I can't wait! You hear that, Mama?" He ran over to Kagome and hugged her knees, grinning widely. "Uncle Sess is gonna teach me to use a sword!"
"I heard, sweetheart, I heard," Kagome gave Sesshoumaru a smile.
He nodded at her and beckoned to Inuyasha and Jaken. "Come, let us hurry."
"Wait!" Mirokou ran out with a small pouch and handed it to Sesshoumaru.
"What is this?" Sesshoumaru looked curiously at the pouch.
"It's some herbs I mixed up, it should help slow the poison and make her feel better." He opened in and scooped out a tiny bit of the green, glittery powder. "She is to sniff it and it'll work it's magic." He held it under Rin's nose, but Jaken spoke up. "Hey! How do we know it's not some venom?"
"Shut up, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said quietly, hitting him on the head with the end of his sword.
Rin sniffed the powder, and some color returned to her face. "Thank you," she said. "I feel much better now." She gripped Mirokou's hand in thanks. "Good luck," Mirokou said.
Inuyasha kissed his family goodbye and off they went into the sunset, in search of the demon.
He stared at the vast mountains and the plains that stretched below them. It was going to be a long journey, and he only hoped that he could make it in time.
Author's Note: Sorry it was so short; it's just a beginning to the quest. Ah, where will I take you from there? You'll have to see in the next chapter. Here's a question for you, when this story ends, and it will end someday, would you all like an epilogue? Thanks for your reviews; they let me know if someone is actually reading this. =) Enter shameless self promotion here By the way, if you're bored and waiting for Chapter 10, and you like Inu/Kag stories, than you might want to check out my new Inu/Kag story, "Beneath the Howling Stars." It's a move away from all the Sess/Rin stories I've written. I wanted to try something different. It's set in 1758, France and is going to be long, I'm telling you. ;)
Chapter 9
The Quest
Sesshoumaru touched Rin's cold face, his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. She wasn't answering him, her face unconscious. He stood up and stared down at Kohaku's unmoving form, feeling such fury rising up inside of him. He raised Toukijin high above his head, preparing to strike the final blow.
"Sesshoumaru, STOP!" Inuyasha's voice rang out across the forest, echoing loudly. He jumped down from one of the trees and flung himself in front of Kohaku, his Tetsusaiga ready. "I won't let you hurt him."
"Move out of my way, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said, his voice icy cold with malice. "I will not hesitate to kill you too."
"Can't you see? It wasn't his fault, he was possessed!"
"It does not matter. He should not have touched what was mine."
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "You're going to kill an innocent man? You're blinded by your love for her, Sesshoumaru!"
The whites of Sesshoumaru's eyes burned a bright red; his fangs grew longer until they stuck out from his lips. He advanced toward Inuyasha, baring his teeth.
A hooded figure cloaked in red threw itself in front of Sesshoumaru with a cry. The hood flew back. He stared in surprise at Kagome's face. "Please, don't hurt them, think of what that'll accomplish!" Kagome pleaded with him.
"S-Sess," Rin spoke and moved, trying to lift her head up.
"Rin!" He knelt down beside her and took her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. "Are you all right?"
She shivered, her teeth cackling. "I-It's cold, Sesshoumaru. It's so cold," her voice was barely audible. He hurriedly wrapped his fluff around her, kissing her softly on the forehead.
"It's going to be fine, Rin. I'll get you all warmed up soon," Sesshoumaru picked her up, nodding to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Take care of the boy. I'll meet you up at the palace." He jumped off into the air and flew to the palace. He saw Sango running down the steps to meet them.
"Oh my gods!" Sango looked at Rin's pale face, feeling alarmed. "What happened?"
Inuyasha came with Kagome a moment later, carrying Kohaku. Sango gasped at her brother's tattered clothing. "Kohaku? Who did this to you?"
"He was possessed," Kagome said. "He tried to kill Rin."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama! Please, forgive him," said Sango. She turned to Kagome, "But, how?"
"Get her bed ready, Sango," Kagome said, "I'll explain on the way." She was glad that the kids were sleeping and couldn't see of this.
Sesshoumaru swept into Rin's room and laid her down on the bed. He lit a fire and knelt by her bedside. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing rather harshly. Her hair was matted in sweat and she was shivering badly, even though there was a sweltering hot fire going and she was under a ton of blankets. She started to cough fiercely and Sango came in with a wet towel and started wiping her forehead with it. Sesshoumaru took her hand in his, wishing he had come sooner.
Inuyasha came in and announced, "Mirokou's here. Everybody out, he has to see her privately." Mirokou came in, his tone worried. "My gods, are we burning someone in here? It's hot as hell!" He wiped the sweat already pouring from his forehead and came to knelt at Rin's side.
Sesshoumaru frowned at this, but went outside to wait with the others at Inuyasha's pleading look.
He stood outside with the others, leaning against the pillar, watching the snowfall vaguely, his mind on Rin.
He remembered those happy times, her laughing face as she chased Jaken with the watermelon. Her sweet smile when she caught her first fish. Such concern in her eyes when she saw him hurt under that tree. Her cheesy smile when he asked how she'd gotten hurt. Will they just be memories now? Hell, Rin, how am I supposed to go on without you? I want to see your sunny smile again. He clenched his fists, wishing he had come sooner. He had trusted for the first time in years, and he had trusted too much. It's all my fault she's like this; I should have heeded the warning when they told me. I had too much pride. His whole body shook with the depths of his feelings for her. He didn't know it would hurt this much.
"DAMNIT!" Sesshoumaru punched a pillar nearby, making some tiles from the roof come crashing to the ground into a million pieces. He heard the gasps from Sango and Kagome. It was the most emotion he had shown in a very long time, and he was not surprised at their reaction.
Kagome came and put a steady, comforting hand on his shaking shoulder. "Sesshoumaru-sama," there was a bit of hesitation in her voice.
He shook himself from her touch and growled darkly. "I can't take this anymore!" He went back into Rin's room, intent on getting some answers. Mirokou looked up from his ministering in surprise.
"Sesshoumaru-sama-"
"What is wrong with her?"
Mirokou looked nervous. "I-I am not really sure. It seems as though she has a lot poison in her blood. I think she is dying, Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Dying?" Sesshoumaru looked down at her pale face, and his heart wrenched at the thought. He went down to her side, and touched her cold face. Her breathing was more ragged than before and she was so damn pale. "I-I never thought this would happen." To see her suffer like this, it pained him. "Well, I could always revive her, right?" He rested his hand on Tenseiga, the famed reviving sword.
"It is not that simple. As we speak, the poison is taking a piece of her soul every hour. I believe the demon that bit her in the forest injected the poison. It's holding the pieces of her soul right now and pretty soon all of it. She is going to die without a soul for you to revive, Sesshoumaru-sama."
"Where is the demon?"
"I believe it is located inside one of the mountains in the north. You will have to bring her with you. But I must warn, it will not be an easy task. This demon disguises itself as other things, so be on your guard."
Sesshoumaru nodded grimly, picking Rin up and putting her on his back. She stirred then, coughing loudly, and gripping his armor tightly.
"S-Sesshoumaru?" Rin said in a strained voice.
"I'm here. Don't talk Rin, save your strength," he said, nuzzling her face for some comfort. She rubbed her nose against his cheek as an answer, and closed her wearied eyes again. He carried her outside where everyone was waiting with worry.
Kagome came to him, "How is she?"
He explained to them that he had to go get the parts of Rin's soul back, and Inuyasha volunteered to accompany him along with Jaken. "Are you sure you want to leave your family?" Sesshoumaru asked him.
"Hey, it's not like I'm going to die or anything. I've been through worst, remember? This demon's gonna be a piece of cake." Inuyasha drew out his sword, "Anyways, I'm glad to help a brother out when his woman's in trouble."
Sesshoumaru growled at him, "I never said-"
"Uncle Sess?" Mori tugged at his sword to gain his attention.
"Yes, what is it, Mori?" He bent down to look at Mori, Inuyasha's son that looked so much like him, with the elfish ears and golden eyes. What would it be like to have one of my own, Sesshoumaru thought?
"Is she gonna to be okay?" Mori fiddled with his sash nervously.
"She will, Mori. She will." He ruffled Mori's silver hair, "Don't you worry, I'll take care of her now."
"But you always have, Uncle."
"Yes, I guess I have, haven't I?"
"Uh huh," Mori gave him an unexpected hug then, and whispered, "Come back soon?"
"I try, there're no guarantees," Sesshoumaru said quietly, meaning it. "You be a good boy now, all right? Because I'm going to teach you sword lessons when I come back."
Mori looked at him in awe. "Really?"
"Yes."
"Thank you! I can't wait! You hear that, Mama?" He ran over to Kagome and hugged her knees, grinning widely. "Uncle Sess is gonna teach me to use a sword!"
"I heard, sweetheart, I heard," Kagome gave Sesshoumaru a smile.
He nodded at her and beckoned to Inuyasha and Jaken. "Come, let us hurry."
"Wait!" Mirokou ran out with a small pouch and handed it to Sesshoumaru.
"What is this?" Sesshoumaru looked curiously at the pouch.
"It's some herbs I mixed up, it should help slow the poison and make her feel better." He opened in and scooped out a tiny bit of the green, glittery powder. "She is to sniff it and it'll work it's magic." He held it under Rin's nose, but Jaken spoke up. "Hey! How do we know it's not some venom?"
"Shut up, Jaken," Sesshoumaru said quietly, hitting him on the head with the end of his sword.
Rin sniffed the powder, and some color returned to her face. "Thank you," she said. "I feel much better now." She gripped Mirokou's hand in thanks. "Good luck," Mirokou said.
Inuyasha kissed his family goodbye and off they went into the sunset, in search of the demon.
He stared at the vast mountains and the plains that stretched below them. It was going to be a long journey, and he only hoped that he could make it in time.
Author's Note: Sorry it was so short; it's just a beginning to the quest. Ah, where will I take you from there? You'll have to see in the next chapter. Here's a question for you, when this story ends, and it will end someday, would you all like an epilogue? Thanks for your reviews; they let me know if someone is actually reading this. =) Enter shameless self promotion here By the way, if you're bored and waiting for Chapter 10, and you like Inu/Kag stories, than you might want to check out my new Inu/Kag story, "Beneath the Howling Stars." It's a move away from all the Sess/Rin stories I've written. I wanted to try something different. It's set in 1758, France and is going to be long, I'm telling you. ;)
