To Live Again
By Rurouni Star
PG 13 CHAPTER! But only if you're REALLY sensitive to some subjects. It's just in case.
SilverQuick: He's beginning to loosen up a little. He really wasn't too happy about Kouga's little claim on Kagome.
CrissyKitty: Yes… unfortunately, I fudged on the title at some point. I changed it because the majority of the fic had mutated its title.
Profiler120: I personally think Jaken has more of a personality than just 'sniveling little follower'. Anyway, I'm sorry if I confused you on the traveling part. Sesshoumaru was searching for her before, so now that he's found her he's not just going to leave her there. I'm actually surprised more people didn't catch it, as I didn't spend too much time on describing Inu Yasha. He wasn't really Inu Yasha, so my mind refused to conjure a good image… ^^()
Sailor Panda: I'm hesitant to answer your review here because it would give away the chapter… so you can find it at the bottom.
AbyssDemon: Um, try not to take drastic measures in here *looks at the ceiling uncertainly* I'm not sure if it could take it.
YoYo and Golden Vegeta: That they are, I've been told. It's my crowning pride.
Emme: I'm bad at clues too, oddly enough. I always guess completely wrong in the murder mystery books.
Dumdeedum: Ah… now that's a compliment.
Mala Valvah: Like I said before, I didn't describe him well enough because he wasn't Inu Yasha. That was another little clue in itself, if harder to spot.
X: Thanks for the reviews! Let's see… moot was basically used correctly, but I got a bit tangled up in my words. Sorry about that. I'm glad you keep getting here 2 chapters ahead. It's always a nice surprise for me when there's two. ^.^
Disturbed-demon-gurl: I'm afraid Sesshoumaru hates Naraku's guts too much to plan anything with him…
SilverQuick: Oddly enough, you predicted a bit of what's happening. I didn't read your review until after I wrote this chapter… creepy.
Chapter 17 – Pain
Kagome didn't dare move. The claws in her back were positioned quite strategically near her heart. Naraku let his mouth break into a half smile.
"You're foolish, letting your guard down. Of course, Kikyo did the same thing." Kikyo? Where is she? She said she'd be here. "Ah. And our demon lord. Just on time." Kagome didn't need to turn around to know that Sesshoumaru had arrived just a moment too late. Her breathing quickened. She wished she could die before letting him see her so helpless. The feel of Naraku pushing himself against her was almost too much to bear, especially with only a slight layer of wet silk between them. And… and he'd seen her…
"Let her go." Sesshoumaru's cold voice whisked away any heat left from the hot springs.
"Why should I? Do you have a reason you need her?" Naraku's face had a cruel smile on it, as though he were playing with the inu youkai.
"She is helping me," came the response. Naraku's face contorted into a sneer and he dug his claws into her back, drawing blood. Kagome hissed in pain.
"Helping you destroy me, you mean. Ever since I took that human child, you've been after me. What is it with you dogs and humans? No matter. I found a better hostage than that little girl. You won't risk her life, will you?"
He's talking about me. Sesshoumaru doesn't care about me.
"Why should it matter to me if you kill her? You'll be dead moments later." Sesshoumaru's cold voice didn't waver, and Kagome began seriously doubting her chances of survival.
"That's not what Kagura tells me. In fact, she tells me you've been taking rather good care of her. Keeping her warm at night like a little girl," the sneer was apparent even in his voice.
Then that was him? Won't matter in a second...
"She is a valuable miko," was Sesshoumaru's response.
"You're in love with her. A human. You're pathetic." The claws dug deeper still, creating a gouge in her back. Kagome, however, refused to scream. Only a small whimper escaped her... but she was sure Sesshoumaru had heard it.
"Your mind is twisted, Naraku." There was a definite growl in Sesshoumaru's voice now, probably at being so insulted.
Naraku raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Is it now? So it wouldn't matter… not at all, if I did this, for instance?" He pulled the girl against him, the slight silk not enough to hide the fact that she was tightly pressed against the half demon, his hand against her chest. Had the circumstances been anything else, she would most likely have yelled at the idiot that would touch her like that. But she was at his mercy, and she knew it.
Something seemed to have Naraku amused. It probably had to do with the sound of metal on metal as Sesshoumaru drew his blade quickly. Kagome closed her eyes, knowing that there was a terrifying glare on the demon lord's face that spoke of murder. Kagome let out a cry as Naraku pressed his claw deeply into her back, his smirk widening all the while at something she couldn't see. Her vision was slowly becoming blurry, though she wasn't wounded at all on her head. Something was terribly wrong. His other hand, which had bothered her so much, pulled back and hit her in the chest. Something broke. She hoped desperately that it was a rib and not her collarbone.
"Lower your sword. Throw it to the ground. I can kill her so that even the Tenseiga won't bring her back," Naraku said coldly. With a sinking feeling, Kagome heard the clang of metal on rock.
But just as she felt the hanyou's smirk grow and his claws begin to go deeper, something inside of her stirred. A painful sensation for all that it felt cleansing, Kagome began to feel as though her body were housing some animal trying to burst free. Naraku stiffened, and for a moment, she thought he might let her go. But instead, he looked over her shoulder at Sesshoumaru, and then, quite deliberately, lowered his lips to hers, hungrily pushing open her mouth and invading it, even as the light escaped her. It turned his body to ash almost instantly. You're mine, miko, and you will know it beyond doubt soon. Kagome began to shiver uncontrollably as the ash crumbled away to reveal a small wooden doll inside. She fell into the springs again, unable to support herself and screaming as the hot water hit her back. A gasp attempted to escape her, but liquid invaded her throat. The only result was a bubble of air, floating surreally to the top of the water. She could see the stars above her, she noticed from somewhere in her pain, and the bubble popped as it reached the surface. It obscured her view of the pinpricks of light even as she began to drown. Oddly, there were no thoughts in her mind of dying or even of regret. Only two – that she had been terribly violated by Naraku and that the stars were much too beautiful to be seen while in pain.
Something grasped her arm, then, and she was pulled from the water, into warmth. Her eyes registered the spreading red coloring the water, much more than was healthy for her, she knew. Kagome coughed up the water violently, wishing that she could also rid her mouth of the sickening taste of Naraku. The demon lord looked her over once, an expression of inarticulate rage on his face. Almost as soon as she registered this, he set her down on the ground and regained control of himself.
"This will hurt," Sesshoumaru told her quietly. The quiet 'shink' of metal against metal met her ears as he drew his sword.
Is he going to put me out of my misery? she thought in a haze. Would I even mind at this point?
A bone came back into place with a sickening crack. Kagome screamed.
The sword swung just above her head several more times, and each time one of the terrible gouges in her back closed, the skin melting back together painfully.
It was done before she could say a word, but her body was still on fire. A quiet sob escaped her.
"I should have been more careful," the demon lord observed coldly. "Naraku left behind a surprise to delay us from giving chase." He picked up her shivering form in a surprisingly gentle way.
"You're in love with her. A human." Naraku had to have been mistaken. Sesshoumaru must have known what would happen when her body felt her panic. But Naraku would never get that close to her again now that he knew what would happen. Kagome's hand trembled as it clutched the demon's haori.
"It...hurts..." she moaned, her eyes shut tightly. The man that moved with her paused momentarily, and she expected him to say it. To say he couldn't care less.
But instead, he simply kept walking, that stormy expression battling to escape his control.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Is Kagome-nee-san done yet? Can Rin go into the hot springs?"
The demon lord shook his head. "They are polluted." The miko's body spasmed in his arms, and he resisted the urge to look down at her. "Naraku's miasma has poisoned her. It would kill a normal human, but it will only last the night for such a miko. Her powers have already begun to purify it." Kagome's breathing picked up slightly at the thought of bearing such pain all night. She wouldn't be able to sleep.
Rin seemed to realize that there was something wrong with her now. "Rin understands," she said quietly. "Rin will leave Kagome-nee-san alone now." Jaken muttered something about human hearing being insufficient for detecting danger in a rather concerned tone for a toad before leading the girl toward An and Un to eat.
Kagome tried to get herself under control as Sesshoumaru sat next to the fire, still not releasing her. Probably because she was still wet. Her mind wouldn't let her dwell on the immodesty of the situation for long as it reminded her of more important things. And besides… it was Sesshoumaru. Not Naraku. Even if the demon lord was going to kill her eventually, it was just somehow different.
"Why..." another terrible pain wracked her small frame. "Why do you bother?" The demon didn't look at her. "Why don't you leave me somewhere to rot? I haven't done a single useful thing since you..." She stopped and squeezed her eyes shut with a gasp.
Sesshoumaru's grip on her tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Talk later. You're only making this harder on yourself," he told her calmly. Kagome took another shaky breath, trying to ignore the pounding in her head and the burning in every nerve. She buried her head in the demon's haori, blessing his comforting scent. It didn't make the pain subside, but it made it more bearable.
Rin ate in complete silence, occasionally glancing uneasily at her toad companion as Kagome shook in pain. Eventually, however, even Rin had to sleep. The little girl nearly dropped into her stew before Sesshoumaru nodded his head and Jaken pulled her over to the customary sleeping spot in between An and Un's heads.
The night drew on, and the girl's pain increased steadily. At some point in her tired and pained state, one of the demon's hands settled on her head, calming her somewhat. Sesshoumaru didn't need to do much other than to be near her, somehow. She was still smeared with her own blood, and she could only guess that she smelled like the bastard that had nearly killed her. But the blood stained Sesshoumaru's haori without his concern, even though she quite clearly remembered him sparing her because he might have gotten messy. And he made no comment on her smell, in fact, made no comment at all other than to hold her while she sobbed in pain.
Kagome shivered as the pain subsided slowly with the sunrise, being filtered from her blood. She had no idea that she was falling asleep against the lord of the West, and if she had, she might not have cared so much.
And, Sesshoumaru found, neither did he.
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"Naraku did not attempt anything else last night, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked his master in an embarrassed voice. He wasn't blind to the girl sleeping in the crook of the demon's arm, but he surely didn't want to admit it.
"No. He was preoccupied with something, I believe." Sesshoumaru's gaze traveled Southward. "My brother is coming for him." Jaken blinked.
"H-How do you know that?" he asked in surprise. The demon lord looked down at Kagome.
"I am fairly sure that a certain monk in their group is trying to kill Naraku rather expediently. The trail Naraku left was not intentional, I believe. He simply took advantage of the fact that somehow he regained his ability to mask it. That suggests something to me, but it is only a suspicion." Jaken nodded, not quite understanding, but not wanting to look stupid.
"Will Jaken come with Rin to look for breakfast?" a sleepy voice asked. "Rin is hungry." Jaken looked to Sesshoumaru for confirmation, but the demon shook his head slightly.
"Naraku is still here somewhere. I do have my doubts as to how long my brother can hold his attention." But whether or not he holds Naraku's attention, he should be the thing Naraku fears most. It is good, for once, that I play the distracter.
"I will watch Rin then, Sesshoumaru-sama," the toad said quietly with one last glance at the human miko. He took the girl by the arm and dragged her to An and Un, muttering something about picking more flowers for the human.
Sesshoumaru's gaze reflexively dropped to the girl in his arms. He could let her go. She was dry and probably wouldn't notice.
His arms didn't move.
"You're in love with her. A human." Was this what Naraku had meant? This feeling that made him not want to put her down.
Why was he even bothering to listen to his enemy? Everything Naraku ever said was meant to confuse or hurt the one that listened.
But why had he put down Toukijin, then? This curiosity about Kagome could not possibly extend to ending his own life.
Naraku could not possibly be right, the demon lord thought with a sinking feeling. He was not in love with her.
The girl stirred slightly, moving closer still to the warmth Sesshoumaru provided. She seemed very peaceful now that the poison was gone. He felt an overwhelming urge to stroke her hair again, but quieted it. Not only would it wake her from sleep she desperately needed, it would defeat the conclusion he had finally made himself believe.
He settled for a compromise between his heart and peace of mind by actively pulling her close to his chest. Warmth would help recovery.
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Badum, badum.
A heartbeat?
Badum, badum.
Whose?
Badum, badum.
The comforting scent assailed her senses again, and a name floated to the surface of her mind. It wasn't the one she would normally have expected.
Sesshoumaru.
It was his heartbeat. He had a heart. And it was his warmth surrounding her in this peaceful place. She moved closer and smiled unconsciously. Soon after, his arm drew her in to his chest and the heartbeat became slightly more noticeable.
Badum, badum.
He does have a heart. Just like everyone else.
Kagome finally felt at peace from all of her other troubles. They dissolved before her, scattering on the wind. And his heartbeat lulled her to sleep.
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Do we have happy S/K people now? Come on, say it. ^_^
SilverPanda: Now for that review answer. Kagome basically saved herself from that one, but the mop-up duty was Sesshoumaru's. The whole poison thing is based on a particularly nasty virus I caught that kept me awake way too long with my misery and wouldn't let me sleep. It sucked.