In The Bleak Midwinter
Disclaimer ~ Just because a girl's delusional, you had to go and take her seriously, now didn't you?
A/N ~ You all think I'm "good". Aka, you like me. Do you want me to e-mail review responses? I had so many, I was a tad overwhelmed… ^_^;
I know that the first chapter, ehem, to put it nicely, didn't flow. But I have an excuse! The original chapter was on my other computer, which recently died, and I'm not getting enough physical activity. Aka, I'm bubbling with frustration and the need to break things. So, forgive me. If you want proof of my writing proficiency, here's a shameless plug: Go check out Life's Menagerie. Try it, you just might like it! ::Cheesy grin and exaggerated wink::
Chapter Two- Do-Right Woman
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Snow arched into the dark interior of the stables, as Kagome struggled to shut the massive door against the power of the wind. Behind her, dimly illuminated by the half-light, Roanoke shifted, the man astride him swaying with the motion. Dyna stood silently by, watching with her intense sapphire eyes. As she finally slammed the door shut, the faint light penetrating through the raging snowstorm was extinguished.
Moving with the ease of long familiarity, Kagome paced through the blackness. Scrapings and muffled steps were heard as she maneuvered around various objects; then the area was lit by the guttering light of a lantern. The three stalls and the low rafters were painted with flickering light as she moved quickly to hang the lantern. Leading Roanoke into his stall, she signaled him to kneel. Hurriedly untying the packages, she then gently removed the bindings holding the man in place.
Slipping him out of the saddle, Kagome grunted as she took the full brunt of his weight. Staggering back, she flopped gracelessly into the soft hay, with the unconscious man laid full on top of her. Blushing at her own idiocy, she gently rolled him off, eliciting a pained moan. Wincing, she fingered the area of his wound, noting that the blood had begun to seep through his thick coat.
Roanoke had righted himself, and was lipping the injured man's hair curiously. She shooed him away, and quickly removed his saddle. Grabbing a cloth, she rubbed him down rapidly and efficiently. Glancing over her shoulder, she anxiously eyed the man. Worrying her lip, she pondered the situation.
"I shouldn't have done this. It may be my responsibility to aide the injured, but this is risky. I know nothing about the man, except that he's a confirmed killer. There's no where I can run to for help should he decide to attack me, and I have no weapons against a skilled swordsman in close combat. What the hell was I thinking?!' Leaning her head against the warm side of her horse, she choked back anxious tears.
A silky nose rubbed against her, and hot breath ruffled her hair. Smiling, she turned to pat Roanoke's nose. His brown eyes were gentle, and she could not help but grin. "What am I worried about, hmm? I always have my magnificent stallion. You'll never let anything happen to me."
An answering assertive snort made her giggle. "Unfortunately, you're too big to fit into the house." With a final tender pat, she turned to the unconscious man. The snow was fast melting from him, but his features were still obscured by the flickering light.
Lifting him, she grunted. Eyeing the man, she wondered at his slim appearance yet incredible weight. She could barely raise him up, even with all the time she'd spent working on the farm. Grabbing the lantern down from the peg, Kagome muttered something about karma. Sighing, she metaphorically girded her loins, hefted the man, and began the long trek towards the house.
~~~
Gasping, Kagome collapsed against the side of her house. Eyes watering, she leaned the man against the wall, and struggled to push open the oaken door. After several ineffectual shoves, she gritted her teeth and threw herself against it. With the creak of straining ice, the door burst inwards, and Kagome sprawled across the wood floor. Huffing, she levered herself up. Dyna trotted up beside her, studying her through quizzical eyes. 'Thank god he isn't awake. If the person who was supposed to stitch up my wound was falling all over the place like this, I'd run screaming in terror.'
Becoming serious again, she grabbed the lantern and the man, dragging him inside. Slamming the door behind her, Kagome sized up the distance between her and the stairs. Struggling to pull his tall form across the floor, she managed to haul him over to the foot of the stairs. Pausing to catch her breath, she leaned against the wall. A small noise caught her attention, and she spun to gaze down at the man beside her. He had shifted to the side, and she watched him warily. He could merely be faking unconsciousness, and she didn't want to think what would happen if, delirious with pain, he should attack her.
Kagome reached into her well of courage, and firmly grasped him under his arm. She would do right by this man, even if it spelled her death. 'It's providence that he doesn't have his sword. Note to self- keep all sharp objects out of reach of feverish swordsmen. The results could be quite ugly.'
She managed to lug the man up the stairs, one painful step after another. Pausing every now and then to catch her breath, she made her way down the hallway, until she reached her dark room. Dragging the man to her bed, Kagome collapsed onto it. Entangled with the man, she lay breathing heavily for a few moments before she could manage to right herself and arrange the man in a comfortable position. Sitting up, she took the battered lantern from where it had fallen to the floor and lit the lamp on the beside table. Leaning over the man, she began to tug off his thick jacket.
The white linen was stained with blood, and a horrified gasp slipped past her lips as she say the extent of his wound. It stretched from the strong line of his neck to halfway down his hip. With such extensive wounds, how he had lived so long already was a mystery.
As she leaned over fold back the blankets beneath him, she stopped dead in her tracks. Upon his head rested two small, perky ears, similar to those perched atop Dyna's head. With a gentle brush of her hand, Kagome affirmed the fact that she was not hallucinating. In her concern over his condition, and in the poor lighting of the woods and the stable, she hadn't noticed the strange ears. A second look at the man revealed long nails that resembled claws, and a sharp canine that jutted out over his lip.
A creak from the tired wood of the hall echoed, and Kagome started from her intent study of the man, turning to gaze into the darkness of the house. Ginger hair rumpled from sleep, a young boy wandered to the doorway, sleepily rubbing his eyes.
"Momma?" He ventured into the room, then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the man laying in Kagome's massive bed. "Momma?!" Voice rising, he anxiously stumbled down, skidding around the man's prone form and running directly into his mother's arms. Frightened emerald eyes gazed up into her face, searching for any sign of injury. When he was absolutely certain that there was nothing wrong with Kagome, he turned to gaze up at the man. Pressing himself against her legs, he questioned her in a wavering voice.
"Who's that man? Where did he come from, and why is he in your bed?" All of this was delivered in a breathless rush, and Kagome smiled down at his fop of ginger hair. Kneeling at eye level, she spoke soothingly to him.
"I don't know who he is, but he's injured. I'm going to take care of him. Now, I need you to go back up to bed and tuck yourself in. I'm going to have to take care of this man for a while, so be good for me, alright?" He nodded, eyes wide and excited now that he knew there was nothing to fear. Kagome kissed him on the forehead, and gave him a push towards the door.
As he reluctantly made his way towards the door, casting curious looks at the man, Kagome whispered after him. "Don't you come wandering back, you little scamp. I'm going to need to concentrate!" Shippou nodded solemnly. He managed to hold the expression for a whole two seconds before a smile slipped through his serious demeanor. The grinning imp disappeared into the hallway, and she returned her gaze to the man before her. She had wasted too much time already; all this standing around could mean his death.
~~~
After a few hurried trips downstairs, and a few failed attempts at lighting a fire, Kagome was ready to care for her patient. She arranged her instruments beside her, and grasped a pair of scissors with a hint of trepidation. Gently cutting away the bloody-encrusted shirt and pants, she then removed the soaked linen binding his wound. Her face paled at the sight of the ghastly wound, but she did not balk. With clinical precision, a cloth glided lightly over his skin, cleaning away the encroaching infection.
The man stirred and moaned under her touch, finely arched brows gathering together. She soothed him with a hand, whispering about silly little things she had thought about through the day. Her voice and touch seemed to ease the pain, and as she began to suture the wound clothed, he emitted no more than a feeble protest.
After several long minutes, Kagome finished her grim task. The strong black thread stood out in sharp relief against his color, pulling the pinkened skin tight. Leaning down into her basket, Kagome grabbed several strips of fabric, and re-wrapped his wound, glad to hide the glaring evidence of the cruelty of man. Sliding the remains of his clothing from underneath him, she bundled them up and tossed them into the fire. Watching the flames burn the rags to ashes, she returned to cleaning up her tools. After they were safely tucked in a corner, she returned to the man's side.
It took her a moment to realize that she was standing there, gazing at a naked, injured man; a rather handsome one, whose large frame filled her bed nearly completely. A slow blush burned across her cheeks as she moved to pull the covers over his still form.
It occurred to her that in the space of a single day, she had had more surprises thrown at her than she usually encountered in an entire year on the farm. Rubbing her temple, she moved to the small dresser and the enticing, over-stuffed chair beside it. Tugging the large chair over to the side of the bed, near enough to easily reach the man, but far enough so that she could bask in the heat of the fire, Kagome flopped down. Wearily yanking off her boots, she shrugged off her heavy coat, and snuggled down into the chair to keep her midnight vigil.
After bathing his sweating brow with a cool cloth, Kagome settled back. A jaw-cracking yawn split her dainty face, and her gray eyes watered with tears. The man's fever would only worsen as the night went by; sleep was not an option.
A thought drifted across her mind as she struggled to keep her exhausted body awake.
''Mama always said that I'd find an all-night man to keep me up…' Another yawn forced it's way out.
'Mothers always have to be right…'
A/N ~ It's short, and I'm kinda sorry. I said that this story is not up to my usual caliber; that means that to update faster, I must write less. At least you got it before I ran off to Florida for the weekend. Thanks to Evanescent for checking this thing over.