A/N- Yay!! I got 50 reviews! Wow, I got a ton of reviews for the last chapter! Thank you everyone! I love any comment I can get, and some of you guys were so sweet in your reviews. Thank you again! This chapter is out a little early! This chapter is dedicated to Tiger of the Wind for her inspiring reviews. They always make me smile! Thank a bunch Tiger. Oh, and everyone else, go read Tiger's fic 'Opposite Ends'! It is incredible!!!!
Happy Reading!
The Colors of Emotions
Chapter 17
Following in Footsteps
Inuyasha was running at top speed. The smell of Kagome's blood was getting stronger by the second, and his instincts pushed him beyond all possible limits. When he reached a small clearing, an unexpected sight met him.
There stood his brother, a little girl, a pile of ashes and bones that smelled like a demon, and finally his eyes found the unconscious form of a bleeding Kagome. A jumble of strange scenarios and ideas filled Inuyasha's mind. But there was one thing he knew he had to fix right now. No way was his brother allowed to put his hands on Kagome.
"Don't touch her!" He snarled at his brother.
"Well I wasn't going to leave her on the ground. It's not like I enjoy having to carry your wench." Sesshoumaru retorted.
Inuyasha ran up to his brother and held out his arms expectantly. With uncharacteristic care, Sesshoumaru gently laid Kagome's small form in his brother's arms so he could carry her bridal style. Inuyasha panicked when he could barely hear Kagome's heart beat. He also noticed how much blood she had lost. "Why didn't you stop the bleeding?!"
"I wasn't in the mood to remove her clothing." The demon lord stated matter-of-factly.
Inuyasha growled at the idea, and would have tried to hit his brother for the comment had Kagome not been in his arms. But the hanyou realized that Kagome's shirt was drenched in blood and it would have to be removed, like Sesshoumaru had said, in order to stop the bleeding. 'At least my idiot brother used his head. If he had even made a move to take off Kagome's clothes, he wouldn't be alive right now!'
Sango, Miroku, and Shippou, on Kirara, came into the clearing. Sango's jaw dropped at the unexpected scene that greeted her.
"What happened!?" Shippou shrieked.
Sango could only stutter out, "Why are you here Sesshoumaru? Shouldn't you be trying to kill us or…or something?"
Sesshoumaru grimaced at the demon exterminator's notice of the obvious. "Would you like for me to kill you? If not, then simply shut your mouth. I have my reasons to keep you alive at the moment."
"Kagome saved Rin!" Rin piped up. That was when Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and Shippou first actually acknowledged the strange little human child hiding behind Sesshoumaru's leg.
"Since when do you care about humans?"
"Kagome saved her?"
"Why isn't Kagome awake?"
"Did she attack?"
"It was the kotsonu right?"
The questions bombarded Sesshoumaru and he quickly became annoyed. "Brother, I wasn't here when your wench was hurt. I came after she left out an immense burst of power and apparently destroyed whatever that (he pointed towards the remains of the kotsonu) was."
"Sango, take Kagome on Kirara and clean her wounds. All of the supplies are in her bag at camp. We need to stop her bleeding, and we are too far from Kaede's to have access to any more medical supplies." Miroku suggested. Sango nodded and Kirara, in her larger form, walked over to Inuyasha. The hanyou carefully laid Kagome on Kirara's back. Sango hopped on behind Kagome's body and held onto the younger girl tightly.
"Kirara, up!" And the three soared into the sky.
"Kagome let out a big green blast and this scary demon exploded!" Rin offered what she knew.
"So she did attack." Miroku seemed to say more to himself.
"Rin, we are leaving." Sesshoumaru stated.
"Where is Jaken Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"I don't know nor do I care. Now come."
And the strange pair of a demon lord and a human child left into the woods. Inuyasha, realizing there was no longer a point to stay, bolted back to camp. Miroku followed with a crying Shippou on his shoulder.
* * * * * *
Sango had returned to camp, grabbed Kagome's bag, and then gone to the hot spring to wash Kagome of all of the caked on blood. Thankfully, the bleeding had mostly stopped, and soon Sango had the young miko's chest bandaged up. She realized worriedly there were quite a few deep scratches across the girl's chest. The scar left from the first time Kagome had been attacked by the kotsonu was basically reopened. 'That scar will never leave.'
Inuyasha ran into the area with the hot spring and stopped dead in his tracks at Kagome's lack of clothing. His eyes widened and he was thankful that she wasn't awake to 'sit' him. Sango glared at him, but sighed dejectedly. "Inuyasha, her clothes are all bloody and are basically ruined. She doesn't have anything extra in her pack, probably because she hasn't been home for a while."
"What's your point?" Inuyasha had covered his eyes with his hand.
"She needs something to wear. Any ideas? Oh, and I know you have seen Kagome naked plenty of times. You don't have to cover your eyes. Try not to be immature about it though okay?"
"Here." Inuyasha removed his haori and handed it to Sango. She smiled and wrapped Kagome up in the warm red fabric.
"Thank you Inuyasha." Then she added, "I know you were scared there for a minute that Kagome might be dead. But believe me, she will be fine. It will be like the other times she attacked. She had enough strength to survive attacking that demon when she was wounded. She would be dead otherwise. And don't try to cover that you were worried about the jewel. The shard is right here by the way." She gestured towards the large jewel shard around Kagome's neck. "I am guessing your brother found it and gave it back to her. Why do you think he did that?"
"Kagome saved that little human girl with him. As strange as this sounds, I think he cares for her."
"It's funny how both of you are following in your father's footsteps."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha asked cautiously.
"Caring for a human girl."
Inuyasha immediately got defensive. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Sango began to laugh. "Would you like to carry Kagome back to camp?"
Mumbling something about ridiculous ideas, the hanyou scooped up Kagome's unconscious from and bounded towards their camp. Sango chuckled and grabbed the water bottles that were by the hot spring. They were the ones Kagome had dropped before she was kidnapped. Sango then jumped onto Kirara. Miroku soon appeared with Shippou clinging to him. Sango stalled to let the monk and kitsune on the fire cat demon. She stopped Miroku's wandering hands with a good slap to the face, and the small group left the hot spring.
* * * * *
"Well this is interesting." A cold voice murmured.
"What is master?"
Naraku looked towards the mirror that Kanna held before him. It had images of Kagome shooting her energy. He looked back up to meet Kagura's questioning gaze.
"It seems that Kikyo's reincarnation has acquired some sort of new power. How fascinating. How…tempting." His eyes gleamed dangerously. The mirror than showed an image of Inuyasha back at the camp with Kagome tucked tightly into his lap. "It also seems that Inuyasha has discovered his feelings for the girl. This is working perfectly. I will have to take her for my own and use her power to my advantage."
"Why would you be attracted to a human girl?"
"I am not as much attracted to the girl as I am to destroying Inuyasha."
* * * * * *
Sorry if you thought this chapter was kind if pointless. I needed to get some new material out for all of you to read. Oh, and if you thought Sesshoumaru was a bit out of character, I'm sorry. I find he is a difficult character to write about. Please Review!
Lots of Love,
Vold