Chapter 11
As requested, Soma led Sesshomaru and Jaken into the village and strait to Shura's home. The demon lord paused outside the entrance. Being surrounded on all sides by humans and their living space made his skin crawl. But as much as he despised humans, his hatred of them would have to be subdued for the time being. Even from outside the building he could feel Shura's faint life pulse beating within.
Sesshomaru walked up the porch steps and followed the child inside. He didn't bother to wait for her when she scampered into another room to deposit her bag of healing agents. Thanks to her subconscious mental link with him, he could already sense Shura's location within the house.
Meanwhile in Mia's room, Sango and Kagome were watching Shura with growing concern. In the past few hours her breathing had slowed dramatically, and she was starting to go cold. Both women were immensely relieved when they heard the front door open and the sound of footsteps approach them from down the hall. They were anxious for the young healer's return and guidance.
"Oh Soma! We're so glad your back! It looks like she's getting worse!" Kagome announced out loud when the figure approaching had come within earshot of the doorway. Kagome gasped in surprise when her eyes came to rest not on the small child she had expected, but instead on Sesshomaru's elegant form.
"Sesshomaru!" Kagome's cry of alarm and the sudden appearance of a strange demon sent Sango flying to her feet. Kirara reacted just as quickly as her companion. Shifting into her powerful attack form, the saber fanged demon positioned herself in Sesshomaru's path and snarled loudly.
"Kagome who is that?" Sango asked, having never encountered this particular demon before. Kagome was tense and leaning close to Shura's bedside in a protective stance.
"He's Inuyasha's older brother." Sango didn't need any further explanation; the fear in Kagome's eyes was evidence enough that Sesshomaru was a threat not an ally like his kin. Kagome glared at the demon lord coldly. "I don't know why you came Sesshomaru, but you're not welcome here!" Kirara followed up Kagome's feelings with another snarl.
Sesshomaru tightened his grip on the small wooden box containing the herbs. He could easily destroy the two humans and the cat demon if he so desired; and he would if they continued to stand in his way.
"Stop!" Soma's voice suddenly broke through the tense atmosphere "Leave him alone!" pale and out of breath, Soma darted into the room and stood defensively in front of Sesshomaru.
"Soma what are you doing!" Kagome demanded, "Get away from there!" But the child wouldn't budge. She remained still with arms spread wide in a defensive posture.
"Don't attack him!" Soma blurted out desperately "He brought medicine! Please! He brought the herbs for Shura!" Sesshomaru relaxed his muscles. Perhaps he wouldn't have to kill anyone after all. Kagome and Sango exchanged nervous glances.
"Fine!" Kagome gave in reluctantly and moved a safe distance away "But we'll be watching you! So don't try anything sneaky!" If not for the pressing matter before him, Sesshomaru would have slit the girl's throat for daring to speak to him in such a manner. But once again he had to suppress the urge to spill human blood.
As he knelt down by the bedside he couldn't help gazing at his daughter. It seemed only yesterday she was a rambunctious toddler, a far cry from the elegant woman she had grown into. Sesshomaru gently set down the wooden box and pulled a large piece of snakeweed off of the tangled mass inside. After splitting the plant open with his nails, he applied the juice from inside to Shura's wounds with surprising gentleness.
Only after he squeezed the same contents down her throat did Shura react. Hissing and thrashing, she only became quiet after Sesshomaru rested his hand gently on her forehead. Then, to everyone's amazement, Shura slowly opened her eyes.
As her father's face came into focus, Shura didn't know what to believe. Was it real or an illusion? Was she even alive at all? Shura tried to move, but her body wouldn't obey. All she could do was lay there and stare stupidly at what was probably a mirage. As her senses slowly returned to her, Shura was aware of a gentle weight resting on her forehead and brushing her bangs out of her face. She also detected a familiar scent very similar to her own. That couldn't have been her imagination. The demon she saw must have been real!
"Pappa!" Shura opened her mouth and tried desperately to voice a greeting, but the words got stuck in her throat. The only message she was able to convey was a weak and nearly breathless "pa" but even that was barely audible.
Sesshomaru saw her effort and placed his fingers gently on Shura's lips in an effort to quiet her. "Just rest now," he instructed softly "I'll come back for you later." His words were the last thing Shura heard before her mind was overcome with tiredness and could stay awake no longer. Closing her heavy eyes, Shura let her entire body relax as she fell into deep slumber.
Sesshomaru looked past the bewildered stares of Kagome and Sango as he left the room. He could sense the young child following him at a distance, but he ignored her also. On his way down towards the exit he caught a brief glimpse of the young fox demon that accompanied his brother. "Ah! Sesshomaru! What's he doing here!" he heard the demon squeak in a panic. As he passed the doorway where Shippo was standing Sesshomaru met the gaze of another; a tall woman with pale gray eyes and black hair. She watched him pass by with curiously but made no attempt to approach or even speak, and action he was grateful for. As he stepped outside into the sunlit morning and was rejoined by Jaken, Sesshomaru heard the unmistakable voice of his half brother and the monk he was traveling with somewhere in the distance. From where he stood Sesshomaru could see the two were attempting to carry a mushroom that was easily over three feet tall and must have weighed a ton. Inuyasha was muttering something under his breath about Miroku not moving fast enough, and Miroku was to busy straining to say much of anything.
When the two got within several yards of him, it was Miroku who finally noticed his presence.
"Hey, Isn't that Sesshomaru?" he commented with sudden curiosity. When Inuyasha looked up and recognized his brother, he was so quick to react and draw his sword that he released his end of the mushroom and caused Miroku to drop the heavy object onto his feet. Inuyasha ignored his friend's cry of pain as he addressed his brother angrily.
"Sesshomaru! If you're looking for a fight then you came to the right place!" Sesshomaru looked calmly at his quick-tempered sibling. As much as he would have liked to crush the half demon twit, he had other matters on his mind and was not interested in battle.
"Another time Inuyasha." The demon lord said calmly as he walked past his brother. Inuyasha followed him with his eyes. It wasn't at all like his brother to ignore a challenge. Come to think of it, this was the first time the two had met without some type of conflict insuring.
"I wonder what that was all about?" Inuyasha thought to himself. Before he could ponder the matter further, Miroku's cries for help finally registered.
"Inuyasha! Are you even listening? Get this thing off me!" Inuyasha turned to find a very angry Miroku trapped beneath the massive mushroom. Eventually the two got organized and managed to drag the thing inside. But when they looked for Soma for instructions, she was nowhere in the building.
The young healer had tagged along quietly behind Sesshomaru just long enough to shoo off any villagers that thought about approaching. The demon lord had not requested such an escort, but Soma was determined to show her appreciation one way or another. The child stopped once they reached the boundaries of the village and whispered her thanks into the wind.
"Thank you demon lord, you saved my best friends life, and for that I owe you my own."
When Soma returned to the inn a few minutes later she found herself surrounded on all sides by the curious, annoyed and utterly confused stares of Mia, Inuyasha and the others. Soma scratched nervously behind her head in embarrassment and after shuffling everyone into the dining room told her tale from the beginning. As she narrated her encounter with the mysterious demon lord Soma also kept everyone busy preparing the ingredients she, Inuyasha and Miroku had gathered. By the time the tale ended, Soma had a nutritious mushroom stew simmering in a large caldron. As the meal cooked and the aroma of fresh mushrooms drifted through the house, everyone took turns watching Shura's recovery; everyone that is except Miroku, Mia kept him working in the kitchen. Shura's progress was steady and she seemed to improve slowly with each passing hour.
Shura was resting comfortably under Kirara's protective gaze when the stew was finally finished. Everyone convened back in the kitchen rested and refreshed, and the atmosphere was noticeably less tense. Inuyasha was still curious as to why his brother would make an unexpected entrance, especially into a human village, but not even Soma had that answer, and she was the one who lead him there in the first place.
Kagome was puzzled by the situation also, but for far different reasons. Inuyasha hadn't seen what she had. When Sesshomaru tended to Shura, he was incredibly gentle and the demon lord's eyes had taken on a new softness. It was almost as if he… Kagome shook her head. She shuddered to use the words "love" and "Sesshomaru" in the same sentence but…
"Something wrong Kagome?" Miroku's voice broke through Kagome's train of thought.
"No, just thinking." She replied half heartedly, her mind still racing.
"About what?" Inuyasha asked just before stuffing a large piece of mushroom in his mouth. Kagome looked over at Sango who was sipping politely from her own bowl.
"Was it just me or…did Sesshomaru seem like he was already acquainted with Shura?" Sango lowered her bowl.
"You noticed it too?" Inuyasha and Miroku looked perplexed.
"You think they've met before?" the monk inquired. Kagome shrugged her shoulders.
"Do you think Mia would know?" No sooner had the words left her mouth then the innkeeper entered the room.
"Know what?" she asked having heard her name come up in conversation.
"We were just wondering, did Sesshomaru ever come by here before?" Mia looked perplexed. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it.
"You mean the demon from this afternoon? I don't think so…at least I've never seen him around here before." Kagome propped up her chin on her elbow. She probably should have dropped the topic right there, but something still didn't feel right. She needed more answers.
"Do you think Shura might have known him?" Mia scratched her chin lightly
"Well it is a possibility, though she never mentioned coming across a demon with his features." The innkeeper shrugged her shoulders "I suppose he could have been one of her patients." Patients? Everyone exchanged confused glances at the conversations unexpected twist. Mia had paused to take a sip of tea, but she lowered her cup when she saw the bewilderment in her guest's eyes. "Shura's a healer remember." Kagome scratched her head lightly. Weren't they talking about demons a second ago? How had the topic gone from demons to healing? The two had nothing to do with each other.
Just as Kagome opened her mouth to comment a loud rumble of thunder sounded outside, followed shortly by heavy gusts of wind that practically made the building shake.
"A storm?" Shippo questioned "but it was clear outside just a minute ago…" Inuyasha rose swiftly and narrowed his eyes.
"That's no ordinary storm, they'res a demon nearby, and it's coming in fast."
Inuyasha and Sango gathered their weapons and rushed outside. A swirling mass of dark gray clouds had formed in the sky and spanned nearly the entire village. In the center of the storm, concealed by its protective cover, was the massive shadow of a serpentine dragon demon. Sango's face went pale when she realized what they were up against.
"Careful Inuyasha," she warned sternly "that's a dragon lord."