A/N: I'm answering reviews first again. I don't know why.
Review Responses:
Puppet in the Corner: Lol thanks for reviewing.
serenity: Thank you for reviewing!
inuyashagirl5: Lol, thanks.
kittycat90120: Well, hello again.
writerlover101: :P :P :P
sianna: Finish soon, as in, finish the story or finish that plot?
JadedDemon: I'm not done. There. ;)
yuya2: It was Inuyasha... not hiding... kinda... listening? Oh, whatever.
Canna: You get more... today.
Mx2mnm: Well, I kind-of explained in the chapter, though I myself am unsure. If you still don't get it after this chapter, feel free to tell me and I'll try and explain.
Lonely Soldier: Guess what? I love the Sess/Kag moments too!
blah: The thing I hate most is people reviewing once a year. Just kidding :P
Sycoh: Wow. What a whole lot of compliments, thanks!
Sw33t Vi3t: Thank you for the review.
Kagome360: Be evil, be evil, be evil... Ok, now why did I update? I'm supposed to be evil!
inu.-sess.fan: ;) Thanks for reviewing
Shadow-mai: Sorry, it wasn't meant as a cliffy. I stopped where it seemed good to stop.
Harmony8390: And I wouldn't be sad if Kikyo died either.
Leena LeBeau: Thanks for the review.
sunfire-moondesire: Lol this is such a sweet review.
sessygirl: Sess/Kags are cool. They're amazing.
lyn: No promises, but I'll do my best.
IcyAsh: looks around, whistling innocently
Sessh's BabyGrl: Lol... looks shocked How could you get mad at poor Sesshy? He'll be so bummed... (VERY unlikely – he's got about two million other fangirls gushing over him) ;)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chapter 13: Sesshoumaru's Thoughts
He could hear her pacing. Her footsteps echoed in his mind. It was the same girl who had been there since he'd woken up. Then again, he wasn't really awake. His mind was filled with consciousness.
But no matter how hard he tried, his eyes wouldn't open. His body felt like it was under a mountain, unable to move. It was unbearably hot, but he couldn't even shift a bit.
A cool hand rested softly on his forehead. It felt like the best thing in the world and he tried to move closer, but couldn't. Then, the hand left, but returned to slide an icy cold cloth across his forehead and down the side of his face.
Every hour, a little bit of his memory came back to him. He knew who he was. But three faces haunted him, and he had no idea who they belonged to.
If only he could see and walk, he could find those people.
He wasn't healing like he was supposed to, as a demon, and it angered him.
Helplessness wasn't something he was accustomed to, and he wasn't about to allow himself to get used to it either.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Kaede," said Inuyasha in a voice barely more than a whisper.
She turned in surprise as he stepped out from the tree. How long had he been listening to her conversation with Shippou?
He looked paler than she had ever seen him.
"Shippou, go play with Kirara, please?" asked Kaede.
"Nobody wants me around," he wailed, but didn't sound upset as he scampered off.
When they were alone, she looked at Inuyasha compassionately.
"I probably won't be of much help in these matters," she said gently. "But I can tell you, you should talk to Kagome."
"I wouldn't know what to say." The once-arrogant hanyou looked almost forlorn.
"Just talk. About the weather, about the trees, about anything. Be a friend, Inuyasha, she's got enough worries."
"That's harder than it sounds."
"I never said anything about it being easy. Considering that all this was partly Kikyo's fault, and you show a bit too much undying devotion to Kikyo, it might be asking a lot to ask Kagome to even talk to you. That is, if she were a normal person. Knowing her, she'd probably forget faster than she'd forgive."
He sighed. "That's the problem. I think my 'undying devotion' is dying. And I really want to be there for her, even as a friend or maybe more."
"That's a bit hard, especially as you've treated her especially rude the past few months. I think you were mean to her more times than Miroku tried to grope a girl, which is saying something."
"I know," he said in frustration. "I know it too well. But Kikyo thought I liked Kagome better than her, so I had to be a jerk to Kagome to stop Kikyo being jealous."
"Maybe Kikyo 'thought' right," said Kaede. "You did like Kagome a lot, at least, at one point in time."
"Yes. As a really good friend, even a sister – no, that's Miroku's line. Maybe as too good a friend."
Kaede smiled wryly. "Go on," she said, ushering him slightly towards the house. "If you can't save the 'more than a friend' relationship, at least save the friendship."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Shippou scratched the dirt on the ground, watching Kirara chase a mouse. He wanted his box of crayons, the ones from Kagome's time. But Kaede had told him to stay away, and he wasn't sure he wanted to go near, with Miroku and Sango acting funny outside the door.
"This is really boring," Shippou told Kirara.
She mewed, and carried on with her mouse.
"Do you think I should draw our group?" asked Shippou. Without waiting for another mew, he started on the picture.
"What are you doing, Shippou?" asked Kaede, coming towards him.
"Drawing," he said cheerfully. "Come and take a look."
Kaede looked at his picture and laughed. It showed a monk and a demon exterminator, standing too close together for comfort, both looking equally embarrassed. A girl in Kagome's school uniform sat on a rock, with two dog demons in dream bubbles on both sides of her head. Behind her, an Inuyasha-like character hovered between a Kikyo and a Sesshoumaru.
Kaede laughed again, and smiled. "You're a talented artist, Shippou. Just don't show the rest any of this, ok?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Kagome..."
She barely looked up, but when she did, her eyes were tired.
"How are you?" It sounded lame, but it was better than saying, "Isn't it such a hot day!"
"Surviving, I guess," she said and smiled weakly.
"Listen... I'm sorry -"
"Inuyasha... you don't have to..."
"- I know I've been really horrible these -"
"It's ok, really."
"- past few months, I didn't mean -"
"INUYASHA!" yelled Kagome. "It's ok. I'm not mad at you." She then looked sheepish. "I guess yelling does make me seem angry."
He smiled his first real smile in days. "I really needed to say that, to tell you."
"It's a good thing you did, or else you'd be going around thinking how much I hated you when I don't."
"How's the patient?"
"He'd kill you if he heard how you made him sound so weak."
"I'd like to see him try now."
"Be careful, he might be listening to every word you say."
Damned right, cursed Sesshoumaru, though he remained unmoving. It hit on him – one of the faces he kept seeing. It was his brother, a silver-haired hanyou, the one who was speaking. Well, that idiot was going to get it from him when Sesshoumaru could move.
"Well, I'll go see about some food," said Inuyasha uncomfortably.
"Sure. That would be nice."
Oh, Inuyasha hadn't changed a bit from the spoiled, willful child he was. Then again, Sesshoumaru wasn't too unhappy about it. Not that he enjoyed Inuyasha's occasional outbursts; but willfulness was all part of Inuyasha and without it Inuyasha wouldn't be Inuyasha.
What the hell, groaned Sesshoumaru. I'm getting sentimental. Who cares what Inuyasha thinks, says, or does?
Kagome does, reflected Sesshoumaru.
Wait... and who was Kagome again? He knew her name and knew her role in his life, but he couldn't place the name to a face.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A single woman stood next to him, surrounded by inky blackness.
"I've been trying to reach you," she said with almost a grimace. "You weren't paying attention and refused to greet me."
"I wasn't told I had to greet you," Sesshoumaru answered.
"Oh, what would you know of magic? If you want to enter someone's thoughts, you have to be invited or greeted by them."
"What the hell... Do I know you?"
"Yes. You can call me Kikyo."
He remembered her. "What do you want, miko?"
"Some company. Inuyasha doesn't love me anymore and my grandmother says I was the one who ruined her plans."
It clicked. "You lied, didn't you, when you said you didn't know what your grandmother was planning?"
"No. I only guessed at it; but she never told me what she was doing or if I was part of it."
"No wonder I couldn't detect a lie from you..."
"Yeah, well don't worry, there's nothing wrong with you."
"I would kill you for lying. You nearly killed lots of people."
"When you can move that is," taunted Kikyo.
He silently gritted his teeth. "I will, soon, if it means getting rid of you. Next time you want company, go look somewhere else."
"Are you kicking me out of your thoughts?"
"More or less. I could kick you out, or throw you out."
"Well, it's your thoughts I'm listening in to. If you order me to leave, I have to. But I daresay you'll regret it."
"I believe you, don't go!" said Sesshoumaru sarcastically.
And then she was gone.
"Annoying dead bitch," muttered Sesshoumaru.
"Then again, you shouldn't get too mad over me." Kikyo's voice echoed in his head, fading slowly away. "It would be a waste of your time, and mine as well."
He would kill her on the spot if he could. For once, he would throw all consideration of Inuyasha's feelings to the wind. He would kill that bloody whore and be done with it.
Where was Tensaiga? Didn't anyone bother thinking of using it on him?
Then again, he couldn't complain. At least he was starting to heal faster. And his memories were coming back. As much as he hated to admit it, when he'd first woke up, with no recollection whatsoever of his past, it had, just a little, worried him slightly.
Now, worry had been overcome by frustration, annoyance and exhaustion.
Oh, he was going all emotional again. Something was up with that, and it irritated him. When he could move, he would go figure that one out.
Everything depended on a 'when I can move'. That pissed him off no end. He wasn't born disabled; in fact, when he was three months old he'd bitten one of his earlier nursemaids who had pinched him when he cried.
Wait – he never cried. Certainly not, even as a child, or a baby.
This was all so depressing. Not only was he being schmaltzy and emotional, he was also remembering his weakest moments, as a child.
He would heal enough to move at least a damned limb, even if it damned well killed him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Kagome-chan?" Rin asked cautiously.
Kagome jumped and dropped the bowl she was holding.
"Yes?" she replied, dropping down to the floor and picking up the largest fragments of the broken bowl, and heading towards the small box they used as a bin to throw the pieces away.
"Inuyasha-sama said to go to sleep."
In spite of herself, Kagome smiled slightly. "Why doesn't he come and tell me himself?"
"Because the houshi and the demon exterminator are holding his hostage and are 'torturing' him to get information about the other miko." Meaning, Kikyo, obviously, noted Kagome.
"What's 'torturing'?" Rin inquired innocently. "It can't be all that bad, because they're out there with him and he's laughing like it's all a big joke."
Kagome stopped mopping up the mess and peeked out the window.
"That's not torturing," she laughed. "That's tickling. Which, to Inuyasha, I suppose, is a kind of torture."
"So what is torture?" insisted Rin. For all her innocence and sweet character, she could be very insistent at times. Probably she picked it up from Sesshoumaru, thought Kagome wryly, even though his character can barely be considered 'innocent', or 'sweet' for that matter.
"It's something people do to others, not pleasant, often to get information out of them," explained Kagome. Then, thinking about Naraku, she added, "Some people do it for fun, because they are evil and like seeing people hurt. What they are doing to Inuyasha," Kagome nodded towards the window, "Is barely torture."
Rin nodded like an expert on the subject of torture, but barely grasped the whole idea. It was hard to comprehend that someone out there would torture for the fun of it. She could ask Jaken when he came back, or Sesshoumaru when he woke up.
"Here," Rin said, "I'll help you." Before Kagome could say or do anything, Rin had reached out for a small, but dangerously sharp piece of porcelain. As she pricked her finger, tears filled her eyes.
Kagome quickly dabbed at the drops of blood dropping slowly from Rin's finger. "Don't touch that in the future, ok?" she asked gently.
"I'm not hurt, or scared. In fact, it doesn't hurt much. But I just wasn't used to it – I haven't ever cut myself before."
"Sesshoumaru sure takes good care of you," remarked Kagome. "I think when I was your age, I must have already broken a leg, and maybe fractured something else."
"What did you do?"
"Lots of things – piano, ballet, fencing..."
"Umm... what's piano and ballet?"
"A type of instrument and dance," Kagome answered.
When the broken bit had been picked off the floor, Kagome sank onto a cushion in exhaustion.
"Inuyasha-sama said to get rest," Rin reminded her respectfully.
"I say... no," insisted Kagome, though her eyelashes drooped a bit more, casting even darker shadows under her eyes.
"Ok..." Rin had an idea. "I will tell you a story then. Have you ever heard the story, 1001 Tales of Samurai Nights?"
"No," said Kagome, though she had a vague idea of something called Arabian Nights.
"Well, it goes something like this. In a far, far, away land, there is a country whose king wanted to spend the night with every maiden, but kill them afterwards. One particularly clever maiden offered to spend the night with him, and told him tale after tale of mystery and intrigue. He kept wanting to hear the end of the stories, he would call for her night after night, until at the end, when the story ended, the king no longer wanted to kill maidens anymore."
"Arabian Nights," nodded Kagome.
"No, Samurai Nights," corrected Rin. "Anyways, our shogun of the time heard the tale, and wanted a Japanese version of it. He commanded his best scholar to write the story. It began like this..." Rin trailed off triumphantly, noticing that Kagome had drifted off to sleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
God damn his hand. He couldn't even move his damned hand. God damn it, and God be damned.
If he couldn't move his hand, he couldn't wield a sword. And if he couldn't wield a sword, well, he couldn't get the better of that annoying miko.
Another woman, not Kikyo, appeared in front of him.
"What's with you mikos?" asked Sesshoumaru irritably. "All coming into my thoughts. Kaede, isn't it?"
"Indeed," said Kaede warily. "I have to ask you something."
"No," he said. "Whatever you're asking, it's no."
"I was going to ask if -"
"No! I'm busy trying to recover here, can't you see that?" he snapped.
"Hey! What happened between you and -"
"Shut up, you hag!"
"- Kagome?"
Oh. Kagome, again. That name...
"Who's Kagome?" inquired Sesshoumaru as politely as he could.
"Umm, the one who always follows Inuyasha, the one who looks like an older version of Rin..."
Rin. Another familiar name, one with no face.
"I cannot help you," he said at last. "I am, slowly, but surely, recovering my memory. When I remember, I will tell you. Now, could you leave me alone?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"That," sighed Kaede, "was hopeless. He stopped short of throwing me out of his thoughts."
"You're saying he can't remember a thing?" asked Miroku.
"He couldn't. Now, he can remember quite a few things, but he's still trying to recover the rest."
"Don't tell Kagome. Nor Kikyo, nor Inuyasha, while we're at it."
"Kagome's sleeping, Rin told me."
"About time. I don't think she's slept at all since forever."
"Really, you haven't been sleeping that much yourself, Miroku," pointed out Kaede.
"Oh, but I get plenty of rest," Miroku mumbled vaguely, remembering how he had wheedled Sango and coerced Shippou into doing chores and special things for him.
"At the expense of us two," panted Shippou who arrived. "Here's your tea, Miroku."
"I thought I asked Sango."
"She went off to find Inuyasha and tickle him some more."
"Ok, Shippou, you and I are going for a little stroll. Let's try and 'bump' into Inuyasha and Sango."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
He could do it. One last try and he would be able to move. He could feel it in his bones.
Actually, Sesshoumaru realized, he couldn't. His bones were numb from aching.
Concentrating fiercely, he could almost feel what little energy he had left flowing towards his right arm.
"Well, still trying to move?" came a grating voice.
"FUCK OFF bitch!" growled Sesshoumaru. The bitch had broken his concentration.
"As you wish," smiled Kikyo sweetly. She had gotten what she'd wanted to accomplish – she'd made him lose concentration. As long as he didn't regain the ability to move, she would live.
"God that mother-fucking bitch..." muttered Sesshoumaru. Ok, he wasn't going to waste anymore energy cursing her. He would just kill her and be done with the damned thing.
His anger seemed to energize him. And like he'd done thousands of times before, he reached easily across his waist towards his left, trying to grasp his sword where it had always hung.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Kagome," Rin poked her. "Kagome!"
"What?" murmured Kagome sleepily.
"He moved, I saw it!"
"Who moved?"
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" At that, Kagome shot up. Rin lifted Sesshoumaru's right hand with two chubby ones. "See, he moved! It was on the other side just now!"
Kagome stared. For the first time in awhile, she didn't know what to do.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: You may want to watch for another story I will – hopefully – upload soon. It's '1001 Tales of Samurai Nights', and despite it's name I'm actually making it a less-fluff more-plot fiction. At least, I'll try. Somehow lemons keep popping up.
Review Responses:
Puppet in the Corner: Lol thanks for reviewing.
serenity: Thank you for reviewing!
inuyashagirl5: Lol, thanks.
kittycat90120: Well, hello again.
writerlover101: :P :P :P
sianna: Finish soon, as in, finish the story or finish that plot?
JadedDemon: I'm not done. There. ;)
yuya2: It was Inuyasha... not hiding... kinda... listening? Oh, whatever.
Canna: You get more... today.
Mx2mnm: Well, I kind-of explained in the chapter, though I myself am unsure. If you still don't get it after this chapter, feel free to tell me and I'll try and explain.
Lonely Soldier: Guess what? I love the Sess/Kag moments too!
blah: The thing I hate most is people reviewing once a year. Just kidding :P
Sycoh: Wow. What a whole lot of compliments, thanks!
Sw33t Vi3t: Thank you for the review.
Kagome360: Be evil, be evil, be evil... Ok, now why did I update? I'm supposed to be evil!
inu.-sess.fan: ;) Thanks for reviewing
Shadow-mai: Sorry, it wasn't meant as a cliffy. I stopped where it seemed good to stop.
Harmony8390: And I wouldn't be sad if Kikyo died either.
Leena LeBeau: Thanks for the review.
sunfire-moondesire: Lol this is such a sweet review.
sessygirl: Sess/Kags are cool. They're amazing.
lyn: No promises, but I'll do my best.
IcyAsh: looks around, whistling innocently
Sessh's BabyGrl: Lol... looks shocked How could you get mad at poor Sesshy? He'll be so bummed... (VERY unlikely – he's got about two million other fangirls gushing over him) ;)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chapter 13: Sesshoumaru's Thoughts
He could hear her pacing. Her footsteps echoed in his mind. It was the same girl who had been there since he'd woken up. Then again, he wasn't really awake. His mind was filled with consciousness.
But no matter how hard he tried, his eyes wouldn't open. His body felt like it was under a mountain, unable to move. It was unbearably hot, but he couldn't even shift a bit.
A cool hand rested softly on his forehead. It felt like the best thing in the world and he tried to move closer, but couldn't. Then, the hand left, but returned to slide an icy cold cloth across his forehead and down the side of his face.
Every hour, a little bit of his memory came back to him. He knew who he was. But three faces haunted him, and he had no idea who they belonged to.
If only he could see and walk, he could find those people.
He wasn't healing like he was supposed to, as a demon, and it angered him.
Helplessness wasn't something he was accustomed to, and he wasn't about to allow himself to get used to it either.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Kaede," said Inuyasha in a voice barely more than a whisper.
She turned in surprise as he stepped out from the tree. How long had he been listening to her conversation with Shippou?
He looked paler than she had ever seen him.
"Shippou, go play with Kirara, please?" asked Kaede.
"Nobody wants me around," he wailed, but didn't sound upset as he scampered off.
When they were alone, she looked at Inuyasha compassionately.
"I probably won't be of much help in these matters," she said gently. "But I can tell you, you should talk to Kagome."
"I wouldn't know what to say." The once-arrogant hanyou looked almost forlorn.
"Just talk. About the weather, about the trees, about anything. Be a friend, Inuyasha, she's got enough worries."
"That's harder than it sounds."
"I never said anything about it being easy. Considering that all this was partly Kikyo's fault, and you show a bit too much undying devotion to Kikyo, it might be asking a lot to ask Kagome to even talk to you. That is, if she were a normal person. Knowing her, she'd probably forget faster than she'd forgive."
He sighed. "That's the problem. I think my 'undying devotion' is dying. And I really want to be there for her, even as a friend or maybe more."
"That's a bit hard, especially as you've treated her especially rude the past few months. I think you were mean to her more times than Miroku tried to grope a girl, which is saying something."
"I know," he said in frustration. "I know it too well. But Kikyo thought I liked Kagome better than her, so I had to be a jerk to Kagome to stop Kikyo being jealous."
"Maybe Kikyo 'thought' right," said Kaede. "You did like Kagome a lot, at least, at one point in time."
"Yes. As a really good friend, even a sister – no, that's Miroku's line. Maybe as too good a friend."
Kaede smiled wryly. "Go on," she said, ushering him slightly towards the house. "If you can't save the 'more than a friend' relationship, at least save the friendship."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Shippou scratched the dirt on the ground, watching Kirara chase a mouse. He wanted his box of crayons, the ones from Kagome's time. But Kaede had told him to stay away, and he wasn't sure he wanted to go near, with Miroku and Sango acting funny outside the door.
"This is really boring," Shippou told Kirara.
She mewed, and carried on with her mouse.
"Do you think I should draw our group?" asked Shippou. Without waiting for another mew, he started on the picture.
"What are you doing, Shippou?" asked Kaede, coming towards him.
"Drawing," he said cheerfully. "Come and take a look."
Kaede looked at his picture and laughed. It showed a monk and a demon exterminator, standing too close together for comfort, both looking equally embarrassed. A girl in Kagome's school uniform sat on a rock, with two dog demons in dream bubbles on both sides of her head. Behind her, an Inuyasha-like character hovered between a Kikyo and a Sesshoumaru.
Kaede laughed again, and smiled. "You're a talented artist, Shippou. Just don't show the rest any of this, ok?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Kagome..."
She barely looked up, but when she did, her eyes were tired.
"How are you?" It sounded lame, but it was better than saying, "Isn't it such a hot day!"
"Surviving, I guess," she said and smiled weakly.
"Listen... I'm sorry -"
"Inuyasha... you don't have to..."
"- I know I've been really horrible these -"
"It's ok, really."
"- past few months, I didn't mean -"
"INUYASHA!" yelled Kagome. "It's ok. I'm not mad at you." She then looked sheepish. "I guess yelling does make me seem angry."
He smiled his first real smile in days. "I really needed to say that, to tell you."
"It's a good thing you did, or else you'd be going around thinking how much I hated you when I don't."
"How's the patient?"
"He'd kill you if he heard how you made him sound so weak."
"I'd like to see him try now."
"Be careful, he might be listening to every word you say."
Damned right, cursed Sesshoumaru, though he remained unmoving. It hit on him – one of the faces he kept seeing. It was his brother, a silver-haired hanyou, the one who was speaking. Well, that idiot was going to get it from him when Sesshoumaru could move.
"Well, I'll go see about some food," said Inuyasha uncomfortably.
"Sure. That would be nice."
Oh, Inuyasha hadn't changed a bit from the spoiled, willful child he was. Then again, Sesshoumaru wasn't too unhappy about it. Not that he enjoyed Inuyasha's occasional outbursts; but willfulness was all part of Inuyasha and without it Inuyasha wouldn't be Inuyasha.
What the hell, groaned Sesshoumaru. I'm getting sentimental. Who cares what Inuyasha thinks, says, or does?
Kagome does, reflected Sesshoumaru.
Wait... and who was Kagome again? He knew her name and knew her role in his life, but he couldn't place the name to a face.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A single woman stood next to him, surrounded by inky blackness.
"I've been trying to reach you," she said with almost a grimace. "You weren't paying attention and refused to greet me."
"I wasn't told I had to greet you," Sesshoumaru answered.
"Oh, what would you know of magic? If you want to enter someone's thoughts, you have to be invited or greeted by them."
"What the hell... Do I know you?"
"Yes. You can call me Kikyo."
He remembered her. "What do you want, miko?"
"Some company. Inuyasha doesn't love me anymore and my grandmother says I was the one who ruined her plans."
It clicked. "You lied, didn't you, when you said you didn't know what your grandmother was planning?"
"No. I only guessed at it; but she never told me what she was doing or if I was part of it."
"No wonder I couldn't detect a lie from you..."
"Yeah, well don't worry, there's nothing wrong with you."
"I would kill you for lying. You nearly killed lots of people."
"When you can move that is," taunted Kikyo.
He silently gritted his teeth. "I will, soon, if it means getting rid of you. Next time you want company, go look somewhere else."
"Are you kicking me out of your thoughts?"
"More or less. I could kick you out, or throw you out."
"Well, it's your thoughts I'm listening in to. If you order me to leave, I have to. But I daresay you'll regret it."
"I believe you, don't go!" said Sesshoumaru sarcastically.
And then she was gone.
"Annoying dead bitch," muttered Sesshoumaru.
"Then again, you shouldn't get too mad over me." Kikyo's voice echoed in his head, fading slowly away. "It would be a waste of your time, and mine as well."
He would kill her on the spot if he could. For once, he would throw all consideration of Inuyasha's feelings to the wind. He would kill that bloody whore and be done with it.
Where was Tensaiga? Didn't anyone bother thinking of using it on him?
Then again, he couldn't complain. At least he was starting to heal faster. And his memories were coming back. As much as he hated to admit it, when he'd first woke up, with no recollection whatsoever of his past, it had, just a little, worried him slightly.
Now, worry had been overcome by frustration, annoyance and exhaustion.
Oh, he was going all emotional again. Something was up with that, and it irritated him. When he could move, he would go figure that one out.
Everything depended on a 'when I can move'. That pissed him off no end. He wasn't born disabled; in fact, when he was three months old he'd bitten one of his earlier nursemaids who had pinched him when he cried.
Wait – he never cried. Certainly not, even as a child, or a baby.
This was all so depressing. Not only was he being schmaltzy and emotional, he was also remembering his weakest moments, as a child.
He would heal enough to move at least a damned limb, even if it damned well killed him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Kagome-chan?" Rin asked cautiously.
Kagome jumped and dropped the bowl she was holding.
"Yes?" she replied, dropping down to the floor and picking up the largest fragments of the broken bowl, and heading towards the small box they used as a bin to throw the pieces away.
"Inuyasha-sama said to go to sleep."
In spite of herself, Kagome smiled slightly. "Why doesn't he come and tell me himself?"
"Because the houshi and the demon exterminator are holding his hostage and are 'torturing' him to get information about the other miko." Meaning, Kikyo, obviously, noted Kagome.
"What's 'torturing'?" Rin inquired innocently. "It can't be all that bad, because they're out there with him and he's laughing like it's all a big joke."
Kagome stopped mopping up the mess and peeked out the window.
"That's not torturing," she laughed. "That's tickling. Which, to Inuyasha, I suppose, is a kind of torture."
"So what is torture?" insisted Rin. For all her innocence and sweet character, she could be very insistent at times. Probably she picked it up from Sesshoumaru, thought Kagome wryly, even though his character can barely be considered 'innocent', or 'sweet' for that matter.
"It's something people do to others, not pleasant, often to get information out of them," explained Kagome. Then, thinking about Naraku, she added, "Some people do it for fun, because they are evil and like seeing people hurt. What they are doing to Inuyasha," Kagome nodded towards the window, "Is barely torture."
Rin nodded like an expert on the subject of torture, but barely grasped the whole idea. It was hard to comprehend that someone out there would torture for the fun of it. She could ask Jaken when he came back, or Sesshoumaru when he woke up.
"Here," Rin said, "I'll help you." Before Kagome could say or do anything, Rin had reached out for a small, but dangerously sharp piece of porcelain. As she pricked her finger, tears filled her eyes.
Kagome quickly dabbed at the drops of blood dropping slowly from Rin's finger. "Don't touch that in the future, ok?" she asked gently.
"I'm not hurt, or scared. In fact, it doesn't hurt much. But I just wasn't used to it – I haven't ever cut myself before."
"Sesshoumaru sure takes good care of you," remarked Kagome. "I think when I was your age, I must have already broken a leg, and maybe fractured something else."
"What did you do?"
"Lots of things – piano, ballet, fencing..."
"Umm... what's piano and ballet?"
"A type of instrument and dance," Kagome answered.
When the broken bit had been picked off the floor, Kagome sank onto a cushion in exhaustion.
"Inuyasha-sama said to get rest," Rin reminded her respectfully.
"I say... no," insisted Kagome, though her eyelashes drooped a bit more, casting even darker shadows under her eyes.
"Ok..." Rin had an idea. "I will tell you a story then. Have you ever heard the story, 1001 Tales of Samurai Nights?"
"No," said Kagome, though she had a vague idea of something called Arabian Nights.
"Well, it goes something like this. In a far, far, away land, there is a country whose king wanted to spend the night with every maiden, but kill them afterwards. One particularly clever maiden offered to spend the night with him, and told him tale after tale of mystery and intrigue. He kept wanting to hear the end of the stories, he would call for her night after night, until at the end, when the story ended, the king no longer wanted to kill maidens anymore."
"Arabian Nights," nodded Kagome.
"No, Samurai Nights," corrected Rin. "Anyways, our shogun of the time heard the tale, and wanted a Japanese version of it. He commanded his best scholar to write the story. It began like this..." Rin trailed off triumphantly, noticing that Kagome had drifted off to sleep.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
God damn his hand. He couldn't even move his damned hand. God damn it, and God be damned.
If he couldn't move his hand, he couldn't wield a sword. And if he couldn't wield a sword, well, he couldn't get the better of that annoying miko.
Another woman, not Kikyo, appeared in front of him.
"What's with you mikos?" asked Sesshoumaru irritably. "All coming into my thoughts. Kaede, isn't it?"
"Indeed," said Kaede warily. "I have to ask you something."
"No," he said. "Whatever you're asking, it's no."
"I was going to ask if -"
"No! I'm busy trying to recover here, can't you see that?" he snapped.
"Hey! What happened between you and -"
"Shut up, you hag!"
"- Kagome?"
Oh. Kagome, again. That name...
"Who's Kagome?" inquired Sesshoumaru as politely as he could.
"Umm, the one who always follows Inuyasha, the one who looks like an older version of Rin..."
Rin. Another familiar name, one with no face.
"I cannot help you," he said at last. "I am, slowly, but surely, recovering my memory. When I remember, I will tell you. Now, could you leave me alone?"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"That," sighed Kaede, "was hopeless. He stopped short of throwing me out of his thoughts."
"You're saying he can't remember a thing?" asked Miroku.
"He couldn't. Now, he can remember quite a few things, but he's still trying to recover the rest."
"Don't tell Kagome. Nor Kikyo, nor Inuyasha, while we're at it."
"Kagome's sleeping, Rin told me."
"About time. I don't think she's slept at all since forever."
"Really, you haven't been sleeping that much yourself, Miroku," pointed out Kaede.
"Oh, but I get plenty of rest," Miroku mumbled vaguely, remembering how he had wheedled Sango and coerced Shippou into doing chores and special things for him.
"At the expense of us two," panted Shippou who arrived. "Here's your tea, Miroku."
"I thought I asked Sango."
"She went off to find Inuyasha and tickle him some more."
"Ok, Shippou, you and I are going for a little stroll. Let's try and 'bump' into Inuyasha and Sango."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
He could do it. One last try and he would be able to move. He could feel it in his bones.
Actually, Sesshoumaru realized, he couldn't. His bones were numb from aching.
Concentrating fiercely, he could almost feel what little energy he had left flowing towards his right arm.
"Well, still trying to move?" came a grating voice.
"FUCK OFF bitch!" growled Sesshoumaru. The bitch had broken his concentration.
"As you wish," smiled Kikyo sweetly. She had gotten what she'd wanted to accomplish – she'd made him lose concentration. As long as he didn't regain the ability to move, she would live.
"God that mother-fucking bitch..." muttered Sesshoumaru. Ok, he wasn't going to waste anymore energy cursing her. He would just kill her and be done with the damned thing.
His anger seemed to energize him. And like he'd done thousands of times before, he reached easily across his waist towards his left, trying to grasp his sword where it had always hung.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Kagome," Rin poked her. "Kagome!"
"What?" murmured Kagome sleepily.
"He moved, I saw it!"
"Who moved?"
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" At that, Kagome shot up. Rin lifted Sesshoumaru's right hand with two chubby ones. "See, he moved! It was on the other side just now!"
Kagome stared. For the first time in awhile, she didn't know what to do.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: You may want to watch for another story I will – hopefully – upload soon. It's '1001 Tales of Samurai Nights', and despite it's name I'm actually making it a less-fluff more-plot fiction. At least, I'll try. Somehow lemons keep popping up.