Author: Nefertili
Fandom: Inuyasha
Rating: PG13
Pairing(s): Sesshoumaru/Kikyou, Sesshoumaru/OC
Genre(s): Romance, Angst, Adventure, AU
Warning(s): Battle scenes, betrayal, over-anger (if there is such a word), fluff... What more can I say?
Disclaimer: None of the characters, except perhaps some, are mine. They are owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
Summary: Kikyou, being saved from peril by Sesshoumaru, joins him in a quest against Naraku and one of his allies, who happened to share a past one-sided relationship with the Demon Lord. SesshKik!
A/N: Okay, back to work! Well, Dark Sorceress Arwen, thanks for your last review. I indeed had fun, but alas, my shoulders got sunburned and they were sore for two days. Now I have a feel of what Kikumo (of all the persons O.o) must have suffered when Kikyou burned her shoulders last chapter. Also, I know that it might make sense that Kikyou could not get sick (or even eat) if she could not bleed, but I will bend that rule in my story.
...o0o...
Rin had taken to exploring a little the area where they encamped while waiting for Sesshoumaru to return. They had stopped near a huge expanse of bare rock that had dried husks of dead bushes and grasses embedded at its surface. The size of the huge rock wall aroused the curiosity of the child, but it failed to drive away her apprehension at the Demon Lord's departure. Jaken himself, was jittery. What does the appearance of one of Kikyou's shinidamachuu mean? She can't cause them trouble now...can she?
"Don't worry, Jaken-sama," Rin had told her Lord's retainer in an attempt to calm him down somewhat. "Sesshoumaru-sama will return soon." But how soon was soon? The sun had fully sunk from the horizon, leaving behind streaks of gold and red which were soon overwhelmed by the grey clouds of winter.
The little girl approached the large rock wall and her hands eagerly felt the weathered, dark brown surface as she walked at its base. Its surface was smoothed to an extent that it was could not be scaled. Rin's chocolate brown eyes stared with awe up at the barrier of stone, marveling at its tall height which surpassed that of the trees by many meters.
Rin continued to explore the base of the huge rock when she came to a certain spot where numerous trees, bare of their leaves, huddled beside the rock face as though attempting to hide a secret. Tilting her head in utter inquisitiveness, the human girl cautiously poked her head in between a gap among the naked trees to see what lies within. To her surprise, Rin discovered that she was facing the entrance of a little cave, well-hidden from the world outside by the small grove of trees.
"Sesshoumaru-sama will like this," Rin said to herself, recalling that the silver-haired Demon Lord had conferred with Jaken many times that day as to where they will find shelter in case a snowstorm overtakes them. This cave would be a perfect place to...
Something cold fell on Rin's back, and she jumped up in surprise. Another cold bite stung her nose, and Rin, cross-eyed, recognized that the tiny stuff was snow. She looked around her and saw that the numerous little flakes are falling everywhere, giving the seemingly lifeless surroundings a silvery glow. Winter had begun, and Rin hurriedly rushed back to their camp, knowing that she might have strayed too far, and the gentle snowfall might become a blizzard and prevent her from finding her way back.
She had expected her Lord Sesshoumaru to be back by the time she had arrived, but the only youkai that greeted her eyes was Jaken, who had huddled beside Ah-Un to somehow keep the cold stings of the snow away.
"Hasn't Sesshoumaru-sama arrived yet?" Rin innocently asked the lesser demon as she took a seat near him.
"No," the little toady demon had replied, rubbing his hands, which had gone cold with worry, together. "If Lord Sesshoumaru does not arrive in a couple of minutes, I am going where he had gone."
Rin was about to reply when the soft crushing of dried leaf husks made them look at the direction where Sesshoumaru went. Rin's face broke into a smile when the regal figure of the taiyoukai emerged from the trees, escorted by numerous white Soul-snatching demons which he drove away with a mere flicker of his eyes. But Rin's happiness soon turned to dismay to see the silk of his garments soiled by nauseating blood. The little girl's eyes widened to see that Sesshoumaru carried a cargo that had his long bloodstained pelt of fur wrapped around it with outmost care.
Approaching the Demon Lord, Rin's and Jaken's mouths fell open to see raven locks sticking out of the creamy fur, and furthermore to see on whose head it was attached to.
It was Kikyou, and there was no mistaking that the blood that stained Sesshoumaru's clothing came from her wounds. Even Jaken, as much as he disliked the Undead Miko, could not help but feel pity to see Kikyou with her injuries and scratched face. Her head rested on Sesshoumaru's shoulder; apparently, she was unconscious.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, what happened to..." was all Rin could say, too lost for words.
"We have to get her out of the cold," Sesshoumaru told his companions, eyeing the partially frost-covered surroundings. Though his voice was calm and composed, the concerned look in his amber orbs was evident as he tightened his one-armed hold around Kikyou's frail body.
"There is only the forest to hide us, Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken uncertainly said, but he trembled to see the angry look coming from his Lord, which gave him the message, 'Then don't just stand there! Find some shelter, fool!'
Rin, however, spared Jaken from further trouble by saying in a small voice while clasping her hands together with worry for the Priestess, "Rin saw a cave nearby, Sesshoumaru-sama. Maybe it can keep the snow from Kikyou-sama."
Sesshoumaru regarded the girl steadily for a second before he said, "Show us the way, Rin."
Rin nodded quickly and she darted off towards the rock barrier with her companions following close behind.
...o0o...
"This is it, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin said meekly, motioning towards the grove of trees that she had seen earlier.
The Demon Lord spared a good look at the cave from a gap between the trees before he stepped forward and squeezed between their bare trunks into the dark chamber of stone beyond. His golden eyes once more affixed themselves to the Priestess' unmoving form. She was still unconscious, and her breath - two of hers for each one of his - was weak against his neck.
Rin went between the trees and inside the cave just like the taiyoukai had done, to be followed by Jaken who pulled Ah-Un by his reins behind him. Once inside, Sesshoumaru gently lowered Kikyou on the rough, cold floor of the cavern, taking care not to further aggravate her injuries while doing so. Lying down at the very end of the small chamber, the snow would least likely reach her, but he still removed his furry red-stained pelt from his shoulder and wrapped it around the miko's own shoulders to keep her warm.
Jaken and Rin could only stare at their master's silent yet unusually tender actions. They had never seen Sesshoumaru without his creamy fur just as they had never seen him without his swords, but the times were obviously changing. They had still to fathom about what happened to the Healing Fang, and Sesshoumaru just won't tell them about what became of it.
Having made sure that Kikyou was comfortable, Sesshoumaru wordlessly withdrew to a corner of the cave where he sat down in his usual position. Amidst his crimson-stained garments, he still looked as noble and foreboding as he usually would. Furthermore, his platinum-sheen hair added a comforting light to the gloom of the cavern. His eyes never left the miko's unconscious form, as though watching over her in never-ceasing vigilance.
Jaken tethered Ah-Un to a rock protruding from the ground in the cave and began to make a fire at the heart of the chamber with the firewood Rin had gathered earlier. The little girl, on the other hand, knelt down beside Kikyou, observing the numerous bruises on her face, shoulder and wrist. Though the blood appeared to have dried and formed a crust over the miko's wounds, she had not stirred, and it was not a good sign.
"What happened to her, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin asked of the silver-haired demon, looking at him from over her shoulders. The concern was clear in her child's face as she spoke.
"Kikumo attacked her," Sesshoumaru said simply, without a trace of interest at the topic. His amber orbs finally left the Priestess and he stared emptily at the dancing flames of the yellow fire at the heart of the little room.
"Kikumo, my Lord?" Jaken asked, surprised. He was sitting beside the two-headed dragon, as the chamber wasn't that large as to give all of them sufficient spaces to stretch. "Why, savagery has never been part of her persona before!"
"Before," Sesshoumaru said quietly, emphasizing the single word. There was no mistaking the bitter edge in his otherwise composed voice.
"Is...Kikumo...the player of the invisible koto, Jaken-sama?" Rin asked of the toad-like demon.
"Who else can it be?" Jaken replied, as though everyone knew the answer. "She definitely has something up in her sleeve. First she plays that koto of hers in the forest a few weeks ago to haunt us, and now she attacks the Undead Miko. What have you to say about her whereabouts, Lord Sesshoumaru?"
But Sesshoumaru was silent, his intensely colored eyes deep in thought. Apparently, he knew the answer, but he refused to speak of it, ending the simple yet not simple conversation.
In silence, Rin preoccupied herself into eating whatever dried nuts she had been able to save before the winter had arrived. Watching the child's quiet form beside the fire, Sesshoumaru knew that she could not live off without eating for a long time unlike him and Jaken, and like a father to his child, he was concerned about her well-being. But he had a much larger concern of the moment.
Kikyou...he had come to her rescue once again; he had called her by her own name and even lent her his fur to give her warmth...
Amidst his apparent anxiety for Kikyou, to admit to himself that he had truly forgiven her for seeing him being fooled by Kikumo would be a mistake. Patience was one of his virtues (what else had enabled him to tolerate Jaken and Rin?), but when that fragile thread of tolerance was broken, his temper could reach extraordinary heights. A part of him still detested the Undead Miko, and he was as tormented by her smile just as he was tormented by Kikumo's betrayal. Alas, what had become of him to be a rough echo of Naraku: to detest and like the Tragic Miko at the same time?
And Kikumo? If truth be told, Kikyou's last question of the other night did not fail to have an effect on his mind. Would he give the Demoness another chance if she surrendered the Tenseiga back? Sesshoumaru knew that he had a soft spot in his heart for the Deer youkai - he still does, miraculously - but he now hated her all the more after finding out that she was allied to Naraku. Can he ever let her go?
Sesshoumaru unconsciously clenched his fist. He knew that he could not abide his clashing sentiments for Kikyou and Kikumo for a long time. He had to choose one for each of them, either to let go or to love, if not express liking, again. The Demon Lord just knew how crucial that choice would be. It would either break or shape his future, as he knew it; he had to choose well.
...o0o...
The gentle snowfall had transformed into a blizzard early morning the next day, thus deterring the little company from making further progress on their journey. But thanks to the small grove of leafless trees guarding the entrance of their cavern, the snowstorm did not hit them as badly as Sesshoumaru had thought.
Not that they would have left, anyway. Kikyou had not regained her consciousness amidst the healing of her wounds, which was rapid for a human. The scratches on her face, previously conspicuous, had dulled into thin lines, and the wounds on her wrist and shoulder had assumed the healthy color of healing. Sesshoumaru showed no inclination to leave Kikyou in her condition, but neither Jaken nor Rin could understand what the great taiyoukai had in mind for the Priestess, and neither of them have the guts to ask him about it.
Rin had chosen to sleep beside the Tragic Priestess so as to see if she was making any improvement; therefore, the little girl was the first to know that Kikyou's condition had gone for the worse. Wakened and rather frightened by the howling sounds of the blizzard, Rin had instinctively grasped at the limp hand of the miko, and the child had felt that the Priestess' hand was warm. Or was that warmer than usual?
Fully awake now, Rin knelt beside Kikyou's form bundled up in Sesshoumaru's furry pelt as she felt the Priestess' temples with her small hands. Even a fool would know that a fever had taken hold.
"Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama, Kikyou-sama is sick!" Rin gasped. Sesshoumaru, whose eyes were previously closed as though in a restful slumber, came at once to the miko's side and carefully observed her features. Her cheeks were extremely flushed, her breathing rapid and weak. Hesitatingly, he placed his cool hand on her forehead, and he inwardly flinched at the feverish heat.
"What shall we do, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin implored her master, looking up at him worriedly.
Sesshoumaru hid his intense worry for Kikyou behind a neutral expression. Not exactly a master healer, the Demon Lord instructed Rin to summon Jaken. Having jolted the lesser demon out of the reverie of sleep by shaking him violently by the shoulders, Rin dragged the half-awake youkai towards Kikyou and Sesshoumaru, repeatedly saying, "You've got to help Priestess Kikyou, Jaken-sama!"
"Why should I help her?" Jaken muttered in half-awareness only to be answered by Sesshoumaru's deep voice in turn.
"The miko is being plagued by a fever," Sesshoumaru said in an even tone without a trace of emotion. "And you are going to find a way to alleviate her condition."
Interpreting the statement as an order, Jaken obediently inspected Kikyou's symptoms, and shaking his head in disbelief, he said to his Lord, "It just an ordinary fever, my Lord." Jaken could not help but think that the sight of Lord Sesshoumaru without his fur slung over his right shoulder was rather unusual.
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. There was nothing ordinary in her condition.
"But if it's a fever, where are we to find the herbs to help cure Kikyou-sama?" Rin asked hurriedly. "The snow had buried all the plants."
At this, Jaken shrugged and scratched his bare head, saying, "If that's the case, we are left with nothing but to wait. Neither Lord Sesshoumaru nor I have the ability to cure sicknesses at the blink of an eye. It is up to the Priestess whether to keep fighting or not."
Rin cupped both her hands over her mouth to suppress her gasp of apprehension. She turned to Sesshoumaru, not knowing what to do, and to their surprise, he placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Worry not, Rin. We won't abandon her." Having said so, Sesshoumaru adjusted his fur to wrap closer around Kikyou and retreated back to his corner of the cave.
The simple sentence planted a smile on the child's face and she nodded eagerly with renewed determination. Rin turned to the unconscious miko and grasped at one of her hands, saying, "You will get well, Kikyou-sama."
...o0o...
Jaken had taken to doing the arduous task of rekindling the dying flames of their fire to ward off the biting cold of winter. The only twigs available at such a short distance were the branches of the trees at the entrance of the cave, and the howling snowstorm just wouldn't allow them to go far; even the chore of chopping off a few branches from the trees already proved difficult in the raging snow. To top it all up, the twigs were dampened and cold from the snow, and they refused to give a spark.
But an even more laborious task lay for Rin, as she had taken to nursing the Priestess in all her humility. Using a piece of cloth torn from her sash dampened by a cold handful of snow (which was all they had for water), the child dutifully tended to the unconscious Kikyou. Placing the cool cloth on her forehead, Rin was hoping against hope that it would help lower the fever.
Amidst the screechy howling of the wind, Sesshoumaru was back in his solitary bend, carefully eyeing Kikyou's motionless form. Rin's caring nature for the sick and wounded once more tugged at Sesshoumaru's heart, having experienced being tended by the child. He privately cursed himself for not being of so much help to Kikyou. What he wouldn't give to help her get well...
The Demon Lord caught himself just in time. What was he thinking of? How had his life suddenly spun out of his control? Why does he feel such overwhelming concern for the miko after he tried to kill her a few nights past? Why does his heart, broken as it was, clench at her pain? He didn't love her...did he? He spared a good look at his hand. It still had faint traces of her blood, just like his garments.
Sesshoumaru frowned slightly at his thoughts. 'I don't love her. I had loved once and I paid dearly for it. I cannot love anyone again, let alone her...' But inasmuch as he tried to deny himself, the Demon Lord of the West could not help but remember how Kikyou had smiled at him...the feel of her soft breath against his neck...and how she looked up at him and said such a heartfelt sorry...
'The world knows she loved my dearest half-brother, and she still does,' Sesshoumaru thought so as to quell his rising emotions. 'She feels nothing for me, and I must not trouble myself with her for she's not worth my efforts...'
But deep inside him, as his eyes locked themselves to the delicate features of the unconscious miko, a chilling cold began to creep inside his heart upon realizing that she was presently battling the trappings of death that are wrapping closer and closer about her.
Her aura was severely shaken, and Sesshoumaru knew that even for a woman as strong-willed as Kikyou, to resist death with such a weakened life force was no easy task. And she had experienced so much heartbreak, so much pain and so much betrayal that made his own hurt look feeble by comparison. Amidst all his doubts and questions, one thing was clear: he could not bear to see her die; not now.
'Don't die before my very eyes, Kikyou.'
...o0o...
Ah, what's this? Sesshy couldn't bear to see Kiky die, eh? Stay on your guard for Chapter 9!