Ch. 7 Poisoned!

Dinnertime came. Julie sat at the table with Sesshomaru, eating something that Jaken had cooked. Jaken had found some wine down in the cellar and Sesshomaru opened it up and smelled it to make sure it was okay. He poured himself a glass of it.

"Do you want some?" asked Sesshomaru holding out the bottle.

"I'm fifteen," said Julie. "I can't drink at my age."

"Why not?" asked Sesshomaru. "You're a woman."

"I'm a teenager," said Julie. "And teenagers don't drink wine. In my time, you have to be 21 or older to drink."

"That's rather strange," said Sesshomaru. "Why?"

"It's because alcohol does more damage to you're brain cells when your young," said Julie.

"I drink occasionally and my brain is fine," said Sesshomaru.

"Well, do you get yourself drunk?" asked Julie.

"No," said Sesshomaru.

"Well, it only destroys you're brain cells if you get drunk," said Julie.

"I'm not asking you to get drunk," said Sesshomaru.

"And I wouldn't drink to get drunk," said Julie. "I'm just following the rules of my time."

"Suit yourself," said Sesshomaru. He corked the bottle and slowly drank out of his glass.

"Thanks for the meal, Jaken," said Julie.

"Um, you're welcome?" asked Jaken.

"What? It's polite for us humans to thank people when we're done a favor," said Julie. "Although, I notice Sesshomaru never thanks you for anything."

Sesshomaru glared at Julie. "Well, it's true!" she told him. "You could show some respect."

"It not custom to show respect for servants," said Sesshomaru.

"Humph!" said Julie. "Disrespectful demon!"

Sesshomaru merely narrowed his eyes at her. "Humans," he said.

When they went to the bedroom to go to sleep, Julie sat in a chair by the window and looked outside. Sesshomaru had removed his armor and was lying on the bed.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" asked Sesshomaru, patting the blanket beside him. "I can't stay up all night, waiting for you to get over here."

"I'm not tired right now," she said.

She was busy contemplating her feelings for Sesshomaru. He had been nice to her lately. She was beginning to think that her feelings for him were coming back slightly. Maybe she could teach him to not be so cold.

She wondered if she should tell how she used to like him before all this happened. What would he say? How would he react? He would probably look at her as if she's weird or something. But maybe not... she decided to tell him. What did she have to lose?

She turned around to tell him.

He was still lying on the bed. His eyes were closed.

"Um, Sesshomaru?" she asked.

He didn't reply. She got up and went over to him. "Sesshomaru?"

Still no answer. She crawled onto the bed beside him. His breathing was heavy, too heavy, like he was having trouble. He was sweating slightly.

"Sesshomaru!" she shook him, trying to get him to say something. There was no reply.

"JAKEN!" she screamed, getting off the bed. "JAAKENN!"

She ran out of the bedroom.

Jaken was running down the hall. "What's wrong?"

"It's Sesshomaru," she said, snatching his arm and dragging him into the bedroom. "He's not right. He won't respond and his breathing is too heavy!"

Jaken looked at Sesshomaru. "He's sick. But I don't know what to do!"

"He needs to get to a hospital!" shouted Julie.

"Uh, what is this hospital that you speak of?" asked Jaken.

"Never mind!" said Julie. "Maybe he got poisoned! The wine!"

"But Lord Sesshomaru smelled it!" said Jaken. "He would've known if there was poison in it!"

Julie ran out of the room to the kitchen. She snatched up the bottle and looked at it. It was just ordinary wine. She opened it and smelled it. She couldn't smell anything strange.

She went back. "Well, if it's not poison, then-"

"Wait a minute!" said Jaken. "Maybe it's Yoltoy! It's a rare poison that has no smell or taste."

"Why would that be in the wine though?" asked Julie.

"Maybe the previous inhabitants of this house put the poison in the wine to kill someone or something," said Jaken. "I don't know. I know the antidote. It requires grass, some rice sake, the bones of a squirrel, and some human blood."

"Ew," said Julie. "Fine. Whatever. Lets make it!"

She found a pot in the kitchen. Jaken fetched the bones of the squirrel he had cooked for her dinner and some grass. They threw it into the pot. Julie dug through the kitchen and found some old rice sake.

"How do we know if this isn't poisoned?" she asked suspiciously.

"We don't," said Jaken. "We'll just have to hope."

She dumped what was left in the pot. She took a knife and then cut her hand. A few drops of blood fell into the pot. She wrapped her hand up in a piece of cloth and then added water to the pot and boiled it over the fire in the kitchen.

One the water began to bubble; she removed the pot and got a cup. She dunked the cup into the water and filled it with the icky broth.

She took the cup back to Sesshomaru. He was still breathing heavily.

He opened his eyes slightly. "Julie-"

"Don't talk, just drink," she told him. She lifted his head and made him drink the cup. He went unconscious again. Jaken took the cup.

"Lord Sesshomaru should be okay now that the liquid has gone into his system," said Jaken.

"Thank goodness," said Julie.

"Uh, can I ask you something?" asked Jaken.

"What is it?" replied Julie.

Jaken cleared his throat. "Why didn't you run the moment you knew he was sick?"

"Well, I couldn't just leave him here to die!" said Julie.

Jaken told her it would probably be awhile before Sesshomaru regained consciousness. He went to bed.

Julie crawled into bed and laid down next to him. His breathing wasn't so heavy now. She closed her eyes and managed to go sleep.

The next morning she awoke to Sesshomaru's voice. She opened her eyes. He was lying on his side, facing her. He had his arm over her.

"Well, I see you decided to stay," said Sesshomaru. "Last night, by the time I felt myself getting sick, I fell unconscious. Mind filling me in on what happened?"

Julie told Sesshomaru what had happened.

"I'm surprised you didn't take advantage of me being poisoned and decide to run," said Sesshomaru.

"I couldn't let you die like that," said Julie.

"So you cured me and stayed with me," said Sesshomaru.

"Yeah," Julie sat up. She looked out the window, realizing that another reason why she helped him was because she was beginning to like him again.

She remembered how he planned to do something with her.

"Sesshomaru." She stood up. "I know you still plan to do something with me. I may have saved your life, but if this plan involves hurting my friends, I'll do whatever I can to stop you."

Julie stood there, looking at Sesshomaru, who looked back at her coolly.

"I will tell you my plan," said Sesshomaru. "It's quite simple really. I kidnapped you and took you far away. That was to worry them. But I know Inuyasha and his little friends will eventually find you. When they do, I'll tell Inuyasha that he has to let me kill him or it's your life."

"You plan to kill me?" Julie yelled.

"I won't have to," said Sesshomaru, smiling. "My half-brother cares for humans and he'll drop his sword to save you."

"I just saved your life last night!" Julie shouted. "And here you are, talking about murdering your half-brother! You're such a cold demon! Do you realize that? You practically have no heart at all. You want to kill your own brother, you kidnap me, strangle me, sink your claws into me, and sleep with me in a manner that's rather inappropriate."

"And yet you save my life and you stay with me," said Sesshomaru.

I told you, I couldn't just let you die like that!" said Julie. "It wouldn't be right."

"I'm surprised you would help a demon," said Sesshomaru.

"Well, you helped me," said Julie.

"Only because I needed you for the plan," said Sesshomaru. "Other than that, you are just a human. I dislike humans."

"I wish I had never come here," said Julie sitting down. "I'm worried about my friends and you're just a cold demon. I need to go back home."

Sesshomaru said nothing.