Okay, I've gotten... 3 reviews so far. None have mentioned whether or not I should add this chappie in. So in it goes.
Chapter Nine: Reality Check
Sesshoumaru watched as the human exited Rin's room. She believed she could cure the human child, so he had let her get her form of cure. But everyone knew that pneumonia was untreatable, so why should she have a reason to think otherwise? His gaze shifted over to the sick child.
The mighty demon lord was feeling depressed. Good thing the wench had left him alone. If he were to lose it and start crying, she was the last person he wanted to see him crying. His hand rested on Rin's forehead without him meaning to move it. She was still warmer than normal. His eyes scanned each sweat bead then he looked at the incoming servant.
He bowed and passed Sesshoumaru a drink to give Rin. It would cool her fever down, but there was nothing the lord had that could fix her entirely. He felt his heart pounding out of hope. If Kagome's medicine did cure Rin, he would be indebted to her.
Rin couched then opened her eyes. If Sesshoumaru hadn't been feeling bad before, he was now. Her gaze fell on him then she struggled to sit up. Once she was seated, he handed her the cub. She drank it quickly then Sesshoumaru left the room to talk to the servant.
"How did she get it?" He asked sternly. This was his attempt to regain his emotionless mask. It wasn't working, the other demons in the building could smell how depressed he was over the child's health.
"The physician says that it's from something outside. Perhaps stream water she drank or fish that carried disease." The servant told him. He nodded then looked at her for a while.
"And you're sure there is no cure." He stated as his eyes darted back to looking at the servant.
"Yes, milord. We've sent scouts to every land to every physician and to the other lords. Not one person carries the cure." He said. Sesshoumaru shook his head.
"No. There must be a village that has it. The human girl was getting medicine from her village." Sesshoumaru told the servant. The servant shook his head.
"We left nothing unknown. Scouts checked everything and didn't find it." He said. "It is likely that she wanted escape and just ran away." Sesshoumaru growled at him then shifted his stance to make himself appear more superior.
"Are you suggesting that I was tricked by a human girl?" He asked bitterly. The attention was no longer on Rin and her disease, but on Sesshoumaru's ego and pride.
"Of course not, lord!" He quickly said. Sesshoumaru watched the servant bow then looked in at Rin one more time. She was sleeping again.
"I want her taken care of and healthy. If the human has the medicine, then I expect it to work." He demanded. The servant ran off with a look of fright. The demon lord wasn't very kind when he was speaking in this tone. Sesshoumaru walked to his study room and sat down at the desk. Whether or not he liked it, the demon lord was bound to his desk with papers that needed to be read and signed.
He began to read the information he'd been given on the matter. Something about needing food. His mind drifted, as it seemed to be doing recently. It thought of a million things then seemed to rest with the thought of the human girl. Why did it do this? The demon lord had no reason for thinking of her, so why should he?
Perhaps reasoning went out the window when he brought her back to life. Or when she was kind to Rin, despite his stern rule. Something about the priestess's powers affected how she acted. Perhaps that's what gave her confidence even when the demon lord threatened her. That could be. But his mind wasn't letting him shrug it off.
He thought for a while before rubbing his forehead. Had he fallen for the human girl? No, not possible. His father had made this mistake and he would not follow it. He looked at the door, as if it held some form of answers for his conflicting mind. Maybe his father hadn't made that mistake. Perhaps he had just found out how relaxing a human is.
Even Sesshoumaru, the mighty demon, had to admit that there was something calming about Rin. And Kagome. Seeing them when they were happing was like being treated in the perfect manner. He didn't understand why though. What made the two humans have such a tranquil effect on him?
He looked down at his paper and tried reading it. A few things he read, but his mind was still on Kagome. She was his captive, so why did he feel like this? Falling in love with captives or prisoners isn't right. He knew that. But then his mind shifted. She had him captive.
He thought of this for a while. It was true. He had grown fond of her company, which would explain why he was so depressed over the child's illness. He didn't have the human here to... just be here. That was it. He couldn't find another explanation to try to rationalize his thoughts.
He was in love with the human girl. A smile appeared on his face as he thought of this. Yes, that was it. He was in love with the human. Everything seemed to make sense. This is the reason that he persisted she stay at his castle. It wasn't for Rin's sake, like he had led himself to believe.
He dropped his quill, snapping him back into reality. He would not be able to see Kagome's medicine work until these papers were done. With that thought, he signed some and wrote comments on others. He placed them on the corner of his desk then stood up. He placed the quill back in the cup and closed the lid to his ink bottle.
He went to leave then stopped and looked at the window. Sunset was approaching. The girl had given him the impression that she'd return by now. Perhaps her village was far away. He walked out to the hall and into Rin's room. The servant that was tending to her looked up.
"How much longer does she have?" He asked. The demon servant thought for a bit then finally answered.
"She has until morning." He replied. Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth and started to make his way to exit the castle. He would have to get Kagome. There wasn't any time to waste. Rin would die! As he stepped outside, he thought of summoning his cloud. No, he could miss her scent or not see her from so high above. Running would have to serve as his transportation.
He picked up the human's scent then started chasing it. He ran as fast as he knew how then stopped dead. He'd lost her scent. He sniffed around a bit before coming to a conclusion. He'd passed it. Where did she go? Going back to find her scent would take even longer. He'd ask her human friends or, if he absolutely had to, then he'd ask his brother where she went.
He raced towards the human village and stopped. His brother's scent went one way and he could smell the humans in a small house. He wouldn't go in there for fear of the demon slayer. He doubted she could kill him, but he wouldn't risk her wrath. He followed the man's scent then stopped as Kagome's scent grew thick.
He'd smelled the priestess before, but never did she smell like this. It was intoxicating. He covered his nose and slowly approached the source of the scent. As the trees gave way to a clearing, he felt himself grow angry.
Kagome was lying across the ground near a wooden well. What was it called? The Bone Eater's Well. That sounded about right. He stepped closer to her and spotted the source of the horrible stench. Kagome was bleeding from a cut on her stomach. He didn't care for the ruined silk that she wore, even though he usually would.
He knelt by her, picking up traces of a man's scent around her. Whoever did this to her would pay, that was decided. He didn't know why he cared for her so much, but someone would pay for doing this to the beautiful human. Hmm. He hadn't meant to repeat his thoughts. Perhaps he was confirming them to himself. He picked her up then examined the bottle she was holding. Perhaps this was the medicine she had brought for Rin. Although, he'd never seen such medicine.
He carried her back to the castle, running at full speed. She needed help and Rin needed whatever was inside the bottle. When he got there, he placed her on a bed and told the physician what to do. He left to give Rin the medicine, his heart pounding so hard that his ears hurt.
Whew. I got three reviews in the middle of typing this AND chapter ten up. But none mentioned this, so in it goes. Whether or not you like it is your choice. Oh, I have a warning. This story may be coming to a close. -dramatic music- Okay, so it's not that much of a problem. Now, I want to have, shall I say... 100 reviews before you get the next chapter. Sounds fair to me and I know people are reading this.
- Jessica Lyn: Hi. How are you doing?
Well, as I was ready to post this, I realized that I revealed her attacker. So, I had to change that around. Hmm... Now, I have a contest without a prize.
Who attacked Kagome?
- Miroku
- Naraku
- Inuyasha
- Hojo
Now, you HAVE to send in who you think attacked her. When this reaches 100 reviews (Maybe a bit less), I will post the chapter.
- Bipolar Tangerine