And we're back! Ah, reviews have been so fabulous I'm actually relaxed for once. I broke my old record for number of reviews received in a single day by, like, twenty, or some ridiculous number like that, so thanks very much y'all. To setos'whiterose, don't worry, you're not the only one who hates Ashe and thank you for the supremely awesome reviews!
To NightShadows131, sorry, no release date on my book yet, since it's still in the editing process, which is EXTREMELY annoying. It's kind of a fantasy/adventure story, since you asked about the genre (it reminds me of Lord of the Rings). My book's one of those insanely metaphorical things that people stayed crammed in dusty attics for years pouring over to try and figure out all the possible interpretations for it. I hear they're thinking about signing it for a movie but no one's mentioned anything to me about it, so maybe not.
Anyway, thanks to all my beautiful reviewers, and just to warn you, there will be some ooc-ness in this chapter, but only because Sesshoumaru is so completely out of it he can't control himself right now (and who wouldn't be out of it?). On to chapter three: Dream.
Disclaimer: In the words of a friend of mine who has stories up on I have the right to free speech, so back off with the whole disclaimer thing. You know I don't own Inuyasha and I have a better chance of beating up Ghandi than I do of ever owning it.
…
Sesshoumaru shivered as the cold water trickling over his skin seemed to seep straight through to his rapidly beating heart. He wrung out the washcloth in his hands with more force than he intended and actually shredded it with his poisonous claws. Sighing impatiently and tossing the ruined cloth aside, Sesshoumaru grabbed another one from a nearby cabinet and began rinsing it with a bit more caution than the first.
His nerves were completely frayed to the point where he couldn't seem to control anything his body did. His heartbeat refused to slow, his hands refused to stop shaking, his thoughts refused to stop the mad whirlwind they'd created in his mind, and all the while he couldn't stop from feeling next to helpless no matter what he did.
He'd managed to bring Naraku back to their bedroom, but he'd been far too dazed to do much more than stare at him afterwards. Where was his iron self control now? Where was his unbreakable calm? The truth was, his calm had deserted him the second he'd figured out that Naraku was dying.
The inu youkai placed the icy washcloth on Naraku's sweaty brow to try and calm the wild fever raging within the kumo. His skin was ashy and almost wax-like; his eyelids fluttered frantically as if he were tormented by some horrid dream. Sesshoumaru tried to wake him from this nightmare, but the kumo was far from hearing him. The demon lord could do nothing else for him besides stay by his side and wait to see if he would ever wake up.
His Tenseiga wouldn't work against the kind of spell placed over Naraku, and Sesshoumaru knew little about the art of healing. Damn Ashe to the darkest corner of hell, Sesshoumaru thought acidly. Even from the grave, she still remained a plague upon the earth. He cursed himself for not guessing that the vixen would pull a trick such as this. She'd obviously done something to them before she'd died, but Sesshoumaru hadn't the foggiest idea as to what that could be.
He took Naraku's painfully clenched hand in his own and wrapped his slender fingers around it, needing the contact to help convince himself that all was not lost. He touched Naraku's impossibly cold hand to his brow and closed his eyes tightly, wishing away whatever illness it was that consumed his lover from the inside. He didn't move from this position as the door to the bedroom slowly opened and the smell of herbs flooded the room.
The sound of small feet pattering across the thick carpeting reached his sensitive ears along with a scent that was all too familiar to him. Rin had obvious come with some medicinal plants to try and help Naraku. The two had never been overly fond with each other, but Rin loved Sesshoumaru too much to ever dislike someone he cared for, even if that someone was a conniving kumo youkai.
"Rin doesn't know how much it will help, Sesshoumaru-sama, but she brought all the medicine she could carry." Rin walked shakily over to an end table while trying to balance a tray that was far too large for her in her small arms. It had insane amounts of medicine heaped onto it with no particular care or discrimination. It literally looked as if she had simply grabbed anything she could get her hands on without even considering what it did.
Sesshoumaru let the barest wisp of a smile cross his stoic features as Rin fell tiredly to the ground from the effort of lugging around half her body weight in next to useless remedies. It must have come as quite a shock to her to see her long-time protector so thoroughly unsettled.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Rin-chan," Sesshoumaru whispered with just the slightest hint of affection in his smooth voice. Even though he never told Rin how much he cared for her, the little human had grown on him much over the past few years.
Rin smiled and heaved herself off of the floor to go throw her arms around her lord. Sesshoumaru usually stopped her from showing such outward displays of affection, but this time he went against his apathetic nature and let the little girl hug him. He told himself that he did it to comfort Rin, but in truth with his lover bordering on deceased, Sesshoumaru needed to be comforted more than anyone else right then.
Rin bowed to him and left as silently as she'd entered, stopping to lay a soft kiss on Naraku's clammy brow. Sesshoumaru was surprised by this tender action coming from his Rin, but he guessed that she simply saw Naraku as a man on his deathbed in need of care instead of as a wretched demon with the blood of hundreds staining his fair skin.
Is that still how I see Naraku? Sesshoumaru mused silently. As nothing more than an evil, bloodthirsty demon? He was fully aware of how little he really knew about Naraku's past or even about Naraku himself, but in all fairness the kumo could probably say the same about Sesshoumaru. For the first few months of their relationship, the two had been far too enveloped in their love for each other to really have time for an actual conversation.
Now that Naraku lay on the border between life and death, Sesshoumaru worried that he'd never get the chance to find out anything about his love. His feelings for the kumo were too deeply rooted to ever truly fade, no matter how much he might tell himself that Naraku was getting in the way of all the goals he wished to reach. Sesshoumaru couldn't stand the thought of losing him; the idea alone was like a dull knife grating away at his flesh until it peeled, like over-ripe fruit.
Sesshoumaru bent over Naraku's still form, suddenly overwhelmed by his grief. He leaned forward and gently kissed his lover's cold brow, wishing that this wasn't happening after a fight. If Naraku were to die now with so much turmoil lying between them, Sesshoumaru wasn't certain if he could take it.
A low, breathy groan suddenly filled the air, and Sesshoumaru found himself jerking upright so quickly he must have looked like he'd been electrocuted. He watched the demon lying on the bed before him anxiously, searching for any signs of life from him. He couldn't stop a smile of joy from spreading across his face as Naraku's fingers twitched slightly, as if wishing to grasp the inu's hand.
Sesshoumaru bent down and gently whispered the demon's name into his ear, delighted when the kumo responded by jerking his head slightly. The demon lord grinned, remembering all the times he'd whispered Naraku's name into his ear… and all the times he'd screamed it…
Though the aura of the evil spell over his lover was still in place, Sesshoumaru could sense that Naraku was fighting it with every ounce of his being. He may not have been able to completely defeat it, but he was recovering enough to awaken again. Sesshoumaru felt a wave of pride crash over him at his mate's refusal to give in, admiring the demon's strength for the umpteenth time.
Sesshoumaru watched anxiously as Naraku's eyes finally fluttered open, gazing about distantly as if he had no clue where he was. The inu youkai couldn't suppress his joy as Naraku's gorgeous crimson gaze finally came to rest on his face and instantly cleared, as if the demon were the only thing he needed to combat his illness.
"S-Sesshoumaru…" Naraku whispered weakly, obviously having difficulty thinking clearly in the throes of such a horrific disease.
Sesshoumaru gently ran a clawed hand through the kumo's raven locks, enjoying their silky feel along with the look of peace that came over Naraku's face when he touched him.
"I'm here, love." Sesshoumaru whispered faintly, not wanting there to be any doubt in Naraku's mind that what had happened between them that morning had not left him with bitter feelings towards his mate.
Naraku, however, seemed to have other thoughts about the matter. "I should have talked with you about this the moment I realized it." The kumo looked guiltily away, making Sesshoumaru wonder exactly what he meant.
"What are you talking about, Naraku? Whatever it is isn't important. We need to figure out what's happening to you before…" Sesshoumaru trailed off, unable to complete his sentence.
"Before I die?" Naraku gave him a bitter look. "Do you know why I pulled away from you this morning?" Sesshoumaru looked away, hoping to hide the ugly look that had marred his beautiful face. As much as he wanted to feign ignorance, he understood exactly why Naraku had pulled away. He hated this; he hated all of this. He wanted things to go back to how they were…
But at the same time, he couldn't simply ignore the things that stood between them. They were in love, yes, more deeply in love than was wise for two youkai lords, but the fact was, they both had goals that neither was willing to sacrifice. They could not possibly be together and still have separate lives. This is what Sesshoumaru said to himself, but somehow the words just didn't ring true anymore. He had a life outside of his love, certainly, but what did that life really mean to him anymore?
Would having his revenge in place of having Naraku really be more fulfilling? Would he choose to go back to how he was before he'd found his mate? Could he do such a thing? Sesshoumaru gazed down at his mate's ashy face, smiling ever so slightly. Maybe he could have before, but now that he looked into the eyes of the man he loved, he knew there would never be anything more important to him.
Naraku flinched slightly as Sesshoumaru bent down and kissed him, as if he'd expected to be struck instead. The inu youkai stared confidently into his crimson eyes and whispered, "Ai shiteru, Naraku, no matter what comes between us." The kumo's eyes widened slightly at this, though he couldn't help but feel comforted.
In truth, he'd expected Sesshoumaru to tell him that two demons such as themselves couldn't possibly love if they wished to remain the strong people that they were. He'd been prepared for that and then a cold, sickly death afterwards from whatever curse it was that was slowly draining away at his life. He'd never expected to see such passion brewing in his lover's eyes again; it seemed he'd deeply misjudged him.
Naraku grinned and gripped Sesshoumaru's hand weakly in his, closing his eyes wearily from the exertion of maintaining so many conflicting emotions at once. Sesshoumaru watched tenderly as his mate fell into a deep sleep, his lovely face still plainly showing the illness that battled with his life force.
Even though their feelings for each other were no longer in question, that did not change the fact that Naraku could still very well die before they ever had a chance to truly love each other. Sesshoumaru gazed at his sleeping mate distractedly, thoughts whirling through his head faster than he could really understand. He knew nothing about what was killing Naraku, but he had a good idea about who he could ask to find out.
Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth resolutely, vowing silently to himself that he would stop at nothing to save his love no matter what the cost. With one last lingering glance towards Naraku, Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and left the room, wondering if this would be the last time he saw the kumo alive.
To be continued…
Wow, that was actually a very difficult chapter to write. It's extremely difficult to describe the love between these two without feeling like you're totally ruining their characters, but I think I stayed pretty well in the lines. I kind of feel bad for them though. Naraku's dying, nobody knows why, Sesshoumaru's gonna have to do something that will shred his pride in a future chapter (I won't spoil it for you, but trust me, it's BAD), and there's still no guarantee that they're even going to end up together.
Even if Naraku does live, that doesn't change the fact that they have completely different ideas about how to live their lives. Ah, so much angst! I need to go watch a happy movie or something, 'cause otherwise this is going to make me depressed. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and be sure to review and tell me what you thought. Mata ashita!