Hallucinations?

She shifted in and out of consciousness, never fully opening her eyes but never resting when she happened to close her lids, either. Her cold sweat rubbed uncomfortably onto the sheet haphazardly thrown over her body, not really keeping her arm. Kagome barely registered the raucous laughter from another tent or the blurred shapes that passed by her. It all seemed like one horrible dream.

When she came close to consciousness, she would sometimes feel the presence of another, the press of a cup against her lips, hot liquid forced down her throat. She sputtered and tried to spit it out once, but felt a rough hand clamp over her mouth to keep the burning, disgusting concoction from returning. After that, she obediently swallowed all that was given to her. Rarely did she swallow anything more than liquid substances, sometimes a little more solid edibles peppered into her drink.

Kagome did not register time, just a floating sensation or nothingness. In one dream-like encounter, she barely made out the forms of two men, hovering over her.

"Keep her warm. Make sure she swallows everything, I mean, everything. She's probably the cleanest and prettiest piece of merchandise we'll sell in the next few towns," one voice growled to his companion.

"Yes, sir," the other replied, "but don't you want to put her somewhere less…open? The men have been passing by a bit too much. She'll be of no use if they get their hands all over her. No one wants used material."

She heard a curse. "Put her in the tent next to mine and have one of the guards stationed outside. I don't want her getting any of the others sick. Any used, warm furs that can be spared I want placed around her. It would be a pity to loose such a prize."

A click and a "Sir!" were the last things she heard before she fazed out once more, only to feel her body being lifted and carried some distance to be placed on something soft and furry. She groaned softly, burying her face in the blankets.

After a time, she felt foreign hands roaming her person. Weakly, she beat them off, but her hands were swiftly tied together and bound to something over her head. "No…" was all that escaped her lips as her dirty, sweat-soaked clothes were removed, only to be replaced ever so slowly by a thin wrapping over her exposed chest and short, soft wrapping resembling a skirt placed around her thighs. Only then did the hands reluctantly retreat from her helpless form.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered pleadingly, drifting off into her fevered daze, a few tears escaping down her flushed cheeks.

-------Blah-------

The sent of sickness and Kagome became stronger. He barely contained the possessive growl that threatened to erupt from his throat. No one stole what was his! When his demon side realized the danger Kagome was in, Sesshoumaru put aside the useless objections of un-caring. His youkai called for her and the blood of her captors, while his heart yearned for her presence and warm smiles. Denial was out of the question.

From his position, he could smell her trail, barely a few days old now. Her unconscious protection seemed to have failed as soon as she contracted her illness. Just the thought of her being helpless and unwell fueled his rage all the more.

He would find her, oh yes. And when he did, he smirked at the merciless nature of his punishment for those who opposed him. He would enjoy destroying these mere humans.

Even the leagues it had taken to cover with their horses took longer than he would on a rainy day. There was be no doubt that Sesshoumaru 's speed allowed him to gain ground in a very short time. Soon, he would be upon them. And when he was, heaven be with the them.

-------Blah-------

The vile medicine these barbarians had put into her was working its magic. Almost rational thoughts flitted through her mind at long intervals. She could finally understand that the fuzzy stuff surrounding her happened to be fur. The clothes she had been wearing were gone, replaced by scanty garments not even fit to wear as under garments.

Even so, her gaze was still glassy and distant when it landed on the bearer of her food, or the man who came so often to run his revolting, calloused hands over her body. Still too weak to fight, she could only shudder when those coarse fingertips slid like mud across her skin.

She didn't know how much time passed, but Kagome felt the stir in the air and a familiar tingle in her hands when something changed. With a devilish smirk, she whispered, "Inuyasha," just as a crashing thud echoed around the campsite.

-------Blah-------

The roar ripped from his throat, his eyes beginning to bleed red as men scattered in all directions. His claws demolished anything in his path, pulling down erected tents, revealing women chained together in a huddled mass and a lone tent housing chained men. He didn't stop, didn't care. His one thought was Kagome.

Those that fled, he dismissed. He continued through the camp, tearing to pieces all that lay in his way. Poison dripped to the ground, sizzling into the dirt from his blood-coated hands. The screams of countless men barely passed through his ears as his path took him on, ignoring the chaos and death remaining behind.

Only a few tents remained. Her smell permeated the air. She had to be here. If she wasn't, someone was going to be tortured.

-------Blah-------

Suddenly, her body was yanked up, her groan of pain ignored. Sweaty palms held her in place before a trembling chest, a knife pressed none-too-gently to the base of her throat.

"You're gonna die…" she said in a deranged, sing-song voice.

The knife pressed in closer, a drop of crimson sliding down her chest. "Shut up, wench or I'll slit you open right now."

She just smiled her crazy smile, ignoring the pain in her throat as the fabric of her tent suddenly melted away before her eyes, the tear of fabric slipping away along with the high-pitched screams of the dying.

"What took you so long?" she asked politely, a dreamy tilt to her eye.

The blurry figure stayed silent.

The knife once more pressed against her esophagus. "Touch me and she dies!" the trembling man said.

"Oh, shut up, sweaty man. You're dead meat anyway," she said cheerfully.

"Be quiet!" he yelled, stunned as to what else to do.

"You know, you really should learn some manners," she said matter-of-factly, as if they were having a tea-party….with dead men lying about and their cries echoing in her ears. "My Aunt Souji would have slapped you silly for being so disrespectful." She sighed as much as the sharp edge of metal would allow before adding, "But she was a pretty mean person anyway. She always did say I was on the chunky side…"

"I said, shu---!"

As quick as lightening, his head was torn from his body, the knife staying in place for a few moments before the corpse crumbled to the ground.

Instantly, she wrapped her bare arms around her savior, running her hands through the silvery locks.

"I knew you'd come, Inuyasha. I knew you would!"

He said nothing to her. After a long silence, he wrapped his arm around her, cradling Kagome against his body. She didn't even notice that they were flying, too absorbed in her little world to see anything but him.

She sighed contentedly. "I missed you so much." Sliding her hands down him, she asked, "Does this mean you're not going to choose Kikyou anymore?" She looked up into his face, blurring the purple markings on either cheeks as she tried to focus. "Wait….you already did, though, didn't you? Didn't you, Inuyasha?"

"Refrain from placing me in that mutt's position," a cold voice responded. "I would rather not be compared to him."

Her eyes looked at him in confusion before she squinted her eyes up at his face, finally making out the markings on his face.

"Oh…" She blinked. "Sesshoumaru…"

Glancing down, she saw the ground miles below her. The blur of her unadjusted eyes made her queasy. This was not a good effect, seeing as how she was still slightly ill.

"Set me down please." When he made no move to do so, she blurted, "Sesshoumaru, I'm going to hurl!"

"What?"

"I said, I'm going to puke!"

Indeed, her face had gone quite green.

"Hold on," he said, hurtling toward the ground. The motion just made her want to vomit even more.

"Oh no…."

"We're almost down," his calm voice answered.

"I'm not going to make it," she whined, pressing a hand to her lips.

"Yes, you are," he said firmly.

"No, I'm not!"

"You will!" he said forcefully. It was obvious he didn't want his expensive fabrics ruined by her silly human needs.

"Why are you even arguing about this! It's not like I can control when I'm gonna blow chunks, alright!" she shouted angrily, passed the bile rising in her throat.

"Kagome."

"What!"

"We're on the ground."

"Oh…"

She stumbled away from him, barely making it to a bush before she let loose all that her stomach contained. The cold hand that pressed itself to her forehead helped a little. It held her hair back with a firm, but gentle hold until she regained control of her body.

With a shaky hand, she pushed herself off the ground, staggering to stay up. Sesshoumaru's arm locked around her waist, holding her up.

She could feel the blackness behind her eyes, the sleep that she had been needing to heal. But she needed to say something first.

"Sesshoumaru?" she said tentatively, her eyes drooping.

"Kagome."

"I'm sorry…"

-------Blah-------

So…what do you think? I'm sorry it took so long, but I just haven't had any good ideas, and work, and school, and stuff….yeah… Forgive me? I'll try to finish before April, if I can. Hopefully, this will be better than I expected.