Chapter Four
His throat went dry and tight in pain as he stared at the arrow. His own snarl of pain still rang in his ears, ever reminding him of his mistake. He had not expected it…any of it. Rin wandering away, his brother's wench, the spider and demons, none of it.
And he hated that more than anything.
His keen eyes shifted to stare at the woman. Her face was caked with blood, her shut eyes displaying slightly disturbing peace as she slept. His gaze darkened. She had saved them. She had fired the arrow that killed the spider demon. She had allowed him to be in better health. If she had not fired, he would probably not be standing with two legs right now.
He did not want to remember the last part of the battle. He felt ashamed that she had saved him. It was supposed to be the other way around. It was not, and he had not time to waste thinking on the matter. He had given himself away by his cry of pain, however small, it had shown his weakness.
The lesser demons were starting to close in around them, hearing the pain that usually would not have affected this greater being. They knew now that not much was there to be feared. Sesshoumaru could kill at least a few, but from what he could sense, it was far less than what he needed.
The girl suddenly stirred, finally taking her light weight off him. Her brown eyes were glazed in a sleepy mist as her balance stabled slightly. He was thankful as she stood on her own two feet again, Rin nearly falling from her weak arms. It wasn't long, however, before she was leaning against him once more.
His sharp teeth clenched to hold in a hiss of pain, Kagome mumbling and stuttering as she apologized. Slowly, the head of black tilted up to look at him. His throat tightened as he waited for her reaction…but it never seemed to come.
Chocolate locked with crimson and Kagome nearly screamed. Nearly. Instead she froze. She had been with Inuyasha long enough to know when he was out of control not to make sudden movements that might signal you as…Kagome swallowed hard. Prey. If she made any move to retreat, that might just jolt a negative response from the demon lord. That was something she never wanted to happen.
So they remained there, staring at each other. Sesshoumaru's eyes twitched slightly. "Move, woman. I have not time to waste with this. I have much more important matters to deal with than you." Kagome took a startled step back.
She looked at him cautiously. "How…why…you're not…you know…nuts?" She seemed surprised, but what did he expect from a woman that traveled with his brother? Inuyasha always was, as she had said, nutswhen his demon blood took over. She had a right to believe that he would react the same when he was like this, but she had no right to think that low of him.
He held in a growl. "I am not like my brother, miko. I do not, as you figure, go insanewhen I am like this," his voice was low and strained she noticed. Finally she took in his form…and almost fainted.
Blood was soaked into his grand kimono everywhere. If she hadn't known it was white, she would have thought it perfectly red. None of the clothing was untainted by the color. Kagome looked down at her own white shirt, gasping when she found it was almost the same as his. Stained almost completely, but not as bad. Blood also ran down her legs, and she was quite thankful it wasn't hers. Mostly anyway.
It wasn't that comforting either because…it was Sesshoumaru's.
She looked back at the lord. This was not a demon to play with. His anger was legendary as was his skill for killing. He was not known as the aristocratic assassin for nothing, but seeing him like this seemed to change all that. He was wounded as well as wild right now. He was thinking clearly, mind you, but his appearance said otherwise.
Kagome swallowed the heated lump in her throat, the passageway tight and dry. She took another step back away from Sesshoumaru, giving him the space he so rightfully deserved. She was surprised. After all he went through to get it through her head, he would actually touch her of his own will. It seemed wrong for the lord to do that, but in desperate times people did unlikely things.
Or so she hoped.
She didn't want to owe him anything. Inuyasha would surely kill her for owing his evil half-brother and she really didn't want to know what he would ask for. She had a pretty good guess.
She then noticed how tense he was. If he started to breath less than what he already was, she thought she might see a vein stick out of his forehead. Kagome shuddered. 'Now that would be scary,' she thought in dry humor.
She looked up at him, finally thinking seriously. "What's happening," she asked quietly. "Is something wrong?" At this declaration, Sesshoumaru's visage seemed to shift, but in the next second, Kagome could no longer tell.
"Demons," was all he said. Sesshoumaru's voice was empty, but she could read the small twinge of annoyance. Had she annoyed him? She mentally scoffed. It didn't matter if she did, she had other problems to deal with, just like him.
In an instant, the nice and calm atmosphere of the forest changed completely. The classic, yellow whip flowed from Sesshoumaru's two finger tips, his arm jerking back. It viciously struck a grotesque looking demon, its ugly brown eyes widening as its head was taken clean off its shoulders.
Kagome screamed as she ducked, the whip flying dangerously over her head. It struck another, the tiger looking monster crying out in horror as it searched for its suddenly missing limb. Kagome held Rin close, the little girl giving a small snore as the gore continued. God how she wished she could do that right now.
One got to close for his tastes, and Kagome suddenly found herself embraced. She could feel scraps of flesh and bone gently hit her as Sesshoumaru tore the creature behind her to shreds. She yelped, pushing away from Sesshoumaru as quick as she could.
He growled at her, stilling her protests. "Quiet human." Kagome huffed, feeling him squish her even more against him chest armor. Her wounded shoulder brushed against one of the spikes, and all hell seemed to break loose from that.
Sesshoumaru's one arm went up instantly to one of his demonic ears, actually wincing as Kagome's soul shearing scream sounded through the forest. At the same moment, a strange looking crow demon flew at Sesshoumaru's already wounded back. It was long, but looked like it was gone instantly after its attack, a splash of blood following in its wake. Its claws ripped into his flesh, tearing through the other gashes and cuts and making them bigger.
His eyes grew huge. The gray and blue irises seemed to disappear, black slits taking their places. His mouth opened in a silent roar, and Kagome's eyes grew incredibly wide in fear. Rin suddenly dropped from her arms, the little girl making quite a thump as she landed.
A single, yet deafening splash rang in her ears as she closed her eyes tightly. Waiting for that pain she knew was to come. Nothing came…no roar, no big paws slamming down on the earth…nothing. Silence was deafening to her and Kagome found she wanted anything but silence at the moment.
Somehow, the rain didn't seem to help.
Kagome reluctantly roused herself from her shock. Opening her shocking brown eyes just a sliver, she gasped. An unexpected rain drop hit close to her eye, making her jump in surprise.
His body lay in the largest puddle of water she could see, his eyes frozen as he did not breath. She was afraid he was dead, her 'protector' gone from the world…somehow she knew it wasn't true. Sesshoumaru, though weak at the moment, would not fall this easy. However…she might have been out a long time…
He remained completely still, his wide scarlet eyes staring at nothing in particular. She stared at them, the twin orbs almost seeming to follow her form as she walked toward him. Kagome was surprised when she took a deep breath, realizing she had not been breathing.
Would she actually care to see Sesshoumaru like this? Kagome knew she shouldn't, but she was a kind person. She would not stand to have anyone injured and abandoned just sit there while she could help.
Her chocolate eyes flashed with determination.
It soon vanished, however, as the bird demon swooped down with unimaginable speed. She screamed, jumping hastily to the side in order not to be speared on its beak. 'When did it get so big? It's bigger than I am now!'
Its feathers were a deep navy blue, the wings each about twice as long as her. Its body, she suddenly realized, was not that of a bird. It was on all fours and a long, armor plated tail swung dangerously behind it. Its furious eyes blazed a glowing red, just like Sesshoumaru's, though it had no pupil.
Its beak was covered in armor as well, the metal shinning as it suddenly reflected her image, the creature swinging down for another try. Kagome screamed again, flinging herself closer to Sesshoumaru this time. She could hear the wind whistle greatly as it rushed by, the sharp, wet air continuing to pull past her. Leafs, twigs and even branches darted past her, almost hitting her wounded form. Her arms covered her face and chest as she grunted from the impact of it.
Something was not right. Kagome remembered a bird attacking Sesshoumaru, not this thing. Her eyes widened as she looked at where she had been standing. A large scrape like crack was in the earth, sliced by the animal's beak. She gasped as she rolled again, this time not getting away as easily.
She shrieked as the beak cut harshly into her shoulder, the main body of the demon knocking her about three yards away and into a tree. She cried out in pain, much louder than Sesshoumaru had, as she crumbled to the wet mud.
"What is that thing?" Kagome watched as it swooped around again, but this time it flapped its huge wings to slow down. It gently landed, though she wouldn't exactly call it gentle.
Its feet sunk into the wet ground from its weight. Kagome jumped when she heard it chuckle. "I am merely a demon," is said carelessly. "You need not know my name, for you will not be around very long to remember it." Its eyes gleamed, and Kagome slowly noticed the darker looking feathers in its mouth.
Kagome swallowed hard, staring at the demon's sharp beak. 'It…ate the other demon!' She gasped as it took a step toward her. Slowly, she crawled away, her leg bending the wrong way if she stood. It was probably broken. Well, she hoped not anyway…
It laughed again, the monstrous roar ringing in her ears. "Well, I've hand human before, but I didn't expect to have dog demon as well…" It continued to mock her, slowly turning its large, hideous head to look at her momentary comrade. Looking around frantically, she looked for her bow. Hopefully she could get there in time.
As she spotted her trusty weapon over to the side, she heard the demon take a loud step back. "No…" It said in shock. Kagome didn't care to look as it continued to talk, sprinting over to her bow and arrows while it was distracted.
"No, it cannot be! How can he still be alive!" That, however, did get Kagome's undivided attention. Her brown orbs darted over to look at the demon, notching an arrow and taking aim at the creature. Her eyes went wide once again.
Sesshoumaru's hand was twitching, from nerves or actual living intentions she wasn't sure. He could be dead, or he could be alive. She didn't know. Pulling the grayish whitish feathers of her arrow to her pale cheek, she prayed hard as she aimed at the demon's side. The head wouldn't work, it was well armored. She had a little worry of the armored tail though. One wrong flick of that baby and bye bye arrow.
"Please work," she pleaded. Her fingers released the arrow, letting it fly as it ripped through the air and rain drops. A light purplish glow took affect as it glowed around the arrow's small blade and shaft, making it powerful and purified.
It stuck the strong demon's side, the monster crying out in rage and pain as the purity of the arrow burned its flesh. It roared as it suddenly reared, flapping its large wings as it took flight once again. Its red eyes gleamed with hatred and white hot pain, Kagome taking a hesitant step back.
"You wretched human! You're a miko?" It yelped as the arrow in its side bit further into its guts. "How dare you?" It snarled at her, preparing to lung at the girl. Kagome stood on shaky legs, readying herself to dodge left or right.
But…it never got to happen…
The arrow began to glow intensely, as if waking up to reality once more. Kagome gawked as she stared at the demon, watching as it squirmed. "You…!" The creature did not get to say even a mouth full of words before a familiar yellow whip flew up at incredible speed, slicing through its stomach almost all the way through.
Kagome yelped when she nearly was squished as the demon fell, stepping out of the way quickly. As the demon stared at her with fading red eyes, she stepped away from it as it continued to turn to dust, the fine gray powder blowing away in an unnatural breeze.
Kagome turned her head slowly to look at him, the demon lord standing in all his pride. But he was not well, his posture for once, slanted and droopy. His eyes were no longer scarlet, and she was shocked he was actually standing. She could see his chest rise and fall underneath his breast armor, and she could tell he was having a very hard time breathing.
He was in great pain, his blood pouring off him in waves. His mouth refused to open, but his eyes said almost everything. The depthless golden eyes watched her from where he stood, the orbs flickering to Rin who lay on the forest floor and back to her again.
Almost at once he turned on his heel, trying hard to walk with a straight back and in a straight line. Kagome nodded to him, even though his back was turned. She rushed over to little Rin, splashing heavily as she limped over to the girl. Wincing with every step, she bent down and scooped Rin into her arms.
She wondered for the first time how the child could have slept through everything like this, but she had other things to think about. Why she was following him and his orders was confusing enough, but why would the lord save his enemy? Why would she? She sighed as she looked at the wet ground, her soaking bangs going even more into her face.
She knew if they stayed any longer demons would be all over them again, and neither of the adults could handle that at the moment. Both of them would actually admit to that, even if they had not voiced it.
Hopping on one leg, she followed after the trail of blood to Sesshoumaru. The male was stubborn, but then again so was Kagome. She just prayed he wasn't much like his brother when it came to wounds, otherwise she would be in hell.
Note: O.o Sooooo tiiiiirrrrrreeeeed. :wails: Oh man, my SLEEPY! And I have to work on chapter 5...:eyes water: I wanna go to beeeeeeeeeeed! Oh man, you guys better review like crazy, you got that:head falls on keyboard: vuihgfdsauih