Just My Luck
Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Inu and Co...I'm just borrowing them...L
Chapter 12: Recovery and Dancing
Wila slept for the next three days straight. The rest of the group managed the camp and kept a watchful vigil over her, alert for any change in her condition. Kagome, Sango, and Rin changed her bandages and applied healing salves that Kaede had made. The men stayed a fair distance back and just observed. All but Shippo, that is. He would fetch whatever Kagome needed and he kept Rin company. On the morning of the fourth day, Wila's eyelids fluttered slowly open only to be met with the harsh light of the morning sun.
"You're awake!" Kagome's cheerful voice was almost too much for Wila to take. Her head protested the sudden noise by sending a sudden pain through her skull. She placed a hand over her eyes and elicited a soft moan.
"Oi, wench, get the hell up! You've been sleeping long enough. You're lucky we didn't just leave you here!" Inuyasha grouched.
"Sit, boy!" Kagome yelled at him, smirking with satisfaction as he became well acquainted with the ground. She knelt down beside Wila.
"How are you feeling?" she asked her.
"Like I was run over by a large truck." Wila said, attempting to push herself into a sitting position. Kagome grabbed her hands and helped her to sit up. After a moment, the pain in her head subsided and she began to feel a little better.
"Here, you need to eat something," Sango said as she pushed a bowl of ramen into Wila's hands. Slowly, she began eating as everyone else went about the day as usual. She finished the bowl and placed it on the ground beside her. Shippo chose that moment to approach her, with Rin in tow.
"Hey Wila, want to color with Rin and me?" he asked. She smiled at the two before answering.
"Sure kids. That sounds like it would be a lot of fun." Shippo sat on her left side, and Rin on her right. Shippo then pulled out a small box of crayons and a coloring book.
"Kagome brought these to me," he said, pride lacing every word. She smiled at him, then proceeded to help them color the pictures in the book. A short while later, Kagome spoke up, grabbing everyones attention.
"Ok, guys. Go hunting and bring us something back to make for dinner. We girls need some private time."
"Feh, private time. Why do you all need so much time to yourselves anyways?" Inuyasha huffed as he stood up.
"I can't leave my woman unprotected. I'll stay here and keep watch." Kouga remarked.
"I don't think so!" Both Kagome and Sango said at the same time.
"Come on, you mangy wolf, let's get going." Inuyasha rounded up Miroku and Kouga, knowing that Sesshoumaru would follow, and headed into the forest. Once they were a ways from the camp, he looked back over his shoulder and motioned for the group to follow him.
"Hey mutt, where are we going?" Kouga asked.
"Just shut up, wolf breath, and you will see." Inuyasha retorted, as he began to make a wide arc around the camp and come back around to the opposite side. Once they were close enough that they could see the camp, he jumped up into the nearest tree, then motioned for the rest of them to do the same. Kouga grabbed Miroku and jumped into the tree beside Inuyasha followed by Sesshoumaru.
"I thought that the Miko wished for us to hunt?" Sesshoumaru more stated then asked.
"Yeah, I know what she wants, and what she said. We have plenty of time to hunt. They do this from time to time, and well, Miroku and I like to watch." Inuyasha snickered as he finished his response.
"What is it exactly that we are going to watch?" Sesshoumaru asked, his interest peaked.
"You will see." Miroku chuckled as he settled himself more firmly into the tree.
Everyone turned back to the camp, and watched as Kagome pulled a small black square from her backpack. Sango went to help Wila to her feet, everyone blissfully unaware of their audience.
"You have a CD player?" Wila asked Kagome. She nodded and smiled as she put the batteries in and placed a disc into the machine.
"We do this every so often. I send the guys off into the forest so that Sango and I won't be disturbed. We sing, dance, and do whatever we want. Kind of like a daytime slumber party." She laughed as Sango nodded enthusiastically.
"Ok," Wila said. "I think I'll just watch for a while."
"Alright," Kagome shrugged, "But feel free to join in anytime. The guys shouldn't be back for a while, so we might as well take advantage of it."
She pushed play on the CD player and the music started, a strong dance rhythm, which Sango and Kagome promptly started dancing to. It was obvious the Kagome had been doing this for a while, and that Sango was still learning. Even so, her moves were fluid and graceful if not a little forced. When the song stopped, they caught their breathe, and smiled at Wila, silently willing her to join them. The next song started to play, and now it was obvious to Wila that this was a CD of Kagome's making, as there was no way the songs would have actually been placed together for any sort of album. The two girls beckoned to her, almost taunting her to join in their fun.
"Alright, alright," Wila sighed softly as she gave into their request, raising to her feet. She smiled at them as she approached. "I know this song anyway." She mentally shrugged, figuring that this might actually be fun, something that she really needed of late. She began moving in time with Kagome and Sango, mimicking their movements flawlessly.
As the girls danced, the guys watched from their perch, taking it all in. Sesshoumaru watched, his eyes widened just slightly. He had never seen anyone dance quite like that. The way they moved their hips, and swayed to beat of the music fascinated him. His eyes never really left Wila, as he watched her the way her body moved. An unbidden growl made its way into his throat as he realized that he wasn't the only one watching her. The others looked at him curiously before Inuyasha voiced what they were all wondering.
"Oi! What's your problem?" He hissed at his brother. Sesshoumaru was never one who liked being but on the spot, so he quickly thought of a plausible reason as to his behavior.
"She is still recovering from her injuries," he stated, his stoic mask firmly in place, "What does she think she is doing?"
"Lighten up. They are just having a little bit of fun." Kouga said as he rolled his eyes. Miroku stayed silent, but the look in his eyes clearly stated that he wasn't buying Sesshoumaru's excuses. The girl's laughter drew their attention back to the campsite.
"I haven't had that much fun in a long time!" Wila exclaimed between giggles.
"Well, everyone needs a break now and then." Kagome stated as she turned off the cd player and proceeded to return it to her pack. "The boys should be back soon, so we should get everything ready to cook dinner." She and Sango began busying themselves with building the campfire back up and setting out the pots and pans. Wila checked on the children, who had been napping for a while, and finding them still asleep, sighed and turned back to the girls.
"So, what can I do to help?" Kagome stopped what she was doing, and looked over at Wila.
"Well, I suppose that before you do anything, I should change those bandages." She approached Wila, then removed the bandages at her neck. She gasped softly, then moved around to take off the other bandages.
"What's wrong Kagome?" Wila looked at her with a concerned expression.
"Nn...othing." Kagome stuttered. "It is just that...all the injuries are healed. I know that that is impossible, but it's true." Kagome shrugged, then went back to what she was doing. Wila stood there, stunned for the moment, then followed Kagome around the camp, helping her with the preparations.
"Well," Inuyasha shrugged then, dropped out of the tree. "That's our cue to hunt something down real quick, and get back to camp." The others followed his lead, and before long they had brought down a nice sized deer. Inuyasha and Kouga drug the animal to the nearby stream to gut and clean it, while Miroku and Sesshoumaru returned to camp to check on the girls.
"Hey, you two. Where is Inu and Kouga?" Kagome asked as they entered the campsite.
"Do not worry, Lady Kagome. They are cleaning the deer that we killed for dinner. I doubt that you, Sango, and Wila would really like the pleasure of taking care of that." Miroku answered in his usual reverence. Kagome made a face as she added some noodles to the pot over the campfire, while Wila and Sango just giggled. It wasn't too long before Kouga and Inuyasha returned with their kill, which the girls promptly began to cook.
Once it was done, they all ate in relative silence. The air felt heavy for some reason tonight. Wila noticed that everyone seemed tense, as she herself did. She could not place the feeling of oppression that was causing her nerves to become sensitive, but she knew she didn't like it.
"How are you feeling?" Sesshoumaru's rich voice broke through Wila's thoughts as she jumped slightly. Looking up at him, she could read no emotions on his face.
"I'm alright" she replied softly. "Kagome says all my injuries have healed already." She looked off into the surrounding forest. Sesshoumaru followed her gaze and as the breeze picked up, he caught the scent of unease that radiated from her.
"Is something troubling you?" It was more of a statement in the form of a question, and drew her gaze back to him.
"Something," she started, then paused, looking for the right words, "Something is off. I don't know what it is, but I sense that something is just not right." She sighed softly, suddenly finding the ground terribly interesting.
"I know." He replied. "You should get some rest. It is late." Hearing this, she glanced around the camp to find that everyone else had bedded down for the night. She nodded, quietly curling up into the sleeping bag that Kagome had lent her. She heard a slight rustling of cloth, and looking over her shoulder saw that Sesshoumaru had settled down right behind her, his back against a tree, and all his senses seemingly alert. She closed her eyes, taking comfort in the fact that this amazingly strong, yet cold demon, had made a promise to protect her, and even though his only reason for it was to gain information, he seemed bound and determined on fulfilling his promise.
A/N: 'Kay people. I know this has been a long time in the making, and for that I apologize. There has been a lot going on in my life, so this had been put on the back burner. Hopefully, though, I can now get on with my story. Please read and review, even if you don't like it. I am always open to suggestions and criticism, so just click on the review button! See ya later!
