A/N: Yay! 97 reviews! Everbody out there is making me so happy! Hooray! I hope everybody likes this chpater as much as they seemed to like the last one! Thank you to all my wonderful readers and reviewers!
kk, I'llskip all the boring author's not stuff and get to the main event! First, though...
Reminder-... /-/-/-/memory;... +-+-+-+past, not a memory;... /-/-+memory and past;... #(anything after)special pov
Disclaimer: I don't own Rumiko's characters, just my original ones. Copyrighted songs aren't mine either, they belong to their respective owners. My own songs and characters are mine, though. No suing me.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 26-The Unnamed Feeling (Metallica)
Found safety in this loneliness but I cannot stand it anymore...
Ah-Un glanced back at the demon that was on top of him, snorting worriedly. Sesshoumaru wasn't getting any better; the dragon could feel the demon's body shaking against his scales. He had never seen the proud dog as sick as this-he seemed so unstable, so weak and frail at this moment, as if he were on his last legs. Which he probably was, Ah-Un realized. It bothered him-hell, it bothered all of them.
"Master Jaken, maybe we should stop and camp," Rin suggested quietly. "I think I'm getting sick," she nudged the imp's shoulder, faking a short cough. She knew that Sesshoumaru would never admit to being sick, so he wouldn't have decided to stop quite yet, but all of them were certain that he couldn't go any further without practically falling off the dragon.
"Uh, Lord Sesshoumaru, what do you think?" Jaken asked carefully.
"Alright," Sesshoumaru agreed. He wasn't stupid; he knew that Rin was only pretending to be sick, but he would go along with it. They were far more perceptive than he gave them credit for, but his pride would have pushed him to keep going until he really did fall over. He was actually thankful that they wanted to stop.
Jaken nodded and began gathering sticks and twigs while Ah-Un moved over to the nearest large tree. Rin went to the stream to catch a few fish, and Sesshoumaru eased off the dragon. A swirling dizziness caught up with him, and he stumbled a bit before catching himself on the dragon's sturdy neck. The group paused to shoot worried glances over at him, then at each other-Sesshoumaru never fell over like that.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, you don't look so good," Rin said with a frown as she went over to him.
"I'm fine, Rin," Sesshoumaru said as he carefully let go of Ah-Un, leaning against the tree. He sighed and slowly let himself sit down at the base of the trunk, leaning his head back and closing his eyes wearily. He felt a small hand on his forehead, and he opened his eyes to look at Rin. She drew her hand back quickly, but not because he was looking at her-because his fever had nearly scorched her.
"Your fever is really high," Rin informed him. "Really really high."
"I know that much," Sesshoumaru sighed heavily and closed his eyes again. "Get some rest. I'll stay up to watch-"
"Oh no you don't!" Rin said a bit more loudly than she had intended. "You're really sick! If anyone around here needs to sleep, it's you! Master Jaken or Ah-Un can stay up."
Sesshoumaru blinked at her in mild surprise, but he sighed and gave up on it. She was right, and they all knew it.
"Alright. But I won't sleep until you do," he said firmly.
Rin smiled and sat down, then closed her eyes and made a show of pretending to snore loudly.
"You're not fooling anyone with that facade," Sesshoumaru said coolly.
Rin stopped and gave him a tiny smile, then tilted her head sideways in thought.
"Maa maa, ko shounen-" she began in a soothing voice.
"How do you know that song?" Sesshoumaru asked in a whisper, his eyes widening in surprise.
This is the song that Juzume always sang to me...the song that I always liked...
"My mother sang it to me when I had nightmares," Rin said. "Why, you don't like it?" she asked.
"No, no...it's fine," Sesshoumaru replied quietly.
"Okay," Rin nodded, then began where she left off. "Nakanaide kudasai...genki da ima kodomo, onegai dame shinpai-Jibun akari istu anata..."
Sesshoumaru felt his eyes close slowly, hardly noticing when Rin ventured her hand forth to run her fingers through his hair comfortingly. His head tilted to the side, and his chest rose and fell regularly...
"How did you do that, child?" Jaken asked in awe.
"It's an old lullaby," Rin said in the manner of a sage. "A very old lullaby, my mother always used to say, and it was one that the famous Lord of the West had listened to when he was a child, because even Lords had nightmares when they were children too. A very, very old lullaby..."
Jaken gasped in wonderment, looking at his Lord sleeping so peacefully.
"Master Jaken, why do you think this is making him so sick?" Rin asked after a few minutes, turning her chocolate orbs towards the imp in confusion.
"He did mention his brother," Jaken said thoughtfully. "I suppose it's one of those thing that he simply cannot suppress anymore, something that has gone unattended for so long that it can't be helped any longer."
"So he's sick like this, all because of an unnamed feeling..." Rin shook her head.
"Unnamed feelings can be powerful things, Rin," Jaken nodded. "Very powerful things indeed."
Somewhere deep within his conciousness, Sesshoumaru's mind vaguely noticed the conversation.
All because of an unnamed feeling...no, it has a name, though I haven't said it in so long...
Love, that strange unnamed feeling is love...
I can't stand this anymore, though...he doesn't know, he never did, I thought he never would...but he will, he has a right to know, he needs to know...I need to tell him...
Inuyasha, I always wanted to be your brother...that unnamed feeling, that love, it's for you...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kakkoi! I think this os one of the final chapters-well, in one way...you'll find out soon enough! Alright, you know what else I usually write-please review! Thank you so much everyone! You all make me so happy! ;)