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Tessadragon

Chapter 5

The demon that had turned Inuyasha into a child had gone. He'd left a scene of destruction: torn tree branches littered the clearing. Kagome lay near the foot of the largest tree in the clearing: the demon had tossed her at it and Inuyasha was sure that he'd heard her bones crack, she'd hit it so hard. Now Inuyasha was crouched over her, trying to wake her without success.

"Kagome! Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice was shrill with youth. He wiped some of the blood off Kagome's cheek with his red kimono sleeve. He pleaded piteously with her, trying to wake her up, but the cut on her head must be deep: more blood came to the surface and more fearful confusion was misting up his mind.

What if she's dead? She is, isn't she? His young mind-voice yammered, and the distant remnant of his older self wasn't much help either, saying nothing but Kagome's name in terror.

"Help!" Inuyasha tilted his head back like a dog and howled the word into the dark morning's wind, despising the young sound of his own voice. "Help me! Anybody help!"

Nothing but the faster rustle of the leafy trees and the rushing of a distant stream. Nothing. He inhaled deeply, questing for the scent of humans…Nothing!

And Kagome's skin was getting colder…

Inuyasha took off his kimono and draped it over her like a blanket, begging her all the while to stay alive.

"Inuyasha," a voice drawled pitilessly.

Inuyasha jumped to his feet, stared with glistening gold eyes at the impressive figure that had entered the clearing: Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru towered over him, his face an implacable cold mask.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken's voice was a distant plaintive squeal. "Lord Sesshomaru! Where are you!"

Sesshomaru ignored him and watched Inuyasha, his mouth a thin line. If he was surprised at Inuyasha's new appearance, he wasn't showing it. If he was thinking of how this situation could benefit him, he wasn't showing it.

Inuyasha stood as protectively as he could over Kagome. "Don't you hurt Kagome," he warned in a soft snarl.

"Hurt that corpse?" Sesshomaru said coolly, derisively.

Inuyasha immediately forgot his older brother, crouched over Kagome, lowered his face to her mouth, felt no breath curl out from it. He touched her neck…no pulse beat there. "Kagome!" he screamed, gripping her shoulders as though he could force life back into her.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said coldly. "Come here…my young brother." It was as though he was forcing a faint tone of affection into his voice.

"No!" Inuyasha yelled, panic thick in his voice.

Sesshomaru hid a scowl then gracefully came across the clearing, his hand going to one of the two swords at his waist: not Tokijin, Inuyasha saw with some apprehension, but Tensaiga. The healing sword…

Inuyasha raised golden eyes to his older brother. "Why would you heal Kagome?" he asked softly.

Sesshomaru had been alive a long time, and it had been almost as long a time since he'd heard Inuyasha's voice as a child, such as the first time he'd chosen to look upon his brother, to test whether or not he held any vestige of the powerful demon father they shared. Back then he'd decided that no, this child did not. Again, he felt that derision for this half-demon child that would never even hide the same kind of canine demon appearance within himself.

"Tell me!" Inuyasha tried to refuse to let Sesshomaru closer to Kagome, but Sesshomaru reached out and grabbed the puny half-demon child up and flung him across the clearing.

"Don't touch her!" Inuyasha shrieked.

"Do you wish for the girl that you love to live?" Sesshomaru asked coldly.

"Yes! But why would you? You hate humans!" Inuyasha scrambled to his feet but Sesshomaru held him back several paces by his outstretched hand, while he held Tensaiga to Kagome's cold throat. "I would choose to save her if…you come with me. For one day."

Inuyasha stared at him. "So you can kill me?" he yelled. "Just cos I'm a little kid?" His fists clenched and he glared up at his older brother.

Sesshomaru ignored him, turned his face towards Kagome. "The messengers from the underworld are well-prepared to take the girl's soul," he observed.

Inuyasha's fists shook. He shut his eyes, wishing he was dreaming, wishing he'd never woken up this morning, wishing he hadn't fallen to the compulsion to enter the forest… for a moment, his world closed in on him, and he whispered, "Just…save her. Please."

Sesshomaru's mouth formed a tight smile, and then he slashed Tensaiga at the underworld's creatures, he was the only one who would ever hear their unearthly shrill death-shrieks. Knowing his work was done here, he turned from the girl before she'd emerge from that strange sleep, and walked to his younger brother. "Come with me, Inuyasha," he commanded. "As you have promised. You will come with me."

Inuyasha was trying to understand just what Sesshomaru was thinking, but as always, it was impossible. Sesshomaru's thoughts were never evident, never visible. The bushes parted loudly and Jaken came stumbling into the clearing, and Sesshomaru began walking. Inuyasha hesitated.

"Come, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru commanded, "Unless you wish me to use Tokijin on that human girl."

Inuyasha exhaled sharply, his fists clenched tighter…

"Inuyasha?" Jaken yelped incredulously, taking in the sight of the half-demon child. "My lord! Is that really Inuyasha?"

Sesshomaru ignored him and began walking.

Inuyasha hung his head and started walking after his older brother. Jaken, after a moment, followed them at a scurrying pace, while heavier clomping sounds signalled the arrival of A'houn, the lizard horse whom the little girl Rin rode.

They disappeared from the clearing as Kagome lay prone on the forest floor of the clearing. A leaf drifted in a circular motion from a branch, nudged free by the dark morning's breeze. It landed on her cheek; her nose twitched and an automatic sneeze uttered from her throat. Her brown eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she gazed up at her surroundings. The urgent feeling of distress lay pale inside her mind, for a moment all she could do was lie there, knowing she was alone…and then realised she shouldn't be.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered, then forced herself to sit up. Her body felt cramped and stiff, like it shouldn't be moving. She put her hand to her throat like she could still feel the Tensaiga's pointed tip there. What happened? She wondered with some fear, then exhaustion swamped her and she lay back again for a moment.

Inuyasha…was a child, she suddenly remembered. With that, exhaustion disappeared and she climbed to her feet. "Inuyasha?" she called. "Are you here?"

The demon! What if it…

What if it had eaten Inuyasha?

"No!" she said aloud, and a tear threatened to form in her eyes. She forced herself to walk from the clearing, her eyes involuntarily searching the forest floor for any sign of blood or worse, bones. Nothing. Only torn branches signalling the path that the demon had taken. She stood still, unable to think of what to do. She raised her head to the trees as though she'd see Inuyasha's haughty face watching her from up there, just like it was a normal day, could even imagine his voice: "that stupid demon keeping me as a kid? Eating me? I'm not as weak as a human, Kagome."

"Inuyasha, you can't be dead," she whispered aloud, refusing to believe it.

"Kagome? Inuyasha?" Sango's voice drifted distantly through the forest. Kagome, feeling wooden, moved towards it. "Kagome? Inuyasha?"

"I'm here," Kagome called, her voice strange and subdued.

Sango came running to her and grabbed her, "Are you alright?" Then she looked around, searching for Inuyasha. "Where's Inuyasha?"

Kagome's voice was very soft. "I don't know."