You and Me After All
Chapter 27: Forest
They walked for what seemed like an eternity. It was difficult to discern the time within the forest, as the canopy of trees above proved too dense for moonlight to filtered through the gaps between the leaves. They trudged on in nearly complete darkness, their path illuminated only by the yōki flame Sesshōmaru had lit to accompany them.
Kagome was exhausted. She had stumbled over the gnarly roots of the trees more times than she could count. Her feet hurt, her hips hurt, her back hurt. Everything hurt.
Her throat hurt too. She was parched, but she had drained the entire flask of water she brought from the village, down to the last drop.
Furthermore, the queasiness she felt on the ship kept returning. When a strong wave of nausea came over her, she clamped a hand on her mouth and pressed her palm against the closest tree, its bark slippery with moss.
She gagged, wishing she had some water to drink. He stopped and looked at her questioningly, but she would never ask him for anything.
The miko's strength was waning. It concerned him that she looked this pale, and it had only been a night since she conceived.
They should have spent the night in town, as he had intended to do, where she could at least lie on a comfortable bed and get some proper rest. And had something to eat. But she had been so alarmed at the idea of being trapped in an enclosed space with him, she flatly refused.
Should he have insisted?
He could have dragged her into the inn and tie her up to the bedposts. Yet, at the same time he knew, forcing her yet again would only make a bad matter even worse. And perhaps, deep down, he did not trust himself — or his beast — to be in her close proximity.
"We will rest here for the night," he told her.
Face pale, she nodded. He was a little surprised she gave no fight to the decision. Quietly, he watched the movements of her throat. From the way she swallowed repeatedly, he knew she was thirsty, yet the flask of water she had brought from her home must have been depleted long ago.
He looked around, sniffing the air until he caught the scent of moisture. There was a spring not too far away.
"I will fetch some water," he said.
Sesshōmaru paused to observe their surrounding one more time, scanning for any flares of jyaki that could mean dangerous beasts lurking close by beneath the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce.
He clenched his jaws. Dangerous beasts, or worse.
The forest seemed quiet, but he could not afford to be careless. When seconds passed with no signs of life, he turned and approached the miko. He drew Bakusaiga from its sheath, and with the tip of the blade, he drew a circle around where she stood. Green light emanated from the ground where the sword had touched it, surrounding her within a translucent barrier.
"No matter what happens, stay inside the circle," he told her.