You and Me After All
Chapter 33: Siege
The world spun before her; bright dots appeared before her eyes. Her knees buckled, and distantly, she readied herself to hit the ground. A strong arm caught her as she went down. A solid wall of chest cushioned her head as she crumpled into a heap atop the fallen leaves.
Sesshōmaru uncapped the flask of water and brought the bottle to her mouth. Drops of liquid wet her parched lips. Kagome parted them, and cool water poured in, drenching the tongue that felt like sandpaper. She drank and drank, letting her dehydrated body have its fill of the only sustenance available to her right now.
Moments later, her stomach churned again, and she fought the gagging reflex that urged her to hurl the water she managed to swallow.
"Sesshōmaru. I—" She gulped, trying to push down the lump in her throat. "I don't feel…"
He put the flask aside and held onto her arms. His golden gaze was upon her, and for a split second, Kagome thought she saw something she never thought she would see in his eyes: concern.
"Kagome. It would make you feel better if you permitted me to hold you and surround you with my yōki."
The thought of being surrounded by him brought the memories of being pinned down onto the forest floor. Of his claws digging into her hips while her own blunt nails scratched the ground beneath her, grappling for purchase as she struggled to angle away from him. She had managed to crawl away at one point, but he effortlessly dragged her back, scraping her knees across a bed of stones, leaves, and branches.
Her nausea strengthened, now laced with distaste, and she pushed him away. He let her go, his hand hovering in the air between them.
Then, a little pinprick of awareness along her spine warned her of an incoming threat. The atmosphere around them suddenly changed. Sesshōmaru stiffened, his eyes pulsing red. Kagome's vision darkened and swayed, but she could still see what caused the sudden shift in his demeanour.
A small band of an army stood around them in a tight ring.
They were besieged.