I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters.
I know a lot of you wanted more magic, hope you like it.
Sesshomaru stood fuming over the argument he'd just had with Melissa. He was so preoccupied he didn't notice the forming summer storm until the sound of thunder reached his ears. He frowned and turned abruptly when he felt the first few drops of rain hit his face. He hoped her anger had dissipated, it was possible. When she bled her moods were as changeable as the summer weather, and as unpredictable.
He hadn't gone more than a few yards when the bottom fell out and the rain began to pour. His irritation grew 10 fold, she'd be soaked before he got back. He'd at least be able to keep her warm. He reached the campsite only to find it empty, a few peeled gobu roots beside an empty fire pit were all there was to know it was a campsite by. Where was his pack? Where was his wife?
He started down the path she had been on when she stormed off and quickly came to a fork, where he found his tiny servant calling her name. He didn't bother asking where she was, it was obvious Jaken didn't know. Nor did he announce his presence. He simply contemplated the two paths before him. Her smell had been washed away by the rain, he didn't know which one she'd taken!
Melissa shivered as she huddled in the clearing, soaked by the cool summer rain. She knew she should stay put until Sesshomaru could find her. Her scent would be washed away and staying there would make it easier to find her. But the weather was getting dangerous. She needed to find shelter, quick. She couldn't wait until he came looking. She'd have to find some place to hunker down and find him once the storm passed.
Melissa called Sesshomaru's name as she stumbled through the forest, but the wind was howling and the rain was pounding so hard that he couldn't hear her over noise. The sky was dark with rain so that she could barely see where she was going. Brush and brambles snagged at her clothing as she staggered half blinded by the rain.
She came to a rock face at the bottom of a mountain. She followed it holding it for support and the protection it offered, though incomplete, from the driving winds. She came to a cranny in the rocks, shelter. She squeezed in and found that though the opening was narrow the cave itself was wider and quite deep. She settled herself against the back of the cave to wait out the storm. Exhausted she fell into a deep sleep.
When Melissa awoke it was getting dark outside. Did she dare try to find her husband in the dark? She decided it was to risky. She'd try to find them first thing in the morning.
Sesshomaru strode past Jaken without a word, the tiny youkai running to keep up as his lord passed him. He could find no scent, could hear no noise over the roaring wind and rain. It was some time before he decided this was not the way she'd come. He backtracked, and returned to camp to see if she had returned in his absence. He then returned to the fork to take the other trail. It soon disappeared and he came upon a clearing, but it was empty. Where had she gone? He continued searching, Jaken calling for her as he followed though she'd be unable to hear him.
The storm passed and he again returned to camp. She still was not there. "Jaken, wait for her here. The storm has passed, she may leave whatever shelter she found to return to us here." With that he set out to look for her again, but she and her smell were tucked away in the cave, he could not find her.
Jaken, at the campsite, was awoken before dawn the next morning by a well aimed stone. Sitting up he looked around and saw his lord striding toward him. "Sesshomarusama, did you find Merissasama?"
Sesshomaru glared at him in annoyance. Melissa was clearly not with him. But where could she be? She was near her bleeding, and if she had tampons they were ruined by the downpour. The obvious place to look next was the town to the north, she might seek shelter with her own kind until he found her, if not she still needed to purchase tampons. He would seek her there. At first light they left.
Melissa left her shelter soon after daybreak, as soon as she awoke. However she had no idea where she was or how to get back to camp. She spent several hours wandering around the woods calling her husband's name, hoping he'd hear her. Or that she would see something familiar.
Around midafternoon she found their deserted campsite. She found some dry wood under a rock overhang on a nearby hill and cooked her gobu roots from the night before. Not only was she starving but she hoped Sesshomaru would see the smoke and come for her. She sat and waited, and worried.
She looked for more dry wood but could only find damp. She added the sticks slowly to the fire, allowing each to dry and catch before adding the next. She used Raven to cast a circle around the campsite to keep things not of this world away and kept the fire going to keep away wildlife. When she woke from her light and fitful sleep the next morning she was bleeding.
She found a small creek nearby and cleaned herself up then washed her clothes and spread them in the grass to dry. Youkai silk didn't stain, but the linen was ruined. It was what she had though. While she walked around the blood flowed straight down her legs to the ground. When she returned to the camp she removed the silk and hung it on an overhead tree branch so she wouldn't soak through it again.
The next morning she tried to spot clean the blood from the linen kimono and washed herself. Then she needed to decide what to do. If Sesshomaru hadn't returned by now he likely wouldn't. He had probably looked for her all night during the storm and decided she wasn't in the area. He had told her he planned to travel southwest, so she decided she would too, in hopes of finding him.
She could survive until she could find him, she was better equipped than when she first arrived. She had clothing, a knife, flint stone, and her bow and arrows. She could hunt, start a fire and build a simple shelter if she really needed to, she'd be fine. She ate a quick breakfast of fruit she'd found the evening before then set out to the south.
She got turned around, and delayed by another rain storm, her bleeding was over before she found the town, but she decided to at least ask around to see if her husband had been there. While she was in town it occurred to her that she wouldn't have been able to buy tampons anyway, she had no money. She would have to make some before her next period arrived.
She had nothing of value, nothing she could part with anyway. She asked around to see if anyone wanted their fortune told, but noone was interested in a fortune from such a strange looking woman. Instead they accused her of being a youkai and chased her from town.
She didn't fare much better in the next town, no one had seen her strange beautiful husband and she didn't offer to read any palms. In the third town while she was asking about her husband she heard rumors that the lord's young son was sick and no one knew how to cure him.
She decided to go to the castle and see if she could do anything for the boy. Afterall, she knew a bit about medicinal herbs and much more than these people about nutrition and hygiene. To her surprise she was granted an audience with the lord who was desperate to save his only son. Desperate enough even to trust the strange miko from the west.
She was shown to the boy's room and quickly figured out he wasn't sick, he was possessed. Now she wished she had paid more attention when her grandma had told her how to exorcise evil spirits. She had to try though, the spirit was draining his life force. The child would die if she didn't drive it out.
She would need some herbs. She explained the situation and asked to get some supplies from the kitchen. All they had that she could use was sea salt. She decided to go out and look for something she could use in the forest.
She came across a huge cedar tree, a tree with protective qualities. She approached it then stopped just as she was reaching out, this was an old tree, very old. "Are you...um, I not know word. Awake? No... that is not right word. There is child in town, is possessed by evil spirit. I need leaves to save him."
A soft breeze blew through the boughs and the needles of one brushed her cheek. She thanked the tree then cut several twigs from the bough that had brushed against her. She returned to the lords castle and got the supplies together. Salt, a bowl of water, a burner full of red coals, and her cedar twigs.
"This maybe is dangerous. I want everyone leave building. Just me and boy inside."
"No!" The lord replied. "My niece was possessed by an evil spirit once and the monk who healed her told my brother to wait outside no matter what. He cured her, but after he cured her that wretched monk violated and impregnated my sweet niece and robbed my brother blind!" Melissa was aghast, what kind of man would do such a thing?!
Two guards were left to make sure she didn't do anything sketchy during the exorcism. The last thing she needed was for the spirit to jump into the body of a strong armed guard so the first thing she did was cast a circle then reinforced it with a circle of salt. She stripped the needles from one half of each of her twigs and sprinkled salt into the water.
The needles were sprinkled on the coals where they smoldered and smoked. Melissa stepped into the smoke, hoping the cedar smoke would help safeguard her from the spirit. Then she picked up the bowl of salt water and the cedar twigs.
Standing over the child she ordered the evil being to leave his body. Nothing happened. She ordered again then dipped the needles of the twigs into the water and sprinkled it on the child. With an angry hiss the spirit rose from his body and glared at her with glowing red eyes.
It's face was full of evil sharp teeth but it's body was long and formless, a spectral snake with no clear end. It hissed again and lunged at her. She dodged to the side and felt Raven pulse against her hip. Dropping her bowl and cedar she unsheathed her dagger as she dodge the snake again and sliced into it's scaley side with her dagger.
"W-what did she cut? Where is that blood coming from?!" One of the guards yelled in terror, Melissa alone could see the creature.
The snaked looped around and lunged at her from behind. It attempted to enter her body but her thin coating of smoke was an effective barrier and instead she was sent flying across the circle, landing with a thud and a groan. She scrambled to her feet as it came after her again, mouth gaped wide to tear her apart with it's fangs. She dodged and plunged Raven deep into it's chest as it passed, slicing into it's heart. Blood splattered everywhere and the guards ran screaming from the building as the snake thudded to the floor, lifeless.
A lavish feast was prepared as she washed the blood from her clothing and body. the next morning everyone was in great spirits as she left. Not only had she saved the boy but she'd earned a little spending money too. The lord was elated as he waved at her retreating form, not only was his son healthy again but she'd been more than happy to receive half of what she deserved. For months the only thing discussed in the town was the strange and powerful miko from the west.