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Sesshoumaru wasted no time taking them through the castle proper. Instead he carried them to an open balcony situated in the family wing. Sesshoumaru was gone down the hallway the moment his hands left her waist, leaving Kagome to follow quickly behind him down the corridors. Please let everything be alright, she thought to herself as she turned a corner and saw her son. Katsurou alone sobbing and a expression of relief passed over his tear stained face once he saw his mother.
"Mama!" He cried out running to her. Without missing a step, Kagome caught him up in her arms, planting kisses where the tears had been.
"Sweetheart, where is Rin?" She asked, stroking her son's back in attempt to soothe him.
"She's... "He sniffled, wiping the last of his tears away. "She's in her room. The healer made me leave!"
Kagome made her way towards Rin's room and before she could even open the door, she could feel the anger in Sesshoumaru's youki.
Kohaku stood up the moment she opened the door. "Kagome-san!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes remained locked on the Kohaku, and his youki prickled with agitation.
Kagome looked Kohaku up and down. Sango's brother didn't appear too terribly injured, but she could see his shoulder had been bandaged. Rin lay on her back on her futon. Her face was bruised and her eye was swollen shut. Her lip had been busted, and that seem to be the minor injuries.
Kagome set her son down, and moved to kneel next to Rin. She was relieved to see that the healer had already left.
"What happened, Kohaku?" Kagome whispered, brushing a small piece of hair away from Rin's face so she could further assess her injuries.
"A group of Naga attacked us in the forest. One caught Rin and coiled about her. She quickly made him regret it though…she took his arm and left him with enough injuries that he probably won't live long." Kohaku explained.
Kagome worried her lip. She placed her palm against Rin's forehead, checking for fever. Her skin was bruised but not feverish, which was a good sign.
Rin slowly opened her unwounded eye, and gave a weak smile.
"Hey Kagome." She mumbled softly.
"Oh, Rin. I'm going try to heal you as best as I can. This might be a stupid question, but where does it hurt?"
"My chest. I think my ribs are broken." Rin rasped.
Kagome nodded and began the painful process of opening Rin''s kimono to allow her access to the injured area. Skin on skin contact was the most efficient way for her to allow her reiki to heal.
Rin closed her eyes against the uncomfortable feeling of rearranging of clothing.
Kagome looked over her shoulder at the young slayer, who had nothing but concern on his face.
"Kohaku-kun, would you mind waiting outside while I do this?"
She would have to remove the bandages covering Rin's chest, and she didn't want to expose her.
The young man's eyes lingered on Rin for a moment before he nodded, and quietly left the room.
Katsurou's form trembled with anxiety. He had seen his fair share of injuries, due to his mother being a healer, but this time was different. He didn't understand why, but he could feel the hurt coming from Rin. His own chest ached oddly.
Katsurou approached his uncle cautiously. His grandmother had told him that it was normal to seek comfort and assurance from pack members.
Sesshoumaru's eyes widened when he felt two small arms wrap around his leg. Looking down, he found his young heir clinging to him with a strange desperation. From what Kagome had told him about their life in the village, the child was very accustomed the sight of injured people. So why was so he distressed?
Leaning down, he scooped the small child up into his arms. Katsurou dug his fingers into the soft fur draped over his uncle's shoulder.
Sesshoumaru eyed the boy curiously. The child was obviously upset but...why was his youki fluctuating erratically? He could see it surging, then waning to almost nothing, then back up again. A new moon had just past, so he shouldn't be experiencing a rise in his youki.
"Are you alright?" He asked Katsurou.
The child didn't answer, but kept his eyes on Rin's still body, as his mother cut through the bandages, revealing her black and purple torso.
Gently, Kagome skimmed her fingers over her rib cage, sensing the fractures in her bones. She moved her fingers upwards until she reached her collarbone which sported an angry welt over it. Her bone was broken there too.
"You know how dangerous Nagas are. Why did you let him get a hold of you?"
Rin smirked. "I wanted to try the arm guards out."
Kagome let her reiki flow from her fingers and sink into her patient's body. Rin closed her eyes as warmth spread across her chest.
"You have to stop breaking your ribs. You have some minor internal bleeding this time." Kagome said to her.
Rin smiled. "At least I took his arm."
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Is he dead?"
She frowned. "No, they escaped, but I don't believe he will be forgetting about me anytime soon."
Kagome's fingers moved over Rin's broken collarbone, causing her to hiss in pain.
"I'm sorry..." She mumbled. Kagome's head was beginning to pound again. If she had known she would have to do some major healing, she certainly wouldn't have drunk the night before!
"Ah...Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kagome asked.
He stepped closer to her side. "Hm?"
She removed her hands from Rin, and rubbed her temples.
"I am...My head is killing me. Would you mind...you know..." She mumbled, her face turning redder and redder by the second. She wanted to try using some of his energy to boost hers. She was getting progressively more exhausted the longer she healed Rin. Poor Kohaku needed healing too, and she doubted she could finish it.
Rin watched the interaction with avid interest. The fog of pain had lifted enough for her to pay attention. The minor healing that she had already done had begun to make her feel better and much more alert. What was Kagome so embarrassed about?
Sesshoumaru remained silent. He had no idea what she wanted.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, would you mind lending me some of your energy?" Kagome asked, looking over her shoulder at him. Her soft blue eyes pleaded with him.
He was slightly taken back by her request. What for? They had only managed to share their energies twice now, and without meaning to.
Sesshoumaru stepped behind her and let his free hand drop to her shoulder. His youki flowed down his arm and over her body. She marveled at how his youki used to hurt or otherwise feel unpleasant, but now...it conjured entirely different feelings. How was that even possible?
As drained as she felt, she offered her own reiki to him. She knew he felt it the moment his eyes closed. She didn't know if she could get her energy up enough to meet his, but in a truly astonishing moment, she felt his youki lesson and become on par with hers.
Kagome opened her eyes, feeling invigorated as she felt the wealth of Sesshoumaru power behind her. Rin watched with obvious question in her eyes as Kagome placed her hands over her broken collarbone, and began to feed her body her healing reiki.
Rin sighed as the pain vanished.
Katsurou's eyes widened as he clearly felt his uncle's youki swell around him and flow down to his mother. Even more to his surprise, he felt his mother's energy responding in kind. His mouth fell open in bewilderment. He wasn't usually so aware of his mother's holy energy, unless it was the new moon. Yet now, he could feel it clear as day. It felt so...familiar. He had felt it before, and not just from his mother.
Kagome looked over her shoulder at her son. Her gaze pierced him with knowing. A golden thread stretched between them, and down to Rin.
"What is it?" Katsurou asked. It was so small, so tiny of a thread, it might as well been a spider's web.
His uncle opened his golden eyes, that were so similar to his father's and his own, and centered his gaze on him.
His mother's voice was soft with awe. "That's your reiki, Katsurou. Can you feel it?"
He furrowed his brow. "Yes..."
Sesshoumaru gently set him down to the left of his mother, next to Rin's mother took his small hand, feeling his tiny touch of reiki. "Would you help me heal Rin? Katsurou looked at her surprised.
She laid his hand on Rin's shoulder."You feel my reiki, yes?"
He nodded his head slowly.
"Good, now think about Rin. She's hurt right? Where does she hurt?"
Katsurou closed his eyes. His chest hurt, particularly around his right shoulder. His fingers moved downward towards her collar bone.
Kagome nodded. "Yes. Her collar bone is broken. What do you feel?"
"My shoulder hurts. It doesn't feel right."
"Good. Now direct your energy and thoughts to the spot that hurts the most." She instructed.
Katusrou opened his eyes and stared hard at the angry welp over Rin's collarbone. At first, the tiny spindle of golden thread did not move, it only swayed between them as if caught in a breeze.
Kagome laid her hand on his back. "You can do it."
In his mind, he could see the crack in the bone. Please help Rin, he thought. The thread snapped to attention, the end of it disappearing into her body. Before his eyes the swelling went down, and the welp disappeared.
"Yes...that's it, Katsurou." His mother whispered.
The bone remained unhealed. No matter how much he focused, it stayed the same.
"I can't! It won't work!" He said frustrated.
"It's alright. You have done a great job so far. Keep your focus, Katsurou."
It was too late. His small frame shook with frustration and anger. "Why won't it work?!" He shouted.
The thin thread snapped and disappeared from his sight.
He stood suddenly his hands balling into fists.
"Katsurou! Calm down!" His mother implored.
It was all too much. His body swayed. Sesshoumaru caught him around the middle and held him against his chest. Katsurou hung like a rag doll in his uncle's arms, fast asleep from expending too much energy.
There was a moment of silence in which everyone in the room tried to comprehend what had just happened.
"What the hell was that?! You guys have got to tell me what you have been up to while I have been gone!" Rin exclaimed.
Kagome gave her a look. "I'm glad you're feeling better, but now you need to tell us what exactly happened."
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Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews. I'm hoping to get the ball rolling into the next arc of the story within the next few chapters. Once again, a huge thank you to Saruwarui, because this stuff wouldn't get posted without her.