Just as a note, I'm not a doctor, nurse, or even a medical student of any kind. I never even looked on Wiki (Because we know how reliable and truthful that is) I know next to nothing about medical stuff, and I made most of it up. If any of this works, or doesn't work, I have no idea other than guessing and making it look good for the story… So, yeah…
Extra note: Read the ending note for important information on future updates on stories and awesome news!
Story
A chilled breeze hit her flesh, causing the girl to shiver. She looked down at her legs, questioning if wearing her skirt now was the best choice. It was fall, and she should have thought ahead before coming to the past. At least brought some change of warmer clothes or something, but she chose not to, so she could make room for ramen.
That and she wasn't really thinking straight when she was packing. Her already large smile grew even more just thinking about it—
"You haven't stopped grinning since you got back." Inuyasha huffed. "What's got you in such a good mood?" He asked.
"I got a C on my math test." Her cheeks were starting to hurt, she was smiling so much.
"Keh." He laughed through his nose. "All this over some test of yours? You got a C? So what?"
She placed her hands upon her hips. "In case you didn't know—which I know you don't—It's better than an F!" She told him. She then looked down at the ground in thought for a moment. "Well, it might not be something to boost at but…" Her happy mood was quickly becoming heavy with the realization. She probably shouldn't be happy about a 'C' after all, a 'C' is just 'average' but—she hasn't gotten anything other than an F in math all year. "I decided to get a tutor. I'm glad I did." She confessed. "I was so excited after all my hard work studying and that it actually paid off…"
She felt a gentle touch upon her shoulder. "I'm happy for you Kagome." Sango praised her. "Even if I don't know what those tests of yours are for in your time."
Kagome's smile quickly returned at her friend's kind gesture. "Thanks Sango."
"We know it's important to you." Miroku spoke up. "Right Inuyasha?" The male gave the other a message with a glare sent his way.
The dog just shrugged. "Yeah. Good for you Kagome."
Her expression dropped again, frowning. Why does he always have to be that way?
.-
Kagome looked up at the sky, seeing the sun falling down the multicolored treetops. "Don't you think it's time to set up camp, Inuyasha?"
The dog looked at her from behind his shoulder. "No." He told her. She could feel another start of an argument, when he spoke again. "There is a human village ahead. We will rest there."
Hearing about the town instantly brightened everyone's mood, and they all picked up their pace, wishing to get beneath a roof and into a warm room. After a few more minutes of walking, they stopped in their tracks when the tree line cut off unexpectedly. Kagome's breath was taken from her at the sight—
"Roses?" She was shocked at the field of flowers that was before them.
Not only were they out of season, but the roses were odd in color. "Blue?" Sango reached out and touched one of them, curious. "I have never seen blue roses before."
Kagome looked at the flower in confusion. "Neither have I." She didn't know they existed. Like Sango, Kagome walked up to the flower and cupped the blooming plant in her hand, feeling the soft petals beneath her touch. "Strange." She hummed. "They don't have thorns." All roses have thrones. It is how the plant protects itself.
"Quite odd." Miroku also became curious, but he looked at the plant with caution. "I do not sense anything from them." He told them. "They are just normal flowers."
"Keh." Inuyasha gave a snort. "If you are done goofing off, we don't have time to waste looking at flowers." The demon raised his sleeve up to his nose, to block out the strong scent of the plant, and then began walking through the field, to the village on the other side.
They all shrugged, but followed their leader without complaint, treading through the beautiful blue flowers. With her bare legs, Kagome was happy that the plants didn't have any thorns—"Ow!" She gave a shout when something stung, hitting her legs.
"You alright Kagome?" Shippo asked from his position on top of her shoulder.
"Fine." She huffed. "I think something just bit me." She rubbed her leg when another pinch nicked her skin.
A hiss behind her make her realize she wasn't the only one being targeted. Sango was rubbing her neck, and Miroku was looking at the ground, at his sandaled feet. An amused snort came from ahead of the group, and Inuyasha couldn't help but boast. "What? You guys can't take a little bug bite— Damn!" He slapped his own wrist with a growl, forcing him to remove his sleeve from his nose.
The humans behind him laughed, but then Inuyasha got quiet, his body becoming stiff. "Inuyasha?" Kagome walked up to him. "What's wrong?"
Inuyasha glanced at them, a serious look on his face. "I don't think we should go into this village."
The group sent him a questionable look, but Miroku was the one who spoke up. "Why?"
He sent them a look of concern, and he opened his mouth to explain. His face contorted then he shook his head. "Might be best to show you…" Then he began walking again, and the others followed hesitantly.
.-
When they arrived, Kagome had to place her hand over her nose and mouth, both to block out the stench of death, and to cover up the sobs that fell from her lips in grief. The group looked on in horror at the scene as they walked through the small village.
Everyone in the village looked exhausted and sick. Those that were in decent shape, was carrying dead bodies upon carts to be wheeled away—All on the cart were children or the elderly. Welts were upon their body, signaling some sort of disease was among the towns' people. Those that were still among the living, looked like they didn't have much longer either.
There was a woman sitting in the street, the sickness covered her arms, and her wails of grief could be heard throughout the whole village. In her tight grasp was a boy, no older than ten. His body was lifeless and pale, covered in mud and welts. The cart of the dead was beside her, the man pulling it tried to get the woman to release the child to him, but the woman just kept crying.
Before she could think, Kagome was running up to the woman, and kneeling beside her.
"Kagome! Stay away from her!" Inuyasha called to her in warning, but she ignored him.
"What happened to him?" Kagome questioned the woman, tears in her eyes. Yet the woman didn't answer her. She just shook her head and held the boy closer, not willing to let the cart take her son away.
"A disease came upon us." The cart driver spoke up, looking at the group.
"Do you know where it came from?" Miroku asked.
The man shook his head. "It hit so quickly." He told them. "It effected the children first, then the adults who touched them." He confessed. "Not all are affected by it, but It hits fast and hard, making one deadly sick for a two days. After that, the adults would get better, but the children and elders who couldn't stand the strain…" His voice faded as he glanced at the cart behind him, filled with dead bodies.
Kagome's chest clinched at the information. "What about your miko? Could she do nothing?" She looked up at the man, and a pained look appeared on his face.
"She tried what she could within her abilities, trying to save the children, but soon the sickness overtook her as well." He frowned. "She was wise, but with wisdom comes age—She was up in her years…" His words caused her eyes to widen.
"What about other healers from the neighboring villages?" Miroku suggested.
The man shook his head again. "They are busy with their own people. The illness is spreading."
Kagome absorbed all that was said, and her expressions turned darker. She continued to watch the woman morn her dead child, and looked at the miserable and pained people around her. She then set her sights upon her half-demon companion.
Inuyasha instantly understood what her silent message was: We must help these people.
.-
Kagome was kneeling beside a sick child, her hands reached out and hovering above his chest. She reached inside herself, calling forth the energy within her. She tried to remember the same feeling she got when she shot an arrow, or when it came out to her defense. She concentrated, breathing in and out.
She felt something spark within her, and she almost cried out in joy. Yet when she opened her eyes, nothing was happening. Her hands were not glowing, and she did not feel any power coming out to respond to her call. She lowered her arms, and tears began to weld in her eyes from frustration.
Why are her powers so useless when she really needed them? She felt helpless. Nothing seemed to be working. No known herbs, or even medicine from her time made any dent in the illness.
It started out as a small spot upon the flesh, then it became a rash. The rash would spread, and the body would become weak. It would become hard to breathe, and the body would go into a type of suspended animation, where the heart would slow down to the point of almost stopping- with children and the elderly who couldn't take the strain, it does.
She had no clue what it was, or how to cure it—or even what the nature of the sickness is and how it's spread from person to person. Kagome felt drained and useless to this virus. She didn't know what to do. It had been two days since they have arrived in the village, yet no real change has been made. Kagome was starting to feel disheartened by her failed efforts, even more with each child placed beneath the ground.
Kagome glanced over, seeing the gang hard at work.
Miroku and Sango were digging graves beyond the city. Inuyasha was carrying the numerous dead bodies from the loaded cart to the freshly made graves. When the cart was emptied, the half-demon began his route through the village to pick up more. Even Shippo helped out by carrying water and food from house to house to give to the sick.
The sickness didn't effect demons, which is why Inuyasha took it upon himself to carry the hardest burden, and by doing so had to touch the infected bodies. Miroku, Sango, and her were human, but after two days and no sign of the illness, they believed to be immune to the disease, becoming bolder with their effort to help.
That is until…
"If only I had more supplies from my world, I could run some tests. Maybe draw blood or—" Kagome paused when she heard a cough, then a heavy thud—She turned to look and her eyes widened when she spotted her friend lying upon the ground, unmoving. "Sango!" She was on her feet in an instant, and like the others, were rushing to her side.
Miroku reached her first, turning the woman over and holding her up. Concern and dread within his violet orbs. He glanced up at the others, a pained expression marring his face. Kagome bent down in front of him, and quickly glanced over her unconscious form.
Kagome gasped and she placed her hand over her mouth in surprise—
She saw it- What caused such a haunting expression to appear on the monk's face. There was a rash on Sango's neck and chest.
She was infected…
.-
Kagome heaved the yellow pack over the well, giving a grunt when she did so. She soon followed the bag, emerging from the wooden structure. She wasted no time in picking the bag up and placing it on her back. "Kirara!" She called out, searching the field. "Kirara!" She repeated. She began to worry when she didn't see the cat that had brought her here. "Kira—" A blur of motion stopped her shouting, and she took a step back when something landed in front of her. "Inuyasha?"
He turned around and crouched. "Hurry up."
Dread filled her, knowing that him being here could not be good news. She nodded and quickly got on top of the half-demon. He then took off at full speed, zooming through the trees of the forest. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to wait for me? What is going on? Is Sango okay?" She bombarded the demon with questions.
"This is her second day with the sickness." He told her, but Kagome already knew that.
"I'm sorry it took so long." Guilt was swirling inside of her.
He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Did you find anything?"
Kagome shook her head and sighed. "I looked everywhere. I couldn't find any kind of sickness like this in any book." She confessed. "But I did get some supplies—Good ones." She told him. "I had to pull some strings, but I was able to get some things from a hospital, where someone I know works there and was able to get them out for me." She then said. "I might be able to find out something if I run some tests and use something that isn't just over the counter."
The demon nodded his head, accepting her answer. "I'm here, because we brought Sango back from the village." He decided to answer her questions.
"You what!" She instantly screamed at him. "I told you not to move her!"
"Watch it! My ears!" He growled. "I know what you said, but—"
"What if she infects the people in Kaede's village! What were you thinking!"
"Calm down!" He snarled. "We know what we are doing!" He told her. "We put her in the farthest hut from the village, and no one but me and Miroku has been inside, and everything she comes in contact with has been burnt." He huffed. "We have been careful."
Hearing his words, she settled down a little, but she was still highly upset that they disobeyed her. "Why did you move her?"
"That place was filthy, she needed somewhere clean and fresh. Miroku also thought that someplace familiar to her would help her recovery."
Kagome nodded, but she was still attacking her lower lip with her teeth in nervousness. "I can only hope that it didn't make things worse…"
.-
When Kagome rushed into the hut, she spotted Sango lying on a futon, and Miroku by her side. She noticed their joined hands, the monk giving the woman comfort, even as the girl slept. Miroku turned his head at the sound of the screen moving, and when he saw her enter, a small amount of relief came over his worried and concerned features.
"Did you find anything?" Miroku asked. Kagome shook her head, and his expression fell even more.
She walked towards them. "But I will do what I can." He nodded, then moved out of the way, releasing his hold on the unconscious woman. "Any change while I was gone?" When she sat down, she began to shift through her pack.
"I am not sure." He confessed. "She has stopped breathing so hard…"
Kagome glanced once more at the woman. "She has gone into the second stage." Suspended animation. "How long has she been like this?" She asked, looking up at the monk.
"Sunset yesterday. That's why we moved her here."
Kagome stopped in her ramblings and glanced back at Sango. She gave a sigh, then look up at Miroku, smiling. "She will be fine." His heartbreaking expression melted away, replaced with pure relief. She also heard a small nose from behind her, made by Inuyasha. "Adults don't die from the sickness, and she is stronger than even normal adults." She look down at her hand, in it was a needle. "I was wanting to get her blood, to test it, but she has been too far gone in the second stage. She will be awake and moving in another few hours, the illness out of her system." She heard a thud, and looked up, seeing Miroku sitting down onto the floor, his body looked like it's lost all his bones, his tense form sagging in exhaustion. "You two need rest. I will watch her until she wakes up."
Miroku nodded. "Thank you Kagome…" Yet his eyes were already closed, dosing off.
She shook her head. "How long has he been awake?" She glanced over her shoulder, but paused when she saw Inuyasha in the same position—fast asleep.
Her face softened at the scene. They must have stayed awake the whole time she was gone. It was sweet that they worried and cared for her so deeply. Kagome nodded her head, then went back to her pack, going to retrieve some ointment and soap from her pouch. When Sango wakes up, she will want to take a bath, and the cream should help with the rash and soothe the itch.
.-
Pouring water onto the flames caused a hiss of displeasure from the embers, before they fizzled out and died. With last night's campfire put out, Kagome shifted her pack upon her shoulder and looked at the group. "Are you sure you're able to travel Sango? You just woke up a week ago." She told her. "There is no need to push yourself."
"I feel fine now." Sango shook her head. "We can't stop now. We need to find the cure as fast as possible."
Kagome nodded, agreeing. "I need to take blood and run tests on some infected children. I have decided to take the samples to my time. I don't want to, for risk of bring it to my world, but it is worth it if we can find a cure." If it could save just a few more kids from dying, it was worth it.
"We trust your judgment Kagome." Miroku spoke up. "We know you will succeeded."
The miko could feel pride and hope swell in her chest. "Thank you. I will do my best." She just hoped that it was enough…
"Come on, I thought we was in a hurry." Inuyasha spoke up, once again rushing us to our destination.
Yet no one complained, for they knew the urgency of their task, and was willing to push through the quick pace to reach the village. Hoping they arrived in time to save at least one child…
.-
They walked swiftly, making good time. The whole while, Kagome was lost in her worry and nervousness. She hoped that she brought enough, hoped that she could make a dent, or find out what is going on and how to stop it from killing any more people. So deep in her own thought, Kagome ran into Inuyasha's back when he suddenly put on the brakes.
"What's the deal Inuyasha?" She gave a small huff and rubbed her nose.
"Stay behind me." He told her, his face contorting into a snarl as he reached down for his sword.
"Huh? What's wrong-" She sensed him just as he emerged from the bushes and onto the road. He was just as she last remembered him, proud and strong. He stood to his full height, looking down upon them from his nose as he turned to face them. "Sesshomaru..."
"What do you want?" Inuyasha questioned him.
"I am here for the miko." His golden spheres looked directly at her when he answered. She shivered, unsure if it was from his powerful aura suffocating her, or the intensity of his glare. She hid further behind Inuyasha, as if to shield herself from the cold gaze.
Inuyasha growled in rage. "Over my dead body!"
"That can be arranged."
"I told you before, and I'll say it again: You are not going to take her!" Inuyasha pulled out his fang, and charged his older brother.
Sesshomaru pulled out his own blade, and their swords clashed, metal hitting metal, sparks flying. "Even now, you attack without thinking." He scolded him. "You are as simpleminded and predictable as enraged bull, no foresight beyond what is in front of you."
"Fuck you!" Inuyasha broke the connection with a roar, then slashed several times towards his brother, which was easily dodged.
Sesshomaru raised his blade, and once again the two swords clashed, pushing against each other. The full demon overpowered his younger brother, and Inuyasha had to dig in his feet as he was sliding against the ground from the force of his brother's relentless charge. Inuyasha's fang was pressed against his chest, Sesshomaru's blade almost at his throat. Inuyasha was losing ground against his brother's superior strength, yet he never gave up.
The whole time, Kagome watched in a nervous fit as the brothers fought. As she watched, something caught Kagome's attention. "That—that's not Tokijin…"
"Your inability to notice all but what is front of you…" Sesshomaru was still talking, even though he's face was just a breath away from Inuyasha's. "And that, my dear little brother, is your weakness."
Kagome's eyes widened once she realized what that blade was. "Inuyasha, his blade-!"
Her words were cut off with a sickening sound, followed by the surprised grunt from the half-demon. Kagome and the rest of the gang gasped in horror, seeing a hand protruding from Inuyasha's back, even though the two brother's blades were still connected.
Sesshomaru seemed pleased at his brother's pain, pushing his left arm further into his gut. The action causing Inuyasha to lurch—His father's fang slipped from his grasp and dropping onto the ground with a helpless clang, and transformed back into its smaller state. Inuyasha's arms were limp by his sides, and his amber orbs were darkened over in unconsciousness. The sickening, suction sound that came out as he pulled his hand from his brother's stomach, made Kagome's own belly twist into knots.
Without the support from Sesshomaru's arm in his body, Inuyasha helplessly fell to the ground in his own blood, unmoving. Sesshomaru stood over his lifeless body, one hand held his blade, while his other was dripping in his brother's blood, covered up to his elbow in the crimson liquid. His pleased expression was now gone, replaced with cold indifference as he looked down at his brother from his nose in superiority.
"I-Inuyasha!" Tears spilled forth from Kagome's eyes as she ran forward. Sango and Miroku reached out to stop her, but they weren't quick enough, and she ignored their calls.
She could feel her heart breaking as she looked at his unconscious body before her. She reached to her pack, slipping it off her shoulder as she kneeled down—An arm snaked around her waist, pulling her off of the ground, and away from Inuyasha. She gave a surprise gasp as she was held against a strong form and reached down to try and pull herself free from the arm that was still around her. When her hands touched something warm, she looked down in horror at her bloodstained hands—Inuyasha's blood.
She looked up at her captor, anger flaring through her tears. "Sessho-!" Her breath was stolen from her when his arm tightened around her midsection. Just as she heard the cries of her companions calling her name, the world around her passed by her in a haze of inhuman speed.
The demon lord now had what he came for…
.-
Even as the demon ran through the trees and shrubbery in a blur, Kagome still kicked her feet and wiggled in his hold, pushing on his arm that still held her to him securely. She felt like a child, or more accurately, a football, being held in such an inconsiderate way.
"Take me back to Inuyasha right now!" She shouted out, barely able to hear anything beyond the rushing wind.
His hold around her tightened and she flinched in pain. "Cease your flailing."
She glared up at him. "Inuyasha—"
"He will not perish from such superficial injuries."
His words caused her to pause. "Your hand went through his stomach!"
"Has he not survived impalement before?"
"N—" She stopped herself, when she remembered that the demon was right. That wasn't the first time a hand with through the half-demon's stomach— "Which was your fault too." She huffed, still wiggling in his arm. She heard something amidst the rushing wind, and she instantly froze in her movements. She looked up at him, her eyes wide in disbelief. "What did you just say?"
Fear and dread pulled down into her stomach and she became speechless.
Rin was sick.
She could already guess what sickness the child had…
.-
Even when the world around her stopped moving, her head was still spinning. When her feet touched the ground, she wobbled, holding her arms out in front of her for balance as the ground beneath her stopped shaking—or maybe that was her legs.
"You!" Kagome turned, seeing an angry green toad waddle towards them, shaking his staff. "You are of no use here, woman!" Jaken huffed out. "Why did you bring this wench—" A boot connected to the imp's noggin, sending the creature to the ground in a cry of surprise. "M-milord?" The toad was more than a little shocked as he rubbed the knot on his head.
"Do not question me, Jaken." Sesshomaru looked down at him from his nose.
"Y-yes, L-lord Sesshomaru." The imp repeatedly bowed to him. "Forgive me for my rude—"
"Enough." Instantly the toad stopped his sniveling. "Go fetch herbs for Rin."
"H-herbs? But the herbs do not work—" Golden orbs narrowing sent the toad into a stuttering mess once more. "Y-yes Milord! R-right away!" In a green blur, the toad took off into the woods, leaving Sesshomaru, Kagome, the dragon, and Rin in the camp.
"Why did you send him away?" Kagome asked as she tested out her legs to try and get them working again.
At first she thought he wasn't going to answer her, but after a few silent moments he spoke. "He is useless in these situations."
Kagome believed that all moral support was welcome, but then—Jaken being, well, Jaken, wouldn't be very supportive, really. Sesshomaru was right, Jaken would most likely get in the way and hinder her with his nagging. She didn't need that, so Sesshomaru sending him away was the best thing for now. But she decided not to voice those thoughts, or thank the demon. She knew it would be pointless anyway.
Kagome, now able to feel her lower limbs, walked close to the fire where the child was lying. She took off her pack and placed it beside her as she knelt down. With just a glance, she immediately knew something was wrong.
"She is not breathing heavy." She looked towards the demon.
He shook his head. "She was having difficulty when I left to retrieve you." He answered. "Does this mean she is getting better?"
"No. The opposite." She admitted. She looked down at the girl, and pulled out a stethoscope from her pack. She placed the ends into her ears, and then put the round peace to Rin's chest. The miko closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound, barely audible through the device. A frown appeared on her face as she removed the stethoscope, putting it into her yellow pack. She hasn't been in stage two for long. There might still be a chance to save her. "Her heart and lungs are slowing down." She began to mumble her thoughts as she searched through her pack. "If nothing is done soon, they will stop completely."
She heard a growl from behind her. "If Rin dies, I will hold you responsible, miko."
She glared at the demon from behind her shoulder. "I will do everything in my power without you having to threaten me, demon." She spat out. "I don't wish to see her die anymore then you do." She looked back down at the child and her expression fell once more. "There has to be some way to stop it or at least slow it down for a little while so I can figure out what to do." Kagome began to rummage through her pack once more. "They die when their heart and lungs go so slow, that they stop—Maybe if I speed them back up again, even temporarily, I might be able to postpone it." She dove deeper into her pack. "Adrenaline… I need adrenaline." Could be a bad thing for a child, but what other choice did she have? "Ha!" Kagome exclaimed when she pulled out the tin box she was looking for.
She opened it, and pulled out one of the needles. She put the box beside her, then opened Rin's kimono, just enough to see her chest—She paused when something blue sticking out of the fabric caught her attention. Reaching in, Kagome pulled out the object, and then her expression softened when she saw the beautiful crown made out of blue roses. She finally made one—She shook her head and placed the flowers away from her.
She popped the cap, revealing the sharp needle. She placed her hand onto the girl's chest, judging the correct area. She lifted the needle up, placing it almost to her head, then swiftly stabbed downwards— The air was knocked out of Kagome's lungs, expelling from her in a harsh grunt. Her back and head slammed into rough bark, causing her vision to become dizzy. She felt pressure upon her throat, and she released a cough of confusion.
She raised her blurry gaze up, seeing hardened gold staring back. "Sesshomaru?"
"For your insolence and trickery, I shall put you out of the misery that is your human existence."
"N-no!" She barely choked out when she felt his grip tighten. "I-it's not what you think!" She tried to tell him. "This is—T-this is…" She looked at the child still lying on the ground and she knew she didn't have long. "There is no time to explain!" Kagome told him. "All you need to know is that if I don't give this to her, she will die."
The demon lord seemed to regard her words carefully. After a few moments, she felt the claws upon her neck loosen, and she sighed in relief. Not wanting to waste any more time she crawled back to the child, doing her best to keep the sterile needle away from the ground. She got back into her previous position before she was tackled; her hand upon the child's chest, the other in the air. Without delay she brought the needle down, and injected her with the medicine.
Rin released a sharp gasp of air. Kagome expected her to get up, but the child laid still, eyes closed. Rin was breathing heavily. The sound made Kagome sigh in relief as she withdrew the needle from the child's chest. "That should buy us some time."
Kagome began rummaging through her pack again. As she searched for more supplies, she began asking the demon lord common questions, trying to figure out how the child caught the sickness.
Judging by how long it took Sango to become infected after staying at the village, Kagome deduced that it takes approximately two days for the sickness to take hold. "Has Rin come in contact with any other kids or humans within the past three days?" She continued to place several objects onto the ground, clearing the pack of most it's containments.
"No." Was his quick reply.
Kagome paused and looked over at the lord. "Are you sure?"
"You believe this Sesshomaru is lying?" His eyes narrowed.
"I'm not—" She took a deep breath and sighed. "The sickness spreads through contact. She might have left and ran into someone…"
"She has not left this one's sight for the last week." Kagome raised an eyebrow at his words, and then he added. "I am not ignorant about what goes on around me, miko, even when it involves human affairs. I have heard of the blight, and have been… cautious."
Hearing his words, Kagome smiled softly. She was happy he took such precautions. It means he isn't just a block of ice after all. He truly cares about Rin. But the reality of this information made Kagome uneasy. She looked down at the ground and nibbled on her lip.
"Did I misjudge by taking such measures?"
She shook her head. "No. It was the right thing to do. In fact, she shouldn't have gotten sick—Which makes things worse." Kagome told him. "It's spread through contact, but if she hasn't touched anyone who was sick…" A huff escaped her lips as she went back to the task of sorting through her pack. "It will make things harder, but we have to figure out what caused her to get sick."
Kagome pulled out another smaller bag; inside were empty syringes and needles. "What has she been eating the past three days?"
"Berries along the path. Fish. Small game."
"Did the fish or animals look sick?"
"No." He responded. "Nor did they smell foul when cooked."
With some trouble- not done it before- she attached a needle to a syringe. "What about drinking? Where she slept?" She turned back towards the child, and prepped her arm to draw blood. "Anything abnormal?"
"No." He answered sharply.
The vein pop up after she tied the child's arm. Kagome easily stuck the needle and began drawing her blood. "What about her routine? Has it changed at all—" Her question got cut off and her face became contorted as she watched the child's blood in the syringe. "What …?" She held the tube closer, to get a better look at it, to make sure she wasn't seeing things. When it was still the same, Kagome's body became cold, filled with confusion and dread.
Her blood was black.
She wasn't sure what that meant, other than it wasn't a good sign.
Out of character, Sesshomaru spoke the obvious. "Human's blood is red."
She resisted the smartass comment of 'Naw, really?' and instead said: "You've spilled enough to know." Not much better, but still…
"Watch that tongue of yours, girl."
She rolled her eyes, earning a chilling growl of warning from the dog demon. She huffed and sent him a glare. It paled in comparison to his—only because he practiced more than her—That, and the fact that she looked about as intimidating as a newborn kitten.
Knowing that she would never win a staring contest with the unblinking demon, she looked back down at the girl. She began to abuse her lips, as her mind became a whirl of thoughts.
She looked back and forth between the black blood and the child, trying to come up with a reason, only to end up blank. Feeling a throb behind her eyes, she sighed in aggravation and rubbed her temples.
Maybe she should just start over from the beginning?
What little she knew about the sickness was only guesses: You can contract it if you touch another infected. Even that turned out wrong. Rin got sick when she didn't make any sort of contact with anyone else. Another sigh came from her lips.
"Where did it come from?" She mumbled to herself. How did the first victims get infected? Maybe it was something else? The food or water? "But we ruled out food and water." Kagome eyes scanned the girl, and she noticed the rash was upon her chest. "Maybe it is contact after all? Something on the skin." She lowered herself more, so she could get a better look. "An allergy?" She mumbled as she touched the rash. "Makes sense if it effects breathing, and also why some get sick but others don't." She then looked at the needle. "But this blood?" A skin allergy doesn't affect the blood like that. It has to get into the body and bloodstream somehow. Everything is so odd. "But if it was an allergy after being in contact with something. What did she—" That is when Kagome remembered the flowers hidden under Rin's clothing. "The roses…"
She put the syringe down on the tin box, and opted to take the crown of flowers instead, inspecting it. "They were growing near the village." Kagome looked up from the still fresh roses, crystal blue making contact with molten gold. "Where did she get these?"
"They were not near a human village." Sesshomaru told her. "I did not permit her to frolic among them, but she insisted, so this one deemed it acceptable for her to gather a few so she could take with her."
Kagome's eyes narrowed in thought—"Ouch!" She hissed when something stung her palm. She pulled her hand away from them, and glanced down. An eyebrow rose in puzzlement when she noticed a black dot on her palm. She raised her hand closer to her face, only to pull away when it twitched. "A bug!" She all but screeched out. "I hate bugs…"
An idea came to her mind, and she bent down to get a closer look at Rin's rashes. It was difficult, for they blended in with the red bumps, but she spotted several red dots. Those could have been the insect bites. "Maybe they are carrying the disease?" It could be possible. The black plague was from fleas off of rats after all.
She looked back at her palm, at the bug, only to pause when she noticed that it was not moving. She raised it closer to her face again, and saw that it was on its back, it's legs curled up.
It was dead.
"Why?" She began to question what just happened, thinking that it couldn't survive long away from the flower. But then why bite anything that comes in contact with it? Is it for defense? She noticed the flowers didn't have thorns earlier. Was that how it defended itself? That was quite odd though. "Still doesn't explain why it effects some but not others."
Maybe it is still an allergy, but only effects the blood? What if whatever it has, can only kill certain blood types? Is that even possible? What would be the point? She shook her head. There is no time to ponder why. She has to save Rin.
The main thing she should find out is: Why did that bug die when it bit her hand? The answer might be the way to find a cure.
Kagome hummed, getting an idea. She went back into her pack, quickly finding a set of tweezers. She scanned the flower, having a difficult time at first, but she knowing what to look for she quickly spotted another black dot underneath the blue pedals, hiding.
Using the tweezers she plucked the insect off the flower. She put the flowers onto the ground, so she could pick up Rin's arm. She placed the bug onto the child's flesh, and watched. It didn't take long for the bug to bite, but unlike when it bit the miko, the bug was still crawling upon her skin, alive, even after a few minutes later.
After this was done, and having her answer, Kagome picked up the bug once more, and then tossed it into the fire, tweezers and all. "Well that proves that." She spoke out loud. "But I still don't know if I can figure out how to cure her with just that…"
Maybe the cure is in the flowers? If she ground the petals up into a powder she could make a remedy. That would work if it was a type of poison, but not if it was an allergy. Giving Rin the thing she was allergy to could put her into anaphylactic shock and cause her to stop breathing all together. She just couldn't risk it. But what else is there—
The demon lord, who has been quietly observing her the whole time, spoke up. "You were bitten, correct? Why are you not affected?"
Kagome shrugged. "I don't know. Some people just aren't." She knew it was a weak answer, but she didn't have much else to say. "It might have something to do with the fact that when it bit me, it died, but not when it bit Rin. I guess it doesn't like me or my blood or something…" She allowed her words to trail off as the gears in her brain began turning. "My blood!" She franticly began looking at the ground, and when she spotted Rin's blood, still in the syringe on the tin case beside her, she grabbed it. She took the tie from Rin's arm and used it to cut off the circulation in her own arm instead. Not believing it was the best idea, and breaking many of the rules in sterile medicine she knew of, she stabbed herself with the used needle and began taking her own blood into the syringe.
"If you are trying to end your life miko, I know of better ways to do so."
"I'm not—" She gave a huff and shook her head, then decided not to answer him. After filling it up halfway, half her blood, half Rin's, she pulled the needle out. She looked at the color, and saw it was dark brown. Kagome made a face, then shook the syringe. She held it up to the sky once more, and a smile came on her face when it turned red. "I have an idea." She exclaimed out loud, before tossing the needle into the fire. She then began searching through her pack. She pulled out several objects, placing them down onto the ground and prepping herself.
While doing so, she heard a screeching voice in the background. "I have the herbs you requested milord!" Jaken had returned. "What is she doing?" He now stood beside Sesshomaru, getting a good look at the things she had put on the ground.
"It is none of your concern, Jaken." Sesshomaru answered him. "The herbs you retrieved." He looked down at his servant. "Put them into the fire, and gather more." He ordered. "They are unacceptable."
The toad made a horrified face, and Kagome tried not to laugh. "B-b-but-!" The imp then sighed in defeat, and slowly dragged his feet to the fire to toss the herbs into the flames.
As he passed her on his way to leave the camp, something caught Kagome's attention, and she called out. "Wait, Jaken. I need your help."
The green demon paused. "Y-you do?" She nodded and he scuttled over to her. He didn't even hesitate. His eagerness to help Rin was rather sweet. She wasn't expecting it from him. "What do you need of me?"
With a smile, Kagome reached out and snatched his two-headed staff from his grasp, hearing a squeak of surprise and anger from the demon. "Thanks!" But she turned back around and continued her organizing, ignoring his rants of objection.
"Jaken." Sesshomaru's cold tone revealed his meaning, and Jaken became silent, not raising anymore fuss about the subject.
Just as he was about to go back into the woods, to get more herbs, Kagome spoke up. "I don't need the herbs, Jaken." She told him. "You can stay." She then added. "If you are quiet." She figured it was the least she could do since she was using his staff.
The toad looked over at his master for permission. The only thing he received was silence. Since he didn't object the demon guessed it was alright, and walked over to sit by the dragon mount.
With the items out of her pack and laid out before her, she grabbed a few of them, then the staff. She raised it into the air, then slammed it with all her might into the ground so that it was stationary. She heard a screech from behind her, and she sent a heated glare over her shoulder, instantly shutting up the toad from any more of his bickering.
"Seriously…" Kagome mumbled under her breath as she continued to prep. "Like you haven't done anything worse with it?" She knows for a fact she has seen the toad bash a few demons on the head with the staff. Her sticking it in the ground isn't that big of a deal. "Umm." She looked at the staff, two empty blood bags in her hands. "How does this work?" She tilted her head as she stared at the faces on the staff. "Excuse me? Could you hold one of these please?" She held up one of the bags to the older face, asking nicely.
"As if the staff would listen to you." She heard a snicker coming from the little imp and she huffed. "It only listens to me—"
The mouth opened up, and Kagome gave a mocking laugh. "HA!" She couldn't help herself as she breamed with pride at the toad's shocked face. She then placed the bag into it's mouth, and it closed, holding it for her. She then went to the woman face, and held up the bag, but unlike the older male, the female was more stubborn. Again, she heard the toad laughing at her. She snorted through her nose. "You know, you are very pretty." She told the staff. "I bet Jaken doesn't take care of you like he should. Does he?" She then bent down closer to the wooden weapon. "If you hold this for me, I will make sure he smooth's out your hair and re-stains it for you so that it looks nice and new again." After a moment, the woman's mouth opened up, and she smirked in satisfaction, feeling a heated glare on her back.
She put the bag into the female's mouth, and it held it for her. She looked at what she made and she nodded her head. It will have to do. She went to the rest of her things and prepped both Rin and her.
She has never done a blood transfusion before, but Rin's life depended on it. She will have to try.
.-
Kagome sighed from her position on the ground, unsure how long she's been lying there. She glanced at the bag that was filled with black blood, held by the female face. She then looked at the elder face, his bag holding red blood.
Her eyes looked at the four crisscrossed tubes going from Rin and her black bag, to Kagome's red bag, then ultimately down to their two arms, needles stuck on both ends. It took her a moment to figure it out, but Kagome guessed she fixed it right.
Rin's blood was going into one bag, then into Kagome's arm. Then Kagome's blood was going into her own bag, then out into Rin's other arm. The miko was using her own body as a sort of filter for Rin's own infected blood.
When she began, she heard an objection from the toad. She quickly snuffed out his doubt, going into detail with the procedure and what she was doing, but the toad gave her an odd look, unable to understand. Then she tried to explain in simpler terms so his tiny brain could figure it out: It will work, so he should just shut his pie-hole.
It did shut him up, but what she said wasn't the complete truth. She wasn't sure if it would work, really. The only thing that she knew was that she wasn't affected by the sickness, so—theoretically—it should work.
Maybe…
The teen looked at the black tube going into her right arm, then the red tube in her left. She stared up at the sky and a heavy sigh fell from her lips.
What was the worst that could happen? She glanced over at the demon lord who was sitting close by.
Oh yes, how could she forget? Sesshomaru would kill her…
.-
"Woman." The nagging shrill that was regrettably enough becoming familiar to her, called out. "Woman!" When she didn't answer the first time, Jaken spoke again.
She gave a huff, not wanting to really answer him, but decided to anyway. "What?" She slowly opened her eyes and stared at him.
"The bag." He pointed to his staff and Kagome glanced over.
Seeing the two bags were now red, Kagome's face turned into a big smile and she sat up with a grunt. "Alright!" Kagome cheered as she removed the tube and needle from Rin's left arm, but kept the one in her right. The miko took note that the child's breathing had become steady, but instead of it being a sign of dread, she took it as good news.
Kagome then proceeded to repeat the removal of her own tube from her right arm when she heard another voice speak up. "Miko."
She looked up from her arm, her eyes meeting gold. She quickly understood his question without him having to ask it. A smile appeared on her face as she spoke. "She will be fine." The tension, however small it was, relaxed in the demon's face. If it wasn't for the fact that she was staring at it during the shift, she wouldn't have even noticed. "I'm going to give her more of my blood though, just to make sure." Kagome kept the needle and tube in her left arm, matching the one that was still in Rin's right.
The last thing she did before she laid back down was throw the crown of flowers into her personal bio-waste bin, aka, the campfire. She no longer needed them, and she didn't want the child to get infected again.
Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention and Kagome looked over. She raised an eyebrow when she found herself staring into the now purple colored flames. Dark purple smoke rising from it.
"That's not normal." The words fell from her lips as she lay on the ground, staring at the pretty Barney-colored flames dance around.
"No." Sesshomaru's deep voice carried across the camp. "It is not."
.-
After an hour, Kagome was starting to feel sleepy. Believing that she had given enough of her blood, she sat up and removed the tube from Rin and her arm. She then reached out and took the bag from the elder staff's mouth.
She smiled at the old face. "Thank you." She then leaned over and kissed his large nose.
The staff's mouth opened so it could spread into a big grin and his eyes looked upwards and into the sky in embarrassment. His face matching a little too perfectly with any well-known perverted look she has ever seen. She should be an expert at spotting them, being with Miroku for so long.
She reached out and grabbed the wooden rod— Ha, rod-she tried not to snicker at the idea. Her face became flushed with embarrassment as she held it in her hand. She tried not to think of anymore perverted thoughts, but she knew her mind was already in the gutter. It always was whenever she got tired.
"Are you going to give it back, woman, or are you going to keep staring at it?" Jaken now stood beside her, waiting.
She gave a huff at him, sending him a glare. "You don't have to be so hateful." She reached the staff out to him. Just as he tried to grab it, she moved it out of his reach again—"Don't forget to fix her hair." She reminded the toad of her deal with the staff.
The imp gave a snort through his nose. "I don't see why I have to do it when you are the one who made the deal."
"Because you have to learn to take better care of your things." She argued. "Now are you going to do it, or am I going to have to keep it until you learn to treat your stuff with respect?"
"It is not your staff to keep, human." He was now getting irate. "If you don't give it back to me right now I'm going to—" A blur whizzed by, smacking the toad in the head. It wasn't until Jaken fell onto the ground that she noticed it was a rock that hit him, leaving a decent sized knot on the imp's head.
Kagome followed where the stone came from, and she found herself staring at a certain demon lord. Jaken quickly recovered from his surprise attack, and was openly gapping at his master. "My lord?"
Sesshomaru spoke from his position under the tree. "You will do as she says, Jaken." His tone left no room for argument.
The toad shifted in his spot. "Very well." Not that he would have argued with him anyway. Now that she knew he would hold up his end of the bargain, she handed the staff over to the imp. The green demon walked back to his spot beside the fire, grumbling the whole way.
"Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru." She didn't feel like arguing with the toad for too long. She was tired.
He looked away from her without much care and into the fire, giving his usual reply. "Hn."
Kagome then took everything she used, and tossed them into the fire as well just to be extra cautious. "Rin's clothes have to be deposed of too." She told them. "Does she have anything else to wear?"
Jaken was the one who answered. "In her satchel."
"Okay." She began to stand up. "If there is a river nearby, I have to wash her as well to get rid of any bugs—" When she was on her feet, she wobbled, her vision spinning. She held out both her arms to balance herself, before she was forced to take a few steps back and placed her hand onto one of the trees. "Whoa. Got up too fast." She mumbled beneath her breath as she tried to wait out the dizzy spell that overcame her.
When her brain no longer felt like it was swirling inside of her skull, she removed her hand from the trunk—She found herself staring at spiked armor when she raised her head, and she pulled back in surprise. She blinked, then looked up, questioning him.
"We shall go together." Kagome then noticed the unmoving child sitting in his arm, leaning against him and her head resting on his boa. He motioned over his shoulder, and she realized the two headed dragon was behind him, Jaken holding the reins. "You will take Ah-un."
She pointed down at the toad, giving the demon lord another odd look. "I'm going with Jaken?" Sure. Why not? He must realize how well we get along. In fact, she was sure one of us will end up throwing the other off the dragon before the ride was over. Perfect riding buddies indeed.
"No, Jaken rides with this one." Sesshomaru then added. "Ah-un does not think very highly of him." The toad snorted at the comment, trying to act like he did not care.
Kagome just smiled, liking the dragon even more so then before. "Does that mean you like me Ah-un?" She walked up to the dragon, and began petting one of its snouts. It closed its eyes and practically purred at her touch, leaning into her hand. She heard another noise from the imp. "You don't have to be jealous Jaken, just because he likes me better then you." She teased.
Jaken huffed. "As if I care." The toad turned away from her and began waddling back to his master.
"Yeah." She giggled and padded the dragon's snout. "He's jealous."
.-
Kagome had a little trouble at first, but she quickly got the hang of riding on top of the two-headed dragon. She just did the same thing she did with Kirara: Trusted they would take her where she needed to go, and just held on.
When they arrived at the river, Kagome made sure the two males had their backs turned when she undressed, washed, and then redressed the child again. The miko then asked about her old clothes, but with a wave of his staff, Jaken took care of it by torching it just a few inches from where she was standing.
She kicked the imp in the head for good measure, and then they were off once more into the sky. The unconscious imp, Sesshomaru, and Rin in his arms, all used the demon lord's cloud, while Kagome rode on Ah-un.
Now that everything was all settled, she can go back to Inuyasha.
.-
"What do you mean you are not taking me back?" She found herself standing before the demon lord after dismounting the dragon.
When they were still flying, she noticed that they were not headed towards Inuyasha, but instead back to camp. She shouted out 'why' at the demon, but her only reply was 'you are not going back to my brother.'
And that now puts us to the present, at camp, and Kagome more than a little upset by this turn of events.
Sesshomaru was currently kneeled down, placing Rin beside the warm fire. "You will stay here until Rin awakens."
"I told you Rin was fine as long as she doesn't come in contact with those flowers anymore." She motioned to the still sleeping child.
He stood, his height towering over her as he looked down at her from his nose. "Until she awakens." He commanded.
She tried not to mock him, but she desperately wanted to give her best scowl in that moment and repeat the words 'until she awakens' in the deepest voice she could muster. She knew the small laugh from it wouldn't be worth the loss of her life, but she still wanted to so badly…
But she chose instead to continue arguing with him. She puffed out her chest and stood on her tippy-toes to try and gain some height against the tall demon that stood before her. "I am going back! Inuyasha is hurt and needs me—Thanks to you!" She growled out and poked the demon's armored chest with her pointer finger— His clawed hand snatched her wrist, and she flinched at the sudden tightness applied to it.
Maybe this choice wasn't the best one either…
The demon lowered himself, some of his sliver strands falling from his shoulder and onto hers. "Do not forget your place, girl." He gave her wrist another squeeze and she hissed. "You have no power to demand anything from me." Then he said one more time, his voice deeper, filled with power and intimidation. "You stay until she awakens."
She tried not to cower away from him. "B-but that could take days—or weeks!" Yet her voice still shuttered and cracked, showing her fear. "I can't stay here that long!"
"That is of no consequence to me." Her renewed show of fear didn't trouble the demon, in fact he seemed to relish in it. "You will obey me. Unless you want me to give you a real reason to fear me?" Kagome knew that those words weren't a threat. No, it was insurance. He didn't get specific with the details, and Kagome wasn't sure if she wanted him to, but she got the point.
If she didn't do as he said, Sesshomaru would hurt her, or worse, someone she loved, as punishment. He already shoved his hand through Inuyasha's stomach—She really didn't want to find out what else he intended to do.
Sesshomaru took her silence as her reply of cooperation and he nodded in acceptance, releasing her wrist. She rubbed the sore appendage with a sigh.
Her tone lowered as she mumbled beneath her breath. "Until she awakens…" She reached up and rubbed her eyes, her headache still there, along with the dizziness.
Maybe she should go to bed now—Yeah, sleep sounds good…
.-
"W-!" Something was breaking through the haze of darkness. "Wo-!" The sound was annoying, and she gave a groan, trying to scare away whatever was making the nose. "Woman!" She gave a grunt when pain shot through her side.
Her eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, her hand on her throbbing side. "What the-!" Her world began to spin, and she removed her hand from her side, to put onto her head. More than just a little irritated at her wake up call, along with the headache, she looked around for the culprit she could vent her rage on. She spotted the green toad snickering beside her, gloating. "Did you just kick me!?"
The only answer she got was the demon laughing harder with a sneer on his face. She huffed and reared her fist back, punching—A well placed boot on the toad's head set him to the ground with a knot on his green skull. "Now is not the time for foolery." Sesshomaru then turned and made eye contact with her. "If you are done playing around, Rin is waking up."
"Rin!" Kagome swiftly got to her feet—"Ah." She wobbled, her world still spinning, and she lost her balance. When she began falling, something solid and in the way stopped her. That 'something' was a strong and unmoving demon lord. She instantly froze in place the moment she touched him. Slowly, like the dead, she raised her eyes up, and stared at his chin. "Umm, sorry." She pulled away from the demon shaped wall, and fidgeted under his gaze when he looked down at her. "The blood loss has made me weak." She explained.
"Humans are always weak." He casually walked by her.
Kagome released a large sigh, her headache getting worse.
.-
Not long after Kagome sat down beside the girl, she started to make noises and shift. Before Kagome could even get out her tools to check on her, brown orbs revealed themselves to the world. "Ka-" Rin flinched at the sound of her own voice, surprised by it's harshness. Rin cleared her throat and tried again. "Kagome?"
The older female smiled down at her. "Hello Rin."
Then girl then looked around in confusion. "Lord Sesshomaru? Master Jaken?" She switched from the tall demon to the shorter servant. "What's going on?"
Kagome decided to be the one to tell the child. "You were sick Rin. Sesshomaru brought me over to treat you, that's all."
"Ah…" The girl tried to sit up and Kagome helped her. "I don't feel sick." She looked down at her hands. "I feel great." She then flashed the older woman a bright smile. "You are a great healer Kagome!"
Kagome released a soft laugh at the child's words. "Thank you Rin…I still have to do some tests to make sure you are alright." The miko then continued looking in her pack for her tools to check Rin's vital signs.
The first thing Kagome took out was the blue cuff. She pulled up Rin's sleeve and wrapped it around her arm. "This will squeeze your arm, and it might feel tight and uncomfortable for a few seconds, but it's not hurting you."
The child just nodded and watched Kagome pump up the blue wrap. "I know you would never hurt me, Kagome."
"Of course not." The older woman smiled as she placed the stethoscope to her ears and then put it to her arm. After a few second she slowly released the air. "Your blood pressure is normal." She told her with a nod, and removed the blue armband. "Now I'm going to listen to your lungs and heart." She held up her stethoscope again. "Can you open your kimono a little?"
Rin nodded and did what she asked, but when she did, Rin noticed something. "My flowers..." She looked up at the woman and tilted her head. "Did you see them?"
Kagome nodded. "I did. They were beautiful."
"I finally made a crown, and I was going to give them to you."
"I'm happy you thought of me, but I didn't know. I had to throw them away. They were dead." She half-lied. "I'm sorry. Can you make me another one?"
The child nodded excitedly. "Of course." Her smile grew. "I'll make an even prettier one!"
"I can't wait." The female then bent down and whispered to her. "But no more blue roses alright? I'm allergic."
"Al-learn-gic? What's that?" The child asked.
"It means if I get near it, I get sick." It was a lie, but Kagome thought that if she told the child this, she wouldn't want to go near the flowers anymore.
"Ah." Rin nodded. "Okay."
She smiled sweetly at the child, then continued her exam. Kagome held the end of the scope to the child's chest-
"Kagome?" she had to pull away when a rumble went through the device, almost hurting her ears as the child spoke.
"Yes?" She looked down at her.
"Am I alearngic too? Is that why I got sick?"
Kagome blinked in surprise at her words, taken off guard. Smart kid. "Yes, Rin, you are. I didn't want to tell you and upset you, but you are a big girl and I think you should know." She looked into her dark brown eyes, serious. "You can't play with those blue roses anymore, alright?"
The child nodded her head, and Kagome smiled.
The miko knew that Sesshomaru would never let Rin go anywhere near those roses again, but this small precaution couldn't hurt. "Now let me listen to your lungs, hmm?" She held up the device once more. "Breath in… good. Now hold it-… and out… good."
.-
She made sure Rin was fine before she suggested leaving. Rin of course was upset, but Kagome had to get back to Inuyasha. She made some rules on what Rin should eat and drink for the next few days, along with a few other things on her list; fresh clothes and warm sleeping accommodations. After, she asked the demon lord if she could go back to her friends, now that Rin would be fine after some recuperation.
It actually took a moment for the demon to consider his answer. The silence made her believe he would refuse, but then he said "Very well. I shall take you back to my brother." She smiled in relief and gathered her things. She started walking towards the two headed dragon, when his deep voice called out. "You will not be taking Ah-un."
"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"He must look after Rin." His words had her looking at the child, Jaken standing beside her. Then Kagome realized that without the demon lord, no one with real skill was guarding her—Jaken had no real skills after all. If Sesshomaru left, and She took Ah-un, no one would be around to protect her.
"Then how am I going to get back?"
He looked down at her as if her comment wasn't worth a response, because the answer was obvious. "You will be riding with this Sesshomaru." Even so, he answered anyway.
"On your cloud-thingy?" Just as the words left her mouth, she blinked, and he vanished. "Huh—" She gave a small nose when a muscled arm snaked around her waist from behind and she was lifted off her feet. She was about to scream out, but then his deep voiced cut through her cry.
"You are not worthy of such luxury."
She gave a small huff in objection and crossed her arms, which looked rather ridiculous as she dangled under his arm. She kicked her legs, seeming childish, but she didn't care. She looked up at him, going to give him a piece of her mind, but then he took off in a blur of speed. The sudden high wind stole the air from her lungs.
The whole way back to her friends, she was once again carried under his arm like a football, putting all her weight upon her stomach and making the trip very uncomfortable at the ungodly speed the demon was moving in.
Not worthy? She is not worthy to ride on his puff cloud but Jaken is? So in Sesshomaru's mind she is lower in worth then Jaken…
That's just sad. The thought made her feel rather depressed, really.
.-
She was jerked at the sudden halt, going from super speed to zero in half a second flat, and she could feel her stomach flipping inside her body from the rough motion. The high and mighty demon ignored her groans of discomfort, and lifted his chin sever so slightly.
Kagome noticed the blood stain on the ground, and she put two and two together: This is where she was with Inuyasha last, when Sesshomaru took her. Just at the thought came to her mind, her stomach flipped right side up again when the world became a blur around her.
Sesshomaru was on the move again, still carrying her like she was a bag of garbage he was going to toss away.
.-
The second time the demon made a pit stop, her stomach sloshed around in her body, and all of her limbs and hair swayed forward before being repelled back. She wondered if anyone could get a case of whiplash just from running…
As her complaints rang in her head, she reached out and flipped her hair away from her face so she could see. She noticed a large cave was in front of them. Were they going to sleep there for the night—?
"I don't care! I have to find Kagome!" The loud roar from inside the cave make Kagome gasp at the familiar voice and she wiggled in Sesshomaru's grasp from excitement.
Inuyasha!
Instead of releasing her, he tightened his hold, making her wince as he squeezed the air out of her lungs. She understood the gesture, but she still huffed, not liking it, and crossed her arms in protest. Even though he brought her here, he still wasn't going to let her go just yet.
As another shout echoed from the mouth of the cave entrance, the demon lord strutted forward in his calm grace while still carrying the miko in his arms.
After they got further into the cave, she could hear other voices as well. "You can't move Inuyasha." That was Shippo.
"You are still injured." It was Sango that time.
"Think about it Inuyasha." Then Miroku. "You believe you can defeat your brother like this?"
At this point Sesshomaru and Kagome had arrived. She could see Inuyasha struggling from the ground, Sango, Miroku, and even Shippo was holding him down as he tried to fight them off so he could leave. Seeing him struggle made her sigh in relief. If he has that much energy, then he is not hurt as badly as she thought.
"He has Kagome!" He argued. "I'm going to hunt him down, rip off his arm again, and take her back!"
"In the state you are in?" Sesshomaru's mocking voice chilled the very air in the cave, making everyone tense up and turn towards them. "It would be amusing to see you try."
"Sesshomaru!" Some of them shouted out his name. "Kagome!" While others called out to her instead. All their voices combined, speaking at once, made it hard to distinguish who said what.
Of course, Inuyasha was the first to speak up. "Let her go right—"
Before Kagome could react, she felt the arm holding her up leave from around her body, and she fell to the ground with a 'oomph!'. The wind almost getting knocked out of her on impact with the cold ground.
"Ow!" She gave a hiss as she sat up, glaring at the demon lord beside her. She dusted herself off and stood up with a huff—The world around her spun from her quick movements and she braced herself as she wobbled on her feet. She noticed the others taking a step towards her, but she quickly held up her hand to stop them. "I'm fine." She told them. "It's just a little blood loss."
"Blood loss?" Inuyasha repeated. He then growled-"The bastard"—And released a few heavy grunts as he tried to stand up.
Kagome shook her head and took a step towards them to stop Inuyasha's brashness. "Lord Sesshomaru didn't do anything." She placed her hand upon her chest. "He was nothing but civil with me." She tried not to think of the many situations that came to her mind, where he wasn't at his best behavior with her—
Well, shes not dead. Thats as civil as Sesshomaru could get with a human she guessed.
She then turned towards the demon lord and bowed low to him, her hair falling off her shoulders and blocking most of her face. "Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru, for bring me back to my friends."
There was a tense silence in the room for several seconds. "Hn." He finally replied and she smiled to herself, standing up from her bow. No longer having a reason to be there, the demon lord turned on his heel and began walking away.
"Lord Sesshomaru?" She called to him, and he paused in his stride. "If you come across anymore of those flowers, would it be too much to ask for you to burn them?"
"You think this one would allow such poison to infest upon his land? I will deal with it accordingly. I do not need a simple girl to remind me of how to take care of what is mine."
His words caused her to shift uncomfortably, afraid she insulted him. "I didn't mean to make you angry." She bowed again. "I apologize." She raised up from her bow and then motioned to everyone behind her. "We will also spread word about the flowers, and tell everyone we meet to burn them. I'm sure the infestation will be gone soon, and with it the disease." With that said, she turned around and started walking to her friends, ending the conversation.
"Miko." She jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned sideways so she could look at him again. She noticed that he now had his head turned so that he could look at her over his shoulder, staring at her with one piercing golden iris. "Your debt has been fulfilled."
His words caused a weight to lift from her chest and she sighed, but then a small smile played on her features. "I would have helped her, even if I didn't owe a debt to you." She confessed.
He stood there, contemplating her words, but only for a few moments, then without another word he gracefully walked out of the cave. The last thing she saw was the ghostly strands of his sliver hair before he vanished into the darkness.
"What the hell was that about—" Inuyasha gave a grunt. "-Kagome?"
Kagome noticed the demon trying to stand and she went over to him quickly. "You shouldn't try to stand up on your own, you are still hurt." She scolded him, and kneeled down by his side. "But if you have enough energy to argue, that means you are alright at least. "She smiled. She then looked towards her friends. "I don't want to move him, but we should get him to Kaede's so he can rest. He should be able to last the ride there." The others nodded in agreement, then began preparing to leave.
"Keh." He snorted through his nose. "Something like this won't kill me." He boosted. A hand was gently placed on her cheek in a comforting manner, and she turned, finding herself staring into hot amber. "You should be more worried about yourself, idiot." He tried to sound harsh, but the softness of his tone gave him away.
She leaned into his touch, as warmth spread through her. His thumb unconsciously rubbed her flesh, causing it to heat up and her expression softened towards the half-demon. "I'm fine."
Inuyasha's face soon matched her own in color-
"Should we leave you two can alone in the cave for a little while?" Shippo teased. His words caused Kagome's blush to spread down to her neck in embarrassment.
Inuyasha's face turned even darker as his ears perked up in alert. "Shut up twerp!" His fangs poked out as he snarled towards the fox.
Yet Sango and Miroku found it funny, filling the cave with their laughter.
Within days word spread quickly about the cause of the disease, and the sky was filled with purple smoke, and the rare blue roses truly became extinct.
.-..-.
Omg my book is finished! AND IT'S PUBLISHED~ WhaaaaT! A real book and everything! I can't believe it either! I've been working really hard on it for a long time, which is why I suddenly vanished from Fanfiction for a while. After I finished I went straight to working on this and got it done for you guys.
It's about a world where there are three realms, each stuck in their own perpetual season (spring, winter, summer) and everyone has control of a single element. (Fire, water, rock, plants) But the world is changing, and there are now people who are born without magic, Voidians.
Arianna (Based off of Kagome from Inuyasha, of course) Is princess of the magicless, and she finds out she is betrothed to Prince Roland (Yoko Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho) A flirtatious man who tries to woo her from the moment he sets eyes on her, but she isn't having any of it. A tragic war breaks out with the neighboring kingdom, Shani (The fire kingdom from Avatar the last airbender) Her new husband is forced to go to battle to stop the approaching army from destroying her kingdom, and he places the only man he trusts to protect her, Conrad (Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan)
If that sounds interesting to you, then please check it out! Its already gotten 4 out of 5 star reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads! YAY~!
You can't copy and paste in the story chapters but you can in my author profile~ You can go there and it's the very first link at the top of my bio~
Or just google in ' To Betray My King ' or type it on your URL It should be the very first link.
If you guys enjoyed this story, enjoy my work, then please go to the link. Check out the sample, read it, see if you like it. It would help me out greatly if you guys supported me in anyway you can. It's available on Kindle Unlimited, so you can get it for free if you have the subscription, or if you don't have it, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial on amazon.
I have a full time job, but I love writing. I spent all my extra time on this story for you guys, my readers, and I'm sorry if I wasn't able to update anything because of it. I'm going to be working on the second book, and I'll do my best to try and update all my other works too in-between my full-time job and taking care of my mom.
You guys and FanFiction mean so much to me. I've been on this site since I was 13, and this community has been nothing but wonderful and supportive through all of it.
I'm just so happy…
It's because of you that I found my love of writing. Because of you that I was able to realize my dream. Because of you, I can now hold my book in my hand and proudly call myself an author.
Thank you so much.
And here comes the tears…