Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Inuyasha ideas or characters

Child Of The Demon Sword

Ch.8

Ryoko and Rin walked on opposite sides of Shessomaru. They had their heads down. Rin tried to catch the girl's eyes, but Ryoko was obviously deep in thought. Rin felt sad for her new companion.

"My lord?" Rin asked. Shessomaru gave her a quick glance. "May I walk behind?" Her eyes looked pleadingly. Shessomaru didn't answer, but rather he quickened his pace. Rin smiled and turned to walk with Uh-un.

Ryoko turned her head and watched the young Rin walk back to the creature carrying Kagome. Ryoko wished to join her, but only turned her head back to face the direction she was going.

"Where was Inuyasha?" Shessomaru asked, not really interested.

Ryoko was surprised that he had said something. "Um… He…"

"Did he do this?" Shessomaru seemed suddenly interested. One of his eyes glanced at her, trying to read her reactions to his questions.

Ryoko swallowed hard, and shook slightly. She tried to say yes, but the words wouldn't come out. She just nodded.

"Did he harm you as well?" He was very interested now, and Ryoko could tell. She didn't want to talk anymore. She looked away from him and let a few of her tears fall. She swallowed again, and quickened her pace.

"Does it matter," was Ryoko's only response.

"I guess not…" The conversation ended there, but you could tell Shessomaru was thinking deeply on the subject.

---WITH RIN---

Rin watched as the young girl and her lord talked, but mostly she inspected Kagome's wounds. Huge bruises were forming over her stomach. She took off all the leather bands from Kagome's wrists and put them in a pouch, then loosened the buckles on her shoes.

Jaken watched, and would have commented on how ruled by emotions humans were, but he didn't feel like getting hit by Shessomaru. (A/N: what am I supposed to do with Jaken?)

Rin smiled when she heard a dull moan from Kagome. She was coming back to consciousness. "Lord Shessomaru!" Rin called out. Shessomaru stopped and looked back. "We need to hurry! She's starting to get a fever."

Shessomaru leaped back and grabbed Kagome. "I'll go ahead, I travel quicker alone. Jaken, stay with Rin." He turned back and almost ran into Ryoko.

"I'm going with you!" She glared up at him.

"You are to stay with Jaken and Rin, that's final!" He glared back.

They stayed silent for a few seconds just glaring at each other, before Shessomaru finally took off, leaving Ryoko behind to worry about Kagome.

"Don't worry," Rin's voice said from right next to Ryoko. "My Lord won't let anything happen to her." Rin smiled, hoping to bring comfort to the other girl. Ryoko looked Rin up and down then turned to walk off.

Jaken blinked with confusion. The child seemed so much like Shessomaru, but how could that be?

"Let's go," Ryoko said, she was already way ahead.

----WITH SHESSOMARU----

Shessomaru raced past many trees, and ignored the painful yelps Kagome made when he landed and then jumped again. He was only minutes away from his castle, and he wasn't about to slow down now. Rin was right, she was getting a fever, and he could feel it in his hands.

He landed at his door with a sudden halt and Kagome gritted her teeth. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked up. Shessomaru met her eyes, she held his gaze for moment, and then she passed out again. Servants rushed out and took the girl from him. A healer was brought up from a nearby village, and soon after Jaken arrived with the children.

Ryoko sat outside Kagome's room wide-awake, and Rin kept making excuses to walk by and check on her. Jaken retired to his room not to be disturbed unless it was for Shessomaru.

Shessomaru, on the other hand was outside in the dead gardens. He actually wasn't even planning on coming back to his castle, but he couldn't very well take care of an injured human on his own in the brush. He couldn't explain it, but something happened when Kagome looked in his eyes.

He briefly saw a flash of fear, and then she suddenly became calm. Why? And why had his brother so violently attacked her?

----BACK AT THE POND----

Inuyasha had woken up, and Songo and Miroku were asking him what was going on.

"Why did you attack her?"

Inuyasha looked at his hands, they were covered in blood. Her blood. "I… I… I Don't… Know, I just…"

Songo looked sympathetically at him. "It was because of Kikyou, wasn't it?"

Inuyasha looked up at her slowly. "What?" Then he looked at the pile of ashes. "Oh…"

There was nothing but silence.

(A/N: Long time no see guys, please R&R)