thoughts

*mental conversations*

amplified thoughts/meanings

"I do not understand how you can eat that," the voice, smooth in a fashion that served in raising the hairs along the back of one's neck as instinct forewarned of barely concealed threat in the low-toned voice, tore at wandering thoughts and lifted azure tinged eyes to the speaker.

Standing, one long fingered hand raised to keep the flap of the traveling tent from bashing against the other's frame while the opposite hand had settled with old confidence at the other's waist, close enough so that if the need should arise either of the two swords resting within their sheaths could be used in battle without unnecessary movement to reach them to begin with. It had been raining for the better half of the afternoon and well into the growing evening hours and the drizzle had darkened the once sky blue tinged hoati-like jacket until it was a deeper azure coloration. The dulled lighting past the other's frame, reflecting from a handful of torches or maybe even a fire site, only served in amplifying a haggard appearance that came from not days but months in seemingly endless battle and flight.

"Daidai peel helps with the lungs."

The claim might work if the plate was empty. But the peel, orange peel to be exact, was bitter to the tongue. It didn't matter that the doctors, scores of them, insisted that the fruit's skin would help in easing the heaviness of damaged lungs if the food itself was nearly impossible to consume. The sickness itself had been worsening throughout the seasons, barely noticeable during the heat of the summer and alternating from an irritating cough to something that was almost crippling through the months that happened to mark the transition from spring and fall and well into winter. As it was, though it was middle of summer edging into fall, the rain had made the illness nothing short of torture and made travel something of a hassle so much so that now it was beyond irritating, frustrating even, but if the others thought the same they had not voiced a word.

"And you were actually foolish enough to believe them, little one?" The nickname was earned for at 5'2'', this other was much smaller than some of the others. Lips twitched slightly, barely fighting down the smirk at the other's dry-toned voice. The older warrior solely lacked in social skills on a good day. With the recent turn of events his temper, though usually well kept, was beginning to weaken. As such the male did nothing to disguise the fact that he believed the doctors were nothing more than fools who had no idea as to what they were doing and as this sickness, which forced blood from the lungs in some of the worst coughing fits, had yet to lessen it was more than possible.

However, manners weren't lacking entirely in the small tent. A slender hand rose, gesturing at the taller man. "Don't just stand there. Sit…"

END FLASHBACK / DREAM

Breathe escaping in a wheezy sigh, body too exhausted from blood loss to start coughing despite the itch in her throat, azure eyes snapped open. For a moment Kagome Higurashi, once guardian of the accursed Shikon no Tama which with her miko abilities had returned to her body after the defeat of Naraku, could do nothing more than blink at the beige hued ceiling as her mind was awhirl with thoughts. The last thing she remembered was passing out just outside of the alleyway where the thugs had jumped her. But there was no dark heaven stretched over her.

And if I am dead, I must have pissed off some god to be in such pain. A hiss escaped through pursed lips as she shifted her weight slightly, her right side protesting even that gentle movement with a biting surge of pain. Her arm? Her ribs? The throb felt like a thousand needles pricking at her skin and made it virtually impossible to guess just where exactly the pain happened to be coming from. Her lungs thankfully felt like nothing more than a dull pain, a memory of a fouled weakness, compared to the rest of the aches and pains. She was better than she had been in months, no years, and had every intention of not getting as sickly as she had.

Back then, ten years ago, she had been on death's doorstep more than she wanted to admit. Mentally, once again, she cursed the fickleness of the gods. They had given her the ability to heal wounds, mend broken bones, and even cure sicknesses such as this by the time she had come to master the abilities that she had been born with. And yet stolen those abilities away. And when they might actually be useful in keeping her alive. She supposed something commented that it was only her resilience as to why she had survived this long and dogged determined.

That and Sesshomaru did not raise me to be a weakling. The inu-youkai, all those years ago, had begun to train her in the art of swordplay as a means of defending herself should she find herself with a broken bow and without one of the other's to call upon. The youkai had been a cruel task master. Had she been weak, like she had been when she first ventured into feudal Japan, she would have long since died to the disease plaguing her. The thing was, was that no one could have expected that as with her miko abilities the gods had decided to steal her home from her. The last time she had stepped through the Bone Eater's Well she hadn't gone back to modern Japan but jumped somewhere in between the Sengoku and modern era. Later 1800s to be exact.

So caught up was she in her thoughts, her troubled memories, that Kagome mentally cursed herself as the door slid open with a soft bang. Every instinct screamed move even if right now the best she could do was jerk her head towards the sound, narrowed eyes meeting with paler blue eyes widened in shock.

"Who are you?"

AGES:

Kenshin – 28

Kagome - mid to later 20s

Saito – 34

Will add as I go, but computer is extremely slow tonight and can't be bothered to wait.

-.-

NOTE: Yes I am aware the illness Kagome has sounds like tuberculosis, it isn't quite. I'll explain it further later.

NOTE: Kagome lost her miko abilities when the Shikon no Tama "disappeared". In all actuality it returned to its previous space, inside her body, and her abilities didn't disappear as they were spent / ruined in sealing the stone into nothing but a useless gemstone. Either way she is NOT a miko anymore.