Sesshomaru was as unmoved as he had been when we first met and as clean. He was where we had last seen him on the other side of the clearing and was looking toward the north. Mamoru was also much cleaner than I was. It seemed that demons could dodge the flying blood where as I hadn't even attempted too. I stood before my rescuer Mamoru in his impeccable state covered in demon body parts and found myself feeling like I an awkward girl with a crush. I sighed and went to swipe the back of my wrist across my forehead trying to move the hair out of the way but when my wrist touched the skin it felt like it was on fire. I winced and looked at it: one of the demons, probably that eyeball thing, had burned my wrist with its blood like acid. I wiped my knives off then sheathed them before turning back to my wrist.
Nozomi brought me the first aid materials and a bottle of water. Nozomi used the water to wash the gunk away from the bleeding sore then applied burn ointment, careful not to press to hard on it. Once she had finished her careful administrations she wrapped it up in gauze. Rin stood behind Nozomi holding the things that she handed her, she watched her closely to memorize what she was doing.
"There is a spring close by. Lord Sesshomaru could we go to clean up Lady Dawn?" Rin said turning to look at her protector.
Sesshomaru nodded slightly and led the way. Nozomi grabbed my bow and arrows and Rin carried my bag. Though she had a slight limp Rin refused to be carried and to help while I was injured. When we arrived at the spring I sent Rin and Nozomi with Jaken to set up camp. Sesshomaru and Mamoru had disappeared after leading us here and I was just too tired to worry too much. The burn on my wrist seemed to have sapped my strength. I peeled off my clothes and washed them in the hot spring across from me then lay them over the surrounding rocks to dry. Then I slid into the water up to my shoulders. The warm water soothed away the tension in me and I dove underwater to rinse the gunk from my hair. I surfaced feeling slightly dizzy and leaned against a rock and gazed up at the stars as I ran a brush through my wet locks. I wonder why I would die if I didn't go with Sesshomaru and his group. It is a little strange considering that we were attacked by all those demons. You would think if I was going to be safe I wouldn't have had to fight. But then again, Mamoru saved me. If he hadn't been there, it might have gone worse. I sighedand stood up from the water and turned to step out of the spring when I was stopped in my tracks. Though I was feeling very dizzy and a bit out of it, I wasn't hallucinating. So that meant that when I saw Mamoru standing on the grass a few feet in front of me, he was really standing on the grass a few feet in front of me.
Normally I would have turned my back quickly and sat back under the water so he couldn't see my body but I was so dizzy that when I started to turn I stumbled. Next thing I knew I was held a few feet off the ground with Mamoru's arm being the thing that was holding me up. My hair wasn't as long as Nozomi's or even Sango's but as I was dangling in the air the ends brushed the grass. I slowly turned my head up to look at Mamoru and tried to ignore the fluttering feeling that I got from having his arm around my naked waist. "Mamoru?" I asked weakly. "What's wrong with me?"
"The burn on your wrist is poisoning you." He said his eyes gentle as he gazed down at me and set me on the ground.
I watched in confusion as he knelt and pulled my wrist to his lips. He began to lap at the slice around my wrist and every where he touched his tongue, a soothing warmth spread until my wrist was whole and well. He then stood back and looked down at me. "You just healed me. Why?"
Mamoru didn't answer and though his eyes seemed to watch only my face, I got the feeling he was looking at my body and his eyes held a curious heat. After a moment he turned and walked away, quickly disappearing in the darkening forest. I guess he doesn't hold the same disdain for humans that Sesshomaru does. A good thing too…he's way cute. I opened my bag and shifted through some clothes before I pulled out the kimono Nozomi had given me when I returned from the future. It was the color of jade, very complementary to my eye color and it had tribal swirls in silver on the right side of the skirt and on the left arm from tip to shoulder and a silver sash completed the outfit. I walked toward the fires glow and found a two headed dragon creature playing with Rin. I guessed that he was Ah-Un.
Nozomi's smile grew when she saw me, "You look beautiful mother!" She was sitting beside the fire cooking our meal and when I looked around for my things I saw that she had given my knives a real cleaning and put them with my bow.
"Thank you sweetheart. How are you?" I said as I kneeled beside her at the fire.
"I am well. Mother would you do that special thing with my hair again? I like it." Nozomi said and gave me puppy dog eyes.
My daughter was a really happy go lucky girl and it was infectious when she grinned at me. I had to grin back, I couldn't help myself. The 'special thing with her hair' was that I had learned to braid hair into a coronet, so I brushed out her hair and began to braid it so that it encircled her head. Rin came over to watch as I worked with Nozomi's hair and she told me how she had met Sesshomaru. I listened to her tale as I worked with the soft pink hair in my hands. Sesshomaru saved her life. And he protects her while they travel together. I wonder if… I thought but the train of thought was interrupted.
"Lady Dawn?" Rin asked, "Where is your home?"
My hands fluttered and stopped. Nozomi held her breath and Rin looked at me with such a hopeful face. I was afraid to look up because I knew that if I did he would be there watching me, waiting to hear what I might say. I stuttered a few times before I finally managed to whisper. "A home is where your heart is so…I guess my home is in many places." I finished the coronet and walked away from the fire. I slipped my wrist sheath with its knife on and walked a ways into the woods to think. I don't understand. I have a house in America with my family, one in modern Japan with Kagome and her family, and one here with the gang…but I can't decide which is home.
Remember what you just said. It's where your heart is! And your heart is with Mamoru! Another part of me cried: the optimistic part, the part of me that believes love is everything and wants to be loved, that wants a mother more than anything, and have a family.
Mamoru? I don't know him!
So? Since when does love need knowledge of the person?
Love…?
Of course stupid! Love…it's that fluttering feeling you're getting in your stomach right now as you think of him. It's the racing in your heart at the thought of being with him forever. I argued with myself for a while longer after that but I always ended with the same conclusion: if Mamoru asked me to stay with him and make my home here…the answer would be yes. I gazed up at the stars through the swaying branches. "Star light, star bright, any star listening in the sky tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might have this wish I make tonight." I closed my eyes against the sudden burn and wished.
If my wish was answered it wasn't answered in a way I wanted. Behind me I heard Nozomi scream. I ran back to the clearing to find a spider demon standing over Nozomi, who in turn was protecting Rin with her own body. Jaken was unconscious on the ground by the fire and Ah-Un, Mamoru, and Sesshomaru were no where to be seen. Can this day get worse? I thought furiously, I untied the kimono so it slid off my shoulders as I ran for the demon, I didn't want to mess up my daughters' gift; it was much too precious. I dove under the demons legs and jumped to my feet, slamming my knife up two handed into the descending spiders head. It twitched before falling and in the second of free time before it fell I pulled Rin and Nozomi out from under it. It hit the ground with a meaty thud and I looked at it disgustedly. I walked over and began to scream and kick its dead body in fury. "You disgusting stupid freakin' spider, how dare you attack my child and her friend!" I yelled, after that I don't think I said anything with actual meaning. I slipped into Dawnese, a language I had made up in high school. I don't know how long I spent kicking the dead body but I know that when I finally ripped my knife from the corpse and stormed away from it, Rin, Nozomi, and the recently awoken Jaken were staring at me like I had gone crazy. I collapsed under a tree a little ways from the clearing, too emotionally caught up to notice the grass tickling my skin and the dew soaking into my bra and underwear, and I began to sob; I was having a serious break down. I don't know how to deal with all of this! I can't do it alone! I had Kagome, Sango and Shippo, even Inuyasha and Miroku to help me before, they kept us company and helped me protect the children but now I am alone, Sesshomaru isn't around every minute and Jaken is almost completely useless. And I can't concentrate with my mind so stuck on thoughts of Mamoru and a family with him. I finally sobbed myself into exhaustion and just managed to make it back to the camp and into a blanket before I passed out.
I woke a while before sunrise and stumbled to my feet. I grabbed one of the bottles of water and splashed some onto my face to wake myself up. I was kneeling on all fours gasping for breath when I saw two feet with slightly pointed shoes in front of me. Suddenly I remembered my state of undress and I swung around to grab some clothes from my bag. Sesshomaru didn't say anything to me as I hurriedly dressed but just his presence behind me made me nervous. I pulled on the black pants and black wifebeater, finally I turned to face him as I put both my waist sheaths on, tying the bottom of them to my thighs so they didn't swing. His face showed nothing, but then…it never did. "Yes Sesshomaru? Can I help you?"
"Thank you for protecting Rin." He said and turned to walk away.
I sighed. "It's not a problem Sesshomaru."
A second later Mamoru came up to me and smiled warmly into my face. "Jaken told us about the demon yesterday. I saw you fight last time and you are really amazing."
I smiled, "Thank you. You never did tell me how you met up with Sesshomaru. So far as I knew he only traveled with Rin and Jaken."
Mamoru smile's became sad as he looked at me. "Well you see my father recently died from injuries he got as he attacked a demon passing through his lands. It was one of Naraku's incarnations. My father told me how Lord Sesshomaru was hunting Naraku and he asked me to join up with the son of his friend and lord; Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father. Sesshomaru lets me stay out of respect of the memory of my father who apparently had been Sesshomaru's trainer many years ago. But I am not sure Sesshomaru likes anyone except maybe Rin. But that's why I am hanging around." His smile became flirty at the last.
"Well whatever the reason you're around, I am glad of it." I smiled back at him, winked and turned to wake the children when suddenly a shiver ran down my back and Kira appeared in my minds eye. "Kagome is in danger." I said and spun back to face him. "They have found a woman…Kagura I think?"
Mamoru nodded and grabbed me around the waist and swung me onto his back like Inuyasha does with Kagome and called to Sesshomaru. "Kagura is attacking Inuyasha!"
Sesshomaru ran towards us calling behind him: "Jaken, watch over them." He said and the demons ran in the direction I pointed with me holding tightly to Mamoru. They ran so fast that the world around us was just a blur. In minutes we had run the many miles and arrived where Inuyasha and the rest of the gang was.
Inuyasha was bleeding heavily and Kagome was unconscious. Sango and Miroku were a ways away battling a horde of demons and Kirara stood guard over Shippo and Kagome. I darted over to Kagome and ducked down and ran my hands over her to find injuries. Sesshomaru and Mamoru moved to stand beside Inuyasha and Kagura, the woman with the fan and red eyes decided that the three of them would be too difficult to fight. She started to flee but she didn't get too far before an arrow sliced the edge of her shoulder but it didn't stop her from getting away. The three dog demons turned at the same time to look and they seemed stunned to see me holding Kira in my hands. "No one hurts Kagome." I snarled, my hands were shaking too badly to aim. I looked down at the woman who I loved like my own sister and saw the pain etched into her face. Kagome was right. This world was full of pain, suffering, and anguish. Then I looked at Inuyasha's tired worried face and knew that in the middle of all that pain, these two great people had found love.
Sesshomaru went to help Sango and Miroku with the last of the demons and Inuyasha stumbled over and pulled Kagome into his arms as he looked her over. "I tried…I couldn't keep her safe." Mamoru stood silently behind me and his presence just being gave me some comfort.
I rested my hands on Inuyasha's shoulder and squeezed gently. "You did keep her safe. She's not dead, not even badly hurt; she just got a hit to the head. She'll be awake in a minute or so. She is alright Inuyasha." I whispered.
And true to what I had said, Kagome stirred and opened her eyes to see Inuyasha's face staring worriedly down into hers. She smiled at him weakly and snuggled into his neck for a moment before struggling to her feet. She looked around and when she saw me she squealed in joy and threw her arms around me. "Dawn! Thank goodness, I hoped Kira could call you."
I nodded and hugged her back and when I let go she sagged into Inuyasha, letting him support her. "We aren't here for long." I said and Kagome turned to watch Sesshomaru talk with Sango and Miroku, or rather listen to Sango and Miroku. "We have been constantly under attack and I don't want to leave Nozomi and Rin alone for too long."
The other three joined us and Miroku explained their theory about the increase in demons. "I think that Naraku is really weak right now and he is sending all these demons at us to try to get us too exhausted to fight when we reach him."
Inuyasha nodded. "I can smell him again and his scent is close. A days travel at least."
Mamoru shook his head, coming up and touching my elbow lightly to bring my attention to him. "Two, you need to take a day to rest or you will be too exhausted to fight."
Kagome nodded at him gratefully. "We'll set up some of Miroku's sacred sutras' and rest until the day after tomorrow. Then we are headed into battle."
I clasped hands with her. "We'll meet you at the gates to his castle at sunset two days from now." I looked at Mamoru and walked beside him as we followed Sesshoumaru from the clearing. As we walked I kept praying that when we left Naraku's castle after the battle, that all of us would be able to leave on our own two feet.
Let me clarify something for my great reviewer, angel61991, when I said that I was finished with "Dawn in Feudal Japan" I didn't mean this was the last chapter, sorry for the confusion! The story has a total of 17 chapters. I meant that I had finished writing it out and I will start updating it quicker so you can read the rest of it. This is not the end. Sorry guys!
If anyone wants to talk to me please feel free to get a hold of me. I have AIM, Yahoo messanger, and msn messanger so I cover most bases! I love talking to strangers and I would love to hear from my fav reviewers.
Well anyway I hope you guys like this story, I enjoy writing it! Review please!