Forbidden

Chapter Six: Eye for an Eye; Poison for Poison

Nanami walked over to Sesshoumaru, but immediately looked up at Inuyasha and his group. "Leave. Please." The woman asked, but they all just stood there and stared at her.

"NOW." She demanded loudly and sternly, pulling out her sword, enshrouded in a white flame. Inuyasha refused to budge, but Kagome grabbed his arm and pleaded him to leave. Finally, they departed.

Nanami stuck the sword into the ground to illuminate the area.
"Rin. On Teyn's saddle there is a silver flask of water and near it is a small bag. Can you please bring it to me?"

Rin complied and ran over to get the supplies, sniffling and stifling a few cries. Nanami picked up Sesshoumaru's left fore arm and gently pulled up the sleeve with her hand. She lowered his arm down slowly and felt his pulse. It was very shallow and slow, but at least he was still alive... for now. She grabbed the sheath of the poison dagger and pulled out a small glass vile from the small compartment hidden on the sheath's underside. She stared at it for a few seconds, as if double checking if she wanted to do this. She put it down on the ground next to the man's shoulder. She looked at Sesshoumaru's face and placed her slender hand on his forehead. He was burning up. She brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. -Terrible time to notice how attractive you are.- Nanami blushed to herself and then was about to slap herself for thinking such thoughts of her enemy. -I don't even get along with him, or like him for that matter... then why am I saving him.- Nanami shook her head before she changed her mind about the antidote.

Rin brought her the flask and the bag. Nanami took out a cloth she had used as a towel and soaked it in the remaining water.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!! What happened, Milord?!" Jaken squealed right after he woke up from passing out when Inuyasha trampled him while Nanami and Sesshoumaru were fighting.

"Jaken, bring me some cold water from the stream. Hurry." Nanami shoved the empty flask into the green demon's hands. Jaken scrambled out of sight toward the river. Nanami opened the vile and moved closer to Sesshoumaru's head. She slid an arm under his shoulders, but realized she could not lift him up with just one hand. The demon handed Rin the antidote, asking her to hold it. She put her other arm under his right shoulder and pulled him up so that he was lying in her lap. Nanami took the antidote from the girl and placed her left hand on his jaw and opened his mouth. She slowly and carefully poured about one fourth of the antidote and closed the vile. Nanami took the wet cloth and wiped blood and dirt from his forearm.

"Why are you not giving Lord Sesshoumaru all the medicine?" Rin wondered.

"An overdose of the antidote would kill him even faster than the poison. He has to drink one fourth of it every six hours until this time tomorrow." Nanami answered and put Sesshoumaru back down on the ground. She cleansed his wound thoroughly and bandaged it tightly. Jaken finally arrived with the water. Nanami soaked the rag with the cold water and softly dabbed Sesshoumaru's face before placing the folded cloth on his forehead. He began to shiver slightly.

Nanami stood up and retrieved a dark cloak she wore during the cold weather. She threw the spread out cloak over Sesshoumaru and wrapped it around his broad shoulders. She quickly gathered some wood, thinking about how Sesshoumaru knew about those words, those secret words she brought over from her homeland. She did not sing or even utter the words of that song for over 200 years now. -Is it possible that he knows me? If so, then why do I not remember him?-

When Nanami returned, Rin was sitting near Sesshoumaru, wrapped in the furpelt hanging off his armor. Nanami lit a camp fire and sat down, leaning against the trunk of a tree.

"Will Lord Sesshoumaru be alright?" Rin asked innocently while scooching closer to Nanami.

"Yes." The woman replied. -Maybe... if his body can resist the poison.-

"I will pray for him anyway." Rin said happily and did as she said.

-What have I done?- Nanami sighed. -Rin practically worships Sesshoumaru, and yet I take his life and crush it in my hands. What kind of monster am I?-

"I'm sorry Rin... I am sorry this happened. But if it wasn't for you, I would have killed him. You saved him, Rin."

"Lord Sesshoumaru should not have been so hasty. It was not your fault." Rin crawled over to Nanami and wrapped her arms around the woman's waist. Nanami hugged Rin and took one last look at Sesshoumaru before closing her eyes. -He will snap my spine in half when he comes to... if he does that is.-

An entire, uneventful day and two nights have passed. It was sunrise and Rin was fidgeting around in her sleep and suddenly let out a shriek. Nanami jolted up right, her eyes still half closed.

"Sorry. Bad dream." Rin giggled nervously. Nanami smiled and cocked an eyebrow. A rustle and a quiet, pained groan sounded behind Rin. Nanami stood up and saw Sesshoumaru frowning in his sleep. She walked over to him and sat down next to his left arm. Nanami pulled up the sleeve and looked at his bandages; they needed to be changed. She began to untie the knot when she heard a threatening low growl. She glanced at the demon, who was awake now an glaring at her with those cold eyes, and ignored him. His right hand grabbed Nanami's wrist tightly.

"What do you think you're doing?" He spoke in a voice cold enough to freeze water.

Nanami tried to pry her wrist out of his grasp because it was getting really painful.

"Let go of me..." Nanami finally murmured. Sesshoumaru stood, showing no pain, bringing Nanami up with him. Her hand was starting to get a tingling feeling and turned purple. she could feel his claws dig into her skin and draw blood. On top of it, the poison from his claws was burning her skin. "Stop, Sesshoumaru!" She growled. The man's eyes turned red again and he slammed the woman against a tree.

"Give me a reason. You wanted to kill me. You should have done so, because I will not be so merciful."

Rin stared in horror at Sesshoumaru. It wasn't like him to act this way. The little girl wanted to stop him from hurting Nanami, but she was afraid that she might get herself into trouble. Nanami couldn't hold the pain any longer. She could not feel her fingers and palm, her wrists were trickling blood and her skin burning inside out with the poison. Nanami shut her eyes, bit her lip and whimpered. "I was only trying to heal you!"

Another growl came from Sesshoumaru and he grabbed her neck, starting to do the same thing he was doing with her wrist. She could feel her skin burn and her breath shorten. Tears welled up in Nanami's eyes and her right hand grabbed his arm. Then all of a sudden, she started to whisper, the first few words muffled by tears.

"...Только ты крылья мне не обламай, в пропасть упасть с высоты прошу мне не дай..." (only don't break my wings, and I beg you, don't let me fall into the abyss...)

Sesshoumaru's eyes stopped glowing and turned back to normal, the menacing expression replaced by one of shock. He seemed to not be aware of what he just did. Nanami's tears slid down her cheeks and onto his fingers. He looked at his hands, covered in blood, one scorching the young woman's wrist, another her neck. Sesshoumaru loosened his grip and pulled his hands away. He seemed disgusted with what he had done to the girl. The skin around her wrist where his fingers were was almost completely gone, raw flesh exposed. Nanami let out a pained cry and collapsed to the ground on her knees, sobbing and clutching her arm. Her neck was burned as well, but not to such extent. Sesshoumaru felt pity toward the woman, she didn't deserve it after all. Sesshoumaru turned and walked toward his sword, lying next to Rin. The little girl, scared out of her wits by what she just saw, scrambled backwards away from Sesshoumaru and hid behind a tree. He felt shame and remorse build up inside of him and grabbed his tensaiga. The man walked back to Nanami and stopped in front of her, listening to her quiet sobs. She was already in shock, trembling and feeling weaker by the minute. She started to lean, to her right side, ready to fall, but Sesshoumaru crouched down and caught her with his left arm. Now Nanami fell forward, resting on Sesshoumaru's chest. As much as she didn't want to be even near this man, Nanami's body gave up on her. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened and jaw tightened. He allowed himself, just this one time, to pull her in closer, and try to stop her trembling, from crying, from falling into the emptiness. -I remember you, Nanami-

Blood was pooling around the girl, and she was starting to black out. Her heart was beating weaker and weaker by the minute. The pain was slowly fading away. Nanami knew this was it, the end. Her heart beat one last time, oddly enough in rhythm with the man who killed her. It was the end, no more pain, no more worries, no more tears, until the cold steel of a blade cut through her body and escaped again. A burst of energy filled Nanami's heart and revived it. Her eyes shot open, a raspy gasp escaped her lips and her wounds began to heal at an unreal pace. Her fingers were still clutching Sesshoumaru's kimono. He didn't say a word, or show any reaction, just stared off in the distance behind Nanami. She looked at her trembling arm, not a mark left from her awful wound. Nanami regained her power and strength, and out of confusion pushed Sesshoumaru off with tremendous force, and stood up, panting. Sesshoumaru showed no reaction or emotion, just had a blank stare at nothing. Nanami began backing up, trying to figure out what was happening. To make her day even better, a sharp pain struck her on the back of her neck and she passed out. This time Sesshoumaru looked at what was happening. The crimson-eyed messenger stood before the demon once more, the woman in his arms.

"I always get what I want... sooner or later." He smirked and formed a barrier identical to that of Naraku around himself and Nanami. He began to ascend out of the forest. Sesshoumaru scowled and rushed to the spot where the messenger stood.

"Want her back? Then you would do best to be at the castle by sundown... otherwise you just might never see her again."

Sesshoumaru growled. "What do I care? Take her." But his eyes betrayed him.

"Ha. Who are you trying to convince, Sesshoumaru? Me ... or yourself?" The man cackled and disappeared into the morning sky. Sesshoumaru was ready to rip the man to shreds, but he didn't let himself follow his instincts. He let out a low, angered growl and grabbed his sword, and what was left of the antidote. "Rin, stay here with Jaken." Then he bolted off toward the mountain with the castle perched on top of it.

Rin crawled out from behind the tree and sat down, thinking. After a few moments she looked at Jaken and stood up. "Let's get some fish, master Jaken."

It was well past noon, and Sesshoumaru finally reached the valley right at the foot of the mountain. His eyes widened as he saw the grandeur of the palace and recognized the location. He knew who it belonged to. How could he not? It was rightfully his after the death of his father. -Why here?- Sesshoumaru frowned and continued walking.

Back at the camp, Rin was weaving flowers into a crown and Jaken was mumbling something to himself. Inuyasha showed up and looked around. His eyes fixed on the pool of crimson blood next to the trunk of a tree. -I knew I smelled her blood...-

"What the hell happened here? Where's the girl? And Sesshoumaru?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru went to go save Lady Nanami." Rin answered.

"Save her from what?"

"The bad man."

Inuyasha looked at the girl awkwardly. -The bad man? and who the hell would that be?-

"Inuyasha! ...Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice grew louder. He turned around and saw her jump off of Kilala. She rushed at him, beaming, yet at the same time appalled.

"I know what happened! Myoga was spying on them and told me everything!!" She blurted out. Then she started reciting the whole story about Nanami curing Sesshoumaru, then the incident about him burning her and killing the girl.

"He KILLED her?" Inuyasha burst out? "What the hell-"

"He didn't seem at all like himself. He was transforming. Kinda like when your demon side takes over... and you remember nothing and you destroy everything in your path." Kagome explained. At that time, Miroku and Sango arrived. They were already both aware of the story.

"He was completely clueless when he turned back and, oh! Wait 'till you hear this, Inuyasha! He bent down to her on the ground and embraced her! Like he never was going to let her go! I mean Sesshoumaru HUGGED the very girl he promised to kill. Oh, it must have been so- ... Inuyasha? Are you alright?" Kagome asked, concerned. Inuyasha looked pale and as if he was about to choke up a hairball.

"Ok, what's happening? Inuyasha?-"

The half demon twitched and started to make the same sound a dog does before it vomits. He then took a deep breath and shook his hand, as if saying 'Im ok...'

"Anyway, then she died..." Kagome's voice sunk down a few octaves, then rose up again. "But Sesshoumaru revived her. And that's when Myoga ran off. Because Sesshoumaru kept staring at where he was."

"What's gotten into that man? I thought he wanted to kill Nanami. And his behavior is... unexplainable." Sango commented.

"His behavior has changed since that woman appeared. But then again, she is a rare beauty." Miroku added lustfully. "I would change too." That was the last thing he said before being knocked out cold by Sango's boomerang.

"Sesshoumaru wouldn't see beautiful if it slapped him across his face. Everything is inferior and weak and pathetic to him... I got his scent." Inuyasha muttered and bolted off, the rest of the group following him.

Jaken looked after their dust trail. "What was that all about? And how dare they speak about Lord Sesshoumaru that way?!... But then again, Lord Sesshoumaru has been acting very awkwardly. Like today."

"I think I know why Lord Sesshoumaru has changed." Rin announced.

"Why?" Jaken asked out of curiosity. Rin giggled and cocked her head to the side like a parrot.

"He likes Lady Nanami."

Jaken choked on his own tongue. "Silly girl! There is no way that could be true!"

"Why not? So what if he likes her? She's nice, pretty and smart. I like her."

"But she's a-a-a weakling, a woman!" Jaken protested. He realized what he just said was just plain wrong and outrageous, but before he could correct himself, Rin popped a ridiculous question.

"She's not weak. She's just as powerful as Lord Sesshoumaru? Are you saying he should like strong men?" Rin of course, had no clue about what she had just said. Jaken's eye twitched and he fell on his back, groaning in disgust after a picture of a homosexual Sesshoumaru unwillingly came to his mind. "Oh, holy hell. Do-ugh-not say anything else Rin."

"Ok."

Note: I know the translations sound really corny, but that's usually always the case when you translate a song or poem into a different language.