Chapter three: Will I Die?

"So... your a dai, but not just any dai, your also an inu. I think thats pretty cool, you seem awfully quite, I know lean forward."

Sesshomaru was barely following what she was saying but when she requested that he lean forward he did so. He wished he didn't.

Kagome had grabbed him and pulled him in the water; clothes and all. The worse part was that she had the audacity to laugh. Sesshomaru gave her one of his death glares, knowing that he looked much like a wet puppy. It was highly embarrassing.

"So before you say anything, I think you should swim with me. The pool is big enough to do some laps around the edges."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes but took off his clothes and laid them out to dry, he might as well he did need to stretch his muscles some and some exercise is always a plus.

Kagome was feeling funny, it was a mix between restless, hot, and flustered. The apples she had finished gave her plenty of energy to burn, and even though she knew that she should be saving her energy, she had this overwhelming need to move and swim, fast.

"So this is how were gonna do it, this pool is kinda rectangular in shape, with rocks in the middle. We are going to swim down to the other end circle to the other side of the rocks, trying not to collide and repeat over and over again, till one of us tires.

"And what of the adjoining "pools"?"

Kagome hadn't even noticed that there were three more pools next to the one she was currently in, but to reach them she would have to leave the water. Her father had told her about completely leaving the water, she was forbidden to do so, at least thats all he told her. So in reality she knew nothing of leaving the water, and she didn't think she wanted to find out either.

"They matter not, for I can not get to them without leaving the water."

"Fine then, Ready."

"Set?" Kagome was confused for why sesshomaru was leaving the water, but figured he was going to try some technique.

"Go!" they called in unison. Sesshomaru lept into the water, landing about four feet from the ground and plumetting a good six feet deep. Kagome did her own little dive using her tail to propel her under the water. They were off swimming as quickly as they could, or at least sesshomaru was. He had to use his inu strength just to keep up with Kagome who seemed to be calmly swimming, her tail making long graceful motions under the water, her arms calmly laid by her side as she watched the inu do a scissoring motion with his legs and use his arms as if to pull him through the water. Two laps later and sesshomaru needed to breathe, but Kagome stayed under. 15 laps later and sesshomaru's pace was slowing he was definitely tired, not like he was going to tell Kagome though. He didn't have to. Kagome popped her head up and through the water taking a gasping breathe. Her whole face was flushed. Sesshomaru was next to her in a matter of seconds. He then held her body to his own, she wasn't very big. His 6' 10" frame was still bigger then her tail and all, so she wasn't hard to move around, but there was one major problem: how could he help her if he didn't know what was wrong, or what to do but when he saw kagome's eyes closing he knew he had to keep the talkative women awake.

"Kagome."

"Hm." came her soft reply

"What bothers you?"

"Its just kinda, really hot. I didn't know pools could be so hot till I some how got in this one." She then snuggled into the inu's arms.

Sesshomaru merely tilted his head to the side and openly starred at her. After two minutes she drew in her eyebrows in a look of utter confusion, before saying "What!"

"Onna, did you really think were in a pool?"

"Yeah, isn't this one great big hot pool of water?"

"This is no pool, its an onsen. Said to have healing properties by the humans, but its most likely just residual soap from when they bathe here. Its not a nice place to play in for those with... sensitive skin..."

Kagome was getting tired, she soon found herself nodding off, barely following the things Sesshomaru was saying. She tried to fight it, but it was to hard and all she wanted to do was relax. She could feel herself slipping away into the depths of the slumber that wanted to whisk her away. She tried to focus on Sesshomaru but when she saw him walking away, she could no longer hold herself above the dark nothingness that wished to yank her away from conscious thought, and just like that he slowly fell into the abyss that was unconsciousness.

'would Kagome have sensitive skin? Maybe, but she is also hot, the water could be to hot for her body, ocean water is pretty cold, what to do...' It was obvious that he would have to remove her from he water, but the question wasn't what to do now, it was how to go about doing it.

Sesshomaru then gave out a nice long whistle and began wading to the grass. He pulled Kagome up and out of the water except for her tail, leaving the mass completely submerged. Laying Kagome 's sleeping form and upper body splayed out on the ground.

Somewhere, grazing in a field, two heads turned towards their masters whistle before rushing off to do his bidding, dragging along two clueless passengers.

Sesshomaru picked up some sturdy pieces of wood that were long and narrow, when suddenly he began to hear a commotion above him, the sounds of a young girls giggles as a small toad demons squawking voice echoing through the tree tops before they landed in front of the inu, throwing the toad to the floor with a very ungraceful plop onto the floor. The young girl leaped from the dragon's back and ran up to Sesshomaru to stand at his feet.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Ren has been a good girl and picked you many flowers, but she left them at the camp site." Ren had a small frown.

"You may pick some more Ren I have someone to introduce you to." With that said, Ren's face broke out into the most adorable toothy grins ever.

"Really lord Sesshomaru! Ren can hardly wait, Ren will pick flowers for her new friend!" Ren then began to excitedly run from left to right picking all the flowers in the area. With Ren taken care of, Sesshomaru then turned to the toad.

"Jaken.." called Sesshomaru, Jaken quickly sprang to his feet and began to grovel spewing unnecessary words from his mouth.

"Go quickly to the nearest youkai village and find me five large and thick pieces of glass roughly the size of this Sesshomaru, and move with haste take ah-and-uhn with you.

"Yes my lord, right away!" Croaked Jaken as he quickly ran about taking the reins and began climbing the dragon to get to the nearest youkai village to do his masters bidding. Sesshomaru watched as Jaken took forever trying to climb the dragons large body, and quickly grew tired of waiting, he then kicked the dragon in the rump pushing up and on to the dragon's back. Jaken quickly righted himself and then took the reins bidding the dragon to take to the air.

After they were out of sight Sesshomaru told Ren to follow before walking back off in the direction he had left Kagome, his thoughts then began to wander and he tried to think of the reason of Kagome's second name, Utako. Why did she have such a name, maybe it was mermaid custom, he would just have to inquire about it later. It was not of importance at the moment, he finally cleared the forest into the small clearing that held the onsens when he noticed a very cherry Kagome. Ren was chattering softly next to him and constantly inquiring about the girl infront of them, she strangely didnt run up to the girl like she would normally did, but acted uncharacteristically demure, and shy, as if she could tell that she was different from herself, and didn't know of how to go about the situation.

"Yes Ren, she is who we are coming to see, now go and play for a while, while I see if she is ok." he spoke softly knowing that the young girl was hanging on his every word and would hear it as clearly as if he had yelled it in an empty canyon and which would echo back to him several times.

"Hai, Lord Sesshomaru!" Ren then began to run about looking for a nice patch of flowers nearby, but made sure not to get out of the hearing range of her inu leader and father figure.

Sesshomaru walked over to Kagome and knelt down laying his hand onto Kagome's back. Her skin held an unusual moisture to it, but it also felt like she was being baked in an oven. Sesshomaru was growing furious and frustrated, where was that toad when he needed him. His anger was steadily growing and what frustrated him was that he knew not why he was so concerned with the girls health. It was frustrating indeed how easily the few women in his life were so easily able to make him feel things he spent his whole life—not showing, he could not say hiding, avoiding, running away from, those were things that the great lord of the West did not under any circumstances do, if he wanted to walk away with his pride unblemished, unscathed. Sesshomaru decided that it would be best to do something productive to keep his vagabond mind from wandering to more unsavory thought processes. So he stood and walked around the tree line till he located his target, a leaf of mammoth proportions that would enable him to fulfill a need or two. He then found several more, and made small concaves into the ground of roughly the same size as the leaves. Then he went about dipping said leaves into the water and drawing some out of the onsens and filling the holes. He waited for the water in the hole to cool before taking it back up into the leaf and force-feeding it to the woman. He had to flip her over on to her back and then lift her back and head so that she wouldn't drown her self. He took a deep breathe and could smell all the emotions that passed through the girls sent, the despair and anguish, was so overpowering, it made him feel almost as if he was useless. He didn't like that feeling, and he wanted her to be happy again, to smell the beautiful scent of the ocean and sakura petals freshly bloomed, and not the pain and anguish, and despair that currently was marring her sent. He soon regretted that wish because soon her scent was of nothing, completely devoid of any emotion, any life. It was somewhat duller, there was a hint of determination that was quickly running out as if her body was not to tired to even feel. He opened her mouth slightly and poured in the water; then he would have to coax her throat to swallow the water. She was oblivious to her surroundings and felt as if she was burning up with fever. The cool water hopefully would help.

She was laying down but before she knew it she was some how sitting up and leaning against the inu lord, he felt cool and it was so refreshing compared to the constant inferno her body was being forced to go through, the heat was unrelenting Every part of her body felt like it was being fried, now she knew how the crab felt when they were caught by fishermen and cooked alive. Every fiber of her body felt as if it was going to melt, her blood felt as if it was boiling, even the air she was breathing felt to hot, she was to weak too move to tired to do anything all she could do was lay there, not a nice way to die feeling so unfulfilled. Never to experience her first kiss, her lover's embrace, never to get to see the rest of the world or even to have children: A sad life indeed.

She felt the pads of a finger and thumb gently grab her chin and pulled open her mouth, she was happy to let out some of the steam and hopefully bring in some cooler air, but to no avail, she was going to cry out, she could feel the anguish rising up in her, her despair for not being able to live her life till the fullest, but then she was calm, all feelings of anguish and despair gone. She was not ready to die, and she wasnt giving up but she no longer had the energy to waste on such petty emotions and there for focused on getting some of her strength back. But thats when she felt it. The euphoric feeling as the divine ambrosial feeling liquid traveled down my dry aching throat. It was heavenly, and I savored it. But just as quickly it was gone and I ached for more, my body called out for the cool liquid to quench my demanding need, the insufferable thirst, for that life giving water that was so cool in temperature that it just had to be a gift sent from the kami it was so heavenly. More and more was placed into my wanting mouth and I waited impatiently for him to give me more, I felt a little better, it was like rain on a never ending fire, just enough to give some hope, but when the rains were gone the fire would rage on ten times hotter then it was before, but she was happy for the short reprieve. Then all of a sudden a noise was heard In the trees, and a small growl followed by a "finally" from the inu she currently rested against. But she was no longer strong enough to keep awake, her sight was gone already and everything was black. The last thing she heard was annoying sniveling voice squawking "Master Sesshomaru, I have returned with what you asked of me!" then a grunt, the sound of something or someone being kicked, tree branches breaking and a groan. If she had the energy she would have giggled. She felt herself being laid back down but before her head touched the ground there were no more sounds, sights, or thoughts and everything was blissfully black and dark as she floated with the nothingness.