Chapter 2: Shards
.
Her chest hurt. A lot.
If this keeps up, she would surely drown.
What little oxygen left in her lungs is depleting fast.
With every breath she takes water comes in instead of air.
The light from above had become distant and had faded. She's sinking lower and lower. Her body felt heavier by the minute.
And she's starting to lose her conciousness too.
Somehow the pain in her chest felt faint. The pounding in her head gone. The heavy feeling diminished.
It was almost peaceful.
Almost.
The last thing she felt was the hand on her ankles and the sharp nails digging deeper into her skin and flesh, pulling her further down into abyss before she gave in to the darkness.
Rin woke to a start. She abruptly sat up on bed. She ran a hand down her leg. The wound on her foot stung and she felt feverish.
It was the only evidence she had of what happened that night. The only proof that her dream wasn't just a product of her imagination. But it was all she had. The rest was a blur.
She got out of bed and headed for the door.
She had only managed several steps when she started to feel sick. The miasma from her wound is causing her head to spin.
Rin leaned on the door for several minutes trying to catch her breath. When she felt a little stronger she pried it open and continued to walk down the hallway.
Just a few more turns and she'd reach Master Jaken's potion room. But her vision had started to blur so bad that she had to stay close to the wall, following its outline with her hands so she wouldnt get lost.
"Rin."
Her eyes widened a fraction.
For a moment she thought he remembered her. But when she turned around and connected eyes with him, there was no recognition in them. He just uttered her name purely to call her attention.
"Y-yes?" She replied. She blinked away the cloud and tried to focus on his face. She leaned on the wall to steady herself.
"You were poisoned." He stated matter-of-factly. A green glint showing in his eyes.
"It's my wound. I, I got it from-" Rin didnt get to finish her sentence as she found herself scooped up into an embrace.
Seconds later, she found herself back in her room as he laid her down the bed.
"Ah, it's fine. Master Jaken is taking care-"
"I see he is doing a good job." The hint of sarcasm was not lost to her.
She was about to open her mouth to ask him to rest as he himself had not recovered yet but was interrupted again as he expertly released the knot on her bandages and revealed her nasty wound. The miasma leaking out and a trace of blood oozing from the large cut.
He placed his hand above the cut. It glowed a shade of green and she noticed that the miasma had diminished.
"Thank you. Sessh-" The last words she whispered. She cant be overly familiar with him since he couldnt recall anything about her.
"If you are going to be of use to me, we cannot have you in such condition."
Indeed.
Master Jaken had concocted a story so she could stay at the palace without the demon lord suspecting anything. One, Jaken knew once the lord's memories return, which he hopes is soon, that if he let Rin out of the palace, Sesshomaru would have his head. Two, he believes, Rin would be essential to their mission if not the key.
He was able to remove the excess miasma but her flesh had already been infected. Sesshomaru bit a finger, bled himself and then placed it directly above the gash.
The moment his blood came in contact with her wound, Rin felt an almost instant excruciating pain shot through her entire body.
She bit her lip hard, it almost bleed, to hold back her cry of pain.
But it grew in intensity that she doubled-over, clutching the sheets.
Not a second later, she dropped to her side unto the soft mattress.
Rin passed out.
.
.
Sesshomaru could not fathom where his irritation sprung from.
Seeing the human hurt somehow ired him. And when he realized how badly it was, he was honestly angry.
Angry! Of all things.
Angry at who or what he had no idea. And that made him angrier.
He had never lost his cool. Not once. Not even losing an arm from his recent encounter with the hanyou, Inuyasha and his sword Tetusaiga.
Ever since he woke up, it seems discomfort endlessly has pulled itself upon him. Distracting.
Against his will, Sesshomaru found himself standing beside his own reflection, a shadow casted by the dim moonlight.
It's haunting how he can't seem to leave the human alone.
Her presence is consuming, confusing. And this lack of self-control whenever she's near, he feared is never going to end.
He felt for his amputated arm. The stump secured by a tight bandage. The same sword-arm was severely injured by Inu Taisho years before when he confronted the older daiyoukai for ownership of both legendary swords. It wasnt as strong as his original arm but it was restored nonetheless. Now that his younger sibling had afforded him the same damage, without Tensaiga, he cannot heal the wound.
He was hurting. But it wasnt the physical pain. He knew from the deep recesses of his mind that he had felt this way before. And it was these type of wounds that he loathed the most. They will not heal, he knew. And no matter how appalled he is by the thought, he felt fear.
Fear for what? He doesnt know.
And there were those visions. Who was it that has been haunting his dreams?
There's something inside him that's pulling beneath the surface. It's crawling in his skin.
He had to find the answer.
And if it is the human that hides the answer, by hook or by crook, he will seek it out and take it from her.