What Never Should
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InuYasha › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
23
Views:
25,111
Reviews:
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Recommended:
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Currently Reading:
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Category:
InuYasha › Yaoi - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
23
Views:
25,111
Reviews:
181
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Month 3... Kagome's Rage
I do not own InuYasha or any of it’s characters. Any side character belongs solely to me and will not be touched or used by another.
Summary: Review to chapter 1.
Writing Style: Review to chapter 1.
**~**~**~**~**~**
Chapter 18. Month 3... Kagome’s Rage
The well flooded with darkness and a blue ora as Kagome landed in her time on the opposite side. She sighed, rubbing her brow as the heat from her world seared above. It was odd really, why it was so cold in the feudal era, yet in her time, the sun still shone hot and humid on the world.
Global Warming.
She smirked, climbing the ladder she had propped into the well just a few days before and climbed out, brushing down her shirt sleeves where a little amount of dust had landed and walked toward her home, the sacred tree swaying in the winds. She looked up at it, glaring with such putrid anger she thought her face would crack.
‘Why did I have to pull him from that stupid tree,’ she thought to herself as she mounted the stairs and opened the front door. ‘If I hadn’t, he wouldn’t have fallen for his fucking brother.’
“Kagome, your back?” Mrs. Higurashi said with mild shock. “How was your stay dear?”
“It’s good. I’m going back after I grab a blanket,” she said quickly, rushing up to her room and grabbing the first quilt she saw.
She stopped at her bedroom door, looking at the ground with sad eyes. She sighed, releasing the knob and walking back over to her bed, sitting down on the bare sheets. She didn’t know whether or not their was a reason to go back. Yes, she was the only one that was able to see the jewel shards, but did they really need her.
‘I only get in the way.’
She leaned back into her bed, curling onto the soft plush mattress. All she wanted to do was have InuYasha back with her, have him in her arms and hug him tightly. She was in love with him, and she thought he felt same about her. She had been wrong, and he had broken her heart. She felt the tears in her eyes and shook her head, letting out a shaky breath, knwoing it would only do her the worst if the cried. She had to be strong. She had a job to do... for Naraku and for herself.
She stood from the bed, tucking the quilt more securely into her arms and walked to the door, closing it behind her and ran down the stairs toward the door. She passed the kitchen where her mother was cleaning some dishes and gave her a simple and soft wave as she ran for the front entrance.
“Oh... Kagome,” Mrs. Higurashi said quickly as her daughter rushed to the door.
“Yes mom?” the teen asked.
“Why are you taking a blanket. Isn’t it warm in their time?” Mrs. Higurashi said with much innocents.
“Oh, no. Back in the Feudal ear, it’s freezing,” Kagome said, laughing a little.
“Really, I wonder why their’s no snow here?” her mother wondered.
“Global Warming,” Kagome said quickly, rushing out the door.
She was surprised not having run into Souta or Grandpa on her way out, but she guessed they were in the attic, or near the western shrine, or in the north shrine, or trying to sell Sacred Jewel merchandise to the people on the street. Either way, she needed to get back quickly before the others began to wonder.
She opened the door to the wells chamber, walking down the three steps that lead to the wooden hole in the floor. She tossed her legs over the side, sitting on the edge and pulling the blanket close. The heat was overly warm and she panted, jumping down into the blue/black haze that would lead to InuYasha’s time.
The ground appeared slowly, the light above shining weakly as the sun dipped away and she softly footed the ground, placing a hand down on the soft wet earth to balance herself. She stood up, holding the blanket close and looked up, gripping the sides of the well and began to climb.
She shifted the blanket, readjusted her grip and climbed a few of the loose bricks. She felt the blanket slipping and stopped, readjusted it again, gripped the brick wall and once again began to climb. Her hand gripped an extra slippery brick, her hand sloshing across the wet stone and she fumbled, the quilt slipping from her shoulder.
And she fell.
She gasped, her rear sinking into the wet mud and leaves around her. She groaned, resting her head against one of the four walls and sighed, closing her eyes. Her end hurt and her spine seemed to be dislocating where she sat. Cussing her luck. She grabbed the now muddy blanket and hoisted it over her shoulders a second time, the mud slicking her hair and her cheek.
‘Great. InuYasha is fucking his brother, I have mud on my face, Sango and Miroku look like their dating now... and all I have is this stupid muddy quilt,’ she thought, glaring at the wall opposite her. ‘Can is get any worse...’
A dark cloud broiled overhead, a flash of lightening followed by the deafening roar of thunder cut the air. Another flash lit up the sky, and down with it, came the small particles of hail, their large size cracking her on the head. Her left brow twitched and she clenched a fist, screaming out her anger.
*~*~*
“Did you hear that?”
Miroku leaned to the side, looking around Sango’s hair and shoulder at her face, her eyes turned to the door and up, like she was staring off into the forest through the curtain. He also looked out, the small amount of light and visibility confusing him. He looked back at her, her brown eyes turned up at him, watching his look.
“Hear what... the hail?”
“No, not that. I thought I heard someone scream,” she said, curling into him.
“I didn’t hear anything,” He said earnestly.
“Just my imagination then,” she sighed.
Rin giggled, rolling across the ground as Shippo followed, bouncing on his small fox-feet. He laughed at her antics, bounding over her body and grabbing the toy they were playing with. She giggled at him and held out her hands as he placed the small spinning top down in her hands gently. She wrapped the cord around it and aimed for the ground.
“Give it a good pull,” Shippo cried happily, bounding around her.
“Okay,” she giggled.
With a pull of the cord, and a twist of the top, it spun onto the ground and away from them, swirling toward Kaede and then veered in another direction, rounding the fire pit and returning to them. They clapped happily and bounced around, following the top with small flutters of laughter.
Kaede watched from where she swirled a soup in her pot, testing the heat before giving it a smile and spooning a ladle into a stone bowl. Sango got up from her position in Miroku’s arms, waling to the old woman and helping to hand out the warm food.
“Alright you two,” Sango said, laughing at their game as they rolled together on the ground. “Time to eat.”
Rin giggled, nodding and bounced over to her, waiting for the warm brew. Sango handed it to her with a smile, the young girl nodding and walking slowly over to Miroku, handing him the warm bowl and bowing cutely before returning to Sango.
Shippo took his and sat down, waiting until the others were served before eating. Rin took her own bowl and sat beside him, tearing off a piece of the warm laof in the middle for her and Shippo to share. Kaede took a seat beside the two young ones, sighing and placing her bowl down gently.
“Where is Kagome?” she asked.
“She went to the well to grab a blanket she left,” Sango informed.
“Aye, I understand,” Kaede said.
“She has been gone while,” Miroku said, looking up from his bowl. “Maybe something happened to her?”
“I’m sure Kagome-chan is fine,” Rin said politely. “She is very powerful.”
“That is true,” Shippo said. “Even InuYasha is afraid of her.”
Sango smirked and Miroku shook his head with a smile, before looking up with a confused and rather knowing look on his face. He ‘hummed’ making everyone turn to him in wonder.
“She has been acting oddly though,” Miroku said, noticing he had gathered attention.
“Yes, especially around InuYasha,” Sango said with a nod.
“She may still be finding it hard to deal with the pregnancy,” Kaede spoke wisely.
“Yes, I figured that,” Miroku agreed.
“She was very close with him,” Sango interpreted.
“Is Kagome-chan angered with InuYasha-sama?” Rin asked kindly.
“No, no. She is just a little shocked, that’s all,” Sango said, patting the young girls head.
Rin smiled and began to eat again with Shippo as the three adult looked at one another with frowned faces, each thinking the same, each knowing the same. Sango looked up at Miroku, the monk deep in thought, his brows lowered while he sighed to himself and closed his eyes. She gazed over at Kaede, the old priestess eating silently, yet she could tell that the woman was thinking with the deepest of thought.
*~*~*Now the third Month*~*~*
The snow began to melt slowly, the ground becoming a sloppy mess of slimy grass and thick mud that sucking in everyone and anyone’s foot. It was at this time InuYasha walked calmly through the village, a hand on his now rounded belly, as he headed toward Kaede’s hut for his check-in.
The old hag had yet again raised his time of seeing her from once every day to twice every day. Once in the morning, and once in the evening, cutting his time even shorter with Sesshomaru. He hated the idea, but he knew it was for the best. The pups seemed much stronger, but he was beginning to feel much weaker. His body had become more tired, and he slept much longer. He was more moody than usual, snapping at the most bizarre statements of questions.
He was feeling more pleasant on this occasion though, Sesshomaru having made him feel extremely... oh, how would you put it... good. No, much to weak a word. How about... excellent. Yes... he was feeling excellent, a smile stretching his lips as he walked up to Kaede’s hut and pulled the curtain aside, and stopped.
He hadn’t expected to see... her.
Kagome looked up from the herbs she had been crushing with nonexistent eyes, staring the hanyou with unpleasantry before turning back to her job, the leaves in her small pot being mushed into a goo. He arched an eyebrow at her before scanning up to Kaede, the old woman already sitting and waiting for him.
“How do ye feel today, InuYasha?” Kaede asked.
“Three months along and fat,” the hanyou muttered.
‘Go figure,’ Kagome thought rudely.
InuYasha took his place, lying down across the bed and placing his legs on the two posts at the end. Kaede hummed softly as he readied him for another bout of hot pain and the cold that would flood through him before that disgusting ooze that Kagome was crushing would be placed in him to cure an infection. He shuddered at the thought.
“A deep breath,” Kaede instructed, like all the other times.
Kagome watched from the corner of her eyes as InuYasha growled uncomfortably and arched on the bed, gripping the sheets tightly. She smirked at his pain and turned back to her job, crushing the leaves into the mush they needed to be. She observed the hanyou again from under her bangs, watching as he hissed, glaring at the ceiling, his hands shaking as they clutched the blankets more tightly.
She placed her hand inside her shirt and pulled out a vial, three delicate leaves sitting inside. Each one seemed to shine and glittery beautifully, their pure colour almost radiating off the wooden walls. But the leaves she held were far from as beautiful as they looked.
She opened the top quietly, a gentle popping sound making her freeze. She glanced at the others, InuYasha’s gentle growling having drowned out the sound. She still sighed with relief, knowing the hanyou’s hearing was far greater than anything else. She picked up one of the leaves and placed it in the bowl, followed by a second and the last.
She grabbed the mashed, crushing the glittering leaves into the mixture, the three green tear-drop shaped ivories dissolving into the substance. She looked over the bowl quickly, moving the green goo around to see if there were any bits left before standing up and walking over to Kaede with the bowl in hand.
“Thank ye,” the elderly woman said.
“Anything to help,” Kagome said in a bubbly voice.
“Ye may wish to leave for this part,” Kaede said in warning. “InuYasha can get a little aggressive during this ministration.”
Kagome blushed at the woman’s choice of words and nodded, bowing before trotting from the hut, making sure InuYasha was able to see her skirt flailing behind her. She glanced at him, seeing his eyes on her before he looked up and took a breath. She smirked and disappeared through the curtain, sitting down on the wet steps.
Just as Kaede had warned, a loud yowl etched into the stillness of the air, followed by the rapid cussing of the hanyou. Kagome looked back in surprise, having never been around before to hear the demon speak such vulgar language, especially to Kaede. He was more or less docile with his choice around the old woman, save for saying damn or hell.
‘Hope you like my little ingredient, InuYasha,’ Kagome thought with a smirk.
He emerged from Kaede’s hut, glaring down at her before his eyes softened. He sat beside her, looking up at the clear sky. She stilled, wondering why he was even sitting with her. The pair had barely seen one another in the last few months, Kagome having walked away into the woods whenever he saw him and InuYasha spending most his time at Sesshomaru’s side.
“Kagome...” his voice was soft-spoken and sincere, almost sad, even.
“InuYasha...” she said in a rushed breath.
He looked at her with his eyes, their deep yellow depths captivating her, pulling her to him. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, to hold him close and to kiss him, to say she was in love with him and that she wanted to bare his children and stay behind him. She held it all back, though, waiting for his to speak again, even if it was getting hard.
“Kagome, are you mad at me?” InuYasha asked softly.
That was it. No apology. No love vows. No nothing. Just a question. She felt her anger burn but subdued it, taking a breath and looking up at the clear sky of the day, her head swimming with angry comments she wanted to throw at him with all the spite and hatred she had.
“Why would I be mad?” she asked innocently.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” InuYasha noted, looking away from her. “We barely talk now, and you act cold around me.”
“What do you mean?” Kagome asked, trying her best to sound shocked.
“Just now, in the hut,” InuYasha said, looking at her again, suddenly feeling angry. “You looked at me like I wasn’t even their.”
“I was busy mixing your serum,” Kagome said, keeping her cool.
“Does that matter,” InuYasha snapped, his anger rising. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
‘Friends...’ Kagome bit back the frown. “Of course were friends.”
“Well you sure don’t act like one,” he snarled, suddenly feeling very sad and alone, wanting only to return to his mate. “I want to be with you, to be close to you and to protect you like a brother but you act like I’m scum.”
“InuYasha...”
“Shut up.”
With that he turned and walked away, leaving her wordless. She glared after him, her head burning with sweat as she felt the words twitching on her tongue, threatening to explode and scream at him, make him hurt and be hurt, to feel the pain she was feeling, the sorrow and the pain. She wanted to make him burn.
InuYasha didn’t turn back, didn’t look back. He knew what he would see, and he didn’t want to see it. He loved Kagome, but as a brother. They were so close, but it was a distant closeness that was meant only for friends, best friends, to understand. She didn’t want her that way, but he could sense, and smell it from her. She didn’t understand, and it broke him.
He shuddered, the tears in his eyes suddenly sliding down his cheeks. He sat down outside the hut, curling himself as tightly as he could and began to sob, his heart cracking and crumbling before him. He felt like he had lost something dear to him only because she was to stubborn to see he did lover her. As friends. As really good friends.
“InuYasha?”
He looked up, his bleary eyes focusing on the small form of his brother, his eyes glittering with much concern. InuYasha couldn’t help it. He leapt into his brothers arms and sobbed uncontrollably, his shoulders shaking with the effort. His good mood which he had been in had been shattered by one of his closest friends.
He hated her for it.
“S-S-Sessho-maru,” InuYasha whispered.
“What is it, InuYasha?” his brother asked soothingly, holding the hanyou close. “What happened, you are so broken?”
“K-Kagome...” he mumbled. “She h-hates m-m-me.”
The lord froze at the name, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He did hate that girl greatly. Not only was she in love with InuYasha, Sesshomaru had seen her eyeing him and glaring at him when he turned his back on her. He growled low, wanting to shred the girl into nothing but bits for her antics of making his lover cry.
He lifted InuYasha from his shoulder and kissed the tears from his brothers face before placing a finger under his mates chin and lifting it to look into InuYasha’s teary yellow orbs. He smiled with softness at the young male, knowing it would make the hanyou smile as well. As he had known, it did. InuYasha smiled softly, his eyes still slightly teary.
“What did she do to make you hurt?” Sesshomaru asked with as little bitterness as he could muster.
“It wasn’t really what she did,” InuYasha said, his sobs subduing. “It was more her eyes.”
‘That’s it,’ Sesshomaru thought, hissing inwardly. ‘I’ll kill her.’
“She looked so blankly at me... like I wasn’t their,” InuYasha whispered, remembering the dark shadow of her eyes. “She looked like I was a deadly poison to her.”
Sesshomaru sighed and pulled his brother close, wrapping his arms around InuYasha’s waist and gripping the hanyou’s chin. He leaned down and captured his mates lips, his tongue running along InuYasha’s bottom lip, dipping inside the warm caverns and sliding out again to nibble on his mates bottom lip gently.
“Does she mean that much to you?” Sesshomaru asked.
“She’s like a little sister I need to protect,” InuYasha sighed, leaning into his brothers chest. “Or it’s just the mood swings.”
“Mood swings,” Sesshomaru muttered.
InuYasha laughed.
Sesshomaru caught his lips again and pulled him into their temporary home, closing the creaking door behind him as they entered into the darkness together. He wanted to take away his brothers hurt, and would do so, no matter the consequences.
*~*~*
The early of the day turned even darker in the eve, the clouds thickening over the sky and blacking out any form of light. Thunder rumbled overhead, flashing and sparks of lightening piercing the sky and sketching across them in vivid designs. The wind howled, whistling across the long tufts of grass and loose wooden boards of the huts scattered around the village.
The rain began, a heavy downpour like no other, flooding the plant growth and fields in heavy drops. The fog rolled in slowly, misting the ground in a gentle white hue that looked to be formed by the Grim Reaper himself. The howling winds picked up, carrying with them leaves and loose grass and dirt. It shifted and tossed this way and that, clashes of thunder, followed by the deafening roll of thunder exploding across the skies.
InuYasha opened his eyes blearily to the loud rattle of the rain on the roof, groaning and turning in his brothers arm, pressing his forehead into Sesshomaru’s chest. He was starting to feel ill to his stomach, but thought it nothing to be but the food sickness he got when eating at times. He shrugged of the uncomfortable feeling and turned again in his brothers arms, pressing his back into his mates chest.
His stomach churned oddly.
‘What’s wrong with me?’ InuYasha wondered.
He sat up, pressing his head to his round stomach and sighed, rubbing his brow only to be surprised with a thin coat of sweat. He felt himself shiver even though he was well warm and looked around with worry. He was sweating, felt cold and was getting the urge to vomit over and over again. He knew it wasn’t the morning sickness, the night having only begun.
‘Probably something I ate,’ he told himself.
His stomach churned again, and he winced, pain etching his face. He stiffened, his back suddenly hurting. He let out a low whimper, his head pounding with the first signs of a headache and he panted, the cold and the heat around him making it so he had hot flashes.
‘Maybe Kaede did the procedure wrong,’ he thought.
He shivered again, his body tingling on the inside as a new feeling joined in with his others. He suddenly felt... dizzy. His body was heating up to a degree that was making him burn and feel cold at the same time. He was getting a major headache, his back was sore and he was getting back dizzy spells. Something was definitely wrong.
He tried to stand, but found he couldn’t, his arms to weak and his body not registering his movement. He whimpered again, this time more loudly, alerting his mate.
Sesshomaru opened his eyes slowly and sat up, focusing on the room around him quickly and looking to InuYasha. He had sensed his mates distress and was having the trouble of staying asleep while InuYasha shifted uncomfortably beside him. He finally decided to open his eyes and look at his mate... which he was glad he did.
InuYasha had paled considerably while just sitting where he was, his breath becoming raged and wheezy. His eyes were glossy, a white film clearly slipped across his eyes, making him look far more ill than expected. His tongue lolled from his mouth, his eyes straining to stay open, tears glittering in the corner of his eyes.
“InuYasha...?”
Sesshomaru put a hand on InuYasha’s shoulder, pulling the hanyou against his chest. He pressed the back of his hand to his brothers forehead, the heat shocking his yellow orbs wide. His brother felt like a sizzling furnace, the heat he was secreting burning against Sesshomaru’s more cooler skin.
“I don’t feel well,” InuYasha mumbled.
“You do not look well,” Sesshomaru noted.
“I only need sleep,” InuYasha whispered.
“I...”
InuYasha braced himself as a coughing fit took hold of his body and he seized, gripping the sheets and covering his mouth. He leaned into his brothers chest to muffle the sound, his body convulsing with the act to try and hold back the gaging and bile rising in his throat. He hacked dryly, the sudden warmth in his mouth and drizzling down his chin surprising.
Sesshomaru felt something hit his chest, splattering against his flat abs. He pulled InuYasha back and lifted his mates chin, the hanyou still coughing slightly. His eyes widened as he watched the glittering crimson blood trickle down InuYasha’s mouth and over his chin, dripping onto the white sheets.
“InuYasha you are not well,” Sesshomaru said, standing and lifting his mate into his arms.
InuYasha soughed again, his hand coated in a phlegm layer of blood. He groaned, leaning into Sesshomaru’s chest as the dizziness rocked him into a daze. He felt cold wind across his blazing skin, but it didn’t help. The rising heat of his body worked it’s way from his toes to the very last strands of his hair, leaving him woozy and lightheaded.
‘Hold on InuYasha...’
Sesshomaru bounded into the village, gliding across the darkness. The lights within Kaede’s hut still shone and he barreled forward, knowing he needed the woman to save his mate. He landed heavily on the steps, feeling InuYasha’s body suddenly go limp in his arms. He laid his mate across the wooden floor and tilted his head to look into the hanyou’s crusted eyes.
The door to Kaede’s hut creaked open, Miroku sticking his head out to peer down to his surprising amazement. Sesshomaru kneeled on the step before him, InuYasha lying limply across the ground, his body completely frail.
“Lady Kaede, something is a matter with InuYasha,” Miroku yelled.
Sesshomaru jumped back as Miroku kneeled down beside his friend, tilting the hanyou’s head back and placing his ear at the half-demons mouth. Kaede appeared behind him, her eyes stunting on Sesshomaru and his wary gaze before she fell upon InuYasha, kneeling down beside the monk.
“We must take him inside,” Kaede said. “His bleeding is from the interior.”
Miroku nodded and pulled InuYasha into his arms, carrying the hanyou into the hut without a second word. Kaede stood a moment, her eyes focusing on Sesshomaru as he stood back, his body giving way to nothing but a calm stance, yet his eyes were focused on the hut, their large golden colour focused worrisomely on the hut.
Kaede turned and walked inside, the fire already lit by Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Rin and Kagome all looking around confused and dazed. Sango watched as Kaede leaned down over InuYasha’s sweating body, the hanyou’s forehead glistening in the low light. She patted his forehead dry with a cloth and moved down to the end of the bed, lifting the hanyou’s legs.
“It burns,” he whimpered, panting at the heat.
“Kaede... what is happening?” Sango asked, worry now on her face.
“InuYasha is reacting wrongly to the serum,” Kaede noted. “It is attacking his entire body.”
“Will you be able to help?” Miroku asked, InuYasha whimpering a second time.
“I should,” she said with a nod.
“What do you want us to do?” Sango asked, standing up.
“Sango, ye must grind together a tea medicine that will take away the burning,” Kaede instructed, the slayer nodding. “Miroku, ye must hold InuYasha down so he does not hurt himself or the pups.”
“Alright,” Miroku said, nodding his head.
He placed his palms on InuYasha’s shoulders, watching as Sango placed different leaves and herbs into a crushing pot. She placed water inside and dropped the pot over the flame, stirring the crushed leaves and roots quickly, the water becoming a green blob. She continued to stir, carefully crushing all the leaves into the water.
Kagome pulled Shippo and Rin to her, hiding both their faces from view as she watched her two friends works quickly to help InuYasha. She glanced at the hanyou, smirking when she noticed his weakness, his eyes clouded over and his body heaving as he panted out his pain. Sango moved to Miroku’s side and placed the cup she held to his lips and tipped it back.
He drank slowly, his eyes clenched shut at the putrid taste. He flopped back onto the bed, gasping as the substance made his body go cold. His eyes fluttered open slowly, his breath slowing as he calmed. His body trembled from the pain and the weakness it was feeling. He groaned, turning his head into the pillow on the small cot and bit down on his lip to stifle and pained groan.
“InuYasha, where did the pain start?” Kaede asked.
“My... my entrance...” he whispered.
“Then it is as I expected,” Kaede sighed, pulling InuYasha closer to her. “His body is beginning to reject the pups.”
“What...” InuYasha gasped.
“Kaede, can you save them?” Miroku asked softly, holding down the hanyou as instructed.
“I hope,” she whispered.
She gripped a pair of tongs from under the cot she hanyou lay on, placing them at his ring of muscles and pushed it in, InuYasha stiffening and whimpering at the painful cold contact. He felt himself being stretched slowly and panted heavily, tears in the corners of his eyes.
“Sessho...” he whispered, looking at Sango. “Where is he?”
“InuYasha...” Sango whispered.
“Sango,” Kaede said quickly. “Come to me quickly.”
The young woman nodded and walked over to the elder priestess, leaning down to allow her to whisper at her.
“Ye must go outside and find Lord Sesshomaru,” Kaede said quietly.
“Are you sure?” she asked, knowing the demon lord may be angered and worried.
“Do not worry, he will not hurt ye,” Kaede whispered. “We need him here or InuYasha may just give up.”
“Alright,” Sango nodded.
InuYasha whimpered, leaning his head into the pillow as Kaede continued her ministration. She spoke softly to him as she worked, looking to Miroku as he held his palms softly on the hanyou’s shoulders, patting down the sweat that coated his forehead.
Sango passed Kagome, taking a glance at the miko before exiting the hut. She looked at the girl with confusion, the face she was showing nothing near worry. Kagome looked almost... pleased this was happening. She was smiling softly, holding Shippo and Rin close to her, holding them against her chest so they wouldn’t see her face.
Suddenly she was out of sight as Sango stepped outside into the darkness. She looked around the grounds but Sesshomaru was not in sight. She walked down th steps and stood on the soft ground, looking up at the roof. As she was sure, he was their, staring at the sky, arms crossed casually into his yukata.
“Sesshomaru,” she said, her voice cracking with mint fear.
He did not acknowledge her, but she knew he had heard her well. She took a slow breath to calm her nerves, not wanting to anger the lord and have him turn on her for not being inside and helping out his mate. She noticed his head move slowly across the sky and focus on the moon, staring deeply at the curve of it’s crescent.
“He needs you Sesshomaru,” Sango yelled.
He did not move.
“He is asking for you,” she said.
“Is Rin inside?” he asked.
“Yes, she is,” Sango said, knowing the young girl still thought the lord was dead.
“I shall come anyway,” Sesshomaru sighed, jumping down from the hut. “I can not allow my mate or my pups to suffer.”
Sango smiled and nodded at the lord, noticing how he was keeping distance between each other. He didn’t trust her, and he had right. Humans killed his father, as well as his mother. He turned to the hut and walked toward it, Sango following.
Sesshomaru entered slowly, everyone looking up slowly. Kagome tore her eyes away from Kaede as she worked, as did Miroku and looked up at the lord. Gentle gasps evoke from every corner of the hut, Kagome looking up and down the lord nervously, moving slowly away from him.
Rin poked her head up from Kagome’s white blouse and looked up at the silken haired lord she had traveled with. Her eyes widened at him, crawling slowly forward. She stood up, staring at him silently, large brown eyes bulged. He looked down at the young girl, placing a hand don her dark hair before walking over to Miroku.
Shippo walked up to Rin and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to Kagome. Miroku stared at Sesshomaru before moving his eyes to Kaede. The old miko nodded, Miroku looking at her with untrusting eyes before finally releasing the hanyou’s shoulders. Sesshomaru kneeled down beside InuYasha, the hanyou whimpering.
“I am here InuYasha,” Sesshomaru said calmly.
“Sesshomaru... they might not make it,” InuYasha whispered, tears leaking down his cheeks as he gripped the front of his brothers yukata. “What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing my mate,” Sesshomaru whispered. “It had nothing to do with you.”
InuYasha whimpered as he buried his head into his brother lap as the youkai slid in behind his brother, lying the hanyou’s head into his lap. InuYasha bit down on his lip as Kaede continued her work, moving slowly and as gently as she could. Sesshomaru watched closely as Kaede worked, daring the woman to make even one mistake for him to kill her.
His eyes suddenly flashed to KAgome, who squeaked and backed farther into the wall. She looked nervous for him being in the hut, her eyes flicking to the door and back again. Rin sat beside her, focused on the lord, eyes soft and happy, yet sad. She looked at Kagome as the woman slowly moved away from her toward the door.
“Kagome are you alright?” Sango asked softly.
“I didn’t do it,” Kagome cried, hiding her face with her arms.
“Uh... Kagome?” Sango asked, leaning down to her friend. “Are you okay?”
“What... oh, yes... I’m fine,” Kagome said, blushing slightly at her sudden outburst. ‘Naraku is going to kill me for this.’
“What did you mean by ‘I didn’t do it?’” Miroku asked, looking at her with a tilted head.
“I... oh nothing...” Kagome laughed.
A growl from the bed made everyone turn back Sesshomaru, his eyes suddenly glazed red, their burning colour focused dangerously on Kagome. The young miko swallowed and backed away again, her eyes flickering from Sango, to Miroku and back to the lord sitting on the bed, InuYasha in his lap.
She was suddenly angry.
“He shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.
Everyone fell silent, asides from Kaede who continued to work on InuYasha.
“You should have never mated with InuYasha,” Kagome said angrily, glaring at the lord. “You don’t deserve him.”
“Ka–Kagome?” InuYasha whispered, looking at the miko.
“InuYasha belongs to me,” she hissed. “I loved him and you stole him from me.”
“Kagome... what are you talking about?” Miroku asked, trying to block her view of the enraged dog lord.
“I should kill you now and get you out of his life,” she laughed, almost insanely. “Those pups will never be born.. And I will make sure about that.”
“Kagome...” Sango gasped. “How could you say that?”
“Shut up Sango,” Kagome snapped. “What’s wrong Sesshomaru... you look angry?”
“Kagome-sama,” Rin whispered.
“I will kill you,” Sesshomaru whispered.
He stood up, making sure not to disturb Kaede or InuYasha and walked forward. Kagome suddenly felt the worry settle in. She hadn’t expected the lord to actually come at her while Rin or InuYasha were around... but he was. She backed away slowly, reaching for the door as she moved.
‘Why aren’t Sango or Miroku stopping him?’ Kagome thought.
“Kagome... did you actually poison InuYasha’s body?” Sango asked, disgusted with her friend.
“How could you Kagome... why would you stoop so low,” Miroku sighed, shaking his head.
She looked between her friends, startled they weren’t helping her. Her focus returned to Sesshomaru as he stopped only inches in front of her, his eyes ablaze with red hatred. He hissed at her, a low growling following close behind. She pulled an arrow from her quiver, but she was tackled form the middle, Sesshomaru forcing her from the hut and onto the ground.
She cried out, landing hard on her side as Sesshomaru stopped over top of her, Tokijin drawn and at her throat. She heard cries and pleas echoing behind her, but all thought was on Sesshomaru and the close proximity of his blade. She swallowed hard, eyes glazing with fear, wanting to get free but found her body paralyzed in fear.
“Lord Sesshomaru... please don’t,” Rin’s voice cried.
Sesshomaru blinked, the redness of his eyes dissipating. He looked around at Rin, the small girl looking back with tears in her brown eyes. She jumped down from the hut, Sango and Miroku following her closely. She gripped onto Sesshomaru’s hand, eyes pleading him.
He looked at her and patted her head, moving away from Kagome. The miko panted heavily on the ground, her heart racing dangerously in her chest. She glared at Sesshomaru’s back and stood up quickly, picking up the arrow she had dropped on the ground and readying it in her bow.
“Sesshomaru,” she called.
The lord turned.
“InuYasha belongs to me,” she hissed.
She released the arrow from her bow, the soaring needle exploding with mystical power as it soared at it’s target. Her eyes glittered with insane happiness, the arrow taking speed as it neared the youkai lord, ready to pierce his head and kill him instantly. She gasped when a body appeared in front of Sesshomaru, silver hair falling across the males face as he looked up angrily.
“I will never belong to you,” InuYasha yelled.
“InuYasha... no,” Kagome cried.
The arrow exploded with light, surrounding the entire village. The force shook the trees, a long ball of light expanding across the planes, lighting the world around them. The trees shook with the force, some uprooting and quivering as the flew through the air. The loud rumble of the explosion followed afterward as a stream of light shot up through the middle of the semi-circle of energy.
Everything went silent... and the world stood still.
**~**~**~**~**~**
A/N: Sorry for the long wait... if that was long??? Well, anyways... I thought I had finished all my final exams until finally the professor finally decided to set a date for my Hieroglyphics final exam. I had hell studying while trying to write this chapter but, alas, I have finished ALL my finals and am now free to write when not working. Thank you everyone for understanding. R&R.
Summary: Review to chapter 1.
Writing Style: Review to chapter 1.
**~**~**~**~**~**
Chapter 18. Month 3... Kagome’s Rage
The well flooded with darkness and a blue ora as Kagome landed in her time on the opposite side. She sighed, rubbing her brow as the heat from her world seared above. It was odd really, why it was so cold in the feudal era, yet in her time, the sun still shone hot and humid on the world.
Global Warming.
She smirked, climbing the ladder she had propped into the well just a few days before and climbed out, brushing down her shirt sleeves where a little amount of dust had landed and walked toward her home, the sacred tree swaying in the winds. She looked up at it, glaring with such putrid anger she thought her face would crack.
‘Why did I have to pull him from that stupid tree,’ she thought to herself as she mounted the stairs and opened the front door. ‘If I hadn’t, he wouldn’t have fallen for his fucking brother.’
“Kagome, your back?” Mrs. Higurashi said with mild shock. “How was your stay dear?”
“It’s good. I’m going back after I grab a blanket,” she said quickly, rushing up to her room and grabbing the first quilt she saw.
She stopped at her bedroom door, looking at the ground with sad eyes. She sighed, releasing the knob and walking back over to her bed, sitting down on the bare sheets. She didn’t know whether or not their was a reason to go back. Yes, she was the only one that was able to see the jewel shards, but did they really need her.
‘I only get in the way.’
She leaned back into her bed, curling onto the soft plush mattress. All she wanted to do was have InuYasha back with her, have him in her arms and hug him tightly. She was in love with him, and she thought he felt same about her. She had been wrong, and he had broken her heart. She felt the tears in her eyes and shook her head, letting out a shaky breath, knwoing it would only do her the worst if the cried. She had to be strong. She had a job to do... for Naraku and for herself.
She stood from the bed, tucking the quilt more securely into her arms and walked to the door, closing it behind her and ran down the stairs toward the door. She passed the kitchen where her mother was cleaning some dishes and gave her a simple and soft wave as she ran for the front entrance.
“Oh... Kagome,” Mrs. Higurashi said quickly as her daughter rushed to the door.
“Yes mom?” the teen asked.
“Why are you taking a blanket. Isn’t it warm in their time?” Mrs. Higurashi said with much innocents.
“Oh, no. Back in the Feudal ear, it’s freezing,” Kagome said, laughing a little.
“Really, I wonder why their’s no snow here?” her mother wondered.
“Global Warming,” Kagome said quickly, rushing out the door.
She was surprised not having run into Souta or Grandpa on her way out, but she guessed they were in the attic, or near the western shrine, or in the north shrine, or trying to sell Sacred Jewel merchandise to the people on the street. Either way, she needed to get back quickly before the others began to wonder.
She opened the door to the wells chamber, walking down the three steps that lead to the wooden hole in the floor. She tossed her legs over the side, sitting on the edge and pulling the blanket close. The heat was overly warm and she panted, jumping down into the blue/black haze that would lead to InuYasha’s time.
The ground appeared slowly, the light above shining weakly as the sun dipped away and she softly footed the ground, placing a hand down on the soft wet earth to balance herself. She stood up, holding the blanket close and looked up, gripping the sides of the well and began to climb.
She shifted the blanket, readjusted her grip and climbed a few of the loose bricks. She felt the blanket slipping and stopped, readjusted it again, gripped the brick wall and once again began to climb. Her hand gripped an extra slippery brick, her hand sloshing across the wet stone and she fumbled, the quilt slipping from her shoulder.
And she fell.
She gasped, her rear sinking into the wet mud and leaves around her. She groaned, resting her head against one of the four walls and sighed, closing her eyes. Her end hurt and her spine seemed to be dislocating where she sat. Cussing her luck. She grabbed the now muddy blanket and hoisted it over her shoulders a second time, the mud slicking her hair and her cheek.
‘Great. InuYasha is fucking his brother, I have mud on my face, Sango and Miroku look like their dating now... and all I have is this stupid muddy quilt,’ she thought, glaring at the wall opposite her. ‘Can is get any worse...’
A dark cloud broiled overhead, a flash of lightening followed by the deafening roar of thunder cut the air. Another flash lit up the sky, and down with it, came the small particles of hail, their large size cracking her on the head. Her left brow twitched and she clenched a fist, screaming out her anger.
*~*~*
“Did you hear that?”
Miroku leaned to the side, looking around Sango’s hair and shoulder at her face, her eyes turned to the door and up, like she was staring off into the forest through the curtain. He also looked out, the small amount of light and visibility confusing him. He looked back at her, her brown eyes turned up at him, watching his look.
“Hear what... the hail?”
“No, not that. I thought I heard someone scream,” she said, curling into him.
“I didn’t hear anything,” He said earnestly.
“Just my imagination then,” she sighed.
Rin giggled, rolling across the ground as Shippo followed, bouncing on his small fox-feet. He laughed at her antics, bounding over her body and grabbing the toy they were playing with. She giggled at him and held out her hands as he placed the small spinning top down in her hands gently. She wrapped the cord around it and aimed for the ground.
“Give it a good pull,” Shippo cried happily, bounding around her.
“Okay,” she giggled.
With a pull of the cord, and a twist of the top, it spun onto the ground and away from them, swirling toward Kaede and then veered in another direction, rounding the fire pit and returning to them. They clapped happily and bounced around, following the top with small flutters of laughter.
Kaede watched from where she swirled a soup in her pot, testing the heat before giving it a smile and spooning a ladle into a stone bowl. Sango got up from her position in Miroku’s arms, waling to the old woman and helping to hand out the warm food.
“Alright you two,” Sango said, laughing at their game as they rolled together on the ground. “Time to eat.”
Rin giggled, nodding and bounced over to her, waiting for the warm brew. Sango handed it to her with a smile, the young girl nodding and walking slowly over to Miroku, handing him the warm bowl and bowing cutely before returning to Sango.
Shippo took his and sat down, waiting until the others were served before eating. Rin took her own bowl and sat beside him, tearing off a piece of the warm laof in the middle for her and Shippo to share. Kaede took a seat beside the two young ones, sighing and placing her bowl down gently.
“Where is Kagome?” she asked.
“She went to the well to grab a blanket she left,” Sango informed.
“Aye, I understand,” Kaede said.
“She has been gone while,” Miroku said, looking up from his bowl. “Maybe something happened to her?”
“I’m sure Kagome-chan is fine,” Rin said politely. “She is very powerful.”
“That is true,” Shippo said. “Even InuYasha is afraid of her.”
Sango smirked and Miroku shook his head with a smile, before looking up with a confused and rather knowing look on his face. He ‘hummed’ making everyone turn to him in wonder.
“She has been acting oddly though,” Miroku said, noticing he had gathered attention.
“Yes, especially around InuYasha,” Sango said with a nod.
“She may still be finding it hard to deal with the pregnancy,” Kaede spoke wisely.
“Yes, I figured that,” Miroku agreed.
“She was very close with him,” Sango interpreted.
“Is Kagome-chan angered with InuYasha-sama?” Rin asked kindly.
“No, no. She is just a little shocked, that’s all,” Sango said, patting the young girls head.
Rin smiled and began to eat again with Shippo as the three adult looked at one another with frowned faces, each thinking the same, each knowing the same. Sango looked up at Miroku, the monk deep in thought, his brows lowered while he sighed to himself and closed his eyes. She gazed over at Kaede, the old priestess eating silently, yet she could tell that the woman was thinking with the deepest of thought.
*~*~*Now the third Month*~*~*
The snow began to melt slowly, the ground becoming a sloppy mess of slimy grass and thick mud that sucking in everyone and anyone’s foot. It was at this time InuYasha walked calmly through the village, a hand on his now rounded belly, as he headed toward Kaede’s hut for his check-in.
The old hag had yet again raised his time of seeing her from once every day to twice every day. Once in the morning, and once in the evening, cutting his time even shorter with Sesshomaru. He hated the idea, but he knew it was for the best. The pups seemed much stronger, but he was beginning to feel much weaker. His body had become more tired, and he slept much longer. He was more moody than usual, snapping at the most bizarre statements of questions.
He was feeling more pleasant on this occasion though, Sesshomaru having made him feel extremely... oh, how would you put it... good. No, much to weak a word. How about... excellent. Yes... he was feeling excellent, a smile stretching his lips as he walked up to Kaede’s hut and pulled the curtain aside, and stopped.
He hadn’t expected to see... her.
Kagome looked up from the herbs she had been crushing with nonexistent eyes, staring the hanyou with unpleasantry before turning back to her job, the leaves in her small pot being mushed into a goo. He arched an eyebrow at her before scanning up to Kaede, the old woman already sitting and waiting for him.
“How do ye feel today, InuYasha?” Kaede asked.
“Three months along and fat,” the hanyou muttered.
‘Go figure,’ Kagome thought rudely.
InuYasha took his place, lying down across the bed and placing his legs on the two posts at the end. Kaede hummed softly as he readied him for another bout of hot pain and the cold that would flood through him before that disgusting ooze that Kagome was crushing would be placed in him to cure an infection. He shuddered at the thought.
“A deep breath,” Kaede instructed, like all the other times.
Kagome watched from the corner of her eyes as InuYasha growled uncomfortably and arched on the bed, gripping the sheets tightly. She smirked at his pain and turned back to her job, crushing the leaves into the mush they needed to be. She observed the hanyou again from under her bangs, watching as he hissed, glaring at the ceiling, his hands shaking as they clutched the blankets more tightly.
She placed her hand inside her shirt and pulled out a vial, three delicate leaves sitting inside. Each one seemed to shine and glittery beautifully, their pure colour almost radiating off the wooden walls. But the leaves she held were far from as beautiful as they looked.
She opened the top quietly, a gentle popping sound making her freeze. She glanced at the others, InuYasha’s gentle growling having drowned out the sound. She still sighed with relief, knowing the hanyou’s hearing was far greater than anything else. She picked up one of the leaves and placed it in the bowl, followed by a second and the last.
She grabbed the mashed, crushing the glittering leaves into the mixture, the three green tear-drop shaped ivories dissolving into the substance. She looked over the bowl quickly, moving the green goo around to see if there were any bits left before standing up and walking over to Kaede with the bowl in hand.
“Thank ye,” the elderly woman said.
“Anything to help,” Kagome said in a bubbly voice.
“Ye may wish to leave for this part,” Kaede said in warning. “InuYasha can get a little aggressive during this ministration.”
Kagome blushed at the woman’s choice of words and nodded, bowing before trotting from the hut, making sure InuYasha was able to see her skirt flailing behind her. She glanced at him, seeing his eyes on her before he looked up and took a breath. She smirked and disappeared through the curtain, sitting down on the wet steps.
Just as Kaede had warned, a loud yowl etched into the stillness of the air, followed by the rapid cussing of the hanyou. Kagome looked back in surprise, having never been around before to hear the demon speak such vulgar language, especially to Kaede. He was more or less docile with his choice around the old woman, save for saying damn or hell.
‘Hope you like my little ingredient, InuYasha,’ Kagome thought with a smirk.
He emerged from Kaede’s hut, glaring down at her before his eyes softened. He sat beside her, looking up at the clear sky. She stilled, wondering why he was even sitting with her. The pair had barely seen one another in the last few months, Kagome having walked away into the woods whenever he saw him and InuYasha spending most his time at Sesshomaru’s side.
“Kagome...” his voice was soft-spoken and sincere, almost sad, even.
“InuYasha...” she said in a rushed breath.
He looked at her with his eyes, their deep yellow depths captivating her, pulling her to him. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, to hold him close and to kiss him, to say she was in love with him and that she wanted to bare his children and stay behind him. She held it all back, though, waiting for his to speak again, even if it was getting hard.
“Kagome, are you mad at me?” InuYasha asked softly.
That was it. No apology. No love vows. No nothing. Just a question. She felt her anger burn but subdued it, taking a breath and looking up at the clear sky of the day, her head swimming with angry comments she wanted to throw at him with all the spite and hatred she had.
“Why would I be mad?” she asked innocently.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” InuYasha noted, looking away from her. “We barely talk now, and you act cold around me.”
“What do you mean?” Kagome asked, trying her best to sound shocked.
“Just now, in the hut,” InuYasha said, looking at her again, suddenly feeling angry. “You looked at me like I wasn’t even their.”
“I was busy mixing your serum,” Kagome said, keeping her cool.
“Does that matter,” InuYasha snapped, his anger rising. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
‘Friends...’ Kagome bit back the frown. “Of course were friends.”
“Well you sure don’t act like one,” he snarled, suddenly feeling very sad and alone, wanting only to return to his mate. “I want to be with you, to be close to you and to protect you like a brother but you act like I’m scum.”
“InuYasha...”
“Shut up.”
With that he turned and walked away, leaving her wordless. She glared after him, her head burning with sweat as she felt the words twitching on her tongue, threatening to explode and scream at him, make him hurt and be hurt, to feel the pain she was feeling, the sorrow and the pain. She wanted to make him burn.
InuYasha didn’t turn back, didn’t look back. He knew what he would see, and he didn’t want to see it. He loved Kagome, but as a brother. They were so close, but it was a distant closeness that was meant only for friends, best friends, to understand. She didn’t want her that way, but he could sense, and smell it from her. She didn’t understand, and it broke him.
He shuddered, the tears in his eyes suddenly sliding down his cheeks. He sat down outside the hut, curling himself as tightly as he could and began to sob, his heart cracking and crumbling before him. He felt like he had lost something dear to him only because she was to stubborn to see he did lover her. As friends. As really good friends.
“InuYasha?”
He looked up, his bleary eyes focusing on the small form of his brother, his eyes glittering with much concern. InuYasha couldn’t help it. He leapt into his brothers arms and sobbed uncontrollably, his shoulders shaking with the effort. His good mood which he had been in had been shattered by one of his closest friends.
He hated her for it.
“S-S-Sessho-maru,” InuYasha whispered.
“What is it, InuYasha?” his brother asked soothingly, holding the hanyou close. “What happened, you are so broken?”
“K-Kagome...” he mumbled. “She h-hates m-m-me.”
The lord froze at the name, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He did hate that girl greatly. Not only was she in love with InuYasha, Sesshomaru had seen her eyeing him and glaring at him when he turned his back on her. He growled low, wanting to shred the girl into nothing but bits for her antics of making his lover cry.
He lifted InuYasha from his shoulder and kissed the tears from his brothers face before placing a finger under his mates chin and lifting it to look into InuYasha’s teary yellow orbs. He smiled with softness at the young male, knowing it would make the hanyou smile as well. As he had known, it did. InuYasha smiled softly, his eyes still slightly teary.
“What did she do to make you hurt?” Sesshomaru asked with as little bitterness as he could muster.
“It wasn’t really what she did,” InuYasha said, his sobs subduing. “It was more her eyes.”
‘That’s it,’ Sesshomaru thought, hissing inwardly. ‘I’ll kill her.’
“She looked so blankly at me... like I wasn’t their,” InuYasha whispered, remembering the dark shadow of her eyes. “She looked like I was a deadly poison to her.”
Sesshomaru sighed and pulled his brother close, wrapping his arms around InuYasha’s waist and gripping the hanyou’s chin. He leaned down and captured his mates lips, his tongue running along InuYasha’s bottom lip, dipping inside the warm caverns and sliding out again to nibble on his mates bottom lip gently.
“Does she mean that much to you?” Sesshomaru asked.
“She’s like a little sister I need to protect,” InuYasha sighed, leaning into his brothers chest. “Or it’s just the mood swings.”
“Mood swings,” Sesshomaru muttered.
InuYasha laughed.
Sesshomaru caught his lips again and pulled him into their temporary home, closing the creaking door behind him as they entered into the darkness together. He wanted to take away his brothers hurt, and would do so, no matter the consequences.
*~*~*
The early of the day turned even darker in the eve, the clouds thickening over the sky and blacking out any form of light. Thunder rumbled overhead, flashing and sparks of lightening piercing the sky and sketching across them in vivid designs. The wind howled, whistling across the long tufts of grass and loose wooden boards of the huts scattered around the village.
The rain began, a heavy downpour like no other, flooding the plant growth and fields in heavy drops. The fog rolled in slowly, misting the ground in a gentle white hue that looked to be formed by the Grim Reaper himself. The howling winds picked up, carrying with them leaves and loose grass and dirt. It shifted and tossed this way and that, clashes of thunder, followed by the deafening roll of thunder exploding across the skies.
InuYasha opened his eyes blearily to the loud rattle of the rain on the roof, groaning and turning in his brothers arm, pressing his forehead into Sesshomaru’s chest. He was starting to feel ill to his stomach, but thought it nothing to be but the food sickness he got when eating at times. He shrugged of the uncomfortable feeling and turned again in his brothers arms, pressing his back into his mates chest.
His stomach churned oddly.
‘What’s wrong with me?’ InuYasha wondered.
He sat up, pressing his head to his round stomach and sighed, rubbing his brow only to be surprised with a thin coat of sweat. He felt himself shiver even though he was well warm and looked around with worry. He was sweating, felt cold and was getting the urge to vomit over and over again. He knew it wasn’t the morning sickness, the night having only begun.
‘Probably something I ate,’ he told himself.
His stomach churned again, and he winced, pain etching his face. He stiffened, his back suddenly hurting. He let out a low whimper, his head pounding with the first signs of a headache and he panted, the cold and the heat around him making it so he had hot flashes.
‘Maybe Kaede did the procedure wrong,’ he thought.
He shivered again, his body tingling on the inside as a new feeling joined in with his others. He suddenly felt... dizzy. His body was heating up to a degree that was making him burn and feel cold at the same time. He was getting a major headache, his back was sore and he was getting back dizzy spells. Something was definitely wrong.
He tried to stand, but found he couldn’t, his arms to weak and his body not registering his movement. He whimpered again, this time more loudly, alerting his mate.
Sesshomaru opened his eyes slowly and sat up, focusing on the room around him quickly and looking to InuYasha. He had sensed his mates distress and was having the trouble of staying asleep while InuYasha shifted uncomfortably beside him. He finally decided to open his eyes and look at his mate... which he was glad he did.
InuYasha had paled considerably while just sitting where he was, his breath becoming raged and wheezy. His eyes were glossy, a white film clearly slipped across his eyes, making him look far more ill than expected. His tongue lolled from his mouth, his eyes straining to stay open, tears glittering in the corner of his eyes.
“InuYasha...?”
Sesshomaru put a hand on InuYasha’s shoulder, pulling the hanyou against his chest. He pressed the back of his hand to his brothers forehead, the heat shocking his yellow orbs wide. His brother felt like a sizzling furnace, the heat he was secreting burning against Sesshomaru’s more cooler skin.
“I don’t feel well,” InuYasha mumbled.
“You do not look well,” Sesshomaru noted.
“I only need sleep,” InuYasha whispered.
“I...”
InuYasha braced himself as a coughing fit took hold of his body and he seized, gripping the sheets and covering his mouth. He leaned into his brothers chest to muffle the sound, his body convulsing with the act to try and hold back the gaging and bile rising in his throat. He hacked dryly, the sudden warmth in his mouth and drizzling down his chin surprising.
Sesshomaru felt something hit his chest, splattering against his flat abs. He pulled InuYasha back and lifted his mates chin, the hanyou still coughing slightly. His eyes widened as he watched the glittering crimson blood trickle down InuYasha’s mouth and over his chin, dripping onto the white sheets.
“InuYasha you are not well,” Sesshomaru said, standing and lifting his mate into his arms.
InuYasha soughed again, his hand coated in a phlegm layer of blood. He groaned, leaning into Sesshomaru’s chest as the dizziness rocked him into a daze. He felt cold wind across his blazing skin, but it didn’t help. The rising heat of his body worked it’s way from his toes to the very last strands of his hair, leaving him woozy and lightheaded.
‘Hold on InuYasha...’
Sesshomaru bounded into the village, gliding across the darkness. The lights within Kaede’s hut still shone and he barreled forward, knowing he needed the woman to save his mate. He landed heavily on the steps, feeling InuYasha’s body suddenly go limp in his arms. He laid his mate across the wooden floor and tilted his head to look into the hanyou’s crusted eyes.
The door to Kaede’s hut creaked open, Miroku sticking his head out to peer down to his surprising amazement. Sesshomaru kneeled on the step before him, InuYasha lying limply across the ground, his body completely frail.
“Lady Kaede, something is a matter with InuYasha,” Miroku yelled.
Sesshomaru jumped back as Miroku kneeled down beside his friend, tilting the hanyou’s head back and placing his ear at the half-demons mouth. Kaede appeared behind him, her eyes stunting on Sesshomaru and his wary gaze before she fell upon InuYasha, kneeling down beside the monk.
“We must take him inside,” Kaede said. “His bleeding is from the interior.”
Miroku nodded and pulled InuYasha into his arms, carrying the hanyou into the hut without a second word. Kaede stood a moment, her eyes focusing on Sesshomaru as he stood back, his body giving way to nothing but a calm stance, yet his eyes were focused on the hut, their large golden colour focused worrisomely on the hut.
Kaede turned and walked inside, the fire already lit by Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Rin and Kagome all looking around confused and dazed. Sango watched as Kaede leaned down over InuYasha’s sweating body, the hanyou’s forehead glistening in the low light. She patted his forehead dry with a cloth and moved down to the end of the bed, lifting the hanyou’s legs.
“It burns,” he whimpered, panting at the heat.
“Kaede... what is happening?” Sango asked, worry now on her face.
“InuYasha is reacting wrongly to the serum,” Kaede noted. “It is attacking his entire body.”
“Will you be able to help?” Miroku asked, InuYasha whimpering a second time.
“I should,” she said with a nod.
“What do you want us to do?” Sango asked, standing up.
“Sango, ye must grind together a tea medicine that will take away the burning,” Kaede instructed, the slayer nodding. “Miroku, ye must hold InuYasha down so he does not hurt himself or the pups.”
“Alright,” Miroku said, nodding his head.
He placed his palms on InuYasha’s shoulders, watching as Sango placed different leaves and herbs into a crushing pot. She placed water inside and dropped the pot over the flame, stirring the crushed leaves and roots quickly, the water becoming a green blob. She continued to stir, carefully crushing all the leaves into the water.
Kagome pulled Shippo and Rin to her, hiding both their faces from view as she watched her two friends works quickly to help InuYasha. She glanced at the hanyou, smirking when she noticed his weakness, his eyes clouded over and his body heaving as he panted out his pain. Sango moved to Miroku’s side and placed the cup she held to his lips and tipped it back.
He drank slowly, his eyes clenched shut at the putrid taste. He flopped back onto the bed, gasping as the substance made his body go cold. His eyes fluttered open slowly, his breath slowing as he calmed. His body trembled from the pain and the weakness it was feeling. He groaned, turning his head into the pillow on the small cot and bit down on his lip to stifle and pained groan.
“InuYasha, where did the pain start?” Kaede asked.
“My... my entrance...” he whispered.
“Then it is as I expected,” Kaede sighed, pulling InuYasha closer to her. “His body is beginning to reject the pups.”
“What...” InuYasha gasped.
“Kaede, can you save them?” Miroku asked softly, holding down the hanyou as instructed.
“I hope,” she whispered.
She gripped a pair of tongs from under the cot she hanyou lay on, placing them at his ring of muscles and pushed it in, InuYasha stiffening and whimpering at the painful cold contact. He felt himself being stretched slowly and panted heavily, tears in the corners of his eyes.
“Sessho...” he whispered, looking at Sango. “Where is he?”
“InuYasha...” Sango whispered.
“Sango,” Kaede said quickly. “Come to me quickly.”
The young woman nodded and walked over to the elder priestess, leaning down to allow her to whisper at her.
“Ye must go outside and find Lord Sesshomaru,” Kaede said quietly.
“Are you sure?” she asked, knowing the demon lord may be angered and worried.
“Do not worry, he will not hurt ye,” Kaede whispered. “We need him here or InuYasha may just give up.”
“Alright,” Sango nodded.
InuYasha whimpered, leaning his head into the pillow as Kaede continued her ministration. She spoke softly to him as she worked, looking to Miroku as he held his palms softly on the hanyou’s shoulders, patting down the sweat that coated his forehead.
Sango passed Kagome, taking a glance at the miko before exiting the hut. She looked at the girl with confusion, the face she was showing nothing near worry. Kagome looked almost... pleased this was happening. She was smiling softly, holding Shippo and Rin close to her, holding them against her chest so they wouldn’t see her face.
Suddenly she was out of sight as Sango stepped outside into the darkness. She looked around the grounds but Sesshomaru was not in sight. She walked down th steps and stood on the soft ground, looking up at the roof. As she was sure, he was their, staring at the sky, arms crossed casually into his yukata.
“Sesshomaru,” she said, her voice cracking with mint fear.
He did not acknowledge her, but she knew he had heard her well. She took a slow breath to calm her nerves, not wanting to anger the lord and have him turn on her for not being inside and helping out his mate. She noticed his head move slowly across the sky and focus on the moon, staring deeply at the curve of it’s crescent.
“He needs you Sesshomaru,” Sango yelled.
He did not move.
“He is asking for you,” she said.
“Is Rin inside?” he asked.
“Yes, she is,” Sango said, knowing the young girl still thought the lord was dead.
“I shall come anyway,” Sesshomaru sighed, jumping down from the hut. “I can not allow my mate or my pups to suffer.”
Sango smiled and nodded at the lord, noticing how he was keeping distance between each other. He didn’t trust her, and he had right. Humans killed his father, as well as his mother. He turned to the hut and walked toward it, Sango following.
Sesshomaru entered slowly, everyone looking up slowly. Kagome tore her eyes away from Kaede as she worked, as did Miroku and looked up at the lord. Gentle gasps evoke from every corner of the hut, Kagome looking up and down the lord nervously, moving slowly away from him.
Rin poked her head up from Kagome’s white blouse and looked up at the silken haired lord she had traveled with. Her eyes widened at him, crawling slowly forward. She stood up, staring at him silently, large brown eyes bulged. He looked down at the young girl, placing a hand don her dark hair before walking over to Miroku.
Shippo walked up to Rin and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to Kagome. Miroku stared at Sesshomaru before moving his eyes to Kaede. The old miko nodded, Miroku looking at her with untrusting eyes before finally releasing the hanyou’s shoulders. Sesshomaru kneeled down beside InuYasha, the hanyou whimpering.
“I am here InuYasha,” Sesshomaru said calmly.
“Sesshomaru... they might not make it,” InuYasha whispered, tears leaking down his cheeks as he gripped the front of his brothers yukata. “What did I do wrong?”
“Nothing my mate,” Sesshomaru whispered. “It had nothing to do with you.”
InuYasha whimpered as he buried his head into his brother lap as the youkai slid in behind his brother, lying the hanyou’s head into his lap. InuYasha bit down on his lip as Kaede continued her work, moving slowly and as gently as she could. Sesshomaru watched closely as Kaede worked, daring the woman to make even one mistake for him to kill her.
His eyes suddenly flashed to KAgome, who squeaked and backed farther into the wall. She looked nervous for him being in the hut, her eyes flicking to the door and back again. Rin sat beside her, focused on the lord, eyes soft and happy, yet sad. She looked at Kagome as the woman slowly moved away from her toward the door.
“Kagome are you alright?” Sango asked softly.
“I didn’t do it,” Kagome cried, hiding her face with her arms.
“Uh... Kagome?” Sango asked, leaning down to her friend. “Are you okay?”
“What... oh, yes... I’m fine,” Kagome said, blushing slightly at her sudden outburst. ‘Naraku is going to kill me for this.’
“What did you mean by ‘I didn’t do it?’” Miroku asked, looking at her with a tilted head.
“I... oh nothing...” Kagome laughed.
A growl from the bed made everyone turn back Sesshomaru, his eyes suddenly glazed red, their burning colour focused dangerously on Kagome. The young miko swallowed and backed away again, her eyes flickering from Sango, to Miroku and back to the lord sitting on the bed, InuYasha in his lap.
She was suddenly angry.
“He shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.
Everyone fell silent, asides from Kaede who continued to work on InuYasha.
“You should have never mated with InuYasha,” Kagome said angrily, glaring at the lord. “You don’t deserve him.”
“Ka–Kagome?” InuYasha whispered, looking at the miko.
“InuYasha belongs to me,” she hissed. “I loved him and you stole him from me.”
“Kagome... what are you talking about?” Miroku asked, trying to block her view of the enraged dog lord.
“I should kill you now and get you out of his life,” she laughed, almost insanely. “Those pups will never be born.. And I will make sure about that.”
“Kagome...” Sango gasped. “How could you say that?”
“Shut up Sango,” Kagome snapped. “What’s wrong Sesshomaru... you look angry?”
“Kagome-sama,” Rin whispered.
“I will kill you,” Sesshomaru whispered.
He stood up, making sure not to disturb Kaede or InuYasha and walked forward. Kagome suddenly felt the worry settle in. She hadn’t expected the lord to actually come at her while Rin or InuYasha were around... but he was. She backed away slowly, reaching for the door as she moved.
‘Why aren’t Sango or Miroku stopping him?’ Kagome thought.
“Kagome... did you actually poison InuYasha’s body?” Sango asked, disgusted with her friend.
“How could you Kagome... why would you stoop so low,” Miroku sighed, shaking his head.
She looked between her friends, startled they weren’t helping her. Her focus returned to Sesshomaru as he stopped only inches in front of her, his eyes ablaze with red hatred. He hissed at her, a low growling following close behind. She pulled an arrow from her quiver, but she was tackled form the middle, Sesshomaru forcing her from the hut and onto the ground.
She cried out, landing hard on her side as Sesshomaru stopped over top of her, Tokijin drawn and at her throat. She heard cries and pleas echoing behind her, but all thought was on Sesshomaru and the close proximity of his blade. She swallowed hard, eyes glazing with fear, wanting to get free but found her body paralyzed in fear.
“Lord Sesshomaru... please don’t,” Rin’s voice cried.
Sesshomaru blinked, the redness of his eyes dissipating. He looked around at Rin, the small girl looking back with tears in her brown eyes. She jumped down from the hut, Sango and Miroku following her closely. She gripped onto Sesshomaru’s hand, eyes pleading him.
He looked at her and patted her head, moving away from Kagome. The miko panted heavily on the ground, her heart racing dangerously in her chest. She glared at Sesshomaru’s back and stood up quickly, picking up the arrow she had dropped on the ground and readying it in her bow.
“Sesshomaru,” she called.
The lord turned.
“InuYasha belongs to me,” she hissed.
She released the arrow from her bow, the soaring needle exploding with mystical power as it soared at it’s target. Her eyes glittered with insane happiness, the arrow taking speed as it neared the youkai lord, ready to pierce his head and kill him instantly. She gasped when a body appeared in front of Sesshomaru, silver hair falling across the males face as he looked up angrily.
“I will never belong to you,” InuYasha yelled.
“InuYasha... no,” Kagome cried.
The arrow exploded with light, surrounding the entire village. The force shook the trees, a long ball of light expanding across the planes, lighting the world around them. The trees shook with the force, some uprooting and quivering as the flew through the air. The loud rumble of the explosion followed afterward as a stream of light shot up through the middle of the semi-circle of energy.
Everything went silent... and the world stood still.
**~**~**~**~**~**
A/N: Sorry for the long wait... if that was long??? Well, anyways... I thought I had finished all my final exams until finally the professor finally decided to set a date for my Hieroglyphics final exam. I had hell studying while trying to write this chapter but, alas, I have finished ALL my finals and am now free to write when not working. Thank you everyone for understanding. R&R.