What the Darkness Brings

What the Darkness Brings
By: I Agree

Disclaimer: I own nothing

PART I: The Consequence of Recovery

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Chapter 6: A Visit from the Doctor

Two Weeks Later

It was strange how one thing so loathed could become something… well… not loved but – slightly – appreciated.

Idly, she flipped through the pages of her once hated math book, her eyes roving over the mathematic formulas she never understood. She still didn’t understand any of it, but it was something to do while she laid there with nothing to do. It was odd, how she had always taken maths for granted. Really, it was an interesting subject… when she was completely out of her mind with boredom. But maths could do so much for a person.

Like nothing in this day and age.

With a sigh, Kagome tossed the book aside and shifted about on her pallet, trying to get comfortable.

“Miss Kagome, please do not strain yourself again.”

The said miko looked over to the newest member of her ever growing family who enjoyed making her feel like a child. He treated her like her mother had sometimes when she was being a naughty girl. He even had the same tone! She supposed she did deserve it though; she was just so bored she couldn’t hold still!

His arrival had cause a bit of a tense situation. Inu-Yasha had been the one to greet him, and with the little rat demon riding Sesshou-Maru’s dragon, he hadn’t given him a warm welcome. What surprised her though, was that Inu-Yasha didn’t give it too much of a fuss about letting him stay. A few words of distaste and mistrust later and Inu-Yasha was guiding the little grey demon to his charge.

Aside from Kagome, no one really trusted him. After all, he was a servant of their once-very-hated-and-still-not-really-trusted-semi-enemy-who-really-only-wanted-a-stupid-sword-and-for-some-reason-for-Inu-Yasha-to-die. Sango kept a watchful eye on him whenever he was working on her wounds or near any sort of weaponry. Though that could just be the conditioning of a taijiya, Sango never really seemed to trust a youkai she just met. Miroku kept asking skillfully disguised questions on various subjects he felt could reveal what the mouse as really doing there. Lately the questions had come less frequently, the perverted monk having run out of inquiries that wouldn’t make him seem suspicious to the rat. Not he wasn’t suspicious already. It was funny too since it didn’t bother Nezumi in the least. Inu-Yasha and Shippou would have nothing to do with him at all. Nezumi never minded.

Kagome couldn’t help it. She couldn’t not trust him. The demon had been so nervous when meeting her, knowing she was capable of destroying him at will and not knowing if she was fickle at heart. He’d been adorable with the way he had hesitated to touch her hand when she had offered it in greeting. It had taken him two whole hours for him to be convinced she wasn’t a threat to him. He’d opened up so beautifully after he knew of his safety with her it left no doubt in her mind he was innocent of any Sesshou-Maru’s tricks.

They, she and Nezumi, had built a fantastic relationship since he was taking care of her (after all, they had to have a good friendship quickly in order for her to even allow him to look at her naked back!). Within a day they were arguing and joking like they had been friends for years. Because of this closeness, she knew exactly what to do to get even. Annoy him.

She took a deep breath, and whined, “But Nezumi-i-i-i-i-i!”

The rat youkai chuckled as he dipped a white strip of cloth into boiling water. He didn’t, however, take the bait she set this time, “I don’t believe you want to reopen your wound again. It’s healing nicely this time.”

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him though he wasn’t looking at her, “You would go insane if you were lying here for two weeks too.”

“Speaking of two weeks time, Sesshou-Maru-sama should be by today to check up on you. Possibly even to being therapy if you are well enough.”

Kagome frowned and turned her head a bit more so she could see the young demon better, “I’m still confused about that Nezumi-san. Why would Sesshou-Maru be a physical therapist for me? It wasn’t part of the deal.”

The rat smiled over at her as he hung up the cloths he’d already sanitized. “I am not entirely sure Miss Kagome. Milord has never felt the need to explain himself.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “Even when the stuff he does doesn’t make any sense?”

“Then as well. Possibly especially then, he does like to keep us all baffled.”

“Do you ever think to ask why?”

He shook his head, “It is not my place, Miss Kagome.”

She gazed at him in thought, “How about when it involves you?”

“Again, I cannot ask. He is the Lord of the West, I am but a servant.”

“So?”

Nezumi blinked over at her, startled with her reply. “I am a lowly servant, Miss Kagome, an assistant to Lord Sesshou-Maru. I have no right to question him.”

Kagome snorted derisively, “You say you’re an assistant to him, and earlier this week you told me you wanted to be a great healer. Am I right?”

The rat nodded warily, “Hai, Lady.”

“Then you are going to have to make your own assessments and stop obeying Sesshou-Maru blindly. What if he has the wrong answer?”

A thoughtful look appeared on the demons face as he pondered her words, after some time he looked away. Kagome smiled in satisfaction and snuggled into her sleeping pallet. This would be the first time in two days that she’d gotten the better of the rat. He was a great competitor in the game of wits. Not that he was playing… in fact she didn’t think he knew she was sharpening her comebacks on him. It didn’t matter though, just as long as he was willing to argue with her, no one else had the heart to argue with her after her injury and the well closing up. Sure she had appreciated it for awhile, but now she really missed it. After all, life went on didn’t it?

Stretching lightly, in an effort not to damage anything again, Kagome closed her eyes and prepared herself for a cat nap. She’d been taking more and more of them lately and never before had she felt so energized. She knew now why Kirara slept so often, it was one of the best things to do now-

‘Homecoming.’

At the familiar voice, Kagome opened her eyes a hair and looked over her shoulder to Nezumi, “Hmm?”

The rat looked at her questioning hum, “Did you need something, milady?”

Kagome frowned, “I thought you said something.”

He shook his head, staring at her like she had grown a third eye (which really wasn’t so strange in this day and age). Rather disconcerted, Kagome snuggled further into her fluffy pillow and squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Homecoming.’

Eyes snapping open again, she looked around wildly for the cause of the noise not noticing that she had begun to rise until Nezumi had his hand upon her back. He looked at her in concern, “Miss Kagome, are you alright?”

“No.” Her bluntness seemed to surprise him, “I’m not alright, someone’s messing with me.”

“What do you mean?”

She was loathe to tell him. After all, audible hallucinations weren’t uncommon for someone who had gone through as much as she did. To be honest, she was highly surprised the nice men in crisp white coats hadn’t come yet to take her away kicking and screaming. All humor aside though, she wasn’t entirely sure she should tell anyone what she was hearing. Yes, she had heard voices before, but that had been when she was a child. For all she knew she could have imagined the entire thing. And anyway, that had all been in her mind, not out of her mind…

But… it really hadn’t been all in her mind had it. The voices had been there her entire life. All up until the Shikon no Tama was torn from her side. Was there a connection?

‘Homecoming. We’re going home.’

“There. Did you hear that?” Kagome looked imploringly over her shoulder, silently begging him to have heard what she did.

To her disappointment, Nezumi shook his head, “I heard nothing out of the ordinary, Lady Kagome.”

She grunted and buried her face in her pillow, hiding her visible nervousness. She knew Nezumi could smell it, but to her it was better if he couldn’t see it. She was sure these voices had something to do with the cursed jewel (in fact, why hadn’t she thought of it before?). But if that was true, then was it getting stronger? Was it gaining a conscious mind of its own?

‘Homecoming.’

Kagome frowned. No, it had to have a mind of its own before if she had been hearing it her entire life. What in the hell was going on? “Nezumi, go tell Inu-Yasha there’s a few jewel shards around.”

Instantly the petite demon was gone, off to fulfill her directive and Kagome was left to listen to the slowly approaching voices.

It was nerve-racking. The waiting was at least. And the having to lie here while waiting. Not to mention with the additive of the voices, she was going to be driven to madness far before her deemed time. (She had already found it necessary to go insane before she turned fifty… why fifty? She didn’t know… it really seemed like a good age).

‘We are going home.’

“Kagome!” A soft, orange ball of fluff barreled into her side, nearly knocking the wind out of her. Lifting a shoulder so she could eye the little demon under her arm, Kagome was met with a pair of frightened watery green eyes. “Sesshou-Maru is here! Hide me!”

Kagome frowned, knowing all of them had expected the demon. Why was Shippou acting like he was here to kill them all? “What did you do? Why do you want to hide?”

Shippou sniffled, “He’s scary.”

Kagome laughed, “You wuss.”

“Hey! You were scared of Sesshou-Maru too!”

Kagome nodded in agreement, “But only when he was seriously trying to kill Inu-Yasha.”

“Which was all the time!”

“No it wasn’t and you know it.”

Shippou huffed and jumped to the other side of her, farther from the door, and again burrowed himself into her waist. A sudden revealing of a strong youki had Kagome’s gaze snap back to the new door mat. A few moments later Inu-Yasha walked in with a wry expression on his face. Crouching down next to her and blocking her view of everything else in the room, he held out his closed hand. With a frown, Kagome extended her had as well. With a half-hearted grin, Inu-Yasha dropped three jewel shards into her palm.

‘Home.’

Her eyes widened as she stared at them, watching them turn from a dark purple to a baby pink with the return of purity. She looked up at her best friend, “Sesshou-Maru brought these?”

Inu-Yasha just nodded as he reached over and yanked Shippou from her side by the tail. He ignored the kitsune’s whining as he moved to sit against the wall. When he moved, he revealed Kaede’s herb cabinet and the inu taiyoukai going through the various potions and plants. Kagome just stared for a moment, not knowing what to say. After all, Kaede hated it when people went through her cabinet. She didn’t think the old miko would feel any different about a demonic lord. After a time though, it was obvious Sesshou-Maru could not find what he was looking for because he turned with a derisive snort and walked to her. She waited until he was kneeling next to her to smile sweetly, “Thank you for the shards Sesshou-Maru.”

He glanced up at her face, as he reached out a hand to touch her spine, pressing gently on the spot. Kagome felt a bit of a twinge, but she ignored it. “You are welcome.”

She ran her fingers over the small bits of the Shikon no Tama, wondering why they were silent now. It was so confusing. Why wouldn’t they talk to her now? Why were they being so annoying and making her feel like she should be in the loony bin? A particularly painful massage from Sesshou-Maru had her turning her head so she could see the youkai, enabling her to glare at him. After a particularly sadistic smirk, he turned to Inu-Yasha, “Have you and Nezumi been applying the aloe and bandages regularly.”

“Yeah.”

“Has the wench’s incision looked well the whole time?”

Kagome interrupted Inu-Yasha as he was about to answer. “I’m right here ya know!”

Sesshou-Maru quirked a well defined brow at her, “Until you are able to bend enough to actually see your spine thoroughly, miko, I will not be asking you what your wound has been looking like.”

Her glare darkened. “I understand that, but don’t be calling me a ‘wench’!”

“Improve your speaking abilities and I shall see what I can do.”

She huffed, her temper getting the better of her. Why did every single male have to call her by an insulting name? “Listen Mr. I’m-So-Eloquent-And-My-Favorite-Sentence-Is-‘Die-Bastard’, just because I don’t talk as pretty as you do doesn’t mean I know how to. I just don’t want to appear as if I have a pole up my hind-end like you do.”

“Go Kagome!” Shippou cheered from Inu-Yasha’s arms, only to hide back behind the hanyou as the Taiyoukai glared back at him. When Sesshou-Maru turned back around, Inu-Yasha covertly gave Kagome a thumbs-up and Shippou a high five in favor of her trying to knock Sesshou-Maru down a peg.

“I wonder how you have survived this long, priestess.”

She frowned in confusion. “Eh?”

He continued like he hadn’t even heard her, raising her right leg until she winced (which really was only about two inches off the ground) and then the other (which thankfully was a bit better). “After all, Inu-Yasha should have gotten tired of your mouth by now and should have killed you off. You are very annoying.”

Kagome very nearly took offence, however, instead she smiled sweetly at the demon. “Yeah, I may be annoying but at least I’m not a pompous anal-dwelling-butt-monkey.”

Sesshou-Maru blanched and gazed at her wonderingly, blinking several times, “Where exactly did you learn that phrase.”

Kagome shrugged, “I heard it somewhere.”

“Ah.” He went back to testing her flexibility and pain endurance, “Little brother.”

Inu-Yasha looked up from playfully smothering Shippou, “Eh?”

“Remind this Sesshou-Maru why he aided this annoying pest before him.” All three males ignored her protest of ‘Hey!’

Inu-Yasha snorted, glaring darkly at the back of his older brothers head, “The sword or your arm you fuckin’ idiot.”

“Hn.”

~

The sun was shining brightly for a change.

“Are you Hitler? Or maybe you’re even Dr. Mengele, ‘cause you’re really evil.”

The children of the village were out and about, playing with a new, well dressed little girl who seemed to know so many new games to play.

“This Sesshou-Maru is this Sesshou-Maru, not some fictional peoples you have deemed it necessary to create, and he will thank you to remember that.”

A young rat demon was aiding an old woman with her ill husband under the watchful eye of a youkai exterminator.

“They aren’t fictional.”

A young kitsune demon was practicing his illusions on various confused farms-men.

“I am much more well traveled than you are, miko. I believe, if they were infamous as you seem to imply, I would know them.”

An inu hanyou was napping in the shade of a large tree.

“Yeah, yeah well traveled this, well traveled that. I’ve probably seen more people than you.”

A monk was annoying an old priestess unduly with his many comments on a certain youkai lord in her home.

“I pity the ones who know you, and I doubt you know more beings than I. You most likely frighten them away with that loud mouth of yours.”

And that certain demon lord in the old miko’s home was arguing with a certain untrained miko who was using the fact that she came from the future (though he didn’t know that) to her advantage.

“Oh, yeah? And your attitude is any better? You’re so stuffy a stuffed animal would be jealous.”

And that certain lord was apparently having a rather difficult time not to either: 1. Tear the girls leg off, or 2. Smile. Kagome had the feeling that he would do the first before he did the second.

“You are a child.”

Kagome buried her head in her pillow and groaned as her most recent bane of her existence youkai rested her leg back on the pallet. After an hour of the bastard gently raising each of her legs – not to the point of pain like the first time he had manhandled her – one by one, she was done with this already. Damn she didn’t know these light exercises could be such a hassle. “And you, Mr. Icicle, have cleanly demonstrated why people think you’re sadistic.”

“How so?”

It was an authentically curious voice, and Kagome couldn’t help but look to see if he was acting. His face was clear of any emotion, it was only the fact that he was looking at her which made her realize that he genuinely wanted to know. She buried her face again. “I think a half an hour of you manhandling me is all I’ll be able to handle for a while. My spine is yelling at me.”

She almost started when she felt his cool hand move up her old t-shirt and touch the incision. After pressing down very gently to check her pain level, he began a very light massage. “You should have told me sooner, girl. I do not know how much exercise a human body can handle. I would have stopped.”

With his knowledgeable hand giving her a much needed massage, all Kagome could muster was a half-hearted: “Meh.”

He had heavenly… well, a heavenly hand. And that was crazy because he was a demon! Wow she hated contradictions… Like a demon helping a priestess…

Her eyes popped open and she looked over at Sesshou-Maru, a confused look on her face. “Hey Sesshou-Maru?”

“Hn?”

“Why are you still helping me? I mean the deal was just for healing my back and-“

He interrupted her suddenly, “Do you consider you spine completely healed, priestess?”

She blinked, “U-Umm.”

“In my opinion one is not healed fully until they have much use of their body returned. You are still out of commission for the time being.”

Kagome blinked at his knowledge, shocked by his statement. After a moment, she reached behind her and touched the only part she could contact on him; his knee.

“And the reason for your touching this Sesshou-Maru’s person?”

She returned her hand to under her head and shrugged. “Making sure it was you.”

He arched a brow, “Why would you assume it was not I?”

“‘Cause what you said just now was really sweet and heartfelt. Totally not like the Ice Man I know and… well, not love… but… well… know.”

The demon rolled his eyes heavenward and for his benefit, Kagome changed the subject. “Where did you get the Jewel Shards from?”

“A wayward human who believed by using them he could kill me.”

“Why did he want you dead?”

“I do not know.”

“Oh.”

“Hn.”

“…He’s dead isn’t he?”

“Do you have any doubts?”

“No, I was just making sure.”

An uncomfortable silence (for Kagome) reigned between them. The young priestess tried desperately not to open her mouth to say anything else… he had sounded rather too pleased with himself when he told her the guy who threatened him had been killed. She couldn’t help but wonder how he had killed the guy. Did he use his poison like he had tried on her when they had first met? Maybe he ate him. That would have been interesting to see. It wouldn’t make any sense though. How would he get the jewel shards out of his stomach then? O-o-o! Maybe he tore the guy into little small pieces! That would have been interesting too! Wait. Why would she find a guy being torn into bits interesting? Inu-Yasha must be rubbing off on her.

Thankfully for her questionable sanity, Sesshou-Maru decided to break the silence with a comment of his own.

“They smell like you.”

“Who? The dead person parts? Well, gee, thanks for telling-“

“The bits of the Shikon, wench.”

“Oh.”

She laid there, her face red in embarrassment, waiting for the taiyoukai to laugh at her. Amazingly, he didn’t but continued on his frame of thought. “Do you have any inkling as to why you smell similar to them?”

She didn’t dare look at him for fear he would make fun of her red face, “Um… maybe because they were in my body for a good fifteen years of my life? Could that be it?”

When Sesshou-Maru didn’t answer, she brought forth enough courage to take a peak at him. He was staring at her. When, after a good ten minutes, he didn’t stop staring. She felt her face flush a deeper red and sought to hide her face again. He startled her when he grabbed her wrist and placed a smaller shard of the jewel in her open palm. “Imagine the piece sinking into your skin.”

She tried to ignore the rather uncomfortable position she was in. “W-what?”

“Just do it priestess.”

With a glare Kagome did as she was told and tried to imagine both the sight and feel of the pink shard sinking into her flesh. When nothing happened, she wasn’t all that surprised. She looked at her caretaker with an expectant look on her face.

“Call forth your holy energy and try once more.”

She nodded, “Alright, but you might want to let go of me. My control over my ‘energy’ isn’t all that great.”

Sesshou-Maru let go, allowing Kagome to get into a more comfortable position as she followed his directive and forced her inner energy to the surface. As she watched, her skin began to glow a light pink color and immediately, before she lost that tenacious grip on her wild powers, she imagined and tried to feel the shards sink into her hand. To her amazement, the shards did just that.

Before long, however, her amazement turned into panic as the pain of the pointed shard moving down her veins came to her notice. A sharp cry passed her lips as, in panic, she tried to scratch out what was hurting her. A clawed hand gripped her pained wrist, halting her from trying to remove it.”

“Calm down, girl. You will only hurt yourself more.”

His voice seemed harsh, a bit more ragged than what seemed right for the composed inu taiyoukai. But Kagome obeyed his directive and tried to calm down, desperately trying to imagine the tiny shard coming out of the flesh under Sesshou-Maru’s hand. After a moment, the pain stopped and the Western Lord removed his trembling hand to reveal a bloodied pure shard resting on her flesh.

“Interesting.”

Kagome looked up at him, ready to yell at the infuriating youkai, her pain clouding her judgment. Her anger caught in her throat, though, when she caught sight of red eyes calmly staring down at her. She stared back, eyes wide and frightened as a doe being preyed upon.

“I have control girl.” His ragged voice seemed to tell her otherwise. But he hadn’t attacked her yet.

“A-are you alright, Sesshou-Maru?” She breathed.

He nodded and she noticed his eyes beginning to clear. “I am fine.”

“What’s wrong? What happened.”

Sesshou-Maru sighed and closed his eyes. She didn’t dare to disturb him in… whatever he was doing. She didn’t want him to go ballistic on her. Not that she thought he would go ballistic, but she didn’t believe in not being too careful. He might get annoyed with her much more easily and deem it necessary to kill her.

When he opened his eyes, his eyes were the familiar sunrise golden. Delicately, he removed the shard from her arm and put it with the others. “Whether you are unaware of it or not, you are a very powerful priestess, and my instincts call me to be rid of anything that could be a great threat.”

“Oh.”

“I must take my leave.” The Western Lord stood and turned on his heel, leaving behind a slightly daze young priestess. “I will return soon.”

Kagome got comfortable on her stomach, gazing at the door the taiyoukai had disappeared through, listening as the familiar voice of Inu-Yasha yelled at Sesshou-Maru about the fresh scent of her blood – little though it was – and how a barrier of the lords demonic energy had been erected about the hut. Suddenly exquisitely tired, Kagome rested her head on her pillow, ignoring the worried inu hanyou as he questioned her wellbeing. Instead she listened to the quiet voices of the Shikon no Tama which she hadn’t heard in years.

AAAAA

Never fear, Tiffie’s here! No Reviewers response’s today, sorry! I have things to see and people to do! XD!

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