InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Because you asked me to ❯ Fear and revelations ( Chapter 8 )

 

 

“Kenji,” Kari sighed as she tried to dissuade him from leaving.

 

“I have to Kari, you know that. This can't wait any longer. These two,” he said quietly as he motioned to the sleeping woman and child lying in Lord Sesshoumaru's bed. “They don't deserve this, any of it. And when he finds out, he may very well have a fit.”

 

“The ice prince?” she asked with a soft chuckle. “He just might at that,” she said as she looked upon the sleeping child. “Go then, but Kenji hurry back. I know I've never said anything but Giyta…he scares me,” she admitted softly as her friend drew her into his arms as they stood together at the foot of the bed.

 

“Has he ever done to you what he's done to them?” he asked her referring to the ferret's form of disciplining the servants.

 

“Several times,” she admitted softly, her voice shaking slightly. “I made sure to steer clear of him as much as I was able after the last time.”

 

“Did he hurt you more then the other times?” he asked softly as he stroked her hair. The fox and the hound, he thought, quite the pair.

 

“He…he touched me afterwards.”

 

“He didn't violate you?” he said though it was both a question and a statement. She was as of yet unclaimed, but he could have violated her in other ways.

 

“No,” she said as she burrowed deeper into his chest. “He tried to though. Thank Kami I'm youkai and have claws,” she said with a soft laugh devoid of humor.

 

“Just stay in here with these two ok?” Kenji said as he pulled back and kissed her cheek. “I don't think he'd enter this room,” the inuyoukai said as he rubbed her arms and then took her hands in his. “I'll talk to that mutt and make him listen. Somehow I think he's beginning to doubt his trust in Jaken.”

 

“Did you see what the toad did to Rin?” she asked softly and was met with his confused frown.

 

Quietly Kari moved over to the bed and uncovered Rin, careful not to wake the child as she lifted her kimono up to show her friend the child's bruise.

 

“Kami!” he exclaimed softly as he looked with sad eyes at the tiny child as his fingers gingerly touched the dark angry mark. “What the hell did he hit her with?”

 

“His staff,” she said softly as she repositioned the child's kimono and then tucked the blankets back around her.

 

“Do you want me to send Joiro to come watch you all and guard you?” he asked as he moved toward the door of their lord's chambers.

 

“I'd feel better yes,” she said as she watched him leave, her proud brave warrior that she loved.

 

“Ok. I'll send him to you as I leave ok,” he said and gave her a shy smile before kissing her lips softly as he left.

 

Kari blushed and touched her fingers to her lips. It was her first real kiss from him and oh how beautiful it was. She smiled and yawned as she moved to the bed and sat down beside the blind woman. This poor thing had suffered far too much as far as she was concerned. She would protect her fiercely until Joiro arrived; he was a kind warrior, much like her sweet Kenji. Wait, her Kenji? Kari giggled, yup her Kenji.

 

“Kari,” she heard Jaken's voice call to her though it sounded strange.

 

Wait, Jaken? She whipped her head around to face him only to have him hit her with his staff, the kitsune falling unconscious to the floor.

 

“Kari!” the blind woman suddenly called out upon hearing the impact of something, and her friend's whimper before the thumping of a body hitting the floor.

 

The silver of the woman's eyes suddenly seemed to glow as the color overtook the entirety of her eyes and the silver light flared brightly before a shield was erected around her and the child in the bed and her friend who's presence or aura she could feel lying unchangingly on the floor. The woman had no clue what she had done, hadn't realized that she had done anything at all, her only thought to protect the child and her harmed friend. Without her sight, she had no knowledge of the intense strength of the barrier she had set up.

 

“Stop this!” Jaken's voice shrieked as he touched her barrier only to be burned the purifying energy of it. “Get rid of this!” he shrieked out at the woman only to be ignored.

 

“Rin, Rin honey wake up,” she said as she gently shook the child. “Rin?” the child wasn't responding.

 

Gently feeling her way up to the child's face, the woman cursed as she found the child's skin to be burning hot. Rin wasn't waking up and from the heat of the young girl's flesh; she didn't think Rin would be anytime soon. The woman could feel her blood thrumming madly through her body; hear it as it practically sung in her veins. Gathering the sick child to her, she carefully moved off the bed and felt her way down to her hurt friend. Kneeling on the floor with Rin held tightly to her chest, she shook her friend's shoulder until the kitsune stirred and woke, groggy and disoriented though she was.

 

“Kari,” the blind woman called to her softly, keeping her voice low.

 

“I'm awake,” the kitsune hissed as her head ached terribly and then she remembered Jaken striking her. “A barrier?” she whispered confused and then looked to the woman, her eyes growing wide as she saw the woman's gently glowing silver eyes. “Miss?”

 

“Kari, can you take us to Ah-Un?” she asked her friend softly as Jaken continued to shriek and bang his staff against the impenetrable barrier put up around the three females.

 

“Yes,” Kari said and watched as when both she and the woman stood, Rin still clutched securely in her arms, the barrier shrunk until it was only around the three of them, leaving enough room to walk freely but not being large enough to encompass the bed as it had done before.

 

“Rin is hot,” the woman said simply and looked at her friend with blind though glowing eyes. “Take my arm and lead us to Ah-Un please, my friend.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenji growled low and dangerously as he thought of the trauma both woman and child and his own friend had been through at the hands of Giyta. If the ferret had touched even one hair on any of their heads while he was gone, oh he would rip that youkai apart and take pleasure in it. It was a hidden secret among the staff how Giyta treated the others, mostly because the other servants, human and youkai were too embarrassed or humiliated to say anything, the ferret only doling out his punishment on the female and child servants. Giyta was also the reason there had been no human servants in nearly two decades.

 

He had been tracking Sesshoumaru's scent since early that morning but had lost it near midday when it became clear that the taiyoukai had taken to the air upon his youki cloud. Growling softly in frustration the general took to the air as well, traveling over lands as he looked below, searching for his lord. Damnit, he thought crossly, he didn't want to be away from them for this long. He hadn't been able to locate Joiro before he left and had told one of his other troops to send word to the brown inuyoukai that he was to be the personal guard of the three while he was gone.

 

“Damnit where the hell is that mutt? I didn't want to be gone this long,” Kenji growled and was knocked out of his perch in an old tree where he'd been resting momentarily.

 

“A mutt am I?” Sesshoumaru said as he looked down upon Kenji.

 

Sesshoumaru had known Kenji since he was a small pup and often turned to the youkai for advice or to have someone of equal ability to spar with. It was not at all unusual for the black inuyoukai to greet Sesshoumaru with an enthusiastic `hi mutt' but never had the youkai done so in public or around others.

 

“Finally, I swear pup the only one harder to find then you was your father,” Kenji said as he stood up from the ground and used his thick black tail to dust off his hakama and the back of his haori.

 

“This Sesshoumaru did not send for you Kenji,” the taiyoukai said his silver hair practically glowing in the late afternoon sun.

 

“Yeah I know you didn't pup,” he said and matched the younger youkai's glare when Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at being called `pup'. “Let's talk in the tree.”

 

“Oh?” Sesshoumaru said regally.

 

“Don't pull that lord crap with me pup it's not gonna fly this time. I'm not bowing down to you, there's too much going on for me to waste my time with it.”

 

“I am your Lord,” Sesshoumaru nearly growled as he followed Kenji up into the high boughs of the walnut tree they were standing under, perching on the thick branch next to his general's.

 

“Yeah I know that and I do respect you and your position pup, but right now there's a blind woman and a little girl to discuss.”

 

“Rin?” Sesshoumaru said his attention fast and immediate. “What has happened to Rin?”

 

“The woman as well…Giyta got his paws on her while Jaken…do you have any clue what that toad's been doing?” he asked Sesshoumaru seriously.

 

“Doing about what?” Sesshoumaru asked in confusion. “And what does Giyta have to do with this? What has the ferret done to the woman?”

 

“Listen up pup. And listen close.”

 

Over the next hour Kenji told Sesshoumaru everything that had transpired though he was unable to give much detail as to the woman's plight as she had refused to speak on it much saying that perhaps it was only fitting.

 

“What did she mean fitting?” Sesshoumaru growled.

 

“…the woman said she unworthy of silks and such, that Giyta had only proven her thoughts correct.” He glared harshly at the younger inuyoukai when his growling became a feral snarling. “She's already frightened enough as it is, you need to cut that out before you get back to her and frighten her more.”

 

“You spoke of Jaken and his treatment of Rin, yet you have not elaborated on such. You will do so now,” Sesshoumaru commanded.

 

“After the third time you left the pup in the care of Jaken at the castle, he turned her over to Giyta for training as a servant.”

 

“He what?!” Sesshoumaru snarled fiercely as his eyes burned red and his poison filled his claws, a green glow surrounding his hand and an almond scent filling the air.

 

“You heard me,” Kenji said simply. “Giyta also punished Rin whenever she did something he didn't approve of.”

 

Sesshoumaru snarled as he launched himself from the tree landing upon the ground in his true form, Kenji following after him and landing in front of him in his true form, his black fur standing on end as he snarled and pounced on the white inu, pinning Sesshoumaru to the ground. The two inu snarled and growled and snapped at the other until the black inu grabbed the white by his throat and held him to the ground snarling until the white submitted and stopped moving, lying limply beneath the black inu's hold.

 

It was long moments later that the black inu released the white inu from his hold and the two slowly stood and moved apart changing back into their humanoid forms.

 

“I'm sorry I had to do that pup, but you would've scared the hell out of both of them.”

 

“I realize that Kenji,” Sesshoumaru said as he did his best to calm his rage. “Let us return to them.”

 

“Akina?” Kenji asked as they both gathered their youki to form clouds beneath their feet.

 

“She will return in one week's time.”

 

 

 

 

Kari was panting harshly by the time that the two had made it out of the castle. She was leading the blind woman as quickly as her pounding head would allow toward the stables where Ah-Un was kept when he was not in use. The kitsune wasn't sure how long the blind woman's shield would hold, especially considering that the woman had no knowledge of her powers or that there was even a shield in place. The woman was not able to feel her own power Kari thought and then her brow furrowed as she recalled not being able to feel the power of the woman herself. What surprised her even more was that the shield was made of purifying energy meaning the blind woman was a miko and a strong one at that, but how could she not know?

 

“Kari?” the blind woman called softly when the woman moaned in pain and stopped their quick pace to a dead halt. “Kari, what's wrong?” she asked concerned for her new friend and the child in her arms that was still burning hot and unable to be roused.

 

“My head,” the kitsune moaned. “It hurts a lot. I'm sorry; I don't know how much further I can keep going.”

 

“Just get us to Ah-Un ok. Or bring Ah-Un to us. Can he come to us if we call for him?” she asked as she tried to balance the woman against her side as the kitsune began to lose her balance.

 

“”Y-yes,” Kari stammered before passing out.

 

“Kari?” the blind woman called to her no longer feeling the woman's touch. “Kari!...AH-UN!” she screamed out at the top of her lungs.

 

Moments later the blind woman heard the pounding and felt the rumbling in the earth beneath her feet as the two headed dragon came running toward her in a full gallop. She felt dirt and grass spray upon her feet in a small shower as the dragon stopped fast by her side. There was no bridling, no reigns or saddle upon the beast, he was bare of any coverings or leads and though it would make it more difficult, the blind woman knew that she had to get Kari and Rin onto the beast's back and get them out of there. Something was wrong, terribly wrong, and without her friend by her side, awake at least, she was frightened beyond measure. Her only protector was gone and the morning he had left she had been subjected to humiliation and pain beyond her imagining.

 

“Can you help me Ah-Un?” she asked the dragon and felt as one of the head's gently grasped Rin's kimono in its mouth and lifted the sick child out of her arms.

 

Ah-Un stood patiently waiting as she slowly and with some difficulty, lifted Kari up off the ground and onto his back, the kitsune lying face down just behind his shoulders. Slowly and again with some difficulty, the blind woman too mounted the dragon and slid up until she was just behind Kari, the under kimono loose enough for her to straddle the dragon as she kept Kari near her and then felt Rin lowered into her arms. Holding the child to her, and keeping the kitsune in touching distance, she nodded and heard the dragon give a moaning groan at her before he began walking away.

 

Since the woman had no knowledge of the shield being in place, and certainly not that she had been the one to create said shield, she had no way of lowering it and therefore couldn't stop the immense drain it was taking on her energy.

 

“Quickly Ah-un,” she said as she began feeling faint. “Take us away from here. Find Rin's father. Find Sesshoumaru,” she said as she grasped the bottom of his short mane as she fought desperately to stay awake.

 

The woman didn't know how long they had been flying through the air when she felt unable to keep her hold on the dragon and fell to the side, slipping off his back and falling through the air barely conscious. She felt her descent stop suddenly as she was clutched in someone's arm, the person hissing as they passed through her purifying barrier.

 

“Release your shield woman,” she heard a male voice say to her.

 

“S-Se-Sesshou-Sesshoumaru,” she stammered out his name exhaustedly.

 

“Yes it is me, release your shield,” he again commanded her.

 

“I don't…know…how,” she said as she felt herself losing her battle with her exhaustion.

 

Sesshoumaru sighed as he lowered them both to the ground and sat with her as Kenji led Ah-Un to a nearby meadow and took Kari from the beast's back, cradling her in his arms. The taiyoukai wrapped the blind woman in his arm and tail and held her face to his neck as he began purring for her, the sound and vibration making her feel warm and infinitely safe, soon falling asleep in his arms. As soon as the woman's eyes fell closed and she succumbed to sleep her shield fell away and Sesshoumaru sighed in relief. So this was the power that Naraku had spoken of. She was a miko, a blind miko, with no knowledge of her powers or the things she could do. Damn.

 

Sesshoumaru's hand petted her hair as she slept and then moved to Rin's face as he frowned at the fevered blush of the child's skin. His eyes flared wide at the intense heat of her skin.

 

“Pappa,” Rin moaned out her voice sounding pained.

 

“Rin,” he said to her and stroked her face with his cool hand.

 

“Pappa, Rin's head hurts,” she whimpered and looked at him through fever blurred eyes. “Rin's stomach hurts. Rin is hot.”

 

“Sleep Rin. Pappa will take care of you,” he said his words soothing the child back to sleep. “Kenji,” he called to his warrior and then frowned at the unconscious kitsune in the youkai's arms. “What is wrong with her?” he asked as he looked at the woman lying limply in the general's arms.

 

“She took a pretty hard knock to the head. She's badly bruised and bleeding.”

 

“Come then,” Sesshoumaru said as he stood with the woman and his pup wrapped in his arm and tail. “We will take them to the inu village on the other side of that knoll. The healer there will care for them.”

 

“What about the other village, with Akina?” he asked as he and Sesshoumaru mounted Ah-Un, both youkai's holding a woman in their embrace, Sesshoumaru also holding his pup.

 

“Rin is ill,” he said as the two headed youkai dragon lifted into the air. “She is too fevered to go far without a healer.”

 

Sesshoumaru's only thought at the moment was for the life of his pup. She had never before been ill, or at least not severely ill. He had never felt any fever as burning hot as the child's was and felt both worry and panic warring in his heart for the tiny child held in the blind woman's arms. A cold hand gripped his heart as for the first time he felt afraid, afraid of losing the only thing that truly mattered to him.