InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Double Vision ❯ Chapter 53 ( Chapter 52 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Kagome woke up in pain from head to toe. She couldn’t see, because for some reason she could not seem to open her eyes. Someone was stroking her forehead with a soft, wet cloth. She managed to moan. ‘That was encouraging.’ She thought. She tried again. “Inuyasha…”

“Kagome, it’s me, Shippou.”

“Shippou, I can’t open my eyes.”

“They’re swollen shut, Kagome. Try to just open them a little.” Kagome managed to open her eyelids enough that she could see a little light.

“What happened? Was there an accident? Where is Inuyasha? Is he all right?”

“He’s fine, Mommy. Just be quiet for a moment, and try to relax.” Shippou started to pat her hand as a gesture of reassurance, but pulled back when he saw it would cause her pain. If he patted her anywhere it would cause her pain.

“Mommy?” mocked Jakotsu, but he was quiet about it. He had been badly injured many times, and remembered having a bad headache when he woke up. Suddenly, he remembered something else, as well.

“Just shut up Jakotsu. Kagome IS my mom, okay? She’s the one who raised me.”

“Jakotsu?” Whispered Kagome.

“Kagome, what is the last thing you remember?” asked Jakotsu.

Kagome tried to turn her head in the direction of his voice, but her neck hurt really badly and she gave up. “I don’t know. Just tell me what happened.”

Shippou could tell that she was getting angry. He exchanged glances with Jakotsu. He wished he were a little kit again. Then Kagome and Jakotsu would be the adults, and he’d just do what they told him. But now he was almost grown up too, and had to make a decision about what to tell her.

Jakotsu took the choice out of Shippou’s hands. “Kagome, Kohaku tried to kill you. You stopped him with your sword.”

“Oh, yeah. Kohaku. I remember.” The boys exchanged relieved looks. “What about Inuyasha. Is he all right?”

“Kagome, I know you’re having a hard time right now, but a lot of things have happened recently. Do you remember mating Sesshomaru?” Jakotsu asked.

“Sesshomaru?” Kagome was starting to drift off. Shippou was almost relieved.

Once she was fully asleep, he took Jakotsu to the side and said “Look, Jak, I’m going to catch a couple of pheasants to make broth for her to drink when she wakes up. That’s probably all she will be able to handle. You stay with her, keep your sword ready and be prepared for trouble. I don’t know what we’re going to do if she’s in this condition and Sesshomaru comes back. All hell might break loose. Play it by ear. If Inuyasha shows up, get rid of him. Don’t let him near her, no matter how you might have felt about him in the past, okay?”

“Understood. Now go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll make it back.”

The next time Kagome woke up, she could open her eyes far enough to be able to see a little. She didn’t ask about Inuyasha again, which was a big relief to Shippou. The kitsune cradled Kagome against his chest and helped her sit up, urging her to drink a little broth from a cup.

“Kagome, do you want me to carry you to the bushes?” Jak asked. Kagome nodded. She was still pretty out of it, but was obviously embarrassed nonetheless. Someone had cleaned her up and dressed her in the top to her blue silk fighting outfit, but she still felt sticky and uncomfortable.

“Can I take a bath?” The boys looked at each other.

“One of us will have to get in with you, Kagome. You can’t even sit up by yourself. Are you all right with that?”

Kagome started to nod, but changed her mind and whispered softly, “Yes. I just want to feel clean.”

Jak felt a chill run up his spine. He was not one for praying, but just this once he made an exception. ‘Please, don’t let Kohaku have raped her.’ Would Shippou have recognized the signs when he was cleaning her up?

Jak helped Kagome use the bushes, but Shippou was stronger, so he carried Kagome to the hot spring. “Kagome,” Jak asked, “I’m going to get into the hot spring, and Shippou will hand you to me, so you don’t get jostled around, okay? I promise I won’t look, and you know I don’t like girls anyway, so you don’t need to be embarrassed.” Kagome nodded slightly. It still hurt, but not as much as before. Shippou handed her over to Jak, who cradled her against his chest. “Ship, hand me the soap and a scrap of cloth.” He washed Kagome tenderly, taking great care not to cause her unnecessary pain. He gently rinsed the dried blood from her hair, and even applied pomade, combed it through very gently, and then rinsed it clean for her.

“You’re so good at this, Jak.”

“I used to bathe my sister. She got hurt a lot like this.” Jakotsu, swallowed, then said softly, “Shippou, could you go keep watch a little ways away, until we call you?”

Once Shippou was gone, Jakotsu mustered up the courage to continue. “Men used to hurt my big sister, so I know what they do. Do you remember what he did to you, Kagome? Did he hurt you down there?”

“Oh, Jak, I’m so sorry. No. I stopped him in time. This must be so hard for you.”

Kagome had always noticed how Jak’s shiny black eyes showed emotion. He had the most expressive eyes she had ever seen. Now they were brimming with tears. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”

“Things like that never get to be okay, Jak. You must have really loved her. What was your sister’s name?”

“Aiko. She was my darling. Our mother was a very bad woman, so it was me and Aiko against the world.”

“Where is she now, Jak? Did you ever go back to look for her?”

“I didn’t need to. When she was twelve, mother sold her to a man from the next village, who was going to marry her. They found her body the next day, at the side of the road. Mother had told the man Aiko was a virgin. He must have been disappointed.”

They were both crying now. Kagome leaned her head back against his chest. “What about your mom?”

“I killed her with a big knife, and then I ran away. She was the first person I ever killed. After that is when I met Bankotsu. He took care of me after that.”

“Jak, I want you to stay with me from now on. This has nothing to do with Sesshomaru, or his pack, or anything else. You can be my brother, and I’ll be your sister.”











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