InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ His Little Girl ❯ Panic ( Chapter 5 )

A.N: I just like to say a quick thanks to my reviewers: lKatie1, Ja'Cala, and TheAllMightyAla-sama, thank you for your encouraging words. I know that Sess seems a little OOC but I'm one of those firm believers that his cold as ice exterior is nothing more than a mask. Now, onto the next part!

 

 

Panic

 

It had been two days since Rin had been brought through the well and into this strange future-world. Two days since she had been taken from her father's arms and kept hidden away for two long hours as strange humans using strange tools and magicks did their best to save her in time. It had been two days…and still she had not yet woken.

 

Two days since he had seen her smile. Two days since she had offered him flowers with that oh-so-happy smile of hers. Two days since she insisted on singing him and herself to sleep with a lullaby that Kagome had taught her once many months before, something called `Butterfly Kisses'. Two days, since he had slept.

 

Sesshoumaru lay staring at the ceiling above him from where he rested in Kagome's bed. She refused to leave him alone for more than an hour at a time, and never let him nap or sleep alone. He looked down at the young woman whose head rested trustingly on his bare chest. Her mother had prepared a bath for him earlier that day, taking his silk kimono to something called a `dry-cleaner'. He wasn't sure what that was, but she assured him it would be returned by mid-morning on the next day. He had been offered a pair of sweat pants, that although much warmer than his hakama, were rather comfortable. Though try as he might, he'd been unable to pull the sweat shirt over his head without shredding it with his claws when he put his arms through the sleeves.

 

Wrapping his arms more securely around the miko that lay next to him, he bent his head and rested his face in her neck, breathing in her scent. He felt her tremble in his arms and smelled the salt of tears. Looking upon her face he found her brow furrowed in a frown while tears slipped beneath her closed lashes, their inky blackness a stark contrast to the delicate soft tan of her pale face.

 

She began to whimper as her tears seemed to double in amount and speed. Sesshoumaru was at a loss of what to do, he had learned how to comfort Rin. But making sure that a child knew she was safe from dreams, and comforting a woman was different - weren't they. He had no experience with comforting a crying woman.

Her whimpers soon formed pleading words.

 

“No, please…I love *sob* you Inu-Inuyasha…why?” her head thrashed in her sleep as though she were trying to turn her eyes away from whatever it was she was seeing in her dream world. “I love you…”

 

Inuyasha no baka he thought as he rolled onto his side and tucked her body tight against his as he nuzzled her head with his striped cheek. If only you could see past that clay pot this living miko would love you as none other has, as none other could. And yet you shun her love, for that of one who must live on the souls of others to live dead among the living.

 

“Shh,” he cooed to Kagome as he stroked her ebony hair and brushed the tears from her cheek with his long elegant fingers while being mindful of his razor sharp claws. “Hush miko…you are safe. He is a fool, that brother of mine, for choosing the dead of clay over you. He knows naught what he could have in you. All he sees are long dead dreams.”

 

His voice was a warm soothing baritone timbre, and he was for once thankful she lay asleep. He could be free with his words here; he didn't have to wear his mask of indifference when he looked upon one who slept. She wouldn't see the emotions that now lay bare on his face for all the world to see. So many would have sworn that he was born with that mask firmly in place, those who knew him as a child when his mother was still alive wouldn't recognize him now if they hadn't been there to see him change.

 

 

 

“Maru-chan, what are you doing?” a female inu-youkai asked cheerily with a smile as she chased a young Sesshoumaru around the east garden of the Western castle.

 

The child was no older than two but already so full of life and never ending energy that it was difficult even for the other youkai pups to keep up with him. It was a good thing that youkai pups developed a bit faster than human children; else her darling Sesshoumaru would be displeased that he was unable to climb his favorite tree.

 

“I'm gonna go meet tenchi `Kaa-san!” the pup called down to her happily.

 

“There are no angels up there my son, just leaves and bird nests!” Sakura called laughingly up to her young pup.

 

He so loved climbing that old tree. It stood nearly as high as the castle itself, a good 50 feet in the air to reach the top. She shook her head as she peered up through the twisting and winding branches of the old willow tree to see her son hopping through the branches higher and higher.

 

“Yes there are mama! You just have to know where to look!”

 

 

He so missed those days, it wasn't more than a year later that his mother would die before his eyes. She would die protecting him. It was a coyote youkai that had killed his mother. She would not die in an honorable battle no that was taken away from her but she did die with honour. His mother died protecting him, her body covering his to protect him from a jealous filled coyote hime, one who had desired to be the lady of the western lands, and was thoroughly pissed when she was passed up. The coyote had come to kill him, and then his mother. If the heir was dead and the mate died with him, then InuTaisho would be forced to take a new mate to produce a new heir, no matter that inuyoukai mated for life or not. But he would not die that day, not long after his mother had breathed her last breath; his father returned and had slain the vengeful coyote. That was last day Sesshoumaru had ever smiled, had ever shown any emotion except rage toward anything or anyone…until Rin wormed her way into his heart and melted the ice that had formed within.

 

 

Kami-sama how he missed Rin's smiling face. So lost in his thoughts was the taiyoukai, that it took him a moment to register the warm touch on his face. He soon realized that Kagome was awake and lightly stroking the stripes on his cheeks and the crescent moon on his forehead. Golden eyes focused on the miko as her touch sent delicious shivers down his spine. Capturing her wandering had in his own, he brought her hand to his lips ad kissed her palm.

 

Kagome smiled up at him drowsily looking rather seductive without even knowing or trying to be. Leaning down he kissed her lips softly, fleetingly and nuzzled his cheek against her as a soft purr came from him as his tail wrapped more firmly around her waist and the girl beneath him giggled softly.

 

“She'll be ok you know,” Kagome said softly as she stroked his hair. “Rin's strong. So much stronger than any of us know.”

 

 

The door swung open, breaking the moment and the mood like a bucket of ice water. Mother Higurashi walked into the room and threw clothing at the taiyoukai and her daughter.

 

“Get dressed, Rin's awake,” she commanded and left as quickly as she had come.

 

Kagome and Sesshoumaru looked at each other and held quite still for a moment as they thought of her mother's entrance on their private moment. Nothing had truly transpired that would have been - well - wait! Rin - awake?! The two became a blur of movement as they struggled into fresh clothing and rushed down the stairs and out of the house following behind Mrs. Higurashi and into the car.

 

 

 

 

 

~ Tokyo General one hour earlier ~

 

Rin's eyes opened blearily and gained focus on her surroundings. The room was white and something was beeping next to her. She looked down at herself as saw a snake running out of her arm. It was putting something in her! A snake like none she had ever seen, it was clear and you could see only fluid and no muscle or bone, but it was putting something inside of her.

 

The young child quickly pulled the snake from her arm and cried out in pain as the wound from its single long fang opened a small gash in her flesh. She screamed for her Lord Sesshoumaru as she pulled strange tentacles from her chest and ran to the door and out of the room.

 

Strange people came rushing at her in strange kimonos. None of them were Sesshoumaru. Where was her father?! She ran as fast as she could from the people trying to capture her, slipping down this hallway and the next. Coming to another door she opened it and ran into a room of nothing but stairs. If she ran down to the bottom surely there had to be a door leading outside! She would be free!

 

Running as fast as she could and only falling a few times on the strange slippery floor that was made of something she'd never seen nor felt before, she reached the bottom, and found a lone door. It led into a room with many strange small doors on the walls and strange metal tables. It was cold in this room, and the air was as still as death.

 

Wait! Someone was lying on one of the tables. They could help her, surely they must know something. Walking over to the table she called out to the person, but got no response. Nudging the stranger's arm she got the fright of her young life when the person's head rolled off the table and into her bare feet, the eyes open and the mouth resting on her toes.

 

Rin's eyes opened wide and as she pulled back the arm she had been holding onto came off the table, pulling the strange sheet along with it. Rin screamed bloody murder and ran around the room trying to get out. The door she came in through wouldn't open. She was trapped! She couldn't get out and the head was still moving, still rocking back and forth.

 

Running into the far corner of the room she curled up with her back against the wall and her knees pulled up against her chest her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her face was buried in her raised knees as she rocked back and forth crying.

 

“Not real, not real,” she chanted as she sobbed in fear.

 

 

 

 

Sesshoumaru, Kagome and her mother burst in through the hospital doors and ran to Rin's room. The room was empty and a nurse was waiting for them.

 

“We've tried all that we can to get her to calm down, but nothing is working,” the nurse said as she led them down the hallway and down through the stairwell. “She woke up in a panic and ripped out her iv and her heart leads.”

 

“Where is she now?” Mrs. Higurashi asked.

 

The nurse stopped and stood silent for a moment before answering, her voice low and sad. “The morgue. She ran from all who came near and has bitten and clawed at any who have gotten close. She got herself trapped in the morgue about twenty minutes ago and won't let anyone touch her…The poor dear stumbled across a dismembered body that had come in for examination, the county coroner's office is under new construction or else that body would never be here.”

 

They stepped inside the cold room of death and the scent of fear drove Sesshoumaru's demon mad. His pup was in here and terrified out of her mind. Quickly coming to crouch in front of her huddled form he called to her.

 

“Rin.” Slowly the girl looked up at the voice she knew.

 

Launching herself into Sesshoumaru's arms she knocked him onto his backside to sit on the floor. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs around his waist in a death grip.

 

“Daddy…daddy,” Rin sobbed into his neck. “Rin is so scared!”

 

His heart glowed at her calling him daddy and he wrapped his arms tightly around the child, but made sure to keep his tail hidden beneath the long coat as Kagome had bid him to do.

 

“Daddy's here Rin. Daddy's here.” He kissed the top of her head and nuzzled his face into her neck, breathing in her scent. His little girl was awake and in his arms. Standing up he moved to stand beside Kagome, letting the miko gain his daughter's attention.

 

“Mamma?” Rin said blearily as she looked at the woman she secretly wished for her mother. She hadn't realized that she'd even called Kagome that until the woman smiled and kissed her cheek.

 

“Yeah sweetie I'm here too. You were really sick,” she said rubbing the girl's back. “You had your daddy and I worried.”

 

“Can we go home now?” Rin asked tiredly as the events of the past hour caught up to her and she laid her tired head upon Sesshoumaru's shoulder, turned so that she could look upon Kagome.

 

“Yeah baby girl,” the miko responded. “We can go home.”

 

“Please send someone by the Higurashi Shrine tomorrow to assess her health. She won't be staying here any longer,” Mrs. Higurashi said and followed her daughter and her youkai friend out.

 

Climbing into the car, Kagome sat next to Sesshoumaru and wrapped her arms around Rin as well as the three of the huddled close together, looking for all the world like the most perfectly fit and natural family of three. Wrapping his tail around his daughter, he spared an arm and pulled Kagome close against his side and her mother drove them back to the house, the car ride quite save for the rumble of the engine and the soft soothing purrs emanating from the taiyoukai.

 

Once they reached the house and all were once again inside, he and Kagome climbed the stairs to her room and once again settled down into her bed with Rin lying between them wrapped in both their arms. Mrs. Higurashi stepped into the room moments later and drew the blankets over the sleeping trio, turning off her daughter's alarm as she left the room.

 

 

 

“What happened?” jii-san asked as his daughter entered the living room on the way to the kitchen to fix herself some tea.

 

“Rin awoke confused and alone and frightened and then stumbled into the morgue. Poor thing was out of her mind with fear.”

 

“And it's the middle of the night too; all the shadows seem bigger at night.”

 

“So they do jii-san, so they do.”