InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Into The Well ❯ Sweet Child ( Chapter 4 )

The cool winds whipped through the plains of the western lands signaling winter was arriving. They were on yet another patrol of the borders and she had followed her lord with no objections. It was how life was for her. He had brought her back to this world after the wolves killed her, cared for her, and agreed to let her follow him. He was her hero. And then there was the toad.

"Rin! Keep up or we will leave you behind!" The toad known as Jaken yelled over his shoulder, still walking. Until he ran into a lean muscular leg.

Lord Sesshoumaru looked down at the small demon. "No one will be left beind." He beckoned Rin to come to him, and the child didn't hesitate to come running happily knowing he would carry her and shield her small body from the cold. "We will return to the palace."

Rin enjoyed the warmth his body was giving off. As much as he was feared by the other lords and lesser demons of the land it made her happy to be the only one he dropped his walls for. If only they knew what a pleasant singing voice he had! They were a happy family with a toad instead of a dog.

Slumber seemed welcoming though she wouldn't let herself go. She wanted to enjoy having someone hold her like her daddy once did.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Yes, Rin."

"Will we ever see your brother and the pretty girl again?"

Sesshoumaru bit back a growl. He hated his half brother AND the bitch that followed him, but the girl made Rin happy and he never wanted to deny the small child any sort of happiness that would hopefully overshadow all of the sorrows.

"That half breed is nothing but trouble, and so is that smelly girl," came a voice from the ground. "I hope we NEVER see them again."

Rin's eyes misted over and a few tears ran down her small face.

"Jaken?" Sesshoumaru said, his voice colder than normal.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Run."

"Pardon me?"

"You made her cry. Run before I kick you all of the way back to Edo."

Jaken ran, as fast as his little legs would take him. The last time he made Rin cry Sesshoumaru had killed him and brought him back with Tenseiga about three or four times until Rin laughed again.

"Is it true?" she asked him quietly. "Will we never see them again? Rin likes Kagome-chan."

"If we happen to see them I will let you spend time with his bitch. I cannot promise that the visit will be without violence."

"Why do you always call Kagome-chan his bitch?"

Sesshoumaru was starting to hate childhood curiosity. "Remember when I told you I was an inu-youkai? Well.."

About half way through his explanation Rin had fallen asleep.

He walked at a steady pace in the direction of the home he inherited from his father, planning a fitting punishment for the meddlesome toad sworn as his faithful servant.

-----

Dr. Kumi Itou stood in the room of Takeshi Sato and looked over his vitals again. This patient was such a mystery. For the past year she had wracked her brain, scoured through medical texts, picked the brains of all of her peers, collegues, and former professors; yet this boy still lay in his bed almost perfectly healthy in what seemed to be, to the average person, a deep sleep. The only effects that showed were physical. His skin no longer held the golden glow from the sun and his muscle tone was starting to deteriorate from lack of use. And his brain. He showed an unusual amount of brain activity.

The numbers just didn't add up.

Every day he had visitors. His mother and father came in shifts, one of his friends that always had a girlfriend in tow, and another girl that came by every few weeks that Kumi had never seen or had the chance to speak to before. They all would talk to him, just like he was awake, and she thought it was good; she hoped that maybe the familiar voices would awaken him.

So much about the young man in the bed was a mystery to her.

She sat at his bedside and began to talk about anything that came to mind.

-----

For three days he sat at her bedside and watched her shiver with chills and have coughing fits that he feared would choke her.

"Do you think she will be alright, Lord Sesshoumaru?" Jaken asked from the doorway. He would never admit it, but deep down under all of the yelling and scolding he cared for the child.

For the first time in many years Sesshoumaru felt like an idiot. He felt helpless to help his little girl. He never once considered her falling ill once she started following him. He had no idea to care for a little youkai child no less a human. All of the humans in the surrounding villages feared him, so he felt he only had one true choice right now. "Jaken."

"Yes, my lord." The little toad was at his master's side in a split second.

"Prepare Ah-Un and some provisions for Rin. We leave for my brother's village tonight."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru!" He scrambled up and out of the room to follow the orders he was given.

Sesshoumaru looked back down at the child on his futon, piled high with blankets. He brushed his hand over her forehead. Her temperature was much higher than normal. Carefully he pulled Rin's small form from the blankets and into his lap. Grabbing one of the disgarded blankets he wrapped it around her the best he could to keep her warm. As an added precaution he did the same with a second. It was times like these that he really wanted to murder his brother for taking his arm.

With the girl safely tucked into his arm he moved to the window. The first snowfall of the winter was upon them. He could only hope his idiot brother and his bitch weren't dumb enough to go out in such conditions. After all, his bitch was only human. And, well, he wouldn't have anyone to heal Rin.

Maybe Inuyasha wasn't the only member of the family with a soft spot for humans after all.

-----

Kagome peeked into the dim hospital room. Seeing no one inside she waked in and sat next to Takeshi's bed.

"Hi, Takeshi," she greeted softly. "I have another story about the hanyou and the miko today. One day the hanyou and the miko encountered a wolf. He was no ordinary wolf, but a wolf prince with jewel shards in his legs. From the moment he lay eyes on the miko he decided that she was his woman, much to the displeasure of the hanyou." For an hour she continued to tell him about their encounter with Kouga. Sure, it had been months ago now, but it felt like an uplifting story to brighten the dreary weather outside. The ground was covered in snow, the temperature steadily dropping.

As much as she hated traveling in it, she loved how the shrine looked under the thick white snow.

"And from that day on the wolf prince decided that the miko would one day be his, even though she left to once again hunt more of the jewel shards with the hanyou, the exterminatior, the monk, and the tiny kitsune child." She stood from her chair and approached the boy in the bed. "That's all for today's story, Takeshi. I really wish you would wake up and hear these stories, even though I doubt you would really want to hear them if you had the choice." She patted his hand that wasn't full of needles attached to IV's. "I really wish we could have met under different circumstances. I think I would have really liked you. See you in a few weeks."

She took one last glance at the boy in the bed before leaving the room. At the nurses station across from his room Kagome saw Mizuho, one of the nurses she had grown familiar with. Unfortunately the nurse was busy so she wouldn't be able to ask about Takeshi's condition. She shrugged and turned away, walking to the elevator. She looked at her watch. If she hurried she would have time to get some candy for Shippou and still make the train.

-----

How she made it through the crowded station and train without crushing the small box of sweets was positively beyond her. She had even gotten fondled on the train, successfully crushing her sense of being the ideal modern woman. She saw so many couples she found it depressing that she didn't have a handsome boyfriend to protect her from idiots like the one that took it upon himself to find out what sort of panties she wore that day.

As she neared the top steps of the shrine she caught a glimpse of red and sliver. Before she had time to get angry the hanyou rushed her. "Rin is ill, we need you to come see her," he said so quickly the words ran together.

"What?"

"Look," he said, irritated, "the little human that follows my dumb ass brother around is sick. He asked for you and we need to go now!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him in the direction of the well.

"Wait! Inuyasha!" she yelled at him and jerked her wrist away. "Why the sudden concern for your brother? I thought you hated him!"

"He's being weird! He didn't even try to kill me this time! All he's asked is 'where's your bitch'. I think his brain is broken!" He grabbed her hand again. "Now come on!"

"Wait!" she screeched, snatching her hand away from the impatient hanyou a second time. "Do you think I just heal with my hands! I need some of Souta's medicine. She can't take the adult stuff like we can."

Inuyasha laughed arrogantly. "You mean like you. I'm half-demon and we don't need that crap." He looked at her with a smug grin firmly planted on his face.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Well next time you have a headache don't come crying to me, all high and mighty powerful demon!" She bowed quickly and turned to go into the house to collect what she needed for Rin.

When she walked through the door she could smell dinner had been started. Walking into the kitchen she found her mother over the stove stirring some sort of soup.

"Mama, do we have any of Souta's cold medicine?"

Her mother turned. "Oh, is Shippou sick? I didn't think demons could fall ill!" She went to the refridgerator and grabbed a box of cool patches.

Kagome shook her head. "It's the little girl who follows Sesshoumaru. He's so worried he hasn't tried to kill Inuyasha once. No threats either!

Mrs. Higurashi started to leave the kitchen but turned at the door. "Watch the soup for me, dear."

While her mother was gone she kept stirring the soup so it didn't scorch. Satisfied, Kagome reached to the top cabinet and grabbed a few more cups of ramen to keep Inuyasha happy and a box of Pocky for Shippou, just in case he didn't like the more expensive sweets she had bought before she came home. Then she went down to the hall closet to get more scented soaps for Sango and a handfull of her grandpa's ofuda for Miroku. As a last little thought she went to her bedroom and grabbed the brand new box of crayons and coloring book that she had intended to give Shippou, so Rin could have some entertainment for her bed rest.

Back in the kitchen her mother helped her pack her backpack with the items she needed and sent her on her way to attend to the child.

-----

The moment Kagome walked out the door Inuyasha had her on his back and didn't let her go until he stood in Kaede's hut.

In front of the fire lay the ill child, next to her the stoic and cold lord of the Western Lands sat looking as regal as usual. Kagome looked at him as she approached cautiously, knowing that inuyoukai were fiercely protective of their pack and the demon lord could see her as a threat. Sesshoumaru nodded his head, giving her permission to see to the child.

Kagome kneeled next to her and put a hand on her forehead; her temperature was unnaturally warm, even for just simply being ill. Digging into her bag she pulled out the thermometer, box of cool patches, and bottle of fever reducer. She ripped open the package of cool patches and placed one on Rin's forehead, then opened her mouth the best she could and slipped the thermometer between her lips. While she waited for the beep she read the directions on the medicine so she wouldn't acccidentally overdose the small girl.

The thermometer finally beeped and Kagome took it out of the child's mouth. "One hundred and two! You are lucky you got her here. Just a little higher and she could have died!" She didn't miss the flash of concern that passed through Sesshoumaru's golden eyes. "Sit her up for me, please."

Silently Sesshoumaru moved behind the child and lifted her into a seated position. Kagome poured the proper amount of medicine into the dose cup and shook Rin lightly. "Rin, come on honey, wake up."

Rin groaned and tried to turn back and cuddle into her guardian but he wouldn't have it. "Rin, wake up."

"You need to take this to make you better," Kagome said gently, trying to wake the child up.

Rin cracked her eyes open slightly. "Kagome?"

"Yeah, Rin, it's me. You need to drink this." She held the cup up to Rin's lips and was pleased when she drank the medicine. "Go back to sleep. You will feel better when you wake up."

Rin didn't need to be told twice. She curled up in her guardian's arm and promptly went to sleep.

From the corner of the hut Inuyasha watched with great interest as Kagome cared for the little child. 'She will be a great mother,' he thought with a smile.

Kagome looked up at Sesshoumaru. "I would like the two of you to stay in the village, at least until Rin is well. Do you accept my invitation?"

For a moment Sesshoumaru thought, quickly coming to the conclusion that Rin would be better off if they stayed put. "Accepted. Please assure me you can heal my ward."

Kagome nodded. "I will do my best. Within the week she should be up and playing with the children who live here in the village."

The youkai just grunted in acknowledgement and his focus returned to his ward.

Still seated in the corner of the room Inuyasha was still zoned out in his own little world. He never noticed when Kagome sat next to him and lay her head on his shoulder. "A lot can change in a year," she commented.

"Yeah," he agreed, "it sure does." He wrapped an arm around her and returned to his dream of at least a dozen silver haired children running around the hut he wanted to build her, though he knew it wouldn't be possible for them to have kids even if she accepted to be his.

-----

"Kagome..." she heard her name being called in the distance. Finding the voice would be impossible; everything was dark. And she was warm. Impossibly warm and comfortable. She didn't want to move. "Kagome..." the voice said again, accompanied by a good shake.

Drowsily she opened her eyes to see Rin hovering over her. "It's time to play, Kagome!"

She stretched. "Gimme a minute, Rin-chan," she said with a yawn. She watched Rin walk back to her guardian and sit with him, giving her time to wake up. It wasn't long before Shippou had pulled the little girl over to another corner and started coloring with her. One of the walls of Kaede's hut had become a little art gallery for the two of them thanks to a roll of medical tape Kagome had in her first aid kit.

Three days had passed since Rin and Sesshoumaru had arrived, and thanks to the medicine Kagome brought Rin was back to her normal bubbly self. During that time the inu brothers managed to call a truce until Naraku was defeated. Afterward the attempts to kill one another would resume as normal, one of Inuyasha's conditions of course. He said it didn't feel like they were brothers unless there was a spot of violence. Kagome just rolled her eyes and slapped him lightly, her own little way of calling him an idiot since she had broken herself of "sitting" him every time he pissed her off.

"Are you ready yet, Kagome?" Rin called from her place at Shippou's side.

"Yeah, Kagome! Come play with us!" Shippou said.

Kagome sat up. "How about breakfast first?"

The children jumped up and cheered, offering to help her with making the food. She sent the two off on little chores while she grabbed a cup of ramen for Inuyasha; looking between the brothers she got a bit of an idea. "Hey, Sesshoumaru, do you want to try some ninja food?"

-----

Mr. and Mrs. Sato sat next to their son's bed, their normal post during the day. Snow was falling outside, covering the city of Tokyo in a light blanket of white.

"What if he never wakes up," Kimiho asked.

Daisuke took his wife's hand. "Don't talk that way. He will wake up when he is ready. You know how stubborn he is, can't be pushed into anything."

Exactly why he had fallen ill was still a mystery, even over a year later. For Takehshi's friends and family it was a total shock that the athletic boy had suddenly fallen ill. He was the picture of health and beauty, composed of strong lean muscles over a moderately thin frame, all tied together with golden skin from his enjoyment of outdoor activity.

Smart as he was visually appealing, it thrilled his parents that he would persue business in college so he could take over the Sato fortune as each generation before him had even though his passion lay in education.

Kimiho and Daisuke were both pulled from their thoughts when the door to the room opened. Shin and Ayumi stepped in and bowed in respect when they saw the other occupants.

Daisuke stood. "Shin, son, how many times do we have to tell you to stop that!" he chided. "You are like a son to us."

Kimiho stood as well. "And Ayumi has become the daughter I never had. There is no need for formalities." She walked up to the young couple and hugged Ayame. "How are you, dear?"

"Tired!" Ayumi laughed. "This first year of high school has really kicked my butt!"

Kimiho smiled. "Don't worry dear, I know you will pass. My first year was terrible too until I met Daisuke." She looked over to her husband. "I probably wouldn't have passed if it weren't for him."

Daisuke approached his wife and looked at Shin. "Will you stay with him while we go eat dinner? I'm sure he would like you to be here." Shin nodded and led Ayumi to the chairs the other couple had previously occupied. "We will return shortly." The older couple left the room, shutting the door with a soft click.

Shin grabbed Takeshi's hand. "Happy birthday, bro," he said quietly.

"Wait," Ayumi gasped, "today is his birthday?"

"Yep," her boyfriend nodded. "He turns the big one-nine today!"

"Happy nineteenth birthday, Takeshi!" Ayumi said brightly. "I wish I would have brought flowers or something."

Shin shook his head. "ICU, remember?"

"Oh," she said, a little bummed. "Shin?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me more about him? You are his best friend, after all."

Shin laughed. "Takeshi and I met in grade school..."

-----

The small classroom was filled with seven and eight year olds that were all happy it was playtime. Everyone was playing different games but one small boy in the corner who was content to be by himself with his little race car. He looked up when a shadow loomed over him, belonging to one of the class's biggest bullies. "Give me that car. I want to play with it," the boy said with an air of authority.

"No way! Get your own!" The smaller boy scooted further away.

"I said -" he started but was cut off when another boy appeared and kicked him in the shin.

"He said get your own!" the newcomer said. He stood a few inches taller than the bully and he was clearly not afraid.

The bully stumbled away.

"Hi, I'm Takeshi!" the taller boy said brightly. "What's your name?"

The boy in the corner looked up at his savior. "Shin," he said with a nervous studder.

"Nice to meet you, Shin! Wanna race?" Takeshi pulled a yellow car similar to the red one Shin held out of his pocket.

Shin nodded eagerly and a new friendship was formed.

-----

"He saved you from the class bully?" Ayumi asked, giggling uncontrollably.

Shin nodded happily. "He sure did. From that day forward we were attatched at the hip."

"When did you find out about his family?"

"Middle school when I saw his family on the front page of the paper. His dad made a really big business deal and - " He stopped short.

"What?" his girlfriend asked, fearful of the look on his face.

"Takeshi just moved. Hurry! Go get a doctor!"

Ayumi darted out of the room to find Dr. Itou.

"Come on, man, wake up! It's your birthday!"

Takeshi's eyes fluttered open. "Kagome?" he asked before his eyes once again closed and he lay still.

"Takeshi?" Shin looked up at his friend's face. "Takeshi!" he yelled, hoping that his friend would wake up once again and things would return to normal.

----

Inuyasha cracked his eyes open. "Ka-kagome?" he called. His body ached like it never had before. All he remembered was a battle with another one of Naraku's incarnations, trying his damndest to protect Kagome, before everything went black.

"I'm right here, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried from his side.

A few drops of liquid hit his face and he realized that she was crying. "Don't cry, Kagome," he said as best as he could even though it felt like his mouth was filled with cotton.

"But you died!"

His elder brother came into his line of vision. "Be glad I used Tensaiga. No one kills you but me."

Inuyasha closed his eyes for a moment. "I woke up in this weird room with a strange guy holding my hand and yelling at me. There was this beeping...and he called me a weird name..."

Kagome's eyes widened. 'Could it be?'

"Let's get you back to Kaede's." He was lifted from the ground by Miroku and Sango. All he wanted now was a little sleep.

-----

A/N: Sorry I'm not doing any sort of review responses this time, I've just been very lazy this week. The chapter has been sitting on my desk for the past week, haha. And I've been working on my site like mad. I've got hosting now!

I've had quite a few people more concerned with Takeshi than Inuyasha so I had to do a little more about him. Within the next few chapters I plan to reveal much more about him since his part of the story is only about three chapters away.

Big thanks to my beta Nikki for getting this back to me within just a few hours of me sending it. I really appreciate it!

As always, please review!

V.