InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kyoudai no Meiyo (The Honor of Brothers) ❯ The Roads We Travel ( Chapter 9 )

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~

The filtered morning light streamed through the window, warming Sango's face, and causing her to sleepily open her eyes, banishing the haunted dreams that made her connection to sleep, tenuous, at best. She reached up with a calloused palm to rub the remaining tendrils of sleep from her face.

Attempting to rise, she felt herself pinned by an arm wrapped tenderly around her waist. She reached over and gently shook the monk's shoulder which only caused him to tighten his sleepy grip.

"Miroku, I have to get up."

She whispered softly so as not to wake the others.

"Miroku, I need to relieve myself, let me go."

He awoke then and gazed at her, with a mischievous twinkle in his pale amethyst eyes.

"Do you need any help?"

The question earned him a black glare, and then a crack to the back of his head from her foot after she pulled herself from his grasp and jerked herself upright.

She swept out the door and wandered in the direction of the stream, searching carefully for a safe place to crouch and release the pressure in her bladder.

Finishing her necessities, she moved down towards the water to get a drink, and rinse her face. She scooped the clean water in her palms, splashing her face and hair, the chill liquid removing the last vestiges of sleep.

Inuyasha awoke to the sounds of splashing water, his thoughts still hazy. He stared confusedly at the canopy of leaves above him, a moment later the memories of the night before his him. He startled and blushed at the intimacy of the feelings that hit him, his arousal growing anew. Looking down at the female in his arms, the panicked thoughts raced through his head.

What the hell did I do? Damn it all, I'm so fucking stupid. Kagome will never forgive me for this.

He heard splashing again and sat up a bit to see where the noise was coming from.

He saw Sango kneeling at the streambed, washing her hands carefully.

Aww fuck, she's going to see us and then I'm really going to get it.

Moving carefully as not to jar the sleeping miko awake, as he did not want her to cry out, he pulled his hitatare up and over them shielding their still nude, entwined bodies from view.

He tried to gently wake the woman, shaking her shoulder and hissing under his breath.

"Kagome! Kagome, wake up, we need to get dressed."

The sleepy woman opened her eyes slowly, throwing an arm over the distraught hanyou. Grumbling good naturedly and not really listening to him.

"Go back to sleep Inuyasha, it's too early."

The semi-frightened, half-demon, shook her harder.

"Kagome, wake up, Sango is going to see us any minute."

That got her attention, she suddenly realized where she was, and sat up, without thinking. The red cloth slipped off her, exposing her breasts.

Eyes nearly popping out of his skull, Inuyasha tackled her before she could stand up fully, wrapping her in his robe then quickly pulling on his hakama and kosode.

Turning to see Sango beginning to stand up, he grabbed up Kagome's discarded clothing and slid them to her. Finally catching on to what he was trying to do she tucked the clothing under the crimson robe on her shoulder, firmly wrapping it around her and hiding herself completely in its folds.

Squatting awkwardly on the earth, not noticing the leaves and dirt in her hair, she smiled sweetly at the demon slayer as she came over the embankment towards them.

"Did you end up staying here all night?"

Kagome blushed, stuttering as she answered.

"Uh...er... Yeah..."

Sango quirked her head at Inuyasha, noting the blank stare belied by the flush that colored his face from hairline to below the neck of his white shirt.

"All right, well the rest are probably waking up you might want to clean up before they head down here."

The two blushed more furiously as, their friend reached out to pull a leaf from Inuyasha's hair, and a twig from Kagome's. She then turned to head back up to the village, a knowing smirk on her lips.

Inuyasha, stared uncomfortably after her. He then turned to the woman next to him, who was currently doing a passable impersonation of a very ripe tomato.

"Do you think she noticed anything."

Kagome groaned audibly, and fell over backward.

"Oh, she noticed alright."

The hanyou paled noticeably.

"She's not going to tell Miroku is she?"

Kagome snapped upright again. Blushing even more furiously, if that was possible.

"She better not!"

Yoi Kami, I could just imagine what that pervert would say.

Inuyasha, shuffled his feet, attempting to change the subject, he spoke more gruffly than he meant to.

“Let’s get you dressed.”

Kagome turned to stare at him.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, let’s just get going.”

She must hate me, I shouldn’t have made her do that. She’s never going to want to be my friend again after this.

The half-demon’s turbulent thoughts, were distracting him so much he didn’t notice Kagome get dressed. She grabbed his elbow and tugged on him.

“C’mon, let’s go.”

He shook his head, and eyed her warily.

“What did you say?”

“Inuyasha, are you ok? You’re acting strange.”

He pulled from her grasp, and moved in the direction of Kaede’s hut.

“Yeah, I’m fine, let’s just go.”

She moved to follow him, a furrowing of her brows the only indication something was amiss.

What the hell is his problem? Didn’t he just tell me last night that he loves me? Was it not good enough for him? I liked it, it was the first time I felt close to him, like he actually cared for me, as more than a friend.

The confused miko wandered slowly, dragging behind the man she loved. He seemed to be lost in thought and barely noticed she wasn’t beside him.

As they entered the village, Kagome tried to put a smile on her face.

I don’t want Shippo getting worried. He’s always too damn perceptive, that kid.

She continued to walk sullenly towards the hut.

At the doorway Inuyasha turned to speak to her, noticing for the first time that she was some distance behind. He waited nervously for her to catch up, his claws tapping rhythmically on Tetsusaiga’s hilt.

When she was at his side he whispered softly before dashing into the hut.

“Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone what happened. K…Kagome…I’m sorry.”

The last words were so soft she barely caught them as he turned away from her.

He had disappeared so quickly that he didn’t notice the miko’s face as her features contorted, her eyes moved to examine her shoes, as she slipped through the doorway, her vision blurred slightly.

Hiding her glistening lashes from view she moved to the back of the room, near the seemingly sleeping Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru’s nostrils twitched slightly as the intoxicating combined scents of sex and tears reached him. He opened his eyes a slit and was surprised to see his brother’s miko huddling against the wall near his feet.

He watched as she dried her cheeks with a swipe of her hand and slung herself up to begin the morning tasks. A waft of her scent hit him as she flounced by.

She smells of Inuyasha and seed and….blood?

The implications hit him after a moments thought.

The miko was untouched, and she and the hanyou mated last night . Interesting, I would not expect her to be shedding tears after such a night, perhaps the imbecile hurt her?

He sniffed again lightly.

I do not scent any wounds…

“Kagome! You got any ramen left?”

He slid his shuttered gaze to the corner where the miko’s pack had lain, to see the half demon begin digging haphazardly through it. He pulled out a strange white tube like object and sniffed at it lightly.

“GET OUT OF THERE!”

Kagome dashed over grabbing the cylinder and tossing it in the sack. She slung the bag over her shoulders and glared at the hanyou, who was looking slightly guilty and upset.

“Why can’t you ever leave my things alone?!”

The miko continued her tirade.

“You can be such a jerk sometimes, you know.”

The miko stormed out the door leaving Inuyasha looking rather forlorn.

Sesshomaru barely contained the smirk that rose to his lips.

The ignorant hanyou made a fool of himself. How can I use this?

He allowed the smirk to twitch his lips a bit as he finally opened his eyes to look casually about the room. He decided it was best if he pretended to have been awakened by the mikos shouting.

The still wounded dai youkai tested his healing, lifting his arms, when no unmanageable shots of pain hit him he twisted slowly to place his feet on the earth. Pulling himself to a semi-standing position with the help of an obliging wall, he grunted loudly at the pain from his thigh.

The bone has not mended solidly yet.

“Will ya sit your stupid ass down! Rin would get pissed if I let you re-injure yourself.”

The half demon launched himself to his half-brothers side, steadying him as he sat back down.

“Sit here until I can have Kaede look at you. AND DON’T FUCKIN’ MOVE!”

The demon lord sneered at the hanyou, but before he could formulate a retort, Inuyasha was out the door to find the old woman.

The half demon stopped just outside the door to get the old mikos scent, then bounded in the direction of the shrine.

He halted abruptly at the foot of the steps and called for her.

“Hey old hag, lord “I need no help from the likes of you” is up and wants to move around you better come check him out before he hurts his leg, I don’t want to have to watch another sob-fest from that girl.”

Kaede poked her head out of the shrine and stared blankly at the hanyou, who was shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

“Ye must go watch him, I will be there shortly.”

Inuyasha glared at her.

“What the hell are you doing that is so important? I don’t wanna baby sit that asshole.”

“Demon, BEGONE! Ye will see me shortly.”

The young hanyou, turned and slouched back to the hut.

I gotta go find Kagome, I don’t have time to be watching the fucking bastard. Just ‘cause he got his ass hurt taking out my prey.

Nevertheless he obediently made his way into the confines of the hut, just in time to catch Sesshomaru as he tried to walk out the door. He was leaning heavily on a bow that he had found.

The bow, not made to carry any weight, snapped as he was stepping through the threshold. The demon lords leg gave out, Inuyasha heard a crackling sound just before his half-brother landed heavily in his arms.

Sesshomaru’s automatic reaction to the pain was to begin transforming, but the injuries were too great and his yokai wouldn’t let him. Half way through the transformation, it stopped and he couldn’t maintain it. The further weakened demon attempted to rebuff the hanyou’s help, dragging his claws down the front of Inuyasha’s hitetari, leaving four deep slices that began bleeding heavily.

The hanyou grunted in pain, as his flesh tore.

“DAMN IT SESSHOUMARU!”

The hanyou gritted his teeth and grabbed the fast fading demon, none too gently, and deposited him jarringly on the sleeping mats he had occupied the night before.

“Fuckin’ hell!”

Inuyasha bellowed impotently at the prone demon. As the poison left in the wounds began to burn his flesh.

He bounded out of the hut and raced to the stream to begin washing the wounds. The water ran with red and green rivulets. The poison seeped slowly from the wounds as he soaked.

When the burning stopped and his body was beginning to heal, he clambered up the bank and collapsed against the same tree he had so recently slept under.

Examining the slashes, he noticed they were not healing as quickly as usual.

“FUCK!”

The torn skin and muscle was still burning painfully.

I hope I got it out soon enough.

Tremors shook his frame and tendrils of pain shot through his chest.

Maybe I didn’t.

He rose to a kneeling position and tried to stand. His legs wouldn’t support him fully and he fell to his hands and knees.

I’m weak but I think I can make it back to the hut.

He began crawling back to the village. As he focused on crawling back to the hut, he began to think back to the times Sesshomaru had tried to kill him.

To think all those years of trying and the closest he gets, is by accident. I’d laugh if it didn’t hurt so fuckin’ bad.

His vision clouded as he picked his way around the rocks and bushes in his path.

I’m not going to make it to the village.

His failing eyes watched as the earth seemed to rise up to meet his face. He never saw or felt the impact. With his last vestige of consciousness he heard a voice calling his name.

“Inuyasha! Inuyasha! What’s wrong?!”

Kagome’s frantic voice could no longer reach him.

She ran to the fallen hanyou’s side and began attempting to awake him.

“Inuyasha?! Wake up, what happened?”

She hefted to unconscious half-demon over onto his side. Then succeeded in rolling him to his back.

Where did those wounds come from?

She glanced around but did not sense any danger near by.
What is going on here? How did Inuyasha get injured?

At that moment, he groaned softly, his limbs twitching. Slowly, the stubborn hanyou forced his protesting body upright.

She reached out to grasp his arm.

“Take it easy. What happened to you?”

“Sss…Sesss…sho…”

The miko gritted her teeth.

“Sesshomaru did this?! After everything we’ve done for him!”

“Acc…I…den…”

&# 8220;An accident? What do you mean? He hurt you without meaning too?”

The exhausted hanyou could only nod.

“I’m going to go get some help, you sit here, I’ll be right back.”

Another groan was the only answer she got.

The miko turned to run back to the village, glancing back as she began her jog.

Inuyasha was leaning back on his elbows, shivering violently.

I need to hurry. He’s really weak.

She entered the village and began looking around for help. She spotted Rin and Ah-Un.

“Rin! Ah-Un! Can you help me?”

Ah-Un’s heads snapped around at the first sound of her voice, they stepped in front of Rin, reflexively, before the voice registered.

“What do you need, Kagome?”

Rin’s gentile voice floated towards the miko.

“Inuyasha is hurt, I need help moving him back to the village.”

Rin’s eye’s opened wide.

“Ah-Un, let’s go.”

She moved towards the miko. Kagome turned to lead them to the fallen hanyou.

They reached him in a matter on moments, but Inuyasha was fading fast.

Working together they got him on to Ah-Un’s back and the demon twins carried him gently to the hut where Sesshomaru still lay.

As they struggled to move his moaning limp body to a sleeping mat, They saw Keade and Miroku walking together in the direction of the hut. Miroku saw the girls struggling under the hanyou’s weight and dashed to help.

He grunted under the weight.

“What happened to him?”

The monk groaned and shifted the weight to distribute it more evenly, then shunted the half-demon onto the nearest mat.

“Kami Kagome, you need to stop feeding him so much ramen.”

Rin left to tend to Ah-Un.

Kaede knelt to examine the unconscious hanyou. She noted the tears and blood on the front of his kasode pulled it off him, the four evenly spaced slashes were still bleeding, though his yokai had already begun the healing process. Kagome squatted at her side with a pot of hot water and some clean cloths.

“He said Sesshomaru did it, accidentally.”

The group turned to look at the, again conscious, dai youkai. He glowered in return.

“Do not glare at this Sesshomaru in that manner.”

Inuyasha began whimpering slightly. Tremors coursed through his body.

“He will need a salve of kin sakazuki hana on his wounds, and a strengthening roberiya and razuberii no ha no cha, to counteract the poison that has, by now, traveled throughout his blood. He will likely survive as he has a rather strong constitution, being of my fathers bloodline.”

Kagome turned tear moistened gaze back to the hanyou who was still trembling and making soft whimpers.

Sesshomaru settled his cool regard on the miko.

“He will be fine in the morning.”

Kagome sniffed softly and regarded the demon carefully, searching his impassive face for signs of an untruth. Finding nothing that would confirm or deny his statement, she began helping Kaede find the appropriate herbs.

While the herbs were steeping, she knelt beside the hanyou and smoothed the pale locks from his face. Her cool touch feathered across his fevered brow. She lowered her ear to his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, it was much too slow.

“nnn…Kago..nno…”

The sound of her name on Inuyashas lips almost made the tears that threatened, fall.

The hanyous fevered mumblings began to run together, and become incoherent.

When the salve was prepared she insisted on applying it herself. Kaede left the healing to her pupil, and went to the shrine. The rest of the rooms occupants were silent, not wishing to upset her more.

Miroku and Sango slipped out to find Shippo and Kirara, Kagome didn’t even notice they left.

After a few minutes the tea was done , she began trying to get some of it down his throat but couldn’t seem to manage.

Sesshomaru watched her intently from his corner.

“He must drink it to thin his blood and allow the poison to leave or his heart will slow too much.”

Kagome glared at him.

“I’m trying you conceited jerk.”

An idea hit her then, turning back to her lover she took some of the tea into her own mouth and placed hers over his, allowing a thin trickle to run into his mouth, when it hit the back of his throat he swallowed reflexively. She continued the process, filling his mouth with small trickles from her own lips. The roberiya made her heart race and her lips tingle, but she couldn’t stop until he had gotten a large enough dose.

Sesshomaru continued to watch her, wondering if the ningen understood the side effects of the drugs.

She finally finished the dosing and stood up to pace, her heart was pounding and her head was reeling, the powerful drugs running through her system thinning her blood and stimulating her heart, her muscles were twitching uncomfortably.

It doesn’t matter, as long as Inuyasha is okay. This is nothing.

Her pacing became more frantic as her blood pounded through her body. Her arms moving erratically she continued to circle the enclosed space, pausing only to put her head to the hanyous chest again to hear his heart speeding up to a more normal pace.

She stood and moved her body against the wall, sitting to relieve the strain on her now aching legs. Her limbs contorting themselves, as she waited for the stimulant to wear off.

Sesshomaru watched as she nearly vibrated, her breath hitching as she tried to slow her breathing. He could hear her accelerated heartbeat and watched the flush creeping up her face.

“Do you realize that could kill you?”

His query was sincere, he couldn’t understand why she would knowingly risk such a maneuver.

“I…know…, But…I can’t…just…let…him die.”

Her broken speech was interspersed with gasps for air.

Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly.

“Were you not displeased with him this morning? Did he not hurt you in your mating last night?”

Even in her state Kagome had the presence of mind to be mortified at that remark.

She began to formulate an answer but, couldn’t bring it to her lips.

Her breathing and heart rate were slowing, with it came an almost welcome blackness.

The dai youkai watched as she slumped silently to the floor. He again tuned his keen hearing to the beating in her chest.

It is slowing, the effects of the herbs are wearing off. She will awaken with a headache.

He watched her sleeping form wonderingly.

What would make her risk her life in such a manner? What a foolish ningen.

Kaede re-entered the hut, she was carrying an incense burner a calming blend of herbs was smoldering inside.

“Kagome?”

The old priestess moved to the woman’s side.

“She fed the hanyou his medicine with her lips. Her heart is already slowing, she will live but likely will not awaken until tomorrow.”

The soft voice startled the old woman. She turned an leveled her gaze at the demon in her house.

“Ye are certain?”

He turned an icy stare on her. He was unaccustomed to being doubted.

“They will both be awake in the morning, and both will carry heavy heads.”

Kaede left the incense hanging from a hook on the ceiling.

“Ye should rest as well demon, ye will heal faster if you stop pushing so hard.”

She approached him warily.

He is healing quickly, I do not trust him.

“Will ye allow me to examine your injuries?”

He grunted and looked away from her.

“Do as you wish, ningen. But, I do not need your assistance.”

She began checking over his wounds with a methodical rhythm.

“Ye are healing quickly. By tomorrow ye should be able to walk with assistance, in a few more days ye should be able to leave.”

“I will leave when I can walk, this Sesshomaru will not suffer the indignity of being coddled by ningen.

“You would leave when you are not yet able to defend yourself?”

“I fear nothing.”

“Ye would leave when ye are unable to defend Rin?”

The woman’s gentle voice cut the silence and caused him to clench his eyelids shut. Images of a small, blood covered, child corpse splashed across his mind, his heart lurched and the image changed, a child no longer it was Rin as she was now, beautiful and vibrant, full of life.
“I will stay until I am healed.”