InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon a Time ❯ Strange Bedfellows ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: No, they’re still not mine, but I won’t give up hoping….

  7. Strange Bedfellows  

The little girl walked through the woods without the slightest hint of fear. Though only nine years of age, she knew exactly which fruits would be ripe at any given time. Today, she decided, she would gather berries for her meal.

Always mindful of the general location of her companions, Rin headed for the deeper thickets where the biggest, juiciest fruit would be found. Using a large leaf as a container, she quickly gathered several handfuls of ripe berries.

Carefully carrying her berries, Rin started back the way she had come, adjusting her route slightly so that she could avoid the most prickly patches of brush. She moved quickly through the forest, following the small stream that would eventually lead her out of the woods to the broad grassy plains between the heavily wooded mountains and the rocky seashore.

She walked along through the shifting light shadows, humming tunelessly to herself. Stepping to her right to avoid an especially dense patch of brush in her path, Rin’s foot came down on the edge of the bank, which crumbled under her slight weight. With a brief squeal of surprise, the girl slid down the steep embankment to the small river below.

Although unhurt, she was taken by surprise by the fall. Thoroughly soaked, Rin tried unsuccessfully to climb back up the bank--the same recent rains that had made the edge collapse also made the grassy slope too slippery for her to negotiate. Forgetting about her spilled berries, Rin started to follow the river downstream, sure that it would take her back to where she belonged.

As she walked along through the knee-deep water, Rin thought about all the changes she had seen in her short life. After her parents and older brothers--who she could barely remember now--had been killed by raiding bandits, she had existed on the edges of village society, scrounging food whenever and wherever she could, being beaten if she was caught by the villagers.

This had gone on for a couple of years before she met him. She had been looking for food in the woods near her village when she first saw him, weak and injured, lying under a tree. To her young eyes, he was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. Tall and lean, he radiated power and dignity in spite of his wounds. She began bringing him what food she could find, although he refused the gifts, saying that he didn’t need it.

Rin had never seen anyone even remotely like him. Even though obviously not human, she found features like his very long silver hair, pointed ears, and the streaks of color on his face and hand intensely appealing. That only made her more determined to help.

In an attempt to find food that he would accept, Rin raided a farmer’s fish pond and was caught. She was beaten again, and warned that she would be killed outright if she was ever caught again. Even so, when asked about her bruises by the strange man in the forest, she laughed--the first sound she had uttered since losing her family--happy that he was interested enough to ask.

About the time the stranger was well enough to get up, Rin found a renegade wolf youkai hiding in the rundown hut that once been her family’s home. It was pure misfortune for the village that that was where the young leader of the wolf youkai, Kouga, caught up with the thief. After retrieving his property, a small sliver of some kind of rosy-pink stone, Kouga killed the thief before releasing his wolves to slaughter the villagers.

Even though she had been watching the carnage from hiding, the wolves caught up with her in the forest. At least three of them had--

The next thing she remembered was the face of the stranger from the forest looking down at her. Then, without a word, he turned to go. In the most natural decision in the world, Rin followed.

Wiping her runny nose on her sleeve, Rin looked around, noticing that it was starting to get dark. Rather than wait until daylight returned to locate the rest of her group, she chose to continue. She didn’t fear being left behind: she simply didn’t want to be separated from him any longer than necessary. Neither did she fear missing them in the darkness. The nearly full moon would make his brilliant white robes visible from a long way off.

Besides, by keeping moving she might be able to stay a little warmer. Even in late spring a wet body could get badly chilled after nightfall.

Less than three miles away a very different scene was being played out. A small green-skinned youkai with large pale eyes cringed before the tall, pale, almost luminous figure that towered over him. As always, Sesshoumaru’s voice was dangerous in its neutrality. “Exactly what happened?”

The little creature shook his head. “I don’t know, Sesshoumaru-sama. I looked away for only a second, and she was gone.”

His expression never wavering, Sesshoumaru turned away. “We will speak of this again.”

Then he was gone, replaced by a brilliant sphere of light that shot across the landscape and out of sight. The light zipped across the woods and fields, finally coming to rest on the top of a bank overlooking a shallow stream.

As the light faded it illuminated the water below where a dripping, utterly bedraggled-looking figure shivered as it splashed through the chilly water. “Rin.”

The child looked up, a huge smile lighting her face. “Sesshoumaru-sama!” As the tall figure jumped lightly down to the water’s edge, she continued, “The edge gave way, and Rin fell in the water. Rin couldn’t climb back out--it was too slippery.”

Reaching down, Sesshoumaru scooped the child up, heedless of the water and mud running down his pristine clothing, and leaped effortlessly to the top of the embankment. Without another word, the youkai reverted to the sphere of light, arcing up over the woods directly to where he had left his servant only a short time before. “Jaken,” he said, returning to his most humanlike form, “We’ll go no further tonight. Start us a fire.”

Despite a crackling fire and a dry blanket, Rin still shivered uncontrollably. Sitting on the springy grass with his back against a large boulder, Sesshoumaru gestured to the child. “Rin. Come here and sit.” As she settled herself at his side, he pulled the long strip of thick silver fur that had once belonged to his father around her.

Even so, it was more than an hour before she fell into a fitful sleep punctuated by occasional bouts of a deep, hacking cough that seemed to him likely to shake her fragile body to pieces. Early on, he learned that a firm grip on her at these times seemed to cause the spasms to pass more quickly. Finally, her body temperature started to rise, quickly reaching--and surpassing--her normal warmth.

The situation, he decided, was not good. “Jaken, go and find us some ingredients for medicine. Rin is not well.”

Although eager for a chance to redeem himself, this was not the ideal request with which to do so. “But, Sesshoumaru-sama--I know nothing about human medicine! The wrong plants could kill rather than cure.”

Sesshoumaru nodded slowly, considering his options. There was, he knew, a hanyou skilled in the healing arts well to the south, but the idea of abandoning the search for Naraku didn’t please him at all. There was, however, a mixed group of travelers in this general part of the country that would have the necessary skills.

At any other time he would have dismissed that option without a second thought. However, this was not any other time. Rising slowly, careful not to dislodge the sleeping child, Sesshoumaru said, “We’re going east now, Jaken. Prepare yourself for negotiating a truce.”

With no further indication of his plans, Sesshoumaru started walking to the east, toward the person who, in an unprecedented move, he had decided to ask for help.

It was not yet daylight when they reached their destination. Rather than walking into the campsite and provoking a fight by his mere presence, Sesshoumaru decided to wait in the nearby woods with Rin and Ah-Un, the two-headed dragon that acted as a beast of burden. Jaken, meanwhile, would make the initial contact. Though it did not often suit him, he was more than capable of being discreet when it was required.

Not at all looking forward to the meeting to come, Jaken walked into the campsite. The small green-skinned youkai was glad that most of the travelers slept--he was not on the best of terms with any of them. Indeed, he had been pummeled by more than one of them on various occasions. Still, the one of them that Jaken feared the most was, he knew, almost certain to be not only present but awake and on guard as well.

Without looking up from where he was watching the flames, the hanyou asked, “What do you want?”

The small creature bowed. “I have been sent here to negotiate a truce. Sesshoumaru-sama requires the assistance of a member of your party.”

That answer was intriguing enough to keep Jaken alive, at least for the moment. “So, what does my brother want from me?”

Jaken sniffed disdainfully. “Sesshoumaru-sama doesn’t want you at all. My instructions were to secure the services of Kagome-sama for a short time.”

“NANI!?”

That explosive question was enough to bring the rest of the group instantly awake. Suddenly Jaken found himself at the center of a ring of decidedly unfriendly faces. Even Kirara transformed to her large, more aggressive form, just in case of any trouble. Though her color and markings remained unchanged, she became much larger, her back level with Inuyasha’s chest. She developed an impressive set of fangs around eight inches in length, and her feet and tails were wreathed in flame.

Jaken, feeling distinctly uncomfortable, bowed before Kagome. “Kagome-sama, I have been sent by Sesshoumaru-sama to ask for your help.”

“My help?” The very concept was intriguing in its unexpectedness. “What kind of help could Sesshoumaru want from me?”

Jaken could feel the situation rapidly slipping out of control. He drew himself up to his full height. “Even the greatest of the taiyoukai can’t be expected to have knowledge of things like human medicine.”

Miroku and Sango looked at each other. “Human medicine?”

Her curiosity piqued by the idea of the human-hating Sesshoumaru wanting help both with a human medical problem and also specifically from her, Kagome nodded. “What does he want me to do?”

This was too much for Inuyasha. “Wait just a damn minute! Kagome, this has to be a trap!”

Though somewhat more trusting than the hanyou, Kagome was not stupid. She stepped forward, resting a hand on his arm. “It might be a trap,” she conceded, “But I can’t imagine why he would set a trap for me. I mean, we really all want the same thing right now--Naraku.” She turned back to Sesshoumaru’s emissary but was halted by the hand that closed on her shoulder with enough firmness to immobilize her without cutting her with the formidable claws.

“Wait.” She turned back to Inuyasha, eyes wide. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Kagome shook her head. “I don’t want to do this, but somebody may be in real trouble. And maybe I can learn something. Besides,” she said with a wink, “Having Sesshoumaru in our debt might be helpful further down the line.”

His expression reminded her of someone who had decided to do something that was both dangerous and painful. With a particularly grim look, he handed her his sheathed sword. “Take this,” he said. “Even if this is a trap, Tetsusaiga’s barrier should protect you against attack.”

She looked down at the sword in her hands. “I can’t! What if something happens while I’m gone--without Tetsusaiga, you’ll transform again!”

He gestured at the empty landscape. “Nobody lives near here. I’ll go a distance away from the others. Even if I transformed, I’d be alone--there would be nobody there that I could hurt. When you come back, you can send Kirara to get me.”

Realizing that this was his only way to protect her while she was away from him, Kagome nodded. “All right.” She turned back to Jaken. “What guarantee do we have that I’ll be returned unharmed?”

The other travelers shared a look--maybe Kagome’s inherent kindness did not necessarily preclude a certain shrewdness. Jaken paused briefly--he hadn’t expected a question that would have been natural from Sesshoumaru from a mere human girl. Finally, he held out the staff he carried. “I’ll leave the Staff of Heads with you, to be retrieved when we return Kagome-sama.”

Having seen the power of the staff as a weapon, they were inclined to accept the terms, especially since the young woman had clearly decided to go.

While Jaken handed his staff to the hanyou, Kagome slung her bag full of medical supplies across her back. Holding the Tetsusaiga before her in both hands, Kagome followed Sesshoumaru’s servant out of the campsite.

As the sky lightened in the east, they walked along. At first, Kagome tried to find out exactly what kind of problem she was being asked to treat, but Jaken’s non-answers caused her to lapse into silence for the duration of the journey.

Although only about forty minutes long, the trip actually seemed much longer. However, all the time in the world for speculation could not have prepared her for the sight of Sesshoumaru, one of the most powerful of the greater youkai of this age, sitting on the ground under a tree, his arm curled protectively around a tiny fur-wrapped form at his side. At her approach he looked up, his expression and tone--as always--neutral. “We require your assistance,” he said. “This situation is beyond my knowledge.”

Listening to the child’s hoarse, congested breathing, Kagome asked, “What happened?”

With a slight edge to his voice that promised dire consequences for the responsible party if the child proved to be seriously ill, Sesshoumaru explained. “Jaken was briefly inattentive. Rin wandered off, probably looking for food. The bank of a shallow stream collapsed under her weight, and she fell in. She was unable to climb out, and walked downstream through the water for three or four hours before she was found. She now has a cough and is feverish. Her breathing is loud and seems to be growing difficult.”

Coming closer, Kagome carefully set down the sword she carried and unwrapped the girl enough to assess her general condition. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that the child seemed to have come down with nothing more serious than a nasty cold. “It’s not too serious, but I’m afraid she’ll be pretty miserable for a week or so. I can show you how to treat the symptoms, but I don’t know how to make the cure.”

Emptying her bag, she picked over her medical supplies. Unfortunately, she carried more that was appropriate for treating cuts and puncture wounds than for caring for a sick child. Still, she had learned more than a little medical lore from her contacts with Kaede and Jinenji. Unconsciously taking charge, she directed Jaken to build a fire.

She set a kettle of water to boil, explaining, “She will have to be kept warm and quiet for a few days. She probably won’t feel much like eating, but she should be encouraged--not forced --to make the effort. Fruit is good. So is rice and any kind of soup. She should drink a lot if she can.” Kagome pulled out her last half-dozen cups of the instant ramen of which her friends were so fond. “Just fill one of these with boiling water up to the mark on the inside and it will be ready to eat in just a few minutes.” She measured out enough tea for a week or so and put it into a smaller container that she had emptied a few days earlier. She also divided her precious supply of honey into thirds, putting one of the containers back into her bag. She went across the clearing to where she found some familiar plants in bloom and quickly picked a handful of the rosy blossoms. She washed and dried the clover blossoms before placing them into one of the jars of honey. “This really should have been prepared in advance, but this was all kind of sudden. Anyway, a little of this will help to quiet the cough and soothe her throat. The honey without the flowers should be used to flavor the tea if she has a hard time drinking it, especially if she doesn’t eat very much.” She looked around for some wild mint, and threw a couple of handfuls into the steaming water. “Breathing this steam will ease the congestion and let her breathe a bit easier.”

Although he had thoroughly absorbed the instructions, Sesshoumaru was curious about something else entirely. “You have the Tetsusaiga.”

Kagome nodded. “That’s right.”

The youkai shook his head. “My brother is a fool. What did he think I would do--attack someone who came here to offer aid?” At her blank look he continued, “When I attack an enemy, I attack. I do not lay snares for the unwary--I am no Naraku.”

“I see,” she said, glad that he had confirmed something that she had suspected. He had, after all, refrained from killing his brother when he had been transformed and unaware of even who he was. “I didn’t really want to take it, but I know he only insisted because he wouldn’t be able to be here to protect me himself.”

“So he will endanger himself to provide you with a protection that you don’t even need.” He shook his head in sheer disbelief. “Is his judgment so warped by his affection for humans?”

Watching Sesshoumaru sitting there with his arm around a sick human child, Kagome wisely said nothing. Instead, she handed him a small bottle of an aspirin-free analgesic. “This will bring her fever down. She should take one of these every four hours. Ask her to swallow them whole--they taste really nasty if you chew them.”

Once he was satisfied that he completely understood the various phases of the treatment, Sesshoumaru said, “In return for your assistance, I will share a piece of information. I have seen Naraku’s insects heading north, into the territory of the white-furred wolf youkai. I do not know if any of them still live.” Looking around for his servant, he continued, “Jaken, you may take this woman back to her companions now.”

As she gathered her supplies and retrieved Tetsusaiga, Kagome watched Sesshoumaru administering her treatments to Rin. You think of your brother as somehow corrupted because you believe that his human blood makes him care for humans, she thought, but what does that make you? She thought briefly of Yuriko, the hanyou woman she had met back in her home world, and realized that she may have been telling the absolute truth about her identity after all.

Once Kagome was returned to her friends without incident and Jaken collected his staff and returned to his duties she was more than happy to sit by the fire with a cup of tea. The others, seeing her bemused expression, were eager for the details, but Kagome only shook her head. She would explain when Kirara returned with Inuyasha: it was, she said, way too involved to have to explain twice.

Sesshoumaru shook his head once again at his father’s legacy. He realized that his father must have had a reason for leaving him the Tenseiga, and that the sword itself had caused him to resurrect Rin as part of that purpose. Still, he was often uneasy with the situation, particularly when the child got into trouble: his reactions at those times were almost human in nature, though executed with the power of the taiyoukai.

Was concern for humans part of what his father had wanted him to learn? Was it possible that this concern was not actually the weakness he had always assumed it to be? Was it possible, he wondered, that his hanyou brother might have actually been right all along?

Unwilling to move from his position under the tree, Sesshoumaru sent Jaken in search of some of the items on Kagome’s list. Surely there would be some food appropriate for a sick human child somewhere in the vicinity. “Jaken,” he added, almost as an afterthought, “Try not to kill anyone in the process.”

Kagome’s friends were even more puzzled than she was. They had all seen the small human girl with Sesshoumaru, but had been half convinced that she had been a prisoner. Just maybe, they now thought, that assessment of the situation was not entirely correct. Even though she had answered all the questions as well as she could, Kagome was no closer to understanding the situation than she had been when she had first entered Sesshoumaru’s camp. Though all of them were confused by the developments, Inuyasha was also greatly amused by the signs of what his brother had always called his hanyou weakness showing up in the purely youkai Sesshoumaru himself. Like Kagome, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that this child would have some significant part to play in events to come.

Still, the day of travel lost was more than compensated by the information they had received from Sesshoumaru concerning the appearance of Naraku’s insects. Though initially suspicious, they quickly realized that--despite his stated disdain for humans and hatred of his brother--Sesshoumaru had no reason to lie to them about clues to Naraku’s location. Rather than slowing them down, this particular good deed may have saved them days of searching.