InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Spring Fever ❯ The Wound ( Chapter 10 )

A/N: I wasn't expecting to update so soon. :D

 

I hope the world lightens up on you yashandkag4ever!

 

Chapter 10

 

The Wound

 

“Just a few more blocks,” the miko began muttering five minutes after leaving the mall. “Just five more, and you can drop onto your pillow and into dreamland, where there are no demons, just hot, plain-faced men ready to bend to your every whim... Yes, good naps...”

 

... Sesshomaru was traveling with an insane miko. To spare himself, he walked behind her, a ways, and let his mind wander.

 

He began to think about Rin... It was odd how often she sneaked into his mind and jumped onto his trains of thought, smiling and giggling all the while, like she would when he'd return to his time.

 

Of course, Tenseiga was bent on other matters which were inconveniently out of hand.

 

'You woke up,' Sesshomaru thought, the blade shivering up to a notable shake, as though someone were taping their nails repeatedly at its end. Other than that, the blade was silent in Sesshomaru's mind, and didn't try to move him in any direction.

 

“... have a bath. That'll be wonderful before the nap. Something to take away the freakin' headache.”

 

Onto other matters...

 

Tenseiga did stir earlier, but also over nothing. At least, nothing he would notice. The miko had made an angry comment about the law, and Tenseiga should know that its master really did not care about the laws of that time. In fact, he didn't even care about the miko being angry over the law breaking, or even if he was the one to do it. Come to think of it, it may prove to be entertaining...

 

Tenseiga jumped once, then settled to its normal shaking. That blasted sword... It just had to wake up and sink his day like an anchor. Again. And to think that this time, when he actually wanted it to talk, it remained silent and fed on his confusion. So, unwittingly, he followed the miko up the steps to the shrine, and there was a hiss and he was suddenly doused in... Something. What the-?

 

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” the miko bellowed, running in place for half a second to burn off her anger. “I hate spring!!” She stormed up the rest of the steps, sopping wet, and growled about 'sprinklers'.

 

It was water. Had she never been rained on before? It was quite natural, and a relief in the summer... Although he heard humans were weakened when they were wet. Such a frail plague on the lands, really.

 

Tenseiga didn't seem to enjoy the sprinklers too much either...

 

As Sesshomaru neared the barriers, youki coiling up to fight them, the sword pulsed and the barriers opened wide to allow Sesshomaru through.

 

...

 

“You remained asleep out of spite, I presume?” Sesshomaru asked it, stepping through unharmed. The barrier mended, and appeared as though nothing had happened.

 

Wet little shoe prints littered the solid stone underfoot, and following it Sesshomaru saw the house door shut with a 'wham', the miko's recent special way of announcing her presence.

 

Sesshomaru had been entertained with puzzling facts and staring at the slowly darkening sky when some familiar, unwanted smells permeated the air.

 

“Oh! It's him!” came a voice.

 

'Please, kami, no more,' he thought. The miko's three friends came scurrying up to him, the one with the shortest, brown hair taking the lead in leaps and bounds.

 

“Oh!! That movie was WRETCHEDLY horrible!!!” she pretended to sob, coming to a stop in front of him. She was clutching her hands in front of her chest, pouting, and trying her darnest to summon tears.

 

... He pointed at the house.

 

“Yuka, we're here for Kagome, remember?” the other two, thank all that is good, stated while guiding her away.

 

Sesshomaru's mind was beginning to wander off again when they came out of the house, the mother smiling and waving goodbye at the door. That was... Unfortunately fast.

 

“Hey!” the brown haired girl giggled, sitting suddenly at his feet. He was sitting on one of the many decorative cement walls, back against the sloping stairs and legs comfortably in front of him.

 

He scowled. She giggled.

 

Where was that miko to take them away...?

 

“Do you know what's wrong with Kagome?” the smallest of stature, wavy haired girl inquired.

 

“Tired,” he supplied. He didn't really know. She should be seen as fine by their simple human standards.

 

“She seems really out of it,” commented the girl with her hair pulled back.

 

“Or into something,” the short haired girl suggested, sucking her lower lip and giving Sesshomaru a look, eyebrows dancing in what she probably deemed to be a tantalizing manner...

 

... 'Go away,' he thought.

 

“Yeah right,” the girl with her hair pulled back laughed.

 

“Did you guys notice the bandage?” asked the wavy haired girl.

 

Bandage?

 

“Hah! Yeah, you only pointed it out 'discretely' a dozen times,” scoffed the brown haired girl. “Which was rather rude of you, Ayumi.”

 

“I was only concerned,” the girl replied. “Besides, there was fresh blood seeping through. I was worried, it looked like a huge bat came down and bit her...”

 

... ... Hm... ... ...

 

“Good thing that's unlikely,” the girl with her hair pulled back stated, giving a bit of a shiver. “Nasty things...”

 

“They'll be out soon,” the girl with brown hair teased. With that stated, they said their goodbyes quickly, the girl with the bat discomfort fleeing for her home down the steps.

 

Sesshomaru suddenly loved bats, but that was beside the point.

 

“What do you want?” the miko asked over a bowl of food, sitting at that oddly tall table with the rest of her family. Sesshomaru unceremoniously grabbed right above her left elbow and lifted her up. “HEY!! Wha-!”

 

Riiiiiiip!

 

The miko stared with him at the bandage hidden under a thin shirt, strapped over her left shoulder.

 

“What is this?” he demanded coolly. She turned a mortified look at him, and tried to shake out of his grasp. Hah. Good luck there.

 

“You KNOW what it is,” she hissed, now prying at his fingers with her other hand.

 

“Lord Sesshomaru,” began the grandfather, for once not seeming completely enthralled with whatever was happening. “If you are done manhandling my granddaughter, then you may join us for dinner if you choose.”

 

... That was a good way of phrasing things. Sesshomaru let the miko drop back into her seat to leave her fondling the newly ripped shirt.

 

“Or if you'd prefer, the spare bedroom is still open to you,” the mother stated warmly.

 

“Bastard,” the miko grumbled, watching the section of fabric fold back down her arm for the fifth time. “I'm going to have to sew that you know!”

 

He scowled at her, and she returned the favor.

 

He grabbed her again and hauled her outside.

 

“Or not,” the grandfather sighed.

 

“What are you thinking?!” the miko demanded, flaring some energy at him and forcing him to release her arm. “Are you thinking?! I was eating! What caused this!”

 

“Your condition is failing, miko,” he warned her. Why the hell was she letting this happen? She needed to stick around and make the well work, not go ahead and forever train her powers into a wound that needed healing. It use to be sealed, but she apparently half-assed the job.

 

She openly stared at him. “Yeah, I have a tendency of noticing that.”

 

“Fix it.”

 

“I've been trying!”

 

“No, you have not.”

 

She bugged her eyes angrily at him and pursed her lips. “You have NO idea what it's like to use spiritual powers, so don't you DARE tell me if I'm trying or not, you regal son of a -”

 

A sound slap echoed in the shrine grounds, and Tenseiga was suddenly still with shock. So was the miko, but she was holding her flushed and slowly reddening face.

 

“No excuses.”

 

Her powers lit. “Why you!”

 

His powers roared, and sent her careening to her hands and knees. She stared at the ground, mouth gapped for air. The smell of fresh blood greeted him, as he had expected.

 

Kneeling at her frozen side, he ripped the bandage away and watched the skin underneath tint black, fresh blood flowing freely from the once scabbed over holes.

 

“Some miko you have turned out to be,” he stated in a normal tone, dropping the scrap material in front of her and retaining his energy into himself. She gasped for air. “You can't even destroy the taint in you.”

 

“It,” she breathed horsely, “was SEALED!”

 

“But it was THERE,” he scolded, standing.

 

“So what?!” she demanded. “Why would you care? It's ME! You dislike me, remember?!”

 

“Do not be a fool,” he seethed, watching as she slowly regained her feet. “A miko bearing a plague is a meal for any demon. Do you know why that creature greeted us at the well a week ago?”

 

“Because it was convenient?” she replied sarcastically.

 

This was annoying. “Because there was a powerful miko losing a battle nearby, that's why.” Was he angry? He certainly felt like it. It was amazing this woman, this human, had survived for so long.

 

She scoffed. “What? Think it just wanted to eat me? There are plenty of others here to eat, it was coincidence.”

 

... Wow... This was almost blasphemy.

 

“Have you been properly trained, miko?” Sesshomaru inquired. She gave an obvious flinch.

 

“Here and there,” she replied, fixing her burning gaze on him. It was amazing how hot those cool sapphire pools could look.

 

He blinked. “Would 'here and there' be implying training in both times, or immensely infrequently?”

 

A little flush sprinkled itself onto her cheeks, barely there. “I'd be leaning towards the 'infrequently' one...” She forced her face to its normal tone. “But that doesn't say I'm horrible at using my powers, got it?!”

 

He blinked again. “On the contrary, it screams it.”

 

Did she think he would melt under her stare eventually?

 

“You are SUCH an ASS!” she yelled, a warm evening breeze suddenly tossing her hair. She raked it under control with her nails, and quickly continued. “So what if I haven't had a ridiculous amount of training? I can get over this infection, I just need ti-”

 

“You do not have time,” he bit out, making her stand still with a slightly worried expression. He moved more quickly than she could register, and placing his right palm on her wound and gripping. She buckled, a cut off cry escaping her.

 

Not wanting her to fall out of his grasp, Sesshomaru placed his left hand around her hip and pulled her to him, her frail body pressed firmly to his armor. Her right palm lifted to push away, and Sesshomaru became a bit exasperated. She needed to know the seriousness of this.

 

He focused some energy into her wound, making it react to the familiar essence. The miko bit her lip and slammed her forehead against his chest, trying to make him let go and quite possibly breaking her nose against the rim of his armor. She was so weak, and had so much potential. Not that he would ever let her reach that potential, least he have to fear for his life. But this being who activated the well, whether she knew it or not, needed to stay alive.

 

“I know you feel what this taint does,” he stated, unable to keep the gravely growl of displeasure from his words. “How it seeps with a cold poison through your body, and touches your soul. How weak you physically become, and how your powers overexert themselves to compensate for lost time. You can seal your soul from this taint, but not your body.” He squeezed her shoulder, making her cry out in pain and slam her fist against his arm. It wasn't the pressure on the bite which hurt her, but his contact was enhancing the spread of her taint. “The more it seeps, the worse this will get, little miko. What do you think you can do when this enters your blood?” A whimper was his reply. He stepped away and let go, and she went to her knees yet again that evening, clutching herself like she was suddenly dropped into winter conditions, shivering uncontrollably.

 

It took her quite a while to regain herself, trying to stand at first but deciding that sitting on the ground against the wall would be better.

 

“Why?” she finally managed, raising her head. He was surprised to see tears streaming down her cheeks. Did it really hurt that bad? “Why are you trying to make my life hell?”

 

He felt himself frown slightly. “It certainly seems easy to do. However, this you have brought onto yourself.”

 

Her lips trembled and she lowered her forehead to her raised knees, arms hugging her legs. He was not the type to sympathize a downward emotional spiral, let alone tolerate it. He smoothly knelt down and grabbed her chin harshly, bringing her eyes to his.

 

“Do you want to die?” he asked, holding her as she tried to shake her head away.

 

“What? I can't even cry!?” she whimpered. “You're such a-”

 

“Not by my hand,” he stated. “We already established this.”

 

She was looking more haggard and miserable by the second as the gears in her mind turned.

 

“No,” she cried, her hot tears following his finger and thumb where they seized her face. She was crying so hard that her eyes leaked in both corners and flowed over her lower lashes. “I don't want to die! I haven't even been kissed yet, for kami's sake!!”

 

... That had NOTHING to do with what was at hand... But, apparently, she wanted to live, whatever her reasons may be.

 

“Good,” he stated, releasing her. “Then go to sleep, and be ready to learn how to survive when you wake up.”

 

She blinked up at him, confused, but excused herself with a nod. She needed to use the wall to get to her feet, and followed it into her home.

 

Sesshomaru heard the mother asking frantic questions when the door closed, and walked away. Oh, the unnecessary things he got himself into... First lordship, then becoming a master, then an adoptive father, then a guard. Now he had a night before becoming a miko trainer. But that last would be a short experience, and very limited. Even though he was a demon, he was indeed not ignorant of spiritual powers. He knew more about them that the woman who was currently crawling up the stairs on all fours for her bedroom. And tomorrow, she'll know exactly why.