InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tale of the Twins ❯ Chapter Twenty-Two: Quick Recovery ( Chapter 22 )

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

Chapter Twenty-Two

Quick Recovery

He was only dimly aware of what was going on. He was aware of someone cursing at him, lifting him up and carrying him away. He could hear voices. They sounded worried. There was one in particular—a scratchy, annoying voice—that was screaming hysterically until someone else physically shut the voice up. Good. The owner of that voice should be in pain for being so annoying…

He couldn't seem to figure out why. Nothing made sense. He felt so dizzy, and his mind was spinning. Couldn't think straight…

“It's a bullet wound,” he heard a female voice discern. “Rin, keep the twins away.”

“Sesshoumaru…? Is he gonna be all right?” another female voice wondered, this one more tentative, more frightened.

“We hope so. Naraku, can you hold Sesshoumaru down?”

“No,” he said flatly, but the youkai felt weight on his arms and shoulders anyway. He realized that he was lying on the grass on his stomach. How had he gotten outside? There had been fire. Yes, fire. Fire everywhere—and the smoke… No air. Can't breathe… If he just went to sleep, it would stop… Sesshoumaru's breathing slowed.

“I'm glad you went back, Naraku,” Iria said quietly. She looked at Naraku. “You have to keep him awake. It's vitally important that he doesn't fall asleep.”

Naraku tilted Sesshoumaru's head a little. “Sesshoumaru. Listen to me. Stay awake.”

“… No…” He blinked slowly.

“Stay awake.”

“Stay… awake?”

“That's right. Stay awake.”

“Keep talking to him. Keep him calm,” Iria instructed. Naraku did so, mostly babbling nonsense—anything to keep Sesshoumaru's attention—to keep him from wandering off in to sleep. Sesshoumaru heard the sound of clothing ripping. He realized that it had to be his. Cold night air hit his exposed flesh, cooling his throbbing back. It felt good. He wanted to go to sleep, but Naraku kept talking to him—more at him than to him, though. He was insistent that he not fall asleep. Fine, he could stay awake… Just a little bit longer… He could do that. Naraku seemed to think it was important, so it probably was.

He felt some pressure on his back, near the wound. He was aware that, distantly, this was probably going to hurt like hell. Most of Iria's remedies were pain-based, after all. He braced for it. Something metal was pushed down inside him. He stiffened. It wasn't so much painful as completely unnerving. It would be very, very easy for Iria to kill him right now. Very easy… He heard both Iria and Naraku warn him to stay still, so he did.

He gasped a little when Iria tilted the metal thing. He heard metal clink against metal. There was a deft, quick movement, a tearing open of his flesh, and the metal thing was gone. He sort of flinched. Iria and Naraku once again told him to be still. He felt something cold and wet touch the wound, cleaning off the fresh blood. She held it there until the blood ceased, slowly.

Then, she began the work of stitching the small wound. If she left it alone, it would heal on its own, but this would be faster. In a youkai, internal wounds were the quickest to heal, so she didn't worry about that.

Slowly, as he felt the needle and the rather painful thread stitch his skin back together, he began to recover some of his lost blood. Slowly, the world made sense again.

He looked at Naraku. “Why did you come back?”

Naraku held up a small, slender wooden case. “It was in the basement. I had forgotten about it.”

“What's that?”

Naraku smiled and opened the lid of the case. He unwrapped the portrait and turned it to him. Sesshoumaru scowled at him. “My return for it probably saved your life.”

Sesshoumaru looked away. Father died in a fire. Now I know what it was like. Bleeding, dizzy, not being able to breathe…

“For that, I thank you. But you should have let that disgraceful thing burn.”

Naraku rolled his eyes and rewrapped it. He set it back in the case and closed the lid, locking it again.

Iria snipped the thread and put her things back inside her box. “Now Sesshoumaru needs a new haori.”

Sesshoumaru sat up. He had never taken to western clothing—he didn't like the way it felt. Naraku didn't care one way or another. Rin had taken right to it, and Iria right alongside her. To those girls, it was like playing dress up every day—as adults.

“No one thought to bring anything of the sort, did you?” Sesshoumaru wondered vaguely. If not, he was intent on going back to Japan for a new one.

Rin and Naraku exchanged glances. Slowly, both of them smiled. “Naraku brought one… But you won't want anything to do with it,” Rin said with a giggle.

Sesshoumaru looked at Naraku suspiciously. Naraku feigned innocence. “It's… Rin's,” he lied.

“It would never fit me,” Rin pointed out. Iria suddenly caught on. Sesshoumaru refused to think about what this meant. The twins didn't understand at all.

“Why wouldn't Sesshy-kun want anything to do with it?” Shuarra Meitsuki wondered.

“Is it that bad?” Kuraimaru asked.

“He would think so,” Naraku answered.

“What is it?” the twins asked in perfect unison.

Rin hid a smile. “A… kimono…”

“Shuarra is confused…”

“Rin-chan, could you explain?”

She stifled a giggle. “A woman's kimono…”

Sesshoumaru looked at Naraku angrily for a moment before stalking off.

“Where are you going?” Naraku demanded.

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder. “Japan. I'll catch up with you in two weeks or so.”

“You can't be serious.”

“I am.”

Naraku raised an eyebrow. “If you would just become female, then—“ A rock came sailing through the air. Naraku tilted his head so that it missed him and hit Jaken, who had been standing a bit behind him. Sesshoumaru jumped up in the air and sailed off. Jaken danced to and fro, wailing about being left behind. Everyone ignored him, until his wailing became annoying. Kuraimaru kicked him with a spinning kick, sending the imp sprawling.

“Aren't you going too, Naraku?” Rin wondered.

Naraku glanced at Sesshoumaru. “Maybe. Would all of you be all right?”

Rin nodded. “Of course.”

The hanyou looked around, then spotted a good place farther away. That decided, he raised his barrier and expanded it to include everyone. He picked a spot that was far away from civilization, nearby a stream of fresh water, and had a wide enough space for his design. He created an illusionary house. “Stay here until we return,” he said.

The others had no problems with that. He left the kimono, the scrolls, and the special and very old portrait of a female child Sesshoumaru with Rin for safekeeping. He headed out after the headstrong youkai.