InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Death of the Moon ❯ Restless nights and Midnight Baths ( Chapter 8 )

AN: I don't own Inuyasha so please just read.

Restless nights and Midnight baths

He guided her through the halls, roughly holding onto her arm and thrust her into a room. A servant had been walking beside them and Rin, the demon prince turned to him, "You will seal her in this room."

"N..now wait a minute!"

He gazed at her cooly. "I will not risk letting you, either of you," he said pointedly, "Wandering around my home. Especially when one of you wants to kill me." While he spoke the servant was putting scrolls on the windows and Rin waited happily by his side. Kagome had already explained the difference to her about good blue-gray eyed Kagome and bad silver eyed Tsukinoshi (with a bit of help from Sesshoumaru who thought the eye color was improtant enough to mention since it was the only thing that one could really use to tell the differance for those without a youkai sense of smell).

"Well can't you seal me into a wing and not just a room!? I mean after getting all sweaty from your dumb tail I need to take a bath. And I know I certainly don't want anyone watching over me while I do that!" Sesshoumaru raised a brow, but Kagome didn't notice. She had been fighting Tsukinoshi actively since Sesshoumaru caved in her hideout, and it was wearing on her. Every once in a while the demoness would make herself known with a nasty comment that would actually manage to phase the stoic man.

"In the morning we shall see." They left the room the servant closing the doors behind them. She sighed before hearing him on the other side of the door. "Tomorrow I want you to seal her into an area between here and the nearest bath. Do not forget the windows." She smiled lightly. "The woman is fortunate I value cleanliness."

Kagome turned and gasped as she saw herself in the vanity mirror. At least... what she assumed was herself. Two streaks of red in her hair and a big red clump in the middle of her bangs. Some of her hair was put up into a bun, but the bottom half and the red streaks flowed freely from it. She went to run a hand through her hair and stopped when she saw the red mark on her forehead. A sword through a cresant moon. "The death of the moon..." she whispered.

She took her hand down, then stared at it. Her nails were slightly longer than they had been yesterday and curved as though they were... "They're growing into claws?"

She looked up again and jumped back as the reflection had turned to that of who she assumed to be Tsukinoshi. With the exception of the face, the hair brushed to show her forehead, and a few additional demonic features like a black tail, she looked the same as Kagome. "Hello dear how are you?" She asked mocking politeness.

"What's happening to me?"

"Oh that?" She waved a hand as though it were nothing, "Your body's just changing to suit me better that's all."

"What!?"

"It happens with varying speeds depening on the person I possess." She grinned, "Since your mind is taking longer your body is changing faster, isn't that interesting? Most humans are so easy to overcome so the body usually takes weeks to change completely. Youkai are a whole other matter entirely though."

"Do you ever shut up about yourself?"

"Aww what's a matter?"

"I'm possessed and kidnapped what do you think?" Kagome huffed and sat down on the chair infront of the mirror, she would ignore the woman and just brush her hair. Suddenly she wondered why Sesshoumaru didn't just throw her in a dungeon. Unless he doesn't keep prisoners and just kills people... Naw he was too cruel he'd probably love to make people suffer for long periods... right? Kagome gulped. What if there was no cure, or worse what if he just didn't care and he'd just keep her here for the rest of her life!

"So the big bad prince isn't as bad as he seems is he?"

"be quite..." Kagome muttered to the reflection not looking up from her hair.

"I mean look at this nice room he gave you..."

"What are you- you kow what, never mind."

"And he's so pretty compared to that half-breed runt brother of his."

She cast a disinterested glare at the silver eyed relfection, "Gag me ok?"

"And that nice soft tail... bet he has allot of uses for that."

She cast the youkai an odd look then seeing her grin Kagome stood, "You're disgusting."

Tsukinoshi put her head and one hand and disinterestedly examined the nails of the other. "Acutally what's disgusting is that dead woman Kikyou woman trying to steal Inu Yasha."

Kagome turned away from the reflection. "Don't start."

"She's dead as a door nail and he still wants her... Why is that?"

"Shut up..."

"Maybe he likes 'em cold."

"shut.. up..."

"I mean he hasn't made a move on you yet so it's obvious that he doesn't want you."

"SHUT UP!"

"Oh come on can't take the truth? All you'll ever be is a replacement."

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Kagome picked up the stool and threw it at the mirror. But the mirror was made of polished metal so she didn't get the satifying crash of broken glass as the chair rebounded off it. Though now there was a significant dent in it which warped her reflection. For now it seemed, Tsukinoshi was gone. Her eyes burned and a tear tracked down one side then the other. Exhausted from fighting the woman all day she fell to the floor and let herself cry.

Deep in her mind Tsukinoshi laughed. She didn't have access to all her memories, she actually only could see the darker ones. The truly desperate moments, and her doubts and fears. All those wonderful "what if's" that plagued Kagome's mind. Even though she didn't see it all it had been more than she would ever need to find the halfling, since many of her doubts and times of sadness, distress and anger were because of him. "By the time I'm done with you, you won't want to come out anymore," she mused to herself.

After a few minutes Kagome decided to go to bed as she stripped off her clothes she found a knife strapped to her waist, not knowing what else to do with it Kagome put it the drawer of the vanity. She was actually quite happy to find out that Tsukinoshi decided to keep her underwear. She eyed her relfection quickly to make sure it was hers before going over to the closet. There was not much there, a sleeping gown and two other kimonos. Since her options were limited she put on the sleeping gown and folded Tsukinoshi's clothes since she would likely have to wear them again sometime and she hated wrinkles.

She blew out the few lamps in the room and lay down on the bed, surprisingly it didn't take her too long to get to sleep.

* * * * * *

Sesshoumaru's eyes opened. Why did he wake up? It was never for no reason and by the moon's position outside his window it was still hours till dawn. He looked around his room, Rin had not come in from nightmares and Jaken knew better. So he listened with his ears and heard it, a scream. Rin? No.. the voice was to old... to angry. Then there was another shout, this one more pained and desperate. The girl is fighting the demon? He was trying to decided whether or not if he should go back to sleep when he heard a crash. Well he supposed he should get up to protect his belonings. He quickly grabbed a robe and walked out into the hall.

* * * * * *

Tsukinoshi got up out of the bed, it was very easy to take control when the girl was sleeping, her guard not active. She stretched and examined her claws, they were the right shape, but still lacked the strength needed to make them that useful. She got the dagger then walked over to the window and opened the curtains letting the moonlight shine in. She went to open the window and couldn't. She tried again pushing harder and this time was zapped painfully. "Chikuso" she cursed rubbing her hand. She walked over to the door and recieved the same effect, only when she pulled harder she was thrown halfway to the bed. She screamed with rage and got up and pounded on the door.

She grabbed tightly onto the handles she could feel Kagome waking from the last scream, if she had to feel it so would the witch. Tsukinoshi braced herself and pulled hard on the door. Kagome's eyes flashed open and she began to scream, but she couldn't let go! "STOP!" Finally she gained the strength to lossen her grip and this time was thrown almost to the bed.

"Ruin my fun why don't you?" Tsukinoshi muttered. She grabbed the toppled stool from earlier and threw it out the window. She headed back to the window, maybe if the physical barrier was gone she would be able to get out, but when she went to reach her hand out of it it still would not go pass the barrier.

"We can't get out! Just stop it already!"

"Shut up girl!" She pulled the dagger off her belt and stabbed herself/Kagome in the arm. As a demon she was used to much more pain, the girl however, was not.

Kagome screamed at the same time the door flew open, the lanterns in the room flittering to light with the movement of the door. She fell to her knees grasping her arm under where the knife was still embeded in it. "GET OUT!" she screamed.

"sorry... can't help you.. there..." Tsukinoshi's voice was fading in and out. Dammit the wards have weakened me!

At first Sesshoumaru had thought the girl meant him but soon he realized she was talking to herself... sort of. Her own hand reached up and twisted the knife and she sobbed loudly. "How does that feel girl?" It was odd to hear one's tone switch so dramatically, from violent sobs to sadistic joy and back again.

Sesshoumaru went over and held the girl down. One of his legs held hers down at the ankles. His tail pinned her shoulders and her blue-gray eyes pleaded for help. Dammit he never could deny a girl in pain. "This will hurt," he said and with no other warning ripped the dagger out. She cried out and he tossed it aside, fortunately for her the blade was smooth and not jagged. She tried to stop her crying as he examined her arm."You are lucky, this will heal." She looked at him and nodded, to let him know she heard. "I am going to let you up, I want you to sit on the bed, can you keep control?"

Again she nodded.

"Then do it." He let her up and she did as he said. She sat at the foot of the bed and watched him as he went to a bowl in one corner of the room. He came back over with the bowl and some cloths drapped over his arm. He knelt down beside the bed, his head still higher than hers. She gasped when the end of his tail wrapped around her hand and pulled her arm out. He put the bowl of water on the ground and took one of the cloths. She winced and tried to pull her hand away the first time the cloth touched her wound. "Do not be so weak." was all he said.

He looked at it, her blood was getting all over her clothes and the sheets, especially since the blade had gone all the way through her arm. He wrapped the cloth around her arm. "Press on the top." He said. She didn't respond and he looked up at her her eyes were distant. Is she going into shock? "Hey!" he barked sharply and she turned to him. "I only have one arm. You have to apply pressure to the top so we can stop the bleeding."

She nodded dumbly and did as he said. She gasped again as he pushed harder and told her to do so as well. A few tears slipped through from the pain. "It is not that bad, you've seen me do worse to Inu Yasha."

She looked up at him almost accusingly then realized his head was above hers while he was kneeling. He's so tall!... well this bed is lower than mine but... "But I'm human... at least.. I used to be." She looked down at her hand and examined her nails, tears welling again. "I don't want to change... I'm happy with who I am."

If only I could be, he thought to himself. If he had been happy with his own strength he would not have been after Tetsusaiga like he was. It was good that she started talking though, maybe if he kept her talking she would not go completely into shock. He was sure that if she really did Tsukinoshi would gain control again and he didn't want to deal with her this late at night "The change is slowing," he said absently, "I think because you are fighting her so hard."

"How do you know?"

"By how much you've changed over time." He said factually looking at her as though it were obvious. "I can smell the difference in degree. The change has become less and less each time. From when you went in the well and came out, to when I fought you... her. till now. My guess is at first you couldn't hold her back because you didn't know how. Once you found out it became eaiser."

Kagome looked at the floor in thought. "She let me take control a few times with Rin, I guess she didn't want to risk killing her yet and she knew I had the patience to take care of her. That and when you used Tenseiga on me it really helped." Her eyes widened as she realized the end of his tail was stroking her hand. She glanced back at him then back at the floor, from the look on his face he didn't seem to notice.

"What?"

She hid the reason for her surprise with another realization. "You saw when Inu Yasha took me through the well? You were... watching us?"

"I came across your battle site and something was odd about the smells. I suppose one would not guess it but I am somewhat inquisitive by nature." He turned his face to hers, "How does that work?"

"eh?"

"The well."

"Oh... it leads to my...world only Inu Yasha and I can go through, but I can't come back unless I have a shikon shard."

"Is your home bad?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"You keep coming here and fighting demons, you must not like your home."

"No it's great, it's just well..." she turned her eyes to the ground and he watched her quietly, waiting for her to answer. She muttered out some jumbled words.

"Nanda?"

"I'm the one who broke it..."

She broke the Shikon no Tama?

He looked at her arm, "We can stop now."

"Huh? oh yeah." She was surprised he did not make some comment about her confession. Nothing that said "how did you manage something that stupid?" or "Do you realize what you did?" or anything and for that she was grateful.

He took off the blood soaked cloth, wet another and began cleaning the wound. Then it suddenly struck her as odd that he would know how to treat wounds. "How do you know how to do this? I mean you heal so fast why bother knowing how to bind wounds."

"Some youkai have poisons that slow or prevent healing." He answered simply and continued his administrations. They sat there in silence for some time while he tended her arm. Her hand in his tail twicthing from time to time from contact on the wound or his stroking tail she wasn't completely sure. He looked up when he finished and noticed a little bit of red in her cheeks. "Do you have a fever?"

"huh? why?"

"Your cheeks are red."

This only made her blush deeper. He looked at her curiously and got up going back to the corner where the bowl had been. She pulled her sleeping robe tighter about her when the contact was gone. He grabbed a large drying cloth and threw it in the air. She watched somewhat amazed as his hand blured in motion before snatching the towel out of the air. When he brought it over she realized it had been cut into one long strip. He wrapped it around her forearm with less difficulty one might imagine of a one armed man. "I'll need you to help me tie it."

"uh...h.. hai." she nodded.

When it was tied and he stood and looked down at himself and her. Far too much red for his tastes, it was on his tail and their clothes. He reached his hand up to his face and she suddenly looked quite scared when his licked his fingers. "What?"

"y yy you're umm.. my..."

He blinked at her then looked at his hand. "Oh... habit." The he looked at her oddly, "Why hasn't Tsukinoshi come out yet?"

"Huh? I guess the wards made her weaker, I think she only had so much control immediately after because I was in panicking and in pain. Maybe she's... sleeping?"

"Do you want to bathe?"

"eh?" Kagome nearly fell over at the abrubt change in subject.

"You are half covered in your own blood. But I would have to watch you."

"N..n...nani?" She blinked then turned red, "YOU PERVERT!"

He raised a brow, "Actually most youkai don't particularly care. I am one of them. I will at least be in the room so you won't escape. It's that or wait till morning."

Kagome was throughly disgusted and she really wanted to bathe, but could she trust Sesshoumaru. Whoa, whoa, whoa... Trust Sesshoumaru!? What the hell am I thinking!? Then again I never expected him to play doctor either. She stopped at the thought. Ewwww.. mind out of the gutter out of the gutteroutofthegutter.

"Well?"

"Could you, like.. stay turned around?"

He eyed her sternly, more of the Sesshoumaru she was used to seeing. "How about you keep a towel around you and I won't keep an eye on you the whole time."

"Deal." She jumped up then immediately fell back on the bed, dizzy from blood loss. He sighed and walked to the door. He removed the wards from either side as she slowly got up. He kept them in his hand and she walked towards him, his tail wrapped around her good arm and gave her a look as if to say "you know why."

They reached the bathroom and she was guided in first, then he closed the door putting the seals on either side. While he was busy doing that Kagome shed her robe and quickly wrapped a towel about herself. He was done fast enough to catch a glimpse of her back he raised a brow . From what he saw her skin was narly flawless save the scar near her waist, he turned away and walked towards the bath.

When she had first seen it Kagome had thought it was equal to a small swimming pool but when she got closer she realized it was a natural hot spring, it just had tile put around it and the rocks smoothed to make it more pleasant. She looked over as Sesshoumaru sat on the side of the bath washing off some on the blood on his tail, which he seemed quite intent upon. She was on the opposite side and held the towel out like a screen while washing the blood that had gotten on her leg and side. Then she eased into the hot water, keeping her wounded arm dry. Kagome looked up as Sesshoumaru stood, then blushed violently and turned her head away as he began to disrobe. She also put a hand over her face for good measure.

He heard her quiet yelp and glanced in her direction, shaking his head at her human modesty, then wrapped his tail about his "important parts" (for her benifit?) before entering the water while staying on his side of the bath. He relaxed in the hot waters and closed his eyes.

After a minute she peaked through her fingers, to make sure he was in, then removed her hand from her face. She was about to make some comment about being more modest or giving warning when she noticed his left arm, or lack thereof. It was not scarred, or extremely hideous or anything... it just wasn't there. It just stopped. It reminded her of the Venus de Milo in that way.

Sesshoumaru could feel her eyes on him, at first he tried to ignore it, then it started to irritate him. His head still tilted down he opened his eyes to look at her. He didn't have to guess what she was looking at. "Girl. Don't."

She blinked, blushed then bowed her head. "I... I'm sorry."

He closed his eyes again. "Don't be, it will grow back... in about two centuries... maybe." His voice actually seemed rather bitter.

"Umm... why don't you use Tenseiga to heal it?"

He didn't answer for some time, Kagome had almost thought he had fallen asleep. "Tenseiga... I suppose Tenseiga does not like me much."

"But... it saved you from the Wound of the Wind."

He opened his eyes again and raised his head, "It likes me enough to keep me alive, not enough to give my arm back."

"W..well maybe it's uhh..." Should she say it? It would be rather rude of her.

Why is she stuttering again? "What?"

"Maybe it's because you're not that nice." Both his brows raised that she had the nerve to say it. She didn't notice however, because she was staring at the water. "Well I mean... you don't exactly appreciate it. And ummm... it is a life saving sword and you're all about killing, and well... you're mean."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and stood. She looked up at the movement of water and nearly averted her eyes when she noticed his tail covered him. She sighed in relief and

got out of the water too. She made a slight yelp when she realized that the wet cloth she had wrapped around her did not hide quite as much as modern towels. She hurried over to pile the dry towels and switched them, while somehow managing to not expose herself to him. As she went to grab another for her hair her hand brushed Sesshoumaru's. Not looking at him she withdrew her hand and went to find a clean robe instead.

He watched her quizzically then shrugged it off, slightly annoyed that he needed so many towels himself, one for him, his hair, and his tail. He supposed it was that human modesty thing she was nervous about. -Ugh- it was a pain to dry his hair with one hand.

"Umm.. "

"What?" He was getting somewhat annoyed with her right now.

"How come the seals only work on me?"

He did not look at her, too busy tending to his hair and fur. "When I realized who was in you I sent Jaken ahead to have the seals made. They're made especially for her."

She tilted her head towards him "So you planned on letting me live from the start?"

Sesshoumaru glanced over to her, looks like she found one of his bathrobes... oh well. It was mildly comical how long it was on her, the slack on the ground and over her hands made her look like a child of Rin's age. "I planned on keeping Tsukinoshi until I could get rid of her from the start. You being alive is just a necessity."

Her face looked hurt but he continued with his chore and seemed not to notice or care. Quietly she walked over to the door and waited silently for him to finish up. Well not silently to him, his sensitive ears picked up her heartbeat and breathing. He paused for an instant when her scent altered slightly, not that Tsukinoshi had taken control but Kagome's change in emotion finally made it to her scent and to his nose. He snorted and began tending to his tail. Why is she upset? Did she forget who I am?... Admit it YOU almost forgot who you were when you first walked in and turned into a nursemaid. The things I do... and she's HUMAN. Aside from Rin I haven't cared for a human since... never. Alright there was that one girl when I was only seventy...

Kagome was startled breifly when she heard a growl from Sesshoumaru's direction. One glance told her she was safe. At least I think so. It looked more like he was frustrated, trying to solve a complicated algebra equation he just couldn't get, and it was pissing him off.

After another minute or so he put a robe on and removed the wards. In silence he walked her back to her room and replaced the wards. "Sesshoumaru?" he turned his eyes to her, they look cold like they normally were. "... Thank you.. for taking care of my arm." He simply looked at her nodded then closed the door. Kagome didn't know why, but she giggled before turning to turn off the lamps and return to sleep.

Sesshoumaru gave the door an odd look when he heard the laugh, but he just shook his head and went back to his room to sleep.

* * * * * *