InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Poison of Erised! ❯ Chapter Seven - A Tale of Myth and Legend! ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven - A Tale of Myth and Legend!

The Poison of Erised!

by Vyncent

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::This story contains GRAPHIC violence, sexual content! You are WARNED::

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor any of the associated characters. But it ain't because I don't want or wish to do so.

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It looked to be another fine day. The birds were happily welcoming the rise of the morning sun, as the clouds drifted lazily along, unconcerned about the daily lives of those creatures that haunted the earth below. The nightly predators and their likely prey were drifting into their own dreams, as the daily critters stretched, yawned, shook off their slumbers, and proceeded with their daytime lives.

The same could almost be said for the ragtag group of adventures, currently beginning to stir in the small encampment by the rippling waters of a nearby stream. No one in the group had noticed anything unusual during the night. Nor did any of them notice the flash of red returning shortly before sunrise, and settling into the branches of the tree just above a sleeping Miko.

As was common, not long after the rise of the sun, life in the little camp began to stir. Soon, a small kitsune and neko youkai were stretching, yawning, rubbing the last bit of sleep from their eyes, and heading for the nearby stream to refresh themselves and bring water back for making breakfast. In the mean time, a houshi and a Taijiya awoke with the sound of a resounding ::SLAP:: followed almost immediately by the echo of ::HENTAI::. It was more than clear that the pair were awake and about.

Shortly after this, Inuyasha jumped down from his perch to join them, but noticing that just like had occurred on a prior morning, Kagome didn't stir as was her normal want. Not being to sure of what the reason might be, he took the time to check her for a fever. He was quite alarmed to find that she did indeed have one. In fact, it was worse than it had been the last time.

As she had made a remarkable recovery the last time, they had slowed their head long pace to Kaede's, although they were still headed in that direction. Still it was almost two weeks away to the village at their normal pace, about one if they pushed themselves as they had before. If Inuyasha took Kagome himself, instead of waiting for the others, he could make it in about five days.

"Something is wrong with Kagome," he told the others as they came up to see why he was hovering over the onna. "That fever that she had the other day is back, but worse, and she is not waking up again."

Miroku moved beside the unconscious girl, noting how flushed her skin appeared and the beads of perspiration that were forming on her heated skin, already soaking her clothes. Her skin was hot to the touch, and while she seemed to be breathing evenly, she was panting rather than the normal breathing that one would expect.

"Do you smell anything unusual on her or about her, Inuyasha?" asked Miroku as he checked her pulse, something she had taught him to do long ago. Her heart beat was steady, but just like her breathing it was faster that should normally be the case. "Was there anything unusual that you noticed during the night?"

That last question caught Inuyasha off guard, but he covered his discomfort under the guise of leaning down to check her scent. Taking a deep breath, and pulling her scent deep into his nose, he didn't find anything unexpected. At least nothing that he recognized, although there was just enough of a change in her normal scent to recognized that she had a fever, and seemed to be ill, but nothing to identify the illness itself.

"I didn't see anything during the night," was his reply. Well, he hadn't, but then he could not have seen anything as he was not here. He didn't mention that, however. "Other than the scent of her fever, I can't find anything in her scent to identify any illness."

He paused a moment to take in her scent again. Something faint seemed to catch his attention, but it was so weak that he had almost missed it before. It had the lightest scent of herbs, and something else. Something that tickled the back of his mind, like he should know what it was, but it was just to faint to remember.

"There is something odd about her scent. It is too faint to grasp enough to tell what it is," he said in a slightly distracted tone.

"What does it smell like?" asked Sango in concern. She had some knowledge of poisons and Potions because of her background as a Taijiya.

"There is the faint scent of herbs, and something else," said Inuyasha, the frustration apparent in his tone. "It is so faint, however, that I can't quite figure out what the mix of herbs are, and the other smell....it seems familiar, but it is not strong enough for me to figure out what it is."

"Herbs and another scent," repeated Miroku, who also had some knowledge of poisons and Potions. His own background as a wandering houshi had given him lots of experience with many herbs, both for healing, seasoning food, and for use in Potions and poisons. "Hmmm! The other scent....could it possibly be blood?"

"That's a good question houshi," spoke up Sango, "There are not too many things that can be combined with herbs in Potions or poisons, except some minerals, and various essences of the body. Perhaps a Potion was given to Kagome at some point. Something that was tailored to only affect her."

Miroku spoke up, "If that is so, then it is possible that whoever gave it to her, bound it to her blood by mixing hers, and their own together. My experience in this kind of Potion is limited. Kaede-baa-chan would know more, especially as she is a miko."

Inuyasha took another whiff of Kagome's scent. With the additional information that the houshi and the Taijiya were providing, it made him even more anxious to determine what was wrong with Kagome and what this unknown smell tainting her own natural scent was. Shippou, too, tried to help by scenting Kagome, as well.

Both looked at each other, as though trying to confirm their respective findings. By unspoken agreement, they both nodded and turned to the others.

"Inuyasha is right," Shippou spoke up first. "There is a faint smell to Kagome's scent that seems like a mixture of herbs and something else. While it is too faint, even for me to identify it exactly, it does appear to be blood. There is something strange about the mix though!"

"What do you mean Shippou?" asked Sango, "Strange in what way?"

Shippou looked thoughtful for a the moment. He thought he understood some of what he smelled, but being a young kit, his only advantage over Inuyasha, was that he had the sense of smell of a full blood youkai. He lacked the experience that the others had, and not having experienced anything like this before, he found the words difficult to put together.

"Well," he said, "it is like whatever she was given was meant to be bound to her blood, but it seems that it bound itself to more than just that. The blood that I smell, doesn't smell like normal blood, but I don't think it is because it was that way to begin with. It changed after she was given whatever this stuff was."

Something about this whole mess rang familiar to Inuyasha, but at the same time, it was odd enough to have him at a loss for what was happening or why. It didn't help that he was sure that if he could only identify who the blood scent belonged to, he could find more answers to his questions. But whatever had happened to what Kagome had been given, prevented him from being able to determine to whom the strange smelling blood belonged.

"Fuck!" he cursed viciously. "Damn it all to hell, anyway. Whatever it is that has changed the stuff she was given, is what keeps me from being able to identify the owner of the blood. Shippou is right. Whatever she was given, seems to have changed some how, beyond what it was when she was first given the stuff."

"Then it is possible," spoke up Miroku, "that whoever it was that gave her this Potion, did not expect the changes that have taken place. It might have something to do with Kagome's unusually strong and unpredictable Miko powers. Perhaps they are the reason that the Potion she was given has changed. If this was supposed to bind to her blood, but her powers in some way interfered, then it is possible that the Potion bound this strange unknown blood, to not only her own blood, but to her body, her mind, and her soul."

"Hmmm!" Sango spoke up thoughtfully, "My father used to speak of a Potion that could be given to anyone. It was rare, and to make it takes almost a year. The person, or persons who wanted to give this to Kagome, would have the patience of a saint, to go through so much trouble."

"If I remember correctly, there was only one known person, and old witch, who knew how to make the Potion. I do not recall her name, or where she lives," Sango continued, "but father used to say that this old witch was not known to give that Potion to anyone. It was a recipe of her own design, and she swore that it would bind two people so that the one given the Potion was driven to desire the person who was giving the Potion. Supposedly, it would bind the two permanently."

"Kaede-baa-chan might know more of this," Miroku said, "or even Myouga. This sounds like something that he would be able to find out more about or already know. Especially if it is as obscure as it seems to be. The foremost question that I have at this point, is if the old witch would not give this Potion to anyone, how did someone get it, who was it, and why did they wish to give it to Kagome? More importantly, why would the old witch have such a Potion, but not be willing to give it to others to use?"

"When you said," Inuyasha spoke up, a concerned look of confusion on his face, "that the Potion caused the person to which it was given, to desire the person who was giving it, exactly what did you mean, Sango?"

Sango thought for a moment, not because she didn't understand the question, or know the answer, but because she wanted to be careful how she worded it. There was a underlying sense of anger growing in the hanyou, and it would not help Kagome or any of them if he lost control of his feelings right now.

"From the limited information that father told me about this," Sango stated carefully, "the original intent of the Potion is to bind two people together by their blood, so that the one who is given the Potion desires...lusts...for the person who has given the Potion. If the giver calls to the given, they must respond to the call, or suffer excruciating pain and eventual death. Whoever gave Kagome that Potion, has bound her to them. They desire her, and were willing to take extreme measures to have her...and mate with her. Father used to speak of how it was once used to bind two youkai together, or even two ningen. He never spoke of why the old witch refused to give the Potion to anyone. Presumably, she did give it to those willing to pay for it at sometime, but later changed her mind, for reasons that apparently almost no one knows."

A low and vicious growl emanated from the hanyou. Even with Tetsusaiga at his hip, the suggestion of red could be seen beginning to cloud his golden orbs. He was already flexing his claws, looking for someone, anyone to attack and take his rage out on.

"We need to do something quick about this fever, Inuyasha," spoke up Miroku. He needed to redirect Inuyasha's attention back to Kagome and away from the rage that was building in the hanyou. "If we do not get it to come down, and her breathing to something like normal, she could go into convulsions."

The tactic seemed to work, as the hanyou was pulled immediately from his raging anger, back to his concern for Kagome. Seeing her lying there, panting heavily, and flushed with the fever that was leaving her drenched in sweat, hurt him more than he would admit to anyone, even himself. He lifted her in his arms, and immediately walked right out into the nearby stream.

He thought nothing of the fact that both were still fully clothed. His only concern was to find a way to cool her body down, and reduce her fever. He had heard Kagome mention at one time, while showing them all some of the basics of first aid from her time that it was not uncommon for the healers in her era to use ice to bring down high fevers quickly. While the stream was not ice, the water was icy, as the stream's source of water came from high in the mountains that they had just recently crossed over.

He only kept her in the water for a few moments. The water was too cold for more than that. Carefully he carried her back out of the stream, Sango standing nearby with a towel and blanket, to wrap her in until her clothes could be dried. Quickly, while he held up the blanket like a shield, Sango stripped the cold, wet clothing from the little Miko, and guided by her hands, while he kept his eyes closed, they wrapped her warmly in the blanket.

Shippou and Miroku refreshed the fire and laid out Kagome's clothes to dry. For once the hentai houshi was behaving himself, much to Sango's relief. He quickly put some water to boil and then took Shippou with him as they disappeared for a short time into the woods in search of some herbs for Kagome's fever, and food to supplement breakfast. A nice soup would help Kagome recover, and with this in mind the two looked for suitable wild vegetables, and game.

With Kagome safely bundled up in the warm blankets, Inuyasha settled near the campfire, holding her in his lap. Her fever had come down considerably, the cold water having the desired effect. Her breathing was still rapid, but even it was far more normal than it had been.

Shippou handed him a cup of tea for Kagome, and even though she was unconscious, he managed with some help from Shippou to get the little Miko to drink the warm liquid. The last thing that they needed was for her to get worse due to dehydration. So, the tea was soon followed by some broth, from the freshly made soup and from that point on, water was given as often as possible.

In the mean time, the group discussed their best options for getting Kagome some help. They were too far away from the well to take her home. Besides, if this was due to some kind of magic, then the healers of Kagome's time, could not help her. They would not know anything about magic, or Potions, and with all of their new fangled medicines, they might only make things worse.

The same was true of getting her to Kaede's. They were still almost two weeks away from the village proper. Still, Kaede knew Kagome best and had treated most all of their injuries over the last four years. She was the one who was the most familiar with Kagome's needs, and understood her Miko powers better than anyone.

Another miko or priest might do, but it was not something that Inuyasha was willing to consider. Familiarity was the better choice, especially considering all of the strange things and experiences that the group had been through. Kaede knew them all better, and understood much of what they had already experienced. With that in mind, they once again decided to head with all haste to the village.

By this time it was about noon, so the group decided that they would travel the rest of the day, and through the night. Pushing with everything they had, they traveled as before, Inuyasha carrying Kagome, and the others on Kirara.

By prior agreement, they continued to travel, even once the sun had set. As long as no one was exhausted, they felt it better to make as much ground as possible. With that in mind, they traveled through the night, not stopping until the rising sun greeted the tired travelers, the next morning.

Hastily camp was set up quickly, and ramen being quick to prepare, all ate, and then took their rest. Inuyasha held Kagome in his lap, carefully braced on a particularly large branch in a convenient tree. He was reluctant to let her out of his sight and determined to do what he could to protect her.

His thoughts were in a torrent of anger, bordering on rage, at the idea that someone, still unknown, had claimed her. He didn't know who, why, or when, and the how was almost as frustrating as everything else. To add insult to injury, it meant that the onna he had once thought to claim for himself, would very likely no longer be his for the claiming. If as seemed very likely, she had been claimed by a youkai, or even hanyou, then the bonding created due to the use of the Potion was permanent, and nothing but death could break it.

Who would go to such extremes? If, as Sango said, this Potion took that much time to create, then whoever it was must have had their eye on Kagome for at least a year if not more. They had to be very patient, and very determined. They also had to be using concealing and masking spells to hide their scent and cover their mark on her. This only added to the conviction that it had to be either a hanyou of considerable skill, or a powerful youkai. But who?

Could it have been Naraku? He was used to scheming and plotting, no matter how long it took. He would have the patience, but would he have known of the witch's Potion, and wanted Kagome that badly? No, the hanyou thought. It was most likely not Naraku. Naraku was not the type to seduce his enemies in that way. He was more inclined to have them turn against each other, and then kill themselves, or send some of his minions to do the job for him, or weaken them to the point that he could kill them himself.

Might it have been Kouga? At the thought of Kouga, the hanyou growled. Catching himself, he continued to consider the possibilities. True, Kouga thought of Kagome as his woman, and would not have a problem kidnapping her again, if push came to shove. But there were several good reasons why this could not be him.

One of which was that more than anything, the ookami prince had respect for the young Miko. After all, it was out of respect for her that he had given up wiping out defenseless villages with his ookami pack and mindlessly killing ningens.

Another reason was that he would not want to take Kagome without her complete consent. True, he wanted her and even considered her to be his, but he had never really forced himself on her, and seemed to respect her enough to not want to do so.

Besides, Kouga could not have gotten the Potion in the first place. If what Sango said about the creation of the Potion was true, Kouga would not have had the patience to wait for over a year to achieve his goals. He was as bad at blindly jumping into things, as Inuyasha in truth. He would be more inclined to just take her, than spend over a year planning something this elaborate.

In truth, there was only one person who might have been able to obtain such a Potion, even from one who supposedly swore that they would never give it to anyone. Only one person, who would have the patience to plan for over a year to put their scheme into action. There was just one major hitch to that theory, however, and that was the fact that Sesshoumaru hated ningens almost as much as he hated Naraku.

At the thought of his brother being the one to do this to Kagome, Inuyasha found himself chuckling. Still, a lingering doubt seemed to push at his mind, leaving him to truly wonder if it was not Sesshoumaru who had done this. If he hated ningens so much, why did he travel with a small ningen girl? Why did he let her follow him? Why did he protect her like she was one of his own? What would he hope to gain by making his claim on Kagome? Was it some kind of revenge meant to get back at Inuyasha? Would he have not preferred to just torture and kill Kagome, rather than take such elaborate measures? Was it possible that he actual wanted Kagome? If so, why?

With those last troubling thoughts firmly planted in his mind, Inuyasha closed his eyes, and let a light sleep claim him. It was not a restful sleep, as much as he needed one right now. It was wrought with troubled dreams and nightmare visions, all of which seemed to end with Kagome in his brother's arms, most of them willingly. It was a thought that troubled the hanyou more than he cared to admit.

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"Hmmm! Hmmm! Hmmm! Hmmm! Hmmm!" the every watchful Taiyoukai laughed. This was just so sweet. The hanyou was already sweating, and finding it troublesome to sleep. The sweet smell of his anxiety brought a sense of glee to the normally stoic Youkai Lord.

"Ah, if they only knew. Sleep my precious mate. Rest and recover," he whispered on the breeze. At the slight tingle to the mating mark on his neck, he knew that she could sense his nearness, and pickup on his feelings. It was not a link that permitted direct thought exchange, but rough ideas could be expressed, and in rare instances, especially where the emotions were strong, images could be directly exchanged. Otherwise, it tended to be just feelings and faint impressions.

This link, however, had one important difference. A difference that even the Youkai Lord, was unaware of. The bond he had created with the little Miko was not a normal bond, because he had chosen to use a Potion. A Potion that was already causing some unusual and unexpected changes to the young onna. Much of this the Taiyoukai was aware of, but in the heated moments that he spent with his treasured prize, he spared them little thought. That was something that would soon change.

He had followed his brother's group all through the day and night. Just as the last time, he had been careful that both of them had bathed before he helped her to get dressed. Then brought her exhausted form back to the small encampment and tucked her into her unusual sleeping futon, and gave her one last lustful kiss, as she fell into peaceful slumber, her body seeking rest from their night's activities.

This time, he had made sure that he had more time to follow the shard hunters. Rin and Jaken were back at the castle, safe and sound, and he didn't need to patrol his lands again for a while. It freed him up to spend more time watching over his new mate, and making sure that while his plan carried forward, nothing untowards happened to his mate.

It gave a certain amount of peace to his Youkai, at least knowing that he was near his mate, if not with her. At the same time, it let him see his plans unfold and the beginnings of his sweet torture on his brother take form.

It also, gave him time to savor the wonderful pleasures that he had so far enjoyed with the little Miko. Two such nights now, filled with hunger, passion, pleasure, pain, delight, and lust. Oh, how sweet they were and how many more such sweet lustful nights he was planning on. Yeas, there would certainly be more such nights to looking forward too, and explore.

For now, he was biding his time, and letting his plans continue to unfold. As time passed, and the Potion continued to do its job, she would become stronger, and her endurance continued to build. Until then, she would need time between their little trysts ('little' to whom.....LOL), to rest and recover her strength for their next encounter.

He was also able to use this time to think and go over in his mind other things that he had set aside until there was more time to consider them. Like how had she given him back his arm, and why? Was it a side effect of the Potion, or had she done of her own free will?

On some level that thought both excited him and bothered the Taiyoukai. The Potion was meant to override any part of her free will that might leave her doubting, reconsidering, or fearing being with him in such intimate contact. If she had the free will to gift him with his arm, did she have enough free will to still refuse his advances, or worse, his call? Should he trust that she had not found some way to override the effects of the Potion, or that it had worn off before it was supposed to? Should he give her a bit more of the Potion, just to make sure that this fact remained true? Perhaps it would be best if he did. Yes, the next time he called to her, he would make sure to give her a bit more of the elixir. Another drop would do no harm.

What of the other oddities that he had noticed, but not taken any time to consider? The changes that were affecting her had not been expected at all. Not that they were not attractive, and in fact, they were more than attractive. She seemed so erotically beautiful sporting blood red eyes, glowing in the night, elegantly clawed fingers, sensually beautiful pointed ears, and the sexiest set of fangs he had ever seen on any female he had ever known. Hmmm! Hai! ::GGGrrrrrrrrr::

But she was ningen, and those features were not normal to a ningen. Why did they appear when the two of them were together, and seem to disappear when they were finished and he returned her to his brother's care? Not that he was complaining about that part of this situation. It only added more to the plan, and how it would ultimately play out in the end. He could just imagine his brother's face when she came to the Taiyoukai of her own choice, and turned to look at Inuyasha bearing all of the features of an inuyoukai.

Yes, it was a picture that held such promise in the shock and horror that it would bring to his hanyou half brother. The brother, whose tainted blood had been a stain on his family's honour for far too long. Sweet vengeance for the loss of honour to his family that he had spent centuries rebuilding. It was a scene that he looked forward to, knowing that it would show the baka hanyou what a fool he truly was. The Great Lord of the Western Lands would have the last laugh on his hated half brother, and in the end, the baka would almost hand her to him if what the Youkai Lord suspected was true, ever came to light.

He had barely gotten Kagome tucked in for her long needed rest, when the scent of his brother, clearly mixed with the horrid odor of dirt, bones, and death, reached his highly sensitive nose. One of the major advantages that Sesshoumaru had over Inuyasha, was while Inuyasha's senses were superior to a ningen's, the full blood Inu youkai's were ten fold more superior that his hanyou brother's. Of course that held true for all of the Inu youkai's senses.

This gave the Taiyoukai the clear advantage of his brother, and he was not ashamed or too proud to flaunt it when the opportunity presented itself. In this instance, he caught the scent of his brother's approach and had plenty of time to mask his scent on his mate, and once again conceal his mark on her neck, before he melted into the night. No sign, trace, or mark left visible to show that he had even been there.

He had sat comfortably in a nearby tree, down wind of the group. He watched as the hanyou had slipped back into camp shortly before sunrise, and had settled into the tree just above Kagome going to sleep almost as soon as he had closed his eyes. It amazed him that Naraku had never taken advantage of the ragtag group during these times. His brother was apparently not smart enough, nor cautious enough to pay attention to the fact that he was leaving the group in a very dangerous position by not being more alert to the possible dangers that were common in this day and age.

The thought that the hanyou seemed to do this on a regular basis, left the Youkai Lord raging inside. It meant that he would have to use even more precautions, or his mate's life would be in jeopardy. That would be completely unacceptable, and he would not tolerate his baka brother's carelessness, especially if it meant danger to one of his own.

He could sense that she was fevered, but was not overly worried. After all, once her body seemed to return to its normal ningen self, it would take more for her to recover from the extreme, intense, and unaccustomed exertion of their night together. The Potion would help to bring her back to good health, it was part of the magic of the rare Potion. Still, in ningen form, it would take longer than if she were youkai, or even hanyou.

The one it was given too, would readily return to their normal health and unless the power of the Potion was overridden, or they were in the presence of the giver, their memories of their night's encounter would never even come to mind. At least not until long after the Potion's job was complete and its potent effects wore off. Of course, as long as he kept some of the Potion around, it would be a long time before the Potion could wear off. And by the time it did wear off, she would not only be fully aware of her situation, but completely accepting of it.

Between the physical exertion and the unexpected usage of her powers last night, he knew she was quite spent and needed time to recover. It would probably take her longer this time, but she would recover. Ultimately that was all that mattered. That and the fact that his little brother had better not let any harm come to her.

He had seen them tend to her needs, including their efforts to bring down her fever and to help her breathing return to normal. He had to admit that they all seemed to care for her. This in itself brought some ease to his Youkai's desire to not leave her in another's care. It was still reluctant to leave her with a potential rival, but the fact that she was being properly cared for made the situation easier to handle. He had known in advance that for his plan to work, he would have to be willing to leave her in his brother's care. He even knew that the houshi would be involved, too, but he knew that his brother tended to keep him in line.

But he knew that his Youkai would not tolerate or accept even the smell of any other male on her. It would mean their lives if they were ever caught. It was another one of those things that both he and his Youkai agreed on. She belonged to no one but him, and no other male would dare to touch, violate, or take what was his.

He was close enough to their encampment, to catch their discussion of what they thought was wrong with the little Miko. His little Miko. It bothered him to some degree that they seemed so close to the truth of what was wrong with her, but he consoled himself with the fact that there was nothing that they could do to change the situation. Still, he would have to keep a closer eye and ear on the group, as they seemed far more resourceful and intelligent than he had been willing to give them credit for.

There was no antidote, at least none that he was aware of, and the only one who might be able to conjure up one was the old witch who had made the Potion to begin with. Even if an antidote was found, it would only cancel out the immediate effects of the Potion. It would not change his claim to her at all. There was nothing that could change that, nothing and no one. Not now, not ever.

As they settled down for the day to rest, the Youkai Lord took the time to scout around and make sure that the area surrounding his mate was safe. Being the ever cautious Youkai that he was, he made sure the cover his tracks, and keep his scent and aura masked from the group and any intruders. The only one who would be able to sense him regardless of his attempts to stay in hiding, was the one person who he didn't want to hide from to begin with. With their link, his mate would be able to find him no matter where or how far she was from him.

Finished with making sure to his satisfaction that the area was safe, the Taiyoukai settled in the thick foliage of a nearby tree. He was close enough that he could hear, see, and scent the group and his mate. Still, he remained far enough that they would have to know he was there, and still would have difficulty trying to find him, even if they did. Once he was reasonably comfortable, he let his senses take over their normal habit of keeping watch, as a light sleep claimed him allowing the Taiyoukai to find some time to rest.

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The passing of the summer sun, as it warmed the day, went largely unnoticed by the small group of travelers camped near the small lake. Even as its warm rays caressed the cheeks of the various members of the group, none stirred or were bothered by Sister Sun's passage. Occasionally, one of the group would stir, but only to roll over to a more comfortable position, make use of a convenient bush, or to get some water, before once more drifting off back to sleep again.

Late afternoon saw the group as a whole stir once more, this time awakening from their restful slumber. As was normal for the group, they each stood, stretched, yawned, refreshed themselves with the nearby water source, and then prepared their late day meal in preparation for once more spending a full night traveling fast, and very likely the day to come.

Inuyasha leaped gracefully down from his perch in the tree, with the little Miko still safely cradled in his arms. She had barely moved the entire day, except to move an arm or a leg as she rested. Her fever had almost disappeared, and her breathing was a lot more normal. Although she still would not awaken, they were all relieved to see that she seemed to be improving.

It didn't take long for them to eat, break camp, and head out. While they intended to travel throughout the night, they wanted to take advantage of as much of the daylight as was left. With little exchange of words, they were soon underway, totally unaware of the stoic figure that followed their every move and kept pace with them the entire way as they traveled.

They continued to travel thus for the next couple of days. They made good time, their pace fast and steady. What would have taken them a week to travel, they covered in four. On the morning of their fourth day, as they once again awoke with the intent of pressing on, and getting their friend to Kaede's as soon as possible, they were astonished to see her wide awake and looking cheerful and healthy. It was like nothing had ever been wrong.

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Dictionary

Baka - Idiot

Chikushou - Damn

Doushite - Why

Fujo - Witch

Hanyou - Half Demon

Hiraikotsu - actually translates as 'Come Flying Skills' and is the name of Sango's boomerang

Houshi - Monk

Inu - Dog

Kazaana - Wind Void/Tunnel - Miroku's curse from Naraku

Kitsune - Fox Demon

Miko - Shrine Maiden

Mononoke - Animal Spirit - Kirara would be considered an mononoke as she has no human form

Neko - Cat

Okaa-san - Mother

Onee - Older Sister

Onna - Woman

Sama - Lady or Lord - respectively

Shakoju - Staff - the one that Miroku carries and wields

Shikon no Kakera - Shikon Shards

Shikon no Tama - Jewel of Four Souls

Shishi - Lion

Taijiya - Demon Exterminator

Taiyoukai - Demon Lord

Tenshi - Angel

Tenseiga - Sacred Life Fang

Tetsusaiga - Iron Pulverizing Fang

Youkai - Demon

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