InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Tomaru's Story ❯ Chapter 14

Chapter 14

 

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

 

Sesshoumaru growled as he released the miko as if she had burned him. Kagome turned around, staring at him in confusion and fear. “Wh-what's wrong?”

 

He turned away from her, his thoughts reeling. “Nothing. I had thought I saw a… spider… on your back, but it seems to have… escaped me.”

 

She gave him a lopsided grin. “The great Sesshoumaru has misplaced a spider? Will wonders never cease…”

 

He waved her out of the room, not bothering to look at her. “You are dismissed. Find Rin and prepare her for dinner.”

 

The icy, tai-youkai tone had returned to his voice. She bobbed a short bow and fled, not bothering to see if he'd change his mind.

 

He sat down on his voluminous bed, staring at the window for a long, long time. This… is not good.

 

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A few weeks later…

 

Meals were served in a rather spacious dining room, but it was the same as the rest of the house- lacking in any decorations or ornaments.

 

Kagome glanced at Rin, who was doing her very best to eat neatly for her new “mother.”

 

Shippou, who had been hiding from the young girl in the nearby forest for most of the day, decided to show up for lunch and was now happily ingesting as much fish as he could.

 

The miko looked down at her food, wondering why she wasn't hungry. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday… I should be starving. She shrugged it off as the lingering effects of mourning the loss of her love and her friend.

 

It had been over a month since Inuyasha died. Over a month since his spirit had visited her in the dream that still haunted her every night, causing her to awaken in a state of severe need. Every night the depth of her arousal seemed to increase as release was impossible.

 

Forcing herself to pick up her chopsticks, she picked at her food, placing only a little bit actually in her mouth.

 

Finally, she put down the chopsticks and faced Shippou with a bright smile. “Shippou, did you play with Rin today like I asked you to?”

 

The young kit blushed and looked down at his food with renewed interest. “Um… sure, Kagome. We played… hide and seek all day.”

 

She smelled a lie, which was confirmed by Rin's pout. “Yeah, but you hid and Rin never found you! And you wouldn't come out either!”

 

Kagome scowled at the kit. “Shippou…” she said warningly.

 

“Gomen, Kagome,” he muttered, looking suitably abashed. “I promise to play with her tomorrow, okay?”

 

“Promise?”

He nodded. She smiled at him again, glad to see he was willing to help her out. “Arigatou, Shippou. She needs a `big brother' to teach her about stuff, and no one knows more about the wilderness than you.”

 

Shippou puffed out his small chest in evident pride. “Of course,” he bragged.

 

As he turned his attention back to his meal, Kagome's smile faded as she glanced at the head of the table, where the Inu no Taishou was supposed to sit. She had not seen him since that incident about a month ago in his chambers when Rin welcomed him home from his battle with his brother. Somehow he had managed to elude them, opting to survey his territory rather than spend any time with his adopted daughter.

 

She sighed as she looked at her food. She had no appetite and the little food she had eaten was making her queasy. She stood up slowly, asking Shippou to keep an eye on Rin, explaining that she felt ill. The young kit nodded, understanding.

 

Kagome left the dining room and headed for her chamber. She moved slowly, as quick movements caused illness.

 

As she rounded the corner, a wave of nausea swept over her, causing her to sink to the floor on her knees. She held her stomach tightly, as if it would help keep the meager contents where they belonged.

 

A shadow fell over her and she glanced up, mutely surprised to see the elusive Sesshoumaru staring down at her with an unreadable expression on his elegant face.

 

He knelt down next to her, staring into her eyes. “Are you ill?”

 

She nodded slightly, so as not to make the nausea worse. His gaze flickered to the hand covering her stomach and he slightly winced.

 

He scooped her up in his arm and began carrying her to her room. She would have blushed, but his movements made her have a hard time keeping her food down.

 

Luckily, her room wasn't too far away. He swept into the room and laid her gently on the bed, where she curled up, fighting the nasty feeling.

 

He looks… rather worried…she thought, glancing at him. Indeed, his golden gaze remained on her as if afraid she might expire at any moment.

 

She vaguely waved a hand at him. “I'll be all right… I've just got the stomach flu or food poisoning or something. I'll be fine in a few days.”

 

Sesshoumaru looked like he wanted to snort. Instead, he knelt by her bedside, looking at her intently. “Do you… need anything?”

 

She didn't ponder his sudden niceness. “A bucket or something, I think,” she mumbled, closing her eyes briefly.

 

The inu-youkai stood up, left the room and came back bearing a small bathing bucket- apparently his own personal one. He had emptied it out before bringing it to her, but the significance of the item wasn't lost on her.

 

She looked at him, slightly confused as he set down the bucket next to her bed and resumed his position of staring at her. “Why… are you being so… nice to me?”

 

The tai-youkai narrowed his eyes. “Must I have a reason for everything? You are ill- you need someone to take care of you.”

 

She closed her eyes in gratitude. “I… appreciate that. You know… Inuyasha would've complained at me, calling me a weak human. But you… you're… so nice.” She opened her eyes slightly and smiled at him. “Arigatou, Sesshoumaru…”

 

He mentally winced at her words. Looking away, he couldn't help the wave of guilt that washed over his chest.

 

You wouldn't be thanking me if you knew that I was the cause behind your illness…