InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Under the Blood Red Sun ❯ Plots And Plans ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter 15: Plots and Plans

The ride back was silent except for the few coughing fits InuYasha experienced. He could feel Kagome watching him from her horse worriedly but, he wasn’t willing to admit he was demon, or in his case half. Miroku slumped in front of InuYasha, his limp form held onto by InuYasha as they rode the horses at a walk. He coughed again and cursed his sensitive nose. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Kagome asked him again.

“Yes!” he growled as he scented the familiar castle grounds. He felt her become angered behind him.

“Who were those men?” she asked.

“The men from the forest.” he simply said, feeling a coughing fit coming on. He hacked and struggled to breathe as Miroku stirred.

“Why do I feel like I was ran over by a horse?” he groaned as InuYasha’s coughing ceased.

“You were attacked by the bandits from earlier.” InuYasha said as he started coughing again.

“Why are you coughing so much?” Miroku asked as he hunched forward.

“I was smoked out.” He simply stated as he held back the coughs again.

“Really?” Miroku asked groggily as he fell asleep again.

They reached the castle grounds with no more incidents. Miroku woke up as they reached the main castle and seemed to think he was being arrested again.

“I’m telling you I didn’t do it! It was Mushin!” Miroku slurred as he weakly struggled in InuYasha’s grasp. InuYasha set him on the ground after he dismounted and Kagome ran up and set a hand on Miroku’s forehead.

“He’s hot.” she stated as she looked into his hood. “I have to find Kaede.” she stated as she ran off. InuYasha shook his head as Miroku begun to struggle harder.

“Please, I swear I didn’t switch the princes.” Miroku said as he slumped forward. “Mushin switched them. I had nothing to do with it.”

“What do you mean?” InuYasha asked holding back another cough, at least they weren’t serious now.

“The price is not right.” he mumbled as he fell limp in InuYasha’s arms. InuYasha carried him to the castle and ordered a servant to open the doors. The kid did so hastily and InuYasha carried Miroku to a bottom floor room. He held Miroku up with one hand and pulled back the thick covers with the other then he set the monk on the bed.

“He told me not to join the cavalry. I told him I would and I did.” Miroku mumbled again as he tossed in the bed. “Being a monk good.”

“Who said this?” InuYasha asked as he removed his cloak and set it under the bed after removing the necklace from it. He placed his necklace on his neck and watched the monk toss in the bed.

“Mushin says to me drink this and all will be fine, drink.” Miroku said as he opened his violet eyes and held a hand to InuYasha. He smiled then slurred, “No don’t he poisoned it.” Miroku chuckled and held the hand to his face and passed out again, his hand across his face.

“InuYasha?” Kagome’s voice asked as the door opened then closed. He turned to face her. Kaede was standing next to her.

“What is wrong with him?” Kagome asked as Kaede walked to Miroku’s side and felt his head.

“He has a fever like ye said but I know not what caused it. Was he injured at all?” She turned to Kagome.

“Fang saved him from these Bandits that kicked him in the ribs?” Kagome asked, unsure of what had caused it.

Kaede placed a hand on his ribs and pressed down slightly. Miroku yelped in pain as Kaede touched another spot. “He has at least two broken ribs and somebody drugged him.” she looked at his pale face and said, “he isn’t sweating and he was perfectly healthy this morning when he came to see me.”

“Kagome are you bleeding?” InuYasha asked, smelling the acidic scent.

“My cut reopened.” she said as she moved her hand to her side.

“What have you been doing tonight?” he asked in a low tone.

“Noting, I was cleaning my home.” she said quickly. He smirked, at least she won’t reveal anything. He covered his mouth as he started coughing. ‘Damn!’ he slightly cursed.

“What did you do?” he asked covering his fit. “Dust and then dust the yard? You smell like smoke.” he started coughing again.

“Maybe I did.” she said defensivly.

“Go to your hut.” he ordered her firmly as she walked up to Miroku.

“What?” she asked startled.

“Go to your hut. What part of that did I not make clear?” he asked harshly.

“Why you…I ought to…” she said as she walked forward.

“Ye go to bed dear.” Kaede cut in. “If ye reopened your cut you need rest.”

“Humph!” Kagome said as she left the room quickly.

InuYasha started to cough again and his eyes watered as they got worse.

“What happened at the way house?” Kaede asked full aware of the missions he had at home.

“Some beast came out of a statuette and after I killed it, it turned to black smoke and smothered me. I think it was miasma. No other poison I know of can do that to my senses.” InuYasha said as he took a break from the coughs.

“I see.” she said then rummaged through her bag that she always carried around. “Here, take this it’s an anti-poison.”

He grabbed and sniffed it. “What’s in it?” he asked as the foul liquid sloshed in the bottle.

“Things.” she said as she looked back at Miroku. “I want him to stay in bed for a week. The poison should wear off by then.”

“Keh!” InuYasha huffed as he turned to leave the room.

“By the way, Kagome’s wound is ringed with a venom I can’t remove. Only dog saliva can remove it.” she said as she looked at Miroku. “She should be passed out by the time you get to her hut.”

“What?” he asked sharply as he turned to face her.

“You can heal her wound, unless you like the smell of her blood?” Kaede said as she removed a roll of bandages from her bag.

“Woman!” he growled as he stormed out of the room.

“I just had to bug her about the special cure.” InuYasha whined to himself as he jumped into a tree from the front of the castle doors. Looking out at the grounds he could feel the woods and waterfall calling to him again. He shook off the need to flee and stubbornly went to Kagome’s hut. He found the door unbarred, and discovered himself snarling as he opened the door. ‘How dare she endanger herself like that.’ he growled to himself as he went to the back room, her room. She was passed out on the floor, her cloak half on and half off. Blood soaked the side of her shirt. He cringed. He caused this by pissing her off. He picked her up gently and placed her on the bed. He was about to lift her shirt so he could lick the wound when he ducked to avoid something from smashing into his head. He whirled and snarled at the intruder then relaxed.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Sango said as she lifted a wooden sword in her hand and whirled it.

“Kaede told me her wound is tinged with a type of bug venom known as dogwood. Only dog demon saliva can kill it, since it is a type of parasite.” he said as he glared at her.

“Really?” she said suspiciously. “Let me watch.” she ordered. He cringed, he never wanted to do this in the first place.

“Fine, you have to redress her after. Blood has soaked this shirt.” he said as he pulled the sticky shirt from the infected wound. He bent over it and ran his tongue over the cut. Her blood tasted metallic yet sweet to him. He continued to lick it clean, savoring every drop he removed from her side. He stopped as soon as he couldn’t smell the venom anymore. The wound was still swollen but it was normal. He growled as he felt a blood craving weal up inside of him as his inner demon struggled to get loose. He grasped his necklace as he stood up and backed off.

“Are you done?” she asked then stopped and looked at his stricken face. “Are you okay?”

“Yes just leave me alone.” he growled as he left the room. His animal instincts called for more blood and he refused it and took off into the forest as his demonic blood took over fully. He howled as he caught his victim, a four point stag.

***In the castle***

A loud howl brought him awake. Sesshomaru rubbed his temples as he recognized the blood frenzy. InuYasha would get through it okay. He would find some bloody deer carcass’ but he wouldn’t find any human.

He looked at the paper in front of him. He had started to write out instructions to the leader of the wolf pack, Koga. He had fallen asleep on the paper and smeared the ink.

A timid knock on the door caused him to say, “Enter.” Kaede came in and sat before him and looked directly in his eyes, one of the few who actually dared to do so.

“Miroku was poisoned, your brother was smoked out by a demon, and Kagome was attacked by a centipede. Sango, you and Rin may be in danger.” Kaede said.

“I figured as much.” he said as he groaned and rubbed at his temples again. “Kaede what I need now is an alliance, but how can you have an alliance with a kingdom whose heir is living in my realm?”

“Either kill the imposter or find some way to marry into the family.” she said knowingly.

“He would never do so.” Sesshomaru said letting the cold façade he had drop. “I can’t do that to him anyway.”

“I had him clean the wound on Kagome. I found that a rare venom had been injected into her wound by the insect.” Kaede said.

“Is that why he’s on a rampage?” Sesshomaru asked.

“Maybe.” Kaede said.

“He tasted the girls blood so now he’s inclined to protect her. That’s great, just great.” Sesshomaru said as he slumped forward in the chair.

“How will I get him to accept her?” he asked after a while.

“Make him jealous.” Rin’s melodic voice rang out as she appeared in the doorway flanked by two dog demon guards from the black clan. ‘Rin knows fully of a dog demons nature and by making him jealous he would accept the one he sworn to protect. But in InuYasha’s case he’s half human, so his feelings will conflict.’ he thought as she spoke.

“Jealous?” he asked her as she sat on his lap.

“Yes, I’m sure Koga would be willing to help.” Rin said as she yawned delicately and cuddled into Sesshomaru’s shoulder. He looked at his letter and at the end he wrote: Come to the palace for a conference. Your help is needed.