Awesome chapter. This story just gets better and better. Keep up the great work. BTW, love "Carnation" too. Can't wait to read the next chapter of that story, as well.
Oh yes, I totally recommend reading Pink Carnation! It's an awesome story, and I absolutely adore it!! <3 <3 <3 It's not everyday that we see Sesshoumaru being a best friend to Kagome. But okay, I am obviously digressing, this is Blood Stained, and I will review properly now.
Alrighty. Now, I know this is a SessKag fic, but the Kouga-observing-Kagome part was really, really sweet. He is so observant and caring!! He took care of her even though she called the wrong name, and even though he knew very well that deep down, Sesshoumaru mattered more to her than he himself ever would. Arrrrgh. Can we have both men?? LOL. *ducks Sesshoumaru's Dokkasou* OKAY, OKAY NOOOO!! It will be only YOU, SESSHY!!
Poor Kagome is still in terrible shape, and now, all the more I cannot wait for Kiyoshi to be born and for her to regain her identity as Kagome the bubbly, talkative, charming girl. The idea of her being so heavily pregnant yet so miserable is a very dreadful one to imagine, and of course, it is natural for Kouga to be affected! Anyone would be, really. Even our supreme demon lord. *casts discreet glance at Sesshymaru* But it's cool seeing how Kouga is handling everything really well, and was still so patient and sweet to Kagome throughout. He thought of everything - from talking to her, giving her food, ensuring a nice environment even if it meant making Ginta and co. stay away...OMG MADDIE You're making me like Kouga very much now. Good or bad thing, I don't know LOL.
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. Sesshoumaru has her picture in his suitcase. Stalkerish as it may seem (LOL!! I loved how you put it), it's freakin' sweet!!! *inserts candy-flavored hearts and starry sprinkles of glitter on a cloud background* He is very hard to understand though, I'd admit. For someone who had displayed so little emotions and had the strange tendency to...ummm...kill people he meets, well, that was really sweet. But then, dear authoress, you have this uncanny ability to make me go on roller coaster rides, and this just about murdered me.
"But she couldn't be with him. She couldn't be with anyone"
LIKE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. NOOOOOOOOOOOO. Kagome!!!! OMG I want to shake you RIGHT NOW. I know the relationship is friggin' complicated (I admire Maddie for putting herself in such a story where any step in the relationship is so difficult and painful) but you can't give up like that!! ARRRRGH. It kinda sucks to be in a situation whereby moving forward can kill you emotionally, and moving backwards would still kill you emotionally and take the happiness out of a child's life. Stuck in a rut, much? Poor Kagome. She's really the most pitiful character in Blood Stained. Not Kiyoshi or Sesshoumaru, but Kagome.
The fact that beast is totally ready to start running around is scary enough to make anyone cringe. I was almost freaking out when I read it - anyone who remembers the horrors of Blood Stained's earlier chapters would know that the beast spelled nothing but agony, trauma and pain for Kagome. It cared for its mate, but it did not know the right way of caring for a weak, defenseless human girl.
OKAY. Now, I am really, really curious about what happened to our dear Beast. He seems to be missing in action for some unknown reasons, but now that Kagome is all weak and sick I kinda feel safer with him around. Talk about ironies, really. I'd give anything for him to get lost and go away in the early chapters of Blood Stained, but now that he is gone, OMG I realize we really need him around! He can protect her.
...
Thank goodness he responded.
I read the entire conversation between Sesshoumaru and Beast at one go, and well, it's so painful for poor Sesshoumaru. You are an amazing writer, Maddie. In a mere few lines, you've managed to make him realize that he actually loved her, and came up with the whole dilemma on how being one with the beast, which could be good and bad, would make him the monster who harmed her in the very first place. It's very brave of you to write it, darling! I never thought of it this way, and now that you've said it, OMG I want to chase the beast away. But he is very much a part of Sesshoumaru as Sesshoumaru is of him. Geez. How are we gonna get out of this mess?? Only you can do it, my dear!!! <3 Please don't kill me with suspense (LOL coming from the girl who sent you three chunks of evil text LOL)
LOVED that conversation between Sesshoumaru and Kouga - someone's obviously getting very, very protective over Kagome. He's totally being bossy with the wolves, but OMG who cares, really. This is Sesshoumaru and he's pissed. That' what we all love, fellow fangirls. XD
Ahhhh. So the pictures were for 'research' :) I kinda thought it would be something like that, else he'd REALLY be a psycho-stalker LOL. We can't have that, can we?? LOL.
ZOMG ZOMG MY KIYOSHI BABY YOU'RE MOVING!!! You're totally getting better, I just know it!! Kiyoshi has to be my favorite unborn baby. Maddie, when is he coming??? I teared up at the part where she allowed him to touch her bare belly to feel Kiyoshi's kick. It's all so sweet, and the way they shared physical contact is just beautiful :) :) :)
OMG OMG OMG OMGOMG OMG OMG OMG HOLY!!!
HER WATER BROKE!!!
AHHHHHHH! *panics* WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO???
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...I don't think I've ever craved an update so much in my 8 years of reading fanfiction. This just about tops everything so far in terms of suspense. Maddie, please update soon. MORE MORE MORE!!!
omg!! baby time!! i'm sooooo excited XD
such a good chapter...i love the story.
Now, as punishment to my miserable self, I am not going to fight the temptation to read chapter 50 before I actually review this!! XD So here goes my novel, love!
Firstly, I'm glad to know you're feeling so much happier than the period of time when you got unfriendly PMs with regards to your works :) Of course, it's just kinda sad that such individuals exist on this earth, and while we can't do anything to stop them, please be assured that you'll always have ME!! Yes, normal, mundane me, but still!! XD
LOL at how Kouga accepted Sesshoumaru's offer with no further questions. I'm not quite surprised, and I've always had a soft spot for Kouga so it is nice to see him in the picture again. It's kinda too obvious that he's still so obsessed over Kagome, but oh well, isn't this what Sesshoumaru totally needs?? He needs that push in the right direction XD And to make the drama even better, Kouga is evidently not the only one who is totally hung up on Kagome. Sesshoumaru is too, as seen from he keeps thinking about that kiss. This boy...no, demon...LOL, he is too cute.
This line made me go HAHAHAHAHA:
"And, are you going to fill me in on everything that happened? You weren't very talkative on the phone."
Kouga, my dear, did you not realize you were talking to Sesshoumaru?? Who is otherwise known as Ice King? It's nice enough of Sesshy to even call him, in my opinion. But of course, the conversation that followed subsequently became a little heated, and I can't help but wonder if these animosities between the two men would lead to any further problems in the future? After all, Kagome should not be agitated in her weakened state, and if Kouga continues to go all defensive and challenging on Sesshoumaru, it might upset her further should she find out about their 'conversations'.
By now, Kagome and Sesshoumaru have become more than just friends, and I like how you made them open up to each other under the circumstances in which they find themselves. Sometimes it might come across as they not having a choice but to be together, but at the same time, that's how feelings blossom, isn't it? Certain people just need a push in the right direction, so I guess this is a good thing for them. :)
But ahhhh as if you could read my mind, Silly-maru decided to convince himself that he was being nice and inviting Kouga, Ginta and Hakkaku over just so he could 'make amends' to Kagome and correct the wrongs he had done and yadda yadda yadda...OMG. *SMACKS* There, Sesshoumaru, that ought to teach you a lesson!! He is being sooooo wishy-washy for the invincible demon lord he is, but yet it is really VERY in character of him. After all, pride is what he is known for, and too much pride = wishy-washy. So there. The equation totally works out!!!
Lalalalalala *dances in circles* I know I've previewed this, but ZOMG bath scene FTW!! I totally get the tingles imagining just how tender he is to her, and it is sweet to see this side of Sesshoumaru! He'd make an excellent Daddy, I am sure! I am now having the time of my life imagining him cooing to baby Kiyoshi-kun and looking all fatherly at him <3 <3 <3
You know, you totally outdid yourself with this bath scene chapter. Anyone who has written a fanfic before would understand how difficult it is to write the most mundane, daily life matters into words. It's not difficult to write joy, drama, angst and so on. In fact, feelings are the easiest to write, in my opinion, since we have a multitude of words to paint them with. But when it comes to describing something like bathing, it becomes so much tougher, and to put it in words is a great challenge to any author. Trust me, I've written...what, 53 fics? But STILL, I find it so hard to write daily life scenes. So, kudos to you, my darling!! <3 Add in a touch of love, and tenderness...we've got a beautiful scene!!
But then again, it's heartbreaking to see Kagome so helpless and defeated. She has always been a strong soul, so this is kinda sad. Even the simple act of wearing/retrieving a shirt is so difficult for her, and I'm so glad Sesshoumaru is there. It gives me the fuzzies all over again.
I MUST ADD THOUGH. I AM STILL WORRIED FOR KIYOSHI.
And oh, did I mention it? One thing I love about your stories is how long every chapter is. It's so hard writing a long chapter story, and on top of that, ensuring that every single chapter is adequately long for the reader's enjoyment.
I AM OFF TO CHAPTER 50! OMG your updates are as good as Christmas + Chinese New Year!!!! <3 <3 <3
Daize (Chapter 49) - Sat 04 Sep 2010
Hello Madison.
It is the first time I leave you a review, but i have been followin your story for a while now. Actually ever since you started it. I just want to let you know that you are doing an amazing job. It is not easy for me to really get into a story but it would seem that you just now how to phrase and present things and i am hooked. So i just wanted to let you know that!
Also for the people who wrote to you complainning about the fact that you did not update on time. They should be ashamed and do not let them ruin your mood like that. I think that they do not realize that it is us who should thank you for the time you put in to create this story everytime you update a chapter. I am just grateful that from time to time when i check on your story i see it has been updated and i have a new chapter to let my imagination go wild for one of my fav couple!
Anyhow once again your writtin is amazing and your story is like my fav candy!
I am really excited for your next chapter and i wish you all the best.
Daize
This was absolutely AMAZING!!! The only reason I haven't reviewed befor this chapter is because I was sooo caught up in reading it and trying to catch up to you're current update, that I just couldn't stop long enough to review. It's like one of those good books that you can't put down no matter what. The only time I didn't read was when I was at work, and even then, if I didn't have anything to do, I was reading it on my phone!!! This is sooo great and I cant wait until you update again!!!!
Aki (Chapter 49) - Thu 02 Sep 2010
Love their progressing relationship.
Sorry i've been neglecting reads and reviews.Been busy. But i do love it so far. Keep the updates comming. xD
Kimi Matsu (Chapter 49) - Thu 02 Sep 2010
I am so happy that sesshomaru's feelings are finally coming out....keep up the good work. I wish we could all live within the fantasies we build but unfortunately real life awaits us all. Patiently awaiting the next update.
Nicely done :) I really enjoy this story :)
| fantabulous! as always :) yay!!
I haven't reviewed yet because I've been busy reading everything you've written up to this point. But before I start on the review, let me say in response to your last AN: Those who threaten you with the childish attitude that if you don't update on their time schedule they won't read are not worth your time as an author or, quite frankly, as a human being. Unless you are being paid by someone to have something done in a particular span of time, what you are giving the readers here is just that: a gift. To expect a gift is somewhat rude. Don't let it stop you from updating when you can, if you can. This may be fun, but it doesn't put food on the table.
I think that in this piece so far you have done a great job at looking at rape as a cultural phenomon and how our views on it have changed over time. Your earliest chapters show Sesshoumaru, his servants, his beast, and even her medieval friends looking at the act as a bad thing, but not as a crime or something to be ashamed of. Those who did look at it as a crime seemed to have only done so because it was perpetrated against Kagome, a pure miko. This actually does a good job of showing the morals of the time. Rape was seen as something that just happened,especially between a husband and wife; it was even a govermentally sanctioned punishment. The actions of the shiro populace (even when he raped her in the courtyard), even the reactions of Sango and Miroku, were surprisingly realistic. Inuyasha's desire to "cover up" the fact with his own deeds was not out of character with the time period. A man would either kill his wife or attempt to cover the violence with his own. I appreciate that you portrayed it for what it was, not making it some glorified thing that would cause all of Japan to rise up (which I've read).
Your later chapters show a gradual change in Sess's opinion of the act. His encounter with the woman in the alleyway and his reactions to that were the first step. It showed some good initial doubt and guilt over his own actions that mirror the changing times. Women were starting to be seen as near equals and an act that reduced them to that kind of state had to be wrong. The nail in the proverbial coffin as far as Sess's opinions was the sharing session where he relived the act and also saw the woman walking down the street surrounded by men. Showing this difference when you did showed the reader the final transformation in Sess's opinions on what he did. It is my opinion that before the story ends you will have some way for Sess's beast to come to a similar realization. I'm not sure how, but I personally feel that the two of them (Sess and Kagome) will not be able to truly be happy together until Sess is happy with all parts of himself. This won't happen until the beast realizes that what it did was wrong even though rape was accepted and the two parts of Sess become whole. I'm not sure how you'll do it, but I think it'll be there.
Kagome's actions and reactions have been very well done in this work. Her exceedingly slow emotional healing and unconscious reactions to all the males around her, not just Sess, is exceedingly realistic. The women that bounce back from something like this do so slowly, unlike many of the heroines in FF. I like that you have made her a realistic victim - going from disbelief to fear to hatred and slowly to acceptance of the act.
Where you take a step further is the equally slow acceptance of the actor of the crime. I very much like how you have chnaged Sess's appearance so drastically in his 'future' form. It lends a touch of believability. For a woman to see her attacker's face every day and forgive him despite everything is a little much. To see him changed in both appearance and attitude lends a degree of believeability.
The one thing that you wrote that I didn't think was 100% was Inuyasha's actions before his death, his death, and Kagome's long term actions and reactions to it. For someone she felt she loved, even if he did seem to have turned on her right after she told him about the rape, her reaction to his death (including having to bury him) seemed a little flat. While unintentional, it almost seemed like he was an afterthought.
In closing, thanks for writing for us. I've enjoyed these chapters and I look forward to seeing how things progress in the future, I look forward to learning more about Kiyoushi and being introduced to him. Thanks!
taixi (Chapter 49) - Sun 29 Aug 2010
Reading this story, for me, is like watching two trains on a collision course. I know what's going to happen, I can see it happening, I can't change anything, and yet I am still watching... Actually, I'm really trying to stop reading this story b/c I know I'm going to be sooooo upset when Kagome and Sess get together (nevermind personality...he raped her - a lot - and killed her best friend to boot!). But nevertheless, I still end up clicking on the story and reading it when I see an update...so, I guess you should take this as a compliment :P
P.S. Poor Kouga - I would pick him!
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