Disclaimer (I totally forgot to add one) Anyway, I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's characters. Rumiko does because they're her babies.
So, with that said, let me tell you about my babies. Any characters within this story that are not mentioned in the Inuyasha universe belong to me. Akin, Tokaruman, Goshin, Tara, Ocraseous and so on and so forth, these characters are mine and they are in some of the books I am writing. Please do not take them.
Thank you and enjoy the story.
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He was blind. He was so utterly defenseless and in this dampened weather he felt the wounds over his flesh sting with pain. Every wretched drop of rain was a nightmare that existed in a never ending cycle and he hated it. No, hate is not a strong enough adjective for a description of how he felt towards the never ending rain; loathe was much more suitable. Yet then again how could he blame the rain when it truly wasn't the weathers fault that he walked amongst the shadows sightless and almost dead. Though he didn't need sight to know where he was walking, it would certainly have been preferable.
It was the half breed that gave him this most annoying obstacle. If it would not have been for the wretched demon Naraku's tricks, he, a most powerful being himself, would have ended the bastards existence. Fate really enjoyed being a cruel mistress, but it was the only he dare betroth.
Naraku's scent still led his battered body on, pulling him against his body's will, but pleasing his minds demand. He would follow him until he died, for by the feel in his bones such would occur in a matter of hours due to his injuries. Noticeably, every once in a while, the blood leaking from his throat and down his neck would gain some sort of bubble that contained oxygen. This bubble would then pop, causing much of this liquid to come from his mouth most annoyingly. Shaking it off, he continued moving, glazed amber eyes staring as listlessly as they normally did and could easily fool someone into believing he still acquired sight.
Of course this was not so, but who other would know of it? Another irritable feeling began to blossom. It was one that he had felt a single time in his entire existence; extreme amounts of fever induced pain. Honestly, if this continued he thought that he would fall from existence in a matter of moments. Taking a deep breath, something caught in his throat. Ah yet another bubble of blood, what joy. Bracing his weakening body against a tree he allowed himself to hack all that dared come forth and so the ground was covered in the crimson liquid, being washed by the small amount of water drizzling through the thickness of the tree's leaves hovering above.
He felt himself slide down the bark and fall over the muddy surface the rain had caused. Suddenly he felt so much weaker than he previously had and knew that physically he would most likely not rise. Mentally was another matter. He could think quietly to himself while settling in the eerie stillness before his death. For a moment he thought of Rin and Jaken, but that was not of his concern any longer, for in this state he would not live. If he was not picked to the bone by birds and other meager beings they would eventually find that he had died.
With a trademark smirk he muttered about foolish half brothers coming upon siblings at the most undesired moments, for he could not only hear his shouts about "Sesshoumaru's somewhere around here!" He could also smell Inuyasha's stench from a mile. Honestly it mattered not if he was seen in such a state by the boy for death was rapidly approaching. Inuysha's body crashing through the thicket could be heard coming closer and closer. Soon Inuyasha was before him, letting out a loud. "What the Hell?"
Moments later the rag tag team of friends also appeared and of course gasps could be heard. "What the Hell happened to you Sesshoumaru?"
"Naraku is more cunning than he appears." Even though he had no sight he looked directly into Inuyasha's eyes. "A word of advice, for I would like you to at least stand a chance of defeating him. His weakness is his mind. Attack it and you may stand victorious."
Inuyasha stood before his half brother and felt something akin to disbelief and pain. Really, this couldn't be possible could it? I mean of course it is, but it seems so utterly unlikely because of the fact that it was Sesshoumaru who sat in a pool of his own blood before him, dying. "Why do you still linger Inuyasha? Do you find this amusing?"
The hanyou was about to reply when the blue eyed miko stepped from behind him. She had been slightly shaking since she had seen his battered body. The girl had never seen such carnage. His throat was ripped almost to shreds and yet he still managed to talk, even though it was obviously difficult by the ragging sound. Sesshoumaru's chest was so badly torn that one could almost see the beat of his heart through the muscle which was left. There were awful abrasions on his legs, but his stomach, that was the worst. It almost seemed as if there was nothing left inside of him besides the back bone, for that is the only thing that could brace him against the tree. Even his ears were torn and his left cheek was marred so terribly you could no longer view his two magenta stripes.
"Can we aid you in any way Sesshoumaru?" It was the girl Kagome who spoke to him now, he knew of that and found that her voice was so much quieter than the high pitched yell she normally held when they encountered. Of course, he was usually injuring his brother terribly, so perhaps that was the difference. He could hear the sound of slight fear within her voice and her movements across the muddied ground also spoke of this. Besides the metallic scent of his blood he could also detect overwhelming pity, which was overly annoying.
"I am in no need of your pity or of any services that you could offer me." His tone was icy and his words held a sharpness to them. It was unobvious to her, but basically he was trying to make her leave him in peace. Really he didn't desire nagging before he was to die.
"Yeah, but you'll die if we don't help you." Her tone was so serious and pleading that it made him feel something odd. Ah, it was hilarity and so he commenced with laughter. It wasn't something long, but instead it was deep and not a laugh many would be familiar with. Most of the comrades gasped, but he honestly cared less in his feverish state.
After regaining his senses he cleared his throat of some of the blood which clogged his lungs before rasping. "Miko, even if you so tried to aid me in any sort of way, it would only do to weaken your pathetic body and diminish any sort of herbs you may carry, for I shall indeed die this night. A youkai knows when his time has arisen."
For moments there was great silence and the air held a thickness to it as he had stopped speaking. In that time it seemed just a little colder in the still spring air, but a certain miko spoke once again. "Yeah, but we should at least try." He scoffed giving her a hn rather than Inuyasha's keh.
Kagome then began to fish through her pack, trying to retrieve the first aid kit that she always carried with her. Sango bent down to her and spoke as low as possible, though the demon lord heard every word as clear as day even with his ears damaged greatly. "Are you sure we should aid him Kagome. I mean I know you can heal him over time, but what if he tries to attack Inuyasha when we least expect it?"
"Well then you can all leave and I will heal him by myself since you're so worried." Sango was clearly discomfoted by her remark, but had no time to speak.
"Look Kagome there ain't no way you're staying here and healing him alone." The hanyou stood over her. "It's too dangerous 'cause we can't trust a demon like him."
"Well then I guess you're remaining here with me, aren't you?" The boy smacked himself in the head with his palm. Really she could be so persistent and fool hardy.
"Damn it Kagome, he said he didn't want any help so let's go." The boy gripped her wrist and yanked her up, causing pain to shoot through her arm.
"Owe, Inuyasha, sit boy!" There was a loud thundering noise where his half brother had been standing.
"What has she done to him?" Sesshoumaru wondered briefly.
"Damn it, stop using that word!"
"Only if you stop being a butt head!" Sesshoumaru wasn't sure what the term 'butt head' meant, but he had a hunch it was meant to insult his brother. "I'm staying to help and that's final!"
"No the hell you ain't!" The half demon once again tried to take her from where she had decided that she needed to be. Really couldn't she see that it was dangerous to be here with his half brother? Even in this state he could kill her.
A demonic aura radiated through the tree line and just before any sort of damage could be done to Kagome, Inuyasha lifted her up into the air and leapt backward. All of the oaks were split in half, the one that Sesshoumaru sat under had been cut directly above his head. The demon lord did not move. By his eased posture he was not frightened, nor was he bothered. It was as if he were simply there, but not. "Hey Sesshoumaru, are you dead?"
The demon lord opened his burning golden orbs catching Inuyasha's as if to say no without actually speaking. The lower class ogre behind Sesshoumaru struck at him but only sliced air. He found the dog demon of the west standing ten to fifteen feet away staring at him. The fact that he managed to escape angered the ogre even more, sending his blood into a fiery rage. Charging again he directed himself straight toward Sesshoumaru which gained Inuyasha's notice. His brother's eyes, for only a moment, were focused past the approaching enemy and the light hadn't reflected well. Could he be blind?
Pure energy whizzed past the hanyou and struck the giant ogre in the back, killing him. Kagome stood a few feet back from Inuyasha her eyes lit with anger and determination. "Kagome, why'd you do that?"
Shippo sat near to Sango on a transformed Kilala's back. "Because no one when injured deserves to die when they could be aided, besides Naraku." Miroku smiled at his friend's nobility and kindness. "I know if I were in his position I'd want to be helped." She blushed and so even Sango smiled. The girl had such empathy. Sango slightly envied that aspect of her. She wished she could be as forgiving as Kagome, but that's not who she was.
Kagome looked to Inuyasha and then moved toward Sesshoumaru, her first aid kit within her hands. Fear and concern glistened over her eyes and showed upon her paling features. "He looks an inch from death. Can I really help him?" Nonetheless she was determined and had to remember that. Determination pulled she and her friends through some tough obstacles before and if she were lucky it would do it again.
Coming closer Kagome noticed his eyes stayed glued to the ground and it was obvious he was listening intently to her every move. "Is he blind?" There was no time to worry over that. Instead she needed to help him live through his wounds, but he was just so-so frightening. The way his aura flared with the nearer she came, it was almost unbearable.
"Sesshoumaru I need to get those wounds looked at." He flinched and his eyes grew red. It was obviously the only way he could warn her for his throat was so filled with blood that he couldn't make a sound. "I know you don't want me to but please, please let me help you." He shook his head slightly, almost unnoticeably.
"Kagome just forget about him, he'll just kill you if you get close cause he's loosing control." She didn't even turn to look at Inuyasha, she wouldn't. She knew she'd see hardness written all over his face like a fierce determination to never lift a finger for his dying brother.
"Inuyasha is right…" Miroku had begun to speak, but her small voice intervened.
"No Miroku, he's wrong. You're not suppose to leave anyone dying, choking on their own blood without even giving aid. It's corrupt and it's wrong and I just won't." Tears brimmed the surface of her eyes. "And to think that my friends could, I am so ashamed of you." She shook her head slightly while clenching the kit in her hands.
"I'm not disagreeing with you Kagome, simply stating he seems to be loosing control, just as Inuyasha had said earlier." She looked from Miroku to the demon lord whose eyes had bled completely crimson.
"I still have to try Miroku." With that in mind she turned and walked closer to the demon that did not move, but narrowed his eyes. "I have to try." She whispered quietly as she came nearer to him. The kindness in her voice swayed his determination to kill her if he must. "Please give me permission." Her spiritual energy was flowing toward him in a calming manner and he almost felt as if he could fall unconscious. Only one other miko had done this to him and that was Midoriko. Sesshoumaru let himself sink to the ground slowly and sat straight upward. Kagome smiled in delight as this was an obvious sign of permission and his eyes even became their regular color.
She sat down beside him and opened her small medical box and fished through it. Sango, she heard stepping over to her which caused the demon lord to stiffen. "Kagome, can I help you?" The miko smiled at her friend.
"Of course you can!" Looking at Sesshoumaru and seeing his unease she decided to add to that. "But just hand me the ointments, he seems a tad uncomfortable, okay?"
"I understand." Sango picked up the alcohol and handed it to the miko.
"Now Sesshoumaru, I want you to know this is going to sting, okay?" The demon lord would have scoffed if he could. No amount of pain she could give would ever cause him to cringe with agony. The first noticeable cut was on his only arm, the right. It had torn through his kimono to his shoulder. "Can you- um- pull off your uh- haori?"
He felt her nervousness, but did as was asked. He would be impressed if this human female could keep him from death even for a day. Her eyes had gone wide in horror and her creamy skin became as white as the palest snow now that she could see in full detail of what had occurred between he and Naraku. "So much blood…So many lacerations… It's so-too much…" Indeed all over the dog demon of the west's drying blood and fresh leaked down his skin like a pouring rain even in the drizzle. Kagome pushed her wet hair from her eyes that had plastered over the lids without notice. She blindly without thought or hesitation reached out to him in a manner that she couldn't quite understand. Upon contact he tensed, bringing her from such a state of mind. "I'm sorry." She muttered her apology lowly. "Sango we need to get to work okay?"
The demon slayer brought herself from staring at the gaping hole in his chest in order to assess what her friend had asked. For a moment she was oblivious, but soon after it clicked. "Yes, of course." Sango pulled out a few more antiseptics and some cloth to wrap his wounds with while the young miko placed the alcohol on his wounds. There was no sign of pain, but if he was anything like Inuyasha soon he would be dizzy and fall unconscious from the scent.
"Damn it, we shouldn't be helping him!" The irate hanyou couldn't stand how foolish she was being and began to walk toward her, intent on forcing her to stop.
"Inuyasha…" Her voice was dangerous and her eyes downcast. "Take one more step and I won't even say it, instead I will throw this up your nose and you'll be out for a week." Instead of stepping forward he moved backward. No way in hell did he want that up his nose! Plopping downward he sat four to five feet away from his brother who seemed more rigid than ever now that he was near. That was good because he needed to be uneasy. Inuyasha wanted him to know that he would be watching his every move.
Kagome was to wound up in her task to notice the change of air or the electrical currents battling with one another. Yet it wouldn't have gotten any farther than that at any rate because Sesshoumaru fell backward suddenly. Kagome had gotten the alcohol too near to his face and so when he inhaled the scent overpowered him. Inuyasha gripped his arm and pushed him in the opposite direction of both girls so he wouldn't fall over on either. "You alright Kagome?"
"Sit boy!" A loud crash was heard. Oh yeah, she was alright.
"What was that for?!" The hanyou shot upward growling angrily. Glaring at him, she motioned to Sesshoumaru.
"Because you tossed him on the ground and now his wounds are dirty again."
"They were already dirty!"
"I'm talking about the one's I cleaned out, baka!" She turned from him hotly and glared toward the raining sky.
"Keh, whatever." Inuyasha turned from her as well and only looked over at her when he heard the alcohol bottle open. He prepared for the noxious fumes to be thrown in his face but she never did only grumbled about having to waste the previous used amount while cleaning his wounds once again.
Sesshoumaru was as guarded in his sleep as he was awake. He looked as if he weren't in an ounce of pain which everyone knew was false.
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"Kanna tell me has Sesshoumaru perished yet?" The void stepped forward her movement unheard and her presence not felt. Her white hair swayed with each step and her black eyes gave way to nothingness.
"No the miko Kagome and her allies are aiding him. He will not die. He will live." Red eyes lit with fire as he turned his head toward her.
"You have seen this? How?" His voice, it was sharp and edgy.
"The new found abilities I have acquired allow me to foretell the future." Naraku seemed annoyed, but there was something more the girl had to say. "Yet he will come to have a weakness eventually. Something he will cherish so much so that it will rival the need to protect the child and imp, but also rise far greater than the desire for Tetsuiga."
"What is this that he shall cherish so?" Her eyes looked to the mirror in her hands and showed him what she had seen. There stood Kagome before Sesshoumaru, pink tinge dancing over her cheeks while he came toward her obviously desiring a kiss.
"And when shall he desire her so?" The hanyou grinned and in the darkness his eyes glint with a sinister light.
"That I am unable to see."
Still grinning he spoke. "It matters not; we will wait patiently and use this to our advantage. Even if it takes more than a year's time."
Easing more than he had been earlier he looked at the jewel in his hand. "How foolish you shall be Sesshoumaru."