InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Chained ❯ Ramble ( Chapter 52 )

A/N: Strangely enough, I had the very cheerful song “Brand new world” playing in the background when I wrote this chapter as well as “Scars” by Papa Roach toward the end, Broken - Seether\Evanescence, which is weird, cause this isn’t exactly a happy chapter... It’s not sad necessarily, but there just isn’t much happening... ^_^

Anyway...

-elencala - Yeah, a lot did seem to happen in the last chapter didn’t it? Maybe that’s why this chapter is a bit slower... just a little bit of WAFF as Inuyasha tries to take care of Miroku. ^_^ ~*~   Ramble

Miroku shivered slightly in his sleep.

His fever had returned during the night, but had broken again by morning.

Inuyasha was practically beside himself with anxiety.

He had absolutely no idea how to handle a situation like this-- Kagome had always been the “healer” in their group, not him-- and, with the constant changing of Miroku’s condition, he would find himself running around like a mad thing to fetch warm furs to wrap him in, or cool cloths to press against his forehead or the Gods only know what kind of foul mixture to try and force down his friend’s throat.

It was very tiring work, but he refused to break from it until at last Sesshomaru, nearly going insane himself from watching his little brother run around like this (though he gave absolutely no sign of it) ordered the half-demon to be still and rest and then sent Jaken to see if he couldn’t find one of the castle’s healers, since many had left to go and help with the injured from the war.

Inuyasha sighed and slumped down next to the bed, his ears pressed back against his head as he tried to stare past the skin of his eyelids up at the ceiling.

The young kitsune was asleep in the hanyou’s own room, curled up safely with Kirara for the time being.

The child had seemed no worse for the wear mentally, and his physical wounds were old and would heal soon enough now that they had the proper opportunity. It seemed Naraku didn’t care much for torturing children he deemed useless.

Sesshomaru had always found it fascinating that his little brother could put up with the existence of three ningens, let alone fall in love with one of them, and the kitsune child like he did.

As far as he could tell, only the fire-cat really had enough sense, use, or battle skill to keep around.

But then again, he had been carrying Rin and Jaken around with him for a long enough time... neither of them had proved to be very useful or interesting to keep around, unless you consider their little conversations with one another interesting, but he had brought them anyway.

It was strange to think that he had actually done something, nay, make that two somethings that didn’t have a greater purpose behind them.

Maybe that same unknown feeling was the same one that bid Inuyasha to keep his companions around him the way he did....

Inuyasha opening his eyes to look over at the monk-- ‘Miroku’ Sesshomaru reminded himself -- was enough to bring him back from his thoughts, and he watched as his little brother slowly reached up and clasped Miroku’s injured hand in his own, staring at the kazaana thoughtfully.

‘He was never afraid of very much.’ He said suddenly, eyeing Miroku’s hand with a strange sort of fondness that suggested he was currently thinking of a situation where the monk had behaved, in his opinion, like a complete baka. ‘He was really strong for a human, and he always put up a brave front.’ Inuyasha said, turning slowly to look up at Sesshomaru.

‘But this scared him.’ He said, gesturing toward the monk’s hand.

There was a moment’s silence before Inuyasha laughed.

But it wasn’t a real laugh.

It was similar, he imagined, to what his laugh might sound like-- if he ever deemed it time to laugh. Not that that would ever happen.

It was a broken, foreign sound, completely devoid of humour and it had enough of an effect to send a single shiver up Sesshomaru’s spine, in a similar manner that Inuyasha had when he had first seen him in his demon form.

It was a bitter sound of pain and irony and one that he never wanted to hear his little brother utter again, and only many years of careful training allowed him to resist the urge to go over and backhand his brother, if for no other reason than to get him to shut up and stop that horrendous sound.

He didn’t need to worry though, for the next second the sound ended, just like that, and an uncomfortable sort of silence seemed to fill the room.

Inuyasha didn’t seem to notice.

His eyes were grim and dull as he looked up at Sesshomaru through his shield of eyelashes and tears.

‘That’s so typical of Naraku.’ He said, turning his eyes once again to Miroku’s hand. ‘It’s not bad enough that he had to curse Miroku and his entire family, but he gave him a curse that existed within his very being and would one day spread and kill him.’ He chuckled bitterly, the sound nearly making Sesshomaru’s hackles raise as his little brother leaned his head back against the wall, silent for a moment, his eyes closing one again.

‘He’s not like the rest of us, Sesshomaru.’ He said slowly. ‘He doesn’t have all this time to plan, though it is in his nature to, if I remember correctly.’ He opened his eyes and glanced sidelong at his brother. ‘He can’t wait hundreds of years like some of the demons can, or even just a few decades like some of the humans can. I don’t even know if he can wait one more year. He said that the wind tunnel spreads each year, but it’s already been forcefully spread by other demons and Naraku. He doesn’t have much time left.’

He closed his eyes again, tears beginning to fall from the corners and slip down his cheeks.

‘Dammit all!’ He said loudly, though not loud enough to disturb the monk or kitsune, his voice laced with frustrated agony. ‘How can Naraku do all these things?’ He asked angrily, though it was clearly a rhetorical question.

He smashed his head back against the wall once, not hard enough to do any damage, but still enough to draw attention and cause concern as he looked helplessly over at Miroku. ‘I just want it all to stop, Sesshomaru.’ He said, his voice a soft whisper, the tears evident in it. ‘I want him to be stopped.’

‘He will be, otouto.’ Sesshomaru said slowly, considering the figure before him a moment. ‘We will do everything we can to save your friend.’ He said suddenly, surprising both himself and Inuyasha, though neither of them let on.

Inuyasha cast a sad look over at his brother, before offering him a weak smile. ‘Thanks aniki.’ He said, catching Sesshomaru off guard. ‘I needed to hear that.’

Sesshomaru stared in stoic surprise at his little brother a moment more, before turning and walking out of the room without a word, and Inuyasha didn’t try and stop him.

His brother had been spending a lot of time and energy on him and the other’s lately and, youkai or not, even he would need some time to regenerate. Alone.

So he focused his attention instead on his friend, who had begun tossing around a bit in his sleep and mumbling things under his breath.

Knowing that a fever victim could hurt themselves if they were allowed to thrash about a lot, Inuyasha reached up and quickly rewrapped the furs around the monk more tightly, not giving him room to move an inch for fear that he would wriggle his way free again and then settling down to keep watch.

‘I wonder what’s taking that toad so damn long anyway.’ He wondered was he rested his arms across his knees and leaned back against the wall once more. Miroku was still mumbling and was now struggling to get free from his knew captor blankets.

Frowning slightly, Inuyasha reached over and took his injured hand in his own again, which seemed to be the cause of all this distress in the first place.

Miroku instantly stilled slightly, his brow furrowing as he mumbled something to his sleep and fever claimed mind.

‘Shh, Miroku.’ He said softly, pressing a finger to his friend’s lips. ‘Stop wasting all your damn energy monk.’ He added with non-existent humour in his voice. Miroku seemed to calm slightly at his words (though the hanyou doubted he understood who had said them and what he had said) but still continued trying to saying something.

Inuyasha sighed.

‘I wish I knew how to help you.’ He said softly, going quiet when Miroku unexpectedly did the same. For a moment the room was filled with silence, then Miroku’s brow knitted together once again in distress and he began to wiggle about some more.

Instantly Inuyasha placed his hand on his friend’s chest, holding him still, and then, acting on impulse alone with no real thought given to it, he began speaking again. Well, singing actually (not something he had ever been fond of, but he had watched Kikyo sing more times than he could remember to some of the sick people she helped or small children). Unfortunately he only knew one song that he had picked up on the many time’s the children had sung it in the villages they had passed.

‘Pure has now become Impure

Impure has now become Pure

Good has now become Bad

Bad has become Good.’

It was a simple tune and it sounded very depressing and sad, especially on his inexperienced voice, but Miroku seemed calmed by it nonetheless, and went very still, almost as though listening for more.

Not wanting his friend to being thrashing about or mumbling again, Inuyasha repeated the verse a few more times before it began to really play on his nerves (and vocal chords) and he gave up on the song. For all of five seconds before Miroku began to start up again.

Then he was forced to talk about things-- many things-- things he didn’t normally talk about, things that he really didn’t know what to say about, and things that had never happened at all.

He didn’t know if Miroku could hear him or not, but that hardly mattered.

He was just rambling in an effort to soothe his friend, and if this was what worked, then he would continue to do it until his mouth ran dry and his throat shrivelled up from the effort. ~*~  

Glossary

Kitsune - Fox

Hanyou - Half-Demon

Ningen - Human

Kazaana - Wind Tunnel

Baka - Fool!

Otouto - Little Brother

Aniki - Big Brother

Youkai - Demon ~*~

A\N: Okay, so, the song in this is just a little one that I’ve heard several times on the TV show (the little kids were singing it in the background and I think it was discussed for all of five seconds on one of the episodes) and I’m not sure if I got the lyrics exactly right (this is all by memory peoples). I don’t know the name of the song nor who wrote it\sang it, but it wasn’t me and I’m not laying any claim on it for that.

Anyway, if anyone’s wondering what’s happening with Kagome, Amaya and Sango, I’ll get back to them soon enough, just please be patient-- I’m beating my brains out to try and get these chapter’s up and I can only do so many characters at a time!

Hm. Here’s an interesting thing... The closest word Spellcheck can find for “Inuyasha” is Natasha. o.O

Lol, well I thought it was weird anyway... ^_^

Anyway, again, sorry for anyone who seems OOC! Except for Inuyasha (but that’s only because of the ordeal he’s been through) I didn’t mean to do it!