InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fated Coincidences ❯ Chapter 2 - A Visitor ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: A Visitor

 

If Kagome had been hit, surely her life would be lost. However, it was Sesshoumaru who had jumped in front of Kagome and took the deadly blow meant for her, about which all three were shocked, including the demon lord himself. Thick blood of a color deep red oozed out and stained Sesshoumaru's white haori as it spilled to the ground. Kagome watched in horror as his left arm landed with a thump on the forest ground. She didn't know whether he growled in pain or anger but he quickly unsheathed Toukijin and sent a blazing path of ominous energy Inuyasha's way. Sesshoumaru must have let out an enormous amount of killing intent because Inuyasha jumped back several times. They stood glaring at each other for a minute before the hanyou turned and disappeared from their sight.

 

Upon Inuyasha's departure, Sesshoumaru dropped his sword and collapsed to the ground unconscious. Kagome watched wide-eyed for a moment, as if registering in her brain the events that had just occurred. She regained her composure quickly, rose from her sitting form, and caught him as he hit the ground. His breaths were rapid and irregular to which Kagome gave a worried look.

 

“He needs to be treated immediately or he'll die of blood loss!” Kagome hooked his right arm behind her neck and picked him up. With swift steps, she raced to the nearest cave. She set him down on the floor of the cave gently and worked quickly. Soon Sesshoumaru's haori was discarded to the side and Kagome started cleaning the partially dried blood from the vicinity of the wound. To her relief, the wound was cut very cleanly. Claws of Inuyoukai are very sharp indeed. The bone, cartilage, and nerves were not torn apart, otherwise it would have dashed any hopes of repair.

 

Kagome heard a sizzling sound and trained her eyes to scrutinize the wound. “He is indeed the great taiyoukai of the West,” Kagome mused. “His body is trying to heal itself already.” Although the cells around the wound tried to regenerate quickly, it would be of no use. Even for as a high-class youkai as Sesshoumaru, a limb is not something that can be easily replaced with simple healing powers. She gathered some energy to her hands and placed them over the wound. A blue light started to surround the wound and the bleeding soon stopped. Kagome took Sesshoumaru's severed left arm and connected it to his shoulder. Adding more healing energy to the injured area, Kagome attempted to reconnect his arm. She was tired from the battle as she used a lot of energy in the fight and in carrying Sesshoumaru so the healing took longer than she had expected. Nonetheless, as the beads of her sweat pooled at her feet as they dropped from her face, Kagome concentrated until the wound was barely visible to the naked eye.

 

Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Kagome slowly got up to get some more water. It was all she could do from collapsing. ”I guess I overdid it today. I used a lot of energy fighting and healing.” Putting her hand on the cave wall to support herself, Kagome slowly walked out of the cave to the nearest stream. She brought back a jug of water and used a large leaf to drizzle some water into Sesshoumaru's mouth. By the way he was burning up from a fever, he needed all of the water to keep him from being dehydrated. After a while, with the help of Kagome's healing powers, his fever tapered and his breathing slowed to normal.

 

Kagome sat back for most of her work is done. Sesshoumaru was in a deep slumber and by the following morning, his youkai powers would have had him healed completely. Being the first time that she has had time to relax since she left the village, Kagome looked at her surroundings and noticing for the first time the person, or rather, youkai sleeping only a few feet away from her.

 

Sesshoumaru was really a sight for eyes to feast upon, even Kagome's, who did not care much for males, of any species, in the past. Long silver hair that glistened even under the dim light coming from the cave opening; lean yet powerful muscles that rippled through the planes of his chest and arms; strong cheekbones shaped his chiseled features; full lips that were begging to be kissed… Oh! And his eyes! They gleamed like gold that shone under the bright summer sun. Kagome could feel his intense gaze on her and felt transparent, as if the eyes she looked into saw through and past her. After a few long moments, Kagome realized she was staring, and being stared at, and quickly looked away.

 

“Oh, you're awake! Try not to move around too much, as your wound can open if you put too much pressure on your arm. I'll go get you some food and water,” Kagome stuttered. She was caught red handed staring at his half bare figure and was embarrassed beyond words. Sesshoumaru caught the slight blush on her cheeks even as she tried to hide it quickly by hurrying out of the cave. She returned soon with berries, wild mushrooms, and some fish she caught in the stream nearby. After hastily starting a fire, she grilled the mushrooms and fish and put the food and water within Sesshoumaru's reach.

 

“I have to go now but you should stay here for a few days. There should be enough food and water here to last you until tomorrow. I'll be back tomorrow morning to check on you,” said Kagome. It was rapidly approaching noontime and the villagers, especially Sango, would start searching for her if she didn't return to the village soon. She ran out of the cave before Sesshoumaru could even say a word to her.

 

 

“Kagome-sama is back!” A villager announced to everyone as Kagome appeared from the forest and entered the village. Everyone gathered around her and asked worriedly about the youkai in the forest.

 

“Is there going to be another attack?”

 

“Kagome-sama, did you exterminate the youkai?”

 

“You were gone for so long, Kagome-sama, were the youkai that strong this time?”

 

“Could they be after the Shikon no Tama? How frightening…,” came a barrage of questions at Kagome.

 

“Kagome-chan, you back! What took you so long? I was just about to go after you!” Sango said as she pushed through the crowd. “Everyone, there's no need to worry! Look, Kagome came back without a scratch. Let's all go back to work and we can hear about it at lunch!” With this, the villagers reluctantly went back to work and Sango pushed Kagome into her hut.

 

Putting down her bow and arrow and pouring tea for two, Kagome sighed of relief. She didn't have time to think about what to tell the villagers yet and Sango came just at the right time to save her from being put on the spot. However, now she has to think up a story foolproof enough to get past Sango. This wasn't going to be easy, because Sango is very sharp.

 

“So, what happened in the forest, Kagome-chan? You were gone for 3 hours! We were all so worried,” came the question that Kagome did not want to be asked. Sango sipped her tea and waited patiently for the answer, as if expecting Kagome to tell nothing but the truth.

 

“Here goes. This might not work but I can't tell her the truth…” Kagome thought as she took a deep breath and put down her cup. “I went after the two youkai, to where I thought they were by following to their source of youki. But by the time I got there, they were gone and they hid their presence from me. They must have sensed me because I couldn't find them anymore. I walked around the forest looking for clues of where they might have gone but in the end, I just came back to the village without finding anything.” Kagome was almost afraid to look Sango in the eye as she was saying this. She hated lying to Sango; she hasn't lied to her much in the past. It was mostly because the other girl was so observant but also that they were such good friends. Kagome didn't have the heart to betray the trust that Sango had put in her through the years.

 

“So that's the reason why two arrows disappeared from your quiver?” Sango asked without looking up. “Kagome-chan, what really happened this morning?! You were gone for 3 hours and look how tired you are. I bet you used a lot of your energy! I can't imagine what went out there! There were two very powerful youkai; I sensed them even from this far away. Tell me, Kagome, what happened??” Sango leaned forward on the table and spoke so forcefully that Kagome was afraid to move.

 

An awkward silence followed as both girls waited for the other to talk. Sango, of course, was waiting for Kagome's answer. Kagome, however, was unsure as to whether to tell Sango the truth. If Sango found out that Kagome actually saved a youkai, and an extremely powerful youkai at that, she would probably march right over to that cave and kill Sesshoumaru without any hesitation. As much as Kagome understood Sango's deep hatred towards youkai, she just couldn't allow that to happen. Kagome remained in her seat and just stared calmly at Sango, without saying a word.

 

Sango sat back down after looking into Kagome's serious eyes. She understood immediately that the eerie silence her eyes conveyed meant that Sango shouldn't ask anymore because she has made up her mind not to say anything. “Okay, Kagome-chan, you win,” sighed Sango. “You're always like this. Sometimes I just don't get you. Anyway, you must be hungry from all that running around. Let's go get you something to eat!” A smile returned to Sango's face as she stood up and walked out of the hut. Kagome turned her head towards the direction which Sango had left and blinked sadly. She really hated keeping things from Sango but she didn't want to needlessly worry her friend. They were already under enough stress as it is. Finishing the last of her tea in a gulp, she got up and followed Sango towards the center of the village, where another meal was being served to everyone.

 

 

Not far outside the village, on a road that leads to the east, a purple robed man made his trip towards the unsuspecting villagers. Some people who passed by him bowed their heads in respect and in return, he gave them the blessings of the Buddha. As he made his way into the village, everyone had just finished their lunch and was getting ready to get back to work. The few who had noticed that a stranger had entered the village stopped to stare at the flashily dressed monk. It wasn't often that a monk passes by a village. Soon, a crowd gathered to see and greet the rare visitor and Kagome was called to officially welcome the monk to the village, as it was also a miko's duty to deal with someone on the same level with her.