Contingency by Rikayu

Seeing Red

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim any right or responsibilities for the characters used in this story.  All rights are reserved for the respective creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi. 

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Seeing Red

The air was tinged with the metallic smell of blood. As much as he was hardened by countless battles throughout his lifetime, it was unnerving. Most especially when it was the scent his own blood that drifted up to his nose.

Sesshoumaru cringed inwardly as he attempted to shift his right side, pain shooting up from the bloody gash on across his chest. His vision blurred and he silently cursed as he had no one to blame but himself for his current injuries. In battle, there was no room for mistakes and the Lord of the Western Lands was expected to make none.

As the taiyoukai closed his eyes, the faint scent of salt wafted up towards him, getting stronger with each second that passed by. Then as the sound of footsteps reached his ears, his immediately eyes snapped open, golden spheres tinted with a deep crimson red. A feral growl escaped his lips as his eyes narrowed dangerously at the intruder.

The footsteps stopped and the demon instantly recognized the girl standing across from him as his half-brother's little wench. He let out a deep growl and watched as the girl took a step back, but did not run away as he had predicted. Defiantly, the girl took a step forward. "You're hurt," she pointed out quietly.

He bared his teeth and his chest rumbled menacingly at the girl, letting out a throaty growl the more she stepped closer to his person. The scent of fear that had first rolled off of the girl when she had first stepped through the trees had disappeared. "Let me help you," she said, but as she reached her hand down to him, he struck out at her with his claws and flashed his crimson eyes at her angrily.

For a moment, the girl drew back, her hand going up to her chest. But again, she took a step closer and then dropped the large yellow pack she'd been carrying with her. She knelt in front of him and dared to stare directly into his eyes. "Please," she said, "Let me help you."

His eyes scanned over her appearance as the girl knelt. She wore a strange white and green kimono that was disgustingly inappropriate she was apparently unarmed, the bow and arrows he had seen her use in the fights, absent. 'How foolish,' he remarked inwardly before his eyes settled on the seemingly out-of-place stream of tears that flowed down the girl's cheeks that seemed to be defiantly seeping their way downwards despite the determined look on the girl's face.

"Leave, human," the taiyoukai ordered. He absolutely did not want anything to do with to do with her.

She shook her head and did not move from her spot. "No."

Sesshoumaru let out a growl in protest but as he tried to move himself once more, an immense pain shot up through his entire body and he tensed, his eyes growing a deeper red. As he doubled over, he felt the girl's arms catch him and the faint sound of her voice calling out to him then everything went black.

In what seemed like after only a few moments, the demon lord slowly forced his eyes open, his body throbbing terribly. The setting sun cast an orange glow to the canopy up above and he realized that he had lost consciousness for the last few hours. As he tried to push himself up on his one arm, his gi shift down his torso to reveal that his chest wound had been cleaned and bandaged with material unfamiliar to him. Then, soft hands placed themselves on his shoulder and helped him straighten to a more upright sitting position. Immediately, Sesshoumaru's golden eyes flicked to the young woman sitting next to him.

"You shouldn't move too much or your wounds won't heal properly."

The demon opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was so dry that his voice was too raspy to even form distinct words. As he tried to force out speech, a cup of water was brought to his mouth. His parched lips almost hungrily welcomed the liquid and when the cup was emptied, the girl pulled away and disposed of the cup into her pack.

"Human," Sesshoumaru started, but the girl hurriedly interrupted him.

"Just hold still for a moment," she said before she suddenly pressed a white cloth against an open wound on his right arm. He hissed as his wound stung, a sharp acidic scent coming from the cloth.

The girl pulled the cloth away, discarded it and then buried her hands into her pack, searching for something. But as she came up empty-handed, the girl chewed on her bottom lip. Her hands strayed to the red cloth that hung around her neck and she paused, looking down at it before she untied the cloth and bit onto one side, pulling and ripping it into thin strips. She then wrapped it securely around the wound on his arm and tied the end into a neat knot.

"I'll come back tomorrow," she said quickly before standing up and turning to leave.

"Miko, do not presume that I am in your debt. Your assistance was wholly unnessecary."

The girl paused but did not turn to look at him. "I'm not asking for anything in return," she said quietly as she turned her blue eyes towards him. "I am the one who's in your debt."

The shouts of her comrades and the unmistakable voice of the demon lord's half-brother could be heard in the distance and suddenly, the girl's face saddened. With a polite bow, the girl then turned and disappeared into the darkening forest.

The next day, the girl returned only to find that Sesshoumaru was gone. But on the base of the tree where the taiyoukai sat the day before, was a neatly folded red cloth. The miko bent down to pick up the cloth and rubbed her fingers against the silky texture, the cotton cloth she'd used the day before nowhere to be found. With one last look around her, she tied the red silk around her neck and walk away, whispering a small 'thank you' into the air.

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End Note: Done for Priestess Skye's Weekly Challenge on Dokuga. Theme: Ribbon. Word Length: 1,031.