Poison Kiss by thetroll

Chapter 1

Rin awoke deep in a cave, momentarily disoriented both by the oddness of her surroundings and the pounding in her head. She felt chilled and immediately began to shiver despite the fact that she was dressed warmly.

What happened?

She blearily looked around the cave as she tried to piece together what had happened. "Kagome and I were gathering herbs," she murmured to herself as the memories came back to her. "And then this snake yokai appeared and—oh," she breathed as she remembered how the snake yokai had snatched her up, slithering off before Kagome had been able to get more than one arrow off.

Kagome had missed the yokai, though it wasn't for the lack of effort. In the last five years since Kagome had returned, she had grown increasingly strong in her own abilities. Kagome never missed and Rin felt a pang of guilt that Kagome had likely only missed because of Rin herself.

"Ssso you are awake."

Rin searched in the dark, damp cave, wishing she could find the source of the voice. "Yes," she confirmed, seeing no point in lying. "But you should not have done that. When Lord Sesshomaru, Lady Kagome, and Lord InuYasha find out where I am—"

"That issss exsssactly what thisss one hopesss for," the snake yokai hissed. "You will ensure that Ssssessshomaru sssurrendersss."

Rin stiffed at the insinuation. "He would never!"

Lord Sesshomaru was the strongest being she'd ever known. He would find a way to rescue her.

The snake yokai chuckled, loud, sharp hissing noises as it slithered around the cave. "He will," it promised her darkly, "or thisss one will not provide the antidote for the poissson in your blood."

Rin froze. "Poison?" she repeated blankly. Was that why she felt feverish and chilled at the same time?

"If he doesss not sssurrender, it will kill you within the nexssst three daysss." The snake laughed again and she shivered at the sound. "Perhapsss you ssshould pray that to the kami for your nexssst life."

No. Rin squared his shoulders, fighting past the ice that suddenly seemed to be running through her veins. "Lord Sesshomaru will save me. Wait and see."

A chuckle was the only answer she received.

. 

. 

"The snake definitely came this way," Kagome reassured Sesshomaru as they tracked down the yokai that had stolen Rin right before her.

She still couldn't shake off her guilt; she'd had the yokai there in her sights and she'd hesitated because the way the snake had been moving, it would have been all too possible to hit the teenaged girl. Rin was only sixteen and far too young to be permanently injured or killed because Kagome had aimed incorrectly.

In the end, she'd aimed for the tail in the hopes of slowing it down, but her hesitation had cost her. She'd waited too long and missed entirely, the snake yokai entirely out of range.

"Keh." InuYasha huffed as he kept Tessaiga at its full form on his shoulder. "It's nearby; I can smell its stench from here."

"Hnn." Sesshomaru hadn't touched the sword at his side but Kagome didn't doubt Sesshomaru's determination to save Rin. They'd been fortunate that he'd arrived for one of his unexpected visits and as soon as Kagome had made it back to the village with the news. "The scent is emanating from that cave."

They turned to the large cave a few thousand feet away, expecting the snake yokai to come out at any moment to engage them directly.

Instead, they heard a horrible hissing laughter that reminded Kagome more of a water sprinkler than an actual living, breathing being. "Ssso," the yokai hissed from the depths of the cave, "you finally arrive, Sssessshomaru."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Snake, you will return the child," he said calmly but Kagome heard the underlying threat he didn't bother to speak aloud, "though it will not spare your life."

The snake chortled. "Ssspare my life?" They heard slithering as it made its way towards the front of the cave. "You will sssurender your title and landsss to thisss Sssoren or the girl will die from the poissson in her veinsss."

"Keh. Stupid bastard." InuYasha shifted the blade to his other shoulder. "Sesshomaru's gonna make him suffer for that."

"Yeah," Kagome said quietly to her best friend. "You're probably right."

InuYasha just snorted in response.

The snake slithered into view as Sesshomaru waited silently for its appearance. It was the tallest snake yokai she'd ever seen, complete with a hood, and its bright red color, along with its yellow and black markings, suggested that it was as venomous as it'd hinted it was.

Sesshomaru didn't even bother to wait for it to strike. Before either Kagome or InuYasha had a chance to react, Sesshomaru was already before the snake, his claws bared and glowing green with the strength of his doku and his eyes flashing the same red InuYasha's did when he lost himself to his yokai blood. "Long have you sought what is not yours to take. It ends now, vermin."

"You would risssk her life for pride?" The snake drew back, fully exposing its hood as it prepared to strike.

Sesshomaru didn't even give it the chance. He struck, so fast that Kagome barely even saw the movement, as his hand unerringly found the snake's heart and pulled it, still beating, from the snake's chest. Then, to Kagome's horror, Sesshomaru took the bloody heart and fed it to the dying snake.

As it choked on its own heart, it crumpled to the ground and Sesshomaru ruthlessly stepped over it, drawing more blood as its windpipe broke under his weight.

Kagome didn't even stop to take in the carnage—she didn't want to see it anyway—and instead raced off to find Rin, knowing the girl had to be suffering from the poison coursing through her system. 

But it was Sesshomaru who found the teenage girl well before Kagome, bringing her out of the cave before Kagome had managed to take more than a step or two inside. Sesshomaru looked at the girl he carried and then, his eyes fading from red to a dull pink, he turned to Kagome. "She is beyond this one's ability to heal," he said slowly and Kagome sensed more than heard his regret at his own rash behavior.

Kagome reached out and inspected the girl. "She's clammy," she said, feeling Rin's skin. "Fever, shivers, and probably a fuzzy head, too. Her veins are changing colors and that's not a good sign. The poison has probably already entered her bloodstream." She bit her lower lip. "I don't have anything on me or back at the hut that could treat yokai venom. But," she added at the desolation in Sesshomaru's expression, "I think I know what we'd need to treat it." She remembered a yokai plant Sango had mentioned her people using to treat more severe yokai snake venom and she suspected it would help Rin, too. Unfortunately, with the slayer village gone, she wasn't sure where to find it.

"It's called Red Crow's Feet," Kagome said, remembering what Sango had said about the plant. "It's a yokai plant and most of the plant is toxic, but if you take the roots and steam them before grinding them into powder, you can ingest them as a powerful antidote. It doesn't grow around here, but—"

"So it is hopeless," Sesshomaru interrupted flatly, his expression stony.

"No," Kagome corrected him quickly, "just rare. But," she brightened as she remembered Jinenji's hobby of growing rare and unusual plants, "I think I know just where we can find one."

Kagome rushed over to InuYasha and he immediately let her climb onto his back. "Hurry," she urged him. "We have to get to Jinenji before the poison spreads any further."

. 

. 

Jinenji's usually calm countenance shattered when he saw Rin sagging in Sesshomaru's arms. "What happened?" he asked, his voice shaking.

Kagome pushed back her surprise to deal with later. "There isn't much time," she said urgently before Sesshomaru could say a word. "Do you grow Red Crow's Feet here?"

"I do," Jinenji said quickly, scratching his head. It wasn't a common plant and had few, if any, practical purpose outside of use as a rare antidote. 

"Rin was poisoned and she needs the roots to recover," Kagome rushed out, waving to Rin with one hand. "We need to steam the roots and then ground them and give them to her. Can you give us some?"

Jinenji's eyes widened. "Of course," he said, nodding. "Set her down and we'll go get the plant."

Jinenji's mother peered at them through her window as she clucked her tongue. "Poor little chicken. Bring her inside."

"Right." Kagome nodded and turned to InuYasha and Sesshomaru. "We'll get the plant. InuYasha, help Sesshomaru make Rin comfortable and then set up a small hotbox for us to steam the roots. We don't have a lot of time."

"Keh." InuYasha bristled more on principle than in any real irritation. "I ain't your servant, wench."

"InuYasha..." Kagome folded her arms across her chest.

"I'm goin', I'm going." InuYasha huffed. "I ain't about to let the kid die so relax."

Kagome followed Jinenji through his fields, knowing that Sesshomaru and InuYasha would see to Rin. Jinenji made a bee line straight to the plant, locating it with such ease that Kagome suspected the plant was important to Jinenji for other reasons.

It wasn't exactly what she expected as she looked at it. Aside from the faint yoki emanating from it, it was entirely unremarkable. More small shrub than flowering plant, it had only a single white flower with petals so small they were almost nonexistent. Its leaves were sharp and jagged but the roots, true to name, did resemble the gnarled feet of a crow, if crow's feet were bright red in color.

"This is it, isn't it?" Kagome asked as Jinenji bent to touch the plant.

"It is," Jinenji agreed quietly, gently stroking the leaves.

"It means a lot to you, this plant," Kagome guessed, watching how tenderly he touched it. "You don't have to—"

Jinenji offered her a tiny, sad smile. "It's worth it," he said, though his tone was disheartened as he moved to uproot the plant.

Kagome remembered Sango's instructions and quickly blurted, "We don't need the whole plant, Jinenji. Just one branch of the roots. The plant should be fine."

Jinenji hesitated as his large hand gripped the plant. "Are you sure?" he asked softly. "Rin is ill and—"

"It'll be plenty," Kagome reassured him. "Don't worry; Rin will be fine with just that. Besides, the plant is obviously important to you."

"It is," Jinenji agreed again, turning his head to give Kagome a watery smile. "Red Crow's Feet is known by another name: the Lovebird Flower. It only blooms when it is placed next to a companion plant, the Blue Star." He indicated the dark blue flowering yokai plant next to the Red Crow's Feet, its large petals almost glittering with dew. "The Blue Star is a yokai plant often used in soaps and perfumes, but Red Crow's Feet is hard to grow and has no real purpose so it's extremely rare to find. Some even call it the Lonely Flower because when it's placed beside the Blue Star, it only grows a single flower."

Her heart went out to him, understanding what Jinenji meant without him saying it explicitly. She placed a comforting hand on his arm as he carefully removed the necessary roots. "Thank you, Jinenji," she told him softly. 

He placed his free hand over hers and patted it before he rose, roots in his other hand. "We should hurry back."

Kagome nodded and as she followed after Jinenji, she wiped away the tears she wouldn't let him see her cry on his behalf.

. 

. 

As the roots steamed, carefully tucked inside the makeshift hotbox InuYasha and Sesshomaru had erected, neither Jinenji nor Sesshomaru would leave Rin's side. Amused, Kagome had to watch from a distance because she didn't have the room to sit right next to Rin herself. Jinenji took all of her care on himself, keeping Rin cool with a moist cloth and wiping away any sweat that formed. He also used a second cloth, dipping it in cool water, to keep Rin's lips and mouth hydrated, and he did it all without saying a word over the last hour as the roots steamed.

A suspicion began to form in her mind but she didn't dare to speak it aloud just yet. 

"Roots are ready," Jinenji's mother bellowed from outside the hut. She'd insisted on being the one to fan the flames for the hotbox, claiming that her hut was 'hot enough.'

Kagome rose and, noticing InuYasha was still off hunting for meat to put into a stew to help Rin regain her lost strength, turned to Sesshomaru. "Can you help me?" she asked quietly, not wanting Jinenji's mother to exert herself any more than necessary.

Sesshomaru met her gaze and he nodded, leading the way out of the hut as Kagome followed. 

Kagome tried to ignore how handsome he looked as he stepped up beside her. He was a daiyokai, destined to take a yokai wife in turn. 

But Kami, he was beautiful. 

Jinenji's mother took one look at them and cackled to herself. "It's hot out here, too," she said cryptically before rising to her feet. "I'm going to take a walk."

Sesshomaru opened the hot box, handing the heated roots to Kagome as she began crushing them with her pestle. The roots had to be crushed while heated to maintain potency which meant that she had to be handed each one in turn to ensure the other pieces stayed in the box, steaming.

"Alright," Kagome said as she finished pounding the last root into dust. Her muscles ached, her shoulder felt like a brick, but she didn't stop to think about her own discomfort. "The powder is ready. We just have to make sure Rin swallows it." 

Kagome ducked back into the hut, Sesshomaru following close behind, and Jinenji took the bowl from Kagome's limp hands. Seeing the tenderness in his movements as he tended to the feverish girl, her eyes now fluttering as she hovered in and out of consciousness, Kagome made a snap decision and ushered Sesshomaru back out of the hut. "I, ah, need to find another plant that will help Rin gain her strength," she lied. It was the first excuse that came to mind but she just knew Jinenji and Rin needed to be alone.

There was something brewing between them and they deserved the privacy to explore it. She could see it in the way Jinenji looked at Rin and how she calmed at his touch despite her own fever.

Sesshomaru raised a brow but didn't protest. "And what is this plant called?"

Kagome's eyes widened as she tried to think of a good name for her nonexistent plant. "Blue Eyes White Dragon," she blurted and then wanted to kick herself. Thanks, Sota, she groused to herself. Now I have Yu-Gi-Oh fake plants.

But it was too late to take back now. If she did, Sesshomaru would immediately realize it was a lie to keep him out of the house. 

Sesshomaru's eyebrow rose higher. "And what does this 'Blue Eyes White Dragon' plant look like?"

"Um," she thought quickly. "It has blue flowers and white stems. That's how it got its name. The stems sort of spiral around all serpentine like, like a dragon's body, so the dragon and, well, so yeah. Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"And what are the properties of this plant?" Sesshomaru idly ran his claws through his lock of hair and she wondered if he enjoyed seeing her squirm.

Kagome licked her lips, not noticing how Sesshomaru watched the movement. "It makes you stronger," she said, hoping she didn't sound stupid, "by, ah, boosting your immune system and helping strengthen your heart."

She sounded like a complete idiot. 

I swear, Sota, if I live to the future, I'm going to hit you over the head with that magazine for making me read that manga.

"Very well." Sesshomaru nodded. "This one will help you locate this 'plant.'" 

Kagome swallowed; the way he'd said the word made her feel like he didn't believe her but evidently he'd decided to humor her anyway now that Rin had the antidote she needed. "R-right. Well, it should be around here somewhere."

She gestured to the right field and Sesshomaru dutifully followed her, giving each of the plants a courtesy glance over. 

The silence, however, was unnerving and finally Kagome blurted, "Do you have a favorite plant, Sesshomaru?"

The question sounded stupid as soon as it left her lips but she could not take it back and so she held her breath as she waited.

"Hnn." After a moment, Sesshomaru admitted, "The lotus."

She turned to look at him in surprise. "The lotus?" Of all the flowers she might have suspected, that one had never crossed her mind. "Why?"

He turned to look at her fully, a curious light in his golden gaze. "The lotus is admirable. It lives and thrives where other flowers would not. Could not. Its seeds can be kept from the water for thousands of years and yet it will still bloom once exposed. No matter how filthy its surroundings, the lotus remains pure and untainted."

Kagome swallowed as she caught the faint blush at his cheeks. "You—"

"This flower, 'Blue Eyes White Dragon,' is it your favorite?" Sesshomaru interrupted and she had the feeling he had revealed more than he'd intended.

Kagome blinked, almost forgetting that she'd made up the flower in the first place. "No, I like lilies," she admitted. "Calla lilies are my favorite but—oh," she caught his blank look and realized the flower wouldn't be introduced to Japan for centuries, "ah, it's not a flower that's from around here. But they are beautiful white flowers with a single, long flowing petal. They're so elegant. Where I'm from, they mean magnificence and beauty."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly as his flush faded. "This flower," he said carefully, "it does not grow here."

"No," Kagome shook her head with a sad smile. "I don't think you'd find it anywhere on the island." She probably wouldn't ever see it again, now that she'd made her home in the feudal era.

Sesshomaru was silent for a moment. "This one could locate it for you."

Kagome brought her hands up. "Thank you," she said, and meant it, wondering if he offered only because she knew of a way to save Rin. "But it is really far away, Sesshomaru. It's not worth it."

"Isn't it?" he countered softly.

She fidgeted. "Are you asking because I saved Rin?" she said, needing to know. "I meant it, Sesshomaru; it's just a flower."

"But it is something you care for." He glanced away then and wouldn't meet her gaze.

Where her daring came from, she didn't know, but she stepped forward, reaching up to grasp his cheek and turn his gaze back to hers. The passion she saw glittering back at her had her holding her breath and she gasped. "You—"

"It is unnecessary," he said, his voice suddenly stiff. "This one does not expect his regard to be returned."

"You're an idiot," Kagome snapped and then her voice softened. "You have so much to offer, Sesshomaru. Only a fool would turn that down."

He stiffened beneath her touch. "This one does not want a mate because of what he offers," he ground out, offended.

Kagome grabbed his lapel with her free hand and pulled him into a short kiss. "Not because of what you offer," she said softly, "but because of who you are. I've seen how you care for Rin, Sesshomaru, and seeing the way you look at me—no one could be luckier."

She'd never dreamt he would return her fledgling feelings for him but now that she knew he had, she wanted to kiss him again.

"Oy! Rin's awake!" InuYasha bellowed from the hut.

They both jerked back, millimeters away from a second kiss.

"We should go check on her," Kagome blurted, blushing.

Sesshomaru's cheeks were slightly red as he nodded but he seemed as reluctant to part as Kagome felt.

They made their way to the hut, surprised to see Rin being propped up by Jinenji's large body as one of his hands held her, tucking her against him. "How do you feel, Rin?" Kagome asked as she stepped into the hut.

"Much better, Lady Kagome," Rin said, flushing as she absently ran her finger around in circles on Jinenji's hand. "Jinenji kept watch over me this entire time."

Kagome pressed her lips to stop a giggle. "He did," she agreed. "He wouldn't let alone else even treat you."

Rin's face became even more red. "H-he—we're—I like him. I want to marry him," she blurted out and then froze, as if expecting a denial.

To everyone's surprise, Sesshomaru chuckled lowly. "And how does this hanyo feel?"

Jinenji flinched but Rin's touch soothed him into relaxing again. "I want to marry her," he said slowly, "if she would have me. She is the Blue Star to my Red Crow's Feet."

Rin beamed as Sesshomaru raised a brow. "I'll tell you later," Kaogme said quietly.

"Hnn." Sesshomaru nodded. "Very well then."

"Oy, I ain't gonna cook this stew on my own," InuYasha groused, drawing everyone's attention to the large deer he'd propped up by the pot in the center of the hut. "Y'all can make those creepy eyes at each other later." He shuddered. "My own half-brother and Kagome...eeesh."

Kagome, moving to help InuYasha, pretended she hadn't heard him.