Contingency by Rikayu

Dew

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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Dew

The rain poured relentlessly outside the cave.  The sky was blotted heavily with dark clouds as the loud bang of thunder shook against Kagome's skin.  She let out a breathy sigh and hugged her blanket tighter around herself then glanced at the glowing hands that told the time on her wristwatch.  Her lips creased into a frown.  It had been raining nonstop for nearly three hours, and it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon.

Kagome's eyes drifted down to the little girl lying down in front of her.  The older girl's hand reached out and brushed away sweat-damp bangs from the child's face.  The heat could be felt against the little girl's skin and Kagome's frown only deepened.  Rin's fever still hadn't gone down. 

The miko stood and walked over to the large yellow backpack that sat at one side of the cave.  Her hand delved into the bag and pulled out a bottle of water, a metal spoon and a small pot.  She unzipped one of the smaller compartments within the bag and took out a small packet of instant soup before heading to the fire she'd managed to start when the rain wasn't too strong.  As she mixed the contents of the sachet with water, Kagome's eyes glanced up once more at Rin worriedly.

The girl continued to shiver even as she lay wrapped in two of the thicker blankets Kagome'd brought in her backpack.  The beads of sweat made Rin's skin glisten as the fire flickered a soft glow throughout the cave, the red blush of fever settled on her cheeks.  From Kagome's position across the fire, she could hear Rin's muffled coughs and the girl's difficulty breathing from her raspy breaths. 

Earlier that day, Kagome'd just come from the Bone-Eater's well, grumbling about the score she'd gotten from her most recent mathematics test.  As she struggled to pull over her yellow pack, the cold air blew against her and immediately, Kagome looked up at the darkening sky.  Since the village was still a while's walk through the forest, Kagome had run to the Goshinboku tree to wait out the rain.  It was then that she spotted the ward of the Lord of the Western Lands, alone and soaking wet as she sat under the God Tree.  The girl was shaking and her skin was hot, so the older girl ran to a cave she then remembered was not too far nearby. 

Kagome looked up across the fire and her thoughts drifted to the demon lord who she'd cared for nearly three months ago.  He seemed so cold and distant, professing his detest of humans from the first moment they met, and yet in front of her was his ward.  Rin was undeniably human, and from wha t the young girl had mentioned to her when Kagome had once before found her playing alone in a field and given her something to eat, a long time before the day she found Sesshoumaru bloodied and injured, that the ever indifferent taiyoukai had given her 'life'. 

The miko gasped painfully as she withdrew her hand and sucked on the tip of her reddening thumb.  She hadn't been paying attention and her thumb had touched a hot part of the pot.  Kagome cursed silently before she lifted the pot from the fire and walked over to her bag to pull out a bowl.  After pouring some of the soup into the bowl, Kagome walked back to the fire and knelt next to Rin, lifting the girl with her free arm and sitting behind her.  Kagome blew on a spoonful of the soup and slowly brought it closer to Rin's lips, but the little girl refused to open her lips and turned her head away.

"W-where is... " she coughed out weakly, "Sesshoumaru-sama?  Where is Sesshoumaru-sama"

Kagome paused then gave the girl a reassuring squeeze.  "Rin, you have to drink this.  It'll make you feel better."

"But... Sesshoumaru-sama..."

"Please Rin," Kagome said as she brought the spoon up once more.  "I promise, we'll look for Sesshoumaru-sama, but right now, you have to get better, okay?"

"You really promise?"

The miko nodded.

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The warmth of sunshine and the scent of fresh morning dew was what roused Kagome from her slumber.  Her back ached from lying on the cold cave floor and she wished she had a nice modern bed even though she should be used to sleeping on the ground after traveling in feudal Japan for so long.  The fire had long-since died the night before and only ashes remained.  Kagome's hand reached beside her and immediately, she whirled her body around to find no one in the cave with her, the blankets Rin had used left folded neatly on top of her yellow bag, a ring of flowers placed innocently next to it. 

As Kagome pushed herself up to stand, it was only then that she noticed that instead of the thin blanket she'd donned the night before, she was covered with a red kimono.  At first, the fire-rat haori of her hanyou companion popped into her head until she saw the thread shining in the sunlight.  The miko let her hand gingerly run over the fabric, then her eyes widened slightly as she looked down at the red tie that hung around her neck.  It was the same red silk.

The girl quickly ran outside of the cave and looked around, the kimono hanging over her arm as she looked around the immediate area.  As she turned back to the cave, she could have sworn she saw something white flash through her peripheral vision, but she didn't look.  Instead, her fingers ran against the silkiness of the kimono as she knelt in front of her backpack.

Her blue eyes drifted to the flowers at the very top of her pack.  Her other hand lifted it up and brought it closer to her face as she inhaled the fragrance of the petals.  A smile graced the miko's lips as she looked down at the contrast of the flowers against the red of the silk.  Rin was safe, she knew for sure. 

At the sound of her friends calling out to her, Kagome carefully folded the kimono and stashed it deep inside her bag.  As she exited the cave, her yellow pack in tow, Kagome looked down at the flowers in her hands and made her way to her companions, the red tie she wore flapping in the breeze that blew around her. 

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End Note: Done for Priestess Skye's Weekly Challenge on Dokuga. Theme: Life. Word Length: 1,086