Encounters with Obakemono by tenchi no mai

Okami

This was written in response to MontiK's challenge.

Theme:  Okami      

Due:  August 23, 2009

Required Word Count:  700

Actual Word Count:  5970 Story Only

Universe:  Canon

Rating:  MA

Warnings:  Language, Sexual Situation 

Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine, they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz Media.   Only the plot to this story and my original character, Takehiko, are my intellectual property.  I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Italics' = thoughts 

Okami

Kagome carefully sat up and rubbed the back of her head, wincing when her fingers touched a large bump.  After feeling a wet, sticky mess she slowly drew them back in front of her face and stared at the blood now covering her fingertips.  'Oh great!  I hope I don't need stitches.'  Her stomach rolled and she tried desperately not to heave.  Yes, it was true, she could take care of all kinds of wounds, stitch them, bandage them, splint broken bones, but blood from a wound of her own still made her queasy. 

She propped herself up, and looked around, wondering where she was.  The last thing she remembered was everyone was fighting with Naraku and his incarnations, yet everything seemed unnaturally quiet at the moment.  

Trying not to turn her head too fast this time, Kagome again visually searched the surrounding area for any of her friends.  Not a soul in sight.  She was sitting in a densely wooded area, on a rather large pile of leaves.  Noticing her bow laying a short distance away, she crawled over to retrieve it.  Her quiver was still on her back, but when she slung it off her shoulder, there were no more arrows in it. 

Just that little bit of movement made her instantly dizzy, and she flopped down on her side on the pile of leaves, as her stomach once again began doing somersaults.  Laying a hand over her abdomen, Kagome closed her eyes and tried to calm her body.  She slowly came to the realization that none of her major bones felt like they were broken, and she thanked the Kami's for that.  She also knew that she had to get up and find the rest of the tachi before dark, she couldn't lie here like wounded prey and wait for a wild animal or youkai to find her.  

From her position on the ground, Kagome watched the streamers of sunlight that were flickering through the branches of the trees and tried to estimate what time it was.  She knew it had to be at least the middle of the afternoon, the battle with Naraku started just after they sat down at midday to have a break but before they were able to fix anything to eat.  Naraku and his minions had suddenly appeared at the other end of the clearing where they had stopped, and without any warning he released hordes of demons to attack them.  The battle quickly commenced and as everyone was drawn into the fight, they got separated.  Kagome could only hope that the gang had regrouped and were looking for her, she didn't think she would be able to go too far with her head wound making her so dizzy. 

~*~

Sesshoumaru was frantic.  The miko was no where to be found.  One minute she was fairly safe behind him, shooting purifying arrows at Naraku while he launched strike after strike from his Tokijin towards the evil hanyou.   The next minute she was gone.  

Jaken and Ah-Un were protecting Rin and the fox kit.  Inuyasha was battling with Kagura, and the monk and slayer were fighting off the waves of lower demons with the help of the firecat.  

When Naraku suddenly disappeared in a cloud of his miasma and the fighting stopped, everyone slowly limped back to their makeshift campsite to tend to their wounds.  That was when he looked for the miko and couldn't find her.  

They were all hoping that Naraku hadn't kidnapped Kagome.  No one wanted to say it out loud, but the thought was present in their minds.  There was absolutely no trace of the miko, even after several hours of searching.  

When it was first noticed that she was missing, Sesshoumaru spread his youki as far and wide as possible, but was unable to detect her aura.  He had spent the last several hours flying over the side of the mountain, searching for anything that could lead them to the miko.  He hoped his scent mark would keep her safe, at least from youkai, until they could find her. 

~*~

Kagome blinked her eyes open again, she must have drifted off for a few minutes.  From the slowly darkening woods, she realized it had been far longer than just a few minutes, Kagome estimated that she had been asleep for a few hours.  The blood on the leaves near her head was now mostly dry.  Slowly sitting up to try and avoid the dizzy feeling which would aggravate her stomach, Kagome was desperate to make some kind of plan to get away from this area before all the blood drew unwanted attention.  

Her thoughts were scrambled, and as she tried to put them into some kind of order, she suddenly remembered being behind Sesshoumaru and shooting arrows at Naraku.  Unexpectedly there was a gust of wind as Kagura swooped over and grabbed her, zipping away on her feather.  Kagome remembered being dropped onto the feather and notching an arrow to shoot at the wind witch.  The next thing she remembered was screaming as the feather tipped , then falling through the sky and treetops.  'I guess maybe I wounded Kagura.  She usually has better control of her feather than to let it  tip over.' 

Using her bow like a crutch, Kagome carefully levered herself to her feet.  Leaning heavily on the bow, she took a few steps then had to stop to let the dizzy feeling pass.  She could hear water gurgling close by and slowly made her way over to a small brook where she collapsed again.  Being careful to keep her sleeves from getting too wet, Kagome scooped up handfuls of water and finally was able to relieve her parched throat.   

She could feel someone or something watching her and, with a feeling of great foreboding, raised her head.  On the opposite bank, sitting quietly was the largest wolf she had ever seen.  Some of the ones in Kouga's pack were big, but this one was huge.  Its fur was pure white, and glowed brightly against the now rapidly darkening forest behind it.  With unblinking attention, its golden yellow eyes watched her.  Blinking a few times, she looked again and it was gone.  'Well, so much for the head injury not being too bad.  You don't get hallucinations from just a little bump to the noggin.' 

Kagome remembered when they stopped for lunch there was water nearby.  Maybe if she followed this stream, it would lead her back to the rest of her friends.   She just hoped the wolf was a figment of her imagination, and not real.  She knew she wouldn't have the strength to fight it off if it decided to attack her. 

Gathering what little strength she could, she stumbled downstream, trying to keep the water in view, while stopping every few feet to catch her breath and try to get rid of the dizzy feeling.   Kagome could hear leaves and twigs crunching behind her and kept turning to see if she could spot what was making the noises.  Every so often, she thought she heard growls and then there would be crashing through the underbrush in a direction heading away from her.  

Finally her strength gave out and she slid down to her knees and sat with her head leaning against the bow.  As her headache intensifed, the forest swirled around her in a green and brown eddy, and she saw the white wolf again.  It was slowly and silently padding towards her.  When it stopped, it was less than an arms length away, she could feel its hot breath on her face.  Letting her eyes fall closed, she shivered.  With a lot of effort on her part, her eyes fluttered open again and she smiled, reaching out with one hand towards the wolf.  "Nice wolfie...", were the whispered words before she fell forward and blacked out. 

~*~

Everyone was now beyond frantic.  It would soon be dark, and the humans would be unable to continue searching.  To make matters worse, although it did give them more help with the search, Kouga and his pack had shown up late in the afternoon.  They had been in a fight with Kagura that morning and were tracking her scent across the mountain. 

Immediately recriminations and accusations of blame flew through the campsite, as Kouga and Inuyasha took fighting stances and were set to have a go at each other.  Miroku finally intervened and threatened to have Kagome purify both of them when she was found.  

A plan was quickly made,  Kouga would send his wolves out to search for Kagome.  They would not have any problems with the dark, and would report back immediately when they found something.  Kouga walked out into the middle of the clearing, lifted his head and began howling.  The pack wolves answered from within the forest and the eerie sounding chorus was repeated down the mountain, finally fading out. 

~*~

The large white wolf heard the call sounding and echoing around his mountain and slowly shook his head.  He had been chasing off a pack of wolves since late afternoon, not letting them get close to the girl.  He had found her first, she was, therefore, his.  As the Mountain Prince, no flea ridden pack of ookami, demon or otherwise, would dare try to take her from him. 

With a flash of brilliant gold and white light, Takehiko stood in his human form looking down at the girl, who had once again collapsed onto the ground.  She had surprised him, there was an unknown amount of determination and strength hidden in this small human female.  He slung her bow over his shoulder, then after carefully picking up the injured miko, bounded off up the mountain towards his home which was well above the shrine.  

~*~

Kouga was getting disturbing reports back from his wolves.  Everyone in his pack knew Kagome and her scent, they could not be mistaken.  They spoke of a great white wolf who chased them off as soon as they got a whiff of anything useful, and would not let them near her.  Several said she appeared to be injured, but they couldn't tell how badly.  Some of the older ones also spoke of the Mitsumine Shrine and the local Kami that was worshipped there.  They said it was the belief that there was an okuri-okami (escorting wolf) who follows people walking in the mountains and protects them, often from other wolves.  One of his young females brought back Kagome's quiver, empty of arrows, but covered in her blood.  

Looking over at the beings huddled around the fire, he decided to keep quiet for the moment, and wait to see what other reports came in by morning.  There was no way they could track a supernatural creature in the dark, plus if it was a messenger of the Kami, he didn't want to get on its bad side. 

~*~

Takehiko flew past the Mitsumine Shrine and continued up the mountain to his home in the caves.  He could run just as fast in his human form as he could in his lupine form.  Wolves were built for stamina, ideal for long distance travel, and the early snow on the upper mountain wouldn't slow him down at all.  

Arriving at his home, he stalked through the two outer caves to the inner section, which was the warmest.  This was where he lived when he was in his human form.  Carefully laying the miko down on his futon and covering her with a blanket, he turned to the fire pit to build a small fire and further warm the room.  Staring down at her for a moment, he decided she would be okay for a short time while he went back down the mountain to the shrine and retrieved some items from the shrine keeper that would be required to help him heal the miko. 

Returning quickly, Takehiko had everything he wanted as well as a large bowl with azuki beans and rice that someone had left at the shrine for him.  The shrine keeper was used to seeing him in both his human form as well as his wolf form, so was not alarmed when he entered the shrine and requested items to take with him.  'Of course, Kami-sama, whatever you desire.'   

This shrine keeper was better than the last one had been.  No questions asked, no explanations required, only help with whatever was necessary at the moment.  He still couldn't understand his desire to care for the girl himself instead of bringing her to the shrine and letting the shrine keeper care for her; he had done so many times before with others who had become injured while on his mountain.  Maybe it was because of the complexity of the injury, plus the fact that she may not recover with the shrine keepers limited human knowledge of treating an injury like this one.  Or maybe it was because she was miko, a child of nature, and she did not seem overly afraid of him. 

Noticing that she seemed to be highly uncomfortable, he put a pot of water on the fire to make a tea to help relieve the pain, then rolled her onto her side.  This way she was not putting any undue pressure on the wound on the back of her head.  Upon closer examination it appeared to have stopped bleeding, but was a horrible mess of matted hair and blood.  He would have to clean the wound thoroughly before he could begin to heal it.  Takehiko winced as he felt bones shift under the gentle probing of his fingers. 

~*~

Sesshoumaru had just walked back into the clearing when he saw one of Kouga's wolves emerge from the trees with something in its mouth.  The scent of Kagome's blood was strong and he then realized it was the quiver that she had worn on her back during the fight. 

Quickly turning on his heels he strode into the woods, tracking the ookami's trail for many miles before he came to the spot where the miko had been laying in a large pile of leaves.  Her scent was beginning to fade, she must have moved a while ago.  There was a large pool of dried blood from a wound, and he could smell that she was still bleeding when she had somehow managed to move away. 

Following her scent, he came to a small stream and could see where she had obviously sat to drink.  Her trail and scent continued downstream a short way before it completely disappeared.  Crouching down to look more closely, he noticed huge paw prints from a large wolf as well as footprints from a male, both of which then also vanished.  Looking around at the woods, his eyes bled crimson and he snarled loudly.  He would find his miko and whoever had harmed her would pay with his life.  If this was a youkai, and he had somehow managed to violate the scent marking, that alone would be reason to kill him.  Snarling again, he made his way back to the campsite. 

~*~

Takehiko was in a quandry.  He had wrapped the unconcious miko in the blanket and carried her to his hotspring inside the cave.  This was a pure water spring, not a sulphur spring like so many were in the countryside.  The water exited a crack in the rock, then formed a small waterfall, filling the large pool with hot water, before overflowing at the far end and exiting the cave through a small underground channel. 

After laying the miko beside the hotspring, he started scooping water over the wound until he noticed the pool of water forming by his knees.  'How am I going to clean the wound without getting everything else wet in the process?  Oh, well, there's no help for it, besides she is quite dirty and would probably be more comfortable if she was clean.'  

First stripping himself, then the miko, he picked her up and waded into the hotspring.  Sitting on the shallow ledge at the far end of the spring with the miko in his lap, he carefully cleaned the wound, then washed her hair and body.  Quickly washing himself, Takehiko openly admired the feminine charms so clearly on display.  Soft skin, rounded curves, clean shiny hair, and wonder of wonders for a human, even white teeth showing between full pink lips.  One of the few things he could not understand was the human females penchant for blackening their teeth after the fashion of the geisha in the Yoshiwara district of Edo. 

Deciding he was comfortable where he was, and the little miko seemed somewhat more relaxed since he had bathed her, he sat there contemplating the best way to go about healing her wounds.  Looking at it again, then carefully placing her head back down on his shoulder, he considered both the internal and external wounds. 

The external was easy enough.  As a wolf, his saliva both reduced and inhibited infections in wounds as well as accelerated skin regeneration.  Once they were dry he would close the wound with his saliva, then wrap it with the soft white cloth he had gotten from the shrine keeper.  In the morning he would check the wounds healing progress and coat it again thickly with his saliva then rebind it.  The wound was quite deep, it would take several days before it healed enough to stay closed.  As it was, it was still slowly seeping a thin trail of blood down her neck and over his arm. 

Speaking of which, now that all the blood was cleaned off her skin, Takehiko closely examined the scent marking he hadn't noticed earlier.  The mark appeared to be an extremely unusual one, very strong even after being in the hot water.  The demon that had marked her must be very powerful and intent on putting everyone on notice that this female was his intended.  It was a good thing the scent marking had no affect on him since he was neither demon nor human, otherwise he would be unable to heal her. 

Takehiko expanded his reiki then waited a minute to see if she would accept or fight with his powers.  Her powers seemed to be slumbering or extremely weak at the moment, so he carefully encircled her with his aura.  His eyes went wide, he was that shocked at what he found.  She was even more powerful than he first suspected, there was a huge untapped reservoir of power; he was somewhat confused, her reiki should have begun healing her wounds long before now. 

Twining small amounts of his aura with the miko's, he joined her healing powers with his.  Takehiko could feel the bones very slowly knitting together as the combined auras were directed to the sections of her skull that were damaged.  The injury was far worse than he had felt it to be from his external examination.  This was going to take quite some time. 

While the bones were healing, he decided to tap into her mind to see if he could learn how she became injured.  That was when he received his second shock of the day.  The little human female in his lap was the protector of the Shikon Jewel.  Probing futher he was able to find her memories, although they seemed disjointed and were somehow slowly fading.  Takehiko watched as she fell from a feather in the sky and crashed through the branches of the trees, coming to land in the pile of leaves where he originally found her.  'So, she had been involved in the fight with Naraku earlier today.  Her companions will be searching for her.  I will leave word with the shrine keeper, so when they reach the shrine, they can wait there until she is healed enough for me to return her to them.' 

Deciding they had spent enough time in the water, as Takehiko waded back out he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around both of them.  They would need to stay in close physical contact until the healing was complete.  Sitting by the fire, he continued to hold her quietly in his lap while her bones slowly mended and he gently sifted through her memories to learn more about this unusual human.  Feeling her eyelashes flutter against his neck, he pulled back to look down into her face.  Slowly she opened her lids and stared blankly at him with the most beautiful cerulean eyes he had ever seen.  

When he saw the totally blank, unfocused and cloudy appearance of her eyes he sadly acknowledged to himself there were further injuries that needed to be probed for and healed.  Continuing to search through her mind, he found the damaged sections, and quickly realized that without his aid she would most definitely be greatly impaired, possibly unable to function day to day on her own. 

Now he was on the horns of a dilemma; as Kami he had infinite powers at his disposal to use as he saw fit.  He could completely heal the miko, but it would be exceedingly delicate and difficult, or he could heal the worst of her physical injuries, and wait to see if she could finish healing herself.  Knowing that she would be needed at her full capacity to defeat Naraku, he opted for healing her completely.  He couldn't take the chance that she might not be able to do it herself, or that if she could, it may take years.  

Takehiko knew that as weak as her healing powers currently were, he would have to completely join their auras.  This would require him to then suppress her powers and aura which would allow him to use his powers to heal the damage.  She had not objected to the small amount of his aura entwined with hers to heal the fractures, hopefully she wouldn't resist this time.  It would be far easier on her if he didn't have to force their auras to join. 

Since her fractures were almost healed, Takehiko decided to wait a little while before attempting the aura joining.  The tea for her pain was finally done and cool enough; it would take some time to get her to swallow it while she was unconcious.  Perhaps if it relaxed her enough the aura joining could be accomplished with only a slight disturbance.  After she had some tea, and he sealed the external wound, he would go down to the shrine and leave a message for her companions when they arrived looking for her.  'This should be interesting, several full demons, a hanyou, a demon slayer, a monk and a child.  I must remember to advise the shrine keeper not to purify them.'   

~*~

Sesshoumaru sat in the dark flexing his fingers, watching his fingertips turn from pale green to a darker green.  He was so beyond furious that his dokkasou had risen to just under his skin, itching and burning to be flung free and liquify someone, ever since he had returned to the campsite.  This powerless feeling was something he was not used to and didn't like.  'All of this because of a small human female.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen!' 

It was not quite dawn yet, the sky was just beginning to lighten towards the east.  Inuyasha was rousing everyone with his loud cries to get up, quickly eat, then start searching again.  As they ate, first Kouga, then Sesshoumaru told them what little information they had gleaned during the night.  Sesshoumaru made the decision they would return to where he had found traces of the miko and they would then search from there to the shrine.  When they arrived at the shrine, Miroku would go and speak to the priest since he would raise the least amount of distrust.  

After several hours of fruitless searching, the tachi used Kirara and Ah-Un to allow the quickest and most expeditious route to the Mitsumine Shrine.  Landing in the closest clearing, Miroku and Sango walked the rest of the way up the steep entrance to the shrine, hoping against hope that their friend was already there.  The rest of the group tried to keep their tempers under control until the nervous pair of messengers returned. 

~*~

Takehiko was getting frustrated, he had tried every reasonable way he could think of to wholly join their auras.  He could only proceed so far, then she would become resistant and defy all attempts to allow the linking.  He had even gone so far as to explain out loud to her the reason for the attempts to control her holy powers, hoping she would be able to hear and understand, but to no avail.  

He knew if she was awake it would be easier, he could explain in detail the reasons for the connection, however it didn't seem like she was going to wake up anytime soon.  In fact, Takehiko could sense her worsening condition, as well as the weakening of her powers.  Bigger  problems would arise if her condition became even more precarious before her powers weakened enough for him to subjugate them completely.

 ~*~

Kagome was very confused.  Everything seemed to be shrouded in a dense fog.  She could feel someone reaching out to her;  whoever it was seemed to be trying to tell her something important.  If she could just understand what they were saying!  The sounds were muffled by the fog.  

Her body felt like it was paralyzed.  She was unable to move a single muscle no matter how hard she tried, the effort was too great.  It was extremely frightening, and reminded her somewhat of the time she had anesthesia to have her wisdom teeth removed.  Kagome hoped that Kikyo had not somehow managed to remove her soul, she didn't want to be dead!  

There was that voice again, calling her name.  It felt like someone was trying to link with her powers.  Was it Miroku?  Had something horrible happened?  Where was Sesshoumaru?  It didn't sound like either Miroku or Sesshoumaru.   Where were the rest of her friends? 

Kagome tried with all her might to float back up from this horror of nothingness into the waking world.  Was this a nightmare?  If she could just open her eyes, maybe that would help. 

~*~

Takehiko knew he was beginning to run out of time.  He could feel the miko slipping further and further away into the void in her mind.  Her aura and powers were continuing to diminish, but damn, if she wasn't the most stubborn human, male or female, he had ever met.  She still resisted allowing him to merge their powers. He was down to the last resort, there was only one other way to force the issue, take control of her powers and subjugate them.  When all was said and done, he still wasn't sure how he was going to explain this to her demon. 

He flipped the blanket off the miko and began to gently caress her, knowing the body would respond even if the mind could not.  It was almost a sin to have to do this to her, but he couldn't let her die.  Quickly stripping off his clothes he settled himself over top of the miko.  Leaning down, he breathed into her ear, "I am so sorry Kagome, there is no other way."  As he gently kissed across her jawline to her lips, he felt her shiver.  He continued his soft, gentle caresses, parting her legs to settle himself further, until he was sure she was ready, then being as careful as possible not to hurt her any more than necessary, slid himself into her and seized her aura and powers.  Takehiko raised his head to watch her face for any signs of pain, and continued to force his powers and aura to take control as hers receded and became submissive before his onslaught. 

Once he had them under his direct command and completely docile, Takehiko allowed his healing powers free reign to begin repairing the damage.  He continued to gently caress the miko as the dance as old as time played out to its conclusion.  Kagome's eyes suddenly snapped open and she stared at him with a surprised look on her face when he smiled at her.  From what he could see of the damage, it may take all of his healing powers several more sessions to completely restore her to the way she was before the injury.  'No one had said that the remedy couldn't be delightful in and of itself.  As she continues healing, she will begin to delight in the dance also.' 

~*~

Somehow Sesshoumaru knew,  he could sense that someone was taking advantage of his miko.  He went absolutely ballistic, howling and snarling, and through a green haze destroyed a large swath of huge, old sugi trees. 

Inuyasha grabbed Shippo and Rin, threw them onto Ah-Un and barely managed to escape Sesshoumaru's acid whip himself before he finally got the beast airborne.  Jaken was somewhere on the ground, hopefully hiding.  Kouga had disappeared with his cohorts at the first howl.  The dragon demon at first didn't want to accept Inuyasha at the reins, but eventually settled down and stayed out of range as Sesshoumaru's rage intensified then slowly ebbed. 

The scene Miroku and Sango returned to was a clearing that was twice as big as when they left, the distinct smell of acid in the air, and a very tense and worried tachi.  "What happened?"  Miroku questioned.  

Inuyasha shrugged and lowered his ears to his head.  "We don't know, something set Sesshoumaru off.  He stalked away, but I'm sure he'll be back, hopefully with his beast under control." 

Several hours later Sesshoumaru strode back into the camp and flung a cleaned deer carcass down in front of the slayer.  "Monk, where is the miko?" 

Miroku's hand grasped his shakujo tightly, the slight jingling a tip off as to the state of his nerves, while he relayed the message from the shrine keeper.  "He says that Kagome-san is with the Kami-sama of the shrine.  We are to come back to the shrine tomorrow after midday to see if she is healed enough to return to us.  If not, then we are to return the following day.  He said the Kami-sama told him she was gravely injured, and he wasn't sure how quickly, or if, she could be healed.  I know nothing more than what he told us."  

"Indeed."  Sesshoumaru stalked to the edge of the campsite and sat in his usual posture under a tree.  

~*~ 

Takehiko had smirked when he heard the howling and snarling from down the mountain.  Oh, yes, it was going to be some meeting when he and the demon got together, face to face.  

Kagome was currently snuggled up to him, peacefully dozing.  He gently stroked her hair as he checked her condition.  He had put her into a somewhat hazy state of mind, while she continued to slowly heal.  He was planning on several more sessions during the night to give her as much help healing as possible before he would, regretably, have to take her down the mountain to her companions.  

~*~

The next day the tachi ate their midday meal early before Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and Miroku climbed the path up to the shrine, and waited impatiently for a messenger from the Kami. 

The priest of the shrine had just finished prayers, when in the distance, they caught sight of Kagome riding somewhat unsteadily astride a huge white wolf.  Sesshoumaru went to dart towards her, when Miroku dared put a hand out to stop him.  "Let the Kami-sama come to us, we are on his mountain and in his shrine." 

Sesshoumaru angrily flung Miroku's hand off his arm, and stared ferociously at the wolf, eyes slowly bleeding red then ebbing back to gold.  He wasn't sure which he wanted more, his miko back in his arms, or to kill the okami that dared to touch her. 

When he felt Kagome start to slip, and well before they reached the group waiting for them near the shrine, with a brilliant flash of gold and white light, Takehiko took on his human form, catching and carrying Kagome in his arms.  He walked over to the cushions in the shade of the shrine and kneeling, carefully laid her down. 

"Kami-sama!"  The priest of the shrine gasped reverently, bowing low and staying there.  He had seen the Kami-sama in both his human and wolf forms, but had never seen him actually change forms before.  It was a rare opportunity he doubted he would ever be privy to again.  

Turning to stare at Sesshoumaru, Takehiko took a few minutes to look him up and down, before speaking.  "Come, dog demon, we must speak, alone."  Turning and exiting the shrine, he never looked back to see if Sesshoumaru was following him or not. 

Sesshoumaru was absolutely seething as he followed the okami away from the shrine.  He wanted nothing  more than to strike him down and rip him into a million pieces with his claws. 

Coming to a stop a good distance away from the shrine, Takehiko finally spoke.  "I am aware you are livid, and you have every right to be.  However I had a difficult choice to make."  

Sesshoumaru exploded, interrupting him.  "A difficult choice to make!  What?  To either rape, or not rape, a female who is scent marked and is someone elses intended?" 

"No, you do not understand demon.  I could have either returned to you the dead body of the female, or, if I had not taken the steps I did, a living female who would be as helpless as a newborn babe from the womb."  Takehiko would not apologize for the choice he made.  He continued, telling the arrogant dog demon the circumstances of her fall from the sky and the injuries she suffered in exacting detail.  "I have wiped the memories of the last day from her mind, she will remember nothing of me.  She is still in the state I put her in to heal.  She will be extremely fragile for the next few days and sleep, before she begins to awake.  I have made an herbal mixture for tea to control her pain which I will give to your monk.  You should consider yourself a lucky dog to have her back in her original condition, she is powerful beyond any human I have ever seen or heard about." 

Sesshoumaru continued to stare at the ookami, thinking over all he had said.  He remembered seeing men in his army after an injury such as the one this haughty, overconfident being spoke of, and his best healers being unable to do more than give them some pain relief before they died, sometimes weeks or months later after suffering a horrible slow death.  He was grateful, but would not bow to this self professed Kami, who had taken something precious of his and in his opinion abused it.  Holding out his hand he spoke, "I shall take the tea, she is my responsibility now."  

Staring at him for a few more minutes, Takehiko smirked and handed him the package of herbs.  "Your monk will know how to brew this.  Take good care of your precious treasure, she is worth far more than you will ever know."  Turning on his heel, Takehiko transformed back into his wolf form and disappeared into the forest.  

Striding back to his miko, Sesshoumaru crouched beside her, and ran the back of two fingers across her cheek.  Her scent and aura were different.  He still did not know whether to belive the arrogant male or not.  As he watched, her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at him.  "Sesshoumaru,"  she whispered before her eyes slid closed again.  In those few seconds, he realized that everything would be fine, he just needed to keep loving and protecting his miko. 

Untying his armor, he let it hang off one shoulder as he scooped Kagome up, nuzzling her brow.  Holding her close to his chest, he smirked as the little group headed back to the campsite.  After she had recovered he would send a donation to the Mitsumine Shrine to thank the O-Kami, he had saved one of his pack, even if he was an egotistical bastard. 

~*~

Fin