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Camaraderie	By : BlackberryPatch Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 16228 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
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5
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Broken

Kagome stared out at the pouring rain and frowned worriedly. The remains of her
backpack sat at her feet, everything she and Sesshomaru had managed to salvage from the destroyed camp. When they'd finally gotten back to where the camp had been, no one was there. By then the flood had receded, but the rain had set in; between them, the two different inundations of water effectively washed away any remaining scent that revealed where Miroku, Sango, Rin, Shippou, and Kirara had gone or what had happened to them. Sesshomaru had found Kagome's backpack caught in the branches of a tree not far away; there was still some food in it but her textbooks were a lost cause. She sighed; what on earth was she supposed to tell her teachers? Sorry, a raging flood in medieval times ate my homework oh and all my books while it was at it?
She thought about that, concentrating on the problem of her lost textbooks, because it kept her from thinking about other things. Like where the others were. Or how they were... Or Inuyasha. Kagome drew a ragged breath. She was trying not to think about that...

Sesshomaru moved next to her, stepping under the shelter of the tree where she was waiting. "We will move upstream," he said, his voice low but strong. "The road lies in that direction, and also an explanation for this event." She glanced at him. His eyes narrowed as he stared out at the rain. "There is something unnatural about this rain."
She nodded numbly in agreement; his words hadn't been anywhere near a question, asking her what they were going to do, but they hadn't been orders either. He seemed open to any suggestions she had, but her mind was almost blank. "We should... leave some sort of sign," she said suddenly. "To say which way we went and that we're okay, in case anyone else comes back."
Sesshomaru paused, glancing at her. Nodding curtly, he turned to the tree and cut a complicated symbol into the bark with his claws. He placed the flat of his hand over it and stood like that with eyes closed for a short time. Shaking himself, as if from a daze, he pulled away from the tree but paused for a moment. Regarding his handiwork, he cut a series of simpler symbols beneath it.
Kagome looked at the symbols for a moment; the bottom ones were simplified kanji versions of her and Sesshomaru's names, but the higher mark she couldn't figure out at all. "What does it mean?" she asked, reaching up to touch it.
His lip curled in dark humor. "Demon magic," he said shortly. "It tells which way we went, but only Inuyasha can read it." He gestured to their names. "If any of the others come, they can see that we are well and that we have moved on."
She nodded. "You think someone else is hanging around," she said softly, "someone who has something to do with the rain." And the flood too probably, she thought, but she was picking up on her companion's wariness and didn't say it out loud. Whoever it was didn't need to know which way they'd gone. She was comforted by the fact that Sesshomaru seemed completely confident that Inuyasha had survived the sudden flood.
He nodded brusquely, then turned to look out at the rain again. It was still pouring down and he frowned in distaste. He glanced over at Kagome, and she nodded as well. She lifted her battered pack in her hands and looked at it, the glanced at Sesshomaru hesitantly. "How exactly do you want to do this?' she asked him, fairly certain that he didn't want her riding on his back. He looked over at her measuredly, then bent over to gather her into his arms. She let out a soft "Eeep!" of surprise, but settled into his embrace. Letting her head come to rest against his shoulder, she blushed slightly. She didn't have long to contemplate the awkwardness of the situation, because as soon as she was settled he took off, darting through the rain like a ghost.
Kagome sighed, closing her eyes and curling in on herself, her arms wrapped around the pack she held tightly to her chest. She hoped the others were alright, and she hoped they met up again soon.

--

The water came down on Inuyasha and hit like the wrath of a vengeful spirit, smashing him down and sweeping him away. It was half a day before he managed to pull himself out of the rushing torrent and to dry shore. He'd had his hand on the pile of his clothes before the water hit, his other hand wrapped tightly around Tetsusaiga's sheath, and he'd managed to hold on to everything; once he was out of the water he dressed- it didn't matter that his clothes were soaked, since by then it had started raining. He scowled at the rain. Being wet made his irritable- as if he wasn't already in a bad enough mood wondering about the others. Sesshomaru had sensed the flood coming in time to warn Inuyasha, so the half breed figured he was alright. He thought he'd seen someone standing next to his brother, and he'd thought he'd smelled Kagome- but then he thought he smelled Kikyou, their scents similar but with slightly different overtones; confused, he attributed it to the rain and made his way as fast as he could to the campsite.

It took Inuyasha a while to get his bearings- the flood had washed him far downstream, and the rain made it difficult to find his way back. Several days later, upon reaching the site where they had camped, he found it deserted. Berating himself for letting it depress him- he hadn't really expected to find anyone still here had he?- he searched around to see if he could find a clue as to where they had gone. Turning around, he almost ran smack into a tree that smelled like Sesshomaru. Frowning, he looked at the tree again and blinked. There was something written on it. Raising a hand, Inuyasha let his fingers brush over the carved letters, wishing he could read them. He could read, sort of, but he was mostly self-taught and these characters were unfamiliar to him. Frowning in frustration, he lifted his hand to the larger character above the line of smaller ones, intending to trace the lines of it in a vain hope that it would somehow reveal its meaning to him.

As soon as his hand touched it, it pulled him in and suddenly he felt different, taller, a power the half breed had only touched upon was flowing through his veins. He turned his head and Kagome was standing next to him, looking worried and damp, but unharmed. Her scent rose to his nostrils; she was apprehensive, and still a little bit in shock, but seemed to be handling the situation. He thought that it would be good if the two of them moved upstream; the river was the best landmark to follow, the sun being hidden, and the answers behind whatever had caused this unnatural flood lay that way in any case. The camp had been empty upon their arrival; they were uncertain as to the fate of the other members of the group, but their complete absence, and the absence of the scent of blood, implied that wherever they were they were more or less safe. Worry for Rin filled him suddenly, but he was confident that if she was still with the others- the demonslayer and the monk- that she was alright. He closed his eyes. Inuyasha, he thought, I hope this finds you well. I will watch over your priestess, have no fear. And as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped.

Inuyasha flinched away from the tree and stood staring at it for a moment before he shook himself and blinked. He had... been Sesshomaru? He- Sesshomaru- had left this sign... Inuyasha looked at the strange symbol, then reached out hesitantly to touch it again, wanting to feel once more the incredible closeness with his brother he had just experienced, but nothing happened. Apparently whatever it was was done. It was only then that what he'd learned sank in and Inuyasha smiled. Kagome was alright; she was with Sesshomaru, who was also alright. Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Rin, and Kirara were missing, but Sesshomaru was right- there was no sign of them being injured or attacked here. That didn't mean everything with all the water that had passed over this ground in the past few hours, but it was something. He took a deep breath; alright, now he had to decide what to do with himself... While he desperately wanted to follow after Sesshomaru and Kagome, Inuyasha knew he should try to find the others.

He'd just about convinced himself that he shouldn't follow Sesshomaru, when a familiar swoosh of air cut through the rain above him and he looked up to see Kirara circling around the tree to land near him. "Kirara," he greeted her eagerly, his hands brushing over her head assuring himself through sight, smell, and touch that she was real and unharmed. "Sango is alright? Miroku, Rin, and Shippou?" He received an affirmative purl at Sango, and a slightly worried one when he mentioned the others. "Let's go," he said quickly, letting his hand stroke over her head one last time before she turned and leapt into the sky. He followed closely after her.
She led him to a small rise of land not far away. Inuyasha saw a large pile of stones, and as he landed he noticed the entrance to a cave. The carcasses of several dead demons lay around the area. Kirara entered first; Inuyasha followed her, calling softly, "Sango?"

"Inuyasha," came the immediate answer, Sango moving out of the semidarkness. "You're alright." She smiled, but her face was worn and haggard. "Kagome?" she asked.

"She's alright. She's with Sesshomaru." He hesitated a moment; he hadn't spoken with Sango since before Miroku had revealed why Sesshomaru had joined their group. She hadn't inquired as to the demons welfare- maybe she didn't care for him or the reason he'd joined them, or...
But Sango only nodded. "Good." She glanced at him, apparently noticing some of his distress. "Sesshomaru can take care of himself; I'm sure he can take care of Kagome as well," she said, mistaking his concern over her reaction as concern for Kagome. She reached out and grasped his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly even though she appeared to be the one who was in need of assurance. "Miroku," she said, then stopped and swallowed.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. He smelled the monk on her, and the odor of death that was distinctive to humans was notably absent; he was here. "What about him?"
"We almost lost Rin. Miroku caught her at the last minute, before the water swept her away, but... there was a large branch, or more like half of a tree. His arm's broken, and he's bruised up. I think his ankle might be sprained too." She rubbed her hands over her face.
Inuyasha hesitantly reached out and gripped her shoulders. "Something else is wrong."
She smiled weakly. "Only that I haven't had a chance to sleep. There's been a lot of activity since the flood, all the demons are displaced. They've been attacking. Shippou and Rin are worried; Rin's worried about Sesshomaru also."
Inuyasha nodded. "It's alright," he said soothingly, not really sure why he did, but she nodded and looked happier. Turning, she led him further into the cave. They came around a bend in the passage and came upon a warm fire, a sparse camp laid out beside it. Looking around, Inuyasha had to mentally congratulate Sango on her choice of set ups. The position was ideal; a crack in the ceiling even allowed the fire's smoke to escape but the position was also easily defensible. Miroku lay beside the fire; a portion of his robe had been ripped to shreds and combined with a wooden splint to bind his arm immobile across his chest. He stirred as Inuyasha knelt beside the fire, still aware of his surroundings.
"Inuyasha," he said, his pleasure at seeing the half demon easily heard in his voice, along with the pain his arm was causing him. "Kagome?" he also asked; he looked behind Inuyasha as if seeking her, worry creasing his brow, and added, "Sesshomaru?"
"They're okay," Inuyasha responded, smiling softly, reaching out to touch the monk's uninjured shoulder lightly. Miroku nodded.
The wild bundle of cloth, fur, and hair that lay across the fire from them suddenly stirred; Shippou poked his head out. "Inuyasha," he said eagerly. In his excitement, his tail flicked Rin in the face.
She twitched, then opened her eyes. "Inuyasha," she echoed, then, eagerly, looking around as she sat up, "Lord Sesshomaru?"
Inuyasha shook his head. Rin's face fell, and Inuyasha was quick to comfort her. "He's alright, he's just not here." She nodded, but still looked sad. Inuyasha glanced at Sango and Miroku. "Sesshomaru and Kagome headed upriver, to see if they could figure out what caused the flood. I was trying to decide whether I should follow them or come look for you when Kirara flew over the camp."
Kirara chirped in affirmation. Sango nodded. "I thought we should send her back occasionally to see if any of you had returned." Sighing wearily, Sango lowered herself down beside the fire and Kirara curled up beside her. Sango about passed out as soon as her head came to rest against Kirara's shoulder, but the fire-cat glanced at Inuyasha inquiringly before closing her eyes. He answered her with a nod; Sango needed sleep, and he imagined Kirara did as well. He would take care of everything; he stood, rising from his seat by the fire.
Miroku shifted, sitting up. Inuyasha scowled at him. "You shouldn't be moving." He narrowed his eyes. "Lie back down."
Miroku paled, from pain rather than the force of Inuyasha's words. "I'm alright," he insisted. Inuyasha looked unconvinced. "Sango patched me up, and I trust myself entirely to her handiwork. I need to talk to you before she wakes up, or," he winced, "before I pass out again."
Rin shifted beside the fire. "There's a plant," she said hesitantly, "Jaken gave it to me when I hurt my arm and it made it hurt less." She hesitated. "I could go and look for it around the mouth of the cave."
"You're not going anywhere alone," Inuyasha said firmly. "Sango said there were demons around." Miroku nodded in affirmation to this.
Rin nodded sadly, and Shippou spoke up. "I could go with her." He met Inuyasha's gaze fiercely. "I can keep a lookout for Rin, and I'll call you if there's a problem I can't handle." Inuyasha hesitated; it was dangerous, but it would probably help the pair of them to get rid of some pent up energy... and it would give him a chance to talk to Miroku alone.
"Alright," he said grudgingly.
--

Rin was startled when Inuyasha initially refused to let her leave the cave. She was used to going wherever she wanted, more or less. Or rather, she wasn't used to it "not being safe" being a reason for not doing something. There was nothing her Lord Sesshomaru could not do, nothing that could keep him from something he wanted. She had an absolute faith in this. But that didn't mean she didn't worry about him.
And it definitely didn't mean that she was confident that if she remained where she was he would come back to her.
Rin enjoyed traveling with Inuyasha and his friends, but that Lord Sesshomaru would also be a part of the group was what made it possible. She couldn't imagine a future, an existence, without him. So there was something of an ulterior motivation in her suggestion. She did want to help Miroku; she liked him, and seeing him, or anyone, in pain scared her. But what she wanted more was to get out of the cave.
She was absolutely certain that no one in the group would agree to her idea, so she didn't tell them. When she and Shippou reached the outside of the cave, she looked around a little and found a patch of the plant she was looking for. "You can boil it and drink the juice or you can chew on it," she said conversationally to Shippou, watching for his nod of comprehension. She nodded in return; she wanted someone to know how to use it. She wasn't planning on being here.
Rin was a little worried about how to get away from Shippou; he was very watchful and she, not being a violent person, didn't want to hurt him. "Here," she said, giving him a large pile of the herb she'd been picking. "Take this in. I'll get a little bit more."
Shippou hesitated, but a look around showed no demons in the immediate vicinity. "Alright. But I'll be right back! Give a shout if anything happens." He regarded her seriously, and she nodded.
As soon as he disappeared into the cave, his arms full, she took off running into the drizzling rain, headed for the river.

--

Inuyasha looked after the departing forms of Rin and Shippou, then glanced back at Miroku. The monk was pale and sweating, but looked coherent. Inuyasha frowned. "Lie down."
Miroku shook his head. "I've been doing nothing but lie here. I don't want to anymore."
"Your body needs to heal."
"It's good enough." He glanced over at Sango. "Has it been four days? Or only three? She hasn't slept a wink since the flood." He touched his bound arm near the shoulder where a heavy bandage covered it. "The shoulder was dislocated and it was infected where the bones had broken through the skin, the bones fractured twice in the forearm." The fingers of his free hand, the binding rosary conspicuous around his wrist, traced each of these injuries as he named them. He shook his head.
Inuyasha eyed him, blinking slowly. Something made him prod at that, refuse to leave it as it was. "What is you really want to say Miroku?"
A long, low sigh of self-deprecation slid out from between Miroku's lips as he leaned his head back against the wall of the cave, a grimace of pain on his face. "Do you know how hard it is to set a man's shoulder? And then she had to guard us all by herself." Kirara flicked an ear at him. "Her and Kirara," Miroku amended. "I was delirious for most of it. I'm sure Rin and Shippou were trying hard, but kids that age have energy. They have worries..." He shook his head again. "I couldn't help her. I was as much a liability as the children. Worse."
Inuyasha paused, shifting his weight, the dropped to a crouch. "She told me you saved Rin."
Miroku sighed again. "I suppose."
Inuyasha glared at him. "That's not something to brush off."
Miroku ran his hand through his hair. "I know. I just... I hate feeling helpless."
Inuyasha nodded, empathizing.
Soft footsteps echoed down the passageway; Inuyasha raised his nose, but recognized Shippou. The younger demon slipped into the cave, dropping a bundle of green near the fire then darted back down the passage. Inuyasha snorted at him before reaching forward and freeing one of the strands of the long thin plant experimentally. He glanced at Miroku questioningly.
"Give me some of it," the monk said. "I'm familiar with this herb and its properties." He took the plant Inuyasha gave him and started chewing on the end of it. After a short time the lines of pain in his face eased slightly.
Inuyasha was about to say something, when he heard the echo of his name in the passage. He jumped to his feet, stepping toward the entrance to the cave right as Shippou came careening through it heading in the opposite direction.
"Inuyasha! It's Rin! She's gone," he yelped as he collided with Inuyasha's shin.
"What?!" The half demon reached down and grabbed him by the back of his tunic. "What do you mean she's gone? Why did you leave her alone?!"
"Inuyasha, calm down," Miroku admonished. "Shippou, what happened? Was she attacked?"
Shippou shook his head as he dangled from Inuyasha's grip. "I don't think so! I didn't leave her for very long," he shot at Inuyasha. "There's no sign of attack!" he wailed at Miroku.
"Tch, it's not your fault." Inuyasha released Shippou, setting him on the ground. "Let's go," he said to the young demon and Shippou nodded firmly, darting back down the passage. Inuyasha paused, glancing at Miroku. "I think I know what's going on with Rin. When we catch up to her, we'll keep going and meet up with Kagome and Sesshomaru."
Miroku nodded, glancing over at Sango. "We'll be fine." Kirara was watching them; she purled in affirmation. "It'll be easier without them," Miroku said softly and Inuyasha nodded in agreement.
Shippou called back to Inuyasha impatiently; the half demon started after him, and after Rin, sighing. He was annoyed with Rin... but also glad. Miroku and Sango were a good team; without Rin and Shippou to look out for, things would be easier for them, even with Miroku's injury. And Inuyasha was almost as eager as Rin to confirm the well-being of Sesshomaru, and Kagome as well.
Inuyasha stepped out into the rain, falling stronger again for the moment, and took in a deep breath. Shippou was waiting for him impatiently, and the pair headed off in the direction of the river.

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