Death Flower by StormSingerRaven

Chapter 1

A/N Hi all. Another story coming your way! YAY! I mean uh.... you know.... OH well. I guess you probably don't. Anyways, I haven't posted in this category before. I'm normally an Avatar: The Last Airbender writer. Although I do avidly read Sess/Kag fics. This is actually a self response to a challenge I posted on A Single Spark. Although as of the time I'm typing this, it hasn't been uploaded onto the site yet. Grrrrrrr. I really want to see the responses this challenge gets.

Anyway, I better get on with the story. I don't want you leaving because of boredom before you even read it.

Disclaimer: I don't own, never have owned and never will own Inuyasha and the affiliated characters. Except Sesshomaru. I own a Sesshomaru *cough* keychain *cough* and always will.

Death Flower

Chapter One

"Rin! Come back here you stupid girl!" was heard throughout the forest as Jaken Ran to keep up with the hyperactive child. Knowing that very little could keep the Rin from running off to pick flowers, the toad had resigned himself to chasing after the girl.

But that didn't keep him from complaining.

"Master Jaken! Master Jaken!" the girl cried, "Look at these Flowers! Rin thinks that these are the prettiest flowers that Rin has ever seen!" Rin chattered as she picked a clump of the gorgeous red and black flowers.

Jaken grudgingly looked only to do a double take when he actually saw the flowers. "Rin, get away from there! That's Death Flower. It only grows within one hour of the death of a powerful Miko. The body could still be there!"

But Rin wasn't listening. She had already seen the body. It was the girl who had saved her from Takemaru of Setsuna. Kagome.

"Master Jaken, we have to get Lord Sesshomaru. Maybe he can revive her like he did with Rin," Rin said quickly.

"Revive who, Rin?" Sesshomaru asked as he walked into the clearing.

"Kagome-neechan," she said simple, pointing.

Sesshomaru followed Rin's finger to the miko's body. Its skin was torn gruesomely in many places along with her strange clothes. But that was not what killed her, he thought as he spotted a large gash along her throat. The miko's unnaturally white skin told him that she had bled out.

Glancing at Rin as if to say, "Alright," Sesshomaru drew the Tenseiga.

Looking closely, he could see that the little demons from Hell were still hard at work claiming the girl's soul. Slashing the small demons out of the way, Sesshomaru watched as the pieces of her soul drifted slowly back into her body, which was healing itself before his very eyes. By the time the effects of Tenseiga were finished, most of the wounds had healed perfectly. The wounds around Kagome's neck, however, had closed to form three long, thin, white scars.

While that in itself was not strange (Rin had a death scar as well), the fact that the miko had not woken immediately was. And judging by the sheer amount of Death Flower surrounding the girl's body, she was a powerful enough priestess to heal any remaining damage almost instantly. But the amount of the red and black flower also told him not to underestimate this girl's power. Death was draining, and until an amount of power was regained, she would remain unconscious.

Knowing that it was not honorable to leave an unconscious woman, human or not, defenseless in the middle of nowhere, Sesshomaru whistled for Ah-Un, the two-headed dragon that had taken a liking to himself and Rin.

"Jaken," the Taiyoukai said calmly, "I wish for you to take the girl and Rin back to the manor. I shall follow you there."

Jaken looked at Sesshomaru as if he had lost his mind.

"If I may object, my lord-"

Sesshomaru quickly cut him off. "No you may not. You will do as I say without complaint."

Jaken looked down meekly.

"Yes my lord."

When Ah-Un arrived, Sesshomaru gently placed the still unconscious miko's body across the dragons back. Rin and Jaken climbed up behind her. Rin placed a hand on Kagome's back in an attempt to steady her.

Jaken whacked Ah-Un's flanks with his staff. "Get moving you stupid beast!" he yelled at the dragon.

Ah peered over his shoulder at the toad and snorted. Un just grumbled. Then the two heads looked at each other in silent agreement that they had better do as the pesky toad said or endure more discomfort.

Still grumbling to themselves, Ah-Un took off toward their masters manor.

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Other than Rin losing a couple of flowers to the wind, the ride was completely uneventful.

Touching down only moments after Ah-Un, Sesshomaru led the peculiar group through the gate in the wall surrounding the manor. The head guard, Akito, greeted than at the door of the building.

"Akito," Sesshomaru said, "I would like you to escort Rin and her friend to an empty bedroom. Guard the miko carefully. I may have some use for her."

The white kitsune nodded. "Yes my lord," he responded obediently. Turning to go inside, Akito paused. "My lord? If I may ask, what is the miko's name?"

Sesshomaru blinked once at the bold question. Then he said, "Her name is Kagome."

Akito bowed. "Thank you my lord."

Gently lifting the woman in the strange clothes off of Ah-Un's back, the kitsune carried her to an empty room. Rin, who had followed, helped Akito lay the miko onto the futon.

"'Kito, could you find Rin a sleeping kimono please?" Rin asked as she carefully removed Kagome's outer clothes.

Akito nodded. Although he wasn't a servant, the arctic kitsune liked the little girl and would do as she bid. Within reason anyway.

He dug through a trunk along one of the walls and stood back up, triumphant. The sleeping kimono looked like it would fit the petite miko. Turning back around, Akito caught a glance of the young woman before Rin stood up, effectively blocking his view. Her ample breasts were covered in a bizarre piece of black lace cloth and her milky skin was marred only by an old scar on her side and three new looking scars around her long throat. For a human, Akito thought, this 'Kagome' was quite beautiful.

He quickly gave Rin the kimono as he felt a blush start creeping up his cold cheeks. He turned around immediately, but not before Rin saw his blush.

"Does 'Kito-san like Kagome neechan?" Rin giggled.

Akito tensed, deciding not to answer that question.

"Aww, its okay Akito-san. Rin was only joking," the little girl said.

The fox demon visibly relaxed and turned back to the girls.

Rin was standing before him, grinning innocently. Kagome, who was laying behind her, was now fully dressed. How Rin had accomplished this without help, Akito would never know. But that didn't matter much to him right now. Instead his most pressing matter was answering the knock at the door.

Sliding the door back, Akito came face to face with a small pile of blankets.

"Has she been settled in yet?" asked a small voice from behind the blankets.

"Yes Nakana-san," Rin said as she went to help the youkai. Nakana, who was the head servant, was a cat youkai with large cat ears and a very fluffy tail. She said where she was from, she was called a caracal demon. She had a green diamond on her forehead that was only visible when she moved her very red hair out of the way.

"Good. Thank you Rin," Nakana said as she set the blankets at the end of Kagome's futon. Turning to Akito, Nakana added, "Sesshomaru-sama has ordered you to be the personal guard of this miko while she is here. She is not to leave these rooms until he has said otherwise. He also said to send notice the moment she wakes."

Akito nodded. "Rin, it may be awhile. Why don't you go with-"

"No!" Rin cut him off. "I want to stay with Kagome-neechan!"

The kitsune rolled his eyes, knowing that the ten-year-old would do as she pleased unless told by Sesshomaru himself.

He nodded and suppressed the urge to return the sunny smile the little girl was giving him.

Rin plopped down and proceeded to stare at Kagome, as if her willpower alone would wake her.

"She's a sweet child," Nakana whispered as her tail waved behind her.

Akito nodded in wholehearted agreement.

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