Passions, Chapter 1

"It's night already…" It was a dumb move to wander off; Kagome knew, but whenever she and Inuyasha fought, she usually acted irrationally, opting to venture home alone rather than having company to escort her.

Their argument had simply been over a cup of ramen, but it quickly escalated into something more than that- an argument about her placement in his life next to Kikyo.

Kikyo.

She couldn't compete with Kikyo, not with someone that had given their lives to Inuyasha, and even desired to have him in death, as creepy as it was.

There was no place for her at his side, not while she was living in the dead priestess' shadow.

It all came down to Inuyasha's choice, and lately, just lately, she was beginning to feel as though they were fated to be together, that he'd forever protect her despite their current circumstances…

And just like that, with one little argument, it had all fallen apart.

She owed him an apology, but she was sick of being the one that always apologized first. Whenever they made amends, she had to be the person to start.

Of course, she knew it had something to do with Inuyasha's troubled past of not trusting anyone for fear that they were out to get him. But it just wasn't fair! It wasn't fair to their relationship.

If they had a relationship going on, that was.

Kagome released an exasperated sigh. Her head tilted back as she continued to mutter "stupid" to herself as she clutched onto the straps of her backpack.

If she was half the priestess she was supposed to be, she would not have gotten riled up over some little argument.

If she was more like Kikyo, calm, cool, and collected, none of this would have happened. If she was more like Kikyo, she wouldn't need protecting all the time. If she was more like Kikyo, Inuyasha would not have wasted time in admitting his true feelings for her. Kikyo. Kikyo. Kikyo. Kikyo.

She was not Kikyo.

She was just the imitation of Kikyo, a reincarnation, half the marksman abilities, half the experience, half the-

A strong demonic aura pulsed.

Kagome immediately froze, and her azure eyes widened. A demon managed to sneak up on her, but she could not understand how. If anything, she would have sensed its aura, or at least felt its presence beforehand.

Maybe it was dying…maybe.

Kagome gnawed onto her lower lip, and she felt her stomach tighten and churn in a nauseating knot.

She could not take any chances. She was out alone, and she knew that Inuyasha would never forgive himself if she got harmed.

Swallowing a lump that built in her throat, she hesitantly reached back to grasp the bow that was slung over her left arm, and she readied an arrow.

She knew that she had a chance if she snuck up on the demon first before it noticed her there.

"Okay." She hesitantly proceeded forward towards where the pulsation came from. She did not have anything to fear, she tried to convince herself. She had her Sacred Arrows and her Jewel shards. If anything, the demon had a right to be afraid of her, not the other way around…or at least that was what she told herself.

It was going to take Inuyasha hours to find her. She had been walking an entire day, so he was well behind. She'd have to handle this one on her own.

Despite her caution, the threat grew less and less imminent. The aura was weak, really weak, so weak in fact that Kagome was nearly worried for the demon's sake.

Her steps eventually lead her to a clearing, and the presence of the demon was closest there.

Standing still inside the protection the standing trees provided, she merely glanced about, hoping to find the demon before she made herself known.

However, she merely saw blood…by Kami there was a lot of blood…

She was nearly paralyzed by the sight of it.

The demon was wounded, or already dead she gathered.

It wasn't a threat. Kagome released a breath she not did realize she had been holding. Blatantly, she stepped out of the clearing and tracked after the blood trail.

She still had to check it out.

Whatever wounded or killed the demon was more than likely still in the surrounding area, and she needed to see exactly what she was dealing with.

However, as she continued on around the form of a large tree, her steps grew to a halt. She had spotted the demon on the other side of it, and she was forced to remain where she was once she saw the silver mane of the demon's hair.

"Sesshomaru…" She breathed.

He wasn't dead, no not yet. She could see the rising and falling of his chest- no matter how faint it was. He was on his back, his limbs sprawled out from himself. The crimson void of his eyes was present…glowing, yet they were dazed, as if he was in some sort of trance. The white of his kimono was stained heavily with blood and was tattered, revealing the harsh and deep lacerations marring his flesh. By the odd angle of his left arm, it was broken, and other severe wounds accompanied it.

Kagome was stunned.

It was Inuyasha's older brother and enemy. He despised Inuyasha, and had even tried to kill her a couple of times, and nearly succeeded. He even allied himself with Naraku in an effort to steal the Tetsuaiga and seal Inuyasha's demise.

What would she do?

She wasn't responsible for him. If she left him in his current condition, no one would blame her…though she'd feel guilty. If she wasted more time thinking about it, he was going to die- if it wasn't too late to save him already. Besides, whatever demon that did this to Sesshomaru was not around anymore, at least that was what Kagome sensed. Inuyasha wasn't around, so Sesshomaru didn't need to fear dying at his hands- not that Inuyasha would kill Sesshomaru while he was this powerless. If anything, he was going to be pissed for her helping him in the first place.

Sesshomaru was definitely not going to be pleased to know that she tried to help him, even while he was at the brink of death. He was a prideful demon and would rather die than accept human-aid.

Hopefully, she didn't end up on the wrong side of his claws.

Once she wrapped his wounds, she'd leave, she decided. It was the only way to steer clear of both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's wrath. She simply didn't need to be caught helping him.

In spite of her decision, Kagome did not realize exactly the gravity of Sesshomaru's injuries until she went to remove his haori. Of course, she felt her cheeks heat up at the very thought of partially stripping him, but she knew she had to push through it in order to save him. After peeling off his haori, or what was left of it, she grew sick to her stomach.

She had to stop the blood loss.

It was the only way he had a chance at making it. The medication and bandages of her backpack were all over by the place by this point.

The wounds were deeper and worse than they appeared, and were already beginning to fizz and bubble with the signs of infection.

Gently, she began to dab the soap and water gathered from her belongings and attempted to clean the dirt and grime from his torn skin. Sesshomaru's body tensed, but he did not awaken, not yet. He was far from gaining consciousness. His skin had always been fair, yet now it was sickeningly pale, adorning a paper white tint.

Rolling her sleeves up, she moved to the lacerations lining him from his right shoulder down to the left side of his abdomen, and began to stitch them shut in hopes that it'd stop the bleeding. So far, the minor wounds were attempting to close themselves due to Sesshomaru's healing factor, but it would be days until he was returned to his former self. She attempted to distract herself from her current nervousness as she dabbed the newly stitched wounds with a healing salve. By now, her own fingers were covered in blood, though she attempted to ignore the fact.

His broken arm needed to be set and Kagome wasn't sure if she was capable of setting it properly. She still had to try. Sesshomaru's once gaping eyes were now closed, though his breathing was still ragged. At least he seemed more so peaceful than before.

After bandaging the broken limb around a makeshift cast, Kagome rested the arm in one of the slings that she had managed to get over him.

The hard part was done, and Kagome released a sigh as she dragged her forearm across her sweaty forehead. Those bandages would suffice for the next few hours, and then she'd have to change them all again…that is if she chose to stay.

Pursing her lips, she tilted her head as she gazed at him. She didn't have to stay, she reminded herself. Her initial decision was to leave when she was done….but she knew now that he wouldn't survive if she abandoned him. He needed food, water, medicine, everything that she had, and he certainly couldn't wrap his wounds himself.

She'd stay the night…just that night. It wasn't a good idea to travel any further anyway. She risked getting attacked by a demon, maybe a demon that was similar to the one that did damage to Sesshomaru.

Speaking of which, where was the demon? There was no sign of its carcass, nor did she sense its aura. Perhaps it was long gone- figuring Sesshomaru to be dead, if that was what happened at least. Or...more than likely, it'd been killed in the same battle that left Sesshomaru nearly a corpse. More than likely, that is what happened.

Huffing, Kagome drug her sleeping bag out and began to prepare a fire. This would be her first time sleeping in the forest without Inuyasha's protective gaze watching over her. Most of the time, the half-demon refused to sleep, wanting to keep guard over her and their human friends. The only time Inuyasha truly slept was inside Kaede's village, or back in her era where no danger was present.

Without him, Kagome doubted she could sleep any. Demons in the area were a sure threat. Despite Sesshomaru being on the verge of dying, any lesser demons would jump at the chance to kill him in his weakened state.

She'd have to keep watch over him. She'd be able to feel if any demons came near, and that was a minor relief. She'd have time to draw an arrow, if the situation called for it.

Once the fire sprang to life, Kagome gently fanned it, hoping to get a bright flame. If anything, it'd be enough to ward away any weak demons, and it'd keep them both warm. Stretching out a blanket, she stalked over to the Daiyoukai's form and draped it over him.

He was still breathing, and that was a good sign. He was fighting for his life, she knew. He wasn't the type to succumb to death so easily, but he had a long battle ahead of him. She wasn't sure how quickly he could heal himself compared to Inuyasha. It usually took Inuyasha three or four days to get over his injuries, but he had never been as gravely hurt as Sesshomaru was.

She sat up, merely gazing over at him from across the fire. He must've made his way over to tree in an effort to rest, but he probably did not realize how badly he had been injured. Kagome figured he lost consciousness along the way, which would have explained the blood trail she followed.

Whatever did this to him was formidable, and she prayed that Sesshomaru managed to kill..whatever it was. Between that, Inuyasha coming for her, and Sesshomaru awakening prematurely, she did not know what to fear first.

Sitting up inside of her sleeping bag, she crossed her legs, her bow and arrow in her lap ready, ready for anything that intended to catch her off guard in the night. Sesshomaru needed to hurry up and recover, for both their sakes. This would be her test, a test to see if she was indeed the priestess she wanted to be. Strong and confident, just like Kikyo. It was her duty to keep them both alive.