Nocturne - An Inuyasha Fanfic

Chapter Sixty: Drag Me Down

Nocturne - Chapter Sixty: Drag Me Down

Rated - M (for extremely suggestive adult themes, references to harsh violence, and coarse language)

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Possible Trigger warning. Abuse is abuse, no matter what form it comes in. That being said, there isn't a right way to overcome abuse of any kind. Everyone has their own journey, and sometimes the roads can be short or long and twisted. It is all up to the individual. I want to take this opportunity to reflect on those who have experienced the trauma of abuse and wish them well on their journey, whether they are at the beginning or the middle (the traumas of abuse never end).

o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o

Sango walked down the street, defeated. She looked up, seeing Sesshomaru with a formidable countenance perched upon a roof, watching her approach.

"She wouldn't speak to me," Sango admitted.

Sesshomaru looked down the road towards the house where his Miko had escaped. "You exchanged words. That hardly constitutes a lack of speech."

"Then you heard what she said?" Sango guessed. She wasn't sure whether or not his hearing could pick up sound from yards away but couldn't put it past him.

Sesshomaru pressed a narrow-eyed gaze down upon the taijiya woman. "Enough to know this one's presence is tolerated."

Sango threw up her hands defensively. "I did not mean...."

He raised a hand to silence her. "There is no need to bandy words. Your hospitality is appreciated but ends now."

She looked blanched after possibly offending Sesshomaru but quickly settled. She opened her mouth to say something else, but he lept from the roof and flew towards the house where Kagome hid within.

He had planned to charge inside and collect her, quite literally if necessary, but he knew he would not be easily forgiven had he carried out his poorly conceived plan. Instead, he waited nearby. Close enough to sense when she left, but out of sight no matter her direction.

Sesshomaru watched for hours as she moved from house to house, looking more and more haggard as she carried on, clearly having no thought for her well-being. It pained him to watch her endure self-inflicted hardship even more because he was helpless, and helplessness was not something he was familiar with. The concept was all but foreign to him, yet here he was without thought or plan to ease her pain.

Darkness encroached, but the stubborn woman worked all through the night. It was not until the early hours of the morning that the Miko finally emerged from one last house, covered in blood. Sesshomaru steeled himself from rushing to her, knowing the blood was not hers. He had watched her every night since she had left to carry out her healing duties, and every night she had caught a few hours of sleep in a spare room or unused space of a gracious villager. This night, she seemed to have other plans.

From his perch, he saw her look down at herself and examine the state of her clothes. If he were closer, he could imagine that the Miko would have pursed her lips and furrowed her brow in annoyance. She gathered her things in a small satchel she had gained and carried supplies with her, likely gained over the past few days from various means, and started to walk down the streets and towards the edge of the village.

Sesshomaru followed at a safe distance. Had she known he was following her, she may have changed course to avoid him, but he was determined to head her off where she could no longer put him off.

Kagome headed towards a hot spring located not far off from the village perimeter. The locals had dug out the area to enlarge the springs to accommodate the growing numbers, so it was reasonably close, but no one was likely visiting now. She looked around to ensure she was alone before pulling off her blood-crusted clothes and cleaning herself from a bucket of water. Satisfied that she was clean, she entered the hot spring, tentatively testing the water with a toe and easing in to soothe muscles.