Love Me Like You Used To

Chapter 26

    Mina woke up and it was night time. She tried recalled what happened to her and she whimpered as the memories came rushing back at her. She sat up and without thinking she got up and ran. In her mind she thought she was being chased by Naraku's demons.
      Sesshomaru sat next to Mina. He looked at her when she woke up with a fright. Before he could question her what the problem was, she bolted. Sesshomaru went after her. He watched as she was moving her arms as if to get something off or away from her.
      Mina stopped when she tripped over a branch. She was about to fall on the ground but someone caught her. She turned and it was Sesshomaru. She hugged him around the waist.
     Sesshomaru sat down and brought Mina to lay in his lap.
       "What happened?" Sesshomaru asked.
    Sesshomaru waited for her to respond but looked down at her I'm confusion. She shook her head and pointed to her throat. Sesshomaru's noticed a red line on her throat and his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Did he take your voice away?" Sesshomaru asked.
Mina nodded and she looked at the moon.
"Did he do anything else?" Sesshomaru asked.
Mina shook her head no. She didn't want to tell him anything. She didn't want him to get mad at her or see her differently. She also didn't want to remember. She was glad Kagura "saved" her before there was anymore damaged.
    Sesshomaru and Mina walked back to camp. They sat against a tree in their usual position. Sesshomaru stroked Mina's hair. She had her eyes closed but he knew she was still awake. 
The next day, the group was trying to find Naraku. Mina was riding on Ah-Un while everyone else walked.  Sesshomaru peeked back at her and noticed she was deep in thought. Mina couldn't sleep last night. She kept waking up, thinking she was back at the castle where Naraku was. She hoped Sesshomaru never found out what happened. She made sure to cover herself so the bruises weren't noticeable.
        Mina was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that they stopped. She snapped out of it when she felt tugging at her kimono. She looked down at a smiling Rin who was holding flowers.
      "Come on, it's time to get something to eat" said Rin with a smile. Mina wasn't hungry, but she didn't want to say no to the 8 year old. Mina went to lift her leg to get off the dragon but she let out a groan when she felt a sharp pain on her lower stomach.
       "Are you okay?" Rin asked worriedly.
      Mina wanted to say something but remembered that Naraku took her voice away.
    Sesshomaru approached them.  Mina rolled her eyes, she knew he was going to get involved rather than leave her alone.
       "Rin, go find something to eat. Go with her Jacken" Sesshomaru ordered.
    Rin and Jacken left to go find food.
    "Where does it hurt?" Sesshomaru asked and Mina shook her head no.
     Sesshomaru came close to her and Mina growled at him. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. Mina glared at him and Sesshomaru walked away.
      "We will camp here" Sesshomaru said. He looked back at her and then he walked away.
       Mina felt her heart tug, knowing that she may have hurt his feelings. Mina tapped on Ah-Un and she kneeled on the ground. Mina slid carefully off the dragon. She carefully sat down against the tree. She closed her eyes and listened to the birds singing and chirping in the trees.
       "Don't think you can get away from me" said a voice the belonged to no other than Naraku.
          Mina ran down the hall as demons chased after her. She ran into a room and closed the sliding door. She backed up and hoped the demons didn't come bursting through the door. Her back bumped into something hard.
      "Got you" said Naraku as he wrapped his arms around her.
      Mina tried escaping his arms but he held her tight. He slammed her on the ground. Mina tried pushing him off. She punched him in the face and he back handed her. Mina let out a yelp. Naraku got up and dragged Mina by her hair to his usual spot in the corner.  Naraku sat with his back against the wall and had Mina sit with her back against his front. Mina silently cried and she whimpered when she felt a kiss on her temple. Naraku wrapped dragged his arm down to her stomach and he paused.
        "Expecting, are we" said Naraku, and Mina was confused. "Well we can't have that"

Mina opened her eyes and touched her stomach and her heart broke. Naraku kicked her in the stomach and made her lose her unborn baby. Mina cried that night in her room. It bothered Naraku and he took her voice away by cutting her throat. Mina felt such a loss.
      Rin and Jacken came back with fish and berries. They set the food down and quickly left to get wood to make a fire. They came back and quickly got a fire going and started cooking the fish.
       "Oh Sesshomaru is always leaving me behind" cried Jacken.
      "He always comes back Master Jacken" said Rin as she put fish on the sticks.
    Mina smiled as Jacken started to complain. A few minutes later, Sesshomaru came back and he was holding something wrapped up in a a large leaf. He set it down against a tree and then he walked over to Mina. "There's a hot spring near by, I want you to bathe and wash that stench off." Said Sesshomaru.
     Sesshomaru asked Jacken to watch Rin. He walked Mina to the hot springs. When they got there, Mina stood there awkwardly as Sesshomaru stood there and stared at her with a stoic face. Mina sighed and motioned with his finger to turn around. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and Mina stared at him. He was concerned that she was acting weird and wouldn't allow him to be near her. He turned around, giving her, her privacy.
       Mina double check, to make sure that Sesshomaru wasn't looking. She undressed and she slowly got in the water. She felt the tension in her bruises go away. She hid behind a rock and sat against it. Hiding herself under the water. Mina started scrubbing at her arms to get the dirt away.  She then jumped when she felt and arm wrap around her. She started pushing the person away, thinking it was Naraku.
       "Calm yourself" said Sesshomaru and Mina stopped her panic, but she still tried pushing him away.
        "Why do you push me away? Why do you hide yourself from this Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru asked her. Mina cried and covered her face with her hands.
         "Mina, what happened?" Sesshomaru asked with a stoic face. Mina saw his face and knew he wanted an answer immediately.
Mina walked over to where she could stand in the spring. She dropped her arms and their were bruises around her stomach and on her legs and thighs. Sesshomaru tried his hardest to not lose his control.
     "Did he make a move on you?" Sesshomaru asked. Mina shook her head no. "He only laid hands on you?" Mina nodded her head yes. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and was about to walk away. Mina quickly grabbed his arm. She decided to tell him now. She pulled him to her. She pointed to him and then to herself. She took his hand and put it on her stomach.
       "You are with child?" Sesshomaru asked.
       Mina nodded. She then made a fist and punched her stomach lightly and then shook her head with a sad face.
       "You lost it?" Sesshomaru asked. Mina looked down, she was ashamed. "Was it Naraku?"
      Mina nodded and she let out a sob. Sesshomaru growled and his eyes turned red. He hugged Mina, careful of her bruises. Mina sobbed in his chest. It just hit her that she was going to be a mom and now she wasn't. She wish she had stayed in the castle and out of harm's way.
        Mina and Sesshomaru were back at camp. They ate the food from the leaf that Sesshomaru bought from someone. Mina heated it up and ate it slowly. After they both ate. Which was surprising to Mina because Sesshomaru ate when he was alone. Her seeing him eat was rare. When they both finished, they rested against the tree. Mina stared at the fire and she thought about the sacred jewel. She thought about using her power to make her own Jewel to defeat and destroy Naraku. His power was growing and she knew that help was needed before he took over other lands. He already was taking over the North.
        Mina sat up and turned around and sat on her knees facing Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru looked at her in question. Mina put a finger to her lips, signaling him to keep quiet. Mina held out her hand. She focused on a Jewel and one came up. Sesshomaru stared. He was surprised but his face didn't show it.
        Inuyasha and his friends burst through the bushes and trees.
         "What the- hey what are you doing with that Jewel?!" Inuyasha yelled.
        Mina closed her eyes and opened them in worry that Naraku would now find out her secret.