Time Traveler Katsumi

Testing The Limits

"Um, Sesshoumaru-sama... I think I can walk now," Katsumi said a little reluctantly. She wanted to stay close to Sesshoumaru as long as she could, but she also didn't want Rin to see her being carried like a sack of potatoes either... she might worry. Sesshoumaru didn't give her any indication that he was listening to her. "Sesshoumaru-sama..."

"It'll be far more troublesome to wait for you to heal if you push yourself too hard and injure yourself, than it is for me to simply carry you," Sesshoumaru said.

"... But if Rin sees me like this, she'll get worried," Katsumi said.

"She'll get worried either way when she sees you limping," Sesshoumaru pointed out.

"Yes, but she'll know just how serious it was if she sees that I couldn't even make it back on my own two feet. I can just ride Ah-Un with her once we get back," Katsumi said.

"..." Sesshoumaru paused. He had to admit, Katsumi had a point. He never would have carried her if she hadn't been injured so severely. They were only a few feet away from the clearing they had left the others in anyway... Sesshoumaru let Katsumi down, and she managed to look like she was perfectly fine... for the most part.

"Yay, Sesshoumaru-sama and Katsumi-nee are back!" Rin cheered happily when she saw them.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Where have you been?" Jaken asked. Sesshoumaru glanced to the side. He could smell the scent of the boy, Kohaku. The boy had come had come near this area... they had a trail to follow again.

"Found him..." Sesshoumaru stated.

"Hmm..." Katsumi said curiously as she sniffed the air. Now that she had tried, she could smell Kohaku too... her nose must still be slightly numb from the poison, if he was that close, and she couldn't immediately pick up on his scent...

"Huh?" Jaken said, confused.

"I found him," Sesshoumaru repeated.

"Found who?" Jaken asked.

"That brat," Sesshoumaru replied.

"Brat? But Katsumi's right here..." Jaken said. Katsumi glared at him.

"Do I look like a 'him' to you? He's talking about Kohaku!" Katsumi corrected the imp tartly. Sesshoumaru began walking in the direction Kohaku's scent was coming from, and the others hurried after him.

They were getting closer and closer to something incredibly pure and holy. Katsumi could feel it. She had rested on Ah-Un's back for most of the way, but the dragon and Jaken were really starting to feel its affects. Sesshoumaru was as indifferent as always, so she couldn't really be sure how much it affected him... oddly enough, though she could feel herself weakening, it didn't hurt, and she had managed to fully recover from Mukotsu's poison by the time they reached Mt. Hakurei. They stopped just a few yards away from the base of the mountain. Poor Ah-Un was all tuckered out. He and Jaken both ended up nearly collapsing simply from being close.

"Are you guys alright?" Katsumi asked while she petted Ah-Un.

"How can you not be affected by this!?" Jaken asked her incredulously. "You may be part human, but you're mostly youkai! Youkais and humans with impure and wicked hearts can't approach the mountain without feeling discomfort!"

"But Sesshoumaru-sama seems fine..." Katsumi said.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is Sesshoumaru-sama! You can't compare him to ordinary youkais!" Jaken said.

"Katsumi-nee is probably fine because she's kind and pure-hearted!" Rin chimed brightly. Katsumi smiled at her.

"Oh, stop it, Rin. You're making me blush... It's more like that's the reason you're okay..." Katsumi chided the girl lightly. Katsumi really was blushing bashfully because of Rin's remark. "I'm a greedy grownup who's been disillusioned by the world, so I don't really get why I'm okay..."