Blood Stained: Chapter 32: The First Discovery

Blood Stained

Chapter 32: The First Discovery

Kagome was walking slowly behind Sesshomaru, her heart still pounding. She had tried to prepare herself for the beast, but never had she thought she'd see him so soon. Heck, they hadn't been in that much danger, so why had he immediately resorted to using his youkai? Couldn't he have waited? He might not mind taking a risk, but she did.

She had been so afraid of the beast's reaction and with good reason. Though she had expected him to be violent, he hadn't been. Still, if the transformation hadn't happened, she didn't even want to think about where things would have headed.

With a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on something else. It was then that she realized that she felt no pain. Not at least as strongly as before. Walking had become much easier, but with her anger she had not noticed the change. Kagome slightly looked down at her stomach and found herself pondering if it was because of the beast.

The old youkai had told them contact would lessen the pain…

She couldn't bring herself to feel relieved though. Kagome would have rather bared with the pain than have the beast touching her.

This whole thing had taught her a lesson thou, she would not be as careless when the next time came around. They had ventured into the forest without thinking someone might spot them and this whole thing had caused him to resort to his youkai.

Kagome would make sure that next time such a mistake could be prevented.

His red eyes were still vivid in her mind, not that she had ever forgotten about them. It was as if it would forever haunt her.

Sesshomaru hadn't said anything about the whole thing. The entire time they had been walking he had been completely silent, walking ahead of her. And as usual, he would turn around once in a while to look at her, but not now. Not ever once since he had transformed did he look back at her.

Kagome was not worried about him, but she wondered if perhaps something she was not aware of had happened. Because of the latest event, she did not really wish to speak to him at the moment, the change of behavior was nagging at her thou.

Obviously what happened probably mattered a little to him, which meant, it wasn't what was bothering him at the moment. Did he know something, perhaps about the shard, that she was not aware of? Although it didn't make much sense, since so far, he had kept very little from her.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was focused on the road ahead of him, barely paying attention to the miko walking behind him. The transformation had seemed to drain nearly all his energy, he blamed it on his humanoid appearance. It wasn't actually gaining his youkai back that stole his energy, it was the beast.

Sesshomaru had felt a rush of emotions he had not experienced before and showing the beast his memories had drained him of any reserve he had. Although he was glad he had been able to manage to do it, he never thought it would be this demanding. Hopefully, he would not have to use his youkai anytime soon. Looking back, it hadn't been really required. If he had known whom he was facing, he wouldn't have used it.

But, nothing bad had happened, at least to his point of view. The miko had been terrorized indeed by the sight of the beast, but no harm had come to her and she hadn't been forced into anything. That was his main concern when it came to the beast. He could not allow it to take the miko's body again.

His reasons this time were different from five hundred years ago. Before, it was because he was disgusted with the idea of rutting with a human. Now, however it was because he couldn't let harm or pain come to her again. He could not let her suffer by his hands once more, because this time, he intended on protecting her.

Of course, it was insane to think that he was actually protecting her from himself.

For the first time since they had resumed their travels, he slightly turned his head and caught a quick glimpse of her. Her hair was wild, probably since she had ran away, her eyes were focused on her surroundings, as she looked completely distracted, her lips slightly parted as she breathed heavily. She also still had a protective hand on her stomach, as if she remained on her guard in case harm would come to her pup.

He had never doubted her skills as a mother. Not then and not now.

If he followed the world she was currently in, 17 years old was young to be a mother. Especially when you were not married and had not finished their schooling yet. He also remembered she was from a shrine, that all these details added together would probably bring some shame upon her name and her family.

Wouldn't she simply be considered another knocked up teenager without a husband? Her family knew differently, but the world did not.

Somehow, that thought did not sit well with him. He could not bring himself to let anyone try to tarnish this line. Rin's line. Her line.

Though, little could be done about it now. After all, he could not marry the miko. Actually he could indeed marry the miko, but she would never go along with that plan. Obviously, it would only be for appearances, but nonetheless it was a possibility. On top of that, if they were to get married, it would ruin her chances at ever finding happiness and perhaps love.

But, the question was, could she ever lead a normal life anyway? Could she ever have a husband, a human husband, after watching her first love be murdered, after what the beast had done to her and raising a hanyou? Her chance at a normal life had been taken away from her the moment she went through the well on that day. Never could she truly be a part of the world she lived in.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru was brought out of his thoughts, when the caves of the mountains came into view. He came to a stop, before slightly turning around to look at the miko. Slowly, Kagome decreased her speed, before finally making eye contact with him. For a split second he saw a whirlwind of emotions playing across her grey orbs, it was quickly replaced with fury.

They had to climb a little, but he did not want her doing anything of the sort in her current condition. He didn't trust their surrounding enough to leave her behind by herself, while he attempted to retrieve the shard. That would mean she would need to come with him and that idea did not please him at all.

"We have to climb," he stated, waiting for her reaction.

Kagome looked up, feeling a little shred of fear begin to form inside of her. She was used to climbing, but not when she was half way through a pregnancy, and in pain. Not only that, but her legs had been slightly damage by the youkai attack earlier. She feared they might give out on her if she put too much more strain on them.

She also knew this was the only way to get there, because Sesshomaru wouldn't have said it if there was an alternative route. Meaning, either he went alone and try to locate the shard while she remained down there by herself, or she went with him. Once again, Kagome looked at the wall she would need to climb and reminded herself that the jewel was her responsibility.

Kagome took a deep breath before rolling up her sleeves and getting ready to climb. She took a tight grip on the wall, as Sesshomaru watched her attempt to climb. Carefully, he got closer to her, making sure to remain under her, just in case she would slip. The best way would have been for him to grab a hold of her, and pull both of them up, but she would fight him to the death if he attempted to do that.

Slowly, and carefully Kagome, made her way up, as Sesshomaru still waited at the bottom. After all, if he was climbing himself, he would not be able to help at all if something were to happen. Kagome avoided looking down as that would have made her fear grow stronger. She instead decided to really be careful not to slip, always gently putting her feet down, making sure she was touching something.

The more she climbed, the stronger the aura of the jewel was becoming. She could sense it very clearly and knew she was but a few feet away from it. Her heart was beating faster and faster. She knew what the completion of the jewel meant, Sesshomaru would be out of her life, for good this time.

As her thoughts about Sesshomaru distracted her from the climb, her left foot missed the edge and before she could even gasp, she felt herself falling. She tried to grab on to something - anything. Quickly she expected the shock of hitting the ground to come, but instead, she felt him.

Sesshomaru was laying on the ground, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist, as she laid on top of him, her head in the crook of his neck. For a few seconds they remained like that. Sesshomaru thought she was hurt, which would explain why she was not reacting, but she was fine.

Kagome was breathing hard, her lips against his heated skin, as she opened her eyes slowly. It took her brain a few seconds to realize what her current situation was, but when she did process it, her whole body stiffened under his touch.

Knowing she was fine, Sesshomaru loosened his hold around her. He had never meant to hold her so tightly against his body, but his human reflexes were slow and he had barely managed to break her fall. Sesshomaru made sure to remain as still as possible as he waited for her to move. Obviously, she would not be pleased with the way things had turned out.

He knew this was going to happen. It was the exact reason why he had remained behind, waiting for her to reach the top.

Slowly, Kagome pushed herself up with her arms, feeling her body tremble. She couldn't stop herself from looking down at him, his green eyes drawing her in. He was beneath her completely motionless, a fade on his features, as she tried to pull herself up. She already struggled to get up from a chair, so this wasn't any easier.

She managed to get on her knees, one of them in between his legs and with one big push, she lifted herself up, slightly losing her balance. Once she was on her feet, her face was red, both from anger and embarrassment.

This had been an unwanted contact and she had never wished to have their bodies so close. It created a fury inside of her that his hands had been on her, but she also knew he was not to blame. After all, he had not caused her to fall and he had taken the hit for her. Nonetheless, she couldn't help the rage that ran inside of her, she didn't desire any type of physical contact with him.

Sesshomaru slowly rose to his feet, before looking at her. They were going to have to do this some other way. She was not going to like it, but there was not many options they could use. He sighed heavily before walking towards her. His own face was slightly red, probably due to the lack of oxygen he had experienced for a few seconds when her body had collided with his chest.

"I will help you up."

At his words, she felt her body tense up, she slightly turned around to face him.

"I don't need him," she stated, "I just slipped. I'll be fine."

So far since they had met in her era, Sesshomaru had not talked back to her once, even when she lost her temper and refused help, but this time, he wouldn't let it go. After everything he had done, he had often let many things slide, but this he couldn't. Not only was her stubbornness dangerous to both her and the baby, but also, he wanted to attempt and make it out of the forest before nightfall. They couldn't waste all day.

"Miko, this is final. I will help you up." She was about to reply, so he spoke before she could.

"Obviously this is too dangerous for both you and the pup. I will simply help you up, nothing more."

"I don't want your hands on me."

Sesshomaru let a sigh escape his lips, not realizing that it was one of the few times he actually showed any type of emotions around her.

Perhaps if he explained this differently.

"Miko, I know that by now, you, out of all the people should have made a distinction between me and that." He waited a few seconds, and she gently nodded. "You do not like me for what I have done, or rather not done, but I was never the one willingly laying an inappropriate hand on you."

He might not have tried to spare her, but he did not use her either.

"This will not change. You understand I am not fully it, and I do not wish for this."

For an inexplicable reason, the whole thing that filled her mind at that moment was that kiss. She knew he had probably done it to distract the beast, but right now, she couldn't forget about it either. She didn't mention it thou, instead she just nodded again.

As much as she disliked his company, it was true. But, the reason why she didn't want him touching her was mostly because in appearance he and the beast were the same person. Those were still the same hands, which had held her down and quiet while he had raped her.

She looked into his deep green eyes before sighing in defeat. This adventure already required her to be completely outside of her comfort zone. Could a few minutes of touching really make it any worse? It would not be full contact since he would simply help her up. It was touching with a purpose, a need that had to be done. Kagome took a deep breath, before walking closer to him.

Sesshomaru seemed satisfied with her decision, as he slowly put an arm around her, causing a tiny gasp to escape her lips since she hadn't expected that kind of contact. To be honest, Sesshomaru felt uncomfortable holding her. There were not many things, which could bring that kind of a feeling in his heart, but she did.

He did not know how to act around her. Not after the history they shared. He held her, not too tightly and began to lift her up, while holding himself up with his feet. Although he did not have his youkai, he was not completely defenseless. He still had a little above average strength, as if he were a regular human that worked out regularly, except he did not need to do the workout.

Fairly easily, he began to give her a push, his arm around her waist, as she helped herself up with her hands. It was easy to notice how tense she was, her whole body completely stiff, but he tried to push that thought aside as they climbed up.

Her heart was beating so fast and hard, he could feel it with his hand, which was a little past her hip. The whole pounding was echoing through her body, and he couldn't help but observe her face. Her eyes were fixed on the top of the little mountain, as if it were her goal for her freedom. It was like she was repeating to herself that if she could hold on until then, he would move away from her.

It barely took them two minutes to reach the top and when they did, both of them were on their knees, collecting themselves. Sesshomaru's arm still hung around her waist, barely touching her stomach and as he was about to pull away from her, it happened.

Both remained still as they were stunned, his hand staying on her stomach, as they felt the kick.

For a second, Kagome seemed to glow as she waited to make sure. She slightly raised her head and saw Sesshomaru's eyes glued on her stomach. He had felt it too, meaning she had not hallucinated it. Then, before they knew it, Kiyoshi kicked again, this time, he kicked where his father's hand was resting.

Nearly forgetting it was Sesshomaru that was by her side, a smile appeared on Kagome's face, as she brought a hand to her stomach, while still on her knees. For the first time in a very long time, she felt alive - she even felt joy. It was as if fireworks of happiness had just been lit up inside of her.

Sesshomaru watched as an expression he had nearly never seen on her face manifested itself. She looked content. He had thought about removing his hand, but he thought it might bring her out of the trance she was in. The fact that he could still feel the pup kicking under his finger tips brought amazement to him.

Usually, this would have been the moment where he could have assessed the child's aura, but it was not something he could do in his current state, not without his youkai. A father would feel if their pup was healthy and perhaps even see a glimpse of their strength.

Not right now.

The whole pregnancy had been quite strange on him, he didn't know how to feel about it, or the pup. From the start, he knew he would provide for it, but in the beginning, it was because of his honor, because it was his responsibility. Then came the fact that he had to, because he had promised Rin, who he had considered to be his own daughter.

But now,

Chances were,

this pup would be his one and only heir.

He would respect the mating he had with the miko, since he could not break it without killing her. Which he had no intention of doing. They were mated, her life would be extended, perhaps when she would die he would be about to mate again. But he would be over 800 years old by then.

Not only would he need an heir by then, but also who knew how much longer he would survive in this world? Plus the fact that youkai's were fewer every day, chances were, he would never have a full blooded heir. Not that it mattered anymore. Perhaps in the past, it had meant something, but bloodlines were diluted now, it was all a matter of surviving.

Pure blood held no meaning anymore.

The miko was carrying the only heir the line of the west would ever have.

Did that add another responsibility onto her shoulder?

Sesshomaru was brought out of his trance when he felt her move. It was then that he realized the pup had probably stopped moving, Kagome had realized his hand was still there. Slowly, without looking at her, he pulled away before rising to his own feet. He would have probably helped her up, but she would have denied his help, so he did not attempt an offer.

Carefully, Kagome stood up, before wrapping her arms around her stomach. Never in a million years would she have believed that the person she would share this moment with would be Sesshomaru. It made it awkward, at least when she had realized he had been feeling the kicks too. But it did not ruin the moment when it happened. The happiness it had brought her was not something even the bad memories she carried around could ruin.

This was the pureness of the life growing inside of her.

One thing had surprised her thou about Sesshomaru. She knew he did a lot of things either because of his guilt. Or because of Rin and she imagined his concern for the child was because of that. Yet, for a second, he had seemed as amazed by the kicks as she had been.

Kagome did not like it, it did not fit him, it did not fit the Sesshomaru she had been forced to be with. Sometimes, glimpses of another being would emerge out of him and she did not know how to deal with it. It was as if he could not be defined as one person, or rather refused to be defined as one person.

But wasn't he who he had always been?

"Can you sense it?"

His neutral voice brought her out of her reverie, it took her a few seconds to process his words. Quickly, she nodded, before pointing into a direction.

"Over there."

He nodded, before making his way where she had pointed, with Kagome following him. For the first time the ambiance surrounding them was different than usual. Instead of the lingering pain and fury, there was a hint of awkwardness.

Perhaps it was because they shared a moment, they were not meant to. Their lives were never meant to be intertwined. They had absolutely no good memories with each other, only pain and anger. How were they supposed to react when they were thrown into a new type of situation? It was strange, and different.

Good? Maybe.

Bad? Perhaps.

The silence was ringing in their ears as they got closer and closer. Finally, they reached the entrance of a cave and Kagome moved ahead of him. She could feel it, she could almost touch it. The shard was near but the entrance was engulfed in darkness, frankly she did not feel like running in blindly.

Sesshomaru understood her hesitation, but they could not afford it, time was running out on them.

Thou he wondered why nobody was there. The little youkai had told him that they valued the shard highly, so why leave it unprotected? Had he reached his pack before they had arrived and had left? Though the youkai he had met had been scared of Sesshomaru, would he have really given up that easily?

Technically, there was only one way to find out and that was by going inside. Of course, he would have preferred to go in on his own, but she was the only one who could sense the shards exact location, so she had to go in first.

"We'll have to go in." He saw the flash of doubt in her eyes, but he knew they had no other choice. "I'll be right behind you."

That did not make her feel any safer.

Nonetheless, Kagome made her way into the dark cave, chills ran up her spine. Something about this place did not inspire her confidence. Something was not right. If she was indeed correct, that only she could feel it, since he did not have his youkai. There was no way to prove if she was right about a danger or just being paranoid.

Carefully, they made their way inside and although he was not touching her, she could feel him right there, right behind her. She hurried as best she could to make her way through the darkness, her purse still carefully slung around her shoulder. To the risk of dropping everything, she had safely held on to that.

Then, she felt the shard tickle her aura, but in a bad way. It came to no surprise that this shard was tainted, instead of pure. Look how long had it been surrounded by darkness? Slowly, Kagome reached out for it, trying to feel where it was, since she could not see it. Finally, she felt it under her fingertips and immediately she pulled.

To her surprise, it refused to bulge. It was if it was glued there. Kagome tried to feel around, but there didn't seem to be anything to keep it from her taking it.

Once again, she tried to pull and surprisingly this time, it followed. But, Kagome had been pulling hard, she had not expected it to come off that easily, which caused her to back up into Sesshomaru's chest. Since he could not see, the contact came as a surprise, but he still managed to quickly stabilize both of them.

Kagome didn't have a chance to stiffen at the contact since it had been brief. Nonetheless, she was relieved not to be in the same tangled mess they had been in earlier.

"I have the shard," she whispered, although she didn't know why she was whispering.

Sesshomaru quickly took it as the cue to leave, he turned around, exiting the cave. He didn't like this. It felt too easy. He knew they feared him, the youkai had been begging which was a cowardly thing to do, yet he couldn't chase the bad feeling away. Something hadn't been right.

They emerged from the cave quickly enough, as Kagome held the shard in the palm of her hand. When the sunlight hit her face, she opened her hand, revealing the dark shard. It was perhaps then that she realized just how corrupted it was. How many times in the past had she picked up tainted shard, only for it to be purified on the spot? Why not this time?

She held it between her fingers under the watchful eye of Sesshomaru, trying to focus her energy to purify it. Kagome stared at it for many seconds, focusing, but nothing happened. She sighed in frustration. She knew she was not the most powerful miko there was, but there had to be a reason she could not purify it.

In the past, she had succeeded in at least purifying temporarily very tainted shards she had come across. But now, she could not even hold the jewel…

"I can't," she said, as if she was admitting defeat.

Sesshomaru's eyes traveled to the still dark shard. The miko could not purify it? But she was its guardian, the one whom could sense the shard, so why could she not bring the light back into it? He could clearly see the frustration on her features, meaning she had just as many answers as he did.

"It can be figure out later. Our main goal for the moment is to gather the shards."

He saw Kagome reaching for her purse, and immediately he stopped her.

"No."

Kagome stopped her movements.

"It would not be wise to do so in unknown territories. We do not know who could be lurking around these caves and woods."

Immediately she nodded her head. She had to admit he was right, so she closed her hand on the shard. The problem was, she could hardly travel with the shard hidden in her hand. But, Sesshomaru seemed to have a solution to her problem as he reached for something in his pocket.

He pulled out a sutra and handed it to her.

"Wrap it around the shard."

Kagome did as he suggested, wrapping it before putting it securely in her purse. It was as she did that gesture that Sesshomaru noticed something on the back of her hand. Gently he trailed his fingertips across her skin and Kagome's eyes widened. She looked down at his hand, only to see him wiping blood off a cut she had on her hand.

When had she gotten that?

Kagome observed as Sesshomaru pulled his finger away, observing the blood that ran down his digit.

"When did you cut yourself?" he asked, concern almost present in his voice.

She tried to think, but could not recall feeling any pain.

"I don't know," she said surprised that she didn't feel it.

It was nothing big, but still, she would usually feel any little thing. Perhaps she had been too preoccupied? Or maybe she had cut herself during her fall and the close contact with Sesshomaru had blocked away the pain?

Sesshomaru had something else in mind. Somehow it reminded him of the attack the little youkai had been using earlier in the day. Could it be that they had tried to stop Kagome from retrieving the shard? He glanced towards the cave, before looking away.

"We should get going. We can reach a small village to spend the night."

Kagome looked slightly confused.

"Can't we just make it to the car and drive back to the hotel?" It would take a little extra time, but once they made it to the car it would hardly matter, right?

He shook his head.

"We do not travel at night."

She had to ask.

"Why not?"

After all they had traveled once in a while at night in the Feudal Era, so what could honestly be more dangerous in her own era? It was not as if she were alone, lost in the woods. Sesshomaru knew the way back to the car.

He almost scoffed.

"Miko, you know nothing of this world you live in. You might believe the past was more dangerous, but appearances can be deceiving." He paused. "You should know that. You never let someone's appearance stop you from finding what truly lies beneath."

She remained silent, so he continued. "If we hurry, we'll be there before the darkness falls."

Immediately he began to walk, since usually when he did so, she would follow. But this time, she did not. At least not right away. Kagome stood there, one hand on her stomach the other one holding her purse. For a split second, she had felt a tingle go through her body, but she could not explain what it was. Slowly, she breathed in and out, trying to chase the feeling away.

It was after a few moments that Sesshomaru realized Kagome was not behind him. He looked back, only to see her standing there, a look of panic in her features. Immediately he walked in her direction. Something was not right. Kagome did not even react to his presence, as it seemed something else was bothering her.

As he got closer to her, he felt suffocated. He went to reach out for her arm, but before he could even touch her skin, he felt his skin tingle, as if he were being burned by her miko powers. Of course, as he pulled away, he was completely puzzled. He shouldn't feel this way, as long as his youkai was sealed away, her miko powers would not be able to affect him.

"Miko?" he asked, since she was still staring ahead.

Even then, Kagome did not turn around to look at him. Instead she closed her eyes, feeling a panic rise up inside of her. What was this feeling? It felt as if it was flooding through her blood stream, as well as it was coming from within her, but none of it made any sense.

Without even realizing what she was doing, she reached out for support and held onto his arm. It surprised Sesshomaru, but he remained steady for her. Kagome's vision became blurred and her head was spinning as she started to feel dizzy. Her body was fighting something. Or was it her body? She felt so confused and her body felt weak and tired.

Before she knew it, she grabbed his arm with her other hand and had somewhat spun around, her face nearly hitting his chest. In an attempt to give her more support Sesshomaru had put his arms around her waist. Usually he would have hesitated, but considering her current state… it was him or the ground.

All of a sudden, her body became extremely limp in his arms, he moved one of his hands so he could lift her face. He gently grabbed her chin and tilted her head up only to confirm that she was unconscious.

As far as unlikely situations went, this was one.

The miko, unconscious in his arms, in the middle of the forest, while they were somewhat vulnerable and carrying the damn tainted jewel.

Frustration was obvious in his features, as he pondered on what to do. Obviously they could not remain where they were and spending the night there, especially if she was not conscious, left him with only one choice. He had to get her to the village. That meant he would have to carry her in his arms. It would be the fastest way to make it in time.

If she were awake, she would fight this to tooth and nail. But, for the first time, she would be very cooperative.

Gently, Sesshomaru scooped her in his arms, one of his arms under her neck, and the other under her knees. To make sure her head would not hang over his arm, he rested it against his chest, before beginning to walk.

The illness had been so sudden. A few minutes ago she had been fine. Sesshomaru wasn't sure if it was exhaustion, but it was a possibility.

Although, it didn't explain the dangerous flair of her powers, the wound she had on her hand crossed his mind, but he didn't even know how long it had been there and it didn't look out of the ordinary.

Kagome was completely motionless, which was why he immediately noticed when he felt movement. He looked down at her only to see where it was coming from. Kiyoshi.

From the look he had seen on her face earlier, the pup had not kicked before. Now it seemed, this was the second time and strangely enough, during both times, he and the miko had some type of contact. Could it be that the pup was reacting to his presence? He knew a certain bond was required for the child's development, but he didn't think that it was necessary.

Could the child have problems if he was not close enough? He recalled the beast saying the pup was in distress. That was worse than simply needing a bond. And it was harder now to create a bond than if he had his youkai. In his human form the only way to create that bond was to touch the miko. If he had his youkai, all he would have required was his aura.

Unfortunately, releasing his youkai wasn't safe.

Would it really come down to him and the miko having some sort of physical contact, even small just a small amount?

Sesshomaru truly hope it wouldn't, at least for her sake. It would perhaps make him uncomfortable. But, it would not be for the same reason than in the past. He had been disgusted by the idea of a human mate back then. Now, he had to admit, it did not sound as insane anymore.

After all, he had watched his kind disappear. The reality that humans would have their era just appeared and he had come to accept it. Often he had thought that his only companion when the miko would finally pass away and would no longer be mated, would be a human.

He had never rutted with anyone else. Except the miko. At least not since their mating. But, the idea was not as disgusting as it used to be. Perhaps he had learned to blend in better in this world than he had thought. He still admitted that he despised most humans, their wretched darkness and corrupted minds.

With a sigh, he re-focused his attention on his surroundings for a brief second, making sure he was going in the right direction. He adjusted his path slightly before beginning to walk again.

If he picked up his pace, they would arrive at the small town in about 15 minutes. He had researched the area and he knew they would find a hotel there, where they could rest for the night. Apparently, she clearly needed some rest.

Sesshomaru looked down at her face, trying to see if she had symptoms of a fever, but she did not show any. At least, she didn't appear to. But then again, her fever could only have begun to rise, which could explain why she didn't look flushed.

He could try it.

He had seen mothers do it to their children. In many situations, he would not have done this, but currently, he worried for her health. If she was at risk for a fever, he would not wait for them to reach the hotel, instead, he would perhaps find water and wet her body down to cool it.

Slowly, he stopped, before carefully bringing his lips to her forehead, then, gently, he pressed them against her skin. He could have tried to feel her temperature with his hands, but they could be hot or cold, which would throw off the whole thing.

Quickly, he pulled away.

She did not feel like she was burning with a fever, but not cold either. Actually, it felt a tiny bit too warm for his taste, but for the moment, it was nothing to worry about. Sesshomaru decided that it was safe to wait until they made it to the hotel.

He resumed his actions, making sure she was carefully tucked into his arms. The closeness was strange and he wasn't sure what to make of it. Obviously if she had been awake, she would be fighting her way out of his hold. He felt uncomfortable…

Right now, she was peacefully in his arms, not struggling, she was not tensed. As if she trusted him. As if nothing had happened and they were in a normal situation, where he was carrying his mate in his arms.

It was rather strange.

***