Kryptonite

By Danyealle

(fanfiction/MF/HC/Abuse)

I watched the world float
To the dark side of the moon
After all I knew it had to be
Something to do with you
I really don’t mind what happens now and then
As long as you’ll be my friend at the end
-Three Doors Down

Eyes narrowed, Sesshomaru watched as Kagome winced in pain as she knelt down in front of Rin to show her things she had brought for the child.  There was also no missing the grimace when the child hugged her tightly.  He also heard a barely audible whimper of pain then as well.  Looking at her more closely, he noticed several things that he most certainly didn’t like. 

First thing odd was that even on a fairly warm night she was wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt.  Despite what one might normally do when they were a bit hot, and it was evident that she was, she didn’t roll or push the sleeves of the shirt up. 

There was also something odd about her face as well but he wasn’t able to place it until she was closer to him; she was wearing face paint, something she never did.  A closer look after he noticed told him why.  She was covering something up.  He could see the faintest shadows of some kind of discoloration under it when she was close to the firelight.  No, he didn’t like what he saw at all nor did he like the guess he could take as to where it came from. 

He had decided against pulling her aside and asking about things when something changed his mind.  When she bent over to pull a couple things out of her bag the tail of her shirt rode up a bit, revealing the small of her back.  He had to fight back a growl of anger when he saw the belt of bruises and deep scrapes and punctures on the flesh that was there.  Nor did they stop there from the look of things.  They seemed to continue upwards and wrap around her sides, heading to the front.  From just the short look he had gotten he could tell that these were no battle injuries.  As he well knew she, like everyone that had hunted the spider, had been hurt before – in more than one case fairly badly, but she had never tried to hid or conceal those injuries. The only reason he could think of that someone, especially her, would try to hide something like that was they were ashamed of where they came from and/or didn’t want people asking about them.

When he was sure that these weren’t battle injuries one name came to mind as the source of them: Inuyasha.  The little priestess and the whelp had been mated for about six months now.  When it had come about all that knew the two were thrilled but he had been less so.  Yes, he was well aware that the two loved each other but he, more so than the members of the pack, knew what the boy could be like with the opposite sex.  They had known him for a few years now, yes, but they only knew him while he was fixated on the spider hunt.  He had seen what the boy was like in normal situations.  He would be the first to admit that since Kagome had been around Inuyasha had changed for the better in many ways but in some areas he hadn’t. In fact, there were areas he had gotten worse in. 

It always floored him that some women saw jealousy and an over the top protective nature as flattering.  As he well knew it wasn’t and really should be a warning sign.  Yes, to some extent, most beings were that way at the beginning of relationships but it would die out as they progressed.  In the case of Inuyasha it hadn’t.  In fact it had gotten worse the closer he and Kagome had become.  Combine that with Inuyasha’s violent nature and you had a recipe for disaster.

Normally, he wouldn’t give a damn and kept his nose out of it, taking the stance that it was a problem between the couple, but when it came to Kagome he felt differently.  Kagome had a bit of a special place in his life and, like Rin, he had a ‘soft spot’ for her.  She had proven she had honor and was worthy of his respect.  She was also about the only being he considered to be a ‘friend’ on some level.  For those reasons he was protective of her, not overly so but he could allow himself to stand by and let someone hurt her in any way when it was done on purpose.  That’s why the thought that Inuyasha may be hurting her was not something he could handle and, if that was the case, he would put a stop to it in one way or another.  But he wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions, he would find out for sure before he did anything.

Settling back, he waited until she was done.  When it was apparent that she was getting ready to head back he asked if he could talk to her alone.  This wasn’t anything new or even out of the ordinary so she readily agreed.  Quietly, he led her away to a small clearing away from the camp.  When they reached it he turned to her.  “Kagome, you know I consider you to a be a friend, don’t you?”

“Yes.”  She said with a smile.  He had told her that a few times in the past but it always felt good each time he did.  She knew she was in a very exclusive club when it came to that and that was a nice thing to know.

“As such you know I would never overstep boundaries over ask personal question if I wasn’t concerned about you, don’t you.”

Nodding, she replied in the affirmative.

Softening his voice and tone he went on, trying to be as gentle as his nature allowed him to be.  “Would you explain to me where you got all the injuries and bruises from?  I know you’ve gone out of your way to conceal them but I still noticed.”

Blanching, she turned pale, swallowing convulsively then lowered her eyes but said nothing.  This was not a conversation she wanted to have with anyone, let alone him.

Stepping closer to her, he put a crooked finger under her chin and tilted her head up.  At this close proximity he could see what the face paint was trying to hide more clearly, firming up his impression that these were no battle injuries.  “Despite trying to hide them, I was able to observe a few of the injuries.  When you bent over the back of your shirt rose up, revealing some.  The paint on your face is very good but it can’t conceal everything.  From what I’ve observed they are not from an accident or battle.  Who did this to you?  Was it Inuyasha?”  He asked gently.

“I can’t…” she said quietly, unable to look in his eyes.

“Yes, you can.  I’ll insure nothing more happens to you.”  He told her gently.

“You can’t.”  She said quietly, shaking her head.  “It’s my problem to deal with; I can’t let anyone else get involved.  If someone else got hurt I would never forgive myself.”

Giving a divisive snort, he shook his head.  “You need not worry about me.  I’m more than capable of defending myself.  Now, please, answer me.  Did Inuyasha do this to you?”  He asked a bit more firmly this time.

“You don’t understand, I can’t tell you.”  She said then lowered her voice to an almost inaudible whisper.  “You don’t know what he would do if he found out I told someone.”

“He won’t be able to; I will ensure your safety.”  He assured her.

“It’s not me I’m worried about.”  She admitted.

That clicked and jarred something in his mind.  “Your kit?”  He was well aware that she felt the same way about Shippo that he did about Rin.  He wouldn’t put it past the whelp to threaten the kit to keep her in line and ensure her silence.

Nodding, she felt tears sting her eyes.  “If something happened to him I would never forgive myself.”

“Kagome, I can guarantee that I can ensure the safety of both of you but I need to know for sure who did this.” Yes, he was pretty positive it was the whelp but he had to be sure before he took any drastic action.  “Was it Inuyasha?”

“Yes.”  She told him quietly, looking away.

Sighing, he looked down at the ground.  Though his gut had told him it was the whelp the confirmation twisted his gut and shot his ire through the roof.  But he pushed that to the background for now.  He could smell her tears and feel fear twist in her aura.  She, and her safety, had to come first.  “Calm down Kagome.  Like I said, I’ll ensure your safety.”  He told her gently.

“How?  There’s no way for me to leave him.  We’re mated and because of that he’ll always be able to find me.  He’s made sure I remember that.”  She told him, a touch of bitterness in her tone.

Smirking, Sesshomaru snorted.  “The hanyou apparently doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does or he isn’t telling you everything he knows on the topic.

“First, as I’ve pointed out many times in the past he is a half-breed, not a youkai.  In being such his mating bond isn’t as strong as a full youkais.  Because of that a full youkai of equal or greater power than him can block the pull of the bond if you stay close to them.

“Second, despite what he told you, the mating bond of a hanyou and youkai can be broken.  The hanyou is easier obviously.  All it would take is a year apart to weaken it then, to break it completely, marking by a more powerful partner.  So it can be done.

“My aura is most assuredly more powerful one than Inuyasha’s so I will be able to hide you from him.  Do you understand?”  He asked.

Nodding, she felt a bit of hope that there was a way out of this mess.  But she wasn’t about to drop herself into something else of someone who had an agenda or wanted something out of it.  Yes, he was a friend but she still knew what he was like and wasn’t about to jump into something else blindly.  “Sesshomaru, what are you meaning when it comes to all this, the protection bit I mean?  Why are you doing this or even care about it?”

Rather than take offense by her question, like he would from most people, Sesshomaru understood where she was coming from with it.  Yes, they had a fairly good relationship but she was well aware what he could be like.  Plus, she was already in a bad situation and wanted to do her best to ensure that she wasn’t going to be dropping herself into an even worse one.  He could appreciate that.  So he did something he normally wouldn’t with anyone, explain it.  “It’s very simple really; you will just be traveling with me is all, nothing more than that.  Tonight I’m going to take you to the fortress for a couple weeks so you’ll be able to heal and will be better protected for the first bit better the half-breed finds out you’re gone and won’t be returning.

“As for why…  There are a couple reasons actually.  First and foremost, because, like I said before, you’re my friend and like what would happen with Rin, there is no way I could stand by and allow someone to hurt you if it was within my power to prevent or put an end to it. 

“Yes, honor does play into it as well.  Despite what the whelp or others may think what Inuyasha does will reflect on me because we are related.  As such I’m expected to correct or do something to stop it when the half-breed does something that would project a negative perception on me or the name.  Because you’re his mate your protection and how you are treated by the half-breed falls under my purview.  In a case such as this I would be expected to step in and take you away from the situation.“ He didn’t add that for many the situation would usually involve taking the abused onna as his mate as well to restore the honor lost because of the domestic violence.  Abusing your mate is considered, in youkai society, as a lowly crime that shows a marked lack of self control and a stain on a family’s honor.

Relieved, Kagome nodded.  “Alright.  But what about Shippo?  He can’t be left with Inuyasha for too long.  If he finds out I’ve left and won’t be coming back who knows what he would do to him.”  She explained, a small seed of panic beginning to grow in her voice.

“Once you’re safely at my fortress I will go retrieve your kit as well as anything else that’s yours.” He told her.  Though he wasn’t sure how he was going to go about that.  What he wanted to do was inform the whelp that she wouldn’t be returning and make sure the rest of the pack knew why that was.  He knew the whelp would argue the fact and he was itching to teach him a lesson he would remember for the rest of his miserable, pathetic life.  But he wasn’t sure if that was the right way to go about things.

Anxiety twisting in her aura, she whispered, “Promise me you’ll be careful when go.  I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you got hurt.”

His first instinct was to sneer at the notion of Inuyasha hurting him but what she had said registered and he shunted it aside.  Instead, he stepped closer to her then put an arm around her shoulders gently, being mindful that she was injured.  “You need not worry about me Kagome.  As you well know I’m quite capable of handling Inuyasha.  But never fear, I’ll exhibit the utmost caution in dealing with him.”  He assured her.

But along with that something else registered.  From what he could feel the tiny onna was nothing but skin and bones.  Because she was wearing such baggy clothes he hadn’t noticed it before.  But felt like she had lost a significant amount of weight.  That bothered him because he didn’t know the cause of it.  But, like some other questions that were starting to crop up here and there, he pushed them aside for now and focused himself on what he felt he needed to know about when he dealt with the hanyou.

The first thing that came to mind was just what kind of injuries she had and how serious they were.  Yes, he could ask her but was sure that she would say they were no big deal or minimize their severity.  But he also felt he had to see them for himself.  Stepping back, he schooled his voice into something as calm and soothing as he could manage then told her, “Kagome, I wish to be allowed to see the totality of your injuries.”

Head jerking up, she looked at him wide-eyed then shook her head.  “I can’t, most of them are under my clothes.  I would have to get undressed for you to see them and that’s something I can’t and won’t do.”

He had anticipated this and had already formulated a plan to work around her modesty.  “I understand.”  He soothed.  “How about this… can you clean your face off so I can at least see those injuries?”

That was something she could handle.  Nodding, she knelt down and pulled a wash cloth and a bottle of water from her pack.  As gently as she could she washed away the make-up, wincing as she touched her bruised and tender flesh.

He was glad that he had long ago trained himself to not let any emotion show on his face because what he saw shocked him.  That wouldn’t have been a good thing for her to see.  A quick glance told him why he hadn’t seen any weight loss in her face; it was too swollen to show it.  Both her eyes were black and there was more bruised flesh than unbruised.  There were fresh bruises as well but the others were in various stages of healing.  Along her jawline were claw marks that looked like they came from being grabbed there so she wouldn’t turn her face away.  There were a few bruises on her neck but they were older and faded out to an ugly ocher color. 

Stepping closer, he pulled her shirt off one shoulder then the other, seeing bruises in the shape of fingers here.  Steeping back, he asked gently, “Can I see your back please.”

Though she wasn’t really understand why he felt he had to see this, she complied.  Turning around, she lifted the back of her shirt a bit.

Sesshomaru had to suppress a growl when he saw her back.  It was marbled with bruises, cuts and slashes in various stages of healing.  From the look of things this had been going on for quite some time.  Letting her shirt drop, he asked, “Not meaning to cause offense Kagome, but why didn’t you use the beads to put an end to this?”

Sighing, she turned around and looked at the ground.  “Because I took them off him after we mated.  I hadn’t had to use them for so long that I thought it was safe to do that.”

Normally he would point out how foolish of a mistake that had been but because of the way she looked he didn’t.  She had already paid a steep price for that error and didn’t need anyone to point it out to her.  Though he wanted to see the totality of the injuries what he had seen would do for now and were bad enough that he wanted to kill the damnenable whelp for it!  No female, ningen, youkai or hanyou, deserved this.  It was made even worse by the fact that the little miko didn’t have the strength to fight off the half-breed.  Without those beads she would have been all but defenseless, something he was sure Inuyasha knew all too well.

Though he wanted to plan out how he would love to deal with the whelp he pulled himself back to the present.  There were things that needed to be done and dealt with immediately.  She had been gone for some time now and Inuyasha would be getting edgy, as he had done in the past, and he would only have a limited amount of time before the boy showed up looking for her like he had done many times in the past.  So now was the time to get moving not planning.

Focusing back on her, he made sure his blank mask was in place and kept the soothing, calm tone in his voice when he finally spoke.  “How much stuff do you have at your camp that is yours?”

“Not much.  Just my sleeping bag and a couple other things.”  She replied softly.  Suddenly the thought that she was going to be ‘rescued’ came back and bit of fear began to take hold.  She didn’t want a confrontation with Inuyasha nor did she want to think what would happen if he somehow got a hold of her after he found out she had “blabbed’ about what he had done.  She was fairly certain that she wouldn’t survive the encounter.

Sensing her uptick in fear, he told her, “Don’t worry, I don’t plan to allow the half-breed to find out any time soon that you’ve left him.  In fact you’ll be at my fortress and well protected long before he’ll know you’re gone.   Now, we need to head back so we can prepare to leave.”  He told her gently.

Once they were back at his camp, he shouldered her pack then began to give order to Jaken.  “Break camp as fast as you can then head to the fortress on Ah-Un.  You need to get there as quickly as you can.”  He told the kappa who was nodding but had his eyes locked on Kagome’s face.  The taiyoukai had forgotten she had removed the face pain she had been wearing before.  Luckily her back was to Rin and the child couldn’t see or there would have been problems he didn’t want to deal with just yet.

Normally, he would have held onto someone to travel the way he was about to but, being mindful of her injuries, he had Kagome grab onto his arm tightly with both hands. “Hold on and don’t let go.”  He warned gently then his blue light formed around them and he streaked off towards the west and his fortress.

~~~~~@~~~~~

Sitting by the fire, Inuyasha kept staring down the pathway Kagome had taken to go see Sesshomaru, leg bouncing in agitation.  He most certainly didn’t like it when she went off somewhere alone as a general rule but he like it even less when it was his bastard half-brother she was going to see.  Especially with the shape she was in at the moment.

At that moment gilt began to curdle in his stomach and his ears flattened a bit.  Yeah, he felt like shit over what he had done to her.  Each time it happened he would vow to both her and himself that it wouldn’t ever happen again yet it did and he couldn’t seem to make himself stop it.  He should have enough self control that he didn’t lash out and take things out on her but he couldn’t seem to make himself stop.  It seemed that once he hit a certain level of mad, and it didn’t have to be at her either, then he couldn’t control it.  It then seemed if she did something, no matter how small, it would be the last straw and he would unleash all over her.  Of course he always felt bad afterwards and would try to make it up to her but no matter how much he tried to stop it, it always happened again.

Really, he should have her put the beads back on, he thought.  That way when it reached a certain point she could stop him.  But he hated those fucking things and didn’t want to deal with them again.  The two of them would just have to find another way to work with it is all.

Once more his mind circled back to Sesshomaru.  A bit of a cold chill danced down his spine.  If there was anyone that had the possibility or chance of discovering what had happened it was his dear brother.  Not only was his eyesight far superior to humans but his other senses were as well.  Not only that but he was a keep observer that could and did pick up on things most beings, himself included, missed.

Sitting there, his leg bounced faster as his agitation grew.  Kami, he should never have let her go see him!  He should have made her wait a few days until she had healed more or until she was completely healed.  Either that or he should have gone with her. 

He didn’t like how long she was gone or what could come out of it if Sesshomaru found out what he had done.  It was their secret and his brother didn’t need to find out.  Sighing, he decided that if she wasn’t back soon he would go get her.