Just because you can... by inumaru_rapture

Discovery and Questions

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should."

A Sesshoumaru/Kagome fanficton written to answer the challenge given by: Mlmonty

Some Ideas taken from the movie: Moulin Rouge (which I do not own)

In a way, I borrow some of the idea from Black_Rose's fic: Until Death; being that she is dying from an illness, unwilling to tell anyone, and hiding her scent(which interests Sesshoumaru).

Spring. A time for rebirth, babies, and warmth spring opens doors for new relationships and mishaps involving mating between people who should not involve themselves with the other. Their first sign that spring was nearing was the numerous birds that began appearing everywhere. This was, of course, followed by the quick building of new nests. The grass that had previously been brown had turned into a lush green overnight. The trees began to bud as if impatient to reach virgin leaves into the electricity in the spring air. Humidity began to build as rains washed over the land.

The little group of 6 moved with muddy feet towards their home base: Kaede's village. They had been forced to turn back when their chances of following a false trail of a jewel shard ended almost tragically when trying to cross a swollen river. Now, barely dry from the river and the rains that weaved across Japan, the group crested the hill outside of the village. Wet fields of rice dotted their pathway heading towards the small village. Inuyasha, for once, had kept his mouth closed about their slow pace--not willing himself to be plowed straight into mud by a temperate miko. Kagome, who had not been feeling like herself for a long time now, decided that, with their return to the village, she would visit her home in the future.

Attempting to avoid an argument, Kagome left early the next morning, before anyone else was awake. She was grateful for the rain that covered her scent as she made her way to the well with her big yellow backpack slung over one shoulder. As she neared the well, she felt a familiar spike of energy. Trudging forward through the now sleeting rain, she stopped when she came face to face with a very tall and very wet white clad taiyoukai.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru-sama," she greeted softly, shrugging her bag higher up onto her shoulder and brushing her wet bangs from her forehead. He stared at her, as if contemplating something.

"Can I help you with anything?" She asked, suddenly feeling like she was working retail or in food services. Her mind dimly added: 'would you like fries with that?'

"This Sesshoumaru requires your assistance," he said rather coolly. Kagome nodded.

"Then lead the way, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Once again very glad for the cleansing ability of rain, she followed Sesshoumaru into the forest a ways before stopping at a very thick tree, under which sat a sopping wet, sneezing, and coughing little girl. The green toad was beside her, telling her to stop trying to infect Lord Sesshoumaru with human germs. Kagome rolled her eyes, stooping to enter into the tree's protection. To her surprise, Sesshoumaru followed her example, putting his dignified wet ass on the dirt, and his back against the sticky, sappy tree trunk. Kagome knelt beside the little girl, cringing for a moment as something sharp dug into the tender flesh of her knees.

"Rin-chan, can you open your eyes?" Kagome asked softly, finding the girl's name hidden within her vast memory. The little girl opened her eyes tentatively, as if it hurt her to do so. Her eyes were rimmed with an irritated red. Kagome thought of a reason instantly.

"Kagome-sama..." Rin's voice was very soft and Kagome placed her hand on the girl's forehead. She had a slight fever, but nothing much more. With careful fingers, she felt the girl's face around her eyes and in her cheeks. Her sinuses were full and probably draining into her throat causing her to cough. Kagome then felt her stomach, pressing lightly for signs of a different infection that may lead to cold-like symptoms. She was vaguely aware of Sesshoumaru's golden eyes watching her every move, and she was reminded of Shippo--though without the constant questions of what she was doing and why.

"Rin-chan, I need you to tell me what hurts and where." Kagome's voice was soft and friendly. Rin squinted her eyes slightly in thought.

"Rin's throat hurts, and Rin coughs a lot. Rin feels cold. Rin wants to sleep." Kagome smiled and dug into her bag.

"You can sleep in a few minutes, Rin-chan. But first, I want to give you something that will make the pain and icky feelings go away, okay?" Kagome produced a small plastic bottle and a bottle of water. She poured a single pill into her hand, and put the bottle back into her bag. She then produced a simple herb and began to tear it into little pieces before putting all the pieces into the water bottle. She gave Rin the pill to swallow with the water.

"You need to drink all the water, and then you can sleep, okay?" Rin nodded before drinking down the water and the pill. Kagome popped herself onto her feet, brushing off the twigs and rocks imbedded in her knees. "Feel better, Rin-chan. I must be going now." She wiggled her way out of the tree's protection and back into the rain. She stood, dropping her head back slightly, letting the rain wash the worry from her face. Sesshoumaru appeared beside her.

"What did you give her?" His voice startled her, and she glanced over at him, not really moving her head because she was already straining her neck skyward.

"The pill will keep her fever down, and the herbs will allow her sinuses to drain. She should be fine by tomorrow." Kagome brushed her wet bangs from her forehead again. She watched as he nodded curtly.

"I am unfamiliar with human illnesses. Youkai do not become ill." Kagome nodded her head and smiled up at him.

"I wonder what that would be like... to be so immune to things that would kill a young heart." She bowed to him and made her way to the well. With a heavy grunt, she dropped herself into it, unaware of the piercing golden eyes watching her movements.

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should," the advice rolled through her head. She didn't know if she should tell them... didn't know if she dared to admit her newly found illness. She was capable of doing so...yet she was not certain that she should tell them... at least not yet. She drew a tired hand over her forehead, wiping the sweat away. Why had she bothered to go to the doctor's anyway? What does he know? Her thoughts were hurtful to the kind man who had helped her, diagnosed her, and given her the pain medication that she would need to battle the pain her illness would bring.

Shaking her head, she wiped the rest of the sweat from her brow. Well, at least her instinct was aware of her body's condition. She groaned lightly as she shrugged her backpack higher onto her shoulder. She would have to lighten the load soon, as she couldn't risk loosing her energy to the weight. Grunting lightly, she pulled herself up to the top of the well. It had been almost three days since she had left, and only two after she had kicked Inuyasha out of her house after threatening to 'sit' him through the well. She was not positive whether or not she should return to the feudal era, but with the limited time she now had, she wanted to finish finding the jewel shards before said time ran out. With a growl, she pushed her bag up to the lip of the well, and it suddenly fell up and over it. With a gasp, her hand flew forward and down, landing on the edge of the well. She hadn't heard anyone approach, nor had she sensed anyone. With renewed vigor, she pulled herself to peek over the lip of the well.

Sesshoumaru stood before her, the bag within his single clawed hand. She pulled herself up onto the well lip and swung her legs around.

"Ano...arigatou, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, nervously, while consciously masking her scent from him. His head tilted slightly to the side, his nose twitching.

"You will explain three things to This Sesshoumaru," he instructed as she nodded, sitting in wait for the questions. Her heart was beating painfully within her chest as she breathed long and slowly to regain its normality.

"The first is: where does this well take you... There is old magic within it when you drop into it, and you disappear entirely from this realm. Explain." Kagome took a deep breath, calming her nerves.

"The well, Sesshoumaru-sama, takes me home." She paused at the small display of emotion on his face as his eyebrow rose behind his bangs. "I do not come from this time. I am from 500 years in the future. I can not tell you much else, lest I change something in the future."

"You drop into a well to travel 500 years into the future. Why then, can not this Sesshoumaru go though, yet the whelp can?"

Kagome's eyes widened slightly as she pursed her lips.

"You tried to follow me?"

"Do not avoid This Sesshoumaru's question," his avoidance told her he had indeed tried to follow her. Her lips thinned into a line in aggravation.

"I do not know why he can travel through and you can not. Maybe it is because of the rosary around his neck that ties him to me. Maybe it is the will of the Shikon no tama. I do not know for sure." He was silent for a moment and then asked his second question. (A/N: No, that last question was a follow up, not the second question.)

"What was it you gave Rin?" Panic filled her eyes.

"Why? Did it harm her in any way? Is she okay?" She stood hastily, her curled fist held tight to her chest between her breasts. A gentle shake of his head and his baritone voice calmed her worries.

"No, she is as she was before. This Sesshoumaru needs to know lest she falls ill again. This Sesshoumaru does not desire to seek you out every time... The hanyou is most irritating." Kagome nodded briefly, then his words spiked through her head. 'He doesn't want to find me because I'm not desirable... or is it just that he doesn't like to be around Inuyasha?'

Her mind wheeled as if slapped. 'Does it matter if he thinks I'm desirable? I don't care what he thinks of me! This is Sesshoumaru...Taiyoukai of the West and hater of all things human or hanyou.'

The little voice in the back of her head popped up another thought: 'He keeps Rin with him... he cares for her, feeds her; he's like a father to her... he can't be that bad...' Shaking her head forcefully, she noticed a look cross his eyes--something amid amusement and irritation...

"Ah, gomen. I was lost in thought for a moment," she heard her mouth betray the truth to him. She continued on to describe the herbs she had used in the water, and instructed him briefly on the preparation. He nodded, soaking it up like a sponge.

Kagome started lightly as a rain droplet fell onto her cheek, taking some of her makeup with it. Sesshoumaru's golden eyes watched the droplet as it fell from her cheek and landed onto the fabric of her clothing. It was enticing to say the least.

"What is your last question?" Kagome reminded, huddling her arms around herself, her eyes on the bag in his grip. He held it out to her, letting go once she had a firm grip on it. She set the bag on the well lip behind her, bending slightly to open it and fiddle through it to get an umbrella and a sweater.

"You are hiding your scent. Why?" Kagome dropped the umbrella in shock. 'Shit!' her mind yelled, scrambling to come up with a lie.

"Uh...I..." her mind whirled in pride as her mouth gushed out a reasonable excuse. "When I noticed it was you, and not Inuyasha, I thought I would be considerate to hide my nasty human smell from you..." She smiled lightly, hoping he would buy it.

"Hn. Lying will not state my curiosity. I will find your secret whether you tell me or not." Kagome's mouth gaped as he turned heel and left the clearing. Her mind buzzed lightly as the rain started to pour.

With a sigh, she put on the sweater over her wet skin and brought the umbrella up to hide under it from the pouring rain.