If It Ain’t Love by Sereia

If It Ain't Love

Hanakotoba Matsuri Week 01: Courage & Strength

Prompt: Gladiolus (conviction), Sick/Injured

Level: Bloom

Inspiration: "If It Ain't Love" by Jason Derulo

..::**::..

If It Ain't Love

It started out small.

He'd requested a specific kind of tea, leaning more towards lemongrass than his usual floral blends, and Kagome was worried Sesshoumaru had a bacterial infection.

"Keh, if that's the case, let him suffer," Inuyasha said, not bothering to pause in his sharpening of Tessaiga.

"But it could be serious! There aren't any tests I can use to figure out what's wrong with him," Kagome argued. The first microscope wouldn't be invented for over 100 years, not that she'd even know what she was looking at if she had one now.

"Oh, it's definitely serious," her friend smirked. "That's why it's so funny."

"People being sick is not funny, Inuyasha!"

He flashed a fang at her. "It is when it's him."

..::**::..

Kagome questioned Sesshoumaru, asking if he'd remove his robes so she could check for any swollen glands. His face had turned the same shade as his stripes before he'd muttered his refusal.

Now she was worried he had a fever as well.

"You should spend more time with him, Kagome-sama," Rin said as they collected herbs together.

"I've tried that, but every time I even get close to him, he makes an excuse to leave."

If he said anything at all.

Kagome sighed, pulling a fistful of weeds out of the soil. "I just want to help him."

"Which you're doing a marvellous job at!" Rin insisted. "Sesshoumaru-sama's health improves every time you're around him."

Shaking her head, Kagome pulled at the weeds in frustration. "Which is barely any time at all! Before, he'd at least have tea with me. Now, I'm lucky if he even says hello."

Rin giggled again. "Maybe you need a more hands-on approach, Kagome-sama. Sesshoumaru-sama has never been one for words, anyway."

..::**::..

Kagome offered him cold compresses, attempting to feel his forehead the next time she saw him, and Sesshoumaru jerked away from her touch, citing that he only required some honey.

Did he have a sore throat and muscle spasms now?

"What do I do, Miroku-sama? How do I convince him to let me heal him?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama is a proud daiyoukai, Kagome-sama. He likely believes that he can cure his ailment himself," the monk replied, waving at the twins as they played in a nearby stream.

"But he's clearly getting worse!" Kagome waled. "When have you known Sesshoumaru to trip over anything? Let alone his own feet? He could have vertigo!"

"Regardless of what he has, what he needs is your dedication to his care and rehabilitation."

She could've sworn Miroku smirked as he got to his feet.

"Tie him to the bed, if you must, but be firm. He will not get well again without your interference."

..::**::..

Kagome grabbed Sesshoumaru by the wrist the next time he entered the village, dragging him into her hut before motioning to her futon. She'd tried to make it look as comfortable as possible, even going as far as borrowing extra pillows and blankets from the villagers. But when she told him to lay down and rest until she could figure out what was wrong with him, he'd paled and fled.

Was his fever so forgone that he had chills now?

She went to ask Sango for advice and ran into the slayer's brother instead.

"Kohaku-kun, you've come across many youkai in your travels, right?"

The teen nodded, slowing his pace as they walked towards Sango's hut together.

"Have you known any of them to get sick?"

"It doesn't happen as often as humans, but yes, they still get sick,' he replied.

"Are there special remedies for youkai illnesses?" she asked, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.

"It depends on the symptoms, Kagome-san." Kohaku shifted the blade on his back. "Is it similar to a cold?"

"I don't know," Kagome replied, biting her lip. "But he's steadily been getting worse over the last few weeks. I thought it was just a fever brought on by an infection, but I haven't seen any wounds."

"That's unlikely, considering how quickly they heal. Even Inuyasha-san never had to worry about that."

"Well—" She hesitated, not sure how much she should reveal about Sesshoumaru's illness.

"A youkai's metabolism works a lot faster than ours as well. Though I know there are certain poisons that would slow that down long enough for one of your herbal remedies to work."

Kagome shook her head. "Poison won't work on Sesshoumaru. He's immune to—"

Kohaku blanched, staring at her with wide eyes. "You're trying to heal Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Well, yes! I've never seen him this bad before, and he keeps getting worse no matter what I do—"

Kohaku ran a hand over his face, turning away from her to hide his blush. "I don't think I'm going to be of any help."

"Why not?"

"Because it's an affliction of the heart."

..::**::..

An affliction of the heart? Like a murmur? Or an arrhythmia? Terror gripped Kagome's chest; she couldn't help with something like that. She'd studied as much medicine as she could've before returning through the well, but short of being a surgeon, there was nothing she could do.

"I don't have a microscope or even a scalpel. Though his claws would probably be sharper, anyway," she muttered, pacing back and forth in the clearing.

"Whose claws are sharper?"

Kagome jumped, having not even realized that Shippou was nearby, then chastised herself for not paying closer attention.

"Sesshoumaru. He's sick."

Shippou gave her an incredulous look, emerald eyes bulging out of his face. "I didn't think daiyoukai could get sick."

"Neither did I." Kagome told the kit about Sesshoumaru's symptoms and all the people she'd talked to. By the time she'd gotten to Kohaku's diagnosis, Shippou was rolling around on the ground, holding his sides as tears streamed down his face.

"Shippou-kun! This is serious!"

Shippou gasped for air, wiping his eyes. "Oh, it's very serious. A dire situation, indeed. I'm surprised he's survived this long."

"You know what he has?"

"Oh yeah. And I have the perfect cure for it too." He grinned and pulled Kagome down, whispering in her ear. Her eyes widened, heat staining her cheeks.

"But—" She bit her lip, playing with the ends of her sleeves. "How will that cure him?"

"Trust me, Kagome. Do that,and it'll cure everything."

..::**::..

The next time Sesshoumaru entered the village, Kagome grabbed his collar, pulling him down long enough to brush her lips across the stripes on his cheek.

Sesshoumaru froze.

There was no fever, no chills. He wasn't falling over, and nothing was swollen.

Kagome looked him over before meeting his stunned gaze. "Did it work?"

He managed to raise an eyebrow.

"You've been so sick. And nothing I've done has helped, so I thought…" She felt her own face grow warm. "I just want to help you feel better."

A myriad of emotions crossed over the daiyoukai's face, features pinching, and Kagome's shoulders slumped. Shippou had been so sure—

"It is not enough," Sesshoumaru blurted.

"Huh?"

"Your treatment. It is not enough. I will require more."

Blue eyes widened. "Did it help?" Kagome asked hopefully.

"Indeed." Sesshoumaru rested his forehead against hers.

Kagome sighed in relief, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank goodness."

..::**::..

"Took them long enough."

"It would've happened sooner if you hadn't been so cryptic about it and just told her the truth in the beginning."

"Where would the fun be in that?" Inuyasha grinned. "He deserved to be tortured for a little while."

Shippou rolled his eyes, muttering about how some people needed to grow up, then turned back to the couple. His suggestion had worked; Sesshoumaru was already feeling better, but now Kagome had caught it, face flushed as she stuttered out her response. A smirk tugged at the kitsune's lips.

Looks like love to me.