The Fox and The Hound (Completed)

Chapter 18: Corrosive Poison

Asami P.O.V

It was like I was watching from within a mirror. Sesshomaru was pacing around the room, reading through several scrolls and books while another stack of them were placed on his desk. His brows were furrowed deeply and there were dark circles surrounding his eyes. He looked awful and just...tired. "There has to be something..." he muttered to himself over and over again. He finally stopped pacing but the look of desperation in his eyes never went away. "Sesshomaru?" I said but he couldn't hear me. I reached out to touch him but my hand was stopped by what seemed like a barrier. I was beginning to worry. What was going on?

Then, something moved amongst the darkness behind me. There was definitely something strange going on. A tiny ball of blue fire was floating aimlessly amongst the void. It looked familiar. "Asami..." a voice suddenly whispered then right before my eyes, the ball of fire morphed into a fox spirit. It looked alot like me. "Who are you?" I asked the creature. "I am you...I am the spirit of your fox fire. I am a part of you" it answered. 

"Then, what is going on? Why is Sesshomaru like that? Why couldn't he see or hear me? Why couldn't I reach out to him?" I asked, there was definitely something going on and I didn't like it. "Right now, your body is very weak and unconcious in a room somewhere. I am using a tiny speck of foxfire to monitor him and I am showing you what it sees but he is unable to see or hear you because you are not there. As for why he is like that, he is looking for a cure..." 

"Cure for what?" I asked. "Asami...you are dying..." it said to me. It's flaming tails iluminating the darkness with a blue glow. My heart skipped a beat and my blood felt cold. My eyes widened in fear and my lips parted in shock. "W-what?" was all I was able to say before my voice froze over. It was news that I never expected.

"There is a poison inside of you. A poison that I have been trying to suppress for a very long time but unfortunately, I can no longer suppress it. I had contained it within this orb but its ferocity caused the orb to crack and the poison to slowly leak out. It is a very strong corrosive poison and it is killing you from the inside. If it is not destroyed then you will die in five days time" it warned, showing me a green glowing orb that was cracking. "W-what should I do?" I asked, I definitely didn't want to die.

"Do not fret...there is a way to destroy it. Remember when you were a child and you got bitten by a snake demon?" it asked and I nodded my head. I was about six years old and was playing in the fields when a snake demon suddenly jumped out and bit my leg. After that, Lady Kaede decided to teach me how to fight and purify demons so I wouldn't be vulnerable. "Do you remember what she used to cure you?" it asked and I nodded again. "I think it was a plant that had a similar name to Lady Kikyo. Lady Kaede said that it grew around her grave as well. I remember her picking some and grinding them into a powder before adding them into cow's milk to make it easier to consume"

"Yes...it is powerful enough to destroy this poison but you have to hurry. Five days is not a long time and the only place it grows is on Lady Kikyo's grave which is back at the village" 

"I have to tell Sesshomaru"

Sesshomaru P.O.V

None of the books I had read contained a remedy for my poison claws. The scrolls did not help either. I tried asking my mother but she told me that there was never a need for a remedy so they never made one. I was beginning to get frustrated but I was not ready to give up yet. This was the only thing I could do for Asami. The only thing I could think of to try and atone for what I did.

I heard a knocking at my door. "I told you that I am not to be disturbed!" I growled back. Two days had already passed. I had only three days left to find a remedy for Asami and my entire body was tense. Time was of the essence and I had waisted two whole days without discovering anything even remotely useful. I had nothing. My mind was in turmoil. My mood was terrible and I had reverted to my old self, if Asami ever saw me now, she would be very disappointed in me. "Sesshomaru..." I heard her voice then the door opened to reveal her struggling form. She was finally awake. 

I was quickly on my feet and by her side to support her. She looked like she was still a bit weak. "Asami...you shouldn't be standing with your condition..." I said, supporting her body against mine while my hand was wrapped around her waist. "Where am I?" she asked, holding onto my kimono while I helped her to sit down. "You are in my castle. I brought you here after you...fainted. Asami, I have something that I have to tell you..." I began but when I saw her face, her golden eyes had a knowing look on them, her lips were arched into a sad smile while she cupped my cheek with her frail hand. "I know...I know about the poison and about how I only have five days left to live. I guess...now three. I know about everything" she whispered to me and I flinched and looked away from her.

"Asami...I-I'm...I-" I couldn't find the right words to say. I didn't know how she found out or if she knew from the very beginning but I didn't have the nerve to ask. I was too afraid to find out the answer. All I could think about was that she now doubtlessly despised me. "Hey..." she said, making me look at her. "You can't blame yourself for this...you can't blame yourself for whatever is happening to me. Strangely enough...I don't hate you. When I saw how much effort you were putting into finding a cure...my heart began to swell and my whole body felt warm. I don't know what this means but...I don't hate you..." she admitted and at that moment, I felt my heart race. I wanted to capture her lips with mine but it didn't feel like the right time. There was still the matter at hand to worry about.

"I'm sorry, Asami...but I...failed. I couldn't fine a remedy..." I said, my body slumping and my head falling against her chest. Please...don't push me away. Don't fear me.

To my surprise, her heart was beating just as fast as mine. She may not know what she is feeling but I do. She wrapped her arms around my head and whispered something in my ear that lifted the heavy weight off of my shoulders. 

"You can rest now. I know of a way to destroy the poison inside me..."