"Lord Sesshoumaru! There's a messenger for you from the southern lands." Jaken ran towards his lord, holding aloft an envelope. The paper was intercepted by a slightly taller Rin who snatched it out of his hands and presented it to the impassive demon lord. Delicately breaking the seal with a claw, his eyes scanned the contents briefly and told the nearest servant to prepare him and Rin for a visit to the southern castle.
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The minute they neared the southern border, Sesshoumaru tensed up ever so slightly but the subtle movement was caught by young Rin's sharp eyes and she began to worry a little.
Across the border, a band of demons made their way towards the small company that consisted of the demon lord, Rin and Jaken. Donned in the colors of the southern ruling family, the demons were obviously dispatched by the lord to escort them. They were lead by a young dragon demon and a cloaked girl.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, I am Kazuya, son of Lord Kouhei of the southern lands." The dragon demon bowed to the higher ranking lord and smiled at Rin. The little girl warmed up to the demon and gave one of her endearing smile. Sesshoumaru nodded stiffly, acknowledging the younger demon and the demon continued, "My sire sent me and a patrol of his elites to escort my lord and your ward to the castle and lodgings." Sesshoumaru nodded again and told Rin, "Follow closely Rin."
"Hai, Sesshoumaru sama."
The soldiers formed two rows on each side of the lord and Kazuya lead the party. The cloaked girl followed silently behind the party, earning Sesshoumaru's suspicion but he decided to let the matter rest for the time being.
The group continued in silence. The quietness hung in the air like a heavy fog and Sesshoumaru started having uneasy feelings about the creepy aura the very place exuded. A rustle in a nearby tree put them on alert and Sesshoumaru sniffed tentatively.
Nothing.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the cloaked girl leap in to the tree and emerge, holding a boar demon by the scruff, before landing on one knee before Kazuya.
"Question him, Yukiko." Kazuya nodded at the girl. The girl inclined her head, acknowledging the command and lifted her hood. Long ebony black hair cascaded from the hood and framed a pale face with high cheekbones. She had long sooty lashes and pupils of deepest black. Holding the struggling demon down by the shoulders, she stared into his eyes. The demon went into a trance and repeated all the information Kazuya wanted to know and dropped dead. Yukiko then stood up and waved a white hand over the corpse and the body crumbled into dust and was blown away. Rin watched the gross scene with horror struck eyes and Yukiko noticed it. Her set, emotionless face softened a little and she knelt before the child, on eye level with her.
"It's alright Lady Rin. That demon was evil and wanted to harm you." Her low melodious voice calmed the girl and Rin smiled. Yukiko smiled wanly as well and straightened before resuming her place at the back of the group. Sesshoumaru approached Kazuya, "Who is that girl?"
Kazuya bowed respectfully before answering, "My lord, Lady Yukiko is my first cousin and niece of my sire, Lord Kouhei. She is a hybrid, demon blood mixed with vampire blood runs in her veins." Sesshoumaru nodded tersely, dismissing the younger demon and spent the rest of the journey in thought.
Hours later, they arrived at the southern castle where Lord Kouhei was waiting for them. The Taiyoukai of the south smiled when he saw them but his lips tightened when his eyes passed Rin. The disdain in his face vanished as soon as it appeared and he sent servants to escort the guests to their rooms before welcoming the other guests.
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"Why is that ningen brat here?"
"I understand she is Lord Sesshoumaru's ward, milord."
"Even so, he has disgraced me by bringing a ningen across my threshold."
"Milord."
"I am determined to remove this blemish at the cost of civil war. You are to kill her this very night."
"Milord!"
"I command you to!"
"...Yes milord."
She left the room with her head bowed, cape covering all her face. Her head was filled with conflict. Never had she defied her uncle's orders before but the child was so sweet and innocent, how could she have let the child get past her barrier? As an assassin, she had committed the gravest error. She had let herself be affected by someone whom she had to kill. But no matter what, her duty lay with her uncle and she had to obey him. She sighed and made her way down the corridor. She may as well finish the job as soon as possible.
The sliding door opened noiselessly and she slipped into the room where Rin was sleeping. She stared at the sleeping figure and drew her dagger, poised to strike. But she put the weapon back into the sheath. Yukiko then shook the sleeping child awake.
"Hmm?" Rin rubbed her eyes.
Yukiko put a finger to her lips, "Hush, Lady Rin. Your life is in grave danger. We must escape from here."
Rin nodded, a little frightened but she trusted Yukiko. The sliding door crashed open and dark silhouettes flickered into the room from the light outside.
"I was right. You would rather betray your benefactor than carry out your duty to kill the brat." Lord Kouhei stood outside the door with a menacing look on his face and several men at arms. Yukiko wrapped her arms around Rin and faced the man defiantly, "I will not kill her."
The man's face twisted into a horrible snarl and gritted out a command, "Kill them!"
Yukiko used her body to shield the child and pushed her way out of the room. She kicked out with a foot at the nearest man and down he fell, pushing the others behind him as well like dominoes. She then ran down the corridor to the nearest exit. Behind her, Lord Kouhei was yelling, "Its no use looking for her guardian!" She shot back, "I don't intend to!"
She found the door and burst through it, not stopping until they were a safe distance away from the palace. Yukiko put Rin on the ground and asked her anxiously, "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?" She was taken aback by a huge smile, "Arigato nee-san, Rin is alright."
Yukiko tried to smile back and her lips trembled. She was so scared and so tired. Rin asked worriedly, "Are you alright, nee-san? Let's go find Sesshoumaru sama." Yukiko sat up with a bolt before slumping down again. Lord Kouhei had probably detained the Western lord by some means or another. She thought grimly to herself, 'I'll just have to try to use telepathy. Hopefully he can sense it.' Yukiko placed a hand on Rin's forehead and searched with her mind. She could hear the child's thoughts. Despite claiming to be fine, Rin was thinking of Sesshoumaru, 'Sesshoumaru sama, help us.' Yukiko nodded. This thought should be sufficient. She amplified the thought and casted it towards the castle.
'Oh gods, please let him hear it.'
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Back in a gaudily decorated room in the southern castle, Sesshoumaru's ears perked up.
Tasukete Sesshoumaru sama
His eyes narrowed threateningly and he said in a low voice, "Where is my ward?"
Kazuya smiled good-naturedly and replied, "Lady Rin should be in her room, sleeping right now."
Sesshoumaru couldn't shake off the bad feeling he had, "Then bring me to her. I wish to check on her."
"As you wish, my lord," Kazuya bowed and led the passive demon lord to the guest rooms.
As they neared the corridor, Sesshoumaru smelled Rin's fear lingering in the corridor. He frowned and bolted off in the direction it led to, leaving the puzzled and confused dragon prince behind.
As time passed, Rin became even more terrified and clung to the demoness. Yukiko stroked her hair and tried her best to comfort the trembling child. When she noticed a presence moving towards them at top speed, she suspected her uncle to be the one giving chase and used her body to shield the human child. A white blur sped into view and Sesshoumaru held Yukiko above the ground by the throat.
"Where is Rin?" He snarled out.
Yukiko pointed behind her where Rin was crying, worried about her new friend, "L-lady R-rin, L-Lord Sess-hou-maru." She managed to choke out these words and caught Rin's attention.
"Nee- san! Sesshoumaru sama! Nee san saved Rin from the evil people!" Rin tugged at his pant leg.
Sesshoumaru released his grip and Yukiko fell onto the ground. Rin rushed to her side, "Are you alright, Nee-san?" Yukiko's pale face seemed even paler but she managed to smile reassuringly at the child and rasped out, "I'm alright. Now go. It's not safe."
"Who is it that wishes to harm my ward?" Sesshoumaru asked in a cold voice.
Yukiko bit her lip; even if what her uncle did was wrong, she still owed him something. Rin said in her usual innocent way, "The demon who greeted us when we arrived."
"Lord Kouhei?" Sesshoumaru growled and red began to bleed into his eyes.
Yukiko burst out, "Please do not blame my uncle. He did not know what he was doing. If you wish to blame someone, blame me. I was supposed to kill Lady Rin."
Sesshoumaru put a hand over her mouth in sudden urgency. "We've got company," He bit out in a cold, mocking tone.
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Don't like, don't read. Please don't give me 'constructive criticism'. If you wish, new ideas will suffice.