Rins little feet were running just as fast as they could as she darted through the dense forest, tears were washing away the dust that was gathered on her innocent cheeks. Branches stung her face and arms, and her feet, which were bare because her shoes had fallen off some time ago, were extremely sore because of the rough terrain which she was crossing.
She ducked under a low branch, and as she stood up on the other side, she chanced a look back, still running.
There was no one behind her, and as she listened, she could only hear her own deep breathing in the forest around her. Certainly if Jaken was following...she let out a cry of shock when the earth disappeared from under her feet and she went tumbling head over heels. Her breath caught, and she clenched her eyes shut, waiting to hit ground.
When the ground did come, she was lucky to fall in a deep pile of autumn leaves, so she felt no pain. She sat up and brushed the brown leaves from her hair and sleeves before looking up with a sniffle. She'd fallen at least ten feet into what appeared to be a dry river-bed. She listened silently for any sound around her. There was none. She stood up slowly, her young and small body buried waist deep in the discarded leaves of the forest.
"That's a long fall for a little one to take." She jumped, squeaking in fear before throwing her back against the dirt wall of the riverbank. She looked to the sound of the voice, and gasped. Eyes as white as snow were gazing back at her from under pale white eyelashes. The woman was beautiful, to be sure, even crouched low as she was. Her hair was as white as her eyes and hung free, trailing across the leaves and rocks littering the river bed like tender rivulets of foaming water. It must be as long as she is tall...Rin thought, gulping. The womans intelligent and unusual eyes blinked slowly before she spoke again. "Are you wounded, little cub?" she leaned her chin out, and Rin could tell she was sniffing the air. "I smell no blood, but have you broken something?" the eyes examined the height of the river bank for a moment before coming back to rest on the trembling child.
"I do not think so." Rin murmured quietly. If the woman had not been demon, she wouldn't have even heard it.
"That is well." The eyes blinked slowly again before the woman stood up. Rin discovered she was correct, her hair was just as long as she was tall, and even laid a few inches of its silky length on the ground when she was drawn up straight as she was. She assessed that she was a few inches shorter than Sesshomaru-sama...oh, Sesshomaru-sama!
Her eyes welled with tears uninvited, and without warning she began to cry all over again.
The woman blinked and raised her eyebrows in shock before taking a cautious step forward, glancing around to make sure no one else was nearby, waiting to attack while she was pre-disposed. "Child?" Rin sniffled and looked up at the woman through tear-filled eyes. "Are you..." she sniffed the air again, "...you are not physically wounded...why do you cry?"
Rin gulped air into her lungs, trying to repress sobbing once more. "J-Jaken-sama said that...that..." she wiped tears away from her cheeks hastily, "...he said that Sesshomaru-sama wo-wouldn't...come...back...for me." Her lower lip trembled. "I didn't want to believe him, but Lord Sesshomaru hasn't been back for a few weeks now. He...he...I think he doesn't like me anymore!" with that, she was reduced to a fresh round of tears.
The woman knelt down and crawled slowly closer to the child, scenting the air. Lord Sesshomaru? This child was a property of his? The woman knew she was treading on thin ice if the great Inu-demon of the western lands was involved. Desperately wanting to soothe the child, but also desperately not wanting to lose her head, she could neither walk away nor move closer. "Ssh, ssh now little one. Do not weep." She tried her best to sound soothing.
Rin sniffled and dried her eyes. Her lip still trembled, but she put on a good effort to halt her tears. The woman smiled kindly on her as little Rin spoke, "You are right. Sesshomaru-sama would not want me to cry. Crying is for weak people. Crying would not make Sesshomaru-sama happy."
"That's the spirit. You must be strong, must you not?" Rin nodded at her, then her young brows came together in thought.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Fuyuko. And yours, little one?"
"Rin. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Fuyuko." Rin made a show of standing up and bowing from her waist.
Fuyuko smiled softly and bowed in return, "It is indeed a pleasure, young Rin. But please, I am no Lady. You may address me as Fuyuko-san."
Rin beamed, "Yes Fuyuko-san."
Fuyuko tilted her head back and sniffed the wind once more. There was no sign of any high level demon in the area. Would it be safe to take the child under her wing, so to speak? She glanced down to find expectant brown eyes staring up at her. "You said that a...Jaken-sama was your caretaker?"
"Hei, Fuyuko-san. Jaken-sama and Ah-Un watch over me while Sesshomaru-sama is away."
"Then I feel it is my duty to return you to your proper caretakers. No doubt they are worried for you." Fuyuko shook some freshly fallen leaves from her back before standing up once more.
Rins smile fell, "But...but Jaken-sama said such mean things. And he did not follow me when I ran..." she bowed her head.
"Do you truly believe that Jaken-sama meant what he said?" she folded her arms into her Kimono's sleeves and looked down on the young human patiently.
Rin thought on it a moment. "No...I think Jaken-sama misses Sesshomaru-sama just as much as I do, and that he is just saying these things because he wants me to tell him that Sesshomaru-sama will return." Rin looked up from the ground and met the demon females eyes. "I always keep Jaken-sama happy when Sesshomaru-sama is gone. Jaken-sama thinks very much of Sesshomaru-sama."
Fuyuko nodded. "Then we will go." She held a hand out, which Rin eagerly took. Careful of the way she handled the delicate child, Fuyuko hoisted her onto her back and had her wrap her arms around her neck. With one leap, they were safely out of the river bed, and the demon sniffed the air to find the scent trail the young human had left.
As she began to make her way through the forest, she felt a throb of demon energy ripple through the forest. She flinched delicately, careful not to show any worry to the child she carried. Someone was angry, and she had a sneaking and worrying suspicion that someone was Lord Sesshomaru, and she was going to get a good beating from him, despite her good intentions.
Hopefully the Kami's were smiling on her enough to let him spare her life...
///
Sesshomaru had been following a lead on Naraku's where-abouts. A lead which took him far south, and in the end proved to be fruitless. The Naraku he'd been sent on a wild hunt for was a mere puppet which took Sesshomaru all of fifteen seconds to destroy.
Now that he was back in InuYasha's forest, where he'd left Rin, something felt wrong. Long before he entered the clearing, her heard Jaken squabbling incoherently, as he was wont to do in any situation. Jaken didn't notice his lords presence, however, until his shadow was over him.
"ACK! Milord, oh please forgive me, I am but a humble servant, and compared to you I am so lowly and do not even deserve to be brought death at your hand!" he bowed repeatedly at Sesshomaru's feet, his eyes shut tightly for fear of what look he'd see on his lords face if he should look up.
Sesshomaru only blinked at the creature groveling in front of him before examining the clearing. "Where are Rin and Ah-Un." Even a question sounded like a command when he spoke.
Jaken gulped and froze in motion entirely. "Milord...Ah-Un is...well um...he's flying. And Rin, Milord...well she ran off...and that is why Ah-Un is flying, he is searching for her from the sky...and I'm sure she's fine...just..." he gulped again, feeling Sesshomaru's energy flare with anger.
"What did you say?"
"Rin...ran off?" Jaken squawked when Sesshomaru's boot met with his gut and sent him flying over the tree-tops. Even as he sailed through the air, he managed to shout extreme apologies and eccentric flatteries about his Lords good aim and strength.
Sesshomaru felt the great urge to roll his eyes, but suppressed it, instead focusing on Rins scent. He followed it into the forest, taking note the scent of tears that coated her usually joyful essence. He made a note to punish Jaken more severely when the little imp made his way back.
He halted when he noticed that a new scent had joined Rins. He walked back and forth, assessing the situation with his keen nose. Rin was unhurt, and it would seem that whatever demon was with her had been retracing the girls steps, obviously intending to take her back where she'd come from. But something had made the demon change course...
Sesshomaru followed the new trail, moving quickly. He wasn't keen on trusting a strange demon with his ward. He paused shortly when a third and fourth scent conjoined on the trail. Lesser demons. He touched a slick of slime coating a nearby tree trunk. His eyes narrowed. Scorpion demons.
He ran faster, intent solely on protecting the one creature left who gave him the closest thing to what he could call joy. When he broke into a clearing, there was already a fight under-way. Three scorpion demons were bearing down on a white haired demoness who was having a hard time dodging their multiple attacks. His eyes caught sight of a motion by a collection of rocks on the far edge of the clearing.
Rin.
The child was breaking away from the protection of the rocks and running for him. "Sesshomaru-sama!"
He made to run towards her, but was not fast enough. A scorpion demon was right behind her, its stinger poised to strike. He blinked, and a blur of white was covering the humans body. Rins cry of shock hurt his ears when the stinger landed, piercing through the body of the white haired demoness. He was still moving forward, watching as the woman pushed the child from under her, urging her to run even as blood leaked from the corners of her mouth.
Rin was next to him in a moment, and without hesitating he disintegrated one after another of the scorpion demons with his poison whip. Five in total, he noted. They were getting desperate if they were ambushing, since scorpion demons are not well known for being sociable.
When all danger was gone, Rin darted out from behind his legs, running and falling to her knees next to the demoness' body. "Fuyuko-san!!! Get up! Please be all right!"
She shook the females limp body, fresh tears welling in her eyes. As Sesshomaru walked towards them, Ah-Un landed in the clearing, voicing his concern for the weeping Rin before nuzzling her gently. Rin hugged both of the dragons muzzles before turning soft eyes on Sesshomaru.
"Oh, please help her Sesshomaru-sama. She was taking Rin back to Jaken-sama, and she protected Rin. Don't let her die!"
Sesshomaru blinked at his young ward, then turned his cold amber gaze to the limp demoness next to her. She was not dead, nor was she dying, but if she was left alone, unconscious, there were scavenging demons who would change that fact very quickly. The female had protected his ward, so his honor demanded that he repay her. The dog demon gracefully sat down cross-legged and nodded to Rin. "We will watch over her."
Rin beamed at him, running forward to wrap her arms around his waist gratefully. "Oh thank you Lord Sesshomaru. Thank you very much!"
Ah-Un had already instinctively wrapped himself in a half circle around the demoness' body, forming a barrier around her. Sesshomaru examined the clearing and scowled. He didn't like where they were. It was too close to that human village that his moron half-brother frequented. He would no doubt have to face the intolerable bastard before too long, a fact he didn't like. He could smell the taint of his half-brothers scent all over the place already, and that was bad enough.
He glanced back at the unconscious demoness in front of him. He hoped that the female was worth it.
///
Fuyuko was listening to the child on her back ramble about everything that crossed her mind. Somehow, it was soothing to her. She smiled softly. It had been a long while since she had met a child, and such a lively one at that. Mid-stride, however, she halted and held a hand up to silence the young one. Rin, thankfully, obeyed and fell silent immediately.
The demoness' eyes searched the shadows between the trees. Something wasn't right.
The rustle of leaves over-head gave her enough of a warning to leap backwards as a very large scorpion stinger came crashing down to stab the ground where she stood. Rin screamed in fright, and Fuyuko instinctively brought the child from her back and into her arms before tearing away from the lesser demon. As she ran, her ears told her that there were several of them, and they were all staying in the tops of the trees as they gave chase. She glanced down worriedly at the human child in her arms. She didn't want the little one to be hurt.
Breaking out of the forest and into a clearing, she saw the only hope there was for the childs safety. She made quickly for a grouping of rocks, and sat Rin down in a crevice that was only large enough for the little girl to fit in sideways, and it went deep enough that she would be out of reach of the scorpions arms and stingers should Fuyuko fail in killing them.
"Stay here until your Lord Sesshomaru or Jaken-sama come for you. Understood?"
"Y-yes Fuyuko-san." Rin trembled, pressing herself deeper into the crevice.
Satisfied that the child would stay put, and stay safe, Fuyuko leapt away from the rocks. As soon as she landed, the demons were on her. Three of them struck at her with make-shift spears and their stingers, while another two skirted the clearing, obviously searching for the child that they knew she had with her.
As she spun out of the way of the largest scorpions stinger, she heard the child calling out. "Sesshomaru-sama!"
She turned wide eyes to see the child running across the open ground of the clearing, a scorpion demon only feet behind her. Fuyuko felt the slight sting of a spear cutting open her side before she ran towards the child. Faster than she thought she could move, she was over the little human, doing the only thing she could think to do: Shielding Rin with her own body.
As the scorpions stinger plunged through her stomach, she saw the silver haired man moving towards them. The marks on his face and the hard look in his amber eyes told her that this was Sesshomaru. She wanted to cover her sensitive ears when little Rin screamed, but instead used her hands to push the child to her feet. "Go, Rin, go. Go to Sesshomaru-sama." She felt the stinger being withdrawn, heard the palpable sucking noise as it left a crater through her abdomen.
The last thing she saw before the world spun and went to blackness was Rin ducking behind the demon lords legs.
She's safe.
///
InuYasha was crouching in the doorway of Kaede's hut, his silver ears flattened against his head. "Kagome!"
The miko that was inside the hut, leaning over a pot of Ramen that she was preparing for everyones dinner, scowled. "Don't shout, Yasha! I'm right here, for crying out loud. What do you want?!"
The hanyou turned a glowering eye in her direction before returning his gaze fully in the direction of the forest that bore his name. "I smell my ass of a half-brother out there. He's a little too close for my comfort." Kagome stood up straight and came to stand behind her hanyou friend. She could indeed feel Sesshomaru's reiki nearby, not far from the bone-eaters well.
She frowned, "But it's been so long since he's...what on earth could he want?"
InuYasha scoffed, "Knowing him, he just wants to piss me off." He extended his claws in agitation.
Kagome smiled softly and took one of his ears between her fingers, tweaking it gently. "He's not coming any closer, obviously. He may just be passing by. Let's let it rest for tonight, eh?" InuYasha muttered an incoherent response, his eyes closed and one foot tapping against the floor of the hut. Kagome smirked, proud that she had learned just how to make the Inu turn to mush at her hands.
As soon as she let go of his ear, he whined, "Heeeey, 'Gome..."
She rolled her eyes, "If you intend to eat tonight, you'll let me finish cooking this Ramen before I return to scratching your ears, Yasha." The hanyou let his ears droop, whimpering slightly. Sometimes the world was so unfair in the choices he had to make. Before he went inside, he twitched one ear in the direction of the forest. What're you up to, Sesshomaru?
///
Sesshomaru watched as the sun peaked slowly over the tree tops. A new morning.
He glanced behind him at the demoness who was still lying unconscious. Her wounds had healed surprisingly well, and since Jakens return in the middle of the night he had made Ah-Un form a barrier between the demon female and his human ward. He himself knew how dangerous a demons beast could become when a demon was wounded like this. Who knew when it would awake and try to attack the nearest thing to her.
He blinked and sniffed the air. Hn, his half-brother was on the move this way with his little pack.
Sitting down once more with his back in his brothers direction, he waited. At the very least the hanyou may be able to amuse him for a short while.
///
InuYasha glared silently at the back of Kagome's head. "...'Gome." she ignored him. "Kagome." She continued ignoring him. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were all eating the breakfast that Kaede had cooked them, eating in silence and avoiding eye contact with either the hanyou or the miko.
"Ka-go-me." When she still didn't respond, he flattened his ears to his head. "Hey woman!" Kagome twitched in agitation, but still did not respond. "Look, I get that you've got your 'female problems' to worry about, but do you hafta make me suffer because of it?" The miko twitched again. "...'female problems', InuYasha?" The Inu shrunk back when he heard the dark tone of her voice. "Look, I just assumed, I mean you were bein' all..." "Yasha?"
"Yeah?"
The miko turned to face him. "Sit boy."
The WHUMP! that broke the hanyou through the floor didn't make anyone in the hut flinch, it was such a common occurance, but when the Inu crawled back out of the hole, Kagome spoke her mind on the matter at hand.
"I think you're being stupid, Yasha. Sesshomaru isn't doing anything to us or anyone else. He's just there. By going out there you're asking for a confrontation, which would result in some huge fight that could hurt the people around here more than anyone else involved. I'm not going to risk the village being ripped apart because of you and your brothers stupidity."
"Half-brother!"
Everyone rolled their eyes. "Half-brother. Whatever. Point is, I'm not letting you go. I'll 'S' word you through every layer of earth and out the other side so fast you won't know what hit you. Understood?" she glared at him darkly.
"No! He's plotting something! That stuck up 'I'm-so-cool-I-talk-in-third-person' prick is up to something, and if we don't go out there and chase him out of the area soon, he'll be down in the village drooling on everyone until everyone here is a pile of that sticky stuff you brought from the future that one time...Jembo? Jellin? Je-somethin'?"
Kagome raised an eyebrow, "Jell-O."
"Yeah! Jell-O! You don't wanna see the village reduced to Jell-O, do ya?!" InuYasha leaned forward, pressing his point.
Miroku took his chance to speak up. "Miss Kagome, though I do hate to take sides, InuYasha may be correct. Sesshomaru is not well known for sitting still for long. Something is awry."
Shippo took a loud slurp from his soup bowl before putting in his own advice. "Yeah 'Gome, you know how I never agree with dog brains. But he's got a point this time."
"Don't call me dog brains!" InuYasha thumped the little kitsune over the head.
"Yasha..." Kagome warned.
The hanyou sat back, drooping his ears in upset. The miko sighed and looked to Sango, who was stroking Kirara's back as if in thought. The whole group waited silently for the slayers opinion.
When Sango looked up and saw everyone looking at her expectantly, she jumped. "Oh...me? Well...um...Oddly enough, InuYasha has a point. A valid point. Though I'm not sure the Jell-O part will be true...I do think we should go and face Sesshomaru while he is still a fair distance from the village."
Kagome let her shoulders slump in defeat. "If you're all sure."
The group nodded, and Shippo stood up. He morphed himself into a mini Sesshomaru and imitated his voice almost perfectly, "This Sesshomaru thinks you are all fools no matter what you do. So haha."
Everyone laughed, and Kagome scooped the kitsune into her arms in an affectionate embrace. "Then we'll go. Everyone finished eating?"
"Yes, we are. Now let's go!" InuYasha stalked out of the door and waited impatiently for everyone else to join him.
Kagome scooped everything into her over-stuffed yellow bag, and was the last one to head for the door. Kaede stopped her, giving her a tight hug. "Be safe, Kagome. I do not think Sesshomaru means anyone harm, but I do urge you to remember the advice I gave you not long ago..."
Kagome nodded, returning the hug before walking out of the hut. Kirara had already transformed, and Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were mounted, ready to go. InuYasha was tapping his foot impatiently. "You're so slow Kagome!"
"Mr. Attentive, to the rescue." She grumbled while she climbed onto his back.
"What was that?!"
"Nothing Yasha." She tweaked his ears slightly.
"Feh, whatever."
And with that, they were off, bounding into the forest. Kagome held on tightly and thought about what Kaede had said. ...remember the advice I gave you...
And remember she did. She bit her lower lip nervously, worrying it with her teeth until it almot bled. Was now a good time to follow that advice?
///
-Three Days Earlier-
Kagome and Sango were enjoying a cup of tea in Kaede's hut while the boys sparred outside. The atmosphere was comfortable, peaceful, for which the whole group was thankful as they had just come back from fighting a rather large den of spider demons.
The peace was interrupted when Miroku was heard calling Sango's name pleadingly from outside. The two woman tilted their heads and listened. "Is he...saying something about his uncle?" Sango questioned.
Kagome giggled, feeling slightly guilty that she had taught InuYasha the term a few weeks prior. "You'd best go help him Sango. It means Yasha's got him in a tight spot."
Sango shook her head, but stood and walked outside. Kagome heard her shouting about behavior and appearances, and couldn't help but laugh. Kaede entered the room. "What is so funny?"
"Oh, the boys are sparring outside. I'm afraid they've caused a ruckus that brought Sango's attention..." they both chuckled when they heard the tell tale smack that could only come from Sango's hand connecting with a certain monks cheek.
"Kagome, there is something I wished to speak with you about when we were alone..." Kaede began nervously.
Kagome's eyes darted up to her as her heart thudded in her chest. Was something wrong? "What is it Kaede-sensei?"
The older woman lowered herself to sit next to the miko, and lowered her voice. "It is about your battles." She paused, glancing towards the doorway as if to make sure no one was going to interrupt. "I fear that with Naraku's increasing strength, and with there only being a few jewel shards left...your small group will not be able to win the final battle. You are strong, but not that strong. Not as of yet." she shifted her weight and faced the young miko more fully. "This is why I chose to speak to only you on this matter. You are the most reasonable, the most understanding and intuitive. You need to gain allies. More allies. I believe you know of whom I speak."
Kagome blanched slightly. "Koga?" the woman nodded. "And...Ki...Kikyo?" another nod. "I...well I suppose you are right. It makes sense. I will try my hardest to gain the allies we need to win." Kagome nodded, sure of Kaede's wisdom.
"That is good. You have forgotten one ally, though, child." Kaede stared at her expectantly.
Kagome blinked, sorting through her thoughts, trying to find who Kaede could be speaking of. "Um...who have I forgotten?"
"Sesshomaru, naturally."
Kagome blanched, "WHAT?!"
In a split second, InuYasha was in the hut, "What's wrong? Are you okay 'Gome?!"
Kagome blinked up at him, "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just...sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. You can go back outside now."
"No, I'm not leaving you. Not if your having one of your 'mood swings'." InuYasha plopped onto the floor.
Kagome flushed with anger, "What did you say?!"
Kaede shook her head, walking out of the room while the two bickered. Her point had been made. She was sure Kagome would not forget it, and that was all that she needed to know.
///
-Present-
InuYasha landed on top of a tree and glared over his shoulder at Kagome. "What do you have in that bag? A bunch of boulders?"
Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "No, it's all the RAMEN you demand to eat every day!"
"Can you two stop bickering already? If we take too long Sesshomaru will be on the defensive by the time we get there. We do want to catch him off gaurd, right?" Sango called back to them.
Begrudingly InuYasha resituated his grip on Kagome's legs before taking off again. Why was it that his stupid half-brother had to come ruin every peaceful moment they had to share? It seemed like the mere mention of Sesshomaru's name got him and Kagome bickering like alley-cats for days.
He scoffed to himself, he shouldn't even let Sesshomaru have such an effect on him...but he did.
With one last leap he landed in the clearing where Sesshomaru was sitting. Kirara landed next to him, and the group gracefully fanned out and prepared for battle. Of course, InuYasha was the first to open his big mouth. "Oi! Fluff-wad! Wanna explain what you're doing on my turf?!"
Kagome would have scolded him, except she noticed something. There was an apparantly female figure laying in the middle of the clearing, and the first thing that Kagome noted about her was that there was blood covering the ground around her. Was she dead?
"This Sesshomaru has nothing to explain to you, insolent pup."
InuYasha growled, perturbed by the fact that Sesshomaru was sitting with his back facing the group. As if they weren't any threat at all. "You have alot to explain! You shouldn't be anywhere near here. Go, fetch a stick or something!"
Kagome rolled her eyes at InuYasha's juvenile excuse for arguing. "Yasha, one would think you'd be grateful that he isn't attacking us all right now. Lay off it, would ya?"
InuYasha muttered something under his breath, but fell silent. Kagome took her chance to speak up. "Sesshomaru-sama, we don't want to be nosey or anything, but we would like to know why you are so near to our village."
"Hn." Was the only response she was offered.
But it surpassed her at that moment, because InuYasha was crawling towards the woman that was laying on the ground. "Is she dead?" she asked softly, genuinely concerned.
InuYasha turned one ear to face to miko, "No, she's alive. And healing. She'll be fine in a few hours, no doubt." He sniffed the air around her. "She's a dog demon. Not too strong though."
"This Sesshomaru would not lean over her like that if I were you, mutt."
InuYasha glared at his brothers back. "And why not?"
"You are aware that a demons beast comes out when a demon is weakened. Should her beast awake and find you, a strange hanyou, leaning over her threateningly...well, it would amuse this Sesshomaru greatly to see you beaten by a woman."
InuYasha growled, "I'm shocked you managed to speak more than a single sentence, oh great one. Please, enlighten us with more of your wisdom. Honestly, what's she gonna do in this state? Snore me to death?" Kagome gasped in shock, when InuYasha could not, as the demoness' clawed hand came up in a lightning quick movement to close around the hanyou's throat. Her eyes were open wide, and coated a deep red that Kagome had only seen when Sesshomaru lost control of his beast. A dangerous growl was emitting deep from the demoness' throat, and Kagome could swear she felt the vibrations of it in her chest.
Jaken, who had been silently watching, now erupted with laughter, "Haha! That will teach you, you dirty mongrel! Speaking up to the great Lord Sesshomaru! Humph!"
Shippo jumped on the toad and promptly began beating him up. Kagome gave him a silent mental cheer before focusing on what was happening in front of her eyes. At this point, the demoness was standing up, holding InuYasha off the ground with only one arm, and InuYasha was clawing at her wrist with all the strength he could muster, gasping for breath.
Kagome looked to Sango and Miroku for help, but they were both as dumbstruck as she. Tetsusaiga was strapped to Kagome's side because InuYasha hadn't wanted it impairing his movement as they travelled. Kagome couldn't use her arrows, she'd be more likely to hurt the hanyou than the demoness. Miroku's windtunnel was useless, for obvious reasons, and no one was stupid enough to get close enough to fight any other way.
So Kagome made up her mind and just started shouting. "Hey! Let him go! He wasn't gonna do anything to you!" she felt her stomach lurch when a pair of red and infuriated eyes met hers, but she pressed on. "Really! He's harmless! Please put him down! You'll kill him!" there was a small flicker of recognition in the blood colored depths, and the deadly grip on InuYasha's throat lessened.
"No!" the innocent cry startled everyone, and they turned to see Rin running as fast as she could towards the demoness. Sesshomaru was on his feet, "Rin!" it was a command, but Rin ignored it, instead ploughing into the demoness' legs, hugging them with all her might.
"Please put him down Fuyuko-san! You don't want to hurt him! InuYasha can be mean, but I don't think he deserves to die! Oh Fuyuko-san, please?!" Rins chocolate eyes were filled to the brim with tears, and the demoness was looking down at her in contemplation.
She blinked once, twice, three times, and the blood colored eyes were gone, replaced by snowy white irises ringed by a gentle smoky gray. InuYasha was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground. "Sonofa-!" his cursing and hacking were ignored as all eyes were on the white haired inu-demoness that was gently combing clawed fingers through the human childs hair.
Rin smiled up at her. "I knew you wouldn't hurt him, Fuyuko-san."
A small and gentle smile was returned to the girl, "Thank you little one."
"Rin." The low growl made the child jump, realizing that she had upset her Lord. She quickly ran to Sesshomaru's side. "I'm sorry Sesshomaru-sama, I know I disobeyed you." She kept her head bowed, but Sesshomaru ignored her.
His ice cold eyes were pinned on the demoness, who met him stare for stare.
Miroku stepped slightly behind Sango. "Am I the only one here who feels like there's about to be a huge fight that we don't wanna be sticking around for?"
///
Hehe, so that's chapter 1 ^^; lemme know if you like it, don't like it, didn't really read it, whatever. Reviews are good for the soul. There will be lemony goodness in later chapters (don't know how fast we'll be getting there, but we'll see) and that's why there's the M rating. That, and language will get slightly worse. Because swearing can be therapuetic. Anyway, thanks for reading! XOXOXO –Mistress Twilit