The Next Generation
Chapter One: A new Beginning
I heard a loud crack as I ventured into the forest to collect herbs. I reacted by sweeping my long black hair into a high ponytail and tying it quickly with a red ribbon. I left my little basket near the patch of herbs I was planning to collect and unsheathed my sword and walked toward the sound. I came across my favorite meadow with my sword positioned to attack the threat. I was unprepared for the sight that lay before me. To say it was shocking would be an understatement. Everything in the meadow was dead. All of the flowers had wilted away and the ground had dried up to the point where it was doubtful that anything would ever grow here again. Right in the center of the meadow where I used to sit and relax was a deep crack that tore the meadow in half. Red smoke rose up over the cracks. What surprised me the most was that the smoke smelled wonderful like Jasmine and Vanilla. Without thinking of the consequences I dropped my sword and began to walk toward the crack closest to me.
"Rin get away from there!" Kohaku roared. He took my hand and pulled me away from meadow with a sharp jerk. I tripped over my own two feet as Kohaku pulled me toward his chest. Without wasting a second he pushed me down to the ground and covered my head with his arms. I felt the ground give way as the meadow disappeared in one great big explosion. Through the cracks his arms failed to cover I saw the sky turn orange. Debris flew off in all different directions I silently prayed that it didn't hit us. When everything finally settled down Kohaku still refused to move making me fear that he was injured. I turned my head toward him to check for injuries. However he had me pinned down to the point where I couldn't move except to turn my head.
"Kohaku?" I asked quietly. He motioned for me to be silent as he lifted his hand to listen for any other threats. After a couple seconds he got off of me and extended his hands to help me up. My hands shook as I placed them in his larger ones. Gently he helped me get on my feet. Our eyes searched each other's bodies for injuries, I sighed in relief when I saw he had none.
"Are you hurt?" He asked. I shook my head to confirm what his eyes already told him. He released my hands with a cold jerk now that he knew I could stand on my own. Then he turned on his heel and began to walk toward the village again. After a couple moments I began to follow him.
"What was that?" I asked. When Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha faced Takemaru the cracks from the underworld were nothing like that. I remember the last time when the cracks opened the air became so cold as if all the warmth was being sucked from world. Unlike last time the smoke from these cracks were warm and smelled of Jasmine.
"It was a demon." Kohaku sighed. I looked at his back in confusion. I had heard of many different demons, but none that could open cracks in the earth. I opened my mouth to ask another question but Kohaku turned around in that instant and held up his hand for silence.
"Not here Rin, we don't know who is listening to us right now." Kohaku warned. I nodded, in the nine years that had passed Kohaku had become a well known demon slayer, as well as someone I could rely on other then Lord Sesshomaru.
Silently we headed back to the little house I called home. Kohaku pulled back the screen and let me pass first before following me inside. I glanced behind me to see him watching the outside for followers. The situation must have been very serious if he had his guard up this much, I thought.
Every time Kohaku came to visit the young boy that had traveled with Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken, Ah-Un and I became less visible. The man that stood in front of me now was a seasoned warrior. You could see absolutely no signs of fat on him he was all muscle and steel. He had grown tall too; I'd say he stood about a head taller than Inuyasha. His hair had grown longer when it was down, which was rare, it went just a little past his shoulders but he still kept it pulled back into a ponytail. His sickle chain was probably the scariest thing about him it was huge and heavy. I tried to pick it up once and nearly killed myself because I couldn't support the weight.
"The cracks in the ground are the workings of a demon I have been hunting for the past two months. Her name is Mizuki she can manipulate the all the elements from what I've seen. She is elusive, but stupid judging by our past interactions. That leads me to believe that someone else is pulling the strings behind her attacks." Kohaku told me. I made a fire as he was talking and was preparing some tea for the both of us.
"So what is she after? It seems like sending out those cracks would be more beneficial to big cities not a tiny little village like this one." I said. I offered him some rice balls I made this morning. Knowing him he probably hasn't eaten in a while. Whenever he visits I've made it a habit to feed him and tend to any injuries before sending him to his sisters. If I didn't I have serious doubts Sango would ever let him leave her sight again. I began to notice that over the years Kohaku had become more impulsive which resulted in more injuries he tied to hide from his sister. He took one with a nod of thanks within a couple seconds he devoured it and was reaching for a second one. I gave him a stern look of disapproval.
"Don't look at me like that." He ordered with a mouth full of rice. I rolled my eyes and brought out some cups and began to pour the tea handing the first cup to Kohaku. He took his and began to chug it down before pouring himself another glass. I sighed and blew on my tea before taking a dainty sip. Kohaku looked conflicted I could see he was debating on whether or not it was a good idea to tell me the truth on what this demon Mizuki really wanted.
"She's trying to force everyone out so that she could look for something that was hidden here 5 hundred years ago. According to this old scroll I found in Kyoto there is a map that was hidden in the heart of the village that will lead a hidden device which according to the scroll will lead to the worlds destruction. That's why I came back I have to find it and destroy the map before Mizuki gets to it." He murmured. I set my cup down and went to sit next to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He shrugged me away with cold indifference. I put my hand down and sighed dejectedly things weren't always like this. There was once a time when Kohaku would actually embrace me every time he came home. However about two years ago he decided to not to touch me so familiarly nor will he let me touch him. It was disheartening because in those moments it felt like my best friend was gone and the man who replaced him was a total stranger. Never the less I was inclined to help him.
"So what do you want to do?" I whispered. He looked at me his eyes had hardened with determination.
"We need to evacuate the village before the sun sets. According to the scroll the hidden map will reveal itself when bathed in the light of the moon." He said. In reaction to his words I jerked my head to look out the window. We had about four hours judging by the placement of the sun in the sky.
"Let's get it done then." I murmured. I stood up abruptly and turned my back on him to walk toward the door and step into my slippers. I pulled back the screen and looked back to Kohaku who just stood there staring at me with an expression I couldn't read. My eyebrows furrowed together as I stared back with concern written all over my face.
"Was there something else you wanted to say to me?" I asked. Kohaku shook his head and stomped out the door ahead of me. I stood there contemplating his actions before I ran after him. We went to Inuyasha and Kagome first knowing they would help us convince the villagers that they needed to evacuate as soon as possible. Slowly house by house we got the villagers to evacuate. Yet the more time that passed the more the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on end. Finally as the last rays of sunlight began to disappear behind the horizon the villagers had all evacuated until it was just Kohaku and I standing alone in the center of the village.
"Is that everyone?" He asked. I nodded in confirmation. In the distance we could see a lone figure in the sky flying towards us at a steady pace. I was slightly amazed because unlike Kagura this woman needed no feather to navigate through the wind.
"Rin go hide." Kohaku ordered. I was pulled out of my revere at his command. Instead of running I turned to face him and argue. However as I gazed into his cold calculated eyes I could tell that this was an argument that I would never win. I stretched out my hand to put it on his shoulder, but I dropped my arm after a moment's contemplation.
"Be careful ok." I told him sternly. His only acknowledgement to my order was a grunt that I barely heard as I ran away. As I reached the line of trees I turned to see Kohaku standing there all alone Kirara and the others had retreated with the village to protect them in case something should happen to him. He stood tall and proud I'd bet that if I was able to see his face the only expression he'd have was boredom. Despite his years of experience something in the back of my head was nagging at me to stay behind.
As I was about succumb to my instincts and run back to help him keep Mizuki from finding the map I felt a strong hand grab my wrist. I turned my head forward to see Shippo with a concerned expression on his face.
"Don't go Rin. Please whatever it is let Kohaku handle it." Shippo said. He tried to drag me away like Kohaku used to do back when we were younger. I noticed that Shippo was strong and his grip on my wrist was unyielding. I almost decided to go to the caves and hide with everyone else.
That was until I turned my head back and saw Kohaku go flying through the air. I could just barely see that he had landed on top of a large pile of firewood. I quickly glanced over at the demon Mizuki. She was wounded on the left shoulder obviously from Kohaku's sickle chain that he clutched in his right hand. However as I looked more closely I could see that she was already regenerating, just like Naraku. I gasped and planted my feet firmly in the ground. Shippo stopped, not because he wasn't strong enough but rather that he didn't want to risk hurting me. He spun around with shock written all over his face. I looked at him and tried to display a strong look of determination in order to show Shippo that I wasn't going to back down.
"I'm sorry Shippo I can't-no I won't leave him." I said. I jerked my hand away and ran from Shippo toward the village.
Kohaku was the one that showed me how to defend myself against a demon. He protected me whenever I was in danger. He gave me my first real sword when I turned eighteen. Ever sense Naraku was defeated Kohaku had chosen to fight other demons alone, but now that I could see the danger behind that decision. I knew in my heart I couldn't sit by and let him handle Mizuki alone. As I ran I tied my hair up in a red ribbon that I always kept tied around my wrist in case I needed my hair out of my eyes. Halfway down to the village I saw Kohaku fall to his knees gasping for air, my heart beat faster as I willed my feet to pick up speed. In the next moment Kohaku got up on his feet and attacked Mizuki once again. Their blades crossed and they were both trying to overcome each other. I reached the village in time to see Kohaku pull his blade back and dodge Mizuki's thrust. I quickly looked for a weapon to defend myself. While Kohaku kept Mizuki busy trying to untangle her neck from Kohaku's chain I crept into Kagome and Inuyasha's hut to borrow her bow and quiver of arrows. I found them mounted on the opposite wall. I vaguely remember Kagome telling me that they were hung there as a symbol of her retirement. I quickly took them down and ran outside.
Before I could even nock the arrow I saw Kohaku land at my feet unconscious. I looked up to see Mizuki her back facing me as she searched for the map. I took a calming breath and took aim. It was difficult to get a clear shot because she was moving so frantically but as she began to slow from fatigue I fired. I held my breath as the arrow pierced her chest. I watched in horror as she turned around and pulled the arrow out of her chest as she regenerated. I got a horrifyingly good look at Mizuki for the first time sense we were only a few feet away. She was very beautiful to say the least. Her auburn hair fell around her shoulders and she appeared to be as tall as I was, but it was hard to tell because she was several feet off the ground. Her figure is one that any woman would have killed for and her pale skin reflected her piercing green eyes nicely. We stared each other down for a few minutes before she decided to speak.
"So you're the demon slayers woman? For some reason I thought you would have been pretty I guess that was my mistake." she snapped. I ignored that comment because I wasn't overly concerned with my looks. Instead I aimed another arrow at her chest.
Before I could fire I saw a familiar silver streak out of the corner of my eye. In an instant there was a familiar slim sword lodged into Mizuki's chest. She laughed and pushed herself away from the sword. However unbeknownst to her when she tried to regenerate Mizuki found she was unable to do so. With a shrill scream she came apart in one gory gush of body parts to reveal Lord Sesshomaru standing there in his proud glory. I smiled in relief and turned my attention to Kohaku who was no longer lying behind me. Instead he was about five feet behind me lifting something out of the dirt. It didn't appear to be a map instead it looked like some sort of compass. There was a little blue ball that was supported by a small brass stand that was welded to a circular platform which looked like it could fold in half to conceal the compass.
"Rin are you unharmed?" Lord Sesshomaru asked. I turned toward him and he put his hand gently on my cheek.
"I'm ok Lord Sesshomaru," I reassured him "Could you please go and tell the villagers that it's ok to return to their homes?" He nodded and took off without another word leaving me alone with Kohaku. I turned to face him I made sure to make my expression as stubborn as possible no matter what he said I didn't regret my actions.
He walked up to me until we were so close that I actually took a step back. He stared at me with that same unreadable expression. I gazed back into those deep chocolate brown eyes trying with all my might to read him like I used to be able to do. Then his gaze hardened and his gaze turned as cold as ice.
"Tell me why Rin." He ordered. I blinked I didn't really register his question I was still trying to figure out how a person could change moods so quickly.
"Why what?" I asked absently.
"Tell me why you put yourself in unnecessary danger like that!" He roared. I immediately reacted to his bellow. My spine straightened and I looked up at him angrily.
"You can't honestly expect me to just sit by idly and watch as you get beaten down when there is something I can do to help you." I snapped. Kohaku grabbed my shoulders and glared at me.
"Yes! Don't you understand how dangerous the situation is?" He snapped. He shook me gently to emphasize his point. I jerked away from his grip and tried to resist the urge to slap him.
"I'm not helpless Kohaku." I snapped. He took a deep breath and turned away from me. I was glad he had turned away so he wouldn't see the tears of anger starting to form in my eyes. He gave a shrill whistle and Kirara suddenly appeared in front of him. He straddled her and they took off into the night. I turned away from them and began to cry.
"The bastard didn't even say goodbye." I murmured.
-Somewhere in Aizu-
"Lord Shinta! Lady Mizuki has been defeated in combat." A small blue demon reported. A figure hidden so deep in the shadows chuckled. Lord Shinta of Aizu was hidden so that it was impossible for even his vassals to tell what he looked like.
"She is no great loss. Has the map resurfaced?" He asked.
"Yes my Lord." The little demon replied.
"Excellent."