**I own nothing of the Inuyasha universe, and in no way seek to profit
monetarily from it.**
A Time to Burn - Chapter One
"Tief in meinem wunden Herzen, brennt ein unsagbarer Schmerz.," a strange creature sang softly in a strange land. Under the cover of night, all that could be seen of him were the glowing red embers of his deep-set eyes. Glancing surreptitiously back at the quiet form of the woman riding slowly beside him, his deep bass voice trailed off, and he sighed. When she failed to meet his mournful gaze, he once again focused his eyes on the dark road ahead of them.
For a long time, all that could be heard were the steady footfalls of her horse and the strange shuffling sound he made when he walked. Finally, the woman broke her silence. "I yearn for home, too, my old friend, but we mustn't let our hearts break just yet."
"Ja, Liebchen," he half-smiled up at her and patted her horse's front flank. "But, I think our hearts are already broken. Otherwise, why would we be in this place?"
Her grip on the reins tightened, turning her knuckles under their fine gloves white. With a fresh note of anger in her normally serene voice, she replied, "We will find the thief who killed my mother. We will find this Onigumo, and we will finish what my father started."
***
"Clean! Clean! Rin is clean!" Rin sang in childlike fashion. She splashed around the tiny pool made naturally by the rocks in the river around her.
"Rin! Foolish girl! You are most certainly not clean! You still stink like that awful goop you fell into today. And you'd better wash it all off, or Lord Sesshoumaru will never permit you to be in his presence again! Not that I understand why he permitted it in the first place," the disgruntled toad demon grumbled.
"Rin is too clean!" the little human girl pouted. "It's Jakken who is dirty!"
With a giant splash, she caught the surprised demon crouching on a nearby rock and pulled him into the pool beside her. As he sputtered to the surface, voicing load, angry oaths, the object of his undying devotion appeared before them.
"That's enough. Dry yourself, Rin," Sesshoumaru coolly commanded. Then, turning away from the pool, he stated, "I thought it was time for your yearly bath, Jakken. I'm glad to see you taking the initiative without me having to - remind-you."
Jakken gulped. "Uh, y-yes, my lord. This humble Jakken was only trying to please you, sire."
Rin watched with great amusement as Jakken furiously began scrubbing himself. "See, Rin told you, you were dirty. And Lord Sesshoumaru agrees!"
As Jakken pondered how long he would have to hold her head under water before she drowned, the now fully clothed mischievous youngster ran off down the path, peals of sweet laughter trailing behind her.
Hours later and in the full sunshine, Rin was struggling to keep up with the fast pace the Lord of the Western Lands set. She was constantly distracted by all of the beautiful creatures and scenery that nature provided her. Once, it was a colorful butterfly. Another time it was a flower with petals as soft as silk. Her curiosity and never ending wonder at the glory of nature constantly put her at odds with the Demon Lord's servant, who endeavored that nothing should slow his master down. Lord Sesshoumaru, for his part, seemed to care less if the girl kept up or not, apparently unconcerned with her presence or lack of it.
Finally, after chasing her down to find her staring at a salamander in a nearby streambed, Jakken gave up. "Lord Sesshoumaru is even now almost out of site, girl! You must keep up!"
"I'm trying!" Rin whined.
"No, you are not! Why did you come here then? Did you think Lord Sesshoumaru would care about this stupid stream? If he were thirsty, he most definitely would have stopped!" Jakken glanced back at the road and realized that his Lord had now completely vanished from site.
"That does it! You can stay here for all of eternity for all I care!" he cried in frustration and immediately took off at an ungainly run down the beaten path. "Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru! Please wait for this unworthy Jakken!"
Rin started to take off after them, but as she climbed out of the shallow water, her ankle turned suddenly, and she fell over awkwardly onto the mossy embankment. A sharp pain shot through her foot and lower leg, and she instinctively knew it would no longer bear even her slight weight. For a moment, hot tears flooded her eyes, but then she calmed herself down with the comforting thought that her Lord would never truly abandon her. He'd left her alone for long spells before, but he'd always returned, and she had every confidence that he would do so again.
It wasn't long before night fell, and the little girl was guiltily starting to doubt his intentions of coming for her. She had no light to protect her, and no means of making a fire. On top of it all, the pain in her ankle was considerably worse and had swollen to three times its normal size. A cold wind blew in, chilling her, and an owl ominously hooted in a nearby tree. To stave off her nagging fears, Rin started to sing some half forgotten lullabies from her very early childhood.
Unwittingly and unbeknown to the youngster, Rin's singing was drawing the attention of the demon folk, but the handsome demon she desired did not number among them. The bath of earlier that day wafted her fresh scent through the surrounding woods, drawing toward her all the creatures craving a juicy morsel of young human flesh. The previous protection she once held, the scent of Lord Sesshoumaru that came by traveling for an extended amount of time with him, had been washed away down stream. Very quickly, Rin became surrounded by a host of hungry demons and other foul and malevolent beasts.
***
The woman brought her massive ebony horse to a sudden halt. "Do you hear that, Karl?"
The creature she addressed swiveled his horned head in the direction she was intently listening. "Ja. Is it a child, then?"
She nodded. "And sounding more than a little frightened."
"Ja," he agreed, flexing the great leathery wings that had been tucked behind his back. "Perhaps, then, we should see if we could offer our assistance?"
Before she could reply, a high-pitched scream shattered the night. In a flash, her horse's hooves were pounding the earth in the direction of the cry. Within moments, she came upon a throng of demons. In the center of which, a frightened little girl, obviously injured, lay huddled against the trunk of a nearby tree.
The demons slowly encroached upon her. There were perhaps ten or so, a fair sized group for such a tiny morsel. So intent were they upon the meal in front of them that they completely ignored the added presence of the two figures joining them.
"-Ahem." At the intrusive sound, the demons paused and finally acknowledged the newcomers. The strange looking demon again cleared his throat. "I think I would leave here now if I were you. You will seek your supper elsewhere tonight."
A few of them answered with growls, others merely hissed. One or two ignored him completely and edged closer to their intended prey.
"Ach," he shook his head ruefully, "Du dumbe Daemonen." He glanced sideways at his companion as if waiting for a signal. She sat considering the scene for a moment, motionless, and then inclined her head slightly. Permission having been granted, he returned his attention to the horde and sadly uttered, "If you are unwilling to go, then you leave me no choice."
He flexed his muscles and where a normal creature's veins would have bulged, his slate-gray skin cracked, revealing a glowing, almost molten interior. Suddenly and without warning, he slammed his fist into the ground, causing it to shake violently. All around, the earth shook and split into narrow, but very deep chasms from which light and gases from the magma beneath briefly escaped. The chasms were just wide enough and were open just long enough to swallow a majority of the demons. Within seconds, the fissures sealed themselves, and the ground lay whole once more.
The few demons that escaped, however, now focused their attention solely upon him. The first leapt through the air and was deftly caught one-handed by the throat. He squeezed, causing the strange bulging and cracking of his skin, and the demon burst into flame and was quickly vaporized. As the other demons witnessed their cohort's ashes drift away in the night wind, they quickly fled into the dark confines of the woods.
Rin lay alone, but not forgotten against the tree. She eyed them warily, but did not move or make a sound.
Having noticed the mistrustful look on her face, the creature named Karl smiled kindly. "Do not look at me so, Schaetzen. I promise not to eat you."
The woman on the horse regarded her for a moment. "She is injured."
"Ach so.here is the reason you are stranded alone in the woods. You cannot walk. But how are you left unattended?" Karl gently said to her. His could tell his tone of voice was winning the child over. The woman dismounted from her horse and approached the two.
Rin seemed responsive at first, but when she reached for her ankle, the little girl shied away. "Come now, child," she stated. "That ankle has been injured and needs tending to."
Rin, however, looked thoroughly unconvinced. The creature looked from one to the other and sighed. "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves? Then we could all be friends?"
The woman looked up at him frowning, and said nothing. The creature shook his head at her. "Well, I wish to be the little one's friend." He knelt very close to Rin and placed his hand on his chest. "I am Karl. I come from a land very far from here." He paused and laughed quietly. The sound was similar to a great cat purring deep in its chest. "I think you would find it very strange."
Rin found herself smiling in return. In a small voice she said, "Rin doesn't have to go far to see strange things. I see them every day!"
His smile deepened. "So your name is Rin? That is a good name, and very easy to remember. I shall never forget it."
Rin looked at the woman expecting to learn her name, but the woman stubbornly refused. The creature made a disapproving noise. "This is the daughter of my master, and whom I now serve at his request. She is the Lady Brennen."
Rin seemed to like this name and rolled it off her tongue a few times. It was so different from the names she normally heard. After a few moments of this passed, the woman looked at her sharply and said, "Enough. You have learned my name. It is useless to keep repeating it."
"Perhaps she wishes to invoke your power," Karl joked. Brennen looked at him in surprise, then scowled and reached for her ankle.
Rin stopped murmuring the name and looked uncertainly up at them. "Ach, Rin," Karl cocked his head to one side, and said disappointedly, "I thought we were friends now."
"I don't know," Rin said hesitatingly. "What are you going to do to me?"
Brennen did not look up and again reached for the ankle. "I am going to heal you. It is within my power."
Slowly, Rin submitted, and Brennen told hold of her injury very gently. A half second later, Rin felt a soothing warmth flow from the woman's hand into her swollen flesh. Rin took the opportunity to study her. Although her face was partially hidden behind a hooded cloak, Rin noticed a few locks of hair the color of which she had never seen on a human. It was pale and reminded her of the winter sun. Rin also noticed that her profile was very fine, much like Lord Sesshoumaru's. Rin turned her attention to the woman's gloved hands on her skin. She watched her ankle glowing softly for a moment as the swelling and the pain dissipated. Within minutes, her ankle was completely healed. The moment Brennen removed her hand, Rin jumped to her feet.
"Child! What on earth are you doing?" the woman cried, clearly startled by the quick and unexpected movement. "You mustn't try to walk just yet, or you'll only do yourself more damage!"
Rin turned back and smiled. "Rin thanks you for all of your help, but I really need to find Lord Sesshoumaru. He's probably angry I've been gone so long."
"Was he the man who left you here alone in the woods so carelessly?" Karl indignantly inquired.
"Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru wasn't careless. Rin was! I shouldn't have wandered off, and Jakken tried to warn me what would happen, but I didn't listen," she sighed and heaved her shoulders looking decidedly dejected.
A half second later, Jakken appeared from the direction of the path. "Rin! There you are! I found her, Lord Sesshoumaru!" he cried in a very relieved tone of voice.
In a moment, the toad demon was fussing over her and reprimanding her at the same time. "Against my better judgment, Lord Sesshoumaru thought it best if I found you again. It seems my leaving you here was not exactly what he desired. I tried and tried to convince him that you were better off out here alone, but he insisted we return here and collect you. And look at you, Rin! You've gone and dirtied yourself again. Mighty clumsy if you ask me."
"No one asked you, Jakken," a cold voice stated as its owner entered into their presence.
A Time to Burn - Chapter One
"Tief in meinem wunden Herzen, brennt ein unsagbarer Schmerz.," a strange creature sang softly in a strange land. Under the cover of night, all that could be seen of him were the glowing red embers of his deep-set eyes. Glancing surreptitiously back at the quiet form of the woman riding slowly beside him, his deep bass voice trailed off, and he sighed. When she failed to meet his mournful gaze, he once again focused his eyes on the dark road ahead of them.
For a long time, all that could be heard were the steady footfalls of her horse and the strange shuffling sound he made when he walked. Finally, the woman broke her silence. "I yearn for home, too, my old friend, but we mustn't let our hearts break just yet."
"Ja, Liebchen," he half-smiled up at her and patted her horse's front flank. "But, I think our hearts are already broken. Otherwise, why would we be in this place?"
Her grip on the reins tightened, turning her knuckles under their fine gloves white. With a fresh note of anger in her normally serene voice, she replied, "We will find the thief who killed my mother. We will find this Onigumo, and we will finish what my father started."
***
"Clean! Clean! Rin is clean!" Rin sang in childlike fashion. She splashed around the tiny pool made naturally by the rocks in the river around her.
"Rin! Foolish girl! You are most certainly not clean! You still stink like that awful goop you fell into today. And you'd better wash it all off, or Lord Sesshoumaru will never permit you to be in his presence again! Not that I understand why he permitted it in the first place," the disgruntled toad demon grumbled.
"Rin is too clean!" the little human girl pouted. "It's Jakken who is dirty!"
With a giant splash, she caught the surprised demon crouching on a nearby rock and pulled him into the pool beside her. As he sputtered to the surface, voicing load, angry oaths, the object of his undying devotion appeared before them.
"That's enough. Dry yourself, Rin," Sesshoumaru coolly commanded. Then, turning away from the pool, he stated, "I thought it was time for your yearly bath, Jakken. I'm glad to see you taking the initiative without me having to - remind-you."
Jakken gulped. "Uh, y-yes, my lord. This humble Jakken was only trying to please you, sire."
Rin watched with great amusement as Jakken furiously began scrubbing himself. "See, Rin told you, you were dirty. And Lord Sesshoumaru agrees!"
As Jakken pondered how long he would have to hold her head under water before she drowned, the now fully clothed mischievous youngster ran off down the path, peals of sweet laughter trailing behind her.
Hours later and in the full sunshine, Rin was struggling to keep up with the fast pace the Lord of the Western Lands set. She was constantly distracted by all of the beautiful creatures and scenery that nature provided her. Once, it was a colorful butterfly. Another time it was a flower with petals as soft as silk. Her curiosity and never ending wonder at the glory of nature constantly put her at odds with the Demon Lord's servant, who endeavored that nothing should slow his master down. Lord Sesshoumaru, for his part, seemed to care less if the girl kept up or not, apparently unconcerned with her presence or lack of it.
Finally, after chasing her down to find her staring at a salamander in a nearby streambed, Jakken gave up. "Lord Sesshoumaru is even now almost out of site, girl! You must keep up!"
"I'm trying!" Rin whined.
"No, you are not! Why did you come here then? Did you think Lord Sesshoumaru would care about this stupid stream? If he were thirsty, he most definitely would have stopped!" Jakken glanced back at the road and realized that his Lord had now completely vanished from site.
"That does it! You can stay here for all of eternity for all I care!" he cried in frustration and immediately took off at an ungainly run down the beaten path. "Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru! Please wait for this unworthy Jakken!"
Rin started to take off after them, but as she climbed out of the shallow water, her ankle turned suddenly, and she fell over awkwardly onto the mossy embankment. A sharp pain shot through her foot and lower leg, and she instinctively knew it would no longer bear even her slight weight. For a moment, hot tears flooded her eyes, but then she calmed herself down with the comforting thought that her Lord would never truly abandon her. He'd left her alone for long spells before, but he'd always returned, and she had every confidence that he would do so again.
It wasn't long before night fell, and the little girl was guiltily starting to doubt his intentions of coming for her. She had no light to protect her, and no means of making a fire. On top of it all, the pain in her ankle was considerably worse and had swollen to three times its normal size. A cold wind blew in, chilling her, and an owl ominously hooted in a nearby tree. To stave off her nagging fears, Rin started to sing some half forgotten lullabies from her very early childhood.
Unwittingly and unbeknown to the youngster, Rin's singing was drawing the attention of the demon folk, but the handsome demon she desired did not number among them. The bath of earlier that day wafted her fresh scent through the surrounding woods, drawing toward her all the creatures craving a juicy morsel of young human flesh. The previous protection she once held, the scent of Lord Sesshoumaru that came by traveling for an extended amount of time with him, had been washed away down stream. Very quickly, Rin became surrounded by a host of hungry demons and other foul and malevolent beasts.
***
The woman brought her massive ebony horse to a sudden halt. "Do you hear that, Karl?"
The creature she addressed swiveled his horned head in the direction she was intently listening. "Ja. Is it a child, then?"
She nodded. "And sounding more than a little frightened."
"Ja," he agreed, flexing the great leathery wings that had been tucked behind his back. "Perhaps, then, we should see if we could offer our assistance?"
Before she could reply, a high-pitched scream shattered the night. In a flash, her horse's hooves were pounding the earth in the direction of the cry. Within moments, she came upon a throng of demons. In the center of which, a frightened little girl, obviously injured, lay huddled against the trunk of a nearby tree.
The demons slowly encroached upon her. There were perhaps ten or so, a fair sized group for such a tiny morsel. So intent were they upon the meal in front of them that they completely ignored the added presence of the two figures joining them.
"-Ahem." At the intrusive sound, the demons paused and finally acknowledged the newcomers. The strange looking demon again cleared his throat. "I think I would leave here now if I were you. You will seek your supper elsewhere tonight."
A few of them answered with growls, others merely hissed. One or two ignored him completely and edged closer to their intended prey.
"Ach," he shook his head ruefully, "Du dumbe Daemonen." He glanced sideways at his companion as if waiting for a signal. She sat considering the scene for a moment, motionless, and then inclined her head slightly. Permission having been granted, he returned his attention to the horde and sadly uttered, "If you are unwilling to go, then you leave me no choice."
He flexed his muscles and where a normal creature's veins would have bulged, his slate-gray skin cracked, revealing a glowing, almost molten interior. Suddenly and without warning, he slammed his fist into the ground, causing it to shake violently. All around, the earth shook and split into narrow, but very deep chasms from which light and gases from the magma beneath briefly escaped. The chasms were just wide enough and were open just long enough to swallow a majority of the demons. Within seconds, the fissures sealed themselves, and the ground lay whole once more.
The few demons that escaped, however, now focused their attention solely upon him. The first leapt through the air and was deftly caught one-handed by the throat. He squeezed, causing the strange bulging and cracking of his skin, and the demon burst into flame and was quickly vaporized. As the other demons witnessed their cohort's ashes drift away in the night wind, they quickly fled into the dark confines of the woods.
Rin lay alone, but not forgotten against the tree. She eyed them warily, but did not move or make a sound.
Having noticed the mistrustful look on her face, the creature named Karl smiled kindly. "Do not look at me so, Schaetzen. I promise not to eat you."
The woman on the horse regarded her for a moment. "She is injured."
"Ach so.here is the reason you are stranded alone in the woods. You cannot walk. But how are you left unattended?" Karl gently said to her. His could tell his tone of voice was winning the child over. The woman dismounted from her horse and approached the two.
Rin seemed responsive at first, but when she reached for her ankle, the little girl shied away. "Come now, child," she stated. "That ankle has been injured and needs tending to."
Rin, however, looked thoroughly unconvinced. The creature looked from one to the other and sighed. "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves? Then we could all be friends?"
The woman looked up at him frowning, and said nothing. The creature shook his head at her. "Well, I wish to be the little one's friend." He knelt very close to Rin and placed his hand on his chest. "I am Karl. I come from a land very far from here." He paused and laughed quietly. The sound was similar to a great cat purring deep in its chest. "I think you would find it very strange."
Rin found herself smiling in return. In a small voice she said, "Rin doesn't have to go far to see strange things. I see them every day!"
His smile deepened. "So your name is Rin? That is a good name, and very easy to remember. I shall never forget it."
Rin looked at the woman expecting to learn her name, but the woman stubbornly refused. The creature made a disapproving noise. "This is the daughter of my master, and whom I now serve at his request. She is the Lady Brennen."
Rin seemed to like this name and rolled it off her tongue a few times. It was so different from the names she normally heard. After a few moments of this passed, the woman looked at her sharply and said, "Enough. You have learned my name. It is useless to keep repeating it."
"Perhaps she wishes to invoke your power," Karl joked. Brennen looked at him in surprise, then scowled and reached for her ankle.
Rin stopped murmuring the name and looked uncertainly up at them. "Ach, Rin," Karl cocked his head to one side, and said disappointedly, "I thought we were friends now."
"I don't know," Rin said hesitatingly. "What are you going to do to me?"
Brennen did not look up and again reached for the ankle. "I am going to heal you. It is within my power."
Slowly, Rin submitted, and Brennen told hold of her injury very gently. A half second later, Rin felt a soothing warmth flow from the woman's hand into her swollen flesh. Rin took the opportunity to study her. Although her face was partially hidden behind a hooded cloak, Rin noticed a few locks of hair the color of which she had never seen on a human. It was pale and reminded her of the winter sun. Rin also noticed that her profile was very fine, much like Lord Sesshoumaru's. Rin turned her attention to the woman's gloved hands on her skin. She watched her ankle glowing softly for a moment as the swelling and the pain dissipated. Within minutes, her ankle was completely healed. The moment Brennen removed her hand, Rin jumped to her feet.
"Child! What on earth are you doing?" the woman cried, clearly startled by the quick and unexpected movement. "You mustn't try to walk just yet, or you'll only do yourself more damage!"
Rin turned back and smiled. "Rin thanks you for all of your help, but I really need to find Lord Sesshoumaru. He's probably angry I've been gone so long."
"Was he the man who left you here alone in the woods so carelessly?" Karl indignantly inquired.
"Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru wasn't careless. Rin was! I shouldn't have wandered off, and Jakken tried to warn me what would happen, but I didn't listen," she sighed and heaved her shoulders looking decidedly dejected.
A half second later, Jakken appeared from the direction of the path. "Rin! There you are! I found her, Lord Sesshoumaru!" he cried in a very relieved tone of voice.
In a moment, the toad demon was fussing over her and reprimanding her at the same time. "Against my better judgment, Lord Sesshoumaru thought it best if I found you again. It seems my leaving you here was not exactly what he desired. I tried and tried to convince him that you were better off out here alone, but he insisted we return here and collect you. And look at you, Rin! You've gone and dirtied yourself again. Mighty clumsy if you ask me."
"No one asked you, Jakken," a cold voice stated as its owner entered into their presence.