Disclaimer: I don't own Inyuasha, but one can always try

AN: Bold faced, underlined, bold and underlined, ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, and other letters mean that the characters are talking in a different language. This may play a big part, but I don't know yet.

Chapter 2: Dangerous to Yourself

It had been 5 months since Kuma and Haruki got married. It had happened a week after that night when Rin and Kuma had talked. It was hard to get used to. The first month was the worst. Autumn had quickly changed to winter, but it wasn't the same. The two newlyweds would go at it like rabbits. All the time they were having sex. At night, it was especially hard. If it had been summer, then Rin could have slept outside, away from the house. But since it was winter, and a very cold one at that, there was no escape.

Every night, Rin was awoken by the grunts and moans, the rubbing and the screaming. The first night, Rin was so disgusted, she ran outside and vomited. It had been a truly cold night, so when she closed the door, the water on the door had frozen shut. She had gone out in bare feet, and a thin kimono. Now she was outside without anywhere to sleep. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. Rin turned around to see the old half demon standing there with a blanket.

"Can I help you?" asked Yasuo, his old face showing deep concern with the young girl.

"Yes, I guess," said Rin standing up, and accepting the blanket Yasuo was holding out. They waked to where Yasuo lived.

"Please," said Yasuo, "Go by the fire and warm up. I'll get you something warm to eat."

"Alright," said Rin. She sat by the fire wondering why this old half demon would be willing to help her. She kept thinking while she drifted into a deep sleep. Yasuo came back with some steaming dish. He looked down at the sleeping Rin and covered her with another blanket. 'At least she'll have something to eat when she wakes up,' thought Yasuo. He went to the opposite wall and sat down, soon falling asleep too. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

After that, Rin started to get used to the "noises", but was still woken up more often than not. By the second month she could sleep soundly almost every night, except when Kuma screamed especially loud. It didn't seem to matter that she was at the other end of the house. It always sounded like it was in the next room. Rin could always escape the day though. As soon as she saw how bad it was going to be, she started visiting Yasuo more and more until she was there every day. Yasuo had been a friend of Rin's father and mother. H e had also been a close friend of the current Demon Lord's father. He had even worked in the mansion when his friend had been alive, before the Lord moved to another land, and gave his old land to the dog Lord Shesshomaru. Yasuo told Rin amazing stories and thought her all he knew. He taught her reading, writing, many different languages, demon lords and their family trees, and management of land and time. Yasuo was impressed by Rin.

"Here is a girl…no, a woman who wants to learn. Here is a woman who learns quicker than most full blooded demons. This woman will never make a regular human happy. She knows too much, and will always argue with him. She will need someone stronger. Someone who would be able to control her 'out spoken' behavior, and eventually except it as the way it will be. She needs a demon mate."

Rin had read every book Yasuo had with in a month. She wanted to read all the books in the village, but Yasuo wouldn't let her.

"An educated woman is a danger to herself. Learning is forbidden in some cultures, especially for women. Be careful not to reveal your intelligence unless you know it is safe," said Yasuo. He had said this many, many times. So she continued to work in complete ignorance of the towns folk. She dearly wanted to tell Kuma, but she knew that Kuma would tell Haruki, and then she would be punished. Rin continued to learn the demon lords and their lineages, and she mastered it within two weeks. After two months, Rin had learned all that Yasuo could teach her through books. After threat, he moved on to physical training. Rin already knew how to ride and take care of horses, but she needed battle skills.

"In this time and era," said Yasuo, practicing a demon dialogue with Rin, "You never know when someone is going to try and kill you. You are a lonely human, and a woman at that. For a demon, you are a perfect target for rape." Rin never let it show, but she was afraid of the idea of being violated by a demon, or even a human. She saw how tired Kuma seemed to be every day, and she knew by the way she moved that Haruki always hurt her. Rin didn't want to experience that, no matter what happened.

With that small speech in her mind, Rin enthusiastically threw herself into training with Yasuo. She learning sword play, archery, boating, and other skills one needed to know to live on your own. She took off like a duck in water. Everyday she looked forward to her lesson. Not just to learn, but to her away from Haruki. His eyes seemed to follow here wherever she went. He followed her with eyes filled with lust, even when he had a sex-hungry wife who was pregnant with his child. He made Rin nervous. The dark, emotionless eyes that emanated a feeling of evil that penetrated her very core.

Rin was sad when spring came. She had to stop her lessons with Yasuo. She still visited him before and after her work, but he was always tired, so the lessons were not as intense. By the middle of spring, Yasuo had nothing more to teacher Rin, but she still came. Instead of learning, she helped clean his house while he told her stories of far away lands. He told the stories so often that she knew them my heart. Haruki had found her helping clean Yasuo's house, but didn't say anything. He wanted Rin. He lusted for her. He yearned to feel himself in that hot tight body. Just thinking about it made him become hard. He had to take her even if it killed him.

"Rin," said Haruki one hot spring night over the dinner table, "I don't want you spending anymore time with that old half-demon anymore. You need to find yourself a husband."

"Why can't I spend my time with Yasuo?" asked Rin, getting angry at what Haruki had just said. He wasn't her father, or brother, or any other family member. Where did he get the never to order her around, "And why would I want a husband?"

"It isn't' right for a girl to spend all her time cleaning some half demons house," said Haruki," and with the husband idea, well, you never know how much pleasure you get from a man until you experience it. Isn't that right darling?" Haruki sensually stroked Kuma's cheek with his finger. While Kuma closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch, he was looking strait at Rin with the eyes that made her sick.

"Well, it is no one's business what I do with my spare time," said Rin angrily. Haruki smiled. He made her angry. Oh how he loved it. She was beautiful when she was angry.

"Talk has been going around. Talk of you giving sexual favors for the teaching he gives you." Rin paled… Haruki knew about the teaching… what was she going to do? She could be killed if the magistrate found her a threat to him… but what was that comment before? "I don't want you to dishonor my house, so I want you to stop." He knew that would hit a nerve.

"What!" asked Rin standing up. "This is ridiculous! I don't care what people say, I am going to visit Yasuo."

"No, you won't!" said Haruki

"You can't stop me," spat Rin, "You have no…"

SMACK!

"You will be quiet," said Haruki grabbing Rin's hair. "I am the ruler of this house. You will obey me while you live under my roof."

She smacked his hand from her hair, "Then I'm leaving." Rin looked at Kuma as she sat there in total apathy. "I love you Kuma, but I'm leaving. I won't stay with this bastard. Why don't you come with me, and leave this life behind. It'll be just like it used to be. What do you say?"

"Get out of my house," said Kuma quietly. "I never want to see you again. You are no longer welcome in this house. I am ashamed I called you my family."

Rin looked at her in disbelief. "Fine," said Rin quietly with tears in her eyes. Rin went to her back room and packed her things, then took the back door out of the house. She had to go somewhere, and the only place she could think of was Yasuo.

She got to Yasuo's house and banged on his door. He opened the door rubbing the sleep from his silver eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I was kicked out of my house," said Rin in a matter of fact tone. "Haruki knows that you have been teaching me. I don't know where to go."

"You can't stay here," said Yasuo.

Rin looked at Yasuo with contempt. "I can't stay here with you either?"

"That isn't what I am saying," said Yasuo putting his hand on her shoulder. "Because he knows, you are not safe in this village anymore. You need to go somewhere where people don't know that you have had some kind of teaching until you know it is safe."

"Where will I go?" asked Rin, tears coming to the corner of her eyes again.

"You can go to the Demon Lord's mansion. You will not be turned down," said Yasuo with a tone in his voice that said she couldn't argue.

"How do you know this?" asked Rin

""Because, I know a servant is leaving," said Yasuo grabbing some food and money, "I have an old friend there too, and I've told her about you. Her name is Misa, a black fox demon."

"Why?" asked Rin as he finished looking for things.

"Because I knew long ago that you would have to leave here. You were too good for this since the day you were born. Misa is expecting you in a few weeks at the most. You must be there in that time or the position may be filled."

"You have done so much for me," said Rin, "I am going to miss you so much."

"Don't worry about it. Arrangements have already been made," said Yasuo as he led Rin to the stable. "Here take my horse and this sack of food and other stuff. You must go now."

"Oh thank you Yasuo," said Rin hugging him.

"No problem," said Yasuo hugging her back.

"You always seem to know everything," said Rin looking at him.

"Not everything." He helped her onto his silver mare Gin.

"How can I repay you?" asked Rin.

"Just be safe and get going."

"I love you Yasuo," said Rin with new tears in her eyes. "You remind me of my father."

"Just go," said Yasuo slapping Gin's rear. The horse bolted off towards the Lord Demons mansion.

When Rin was finally out of view Yasuo turned to go inside when an arrow pierced his already weak heart. His life blood was flowing from him. Another and another arrow pierced him till he fell down in a pool of his own blood. He looked up into the face of his attacker… his murderer.

"You…" he whispered.

"You didn't expect me fool," said the man, "Where is Rin going?"

"I…I…I…," gasped Yasuo.

"You better tell me," said Haruki as he grabbed Yasuo's collar. "Tell me where she went."

Yasuo never gave a reply. He died protecting the one he thought of as a daughter. He died protecting his daughter.

"Dammit," said Haruki as he threw the dead man on the ground. He had lost the chance to claim Rin once, but not again.

To be continued…

AN: Yes, Yasuo was Rin's father. I'll get into that later. No, the mansion they are going to isn't Shesshomaru's, but another one's. A wolf demon named Hiroshi. Can't wait till the next chapter myself. Press the little blue button and review.