Alright folks, chapter 3 is here! Finally! Rin is a trouble maker, wandering off into the forest alone and this time she has someone watching her! Wonder who…? And Kagome is indecisive, should she stay or should she go…?
Anyway, thanks for the reviews folks, I really appreciate it. :)
To answer juusan's question…
Kagome's outfit: she's got similar clothes to Inuyasha in the Anime/Manga and by that I mean she's wearing a (white) kosode (shirt) underneath a green jacket, which has a (dark blue) fire-like deign on the left shoulder and black obi/hakama (belt/pants). Sorry but I just couldn't see her running around a leaping from tree to tree… without pants. She isn't wearing anything on her feet.
FYI Inuyasha also has a vest over his fire rat fur (think Shippou's fur vest, made of cloth and not tucked in) that I think symbolizes status in feudal Japan as many of the son's of village leaders throughout the Anime/Manga seemed to have something of the sort. Inuyasha's is purple with two thick black stripes on the upper shoulder area. In case anyone is wondering, he does have shoes (!) and his rosary.
Feel free to correct me if I got any of the spelling/Japanese names for clothing wrong in there…
Phew… now on to the story!
Chapter 3: Decide
Rin smiled as she gently plucked a few leaves from a nearby vine. "This is…" She frowned then, "I forgot. I'll bring it to Eri or Yuka or Ayumi, I'm sure they remember!"
She added the leaves to her nearly full basket and continued moseying down the woodsy trail. Rin knew every twist and turn down to the very last bend where the path went back towards her village. When she was a young child she'd taken this route many times with her older brother, and more recently she had taken this trail with one of the older girls from the village while they pointed out to her which plants were best to get and which ones to avoid. Now she took the trail regularly and usually without supervision. Inuyasha hated the thought of his younger sister wandering through the forest on her own, but as long as she didn't get caught it wasn't a problem, right?
Rin giggled and started skipping playfully along the route. She'd easily been able to sneak out when Ayumi (her babysitter for the day) hadn't been paying attention and she most likely had a search party after her at this very moment. Inuyasha would be furious as always and would be shouting orders to anyone who would stand around long enough to listen to him. 'Funny… I always take the same route. What's there to be so angry about?' She thought, shrugging her shoulders and wandering deeper into the woods.
…
Kagome scowled up at the overcast sky above her.
'This is stupid… why am I even questioning myself? That human… Inuyasha… he made it clear that he didn't want me around. Why in the hell would I have a reason to stay here?'
She spared a glance to her left. She could spot a few houses dotting the horizon through places where the foliage wasn't quite as thick. 'Maybe… it would just be nice to belong somewhere for a change. When was the last time I was with my pack? It's been years…'
She sighed and slid from her perch, landing easily on the ground a good distance below. She needed to take her mind off of things. 'Time for some demon hunting…' that thought brought a wicked grin to her lips and she took off deeper into the forest.
…
Rin paused from her task to glance over her shoulder. 'It feels like I'm being watched.' She thought, worry knitting her brow. Her eyes raked the trees for anything out of the ordinary but found nothing. With a shrug she went back to work.
Seconds later a branch snapped behind and she froze again, turning slowly to look behind her. "Is…is anybody there?" she asked the trees timidly. No one answered, but she wasn't taking chances. "I'm going home." She told herself, snatching up her basket and running back to the path. She'd only strayed off for a moment, but she'd traveled farther than she had thought.
She was almost there, twisting through the trees and ducking under low branches, when a dark shadow loomed over her.
…
Kagome watched the corpse of a recently destroyed demon rot away to nothing but bones. Satisfied, she let herself fall backwards into the grass, peering curiously up at the sky. 'I should leave.' She thought. 'So what's holding me back? I could have left last night…that's what I should have done…'
She sat up then, scowling. 'Enough hesitating, I don't need a bunch of human's to make me belong. Half demons aren't supposed to belong…'
She pushed herself up and gave one last glance in the direction of the village before walking in the opposite direction. As she turned to go however, the wind blew gently across her face bringing with it the scent of a new demon. Without a thought she turned in the direction of the vile scent, intent on hunting the beast down. 'It's probably after that Shikon no Tama…just like the rest of them.' As soon as the thought crossed her mind however she stopped. 'What am I, their guard dog?' She thought angrily. 'I don't give a damn about their stupid jewel! They're strong enough to take care of things on their own…'
As she turned to go, once again traveling in the opposite direction that of the human's village a terrified scream tore through the air, making her pause. 'I don't care. I don't care. I don't care.' Kagome chanted in her head, as if thinking those words would cause her to believe them.
The wind blew, this time a little stronger, and carried with it the faint scent of blood, human blood.
"Damn it all!" Kagome snapped, turning and tearing off into the woods, following the fowl scent of demon flesh and blood.
…
Rin let out a sharp scream as she fell to the forest floor, dumping the contents of her basket everywhere. She didn't have time to gather the plants back up. She scurried back to her feet and took off running again. The demon that was chasing her was some sort of giant insect, of what kind she wasn't sure. She'd never paid too much attention when her teachers were rambling on and on about all the different types of creatures that roamed through the forest. All she knew now was that this monster was chasing her and she wasn't headed for the village any longer either, the demon had managed to get in front of her and chase her off in the opposite direction.
She cried out again as she tripped on a large root and fell to the unforgiving forest floor, catching herself with her hands on the rough ground. 'Aniki… save me…' she thought helplessly as she turned to see the monstrous creature loom over her. 'Please!' she cried in her thoughts, closing her eyes and burying her head under her arms.
Seconds passed.
When the seconds turned into a minute Rin peeked bravely out from under her arms only to see a carcass of the demon lying in the grass behind her. "What…?" She asked, pushing herself up on her knees. "What happened to it?"
"Hey."
Rin jumped and spun around so fast she nearly fell over in the process. A human woman stood behind her, quirking an eyebrow at the young girl's antics, or at least this woman looked human on first inspection. Once over her initial shock Rin could tell that this person was anything but human, she had the ears and tail of a wolf. "You- you're a demon!" She shouted scooting backwards a few feet to distance herself from whom she was sure was a new threat.
She remembered her brother telling her once, 'all demons are dangerous, but the ones that take a human form are even more so. They are more powerful, and they can manipulate your mind into thinking they are your friend. Some even change shape…'
For a moment the demon-woman almost looked…hurt. Then, before Rin could be sure, her blue eyes flashed with anger and she turned away, presenting Rin with her backside. "Yeah, anyway you're safe now." She said over her shoulder. "You should get back home before any more of those monsters decide you look like something to eat."
Rin frowned as she watched the demon-woman walk away. 'She's not going to hurt me…? But Aniki said…'
The young girl took in her surroundings then and her eyes grew wide suddenly. 'I can't recognize anything!' she thought, terrified. 'I'm lost, that demon…it…it chased me all the way out here!' The village houses were no longer visible through the branches, and she couldn't even see her footprints in the dirt, everything had been brushed away by the insect demon when it charged after her.
Without a second thought she leapt to her feet and took off after the departing demon-woman. 'I know Aniki said they were dangerous, but she's my only chance! Besides… she seems…different…'
"Wait!"
Rin didn't have to go far. The woman was waiting for her, staring over her shoulder wearily as she let Rin approach. "Umm…" Rin spared a glance at the demon-woman now in front of her before averting her gaze to the ground. "I…I'm Rin." When the only sound that answered her was the gentle breeze rustling the tree branches and a few birds chirping in the distance she peeked upwards again. The woman was giving her an incredulous look.
Rin shrugged inwardly. 'She doesn't seem to want to hurt me.'
"Well…?"
Another moment passed, then, "Kagome."
"Oh." Rin was suddenly shy again, her eyes downcast and her fingers tugging at her obi. "Umm…"
Kagome's patience was growing thin. "What do you want?" She snapped, wincing when the words came out a bit harsher then she intended. Rin flinched.
"That demon that was chasing me…it chased me away from the village and I'm not sure where I am." Rin said, sparing the demon another glance. "Please!" Rin shouted then when she saw the hesitant look on Kagome's face. "If you don't help then…"
Kagome sighed. "Kid…I'm really not the type of person you want to ask for help."
"Please!" Rin begged, staring helplessly up at her. "Please…"
There was another pause between them before Kagome finally spoke. "I'll take you to the edge of the forest's edge, no farther."
"Really?" Rin asked, ecstatic. Kagome nodded. "Oh thank you, thank you so much!"
Kagome nodded again, watching the young girl bow gratefully and then go about gathering what she could of her torn basket and the plants she had collected. It wasn't much. 'What have I gotten myself into…?' Kagome thought, 'if the villagers see me then…'
She stopped then, sniffing the air to be sure. 'That's right… I smelled blood before.'
"Hey." She barked, catching Rin's attention. "You're bleeding aren't you…?"
"Oh…you can smell it…?" Rin asked, holding up her hands. "I fell when the demon was chasing me, I guess they got a bit scratched up."
Kagome frowned, kneeling down to the girl's height and examining the tiny cuts. It really wasn't anything series, in fact the wounds had already stopped bleeding, but the potential for infection was still there. The half demon reached into her jacket, pulling out a small container (that Rin thought looked rather fancy the way it's material shined in the sunlight) and opened it. Inside was a sort of gel, which Kagome dipped a finger into and proceeded to rub all over the injured skin.
Rin winced at the contact. "It stings…"
"Yeah," Kagome glanced up at her once before returning to her work. "My mother gave it to me as a child for when I…" she paused then, making a face and quickly applying the rest of the medicine before standing. "Never mind."
'This demon…' Rin thought, watching as she returned the container of medicine to her jacket, 'is not anything like the monsters my brother talks about in his stories. She's different, I can tell. I think Aniki would like her.'
She smiled then, and reached out to grab Kagome's hand in hers. Kagome stiffened, staring down at Rin with wide, skeptical eyes. Rin ignored the look however, "Can we go? You know the way right…?"
Kagome nodded dumbly, still staring, before remembering her agreement and giving the air a sniff. The village wasn't too far away, a ten minute walk at most. 'Then I can finally get out of here…' Kagome thought as the two walked. She glanced down at the little human walking beside her, 'But this kid…she's different than the rest…'
…
"She WHAT?" Inuyasha howled, bearing down on the poor woman he had chosen just hours earlier to watch his younger sibling while he worked. "You know she likes to run off, didn't I tell you not to let Rin out of your site?"
"I'm sorry Inuyasha-sama," Ayumi said, bowing apologetically, "I was only going to be out for a few moments but then I started talking with Yuka-chan and Eri-chan… Rin-chan must have slipped away then…"
"Why you…"
"Don't yell at her!" Yuka snapped, stepping in between the two bravely. "You're wasting time! We should be out looking for Rin-chan, not bickering over who's right and wrong!"
Inuyasha sputtered helplessly for a moment before he turned and took off to look for his younger sibling.
"Yuka-chan…" Ayumi said, watching her friend in awe, "You're brave.
Yuka laughed. "He's just worried. It's not such a big deal anyway… he knows where to look."
…
Rin clung to Kagome's hand, nearly dragging the half-demon down the path towards her home. At first the young girl had followed Kagome's direction obediently, but once she passed the Goshinboku tree (which she pointed out to the half-demon enthusiastically) she knew where she was and took over.
"We're almost there!" Rin called out over her shoulder, "Hurry, hurry! I want Aniki to meet you!"
Kagome stiffened at those words and came to a sudden halt right near the forest's edge. She had absolutely no intention of meeting any more human's from Rin's village. She already knew three, and that was plenty.
Rin tugged at her hand. "Come on Kagomse-san, he's really nice, I'm sure he'll want to thank you for saving me…"
"Rin…I don't think…"
"Rin!"
Kagome's words died in her throat as she heard a much too familiar voice calling the child's name. It was soon followed by the familiar sight of a certain swordsman as he ran up the hill towards them, worry creasing his brow.
"Aniki!" Rin shouted joyfully, releasing Kagome's hand and taking off towards her older sibling. "Aniki, guess what?"
"Rin…" Inuyasha grabbed his sister's shoulders as he knelt down in front of her. "What were you thinking running off like that again? I've told you it's dangerous…" he spotted the scratches on her hands then, taking her wrists and examining the wounds. He scowled at her. "What happened?"
"It's fine, really." Rin said, smiling brightly at him, "Kagome-san was there to save me…see?" the girl pointed then towards the forest's edge, where the half-demon still stood, shaded partially by the trees. She jumped when the attention was brought to her.
'Shit, should have gotten away while I still had the chance…'
"You!" Inuyasha snapped, spotting her. "What are you still doing here?"
"You're welcome…" Kagome said sourly. "I was just leaving…"
"Bitch! What do I have to thank you for?" He snapped again, now making his way towards her, one hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Wait!" Rin called out, effectively bringing her brother to a halt. "You already know here Aniki…?" She asked looking between the two. "She's not dangerous, really, she saved my life…"
Inuyasha paused, now turning to face the half-demon with a slightly less murderous look. "You…saved her?"
Kagome squirmed under the attention. "Uh… yeah…"
"She was really great!" Rin called over her shoulder, now standing (to Inuyasha's horror) just in front of the half-demon. "She was really nice too! The demon chased me deep into the forest and Kagome-san helped me get home!"
"Rin!" Inuyasha snapped, now fully unsheathing Tetsusaiga. "Get away from there right now!"
Rin frowned. "But…"
"Hey, Rin…why don't you do like he says?" Kagome said stiffly. "I've got to get going anyway, so…"
"You're leaving? Why?"
"Umm…"
"Rin." Inuyasha called. "You heard her, she has to go." He glared at the demon. "Come here."
"Do you have to go…?"
"Rin!" Inuyasha snapped. The girl sighed and left her new (reluctant to be) friend, returning to her brother's side obediently.
"But you know Aniki, you really should thank her…" Rin pointed out now, smiling over her shoulder at Kagome. Kagome looked worried. Inuyasha looked murderous.
A moment of silence passed before, "thank you." The man ground out. It didn't sound at all grateful to either adult but Rin to be seemed pleased so no other words were exchanged. Kagome disappeared into the forest quietly and Inuyasha and Rin returned to the village.
…
Later in the evening when the sky was dark and dotted with a few bright lights Rin was found still awake. "Aniki…" The girl brushed her brother's hand away. "She didn't hurt me… I promise…"
Inuysha scowled at his sister. "You're very lucky she didn't Rin. I've told you how dangerous the forest can be. I don't want you going out there alone…understood?"
Rin made a face. "But…"
"Understand?" Inuyasha barked, this time leaving no room for argument.
"Fine." Rin replied sourly, "You're no fun Aniki." She grumbled, turning away from him and heading towards her bed.
"I'm just trying to keep you safe Rin, you know that…"
"…I know." The girl responded after a moment, listening to the sounds of her father and Myoga talking in the next house. The houses were close enough (and thin enough) that she could often hear the village leader talking with Myoga or Inuyasha or any of the other villagers that he had conversations with on nights like these. She couldn't hear the words, but she didn't need to hear words to know what they talked about.
'The journey is coming up soon…' Rin thought, biting her lip, 'and Aniki will be leaving.'
She glanced over her shoulder to where her brother rested, just on the other side of the fire pit. 'I don't want him to leave…'
…
"You called for me, Takahashi-sama?" Myoga asked, taking a seat in front of his leader. Takahashi, Taisho was a tall man, with the same amber eyes as his son and a long mane of gray hair. He towered over most of the villagers and that in addition to his cold gaze and equally cold demeanor made him an intimidating sight for most people. 'He wasn't always cold…' Myoga thought. 'Before Rin was born…when his wife was still alive…'
"Myoga, good of you to come." Taisho said his tone dry and emotionless as always. "We need to talk about the journey that our warriors will be embarking on in just a short time. I've prepared my lecture for tomorrow afternoon."
"Yes." Myoga frowned, "however Kohaku and Inuyasha are the only two warriors prepared to leave at this time Takahashi-sama. With the recent attack we lost two of our top warriors and one was injured, Akio hasn't returned, although I wouldn't advise sending him for his background might cause problems…"
"Akio is no less of a danger to any demon then my son."
"Pardon me Takahasi-sama… but I do believe your son has a more open heart towards demons then Akio does…" The old man said, not trying to hide the small smile that crawled across his face. "Akio doesn't seem to be able to forgive them for what they did so long ago."
"We're getting off the subject. Taisho stated then, "Are there no other villagers that would be strong enough to make the journey? What about someone from a nearby village?"
"Takahasi-sama…. They are scheduled to leave in just a week; there would be no time to prepare for that." Myoga said, "and any more warriors from our village and we would be putting the safety of the other villagers and the Shikon no Tama in jeopardy."
Both men went silent for several moments then, their heads bowed as they came to the full realization of the dilemma they were in. Normally there were at the least four of their warriors sent to the four kingdoms, and on occasion they had sent as many as ten. Sending two warriors would be far too dangerous, the chances of that many people making it even to one kingdom was slim.
'Are we really that poorly numbered this year?' Myoga thought, 'I could not forgive myself if Inuyasha and Kohaku met their doom because they were unprepared for the journey. That is my responsibility as the head of the fighting department, and Takahashi-sama's as the village leader. And what if something happened to Inuyasha, he is next in line to lead the village…'
"Myoga." Taisho said, breaking through the other man's thoughts. "You mentioned a demon…half-demon in the area recently, is that right?"
"Yes, that is correct but what does that…" Myoga paused, eyes wide. "Takahashi-sama are you proposing that we send her out with the men? I…I'm not sure sending a demon would be a good idea, especially with Inuyasha, he only has so much patience…"
"We may have no other choice." Taisho said. "What was this half demon's name?"
"Kagome, Takahashi-sama, but she may have already left… and I think you may want to reconsider your options before sending—"
"Enough." Taisho said, cutting Myoga off and sending him a stern look. "Take Kohaku, and go find this Kagome. Tell her she'll be paid well, and bring her back to meet with me. I want her at the lecture tomorrow afternoon."
With that said the older man stood, dusting himself off and headed towards the back room. "That's enough for tonight…" He paused, glancing over his shoulder at the still shell-shocked Myoga. "Don't disappoint me my friend…"
…
AN: Chapter 3 is done! Yippee! So… I know the story is a little bit slow at the moment, but it's might be there for another chapter or two before the action and adventure kicks in. Introductions are HARD WORK! Anywho, let me know what you think!
And I've decided to add this little feature…
Chapter 4 preview: Myoga and Kohaku hunt down Kagome, who is skeptical as always… but agrees to attend a speech presented by inuyasha's father the next afternoon… and Rin isn't very obedient. ;)
Toodles! – K