Chapter 3

Rin was jolted out of sleep in the early hours of the morning by a thundering crash that shook the whole house. In a groggy panic she scrambled out of her blankets as Kaede struggled to sit up quickly.

"What in the world?" the old priestess croaked.

A deep, throaty growl rumbled from somewhere outside the house. Splintered bits of wood and dust rained down from the ceiling, and then suddenly a large, clawed hand burst through the wooden roof.

"Kaede-obaba hurry!" Rin cried, running over to grab her hand and pull her to her feet. "Let's get out of here!"

Kaede stumbled to her feet, snatching up her bow and arrows as they rushed out of the house. As soon as they were outside, the moonlight revealed their attacker: an average sized ogre demon, which was still large enough to tower over their hut. One of its arms stuck straight through the now torn-up roof. Its face turned toward them stupidly as they paused outside the door.

"Blasted pest!" Kaede hissed as if she had just discovered a rat in the closet. "Now we'll have to fix the roof. Rin-chan, go and wake Inuyasha. This shouldn't take long."

Rin obeyed, turning to run down the village road toward Inuyasha and Kagome's house. She had almost finished the short sprint when something so heavy landed behind her that it shook the ground and took her straight off her feet.

She landed on her stomach with a little cry of surprise. Trying to recover quickly, Rin shuffled onto her hands and knees and looked over her shoulder. There she found a second ogre demon, this one a bit larger and darker-skinned than the first. It had slapped its massive hand flat on the ground, barely missing her. It considered her with the same big, blank eyes as the other one had. Rin got a brief but thorough a look at it. Two tusk-like teeth jutted up from its bottom lip. A single white shock of hair was all that adorned it head, making its pointed ears look even larger. This one had scars across its face and shoulders.

Rin clambered to her feet, kicking dirt and rocks every which way. "Lord Inuyasha!" she cried, hoping he would hear her from here. "Lady Kagome!"

The ogre's hand lifted up. Rin took off running down the lane. She heard giant footsteps pursuing her and knew she would never be able to outrun it. After just a few long strides, it closed the small gap she had made. Rin could see its long shadow fall over her entire body.

Just then a swift breeze zipped past her. Rin heard a gurgling growl behind her as the shadow disappeared. She skidded to a stop and looked back, her heart pounding. Inuyasha was just landing back on the ground, the Tetsusaiga in hand. The decapitated ogre crashed down before him.

He turned around to face her, shaking the blood from his blade. "You alright Rin?"

"Y-yes..." she replied, trying to keep from trembling. "Thank you!"

Kagome came running up to join Rin, swinging a quiver of arrows over her shoulder. "Inuyasha!" she called and pointed behind him. She had spotted the demon still making a mess of Kaede's house.

"I'm on it!" he replied. With one leap he cleared the felled ogre and was on his way to the next one.

By now several people had come outside to see what the commotion was about. "It's demons! We're under attack!" someone shouted. And with that the alarm was raised.

Rin inched a bit closer to Kagome. The priestess was frowning as she stared hard into the night. "Something's not right," she said quietly.

"Kagome!" Rin watched as Miroku hurried over to them. "Do you sense it too?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kagome replied. "It feels like a lot of them are out there, and closing in. But I don't understand it. I haven't seen such a big group of demons since I've been back. There are no more Sacred Jewel shards. What could they possibly be after?"

Rin gave a quiet gasp as she spotted several pairs of red eyes glowing out in the darkness surrounding the village. Dark shapes sloshed deliberately across the rice paddies. Kagome pulled back the string of her long bow, the tip of her sacred arrow already glowing. Miroku suddenly had sutras in his hand, ready to throw.

"Rin," the monk said without looking down at her. "I want you to go to my house and stay with the kids. Don't come out until someone comes to get you. Understand?"

"Yes!" Rin answered quickly. She did not stay to watch the battle begin. She bolted between houses, rushing past other villagers who were grabbing bows and pitchforks and ushering their wives and children inside.

It only took a minute to arrive at Sango and Miroku's house. There she found the demon slayer standing protectively outside her doorway. She wore a comfortable kimono, but anyone could tell just by glancing at her that this was no ordinary housewife. Sango held her enormous boomerang, the Hiraikotsu, at the ready behind her.

Her eyes lit up when she saw the little girl approach. "Rin! Good! Come quickly!" She directed Rin through the bamboo doorway. Ayaka and Hiromi were huddled in a corner with tears pooling in their big eyes. They sat in front of the baby who, thankfully, was still asleep.

"Nee-chan!" they cried when they saw her.

Rin went to them at once, wrapping them up in a hug. "It'll be alright," she told them soothingly. "Lord Inuyasha and Lady Kagome and your daddy are all out there protecting us."

Sango knelt down so that she was on their eye level. "Rin, I have a very special job for you. I need you to stay here and make sure everyone stays in the house. Watch the girls, and hold the baby if he starts crying."

Hiromi was suddenly very afraid and reached for her mother. "Mommy, don't go!"

Sango rubbed her cheek. "Don't worry. I'll just be right outside. But while Daddy is protecting the village, Mommy will protect our home." She momentarily dropped her eyes. "...If Kirara were here, I would have her stay with you, but I let her go out hunting this morning and she hasn't made it back yet..." Her eyes snapped back up so that they locked with Rin's. "Can you do that for me Rin? I know I can trust you."

Rin felt a sense of responsibility straighten her spine and she gave a decisive nod. "Yes."

Sango smiled. "I won't be far." With that she rushed back outside, Hiraikotsu in tow. Rin could see her shadow stop just a short ways in front of the door.

The twins continued to cry, but Rin did her best to quiet them, afraid they would set the baby to bawling too. She attempted to distract them with games, but that only worked for a few minutes. The sound of battle outside was growing increasingly worse. Growls and roars and inhuman screams filled the night. More than once they could hear Sango's weapon go sailing through the air and make contact with a body. Rin even heard a familiar voice faintly cry twice, "Wind Scar!" and once she heard, "Meidou Zangetsuha!"

Time seemed to stand still. She could not believe the fighting lasted as long as it did. Granted, every minute seemed more like an hour, but still there must have been a great deal more demons than they thought for her powerful friends to not have defeated them yet.

If only Lord Sesshomaru were here... Rin lamented as she squeezed the two tiny girls tightly. I bet he could have killed them all by now... But maybe not even he could. Lady Kagome said there was something strange going on...

"Kirara!" Sango's voice suddenly exclaimed from outside. "Thank goodness you're back! Hurry inside! I need you to protect the kids...if something gets past me, don't let anything near them!"

The bamboo mat was pushed aside again and this time the enormous cat demon walked in on all fours, the moon silhouetting her form.

"Kirara!" the twins cried happily.

Instead of padding eagerly over to them as Rin expected her to, Kirara stopped as soon as her bulk had cleared the doorway, simply staring at them all with hardly visible red eyes.

"Kirara?" Rin said in surprise. She had never before known the demon to not take action when action was called for. A feral growl filled the room, rumbling like a shock of thunder. Suddenly the dark shape of the demon leaped forward. Stunned, Rin cried out and instinctively curled further into the corner, shielding the children with her body. She was aware of hot breath on the back of her neck. The baby finally began to cry and the twins followed suit.

Rin trembled, expecting fangs the size of her arm to sink into her flesh at any second. When they did not, she stole a glance over her shoulder with one eye. Kirara's mouth was open in a snarl and her paw raised as if to swipe—but she seemed frozen in place. Her paw shook as it was held aloft, as if she were fighting against invisible strings that tried to push her.

"KIRARA!"

Rin had not noticed Sango come bolting into the house until she threw her arms around her beloved demon companion's furry neck. "Kirara, what's wrong? Stop it!"

Rin stared back up at those huge red eyes that were fixed squarely on her face. She had never considered Kirara terrifying until now. The demon was a friend of Sango's and therefore a friend of hers, but now she just seemed primal and crazed. Her claws were just inches from Rin's shoulder. But still she did not strike.

Sango pulled on the feline's massive neck in vain to try and get her to move. Slowly, Kirara closed her mouth and forced her paw down to the floor. She sat back on her haunches, shutting her eyes and waving her huge head back and forth. As she did, a sound that was more like an anguished groan than a growl escaped her throat. Rin's eyes widened. She can't help it, she realized. It's like she's fighting something in her head.

Sango relaxed her arms, but did not leave the demon's side. "What's wrong Kirara?" she asked again, this time with more sympathy in her voice.

"Is Kirara sick?" Ayaka wondered over her baby brother's howling.

Rin slowly released the children and turned around on her knees to consider the demon. As she watched her hang her head and moan miserably, she felt a twitch of memory. She remembered her very first meeting with her Lord Sesshomaru, in which she had found a large and powerful demon injured and alone; his eyes were red, and he growled at her, but Rin was not afraid. Now she felt her fear evaporate as well. Lord Sesshomaru had meant her no harm, and neither did Kirara. She was sure of it now. She reached out with one hand to lightly touch the demon's face.

It was then that something seemed to snap in Kirara. The red eyes flew back open. With a cat-like screech, she swiped her heavy paw in an arc before her. Rin was swept off the floor. She flailed in the air for a second before colliding with the opposite wall of the house.

Her head swam as she crumpled to the ground. She heard Sango and the girls screaming, and still the baby crying, and desperately tried to clear her mind, terrified of what the demon might be doing to them. But as the stars faded from her vision, Rin was surprised to find Kirara's attention still fixed on her. The Hiraikotsu discarded, Sango threw her whole body against her friend, trying to divert her path. The children were untouched. They had taken to curling up together and holding their brother. Their entire faces now gleamed wet in the dim light.

Rin realized two things in an instant: first was that Kirara easily could have killed her with that blow if she had used her claws. Even though it did not appear so, she was still trying to fight something inside that was telling her to kill. Secondly, she only seemed interested in harming Rin. She wobbled to her feet. I have to keep her away from the kids! she resolved. She could not allow them to get hurt while Kirara was trying to get to her. Turning on her heel, Rin ran out the door as quickly as she could. She did not look back over her shoulder until she was several houses away. Sure enough, Kirara pursued her, bits of flame spitting on the tips of her two tails. Rin's heart pounded as she pushed herself to run faster. If only she could get away from the villagers and reach Inuyasha before Kirara caught up with her! She was sure he would be strong enough to hold Kirara back without killing her.

Rin heard her follower's meow-like cry at her back and knew she was right at her heels. Then suddenly her feet left the ground. She was pulled straight upward by a force that squeezed her middle so hard she could not scream. It only took her a second to realize that it was an enormous hand. An ogre demon larger than any she had seen yet lifted her up to eye level. Rin squirmed in its vice-like grip, desperately trying to get air into her lungs. Each of its round eyes was bigger than her entire head. It brought her up close enough to them that she could see her reflection in the red orbs. In that moment of fear and breathlessness, her only desperate thought was, Lord Sesshomaru!

An intense flash of light appeared before her face. It faded just as quickly, and in its place she saw an arrow planted squarely in the center of the ogre's forehead. Its grip loosened immediately. Rin gasped a huge gulp of air as she plummeted headlong toward the ground. She just caught sight of someone running beneath her before landing in a pair of outstretched arms. Kagome tumbled as she caught her and in a confused heap they both rolled across the dirt.

When Rin came to a stop, she paused, breathing hard. The huge demon lay limp in the dirt, quite dead. For the moment there was no sign of Kirara. Hopefully she had become bewildered when Rin suddenly disappeared and went seeking her elsewhere.

Rin heard footsteps hurry up beside her. "Rin-chan! Are you okay?" Kagome knelt beside her and helped her sit up. "What happened? I thought you were going to stay with Sango's family? Oh no...did something happen to them?"

Rin quickly looked up at the priestess. "No, they're alright," she replied. "But something is wrong with Kirara!"

"With Kirara?"

There was no time to explain any more. Dark shapes were closing in all around them. Seemingly from wherever else they had been in the village, the remaining ogre demons now hurried to Rin and Kagome. The young priestess growled in frustration. "There's just no end to them! So many others dead, and still there's more!"

Rin noticed that the store of arrows in Kagome's quiver was running low. She only had three left. Two of these were quickly used to obliterate two of their closest attackers, but she paused when the last arrow was in place in her bow. Her brown eyes quickly scanned over the circle of demons as if trying to decide if it would be more profitable to kill one over the other.

Rin shuffled to her feet went to hide behind Kagome's legs. However this ended, she expected it to be messy. Then a sound that surprised them both spurted from the mouth of one of the demons. It had stopped its advance to consider them and sounded as though it was trying to talk. Until now, the ogres had shown extremely little sign of intelligence, much less the gift of speech.

"Give..." the guttural word came.

Kagome did not lower her weapon. "What?"

"Give...us...the girl..."

Rin felt Kagome's muscles tense in surprise. "Eh?"

But the demon who had been speaking suddenly fell to pieces. "KAGOME!" Inuyasha cried as she jumped into view. He made quick work of the ogres nearest to them, slashing them one at a time with his huge sword. With the villager's houses so close by, Rin knew that most of his special techniques would be too dangerous to perform, so instead he manually cut them each down.

It was over in a matter of minutes. Finally, every demon in sight was dead. The carnage of the many large bodies and pools of dark blood assaulted Rin's senses. She buried her face in the back of Kagome's robes to keep from getting sick.

Inuyasha hurried over to them. "You okay Kagome? The ones I was fighting suddenly just left and came here."

His wife lowered her bow. "Yes I'm fine, but...one of those demons said something strange..."

A feline roar filled the night. Rin identified the familiar sound in a second and scrambled away from Kagome.

She was not fast enough. Kirara dove for her, claws leading. Rin felt an intense pain explode across her back. With a scream, she landed stomach first on the gravel. Warm liquid began to seep down her sides.

Rin was aware of the priestess and half-demon shouting with shocked voices. Inuyasha must have run his shoulder into the cat, throwing her off course, because she staggered into Rin's field of vision. Still, she did not retaliate or even seem to care that anyone else was there. She set her eyes back on the little girl sprawled out before her. Fangs at the ready, she made to jump for her again.

It was then that a loud thump sounded as a line of gold whistled through the air. It belonged to a staff, the end of which had just soundly knocked Kirara's skull. Dazed, the demon staggered. In a bright tongue of fire, she transformed back into her smaller form, that of a tiny kitten with two tails. She lay there on the ground, mewing and shaking her head.

Miroku set his staff back on the ground, regarding her with concern etched on his face. But a second later his focus shifted to Rin, and he hastened to her side. Rin's vision was already blurring by the time he arrived. She heard Kagome speaking softly to her from somewhere close by, and Inuyasha cursing as he examined her wound.

This was the last she knew before unconsciousness took her.