Rin walked carefully among the bones and rotting corpses. The ground beneath her feet crunched and began to ooze. She shuddered. Picking up her foot, she wiped the remains of the bug on a nearby skull. There were five of them near her, all larger than she was, but none matched the description Totosai had given her. She sighed. It was going to be a long day. On her back she carried a gnarly looking saw and a rope was tied around her waist with her obi.
The closest skull was the largest and she carefully made her way to it. Standing next to it she finally realized just how big it was. Each fang was larger than she was tall. She walked to the end of the jaw and climbed onto the indent in the jawbone, picking her way up until she was on it's nose. From there she slowly crawled on all fours to the forehead. The ground below began to swim in her vision, she had never had an issue with heights while riding Ah-Un but the slippery skull and jagged bones below sent a shiver down her spine.
Off in the distance she could see the dragon demon chewing on a couple of bones he found. She smiled, that was just like him. To her left were the remains of what appeared to have once been a rather large snake demon, to her right lay pieces of a medium-sized horse demon. Totosai said she was looking for the skull of an ox, but with three horns. She was supposed to carve off the middle horn and the left canine tooth with the saw. Continuing to look around, she saw bones of whale demons, crab demons, wolf demons, even a few dog demons but no ox demon. Maybe he had sent her on a wild goose chase. She wouldn't put it past him to tell her to get something that wasn't there. Wouldn't have been the first time the spacey old man had asked her to fetch him something weird that he really didn't want.
Sighing, she sat down and edged towards the back of the skull. Carefully, she slid off and into the heaps of bones below. She landed on her feet but her momentum sent her forwards too much and she was eating a pile of neck bones.
Rin groaned as she lifted her head, she could feel a small bone stuck to her cheek. Her mood lightened when she saw what she was looking for. A few yards away was a large skull, many times as tall as her, with three horns. She was sure it was the one Totosai described. It lay on its side, left horn broken off and the middle horn cracked halfway through near the base of the skull.
Rin removed the piece of bone from her cheek and sat up. It left an indent and she had a couple cuts on her arms. Great, she thought as she stood up, brushing the dirt and bugs from her clothes. She now wore some pale blue clothes she was able to nab from a clothesline. They were too big for her and the ends were frayed where she had to cut off a few inches to keep it from dragging on the ground.
Carefully she moved towards her prize and studied the break in the third horn. She could cut through it, reducing her work to half. She smiled and unlatched the large saw from her back. Putting pressure into the blade as she pushed it away from her and pulling it back towards her, bone dust and chunks flew into the air causing her to cough. Pulling her kimono over her face she started up again.
The bones creaked and groaned as she slowly sawed away the layers until finally, with a huge crash and thousands of smaller cracks, it separated from the skull and landed in a pile of small bones, crushing them. . The dust cleared, giving her a look at the now severed horn. It spiraled from the base to the tip, the spirals inlaid with almost a checkered pattern. Strange.
This next part wasn't going to be as easy. The skull was on it's left side and he stated he wanted particularly the left tooth. She sighed and stuck the blade back in the sling on her back before climbing up the teeth like a ladder. Slidding in through the eye hole, her landing was sub-par as she fell off her feet and onto her butt. This was not her day.
"Ow," she muttered as she rubbed her sore bottom and kicked a few loose bones out of her way. Counting the teeth, she found the canine and began sawing. The dust was worse now as she had little ventilation, but she got through, the blade making a clanging sound when she hit the ground on the other side. Pushing the tooth out from under the other teeth gave her enough room to squeeze through to the outside world.
Rin pushed the freshly cut tooth over to the horn and untied the rope from around her waist. Carefully she tied the two bones together securely.
She whistled as loudly as she could and shouted, "Ah-Un!"
Hearing her, the demon flew over to her, hovering over her head. There was no room for the demon to land, so she tossed one end of the rope up to him and Ah caught it in his mouth. She sent the other end flying so Un could catch it in his. With the demon carrying both ends of the rope she stood on the bones and held onto the rope. "Lets go!" she called. Lifting her and the bones, they were off.
Below her the bones drifted past as they traveled over the graveyard. "Set down in the field!" she called up to Ah-Un. The dragon obeyed and set his load gently down in the dirt just beyond the corpses. He landed beside the large weight and waited.
Rin took the ropes from both of Ah-Un's heads, looping the ropes together she created a harness and draped it over his back. "Lets get these back to that cranky old demon and we can get back to training." She climbed up onto Ah-Un's back, holding onto the rope he took off towards the mountain. The bones swinging slightly beneath them.
Rin ducked her head against the wind, biting her lip, resisting the urge to lick them. She didn't want them to get chapped. Thankfully the trip was a short one and they were soon entering the ashy cloud around the volcano. As they flew over the various craters she spotted the old demon standing outside the skull he made his home out of. He was staring up into the sky, waiting for them, she guessed.
He watched them land with his new bones. "I was starting to think you were eaten."
Rin rolled her eyes at the demons idea of a greeting. "Nothing there but bugs, bones and decay. Disgusting, but nothing that would eat me," she said as she slid off of Ah-Un's back.
"Guess it's changed since I was last there." He shrugged and untied the bone and tooth. "Very good. You can go back to practicing... or sweeping."
Rin nodded, heading toward the mouth of the skull―he only ever wanted her to sweep―walking inside she almost fell over herself. A demon slayer in green armor, petting a small blonde cat with two tails, was sitting near the back of the skull.
"Hi Rin," Kohaku said smiling.
"Uh, Hi... What are you doing here?" Did he know she ran away? Her head was swimming, this was not what she expected when she went to grab her makeshift practice sword.
"Ah, Kohaku," Totosai came in the skull dragging behind him the tooth. "Rin is back."
Rin scowled at the old demon. "Why didn't you tell me he was here?"
"I didn't?" He scratched his head. "Oh, I thought I had." Dragging the tooth the rest of the way in, he went to work feeling it up and down, occasionally hitting it with a hammer or chisel.
Crazy old man, Rin thought as Kohaku stood up, keeping the smile on his face. Kirara jumped to the ground and ran outside.
"Come," he picked up two spare blades from the rack, "Totosai said you needed more practice."
"That's putting it lightly," Totosai mumbled from the corner of the cave as Kohaku lead Rin out.
"What are you doing here Kohaku?" Rin stammered. "Did you... need your weapon fixed?"
"Here, you need practice right?" He handed her one sword. "I'm sure I could be of more help than Ah-Un. No offense." He turned to the demon waving an apology. The dragon huffed at him.
"Um, yeah." She raised her sword, making it parallel with her face, one hand behind the blade.
"I'm not on the offensive yet. No need to start blocking, besides when you do that—" he swung his blade at her feet And she whipped her sword down and jumped backwards, Kohaku's blade skimmed the air inches away from her kimono, "—you leave your legs open."
His unrelenting smile was starting to creep her out. "Kohaku is something wrong?" Rin took a step back, just holding her sword in her hands now. He brought his sword back into his right side and ran at her. Gasping she slammed her sword into his and moved to her right, shoving him to the ground, but pain erupted from the back of her ankles as Kohaku slammed the blunt side of the sword into them, throwing her feet out in front of her. She crashed hard into the ground, her head bouncing off the ashy surface.
Kohaku's smiling face was blurry above her head and she felt a heavy weight on her chest as Kohaku pined her with his knee, forcing her to cough for air as he compressed her lungs. As her vision slowly cleared, she saw him raise the shiny blade over his head, holding it perpendicular to the ground, before bring it down directly towards her face. Instinctively she brought her arms in an X shape in front of her, as a clang sounded near her left ear. She opened her eyes, turning her head to see the blade less than an inch from her nose stuck in the ground, reflecting her tear stricken face back at her. She hadn't noticed she was crying.
"Told you." Rin looked to see Totosai standing in the doorway behind them.
Kohaku turned to him. "Yeah, I see what you mean. It's a good thing you summoned me." He slid his knee off of her.
"You called him?" Rin asked Totosai, sitting up slightly.
"Yup. Your work is very sloppy. Ah-Un is useful but you needed a real teacher. There was no way I was sending for Sesshomaru. He scares the hell out of me. Kohaku was the next reasonable choice." The old demon shrugged and turned back inside.
"Rin what are you doing here?" Kohaku sat down next to the beaten girl, he was no longer smiling. She was almost thankful for this but his look of hurt was worse than the creepy smile.
"I needed a sword." Rin shrugged, wiping the drying tears and ash from her face. Maybe everyone knew where she was after all.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need a sword?" he asked.
She ducked her head in shame. "Because, I don't belong in the village. I belong with Lord Sesshomaru. But he won't have me unless I can... unless I am strong... or something. I'm not sure."
Kohaku had no idea what that meant or what she was talking about, but it was obviously important to her for some reason, he could see that much, so he changed the subject. "You didn't tell anyone you left, or where you were going." He looked out at Kirara. She was slowly approaching Ah-Un and the dragon was sniffing her in return. "Lady Keade just woke up and you were gone."
She smiled. "I told Hana and Haruhi."
"They caught you sneaking out." He frowned at her and her smile faded. "You had everyone worried, Rin."
She sighed. "Well I guess everyone knows where I am now."
Kohaku shook his head. "No,.Myoga showed up and told me you were here, and that Lord Sesshomaru had requested he make you a sword. That isn't true, is it." He wasn't asking.
She frowned. "How do you know I ran away then?"
"I found Shippo." Kohaku leaned back on his hands. "He and a bunch of fox demons were pestering a village and I was hired to kill them. They were just doing an exam and I convinced them to leave once it was done. He had been at the village after you left. Inuyasha wasn't able to find any trace of your scent. They were just kind of hoping you would come back, nothing more they could do. After Myoga caught up with me I came straight here, didn't tell anyone that I found you. I did assure Shippo I would find you last I saw him, though."
She hugged her knees. Making everyone worry wasn't her intention but she guessed it couldn't have been helped. "When did you see Shippo?"
"Um... it was about two weeks ago now. Myoga found me this morning. Said he had been looking for me for a week. How long have you been here?" He leaned forward and grabbed a hold of his ankles.
"Um... I left the same night you did." She started counting on her fingers. "Took six days getting here."
"Six?" He looked at her confused. "It is only a three day flight, at most, from the village."
Rin buried her face in her knees embarrassed. "We got lost." In the distance she heard Ah-Un huff at them. "Okay, I was lost. Ah-Un had me stop and ask for directions."
Kohaku laughed. "Smart demon."
"Anyways so I have been here just over two weeks. Four more days until I can leave." She looked back out at Ah-Un who was now letting Kirara run around on his back.
Kohaku blinked in surprise, "Until you can leave?"
"Yeah, Totosai said it would take three weeks to make my sword and I would work off the payment. He doesn't have me do much, except sweep." She shrugged. "When I'm not working I'm training. "
"Well," Kohaku stood brushing the ash from his butt, "we don't have much time." He smiled at her extending his hand to help her up. "Let's get training."
"Lord Sesshomaru, wait for me! Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken waddled behind the demon lord calling after him. Sesshomaru neither waited nor responded. "Where are we even going, Lord Sesshomaru?" Again, no response. "Lord Sesshomaru," he pitifully mumbled.
"Shut up, Jaken." Sesshomaru's tone was cold and it sent a chill down the little demon's spine.
Jaken hung his head in silence letting his Staff of Two Heads drag behind him. They had been walking for days now and the little demon had been pestering him non stop. Jaken didn't even recognize the area they were in.
Occasionally Sesshomaru would hear Jaken jog to catch up, slow down and fall behind, then jog to catch up again letting out a small moan here and there. This repeated over and over as they walked through the path in the woods. Maybe if he had just flown them there the little demon would be quiet but it was too late now. They were nearing their destination soon and would easily make it before dawn. Sesshomaru placed one hand on his breast plate, feeling the package hidden beneath. Still there. He kept walking, the slowing and speeding footfalls following him.
"Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken tried one more time.
"What?" Sesshomaru growled, that demon wouldn't let it go until he told him.
"Won't you tell me where we are going?" he sighed, face crestfallen.
"Do you not recognize these woods?" Sesshomaru asked.
Jaken looked around then the little demon shook his head. "No, Lord Sesshomaru."
Sesshomaru sighed inwardly, showing nothing on his face. "Look." He pointed down the path where the trees ended and a village could be seen.
"Oh?" Jaken blinked, trying to remember the village. "This is where Rin is staying with Inuyasha?"
"No." Sesshomaru said.
"Oh." Jaken hung his head again. They hadn't seen the child in so long. He actually missed her upbeat personality and hyperactivity.
"This is where Rin is staying with that old woman. Inuyasha just happens to live here as well. I would never leave her life in that half-demon's hands." Sesshomaru's voice showed anger but his face showed nothing.
"Lord Sesshomaru! I didn't think we were ever going to see her again! It has been so long since we last visited her and we completely missed her birthday last year. Oh my! It is her birthday today isn't it? It is!" The little demon jumped up and down clapping. "Oh, she is going to be so happy to see us Lord Sesshomaru!"
"Shut up." They were getting closer to the village and he didn't want the noisy little demon to wake everyone up, or continue talking in general.
The village was quiet. The homes were all dark and no one stirred as they silently walked through the path towards the hut he remembered Rin living in. It looked just like all of the others from the outside but it was next to the stairs leading up a hill to higher ground and another part of the village. Sesshomaru stopped outside the door and sniffed the air, searching for the girl's scent. It wasn't there. His memory was impeccable, this was surely the one she lived in last time, but they hadn't been here in a while, perhaps she had moved to a different one? He sniffed the air again but couldn't detect any sign of her at all. Like she wasn't in the village. Sesshomaru's heart skipped a beat as he pulled back the door hangings going inside.
"Lord Sesshomaru, you didn't even knock!" Jaken squealed behind him, not daring to follow him in.
The kitchen was empty except for a few dishes. It looked like the hut she lived in before, but her scent was nowhere to be found. He stuck his head into the only other room, there he saw every gift he had given to Rin piled neatly around an empty bed on the right, the bed on the left was also empty but had very few items around. He sniffed the air inside. There was a slight scent of Rin, or more like Rin's blood. He eyed the piles until he spotted the source—it was a tattered and bloody lavender kimono, the same he had given her the last time he saw her. Picking it up he held it to his nose. It was definitely her blood, and it was old blood. His eyes narrowed as he stormed out of the hut, nearly stepping on Jaken as the little demon hurried to get out from underfoot.
"Lord Sesshomaru what is that bloody thing?" Jaken yelled after him. Around them people began sticking their heads out of their respective homes. Looking to see who was yelling and at who. When they recognized the white haired demon they quickly pulled their heads back in. It was no secret that Rin had been missing, many believing the girl belonged to Lord Sesshomaru, wanted nothing to do with this for fear of Lord Sesshomaru's wrath upon them.
"Sesshomaru!" The demon lord turned to see Inuyasha sitting on a fence post.
"How dare you refer to Lord Sesshomaru without honors!" Jaken squawked.
"Shut up." Sesshomaru turned to Inuyasha. "Where is Rin?" The lavender kimono held tightly in his fist.
"Not here," Inuyasha huffed.
"Where is she?" His tone grew colder. Jaken backed away, right into Kagome's legs.
"What do you care? You haven't been here in two years," The half-demon huffed again, slightly exaggerating Sesshomaru's absence.
"I do not wish to listen to your games. Tell me where she is." Red pooled into the full demon's eyes.
"Big brother." Sesshomaru turned to see Kagome standing behind him, belly swollen, Jaken hiding behind her legs. "We don't know where Rin is." She spied the kimono in his hand. "She left in the middle of the night over a month ago. Didn't tell anyone she was leaving or where she was going."
Inuyasha got up and moved in front of his wife. "You should have been here if you really cared." He pointed at the kimono. "I was the one that saved Rin, not you! She was fine because of me!"
"Then why don't you know where she is now?" He let out a low growl with his words.
"I was away when she left. When I got back her scent was already gone. I couldn't pick it up anywhere. She took Ah-Un with her so she could be anywhere by now," Inuyasha growled back. "Kagome, go inside," he muttered quietly to her but she shook her head.
"Pif." The yellow returned to Sesshomaru's eyes. "Of course a half-demon like yourself wouldn't be able to pick up her scent. I could have."
"Well, you weren't here!" Inuyasha barked back.
He snarled.. "You should have been watching her."
"I am not a babysitter and she is not a child anymore!" Inuyasha now tried to lightly push the miko into their home but she wasn't budging.
"Sesshomaru," Kagome quietly spoke trying to get the brothers' attention. "Please Sesshomaru it is not Inuyasha's fault. We looked for her but couldn't find her. Lady Keade woke up one morning and she was just gone."
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, turning into an orb, he flew off up the nearby mountain path.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken ran out from behind Kagome's legs sobbing. "You forgot about me!"
Lady Keade stood over an older grave, the few people who lived in this village were still asleep, giving her some peace and quiet. Behind her she heard the dirt crunch softly. "I wondered when you would be here."
"You were expecting me." Sesshomaru's tone was icy.
Lady Keade turned to look at the tall demon. "You left Rin in my care, and now she is gone. Of course you would come looking for me. But I can't tell you where she is." Sesshomaru held up the lavender kimono he was still carrying. Lady Keade had tried to get rid of it but Rin had protested, after the girl had left she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it. "Yes, that happened about five weeks ago now. She had gone down to the lake to catch some fish when a demon attacked her."
"She went alone?" He was getting answers and was starting to calm down.
"No," the old woman shook her head. "Kohaku was with her. She told me only a little bit of what the demon did. But she was very different after it. She tried to act normal but I could see the pain all over her face, nothing I did could get her to open up. She just kept insisting she was fine." Lady Keade walked towards the demon.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the old woman. "What did he do?"
"It wasn't what he did. From what I can tell he merely held her hostage as Kohaku fought. It was more what he said, I tried to convince her that it wasn't true but I obviously wasn't successful." Sesshomaru raised a silver eyebrow.
Taking the hint the miko continued. "He told her you abandoned her and was never coming back because she was a burden. That is shortened version that I was able to get from her." Sesshomaru's expression didn't change. "I told her that your relationship is deeper than that filth could ever understand and she shouldn't listen to him. But such doubts put into a young girl's head can start to eat away at them. It certainly didn't help that you haven't been here in over a year and a half." She cast an accusing look at him. "I hoped she had gone to find you, to be honest, but I doubted it and see now that it isn't true." She shook her head.
Sesshomaru turned to leave, she was of no more use. "Have you heard of the Red Strings of Fate?"
He turned back to her, nodding. "I know of the story, but it is just a fantasy for foolish little girls."
Lady Keade laughed lightly. "Most believe that, but I never did. Ever since I was a child I could see a red string, every single person I ever met had one tied around their finger. I asked my sister what they were but she couldn't see them, no one else seemed to see them. It amazed me how people never tripped over them. After asking around I got my answer one day, when one of the village elders of the time told me the story of the red strings. I didn't believe him. I had never seen any of the strings connected. They all just went off in separate directions heading out of the village. That was until Inuyasha showed up. The string tied around his finger was connected to the string tied around my sister's. That is how I knew Kagome was Kikyo's reincarnation. She was the same soul, new body, but the same soul, the same string, the same attachment."
The old miko walked back to the grave. "After my sister died I followed my string. It took me to this village here, this tiny little village up the mountain outside of our own. It wasn't far, we actually share a well with them." She pointed off to the left. "Here I found the person my string was tied to. He was a toothless old man, but very sweet to me." She smiled. "I talked to him about the strings, how ours were connected. While he listened to me I don't think he believed me. Shortly after he died. He had a wife, kids and grand-kids in this life. We were born too far apart. I believe that, perhaps in the next one we will be together, but not in this one."
"Why are you tell me this old woman?" Sesshomaru was losing his patience, he needed to go find Rin, not listen to this old woman babble on about lost loves.
"If you listen to me I will tell you what direction it would be best to go in." She gave him a death glare.
The demon lord folded his arms. "I'm listening."
"I have only seen a few people connected by these strings, your brother and Kikyo, then Kagome since they are the same soul. Sango's twins, Hana and Haruhi, you've met them, yes?" Sesshomaru somewhat remembered a couple of young girls who looked alike, but most humans looked alike to him. "Well they are tied together by the same strings."
"They are sisters." Sesshomaru seemed almost confused.
"I am surprised a demon of your standards would come to that thought," she laughed. "Yes, they are sisters, and both female, but their souls are tied together. They are meant to be together or they will never truly be happy. They will marry other men, but as long as they stay together they will be happy. I hoped you would be able to understand me, living through hundreds of human's lives. Maybe not." She glanced at his arm. "Either way you listened to my story, I believe Rin is west of here, but I can't be any more specific than that. I know I don't have much longer on this earth, I want to see her safe before I do go." She turned and smiled at the grave, she muttered under her breath. "Maybe next time." She looked back to where Sesshomaru was standing but he was gone now. She smiled again. Perhaps Rin would have better luck than she did.
"You really need to learn to hold still." Kohaku pulled at the obi, pushing the white demon bones into Rin's waist as she wiggled in his hands.
"You know I can never sit still." She unintentionally wiggled some more even with her sore muscles.
Kohaku sighed, tying the obi. "Turn around." She obeyed, spinning slightly with her arms out letting Kohaku inspect her. "A little too wide still, I'll have to shave the edges off a bit. Hand it back." He held out his hand as she fumbled with the knot.
"What do you want me to do?" She handed him back the unfinished armor piece.
"Run some of that energy off." He took it and turned back to the work station.
"Run?" She stuck her lip out in a pout, her muscles crying at her.
"Yeah, run. Do laps around the compound." He didn't turn to look at her.
Rin shrugged, taking off at a jog to the fence. Keeping her breathing level, she ran the perimeter inside the barrier, the grinding sounds Kohaku was making changed with her distance from him.
They had been there over five days. She kept training on her own as Kohaku crafted her a set of armor like his. She was wearing the thick black spandex, still trying to get used to the strange armor. It was flexible but thick enough to keep minor injuries out. She tugged at it while keeping her pace, wishing she had this at the lake. No way the demon's legs would have been able to cut her through this. Still it required getting used to.
The compound, as Kohaku had called it, was the remains of the demon slayer village, deserted by everyone but them. He kept a small hut here to stay in when he wasn't traveling around. The entire area was fenced in by the large wooden poles, completely hiding the inside from view, it was a fortress—an empty fortress. Remnants of the village still remained, including unused anvils and hammers, food stores, wells, training dummies. They now had their run of the forgotten town.
Rin kept count of how many times she completeed a lap. Every time she tried to push herself further, making six laps, seven, eight,going as far as she could without stopping to rest. As she pushed herself, her body changed, she was no longer soft and squishy, the small bulges were disappearing and she was becoming harder, more defined. With Kohaku driving her hard day and night her stamina was increasing, her body listened better and she could now lift more than she ever could. Sometimes she used Ah-Un or Kirara to keep pace. Trying to keep up with them as they flew a few feet off the ground. That was much harder and she could only keep up for a lap or two.
When Kohaku was busy she would spar with her new sword against the wooden stakes. Ah-Un made an excellent partner as well but the moves and strategies that Kohaku showed her were the invaluable skills.
Her heart pounded in her ears, she could no longer feel her legs screaming at her to stop. A numb feeling spread through her body as she broke the wall inside her. A little more, just a little more. She repeated in her head over and over. Sweat dripping down her face, soaking her bangs and braid. I can stop at the next turn, she told herself, but she never stopped. Making each turn a marker that would never really come. Her throat was parched but she couldn't stop. She had to keep going, keep pushing.
"Rin!" Kohaku's voice interrupted her thoughts and she slowed to a walk making her way towards him. "Let's try it now. If this fits I'll wrap the leather and seal it. We can be on our way tomorrow." He held up the crafted bone against her stomach and turned her around.
Rin was out of breath and her heart raced, her face hot from running. "We'll... fight real... demons?" The idea of finally facing a real foe made her nervous.
"Yes. I want you in the background to start with. You have only been training a month and I don't want to have to bring flowers to your grave." This time he didn't smile while using her own words back at her, as he tied the obi.
Rin swallowed. "What kind of demons will we be facing?"
"Whatever we find. Promise me Rin, if things get rough, get to safety." Rin turned her head as he held onto the knot, he met her gaze and his face showed concern and worry over her. She nodded. Letting go of the obi he pulled her into a hug. "What we do is dangerous." Kohaku was shaking, she remembered what happened to his family and the village, they had died to his hand's when Naraku was controlling him.
Returning his hug she said, "Then I better get training."
"Hmm? I thought you sent her." Totosai sat at his fire drinking, if the demon lord was going to kill him he might as well finish his cup first. After several weeks Sesshomaru had finally tracked Rin to the demon blade-smith. "She asked me to make her a sword. I had her work off the debt."
"When did you see her?" Sesshomaru glared at the old demon.
"She left with Kohaku almost two weeks ago." He took another drink. "He said he was going to make her some armor."
"Kohaku?" He raised a silver eyebrow.
"Yeah." Totosai lifted the cup in the air like he was studying it. "She said she had never held a sword so I let her practice with my spares." He pointed to the corner. "But she was so bad I summoned Kohaku here to help her."
"Why didn't you summon me?" His eyes narrowed.
The old demon nearly dropped his cup. "Well I didn't think you would want to be bothered since she claimed you told her not to come back without it."
"You should have summoned me as soon as she showed up." Sesshomaru turned to leave, behind him Totosai sighed in relief. Perhaps he would live another day.
"Lord Sesshomaru was Rin here?" Jaken squawked as he grabbed a hold Sesshomaru's fur.
"Some time ago." Sesshomaru took flight in the air, he would head to the remains of the demon slayer village. That was the only place Kohaku would be able to make Rin demon slayer armor.
"Just what is this girl doing?" Jaken annoyingly called through the air up to Sesshomaru. "What a disrespectful girl! We have to chase her all over Japan because she wasn't happy waiting for your Lordship's return. If we hadn't of heard of a demon kidnapping a young woman outside of Seiyo, we never would have known she was looking for Totosai."
"Shut up, Jaken." Sesshomaru turned his head to give the demon a death glare.
Jaken gulped. "Yes Lord Sesshomaru."
What was Rin doing? Sesshomaru had been asking himself this since he found out she was missing. Had the old women been right? Had his absence upset the girl so much that when that weak demon put the thoughts in her head she was so easily taken in? No, humans were weak-minded, true, but not his Rin. She was smarter than that. There had to be a reason, and when he found her he would make her tell him. Then he would take her to his lands where no one would ever lay a hand on her again.
"Rin, duck, now!" Rin obeyed as the snake demon they were up against spit a flurry of acid at them. It flew over their heads leaving the two demon slayers unscathed. Kohaku stuck out his right arm, flicking his hand forward. Rin nodded, he wanted her to circle the demon to it's back. As Kohaku flung his kusarigama at the demon's head Rin sprinted around, keeping low to the ground, dodging every time its tail neared her so it would go over her head.
Crouching behind the demon she watched for Kohaku's signal. He nodded, taking her sword in both hands, Rin ran to the demon's back., launching herself as high as she could before driving the sword down into the demon's spine, wrapping her legs around it's thick body as best she could so not to be thrown off. The demon let out a cry, thrashing, trying to remove the girl. Rin held onto the sword, tearing through the layers of skin, scales breaking off and flying everywhere.
With the demon's attention on her, Kohaku took his chance and flung his kusarigama, landing its sharp point deep inside the demon's eye socket. He pulled the chain down, bringing the demon's head to the ground. Stepping on the chain to prevent the demon rising back up, he turned to Rin shouting, "Now!"
Obeying she pulled her sword from the demon's back and slid off its twisting body. She ran up the length of the demon towards the spot where the head connected with the body. The demon's tail flailed about as she thrust her sword into the crevice Kohaku had pointed out on drawings and the demon stilled.
"Good job." Kohaku wiped his brow with the back of his arm and wrenched his weapon out of the demon's head, pulling out a piece of cloth he wiped off the blood.
Rin smiled. "Thanks." She was out of breath. This was definitely the most difficult demon they had faced so far.
"You have scales in your hair." He pointed to her head. Running her fingers through her bangs and brushing off her braid she knocked several bloody scales to the ground as Kohaku laughed, "Don't forget to get the blood off your sword."
She had forgotten, pulling the sword from the back of the demon's neck it let out a sickening squelch, causing her to shudder. As she began to wipe the body juices from her blade, Kohaku bent over the demon and stroked it lightly.
"Doesn't look to be of any use." He frowned but pulled out his wakizashi, running a long cut into its hide. "We could probably sell it to someone though, some people just go nuts over anything demon, whether it is useful or not." Rin watched him as he finished the cuts and slid his sword underneath the skin to remove the top scales. "Here, help me with this?"
Rin slid her sword into the sheath before walking over and taking a hold of one end as Kohaku grabbed the other. The scales were sharp under her fingers while the meat underneath was warm and squishy. Repulsed by the feeling, she followed her friend's movements in turning the hide over, scale-side down, resting it in the grass. He had cut off a piece several yards long and now began rolling it up. As he neared her, the roll in his hands grew larger and larger. Once all of it was rolled up he tied it to keep it in that shape.
"Do we go back now?" Rin stood as Kohaku fumbled with the knots.
"Just let me check it's fangs." He lifted the rolled up hide to his chest. "Can you hold this?" She nodded, as he placed the roll into her hands she felt her knees buckle slightly. It was a lot heavier than he made it out to be. "Useless!" Kohaku called from behind her, she turned around just as he dropped the head into the grass. "Well lets go before anything shows up to eat this. We don't want to be around for that."
"Will they be of any threat to the villagers?" She stepped lightly after him, trying to shift the roll into a more comfortable position.
"Hmm? Oh, the scavengers? Nah." He shook his head. "They just go where they can find something dead. They will leave once they pick this thing free of any edible parts."
Rin looked back at the still carcass; blood pooled out of its eye socket but its back where they had removed the skin was only slightly bloody.
"Do you want me to carry that?" Kohaku asked her.
"What?" Kohaku's words brought her back to their world as she nearly walked right into him. "No." She shook her head. "I can handle it." Heaving it up onto her shoulder she walked past him, faltering slightly.
"Well, if your sure. We'll go get our pay then meet up with Ah-Un and Kirara." He jogged a few steps to catch up with Rin before falling in step with her. "Let me know if you want me to carry it."
"I told you, I'm fine." Rin lifted the roll from one shoulder, moving it to the other. Kohaku shrugged and they walked in silence back to the village.
Same disclaimer as before.
I could say more but I probably shouldn't. Enjoy.