Disclaimer: This is a derivative work featuring characters from Rumiko Takahashi's series, Inuyasha, to whom which the characters belong. No copyright infringement is intended and I am not making any money from this creative venture.

Author's Note: I ain't even gonna act like I didn't have a good ol' time writing this chapter, haha! I hope you guys enjoy it as well. ^^ Feedback, comments, concerns are appreciated. Thanks for supporting fanfiction and thanks for supporting this story in particular!

"I'm so glad to be back! I hated Naraku's place. It's always so stinky."

"And yet you are the one who's been there the most out of all of us! I dare say you're just bad luck, Rin. You made our master sully himself just to retrieve your useless behind!"

"You were there, too." Rin turned briefly from her improvised game of jacks to narrow her eyes at the toad demon.

Jaken squawked.

"You ignorant human! I let myself be kidnapped just so I could keep an eye on you! I put my life in danger just so that our master's ward may live another day. You should thank me."

"Thank you for fainting first?"

"You-!"

The tall demon lord sat staring at the stream that ran through the temporary camp they had chosen upon departing Naraku's lair. It was now mid-morning. Sesshoumaru refused to acknowledge the reflection gazing back at him in the shallow water. What stared back at him was not an image of himself, but of the ghostly girl from the night before staring soullessly at him. As dawn came and went, the image slowly dissolved to reveal the ghostly girl's dark-haired superior instead.

"You have willpower, I can give you that. How long have you been ignoring my call? Two hours? Three?"

The reflection in the water was gone. Sesshoumaru's left ear flicked twice. The dark-haired half-demon was now standing behind him.

"We would have been there by now."

"This Sesshoumaru follows the direction of no one."

"It was a suggestion. If you felt differently, you could have said something sooner. Perhaps during the moments when you were tossing stones into my face."

Sesshoumaru continued to gaze at the stream.

Naraku bit his lip. He walked forward until his boots began to sink into the sodden mud bordering the streambed. "The longer we wait, the less I guarantee that my contact will be able to help you."

"He will help. Or you die."

Naraku looked to the right to peer at the dog demon. "So you'll go, then?"

Sesshoumaru did not answer.

A small vein began to tick in Naraku's forehead; otherwise, his face was blank, not giving anything away. "If we're doing this, we'll need to get a move on. It is a human village. They'll be suspicious of any travelers wandering their town at night."

Sesshoumaru stood gracefully to his feet. He dusted off his garments. "There is no we."

Naraku's lips parted and his eyebrows drew down. "How do you propose to get there? By sniffing it out?"

"You will point the way—and do so quickly—if you have any sense of self-preservation."

"Do you?"

A growl stymied any further comment by the spider as the dog demon turned on him, fangs bared.

"You try my patience, half-breed. Talk. Now."

Naraku made to speak but then slowly closed his mouth. He raised his nose at the other, his expression haughty.

The sound of wet bone snapping filled the silence. Sesshoumaru was cracking his knuckles. Naraku drew himself up and seemed to concede.

"The village in question can be found east of here. A three hour's journey of walking. You will encounter several villages along the way. How do you propose to find the correct one?"

"You will tell me the correct one." Sesshoumaru took a step in the spider's direction. Naraku held his ground.

"Certainly. Each of the villages that you will encounter to the east specialize in orchard farming," Naraku bit out. And then, with a smile, "The village you want will be the one that smells of persimmons."

Out of nowhere an electrified venomous whip surged forward, curling around the half-demon's neck. Sesshoumaru flicked his wrist minutely and cleanly severed Naraku's head from his body.

The body vanished. As did the head.

Naraku had gone.

Coolly, Sesshoumaru left his spot by the stream and crossed the field of grasses to where Rin played. He approached to see Jaken panicking, then making obeisance, and finally settling into a smug look of superiority as he noticed his lord's approach. As Rin came into view, it was apparent why.

Naraku sat on the ground, tossing Rin's stone ball into the air. He sat only a few paces from the girl and the girl's white face belied her shock.

As the stone flew up, Naraku swiftly gathered the leaves Rin had used as jacks and caught the stone before it hit the ground. Rin cried out when Naraku's grin displayed razor sharp teeth.

"I win." Naraku looked to the girl and then swung his blood-red eyes up to her master. It wasn't immediately clear to whom the comment had been made.

Sesshoumaru stilled, tensed. Naraku's grin grew and he began to get to his feet. He paused for a moment as he stood staring the small distance down at the dog-demon. Sesshoumaru did not lower his eyes, nor did he meet them. He seemed ready to ignore the other again.

"I respect your straight-forward nature, lord Sesshoumaru. And, so, I'll be straight-forward with you. I could never be without your assistance. Without you being in your best condition, you are simply a lame dog. A lame dog is of no use to me. If you can't trust my goodwill, at least trust my greed."

Sesshoumaru's lips formed into the smallest of smiles. Naraku's expression immediately became stone-like. A promise was made in the silence that stretched between them. "Better a lame dog than a spider crushed under foot. This spider seems to escape well enough with two legs. This Sesshoumaru wonders how well he might fare with one—"

Naraku had vanished, yet again.

Sesshoumaru's smile pulled into a shark smirk. It wouldn't be visible to Naraku, however; considering the spider demon reappeared a few paces behind him.

Nor was Naraku's sneer visible to the dog. He licked his lips before turning his gaze eastward. "Walk east and I will come to meet you once you've reached the correct destination."

Sesshoumaru turned his head just as a breeze swelled. The wind stirred his hair. "Rin."

The girl, who had been struck in a stupefied position ever since she had been confronted by Naraku, jumped to her feet as if nothing were amiss. "Yes, master?"

"Pack your things. We leave."

"Yes, my lord!" Rin gave a curt bow and skipped to where she had set down her forgotten knapsack.

Naraku raised a brow and when the dog demon finally deigned to give him a look, Naraku simply smiled and disappeared into thin air.

Sesshoumaru stood staring at the spot the spider had occupied.

"Good riddance! I knew any sleight-of-hand that lowly half-demon would try would be thwarted by you, milord!"

"Come, Rin."

"Yes, lord Sesshoumaru!"

The white dog blinked twice before suddenly looking to the east. "Better a lame dog."

Jaken waived his arms excitedly. "Ha ha! Yes, when you told that scoundrel that mi lo—"

Sesshoumaru stepped on Jaken, crushing the toad demon underfoot.

The fluffy clouds that stretched over the horizon and glowed of their own accord soon blocked out the sun, casting a gray hue over the landscape. It did little to dim the beautiful vista of rolling countryside that the trio crossed through. Rin darted to and fro along the path, gathering tall wildflowers of red, orange, and violet. Her happiness showed in her light step and in her free laugh. Though she, master Jaken and lord Sesshoumaru traveled a lot, they didn't often enjoy the luxury of flat, sprawling fields. The girl acted as if she had returned home after a long journey.

"Rin. Don't stray far."

Rin immediately looked up from where she had stopped and kneeled a few paces behind the group. She was having trouble snapping the stem of this yellow flower. Every time she attempted to grab one, the stubborn stalks were so tough that she ended up accidentally stripping the flesh from the stem and making her hands raw. "Coming, lord Sesshoumaru!" She abandoned the yellow flower and skipped to her master's side.

Not a half hour later, the landscape began to change. There were more trees, more tilled land surrounding them.

"Are we close, lord Sesshoumaru?"

It was a moment before he addressed her. "We are in search of persimmon orchards."

Rin wrinkled her nose. "Persimmon… orchards?" She formed her mouth awkwardly around the new word.

"A village that grows persimmon. There will be many fruit trees in an orchard."

"Oh…" Rin said quietly, then brightened. "Rin hasn't seen that before. We must have traveled far!"

"Will you stop your incessant talking?! Our lord is trying to concentrate!" Having been quiet for most of the journey, Jaken finally spoke up, thoroughly annoyed.

"Master Jaken, have you seen persimmon oro-ro-chards before?"

"Yes, I have seen persimmon orchards before. Anybody who is anybody knows what an orchard is, stupid girl! Not all villages grow rice and potatoes."

Rin huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "You don't have to be so rude about it, master Jaken," she said in a petulant voice.

Jaken, so far unchecked, gave the girl a haughty look and shuffled his feet quickly to bring himself alongside Sesshoumaru's stride.

Rin's steps slowed and her lips turned down into a full pout. She eventually stopped and crossed her arms. That is when she saw a yellow flower dangling upside down in front of her face. Her eyes crossed and she gasped, jumping backward and colliding with a solid form behind her. Slowly, the young girl turned around.

"You know, where I grew up, toads were a delicacy."

Rin screamed.

At once, Sesshoumaru was at the young girl's side, sword drawn and held an inch shy from a pale column of throat.

The yellow wildflower fluttered delicately from sharpened claws and landed on the ground.

"I've come to guide you, and yet, you draw your sword to my neck?"

Sesshoumaru did not remove the sword, only stared.

Naraku spread his fingers out in front of him in mock surrender. Only then did the fortified steel return to its place at its master's side.

"Nice to see you again, too," the spider spoke with a raise of the brow. A smirk touched his lips as he regarded the group and then looked around at their surroundings. "You've made good time."

Sesshoumaru gave the spider a cool look, not yet relaxing his posture.

"What? I told you I would come to meet you when you were close. You're close," Naraku shrugged.

"I tire of your word games. How much longer, vermin?"

Naraku grinned and stretched out a long, sinewy arm. "Just over that rise," Naraku pointed.

Sesshoumaru swung his eyes in the direction the spider indicated. He turned to walk in that direction. Rin shuffled on the opposite side of Sesshoumaru, putting as much distance between herself and Naraku as possible. Jaken was still a few paces away where Sesshoumaru had left him when he ran to defend Rin. The toad demon gripped his Staff of Two Heads.

"My lord, what if it is a trap?" Jaken spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid to doubt Sesshoumaru's handling of the situation.

But Sesshoumaru seemed to mull it over. He stopped briefly to turn back towards Naraku. "I presume you're coming."

Naraku, eyes wide and blinking, looked as if he didn't know what was happening. "Oh, well, of course. Follow me," he grinned, passing Sesshoumaru up and stepping quickly towards Jaken. Jaken turned a brighter shade of green.

Naraku passed, too, the toad and smiled down at him as he swept by, waving his fingers. Jaken fainted.

The spider twirled around suddenly. He pointed a finger at the toad. "He does that a lot."

"I know," came the unexpected reply from the girl at Sesshoumaru's left. Even she looked surprised at her own response.

Naraku brightened and gave her a bewitching smile. "Let us hurry. Midday is approaching and it isn't wise to try to find a fox in the dark."

"A fox?" Rin quizzed, growing bolder.

Naraku had turned back towards their path but threw a grin over his shoulder at the girl's question. "Yes, a fox. They are tricky creatures, young one. So tricky that they can escape death many times. It is one such creature who shall find a way to trick your master's illness and make him well again."

Rin looked down at the ground, arms still crossed defensively over her chest. "Oh. That will be good… mast-" Luckily, Rin caught herself before she used the formal term towards her former kidnapper.

Unfortunately, she hadn't been quick enough and Naraku was quick to catch what she had almost called him. "There's no need for formality, child. You may even call me 'uncle,' if you so wish."

"Don't call him uncle," the white-haired lord chimed in, voice strained.

"Yes, my lord," Rin obeyed, a little too weirded out to say much else. Her expression was a funny cross between repulsion and shock.

Naraku's pout was visible but it devolved too quickly into a grin to be taken seriously. "Have you ever been this far east, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru didn't respond.

The spider demon forced a sigh. He carded his fingers through his wavy tendrils of hair. "Not the most talkative bunch, if I've ever met one. I suppose I should be grateful. Your younger 'half' only more than makes up for any conversation you all lack. And all by himself."

Sesshoumaru grunted. Naraku beamed with his success.

"Should we have time—"

"Do you ever shut up?!" Jaken ground out between tensed beak.

Naraku visibly jolted as if affronted by the toad demon's tone. "My word. Aren't we spunky today?"

Jaken opened his beak as if to speak more but the sound of his master's voice stopped him.

"Yes, aren't we? You mustn't get out much, hanyou," Sesshoumaru broke in, his tone a bit dangerous.

Naraku was staring down the toad behind him when he flicked his eyes up to meet that of the toad's master. He turned back around. They had just crested the small hill in the road and were now coming down a path now flocked on either side by fields and well-maintained trees. At this time of year, bright orange balls could still be seen decorating the branches. Persimmon orchards! They had arrived.

"I'll admit, I don't often get the luxury," Naraku finally acknowledged the dog demon's snide remark.

"Considering how often you have others do your dirty work, it's only par the course."

While Naraku's posture remained relaxed, his facial expression had grown pinched. Luckily, his back was still to the dog. "Are you insinuating something, my lord?"

"Merely an observation, half-breed. Relax," Sesshoumaru smirked, his eyes intent enough to burn a hole into the spider demon's back.

"Will the fox know we're coming?" Rin asked suddenly, causing the entire group to come to a pause.

"That's a good question, Rin. One that deserves answering," Jaken eyed the spider demon, distrust and distaste apparent on his face.

Naraku spun slowly towards the group. "Let me guess. You don't trust me."

Rin and Jaken shook their heads while Sesshoumaru stared on, bored.

Naraku grabbed his breast in shock. "Any other surprises you all wish to reveal before we continue?"

Sesshoumaru growled at this. Naraku broke into a placating grin.

"You all must really work on your humor. I believe your lord's attitude is rubbing off," Naraku flicked his eyes to Sesshoumaru—just to be safe—before continuing. "The fox has not been alerted of our arrival but he knows to accept those who come looking for him. He will be masquerading as a human, of course. Our only job is to find him. He does not keep the same disguise long."

"This Sesshoumaru does not have the time for this, damned spider!" the white dog growled, taking a step forward.

Naraku whirled on him, growling in kind. "Then he musn't have the time for a cure, now does he?" Unfortunately, Naraku looked as if he regretted those words as soon as he spoke them. He visibly tensed as if expecting another attack.

Sesshoumaru was quick to show him how correct he was. The dog demon lunged forward, plowing his closed fist through the spider's stomach. The impact was blunt and the spider's skin did not give easily. Naraku's mouth fell open in shock and betrayal before he cried out, clutching the dog demon's arm as his legs began to give and his body shook uncontrollably.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed in suspicion and he pulled his arm free from the spider's entrails. Naraku fell to his knees clutching at his guts that threatened to spill, miasma now curling outwards from the wound and seeping out of the spider's mouth. Rin screamed and the spider's red eyes fell on her. She stumbled backward as Jaken told her not to look.

"So you come to us in the flesh?" Sesshoumaru stated flatly, shaking bits of flesh and blackened blood from his arm. He stared down at the gore in disgust.

It was apparent that Naraku was trying to form a response but his voice wouldn't work. He still clutched at his midsection, rocking forward until his forehead kissed the ground. Raven black curls settled around him as he shook and coughed.

The white dog stared at the spider for a few more moments before stepping around him and into the rows of persimmon trees. The young girl did not follow. Her eyes were still screwed shut and she clutched at her mouth as if holding something threatening back. Jaken looked down impishly at the quivering mass before him. There was no sympathy in his expression.

"Serves you right for tricking our lord, repugnant scum. You and your whore are the one who got us into this mess and yet you still play your ceaseless games!"

Naraku's head tore up suddenly from its nest in the dirt. His expression was feral. Bloodshot eyes and bared fangs were enough to have Jaken pulling at the frozen girl behind him as he ushered them both after their departing lord. Spit and blood now mingled along the corners of Naraku's mouth as he seethed, glaring after the group. He threw back his head to scream but only a garbled mess emerged and he was thrown into a hacking fit. He coughed up blood and half-formed, wriggling tentacles—signs that his body was beginning to knit itself closed. He couldn't yet move, however. Nor did he appear to want to.

"W-which one do you think it could be?" Jaken stuttered, eyes wide and a bit teary.

Dozens upon dozens of humans milled about in the busy village square. The demon lord and his charges were just outside the border of the village town, still enshrouded by the greenery so as not to draw any attention to themselves. The village appeared to be a major commercial center; not exactly the ideal hideout for a fox demon. Then again, foxes were known for their trickery. Risk of being found out aside, living in a large town would mean a near constant food source and a quiet life safe from predators. Their target had decided his home well; now, they would have to pay the price for it.

The dog demon was quiet as usual though his eyes flicked restlessly about between the human faces.

"Naraku said that he doesn't keep the same disguise. How shall we locate the fox, my lord?" Rin turned uneasy eyes upon her lord, uncertainty marring her delicate face.

Jaken shook his head in disbelief. "That damned spider and his riddles. I doubt even he could locate the fox before sun down. What are we to do? If we don't hurry, lord Sesshoumaru may suffer permanent damage to his senses!"

"Silence," Sesshoumaru bit out suddenly. His facial muscles twitched before falling flat. He turned his gaze to the toad demon. "Find him and bring him to me."

Against his better judgment, the demon toad squawked and flapped his arms. He stopped abruptly when the dog demon narrowed his eyes at him. "B-b-but mi lord…"

"Jaken…" Sesshoumaru said dangerously, mouth turning down into a distinct frown.

Jaken's beak opened and closed several times before he could summon the strength—perhaps the courage—to continue. "There are too many humans, mi lord. Even from here, my nostrils are overwhelmed with the stench of them. Mi lord, your sense of smell is far superior to-ahh!"

Sesshoumaru hadn't moved but Jaken seemed to sense his own blunder and cowed before his lord as if he had been struck. Sesshoumaru's eyes raked over his retainer as if accessing his desire to make Jaken's assumption of violence come true.

All the while, Rin silently fumed. Her thin hands were bunched into fists and her expression melded from one of unease into set determination. Suddenly, she began tearing at the bottom of her kimono, undoing the layers until gangly, pale legs were exposed.

"My lord, I shall find him," Rin spoke resolutely, a sense of purpose settling in her eyes as she looked up to the dog demon towering over her. "If he be a demon, he will be attracted to the scent of my blood. If my legs are cut and hidden by my kimono, no human will know I'm bleeding but a demon will!"

"…S-she has a point, mi—arghh!"

This time, Sesshoumaru did deal a blow to the toad. Jaken now lay unconscious as a result of the kick square to the back of his head.

Rin watched the antics before her but her eyes were pleading as she turned her full attention to the dog demon. "Please, lord Sesshoumaru. Let me help. If you cut my legs, I can help find the fox that will save you!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes were wide and his jaw had gone slack, evident in his parted lips. Suddenly, he closed them. "Rin. No."

"Please, my lord!" Rin implored, her face bordering anger. "We are running out of time! Naraku won't help and Jaken is no help. If you don't do it… I will!" Rin lurched forward towards the sword tied at her master's hip.

Caught off guard by the brashness of the usually docile girl, Sesshoumaru could be seen stumbling back. He recovered quickly. "Rin, you do not—"

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin stamped her foot and screeched out loud before the dog demon was grabbing her and pulling her to him.

"Hush, Rin!" Sesshoumaru bit out, his grip on her arms gentle but firm. "You shall lead them to us."

Anger still laced her face as tears began to cloud her eyes. "Why won't you let me help?" The tears began to spill.

Sesshoumaru pulled his hands back as if touching hot iron. "Cease this at once, Rin."

"Not until you let me help! If you won't let Rin help, you won't be able to save Rin and Rin will be shredded up much worse than a cut on the leg!" Rin yelled, her high-pitched voice ringing in his overly sensitive ears that were too close to her at this level.

The dog demon's face screwed up in annoyance but he did not reach for the girl a second time. He straightened to his full height and took a step back. The index and middle finger of his right hand flexed. "Do not move," he ground out, his voice strangely strained. The two fingers began to glow green.

Rin's eyes widened, partly from fear and mostly from surprise. She scrambled to gather the skirts of her robe in hand as she bared her left leg to her master.

The young girl muffled her cry as best she could as a green whip licked across the skin of her leg, leaving a thin welt so neat that even her skin resisted bleeding at first.

Sesshoumaru had turned partly to the side as the deed was done but now he stared wide eyed at the damage he had caused. Rin jumped in place as her lord dropped to the ground before her and began to bathe the wound in his saliva.

Rin appropriately screamed before Sesshoumaru's hand flew up to cover her mouth. "My energy whip can be venomous—my saliva is the antidote," he explained in a rush before removing his hand to busy himself with fixing her robes.

Rin's mouth was twisted in disgust and mild shock as her kimono was put to rights and she was turned to face the human village. She recovered enough to flex her left leg in an attempt to prolong the bleeding. Satisfied with the tickling drops of blood she felt, Rin looked back at her lord and smiled. "Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru. Now it doesn't even hurt."

The dog demon was as stoic as ever, though his skin was a few shades paler than normal. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before settling them on the young girl in front of him. "You are to walk straight into the village and straight back. Do not deviate from that path and do not follow anyone. Should anyone startle you, call to me."

"Yes, my lord!" Rin saluted the dog demon before running from the greenery and onto the main road leading into town. It was at about this time that Jaken began to recover.

"O-oh. Where am I?" Beady eyes blinked in confusion as the toad demon took in his surroundings. He squinted his eyes and shook his head until his vision settled. It was a few seconds more before he realized he was not alone. "Oh, mi lord! I'm sorry! I must have regrettably fallen asleep. It will not happen again," Jaken screeched, pressing his forehead to the dirt.

Sesshoumaru sneered at the toad demon. "Indeed." Golden eyes followed the form of his young charge as she disappeared among the rest of the humans in the village square.

"Where's Rin, mi lord? Did that troublesome girl get lost again?!"

This time, the great dog demon audibly sighed as he leaned back against a sturdy tree. Jaken looked up and at him in confusion before turning to look over his shoulder at the village. The sun was beginning to set.

There weren't many things the two of them agreed on, but maybe Jaken had been right.

Humans did stink.

Rin's face screwed up at the different smells that assaulted her nose as she passed the many stalls and alleyways in the town square. There was so much going on around her, she wondered how she would ever make it to the end of the square and back again just as her lord had instructed. She didn't believe there was ever truly an end to bustle and commotion around her.

"Noisy humans," Rin grumped, parroting words that Jaken often aimed at her during their many arguments.

"Grilled beef tongue is good for growing, young girls! Would you like to try some?"

Startled, Rin looked up at the middle-aged woman who bent down towards her, offering a stick covered with cooked meat in her direction. Shaking her head fearfully, Rin backed away from the woman and ducked into the crowd.

"Huh… strange girl," the matronly woman mused as she straightened and began flagging down another child passing by.

Still shocked that she had been approached, Rin was still backing away when she bumped into a wheel. She jerked out of the way, thinking she had run into the path of a moving cart only to turn around and see the offending wheel she had backed into slowly beginning to roll away. Rin's mouth fell open as she saw that the wheel had been attached to a cart, but a stationary one, and that she had somehow jostled the wheel loose from its stand when she had run into it. The cart, loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, built up momentum as it rolled until it crashed into an adjacent cart holding live chickens and eggs. The leashed chickens spooked and squawked as they tumbled out the side of the cart, carrying it over with them. The stall owners swore and a woman screamed as a chicken got loose and began chasing after her toddling child who was toddling away for dear life. A bright pink peach that had shaken loose from the first cart now rolled idly along the ground and right into the path of a cheery old man with a walking stick who promptly tripped over it and came crashing down. That's when a group of errant youths decided to dive on the old man and search his pockets for coins. It wasn't until a loose egg rolled and bumped into her foot that Rin finally tore her eyes away from the varying levels of destruction she had mistakenly caused. Knocking the egg away, she looked back up only to find several eyes beginning to settle on her.

Rin's eyes bulged when the eyes on her began to narrow. She opened her mouth.

"Oh shit."

Sesshoumaru's young charge took off like a bat out of hell.

A merchant holding a chicken under each arm gesticulated as best he could after her. "There she is! That little shit did it! Get her!" Several others ran past him, intent on making the young girl's parents pay for the damage she had caused.

Rin ran faster than she ever had. The cut on her leg was of no consequence—the only thing she felt now was fear. Damnit, lord Sesshoumaru was on his own.

She chanced a look over her shoulder at the townspeople who pursued her, resembling any old demon horde if she'd ever seen one. She couldn't let them get her.

Against her better judgment, Rin skidded to a stop and immediately took off down an alley. She jumped over debris and abandoned furniture as the alley opened out on a back street she didn't realize was there. She looked to her left. She looked to her right. Which way? If she turned right, it'd lead her back in the direction of the town entrance and closer to the mob. If she turned left… if she turned left…

"You're the girl in the square, right? This way!" a young boy called, gesturing for her to follow him down the side of two houses.

Rin stared bug-eyed at the boy, frozen in place.

The boy looked agitated. "Look, the old man'll be coming after me, too. We got to hide!"

The young girl's face lit up in recognition. He was one of the boys who had pick-pocketed the old man with the cane! Hell, they were all fugitives at this point and this boy knew where to hide.

Rin ran towards him as he disappeared down between the two houses. "Wait for me!" she cried as she, too, ran down the side of the houses. She didn't get far before she slammed to a halt.

It was a dead end.

There was no one little boy. There was no one.

Rin pivoted on one foot to head back out into the street only to slam into something solid. She punched and tore at whatever, whoever, was in front of her and she opened her mouth to scream.

Her eyes went wide as her mouth was covered.

Rin's world turned black.

Your feedback is appreciated! C:

With love,

`kokonimo