Disclaimer: Bonjour et bienvenu! Welcome to chapter four =^.^= As usual, I am still an utter failure at owning Inuyasha or the affiliated characters, but I have hired a team of ninjas to infiltrate Rumiko Takahashi's home and steal them. Now I just have to find my ninjas...sneaksie creatures they are...

~Chapter Four~

"Look Mommy!"

Rin glanced up at the little voice, but the child ignored her completely, intent on presenting his prize to the beautiful demoness sitting next to her. Michiko smiled lovingly down at the little Inu child who was holding up an abandoned birds nest for her to see. The little boy had jet black hair pulled back into a queue, much like his father Taichi, but the emerald green eyes came straight from his mother. He was very tall for a five year old, and so very proud of his treasure. Rin felt her heart constrict as she looked down at the beautiful child, seeing another little boy with silver hair and bright gold eyes holding the nest in his place. She blinked and came back to reality as Michiko exclaimed over the nest and the boy preened under her praise before taking off to find a new adventure. From his perch on Rin's shoulder Arata leaned over to investigate the nest, hoping that there was some prize left inside that he might steal.

Rin sighed, leaning back against the tree she was sitting against and Arata turned and butted his head against hers comfortingly. She and her two friends were sitting in their clearing in the woods as the afternoon sun set slowly in the west, painting the sky with fiery oranges and yellows as it went. In the shadows beneath the trees it was quickly becoming cooler, and as she pulled her kimono tighter around her Rin worried for the thousandth time if her children would be warm enough. She should have insisted that they take more blankets. Hearing her sigh, Michiko turned her blazing green eyes to her curiously before giving them an expressive roll.

"They are fine! Honestly, those two monsters of yours are more likely to scare the demons rather than the other way around."

Rin grinned despite her worries as she scratched the bakeneko's velvety head and Michiko's eyes twinkled mischievously. After a moment the demoness looked down at the bird's nest in her hand.

"Do you think he'll notice if I hide this before we go home? I don't know if we can fit any more nests or sticks or rocks in our home," she laughed. Rin's smile turned wistful and she hugged Arata close for a moment, an indignity that he tolerated with remarkable restraint before wriggling free and leaping to sit in the branches above her head, washing himself vigorously.

"They may be his treasures now, but you'll treasure them above all things when he gets too old to give them to you," she said sadly. Michiko huffed and glared sternly at her.

"Enough of this! You are being entirely too depressing, and you will cease this gloomy behavior immediately or I shall be forced to throw you in the lake!" She glared at Rin for good measure before remembering to add, "My lady." Rin burst out laughing.

"You're right, I'm sorry for being so miserable. I just miss them terribly, and worry about them," she said. Michiko nodded, sympathetic at last.

"Yes, well I'm sure this is but the first of many adventures, so you'll have to adjust. Besides," she added with a sly glance at Rin, "the way your husband looks at you it shouldn't be too long before you have another little bundle of worry to chase around the castle." Rin blushed and grinned.

"I hope so," she said, "but from what Sesshoumaru said you full-bloods are so long lived that you don't sire children very often. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha are centuries apart!" she pointed out in dismay.

Michiko nodded her head.

"True," she said pensively, "but you're not a demon at all, so who knows? At least you can enjoy trying!"

Rin sighed again, this time in happiness as she recalled her lazy afternoon with her very attentive mate. Yes, we definitely enjoy trying, she thought to herself smugly. Michiko smirked at her as if she could read her thoughts and winked at her conspiratorially before standing gracefully and beginning to gather their things. Arata returned to his perch on Rin's shoulder while Michiko called to her son, and the little boy scampered in front of them as they meandered through the thickening darkness towards the castle. As the world around her grew darker, so did Rin's mood and she walked in silence. There was tenseness in her shoulders that she could not relieve, and by the time full dark had fallen the skin at the back of her neck was tingling. Something was wrong, she could feel it. It was very late when at last they reached the castle, and Rin had never been more relieved to see the stone walls of her home. As she and Michiko entered through the great gate Arata curled his tails around her neck while Rin cast her eyes about for her mate. Not seeing him, she fought the urge to break out into a run as she crossed the castle grounds, headed towards the main hall. Despite the late hour, she found Sesshoumaru seated on the dais surrounded by demons vying for his attention as they pressed claims for various issues in his realm, but her mate did not appear to be listening. He gazed off into the distance, staring at the flickering lanterns that had been lit against the darkness outside. He looked every inch the implacable Lord of the West, and even Rin felt a tremor course through her at his immense power. He was resplendent in a stunning white kimono, his long silver hair flowing down his back and his sharp eyes hard and cold as gold. His glance cut across the room and locked on her as soon as she stepped into the room. She bowed her head respectfully and he motioned her forward, his eyes following her every move. As she looked up at him once more she saw past his cool gaze to the truth. Sesshoumaru was just as tense as she was. Her apprehension solidified into a knot of worry in her stomach, and she surreptitiously pressed her hands against it. Settling down next to her mate, she concentrated on taking deep, calm breaths as the supplicants continued to petition their lord, eying the bakeneko on her shoulder warily as they did. She fought not to fidget, but the longer she sat the harder her heart began to pound. She could feel Arata's claws digging into her shoulder and his tails flicking in agitation as he picked up on her nerves, and reached up to stroke him in an attempt to ease them both. A warm pulse of power slid along the length of her spine, Sesshoumaru reaching out to her to offer his own comfort and though her face remained impassive the warmth in her eyes as she looked at him in gratitude seemed to comfort him as well. Together they sat late into the night, much later than they would have had they not been looking for something to distract them from their worries.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and a moment later a tengu stumbled through the door. His eyes were wide and panicked as he approached the dais and fell to his knees, trembling as he waited for Sesshoumaru to acknowledge him. Her senses tingled and with a start Rin realized this was the demon that had been following her children. Her heart froze in her chest.

"Clear the room," Sesshoumaru said quietly, his cold gaze locked on the tengu at his feet. The youkai surrounding them stumbled over themselves in their haste to obey, the deadly calm of his voice making it clear that their lives were in danger. In less than a moment Rin and Sesshoumaru were looking down on the shaking form of the bird youkai in front of them. Arata slithered down Rin's shoulder to the ground as Sesshoumaru's cold eyes bored into the hapless demon, and unable to bear it any longer the youkai began to talk.

"It's the children my lord," he stuttered, pressing his forehead to the ground. He gasped for breath. "They…they're gone."

Rin's world fell away from her and she sat staring at the youkai, unseeing. There was a strange ringing in her ears, and she couldn't concentrate. Vaguely she saw Sesshoumaru blur, his eyes flashing blood red and his stripes jagged tears along his jaw as he lifted the tengu from the floor by his neck. She understood that Sesshoumaru was demanding information from the terrified youkai, but could hear nothing past the roaring of her blood in her ears. The tengu's voice echoed in her head…gone….they're gone…..

"Mistress," Arata's whisper floated through her mind, barely penetrating the fog. She turned slowly to see the bakeneko looking up at her worriedly, but could not respond. She stood and turned, walking out of the room. As she moved, the cocoon of numbness that had surrounded her began to unravel, and soon she was running across the grounds through the darkness. She sprinted as fast as she could towards the little gate where she had last seen her children and managed to make it out onto the path before she started screaming.

Her legs gave out beneath her as raw anguish overwhelmed her and she doubled over, sobs ripping from her throat uncontrolled. The cold stars blinked mercilessly down upon her as she clawed at the dirt, trying to drag herself forward to where her children had gone but she couldn't see, could barely move under the onslaught of her grief. The despair was crushing, and for a moment all she could do was cling to her sanity as her screams tore from her chest, leaving her hollow. They're gone…

Distantly Rin felt strong arms wrap themselves around her and an instant later she was cradled in the protective embrace of her husband. She buried her face in his neck and clung to him as she wept brokenly. His claws were buried in her hair as he held her tightly, nearly crushing her against him. After a moment he pulled back, grasping her by her upper arms.

"Enough of this," Sesshoumaru said firmly, shaking her a bit. Rin bit her lip and blinked the tears from her eyes, doing her best to focus on her mate. He nodded his head in approval.

"Now get up. We will find them," he growled.

Rin looked deep into his golden eyes and the resolve she saw in them kindled a tiny, fragile flame of hope in her broken heart. She nodded slowly, and he released her arms and reached up to cup her face. He stroked his long thumbs across her cheeks, the deadly claws gently wiping the tear tracks from her face. He stood gracefully, scooping her up and leaping into the sky. The cold air whipping across her face snapped Rin the rest of the way out of her stupor, and rage began to burn deep inside her, thawing out the cold of her despair. Whoever had dared to take her children would feel agony beyond anything they had ever imagined. With every heartbeat the fury grew until it was pulsing through her like acid, burning through her veins. The pressure built inside her until it was a tangible thing that she could feel in the tips of her fingers, and she shook her head, shocked and a little afraid of what she was feeling.

High in the sky the hapless tengu was soaring, and upon seeing Sesshoumaru speeding towards him he wheeled around and headed towards the camp where the children were meant to be staying. After a few miles he tucked back his wings and dove, Sesshoumaru following close behind. Landing, the bird youkai transformed back into his human form, and, giving Sesshoumaru a wide berth, began to speak.

"I followed them as commanded, my lord, flying high and remaining invisible. They were making good time when suddenly my sense of them simply vanished. I circled, searching for them, but it is as if they just disappeared. We have several wings sweeping the area as we speak looking for some sign of them," he finished warily. Setting Rin gently on her feet Sesshoumaru took a deep breath, his sensitive nose taking in the scents around him. He clearly sensed their trail coming from towards the castle, both smelled healthy. He could find no indication that they had been anxious, and the sharp acidic scent of fear was nowhere to be found. He traced their steps, moving quickly, eyes picking up clues of their passing. Along the path he found a broken twig covered in Katsurou's scent, the boy had brushed it aside as he passed, and the leaves on the other side of the path carried Miyako's scent from where she had slid past them on her journey. The trail was as clearly marked as any he had ever seen until he stepped beneath the boughs of an enormous tree. There, the trail simply stopped, as if the children had ceased to exist. Narrowing his eyes, he ran his clawed hand over the trunk of the tree, finding nothing out of the ordinary about it. Besides the normal scents of the wildlife of the forest and one lone oni in disguised as a deer, nothing had come upon this spot since the twins had. If something had come along and kidnapped them he would have smelled the trail. There was no change in their scent indicating that they had shifted into their demon forms, and even if they had the younglings had not yet been able to achieve flight, but Sesshoumaru searched for scents in the air as well, just to be sure. Nothing, their scents simply ended, and Sesshoumaru was bewildered.

Rin glanced around at the shrubbery surrounding the trail.

"There's no sign of a struggle," she said, peering through the darkness. They moved wordlessly along the trail, headed towards the camp where the twins were meant to have gone and searching for some sign of them. The forest was black around them as Rin followed Sesshoumaru, dodging low hanging branches as she searched for some sign of the children. Reaching the clearing, there was nothing to indicate that the twins had ever reached this point, and Rin closed her eyes against the disappointment that filled her.

"Where could they have gone?" she whispered as Sesshoumaru paced the clearing. He flexed his claws, long and sharp, yearning for an enemy he could destroy. He shook his head, wishing he had an answer for her.

Above them, a tengu called and Sesshoumaru snapped his head up. Rin held her breath as her mate listened to the bird and an instant later Sesshoumaru turned and scooped her into his arms.

"They found something," he said shortly, and they leapt into the air. Rin clutched at Sesshoumaru's shoulders as they flew through the night, her heart in her throat. If they had found the twins that would have said so, instead they found something. Rin peered through the darkness as the earth sped by beneath them, eyes narrowing. They seemed to be headed towards the second camp. As they passed by the lake she felt Sesshoumaru stiffen suddenly, then he plummeted like a stone, causing Rin to squeal in surprise and cling to him tighter. He landed on the shore near the water, eyes searching the darkness as he drew in great breaths of air.

"They were here," he muttered, setting Rin down.

"How long ago?" Rin demanded, "They just reappeared here?"

"It's been several hours, and if anything I would say that they reappeared in the lake," he responded, smelling the lake water that had covered them. Rin frowned.

"I don't understand," she said, frustrated. "How did they get here?"

Sesshoumaru did not answer, focused on the trail he found. Turning on his heel he stalked into the trees, Rin following right behind him.

"Miyako was angry, Katsurou was excited," he murmured, "but neither seems hurt."

Rin took a shaky breath, thankful for that much at least. As they neared the camp, they could hear a commotion through the trees. Stepping out onto the bank of the river, Rin's eyes widened. Tengus were crawling over the scene carrying torches as they surveyed the wreckage. The remains of a fire still smoldered in a ring of rocks, hours old and dying. There were great scuff marks in the earth where her children had struggled fiercely, their packs ripped and abandoned. There was no sign of either of them.

Sesshoumaru's face was expressionless, but inside his beast was roaring. There was no scent of blood, but his children's scents were doused in fear and he gritted his teeth in helpless rage that he could not destroy their tormentor immediately. The entire camp was drenched in the scent of the tengus who had searched it, but Sesshoumaru could clearly follow the trail of his children until he reached the rushing river where the scents disappeared. Beneath everything else was another scent, almost non-existant, but enough so that Sesshoumaru's lip curled and he clenched his teeth. The scent grew a fraction stronger as one of the tengus gingerly approached him.

"My lord, we searched the entire camp, and this was the only clue we could find."

Sesshoumaru's gaze locked on the tiny tuft of hair that the bird youkai presented to him. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and despite his legendary control he could not bite back the snarl that escaped him.

"Cats."

A/N: Stupid kittehs! Always causing trouble -.- So sorry for the long wait, I was abducted by aliens and taken to their home planet to be studied, however their scientists gave up because I'm an impenetrable vault of mystery. Also, I'm fairly useless and they realized they were wasting their time. I did get a T-shirt out of it though, so woo-hoo on that! Anyhoo, as always please R&R, I live for your comments! lovelovelovelove you all muchly :D

~ShadowS