Chapter 7
"What happened to Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Inuyasha?" Rin asked in confusion as the pups ran into the forest. She was upset that Sesshomaru had appeared to not recognize her at all. Not only that, he had immediately acted as if she was a potential threat.
"I don't know," Sango said, staring in the direction they had gone. "It looks like they're under some sort of spell. Again." She recalled the time the brothers had been turned into pups by Ichiro, a rogue inu yokai who had wanted to use Sesshomaru to take control of his father's lands. He hadn't known Inu no Taisho had a second son and Inuyasha had gotten caught in the transformation as well. That time they had both been about three years old despite their age difference. This time they seemed closer in relative ages. Inuyasha had appeared to be a child of about four or five while Sesshomaru had been a bit older, around nine, she guessed.
"We should see if we can find the spot the spell was cast. That may give us a clue as to what happened or who cast it."
"Lord Sesshomaru had gone to find Inuyasha, I believe," Kaede said. "It would appear that he found him. Though be it before or after the spell was cast I cannot say."
"Inuyasha's been spending a lot of time at the Sacred Tree and the Bone Eater's Well," Sango mused. "It's where he feels closest to Kagome."
The trio walked towards the forest. They stopped when they spotted something laying in the middle of the path.
"That's Lord Sesshomaru's armor," Rin said. She moved closer and picked up the remains of his sash, frowning as she ran it through her hands. It had clearly been cut.
"That's strange. Their clothing shrunk with them," Kaede mused. "Yet not the armor."
"Why not?" Sango asked.
"I have no idea," Kaede admitted. "I do not see their weapons here."
"Sesshomaru had his swords," Sango replied. She had noticed the weapons at his waist, though he hadn't reached for them while in the village, relying solely on his claws. She frowned as she tried to picture the details. "I think Inuyasha had Tessaiga across his back." She motioned to the remnants of the sash in Rin's hands. "They must have cut lengths from that. Which would imply that they recognized the swords since they thought to take them."
"Perhaps…" Kaede said thoughtfully. "Inu yokai are very much creatures of instinct. Inuyasha has said that Tessaiga's blade carries his father's scent as it was forged from his fang. Tenseiga would also bear his scent. It is possible that they simply smelled their father on the swords."
"What about Bakusaiga?"
"Ye have said that Lord Sesshomaru created the sword from his own demonic energies, have ye not?" Kaede said. Rin nodded, remembering the event vividly. "Then it is most likely that he feels a connection with the blade even though he does not recognize it."
Sango shook her head. This was all interesting speculation but it was just that, speculation. It did nothing to help Inuyasha. "There's nothing else here," she said after a quick but thorough look around the area.
They continued until they reached the Bone Eater's Well. There was nothing around the Well to indicate anything unusual had happened there. The same for the Sacred Tree. They headed back towards the village proper.
"Nothing," Sango said, disheartened. She sighed. "I wish Kagome was here. She could have used the enchanted beads to keep Inuyasha in the village at least."
Kaede shook her head. "That would have been dangerous, Sango, as ye well know. Ye saw Sesshomaru. He clearly saw us and the other villagers as a threat. To have attempted to keep them here would have resulted in a fight with a frightened demon child. I have no doubt he could cause great harm in spite of his young age."
"You're right," Sango agreed. "It's just frustrating. We have no idea what's happened to them and this time they've run off."
Rin looked upset. "Why did Lord Sesshomaru act as if we were going to hurt them?" she asked.
"I don't think he remembers anything," Sango tried to comfort her.
Rin frowned. "Why would someone want to turn Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Inuyasha into children again? But they were older this time."
Sango gave a small rueful smile. "Who knows, Rin." She shook her head. Her life as a demon slayer had never been boring. It had become even more interesting ever since she had met Inuyasha and Kagome almost two years ago. Since defeating Naraku and destroying the Shikon Jewel things had settled down quite a bit. Though it looked as if they had just gotten more interesting once again. The timing could have been better, she thought ruefully. She was too pregnant to go after the pups at the moment, Miroku would be gone for another day, and Khohaku and Shippo were away continuing their respective trainings. And Kagome was gone, returned to her own time.
"I'm going after Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin suddenly declared.
Kaede shook her head at Sango before she could speak. "Nay, Sango. Ye are too close to your time."
Sango nodded reluctantly. "You're right," she admitted. "Miroku should be back by tomorrow."
Rin shook her head. "I'm going now."
"You can't go by yourself!" Sango protested.
Rin smiled. "I'll be fine. I can survive on my own. Ah-Un will protect me. Lord Sesshomaru often left me with him when he went to fight." She pointed at the two-headed dragon that could be seen grazing at the outskirts of the village.
"I don't like this. You should wait until Miroku gets back at least. Or we can send word to Kohaku."
"It will take too long. It's too dangerous to allow them to wander the forest alone."
Kaede frowned slightly. "Aye, you speak true, child. I do not like it either, Sango but Rin has a point. And it seems this time Lord Sesshomaru seems much less willing to trust humans."
"He would be old enough to be wary of humans," Sango agreed, recalling the last time the brothers had been turned into pups. At that time the pups had been willing to travel with the humans as their caretakers, perhaps because they were so young. From what Sango had seen this time, they were somewhat older and more relative in their ages. Inuyasha had appeared to be about five years old while Sesshomaru was a bit older, the equivalent of about nine. Certainly old enough that he would have been warned about being alone and surrounded by humans. Most demons who weren't outright hostile towards humans were at the very least wary of them, even if they normally didn't perceive them as a threat. There was much mistrust and hostility on both sides, so it was only a natural reaction. This was going to be tricky.
"I will gather some food for ye," Kaede said, bowing to the inevitable. Rin was a well-behaved child but she was extremely loyal to Sesshomaru. If she felt he was in danger she would disobey any orders to remain in the village to go and help him.
"I have some items that will help you, too," Sango said. "I'll get them and bring them to Kaede's"
Rin followed the old priestess back to her home. As they reached the doorway, there came a pop and Shippo appeared before them.
"I got promoted again!" he said proudly. His smile faded a bit at the serious looks on Kaede's and Rin's faces. "Hey, Kaede! What's going on?" Shippo asked, sensing the tension in the air.
"It would appear that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru have been turned into children."
"Again?" Shippo asked incredulously. "Man, Inuyasha sure is stupid! What'd he do this time?"
"I am certain that it was not intentional, Shippo," Kaede scolded.
The kitsune snorted, not entirely convinced of that. In his experience Inuyasha tended to act first and think later. He followed them inside and watched as Kaede began gathering food together. "You're going after them?" he asked, surprised.
"Nay, young Rin insists on going."
"Oh, Miroku's back?"
"No."
"Kohaku?"
"No."
Shippo frowned. "Who's going with her, then?"
"No one, I'm afraid. She insists on going alone and not waiting for Miroku to return or for word to reach Kohaku."
"You should really wait for Miroku to get back. He should be returning tomorrow," Shippo told Rin.
She shook her head. "No, I need to go now." Her jaw was set in a stubborn line.
"I'm coming with you!" Shippo declared suddenly. He had no love for Sesshomaru, though the daiyokai hadn't tried to kill any of them in a while and seemed to have come to some sort of truce with Inuyasha. Much as he teased Inuyasha, the kitsune cared greatly for him. The half demon had become like a brother to him, as much family as the parents he had lost. Inuyasha had stood by his side more than once. He wouldn't abandon his friend if he was in trouble.
Rin gave him a grateful smile and hugged him. "Thank you, Shippo!"
"Someone's got to get Inuyasha out of trouble. I'm surprised someone was able to cast a spell on Sesshomaru, though. And now it's happened twice! Guess he's not as tough as he'd like everyone to think."
"I would not let Lord Sesshomaru hear you say that," Kaede said.
"Hmph," Shippo grunted. But he knew he would certainly not be repeating those words within Sesshomaru's hearing. He and Rin helped Kaede until Sango entered, carrying a small bundle.
"Hello, Shippo," she greeted.
"Hey, Sango! I hear Inuyasha and Sesshomaru got turned into little kids again. I'm going with Rin to find them."
"I'm glad to hear that." She turned to Rin. "I gathered some things together for you to take. Hopefully you won't need most of it." Sango opened the bundle so she could show the items to Rin. She picked up her wakizashi and slipped it into the girl's sash. "Take this. It is a Demon Slayer's blade and made of steel and demon bones so it will be effective against demons as well as humans."
"I've never used a sword before," Rin admitted quietly.
"With any luck you won't need to use this one, either. Just having a weapon should make you less of a target." Sango assured her. She picked up a familiar object. "This mask will filter out most harmful gasses and toxins. You hopefully won't need it but just in case…"
Rin smiled and nodded, remembering when Sango had given her the mask when they had been inside Naraku to protect her.
"I remember," She said.
Sango handed her a container filled with what appeared to be small beads. "These are scent beads. The odor they give off when broken is extremely irritating to demons, especially those with a strong sense of smell. They've incapacitated Inuyasha in the past and so will doubtless be effective against Sesshomaru as well."
Rin frowned. "I don't want to hurt Lord Sesshomaru!" she protested.
"It won't harm him," Sango assured her. "But if he won't listen or tries to attack you out of fear they should neutralize him without causing permanent harm."
"Lord Sesshomaru won't hurt me," Rin stated.
The others didn't argue with her. The girl was completely loyal to the demon lord no matter the circumstances. He had protected her and never failed to come to her rescue the entire time she had traveled with him. She would not believe that he'd harm her now.
"Well, they'll be effective against other demons you may encounter as well." Next, Sango opened a small case. "This is a very potent poison. It won't harm humans but it's fatal to demons. All most need to do is touch it. Demon Slayers would use it on our blades or weapons when fighting a particularly tough demon. I hope you never have cause to use it. Be very, very careful with it, especially around Shippo."
Both children nodded solemnly. Rin's eyes were wide and a bit frightened. Sango had debated whether or not to give her the poison. She hadn't been lying about how dangerous it was to demons. But she also wanted Rin to be as well prepared as possible so in the end she had decided to give it to her, hoping that she would never have cause to use it or any of the equipment she was taking.
Kaede had finished making a package of foodstuffs for the journey. They accompanied Shippo and Rin to Ah-Un. They helped secure the food and equipment to the dragon's back. Sango patted one of his heads.
"Watch over them," she said softly. "Please."
Ah-Un snorted and she suspected it had understood her perfectly and would do its utmost to protect the children. Climbing onto the dragon, Rin took up the reigns, Shippo holding tight behind her.
"Thank you, Lady Sango! Lady Kaede! We'll be back soon!" Rin said cheerfully. "Come on, Ah-Un. Let's find Lord Sesshomaru!"
The dragon turned and walked towards the forest.
"I should be going with them," Sango said as Ah-Un disappeared among the trees.
Kaede shook her head. "Nay. Your time is too close at hand. Trust in them. Rin survived for a long time on her own and has a good head on her shoulders. Young Shippo has learned much in his time traveling with Inuyasha and even more since continuing his fox demon training. The dragon will protect them and carry them away should things become too dangerous. Lord Sesshomaru would not have left her with it as her guardian were it incapable of defending her."
"You're right," Sango said with a sigh as she placed one hand on her swollen belly as she felt the baby kick. She hoped never to cause her own children so much worry at such a young age. "I just hope they can find the pups and bring them back safely. Then we can work on figuring out who's behind it this time. Hopefully this will be the last time. Inuyasha is an adorable pup but twice in a row is a bit much!"
