Chapter 10

I don't own Inuyasha

Rin started to take off her clothes, but turned around to make sure no one was watching her. She wouldn't have worried about something like that before. She used to be innocent. Now she was paranoid about someone seeing her body and possibly lusting after her. She couldn't think the same way that a child thought. She wasn't a child anymore. She felt uncomfortable with someone looking at her and concentrating on her womanly features. "Good, no one is watching." She cautiously took off her clothing and stepped into the cold water, letting it wash her clean. She gazed at her features again and thought about those men that had tried to take advantage of her. She was glad that they didn't succeed, but she didn't like the thought of killing all of those people. However, she didn't feel guilty about actually killing those men.

When it began to get very dark, she decided that she had bathed enough. She couldn't smell the scent of the bandit's blood on her anymore. She could smell it on her clothes though. It was hard getting all of the blood stains out. "I already need a new kimono. I feel like I take up too much of Lord Sesshoumaru's time." She dried herself off and put her clothes on. Her clothes were still damp from being washed, but what else could she do? "I shouldn't bother him with trying to get another one. I should do it myself."

"Indeed you should!" said Jaken.

Rin let out a scream once she saw that Jaken had spotted her in the middle of putting her kimono on. "You sick pervert!" At the sound of her screaming, Sesshoumaru came rushing to her side and once he saw that she wasn't in danger, he narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance at the fact that he just came to save her from nothing. When Rin saw Sesshoumaru, she only began blushing insanely. Besides his annoyance, he wasn't showing any reaction to her body. When she regained her senses again, she covered herself up and started yelling at Jaken. "You knew I was bathing, you little pest!"

He turned his head in disgust. "I was sent to check on you. I had no intention of seeing your disgusting half breed features."

She stuck out her tongue. She could still be a child sometimes. "You're a nuisance!" She turned her head in disgust. 'Jaken's such a pest. I liked him when I was little.'

Later that night when they had traveled a little farther, they had decided to rest a little bit. Sesshoumaru had his back pressed against a tree and wasn't showing any sign of sleeping. Jaken on the other hand was tired. He fell asleep in a matter of minutes. He had so much to deal with concerning Rin and her recent behavior. She drained him. Rin wasn't really falling asleep. She had her back pressed against a tree, staring right at Sesshoumaru. He wasn't going to say anything. She on the other hand felt uncomfortable with the silence. "Lord Sesshoumaru, you don't have to watch me until I fall asleep. I am in no danger and if I am, then I am well able to take care of myself."

He didn't say anything at first. He didn't make a different expression or even hint at what he was going to say. "I had no intention of waiting until you sleep. I simply don't need to rest as much as you mortals do."

"Oh." She put her head down. "I suppose that's right." 'I'm not very sleepy right now, but I'll try to rest. There's no telling why I turned into a human again. I do need my strength just in case I am attacked. I need my demon strength until I can find all of the sacred jewel shards.' She sighed. "I will try to rest then." She rested her whole entire body on the ground and closed her eyes. It was hard for her to just try and sleep with him watching her. He wasn't even really paying attention to her. He was just looking forward and she happened to be there. 'He's looking at me.' She opened her eyes again. He wasn't even looking at her anymore. He had turned his head. 'He's not looking at me anymore?' She was somewhat disappointed. "Goodnight," she said quietly to her lord.

He noticed that she had told him goodnight. Of course he didn't respond with a reply, but he did watch her again. This time he was watching her instead of just simply looking in her direction. 'Naraku tried to kill her, so he must not be planning anything with her, but something isn't right.'

Rin was more tired than what she thought. Soon, she wasn't even able to open her eyes and see if he was looking at her. She had been through a lot lately, and soon she just drifted off into a deep sleep…

Rin opened her eyes and saw that Sesshoumaru wasn't there watching her like before. He was no where to be seen. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" She lifted her head up and then her upper body, resting on her bottom. "Lord Sesshoumaru?" She looked around and he couldn't be found. "I suppose he left for a moment." She sniffed the air. His scent was still fresh, but she couldn't pinpoint him. She sniffed the air again. "What's that?" She looked around and stood to her feet. "Someone else is here." She jumped once she felt the touch of muscular hands coming around her waist and the warmth of his head nuzzling her neck. "Hikakustu?"

"So we meet again, Rin." A chill went down Rin's spine and she struggled to get away from his grasp, but his arms were tightly around her. "I've missed you." He raised his head up and whispered in her ear. "Will you release me now?"

Rin tried to move her head as much as she could so she wouldn't have him speaking directly in her ear. "What are you doing?" She said it quietly but forcefully, as if she was afraid she'd be caught.

"I was just making sure you'd keep the end of our little bargain." He let her go and she stepped away as fast as she could.

"There is no bargain. I didn't make a deal with you and I don't plan on making a bargain with the likes of you! I would never!"

"I suppose so. Why would it be a bargain? You're going to do me a little favor and I don't plan on giving you anything in return." He smirked and stepped closer to her. "But if you want something else in return, then I'd love to give it to you."

He reached his hands out to touch her, but she slapped his hands away. "Don't touch me!" He only began to laugh gently. "I don't want anything to do with you! I won't release you! I wouldn't even dream of doing such a thing!"

His smile fell. "If that was true, then you would have mentioned our little meeting to the dog."

"Don't call him a dog! You should have some more respect for Lord Sesshoumaru. He's the strongest and most powerful demon that I know and you have absolutely no right to ever speak to him harshly!" She stepped back again. She was so upset that he had dared to speak against Sesshoumaru that she started cracking her knuckles. "Try to touch me again and you'll regret it. You have no idea what I'm capable of!"

"But I do know exactly what you're capable of. As a matter of fact, that's what the last dream was about." He stepped closer, but she didn't step away. "We're becoming much closer. We're getting connected. Soon, you will feel me, even in a state on consciousness." He stepped forward again and touched her cheek. "I am still sleeping, laying in dormant caused by a disgusting dog demon. Now you travel around with his son? It's only fitting, I suppose." He took his hand away, wondering. "Why exactly are you traveling with him?"

"What do you mean? He saved my life. Why would you ask me that?"

"I am lying in dormant. I only know what you want me to, Rin." He got even got closer to her. "So tell me more."

"What do you expect me to do?" She wanted to pull away from him and just wake up, but that was only part of her. The other part didn't want to leave. "What do you want? Do you honestly believe that I'd betray my lord?"

"I'm your lord, Rin. I just want you to remember that." He smirked again. "You'll see that soon."

"I'm not yours, Hikakustu and I won't turn my back on my lord!"

"If that's true, then you'll tell him exactly what happens when you dream. But believe me when I say this Rin, you're not going to tell him anything." He ran his fingers through her hair and kept touching the ends of her hair with his finger tips. "I think you'd look much nicer with shorter hair." She pushed his hands away. He only started laughing in her face. "Do you have to be so touchy? I was merely giving you a suggestion." He touched her tattered clothing. "Does the dog demon truly treat you well? Look at your kimono. You need a new one."

"You have no idea what I've been through!" She stepped back and he let go of her clothing. "I was in battle. My clothes are torn because of that reason and that reason only!"

"You need a new one. Make it red. I like red."

"I don't care what you like!"

He quickly grabbed her arms and stepped closer to her. "You do care what I like, Rin. That's why you'll do what I ask. That's why you won't tell Sesshoumaru about our little discussions. It's also the reason why you've stopped struggling to get away from me."

She had stopped struggling. He had her arms, but she could have broken away if she really wanted to. The truth is that she didn't. She couldn't step away. Something inside didn't want to. He was too familiar. The demon side, it knew him so well.

He kissed her on her forehead. "Night, Rin."

Rin opened her eyes and saw that it was still dark outside. It was pitch black. 'It must be the middle of the night.' She looked at Sesshoumaru and smiled. 'He was tired and he fell asleep.' She sat up and watched him. 'He's so handsome.' She blushed. 'He's so peaceful right now.' She got on her hands and knees and crawled over to him and stared right in his face. She paid attention to all of his features. His skin was fair and the two purple streaks on each side of his face made him look so exotic, along with the crescent blue moon on his head. 'I wonder what it all means.' She had to stop herself from reaching out to touch the crescent moon. 'He's so…beautiful.' She blushed harder.

"Is there something you want?" He opened his eyes and it scared her for a moment. She yelled out and jumped back.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" She didn't know quite what to say. "Oh, well, I couldn't really sleep. I just woke up."

"That's very self evident, Rin."

She wasn't just blushing; she was completely red with embarrassment. "Oh, yes, I suppose it is self evident." She calmed down. "I uh…I saw that you were sleeping and I thought I'd see if you…" She shrugged her shoulders "...if you were really sleeping..." He didn't say anything else and it made her feel uncomfortable. She backed away some more. "I am very sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru. I didn't mean to wake you." She laid back down and rolled over so she wouldn't see his face. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

Sesshoumaru didn't understand her behavior and wasn't even going to attempt to understand it. He decided it was best to let it be. She was a mortal girl after all. Rin rolled back over and sat up. He was beginning to show his irritation. "What is it now?"

"Oh, well I..." She wanted to tell him about her dreams. It was dangerous to be having contact with Hikakustu, even though he really wasn't even there to begin with. She was in way over her head, and yet, she didn't say anything about it. "Uh, Lord Sesshoumaru, I…" She was so ashamed of herself. "I need a new kimono." 'Why can't I tell him the truth?'

He knew there was something else she wanted to say, but he didn't press the matter. He didn't want her to think that he actually cared and he most certainly didn't want himself to start thinking that he did. "You shouldn't be so reckless."

"I know, my lord. I am very sorry about all of this." She was dying to say something, but she couldn't say what she really wanted to. As a matter of fact, she wasn't sure that she really wanted to say anything. She just decided to let it be and she rested her body again. She couldn't go back to sleep though and neither could Sesshoumaru. They just sat there in the forest and listened to the snores of Jaken until day break.

"Jaken," Rin said shaking him. "It's time to leave."

Jaken lazily got up from his slumber and sighed. "I was having the most wonderful dream."

"Really?" she asked interested. "Please tell me what happened, Master Jaken."

His face was completely serious. "You weren't there."

Rin pounded Jaken on the head and she walked away from him angrily. "The nerve of him!" 'He's just afraid that Lord Sesshoumaru likes me more and he believes that I am taking his place.' "We're leaving, Master Jaken." Once they had started on their journey to find Naraku, Rin had immediately started to sing her song that she had cleverly named Deep Forest, but it didn't last too long. She didn't have the heart to sing it.

"I'm grateful that you stopped your childish song, Rin" Jaken huffed out harshly.

"I only sang it to annoy you. I am glad that I did." She was in charge of Ah-Un and she did a nice job of making sure he kept along and didn't make any mistakes. She would take the most difficult or smallest things, it didn't matter. She only wanted to do something to make her lord happy.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she asked ",why is it that you have those markings on your face?" She didn't mean to ask, but she couldn't help it. He was so good looking. She just had to learn of his origin. "Inuyasha, your brother doesn't have them."

Sesshoumaru was curious to know why she would ask that of all questions, but he went along with it. He had a nice, short, but very effective rest. He was feeling quite tolerable at the moment. "I am a full demon. That is why Inuyasha's features differ from some of mine. He's only a mere half breed."

"Well, I know that much, but do all dog demons have markings on their face, or is it just you? Are you a very special dog demon or are you very ordinary?"

"Not all demons are the same, Rin."

"I see."

He gazed at her for a while. She asked a lot more questions now. Before she was told what to do and she did it. She never really worried about anything. If she did ask a question, it was an unimportant one. She would mostly just give little comments rather than ask questions before. Now she did both twice as much. "Why do you ask so many questions? What do you seek to gain from knowing about my heritage?"

"I don't know really. I just find myself to be a very curious person. Don't you find yourself interesting, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Sure he is," said a voice deep within the forest.

"I knew I smelt something," said Rin. "Smells like dog."

Jaken was upset since he was the last to know they had a visitor. If Rin knew there was someone, Sesshoumaru obviously knew already. He sniffed the air and he could also smell the scent of dog, a dog demon to be precise. "Do you know this dog demon, my lord?"

"He should," said the voice from above. They all looked above and saw him standing on a tree branch. "I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't remember me though. He hasn't been home in ages."

Sesshoumaru didn't seem too happy with being reunited with an old acquaintance. "Well, if it isn't Ratetsurei?"

He was a dog demon indeed. He had the two streaks on his cheeks on each side like Sesshoumaru. His were a dark blue instead of Sesshoumaru's purple. His eyes were gold like Sesshoumaru's, but his hair was shoulder length and a much darker shade of silver. He wasn't as handsome as Sesshoumaru. He looked older than Sesshoumaru, but he still looked exceptionally young. He had an expensive looking white kimono on with red dragons on random parts of it. Rin thought it was very stylish. She liked the dragon design. He had armor on similar to Sesshoumaru. He had on a breast plate and spikes as well but there was placed on his shoulders. He had a dark red sash and a sword, but there was no way that it was going to be as powerful as Tokijin or the Tetsusaiga. One thing he didn't have was the boa that Sesshoumaru had around his shoulder. Rin didn't know what exactly it was for, but she just referred to it as the 'boa'. "Well, you're not even a full grown demon yet. You must be what, around 900 years or so now?"

Rin's mouth dropped. "He's that old?" she asked out loud and rather rudely.

"Hold your tongue!" Jaken practically shouted. "Demons don't age as pathetically as you mortals do. A mortal child like you could never dream of reaching a quarter of a demon's life. For some demons such as Lord Sesshoumaru, that age is not even the dawn of his prime."

"Wow," she simply said. She had no idea that her lord was so old. 'He's not even in his prime? He's so strong though. What would he be like in his prime then? How will he be when he's full grown?'

Ratetsurei thought Rin to be interesting; especially with the way Jaken spoke to her. "She's a not a human." He jumped off of the tree branch that he stood on and sniffed her. "She's a half demon." When he stepped too close to Rin, she tried to slash his face, but he quickly jumped out the way and started laughing at her. "Pretty fast for a half demon though. Is this who you choose to surround yourself with, Sesshoumaru? You choose to have an imp and a half breed?"

Rin and Jaken were boiling with anger from being insulted. "How dare you speak to me in that manner?" yelled Jaken. "You obviously do not know who you are dealing with! I am Jaken and if you cross paths with me, you will be sorry!"

Ratetsurei noticed that Jaken carried the staff of two heads in his hand and only had more questions after that. "You gave the staff of two heads to this little demon? Can he even control it?"

"I wield it just fine!" Jaken shouted. "If you'd like to see me use it, then we shall do battle!"

Sesshoumaru finally decided to speak. "What is it that you want?"

"Can't I visit an old friend?" he asked sarcastically.

'Sesshoumaru has friends from a long time ago? I don't quite believe that.' Rin cracked her knuckles and prepared to fight, just in case she had to.

Ratetsurei grew disgusted with Rin's presence. "What is it that you're doing traveling around with this disgusting half breed? Not quite following in your father's foot steps I see. You decided to take a step up." Sesshoumaru's good mood or sort of good mood was instantly ruined with that sentence alone. His eyes narrowed in at Ratetsurei. That didn't stop Ratetesurei from speaking though. "So, is this your woman?"

Jaken's and Rin's mouth dropped from what he had said. Jaken thought it as the biggest insult anyone could ever say to his great Lord Sesshoumaru. Rin on the other hand, started to slightly blush in the face, but she was still in utter shock. It was impossible! Wasn't it?

Sesshoumaru quickly drew out Tokijin. He had a scowl on his face now. "If you have come here for a reason, then you had best mention it now before I rip you in half."

Ratetsurei began to laugh as he drew his sword. "Why else would I come to find you, Sesshoumaru?" He cracked his knuckles on his other hand. "I've come here to challenge you for our home land."

To be continued…