A/N: I promise, this story is not dead! I had a terrible case of writer's block with it, and have been busy working on my Zelda fic. And on top of that, I have been sick for what seems like eons, and I have not been able to think clearly enough to write anything. I hope that you think this was worth the wait! And I am sorry for the delay!
Kasumi gaspd as the boiling water was poured over her head. Completely naked, she sat in a wooden wash-tub, and was scrubbing herself violently. A bucket was hanging above her head, and was connected to the ceiling of the bamboo hut she was in. There was a small hole above the bucket, and through many bamboo tubes, the bucket was being filled with hot water from somewhere... and when the bucket was full, it tipped over onto her. She grabbed the bar of smoke-smelling soap, and continued to scrub at her skin.
One last time, the bucket emptied, and she noticed that the sound of it refilling stopped. She took that as her cue to get up and dry herself. She wondered what other kinds of things a 'cleansing' would involve. She hoped that she would be able to escape. Or that maybe Sesshomaru would come save her again. Thinking of sweet, innocent Rin, she hoped that the girl was all right, and hadn't been hurt when the bandits had come.
She dressed herself in the white robe that was placed out for her, and emerged out onto the wooden platform outside the small hut. The air smelled of smoke, and sage. She noticed a thick, gray cloud rising up from the largest chunk of mountain. She wandered over numerous bridges, hoping to find Kagome somewhere, but her friend was nowhere to be found.
Exhausted, Kasumi fell into a heap on the floor of one of the larger huts. Whatever Ijiwaru was making her go through, it was taking a toll on her. Twice she had sat in a room of burning herbs. She also had to walk on red-hot stones, though when her bare feet had touched one of the rocks, it had felt as cold as ice.
Kasumi's eyes felt heavier than lead, and just as she was beginning to drift off into sleep, she heard the icy voice of Ijiwaru standing in the door frame.
"There's no time to be resting! Get up!" Kasumi felt his foot slam into her thigh, and she let out a gasp. She did not rise from the floor, she was afraid of him, and she just felt so tired... She felt a tugging on her head, and suddenly, she was face-to-face with the demon, who was holding her up by a fistful of her hair.
"Will you follow me like a good girl, or must I carry you to the next part of your cleansing?" the demon snarled. Kasumi stayed silent and gave him a look that said she wasn't really there. Ijiwaru sighed, and yanked her along behind him by her hair, and her wrist. Kasumi stumbled the entire way, but managed to keep up without hurting herself too much.
They arrived at the only structure that wasn't made entirely of bamboo. It was made of a dark-colored wood, and there was stone construction as well. Ijiwaru dragged her inside, and down two flights of stairs, where the rooms were carved out of the mountain itself, with wooden dividers creating more rooms per floor.
"I am going to need you to stay awake, and do this one final part of the preparation. If you find yourself unable to do it, I guess I will have to bathe you myself." Ijiwaru's scowl was replaced by a menacing smirk. Kasumi instantly gerked into reality, and saw another bathing room. Only instead of a wooden washtub with a series of tubes filling the tub, there was a small pool. It was filled to the brim with a slightly yellow-tinted liquid. She recognized the scent as being sake, and she wondered if she was going to be cooked and eaten.
As if reading her mind, Ijiwaru laughed a cold, harsh sound. "No, this is not your average sake. No, this is sacred, used for cleansing rituals, and also the kind that gods consume." The demon stepped out of the room, and slid shut the shoji door that divided that part of the room from the next.
Kasumi stood still for a while, and when she heard Ijiwaru's footsteps travel up the stairs, she took off the robe she was wearing, amd stepped into the pool. The scent of such strong sake made her dizzy, and she sat down in one of the shallow parts of the pool, her neck down concealed my the steaming liquid. Hoping this would all be over soon, she again scrubbed her tired and sore body until she was sure she would never cease to smell of the bitter-sweet drink.
"But Sesshomaru-sama! Kasumi-chan needs our help! What if she's in danger?" Rin was following along behind Sesshomaru and Jaken, wishing the dog demon would help the girl who had traveled with them for a while. He hadn't responded to a single plea, which she took as a sign that he could be persuaded to help if she prodded the subject enough. Unfortunately for her, the Kappa was not so silent.
"Rin! Would you just shut your mouth! The great Sesshomar-sama has no time for such weaklings! Espescially ones too weak to protect themselves from mere humans!"
"But Jaken-sama, Kasumi-chan is human too!" Rin didn't often become impatient, but the Kappa had been arguing with her all day, and he refused to stop complaining when she wasn't even talking to him! Sesshomaru-sama could answer for himself, and Jaken-sama was only dishonering his name by speaking! If Sesshomaru didn't think talking was necessary, than Jaken shouldn't do it for him.
"Exactly! She is but a weak, selfish, little human ra-"
"Shut up Jaken-sama! no one wants to hear your opinion on this!" Rin had screamed at him, something she had never done before. This earned her a wide-eyed, slack-jawed Jaken, and even Sesshomaru turned to face her with slightly enlarged eyes.
Rin stood there, with her hands clenched at her sides, glaring at Jaken. As if daring him to respond to her outburst. Gripping the two-headed staff in his webbed hands, Jaken stepped away from the little girl. She had never, in all of her time spent with Sesshomaru, raised her voice in anger toward him! Or anyone else for that matter. Slightly afraid, he cowered under her gaze, hoping she would soon return to her normal, chatty self. Unfortunately for the Kappa, she remained angry and silent towards him the rest of the day. He normally would have rejoiced in her solitude, but she kept throwing him angry looks that made him stomach clench with guilt.
Even when they sat around a fire created by Jaken's staff, Rin did not speak. She turned away from any attempts that the Kappa made at trying to get her back into her normal mood. Sesshomaru left the two of them alone that night, as he wandered away into the darkness. Jaken was feeling just horrible at how he had acted earlier. Or, more of how Rin had reacted to it. He knew that there was only one true way to cheer up the little girl.
"Rin," he started. Rin only glared at his soul. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jaken continued. "Rin, I just want to say that I-that I'm-" He was having a difficult time getting out the words he was trying to say. He couldn't recall the last time he had ever said what he was about to now! "That I am sorry."
Rin's glare died down just a smidgen, but she was still furious with him. He continued talking to her. "Also, I believe, that we should go. Search for Kasumi, is what I mean."
That, got a large reaction out of the girl. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened a little in surprise. She had never expected Jaken-sama to suggest that they go and search for Kasumi-chan! Her face grew into a huge smile, and she leapt at the demon sitting next to her.
"Oh, thank you Jaken-sama! Rin-chan forgives you!" Jaken's already-bulging eyes popped out of his head even moreso than one might think possible without bursting. Rin had him in a death-grip hug that was the cause of his bulging eyes. "Lets go Jaken-sama! We have to hurry!"
"Without Sesshomaru-sama? But Rin! Where do you think you're going?"
"Rin-chan thinks that Kasumi-chan is this way!" Rin pointed towards the mountains that rose up, high into the dark sky. She grabbed Jaken's webbed hand in hers, and started dragging him along behind her.
"But Rin, how exactly do you know this?"
"Rin-chan can feel it!" Rin's cheeks had turned a light shade of pink, she was so excited. Jaken knew that there was no turning back now. He had promised her his help, and now they were wandering off into the unknown, without Sesshomaru. Jaken was never worried about where he travled, but only if he had Sesshomaru with him. What would happen now that he was wandering off alone? Or, at least without Sesshoamru there to lead the way?
Sighing, the Kappa allowed the girl to drag him into the forest, towards the giant mountain looming above their heads. In fact, if he was not mistaken, Jaken thought he could see a dark, omninous cloud, spirling around one of the peaks. He hoped beyond all hope, that Rin would change her mind, and would wait for Sesshoamru to come with them. But he knew it would not be so.
It was mid-morning when he returned to the fire that had burned out from the night before. He did not pay attention to the stale scent that lingered on the air. Or, he did not pay attention to the fact that the scent in the air was stale at all. So Sesshomaru was slightly surprised when he returned to the spot where he had left Rin only hours before, and found it empty. Usually, if she did run off, Jaken stayed around to tell her off, and point him in the direction of where Rin went, but even the Kappa was missing.
Wondering why she would have left, Sesshomaru remembered how yesterday, she was constantly asking for permission to find the human who had traveled with them for a while. But why had Jaken gone as well? Sesshomaru could only guess that Rin had threatened him in some way.
Letting out an inaudible sigh, Sesshomaru followed the scent of his two small companions. If he did not hurry, it would be at least late evening before he caught up to them. But Sesshomar had an idea. He would follow them at a slow pace, he would trail along behind them, to see what they ran into. He knew that after a while, Rin would become worried that he had not yet returned to her. He knew that Jaken was already scared out of his little toad-like mind. This might be amusing, even for Sesshomaru...
A/N: Oh no! What has Rin gotten herself (and Jaken) into!?
Eh, I am very apologetic. I really don't know how to do a cleansing ritual, and could not find a reliable source on google to explain to me how to do one. So, I picked some things that I thought might be cleansing to the body, and soul. If I believed in that anyway...
Do you guys think that I'm taking this too fast? Too slowly? Just right? Aahhrrrgg! I NEED to know these things! Please review! Tiny, chocolate truffles will rain from the sky if you do! At least, they will in fantasy land. It's a nice place, filled with so many wonderful, delicious sweets.
Just to say, I don't own google either. Just to make things clear, and to be on the safe side of things...