Over the span of two days, Sesshomaru has seen no changes in the crystal that was given to him by the wind sorceress. Looking over his shoulder and seeing Jaken hold it above his head, turning from one direction to the other, the little imp saw that the crystal never pulsed nor glowed. What was he missing? Surely the wind demoness wouldn't betray him and give him false information on how to locate Naraku's heart. No, she valued her freedom over obeying the dirty half demon.
"Jaken, lower the crystal." He called over his shoulder, annoyed by the actions of the imp. "You won't find anything here." At hearing his master's orders, Jaken lowered his arm much to the amusement of Rin and placed the crystal back in his robes.
"My Lord, it was showing signs no more than a week ago. Why would it not be working now?" Jaken asked as he fell back into step with Sesshomaru, looking up toward the massive demon who continued to gaze ahead.
"The Fuyoheki is moving. It does not linger in one place for long." With that Sesshomaru picked up his pace. He could sense a powerful demonic aura all around them, every time the wind blew he smelt it and it was driving him mad. He needed to find it, he wanted to end it but he could never pinpoint exactly where it came from.
It just kept moving.
"Um, Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin called from atop A-Un softly and once Sesshomaru turned, he saw that she was holding a hand over belly and slight blush to her cheeks as a growl sounded, signaling her hunger.
Looking around and seeing that they were entering a large span of woods, he sent his eyes toward Rin again before nodding his permission and walked over to a tree to rest against. He knew she never took too long to find food and besides, he saw that she hasn't eaten much this day. Rin saw him lean his head against the trunk and close his eyes lightly, showing that he would wait for her; so with a smile, she hoped off A-Un and ran into the woods to find something to eat.
Rin skipped along the forest floor, following the main path that she found upon entering and looking everywhere for a sign of something she could eat. With brown eyes darting around at every bush she encountered, Rin inspected the berries that littered the front of them and saw that they were covered with grapes! With mouthwatering and swift fingers, Rin plucked as many as she could and popped a couple into her mouth; relishing the fresh taste that quelled her stomach.
Stuffing several handfuls into the front pocket of her kimono, Rin cradled the grapes and began to look for anymore berries for her to pick and upon finding a bush with strawberries and cherries, she began to mentally kick herself for not bringing her draw string bag to fill.
"This will have to do I suppose." She mumbled to herself and began to snatch handful after handful of the fruit from bushes and stuffed them into her kimono and soon it was so full that she had to cradle the bundling fabric like it were a babe in her arms.
Steadily falling into step in hopes of not dropping her food, Rin made her way down the path back toward Lord Sesshomaru and Jaken, hardly holding in the excitement of showing them what luck she had in finding something to eat so quickly! With a smile to her lips and a perk in her step, Rin picked up the pace and soon was lightly jogging through the woods and soon she found herself coming upon the opening she entered from but stopped cold when she heard a voice behind her.
"Well, well. Look what we have here boys." The sound of a raspy voice chilled her bones and made her knees quake. Slowly she turned around and instantly her arms fell and every fruit she held in her kimono fell free to her feet with soft little thumps. They were demons. Five boar demons were standing before her with claws flexing and eyes bearing down on her intently.
The demons all smirked and chuckled upon seeing the silent girl shaking before them. "What is this? Cat got your tongue little miss?" The leader, a dark red boar in low status armor, sent her a smirk that froze Rin to her core and could only watch silently as they all howled and clapped upon hearing their leaders joke but then soon their attention was back on her.
"Say boys? What do you think we should do with this young woman?" The leader asked and a boar with long curling tusks smacked his lips and took a threatening step toward the shaking girl.
"We could keep her boss; she's so youthful and full of life. I would love to see her face when I take it." Eruptions of hollers and cheers hit her ears like nails and the tears finally decided to prickle behind her brown orbs. Shakily, Rin took a step back and soon another but could only stare as the boars all surrounded her with evil looks and gleaming eyes.
Opening her mouth as wide as she could she willed her voice to yell out for her Lord, his name already on her tongue but her voice betrayed her and only a startled yelp came through when her foot connected with a root and she soon found herself looking up toward the evilest of demon faces and covered her own with her shaking hands.
"Right where we want her boys, right where we – Oh what's this?" She heard the leader's voice change from its intimidated tone to that of confusion and without even opening her eyes, she felt a whoosh of fabric at her back and her heart leaped with joy.
Sliding her hands from her eyes and craning her head up to look at her savior she saw that it was not Lord Sesshomaru like she was expecting. Standing just as regally behind the small girl, stark green eyes sent the nastiest of glares toward the demons, hair of firey hues billowed around her scowling face and the emerald shade of her skirt swayed in the quickening air.
Eavan was here and the spirit oozed her anger toward the boar demons that it sent a chill even through Rin.
The demons took a small step back and drew their weapons upon seeing the woman appear behind the quaking girl they targeted. Saying nothing toward the group of boars, they watched as the red haired woman stepped over the small child to stand before her protectively sending a look of challenge toward the men who held their swords toward her.
The leader scoffed at the woman and took a step forward. "Demons do not fear human women; we'll make you cower before us, wench!" He seethed and spat upon her face and immediately took a step back once he saw his acid saliva pass through her like empty air.
She said nothing, only staring at them with bright green eyes and watched as they grew unsettled by her presence.
"She's a witch, boss!" A boar wearing an eye patch yelled and charged to strike the woman with his pointed hoof but before he could hit her shoulder, the woman cocked her arm and thrust the boar back toward his group and to fumble to the dirt.
Now the leader backed away and raised his sword to stare down the still silent woman. "She didn't even touch him. What are you, wench?!"
Still she said nothing but she turned her head to look over her shoulder toward Rin, who was still upon the ground frozen in fear. Brown eyes met green and Eavan nodded toward the girl, giving her a command even though her lips never moved.
"Call for him, Rin. He is almost here."
Turning her gaze back toward the now cowering demons, she sent one last seething glare which froze the lowly boars with a quaking fear and disappeared with a shimmer that passed the trees like smoke. Once Rin saw the faces of the demons, her voice returned to her and she finally let her yell pass through and echo upon the wind.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" She screamed with all her might that it startled the demons into faltering but before they could gather themselves and charge at the little girl, a blur of silver crashed into them and sent them colliding into the trees and skidding amongst the gravel.
Rin uncovered her face from the flurry of dust and saw that Lord Sesshomaru was there standing before her, legs spread battle ready and claws glowing green with a snarl thrown toward the only demon who was rising to their feet.
Red eyes watched as the leader of the five boars rose to his feet, blood splashing to the ground from his wounds and soon saw that his comrades were lying dead upon the ground with faces of fear permanently plastered on their faces.
The leader sucked in a breath into his pain graced lungs and could only stare at the large demon man that stood before him. Silver hair swayed violently, eyes seethed in red and claws glowing a vibrant green as the demon took several threatening steps forward; grasping the leader's throat and hoisting him up where his feet never touched the ground.
"You don't deserve life, vermin. None of you do." Sesshomaru seethed and squeezed the boar's neck and relished in his sputters and choked pleas. These demons, these were the ones he hated the most. He enjoyed only killing demons and other humans who took life for their own pleasure and gain. He's seen first handedly what these types of filth could do, what they could take away and not care who it belonged to. They valued their life's pleasure only and he enjoyed ripping it away.
With his claws digging into the flesh of the boar's neck, he let the poison slowly seep through and flow through his veins, earning a sputtering cough and gurgle which sent a joy like no other through Sesshomaru's system. He loved every painstaking moment, he relished in the dying light in this demons eyes but before he could completely take the life away, a light tug on his person snapped his concentration.
Red eyes lowered toward his left sleeve and instantly became gold again upon seeing the frightened face of Rin looking up toward him. The tears that she had been holding were now flowing down her cheeks and her grip shaky upon his empty sleeve sent even more desire through him to end this low class demon's life but before he could finally snap the boar demons neck, Tenseiga pulsed against him.
With Rin looking up toward him silently and Tenseiga pulsing with a force, Sesshomaru poured as much of his poison into the begging demon before ultimately dropping the sputtering boar and stepped before Rin once more to send a glower toward the heavy breathing vermin. Stomping a booted foot to the armor clad chest and earning a heaving gasp; Sesshomaru bared his fangs and let his eyes seethe red once more.
"Enjoy what little life you have left, I will not have my hands stained by yourblood." Pushing his heel further into his sternum, Sesshomaru backed off and guided Rin away back toward their camp, leaving the remaining boar demons to die upon the forest floor.
Rin has seen Sesshomaru do terrible things in the many, many months she's been with him. Terrible things that were done in the sake of keeping their little group safe but it never stopped the fear that would pulse through her; she just couldn't help it. Looking up toward the heavy footed demon, she saw that his eyes were back to gold but the scowl never left his face. He was angry, not at her she understood but he was angry. He always got angry when he had to come and save her, like he battled with himself of the 'what if's'. What if he didn't make it in time? What if she was dead when he got there?
It was a constant battle within him.
"Lord Sesshomaru. . ." She spoke softly the first words since he had come to her rescue and waited penitently for him to reply.
Sesshomaru heard her small voice and turned his frustrated eyes down to the little girl at his side, seeing brown orbs looking up at him that quelled his rising anger. He should have known better than to let her run off alone in such an unfamiliar place. He should have known better than to close his eyes and throw his guard off, he would have been able to smell those demons as well as her fear.
No, he would not be weak again.
"Yes Rin, what is it?" He asked just as softly and paused his fast pacing. Rin halted beside him and continued to stare at her Lord before grasping his empty sleeve, fisting the silk tightly and sucking in a breath that sent calm through her.
"Thank you for coming for me, I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you." She held no more tears but he could hear the sadness in her voice. Sighing softly and using his right hand, he placed his palm upon her head and gave it a light pat before sliding his palm down her hair and to fall back to his side.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. Those demons learned what happens when they threaten someone from my company." Shooting his head to the right to stare at a cluster of trees, Sesshomaru dashed through the trunks with claws ready and before Rin could call out to him, a loud swipe of his claws sent birds fleeing from their nest.
Quietly Rin waited and before she could try and call for her Lord once more, Sesshomaru appeared through the trees and held out two skinned rabbits toward the little human. Rin's mouth watered at the sight of the large rabbits and saw that there was enough meat on them for her to dry and hold onto. Taking the Rabbits and sending an affectionate smile toward her Lord, she quickly thanked him.
"Let's go, we still have a ways to travel. This should suffice for a couple of days."
With a nod he turned around and began to walk back to the camp with a skipping and singing child trailing behind him as well as a green dressed woman who followed silently, who sent a beaming smile of her own toward the demon she loved so.