Okay my paper is mostly done. I want to finish posting this now before I have to make my slide show next week.
Hours Earlier…
Yuki sat in the garden with Harutoga. Obasan was telling them about their cousins, how tall they were, but also about how funny it was that Taisho now looked older than Sota because Sota's demon blood was stronger. Yuki found that funny. She knew that Ojisan was a hanyou like her and that meant her cousins were less than that. She was only vaguely aware of how the outside world treated people/demons like her and her brother. If it wasn't for who her father was, and the village they made she would have faced the same kind of discrimination, that is what Obasan said. Yuki was sounding her out. She was more interested in drawing the butterfly that was sitting on a daisy in front of her. She wanted to capture the blues and yellows of its wings when she glanced over at Haru.
"That's a funny picture," she said to her brother.
Haru kept moving his hand drawing long diagonals over something that looked like a circle. There were six diagonal lines on top of a circle with a hexagon around them all. Yuki's mind flinched for a minute, the pain was coming. The flash of something darker than a shadow hovering over Ka-san came again. "Haru, where did you see that?" She closed her eyes and focused her yoki, she pushed it against the pain in her head till she felt relief.
"The shadow man, the one in dark robes, he put it on Ka-san's forehead," Haru told her, it was as if he didn't even register what he had said.
"Haru you remember something?" She sat up and went to her brother. She took the paper from him. Her mind was racing, what is this?
"No," he wiped his nose, "I just know I saw this. The shadow man drew it in the grove."
Yuki leapt to her feet and dashed out of of the garden.
"Yuki where are you going?" Obasan called after her.
"Yuki," Hisato called after her.
"Stay here dog!" Yuki fumed at Hisato, "I'm not leaving home, I'm just going to get something from the kitchen, Atsuko can watch me." That was a lie.
Hisato made to follow Yuki.
Yuki turned on her heals, "I said stay." Her hands clinched against her hips.
"You aren't to go anywhere alone," Hisato forcefully reminded her. "And need I remind you I can smell a lie?"
"So?" Yuki tried to kick at Hisato's shin.
Yuki glanced at Obasan. "It's fine Hisato, Inuyasha can find her now if she runs off. Yuki come back immediately when you are done with whatever you are doing. I expect you back in ten minutes," Obasan said.
"I don't know why I listen to anyone in this house or why Sesshomaru-sama's mother said, that I should come here…" Hisato fumed as he went back to his place under one of the many trees in the garden with arms flexed by his sides.
Yuki stuck her tongue out at her aunt.
Yuki ran with the paper into the house. She sniffed the air, got him. She ran towards the public entrance of the home. She ran until she found the community dining area. The majority of the fox demons were sitting at the table eating an early dinner. They looked exhausted. She was looking for on in particular. Yuki dashed across the hall up the long table, to Hinatamaru-sama. The jovial fat fox demon sat at the right of the head of the table. No one dared to sit in Chichiue's seat, "Hinatamaru-sama, have you seen this symbol before?"
"Where did you get that?" He stroked his long red beard. He took the picture from Yuki holding it close to his eyes.
"Ni-chan drew it." She answered trying to catch her breath from running so fast, she forgot to breathe the way Chichiue taught her.
"Yuki-chan this is an ancient memory spell, one I don't know much about. I'm near the same age as your father, but this spell is much older. Do you think this has something to do with your mother's memory loss?"
"Who would know about it?" Yuki's voice must have sounded desperate.
"Does your father still speak with Bukoseno? If I were you, I would show it to your Chichiue and take it to Bukoseno."
"Chichiue isn't home, thanks Hinatamaru-sama!" She ran back to the garden as fast as she could. She folded the picture and placed it in the pocket of her pink kimono. Yuki would wait for nighttime and then she would take the picture to Bukoseno herself and the bracelet, when her father wasn't looking. Now she had two clues. It was a spell, someone was stopping Ka-san from remembering.
"This is a bad idea, we should tell Chichiue," Haru argued with Yuki.
"No we wait for him to go to Ka-san's room. Once he goes, we leave, we'll go to Bukoseno, once he tells us what we need to know we can tell Chichiue," Yuki touched Harutoga's head, "lay down Haru, pretend like you are sleeping. He's coming."
Yuki watched curiously as her father flew into the air holding Ka-san. The sight made her smile, they were always in love. Yuki ignored the sounds she heard coming from their room at night, the laughter and the giggles, Chichiue never laughed except at night when he was with Ka-san. Then Haru told her about seeing them wrestling naked. Yuki wasn't sure about that. She was sure it had more to do with something else, but she never felt safer than the moments she saw her parents lost in loving moments together.
"He's gone, come on," Yuki pulled Haru sleepily out of his bed and plopped him onto her back. "Focus your Yoki, like I told you."
"I want to walk," Haru squirmed out of her arms.
"Fine, but stay close. The barrier is still down, if anything comes use your whip, don't hesitate, just like Chichiue taught us." Yuki took Haru's hand and lead him from the garden, around the hot springs, through the daisies and towards Aun. Aun would know how to get to Bukoseno.
Rin's POV
As the sun rose, she woke feeling energetic. Her cheeks flushed thinking about what she had done with Sesshomaru the night before. The way he touched her, his warmth, it was like magic. His hands were warm, exploratory, but what he said was it true? It felt like it was. Was she his wife? He seemed loathe to call it that. He said they were connected, they were bonded together as one. His body was so gentle against hers, he was so hesitant to do what she asked. She rolled over and found the bed empty, "Sesshomaru?" She called softly. Her gaze went to the golden field outside the hot springs and the tree, no one was there. She felt wet between her legs again, like in her dream. She stood up and walked outside to wash herself in the hot springs. Her heart pinched for a moment. She was looking forward to waking up next to him. Her head was already pounding enough to waiver on her feet. With each step the head ache increased, she tripped, staggered and stopped dead in her tracks before falling to the ground screaming as the flames enveloped her skull.
Kagome ran out and kneeled down next to her, "it's okay, is it your head again?"
"Yes," she answered softly, "always my head," the words were slipping from her again. "Where is…" the pain engulfed her head like a boiling furnace devouring her sanity. She bent over crying and tearing at her hair. "No…no….not…back, stop…please…I," her eyes glazed over, all she saw was darkness.
Sesshomaru landed in the grass before Bukoseno's forest. He caught up easily to their hours of head start. Yuki had Harutoga on her back. She turned when she saw her father, her eyes widened. She set Haru down, "go show this to Bukoseno, go now," she gave Harutoga a push and then she turned to face her father. Sesshomaru saw the anger in her eyes, her little hands shook. Her fury was visible through the pink tinted whites of her eyes.
"Yuki," he called her, "this becomes annoying." He took her by the wrist, but then curiosity got the better of him. "Why did you come here?"
"Haru go, quickly," instead of answering she gave her brother a push again and this time she bare her claws at her father, "I won't let you stop us." She jumped into the air and attempted to slash at her father's face, only for Sesshomaru to flip over, land behind her and pin her hands to her side. She twisted her wrists up, digging the tips of her claws into his arm, releasing dokkasu with a hiss while she did. Sesshomaru ignored the sting of her poison.
"Let Yuki go, Chichiue!" Harutoga began to cry, "Yuki tell him!"
Yuki shook her head. She attempted to flip out of her father's hold. Sesshomaru held her wrists firmly with one hand and kicked her feet out from underneath her. He pressed her struggling body against the grass, "Yuki, you are trying my patience, I have none left. You were in the grove, I saw it. I saw your claw marks, you fought something when Ka-san was hurt. Now why did you come to Bukoseno? Answer me or else," he really didn't want to have to follow through on this threat. When Rin was this age, he never had to raise his hand, sometimes his eyebrows, occasionally his voice, but never his hand.
Yuki simultaneously bit down on Sesshomaru's wrist while spilling her poison. The combined attack made him drop her. She ran towards Harutoga, flipped him onto her back and fled into the forest. Sesshomaru caught her easily, and did exactly what he didn't want to. He grabbed Yuki shoulder, turned his hand backwards and slapped her across the face. The blow made her hit the floor of the forest, "Yuki, you will tell me why you came here now, or the other cheek will match this one! Do not test me and do not lie to me again!"
Yuki rose off the ground, she wiped her face, her eyes glinted red around the edges.
"Control your yoki," her father demanded.
"Fine, Haru show him the picture," Yuki rubbed her cheek where her father had left his mark.
Harutoga walked towards Sesshomaru, his own hands shaking in fear of his father's anger His eyes sparkled with unshed tears, "here, I saw this, that day in the forest but I didn't remember it until I was drawing pictures with Obasan."
Sesshomaru took the paper and looked at the symbol, "what is it?" He had never seen it before.
"Hinatamaru-sama said it's an ancient memory spell, older than you and older than him," Yuki continued to rub the pain out of her cheek. "I thought Bukoseno could tell us what it is. Once he did we were going to tell you."
Sesshomaru bent down on one knee. He took Yuki's face in his hand. He ran his finger over the mark he left on her, "I don't relish what I just did. Why didn't you tell me about this? You've been keeping secrets from me," his hand dove into her pocket and pulled out the blood crusted bracelet, "what is this? I know this smell"
Yuki's eyes were heavy, she lowered her face and placed her hands behind her back, "forgive me Chichiue for what I am about to say. You suck! You haven't been around at all lately, and when you are, you only spend time with Ka-san! Did you even think what happened to Haru and I? You stuck us with Ojisan and Obasan and we spent our time alone all day while you catered to Ka-san and before that you were never home! Why would I tell you anything!? You weren't home! You didn't protect us!" Yuki yanked the paper and the bracelet out of her father's hand and fled as fast as she could towards Bukoseno. Sesshomaru caught her only feet from where she started. He picked her up kicking and screaming in one arm. He held Harutoga in the other and he flew speedily, dodging trees until he found the old magnolia tree.
The elderly etched face appeared leisurely and then looked at Sesshomaru as he plopped Yuki in front of it. "Yuki, I've been waiting for you."
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "Yuki show it to him," Sesshomaru demanded.
Yuki stood up, she brushed her legs off and held the paper for Bukoseno to see, "you are old, do you know what this is?"
"A mind eraser," Bukoseno spoke deliberately, "is this what happened to Rin?"
Sesshomaru snarled and tried to lash at the tree, but was knocked back by one of his branches, "must we repeat this dance Sesshomaru?"
"What does it do?" Yuki asked, "how do we get Ka-san back?"
"She must kill the one who placed the spell. That spell is used on the mates of great dai-yokai. Once they have born him children, it's meant to make them forget. Once the spell has been placed, the demon that placed it can come at any time into her bed chambers unnoticed by their yokai mates. It's undetectable by Mikos. A life threatening wound is inflicted to begin the seal. As the woman recovers, she is fed nightmares based from memories about her mate that convince her she would be better off leaving him. Once she is sufficiently terrified and separated from those she cares about the most, the demon comes in and convinces her she should leave her mate and she will. The sole purpose is to breed with her and create another child."
"Then I will kill the one who placed it," Sesshomaru cracked his knuckles, his blood boiled. Someone planned to steal Rin from him.
"You cannot, if you kill him Sesshomaru Rin will be lost forever. She must break the spell herself by killing the one who placed it," Bukoseno's voice was low and concerned.
"She can't," Sesshomaru snarled, "my Rin could, this one can barely leave the room without being engulfed in fear," Sesshomaru turned around and roared loud enough to shake the entire forest.
"Sesshomaru, she can," Bukoseno encouraged him, "you must trust her, and help her."
"How can she face a demon, she lost her combat memories? She doesn't know how to fight," Sesshomaru remained turned away from the tree.
"The spell is broken by want Sesshomaru, she has to want to break the spell, the want is expressed through killing the demon that cast it, you must find out who cast it, and then bring her out of the spell with your yoki."
Your yoki is overpowering the spell, find me again, like tonight. "The dream trance? No…our bond, especially when we were," he stopped short seeing that Yuki and Harutoga were listening to his every word.
"When you are intimate with her, it nourishes the bond between you two, and small amounts of your yoki flow into her body, Sesshomaru. You must put more into her, but I am afraid it won't be without consequences. The amount needed to sustain her long enough to fight may end her life, humans aren't meant to absorb our energy in those levels.."
"How?" Sesshomaru demanded.
"Your bond to her that is the safest way to infuse her body with enough of your yoki to push the spell back and bring back your Rin long enough to kill the one who cast the spell. But you need a conduit to hold it, her human body will not be able to retain what you give her."
"Her sword," Sesshomaru offered.
"Not strong enough," Bukoseno shook his eyes, "she needs a more powerful conduit to hold your yoki in her body, if she releases it, then the frail Rin will return."
Sesshomaru's hand went to Bakusaiga.
"That will kill her," Bukoseno warned.
"Tenseiga?"
"Will not cut anything of this world and the one who did it is of this world," Bukoseno's words came out clipped.
"Then it must be Bakusaiga. She doesn't need to use it, just hold onto it. Now I need to find out who it is." Sesshomaru turned to Yuki he knew the blood on the bracelet she hid from him.
"I know who it is Chichiue, or at least I know what he smells like," Yuki held up the bracelet, "I was wearing this the day she was injured," Yuki lowered her eyes, "I'm not a very good daughter either. I found it a while ago, I didn't tell you…I thought," he took the bracelet from her, she covered her eyes and began to cry, "I thought you didn't love us anymore, since Ka-san was hurt and you forgot about us."
Sesshomaru smelled the blood on the bracelet and ground his teeth angrily. He stopped only long enough to see Yuki quaking before him, still rubbing her cheek where he slapped her, "perhaps we both made mistakes." He pulled Yuki to his chest, "I know who's blood this is. Ka-san is in danger. We must get back faster than Aun can fly. Come children, on my back and hold on tight. This comes from a demon who has one smell as an outer scent and whose blood smells completely different."
"Sesshomaru," Bukoseno called, "your plan may very well kill her, that's why this spell almost always works."
"There are no good choices, I will not let Rin go so easily," Sesshomaru grimly answered. He knelt down and motioned for Yuki and Harutoga to get on his back. Yuki helped lift Harutoga onto her father's back. Once he had a good grip Yuki climbed on next to him. Sesshomaru used his Mokomoko to hold them in place, "no good choices." But I know my heart, she would not want to be separated from this Sesshomaru, and so that is the choice I will make for both of us. "Harutoga, no bird games, we don't have time." Sesshomaru felt exhausted flying into the air, the drained Yoki was taking its toll on him, he closed his eyes, and held Bakusaiga drawing on its energy, he flew as quickly as he could towards home. He would be even weaker once he forced his into Rin. Sesshomaru braced himself for the battle ahead, a battle that may take Rin from him forever. Something hit the back of Sesshomaru's awareness like a clap of thunder, he's come for me, Sesshomaru I don't want to leave you.
Rin…I'm coming. The scar on over his heart was on fire, burning with a foreign flame. The Healer was making his move he was taking Rin.
Rin's POV
She woke up in the home of the healer. Her eyesight was blurry as she looked at the ceiling. The brown beams were one big blob of color. Her stomach ached. She couldn't tell if she was hungry or if it was cramping again. Torikku was hovering over her, his hands were on her stomach pressing down, making her wince in pain. She felt something hot go over her skin near her navel. She tried to focus on the beams of his hut, the large brown ones. "Why am I here?" Her arms were weak, the world was spinning.
"You lost consciousness, the hanyou and his miko brought you here," Torikku answered her softly. He touched her sweat soaked brow, "do not fear, I am here to take care of you now."
"Where is Sesshomaru?" She asked Torikku.
"Out as usual, you know how he is, always off somewhere," he scuttled back to Rin with some warm tea, "here drink this it will help your stomach." He gave her the hot cup, "careful, the sides are hot."
"Thank you," she lowered her head and took a sip of the bitter tea, "what do you mean, off somewhere?" She suddenly felt uncomfortable, there was more cramping in her stomach. The tea tasted strange, bitter, she felt like she knew this herb. The shape of the leaves popped into her head, danger rang out loud but she didn't know why, they were just tea leaves.
"He is a very busy Lord, with not much time for anything besides, the things that bring him pleasure. Here one day, gone the next. Gone for weeks on end. His wife used to come by here and work the fields. She would lament the days he was gone, how his children missed him. Very sad, to be attached to someone so in love with battle, that they forget about the things they once loved." His eyes had an odd glow to them. The irises were orange, his hands trembled in excitement.
She lowered the cup to her lap, was that all it was, passion last night? Is that why he wasn't there when I woke up? But he said I was his wife…was I so unhappy here? "He stayed with me since I woke up, he never left," she whispered trying to convince herself that the warmth they shared was real. Something in her head was screaming at her to put the tea down.
"Until he got what he wanted. You were spotting again, I saw down there, he lay with you last night didn't he? Just like the other day you were spotting, taking you in your sleep" Torikku's voice was different, instead of soft and high pitched it was becoming lower and more hypnotic.
"In my sleep?" She was breathless, why would he do that? It wasn't a dream?
"You know some demons can do that, put a woman in a dream-trance and lay with her, it's disgusting," his voice was even lower, it felt like it was washing through her head like a vice gripping her.
"No…" That was all she could get out, he didn't just use me.
"Took what he wanted from you, then left you. It isn't the first time, that's how they always said good-bye. He would bed her then leave her to be alone with the children, kami only knows when he would return." He touched her forehead, she felt something wash into her, "how has he been able to put so much of his yoki in you?"
"I need to go back to the house," she set the cup down. She tried to get up, her legs weren't working, she felt sleepy.
"You need to rest. Come lay down, perhaps once you feel more on your feet, we'll go for a lovely carriage ride to the neighboring village?" His voice was flowing over her senses, it sounded like a melody of familiar notes, "you told me remember, you loved going on carriage rides, to clear your head."
"I loved going on carriage rides," she felt dizzy. Her body complied with his voice.
"You didn't like it when he was away all the time…" his voice was like the river flowing through a valley.
"I didn't like it when he was away all the time." She fought to keep her eyes open.
"You wanted to leave him," he traced lines on her head with red powder that smelled like spices.
"I wanted to leave him," her head was swimming with his voice. Sesshomaru…please save me. There was a foreign voice in her head, was that her? The one who's body she was in..
"He never really loved you," Torikku's his fingers forced themselves down onto her skull.
"He never really loved me," she was getting weaker, the pain from his touch was ebbing away what memories she had from the last month.
Torikku climbed on top of her. He created a nest for himself between her legs. He pulled her kimono down to bare the tops of her breasts, "maybe I will have a taste now before we go, eh? Then I can seal the spell, if I can get past that bastard's yoki, how did he do it eh? Oh, there it is," he rest his hand over Rin's left breast, "right here," he touched her nipple.
"You dare attempt to steal this bastards mate?" Sesshomaru flew into the hut, grabbed Torikku by the throat and slammed him through the wall of his hut, and into the ground outside, uprooting half the vegetable garden while he was at it. "You dare to touch her? You dare to take her from my side, did you forget Inu-Yokai create a spiritual bonds with their mates, that cannot be broken by anything but death or heart-ache. You think laying with her would wipe the bond, you underestimate the power of this Sesshomaru's yoki!" Sesshomaru lift his claw towards Torikku's face, he held him by the neck choking him.
"Remember Sesshomaru, you kill me, the spell is permanent and you never see your precious mate again," Torikku laughed hysterically. "And I have no intention of breaking it, no matter how you may try to force me."
"That won't be an issue, because I have no intention of killing you myself, she will," he pointed at Rin who was standing at the entrance of the hut looking very confused and shocked at what she was seeing. Her eyes tracked to Sesshomaru terrified at the glow in his eyes, the anger in his voice and the way he held Torikku.
"Go ahead, keep threatening me, show her that you are the monster I've made her believe you are!" Sesshomaru threw Torikku to the side, "Inuyasha, don't let him escape."
Inuyasha stepped out from behind Sesshomaru, and cracked his knuckles.
She was already backing away from the angry Sesshomaru. He had three swords on him this time. She tried to turn and run from him. She made it five steps from the hut before he landed in front of her. He touched her chin and lowered his head to kiss her mouth, only for her to slap his face, scream and try to run from him, "I'm sorry my heart, this is going to hurt."
She didn't have a chance to respond. Sesshomaru grabbed her by the arms. He forced her back against his chest. He put a white pearled hilt into her left hand, and a white sword that looked like a long white tooth in her right. He closed his eyes, a low growl fled his lips. His eyes pitched red. Sesshomaru opened his bond wide open forcing his yoki into her body. It was more than he had used before, more than needed to create a child. The flow was so powerful it was sickening. He felt nauseas. Behind a wall, he felt Rin's warmth, her love for him, it steadied the flow into her body.
"Dammit," Torikku cursed. He tried to run.
"Where do you think you're going?" Shippo stepped out from behind the trees. He threw a green ball of fire at Torikku, "the whole time I trusted you. I thought you were her friend."
Torikku attempted the other direction only to be met with Yuki who was copying her father and uncle cracking her claws. Inuyasha leapt into the air. He landed noiselessly in front of Yuki, "leaving so soon? She's almost ready." Inuyasha snarled, "Rin is precious to all of us, you made a big mistake targeting her."
Her body quivered, it started with her hands as the energy beat back and forth between the two hands. It radiated up and down her spine, until it crashed into her mind, flooding her senses with green, electric energy, until she was on her knees with Sesshomaru behind her forcing his yoki into her body, into her mind. He could almost see the barrier blocking her memories, like an orange wall that sparked with vivacity. He ground his teeth. His own body was weakening from the effort. Sesshomaru knew he expelled too much energy between what he gave to the fox children and now to Rin.
She shrieked a staccato. She screamed, the pain of his yoki enveloping her body. She collapsed with the force of his power. He kept her hands tight around the two swords catching her body with his knees. Yuki and Harutoga ran to Sesshomaru and pushed her body against their father's chest. "Is she going to be okay?" Yuki ran her hands through Rin's hair.
"I don't know," Sesshomaru panted, that was too much. "Rin," he shook her shoulder, "Rin wake up," he gave her another good shake, "wake up my heart."
"Sesshomaru?" She asked weakly, "Sesshomaru?" She looked up, eyes full of the light he had been waiting to see shine for months. "My Sesshomaru? Is it really you?"
"Don't release the swords, we don't have much time, listen to me," he couldn't stop himself from embracing her. He held his Rin, the real Rin close to his heart, "listen to me, the healer put the spell on you, in order to break it you must take his life. Do not release either sword, if you do, the spell will take over again. My yoki is inside you, the swords are tethering it inside, it's fighting the spell. You cannot let go of either sword do you understand?"
"My head is spinning," she touched the left side of her head, "it's like I can feel the spell fighting against your yoki."
He held her chin in his hand and kissed her deeper than he ever had before, "you must do it now, take his life, and your memories will return."
Rin touched her stomach, "Sesshomaru, I…"
"Now Rin, there isn't much time," he muttered in her ear, "go. Do not release the swords."
Rin shrugged her shoulders, she closed her eyes for a moment and focused on what Sango and Kohaku once taught her. Not all battles end quickly, sometimes they go until you are exhausted, all you can do is take a deep breath and draw on the strength that you have. His strength, she told herself, he just gave me his strength, his yoki, his strength is my strength. She could feel it coursing through her body, burning her skin. It was as if something was alive shocking her insides, the sweetest most horrible pain she had ever felt in her life. She walked towards Torikku, "bastard," she yelled at him. "You cannot break my bond to him, you cannot make me love you." She attacked, she flew into the air, he dodged the blow and pulled out his own sword. An intense battle raged. She struck, he parried, she lunged he ducked. Rin kicked, he swung with his own sword. The blade narrowly missed her throat. She bent herself backwards sliding underneath it.
"Shit," Sesshomaru cursed, he threw his whip at Torikku's sword and missed. The bastard was faster than Sesshomaru gave him credit for. Sesshomaru's hand tremored from the loss of yoki.
Torikku lunged at Rin, she dodged his blow. He flew into the air and aimed the sword at her head, Sesshomaru flicked the whip again to hook the serrow demon's foot, and missed. He cursed his hand. Rin rolled out of the way missing the blow. Trust her, I trust you Rin, you can do this.
"Ni-san, let me take care of helping her. Your weakened." Inuyasha walked into the ring where Rin was fighting desperately. Her movements were slower than they were in the past, but she was keeping up with the healer. He kicked for her head, she ducked, she kicked at his stomach, simultaneously swinging her sword and Bakusaiga to slash into his waist, he flipped backwards twice. When Yuki came on him she landed on top of Torikku's shoulders dug her hands into his shoulders and released a green gas before he grabbed her arm and threw her off.
Sesshomaru jumped and caught Yuki before she hit the ground. "This is not your fight Yuki."
"Shippo!" The one called Kaito came running up. "What's going on why are they fighting the healer?"
"He's the one that placed the spell, find Hinatamaru-sama and tell him. Send me ten fox children, we'll build a shield so he won't be able to escape, Sesshomaru-sama," Shippo threw fox fire at Torikku again. The damn Serrow demon grabbed the fire in his hand threw it back at Shippo.
"You can't fight him Shippo," Sesshomaru barked, "she must break the spell herself."
Rin swung with her sword, the whip released a slithering green dragon that wrapped around Torikku's knee and dug into his flesh. Torikku screamed in pain one the knee buckled. Rin attacked again but this time he was able to nock Bakusaiga out of her hand. He spun on the ground leg extended, tripping Rin. Her katana was knocked from her hand. As she crumpled to the floor, Sesshomaru's eyes blazed red. Rin looked up. He knew from her eyes, his Rin was gone, the other one had returned, she was stammering and fearful.
"Inuyasha, Shippo hold him," Sesshomaru set Yuki down and stomped towards the woman that was sitting on the ground, fearful, trying to get away from the violence around her. He picked up Bakusaiga and sheathed it, he picked up Rin despite her screams of protest, "look at me, look at me," he gave her a soft shake, "look at me, my heart."
"Fox shield now!" Shippo called in the background, "block him in, don't let him out!"
"No…n…no…mean…angry…kill…no…red…eyes…hurt…no," she couldn't get away from him, her hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"Don't listen to him, he's trying to trick you," Torikku yelled, "he is trying to kill me, because he is afraid you will finally see him for what he is."
She tried looking anywhere but at Torikku or Sesshomaru, "Look at me, my heart, look in my eyes," he forced them back to their regular white and golden, "you are my mate, you are my love, he put a spell on you to make you forget, to make you forget who you are."
"No he is the monster, look at the blood on his claws! Look how he has his hanyou brother hold me! He cares nothing for you, he never did, that is why he left you alone all the time, he hates you." Torikku brayed.
Sesshomaru snarled and would have ripped Torikku's throat out if it wouldn't have made the spell permanent.
"Shut up," Inuyasha kicked the healer in the stomach, "you damn lying bastard, who the hell tries to take someone else's mate? Rin loves Sesshomaru, she has since she was a child!"
"See," Torikku coughed up blood, "see how they treat someone who has ever been kind to you."
"You are lucky it is she who must kill you. Don't think for a moment, if she fails that I won't kill you in ways you have never dreamt of for what you have done to Rin!" Sesshomaru growled, he could barely keep the red out of his eyes or his fangs from growing in fury.
"And what kind of mate have you been, eh? Leaving her alone to cry unhappy tears while she worked in the garden? To spend the nights in an empty bed? Spend her days wondering if you were alive? When you left for weeks on end, not knowing where you were? You don't deserve her Sesshomaru. She deserves someone who loves her! Not someone like you, an arrogant heartless bastard who only cares about himself and his pleasure, you took her in her sleep to satisfy your own needs and she knows it."
"Ka-san don't listen to him," Yuki yelled, "we want you back Chichiue loves you! Chichiue tell her! Ka-san please!"
"Please ka-san I want to play hanetsuki with you again!" Harutoga begged his mother.
"Rin, look at me," Sesshomaru thought his heart would stop for a moment, were those words true? Had he condemned her to a life of loneliness at his side? He pulled her near flopping body to his side. Sesshomaru held her close to him. He took her hand in his, he cupped her chin and kissed her deeply until she stopped struggling, "In the 900 years I have been alive, I have never felt the need to take a mate, ever. Not until I met you, I met her. She is the only one I have ever loved, she would not want to go with that thing." He took her hand to his heart, and placed it on his still bare chest where the scar over his heart lay. "This is our bond," he was too drained to open it, "you are mine."
"Head, it stings," she cried, she held the left side of her head. Her body didn't want to stay upright.
"In the time you have been with me. I have not hurt you. He was responsible for your bad dreams, for your fears, this is not who you are, your memories are still there, the person you were before," Sesshomaru held her close, lending her the heat of his arms, the touch of his kiss.
"You don't love me," she cried. "You love her, the one who you are bonded to, I am just a vessel of pleasure for you."
"How can you say that? I told you last night, I love you both," he felt desperation creeping in to his words. She tried to move away from him but he wouldn't let her, he kept her close to his chest.
"But I am not her, you would never love me the way you did her," she wiped a tear from her eyes, "maybe it's better if I go with him."
"No, you are mine, and I will not let you go, if you cannot kill him for your family then kill him for yourself," Sesshomaru rest his lips against her neck, "listen to me. I have heard you crying for nights and days. I have seen you struggle to remember who you are, no one should live their life not knowing who they are…it is your turn now, fight back, take back what is yours. Kill him, and your memories will return to you."
"He doesn't love you!" Torikku screamed again, Inuyasha kept Torikku from escaping.
The bastard would know how to fight, this would be over in a minute if I could kill him. Sesshomaru tried to remember to concentrate on Rin, his Rin was beneath this one. He didn't have the energy now to pull her back out, but this one, he had her trust, at least he thought he did.
"I don't know what to believe, let me go, please?" Rin cried as she tried to push herself off of Sesshomaru's chest.
Out of nowhere a battle hardened shriek came from behind Sesshomaru, Yuki flew into the air again landing on top of the healer. She dug her claws into him, blasting his shoulders with her poison. She dug her back toes into the healers cloak and clamped down on his back with her mouth. The healer whirled around until he found Yuki's head and threw her into a tree. "Yuki!" Sesshomaru shouted. He let Rin go and attempted to catch Yuki. Yuki's back snapped into the tree trunk. She fell into her father's arms, "Yuki," he touched her forehead. His eyes pitched red once again calling on the remaining reserves of yoki, "do not think you will leave here alive Torikku, if she cannot kill you, then I will." He stalked back towards the healer who was now battling it out with Inuyasha. Torikku was trapped now, the fox children's shield held him in. Out of the corner of his eyes Sesshomaru saw Hinatamaru and his wife in their true forms on either side of the battlefield adding their power to the shield making it impenetrable from Torikku.
"No!" Rin screamed.
When Sesshomaru looked back Rin had her katana in her hand again. Her eyes bled green around the irises. Green from the power of his yoki, "she is just a child," she clutched her head, "just a child, how could you do that?"
"A nuisance," Torikku hissed gloating.
"No, my child," Rin's growled. She knelt down to the ground and flung herself into the air in a flip. Torikku dodged her foot coming at his legs. He failed to notice the glow of her sword, the whip snaked around his feet as he leapt in the air, tightening on his ankles. Rin used that momentum to slam Torikku back to the ground. She kicked his face, throwing his body feet from where he landed. She held tightly to the whip. Torikku pawed at it, it was only then something in Rin's head registered, "you're not even human, what are you?" It was as if the two Rin's were battling as one.
"Use my yoki Rin, force the spell back!" Sesshomaru's voice boomed in Rin's ears.
"Bastard!" Rin screamed. She raised the katana into the air and slammed it down into Torikku's chest, he took that last moment to use both his now hooved back feet and struck Rin in the stomach causing her to lose her grip on the sword now sticking out of his chest and Rin's limp body to fly into the air. Sesshomaru flew up with her body, his mind raging and caught her. Torikku finally slumped over.
Sesshomaru carried Rin to Torikku's body, "you don't deserve her Sesshomaru. You think only of yourself." His eyes glazed over into the back of his head.
Sesshomaru answered with a snarl. He fell to his knees both from weakness and to clutch his Rin tighter to his chest. "Inuyasha, take my children home, ask your Miko to tend to Yuki," he rest Rin on top of one of his knees. "Are you there, my heart," he brushed the hair from her face, "you fought bravely, as you always do." In that moment he simply wanted to be with Rin and hold her next to his heart. He smelled it before he felt the warm liquid pool on his leg where her bottom sat. "No…" the blood went from pooling to gushing. He took Bakusaiga in his hand, drawing on its strength and fled back to his home with Rin cradled against him, "hold on, my heart, I will not lose you now."
Behind him Hinatamaru and his wife followed closely.
Rinnyone You and me both! Seriously when I was writing this I think I had to put it down to take care of something and all I could think of was I need to know what happens to Rin! School, life, be damned let me write this!
Therec3iver This scenario definitely tested Sesshomaru's emotions. I really enjoyed writing his character through the three stories. He doesn't have a lot of experience with emotions and just wait...as you can tell from the end of this chapter it's only going to get more intense for him.