Chapter 10

Sesshomaru

The scent was so strong; I could taste the blood already on my fangs. I followed the trail as fast as I could, but it didn't feel like enough. He was so much stronger than me, and he was also much swifter and cunning. He made all types of cover scents that had put me off track. But that last battle we had left a large slash in his shoulder all the way down his left leg. He should've died then, but he backed off so quickly and dissappeared, that I couldn't give the finishing blow. Bakeneko had gotten away from me yet again.

Not this time though. I needed to finish him, and return to Rin as soon as I could, and time was not my friend; time was my foe.

My wound had reopened as well. Demons from all over had smelled the wound and tried to take advantage of it. To their disappointment, it would take a lot more than a mere flesh wound to kill me. Blood trailed behind me, but I slashed my way through all the demons. I would not lose my track yet again.

A vision formed into my head right that moment, and a pain in my chest began to ache. It made me stop ubruptly on the trail and left me breathing heavily trying to grab some air. The vision was from Rin, and so was the pain.

'Pain? She's in pain of my leaving? Nonsense, she's stronger than that…' My mind kept telling me.

The vision was through her eyes. She was looking down at her reflection, admiring herself, but then a gastilly old hag appeared in her place. But…the old women wasn't unpleasant…Her eyes shimmered and glittered in a way that you would think to only see in a young girl's eyes…Was the old lady Rin? And that was when the pain struck again, harder and more painful than anything I've felt in a long while…Not since…

I shied away from that last time I felt something that painful. The peaceful yet scared look in her eyes before her…

I stopped thinking about that and continued to follow the trail, this time even faster then before. I had to get to Rin; She needed me.

That that made my speed increase and soon the scent was closer than ever before. I came to a clearing outside the forest and at the edge of a lake. The scent led from where I was standing to the water, and then it ended. I sniffed around the area frantically, trying to find a scent of him, but there wasn't one.

I couldn't have lost him. Not when I was so close…Not when I had thought I finally found him weakend! This was worse than tracking anything I've tracked on my own…damn…I went around the lake, trying to sniff around the perimeter to sniff out a scent from when he got out of the water…but there was nothing…

"What?" I said to myself outloud.

There had to be something…he couldn't have just go into the water and not come out…or could he? Maybe there was some sort of escape underneath the water?

I knelt down to touch my finger to the water. When my nail touched the surface lightly, the lake turned from a light blue to a dark navy.

"It is a hideout…" I studied the lake. I looked up at the sky and let the breeze run through my hair. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, trying as hard as I could to get a whiff of Rin's scent…but I guess she must have been too far away. "Rin, just wait a little while longer…"

Shippou

On the way home, we were both quiet. I wondered if Rin had seen me take a little peek at her before she put her kimono on. I wonder if she knew I had seen her cry…

She walked with a slow pace, her shoulder turned away from me…Her arms were crossed across her chest, almost as if she were hugging herself tight…

"Rin, I didn't see anything…I was just messing around…"

She hardly turned and her voice was a whisper. "I know…"

I couldn't meet her eyes; her bangs were in the way. "Tell me something, Rin…" I started to say in a lighter tone. "Do you know what gets the twins in a happy mood when their fighting?"

The side of her face I could see was a question. She batted her eyes curiously.

I smiled. "Transformation magic!"

Rin giggled as she looked at me. "A puppy?"

I barked and ran over to her, jumping on her, kissing her, making her light up and laugh. I had another trick up my sleeve though, I transformed into different animals and people. I transformed into a kitten, Miroku, a butterfly (it's hard to transform into one because of its size), and Kohaku, since I knew she was missing him as well.

Kohaku had been gone for a month now, he had been coming to see Sango and everyone, but his visits were always short. He should've been returning any day now for a few weeks, since fall was coming and he didn't train in cold weather. Rin was very close to Kohaku, since he used to travel with her and Sesshomaru, he felt like almost family to her.

"Thanks, Shippou, you always know how to make me feel better…" She hugged me after I transformed back into myself.

"I'm not done yet, this one I've been working on for a while," I smiled even wider. She gave me another curious look, but smiled and smirked. I backed up to make some room then said, "The prettiest girl in the world…"

I jumped up and transformation magic swirled around me, misting around my legs and my body, before I gently floated to the ground. When the spell cleared, Rin gasped. Her expression was shock, her hand covered her mouth. She was impressed!

"Well, what do you think?" I smiled as Rin's silver voice came out of my mouth. My smile slowly turned downward as she backed up, and covered her face with her hands…She sounded like she was weeping…

"Rin…? What's wrong?" I asked. "Don't you like it?"

She dropped her basket of berries she picked and started running back towards the river. I immediately transformed back and chased after her. "Rin! Rin, please come back!"

I heard a splash suddenly, followed by a gurgled scream.

"Rin!" I sprinted to the bank of the river, but Rin wasn't in sight. I looked down river, and upriver, but I couldn't find her.

"Looking for this?"

I turned around, wiping tears from my face, and there was Rin, in the arms of Kohaku.

He smiled and chuckled, "Haha, look what I caught!"