AN: Thanks for the reviews! I just love them! As promised, my Monday update!

Chapter 10

A short man dressed in traditional garb entered a decrepit hut. He resembled many of the locals in the face eyes and hair, but the similarities only ran skin deep. He brushed the cold sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. A pair of blue eyes greeted him with unspoken questions.

"I was able to dispose of the female demon. I also blessed the main water supply so most of their lesser servants should be taken care of." He said hastily sitting down beside the other man. "However, Father Salvias, I found out some other information."

"Yes Father Abbot?" He asked patiently.

"The female demon that we disposed of wasn't his wife after all. His wife is a human woman." Father Abbot said slowly, in disbelief himself.

"We will rescue her when the demon lord is vanquished." Father Salvias said quickly.

"There is more. She is pregnant with a half breed." Father Salvias gave a disgruntled sigh.

"Half breeds react less virulently to the holy water. However, if their bodies ingest enough it will be fatal." He said looking off into the distance.

"Then what do you suppose we do about it?" Father Abbot queried.

"My first priority is the demon lord. Don't mention the mortal wife to the samurai. I fear he'll want her dead." Father Salvias sighed and looked Father Abbot in the eye. "We will rescue that woman and free her from the abomination growing in her womb." Father Abbot nodded his agreement.

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Rin opened her eyes noticing Sesshomaru had come to a stop. She his great body lower to the ground and took the hint to begin climbing down his side. She lost her grip and started to fall to the ground. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact. But after a few seconds realized it was never going to come. She looked up to find Sesshomaru's right arm gripping her instinctively.

"You can't afford to be clumsy." He scolded as he put her down on her feet. Rin looked around to find they were just outside the village and the sky was turning an inky black. Rin shivered as a blast of winter air caught her by surprise, the warmth she had gotten from Sesshomaru's body fading like the light. "You need to get inside." She felt his hand move the small of her back and urge her along. They walked quietly into Inuyasha's village.

"Over there!" Rin said pointing to a modest sized hut at the end of the village. "That's where Kagome and Inuyasha live." Sesshomaru nodded and the couple walked towards the hut. Rin saw a red and white blur to her side.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha spat at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru's eyes twinkled with agitation. Rin took her mates hand and squeezed it trying to calm him down.

"I need you and your mate to take care of Rin for awhile." Sesshomaru said icily. Inuyasha scuffed and glared at his brother.

"What's wrong? Can't you even be trusted to take care of your own mate?" Inuyasha accused bitterly. Sesshomaru let go of Rin's hand and clenched his fist dangerously.

"I have things to take care of. I can't be two places at once." Sesshomaru said in a cold regal tone. "I need you to protect her while I secure a few things in my territory." He said the last part through clenched teeth. Inuyasha studied his brothers composure with an arched eyebrow.

"All right on one condition." Inuyasha said folding his arms across his chest.

"Fine, what?" Sesshomaru asked irritated.

"What happened that's got you so spooked?" Inuyasha asked with an amused smile. Sesshomaru glared at him.

"Fine, its something you should be aware of anyway." Sesshomaru sighed as his fist unclenched and Rin leaned in against his body.

"My castle was infiltrated by a missionary." Sesshomaru said softly. Rin's eyes widened.

"That's how Riku was murdered then?" Rin asked quickly. Sesshomaru nodded. However, Inuyasha just looked at them dumbfounded.

"Missionaries?" He asked perplexed.

"Being human they themselves are insignificant. It is the holy water they carry that is such a problem." Sesshomaru watched his brother give him the 'and you are worried about this why?' look.

"Holy water is instant death for demons. But it is harmless to mortals." Rin murmured softly at Sesshomaru's side.

"Then don't go near it!" Inuyasha fussed. Sesshomaru shook his head.

"It's not the easy. There is no way to distinguish it from water. No one ever sees it coming. So if you don't mind I need to secure my domain. Once I am one hundred percent sure things are safe I will come for Rin." Sesshomaru said beginning to lose patience.

"But Rin is mortal, why is she in danger from this…" Inuyasha stopped as the wind shifted and he caught Rin's scent.

"Now you see why brother." Sesshomaru said looking down at Rin as she shivered again. "She's cold." He whispered as he pushed her along towards Inuyasha's hut. Inuyasha simply nodded his head. Rin felt fear rise up in her gut as she realized Sesshomaru was going to leave her. She felt as if she had been taking every moment with him for granted and desperately wanted to go back to the worry free life she had been enjoying for the past several months. Entering the hut they startled Kagome who was breastfeeding her baby boy. Rin noted how big little Akiyama had grown over the past four months. His sisters were sitting beside Kagome, playing with dolls. There eyes widened as they looked up at Sesshomaru.

"Who are you?" Mizuki the oldest and bolder of the two asked. Sesshomaru looked down into the girl's brown eyes.

"He's your uncle." Kagome said not paying Sesshomaru much attention as the baby finished suckling. Both girls jumped up and ran in front of him. Kagome looked up at Rin and patted the floor beside her. Rin hesitantly moved over and sat down. She and Kagome watched the young girls excitedly bombard Sesshomaru.

"You're uncle Sesshomaru?" The youngest, Tsukiko, said while tugging at his empty sleeve. Sesshomaru glared down at the girls, but they ignored him and continued their inspection.

"Whoa he really is missing an arm like daddy said." Mizuki commented as she watched her sister tug at the lifeless sleeve. "Are all the mean things daddy says about you true?" She asked with big brown eyes. Sesshomaru glared back at Inuyasha and wondered what stories he had been feeding them over the years.

"Your father exaggerates." He said in a smooth calm voice. He looked over to Kagome and Rin. "If you are satisfied here I'll take my leave." Sesshomaru said watching sadness wash over Rin's soft brown eyes.

"You'll be back soon right?" Rin asked as tears began to well up in her eyes. 'Damn these hormones.' She cursed herself. Sesshomaru brushed the girls away from him and knelt down in front of Rin. He brushed a stray tear away and leaned in to capture her lips.

"As soon as possible." He whispered into her ear before getting up and leaving the hut. Everyone watched as he turned into a ball of light and flew away in the direction of his castle. Inuyasha let out an aggravated huff and sat down inside the warm hut. He grabbed some blankets from a shelve above him then tossed them to Rin.

"I want to learn how to do that!" Tsukiko said excitedly watching her uncle fly out of sight.

"Thank you." Rin said to Inuyasha politely as she wrapped the soft blankets around her body.

"So how far along is it?" He asked trying to show as little attention as possible. "Kagome will have good advice for you." He said trying to cover up the possibility he was showing any curiosity in his brother's child.

"I'm four months along." Rin said softly, her fingers fidgeting with the blanket.

"That's wonderful!" Kagome chimed in. "The first trimester is always the roughest. Things will be much smoother, well up until the labor that is." She said with a smirk.

"That's not all." Rin said with an excited smile. The hut's inhabitants looked at her curiously. "There are two babies in there." She said warmly and rubbed her belly. Kagome looked excited and concerned at the same time.

"That really is wonderful!" Kagome agreed. "However, I suggest you think about getting a demon midwife experienced in multiple births." Her tone became serious. Rin nodded. "Chances that one will be a breach are a bit high with twins." Rin nodded again and looked at the floor. "However, you are young and healthy. Your body should handle it."

"I just want everything to be okay. All I want is a happy family and right now it seems like the whole world wants to rip everything to pieces." Rin said in a shaking voice as tears slid down her face.

PAGE BREAK

It was nearly morning when Sesshomaru arrived at his castle. Everything was dark and quiet. However an impatient squawking voice disturbed that. Sesshomaru's eyes darted to Jaken's small dark figure as he ran across the castle grounds.

"My Lord! All the water is bad!" Jaken said exasperatingly. "We lost most of our servants today! I hired a couple human servants to flush everything out, but who knows when things will be safe again." Sesshomaru frowned.

"Have you found out anything useful?" Sesshomaru asked coldly as he continued to make his way to his castle.

"Actually yes. The servants said there was a mortal working here today they had never met before. They thought he was just a new hire, but I checked the supervisor's records. No one has hired a mortal in five years. There was an imposter in the castle this morning!" Jaken cried shrilly.

"Then I want you to take care of the water supply." Sesshomaru said icily stopping mid step and turning. "I will find the human responsible for this and put an end to it." The lord said with his mind made up. Jaken watched as Sesshomaru quickly left, disappearing behind the tree line.

PAGE BREAK

Two Months Later

Rin sighed and moved her hand to where she felt tiny fluttering under the skin. She pressed her palm to her large pregnant belly and smiled. She was now six months pregnant, but the size of her belly lead people to believe she was much further. 'But that's normal for twins.' She thought. It was early morning. Rin sighed and stood up careful not to wake her sleeping caretakers. She walked outside and stretched her weary limbs. She could sense it was going to one of the first truly warm days of spring. Smiling she noted that many flowers had already erupted from the ground and with any luck would be blooming in a few days. Rin walked over to a large tree whose branches were once again covered in little green buds that would soon be lush green leaves. She sat beneath it and starred at the horizon.

"It's been two months." She whispered to the sky. "Where are you? Why can't you even send a message to me? I just want to know that you're all right." Rin whispered sadly. 'I miss you so much.' She thought as visions of his gentle golden eyes and soft silver hair flooded her mind. She was even beginning to wonder if he would come back in time for their children's birth. She brought her fingers up to the mark he had given her and gently stroked it.

"Please come back to me." She whispered into the air. Rin heard footsteps behind her and turned around startled to find a man and a child behind her.

"Here she is mister." The child said happily then waved and ran off. Rin looked up at the man questioningly. He looked like a normal man, but the air was different around him. His brown eyes seemed foreign.

"Are you Rin?" He asked with a warm smile and extended hand. Rin looked up at him with apprehension and continued to sit where she was.

"Yes, what do you want with me? Who are you?" She asked peering up at him as he decided to sit next to her. He sat to close for comfort and Rin scooted away, maintaining her space.

"My name is Abbot." He said in the oddest accent she had ever heard. Everything about the man sent shivers up her spine. She began to feel urgent kicks on either side of her belly.

"I'm sorry Mr. Abbot, but I need to get back to my family." Rin said and quickly tried to get up, but her pregnant state proved to be a handicap.

"You are not going anywhere." He whispered and leaned over to grab her.

"In…." Rin tried to scream for Inuyasha, but the man covered her mouth with a cloth. Her eyes lit up in fear as her nose was filled with the smell of some sort of chemical on the cloth. Her eyes fluttered and closed. Abbot Let the woman's body rest back against the tree and walked over the hut he had been told the half demon resided in. He found that their barrels of water were sitting outside. He quickly blessed them and walked back to the wagon he had brought with him. He pulled it up to the tree and gently lifted Rin inside then pulled a tarp over her.

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Sesshomaru had searched high and low for the culprits that murdered his aunt and most likely intended to take him down as well. He only turned up a cold trail. The months dragged on. Sesshomaru realized his pregnant mate was being neglected. He had sent her a few letters of reassurance, but knew it was no substitute. He sighed as he saw the horizon of Inuyasha's village in sight.

"I miss her." He whispered to himself as he watched the purple evening sky chase any remaining daylight away. He sniffed the air and could sense something amiss. His brother's scent seemed distraught and ill. He hurried to his brother's hut to find Inuyasha lying on a futon, paler than a ghost.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome said surprised. "Is Rin with you?" She asked desperately.

"No." Sesshomaru said anxiously. "When did you last see her?" He asked as he surveyed his brother. The two girls were hovering over their father while the eldest girl held the infant brother.

"She disappeared this morning and Inuyasha suddenly fell ill!" He could tell Kagome was on her last string as her voice cracked and wavered. Sesshomaru watched as the girls gave Inuyasha a sip of water.

"Wait!" Sesshomaru ordered and the girls looked up at him surprised. Sesshomaru bit a nail off and dropped it in the jug they had. They watched as it violently sizzled and disintegrated. "Get rid of all the water." Sesshomaru ordered gravely.

"Is that holy water?" Kagome gasped. Sesshomaru nodded. "But the girls have been drinking it too!" Her voice was now a shrill shriek.

"Your children should be fine. The majority of their blood is human. It protects them. It's a full moon tomorrow night. If Inuyasha can make it till then He'll be fine." Sesshomaru said coldly. "That means they were here this morning. They have Rin." Sesshomaru said quietly as he turned and left.

"Be careful Sesshomaru!" Kagome yelled as she watched him leave.

"What should we do mommy?" The youngest girl asked.

"Give me that water!" Kagome said desperately. She took it outside and dumped it on the ground. Then she tipped all the barrels over and spilled their contents into the earth. "Don't go near that water!" Kagome ordered as she grabbed a clean jug and left in search of fresh water.

PAGE BREAK

Rin sat up. She was in a cold damp shack. She shivered and rubbed her head. She peered around to find the man who attacked her and another sitting with their backs turned towards her. She turned her head to find the door was on her side. She tried to lift herself up, but her huge belly made getting up hard to do. The fabric of her kimono betrayed her by rustling loudly and alerting her captors.

"So she's awake." The new man said smoothly. Rin studied his face for a moment. This man was definitely a foreigner. He had the lightest hair she had ever seen on a mortal. His bright blue eyes sparkled with cruel intentions. 'They're missionaries.' Rin thought frantically. 'Oh Sesshomaru, what am I going to do?' Her heart constricted and her eyes lit up in terror as the one she knew to be Abbot got up and grabbed a jug of liquid.

"You must be thirsty." He said in a kind voice that sent chills up her spine. He put the jug to her lips and tried to pour the liquid into her mouth. However, Rin kept her lips tightly closed and turned her face. As a result the clear liquid spilled down the side of her face. "That won't do. You need to drink for two remember." He said in his odd sounding Japanese. 'I must get out of here!' Rin thought frantically, but realized the hopelessness of her situation.

"There is no reason to fear us." The other man said standing up and walking to her. 'That one is much bigger than me. I can't even get up without help let alone outrun them.' She thought desperately.

"We are men of the gospel." Abbot said brightly. "We want to help you."

"I don't need your help. If you want to help me then let me go!" Rin barked at them as her temper got the upper hand.

"Woman, you can't see it now, but I promise you'll have to regrets in the years to come when you look back on all this." He said placing a hand on Rin's stomach. Rin was already backed as far as she could go into the wall. Her eyes were wide with fear as the Fathers continued to stare at her.

"We will cure you of the abominations growing in your womb." They said with sick smiles. Rin shook her head.

"What makes you think that?" She asked biting back tears.

"These." Abbot said and showed her several and written letters. Her eyes went big, it was Sesshomaru's handwriting. She squinted and saw all the letters were addressed to her.

"You intercepted his letters!" She accused with vengeance. They nodded.

"Please don't make this any harder than what it already is, Father Salvias and I want to make this as quick as possible." Abbott said as he once again brought the jug to her lips. This time Salvias leaned in and held her head still. Abbott forced the mouth of the jug between her lips while Salvias grabbed her by the jaw and kept her from closing her mouth. Abbot poured the liquid into her mouth. She tried to spit it out, but he kept a steady stream flowing into her mouth. Having no choice, some of the liquid was swallowed as she gasped for air. This continued for some time until the priests were satisfied with the amount of liquid she had ingested.

'That was holy water!' Rin's mind screamed. Tears slid down her cheeks and her hands slid down to rest on her stomach. She began to feel little stabs of pain at her sides. 'No no no.' She thought as her gut contorted in fear. 'Anything but this.'

"How long do you think it will take?" She heard Abbot whisper.

"I don't know. If its not finished within the hour we'll give her more." Father Salvias whispered back.

They sat motionless watching the young woman. Rin let out an anguished scream as pain tore through her gut. She shut her eyes as tears flooded down her face. Her fingers gently rubbed her belly searching for signs of life. Little flutters here and there both excited her and terrified her. 'Are they ok or are they in pain.' She wondered frantically as another wave of pain hit her and she bit her tongue to keep from crying out. 'Sesshomaru, I'm so sorry.' She thought as grief squeezed at her heart. She felt wetness soak the fabric of her kimono between her legs and more pain erupted from her belly.

"No!" She screamed as she suddenly felt a blinding urge in push.

"It's taking effect." She heard Father Salvias say.

"She'll need help." Abbot said and approached her. "I did a lot of work in medicine at the monastery." He explained as he moved Rin away from the wall and spread her legs. Rin was in too much pain to fight back as she felt him remove her underwear.

"Argh!" Rin screamed again and gave in to the urge to push her underdeveloped children from her womb. She turned and noticed her panties were discarded on the ground and blood soaked. 'This is not happening!' Rin cried to herself. Suddenly a horrible stretching sensation took hold of her and her unconscious forced her to push again. Rin screamed in agony as she pushed again this time to be released of the burning between her legs. She panted and screamed as another wave of pain caused her to push again. Once again the stretching sensation was back. She bit down on her tongue and pushed again once again ridding herself of the burning torment between her legs.

"There you are all done." Father Salvias said as he handed Abbot a bowel of clean water and clean cloths.

"My babies…" Rin cried as her hands moved to rest on her slightly shrunken stomach.

"It'll be a few days before you stomach recedes completely." Father Abbot said as he cleaned her up. Tears still flowed down Rin's cheeks as she watched Abbot and Salvias a large bloody bundle.

"Can't I at least see them!" Rin cried desperately. Abbot shrugged looking up at Salvias.

"I suppose." Salvias said and knelt down and handed her the bloody bundle. Rin painstakingly peeled the towel back to reveal two tiny babies. She completely freed them from the bloody towel to reveal a boy and a girl. She memorized their pointed little ears and wondered what their eyes would have looked like or what color hair they would have had. She noticed they each had underdeveloped little tails that had a fine coating of silver fur. She clutched them to her chest and wept. 'I've failed Sesshomaru. Please forgive me, I lost the most precious gift you could ever give me.' Her eyes popped open as Salvias forcibly grabbed the dead infants from her. He bundled the babies back up in the bloody rags and walked outside of the hut. Father Abbot walked out after him.

"I have a plan to bring him here." Salvias whispered.

Well that's it for now! Please read and review! So what did you think? Did I make anyone cry yet? I officially think these priests are sick fucks by the way… They really got out of control in this chapter. I have to work on their obedience to me… Oh well, I'm going to have to think of a good punishment for their poor behavior.