Chapter Ten – According to Plan

**Author's Note: The story is going to earn its "M" rating from this point forward. So be warned.

I do not own InuYasha.

Rin was suddenly aware that a pair of eyes were studying her. And this time, it wasn't the anxious glare of the Miko she felt. Without thinking, she looked up at Sesshomaru, whom to her knowledge had scarcely imparted a glance at her this entire night – and caught his unwavering gaze. She paused in surprise, as time seemed to freeze around her, and she stared back at his intense golden eyes. Though his mouth remained fastened in his usual impervious expression, his eyes betrayed him; something lingered within that Rin didn't quite understand, yet at the same time she understood very well, as instinct seemed to take hold of her along with his unrelenting gaze. As his eyes held her their, her head suddenly felt very light while her heart seemed to turn into cement inside of her chest. Slowly the edges of the world seemed to blur together until she could scarcely breathe. She began to lose awareness of herself, of the room they were currently sitting in, and of their present company – and most importantly, she lost awareness of the teapot she was currently holding.

Time then drew in on itself and shot into fast-forward as the teapot dropped effortlessly from Rin's careless fingertips and shattered into fragmented, glossy bits against the table. The tea burst out into a translucent green spray in all directions, though most of it had made its way onto the lap of the very demon who was supposed to be served the tea in a cup.

Sesshomaru was immediately brought to his senses as the sensation of first hot, and then liquid, came to rest in his lap. Had he been human, he most likely would have leaped up from his seat with a cry of pain while uselessly fanning the tea on his pants in an effort to cool it. As he was not human, however, he didn't even flinch. He felt the heat, and was inconvenienced by it, but at the same time he was also relieved. The spell that Rin had cast on him was, for the moment, broken.

Lady Mitchitsuna's mouth opened in a silent shriek while Rin seemed unable to come to her senses. She had been serving her master tea...and then...what happened?

The color drained from Rin's face as the realization of what she had just done came to her, and the look of shock on the Miko's face only affirmed what she already knew: she had just poured piping hot tea into the lap of her Lord. In a fit of nerves, she unknotted her obi with a YANK! and fell to her knees beside Sesshomaru. Before he could protest, she used the obi as a makeshift napkin and began rubbing at the fabric of his pants to blot up the tea. A stammering sentence of apologies began to spill out of her - "Oh, I'm so sorry Lord Sesshomaru – I don't know what happened, I'm so sorry-" as her hands jerked back and forth across his legs, nearly coming into contact with that which cannot be mentioned several times – before Sesshomaru was on his feet and in the face of the already stunned Priestess.

If it had been anyone else but this particular demon, the spectacle may have been humorous to Ryoma, who had done his best to stay as low key as possible throughout the entire ordeal as he watched on. But now as the intimidating height of Sesshomaru towered over his Lady, his temptation to laugh was quickly replaced with the instinct to protect. He jumped to his feet as fast as his human body would allow, but he was not fast enough. Without so much as offering him a glance, Sesshomaru's fist swatted him away like a fly, and Ryoma was sent careening into the wall behind him. His head made contact with a loud "thud!" and he was unconscious. The Miko's protective barrier did not jump to his aid this time.

"Do you think me completely ignorant, mortal?" Sesshomaru said in a low hiss that came out like an oppressive whisper. "Whatever games you're attempting to play at are wasted on me. Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you where you stand."

The Miko was speechless. In encounters past, her charisma had been enough to win over just about everyone she crossed. She knew this demon would be different, but she was amazed at just how different. Even the girl that she believed he treasured more than anything else had failed to distract him. And now, for the first time in awhile, she felt truly afraid.

It was Rin's voice, not Mitchitsuna's, that responded to Sesshomaru. "Why do you want to kill her, Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin was afraid for the woman's life, and she didn't understand why Sesshomaru suddenly wanted her dead. If anything, his anger should be directed towards her. What did the Priestess have to do with anything?

Sesshomaru answered her with a hint of malice in his voice as his eyes remained fixed on the visibly fearful priestess. "Because I think she's lying to us. I don't think she can help you," he said pointedly.

Mitchitsuna felt like laser beams were boring into her skull as his eyes stared down at her. She had to come up with something to appease him, and fast.

"You've got it all wrong, demon." She had meant to say "demon" more forcefully, but the word died on her lips and came out a mere croak. She cleared her throat and began to speak with more confidence. "I can help your Rin, and I will. I am actually quite taken with her, you know. She's a very charming girl..." a crack of Sesshomaru's knuckles signaled to Lady Mitchitsuna that she needed to get to the point. "You realize that tonight is her last night as a woman, at least for awhile. I wanted her to feel like one. I have such a fine collection of kimonos that I will never get around to wearing. I thought perhaps she'd like to wear one, if just for one night. I thought it was more becoming on her than the rags you had dressed her in, anyway." Mitchitsuna was surprised by the sudden harshness of her words and started to think better of it. Now was not the time to be brave. He was threatening to kill her, wasn't he? And though she had powers, she thought this could be the time when they failed her.

But her words seemed to have the effect she was hoping for. Sesshomaru's look of wrath melted into something less frightening. A look of guilt, perhaps? He cast his eyes downward as he let her words sink in. It was true, all he had been able to give to Rin was old peasant clothes that didn't even fit her properly. Maybe this "distraction" of the Priestess' had merely been an effort to build Rin's spirits. But that still didn't explain Rin's heightened scent-

"If you're going to be angry, you should be angry at me, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin jarred his thoughts. "I'm the one who spilled tea on you, after all."

It was such an innocent decree, such a painfully obvious thing to say – such a child-like thing to say. Though Rin meant well by what she said, it poisoned Sesshomaru's ears. She was beautiful, of course. Beautiful, and alluring to him in ways that he didn't even think possible until tonight. But behind that beautiful mask lay a child, and he began to feel sick again.

He'd had enough for tonight.

"Tomorrow morning, you will fulfill your promise," Sesshomaru said to the Priestess. "And in return, I won't kill you." Without another word, he turned away from her and began walking towards the hallway. Rin watched after him, her fear for Mitchitsuna's life now replaced with the fear of him leaving her.

"My Lord, where are you going?" She stood to her feet and made a motion to follow him, but he stopped her.

"You will be staying here tonight," he avoided her question. "I will send Jaken to watch over you. I will be back in the morning." A few seconds later, and he was gone.

Rin turned to stare at the empty pillow where her demon caretaker had just been sitting moments before, and the glimmering bits of broken ceramic caught her eye. As if mimicking them, her eyes began to glimmer as well, only with tears. She tried to remember the brief moment that their eyes had met not too long before all this mess, and she found that moment becoming harder and harder to recall. That moment had felt like an eternity at the time; now it felt like it happened ages ago. And, she realized as she stifled tears, it may not ever happen again.

A low, painful grumbling sound stirred Rin from her thoughts. Ryoma was coming to. He clutched the back of his head as he sat up and winced as his fingers made contact with the large bump on his head. He withdrew his hand and looked at it, searching for traces of blood. Thankfully there was none. But he knew there could have been a lot of blood, if the demon willed it.

"That...sneaky...ungrateful...fucking...bastard," the monk said between breaths as he eased himself up to his feet. He felt unstable at first, and leaned against the same wall he had nearly fractured his skull against for support. He considered apologizing for his course language, but neither of the two women seemed to notice. "Well, anyone mind telling me what THAT was all about?"

The Priestess seemed oblivious to his existence. Her thoughts were racing. Her plan had failed. She could have sworn she sensed an internal struggle within the demon, but maybe it was only wishful thinking on her part. She would have known for certain, if only Rin hadn't dropped the damned tea...

More grumbling sounds seemed to be coming from somewhere in the distance, but this time it wasn't from Ryoma. Soon, the small figure of Jaken appeared from the shadows of the hallway, as he noisily murmured to himself about his lot in life. "Stupid Rin, stupid village...why couldn't Lord Sesshomaru bring Rin back with him instead of sending me here..."

Ryoma, now having fully regained his composure, eyed the approaching toad demon with apprehension. "Who are you?"

"Shouldn't that be obvious?" the tiny demon flailed his arms as if it was the stupidest question on earth. "I'm here to watch over that brat- err, Rin." Jaken needed to be careful with his choice of words. Knowing his luck, Sesshomaru was probably still within listening distance.

"Master Jaken," Rin said flatly. It wasn't really an introduction, it was more of reminder to herself that Sesshomaru was gone.

The toad demon turned to the Priestess, who looked like she was a million miles away. He ignored her vacant expression and cleared his throat to deliver a formal introduction. "I Jaken, most loyal servant to Lord Sesshomaru, the most powerful demon of the Western Lands, have hereby been commanded to- errr - stay here and watch Rin until tomorrow's ritual. I believe there will be no objections to this, mortal? Err – Priestess."

The Priestess stared at the diminutive toad that stood before her and nodded meekly. "Tomorrow's ritual...yes..." she turned to face Ryoma now, who looked disgusted with the new presence of this "Jaken" creature. "Darling monk, will you please show our guests to their quarters, then?"

Ryoma adopted a new look of surprise. He cast an uneasy glance at Jaken, then leaned in to the Priestess' ear so that he wouldn't be overheard. "Oh..umm..really m'lady, can't that "thing" sleep outside or something-"

"You impertinent wretch! I am not a thing!" Jaken squealed and raised a small, shaking fist at the monk. "You're lucky Lord Sesshomaru isn't here, he would never stand to see me insulted so!"

Rin thought about voicing her disagreement with Jaken on that last remark, but she wasn't in the mood. She merely resigned herself to a sigh. "We can sleep outside, if you'd like. I'm used to sleeping outside."

The monk's look of surprise transitioned into an even bigger look of surprise as he waved off her suggestion as completely ridiculous. "Of course not, Rin! You're our guest, and...uhh...Jaken is also our guest. I guess."

Jaken began tapping his foot impatiently as Ryoma tiptoed past him and in the direction of the hallway. "This way then," Ryoma said with his big, toothy grin that Rin didn't entirely like.

Jaken followed after Ryoma a good five feet behind, with Rin behind him, and the Priestess bringing up the rear. Mitchitsuna had looked completely out of it ever since Sesshomaru left. Rin supposed she understood why. She was probably shaken up after his threat on her life.

Rin allowed herself to fall behind until Lady Mitchitsuna caught up with her. Rin, now walking beside her, tried to offer her sincerest apologies for Sesshomaru's behavior. "I'm very sorry about what my Lord said to you before," Rin said, though she wasn't sure the Miko was listening. "He doesn't usually get angry that easily. I guess it's because I spilled tea on him."

The Priestess smiled at that, but it was an empty smile. Maybe even an angry smile. "It's all right, my dear. Tomorrow I'll...make good on my promise to transform you back, and it will all be fine."

"I'm sorry that I dropped the tea, too. It's just..." Rin wanted to explain the way she felt, but somehow it didn't seem appropriate, so she trailed off.

But that's when the Priestess' interest seemed piqued. "It's just what, dear?"

"Well..." Rin began fumbling with her obi as she walked, which she had been carrying in her hands. No sense putting it back on since it was wet with tea. "When I was about to pour the tea, I had this strange feeling. And when I looked up, I saw that he was looking at me. And..." she trailed off again, looking down at her feet in embarrassment.

"And then what?" Lady Mitchitsuna prompted, trying her best to conceal her impatience.

"And well, he's never looked at me that way before. It made me feel...tingly. I feel like there must be a better word for it, but I'm not sure what it is. And then I felt like I was going to faint, and I dropped the tea."

The Priestess stopped in her tracks, and Rin stopped with her. A wave of relief seemed to wash over the Priestess, and her posture straightened and a smile curled her lips. "Oh Rin, there's no need to apologize at all!" she said, her exuberant tone tinging her voice again. "So he was looking at you in a way that made you feel tingly, hmm?" The Priestess began walking again, much faster this time, and Rin raced forward to catch up with her.

"Yes, it was odd. I've never felt anything like that before. Does that mean there's something wrong with me?"

"Not at all, my dear," the Miko cooed, "in fact, I was hoping you maybe you could explain it to me a little bit more."

As they walked on, past the main hall and up the stairs, into a small room that had been prepared just for guests, Rin described very briefly her inner struggle within her new body, to which the Priestess responded "Hmmm" and "You don't say?" before entering the room where she and Jaken would be staying.

"There are sleeping robes in the dresser should you need them, please let me know if the floor mat is to your liking. Oh...but don't go to sleep just yet, I have something to bring for you," Lady Mitchitsuna said to Rin, while Ryoma and Jaken stood in the room completely ignored.

The Priestess left the room in a hurry, and Ryoma looked like he might follow her example. "Yes, well...goodnight to you both then, we'll see you first thing in the morning!" he said and exited the room as if it'd been on fire. Once he was gone, Jaken began to do what he did best. Complain.

"The NERVE of that wretched mortal! Calling me a thing! He's lucky I don't use the staff of two heads on him! Can you believe that Lord Sesshomaru would make us stay in a place like this? In this filthy mortal place with these filthy mortal floor mats?" The toad demon sat down on one of the floor mats defiantly, making a spectacle of it by placing his bottom on it as hard as he could, as if he was expecting the mat make a loud sound that would echo his anger at the situation.

However, the mat made no sound because it was so soft. He attempted to sit down hard on it again, harder this time, but still no sound. He tried three more times in rapid succession but to no avail. He crossed his arms in defeat. "Stupid mortal floor mat," he said again, though secretly he was pleased by how soft it was compared to hard forest floor he was accustomed to.

The Priestess entered the room again, slowly this time in case anyone was indecent (not that she really expected Rin to change in front of that toad demon), and set down an incense burner. "My special blend of herbs, it will calm you and make you better rested for tomorrow's ritual." She lit the incense and a plume of smoke emerged almost immediately, dancing into the air like silk. Mitchitsuna motioned to the empty floor mat next to Jaken, and Rin instinctively walked over to it and laid down, despite still being in her full kimono. For some reason, she sensed that the Priestess wanted her to keep it on.

Mitchitsuna leaned in to her ear to whisper something before she retired for the evening. "I think maybe you and I should talk more about how you felt tonight," and gave a little wink.

Rin looked puzzled even as she suppressed a yawn. "But we won't have time to talk about it anymore, in the morning we-"

"I wouldn't be so sure," the Miko said to herself, but loud enough for Rin to hear. Then she beamed a bright smile and gave Rin a brief kiss on the cheek, like a mother would do, before walking to the door.

"Goodnight, Rin...and...Jacko." It didn't matter that she said his name wrong, Jaken was already asleep and snoring.

Mitchitsuna disappeared from the room, and Rin heard her footsteps get fainter and fainter as she retreated down the stairs and to her own private quarters. As Jaken emitted a loud snore, she wondered if she would ever be able to fall asleep. But the incense worked its magic, and her heavy lids fell close.

...

The Miko sat in her quarters, her hair taken down and laying in black waves about her face and neck. She was sitting in front of her full length mirror on a box of something-or-other that had probably been intended as a gift, but was serving as a seat for now. She looked on at the reflection of Ryoma, who was standing behind her and brushing her hair. He wore an expression of confusion as he stared down (too intently, she thought) at his hands as they worked. She watched him open his mouth to speak several times but then stop himself. His hands moved mechanically as he performed this nightly task of brushing her black locks; it was obvious that his mind was elsewhere.

Lady Mitchitsuna pursed her lips as she watched him while he remained unaware that she was watching him. "You 're wondering what I'm planning, aren't you?"

The monk stopped mid-stroke with the brush and his eyes darted up to meet hers in the mirror. He seemed relieved to see that she was looking coy, and not fearful as she had earlier that night.

"You are a very elusive woman, you know that, my Lady?" The monk said through a playful smile as his hands began to work at her hair again. "I've been trying to figure it out since those two showed up here. But we haven't really had much time to ourselves to discuss it since they arrived, have we?" He withdrew a hand and traced a line down her cheek and across her jawbone, prompting a sigh from the Miko. Part of her hoped he would go further, but instead his hand disappeared behind her head again to continue brushing. Ever a tease, that monk.

"No, we haven't," she agreed. "If things had gone according to my original plan, we wouldn't even need to have this conversation. But, since we're here, I will tell you my intentions."

The monk's brush strokes slowed to a crawl as he watched her in anticipation. She was staring at the floor now, silently searching for the right words.

Then, Mitchitsuna gave a sad little smile. "I guess it should be obvious by now that I can't break the spell on Rin."

The monk's eyes widened slightly, but he already knew that to be the case. Why else would she bother with the dinner and all of the theatrics? He looked down at his hands again as he mindlessly brushed her hair, and smiled back. "Well, I already had my guesses about that," he said, shrugging it off. "But more importantly, why can't you?"

The Miko appeared as though she was having a mental struggle as she tried to answer his question. She looked as if she wanted to answer one way, but thought better of it and answered another way instead. "It's...beyond my realm of expertise," she said at last. "I knew that from the moment I touched her."

The monk furrowed his brow. "Then why did you tell that demon that you could do it?"

She furrowed her brow as well, only out of frustration rather than confusion. "Did it look like I had much choice? If I didn't agree to help out that girl, I have no reservations that demon would have decimated this entire village."

"But...your spiritual powers-"

"-Are not without limitations," the Miko snapped. The room grew quiet, then Mitchitsuna smiled again. "I'm sorry, my monk. Surely you understand how serious this is. What the consequences will be if I fail again..."

"Fail at what, exactly?" Ryoma's curiosity was too great for him to truly appreciate what really would happen if Rin couldn't be transformed back.

"I...I sensed a sort of anxiety between the two of them, the girl and the demon," the Priestess said. "The sort of anxiety you might see between a couple of love sick teenagers that can't admit their feelings for each other."

Ryoma tried to picture the haughty demon who had knocked him unconscious and even tried to murder him as a lovesick teenager and couldn't help but laugh. "I doubt that cold hearted bastard knows what love is," Ryoma chuckled.

"I don't think he does, either," Mitchitsuna agreed, "or at least he doesn't think he does."

Ryoma waited for her to continue. He didn't realize it, but he had been brushing the empty air for the last five minutes.

Mitchitsuna was so distracted, she didn't seem to notice either. "I was hoping that by enhancing her appearance and her natural scent, it would persuade him to at least postpone the ritual, if not disregard it entirely."

Ryoma laughed his conceited laugh again. "My lady, I doubt that a demon who can't even crack a smile would postpone a ritual just because a girl in the room smells a little nicer than usual-"

"I used my most highly concentrated scent-enhancing serum! Admittedly it only works on humans who are at a very close range, but on a demon...he shouldn't have been able to keep his hands off her!"

Ryoma then realized that his hand had been brushing nothing for who knew how long, and immediately grabbed up a fistful of the Lady's hair and continued brushing as if nothing had happened. He then tried to imagine this Sesshomaru guy uncontrollably groping Rin at the dinner table, and was sort of glad that he hadn't. Though, he didn't really mind the idea of groping Rin himself, that's for sure-

"And I think he might have given in, if Rin hadn't spilled the God damned tea—pardon my profanity, my monk," the Priestess apologized, though Ryoma didn't exactly hear the first part of her sentence. "But, that doesn't matter now, because I believe part two of my plan is what will save us."

The monk tried to shake the impromptu mental images of Rin from his head as he rejoined the conversation with his Miko consort. "And what is "part two", exactly?"

To his surprise, Mitchitsuna turned from the mirror to face him. She was eye-level with his crotch (as she was still sitting and he standing), and she used this to her advantage. She grabbed at the hardness forming within his robes (which he never would have admitted was due to thinking of Rin and not her), and the brush handle slid from his fingers and dropped to the floor. She smiled up at him with her playful smile and gave him his answer. "She is still a child underneath the mask she wears. It was my mistake, only teaching her how to look like a woman...now it's time for us to teach her how to act like one."

...

The cow, heavy in the latter stages of pregnancy, had no chance of escaping the giant dog's powerful jaws. She lived barely long enough to give an agonizing cry before she and her unborn calf were silenced by giant piercing teeth. Then, both corpses disappeared noisily down the white dog's throat.

But it wasn't enough to satiate his hunger.

"More...I need more," the giant dog groaned and his hungry red eyes scanned the field for his next victim.

The farmer's field in which the dog stood was filled with cows. They had been sleeping soundly beneath a near-full moon before he had appeared, licking his chops hungrily. He had already swallowed two of them whole. But it just wasn't enough.

He approached the next one, a particularly fat one that looked both juicy and slow-moving, not that the bovine's speed would really matter. Instead of simply swallowing this one, he decided he would take his time. He approached her from behind, scraping his massive paws against the tall grass and allowing his hot breath to warm her backside. The cow was startled by the sound and the warmth, and turned to see a mouth full of fangs staring her in the face. She clamored to her feet, mooing at the top of her lungs, alerting the others of the ambush – but before she could run, she was enveloped by something warm and dark. Then came the teeth.

He allowed the blood fill his mouth as if he was savoring the juice of a sweet nectarine. Then he gnashed his teeth and delighted in how easily they cut through the meat and bone. This one he swallowed in pieces. And still, he hungered.

It was not usually in his nature to instill such suffering in his prey. Mealtimes were few and far between, and made out of necessity and the need to survive more than anything else. But tonight was different. Tonight he felt a blood-lust that he hadn't felt in years. Tonight he wanted others to suffer as he was suffering.

The cows were aware of his presence now. Many of them were lumbering away as fast as their insufficient little legs could carry them, bleating and mooing all the while and creating a chorus of fear. Good.

He sped up to the nearest one, an older one with a limp– and bit her back legs off mid-step. The rest of her body fell with a meager thud and was immediately cradled between his teeth.

"More...more..." he thought as the herd shuffled fearfully in front of the fence that blocked their chance at freedom.

He approached the herd slowly, purposefully, letting their impending deaths stir on their tiny brains. He rejoiced in their fear. He invited it. "Let them know suffering before they depart from this world," he thought in contempt.

Then, a younger one tiptoed into his view. She had awkwardly long legs and her udders were not yet fat with milk. This one was at a transitional stage, not exactly a baby, but not quite grown up. This one seemed oblivious to the carnage he intended to create. She stepped in front of the herd non-chalantly, without fear. Her beady black eyes stared back at his glowing red ones and seemed to beckon one silent question: "Why?"

An image of Rin flashed in his brain. The very first image of her, when she had approached him while he was injured in the woods, unafraid and ignorant of the atrocities that he could inflict. But he imagined her as she was now...beautiful, not quite a child. Yet still not quite a woman.

His heart sank.

A rustling came from the grass behind him, then human voices. Men's voices.

"What is going on out here?" a man asked. Then a younger man, maybe his son, answered his question for him.

"Oh my—A DEMON! He's eating our cows!" he screamed. "It's huge...a monster!"

Sesshomaru cast a look at them over his shoulder. The cows must have woken the farmer, who was a frail-looking old man, and his son, who looked to be in his transitional years as well. Killing them would be too easy.

"Killing them...would be too easy," his mind repeated again, and he turned to the woods and ran.

...

No longer in his dog form, Sesshomaru sat in a small clearing in the woods, staring up at the moon.

Did he feel guilty for what he had done? Certainly not. He was a demon that needed to eat after all, and hadn't thousands already died between his teeth, or at the end of his sword?

Guilt...no, not guilt. Perplexed. Yes, Sesshomaru was feeling perplexed.

He thought of the blood, and the cows' useless screams before devouring them. It wasn't any different than any other time, really. Except this time, he had wanted them to suffer. He had wanted their blood. Why had he thirsted for blood so badly?

'It's not blood that you crave,' his conscience answered him, 'It was never the blood. It was always the girl.'

Rin. She had looked delicious tonight as well, in another way entirely.

Sesshomaru stared down at himself. He was naked now, as his clothes were hanging to dry on a tree limb nearby. No demon lord could be taken seriously with a tea stain on his clothes, after all.

Visions of her stirred in his brain. Her slender neck, her black-rimmed eyes. Her sweet-looking lips...her body...her scent...

"Curse that scent," he said aloud to himself, and for a moment he thought he could smell it again. He could smell her scent hanging in the air and he breathed it in deeply.

His hand, the only one he had, dove instinctively between his legs, but he stopped himself. Was surprised at himself for doing so. 'What a useless thing that would be,' he thought even as he could feel himself hardening at the prospect. 'It would serve no purpose. It would scarcely relieve how I'm feeling, anyway.'

He stood to his feet and checked on his clothes. They were still damp, but they would do. As he plucked them off the branch they were on, he realized he actually could still smell her scent. Yet it was modified somehow, it was different from before. Now the scent smelled...

Excited.

He almost reeled back as the idea of Rin in a state of excitement passed through his brain.

No, that couldn't be. His mind was playing tricks on him somehow.

"What in the Hell did that Priestess use?" he said aloud again as he put his clothing on. 'And why?' he thought.

Sesshomaru finished the final touch of his ensemble: the mokomoko, which he had had not bothered soaking so it was still dry. The rest of his clothes were wet enough that they clung to his skin as he moved. It was an unpleasant sensation, which he thought was good.

Yet even the feeling of partially wet clothes couldn't suppress the shiver of delight he felt when a gust of wind brought along Rin's scent with it. 'I need to get as far from here as possible,' he thought. Jaken was watching over Rin tonight, that would be good enough.

And so, the demon summoned his cloud, and rode into the night as far away from the village in the mountains as possible. He wouldn't realize until much later, his grave mistake.