Chapter Eleven
Oh gods… What did I just do? Rin was mentally kicking herself. She had never ever spoken to Lord Sesshoumaru like that. Yet here she sat, on the back of a two headed dragon demon, with her back straight and stiff as a board, with her arms crossed and her expression set for determination.
Sesshoumaru was silent, yet the absence of sound rang louder than any shouting he could have invoked.
Jaken was still, afraid that any sudden movement could attract the deadly attention of Sesshoumaru and perhaps end his life much sooner than he had anticipated.
No one said a word for what felt like hours, but only minutes passed by with no improvement. Sesshoumaru continued to glare, while Rin refused to back down, and she was the first one to speak. "My Lord, have you anything to say?"
The words were innocent enough in Jaken's ears, but he knew his lord would never allow the likes of a human to speak to him with such blatant disrespect.
Sesshoumaru remained silent, but his eyes spoke volumes. Rin could tell instantly that she had pushed one too many buttons for him to just let this incident slide. Averting her eyes from her lord's frosty stare, she looked beyond the situation out into the distance. What she saw shocked her beyond words. "Lord…Sesshoumaru…?"
Sesshoumaru's nostrils flared. "Ah-Un, get down!"
Before she could prepare herself, Ah-Un dropped from the sky, leaving her suspended in mid air for a few frightening seconds, then she too began to drop. THUD. "OW!" Rin landed on the most unpleasant surface to land on; the stone saddle that the two headed dragon demon was sporting. Wincing from the pain on her backside, she glanced up toward Sesshoumaru and caught him in the midst of a battle with a strange looking demon that resembled that of another dog. Only this one had fur the color of fire, and it was fully transformed.
Jaken recovered from his fainting spell that was triggered by Ah-Un dropping out of mid air. He shook his head and placed his hands over his face to shake off the dizziness. While rubbing his eyes, through his fingers he saw the ferocious battle and nearly fainted a second time after the red haired dog demon roared and lunged for Sesshoumaru with jaws open and baring pearl white fangs that glistened in the mid morning sun. "Lord Sesshoumaru, watch out!" Jaken shouted into Rin's ear as he clung to her for support.
"Hey!" Rin grimaced and threw her one of her hands over ear to protect it from Jaken's unnecessary screaming. She kicked him a few seconds later as Jaken's amphibian green hands locked on to her sore back side on accident. "Hands off!"
Just ahead of them, Sesshoumaru was dodging sharp fangs left and right. His movements were almost mirrored by the red dog demon.
"Give me your power!" The red dog demon growled before chomping down on the air that Sesshoumaru had been in seconds before. "I must grow stronger! I must!"
"You assume that my powers will willingly obey the likes of scum such as you?" Sesshoumaru drew his sword just as the other demon attacked and missed him by mere inches.
"We are of the same breed! We harbor the same powers!" The red demon growled as it turned to attack again. "But if I consume you, your powers will mix with mine and I shall be stronger!"
Sesshoumaru locked eyes with the strange demon that resembled him. "I grow tired of this." Raising his sword, he thrust down and fired.
"Ah-Un, hurry!" Rin had grabbed hold of the reins and was pointing them in the direction of the battle, much to Jaken's dismay.
"Ah-Un, you halt at once!" Jaken had released the young woman and attempted to grab the reins from her with little success. "That demon belongs at the mercy of Lord Sesshoumaru! We shall not interfere!" Rin elbowed him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. "Ouch!"
"Master Jaken, stop pinching me!" Rin shouted back at the imp demon, who had recovered more quickly than she had anticipated, and was grabbing at her left arm. "That hurts!" She darted her leg out once more and kicked him a second time, sending the imp demon flying toward Ah-Un's tail.
Before he could recover, a flash of red hot flames were sent in their direction and caught the back of his robes on fire. "YEOW!" He launched himself off of Ah-Un's tail and clutched, yet again, to Rin's kimono. "Put it out, put it OUT!"
Rin turned her attention from the reigns and found herself fighting off a small green imp demon that couldn't stop pawing at her. "Master Jaken, if you let go and hold still, I can put the fire out!" She stuck a hand into her kimono sleeve and whipped out a small bottle of water that Kagome had given her before they left. She twisted the cap and dumped the entire contents to the back of Jaken's robes, leaving him wet, annoyed, and burnt. "Master Jaken, what set you on fire?"
Without turning, Jaken lifted a finger and pointed behind him. Rin looked up at a sight that nearly threw her off Ah-Un's back. "Ah-Un, fly!" She shouted as the red dog demon that Sesshoumaru was fighting had momentarily forgotten about him and had advanced on them. Flames were erupting from its nose and mouth, sending fire and smoke at their heels.
Mimicking its move, Sesshoumaru darted forward and attempted to release his full demon. Before he could fully transform, the red dog demon turned abruptly from its pursuit and charged with jaws wide open and chomped down with Sesshoumaru in its massive teeth.
"LORD SESSHOUMARU!" Both Jaken and Rin shouted in unison. Ah-Un stopped flying and turned back, leading them all in a direct path toward the two angry dog demons.
Jaken snatched his Staff of Two Heads and stomped it, sending more fire aimed at the red demons eyes. "Release him at once, you filthy dog!"
The red demon dog ground his fangs into Sesshoumaru as the flames engulfed its vision. Momentarily distracted, Sesshoumaru jammed his sword into the roof of the dog's mouth, causing it to release its jaw. Sesshoumaru, although badly wounded, stabbed again into the dogs mouth and sliced its head clean off.
Rin watched, frightened not for the red dog demon, but for her wounded silver haired one. Sesshoumaru's robes were stained red with blood and growing more and more crimson with the passing seconds. "Lord Sesshoumaru…" She whispered.
Jaken was speechless.
Sesshoumaru could feel the poison raging through his veins. His body was weak from the loss of blood, but his wounds were nowhere near healing like they should be. The poison from the other demons fangs were keeping them open so that his blood would spill till he was completely drained. Before he knew it, the world blacked out and he dropped from the sky.
"LORD SESHOUMARU!" Jaken and Rin again shouted in unison before Ah-Un took off in his direction. Racing against the wind, the two headed dragon demon sliced through the air like an extra sharp knife. They caught the bloodied silver haired demon right before he made contact with the ground.
Moments later, Rin had his armor off and was applying medicinal herbs to the still bleeding wounds while her tears slid down her cheeks. "Lord Sesshoumaru…please… wake up…" Jaken could be heard in the back ground whimpering. "Oh…Lord Sesshoumaru…" Rin worked fast, and more urgent as she threw away another blood soaked bandage and applied a forth one.
Sesshoumaru was pale as death as his breathing became shallower. Rin pressed down on the bandage she had just applied to force a clot, but the harder she pressed; the wetter the bandage seemed to get with blood so red that she could smell its coppery scent. "Gods…"
Without warning, Sesshoumaru's breathing stopped, and the air around them was still.
Rin froze in terror at the realization that her lord was dying before her eyes. "NO!" She shouted at no one in particular. She stared down at her demon lord's naked chest and agonized over the deep punctures wounds that pitted his stomach. Her heart clenched and Rin could have sworn that it was ripping apart. "Lord Sesshoumaru…" She didn't care if he had hated her. She didn't care if he loathed every part of her because she was nothing but a human. Rin let her tears fall freely as she let go of the bandage that was now soaked in Sesshoumaru's blood.
Jaken was shaking from his obvious depression. "Lord Sesshoumaru! How could you allow such a filthy doglike that take you down with barely a fight!"
Rin tuned Jaken out, furious with herself that she was unable to heal Sesshoumaru's wounds. "I…I've…failed you, my lord…forgive me…" She closed her eyes and nearly sobbed. "I'm so stupid!" She leaned herself forward, placed her arms on either side of Sesshoumaru's torso and opened her eyes to study his face. He is so pale… Without thinking, she leaned down and placed her trembling lips against his. Please don't leave me, Lord Sesshoumaru...I love you…
She was not prepared for his response.
Sesshoumaru's eyes popped open, feeling his body strengthening as his sword pulsed at his side. It healed me? His attention left that of his pulsating sword and focused on a beautiful dark haired human whose lips had found his. Rin…?
Rin felt the body beneath hers stir. Frightened, she broke the kiss and stared into honey colored eyes that were very much alive and she nearly jumped as a strong arm hooked around her waist and pulled her closer. "Rin…" A husky voice whispered before a pair of soft, yet demanding lips took hold of her own.
Authors note: Feel better, guys? I finally made them kiss! Enjoy!