Rin hurried along through the plaza, noting with surprise at how almost everyone had cleared out from earlier. There were only a few stands left, and even fewer with items still on them. She easily spotted Inuyasha and Kagome's stands towards the end of the plaza once she caught sight of Inuyasha's bright red kimono.
As if able to sense her arrival, Inuyasha and Shippo looked up in her direction when she appeared a few feet away from them. Kagome glanced up when she noticed their straying gazes and spotted Rin before giving her a smile.
"Rin-chan! Did you find Sango and Miroku?" Kagome asked, and before Rin could reply Kirara popped her head out from behind Rin's hair and let out a soft mew. Kagome laughed at her response before she quieted and cocked her head to the side.
"Why did they give you Kirara?" Kagome asked curiously, "are you planning on going somewhere?"
"I'm going to Sesshomaru-sama," Rin replied confidentially, and noted with the drop of her shoulders, all of the looks of surprise that overtook the group. Did they not agree with her? Was she making a horrible mistake?
"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly as Inuyasha and Kagome shared a look while Shippo's face fell slightly.
"It's just that...you've never gone to seek him out before," Kagome answered with a meek smile, "what brought this on?"
"Sango-sama thought it might be a good idea," Rin replied, her uncertainty clear in her voice, "I know Sesshomaru-sama will come for me eventually, Kimi is proof of that, but I don't want to be left alone again. If I make my desires known to him, perhaps Sesshomaru-sama will see that I am worthy of living alongside him," Rin explained as confidently as she could, but she was sure her comrades could see her arms shaking at her sides.
Kagome's smile widened at her response, and she noted the proud shimmer that lined Inuyasha's golden eyes. The approval instantly relived Rin as she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.
"It's 'bout time you showed some initiative," Inuyasha remarked while crossing his arms over his chest. Rin smiled back before she slightly stepped to the side in surprise when Shippo jumped up in front of her. He continued to happily hop in place as he spoke,
"I should come with you too!" he exclaimed, voicing each word every time they were at matching eye levels, "I can practice my tricks and try to go up a Rank while I escort you!" he added excitedly as he gazed up at her. Rin could only smile, finding his excitement contagious. Plus, having a couple of companions would make the journey a little less lonely.
"But Shippo, you're still so young," Kagome murmured worriedly as Shippo waved her off with a light scowl.
"I'm strong! Plus I'll have Kirara there with me too!" Shippo replied confidently as the cat youkai let out a mew of agreement, "besides, Rin-chan is Sesshomaru-sama's ward. No youkai on this side of the continent would put a finger on her!"
"Yeah, but a lot of the youkai from the East are moving throughout this area," Inuyasha pointed out, "I've had to take out a lot of the rowdy ones lately. Many of 'em have passed by human villages without killing anyone, but they all seem to be heading towards Sesshomaru's castle,"
"Do you think they might be trying a surprise attack?" Kagome asked worriedly. Inuyasha merely shook his head before he turned towards the West.
"They're making too much noise to go unnoticed by Sesshomaru," Inuyasha replied with the slight furrowing of his brows, "he's probably sending out some of his guards to check it out as we speak,"
"Maybe we should go too," Kagome advised as she glanced back at Rin with a determined look, "our battling skills might be necessary to get you to Sesshomaru safely,"
"But you two are the only security this village has," Rin pointed out worriedly in return, "if some of the youkai should decide to attack...the village would be left defenseless," she murmured sadly.
Her thoughts instantly went to the time in her young childhood when Kouga and his wolf tribe had rampaged through her village. So many of her fellow villagers had died that day, her included. Such heartbreak and violence had occurred on that day that Rin couldn't fathom anyone else ever having to witness such a massive killing.
"Rin's got a point," Inuyasha noted before he rubbed the back of his neck and let out an angry grunt, "but I don't want you to get yourself killed out there either,"
"Do you not have any faith in me at all?" Shippo asked sadly with tears in his eyes. Inuyasha growled slightly before he forcefully shoved Shippo to the ground.
"No, you little runt," he growled, but there was a slight gentleness in his voice, "you're still a pup yourself. No matter how big your ego might be, you won't stand a chance against a real youkai,"
"So you don't think I'm a real youkai either?" Shippo mumbled before he began to whine loudly, "you're so mean, Inuyasha!" the kitsune continued to cry loudly, and Inuyasha would have reveled in the experience if he hadn't noticed his mate's dark glare over his shoulder.
"Stop crying," Inuyasha muttered angrily before he brought the kitsune up to his eye level, "if you think you're so tough, why don't you take me on?"
"Fine! I accept your challenge!" Shippo cried out before puffing out his cheeks when he noted the smirk that had spread across Inuyasha's lips. The hanyou dropped him suddenly, and the kitsune let out a light yelp before catching himself. He wobbled on all fours for a moment before he righted himself and stood as tall as he could. Sadly, he still only reached the top of Inuyasha's knees. The two stared intently at the other as they growled loudly, challenging one another. Their dominance match was soon subdued by a faint throat clearing.
"Before you two destroy the plaza, can we clean up this mess first?" Kagome asked pointedly. The two gave each other surprised looks before reluctantly turning towards the angry miko. She stood poised with her hands on her hips, her best glare in place.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" she asked sweetly. Both men gulped before hurriedly shaking their heads. Both had been around the miko long enough to know that when her voice sounded that sweet there was a death threat shallowly hiding underneath it. Rin only stared in surprise at the sheer fear she saw in their eyes. She was also secretly envious of Kagome's power over them.
With a quick hop and a skip Rin hurried along to help Kagome load the baskets with all the goods they had received that day. She was too excited to see Inuyasha and Shippo's battle to leave the village just yet.
Norio walked briskly down the corridor of the castle, quickly surveying rooms as he walked. A youkai shouldn't be this difficult to find, he thought while narrowing his eyes impatiently. The castle was only so big, after all.
He brushed past a few fellow guards, making sure to exchange pleasantries as he went, before nearly bumping into the future Lady of the West.
"Oh, Norio," Korial breathed in surprise as she put a bit of distance between them, "I'm sorry about that,"
"It's not a problem," he smiled as wide as he could, "easy mistake," he added before walking past her. He heard her quick intake of breath before she called out his name. He paused momentarily at the sound of her voice, but felt his feet itching to continue on his way.
"Are you not going to even say hello?" Korial asked, and he was slightly surprised to hear the tenderness in her voice. He easily hid his surprise behind a smile before he turned around to look at her.
"I'm simply abiding by your wishes, Korial-sama," he chirped, "you told me to stay away, and that is what I plan to do," he added before waving a quick goodbye. She reached out a hand as if to stop him, but hesitated before finally letting her arm drop to her side.
Korial didn't know what she had expected from Norio. He acted a certain way one moment, and another in the next. She just hadn't thought he would have given up on her so easily. The thought even ruffled her feathers a bit, in a matter of speaking. Was he simply all talk? Was there really no part of him that was courageous enough to chase her like he had promised? Why did she even care either way if he did or didn't?
She watched him leave with a light huff before sensing Inukimi making her way towards her. She gracefully turned to greet the inuyoukai with a smile.
"I've been searching for you all morning," Inukimi stated with a small smile, "sometimes it even amazes me how large this castle can be sometimes,"
"I hope in your searching for me you didn't waste too much of your valuable time," Korial answered politely. The inuyoukai waved off her words with a little giggle.
"You still use such pleasantries with your future mother-in-law," she cooed, as if truly charmed by it, "you may call me Inukimi. There is no need to be so formal around family,"
"Of course, Inukimi," Korial replied, finding the sound of Inukimi's name alone almost alien to her ears. It just felt so...wrong to be so informal with the Lady of the West. The inuyoukai gave her an encouraging smile before she signaled Korial to follow her.
"Come with me, Korial," she ushered as the two youkai walked side by side, "I want to get you ready for tonight's hunt! It is typical for the Lord as well as his highest ranked guards to participate with the pups of the territory. We as women won't be participating in the festivities, that is unless you would like to?"
"I would enjoy the feel of the wind under my wings again," Korial replied with a thoughtful smile, "a competition sounds like fun too,"
"Then it's settled! You and my son shall lead the young pups out for the hog hunt!"
Rin sat next to Kagome as the two youkai stood apart from one another a few yards away. They had relocated the match to the clearing by the old well that bestowed them the ability to travel into the future. Miroku and Sango sat near them with their children safely corralled away from the battle ring.
Rin had thought the fight was going to be harmless fun, but noted the determined look in Shippo's eyes. He looked far more serious than Inuyasha did, but Rin didn't miss the challenging twinkle in Inuyasha's golden orbs as he surveyed the kitsune.
"Shippo! Be careful!" Kagome called out worriedly. Shippo hung his head at her words while Inuyasha sent her a glare.
"Thanks for caring about me!" he complained while stomping his foot on the ground angrily. Kagome sent him a testy look before crossing her arms over her chest.
"You have Tetsusaiga, your claws, and your speed," she pointed out, "I'm not worried about you," Shippo merely hung his head further at her words before snapping his head back up.
"Let's get this fight started already!" he cried out impatiently as Inuyasha gave him a smirk before unsheathing Tetsusaiga. The sword blade glowed a bright gold as it came out of its sheath, it's thin blade widening to a surprising degree until the sword Inuyasha held was nearly twice the size of its sheath.
"Sounds good to me," he called back as he swung the mighty sword in his grasp before clamping both his hands on the scabbard, "you make the first move," he commanded to the kitsune.
Shippo held his ground for a moment, seeming to be in deep thought while Inuyasha waited patiently for him to attack. Shippo then quickly grabbed for something under his kimono shirt before throwing what looked like little marbles near Inuyasha's feet. The hanyou surveyed the objects curiously as Shippo leapt into the air before throwing down tiny mushrooms that multiplied and latched onto Inuyasha. The hanyou let out a grunt of surprise at the attack before he began to feverishly claw at the mushrooms.
"Got you!" Shippo cried out triumphantly as Inuyasha continued to fight off the mushrooms that had started to cry. They were attached to his hair, face, arms, chest, and back as the hanyou struggled to pull off what mushrooms he could reach.
"Secret Fox Ambush!" Shippo cried out suddenly, and the marbles at Inuyasha's feet suddenly cracked open as large amounts of smoke emitted from them. It instantly covered the air in a thick smog to the point that Rin and Kagome could no longer see the two fighters.
"Good luck fighting back now that you can't see!" Shippo teased as he bounced around Inuyasha's feet, impervious to his own magic smoke. The hanyou growled loudly as he pulled the last mushroom off his cheek before holding Tetsusaiga in front of him.
"Ha! Too bad this smoke doesn't make me deaf too," he replied as he rushed towards Shippo with Tetsusaiga held above his head. The kitsune let out a cry of surprise before he scurried away. Despite his smog, Inuyasha was still hot on his tail. His trick was not perfect yet!
He was near tears as he made it out of the dark cloud of smoke with Inuyasha barreling after him. He whirled around before jumping as high as he could and resting the inside of his palm against his chin. Without a second thought he called out the command,
"Fox Fire!" and a long wave of green flames shot out and surrounded the forest, overtaking the battle field. At least, Shippo had imagined that it had. Instead a measly green ball of fire appeared on his hand and easily slipped out of his grasp to fall harmlessly onto the ground. He came tumbling after it and hit the ground hard.
He let out a slight cry at the pain, but instantly quieted when the edge of Tetsusaiga was pointed a few inches away from his noise.
"Give up, Shippo. There's nothing left that you can do," Inuyasha stated with a proud smirk. Shippo glared up at Inuyasha for a moment before his eyes grew large and he let out a sharp sob. His eyes filled with tears as he got up and suddenly scurried away from the group.
"Shippo!" Kagome cried out exasperatedly. Inuyasha quickly sheathed Tetsusaiga before appearing by Kagome's side.
"C'mon, we'll go get him," he said as Kagome nodded before crawling up on his back, "you stay here," Inuyasha added with a pointed look in Rin's direction. All she could do was nod as they bounded after the kitsune.
Rin watched until they disappeared before heading towards Miroku and Sango. They gave her a smile in greeting when she approached before Miroku let out a light sigh.
"Poor Shippo. He's still too young to have mastered all of his skills just yet," he noted as Sango nodded her head solemnly. They then began to talk about what Inuyasha would need to do to make it up to the kitsune while Rin sat quietly listening.
She was entertained by the ideas that the couple were coming up with, but she couldn't help but want to console Shippo too. He had offered to come with her, after all. She also really liked the little kitsune.
"I'm going to go find them," Rin stated suddenly, catching the couple off guard.
"But Inuyasha said you should stay here," Sango pointed out.
"I know, but I want to make sure Shippo's alright. They couldn't have gone too far," Rin replied urgently. Sango gave her an understanding smile before she nodded her head.
"Just make sure Kirara stays with you," she advised as she glanced at the little cat youkai perched on Rin's shoulder.
"Of course!" Rin chirped before she hurried down the clearing in the direction that the trio had gone. Inuyasha's order to stay put kept replaying in her mind, but he'd understand her reasoning when they met up and she was sure Shippo was alright. She couldn't leave the kitsune so broken up after fighting for the approval to travel with her.
Before long she was running through thick forest as she glanced this way and that for her friends. Without her knowledge, a thin layer of white fog had picked up around her, and she paused as she cautiously ran her fingers through it.
It felt strangely wet, like rain that was sitting atop an invisible surface. Rin felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the sight. Kirara let out a low growl near her ear, and the young woman turned to see the youkai's hair sticking out on end, finding the white fog strange as well.
Rin tried to ease the youkai as best she could by running her fingers along her tiny head and down her back. Kirara kept growling for a time before Rin's touch soothed her, and she settled down on Rin's shoulder once more.
Not wanting to stress the youkai any further, Rin continued walking. She only hoped that she was heading in the right direction. The fog continued to build around them as Rin felt her confidence slowly leave her with each uncertain step she took. It wasn't until she bumped into a tree that she was positive she had seen five minutes before that she realized she was lost. She began to panic before realizing that she still had Kirara at her side.
"Kirara! Can you fly up and see if we're close to the clearing where Sango and Miroku are? Or if you can see Inuyasha and Kagome-sama?" Rin asked. The trees around them were too thick for her and Kirara to fly up together, but the little cat could squeeze through the thick brush of leaves easily on her own.
The cat youkai let out a light mew before she jumped from Rin's shoulder to climb the nearest tree. Rin lost sight of her once she made it to the top of the tree, but she trusted that Kirara would be able to make her way back down. As Rin waited for the cat youkai's return, the fog had ceased and suddenly Rin could see the path that she hadn't been able to before. The fog had disappeared as mysteriously as it had come, and Rin suddenly had the feeling of being watched uncomfortably crawl up her spine.
She hesitantly turned in the direction she had come from before her cinnamon eyes grew wide. Her lower lip trembled and she had to blink her eyes a couple of times to make sure that she was seeing things correctly. It wasn't until his golden eyes caught hers that Rin was positive it was him.
Norio halted in front of the Western castle when he spotted the youkai he had been looking for. A trying smirk spread across his lips as his hand shot out to grip the toad's head.
Jaken let out a shriek of surprise before he struggled against Norio's hold.
"Let go of me, you dog!" he hissed angrily as Norio held him above the ground so that his little legs kicked feverishly at the air.
"I wouldn't be throwing around that kind of insult come time for tonight's hunt," Norio seethed as his hold tightened on Jaken's face to the point that the toad youkai was squawking in pain.
"No, no no no! I told Inukimi-sama that I didn't want to open this years hunt!" Jaken cried out fearfully, "I was nearly made into dog food last year! Those pups can't tell the difference between target practice and reality during the hunt!"
"Which is why we all enjoy it when you open for us," Norio pointed out before he set the toad youkai on the ground and let go of his head. Jaken surveyed him for a moment before he bolted as fast as his little legs could move, but he was no match for the inuyoukai's speed. Norio merely grabbed hold of the back of Jaken's kimono collar before he dragged him along the stone floor.
"You won't be getting out of this that easily," Norio informed him as the toad youkai silently cried behind him, "the hog hunt would be nothing without its mascot!"
"Sesshomaru-sama..." Rin breathed in wonder at the sight of her lord. He looked breathtaking under the scattered beams of sunlight created by the trees as he silently stared back at her. His silence didn't bother Rin in the least, but his appearance had surprised her.
"You came back for me," she murmured happily, and watched as he slowly walked towards her. His expression was locked in one of serious contemplation as he kept his calculating eyes on her. His silver locks gently brushed past his shoulders as the breeze flew past Rin and tangled her dark locks in front of her face. She hurriedly pushed her hair out of her eyes, not wanting to miss a single moment of her lord's approach.
His walk was just as smooth as it always was, and his thin lips pulled up at the edges to become the faintest of smiles. Rin could feel her heart flutter in her chest as she blushed slightly. Kimi had been right about Sesshomaru coming after her so quickly. She was flattered that her lord would seek her out so suddenly, when it had been she who had wanted to seek him out instead.
"Rin," he murmured her name when he stood mere inches away from her as his hand came up slowly to cup her face, "I have missed you,"
Rin's eyes widened slightly at that before her blush deepened.
"I – I have missed you too, milord," she answered shyly, still a starstruck prisoner under his gaze.
"There is no need for such formalities between us, Rin," he stated suddenly, "I have decided to take you as my mate,"
"You're mate?" Rin asked back in the faintest of whispers as her heart beat suddenly faster than it ever had in her life. Her dream, her future with Kimi, and her future with Sesshomaru were all suddenly within her reach. Rin brought her hand up to rest against Sesshomaru's as she looked up at him with glistening eyes.
"I'm so happy to hear that, Sesshomaru," she almost giggled at saying his name without a title, but held it within. They stared at one another for another moment before Rin noticed that Sesshomaru was bringing his face slowly closer to hers. He was going to kiss her!
Rin's face heated up even more at the realization. First he came back for her, then he told her that he wanted to make her his mate, and now he wanted to kiss her. So many good things in such a short period of time were almost too much for Rin to handle. She inclined her head as she brought her face closer to his as well. She stared into his golden eyes as she blissfully waited for the sensation of their lips to touch.
She was about to close her eyes when their lips were mere inches apart, but the sight of something strange caught Rin's attention. For the briefest of moments she thought she saw Sesshomaru's eyes turn from a golden hue into a rustic orange, and then back to gold. But it had been so fleeting that Rin wasn't sure if had been a trick of the light, or her imagination.
Sesshomaru seemed to sense her hesitation as he suddenly put a little more distance between them.
"Do you not wish to become my mate, Rin?" he asked, his deep monotone voice sending delightful chills down Rin's spine as she felt her body begin to gravitate towards him again.
"No, I do! I really do, it's just that..." she began before she noticed another change. His lips had spread out into a large grin before they reverted back into the stoic expression they had been before. She blinked before narrowing her eyes to study him further. She noted his unease under her gaze, and it wasn't until she noted his silver hair turn black that she knew he wasn't Sesshomaru.
"Y – You're an imposter!" she cried out suddenly, and Sesshomaru melted away just as quickly as a man with orange eyes and short messy black hair stared back at her in vague disbelief. His wide mouth pulled down into a sneer as he surveyed her closely.
"No one so young has ever been able to see past my disguises," he hissed before something akin to pain left his lips in a low growl. He hunched over as he struggled to remain on his feet with his eyes tightly shut.
Something in his chest began to glow behind his dark tunic before it materialized outside of his body. A blue crystal manifested there, and Rin noted the man's panicked expression as it suddenly flew towards her. She brought her hands up to cover her face as she waited for the blow, but it never came.
She hesitantly brought her hands down a moment later to see that the crystal was levitating in front of her. She glanced from it to the man standing a few feet away to see a dark look of hatred in his eyes as he stared back at her. She gulped before she slowly reached for the crystal. It didn't move as she reached for it, and it wasn't until her fingers gripped the small gem that it reacted.
It shined brightly through her fingers for a moment before it began to melt into her hand. Rin let out a yelp of surprise before she tried to throw the crystal away, but it didn't leave her hand even when she began to feverishly try and shake it off.
"It's no use," the man stated with a light grimace, "it's already become a part of you, no matter how much of it actually gets into your system,"
Rin could only watch helplessly as the rest of the melted crystal was sucked into her skin. When it disappeared completely Rin looked at both sides of her hand in amazement before she spotted the crystal's imprint on the outside of her palm. It was a lot smaller than the actual crystal, but the small blue design was evident against her skin.
"It's settled into your system now," the man murmured, his hatred suddenly dissipated as he stared at the ground, "you're now the master of my heart,"
"You're heart?" Rin parroted back as she stared at the crystal design etched into her hand.
"Yes, an incubus heart is something incredibly powerful," he informed her, "it houses all the power that the incubus who owned it had, and leaves the incubus utterly helpless without its new master at his side,"
"So that means – "
"I am yours...master," he muttered, a shimmer of the previous hatred returning into the orange depths of his eyes, "all incubi were given their powers of seduction and illusion with one drawback. If our meals ever saw through one of our disguises, we must forfeit our hearts and proclaim everlasting servitude to them,"
"But I don't need anyone to serve me!" Rin replied hurriedly, "I'm terribly sorry for this, I didn't mean to take your heart away! Is there any way I could give it back?" she asked worriedly. The man merely stared back at her for a moment before something akin to a snort escaped his lips.
"You've captured one of the most powerful incubi hearts, and you want to simply give it back?" he asked in disbelief. Rin could only nod, and blushed when the man began to laugh.
"You truly are oblivious!" he remarked with a bark of laughter, "how ironic that the most utterly clueless human would be able to see past me!"
"Hey! I'm not utterly clueless..." Rin trailed off as her blush deepened when he merely ignored her and continued laughing.
"If I'm supposed to be your master, than I command you to stop laughing at me!" Rin ordered with as much authority as she could muster. His laughter quieted before he stealthily approached her and cupped her chin in his hand so that she was forced to look into his exotic eyes.
"It doesn't work that way, my sweet," he remarked, "you can't simply command me around. All my heart entitles you to is protection from me and other incubi. Even the protection from me is limited," he added as he moved in closer so that their lips were merely inches apart. Rin felt the pull towards him that she had before, and her eyes widened when she realized how his powers had manipulated her earlier.
"Since you're so ready to give me back my heart, I can take it back after I kill you," he murmured, his breath hot on her face, "I would only be in true danger if you were unwilling to give it back. Then my heart would be linked to your soul which in turn would be sucked out of your living body when I ate it, and ultimately destroyed. It's an occurrence that I would prefer to avoid, if possible,"
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Rin asked as she frantically searched his rustic eyes. He surveyed her solemnly for a moment before he released her jaw and put a good distance between them.
"I cannot deny a truthful answer to my master," he revealed with the slight clenching of his jaw, "secrets are forbidden between an incubus and his master,"
"If that's true, then why didn't you kill me just now?" Rin asked, though gulped when she saw his wide lips spread into a carnivorous grin.
"Because a soul as pure as yours tastes much better when it is willingly given, not forced out of its fleshy shell," Rin felt her body quiver at his answer while her throat suddenly closed and she had difficulty breathing. The incubus' smile merely remained in place as he watched her as if able to sense her fear, and reveled in it.
"Is that why you appeared before me presented as Sesshomaru-sama? To make sure that I would willingly give you my soul?" Rin asked once she was able to get better control of her breathing, though blushed at the idea that he was able to sense her inner most fantasies.
"Exactly," he smiled, "I always appear before someone as the being that they truly desire, no matter the gender or species. As an incubus I typically prefer female souls, but I would not pass up an innocent male's soul if it was an easy target,"
"So, what is this form? I have never seen the man that you are portraying now," Rin noted as she surveyed his unique features unsurely.
"This is the form that I personally favor," he replied as he brushed the dark bangs away from his eyes, "incubi are merely entities. We have no one true human form, like youkai, but merely shift our shape to better attract prey. Some of the most powerful ones, like myself, are able to keep a default human form. I simply put together the traits that I find most appealing to create my own human mirage,"
"But I was able to see your true form past your disguise. So, isn't it more of a weakness than a strength?" Rin observed, and noted his pointed look at her comment before he cleared his throat.
"While that is true in your case, most humans have never been able to see my true form behind my disguises. Once you spotted one of my overt traits you were able to see multiple, which was what destroyed the mirage in the end,"
"So it's like tugging on a loose string from a kimono," Rin murmured thoughtfully, "the more you pull at it, the quicker the kimono unravels,"
"If your human metaphor will make it easier to understand the concept, than yes," the incubus replied nonchalantly. Rin glanced down at the crystal on her wrist before idly outlining its edges with her fingers. She noted the incubus shiver slightly at the touch, and wondered what kind of feeling her touch had elicited in him. She opened her mouth to ask, but he spoke before she could get a sound out.
"It will be yours," the incubus said softly, "for as long as your human life allows your soul to remain on this Earth," Rin gazed at the symbol as she weighed what having this incubus around could mean for her. He obviously wouldn't simply let her walk away while still in possession of his heart, but Rin didn't want to have an incubus stuck at her hip for the rest of her life either.
She wanted to give him his heart back, but she didn't know if she could trust him afterward. He could easily spellbind her again and she'd be in the exact same spot that she was in before.
"What's your name?" she asked suddenly as her eyes shot up to look at him.
"Jarius," he replied.
"Jarius..." Rin whispered, trying out the sound of his name on her lips. It felt strange, like she suddenly knew something that she shouldn't. Rin looked back at Jarius as the two stood in silence for a moment, cautiously sizing up the other. Master to servant, servant to master. It wasn't until Kirara jumped down from the trees that the silence was broken by a high hiss.
Rin blinked in surprise at the sound before she saw the tiny cat youkai standing on her toes as her fur stood up on her back impressively. Kirara was looking straight at Jarius as the incubus' smile spread into a large grin, mirroring the one that she had seen while he had been impersonating Sesshomaru.
His body was suddenly swept up into a large mass of black smoke as two orange eyes glowed within it. Rin watched in horror as the smoke that was Jarius twisted and contorted until it swirled into a shape. It resembled Kirara's form, but as the fog disappeared a tiny cat youkai stood where Jarius had once been.
It had large red eyes like Kirara, but its fur was a darker red compared to Kirara's yellow coat. Rin glanced over to Kirara to see the cat youkai focused on the other youkai. It mewed at Kirara before her fur fell against her back harmlessly and she approached the other cat. They sniffed at each other's cheeks before the mysterious cat youkai rubbed its face along Kirara's and the cat youkai let out a loud purr.
It wasn't until Kirara returned the caress that Rin realized what was going on. She hurriedly ran for Kirara and scooped up the cat youkai in her arms. The other cat youkai let out a loud hiss, and even Kirara struggled in Rin's hold.
"No! You can't take Kirara's soul!" Rin screamed as she glared at the youkai that she instantly recognized as Jarius in disguise. The red eyes faded to orange as the youkai was surrounded by black smoke once again, and when the smoke cleared Jarius suddenly stood in its place.
"Is this youkai yours?" Jarius asked while inclining his head towards Kirara. Kirara let out a surprised mew before she began to hiss angrily at Jarius. His eyes reverted back to the red ones that they had been when he was the cat youkai, and he answered Kirara with a hiss of his own. The cat youkai jumped out of Rin's hold as she transformed into her larger form and towered over the incubus. She mirrored her larger form with an impressive growl that scratched at the edges of her throat menacingly.
Rin hurriedly ran between the two as she threw her arms out to block the cat youkai.
"No Kirara! You mustn't hurt him!" Rin commanded as the youkai glanced down at her before taking a step away from Jarius, "he didn't take your soul, so you don't need to hurt him," Rin added softly as the cat youkai merely flicked her large tail impatiently before turning her back on the two. She then reverted back to her tiny cat form, but still kept her back to them.
"You'd throw your life away for anyone, wouldn't you?" Jarius asked with a dark eyebrow raised, "I'll never be able to eat this way if you keep stopping me," he pointed out.
"But I can't let you take souls away from living creatures!" Rin stressed exasperatedly, "most have never done anything wrong,"
"If you didn't want me to try and eat any more souls, then you should have given me yours," Jarius retorted sharply, "a pure soul like yours can keep me content for as least six months without needing another,"
"Can't you eat something else?" Rin asked as she gulped, remembering his warning about how easily he could simply take her soul if he wanted to. If he didn't eat something soon, she wasn't so sure he'd hesitate to eat her soul instead.
"I can eat life energy," Jarius replied with an unpleasant expression, "it's far less tasty than a soul, but I can manage on life energy for a couple of days. If it'll make you feel any better, the life energy taken from a creature can replenish itself after about a week. But I'll still need a soul eventually,"
"That will bind us some time though!" Rin replied happily as the incubus rolled his eyes.
"You don't get it, do you? Just because I can live off it doesn't mean I'll abide by your rules. Remember, you may be holding my heart, but I am still in control of my actions,"
"But I have the power to take you off guard," Rin replied, and proceeded to run her finger along the crystal, remembering his response to it earlier. She saw Jarius shiver slightly like before, and she smiled triumphantly before a deep blush coated her cheeks when she felt a gentle touch along her forearm. Jarius had traveled from where he had been to right behind her without Rin even noticing.
She turned just in time to spot Jarius' face next to her, circling her body with his own so her head rested against his chest and his arms circled around her waist.
"Yes, it does take me off guard," he murmured seductively in her ear before his hand dropped down to rest against her hip, "now let me show you just what kind of feelings your touch elicits in me...master," he added in Sesshomaru's monotone voice as his hand slowly ran down her hip to rest at her midsection before it began to travel steadily downward.
Rin sucked in a deep breath as her cheeks got even redder to the point that she thought she might burst from all the blood pressure collected in her face. She quickly let out a shriek before the loud sound of a slap echoed through the trees.
Rin stood with her striking hand raised as she let out a collection of shaky breathes. Jarius stood stunned as the bright red imprint of her hand shined brightly against his pale skin.
"I didn't think you'd actually...strike me," he murmured in disbelief before the red mark instantly disappeared under his skin, and a fresh layer shined in its wake. He stood his full height then before looking down his nose at her.
"You'll regret raising a hand to me," he hissed, his voice thick with anger as Rin felt her courage dwindle away as she fearfully stared back at him. Her body began to shake as black smoke began to surround his form. Rin feared what type of horrid transformation he would become, but her curiosity was left at its peak when the sound of high pitched shrieks filled the forest.
Rin whirled around just in time to spot a lizard-like creature making its way towards her. Its wide lips were spread apart to bare the sharp teeth underneath. Rin's eyes widened in fear before she was suddenly swept up into the black smoke. She froze in fear, unsure of what Jarius would do now that he had her in his grasp.
He carried her into the air before she was gently placed on a thick tree branch above the lizard youkai. Rin stared at the twin orange orbs amidst the black smoke before he flew back down towards the youkai. Jarius levitated above the youkai for a moment before his human face appeared behind the black smoke and he landed in front of the youkai.
It hissed loudly before it pushed off the ground to stand on its hind legs. The rest of Jarius's body formed from the black smoke as he stood at the youkai's chest height, but he didn't seem fazed by the size difference at all. Rin watched over him with worry as he looked to be no match for the larger youkai.
"Jarius!" the lizard youkai's deep voice boomed, "I will not allow you to escape me again,"
"Hakaro," Jarius smiled as he suddenly floated upward so he could look the lizard youkai in the eye, "what are you and your fellow youkai guards from the East doing in Western territory?" he asked curiously.
"I could ask you and your kind the same thing!" Hakaro hissed angrily, "your kind has been preying on too many youkai lately. It's hard for the losses on our side to go unnoticed for long,"
"I have no preyed on youkai, Hakaro," Jarius replied innocently, "you know I prefer the taste of human souls over youkai ones,"
"That excuse won't save you this time," Hakaro growled, "I've let you get by too easily. Now it's my turn to make you pay for your crimes against the Eastern territory!" he raged as he unsheathed a sword at his side. It's wide and large blade fit the lizard's bulky form well as he wielded it like it were nothing but a measly twig.
Jarius let Hakaro cut him down, simply hovering in front of the lizard as he swung his sword through him. But no matter how many times he slashed his sword through Jarius' body, he never bled. The blade simply swept through his form like it were slashing through air.
The lizard let out an angry huff when he caught onto the uselessness of his actions before he took in a deep breath until his cheeks puffed out from his massive intake. He then let out a heavy wave of red flames in his long exhale.
Hakaro whipped his head back and forth to spread out the flames as various trees caught fire. Rin let out a shriek of surprise as the leaves below her caught fire, and the flames quickly began to climb towards her like they had a mind of their own.
Rin tried to climb higher in the tree, but the bark's temperature had already escalated to an almost unbearable degree. Rin let out a pained breath as the sheer heat scathed her palm. She feared that this was the end, but heard the sound of Kirara's roar before she spotted the cat youkai making her way past the burning branches. She moved like the flames didn't faze her in the least. Her large body floated near Rin's crouched form as the young woman jumped from the branches onto Kirara's back.
The cat youkai then hurried down the same way she had come, making sure to put as much space as she could between them and Hakaro. The lizard let out the last of his flames before his hung his long head for a moment to catch his breath. Jarius suddenly appeared behind Hakaro, his body completely unscathed by the flames.
"I did not want to do this, but you've left me no choice," Rin heard Jarius say before he rested a hand on the lizard's shoulder blade. His hand began to glow a dark blue as the lizard let out a choked gag before his scales mirrored Jarius's hand in color. The lizard stood frozen for a time as something akin to shock spread over his face.
Jarius remained above Hakaro for a couple moments before the lizard let out another choked sound when Jarius removed his hand. The large youkai came tumbling to the ground with a large thud before his body went limp and he remained motionless on the ground. The flames that had been burning the trees slowly faded before they disappeared completely.
Kirara landed on the ground a few yards away from the youkai as Jarius stood near him. Rin jumped off of Kirara then as she hurriedly made her way over to the incubus.
"Is he – Is he dead?" Rin asked unsurely as she glanced down at the youkai.
"No," Jarius replied impassively, "I took his life energy, not his soul. He'll awaken in a couple hours,"
"I heard you call him by his name," Rin observed, "does he mean something to you?" she asked curiously.
"He was a youkai that used to bring human prey to me," Jarius replied softly, "he knew my taste in souls, and whenever he found a human prisoner that had the traits I desired...he brought them to me instead of killing them in the youkai prisons,"
Rin's eyes widened at that as she stared from Jarius to the lizard youkai lying face down in the dirt. It was odd to think that the two had once had a partnership of sorts. Rin could only wonder what Jarius did for him in return.
"I'd kill whatever youkai were stupid enough to cross any of the Eastern lords," Jarius added with a knowing smile in Rin's direction, "I told you that I'd reveal any truth that you desired to know. Whether you voice them or not, I am unable to refrain from answering you,"
Rin stared back at the incubus as she weighed the options she had with trusting him. While he did seem unable to resist answering any of her questions truthfully, Rin still wasn't sure how much she could trust in him. If he was forced to remain at her side, how would she know if she could sleep without worrying over the possibility that Jarius would steal her soul while she was defenseless? His orange eyes dulled at her thought before he let out an impatient huff.
"I've already told you, I don't want to take a soul like yours forcefully," Jarius droned out with the rolling of his eyes, "it would completely ruin its flavor. Besides, my hunger is subsided for now. Hakaro's life energy will sustain me for a couple of days,"
"Then why did you save my life earlier?" Rin asked as she searched his eyes for an answer, "was it only because you want my soul to yourself?"
"Partially," Jarius remarked with a wicked smile, "it would be a waste if you died and I'd never get a taste of its sweetness. The other reason why I protected you was because you have my heart in your system. If you die, you take my heart with you,"
"So then you would die as well?" Rin asked back while still holding Jarius' gaze.
"In human terms, yes," Jarius replied, "but remember, I am only an entity. I would simply cease to exist if my heart was destroyed. I would feel no pain or have any memory of my existence on this planet,"
"So, why would you cling to existence so strongly, if you won't feel any pain in death?" Rin asked, though blushed slightly when she noted Jarius sudden lack of interest in her questions, "I want to get to know you, since you'll be following me around from now on," she added meekly.
"I cling to "life" because I enjoy it," Jarius replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "I enjoy the hunt, as well as observing life on this planet. Human and youkai interactions are so unpredictable. I would deeply regret not indulging on more souls if my existence were to be cut short,"
Rin watched Jarius for a moment with a slight smile, finding it somewhat charming that a being that seemed the complete opposite of her could possibly have something in common with her. It was somewhat of a given, since most creatures enjoyed living on the planet. But something about the incubus seemed so alien to Rin that finding any common ground with him brought joy to her heart.
"Are you pleased that I enjoy living?" Jarius asked. Rin merely nodded as her smile grew bigger. She felt like such a fool, but her smile kept growing until she was sure it would crack her face in half. Jarius gave her a crooked smirk before he approached her and cupped her chin in his hand.
"I could please you in other ways as well, master," he purred while inclining her face so that their lips nearly brushed, "or would you rather I look more like your precious Sesshomaru-sama while I do it?" he added before he disappeared into his cloud of smoke only to reappear a second later as Sesshomaru.
The incubus had grown slightly in height as Sesshomaru that Rin was pressed against his chest while he held her close to his person. Jarius' orange eyes were changed to a piercing gold that easily held Rin's widened gaze. His black hair had also been replaced with long silver strands that surrounded Rin's face like a shadow so that all she could see was Sesshomaru. The likeness was so stunning that Rin's face reddened to such a degree that it could compete with the bright red skin of a tomato.
Another embarrassed scream sounded in the forest followed by a resounding smack of hand-to-face contact.
A/N: So, kind of a fun little chapter. ^-^ I personally enjoy Jarius' character, and I hope to develop him further as the story moves along. I wanted to create an OC love interest for Rin as well, given that Sesshomaru has Korial. Figured it was only fair for Rin to have someone to tempt her while she went in search for her youkai lord. Hope everyone liked the chapter!