Chapter 13

"You WHAT?"

Sesshoumaru stood with Tokijin drawn, a look of severe impatience on his face. Rei stood a few feet away, her hands on her hips, breathing with an intensity that was slightly alarming.

"So you mean to tell me, that you just decided to 'leave' with Kagura that day? You couldn't have said anything? You couldn't have, oh maybe, told us before you decided to elope?"

Sesshoumaru sighed. "I thought it was obvious," he said insolently.

"Well, it wasn't! Kagura fed us some cock-and-bull story about how she had managed to kidnap you and take you to Naraku's castle, leaving Rin and me in a rather urgent state of panic regarding if you were all right. But now, it's nice to know that you obviously have no sense of responsibility regarding anything. I can't believe you. I thought we meant more to you than that," Rei said angrily.

"I had no idea you would lose your head and believe her. I believed, rather wrongly as I see now, that you would be able to stay put until my business here was done."

"Ha! If we hadn't come, you'd be stuck in this cell forever, you do realize that? You should be grateful that we lost our heads and decided to come after you. Why can't you ever admit that you need help? You know what you have? You have a ridiculous ego problem!"

"I could have escaped on my own. Naraku could not have killed me. And no, I do not need your help. You only ever get in the way. Now will you please shut your mouth? Otherwise, I will leave you here. Right now, getting Rin away from Naraku happens to be more important than arguing with you. Now please, shut up."

Everything that Sesshoumaru was saying completely shot by Rei, and she opened her mouth to yell again. Before she could get a word out of her mouth, however, Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword, stepped up to her, and grabbed her by the waist.

xXx

Sesshoumaru blasted out of the cell with a good solid kick, and then looked down with displeasure at the kicking and screaming girl tucked under his arm. With a distinct roll of the eyes, he tightened his grip and decided to ignore her and pretend that it was completely normal to be clutching a girl under one's arm.

Arrogant, heartless, stupid, manhandling bastard! How dare he! "Let me go! Let me go! I hate you! You're the worst, most selfish person…demon…I've ever met in my life!" Rei shrieked, as if Sesshoumaru was attacking her, rather than saving her.

Sesshoumaru had never wished more fervently for his left hand at that point in his life, so he could clap it over Rei's mouth and be done with it. He was thinking rather seriously about simply melting her voice box. Trying desperately to block out her noise, he lifted his nose and sniffed.

"Odd," he said aloud, "I seem to be unable to pick up Rin's scent. Where has Naraku taken her?"

Rei had finally worn herself out. "I don't know," she said irritably.

"Is it safe to assume that I can finally put you down without more screaming or an attack on my person?" Sesshoumaru said.

Rei thought for a second. She was rather sick of being held horizontally. "Yes," she said shortly.

Sesshoumaru set her down gently on the ground. Rei turned on her foot and promptly slapped him in the face.

He seemed completely unfazed. "You said you were not going to attack me," he said calmly.

"Yeah? Well, I lied. And you deserved that."

"I did not. And if I were any other demon, I would have sliced your hand off had it come in any sort of proximity to my face."

"You did too deserve that. And if I were any other human girl, I would have kicked you in the balls the minute you set me down, instead of slapping you in the face. Consider it a gift."

They glared at each other in silence. Rei was the first to speak. "I'm going to be the more mature one about this and suggest that we go looking for Naraku and demand him to release Rin now, instead of playing the staring game."

Sesshoumaru nodded curtly, but couldn't help adding, "Yes, screaming one's lung out certainly seems mature to me as well."

"Ooooo, you wait, after this ordeal is over…you wait."

"I am terrified," he said sarcastically.

It took all of Rei's self-control to not retort. Okay, breathe. You know he's probably the most immature two thousand year old there ever was. You shouldn't let him get to you. Plus, Rin needs you right now, and Sesshoumaru's obviously willing to sit here and have a tea party before even lifting a finger. "Can we just get going now?" …Jerk.

"As you wish. But I am having difficulty locating Rin right now."

"You're a daiyoukai. Figure something out."

Sesshoumaru paused for a moment, looking lost in deep thought, before declaring very loudly, "Naraku! Naraku, come out, right now. I demand you come out and face me, you cowardly piece of scum!"

Rei stared incredulously. This is the best you've got? "Are you serious? You think he's just going to—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, a purple, putrid whirlwind began to swirl before her eyes. The wind was strong, and Rei found herself stepping behind Sesshoumaru so she could avoid its stinging rage.

When Rei peeked over Sesshoumaru's shoulder, Naraku had emerged in his full, demonic glory, a cruel smile curved on his face. Rei shivered. His eyes skirted over her. "Ah, how clever, little human. Escaped, have you? And you've rescued your precious protector as well. I find it laughable that both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru have such an inclination for human companions. I suppose brothers are brothers, after all," Naraku said.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Shut your mouth before I go over there and shut it for you. I lack the patience to hear your customary gloating speech."

Naraku smirked. "I wasn't going to waste my time giving one."

Sesshoumaru unsheathed Tokijin. Rei stepped out and cleared her throat nervously. "Where did you take Rin?"

Naraku laughed nastily. "The girl gets right to the point then. Sheathe your sword, Sesshoumaru. There isn't anything to defend anymore."

Sesshoumaru glared. "What do you mean?"

The demon just laughed again, the sound sending chills up Rei's spine. "I took care of your precious pet. She's gone. Should've known better than to leave two humans together, eh, Sesshoumaru?"

Rei stared blankly. "What?"

"She's dead. I killed her. Destroyed the body too, no point in looking for it, darling. I know you tried your best. But it'll be all right. I'm sure that Sesshoumaru will kill you quickly for your failure, so you won't suffer. He always liked you too."

Rei dropped on her knees, her eyes not seeing anything. What? Dead? Not Rin. Not her! She was so happy, and so alive just days ago. She was the one who got me through all of this. A sudden rush of hot tears came to her eyes. Vaguely, she heard Sesshoumaru say in the background, "You lie." And then they began to fight. She heard the horrible clashing noises of metal on metal, and she heard Naraku's grating, taunting laugh, and she heard Sesshoumaru's howl of fury. But she was frozen. It's not supposed to happen like this. It's all my fault! If only I hadn't come looking for Sesshoumaru, Rin would be alive. She would be…alive. Tell me this is a nightmare. Rin never hurt anyone, why her?

And suddenly, she felt Sesshoumaru grab her around her waist, and her stomach dropped through as he jumped, jumped through the ceiling with a splintering crash and they were in the blue, blue sky, and then, and then…

xXx

Rei found herself crying hard, as Sesshoumaru flew through the air. Her toes and fingers tingled with coldness and numbness, but she kept crying anyway. And Sesshoumaru was silent. He did not tell her to stop. He did not say anything to her. Deep inside, Rei wanted desperately for him to wipe her tears and hold her, so maybe some of the pain and guilt would go away, but she knew he would never do that. Hazily, she wondered if he was contemplating putting her down somewhere and killing her, but right now, she couldn't think about it. She deserved it anyway.

It seemed like hours before they stopped. Rei wept the entire way, and her eyes felt dry and sore, as if someone had poured sand into them. But somehow, the tears kept coming, despite that.

They were at Kaede's. The village was calm. Nothing had happened there. How can it be so normal here? Rei thought that there was hardly a more bizarre place that Sesshoumaru could go after finding out such disastrous news, but then she realized that perhaps he was about to dump her there. He probably never wanted to see her again.

Gently, almost too gently, Sesshoumaru set Rei down on the ground and walked toward the forest, without saying another word. Stunned, Rei watched his white back as he slowly got farther and farther away, before stumbling over to his side. She looked at his face, and it was impassive, completely calm. But his eyes were dark, cold holes, foreboding and dead. Rei recoiled to see them.

Sesshoumaru did not stop. He kept walking. Rei whispered, "What now?" her voice still hoarse from crying.

For a split second, it seemed as if Sesshoumaru had a mind to strike her, but he did not. He stopped and looked down at her, his face lacking even an ounce of emotion. "Now, I go. I will kill Naraku, and then…and then I will go on with my existence. As it was meant to be from the very beginning."

"And what about me?"

He paused and looked down at Rei. His eyes softened, almost imperceptibly. "You will go home. And live. Where you were meant to be from the very beginning."

Rei's felt her heart being pierced by a sharp dagger, but strangely, she did not protest. "So it's goodbye then?" she asked quietly.

There was a moment of intense silence. "It was never hello," he said finally. And just like that, he disappeared.

Rei couldn't imagine going back to Kaede and having to tell her the whole sordid story. Nor could she think about seeing Kagome and Inuyasha again. They would feel sorry for her, and sad for Rin, but they would blame it on Sesshoumaru, and really, it wasn't his fault. It was her own.

The only place she could think of was the well. Home, she thought tiredly. Home that isn't really home anymore. It's not fair to everyone else that I can come here and ruin everything, and then go back to the future like nothing happened. It's not fair at all. But what can I do? Rin…I killed her. I destroyed everything back here. Should I stay and try to fix it? Or leave the unbroken things alone?

The well was unaffected. It sat, in its solid presence, dusty and old, waiting for her to jump in. Rei wondered if it would work this time. Perhaps it wasn't destiny that brought me here after all. It can't be. I came here, and Rin died. Was that destiny's plan? To kill off an innocent child? She looked stonily into the depths of the well, and it scared her. She was terrified of the darkness within, terrified of the normalcy of what would be on the other side.

And in years to come, the well would certainly be closed. Or she would never know. Rei knew that if she came through to the other side, she would not try again. She would not even go near the well house again. Too many memories…And she knew, that slowly, the memory of the smiling girl, who had meant so much to her, the solemn demon lord, whom she had learned to like and maybe even understand, would disappear. Rei would marry and have children, and she would be too busy with life to remember the death and destruction she had left behind. She had begun to think of the odd little threesome as a family. A defunct mismatched family, but a family nonetheless. It was all gone now. They would be alone or dead, and Rei felt so guilty…so guilty…

Sesshoumaru would be crushed, she knew. He would never say it aloud; she knew Rin's name would not pass his lips again. But she could see, she could tell, that he was heartbroken, terribly heartbroken, and that was her fault too. There were few things that could penetrate his cold, uncaring façade, and the sunny little girl had been one of them. Now that she was gone, Rei feared that he would lose his compassion (however faint it was) and lose his sense of decency (however faint that was). She feared that he would lose everything that made him different. He was a demon, but he wasn't the bloodthirsty kind. She knew him better than that. She wished everyone else knew him better too. It wasn't fair that Inuyasha got all of the attention and was the "good guy." What was good about him, except that he had human blood? Without that, he may as well been a coldhearted demon like the rest of them. But Sesshoumaru managed to stay honorable and decent, even without the human blood aspect. For that, Rei felt he was something…special.

But he certainly didn't think that of her. It was never hello. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps, it would have been better had they never met, never crossed paths. Rin would be alive. If only…

But there wasn't time to think of that now. Rei's stomach lurched as she stared into the well. The darkness was almost welcoming, a promise of the things that would be better in the future. I am running away from mistakes, she thought gently to herself, and that is never the right thing to do. But there is so much that I've done wrong that…what is the right thing to do now? She just wanted to close her eyes, and forget everything. Forget about this monstrous nightmare she'd been having for the past few weeks. Everything will be better in the future.

She leaned dangerously close to the edge…tipped…and went reeling into the well. There was a brief moment of hope everything will be better now…I'm going home and then she hit rock bottom.

It was the jolt that sent her crying. The well hadn't opened. It simply didn't want her to return. Hot, salty tears coursed down her cheeks, and she cried again for the umpteenth time that day. Nobody had died in her family in her living memory. It was…foreign…this wound that erupted constantly in her heart every time she remembered Rin. It was…unexpected. She didn't know someone could cry so much. Her mind was stuck, like a broken record it's not fair.

The past wasn't fair, wasn't fair at all. Kagome, her grandmother, had never had anyone near her die so horribly. Everything tidied up neat and well for her after every adventure. But here was Rei, and she had botched everything, sent a girl to her death. Rin should never have died. If anyone…it should have been Rei. Rin never did anyone wrong, would've forgiven Naraku if he'd said sorry, would've smiled at anyone, good or bad. Would've touched anyone's heart.

Rei curled up into a ball in a corner of the well and looked at the bright blue afternoon sky. She was lost.

xXx

Hours later, Rei sat in the same position, horribly cramped, her aching head cradled in her arms. She never wanted to come out again, and she was sure that no one would ever come looking for her. What did it matter anyway? The world had already come crashing down; she might as well sit here and wait for it to fall on her head.

But abruptly, someone picked her up like a ball and with a whoosh whisked her out of the well. She stumbled to the ground and looked up. It was the last person she expected to see in the world.

It was Sesshoumaru. She stared, her hair disheveled and her cheeks stained with tears. "What are you doing here?"

"You don't seem to be having much success with returning."

She coughed a dry laugh. "No. Are you going to help me?"

"I do not know how."

She looked into the distance, the pinkish orange lit sky. "What then?"

He did not meet her eyes. "I do not know."

"What will happen to me?"

He said nothing for a few moments. "Why does something have to happen to you?"

Rei had never thought of it that way before. She didn't know what to say. "So why did you come back?"

He gave a quiet laugh, but somehow, he wasn't really amused. "I do not know."

Rei thought of Rin and the wound freshened a pang in her heart. She wondered if he was lonely without her. "I'm so sorry."

She didn't specify what she was apologizing for, but she knew that he was thinking of the same thing. He didn't look at her as he said, "She was going to die one day."

And it was true. It sounded cold, but Rei could hear the hurt behind his voice that said clearly, but I wish it wasn't so soon.

His voice was distant, "Humans die…quickly."

And all of a sudden, Rei remembered that Sesshoumaru wasn't like her…wasn't like Rin. They would die, but he would go on, until the day that he stood alone, at the end of the world.

"One day, you will be dead too," he said.

"Yes," she said faintly. It was true. Staying here every day, increased her chances of dying. She simply wasn't cut out to live here, no matter what Sesshoumaru had done to prepare her, no matter how many demons she killed, there would always be another one waiting around the next corner.

"So," he said hesitantly, "I thought that perhaps I would keep you safe, for a little while at least, until the well took you back." He paused. "Rin would have wanted it," he said quietly.

Rei laughed a little that sounded more like sobbing. "I will die one day. And it will be all the same to you. Just a small glitch in your long life."

He shifted his burning golden gaze to her. "One day does not have to be today." He smiled, a small smile, but a very real one. "I could have killed Naraku at that moment. I could have, had I stayed and tried harder."

Rei's voice was almost inaudible. "Then why didn't you?"

"Because."

And Rei knew that he was too afraid, too proud to say that he did not want to leave another girl to die. He had tasted the bitterness of death, and he did not want to suffer it again. He had wanted to leave her behind, so he would not have to see her die, ever. But perhaps it was too much pain, to know that she was dying, and he wasn't lifting a finger to save her. Perhaps it was too much pain, to pretend like he did not know her, because…perhaps it was too much pain to know that he did.

Then, gently, very gently, she took his hand in hers and said, "I won't die today."

"Good," he said. "Good."

A/N: I'm awfully, awfully sorry for everything. For waiting forever to finish this chapter (which isn't terribly long, so not a good payoff for such a long wait). Awfully sorry for dropping such a bombshell too. Just forgive me for existing. I hope you all don't hate me terribly much. I love you all. :-D