14) Chapter fourteen: Enters Kassai.
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any of its characters.
"Wake up silly girl! You're keeping everyone wai-hmpf!"
"Don't call Rin silly girl!" Ren demanded after hitting Jaken in the head.
Rin awoke groggily expecting to see the sun coming up, but it was some good hours away from sunrise. "Are we travelling by night?"
"Well, of course! The sooner Sesshoumaru-sama finds the barrier, the better!" Explained Jaken in his annoying voice.
"You make a horrible alarm, Jaken-sama." Rin picked up her sleeping bag and helped Ren with his. Looking around, she saw that everyone was stretching and getting ready for the journey. No time for breakfast, I guess. She pulled at Ah-Un's reins, pick up Ren, and sat him on the dragon demon. "You'll travel with Ah-Un, is it ok?" The little kid nodded happily and stroked both of the demon's heads.
"Rin, I hope you sleep well?" Her sensei asked kindly.
"Yes, thank you. Where are we going?"
"Actually, that is up to the little man behind you." Rin turned looking quizzically at Ren who smiled at her proudly. "We're following an evil aura he perceived."
"It's horrible, Rin. She's even worse than that snake demon."
"Oh? You know it's a woman?"
"Mmm, well no. It must be the barrier and that I'm surrounded by demons don't help either, but I have a…feeling that it's a girl. An inklit, mom said."
"It's an inkling, Ren." She said kindly to the now blushing boy. "Ok then, after you!" Ren closed his eyes and concentrated on the purplish aura he had being perceiving since entering the forest. To the left.
Rin saw his hand pointing east of where they were and pulled Ah-Un toward the nearest path in that direction, the rest of the group followed. Kagome sat behind her son and InuYasha walked beside them. Rin taught Kagome and Ren how to guide Ah-Un and let go of the reins. Sesshoumaru was walking a short distance in front of them, reading some scrolls Daichikutsu had giving him.
"Hello Rin-sama! You got us all worried when we couldn't find you back in the castle." One of the soldiers said. "Where were you, if may I ask?"
"At Toutousai's, asking him for a weapon." She answered politely.
"Yes, I notice the three wakizashis in your hip. Did he made them from fangs?"
"No, demon bones."
"Oh, what dem-"
"Rin."
"Excuse me." She said to the soldier and got ahead of the group, toward Sesshoumaru. "Yes?"
"Don't tell everyone about your swords."
"Why not? I already told Kagome-chan."
"You're too trusting."
"You don't trust your soldiers?" She asked in a hush.
"I trust no one." Rin gazed at him and Sesshoumaru understood her silent question. "With some exception, but they are few."
"You didn't tell Hosshimaru-sama that we were leaving the castle." He didn't answer and kept looking ahead. "Who am I allow to tell?"
"Who you trust."
"But I'm too trusting… Ok, I guess I'll only tell Kagome-chan for now and only if Hosshimaru-sama or Daichikutsu-sensei asked I'll tell them. Although, everyone will find out about their powers when I use them, so it's useless to keep it a secret. By the way, why didn't Hosshimaru-sama come?"
"She hates travelling."
"Yes I know, but she came the last time…"
"Because of the fire."
"Ohhh, right. And I suppose someone has to take care of the affairs at the castle and watch over Takahiro." Rin looked down and, by the light of her torch, saw three gardenias. "Sesshoumaru? When I was…asleep, did you mention something about a gardenia? I remember something about an everlasting gardenia but I don't know if I was dreaming it or…"
"It's in the castle." He had forgotten about it and that he intended to give to Rin on her birthday. "You'll have it when-
"STOP!" Ren yelled but it was too late as three dragons came out of nowhere and attacked the pair.
One of the dragons threw a wall of fire at the group, separating Sesshoumaru and Rin from the others. The fire surrounded them and Rin was already coughing because of the smoke. She felt an arm around her waist and her feet leaving the ground, relishing the fresh air that hit her face. Unfortunately, two of the demons flew after them, attacking viciously without a second thought.
Sesshoumaru had Bakusaiga already out but without being heated it was useless and he couldn't go so near the shots of fire without hurting himself and the girl in his right arm, so he was left to dodge. In the mean time, Rin was about to unsheathe Katto when she felt a pulse from her third sword.
"Kassai." She whispered and the white blade turned orange, then red, and finally blue. Actually there was no longer a blade, but flames very much like those the dragons were shooting at them.
Sesshoumaru watched as the yellow-feather blade absorbed some of the demon's fire and didn't think twice to clash his sword against it. With the now heated Bakusaiga, he could fight back.
Rin felt another pulse, this time from Katto and drew it out. She was amazed about Kassai's ability and was even more shocked when both blades fused. Now she had in her hand a pure white blade surrounded by blue flames and strangely, the handle was cool to the touch. Trusting Sesshoumaru to not let her drop, she tried her best to injure their enemies but it proved difficult in her position. Thinking quickly, she hooked her left leg around his right, but for her plan to work he had to let go of her for a moment so she could hooked her arm around his too. "Sesshoumaru! Let go of me! Just for a moment, I have a plan! We can't battle like this!" He kept dodging and scratching the dragons while she had managed to cut part of the wing of one, but it only infuriated the beast more. "Sesshoumaru!"
"Don't."
"Trust me!" He looked at her for a second before returning to the battle and loosening his arm a little, just to grab her again with even more force. The demons weren't stupid; they knew that if she fell they could have it more easily. Two against one. Although, they couldn't know that his wrath could be enormous if that were to happen. One of the dragons flew behind them and its tail missed their heads by mere inches now they have one dragon in each side. Damn it! Like this my plan won't work! "Ok, then…" She tried with all her force to get his hand away and managed it, falling down. Rin grabbed unto his leg with her left harm while cutting the legs of the demon at their front. She felt the claws of the other cutting at her back and let out an agonized scream.
"Rin! What the hell are you doing?!" He growled, normally he never badmouthed but with her almost within his legs and her scream, he couldn't think properly. It was a good thing that the dragon at the front was flying badly because of Rin's injuries. He felt as she somehow turned and climbed up, using his body as leverage. Now she was facing the other demon with her right arm and leg hooked around his.
"Da damn! I I forgot I'm n not left-handed…" Her voice sounded hoarse and it was becoming painful to breath with the injuries in her back. Even though, she tried her best and managed to cut all of the left wing of the demon, therefor it went down, falling with a loud 'tud'.
Sesshoumaru watched as the dragon fell down and couldn't believe she had managed to get rid of one of the demons all by herself and first than him. And with those injuries. He thought when he saw the bleeding cuts in her back. Sesshoumaru felt her loosing her grasp on him and in a blink of an eye grabbed her by the waist again. He watched as her swords separate and she sheathed them, just before falling unconscious on his arm. He had to finish this quickly and with a growled of 'die' he cut through the demon's head. It's head fall and its body stayed floating for a while before falling down too. Sesshoumaru didn't stay to watch and flew a few feet away of the bodies toward a place where he could rest Rin.
He held her bridal style but with her back facing him, while cleaning a spot in the ground to settled her. Ripping the last of her kimono, he cleaned some of the blood with a piece of it and took Iyasu. Sesshoumaru pressed the blade unto the three big, deep scratches and watched as they closed leaving behind not even a scar. But Rin still didn't wake. He turned around looking for the miko; just to remember that they had flown far away of the group. He could catch the annoying scent of his brother and could just trust him to take care of the situation for now.
"Uggghhh." Rin felt as though she had hit a rock with her back.
"Rin." She heard Sesshoumaru calling her, but it was as though he was far, far away.
"The the dr drag-"
"Got rid of them."
"…Always rescuing me."
"It was the other way around this time." She tried to get up, but felt a breeze on her back and remembered that her kimono was ripped because of the dragon. Grabbing what was left of it to conceal her front, she sat up slowly.
"You healed me." She said, looking at Iyasu in the ground next to her full of blood. "And brought me here and stopped me from falling down and of being consumed by the fire and-" He put a finger to her lips.
"You killed one of the demons and injured the other, killing it was easy." Sesshoumaru explained, his voice hoarse. His finger traced the contour of her lower lip and was followed by his hand, which he placed on the side of her face. "You were very stupid. You could have fallen."
Rin leaned in and, holding her kimono with one hand, used the other to brush away some hairs from his face, leaving her hand there. "I trust you." She whispered before closing the distance between them and kissing his lips softly. She was shy at first, but when he kissed her back and put his hand on the small of back, deepening the kiss, her shyness was replaced by pure happiness. As their sweet kiss developed into something more passionate, Rin forgot about her kimono and put her other hand on his hair. His hand travelled from her back, to her nape, and then into her hair. He turned her head a bit up and let go of her lips so she could breathe, but kept kissing her neck and exposed shoulder. Rin let out small moans and gasped when he pushed her into the ground. His lips sealed on hers again.
"That's her aura! This way!" Sesshoumaru heard Ren said at the distance and growled. He sat up and gazed at a bare-chested and highly aroused Rin. And he was very aroused too. Damn it.
"Wha-what is it?"
"The others are coming."
"Oh." Rin sat as well and managed to knot the upper part of her kimono around her breasts. Her cheeks were flushed and her back full of dirt and leaves. She cleaned herself some and Sesshoumaru finished cleaning her. "Thank you." She was feeling shy again.
"I should have flown farther away." Rin's shocked expression turned to a smiling one at his retort. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"Yes, you should have." She whispered and he was about to deepen their kiss, but faraway screams stopped him. "What?" He didn't answer and grabbed her by the waist again, flying incredibly fast toward the group.
"Well, well, well, fancy you show up!" A purple haired demoness with next to nothing of clothing said. "Very clever indeed, Sesshoumaru. Having this kid to find my barrier, such a pity that I have to kill him, he could be helpful."
"Let me go!" Ren screamed panicky, who was being hold by the purple-haired demoness; she put a knife to his neck managing to shut him up.
"Let go if him, now!" Kagome and Rin exclaimed, both with their bows out and with an arrow pointing toward the woman.
"Really, now. It seems to me I have the upper hand here, so put down those bows or we'll see how red his blood is." Both women lowered their weapons. "Good girls! Now, where was I? Oh, yes! The clever plan! Well, it turned out on you, Sesshoumaru. You see, I have full control of this barrier. I let those three weaklings get out; it was quite amusing watching you battle them. But it was much more amusing the little act you put up, just moments ago. Such a pity, this kid here interrupted you." She said with amusement on her eyes.
Sesshoumaru and Rin growled at her. She was thinking of any way to get Ren away from her and was coming out with nothing. "What do you want?" She asked.
"Such hostility! First, let me present myself. My name is Haruka, princess of the east. And if you're wondering why you don't know of me, let me tell you that my father kept me as his most treasured secret, that until I killed him of course." Seeing the shocked expressions on many of them, Haruka laughed. "Yes my dear father, Yoshirou, is dead. Actually, he had been for four years now. I am the lady of the east and soon will become lady of the west and south as well!" She laughed hysterically and Rin flinched involuntarily. "That answers your question, right dear…? Excuse me, what is your name?"
Rin stayed silent for a while until Haruka put pressure unto her knife. "R-" She halted as she felt a clawed hand on her back. "Emi."
"All right, dear Emi, come forward, please." She was about to move, but Sesshoumaru had taken her hand. "Oh my! You're very protective of your property, are you not? So amusing! Sesshoumaru, you can find yourself a more beautiful mate! Let go of the silly girl." But he did not and even grabbed Rin with more force. "Let her go or the kid dies." She said menacingly.
"Sesshoumaru, trust me." She whispered so low only he could hear her. "I have a plan." She mouthed.
A/N: Thank you for reading and reviews are very welcome!
Xoxo, Pritxka