***Author's Note***

Good morning, everyone! So, a bit of a serious chapter here. The plot, as they say, thickens! Hahaha. Seriously, though; we've got some surprises in this chapter. We're going to see what Rin's up to in this chapter, so...Enjoy!

***End Note***

Rin's sobs echoed through the dank, dark room. Underneath the heartrending sound was the quiet, ragged pants of someone who is terribly ill. Even as Rin sat over her friend's tortured form, Ayame's eyes fluttered open, seeming to be overly-large for her drawn, pale face, "Oh, thank the gods! I was afraid I'd lost you."

Ayame seemed to realize where she still was and shuddered, "I was with him...", came the soft reply.

"With who?" Rin cocked her head in confusion, wondering for a moment if her friend had lost her sanity.

"Kouga. They're coming for us. They're very, very angry."

Rin's hands flew to her mouth, "I told you they wouldn't just leave us! Are they alright?"

Ayame tried to shake her head, but groaned with sudden pain at the movement, "I don't know. I...I only looked...for...Kouga..." Ayame's voice began to fade as her eyes fluttered shut again and she lost conciousness.

At that moment, there was the sound of a heavy door opening, "Ah, so she lives," came Moshiro's amused statement, "You see? I am a merciful Master. You should cease with this incessant loyalty to a mate who is clearly not coming for you. If you did...Perhaps I could make some...allowances for the pair of you. Perhaps a bed for the two of you? Some hot meals? Medicine for your ailing friend?"

Rin thought hard for a moment, until the glimmerings of a plan began to stir in the farthest reaches of her mind, "If I do...What will be expected of us?"

A horrible grin spread across the shadow-demon's face, "Why, only to be loyal only to me, of course." He widened his eyes innocently, "In any way I see fit."

Rin nodded, appearing to give it consideration, "What of my body? Would it remain mine, or would that belong to you, as well?"

Moshiro chuckled, "You certainly aren't a shy one, are you?" He narrowed his eyes, measuring up the human girl before him, "No, it would remain yours. You reek of dog. I wouldn't sully myself with the leftovers of a mutt like Sesshomaru."

Rin smiled in a way she hoped was an alluring way, "Well, in that case...Promise me you'll see to Ayame first? And we share a room. I don't trust your...servants."

Moshiro cackled madly, clapping his hands with glee, "You have my word," he purred, a quiet threat in his eyes that clearly said Rin could not trust his word.

Rin steeled herself against her own heart, which screamed at her not to do what she was about to do, "Very well. Moshiro, I pledge myself to you and only you, as your faithful servant."

Moshiro grinned wickedly, "I accept your fealty, my pet." Without another word, he bent and lifted Ayame in his arms as easily as if she was a cloud. He helped Rin to her feet, where she wobbled weakly and followed Moshiro out of the drafty dungeon he had kept them in. The moment they stepped into the hallway, a wave of warmth washed over Rin, sending a shiver down her spine. Moshiro led her to a room with a large, luxurious western-style bed in the middle of the middle of the room that was piled high with frilly, feminine pillows and soft, thick furs. In the corner of the room stood a large basin for bathing and a wash closet for other needs. There was little else in the room, save a few shelves packed with books in many languages; many of which, Rin had never seen. Moshiro carried Ayame to the bed and laid her carefully on in the midst of the furs. He left the room for only a moment, and returned with a line of servants; three carried two large, wooden buckets filled to the brim with steaming water, which they dumped into the large wash basin. The remaining servants carried with them clothes of the finest quality, paints for the girls to use on their faces, medicines for Ayame, soft cloths with which Rin could wash her ailing friend, and last but far from least, the final three carried with them massive silver platters loaded down with every kind of food that Rin could have imagined and two large carafes of rice wine. As the servants filed out of Rin and Ayame's new room, Moshiro spoke, "This is the reward of being a faithful servant," he said slowly and very clearly, so that Rin could not mistake his words, or the meaning behind them, "However; should you ever cross me, girl..." he came close and took a lock of Rin's hair on his hand, "And all deals are off. You belong to me, now. Make no mistake about that." Moshiro's nose twitched, and his lip curled in disgust, "Now, go clean up. I'm going to vomit if I'm near your stench any longer." With that final blow, the shadow-demon whirled on his heel and strode quickly out of the room, closing the heavy double doors firmly behind him.

Rin sank onto the bed, weeping silently. She felt a sick, heavy guilt in her heart at betraying her beloved Lord Sesshomaru, but she knew it had to be done. Ayame would die without the proper care, and Moshiro was the only one who could provide it. Rin felt a lump of steel form in her chest; their cage may have been a gilded one now, but a cage it remained. She resolved then and there to escape with Ayame at the first chance. If she had to worm her way into Moshiro's confidences, then she would do it. With that lump of steel heavy and cold in her chest, Rin stood and gathered up cloths and medicines so that she could tend to Ayame, before anything else happened. It was not until a few hours later, when she was satisfied that she had done all for Ayame that she could, that Rin bathed herself. By then, the bath water was cold as ice, but Rin didn't mind if it meant her friend would live.

Inuyasha and the others had been traveling at the speed that only hanyou and youkai could travel. Shippo clung to Kouga's back, and Inuyasha carried Kagome's reassuring warmth on his back, while Miroku and Sango rode Kirara. The journey was abnormally quiet so far, as Kouga refused to speak to any of his companions, causing an eerie sort of silence to descend over the group as they rushed along the road. Every now and again, Inuyasha would pause for a moment, causing the others to stop and watch him intently while his ears and nose twitched, until he seemed to find whatever it was that he'd been searching for, and continued on his way. They went on like this for three days, pausing only for food and for Inuyasha to find the trail again. At last, Kagome could not stand the silence any longer, "So...What exactly are you following, Inuyasha? I can't imagine that there's a scent trail this far out."

Inuyasha shot a quick glance at Kouga to gauge his reaction to the question, but the wolf-demon just sat staring into the distance with a vacant look on his face while he ate the meal Kagome had prepared, not really tasting or hearing anything. The hanyou looked back to Kagome and sighed, "Well, to say there's no scent-trail is inaccurate. Moshiro's scent is so strong that it clings to anyone who's had contact with him. His servants have passed this way; it's too weak for it to have been Moshiro himself. It's not that I'm following the scent so much as...There's this sort of...pull in Moshiro's direction. That's more what I'm following than the scent. Although, the scent is getting stronger, and it goes in the same direction that we are, so...To me, it seems like we're going in the right direction."

Sesshomaru spoke softly, "For once, your logic is sound. I hope for your sake that you are correct; if anything happens to Rin...even my promise to your daughter won't save you from me."

Inuyasha nodded, "If anything happens to Rin...Well, let's just say I won't be hard for you to find. I would never forgive myself if she dies."

Sesshomaru nodded again and fell silent, staring in the same general direction as Kouga. Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara moved closer to Inuyasha and Kagome. "So, what's the plan?", whispered Miroku. "Do we just burst in and kill everyone in sight?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "No, he'd be expecting that. We need to be more discreet this time around. We need to learn their guard movements and everything else we can before we make a move this time."

Miroku smiled, "Good. I'm glad you're not just thinking with your heart. You usually do when you're worried about a friend."

Before long, the group was up and moving again. Sesshomaru and Kouga seemed intent on pushing their companions until they collapsed from sheer exhaustion. They rushed on for the remainder of the day, and well into the night before Inuyasha stopped and flatly refused to go another step before they had some sleep, "We may not feel tired," he argued, "But Kagome, Sango, and Miroku are. They're just humans, after all; they don't have our stamina. If we keep pushing them like this, they're going to get sick, and then they won't be any use at all." They weren't happy about it, but Sesshomaru and Kouga eventually relented – albeit with poor grace – and allowed an overnight rest. They warned, however, that they would not stop again for a very long time. Inuyasha had never seen his brother so worried, and agreed. In his heart, the hanyou was worried for their friends as well; he'd suffered Moshiro's direct attention, and he dreaded what the shadow-demon might have done in the months that he'd had Rin and Ayame in his clutches.

***Author's Note***

Phew! Okay, dry your eyes, people! I know, I know; this one's pretty emotional, but everything's going to be okay, hahaha! Thanks for reading! Lots of love, all.

- Lady Darkwind