Chapter 25

I don't own Inuyasha

Rin was still shaking from the words she had just spoken. If she was about to die, she at least wanted to know did he find her disgusting. She suspected that he did, but what if he didn't? It would bring her such an utmost joy if he really did care about her someway. 'It was too soon…or maybe I shouldn't have spoken at all.' She was so confused. She didn't know what to do at all. Was it a bad thing that she spoke those words to him? It must have been. She was glad to finally get it off of her chest, but him not saying anything made her feel so lonely, lonelier than what she had ever been. "Lord Sesshoumaru…I-"

"Rin now isn't the time," he said to her impatiently.

He really didn't want to speak of it. He obviously had nothing to say about it. 'I shouldn't have said anything at all. After all, I've only been an adult for a little while. To me, I'm grown up, but to everyone else, I'm just a disgusting and bothersome human girl. Now I've got this cursed demon blood in my veins. Now I can never be normal and I'll always be nothing more than an insect in his eyes.' She struggled so hard not to cry. 'I'm such a fool…'

Sesshoumaru tried not to think of Rin and her confession at all. He tried to block it out, but it was just so abnormal. How could she think that? What did she think he thought? Didn't she realize that she's really just a mortal? Didn't she know that he despised them above all creatures?

Regardless of what she had just confessed, he couldn't think on the matter any more. He had to focus on Hikakustu and the battle about to occur. He was not the foe to be taken lightly.

"Oh Sesshoumaru..." came his voice far off into the distance. Sesshoumaru could tell that the foe was smirking, just by the sound in his voice. Hikakustu was confident and that disgusted Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru wasn't going to let him just win. "Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru looked overhead to see Hikakustu in the air. He made a quick landing on his feet and readied himself to obliterate everything in his path. "Hikakustu..."

"Sesshoumaru..." Hikakustu saw Rin behind Sesshoumaru shaking in fear, but she wasn't the mortal he had seen from before. She was transformed with Koibara's strength. "Koibara, you've returned."

Rin backed away a little bit, so frightened. "Lord Sesshoumaru..."

"Stay back, Rin."

"Are you attempting to protect her?" Hikakustu asked with shock in his voice. "She's nothing but a half breed. Why are you protecting her? She has no value to you and all the value in the world to me. Step aside and I promise I'll only leave you a bloody and broken mess with at least an inch of your life left. If you do not step aside, I will be forced to destroy you very slowly and this will be your last day of life."

"I believe it's time for you to sleep once more, Hikakustu."

He laughed a bit again. "I'm aware that you're not a child anymore and you're much stronger. I can tell you are, but you are still no match for me, Sesshoumaru. No one is a match for me. You're going to fail and you're going to die."

"Leave me alone!" Rin yelled. "I don't want to be with you!"

Hikakustu glared at Sesshoumaru once he heard Rin's confession. "She doesn't want to be with me? My precious Koibara doesn't even want me. What have you done dog? What have you done?"

"You're a worthless Eouro. Even Koibara spits in your face. How pathetic?"

"I do not wish to hear your tongue. You have no idea what we've been through."

"It's interesting that you assume that I'd care."

"But she does…" Hikakustu smiled. "The girl wonders, so I shall tell you. Koibara was a full demon. That's the way she was born. That's how she's supposed to be. We Eouros are the most powerful demons and she was mine. We were feared though. We were feared by so many other demons that they joined together in attempts to destroy our entire race. I didn't care much for my brethren, but Koibara was a different story. No one was to touch her. She could take care of herself anyway, until the day that Toashiki took her and changed her into some sort of half breed. She conducted some sort of spell and took away some of her demonic aura and stored it away in her collection or something. She had no scent of human on her, but everyone called her a half breed because something was missing. She wasn't completely demon. Half of her strength was gone and she was no longer able to defeat endless amounts of foes like before. She had to be careful and one day, she was slain by thousands of demons. Then, I was the only one left and your trenches father placed me under a seal. Why? Your father was protecting you from me. Now he's not here." He smirked. "Now who's going to save you?"

'Lord Sesshoumaru was defeated by Hikakustu?'

"If you truly believe that you are stronger than me and can defeat me, then why am I still alive?" A flash of electricity began to surround his sword. "Dragon Strike!" A blue wave was shot right at Hikakustu, but he held his ground. It knocked him back a little bit, but Hikakustu was unscathed.

"I suppose that's the best you can do?"

"If you truly believe that, then you are a fool."

"Then let's get serious."

Sesshoumaru ran to Hikakustu and began swinging his sword at the demon. Hikakustu was fast, perhaps faster than Sesshoumaru, but not by that much. He was just fast enough to dodge all of Sesshoumaru's attacks and took the ones he knew he could take. He was just toying with Sesshoumaru.

"I am the most powerful demon in the world, Sesshoumaru. Nothing can stand against me, not even the son of the demon that put me in what was meant to be an eternal sleep. You're nothing!" He punched Sesshoumaru in the face and knocked him back and off his feet.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin yelled.

Sesshoumaru flipped while in the air and gracefully landed on his feet. He wasn't done yet. "Curse him," he said under his breath. Sesshoumaru wasn't accustomed to losing. He couldn't just let that happen.

"Lord Sesshoumaru…" Rin ran to his side, but he wasn't that hurt.

He sternly said to her "I told you to get back Rin."

She backed away in obedience. 'If I don't do something then…' she frowned. 'What should I do?' She couldn't interfere. He wouldn't forgive her if she did.

"Now Hikakustu, you die." Sesshoumaru tried his Dragon Strike again, and this time, it was stronger and Hikakustu was having a very hard time keeping his footing.

'I didn't know he was this much stronger. He might be a problem after all.' Hikakustu didn't want to, but he called upon his power and blasted Sesshoumaru with his aura. Before it got to Sesshoumaru, it met with the Dragon Strike, but it wasn't strong enough to stop Hikakustu's aura and Sesshoumaru's attack dissipated. Sesshoumaru was hit once again and knocked back and fell to the ground.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" she saw that he wasn't getting up at first. At first, he wasn't even moving. "No!"

'I used up quite a bit of my energy. I have underestimated Sesshoumaru a little bit.' He still smirked. 'I still defeated him, once again.' "Oh Rin…"

Rin backed away, frightened. "No! Stay away from me! I don't want to do anything with you!"

He kept stepping closer. "Why don't you remember me? Koibara should be aware and able to know me and remember me and me alone. You, I can see the love in you eyes for that dog, but he could never accept something like you. He would never."

She didn't want to hear it, even though she knew it to be true. "You only want the demon in me."

"True Rin. That is very true. I intend on transforming you, whatever way I can. Now, I need you to release Koibara, and if you don't I'll make you. He grabbed her shoulders and tightened his grip on her. "If you don't then I will force her. Now what has that dog done to make you this way?"

"Let me go!" she yelled. Her panic did cease once she saw Sesshoumaru getting up and smiled.

"Koibara!"

"Koibara is gone!" Sesshoumaru hit Hikakustu with his Dragon Strike and it was powerful enough to knock him away from Rin and back a far distance from her.

"Lord Sesshoumaru…" She said. "What should we do?"

"You are going to stay out of my way and I am going to slay Hikakustu."

Rin knew he wasn't up to his complete full strength and probably shouldn't have been fighting Hikakustu at that moment, but what could she do? "Good luck, my Lord."

How disgusting! Sesshoumaru was a bit distracted by her eyes. There was so much affection for him in them. How come he hadn't seen it earlier? Nevertheless, Hikakustu wasn't going to attain his objective, so Sesshoumaru did his best to keep his mind off of her and he did his best not to let his distraction show. If he did, then Hikakustu would take advantage of him.

Hikakustu ran back to Sesshoumaru with full speed and his eyes filled with rage and frustration. "Stay out of my way, dog!" He tried to claw at Sesshoumaru, but Sesshoumaru dodged him. "Koibara is mine!"

"Koibara is not my concern" he told Hikakustu. "Destroying you is."

"Then won't it be funny when you turn up dead, instead of me?" Hikakustu blasted at Sesshoumaru, but Sesshoumaru dodged it.

"Nice work, my Lord!" yelled Rin.

This angered Hikakustu so much. "You!" he yelled and pointed at Sesshoumaru. "You turned her against me! You turned her against her master!"

"I've done nothing. No one wishes to serve a fool!"

Hikakustu grunted and tried blasting Sesshoumaru again, but he fast was enough to dodge it. 'No! It would appear that neither of us is up to full strength. I am not as fast as I usually am and all he seems to be doing is avoiding.' Hikakustu glanced over to Rin. 'This mortal...It would seem that he cares for her, but he seems to be denying it. I wonder...' "If I can't have Koibara, then I won't allow you to have Rin!" Hikakustu stretched his hand out towards Rin and his hand began glowing a bright red. He gathered up most of his energy and shot it straight out towards her.

Rin didn't even have enough time to scream. She was in such a state of shock.

Sesshoumaru was surprised, but fast enough to act. He ran straight for Rin and dropped the Tokijin and drew the Tenseiga at the last possible second. Still, Hikakustu acted too fast that Sesshoumaru could barely protect himself and her.

"Curse you!" Hikakustu drew out some more of his power, and made the blast as powerful as earlier when he first escaped his prison. In a matter of seconds, Sesshoumaru lost his footing and the both of them were knocked down. "Good." Hikakustu's attack subsided and revealed Sesshoumaru's smoking body on top of Rin's. "That was a dirty trick, but I'll do anything to win a battle, including using your disadvantages against you, Sesshoumaru."

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin opened her eyes and saw him hurt again. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" She began to cry, knowing that this was all her fault. 'You didn't even have enough time to get back to full strength. Now you're hurt again.' It didn't even look like he was breathing and before she could check his pulse, Hikakustu grabbed her by her arm and lifted her up.

"Koibara..."

"Let me go!" She was kicking and screaming. "He's hurt!"

"He's dead."

"No! I don't believe you!" She struggled to get away from him but he was too powerful. "Let me go! He needs me!"

"I think he's had enough of you, girl. You've already cost him his own life." He threw her over his shoulders. "Let's be off now. We've got to awaken the real you." He carried her away, until Sesshoumaru was out of their sight.

"I am the real me! She's the invader! This is my body! This is my life, and I want nothing to do with you!" She placed her hands on his back and blasted him as much as she could, but she barely did anything. He did loosen her grip though, and she freed herself. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" She attempted to run back to him, but Hikakustu grabbed her arm.

"You don't want to go back to him. You're mine now."

"No I am not!" She began kicking and scratching, anything to escape him, but she couldn't free herself. He was too strong. "Please let me go! I..."

"You love that demon?"

She nodded slowly. "Please...I need him."

He let go of her arm, but grabbed her neck with one hand instead and lifted her off of the ground. "Why? Why is Rin still in charge of this body? Koibara, you must come out. Come out now."

Rin started scratching his hand and arm, but he wouldn't let go. 'Help!'

"Koibara, come out now." 'There must be something keeping Koibara at bay. What's different than all of the other times I've contacted Rin?' Hikakustu was a smart demon. It only took him a few moments to realize that it was the sword. "I'll be taking this." He used his free hand to take the sword away and dropped her. "It's this, isn't it?"

Rin panicked and snapped. "Give that to me!" She jumped on top of Hikakustu's back and tried to choke him. "Give it to me!" That was the only thing that was keeping her Rin. If she lost it, then she would not only lose herself, but she would lose her Lord. "Give it to me! Give it to me now!"

"This is what keeps us apart." He smirked and snapped the sword into two, as if it were a toothpick. "Now you can wake up."

Rin's mouth dropped and so did her will. She let go of him and dropped to her knees. "No...How could you do that to me? Now I'm..." She grabbed a hold of her head and began screaming for her life. She was losing it. Everything was fading. Rin was gone.

"Koibara?"

The screaming stopped and Rin raised her head and a smirk came on her face. "Hikakustu." She stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hikakustu...it's been such a long time."

"I'm aware." He caressed her cheek with his fingers so gently. "And now we're back and ready to take this world for our own, just like it used to be."

"With the Shikon Jewel, I can become a full demon again." She smiled as he leaned in closer to kiss her. "This is all I've wanted for so long..." Their lips met and they embraced each other, just like how they longed to do.

"Koibara, it will only take a moment to..." He grunted. "I sense him. He's not dead after all."

"You underestimated the dog general's son. I'll be back with the jewel," she told Hikakustu. "It'll only take a moment to take it from Sesshoumaru." She laughed a little bit. "He's weakened and won't be able to defeat me."

To be continued...