Standard disclaimer applies.

This is something that takes a little break from what I've been writing, and I hope all that read it feel all warm and fuzzy inside afterwards.

WARNING: Contains spoilers for episode 162. Do not read if you don't want to know, or whatever. I had the idea when I was at the bookstore, and I think that right now this chapter is more to let you guys know where the timeline stands. There isnt a whole lot of mention of Kagome in this chapter, and this one is more geared toward the Sessoumaru/Rin relationship (NOT in the pervy way!) but it was something I wanted to write, so I did. So again, don't read if you don't want to know.

Secrets

Twenty-six

By: Luna

Humans really were fragile beings. As he watched from high above the cliffs the useless slaughtering of a village by bandits, Sesshoumaru wondered what made humans wish to kill other humans without reason. For most youkai, there was hardly any reason to attack their own kind unless it was in battle. Over lands or over pride or hunger, but it was rare for a demon to slaughter without reason. Of course, Sesshoumaru was only applying this to demons who had enough power to maintain a human like form. Lesser youkai were nothing but animals, and killed mindlessly like one. They were too far below his station for Sesshoumaru to wish to acknowledge them.

He turned on his heel to leave, interest waning in the useless destruction. A bandit was running noisily behind him, and Sesshoumaru sighed impatiently. He added useless as well as fragile. When the human attacked him, emitting a war cry that irritated Sesshoumaru's ears, Sesshoumaru flicked his wrist in annoyance and did not even stop when the body of the bandit fell in wet chunks to the dirt, the acidic smell of his poison whip hanging in the air along with the coppery smell of warm blood.

"You son of a bitch!" Growled one of the bandits, and Sesshoumaru sensed the rest of the rabble closing in on him in what they probably assumed was a terrifying force of destruction, and flicked his wrist again to lash out with his poison whip to kill them all, and did not bother to look behind him to see what he already knew. They were all dead.

"Halt, youkai!"

Sesshoumaru stopped, and wished for patience. Really, they were like weeds. They popped up everywhere, and especially where you had no wish for them to be. Sesshoumaru just wanted to be left alone, but it seemed he would always be plagued by their masses. He looked over his shoulder at the group of priests and simply waited for them to get to the point. Really, they should be thankful he allowed them such patience on his part. To the bandits, he had given none.

"Is this your doing?" One of them demanded, anger written all over his face.

Sesshoumaru began walking again. Idiot. "I have no use for humans."

But then he thought of Rin. Of Kagome. And knew that he may have lied just a little.

They shot a spell at Sesshoumaru, though he wondered what they thought they would accomplish, and easily blocked it with Tokijin before continuing on his way, leaving the dumbfounded priests behind him.

He thought of Kagome, of their night together. He had dropped her off back at her camp while she was still sleeping, tucked her in her odd sleeping blanket like a child, then disappeared into the night with none of her companions even realizing he had been there. He thought it careless of them to sleep with no one standing watch, especially since their group was, for the most part, human. Inuyasha should know better.

He had returned to collect Rin and Jaken, but had felt too restless to endure Rin's constant chatter and Jaken's squawking at being the butt of Rin's teasing, an he had left them to wander alone and get his thoughts under control. He did not like feeling distracted, and so he had left, only to find himself even more inconvenienced by the humans around him. The bandits, and then the priests. He wondered what made humans think they could take him on, but then put it down at stupidity on their part. Humans were always thinking they could do impossible feats.

"Rin! Riiiin! Rin-chan...where are you..? Rin…" Jaken was calling desperately. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, and paused for a moment when he realized that Rin was no where around their camp.

"Jaken." He said, his voice icy and full of warning. There was a knot in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of dread he did not appreciate.

"Yes?" Jaken turned around, shock and terror lighting his ugly face before he fell to the floor in a graceless kowtow. "Oh! You have returned Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru took a measured step forward, fury and disappointment welling inside of him as he stared down at his kappa. "Did something happen to Rin?"

Jaken's green skin blanched, and his bulbous eyes widened even more. "Well, it's like, um!"

Jaken withered under the force of Sesshoumaru's stare and dropped to the dirt again to grovel. "This is likely the doing of Ongokuki!"

Who? "Ongokuki?"

"Yes. He is a demon that kidnaps children with the melody of his flute. After he takes them, he sells them to other youkai. I did hear his flute. But not to worry! I, Jaken will look for - Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama! P-please, wait!" But Sesshoumaru wasn't listening to him. The knot in his stomach turned to lead and felt heavy. If Rin died again, he could not revive her. If someone killed her she would be dead for good this time.

She wouldn't be able to smile. Laugh. Put ridiculous flowers in his hair or tell him how much she liked the "pretty lady" with the dark hair and blue eyes. That, and Jaken would miss her as well. He had to find her, and fast. He would not allow something to happen to her, especially when he berated Inuyasha for not protecting his own. Like Kagome once stated, he had no intention of becoming a hypocrite.

For a moment, he doubted himself. Doubted his reason for keeping Rin with him. At first, he thought of it as charity on his part. He wasn't forcing her to stay, but he wasn't forcing her to go. It had been a whim to let her travel with him, and a huge compliment on his part since he had no wish for any interaction with humans, even pint sized one with crooked grins and shy, joyful eyes. She had just been so happy, even when she didn't speak. Even though she had been alone, hated even by her own kind. She had been a mystery to him, so he had let her tag along at his heels.

But, just like an annoying little weed, she started to grow on him. And every time Sesshoumaru tried to brush her off, to uproot her and toss her back to the sea of humans, his little weed would grow all over again. Rin would grow up happy. She had to because he wished it so, and Sesshoumaru always got what he wanted one way or another.

But this was not the first time Rin was put in danger, whether by association with him or being alone with Jaken when Sesshoumaru left. He wondered if she would be safer if he left her in a human village. It certainly was not healthy for a human to grow up with a demon. Their species were too far apart, and he didn't want her growing up thinking like a demon. Thinking like him. She had to stay like she was, bright and happy and human. It was the only way she was meant to be.

He wondered if he'd find her alive, and hated the seed of doubt. Then, like a beacon in the darkness, he heard her voice crying out. "I have no desire to come back to a human village! Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru didn't think twice and ran in the direction of her voice. He found her with the priests from before, and nearly snarled at the way the priest was gripping her to his side and her face was creased with distress. The priest holding her shot a spear out towards the tree line, but Sesshoumaru disregarded it when it lands no where near him, shooting out light in all directions.

With the darkness banished, it revealed Sesshoumaru to Rin's frantic eyes. When she sees him, its as if the sun has risen in her eyes they light up in relief and joy. She gives him her crooked, gap tooth smile, and he feels relieved. "Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"It's the youkai from the other day!" One of the monks cry out, looking outraged and a little scared. Good. It would be one cold day in the underworld the day humans stopped fearing him. Rin and Kagome the exception, of course, because he allowed it.

Rin started struggling. "Let me go!"

"Damn youkai! Have you fooled this child?" The one holding Rin growls out, trying to get Rin under control.

Sesshoumaru saw red, for just a fleeting moment. These monks, he decided, have taken far too many liberties with his property. He kept walking forward, murder in his eyes even as other monks called out warnings to the one holding Rin. He must be the leader. He would die first, then.

The monks gather around him, running in a ridiculous circle, and Sesshoumaru smirks to himself. He might have let them live for amusement alone, but they had frightened Rin. They would have to go. The monks call out warning to the children, and they scatter like sheep with the exception of Rin, who called out to him in fear.

The leader points his staff at Sesshoumaru and released a burst of power, and Sesshoumaru almost sighed again and resisted rolling his eyes. Then he frowned. Maybe he should restrict his time with Kagome after all if he was already starting to pick up her habits.

"He's still alive!" They cry out, and Sesshoumaru shook his thoughts away when he realized their attack was already over with.

"Do not falter! Bind his legs! Be gone, youkai!"

Surprise tingled along his spine when he felt power wrap around his legs, and he instinctively reached for Tokijin. How dare they. How dare they try to take Rin away from him. They were human. Insignificant, inconsequential. He was tired of the lot of them getting in his way, tired of them going against his wishes, his desires. He felt his eyes bleed red, and almost let his true form take hold. He wanted to kill them. Kill them all, destroy them all, slaughter them all.

But these were just humans. They did not deserve to see him in all his true glory. Not when they stole and frightened what he considered his. He gathered up his youki into a tight, molten ball inside, then released it in an impressive display of power they did not deserve to see, and felt the bonds surrounding his legs dissolve.

He feels Inuyasha watching him from the tree line, feels her watching, but in his current state he did not wish to look at her. Control. He needed control. He had been out of control for too long already. The thought surfaced, as if had before, that maybe he really should leave her here. Here, with other humans that would teach her human things. But…

"Rin."

"Yes?" The word was breathless, relieved.

"Do as you like." Sesshoumaru turned and started to walk away, away from everything that had caused such a riot of emotions in him. Emotions that he had not allowed himself to feel until she came along and started throwing rocks at his walls, slowly chipping away his defenses until he was left pitifully weak. He should hate her for it.

But he didn't.

He heard Rin, "Okay!" And did not stop even when he heard the priest stopped her once more.

"Wait! He's a youkai! They have no need for a human child's companionship."

He heard her struggle and then, "Let me go!" Before her tiny feet started running after him. Always, always at his heels. It was oddly comforting.

"Wait! Human and youkai live in a different world."

But then Rin was at his side, where she belonged.

They traveled in silence until they found Jaken, and when the kappa ran off to collect Ah and Un, Sesshoumaru turned to watch Rin. She was… different. He wondered if he should be worried. It had been a long, long time since he had seen such a look in her eyes. She walked over to kneel beside graves that were situated underneath the bows of a thick tree, and once again a look passed through her eyes, somehow worried, somehow pleading. He did not like it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" She asked, and looked up at him with brown eyes that suddenly seemed too old to belong to her.

"What is it?"

She looked so earnest, so sad. So different. What had happened to her? She spoke hesitantly, as if fearing his answer. "If… Rin should ever die… would you please not forget about me?"

His eyes widened and he felt his jaw drop just a fraction. To forget Rin… He sighed, just a little. "Such a foolish thing…" He murmured softly, and turned away when Rin's smile appeared, like the dark look in her eyes had never been.

Never. He would live as close to forever as one could reach. And he had never, ever allowed a human to travel with him.

She should know better.

3

By the way, I had never actually read or seen this episode. Everything I got, I got from the wonderful world wide web. If there are any discrepancies, its entirely my fault. I wanted to write something like this to let you know where the timeline stands, so this story wont seem as if its not moving forward. Yes, its a big spoiler, and you won't get one like this again. Hope you all enjoyed it anyways.

So tell me what you think.

Regards,

Luna