Unless specified, the POV will be third person omniscient.
"Japanese Speech"
'thoughts'
"English speech"
—∞—|—∞— Scene and/or time transition
—∞— shift between areas of action or POV within the same scene/location
{Stage directions/ setting}
[[Telepathic communication]]
Previously:
"For your information, I completed several months' worth of training in just three weeks," Katsumi retorted.
"Liar! You said you've only been awake for a few days!" Jaken said.
"Faeries can control time. They have a room where you can train one week in one day," Katsumi explained.
"Faeries can control time?" Rin asked, amazed. "Is that how you time traveled?"
"No, faeries can speed time up or slow it down, but they can't go back in time. Think of time as a river. You can damn it, but once the water passes you by, that's it. You'll never see the same water twice," Katsumi explained.
"Ohh," Rin said, nodding. "Okay." Her stomach growled.
"How about we get something to eat?" Katsumi suggested with a smile.
Chapter 14: Together Forever
"What's the matter, Ah-Un?" Katsumi asked as they were walking. She noticed the dragon had been giving her looks ever since she returned. "Aren't you glad to see me?"
"It may have something to do with your armor," Sesshoumaru said. Katsumi looked down at herself. Her armor was primarily made of faerie steel and dragon scales.
"Oh," she said, seeing his point. "Don't worry, Ah-Un. My cousins assured me this armor was cruelty-free."
"Cruelty free?" Rin asked.
"It means no dragons were harmed in the making of this armor," Katsumi replied. "They said the scales were collected after they were shed naturally." Ah-Un's expression lightened considerably after that, and he let Katsumi pet him.
They walked along for some time, enjoying the peace and quiet. Rin hummed softly to herself while she rode Ah-Un. Sesshoumaru caught a scent in the air. Katsumi's nose twitched. They both sensed the eggy smell of an onsen.
"Hot spring!" Katsumi said excitedly.
"Where? We haven't bathed in warm water in ages!" Rin said eagerly.
"It's over that way!" Katsumi said, pointing off to the side. It wasn't visible through the trees, but they knew it was there.
"..." Sesshoumaru was on the fence about stopping. Katsumi and Rin were looking at him with sparkling eyes. "You have twenty minutes."
"Yay!" the girls said and promptly rushed off to bathe. Jaken sighed.
'How do they get away with it?' the imp wondered.
—∞—
"The water feels great, doesn't, Katsumi-nee?" Rin said, swimming around a little.
"You said it!" Katsumi said, leaning back. The sulfur tickled her nose. Rin splashed her. Katsumi stood up and splashed her back.
"Oh-ho?"
Katsumi froze. Her eyes slowly slid over to look at the source of the sound, where she saw none other than Totosai. She realized he had a full view of her.
"Kyaa!" she cried immediately covering her chest. Thankfully the water came up above her hips. The sulfur must have been interfering with her sense of smell more than she thought, not to have sensed him coming.
"Uwah!" Totosai cried out, as if he were equally startled. Katsumi had nothing to throw, so she stunned him with a faerie shot. It was at that moment that Sesshoumaru appeared, sword drawn. Katsumi froze. Sesshoumaru took in the scene before him. It was pretty obvious what had happened. Totosai was lucky Katsumi had already dealt with him. He put Tokijin away and looked at Katsumi. His eyes were drawn to her back. Her hair was pulled to one side, and he could see it fully. There was scar with an intricate knotted pattern that almost looked like a stylized tree. It was hidden from view when Katsumi suddenly plunged back down into the water. She sat there with it up to her neck, face red, avoiding eye contact. Clearly embarrassed.
"What's wrong, Katsumi-nee?" Rin asked innocently.
"… Your twenty minutes are up," Sesshoumaru told them, then turned and left.
"?" Katsumi was a little surprised that was all he had to say on the matter. He seemed just as composed as always. She didn't mean to show off, but she was a little disappointed that he didn't react at all. It suddenly felt stupid to be the only one embarrassed. Katsumi sighed. She and Rin got dressed and rejoined the others. Katsumi pulled Totosai along behind her, letting him drag on the ground.
"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked her.
"Well, I get the feeling he wasn't just there by coincidence, so if he was looking for me for some reason, maybe I should hear him out," Katsumi reasoned. "If he can't give me a good reason for being there, I'll pulverize him." That seemed fair to Sesshoumaru, maybe a little too fair. He thought it wouldn't be too late to hear Totosai out after a beating had loosened his tongue. It was probably better not to kill him while he could still be of some use.
So they started walking again, with Katsumi dragging Totosai along, until he woke up.
"Huh? Where am I?" Totosai said as she continued to drag him. "The last thing I remember seeing is a tennyo—"
"Erase it from your mind," Katsumi told him sternly, giving him such a glare that he tried to shrink away from her.
"I-Is that any way to treat me when I've come all the way out here to make you a new sword!?" Totosai said.
"Sword?" Katsumi said, stopping.
"That's right. Your mother commissioned a new sword for you," Totosai said. "I don't know why you're treating me this way!"
"You mean, you don't remember?" Katsumi asked. Did he hit his head when he fell?
"I vaguely remember seeing something beautiful, but then… What was it I saw...?" he wondered.
"Keep it vague! Better yet, forget it all together!" Katsumi told him.
"Complete your business and begone," Sesshoumaru said. He and the others had stopped a few yards away.
"All right!" Totosai said. He picked himself up and pulled out a pair of pliers. "Open wide."
"Wide?" Katsumi said, wondering why he wanted her to do it as she did it. "Owww!!" she exclaimed when he suddenly yanked one of her fangs out without warning. "What was that for!?"
"I need your fang for the sword. Well, see you later!" Totosai said and sped off before she could say or do anything more to him. "Don't worry! It'll grow back!" he called over his shoulder as his three-eyed cow came flying to his rescue, and he hopped onto its back.
"It'd better..." Katsumi said with her brow furrowed, holding her cheek.
"Katsumi," Sesshoumaru said.
"Coming!" she said and quickly caught up to them.
—∞—|—∞—
Later that evening, they camped out by a river. Rin was roasting mushrooms and fish for dinner.
"You've gotten really good at this," Katsumi praised her. Rin smiled. They talked some more about the faerie world and what they had been up to while they were separated. Sesshoumaru relaxed while he listened to their idle chatter. It was almost as if Katsumi had never left, as if she had never been hurt. But she had. He would never forget what Naraku did. And he would never forgive him.
—∞—
After dinner, Rin fell asleep cozied up in a sleeping bag from the faerie world. Jaken curled up beside Ah-Un. Katsumi was sitting next to Sesshoumaru. They were both watching the night sky when a wind with a bit of a chill swept over them. Sesshoumaru didn't feel it, but Katsumi rubbed her arms to warm them. Sesshoumaru looked at her.
"I feel the cold a bit more now," she said. 'It must be because I'm not fully recovered...' She was eating more again, too. She was surprised when Sesshoumaru put his hand on her shoulder and moved her so that she was leaning against his mokomoko. It was nice and warm. Katsumi smiled softly. Then an unpleasant thought occurred to her. "Sesshoumaru-sama… you're not feeling sorry for me, are you?"
"Don't say such foolish things," Sesshoumaru told her. Katsumi smiled again, moving a little closer.
'It was worth losing my wings, if it brought me this...' she thought.
—∞—|—∞—
{A few days later…}
'I can't believe it… I don't understand… What is happening here!?' Jaken thought, confused and alarmed. He watched as Sesshoumaru moved a stray lock of hair out of Katsumi's face. 'He did it again! Lately Sesshoumaru-sama has been touching that brat and calling her by her name all the time, instead of the usual 'you' he uses when the situation isn't serious… What does this mean? How did she win his favor to such a degree!? Could it be…? I'm being replaced as number one subordinate!?' "What is happening here!?" Jaken asked again out loud. "Why!?"
"Why what?" Katsumi asked him, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Nothing! I have nothing to say to the likes of you!" Jaken retorted.
"Suit yourself," Katsumi said, shrugging.
"Hey, Jaken-sama," Rin said, walking next to him. "Do you think maybe Sesshoumaru-sama is in love with Katsumi-nee?" Jaken choked on his spit.
"!!?" the imp exclaimed. "Bite your tongue! The great Sesshoumaru-sama would never stoop to that level! Someone like her is out of the quest…ion..." he said, trailing off under the withering stare Sesshoumaru was giving him. Sesshoumaru continued walking, and everyone else followed, except Jaken, who stood rooted to the spot, stunned. 'No way!!' Jaken thought with tears in his eyes, extremely shocked.
—∞—|—∞—
{Sometime after that…}
When Sesshoumaru and Katsumi smelled a fire, they decided to investigate. It seemed to be coming from the direction of a village they had passed.
"Oh, my," Katsumi said when they arrived and saw that not only was the village on blazing inferno, but it was being pillaged by a band of robbers who seemed to enjoy killing the villagers. "This is terrible," she said, about to take action, when the band of murderers stopped as they noticed Sesshoumaru and Katsumi watching them from high ground. Sesshoumaru turned to leave. That seemed to set them off.
"Hey, not so fast!" one of the raiders yelled at them as they charged up to attack them. Sesshoumaru responded by turning and piercing the man with his energy whip. He turned to leave again. Katsumi hesitated. She didn't want to leave the village to fate that awaited it if the robbers returned to raiding them.
"Why you—!" their leader shouted. Sesshoumaru ignored him. "You're not getting away alive! Kill him!" They charged at Katsumi and Sesshoumaru.
'Now they've really done it...' she thought, making sure she was out of Sesshoumaru's way as he turned to attack the foolish humans. Sesshoumaru whirled his energy whip around himself and Katsumi, taking out all of the robbers surrounding them with a single attack. They could smell more humans coming.
"Ungai-sama, it's two youkais!" someone said. Katsumi and Sesshoumaru glanced in their direction. It was a group of monks. Two at the front of the pack parted to let their master through. Ungai lifted the brim of his rice-straw hat to get a better look at the youkais.
"Is this your work?" he asked them.
'Is he referring to the dead robbers or the burning village?' Katsumi wondered. Perhaps he thought they did both. Sesshoumaru started walking. Katsumi followed.
"Wait!" Ungai said.
"I have no use… for humans," Sesshoumaru said. Ungai raised his hand and sent talismans flying at them.
"A-Ahh!" Ungai said, forcing the o-fuda to attack. Sesshoumaru drew Tokijin and slashed the talismans to pieces with one swipe of his sword. He stuck his sword in the ground and sent a light burst of energy towards them.
"Aaaah!" The monks exclaimed as they shielded themselves from the minor attack and the huge gust it created and the dust that was sent flying. When Ungai looked up again, Sesshoumaru and Katsumi were gone.
"They escaped..." Ungai said. Two of his disciples ran forward to check the human bodies at the ground, in case there were survivors. "Who is he? I've never felt such an intense desire to kill. And she had a strange aura about her..."
"Ungai-sama, these men seem to be night robbers," one of his disciples reported.
"Youkais attacked night robbers?" the second said, surprised. "Then who was it that attacked the village?" Ungai looked up into the night, where a waning crescent moon hung in the sky.
—∞—|—∞—
"All the kids in the village were kidnapped?" Inuyasha asked the village head the next day in another, more peaceful village.
"When we woke up in the morning, all the children of the village were gone," the village head explained. "I have no idea what happened. Whether they were spirited away by a kami or if this is the work of youkais."
"Headman, we'll find out where the children have gone," Miroku volunteered, stepping forward.
"Huh?" the headman said, looking at their odd group.
"We may not look like much, but we're pretty efficient," Kagome said with a smile.
"We're quite skilled in the slaying of youkais," Miroku added. "But we would need some lodgings..."
"Keh… Not that one again!" Inuyasha said.
"Well, we won't need your help," the headman said.
"Huh?" Inuyasha and Miroku said.
"I've already asked a monk for help," the headman said. Inuyasha sighed.
"Yes, and you're looking at a monk right here," Miroku said, not quite ready to give up.
"There is a group of monks who specialize in exterminating youkais," the headman said. "I'm sure that Ungai-sama will rescue the children without fail." Miroku bowed his head a little in defeat.
"Ungai-sama… is his name?" Miroku said. He had heard of him. Kagome looked at Sango, who shook her head. "I see."
—∞—|—∞—
Ungai and his disciples were once again walking through the woods.
"Hm?" he said, sensing something. He turned his head to look and saw Rin struggling to pull up a wild yam.
"Nn! Ah!" she said when it finally came free, falling back. But she smiled and held onto the yam.
"You there!" Ungai called to her. Rin looked at him. "Do you belong to the village at the foot of the mountain?" Rin shook her head and made a run for it. "Hey! Where are you going?" Ungai chased after her. "Come back here! I sense a youkai's aura! Come back, I said! Whoa—!" he was surprised when a large gust of air hit him, and Rin flew over his head on Ah-Un. "A youkai, as I suspected." He watched Rin fly away. "Who is that child?"
"Did something happen here, Ungai-sama?" one of his disciples asked as they came over to him.
"No… We'll continue our search," Ungai said.
—∞—|—∞—
In the dark of the night, the glow of a fire could be seen in a small break in the trees of the forest. Rin and Jaken sat around it, waiting for their dinners to finish cooking. Rin had her yam, and Jaken had a lizard.
"Hey, Jaken-sama," Rin said.
"Huh?" Jaken said.
"After he defeats Naraku, What is Sesshoumaru-sama going to do?" Rin asked.
"You probably don't know..." Jaken said as his lizard fell over. He straightened the stick back up again. "But Sesshoumaru-sama has long been in search of something called 'power'. He will probably become the greatest youkai of all time and reign over his own empire. And when that happens, I will become his empire's chief minister," he finished with a smile, picking up his lizard and taking a bite. "Ow! Ouch!" he said when it proved to be too hot.
"And Katsumi-nee will rule with him?" Rin asked. Jaken sputtered.
"D-Don't even say such things!" he scolded her. "There's no way he'd actually marry her!" Jaken calmed himself down. "But she is a decent fighter—don't tell her I said that—so maybe he'll keep her on as a retainer."
"Hmm..." Rin said. She didn't think what she had said about Katsumi and Sesshoumaru was as impossible as Jaken seemed to think it was. "Jaken-sama..."
"Huh?" Jaken said.
"What will I do in Sesshoumaru-sama's empire?" she asked.
"Eh!? You intend to follow us all the way there?" Jaken asked.
"Why? Why can't I come along!?" Rin asked, shaking him.
"Hrmh… Even though it's Sesshoumaru-sama… who knows how long it will take to create the empire," he said. "To us youkais, a hundred years is nothing. But you're a human..."
"Eh?" Rin said. Jaken looked at her through squinted eyes.
"By that time, you'll be long dead," he told her.
"!" Rin said. She turned away from him, pouting a little. "That's not going to... happen."
—∞—
Rin and Jaken had fallen asleep. Rin was curled up in her sleeping bag. The fire was low. Something made Rin wake up. She looked up at the stars.
'Stupid Jaken-sama!' she thought. She looked back at Jaken. 'I'll be with Katsumi-nee and Sesshoumaru-sama forever.' She rolled over to face away from Jaken. 'Forever.' Her eyes had only just closed again, when Rin heard a mysterious flute. She had to go. She had to follow it. She got up out of her sleeping bag and started walking towards the flute. Jaken happened to wake up as well and saw her walking away.
"Rin?" he said. "You need to pee?" She didn't answer him. She just kept walking until she came up to a tall humanoid youkai with light blue-green skin and rusty red hair growing out the sides of his head. He looked at her with his big red eyes and smiled. He led the entranced Rin deeper into the forest, until they would disappear into the darkness.
"Hey, Rin!" Jaken called, sensing something was wrong. He saw her follow the other youkai, but he was too late. They were gone. "Rin! Where are you going!? Rin!" He looked around. "Huh?! She disappeared!"
—∞—|—∞—
Meanwhile, another fire was burning, roasting several fish. Kagome and the others sat around it, all except Inuyasha, who sat off to the side a short distance away from them.
"Hehe! Just a little more," Shippo said cheerfully, looking forward to his dinner. Kirara made a noise, alerting Kagome and the others to an incoming group of monks.
"Oh?" Kagome said, a little surprised to see them there.
"Who are they?" Shippo asked.
"They must be the group of monk youkai slayers," Sango said.
"This is not good," Miroku said, holding his chin.
"Why?" Sango asked.
"Huh?" Shippo said.
"I've heard rumors about Ungai-sama," Miroku said. "He's ruthless towards youkais." That made Shippo nervous.
"Good evening," Kagome greeted the monks politely as they reached their circle of friends. Ungai looked around at their group, taking special note of Kirara and Shippo, who was cowering in Miroku's lap.
"Hn?" He said, staring at the fox kit.
"Eep!" Shippo said, shrinking away from him.
"You are youkai slayers?" Ungai asked them.
"Sort of," Miroku replied.
"Keeping a youkai with you… how unprincipled!"
"What'd you say!?" Shippo asked, getting offended.
"?" Ungai looked at Shippo again.
"Eep!" Shippo said, quickly hiding behind Miroku. Ungai pointed his staff at Kirara.
"It is an evil spirit. You should get rid of it," Ungai said."If you rely on something like that, you'll only regret it."
"Neither Kirara nor Shippo would harm humans," Sango said.
"She's right!" Shippo said, popping out again.
"?" Ungai narrowed his eyes slightly at Shippo.
"Hah!" Shippo cried and shrank away from him again.
"You are a miko?" Ungai asked Kagome.
"Err… Well… yes," Kagome said. He withdrew his staff.
"You should know how frightening youkais are," Ungai said.
"Keh!" Inuyasha said, making them all look over at him, where he was sitting on a rock by the river in the darkness.
"You, over there," Ungai said.
"Huh?" said Inuyasha.
"That sword is a youkai sword, isn't it?" Ungai said.
"You're so annoying!" Inuyasha said, standing up.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome said, hoping he wasn't going to pick a fight. Inuyasha walked over to them and stepped into the light of the fire. He was his human self.
"So what if it is?" Inuyasha asked Ungai.
"Using a weapon that you cannot handle will kill you," Ungai said.
"None of your business!" Inuyasha told him. Ungai stared at Inuyahsa. Inuyasha glared back.
"Whatever…" Ungai said. "Just do not get in our way." He turned and walked away. Shippo ran up and made faces at him behind his back.
"Who do they think they are?" Inuyasha said as he watched the monks leave. "So arrogant!"
"Thank goodness it's the night of the new moon," Miroku said.
"If you had been your usual self, Inuyasha… we may have had a confrontation with those monks," Sango said.
"Keh!" Inuyasha said.
—∞—|—∞—
"Rin! Riiin!" Jaken called out anxiously. He was wearing himself out looking for her. "Rin-chan! Where are you?! Rin..."
"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said from behind him.
"Yes… Sesshoumaru-sama, you're back!" Jaken said, quickly turning around to bow low to him.
"What happened to Rin?" Katsumi asked. Sesshoumaru was staring expectantly at him.
"Uh… well… it's..." Jaken said nervously. He risked a glance up at Sesshoumaru.
"Hnh?" Sesshoumaru said, furrowing his brow slightly.
"Ahh..." Jaken said, quickly bowing again. "It's probably the work of Ongokuki."
"Ongokuki?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Who's that?" Katsumi asked.
"Ongokuki are youkais who lure children with the sound of their flute and snatch them away," Jaken said.
'Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin...' Katsumi thought.
"They take the children and sell them to other youkais," Jaken continued. "I heard the sound of its flute." He looked up again. "But please rest assured… I, Jaken, will find her…!" Sesshoumaru and Katsumi started walking away. "Huh? Please wait, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken quickly got up and ran after them. "Please… aghh!" He tripped and face-planted in the ground. He looked up, but Sesshoumaru and Katsumi were still leaving him in their dust. "Ahh… At this rate, my position as chief minister looks doubtful..."
—∞—
Ongokuki led Rin to a cave. The entrance was covered by a large rock. Ongokuki grunted and groaned as he moved the rock aside. Rin walked in. The sounds of children crying echoed through the cave. Ongokuki followed Rin into the cave. He smirked at the children and lay down at the entrance, blocking their way out as firmly as the rock had.
"Huh?" Rin said, snapping out of it. She looked around. "Why am… I here?" She saw that a number of other children were there, and they were all crying. "Huh?!" She approached them. "Who are you all? What are you doing here?"
"So you were kidnapped by a youkai too?" one of the boys asked.
"Youkai?" Rin asked. She looked back the way she came and saw Ongokuki.
"We're going to be eaten by the youkai!" one of the younger children cried. Rin looked back at the other kids. They were all still crying, obviously terrified.
"I wanna go home!" another kid said. Ongokuki opened his eyes as their crying grew louder.
"Shut up, you brats!" he yelled at them. They all immediately shut up, afraid of what he would do to them if they didn't.
"It's all right," Rin said quietly. "Don't be scared."
"Of course we're scared!" the boy who first talked to her said. "That's a youkai!"
"He's not scary," Rin said, walking away.
"Yes, he is!" another child insisted. "He's a youkai!"
"Night robbers are more scary!" Rin said. She sat down.
"Night robbers?" the first boy said. "A youkai is scarier!"
"But… night robbers kill people for no reason at all," Rin said.
"What are you saying?" the first boy asked. Rin hugged her knees.
"My father, mother, brother… they were all killed by robbers," she said.
"But right now, it's the youkai who's scary," the first boy said.
"It's all right," Rin said. "I know they'll come to save me."
"Who?" a younger kid asked. Rin smiled.
—∞—
"Rin!" Jaken called desperately. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" He refused to call for Katsumi. "Rin! Sesshoumaru-sama!" he wandered over to a tree and rested against its trunk.
"Hey..." Kagome said.
"Yes..." Jaken said, looking up. He jumped, startled, but then he realized he was surrounded by Inuyasha's friends. Inuyasha was keeping his distance. "Oh, it's only you guys."
"What happened to Rin-chan?" Kagome asked.
"Rin was kidnapped by the Ongokuki," Jaken replied.
"Ongokuki?" Miroku asked.
"A youkai who snatches children!" Jaken told him. "Have you seen Sesshoumaru-sama? He went with that brat to look for Rin."
' 'That brat'… He must mean Katsumi-chan,' Kagome thought. It wasn't a very nice way to refer to her. "No..." she said, shaking her head.
"Oh!" Jaken groaned. He was doomed. He took up his search again. "Rin! Sesshoumaru-sama!" Inuyasha's group watched as he disappeared into the forest.
—∞—
Ongokuki's eyes opened when he sensed something, and he got up to peek out of the cave.
"Huh?" he said. There was a whole line of children standing in a row outside. He stepped out and started playing his flute. None of them reacted. "Huh?!" He moved closer and looked at the children again. They were dolls!
"You fell for it!" Ungai said.
"Huh?!" Ongokuki said, startled when he was suddenly surrounded by monks. As Ungai's disciples ran circles around the youkai, they pulled out their prayer beads. Ungai did the same. They all concentrated their spiritual energy on Ongokuki. They threw o-fuda at him, which seemed to paste themselves onto the youkai's body. Ungai formed a seal with his hand.
"Die, Youkai!" Ungai said and thrust his staff forward. Its crystal glowed and energy crackled like electricity around Ongokuki as he was engulfed in blue-white flames, which burned away to nothing. Not even ash was left of Ongokuki. Ungai went to the children in the cave.
"Children!" he called to them. "We have come to rescue you!" All of the children made sounds of relief and joy. "We've taken care of the youkai. You are safe now." The children cheered and laughed as they ran out of the cave to stand with the monks. "It's all right now. There, there," Ungai said, picking up one of the smaller children. "It's all over now. Is this all of you?"
"There's one more," the little boy he was holding said. Ungai set him down and went back into the cave.
"What's wrong?" Ungai asked, then he saw that it was Rin. He recognized her. "You are… Come, let us go back to the village." Rin hugged her knees tighter.
"Never mind," she told him. But Ungai wouldn't leave her. He picked Rin up and carried her out under his arm. "Put me down! No! No!" Rin cried.
"Why do you struggle so much?" Ungai asked her. One of the boys raised his hand and pointed at her.
"She said that humans are scarier than youkais," he said.
"What?" Ungai said. "Such foolishness. There's no way you can live alone in these mountains." Katsumi and Sesshoumaru heard this. Katsumi wanted to go out and get Rin, but he stopped her. She understood why. She had thought about it too. How it might be better for Rin if she was with other humans. It would be lonely for her if she was the only one who aged.
"Sure I can!" Rin said with determination. "I can survive! I'm okay on my own!"
"Don't say such foolish things!" Ungai told her.
"No! Let me go!" Rin said. "Sesshoumaru-sama and Katsumi-nee… They will come for me!"
'Rin...' Katsumi thought. She wanted to go to her.
"Sesshoumaru-sama? Katsumi-nee?" Ungai asked.
"I don't want to go back to a village with humans!" she cried with tears in her eyes. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Katsumi-nee!" Sesshoumaru let go of Katsumi's wrist and turned to get Rin. Ungai sensed something in their direction and threw his vajra at them. An explosion felled the trees that had hidden the two youkais from view. When the smoke faded, they could be seen clearly. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Katsumi-nee!" Rin said, lighting up.
"It's the youkais from the other day!" one of the disciples said.
"Let me go!" Rin told Ungai, struggling to get free again.
"Youkais! You've bewitched this child!" Ungai accused.
"Can I handle this?" Katsumi asked Sesshoumaru. He nodded. Katsumi stepped forward to approach Rin and the monks.
"Ungai-sama…" a disciple said.
"Hmm," Ungai said. Her aura seemed less evil than most youkais', but she was still a youkai. "This youkai's foul aura must be dealt with!"
"Foul?" Katsumi said, furrowing her brow. "You're pretty rude." The disciples rushed toward her and encircled her,
"Children, go hide in the cave!" Ungai told the other children.
"Yes!" They said and ran off to carry out the order, while he held onto Rin. The disciples ran around Katsumi. She watched them, wondering what was the best way to stop them without hurting them too much. They were only trying to help the children, after all.
"Katsumi-nee!" Rin called as the monks thrust out their prayer beads.
"Hah!" Ungai said, holding his out, too. The disciples quickly covered Katsumi in o-fuda. Ungai thrust his staff out in her direction, and its crystal glowed. There was an explosion of white light.
"Katsumi-nee!" Rin cried.
—∞—
"What was that sound?" Kagome asked, riding on the back of Kirara with Sango, while Inuyasha and Miroku ran.
"Ungai-san and his monks are fighting!" Miroku said.
"Let them try to use some half-brained trick! Sesshoumaru will deflect it easily!" Inuyasha said.
—∞—
The smoke cleared, and Katsumi was completely unharmed. But the skin on her arms and face were covered in glowing green swirls. They faded away.
'That really startled me!' she thought. So much so that she had activated her armúr for a moment. She continued forward.
"She's still alive!" one of the disciples said as he and the others faltered upon seeing her completely unharmed.
"Stand fast!" Ungai said "Immobilize her!"
"Yes!" his disciples said and immediately ran to surround her in a circle again. They made a seal with their hands, and a circle of light appeared around Katsumi that gradually shrank until she couldn't take another step without crossing it. A barrier had formed around her as well.
"Hm? What is this?" she said, wondering what the consequences would be for crossing it. But the energy felt the same as the o-fudas, just a little stronger. Before they could do anything else, Katsumi jumped over the line and kept walking.
"Ahh!" one of the disciples cried as he scrambled out of her way, breaking the circle.
"Again!" Ungai shouted, and the disciples repeated the process. This time, before Katsumi could step out, he thrust his staff forward. Its crystal glowed, and the air around Katsumi crackled with energy like electricity. Katsumi could feel a resistance this time, but the purification energy was nothing compared to Mount Hakurei. Katsumi pushed forward again. This time most of the disciples fell backwards in shock and scrambled to get away from her, terrified.
'I'm not even doing anything to them...' Katsumi thought, sweat-dropping.
"Ungai-sama!" the disciples cried out in alarm as Katsumi stopped in front of him.
"What... What are you!?" Ungai asked her. Nothing seemed to work against her. She surprised him by smiling.
"I'm this kid's older sister. Could we have her back?" Katsumi asked. Ungai stared at her in shock, as if she were a being far beyond his understanding. Rin took advantage of the slack in his arms to wiggle free.
"Umph!" she hit the ground with a thud.
"Are you all right, Rin?" Katsumi asked.
"Yes! I'm okay now!" Rin said, smiling brightly.
Inuyasha and the rest of his group watched from behind the treeline as Katsumi helped Rin up.
"She's gotten stronger," Miroku observed. All that purification energy, and she didn't even flinch. They watched as Rin and Katsumi walked back to Sesshoumaru.
"Rin," Sesshoumaru said.
"Yes?" Rin said.
"Do as you please," he told her, and turned and walked away.
"Yes!" Rin said happily and followed Sesshoumaru and Katsumi. Rin was surprised when Ungai grabbed her hand to stop her.
"Wait," he said. "They're evil spirits. Youkais. A human child should not follow them."
"Let go of me!" Rin said, pulling her hand free so she could hurry and catch up to the others.
"Stop!" Ungai said. "Humans and youkais live in different worlds." That made Rin pause as she remembered what Jaken told her about how short her lifespan was compared to a youkai's.
"That's right," Ungai said. He held a hand out to her. "Now, let us go back." Rin smiled at him and waved goodbye, then she ran after Sesshoumaru and Katsumi. Katsumi held her hand out to Rin, and Rin held it. "Why… Why!?"
—∞—|—∞—
The other children were excited to be returned to their parents, who were overjoyed to find them safe and unharmed. The happy reunions took place not far from the headman's house, where he was meeting with Ungai and his disciples.
"Thank you!" the headman said, bowing deeply to them. "Thank you so much!"
"Don't mention it," Ungai said. He looked to the side and saw Inuyasha's group. Inuyasha had his hanyou appearance again.
"Got a complaint, or what?" Inuyasha asked.
"Come on..." Kagome said, tugging on his ear. "Stop with that attitude."
"What? I haven't done anything wrong!" Inuyasha said.
"It's that attitude that's wrong," Kagome told him.
"Young woman..." Ungai said, addressing her.
"Huh?" Kagome said.
"Why do you stay with a youkai?" Ungai asked.
"Eh?" Kagome said.
"No, never mind..." he said and turned to walk away.
—∞—|—∞—
"Riiin!" Jaken called desperately, exhausted from his never-ending search for her. "Sesshoumaru-sama! Katsumi!" He had even stooped to trying to get help from her. "Sesshou...maru...sama..." He staggered around, on the verge of collapsing.
"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said, making him snap to attention. Jaken looked up and saw that Sesshoumaru, Katsumi, and Rin were all together, right in front of him.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken exclaimed. "Oh, and Rin too!"
"I'm here as well," Katsumi pointed out, sweat-dropping. Jaken had been frosty to her ever since Sesshoumaru started giving her a chance.
"Where is Ah-Un?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Huh?" Jaken said. "Oh!" He bowed. "I'll get him… I'll get him right away!" He hurried off to fetch the dragon. Rin smiled.
"Haah!" she said when she saw some flowers growing by three headstones. She hurried over to look at them and squatted down in front of one headstone. "Hey, Sesshoumaru-sama. Katsumi-nee."
"What is it?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Even if Rin dies one day… will you always remember me?" she asked, touching the headstone with her finger. Sesshoumaru and Katsumi were surprised.
"Don't say such silly things," Sesshoumaru told her.
"As if we could ever forget you!" Katsumi said, kneeling down beside Rin and hugging her, though it hurt to think she might be gone someday.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken called, flying over to them on Ah-Un. He fell off and had a rough landing. "Here is Ah-Un," he said with his face in the dirt. He picked his head up. "Oh Sesshoumaru-sama, where are you headed? Eh!" he exclaimed when his staff fell too and hit him on the head.
"It goes without saying. I'm going to find Naraku," Sesshoumaru replied.
"Yes, of course," Jaken said, rubbing his sore head. "May I come along?"
"It's hardly worth asking," Katsumi said as she started walking.
"Eh?" Jaken said.
"Of course, you can come, Jaken-sama," Rin said. "Let's go!" She started running.
"Errr… wait…!" Jaken said, running to catch up. Rin giggled as she ran alongside Jaken to catch up to Sesshoumaru and Katsumi, who held her hand out to her again.