(Edited Version)
"Rin run!" Jaken shrieked, running away with Nintojo in his skinny green fingers. He tripped over dried out broken branches and tall yellow grass. The sun would be setting soon. They were near the ocean. Jaken could hear the ocean waves crashing in the distance. Winter would be upon them soon.
"You're useless Jaken!" Rin grabbed Nintojo from his hands and pointed it at the ogre coming at her. It was gigantic, red with one eye and a white bushy beard. They were running through thick brush that was yellow and dry. It bent down to grab both of them, in that moment Rin let loose an inferno, catching the dry brush and rotted out branches on fire. It screamed in pain and covered its sole eye. The smell of burned yokai flesh made Rin want to throw up again, but she had to keep moving. She grabbed Jaken by the hand and looked for Aun. Running with what felt like a watermelon strapped to her front was exhausting. She couldn't get her knees up high enough to cover enough distance with each step. They were surrounded by ogre and something else in the distance that tickled her senses. Rin tried to stay low, hoping the bushes would provide them some cover. Rin doubled over in pain, her stomach cramped. She breathed through the pain before picking up again.
"Aun! Where are you!" Jaken yelled. Somehow they had lost track of the double headed dragon.
Rin clamped her hand over Jaken's mouth, "quiet! There's something more than ogres out there."
Rin felt a cramp move across her growing stomach again. No little one, it's not time, especially not now! She ducked into a crop trees and hid underneath a grove trying vainly to catch her breath. Her stomach was much bigger now, and running was nearly impossible. There were more ogre stomping around, yelling at the top of their lungs. "Come out she of the Dog Lord!"
"How do they know I am Sesshomaru's?" Rin whispered more to herself than she did to Jaken.
"Your bond, and your smell," Jaken mumbled next to her, "they know who's yoki is inside of you."
"Great," Rin rolled her eyes, could he make less enemies, "shouldn't that make them afraid?"
Jaken only scoffed in response.
Rin's mind was racing, she had to get out there, but how? They were circling the area, she wasn't fast enough and Jaken was too loud. "We need Aun," she said quietly.
The attack had come out of nowhere. Rin was sitting on Aun's back laughing about something she couldn't remember. Sesshomaru glided next to her with his head held up proudly. It was probably something to do with Rin feeling the baby move and Sesshomaru's hand resting on top of her bump. Jaken was behind her and then came the flying balls of fire, quickly followed by a hoard of ogres. Sesshomaru said he sensed something else further in front of them. Rin dodged the first few and then turned Aun to retreat. Sesshomaru turned the directions of the balls of fire and a battle of flames and green light began. Yokai in human form Rin couldn't make out began retreating. Sesshomaru followed and ordered Rin to stay back. He no longer allowed her to join him in battle, not since the day she told him, she was pregnant.
As soon as Rin pulled Aun out of the way another horde came for her. Rin and Jaken understood the goal was to separate them. This was the second time this had happened in only a matter of days. The first stopped after Sesshomaru engaged them, this time it was as if a second front was waiting for Rin. Rin continued ducking in the bushes. She couldn't see a way out, that last blast from Nintojo started a far. She tore the bottom of her kimono and tied it around her face. She kept her hand over Jaken's mouth to keep him quiet.
"Where are you human? We can smell you!" Three more ogres came from the forest smashing trees with their fists, they were dangerously close to Rin's hiding spot. Two were green, one was blue, they both had horns. Rin flipped her katana in her hand. She closed her eyes, if I have to take them on I will.
Rin grabbed Jaken's hand, "follow me closely," she threw Nintojo back at Jaken. She traipsed as quietly as she could but her footsteps were clumsier these days. She cursed under her breath as her feet broke twigs and snapped sticks on the ground. The ogres tracked her, stomping just feet away from her hiding spot from the noise she was making.
"Rin we won't escape without Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken whispered worried.
"We won't escape if you won't shut up!" Rin smacked him in the head. She tightened her grip on her sword and closed her eyes for just one moment, long enough for her need to be driven into the sword. "He knows, he'll come." If only my stomach wasn't so big I could run faster and take down a few of these ogres with me! Rin caught herself on the tree, she felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. She was scared. It was one thing to face a band of Yokai on her own especially with the sword Sesshomaru gave her, but not like this. Not when most of the time she tripped on her own feet, and she could feel tree branches slapping into her ankles and face. She rolled her ankle when she hit a hill and nearly fell down. She caught herself on a tree. "Stay low, there might be ten of them but they aren't very smart," Rin muttered to Jaken. Where is Aun? Rin and Jaken were knocked off and the last Rin heard was Aun shriek in pain.
The sun was bright, it was near sunset, the sky was orange. Rin touched the hilt of the sword, she felt anger but nothing more. Sesshomaru was livid. Rin took a deep breath trying to calm her heart from pounding out of her chest, while the ogres yelled for her. She slipped from the bushes and made a break for the next set of trees. She activated her sword and cut the legs out from one of the ogres but was thrown when it came down. She landed hard on her bottom. The blow caused her hand to slip free from Jaken. She didn't see him anywhere, but she saw a fire burning off to her left. Rin landed on her side, guarding her growing belly and wincing as she scraped her arm. Her lavender kimono with yellow daisies was covered in dirt and twigs. She forced herself up and wiped blood from her cheek. When she tried to run a strong hand grabbed her shoulder. For one moment she thought it was Sesshomaru until she looked up and saw a face that was similar to his but not his at all.
Rin's breath caught. This man, or demon, had pointed ears on the side of his head. He had stripes on cheeks just like Sesshomaru's. His hands were clawed, and his white hair was tied tightly into a pony tail on top of his head. On his forehead rest a crescent moon.
"Who are you?" Rin demanded struggling to get free from his grasp. His claws dug into her shoulders, she flinched at the intrusion of his nails into her skin. Sesshomaru, help me. She thought.
The strange inu-yokai pulled Rin roughly into the air by her arm. Rin screamed. It was clear now that this man was not a friend. She gripped the hilt of the sword and closed her eyes, please hurry. She tried to unsheathe the sword, but the Yokai grabbed her hand and shoved it back down. She struggled against his grasp, trying to free her sword.
"Take that out and I'll drop you," somehow they were hovering near the cliff.
Rin's eyes went wide and her lips dried out, they were hundreds of feet in the air.
The demon grabbed her by both shoulders and smelled her neck. "You wreak of him," he shook her violently.
"Get off of me," Rin tried to kick him. He was floating near a cliff, the water of the ocean was crashing below against large boulders. She grabbed the hilt of her sword trying to unsheathe it. She managed to get it loose this time, she flung the whip at Touma's face. It just barely missed the Inu-Yokai. He grabbed her hand and smashed it against the armor on his side, she fought to keep the katana before it was flying towards the ground. Rin cradled her swollen wrist to her chest.
She felt a claw on the underside of her stomach, "now this is interesting…what would the heartless king be doing travelling with a human, especially one who is pregnant." The white-faced demon looked up just as Rin saw a flash of white. "I was wondering how long it would take you to get here…if I hadn't been watching you for months now, I wouldn't believe he could lay hands on a human. You're just like your father Sesshomaru."
Rin looked up, she stared at Sesshomaru, he was emotionless, his face was hard. In her heart she was begging for him to do something. "I like this one's smell Sesshomaru, it's sweet," he licked one of the open cuts on Rin's cheek, "and now I have her scent. I told you one day I would return, and finish what you started…how about you hand over that fancy sword of yours."
Sesshomaru teeth were grinding. He held Bakusaiga in his hand, it was flaring green. Rin had a brave face but through the bond it was her intense fear and the pain of falling that had called him from hunting his prey. It was as if her life would escape her if he didn't come for her. Now as he watched this man paw at her, the one he had bonded to himself, his blood was boiling. I cannot use Bakusaiga now, I risk hitting Rin. "Touma," Sesshomaru responded, he knew this man, their blades had crossed centuries before. "You seek to threaten this Sesshomaru."
"It's not that hard, I hold your mate in my hands," he sniffed her cheek making Rin wince again. "And yet you show no emotion. Is she just carnal pleasure to you?"
Rin looked at the man holding her, he had only one eye, what was left of it was covered in scars and white. His teeth protruded from his mouth, his breath smelled rotten. His skin was paler than Sesshomaru's. She tried once again to get loose of his grasp knowing that before she fell to the ground Sesshomaru would be able to catch her.
"Now this is a wonderful standoff," Touma laughed. "If you use Bakusaiga, then you'll risk hitting this girl. If you don't," he wrapped his hand around Rin's neck. Rin gasped for air, "you risk me ripping her throat out."
Rin held onto Touma's wrists gulping desperately trying to breathe. She saw white around the edges of her eyes and then her world went black. Her body hung limply in Touma's hand.
"Let her go, Touma. This has nothing to do with her. The battle is between you and I." Sesshomaru remained still. Touma had the upper hand, he had Rin in his disgusting hands, he could snap her neck in the seconds it would take Sesshomaru to get Rin free of him.
"And that is where you are wrong, I told you, I would come back, and seek revenge. When you, the great Sesshomaru finally have something to lose! Here catch!" He threw Rin towards the rocks, and immediately drew his own sword to block Bakusaiga. Touma's blade called forth a wave of lightening he sent after Rin as she fell.
"Rin!" Sesshomaru yelled, he flew down in a blast of white light, sending the power of Bakusaiga behind him. He caught her only inches from the jagged rocks that waited to fillet her body. He turned to find Touma, only to see the waves of lightening coming straight at them. With no time to move, he turned his body to block the blast, sheltering Rin with his own. He grunted in pain, feeling the shocks singe his back. He used a free hand to grip the hilt of Tenseiga and was enveloped in a thick black barrier. As soon as the light was gone, he looked up. No one was there.
From a distance a haunting voice came over the wind, "hide her well Sesshomaru, I look forward to making her my prey."
Here I am editing the first stories I wrote again.
Just a heads up I have another story called Trafficked that is on AO3. If anyone was reading it before when it was on here, now it's on AO3.