A/N: Sorry for the wait on this! Here is the next installment. I hope you enjoy it!
Rin held her breath when she noticed the demons closing in on them. Kagura seemed to sense her unease. She glanced in her direction before slightly shaking her head, signaling Rin to remain calm. Kasai gripped Kagura's arm behind her back while hovered his other hand behind Rin's back.
Kasai had shown her before that he couldn't physically touch her. His fight with Sesshomaru and eventual loss prevented him from laying a hand on her. However, he had to keep up the charade that Rin and Kagura were his prisoners.
The group of demons was a mix of humanoid and animal. The demon in the middle was the tallest. The demon's broad frame towered over all three of them. His raven hair stopped at his shoulders in messy waves, his black eyes capturing them immediately. The other demons around him were brightly colored and wearing armor. The middle demon's lack of armor suggested that he didn't need the extra protection.
"Kasai," the middle demon greeted stoically. His pale skin reminded Rin of Sesshomaru. However, numerous scars marked up his skin. As Rin took in the sight of the other demons, she noticed that all of them had scars. Whether it was from battle or injuries, she didn't know. The middle demon bowed his head before the others around him followed suit.
"Welcome home," the redhead to the middle demon's right greeted with a toothy grin. Rin watched as a similar grin spread across Kasai's face before he nodded in greeting. There was some kind of kinship between them.
"You've brought more women," the bluehead to the left noted before his silver eyes narrowed as he stared at Kagura, "A demon woman as well," he added and seemed mystified by her.
"We have to keep the pool diverse," Kasai replied with a simple shrug. The middle demon stared at Rin a little too long for her liking before stepping aside so Kasai could get through. As they passed, the tall one tried to grab Rin's arm, but Kasai quickly swatted his hand away.
He growled at Kasai, and Kasai's eyes began to glow. "You want her, Jarek? You have to bid on her like everyone else," Kasai hissed. He ushered the women inside while watching the tall demon warily. Jarek watched after the group but did not reach for Rin again.
As the door closed behind them, Rin let out a breath when she saw that they were alone again. Kasai let out a sigh as well before rubbing his neck uneasily. "That was close. I could feel my mark burning the second Jarek reached for you. I got scared they would see Sesshomaru's marking glowing," Kasai huffed, "Your demon is not one to mess with," he added while casting a glance at Rin.
Rin smiled slightly with the knowledge that Sesshomaru was watching over them. She missed his comforting presence but was glad that he could still protect her.
"Don't get too comfortable," Kagura warned under her breath, "we still need to find the women and get them out in one piece," she reminded them. Rin and Kasai nodded before they began walking into the building. Luckily, there hadn't been any guards standing around the entrance. Rin assumed that most of them were guarding the outside of the building.
The group rounded the corner and assumed their positions when two guards walked past them. They cast them a glance but soon went on their way. Kasai continued to lead the two down the corridor before stopping when they reached the end of the hall.
"The women are in the next room," Kasai whispered as they approached. Two more guards were on either side of the double doors. They looked Rin and Kagura up and down before stepping aside. Kasai opened the doors and let them in.
At least half a dozen guards scattered around the room, each overlooking a different group of women. Most of the guards looked at Kagura quizzically but didn't say anything. From the looks of it, Kagura was the only demon in the group of captives.
"I'll stick with you two," Kasai informed them quietly, "once we get the signal, we'll fight our way out," he added. The two women nodded before sitting down with a smaller group nearby. Rin didn't recognize any of the women but noticed that they were all around her age.
Kagura eyed the women as well, possibly looking for injuries. None of the women spoke or got up from their seated positions. They all had their eyes downturned, and most had their arms and legs bound with rope. They sat in wait for a few moments before Rin spotted a woman trying to stand.
One of the guards quickly subdued her before shoving her to the ground. She cried out in pain before stating that she needed the bathroom. "You'll go when it's your turn," the guard growled back at her.
"Hey!" Kagura suddenly shouted, taking Kasai and Rin by surprise, "Why don't you try that maneuver on me?" she baited. Rin and Kasai shared petrified looks before motioning for Kagura to stop. It wasn't time yet! They had no idea where everyone else was at the moment. If they attacked too soon, then they wouldn't have any backup.
"Stay behind me," Kagura murmured to Rin while easily breaking the cuffs around her wrists. She pulled the fan out that was nestled in the belt behind her back. She opened it with an elegant sweep of her arm before slashing it through the air. Wind currents erupted from the fabric before hitting all the guards currently standing. A few were bent down, tightening ropes around some of the bound women. They stood in a rush only to watch as their comrades' motionless bodies began to move.
"Kill her!" one of the guards still alive yelled while pointing at Kagura. She smiled prettily before waving her fan again, halting all movement of the bodies on the ground. Rin and Kasai watched with a mixture of horror and wonder as the bodies began to stand, piecing themselves together before standing at attention.
"Good luck getting to me," Kagura smiled before wiping her fan, sending a wordless command to the bodies under her control. They immediately began attacking the other guards, their limbs flinging wildly as they rammed into their former comrades.
"Gather the women together," Kagura ordered as she spared a glance in Rin's direction. She nodded before rushing to help untie the women around her. Kasai kept Rin covered as she went about freeing the captured women. He held off any guards moving to stop Rin or attack any of the bound women.
Before long, Kasai and Kagura's puppets had taken out any of the remaining guards in the room. Rin finished unbinding the other women and grouped them in the middle of the room. They held onto each other while crying or whimpering quietly to themselves.
"We should be able to leave now," Kagura noted while swaying her fan back and forth, turning the remaining guards into her puppets. They stood before lining up in front of her. "I will send them out first to take out any guards in the hallway, but we need to find a way out of here," the wind sorceress added.
"Come on," Rin coaxed the women gently as they rose to their feet. They continued to hold onto one another as Rin led them towards the door, following Kagura and Kasai while Kagura's puppets led the way. It was an ominous sight to see a long line of corpses leading the charge.
Kagura's puppets made easy work of the guards in the hall, their sheer number taking out even the most powerful demon guard. Rin helped keep the women together as they made their way down the hall towards the right. The more guards taken down, the larger Kagura's undead army became. If Rin remembered the plan correctly, this was the side of the building that Sesshomaru was taking down.
As if summoned by her thoughts, she spotted his silvery hair as he appeared before them. His stance became guarded when he spotted the puppets, but he quickly realized that they were under Kagura's control. Rin felt a happy smile spread across her face at the sight of him, but it fell slightly when she suddenly saw him disappear.
Before she had time to blink, Sesshomaru appeared behind the group of women, blocking an oncoming attack by guards. Kagura made a sweep of her fan, and half of her puppets ran to help. Sesshomaru made quick work of them that the dolls only arrived to create a barrier around the women.
Sesshomaru flicked the blood off his claws before turning towards the women. Rin rushed past the group to get to his side. She didn't miss the horrified looks from the women as they took in the sight of Sesshomaru. All of his demonic markings and claws were in full view. While she understood why the women might be fearful of him, she hoped that they would see he wasn't like the demons who held them captive.
"Rin," Sesshomaru greeted, the redness of his eyes fading to show the golden irises underneath. Rin smiled before nodding up at him, happy to be near him once again. "Thank you for saving us," she stated, and he nodded in return.
"Is - Is he not one of the demons guarding this place?" one of the women asked Rin fearfully. Rin shook her head before smiling in their direction. "No, he's here to help us escape. We want to save you, not harm you," Rin explained. The women visibly relaxed before sharing smiles.
"Is your path clear?" Kagura asked Sesshomaru, keeping her puppets circled around them. Sesshomaru looked away from Rin for a moment to nod his head. Kagura glanced to the left for a moment, worrying her lip for a moment. Rin glanced down that way and remembered that was Sango and Kohaku's side to take down. Was Kagura worried about Kohaku?
"Let's go the other way," Rin offered, "We can meet up with Sango and Kohaku and take down anyone else in that direction," she added. Kagura nodded; her expression still slightly concerned. Kagura sent her dolls forward while the remaining stayed behind her. Sesshomaru hurried ahead but stayed within eyesight of Rin as she continued to lead the women towards the exit.
Rin started to get worried when they came across multiple guards. Sesshomaru and Kagura's puppets made quick work of them, but the longer they traveled down the path, the more concerned she grew for Kohaku and Sango. RIn glanced back at Kagura and saw that she wore a similar expression.
Luckily, about halfway down the way, Rin heard familiar voices barking orders to one another. They came across the demon slayers finishing off a group of demons. Kohaku tensed at the sight of the sheer number of demons, but he soon spotted Kagura and relaxed. He waved Sango's attack off before approaching the group.
"You found them," Kohaku noted with a smile before laughing lightly when Kagura smacked him over the head with her fan. "It took you long enough to get over to us," she growled. "Yes, sorry about that," Kohaku laughed meekly, 'There were more guards than we thought," he added.
Rin noted the sweat atop his brown and looked over to Sango. Both the demon slayers looked worn out and tired. She wasn't sure if they faced more guards than Sesshomaru, or their human bodies were just not at the same caliber as a demon's body. Rin figured it was the latter and stared at her hand, reveling in how different demons and humans truly are.
"Let's get those women out of here," Sango ordered, leading the group back the way the demons slayers had come. They quickly made it out of the building, since there were no guards left to stop them. Sango took charge of the group of women, leading them away from the building with help from Kagura and Kohaku.
Kasai, Sesshomaru, and Rin hung behind. Kasai was staring up at the building before letting out a soft sigh. "My father won't stop after this. He will keep taking women and experimenting on them until he's found a way to share his demonic lifespan with them," he stated.
"Then help us stop them," Sango said, rejoining the group. Rin looked back and saw Kohaku and Kagura leading women on her large feather. Most were too scared to climb on but coaxed with a soft smile and encouragement from Kohaku. Kagura was visibly irked by their sudden change of heart.
Kasai turned to stare at Sango for a moment before shaking his head. "You don't understand how powerful he is. He'll take us all out for meddling in his affairs. It doesn't matter who gets in his way,"
"I am hoping to work with the police after we return these women to their families," Sango explained, "You'll have us and the police force working on taking him down. We don't have the physical strength to fight him, but we can at least take down his organization. Then we'll only have him left to deal with," she added. Kasai mulled over her words for a moment before looking away.
"I'll need time to think about it," he answered, "but since I am not bound to him anymore, I can at least offer information,"
"Information would be helpful," Sango smiled, "now let's get these women home," she added. Kasai nodded before walking with her towards the others. Rin moved to follow them but paused when Sesshomaru didn't move.
"Sessh -," Rin began but stopped when he pulled her into his arms and held her close.
"I'm glad...you are alright," he murmured against her hair. Rin felt a blush creep up onto her face before returning his embrace and nodded against his chest. "I'm glad you're okay, too," she replied with a smile.
"We can return home on our own," Sesshomaru stated while his tail wrapped around Rin's body, keep her secure against him. Rin liked the sound of that. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly as they slowly levitated off the ground.
Rin felt her stomach turn as they took off, and she experienced weightlessness while they flew. She shut her eyes, too scared to look at the ground below. It only felt like they were flying for a moment, but then she felt the floor return under her feet. Rin let out a breath as they separated. She looked around and noted that they were in front of the museum.
"Stay," Sesshomaru said suddenly, catching Rin off guard. She looked back at him in surprise that he even had to ask before smiling and nodding.
"Of course," she replied happily, her smile widening when she noticed his eyes soften before following him inside.
A/N: Sorry for cutting it off here! I promise to make an extra juicy next chapter! It was getting kind of long, so it didn't feel fair to rush the next part. I also plan on rewriting my previous chapter, where I cut things short due to the rating. I will let you all know so you can go back and reread the revision ^^ Thanks so much for all your feedback and reviews! It really does help motivate me to keep writing and getting better at the craft. Until next time!