A/N: Konnichiwa all! It is me, I am here! (doko?) here! I know I always apologize for taking so long to get these chapters up, but I really am sorry. The thing is…Nutcracker season is really starting to heat up, meaning that about .03% of my day is free time. Time not quite adequate enough to write a six-page chapter. Next week I have rehearsals EVERY SINGLE DAY of the week. So, that's gonna be the week of doom. Anyway, I did find SOME free time to write this chapter so…be grateful!

Note: I'm not going to put this story on hiatus or anything, so stick with me!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own any of the characters from Inuyasha!

Chapter 12

Kagome trudged silently alongside Sesshoumaru, becoming more and more aware of two things: Rin's presence and Sesshoumaru's increasing tenseness. It was rather frustrating to her that she could not calm him down without using magic. Seeing him this…well…uptight was weird even for him.

Way sooner than she thought, they were on the edge of the forest, and the sleeping village was in view. Kagome saw a short dark figure running up the hill towards them, and cast a sideways glance towards Sesshoumaru, who seemed almost relieved that she was alive.

A taller, more developed Rin launched herself on to Sesshoumaru, laughing and crying into his chest at the same time.

Kagome stifled a giggle and the demon lord looked at her as if asking for help. Not receiving any assistance from Kagome, he turned back to Rin and gently pulled her away.

Rin wiped a tear from her face and beamed at the demon. "I'm so glad you finally came, Lord Sesshoumaru! Rin…er…I mean, I have been checking this spot every night to see if you had come. I am so glad you have finally came, Lord Sesshoumaru! Rin knew you would never let her down!" Rin turned and looked past Sesshoumaru to Kagome.

"Kagome-chan!" She squealed and moved away from her beloved Demon Lord.

"Rin!" Kagome said. "You certainly have grown! How old are you now?"

"Rin is…er…I am thirteen." Rin said proudly.

Kagome tried not to laugh as Rin tried not to talk in third person. She could see that the girl was trying to look and sound older for Sesshoumaru.

"How have you been faring, Rin?" Sesshoumaru said from behind the girl.

"Oh…Lord Sesshoumaru, it's awful." Rin said seriously. "The old woman you left me with was killed, and then her husband kept getting really drunk and then he would be very violent. Also, their 18-year-old son always stares at me, and I fear that someday he shall try to take me unrightfully for his own. But I wont let him, Lord Sesshoumaru, for I have been getting up really early every morning and running. I can run very fast and for a very long time, Lord Sesshoumaru, so I shall not let him take me."

Kagome watched as the girl tried to hide the bruises on her body by folding her arms and tugging at her kimono fiercely. She could see how distressed Sesshoumaru by the slight momentary spark in his eyes, but he did not show it anywhere else. Kagome knew that he could smell the blood and see the bruises, even though she tried to cover them up. The miko moved closer to the girl and leaned down so she was eyelevel to Rin.

"Let me heal your bruises, Rin." Kagome said gently.

"Can you do that?" Rin said.

"Yes." Kagome said, smiling softly. She extended her hand and placed it on the young teenager's cheek, making Rin's body glow with healing power. Rin smiled and closed her eyes, collapsing into Kagome's waiting arms. She stood up, facing Sesshoumaru.

"Why did you put her to sleep?" He stated without any emotion, even though Kagome knew that he was very curious indeed.

"I wanted to discuss something with you. It is obvious that she is in impending danger here, in this village. My solution to this problem is to take her away from here, and leave her with Kaede. That way, we will see her often, and she can train to be a priestess under Kaede, even though she may have little to no actual magic."

Sesshoumaru looked thoughtful for a moment, then looked directly at her. "It seems like a very good plan. You make me feel stupid."

Kagome laughed out loud, before covering her mouth. She had forgotten where they were. "So shall I wake her?" she asked quietly. Sesshoumaru merely looked away, as though disinterested. Kagome snorted once more and placed her hand in front of the girl's face, reviving Rin from her temporary sleep.

"Where…oh…Kagome-chan!" Rin smiled and blinked a couple of times, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes. "That felt very strange." Rin stated, after checking her arms for the bruises that seemed not to exist anymore.

Kagome nudged Sesshoumaru, and he turned to look directly at the human girl.

"Rin."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"I have decided that you are going to live somewhere secure. You shall go and train under Kagome's elder friend, Kaede."

"Really?!" Rin exclaimed. "But train to be what? And when? And will I be able to get my things?"

"To be a priestess. You shall go tomorrow night, with us. That will give you a chance to get your things and say goodbye to those in the village you love. Right now you must get back to the village before anyone notices you are gone."

"Oh thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru! Rin is truly grateful!" In her eagerness, Rin had slipped back into her childhood dialect. She bowed to them both quickly before retreating back to the village.

"Well…" Kagome turned to Sesshoumaru. "That was a slight change of plans. In worked out though…didn't it?"

"Indeed it did." Was Sesshoumaru's brisk response. "Let us go now, back to camp."

Kagome found herself once again trudging slightly behind Sesshoumaru silently. She was contemplating what she was going to eat from her backpack full of instant foods, when she sensed something quite distressful. She turned to Sesshoumaru, who had stopped walking.

"I sense Rin again." Kagome said softly.

"It seems as if she is in danger." Sesshoumaru said quietly. He turned around on the path, seeing a figure running towards them in the darkness, panting and dragging along some type of bag.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin yelled, launching herself behind him. " It was awful! The man that I lived with was drunk when I got home, and he caught me sneaking in the window and he hit me and kicked me, and then Rin got away…then Rin grabbed her stuff and then Rin ran away and found you! He's still chasing Rin!" The child said between gasps. She pointed a shaky finger towards another dark figure heading towards the group.

Sesshoumaru growled quietly at the approaching figure, figuring that if it was a demon, it would hear him and be warned. The man, however, did not stop. When he came into visible range, Sesshoumaru saw he was just a mere human reeking of dirt, sweat, and alcohol. The man jumped slightly at seeing the incredibly tall Sesshoumaru. His fear disappeared, however, when he saw Rin.

"You brat!" He slurred, pointing a dirty wrinkled finger at the child. Sesshoumaru took a couple of menacing steps toward the drunken man, growling deep in his throat. He was honestly about to rip the man to pieces before he felt a cooling touch on his arm.

Kagome looked at him out of the side of her eye. "Relax. " She said. "Killing him is the worst thing to do. He still has a son that is not quite grown yet, and a village full of friends. Let me take care of him."

Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm as she advanced forward. "He needs to be taught a lesson." He growled.

Kagome let her magic flow into her arm, and through his hand to calm him down. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "This is my business. I should be let to take care of it in my own way." He said dangerously.

Kagome turned so she looked directly at him, a slightly angry look on her face. He dared to say that to her? For a moment, they stared intensely at each other, the atmosphere angry and tense. Kagome, however, turned when she heard a strangled scream from Rin. The ugly man had somehow sneaked towards Rin and had grabbed her around the waist and mouth, trying to take her away. Sesshoumaru advanced towards the man, extending his claws.

"Don't kill him, you baka!" Kagome yelled. "He doesn't deserve that." Kagome furrowed her eyebrows as Sesshoumaru paid no attention to her. She ran towards Rin and the man, covering them with her own body. She turned to face a very angry Sesshoumaru. "He doesn't deserve that." She whispered.

"You stupid human. You're just protecting your own kind. You do not understand the ways of revenge and repentance; the ways of a demon." Sesshoumaru said quietly. However calmly he said it, the sentence held some cold detailed dangerousness in it's reality for Kagome.

Kagome sat there quietly, trying to say something. The words, however, never came. The only thing that came out of Kagome was a harsh exhale of breath as she was hit from behind by the drunk man. Kagome fought for consciousness as she fell forward onto the cold dirt and leaves of the forest floor. When she hit the ground, she gasped for breath and looked up. The miko watched as Sesshoumaru relayed a hard punch to the man's face. She could see that the demon was about to kill the man. She struggled to stand and walked over to him. She touched Sesshoumaru on the shoulder, parylizing him for a moment, then walked over to the man and crouched next to him.

"Relax. He will not kill you now."

"W-wwho is he?" He shaking man said.

"He is the lord of these lands. I have put a temporary spell on him. We are going to be taking Rin with us. Go back to your village now, and go to sleep. If you don't go, he will kill you. " Kagome sighed as the man ran away as fast as he could. She turned back to Sesshoumaru and Rin.

"I am glad you did not kill him, Kagome-chan. He was good to Rin before his wife died-" Rin started to say before she started crying gently. Kagome moved to the girl and held her gently.

"I am glad he was not killed either Rin. Sesshoumaru should be coming out of the spell now." She looked towards her mate.

Sesshoumaru blinked once, pulling his hand before his eyes and flexing it. He turned to see the man gone and Kagome holding Rin, who was quickly starting to fall asleep. His eyes searched for an answer for a moment before he turned away briskly and began heading towards camp.

Kagome tried to pick up Rin, who was pretty heavy. She struggled to hold her while trying to catch up with Sesshoumaru who was walking away briskly. Kagome's legs gave out and she sat in the middle of the clearing, laying Rin down beside her. Sesshoumaru, not hearing any footsteps behind him turned to see the figure silhouetted in the moonlight escaping through the trees. Kagome's head was bowed, and she seemed to just be sitting there with Rin. He fought off a sigh and proceeded back to her.

Kagome, feeling someone above her, looked up at Sesshoumaru, and stared at him with her tear filled eyes. She gazed for a moment before lowering her head again so that her bangs concealed her face.

Sesshoumaru was surprised to see her crying. If this was five years ago, he wouldn't have been nearly as surprised, but to see the mature, respectable woman she was now cry was a different thing altogether. He hesitated, then took a slow step towards her.

"I'm sorry." Kagome said quietly from under her bangs. Sesshoumaru took a step back. "I just don't like it when things die. There is always another solution." Kagome shook her head, making the tears on her face fall from her skin to the ground in drops of silver moonlight. "You were right…It wasn't my business at all, but, that doesn't mean I don't care." Kagome stared at the ground, fiercely concentrating on a small rock right next to her hand, so she didn't have to concentrate on Sesshoumaru. It began to glow with her power, so she took her gaze of it and finally looked at the demon again. He was about three or four steps away, looking down on her, so Kagome looked at the ground again. Suddenly she felt a touch on her shoulder, which enveloped into an embrace. Kagome found herself snug in Sesshoumaru's chest.

"No…You were right, and I was wrong. I let my anger get the best of me." He said quietly. There was no need to say more, because Sesshoumaru could tell that Kagome could understand him.

"I am sorry I am not a demon, and I cannot understand the ways of one. But I am me…Sesshoumaru and I always have been. Even when we were separated." Kagome remarked quietly against his chest.

Sesshoumaru took a deep breath and growled. "We will kill the one who separated us."

There! Over 7 pages. That took some time, but it was pretty long, eh? (for me at least) I have had the week of doom this week, so I am finally getting this out…so be proud, akay?! Please read and review…and the climax should be reaching soon.

Note: I should remark a little bit about Sesshoumaru and Kagome's relationship. Their relationship was new and hesitant before they were separated for five years, so you can expect that it would still seem a little hesitant even now. So, don't feel as if they are totally comfortable with each other, because it is still a little new. AAAAkaaay?!

Okay.

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