Comments: Thanks to Kira, Otaku-chan, SRSilverhawk, Amy Lin, inuyasa otaku, Miko of Wolves, and Freida for the name suggestions..thanks to all of u I have finally chosen a name…sorry but it doesn't show in this chapter since I wrote this before I chose…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do w/ Inuyasha…well, actually I do but none of the characters..

Chapter Five: Human? Or not?

Back at Sesshoumaru's castle Rin could be seen baiting Jakin…again.

"Ooooh..Jaken! Rin wants to tell Jaken a story!!"

"Go! Away!"

"Once upon a time, there lived an ugly toad thingy with this strange staff thing…"

"AAARRGH!!! Leave me alone!!" Jaken squawked.

"…and it was wrinkly and bald too. Whenever anybody saw this ugly thi ."

"Ooooowww…you didn't have to hit Rin that many times…"

Rin now sported some brand new bumps but she really didn't mind the pain. After all, she's been through worse. But it was just soooo boring when Sesshoumaru was inside taking care of papers.

"But Jaken..Rin is soooooooooooooooooooo bored! And Sesshou-san is not playing with me…"

Jaken turned red at the disrespect toward his master. "HOW DARE YOU !" he started to yell until a shadow caught his eye. He was sure it moved..

….hmm..it couldn't be. Maybe he was imagining it.

Just then Sesshoumaru entered the yard with two servants behind him. He quickly located his two "companions" and informed them in his usual distant voice that they would soon depart once more. Even before he finished Rin rushed up to hug him.

"GACK!! I'm sorry Lord Sesshoumaru! I'll get the pest off you right away!!" Jaken exclaimed. But before he could execute Sesshoumaru had already plucked the child form his pristine kimono.

He turned and carried Rin into the castle, dangling by his grasp on the back of her shirt.

"Wheeeee! Again!"

In the background Jaken could be seen doing an anime face-fault. **She is so naïve…**

* * * * * * * * * * *

On the third day of his journey to visit Inuyasha all three travelers were acting normal. Rin was running around hyper. Jaken was talking to himself…again, and Sesshoumaru was walking quietly thinking of new ways to steal the Tetsusaiga (spelling?).

As nightfall began to set in, Sesshoumaru began to search serenely for a spot to bed down. When he neared a clearing he remembered to be very quiet, he began to detect the stench of dead youkai. As he got closer the stench began to get stronger. **It must be coming from the clearing..I'll come back later** and he quickly went in search of another clearing.

After seeing Rin settled in, he left for that remembered clearing.

Once again as he came closer the stench of slaughtered youkai became almost unbearable for his sensitive nose.

The first thing he noticed upon entering the clearing was the sheer magnitude of slaughtered youkai. This had been the band of bandit youkai that has been plaguing his borders quite some time now.

The bodies were strewn about like rag dolls as if a cyclone had swept through. He silently bent down to examine the wounds of the dead. **Whoever killed these bandits was no ordinary youkai. It had to be a youkai. No human could kill so may with such precision. ** Each corpse had a killing stoke either in its belly and through the spine or its neck had been punctured or severed. Whoever had killed these..had killed many before.

As he neared the opposite border of the clearing, cold steel once again kissed his neck.

"What is your purpose here?"

It was the girl again. He knew it had to be. But something was wrong. **Why is there pain in her voice? And why does she stink of blood? Was it she that killed these youkai? But how could that be? She is just a human….right?**

"Answer me, damn it!!"

Seeing as to that the girl was losing her temper, he quickly replied, lest she slit his throat in impatience.

"I passed by when I smelled the stench of these youkai," here, he carefully gestured with his hand, "and decided to investigate."

"…" The dagger disappeared from his throat. "You should leave from here…it is not safe."

"….why should that concern me?"

When he received no reply he turned to face her. She was once again in the shadows. **This is getting tedious…her face always in the shadows**

Her clothes stained red as the blood of the youkais' mixed with hers. There was a gaping wound on her belly and three arrows protruded prom her leg and arm. In the dim light of the moon he could make out eyes that were closed in pain as she leaned back into a tree.

"Safety is always a concern." She replied even more quietly before.

"And yet it doesn't seem to concern you." Sesshoumaru looked pointedly at her wounds.

"Mine is no great loss to the world if I depart…but yours. You have many subjects under you. And you also have that human child. Such things such as your life should no longer be taken lightly."

Sesshoumaru looked at her more closely. **She referred to Rin as a 'human child'. Then she isn't human after all? **

The girl sighed and pushed off the tree. "But it is still your life to do as you will." And once again turned to leave.

This time he didn't bother to stop her. But instead watched on as she gasped on her eighth step and begin to collapse.

He quickly caught her before she hit the ground.

"It usually…doesn't..hurt…this….much…" she whispered and blackness came to claim her.

Sorry…I didn't have a chance to write in her name in…but next for sure! ::looks around at all the doubtful faces:: I mean it, really!! ::still sees the faces:: oh, what's the use…they're all dummies anyways..

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I luv y'all! ::looks at the dummies:: They're starting to creep me out.

I will try to update weekly but sometimes it'll be a little late..just cause I have to study for Chem a lot…gomen for the inconvenience!