Disclaimer: We Own nothing NOTHING I tell you!! Except for our characters.

Kati: So sad, really truly I am… Had problems moving the poor story out of it's womb-like haven in Imagination Version 7.0… but it's all okay now, isn't it baby??

Chels: She's talking to the fic again…

{___} that is Kati's comments, not part of the story

When its in two of these (( like this)) that means its Chels-dawg is talking, its not in the fanfic!!!

Underline is the beginning of a chapter

-~-~-~-~-~- Means around same time, different setting, same character(s)

_-_-_-_-_-_ Means Around same time, different people

*-*-*-*-*-* Means years apart baby!! Long time no see

Chapter Two: Growing Pains

Rinku walked through the woods looking for shelter, it was a cold night with the breeze through her hair; she shivered, her hand on her arm, the bleeding just about stopped. She perked her ears towards the village to make sure they hadn't gone after her; she sniffed the air and looked up in the trees, smelling the blood of a demon, she backed up and didn't take her eyes off the tree

Kati writing everyone except Rinku (chels-dawg)

"Rinku." Sesshomaru jumped, landing less than three feet from her.

Where is Unmei?

"H-how do you know my name?!" She backed up a little revealing her claws and glaring at him.

"I've seen you with inuyasha"

"He has taken a liking to you" Sesshomaru advanced calmly.

She looked down "Yeah, w-well what do you know about that!" Then she steps back.

"I am his older brother, Sesshomaru." He steps forward again

'Older brother!?" She takes another step back. {It's like a waltz! Forward, back, forward, back!!}

"As I said before, where is Unmei?"

"I-I don't know!!!!" She stands her ground.

"Your bleeding..." Sesshomaru's voice was calm and controlled.

She put her hand on her arm and went to retreat. He grabs her arm, the sudden motion opening the cut more (Any further injury he had planned was put off for his ears twitched slightly as he heard the distant sound of hoof-beats and cart wheels on rocky ground)

"OWWWWW!!!!!!!!" She pulled back on her arm to loosen his grip and perks her hers and looked down the road toward the sound.

The bleeding had started again in greater measure as fresh blood stained his hand. He let go -ignoring the blood- as the black carriage with gold detailing comes into view, revealing that in her haste Rinku had gone further than she meant to into the forest.

"Black and gold... Unmei." He murmured and within seconds he was in front of the cart.

The horses spooked and one broke through its worn leather halter, racing off into the far woods

she stared, never seeing a carriage before and retreated into the forest, she runs through, stopping at a tree. Her sensitive ears heard everything they said.

"You!" Unmei's father clambered out of the coach tearing off the cloth door hanging in his haste. "Get out of the way."

Rinku sat in the tree, she cocked her head, watching the scene.

"No." Sesshomaru remained cold and detached.

"Move brat."

"Daddy!"

"Shut up!" Her father scowled at Unmei who had stuck her head out of the vehicle

"But dad!"{Unmei}Her papa smacks her and she flinches.

"Stop." Sesshomaru's tone was sedate.

"What brat? Who are you to tell me what to do?"

Rinku -still watching- thought to herself "Her fathers a real ass pushin' her around like that, humph"

I said stop. Sesshomaru was in the air in a flash and then his claws were buried in the father's chest. The victim just gapes. Then seemingly, realizing he should be dead, he collapses.

"Father!" Unmei leapt out of the cart.

Rinku jumped out of the tree and walked closer to the incident to take a better look.

"Gods! Kurounmei! Get back in the carriage!" Unmei's mother peeks out in time to see the death of her husband.

"But." Unmei objects, cradling her father's head on her lap.

Rinku sighs and thought, "Man is that demon in for a beatin'"

"Now!" Unmei laid her father down respectfully and, without so much as a glance to her child hood friend, jumps in as her mother spurs the remaining horses. All this without a tear, there would be time later.

Sesshomaru watched the rattling cart turn out of sight without emotion. Yet inside he was feeling the slightest amount of regret.

Rinku tumbled out of the bushes with as much grace as she could muster. Rubbing a newfound bump she grimaced. "Uh that was all your fault wasn't it?"

"You stayed." (He ignored the remark and lingered, facing the road.

"Well, got no were to go, I guess it was the best thing to do at the moment"

He glanced at the carcass lying on the road. "No one must know of this."

"Who's to tell?"

"You shall hold your tongue." He paused. "Despite."

"Despite what?" She glances his way, dauntless.

"Despite the fact that if you should tell it will go worse for you than for me"

Her black ears twitched as she hit a sore spot on her arm with her claws "Owwwwwww."

"You should go." Finally he turned to face her.

"That's a threat isn't it!!" She growls, searching his face for an answer. "Go where?!"

"The villagers use poisoned arrows."

"So what, how would YOU know"

"I am a demon poison dose not affect me... I think."

"My father introduced this poison to them through his poison claw attack." Solemnly he walked by her, his eyes trained on the edge of the forest and soon enough he was out of sight

Rinku walked through the woods, her hand hiding the wound; She thought about what Sesshomaru had said about the poison "Hah! Why should I believe him anyway?!" She sat near a stream, she took her hand from the wound and let the blood stain the moss-covered rock next to her. "But just in case..." she jumped down into the knee-deep water and slowly lowered her arm into the cold water, the wound had been deeper that she thought. "Heh, it was his fault it started bleeding again anyway!" She lowered her arm in again, to clear it of the new blood that appeared. Her tummy growled and she leaned against the rock, aching to be at the village with Inuyasha and his mom eating in there warm house. She sighed watching the fish swim by, she jumped at them, and popped her head out of the water with the fish in her mouth, she smiled, and did this for over an hour catching fish and eating them, and she was enjoying herself thoroughly.

Swimming sounded good.

Rinku jumped out shaking all of the water off like a dog, even though she was a wolf she had developed dog -like habits from Inuyasha. She sighed, missing Inuyasha, as he was her only friend, and she sort of had a crush on him. She wondered about what Sesshomaru had said. 'He has taken a liking to you.' She blushed, and burped sitting around, bored.

About an hour later She was startled my rustling in the bushes near were she was sitting, she jumped up on her feet and stared at the bushes, and was shocked to see Inuyasha himself jump out of them, startling them both.

"R-Rinku!"

"Inuyasha…What are you doing here?"

"I've been following your scent from the village" his eyes went cold "I also smelt Sesshomaru, are you ok?"

"Yah m' arm hurts a little but I'm ok."

"Good I'm glad, I gotta go, stay near here I'll try and visit sometime!" He leant over and kissed her cheek and ran off, leaving the blushing Rinku sitting there next to the pile of fish bones.