Chapter 3

"A Second Son"

Kimi's nails dug into the ground as she pulled herself up onto her knees, spitting out the dirt and blood granted her by the Kaze no Kizu. This Inuyasha was definitely the son of the daiyoukai she had studied earlier. She should have taken more sensible precautions. It was rare that she let her mind fight ahead of her body. This was a mistake that she would do best never to make again.

After composing herself, she brought herself up to her feet and took her time to stand straight. Tetsusaiga was definitely a most ultimate blade. If only she had had sense enough to use Shoushi-Ken's ougi, the Kuro-Teisei, commonly known as the dark whisper, which never failed in sending her enemy to the underworld. Hanyou or no hanyou, this fiend had powers that she had never witnessed before in her entire life.

Not even a day after this confrontation, Kimi came upon yet another unusual being. This one resembled the daiyoukai in the scrolls greatly. Was this another one of his sons? How many offspring had the confounded creature left upon the earth before his passing? She would not be foolish this time. She took her time observing this one's movements for quite some time. She noticed that he as well took strange company as his hanyou relative. An imp, a two-headed beast, and to no surprise, a Human. This Human was young, only a little child. What an odd group they made up. Her approach should be as stealthily as possible. She pursued them for another day...

...

Rin wiggled her legs from left to right as she sat atop Ah and Un on the journey through a thick field of grass. She could be so foolish sometimes. Jaken walked beside Sesshoumaru his height barely allowing him to peek over the high reeds and have a glimpse at where exactly they were headed. Sesshoumaru had an odd look about him earlier in the day and he changed his course from north to west nonchalantly. Without even guessing, Jaken could tell that something was unusual. Of course Rin seemed not to mind. All the world was happiness and joy to her. It was hard to believe that she was once a mute and desolate orphan.

For a second, Jaken opened his mouth to ask his lord where they were heading, but he shut it quickly as Sesshoumaru brought his arm out motioning for them all to cease.

"Wait here," was all he said before easing deeper and deeper into the high thickets leading into the woods.

Jaken sighed after Sesshoumaru had left earshot. "I wish Lord Sesshoumaru would have at least told us where we were going. What's in the woods that he doesn't want us to see?"

"I think it could be another youkai," Rin said as if she had known everything there was to know about everything that existed. "The way he stopped in mid-step the other day and looked around for almost half an hour sort of gave it away."

"Oh, don't act like you know what's going on! I'm sure Lord Sesshoumaru has a reason for keeping this a secret from us!"

Rin ignored his last statement and began to rave about how fresh the grass appeared to Aun. They followed her as she led them to a ripe green patch not too far east. Jaken sighed yet again. How he hated being stuck with this child.

...

Sesshoumaru knew he was being followed, nearly two days now. The scent was not one that he recognized, yet he knew that this unidentified stalker was indeed a youkai, the breed of youkai was not known. There had to have been a reason for this youkai to be following him for all of this time without launching any type of attack. It was best for Jaken and Rin to stay behind, for they would only draw even more attention to him, frightening away the subject, whom Sesshoumaru actually wanted to meet so that he could be rid of it.

Taking one last step, Sesshoumaru stopped and looked up. It was above him, the youkai. Quickly drawing Tokijin, he gave a horizontal swing slicing down every tree within a 180° radius of him. They all came down with a crash along with a young female youkai. He had not seen her kind before, but judging by her strange white bird-like wings, she was of the suwan youkai clan. Strange. The last he had heard of them, it was said that they stayed in their own lands away from all other forms of life.

"Who are you?" she asked him, her hands remaining at her side. He could see an odd sword poking out from a sheath between her arm and waistline. She was preparing for an ambush.

He kept his gaze onto hers. "I should be so inquiring," he said.

"You are the son of a great daiyoukai, am I correct in assuming this?" The girl's voice was strong, yet light. Every word that came from her was said with sheer overconfidence in her own strengths. She was a sheltered youkai; there could be no other explanation for the way she held herself so cocky.

"Why should this matter to you?" Sesshoumaru asked, holding Tokijin forward. "Have you come to fight me?"

"Well I certainly did not come to gaze upon your pretty face," she said mockingly. Then she drew her own blade. "This is the Shoushi-Ken. Take note, for it is the last blade you shall see on this earth."

Sesshoumaru tired of her overconfidence. His goal now was to bring her down as quick as his body would let him. Before she even had the chance to strike out at him, he came at her in full force, the graceful way he always did. Surprisingly enough, the young girl was prepared and held up her blade to block Tokijin from slicing her in half from cranium to abdomen.

He looked into her eyes for a while. She was so angry. Why had she so much anger towards someone she had never met before? Then it occurred to him that she was obviously another power-hungry youkai trying to prove herself by defeating a great youkai such as himself. The ironic thing about this type of youkai was that none of them ever succeeded. Without even a bit of effort, Sesshoumaru pushed Tokijin forwards along with the girl, knocking her to the ground.

"Go home to your family, young one, I have more pressing matters to attend to," he said. He would spare her for now, besides, she was only a child. There was no accomplishment in defeating a mere adolescent.

As his steps continued, he heard the girl stand up behind him.

"How dare you mock me!" she shouted.

He continued to walk away.

"I am of the suwan youkai clan, and I will absolutely not take such treatment from you, a mere dog!"

Heh... such valor she has, Sesshoumaru thought to himself as the young girl bounded towards him with her weapon held high, surely it wouldn't hurt to put her in her place and then be rid of her.

He leapt back as she swung down at him ranting, "I am the descendent of a great daiyoukai family! Do not take my age, my stature lightly!" She leapt up and met him in mid-air as he was landing. He met each of her wild blows without even trying. As his feet touched the ground he drew back like lightning and was standing ten feet away from her in less than a second. He took Tokijin and drove it into the ground. He did not need the oni fang to give this child a taste of what power really was.

Her chest heaved in and out and her grip tightened onto her sword. "What are you doing? Pick up your weapon."

Sesshoumaru only looked at her, a hint of a smile crossing his lips. "What are you going to do, girl? You should take this chance and leave, never again showing your face in the Western Lands."

"Hmph!"

"You laugh, but my words are much more than a warning. They are a threat, and my threats are never to be taken lightly."

The girl only approached further.

Sesshoumaru was tired of talking to this child. He would destroy her once and for all. Without a second thought, he flew towards her and grasped onto her neck with his dokkasou. The girl began to gag and she dropped her weapon. Seizing Sesshoumaru's hands, she tried to pry them from her throat. Her breath was quickly leaving her.

"Now you understand, child, that you were a fool to even imagining that you could bring me down in battle. I gave you a chance to flee, yet you did not. Death is the price you pay for crossing the path of I, Sesshoumaru."

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

He did not turn, for he knew who spoke. Why was Rin there? Had he not told her and Jaken to stay behind with Ah and Un? It was unusual for her to disobey him. "What, Rin?"

"What are you doing? Stop this!" Rin rushed forward and grabbed onto his leg. Jaken was not far behind her but he tripped and fell before he could stop her.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the tiny girl clutching onto his pant leg and yanking at it.

"Rin let go of him!" Jaken shouted, recovering from his fall. He ran over to Rin and snatched her arm, pulling her away, but her grasp was unforgiving and she simply would not let go. "Have you lost your mind?! He will soon kill you!"

Then the slight pint of a Human began to cry. Tears streamed from her little eyes. What was this madness? "Please..." her voice was barely audible.

Sesshoumaru frowned. He knew what he had to do, though it made no sense to him whatsoever. He dropped the youkai to the ground. She was barely conscious but she was still alive, though her neck was severely burned from the dokkasou. Jaken finally managed to take Rin away from him. She stood next to Jaken, sniffing lightly and rubbing tears from her eyes with her wrist.

"What's come over you, Rin?" Jaken asked in a pitiful attempt at being stern.

She had no answer for him.

Sesshoumaru began to walk away, retrieving Tokijin from the ground and sheathing it as he went along.

Why does she do this? Does she know this piteous creature? Does she have that much pity in her heart to grant this pathetic being? Perhaps I will never understand her, that Rin. These thoughts rang throughout his mind.

He was walking forward the entire time but he could feel Rin's eyes burning into his back.

Are you angry with me, Rin? he thought to himself. That does not affect me in the slightest. Be angry. Cry as you wish. Nonetheless, never put me in such a situation ever again...

These words were all in his head, but he knew that Rin understood without even looking at him.

"I'm sorry, my Lord," she said, sturdily. "I was just shocked that you would do that to such a young..."

"That's enough, Rin, silence yourself."

He heard not another peep from her the rest of that day. She did not understand, she would never understand. It was not his place to show mercy; it was not his place to leave an enemy unharmed; it was not his place to do such things. This girl, this youkai, this being who dare to challenge his caliber deserved to die and every muscle in his very body desired to kill her. Now that Rin was beginning to pity her that drew his longing yet further.

The suwan youkai would be a mere corpse the next time she crossed his path.