SPOILERS for episodes 44 & 45.
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Inuyasha was an idiot. Well, that went without saying. But he must be being particularly stupid today, as the scent of his blood filled the night. The hanyou had undoubtedly picked a fight with something much stronger than himself and was now paying the price for it. Sesshoumaru wondered how much blood Inuyasha had lost. He probably didn't have enough left to stand properly. It might be fun to take a detour and play with him a bit, returning the favor for Tetsusaiga's blast. That is, if Sesshoumaru didn't already have more important things to do. Perhaps after he got a sword made, he could go and test it against Inuyasha.
After the first light, Sesshoumaru woke up Rin and Jaken, and soon they were walking. Meadows stretched to their left, and the forest rose up on their right. They would walk that way until Sesshoumaru found some sign that what he was looking for was near.
Rin was dancing around a short distance ahead, running in the grasses and occasionally picking one of the tall flowers that grew among them. Sesshoumaru suddenly sensed something quickly approaching out of the woods. Rin saw the snake-like youkai at almost exactly the same time, as it was headed right for her.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!"
But before the words were out of her mouth, Sesshoumaru had effectively ended the conflict, casually flicking his wrist and extending the energy whip, cutting the offending youkai in half. Mere feet in front of Rin. She had dropped the plants that she had had in her hands, and was now staring at the snake, which was still twitching at one end. Humans and their low tolerance for violence. It wasn't even that violent--the thing's body hadn't even sprayed blood. Besides, if it wasn't dead, she would be. Rin still remained standing where she was until they caught up to her. She looked at him but said nothing.
"You should stay closer today," he told her.
She silently nodded and jumped on to the back of the dragon, remaining there for the rest of the day. As untroublesome as that encounter had been for Sesshoumaru, it did bring up a small and annoying problem. Wherever Kainjinbou lived, it was probably not appropriate for humans in any way. He would have to find someplace suitable to leave Rin for a while.
The scent of Inuyasha's blood still filled the area, Sesshoumaru noticed. It seemed that he was heading in Inuyasha's direction whether he wanted to or not. But Inuyasha was so pathetically weak right now that there was no way that the hanyou would sense him.
At sunset they stopped. Rin had found food along the way, in what Sesshoumaru guessed would soon become routine--find food at the end of the day, and save part of it to eat the next morning.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin is cold," she suddenly said.
That again. "Can you see?"
"Yes."
"Then get some firewood."
She did so, which Jaken again lit with the Nintoujou. They sat in silence, Rin sitting close to him, until she spoke.
"Why does Sesshoumaru-sama keep asking Rin that?"
"What?"
"If Rin can see?"
"Youkai can see in the dark," Sesshoumaru said. He could always see, and it was hard for him to guess at exactly what point in the twilight that human eyes failed.
"Really? Always?" she asked.
"Yes."
Suddenly seeming to remember something, she pointed to his hand.
"How did Sesshoumaru-sama do that?"
"Do what?"
"That thing to kill the thing," she said, flopping her own hand around in mimic.
"It's just something I can do."
"What else can Sesshoumaru-sama do?" Rin asked, wide eyed. Sesshoumaru looked at her. He could see at some level that such things might be fascinating to her, but he had never given much thought to his abilities. He had always had them, and took them somewhat for granted. But before he could think of an answer, she spoke again.
"Sesshoumaru-sama can jump higher than Rin."
"Yes."
"And Sesshoumaru-sama's eyes can do that thing."
"That too."
"Sesshoumaru-sama's a lot stronger than Rin?"
"Yes."
"And faster?"
"Yes."
"Are all youkai as strong as Sesshoumaru-sama?"
"Absolutely not!" Jaken suddenly exclaimed. "Sesshoumaru-sama is one of the strongest youkai, if not the strongest! Other youkai are nothing to him!"
"Really?" Rin asked. "What else can Sesshoumaru-sama do?"
"Don't bother Sesshoumaru-sama with pointless questions," Jaken said, clearly getting annoyed with the conversation.
Rin dropped the subject of Sesshoumaru, either bored or satisfied, and turned to another one. "What can Jaken-sama do?"
"What?"
"Jaken-sama's a youkai, too. What can Jaken-sama do?" she repeated.
"I can do this," Jaken said, holding up the Nintoujou and shooting a large column of flame up into the sky.
"Rin's seen that. What else can Jaken-sama do?"
"I--I can...I can...it's not important what I can do! Being a youkai by itself is good enough! And I'm very useful to Sesshoumaru-sama!"
"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. "Hey, Jaken-sama, let Rin see the stick!"
"Nintoujou."
"Let Rin see the Nintoujou," she said, stretching her hand out to Jaken, but looking at him. "Please, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
Sesshoumaru nodded his head, amused at the whole thing. Jaken reluctantly turned over the staff to Rin. She held it up, looking at it. "How does it work?"
"It won't work for humans," Jaken said.
"Any ever tried, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru said. "But on the off chance that it does, make sure the fire head is pointed away from her?"
Jaken nervously gulped and made sure that the Nintoujou was indeed aligned correctly.
"How does it work, Jaken-sama?"
"I don't know! Just think that you want fire to come out."
She unsuccessfully waved the staff several times and somewhat unhappily handed it back to Jaken. Then she came back over to sit down.
"Rin wishes that she could do things like Sesshoumaru-sama and Jaken-sama," she informed him.
After that it was quiet, and soon she and Jaken were both sleeping.
The drifiting night wind brought more news of Inuyasha. He was moving again, and losing more blood as he fought something else. Then for a moment, there was nothing but the scent of blood. Sesshoumaru idly wondered if this was to be the end of the hanyou. But then the smell of impending death changed into something much more odd. Youkai power, wild and untamed, was suddenly loose. Power coming from...Inuyasha? Then there was the blood smell of whatever Inuyasha had been fighting, no doubt as it was ripped limb from limb. It was soon dead, leaving nothing but the other youkai power.
There was no mistaking now that it was indeed Inuyasha, but with no trace of the usual human blood that ran in his veins. Only raw youkai power was there--a power almost like his, Sesshoumaru mused. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone, leaving only a lingering hint in the air as proof that it had ever been there. Sesshoumaru frowned. Perhaps a slight detour to see what his half brother was up to would be worth his time, after all.