Chapter 3: Poisoned Time

Sesshoumaru rolled into consciousness and onto his feet Tokijin at the ready, but the enemy was gone. "Rin" there was no answer and he called it again, "RIN" waiting for a response he looked around finding the pieces of the prone imp. Sheathing Tokijin and drawing Tensiega he quickly revived his fallen servant. "Hurry up Jaken we don't have much time, Rin is missing."

The Jaken hurried to pull himself together, "Thank you Master for reviving me, you truly do need me as your servant."

"Which way did they go?" He asked while sheathing Tensiega.

"To the west master, " as he taped his staff on one of the raiders footprints.

He was off headed in the direction Jaken had given him, "how dare those insects oppose me I will squash them like the bugs they are."

"Your right my lord they shall be punished for their stupidity, thinking they can get away with kidnapping one of your servants."

They ran on soon Sesshoumaru was able to pick up on their scents and follow them directly.

They sped on knowing soon they will find the raiders and Rin.

She rolled awake on the wood floor, shoulder throbbing she knew that she was in danger yet she could not scream nor yell. Gnareled as an old tree the face leaned in front of her smelling of poison and death. His teeth where almost all gone and those that where left where stained black and yellow. Smirking at her he clicked his tongue in annoyance, "why can't we just kill her, she is hardly worth what they are paying." He poked her in the chest then kicked her in the side rolling her over to face the wall. The foot came again and she found her back against the wall, the man was again in her face staring at her like a perverted old hermit. He reached out a hand and grabbed her by the chin, "Fah, you are only good as a small slave what value do these people see in you, perhaps in a few years there may be better uses but hah there is nothing now."

The seal within her cracked and a smoldered fire stoked anew with in her, burning away her fear. She struck out with her only means, as her teeth sank into the mans hand he screamed and wrenched it away leaving pieces of flesh and bone in her mouth. As he stepped back cursing her and clutching the stump of a finger, she glared at him licking the blood from her lips, ugh she spat it out.

He stood there shocked as the girl laid there all signs of fear dispelled like an enchantment long forgotten; he quickly bandaged his hand then stepped forward again. This time he avoided the teeth and took hold of her arm wrenching her up and across the room, landing with a loud crack she rolled to the wall where she laid still as death. The other men in the room got up and berated him for this, "If you killed her then there goes our pay, I will not let you screw over this job like you did the last. Control your temper or you will be missing more than just a finger Kalamaru." The youngest of them the one, who was sent to aid in the girls capture know as Kohaku, put it a little more bluntly, "If you kill her, you die." The man Jegen flinched, he had already seen how efficient this boy was and had no doubts on that. The girl coughed bring Kalamaru's cold eye back to her, "don't worry I will not kill her, only teach her." He grabbed a small rod of bamboo and walked over to her, "never to do THAT AGAIN".

The rod came down hard across her back and was quickly dragged away, tearing through the back of her kimono. It came again striking her and forcing the wind from her lungs, as her breath left her the memories of a past cruel life returned and she sank into herself away from the pain and the torment. She sank into her memories of her savior and lord. She would not give up hope; he was after all a gift to her sent to retriever her from her torment.

Kalamaru's arm raised again to deliver another blow as the chain wrapped around his hand, Kohaku was behind him his demon bone sickle at Kalamaru's throat, "I told you if she dies, so do you." Kalamaru's blood froze as the blade nicked his neck, he dropped the rod. The chain loosened on his hand and the blade was removed from his throat. Kohaku was already at the door of the room looking out he turned back to them, "my master calls I will be back soon with your reward." He then stepped out the door and disappeared into the darkness.

Kalamaru stood there like a statue for several more seconds then he rounded on Rin again, "you brat I hope they torture you, if I ever see you again I will do it for them." He moved over to her grabbing her by the remains of her kimono and hoisted her up to look at her in the face. Her body hung there by his fist bumping against him, her head was back in a blank stare, mouth open. He released her to the floor; she landed on her feat and sank to the ground back against the wall. He turned away from her and headed over to his comrade never noticing the empty sheath on his belt where his dagger had been.

Rin slowly opened one eye checking on the Jegen and Kalamaru, to see if they had noticed what she was doing. She continued sawing away at her bonds the dagger carefully clutched in her left hand, her other hand was numb with pain from landing on it. She knew it had been dislocated and broken when she landed on it after Kalamaru flung her across the room. If it had not been for that she would not have been able to pilfer his dagger while he held her up by her kimono. The minutes dragged on as she slowly worked at her bonds it seemed like hours before her hands where free and it took more effort faking the bonds. She opened her eye again daring a glimpse at the rest of the room, a window opened into sky she could see the early morning light peaking over the horizon. One of her captors yawned startling her, for a second she almost dropped the knife.

The sky lightened ever time she looked at the wind, Morning was quickly approaching and her time was dwindling. Finally after the agonizing hours of work she cut through the last strand of hemp in her bonds, by now both the raiders where asleep across the room. Slowly and silently she rolled over and stood tiptoeing over to the window she climbed up to the sill and over. As she was about to drop to the ground she heard foot steps near the entrance to the room, she slid below the window leaving only her eyes above the sill so she could see who was coming. It was Kohaku and a short stranger they where both wearing masks now, as they looked in to room the man screamed, "YOU FOOLS SHE IS GONE." The man pulled out a jar and opened it, a large green cloud burst out of it and filled the room completely, pouring through the window. Rin was knocked down from the window rolling to the ground she chocked slightly on the smoke then ran for it as the man boomed into the room.

Mukotsu corked the bottle stopping the smoke from pouring into the already hazed room. The Bandits got up coughing on the smoke, they drew their weapons, "no she was bound in the corner she couldn't escape."

"Well that would be true if you had not given her your dagger," the new comer said. Kalamaru and Jegen whirled around to stair at the corner where the cut bonds and the dagger lay discarded on the floor where Rin previously lay. Then their lungs began to ache and their muscles weakened they could barely support themselves, "what is this smoke you bastard, what did you do to us." They where looking at their withered hands.

"it is quite simple it is a new poison that I have concocted the more you breathe the older you become, it ages you with every breathe though it takes some time to have a full effect and requires deep breathes in order to work properly. Eventually you will not die of the poison but of old age, makes it easier to say that there is a life sucking demon on the loose, oh you should have seen your town. one case of this poison and everyone packed up and left. As for the girl Kohaku you can take care of this."

"WAIT"

Kohaku froze as the figure in a baboon pelt stepped up behind them, "don't worry about the girl she has another use too, and currently she is headed strait for it. All I needed was Sesshoumaru's attention, the trap is set and waiting for him to walk right into it. Huhuhuhuh" his echoing laughter rang out as the two men or what was left of them fell to their sides collapsing into piles of dust on the floor.

Rin ran on perused by the sound of that hideous laughter, her right arm still hung limp at her side. She dared a glance back and missed her footing she fell hard on her right side, slamming her shoulder back into place. She was barely able to stifle her scream of pain, she got up again afraid of being perused she continued on through the woods. She suddenly she broke free of the forest into a field of grain. Some workers notice her and one rushed over as she collapsed to the ground dead from pain and exhaustion. Her eyes closed as the ground forces the breath from her lungs, Sesshoumaru's name on her lips.