Race with Time and War Chapter 2: No pain, no gain, an inuyasha fanfic

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi the goddess owns InuYasha. This is my first fanfic.

I changed my Penname to 1-Psycho-Kitty so please, put the pitchforks down. I was known as Foxfire155 and this is my story. I've not stolen anything… Okay there was this one time I found a shiny bead on the floor of a shoe store and I took it. But I was six so…

Up till 3:00 A.M editing, revising, writing, and adding more stuff to this. I hope you like it. I'm so tired… Falls asleep

Chapter Two:

No pain, no gain.

Jaken was running over the hill and gasped at what he saw. There were hundreds of demon corpses everywhere! He shivered at the thought of his lord doing this.

"I must find Lord Sesshomaru before morning," he said determinedly.

Jaken walked on for another hour. He looked at the setting sun and sighed, he was tired and had given up on finding his lord before morning. His feet were aching so Jaken found a huge hole in an oak and fell asleep.

A/N: Ha! Loser…

Rin was happily reading a book on the old toppled tree in the woods. These moments of happiness were so rare for her. She was continually keeping it all in. Only expressing her sadness, anger, and confusion in her training. The sound of the running stream under her was so peaceful...

"Rin!" Seth had been watching her for the past twenty minutes.

"What Seth?" she asked wearily.

"Where've you been?"

"Hiding from you," the thirteen year-old answered flatly.

Seth gritted his teeth and remembered what Lady Kara had told him...

"You must keep trying," Lady Kara said with a worried look on her face.

"Every time I try she pushes us away! The girl obviously doesn't want friends."

"That's not true."

"She's a real bitch around-"

Lady Kara cut him off by hitting him over the head extremely hard with her fan.

"Holy shit! What was that for?"

"Language!"

"Well, she's just really rude to my friends and acts…mean," he said squinting his eyes and giving a tight smile. "There, you happy? I didn't curse or nothin."

"That's a start. Please try. How would you feel if you were far away from home and everything was different? Nothing to remind you of home and the people who took care of you left without a sensible reason?"

"I'd be p- angry or sad. She sure doesn't look sad or angry to me." Seth hated these stupid sentimental talks with Lady Kara. It was either be sensitive and polite or feel the wrath of the ebil spoon.

A/N: Do you even wanna know?

"That's because she's keeping it in and is confused."

"It's been six bloody years. How long can one stay confused?"

"I don't know, but if you can get her to just socialize with other—"

"Fine! But this is the last time I get yelled at by that chaotic bit- brat."

Seth took a deep breath and asked cheerfully, "How come I haven't seen you around this month?"

"Because," Rin replied, "I've been hiding from you and your loser friends. You're only getting in the way of my training so…piss off."

"We're going to the village to have some fun. Do you want come?" Seth's eye was starting to twitch…

"No, because your type of fun is stupid."

"How so?" Seth said sitting by her on the tree. He was getting angrier by the second.

Rin scooted away nervously. "Stealing, drinking, and skipping training is not my type of fun. For a monk, you sure don't act like one."

"You can be," Seth said scooting over to her, "Such a..."

"A what?" she said scooting now to the end of the tree. "Can you back up? I'm going to fall into the water."

"That's the point," he said through gritted teeth.

"Get away! If you don't stop I'll..."

"You'll what?" Seth asked smirking. His anger had gotten the best of him. "Who's going to help you? That dork, Sesshomaru?"

Rin growled and roughly pushed him into the stream. He jumped up and began spitting out mud and particles of unknown green stuff.

He had that coming. He was supposed to be helping her, not pissing Rin off. He made himself recall all the times when Rin had shown him kindness.

Seth had managed to get back onto land without slipping. "We are called fools because of an emotion called love. We become happy while they turn to cold stone. Yet, we are still called the fools." He gave her a questioning look as he wiped mud off his arm. Seth was waiting for an answer.

Rin was now standing up and facing him. "Love is not a necessity. It causes more—"

Seth gripped her shoulders. "Are you happy Rin? Answer truthfully? Does living this way make you feel good?"

Like a child ashamed of fibbing, Rin turned away. "You just don't understand," Rin said in a whisper. "None of you understand. I screwed up here big time…I realize that. All I have is hope. And I hope I'll become strong enough so Lord Sesshomaru will come for me. Maybe then I can start fresh, go home, or spend the rest of my days serving my lord as Master Jaken does."

"Rin, you don't need—"

"But he left me here and I don't understand it!" The anger, hurt, and confusion in her voice made him shut up. She turned around and faced him with watery eyes. "I wanted to be strong…but I…I can't stay strong like him. I want to go home! I'm so tired of being alone."

Seth's face softened as he watched her cry. She really was alone. She was a bitch, but a very alone bitch nonetheless.

Seth put his hand on her shoulder and watched her sniffle. "If you would quit being an ass and look around, maybe you'd see the people here who love you. We've all done some crazy shit," Seth said slightly chuckling as he tried to lighten the dramatic mood.

"But what of my training...?"

"You really want to see this Jaken fellow and Sesshy guy, correct?"

"Yes," Rin said slightly sniffling.

"You don't have to give up everything to see him again. You can still have friends and train. You don't have to just pick one."

Rin sighed. "It's a little late for that. I think the only reason no one was slit my throat is because—"

"It's never too late. I once took the wish box out of the temple because I needed some money to gamble with. I took out the money and replaced it with Kip rocks. Father favors Tab and gave him the honor of guarding the wish box. Turns out there was to be a treaty…

Rin gave him that "you're such an idiot" stare.

A/N: Kip stones are a form of insult. The wish box can mean peace or enemy. If you receive a sacred wish box full of money it means peace etc. etc. if you get a wish box full of Kip stones, well do we get the drift?

"I told my father right before the ceremony what I'd done and also that the money had been lost playing Calla. He thanked me then gave me a licking I'll never forget."

A/N: Calla is like Poker.

"Well, I told him I'd have been better off not saying anything. Do you know what he told me? He said that if they'd gotten those Kip stones he'd of knocked the shit right out of me. My father is a man of his word. So you see, it's never too late."

Rin giggled. "That's really comforting Seth, just makes me feel a whole lot better."

"I do what I can," he said modestly. "So do you want to join me and a couple of my friends?"

The smile left her lips. "I'm not sure if they'll be real enthusiastic about seeing me..."

"I know someone who won't be mean to ya. She's real sweet and gentle like. So you better be nice to her."

"I will Seth... What's her name?"

"Sera."

Rin smiled cheerfully for the first time in years. "Okay, lets go."

A/N: I'm sorry if you read this and thought it overly dramatic or very corny... I just wanted to make a point that Rin wasn't the happiest child. If you are really angered with this scene you have permission to slap me with a Swedish fish. With that said... Onward with the chappie.

XxX

Sesshomaru was almost to Naraku's and the demons had thinned a little bit. Now a huge dog, it was much easier to kill them.

"Out of my way!" he snarled as he smacked a good thirty-five demons with his paw.

A/N: He has two arms now because…it grew back. Okay that was lame but…lets see you come up with a better excuse.

XxX

Rin was now fourteen and banging a long wooden stick against a tree. Her muscles were sore and her hands raw. It had started to rain but she kept hitting the tree with all her might.

"I must keep going! If I can just learn this technique right..." Rin was abruptly pulled away from her thoughts when a certain boy called her name...

"Rin? Rin! Did you hear me?"

"I heard you Seth."

"It's raining, you do know that, right?"

"I'm training, don't bother me."

"Now when did torturing a tree solve anything?"

"I really don't want to talk to you right now."

"You really should take better care of your hands," Seth said grabbing them.

"Let go," she said screaming. Rin made a feeble attempt pull her hands back.

Seth ripped two long strips of her haori and wrapped it around the bloody, raw hands.

"There," he said.

"Thanks..."

"No problem," Seth said happily. "When are you going to learn about herbs and healing?"

"Dunno."

"When will your training be done?" he said trying really hard to act interested.

"I hope when I turn seventeen," Rin said now walking back to the hut.

"Do you have any other weapon besides your sword and dagger?"

"Nope."

"You should learn how to fight with needles."

"That would be fun."

"You could be asked to become an assassin and probably say that could be fun for all I know."

"Hey!"

"My grandfather could teach you though," he said twiddling his thumbs.

"Fine by me. Tomorrow I'll stop by and see if the old geezer can show me a few tricks."

Seth looked at her slyly and slightly jabbed her with his elbow. "I've rubbed off on you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll show you. That guy you're training for?"

"You mean, Sesshomaru?"

"There you go."

Rin gave him the raised eyebrow and the partly opened mouth. "Okay... and this proves what exactly?"

"You didn't say lord!" Seth said excitedly as he began to dance a weird jig. "Don't you remember when you first came here you were addressing everybody with a title?"

"Wow..."

"And you called my highly respected grandfather "old geezer" instead of master or whatever you used to say..."

"I never even realized it..."

"Good, because I like that you don't always address them with their full title. Makes them feel like they can't be real with you."

"Not just that!"

"What?" he said as he stopped dancing. There was a confused look on his face.

"That you dance like a headless less chicken that only has one leg and is wingless."

"That was really uncalled for," he said giving her that kind of blank bored "that wasn't very funny" stare.

"I'm hungry... Want something to eat?"

"Sure. Um, Rin?"

"Yeah?"

"When you come to my grandfathers...will you come alone?"

"Yeah..."

"So you're not going to bring anybody?" Seth looked down at his feet disappointedly.

"You mean, like Sera?" she asked with a smug look on her face.

Seth turned seven shades of red in five seconds. "No, I-I j-just wanted to know if any of your dumb, ugly, unattractive friends were going to bother me."

"So I guess you want me to tell Sera she can't come cause she's ugly?"

"No!" Seth said, now turning purple. "Don't tell her that! She already hates me from last time."

"You mean..." Rin said letting in a dramatic breath.

"Yeah..."

"Well, I'd be mad too! You ruined her brand new kimono. Then, you gave her your old hakama and haori to wear."

"It wasn't that bad..."

"Yeah, but you saying she looked like a man from afar and then you…" Rin shook her head. Guys were such idiots.

"Okay! Just have her come over so I can apologize!"

XxX

Sesshomaru had finally killed off all of the demons and the sun was setting. He was still in dog form as he crawled over the hill. He saw Naraku's castle in the distance. Sesshomaru slowly changed back and stood up shakily.

"I must get to the castle..." Sesshomaru said before losing consciousness.

XxX

"Say Rin?"

"Yeah?" she asked as she took another bite into the juicy apple.

Seth let his feet dangle from the bridge and let the cold water slightly try and pull him in with the current. "You never really told me exactly what Jaken was to you."

A/N: OMG! That sounded so wrong…

"You're not going to believe this," she said slightly splashing the water with her already soaked feet.

"Try me."

"I view Jaken as my foster father..."

"You view a tiny, green toad as your foster father?"

"Yep...and also..."

"And also?"

"I thought of Jaken as my foster mother."

Seth began laughing at the thought of Jaken being Rin's mommy. "Isn't Jaken like, a male?"

"Yep."

"Did he wear a lace bonnet and apron too?"

"No."

"Wait a sec, you thought of Jaken and your foster mother and father. What did you view Sesshomaru as?"

"As a god of some sort. I always imagined him some kind of king and we his loyal subject. Like a beautiful creamy white silk gown-"

"A silk gown?" Seth slowly turned his head to her and raised his eyebrow. "Poetic aren't we?"

"Shut up and let me finish!"

"Okay," he said trying to make his smile go straight.

"He was kind of like the creamy white silk gown and we the dirty fingers. He was not to be touched and always to keep a distance from."

"Oh..."

"Yeah..." Rin said taking a swig of beer.

"Hey, give me some of that."

Rin handed him the waterskin. "Seth?"

"Hm?"

"Have you told your father yet?"

Seth stopped drinking and looked at her with an almost angry face. "No, I haven't."

"Don't you think-"

"I plan on going up to the mountains and will live there."

"What about your duty?"

"Screw my duty."

Rin smiled and looked up at the full moon. "Ah yes, the first monk to break one of the Buddha statues and laugh."

"I don't know... I'm starting to think they're all wrong. That the world isn't flat and Bloody Mary won't kill you if you turn off the bathroom lights and shout her name three times."

Rin gave him a confused look. "Where'd that come from? Who's Bloody Mary?"

"I-I don't know," he said a little dazed. "I think it has something to do with me drinking half the beer in that nifty container of yours."

"Probably."

Xxx

It was late at night when Jaken stumbled across his wounded lord. There were bodies everywhere and the sight of it would make you puke on the spot. Everything smelled and watching the vultures and small animals digging in wasn't exactly a "pleasant" experience.

Jaken looked around with a grim look on his face when he saw flies buzzing around one of the dead worm demon's corpses.

"I must take care of him!" Jaken said sitting down by his lord.

A/N: And Jaken steals first with the corniest comment of the fanfic!

He spent the next couple hours bandaging him. Jaken even took the time to move some of the bodies away from his lord.

It was very late the next day when Sesshomaru woke up.

"What happened?"

"I found you almost dead milord." This one sentence put a nice dent in the Lord of the Western Land's ego. Anger boiled inside him. To think he had needed help from a toad...

Sesshomaru stood up but suddenly stopped. There was a wool blanket over him and his chest was bare…

"Where are my clothes?"

"When you transformed into a dog…" Jaken was digging through a leather bag. "I did recover the lost clothing, it's been washed and—"

Sesshomaru snatched the bag and calmly went to find a place to change—with the towel wrapped around his waist.

Once he was dressed he began to walk toward Naraku's castle; trying to let the shock of having had help soak in.

XxX

"Rin, it's late and you must come in now."

"Yes, Lady Kara," the seventeen year-old answered.

The old woman hugged her and started to sob. Rin was a little shocked and patted the old woman's back.

"Rin, your training is done."

"Do you mean...?"

"Yes, you may go home."

Rin gave a small but warm smile at the thought of seeing Jaken and Sesshomaru. She looked down at Lady Kara to see a quivering lip and sad eyes.

"I've learned so much from you and I never really thanked you properly," Rin said hugging her tightly. "Thank you for being so kind to me. You were like a grandmother to me and I will never forget the kindness you've shown me."

Lady Kara's tongue was trying very hard to betray her. The truth was trying to escape her lips and it took all her will power to remain quiet. To warn Rin what awaited her when she went back would be suicide.

Where would she take Rin when half of the village was Naraku's minions? At least when Rin got back she'd have a chance of running away…

"Rin, it's late and you should rest now. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Yes, Lady Kara," Rin said smiling. "I must tell Seth the news."

"Seth... won't be able to make his goodbyes. He's in the mountains... hunting."

"Do you know when he'll be back?" She had a worried look on her face.

"I'm not sure child." Fresh tears were welling up in her eyes. She knew exactly why Seth wouldn't be here. They were probably torturing him right now...

"Well, do you know when exactly I'll be leaving?"

"By tomorrow or the next. No need to pack."

"Give Seth a good smack for me if he makes fun of Sesshomaru or if he teases Sera. I swear if he doesn't ask for her hand soon she'll be an old maid! So do make sure he does." Rin smiled happily and walked off to her room.

"I will," Kara, said whispering to herself with tears streaming down her face.

XxX

Sesshomaru quietly entered the castle. It was so still and empty, neither a good sign. He sniffed the air for Rin's scent. Following it all the way down a small corridor, which led to a black door.

Sesshomaru growled when he opened the door only to find a beautiful seventeen year-old girl peacefully slumbering...

XxX

I hope you guys liked that. Flamers go ahead and flame me until I'm as crisp as bacon. I like bacon. I would love to know how I could improve my writing. I know a lot of it was really dramatic or super corny. Sorry.

Gasps and now the really scary stuff at the bottom. My mother recommends I do this. The things I do to make others happy…

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters created by Rumiko Takahashi on the manga. I do own a shiny penny… Thought you should know that.