Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha. Yep, big shocker there.
I know, another late post. My excuse: Computer broke down then I got myself grounded.
Big thank you to those who took the time and reviewed. (Gives you hug and a cookie.) All questions will be answered on my profile page because… There are too many reasons why, so I'll blame it on Fred the Bear.
Chapter Four
Lets just call this one Fee-fee…
Sesshomaru walked down the hall silently with Rin. He didn't know how to really act. She was seventeen—not a child.
"We've arrived." His voice was smooth but still calmingly cold. It made the hair on the nape of her neck rise.
Rin ate her food slowly and tried to act polite. It had been a long time since she'd used chopsticks—the little buggers were slippery.
Sesshomaru tried to hide his amusement every time Rin jumped when a servant took away her plate. In Sesshy language it was "interesting" how clumsy she was with the chopsticks.
Rin sighed; she obviously wasn't going to get the food…
She shot a quick glance to the left—no one.
She repeated the tactic for the right and saw only a dank, narrow hall. The coast was clear… Rin stabbed the stick into the chicken and quickly jammed it in her mouth.
Sesshomaru gave her a disapproving look that made her quickly shrink back.
Rin sat there waiting until she became bored and began checking out her surroundings. That's when she noticed Lord Sesshomaru's hands.
A/N: Eh-he… Um, how many choked on that sentence?
The red marks on his writs intrigued her. She didn't remember those from before. His smooth, silver hair was beautiful and his eyes breathtaking if stared in too long.
There was something different about him. She couldn't place her finger on it, but her childhood memory told her something was amiss…
Rin was pulled away from her thoughts blushing when she realized she was still staring at him; he was staring right at her. His face showed nothing.
"Rin, I shall be attending to important matters for the time being. You are free to roam the castle as you wish. There are rules you will abide by, one of them is you are not to leave this castle without my permission. Is that—understood?"
"Yes..."
Sesshomaru stood up slowly, paused and then calmly walked down the narrow hall. She watched her lord till the darkness engulfed him.
Rin abruptly stopped looking around when she began getting goose bumps on her arms. She could feel someone's eyes burning a hole into her back. The question was…who?
XxX
He had lost track of how many days he had been in here. His throat was dry and he couldn't even summon up tears anymore when he heard her screaming.
Every two days they would ask from behind the door the same question; every two days they'd get to the same answer.
Seth heard a rustling sound from outside; they were playing with the locks. He quickly griped the putrid, wooden panel as he desperately tried to summon his strength to stand.
The door creaked as it was slowly opened, letting the moonlight flood in. His hand swiftly covered his eyes to protect them from the blinding light. Sadly, this was the most light he'd seen in weeks.
"Seth," someone whispered, "be you in here?"
"Who's there?"
"Oh Seth!" the figure ran toward him.
"Lady…Kara?" he said shocked at how strong the old hag's grip was.
She quickly, but gently tugged on his arm. "Come on, must get you out of here," she mumbled.
"Not without Sera," he said firmly.
"Seth, I did the best I could…"
"Where is she?" His blood began tingle with a slight chill.
"I cleaned her up and found herbs to numb the pain..."
"Take me to her."
Lady Kara nodded as tears fell from her weathered face. "I'll-"
Seth pulled back the branch to see the clearing illuminated by moonlight. A huge lump formed in his throat. "How long does she have?" The words had come out stiffly.
There was no way she'd answer that question. He already knew...
"I made sure she was in no great pain… Seth, I'm so sorry."
"I—is it alright if you leave us alone?" His hands were trembling.
She nodded before slowly walking off as she silently wept in her hands.
He numbly walked over to her and sat on his knees. His eyes burned as tears welled up.
"Seth?" came a faint whisper.
"Yes?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Sera covered her mouth as she coughed. He watched as blood splattered onto her hand.
He gently pulled her into his lap and tried to smile reassuringly. "Kara went to get the Medicine Man. By tomorrow you'll be sleeping in a warm bed and-"
"Seth, please, you lying will make me feel no better…"
"Sera-
"Just stay with me." The way she gripped his arm sent shivers down his spine.
"Does it hurt?" He was becoming choked up.
"Everything's…numb," she said laying her head on his chest.
She sighed in content as he began softly stroking her hair. "Seth, listen to me, listen to me very carefully."
He gripped her shoulder softly as he rested his chin atop her head. "I'm listening."
"You must help Rin. You cannot let him have the stone." Her breathing was labored. "She must have Light or the…pain won't cease."
"Who is this Light?"
"I…don't know." Sera gave out a small cry as she clutched her side. "Find Light and save Rin."
"I'll have to find Rin and warn—"
"Listen to me damn it!" Sera clutched his shirt as she gazed up at him fiercely. "They said this Wicked One sees Rin's soul in shadow. Promise me…"
She looked up at him determinedly. Beads of sweat were forming on Sera's brow.
"Promise me!"
"I promise."
Sera smiled as she closed her eyes and began to drift off into a dreamless sleep.
XxX
She gave out a small cry as she fell to the ground on her hands and knees. Her breathing was hard and ragged as she kneeled there, staring at her filthy hands.
There were thin cuts where the branches had grazed her while running through the teeming forest. The stuff wedged under her fingernails was most uncomfortable.
"I…must get up." She took in another gasp of air as she tried to maintain balance. Her lungs were burning and her throat was beyond the definition of dry and sore.
A tear slid down her cheek, leaving behind a clean, white streak. Her face was almost as dirty as her hands. She wasn't crying about the pain, but the water and her mission.
Hands trembling, the girl dipped the waterskin into the small spring. This had been the fourth time she had been forced to stop for water.
"Forgive me my lord, for what I must do." Her legs were burning from running two days straight. Once it was filled with water, she dunked her head in and drank.
She wiped her mouth and then began to run onward. The girl had to get to him before it was too late. If he let them go then he could possibly die; and it would be all her fault.
With the thought of him dying she gave out a wounded cry and added speed to her run.
XxX
It was early in the morning and Rin had just finished bathing and put on a black kimono.
She was walking down the hall when she violently rammed into the wall gasping for breath. She clutched her chest at the stabbing pain, trying to make it leave. Those three minutes of pain seemed like an hour to Rin.
It slowly began to fade and Rin stood there for a minute wondering what had just happened. Maybe it was just a side effect from being in another world. She'd have to let Lord Sesshomaru know about that.
Seeing since She didn't know where she was… Rin decided to explore.
She found herself outside in the training area. The sound of swords clinking and arrows flying through the air was comforting. She silently breathed in the smells around her as the warm sunshine lightly heated the top of her head.
Suddenly, missing Seth and his grandfather's training, Rin trotted off to find a change of clothes.
"Are you sure you'd rather not go to the gardens?"
"I'm sure."
The woman sighed. "They might be a little big on you. There's a shed over there you may change in."
"Thank you."
Fifteen minutes later Rin came out in a white haori and navy blue hakama. She had found herself a nice katana and pouch of thin, silver needles. Sharp and deadly are these four-inch needles, which can either kill a man or paralyze parts of him for a week.
She smiled at the thin weapons in her hand. Almost a hundred memories flooded back.
She could remember Seth's grandfather threatening to flog him if he smoked his weed. Seth then tried to substitute the weed by smoking a mysterious plant he had found in the wood. The plant ended up being poisonous and Seth almost died, had it not been for Lady Kara's medicines. Lady Kara... Had Lady Kara been working for Naraku?
A/N: When I said weed, I didn't mean marijuana.
Rin shook her head to rid the thought. Lady Kara was like a grandmother to her. She and Seth were the only family she had over there. Seth was her brother and Lady Kara her grandmother. They would not have betrayed her...or would they?
"Who are you?" Rin jumped slightly at the cold voice, thankful it had pulled her from the haunting thoughts.
Rin turned around to be faced with a young man. She smiled slightly before bowing. "My name's Rin. I'm staying as a guest at the castle."
"Mines Ryu," He looked her up and down with disgust. "Need I remind you that you're a girl?"
"Uh... I'm sorry," Rin said politely as she blinked stupidly, "but I didn't quite get your point."
"Girls don't belong here. You could really hurt yourself playing with those weapons."
Rin could feel her face heat up with anger. "I was not playing with these weapons. I came down to practice my aim and see if someone would-"
"You probably don't know the first thing on how to use a sword."
"I have been using a sword sir, since I was eight and shan't be mocked by the likes of you." She began to look over him more closely.
He had black, spiky hair that had two strips hanging limply down on each side of his cheek. The boy had maroon eyes and three black stripes on the sides of his cheek. The guy's face was extremely pale.
He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt that showed a black dragon tattoo stretching from lower elbow to shoulder. His pants were baggy and also black.
A/N: I did not go overboard…
"I hate it when you girls brag about things you know nothing of."
"Why you little-"
"Prove it."
"Fine!" before she could say anymore, Ryu had lunged at her.
She quickly blocked his sword with wide eyes.
"Lets begin, shall we?" Ryu said licking his lips.
"Thanks for the warning."
"You're welcome." His voice was sickeningly sweet.
Ryu suddenly pulled out a small pole and swung it at her legs. Rin quickly jumped backward as he chucked a dagger at her foot.
With the flick of her wrist, six needles shot toward the demon. He snarled in rage as four landed in his arm.
"What is wrong with you? That could've been my foot. Now there's a trick to getting those—"
His fangs seemed to now show and saliva flew everywhere. Lucky for Rin, the purple spittle now burning into the floor didn't touch her.
A very unnecessary, sharp tug made the needles take a nice chunk of Ryu's arm out. The blood spilling out of his arm was enough to bathe a small dog in.
A/N: I know, bad example. You probably had a vision of Fee-fee the poodle bathing… Okay, well you get the point.
Rin stood there mouth agape. How could he do that? Why the hell was he smiling?
Rin felt puke rising in her throat as he sucked on the gory arm. He looked up at her with bulging cheeks. Rin didn't even what to know why his cheeks were puffed up… A tiny trickle of blood ran down his chin.
"Dear God," she said now forcing to swallow what came up. "what is that thing?"
As if she wasn't petrified enough, he had to go and swallow what was in his mouth. He closed his eyes as he licked his lips, acting as if he was savoring the taste. He gave her a toothy grin, showing her the bloodstained teeth.
Sesshomaru had been in his study when he smelled a large amount of demon blood. It was of low importance to him if a demon died—and went on with his business.
Rin watched as the large slash in his arm slowly disappeared.
Ryu began to run backwards—never taking his eyes off Rin's. She was mystified by the utter silence. A small breeze slightly blew her hair and hakama. She could hear the wind whistle as the cold air chilled her cheek. Her eyes narrowed, he was as still as stone. Something was defiantly not right…
He suddenly looked at her with white eyes and gave out a bloodcurdling screech. Images of indescribable horror raced through her mind. The shock of what he was doing to her in these images paralyzed her. She watched helplessly as he ran toward her, sword drawn.
Rin managed to move out of the way as the sword went for her middle. A strong impact made her lose footing and fall forward.
The shock on her face when the pain ignited below her shoulder and the site of blood flying through the air... In those few seconds it somewhere clicked that his sword had just cut into her arm.
Rin gave out a small grunt when she landed on her hands and knees. Warm blood steadily ran down her arm in a thin line. She could feel it getting in between her fingers and slowly moistening her palm.
Sesshomaru was on the beach watching the waves when a horrible scent filled his nostrils. It was Rin's blood and he could smell more then he wanted. Sesshomaru started to run to where the scent of blood was strong.
Ryu kicked her violently in the chest, making her fly back and land hard on her back. She moaned when her head banged onto the marble floor.
Rin slowly stared up at the sky as she tried to regain the breath knocked out of her.
She tried to scream when his foot crushed into her wounded arm. Rin felt could metal slightly touch her neck. The wickedly smile on his face gave her no comfort.
Sesshomaru found himself in the training area. A growl escaped his throat when he saw a demon with his sword at Rin's neck. He had one foot on her chest and the other was standing on her arm.
His eyes narrowed and his expression darkened. How dare he put his filthy feet on Rin! Sesshomaru quickly knocked the boy off with a swift jab of the elbow.
Sesshomaru gently picked Rin up bridal style as he tried to remain calm. He couldn't understand why her blood reeked of death.
Rin was still in shock of him saving her that she said nothing.
"What do you think you're doing? If-" Ryu stopped yelling when he realized who it was. "Lord Sesshomaru, this mortal has—"
Sesshomaru pushed Rin's head into his chest as he drew his whip, slicing Ryu into a thousand pieces.
Rin heard the sickening noise and lifted her head, getting a gruesome view of what was left of Ryu. Before Rin could really examine the site, Sesshomaru had already ran off; leaving the servants to clean up the mess...
He ran all the way to the castle and down the halls until he made his way into a huge marble floored room. She looked around in awe. There was a huge hot spring; many sitting areas, and a medium sized marble room.
"Go in and put on one of the white robes," Sesshomaru said walking off.
Four women quickly helped Rin take her arm out of the haori and dress the wound. The poultice they had put on her arm stung horribly but she said nothing. The girls cleaned her arm of blood and gave her a peach kimono to change into.
If Rin wasn't in shock and so angry, she would've noticed the beautiful, ruby flower prints on her kimono.
"Would you like us to put some paint on your face?" The voice had been calm and very sweet.
A/N: I don't mean paint, but makeup. Also, Fee-fee is a miniature poodle…
"No, thank you," Rin said monotone.
The woman smiled warmly. "At least let us brush out your hair."
Rin numbly slid the door shut, not even caring the woman was still talking.
She had been thinking hard on what Sesshomaru had done and began to walk down the hall.
"What you did was foolish," came a slightly harsh voice.
Rin turned around with an embarrassed "I'm going to kill you" look. "Foolish? I was only sparring with a young man who is now in millions of pieces!" Her face was a dark red and her knuckles white.
"He intended to kill you Rin."
"I had everything under control."
"Him having a sword to your neck is control?" He had the most annoying amused look on his face. It made you want to hit him with a frying pan, laugh hysterically, then yell timber.
"I could've handled it! You didn't have to do that."
"Enough. Rin, once again you are forgetting whom you speak to."
Rin's cheeks redden as she bowed. "Forgive me milord. I am not in the right of mind."
A/N: I know I use the blushing stuff too much…sorry.
He could smell the anger radiating off her. "Would you like me to assist you to a room?"
"A room?" she said looking at him queerly. "I wasn't going to my room..."
"You need rest."
Rin nodded and followed him down a long corridor. They came to a door and stopped.
Rin looked guiltily at the floor. "Are you sending me to my room...as punishment? I would rather be flogged then have this humiliation."
"If you do not rest the poison will spread more quickly."
"What poison?"
"The poison the young male tipped his blade with." Sesshomaru was surprised at the tension in his voice.
Rin slowly followed him in the room and let the four ladies pull her into bed. She looked ghastly pale and there was a worried look on her face.
"Lord Sesshomaru, am I going to die?"
"No," he said calmly.
"How long must I stay here?"
"For two days," one of the girls said cheerfully. "Now we're going to have to put some ointment on that wound of yours."
Though she wouldn't admit it, she was relived to be able to rest. She was starting to feel the side effects of losing so much blood.
Sesshomaru walked out of the room and began to think up reasons to why he had just killed the Lord of the East Island's son…
XxX
"I'm starving! Can we please call it a day?" Ty said, her eyes drooping.
"Just a little bit longer."
"Fang, if I don't get to sleep soon, I'm going to die. I'm so tired, that log looks so comfortable..." Ty said looking longingly at the log.
"There's a village up ahead, once you pass this—"
"Fang, how far is this village?"
"A couple miles."
"Look, there's a clearing over there. I'm tired and need to sleep. You may keep going if you like, but I need to sleep!" Ty said walking over to the clearing.
"You're acting like a human." He watched as she began to leave. "Ty, get back here!"
"Make me."
Being the idiot he was, Fang decided to try and "make her" come. Lets just say he ended up with a lovely black eye and Tyke a nice, warm bed.
Ten minutes later…
"Hey Ari, could you keep it down? I'm trying to sleep."
"Sorry, but I'm trying to train," she said with rich sarcasm.
Ty smiled at their conversation. She wasn't really paying attention, but the sound of their voices was soothing.
"And how is rubbing those two sticks together training?"
Ari let out a long sigh.
For one so young, Fang knew she had the maturity level of a twelve year-old.
"Fang, you wanna see something cool?"
"Okay, like what?" He slowly leaned forward. There was an odd look in his eyes.
Ty's eyes suddenly went wide at what the "cool thing" Ari was going to show. "Hikari, no!" Tyke yelled desperately.
It was too late. There, in Ari's hand was a small, blue flame. "This."
"Wow..." You could see the reflection of blue flame in his pupils.
The flame suddenly disappeared and Hikari smiled triumphantly. Maybe it was just how the firelight was reflecting off her, but he could've sworn she looked almost ghostly.
"Y-you idiot!" Tyke said fuming. "How could you be so stupid and let her do that!"
"What's so wrong about her doing that?"
Ty sighed. "How do I explain something so complex to an idiot and still make him understand?"
"I feel for you," Ari said slowly sitting down by her feet. She was exhausted and needed some rest.
"I'm still angry at you! So—you just sit there and behave!" She sat down and sighed some more.
"I'm guessing you want me to sit down?"
"Na? You think?"
"As you know, Hikari is the guardian of a stone. The stone is dark purple and the size of a golf ball, but more oval shaped."
"What's a golf ball?"
"How should I know?"
"You just said golf ball…"
"I did?"
"Yeah, you did."
"Strange for some reason the word authoress popped into my head…"
"Okay, well get on with it."
"The Elders have Hikari guard the stone day and-"
"Tell me the stuff I don't know."
"Well, maybe if you were around more," Tyke said through gritted teeth, "you'd know."
"Sorry."
"You're not sorry!"
"How do you know!"
"Because you keep leaving me and Ari alone in the village! I have to fend for myself while you're off with those stupid-"
"Guys, can we please just get on with it?" Ari asked nervously.
Tyke took a deep breath then glared at Fang.
"Hikari is the guardian of the stone. They're always saying the stone will bring peace, but if you touch it... I can remember a girl screaming. It was horrible," Ty said shuddering. "The stone holds so much pain, sorrow, betrayal, and some—have no words to describe them."
"She can only hear the voices, but I can sometimes get glimpse of the people," Ari said while playing with a blade of grass.
"When she guards the stone, it drains her of energy. She becomes very sick and pale. If they push her too far...she'll die. I just don't understand how something that contains such pain can bring peace."
"Alec is teaching me how to destroy the stone. He says it's not even a stone, but the soul of a wicked."
"What's with the screams?" Fang asked uneasily.
"Alec says that Ari and I are kind of seeing into the Wicked One's past."
Fang put on a calm, straight face. "So if this thing isn't a stone..."
Then we're in deep shit." The seriousness in Ari's face was priceless.
XxX
This chapter took me a really long time. It has something to do with writer's block and me loafing around. Okay, so it was more loafing then anything else…so sorry. I know there was barely any Sessh/Rin but a pirate can't talk about pirate things unless the boat is built. Never mind. I'm shutting up now.
This is just to show the whole world I got that cool circle thing with a "c" in it. Heh… I feel special.
RACE WITH TIME AND WAR copyright © 2005 by 1-Psycho-Kitty. All rights reserved.