Renamon's Assistant: Hello and welcome to another prechapter show. Today we will be adressing two issues. We have Ronomon on scene, interviewing the ever smiling Rin. We also have a response to a worried review of where the story might be going. I will answer that one first in saying, THIS WILL NOT BE A KAGOME/SESSHOMARU PAIRING. I share the opinion of the reviewer in the essence that I can not see that ever being a possibility, but I will say this. This reviewer has guessed half of the pairing I am introducing into the story this chapter, and if you don't see it you are as stupid as Inuyasha is stubborn. Now I'll turn it over to Ronomon for the rest of the report.

Ronomon: Thanks assistant. I'm here talking to Rin. Rin, what do you think about Renamon now that you have met her.

Rin: I think she is alot like Sesshomaru. She's quite, yet kind and protecting of anyone she cares about. I think she is a very nice person.

Ronomon: Well aren't you a sweet little girl. I could just eat you up.

Sesshomaru: What was that you blue fox?

Ronomon: All right. Well tats my report for today, and I hope I will be alive to see you next time. Please Sesshomaru, I didn't mean it.

Sesshomaru: Die!

Ronomon: HELLLLPPP.

Assistant: Oh dear. I will see you next time, but now I have to go save Ronomon, or I'll have to do the field work from now on. (Goes running out the door toward the Higorashi shrine.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Inuyasha. All I own is the story in general and all aspects of the story introduced from my imagination.

Chapter 8

The calm before the storm

It had now been a week since Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin had join up with Renamon, Inuyasha and the others, and yet they hadn't seen Naraku or any of his minions around. In the time Inuyasha and Kagome had had 10 fights, Miroku had gotten slapped 7 times for one or more reasons, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had almost fought each other 5 times, each one of the times being prevented by Renamon. The others had noticed that she and Sesshomaru had gotten to be friends, even with the fights and arguments the rest of the group members were having.

It was around dusk when the group decided to make camp for the night. The camp was laid out like it usually was with Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippo on one side of the fire, Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin on the opposite side, and Renamon on one of the two remaining sides. They had spent almost the entire day walking and even Inuyasha had to admit it was a tiring day. They all had gone about their usual camp business as soon as they had arrived.

It was now dark out with the only light coming from the fire. Almost everyone was asleep. The one who still remained awake, watching the fire burn was Renamon. They had been searching for almost a week now, and still they hadn't found a clue that would lead them to Rika. In her heart she knew they would find her and save her, but her head kept stepping in and saying that Rika was lost, and they would never be able to get her back. She suddenly felt the urge to run, to run anywhere, to go searching for Rika herself. During the week she had caught herself thinking, "Why am I getting these guys involved, Rika is my tamer, and it is my fault that she was kidnapped. I should be out looking for her myself, letting these guys get back to their own problems. Why are they even helping me? Is it because they want to help me, or is it more so they can find and destroy Naraku."

Renamon then got up from her sitting position and walked into the forest. She needed some time to think. Soon, she came across a hot spring. She sniffed the air and could smell the lasting effects of Kagome's shampoo. She thought to herself, "This must be where Kagome and Sango took a bath earlier." After looking at the pool for a few minutes she sat down on the edge and let her feet hang down into the water. The entire scene was beautiful, with the full moon and the countless stars lighting the up the night. It made it quite easy for the fox digimon to see the beautiful lay out of the hot spring. The tall trees that hid this place from the world, the flowers growing near by that gave it a beautiful fragrance. It was a scene some people would dream about, but yet nothing was getting through to Renamon. All that her mind thought about was Rika, and how she had to get her back.

Finally the mental dam that had been holding back her emotions this entire weak broke, and for the second time in that short while, Renamon cried openly, not caring who saw her. She cried there for a good 10 minutes before she heard someone coming up behind her. She dried her eyes quickly and put on her usual cool exterior before she turned to see Sesshomaru standing beside her. She watched him as he got closer to her and sat down beside her. She waited to see what he wanted, but he just sat their and look straight ahead.

It was quite there for about 5 minutes before Sesshomaru said, "I understand what your feeling."

Renamon was surprised at what she had just heard, but she didn't let it show. She just said in a calm voice, "Really, and what would you know what I am feeling."

Sesshomaru continued to stare forward as he said, "The feelings you hold for Rika, they are a version of love rarely seen. It is not the love of a parent for their child. It also isn't the love of a husband and wife, or boyfriend and girlfriend. It is the love I have for Rin. All we want to do is keep them safe. We want to be the ones who protect them from the ones who wish to do them harm."

Renamon was amazed at what Sesshomaru was saying, it was as if she was an open book, and he was reading her feeling straight from their source. She turned her head down toward the hot spring and looked at her reflection for a while. She then said, "So, do you think we'll ever get Rika back."

Renamon suddenly felt a hand on her chin. It drew her head up and her eyes meet Sesshomaru's. She suddenly felt lost in those eyes, but was brought back to reality when Sesshomaru said, "I know we will get her back. It is the same thing that happened when Naraku kidnapped Rin from me. I would have gone to the ends of the world and back searching for her, and when I did find her I almost was defeated by Naraku."

Renamon asked, "What happened?"

Sesshomaru continued, "It was thanks to my half-brother that I got Rin back, and when the time comes to repay that dept, I plan to do it. Until then I plan to help you in any way I can."

Renamon just sat their stunned by what she was hearing, she then was able to bring her self back enough to ask, "Why?"

Sesshomaru let go of her chin, and stood up as he said, "I am doing it, because I know how it feels, to think you have failed the one you have protected for so long."

Renamon stood up beside him and they began to walk back to the camp, on the way Renamon asked, "So, any other reasons?"

Sesshomaru let a small smile appear on his face as he said, "I also am doing this because thanks to you, I am getting some quality time with my half brother, and you know how much he enjoys my company." Renamon then let out a small laugh as she caught the attempt Sesshomaru had made at humor. They were back at the camp in a few minutes and saw that nothing had changed except some people had turned over in their sleep. Renamon and Sesshomaru returned to their places by the fire, and for the first time in a week Renamon was able to sleep soundly.

Everyone woke up bright and early in the morning, and began to pack away their things as Renamon took the honor of cooking a quick breakfast. Once they had all eaten they began to head out again. Renamon and Inuyasha were in the lead, Miroku and Sango where a little ways behind them, Kagome and Shippo were behind them, and a ways behind them were Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin. They walked for about thirty minutes before Inuyasha said, "I was wondering; where did you run off to last night Renamon?"

Renamon just kept her calm demeanor and said, "Oh just was having a little trouble sleeping, so I took a short walk.

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulder and the group continued to walk in silence. They walked for a few more minutes when Renamon suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She had done it so suddenly the Miroku had almost run into her. He quickly regained his balance and said, "Why did you stop so suddenly? I almost hit you.'

Renamon took a few steps of the path and bent down. She picked up something that was unfamiliar to the rest of the group, and walked back to the group, the item clearly visible in her hand. The others saw it was a card with very strange markings on the back. When she returned Miroku asked, "What is that, is it a talisman or something."

Renamon simply shook her head, trying to hold back her tears. She then held out the card and Kagome took it. Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippo, and Sango looked over Kagome's shoulder and saw that the card had a picture of Renamon on it. Kagome and the others looked up at Renamon as Sesshomaru took the card to see for him self what was so interesting. After a while Kagome was able to say, "That's you on that card."

Renamon wiped away tear forming on her eye as she said, "Yes, you see digimon were believed to be only fictional monsters. So these trading cards were made. Each card had a digimon on it, and people would collect them, trying to get a certain set or something. I believe Rika was showing Shippo how to play the game before she was kidnapped."

Shippo said, "Yeah, but how did you get to be on one of these cards."

Renamon replied, "If you remember I am a digimon, and that card was a gift I had given Rika for her birthday. She already had one similar to it, but this one was special, read the last line, at the bottom of the card."

Sesshomaru looked down at the bottom and read aloud, "To Rika, Keep this card close, so I can always be with you." Everyone turned to look at Renamon. A few silent moments past before Sesshomaru walked up to the vixen digimon and placed the card in her hand. Renamon looked at the card for a few seconds and then at Sesshomaru and said, "Thank Lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru then turned and said, "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha replied, "What do you want?"

Sesshomaru ignored the tone of Inuyasha's voice and asked, "If I remember correctly you have a very keen sense of smell, correct."

"Yeah, so what."

"Why don't you try to pick up Rika's scent of this card? It may help us find Rika more quickly."

Inuyasha just grunted a little bit, and walked up to Renamon. Renamon handed him the card and Inuyasha began to smell it. He then gave the card back to Renamon and began to sniff the air. Soon he led the other off the path in the direction that Renamon had found the digimon card. They walked past the spot and after about 20 minutes of walked Inuyasha stopped and said, "There is a strong smell of Rika nearby by." Everyone looked around, try to find the source of the smell. Sesshomaru was the one to find the source of the smell. He walked over to a nearby bush and picked up another one of Rika's cards. This one was a simple hyper wing card.

Sesshomaru handed the card to Renamon and she said, "Yes, this is another one of Rika's cards. She must be dropping them every so often, trying to leave a trail for us to find."

Miroku then spoke up saying, "Well then I wonder. Are we at the beginning of the trail of cards, or somewhere in the middle?

Renamon replied, "We are at the beginning. Trust me, if I know Rika that first card we found would be the first one she would leave. She told me once she would do it, so that I would find it before the wind could pick up and carry it away. So I could keep it safe while she was in danger." Everyone nodded, accepting the explanation and began following Inuyasha to the next card. Renamon had decided to walk in back with Sesshomaru so Inuyasha wouldn't have to smell the new cards through the ones they already had.

They traveled the rest of the day by following Inuyasha, and the trail of cards left by Rika. When it began to get dark out the group decided to make camp for the night and let Inuyasha rest is tired nose. Renamon quickly went about counting the cards, and seeing what they had yet to find. Sango and Kagome went to go take a bath in a nearby spring, while Miroku and Shippo went about getting a fire started with Jaken and Rin's help. Sesshomaru had just sat down beside Renamon and watched as she laid out the digimon cards. After she had set all the cards onto the ground he asked, "Well, how many more are there to find."

Renamon turned, now realizing he was sitting right beside her. She then turned her head back to the cards and said, "If we haven't missed one along the way, there should only be three left to find."

Sesshomaru asked, "So, is that good or bad in your opinion?"

Renamon responded, "It just means Rika only has three cards left. It could mean were so close she didn't need to leave the last three behind, or that her trail will soon run cold again, once we have found the last three. It could also mean she is starting to loose hope and stopped throwing the cards, thinking it was a hopeless folly."

"Well what ever it may be, we can be sure of one thing."

"Yeah," Renamon said, sighing slightly, "It means were at least on the right trail for now, and that Rika is closer to use now then earlier today." Sesshomaru just smiled as he stood up and walked over to sit down by the newly lit fire. Renamon gathered up the cards and walked over to Kagome's bag, placing them in an empty pocket. About 15 minutes later Sango and Kagome returned, completely refreshed. Sango sat down on by the fire and was greeted by Kirara, who she began to pet softly. Kagome had begun to dig into her bag and pulled out a few packages of food, she then turned to the group and said, "I think it's a good night to eat these hot dogs. I also brought some stuff to make s'mores." Everyone brightened up at the sound of this except Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Rin. They merely looked at Kagome with questioning looks. Renamon saw this and said, "It's just some food from the modern times, trust me. I think you'll like it." Sesshomaru didn't agree with Renamon, but decided to try these, "hot dogs" anyway.

Sesshomaru was amazed in how short of time these strange things had taken to cook. Renamon had helped him get the concept when he was eating his first one, but after the Sesshomaru cooked and prepared them like he had eaten them his whole life. Once everyone had had a few hot dogs Kagome brought out the bags of chips she had always brought for Inuyasha and the others.

As Kagome handed out the bags she said, "I'm glad I decided to pack a few extra." She then handed a small bag of plain potato chips to Renamon and Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru looked at the colorful bag and wondered what kind of food it was. He was about to open his mouth to take a bite out of the bag when he looked over and saw Renamon had opened the bag and was eating something out from inside it. He took the bag and, using one of he claws, sliced the bags top off. He then looked down in the bag and saw the thin wisps called potato chips. He picked one out and said, "What is it?"

Kagome answered him by saying, "It's just a thinly sliced potato that has been fried." She then grabbed one from her own bag and popped into her mouth. Sesshomaru did the same, popping the chip he had in his hand into his mouth, and began to chew. He had to admit that it was pretty good, even though it was a little greasy.

Once everyone had finished there main course Kagome brought out the marshmallows, gram crackers, and chocolate. Sesshomaru looked at the strange things Kagome had brought out and wondered, "What now?"

He watched as everyone except Jaken, Rin, and himself began preparing their S'mores. Renamon was about to bight into her first one when she noticed that Rin, Jaken, and Sesshomaru weren't eating any. She stood, walked over to Rin and Jaken, and broke her S'more in half as she said, "Here, you can have mine," Rin and Jaken each took one half of the sugary treat. After looking at it a second they each took a small bite and their faces lit up as they enjoyed the messy treat.

By this time Renamon had returned to where she was sitting, and began to roast another marshmallow. She then noticed that Sesshomaru had taken a marshmallow and was now mimicking her actions. She asked him, "So, I guess that means you want to try one."

Sesshomaru turned his attention away from his marshmallow and said, "Well, I have tried everything else tonight and haven't been poisoned yet, so why not."

Renamon then chuckled slightly, and said, "Then you might want to keep an eye on what you're doing." Sesshomaru turned his head to see that the marshmallow that he had been roasting was now on fire. He quickly blew out the flame, but his marshmallow had already been burnt to a crisp. He took the marshmallow of the stick and threw it behind him. He was reaching for another when he felt someone taking his stick out of his hand. He turned to see Renamon was giving him her perfectly roasted marshmallow. He took the stick and pulled of the marshmallow. He looked at it a second and then said, "Now what do I do with this?"

Renamon said, "Take a gram cracker, and a piece of chocolate." She then pointed to the necessary items and continued to say, "You place the chocolate on the gram cracker, and then the marshmallow on the chocolate. You then take another gram cracker and place it on the marshmallow. You then give it a slightly squeeze to flatten the marshmallow and then enjoy." The lord of the west lands followed Renamon's instruction closely and soon was eating his first S'more.

Sesshomaru swallowed the last bite and said, "I have to say, that was quite good. I think I will have to have a second one."

Renamon watched as Sesshomaru prepared a second one without flaw, and thought to herself, "He really isn't that bad of guy. He is kind of like Rika, he has a strong as stone on the outside, but his heart is a little softer." She quickly returned her attention to her own marshmallow, and finished roasting it. They all enjoyed the meal and went to sleep as soon as they finished. The fire died out, and left them all to their sugar induced dreams. They would all have a good nights sleep, and they would need it. For in the morning they would have to continue their quest, to save Rika and defeat Naraku.