A/N: Hello again, everyone! Here's chapter 3, hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I was born and raised in America; therefore, I am not Rumiko Takahashi. I am, however, looking forward to owning season 2 on DVD, when it comes out.
Someone to Protect
Sesshomaru woke first, as he always did, when morning came. He stood gracefully and surveyed the area, more out of habit than necessity. Jaken was snoring beside Ah-Un, who was sleeping peacefully. Rin's now-clean kimono was nearly dry, between Jaken and the spot where the fire had been the night before. Rin herself was sleeping peacefully against the other tree, curled into a ball. He paused in his survey to watch her sleep for a moment, noting, not for the first time, how calm and happy she looked when she slept. And, if he were being honest with himself, how beautiful she truly was. He quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts and averted his gaze elsewhere, lecturing himself for allowing such thoughts.
Jaken's snoring stopped abruptly with a snort, and moments later he heard the imp scrambling around and putting Rin's spare kimono away, along with the blanket. A movement behind him told him that Ah-Un had also awoken, and that Rin was now the only one still asleep. As these thoughts crossed his mind, Jaken hurried forward and poked her shoulder with the Staff of Two Heads. "Wake up, Rin, it's time to go! If you don't wake up, then we'll just leave you behind."
"I'm up, Master Jaken, stop poking me." Rin mumbled through her hair, as it had fallen into her face during the night. Jaken stepped back and huffed, crossing his arms. Rin yawned and brushed her hair back before standing and stretching. Then, with a smile still laced with the remnants of sleep, she said, "Which direction are we headed today, Lord Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru glanced at her from over his shoulder briefly before replying, "East, Rin." And then he began walking east, just as he'd said. Jaken scurried and fell into step behind his lord, another day of traveling ahead of them, while Rin stayed back to walk beside Ah-Un.
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They'd been walking for many hours in companionable silence, and the sun was high overhead, though it was only mildly warm. Rin had fallen asleep on Ah-Un's back, and had been sleeping peacefully. Jaken was silently following Sesshomaru, holding Ah-Un's reigns in one hand, and his staff in the other. Sesshomaru was walking well ahead of them, his long hair blowing lightly in the soft breeze. He paused when he thought he heard Rin mumble something that sounded like "...no, please don't...", and was about to brush it off when she screamed.
Rin's scream pierced the air and she flailed once before rolling over, and off of Ah-Un. Jaken had nearly jumped out of his skin when she shrieked, and was turned half-way around when he realized she was falling, still sound asleep. Just as he'd realized this, however, her decent was halted before she hit the ground, as Sesshomaru caught her effortlessly in his arms and stood, still holding her. The dragon snorted it's displeasure at the loud scream from a moment ago, and Jaken took a tentative step forward. "Um, Lord Sesshomaru, should we wake her?"
"Leave her to me, Jaken. Take Ah-Un and go fetch some water from the stream nearby." Sesshomaru stated, never taking his piercing golden eyes off of Rin's sleeping face.
"Ay, m'lord!" Jaken squeaked, tightening his hold on the reigns and hurrying off towards the stream.
Once they were gone, Sesshomaru turned and walked over to a tree, and sat down, still holding Rin in his arms. She was still sweating and cringing, but she'd stopped moaning, which he took to be a good sign. After a moment, she rolled into his chest, burying her face in the crook of his arm. He sat there for a minute, watching her sleep, before finally deciding to wake her. Adjusting her slightly, so that she wasn't quite so snuggled against him, he gently traced her face with his right hand. When he spoke, he spoke softly. "Rin, you must wake up."
Dream/Flashback:
"Rin, you must wake up!" Her mother's frantic voice penetrated her nightmare, and the nearly six year old Rin slowly opened her eyes.
"What is it, Mommy? Was I making too much noise?" It was then that she noticed the smoke in the air, and the fear on her mother's unusually pale face.
"No, sweetheart, but we need to leave. We need to leave now, and you can't take anything with you. Quickly, get up, take my hand, and don't make a noise, alright?"
"Ok, but, why?"
"Hush, Rin, hush!" Her mother whispered harshly, holding a finger to her mouth as Rin took her other hand. Suddenly the little girl got scared and she was clinging to her mother's hand for all she was worth. As soon as she was off the bed, her mother was dragging her out of the small hut and away from the burning village.
When they'd cleared the village, her mother stopped and glanced over her shoulder before continuing on. That pause had given Rin an opportunity to look at her former home, also, and what she saw confused and frightened her. The village was nearly destroyed, every home, both large and small, was on fire. And if she really listened, she could hear screaming.
"Mommy, where's Dad? And my brother?"
"They're not coming, Rin, I'm sorry. Now don't look back, you have to keep up, ok?"
Rin paused, not wanting to leave her life behind, even if she still had her mother. Eventually, though, she nodded, and together they went in search of a new village. One that eventually got hit by another group of bandits; and sent Rin on a search for yet another, this time without her mother. And while she was traveling, a voice, a familiar, trusted, voice, flowed through her mind: "Rin, you must wake up."
End Dream/Flashback
"Rin, you must wake up." Sesshomaru repeated a bit more firmly. He noticed her brows furrow momentarily, and then her eyes slowly drifted open, blinking to adjust to the light of the sun.
"L-lord Sesshomaru? What is it?"
"You were having a nightmare, and you fell off of Ah-Un. I sent Jaken to get you some water."
"Oh. I'm sorry if I disturbed you, my lord." She paused, noticing for the first time that she was actually in Sesshomaru's arms. "Um, did you catch me, my lord?" She asked, blushing, yet proud of herself for not stuttering.
"Would you rather I hadn't?"
"No! Thank you, Lord Sesshomaru."
"You are welcome, Rin. Can you stand?" He asked, not completely wanting her to say yes, but knowing it was better that way. When she nodded, he stood, and gently placed her on her feet. He waited until he was certain that she wasn't going to topple over for any reason before removing his hand from her shoulder.
Rin had just opened her mouth to thank him again when Jaken returned with the water. "Ah, Rin, you're awake. Well, you'd better be thirsty. You should drink this anyway, it'll help keep you from feeling faint."
"Thank you, Master Jaken." She said, accepting it politely and drinking her fill.
"You know, you really shouldn't scream like that. You're voice gets very loud sometimes, and it hurts our ears." Jaken stated, nodding his head in agreement with himself. Rin paused in her drinking and looked at him.
"I screamed? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt anyone's ears."
"Well, you should be-" Jaken began, only to be interrupted by Sesshomaru.
"Leave it, Jaken. Rin had no control over what she did, as you well know."
"Of course, m'lord." Jaken said quietly, averting his gaze from that of his lord's.
"Good. Now let us continue." Sesshomaru said matter-of-factly, resuming the walk. Jaken, Rin, and Ah-Un quickly fell into step behind their lord.
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They had only traveled a small distance after their impromptu break when Sesshomaru stopped again. Rin had just stopped, in order to avoid walking into the great dog-demon, when Jaken walked into her legs, causing her knees to buckle. Losing her balance from the collision, she accidentally toppled face-first into Sesshomaru. "Hehehe, sorry, sorry!" Jaken mumbled, not looking up.
"Sorry, my lord! Master Jaken, watch where you're going!" Rin stated, regaining her balance. Then, she asked, "Um, why did we stop?"
In response, Sesshomaru returned his gaze to the sky, where they could see a large falcon-demon circling above them. As they watched, the demon bird landed in front of Sesshomaru, and then began glowing a grey-brown color. When the lights finally subsided, the falcon was gone, and in its place was a demon that more resembled a man. He was tall, though not as tall as Sesshomaru, and broad-shouldered. He had dark brown hair that was laced with grey feathers, and fell to mid-back in a high ponytail. He had piercing black eyes, and nearly no visible white surrounding them, and a slightly pointed nose on his long face. He also had a darker complection than most demons and long, bony fingers with talon-like fingernails. He wore a rich blue kimono underneath sharp, black armor. His armor covered his chest and both shoulders, and it was tied with a grey ribbon that somehow exactly matched the feathers in his hair. He also had a sword at his hip. "So, Sesshomaru, what brings through my forest this time?" He said as he stood, placing one hand at his hip and grinning ever-so-slightly.
"Ubenomaru. I believe you know the answer to that." Sesshomaru replied calmly.
"Sure I do. It's the same every time 'just passing through, don't mind me'. Right? Right. Well, while you're here, I think there're a couple of things you should be caught up on, anyway. When was the last time you got a report on all the 'official' crap that's going on?"
"Two months ago."
"Oh, well, then, you definitely need to be caught up on things." Ubenomaru stated plainly, glancing behind Sesshomaru to observe Rin and Jaken. Jaken immediately spoke up.
"We can wait here, m'lord, don't worry!"
"See that you do, Jaken." Sesshomaru stated, following Ubenomaru to another part of the forest, where they couldn't be overheard.
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"Um, Master Jaken, who was that demon? How do he and Lord Sesshomaru know each other?" Rin asked, completely baffled at what had just taken place.
"That was Ubenomaru, a falcon demon and Lord of the Eastern Lands. He and Lord Sesshomaru have an alliance, of sorts, just as they do with the lords of the Northern and Southern Lands. Whatever he needed to speak to our lord about must have been business, else he wouldn't have disturbed us during our travels." Jaken explained proudly.
"Oh, I see. So, who are the lords of the other lands, then?"
"Well, those wolves, Koga and Ayame, are the Lord and Lady of the Northern Lands, though you should know that. And the Southern Lands have been going through trying times, but, last I checked, they were run by Lord Morumotto and Lady Nezumi. But, that was as of three months ago. You wouldn't know who they are."
"Oh. Thank you, Master Jaken."
"If you're to travel with us for the duration of your mortal life, then you should at least know the name's of the other Lords and Ladies."
"So, who is Ubenomaru's lady?"
"Her name is Lady Taka. They're both very respectable demons." Jaken replied, before launching into yet another long-winded rant.
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Ubenomaru stopped walking once they were far enough away from Sesshomaru's traveling companions to prevent being overheard. He turned to properly face the Lord of the Western Lands, and paused a moment before begining his story. He knew that the news he had would not leave the demon lord in a good mood. Quite the opposite, actually. I'll be lucky to survive this little impromptu meeting; well, if he had no control over himself, then there'd be cause to worry. It'll be the snakes that have to worry. He thought, taking a deep breath to begin.
"You're aware of the leadership problems in the Southern Lands, correct?" Ubenomaru began.
"Of course. I assume the situation has changed recently?"
"Yes, and not for the better, I'm afraid. Morumotto's been killed. The snakes overthrew him, and then ate him and his youngest daughter just to rub it in. The elder son escaped, though no one's seen any sign of him since. Nezumi's being held as a captive. They've threatened to eat her, too, if her son doesn't return. I doubt he's gotten the message, though. Besides that, they'd probably eat them both if he did surrender himself."
"So the snake's are officially in charge of the south? Which ones?"
"Uroko and Hebi are Lord and Lady; the twins, Reikoku and Dokueki, are in charge of their warriors; the eldest daughter, Suberiyasui, is the official heir."
"I was under the impression that Suberiyasui had an elder brother called Doku, what of him?"
"Doku was slain, either yesterday or the day before, somewhere on the edge of my forest. I got word this morning that if I didn't bring them the head of his killer, they'd begin a takeover of my own lands. While I tried to explain that his death was, by no means, my fault, they made it very clear that their son's death was only a legitimate excuse to attack." Ubenomaru paused, locking gazes with Sesshomaru. "You mean to tell me you don't know?"
"What are you refering to, Ubenomaru?"
"I investigated the sight of Doku's death. I know who killed him."
"Who, then?"
"Sesshomaru, have you ever met the snakes?"
"I met Uroko once, three years ago, and I intend to never repeat the experience. Why?"
"Because, I thought you knew them all. Then again, I suppose I should've figured better, I haven't met them all. But, getting back to your question; you killed Doku. Yesterday, I believe."
Sesshomaru was silent for a long moment, digesting this, and then it hit him. The snake that had attacked Rin late yesterday afternoon. That snake must have been Doku. "I remember slaying a snake late yesterday. If what you say is true, then it must have been him."
"That's what I'd assume. There's an additional problem, though. They know you did it. I'm sure their threat to me was only a formality; but I'm also sure that they won't just ignore the fact that you killed their son. And no matter what your excuse for it is, they won't rest until they've slain you, or died trying."
"Then they'll quickly learn the error of their ways. I have no truce with them, as they came into their power inappropriately. Thank you, Ubenomaru, for your information. Is there anything else?"
"Just out of curiousity; why'd you kill him? You couldn't have thought a snake was a threat to you personally. Did it have anything to do with that human girl you travel with?" Ubenomaru asked, not missing the glare that flashed across the other lord's eyes, no matter how brief it was.
"Doku attempted to make her an evening snack. She is under my protection, therefore, I killed him." Sesshomaru replied after a moment's hesitation.
"Right, I'd heard she was your ward, but, what happened to 'all humans are pathetic and should either stay out of my way or perish immediately'?"
"That is not pertinent to our current situation."
Ubenomaru sighed. "Of course not. But, you should know; it's not just you they'll go after. They'll go after her, too. Her scent was still in the area, just as yours was."
Sesshomaru nodded in understanding; The snakes will, undoubtedly, make another attempt at Rin. And they shall be most disappointed with the results of those attacks.
Their conversation done, the two powerful demon lords turned to walk back to the group just as Rin's high-pitched scream once again sliced through the air. It was followed moments later with a burst of fire that could only have been Jaken's Staff of Two Heads. Sesshomaru quickly ran towards them, one hand resting on the hilt of Tokijin. Ubenomaru followed behind him, fearing he recognized the scent of the offending demon and flexing his long talons in preparation.
When they got there, Jaken lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious but otherwise unharmed, and Ah-Un was blocking the path of a large snake demon, who had Rin in it's coils. She was also unconscious, and bruised. The snake turned it's head when the two lords appeared. Ubenomaru spoke first. "What are you doing? You'll put that girl down, or I won't be responsible for your death, got it?"
"I'll not obey you, O' Lord of the East. This girl is responsible for the death of Doku; I'll take her to my lord and be greatly rewarded."
"I tried." Ubenomaru said, stepping aside and allowing Sesshomaru unblocked access to the snake. It hissed as it recognized the dog-demon.
Just as it braced itself for a fight, Sesshomaru lunged, Tokijin in hand, and neatly sliced it in two. He sheathed Tokijin just as the snake began to fall, and it's grasp on Rin slackened. He caught her effortlessly for the second time that day and jumped gracefully out of the way of the now-dead snake. He landed near Jaken and Ubenomaru, both of whom were watching him. "My lord, I tried to protect her, but he came at me so quickly! Please don't be angry!" Jaken squeaked, bowing deeply and secretly wishing he was still unconscious. Sesshomaru ignored him.
"You'll need to clean that cut on her forehead, or more demons will come after her. My palace isn't far, you can clean her up there. Follow me." Ubenomaru offered, walking away. Sesshomaru followed, as did Jaken and Ah-Un.
"You knew that snake. Was he related to Doku?"
"No, that was the messanger that I met with earlier today. His name was Gara. I'm sorry; I had no idea he was still in the area, or I'd have warned you about him. Is the girl ok?"
"She will be." Was Sesshomaru's short reply. The rest of the walk was silent.
To Be Continued...
A/N: I don't know if you can call this a cliff-hanger or not, especially since I'll probably post Ch. 4 up at the same time. Oh well. If you want, you could always, y'know, review. Or you could wait 'til the end of the updates; that's what I do. Anyway, I hope you're liking it so far!