A/N: Hi people! Guess what? This is chapter six! Yea! Ahem, ok, so, anyway...yeah. Sorry again for the ending of last chapter; hopefully it didn't bother you as much as it bothered me. Um, so, if you couldn't tell, the 'climax' is coming up. I do so hope it meets any (and all?) expectations; prob'ly won't, but I'm trying! Anyway, guess I could stop babbling. Onward!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Sometimes, when I dream, I'm Kagome...does that count? In reality, though, he belongs to Rumiko Takahashi; oh well.

Someone to Protect

Rin awoke slowly the next morning, her mind foggy and eyes unfocused. How long was I asleep? Why's it still dark? I don't even remember eating-the snake in the tree! He...he must have kidnapped me! Rin thought, gasping as the realization dawned on her. She blinked her eyes furiously for a few seconds to get them to focus, and couldn't supress the shudder at what she saw.

She was in the middle of an old, well-used, cell. It even had stone walls and a steel cage for an entryway. And it smelled; horribly. It was obvious that it hadn't been cleaned after it's last occupant had been removed...and something told her that they hadn't walked out. There was no futon for sleeping; only a small, dirty, formerly-white blanket. A blanket filled with holes, no less. These snakes obviously didn't care what condition their prisoners were forced to live in. Quickly realizing that it was the far left corner which smelt worst, she moved to the opposite corner and curled up, knees to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. Resting her chin on her knees, she watched the cage entrance intently, hoping to see...something. Preferably her lord; but movement of any kind would have been comforting; unless it was a snake.

When she realized that she wasn't going to get any company for a while, which she'd decided was better than one of her captors, she sighed and shut her eyes. Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, please save me! I do not wish to stay in this cell a moment longer than necessary; I don't want to meet these 'Snakes of the South', especially not trapped in their home. Please, hurry, my lord! Please. She thought, before she ceased her internall begging. It won't help. For one thing, he can't hear me. For another, he hates begging. It's weak, remember? Sure, I'm allowed every now and then; but begging in my head when he's nowhere nearby is not going to be one of those times. What else can I think of? Perhaps I'll ask to visit the mansion when this is over; rest a little. 'Rest', ha, that's funny, Rin. You can't rest there, the other demons don't like you. Why did I have to be born human? Why isn't there a sword to make me a demon? Then maybe Lord Sesshomaru-stop that Rin! Ugh, ok, maybe I'll ask to visit Kagome? No, we were just there a couple of weeks ago; Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't want to have to put up with Inuyasha again so soon. But, what else? Nothing, I suppose. Please hurry, Lord Sesshomaru. She thought, sighing in resignation.

-----------

"Brother," Suberiyasui, current heir to the Southern Lands, addressed Dokueki, "aren't you going to check on you prize? After all, she's probably awake by now. Even humans don't sleep that long."

Dokueki shook his head. "I wasn't planning on it. Why would I want to spend time with a human? They're entire existence is pointless, after all. I'll check up on her before dinner, maybe. How often d'you suppose I'd have to feed her, anyway?"

His sister laughed, her head thrown back and her pale green, waist-length hair bobbled with her laughter. "I imagine that she'll need to eat at least once a day. Though, if she's a typical human creature, she won't eat it at first. She'll probably think we're trying to poison her or something. Like we'd kidnap her just to have her die in her sleep; the thought processes of those...things, it's ridiculous! I mean, if we wanted-"

"Su, you're getting ahead of yourself again. You already answered my question; I don't care whether or not she eats every meal I offer her; it's her own health that'd go down hill. Besides, you know how suspicious humans are. Thanks anyway." Dokueki interrupted, turning and walking away. As he proceeded down the hall, he reverted to his true form, as it was more comfortable. He passed Reikoku in the hall, and they nodded briefly at each other.

"How's the human?" Reikoku asked in passing.

"Don't know; long as she's not dead, I don't much care." Dokueki replied before turning the corner.

Stupid boy. You should care; the worse off she is health wise; or, better yet, mentally, the better it'll be when Sesshomaru gets here. You should torture her, starve her, beat her without seriously injuring her. Make sure that, somehow, your scent lingers on her, even after death. I hear dog-demons are especially sensitive to those things. It'll eat at that canine better than any punishment we can inflict. Fortunately for him, he won't have to suffer it too long. I'll kill him once I believe he's suffered enough. He may think he's involunerable, but even 'the Great Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands' has a weakness; and my brother was fortunate enough to capture it. It seems that all dog-demons lately have weaknesses for humans. Perhaps it's an inherited trait...Reikoku though arrogantly.

------------

Jaken was getting more worried by the second. They'd been traveling, non-stop, for nearly 12 hours. Ah-Un was beggining to get tired, and Sesshomaru refused to stop. Eventually, the dragon wouldn't be able to continue without food and rest; and Jaken was also hungry. He was sure that Sesshomaru was tired of flying, and could use a meal, but as dense as he often was didn't mean Jaken didn't realize that if he suggested stopping for a rest and a meal that he'd be slain. And probably not revived. Sighing to himself, he resigned himself to waiting until they eventually fell behind. At least then they'd be able to eat. On the upside, he wouldn't have to be there to witness what Sesshomaru would do to the snakes.

Sesshomaru knew they couldn't travel much farther without pausing to rest and eat. He despised the idea of stopping to sleep and eat while Rin was in danger, but he knew that it was, ultimately, unavoidable. If he neglected his own needs, he'd be in no shape to rescue her and make her captors pay properly. Fortunately, he also knew that they wouldn't kill her until they thought they no longer needed her; and that wouldn't happen until he got there. So, for now, she was safe, at least from death. Though he wasn't so sure that was a good thing, he decided to stop at sunset. Much as he loathed it.

----------

Sunset came too quickly for Sesshomaru's tastes; and not nearly soon enough for Jaken and Ah-Un. Sesshomaru spoke just as the sun began to sink beyond the horizon, startling Jaken so much that he nearly fell off of Ah-Un. "We're going to rest for the evening. When we land, Jaken, you will find food for yourself and Ah-Un. I shall feed myself. When the sun rises in the morning, we'll continue on our way. Is that understood, Jaken?"

"Ay, m'lord!" Jaken replied quickly; even he could tell that Sesshomaru's mood had only worsened. Sesshomaru landed without a word, and, just as promised, immediately left to find himself something to eat. Jaken jumped off of Ah-Un and led him into the woods to find food and water. He tried hard not to think about anything else.

----------

Sesshomaru had killed his prey quickly and it was nearly cooked by the time Jaken returned with his own dinner of fish. Ah-Un fell instantly asleep, and Jaken joined him shortly after he'd eaten. Sesshomaru sat quietly and watched the fire for a few hours, unable to bring himself to relax enough to sleep. He was worried; and worse, he had a well-known weakness. Anyone who knew anything about him these days knew that he traveled with a human girl. Those who knew just a bit more knew that he protected her. Those who knew him well knew that he'd do just about anything for her; and that she was his weakness. Those, a fortunately small group, who knew him better than he'd ever like knew why all these things were true. Why he'd die for a human woman. It was the same reason his father had died for Inuyasha's mother. The same reason Inuyasha himself would die for Kagome. And it had only dawned on him, Sesshomaru, sometime in the past few hours.

I love her. I am in love with Rin. That is why I protect her; why I continue to allow her to travel with us. And why I was bothered by Inuyasha's words. Because he was right. I do love her, and I should tell her. But, what then? I suppose I won't know until I tell her the truth. Until then, I cannot afford to dwell on this. I must focus on saving her. Once she is safe, I'll tell her. Sesshomaru paused, taking a deep, slow, breath and taking the time to identify all the different scents. At our rate of travel, we should arrive at our destination in just under two days. So, in two days, I shall make them pay for any and all damage they have done to my Rin. But first, I must allow myself to sleep, or I will not be able to defeat them. As his thoughts trailed off, he slowly drifted off to sleep, ignoring Jaken's snores.

-----------

The sun rose too soon for Jaken's tastes, and he was about to roll over and try to get more sleep when he remembered why he was so tired. Rin had been kidnapped. Instantly he jumped to his feet, clutching to his staff, his eyes darting around to assure himself that he hadn't been left behind. He relaxed a bit when he saw Ah-Un getting to his feet and shaking his heads to wake himself up properly. Sesshomaru was waiting with practiced patience. Or, in this case, feigned patience. When Jaken moved to climb on to the two-headed dragon's back, he lifted into the air on his personal cloud. Ah-Un followed quickly, forcing Jaken to cling to his saddle desperately for a few minutes untiil he was able to right himself. This was going to be another long day.

----------

Rin cringed at the offensive sound of metal scraping the stone floor. She heard footsteps heading steadily in her direction moments after the other sound stopped. She quickly moved back into what she'd taken to calling 'her' corner. She waited, arms wrapped around her knees and eyes trained on the 'door' to her prison. She saw their shadow before she saw them. It was the snake that had kidnapped her. He sneered at her and glanced down to the untouched plate of food still exactly where he'd left it.

"So, you weren't hungry, hm?" Dokueki asked, scooping up the dish and tossing the food onto the floor. Cleanliness was clearly not a priority for him.

She glared at him, not responding to his teasing. He hissed under his breath when she refused to reply, just as she'd done last night when he'd delivered her food.

"You'll have to eat eventually; hopefully I'll feed you when you get hungry. If you want to waste away in here, well, that's your choice, really. I won't be happy if I have to force-feed you, though. Just keep that in mind, human." and he left.

Rin felt the burning sensation behind her eyes as tears threatened to spill. She'd been fighting the urge to cry since she'd awoken that first time. She'd barely gotten any sleep since she'd been there. She was tired, hungry, scared, and worried for her lord. She knew why she was still alive. She was bait. They knew as well as she did that he'd come for her; and they were planning a trap. As certain as she was that he knew it, too, she still worried. He may be extremely powerful; he may know that they'll be preparing for him, but he's still unaware of their actual plan. As am I. Oh, my lord, please be careful. As much as I wish to be free of this hell, I don't want to escape at the cost of your life. I would die if he was slain; especially while trying to rescue me. She thought as the tears fell silently down her face.

---------

Dokueki was leaving to gather himself a lunch when Reikoku approached him. "What is it, brother?" he asked curiously. His twin eyed him for a moment before responding.

"So, did she eat?"

"No, of course not. She'll probably only eat a little tonight. If she eats any. Why?"

"Curiousity. Tell me, Dokueki, would you mind if I were to pay her a visit? You know, introduce myself."

"Why would I? She's just bait; she needs to be alive, not the picture of health. Long as you don't kill her, I don't see the harm. Go for it. Have fun beating on a human, Reikoku." Dokueki said as he left.

"Indeed I shall." Reikoku said, more to himself, as he turned and headed inside. He smirked when he imagined her quivering in fear, bleeding and bruised as a result of their encounter. This should be fun.

---------

Rin had wiped the tears away, refusing to cry where they could see or smell it. She had no idea how long she'd be stuck there, and she was determined to avoid giving them the satisfaction of seeing her cry, or even knowing that she had cried. If she could help it, anyway.

Her eyes had drifted shut due to exhaustion and boredom. She was exhausted from fear and worry; not to mention lack of sleep. She was bored because, captive though she was, there was still nothing to do. Just as she had begun to drift off to sleep, she heard the noise again. Metal scraping stone. It was followed, as always, by footsteps. She set her face, forcing it to be as blank as Sesshomaru's usually was. The person, or snake, rather, that she saw, was not the one she was expecting. He looked similar, but it was very obvious, even in the dim lighting, that it wasn't him.

"So, you are Rin? The human woman that travels with that dog, Sesshomaru?" the stranger asked with a sneer.

She remained silent, allowing herself to glare at the demon. He, apparently, didn't like her glares either.

"Silent type, are you? Well, that's fine. That just means it'll be more work to make you scream in pain. How does that sound?" He paused, wondering if she'd respond. When she didn't, he transformed into a smaller version of his true form and slid between the bars. Once he was in, he returned to his 'human' form. He noticed with satisfaction that although her eyes betrayed nothing, her scent was spilling everything. She was afraid, and that was exactly what he wanted. "Allow me to introduce myself, then. My name, though you needn't remember it, is Reikoku. Now we're even."

Rin stopped breathing as the pale-haired snake demon with beady black eyes knelt down so as to look her straight in the eyes. She had to resist a cringe when he grabbed her by the collar of her kimono and yanked her to her feet. But he didn't stop there, he raised her until she was a good half-a-foot off the floor. And then his tongue slithered out and traced her jaw line from ear to chin. That time, she did cringe. He grinned.

"It's only natural to fear those more powerful than yourself. Especially when you're at their mercy, as you are at mine. Before I leave here, it will hurt for you to so much as flinch. Unfortunately, I cannot kill you. Yet." Reikoku threatened, smirking. Then, suddenly, he slammed her against the stone wall. Hard. The air in her lungs rushed out and she screwed her eyes shut tightly, no longer caring if he knew she was afraid, so long as she didn't cry in front of him.

"Well, woman, where should I throw you next? Though I don't suppose I've actually thrown you anywhere yet." And then he threw her into the cage and watched with sickening satisfaction as she slid to the floor, barely conscious. He took the two steps towards her and knelt in front of her again, slapping her to wake her up. "Wake up, filthy wretch, I want you conscious for what I'm going to do to you."

Rin's response was not something Sesshomaru would have been overly proud of. The symbol of not submitting would be approved, but that was where it would end. She shook her head and spit the small amount of blood that had formed in her mouth into his face. This, of course, amused Reikoku.

"Ah, so you do have a spirit. Good. That'll make this all the more entertaining." he hissed in her ear before he picked her up and slammed her, again, into the wall. Then he hauled back and smacked her, causing her to fall over. "Will you beg me to stop? If you did, I might listen. Well, will you?"

Rin glared in response before hitting him with all her strength. She knew it would only anger him, but she was raised not to give up. If she just let him toss her around, it would be surrender. And that wasn't how she'd learned to live. Of course, that time, he got angry.

Reikoku was surprised, to say the least, when she hit him. She didn't smack him, as most human women tend to do; she actually hit him. With her fist. She'd obviously been taught that a fist was more effective. Unfortunately for her, he was a demon, and no human was strong enough to damage him. Though he knew he couldn't kill her just yet. Instead, he opted for an old-fashioned beating.

---------

When Reikoku left, she was as he'd intended. Battered and bruised. She had a black eye forming and many other bruises along her back and arms and stomach, probably even her chest. After all, he'd hit her just about everywhere that'd leave a mark. She had a few cuts on her exposed flesh that had still been bleeding when he'd left. They'd probably stop before dinner. And then, maybe, in a couple of days, he'd repeat her lesson. Assuming Sesshomaru hadn't come by then.

---------

Rin was slumped against the side wall of her prison, barely conscious and in too much pain to cry. She wimpered a bit, and then cringed from the pain that caused. Which, in turn, caused more pain. 'Reikoku' had been right. She was in too much pain to flinch. Sure, she'd fought back, but it hadn't done anything. It hadn't even made her feel good. She was pathetic. She couldn't fight off a snake demon who was intent on beating the daylights out of her. I don't want Lord Sesshomaru to see me like this. But, if I recover before he gets here, I'll just get beaten again. I can't win. Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, please help me!

------------

The sun was setting on the second day after their rest. They'd only rested once since, but fortunately it wasn't that long ago. Jaken was wondering how much longer it would take them to reach the southern mansion when Sesshomaru spoke. "We're here, Jaken. Prepare yourself."

"Right away, my lord!" he squeaked, clutching his staff tighter and hoping they weren't too late.

-------

Sesshomaru nearly growled when he saw the mansion. There were only a couple of guards at the entrance; they obviously weren't expecting Sesshomaru until later. Probably tomorrow or the next day. With a graceful leap, he was off the cloud and had severed the heads of both guards with his poison whip. He landed silently and didn't wait for Jaken and Ah-Un. They would either keep up or get caught in their own fight.

He quickly ran down the hallway, following the scent of the demon that had captured Rin. He was nearby; along with four other snakes. Most likely his family. How fortuitous. It's time they learned an important lesson. Without another thought, he flicked his wrist and the door separating them fell apart. He heard, with satisfaction, the surprised scuffle on the other side of the doorway as they scrambled away from the destroyed door. Their hissing reached his ears before the door had even hit the floor, and it only served to irritate him.

When the dust had settled, and the snakes had nearly recovered from their shock at their guest, he made sure to lock eyes with each one of them, and finally his gaze settled on Dokueki. He slowly raised his left arm and pointed blatantly at the snake demon. "You are the demon which kidnapped Rin, are you not?"

"I am. Does that bother you, Sesshomaru?" Dokueki replied with a hiss.

"My son did only what was expected of him. You have tresspassed on my property; I do not appreciate that. For this, you will be slain." 'Lady' Hebi stated coldly. Moments after her statement, three snake guards lunged at him. A moment later, they were all dead. As the guards' bodies fell limply to the floor, the twins made their move.

Dokueki lunged first, fully transformed, and he managed to latch his fangs onto Sesshomaru's arm. Sesshomaru growled low and grabbed hold of the boy with his other hand, poison dripping from his claws. The younger twin yelped in pain and backed away, his left shoulder steaming.

Reikoku, the more cunning of the twins, wrapped Sesshomaru in his coils, effectively preventing an attack from his poisonous claws. He hissed into the dog-demon's ear; "Don't worry, I won't allow you to die until you see just what I've done that human wretch you travel with. And I'll make you watch as I devour her piece by piece. Then I'll kill you and we'll take over your lands just as we did with the south."

"That is what you think." Sesshomaru replied, refusing to rise to their bait. If this snake really did wish to lead him to Rin, he had no intentions to stop him. Though not slaying him right then and there was difficult, as he could faintly detect the scent of Rin's blood.

"Don't be absurd, Reikoku! If you take him to her, he'll free her. Slay the damn dog and get it over with, my son! Then tonight we'll feast on his human friend!" Their father, Uroko, hissed angrily. Reikoku nearly sighed in resignation.

"Fine, father. It seems your time's up, Sesshomaru!" Reikoku declared, baring his large fangs and preparing to deliver the 'killing' blow.

Sesshomaru, of course, had no intentions of becoming the main course of their dinner. As Reikoku reared back to bite him, Sesshomaru began to glow. This confused the snake; and his confusion only doubled when his fangs bit into thin air. At that moment, he realized that Sesshomaru was no longer trapped within his coils. Reikoku's head snapped up when he heard his brother hissing in agony.

Sesshomaru, who'd turned himself temporarily into a ball of light, had reappeared behind Dokueki and, without hesitation, shoved his right hand through the offending snake. Dokueki's scream was more of an elongated hiss of agony as his blood slowly flowed out of the gaping hole in his chest.

Dokueki spun around as quickly as he was able in his wounded state, intent on slaying the dog that may well have just slain him, but Sesshomaru was no longer behind him when he'd turned. Turning again, he saw Sesshomaru once again engaging Reikoku. Reikoku, as always, was doing better than he had in his fight against their newest enemy. Dokueki moved to aid his twin, but the poison Sesshomaru had released into his system was too painful to allow him to focus on anything else. With another cry of pain, he collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest. "Damn you, Sesshomaru! I hope...Reikoku...removes your head...and then, I hope...your wench...dies...slowly." he ground out, trying to push some of the poison out of his system.

Reikoku was strong, and fast, as were all good warriors. But he was only as strong, and fast, as a snake could be. He'd gotten entangled around Sesshomaru once by luck, but was having no such luck a second time. Every time he lunged at the dog-demon, he moves were countered. He lunged again, intending to trip him up with his tail while his fangs distracted Sesshomaru. Unfortunately for him, Sesshomaru was anticipating a distraction. When Reikoku lunged, Sesshomaru lunged, too. With two swipes of his deadly claws, Reikoku was forced to back off, as he was severely wounded.

Having watched his sons' battle with the 'great' demon lord, Uroko was enraged. Partly at them, for allowing Sesshomaru to best them, and partly at himself, for not destroying Sesshomaru immediately, instead of allowing his sons to toy with him. "That's enough fun and games for one night, wouldn't you agree, Sesshomaru?" Uroko stated, stepping forward and resting his hand on his sword-hilt. He waited for Sesshomaru to face him before continuing. When he'd turned fully around, Uroko continued. "My sons are a bit too young, it seems, to know how to fight such a seasoned demon lord. I, on the other hand, have been around for many centuries, and know how to fight, even slay, a demon such as yourself."

"Do you?" Sesshomaru replied, sounding almost bored. He knew that Uroko was overconfident; he always had been.

Uroko sneered, transforming into his true form. His true form was much larger than his sons', though this didn't surprise Sesshomaru. Uroko let out something between a hiss and a roar, and then he was flying across the small room at the regal dog demon.

Sesshomaru, having anticipated this attack, moved swiftly out of reach of his opponent's fangs and waited while the snake turned to face him again. When Uroko hissed, Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes dangerously and reflexively flexed his claws. With a snap, his deadly poison whip was arching through the air. He allowed himself to smirk as he saw Uroko see the attack, and both knew it was unavoidable.

Uroko spun as soon as he landed, looking for his speedy opponent. He hissed when he spotted Sesshomaru, but he failed to notice the significance of his claw-flexing until it was too late. His eyes widened to twice their natural size when he saw the whip, and he turned his head away to lessen the inevitable blow. He cringed and slithered back until his back was against the wall when it hit and the pain seared through him. True, it wasn't near enough to cause him to lose the fight, but it still hurt quite a bit. After a moment, he was able to glide away from the wall and face the Lord of the Western Lands with his head up. "Is that all you've got, Sesshomaru?" He taunted, flexing his own claws.

"I've had just about enough of you and your family, Uroko. Normally, I would offer you the opportunity to surrender, but I'm well aware that you would never consider such an option, and, quite personally, I do not feel like extending such a curtisy towards you. It is time that I put an end to your 'reign' over these lands; and make you pay for abducting Rin."

"Of course it is, oh great one. Sadly, no dog will ever defeat me, or my family. You may be a worthy opponent, however you are bound by a certain code of honor; we are not. That, Sesshomaru, is why we'll be able to defeat you, Ubenomaru of the East, and Koga of the North. That having been said, it is time I killed you." Uroko stated, his fangs dripping with venom as he lunged.

"That is where you are wrong." Sesshomaru said calmly.

To Be Continued...

A/N: Ok, yes, this is my pathetic attempt at a cliffhanger. I just thought that it'd be incredibly fun to cut it off in the middle of the fight and make you wait a little while before I updated it! I know, that's evil, but I've read so many stories where other authors do that, so I thought I'd take my turn. HA! Ahem, anyway, I do hope you liked this chapter. Maybe you'll even review? Please? Ok, enough of that. Now you must be patient, and I'll update soon! Bye!