Chapter 4

A/N: o

"Inuyasha? Are you okay? You've been acting strangely since yesterday" Kagome asked gently pushing the bike up the hill, Inuyasha by her side. The hanyou had been remotely quiet ever since the incident with Kouga and much more irritable.

Sango stared towards Inuyasha in a bit of concern as well, looking over her shoulder towards Miroku. Shippo perched on Miroku's shoulder staring over towards Kirara on Sango's shoulder.

"What's the matter with Inuyasha?" Shippo whispered.

Sango blinked a few times, "I can't tell I mean when it comes to Kikyou…"

"But Kikyou and Kouga don't have any sort of relationship" Miroku continued, Kirara giving off a soft mew in response.

"That we know of" Sango added "Do you think they could?"

Miroku paused as if mulling it over. "Well that would make things bad on Kagome-sama's part for the fact if Kouga were to love Kikyou that would make Inuyasha lose his jealousy over Kagome-sama and have him constantly thinking about…."

"You know I can hear every word your saying!" Inuyasha spat turning around, Kagome holding comical flames around her body staring towards the monk. Miroku sighed a large sweat drop running down the back of his head. "How come I am always the one to blame!"

"Being a pervert does have its disadvantages Houshi-sama" Sango commented smiling glad that she wasn't receiving Kagome's death glare. Shippo eyes had grown beady, whispering to Kirara. "Kagome sure is scary…"

The group became silent after that, a different thought running through each members head. Kagome's filled with doubt, Inuyasha filled with anxiety and the others just wondering when things would be normal again.

Sango paused slightly standing perfectly still, Miroku pausing and looking towards her curiously. Her eyes widened as she stared forward her hand clutching the strap of Hirakotsu tightly. Inuyasha paused looking backwards to Sango's intense reaction, Kagome staring towards her a bit worriedly. "What's wrong Sango-chan?"

Inuyasha followed her gaze; a shadowed figure was walking towards them. A demon scent with long black hair, swishing as he walked, and a blue eye hid from under his bangs and he seemed to be staring at Kagome. "Wait Sango this scent is!"

Sango lunged forward over Inuyasha, a protective glare in her eyes. It wasn't like Sango to be rash like this, what had gotten into the slayer? Sango turned to the side releasing Hirakotsu as he merely hit it to the side with a hand. The giant weapon swirled towards the edge of the cliff, and if it wasn't enough on Sango's rashness she jumped for it. She grabbed the massive boomerang as she skidded off the edge of the cliff, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of brown dust.

"Sango!" Kagome said running forwards fear in her eyes as she landed on her knees staring over the cliff's edge. A soft hand wrapped around her waste, lifting her up. "I'm sorry about your friend Kagome; it's not like her to be so rash" "Kouga-kun?"

Inuyasha stared downwards, "Don't you have the least bit of regret, Sango could be dead!" Kirara rubbed up against Inuyasha's ankle confused, Inuyasha twitched in rage. Was Kagome really just going to let him flirt with her, when he just let Sango fall?

Kouga stared towards her, he almost looked attractive now, his black hair hung over his face, trailing down as long as Inuyasha's. And his eye was a perfect frost blue, the scar seemed to add a rough yet gentle look to the young wolf prince's face.

"I come to disclaim you Kagome, It has been an honor to be with you, when I've had this chance but I have sadly found another who I have a promise too, that I refuse to break."

Kagome smiled, a true one. "I'm happy for you Kouga-kun! Did you decide to go Ayame after all?"

Kouga smiled simply. "No, not at all." His blue eye met Inuyasha's golden ones now. A awkward silence rising between the two, as Inuyasha averted his gaze, Kouga continued to stare forwards.

"Inuyasha"

"Your serious hun?"

"You can tell?"

"Shut up, you wimpy wolf"

Kouga looked to the side, the wind blowing his long black hair to the side. "Inuyasha…take care of her."

Kouga slowly turned walking away as Sango heaved her body over the side of the cliff, her hair undone looking annoyed towards the figure, as she lunged Hirakotsu over the edge and then trembling pulled herself up as well. The peaceful moment was ruined do to that and Kagome knelt down hurriedly as well as Miroku and Shippo. Inuyasha looked down and then up towards Kouga to catch one last glimpse of him.

"Kouga!" Inuyasha called, Kouga turned around staring towards him over a shoulder. "Who is it?"

Kouga smiled simply. "Kikyou"

Inuyasha's stance shattered.

XoX

The morning had settled to dusk now and the group had been uncomfortably silent do to Inuyasha's and Sango's strange behavior. Although Inuyasha's wasn't as strange, it was as expected when it came to Kikyou and the jealous in Kagome was raging as ever. So the aura was pretty thick around everyone truly.

"Sango"

The slayer raised a brow looking towards the monk calmly, as if her earlier fury had been completely removed. This didn't make the monk's question any easier; he intended to break the silence between the three elder companions (along with himself) but couldn't seem to fix anything. Everyone's response was always silence but he sighed continuing anyway.

"What was with you today?"

She once again gave him that skeptic look and then paused looking to the side. She was the first to speak to him since the incident with Kouga so her words came out a bit softer then she had intended. "You mean with Kouga?"

Miroku smiled despite himself, finally someone was talking to him and Sango was his main concern for now, the others would just have to wait. "Hai Sango…you were very futile and reckless it wasn't much like you"

"He had a bad aura" Sango said distantly, "He was staring at Kagome-chan with such intensity I just went with my feelings…" Sango said finally. "I guess that's the reason, I can think of no other reason why I would be so…"

"Careless" Inuyasha finished, smiling a bit. "You acted before I could even tell who it was."

Kagome even seemed to come around a bit, smiling. "Thank you for worrying about me Sango-chan"

Still everyone silently wondered even as they sat quietly by the fire. What kind of inner demon was Sango fighting? As much as they wanted to believe it, as much as they strived to know was that the real reason? Could things go so easily back to normal? Silently everyone knew they couldn't, it was an unspoken agreement between everyone to not mention this day and to suffer alone. No one wanted to help the other for they had shared there own injuries from today, both physical and mental.

XoX

"Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Hai Rin"

The little girl's eyes were wide with fear and her body was shaken covered in sweat as she stared towards him. The girl seemed petrified with fear for a moment and her eyes brimmed with tears.

The lord stared towards the child, raising a brow. "Rin…What's wrong?"

The little girl stared up towards him, what were these horrible dreams that haunted her at night? What were these unbearable flashes during the day? Was something wrong with her? Why did she see something that was going to happen before it did? How could she tell her lord that she wasn't worthy that she was a broken girl, of no assistance anymore?

Her words shook from her tears as her brown eyes met his patient golden ones. "I am no longer of any assistance my lord. When is no longer a worthy human to travel in your presence? I am broken."

The lord stared down towards the girl, "You've been following me for two years Rin." His voice replied calmly as he stared towards the moon calmly. "And what ever possesses you to believe you are unworthy now and that you are broken? Is it because…I'm a youkai?"

Her eyes widened and she grabbed his arm in need. "No! I see things! Terrible things! And they happen! I see them and I don't want to anymore!"

Sesshomaru paused staring towards the girl. Could his mortal child see the future? He paused staring towards seriously, bending down and putting a hand on her forehead comfortingly. His eyes a bit gentle but his expression still calm, his feelings hidden behind his emotionless mask.

"What do you see?"

"I saw a man Sesshomaru-sama. A man who works for the man you after"

"Naraku?"

She nodded quickly. "He had long black hair and a scar over his right eye. He…hates me. He hates me because I'm human. He wishes me dead. He comes to find me… to take me away from my lord forever and as I go to scream, he turns me into stone. I can not breathe and I can not see and I can not move…Rin seizes to exist. He plans to do it to me, and…a miko….two mikos…and someone I don't recognize…but he wants her…for last. Because she will be fun to kill. He told me so."

Sesshomaru stared towards her, his brow furrowing. "Rin, this man you speak of is very real…He is your lords distant cousin Haiyaku."

Rin stared towards him, "Gomene my lord I didn't know….I told you was broken." She stared tilting her head down, "Gomene my lord….Gomene"

He paused. "Your not broken, just remember…I'll protect you"

Rin's eyes widened, "Forever?"

Sesshomaru smiled slightly, only a slight smirk. "Forever"

But Rin was right, she would turn to stone and so would her heart…

Authors Note: hahahaa! Enjoy o