I apologize for the late chapter, we had an 'interference' in our 'area' with out 'internet service'. -- I love Bell.
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Rin glanced about nervously. The cave walls were dingy and stained with smoke and the floor was littered with bones and straw. This level of dirt was something she hadn't been exposed to since before she'd joined Sesshomaru and it made her a bit nervous. What kind of bugs were hiding underneath all this rubbish?
" You going to be okay here girl?"
She turned to face Kouga. He was leaning against one of the walls and had his arms crossed. " Oh yes, I just...ah...was looking." She plastered a grin on her face.
" I know it's filthy but we haven't really had a reason to clean it until now. Ayame says she'll be down in a little while with some others to help clear stuff out and tidy it up for you though. Kagome said you'd been sick recently," he said that last bit as a question.
" Yes," she looked at the floor, " I wasn't quick enough to get out of the way and a demon fell on me."
" Heh," he laughed as he pushed himself away from the wall, " yheah that would do it. Listen, InuYasha told me that wolves make you nervous and I know..."
" Oh it's alright," Rin interjected quickly, " it's nothing anymore, really."
" Nah, I know those sort of fears affect humans for a long time. I just wanted to promise you we'll be on our best behavior." He snorted, crossing his arms and looking to the side. " Ayame's beaten that into the whole pack so you'll know they'll do it."
" Thank you, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
" Now," Kouga leaned foreword, " you can come and tell the pack about that Sesshomaru guy."
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" You put her with a pack of wolf demons?" Sesshomaru's voice was toneless but the chill in the air indicated his disapproval. " Even you are above such...vermin."
Kagome glanced between the two of them and sighed internally.
I guess dog and wolf demons just don't get along at all...
She got up and went to sit next to InuYasha.
" Sesshomaru," she looked him square in the face, " we both know you worry about Rin's safety but the fact of the matter is that anywhere you're likely to put her will be found out eventually. Either by the human's out there," she waved to the wall of the house, " or by demons in your own household who see her as a threat or a dishonor. Either way there's risks. We've put her with friends..."
InuYasha snorted.
"...friends," she repeated shooting him a dirty look, " who can take care of and protect her quite well."
" That is not for you to decide," Sesshomaru interjected. " I asked that you look after her while she was ill but that did not give you the right to make other desicions." He stood up and headed for the door. " I will go retrieve her."
" And where will you put her?" InuYasha stood up and headed for Sesshomaru. " Will you put her at that ocean side place you're building? Oh, surprised I'd heard about that place? Well it's no secret, in fact it's well known. How are you going to protect her from without and within at the same time?"
Sesshomaru fixed InuYasha with a cold look. " I will handle it myself."
" Please, Sesshomaru," Kagome came to stand by InuYasha, " we both care for Rin as well. I'm sorry we didn't consulte you first but there was no time. There's a war party camped near here and if they found out..."
His eyes narrowed and Kagome cut herself off. Sesshomaru gazed steely at both of them for several long moments before turning and walking out the door.
" Wow, that was probably the most love filled moment ever for you two huh?" Kagome went back to the table and sat down.
InuYasha snorted. " I'm all gushy inside."
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" Commander!"
The human sitting at a low table looked up.
" Report," he snapped at the young man who had rushed up out of breath.
" InuYasha has not joined his brother but the young woman who was staying with them got taken away by a small band of demons."
" An attack?"
" No, she took some things with her."
The man scowled, his eyes narrowing and exposing deep frown lines. " There's more here then I'd thought. See what you can find out who she was."
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Rin sat with her legs tucked beneath her on a pile of straw. All around her wolves and demons were moving and it made her distinctly nervous. Sesshomaru didn't have any wolf demons on retainer at his castle...
" So?" Rin's vision was obscured by a bright eyed woman who plunked herself down in front of her. " Cave cleans up pretty nice doesn't it? I swear though, men wouldn't touch water if they didn't have to drink it."
" It is a wonderful place my lady, thank you so much for keeping me here."
" My lady?" Ayame blinked at Rin in surprise for a few moments. " Oh that's not needed, you can call me by name. Now you don't need to be so nervous, we don't eat humans anymore. Plus you're a very nice young lady. Quite a few of the men over there have been eying you."
Rin glanced over at where a number of very young men were casting glances at her. " I know..."
Ayame took a look at her and then leaned foreword. " It's not those whelps who're making you nervous so what is?"
" Ah," Rin glanced around looking for an escape. " I mean it's just...um...I'm afraid wolves make me nervous." She looked sheepishly at Ayame.
" Why? Something happen?"
" I was..." Rin's eyes darted across the pack, " I was killed by wolves once."
" Killed by wolves?" Ayame left a lot of her questions hanging in the air.
" It was just after I met my lord Sesshomaru and I..." she stopped for a moment. " My village was attacked by bandits you see and then wolves came while I was running...Jakken says that Sesshomaru-sama brought me back from the land of the dead."
" Hmmm," Ayame rocked back and contemplated Rin for a few moments. " I think it might be best, when you tell the pack about Sesshomaru, that you leave that part out."
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Sesshomaru listened with a mixture of annoyance and grudging respect as one of his generals informed him of the death of one of his allies. It sounded, to his ears, far too much like a trap. A draw, a lure to bring him in. Human alliances, he knew, were such where they often attacked to avenge the death of one. Such foolishness was left out of demon alliances though. If he couldn't survive he didn't deserve to live and any of his retainers worth keeping would already be on their way to serve him.
He sat back to think. He wasn't troubled by any friendship with Ryou-ni but the fact that he'd been destroyed suggested that the humans were stronger then even he had suspected. Ryou had been a significant fighting force, not someone easily taken down. His loss would be a small blow to Sesshomaru's plan.
" The humans seek to draw us in,." His hand waved over the map, seeking and finding a spot near Ryou's death that had a large camp of humans. ", their goal is to start a conflict on their own terms."
A boar demon stepped foreword. " My lord we cannot stop a retaliation by the lesser demons. They will not sit by and let revenge slip from them."
" Slip from them?" Sesshomaru's cold golden eyes slid up to meet the boar's. " They would have their revenge ten fold if they were any better then fodder. No, their pointless deaths are fine as long as they don't cause the humans to attack before we want them to."