Quick note: I'm having difficulty recalling if the mohawk friend of Kouga's is Ginta or not but for until I can get that clarified he's going with it.
v
VvVvVvVvV
v
Rin peered around the boulder. She wanted to leave the cave, even just for a few moments, but the entrance was full of wolves and demons. She sighed.
Guess not today either...
" Looking for somebody?"
Rin startled. Looking over her shoulder was what appeared to be an adult wolf demon with shoulder length blond hair.
" No, not really..." She trailed off.
" Wanted to get outside huh?"
Rin eyed him. This was a wolf demon...he couldn't possibly be as innocent as he looked but at the same time...
" Just for a little bit." She straightened up a bit. " I'm Rin, I don't believe I've met you before," she trailed off, making it a question.
" Oh I think we have," his eyes twinkled merrily. " I'm Ginta."
She looked blankly at him for a few moments, her forehead creasing as she searched her memory. " Ginta..."
He deflated a bit. " I met you when you were much younger," he started to explain, " and I had less hair. I had a streak of it down my head and it was all sticking up like this." He pushed his hair together with his hands so it stood up.
" Ah, I think I remember you," Rin said, clapping her hands together. " You were with that other fellow...at the river?"
" Yes," Ginta looked pleased. " That was a stressful time."
" Why," Rin asked quizzically.
" Oh, we were just afraid Kouga would pick a fight with Sesshomaru..." he looked off to the side. " Or that..well...you know."
Rin just looked at him.
" Well, it's just...yheah. We got told by our wolves that they'd attacked you and we thought you would tell..."
" You...were the ones..." Rin looked at him blankly for a minute. Ginta looked at her nervously, this wasn't heading in a good direction.
" Thank you for your time," Rin turned and walked toward the entrance. Another demon got up to go with her but she said something and he settled back down.
Jumping slightly at the arm that dropped down on his shoulder, Ginta looked over to see Kouga looking off in the direction that Rin had taken. The wolf demon's face looked strangely blank and Ginta shivered with an ominous feeling of anticipation.
v
VvVvVvVvVvV
v
Sesshomaru watched impassively as the plain in front of him filled with armored figures. Priestesses protected by groups of heavily armored warriors marched out toward him. Clearly the forces were more then that of a single warlord.
Several must have banded together when they learned I was building an empire
Standing in front of a host of demons he impassively viewed the building force in front of him. Even confronted with the impressive man power he knew that he could have dealt with them all eventually except for the one factor.
Priestesses.
There were likely monks in there as well, but they were less visible. The flowing white and red of the shrine maidens however...those stood out. Easy targets they might seem but one well trained one could probably pick off a horde of demons before being overwhelmed. Add the escort around her and this would be a costly battle for both sides.
He narrowed his eyes. Cost did not, would not, concern him.
v
VvVvVvVvVvV
v
Rin started running for the trees before even realizing why. Around her the whistling noise grew louder before it became intermixed with the yelps of the injured and the sharp ping of metal nicking stone. A sharp pain in her hip caused her to falter and trip and she fell hard. Without even pausing she tucked into a roll, biting her lip enough to bleed as she felt a shaft enter deeper into her hip before angling back and snapping.
Fire...my hip is on fire...
She continued her roll, there was no way she could get into the trees cover on her feet. Deep thunks told her that arrows were whizzing into the soul near her head. She kept a desperate eye on the tree line so close...so temptingly close.
v
VvVvVvVvVvV
v
Kouga's immediate concern was finding the archers and destroying them. He ran up the mountain side in bounds, intent on the area where the arrows were taking to the sky. Avoiding getting shot by leaping out of the way at the last second he grew angrier with each step, almost reach full rage when suddenly he smelled blood.
Human blood.
Behind me?
Kouga looked over his shoulder and scanned the ledge below. The bodies of his fallen comrades and...there...the human girl was rolling toward the trees as arrows fell thickly around her, leaving a trail of blood.
A sound of frustration welled up in his throat. " Great, just fucking great." He ran downhill for her. " InuYasha's always giving us fucking trouble."
v
VvVvVvVvVvV
v
Rin panted heavily. Her heart felt like it was trying to crawl out her mouth and she could barely hear the zing of arrows or yells of the injured past it's pounding. The pain in her leg throbbed, demanding her attention.
Sesshomaru-sama...
A rough hand pulled her up, jarring her leg so badly she lost her breath.
" Get up, we're getting out of here."
She blinked back tears of pain and found Kouga slinging her over his back.
" You have to treat a girl gently," a soft voice commented from behind them.
Who?
A moment of light and an agonizing pressure on her wound caused a moment of the purest pain Rin had ever known before she gave into the blackness that coated the edge of her vision
v
VvVvVvVvVvV
v