Sesshoumaru.

I heard Rin's scream, and I didn't hesitate at all. Even now, I'm unsure why I chose to save her, or even why I still take care of her. I guess my father's genes have affected me, too. 'At least I'm not going to fall in love with a human.' I scoffed at the thought.

I felt the presence of my idiot half-brother and his companions catching up to me. A week later and I still hadn't recovered from the fight with Naraku…so I couldn't run nearly as fast as I should have been able to.

"Sesshoumaru-samaaa!" Rin wailed. "Help meee! Jaken-sama!"

'Hmm…where is Jaken…' I thought. 'Oh well, no time for that toad now.'

Rin had stopped screaming now, but this just made me more worried. 'Worrying over a human child…' I shook my head. 'What's become of me..?'

I burst through the clearing, now with Inuyasha and that girl called Kagome right behind me. The three of us stopped short, however, as a larger-than-normal cat leapt onto the back of the huge rat demon that held Rin in a paw, growling ferociously.

"That's not Kirara…" Kagome murmured.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Inuyasha said sarcastically. "Because it's not like Sango's behind us now."

Kagome and I turned as Sango, Kirara and Kohaku arrived. Miroku ran into Sango, having tripped over a bush, and Shippo bounded over to Kagome.

"What's happening…who…what is that?" Shippo asked Kagome, pointing to the cat attacking the rat demon.

'Why is a cat demon defending Rin…they're fighting over food?' I realised suddenly. I decided to wait until one was dead, since there was no need to use up energy fighting two when I could kill one.

The cat growled again, sinking its teeth into the rat's neck. The rat flung it off, and it hit a tree. I could see quite clearly that the force of the throw had broken the cat's jaw.

'What…?'

The cat hissed, and its claws scratched every possible area as it leapt onto the rat again. A quick glanced showed that Kagome and Shippo were looking horrified, as the others tensed, waiting for something to happen. The rat turned as the cat sped up, then growled as the cat demon literally crashed into its side. I raised a hand, severing the rat's neck with the poisonous whip I so often relied upon. I flipped out of its way just as Kagome ran over, Inuyasha yelling at her to stay away. She glared at him briefly before just avoiding being crushed, and she froze. I shook my head at her stupidity, then ran forward and caught Rin just before she hit the ground.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" she squealed, hugging me tightly. I set her down, allowing Kagome to fuss over her, knowing Rin liked the attention. They had been introduced before the huge fight, and I was well aware of how much Kagome and Sango fawned over her. I was extremely wary, however, and waited for the cat demon to strike. A weak yowl came from under the rat's shoulder, and just as it dissipated, I realised I had been right at first - it had been defending Rin.

Rin's eyes widened, and she struggled out of Kagome's hug. She moved closer to the cat demon, amid gasps of shock, and just as I was about to reach over and pull her away, she tugged at the cat's fur gently.

"Chasuki-chan…?" she said softly. Then, louder, "Sukiii-chaaan?"

"Eh? Chasuki-chan?" Kagome looked puzzled. "Rin, do you know this…yeeek!" she jumped back as the cat demon twitched slightly. A pink tongue licked at Rin's hand gently, and the cat tried to stand. Collapsing, its transformation faded, leaving behind an unconscious woman.

"It's…a woman." Kagome said, startled.

'Really? I never would have guessed...'

"Chasuki-chan…" Rin said. "Was this all to save me…?" Chasuki groaned, then passed out.

I sighed inwardly. Rin was now thirteen, and the years that had passed since I had first rescued her had seen her growing up to be an intelligent but rather troublesome young lady. Even now I was pretty sure she had no idea how many people would fight to protect her.

"We should take her back to the village." I heard Kagome say. "After all, she helped Rin-chan."

"What? The village is where she was attacked, don't be stupid." Inuyasha retorted.

"Well then where?" Kagome replied.

"Uh…that is…" Inuyasha said, lost for words for once.

"We can go back to our home, right Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin said cheerfully, looking up at me.

'Oh…no. No. No, no, no. No way in hell, Rin. No. We can get those scratches of yours fixed, but otherwise, no.'

"Ok, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she repeated, giving me that infernal pleading look.

I sighed quietly. I turned and started walking in the direction of the Western castle after picking up the unconscious woman.

"Yay!" Rin cheered. She grabbed Kohaku and Shippo and literally started dragging them along. They were her best friends, actually, and they soon fell into step beside her.

Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha and Kagome were left to stare at our backs, then catch up with us.

"Wait a minute!" Kagome called out. "Can I at least fix her up a bit?"

"It can wait, she's a demon." I muttered. "She's not weak like you."

Kagome glared, but couldn't really do much to me. "Fine, but don't blame me when…when." she retreated sheepishly, having noticed that I was right, as usual, and that most of Chasuki's wounds were already started to heal up.

'Why am I doing this?' I wanted to stop right there and hit myself over the head. I was so weak when it came to what Rin wanted, she was that spoilt…

'Some great Lord I am…'