This is the final chapter for this version of the story.
The demon Bonshoku continued to laugh as Rin struggled helplessly in his grip. Bonshoku stopped laughing and looked over at Sesshomaru, who was standing before the tree still, but his face was lowered and hidden in the shadows. " So Sesshomaru, what is it going to…" Banshoku silenced once he saw a pulse emerge from Sesshomaru. " What the…" He studied Sesshomaru more closely as another pulse emerged. Then, in a glimpse, he saw Sesshomaru look up at him with blood red eyes and a dangerous growl. Then, Sesshomaru was gone.
Bonshoku took a step backwards in shock. The trees began rustling in the wind and Bonshoku jumped at every slight sound. " Where did you go!" Bonshoku shouted in a fearful anger. He looked around cautiously for a moment longer, then began laughing again. " Do not tell me that you ran away!" He began laughing louder. He then brought Rin up to his eye level. " I guess you are just a useless human after all…well, perhaps not useless, you will be very helpful back in the tunnels underground." He said with a sneer.
Rin looked at him angrily then spat in his eye, causing Bonshoku to wince in disgust. " My lord would never run away from a battle!" She shouted back angrily at his insult to her lord.
Bonshoku only chuckled at her comment and rubbed the spit from his face. " Oh really? Then where do you suppose he's gone to?"
Rin opened her mouth, but she could think of no explanation to say. She knew her lord would not run away, but she did not know where he had run off to either. She hung her head in shame for not being able to defend her lord. Bonshoku looked at her with a wide grin on his face and laughed at her.
A large rumble shook the ground beneath them. Bonshoku looked at the forest floor curiously. Then it rumbled again, and again, each time the rumble grew in intensity, as if it were coming closer. It became so intense that Bonshoku began to lose his balance. He stepped forward to try to gain balance. He then turned around in the direction it was coming from. Many birds flew from trees, and forest creatures fled past them in fear. Bonshoku gritted his teeth at the intruder. Soon, the trees began to shake, and the sounds of others falling could be heard. Then, a large object crushed the trees in front of Bonshoku and Rin and they both gasped at the vision before them.
The object that had crushed the trees was a large leg that was covered in white fur and had a paw in place of a foot. Looking up the leg, it led to an even ferocious sight, that caused Bonshoku to step backwards in fear. It was the body of an enormous dog that lead to a face that was twisted in anger. It stood upon only three legs, but kept it's balance flawlessly. From it's growling lips flowed a green saliva that dripped from it's mouth and burned wherever it landed. The only thing that allowed Bonshoku to recognize the creature was its crescent moon mark upon it's forehead.
Bonshoku grinned madly. " Sesshomaru!" He was shouting, but only so the words would reach the large dog demon.
Rin's eyes widened. " Lord…Sesshomaru?"
" I am honored that you would need to transform to your true nature just for me! Now then…" Bonshoku threw Rin to the side roughly, causing her back to collide with a tree. Sesshomaru snapped in response to this. " …let's truly begin this fight!" Bonshoku stood in an attack stance, with his sword held high. The blade soon gathered winds that surrounded it. The winds turned dark and then flowed into the blade, causing it to turn completely dark as well. The jewel shard attached to the hilt began shining brightly. Bonshoku then swung his sword into the direction where the large dog demon stood.
A large tunnel of winds emerged, through them flowed a dark purple lighting. The raced towards Sesshomaru. They curved upwards and hit him directly in the chest. Dark winds surrounded him, erasing him from view. The dark purple lighting struck several times, and the winds roared fiercely. Bonshoku laughed uncontrollable as the winds battled over Sesshomaru.
Soon, the lighting faded, and the winds slowly descended into a mild breeze. Bonshoku stopped laughing so that he could view his victory. He did not see his victory however, as there stood the dog demon, growling as fiercely as ever. Bonshoku began backing away again. " No! It's impossible!" Bonshoku shouted.
Just then, the sun fell from the sky as the moon rose to it. It's white light flowed over the dog demon, allowing it to glow beneath it. Sesshomaru tilted his head back and let loose an overwhelming howl.
Rin began stirring on the ground, groaning in pain as she struggled to sit up. When she did so, she saw the large howling dog before her. Her eyes widened once more. " Is that really you, Lord Sesshomaru?" She stared in a daze for a moment longer, before panic struck her. She looked over to where Katuru had been thrown and saw him laying there unmoving. She began to stand, but fell back down as soon as she did. She forced herself to stand again, this time succeeding, and ran over to Katuru.
Sesshomaru looked back down and glared with evil eyes at Bonshoku. Bonshoku raised his sword for another attack. Sesshomaru lunged forward and snapped at Bonshoku. A moment later, in place of the arm that held Bonshoku's sword, was nothing but blood. Bonshoku wailed in misery and fell to his knees. He looked up to see his limb and sword in between the jaws of the dog. " You bastard!" Bonshoku cried.
The dog appeared to grin at it's victims misery. It's green saliva soon vaporized the limb, but did no harm to the sword. Sesshomaru then retreated back into the forest.
Bonshoku gripped the remains of his bloody arm, trying to stop the blood flow that was pouring from it. He growled in pain. Soon, he heard footsteps in front of him and he looked up.
Sesshomaru, now in human form, emerged from the forest, holding Bonshoku's blade in his one hand. He appeared to be studying the blade. As he stood before the kneeling Bonshoku, he finally looked at him. " It is indeed a fine blade. It does not even need the jewel shard." Sesshomaru then pulled the jewel shard from the hilt. He then effortlessly threw it into the air, and it flew miles away into the forest. " Just as I have no need of jewel shards."
Bonshoku clamped his jaw shut and gritted his teeth. " Damn you." He hissed.
" Silence, before I change my mind to put you out of your misery." In the blink of an eye, Sesshomaru released his poisonous whips and struck Bonshoku in several places. He then retrieved his claws. Bonshoku's body then separated into several pieces. His head, that lay alone on the ground, suddenly grinned, and remained that way.
Sesshomaru looked down at the head with disinterest. He then looked into the direction where he saw Rin thrown too, but didn't see her there. His eyes began to scan the area, before they caught sight of her, kneeling over Katuru.
Rin's tears fell upon Katuru's face. " But why? Why won't you let me?" She cried.
Katuru reached out and held Rin's cheek in his palm. He brushed away her tears. " Because, If I can't have you Rin… then I don't want to live. And I cannot ask you for your heart when I know it belongs to another." His words were struggled as he spoke them from his bloodied mouth.
Rin's eyes widened. She then placed a hand over his that was on her cheek, and rubbed her face in his palm. She closed her eyes. " Oh Katuru. I'm so sorry." She could not control the tears that came.
Katuru smiled. " You don't need to apologize Rin. No one can control their feelings. Just as you cannot help who you love, I cannot help who I love either." Rin's eyes opened at his words and she looked down at him. She cried even more.
" Please Katuru." She begged him one last time. Katuru simply kept his smile, and shook his head lightly. His eyes remained on hers, but she felt his hand go limp in hers. " Katuru!" She cried out at her loss of him and held him to her.
She looked up at the sound of a sword unsheathing. She saw Sesshomaru standing in front of them, with his Tensaiga drawn. " No! Don't!" She cried out and flung herself over Katuru protectively.
Sesshomaru looked at her with confusion and a little frustration. " Are you aware of what you are rejecting?" He asked in his stoic tone.
She looked into his eyes with sorrow in her own. She nodded. " I already told him that the Tensaiga could save him. But he…" She paused and looked down at Katuru sadly. " …he didn't want to be saved." Sesshomaru looked at her, then at Katuru. He then placed Tensaiga back into its sheath. Rin gently lay Katuru back onto the ground.
Sesshomaru reached out and laid his hand onto her shoulder. Rin looked at his hand, then up at his face. For a moment she saw his beautiful, angelic face. But then the image of growling dog demon flooded into her. She flinched from his touch and quickly crawled backwards away from him.
Sesshomaru looked at her curiously, then unemotionally. " We're leaving now. " He commanded, then turned and began walking away.
" Wait!" He paused when he heard Rin. " Please, can you…" He turned and awaited her words. Rin looked back to Katuru. " …can you help me bury him."
Sesshomaru lowerd his eyes to Katuru. He then walked over to him and lifted his body. He then began walking away. " Let's go." He called back to Rin, and she quickly followed him.
Moments later, they arrived at a spring, that was dimly lighted by the moon. Sesshomaru stopped as Rin walked in front of him. She laid her hand on Katuru's face and gently stroked away a few stray strands of hair. She then reached into her kimono, and pulled out the lavender flower she collected while in the field. She placed it in Katuru's closed hands, then slowly backed away. Sesshomaru then walked to the bank. He then laid Katuru atop the water and released him. He stood right after he released him and walked away. But Rin stood still and watched as his body flowed gently along with the water's current, and soon disappeared from sight.
" We will return to camp now." Sesshomaru spoke as he continued to walk back towards the forest. He stopped abruptly when he heard a loud cry. He turned slowly and saw Rin crouched on the stream's bank with her face buried in her hands. Her sobs were muffled by her hands, but they still came out loudly. " We are leaving." He said again, but she did not rise.
Rin continued crying as she lifted her head from her hands. " Bonshoku didn't kill him…I did! I killed Katuru!" Her words were filled with sorrow as she screamed them. " I could have saved him! If only I could love him! She then bent over in weakness and supported herself on her shaking arms as tears soaked the ground beneath. " Why? Why couldn't I love him?" Her voice was weak now. She heard footsteps in the muddied soil next to her and looked up. Unfortunately, once again, the vision of the fierce dog demon flooded her mind and she crawled away. " Stay away!" She regretted the words as soon as she spoke them, and covered her mouth with her hand.
Sesshomaru looked at her with emotionless eyes, and spoke in an emotionless tone. " Do you fear me Rin?"
Rin couldn't rid the fear that consumed her. " Forgive me. I was just…shocked." She knew that he could detect a lie. She sighed. " Yes." She honestly answered his question. She cried in shame in ever fearing him. " I'm so pathetic." She then lowered her eyes away from his.
Sesshomaru looked down at her with uninteresting eyes. He grabbed Rin in his one hand by her shoulder, and brought her to her feet gently. " Do you think that I would allow a pathetic human to follow me?" He then grabbed her chin and forced her head upwards so that her eyes met his.
She still saw no emotion in his eyes, but his movements and touch spoke otherwise. She choked back a sob. " No." She whispered the words as her voice was still weak from screaming. She noticed his face moving towards hers and she closed her eyes in anticipation. His lips then gently pressed onto her own and she moaned in bliss at finally receiving his kiss. He went to break away, but she followed him and crushed her lips to his. She tried to rush the kiss, but he wouldn't allow it as he kissed her back gently.
She then reluctantly pulled away for air. She was panting, but his breath was even. She looked up at his eyes. They appeared the same, but she saw the small emotion that was emergingin them. She smiled. " Thank you." She whispered, then leaned in to kiss him again.
…End…