He snarled as he knocked the bag carrying her scent off of A-Un's back. She tricked him, toyed with his senses and sent him on a wild boar chase.

Even as he seethed, he had to appreciate her cleverness. Of course her bag with all of her belongings, the bag she laid her head on every night would carry the bulk of her scent. He'd underestimated her by far and away, she was clearly in a class of her own.

A human girl had just sent him on a chase for the better part of an hour and by the looks of it had A-Un chasing nothing powder on its' own nose for more time than that.

He rubbed the powder off the nose of the beast and pulled its reigns in the opposite direction. Nightfall had long since fallen and he'd be damned if she reached the campsite before him.


Rin trudged slowly through the night, the extra weight of the man slowing her down tremendously and yet that didn't slow her step as much as the thought of what would await her at the campsite if she ever reached it.

She looked at the man behind her and wondered what Sesshomaru would say, if he'd say anything at all. Admittedly she hadn't thought this through, this man would only slow them down and that would be the best possible scenario.

What if he was a slayer without an affinity for demons, she would be dragging him to his death. She might be doing that anyway, who was to say Sesshomaru wouldn't kill him for the sake of lightening their load. She grit her teeth in response to that thought, she wouldn't let him.

She'd never thought of him as a ruthless killer, because he wasn't. Of this, she was sure. After all, he'd gone out of his way to save her so many years ago and allowed her to follow him even now. Yes he'd been distant and more belligerent lately but so had she, they were getting used to this new dynamic of theirs and it would take time.

Nonetheless she knew this wouldn't go over seamlessly with him and resolved herself to protecting the slayer until he could fend for himself. She had to get back to the cite and get to her medical kit, the slayer didn't have long if he could get treated soon.

It was nearing dawn when she could finally make out A-Un in the distance by a low and well tended fire, she groaned; that meant they were awake and although no one had ever called her cowardly she shrinked at the idea of facing them now in her state of fatigue.

Instead she huffed and pulled to her left towards the water she'd told them she had gone to so many hours ago and nearly collapsed by the bank. She kneeled by the water and took a moments rest before beginning to tear the cloth and material off of the wounded demon slayer. She slowly and gently started rinsing the dried blood, mud, and dirt off his body in order to get a clear view of what she'd be working with.

She prayed that she hadn't overestimated her own skill, after all she was certainly no Kagome or even Kaede, but she'd done enough work alongside them to know a few things. As she opened her cupped hands to allow the water to rinse his facial features, she jumped at the sound of an all too familiar squawking.


"You insolent child! Have you gone mad?" Jaken shouted as he marched towards her.

Rin looked up to find Jaken and Sesshomaru standing not fifteen feet away, watching her work. She opened her mouth to retort and instead went mute.

Although Jaken babbled on, it was Sesshomaru's face that did the talking, he was livid at best. His usual gold and expressionless eyes melted into a rose honey color with the fury he barely reigned under his control. His upper lip just ever so slightly seemed pulled back and his body stood rigid, Rin swallowed dryly.

"My Lord." She breathed.

Sesshomaru snarled, the bass sound coming from deep within his chest, effectively cutting her off and alerting her senses.

"You dare mock me?" He growled; fangs bared and eyes red.

"No." she gasped, her voice sounding breathy and yet controlled. She would not fear him. She would not. Not if she could help it.

"Then explain yourself, your actions, this man." He drawled. "Are they not evidence of your betrayal?"

As her head snapped up in shock, her lips coming together in a confused pout she began to stand on her less than stable legs. Sesshomaru growled, a sound so ferocious, the world seemed to fall silent in response and Rin sat back on her hindquarters in shock.

She gazed into the molten gold that pinned her to her position and searched for the demon she knew. Although she didn't know what exactly she'd see within him to validate her actions or claims regarding his character, a force unknown to her urged her defiance.

In spite of his glare, she stood on legs she swore could be shaking to address him.

"I would never betray you, My Lord." She swore in a low and solemn voice.

His lip curled at the blatant sincerity of her tone and on her face, he hated the way her words alone quelled the anger inside as if it were nothing at all. As if her voice; soft, low, and breathy had managed to coax the youkai within him into believing her so easily. It angered him further that he could not find it in him to be upset with her and now his rage would be undirected, unfocused…his eyes slid to the body behind her.

"Then explain that." He breathed.

Rin's chest rose and fell as a sharp breath entered and then escaped her body.

"He's a slayer." She replied.

"I can see that." Sesshomaru gnarled. "What's he doing here?"

Rin brought herself to her full height as she anticipated where the conversation would go. "The village we passed today was attacked by the very same ogres we hunt now. He was among the slayers there to help the villagers, in an effort to save them he nearly lost his life. I couldn't leave him to die, not when I could save him." She explained.

She stood almost protectively over the burly body behind her, as if he was worth something to her. Sesshomaru's anger spiked at the thought before swallowing his rage and locked eyes with her again. The chocolate orbs burned with the light he knew was likely reflecting from her soul and pacifying his own, the depth of her eyes alone were maddening, never ending and he found himself reluctantly looking away.

"Leave him." He said coolly, as he turned with a balmy Jaken on his heel.

"I can't."

She watched as he stiffened and as Jaken shot her a blaring glare.

"Cannot or will not?" Sesshomaru ground out between clenched teeth.

Rin opened her mouth to speak only to be silence by his sudden movements, he had turned to face her and look at her as if she were some sort of spectacle.

"My Lord?" she breathed.

Suddenly his clawed hand was around her throat and she dangled from the air.

"My Lord, My Lord, My Lord." He sneered. "I wonder do you comprehend what it is you are saying? You are mine." He hissed his lips drawing closer and closer to her ear.

"You are my vassal, to do with as I please. You've no other purpose in life but to serve me and yet you find it in you, to defy me. And all this, for a broken man in the woods." He jeered.

Rin pulled in a shaky breath, "You were once a broken man in the woods." She breathed.

Sesshomaru dropped her to the ground as if he'd been electrocuted.

Rin fell gracelessly to her side and used her hands to position herself onto her side.

"How can I leave him when I know what good can come from this? His troupe is dead, he has no one left in the world, he has no purpose, how can I leave him behind when I am the same?" she exclaimed, tears pooling in her eyes. "How can you ask that of me? Please my Lord, let me tend to him, let me save him and I swear his life will be yours. He'll follow you until the ends of the earth, as I have, as I will but please…."