"We aren't leaving until we find him, so fan out and search!" Kohaku shouted at his men.

The men went off without a complaint into the scorching heat of the day, their faces determined but weary from having searched through the night without rest. They had spent the better part of their morning burying the men they did find and now only one remained in the wilderness, the men had little hope they would find him alive.

Kohaku ground his teeth together, his rage boiling over his agony. How could this have happened? How could they have been so unprepared? It had all happened so quickly, it was a matter of minutes and they were surrounded, they'd been lucky enough to save all the villagers and yet had lost four of their own….including Yun. His last possible friend in the world.

He knew the men were exhausted and would not complain about his treatment of them, they understood from their own experiences. It was hard to become attached to another in this life, it only brought hardship when the inevitable came. Slayers had little else but the clothes on their back and their comrades.

Yun was one of his last meaningful relationships in this world, he'd be damned if he couldn't find and bury him properly.

A soft hand fell on his shoulder, startling him. "Kohaku."

She was always so silent, she could sneak up on the most honed sensed demons. It's what made her so deadly, so useful, and yet so meddlesome.

"What is it Seirin?" he asked her coolly as he turned to face her.

She stood a full head beneath him, her light brown hair cascading over her shoulders and stopping at the blades. Her facial features were sharp and almost angular, her body slim, lithe, and strong.

Her long brown lashes brushed over her cheeks as she blinked to look up at him, a small blush on her face. Her eyes shone with the rationale he was sure was running through her mind right now, and hushed emotion.

She sighed softly before answering him. "You must allow the men to rest, they are tired, they are mourning, they-"

"They should like to be honored in the same way." he growled at her. "These are our men, even in death we will look out for one another. That is what we do."

She flinched from the hard tone of his voice.

"Hai." She said bowing deeply and going to join the others.


Sesshomaru watched as Rin straightened out of her bow to him in thanks for allowing her broken man to come along. He watched as her midnight locks tumbled over her shoulders in a riot, obscuring her flushed face from him.

He turned away. "He will remain with A-Un, but he will not be a liability. A-Un will not risk his life for him, I won't allow it."

Rin nodded in solemn agreement. It was all she could ask of him, anymore would be tipping her hand. She looked over at the unconscious man on A-Un's back, she hoped by the time they returned he would be awake.

She wished she could coax A-Un into doing more but that was doubtful considering Sesshomaru stood right there. She sighed and began to quickly braid and pin up her hair, she slid her mask over her face.

Sesshomaru watched as she became the nimble yet fearsome slayer that stalked his lands. He frowned as two parallel emotions stirred within him. He brushed them aside and gave his orders.

"You are to scout and report from the South, do not engage with the enemy and report back here no later than night's fall. Jaken will accompany you. Do you understand?"

The mask on her face only reached her cheek bones now, her brown eyes shone with determination.

"Hai."

He watched as she descended down the hill and soon disappeared into the greenery.


Jaken huffed behind her uphill now and Rin's eyes darted to the overdramatic imp before looking over the land.

There was forestry as usually but deep openings to caverns on the mountain and hillside, she wondered how big these creatures must be. If the openings to their caverns could fit Lord Sesshomaru's fully transformed demon form, then they had to be fearsome in size without a doubt.

She thought of her own size and chances in battle. With great size came great strength, her only hope would be her ability to strategize and even then her chances looked bleak, but she would not back down. For now she would study them silently and see what leverage she could gain, after all she could not let him down.

Even in spite of the distance between them, she had one sure purpose, pleasing him. Even if it cost her her life. She would do all she could bring the enemy under his control or would be damned.

She calmed her senses and watched for anyone coming or going, either no one was home or they were quite stealthy for such massive creatures.

"What are-"

She clamped her hand over Jaken's beak and shot him a glare that rivaled her Lord's. Jaken immediately shut up.

"Let's go." She whispered.

She slid down the side of the hill with ease and in silence, while Jaken rolled down accidentally tripping over roots and stones; shouting all the way down.

She gaped at him in horror before her eyes shot back to the open mouther cavern before them.

Was he trying to get them killed? This had to be Sesshomaru's punishment for her.

He landed with an oof. He looked up to brush himself off and to make a comment to be met by a well-aimed rock square in the face.

Suddenly the earth beneath her small feet began to tremble.

Rin quickly moved behind a boulder and snatched him by the beak to follow, her hand pressed to his mouth to stop anymore squawking. The trembling started to pick up, almost getting closer and closer to the surface? She guessed.

Then just as suddenly as it had come it stopped, only to be followed by a sudden booming.

"Who goes there?" a deep rumbling voice asked.

Rin remained absolutely still, holding her breath.

"Come out, I can smell your fear." He griped.

Rin arched a brow, how could he smell what she did not emit. She was taught by the best slayers she knew how to stifle her fear in the midst of enemy territory, and even in the midst of battle. Her body was calm, heart beating steadily, not a drop of sweat on her.

She had also taken the liberty of masking her scent shortly after leaving Sesshomaru's side. They shouldn't have been able to smell her, let alone her fear.

A sudden collection of sweat directed her eyes to her palms. Jaken looked up at her sheepishly covered in sweat.

Jaken, she thought angrily.

She sighed, dropped the imp and took off her mask, placing it back on her side. She unpinned her head and let it fall as a braid onto her back. She walked out from behind the rock with her hands up.

She walked out and faced the brutish creature who stood two full bodies above her. He had a tan orange complexion similar to that of Jeneji's but outweighed him certainly she noticed. He wore poorly strewn pants and nothing else, his massive size being the most distinguishable thing about him. He opened his mouth to speak and she could see the rows of jagged teeth in his blood blackened mouth.

"A woman." He grunted with interest.

Fighting him would not be to her advantage right now, she thought as she looked over the clearing.

"I come seeking an audience with the Ogre King. I bring him urgent news." She said firmly.

The ogre arched his mono brow. "No pleasantries?" he scoffed. "Go home woman. Return to your village, we shall plunder it soon. Then you will meet the King."

Rin stood her ground. "I must speak with him."

The ogre looked at her with interest now, her chin jutted high in defiance. A woman who was not broken; interesting.

"And what could a mortal woman have for the king of Ogres?" he asked.

"A warning." Rin replied.

"Oh?" he said with mock amusement.

"We aren't looking for a fight, surrender to Lord Sesshomaru and be properly received by the Western lands. Strife no more, your people will only thank you for it."

The ogre looked taken aback.

"We?" he reiterated. "All I see is you and an imp. You say Lord Sesshomaru sent you? Where is he? Where is my audience with him?"

"As if the great Lord Sesshomaru, would meet with the likes of you!" Jaken shouted.

"What was that imp?" he growled as he began to move towards them.

Rin opened her stance and threw her arms out in a basic defense stance.

"Please, there is no need for violence here. We have simply come ahead to warn you and your people. Submit to Lord Sesshomaru, before it is too late."

"My people?" he scoffed "I am but a general among many, and what of the King? I lead his army, they will follow me."

"Into their deaths." Rin warned him gently, "you have an army made of a handful of ogres. Every other demon that does not run from you, will turn to fight against you with him. Set aside your pride and preserve what is left of your life. If not for you then for those who follow you. You say you are a general, a general is responsible for his men."

He chuckled. "A human woman who stands to reason with demons, I have truly seen it all now. In my troop concubines have no say in politics or battle. It is no wonder that the lord of the west has gone soft, he thinks with too many heads."

Rin could feel her blood boil beneath her skin. Rejection, humiliation and anger rushing through her.

Jaken stood there agape, that one could even speak so barbarically in the presence of a woman; of Rin. Rin, who he'd watched grow, Rin whose innocence and kindness blinded even the day sun.

"Why you sullen sunken excuse for a demon, I'll show you!" he growled as he ran around Rin to stand between her and the demon. "STAFF OF TWO HEADS."

The ogre groaned in pain and then growled in anger, slapping Jaken away with his brute force. Rin had jumped back in time to dodge the blow and tuck herself behind a tree, where she began to loosen the dual swords on her back.

He threw his head back and laughed defiantly.

"Come woman, show yourself to me. I will do what the Lord of the West cannot, let me tame you and show you what it is like to be touched by a real demon."

"You disappoint me." Rin shouted from behind the tree, "I would have thought even with your low brow wit you would be able to recognize an opportunity but instead you've chosen to insult me and my Lord in the worst possible way. Now I've no choice but to take your life by force."

"Oh?" He laughed. "Did I insult you by calling you a concubine then?"

"Ha!" Rin laughed loudly. "Not in slightest but you hurt someone close to me," she said looking over where Jaken had fallen. "And for that alone, you will die by my hand."

She climbed the tree swiftly and lithely, she pulled her mask over her nose and mouth, unsheathed both of her blades and jumped down head first towards her enemy.

He looked up at her and smirked, he'd seen her attack coming. He leaped up and to the side to strike her, "Die woman."

"You first." She replied.

"Rin!" Jaken screamed.

Rin smiled brazenly, she'd read his every move. She somersaulted mid fall, crossed her swords in the beams of sunlight over her head and temporarily blinded the ogre.

He growled impotently, swung and missed her completely. She used another tree, just as gravity prepared to ground her, to propel her body upward and forward before hurtling over him and dropping smoke and powdered poison bombs.

She dived into the darkness only accompanied by Jaken's screams.

"You fool!" was the last thing she heard before her primary sense of smell and sight were purposely turned off.

In the dark fog of the smoke and poison, she listened for his grunting shortness of breath and immediately rushed as him with her swords. As he howled with pain at the first stab and swung in her direction she turned in on herself and narrowly avoided his clumsy attack.

By her estimation he stood but a pace or two to her left side and had his bad to her. She spun out to face his back with her front and with all the force she could muster plunged her swords into his back, earning a shout of rage. She yanked one sword out of his body and prepared to use the other sword as a hold to hoist herself up and slit his jugular but he was swift and landed a blow before she had the opportunity.

By the grace of the kami, she landed in bushes rather roughly against a few stones, her mask torn off and body aching from the blow and the poison now freely entering her airways. She resisted the urge to make a noise that would accompany the pain, so that she wouldn't give herself away.

"I'll kill you!" he swore as he began to rush at her.

Rin pushed her body off the ground and forced herself to run towards him and just as he swung still blinded by the smoke, she slid onto her knees, beneath and gained her footing behind him where she ran and used the sword still jammed into his back to boost herself up quickly and grab a hold of his neck.

Holding her breath and listening for his fumbling hands being thrown in all directions, she made quick work of him and by the time the smoke cleared, she sat on top of a slayed demon as if she were awaiting a friend for a picnic.

Jaken stood stock still. He couldn't believe his eyes though that could have been because his heart was beating so fast his senses were starting to go dull.

Rin stood up, unpinned her hair, and picked up her mask.

"Are you alright Master Jaken?" she asked.

Jaken just stared at her a dumb found expression on his face a he tried to piece together what had just happened.

"Don't look so surprised Master Jaken, I haven't spent these years dawdling you know." She teased before sighing. "I just wish that it didn't always have to end the same way."

Just then a green smoke languidly seeped out from the dead body of the ogre and consumed the area surrounding it.

"Look out Rin!" Jaken shouted. "It's poison!"

Rin didn't look back but grabbed the imp demon in her arms before she started running into the forest to escape the gas she knew would be toxic once inhaled. The muscles in her legs burned and even then she pushed them past their limit and towards the small cave where they had encamped. The barrier there would keep the poison from harming them. She stumbled over her own feet and didn't stop as small branches and obstructions marred her paling skin. As she ran into the shelter of the cage, she set down Jaken and dropped her weaponry before leaning against a wall and slowly sliding down to the ground.

"How was that for fast?" she asked jokingly though the exhaustion on her face clear as day.

Jaken ran over to her.

"Are you alright Rin?" he asked worriedly as he watched the color drain from her rosy features.

She nodded fatigue quickly coming over her, "I just, I just, I just…..rest." she mumbled as she closed her eyes.