Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine; they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. The following story is for entertainment and not profit.

Chapter 19: Child's Play

It had been almost five days since their guests had arrived and Rin had done her best to be good. Sesshomaru-sama had told her to stay away from them so she had, not wanting to displease him in front of company. But more and more often she was finding herself alone as Sesshomaru retreated to the one of the many hidden catacombs.

That morning Rin had awakened to find herself alone once again. She realized that she hadn't seen her beloved Lord in two days even though she knew he hadn't left, as she had come to be able to sense his presence. However, she decided that she had spent enough time playing by herself. 'Maybe Lady Kagome or Shippo would want to play with me,' she thought picking one of her favourite stone balls and heading out of her small room in search of a playmate.

The room was cold and the corners swarmed with shadows. He knew he wasn't alone, someone stood just outside the circle of pale light that surrounded him.

"Who's there?"

The darkness was thick and swallowed his words as they fell flatly from him lips. He tried to move his arm to grasp the weapon at his waist, only to find himself restrained by long strands of spider's silk. His feet weren't even touching the floor. He was being suspended as if he were trapped in a giant web. The sticky strands pulled at his hair and clung to his exposed skin. A sudden fear overtook him, causing him to thrash about wildly in an attempt to free himself that only served to entangle him more securely. The threads seemed to tighten and cut into his flesh. He tried to call out but found that he could manage no more than a hoarse whisper. He began to feel a large and familiar aura closing in around him and it filled him with a sense of foreboding.

The shadows surrounding him began to move and throb with the malicious aura, closing in and devouring what little light there was. He watched, paralyzed, as a pair of long jointed legs shot out of the blackness to pierce his shoulders. Cold maniacal laughter poured over him as the monster slowly moved in with its venomous fangs exposed by its evil grin.

Kohaku woke gasping for breath. His sleeping clothes and blanket had become twisted tightly around his limbs and torso. It had only been a dream, or more correctly, a horrifying nightmare. Either way, he knew there was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep. Unwinding the blanket from his legs, he got up quietly so as not to disturb the others. There were no windows in their room so there was no way for him to estimate the time of day.

Turning from the peaceful sleepers, Kohaku slipped past the shoji screen walls and out of the guest rooms.

She came across him aimlessly wandering the halls, one hand extended to touch the stone as he moved forward with his eyes half lidded.

"Excuse me." She watched as the boy stopped and opened his eyes to look at her. He only made eye contact for a moment before shifting to place his back against the wall and look away. Rin guessed that he was no more than five years older than her even though he seemed to behave as if he were much older. She remembered overhearing that he had been under Naraku's control for quite some time, which she concluded was most likely the reason. "If you're not doing anything, I would really like someone to play with."

Kohaku resisted the urge to respond, not ready to forgive himself for pass actions even if they were because of Naraku. He felt himself winning the battle when a small hand holding a spherical rock was thrust under his nose. Before he could stop himself, Kohaku had taken the plum sized orb into his own hand.

"So, will hot play with me?"

Sesshomaru had spent the last two days discussing plans with Naosu, sometimes with and sometimes without the miko and her friends, and yet there was still no agreed to plan of action for defeating Naraku. The only reason they were not still talking was that Naosu was only half demon and as such required more sleep than he. Sesshomaru's respect for the girl was growing. He knew that the youkai blood was stronger in his half-brother, yet she hid her human weaknesses far better. 'If it wasn't for her scent,' Sesshomaru mused, 'one could possibly mistake her for a pure blood.'

After days of sometimes quite heated discussion he had insisted that she rest. He had started to notice her need for it about two days before but she seemed prepared to forgo sleep and he had respected her drive to continue. As the sun had risen that morning he had realized that she may be willing to do so indefinitely and that prolonged lack of sleep may have ill effects on her health which would be unacceptable with a pending battle. So with that was his reason, and here seeming willingness to do whatever he commanded, Sesshomaru had insisted she rest until he returned from his morning activities.

Per his orders, she had retired to the futon that served as her bed and slept as he removed himself from the room and headed for one of his favourite sanctuaries, his training room.

Kohaku had found about a half dozen little sticks as thick as his thumb and almost as long as his fingers to add to the stone ball Rin had brought. In one of the smaller side halls they had set up to play. Kohaku arranged the pegs in a triangular shape at one end of the passage and moved about seven good paces away. Rin looked on in admiration as her first real friend went about creating a new game for them to play.

"Now we'll take the ball and see how many we can knock over. Whoever knocks over the most will win."

Rin jumped up and down in excitement, "Yes! Yes! Can I try first?"

Smiling at her childish glee he handed over the round stone. Placing it on the ground she swung back her foot and kicked the ball towards the other end of the hall. The ball, however, swerved from its intended path of the middle peg and nearly missed the goal completely, taking only one of the back corner sticks. "Yay, I got one!"

Kohaku felt his grin widen as she ran to retrieve the ball and replace the pin. The more he tried to punish himself for the blood on his hands, the more he felt drawn to this child and the pleasant emotions she seemed to radiate.

"Your turn!" she beamed, pressing the smooth stone into his hands. He accepted the ball and moved quickly away from her touch and the feelings that it invoke. With little more than a nod, Kohaku stepped into line with his target and carefully took aim. He released the round projectile and sent it rolling headlong into the first peg, which it hit perfectly before continuing on. As the pins finished toppling one another over to leave only two remaining, the ball also came to rest…against the imposing boot-clad foot of one apparently unimpressed youkai Lord.