Shrieks, screams, howling, explosions. All the sounds of battle echoed far behind them, a testament to the deadly conflict their friends were fighting. A terrified murmur cascaded amongst their ranks, villagers scrambling to hurry and flee as fast as they could. At any moment it seemed as if their group would burst apart and scatter to the winds.
Kaede's voice barely registered in Rin's mind, the old miko doing her best to keep everyone together and moving forward. Not much of this journey seemed to register, the young girl was far too occupied with her own grief.
She was losing everything.
Again.
Her parents and brothers seemed a lifetime away, her memories of the smiling family and the parents that bore her were already fading. The only thing that still seemed clear in her mind was the day of the bandit attack; the orange flames that licked the sky as frightening men tore apart her entire family. The only survivor, she'd been sent to a nearby village where they merely tolerated her presence. Nobody wanted to be around the grim mute orphan.
She never thought she would belong anywhere ever again.
But then she found Lord Sesshomaru. He protected her, saved her from the wolves, and took her from the village that shunned her. He replaced her dirty rags and gave her real clothes, every time she was in danger he never failed to rescue her. She was able to speak again, she had a reason to smile again.
Then Lord Sesshomaru brought Kohana to her. Rin loved Kohana, she taught her how to read and sing and played fun games. Whenever Lord Sesshomaru left them behind so that he could fight someone, Kohana stayed by her side and made sure she wasn't scared or lonely until he returned. When Kohana had Futeki she let Rin hold him whenever she wanted; she tried to teach him all the fun things Kohana taught her, she always told him just how strong and amazing Lord Sesshomaru was and that one day Futeki would be strong and amazing too.
And just like that, she had a family again. Lord Sesshomaru and Kohana loved and took care of her, she was Futeki's big sister. Even Master Jaken was like family to her, Rin knew that as long as she had them she would never be alone again.
But now that was all gone.
Everyone was running away again, scared and terrified.
Just like when those bandits killed her family.
And just like that time, nobody would come to save her. Kohana and Sesshomaru weren't coming to help.
No, it isn't true! Rin vehemently told herself, Lord Sesshomaru isn't dead! Kohana would never kill him, she loves him! Her heart refused to believe it, even as fat tears continued to spill down her cheeks she just couldn't accept that Sesshomaru was gone. Futeki clung to her neck and whimpered, his little body shaking as tail fluffed out in fear. The only person she had left, Rin held the little hanyou and wept. The two of them were completely isolated in their sorrow, distant from the rest of the group.
It was the rumble from Ah-Un's chest that brought Rin out of her melancholy thoughts. The two-headed dragon's ears swiveled and it glanced backwards, towards the fight and the village they fled. The dragon lifted its heads and let out another rumble of warning.
"What's he upset about?" Recca asked. Domei and the other boys who had been walking with them paused and looked at the dragon.
"Something's happening back there," Shippo answered from the boy's shoulder, his bushy tail twitching in agitation. The young kitsune looked uncharacteristically serious and narrowed his eyes. Jaken, who had been leading Ah-Un by the reigns, paused from his loud weeping and looked back as well.
Kohaku, one hand holding onto Aizou who was strapped to his back, thumbed his chain scythe with the other. Frowning, the young slayer eyed the woods around them as though he were looking for an enemy.
"Lady Kaede…" he called out, his voice low and hesitant.
"Aye, child," the old miko responded, her eye narrowing as she held Ryu closer to herself, "The demons are headed this way."
Her words echoed across the lips of the villagers and terror spread across them like a wild fire.
"They're headed here?!"
"The others failed, they're coming to kill us!"
"We have to run! We need to run now!"
"No!" Kaede shouted, trying to keep them together, "We musn't scatter, the demons will only destroy us if they drive us apart!" Her voice was buried under the panicked cacophony, none of the villagers seemed to hear her. Rin's heart pounded in her chest, their panic infecting her as terror began to grip her. Her mind flooded with the evil grins of the bandits, once more she heard the bloodthirsty howling of wolves behind her.
"Everyone listen!" a voice suddenly rang out over the rest, silencing the panicked villagers. They all turned to see Kohaku, his face determined as he gripped his weapon tight.
"We have to listen to Lady Kaede," Kohaku said, his voice loud without a trace of fear, "If we panic we won't make it out, we have to stick together and stay calm!" Rin's eyes widened as she regarded the young slayer. Gone was Kohaku's usual quiet and timid demeanor, in that moment he seemed just as powerful and commanding as any village headman.
"We need to keep going," he continued, "Those who can't travel as fast need to be kept towards the center of our group, if you are able please help them move along. I will stay behind you and fight off as many demons as I can."
"I-I'll help you," Shippo offered, leaping down from Recca's shoulder and stood before the villagers. The fox cub was nervous but he did his best to swallow his fear, "My fox fire can take on those demons." Along with him stepped forward some of the bigger men of the village who offered to help fight with the farming tools they kept with them.
"Hey, we can fight too!" Recca shouted,"Baka-sama trained us all for this!" Domei and the boys chorused their agreement. Kohaku looked at them for a moment and shook his head. Before they argued with him, the slayer stepped forward and handed Aizou to Recca. The infant gurgled, completely unaware of her surroundings, as Recca stared at her in disgust.
"I need you to protect her, I can't fight if she's with me," Kohaku said.
"You're sticking me with a stinkin' baby?!" Recca shouted, clearly insulted.
"Aizou is Ronuku's daughter. Don't you think he'd want her safe?" Kohaku's words silenced any more argument from the younger boy, though he still grumbled, "Stay close to Lady Kaede and Ryu; help anyone who has trouble keeping up."
The roar in the woods behind them grew louder as the demons grew closer, racing towards them through the trees.
"They're coming!" One of the nervous villagers shouted.
"Let's go!" Kohaku shouted, "Keep together! Move quickly!" They began to move again, their fearful steps hurried as they tried to escape their attackers, though they stuck together and did not split apart.
Just as Rin gripped Ah-Un's saddle tighter and held Futeki closer to herself to keep them from falling, Jaken threw her the reigns.
"Rin," the imp said, "Take Ah-Un and fly away from here. Get out before the demons come."
"What?" she turned to him, surprised, "Master Jaken, Kohaku needs everyone to stick toget-"
"Never mind that!" Jaken snapped, "These humans aren't going to stand a chance, you can't stay behind with them. Lord Futeki is the only remaining trace of Lord Sesshomaru, you have to make sure he survives!"
"Master Jaken…" Rin was at a loss. Jaken never used honorifics on anyone but Lord Sesshomaru, she always thought that his refusal to respect Futeki stemmed from his dislike of Kohana. To hear him speak like that…
…He believes that Lord Sesshomaru is dead. The certainty that even Jaken had given up brought tears to her already red-rimmed eyes, but she didn't have time to cry anymore. A flying serpent burst through the trees, its eyes glimmering with hate and bloodlust. Kohaku quickly beheaded the creature, but several more burst through the trees fast on the heels of the first. The swarm had caught up with them.
"Rin, go now!" The imp shouted.
"I can't leave you behind!" Rin shouted back. Not Master Jaken. Not Kohaku. She couldn't abandon any of them!
"Forget about me! My duty to Lord Sesshomaru is to make sure you escape!" Jaken slapped Ah-Un on the rump with his staff and the dragon took to the skies. The wind whipped Rin's hair about her and Futeki gave a startled cry. The two of them held tight to Ah-Un, soaring through the air and distancing themselves from the demons. Rin looked back and glanced at the battle below.
The frightened villagers were running as fast as they could, but the demons were much faster. Kohaku was fighting his hardest, he swung his chain scythe at as many enemies as he possibly could, dancing between the village men that fended off the demons with their hoes and pitchforks. Shippo's fox fire light the battle with blue light, and a moment later she heard Jaken shout and the staff of two heads spit fire at their enemies.
Even so, more demons continued to flood after them, far too many for Kohaku and the others to stop. Their forms grew smaller as Ah-Un sped further away into the sky, their cries for help growing fainter.
They're not going to make it, Rin thought, Just like with the bandits, and those wolves. She'd already seen two villages die. Could she really just leave and abandon this one to the same fate?
No, Rin thought, I don't care what Master Jaken says. She was sick of running, she was sick of being the sole survivor of a massacre.
"Ah-Un, we have to go back! We can't leave them!" Rin tugged on the reigns. The dragon's ears flicked towards her and Futeki glanced up at her, "Please! We have to do something!" The dragon hesitated a moment, but finally seemed to give in. Turning in the air Ah-Un sped back towards the villagers and the attacking demons.
Rin hunched over Futeki, tucking the toddler closer towards herself as she gripped the reigns and urged Ah-Un faster. They swooped over the demons, Ah opening its mouth and bearing its teeth. Blue lightning suddenly shot from its mouth and rained down on the demons below. Un kept its ears turned towards Rin while it looked out ahead of them. After they passed the battle below, the dragon turned once more and rained lightning down again, torching through the weaker demons and burning others that it struck.
They passed over the battle several times, and Rin smiled as she saw the villagers gaining distance away from the fight.
It's working! We're holding the demons back!
There was a shout below and Rin turned to see Kohaku in combat with an ogre twice his size. The beast had large fists and intended to use his strength to crush the boy, but Kohaku was faster. He danced around the beast, his chain trailing behind him, when suddenly the ogre's fists crashed together. Without its noticing, Kohaku had tied its hands down, and in one swift motion he cut the ogre's hands free from its arms.
While Rin was admiring his skill she suddenly noticed another demon, almost like a shroud of mist, creeping up on the young taijiya.
"Ah-Un, go towards Kohaku!" She shouted, and the dragon obeyed. Just as the other demon was about to strike, Ah-Un swooped past and Rin let go of the reigns to grab Kohaku's arm. Startled, the boy was about to question her, when he looked down and saw the demon scorch the earth where he had stood only a second before.
"Thanks Rin, I didn't see him." Kohaku said, almost breathless, as Rin helped haul him up onto the saddle as Ah-Un ascended. The young taijiya was shaking, sweat glistened on his brow and he looked exhausted, but the determined look hadn't left his face.
"Are you okay?" She asked
"Yes," Kohaku nodded, "Please bring me back to the ground, I have to keep fighti-" He trailed off and his eyes widened as he looked into the distance. Confused, Rin followed his gaze and she gasped. Far behind them, back where they had left their friends to fight a titanic spider loomed in the sky, dropping what looked like giant spheres of miasma to the ground as it slowly floated towards them. Beneath the spider, on the ground and through the trees a black ring of light spread out and around them in a giant semi-circle.
"There!" Rin gasped and pointed to a figure running past them far to the East. The black light engulfed the figure as it sped through the woods, a trail of light stretching out behind him back towards the spider.
"That…that looks like Ronuku," Kohaku said, his voice trembling. Rin's stomach dropped as she watched the grey-skinned man dart through the trees at lightning speed. Surely that wasn't him, was it?
Suddenly the wind changed, blowing towards them from the west. Instantly Futeki sat up alert, his nostrils flaring as he looked out into the wilderness. The little hanyou trembled, his eyes darting back and forth across the forest until at last he spotted something.
"Mama!" He shouted, struggling to free himself from Rin's grasp, "MAMA!" Rin looked to the west, her eyes wide. Far in the distance, she saw her. Kohana sped through the forest, the black light trailing behind her as she pulled forth the other end of the semi-circle. Futeki continued to shout for his mother, clawed hands pushing against Rin as he struggled to escape.
"Futeki, wait!" Rin tried to hold him back, "She can't hear you, we're still in the air, you can't-" Suddenly she screamed, the air pushed from her lungs as she was sent plummeting towards the earth, Futeki and Kohaku falling with her. The mist demon had flown up and struck Ah-Un in the side, unbalancing the dragon and throwing them all from the saddle.
Rin's mind only registered fright as she plummeted towards the earth. When Kohaku's armored hand reached towards her, she grabbed it and the slayer pulled her towards him, shielding her with his body as they fell. She reached a hand towards the tiny white figure of Futeki, screaming his name in fright.
They were too far away.
Kohaku used the weighted end of the chain on his scythe to wrap itself around a tree limb. His arm wrenched as he used their momentum to swing themselves upwards again, onto another tree branch. The slayer landed on his feet, Rin still secure in his arms.
Futeki's body crashed to the earth several feet away.
Rin shrieked.
Hurriedly Kohaku lowered her to the ground, but several more demons appeared intent on devouring them. Kohaku shifted his scythe to his uninjured arm and prepared to fight them off, but Rin was already darting towards the trees.
Oh no, oh no, no! Futeki! Please be okay! Her mind howled at her as she shoved aside bushes and ran until she saw the tiny crumpled heap laying on the ground. A choked sob escaped her throat and she covered her mouth, tears already spilling at the stillness of her little brother's body.
"No…" the little girl sobbed, "No, Futeki…not you too…"
Futeki's tail twitched, stirring up the leaves on the ground around him. Rin's eyes widened, and slowly the rest of the little hanyou's body began to move as well. Trembling, Futeki pushed himself upwards until he stood facing the trees.
"Futeki," Rin reached out and took a step towards him. A sudden growl stopped her in her tracks, the throaty snarling of a mad beast.
Futeki whirled on her, his eyes glowing completely red as he bared his fangs. Maroon stripes appeared on his cheeks, claws extending as the fur on his tail stood on end. Rin's heart dropped as she stared down the tiny demonic reflection of Sesshomaru.
"Futeki," she called out again, "Futeki, please! It's me!"
Futeki's only response was a continued snarl, and he took a slow step towards her. He lowered his head and growled angrily. Rin took a step back as the enraged hanyou took a step closer, when suddenly something grabbed his attention. Howling angrily, Futeki turned and vaulted on all fours into the bushes behind him.
"Futeki, wait!" Rin shouted and ran after him. She pushed her way through the bushes and found herself facing the bleeding corpse of a serpent. Futeki, covered in blood, continued to run through the woods. Rin gave chase, frantically shouting his name as she followed his trail and pushed her way through the braches and shrubs.
Suddenly she stopped, her eyes widening in fear.
As though he were made of mist, Futeki suddenly vanished and dissipated into thin air.