Guttural snarls echoed from above. The demon, a seven legged beast with a massive head and teeth like knives, perched at the top of the dead tree, branches creaking and snapping beneath its weight. Blood and saliva pooled from its mouth, thick globs dripping down the side of the trunk as the dried bark screeched in protest, the entirety of the tree threatening to collapse at any moment.
Within in the hollowed hole beneath the trunk of the tree, Rin covered her mouth, biting back all of her frightened screams, her body shaking in terror. The demon above snorted, nostrils flaring as it searched for her scent.
Please don't find me, Rin closed her eyes, sending out a desperate prayer, Please don't find me!
The tree screeched and moaned, showering a cloud of dirt and debris onto the girl hidden beneath its roots. The demon growled and turned, the trunk violently buckling beneath its hulking mass.
Rin shook, tears of fear escaping the corner of her eyes. If she fled, the demon would find her, but if she stayed then at any moment the tree could collapse right on top of her. Her pulse raced, heart pounding violently in her ears, she knew she was trapped.
Suddenly, something caught the demons attention. Its head jerked to its left, nostrils flaring angrily. With an angry roar it took off, its powerful legs pushing against the tree as it leapt into the air. The trunk snapped, its hulking mass tumbling forward. With a shriek, Rin barely managed to scramble out from underneath in time, the branches scraping her arms and tearing her kimono as she tumbled away.
Trembling, Rin turned and looked back at the fallen tree. Had she moved any slower, her body would've been crushed and the hollow would've become her grave. Clutching her shoulders, she glanced around looking for any signs of life. Purple miasma blocked the sky, nothing around looked familiar at all.
The past several hours had been nothing but running and hiding from demons, each time a closer call than the last.
Futeki, she wiped the falling tears from her eyes, where did you go?!
She'd run everywhere looking for the little hanyou, screaming until her voice was hoarse. When she tried to run back and see if he had returned to Kohaku and the others, she hadn't been able to find her way back.
It was as if the world shifted every time she took a step.
What happened to him?! She recalled the feral look in Futeki's eyes just before he vanished, as though he'd become completely demon, poisoned by the atmosphere around him, Kohana…Lord Sesshomaru…please come back, Futeki's in trouble, he needs you…
Wishing for their comforting presence was useless, but she couldn't help it.
I don't know what to do…
Scared, terrified, and now being hunted by demons, Rin was on the verge of complete despair. Her little brother, her friends and the villagers, they were all missing and she had no one to turn to.
She was utterly alone.
A shriek rang through the air, another demon coming to hunt her. Fear hadn't paralyzed her yet, Rin instantly turned foot and ran. Confused and frightened, she carried on not knowing where she was headed.
The ground sloped downwards, soon she felt the wet beneath her feet; mud splashed and spattered her legs. Bolting past the outcropping of a mud hill, she ducked beneath it and paused to catch her breath. Steam puffed from her mouth with each ragged breath as the temperature quickly dropped around her.
She waited for several minutes, but the demon didn't appear. Hoping she had lost it in the mist, Rin sighed and tucked her legs beneath her chin. Shivering in the cold muck, her aching legs demanded that she rest. She stifled her tears, listening for the sounds of any more approaching demons.
A few minutes later she heard a shout.
A human voice?
Rin lifted her head and looked around, eyes wide as she wondered if she heard correctly. A few moments later, someone shouted again.
"Hello?" Rin pushed herself up and called out, "Is someone out there?" She looked around in the swirling mist, "Please, I need help! My brother is lost, I can't find him!"
Silence answered her. She frowned, realizing her frightened mind was now imagining things. She was beginning to think that she was losing her wits out here, when at last she heard it again.
It was definitely a human voice…
…and it was definitely someone in pain.
Someone else is in danger, Rin thought. Was it one of the villagers? One of their friends?
Whoever it was, they needed help.
"Hold on, I'm coming!" She shouted as she took off down the muddy hill again. If she made it in time, if she saved whoever it was, they could stay together. Maybe they could help her find Futeki!
The further she ran in the direction of the voice, the more sounds she heard. Splashing water, furious bellows, shrieks of pain…when Rin glanced up she was surprised to see how close to the edge of the black dome she was. She raced onwards, ducking into a thick copse of trees that seemed to block all light from entering. The voices were louder now, and through the trees she came upon the edge of a pond with waters as black as tar.
When Rin saw the source of the screams she gasped in shock.
Covered in mud and algae, Lady Kaida was bleeding from multiple wounds. The normally well-kept noblewoman was barely recognizable; her hair was a soaking disheveled mess, her kimono was torn and blood soaked, bruises covered her neck and arms.
None of that compared to the look in her eyes as she faced her opponent. The always proud and composed Lady Kaida was terrified and shaken, her eyes were wide in horror, a thin trail of blood trickled from her open jaw as she backed away from her attacker…
Rin's heart nearly stopped.
That…no that isn't…that's not her…
The Kohana that Rin knew and loved was warm, always gentle around her and Futeki. Even if she was quick to anger, she always had a smile ready for them, she loved her friends and children. She was a good person…She was a nice person…
The feral gray-faced creature snarled at Kaida in pure hate. Her eyes were darker than the pond itself, covered in mood and blood she looked no different than the demons that were attacking the villagers. She lunged at the noblewoman, only her right arm gripping the sword in her possession.
One glance at the bloody mass of her left arm nearly made Rin sick.
No, Rin's mind wailed, That's not Kohana! That isn't her!
She remembered what the others had said, that Kohana herself had been the one to kill Lord Sesshomaru. Rin had refused to believe it, the Kohana she knew would never have been capable of doing something so awful. The creature before her though…
No! Kohana loves Lord Sesshomaru, she couldn't have…this isn't….
A sob escaped Rin. Every denial she had built up came crashing down, the truth before her was a slap in the face.
Kaida, her movements slowed by the water and her injuries, turned to flee from Kohana's attack. The younger charged at her, her movements like lighting as she swung the sword in a crazed and angry arc. Kaida shrieked in pain, the blow sliced her back and send her stumbling. Kohana slammed her shoulder, the one above her useless arm, into the noblewoman.
Kaida fell, mud caking her face as she crashed against the edge of the pond. Panting, she turned to see Kohana standing over her. Her pupil's lips were pulled back in an animalistic snarl, with her right hand she raised the sword and pointed it down, preparing to impale the noblewoman. The sword would run her through the stomach, and that would be the end.
Bloody, tired, unarmed and wounded. Kaida looked up at her assailant, terror suddenly receding from her face. She closed her eyes and bowed her head.
"I have failed you," Rin heard her say, "Do what you must."
Kohana…She's going to kill her! Rin's heart hammered in her chest, Lady Kaida's given up, she's going to kill her!
Before she knew what she was doing, water sprayed and splashed against Rin's legs as she dashed across the edge of the pond.
"NO!" She heard herself shouting, "Kohana, don't do it!"
The feral woman paused her attack, her head suddenly snapped in the younger girl's direction.
"Rin? Oh gods no…" Kaida's eyes were wide, her face pale as a ghost, "Rin! What are you doing?! Get away from here!"
Rin didn't obey. Ignoring her own safety, she dashed between the two women and threw her arms up protectively in front of the wounded Kaida.
"Kohana, please stop this!" Rin shouted, "Lady Kaida is your mentor, you can't hurt her!"
Kohana's response was a snarl of fury, her arm jerked as she brought the sword up to aim her strike. Rin held her ground, the terrified girl stared into the crazed expression of her adoptive mother with a look of determination.
"Kohana, don't do it!" Rin said, "Please don't hurt her!"
Kohana gnashed her teeth and growled, her sword still poised in the air to strike. But as she stared down at Rin her eyebrows knit, her enraged expression eased slightly. She almost looked…
Confused.
Does…does she recognize me? Rin wondered.
The sword was still raised in the air…but Kohana hadn't struck. She was hesitating.
"Kohana," the girl's voice pleaded, "Please, put your sword down. You don't hav-" A hand grasped her shoulder from behind.
"Rin!" Kaida hissed, her voice weakened by pain, "Kohana won't listen, you must leave! Hurry before she kills you!" At the sound of Kaida's voice, Kohana's fury instantly returned at full force. Bellowing, the crazed woman swung her sword down at the two girls at her feet.
There was an explosion, a sudden burst of white light filled the clearing with blinding radiance.
"WAKE UP!" A voice thundered across the sky, shaking the trees to their roots and sent waves crashing across the pond.
Kaida and Rin shielded their eyes from the sudden brightness. Kohana was flung away from them, they heard her body crash further away in the pond. Water splashed as the crazed woman rose, but it was several long painful moments before their blindness faded and they were able to look out and see again.
Rin's eyes widened, her jaw dropped in surprise.
Kohana stood in the pond, sword fallen into the water as she trembled. Wailing, she gripped her head in pain with her right arm. The cord of light, the one that connected Kohana to the dark dome and Ronuku, was swirling around her. Weaved within the thick black threads was a thread of white, forcing its way into the darkness.
The two forces, black and white, wavered as they spun in the cord that surrounded Kohana, as though each one was fighting for dominance.
"Blessed gods, what on earth…" Rin heard Kaida gasp behind her.
"Listen to me," the voice that had thundered spoke again, "The jewel's been lying to you this whole time! It wants to use your powers to draw us in, it's controlling you!"
Rin's heart raced, instantly recognizing the voice.
"Kagome?" Kaida echoed her thoughts, "What…how is this possible?"
"Kohana," another voice answered, smooth and calm, "It's so loud here isn't it? The light is so blinding, you will never find peace here."
"Don't listen to him!" Kagome's voice shouted.
Kohana shook, the water at her feet vibrating against her trembling body. The dark light that clouded her eyes faded slightly, tears suddenly running down her ashen cheeks.
"Th-they're gone," she croaked, her voice a raspy whisper that wavered with sorrow, "N-naraku killed them, I saw it."
"Good," the smooth voice answered, "You remember what he did to you. You wish for vengeance don't you? Return to me and you shall have it."
"That's not true!" Kagome argued, "Naraku didn't kill us! We're still here, we're all still fighting to stop him, to save you!"
"Death surrounds you, Kohana, haven't you seen what's been happening?"
The darkness clouded her eyes once more and she screamed.
"They're dying!" Kohana wailed, "They're all dying!"
"Your friends have fallen on the battlefield, Inuyasha challenged you and failed, demons are swarming the villagers…your mind is connected to Ronuku's, didn't you see what happened to the monk?"
Kohana shrieked again, her fist clutching in her tangled sopping hair.
"Their blood is on your hands. This is your doing, after all…don't you recall what happened to that precious demon of yours?"
"He…he's dead," Kohana sobbed.
"By your own hand."
"I killed him," she wailed, "No…I killed him! It's all my fault, my fault!" She doubled over, her screams and weeping echoing across the water.
"It is your fault. He abandoned your children, and you took your vengeance on him. You will never escape this pain until you return to me."
"No!" Kagome shouted, though her voice had grown quieter, "They're alive Kohana, Futeki and Rin are down there right now! You can still save them, you just have to fight it!"
"Kagome is right!" Rin shouted. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, where the voices were coming from, who Kagome was arguing with…but she did know that she couldn't let that other voice tell Kohana what to do, she couldn't let him hurt her anymore!
"I'm still here!" Rin yelled, "Me, Lady Kaida…we're alive! Futeki is too, but he needs your help! You have to listen to Kagome!"
Kohana's trembling eased, slowly she turned her head and looked at the younger girl, the black light starting to fade from her eyes again.
"R-rin…" she said, "Rin's here. I can see her, why is she here…"
"Because she's alive!" Kagome shouted, her voice becoming stronger again.
"N-naraku killed her," Kohana answered, "H-he told me she died…"
"And now he's sent an illusion to deceive you," the smooth voice answered, "He knows that you can kill him, he means to trick you into lowering your guard."
"No!" Rin shouted, surprised at the anger in her voice, "I'm not an illusion, I'm real!" Ignoring Kaida's protests, Rin ran into the pond and dashed towards Kohana. She yelped when she reached the edge of Kohana's power, the veil of black and white light that fought for control. The air around her was super-heated, furious electricity danced through it and threatened to strike Rin at any moment.
She felt as though she were standing at the edge of a storm. She couldn't get any closer, but she refused to back away.
Kaida shouted for her to return to the edge of the pond.
"See, Kohana, I'm right here," Rin said, "I'm not an illusion."
Kohana looked at her, the light dancing through her eyes, fading in and out as the two powers waged war within her mind.
"Rin…Rin is here…" She said, her voice wavering in confusion, "But N-naraku he…handed me her sleeve…she was dead…"
"Naraku attacked us, but I didn't die," Rin said, "He didn't kill any of us."
"No," Kohana's eyes narrowed, "I found…I found Futeki, I held him." Her voice was shaking, her anger returning, "I held Futeki, I saw his blood, he was dead! He was dead!"
"It was a fake," Kagome answered, "Naraku made a doll to trick you, Futeki was with us the whole time."
"We waited for you," Rin said, "I kept Futeki safe, Naraku didn't hurt him."
"Then where is he now, girl?" The other voice suddenly sounded annoyed.
Rin gaped, unable to answer. Futeki had disappeared, she had no idea where he was, or if he was even still alive…
"I...I don't know," Rin admitted, shame written clearly on her face, "I can't find him, he vanished after we fell from Ah-Un."
The dark energy suddenly flared around Kohana. Rin yelped as a sudden blast of hot wind pushed her back.
"What a cruel trick to play on you," the voice said.
"Trick…" Kohana echoed.
"Naraku mocks you, your family is gone, your husband slain by your own hand, and he sends the illusion to play with your heart and give you false hope. Kohana, they're dead, there's nothing left, and yet he still tries to find amusement in your pain!"
Kohana's eyes narrowed in anger, they became completely clouded again. The white light around her faded, as the darkness flared and surged. The water around her trembled, her hair thrashed about wildly, tossed by the storm of anger.
"Kohana, no, he's lying to you, Rin is there!" Kagome shouted. Her voice had grown quiet, drowned out by the roar of Kohana's power.
"How dare he mock you? How dare he make a game out of you?!" The other voice was in a frenzy, angrily echoing across the pond, "You won't let him get away with this!"
"I won't," Kohana agreed, her voice flat and emotionless.
"You won't let him toy with your mind!" The voice howled.
"RIN!" Kaida shouted from behind, "RIN, GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"
Kagome's voice continued to shout and argue, but Rin could barely hear it. She stood, frozen in fear as she watched Kohana's face return to the demonic mask of fury and hatred. The heated air from her power blasted into Rin, striking her face and arms like needles made of ember.
"Kohana," Rin begged, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Please, listen to me! I'm not an illusion, I'm not!"
Kohana stared her down, her expression merciless. She raised her right fist, a ball of black energy massing before her.
She aimed it directly at the girl.
Somewhere beneath the roar of the wind, heat, and the surging electricity Kaida and Kagome were shouting, screaming for her to run. To flee, to get away before she was torn apart.
Rin couldn't hear them at all.
"KILL HER." The voice ordered.
Kohana howled, the blast of dark energy shooting outwards from her fist.
Rin closed her eyes and screamed.
It struck her in the side.
She was sent flying, the sudden rush of air against her whipped her hair into her face and pushed the breath from her lungs. She couldn't scream, couldn't react, merely flying helplessly through the air like a limp doll.
Rin anticipated the sudden gush of cold water, the icy arms waiting to embrace her and carry her body to the bottom.
…except it never came.
In fact, neither did the pain from Kohana's attack. Tentatively Rin opened her eyes, and saw that not only was she unscathed, but she was suspended above the water, held securely in someone's arms. Glancing up at her savior, her eyes widened in shock. A sudden rush of disbelief and joy filled her heart, so strong that she wept immediately.
"Lord Sesshomaru!"