Eerie

Kohaku sat atop Kirara as they flew low through the forest. He clenched the fur on Kirara's back. The determination he saw in Rin's eyes remained in his thoughts. She was so beautiful, as she sat atop her two-headed dragon, so in control of her environment. If he were any other normal man, he would ask her to marry him, but he wasn't normal. He traveled so much, he barely had a home. He would never be able to provide for a wife and family. If that wasn't bad enough, he was damaged spiritually as well. Haunted by ghosts of his murdered family and clansmen, he rarely slept. His dreams were filled of horrors committed by his own hands. Sleep was something he paid a heavy price for.

What woman would ever want him as a husband?

His musings stopped short, as he realized that even in the dark, the air was hazy and thick.

He coughed harshly trying to clear his lungs. His eyes watered and burned. Something was on fire. He urged Kirara to fly higher above the trees to see where the smoke was coming from.

The sight before him shocked him. Flames lit up the dark night. The village was on fire.

He pulled his mask over his face to keep out the fumes.

Who was behind this, the snake tribe or someone else?

They landed on the soft grass on the outskirts of the village. Wind shipped the flames around spreading the fire further. He could feel the heat from it. It was too quiet. The only sound was of a roaring fire, and huts collapsing. Usually when there was a fire in a village, there was a certain amount of chaos expected. No one stood in the streets. No one carrying pails of water rushed to dump it on flames. He stood in the middle of an empty town that was simply burning. It was eerie. A terrible feeling gripped him.

"Kukuku...a sslayer..." A voice said behind him.

Kohaku slowly turned around to see a youkai that its top half was humanlike, and its bottom half was a snake. He could only make out the thin narrow slits of its red eyes.

Kohaku drew the scythe off his back. "Are you responsible for this?"

"Did I beat you to thisss town? Aww did the little slayer wish to kill some demons? Too bad I got them all." The snake taunted.

"Why did you kill them? Why this village?" Kohaku demanded.

His forked tongue slithered out of his mouth as he hissed. "Now why ssshould I tell you anything? I'm just going to kill you, so why wassste my time?"

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Rin stood outside of the village watching it burn. She was not surprised. The snake tribe had tried to set Kagome's house on fire, as well as the rest of Kaeda's village on a few occasions.

Looking at the ground surrounding the village, it was easy to follow their tracks if you knew what to look for.

Rin drew her sword.

"How preciouss, a little girl. How about a little tasste?" A voice hissed at her from the darkness.

She knew he had been there. He didn't exactly cover his tracks.

The youkai approached her from the left, slithering up in front of her.

Rin gave him no warning. She leaped forward stabbing him through the chest. His eyes widened, his pupils blown.

He grabbed a hold of her, snarling, trying to bite her. "I can sssmell him on you. That dog ownsss you."

Rin grit her teeth and using both hands yanked the sword straight up from his torso and out the side of his neck. The youkai bellowed with pain and rage. His claws dug into her as he clung to her. She couldn't let him bite her. Rin brought her leg up and forcefully kicked him off of her. She raised the sword up in the air with both hands, then with a powerful downward slash, she removed his head from his neck. His hot blood sprayed across her. With a thud, the youkai's head rolled in the grass beside her.

She spit his poisonous blood from her mouth. Kneeling down, she wiped her sword off on the dead youkai's clothes.

Glancing at the tracks again, she knew there were more. Kohaku must be deeper in the village, or perhaps he stayed within the treeline to avoid being seen. She could only hope he had remained hidden.

Rin pulled a scarf out from inside her kimono top, and wrapped it around her face covering her nose and mouth.

She had a job to do.

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Author's note: This was supposed to be two chapters, but what the hell. Enjoy! :D