Kohaku frowned as Kagome and Inuyasha continued to bicker. It had been only a few days since the attack and Sesshomaru had yet to fully recover. Jacken and A-Un had yet to return from the lands of Sesshomaru's mother for the herb he had claimed he needed and everyone was on pins and needles since then. It would be a boon to any demon to kill such a powerful demon as Sesshomauru. Normally they would steer clear of him but if word got out how injured he was then every demon from here to the underworld with a wish to make an instant name for themselves would make a beeline for Inuyasha's home. Kohaku had stuck around for just that reason to Inuyasha's relief. So far they had been able to keep everything quiet but news like this never stayed silent for long. Kagome had suggested it was time to teach Rin how to defend herself just in case the worst they feared would happen. Before Rin could answer, Chieko ran forward and grabbed Rin's hand insisting she come outside and play with her and Kichirou. Once they had disappeared Kohaku had volunteered to train Rin and Inuyasha had all but bitten his head off.
"What's your problem Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded with exasperation lacing her tone.
Inuyasha sat cross legged on the floor, with his arms crossed over his chest belligerently and glared at Kagome. "It's a stupid idea. She's human."
"So am I." Kohaku said.
"You're different. You're a man." Inuyasha said.
"Oh I can't believe you Inuyasha. What does he being male have to do with anything?" Kagome asked.
"As a human and a male he's expected to defend his family and village. And Kohaku comes from a long line of respected and powerful demon slayers. Many of his skills were imprinted on him even before birth, that's why his family was so powerful. He's human but a little more."
"And Rin is expected to what? Just sit at home and have babies?" Kagome growled.
"What the hell is your problem Kagome? Rin travels with demons. Sesshomaru and Jacken plus A-Un are more than capable of taking care of her." Inuyasha said.
"Obviously not as well as you think since she's been attacked many times before." Kagome said.
"By demons! That's the key word here you seem to be missing. Even if she was trained, what kind of damage do you think a puny human female can do to a hungry yokai? It's a waste of time to train her. Even if she was a bad ass she'd still be nothing in comparison to a demons strength."
"But I-"
"And before you say you can hold your own against a yokai." Inuyasha interrupted her rudely. "Remember you have strong spiritual powers you gained as the reincarnation of a powerful priestess. Rin won't be able to do shit by comparison."
"Even if she could just gain seconds in stalling, it would be worth it and give Sesshomaru and Jacken more time to recover her safely." Kohaku tried to interject reasonably.
Inuyasha made a face. "It's a stupid idea and Sesshomaru is not going to like it."
"Well Sesshomaru has no say right now until he gains back his strength. In the meantime Kohaku can train Rin to defend herself." Kagome finished triumphantly.
"All she's going to accomplish is to piss off her attacker and either get herself killed much quicker or hurt very badly." Inuyasha said ominously while openly glaring at both Kagome for thinking up this ridiculous idea and Kohaku for going along with it. The demon slayer at the least should know better.
Kagome stubbornly crossed her arms and glared right back at her husband. He could bark all he wanted but in the end she'd have her way. Kagome glanced over at Kohaku, expecting him to back her all the way, and was surprised by the knowing look he and Inuyasha shared. Kagome frowned. Was she wrong? Was she placing Rin in more danger? Kagome loved her friend dearly, even looked upon her like a little sister. But was she being overprotective? Kagome was extremely familiar with what it felt like to feel insignificant and intimidated by this world as she herself was from a distant time in the future.
Kagome looked back at Inuyasha and felt a little pang in her chest. She even knew the pain one could endure when you loved someone and for them not to love you back. It had taken Inuyasha a long time to get over his great love Kikyo. Kagome hated to remember that she was in reality the reincarnation of Kikyo. At the time the entire situation had been so confusing and extremely painful. Kagome couldn't bear the thought of Rin experiencing that kind of pain. She knew Kohaku had a serious interest in Rin and Kagome felt she needed to help nudge Rin more in his direction. He would always be there for her, he was human and he could protect her. Sesshomaru on the other hand could easily lose interest or….well Kagome wasn't really sure what he was capable of. He was a full blooded yokai, and as much as she adored her brother in law she couldn't really see him falling in love with Rin.
Kagome sighed. Maybe she was overstepping her bounds. Who was she to arbitrarily decide for anyone? Sesshomaru had changed a lot over the years, and she could even see the very strong affection he had towards the children, Inuyasha and even herself. That change she could even go as far as crediting it to Rin alone…but that had taken a very long time to develop. He was a demon after all.
"I'll go talk to Rin and see how she feels about all this." Kohaku said.
"Sesshomaru is not going to like it." Inuyasha repeated for the hundredth time.
"You know as well as I do if we don't keep Rin busy she'll spend every waking moment by Sesshomaru's side while he's recovering." Kagome pleaded with Inuyasha.
"That's where she should be." Inuyasha insisted.
"She's in love with him you idiot. You can't honestly expect her to dedicate the rest of her life to being his beck and call girl."
"Beck and call girl?" Inuyasha repeated the strange words in confusion before he rolled his eyes. "I'm never going to get used to your future speak. And she's already said more than once that all she wants. To be with him. Hell, every time we visited her all she would do was ask about him."
"Because she's in love with him." Kagome said.
"So she's confused. She'll get over it." Inuyasha said with his normal infuriating logic.
"Are you serious?"
"What? It's not like he's encouraging that from her. She belongs to him. End of story. You humans, always confusing possession with love." Inuyasha snorted.
"You love me." Kagome said.
"Of course I love you. I would die for you." Inuyasha replied automatically.
Kagome smiled. "So because you'd be willing to die for me, that means you love me?"
Inuyasha hesitated, sensing a trap. "To protect the ones I love I would willingly sacrifice my life if necessary."
"Sesshomaru has risked his life for her many times. That's encouragement."
Inuyasha burst into laughter. He rolled to the floor on his back and held his sides as the hilarity of her comment repeated in his head. Infuriated Kagome walked stiffly over to him and kicked his shoulder. Inuyasha raised himself back into a sitting position and kept a wary eye on Kagome as he tried to contain his grin. "Sesshomaru risks his life for no one. Every battle he's ever entered can hardly be called a battle. They're one sided. He's one if not the most powerful living yokai and he only grows stronger every day. So no, as there's no demon that can truly even provide a decent challenge to him, he has not risked his life for Rin."
"Then how do you explain Kitsune?" Kagome demanded.
Inuyasha sobered. "She caught us all off guard."
"It's not healthy for Rin to be so devoted to him." Kagome said returning to the subject at hand.
"It works for them Kagome. Don't meddle." Inuyasha warned.
"I'm trying to watch out for her." Kagome said defensively.
"You're being a busy body." Inuyasha retorted.
"I'm not the bad guy here. I'm looking out for Rin's best interests because it doesn't look like any of you are willing to do so."
"No, we're respecting her wishes. I know your heart is in the right place but that doesn't give you the right to interfere. You can give her advice, you can have that girl talk crap you're always going on about…but you can't run her life." Inuyasha said quietly, willing her to really hear him this time.
Kagome felt tears sting her eyes at his gentle scolding. Inuyasha saw the hurt flash across her face and instantly walked over to her side. "You're just so overprotective sometimes Kagome. You impulsively act without thinking things through."
Kagome stiffened in shock. "Wait a minute. You're calling me impulsive?"
Kohaku laughed. "Well they do say after a few years of marriage you start resembling each other."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That must be why Chieko has a regularly scheduled tea time appointment with me."
Kagome laughed. "You're not turning into a girl you're being a good dad. Besides you love tea time."
"My manhood cannot tolerate such lies!" Inuyasha said with mock severity.
They all laughed and Kohaku repeated. "I'm going to go find Rin."
"I'm telling you it's a bad idea. Sesshomaru is not going to approve." Inuyasha stressed.
"Weren't you the one who was just defending her right to make her own choice without interference?" Kagome asked sweetly.
"Fine. Train her. But let the record show I think it's-"
"A bad idea." Kagome and Kohaku finished for him together as Kohaku left the room.
Weeks later Kohaku peeked into the guest bedroom and found Rin sitting in her usual spot watching over Sesshomaru. "How's he doing?" Kohaku asked Rin as she sat by his bed and placed new bandages on his side.
"He's healing, just very slowly." Rin replied.
"So he's healing as a human?" Kohaku asked as he quietly entered the room and stood beside Rin looking down at Sesshomaru's prone body.
"I don't understand why he's not regenerating." Rin grabbed the washcloth from the nightstand, rinsed it in the cool water of the bowl she had brought in earlier and used it to dab at Sesshomaru's chest.
Kohaku crossed his arms and frowned. "It doesn't make sense. Kagome checked him for poison. We know Kitsune had poisoned tips on each of her tails. Inuyasha cleared the remnants from his system and luckily I didn't get hit. It would've probably killed me, but Sesshomaru got the worst of it. Still, he should've been able to fight it off. Maybe something in the poison stops his regenerative properties?"
Kohaku glanced at Rin when she didn't reply. Her eyes followed her hands as she silently smoothed the cloth over Sesshomaru's chest trying to keep him cool. He had just broken a fever earlier and she was determined to keep his temperature down.
Kohaku gently placed his hands on her shoulders and kneaded her tense muscles. "Hey." He whispered near her ear as he bent over her. "He's going to be okay. You know that right?"
"It's just hard to believe she could do this to him." Rin said quietly.
"You mean Kitsune?" Kohaku asked.
Rin nodded her head. "They were lovers. How could she want to kill him?"
"To demons sex is a tool. It can be used as just a release or as a way to manipulate or deceive."
"Humans can be like that too." Rin answered, unconsciously defensive.
"Of course we can. But as for tender emotions like love or affection, that's a sign of grave weakness in the demon world."
"Kaede told me demons can't love. It's just not in them to give into such a selfless emotion." Rin said quietly.
Kohaku straightened up and looked at the top of her bowed head and to Sesshomaru's still form. "There are always exceptions to the rule Rin."
Rin looked over her shoulder up at him. "What do you mean?"
Kohaku looked down at her and smiled. "Take Inuyasha. Do you think he doesn't love his family?"
"Kaede told me it was his human side that loved them. Demons can only feel possession."
"Kaede is a very wise woman Rin. But in my experience, even the wisest among us make mistakes."
Rin frowned at him. "I don't understand."
"Sesshomaru has watched over you since you were a child. He protected you and guided you in his way."
"As a possession, nothing more." Rin said.
"Do you worry about your possessions? Do you talk to them? Do you wonder if they're comfortable or doing well? It's more than possession Rin. Surely you can't be that blind? He cares for you. And because of you he learned to care for Jacken and A-Un."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Rin asked curiously.
Kohaku smiled even though she saw sadness in his eyes. "I care about you Rin. Very deeply. You are my best friend. But I'm not stupid. I've always known where your heart lies. I know I could make you happy…but I don't think you could make me happy."
Rin's eyes widened in surprise. "I would never try to hurt you Kohaku." She fervently denied.
"You would never try to. But no one wants to be second place in the heart of the one they love."
When Rin lowered her eyes Kohaku forced her to look up at him. "This is a good thing Rin. I'm not in love with you. Or at least I'm not that far yet. Part of being a demon slayer is knowing how to pick your battles. I lost this one before I was even on the field. But I'll always be your friend no matter what Rin."
Rin placed her hand above his on her shoulder. "Thank you Kohaku." Rin said gratefully.
"I'll help you watch over Sesshomaru for as long as it takes him to be at full strength again. You have my word on that."
Rin was smiling at him when the door opened and Kagome stepped into the room. "Guess this is where the party is." She teased. She saw the tender way Kohaku squeezed Rin's shoulder before he stepped away and she appeared to be very comfortable around him. Kagome smiled at both of them, relieved things were progressing between the two.
Kohaku grinned at Kagome. "All we're missing is Inuyasha and the kids."
"Kichirou wanted to go swimming so Inuyasha took the kids to the lake." Kagome answered as she gently pried the washcloth from Rin's hands. "Why don't the two of you go outside and continue your training? I'll watch over him." Kagome said to Rin.
Rin hesitated before reluctantly nodding and leaving the room with Kohaku.
"Are you okay Rin?" Kohaku asked her as they stepped out onto the porch.
"It's getting harder for me to leave him." Rin answered absentmindedly.
"You have been pretty devoted to his recovery." Kohaku observed quietly.
"You don't understand." Rin said as she looked at him.
Kohaku frowned. "Explain it to me then."
Rin bit her lip and tried to explain what she herself didn't quite understand. "Before I would've done anything to help him. I've spent my whole life following in his wake. Dedicated myself to serving him. I always wanted to help him. But lately I've felt so strange."
"Felt what?" Kohaku asked her.
"Nothing. I know he's hurt and of course I want him to get better but it's almost as if I'm slightly detached from it all. But I can't bear to be physically parted from him for too long now either. I don't feel the need to stay by his side all the time but before I know what I'm doing it's like my body drags me back to his side." Rin said anxiously as she raked a hand through her hair. "It's as if the more I don't feel the need to be there the more my body forces me to be closer to him."
"You're not making any sense Rin." Kohaku said. "I've seen you taking care of him. You watch over him with the same diligence you did before."
"But I don't feel the need to do it anymore." Rin cried out in distress. "When I'm not with him I feel normal. When I'm around you I can laugh and smile. When I'm with the children or Kagome I feel love and affection for them. But then I have this incredible urge to be beside Sesshomaru, I go to his room, and it's as if someone sucked all the colors and emotion from the room. I feel empty. But I remember how much I missed him, how great it felt when he finally came back for me. I know the feelings were there but it's like they're not now and I don't know what's happening to me-"
"Rin." Kohaku said with concern as he interrupted her and pulled her into his arms. "We'll figure out what's going on." He said as he stroked her back. "In the meantime, let's focus on your training okay?"
Rin nodded slowly and allowed him to hold her hand and guide her out into the clearing. The two faced one another and did a few stretches and took deep breaths. "Ready?" Rin asked.
Kohaku grinned. "Always." Kohaku immediately struck forward with his fist towards her face. Rin immediately shifted to the side and twisted so his fist would go past her. Kohaku quickly adjusted and opened his fist and chopped to the right towards her neck as they went through the steps of their routine. Rin quickly dropped to the ground and used her leg to spin out and kick towards his feet with the intention of tripping him.
Kohaku simply hopped and avoided her leg before he dove on top of her. Rin surprised him by using his forward momentum, laying back on the ground, and using her legs to push him over her head. She quickly flipped onto her stomach and used her hands to push herself back up into a fighting stance.
Kohaku rolled with his shoulder and stood back up to face her with a grin on his face. "Very good."
Rin smiled and rolled her shoulders, loosening herself up like he had taught her. Kohaku dropped his kusarigama and with a hand on the chain he began to swing it in wide circles before him. "Ready?"
Rin swallowed and nodded her head a little nervously.
Kohaku smiled at her encouragingly. "Okay, just remember the pattern. Left, right, left, right. Okay?"
Rin nodded again and Kohaku swung the weapon forward quickly to Rin's left which she easily shifted on the balls of her feet to avoid. With his other hand, Kohaku fisted the chain, pulled the kusarigama back, swung it behind him and with his foot, kicked the side of the weapon, shooting it forward toward Rin's right. Rin shifted to the left and avoided the strike. They continued on in that fashion for what seemed like hours.
Kohaku was determined to teach Rin evasive moves, Inuyasha's words ringing in his ears. She would never survive a full on attack from a demon no matter what Kagome thought. In the end, no matter how much he trained her, she was still only human. Her best tactical move would be evasive measures and stalling tactics. Their speed increased and Kohaku began to move forward. Rin stepped back for every step he took forward, still avoiding the deadly sickle.
Her heel suddenly caught a rock and she tripped backward. Instinctively Rin tried to right herself but the sickle was already heading back towards her. Kohaku immediately wrapped his leg around the chain and slammed his foot down trying to stop the weapon before it hit her. Rin tried to dodge it but the broadside of the sickle hit her temple and she went down with a cry.
"Rin!" Kohaku yelled as Rin lost consciousness.
Kohaku ran forward and slid to his knees besides Rin as he quickly checked her pulse and then proceeded to check her head without moving her.
The sudden bang of the wooden door against the side of the house was Kohaku's only warning. Hands slammed into his chest and pushed him backwards with the force of a freight train and sent him spiraling through the air. Kohaku attempted to somersault midair to land on his feet but a body slammed into him, throwing him off balance and driving him down into the ground. Dirt spewed up like a geyser around him as the force of their landing forced him down into the ground a good foot. Blinded and dazed, Kohaku managed to grab his sickle and he pressed upward into the neck of the blur that attacked him.
"Sesshomaru stop!" Kagome screamed and only then did Kohaku realize who was above him.
Sesshomaru's eyes bled red and his sharp fangs gleamed as he continually hissed and snapped at Kohaku's face. Kohaku tried to defend himself but Sesshomaru's strength easily overpowered him. He simply grabbed Kohaku's elbow with one hand and squeezed, eliciting a scream of pain from Kohaku when he felt the tendons and bone break. With his arm now useless Sesshomaru immediately went in for the kill.
Inuyasha was just walking back into the clearing with his children in tow when he heard his wife's screams. Inuyasha immediately recognized Sesshomaru and bolted forward, yelling at Kichirou and Chieko to get to safety with their mother. What the hell had Kohaku done to piss Sesshomaru off?
Inuyasha watched in horror as Sesshomaru broke Kohaku's arm as if it was no more than a match stick and barely managed to shoulder slam his older brother off Kohaku before he could go for the throat.
Kohaku quickly rolled away to safety and Inuyasha had no choice but to withdraw his sword Tessaiga as he continually had to block his brother's claws as they attempted to rend and tear at him. "Sesshomaru! What the fuck?" Inuyasha yelled, highly disturbed by Sesshomaru's continuous vicious attacks against him.
Sesshomaru was in a killing frenzy and the only thing that was saving all of them from instant death was Sesshomaru's anger. He had lost all semblance of control and was luckily not using any of his powers against them. Inuyasha was very powerful in his own right but if Sesshomaru had been in his right mind and really wanted to kill him, Inuyasha didn't doubt he could easily do so. Inuyasha could hear his children crying as they watched their beloved uncle and father fight viciously. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kagome run to their children and Kohaku and erect the lavender colored dome barrier around them for protection.
Inuyasha managed to avoid the majority of the blows as he yelled at Sesshomaru to snap out of his rage. But his one second of making sure his family was safe cost him dearly. Sesshomaru's claws sunk into his shoulder and ran across his chest leaving deep slashes. Inuyasha screamed in pain and Sesshomaru managed to backhand him, the hard blow sending him hurtling backward through the sky.
Sesshomaru immediately turned back towards his original target Kohaku. He leaped forward to the terror of his family and used his claws to swipe at the dome protecting them and Kohaku. Kagome cried out in pain with each blow but held her dome for as long as she could. She could see where Sesshomaru's slash marks were actually cracking her dome and she continually screamed at Sesshomaru to stop. When she tried to reach out to him with her powers all she found was a red haze of fury. A desperate need for retribution. Kagome dug a little deeper and found great well of sorrow and mourning. Her eyes snapped to Rin's still form on the ground then back to Sesshomaru with tears in her eyes.
"Oh my God!" Kagome cried out in pain and her dome weakened against Sesshomaru's attacks. "Rin is dead!" She sobbed, trying desperately to hold the dome together, knowing her emotions were deeply tied to the strength of her powers.
Inuyasha slammed his shoulder into Sesshomaru's and the two rolled over into the ground and came together in violent snarls as Inuyasha used Tessaiga to beat Sesshomaru back.
Confused Kohaku looked up at Kagome as he gingerly held his broken arm. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Rin is dead! That's what pushed him into a killing frenzy. We've lost her!" Kagome yelled as tears of regret and anguish poured from her eyes.
Kohaku grimaced in pain and closed his eyes against the dizziness that assailed him. "Rin is not dead. She's just unconscious. I checked her pulse before he attacked me. She took a hard blow to the head but she's not dead."
Kagome hiccupped and looked down at Kohaku with hope. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Kohaku said as another wave of nausea rode him hard.
Kagome laughed with relief. "That's wonderful! Sesshomaru lost his connection to her and seeing her prone form must have made him think she was dead. Inuyasha! Rin is not dead! Tell him!" Kagome called out to her husband as her children quickly picked up her yells and chanted along with her that Rin was not dead.
Inuyasha heard his families calls to him and repeatedly yelled at Sesshomaru "She's not dead you shit head!"
It took a while before the red haze slowly receded from Sesshomaru and Inuyasha could see the fight slowly dying out of him. "Rin's not fucking dead!" Inuyasha repeated, praying his words were finally beginning to register. Inuyasha backed away and placed his body squarely between Sesshomaru and his family protectively as he watched Sesshomaru grimly take back his hard fought control. Without even acknowledging any of them, Sesshomaru walked over to Rin's unconscious form and gently picked her up before quietly walking back into the house with Rin in his arms.
Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at Kagome and Kohaku as she slowly lowered the dome and turned to tend to Kohaku. "I told you it was a bad fucking idea to train her." He reminded them grimly.