For Love and War

Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters.

"There, there, you'll be quite comfortable here love," Naraku's soft voice spoke to the stiff figure on the bed. His hand brushed the girl's forehead gently; lovingly. He laid on the bed, next to his beloved, and stroked her hair, wrapping one arm around her slim waist. All was silent in the small hut as both bodies laid on the soft bed, all but one single heart beat.

Naraku closed his eyes and let his hand roam the side of his beloved Rin, all the while remembering when they'd first met. She'd been gathering herbs and he'd wandered too far from his hunting party. He smiled at the memory. Naraku opened his eyes and propped himself on one elbow and leaned down to kiss stiff blue lips. He didn't mind the blood staining the yellow sheets of the bed or the dark stains on his own clothing.

"I must leave now," he whispered at his little Rin. "But don't you worry, love. I will return tonight."

Naraku bent down and kissed the frigid corpse's forehead one final time before rising to his feet. He stared down at her for a moment. They were meant to be together. Naraku believed it all the way to the marrow in his bones. She could not leave him. The mere thought of it caused his chest to tighten painfully. Fury rose fast and hard, clogging his throat. No, she would not leave him...ever. She would stay with him and their child.

Naraku pulled the blood soaked sheets over Rin's still form and tucked them around her feet carefully. He turned around and walked towards the dark wooden doors before glancing over his shoulder. He smiled as Rin made no attempt to leave him—like she'd threatened to in the woods. The memory felt strange and foreign to Naraku—as if he'd imagined the whole thing. He shook his head and walked outside, leaving muddy footprints on the wooden floor.

OoO

Sesshomaru stayed frozen in place. Our father's name is Lord Naraku. Their sister had been betrayed and lied to. The confirmation brought a frenzy of anger and fury within him. He wanted to find the man and destroy him the way he was sure to destroy their sister's heart. He was careful to hide his inner battle from both mikos, though he could feel their piercing gazes on his back. Continuing to stare out the open door, he rose. Without turning, he spoke in in a composed tone, "Perhaps you should go...Now."

Kikyou turned to meet her sister's concerned eyes and then turned to look back at the youkai before her. His back was ramrod straight and tense. Something was wrong. She might not have the same level of empathy as Kagome, but she could tell when someone was not at ease. She took a step forward and narrowed her eyes at their host, "Is there something wrong?"

Sesshomaru nearly smiled cruelly. Oh the irony! Of course there was something wrong and of course they wouldn't know a thing about it. Little princess mikos lived too sheltered and protected. Of course they wouldn't know that their own sire was a pathetic lying piece of scum; lying and cheating on his own family. Sesshomaru looked over his shoulder and sneered at them. "Nothing is wrong, miko. Now leave."

Kagome's anger flared bright and livid, and unable to control it, she took a step forward. "Listen, you. I don't know what's going on, but you don't have to be so rude. We're not here for you, remember. We're here for Rin." She glared harder at the unmoved youkai, and seethed silently.

Kagome was about to continue to berate him, when her heart clenched painfully. She gripped her chest with both her hands and gasped as another wave of pain hit her chest. She shut her eyes and unconsciously let her senses expand and float through the forest outside. In her mind's eye, she passed the village and trees, followed an invisible thread leading through the labyrinth of trees and bushes, until she stopped upon a waterfall. Instantly, she recognized the river and the surroundings. It was where she'd met her new friend, Rin. She stretched her mind's eye, trying to capture what was going on. When she pictured her friend sitting there, near the river bank, her heart constricted further.

Instantly she knew something was very wrong with her friend. Why else would she not be home when a storm was brewing right outside their doorsteps? Kagome opened her eyes and noticed the gray rain pouring outside. Her brows furrowed when she turned towards Kikyou.

"What happened Kagome? You were gone for some time. It has already started to rain," Kikyou said holding her elbow.

Kagome stared at her through wide eyes, "Something is wrong, Kikyou. Something is wrong with Rin," she finished. When she mentioned the young woman's name, Sesshomaru had been by her side in a flash.

Sesshomaru's gut clenched painfully at the mention of his sister. He'd been puzzled when the younger miko had dazed off mid sentence and her eyes had gone blank. Her body might have been in the room with them, yet her mind had been miles away. He'd been examining her carefully and listening to her. When she mentioned his sister's name and confirmed his fears, he'd been at her side, ready to extract answers. "What did you say, miko?" His eyes narrowed at her, willing her to answer him.

Kagome looked up at the intimidating youkai before her, invading her personal space. They were barely a hand's width apart and she was too aware of him suddenly. Every fiber of her being was awakened and aware of his masculinity; of his strong aura trying to possess hers. She just had to take a step back, but he followed and took a step forward; like a dance, except that she was leading and he followed.

"Kagome, it's time we go," Kikyou said, squeezing her sister's elbow. The action was not lost on the youkai, as her glared down at the older priestess. Kikyou glared back at him, gripping her sister's elbow tighter and pulling her back. Kikyou turned around, pulling Kagome along, and took one step forwards before Sesshomaru was in front of them again.

"You will not leave until you have answered me." He did not raise his voice, yet the threatening message was clear. In that instant, the entrance door behind him opened with a loud bang and the wind rushed in howling.

A wet form scrambled inside, hastily closing the door and shaking it's head and then it's body much like a wet dog would. Kikyou glanced at the figure unmoved, then returned her piercing brown eyes towards the one blocking their way. She was aware of the exact moment the figure by the door noticed them and shifted her stance to better cover herself and Kagome.

Sesshomaru didn't bother to glance over his shoulder to know Inuyasha had arrived. He didn't know if to be relieved he was back or not. For some reason, he didn't want him there at the moment...not near her. Something dark and ugly rose its head and snarled at the room in general. He didn't want Inuyasha there, near the younger miko, and he didn't want her to even look Inuyasha's way. When she did, and those huge doe eyes of hers did, he almost voiced his growl.

Kagome peeked from behind Kikyou and around Sesshomaru at the form who'd entered the house. She smiled, amused, as the person shook themselves to get the water off them much like a dog. Her eyes trailed to his face when he turned towards them and her breath hitched in her throat. The similarities between him and the youkai before her were unmistakable; siblings perhaps. Yet where one was...beautiful, the other was ragged and all over male. His darker silver hair hung limply, sticking to his red haori and face, golden eyes peaking from wet bangs.

A small deep growl vibrated through the wooden floorboards and Kagome's attention snapped towards the youkai before her. She was startled to find him staring at her hungrily, his eyes narrowed dangerously. She dared a glance at Kikyou and found her staring at the youkai that had entered the home. No. Not youkai. There were a set of dog ears atop his wet head, now twitching like little antennas.

Kagome returned her gaze at the eldest youkai and shifted nervously. Something about the way he was staring at her made her uneasy, almost frightened. It was too intense...too intimate. She thrust her chin up defiantly and stepped forwards next to her sister. "Please move out of our way. We must leave now least we get stuck in the middle of a stronger storm," Kagome ordered, keeping her eyes leveled with his amber ones. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other man approach closer to them.

"What's going on here?" Inuyasha's gruff voice broke through the silence. The tension in the room was so thick he could almost taste it in his tongue. He glanced at the two females in the room, his eyes staying on the oldest one a bit longer than he'd intended. He turned back to Sesshomaru and propped his fists on his hips, seeing his tensed posture. His brows furrowed in thought as he looked back at the women—this time not too friendly.

"Rin is not home yet and there is a storm approaching fast. The miko said something was wrong...with Rin," Sesshomaru stated, still boring his eyes into the younger miko's.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at the mikos before him, his damp bangs covering one eye. He stood next to Sesshomaru, crossing his thick arms over his chest. The damp haori clung to every wet muscle, accentuating them even more. His legs were parted at shoulder's length, affectively blocking the mikos' way. With both of them standing tall, determination and arrogance lighting in both their eyes; there would be no way for either women to escape.

Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat. Suddenly the tightness in her chest released her. In that moment, she felt utterly alone—a great vast feeling within her. Her heart felt empty and shallow, as if something had left it open and abandoned. In that moment...she stopped feeling her friend, and she knew that all that time, she'd been feeling her pain. And now...she couldn't, which meant...Rin was gone.

Tears stung her eyes as millions of thoughts poured into Kagome's head, images of what could have happened. Looking straight ahead, yet not seeing anything, she took a step forward. Without notice she shot forward, past her startled sister and the surprised demons. Without bothering to replace her soft slippers back on, she dashed out the door and into the cold wind and icy rain.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were surprised when the girl ran past them. They had not seen it coming. Either she was a coward and did not care to leave her sister behind with unknown demons...or something was wrong. Sesshomaru highly suspected it was the former. Without hesitating he rushed forward, only to be pushed aside as the eldest miko ran passed him, too. Inuyasha stared at him, confused, and lifted a brow before shaking his head and following them.

Kagome ran as fast as her feet could carry her, ignoring the stabbing pain of the rocks and twigs against her bare feet. She tried breathing through her nose, trying to prolong the pain sure to come to her sides for as long as she could. She knew where her friend would be, knew it because she'd been there...and she'd seen it in her mind's eye. Aside from being a miko, she'd always been gifted with a strong empathy—and it never failed her. Kagome was sure now that what she'd felt was her friend's pain, her fear...her death. She only wished her gift would fail her this once.

Kikyou was shocked her sister had fled, and when she followed, she was more shocked she was running in the opposite direction of the castle. Without thinking too much, she knew where Kagome was heading. She sighed and followed as fast as she could, though Kagome had always been the faster runner. Both demons were on her heels as she ran, and she was gripped by the sudden urge to mislead them to keep her sister safe. But why would she do that? They had done nothing wrong. So why did she have the sudden urge to protect Kagome? No, it wasn't Kagome she felt like protecting...it was something else. It was someone else in that place she felt like protecting...and she didn't know whom or why.

No point in doing so either way. They were demons and would smell Kagome anyways.

OoO

Gatenmaru stood by his mistress' side, waiting for her orders. She brushed her hair slowly, her delicate wrist barely moving. How he wanted to take that wrist and snap it like a twig...and he would have if that same wrist wasn't so skilled at giving him pleasure. He was still soaking wet, his inky black hair sticking to his clothes and armor, so when he moved his head it yanked painfully. Damn the woman for her 'creative' ideas—who wants to have sex in the middle of a raging storm? He sighed inwardly. No matter how many times he told himself he wouldn't...he knew he'd enjoyed it as much as her.

"Gatenmaru, I want you to go and find that husband of mine." Yuri rose from her cherry seat as she spoke and strolled towards Gatenmaru, a sensual sway to her steps. She leaned on his tall broad frame and traced his shoulder with one dainty finger. She bent her knees and leaned more fully onto him, smiling up at him. "And then, I want you to kill his bitch for me Gatenmaru." She licked her lips lazily, looking at him through dreamy eyes. "When you come back, sweetie, do you know what your reward will be?" she taunted, knowing what he would think. Just like she expected, she saw the glint in his eyes, the faint twitch of his lips...and the way he tensed. His dark black eyes looked down at her and traveled further down to her robe. She was wet from the rain and had stripped to nothing and thrown a pale pink robe over herself, held together by only a thin loosely tied sash. She saw plain stark desire rise in his eyes. She knew what he was thinking, yet it wasn't her he was thinking of.

The thought did hurt, knowing the man only slept with her because of her resemblance to her younger daughter. Yuri was no fool to think he truly desired her. Yet she often wished he did. Regret was a cruel thing. She realized that now—when it was far too late. If she would have waited...it would be Gatenmaru she would have met and probably married then. He would never have met her daughter because she would not have existed. But most of all that raw desire would be aimed at her. The blood scorching his veins would be because of her.

Sighing sadly, she schooled her features back under control, and smiled broadly. She could at least make him happy by giving him what he wanted. Yuri rose onto her tip toes and whispered into his ear, "Your reward, my little toy..." Her warm breath blew into his sensitive ear. "...will be my daughter."

Shivers shot down Gatenmaru's spine, his body tingling with shocks. The mere thought of finally having the little miko—finally possessing her, having her breath in his ear had him hard as a rock. He smiled a slow and devilish smile. Finally his little Kagome would be his. And there would be nothing she could do. He would do as Yuri willed. He would follow the Lord and he would kill the woman...for her.

With a new glean to his eye, he bowed, "Of course, my Lady." And with that, he twirled around, completely ignoring Yuri's provocative smiles, and strolled out the door.

OoO

Ignoring the searing pain in her left side, she kept pushing herself forward. Kagome didn't stop or falter in her run; passing trees, jumping fallen logs and swatting branches out of her path. Determination and worry fueled her way and she would not—could not—stop. She almost felt the warm breath on her neck and still she did not hesitate. Even while running she was aware of him. Damn the man. He was still too close to her. She was positive that, if she came to a sudden halt, he'd end up slamming right onto her.

Sighing inwardly, she made a quick turn to her right around a large oak tree and continued her fast pace. It wasn't far; just a few more laps and she'd be there. She could feel her dread rising in her. She truly didn't want to know what she'd find when she arrived and again she wished that her uncanny ability had indeed deceived her.

When she swatted a rather large branch from her way she came to a halt. As the branch she'd swatted away swung back into place, she heard a distinct huff and almost smiled knowing it had slammed right into Sesshomaru's gut. Serves him right, she thought amusedly. Her amusement vanished when the same person slammed into her, thinking she'd continued her flight. She turned around and glared at him. Then she turned back towards the same river she'd seen so many times before.

The rain was hitting harder against her wet cold skin, making it hard to keep her eyes concentrated in one spot. She walked further ahead while searching for anything that would tell her her ability had deceived her. As she swept her drenched bangs out of her eyes, she turned to look at the youkai scanning the area as well.

Sesshomaru had the breath punched out of him by the branch the tiny miko had swatted away. Then again when he'd ran into her thinking she'd moved forward again. He wasn't complaining though...about the second time. Now, though, she was walking warily forwards searching with her eyes. Sesshomaru took a step forwards as well, assessing the place. He could see it was a beautiful place when in good weather. Yet now the wind cried angrily and the rain had the water in the river rolling dangerously. Keeping his eyes leveled, he scanned the area, trying to find reason for the miko to run to this place.

The only reason he could think of was because of his sister. After all she had said something was wrong with Rin. The reminder had his gut clenching again. Worry he would never show blocked his throat as he fought to push down the sudden urge to shake the damn miko until she revealed everything she knew.

How would she know indeed? The sudden thought had Sesshomaru narrowing his eyes at the frail miko in front of him. His golden eyes latched on to her trembling form as she, too, scanned the area. She turned towards him and their eyes met. Blue crashed against gold violently, the rolling waves behind her and the lighting above him adding to the fuel.

Kagome shifted from one foot to the other, becoming too aware of his penetrating gaze. Swallowing hard, she shifted her eyes to the side, concentrating once again on finding anything at all that would aid her in finding her friend. Her eyes widened when she turned to her left and saw the wind flapping a piece of bright yellow cloth. When she concentrated on it, she ran towards it recognizing the patterns on it as the one's on Rin's kimono.

Both her and Sesshomaru saw it at the same moment because their bodies sprang forwards at the same time. He was there before her, though, and held it in his hand sniffing it. Kagome studied the pattern, then the ground around it. She couldn't see anything—and sand was getting in her eyes. She felt more than saw Sesshomaru stiffen next to her and she lifted her head to see him. Squinting her eyes against the heavy rain, she stepped closer.

"What is it?" She raised her voice, trying to be heard over the howling wind. Shielding her eyes from the rain and sand, she waited for an answer. Slowly, Sesshomaru lifted his eyes to pin her with a glare.

Sesshomaru easily smelled his sister's scent on the piece of cloth...along with his. Naraku. He had been with her. But what worried him more was that he smelled her blood. The rain had since washed away the scent, but he could still catch a faint glimpse of it. Turning his eyes on Kagome, he pinned her with a glare. He couldn't help but think she had somehow known Rin would be here with him. Was she aware of her father's deceit towards his sister? Is that the real reason why she wished to speak with Rin? How else would she have known she would be in such a place?

A new idea struck him. Had she played decoy while her father had his way with their sister? The thought brought a fierce and dangerous anger in him. Rage pooled in his belly as his heart contracted. Had their sister only been a royal family's game? He took a step forward towards the small miko, his knuckles flexing. Their family would not be the laughing stock of the Higurashi's.

Kagome's breath pitched in her throat. The sudden anger glowing in Rin's brother frightened her like nothing else had. What was going on? Had she done something wrong? Said something wrong? What scared her the most was his too composed and frigid expression. It was as if he had no remorse and no feelings at all. Kagome looked around her wildly as the youkai approached her. In that instant, she took a step too many back and her foot collapsed into the frigid water behind her—throwing her entire body back. Her eyes widened as she collapsed down, icy cold water hitting her already wet body. The water reached for her greedily, engulfing her and pulling her under.

The strong current dragged her down the river as she fought wildly to stay afloat. Through the roaring waves crashing into her, she heard another splash. In a few moments, she felt strong bands of steel wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against a rock hard body. She was yanked out from underneath the water and she gulped a mouthful of air greedily. She clung shamelessly to the hard body holding her, wrapping her slim arms around his neck.

Nothing on the face of the earth could compare to how Sesshomaru had felt when his little miko has plummeted down into the cold greedy water below. His chest had clenched agonizingly. His heart had jumped to his throat. Without thinking, he'd lurched forward and jumped into the freezing water. The ache in his chest hadn't resided until he had her safely in his arms, flushed tightly against him. His sister's piece of cloth gripped tight in one hand, he pushed his body towards the river's bank, swimming against the current.

When he finally gripped the bank, he dug his hand into the earth, pulling himself and his small burden closer to land. Sesshomaru grabbed her by the arm and pulled her forward, pushing her up onto land. Then he hauled himself out, his soaked clothes threatening to drag him back down again. Panting, they both laid sprawled on the sand, taking in air greedily.

Finally out of danger, Sesshomaru's mind returned to his previous thoughts. His little miko, he'd thought when he saw her fall back into the thundering river. Furrowing his brows, he chanced a glance down at her. She laid on the wet sand, drenched. With her eyes closed, her chest lifted and fell with every deep breath she took. He noticed they'd traveled a ways from where they'd found Rin's piece of cloth. Looking around where he sat, his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Blood.

There was blood on one of the boulders next to him. He rose and walked towards it, examining it. The rain had washed away most of it, yet some remained puddled on one of the boulder's dips. He dipped two fingers into the small puddle and sniffed it.

Rin's...

A/N: Sorry for the delay...but I really needed to get Kagome: Storyteller, Miko, Wife or Mate completed.

A big thanks to my beta, LC Rose!