CYCLE OF RIN

By Lady JenDragon

Disclaimer: We all know this routine. Yeah, I don't own it, yes, I would like to…yada, yada.

Author's Notes: The next chapter has FINALLY arrived. At the last moment, I decided to go a different route than the one I planned out. This chapter's a little longer than the last one. Halle-freakin-lujah! I hate short chapters personally. With this chapter, I wanted to create a thicker and more involved tale by bringing in a new character. Only I know what's going to happen but even that's currently tentative.

Also, as an author, I respond to criticism both negative and positive. Keeps my creative juices flowing. So please review every now and then. Especially if you don't understand something or if I didn't explain something enough, a spelling mistake I might've missed since I don't have a beta. It all helps me out. I'm trying to actually remember names when I respond to reviewers now, a little bit of author/reader interaction here. Okay, done. Read On!

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The New Arrival

Sango paired up with Miroku, Kagome now behind them. Hairaikotsu secured in her grip, Sango waited for another chance at the female demon that held Kagome hostage while her cohort faced off with Inuyasha. She did not care about the demon and Inuyasha at the moment. Her first course of action was to eliminate the female.

"Where did she go?" Sango sensed nothing.

'Where on earth did that demon go now?' Sango frowned, using all her ability to search for the aura. If she had to guess, Inuyasha's father may know this woman. Seemed to her like they were similar judging from the style of kimono she wore and what she saw of Inuyasha's father.

"I don't feel her at all." Miroku used his perception to locate any demon but found nothing. "She may have run off since we arrived."

"These demons seem focused on Inuyasha." Kagome added.

"More like Tetsusaiga." Miroku corrected. "This new demon holds his sword out before him, not at his side. It's obvious his intent is on challenging Tetsusaiga."

"Would be the precursor to taking on Sesshomaru." Sango agreed. "And claiming Rin as his own."

An even worse situation in her mind, Sango sighed. Here, Rin was treated as a commodity not as a woman, not as someone pregnant. A woman whose only means was to birth a full demon child. Why these demons fought over Rin at this stage of her pregnancy confused her. Inuyasha relayed little indicating that he learned just what she knew about the history of demon bearers.

"So the whole demon swapping father thing is true then." Kagome finally said. "If Sesshomaru loses to another, stronger demon, then Rin will make him the father of her demon child."

"Kagome." Sango frowned. "That's just a legend."

"But enough demons believe it to make it worth the fight." Miroku felt an uneasy tension in his shoulders. "Think about it, how often does something like this happen?"

"Once in every 10,000 years." Sango retorted sarcastically. "Your enthusiasm is just a little too obvious, monk."

"My dearest Sango. You know I only think about you that way." Miroku stepped closer, his hand immediately sliding around to cover her butt.

Sango's eye twitched slightly. Anger rose within quickly, his tone the reason her body flared with the strongest urge to kill him. She turned, slapping him across the cheek though not as hard as usual. Even married he always chose the worst times to be himself.

"Yeah right pervert." Sango muttered quietly.

The echo of two swords clashing caught their attention.

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Inuyasha dodged several attacks from Rasengan. He felt pretty good about his position. In battle, every nerve stood on alert, every scent used to determine his enemy's state of mind. And this Katenomaru showed no intention of backing down. He felt nothing from the demon. No anger, no rage, nothing during battle when all emotions heightened. What did that mean?

"It's time Inuyasha…" Katenomaru smiled. "…to end this little Dance of Swords."

Inuyasha said nothing. He learned long ago not to say anything one might regret. Hell came in many forms. And this guy was no easy target. Yet, he mistook the demon as an easy defeat. That did not happen often. All of his senses seemed to be off kilter lately. What the hell was going on here?

"DRAGON CLAW!" Katenomaru's voice shouted, lifting the sword straight above his head.

Five strings of light shot out from the tip of Rasengan, growing thick and forming pointed finger-like tendrils. Inuyasha did not wait for whatever a Dragon Claw was to completely form to make a move. He brought Tetsusaiga up then slashed forward through the air.

"BACKLASH WAVE!"

The swirling Back Lash Wave hit the forming Dragon Claw head on. Thunder echoed across the landscape as the two fought for control over the other. The five tendrils of light finally formed into the shape of dragon claw, it's palm spread over the horizontal twister of the Backlash Wave. It squeezed the Backlash Wave several times before the Backlash Wave grew larger than the Dragon Claw.

Suddenly, both the Dragon Claw and the Backlash Wave grew to gargantuan proportions to take control. Inuyasha's eyes widened at the fighting power of the Dragon Claw near his home. What the hell was this Sword? Who made it and for what purpose?

Inuyasha had to block his eyes from the blinding light as the two energies finally coalesced into a single entity. Then he felt the immense heat coming off the Dragon Claw and Backlash Wave. It swept across the landscape in a rush of transparent curtain of heat, blowing everything airborne as it passed. Inuyasha left the ground second ago and still had not made contact with the ground. Yet.

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Sango and Miroku noticed the widening forms trying to grow larger and larger against their opponent. An odd design for a sword in his mind, Miroku decided. Yet, its simplicity he understood well. Still, they were in danger if they remained.

"Come on you two!" Miroku turned to head towards higher ground.

No doubt that was why the female demon disappeared. She knew the eventual outcome of the battle between Inuyasha and his unknown opponent. If he had to guess, Inuyasha's opponent was a member of another rival Demon Dog clan. Surely, there were many demons flocking to the area to face Sesshomaru for Rin.

"Where's KiRaRa?!" Kagome asked hurriedly.

"I sent her to look after Rin!" Sango threw over her shoulder.

'Great!' Just when they needed a quick get away. Kagome focused on getting away as fast as possible. She did not want to be here when that blew. A part of her heart worried for Inuyasha. But that was because of his proximity. She knew that Tetsusaiga's sheath and the Firerat Kimono would keep him protected. Still, she worried.

"KAGOME!" A screechy elderly voice came from above.

She looked up at the flying black demon cow and the old sword maker sitting on its back. His grey kimono was still crinkled and smelled of Sulphur. She smiled automatically.

"Totosai!"

"Jump on!" Totosai shifted forward.

Kagome, Sango and Miroku all jumped at the same time.

"W…why are you here?" Sango asked winded.

"I knew something was amiss." Totosai folded his arms. "All my metals began to rattle several days ago. So I came to see what was going on. Looks like there was recent war."

"War?" Miroku frowned. "Where?"

Sango and Kagome looked towards the mountains separating the two valleys. There were no signs of anything taking place.

"In the next valley over." Totosai pointed a bony finger in the direction. "Lots of dead demons everywhere. Must be after the Demon Bearer."

"You know about that?" Kagome eyed Totosai's ear.

"Every demon does." Totosai shrugged. "Some of us just know that we haven't a hope's hell in chance!"

Sango giggled slightly at the obvious statement, placing a hand over her mouth to keep the giggle from getting louder. Totosai was at least honest even if she did not consider him reliable. Still, he did come though when it counted. Her eyes widened when she felt Miroku's hand feeling her back end. I a flash, a smack was heard from the back of the demon cow.

'Must be an automatic response.' Miroku rubbed his cheek happily. 'Ah, love.'

Kagome and Totosai shook their heads.

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Inuyasha opened his eyes, finding that he was still alive. His skin burned from the heat, worse than a bad sunburn. Kagome would have something to stifle the pain. He glanced around, finding Kagome and the others gone. They got out. He sighed happily then grimaced at the pain shouting all at once from all over his body.

Testing his both arms and legs, Inuyasha shakily got to his feet. Inuyasha surveyed the damage. But there was none to be seen. Whatever the Dragon Claw was, using the Backlash Wave prevented any damage to the ground keeping them hovered above the ground. Blinkingly looking around, he realized that his opponent was now gone.

"Coward." He muttered.

Sesshomaru would have a problem with this Katenomaru when he finally faced him. Inuyasha was not stupid. Katenomaru wanted practice before facing his older brother. For Rin. And Rasengan could take on Tokijin. And possibly win.

Should he warn Sesshomaru?

That question burned him more than the burns on his skin. Kagome and the others would come to him once they figured it was safe to return. Right now, he needed to decide on his next step. If he went to Sesshomaru, his brother would just brush him off. That led him to another idea.

Rin.

The quickest way to Sesshomaru would be through Rin. If he explained what he experienced, Sesshomaru might just listen to her. A part of him doubted that, his brother being who he was and proud of his heritage. Sesshomaru needed no one and relied on no one. So his brother liked the think anyway. Still, his instincts encouraged him to give it a shot.

Inuyasha smiled. And he had the perfect vehicle to set up the whole thing. A present he had been working on for the last week. Well, Miroku, several people from the village, Sango and Kagome all helped to make it a reality. But it was his idea. A gift made specifically for Rin and her new child once she came to term.

Time was of the essence.

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The moon shone brightly this night, hanging low on the horizon, shading everything with a yellow-white light. Perhaps it was a precursor to events yet-to-come. Green eyes turned to the forest below her, its dark greens and blacks hiding the nocturnal demons roaming the countryside for food and jewel shards. She could smell them moving about.

Her red hair turned bright auburn in the moonlight. Red lines accentuated large eyes fringed by reddish lashes. Her silken green and white kimono contrasted with the long tresses of hair falling around her shoulders, hanging just past her waist pulled into a tight clasp on top of her head. Small swords hung from each pointed demon ear in gold. Gold bracelets spiraled around each wrist in thick twists. Her feet were covered in black handmade shoes, rare for demons. Protected by armor tied into place with a deep maroon sash around the waist, she turned her attention to the moon once more.

She came with a specific purpose. But her target proved unwilling to cooperate and even more difficult to track down. Hardly a challenge. He would submit eventually once he understood her true reasons for visiting.

Then there was the added surprise of meeting Rasengan. Its scent was unmistakable on the evening air. The sword was recently used. And quite a bit. But, there was a definitive difference since the last time they met. She smiled wryly. Perhaps, her journey had not been a waste after all. If Rasengan was here…so was the Demon Bearer.

'What an interesting development.'

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Rin's eye blinked in shock at the structure before her lit from the inside with a large fire. The new structure appeared larger than those in the village. But, here it stood, on the edge of the village away from prying eyes. Sango leaned in the doorway, holding the bamboo door open inviting her to walk inside.

"This is for me?" Rin did not know whether to smile or frown.

"Yes!" Kagome squealed with excitement. "We finished it a couple of days ago. But, we wanted to wait until you came back to show you."

"Even with me…" Rin left off 'being with child'. "All of you built this for me?"

"We plan to visit, you know." Inuyasha put in, his arms folded in contentment. "How can I have a nephew or niece and not visit?"

Rin stayed silent. She had no idea what would happen in the next few days let alone when she actually gave birth to a demon. Perhaps it was just nerves that interfered with her emotions. Tears began to fall from her eyes. No one ever gave her such a wonderful gift.

"Come on." Kagome walked forward, taking Rin's hand. "Let's go inside. We've got your first meal on the fire. Bet you're hungry."

Rin sniffled, nodding she was indeed hungry, wiping her tears with her sleeve. How could she turn this down? A place of her very own? With everything provided to get started? No more dealing with the village and those that detested her and her situation.

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Sesshomaru stood in the darkness, his eyes focused on Rin entering the new structure with his brother and other humans in tow. They took the time to build her a place of her own? Why would they expect her to remain in the village? His child would never reside in such a dwelling.

Then it hit him. The building was larger than the others. Did…did his brother build this with this Sesshomaru in mind? The door was taller and wider, the ceiling higher to accommodate a much taller creature. Even the windows were located higher off the ground. He surveyed the distance from the structure to the village. Half mile. A fair distance to keep Rin close but far enough away.

'As if this Sesshomaru would consider such a possibility.'

Rustling from behind made him turn towards the forest behind him. Seconds passed until Jaken pushed through the thick vegetation, the Staff of Two Heads coming through first. The green Imp straightened his kimono as his eyes lifted to him.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken exclaimed quietly knowing the human village was close. "I found you at last!"

"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked coldly.

"The valley to the east!" Jaken felt relieved he was back in his master's service after being away so long. "Many demons were slaughtered by Rasengan."

Sesshomaru took a breath in. It was hardly a surprise to learn that Rasengan had taken out many of his opponents. That would limit the list of those who would face him to only the strong.

"But that's not all!"

Sesshomaru's eyes shifted back to Jaken.

"H…whoever controls Rasengan has recently strengthened the sword with the blood of a hell dragon." Jaken staggered back slightly.

That changed everything. Sesshomaru hid his delight with practiced ease. So, Katenomaru handled Rasengan with some skill after all. To obtain blood from a hell dragon and live to tell about it certainly was an accomplishment. His abilities had come a ways since they last met. The question of how Katenomaru tracked down a hell dragon fascinated him. Perhaps he would be a strong opponent indeed.

Certainly not his only opponent.

Sesshomaru walked in the direction of the valley where the demons lay dead. He wanted to see the damage done to understand the full extent of Hell Dragons. To meet one person who survived an encounter with a Hell Dragon was a treat. Two persons who survived against such a strong opponent did little for his respect for such a legendary deadly creature. One of the two survivors was lying.

There was no doubt about Rin.