Rin had ensured that everyone had gone under the trapdoor of the dungeons before pulling it shut above her; surrendering them all to the darkness and at the mercy of torches. Rin hated the claustrophobia but she knew it was the only way to save the innocents.

Within hours, Titus, together with some of the royal guards had rounded up the women, children and elderly into the main castle grounds, ushering them towards the underground cellars where Rin and Miria had waited. Lord Adam had instructed them to pack what perishables they required and to take any material comforts they may need to ensure that they survived until reaching the safety of the Southern peaks.

"Once there, you will be their princess, in all aspects, until I am able to join you."

Those were Lord Adam's last words before the parted.

Though Rin lead the party of about five hundred humans, she wasn't sure if the people of Seurri trusted her, if at all. Perhaps the Southern humans were all the same, she thought – like in Kaede's village, they saw her as an anomaly; a Youkai pet. Surely then they wouldn't be thrilled to accept her as their leader in any way?

She had seen the way the mothers held close to their sons; the elderly women urging their husbands away when she walked past them –afraid she could cast a spell and turn them into the predator like the Daiyoukai by her side.

But Rin was doing this only for Lord Adam. She had no desire for power nor the loyalty of anyone.

"My Lady, the end of the tunnel is near. From here, there will only be steep steps down to the mountain entrance."

Rin turned to the voice of a young man – one of the few guards spared to protect them –and nodded. They might encounter some difficulties with the elderly but Rin was prepared to help in any way she could.

"What is your name, soldier?" she asked. He looked barely fifteen – too young to be part of the resistance but old enough to be entrusted with this equally important task.

"Akito my Lady.

Nodding, Rin then tiptoed to find Miria amidst the crowd. Though she usually towered over the humans, Miria was nowhere to be seen. But then again, with the minimal light offered by the torches, Rin knew her human sight was limited.

Perhaps she was scouting ahead. Marching to the front, Rin found her eyes slowly adjusting to the intense darkness before them –an indication of the drop that Akito had warned.

"My Lady? How will we proceed from here?" A young woman at the head of the group whispered behind her. Rin saw that her eyes were swerving wildly to the path of darkness before them; her fears causing the baby she as carrying to cry as though sensing its mother's emotions.

Rin carefully approached the woman, not wanting to scare her. She had seen the flash of suspicion in her eyes just before and knew that any sudden movements might be misconstrued as an attack from her part.

"We've been walking for half a day now. I can see you are tired," she said gently. "We will rest here for some time."

Signalling for the guards, Rin relayed her instructions before calling out to Akito.

"How deep do the steps go?" she asked. It would not be wise to trap them down in a pit when it could be just as safe to remain where they were. This far from the main castle tunnels, Rin estimated that they had probably passed the city walls and were somewhere between Seurri and the southern peaks.

"No one had travelled that far my Lady. Does Lady Rin require me to scout ahead?"

The young soldier's unease was apparent on his face, even with the dim glow of their lights.

"Tell the others to stay here and set up camp. You will accompany me down." Rin kept a close grip on Wind Eternal by her waist.

Holding a torch with her other hand, Rin shone it downwards; a foot patting the stone steps to check if they would crumble. If no one had used this escape route for ages, there was no telling if the rocky foundations could hold the sudden onslaught of five hundred.

Taking a tentative step down, Rin signalled for Akito to follow suit. They had barely descended ten steps when he stumbled; the crash of rubble into the depths below resounding in a low rumble.

"Akito!"

"I… I'm fine my Lady." The light shining on his face said otherwise. White as a sheet, he looked even younger. This was probably his first ever mission.

Slipping her hand into his, Rin pulled him close. "Hold on to me. At least if one of us falls, the other can still pull the other up."

"Yes my Lady."

With her hand gripped over his, they descended slowly down the narrow steps. From what little she could see, Rin had a feeling that the steps descended deep down into the root of the mountain itself.

They were almost halfway down when Rin heard a rustle in the dark. Letting go of Akito, she passed the torch to him; one hand on her sword, the other signalling the soldier to be quiet.

When the rustling got louder, Rin drew Wind Eternal; the blade pointed straight at whoever it was coming their way.

"There is no need to attack me my Lady." The golden eyes of the Daiyoukai glowed in the dark.

"Miria…"

"We must not move further my Lady…" Miria turned to the human soldier and angled her head away. "I must speak to Lady Rin alone. Return to the others."

Akito nodded furiously and dashed upwards with the torch in his hand, leaving Miria and Rin in complete darkness. Rin was grateful that the Daiyoukai did not shy away when she reached out to hold her arm.

"Get on my back," instructed Miria. "There is something I must show you."

Rin nodded – more for herself than for Miria's benefit. There was something in Miria's tone and demeanour that worried her but the Daiyoukai was silent even as she leaped from step to step down into the suffocating darkness.

When they landed right at the bottom Rin smelled the change in the air – there was even a soft breeze coming from somewhere.

"Is that the entrance to the mountain?" asked Rin, pointing to a glow some distance away.

"Yes, but stay close to me." Miria let her down, holding on to her by the wrist instead. "And be on guard."

Rin followed Miria, albeit blindly for the swath of light coming from the entrance was just a sliver; not enough for her eyes to see anything. So when Miria pulled her into a corner, Rin had to hold back her yelp as her body was pressed between two sharp rocks.

"There, they're amassing," whispered Miria, pointing past the pile of rocks blocking the entrance of the mountain.

Tiptoeing so she could get a better look, Rin strained her eyes, taking in as much light as the cave offered until she could finally see had gotten Miria so worried –

Hyenas; tens and thousands of them marching towards the city walls. Some were in human form while some in their animal forms but all were carrying weapons; infantry, archers, cavalry.

"I must return to warn Lord Adam," decided Rin. "Miria, I need you to stay –"

"No. I will not allow you to leave the safety of these caves."

Rin only wished she could see better so she could glare at Miria. "I am commanding you to step aside and let me return to Lord Adam!"

All she could see in the dark were Miria's eyes of gold flashing with determination. "I'm sorry Rin. My orders come from much higher – Lord Sesshoumaru will not spare my life this time if anything happens to you."

"Miria…" Rin wanted to argue but she knew there was no changing the Daiyoukai's mind. "If I stay here, will you return to Lord Adam and protect him?"

She could almost feel Miria's heated gaze on her. That felt like a no.

"Why do you protect him? He is no one to you."

Her question stumped her. Indeed. Why was she so adamant to save all these people whose lives matter little to her? They who looked at her as though she was dirty; a play thing of the Daiyoukais?

But Rin knew the answer. It was what made her who she was.

"I do not wish any more unnecessary deaths… no more orphans, no more broken families. Lord Adam had no one else except these humans." Rin looked up to where she felt Miria was standing. "At least, I have Lord Sesshoumaru, Jaken, Nahia… you."

Rin felt Miria's hands patting her shoulder gently. "Very well then my Lady. We must leave now."

Climbing onto her back once more, Rin fell silent as they returned to the humans resting at the end of the castle tunnels.

Rin had to do something or else, this escape plan would come to nought.

Seurri was another day's ride away. Jaken had requested that the men and horses rest to recoup their energies before riding to Lord Adam's castle. They had travelled for three days straight from the mountain pass at An and by the looks of it, everyone apart from Sesshoumaru needed the break.

It was essential that they rested.

Sesshoumaru had sensed what no one else had –impending death. Hyena Youkais have amassed at the Southern castle; the scent of their end, and possible most of the company he had now, was imminent. He could almost taste the excitement of hyenas in the air. Sesshoumaru wasn't going to allow that to happen.

"Jaken, bring me my messenger falcon."

"Yes my Lord!"

When Jaken returned, Sesshoumaru took the parchment and ink while the Youkai held the kestrel still. Sesshoumaru had chosen this breed in particular for its brown feathers were so common that it wouldn't seem out of place flying in the Western Lands.

An important message like this should not be allowed to be intercepted.

"Master? Are you writing to Lord Adam?" Jaken squinted at the words on the note.

Sesshoumaru didn't bother replying. The human script was purposefully written so that only Chiyoko would be able to decipher them.

The battle ahead could not be won by the hundred or so Youkais he now had with him. Sesshoumaru needed the full strength of his Daiyoukai battalion.

His only hope was that they would arrive in time before too much blood was shed.

Miria had promised to be back as soon as Lord Adam had gathered enough strength to barricade the city and defend his castle. Meanwhile, she had instructed Rin to stay with Akito and the other guards at all time until she returned.

Rin didn't know when that would be. In the dark, it was hard to be sure of time –had it been a day already since they last saw the hyena army? They would have reached the gates of Seurri by now.

"My Lady, you called for me?" The young soldier stood at attention before her.

"Akito, do the soldiers have an extra set of clothes that I could use?"

"My Lady!"

Sighing, Rin realised for the first time how tiring it must be for Lord Sesshoumaru to always have to explain his intentions to his subordinates. Why couldn't they just do as asked? She honestly wondered how he put up with her sometimes.

"Miria and I travelled down the steps and it is too dangerous for me to be in this dress. I do not wish to be a further burden when I am needed to help the others. Those loose fitting clothes would suit me better."

"But Lady Rin! You are a princess, surely our common clothes are not… befitting?" His face had paled, the idea of Rin wearing his clothes clearly traumatising him.

"We are at war Akito. You need to do what is needed to survive. Can you procure those for me now please?"

The young soldier nodded, slipping away silently.

When he returned, she accepted his offer of clothing, tucking it into the small satchel that she carried with her. Rin felt terrible about lying but there was some truth to her claim – the lace and silk that she wore was not suitable for the arduous journey ahead of them. Already she could imagine streaks of mud and dirt clinging to the base of her dress following their day's journey down the tunnels.

It had felt like a day – though her conception of time had been warped since entering the darkness. Never had she thought the lack of light would be this disorientating.

Much later when she began noticing the children snoozing alongside their mothers, Rin figured it had to be night.

Retreating into the darkness, Rin slipped out of her dress and was thankful that she could not see the beauty of the material, for she was about to do something unforgivable to her Lord's beautiful gift of dresses.

Bringing the silk to her teeth, Rin tore the edges slightly with her incisors before using her hands to rip the dress into wide strips.

Now came the hard part.

Taking one of the strips, Rin pressed it tightly on her chest and began winding the cloth over and over, tying it tight at the ends. The binding over her breasts almost made her breathless but she continued until she was satisfied that the slight bulge would not be visible underneath the male garb she was about to put on.

Stepping into the drawstring pants, Rin pulled it up as high as she could –Akito had probably given her the smallest –before securing the string. Then, she slipped the top over her head; poking her arms through the sleeves before securing the shirt with a leather belt.

Rin only wished she had a mirror but in the dark, she had to make do with what her hands told her. There was now only one last thing to do – her hair.

Pulling her fine strands all the way up, she bunched it into a long ponytail before twisting it into a tight bun. Bending down, she then patted her palms over the dusty floor and rubbed the dirt on her hair, hoping that it would give the washed-out effect she intended.

Using only her hands, Rin then felt her way down the tunnel, back towards the castle. She only lit her torch when she was sure that the glow would not give her location away.

When she arrived back at the familiar trap door she had closed –what felt like years ago- Rin almost had to blink at the brightness of the sunlight pouring in.

Ah, fresh air…

Hopping out, Rin headed towards Lord Adam's chambers. The castle seemed so empty – not even the guards graced the halls. Where was everybody?

But before she could find out, a loud voice called out to her from across the hall.

"You! What are you doing sneaking here? Have you defied your commander's orders?"

Before Rin could answer, the man stormed towards her; dumping the heavy armour he was holding into her arms.

"Here, take this and suit up kid. You look like you'll need it more than me." He angled his head towards the door. "The hyenas are fast approaching. We'll need all the men we can get."

Not wanting to arouse anymore suspicion, Rin nodded as she figured her way around the oversized equipment as the soldier stayed watch.

"You've never fought before? I can tell," he said in a gentle voice. Adjusting her helmet, he then patted her shoulder. "Titus will take good care of you. Come."

"Have the city walls been breached?" she asked, running after the man who moved in large broad strides.

"They're holding them off at the gates – but not for long."

He took her by the wrist and half pulled, half led her down a narrow street until they reached a makeshift tent near the armoury.

"Titus, I found another soldier for you. How old are you boy?"

Rin stammered a twenty and looked away as Titus came peering close.

"You look much younger than that –but it matters not. I see you have a sword. Are you any good?" asked Titus. But before she could answer, he turned to the big man beside them. "Masaru, he'll join your team. Dismissed."

Masaru wasted no time. Nodding towards his commander, he then urged Rin to follow him.

"We've located an entrance that the hyenas may enter from. I hope you're fine getting wet."

Rin tried not to cringe when he led her towards the sewers. About a hundred men and boys were already gathered there, shifting rocks to cordon off the only underground entrance into the city.

"This may hold them, but not for long," said Masaru. "We stand guard. I can smell them coming."

Smell? Rin almost had to take a double look at Masaru. Surely he was not a Youkai? He looked too human that she hadn't noticed straight away.

And for a Youkai to take orders directly from Titus…

"I'm a red wolf," he said as though answering her thoughts. "I fight for my home."

Rin admired that but she wondered truly how much of a home would there be left at the end of this disaster? From the troops of men she had seen on Titus's mock up battle plan, she knew they were gravely outnumbered.

And she knew that every single man within the city walls knew they would die protecting what was theirs.

For Rin… she would only need to survive until Lord Sesshoumaru came. But till then, she would fight to protect these humans; to protect the old king who had no one left in the world.

"My Lord, there are too many of them." This came from Emiko; the wolf coming to an abrupt halt as her ears twitched.

"Then we take down as many as we can," he said before turning to the soldiers behind him. "Do not hesitate to kill – but have mercy when you do." Sesshoumaru didn't believe in suffering. A single swift kill was all it took for his enemies. He did not care for their deaths.

Reigning in Ah-Un, he pressed on.

"Archers!" The command was blasted into the minds of his Youkai soldiers; each marksman pulling back their arrow. "Now."

His archers were trained to shoot even at a blind range and their training proved useful. The hyenas would not even know what hit them until they advanced much closer, closing the hundred feet gap.

All he needed was to draw as many hyena soldiers away from the city walls until reinforcements arrived.

Adam had insisted that Miria return to Rin immediately but the female Daiyoukai was adamant that she was needed by his side more than ever now.

And she had been right.

When his main hall doors swung open, the carbon copy of the Inu Daiyoukai who had once been his friend stepped in; long white hair swishing as he walked. Dressed in regal robes of velvet, Inu no Jiro looked like he was royalty.

"Adam, Adam… I must say you don't look too good. Didn't I say this would happen? Did you listen?" He came closer, tracing a long talon down Adam's jaw.

"If you've come to warn me, it's a bit too late Inu no Jiro."

The Daiyoukai whipped around to look him in the eye. "Warn you? Why would I do that?" he chuckled. "I have come to offer you a preposition –if you so wish to save your people."

Adam felt Miria closing in on him; her hands on her sword. He hoped it would not come to that.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"First, tell me where is the human girl. And don't lie. I can smell her."

Girl?

"Skip the innocent act Adam. You know who I'm talking about." Inu no Jiro circled the two of them. "If you give her up, I will stop this attack immediately. You know you're outnumbered."

Adam felt his lips quivering. Surely he was not referring to Rin? "She is gone. Or has your senses been rusty Inu no Jiro?"

His mockery was done on purpose, causing the Daiyoukai to grip him by the throat, lifting him upwards.

"Let him down or I swear I will kill you," seethed Miria next to him.

"You dare warrior?" But he dropped Adam to the floor. "Do you not know who you are speaking to? By the end of the 60th day, you will be crawling on the floor, begging for your Lord's forgiveness."

Miria launched at him – her sword striking down aiming for his chest.

But Inu no Jiro was quicker. Grabbing Adam, he held him like a shield even as he taunted Miria with silky words Adam recognised as linguistically Youkai. Whatever he said must have struck a chord for Miria's face turned ashen and she drew back her sword; lips quivering in anger.

Feeling the breath of his captor against his cheek, Adam turned slightly to stare at Inu no Jiro defiantly.

"You will never be the Lord of the West," he spat, earning him a tighter grip around his chest; cutting most of his oxygen supply.

"Your protectiveness towards this girl is admirable Adam but it is pointless. Why sacrifice an entire race just to save one little girl?"

Adam felt sharp talons digging into his forearm –and a minute later, Inu no Jiro licked at his bloodied fingers, a shiver running through his body. "Oh? What is this? She reminds you of Izayoi does she?"

The Daiyoukai tilted his head back, roaring in laughter. His amusement at Adam's expense made him release his hold over his human shield, dropping Adam knee first to the ground.

Adam never knew that Youkai could read minds like that. If he had tasted the truth about Rin, he would know where she and the others had escaped to.

It would be a matter of hours before Inu no Jiro sent his hyenas down the tunnels…

"If I give her to you…" he whispered, looking up at the silvery-eyed fiend before him. "How can I be assured you would back down as you said?"

"You won't. But the truth is, if you don't find her, I will make sure that the city walls crumble by nightfall. Your decision Adam."

Getting to his feet slowly, Adam tried his best to straighten his back and keep the pain of his old wound at bay. Any sign of weakness would be used instantly against him – Adam was sure of it.

"Why are you doing this? Rin is just a human! What do you want with her?" Adam had the right to know. Rin was innocent. If indeed she was a pawn in this whole game, then he needed to understand, before making any decision.

Inu no Jiro let out a growl of a laugh. "Foolish old man. I, Inu no Jiro have no desire for the human girl. But she is a very important piece if I am to be Lord of the West –and at this rate, the Lord of the South, very soon too.

No! Inu no Jiro can never be king. He would kill all the humans!

The Daiyoukai scoffed; his eyes boring down on Adam as though he had heard his thoughts.

"Under my rule, there is no need for humans," he announced nonchalantly. "Why do you think I've been breeding my hyena Youkais for?"

There was no need to hide his disgust anymore. "You sicken me. Inu no Taisho would never ever spill the blood of innocence! You disgrace his memory."

Adam tasted the blood in his mouth even before he felt the sharp sting of Inu no Jiro's claws on his cheeks. A second later, the same claws closed tightly around his throat, robbing him of his breath.

"Do not… degrade me with that bastard's name." Loosening his grip, Inu no Jiro dropped Adam once more onto the ground. "But… to show you my mercy, I will spare you and your people, even allow you to continue to live in this city – if you help me find Rin. This is your last chance Adam."

Cradling his bleeding face, Adam turned to Miria; glistening blue reaching out for hers.

"Take me to her now," he whispered. Forgive me Sesshoumaru…

A/N: First and foremost, I'd like to thank my very kind regular reviewers (you know who you are) because you have given me a reason to keep writing and posting! A few of you never fail to comment on each post and for that I give you lots and lots of brownie points!