Well, welcome to chapter four! All of you who are reading this rock! I would like to give a special shout out to Osaka-chan064. You rock my socks off! (What does that even mean? Spoiler to anyone who can tell me! - )
PS: Sesshomaru is in this chapter!
Rin waited a few minutes to make sure he was gone.
Despite what Hero said, Rin had to try and escape. If it would get her any closer to Sesshomaru, she was willing to take the chance.
Taking one last futile look around at the surrounding trees, Rin made a break for it.
She didn't know which way to go, so she settled for the opposite direction Hero had headed.
Rin ran as fast though the underbrush as her legs would carry her. The trees all around seemed menacing. They almost appeared to be mocking her, purposely slowing her down.
Before she had covered any real distance, "Not very good at following instructions, are you?"
Rin swung around and came face to face with a smiling Hero.
"Well, well, well. I'll admit, I didn't think you'd have the strength to do this. Not that it makes much difference," he shrugged.
Hero grabbed her securely by the wrist and began to lead her back the direction she had come, when he felt no resistance his grip loosened slightly.
For a moment Rin let him begin to drag her away, but then her soul sparked.
He wasn't Sesshomaru, so she wouldn't let him lead her anywhere.
One firm yank made the panther's looses grip slide away. The second she was free she darted into a near thick patch of trees.
"Now, do you really want to play this fruitless game of cat and mouse?" he asked firmly. Rin gave him no replied.
She was trapped.
The trees were so close to together in some part that there were only a select few paths she could take to maneuver between them, and, to add to her troubles, the sun was going down. Soon she would hardly be able to see.
"Very well," Hero laughed, "Let's play!"
- - - - - - -
Sesshomaru walked to the edge of a large human city, just out of sight of its inhabitances.
"The panther went through here my lord," said Jaken, once again pointing out the obvious. "Why would he go through a human city?"
"Have you not noticed Jaken?" Sesshomaru said in his ever cold manner.
"Notice my lord?"
"With all of the marsh we have been traveling through, I thought even you would have realized that he was trying to make us lose his trail," Sesshomaru stated.
"But why would he think a human village would stop you?" Jaken asked.
"He underestimates me. He must have I thought that I would not travel though the heart of a human city. That I would lose time traveling around," Sesshomaru said slowly.
"But we won't travel though, right my lord . . . right?" Jaken asked nervously. Without a word Sesshomaru walked into the open.
The second he was in sight the screaming started. Humans scattered like frightened ants, each searching for a safe place to hide.
Seemingly without paying them any notice, Sesshomaru began his dignified walk, a reluctant and frightened Jaken following behind.
There was the sound of shattering objects as the people of the city made a mad dash for safety. Soon the streets were completely bare. The only signs of life were a few faces peering from curtained windows.
Sesshomaru walked on.
When he was about one third of the way through the city things changed for the worse.
Suddenly the barren streets were filled with soldiers, all coming from different directions.
They all faced Sesshomaru, seeming ready to attack, but, before they had the chance, a voice rang out above the sound the rushing warriors made.
"What do you want here demon?!" The speaker was the general. He sat astride on a beautiful war horse, his armor shinning in the fading sunlight.
"Move aside," Sesshomaru commanded, his eyes themselves telling them that obedience was the only way to survive.
A shiver went through the warriors, because, though their own leader to was aw inspiring, he was nothing compared to this demon that stood before them.
"Why are you here?!" the general asked again, not allowing the fear in his heart to reach his voice.
Sesshomaru remained silent.
"Do not test Lord Sesshomaru, you insolent fool!" Jaken squawked. "We are merely searching for the panther demon that passed though here!"
The general stared down at him for a moment, surprised, having not noticed him before that, and then turned to Sesshomaru.
"Is that so?" he questioned. "You are searching for the demon that darted through our city yesterday?"
Sesshomaru nodded his head slightly. So slightly that you could barley even tell it had moved at all.
"Very well, you may go," he said. His soldiers looked at their general, shocked. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he yelled at them. "Clear a path!"
The wall of warriors parted reluctantly.
Sesshomaru walked leisurely right though this sea of men, each man staring at him with hatred shinning from his eyes.
It didn't truly take long for Sesshomaru to pass the warriors, but for them, and Jaken, it felt like an eternity.
After that Sesshomaru and Jaken were stared out of the city by the soldiers and the window peekers, their bravery growing as they began to even lean their heads out to watch the strangers leave.
When Sesshomaru had reached the opposite edge of the city, his back willingly turned from it forever more, the general looked to a group of men.
"Monk?" he asked sharply.
A man in monk's clothing materialized from his hiding spot in the masses.
"Yes sir." he replied.
"Is it ready to fire?" the general asked calmly.
"Yes sir," the monk replied startled. "But he has already left! Surely he is no danger now!"
"Any demon that walks into our city is a danger! We have to show him, and the other demons, that no one threatens our city without consequence! I will not let another demon get away!" he yelled hastily. "Send the signal!"
The monk looked up at the general, shocked, then to the shrinking figure of Sesshomaru.
For a moment he closed his eyes, furrowing his brow.
When he opened them he looked once again at the back of Sesshomaru, this time his face covered with regret.
The monk raised his arm slowly, holding his first two fingers up, both tilted forward slightly.
For a few breath-holding moments he let them hang there, suspended. Then he brought his whole arm down with lighting fast precision. The slapping sound his hand made as it hit his thigh seemed to hang thick in the air.
The signal had been sent.
- - - - -
"Ready or not, here I come!" Hero whispered forebodingly as he stepped into the trees after Rin.
Her heart was beating wildly as she grasped the bark of the nearest tree for dear life. It didn't help her that the sun had almost completely vanished from the sky. She had never liked the dark.
"Boo," Hero said softly in Rin's ear. Her eyes widened. She hadn't heard his footsteps at all.
"You're not very good at this game," he taunted.
Hero reached out to grab her but she darted away, deeper into the trees, before he even knew she had overcome her shock.
The time Rin had spent traveling with Sesshomaru had taught her plenty about dodging. Unfortunately it had not taught her much about fighting. That was always Sesshomaru's job.
But if she wanted to get away from this demon she would have to fight, otherwise there was no chance.
Rin tripped in her mad dash and fell hard against the forest floor. The smell of wet leaves filled her nostrils and a few of the leaves themselves had been shoved in her mouth by her landing.
She spit them out, pushed herself up angrily, and looked back to see what had tripped her. It was a large stick about the size of a club.
Her anger vanished and she seized the stick as quickly as she could. Then she regained her footing, pressed her back against a tree, and held her club up in front of her, preparing to swing.
It only took a few seconds for what she was waiting for to happen.
Hero swung around the tree she was behind, attempting to startle her once again. This time he failed.
All he had time to say was, "Found . . . ," before the club crashed into the side of his skull. The force was so much that his head slammed against the tree he had come from around, breaking off large pieces of bark.
He let out a painful yell, but that didn't stop Rin from slamming the mallet with all of her might again, this time against the front of his face.
The force of the blow was so much it knocked Hero backwards off of his feet. He landed hard on the ground gripping his nose.
Rin stared down at him for half a second, shocked at what she had done. Then she came to her senses and started running, stick still in her hand.
She left the dense trees the way she had entered them and took off once again in the direction she had been headed.
Rin had never run so fast in her life. The trees passing by were blurs, all blending together. She didn't know how she kept from running into them. It might have had something to do with the adrenalin rushing through her body.
She didn't know how long she ran or how far, she only knew exactly how her triumph was ruined.
In the blink of an eye Rin was knocked roughly off her feet, lost grip of her club, and was slammed against a tree. Her arms were being gripped so hard by clawed hands that the nails dug deep in her flesh, making her bleed. She could feel the small streams of blood sliding down her arms.
Pain shot through her back and upper arms around the claws that were still being held in her flesh. She let out painful gasp, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Looking up, she found herself staring into the eyes of a livid Hero. Even in the dark she could see his broken nose, disfigured as it was, and the crimson blood covering his face that had come from it.
Murder was in his eyes.
Cliff hanger! And do you want to know something that will make you really hate me? I'm not putting up the next chapter until I get somewhere between 5 and 10 reviews! The review can be only one word if you want, so it's not that bad of a deal. I hope you all review. (Even if this chapter wasn't written very well.) I promise to reply if you do.
Shout Outs
Erilin-chan: Was she tough enough this chapter? I think I'm going to make her get even tougher over time. (As in can fight better)
VampireInuFreak: I know this is still short, but at least it is longer then the last one.
Brijustme: Did I update soon enough?
Rachelandthecupcakecrusades: Hi! (What are the cupcake crusades?)
drummergirl1038: WHAZ UP!
Celina Young: You better be reading this!
(She hates Rin but I'm making her read my story anyway!)
Osaka-chan064: Hello! What's up? Call me buddy! Oh, and give me back my socks.