REVAMPED

Whew, I'm relieved. For a second I thought that only two people reviewed but it was just taking a long # time. Looks like I have to step up the pace if I want people to read. Hope my silly ranting doesn't put anyone off or that I didn't make Sess seem too schizo. I really want people to enjoy this story since I enjoy writing…er…typing it. And about my silliness…well, this story is going to have some dark parts so I have to get all the humor out now before I have to be really serious.

To those who reviewed, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and sincerely appreciate the fact that you find my story interesting. Like I said this story will move a little slowly at first, kind of like a roller coaster with lots of ups and downs.

Thanks to: New Fan, Anhimals, Galandria the Vampire Queen (Thanks for reviewing each chapter), and Marnika (Thanks for reviewing each chapter as well)

This makes me a happy kitty.

Disclaimer: I don't :sniff: own :sniff: Inu-yasha :Waaahhh :

A few words:

Nee-chan – an affectionate term for older sister

-kun – an honorific use for boys.

Miko - a priestess

Youki – a youkai's power

-chan – an affectionate term attached to the end of a name. Usually used for children and close friends (esp. between girls).

Ties of Blood

Chapter 3

Burning

'Look at you, running with a frail human girl. Touching her as if you were equalsRunning away from humans as if you couldn't demolish them with a mere thought.'

Sesshoumaru's mind was in turmoil.

Had he been at his best, with his youki at full capacity, he could have easily slaughtered the humans who sought to entrap him. In fact, he could probably have done away with them at that moment since he was free of that accursed miko's cage and every step he took seemed to fill him with a power. It gathered to him, dancing across his skin and hooking its claws into his very being with such pleasurable pinpricks of pain that even he was feeling lightheaded.

"You can exact your revenge now,' he felt his youki whispering in his very bones and he almost stopped…until he remembered exactly where he was.

If he gave into the temptation – the desire for blood – it would bring her running. In his current state, he couldn't even begin to hope that he could fight her and prevail. She was simply too strong, abnormally so for a miko, and the other girl was nothing to sneeze at either. Granted, they had caught him by surprise which certainly contributed to his failure to break free his but…he would not soon forget that the two of them had subdued him through sheer force.

He glanced down at the human girl tucked underneath his arm and thought 'Not even a miko with latent powers can defy one of her well-trained sisters.' He had a sneaking suspicion that this girl's powers were either undeveloped or unknown. It would certainly explain why she had given him aid in the first place. As far as he knew, miko were trained from an early age to purify pretty much anything that carried a youki.

A pity really because he would have loved to see what a battle between two miko was like. Would they rely on force or were there more subtle tricks that they could use? How fortuitous that he just might be holding the key – literally – to discovering more about the holy women and finding a way to battle them equally.

With that in mind he sped up - blocking out the muffled protest of the girl with him - and rounded a corner before stopping and looking down at the creature twisting about beneath his arm. She obviously didn't want to be where she was and he didn't like her being there.

It would seem that they were in complete agreement. And the taiyoukai expressed his gratitude by loosening his hold and dumping her unceremoniously on the ground.

He only paid her half a mind as she struggled to right herself while trying to preserve her precarious modesty. His unexpected move had sent the hem of her kimono skittering up to mid-thigh and a great deal of leg was revealed to him. Sesshoumaru mentally chided himself for noticing even that little detail - as if he would ever be interested in a mere human girl. He cocked his ears as he listened for sounds of pursuit and relaxed just a bit when he heard none.

"Where do you reside, child?" he asked, looking down at her with a casual glance.

"My name is Rin, it isn't that difficult to remember," she spat out, obviously miffed that that he had forcibly taken her away from her brother and dumped her on the ground like so much refuse. However, he was in no mood to deal with the tantrum that was brewing and he gave her a look that said his patience was wearing thin and it was in her best interests to provide the desired info.

She growled, not unlike an inu-youkai, and said, "Well, if you must know, we live on the western end of town. Our house is right in front of a shrine on the outskirts."

He stiffened at the thought of going near a shrine before nodding – holy places didn't affect him much but his body was recalling the pain it had been subjected to by that woman. He looked at the girl and pondered what her value was likely to be in lieu of her brother. She certainly wouldn't be useful in a fight against her fellow humans and mortals moved at speeds that were nothing short of laughable. His main concern was if she would be of any use against the miko.

If he learned nothing else about them, he knew that humans thrived on bonds with each other – be it with family, friends, or others. They could even form attachments to certain places and objects. To make a long story short, he had no idea if his presence near the girl's home and shrine would trigger some sort of alarm to bring the miko running. And furthermore, if the holy women came, would the obviously unskilled girl at his feet be able to stop them?

The answer was a resounding "no."

Brave this Rin might very well be, but that could not compensate for knowledge and experience. Not only that, but she was such a tiny human - a child with a woman's curves really. Her arms were so small and she weighed so little and he just knew that he could snap her like a twig.

Without really thinking about it, he found his eyes drawn to her exposed legs. Golden irises tracked the play of muscles beneath her skin…

('So very smooth' his youki murmured.)

…from thigh to ankle…

('Certainly very soft.')

…and traveled back up again...

'I wonder if…' his eyes widened and he broke the thought off – his own thought this time, not one of those strange ruminations his youki forced upon him.

The realization that he actually might be – dare he think it – intrigued by a human, who he had known for all of an hour, was a strong enough dose of reality to force his eyes away. Though not before he got an eyeful of her lithe legs

'Have I gone mad? Did I not promise myself that I would not repeat the mistake I made with her treacherous brother?' he wondered. He strongly contemplated killing her right then; to break his word and preserve himself from further corruption. Her brother had been a bad enough influence and now he had to deal with this girl -this potent girl who gave him the impression of a delicate flower with a core of steel.

Honestly, had he sustained some sort of brain damage from being imprisoned for so long?

Why was he thinking the way he was? Why was he wondering why her legs were so thin and why hadn't he been unable to look away? And why oh why was he thinking such asinine thoughts when they were supposed to be escaping from this human infested town?

The taiyoukai took a half step back and glared his frustration into a set of dark brown eyes that glowered right back at him. Those brown eyes regarded him with wariness and a refusal to back down, even though he knew fully grown youkai who had nearly wet themselves when he fixed them with the hard stare he was giving her now.

Why wouldn't she fear him again? It would make things so much easier.

If she would but submit, he wouldn't be fighting these insane urges to put his hands on her – to deign to touch a human.

If she would but submit, his curiosity wouldn't be swamping him with question after question about her.

If only she would submit…

He shook his head, ignoring the puzzled look she cast his way and said, with a calm he didn't feel, "Stand up, girl, we need to move."

The young woman's eyes snapped at his words and he almost allowed his mouth to twitch into what passed for his version of a smile. There was something amusing about seeing her being so defiant. He could tell that she was spoiling for a fight as she slowly stood up – her hands clenched tight to her sides.

She braced herself with her legs apart and her hands came unclenched and moved themselves up to rest on her hips. Her stare was intense and her lips compressed themselves into a thin of displeasure.

Her eyes flashed and she said in a dangerously quiet voice, "Before I go with you, let me make one thing clear. I am not my brother. I do not answer to human, or girl, or woman. I know that we have to hurry and I know that could be killed if I am caught. I am also fully aware that you are a powerful person who could kill me as easily as you breathe. You do not have to remind me of it at every turn and I don't have the patience to put up with it. Just because you think humans are worthless doesn't mean I can't value myself. I have a name. It's Rin. You don't lose anything by using it. If that bothers you, then you can leave me here and I will face the consequences."

Rin fell silent then and stared him dead in the eye, daring him to leave her here and break his word to watch over her. Her chin lifted up a fraction and, as loathe as he was to admit it, he found himself impressed.

Souta had been right when he said that she was unique. He could kill her. He could snap every bone in her tiny body and feed her to one of his servants who preferred human flesh. He could torture or maim her in any number of ways because no one…no one talked to Sesshoumaru like that and lived.

But he could not find the desire to do any of those things. 'Truly, I have gone mad,' he thought as he moved closer to her. She didn't flinch at his near proximity and she didn't bat an eye either, when he bent down and caught her up in his arms.

'Perhaps she is right…this time.' He told himself as her looked down at the girl and some sort of understanding passed between them.

"Understand that I will indulge you only in this…Rin," he said quietly.

"Perhaps…" was her cryptic reply.

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Souta watched as the firelight from the torches moved back and forth in front of his cage. He watched and waited. The soldiers were waiting for something and he had a sinking suspicion that it was someone that they waited for. Someone that he knew very well.

For a second, he had this insane desire escape, but the time for that was well past. She was going to come for him and when she came, all of his hopes would be null and void. He only hoped that he could appeal to the last shreds of her humanity. Or at least, that he could use his last familial ties with her to slow her down because she was unlikely to overlook the escape of a prize like Sesshoumaru.

He felt eyes upon him and he turned, seeking the direction from which the person's gaze originated. The men around him were eerily silent and they all avoided looking at him but there was one person making their way towards him and his brown eyes widened when he saw who it was.

It was a woman and one who he had known all his life. How many years had passed since he'd seen her last? His big sister? His Kagome?

He didn't think he'd ever be able to get over how much more mature she looked, though. Gone was the awkward girl of fifteen who had gone away to become a miko. Now, she was a woman and a powerful one at that. In fact, the only woman stronger than she would be the one he was terrified of meeting. Fortunately, that woman hadn't come with her and he would be spared for a little while longer.

However, he needed to keep his guard up. The last time he'd seen the approaching woman, she had been helping her fellow miko capture Sesshoumaru. He could not allow his feelings to get in his way and impair his judgement - Rin's life was on the line as well.

She stopped in front of the cage and simply stared at her, her eyes moving over his form and noting the changes that the war and his subsequent defection to the enemy had wrought. 'What does she see when she looks at me?' His apprehension grew the longer she remained silent and he decided to speak up lest he drive himself mad with wondering.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Nee-chan," he said, giving his sister a weak smile.

An equally small smile appeared on her face and she moved forward, resting a delicate hand on the bars. "Souta-kun," there was unmistakable relief in Kagome's voice.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't talk to me. I'm so, so sorry for getting you into this predicament. I didn't know you would be captured too. I…" she bit her lip and her eyes darted to the side, checking to see if anyone else was within earshot before speaking her next words.

"I might be able to get you out of this. Surely it was one of his minions who set him free. Kikyou can't possibly connect you to that youkai's escape."

"Gome-chan," he said, using her pet name to soften the impact of what he was about to say.

"I am happy, so very happy that you haven't changed much. But you know as well as I do that it wasn't a youkai who freed her. No youkai under his command would have been strong enough to break through the barrier that you and Kikyou erected around his cage. I've known him for good while Kagome and believe me when I say that he is the strongest."

"But…" Kagome began.

"No, Kagome, let me finish. Not even a normal human could have broken through it but we both know someone who could and would. I think you know who I'm talking about."

She bit her lip and nodded her head slowly, a sad look in her doe-like eyes.

"We kept Rin's abilities hidden from her Kagome. Do you remember the promise we made when you first realized that she had the potential to become a miko? We can't let Kikyou find out that it was Rin. You know what she would do. You know that she isn't the big sister she used to be. Who knows how she would react if she found out that one of her own kind had aided a youkai."

"I know how she is. But I don't know what to do and I still don't understand why you defended that youkai Souta-kun. They've plagued us for so long and have shed so much blood. I would think that you, of all people, would have been glad to eliminate such a powerful one. He wanted to kill us, Souta. I've never felt such hatred in my life." She shuddered and his heart went out to her. Sesshoumaru was formidable indeed and woe to anyone who earned his ire.

Still, there were things she needed to know before judging his lord. Things she wouldn't have learned as a miko lest she begin to doubt herself. Things he had learned only because he had been living among youkai for almost two years.

"Gome-chan, things are not always so black and white. Humans are not innocent of all bloodshed. How many times have panicked villagers set fire to their own forests just because a few lesser youkai had taken up residence there? How many times have innocent hanyou – creatures who are hated by both youkai and human alike – been hunted down and slaughtered? How many times have you seen a woman turned out of her home or worse just because she fell in love with a youkai?"

"But that youkai reeked of evil, Souta. What else am I to think?"

"'Gome-chan, no, Kagome…who owned this land a few hundred years ago?"

"I…I don't know," she answered.

"He did, Kagome. Rather, his family did. I don't know all of the details but he was forced to leave this land some years ago – long before even our grandparents were born - and he came back to find us squatting here. Our rulers would never tell you this, but he demanded his due once he returned and do you know what they did?"

"No," her voice was breathless as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"They brought in every priest and miko they could find and tried to purify him out of existence. He's no fool, however, and he made his escape, though he almost died. He has a lot of pride, Kagome, and that was when he swore that he would take his lands back by force if he had to."

"But his armies, they've killed so many innocent people. He isn't the only one who has been wronged and yet he takes the lives of people who could care less who rules over them – they simply want to live in peace," she was frowning in thought now.

"I know that Kagome, and I've been trying to change him little by little with minor success. But he's young and there are some things he just doesn't understand. That's why I brought him here. I wanted him to meet Rin. You know how she affects people…right?" he gave her another smile and she responded with one of her own.

"Yes, how could I possibly forget about Rin-chan. I suppose she's with him now, then?"

He nodded and offered up a silent prayer that his hunch about the possibilities between his lord and his little sister would prove to be correct.

"I'll bet she's giving him what for, huh, Souta?"

"Of course. He didn't even know what hit him the first time she asked one of her infamous questions." They grinned at each other in silence, each reminiscing over something completely off the wall that Rin had asked them.

"If she's with him," Kagome said after a moment, "then I guess I can see what I can do to stall Kikyou. No guarantees though. Who knows what will happen if she gets her hands on him again. Like you said, she isn't the same person she used to be and she frightens me sometimes."

"Same here," he replied solemnly.

She turned and began to walk away when he stopped her once more with a soft "Kagome."

Looking back at him she inclined her head to indicate that she was listening and waited.

"Thank you, Gome-chan, for everything. If anything should happen to me…I…I want you to know that I love you and I'm happy to have you as a sister."

The smile she gave him in return was a beautiful sight to behold but it was tempered with sadness because they both knew that their eldest sister was probably beyond all help now. Kikyou was not likely to let him live for long if she realized his part in Sesshoumaru's escape. There wasn't much that either of them could do now but pray.

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"Dear, Kami. I've lost whatever mind I might have had,' Rin thought. She didn't know why she couldn't just sit by quietly and hold her peace, at least until they were well out of danger but, nooooo, she just had to let her stubborn nature get the best of her. What in the world would Souta nii-chan have thought of her talking to Sesshoumaru - the creature who was going to get her out of this situation alive - like that?

Maybe it was something that had been building up inside for some time. Her adopted parents loved her but her father was very strict - too strict at times - and his punishments could be severe. After Souta left, her buffer against her father's temper had gone with him and, though he didn't abuse her, he made her feel so worthless at times. It got so bad at one point that she wondered if it would have been better for her to have died in the forest where they found her those ten, long years ago.

She suspected that her father acted the way he did because of the choices made by his own children but he refused to tell her much about his two oldest. She didn't really remember any of her adopted siblings besides Souta and the only thing she could recall was that they were both female and they both served in a temple somewhere as miko. Whatever his reasons, she had more or less tamped down her outgoing personality to maintain a peaceful front for the strict master of the Higurashi household.

It started the day after Souta left, when her father said that she wasn't lady-like enough. To please him, she stopped running everywhere she went and climbing trees. When he said that needed to be refined, so as not to embarrass their house, she forced herself to sit and be studious. When he insulted her, she took the blame and promised to improve in hopes of gaining his favor. When he spoke of her as if she were an object to be bargained away in marriage – and she'd had her fair share of suitors – she assumed a meek air and pretended that all was well.

But Rin was a fighter. She had so much pent up energy – six years worth – that all she needed was someone to push the right buttons. Sneaking out of the house had been as much an act of defiance towards her adopted father, as it had been to rescue Souta. She felt like a bird, whose wings had been clipped, but she found herself ready to fly again with each step away from the Higurashi household. She had known, somehow, that her life was about to change and she was certain of it the moment she stared into Sesshoumaru's eyes for the first time.

Het words of a few moments ago had just tumbled out without her permission and now she could not take them back. No, she would not take them back. And she knew that her fate was sealed as soon as she finished demanding that Sesshoumaru respect her and use her name.

The look he gave her was unreadable but actions spoke louder than words. She was expecting him to kill her for daring to speak to him like that. But he surprised her instead by pulling her into his arms and swinging her up so that he actually cradled her in his arms, well, sort of. It took every ounce of self-control she possessed to keep her surprise from showing and she hoped that he couldn't see the flush that was starting to creep up from her neck.

His chest was warm, she noticed as he held her close. Not only warm but it was broad too and she kind of felt bad for teasing him about his looks. Yes, he was beautiful but he wasn't feminine, not really. His hair was long and when she first saw it, she thought it looked like liquid moonlight. His face looked to have been carved from alabaster - smooth and pale – with crimson stripes across his cheeks and an indigo crescent adorning his forehead. And he was tall - easily the tallest person she'd ever met. He made her feel tiny and just a little bit weak – even more so because he had lifted her without effort, which told her that he was very, very strong.

Perhaps the strangest thing about him, though, was the white fur thrown over his shoulder. Just what in the world was it? She could understand the dangerous looking armor that he wore with two spikes on his chest – she noticed those because they were currently poking her in the side – and what looked like a loop of spikes moving over his left shoulder. However, what use could he have for the fur? She again felt the urge to touch it but refrained as he told her that he would indulge her in the use of her name.

In typical Rin-fashion, she couldn't help but wonder if there were other things he would let her have her way in as well. Her reply had been vague on purpose because his acquiescence in this meant that there was probably more to him. Oh, he had a prickly personality – and she would have to be careful – but nothing intrigued her more than a puzzle. And she found herself looking forward to figuring him out.

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"What do we do now Sesshoumaru-Sama?" Rin asked from the comfort of his arms, dragging him away from his thoughts. He had been trying to figure out her odd response to his earlier statement when she made her inquiry.

Looking down, he found himself momentarily entranced by her warm brown eyes before he regained his senses and answered her.

"Now," he said, eyeing the nearest roof, "we move without the hindrance of your slow, human feet." And with that, he gathered his legs beneath him slightly and jumped.

That got a reaction out of her. She let out a squeak of surprise and quickly stifled it by burying her face in the tail draped over his shoulder, her thin arms coming up to wrap around his neck. He found himself amused at her reaction. It might have been juvenile to surprise him so but it he couldn't kill her then he most certainly could use her to gain some form of entertainment.

Sesshoumaru landed so lightly on the roof that she didn't even realize that they were no longer airborne and that the need to cling to him so tightly had passed. He was tempted to mock her for being so scared but he decided instead to take this opportunity to learn more about his charge.

'In case we should be separated and I need to track her down,' he told himself silently, ignoring the part of his youki that leapt at the chance to learn more. He began by turning his head ever so slightly that his nose brushed her hair and he marveled at the soft slide of the strands across the sensitive tip. The taiyoukai took a delicate whiff of her tresses and was pleasantly surprised to find that her scent was tolerable.

More than tolerable actually, it was downright addictive. He had expected to have to dig through the myriad of scents that humans – especially human women – cloaked themselves in, but that wasn't so. She didn't carry the false smell of cherry blossoms or the scent of jasmine. No. She smelled…ripe - the soul-soothing aroma of growing things and the earth after a heavy rain. He opened his mouth slightly and inhaled her scent that way also - rolling her taste on his tongue and finding that he liked taking her in that way as well.

He swayed, feeling heady from scenting her and he had to catch himself lest he drop her, by accident this time. With some effort he pushed away the effect she had on him, irritation swiftly taking its place and he growled into the delicate shell of her ear.

"I have little liking for cowards. You prove my point about humans being inferior since I stopped moving some time ago."

She jerked away to glare at him and caught herself before she went tumbling out of his arms.

"Well, excuse me but I wasn't expecting you to grab me and take off like a madman. A warning would have been nice."

The look he gave her plainly questioned her intelligence as he said in a monotone, "I do not do nice."

"Well you should learn it. Really, I don't know what my brother saw in you to think it would be alright to leave me in your care."

"How interesting that I actually agree with you on that," was his response and he watched her face with well concealed interest to see how she would respond.

"Is that so? Well I…," she trailed off as her eyes fixed on a point over his shoulder and her scent spiked sharply in panic. Turning, he followed the path of her eyes with his own and felt a small pang of consternation. It would seem that their time had been cut drastically short.

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The sun rose in the east. Rin knew that it always had and always would, unless the gods decided to change that. Add to that the fact that sunrise generally came at the same time each day and it was far too early for it to come. So why was there a massive red glow on the western side of town?

As realization of what that glow meant dawned on her, Rin clutched Sesshoumaru tightly, ignoring the warning growl he gave her for committing such an offense.

She felt her body growing numb as she realized that the whole west side of town was burning.

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Please read and review as always. And this time, there's actually a chapter to follow this one.