Much thanks to:

whitehitsugaya, anhimals (I hope I can update it more as well, thanks for sticking with me :hugs:), BIRDLADY, New Fan, Gryphaena, FoxyFire92MoonPhoenixI have a fan?! You're making me blush :hugs:)Jayde RaineembargofluffycrushAnimeFreak-TrunksPan-Loverimagine-me(hope I didn't throw you off with her age, it would have been perfectly legal in this time period)Teela.akimako(I'm happy if you're happy. I wasn't sure if anyone would like the way I have portrayed Sess. :hugs:)HawkAngel XDTatteredCrimson(I could never, ever, ever in a million years forget about you. :Double Hugs:)

Ties of Blood

Chapter 6

Assessment

If anyone had ever told Rin that one day she would wake up and find herself tucked into the crook of a youkai's arm, she would have laughed it off. If they had proceeded to tell her that, in addition to being tucked into said youkai's arm, she would be flying through the air - hundreds of feet above good old solid earth and on the back of a two-headed dragon, no less – she would have thought the other person was brain-damaged. So imagine her surprise when she woke up to the feel of cool air rushing past her face and made the mistake of looking down.

The trees were tiny green blobs meandering across cultivated fields of alternating brown and green and there was a bird – a bird – flying below the dragon and minding its own business. She did what any sane person would do in her position. She gave a start and screamed in fright, twisting her body around so that she could move her arms. This allowed her to latch onto the youkai who had been keeping her close with a strong arm around her waist. He grunted slightly as her thin limbs slid around his neck and she buried her face into a spot on his chest just above his armor.

Rin could hear squawking coming from behind the youkai's body and surmised that it was the toad. She couldn't catch everything that he said but she did hear something like, "disrespectful, shameless girl" and "taking advantage of my lord like that". Even though she was scared, that didn't keep her from rolling her eyes - as if she could ever take advantage of the all powerful Sesshoumaru. And speaking of Sesshoumaru…

She realized that another sound had been added to the noisy toad's muttered litany of insults against her and her race. There was a faint vibration that originated somewhere around Sesshoumaru's neck area and transferred itself to and down her arms. Looking up at her "master's" face, she realized that his eyes had narrowed into slits and she could just make out the tip of one very sharp fang poking out on the right side of his well formed lips. It was obvious that he was annoyed and she was dismayed to realize that the sound she had heard was him growling. Growling! And it wasn't a growl like a human, who was annoyed at something, made - a short, rolling grunt low in his or her throat. No, this was a prolonged growl that no human throat could match, like a wild dog that was about to go on the offensive. His golden eyes were fixed firmly on her face and they conveyed a clear message: "get your hands off of me or else."

'Why is it okay for him to put his hands on me but I can't touch him,' she thought to herself. She was halfway tempted to ignore the warning and keep holding onto him but she was neither stupid nor suicidal. Brave she might very well be, but she knew her limits and she didn't know this youkai well enough to take it that far just yet. Whether he was being hypocritical or not, she wasn't about to act defiant when they were flying – she couldn't even wrap her head around that – through the air.

Rin slowly removed her arms from around his neck, flushing when she realized just how intimate the gesture had been, and relocated them to his waist, glancing at him to see if this was alright. The growling ceased and she assumed he didn't mind this position so much because it wasn't as uncomfortably close as her previous one. The only problem was that now - because she had twisted to face him and both of her legs had already been hanging over the left flank of the two-headed dragon – she was in an awkward position. Her arms were around his waist and he couldn't get as much of his arm around her own. In fact, her bottom was more or less resting on top of his arm – which was highly embarrassing – and her legs were dangling into space. She tried to curl them reflexively upwards but, since there wasn't really anything for her to rest them on, she knew she'd get tired very soon.

All in all, she felt foolish for panicking and contorting so much that now she was even more afraid of falling off of the beast than she had been before. Sesshoumaru apparently shared her sentiment because he let out a tiny sigh of annoyance and asked, "Can you not keep still?"

She looked up at him and glared before saying, "I wouldn't have moved if I knew that I was going to wake up in the middle of the air on the back of a youkai."

He blinked and tilted his head slightly to the right – an oddly young gesture for him to make – and said in that infuriatingly monotone voice of his, "I thought you were tired. Humans require sleep to maintain their health and I do not want to deal with a sick one, so I allowed you to rest. Should I not have?"

There was a cool sort of logic to what he said, so why did she feel as if she'd been insulted? Maybe it was because of the reasoning behind his "kind" gesture. It was all fine and good to own a pet and not inform "Pochi the dog" or "Yuki the cat" every time you take it out somewhere or give it a reason why you feed it. She, however, was a human with the complex emotions that came with the package. This whole "go-flying-through-the-sky-cause-I-know-what-humans-require-to-live" thing wasn't going to cut it. His answer could have come off of a scroll entitled "How to Care for Your Pet Human" for all she knew. Her new master either hadn't learned a thing from having Souta around or, more likely, Souta had taken it all with a grain of salt - like he did most everything else.

Well, she wasn't Souta and he was going to have to realize that really soon. The more time she spent around this Sesshoumaru character, the more she was coming to see that not only was he emotionally stunted, but he didn't seem to know the first thing about dealing with other people, let alone humans. She would bet anything that it never even crossed his mind that she might wake up in mid-flight and be scared out of her mind that she was flying through the air.

It was inconsiderate for him to move her without her knowledge and she had to ask herself what other shortfalls he might have. She didn't know much about youkai but the way Jaken acted told her that they did have emotions – Sesshoumaru was the exception. Her lord had probably rubbed more than a few of his fellow youkai the wrong way and she wondered, not for the first time, just what she should expect once they reached his home. One thing was for sure, she probably wouldn't receive a warm welcome of any sort.

Rin sighed, her thoughts dampening her already depressed spirits. It was bad enough that she had to choose between her life and that of her brother but she didn't even know if Souta nii-chan was alright or if the rest of her adopted family was safe. It certainly didn't seem like she'd be going back to what was left of the town to check on them. 'Maybe I could ask Sesshoumaru?' she thought absently before letting out a snort of derision. As if someone like him, who thought only of himself, would have bothered to check up on them and tell her that they were alright. Heck, he probably went after them first in retaliation for what Souta had put him through.

Naturally, these thoughts did nothing to brighten her low mood and she leaned forward to rest her head on Sesshoumaru's breastplate, mindful of the spikes adorning it. He had long since turned his attention to the empty sky ahead but she was aware of him flicking a glance down at her when she pressed her forehead against the plate covering his chest. She shifted her arms just a tiny bit higher, still wary of her precarious perch and she had to bite back a scream when he repositioned his arm so that he could grab her left leg with his clawed hand.

She shivered at the feel of his claws pressing into her sensitive skin and it took all she had not to slap him, for touching her so intimately. However, she controlled the urge as he guided her leg over the dragon's neck and dropped it so that she was now straddling the beast's back. Her kimono just barely covered her thighs and he completed her humiliation by wrapping his arm about her once more and pulling her close again. Her face had to have turned five shades of red once his actions were completed and even though her perch was now secure, she was pressed too intimately against his chest to enjoy it.

The young woman was torn between anger and embarrassment but she held herself in check. After all, this might be another one of those things that he didn't realize was a total no-no for humans – young women in particular. Deliberately keeping her voice calm, she shifted her head up to look at him once more and asked quietly, "What was that for?"

He glanced down at her with an unreadable look in those golden eyes of his before looking straight ahead again. For a second, she thought that he was simply going to maintain his silence but she was somewhat pleasantly surprised when he opened his mouth and said quietly, "you are afraid."

'Now how in the world could he possibly have sensed that?' she asked herself before replying softly, "I was worrying about my family and wondering if you killed them as well. How did you know?"

He still refrained from looking at her but she felt him press her just the tiniest bit closer before saying in that same emotionless voice, "Your scent."

"My what…?"

"I am not in the habit of repeating myself."

"Yes, but…I mean…how could you…?" she paused in her sputtering, remembering what he had done back in the town after he had transformed. When she thought that he was laughing at her for standing up to him instead of cowering at the sight of his transformation, she had distinctly heard a bark It was the same kind of bark that she might hear from a dog, albeit a very large dog. Realization dawned on her. If Jaken was a toad youkai why couldn't Sesshoumaru be a dog youkai?

It certainly fit with what she'd heard about most youkai - that they resembled animals a lot of the time. But if that was the case, how was it that Sesshoumaru was able to maintain a human-like form whereas Jaken was ugly, squat, and green with bulging yellow eyes?

She couldn't resist blurting out rather loudly, "You're a dog? Is that how you can pick up on my scent?"

There was that faint tightening around his mouth again as he replied, "I am an inu-youkai - so, yes, my sense of smell is much more powerful than any human and most other youkai."

"But how come you look human and why in the world would you move me around just because you can smell my fear."

"I am a Taiyoukai" he said, as if that explained everything.

"And that means…what? You still didn't answer either of my questions."

He looked down at her then and she clearly read annoyance in his gaze as he returned her words with a question of his own.

"Are you always this impertinent?" he asked coolly.

"Honestly? No, I'm not," she replied truthfully, curious as to what he might make of her answer.

"Are you unable to give me the respect that is due, then?"

"For what reason should I respect you? I can fear you because you hold both my life and that of my brother's in your hands. I can fear you because I know that you can kill me with little effort on your part. And I can fear you because I can feel just how powerful you are every time I am near you. However, fear and respect are separate things. I appreciate that you use my name and my brother obviously respected you. That, at least, is enough for me to give you a chance, but I still don't know you, Sesshoumaru-Sama," she paused to watch his face.

The look in his eyes was unreadable but if she had to put a name to it, she would call it confusion. He didn't give her much time to analyze it before he said coldly, "You will never know me, human," and turned his eyes back to the front.

Rin could tell that she hadn't said what he wanted to hear, but she wasn't Souta nii-chan. She wasn't the type to lie to either herself or anyone else. Sesshoumaru wanted her to say what he had doubtlessly heard from a multitude of other youkai – he wanted her to submit - but she refused to stroke his ego. From her standpoint, it was obvious that he was used to getting his way and she could even understand why that was so. He was undoubtedly the most beautiful creature she'd ever seen in her entire life and he was powerful - so much so that the hairs on the back of neck stood up whenever she got near him.

However, she could also see that he was a difficult person to deal with. She might have been young but she had both grown up around humans and been of marriageable age for some time. Humans could be very conniving and dishonest and she had been forced - both by her unique upbringing and an ingrained sense of survival – to look beneath the obvious. At sixteen, she was quite a bit more mature than most other girls her age and she knew for a fact that she was a fairly good judge of character. And what she saw in Sesshoumaru was disturbing.

Sesshoumaru didn't look that much older than her but she knew for a fact that youkai lived much longer than humans did. It would be best to assume, therefore, that he was at least a century or two older than she, which then begged the question: "Just what sort of life had he been living up until now?" It was like he was equal parts immature man and cruel youkai. He seemed to expect instant obedience and yet, didn't understand that true obedience and respect had to be earned. It was neither automatic nor could it be forced.

He was strong and definitely very intelligent but, again, neither of them shone through to her so much as his unrealistic expectations of her absolute obedience. No one, whether human or youkai, liked to have their freedom taken away and they most certainly didn't enjoy threats on their lives. Her new "master" had a commanding enough presence and she could see that he was an honorable person when he so chose but he was lacking something. If he had a heart, it seemed to be tightly locked up in ice and she wanted to know what could possibly have happened to make him the way he was.

As disturbing as it was to admit, he reminded her of how she'd been as a child before the Higurashi family took her in. There was a wildness about him that came, not from an inner desire to be mean or even to be left alone , but simply because he didn't know how else to be. She had been a desperate child who trusted no one because trusting people meant that they could get close and hurt you. The six-year old Rin had even refused to talk to anyone because she didn't know what to say, she hadn't understood that there were people who could be trusted. She also didn't understand that not everyone was like the bandits who had slaughtered her family.

Looking at Sesshoumaru now, she felt such a pang of sympathy that she had to swallow hard lest she say something that she might regret. As he was now, she didn't think he would appreciate her analysis of his character and it was a certainty that he was in no mood to answer any more of her questions. However, when the time was right, she wanted to know why the scent of her fear had made him react to her the way he had. Did he shift her into a more secure position because he found her smell offensive? Or did he do it because he actually might have felt bad for her?

She wanted to know why he said the things he said and acted the way he did. Why did he demonstrate a desire to keep her in good health and yet overrode it constantly by being inconsiderate of her feelings? Why was he so strong and, yet, he lacked even a basic knowledge of how to treat others? Why had Souta been willing to give up his life among humankind for this person?

'There's more to you than meets the eyes Sesshoumaru,' she thought, 'and I intend to find out what you have hidden beneath that cold exterior.'

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'How dare she!' Sesshoumaru thought. In all his life, no one had ever asked him the questions she did, nor had they ever stated the things she did. And she had meant them too. Perhaps that was what bothered him.

He was used to instant obedience. When he said jump, his servants asked how high. When he said that he held their lives in his hand, they fell all over themselves to please him. That was the way it had been ever since his father had been killed and he had been thrust into the role of "Lord of the entire Westernlands." Jaken had told him that obedience would come automatically because of his position and his many vassals and fellow lords had seemed content to follow his lead – lending credence to Jaken's words. Things more or less always went his way and when they didn't, he could usually force his way through any situation. He was used to others displaying either abject fear at his presence or automatic acquiescence to his orders.

His life was ordered into neat little boxes and he liked it just fine like that. Everyone around him had a role in his life and it was usually a role that he had given them, whether they liked it or not. Humans were an annoyance that he would wipe out if he had to. Other youkai served him, aided him in his conquest, or were occasionally used as food. His fellow lords of the North, South, and East were useful for forming alliances but they usually stayed out of each other's way and didn't interfere unless his quarrels threatened to spill into their respective territories.

That only left his brother, who had disappeared out of his life quite some time ago, and he was more than happy to leave it at that. They hated each other for reasons that only he and those who were old enough to remember them knew of and he preferred it that way. He didn't need anyone else and he refused to repeat his father's mistakes.

Sesshoumaru had effectively maneuvered the people around him so that there was little chance of him getting close to any of them. Even Souta had his place. The human had spoken of friendship and the young lord had listened to some of what he had said but, as with everyone else, the human had been a means to an end. He desired a diversion and someone who could help him understand human nature a bit better and the man had served him well. And now, in the absence of the brother, he was trying to see if his sister could perhaps fill the niche he had left behind.

Here was where his problems began.

He had already threatened her life as well as that of her brother - which usually worked - and it kept meeting with failure. She had told him that she was quite aware of just how powerful he was but she still seemed disinclined to do as he said. The girl was bold, telling him of - all people - that she had no reason to respect him and actually lecturing him more than once. The first time was about using her name and the second time was just now when she said, in so many words, that she didn't respect him. Oh, she feared him, as any sane person would, but she fought against obeying his commands. She was both like and unlike her brother and he didn't know what to do.

What was a taiyoukai - who was used to everyone around him being submissive - to do with a weak human girl who refused to follow the norm? He needed to be aware and in control of his surroundings because relaxing his hold meant the breakdown of his kingdom. His father had allowed his emotions to get the best of him and look where that had landed him – in his grave. So he shut himself away and had halfway convinced himself that he had no heart because having no heart meant that he had no emotions, no doubts, and no uncertainties. Nothing could get in his way and nothing could make it past his defenses.

He would not be his father.

However, this girl was provoking him towards something. He could not put a name to that something but it had everything to do with her, he was certain of it. Why was she refusing the role he had transferred from her brother to her? Why wouldn't she obey him, like her brother had? Why wasn't he able to predict what she would do next? Why, when he tried to stick her in a neat little box like everyone else, did she keep on climbing out and wagging her tongue at him in a figurative sense?

Rin was an experience to be sure. She was so different from what he knew and yet, there a part of himself that sat up and took notice every time she refused to kowtow to his wishes. It was like she had taken one of those delicate hands of hers, dug it into the very center of his being, and was slowly dragging out a part of himself that he hadn't known existed. Even Souta hadn't piqued his interest this much and he had only known the girl for a few hours. His curious nature was bubbling over with questions.

Why couldn't he take his eyes off of her?

Why - when she wrapped her arms around him after waking up in a panic - did he have to fight to keep himself from bending down and burying his nose in her hair again to smell that incredible scent of hers?

Why had he allowed her to keep her hands on him after making her let go of his neck?

Why did the sharp spike of fear afterwards make him wonder if she was afraid of heights, summarily prompting him to reposition her?

Why did he enjoy the feel of her in his arms, even now, after her disrespectful words to him?

Rin was an enigma, a challenge, an absolute oddity. And still he couldn't really find the desire to end her life. He had been honest when he told her that he found her interesting. She was a unique find, especially for someone like him who had pretty much seen and done it all in his almost two centuries of existence. And, there was another reason why he wanted to keep her around.

After turning away from her, he had continued to watch her from the corner of his eye. For a certainly, she was astute because she refrained from trying to ask him anything else in current mood. It was…amusing to see the myriad of emotions that flitted across her expressive face but what really grabbed him was the "sympathetic" look she gave him. He knew that she probably wouldn't have allowed that look to surface on her face if she knew that he was watching her, so he forced himself not to snap out something about not needing her "pity."

Instead, he asked himself how someone like her - a mere human and a fairly young one at that – could possibly identify with him? That question, above all others, he wanted an answer to.

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Souta thought he might be sick. The smell of death was thick in the air and there were millions of flies buzzing about as they feasted on the bodies of the villagers who had escaped the fire on the west side only to fall prey to a rampaging taiyoukai.

Kazuhiko-Sama had ordered the gates to be opened once he realized that the monster was gone and apparently had no intention of taking his life…yet. Souta knew perfectly well, though, that his master had spared the Daimyo's home to make a point. It was if he had said in effect, "I can destroy you at anytime and there is nothing you can do to stop me." As nice as it should have been to think that no more people would lose their lives, Souta couldn't quiet the dark thought that the Daimyo should have been shut out of his own gates and left to face the wrath of Sesshoumaru.

He had never seen such a shameful display in his life. A lord was supposed to protect his people, not leave them to die like animals just because he was too much of a coward to open his gates, even for a minute, to let them in. He just knew that the cries and screams of the dying would haunt him for a long while because he had been unable to bring his hands up and clap them over his ears. The only comfort he could take, and it went contrary to his nature, was the fact that he knew that Sesshoumaru would be back to finish what he started. Nothing less than the death of the fat Daimyo and the two miko who had captured him, would satisfy the vengeful taiyoukai.

Today, the sun had risen up strong and bright and the soldiers had brought him outside of the courtyard with them as insurance, in case Sesshoumaru came back. He had tried to tell him that his presence would change nothing because his lord had already sentenced him to death due to his being captured but they refused to listen.

So here he was, with his hands tied in front of him and a long length of rope attached to his bonds so that he could be led – like he was some sort of animal. Looking around at the demolished town, he wished more than anything that he knew if his family was alright. He didn't know if they had fled the blaze only to be killed by Sesshoumaru and he shuddered to think that his lord had killed him. If he had…well, even he would be hard pressed to forgive the taiyoukai.

He was also rethinking the wisdom of leaving Rin in Sesshoumaru's hands. Yes, his lord had given his word to protect her and he would keep it, but his adopted sister was a handful. The Rin he remembered had always been bold and even though she had given his lord a pretty speech about helping the two of them, she was still Rin. He had no doubt that his father – ever the stickler for manners and decorum – had been trying his very hardest to mold Rin into the ideal woman. However, he must have had limited success if Rin was still wild enough to attempt a rescue in the dead of night with nothing that, even faintly, resembled a weapon.

'And she actually succeeded in her rescue too,' he thought, a tiny smile curling his lips. His little Rin had grown into quite the woman, Sesshoumaru hadn't known what hit him and it would be a long while before he would figure out Rin.

"What do you find so amusing?" the cold voice broke into his thoughts and his smile melted away like snow on a warm day.

Shifting his eyes over to look at the woman beside him he muttered a quiet, "nothing."

He couldn't decide if he was sad, angry, or confused towards his eldest sister. In all his twenty-two years of life, he had never imagined that she would become what she was now. Kikyou had never angered him as much as she had last night when - instead of fighting to overturn the Daimyo's cruel decision - she merely shrugged and said, "I will catch the beast after he is done. If he attacks us directly I will be more than happy to help but if he doesn't, send someone to fetch me so that we can begin our search for him anew."

With that she had turned and entered the massive home of the lord, the doors closing silently behind her. Even when she was being cruel she was graceful. Souta truly felt that he could have hated her in that very moment. The next time he and Kagome were alone together, he wanted answers. He deserved that much at least.

"Tell me, whatever happened to that little brat our father took in, Souta?"

The young man blinked and turned his eyes towards the ground. 'Why is she asking this now? Don't tell me she suspects that Rin had a hand in all of this?'

He chose his words carefully as he asked in a hushed voice, "Why are you bringing Rin up all of a sudden? Isn't it bad enough that she's probably dead and buried beneath the ruins of the town?"

The look she gave him was steady and he felt as if she were stripping him bare of his secrets. It was a deeply penetrating look that was unbecoming of her and, for a second, he wondered if the person before him were really Kikyou. She was just so…different - so cold. The Kikyou he admired as a child had been kind and gently, always giving. This Kikyou came across to him as selfish and cruel and…angry, so very, very angry.

Just what had happened to make her so mad at the world in general?

"Souta," she said his name softly and he snapped his head up to look at her, wary of her gently tone.

"I felt something very familiar tonight, Souta, a certain type of energy around that youkai's cage."

"An…energy around the youkai's cage? What kind and how would you know of such a thing," it was a struggle to keep his voice neutral. She might be trying to trick him into giving something away and he refused to sabotage the efforts made by both Rin and Sesshoumaru to escape her.

"It was a power similar to my own, that of a miko. Tell me, do you know how many miko would be willing to aid such a dangerous monster in his escape?"

"I'm sure there are a few here and there," Souta said, giving her a forced smile.

She returned his smile with a beautiful one of her own and it threw his guard off so much that he didn't realize her intent until her palm connected with his face. He felt her nails dig into his skin and part the layers like water as they trailed across his cheek briefly before they were withdrawn. Souta stared at her in shock, feeling blood welling from the shallow scratches on his face. Not for the first time, he felt a tingle of fear go down his spine at the way his sister was acting. What was wrong with her?

Her face was twisted mass of anger and hatred one minute and then…nothing. She smoothed her expression over with a tiny smile and said in a sweet voice, "There are none, Souta-Kun," she made his name sound like an insult.

"No real miko would ever have set him free. Not only that, to accomplish his escape, a miko would have to be close to the caliber of Kagome or myself."

"I didn't know…" Souta began, immediately realizing the implications of her words. 'Just how strong is Rin?' he asked himself.

"Of course you didn't. Were you also unaware of the fact that each miko has a particular energy signature? Perhaps your pretty, little youkai should have had the sense to destroy his cage. It certainly would have made tracking him down harder."

The only son of the Higurashi family felt a sense of foreboding. He just knew that he wasn't going to like whatever came out of her mouth yet.

And he was right.

"While your friend threw a fit last night, I came across an idea. No miko worth her robes would ever knowingly free a demon. So that would leave someone who is powerful but…untrained. If my new prey had been a skilled miko, then she could have breached broken through my seal without leaving traces of her powers intertwined with my own."

"And if the miko was untrained?" Souta asked in a hushed voice, though he already knew the answer.

She knew the answer as well because an unpleasant smile spread across her face. "That is a wonderful question, Souta-Kun. Let's just say that I've examined the broken seal on the cage and I found an energy that I've encountered only once before. Would you like to know where?"

"Not particularly," he muttered, knowing that she would tell him anyways.

"It's remarkably similar to traces of a power that I sensed from time to time at our old home. Since we own a shrine and visiting miko are a familiar occurrence, I thought nothing of it. But I think I just might have to pay the site of our house a little visit. Who knows what I'll find."

Souta's apprehension was starting to border panic.

He hadn't given his crafty sister enough credit. She definitely either knew or suspected that someone very close to their family had a hand in Sesshoumaru's escape. There were few enough people who could claim that distinction that it was only a matter of time before she set her sights on Rin.

'Dear Kami-Sama,' he prayed fervently, 'give Sesshoumaru-Sama and Rin-Chan time.'

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As always, please tell me what you think. Hope this wasn't too boring for you all but those of you who read my other fics know that I just loove characterization. ;P