Thirty Nights Chapter 4: Welcome to Your New Prison, an inuyasha fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha…blah blah blah…

A/N: Ayy…I know I've been such a loser at updating lately…I'm sorry. But like I said, I WILL update when I get the chance.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!

And to those that didn't, thanks for taking your time to read my fic anyways.

Lots of love!!!

xOxO

Thirty Nights: Chapter Four: Welcome to Your New Prison

'This should be interesting…it's about time Lord Sesshoumaru does something about this brat.'

Jaken sat down on the grass with uncontainable glee as he watched his lord approach the outspoken mortal. Finally, his lord decides to do something about that irritable mouth of hers. If you were to ask him, Sesshoumaru's been acting strange since he came back with that human slung over his shoulder.

Sesshoumaru stopped right in front of Rin. Silence reigned as the tension thickened like water turning to blood.

Excitement could just about shine like a beacon from the grinning imp now. 'Just as I thought…this should be interesting.'

As he watched Rin visibly swallow the lump in her throat, the corner of Sesshoumaru's mouth tilted in evil pleasure, reveling in her obvious fear and discomfort. Humans were so amusing to him. Maybe that was their purpose in this world. But his amusement could not save her from dying at his mercy now.

Despite exuding his most fearsome of calms, she did not step back; no matter how much her eyes betrayed her façade, she held her ground. This was one of the most displeasing characteristics that made him feel so disgusted with humans: perseverance --- stupid perseverance. It was futile. It was worthless. It was all for nothing.

What good would such a human attribute be if they were only to lose in the end? Only to die in the end? Was this the extremity of their stupidity? Nevertheless, it was their downfall. No matter how much they considered it their strength, it was what made them so utterly stupid…not to mention vulnerable.

This was it, then. He could just easily take Kiori from her. It was as good as though it was already in his possession. The much-needed answers could wait until he could reach the all-knowing god tree. That priority was second. Anger resolution came first.

"Girl, you are going to die now, as you wished it. But before you depart from this world to the next, I must ask you one question: how did it come about that you ended up with that necklace?"

Rin blinked, dumbfounded, before she looked down at Kiori. The necklace? 'He's after this? Then that could mean…'

A wheel started turning in her mind. He did have the same shade of silver for hair; the same tall frame; the same muscular, yet lean built; the same body type that looked solid, but actually moved with catlike grace; the aristocratic features; the godlike appearance; heck…he did somewhat look like Ino…honestly saying.

But Ino never had purple mars on her cheeks. And her eyes weren't amber, or any other shade of gold. Ino had a beautifully strange shade of purple for eye color. It was a bright amethyst with specks of blue around the irises, and a faint brown streaked all through the cornea. But still…there were too many similarities to dismiss that thought off as coincidence.

Rin snapped back into focus by the controlled, yet menacing growling in the demon's chest. Breathing deeply, as to calm her racing heart, she dared to ask him what was on her mind. "A-are you a…dog demon?"

Sesshoumaru's poisonous hand twitched. "You do not answer my question with another question, wench. Answer me."

Rin didn't know what to do. If this was the man that Ino was talking about, then that would mean that this would be the same man that she'd have to befriend; that she'd have to help to save their bloodline. She stared with hopeless indecision at the demon lord in front of her.

"Oh, Kami…please no…" she whispered in a breathless sigh.

Sesshoumaru sighed and relaxed his posture just a bit. "Honestly girl, my patience has already run out with you. Shall you anger me any further, you will find yourself at the mercy of Satan's equal; perhaps, superior. If you do not answer my question by the time Jaken counts to five, you will die."

He turned his frame just a bit towards Jaken. Immediately, the imp jumped up from his spot and began his count, smiling wider than before. "One…"

Rin contemplated on what to do. No other demon was supposed to know about the Phantom Dog Demon tribe's weakness/secret…however you wanted to put it. The only others that knew about it were the ones seeking to either destroy the bloodline, or steal its power.

"Two…" Jaken continued.

Just telling Sesshoumaru about how she came to its possession would betray the only promise worth keeping. And worst, the only mother, sister, and friend that's kept her alive for so many years.

"Three…"

Why would this man want it? What connection could he possibly have? Unless her conclusions were right?

"Four…"

Oh hell. This was not happening. This was NOT. She still had promises to keep before she died. She still had a mission to accomplish. This could not be her dying day.

"Last chance."

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru's expectant face. "Tell me this first. I need to know. Are you a dog demon?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "Five," he finished before Jaken, "wrong answer."

Faster than Rin's eye could catch, his poisonous claw flew to her neck. Her eyes screwed shut as she waited for the searing pain of the venom; for the cruel, tormenting pain of death. There was a ripping sound, followed by crackling as her whole body became surrounded with the strangest sensation.

Then silence. Rin pondered if she should be thankful that her death was fast and painless --- wait…no pain…? But she should've felt the poison at least.

A quaint, disappointed snort from in front of her caught her off-guard. Utter shock forced Rin to open her eyes to the current events, despite her iron will to keep them shut. There, standing in the same spot, was Sesshoumaru. Only now, his attention wasn't on her…it was on his sizzling right hand.

"My lord!! My lord!!"

Rin turned her head to find Jaken running feverously to his master.

"My lord!! What just happened?!" Jaken asked. Without waiting for Sesshoumaru to respond, he turned to face Rin. "You wretched witch!! What have you done?!"

Rin stood there dumbfounded, again. What has she done? She's done nothing but wait for her death on both feet. Looking up from the imp to the demon lord, she noticed that the sizzling did not come from his poison; his hand was scorched. Did she do that?

"Ye don't look more than human to me," Jaken continued, circling her slowly as though she were a wild animal; inspecting her with abhorred amazement. "What are you?" he wondered aloud. He slowed even more to a stop, dramatically raising his staff, while his eyes brightened with a new idea. "Shall we burn her, m'lord?"

At this statement, Rin jumped by a fraction. She'd rather die by a wound than burn to death…and she somewhat knew what it felt like to be burned all over. A quick death was always best.

"Jaken…"

Jaken lowered his staff and looked up at his lord beside him. "Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru didn't say a word. He didn't even look down at his ward. He simply gazed at Rin with perturbing nonchalance, raising the goose bumps on her skin. From that moment, Rin decided that an impassive gaze was more frightening than an angry one.

Jaken sullenly lowered his staff to the ground, already knowing the unspoken command, but kept his glare on Rin as Sesshoumaru advanced toward her.

Bringing up his uninjured hand, Sesshoumaru slowly lowered it towards her face. Rin watched as it inched closer. Just before his skin made contact with hers, Rin gasped as electricity flowed and crackled. Sesshoumaru brought his hand back down. Sneering disgustedly, he turned and walked away.

"How tiresome."

At last, Rin's unstable knees gave out beneath her as her adrenaline rush left her body limp. 'I think…this is too much excitement for one night…'

"My lord, I don't understand! What just happened?!" Jaken demanded, turning away from Rin to run after his lord.

"Are you blind, Jaken? That was a barrier."

"A barrier?! But…" Jaken faded as he looked at the girl. "…how?"

Sesshoumaru stopped and looked back at Rin. He took in her slumped form and dazed expression. Again, his amusement came at the sight of her only giving up the façade after the deed was done. "Kiori."

"You mean the necklace? The girl has it?! How?!!"

Sesshoumaru merely ignored the imp, like he usually did. He walked toward Ah-Un and grabbed a new kimono from the compartment in the saddle. Without a backward glance, he threw the clothing to Rin.

Rin caught the material as it floated toward the ground. She took in the sight of its dark, but brilliant blue shade, before she looked back up at Sesshoumaru. All she could make out was the slight back and forth shift of his silver hair and his receding back.

"Go now, and wash up at the spring. You do not want me to find a way around the barrier to kill you if you speak even one more word."

With that, Rin slowly came out of her dazed state and got back up on her feet. She looked towards the direction he had pointed out earlier. Why couldn't she just have obeyed and followed directions earlier? Why'd she have to open her big mouth and throw up her little 'Ms-Macho' act? So much for that.

Taking in her surroundings one more time, she noticed that the dragon was curled up by a tree and Jaken was a few feet away, grumbling about having to make a stupid fire and that demons don't need it. Then, he went on about how she should make her own fire if she was "too human" to stand the night chill. But the demon lord was no longer anywhere in sight. Sighing, she walked towards the spring.

xOxO

"Bloody hell…"

Rin sighed as she put her sore, aching body into the hot spring. It wasn't until now did she notice just how tight her muscles were and how much in pain she was. Did all that escaping, adrenaline, and fear do this to her body? Amazing what physical exhaustion alone could do to one. Not to mention, mental exhaustion.

Finding a solid rock just beneath her, she sunk her body in enough to where she could just sit at the edge. Rin breathed in deeply, feeling the built-up stress flow out of her bones. She couldn't tell if it was her imagination, but it was relaxingly painful; like her bones contracted from its release. She sighed.

'This is too much for one person to be able to continue. If this goes on any longer, I swear I will die from mental instability.'

Rin laid her head back against the rocky edge above the water's surface. She wasn't sitting as low as she had wanted, much to her displeasure; she was only low enough to where the water could cover her chest. The surface was barely high enough to cover her nipples.

When the fizzling bubbles and the heat of the spring loosened her body, she positioned herself to a more comfortable position. The crystal hanging around her neck slid against her body as she moved.

Rin looked down at Kiori. Gently gripping it, she brought it up to eye level. "You know…you are causing me a hell lot of trouble…as if my life weren't already as complicated as it is."

Slightly irritated with the object, she dropped it so that it rested against her chest again.

"At least I know you're good for one thing…I'm not entirely defenseless."

Sighing, her thoughts were brought back to what happened just minutes before. Why did he want to know about Kiori so much? If he knew that it had even just a little value, or even with just the knowledge he's shown to her about the necklace, did that mean that he's someone that Ino would've trusted? Or does that mean that he's just another enemy to the dog demon tribe?

Rin leaned her head back against the rocks. What if he is an enemy? How would she get out of this one? She couldn't escape from him, let alone fight him. How would she know how to find the real demon? Would he even be searching for her?

And even if he is the right demon, how in the world was she going to accomplish saving a whole youkai bloodline? With the way things had started off, there was no way to befriend him. Even if things didn't start off the way it did, with his high-and-mighty personality, was friendship even possible?

Could they even come to a point where they could share beds and ----.

"URGH!! No no no. Why in the world am I thinking like that? No no no no no. Absolutely NO."

After she finished berating herself on her perverse thoughts, Rin came back to Ino's warning. Ino mentioned something about her having only thirty nights to get this to the rightful tribe before the curse will take inevitable effect. Now, she only had 29; possibly 28 nights.

Question now was:

What was she going to do?

xOxO

Sesshoumaru was miles away from the campsite by the time Rin reached the spring. If it wasn't for the sudden pains threatening to crush his chest and his heart, he would've continued running. But alas, the pain was not something he could just look over.

He was caught off guard by its sudden appearance, and, in all his years of his powerful, lethal existence, nearly stumbled and fell. Never had he made such a shameful and clumsy mistake. Not even as a child. He doubted if his pride could even live with the knowledge that the great Lord Sesshoumaru had tripped.

Thankfully he caught himself before he could do so. But even his fluid grace could not keep him solidly upright. As the searing pain in his chest spread to attack his head, Sesshoumaru was forced to lean on a tree for support. These pains were becoming more annoying as the nights passed. They're either mild and often, or severe and unpredictable.

But that led to only one conclusion, and Sesshoumaru had to admit the truth to himself: the pains were becoming stronger, and he, consequently, was becoming weaker.

Sesshoumaru scoffed and snorted at the idea. Weak. How he hated the word; how disgusting it was. Weakness was something that had absolutely no place in his world. He cursed the loathsome witch that put this curse upon his family. This was entirely tiresome and a total waste of his time.

A drop of cold sweat broke from his head and rolled down his face. In all his life, Sesshoumaru never felt so weak, so helpless, so ashamed, so…human.

Ugh. He let his eyes close gently to prevent from shuddering. 'Human' was even more disgusting than 'weak'. The bile rose in his throat at the thought of it in his mind. Never had he had a problem with keeping himself in check, never had he dropped his demeanor, never had he have so little control of what was happening to him.

All because of this stupid curse.

At last, he could feel his demon blood fighting more strongly against the pain as it slowly subsided. Straightening to his usual regal posture, Sesshoumaru buried yet another memory of weakness in the deepest corner of his mind.

There was no time to reminisce on those moments of weakness, because there were other, more important things to ponder on. For instance, why was a human carrying the sacred medium of the inu-youkai tribe?

That was the question that brought him back to square one. Last night as he approached the human, he spotted another body behind her. It was only later that he realized she was the woman he was looking for: Ino. Although the rain and whatever essence she was wearing hid her true scent, he could still make out what and who she was through obvious family traits.

But she was dead. Aside from her faint, almost nonexistent scent, he could smell the strong odor of blood. She was dead. Had the human killed her and stolen the necklace?

'No…' he argued with himself. It was simply impossible.

No human could match a demon; especially one from his ancestral lineage…unless…she was already injured.

Sesshoumaru growled faintly. The conclusions he came up with weren't making any sense; they didn't tie together at all.

What the hell happened?

He looked up at the moon as if it could give him his answers. What if even Bokuseno came up with nothing to his questions? Why was fate dealing him this hand? Were they trying to stop him from fulfilling his destiny? At the thought, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes and looked on with new determination. No. He would fulfill his path for conquest. He would rule the demon and human world alike. And there would be no stopping him.

A slight breeze drifted past him, playing with his hair before dying. The wind told a number of stories. He could smell the fire Jaken built miles from where he stood. He could hear the soft snores of his dragon. He could hear the quiet grumblings of his green ward. And, faintly, from a farther distance, he could pick out a certain fragrance in the wind of a girl still bathing.

In the moonlight, a sinister smile came slowly upon his face, haunting the surrounding darkness. He turned back to where his wards and his burden were located.

Guess there was only one way to find out the truth. It's a good thing that he kept her alive…after all…

xOxO

Ok…so she was stationed in the deep pits of hell, obviously.

"As though my life wasn't already there…" Rin mumbled blankly, moving her fingers above the water's surface.

She meant to get out earlier and dry off, but she didn't want to go back and face her executor just yet. Then again, she didn't want to face his wrath if she took too long bathing either. In the end, her body decided for her. Her mind wanted to go get it over with, but her feet just wouldn't budge. They were adamant to stay in the warm, soothing temperature of the spring.

Rin sighed for the umpteenth time that night. She was only prolonging her death sentence. Might as well just fulfill her promise and then happily fall into the open arms of death. Life would be much easier if she could just accept it that way.

She looked down at her fingers. Strangely, it hadn't pruned up like it usually did. A soft sound behind her snapped her focus back to reality. Rin whipped her head around, hands unconsciously moving to cover her chest. After a tense moment, a rabbit jumped out of a bush not too far and ran into thicker undergrowth.

Rin released her breath. Now she had paranoia to add to her list of ailments. Shaking her head slowly, she stepped out of the water and walked over to the tree where the kimono was hanging.

She gazed at it for a moment. It was simple, but beautiful. Rin then wondered why the dog demon had it with him.

While her body was drying off, she wrung out her thick hair. A memory came back to her then. She remembered the first time Ino had helped her bathe when she was a child. It was back when she first arrived at Naraku's castle. Besides trauma, pain, and loneliness, she came down with a wicked fever. Ino had to force her to eat, to drink, and many other things; including bathing. Since then, the older female always brushed or made her hair, which Rin absolutely loved. Ino was never obligated to do it, but she did. And now…

The hot streak left behind by her tear brought Rin back from reminiscing. A breeze brushed against her body, reminding her of how cold it was. Lifting the kimono gently from the branch, she first put on the inner, then outer layer clothing.

She took a minute to access it. It was too long for her body, and her hips were a bit too wide. Her breasts filled the chest part perfectly, but the sleeves were too long for her arms.

Wait…that was the answer! Obviously, this kimono wasn't for her, but more importantly, it was made for the goddess-like body of a female dog demon. Although Sesshoumaru may have had no way of knowing what Ino looked like, he had this with him because he still expected to meet with her. He might've even been on his way to rescue her, not kill her.

"Of course…" Rin mused, slapping her forehead. She still had to be cautious, but now, the clues seemed to point in the right direction; there was a chance that he was the demon she was looking for. That meant there was a chance that she could trust him.

An image of his face popped into her mind again and she froze that thought. Rin grimaced inwardly as she remembered prior events concerning him. Maybe it was a little too early to have her hopes up just yet. But then again…who knows? To keep her promise, it may just be worth a shot.

She expertly wrapped the sash around her waist and shook her hair out again. It was still partially wet, so she bundled it to rest on her right shoulder to prevent damping the back of the kimono. She hitched up one side to her mid thigh so the bottom wouldn't drag. The edge now covered one foot and slanted up to just above her knee.

"There you are, you brat!!" a voice shot out.

Rin yelped and swiftly turned around. The hand clutching the cloth by her heart turned into a fist at the sight of the green midget. "What do you want?"

"Me? What do I want? Ha!" Jaken snorted. "I was sent to retrieve your human arse like my master wished. He only has great patience with certain things, you know," he humphed, before turning to lead the way back.

Rin rolled her eyes as she picked up her torn clothing. "Yes…and I'm sure you're one of those things?"

Jaken looked back with narrowed eyes. "What was that, human?"

"Oh, nothing. I didn't say anything at all," Rin said in faux lightness.

"Hmph. That's right."

Rin shook her head, but didn't say anything in rebuff. 'If what Jaken said is true, I really don't know how he survived this long...'

xOxO

When they arrived at the campsite, Rin found the demon lord sitting on a rock as tall as she was. Sesshoumaru had one arm propped on a bent leg, while he used the other to balance himself. He sat with deceptive laziness as he stared out into the forest, looking down at neither her nor Jaken, even as they approached his perch.

Jaken stopped beside the rock. "She's here, my lord." He bowed and walked away to sit cross-legged against a tree. The green imp looked at her with disdain before lowering his head and closing his eyes.

Rin brushed off the look Jaken sent her way. She wasn't here to pay any heed to his insults. She looked up at the demon lord hesitantly, not knowing what to expect. She waited for him to say something; Jaken had made as though Sesshoumaru requested her audience. But after a while of listless waiting, the demon lord still hadn't spoken a word, nor had he acknowledged her presence.

Relaxing her posture, she exhaled deeply. She felt as utterly stupid as she probably looked to him; an idiot, just standing around, waiting for a millennium to pass.

Maybe Sesshoumaru was just mad because she took forever at the spring. He did say he wanted answers when she was finished. He could've chosen to extract them sooner, but he probably couldn't stand the reek of bloody exhaustion any longer.

Still, how was she supposed to justify his questions if she didn't know exactly what they were? Besides, he wasn't the only one in the dark about this; he probably knew more about Kiori and the curse than she did. Rin had her bets on the fact that he did.

Sighing, she decided that if he wasn't going to start the interrogation, might as well ignite it herself, or sit down. Either choice was better than feeling like a mental case with nothing better to do. She moved to turn around and walk to the fire.

"Wench."

Rin stopped her foot mid-air as she heard Sesshoumaru speak. In all honesty, he caught her by surprise and, if it wasn't for a fast cover-up, she would've stumbled and fell. Gathering herself and her startled dignity, Rin turned back to face him. She hated mind-playing games, and obviously, he was playing one.

"My name is Rin."

Sesshoumaru merely lifted an eyebrow. "No woman with even an ounce of respect or manners would dare talk back like that to a man."

"Well…I'm not much of a woman, and you are hardly a "man"," Rin replied.

Sesshoumaru took a moment to answer. "Am I to take that as an insult?"

"I only meant that you were not human. I didn't mean that you did not meet the specifications of what a man is."

Sesshoumaru looked at her with unknown intent. "Hn."

Rin lowered her eyes and looked down at the grass again. Why was it so hard to just keep her mouth shut? She didn't have much of a problem with Naraku. Not that she thought Sesshoumaru was any less dangerous, or murderous, as her former "lord," but she just found it hard to hold her tongue.

"Tell me, now. How is it that you came upon Kiori?" Sesshoumaru asked after a minute, the timber of his voice dropping as if demanding an answer.

Rin looked back up at him. She should tell him. There was no way out of this. And even if he wasn't the right demon, maybe there was hope that he'd help her find the right guy.

'Right…fat chance.'

"Do not start coming up with more excuses and questions as answers to questions," he added, seeing the wheel shifting a gear up in her head again.

Swallowing audibly, Rin started. "It was given to me by a beloved friend."

"What was her name?"

"Ino."

"Why did she give it to you?"

"She…she was…" taking the moment to stop her mind from replaying Ino's death, Rin forced the words out. "She was dying."

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Do you need me to keep asking questions like a complete idiot, or are you going to continue?"

Rin licked her lips slowly. She hesitantly began her story. "Ten years ago, my village was raided by Naraku's army. Many of the villagers died. Survivors were taken to be his servants. Men were made as subordinates and minions, while the women were made or raised to become his whores. I was one of the survivors taken to his castle." She licked her lips again. Sesshoumaru hadn't interrupted yet, so that was a good sign.

"That's where I met Ino. I was put in the same room as her. She took care of me like any mother would her daughter, and she used to tell me stories every night."

Sesshoumaru nodded his head boredly for her to continue. So far, she only answered one question: how she knew Ino.

"Just the other night, she told me the story of this necklace."

It was then that Sesshoumaru sat a little straighter.

"Last night, Naraku had to meet up with some…Eastern Lord or something of that matter. Ino and I realized it'll be the first time that Naraku's indestructible barrier would be put down. It was our only chance to escape. So we took it. During our escape, however, Ino was seriously injured by one of Naraku's minions." Rin took a labored breath. "Before she died, Ino gave Kiori to me. And that's when our chase began."

So that's why Ino was dead when he had arrived. The human in front of him didn't kill her. Sesshoumaru was a bit puzzled as to why Ino would choose to take along the stupid fool. The human obviously slowed her down. No one of his clan would choose to do something as stupid. Perhaps she lost a bit of her mind in all those years of captivity. Or maybe she just brought the human along as a snack. But then again, there were many other humans to feast on once she escaped. And that wench did say something about Ino taking care of her all those years. The former seemed more like the answer.

"What else do you know of Kiori?"

"I only know that it is a sort of…medium, or something? I know that it belongs to a powerful demon tribe. I know that, um," Rin blabbered, racking her mind for what she remembered from the story, "a female is born in every generation that the cursed would be effective. I also know that, well, there is an unfortunate soul that needs this crystal now." She left out all of the important information, of course, not yet sure if she could trust the demon with that knowledge.

Rin looked straight into Sesshoumaru's eyes. This was it, her chance to ask. "Please…I need to find the rightful owner of this necklace. I made a promise to Ino that I would. Please let me find him."

Sesshoumaru took a moment to answer. "How do you know how to find him?"

"I…well I --- um. Come to think of it, I really don't know. She only had time left to tell me what to do before she died. If you won't help me, at least let me try to find him on my own. Once I am done with that, you can do whatever you wish with me."

"Judging from your earlier behavior, I beg to differ."

Rin fiddled with the edge of the kimono sleeve for a moment. "Please. I didn't mean to. Panic and fatigue made me act irrationally. I didn't mean to disrespect you in any way…I really wasn't in my right mind," she excused, hope shining in her eyes.

A moment passed. Then another. A whole minute passed. A breeze went by, blowing through the forest while the trees sang in the silence between the human and the demon.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. "You found him."

Rin blinked several times before speaking. "What?"

Sesshoumaru slowly lifted his lids to look at her. "I am the demon you are searching for." Silence reigned again.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Rin asked, breaking the silent tension.

In a blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru went from sitting placidly, to standing directly in front of her. The angry spark in his eyes betrayed the calm look on his face. Rin flinched at the sudden proximity and nearly stumbled back.

"Do you take me for a liar?"

"N-no…" Rin stammered. She swallowed before speaking again. "I just need to make sure. I heard there are others seeking for Kiori. Not only am I its holder, but also its protector."

Sesshoumaru relaxed his gaze. So, the girl wasn't completely incompetent. "I see." He then backed up and placed a few feet between them.

Rin released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding in.

"As for your reassurance, I am a descendant of Taiyounin, four times great-grandson of Daiyounin, the lord ancestor of my clan of whom the witch placed the curse upon. It's been seven generations since it was Taiyounin's turn to suffer the curse, meaning I am the next in this lineage. I only have thirty days to find Kiori; otherwise, the curse will take effect. I now only have twenty-nine. When I first met you, I asked for Ino because I was looking for her to fix my situation. I am Sesshoumaru of the Phantom Dog Demon tribe, Lord of the West," he stated. He smirked as he took in the sight of Rin's dumbfounded expression. "Is that enough proof for you?"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The next morning, the sun shone a little too brightly to fit her mood. She still felt a little sour towards the rude demon lord walking a few steps ahead of her…not too mention the green toad that's been bothering her all morning. Rin decided, while at the spring, that she should be nice and respectful to Sesshoumaru. But as soon as the interrogation was over, her thoughts only ran with, 'to hell with respect.'

He didn't have to make her feel like such a fool. Urgh. He could so easily get her blood boiling.

Rin tore her gaze away from the arrogant demon. Part of her hoped that he never noticed anything, and the other part hoped he noticed that she was trying to fry him with her gaze. She sighed, looking at the earth more sullenly. She still wasn't over Ino's death. Maybe that was why she was so outspoken as of late. And maybe that's why she felt so --- not herself. Rin knew better than to take the sun for granted.

She was finally out of Naraku's grasp…finally out of that wretched castle, and finally able to enjoy the sun without the barrier in between. And here she was, thinking how it was shining too brightly. Ino would be disappointed.

All of a sudden, she bumped into Ah-Un, snapping out of her reverie. The dragon turned one of its heads to look at her.

"Oops…sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"Wench! Move on with it!" Jaken yelled back from his place beside Sesshoumaru.

Rin made sure that Sesshoumaru was still walking before she stuck her tongue out at the imp. How irritating. She swore to herself that she'd mash his mouth into his face the first chance she got. To keep from strangling him now, Rin looked up from the two-foot tall toad. It was then that something in front of her caught her eye.

She stopped walking and gawked at the sight that loomed before her. A white castle filled her view. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. It was much taller than that of Naraku's, and instead of wood, it looked as though it were made of stone. She took in its features, taking note of how different it was from the usual Japanese-style culture. It still had an exoskeleton feature similar to the ancient Nippon architecture, but the structure was foreign. She could only stare like an idiot.

"Do I have to drag you all the way to the castle?" Jaken asked, suddenly in front of her. If it weren't for her dazed state, Rin would've kicked the imp away from her. But all she could manage was a small shake of her head.

"What do you think of it?" he asked out of curiosity, although he was still standing there looking at her with an annoyed expression.

"I-it's…wow. Beautiful." Rin replied, letting his degrading look go this time.

Jaken only shook his head sympathetically, pity now replacing the irritation in his eyes. "Stupid mortal..." he mumbled. He then turned to follow his lord. Rin trailed along behind, still adoring the intricate designs of the castle.

It was a short walk before they reached a huge white border. It surrounded the castle as far as Rin could see. At the top of the gate, on opposite sides, two watchtowers guarded it. A man with hair color similar to Sesshoumaru's appeared over the ledge. He signaled to another man on the opposite tower to open the gate. An ominous creaking could be heard as the stone doors opened to let them in.

Jaken chuckled darkly as he looked up at her. "Welcome…to your new prison."