A/N: This chapter is mostly about getting a lot of information out in the open. I tried to not make it boring, so I hope I succeeded.

I do not own Inuyasha

Chapter Two

"Hnnnn," I tried to move away from the dull ache in my back but I soon discovered that my body was too heavy to move. I couldn't even open my eyes. The dull pain seemed to move away as I realized I was floating. Floating and warm. Then there was nothing.

"Master Jaken when is Lord Sesshomaru coming back?" came a voice from seemingly far away.

"How should I know you annoying child. Lord Sesshomaru does what he wants, whenever he wants and it is of no concern of yours."

"Do you think Nicole will be alright Master Jaken? Do you think she will stay with us after she gets better?"

"Are you ignoring me?!"

The voices slowly faded until everything was encased in silence once again.

"-cole. Lady Nicole you need to eat."

"Nnnnn," I groaned, my throat was dry and just making that small noise had made it feel as if I had swallowed sand paper.

"Come on, wake up. You've been sleeping for days."

For days? Had I really been asleep for days? That didn't seem possible. What happened to me? Hesitantly I peeled my eyes open. I was lying under a tree, which thankfully blocked out the sunlight, with Rin kneeling next to me. Suddenly I noticed that all the horrible, horrible pain from the other day was now dull and bearable.

"-in," I tried to croak out her name but it sent me into a wave of coughing fits.

"Here, here's some water," I nodded and Rin helped me sit up and drink.

"Rin you better stay away from that human, it sounds diseased." A shrill voice came from someplace nearby.

"She's not diseased Master Jaken. You should be nicer to our guest," the girl chided, pouting in the direction of the voice.

"Humph," was the only response.

Rin turned her attention back to me, "Here you should eat."

I groaned and shook my head, "I'm not hungry."

Suddenly a little green-well from lack of a better word- imp came into my view. "You ungrateful wench! You should eat when food is offered to you."

"Master Jaken, be nice," Rin chided him.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? I am the vessel of the great dog demon Lord Sesshomaru! And you two are just mere humans-"

The imp kept talking but I turned my attention to Rin, "Does he do this a lot?"

Rin giggled and nodded, "All the time."

I snorted, "Figures," and winced as pulled myself into a better sitting position. My back still hurt and the movement make me see spots as my head protested to being moved so fast. "Rin?"

"Hn?"

"What happened? I mean I remember the bear and the jump and," I winced at the memory, "the landing. Then we fell asleep and then there was a man. But how did we get here? And who is that?" I pointed to the imp. "And what is that?" I asked as I noticed a strange animal that looked like a two headed lizard and the size of a horse. Or bigger.

Rin thought for a moment before she answered, "Well Lord Sesshomaru came to find me and assumed you had kidnapped me, so he slammed you into a tree and was going to kill you wil his poison claws," she stated matter-of-factly.

I rubbed my neck at the memory of my sizzling flesh, "My neck seems fine now."

Rin nodded, "Yes, Lord Sesshomaru's saliva is an antidote. So after I explained to him that you weren't trying to hurt me and that you saved me, he cured you."

"You mean he licked me?" I asked in shock.

"Yes. And to answer you next question, Lord Sesshomaru carried you and flew us here."

"Flew!? You mean he can fly?"

"Of course the great Lord Sesshomaru can fly, you ignorant wench," the imp cut in.

"Alright?" I said slowly trying to process what I had learned so far. Part of me was still hoping this was a dream. But the longer I stayed here the less likely that possibility seemed. Rin was waiting for me, "Sorry, continue please."

Rin nodded, "That is Master Jaken," she said pointing at the little green imp. "He likes to follow Lord Sesshomaru around-"

"His vessel!" the imp shrieked, "I am his vessel!"

Rin continued as if he hadn't spoken, "He also watches me most of the time and takes care of AhUn. He acts really mean but he's really very kind."

"AhUn?" I asked.

Rin pointed to the two head lizard, "That's AhUn. He's a dragon. He just walks beside us most of the time but if we need to we can ride him, he can fly too, and he can shoot lightening out of his mouth!"

"Really?" I asked in disbelief to which Rin just nodded eagerly. "Cool," I nodded in appreciation towards the dragon. Then a thought occurred to me, "Rin?"

"Yes?"

"Where is this 'Lord Sesshomaru'?"

"Where he is is no concern of yours woman! He is probably attending to some very important business that you humans couldn't understand." Jaken said haughtily.

"So you don't know either?"

The imp's face turned a dark shade of red, "You listen here-!"

"He goes away a lot and we usually don't know where he goes. But he always comes back," Rin smiled sadly.

"So he just goes away and leaves you guys? Isn't that kind of mean?" I asked.

"Don't ignore me!" The imp shouted.

"Oh no! Lord Sesshomaru might not say much, and he might leave us a lot, and he might never look happy, and he might get really angry sometimes and try to kill his brother, but deep down I think he's really very kind and smart."

"Of course the Great Lord Sesshomaru is kind! And smart! And powerful! And strong!" Jaken the Imp, that's what I started calling him in my head, boasted. "Sure he could be a little more appreciative sometimes, especially to me but-" he kept going and going and going.

"He tries to kill his brother?"

Rin nodded, "Yeah sometimes."

"How, exactly, does that make him kind?" I questioned her.

Rin thought for a moment, "Well I guess that doesn't make him sound kind. But he's saved my life before."

"Really? How?"

"It's a long story," Rin told me.

I smiled at her, "I would love to hear it."

Rin beamed, "Okay!" She launched into her tale. She told me about how all her family was dead and how she had been living in a rundown shack, and had to steal food to eat. And she told me how one day, while she was walking in the woods, she came across an injured dog demon. "He looked really hurt, so I brought him food everyday even when he told me it was a waste of my time." And then she told me about the wolves… how they had been chasing a guy that had broken into her house and how they killed him. She told me how the alpha wolf demon unleashed, so to speak, the wolves and let them eat the villagers. She told me about the running. And the fear. She told me about the pain and then she told me about dying. "But Lord Sesshomaru has this sword, the Tenseiga, that can bring people back from the dead and he used it on me. I've been traveling with him ever since."

"Wow," I breathed, that was a lot to take in. "Does the sword really bring people back from the dead?"

"Of course it does, foolish girl!" Jaken answered before Rin could, "It was a gift to Lord Sesshomaru from his father Inu no Taisho."

"A sword like that must be really useful right?"

"Certainly not!" Jaken shrieked. "Lord Sesshomaru hates the Tenseiga. He wants the Tetsusaiga, which his father gave to Lord Sesshomaru's half-brother Inuyasha."

"Why does he want the Tetsusaiga?" I asked.

"You stupid woman! He wants the Tetsusaiga because it can kill a thousand demons in a single stroke! That's why he's trying to kill his brother, so he can take it."

"I could feel my eyebrows furrow in confusion, "He's trying to kill his brother over a sword?"

"Lord Sesshomaru really hates Inuyasha because he is a half-demon," Rin said as it that explained everything.

I shook my head, "Okay, I'm so confused. A half-demon?"

Jaken groaned, "Really, do you know nothing of the world!? Stupid wench!"

The next half hour or so was spent with Jaken and Rin trying to explain to me what a half-demon was and why they were so terrible. And to do that they told me Inuyasha's life story up until present.

"But I still don't understand what's so bad about half-demons. Inuyasha sounds like a good fighter and it sounds like he's helping people. Isn't that good?"

Jaken threw his hands up in exasperation, "I'm done trying to explain this to you!" He stalked away muttering to himself about 'stupid women' and 'filthy half-breeds'.

I looked at Rin for help but she just shrugged and yawned, "I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Maybe tomorrow Lord Sesshomaru will come back," she sounded hopeful. She yawned again as she helped me lay back down, "Tomorrow you have to eat, okay?"

I nodded, "Okay."

Soon Rin was asleep by my side and Jaken had started a fire. I was left alone with my thoughts. Rin sounded excited to have this 'Lord Sesshomaru' come back, but I didn't know how to feel. I guess he kind of saved my life. After he tried to kill me. I worried over our next meeting until sleep finally took a firm grasp of my mind.