a/n: I neither own Inuyasha or Goblin: the Lonely and Great God

Chapter Two

Time pained everything it touched.

As old hands held Tessaiga, a silently prayer was whispered on the lips of a devotee. She knew that she alone could not free the prisoner of the sword, and she knew that if this did not work, her body would be overwhelmed with electrocution of demonic power. But it was worth every amount of pain if her plan worked. It had to work.

It had been too long with him.

Her tied back, gray hair wavered in the nighttime breeze along with the buckwheat flowers that surrounded her. She lifted the sword the same way she had seen the hanyou do it so long ago. She could not remember when she last saw him either. Rumor had it that he returned to the forest where he haunted it until he went insane. No one knew for sure. Perhaps when this was all done and said, she could go try to help him too. It would be worth a shot.

Old eyes watched the blade, waiting for any sign of the powers that were to come. And she saw nothing. There was nothing. Her eyes watered and her lips trembled.

She had failed. Because she was human, she had failed her lord.

"Rin."

The voice was pitying her and she felt her temperament spike. Turning around, she met the gentle gaze of a kitsune. His green eyes watched her with care, while he kept his hands hidden within the sleeves of his hakama. Three long tails wavered behind him in the wind as he watched her. When they had first met, he had been nothing but a kit, tiny and small. But growing and learning with other kitsune-as well as training with both her lord and the hanyou-had sculpted him into a strong adolescent indeed.

"Shippou, I couldn't do it," she the tears in her voice rather than felt the droplets of water fall onto her cheek. "Rin thought today would finally be the day. It was too much to hope."

The youkai watched her with a sigh before he shook his head. "It was not too much to hope. Here, let me see the sword."

Rin hesitated for a moment before handing the fang to her lifelong friend. He took the blade in his hand with a light grasp and a curious eye. He held it in his hand, his gaze glazing over as if he were traveling far away from her. And then in the next moment, he was back, tails wagging back and forth as if he were excited. Lips parted to reveal small little fangs that belonged specifically to his kind of demon. He raised the blade and suddenly the clearing they were in, errupted in a flash of bright blue fox fire and the red winds of the sword's youki.

Suddenly the demon blade was. It was as she remembered it from her younger days. It was magnificent in her friend's hands.

"Shippou, you did it!" Her voice flitted and pitched with her excitement as she watched. Hands flew to her chest as there was a painful clench. Just a little bit longer, please! Hold on lord Sesshomaru.

The fox looked in awe at the demon sword that had responded to him. "I had heard Inuyasha's voice, just for a moment. He told me it would be okay. He did. Heh, he called me a runt just like back then."

The old woman shot the youkai a curious look.

"We'll be able to get your stuffy lord back, Rin. Get ready," Shippou's face was determined as his brows furrowed and he swung the sword, calling out the incantation. "Meido Zangetsuha!"

The world exploded in a conflagration of bright blue, lilac, and midnight black. It seemed as though stars danced within the hellhole and that made it somehow depressingly beautiful. Was the taiyoukai stuck within a beautiful cage?

"Lord Sesshomaru?" she called out, her eyes wide as she edged as close to the dimension opening as she dared. She knew that once it closed, there was no way out. Honestly, she did not know how exactly the magic worked, but she knew as a human-she would not survive the experience if she fell into the Meido.

"Sesshomaru!" Shippou yelled, his grip on the handle tightening. "You better get out of there bastard, I can't hold this open as long as Inuyasha could."

"Lord Sesshomaru please!" Rin could see the kitsune's strength failing him. The sword was not his so it made sense that he could only control it for so long. Perhaps she should leave it in his care rather than on a stand at the House of the Western lands. But that was something she would consider later. Now, she had to free her lord. She had to do something.

Her aching joints creaked as she stood up, and ran, the long flowered stalks at her feet swaying like hands trying to grab at the hem of her kimono. Shippou yelled out to her, but she ignored him, she plunged her hand into the darkness, frozen air instantly biting at her skin as it disappeared into the blackness of the Meido. The ice that bit at her fingers felt like the sharp teeth of the wolves that often haunted her dreams from her childhood. Wincing, she tried to ignore the pain. Opening her mouth, she screamed.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Rin is here! She is! Please come back to us."

There was only the sound of Shippou struggling and the rushing youki that bustled around the sword.

"Rin get away from that!" the kitsune cried out, dropping to one knee. "I can't hold it open much longer."

"No, we can't leave him, Shippou!" Her voice trembled and her hand was numb. She couldn't move her fingers and her other hand cradled her elbow, trying to keep it in as long as she could.

"Rin!" the fox yelled, the sword falling to the ground, his hand steaming slightly.

The old woman panicked as the Meido shrunk quickly around her limb. There wasn't enough time to pull it back and she almost sobbed. She didn't want to get sucked into the portal...but maybe, she would get to see Sesshomaru after all. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

But suddenly, she was pushed forward and there was an explosion and flurry of silver and white. When she fell back, someone caught her, holding the back of her shoulders with care. Her eyes wandered up to see the pensive gold eyes of the Inu taiyoukai.

Shippou sighed in relieve as he allowed himself to sink into the grass. "We did it Rin! He's back!"

"Lord Sesshomaru," the tears slid down her face freely now as she stood and watched him with a happy expression.

He said nothing as he observed her, before reaching out and gingerly touched wisps of her silver hair. "Your hair looks like this one's, Rin."

Another throaty sob escaped her chest as she nodded. "Rin tried hard to memory of you alive, my lord. It has been such a long time."

The kitsune sat back on his heels and watched with a look of relief that hid his internal mortification. He hadn't realized just how badly his friend would be hurt from the spiritual damage from the Meido. It was his fault for not being strong enough to both search for Sesshomaru and hold Tessaiga's portal open.

Sesshomaru's frown deepened. He could not remember much of being stuck in the Meido. In fact, it felt as though he had just entered and yet at the same time had been trapped within the frozen walls for forever. His gaze wandered to the hand his once-young ward clutched to her chest. It was blacked and the edge of her skin was etched with different trials of frost.

"I've missed you, my lord!" Her smile widened even more as more tears fell.

The taiyouki said nothing.

Time pained everything it touched.

A/N: Hello lovelies! Here is the next chapter^^ Let me know what you think!

As always, takk fyrir and arigato!