Chapter six has been written! Yay! Screamsquealcheer!

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Chapter Six

Ishoyuki

Kira poked at the fire in front of her with her finger, her eyes glazing over in deep contemplation as it bit at her flesh. The next moment, the burn had vanished as her demon body regenerated itself. Shaking out her hand, she coldly regarded the dog demon across from her. Honestly, she had told him months ago where Rin now lived and he had done nothing – nothing – to bring her back. She was confused and, most of all, furious with him. Despite her years of knowing him, she could not grasp why he had let the human girl go. It was obvious he cared for her.

Even now, he thought of her.

Sesshomaru had been surprised when he returned and found Rin gone. Though, perhaps, he had not been as surprised as he had expected he would be. He had seen the way she had retracted from him when his anger had flared that night, had seen her sad smile when he left, and he had dismissed it. Jaken, after remarking that she was a foolish girl for practically throwing herself into the jaws of death, had suggested that they search for her.

All Sesshomaru had said in return was: "No."

No other words were expected. They would not search for Rin. And they kept true to that bargain.

Once, Sesshomaru had heard a familiar tune floating around the air, and after a short while, found that it had been Jaken unconsciously humming to himself Rin's tree song. The frog had turned seven levels of red after he had realized what he was doing.

They did not speak of her at all after that day. To them, it was as though she were dead, and Sesshomaru wished to keep it that way.

"It's been seven months, Sesshomaru." Kira pushed her wild hair out of her face. "You should go to her."

Sesshomaru's mouth twitched irritably at the mention of Rin. She was with humans, as she should be. She would be a great deal happier now. Her safety would also not be in jeopardy as it so frequently was when she had been travelling with him. With humans was where she belonged; he had been wrong to keep her away from them for so long.

To be away from her was a form of relief as well. She distracted, alarmed, and mystified him. With her gone, his life had once again become plain and ordered as it had been eight years ago. His world made sense to him. There was no confusion, no judgements on his hatred towards humans. As for the child, there were others who would agreeingly accept a half-demon into their household – Inuyasha, perhaps. Rin held a soft heart, but for the sake of her own blood, she would give it up to people more willing to care for it.

His yellow eyes focused on Kira and on the present. "I will not discuss this."

"I thought you were a strong demon, Sesshomaru. But to leave the woman carrying your child – oh yes, I know what you've done – to rot out there with those humans is weak and I would not see myself as a true friend to you unless I told you so." "The gods know that that stupid toad would never tell you what he's actually thinking."

Jaken, who was sitting a few feet away, grunted irritably at her comment. He smacked the end of his staff against the ground three times as though to punch out his frustration.

"Do not lecture me." Sesshomaru's face was stern, his hand on his knee slightly tense. "Leave me, Kira. You have much of your own in the way of troubles."

For a single moment, the fox looked angry enough to strike out, but that moment passed without confrontation. She sighed then, heavily, and said, "Yes. There's a demon coming from the North. He slaughters any who try to stop him – demon or not, he's not picky. For all our knowledge, we cannot discover who he is or what is his goal."

"My love," a voice said from behind them. They did not need to turn, for they had felt his presence before he had set foot into Sesshomaru's camp.

A smile broke across Kira's face as she stood, an uncommon display of affection for demons. Then again, Kira was not like most demon women. She was unafraid of showing her emotions for all to see, even revelled in them at times, and seemed almost human when she smiled.

Kira laid one hand on the shoulder of her beloved, Kei, her general and her mate. He blinked two searing red eyes uncertainly when he saw that his Lady was not alone. Sesshomaru caught a hint of a threat, of a warning that he stay away from the woman, from the male fox demon. Kei was an imposing enough figure, even taller than Sesshomaru and a great deal wider, muscles formed from years of hard labour, with a deep red beard covering his square face and long, tangled hair flowing down his back in a ponytail.

"Lady Kira," Kei began, choosing to address her more formally under the gaze of another. "The demon has begun to approach us. It is still North-bound but is deviating from its path and has become alarmingly close to us. May I suggest we withdraw from this region until it passes?"

"That is the act of a coward!" she hissed, her hand twisting although she had no sword. Kira paused, her fists clenching, and said finally, "But you are right, Kei. We cannot hope to fight this demon. We must run."

"Yes, My Lady. I will gather the tribe."

Kei was the first to fade into the brush around them, though his presence suggested that he had halted barely five feet away. The woman waited at the edge, not commenting to the quiet Jaken, hardly even breathing. Sesshomaru watched her back in mild curiosity, awaiting what she was to do.

"I would cease to exist without my mate," she said quietly. "How could you function without yours?"

Kira waited a second longer; if it was for his response, he did not know. She rolled her shoulders almost defiantly, cutting the dog demon, her friend, a rather disappointed, angry look.

"You are a fool, Sesshomaru," was all she said.

They vanished into the night, leaving Sesshomaru alone and to his brooding thoughts. Though his mind did not usually give way to wandering, it wandered all the same to his companions, Jaken and A-Un, and to the fox demons who were cutting through the forest now a mile away. They were indeed quick. They would have to be a great deal quicker if they planned to escape the path of this unknown demon.

These demons smelled of dead animals, of the blood of other demons, and of battles fought long ago. There were ashes in the air from the fire and the smell reminded him of the numerous battlefields he had experienced, overflowing with blood, and of the smell of burning corpses.

Rin smelled of flowers. No matter how many times she bathed or if she had trudged through the muck and mud of a swamp, she always held the scent of flowers.

He squirmed uncomfortably away from that particular thought and got to his feet. Standing, somehow, could clear his mind and make him feel powerful. So unlike how he truly felt now – weak, lost, and aching.

"Jaken, we are to head North."

"North, Lord Sesshomaru?" The vessel's head snapped up. "What is there that is North?"

He did not answer him. Nothing, that he knew of, was North except for the promise of forgetting and the slaying of a murderous demon. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to travel as far from Rin as his feet could possibly take him. She had been such a presence within his daily routine that Sesshomaru knew it was natural he would not easily forget her. However, he would do anything in his power to do so.

He would begin with going North.

While the sun rose hotly into the sky, Rin walked the fields outside of the village with Kohaku at her side. Seven months had passed and it was now summer. Seven entire months. Seven months and eight days since she had stumbled into Kagome and Inuyasha's home, nothing in her possession but what she had placed in her satchel, and was accepted wholeheartedly into their lives.

Seven months.

Rin sometimes felt the need to repeat those two words to herself: seven months. It made the passage of time, the collection of days since she had discovered her pregnancy, more real. It kept her head, as well as her heart, firmly embedded in the ground, where it should be. This was not to say that she did not wonder about Sesshomaru. When it was late at night and the household was asleep, or when her child moved inside of her womb, she thought of him. She imagined what their child would look like, what he was doing at the very moment she was weeding the garden, and where he was.

Beside her, Kohaku cleared his throat and Rin jolted from her thoughts. She gave him an apologetic smile, sorry that she had been so caught up in her own world that she had ignored him. His hands were wringing out in front of him, looking almost scared. It was odd to see a demon-hunter so incredibly nervous and odder still for him to be afraid.

Taking her hands, Kohaku stepped in front of her, sweat trickling down his brow from the heat. He blurted out, "Marry me, Rin!"

If she had not been too surprised to move, Rin's jaw would have dropped. They had become friends over the last months. He had helped her often with her work although he had been told by Kaede that she must learn to survive on her own. When she carried wood back to the house, Kohaku was there to slip it from her arms. When she heaved water from the well, he pulled the buckets out of her hands.

Rin blushed, unsure if she was embarrassed for herself or for him. "Kohaku…"

"I'd make a good husband." He rushed to explain and his next words tumbled over each other: "And I'd take care of the baby, no matter whose baby it is. It would be my son or my daughter. I would stop demon-hunting too."

"Kohaku…I…"

Rin froze when Kohaku put his arms around her. His lips barely brushed hers before she could push him away. His cheeks flushed when his gaze met her eyes and he flinched. He whispered, "For a second I was sure you would say yes."

Immediately she felt a painful slicing at her heart knowing that she had hurt him. She opened her mouth to apologize, to provide some explanation as to why she had to refuse his offer, but she was quickly silenced. Suddenly, his body tensed and he pulled out his weapon, wielding it in the air.

"Rin," he hissed. "Get behind me. It's a demon!"

A bush moved and Rin caught the sight of a grey and black tale, of light coloured eyes, and she almost cried with happiness. There was only one demon she knew that looked like that and it was a demon girl who could find a single broken branch in a forest during a thunder storm.

"No, Kohaku! Wait!" Despite his surprised shouts, Rin sprinted across the field and held her arms out to the little demon raccoon she knew so well. "Mahako!"

"Miss R-Rin," the child huffed, and for a moment Rin wondered why her fingers were touching something wet.

"Mahako, you're bleeding!" Rin's fingers were sticky with blood; the sight sickening and foreboding. "We must get you to Kagome."

Mahako's hand came up and laid weakly on Rin's forearm. "No," she gasped. "Get away. They're after ya. Demons. Lots of 'em…led by some crazed man. They're comin' for ya. Gotta run, Rin. Ya…"

The child's voice faded away like the wind, her life slipping away from her beautiful grey eyes. No matter how Rin pressed her palms against the wound to stop the bleeding, no matter how she cried and prayed, the blood flowed out of the tiny body like water.

"Mahako! Mahako, no!"

There was a soft rustling of leaves and the girl died in Rin's arms.

Never again would the child's voice be heard echoing in a cave, or crying out to her about some little thing that caught her attention. Never again would she ask why the grass was green, how birds flew, her eyes shining with the beauty of the world. Rin's hands dug in the dirt, trying to wash away the blood, trying to dig a proper grave for her little friend.

Just in a fleeting second, Mahako was gone.

"Rin!"

Kohaku's frenzied shout had given her the push she needed. A hoard of demons had begun emerging from the trees, their mouths oozing saliva as they pictured the plump human flesh ahead of them. The young man was with her in a moment, and before she knew it, he was dragging her away from the oncoming attackers.

"Rin, run!" When she did not move, Kohaku pushed her shoulder harshly. "RUN!"

Nothing else needed to be said. Rin ran.

It was hopeless and she knew it. She was eight months pregnant and they were demons – how far could she possibly run before they caught up with her? They were faster, albeit often less intelligent, but stronger than any human man or woman. But she had to run. She had to try.

When she fell, she picked herself up again. When the pain in her side worsened by leagues, she jabbed her fist against it and ran all the faster. All she could think of was the dead girl and pictured her baby's fate as the same and she pushed her legs to carry her just a bit more.

Just in the middle of a clearing of trees, she saw a flash of white. Briefly, she wondered in a fevered moment if it was Sesshomaru, but a closer look revealed that it was catlike demon with two tails. Pink-red eyes focused on the small woman and it opened its tusk-framed mouth to let out a happy roar.

"Kirara!" Relieved tears streamed down Rin's cheeks as she buried her face in the demon's fur. She composed herself as quickly as she could and straightened up. Rin glanced around the clearing in confusion. Where was Sango? What happened to Miroku?

And Kohaku. What had become of him?

A demon's yowl behind her snapped her back to herself. There was no time to worry. She had to act. Quickly but laboriously, Rin hauled herself up onto Kirara's back and leaned into the animal's ear.

"Kirara," she ordered, "take me to Kagome and Inuyasha! Quickly!"

The beast reared up and flew into the sky, leaving behind the pursuing demons that gnashed and bared their teeth at their escaping prey. This time Rin did not wipe the tears away as they fell, her arms aching to hold the little demon girl, knowing full well that the child would get no burial more than the trees sending their leaves down to her still body.

Her eyes widened when she saw the village aflame, demons scattered in the roads as they chased after poor humans who had been unlucky enough to catch their eyes. A flash of red dipped and swayed among the flames and Rin recognized it to be Inuyasha. He was clawing at demons, whisking humans from their jaws. The hot summer air was stifling with the fire's heat and its almost ordered chaos was interrupted by the clanging of Tetsuaiga against other blades.

Sango stood by the main house, not far off, protecting the children that most likely hid inside. Her husband, Miroku, was fighting with her, throwing talismans and reciting holy words. His right arm was in a sling, obviously strategically broken by a demon who had caught him off guard. Miroku would not be able to use his wind tunnel to trap anything in until it healed. Shippo was also with them. He was turning into one shape after another, no longer the slight little boy he had been eight years before. He stood like the older boy he was now, flinging his fists at demons that came close to them.

The three watched as Kirara landed a few feet from them, Sango calling for Kagome. Oddly enough, at seeing Rin on its back, the attacking demons ran from them and withdrew to an extremely far distance of the surrounding forest. Inuyasha took off after them, his feet flying in a blur. Curses and swear words flew from his mouth like air as he ran.

"Rin!" Kagome stumbled forward. She was covered in demon blood and a small wailing of her baby could be heard from where it was nestled in a sash around her body. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Good. Now take the children and leave." Kagome slipped her son into Rin's arms, her eyes shining with emotion. She had but a moment to prepare herself for giving him up and Rin could see the silent farewell on the woman's lips as she touched Soichiro's hair.

"No." Rin shook her head. "I'm not leaving."

"What?" The young priestess's face was disbelieving. "You have to leave! That's why we sent Kirara to find you!"

Rin ignored her. "Akio!"

When the boy popped up from inside the house, his other siblings followed him. Rin turned and placed the baby in his little arms, bending down to his level. "Go on Kirara with the children. Go find help. Anyone! But leave now!"

He nodded once and ran, the rest of the children following behind him in frightened silence. Miroku spared a moment that he could and loaded each child onto Kirara's back as quickly as he could manage with a broken arm. Kagome yanked Rin by the shoulder, forcing their eyes to meet.

"What are you doing?" she shouted. "Get on Kirara!"

"No. I can't. I'll slow them down. Kirara can't hold so many people. Without me, they'll go faster."

Kagome could not argue. If, without Rin, Kirara would go faster and it would ensure that her child escaped, then so be it. There was no other way.

A shadow came from the distance and everyone tensed, hands flying to talismans and swords, expecting the onslaught of the demon hoard once more. But it was limping and it smelled too much like human blood. This was no demon. Sango recognized him immediately. She shot out at a sprint, her black ponytail flying, and stopped just shy of crushing him in a hug when she saw he was wounded.

"Kohaku! Thank the gods you're safe!" She paused, her head tilting to the space beside him. "Who's this lady?"

For the first time, Rin noticed the elderly woman who was bracing the boy up by her shoulder. Her face was etched in wrinkles, looking like white leather. The kimono she wore was of the finest quality, deep red, and her obi of a beautiful plum colour. She did not stoop like the ladies who worked their lives in the fields; her skin was not tanned from years out in the sunlight. This woman was a noble.

"I don't know." Kohaku blinked as though he had only noticed her now himself. "She helped me."

"My name is Meiko. I've come here to warn you." The woman ran her hand through her straight grey hair and something that resembled tears glistened in her eyes. "My husband… Ishoyuki…he has come for the girl."

"Me?" Rin gasped. "Why?"

Meiko pointed a crooked finger to Rin's swollen stomach, her face grave. "It's a half-demon, yes?"

Miroku's face was suspicious. "How did you know that?"

"Ishoyuki married me when I was but fourteen," she began slowly. "When I gave birth to my first child, he devoured it. One after another, he ate all of our children shortly after they were born. He was a demon; I could not fight him off. And so I became pregnant over and over again, and over and over again Ishoyuki devoured them all."

"He…ate…them?" Shippo squeaked, his face turning an alarming shade of white.

"Yes. He had developed a taste for the flesh of half-demon children."

Shippo looked as though he was going to be vastly ill. The image did more than turn Rin's stomach – it frightened her. Her hands went over her stomach, praying to whatever god was listening that it bestow its divine protection upon them. If not, then grant her the strength to fight for her baby's life herself.

"Half-demon children?" Kagome spoke up, her usually cheerful voice sounding hoarse with worry. "Will Inuyasha be in danger?"

"Inuyasha?" The old woman tilted her head, confused.

"He's a half-demon too. My husband."

"Then he is a man and not a child. Ishoyuki will only eat young flesh." The old woman's eyes focused on Rin. "I have grown old. I can bare children no longer. But you…you are a young human girl and you will bare him many children if he so wishes."

Kagome's relieved breath was an obvious one. She frowned oddly, in thought. "Why specifically Rin, though? Is there some reason why he's after only her?"

"Kagome's right. She and I are both human women." Sango pointed absentmindedly at her own chest. "We should be targets too."

"Not all human women survive the pregnancy by a demon," Meiko pronounced sadly – how she had come to this specific knowledge, Rin was horrified to imagine. "It requires a large amount of strength and the situation to be right. He has heard and knows that this girl can successfully produce demon offspring." Her next words were daunting ones: "He will not rest for want of her."

(Okay. Done this one. Special shout-out to monique. gonzalez. 543 for your always cheerful reviews and demands for more updates. Thanks for the motivation, girl! You rock!)