A/N: Okay, I'll only work on this when I'm done with the stuff I have to do in class. Hope you guys enjoy the story. Please read and review. I'll try to write as much as possible and explain anything that has you guys confused. Please read and review and tell me what you think.
Kagome woke to the smell of blood on the wind. She looked around worried that it was Shippo's blood until she saw that her son was still sleeping safely by her side. She sniffed the air again and noticed that the scent was strongest in the East.
'Odd, the scent seems familiar to me but why?'
'I don't suppose there'd be any way that you'd ignore it?'
'No.'
Kagome said standing up.
"Kaa-san?" Shippo asked sleepily. Kagome crouched down beside her son and he opened his sleepy eyes.
"Shippo baby I need to go check something out, but I'll be right back. Take this, it'll keep you safe." Kagome said reaching into the folds of her clothes and pulling out the necklace Kaede had taught her to make. It was a protection necklace. Kagome slipped in around Shippo's neck and kissed his forehead before turning towards the East. She sighed before picking up her black bag and headed towards the smell of blood. She hadn't been walking all that long before Kagome heard what sounded like a child crying. Kagome slowed to a walk and the sound got louder the more she walked. Finally Kagome pushed through the brush into a clearing and saw a small girl with shoulder length black hair in an orange kimono. The smell of blood was strongest coming from her. Kagome slowly walked into the clearing and up to the girl who was curled up into a ball holding her sides. Kagome saw she was covered in deep gashes and what looked to be like claw and teeth marks.
'What could have done this to a child?'
'You'd be surprised.'
"Are you alright?" Kagome asked in a soft voice. The girl screamed and Kagome flinched at the sound.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Kagome said softly and the girl stopped screaming. She struggled to turn over to look at Kagome. Her face was badly beaten just like the rest of her body. There was a cut above her left eye, and three claw marks cutting along her right cheek. Kagome gasped when she recognzied the little girl.
"Rin!" Kagome said dropping to her knees and gathering the little girl in her arms.
"K-Kagome?" The little girl asked in a strained whisper.
"It's me Rin, I'm here. What happened to you?" Kagome asked pulling away when she realized she was hurting the child. She pulled her bag off her shoulder and instantly started to clean her wounds after cutting away Rin's kimono.
"Rin got seperated...from Lord...Sesshomaru..." Rin said in a raspy voice. Kagome reached into her bag and pulled out a water bottle. She held it up to Rin's mouth and she drank until it was empty.
"Then what happened Rin?" Kagome asked as she started to put medicine from the future on Rin's wounds and bandaging them.
"Rin fell off a cliff, but was saved by a...branch. She then...got attacked...by demons..." Rin said and started to cry.
"It's okay Rin, they can't get you anymore." Kagome said as she finished tying the bandages around Rin's waist. The little girl's wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, but if she wasn't looked after the scent of her blood would draw more demons and Rin wouldn't be able to run away in her current condition. Rin didn't say anymore, she just kept crying.
"Rin, how would you like to come with me and Shippo?" Kagome asked in warm voice.
"Shippo?" Rin asked softly.
"Hai."
"Rin can't. Lord Sesshomaru will be looking for Rin." Rin said as she turned her head to look up at Kagome.
'Fucking Sesshomaru. If his sense of smell is so fucking great as an inuyoukai then he should have been able to pick up on the scent of Rin's blood!'
Kagome thought angrily as her nails dug into her palm drawing blood. She relaxed her hand and looked down at it to see demon claws in the place of her human ones and gasped. She blinked three times and when she looked back her nails were back to normal.
'What the hell?'
'Your demon self was reacting to your emotions. At this rate you'll transform into your true youkai humanoid form.'
'Why the hell didn't Sesshomaru pick up on Rin's scent?'
Kagome asked furiously. She couldn't believe Sesshomaru couldn't smell Rin's blood. The scent was practically all over the entire forest.
'I am unsure, but we can't leave the girl. She won't be able to fend off the demons that will be attracted to the smell of her blood, and even then she won't last the night without our help.'
'I know this, but what would you have me do? She plans on staying here until Sesshomaru comes for her.'
Kagome said her claws digging into her hand again. She clenched her jaws and felt her teeth lengthen into fangs.
'Get ahold of yourself! Just tell her that she should stay with you and your son until she gets better.'
'Fine.'
Kagome took a deep breath and felt her teeth return to normal.
"Rin, sweetie I really do think it'd be best if you came with me and Shippo. At least until you got better. You wouldn't want Lord Sesshomaru to find you while you were still covered with wounds and blood would you?" Kagome asked barely managing to use Sesshomaru's honorific title at the moment. Rin was silent a moment before finally relenting.
"Okay Kagome, Rin will go with you and Shippo. But just until Rin gets better." Rin said.
"That's all I ask. Here I'll carry you back." Kagome said moving to pick Rin up, but the girl pulled back.
"No." Rin said.
"Rin we don't want you to reopen your wounds. You'll heal a lot faster if you just accept my help." Kagome said in a soft, but still serious tone that left no room for arguement.
"Fine." Rin said as Kagome picked her up. Kagome grabbed her bag and headed back towards Shippo with Rin in her arms. When she reached the clearing she had shared the night before with her son Kagome saw that Shippo had breakfast cooking and had an extra fish cooking in the fire. Kagome gently set Rin down next to the tree and turned to look questioningly at the extra fish.
"I recognized Rin's scent mixed in with the scent of blood. I had a feeling we'd be having company." Shippo said as he handed two fish to Kagome. She smiled down at her son before turning towards Rin and handing her the fish.
"Here, eat." Kagome said with a smile. Rin looked at the fish for a while before finally eating it. When they had finished and the sticks and bones had been thrown into the fire and it had been stomped out they all started traveling again. Shippo walking and Kagome carrying Rin on her back piggyback style. The girl quickly fell asleep and Kagome couldn't help but relax when she heard the little girl's breathing slow.
'You're already getting used to using your enhanced powers.'
'What has you saying that?'
Kagome asked as she kept walking.
'You already found out how to switch between your rekki and your kekki. You've found out how to use your sense of smell and hearing, albeit it needs some work, but you're getting used to using them.'
'Thanks, I think.'
"Kaa-san?"
"What is it Shippo?" Kagome asked as they walked up a steep hill.
"What happened to Rin?" Shippo asked as they reached the top. Kagome sighed and kept walking.
"She was attacked by some demons, but she's fine now. She'll be staying with us until Sesshomaru comes to get her. So be nice." Kagome said.
"Oh, okay." Shippo said with a smile. Kagome sighed and they kept walking. The sun rose completely and reached it's place halfway in the sky before they saw a village.
"Kaa-san." Shippo said.
"I see it Shippo. Remember the last time we went to a village?" Kagome asked as they got closer to the village.
"What names are we going to use this time?" Shippo asked and Kagome smiled at how smart her son had gotten.
"We'll use the same ones we used at the other village." Kagome said as they passed a merchant.
"What about Rin? What will her name be?" Shippo asked as they walked into the village. Kagome thought about it a few minutes before smiling.
"Her name will be Saieko. She'll be my daughter." Kagome said in a whisper that only Shippo could hear.
"Does that make me her brother?" Shippo asked with a smile.
"Yes it does, now no more using our real names. I'm going to buy us a room, stay close to me." Kagome said as she walked through the village. They recieved glances, but nothing they weren't used to. Traveling around for three years with a hanyou for a leader tended to get a lot of people to stare at you. Kagome walked up to the inn and asked the woman behind the counter for a room.
"Up the stairs to your right deary." The woman said.
"Thank you." Kagome said with a bow and headed upstairs. Once she got inside their room she set Rin on the bed and sat down beside her.
"Kaa-san." Rin mumbled in her sleep and Kagome froze before Rin rolled over. She relaxed and stood back up.
"Shippo I'm going out to get some food, stay here with Rin and explain the situation to her when she wakes up. You two are not to leave this room no matter what until I come back, understand?" Kagome asked.
"Hai kaa-san." Shippo said moving over to the bed and sitting on the edge. Kagome smiled then slipped back outside. She went downstairs and went outside. She walked through the streets of the small village with a purpose. She went straight to the merchant selling the things she wanted and quickly bought things she's need when they started traveling again. Which would be very soon, they just needed Rin to wake up.
OoOoOoO
"So what brings you here mutt-face? And where's my woman?" Kouga asked with a smirk.
"Kagome ain't your woman you mangy wolf, and we're here because these two say you know where Naraku is. Now talk before I make you." Inuyasha said cracking his knuckles.
"I'd like to see you try dogbreath." Kouga said getting into his fighting stance.
"Enough you two. Look, we came here to try and find any leads on Naraku. We were told by a...reasonable source that you knew something Kouga." Miroku said trying to keep the peace. The only one these two ever seemed to actually listen to was Kagome and she wasn't here any longer. Not that Inuyasha'd listen to her anymore anyways.
"I might, but what's in it for me if I tell ya?" He asked straightening up.
"How 'bout we let you live?" Inuyasha said lunging for Kouga who jumped out of the way and landed on the other side of the den.
"Like you could kill me mutt-face." Kouga said with a smirk.
"Kouga please tell us what you know." Sango said deciding to ignore her hanyou friend.
"Yeah I know where Naraku might be. Last thing I heard he was hiding in the Farcira's Forest." Kouga said sitting down on a mound of straw and fur.
"Farcira's Forest? That's in the East right?" Miroku asked.
"That's what I heard, yeah." Kouga said.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Inuyasha said heading for the mouth of the den.
"Wait just a minute mutt-face." Kouga said standing up and walking over to Inuyasha.
"What!" Inuaysa asked wanting nothing more than to get out of the wolf's den and tell Kikyo they know where Naraku is.
"You smell different. You smell like..." Kouga paused sniffing at Inuyasha then pulling back holding his nose.
"What's the matter with you?" Inuyasha snapped.
"You smell like graveyard soil and bones. What the fuck have you been doing?" Kouga asked.
"That's none of your damn business wolf." Inuyasha said then jumped out of the cave.
"You'll have to excuse him Kouga, he's not been himself since Kagome left." Miroku said.
"Kagome left!" Kouga asked in surprise.
"She left to go back to her time." Sango said quickly.
"Oh, well the mutt-face should get over it. She'll be coming back, besides he has no right to be upset if my woman decides to leave or not." Kouga said.
"You really should stop saying that. You know Kagome doesn't feel that way about you." Sango said.
"Until she tells me to stop herself I'll keep calling her my woman, because until she declines my offer she is still open game." Kouga said with a smirk as he walked back into his den.
"He'll never learn unless Kagome tells him to his face she's not interested." Sango said as Miroku led her out of the den. Kilala transformed and both climbed on the fireneko's back and headed towards the East for Farcira's Forest with Inuyasha leading the way.
OoOoOoO
"She is in a village towards the East." Kanna said in her emotionless voice.
"Good. She'll be easy to kill now that she's not with that annoying half-breed. And once she's dead I will have her half of the jewel." Naraku said with an evil smirk as he looked out the window of his castle.
"Kagura!" Naraku yelled for his incarnation and she ran into the room.
"Yes Naraku?" Kagura asked as she bowed to the man before her. She despised him and wished for nothing else than to be free from him.
"You are to go the village towards the borders of the East and kill the miko known as Kagome." Naraku ordred.
"Yes Naraku." Kagura said.
'The new moon is tonight, maybe I'll be able to slip away for a while without Naraku noti-'
"And you are to take Kanna with you. We wouldn't want you to get...distracted again." Naraku said with an evil glint in his crimson eyes.
"Of course not master." Kagura said through clenched teeth.
"Well what are you waiting for! Go!" Naraku shouted and Kagura quickly left the room. She went out to the courtyard and was met by her sister Kanna. Kagura pulled a feather from her hair and summoned her feather beneath her and Kanna. She used the air around them to lift them into the air and fly towards their destination.
'That man! How dare he. I can't wait for the day when I'm finally free of him.'
"You can be." Kanna said quietly. Kagura turned towards her sister skeptically.
"What are you talking about?" Kagura said her voice softening lightly. She may be mad with Naraku but there was no reason for her to take it out on Kanna. Her sister wanted to be free of that vile hanyou as much as she did.
"Be free." Kanna whispered.
"How?" Kagura asked. As much as she'd like to believe it she didn't see a way for that to happen.
"Kagome. She'll be able to kill Naraku and free us." Kanna said.
"And Naraku doesn't know of this?" Kagura asked. As much as she loved her sister she was too devoted to Naraku for her liking.
"He does not. The new moon is tonight. Find Kagome in the village and convince her to let you help train her for the next three days when Naraku is at his weakest. Then we'll return to the castle and have him think we failed because Inuyasha showed up at the last minute. Then Kagome will be ready to kill Naraku when the time comes." Kanna said adding a little emotion into her voice.
"You think that'll actually work?" Kagura asked hopeful.
"It will, but only if Kagome agrees to let you train her. You will have to gain her trust." Kanna said her voice going back to normal.
"Hmph, seems like that is easier said than done." Kagura said.
"Just give her this, if she is interested she will meet us." Kanna said as she handed Kagura a scroll. Silence fell between the two of them. When they finally reached the village Kagura landed lightly on the ground before the inn and walked inside. She walked up the stairs and silently entered Kagome's room. She pulled out the scroll her sister had given her and she placed it on the bedside table before leaving the way she came. She joined her sister on the edge of the forest a good ways away from the village and let her aura flare. She smiled when she felt the sudden flare of miko energy indicating that Kagome had woken up.
"We'll see how she reacts." Kagura said.