Sorry about the late update everyone. Pleases enjoy this chapter as I will try to update sooner.
A couple of nights ago…
A pounding ache ran across Rin's head as she struggled to open her heavy lids, only to see pitch blackness. She brought her hands to her face to wipe the tiredness out of her eyes, but was stopped by the chains restraining her by her wrists. She pulled on the chains, confused about her situation. She gasped as it finally became clear as to what had happen to her hours ago. She somehow appeared in Sesshomaru's private garden, where Senri pre send himself before her. He was able to catch her off guard by offering to grant her greatest wish before kidnapping her. She felt like such a fool for letting her herself get captured, even after all of Airi's hard work to train her.
She pulled on the chains, hoping they were weak enough to break free from, but it was futile. Her body was too weak to muster up enough strength to break her bonds. However, she refuse to give up so easily and continue to pull on the chains, not noticing the demoness standing before her.
A dark chuckle erupted from the demoness, causing Rin to whip her head toward the source of the sound. Her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness of her surroundings, and then widen in shock when she saw the demoness standing two feet away from her. She immediately noticed the excess amount of chains binding her to the wall along her entire body.
"Hello my dear. I've been waiting a long time just to meet you." The demoness said in a honeyed voice.
"Are you Kiraya?" Rin asked tremulously.
"I see Airi told you about me. Just to let you know, whatever she said is probably true and if you're wondering why your body feels weak right now, it's because I've already injected my poison into your body." She stated amusingly, pacing back and forth in front of Rin.
Rin's voice hitched as her assumptions were true. "Please… don't please." Rin begged in a small voice, her lips quivering in fear as to what's to become of her. Rin knew exactly what would happen if she was turned into a demon and under the control of Kiraya. She did not want to become a demon and fight her lord against her will.
Even though he had rejected her and broke her heart, she stilled loved him. She had expected the possibility of him rejecting her, even before she had confessed. However, she had not realized it would hurt so badly once he turns her down. Although, he had refused to accept and reciprocate her love, Rin had already decided that she will love only him and no one else. She would continue to devote her very existed to worshipping him and obeying his every command. That was the least she could do after he had revived her not once, but twice from death. Even after he had ensured her safety, Lord Sesshomaru continued to provide for her, though he was under no obligation to do so.
"Sadly my dear, you are too valuable to be dispose of. You're the perfect subject to test my new experiment, and to use against that filthy dog demon." Kiraya chuckled into Rin's ears.
"Experiment?" Rin asked hoarsely.
Kiraya stepped aside, revealing two cloaked figures. One was Senri and another was a demon Rin has never seen before. The demon was very sickly pale with long white hair covering most of his face. His lime green eyes glowed eerily behind his curtain-like hair, sending Rin into a mesmerizing state. "Do it." Kiraya commanded to the unnamed demon.
The demon stepped forward, putting a hand up, an inch from Rin's face. A dark green light emitted from the doom's palm, engulfing Rin's vision. She started having a massive headache and felt like her head could explode at any moment from the intense pressure placed on her body. She gave a deafening scream into the night, when the pain became too overwhelming. "Ahhh! Sesshomaru-sama!"
The demons watched Rin's body began to convulse and jerk, thrashing around against anything and everything to subside the pain. She finally stopped moving after ten minutes, panting heavily. Her lids became heavy as she struggled to keep herself from fainting from exhaustion.
"It's done master." The demon stated, slightly bowing toward Kiraya.
"Good. Now we can commence to the next stage of our plans." Kiraya smirked evilly.
Rin whimpered as a tear slid down her contorted face. Please save me my lord! She screamed inwardly as Kiraya walked away, laughing wickedly.
The present…
An hour had gone by since Takeshi told them about Kiraya's army, sending the entire palace into a frenzy. Airi stood alone in Sesshomaru's private garden for some peace and quiet, even though she wasn't allowed in, but Sesshomaru's too busy preparing his army to notice. She looked to the sky, admiring the stars and moon as she became lost in her thoughts about the upcoming battle.
"There you are Airi." Kagome called from the other side of the garden. Her family and companions were behind her, following Kagome as she casually walked across the garden. Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, and MIroku had all agreed to fight in the war to save Rin, while their kids are to stay behind in the palace where it's safe with the servants.
"Hello everyone." Airi bowed to them as they approached her.
"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Kagome asked, holding both of her kids' hands.
"I'm just thinking about how this will finally be over." Airi said in a small voice.
"Don't worry. We'll definitely defeat Kiraya and bring Rin back." Kagome said optimistically. They stayed in silence, enjoying the little bit of peace before they go to war.
"I've been wondering this for a while, what exactly is your ability Airi if you were turned into a demon?" Miroku asked, interrupting the silence.
"That's a good question. What is it?" Sango asked casually, bringing a finger to her cheek. They all stared at the demoness, waiting for her answer.
"I can manipulate the essence of time in living things, allowing me to speed up or slow down the rate of which something happen. For example this tree." She stated, placing a hand on a nearby sakura tree. "I can speed up the growth of this tree by taking away its time, or lifespan in this case, or slow it down by giving in more time." A pink light emitted from Airi's palm to the tree. Everyone watching in awe as the tree grew three times its size to about thirty feet high, its scrawny branches were now big and sturdy enough for multiple people to safely sit on.
The kids laughed as they ran over to try and climb up the new, oddly overgrown tree in Sesshomaru's garden. It was so big compared to the rest of the other trees, but its magnificent size made it even more beautiful, enhancing the beauty of the garden.
"That's amazing!" Inuyasha shouted, just as excited as the kids.
"So what happens to the time you took away from the tree?" Kagome asked, watching the kids carefully just in case they might fall down.
"The times flows into me. I can either transfer it to something else or keep it as energy to extend my own time, slowing my aging, or treat my wounds." Airi informed. "I can also control how fast a wound heals and make someone age more quickly, even kill them if I take all of their time. However, I can't make someone become younger than what they already are, but I can slow down their aging to that of a demon's.
"That's such a convenient power." Sango said in amazement.
"Only if there is ever a time when I'll truly need it." Airi stated quietly.
After a long silence, everyone retired to bed to rest up for the early departure. The journey to their destination was supposed to take a whole day, and going a little into the early morning of the next day.
Before the sun had even risen, everyone was awake due to the extra adrenaline of war. Airi had breakfast with Kagome, her companions, and family, while Jaken and Sesshomaru made some last minute preparations.
An hour later, Jaken came by looking for everyone. He informed them that they were almost ready to depart. Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku said goodbye to their kids before they started out. They gave them kisses and hugs, reminding them to stay safe and to listen to the others.
"Mama, please bring Aunty Rin back." Emiko pleaded, hugging her mom tightly as her mom returned the hug.
"Of course I will sweetie" Kagome smiled to her beloved daughter.
"Why can't I go with you father?" Hikaru asked his father, slightly pouting.
"You're too young, plus I want you to stay here and protect your little sister." Inuyasha instructed, hoping it would uplift his son's spirit now that he had some kind of special task to accomplish in the absence of his parents. Luckily for Inuyasha, it worked.
"Be careful mama." Hina told her mom, while she and her younger twin sister embrace their mom in a big hug.
"Yes please." Aki added.
"I will girls. Take care of your brothers, okay." Sango instructed, cupping each daughter's cheek with a warm hand.
"Behave yourself okay Ryuu, and help your sisters watch over Kei." Miroku smiled to his eldest son, ruffling the tops of his head a bit.
"Yes father." Ryuu replied strongly, accepting the task his father had given him.
Everyone said their final farewells and headed out to meet Sesshomaru and his army at the front gate.
Sesshomaru was standing in the entryway with Ah-Un and Jaken next to him. His army of four hundred well trained soldiers stood in position, making a wide path for Sesshomaru to walk down and lead them to the battle field.
They marched the entire day without rest except to make camp by sunset. Many campfires were built to cook dinner and for warmth around the grounds.
Inuyasha and his companions built their own fire since they still felt slightly awkward around the others, being the only humans in the group and all. Airi had joined them, since she too was an outsider and felt more at ease with humans.
"So Airi, what will you do once this is over?" Kagome asked, chewing on a piece of fish.
"I don't know. I won't have a reason to go back to Lord Akihiro for protection anymore. I'll probably travel around Japan and let nature take its course. " Airi said in a tired voice, staring into the fire.
"Well if you're ever in the neighborhood, come and visit us anytime." Kagome chirped.
"I will." Airi smiled, glad that she won't be completely alone once this is all over.
The group continued to eat their dinner over some light chatter until Takeshi came over with a young looking inu-youkai.
"Everyone, this is Hirose. He's a very skilled fighter and very fond of Rin so he'll help you in your search for her." Takeshi inquired, gesturing to the tall demon beside him. Before they had left, Sesshomaru had devised a separate group to rescue Rin, while the rest are fighting the enemy. The team consisted of Inuyasha and his friends since Sesshomaru trusted them the most when it come's to Rin's safety.
Hirose gave them a small bow. "I'm Hirose. It's nice to meet you." He thought it was best to show them respect since they'll need to be on good terms for their rescue mission to go smoothly. Also, they did raised Rin over the years, so it was only fair to treat her previous caretakers in a respectful manner.
Everyone said their greetings and welcomed him to the group. Hirose smiled at their warm welcome and sat down by the fire to go over their plan. They decided that once the battle begins, they'll circle around the enemy and sneak behind them to hopefully find Rin still in transition. Airi was more than certain that they would bring Rin to the battle field to force them to surrender or else they'll kill Rin on the spot, in front of everyone to see.
After filling their stomachs with food, the troops called it a night. Everyone got their rest while a handful stayed up to keep watch. Sesshomaru was one of these handful. He hasn't slept since Rin's kidnapping and refused to do so until she is back safe and sound, next to him once again.
Night had ended and dawn was approaching. Everyone was awake by now and getting ready for the rest of the march.
Sesshomaru was standing on a small cliff, watching the sliver of orange and yellow beyond the horizon. Takeshi, Airi, Jaken, Inuyasha, and his companions joined Sesshomaru on the cliff, readying themselves for the battle that's soon to come. They should meet the enemy by mid-morning and the rest of the other lord's army should join them shortly. Sesshomaru found it unnecessary for the other lords to interfere since his soldiers was more than enough to deal with an army of eight hundred demons.
They watched the sky transition from a deep blue lavender to a brilliant golden amber, signaling the approaching emergence of sunrise. They stayed in silence, reveling in the beauty of the early morning sky.
"The sky is absolutely breathtaking." Kagome whispered is awe, afraid that by speaking too loudly, she'll shatter the moment.
"How can a scenery like this welcome war?" Sango asked in solemn.
"To think that hundreds of demons will be fighting one another in less than two hours from now." Miroku added, clutching onto his staff tightly.
"A dawn that welcomes demons." Inuyasha puffed out a mocking laugh.
"The dawn of demons." Sesshomaru proclaimed, barely above a whisper.
They stayed in silence for the remainder of the sunrise until it was time to continue onwards.
After over an hour of marching towards the direction of the enemy Takeshi claimed to have seen, they approached an open terrain. There were boulders scattered throughout the field and forests surrounding the perimeter of the landscape.
All of a sudden, Sesshomaru stopped dead in his tracks, sniffed the air and growled. "They're here." He stated. "Get ready." He commanded. Takeshi signaled the army to stay on high alert, that the enemy was close and could appear from any direction with a sneak attack.
Hirose stayed closed to Inuyasha's group just in case they'll have to leave immediately to search for Rin.
Sesshomaru carefully watched the forest 200 meter away from them, noticing some movement within its dark depth. A small figure slowly appeared from the shadows of the forest, approaching them without a care in the world.
Everyone in the frontline, which consisted of Takeshi, Hirose, Inuyasha and his rescue group, and Airi, followed the direction of Sesshomaru gaze, trying to make out what he was staring at.
When the figure was completely out of the safety of the shadow of the trees, the demons could finally see the figure clearly.
"Kiraya." Airi gasped. She positioned her body, ready to charged and strike down the demoness that had caused her so much pain and suffering over the decades. Sesshomaru grabbed her by the wrist, preventing her from launching recklessly to the enemy. He gave her a glare, daring her to move another inch. She reluctantly slouched her shoulders in defeat then jerked out of his grip.
Sesshomaru returned his attention back across the field. So that's Kiraya. Sesshomaru growled inwardly. She will die.
Kiraya continued to strut her way across the battle field, accompanied by three cloaked figures behind her along with a massive army of demons.
"One of the demon in the cloaks is definitely Senri. Be careful of him, he can teleport in an instant. However, you'll know when he will when a dark shadowily mist surrounds him." Airi informed to her fellow comrades.
They continued to watch Kiraya's army parade down the battle file as if they've already won. Sesshomaru carefully studied his enemies, all the while scouring the mass to locate Rin. He had picked up her scent not too long ago but it was very faint, as if there was something mixed in it too.
Kiraya stopped fifty meters from Sesshomaru''s own army, her head held high and mighty as she stayed in silence while tracing her eyes along the face of her enemies. Her lips curved into a smile the moment her eyes landed on Airi.
"Airi." Kiraya's shrilling voice rang from across the field. "It's so good to see you again. How long has it been, sixty years perhaps?" She asked mockingly while placing a finger to her cheek as though she really cared.
"Where's Rin?" Airi responded, ignoring Kiraya's twisted habit of toying with her enemy by annoying and tormenting them with her false ignorance.
Sesshomaru watched the exchange of the two demoness in silence while continuing to sniff for Rin's location without letting the enemy know.
"Oh Rin. Yes." Kiraya hissed. "That little girl was very entertaining. I really had fun with her… more fun than I did with you Airi. I enjoyed her screams and cries when I tortured her." She giggled maniacally.
Airi balled her fists in anger along with those who cared for Rin. They wanted nothing more than to rip Kiraya's head off at this moment. Anyone who hurt Rin must be dealt with.
"I especially loved how she cried out for help before I broke her completely." Kiraya smirked tauntingly.
That was it. Kagome couldn't stand and do nothing while this crazy demoness was gloating about how she abused Rin. Without hesitation, Kagome launched an arrow straight for Kiraya's chest at an incredible speed and precision as if it was second nature to her. Her comrades were surprised she launched an arrow but were grateful since that would shut Kiraya up.
The arrow soared thought the air, straight for its target. Kagome knew she wouldn't miss. She had spent years improving her archery skill, while learning about the different kind of medicinal herbs. Her accuracy was perfect and her speed was beyond the capability of that of a human.
As the arrow approach Kiraya, she did nothing but stood there as if Kagome never released a sacred arrow aiming straight for her heart, capable of killing her in an instant.
Everyone watched as the arrow drew closer to its target, until it was only a yard away. Kagome smiled, knowing it was impossible to dodge without being hit from that distance.
She smile immediately falter when she saw the arrow being deflected by an invisible force. Her eyes followed the arrow going in a completely different direction.
"Impossible, she didn't do anything. How could she-"Kagome paused, her eyes looking back to Kiraya, who stepped aside, revealing where a cloaked figure. The figure had a hand out, where the arrow would have gone through. "What? How did they?"
Kiraya watched in amusement as everyone's face stiffed in confusion and shock. "Ahahaha! Isn't my new pet amazing? She can even deflect the powers of a miko. I knew she was special, that's why I had to have her." At that exact moment, a gust of wind blew across the field, lifting the hood off the heads of the cloaked figures.
Before Sesshomaru stood a pale faced and petite demoness. Her eyes were a cold brown, void of any emotions and lifeless unlike the other demons under Kiraya's control. Her long and silky hair, stopping at her thigh, swooshed into the wind, sending out a scent that Sesshomaru knew all too well.
"Rin?"
Once again, thank you to the incredible NewTypeJuliet for making this chapter possible.
Please review and comment if you have any questions or ideas for the continuation of this story.
Thank you for reading!:D