Chapter 83 - Distracted
The power from Sesshomaru's attack was immense. It cast the deviant human male away from the sheer force, sending rocks and dirt flying through the air. For several heartbeats Sesshomaru lost sight of the oddly dressed opponent as the dust settled. The undead human had scurried into the brush faster than the yokai had expected. From where they'd watched behind, Jaken was screaming something… cheering, perhaps jeering. Sesshomaru didn't pay much attention to the sound of the imp's noise…. until he heard Rin's scream.
Rin!
The canine in his chest roared to life, protectiveness overwhelming common sense. Instantly Sesshomaru turned and leapt into the air, refusing to voice the rather vile words he was thinking about the devious human. Sesshomaru found his opponent withdrawing another strike, the blade shrank back into itself. There was a ragged scar on the ground directly in front of Rin and Jaken, both of whom sat on the ground, looking as if they had fallen backward to avoid being hit. The human was yelling something at Jaken, sword raised for another attack.
Cutting through the air, the demon lord approached the smaller human male with a powerful leap from above. The human whirled with a gasp. "What's this?!" With a snarl the human lashed out with another snake strike blow, which Sesshomaru batted away with Tojikin easily, his gold eyes narrowed with fierceness.
"Jaken!" The order was clear, even though no specific direction was given. Sesshomaru knew that Jaken would obey, if he valued his life, but he still kept one eye on the bug eyed imp.
"Y-yes milord!" Jaken cried. "This way Rin, hurry!" He grabbed her hand and dragged the girl to her feet, and raced toward the chain bridge.
"Wait!" Rin cried, fighting against the imp's grip on her wrist. "What about—"
Sesshomaru landed in front of the entrance to the bridge, eyes intensely locked on his opponent. His position effectively blocked the mercenary from advancing to follow them.
"There's nothing we can do here!" Jaken declared, dragging Rin behind him along the safety of the bridge. "Except stay out of Lord Sesshomaru's way!" Each step jangled the chains that held it in place over the steep gorge and waterfall.
Good. They'll be safe. Sesshomaru stood in silence, facing the human who watched with piqued interest. It was only at that moment, that Sesshomaru realized the depth of his error. Naraku may have informed his mercenaries of my protectiveness of Rin… but now this one has seen it first hand. That will make this encounter much more dangerous. He must die. His lips set in a grim line, eyes never leaving the effeminate human.
"Hm." A smirk pulled the humans rouged lips. "So you don't want the little girl to get in harms way? Well, aren't you just the kindest thing around."
The beast within snarled, Sesshomaru had to force it into silence, while keeping his face carefully neutral. His only option was to shift the mercenaries focus from Rin, poking at a sore subject should do the trick — humans were such vain creatures.
"Huh. You talk a great deal for a dead mortal."
The humans face visible became enraged. A complete success. "I'm getting tired of you harping on me about being dead!" The mercenary scoffed. "Ohh… never mind. With the girl gone, at least you'll be able to concentrate on our battle." The mercenary leapt into the air with an exaggerated swing of his snake sword. "Come oooon! Let's do it!" The lash was fast, but not nearly as quick as the yokai, who easily leapt over the flashing blade. He landed back on the ground gently, Tojikin held read for the mercenary's next attack. It was at that moment that he heard Rin's voice in his thoughts, simultaneously a new scent reached his sensitive nose. He turned, casting a glance back at the chain bridge, which was shrouded in mist.
Lord Sesshomaru - there's a man on the bridge!
He could smell him, and suddenly, for the first time — Sesshomaru felt foolish. He should have known that Naraku would have sent the mercenaries in pairs. He was right. This entire setting had been a trap, and he'd led Rin right into it.
I'm coming Rin.
"Here's my chance!" It was his opponent, trying to use the distraction against him, and succeeding. The lightning strike of the snake sword knocked Tojikin from his right hand. The demon sword went flying and stuck, blade first into the side of the sheer rock wall. "Hang on to your head!" The human cried gleefully, unleashing another strike, Sesshomaru glided to the side easily avoiding the blade. "—or I'll lop it off! Hahaha!"
Sesshomaru felt the rumbling of true anger simmering in his chest. This battle is pointless. Neither one of them are strong enough to defeat me, so they resort to backhanded tactics to keep me distracted. Distantly through the fog, he heard Rin yelp, a sound that reverberated in his mind like a beacon. With it came Jaken's squawking. He will protect her until I can get away. Jaken knows the penalty of failing to protect what's mine.
Before the mercenary could unleash yet another barrage of attacks at the demon, Sesshomaru heard another sound, one that made all his coherent thoughts scatter and drew his attention entirely away from the battle. It was the sound of wood cracking, quickly followed by Rin's plaintive scream. It was swallowed by the fog as he heard her fall.
The bridge. Rin!
Sesshomaru swept away from the battle. It no longer mattered. The intense drive to protect Rin was overwhelming, in the most base primal sense. His body cut toward the edge of the cliff, while behind him, the mercenary took advantage of his unprotected position. Sesshomaru heard rather than saw the snake blade cut toward him. Had the strike landed, it may have been deadly, but he veered sharply to the side — away from his intended path over the cliff. Instead he cut to the left, angling for Tojikin that was still firmly lodged in the side of the mountain. Another attack was incoming, he could feel it sizzling in the air. Sesshomaru wrapped his hand around the hilt of Tojikin and put his feet on the cliff, using the leverage to wrench his sword free and push himself out of the path of the snake sword strike. Cutting sharply again, Sesshomaru once more headed toward the cliff, driven to find Rin in an impulse beyond rational thinking.
"Now I've got you!" The mercenary declared, launching another attack at Sesshomaru's exposed back as he flew away. This time, the blade encircled him, with the clear intent of slicing the demon in half. Without taking his focus from the goal of finding Rin, he slashed the snake sword with three successive distinctive cuts, reversing its direction and sending it veering back toward its mortal master. He heard it hit something solid and cast the briefest of glances from the corner of his eye. Unfortunately it had not killed the mercenary, but it had effectively stopped him. Hm. That was close. But not close enough. The demon's lithe form sliced down through the fog over the cliff where the bridge had once stood, allowing himself to fall rather than fly.
Sesshomaru quickly descended several hundred feet, to the fast flowing river at the base of the waterfall. The fog was not nearly as thick here, as it had been on the cliffs. He leapt from boulder to boulder until he stood on the riverbank. There were pieces of the broken bridge lying scattered around the rocks, but no sign of Rin. She must have been carried downstream. The water has washed away her scent. She must be alive… surely I would know through kizuna if she was dead. Clinging to the certainty that she had to still be alive, he turned and began following the river downstream.
