InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Bond of Thorns ❯ Connection ( Chapter 7 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: ScarletRaven1001 
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Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Action / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.25.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 455 | Status: Completed
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Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Action / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.25.2005 | Pages: 5 | Words: 5.8K | Visits: 455 | Status: Completed
A BOND OF THORNS
Connection
-----/---
Sesshoumaru shook his head in irritation as Inuyasha's words flashed into his mind for the hundredth time since his departure. He was now sitting in one of the large transport vehicles with his troops, on their way to the dungeon.
The vehicles were all a similar deep blue hue, looking like large container trucks with rows of seats and a parcel case for possible supplies. He sat up front with the driver, pointing out the directions to the youkai's place. Theirs was the first of the seven trucks, each containing about twenty people. An emergency medical van brought up the rear.
`Kuso,' the demon lord thought impatiently. `I could probably walk faster than these machines,' he thought angrily, before Inuyasha's words flashed into his mind again.
“These are the directions that Miroku got from his sources. The bastard's name is Tarumo. He's got Kagome in a scent-sealed dungeon. Naraku's involved. I'd better get going. Gather the troops and follow me.”
Naraku... he'll be damned if he let that bastard run around with the key. He didn't particularly care about the smart-mouthed bitch, but he knew that if he wanted to live a happy life, he would keep Naraku away from her.
For two reasons - one, she was one half of the key to the Shikon no Tama, as was proven by Kaede when he spoke to her and when Naraku “visited” them during the awarding, and he would most likely kill himself rather than live in a world ruled by Naraku and a tainted Shikon no Tama. Two, without the wench, Inuyasha would undoubtedly pester him to the point that he would end up killing himself.
Another thing... A scent-sealed dungeon. That was what he had said. Something about the fact that the dungeon was scent-sealed sent millions of shivers up his spine. Anticipative shivers. He then realized why the words made bells resound in his head.
`She had disappeared without a trace those months ago. And I couldn't catch her scent. What if she is alive in one of those dungeons?' he thought. `I know she didn't die four months ago... I can feel it. Could Rin really still be alive?'
“Sesshoumaru-sama?” His wistful musings were cut off when the driver called him. He pointed to a fork in the path. “Which way?”
Sesshoumaru regarded the sketch, then pointed to the right.
-----/---
Rin shuddered at the sound of the approaching footsteps, but Kagome held her head high and waited eagerly for her kidnapper. She generally had no idea who had taken her, or how he looked like, as she had been knocked out before she even realized there was trouble.
“Lay down, Kagome,” Rin whispered as she herself did the same. “He will beat you up if you as much as look into his eyes...”
Kagome refused to stay down, even as Rin desperately tried to pull her with herself. “No. He can do what he wants, but I, the hime of Calderia, will not bow down to him!” she said loudly. `Besides, what the heck kind of name is Tarumo anyway? It doesn't even mean anything.”
The sound of footsteps grew nearer, louder, and even Kagome began to feel the beginnings of fright and panic. Rin downright cowered beside her. Soon enough, a dark silhouette of a tall, broad-bodied being appeared in the hallway before her. The man seemed to be holding on to a small light source, so the shadows of the dungeons moved eerily as he approached.
He appeared to be wearing a trench coat, from what Kagome could make out of the shadow. The heavy footsteps got louder, and Kagome outright gasped as the figure revealed itself, under the light of a single candle.
He was the most horrifying creature she had ever seen. The “coat” was his pair of leather wings, ribbed and broad like that of a bat. The wings curved around him and to his front, sealing his body except the one black scaly hand that jutted out to hold the candle. His face, a twisted black mask of fangs and horns, bore a sinister grin that made her insides quiver.
“So,” the creature started, his voice hoarse and soft. He turned slightly, lighting a torch that hung on the wall with the candle, before tucking it into one of the small crevices in the concrete. “You have finally decided to awaken. I wish to talk to the key before I give you to Naraku.”
As he turned back to look at her, his words brought sudden flashes of memory to Kagome. Key... Naraku...
--- Flashback ---
“How much further is this Kaede person, hanyou? The newly-formed scabs on my feet are begging for rest!” Kagome complained as she followed Inuyasha up a steep set of steps that were carved upon the side of a tall hill. She pushed her hair back, gathering the silken strands with the golden comb she had received from Inuyasha. She had no idea why she was wearing it, but when asked by Sango (who was shocked when she found out that it was from the hanyou), she reasoned simply that it matched her eyes.
“Just a few more steps, wench,” he replied, pulling on her sleeve. She furiously pulled her arm back, huffing in indignation as the duke shook his head and continued walking.
Just beyond the rise, she could see a tall white building, narrow enough for her to instantly know that no one would be able to live comfortably in it. Beside it, she could spot the roof of what appeared to be a cottage, resting under the shade of a huge, ancient-looking tree.
The night before had been traumatic, what with the princess getting abducted and rather badly hurt by that Naraku guy, and him demanding her and Inuyasha's surrender. And she STILL didn't know who he was.
“We're here, wench. You can stop huffing.”
“Don't call me that.”
“Would you prefer bitch, then? Coz that can be arranged,” he replied with a scowl.
Kagome was just about to scream a comeback when an old woman, looking obviously winded rushed noisily out of the cottage. She was still holding a rag, so she had clearly not been expecting visitors, and had run out at the signs of some.
It was the unsettling, shocked expression on her face that Kagome could never forget. As well as the thing she said, in an awed stunned voice, the moment she laid eyes on Kagome.
“It's you... The other half of the key...”
--- Flashback ---
Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome noticed Rin raise her head to stare at her, eyes full of barely concealed shock. What was the big deal about that “key” thing anyway? Kaede and Inuyasha never told her anything after Kaede's initial outburst, so it must be unimportant. So why was Rin gawking at her, and why had she been kidnapped?
“Yeah, I'm awake. Now, I demand to know who you are, why you have knocked me unconscious, then brought me here against my will!” she said angrily.
Tarumo just chuckled, before bringing himself to stand right before the cell bars. “I assumed that Rin had told you my name. It is Tarumo, and I brought you here for Naraku. Now, you answer me... how did you, a simpering Calderian princess, manage to possess so much power as to become half of the key?”
Kagome started. `Power?' she thought in surprise. `I don't have any power... not even any political power. They were stripped from me when my kingdom fell.'
“What are you talking about?” she hissed, not missing the angry glint in Tarumo's blood-red eyes.
“Don't even deny it, concubine,” he stressed the last word. “Though I do not know where the other half is, I know you are half of the key. Anyone with a decent youki or reiryoku can sense it coming from you. The strongest spiritual powers to ever grace this planet... Now, how did you attain it?”
Kagome was astounded. Was he saying that SHE had reiryoku? How could that be? She was just a normal person... how could she have gained spiritual powers?
“Rin,” his raspy voice called to the girl who lay bowed on the floor, here eyes locked on Kagome. Rin started at the call, and immediately dropped her head to the floor again.
“Yes, Tarumo-sama,” she answered, voice muffled since she was so close to the ground.
“Rise,” he ordered, and Rin immediately got to her feet, head still bowed, her dark hair covering her face. “You sensed her powers too, didn't you?” Tarumo asked.
“Hai, Tarumo-sama. But I had no idea that she was the key...” she replied.
Kagome gaped at Rin. What was she saying? And once again... WHAT THE HECK IS SHE A HALF KEY TO? She was a person, for goodness sake, not a piece of metal used for knobs!
“Onegai, Tarumo-sama. Please!” Rin started. “Don't hurt her. Don't force her. She is not lying! I... I... I can sense that she is telling the truth. She has no idea how significant her powers are.”
Tarumo laughed out loud at that. “Significant? Her powers are the key to the most powerful thing in the universe! Her powers will bind together the one thing would help Naraku rule the world!” he snickered. “And to think that kind of power belongs to someone who betrayed her own father. Fucking his killer just so she could survive...”
“How DARE you!” Kagome screamed. She stared at Tarumo, seething at his words.
In her anger, however, she hadn't noticed Rin step back from her in fright and astonishment. Neither did she notice the bright glow that suddenly surrounded her body.
`Kagome... she's glowing red!' Rin thought, absently noticing that even Tarumo had backed up a step.
“I am not betraying my father. And I am not sleeping with Inuyasha!” she shouted again as the initial burst of red light faded from her. “It's not like I had a choice when he decided to make me his concubine!”
She was shocked, barely registering what was happening, when Tarumo decided to break down the bars holding them in, pushing Kagome against a wall by her throat with a clawed hand. Fear welled up in her chest, but she agreed to show it. Kagome scrabbled against his hands, digging her nails into his fist as she tried to recapture the breath that he had suddenly pushed out of her.
“Do not raise your voice at me, young lady. Know that the only reason that you still live is that Naraku wants you for your powers. I will not tolerate your insubordination,” he hissed.
Kagome merely huffed, no matter how hard that was at her current position. “I am not your slave, so I am not being insubordinate.”
Tarumo then tightened his grip around her neck, making Kagome cry out. Rin, though not very powerful, sensed a small amount of power escape Kagome, looking as if it were calling out to someone...
Kagome blearily noticed as Rin began crying beside Tarumo, begging him to free Kagome. Annoyed at her interference, he pulled back the hand not on Kagome, and slapped Rin forcefully against her left cheek, leaving five shallow cuts on her face as she landed unconscious a few feet away from them.
“Let me... go!” Kagome rasped, digging her nails further into his hand. Tarumo winced slightly as her long nails began to draw green blood from his fingers.
“I don't think I will,” Tarumo replied. “I think I will choke you until you collapse. Maybe that will keep you unconscious until Naraku arrives.”
Kagome scrabbled futilely, knowing that her strength was no match for the demons. Dread warred with a sudden burst of determination that felt out of place in her frightened mind. With her last amount of energy, she shouted out the one word that had suddenly sprung to her mind.
“INUYASHA!!!”
-----/---
Inuyas ha paused, looking up at the northern mountains that were covered by tall trees and vines. From his vantage point, perched on the tallest tree in the forest, Inuyasha could almost see every single detail of the mountain, including the almost unnoticeable abandoned-looking fortress in the easternmost part of the range.
Having memorized the directions to the fortress, he checked his mental map and grinned as he realized that the fort that he was looking at was THE fort.
He looked back in the direction he had come from, and saw, much to his irritation, that the trucks carrying the soldiers had barely reached the edge of the forest. He was nearing the end of the damn forest already, so how could they be his “back-up” when they were that further back from him?! Stupid humans.
He leapt up again, heading in the direction of the fortress. If the freed prisoner was telling the truth, then Kagome should be there. If he wasn't telling the truth, then Inuyasha was going to find out who he was, track him down and string him up by his testicles...
Nobody shits Inuyasha and gets away with it.
He was close. He would probably be upon the fortress in a couple of minutes, and excitement coursed through his veins. He popped his knuckles and grinned manically. He was finally gonna be able to kick some ass.
A sudden unknown signal reached Inuyasha's mind, making him lose his balance on the tree he was currently standing on and damn near making him fall. He steadied himself, not understanding what had just happened. It was as if he had felt a sudden blast of... anger. Faint, but it was as if the emotion had just shot into his soul.
He shook his head. He needed to concentrate on what he was doing. He bounded off again, his mind set on finding Kagome when he felt another powerful surge. Inuyasha recognized the blinding anger just as he stopped in front of the fortress. He sniffed the air and grinned. No scent was coming from within the fortress. It was scent-sealed, and definitely the one he was looking for. He readied himself to barge through the door, squaring his shoulders and backing up to be able to break it more easily.
He was running towards it when a glint a few feet before the door caught his eye. He stopped and walked towards it, stooping to pick it up.
`This is... Kagome's comb. The one I gave her.' He straightened with furious determination as he realized that Kagome truly WAS in that fortress. He pocketed the comb, before running straight at the door, breaking through it. Various scents assaulted his nose, Kagome's being among the freshest, as a burst of fright erupted in his soul. He wasn't frightened, and the earlier sudden surges of emotion sure as hell weren't his. But if they weren't, that must mean...
“Shit!” he cursed, running even faster as he tried to smell the air to find Kagome. His soul and nose guided him steadily towards a set of stairs that led down a dark tunnel. Another burst of fright fueled him, determination coursing through his veins as the scent of Kagome became stronger. She was near... so near... her scent came from just beyond that wall...
A sudden cry of his name gave him a sudden surge of power, an angry cry torn from his lips as he crashed through the offending wall.
-----/---
“KAGOME!!!” Inuyasha yelled, storming through the debris that only a few seconds before, had been a thick wall of solid concrete. His sudden arrival startled the youkai that had been holding a weakly struggling Kagome against the far wall. He landed sharply, eyes blazing as the bat youkai dropped Kagome in his haste to face him.
Kagome sucked in a huge gulp of breath as the hands holding her suddenly disappeared. Confused and slightly dazed, she looked ahead of her and nearly cried in joy.
“Inuyasha!”
He stood there, eyes dark as he took in the sight of Kagome, who had light bruises around her neck. Another woman lay a few feet away, her hair covering her face and her scent unrecognizable because of the smell of smoke and dust she had on her.
He again turned his attention to the youkai, who had backed up and was getting ready to run out of the dungeon cell. “You bastard!” he shouted as he rushed forward and rammed a fist into the startled demon's face before he could even move.
Inuyasha raised his hand again, but found it smashed into the wall as he brought it down. `Damn, he IS fast!' Inuyasha thought as he turned around, seeing the youkai behind him with a fist aimed his way.
He ducked and pushed forward, throwing his weight against Tarumo and knocking him down. Inuyasha leaped up, but found himself on the floor as the demon had managed to grab one of his ankles, pulling him down to the floor.
Tarumo spread his wings and flew away from him, rushing towards Kagome and the other girl. Inuyasha regained his footing just as the demon reached Kagome, snatching her right arm with his left hand.
Inuyasha got to his feet, pulling Tetsusaiga out of its sheath. The sword transformed with a bright glow, and he charged at Tarumo, madly swinging his sword.
The edge of Tetsusaiga caught the bat youkai's left arm, slicing his wrist off. He howled in pain as Kagome screamed in shock when the severed hand stayed latched onto her arm. She hastily grabbed it and pulled it off as the enraged Tarumo began to furiously attack Inuyasha.
Kagome noticed Rin still lying unconscious a few feet away. She ran over to her, keeping her eyes on the furious demons who had now brought each other to the hallway right outside her cell.
Inuyasha had led Tarumo away from the dungeon cell, so as not to put Kagome and the other girl in danger. He was slightly distracted though, when he heard Kagome's voice say the name “Rin”, and urge her to get up.
`The other girl is Rin?!' he thought in astonishment, but the small moment proved crucial, since he was dealing with a very fast demon. The youkai saw the opportunity and quickly swiped at Inuyasha's chest, leaving five large gashes across his chest and abdomen.
Angered at the pain in his chest, Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga again, and grinned maliciously when Tarumo let out a piercing shriek of pain from the large gaping hole in his stomach.
Meanwhile, Kagome had reached Rin and was trying her best to rouse her.
“Rin! Get up!” Kagome whispered hurriedly, as she knelt beside her, pulling the girl's body onto her lap and shaking her. “Rin! Inuyasha's here! We'll be saved!”
Rin roused slowly, blinking bleary eyes as Kagome's face slowly came into view. “Kagome?”
“YES! Rin, get up! Inuyasha's here!”
“What?” Rin asked weakly, following Kagome's eyes to the hallway. Kagome began to stand, pulling her up along with her.
“Come on! We have to try to help him!” Kagome said. “If we don't, we might not be able to get out of here!”
Rin got to her feet, her hand coming up to rub the painful spot on her cheek. She followed Kagome out the cell, eyes widening when she saw the scene before her.
Kagome gasped as she saw the bright red marks across Inuyasha's chest, leaking with thick blood. She started to run to him on impulse, but Rin held her arm back as she did.
“No!” she hissed. “You can't put yourself in danger! If what Tarumo said about you is true, then I will not allow you to die!”
“What do you want me to do, watch and let him die?” Kagome said as she tried to pull her arms from Rin's tight grip.
“He won't die from that wound, Kagome! I have seen him run with a sword through his abdomen and laugh about it,” Rin said. “You have to stay back!”
“NO! I have to help him Rin!” she broke free as she saw Inuyasha thrown violently to her direction.
Inuyasha angrily tried to get another clear shot of the youkai, but his thick leather wings were as much of a barrier as any shield could have been. As he struck him again, Tarumo flipped back his wing, knocking him back a few feet and right at Kagome's feet.
“Inuyasha!” she cried as she knelt down beside the fallen man. “Daijobu?”
“What are you doing here, wench? Get back in the cell!” Inuyasha snarled as he pushed himself up, bracing himself on his sword. Kagome held him by his arm as he did so, her face a mask of concern.
“No! I can't stay there and watch you get battered!”
“You are my legal possession! Do as I say!”
“NO!”
As the two argued, however, they didn't notice Tarumo, weakened as he was by the wound on his torso, begin to gather his energy into a ball in his remaining hand. Rin did, however, and she shouted a warning a second before Tarumo released it.
“Yasha! Kagome! Look out!”
Both turned their attention back to Tarumo at Rin's shout, and as the ball of energy approached, both thought of only one thing:
`I have to protect Kagome!'
`I have to protect Inuyasha!'
Kagome reacted to the shot with a shout, subconsciously pulling Inuyasha to her. Inuyasha reacted almost the same, grabbing Kagome and spinning so that the energy ball would collide with his back, and not harm the girl he clutched protectively to his chest.
But... nothing came. Kagome opened her eyes when a few seconds had already passed and the energy ball still had not reached them. Inuyasha turned his head slowly to look at Tarumo. He was surprised to find the bat youkai staring at them in shock, his eyes roving a small area around them.
Inuyasha followed Tarumo's eyes, and got a shock himself. He and Kagome were surrounded by a glowing aura, and judging from the fact that he had not gotten hit by the energy ball, that glowing arc of gold must have somehow acted as a forcefield to protect them.
Kagome was looking just as stunned, and she looked over her shoulder to gauge Rin's reaction. Rin was looking even more stunned, and her eyes kept darting from Inuyasha and back to Kagome.
Tarumo's voice broke through their shock. “The key... the two halves of the key...”
His words made Inuyasha's full attention snap back into place. `That bastard figured it out... if word gets out that Kagome and I are the full key, hell will break lose.'
Before he can move though, Tarumo had fled the scene, rushing down the corridor and up the stairs faster than their eyes can follow.
“SHIT!”
“You got that right, Rin.” Inuyasha replied, before letting go of Kagome and attempting to follow Tarumo.
-----/---
At exactly the same time that Inuyasha broke down the dungeon's door, the scent-sealing spell around the fortress broke, releasing the scents from within. Sesshoumaru, still quite a distance away, jerked up from his bored position on the trucks front passenger seat.
`That scent,' he thought, sniffing discreetly as he tried to decide whether or not he was hallucinating. The scent, as far away as he was from the source, was something he could never mistake...
“Rin...” he said softly, then straightening in shock and anticipation. He then thrust the map at the driver, before suddenly leaping off the running vehicle, running so fast, the driver didn't even get to see him land on the ground.
Sesshoumaru raced into the forest, using his poison claws to bring down tress that stood in his way. He was but a blur of white in the green façade of the forest, his golden eyes a flash of amber twinkling from a distance.
He was running at a speed rarely attained even by other demons of speed, and yet he felt like he was still unforgivably slow. He urged his legs to carry him faster, wishing not for the first time that he could go at the speed of light.
It was her scent, he was sure of it. No other scent could cloud his mind so completely, could make him lose his mask of calm. It was her. And as he approached the tall form of the fortress, he smelled a foul scent of a bat demon - bearing traces of Rin's blood.
His golden eyes rapidly darkened to furious slits of red, and as he came upon the castle, the being with Rin's blood emerged from the door.
Tarumo didn't know what hit him. One second he was running from Inuyasha, next he was pinned to the ground, one of his eyes torn from its socket and blood running more rapidly down his front. He screamed in pain as Seshoumaru loomed over him, his claws dripping sickly green blood.
“Where is she?” he asked softly, almost calmly.
“The key is with the hanyou...” he started, but was stopped by Seshoumaru's hand pressing tightly against his windpipe.
“I don't care about the Calderian!” Seshoumaru snarled. “Where is Rin?”
“Sesshoumaru!” Inuyasha's voice called from the doorway, but Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on Tarumo.
“Where is she?!” Sesshoumaru asked more forcefully, shaking Tarumo as Inuyasha approached. Inuyasha tapped his shoulder and spoke, without even hoping for the demon to look his way.
“Rin is in the dungeon with Kagome,” he began, and that made Seshoumaru's attention focus on him. He stared intently as Inuyasha continued. “Go to her. I know you want to. And leave that bastard to me...” he continued, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.
Sesshoumaru immediately leapt off Tarumo, rushing into the fortress. Inuyasha didn't even give Tarumo a chance to rise, though, as he immediately shoved him back down and pointed Tetsusaiga at his throat.
“Was it Naraku?” Inuyasha demanded.
Tarumo looked defiantly up at him, not saying a word. Inuyasha then pressed the blade of his sword against Tarumo's neck, drawing a generous amount of blood in the process. The bat youkai's remaining eye rolled back in pain as he nodded weakly.
“Good. Now, where is he?” Inuyasha asked again.
“I don't know,” Tarumo replied. He gives us orders from different messengers.
“Us?”
“I don't know who the others are! None of us know who the others are. And I don't know who my messenger really is,” Tarumo said.
“Ok. Thanks, and...” Inuyasha paused, a feral grin making its way to his face. “Sorry, coz I can't let you live. You now officially know too much about me and Kagome. Goodbye.”
And with that, Inuyasha pushed the tip of his sword into Tarumo's throat, the latter letting out a strangled gurgle before the scent of death overtook the musty scent of the bat youkai.
-----/---
Sesshoumaru followed Rin's scent into the lower part of the fortress. Excitement rushed through him as the scent became unbelievably nearer. “She's alive!” he said softly to himself as he rounded one last corner...
Coming to stand but a few feet away from her...Seeing her for the first time in four long months. She was considerably pale and thin, and he seethed at Tarumo for having kept her there, fighting the urge to go back to the dying youkai, tearing him from Inuyasha's grasp, and killing him ten times over.
She was speaking to Kagome, holding her arm, and his stealthy entrance did not alert both of them to his presence. He composed himself slightly before speaking.
“Rin,” the one word was full of so much meaning.
Both women looked up, and while Kagome was rather pleased to see the youkai commander there, the same could not be said for Rin.
She was waaaaay beyond pleased.
“Se-Sesshoumaru?”
Sesshoumaru gave a very small smile at the sight of Rin's shocked and near ecstatic face. “I am glad you are alive, Rin.”
Rin's bottom lip began to quiver at the sight of Sesshoumaru's smile. She forgot Kagome was there as she continued to stare at the man before her. `Gods... it had been so long...' she thought blearily, approaching him with slow, unsure steps. So many times she had dreamed of this... Gods, she hoped it wasn't another dream!
“Is it really you, Sess?” Rin asked softly as she walked up to him. She reached out a hand, her fingers grazing his chest armor, and her breath sobbed out of her throat.
“Sesshoumaru!” she cried, throwing herself at him, helpless tears rushing out of her eyes. “Gods, it's you! It's really you!”
Sesshoumaru, finally unable to hold in the emotions that seeing her had brought him, crushed her to his chest, burying his face into her hair. “Rin...” he whispered softly. “I have missed you, my Rin.”
“I missed you too!” Rin cried, not missing the slight change that the emotionless demon's voice took. “I missed you so much!”
-----/---
Kagome felt awkward at watching the two reunite. Were they lovers? She felt like an intruder in their private moment.
She looked around and decided to leave the two behind and find Inuyasha. She was sure he had run out of the dungeon, so where to?
She followed the long dungeon hallway and found herself facing a set of stairs. She slowly climbed the steps, her hand rubbing the bruise on her neck. She followed another hallway as she reached the tope, following the light she could see ahead.
She turned into the main hall, and from there, saw Inuyasha sheathing his sword as he stood over a dead Tarumo. Excitement suddenly rushed to her and she ran to him, holding her skirts in her hand.
“Inuyasha!” she cried stumbling slightly in her haste. She barely lost her balance, but Inuyasha was there, supporting her, in an instant.
He helped her straighten, holding her by her arms, as he quickly scanned her for injuries. His eyes instantly went to her throat, and before he could stop himself, he reached down and gently ran his hand over the bruising.
“This looks kinda painful. Are you ok, Kagome?” he asked, turning her so she looked straight at him. As she turned to face him, though, he found that her face was full of surprise. “What?”
“You... said my name,” she remarked, a small grin finding it's way to her lips as she held onto his arms.
Inuyasha blanched in surprise. “I... I did? No I didn't!”
“Yes, you did!” she replied impatiently. “Just now, you did! You also called me back there in the dungeon. You called me by my name!”
“Keh,” Inuyasha replied, turning to look at anything but her. “So I guess I did. So what?!”
“Oh, nothing,” Kagome replied, she herself surprised at how much that little thing made her happy.
Inuyasha cleared his throat then. “So, does this hurt?” he asked, pointing to the bruises yet again.
“Not really,” she replied. “But I would like to have it bandaged a bit and... what was that?”
A distant noise rumbled faintly in the background, and Inuyasha grumbled as he realized what it was. “Backup's here. Keh. A jolly lot of help they did.”
The troops arrived a short while later, and Kagome and Inuyasha watched as they threw Tarumo's body into a rectangular furnace and proceeded to burn it with a fire demon's help. He then led Kagome to the ambulance, watching as the medic bandaged her neck.
A sudden thought came to him. “Kagome, have you seen Sesshoumaru?”
“Hai,” she replied, wincing at the alcohol the medic dabbed on her. Inuyasha growled at the medic to be more careful. “He met up with Rin in the dungeons. Isn't he out yet?”
“I dunno. Oh wait, there he is now.”
Sesshoumaru emerged from the fortress, holding an unconscious Rin in his arms. The girl had exhausted herself crying, and her dehydration and fright all kicked in at once, making her lose consciousness.
He headed for the ambulance, placing Rin on the bed that the other medics had lain out. He then turned to Inuyasha, his face one again a mask of calm, and said “She's alive. I told you she was.”
“I know,” Inuyasha replied as his brother's face softened for a moment as he stared at the unconscious girl. “And... I'm glad.”
-----/---
A/N: Done! Haha! Sorry again for the delay!
Thanks again to all those who read, reviewed, and even visited my previous chaps. I hope you liked this chap, and please review! No flames please...
Ja ne!
ScarletRaven
Connection
-----/---
Sesshoumaru shook his head in irritation as Inuyasha's words flashed into his mind for the hundredth time since his departure. He was now sitting in one of the large transport vehicles with his troops, on their way to the dungeon.
The vehicles were all a similar deep blue hue, looking like large container trucks with rows of seats and a parcel case for possible supplies. He sat up front with the driver, pointing out the directions to the youkai's place. Theirs was the first of the seven trucks, each containing about twenty people. An emergency medical van brought up the rear.
`Kuso,' the demon lord thought impatiently. `I could probably walk faster than these machines,' he thought angrily, before Inuyasha's words flashed into his mind again.
“These are the directions that Miroku got from his sources. The bastard's name is Tarumo. He's got Kagome in a scent-sealed dungeon. Naraku's involved. I'd better get going. Gather the troops and follow me.”
Naraku... he'll be damned if he let that bastard run around with the key. He didn't particularly care about the smart-mouthed bitch, but he knew that if he wanted to live a happy life, he would keep Naraku away from her.
For two reasons - one, she was one half of the key to the Shikon no Tama, as was proven by Kaede when he spoke to her and when Naraku “visited” them during the awarding, and he would most likely kill himself rather than live in a world ruled by Naraku and a tainted Shikon no Tama. Two, without the wench, Inuyasha would undoubtedly pester him to the point that he would end up killing himself.
Another thing... A scent-sealed dungeon. That was what he had said. Something about the fact that the dungeon was scent-sealed sent millions of shivers up his spine. Anticipative shivers. He then realized why the words made bells resound in his head.
`She had disappeared without a trace those months ago. And I couldn't catch her scent. What if she is alive in one of those dungeons?' he thought. `I know she didn't die four months ago... I can feel it. Could Rin really still be alive?'
“Sesshoumaru-sama?” His wistful musings were cut off when the driver called him. He pointed to a fork in the path. “Which way?”
Sesshoumaru regarded the sketch, then pointed to the right.
-----/---
Rin shuddered at the sound of the approaching footsteps, but Kagome held her head high and waited eagerly for her kidnapper. She generally had no idea who had taken her, or how he looked like, as she had been knocked out before she even realized there was trouble.
“Lay down, Kagome,” Rin whispered as she herself did the same. “He will beat you up if you as much as look into his eyes...”
Kagome refused to stay down, even as Rin desperately tried to pull her with herself. “No. He can do what he wants, but I, the hime of Calderia, will not bow down to him!” she said loudly. `Besides, what the heck kind of name is Tarumo anyway? It doesn't even mean anything.”
The sound of footsteps grew nearer, louder, and even Kagome began to feel the beginnings of fright and panic. Rin downright cowered beside her. Soon enough, a dark silhouette of a tall, broad-bodied being appeared in the hallway before her. The man seemed to be holding on to a small light source, so the shadows of the dungeons moved eerily as he approached.
He appeared to be wearing a trench coat, from what Kagome could make out of the shadow. The heavy footsteps got louder, and Kagome outright gasped as the figure revealed itself, under the light of a single candle.
He was the most horrifying creature she had ever seen. The “coat” was his pair of leather wings, ribbed and broad like that of a bat. The wings curved around him and to his front, sealing his body except the one black scaly hand that jutted out to hold the candle. His face, a twisted black mask of fangs and horns, bore a sinister grin that made her insides quiver.
“So,” the creature started, his voice hoarse and soft. He turned slightly, lighting a torch that hung on the wall with the candle, before tucking it into one of the small crevices in the concrete. “You have finally decided to awaken. I wish to talk to the key before I give you to Naraku.”
As he turned back to look at her, his words brought sudden flashes of memory to Kagome. Key... Naraku...
--- Flashback ---
“How much further is this Kaede person, hanyou? The newly-formed scabs on my feet are begging for rest!” Kagome complained as she followed Inuyasha up a steep set of steps that were carved upon the side of a tall hill. She pushed her hair back, gathering the silken strands with the golden comb she had received from Inuyasha. She had no idea why she was wearing it, but when asked by Sango (who was shocked when she found out that it was from the hanyou), she reasoned simply that it matched her eyes.
“Just a few more steps, wench,” he replied, pulling on her sleeve. She furiously pulled her arm back, huffing in indignation as the duke shook his head and continued walking.
Just beyond the rise, she could see a tall white building, narrow enough for her to instantly know that no one would be able to live comfortably in it. Beside it, she could spot the roof of what appeared to be a cottage, resting under the shade of a huge, ancient-looking tree.
The night before had been traumatic, what with the princess getting abducted and rather badly hurt by that Naraku guy, and him demanding her and Inuyasha's surrender. And she STILL didn't know who he was.
“We're here, wench. You can stop huffing.”
“Don't call me that.”
“Would you prefer bitch, then? Coz that can be arranged,” he replied with a scowl.
Kagome was just about to scream a comeback when an old woman, looking obviously winded rushed noisily out of the cottage. She was still holding a rag, so she had clearly not been expecting visitors, and had run out at the signs of some.
It was the unsettling, shocked expression on her face that Kagome could never forget. As well as the thing she said, in an awed stunned voice, the moment she laid eyes on Kagome.
“It's you... The other half of the key...”
--- Flashback ---
Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome noticed Rin raise her head to stare at her, eyes full of barely concealed shock. What was the big deal about that “key” thing anyway? Kaede and Inuyasha never told her anything after Kaede's initial outburst, so it must be unimportant. So why was Rin gawking at her, and why had she been kidnapped?
“Yeah, I'm awake. Now, I demand to know who you are, why you have knocked me unconscious, then brought me here against my will!” she said angrily.
Tarumo just chuckled, before bringing himself to stand right before the cell bars. “I assumed that Rin had told you my name. It is Tarumo, and I brought you here for Naraku. Now, you answer me... how did you, a simpering Calderian princess, manage to possess so much power as to become half of the key?”
Kagome started. `Power?' she thought in surprise. `I don't have any power... not even any political power. They were stripped from me when my kingdom fell.'
“What are you talking about?” she hissed, not missing the angry glint in Tarumo's blood-red eyes.
“Don't even deny it, concubine,” he stressed the last word. “Though I do not know where the other half is, I know you are half of the key. Anyone with a decent youki or reiryoku can sense it coming from you. The strongest spiritual powers to ever grace this planet... Now, how did you attain it?”
Kagome was astounded. Was he saying that SHE had reiryoku? How could that be? She was just a normal person... how could she have gained spiritual powers?
“Rin,” his raspy voice called to the girl who lay bowed on the floor, here eyes locked on Kagome. Rin started at the call, and immediately dropped her head to the floor again.
“Yes, Tarumo-sama,” she answered, voice muffled since she was so close to the ground.
“Rise,” he ordered, and Rin immediately got to her feet, head still bowed, her dark hair covering her face. “You sensed her powers too, didn't you?” Tarumo asked.
“Hai, Tarumo-sama. But I had no idea that she was the key...” she replied.
Kagome gaped at Rin. What was she saying? And once again... WHAT THE HECK IS SHE A HALF KEY TO? She was a person, for goodness sake, not a piece of metal used for knobs!
“Onegai, Tarumo-sama. Please!” Rin started. “Don't hurt her. Don't force her. She is not lying! I... I... I can sense that she is telling the truth. She has no idea how significant her powers are.”
Tarumo laughed out loud at that. “Significant? Her powers are the key to the most powerful thing in the universe! Her powers will bind together the one thing would help Naraku rule the world!” he snickered. “And to think that kind of power belongs to someone who betrayed her own father. Fucking his killer just so she could survive...”
“How DARE you!” Kagome screamed. She stared at Tarumo, seething at his words.
In her anger, however, she hadn't noticed Rin step back from her in fright and astonishment. Neither did she notice the bright glow that suddenly surrounded her body.
`Kagome... she's glowing red!' Rin thought, absently noticing that even Tarumo had backed up a step.
“I am not betraying my father. And I am not sleeping with Inuyasha!” she shouted again as the initial burst of red light faded from her. “It's not like I had a choice when he decided to make me his concubine!”
She was shocked, barely registering what was happening, when Tarumo decided to break down the bars holding them in, pushing Kagome against a wall by her throat with a clawed hand. Fear welled up in her chest, but she agreed to show it. Kagome scrabbled against his hands, digging her nails into his fist as she tried to recapture the breath that he had suddenly pushed out of her.
“Do not raise your voice at me, young lady. Know that the only reason that you still live is that Naraku wants you for your powers. I will not tolerate your insubordination,” he hissed.
Kagome merely huffed, no matter how hard that was at her current position. “I am not your slave, so I am not being insubordinate.”
Tarumo then tightened his grip around her neck, making Kagome cry out. Rin, though not very powerful, sensed a small amount of power escape Kagome, looking as if it were calling out to someone...
Kagome blearily noticed as Rin began crying beside Tarumo, begging him to free Kagome. Annoyed at her interference, he pulled back the hand not on Kagome, and slapped Rin forcefully against her left cheek, leaving five shallow cuts on her face as she landed unconscious a few feet away from them.
“Let me... go!” Kagome rasped, digging her nails further into his hand. Tarumo winced slightly as her long nails began to draw green blood from his fingers.
“I don't think I will,” Tarumo replied. “I think I will choke you until you collapse. Maybe that will keep you unconscious until Naraku arrives.”
Kagome scrabbled futilely, knowing that her strength was no match for the demons. Dread warred with a sudden burst of determination that felt out of place in her frightened mind. With her last amount of energy, she shouted out the one word that had suddenly sprung to her mind.
“INUYASHA!!!”
-----/---
Inuyas ha paused, looking up at the northern mountains that were covered by tall trees and vines. From his vantage point, perched on the tallest tree in the forest, Inuyasha could almost see every single detail of the mountain, including the almost unnoticeable abandoned-looking fortress in the easternmost part of the range.
Having memorized the directions to the fortress, he checked his mental map and grinned as he realized that the fort that he was looking at was THE fort.
He looked back in the direction he had come from, and saw, much to his irritation, that the trucks carrying the soldiers had barely reached the edge of the forest. He was nearing the end of the damn forest already, so how could they be his “back-up” when they were that further back from him?! Stupid humans.
He leapt up again, heading in the direction of the fortress. If the freed prisoner was telling the truth, then Kagome should be there. If he wasn't telling the truth, then Inuyasha was going to find out who he was, track him down and string him up by his testicles...
Nobody shits Inuyasha and gets away with it.
He was close. He would probably be upon the fortress in a couple of minutes, and excitement coursed through his veins. He popped his knuckles and grinned manically. He was finally gonna be able to kick some ass.
A sudden unknown signal reached Inuyasha's mind, making him lose his balance on the tree he was currently standing on and damn near making him fall. He steadied himself, not understanding what had just happened. It was as if he had felt a sudden blast of... anger. Faint, but it was as if the emotion had just shot into his soul.
He shook his head. He needed to concentrate on what he was doing. He bounded off again, his mind set on finding Kagome when he felt another powerful surge. Inuyasha recognized the blinding anger just as he stopped in front of the fortress. He sniffed the air and grinned. No scent was coming from within the fortress. It was scent-sealed, and definitely the one he was looking for. He readied himself to barge through the door, squaring his shoulders and backing up to be able to break it more easily.
He was running towards it when a glint a few feet before the door caught his eye. He stopped and walked towards it, stooping to pick it up.
`This is... Kagome's comb. The one I gave her.' He straightened with furious determination as he realized that Kagome truly WAS in that fortress. He pocketed the comb, before running straight at the door, breaking through it. Various scents assaulted his nose, Kagome's being among the freshest, as a burst of fright erupted in his soul. He wasn't frightened, and the earlier sudden surges of emotion sure as hell weren't his. But if they weren't, that must mean...
“Shit!” he cursed, running even faster as he tried to smell the air to find Kagome. His soul and nose guided him steadily towards a set of stairs that led down a dark tunnel. Another burst of fright fueled him, determination coursing through his veins as the scent of Kagome became stronger. She was near... so near... her scent came from just beyond that wall...
A sudden cry of his name gave him a sudden surge of power, an angry cry torn from his lips as he crashed through the offending wall.
-----/---
“KAGOME!!!” Inuyasha yelled, storming through the debris that only a few seconds before, had been a thick wall of solid concrete. His sudden arrival startled the youkai that had been holding a weakly struggling Kagome against the far wall. He landed sharply, eyes blazing as the bat youkai dropped Kagome in his haste to face him.
Kagome sucked in a huge gulp of breath as the hands holding her suddenly disappeared. Confused and slightly dazed, she looked ahead of her and nearly cried in joy.
“Inuyasha!”
He stood there, eyes dark as he took in the sight of Kagome, who had light bruises around her neck. Another woman lay a few feet away, her hair covering her face and her scent unrecognizable because of the smell of smoke and dust she had on her.
He again turned his attention to the youkai, who had backed up and was getting ready to run out of the dungeon cell. “You bastard!” he shouted as he rushed forward and rammed a fist into the startled demon's face before he could even move.
Inuyasha raised his hand again, but found it smashed into the wall as he brought it down. `Damn, he IS fast!' Inuyasha thought as he turned around, seeing the youkai behind him with a fist aimed his way.
He ducked and pushed forward, throwing his weight against Tarumo and knocking him down. Inuyasha leaped up, but found himself on the floor as the demon had managed to grab one of his ankles, pulling him down to the floor.
Tarumo spread his wings and flew away from him, rushing towards Kagome and the other girl. Inuyasha regained his footing just as the demon reached Kagome, snatching her right arm with his left hand.
Inuyasha got to his feet, pulling Tetsusaiga out of its sheath. The sword transformed with a bright glow, and he charged at Tarumo, madly swinging his sword.
The edge of Tetsusaiga caught the bat youkai's left arm, slicing his wrist off. He howled in pain as Kagome screamed in shock when the severed hand stayed latched onto her arm. She hastily grabbed it and pulled it off as the enraged Tarumo began to furiously attack Inuyasha.
Kagome noticed Rin still lying unconscious a few feet away. She ran over to her, keeping her eyes on the furious demons who had now brought each other to the hallway right outside her cell.
Inuyasha had led Tarumo away from the dungeon cell, so as not to put Kagome and the other girl in danger. He was slightly distracted though, when he heard Kagome's voice say the name “Rin”, and urge her to get up.
`The other girl is Rin?!' he thought in astonishment, but the small moment proved crucial, since he was dealing with a very fast demon. The youkai saw the opportunity and quickly swiped at Inuyasha's chest, leaving five large gashes across his chest and abdomen.
Angered at the pain in his chest, Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga again, and grinned maliciously when Tarumo let out a piercing shriek of pain from the large gaping hole in his stomach.
Meanwhile, Kagome had reached Rin and was trying her best to rouse her.
“Rin! Get up!” Kagome whispered hurriedly, as she knelt beside her, pulling the girl's body onto her lap and shaking her. “Rin! Inuyasha's here! We'll be saved!”
Rin roused slowly, blinking bleary eyes as Kagome's face slowly came into view. “Kagome?”
“YES! Rin, get up! Inuyasha's here!”
“What?” Rin asked weakly, following Kagome's eyes to the hallway. Kagome began to stand, pulling her up along with her.
“Come on! We have to try to help him!” Kagome said. “If we don't, we might not be able to get out of here!”
Rin got to her feet, her hand coming up to rub the painful spot on her cheek. She followed Kagome out the cell, eyes widening when she saw the scene before her.
Kagome gasped as she saw the bright red marks across Inuyasha's chest, leaking with thick blood. She started to run to him on impulse, but Rin held her arm back as she did.
“No!” she hissed. “You can't put yourself in danger! If what Tarumo said about you is true, then I will not allow you to die!”
“What do you want me to do, watch and let him die?” Kagome said as she tried to pull her arms from Rin's tight grip.
“He won't die from that wound, Kagome! I have seen him run with a sword through his abdomen and laugh about it,” Rin said. “You have to stay back!”
“NO! I have to help him Rin!” she broke free as she saw Inuyasha thrown violently to her direction.
Inuyasha angrily tried to get another clear shot of the youkai, but his thick leather wings were as much of a barrier as any shield could have been. As he struck him again, Tarumo flipped back his wing, knocking him back a few feet and right at Kagome's feet.
“Inuyasha!” she cried as she knelt down beside the fallen man. “Daijobu?”
“What are you doing here, wench? Get back in the cell!” Inuyasha snarled as he pushed himself up, bracing himself on his sword. Kagome held him by his arm as he did so, her face a mask of concern.
“No! I can't stay there and watch you get battered!”
“You are my legal possession! Do as I say!”
“NO!”
As the two argued, however, they didn't notice Tarumo, weakened as he was by the wound on his torso, begin to gather his energy into a ball in his remaining hand. Rin did, however, and she shouted a warning a second before Tarumo released it.
“Yasha! Kagome! Look out!”
Both turned their attention back to Tarumo at Rin's shout, and as the ball of energy approached, both thought of only one thing:
`I have to protect Kagome!'
`I have to protect Inuyasha!'
Kagome reacted to the shot with a shout, subconsciously pulling Inuyasha to her. Inuyasha reacted almost the same, grabbing Kagome and spinning so that the energy ball would collide with his back, and not harm the girl he clutched protectively to his chest.
But... nothing came. Kagome opened her eyes when a few seconds had already passed and the energy ball still had not reached them. Inuyasha turned his head slowly to look at Tarumo. He was surprised to find the bat youkai staring at them in shock, his eyes roving a small area around them.
Inuyasha followed Tarumo's eyes, and got a shock himself. He and Kagome were surrounded by a glowing aura, and judging from the fact that he had not gotten hit by the energy ball, that glowing arc of gold must have somehow acted as a forcefield to protect them.
Kagome was looking just as stunned, and she looked over her shoulder to gauge Rin's reaction. Rin was looking even more stunned, and her eyes kept darting from Inuyasha and back to Kagome.
Tarumo's voice broke through their shock. “The key... the two halves of the key...”
His words made Inuyasha's full attention snap back into place. `That bastard figured it out... if word gets out that Kagome and I are the full key, hell will break lose.'
Before he can move though, Tarumo had fled the scene, rushing down the corridor and up the stairs faster than their eyes can follow.
“SHIT!”
“You got that right, Rin.” Inuyasha replied, before letting go of Kagome and attempting to follow Tarumo.
-----/---
At exactly the same time that Inuyasha broke down the dungeon's door, the scent-sealing spell around the fortress broke, releasing the scents from within. Sesshoumaru, still quite a distance away, jerked up from his bored position on the trucks front passenger seat.
`That scent,' he thought, sniffing discreetly as he tried to decide whether or not he was hallucinating. The scent, as far away as he was from the source, was something he could never mistake...
“Rin...” he said softly, then straightening in shock and anticipation. He then thrust the map at the driver, before suddenly leaping off the running vehicle, running so fast, the driver didn't even get to see him land on the ground.
Sesshoumaru raced into the forest, using his poison claws to bring down tress that stood in his way. He was but a blur of white in the green façade of the forest, his golden eyes a flash of amber twinkling from a distance.
He was running at a speed rarely attained even by other demons of speed, and yet he felt like he was still unforgivably slow. He urged his legs to carry him faster, wishing not for the first time that he could go at the speed of light.
It was her scent, he was sure of it. No other scent could cloud his mind so completely, could make him lose his mask of calm. It was her. And as he approached the tall form of the fortress, he smelled a foul scent of a bat demon - bearing traces of Rin's blood.
His golden eyes rapidly darkened to furious slits of red, and as he came upon the castle, the being with Rin's blood emerged from the door.
Tarumo didn't know what hit him. One second he was running from Inuyasha, next he was pinned to the ground, one of his eyes torn from its socket and blood running more rapidly down his front. He screamed in pain as Seshoumaru loomed over him, his claws dripping sickly green blood.
“Where is she?” he asked softly, almost calmly.
“The key is with the hanyou...” he started, but was stopped by Seshoumaru's hand pressing tightly against his windpipe.
“I don't care about the Calderian!” Seshoumaru snarled. “Where is Rin?”
“Sesshoumaru!” Inuyasha's voice called from the doorway, but Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on Tarumo.
“Where is she?!” Sesshoumaru asked more forcefully, shaking Tarumo as Inuyasha approached. Inuyasha tapped his shoulder and spoke, without even hoping for the demon to look his way.
“Rin is in the dungeon with Kagome,” he began, and that made Seshoumaru's attention focus on him. He stared intently as Inuyasha continued. “Go to her. I know you want to. And leave that bastard to me...” he continued, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.
Sesshoumaru immediately leapt off Tarumo, rushing into the fortress. Inuyasha didn't even give Tarumo a chance to rise, though, as he immediately shoved him back down and pointed Tetsusaiga at his throat.
“Was it Naraku?” Inuyasha demanded.
Tarumo looked defiantly up at him, not saying a word. Inuyasha then pressed the blade of his sword against Tarumo's neck, drawing a generous amount of blood in the process. The bat youkai's remaining eye rolled back in pain as he nodded weakly.
“Good. Now, where is he?” Inuyasha asked again.
“I don't know,” Tarumo replied. He gives us orders from different messengers.
“Us?”
“I don't know who the others are! None of us know who the others are. And I don't know who my messenger really is,” Tarumo said.
“Ok. Thanks, and...” Inuyasha paused, a feral grin making its way to his face. “Sorry, coz I can't let you live. You now officially know too much about me and Kagome. Goodbye.”
And with that, Inuyasha pushed the tip of his sword into Tarumo's throat, the latter letting out a strangled gurgle before the scent of death overtook the musty scent of the bat youkai.
-----/---
Sesshoumaru followed Rin's scent into the lower part of the fortress. Excitement rushed through him as the scent became unbelievably nearer. “She's alive!” he said softly to himself as he rounded one last corner...
Coming to stand but a few feet away from her...Seeing her for the first time in four long months. She was considerably pale and thin, and he seethed at Tarumo for having kept her there, fighting the urge to go back to the dying youkai, tearing him from Inuyasha's grasp, and killing him ten times over.
She was speaking to Kagome, holding her arm, and his stealthy entrance did not alert both of them to his presence. He composed himself slightly before speaking.
“Rin,” the one word was full of so much meaning.
Both women looked up, and while Kagome was rather pleased to see the youkai commander there, the same could not be said for Rin.
She was waaaaay beyond pleased.
“Se-Sesshoumaru?”
Sesshoumaru gave a very small smile at the sight of Rin's shocked and near ecstatic face. “I am glad you are alive, Rin.”
Rin's bottom lip began to quiver at the sight of Sesshoumaru's smile. She forgot Kagome was there as she continued to stare at the man before her. `Gods... it had been so long...' she thought blearily, approaching him with slow, unsure steps. So many times she had dreamed of this... Gods, she hoped it wasn't another dream!
“Is it really you, Sess?” Rin asked softly as she walked up to him. She reached out a hand, her fingers grazing his chest armor, and her breath sobbed out of her throat.
“Sesshoumaru!” she cried, throwing herself at him, helpless tears rushing out of her eyes. “Gods, it's you! It's really you!”
Sesshoumaru, finally unable to hold in the emotions that seeing her had brought him, crushed her to his chest, burying his face into her hair. “Rin...” he whispered softly. “I have missed you, my Rin.”
“I missed you too!” Rin cried, not missing the slight change that the emotionless demon's voice took. “I missed you so much!”
-----/---
Kagome felt awkward at watching the two reunite. Were they lovers? She felt like an intruder in their private moment.
She looked around and decided to leave the two behind and find Inuyasha. She was sure he had run out of the dungeon, so where to?
She followed the long dungeon hallway and found herself facing a set of stairs. She slowly climbed the steps, her hand rubbing the bruise on her neck. She followed another hallway as she reached the tope, following the light she could see ahead.
She turned into the main hall, and from there, saw Inuyasha sheathing his sword as he stood over a dead Tarumo. Excitement suddenly rushed to her and she ran to him, holding her skirts in her hand.
“Inuyasha!” she cried stumbling slightly in her haste. She barely lost her balance, but Inuyasha was there, supporting her, in an instant.
He helped her straighten, holding her by her arms, as he quickly scanned her for injuries. His eyes instantly went to her throat, and before he could stop himself, he reached down and gently ran his hand over the bruising.
“This looks kinda painful. Are you ok, Kagome?” he asked, turning her so she looked straight at him. As she turned to face him, though, he found that her face was full of surprise. “What?”
“You... said my name,” she remarked, a small grin finding it's way to her lips as she held onto his arms.
Inuyasha blanched in surprise. “I... I did? No I didn't!”
“Yes, you did!” she replied impatiently. “Just now, you did! You also called me back there in the dungeon. You called me by my name!”
“Keh,” Inuyasha replied, turning to look at anything but her. “So I guess I did. So what?!”
“Oh, nothing,” Kagome replied, she herself surprised at how much that little thing made her happy.
Inuyasha cleared his throat then. “So, does this hurt?” he asked, pointing to the bruises yet again.
“Not really,” she replied. “But I would like to have it bandaged a bit and... what was that?”
A distant noise rumbled faintly in the background, and Inuyasha grumbled as he realized what it was. “Backup's here. Keh. A jolly lot of help they did.”
The troops arrived a short while later, and Kagome and Inuyasha watched as they threw Tarumo's body into a rectangular furnace and proceeded to burn it with a fire demon's help. He then led Kagome to the ambulance, watching as the medic bandaged her neck.
A sudden thought came to him. “Kagome, have you seen Sesshoumaru?”
“Hai,” she replied, wincing at the alcohol the medic dabbed on her. Inuyasha growled at the medic to be more careful. “He met up with Rin in the dungeons. Isn't he out yet?”
“I dunno. Oh wait, there he is now.”
Sesshoumaru emerged from the fortress, holding an unconscious Rin in his arms. The girl had exhausted herself crying, and her dehydration and fright all kicked in at once, making her lose consciousness.
He headed for the ambulance, placing Rin on the bed that the other medics had lain out. He then turned to Inuyasha, his face one again a mask of calm, and said “She's alive. I told you she was.”
“I know,” Inuyasha replied as his brother's face softened for a moment as he stared at the unconscious girl. “And... I'm glad.”
-----/---
A/N: Done! Haha! Sorry again for the delay!
Thanks again to all those who read, reviewed, and even visited my previous chaps. I hope you liked this chap, and please review! No flames please...
Ja ne!
ScarletRaven