InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Double Vision ❯ Chapter 46 ( Chapter 45 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Cyclonic winds shot through with brightly colored orbs of energy and sizzling bolts of lightning whipped around his figure as he allowed his beast to take control. The great white dog that emerged from the electrical storm howled and launched himself into the snowy night sky, desperately seeking his pup. Little Rin, who had followed him across Japan, and who had always had perfect faith in her Sesshomaru Sama. When she was very small and frail, he had fed her his blood. Even when she grew strong, he continued the ritual, binding her close so that wherever he went, he could feel her presence deep inside his soul, every minute of every day. Though she was now an adult and no longer loved him as she once had, his blood still coursed through her veins, and he would never abandon her. He was with his new mate, pleasing her by the side of the onsen, when suddenly a piercing pain stabbed through his heart, and for the first time in many years he could no longer feel his pup’s presence. No matter how much she changed, he would always remember her as she had been as a child, her face lit up by her cheerful, gap-toothed smile. Once Naraku was defeated, his primary focus had been to find the perfect way to extend her life without changing her into something else or sacrificing her mortal soul. He could not conceive a world without Rin in it. He stretched his consciousness out across the land, to the east, south, west and north. He could not feel the presence of his Rin, anywhere. The beast darted through the night sky until he came to Inuyasha’s Forest. From there he circled outward in ever widening circles, seeking out Rin’s scent.

Master Ungai huddled in the escape tunnel that ran from a concealed door in the temple to the thick forest outside the town’s walls. He remembered Kagome’s companion Inuyasha well. He was a mere hanyou, armed with a demon sword, yet seemingly of little consequence. When he heard the disruption at the town’s gates, the monk had expected to find his men fighting Inuyasha. What he had actually encountered in the ceremonial room of the temple was a vision from hell, an evil god of chaos set loose upon the earth. A huge warlord of a demon whose white silk garments and long white braid were stained by the blood of Ungai’s acolytes, bearing a fearsome sword and howling with the rage of a great wild beast. Could the Lord of the West, Sesshomaru, have grown into this monster in the years since he had last seen him? There was a strong resemblance, but demons were known to change slowly, and the demon lord who was the master of little Rin had been fearsome, but slender and agile, graced with tender features any hime would envy, not the rugged behemoth he had just seen slaughter his troops. Regardless of the demon’s identity, there was no way Ungai could defeat such a monster in battle. The little priestess was on her own now.

Rin ran from the temple, and out a minor gate in the town wall, into the surrounding forest. There were no guards. They had all apparently been slaughtered. The temple and the streets of the town were dripping with the blood of Ungai’s troops. She had felt the attacker’s overwhelming demonic aura, and knew it was not that of Lord Sesshomaru. She assumed the unknown demon was raiding the stronghold out of enmity toward Ungai. Although she had no idea he had come for her, she knew it was best to try to evade his notice. Rin evaluated her options, and decided to avoid any well-traveled roads and stick to the cover of heavy forest on her way back to Edo. Traveling with Lord Sesshomaru had made her skillful at finding her way in the wilderness. She headed in the general direction of Edo until she found a game trail heading in the right direction. She had traveled a few miles on the narrow footpath, which wound through a dark and creepy swamp, when suddenly a bloody, disheveled form came crashing out of the underbrush.

“Inuyasha!” She cried, rushing to him. He pulled her to his side as best he could with his right arm. To her horror, she saw that his left arm had been hacked off, leaving a bloody stump protruding from his shredded fire-rat robe. She cuddled into his side, leaning her face against his chest.

Inuyasha sniffed, then looked at her in shock. “Rin! What happened to the pup?”

Rin had no trouble summoning the tears that streamed down her face. Her heart was suddenly overwhelmed by remorse. Her life had been spinning out of control, and she had told so many lies and hurt everyone who had cared about her. How had she become such an awful person? Rin was caught in a trap of her own making. Though she regretted all the lies she had told, she knew she did not dare to tell Inuyasha the truth. He would surely kill her for deliberately aborting his pup. “Oh, Inuyasha!” She sobbed. “It was so horrible. Master Ungai did it. He purified our pup!”

Sesshomaru had found her scent. Rin was still alive, and she was with Inuyasha! He shape-shifted in mid-air, assuming his humanoid form. Spotting the two, he plummeted from the sky, landing with a flourish of white silk and fur. Inuyasha shoved Rin behind him. Pathetic! As if Inuyasha could keep him from his Rin. As Sesshomaru advanced on the pair, Inuyasha clumsily pulled his sword and used it to hold his brother back. “You have only one arm, little brother. It would appear the worm has turned.” With incomparable grace, he drew his own sword, disarming his half-brother in one elegant motion. He lunged for Rin, grabbing her wrist in his free hand. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind at the story her scent told. None of them reflected well on Rin. “You have broken your bond with me, Rin, and you have lost Inuyasha’s pup. You have been a busy girl, have you not?”

Inuyasha snapped. “Don’t talk to her like that! Ungai purified her and the pup. It was none of her doing!”

“How did you come to be in Ungai’s company, Rin?”

Rin was caught. Sesshomaru was much older and more cunning than Inuyasha, and there was no way she would be able to manufacture a lie that would fool him. “I didn’t have any choice. When Inuyasha cast me aside, I sought out Ungai. I knew he was the only one who would be willing to help me.”

Rin struggled against the hold Sesshomaru had on her wrist. He let her go, and she ran to Inuyasha, sobbing hysterically. “I still love you Inuyasha. Please, let me stay with you!” Inuyasha turned away. He had betrayed her, as he had betrayed Kagome. But Kagome would never have killed his pup! “Shut up, Rin! I just don’t give a damn any more!”

“Inuyasha, return Rin safely to Edo. Either take care of her yourself, or give her into the care of Jaken. It is your choice.”

Inuyasha replied in his sarcastic voice. “Haven’t we already been through this once before? She’s no good, Sesshomaru. All she does is manipulate everyone around her. I made a big mistake having anything to do with the lying, murdering bitch!”

“No Lord Sesshomaru! Don’t make me go with him! He doesn’t want me! Take me with you! Please, I’ll be good, I promise!”

Rin would always be his daughter, though she no longer carried his blood in her body. He wanted to protect her, and instinct compelled him to take her back into his pack. But Kagome was his mate, and she had suffered too much already at the hands of Rin and Inuyasha. He thought of how he had left her at the onsen, and felt a twinge of remorse. It seemed he was destined to hurt her too. Though it cut him to the heart, he would spare Kagome this indignity at least.

“Kagome is my mate. She treated you like a little sister, but you betrayed her. Perhaps someday you will be able to redeem yourself to her, but it will take time and effort. I will come to Edo in the spring to check on your well-being, but you must make your own way in this world, Rin.”