InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Exhilarating ❯ Betrayal's Hand ( Chapter 14 )

Info: The quick edit/preview.... hates me.... -.-0 I cannot do anything anymore. (sigh) And so, because of my inability to do anything anymore... I will try harder. Yes, no more giving up. (determined look) Why? Because I am more stubborn than Inuyasha on a bad day!! And I want to win!!! o.o; Erm, I mean... Enjoy the new chapter.

Rug: Marchan has finally reviewed on the fanfic itself! Haha! Rather than emailing Tenshi-chan her thoughts... so, yay! Anyway, neither of them own Inuyasha. Which is good... because Tenshi-chan's laziness would've shown greatly in the making of the manga. -.-; And no one likes a badly drawn hanyou, after all....

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Exhilarating Chapter 14 - Betrayal's Hand

By: Tenshi and Marchan

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When her eyes opened, a familiar scene of a hatched roof overhead was the first thing she saw. 'Déjà... vu...' Her sight still felt blurry, so the girl blinked a few times to rid herself of the feeling. Her chest still felt heavy. Was it all a bad dream? When she turned over, would she find Inuyasha beside her....? Testing out this theory, the raven-haired teen slowly turned her head, seeing nothing but the rest of an empty room. It wasn't just déjà vu; this was the same place she was before, with Inuyasha...!

Rin opened her mouth to speak, but found her voice to be scratchy and worn. 'What...?' A hand reached for it, but in doing so, the girl gasped sharply. Her hand! It was... scratched up! 'Wh-what....?!' She raised another arm in front of her lying form, finding it to be no better. They were both almost completely covered in white bandages. And when she saw them, a sudden pain began tingeing in her head, leading back to them. Before long, she started feeling surges of pain from all over her body. Was her entire form bandaged like this?

She felt her face. There were only misplaced, small coverings on it. Rin sighed, partially in relief. At least she wasn't terribly ravaged... though, for all she knew, her legs may as well have been gone. Wincing at the thought, she test kicked them. Or, because of the feeling of needles going through them, merely had them touch each other. No, she still could walk. Maybe...

Rin returned a hand to her neck. Even there, the white strips covered her. Hopefully she wasn't mute... then Sesshoumaru's newfound liking to converse would've been in vain. She tried once more to speak. "Ses.... Sesshou...." The sound was raspy at first, and sort of felt dry. Maybe after a drink....

'Oh, that's right!' Rin gasped at the thought. She had nearly drowned.... even then, her mouth tasted like the river water, despite the lack of moisture in it at the moment. Perhaps that was why her breathing felt slightly lagging. The girl made a sound of relief, before her thoughts suddenly turned to something else. 'But... who saved me...?'

Inuyasha, could it have been? Even just the thought made her chest feel even heavier. She was, after all, in the same position she was before. Still... she was sure he was dead. The weight upon her was immediately lifted at the notion. If it was true... and he was the one... then Inuyasha had survived! A relieved smile tugged itself at her lips, as the heat rose to her face. Alive.... Then was there a second chance for him and her?

'Alive... Inuyasha is alive....!' Even though she was supposed to be happy, warm tears still couldn't help but streak down at the sides of her face. Rin dabbed at them with the blanket that had been placed over her. What was she doing? Crying, yes but... she was happy. Why cry when one was so happy...? 'He's alive, fool, stop it...' she told herself, bring the covering over her against her cheek. It was soft, and slightly reminded her of Sesshoumaru's furry accessory that draped over the taiyoukai's shoulder. 'Why are you crying when Inuyasha is alive....?'

Even after her reassuring, it still took a while before the feeling left her. She wanted to stand and find him, after. Rin wanted to see where the hanyou was... for her own eyes. When the girl tried to sit up, it was hard to move because of a pain in her side. When she lifted the blanket off of herself, Rin saw why. There was a much deeper gash going down her side than anywhere else. A dark red coloring had even seeped through the covering on it. She cringed, but took to her feet anyway. The pain lessened when she stood, at least.

When Rin looked down, she found that she wasn't even wearing her clothes. Her eyes widened in surprise, and a heavy blush fell over her. Then... where were they? She looked around, seeing the familiar threads lying on the floor next to a dark blue yukata that had been spread out. She looked both over, figuring out why the blue one had been set there; her own clothing had been shred. Still, the question loomed in her mind. 'Who changed my clothes....?!'

Brushing the embarrassment off, the girl quickly slipped on the new, shorter yukata and set her sights back onto the door. The distance instantly became farther when she began walking, however, because she found each step to be like stabbing at her feet. Without looking at them, Rin could tell; she must've been slashed there too. 'Darn rocks...' she mentally cursed, aiming it at the river she'd been tossed through, roughly.

It was still a blur in her head, and when it was happening it seemed like forever. Did Jaken know there was a cliff in that forest...? Rin sighed, knowing this occurrence could only make Sesshoumaru angry at Jaken. 'Poor Jaken-sama...' she thought, a slight sadness coming over her. Every time anything bad happened to her, her master would always blame the smaller youkai, even if it wasn't his fault.

Unbeknownst to her, however, this was the miserable toad's fault. He had plotted to get rid of her once and for all. And Jaken was surer than sure that his plan had been fool-proof. However, the girl had endured what he had thought to be her end; and, seeing as how he was unaware of her survival, continued to think of it as such.

Rin brightened, once her hand reached the door, but then her stance wavered. She clung to the door's framing, setting herself back up slowly, the pain in her side throbbing as she did. Apparently, every time the girl put a certain amount of pressure on her arms, the gash in her side stung. Noting this, Rin slowly stepped outside, being sure to keep one hand on something.

The sun was bright out, making her shut her eyes tightly in retaliation. There was a large comparison between the sky outside, and the dimmed surroundings of the hut. When she reopened them, the girl found Mya and Aki ((a.n.: see chapters 3 and 4)) staring back at her.

"Ah... hello?" Rin said, blinking in surprise. The two smiled in response.

Suddenly, Aki turned around and yelled to his mother. "Mama!! Rin-san is awake!" Rin's eyes widened. Just as quickly, a woman came around the corner of the hut, her long, black hair pulled into a loose ponytail that reached her waist.

Sango gasped at the sight of Rin, and hurried over by her side, both hands on the girl's shoulders, almost as if she feared Rin would fall if she didn't hold her up. "Rin-chan, what are you doing up and around?! Go back inside...!" The woman was just about to turn her around, when Rin protested.

"Iie, I'm fine...!" She pulled out of Sango's arms, before missing her footing and being caught by the older woman.

"Judging from this, I'd have to say you're wrong," Sango replied, bringing Rin back up. She looked concerned for the girl, which only made Rin embarrassed. "Now, go back inside. These are even worse wounds than last time, and you've only been asleep for a single day, as opposed to that week before...!"

"A single day?" she repeated, questioningly.

This time, another voice spoke up. "Hm, so she's awake...?" Both Sango and the girl turned their heads, only to see Miroku standing directly behind the two, Aki and Mya giggling in the sidelines from the surprised looks on their faces.

"Houshi-sama?" Rin made a sound of slight disappointment, having been hoping for a certain someone else.

He nodded. "Ah, Rin-san... It's your turn to thank the twins, this time, rather than the other way around." The monk motioned to Aki and Mya, who blushed from being mentioned. "They were the ones who had found you by the river."

"Ah!" she gasped. "So they were the ones...?" To this, all four nodded, again causing more inner disappointment in Rin. Of course, she had again been hoping for that same someone else to have saved her. But, at least she was saved at all, she was mentally reminded.

"Hmm..." Rin thought of bowing, but she remembered the pain in her side, and skipped it. They were just kids anyway. "Well, then, thank you for helping me, Aki-kun and Mya-chan," she said, a smile gracing her face.

Miroku chuckled. "Inuyasha was right... Sesshoumaru's toughness must've rubbed off on you, for you to be up and running so quickly." Sango rolled her eyes from his words.

"She may be tough, dear monk," she retorted, putting emphasis on her words, "but she has just been nearly minced by a river of rocks." Sango placed a hand on Rin, before adding, "Which is why she should be going back to bed, now..."

However, Rin pulled away once more, causing a look of annoyance on the ex-taijya's face. "Erm, speaking of the half-demon...," she began, a look of wondering on her face. "Do you know where he is?"

Both Miroku's and Sango's expressions darkened. The monk chose to speak in the stead of his partner, "No.... We were sort of hoping that once you came to, you could tell us when you last saw him...."

"Oh," She sighed, all the hope she had built up before having been crashed down. "So... you have no clue as to where he might've gone...?"

Both shook their heads. "Though," Sango began, "we hope he's with Kagome. Again, though, we haven't seen either in two weeks."

Rin flinched, Sango rushing to her side once more. "I knew you still weren't well enough to be up," the woman stated, attempting to coax the girl back into the hut. However, Rin still refused.

"It's not that.... I have to go find him," the teen protested, trying to get away.

"I can't let you go that easily," Sango said, trying to pull her back. "Please, come back inside-"

"No!" Rin glared at both the demon slayer and the monk, a determined look beset in her eyes. "It's my fault, I go...!!"

"What?" The two looked at each other, both just as confused as the other. Miroku looked back at Rin, only seeing her walking off as fast as her heavily bandaged feet could take her. "Hey, wait!"

She ignored his demand, however, and continued on, each tiny rock and pebble she stepped on being murder on her physical self. 'Inuyasha.... What could have happened to you?'

No sooner had she thought this, when her drained legs finally gave out below her, sending the girl down with a shrill yell. Rin groaned, trying to pull herself up, but the wound in her side preventing her from doing so. She released an exasperated breath, looking up from the dirt in defeat. What she saw was vivid red right before her eyes.

Thinking her eyes had gone weird, the girl felt inclined to scream, but a voice stopped her before she could start. "Rin?"

"Na...ni...?" Her eyes trailed up the billowing red, only to see a very surprised Inuyasha staring down at her. "I-Inuyasha!!" A bright smile spread across her face, as she tried yet again to stand. But, this was to no avail, as her arms simply refused to bring her up.

However, Rin didn't need to pull herself up anymore, for Inuyasha swiftly did it for her. Still a bit flustered, the girl couldn't find a voice to speak with, despite the words she wanted to say and ask. Where had he been? Was he okay? Did he... hate her?

'Well,' she thought, 'Might as well start out with an apology.' "Inuyasha, I'm-"

"Sorry," Inuyasha cut her off, stepping back. Rin blinked in confusion.

"Huh...?" She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her.

"I hurt you," he explained. When she looked down at herself to check, he explained, "No, I mean.... I mean, I made you sad."

Rin looked back up at him. "Hn...? You never made me sad, Inuyasha," she said, furrowing her brows. "I made myself sad. Because... I made the wrong choice..."

He shook his head. "You didn't choose wrongly at all. I was the one who made you cry, because I made you think you loved me. But you don't, so don't think th-"

"Yes, I do!" she cried. "I love you, Inuyasha...!" She buried herself in his arms, much to the hanyou's look of dissent. Despite his looks, however, Inuyasha still, slowly, put his arms around the girl.

"You don't... you can't..."

He pushed himself away from her. "I can't."

"Wh-what...?" She was just about to reach for him again, when another voice stopped her.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing...?" It was Kagome. She was coming up behind the hanyou, a concerned and confused look on her face. However, when she took notice of Rin, her expression turned to one of annoyance. "It's her...!"

"Don't, Kagome," Inuyasha stated, one arm held out to hold the woman back. "She's not doing anything."

"Hn...." Kagome and Rin exchanged stares, Kagome's being one of warning and Rin's being one of sadness.

"You... were with her... all this time?" Rin asked, one hand against the pain in her side. He nodded.

"We came back today to see Miroku and Sango," Kagome said, her tone like cold steel. "Now, if you'll excuse us...." She pulled on Inuyasha's sleeve, leading him towards the village that was their goal.

Rin turned her head sharply as they walked by her, a glare surfacing in her darkened eyes. "Nng...." Not wanting to leave either alone together, despite the fact they'd been as such for two whole weeks, she followed after them, ignoring the pain shooting up her legs more than ever. 'I will not give him up...!'

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afternote: Myah... I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever. And this chapter is a lot shorter than what I'm used to writing.... -.-0 But, I also haven't received a review from a couple of you guys in a while, as well. I thank deeply the ones that have commented, and I apologize for not updating sooner. o.o;; It's just that mid-terms are coming up, and I've had more homework than ever in my classes and... blah, I've had to perform a mini-play this past Friday for the Creative Writing class. (dizzy from just writing it all) Agghh, and now I keep writing chapters for my new story, All-Girl's Sasuke...! What's my problem?! O.o; Sheesh.

But, you see, that story is what I write in when I'm bored in class. Which is a lot. It's silly and quirky, unlike this story, which is why I can do that. However, in order to write Exhilarating the way I want to, I have to be in front of the computer, listening to my Inuyasha music. XD;; A bit sad, I know, but... ah well, I'm a lost cause, anyhow....

Review. And I thank Marchan for reviewing, once more. X3 Yay, Marchan!! Now all of you do the same!