InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hurtful Words: Past & Present ❯ The Past: Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is Copyright of Takahashi Rumiko

Hurtful Words: The Past
Chapter 2

From the moment they arrived Rin never tore her gaze from Sesshoumaru. A wave of relief had passed over her as she saw that he was safe and unharmed. But a wave of fear quickly chased her feeling of relief away. It was not his strange form that frightened her, for she thought he looked rather nice as a giant dog. But when he jumped into the air towards them, his face snarled with a growl and his sharp fangs dripping with drool, she was quickly reminded of the wolf youkai that had attacked her years before. She was staring, unable to move or speak, when Jaken's scream pierced the air. She awoke from her trance and quickly moved Ah Un back and out of Sesshoumaru's range.

"S-s-sesshoumaru-sama!?" Jaken explained in surprise, his body shaking with fear. "Wh-what are you doing, why are you attacking us?"

A deep growl filled the inu-youkai's throat and he barked in response before jumping up to attack again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama..." Rin spoke quietly as she stared at Sesshoumaru.

Jaken screamed again and hit Ah Un with his staff. "Get us out of here before he kills us!"

They fled quickly across the sky with Jaken yelling and cursing. But Rin ignored him and kept staring at Sesshoumaru until he faded into nothing.

"Sesshoumaru," Nagayumi spoke up now that the shock had passed. "If you really despise the girl so much you should have let us kill her. Humans are nothing more than trouble or food anyway. You shouldn't keep--"

Without warning Nagayumi was cut off. Sesshoumaru pierced his neck with his fangs and bit down until he heard the satisfying crunch of bones. He threw the corpse aside and began to attack his surprised enemies. The number of their reinforcements had dwindled down to an amount that even a puppy could handle. He quickly attacked the remaining bat youkai so they could not fly away. He needed only to bite off their heads and spit them out to be melted by his saliva. The youkai that scurried across the ground towards him did not last long from the noxious gas the melting bodies gave off.

By sunrise corpses surrounded Sesshoumaru and still his anger had not diminished.

Jaken slept inside the cave, his snores leaking out into the air. Ah Un too was resting, with Rin lying against them. But sleep had not come for her. She had dozed off once or twice only to be awakened by images of wolf youkai chasing after her. So she stayed awake, waiting for Sesshoumaru to return. Sunrise came, but he did not. Now, late into the morning, he had still not arrived. It was already hot and her yukata was beginning to stick to her skin. Her stomach growled and her throat was dry. But she ignored it and watched for Sesshoumaru.

The sun was high above their heads by the time Sesshoumaru arrived. Rin had run off to rinse to the sweat from her body and cool off. When she came back, there stood Sesshoumaru with a badly bruised Jaken at his feet. He was bowing to his master, offering apologies and explanations. Ah Uh too had their heads bowed in submission. She rushed forward, willing to accept her punishment, and dropped to her knees in front of Sesshoumaru. She bowed and spoke up quickly.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Please do not be angry at Jaken-sama and Ah Un. It is Rin's fault, Rin made them come with her. Rin wanted to help Sesshoumaru-sama."

His voice was harsh and filled with anger. "If you wish to help this Sesshoumaru then do as you are told. I will not protect you and fight at the same time." He never spoke to Rin in such a way but his anger got the better of him.

"But Rin didn't want to be protected, Rin wanted to protect Sesshoumaru-sama!" She stood to her feet even though she knew that he would be displeased that she had not the conversation end. "If anything bad happened to Sesshoumaru-sama then...then...Rin would not be able to live with herself!"

Sesshoumaru said nothing, surprised by the girl’s outburst. Then all at once she ran off as if saddened that he didn't understand. "Ah Un. Go with her."

Jaken jumped to his feet and watched Ah Un trot away. "See! I told you Sesshoumaru-sama! It was all that girl's idea! You should get rid of her, she is very--"

A knock on the head silenced him and left Sesshoumaru alone to his thoughts. What happened the day before was something he never wanted to experience again. He had lost himself, much like his stupid brother had done when he parted with Tetsusaiga to long. But unlike his brother he had not been backed into a corner with his life on the line. It had been Rin's life. He reacted with anger, hate, the need to kill, and much to his disappointment, with fear. He had been overcome with a feeling of fear for Rin's life and was angered by that feeling. That combined with his anger with Jaken, Ah Un, and the bat youkai for even considering laying a hand on Rin pushed him over the edge.

The feeling did not sit very well with him.

Sesshoumaru realized how much he really cared about Rin. He had not realized how deep that feeling went until now. It was ludacris and degrading for him to be caring so much for a mere human. Yet the girl had a place in his heart that many males kept for their daughters. He should get rid of her, he knew, but he was overly protective and because of it, he would never be able to let her go with just anyone. He also realized that he would never be able to go into such a large battle again unless he had Rin locked away somewhere. Her need to protect and care for him despite her powerlessness had been present since the day they met. That need would not die, but perhaps he could compromise with her.

Compromising with a human child. This Sesshoumaru has reached a level lower than the most inferior creatures. Disgusted and frustrated, he knocked Jaken unconscious again.

Her heart pounded loudly against her chest. She could hear it echoing in her ears in the silence of the night. She glanced around her, tuning all of her senses into her surroundings. It was there, lurking in the shadows like her. She was leading, it was following. Narrowing her eyes, she adjusted to the darkness in front of her and silently crept forward. Toes landing first, she slowly set the rest of her foot down in case she stepped on a noisy branch. And then she melted into the shadows again and glanced around cautiously, making sure she was on the right path to the river. She could see the distant glimmer of the moon upon the waters surface and knew she was close to safety. Making sure it was safe, she began to move again.

A branch cracked loudly under her foot.

The noise echoed in her head before she heard a swish of bushes. The creature was moving towards her quickly. Her only hope was to run so she dashed off, her feet padding quietly across the ground. She stuck close to the shadows still, unwilling to completely abandon her training. Beyond the forest she could see the river and stopped just beyond the clearing before she dashed forward. She slipped quietly into the water, trying not to let the creature know she had gone into the water. Holding her breath, she lie on her back and let the water carry her away.

She was yanked from the water before she could really get anywhere.

"Rin, you are being foolish. There was no reason to go into the water."

She frowned and quickly got to her feet when she was placed on the ground. "Gomen, Sesshoumaru-sama. Once Rin started running, she got carried away."

Sesshoumaru said nothing for a moment, speaking only when he began to walk away. "You should not have had to run if you would learn not to be so careless."

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Wait for me!" Rin chased after him, slowing down only when she reached him. "I didn't mean to step on the tree branch."

"It does not matter. You must learn to anticipate things like that. Especially in this season. Nature is dying all around you."

Rin looked down at her feet, feeling ashamed. "I know..." She bit her lip, not knowing what else to say.

"You are still too nervous. If I listened closely enough, I could hear your heart beat and your heavy breathing."

"But Sesshoumaru-sama, you hear everything!" She began to pout, hating that he was being so unfair.

The barest of smiles graced his lips as he was somewhat amused that the child in her still surfaced when provoked. "True. Had it not been this Sesshoumaru that was in pursuit of you, you would have gotten away."

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru and smiled brightly, recognizing the secret meaning beneath his words. It was as close to "good job" as she was going to get. She had been training herself for nearly two years and was finally wielding satisfactory results. She thought back to that day when Sesshoumaru had transformed and come after her. She remembered his anger, the way he seemed to ignore her more than usual. It was her punishment, she knew, and for a long time she thought he was going to abandon her. Until one day, when they were alone, he spoke the words that she immediately took to heart.

"Rin. I will not always be around to protect you. Just like how you find food for yourself, you must also learn to protect yourself. This Sesshoumaru will be able to fight better with the knowledge that you are safe."

The last thing she wanted to do was worry Sesshoumaru. Worry was a distraction and a distraction was something he could do without while in battle. So Rin made a secret promise to him, and to herself, to learn how to protect herself. The promise was one she sought to keep ever since that day. She began slowy, hiding only from Jaken and Ah Un. And then she enlisted Jaken's help to find somewhat trustworthy youkai to practice with. She learned to tune her weak humans senses as best she could to the world around her. Like Jaken, she was able to sense Sesshoumaru if she paid enough attention. With her expanded knowledge and techniques, she began to use them against Sesshoumaru.

To Rin's surprise, he indulged her without complaint. When she sensed Sesshoumaru drawing near, she slipped into the forest, leaving Jaken and Ah Un clueless to her whereabouts. Sesshoumaru often sent Jaken out to search for her first but it was so simple for her to elude his senses that Sesshoumaru himself searched for her after awhile. It was harder to escape his keen senses but Rin accepted the challenge. She tried to train herself to mentally relax so her heart wasn't beating so loudly and her breathing wasn't so hard, but Sesshoumaru always made her nervous. She was still a work in progress but according to his secret compliment, she was improving.

Rin looked up at Sesshoumaru again, amazed as always by the lack of emotion on his face, and made a vow to improve enough to be like him as much as possible.

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