InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Purgatory & Innocence ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

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

Chapter Three


Rin and Jaken dropped to the ground without questioning Lord Sesshoumaru. His orders were never questioned, only followed. By the tone in his voice, Rin and Jaken knew that there must be danger afoot because Sesshoumaru seldom vociferated anything.

His usual calm and impassive face was gone, replaced with a very dangerous threatening one. Only seconds after dropping to the ground, something flew over their heads. Sesshoumaru smirked. "Is that your attack? 'Humph' I'd have thought you'd realize such tactics are useless."

*Whomever is out there...Lord Sesshoumaru must know who there are.* Jaken lifted his head slightly to gaze around the forest. *They must be a very dangerous foe indeed for I have only seen My Lord this angry in the presence of Naraku and when his no good half-brother is around.* Behind him were two daggers stuck in the belly of a tree. Jaken shook with fear. *Those could have killed us!*

Without looking at Jaken, Sesshoumaru placed his foot on Jakens head, pressing his face into the earth. "Unless you wish to die now...you will do as I say and keep your head down."

Jaken was relieved when Sesshoumaru removed his foot. He turned his head to the side and gasped deeply for air. Several more daggers raced past Sesshoumaru. With his youkai speed, he easily dodged each and every one of them. He smirked confidently.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! Lord Sesshou-ma-ru! What a pleasure it is to see you once again!" A womans voice came booming from the forest. "What? No hug? No kiss? Awwwwww...I'm very disappointed in you Sesshoumaru."

The voice seemed to be all around them. Sesshoumaru growled deeply. His eyes never wandered from one point of origin. He seemed to know exactly where his opponent was hiding the entire time.

Rin managed to crawl into a patch of high grass, concealing her completely. *Where does she think she is going?* Jaken inched his way into the same patch of tall grass. Rin lay silent and unmoving.


"Rin? Rin?" Jaken whispered. When she didn't respond to his call he shook her leg and quietly called out her name again. "Rin?" As he shook her, he noticed that her leg felt ice cold. *What has happened to her?* He edged closer to her. Now that he was face to face with her, he could see that she appeared to be dead. Her face had a grey cast to it. Jaken felt an angonizing jolt of emotional pain run through him. He thought he might burst into tears at any given moment. *The girl was spoiled and irritating, but...* Tears welled in his eyes. *...she didn't deserve this.* The tears nearly fell until thoughts of Sesshoumaru's anger cluttered in his mind. *What will he do to me?* He began to bite on his fingers with worry. "Rin? Rin? You can't be dead. No. Sesshoumaru will KILL me. Wake up girl." He spoke in a hushed, but desperate voice.

"What has happened to your companions...Lord...Sesshoumaru? I don't see them anywhere." Her voice was mocking and cold. She was taunting him. Sesshoumaru ran into the forest with Toukijin gripped firmly in his hand. 'SWISH' With one wave of his sword he cleared a wide path through the middle of the forest.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! You always were so brash when it came to fighting." Daggers seemed to fly at Sesshoumaru from every direction now, but he paid very little attention to them. He was too swift for them to strike him. "You mean to tell me that the girl and that idiot, you call a servant, mean so little to you?"

Sesshoumaru held fast to Toukijin. He leaped into the trees, landing behind a mysterious woman. Her identity was concealed by a long and flowing red cloak. She turned her head to the side, still concealing her face, and smirked at him. She lept down from the tree and sneered at Sesshoumaru with much disdain. "My...my Sesshoumaru. You have grown a temper, haven't you? Sooooo...you do you care about them after all? How sweet. You've grown a heart." She burst into laughter.

"Enough of your foolishness wench."

"I haven't seen you in fifty years. Is that any way to greet an old friend? How ruuuude."

Jaken peered through the grass to catch a glimpse of the woman. He could see her face clearly. She had turned her head away from Sesshoumaru to keep him from seeing her, but Jaken could see her perfectly. Her eyes were a bright blue, like never seen on any human before, or Youkai for that matter. Her hands were folded in front of her and on her left hand she bore a marking that seemed quite familiar to him. *I've seen that symble before.*

"There is nothing you can do for her now, Jaken? Is it?" Her eyes met Jakens. A menacing stare. Her brilliant blue eyes seemed to glow bright as starlight. "She's fine I assure you. For now...that is."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened when he caught a small, but distinct scent of blood. Rin's blood. He lept into the air, falling gracefully next to Rin. Concern and confusion tore through him like a razored claw tearing through his flesh. Although he did not show his emotions physically, he was filled with them inside for this small human child. He picked up her cold lifeless form and held her in his arms. He narrowed his eyes as he turned to face his foe. The woman kept her gaze from him and turned her head to the side to avoid eye contact.

"Don't worry Sesshoumaru, she's not dead yet, as I have told your servant. It's not she that I intend to kill, but sometimes these things happen...isn't that right, Sesshoumaru?" The woman grinned.

Jaken stood up next to his master. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO RIN, WITCH?!" Jaken demanded.

"Witch, am I? HA! HA! HA! HA! Sesshoumaru, I would advise you to teach this troll some manors." She raised her head to make eye contact with Jaken. "The girl has been poisoned by one of my daggers. I could let her die!" Sesshoumaru regarded the small wound on the side of Rin's neck. "But don't worry...she won't die unless I choose not to give her the antidote. So, I leave it up to you, Sesshoumaru. Does she live? Or will you let her die?"

He looked down upon Rin's face once more before he layed her on the ground next to Jaken. "Let anything further happen to her...and I will make you beg for you own death when I am through with you."

"Hai, Sess-hou-ma-ru-sama." Jaken shivered as Sesshoumaru cast him an evil gaze. *Surely he doesn't think this is my fault?* Jaken gulped as he watched Sesshoumaru walk away. *Yes he does.* He held Rin close to him as she lay on the ground. *Stupid girl.* Jakens eyes softened as he looked down upon her.

"Aneko." The woman called out a name. Sesshoumaru's claws were dripping with acid now. He intended to end this charade immediately.

"You intend to kill me...do you? I think not."

Sesshoumaru's eyes grew large and changed to blood red. With lightning speed, he was standing in front of the woman. She gasped as he thrust his poisonous claws through her abdomen. She spit up a small amount of blood as she attempted a small laugh, but made not a sound. She fell into the demon lord and tried to hold herself upright. She clung to his haori with all of her strength.

"You...cheat-ed..." Sesshoumaru removed his hand and allowed her blood to flow from the wound. He pulled her hands away from his haori and watched her drop to the ground. Izumi grasped ahold of Tensaiga as she fell and pulled it from its sheath. His sword lay next to her fallen form as she took her last breath. For the first time, he looked upon the womans face and knew who she was. Her scent was slightly distorted and mixed with a scent of death. Her scent resembled that of his brothers dead miko. *I should have known. I thought her scent seemed familiar to me.*

'Humph!' Sesshoumaru turned his back to Izumi and walked over to where Rin lay inanimate. He had made a silent vow to himself that he would never let Rin fall victim again as when the wolves had attacked her. The pain of dying like that, all alone, saddened him somehow. She made him feel pity when he would otherwise never feel pity.


"Antidote, Sesshoumaru-sama...where's the antidote?" Jaken cried out to his master. Sesshoumaru turned to retrieve the antidote from the woman, but was surprized to see that she had vanished, along with his sword.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, where did she go?" Jaken gasped.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a moment and opened them slowly. He could neither smell her nor her blood in the area except for the large patch of blood that had coagulated in the place where she had fallen. Sesshoumaru picked Rin up and held her. His usual stoic look returned. Jaken followed in silence. *Why hasn't he said anything?*


They seemed to walk miles. A hopeless feeling filled their minds. Rin would surely die if they didn't find an antidote or another cure for the poison flowing through her veins. *If she dies...Lord Sesshoumaru can't bring her back without Tensaiga.* Jaken thought to himself as he stared at the back of his master. *Does he know of another way to save her?*

Drowning in thought and confusion, Jaken bumped into his master. "Oh...My lord. I'm so sorry. Please forgive."

Sesshoumaru glared back at Jaken then turned his focus on something in front of him.

~*~

Kagome was startled when she felt the same touch run over the other side of her face. It felt like a hand this time. Kagome swore she saw something transparent in front of her, yet it flowed like water. It came closer. She could see what appeared to be... *A face?*

The figure spoke to her, though it's mouth never moved. "Run." It whispered. "Run, Kagome."

Her companions weren't watching as she turned an ran. She could hear the voice repeating itself in her head. "Run. Run, Kagome." Her heart beat fiercely in her chest. She was terrified. The coldness she had felt had finally ebbed, but she kept running. She weaved through the trees and brush like a terrifed rabbit. Suddenly, she tripped and slid across the rough ground. When she came to a halt, she opened her eyes and noticed two feet were right in front of her. She slowly raised her head to see the owner of them. *Sesshoumaru!*