InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Suffer The Fray ❯ Child's Play ( Chapter 15 )

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

Disclaimer: I hold no claim to InuYasha...Rumiko Takahashi does. Bummer.

A/N: Review Acknowledgements- blackr0s3, Sassa, moussajinx, Cynbad146, & Alukina. You guys mean so much to me. You have no idea how much I enjoy getting your feedback and seeing how intense your feelings are towards the fic. I also deeply appreciate all the wonderful compliments on my writing. I'm bowing humbly to all of you right now. On a different note, when I update I try to have at least the two following chapters written as well. That's the reason this is a tad late- I had a bit of a mental block for a few days...but that's all gone now. So read on and enjoy.

Reux

Rin's feet were aching.

As were her ankles.

And her calves.

Sitting off to the side of the trail, she gingerly slipped off her straw sandals and examined the angry red blisters on her heels. She frowned at the painful inconvenience and slid her sling pack from her shoulders. Setting the bundle down, she unrolled it and sorted through the various items piled inside. She pushed aside the fine whalebone comb and the carefully folded silk kimono- by far her most valuable possession- searching for the small pouch of healing salve her Aunt had given her. She pursed her lips bitterly as she plucked the coarse linen sack up from her meager belongings.

Pulling the string tying it closed, she started to speak aloud to herself. "The only reason she gave this to me was because I was always coming home scratched and bruised. All she did was complain, complain, and complain." She winced slightly as she smeared the thick goo over each and every one of the vicious sores. "She said I acted too much like a boy, wandering around the village. Then she'd love beating me with a willow twitch for shirking my chores." She smirked despite herself. "They were boring anyway."

Early on, the woman she had only known as Aunt was pleasant with her strictness. It was inevitably short-lived considering her propensity for living on whim. Her unintentional disobedience- most times in the form of an intriguing distraction that deviated her from her task- eventually led to savage scoldings and escalated to regular wallopings from whatever instrument was in her Aunt's grip at the time. A fan, a writing brush, her gnarled walking stick, and the cursed willow twitch were just a few of the inventive weapons the testy woman had brandished. The twitch was by far the worst; cutting into her tender skin and leaving inflamed welts in its wake. She learned quickly to avoid her Aunt whenever her hands were full.

It wasn't like she was a stranger to ill treatment; they were well acquainted. Rin shook her head and tied the pouch shut again. She had been shocked to her very core when the old biddy had first raised her hand to her. It wasn't supposed to be that way.

"You needn't worry, Rin. You will be safe here."

Rin's honey colored eyes burned. "You lied to me, Lord Sesshomaru. You lied!" She hung her head, blinking back her tears and took a relaxing breath. I've always been right. My own kind is no safer than his. She stared at the soft dirt and absently started to run her finger through it. She had long distrusted other ningens, but the Dai-youkai had been different. She knew the moment that she laid eyes on his smooth, angular face with its distinctive markings that he harbored no injurious intent.

How she knew was anyone's guess, but it wasn't a conscious knowledge on her part. Not back then anyway. There had been something in his contemptuous gaze that spoke to her on a subconscious level, leading her to trust him inexplicably. Her instincts proved to be legitimate by his question of concern.

"What happened to your face?"

Rin blinked away the memory and glanced at what she'd scribbled in the dirt. Aunt had managed to teach her to write and cipher in between her constant rebukes, so the entire time hadn't been spent badly. She smiled at the sandy characters of Sesshomaru's name. Every night I dreamed you would come and rescue me from that hateful witch. She frowned and dragged her fingers through his name, obscuring it. But you didn't, did you? "I was childishly nonsensical. You always keep your word."

Suddenly restless, she doubled her tabi socks, buttoned them, and carefully strapped on her sandals. "I'm going to prove you wrong, Lord Sesshomaru. I'll keep my word just like I said I would." Tying her sling-pack around her shoulders, she cautiously got to her feet. The pain's intensity had diminished somewhat, but walking was still uncomfortable. She just wasn't used to extended travel like she'd once been. The muscles of her legs ached with every step, but she knew she wouldn't get her traveling legs unless she pushed through it. Sheer determination drove her to continue on. She had a goal and she was going to see it through.

"I'm going to find my Lord and give him a piece of my mind. Won't he be surprised?" She murmured quietly to herself, slowly making her way down the path. She had envisioned herself striding up in front of him and staring straight into his captivating golden eyes. She would go on to upbraid him for leaving her with that detestable creature he called a woman and demand an apology.

She snorted as she finally found and easy rhythm and started to become accustomed to the throb in her feet. That's a farce! She couldn't confront him anymore than she could snap her fingers and clear away her blisters. Rin knew herself better than that. When she finally saw him again, it would take all her discipline to abstain from seizing him in her arms.

And knowing Sesshomaru, he would push her away. He had a strong aversion to emotional displays, especially when they involved him.

It discouraged her to know that she'd instantly forgive him for any erroneous behavior towards her. She just couldn't help it. That's the way it had been and always will be she mused. It wasn't in her nature to dwell on ire. She preferred to be lighthearted and free from emotional baggage.

Although, nothing will come to pass if I can't find him!

She endured her grievous shuffle through yet another farming village, spending as little of her precious supply of money to feed herself. The small coins were rapidly disappearing. They would not last her much longer and she wasn't any closer to locating the elusive Inu-youkai than when she stole away from that unpleasant village. Rin chewed the somewhat stale rice cakes pensively. Why am I even looking in villages anyway? Not once has he ever even passed through one in our travels. Sesshomaru favored traversing through uncharted land, following only a path his feet seemed to follow. He was as unpredictable in that aspect as any other. She swiped a stray grain of rice from her lip apprehensively. He could be hundreds of miles from here.

Pounding hooves had her looking up, the gentle zephyr sending the lock of ebony hair to brush across her face. Limping off to the side of the trail, she allowed the young samurai ride past. Her curious eyes lingered on the red banner whipping on the wooden pole he was carrying. The significance of the color pressed down on her and she knew without a doubt that it was a sign telling her what to do.

But what?

She wracked her brain until it hurt, but that queer sensation of recognition never made itself known. It wouldn't come to her until it was ready and she was left waiting impatiently. The banner nagged at her brain for hours, hounding her memory through the rest of the morning and spanning into early afternoon.

It consumed her to the point she ignored her surroundings. Attacking her would have been effortless, even without the damage to her feet. She was just mindlessly strolling along the trail, eyes blank with deep thought. It was the same anytime she dedicated herself to a task, giving it her entire attention. But something flashed through her mind- something that had nothing to do with the banner- making her stop abruptly. What was that? Blinking her dry eyes, she glanced around. "Hello? It someone there?"

The bushes to her right rustled and she stifled a scream of surprise. Backing away, Rin watched a young child step out and blink curiously at her. "Hello."

She swallowed and shook her head sheepishly. It's only a boy. I'm such a twit. She noted his wide, innocent eyes beckoning to her. "What are you doing out her by yourself? It's not safe."

He looked around her. "You're alone."

"That's because..." She bit her lip. He was a perceptive little guy. "I'm an adult." She stepped toward him and knelt down in front of him. "Where are your parents?"

He gestured behind him. "My father left me here."

"He just left you here? Alone?" Rin frowned as she studied his serene features. His skin was light, almost chalky, and his small frame was draped with a dark blue kosode and steel gray hakama. A short katana was tucked into his belt. She was too accustomed to boys with long hair that his mop of close-cropped pale hair bewildered her. That, and the fact his eyes matched it perfectly. She spoke before she could stop herself. "Are you a youkai?"

He gave her a shrewd smile. "My name is Akago."

Rin worried her lip until she was practically chewing it. There was something odd about this child. "I'm Rin." She stood back up and considered him prudently. "Where's your mother?"

"I don't have one."

He was still wearing that wily smile. It distressed her into a fit of cold shivers. He was only a small child. Why was she so jittery? "W-what," She took a deep breath. "What about the village? Do you live there?"

He shook his head slowly. "No."

It felt like he was laughing at her. Like her being frightened by a ghostly child was superbly comical. Rin narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you dead? Are you like some kind of eerie specter that's come to haunt me?"

He chuckled spookily. "No. I can assure you that I am alive, Rin." He held out a pallid hand. "Take my hand."

Rin froze. "What?"

"Please, take my hand." He implored her with a slightly mad gaze. "I don't want to walk to the next village alone."

She held her breath and stared at the puny limb like it was a harbinger of death. It was only the hand of a child. She shouldn't be in fear of her life at the thought of touching him. Or should I? Her gut instinct had never failed her before. Why would she start to question it now? Clutching her hands together, she held them against her chest and moved away. "No."

His deranged features shifted instantaneously. The light eyes blanched bizarrely as thick tears sprang into them. He sobbed brokenly. "Please don't leave me!"

Rin gawked at him. "Ak...Akago?"

He slumped down into the dirt, sending up a small puff of sand as he did so. "He said he didn't want be anymore." His watering eyes gazed up at her beseechingly. "He left me all alone. Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!"

She started toward his crumpled form, but the hair of the back of her neck caught her. The apprehension was back. Rin felt her own tears well at the strength of his need. No, he's only a boy! Shoving the feeling away, she ignored the protest of her feet and snatched him up from the ground. He was lighter than she expected, easily
propping him up on her crossed arms so his legs hung on either side of her waist and his arms wrapped around her neck. He laid his head on her shoulder, coughing with the force of his sobs. She sniffed. "It's alright, Akago. I won't leave you. Please stop crying, I'm right here."

He made a soft mewling sound and clutched her tighter. Rin just held him until his breathing settled and he quieted. He was asleep before she knew it. She hefted him up a bit higher and started walking. Now that she was actually holding him, she couldn't comprehend her earlier fear. It was obvious that he was some kind of youkai- no ningen had ever looked that way- but it didn't discourage the fact he was a child.

A child abandoned by his father.

Gah! Rin scowled at no one in particular. How could people live with themselves when they deserted their children? I know I wouldn't. The logic behind the act, even for a youkai, was completely inconceivable in her mind. It was literally impossible to understand. She meandered along the trail with the dozing boy held tightly against her. It had a feeling of rightness to it. The evening was surprisingly warm for mid-autumn and eased her thoughts to things she had never fancied before.

What would her children look like?

She never imagined herself as a mother before, but her maternal instincts had leapt up from their buried depths at the sight of a needy child. His tears had been the trigger to awaken them inside her and it was preposterous not to picture her own offspring. Gender was irrelevant to her; she had no preference. Rin smiled at the miniature versions of herself, but a fierce frown cast over her face the longer she watched them. Something's not right.

She felt like slapping herself when she realized her silly mistake. I'm such a half-wit! Any of her supposed children would not only resemble her own attributes, but their father's as well. Suddenly she was envisioning a young girl with hair the palest shade of blue it was nearly white, and large, smiling toffee colored eyes. Her angelic grin was adorned by tiny pointed teeth and a pair of button-like ears on the top of her head. She kinda looks like Lord Sesshomaru's little brother, Inu...wait, what?!

She stopped so fast on her screaming feet that she almost tripped. She stared down at the increasingly darkening path. For the girl to look like Inuyasha that meant her father would have to be... No, no, no! Rin shut her eyes tightly and sighed. "What am I thinking?"

"Exactly what I want you to."

Her entire body started to tingle and not in an 'I'm excited' way. She knew it was Akago speaking- she could feel the slight vibration in his chest- but the voice coming out of his throat was one that froze her with fear. What was he talking about? Why would his voice be different?

And why would she be thinking what he wanted? That couldn't possibly be true.

Rin tried to pull him away, but his arms and legs only squeezed tighter. "What are you doing, Akago? Let me go."

The warmth in the air dissipated as he laughed softly. "It is sad that you'll probably never get what you desire, but knowing you'll do anything to acquire it is enough for me." He leaned back far enough to stare into her stiffened face. "Father has big plans for you, my dear."

She tried vainly to scream, but her throat was shutting down. Rin shivered violently against the bombardment of frigid air on her exposed skin, panicking at how quickly the warmth left her. A sensation of insurmountable dread loomed to engulf her, and combined with the abrupt increase of weight on her chest, she wanted to die. Nothing less could make it stop.

Pain flared in her feet, rocketing up her legs and buckling her knees. She crashed to the ground like a lifeless doll, arms flung out and legs bent awkwardly. Her skull pounded jarringly against the earth, shattering her vision into countless blurred shards. The long lashes of her lids fluttered wildly as she struggled to remain conscious. Please... She attempted to inhale, but Akago's limbs were clenched too tightly. Please! Somebody help me!

"I'm sorry." Akago's wintry breath wafted over her neck. "No one can hear you if you don't speak up." He rubbed his icy cheek against her skin like a cat, drinking in her terror-induced convulsions. "It will only hurt for a second, I promise." Turning his head, he opened his mouth and sank his teeth into her flesh.

Rin's dulled senses raged to life as the paroxysm hit her. It felt like a stake was being driven into her throat, inch by thick inch. Her hips bucked up off the ground, fingers gouging into the dirt, and breaking past the clamp on her voice, she screamed. A poignant ache filled her neck as what can only be described as pure, unrestrained evil perforated her body. That, too, was sub-zero in its temperature and sent her into shrieking spasms. To any unfortunate bystanders- there were none- it appeared like she was very much in the final phase of her grotesque death throes. Though seemingly involuntary, the violence of her reaction managed to force Akago away from her body. The paralysis vanished immediately and she knocked him aside. "Get away from me!"

He chortled as he got to his feet and dusted off his hakama. "Your will is very formidable, but you won't get away like that wench Kagome. I too, am stronger."

Rin rolled over and scrambled back, huddling her limbs tight against her and panting past the tangle of severe discomfort in the vicinity of her heart. "Wha...what." She groaned, clamping her eyes shut and releasing fat tears of anguish. "Did you...do...to me?!"

Akago smiled at her with sincere joy. "Oh, this and that. The important thing for you to remember, Rin, is to give in." He strode over to her and grasped her sidelong ponytail, yanking her head up. "You will be a good pet, won't you Rin?"

Her eyes riveted themselves on the blood painted on the youkai- child's lips. The sight curdled her already fear churned stomach. The surge of rage shocked her, but she welcomed it whole- heartedly. Batting his hand away, she scrambled to her now bleeding feet and glared at his patronizing face. She wanted to threaten him with the wrath of Lord Sesshomaru, but her steadfast belief in him had waned. He had served her the most fundamental injustice a being could give another.

He simply had not cared.

The blatant disregard accomplished two things: demolishing her unyielding faith in his strength and humiliating her to the core. It was comprehension of the ignominy more than her recent onslaught that had her sobbing incoherently into her hands. Ignoring Akago, she whirled and bolted up the path. I can't do this! I have to get away!

Rin ran blindly, tripping repeatedly and breaking the falls with hands that soon went raw. She wheezed with every stride, growing more and more listless as she went. Dust caked on her wet cheeks in blackening streaks and she cried out when her knotted chest tightened. A rancorous laugh clouded her brain when she staggered to her left, wind-milling her arms as she teetered on the edge of a steep decline.

"Enjoy your trip, Rin."

The air whispered behind her and she felt what she thought to be hands against her back. And just as quickly, they shoved her into a headlong dive down the hill. Rin shrieked and covered her face, landing hard on her hips and rolling her way to the bottom of the rise. Rocks bruised her and branches tore at her vulnerable skin. The shabby kimono did little to protect her, shredding under the stress of her fall. A thick tree stump brought her flailing body to a harsh halt. Rin merely moaned, unable to absorb the shock to her body. She was numb.

Curling into the fetal position, Rin stared at the blood welling on her arms vacantly. It's red just like that banner...and Inuyasha's haori. A horrid cough vibrated her battered lungs and a curtain of darkness stalked her. The girl...she looked like Inuyasha too. Rin's vision began to falter. They...were both...signs- that I was supposed to find him! Her head swam, the ebony drapery slowly darkening her thoughts. Finally succumbing, she sagged into unconsciousness.

Akago grinned as he gazed down the hill at her broken, bleeding body. "Oh, Inuyasha..." He turned a maniacal gaze in the direction his new 'toy' had come. "Something wicked this way comes." And as if he couldn't contain it for fear of bursting, he laughed with zealous derangement.

A/N: Don't worry...all your favorites will be back in the next update, along with all the drama. *sigh* Comments from the peanut gallery are warmly welcomed. XD.