InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Youkai and the Exterminator ❯ Chapter ThirtyNine ( Chapter 39 )

Chapter ThirtyNine

 

 

He turned slowly, his eyes on the ground. The voice was low, soft and cool, irresistible and fatal as the blade that hung loosely in his hand. He raised his chin and looked the demon in the eye.

 

Sesshomaru smiled at him, a cruel twist to his mouth. "Have you been looking for me, Kohaku?"

 

The boy cleared a throat suddenly gone dry. "I...I was looking for my sister."

 

Sesshomaru moved closer, still smiling at him, an eerie sort of smile. It made the hair on Kohaku's neck stand up. "But you've found me instead of her," Sesshomaru hissed softly. "Are you sure you have nothing to say to me?"

 

Kohaku opened his mouth, finding it strangely empty of the words he'd planned to say. He wanted to run but his feet seemed rooted in the ground. He wasn't sure why, even though Sesshomaru was a powerful demon, he had never been afraid of him. Since the moment he'd awoken in the daiyoukai's fortress, he had felt a strange sort of comfort in his presence. Now he didn't feel that comfort, nothing like that at all.

 

He was absolutely terrified.

 

"You came looking for me because of your sister," the demon told him, a sadistic note in his voice. Kohaku started to back away, his eyes wide.

 

"What did you do to my sister?" he whispered.

 

"Fucked her," Sesshomaru said coldly. "She's my whore, isn't she? I can do what I want with her. And the brat I put inside her womb. Do you have a problem that, Kohaku?"

 

The words made him angry, livid for his sister's sake. Kohaku didn't stop to consider that they sounded nothing like what he would have expected Sesshomaru to say. He was too hurt, too betrayed. Everything his father's ghost had told him was true. Sesshomaru saw Sango as nothing, an amusement at best, and a toy to be discarded when he grew bored.

 

Anger making his young body shake, Kohaku glared up at the demon. "Why don't you just leave her alone?" he shouted. "You don't love her at all!"

 

"Of course I don't love a pathetic creature like your sister," Sesshomaru sneered. "And you, human, do not tell me what I should do." With those words, he moved so fast he was hardly more than a blur and struck Kohaku across the face so hard that the boy fell to the ground.

 

Blood streaming from his nose, the boy glared up at him defiantly. Slowly, he got to his feet to stand before Sesshomaru again. Very quietly, he said it again. "Leave my sister alone."

 

Sesshomaru laughed sharply, turned and struck him again with the back of his hand. Again, Kohaku fell to his knees, his face bruised and throbbing.

 

"Get up," the demon hissed. "Stand to face me, pathetic mortal."

 

Obediently, Kohaku rose. His hand fell upon his blade, his fingers tightened in the links of the chain. "If you won't leave her alone," Kohaku said, his voice quiet, fatal. "I will have to kill you, Sesshomaru-sama."

 

The cold demon lord looked at him, a sneer of contempt on his inhuman face. "You dare to attack me, boy?"

 

Kohaku nodded, his heart firm. After the crimes he had committed, it would not be shameful to die in defense of his sister's honor. It was probably pointless, but it was honorable.

 

It was the best death that he could hope for.

 

Rin couldn't move, she couldn't even breathe. All she wanted to do was cry. She'd learned how to cry silently, it had kept her alive when she'd witnessed her family being killed by bandits. She had often thought that it was a lesson learned far too late.

 

She'd been six years old. Mama had always chided her for talking so much and about absolutely nothing important. She couldn't help it; she liked the chatter of her own voice. Rin talked to the birds, to the trees. She babbled at the fish in the streams she crossed, asking them how their days went and imagining that they answered her in her own language. Bubble-bubble went the fish. How are you, Rin? Thank you for talking to us. She liked to talk.

 

And unfortunately, she also liked to talk to strangers.

 

When a friendly looking man had stopped her in the woods, smiling at her as she lugged a heavy bucket of water, she had smiled back and said hello. He'd offered to help her carry the bucket, asking why such a young girl had such heavy chores.

 

Rin replied that her mama had no one else to help with the chores of cooking and cleaning. Her father was an itinerant tinker, traveling from village to village. He mended tools, sharpened knives, did whatever odd jobs the village folk were able to give him for whatever they were willing to barter.

 

The man had asked how her father managed to support his family in such a way and Rin quite happily replied that her father was smart; he saved his money carefully to provide for them during the lean months. Often they'd choose a nice village for the colder days of winter, her father's earnings paying for their keep when he couldn't get work. Mama would take in washing and sewing as well.

 

The man had smiled at that and offered her a sweet from his pocket. Rin took it and sat beside him to eat the treat. Didn't her father ever worry about bandits, the man inquired. These were dangerous times; many deserters from the warring armies roamed the countryside and preyed upon hard working folk like her family.

 

Didn't she have any other male relatives to help defend them if such a situation arose?

 

Rin truthfully replied that she did not. She did have two older brothers, ages ten and twelve. They worked hard to help her father in his trade. Rin said her father never worried about bandits. He said their family was too small and poor looking to be of much interest. That and he kept to well-used roads and he was respected as an honest man in the villages. People had to look out for each other.

 

The man had laughed at that, patted her on the head and told her to get back to her mother before she earned a scolding. Rin had smiled at that. It seemed he knew her mother's temperament well from just the short conversation they'd had.

 

"It was nice talking to you," she called out as he walked away.

 

The man turned and smiled back at her. "It was nice to talk to you also, little Rin. I hope we meet again."

 

Later that night, her family was attacked. Rin awoke to the sound of her mother's screaming. Two burly men held her father's arms while a third beat him, demanding money, valuables. Rin's mother sobbed as she tried to hold back her two sons, pleading with their father to just give the men what they wanted.

 

Finally, disgusted with her father's refusal to give in, the man doing the beating and demanding had pulled out a dagger and cut her father's throat. Rin's mother lost whatever composure she'd had, screaming as she ran to her husband's side. The leader of the bandits had just turned and struck her to the ground.

 

She couldn't move, half hidden by the wreckage of her father's overturned cart. She couldn't move as her two brothers ran at the men, flailing with their small fists to defend their mother. The bandits simply grabbed the boys by their hair and also slit their throats. Rin couldn't look away, couldn't tear her eyes from her brothers' bleeding bodies. Her mother's sobs were abruptly silenced as well.

 

She'd thought she'd never move again, crouched like a tiny rabbit under the brush as the bandits ransacked her family's pitiful belongings. There hadn't been much money, she'd been bragging when she'd told the man in the forest how well off her father was, how proud she was of him for providing so well.

 

She'd been lying when she told him how her mother was so much in demand as a seamstress that the village women paid her well to make bridal garb for the young maidens. How they lived at a good inn during the rainy months, not huddled in some abandoned hut when the cold came and her father's work dried up. Somehow he'd always made sure they were warm and had enough to eat, but that was all.

 

He'd been such a nice looking man and he'd liked to hear her talk. She'd just wanted him to think she was worth listening to, even if she had to stretch the truth a bit.

 

As the bandits left, grumbling a bit about the pitiful haul, his eyes had met hers. And he smiled but she didn't think him nice or handsome anymore. If she hadn't talked to him, if she hadn't wanted to hear herself speak...her family wouldn't be dead.

 

And then Rin didn't talk anymore. When men from the nearest village had found her family, they'd asked what happened. Rin didn't tell them. When they'd taken her back to the village and tried to care for her, she wouldn't speak, wouldn't do anything. She just stared at them with her bottomless black eyes until they grew tired of her stares and her silences. In exasperation, they'd let the child fend for herself. She wouldn't sleep under the roofs of the other villagers; she was terrified to being trapped inside.

 

And then she'd found her Sesshomaru-sama. When she'd first laid eyes on him, she hadn't known what to think or what he was. He was too beautiful to be real; there was nothing at all human or dirty about him. He didn't smell like the men of the village or dress like them. His hair was whiter than the purest snow, his clothing rich and elegant.

 

And he was hurt, that much she could tell. Too curious to have better sense, she'd crept closer. She just wanted to look at him, find out why such a beautiful creature might be lying helpless on the forest floor. She wanted to touch him and make sure he was real.

 

Then his eyes had opened and glowed red at her, his lips had parted and she saw the fangs. That was when she knew that she was looking at a youkai. The villagers told stories about youkai, said they were ugly and cruel, monsters that feasted upon human flesh and stole away young girls for evil purposes. What exactly those evil purposes were, Rin couldn't be sure. But this youkai was not ugly.

 

Perhaps he was not evil either.

 

The next time she saw him his eyes were the color of sunshine and his voice was low and musical. He refused her help, told her to leave. He might as well have told her to stop breathing. She was drawn to him as a moth to the flame, curiosity replacing good sense and justified fear. It was the first time since her father had died that she'd ever felt safe in the presence of another. This was a creature that might be great and terrible, even the ramblings of a scared little girl wouldn't be able to damage him.

 

And then the wolves had come and she had died. Her last thoughts had been of him, of trying to warn him that the wolves were attacking the village. She didn't even think of going to him for protection, she wanted to make sure he was safe. She couldn't bear to lose something else, already she had nothing left. If she could just get there, make the words come from her throat; he might be safe from the wolves.

 

Then came pain and darkness, mercifully quick. After that, Rin remembered nothing else. Just that she drew a breath, then another, and opened her eyes. And he was the one who was holding her, had saved her. He didn't smile at her, only met her eyes most soberly with his own sunshine bright gaze. And Rin realized that she'd never have to be afraid of him.

 

Sunshine was shattered and covered by darkness.

 

Rin forgot how to speak.

 

She found herself afraid again.

 

Tears streaked her face, silent little tears. In her ears, Kohaku's screams became those of her mother's, her brothers' and those of her father. She watched as his blood stained the ground just like her family's had done. Only the bandits that had murdered them had been only human, quick and brutal with death. They had slit her parents' and siblings' throats, painted the ground with crimson pain while she sat helpless and watched.

 

Sesshomaru continued to torture Kohaku for some time while Rin's legs grew numb in their cramped position and her bottom was wet and cold from the muddy ground. But she still couldn't move, couldn't call out to him. Couldn't force herself to beg Sesshomaru-sama to stop hurting the boy.

 

Claws opened great gashes in Kohaku's body and Rin couldn't speak. The boy screamed in agony and she couldn't move.

 

Sunshine and darkness. Bright blood against dark green leaves. She wanted to throw herself at him, plead with him, and beg for Kohaku's life. But she was just a little girl and her mind went blank and numb with horror as she watched Kohaku's life drip away under Sesshomaru's claws.

 

Even as death he was still beautiful. Horrifyingly, hatefully beautiful.

 

oOo

 

Kouga knelt on the ground, sniffing hard. Damn it, he couldn't even catch a whiff of their quarry. It was like the damn thing had just up and disappeared. It seemed like they'd been moving in circles and the wolf was getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

 

"Kouga?"

 

He glanced up at Hakkaku and scowled. "Yeah?"

 

Hakkaku ran a nervous hand over his scalp. Kouga was in such a bad mood these days; it was hard to talk to him about anything. "Um," he said, looking innocently at the sky. "Me and Ginta were thinking..."

 

"Since when?" Kouga asked sarcastically.

 

"Huh?"

 

Kouga stood up, stalking over to the other demon. "Since when do you and Ginta think?"

 

Hakkaku flushed. "I mean, we were just listening to Naota-sama and."

 

"Naota-sama?" Kouga exploded, grabbing Hakkaku by the front of his armor. "You and Ginta have been calling him Naota-sama? What the hell is wrong with you two? You don't call a measly human Naota-sama!"

 

"Oh, knock it off," Naota muttered from where he was sitting under a tree. "He was just going to ask if you wanted to double back to the river since the trail's gone cold."

 

"Who says the trail's gone cold?" Kouga asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Damned if a nose-blind excuse for a human was going to tell him what to do!

 

Naota leaned back, matching the wolf demon glare for glare. "Oh, it's not cold?" he asked sarcastically. "You been sniffing around in a circle for a reason then?"

 

"What the hell would you know about youkai senses?" Kouga asked, irritated. How could a mere human understand the delicate abilities of a wolf demon's nose? How could he understand the years of experience Kouga had attained, honing his sense of smell, learning to interpret the most minute shifts of aroma?

 

A palm suddenly slapped right into his forehead and Kouga scowled. Naota had jumped up and smacked him. He never even saw the bastard move. How does he do that, Kouga wondered furiously. He shoved the human away from him, not wanting to get into an embarrassing fistfight, one he might lose in front of Ginta and Hakkaku.

 

"What was that for?" he demanded hotly while his two wolf companions watched in utter fascination.

 

"Listen, wolf," Naota said, contempt seething in his voice. "I know more about youkai than you ever will, even being a demon yourself you won't ever know half of what I know." He raised a finger in front of Kouga's nose.

 

"Fact," Naota said harshly. "Wolf youkai have excellent senses of smell." Kouga swelled a bit with pride until Naota gave him a piercing stare. "But dog youkai are better at following a scent. Better at tracking."

 

"You got a point, human?" Kouga sneered. Naota's hand darted forward and flicked the tip of his nose condescendingly. Kouga growled.

 

"Inuyoukai are not only better at tracking, they are better at hiding themselves from being tracked. We are not following an ordinary demon. Not if he can mask his presence so well that even I can't follow him."

 

"You're human," Ginta blurted out suddenly. "You can't follow his scent."

 

Sighing, Naota rolled his eyes. "I'm not following his scent," he said at last, looking a little tired. "I'm following...something else."

 

"What's that?" Hakkaku asked in a hushed tone.

 

Naota shrugged. "Call it whatever you want," he said quietly. "Call it instinct or a hunch. Whatever it is, I can feel him out there, restless and insane from evil. It won't be long until he needs to find some way to feed that darkness inside him. When he does, we'll be there."

 

oOo

 

Kohaku lay on the ground, panting harshly, already weak from loss of blood. He was dying, that was a feeling he was too intimately familiar with to ever mistake. Sesshomaru was standing over him, licking blood off his claws.

 

"I suppose you're a disappointment to me, Kohaku," he said at last, his eyes gleaming strangely. Kohaku tried to lift his head but found he was too weak to even look at the demon. He'd barely been able to get in a couple of blows before his blade had been knocked away.

 

Kohaku couldn't quite understand it, he'd been angry but almost as soon as Sesshomaru had started in on him, he'd hardly been able to defend himself. Instead his muscles rebelled, his will became thin and strained, like it was starved for air and smothering in Sesshomaru's presence. He'd had to scream, he couldn't stop himself. Every time those sharp claws tore his skin, he'd screamed and felt the demon's delight.

 

"Pitiful," the demon whispered. "You aren't worth killing. I will leave you here for your sweet sister to find. Make sure you remember to give her my regards."

 

It seemed he was likely to die before he got the chance to tell Sango anything. Kohaku lay on the ground, his face pressed up against the earth. I was buried once, he remembered fuzzily. After I killed father and our cousins, after I killed my sister. They buried me in the dirt. I would have stayed there; I wanted to stay with them. How can I ever tell them that Naraku didn't let me stay dead?

 

Sesshomaru had gone, he knew that. He wondered if Sango would find him. He wondered if she would know who had finally killed him, that he'd died thinking to protect her. He wanted her to know that, somehow, he knew she would.

 

There was a rustle behind him. Kohaku barely had the strength left to turn his head and look up at the girl. Rin's face was white, but her eyes were red and swollen. He realized that she'd been watching. She'd seen the whole thing. That was something he had wanted to avoid, he hated himself for letting her be dragged into this. Better that she'd never seen Sesshomaru's true nature, better that she'd continued to live at the fortress among the youkai she thought were kind.

 

Rin should have known better. So should he. Youkai were never kind.

 

"Rin," he whispered. "You shouldn't have followed me."

 

She knelt down next to him, reaching out a shaking hand. Kohaku sometimes wondered if he'd ever had a childhood. Had Rin? He couldn't remember if she'd ever told him. Tears were streaking her young face and it was all his fault. Sango's face would be stained like that when she found him. He couldn't help that, just like he couldn't help anything else. But he had to try.

 

"Rin," he said, making his voice louder with an effort. He felt so weak; it was going to be good to sleep again. He'd finally be able to rest. "You have to find my sister and tell her what happened. I don't want her to find me like this and not know how it happened. Can you do that for me?"

 

"Kohaku." Her voice was hardly more than a frail whisper, the delicate sound of a child's breaking heart. "Don't die."

 

As if he could choose. Sesshomaru had no further use for him and had left him for dead, left him for his sister to find and grieve helplessly over. He wondered if she'd beg the demon to revive him, if Sesshomaru would be amused.

 

"Tell her," he pleaded. If Rin could tell Sango the truth, what she'd seen, maybe then his sister would be saved. She needed to know. And there was something else.

 

With the last of his strength, he reached for the little glass bottle that Kagome had entrusted him with. This was important, he couldn't let this last shard fall into the wrong hands. His fingers inched towards hers until he could press the bottle into her palm.

 

"Find Sango," he breathed. "Find Kagome, give her this. It's important, Rin."

 

The boy's eyes closed and Rin looked down at the bottle. His face was bloody from Sesshomaru's beating, his clothing torn to shreds. Rin had seen death. Like Kohaku, she had tasted it. She'd listened carefully to everything when she'd found out that he had died once like her. About how he'd been brought back from death by a piece of the sacred jewel that everyone was so worried about. At the time, she'd felt sorry for Kohaku. He'd been revived by a cruel demon, not like her. Not at all like her.

 

Her lips were trembling; she knew she couldn't stop the tears. Kohaku's chest rose and fell slowly, his mouth drawn in pain as he waited for death. Again, she had been too scared to move, too weak to fight. She should have fought beside her brothers; she should have run to her mother instead of hiding away. Rin had sworn to herself that she'd never sit by and let someone die again. She just couldn't do it.

 

Kohaku had to live. He had to find his sister, it was so important for them to have each other. And Sango would need her brother, she would need family. She was going to have a baby and Sesshomaru-sama...

 

Her mind went blank for a moment, hearing the screams. Kohaku. Mama. Papa. They all screamed and bled and died in front of her while she did nothing. She couldn't just let Kohaku die again. But she was just a girl, what could she do?

 

Rin glanced down at the little glass bottle, the shiny bit inside seemed to glow, beckoning to her. Of course. Kohaku didn't have to die; she didn't have to see him go.

 

Slowly, her fingers weak and trembling, she opened the bottle.

 

oOo

 

It was going to be a beautiful day, Sango decided. Dawn was just beginning to break and for once she didn't greet the day with the queasy desire to vomit. Maybe this pregnancy thing was going to be all right after all. If the child was truly developing this quickly, perhaps she didn't have to suffer the sickness for as long as a normal human pregnancy.

 

It seemed as if she was the only one awake. Sango quietly climbed out of her bedroll, stepping carefully over Miroku as he snorted in his sleep and turned over. She smiled, realizing that for the first time she'd allowed him to sleep near her at night and had not been concerned with his wandering hand.

 

If nothing else, Sesshomaru might have cured the monk of his ambitions to grope her. Sango considered the idea briefly and then shook her head. Somehow she thought that even the confrontation with her demon mate wouldn't have completely dissuaded Miroku. The bruises were still livid around his throat, but when she stepped over his sleeping form, she saw his fingers twitch and a faint smile appear on his lips.

 

Sango smiled to herself as she stirred the remains of their banked campfire. She glanced over at her companions and had to suppress a chuckle. Jano was asleep, curled up in Kirara's tails with Shippou on his lap. Strange how her friend had taken such a liking to the handsome inuyoukai. Kirara as a rule didn't care for other demons, much less warriors like Jano. However, her acceptance of Sesshomaru's bodyguard had been instant and implicit.

 

If Kirara had been human, Sango would have sworn it was a crush.

 

Speaking of such things. Sango glanced over to where Kagome lay; the girl was curled tightly in her sleeping bag and sound asleep. And no wonder, her and Inuyasha had returned to the camp very late indeed. Out of respect for her friends' privacy, Sango had pretended to still be asleep when they'd said their goodnights with a very passionate and open kiss. It made her smile that they were finally happy with each other.

 

Kagome had seemed rather strained yesterday after she'd returned from bringing Jano water for his...stew...if that's what he wanted to call it. It was no wonder that she was hungry this morning. The small taste of the youkai stew had lingered in the back of her mouth to the point where she gave up any hope of eating last night. Even water had tasted off. She could tell there was nothing harmful in it, but the taste had been overwhelming.

 

Her stomach growled ominously. Yes, she'd better get the fire going and start breakfast herself. Kagome's rice porridge sounded like a safe option. As she began to get the cooking gear out, she saw the remains of Jano's creation sitting in a lidded bowl. Curious, she lifted the lid and gave it a sniff.

 

The smell was different, but not nearly as repulsive as she'd first thought. Sango looked at the faintly greenish substance. Her nose twitched. She detected herbs that she never would have thought of combining, ordinary vegetables and some kind of meat. Seeing how they hadn't hunted the night before, she wondered about that and deduced that Jano must have brought some kind of preserved meat with him.

 

Without really meaning to, she dipped her finger in the stew and put it in her mouth. Surprisingly, it was tasty. She couldn't fathom why she hadn't liked it before. Eagerly, she dug in with her bare hands, shoveling the sticky, congealed stew into her mouth as fast as she could. It tasted good, it tasted like something she'd needed, been craving in a way she'd never even thought possible.

 

"Sango, you okay?"

 

Stew sticking to her chin, she looked up at Inuyasha and felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She swallowed what was in her mouth and gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine, just hungry."

 

Inuyasha looked suspicious, as if he expected her to get sick on him. "You like that stuff?" he asked, curiosity in his voice.

 

"I didn't last night," she murmured. Sango looked down at the bowl in her hands and was chagrined when she realized she'd eaten nearly all of it. "It just tasted right."

 

"Of course it did," Jano said, sitting up and dumping Shippou unceremoniously on the ground.

 

"Hey!" the kitsune protested, rubbing his head.

 

Miroku rolled over and glared at them. "It is far too early to be awake," he said in a calm voice with just a hint of irritation. He sat up, feeling at the bruises on his neck. Definitely the closest he'd ever come to being killed for his indiscretions. Still, Sango's lips had been sweet and warm under his. Not exactly worth dying for, but it was close.

 

Inuyasha grinned, folding his arms and staring down at the monk. "You're too lazy," he said in a condescending tone. "You'd sleep all day if you could."

 

"I'm tired," Miroku replied with a wicked glint in his eye. "For some reason I kept having the most appalling nightmare and it made my sleep most uneasy."

 

"A nightmare?" Sango frowned, setting aside her bowl. Briefly she wondered if she could talk Jano into cooking more for her but decided to leave the subject alone. Just in case the stew didn't settle as easily as she hoped it would.

 

Miroku lay back down, making a show of arranging himself comfortably. "A nightmare," he yawned. "I kept thinking that I heard Kagome screaming your name, Inuyasha. Poor girl, she must have been in considerable distress to be crying out like that."

 

Inuyasha's face turned dark red. "Why you rotten, lecherous..."

 

Sango jumped up to grab his sleeve before he could take out his embarrassment on the grinning monk. Jano had already gotten to his feet and was stretching lazily, seemingly amused by the conversation.

 

"I had no idea humans possessed such sharp hearing, Miroku," he said. "But truly, to bring the subject up is somewhat tasteless."

 

"Speaking of taste," Sango said hurriedly, letting go of Inuyasha so she could approach Jano. "Your stew was delicious this morning. I apologize for insulting your cooking last night."

 

He beamed at her. "Thank you, Sango-sama," he said, bowing formally to her. "It usually is better the second day. I think it's because the herbs have a chance to break down the tissues and give the grubs a chance to ferment."

 

She turned pale. "G...grubs?"

 

Jano chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm kidding. There were no grubs."

 

Whatever reply Sango felt she could have made to that vanished from her mind. A scent came to her upon the wind. It was familiar, so familiar, she knew him as she knew her own heart, as her palm knew the hard edge of Hiraikotsu. Growling, Sango very nearly dropped into a defensive crouch, turning and putting her face to the light morning wind.

 

Inuyasha scowled, staring into the same direction. Instinctively he moved to stand near Kagome, his protective instincts flaring to life. Kagome sat up, blinking blearily as he moved over her. "What's happening?" she wanted to know, rubbing her eyes.

 

"Something's coming," he muttered, his eyes roaming the treeline.

 

She pulled her legs out of her sleeping bag hurriedly, struggling to get to her feet. Kagome gave a squeak as Inuyasha's hand grasped her elbow and pulled her up quickly.

 

"Thanks," she muttered.

 

"Yeah," he returned. His nose twitched, trying to identify the scent that was approaching. His eyes widening in recognition, he turned to look at the exterminator. "Sango," he said, concern coloring his tone.

 

"It's Kohaku," she answered, her voice tight. "I know the smell of my brother's blood."

 

Jano had moved behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Something is wrong," he breathed. "Look, you stay here. I will go..."

 

"Kohaku!" Sango screamed, breaking Jano's hold and rushing into the forest. Inuyasha was barely a second behind her, Jano at his heels. Sango took no notice, her mind filled with the bloodscent. It drew a red line in the air that she couldn't help but follow, couldn't help but find him. Anger pulsed in her chest, fury and fear; she couldn't have stopped herself until reached him.

 

He wasn't far. Sango broke into a small clearing, seeing Kohaku standing weakly with his arm around little Rin's shoulders. He looked like he couldn't have stood without her help, weaving on his feet. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, blood crusting on his clothing. She stared at him breathless with horror and darted forward when he began to fall.

 

"What happened?" she demanded as she lowed him to the forest floor. "Why did you leave the fortress? Who did this to you, Kohaku? Who did this?"

 

He looked at her, his beloved sister, the pain and fear in her eyes livid as a wound. He hated to tell her, he hated to upset her. After everything that he had been through, one thing had never changed. He loved her, he wanted to protect her.

 

"Sesshomaru," he breathed, closing his eyes and collapsing against her breast. "It was Sesshomaru. He tried to kill me."