InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ War's Shadow ❯ Grudges ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 5 - Grudges

There was a presence nearby ... a strong source of demonic energy that was pulling Furu in the direction of the lake. He peered out at the misty dawn, through the fog that shrouded the dark water. The lake bed was filled with minerals that gave the water an almost-purple tinge, making it appear ominous on a sunny day, and even more so now, with this strange feeling that was tugging at his senses.

A flash of something slipped underneath the placid surface, a motion that was caught out of the corner of his eye. He knelt into the soft ground on the shore, sight scouring the water, the claws on his enormous hands lengthening to spike-like proportions. He waited.

Furu then looked down at the water just below him ... to find an ethereal, ghostly face staring back at him. He cursed and instinctively moved a step backward, scowling deeply as he retracted his claws. An obviously aquatic being surfaced from the water and coalesced into a human form right before his eyes.

"Kami!" Furu growled. "Isamu, so help me ... I've warned you about that kind of shit."

"You're getting old, Furu," Isamu answered, smiling with a hint of evil satisfaction. "Your reflexes are dulling."

"You're one to talk. What made you slither out of your pond and into mine, old man?"

One pale, blue-hued hand extended a remarkably dry piece of paper toward Furu, who reached for it as Isamu stepped gracefully out of the water. He watched as Furu turned the letter over in his hand and then opened it, scanning it briefly before sealing it again.

"I received one of these, too," Furu revealed, extending Eizan's letter back to Isamu. "He's trying to be diplomatic, all while playing the victim. It's terribly boring listening to a centuries-old youkai lord whine as he does."

"Then you've chosen Sesshoumaru's side in this?" Isamu questioned curiously, fastidiously pulling a piece of seaweed from his hair.

"Are you kidding me?” Furu asked incredulously, folding his arms as he stared at the eastern lord. “That kid's ego is inflated beyond all reason. He'd gnaw his own foot off before he'd let one of us help him."

"Is he a match for Eizan, do you think?" Isamu asked in a tone that suggested he had already come to his own conclusion, but wanted Furu’s opinion.

"Eizan? Sure. All of them? I don't know."

Isamu nodded and looked out over the water, unconsciously facing the west as he went on in his slow voice, "You know what this is about, don't you?"

"Too many things for me to list. I'm thinking that human girl of Sesshoumaru's has something to do with it. Eizan helped stir up a lot of problems with Inutaisho and Izayoi. I think he intends to do the same for Sesshoumaru,” Furu answered, seating his large-framed body in the wet grass.

"He wanted Inutaisho's death,” Isamu commented.

"In hindsight, yeah, I know he did. And I know why. Sesshoumaru was set to inherit and Eizan was hoping to shove off that bratty daughter of his. It didn't go exactly as he'd hoped, so now it's time for a second try. He's not going to be able to force Sesshoumaru to take Elif as his mate, but Eizan has always been damned certain that no one’s as stubborn as he is."

"He won't need to involve Elif this time. His intent is to kill Sesshoumaru."

"And leave the west to Inuyasha?" Furu thought, very sure that such a thing would happen over a lot of dead bodies.

"Inuyasha is a target as well. As is Kanaye,” Isamu murmured hypnotically.

"How do you know all of this?" Furu questioned, but supposed it didn’t really matter. Of all of them, Isamu always seemed to know about everything that was going on around him … and even the things that weren’t. It was nothing short of creepy.

"I know Eizan,” Isamu replied. “And I've also learned an interesting fact ... he is involved with Kanaye’s daughter.”

Furu's face took on the expression of one who has just eaten something that tasted incredibly bad. "He likes them young now, does he?"

"She is a means for him to stake a legitimate claim on the west. If he destroyed the entire family, it would be divided between the three of us, but Eizan, as always, has maneuvered himself enough to forge a way around that."

"So you're getting involved? That's unlike you. Usually you just spread the rumors and let the body parts fall where they may."

"Not yet,” Isamu said with a bemused smile. “In dealing with Sesshoumaru, I've learned that leaving him alone is often best. I'll keep an eye on things and make adjustments to that plan accordingly."

Furu nodded slowly, eyebrows rising as he said, "Repaying ghosts, Isamu?"

Isamu’s smile faded. "We didn't help Inutaisho, Furu. All of this directly corresponds to that decision. Some things are owed even when there is no debt to be repaid."

"Agreed, old man,” Furu replied, sounding subdued.

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When they arrived at Kanaye's home, Rin found she had been expecting a far more grandiose abode then what they actually came to. The demon's "house" was a stone-walled fortress, drafty, cold, and barely lived in from what she could see. The land around it was wild. The place was very solemn and solitary. It reminded her of a graveyard and, apparently, with good reason.

As they had ascended a hillside toward the massive, crumbling fortress, Rin's sight had fallen on a large grouping of stone markers, most of which were overgrown with coarse, winter-dried vines. Others appeared to be much more recent.

"Is that ... a graveyard?" Rin asked before she thought better of it, pulling her eyes away from the markers to look at Sesshoumaru, who glanced quickly at them and then away.

"Yes."

"A ... family one?"

"No." A pause. "Those are humans ... mostly exterminators that came to hunt him. A few that were just unfortunate enough to wander this way."

Rin tried to suppress the look of horror that wanted to cross her face. "So he kills them, but then makes the effort to bury them?" Rin got the feeling that this Kanaye was not exactly the most stable of youkai.

"He buried them because the bodies were starting to smell," Sesshoumaru stated matter-of-factly.

Rin cringed at the words and made an extra effort to avert her eyes. Instead, she watched the methodic plodding of Zeshu, who clambered ahead of them on his wide, flat feet. Rin still had yet to determine precisely what sort of youkai he was supposed to be, but her mind assigned him the role of a chubby, furry Jaken. He certainly revered Kanaye, just as Jaken did Sesshoumaru, but Rin got the idea that Zeshu’s respectful fear had more credence where Kanaye was concerned.

The sun was beginning to climb with them when they reached a plateau, giving them a better view of the fortress and its lackluster appearance. The crumbling outer wall only served to mask the deteriorating wooden structures inside. Weeds grew rampantly, and there was little sign of habitation. The only building that seemed to be cared for was the large main house, which they were led toward by Zeshu's scurrying gait.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rin saw Sesshoumaru's head swivel from side to side, and wondered what his thoughts were. Had the place fallen into this disrepair? Or had Kanaye actually been improving it? It was difficult to say, but Rin knew that Kanaye had recently returned from China, and so decided that the last scenario was probably more accurate.

Sesshoumaru swept into the house ahead of her. When she walked in, Rin felt as though she had just entered a cave. The place was unlit and gloomy; the walls, the floors, everything was constructed from dark, well-worn wood. There were few furnishings. It looked as though it had been abandoned ages ago.

Even worse, it was deathly quiet, which made Rin wonder if they had arrived too late ... or perhaps right on time, if one thought in terms of Tenseiga. Rin lagged behind a few steps as Sesshoumaru followed Zeshu to an even darker, closed room.

"Kanaye-sama, I have returned," Zeshu's voice wavered uncertainly before moving to light several candles along the walls.

Nothing. No sound. No movement.

Rin stepped hesitantly inside the door, eyeing the still body on the bed. He did indeed appear dead to her.

"He's still alive, Zeshu," Sesshoumaru said, sounding faintly accusing, moving to the other side of the room to get a look at Kanaye's prone form. A faint, wearied thump was reaching Sesshoumaru's ears, certainly not the beat of a healthy heart. No, he was not dead, though he certainly looked as though his brush had been a close one. Zeshu had not been exaggerating, because whatever had attacked Kanaye had very nearly killed him.

Frowning, Sesshoumaru eyed the many bandaged wounds that were covering most of the exposed skin. What sort of assault was this? he wondered. Though, if Kanaye looked this bad, Sesshoumaru could safely assume that whomever he had fought was likely lying in pieces somewhere.

"And he's said nothing?" Sesshoumaru questioned Zeshu before turning to find a strange sight on the floor. Kneeling, Sesshoumaru picked up a razor-sharp metal shard from a pile of similar pieces, watching as it glittered back at him in the light.

"No, Sesshoumaru-sama," Zeshu answered quickly, then offered an explanation for the pile of shards on the floor. "I had to extract those. They were what inflicted the wounds."

"This is his sword … or what’s left of it," Sesshoumaru said almost to himself. Now he was very curious. What could possibly have occurred in that battle to shatter Kanaye's blade in this manner? And how had the weapon been turned on him? Kanaye was far too experienced to allow for such a thing to happen ... which meant that whatever had happened had likely come as a surprise to him. Sesshoumaru placed the shard back in the pile on the floor and rose to his feet.

"Will he be all right?" Rin asked worriedly, and Sesshoumaru glanced over at her, surprised, as always, by how easily affected she was by the suffering of others. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, was merely annoyed that Eizan seemed intent on involving everyone in this matter except Sesshoumaru himself. But Rin's concern was wasted on Kanaye ... he would neither want nor appreciate her sympathy.

"He's not going to die. He's healing. If he was going to die, it would have happened by now," Sesshoumaru informed her.

Kanaye stirred then, as though tugged back to wakefulness by that voice, and Sesshoumaru turned to watch dispassionately as bleary eyes opened and attempted to focus on him. "Inutaisho ...," Kanaye murmured in confusion, clearly disoriented.

"Are you really that bad off, Oji-san?" Sesshoumaru asked dryly. "You're seeing ghosts."

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"Hmm .. no, it's more like this," Sashe said gently, moving to correct the little girl's hand. "There you go."

Ashitera dragged a wobbly streak down the paper then let Sashe help her form the rest of the character.

"Now try to repeat that," Sashe instructed, smiling at the child's exuberance. She was a little young to be learning to write, but she had shown such interest in what Sashe had been doing that it had caused her to stop and show her how to do a little of it on her own.

Though Ashihei's stay was drawing to a close and Ashitera was due to return home with him, Sashe found that she wished the child could remain longer. Having her around was like a breath of fresh air in a castle that was frenzied with activity pertaining to war preparations and the defense of Eizan's lands. Constant reminders of things she did not want to think about.

Even though she had sworn to remain neutral, Sashe could not quell the feeling that that decision in and of itself was horrible and selfish. It was easy to remain uninvolved. True bravery would be to choose a side and defend it whole-heartedly.

There was Sesshoumaru, known to tend toward action rather than words. He was so headstrong and stubborn. His way was the only way, and those that disagreed had to be stomped out of existence unless they first chose to remove themselves from his life. But he was basically good for the most part, Sashe knew this, and that's what troubled her most about not joining him. To betray him in this way would cause irreparable damage ….

And Sesshoumaru was not like Kanaye. He was not like her father. Kanaye shared many of Sesshoumaru's traits, but they were taken to a far darker extreme. Kanaye relished death and destruction just for its own sake. He would be thrilled at the opportunity to repay the north for what he viewed as an ancient grievance. Inutaisho had spared the remainder of Eizan's family, but Sashe knew Kanaye would not have made the same decision. He would be eager to correct Inutaisho's oversight.

On the other hand, there was Eizan. He had been nothing but honorable and decent, caught in a conflict that he had not started but was being forced to finish. He had been kind to her during a time when she had felt cut off and at odds with her family, even offering her a place to stay. His own family had welcomed her warmly despite the history of shared violence, and she had found a new home with them.

So where was her allegiance supposed to fall? Sashe felt as though she was constantly at war with herself: old and new, two separate lives that she had to choose between. Eizan had told her he would not ask her to pick a side, but even that would be enough to declare her loyalties to Sesshoumaru. He would not be sympathetic toward her feelings in the least, not as Eizan was …

Still, she would have to tell Sesshoumaru. She owed him that much, and she had been stalling because of her own cowardice. There was no predicting the depth of his reaction, but she felt sure it would rest somewhere between furious and murderous.

Exhaling a sigh, Sashe returned her attention to Ashitera, whose dark head was still bent over the paper, carefully scratching out her own sloppy rendition of the original character. Footsteps from the hallway sounded then, and both Sashe and Ashitera glanced up as Elif walked into the room.

Of all people, Sashe supposed Elif could understand her the most. Elif was clearly completely in love with Sesshoumaru; she always talked glowingly about him and often expressed sympathy for Sashe's predicament. Sashe, for her part, had difficulty understanding why Sesshoumaru was so adverse to taking Elif as his mate. She would be perfect for him ... she was strong, smart, beautiful. It just happened that she was born to the wrong family. How sad that that ranked of utmost importance to Sesshoumaru.

"Have you been behaving, Ashitera?" Elif asked in a quiet voice, floating across the room to peer at the girl's work. She received a cheerful "Hai!" in response.

"Then why don't you take that to Ji-sama? Maybe he'll decide that you need an education after all," Elif spoke this last sentence mostly under her breath, watching as the little girl grabbed her things and fled the room in search of Eizan.

"Eizan doesn't plan on educating her?" Sashe asked with a polite frown. That couldn't be so ...

Elif turned an unreadable expression on Sashe. "We just received word, Sashe, that your father was attacked and nearly killed last night. I thought you should know."

Sashe's frown deepened and an odd feeling clenched at her stomach. "How do you know this?"

Elif raised her eyebrows. "We keep an eye on Sesshoumaru as much as we can. He is with your father now."

Sashe accepted this explanation, her mind already turning with possibilities as to who would do such a thing. Kanaye had plenty of enemies; he had earned them over a lifetime of dealing out death and destruction, so this came as no surprise. She looked up at Elif as a thought occurred to her, "Eizan didn't ...."

"Of course not," Elif answered breezily. "He would never harm your father. Kanaye has nothing to do with this ... at least not yet. My father would certainly not want to provoke him."

Sashe nodded, then spoke as though she was about to attend a funeral, "I'm going to go see him. I already informed Eizan that I was going to speak to Sesshoumaru. I guess I can accomplish both feats at once."

Elif brightened up then, smiling widely. "Is that so? Then I would love to accompany you, Sashe dear ..."

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"Have you no concept of what 'death' is?" Eizan spat out coldly, whirling on Zadi who eyed him with a look that would have frozen most people in their tracks.

"Normally I assume that gutting my opponent and breaking his neck will be sufficient to kill him. How was I to know that it wouldn't be enough for that demon?"

Eizan's frustration was palpable as he paced in front of her. "You've failed me, Zadi."

"I did as you asked. If he didn't die from it, then it will be your problem. I am finished with him. My next targets are the dog brothers and then I will be on my way with Ashitera."

"I will not accept a slack effort as a proper exchange. You'll leave with that girl when you complete your tasks."

Zadi’s voice became dangerously cool as she clasped her hands behind her back, cocking her head at him. "Don't order me, Eizan. If I chose, it would be an easy matter to leave with the girl right now. I do this to maintain a peaceful coexistence with you."

"Then see to it that you don't screw up in battle!" Eizan roared back at her. It galled him that this human thought herself to be of a high enough station to tell him how matters would progress; that she was, in effect, humoring him to avoid the nuisance that would be his angry reprisal. The bitch....

Both Eizan and Zadi turned when pattering footsteps came running headlong down the hallway toward them. Within seconds, a tiny flurry in a light green kimono hurtled into the room, a piece of paper clenched in one hand.

"Someone needs to teach this child some decorum," Eizan stated in a voice that still hinted at his anger. He eyed Ashitera, who clearly had no clue what 'decorum' meant, but the reference to teaching prompted her to extend the crumpled paper toward him.

He took it and glanced at it. "Is this supposed to say something?" he asked , turning it slightly as though that act might elicit some recognition of the scrawled gibberish.

"Sashe-san showed me how to do it,” Ashitera chirped.

"Elif sent you here, didn't she?" Eizan asked.

Ashitera nodded, and Eizan's irritation increased. Elif seemed hell-bent on actually including the hanyou in the formal family structure. Why this was consistently eluded him, for she, too, had always shared his intense dislike for humans and the half-breed wretches that came from improper relationships with demons, but, for some reason, Elif had taken a liking to this grubby, ill-mannered child. This silent statement had been about Ashitera's education, or lack thereof. It did not matter. Soon Zadi would be handling such mundane details.

"You're going home tonight, Ashitera. Go find a servant to pack your things," he ordered her. She seemed reluctant to leave at first, but then clearly decided that it was smarter to do as she had been asked.

Zadi made an effort to smile kindly at the little girl as she fled the room, but she had witnessed the crestfallen expression on the child’s face. Her smile melted as soon as the child was clear of the room, morphing into a scathing glare that she turned on Eizan.

"Do you have a heart beating somewhere in there, Eizan?"

"Don't trouble me with your petty concerns, Zadi," Eizan brushed off the complaint, moving to look out the window. "My intentions are ultimately for the best."

"Like having me attempt to kill the father of a woman that loves you?" Zadi questioned contemptuously.

He surprised her by chuckling then, genuinely mirthful as he glanced back at her, looking as though he had just written her off as yet another irrational female. "Kanaye's death would be the best thing I could ever do for her."

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"Honestly, for Sesshoumaru-sama to have just left me behind like that ... you would think I wasn't necessary," Jaken huffed from where he was leaning against Ah-Un's leg. Rin was seated across from him, patiently listening to his complaints.

"He was in a hurry, Jaken-sama," she attempted to soothe the retainer's fragile ego. "He knew you would be able to find him."

"Of course I would be able to find him! That is not the issue ...."

"Then what's the issue?" Rin asked with a sigh.

"He took you with him. How could you not slow him down?"

Rin went for the quicker route to ending the whining, and forced a look of amazement on her face. "Jaken-sama ... are you ... jealous?"

"Jealous?!" he scoffed instantly. "Of what?! Bah! You stupid girl ....," But that suggestion had the desired effect. Jaken ambled off to grumble to himself about Sesshoumaru's lack of consideration.

Rin got up from her perch in the grass and wandered back to the house. Sesshoumaru was still waiting to get the details of the attack out of Kanaye, who had fallen back into a coma-like sleep shortly after his confusion over Sesshoumaru's unexpected arrival. Rin hoped the demon recovered quickly, not only because he was a member of Sesshoumaru's family, but because she wanted to be out of this place as soon as was possible. A foreboding energy lingered here and she was not comfortable at all.

Her discomfort increased exponentially when some instinct told her to look over her shoulder. When she did, it was to find Elif approaching the house, led by a pale-haired demon woman who eerily resembled ....

"Ah, it's Sesshoumaru's human girl," Elif called out to Rin, who moved outside again, even while her mind told her that a better plan would be to go inside and try to bolt the doors.

The two demon women halted a few feet away, the white-haired one regarding Rin with open curiosity. "You're the little girl he saved," she murmured, as though to herself, and then spoke louder. "He is lacking caution, bringing you here to this place. He should know better than that. It could get you killed, but I suppose he has no such worries with Tenseiga at his beck and call."

"Are you here to kill me?" Rin inquired, though the question was aimed more at Elif, who was standing just behind the white-haired demon and smirking for all she was worth. Rin suddenly wished she had not deposited her bow and arrows inside. There was a quickly building desire to wipe that obnoxious smile off Elif’s face for an instant ....

"No," the strange girl replied with a shake of her head. "I'm about to be in enough trouble with him as it is. I wouldn't add your death to his list of complaints." She peered more closely at Rin, as though trying to judge what it was about the human girl that had so caught Sesshoumaru's attention. "You have nothing to fear from me. I'm not his enemy ... or yours."

"Why are you here?" Rin asked.

"That would be to ---" Elif began, but she was quickly cut off.

"I know what you are here for," Rin found herself snapping back. "And he's still not interested."

"It's so cute when you try to speak for him," Elif said patronizingly, her tone cheerful enough to make Rin suspicious.

"I am here because my father is here ... and because I need to speak with Sesshoumaru," the other girl answered the question.

Her father? Before Rin could voice the question, a white blur came out of the house and stalked past her with an obvious purpose. Elif's smile widened as Sesshoumaru approached, but faded quickly. He stopped inches from her, one long-fingered hand raising up to face-level so she could get a good look at his claws, which were turning a deep shade of green from the gathering poison.

"Did you come to gloat, Elif?" he asked dangerously, and Rin looked on as the white-haired girl turned to watch this developing scene with open-mouthed surprise.

"Sesshoumaru, I have no idea what you mean. I heard of Kanaye's ---"

"Your presence insults me," he snapped at her and latched roughly onto her arm. "Leave or I will move you."

"Sesshoumaru, you're being ridiculous!" Sashe exclaimed, making a move to try to separate them, but she was halted when he turned to point a no-nonsense finger in her direction.

"You stay out of this."

"You're overreacting," Elif said convincingly, wincing as poison began to eat into her skin, but she made no move to defend herself. "I came with Sashe. She wanted to see you ... as did I."

"For what purpose?"

"I will not speak for her, but my own was just for the sake of seeing you. I had nothing to do with Kanaye's assault," she said seriously then, and he released her with a none-too-polite shove backward.

"Get out," he warned her, and when she made no move to do so, he added, "If I have to escort you, it's going to be painful."

Rin watched with silent glee as Elif took him seriously and all but fled through the wall’s gate. Sesshoumaru turned around to look at Sashe, his face masked in an expression of cool indifference once more. "Why did she come with you?"

"She asked to come," Sashe replied, her face a mixture of emotions as she clasped her hands nervously in front of her. She had come to say this. He would react as he would.

"You're nervous," he commented, sounding vaguely suspicious.

"Yes," she admitted, swallowing back the choked feeling in her throat. Gods, that stare is unnerving, she thought, trying to meet it before giving up completely and focusing her eyes on his nose instead.

"What have you done now, Sashe?" Sesshoumaru asked, sounding almost weary at the idea of hearing the explanation.

"You're going to hate me," she warned.

"I'll be the one to decide that."

Sashe cast a look back at Rin, before saying, "I'd like to speak with you alone, if possible."

Sesshoumaru glanced up to find that Rin was already heading back inside the house. He then watched Sashe carefully. She was obviously trying to summon her courage. Whatever it was she had done, she clearly feared his reaction.

"How is my father?" she asked then, delaying the inevitable.

"He's alive and, from the look of him, fortunate to be so."

"Good," she breathed, looking slightly less tense.

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "I wouldn't wish any harm to come to him. I just ---"

"Can't stand him," Sesshoumaru supplied.

"You know how he is," she answered. "It's probably a good thing he's not present to hear this." Sashe inhaled a breath and forced herself to look Sesshoumaru in the eye. "I'm asking you to do what you can to avert this war."

"I have no desire to do that," Sesshoumaru responded instantly. His face became even more distant. "Though I can admit to being curious as to why you would request such a thing. Have you and Elif become such close friends?" he asked disdainfully.

"She and I are friends," Sashe admitted carefully, "but she's not the one you're going to be angry about." Another breath. "I'm involved with Eizan," she said in a rush of syllables that she hoped were coherent, because she didn't want to have to repeat them.

The air around them went so still that Sashe worried that perhaps he had not understood her. That cool expression did not so much as flicker, didn't even blink. He simply remained where he stood, scrutinizing her with a heavy stare that she felt certain was capable of inspecting her soul.

"Sesshoumaru ...."

"You're wrong. I don't hate you," he finally stated with a calm that helped ease Sashe's trip-hammering heart.

She smiled in relief. "I thought ---"

"I think you are unbelievably stupid," he snapped then, and that face descended into a vicious expression.

"But I ---"

"There is no explanation for this other than your blatant lack of regard for those that have watched over you from your birth. It is shameful and revolting."

Each word struck a devastating blow, all the more so because what he was saying was entirely correct. She had been taught that the northern youkai were the murderers of her family, and now her heart was involved with one. But she had changed so much from the child that had so mindlessly absorbed such lessons. "I expected this reaction from you," she finally said, working to keep her voice level. "I didn't want to tell you ... I didn't want to hear this. I have great respect for you, Sesshoumaru ..."

"Come back from that ledge you're standing on, Sashe, and it will help restore my faith in you."

"I can't do that." She paused and then went on, "Eizan does not want this. He wants to live peacefully with you, but he feels that you intend to undermine him, to try to remove him from his position. If you will just speak to him ---"

“He and I have spoken all the words that are necessary. You defend the man that attempted to murder your father.”

“He had nothing to do with this!” Sashe responded vehemently. Elif had been right. It would make no sense for Eizan to try to provoke Kanaye into fighting him ….

“You are incredibly naïve.”

“ Father has many enemies ….”

"How long has he been working on you," Sesshoumaru coldly interrupted, "to cause you to turn like this?"

"I'm ... neutral."

"You cannot be," he said. "Don't betray me, Sashe," he warned in a dark voice.

"It's my concern for you that brought me here!" she exclaimed defensively "He has a large army at his command, I don't see how you can ---" she said, but she stopped speaking when his head turned toward the direction of the house. Sashe listened for a moment, registering the distant sounds of a struggle, then moved to follow Sesshoumaru as he rushed back inside.

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As she waited, silently pacing the corridor, Rin wondered over the arrival of this new girl ... Sashe. She had said her father was here, which could only be Kanaye. And, judging from the obvious resemblances, Rin felt it was an easy assumption to make. But if this girl was Kanaye's daughter ... then why had she arrived with Elif of all people?

Rin was certainly unsettled by that, and the fact that Sashe had seemed so ready to defend Elif from Sesshoumaru. She had assumed that Sesshoumaru’s entire family was united in their hatred for the north, but it seemed there was at least one individual who did not share her family’s adherence to historical grudges. Rin had the distinct feeling that Sashe was telling Sesshoumaru something he was not going to like ….

A thump echoed from further down the hallway. Rin looked over her shoulder. "Zeshu?" she called in a hesitant voice, but there was no answer from Kanaye's servant.

Another thump ... and what sounded like a groan of pain.

Kanaye? she wondered, turning to take a few steps toward his door. Maybe he was awake and needed help .... though Rin had problems overcoming her instinct not to enter that room. From the few glimpses Sesshoumaru had given her of his character, Rin had come to the conclusion that Kanaye was probably not the nicest of youkai.

Still ... he was seriously wounded. It would be horrible of her to just leave him alone ....

She pushed open the door to his room and walked inside. The candles were burning low, giving off an orangey-brown light that just barely lit the features of the room. The bed was empty, but it was impossible for Rin to miss the form that was crouched stiffly on the floor. From the back he looked just like Sesshoumaru, and her mind made this comparison as she hurried around to kneel in front of him.

"Kanaye-sama? Do you need anything?" she questioned.

Kanaye's head came up as the scent of human reached his ill-functioning senses. He moved his head with great effort, eyes roving from the floor to the face of a young human woman with long, dark hair .... A human woman .....

"I don't think you should be ---" Rin began as he brought his head up to look at her, but the words stopped in her throat when she saw an animalistic rage seize his features, eyes turning to a bloodshot red, fangs extending. Stunned by the swift change, Rin did not move quickly enough to evade him.

He leapt on her with an energy she would not have credited him with. Her head banged back onto the floor and her own fight instinct kicked in as she shoved back at him. Clawed hands encircled her throat and clamped down, nails digging into her skin.

"As if a mere human could kill me," he hissed at her, his face terrifyingly feral as his fingers tightened. Rin responded by kneeing him in the stomach, which did lessen his hold for a moment, but he paused only to pin her legs to the floor with his own and then resumed strangling her.

Bright spots began to veil her vision as Rin dug her own pathetic nails into the skin on his arms ... and suddenly another pair of hands materialized, these belonging to a very serious-looking Sesshoumaru who pulled roughly backward on Kanaye’s wrists, but there was no giving. Kanaye seemed intent on murder.

Sesshoumaru said something and, when it had no effect, he proceeded to alter his grip on Kanaye's hands, snapping the bones with a twist of his fingers, inciting enough pain to bring Kanaye out of his murderous rage. The energy seemed to leave him as quickly as it had come, and Sesshoumaru pulled him off of Rin, who began working furiously to reintroduce air to her lungs.

Appearing irate, Sesshoumaru glanced from Kanaye to Rin. "There appears to be no shortage of stupidity on this day," he stated with obvious annoyance, moving to pull Rin up from the floor. "What could possibly have made you believe that coming into this room was a good idea?" he demanded of her.

"I heard him moving," Rin said hoarsely, feeling certain that her throat had just been smashed flat. She noticed that her hands and legs were shaking. "I thought he needed help,” she added.

Sesshoumaru watched her in quiet astonishment for a moment, a dozen different retorts coming to mind, but he settled for merely shaking his head at her. "It is a wonder I am able to keep you alive."