InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ War's Shadow ❯ Betrayal ( Chapter 8 )

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

Chapter 8 - Betrayal

As she flipped the slick pages of the strange book, Rin was continuously struck by how odd-looking the people from Kagome's time were. Beyond the bizarre clothing they were wearing, they were all so different ... dark-skinned, light-skinned, pale-haired, short-haired. Kagome had assured Rin that these were not, in fact, demons, but average, everyday humans. It seemed five hundred years made more of a difference than her mind was even capable of contemplating.

A shadow moved over her, darkening the pages of women posing in enormous dresses, and she glanced up to find Kohaku looming overhead.

"What's that?" he inquired as he moved to sit beside her, Kirara bounding out of Sango's home to come perch on his knee.

"I'm not really sure," Rin replied with a vague smile. "Kagome was looking at it."

Kohaku nodded and watched politely as she flipped another page, displaying more women in white dresses. "It seems a strange subject to make a book about," Kohaku stated. He tapped his fingers absently on his leg, moved a hand to scratch Kirara's head, then glanced across the road at where Sesshoumaru was seated, arms folded, wearing an obvious scowl. Kenji was seated across from the demon in a similar fashion, chattering incessantly.

Kohaku cleared his throat. "Ah, is ... he okay over there?" he questioned Rin with a nod toward Kenji.

Rin looked up, saw the expression on Sesshoumaru's face, and glanced back down at the pages, this time with a grin. "He's fine. Sesshoumaru won't hurt him. He'll just ignore him. Children always seem to be fascinated with him."

"He doesn't look terribly happy about that," Kohaku answered lowly, watching as Kenji continued to pester the demon with his story.

"He's not." Rin's smile grew wider as she turned another page.

Kohaku went silent again as he tried to think of what to say next. For some reason, talking to Rin brought out his nerves, and he did not particularly want to contemplate why that was. He was surprised by what finally came out of his mouth. "I tried to find you a few years ago. I was curious about what happened to you, since you sort of disappeared before we destroyed Naraku."

Rin looked up in surprise, her hair blowing back from her face as a light wind swept through. "Really? I had no idea."

"Sesshoumaru refused to tell me where you were," Kohaku explained, feeling stupid for having even brought up the subject.

"Not surprising," Rin said, closing the book and laying it across her lap. "He never liked that I was fond of you."

"Considering how I first introduced myself to him, I can understand why that is," Kohaku answered wryly, recalling a certain vague memory in which he had been about to follow Naraku's order to kill the child Rin just before Sesshoumaru's well-timed arrival.

Apparently not terribly comfortable with the memory, either, Rin changed the subject. "Did Sango finally name the baby?" she asked. When she had gone in to visit the new baby girl, Kagome and Sango had been in a discussion over names, both coming up with and promptly dismantling each other's suggestions.

"Yeah," Kohaku answered with a slow grin, eyes back on Kenji, who was spinning a brightly-colored top Kagome had brought for him from her side of the well. "They decided on Kaede. They both thought it would mean a lot to old Kaede."

"Does Miroku like it?" Rin asked.

Kohaku laughed. "Miroku says whatever Sango decides is fine with him after all that happened last night. He's just glad they're both here. I think he's already hoping for kid number three soon."

"Poor Sango," Rin sympathized.

"Poor Sango? I feel bad for Miroku. Sango's already said he's in for the beating of his life if he comes anywhere near her with that idea."

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From his position far enough away to appear out of ear shot, but still close enough to hear their conversation as though he was sitting with them, Sesshoumaru eyed Kohaku with more than a little contempt. He had already resolved himself to the fact that if the boy's hand moved any closer to Rin's, it was going to be detached from the rest of him. Sesshoumaru almost hoped that Kohaku would do so, just so it would help alleviate his boredom.

He had long since decided that he had never actually anticipated Jaken's return before, so today was certainly a first. Throughout this dreary morning spent in this waste of a village, he had had plenty of opportunity to scour his mind for such a memory and had come up empty-handed. When the moronic toad actually made his way back, Sesshoumaru would have clothes that actually fit him, which meant he would be able to vacate the village and head for Toutousai.

Around him, the villagers had been slowly falling back into their daily habits and schedules, something that had been halted by the brief burials for their dead. They were all giving him nervous looks and a wide berth, something he was pleased about.

Although, there was the boy ...

His eyes flickered again to the round face that was staring back at him, having paused for breath in its apparent attempt to expel everything in its limited vocabulary. Despite being utterly and disdainfully ignored, Kenji continued to talk about everything from Kirara to the bizarre toy he kept twirling around to Buddhist doctrine.

"I have a new sister," he said with childish pride, changing the subject for what had to be the hundredth time. "Do you have a sister?"

Sesshoumaru, bored into near catatonia, heard himself answering. "No." Thankfully, though Father would surely have gotten around to accomplishing that embarrassment if he had been left to his habits ...

"You're Inu-oji-chan's brother," Kenji commented with authority.

"Sometimes," Sesshoumaru muttered, fingers mentally curling around the long-absent Jaken's throat.

"Does that make you Inu-oji-chan, too?"

Sesshoumaru's face turned then and he settled a haughty glare on the boy. Apparently responding to his unending speech had not been the smartest move. "Absolutely not," he practically hissed in offense.

"But mama says I'm not allowed to call you what Inu-oji-chan calls you."

"Your mother was wise to tell you that."

"Then what are you?" Kenji pestered, clearly feeling the need to name and categorize everything in his miniscule world.

"Sesshoumaru-sama."

"Sessho...sama?" Kenji made an attempt at the name.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Sesshoumaru corrected through clenched teeth, then listened as the brainless child mangled his name again. "Just don't say my name."

Kenji went thoughtful and quiet, as though thinking, then suggested, "Inu-sama?"

"Fine," Sesshoumaru answered, feeling as though he was being soundly and repeatedly beaten with a stick. He could now see why his brother so enjoyed lingering among these humans; they were all just like him, aggravating, nosy, and prone to speaking just for the sake of listening to themselves.

The feeling worsened when the ignorant hanyou sauntered his way up the road toward him. Sesshoumaru could tell that Inuyasha was watching him while trying to appear not to, and wondered why that was. Did he think he was about to mangle the human kid into spare parts? An utter waste of energy. The creatures that existed around him were solidly beneath his notice.

Inuyasha glanced over at where Rin and Kohaku were seated discussing something, then returned his attention to Sesshoumaru's almost-petulant expression. "Hey! What are you skulking around here for? I thought you were gonna go see Toutousai," Inuyasha asked as Kenji looked up at him and chirped a good morning.

"You cannot expect me to go looking like this," Sesshoumaru replied contemptuously, holding his hands out in a gesture of pure disdain for the clothing he was wearing. His glare became more pronounced when he turned to watch Rin laugh at something Kohaku was saying.

"You're lucky I bothered," Inuyasha replied snidely. "Your stupid toad probably got eaten by something. I wouldn't wait around for him if I were you." His attention was diverted from Sesshoumaru when Kagome exited Sango's home. She knelt down next to Rin and Kohaku and pointed something out in the book they were looking at. She then whispered something to Rin, which prompted both of the girls to glance over at him before resuming their low conversation.

"They're plotting something. I can tell by how they keep looking at me," Inuyasha muttered, his ears flattening defensively. Kagome's strange behavior was becoming more and more pronounced and it was beginning to make him paranoid.

"Do you really believe you are worth the effort, hanyou?" Sesshoumaru asked in a bored voice.

Inuyasha looked back at him. "Get off your ass. Let's go," he said suddenly, then looked back toward the girls. "Hey, Kagome, I'm leaving," he called. Kagome glanced up at him questioningly, then rose to her feet, brushing off her skirt, followed by Rin.

"Where do you think you're going, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"Do I need to spell it out for you? Go collect that crappy ash you used to call your swords and we'll go pay a visit to Toutousai," Inuyasha answered.

"You are completely unnecessary."

"What? Don't wanna leave the village without Jaken to hold your hand?" Inuyasha taunted.

Sesshoumaru's face went eerily cool. "Have it your way, hanyou," he said lowly in a tone that made Rin and Kagome exchange nervous looks. They all watched as Inuyasha turned on his heel and started stalking his way out of the village.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Kagome. "He's not coming back," he warned in a tone that made it nearly impossible to tell if he was joking or completely serious.

Kagome could remember a time when she would have taken that statement seriously, but had long since come to the conclusion that the brothers wished for each other's demises more than they actually wanted the reality. "I think he wants to talk about something with you," she explained quietly.

Apparently still within ear shot, Inuyasha turned back around with crossed arms and called, "Look, if you go there on your own, Toutousai's going to take one look at you and run for his life. At least with me there you've got a chance of getting them fixed."

"And what's in it for you, little brother?" Sesshoumaru asked condescendingly.

"Me? I get to watch the old man cry like a baby," Inuyasha claimed with a smirk. He then set off down the road again.

A movement to Sesshoumaru's left turned out to be Rin, who was standing at his side, extending the two plain wooden boxes that contained the sharded remains of Tenseiga and Toukijin. "Be careful," she requested.

"I've already seen Kanaye this morning. He agreed to watch for trouble. I'll know quickly if something is going on," he assured her. She nodded, but he could see that she did not seem overly comforted by that fact.

"Ah. … Sesshoumaru," Kagome interjected hesitantly, her eyes flickering from the shrinking form of Inuyasha in the distance to him. "Can you just see to it that he gets back here by tonight?"

"I'm not his keeper, miko. Perhaps you can give him another necklace that will put him at your beck and call."

Kagome frowned at his rudeness. "Tonight's a new moon," she reminded him casually before walking away.

A new moon, Sesshoumaru pondered her words. That meant the dog-eared brat would become human at sunset. That was certainly a motivator to return him before then, as he could only imagine that human Inuyasha was less tolerable than hanyou Inuyasha.

"Sesshoumaru, she's not just concerned about him turning human. It's …," Rin tried to explain, then faltered, as though unsure of how much she should say. "He's supposed to be somewhere tonight."

"And where is this?" Sesshoumaru inquired, turning to her.

Rin took a breath, glanced back to make sure Kagome was out of hearing range, then answered quietly, "Inuyasha's getting married."

"Does he know this?"

"Not yet. Kagome doesn't think he'll agree to an actual ceremony, so she's just planning to make him … show up. She wants to make everything legitimate."

"They're a little late for that, aren't they?" Sesshoumaru commented wryly.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked with a genuine frown.

"Never mind."

"You won't tell him will you?"

And spare him the humiliation? "You have no need to worry about that. I have a very limited interest in the details of Inuyasha's life." With that final comment, he too, set off in Inuyasha's wake, vaguely amused that the boy's earlier statement of paranoia had had some merit. It seemed the women had been plotting against him after all.

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Sashe paced silently back and forth, arms folded, heart thumping dully. She had no idea what was going on, but was very certain that it was bad. She had heard the return of the army, but before she could go see what had happened in the battle, she had been met on the stairs by a guard who had escorted her right back up to her room. Her hearing could pick up vague sounds on the floor below her, but nothing that gave a hint about what the problem was. Each passing minute was making her more and more nervous.

She found that she was … afraid. She had such a bad feeling. Had someone been killed? Given the participants involved, she figured that that was very nearly a guarantee. She could not understand why she was being kept here, though. Either something had happened to Eizan and they didn't want her to know yet … or else Sesshoumaru, or perhaps her Father, had been killed and Eizan wanted to deliver the news himself. Either prospect made her sick with anxiety.

She walked quickly back to the window and peered outside. Below, in the vague light of morning, soldiers were milling about, some in small groups chatting, others cleaning their weapons. They were rather animated, which verified that something of interest had indeed occurred. Why was she being kept in the dark …?

Sashe nearly jumped out of her skin when her door was thrown open to slam against the stone wall. Kawahira stormed inside, dirty and bloody from a nasty-looking wound that cut just under his throat. He had one hand clamped onto Elif's arm and practically dragged his sister into the room before releasing her and shutting the door behind them with another raucous slam.

"Kawahira, what---?" Sashe began, but he cut her off with a furious snap.

"Be silent," he demanded, mouth set in a grim line, eyes sparking angrily. He pointed at them. "Sit down. Both of you."

Sashe exchanged looks with Elif, hers genuinely confused, Elif's cool and unreadable. What was this about? She moved uncertainly backward and perched on the edge of a chair while Elif took her time to comply, seating herself with a graceful motion that matched her frosty demeanor. A flash of lightning lit up the distant sky outside as Kawahira began pacing before them like a caged animal, arms folded and aiming a menacing stare at each of them in turn.

"Which one of you was it?" he inquired then, his voice very soft, but in a way that hinted at danger.

"I'm … confused. What is it?" Sashe asked slowly.

"Don't play stupid with me. You're just as likely to have sent it as Elif," he bit back at her. "In fact, it could have been a plot that included the both of you. I'm not convinced. If you're smart, you'll tell me the truth."

"Kawahira, if you would quit shrieking at us long enough to explain, then perhaps we can give you the information you're looking for," Elif replied with airy boredom.

His eyes moved to Elif. She watched as he walked toward her and crouched down on his feet in front of her, staring her in the face. "Do you honestly think that what I said at dinner was an innocent slip of the tongue? You should know better than that, Elif. I'm surprised at you."

He glanced over at Sashe, whose face was furrowed with genuine bewilderment. "My father called me back for several reasons. One of those was just the simple fact that having me lead the army makes sense, instead of wasting my abilities in some backwoods conflict. But, the other reason," he paused, turning his attention back to Elif, who, though she looked ethereally calm, was gripping the arms of her chair, "was because he felt certain that he was in a position to be betrayed by someone near him. He wanted me here to take over, should something of that nature happen. We didn't have to wait long to see that he was correct in his suspicions."

"Did something happen to him?" Elif asked curiously.

"He is seriously injured. We will know within a day or so whether he will survive, Elif. Now … do you know how that injury happened? Because surely you will agree with me that a mere hanyou would not be able to inflict such damage."

"I have no idea," Elif replied convincingly.

Kawahira stood once more, his booted feet tracking a solid path of mud back and forth as he paced, eyeing the two women with high suspicion. "Then let me enlighten you. When we arrived, it was to find Inuyasha defending the north side of the village on his own. Before I even had a chance to finish my battle with him, Sesshoumaru arrived. Sesshoumaru, who we know, was temporarily residing at a fortress that was too far away for him to have arrived so quickly. Which means, my dears, that he was informed well ahead of time."

Sashe felt her blood run cold at this statement. Though she was glad that Inuyasha had had some help, she was mostly dismayed … sickened because Kawahira was telling them that he believed either she or Elif had betrayed Eizan, a betrayal that had led Eizan to harm. But, perhaps worst of all, was the sudden onset of a gnawing guilt at the knowledge that someone had warned her family…and it hadn't been her.

"What do you have to say about this, Sashe?" Kawahira asked coolly.

"I … all I can say is that I had no idea," she murmured in shock.

He nodded, his dark hair wet and matted down onto his face. "That's fine. It's what I expected. I believe you."

She gaped up at him in surprise. He then turned a dark look on Elif and leaned down so that he was only inches from her face. "But you, on the other hand, reek of a traitor."

"Why would you think it was me?" Elif asked, finding that she did not at all like being trapped between the back of the chair and Kawahira's furious, looming form.

"Because I know you, little sister. I know you like the back of my hand. This is precisely something you would do."

"You have no proof."

"I don't need it," he informed her. "When I made the statement about our plans at dinner, I watched you because I already knew what you would do. Imagine my shock and dismay when I was proved correct. You left not long after and I didn't even need to bother with following you. When you are in a position like mine, one that requires you to command a large number of people, you develop instincts about those people, you learn to read them and the true meaning behind their words and actions. You were easy," he whispered the last words, before kneeling on one knee.

"I'm not going to admit anything," she told him, but her aloof façade had begun steadily melting into one that hinted at fear.

"That's fine, because it's not necessary. We both know the truth. You are fortunate that it was I who became suspicious of you first."

"Why am I fortunate?"

Kawahira dropped the tone of an interrogator, sounding suddenly exhausted. "Because I will lie for you. Do you think Keito or Ashihei would do the same?"

Elif's face softened until she looked nearly tearful. "Why would you do that?"

"How did mother die, Elif?" he asked her quietly.

"She betrayed Father … and he killed her."

"Do you think you are held above such retribution when he would deal it to his own mate? You were stupid tonight. I'll make sure you don't pay for it this time, but if you do it again," and his face became deadly serious, "you will have betrayed me. And that will become a different issue."

Sashe listened to this exchange, frozen in place. Eizan had … killed his own mate? What sort of horrible betrayal could it possibly have been to warrant that. …? And that incident at dinner had been a test? Of her loyalty? Sashe felt the beginnings of a raw anger circulating through her. Yes, her loyalty. And she had failed it right along with Elif. Bitter over the fact that Elif, of all people, had been the one to warn Sesshoumaru, Sashe coldly asked Kawahira, "If you were certain that Elif was the culprit, then why am I here?"

He turned to look at her. "This is a lesson for you as well. You are not far behind Elif. Do not believe that my father and I have not noticed."

"You and your father have no idea what you're talking about, Kawahira," Sashe said, trying to keep the fury out of her voice. Eizan had not been the only one betrayed this night. She had remained with him, despite the loss of her family; that had been her proof to him that she was loyal. He had placed no trust in that despite his words to the contrary. He had been having her watched as though she was some sort of spy.

"If you'll excuse me now, I'd like to go see him," Sashe said quickly and, without looking at Elif, rose to her feet and left the room. Outside her door, she paused for a moment, feeling as though she had just been struck in the face by something. For the first time, she had been given an honest glimpse into Eizan, one that had not been orchestrated by him. He had killed his wife. His own children feared him. He had spoken words of love, and loyalty, and respect to her for all these months … and then had followed them up with tests of loyalty and furtive spying.

Her posture brittle with anger, Sashe stormed toward the stairway and hurried down the stone steps, nearly knocking someone over in the process, barely aware that anyone was around her. Her mind was whirling with what she had heard tonight, spinning incessantly as the words of Sesshoumaru and her father came back to her in mocking renditions of their voices:

"You are incredibly naïve."

"You defend the man that attempted to murder your father."

"Take a closer look at him, Sashe. Examine his motives. He is the root of all these problems. If you keep your eyes open you will see that."

They're open, Father. Just a little too late, she thought, swallowing back the choking lump in her throat. She brushed around a corner and walked hurriedly down the hallway, mind already seething with everything she was preparing to say to Eizan. It occurred to her that as far as self-preservation was concerned, it was probably unwise to confront him about what she now knew, but found that she really could not bring herself to care. What else did she have except this opportunity to restore her dignity?

Fists clenching in agitation, her eyes locked on the form of another woman that was coming in her direction, a human that Sashe recognized as having been introduced to her as Zadi, a member of Ashitera's mother's tribe. She averted her eyes from the woman as she passed her, but a familiar scent clung to Zadi, one that made Sashe stop and turn with a mind already tuned to suspicion. "Zadi."

The woman paused her steps and turned around to look at her. Sashe's eyes noted the evenly-spaced puncture wounds on the woman's throat. Fresh claw marks. And she knew just who had inflicted them.

"Yes, Sashe-san?"

"Why is it that my Father's scent lingers on you?" Sashe asked coldly. She expected some sort of denial, so was genuinely caught off guard by the honest answer she received.

"Likely because I just had an encounter with him," Zadi replied, her face emotionless.

"And why would one of Eizan's houseguests accompany him to a battle?" Sashe inquired warily, as something thumped at the back of her mind. Zadi's slender build and long dark hair made her easily mistakable for …. Remembrances of Kanaye's swift attempt to strangle Rin, as well as his statements about his assailant came to mind. It seemed this night was full of revelations, because suddenly all of the things around her were joining together to form a picture that was only serving to exponentially increase her guilt and anger.

"Never mind," Sashe whispered fiercely. "I know exactly why you accompanied him."

Zadi watched as the young dog demon's delicately clawed hands unclenched. "I don't think that you do, Sashe."

"Then I'd suggest that you tell me, because I really don't have much to lose at the moment. That makes your life quite expendable."

Zadi smiled slightly, almost sympathetically. "Go back, Sashe. You don't belong here. He is using you for his benefit. If I tell you much more I will disrupt your conveniently ordered little world."

"Convenient?" Sashe repeated contemptuously. "You have no idea. And I can't go back. Sesshoumaru made it clear that I'm a traitor, and after tonight, he is correct."

"I think he might surprise you."

"And I think I know him better than you."

"You don't need me to tell you anything. I can see from your face that you've managed to put it all together. Now I'm curious as to what you will do about the situation," Zadi murmured.

"It's none of your business," Sashe hissed back angrily. "And stay away from my Father. If you go near him again, I'll kill you."

Zadi's expression of amusement only served to worsen her already vicious mood, and so Sashe turned from the conversation and walked on until she came to the short hallway that led to Eizan's oversized rooms. She made an attempt to calm herself before coming into view of the guard that was posted outside the door. Fortunately, considering the circumstances, the aura of anxiety that clung to her would only present itself as concern over his well-being.

Holding her breath, she walked wordlessly past the guard and into the room. It was dimly lit from only the presence of a few smoking candles. Eizan was sprawled out lifeless on his bed. The place reeked of the lurking nearness of death and Sashe prayed that it would not be successful before she had her opportunity to do what she had come for.

Keito was hovering nearby, arms folded, as he watched another individual work on the terrible, gaping wound that slashed across Eizan's throat. He glanced up at her entry.

"How is he?" she asked, willing some form of concern to come to her voice. Fortunately, Keito wasn't exactly the brightest of Eizan's children and so likely wouldn't recognize that Sashe was on the verge of being murderous.

Keito shook his head. "We don't know yet. He's kind of in limbo at the moment. We'll just have to see how it goes."

She nodded gravely. "Would you mind if I had a moment alone with him?"

Keito eyed her. "Sure. I've got something to take care of, anyway." He made a gesture toward what Sashe assumed was a physician and both men exited the room, shutting the heavy wooden door with a slam, leaving her alone with the man she both loved and loathed.

With slow movements, Sashe moved closer to Eizan until she was staring down into his ashy face. Just hours earlier, he had been treating her like the love of his life, expressing sweet, endearing words. Now he looked as though his innate stubbornness was clinging to life, determined to see finished what he had started. It was all like a play. Everyone had acted their parts correctly, everyone except her. Until now.

This is when the betrayed lover takes her revenge, is it not, Eizan? Sashe thought quietly, watching the unsteady rise and fall of his chest. Outside, another flash of lightning, this one closer by, cut the sky, followed by a shaking clap of thunder.

She could remember when she had first met him. She had been lonely and angry, displaced from her roots by her mother's departure to China in an attempt to escape Kanaye, then Kanaye's subsequent attempt to locate her. Eizan had been so kind; it had not seemed possible that he came from the very family she had been taught from birth to despise.

He had taken her into his home. He had welcomed her, as had his family. He had treated her with respect and affection and loyalty. He had expressed understanding about the harshness of the predicament she had found herself in, caught between him and her family … and every last bit of it had been a charade. The kindness had been followed up by suspicions and wariness. The overtures of friendship toward her father had been accompanied by an attempt to end his life. A power struggle between himself and Sesshoumaru had degenerated into a reason to exterminate what remained of his family's enemies. And she had been the only one to fall for his lies.

Tears burned the backs of her eyes as she wished desperately that she had taken Sesshoumaru's last invitation to return. Now she had no options available to her. Elif had shown the courage that she had been unable to display herself. She had stood by and allowed for the man she was so certain loved her to set unheeded upon a path that was meant to destroy her family. Sashe found that she was grateful beyond words for Elif's actions, because Inuyasha's demise would have been on her head.

I can return to Sesshoumaru and hope he will not carry through with the threat to deal with me as a spy, she thought, but that, again, would be the cowardly way out. She was not certain that he would follow through on that threat, but irreparable damage had been done between them and she could not count on his mercy. Sashe was weary of her indecision. It was time to choose a side.

Her head turned slightly to look at the weapons that had been removed from Eizan. They were laid out on a table near the bed, streaked with mud. Her eyes lighted on the shorter of the two swords, one that looked more ornamental than useful, judging by the intricacy of the carved hilt.

With a shaking hand and blinking back tears, Sashe reached for the hilt and pulled it from its sheath with barely a whisper of sound. It lay heavy in her hand as she turned her attention back to Eizan. His life would end, and after what she had learned of him tonight, he likely would not be at all surprised by the hand that granted him his death.

This will correct my mistake. I chose the right way in the end, and that's the best that I can do, she consoled herself. She had no doubts about her own fate once she ended Eizan's life. Her only real concern was that her father and Sesshoumaru be told why she had done something so drastic. It might help redeem her to them in some way …

Tightening her hand on the hilt, Sashe raised the sword.

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Neither Inuyasha nor Sesshoumaru were in a great mood by the time Toutousai's home came into view. The place was desolate, a feeling that was only enhanced by the steady, misty fall of rain. The sun had long since taken refuge behind a wall of storm clouds.

Inuyasha's feet splashed through puddles as he stalked up to the cave. His hair was plastered to his face, sodden clothes hanging on him. He twitched his ears to flick away some of the water, wishing more than anything that Sesshoumaru wasn't around. Inuyasha was dying to give himself a good shake, but was sure he'd get berated for not being the perfect example of dignity that was the intolerable cur that was following not far behind him. The bastard was acting as though he was not quite sure he wanted to give the impression that they were arriving together.

"Hey, Toutousai!" Inuyasha called in the direction of the cave's gaping mouth. "Guess who broke his sword? And it wasn't me this time!"

He entered the dampened cave, eyes scouring the dimness for Toutousai, finally locating the old man. Toutousai was busily adding wood to the roaring fire in his kiln, but looked up at the sound of Inuyasha's voice

"Who broke a sword?" he asked as both brothers entered his domain. He frowned at them in consternation. "Is there a reason you two are dressed so much alike?"

Looking less than amused by that comment, Sesshoumaru stepped forward and placed the two boxes onto Toutousai's work table. He then pulled them each open, allowing the shards inside to glitter in the pale light. Instantly, Toutousai began making an odd choking sound.

"You … what did you do to her?! Ten … Tenseiga …," Toutousai, appearing as mournful as though one of his dearest family members had just died, grasped a handful of the ash and let it trail through his gnarled fingers. "You never appreciated her!" he said accusingly to Sesshoumaru, who eyed him with cool indifference. "My poor masterpiece," he murmured, sounding very much like he was attempting to fight back a sob.

"Told you he'd cry," Inuyasha reminded Sesshoumaru.

"Fix it," Sesshoumaru ordered icily.

Toutousai looked up from the remains of Tenseiga, his eyes bulging in amazement. "Fix it?! You return this to me and expect me to so easily do that? Why should I restore her and return her to an ingrate like you?"

"Toutousai, I am in a foul mood. I would suggest you not argue with me today," Sesshoumaru warned sincerely.

"Do you have any idea why your Father gave you that sword? Hmm? I suppose not. I can see that his plan still doesn't seem to be working," Toutousai complained.

"I assume it is because he placed value on my life, but then my father's mind was never something I easily understood," Sesshoumaru answered dryly.

"He gave it to you hoping that you'd grow a heart, develop some sort of feeling for the living things around you. I told him he was a fool for thinking you'd be affected by it at all and I was right," Toutousai huffed. He pointed a finger at Inuyasha. "Have you at least stopped trying to kill him yet?"

"Yeah, he must have gotten bored with that," Inuyasha claimed, dropping down to sit cross-legged against the wall, yawning loudly.

"Fix them, Toutousai. I won't tell you again," Sesshoumaru stated, ignoring Toutousai's complaints.

"Them?"

"That other pile over there is Toukijin," Inuyasha explained, cracking his knuckles. "Some weird woman just blew it to shreds while he was holding it."

Toutousai's face became exultant at this news. "Good riddance!"

"Excuse me?" Sesshoumaru inquired dangerously.

"You heard me! That sword was made from evil by evil! I'm not fixing anything that Kaijinbou touched, so you can----" Toutousai's words were cut off when Sesshoumaru's hand moved to grab the front of his shirt, nearly hauling the old man over the table.

"You'll fix them both and you'll do it immediately," Sesshoumaru informed him.

"If you kill him, he won't be repairing anything, moron," Inuyasha muttered.

Toutousai wrapped a wrinkled hand around Sesshoumaru's in an attempt to disengage the grip. "He's right. And if I'm going to fix Tenseiga, I'm going to need you to volunteer a fang …."

-------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------

"You are a dumbass."

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru said almost wearily as he trudged on ahead, listening to the footsteps that shadowed him. "I find now that I do intensely regret having left you to your own devices as a child."

Inuyasha's face morphed into a comical mixture of suspicion, annoyance, and confusion as he stared at the back of his brother's head. "And why is that?" he asked warily.

"Because the vocabulary you learned as a street urchin is painful to listen to," Sesshoumaru replied. His day seemed to be worsening by the moment, something that had not been aided by Toutousai's obviously gleeful extraction of one of his front fangs.

"Quit changing the subject," Inuyasha growled back. "You're the moron that threatened the one person we know of that can actually restore Tenseiga. Haven't you learned by now that threats don't work on Toutousai? He just goes into hiding until you cool down. You're lucky he practically views that blunt piece of crap as a child, because otherwise you wouldn't be getting it back."

"The fact remains that he will fix it."

"And what about Toukijin?"

"I've defended myself without Toukijin for the majority of my life. I will accept its loss and repay Eizan … should he survive."

Silence fell then as the two demons paced their way through the dense overgrowth of the forest. The vague sun was barely able to penetrate through the heavy canopy of leaves, and the ground was spongy from the soaking rain of the night before. When the wind blew through, rustling the branches, it was easy to smell that another storm was on its way. The sun was not far from setting and Sesshoumaru was absolutely intent on returning to the village before then. Having human Inuyasha trailing behind him was a bad idea.

"Hey," came the brat's voice then, and Sesshoumaru took a second to cherish those last few minutes of blissful silence. He looked to his right to find Inuyasha walking beside him, shoving low-hanging branches out of his face and then releasing them in a shower of damp leaves.

"What?"

"We need to have a chat," Inuyasha said seriously, almost sounding defensive, as though fully prepared to be scathingly mocked for that statement.

"No, we don't. You just have the need to run your mouth constantly."

"I'm trying to be civil. Why don't you shut up for a minute and listen," Inuyasha barked, watching Sesshoumaru's profile as he stepped over a rotting log. "You've got a huge mess to sort out. Eizan dragged me into it, which means I've got to deal with him, too. It'd make sense if we actually tried to do this one …," his throat choked up at the word "together", but really, it made the most sense. Having two separate fronts would be easier on Eizan than forcing him to face a joint one.

"It's polite to finish a sentence," Sesshoumaru reprimanded.

"Jerk, you know what I'm trying to say." Inuyasha huffed a breath. "I'm saying I'm willing to take your side in this."

"And why would you do that?"

"Are you that stupid?"

Sesshoumaru halted his forward progress and turned to stare Inuyasha down. "I'm trying to discern your motives."

"Not everyone has "motives", baka. Look, we've got our problems---"

"To say the least."

"---but they don't have to come into this. I'll even stop calling you names." He paused then, as though considering how unlikely it was that he would be able to uphold that end of the deal, then amended his offer. "Okay, maybe I won't stop calling you names, but I'll use the ones that piss you off the least."

Sesshoumaru was silent for so long that Inuyasha wondered if he was going to have to repeat himself. Finally, however, there was a frosty reply. "Inuyasha, did you get my letter?"

"Yeah ... I got it."

"What did it say?"

Inuyasha gave a derisive snort. "Did you get my reply?"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered, sounding displeased at the memory.

"Then you know exactly what I'm thinking, don't you?"

"You need to stay out of it. This conflict has been going on since well before you were born. You have nothing to do with it."

"Since you seem to have some sort of brain damage going on up there," Inuyasha said, tapping a finger to his own head, "I guess I should remind you that what happened at the village last night says otherwise. I'm going to have my say with Eizan. Whether that's while teamed up with you or not is your decision."

They both went quiet and resumed their stare down, neither one giving in to so much as blinking. The birds around them slowly adjusted to their presence and began chirping. Tree limbs brushed back and forth in a calm sway.

"You are a constant source of aggravation. I don't enjoy the prospect of enduring you for the duration of this conflict."

"And you're a condescending jackass," Inuyasha replied easily, "but I'm willing to tolerate your ugly face for a few days just to make sure Eizan gets what's coming to him."

Wordlessly, Sesshoumaru turned and began striding once more through the forest, Inuyasha moving quickly to match his steps. "If I agree, will you shut your mouth until we reach your village? I'm growing tired of the sound of your voice," Sesshoumaru conceded to Inuyasha.

There was a short pause as Inuyasha seemed to consider that, before he asked in an inquiring voice, "Can you see out of that eye yet?"

Sesshoumaru glared ahead of him, the blurred peripheral vision in his right eye registering the hanyou's movements. "Well enough to know that if you don't quit gesturing at me with that finger, I'm going to remove it from your hand."

He stopped short then and Inuyasha made a defensive movement, as though prepared for Sesshoumaru to act on that threat. Instead, Sesshoumaru looked beyond him and then turned to glance behind him in the direction they had been heading. His senses were setting off a silent alarm in his head. They were still clearly not up to their full strength because he was having some difficulty judging the source. He turned again, wearing a light frown, and stared over Inuyasha's head for a moment.

"What?" Inuyasha asked warily.

Sesshoumaru did not answer, instead standing very still as he waited … and then a whooshing sound rent the air. His reflexes acted instantly, halting the progress of a steel-tipped arrow within scant inches of Inuyasha's throat. The hanyou's eyes widened in surprise.

His senses are shot as well, Sesshoumaru thought, noting the deep orange of the light that permeated the forest. He's losing them to his pitiful human blood.

Inuyasha drew Tessaiga and both remained silent as they waited for signs of movement. "Someone is aware that you turn human tonight," Sesshoumaru muttered quietly, snapping the arrow into two pieces and allowing it to drop to the ground. "That arrow is poisoned."

"Where is he?" Inuyasha growled.

"I don't know."

"Care to repeat that?" Inuyasha mocked. "But that's fine," he said, and suddenly energy began whirling around Tessaiga. "We'll just level this place."

---------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

Rin was beginning to wonder if the solitude of being with Sesshoumaru was not starting to affect her. She was no longer accustomed to being around large groups of people for an extended period of time. Though she enjoyed the company of Kagome and her friends, there were times when she wanted peace and quiet, something that was abundant with Sesshoumaru, but less available in a human village.

A damp wind blew past her as she walked down to the river, which was bloated from the previous night's downpour and rushing with a rapid, frothing current. She recognized that she was feeling more than a little melancholy, and maybe that was the source of her desire for solitude.

Beyond the frightening events of the night before, Rin had found that something else was bothering her. Holding little baby Kaede, watching the interaction of her family, and the clear happiness and togetherness Sango and Miroku enjoyed made her feel that old, familiar loss come back. Her family was gone, but she could still remember bits and pieces of them, and knew that they had been happy, too. It made her want something she was not able to have.

She held no ill-feelings toward Sesshoumaru for that. He had made it clear from the beginning about what would and would not be acceptable between them, and she had agreed to those terms. She did not regret it, but there were times when it was difficult to acknowledge the prospect of never having her own family. This was one of those times.

Adjusting the position of the bow that was slung over her shoulder, Rin paused at the water's edge and looked in. The water was moving far too quickly and was too dark from debris to be able to see anything, but it was soothing nonetheless. The fact that she had thought to bring a weapon at all, though, told her that she did not feel secure. She was ready for Sesshoumaru to return. She did not place nearly as much confidence in Kanaye's abilities as he did.

It was nearing sunset, and Rin knew Kagome was probably nervous that Inuyasha would not show up in time. Her wedding plans would be sent spiraling out of control. Rin smiled at the thought of them, and how odd it was that, though Inuyasha did not deny that Kagome was in fact his mate, Kagome was positive that he would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to a ceremony in her time. Thus, the necessity for being so secretive.

As Rin pondered exactly how many osuwaris it was going to take to make Inuyasha come along peacefully, the wind shifted and she felt an unnerving presence, one that made her turn, hand tightening on her bow as she did so.

She blinked when her sight found Kanaye lounging casually against a tree not far away, eyeing her intently.

"I … didn't know you were here."

"I know you didn't," he replied.

"Was there something you needed?"

"From you? Nothing. Though you could always do Sesshoumaru a favor."

"And what's that?" Rin sighed, her gut telling her where this was going.

"Leave him. Remain here at this human village with your provincial little friends, and permanently exit his life," Kanaye suggested, and she kept her eyes trained on him, amazed at how well this demon's beautiful face so easily masked an inside that was proving to be horrible and ugly.

"I won't do such a thing."

"How very selfish of you. Your presence has changed him entirely too much. You've weakened him. If you care for him as you claim you do, then stay away from him."

"Pardon me if I don't take your advice on how to show someone that I care for them," she replied angrily.

She watched his eyes narrow in annoyance. He pushed himself off of the tree and walked steadily toward her. Rin's hand tightened on her bow and she calculated how close she would allow him to get before she pulled an arrow.

He halted his approach only a few feet from her, his expression that of sneering amusement. "He's not here now, girl," he reminded her.

"And what will you do?"

"If you reach for one of those arrows, you will find out," he warned her seriously.

She kept her hand clenched around the smoothly-carved bow, watched as his eyes flickered hatefully from her to the river. He appeared to be watching something, but Rin did not feel that turning to inspect for herself would be a smart idea. He glanced back at her.

"Again, I am telling you to leave him. If you're smart, you'll value your safety over whatever fascination you have for him."

"I love him very much," she replied honestly. "But I don't think you know what that is."

He gave a low mocking laugh, a cruel, derisive sound. "Stupid child. Love does not exist except in the desires of humans who try to grasp for something to make their pitiful existences meaningful. A demon could never love something like you."

Rin stared back at him, certain that it would be unhealthy to try to argue. Strangely, she found her anger dissipating. She felt almost sorry for him. How sad that he had lived for this long and believed love did not exist.

His gaze went again to something beyond her, then fell back on her with the barest hint of a cruel smirk. Almost immediately, Rin heard a roar come from behind her and was only able to manage to turn halfway around before something wet and slimy wrapped itself around her waist and heaved her backward. Her hand unclenched from her bow and it fell to the earth.

She heard someone far off yell her name as she was dragged backward toward the river. Rin pulled at the tentacles that held her, but they were like a lead weight, one that carried her steadily toward the sounds of the churning water. Her fingers dug desperately into the earth, trying to find leverage, but grasped only a fistful of mud. Breathing harshly from her struggle, she looked up to find Kanaye still standing motionless, hands slack at his sides, watching with complete detachment.

The tentacles gave another final jerk, and Rin had the presence of mind to inhale a deep breath before she was pulled into the water's depths.

---------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

Miroku's head swiveled back and forth as he walked down the dirt road that led to the outskirts of the village, sight searching for Shippou and Rin. Kagome had sent him to locate them, since they were late for the dinner she had prepared, but he had seen no sign of either of the two for the last hour or so, and had no clear idea of where exactly to find them. The dirt road eventually gave way to sodden grass; his sandals made an odd sucking sound as they shoved on through the mud.

It wasn't long before his instincts were rewarded, because he spotted Shippou's auburn head and bushy tail partially hidden behind the gnarled trunk of an ancient tree. This attempt at stealth confused Miroku, bringing a frown to his face. Who is he spying on …?

Shippou turned at his approach and gestured for him to come closer. Miroku joined him, kneeling down to watch the scene that had so captivated Shippou's attention. It was Rin conversing with a white-haired demon, one whose resemblance to Sesshoumaru told Miroku that this must be Kanaye.

"What's going on over there?" Miroku asked with a suspicious frown, not liking the looks of the conversation.

"I don't know. I just happened by and saw them. I don't trust him."

"You don't know him."

"He's related to Sesshoumaru, isn't he?" Shippou muttered.

"Precisely, which means that he likely would not have the nerve to harm Rin."

"I'm not so confident. I have a bad feeling about that guy," Shippou claimed nervously.

That bad feeling was brought to fruition only moments later when they watched in horror as something pale and glistening shot up from the water, sending out tentacles that wrapped around Rin, whose back was to the water. She made an attempt to turn, but her feet were pulled out from under her and she hit the ground.

"Rin!" Miroku called. Kicking off the sandals that were slowing him in the muddy soil, Miroku ran full speed toward the river, Shippou in tow right behind him.

Kanaye stood calmly by and watched the scene as the girl was continuously jerked backward, and then pulled into the water. Miroku rushed past him and halted for a moment at the bank, scouring the swiftly moving river for any sign of a dark-haired head or the presence of the youkai.

Seeing nothing except a swirl of leaves, twigs, and muddy water, he dove into the river and was immediately sucked under by the heavy current. He allowed it to pull him along, blinking his eyes against the confusion. He couldn't see far enough ahead of him, and so made an attempt to dive further under, beneath the current.

Trying to maintain some control of his direction, Miroku followed the pull of the river, but he still could find no sign of Rin or the youkai that had attacked her. His lungs began to burn, so he pushed off from the bottom and broke the surface, gasping for air. He found Shippou running full speed on the bank beside him. Immediately, the fox demon transformed himself and hovered out over the river, allowing Miroku to grab onto him before floating both of them back to shore.

"You didn't see anything?" Shippou asked anxiously as Miroku dropped onto the grass and tried to regain his breath.

He shook his head, hair slinging fat droplets with the motion. "It was a water demon. I'm not going to be able to outswim it," he said.

"But … did it kidnap Rin or ….?"

"I don't know, Shippou," Miroku replied honestly.

-------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------

The sun was sinking by the time Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha reached the village outskirts. The scent of Kanaye lingered nearby, and Sesshoumaru altered his course to walk toward it, intent on discussing the ambush he and Inuyasha had encountered on their journey back from seeing Toutousai.

Ignoring the fact that Inuyasha was still following him like a lost puppy, Sesshoumaru found that he did not trust himself to acknowledge his brother's existence at all at the moment. Inuyasha, tactless idiot that he was, had indeed acted on his boldly stated threat to level the forest. In the process, he had Kaze no Kizu'd the assailant to dust before Sesshoumaru ever had the opportunity to speak with them. Needless to say, Sesshoumaru had not been pleased, and Inuyasha's bruised and bloodied face spoke of the rather nasty little brawl that had followed the hanyou's poor decision.

Now, in an even fouler mood than he had been in when he had left that morning, Sesshoumaru headed steadily toward Kanaye's solitary form, which was perched not far from the bank of the swollen river.

Frowning as he picked up the lingering scents of Rin, the monk, and the fox demon, Sesshoumaru felt an odd feeling come to him, one that was suspicious of the fact that those scents remained, but there was no sign of the people they had originated from. Only Kanaye ….

Kanaye turned at their approach. His eyes grazed over Inuyasha, looking humored. "You must have done something really stupid to come back looking like that," he commented.

"Shut up," Inuyasha muttered.

"We were attacked by a single archer," Sesshoumaru explained, then stopped himself before discussing the poisoned arrow, one that would have meant only irritation to a demon, but a quick death to a half-demon that was due to turn human within only a few hours. That poison would not have had time to leave his system before sunset. Yes, that had been meant especially for Inuyasha. For some reason, Sesshoumaru did not feel comfortable with Kanaye being aware of what a new moon signified for the hanyou. It could only bring more problems, and he had enough to consider without adding to it all.

The wind blew past him and he turned his head toward the river, noticing a strange smell … and something familiar lying on the ground. Moving to retrieve the bow from the ground, Sesshoumaru turned to look carefully at Kanaye. "Why is this here?"

"She dropped it," Kanaye said noncommittally.

Sesshoumaru clenched it in his fist. "Where is she now, Kanaye?" he asked carefully, as Inuyasha glanced from one face to the other, trying to gauge the sudden tension.

"I can honestly say I do not know," Kanaye replied with the barest hint of a smile.

Sesshoumaru turned and walked closer to the bank, kneeling to inspect the streaks that had been cut into the ground, markings that looked very much like fingernails raking across the ground ….

"Inuyashaaaaa!" a voice called anxiously. Feeling the beginnings of dread, Sesshoumaru looked up at this shout to find Miroku and Shippou running toward them. "Rin went into the river!" Shippou exclaimed as they reached them and came to a halt, the soaked monk obviously having already made an attempt at a search.

"It was … a water demon. I didn't get a good look," Miroku panted. "It just grabbed her and pulled her in. She never saw it coming," he finished, casting an accusing glance at Kanaye, who appeared to be completely unperturbed.

"He stood there and watched the whole thing," Shippou growled, pointing at Kanaye.

Absorbing the statements along with the accusations, Sesshoumaru shoved the bow into Inuyasha's hands, and then walked back to Kanaye. The older demon's expression did not change, nor did he make an attempt to back away as Sesshoumaru stopped within arm's reach of him.

"You stood by and allowed it to happen," Sesshoumaru stated, more than questioned.

"And I don't apologize for it. You'll thank me when your senses return to you."

Sesshoumaru nodded, his face eerily calm as he replied, "Then if she's dead, you're going to follow her."