The Girl Sesshomaru Loved

Chapter VI:

InuYasha glared at Kagome. Kagome glared back at him, her arms crossed in a stubborn manner over her chest. InuYasha started growling.

Suddenly he stopped and sniffed the air.

“what is it InuYasha, what do you smell?” Kagome asked him.

“Sshhh!” InuYasha said, “Dammit, it’s him!” he took off running down the orchard.

“Oh Damn! My apples!....InuYasha, where are you in such a hurry to get to?” Arena asked him as he breezed by, knocking her over and spilling all the apples she had picked.

“I am going to kill my brother!” InuYasha shouted back up the hill.

“Apollo!” Arena thought, “this is not going to go well…”

“Where did InuYasha go?” Kagome came running down the hill.

“He went running down the hill saying something about killing his brother. Kagome, why would InuYasha want to kill his own brother?” Arena asked.

“I don’t know, they have never got along well. InuYasha’s father gave him a great sword and now his brother wants to take it from him. I think it all has something to do with sibling rivalry.”

“I’ve never heard of sibling rivalry that resulted in death! How can we stop him?”

“Hmmm, I don’t know. Usually I just use the rosary and command him to ‘sit’. That gives his brother a chance to get away, who is a full demon by the way, and so he gets bored easily when he fights with InuYasha.”

“So does InuYasha stand a chance?” Arena asked.

“Yes, as long as he has his father’s sword. Either way, I should stop them! You better stay behind, okay Arena?”

“of course. I’ll go tell the rest of the group where you have gone.”

Kagome quickly ran down the hill trying to get to InuYasha before someone got killed. She was trying to go too quickly over the rocks and roots that she slipped on a piece of mud and fell hard down the hill. As she rolled her head hit the edge of a rock knocking her unconscious. A trickle of blood slowly poured down her cheek from a cut on her forehead. InuYasha stopped his pursuit long enough to sniff the air and realize that Kagome was nearby, and that she was hurt.

“I’LL GET YOU LATER SESSHOMARU!” He screamed as he turned around and followed the scent of Kagome.

He came upon the unconscious Kagome and picked her up gently.

“Aw, Kagome, you are so silly. Why do you always come after me. And without your arrows or anything!” He said to her as he started back towards the camp.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru stopped at the sound of InuYasha screaming his name. The air was full with different scents, he could pick out the smell of an animal fight not too long ago, and of course the smell of his younger half-brother, and the smell of Kagome’s blood, but there was also an oddly familiar smell of roses. He was about to ask Jaken if he smelled roses, but then thought the better of himself, and turned away. Then he stopped, there was something else. A smell of rotting flesh, rotting living flesh. Suddenly Jaken came running up to him.

“Lord Sesshomaru, Rin is gone. I don’t see her anywhere! Ew…What is that smell?” Jaken wrinkled his nose.

Sesshomaru said nothing to Jaken, he simply took off in search of Rin.

As InuYasha was carrying Kagome back to the camp, he heard the scream of a young girl. He met Arena running down the hill away from the camp.

“What happened to Kagome, and what was that scream, InuYasha?”

“I think she fell down the hill and hit her head. Nothing serious I hope.”

“Nah, she looks fine. I don’t even think I need to heal her.” Arena said.

“Do you think that scream came from a child?” InuYasha asked.

“Yes, I hope it wasn’t that little girl I saw in the orchard.” Arena wondered.

“What little girl?”

“I can’t remember her name. She was a cute little girl with black hair, probably about ten years old. She said she was with people, but I never saw anyone. Please InuYasha, we have to go look for her, she could be in trouble, and she is all alone!”

“Arg! You sound just like Kagome. I’ll take Kagome back to the camp and get the others. You meet me at the bottom of the hill there, but don’t go on ahead all by yourself! And don’t go too fast!” with the last word InuYasha took off into the air as another high pitched scream pierced their ears. Ignoring InuYasha’s instructions Arena took off down the hill to find the source of the noise. She was terribly worried for the little girl with the cherry stained smile. She scrambled through the bush fearful of what she might find, but determined that she face it instead of the little girl. She heard a terrible wind approaching, it sounded like a tornado, and she dove out of the path just in time for a demon to pass by her.

Sesshomaru knew there was a human hiding in the bushes, but it was no concern to him. He had to find Rin! Blast! HE was here, with his ridiculous entourage in tow. Sesshomaru stopped dead in his path.

“You! What are you doing here? Get out of my way!” Sesshomaru said to InuYasha in that patient but horrifyingly cold voice of his.

“Your way! Ha! We heard a scream and came down to find out what is wrong. Don’t tell me you’ve lost that little human girl again?” InuYasha scoffed at Sesshomaru.

“Don’t be silly InuYasha,” Kagome said while holding a wet cloth to her own forehead, “of course we will help you find Rin, Sesshomaru.”

“I need none of your help!” Sesshomaru sniffed the air and took off once again.

“You are going the wrong way Sesshomaru, he is right here!” InuYasha yelled.

“Sesshomaru is blinded by his rage against you InuYasha, we must try and find the child ourselves.” Miroku motioned for the others to follow him. “I sense a strong demonic aura over here near this swamp.”

“Elch, what is that smell!?!” said Sango.

“Hey, InuYasha, Sango, Miroku! There you are. Kagome, are you alright?” Arena finally found her friends.

“I’ll be fine, thanks Arena, don’t worry it’ll heal on its own” said Kagome.

They emerged into a clearing of murky mud, the trees which once stood tall had long since died off from the noxious vapours emitted by the swamp. Blackened stumps were all that was left of the once proud and beautiful trees. The Bog Demon was crouched in the distance. He was black all over and slimy, with four arms and two legs and a lizard-like tail. He had a long snout much like an alligator and seemed very much like an overgrown reptile. His back was covered with boils and warts and his scaled stomach was rounded like he had just eaten a feast. He was trying desperately to keep Rin still so that he could eat her.

“Oh No you don’t!” InuYasha took off running with his Tetsusaiga unsheathed.

“InuYasha, don’t be stupid! You’ll kill Rin, InuYasha SIT!” Kagome shouted while stringing her bow.

Sango took off running and unleashed her Hiraikotsu. It swung fiercely at the Bog Demon, cutting off one of its many arms. Sango artlessly caught it on the return swoop. Arena was amazed that Sango could hold let alone throw the oversized boomerang. The Bog Demon became fiercely angry, squealing in pain at the assault on his body. Kagome unsheathed an arrow and aimed it at his head, “hit the mark” she muttered and she let it fly. Her sacred arrow hit him directly between the eyes. He disapeared but not before Rin was squeezed in the Bog Demon’s claws as he writhed in pain. As he disappeared into dust the child was thrown to the rocky and muddy ground.

InuYasha started yelling at Kagome immediately while the others went up to Rin.

“How could you stop me like that Kagome, I wasn’t going to hurt the girl! And now look at me, I am all muddy!”

“Well you should’ve listened to me in the first place. You cannot rescue a little girl with the Tetsusaiga!” Kagome sniffed haughtily.

“Oh no, she looks really mad” said Sango as she took off to where Rin was lying to get away from Kagome's fury.

“You are so bloody stubborn! This is not an attack on your pride InuYasha we are talking about the life of a little girl!” Kagome glared daggers at him. InuYasha cowered and took a few steps back away from Kagome. She certainly was intimidating when she was all riled up.

“We must get everyone out of here, especially the child. The toxic fumes are creating a miasma that will surely kill her if her wounds do not” Miroku said.

“Will you carry her to the camp Miroku, I can look after her there.” Arena said.

“No way I’m carrying her, I will not risk the wrath of Lord Sesshomaru!”

'Sesshomaru? That names sounds familiar, but I cannot quite put my finger on it.’ Arena thought. “Fine! I will carry her back to the camp, you are all wimps!”