After the first light, Sesshoumaru woke up Rin and Jaken, and soon they were walking. Meadows stretched to their left, and the forest rose up on their right. They would walk that way until Sesshoumaru found some sign that what he was looking for was near.

Rin was dancing around a short distance ahead, running in the grasses and occasionally picking one of the tall flowers that grew among them. Sesshoumaru suddenly sensed something quickly approaching out of the woods. Rin saw the snake-like demon at almost exactly the same time, as it was headed right for her.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

But before the words were out of her mouth, Sesshoumaru had effectively ended the conflict, casually flicking his wrist and extending the energy whip, cutting the offending demon in half. Mere feet in front of Rin. She had dropped the plants that she had had in her hands, and was now staring at the snake, which was still twitching at one end. Humans and their low tolerance for violence. It wasn't even that violent--the thing's body hadn't even sprayed blood. Besides, if it wasn't dead, she would be. Rin still remained standing where she was until they caught up to her. She looked at him but said nothing.

"You should stay closer today," he told her.

She silently nodded and jumped on to the back of the dragon, remaining there for the rest of the day. As untroublesome as that encounter had been for Sesshoumaru, it did bring up a small and annoying problem. Wherever Kainjinbou lived, it was probably not appropriate for humans in any way. He would have to find someplace suitable to leave Rin for a while.

The scent of Inuyasha's blood still filled the area, Sesshoumaru noticed. It seemed that he was heading in Inuyasha's direction whether he wanted to or not. But Inuyasha was so pathetically weak right now that there was no way that the halfbreed would sense him.

At sunset they stopped. Rin had found food along the way, in what Sesshoumaru guessed would soon become routine--find food at the end of the day, and save part of it to eat the next morning.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I'm cold," she suddenly said.

That again. "Can you see?"

"Yes."

"Then get some firewood."

She did so, which Jaken again lit with the Staff of Heads. They sat in silence, Rin sitting close to him, until she spoke.

"Why do you keep asking me that?"

"What?"

"If I can see?"

"Demons can see in the dark," Sesshoumaru said. He could always see, and it was hard for him to guess at exactly what point in the twilight that human eyes failed.

"Really? Always?" she asked.

"Yes."

Suddenly seeming to remember something, she pointed to his hand.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That thing to kill the thing," she said, flopping her own hand around in mimic.

"It's just something I can do."

"What else can you do?" Rin asked, wide eyed. Sesshoumaru looked at her. He could see at some level that such things might be fascinating to her, but he had never given much thought to his abilities. He had always had them, and took them somewhat for granted. But before he could think of an answer, she spoke again.

"You can jump higher than me."

"Yes."

"And your eyes can do that thing."

"That too."

"You're a lot stronger than me?"

"Yes."

"And faster?"

"Yes."

"Are all demons as strong as you?"

"Absolutely not!" Jaken suddenly exclaimed. "Lord Sesshoumaru is one of the strongest demons, if not the strongest! Other demons are nothing to him!"

"Really?" Rin asked. "What else can you do?"

"Don't bother Lord Sesshoumaru with pointless questions," Jaken said, clearly getting annoyed with the conversation.

Rin dropped the subject of Sesshoumaru, either bored or satisfied, and turned to another one. "What can Lord Jaken do?"

"What?"

"You're a demon, too. What can you do?" she repeated to Jaken.

"I can do this," Jaken said, holding up his staff and shooting a large column of flame up into the sky.

"I've seen that. What else can you do?"

"I--I can...I can...it's not important what I can do! Being a demon by itself is good enough! And I'm very useful to Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. "Hey, Lord Jaken, let me see the stick!"

"Staff of Heads."

"Let me see the Staff of Heads," she said, stretching her hand out to Jaken, but looking at him. "Please, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru nodded his head, amused at the whole thing. Jaken reluctantly turned over the staff to Rin. She held it up, looking at it. "How does it work?"

"It won't work for humans," Jaken said.

"Any ever tried, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru said. "But on the off chance that it does, make sure the fire head is pointed away from her?"

Jaken nervously gulped and made sure that the staff was indeed aligned correctly.

"How does it work, Lord Jaken?"

"I don't know! Just think that you want fire to come out."

She unsuccessfully waved the staff several times and somewhat unhappily handed it back to Jaken. Then she came back over to sit down.

"I wish that I could do things like you and Lord Jaken," she informed him.

After that it was quiet, and soon she and Jaken were both sleeping.

The drifiting night wind brought more news of Inuyasha. He was moving again, and losing more blood as he fought something else. Then for a moment, there was nothing but the scent of blood. Sesshoumaru idly wondered if this was to be the end of the halfbreed. But then the smell of impending death changed into something much more odd. Demon power, wild and untamed, was suddenly loose. Power coming from...Inuyasha? Then there was the blood smell of whatever Inuyasha had been fighting, no doubt as it was ripped limb from limb. It was soon dead, leaving nothing but the other demon power.

There was no mistaking now that it was indeed Inuyasha, but with no trace of the usual human blood that ran in his veins. Only raw demon power was there--a power almost like his, Sesshoumaru mused. Then, just as suddenly, it was gone, leaving only a lingering hint in the air as proof that it had ever been there. Sesshoumaru frowned. Perhaps a slight detour to see what his half brother was up to would be worth his time, after all.