Fate's Desire [Sesshomaru x Rin]

XXVII: Bleeding Forest

"I guess I just find it odd."

"Lady Akari is brilliant. She can fix anyone." Unmei said.

"But I feel different. I'm not feeling even a single jolt of pain. And all my broken bones and bruises are.. Healed. Gone. That can't just happen over night."

"Anything is possible if you believe it."

I sighed, pulling my hair back from my face. It was a windy day as we moved closer up the mountains. Leaves fell in groups around us as we continued down this long yet beautiful winding road.

Lord Sesshomaru was up ahead of us, probably not wanting to listen to the active conversing of myself and Unmei. When it was just Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken, A-un, and I, I had learned to keep my mouth shut most of the way since Lord Sesshomaru preferred quiet. It was peaceful, actually, and it seemed like we got more done with during the day by keeping to ourselves. Ever since Unmei had joined us, leaving Lady Akari behind in order to assist in my healing so I wouldn't seize again, Lord Sesshomaru had been distant.

It had been a few weeks since my last serious conversation I had with Lord Sesshomaru, and we hadn't talked together much ever since. I figured he was silently angry with me for keeping the vital piece of information from him that concerned Tatsuo and his possible weakness. Yet again, we didn't have alone time with each other for a while too since Unmei had now joined us.

I tried to tell myself that it was better this way, with this minimum interaction between myself and Lord Sesshomaru. No distractions, just his eye on the goal. It was faster this way too.

But I missed him, and yet he was right there in front of me.

Master Jaken had given up on trying to shut Unmei up. He had joined Lord Sesshomaru up ahead, with A-un in between us, leaving myself and Unmei trailing in the back.

"Rin. Are you okay?"

"Hm?"

She was tugging on the sleeve of my kimono as I looked down at her.

"I asked you a question and you didn't say anything."

"Oh. Sorry. I'm just a little.. distracted."

"That's okay. Are you fe-"

A scream.

And that's when I felt it. An awful demonic energy coming from the west side of the woods.

I sprinted to A-un, who had stopped too in his tracks. I unstrapped my bow and arrows from him, before taking off into the woods. I could feel Lord Sesshomaru's eyes watch my retreating figure as I ignore Master Jaken & Unmei's calls.

I moved quite fast for being in such a tight kimono. The demonic energy grew steadily closer as I continued to move stealthily through the woods, aware that the trees were growing more dense and closer together.

I instantly stopped when the demonic energy suddenly disappeared, leaning against a tree to catch my breath.

A part of me wanted to go back, but then there was the more prominent part that kept telling me that I needed to keep going forward. I had to find the source of that scream.